The Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Particle Size Distribution Produced by an Electrical Discharge Process.

The vague influence of thermal action of electrical discharge on size distribution of metallic powders hinders the adjustability of powder quality. Due to the small gap, short discharge on-time, uncertain discharge point, and strong light interference, direct observation of preparation is difficult to carry out. Herein, the multi-physics coupling finite element method (FEM) was applied to numerically investigate the relationship between size distribution and thermal action. Through modeling of thermal transformation and heat distribution on the surface of electrode, temperature of the electrode is found to be decided by the latent heat and the distribution of heat point obeys the normal distribution, which corresponds with experimental results. Finally, the vapor film to droplet fragmentation theory was proposed to explain the phenomenon of normal distribution. The research results provide theoretical support for the preparation of metallic powder by electrical discharge, and also play a guiding role in optimizing the process parameters in the actual preparation process to tune the size distribution.

A leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase, OsSTLK, modulates salt tolerance in rice.

Leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases (LRR-RLKs) have been widely associated with plant abiotic stress responses. However, the functions of the majority of LRR-RLKs has not been well defined. Here, we identified a novel rice LRR-RLK member involved in salt tolerance and designated as OsSTLK (Oryza sativa L. Salt-Tolerance LRR-RLK). Transcript analysis showed that OsSTLK was significantly induced in response to salt stress in rice shoot and root in a time and dosage-dependent fashion. Phenotypic observations indicated that OsSTLK overexpression exhibited reduced salt sensitivity, and improved salt stress tolerance. Further physiological analysis showed that OsSTLK overexpression remarkably reduced electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation under salt stress conditions by up-regulating ROS-scavenging activities and modifying stomatal patterning. Moreover, Na+/K+ ratio and MAPK phosphorylation level were also reduced in OsSTLK-overexpression transgenic rice plants compared with WT control. Taken together, our findings suggested that OsSTLK as an important positive regulator of salt stress tolerance perhaps through regulating ROS scavenging system, Na+/K+ ratio and MAPK signal pathway.

Effects of SNPs (CYP1B1*2 G355T, CYP1B1*3 C4326G, and CYP2E1*5 G-1293C), smoking, and drinking on susceptibility to laryngeal cancer among Han Chinese.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to explore the effects of genetic polymorphisms (CYP1B1*2 G355T, CYP1B1*3 C4326G, and CYP2E1*5 G-1293C) and environmental factors (smoking and drinking) on susceptibility to laryngeal cancer in a Han Chinese study group. METHODS: This case-control study included 552 Han Chinese patients diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and 666 healthy control subjects of the same ethnicity, similar age, and gender. Genetic polymorphisms were examined using multi-PCR and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization - Time of Flight (MALDI-TOF MS) methodology. The association of these genetic and environmental factors with susceptibility to laryngeal cancer was evaluated using a statistical approach. RESULTS: The frequencies of all three polymorphisms in the patient cohort were significantly different from those in the control cohort. Compared to the control cohort, carriers of variant alleles of CYP1B1*2 355T and CYP2E1*5 -1293C showed a higher risk for developing laryngeal cancer (for CYP1B1*2 355T, adjusted OR = 2.657, P <0.001; for CYP2E1*5 -1293C, adjusted OR = 1.938, P <0.001), while carriers of mutation allele CYP1B1*3 4326G showed a lower risk (adjusted OR = 0.562, P <0.001). Joint effects of these polymorphisms were observed. When compared to haplotype G355C4326G-1293, haplotypes T355C4326G-1293 (adjusted OR = 1.809, P <0.001), G355C4326C-1293 (adjusted OR = 1.644, P = 0.044), and T355C4326C-1293 (adjusted OR = 3.104, P <0.001) were associated with a significantly higher laryngeal cancer risk. The adjusted ORs for non-smokers, non-drinkers, smokers, and drinkers with the GT/TT genotype at CYP1B1*2 G355T were 2.190 (P = 0.006), 2.008 (P = 0.001), 5.875 (P <0.001), and 4.518 (P <0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: CYP1B1*2 355T and CYP2E1*5 -1293C are associated with an increased laryngeal cancer risk, while CYP1B1*3 4326G is associated with a decreased risk. These polymorphisms showed joint effects on laryngeal cancer risk. Smoking and drinking showed collaborative effects with two high risk alleles (CYP1B1*2 355T and CYP1B1*3 4326G) for promoting laryngeal cancer risk.