FINITE ELEMENT METHOD ON NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF STRATUM CORNEUM'S PENETRATION PROPERTY

How the outer substance could penetrate through the skin lies in the stratum corneum, because it is the main barrier in the multi-layers of the skin. Supposing the keratin cell with a special geometry as tetrakaidecahedron, the penetration property of stratum corneum was the key problem which was numerically simulated with finite element method. At first the discretization of the stratum corneum region was given in two steps： first, the discretization of the keratin cell; second, the discretization of fattiness that surrounds the keratin. Then there was the work of numerical simulation. In this procedure, the finite element method and the multi-grid method were used. The former was to obtain the discretization of basic elements; the latter was to decrease the high frequency error. At last the visualization of the numerical simulation was shown.

角质层渗透性质的三维数值模拟

目的从数值模拟的角度研究药物渗透皮肤角质层的过程,为实际的药物工作者提供理论上的指导和帮助。方法用有限元方法离散偏微分方程的差分格式,将角质层的角蛋白细胞近似为物理学上经典的由6个四边形和8个六边形围成的三维十四面体结构,同时将角蛋白细胞间的脂质体视为十四面体结构的一部分,离散其相应的单元网格。结果得到了药物渗透皮肤角质层的三维数值模拟,并给出了模拟过程中浓度和速度变化的可视化效果示意图。结论本文所采用的几何模型与实际的生理结构模型非常接近,数值模拟结果证明这一方法对实际工作有参考意义。

角质层渗透性质的有限元数值模拟计算

角质层是皮肤屏障作用的最主要部分,它决定可外界物质对皮肤的渗透情况。本研究在假设角质层细胞为一种三维的十四面体(物理学经典的Tetrakaidecahedron体)下,进行对角质层渗透性质的数值模拟工作。为此,首先完成了对角质层空间结构的网格拆分,拆分过程分两步进行:首先对角蛋白细胞的网格拆分;然后对角蛋白细胞周围的网状脂质体的网格拆分。在数值模拟过程中,则用有限元法得到方程的离散格式,用多重网格算法降低高频误差,提高计算精度。最后,给出了数值模拟结果的可视化效果图。

一种多层三维几何结构的网格拆分方法

为了采用偏微分方程求解流体的多层复杂几何结构的渗透性质,本文提出了一种多层三维复杂几何结构的网格拆分方法,尤其对多层结构中的核心——1个由6个四边形和8个六边形围成的十四面体(即物理学上经典的Tetrakaidecahedron体)的空间拓扑几何结构进行了详细的分析．在完成单元体向整体结构拼接的过程中,采用一种将单元体视为内外两层的思路,既有效地存贮了网格点的信息,又大大减少计算量．并讨论了影响十四面体几何性质的参数对所生成的网格性质的影响．

基于遥感与区域化方法的无资料流域水文模型参数优化方法

针对无资料流域径流预报的难点,探讨水文模型参数优化的共性问题,综述区域化方法和遥感方法的研究现状。首先从水文模型参数优化面临的共性问题,即水文地理数据生成、目标函数构建和优化方法选择等问题出发,分析其对参数优选结果的影响,并归纳出当前广泛认可的解决方案。然后结合区域化方法的技术原理和研究进展,着重论述测站密度对区域化方法性能的影响,并分析该方法在中国的适用性。接着从研究区域、水文模型结构、遥感资料以及率定目标等方面归纳总结遥感方法优化水文模型参数的最新研究进展。最后对区域化方法和遥感方法的优缺点及未来发展前景进行对比分析,为中国无资料或缺资料流域径流预报实践提供参考。

Phosphorus fractions and its release in the sediments of Haihe River,China

The amounts and forms of phosphorus （P） in surface sediments of Haihe River, Tianjin, North China, were examined using a sequential chemical extraction procedure. Five fractions of sedimentary P, including loosely sorbed P （NH4Cl-P）, redox-sensitive P （BD-P）, metal oxide bound P （NaOH-P）, calcium bound P （HCI-P）, and residual P （Res-P） （organic and refractory P）, were separately quantified. The results indicated that the contents of different P fractions in the sediments varied greatly. The total P （TP） contents ranged from 968 to 2017 mg/kg. Phosphorus contents in NH4Cl-P, BD-P, NaOH-P, and HCl-P ranged from 6.7 to 26.6 mg/kg, 54.5 to 90.2 mg/kg, 185.2 to 382.5 mg/kg, and 252.3 to 425.5 mg/kg, respectively, which represented 1.2%-3.2%, 7.7%-13%, 33.3%-48.9%, and 36.2%-54.2% of the sedimentary inorganic P, respectively. For all the sediment samples, the rank order of P-fractions was Res-P 〉 HCl-P 〉 NaOH-P 〉 BD-P 〉 NH4Cl-P. The highly positive relationship between the amounts of P released from the sediments and those in the NH4Cl-P and BD-P fractions, indicated that NH4Cl-P and BD-P were the main fractions that can release P easily.

Experimental investigation of the effect of flow turbulence and sediment transport patterns on the adsorption of cadmium ions onto sediment particles

The mechanism of flow turbulence, sediment supply conditions, and sediment transport patterns that affect the adsorption of cadmium ions onto sediment particles in natural waters are experimentally simulated and studied both in batch reactors and in a turbulence simulation tank. By changing the agitation conditions, the sediment transport in batch reactors can be categorized into bottom sediment-dominated sediment and suspended sediment-dominated sediment. It is found that the adsorption rate of bottom sediment is much less than that of suspended sediment, but the sediment transport pattern does not affect the final （equilibrium） concentration of dissolved cadmium. This result indicates that the parameters of an adsorption isotherm are the same regardless of the sediment transport pattern. In the turbulence simulation tank, the turbulence is generated by harmonic grid-stirred motions, and the turbulence intensity is quantified in terms of eddy diffusivity, which is equal to 9.84F （F is the harmonic vibration frequency） and is comparable to natural surface water conditions. When the turbulence intensity of flow is low and sediment particles stay as bottom sediment, the adsorption rate is significantly low, and the adsorption quantity compared with that of suspended sediment is negligible in the 6 h duration of the experiment. This result greatly favors the simplification of the numerical modeling of heavy metal pollutant transformation in natural rivers. When the turbulence intensity is high but bottom sediment persists, the rate and extent of descent of the dissolved cadmium concentration in the tank noticeably increase, and the time that is required to reach adsorption equilibrium also increases considerably due to the continuous exchange that occurs between the suspended sediment and the bottom sediment. A comparison of the results of the experiments in the batch reactor and those in the turbulence simulation tank reveals that the adsorption ability of the sediment, and in particular the adsorption rate, is greatly over-estimated in the batch reactor.

Electronic band energy of a bent ZnO piezoelectric semiconductor nanowire

The electric band energy variation in a bent piezoelectric semiconductor(PSC) nanowire of circular cross-section induced by the mechanical force is analyzed based on a six-band k · p method. The electric-mechanical fields are first obtained analytically in a cantilever bent PSC nanowire by solving the fully-coupled electro-mechanical equations. Then, the band energy is acquired numerically via the six-band Hamiltonian.By considering further the nonlinear coupling between the piezoelectric and semiconducting quantities, the contribution of the redistribution carriers to the electric field is analyzed from the Gauss’ s law. Numerical examples are carried out for an n-type Zn O nanowire in different locations induced by an applied concentrated end force. They include the electric potential, heavy hole(HH), light hole(LH), spin-orbit split-off(SO),and conduction band(CB) edges along the axial and thickness directions. Our results show that the applied force has a significant effect on the band energies. For instance, on the bottom surface along the axial direction, the bandgaps near the fixed end are greater than those near the loading end, and this trend is reversed on the top surface. Moreover,at a fixed axial location, the energy level of the lower side can be enhanced by applying a bending force at the end. The present results could be of significant guidance to the electronic devices and piezotronics.

Rib stability: A way forward for safe coal extraction in India

Ensuring rib stability during pillar extraction is of prime importance in bord and pillar(B&P) method of underground coal mining with caving. Rib stability has been assessed here by way of assessing factor of safety(FOS), a ratio of the strength of rib to stress on it. Earlier formulations for rib stability when applied to case studies gave very low FOS value suggesting significant ground control problems, which were contrary to the field observations. This has necessitated the need to revisit the concept of rib stability. The stress coming on the rib is estimated with the use of numerical modeling technique using the FLAC^(3D) software. The methodology of assessing rib-stability with the help of suggested rib-strength formulation has been validated at eight Indian coal mines. The outcome of this study finds relevance and importance in ensuring underground coal liquidation with improved safety and conservation.

贝叶斯方法在实验室研究向临床的转化以及辨识隐含亚群体中的应用(英文)

为研究药动学/药效学而发展的建模方法遇有很多挑战,部分原因是由于从实验室和临床试验得到的测量数据的数目和种类严重受限,以及试验的波动和过程本身的不确定性。贝叶斯方法为PK/PD建模及药物研发提供了一个框架,可以解决上述一些问题。本文通过两个例子介绍了贝叶斯方法的实际应用:一是用群体建模方法,研究抗逆转录病毒药物拉米夫定在感染HIV-1青少年外周血单核细胞中的细胞动力学,二是运用群体混合模型识别现有协变量所不能识别的隐藏亚群。

Protective effect and mechanism of K_(ATp) channel opener on the sinoatrial node cells of neonatal rat cultured in simulated ischemia-reperfusion

Objective: To study the effect of KATp channel opener and its possible mechanism on the sinoatrial node cells of neonatal rats which were cultured under simulated ischemia-reperfusion. Methods: Freshly isolated sinoatrial node (SAN) cells of neonatal rats were purified and cultured for 2 d, and then they were randomly divided into the control, simulated ischemia-reperfusion group (I/R group) , group intervened with KATp channel opener pinacidil (P + I/R group), KATP Channel blocking agent 5-HD (5-HD + I/R group) , and group with the 2 agents at same time (5-HD + P + I/R group) . The survival rate of cells was measured by flow cytometry and the content of intracellular calcium in the cells of each group was detected with laser confocal microscopy. Results: ① The survival rate of SAN cells in I/R group [ (51. 79±6. 28)% ] was remarkably significantly lower than in control [ (95. 08±10. 48)% ] (P < 0.001), and very significantly lower than in P + I/R group [ (63. 77±5. 35) % ] (P<0.01), however, those of 5-HD + P + I/R group [(52. 88±6. 25)% ] and 5-HD+I/R group [ (53. 16±5. 35)% ] was significantly lower compared with that in P + I/R group (P <0. 01) ; ② When the average fluorescence intensity of sinoatrial node cells in the control was regarded as 100% , the relative fluorescence intensities of each group were: ( 374±52) % in I/R group, significantly higher than that of control (P <0. 01) ; ( 162±20)% in P + I/R group, declining significantly than that of I/R group (P<0.01); (385?6)% in 5-HD+ P + I/R group and (379±44)% in 5-HD + I/R group, increasing significantly than that of I/R group (P<0.01). Conclusion: ① Simulated ischemia-reperfusion can significantly reduce the survival rate of SAN cells, and can also lead to the overload of intracellular calcium in them.② KATp channel opener, pinacidil, exerts protective effect on the cells under simulated ischemia-reperfusion, which may be associated with the decrease of intracellular calcium loading in them.

Interindividual Age-Independent Differences in Human CX43 Impact Ventricular Arrhythmic Risk

Connexin 43 (CX43) is one of the major components of gap junctions, the structures responsible for the intercellular communication and transmission of the electrical impulse in the left ventricle. There is limited information on the histological changes of CX43 with age and their effect on electrophysiology, especially in humans. Here, we analyzed left ventricular biopsies from living donors starting at midlife to characterize age-related CX43 remodeling. We assessed its quantity, degree of lateralization, and spatial heterogeneity together with fibrotic deposition. We observed no significant age-related remodeling of CX43. Only spatial heterogeneity increased slightly with age, and this increase was better explained by biological age than by chronological age. Importantly, we found that CX43 features varied considerably among individuals in our population with no relevant relationship to age or fibrosis content, in contrast to animal species. We used our experimental results to feed computational models of human ventricular electrophysiology and to assess the effects of interindividual differences in specific features of CX43 and fibrosis on conduction velocity, action potential duration, and arrhythmogenicity. We found that larger amounts of fibrosis were associated with the highest arrhythmic risk, with this risk being increased when fibrosis deposition was combined with a reduction in CX43 amount and/or with an increase in CX43 spatial heterogeneity. These mechanisms underlying high arrhythmic risk in some individuals were not associated with age in our study population. In conclusion, our data rule out CX43 remodeling as an age-related arrhythmic substrate in the population beyond midlife, but highlight its potential as a proarrhythmic factor at the individual level, especially when combined with increased fibrosis.

Nutrient distribution within and release from the contaminated sediment of Haihe River

We assessed nutrient characteristics, distributions and fractions within the disturbed and undisturbed sediments at four sampling sites within the mainstream of Haihe River. The river sediments contained mostly sand （ 60%）. The fraction of clay was 3%. Total nitrogen （TN） and total phosphorus （TP） concentrations ranged from 729 to 1922 mg/kg and from 692 to 1388 mg/kg, respectively. Nutrient concentrations within the sediments usually decreased with increasing depth. The TN and TP concentrations within the fine sand were higher than for that within silt. Sediment phosphorus fractions were between 2.99% and 3.37% Ex-P （exchangeable phosphorus）, 7.89% and 13.71% Fe/Al-P （Fe, Al oxides bound phosphorus）, 61.32% and 70.14% Ca-P （calcium-bound phosphorus）, and 17.03% and 22.04% Org-P （organic phosphorus）. Nitrogen and phosphorus release from sediment could lead to the presence of 21.02 mg N/L and 3.10 mg P/L within the water column. A river restoration project should address the sediment nutrient stock.

THREE-DIMENSIONAL NUMERICAL MODELING OF SECONDARY FLOWS IN A WIDE CURVED CHANNEL

Most natural rivers are curved channels, where the turbulent flows have a complex helical pattern, as has been extensively studied both numerically and experimentally. The helical flow structure in curved channels has an important bearing on sediment transport, riverbed evolution, and pollutant transport study. In this article, different turbulence closure schemes i.e., the mixing-length model and the k-ε model with different pressure solution techniques i. e., hydrostatic assumptions and dynamic pressure treatments are applied to study the helical secondary flows in an experiment curved channel. The agreements of vertically-averaged velocities between the simulated results obtained by using different turbulence models with different pressure solution techniques and the measured data are satisfactory. Their discrepancies with respect to surface elevations, superelevations and secondary flow patterns are discussed.

Leaflet Movement of Robinia pseudoacacia in Response to a Changing Light Environment

Diurnal and nocturnal leaflet movement of black locust （Robinia pseudoacacia L.） was investigated under three light schemes： 100% natural irradiance, 50% shading, and 90% shading. Changes in leaf mid-vein angle were described by measurements of two planes： （i） β, the angle formed by the bottom of the petiolule and its relation to the horizontal plane; and （ii） θ, the angle between the petiolule and the main leaflet vein. The two highest light regimens had a significant effect on β. Variation in β tends to make the leaflet more erect, thereby minimizing any negative impact of high irradiance on leaf lamina. Light-dark rhythms induced variation in θ （termed nyctinastic movement）. Nyctinastic movement is important during the low light levels experienced by leaflets in early morning and late afternoon. At low light levels, the leaflet stopped nyctinastic movement and θ was fixed at an angle that may have enabled the leaf lamina to maximize light interception. After the light-dark cycle was reestablished, nyctinastic movement was restored. Taken together, our results suggest that irradiance induces variation in β leading to diurnal leaflet movement （diaheliotropism）, whereas the light-dark cycle influences θ, which results in nocturnal leaflet movement. Both angles are important for describing patterns of leaf movement in R. pseudocacia.

Restoration of hyper-eutrophic water with a modularized and air adjustable constructed submerged plant bed

A modularized and air adjustable constructed submerged plant bed(CSPB)which can be used to restore the eutrophic water is introduced in this paper.This plant bed helps hydrophyte grow under poor conditions such as frequently changed water depth,impaired water transparency,algae bloom and substantial duckweed in summer,which are not naturally suitable for growing hydrophyte.This pilot study in Waihuan River of Tianjin,China,revealed that reduction of Chemical Oxygen Demand(COD),Total Nitrogen(TN)and Total Phosphorus(TP)by the use of CSPB could be reached 30%-35%,35%-40%,30%-40%respectively in the growing season(from March to October)and 5%-10%,5%-15%,7%-20%respectively in the winter(from November to February)when the detention time was 6 d.The relationships between the concentration of COD,TN,TP and the detention time fit the first-order kinetic equation well and the coefficients of determination(R^(2))were all above 0.9.The attenuation coefficients k of the kinetic equation were a function of the water temperature.When the water temperature was quite low or quite high,k was not significantly changed with increasing or decreasing water temperature.While when the temperature was in a moderate range,an increase or decrease of water temperature would lead to a rapid increase or decrease in k.

TRANSIENT RESPONSE OF A BI-LAYERED MULTIFERROIC COMPOSITE PLATE

In this paper, a three-dimensional finite-element formulation for the multiferroic composite is developed and implemented into the commercial software ABAQUS for its transient analysis. First, a special three-dimensional eight-node solid element is designed to handle the multiferroic composite made of elastic, piezoelectric, and piezomagnetic materials. Second, a userdefined subroutine for this newly developed element is implemented into ABAQUS. Finally, the transient responses of a bi-layered multiferroic composite are calculated by using the direct time integration method. Two typical magnetic potential signals, Gauss and Ricker pulses, are applied to the composite with various time durations of excitation. The induced electric field shows that the transient response can be substantially influenced by the input signal, which could be tuned for the strongest electric output.

Robust reconstruction of curved line structures in noisy point clouds

Point-based geometry representations have become widely used in numerous contexts,ranging from particle-based simulations,over stereo image matching,to depth sensing via light detection and ranging.Our application focus is on the reconstruction of curved line structures in noisy 3D point cloud data.Respective algorithms operating on such point clouds often rely on the notion of a local neighborhood.Regarding the latter,our approach employs multi-scale neighborhoods,for which weighted covariance measures of local points are determined.Curved line structures are reconstructed via vector field tracing,using a bidirectional piecewise streamline integration.We also introduce an automatic selection of optimal starting points via multi-scale geometric measures.The pipeline development and choice of parameters was driven by an extensive,automated initial analysis process on over a million prototype test cases.The behavior of our approach is controlled by several parameters—the majority being set automatically,leaving only three to be controlled by a user.In an extensive,automated final evaluation,we cover over one hundred thousand parameter sets,including 3D test geometries with varying curvature,sharp corners,intersections,data holes,and systematically applied varying types of noise.Further,we analyzed different choices for the point of reference in the co-variance computation;using a weighted mean performed best in most cases.In addition,we compared our method to current,publicly available line reconstruction frameworks.Up to thirty times faster execution times were achieved in some cases,at comparable error measures.Finally,we also demonstrate an exemplary application on four real-world 3D light detection and ranging datasets,extracting power line cables.

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PERFORMANCE OF HORIZONTAL AND WAVY SUBSURFACE FLOW CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS

A three-dimensional numerical model is proposed for modeling the TP transport in the Horizontal Subsurface Flow （HSSF） and Wavy subsurface Flow （WSSF） constructed wetland in this article. Both numerical simulations and physical experiments indicate that the removal efficiency of WSSF is higher than that of HSSF. The difference ofperforrnance in removing pollutants, e.g., Total Phosphorus （TP）, between HSSF and WSSF is numerically analyzed from three interactive aspects, that is, the hydraulic behavior, the substrate and the plant roots. It is shown that the dead zone volume in WSSF is smaller than in HSSF with less short circuiting. The soil in the top layer is more used in WSSF than in HSSF. The TP uptake by the plant roots in WSSF is higher than that in HSSF.

Reversible acetylation regulates vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 activity

The tyrosine kinase receptor vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 （VEG FR2） is a key regulator of angiogenesis. Here we show that VEGFR2 is acetylated in endothelial cells both at four lysine residues forming a dense cluster in the kinase insert domain and at a single lysine located in the receptor activation loop. These modifications are under dynamic control of the acetyltransferase p300 and two deacetyiases HDAC5 and HDAC6. We demonstrate that VEGFR2 acetylation essentially regulates receptor phosphorylation. In par- ticular, VEGFR2 acetylation significantly alters the kinetics of receptor phosphorylation after ligand binding, allowing receptor phos- phoryiation and intraceUular signaling upon proLonged stimulation with VEGF. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that acetylation of the lysine in the activation loop contributes to the transition to an open active state, in which tyrosine phosphorylation is favored by better exposure of the kinase target residues. These findings indicate that post-translational modification by acetyiation is a critical mechanism that directLy affects VEGFR2 function.