Lei Zhang¹, Yinlong Yuan^1,*, Yihe Sun², Yun Cheng¹, Dian Wu¹, Lei Ren¹

Energy Engineering, Vol.119, No.1, pp. 387-405, 2022, DOI:10.32604/EE.2022.017463 - 22 November 2021

Abstract With the aggravation of energy problems, the development and utilization of new energy has become the focus of all countries. As an effective new energy, the fuel cell has attracted the attention of scholars. However, due to the particularity of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), the performance of traditional PI controlled phase-shifted full-bridge power electronics DC-DC converter cannot meet the needs of practical application. In order to further improve the dynamic performance of the converter, this paper first introduces several main topologies of the current mainstream front-end DC-DC converter, and analyzes their performance in… More >

Xiaoxiao Wang¹, Ziwen Fang¹, Daqiu Zhao¹, Jun Tao^1,2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.3, pp. 599-615, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.017881 - 26 October 2021

Abstract

Paeonia ostii is an economically important oil crop, which has been widely cultivated in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China in recent years. Although P. ostii is highly adaptable to the environment, the prolonged high summer temperature in this region severely inhibits its growth, which adversely affects seed yield and quality. In this study, P. ostii plants were subjected to 20°C/15°C (day/night) and 40°C/35°C (day/night) temperatures for 15 days. The changes in physiological and biochemical indicators of P. ostii under high-temperature stress were initially investigated. The results showed that with the deepening of leaf

… More >

ABDUL KALAM AZAD¹, ARVIND GUPTA³, LAKSHMI UNNIKRISHNAN^2,3,*, SMITA MOHANTY³， SANJAY KUMAR NAYAK^2,3

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.38, No.1-2, pp. 121-136, 2021, DOI:10.32381/JPM.2021.38.1-2.10

Abstract Proton conducting hydrophilic channels were created successfully in poly (ether ether ketone) (PEEK) by means of step by step modification followed by the optimization of sulfonation process (SPEEK70, DS=68.57%). Although highly sulfonated PEEK has excellent proton conductivity, it lacks in mechanical stability due to low swelling degree. Therefore, a potential method has been proposed in this work by integrating poly (sulfone) and nanosilica (SiO₂ ) into SPEEK matrix. SPEEK 70 (S) was utilized to prepare blended nanocomposite membranes for further enhancement of hydrophilic channels. The blended nanocomposite membranes are, SPEEK/SiO₂ as SNS, SPEEK blended with poly More >

DIPESHKUMAR D. KACHHADIYA, Z.V.P. MURTHY^*

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.38, No.1-2, pp. 49-61, 2021, DOI:10.32381/JPM.2021.38.1.5

Abstract The conventional process for methanol-water separation like distillation consumes about 60 % of total energy. As an alternative, researchers have developed a membrane-based separation process for alcohol-water mixtures separation. However, there is a big challenge for researches to separate alcohol-water aqueous mixtures using a polymeric membrane because of swelling. In the present work, the aim is to separate methanol from water by pervaporation using polymeric membranes made up of polyvinylidenefluroide (PVDF) and polyethylene glycol (PEG200) modified PVDF membranes. The membranes were characterized by thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared… More >

Peter M. Pinsky^*

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.129, No.3, pp. 1329-1350, 2021, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2021.017740 - 25 November 2021

Abstract A fundamental problem for cells with their fragile membranes is the control of their volume. The primordial solution to this problem is the active transport of ions across the cell membrane to modulate the intracellular osmotic pressure. In this work, a theoretical model of the cellular pump-leak mechanism is proposed within the general framework of linear nonequilibrium thermodynamics. The model is expressed with phenomenological equations that describe passive and active ionic transport across cell membranes, supplemented by an equation for the membrane potential that accounts for the electrogenicity of the ionic pumps. For active ionic More >

FRANCISCO J. BARRANTES^#,*

BIOCELL, Vol.45, No.6, pp. 1479-1484, 2021, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.016502 - 01 September 2021

Abstract Cholesterol is a major lipid in biological membranes. It not only plays a structural role but also modulates a wide range of functional properties of neurotransmitter and hormone receptors and ion channels. The membraneembedded segments of the paradigm neurotransmitter receptor for acetylcholine (nAChR) contain linear sequences of amino acids with the capacity to recognize cholesterol. These cholesterol consensus domains have been designated as “CARC” and its mirror sequence “CRAC”. CARC preferentially occurs in the exoplasmic-facing membrane leaflet, and CRAC, in the cytoplasmic-facing hemilayer. Both motifs are highly conserved among ion-channel and neurotransmitter receptor proteins in… More >

A. M. Abdullah¹, Hegazy Rezk^2,3,*, A. Hadad¹, Mohamed K. Hassan^1,4, A. F. Mohamed^1,5

Intelligent Automation & Soft Computing, Vol.29, No.2, pp. 619-631, 2021, DOI:10.32604/iasc.2021.018289 - 16 June 2021

Abstract The problem of parameter estimation of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) model plays a significant role in the simulation and optimization of a PEMFC system. In the current research, a moth flame optimization algorithm (MFOA) is used to identify the best parameters of PEMFC. Two different PEMFCs, Nedstack PS6, 6 kW, and SR-12 PEM 500 W are used to demonstrate the accuracy of the MFOA. Throughout the optimization process, seven unidentified parameters (℥₁, ℥₂, ℥₃, ℥₄, λ, ℛ, and B) of PEMFC are appointed to be decision variables. The fitness function, which needed to be… More >

YIBIN RUAN¹, ZHONGMING XIE², QIONG LIU², LIXIAO ZHANG², XIKUI HAN², XIAOYAN LIAO², JIAN LIU^1,*, FENGGUANG GAO^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.45, No.4, pp. 1059-1067, 2021, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.015261 - 22 April 2021

Abstract Nicotine and menthol, agonists of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and transient receptor potential melastatin type 8 (TRPM8), serve important roles in the prevention of cell death-involved neurodegenerative diseases. However, the potential synergistic effects of nicotine and menthol on anti-apoptotic ability are still uncertain. In the present study, the potential synergistic effects of nicotine and menthol on cisplatin or amyloid β_1-42 induced cell model of the neurodegenerative diseases were explored by assessing cell viability, TNF-α expression, caspase-3 activation, and the collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Statistical significance was tested using Student’s t-test… More >

A.K. GHOSH¹, RUTUJA S. BHOJE², R.C. BINDAL¹

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.37, No.1-2, pp. 109-120, 2020, DOI:10.32381/JPM.2020.37.1-2.8

Abstract In this study, cellulose triacetate (CTA) based nanocomposite membranes were developed by incorporation of carboxylic acid functionalized multiwalled carbon-nanotube (cMWCNT) and graphene oxide (GO) which have enhancement of both flux and fouling resistance properties of the membranes. Membranes were casted at room temperature and annealed at 90o C hot water for 10 minutes. The incorporation level of both the nanomaterials is 1.5% of the CTA polymer weight in the nanocomposite membranes. Prepared membranes were characterized in terms of water contact angle, surface morphology and mechanical strength. The performance of the membranes was evaluated both in… More >

Hongde Li^*†‡, Yueshuo Li^*†‡, Jianmin Hu^*†‡, Sufang Liu^§, Xiangjian Luo^*†‡¶, Min Tang^*†‡, Ann M. Bode^#, Zigang Dong^#**, Xinqi Liu^††, Weihua Liao^‡‡, Ya Cao^{*†‡¶ §§¶¶}

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.7-8, pp. 763-778, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504021X16135618512563

Abstract Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-encoded latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) plays an important oncogenic role in the viral latent infection. Recently, increasing evidence indicates that the high expression of LMP1 during EBV lytic cycle is related to the viral lytic replication. However, the mechanism by which LMP1 regulates EBV lytic replication remains unclear. (−)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) prevents carcinogenesis by directly targeting numerous membrane proteins and effectively inhibits EBV lytic cascade. Here, we demonstrated that LMP1 promotes EBV lytic replication through the downstream signal molecules MAPKs, including ERKs, p38, and JNKs. LMP1 induces the phosphorylation of p53 through MAPKs… More >