Dimethylacetamide-induced Hepatic Injury in Vitro: Mechanism and Potential Preventive Strategy

N,N-Dimethylacetamide （DMAc） is a widely used organic solvent in modern chemical industry with low to moderate hepatotoxicity to occupational health of employees. But so far, there are fewer and less conclusive data concerning its pathogenic mechanism in detail. In current study, the toxicity of DMAc was firstly investigated on human normal hepatocytes （LO-2）, using a series of molecular biology measurements to ananlyze the effect and mechanism of DMAc-induced hepatic cell injury and explore effective prophylactic measures. We found that DMAc triggered LO-2 apoptosis in a obviously dose-dependent manner, caused by increased ROS generation and activation of Bcl-2 pathway. Significantly, glutathione （GSH） rather than vitamin C （Vit C） could partially inhibit DMAc-induced apoptosis thus showing potential as a effective precaution for workers.

Analysis of fluoxetine-induced plasticity mechanisms as a strategy for understanding plasticity related neural disorders

Fluoxetine hydrochloride,better known for its commercial name Prozac,is one of the most widely prescribed antidepressant drugs all over the world.This drug was considered a＂breakthrough drug＂for the treatment of depression because of its very high selectivity as a serotonin reuptake inhibitor and because it presented a lower side-effectprofile than previous drugs （Wong et al., 2005）.

Neuroprotection induced by NMDA preconditioning as a strategy to understand brain tolerance mechanism

Excitotoxicity refers to toxicity caused by abnormal concentrations of glutamate in the synaptic cleft that may lead to neuronal death. Since its description, the phenomenon of glutamatergic excitotoxicity has been implicated in the physiopathology of a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, from acute brain damage such as traumatic brain injury, ischemia as well as chronic condi- tions like epilepsy, depression and neurodegenerative pathologies such as Huntington＇s, Parkinson＇s and Alzheimer＇s diseases. Exces- sive stimulation of glutamatergic receptors, mainly N-methyl-D-as- partate （NMDA） receptors （NMDAR）, can have numerous adverse effects on the cell viability, including increased nitric oxide release （NO）, activation of proteases, increased production of reactive oxygen （ROS） and nitrogen （RNS） species and massive influx of calcium ions （Ca2＋）, resulting in cell death. Thus, the use of strategies that modulate the excitotoxic cell damage represents a perspective for the treatment of diseases such as Parkinson＇s and Alzheimer＇s diseases, ischemia, traumatic brain injury （TBI） and seizures.

Slow driving control of tracked vehicles with automated mechanical transmission based on fuzzy logic

In order to move tracked vehicles at an extremely slowspeed with automated mechanical transmission（ AMT）,slowdriving function was added in the original system. The principle and requirement of slowdriving function were analyzed. Based on analysis of slow driving characteristic,identification of slowdriving condition and fuzzy control algorithm,a control strategy of the clutch was designed. In order to realize slowdriving,the clutch was controlled in a slipping mode as manual driving. The vehicle speed was increased to a required speed and kept in a small range by engaging or disengaging the clutch to the approximate half engagement point. Based on the control strategy,a control software was designed and tested on a tracked vehicle with AMT. The test results showthat the control of the clutch with the slowdriving function was smoother than that with original systemand the vehicle speed was slower and steadier.

A Characterization for Dominant Strategy Implementation

We introduce a perfect price discriminating mechanism for allocation prob- lems with private information. A perfect price discriminating mechanism treats a seller, for example, as a perfect price discriminating monopolist who faces a price schedule that does not depend on her report. In any perfect price discriminating mechanism, every player has a dominant strategy to truthfully report her private infor- mation. We establish a characterization for dominant strategy implementation： Any outcome that can be dominant strategy implemented can also be dominant strategy implemented using a perfect price discriminating mechanism. We apply this charac- terization to derive the optimal, budget-balanced, dominant strategy mechanisms for public good provision and bilateral bargaining.

Air-stability of sodium-based layered-oxide cathode materials

Sodium-ion batteries have the potential to be an alternative to lithium-ion batteries especially for applications such as large-scale grid energy storage. The development of suitable cathode materials is crucial to the commercialization of sodium-ion batteries.Sodium-based layered-type transition metal oxides are promising candidates as cathode materials as they offer decent energy density and are easy to be synthesized. Unfortunately, most layered oxides suffer from poor air-stability, which greatly increases the cost of manufacturing and handling. The air-sensitivity severely limits the development and commercial application of sodium-ion batteries. A review that summarizes the latest understanding and solutions of air-sensitivity is desired. In this review,the background and fundamentals of sodium-based layered-type cathode materials are presented, followed by a discussion on the latest research on air-sensitivity of these materials. The mechanism is complex and involves multiple chemical and physical reactions. Various strategies are shown to alleviate some of the corresponding problems and promote the feasible application of sodium-ion batteries, followed by an outlook on current and future research directions of air-stable cathode materials. It is believed that this review will provide insights for researchers to develop practically relevant materials for sodium-ion batteries.