Temperature simulation of EMC aluminum ingot with induced heat

The numerical simulation of temperature field of electromagnetic casting (EMC) aluminum ingots is an effective and also necessary approach to study the temperature field and forecast the quality of EMC ingot, or optimize the technological parameters. In EMC, the alternating electromagnetic field can produce induced current and heat within the surface layer. To calculate the temperature field precisely, the induced heat should be taken into account. The induced heat has been coupled into the calculation formula of temperature field of unit volume per unit time, which provides a convenient and also precise method to calculate the temperature field. Besides, the effect of induced heat on the temperature field of ingot has been simulated and discussed. The results show that the induced heat has large influences on the height of liquid column and the surface temperature of ingot. [

Calculation of power consumption and induced heat for EMC aluminum ingots

The electrical parameters and power consumption in electromagnetic casting of aluminum ingots were calculated and discussed in detail. Moreover, the induced heat was calculated with the eddy current within the liquid column. It is found that the calculated values agree with the measured results. Once the inductor current was given, the magnetic flux density in electromagnetic casting could be calculated and the electromagnetic pressure could be obtained. The key to the EMC is the balance between the electromagnetic pressure and the metallostatic pressure. As the liquid column, controlled by the casting speed and pouring speed through a magnetic sensor, is kept away from the inductor, a gap forms linear relationship between the inductor and ingot. The bigger the current is, the smaller the ingot size is.[

Heating induced aggregation in non-fullerene organic solar cells towards high performance

Molecular ordering within the photoactive layer plays a crucial role in determining the device performance of organic solar cells(OSCs).However,the simultaneous molecular ordering processes of polymer donors and non-fullerene acceptors(NFAs)during solution casting usually bring confinement effect,leading to insufficient structural order of photovoltaic components.Herein,the molecular packing of mINPOIC NFA is effectively formed through a heating induced aggregation strategy,with the aggregation of PBDB-T,which has a strong temperature dependence,is retarded by casting on a preheated substrate to reduce its interference toward m-INPOIC.A sequent thermal annealing treatment is then applied to promote the ordering of PBDB-T and achieve balanced aggregation of both donors and acceptors,resulting in the achievement of a maximum efficiency of 13.9% of PBDB-T:m-INPOIC binary OSCs.This work disentangles the interactions of donor polymer and NFA during the solution casting process and develops a rational strategy to enhance the molecular packing of NFAs to boost device performance.

Is thioredoxin reductase involved in the defense againsi DNA fragmentation in varicocele？

We aimed to investigate the role of thioredoxin reductase （TR） and inducible heat shock protein 70 （iHsp70） and their relationship with sperm quality in varicocele （VAR） patients. Semen samples were obtained from 16 subfertile men diagnosed as VAR and 10 fertile men who applied to the Andrology Laboratory of Istanbul Medical Faculty of Istanbul University. The sperm TR and iHsp 70 expression levels were determined using Western blot analysis. The TR activity of the sperm was assayed spectrophometrically. The sperm quality was evaluated both by conventional sperm analysis and by a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling （TUNEL） technique that assayed DNA-fragmented spermatozoa in semen samples. The percentage of TUNELopositive spermatozoa in the VAR group （16.3%±5.6%） was higher than that in the fertile group （5.5%±1.9%）. Significant inverse correlations were detected between the percentage of TUNEL-positive cells and both the concentration （r=--0.609; P=0.001） and motility （r=--0.550; P=-0.004） of spermatozoa. Both the TR expression and activity were increased significantly in the VAR group （U=22.0; P=0.001 and U=33.5 P=0.012, respectively） as analyzed using the Mann-Whitney UWilcoxon rank sum Wtest. Furthermore, significant positive correlations were found between TR expression and activity （r=-0.406; P=O.040） and between TR expression and the percentage of TUNEL-positive cells （r=0.665; P=-0.001）. Sperm iHsp70 expression did not differ between the VAR and fertile groups. In conclusion, increased sperm TR expression might be a defense mechanism against apoptosis in the spermatozoa of men with VAR.

Microbiota-host interplay at the gut epithelial level,health and nutrition

Growing evidence suggests the implication of the gut microbiota in various facets of health and disease. In this review, the focus is put on microbiota-host molecular cross-talk at the gut epithelial level with special emphasis on two defense systems： intestinal alkaline phosphatase（IAP） and inducible heat shock proteins（iHSPs）. Both IAP and iHSPs are induced by various microbial structural components（e.g. lipopolysaccharide, flagellin, CpG DNA motifs）,metabolites（e.g. n-butyrate） or secreted signal molecules（e.g., toxins, various peptides, polyphosphate）. IAP is produced in the small intestine and secreted into the lumen and in the interior milieu. It detoxifies microbial components by dephosphorylation and, therefore, down-regulates microbe-induced inflammation mainly by inhibiting NF-κB pro-inflammatory pathway in enterocytes. IAP gene expression and enzyme activity are influenced by the gut microbiota. Conversely, IAP controls gut microbiota composition both directly, and indirectly though the detoxification of pro-inflammatory free luminal adenosine triphosphate and inflammation inhibition. Inducible HSPs are expressed by gut epithelial cells in proportion to the microbial load along the gastro-intestinal tract. They are also induced by various microbial components, metabolites and secreted molecules. Whether iHSPs contribute to shape the gut microbiota is presently unknown. Both systems display strong anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties that are protective to the gut and the host. Importantly, epithelial gene expressions and protein concentrations of IAP and iHSPs can be stimulated by probiotics, prebiotics and a large variety of dietary components, including macronutrients（protein and amino acids, especially L-glutamine, fat, fiber）, and specific minerals（e.g. calcium）and vitamins（e.g. vitamins K1 and K2）. Some food components（e.g. lectins, soybean proteins, various polyphenols） may inhibit or disturb these systems. The general cel ular and molecular mechanisms involved in the microbiota-host epithelial crosstalk and subsequent gut protection through IAP and iHSPs are reviewed along with their nutritional modulation.Special emphasis is also given to the pig, an economically important species and valuable biomedical model.