IMPACTS ON THE EXPRESSION OF VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR IN ISCHEMIC BRAIN TISSUE TREATED WITH CLUSTER PUNC-TURE ON SCALP ACUPOINTS IN RATS

Objective To probe into the impacts on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） in ischemic brain tissue treated with cluster puncture on scalp acupoints in rats, Methods 128 rats were randomized into pseudo-operation group, model group, scalp-needling group and cluster-needling group, In scalp-needling group, penetration method was used on the focal side from Bǎihuì （百会 GV20） to Qǔbīn （曲鬓 GB7）, and in cluster-needling group, penetration method was used on both sides from GV20 to GB7, and a common needling on GV 20. Needles were punctured 2 mm in depth, constantly rotated for 10min, retained for 2 h. Immunohistrochemical method was applied to determine VEGF expression and microvessel density （MVD）. Results With the intervention of cluster puncture on scalp acupoints, VEGF： expressions on every time-spot after ischemia were enhanced apparently, superior to those in scalp-needling group. On the three time-spots of the 7^th, 14^th and 21^st days, MVD was increased after cluster puncture on scale acupoints, superior to those in scalp-needling group. Conclusion Cluster puncture on scalp acupoints up-regulated VEGF expression and promoted regeneration of microvessel.

Screening the optimal Co_(x)/CeO_(2)(110)(x=1–6)catalyst for methane activation in coalbed gas

The challenges posed by energy and environmental issues have forced mankind to explore and utilize unconventional energy sources.It is imperative to convert the abundant coalbed gas(CBG)into high value-added products,i.e.,selective and efficient conversion of methane from CBG.Methane activation,known as the“holy grail”,poses a challenge to the design and development of catalysts.The structural complexity of the active metal on the carrier is of particular concern.In this work,we have studied the nucleation growth of small Co clusters(up to Co_(6))on the surface of CeO_(2)(110)using density functional theory,from which a stable loaded Co/CeO_(2)(110)structure was selected to investigate the methane activation mechanism.Despite the relatively small size of the selected Co clusters,the obtained Co_(x)/CeO_(2)(110)exhibits interesting properties.The optimized Co_(5)/CeO_(2)(110)structure was selected as the optimal structure to study the activation mechanism of methane due to its competitive electronic structure,adsorption energy and binding energy.The energy barriers for the stepwise dissociation of methane to form CH3^(*),CH2^(*),CH^(*),and C^(*)radical fragments are 0.44,0.55,0.31,and 1.20 eV,respectively,indicating that CH^(*)dissociative dehydrogenation is the rate-determining step for the system under investigation here.This fundamental study of metal-support interactions based on Co growth on the CeO_(2)(110)surface contributes to the understanding of the essence of Co/CeO_(2) catalysts with promising catalytic behavior.It provides theoretical guidance for better designing the optimal Co/CeO_(2) catalyst for tailored catalytic reactions.

Aggregation processes with catalysis-driven monomer birth/death

We propose two solvable cluster growth models, in which an irreversible aggregation spontaneously occurs between any two clusters of the same species; meanwhile, monomer birth or death of species A occurs with the help of species B. The system with the size-dependent monomer birth/death rate kernel K（i, j） = Jijv is then investigated by means of the mean-field rate equation. The results show that the kinetic scaling behaviour of species A depends crucially on the value of the index v. For the model with catalysis-driven monomer birth, the cluster-mass distribution of species A obeys the conventional scaling law in the v ≤ 0 case, while it satisfies a generalized scaling form in the v ≥ 0 case; moreover, the total mass of species A is a nonzero value in the v 〈 0 case while it grows continuously with time in the v ≥ 0 case. For the model with catalysis-driven monomer death, the cluster-mass distribution also approaches the conventional scaling form in the v 〈 0 case, while the conventional scaling description of the system breaks down in the v ≥ 0 case. Additionally, the total mass of species A retains a nonzero quantity in the v 〈 0 case, but it decreases to zero with time in the v ≥ 0 case.

Analytical results for the cluster size distribution in controlled deposition processes

This paper proposes a controlled particle deposition model for cluster growth on the substrate surface and then presents exact results for the cluster （island） size distribution. In the system, at every time step a fixed number of particles are injected into the system and immediately deposited onto the substrate surface. It investigates the cluster size distribution by employing the generalized rate equation approach. The results exhibit that the evolution behaviour of the system depends crucially on the details of the adsorption rate kernel. The cluster size distribution can take the Poisson distribution or the conventional scaling form in some cases, while it is of a quite complex form in other cases.