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Liu, Chun

Publications and source records attributed to Liu, Chun.

15 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Effects of soybean 7S protein on the quality and digestibility of dry rice noodles under twin‐screw extrusion process

Summary Starch and protein are important components of food, the mixed system formed between them (complexes, gels, mixtures, etc.) can improve the physical and chemical properties of starch and protein, and its potential application in the food industry has also attracted widespread attention. In this study, indica rice flour and soybean 7S protein (β‐Conglycinin) were used as the experimental materials to explore the effect of soybean 7S protein addition on the quality and digestibility of rice noodles. Aims to develop rice noodles with high protein and low GI, so that people can take care of their health while satisfying their appetites. The results showed that with the increase of soybean 7S protein addition, the starch digestibility decreased, resulting in the estimated glycaemic index (eGI) and glycaemic load (GL) decreasing. However, the cooking loss rate and breakage rate of rice noodles gradually increased, the water absorption first increased and then decreased, and the taste of rice noodles is acceptable when the 7S protein addition amount is within 9%. The interaction between starch and soybean 7S protein was mediated by weak interactions such as hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic forces indicated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD).

Qiao, Fan↗
DOE OSTI2018

Long non-coding RNA XIST inhibited breast cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion via miR-155/CDX1 axis

Highlights: • LncRNA XIST was significantly down-regulated in breast cancer. • LncRNA XIST depressed the growth, migration and invasion of breast cancer. • MiR-155 was a direct target of XIST. • LncRNA XIST exerted its function via miR-155/CDX1 axis. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is an important member of non-coding RNA family and emerging evidence has indicated that it plays a pivotal role in many physiological and pathological processes. The lncRNA X inactive specific transcript (XIST) is a potential tumour suppressor in some types of cancers. However, the expression and function of XIST in breast cancer remain largely unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the expression and biological role of XIST in breast cancer. The results showed that XIST was significantly down-regulated in breast cancer tissues and cell lines. Further functional analysis indicated that overexpression of XIST remarkably inhibited breast cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion. The results of luciferase reporter assays verified that miR-155 was a direct target of XIST in breast cancer. Moreover, caudal-type homeobox 1 (CDX1) was identified as a direct target of miR-155 and miR-155/CDX1 rescued the effects of XIST in breast cancer cells. Taken together, our results suggest that XIST is down-regulated in breast cancer and suppresses breast cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion via the miR-155/CDX1 axis.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Image phase shift invariance based cloud motion displacement vector calculation method for ultra-short-term solar PV power forecasting

Irradiance received on the earth's surface is the main factor that affects the output power of solar PV plants, and is chiefly determined by the cloud distribution seen in a ground-based sky image at the corresponding moment in time. It is the foundation for those linear extrapolation-based ultra-short-term solar PV power forecasting approaches to obtain the cloud distribution in future sky images from the accurate calculation of cloud motion displacement vectors (CMDVs) by using historical sky images. Theoretically, the CMDV can be obtained from the coordinate of the peak pulse calculated from a Fourier phase correlation theory (FPCT) method through the frequency domain information of sky images. The peak pulse is significant and unique only when the cloud deformation between two consecutive sky images is slight enough, which is likely possible for a very short time interval (such as 1?min or shorter) with common changes in the speed of cloud. Sometimes, there will be more than one pulse with similar values when the deformation of the clouds between two consecutive sky images is comparatively obvious under fast changing cloud speeds. This would probably lead to significant errors if the CMDVs were still only obtained from the single coordinate of the peak value pulse. However, the deformation estimation of clouds between two images and its influence on FPCT-based CMDV calculations are terrifically complex and difficult because the motion of clouds is complicated to describe and model. Therefore, to improve the accuracy and reliability under these circumstances in a simple manner, an image-phase-shift-invariance (IPSI) based CMDV calculation method using FPCT is proposed for minute time scale solar power forecasting. First, multiple different CMDVs are calculated from the corresponding consecutive images pairs obtained through different synchronous rotation angles compared to the original images by using the FPCT method. Second, the final CMDV is generated from all of the calculated CMDVs through a centroid iteration strategy based on its density and distance distribution. Third, the influence of different rotation angle resolution on the final CMDV is analyzed as a means of parameter estimation. Simulations under various scenarios including both thick and thin clouds conditions indicated that the proposed IPSI-based CMDV calculation method using FPCT is more accurate and reliable than the original FPCT method, optimal flow (OF) method, and particle image velocimetry (PIV) method.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Mechanism of formation of wiggly compaction bands in porous sandstone: 1. Observations and conceptual model

Field observations are combined with microscopic analyses to investigate the mechanism of formation of wiggly compaction bands (CBs) in the porous Jurassic aeolian Aztec Sandstone exposed at Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada. Among the three types of CBs (T1, T2, and T3), we focused on the wiggly CBs (T3), which show a chevron (T3 1 ) or wavy (T3 2 ) pattern with typical corner angles of approximately 90° or 130°, respectively. Where corner angles of wiggly CBs increase to 180°, they become straight CBs (T3 3 ). Image analyses of thin sections using an optical microscope show host rock porosity increases downslope in this dune, and the predominant type of wiggly CBs also varies from chevron to straight CBs. Specifically, band type varies continuously from chevron to wavy to straight where the porosity and grain sorting of the host rock increase systematically. Based on the crack and anticrack models, we infer that the change from chevron to straight CBs is due to increasing failure angle of the sandstone and this may correlate with increasing grain sorting. Wavy CBs with intermediate failure angle and host rock porosity are an intermediate stage between chevron and straight CBs. Previous sedimentological studies also have suggested that grain size and sorting degree increase downslope on the downwind side of sand dunes due to a sieving process of the wind-blown grains. Furthermore, the transition of wiggly CB types in this regard correlates with increasing sorting and perhaps with increasing porosity downslope.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Mechanism of formation of wiggly compaction bands in porous sandstone: 2. Numerical simulation using discrete element method

Wiggly compaction bands in porous aeolian s andstone vary from chevron shape to wavy shape to nearly straight. In some outcrops these variations occur along a single band. Here, a bonded close-packed discrete element model is used to investigate what mechanical properties control the formation of wiggly compaction bands (CBs). To simulate the volumetric yielding failure of porous sandstone, a discrete element shrinks when the force state of one of its bonds reaches the yielding cap defined by the failure force and the aspect ratio (k) of the yielding ellipse. A Matlab code “MatDEM 3D ” has been developed on the basis of this enhanced discrete element method. Mechanical parameters of elements are chosen according to the elastic properties and the strengths of porous sandstone. In numerical simulations, the failure angle between the band segment and maximum principle stress decreases from 90° to approximately 45° as k increases from 0.5 to 2, and compaction bands vary from straight to chevron shape. With increasing strain, subsequent compaction occurs inside or beside compacted elements, which leads to further compaction and thickening of bands. The simulations indicate that a greater yielding stress promotes chevron CBs, and a greater cement strength promotes straight CBs. Combined with the microscopic analysis introduced in the companion paper, we conclude that the shape of wiggly CBs is controlled by the mechanical properties of sandstone, including the aspect ratio of the yielding ellipse, the cri tical yielding stress, and the cement strength, w hich are d etermined primarily by petrophysical attributes, e.g., grain sorting, porosity, and cementation.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Size-controllable fabrication of Cu nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes by simple heating

Highlights: • Cu nanoparticles were synthesized on the surface of carbon nanotubes by heating. • The particle size could be tuned by controlling the temperature and duration. • The possible nucleation and growth mechanisms of nanoparticles were discussed. - Abstract: In this paper, employing simple heating inside the transmission electron microscope, we demonstrated the decoration of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by Cu nanoparticles (NPs). More significantly, the particle sizes could be effectively controlled by simply controlling the temperature and duration. It is believed that the nucleation and growth of NPs results from the deposition of generated Cu vapor as well as the surface diffusion of Cu on the CNTs at elevated temperature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Mitofusin 2 decreases intracellular lipids in macrophages by regulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ

Highlights: • Mfn2 decreases cellular lipid accumulation by activating cholesterol transporters. • PPARγ is involved in the Mfn2-mediated increase of cholesterol transporter expressions. • Inactivation of ERK1/2 and p38 is involved in Mfn2-induced PPARγ expression. - Abstract: Mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) inhibits atherosclerotic plaque formation, but the underlying mechanism remains elusive. This study aims to reveal how Mfn2 functions in the atherosclerosis. Mfn2 expression was found to be significantly reduced in arterial atherosclerotic lesions of both mice and human compared with healthy counterparts. Here, we observed that Mfn2 increased cellular cholesterol transporter expression in macrophages by upregulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ, an effect achieved at least partially by inhibiting extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathway. These findings provide insights into potential mechanisms of Mfn2-mediated alterations in cholesterol transporter expression, which may have significant implications for the treatment of atherosclerotic heart disease.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Direct atomic-scale observation of layer-by-layer oxide growth during magnesium oxidation

The atomic-scale oxide growth dynamics are directly revealed by in situ high resolution transmission electron microscopy during the oxidation of Mg surface. The oxidation process is characterized by the layer-by-layer growth of magnesium oxide (MgO) nanocrystal via the adatom process. Consistently, the nucleated MgO crystals exhibit faceted surface morphology as enclosed by (200) lattice planes. It is believed that the relatively lower surface energies of (200) lattice planes should play important roles, governing the growth mechanism. These results facilitate the understanding of the nanoscale oxide growth mechanism that will have an important impact on the development of magnesium or magnesium alloys with improved resistance to oxidation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Fabrication of faceted nanopores in magnesium

In this paper, using high resolution transmission electron microscopy, we showed the fabrication of faceted nanopores with various shapes in magnesium by focused electron beam (e-beam). The characteristics of nanopore shapes and the crystallographic planes corresponding to the edges of the nanopores were discussed in detail. Interestingly, by manipulating the e-beam (e.g., irradiation direction and duration), the nanopore shape and size could be effectively controlled along different directions. Our results provide important insight into the nanopore patterning in metallic materials and are of fundamental importance concerning the relevant applications, such as nanopore-based sensor, etc.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

A hybrid procedure for MSW generation forecasting at multiple time scales in Xiamen City, China

Highlights: ► We propose a hybrid model that combines seasonal SARIMA model and grey system theory. ► The model is robust at multiple time scales with the anticipated accuracy. ► At month-scale, the SARIMA model shows good representation for monthly MSW generation. ► At medium-term time scale, grey relational analysis could yield the MSW generation. ► At long-term time scale, GM (1, 1) provides a basic scenario of MSW generation. - Abstract: Accurate forecasting of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation is crucial and fundamental for the planning, operation and optimization of any MSW management system. Comprehensive information on waste generation for month-scale, medium-term and long-term time scales is especially needed, considering the necessity of MSW management upgrade facing many developing countries. Several existing models are available but of little use in forecasting MSW generation at multiple time scales. The goal of this study is to propose a hybrid model that combines the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) model and grey system theory to forecast MSW generation at multiple time scales without needing to consider other variables such as demographics and socioeconomic factors. To demonstrate its applicability, a case study of Xiamen City, China was performed. Results show that the model is robust enough to fit and forecast seasonal and annual dynamics of MSW generation at month-scale, medium- and long-term time scales with the desired accuracy. In the month-scale, MSW generation in Xiamen City will peak at 132.2 thousand tonnes in July 2015 – 1.5 times the volume in July 2010. In the medium term, annual MSW generation will increase to 1518.1 thousand tonnes by 2015 at an average growth rate of 10%. In the long term, a large volume of MSW will be output annually and will increase to 2486.3 thousand tonnes by 2020 – 2.5 times the value for 2010. The hybrid model proposed in this paper can enable decision makers to develop integrated policies and measures for waste management over the long term.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗