Flattening of the Power Distribution in the HTGR Core with Structured Control Rods

Control rods (CRs) have a significant influence on reactor performance. Withdrawal of a control rod leaves a region of the core significantly changed due to lack of absorber, leading to increased fission rate and later to Xe135 buildup. In this paper, an innovative concept of structured control rods made of tungsten is studied. It is demonstrated that the radial division of control rods made of tungsten can effectively compensate for the reactivity loss during the irradiation cycle of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) with a prismatic core while flattening the core power distribution. Implementation of the radial division of control rods enables an operator to reduce this effect in terms of axial power because the absorber is not completely removed from a reactor region, but its amount is reduced. The results obtained from the characteristic evolution of the reactor core for CRs with a structured design in the burnup calculation using the refined timestep scheme show a very stable core evolution with a reasonably low deviation of the power density and Xe135 concentration from the average values. It is very important that all the distributions improve with burnup.

Story as Self

What might be the basis of the temporal story linking a subject’s manifestations and transformations, if there is no stable core or substantial self “behind” or “before” our deeds, such that our selves lie within our deeds? So asks Robert Pippin in Nietzsche, Psychology, and First Philosophy. I explore the ways in which a story can find its basis in both “the self” and “the world.” Noting that Nietzsche insists on the separation (lack of causality) between thoughts, deeds, and the image we have of a given deed, I suggest that stories, when wielded consciously, are themselves deeds that can serve to magnify, reduce, or alter the images of previous or future deeds, based on what the interactions between our environment and our "true need" allows us to do. I note that they are often themselves inventions, not needing to be the result of factual occurrences in the world. Seen in this way, stories are a powerful tool for self- and world-transformation, and can enable us to create beautiful versions of ourselves that may not always be or feel initially “true.”

Ultrasound-Assisted Microencapsulation of Soybean Oil and Vitamin D Using Bare Glycogen Nanoparticles

Ultrasonically synthesized core-shell microcapsules can be made of synthetic polymers or natural biopolymers, such as proteins and polysaccharides, and have found applications in food, drug delivery and cosmetics. This study reports on the ultrasonic synthesis of microcapsules using unmodified (natural) and biodegradable glycogen nanoparticles derived from various sources, such as rabbit and bovine liver, oyster and sweet corn, for the encapsulation of soybean oil and vitamin D. Depending on their source, glycogen nanoparticles exhibited differences in size and ‘bound’ proteins. We optimized various synthetic parameters, such as ultrasonic power, time and concentration of glycogens and the oil phase to obtain stable core-shell microcapsules. Particularly, under ultrasound-induced emulsification conditions (sonication time 45 s and sonication power 160 W), native glycogens formed microcapsules with diameter between 0.3 μm and 8 μm. It was found that the size of glycogen as well as the protein component play an important role in stabilizing the Pickering emulsion and the microcapsules shell. This study highlights that native glycogen nanoparticles without any further tedious chemical modification steps can be successfully used for the encapsulation of nutrients.

Threshold concentration and random collision determine the growth of the huntingtin inclusion from a stable core

The processes underlying formation and growth of unfolded protein inclusions are relevant to neurodegenerative diseases but poorly characterized in living cells. In S. cerevisiae, inclusions formed by mutant huntingtin (mHtt) have some characteristics of biomolecular condensates but the physical nature and growth mechanisms of inclusion bodies remain unclear. We have probed the relationship between concentration and inclusion growth in vivo and find that growth of mHtt inclusions in living cells is triggered at a cytoplasmic threshold concentration, while reduction in cytoplasmic mHtt causes inclusions to shrink. The growth rate is consistent with incorporation of new material through collision and coalescence. A small remnant of the inclusion is relatively long-lasting, suggesting that it contains a core that is structurally distinct, and which may serve to nucleate it. These observations support a model in which aggregative particles are incorporated by random collision into a phase-separated condensate composed of a particle-rich mixture.

Desmosomal dualism: the core is stable while plakophilin is dynamic

Desmosomes, strong cell-cell junctions of epithelia and cardiac muscle, link intermediate filaments to cell membranes and mechanically integrate cells across tissues, dissipating mechanical stress. They comprise 5 major protein classes - desmocollins and desmogleins (the desmosomal cadherins), plakoglobin, plakophilins and desmoplakin - whose individual contribution to the structure and turnover of desmosomes is poorly understood. Using live-cell imaging together with FRAP and FLAP we show that desmosomes consist of two contrasting protein fractions or modules: a very stable desmosomal core of desmosomal cadherins and plakoglobin, and a highly mobile plakophilin. As desmosomes mature from calcium-dependence to calciumindependent hyper-adhesion, core stability increases, but Pkp2a remains highly mobile. Desmoplakin is initially mobile but stabilises with hyper-adhesion. We show that desmosome down-regulation during growth factor-induced cell scattering proceeds by internalisation of whole desmosomes, which still retain a stable core and highly mobile Pkp2a. This molecular mobility of Pkp2a suggests a transient and probably regulatory role for Pkp2a in the desmosome.

Defining Virus-Carrier Networks That Shape the Composition of the Mosquito Core Virome of an Ecosystem

BackgroundMosquitoes are the most important vectors of emerging infectious diseases. During the past decade, our understanding of the diversity of viruses they carry has greatly expanded. Most of these viruses are considered mosquito-specific, while there is increasing evidence that these viruses may affect mosquito vector potential. Metagenomics approaches have focused on specific mosquito species for the identification of what is called core virome. However, in most ecosystems, multiple species may participate in virus emergence and circulation, while there is lack of understanding on the viruses-carrier/host network for both vector-borne and mosquito-specific viruses. Results Here, we studied the core mosquito virome in a diverse ecosystem comprised of 24 different mosquito species. Analysis of these 24 diverse viromes resulted in the discovery of 35 viruses with known genetic traits and 9 novel viruses. Comparison of the viromes of the 24 individual species revealed novel relationships between mosquito species and virus families, as most of the mosquito species had never been analysed in the past. Groups of related viruses and mosquito species from multiple genera formed a complex network in the ecosystem. Analyses of whole traps of mosquitoes of variable composition not only showed a stable core virome for each species but also a relationship between mosquito population and virome composition.ConclusionsOur study highlighted the importance of a holistic approach regarding mosquito viromes in rich and diverse ecosystems. Our data further supported the idea of a stable core virome, characteristic of each mosquito species. The remarkable stability of the core virome seemed to determine the composition of the total mosquito core virome of a habitat in the ecosystem.

Research on the Profit Model of “Internet+ Logistics Park”

The operation and management mode of “Internet+ Logistics Park” ecosphere has long-term and stable core competitiveness. This paper studies how to obtain the corresponding economic benefits from the perspective of the operators of the logistics park. The logistics park chooses the appropriate logistics service and the public service function to obtain the corresponding economic benefit. The development of the logistics park will finally be implemented to the profit of the park. The paper puts forward the profit model of “Internet+ Logistics Park” ecosphere; This paper mainly analyzes five modes: logistics integration mode, platform operation mode, resource integration mode, service delivery mode and chain replication mode; This paper makes a comparative analysis of different profit models from the aspects of model characteristics and profit thinking.