A novel rapid cooling assembly design in a high-pressure cubic press apparatus

In traditional high-pressure–temperature assembly design, priority has been given to temperature insulation and retention at high pressures.This limits the efficiency of cooling of samples at the end of experiments, with a negative impact on many studies in high-pressure Earth andplanetary science. Inefficient cooling of experiments containing molten phases at high temperature leads to the formation of quench textures,which makes it impossible to quantify key compositional parameters of the original molten phase, such as their volatile contents. Here,we present a new low-cost experimental assembly for rapid cooling in a six-anvil cubic press. This assembly not only retains high heatingefficiency and thermal insulation, but also enables a very high cooling rate (∼600 ℃/s from 1900 ℃ to the glass transition temperature).Without using expensive materials or external modification of the press, the cooling rate in an assembly (∼600 ℃/s) with cube lengths of38.5 mm is about ten times faster than that in the traditional assembly (∼60 ℃/s). Experiments yielding inhomogeneous quenched melttextures when the traditional assembly is used are shown to yield homogeneous silicate glass without quench textures when the rapid coolingassembly is used.

Analysis of strength characteristics of loess before and after freezing using a hollow cylinder torsional shear apparatus

This paper aims to comprehensively analyze the influence of the principal stress angle rotation and intermediate principal stress on loess's strength and deformation characteristics.A hollow cylinder torsional shear apparatus was utilized to conduct tests on remolded samples under both normal and frozen conditions to investigate the mechanical properties and deformation behavior of loess under complex stress conditions.The results indicate significant differences in the internal changes of soil particles,unfrozen water,and relative positions in soil samples under normal and frozen conditions,leading to noticeable variations in strength and strain development.In frozen state,loess experiences primarily compressive failure with a slow growth of cracks,while at normal temperature,it predominantly exhibits shear failure.With the increase in the principal stress angle,the deformation patterns of the soil samples under different conditions become essentially consistent,gradually transitioning from compression to extension,accompanied by a reduction in axial strength.The gradual increase in the principal stress axis angle(α)reduces the strength of the generalized shear stress and shear strain curves.Under an increasingα,frozen soil exhibits strain-hardening characteristics,with the maximum shear strength occurring atα¼45.The intermediate principal stress coefficient(b)also significantly impacts the strength of frozen soil,with an increasing b resulting in a gradual decrease in generalized shear stress strength.This study provides a reference for comprehensively exploring the mechanical properties of soil under traffic load and a reliable theoretical basis for the design and maintenance of roadbeds.

NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS OF WORLD JOURNAL OF ACUPUNCTURE-MOXIBUSTION

World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion is an English academic journal sponsored by World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies.It is published quarterly worldwide.The focus of the journal includes,but is not confined to,clinical researches,summary of clinical experiences。

World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Announcement of Compiling the Special Issue of Acupuncture in the Whole World——Global Events Record of Acu-Moxi

Commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Foundation of World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS)ABSTRACT During the past 30 years, acupuncture has developed a lot in the whole world. The international group of acupuncture has been enlarged and a new page was created in the cause of human health and medicine. At the eve of "The 20th Anniversary of the Foundation of WFAS—International Acupuncture Congress", in order to show the achievements in the circle of acupuncture and set up a new image of global acupuncture circle, expand the influence of acupuncture, promote international cooperation, World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion will print a Special Issue in large scale, Acupuncture in the Whole World—Global Events Record of Acu-Moxi and calling for articles starts from now on.

An extraordinary multielement apparatus of conodont Nicoraella from the Middle Triassic Luoping Biota,southwest China

Conodont animal is an extinct group of marine animals.The conodont elements and their hard skeletal remains are originally from the head region of this kind of animal,and they are considered to be functioned as“teeth”.The“multielement apparatus”can also be called the“(conodont)apparatus”,“multimembrate(skeletal)apparatus”.

A rigid true triaxial apparatus for analyses of deformation and failure features of deep weak rock under excavation stress paths

The squeezing scenario in deep weak rock tunnels can hinder underground construction.However,due to the limitations of test technologies at hand,the real excavation stress path cannot be mimicked in the laboratory.Thus,the large deformation mechanism of deep weak rocks still remains unclear.For this,a true triaxial apparatus(TTA)to investigate the mechanical responses of deep weak rock under excavation stress paths in field and reveal the squeezing mechanism of deep tunnels is assembled and developed at Northeastern University,China.The apparatus can perform instantaneous unloading in s3 direction based on electromagnetism technology.In addition,uniform loading and deformation measurements can be carried out based on the proposed linked interlocking clamp and antifriction device,even if the sample has a strong dilatation deformation performance.Next,a bore trepanning is designed to capture noiseless acoustic emission(AE)signals for deep weak rock at a low threshold.Finally,two tests were are conducted using this instrument to preliminarily understand the failure and deformation features of deep weak rock based on fractured marble.The results show that the complete stressestrain curves of fractured marble have the characteristics of low strengths and large deformations,and the larger deformation and the more serious failure occur when the fractured marble enters the post-peak state after excavation.The results show that the developed apparatus is likely to be applicable for deep weak rock engineering.

Small but big leaps towards neuroglycomics:exploring N-glycome in the brain to advance the understanding of brain development and function

Glycosylation is a process that involves the addition of sugar moieties or glycans to different types of molecules,including proteins,lipids,and nucleic acids.Among these,protein glycosylation is one of the most prevalent forms of post-translational modification,playing a crucial role in biological complexity.With more than ten monosaccharides identified within mammalian brain cells and more than 1×1012 possible combinations,the heterogeneity of glycosylation is extensive(Conroy et al.,2021).The diversity of glycans and the complexity of their structures allow for a wide range of protein functions.N-glycans are one of the most abundant forms of glycans and are involved in various cellular functions.N-glycans can be added to proteins at specific sequons,Asn-X-Ser/Thr,and are classified into three main types in mature glycoproteins:high mannose,complex,and hybrid.High mannose N-glycans consist of 5-9 mannose residues linked to a chitobiose core and undergo processing into complex or hybrid forms in the Golgi apparatus(Varki et al.,2017).Complex N-glycans are more diverse and contain various branched structures such as antennae with fucose,galactose,and sialic acid residues.Hybrid N-glycans contain one or more complex branches in conjunction with an oligomannose branch(Fisher and Ungar,2016).Understanding the specific functions of these different types of N-glycans in protein regulation,folding,and function is an active area of research in the life sciences,including glycobiology.

A rotary-shear low to high-velocity friction apparatus in Beijing to study rock friction at plate to seismic slip rates

This paper reviews 19 apparatuses having highvelocity capabilities,describes a rotary-shear low to highvelocity friction apparatus installed at Institute of Geology,China Earthquake Administration,and reports results from velocity-jump tests on Pingxi fault gouge to illustrate technical problems in conducting velocity-stepping tests at high velocities.The apparatus is capable of producing plate to seismic velocities（44 mm/a to 2.1 m/s for specimens of 40 mm in diameter）,using a 22 kW servomotor with a gear/belt system having three velocity ranges.A speed range can be changed by 103 or 106by using five electromagnetic clutches without stopping the motor.Two cam clutches allow fivefold velocity steps,and the motor speed can be increased from zero to 1,500 rpm in 0.1-0.2 s by changing the controlling voltage.A unique feature of the apparatus is a large specimen chamber where different specimen assemblies can be installed easily.In addition to a standard specimen assembly for friction experiments,two pressure vessels were made for pore pressures to 70 MPa;one at room temperature and the other at temperatures to 500 °C.Velocity step tests are needed to see if the framework of rate-and-state friction is applicable or not at high velocities.We report results from velocity jump tests from 1.4 mm/s to 1.4 m/s on yellowish gouge from a Pingxi fault zone,located at the northeastern part of the Longmenshan fault system that caused the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.An instantaneous increase in friction followed by dramatic slip weakening was observed for the yellowish gouge with smooth sliding surfaces of host rock,but no instantaneous response was recognized for the same gouge with roughened sliding surfaces.Instantaneous and transient frictional properties upon velocity steps cannot be separated easily at high velocities,and technical improvements for velocity step tests are suggested.

Recent advances of high-pressure generation in a multianvil apparatus using sintered diamond anvils

The tried and tested multianvil apparatus has been widely used for high-pressure and hightemperature experimental studies in Earth science. As a result, many important results have been obtained for a better understanding of the components, structure and evolution of the Earth. Due to the strength limi- tation of materials, the attainable multianvil pressure is generally limited to about 30 GPa （corresponding to about 900 km of the depth in the Earth） when tungsten carbide cubes are adopted as second-stage anvils. Compared with tungsten carbide, the sintered diamond is a much harder material. The sintered diamond cubes were introduced as second-stage anvils in a 6--8 type multianvil apparatus in the 1980s, which largely enhanced the capacity of pressure generation in a large volume press. With the development of material synthesis and processing techniques, a large sintered diamond cube （14 ram） is now available. Recently, maximum attainable pressures reaching higher than 90 GPa （corresponding to about 2700 km of the depth in the Earth） have been generated at room temperature by adopting 14-mm sintered diamond anvils. Using this technique, a few researches have been carried out by the quenched method or combined with synchrotron radiation in situ observation. In this paper we review the properties of sintered diamond and the evolu- tion of pressure generation using sintered diamond anvils. As-yet unsolved problems and perspectives for uses in Earth Science are also discussed.

Effects of Acetylsalicylic Acid and Calcium Chloride on Photosynthetic Apparatus and Reactive Oxygen-Scavenging Enzymes in Chrysanthemum Under Low Temperature Stress with Low Light

The effects of acetylsalicylic acid （ASA）, CaCl2, and ASA ＋ CaCl2 on the photosynthetic apparatus and antioxidant enzyme activities were investigated in chrysanthemum Jinba （a cut flower cultivar） under low temperature stress with low light （TL stress） （16/12℃, day/night, PFD 100 μmol m^-2 s-1）. The results showed that under TL stress, the net photosynthesis rate （Pn）, carboxylation efficiency （CE）, apparent quantum yield （AQY）, maximal photochemical efficiency （Fv/Fm） of PSII, quantum yield of PSII electron transport （ФPSII）, and photochemical quenching （qP） of the chrysanthemum leaves in all treatments were significantly decreased, but the decreases were alleviated by ASA, CaCl2, and ASA ＋ CaCl2 treatments compared with the controls. The alleviating effect of ASA ＋ CaCI2 was better than either ASA or CaCl2 single treatment. Moreover, the ASA ＋ CaCl2 treatment highly improved the chlorophyll content, relatively improved the number and size of chloroplast and starch grain in the leaves of chrysanthemum plants compared with ASA and CaCl2 treatments. It was indicated that ASA and/or CaCI2 could regulate the photosynthetic functions in the leaves of chrysanthemum plants to enhance the resistance against TL stress. On the other hand, reduction in relative conductance rate implied that ASA and/ or CaCl2 could protect from membrane injury in leaves of chrysanthemum plants. The activities of SOD, POD, and CAT in the treated leaves of chrysanthemum were increased as compared with the controls. It was suggested that ASA and/or CaCl2 had positive regulation effects on the defence enzyme activities in chrysanthemum leaves which could protect the photosynthetic apparatus to a certain degree under the TL stress. In brief, the treatment of ASA together with CaCl2 was better for chrysanthemum plants to adapt TL stress than single ASA or CaCl2 treatments.