Characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in PM2.s and PMlo in Tanggu District, Tianjin Binhai New Area, China

Particulate matter （PMlo and PM2.5） concentrations were monitored during the November 2008 by using the filter samples collected day and night from three sites in Tanggu District at Tianjin Binhai New Area, China. The mean concentrations of PM2.5 and PMlo rank in the order of urban （150 ug/m3 for PM2.5 and 197 ug/m3 for PM10） 〉 industrial （32 ug/m3 for PM2.5 and 170 ug/m3 for PM10） 〉 suburb area （27 ug/m3 for PM2.5 and 59 ug/m3 for PM10）. Sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） were analyzed in PMlo and PM2.5 samples. Concentrations of total PAHs in PM2.5 and PMlo are in the range of 8.47- 113.94ng/m3 with average of 62.88ng/m3 and 21.07- 118.23 ng/m3 with average of 73.42 ng/m3, respectively. The light ring PAils （2-4 rings） are dominant in both PM2.5 and PMlo during sampling time compares with the heavy ring （5-6 rings） PAHs. The relationship of PAHs and PM2.5 （r = 0.689, p 〈 0.05） is stronger than PAHs and PMlo （r = 0.570, p 〈 0.05）, illustrating PAHs tend to adsorb in PM2.5. In addition, principal component analysis was applied to find the source of PAHs. Three principal factors representing three types of PAHs sources in Tanggu District are extracted, which were coke production, pyrogenic sources and vehicular source.

Extended model predictive control scheme for smooth path following of autonomous vehicles

This paper presents an extended model predictive control(MPC)scheme for implementing optimal path following of autonomous vehicles,which has multiple constraints and an integrated model of vehicle and road dynamics.Road curvature and inclination factors are used in the construction of the vehicle dynamic model to describe its lateral and roll dynamics accurately.Sideslip,rollover,and vehicle envelopes are used as multiple constraints in the MPC controller formulation.Then,an extended MPC method solved by differential evolution optimization algorithm is proposed to realize optimal smooth path following based on driving path features.Finally,simulation and real experiments are carried out to evaluate the feasibility and the effectiveness of the extended MPC scheme.Results indicate that the proposed method can obtain the smooth transition to follow the optimal drivable path and satisfy the lateral dynamic stability and environmental constraints,which can improve the path following quality for better ride comfort and road availability of autonomous vehicles.

Tgfbr2 inactivation facilitates cellular plasticity and development of Pten-null prostate cancer

Mutations in tumors can create a state of increased cellular plasticity that promotes resistance to treatment. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop novel strategies for identifying key factors that regulate cellular plasticity in order to combat resistance to chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Here we report that prostate epithelial cell reprogramming could be exploited to identify key factors required for promoting prostate cancer tumorigenesis and cellular plasticity. Deletion of phosphatase and tensin homolog （Pten） and transforming growth factor-beta receptor type 2 （Tgfbr2） may increase prostate epithelial cell reprogramming efficiency in vitro and cause rapid tumor development and early mortality in vivo. Tgfbr2 ablation abolished TGF-β signaling but increased the bone morphogenetic protein （BMP） signaling pathway through the negative regulator Tmeff1. Furthermore, increased BMP signaling promotes expression of the tumor marker genes ID1, Oct4, Nanog, and Sox2; ID1/STAT3/NANOG expression was inversely correlated with patient survival. Thus, our findings provide information about the molecular mechanisms by which BMP signaling pathways render stemness capacity to prostate tumor cells.

Sustainability performance analysis of environment innovation systems using a two-stage network DEA model with shared resources

The term environmental innovation system refers to an innovation network composed of enterprises,universities,and research institutions involved in the development and diffusion of environmental technology,with the participation of a government.An environmental innovation system not only exerts important impact on the achievement of carbon neutrality but also affects social and economic activities.Investigations on environmental innovation system performance constantly assume a singlestage independent system while ignoring its internal structure.However,such systems are composed of environmental innovation research and development(R&D)and environmental innovation conversion subsystems.A two-stage data envelopment analysis(DEA)model is developed in this study to analyze the efficiency of Chinese regional environmental innovation system by opening the"black box"and considering shared resources.Empirical results indicated that China presents high overall environmental innovation efficiency although some regions need to improve.Regions with low efficiencies in both environmental innovation R&D(EIR)and environmental innovation conversion(EIC)subsystems should expand their investment in and strengthen the management of environmental innovation resources.Regions with low EIR efficiency should improve the absorption and transformation of environmental innovation achievements.Regions with low EIC efficiency should increase investment in the commercialization of environmental innovation achievements and encourage green economy industries,such as new energy,art,tourism,and environmental protection.