Independent Transport Research Articles

Methylation changes in association with early life stress and trauma-focused psychotherapy in treatment-resistant depression

IntroductionEarly life stress (ELS) associates with unfavourable outcome in Major depressive disorder (MDD) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Trauma-focused psychotherapy benefits TRD patients exposed to ELS. Epigenetic processes are altered in stress-related disorders, but few studies show epigenetic signatures associated with trauma.ObjectivesWe performed an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) to explore the relation between methylation changes in TRD patients characterized for recent and ELS and trauma-focused psychotherapy outcomes.MethodsThirty TRD patients participated. They underwent psychotherapy, from which 12 cognitive behavioural therapy and 18 Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). We used validated interviews and questionnaires for symptom evaluation and stress exposure. Patients were evaluated at T0 (baseline), T8 (end of psychotherapy), T12 (follow-up) and T26. Methylation was profiled with Illumina Infinium EPIC array for T0, T8 and T12. Methylation levels were quantified after quality control and normalization using ChAMP R package. We tested the association between B-values for each CpG site (each probe set) and each phenotype/condition using a linear model approach (with paired values) as implemented in the Limma R package. P-values were adjusted using Benjamini & Hochberg method. Probe sets were considered significant with an adjusted p-value q ≤ 0.05. CpG site annotation was performed using IlluminaHumanMethylationEPICanno.ilm10b2.hg19 R package (hg19 genome reference).ResultsAssociation analyses between baseline methylation levels and emotional abuse resulted in two significant probe sets annotated in SLCO4A1 (p=1,72E-08; q=0,008), involved in sodium independent transmembrane substrate transport, and GPNMB (p=1,53E-07; q=0,022), involved in cell differentiation. Associations between baseline methylation levels and physical abuse resulted in one significant probe set annotated in DDIT4L (p=4,77E-08; q=0,035), involved in cell growth.In longitudinal analyses, association between T0-T8 methylation levels and response at T8 resulted in two significant probe sets annotated in PLEKHB1 (p=3,54E-08; q=0,013), involved in cell differentiation, and NUDT4P2 (p=1,34E-07; q=0,032). Longitudinal T12-T0 EWAS analyses in patients undergoing EMDR resulted in 44 significant probe sets annotated in genes, highlighting MAD1L1 (p=6,28E-07; q=0,035), involved in cell division, and TNFAIP3 (p=3,00E-06; q=0,045), which regulates immunity.ConclusionsWe identified epigenetic signatures of ELS in TRD patients, suggesting that ELS may modulate the intensity of epigenetic alterations. Longitudinal methylation analyses along psychotherapy showed significant genes in relation to response, especially for patients undergoing EMDR. Some genes are associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (MAD1L1) and anxiety disorders and MDD (TNFAIP3).Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Graphene‐on‐Silicon Hybrid Field‐Effect Transistors

AbstractThe combination of graphene and silicon in hybrid electronic devices has attracted increasing attention over the last decade. Here, a unique technology of graphene‐on‐silicon heterostructures as solution‐gated transistors for bioelectronics applications is presented. The proposed graphene‐on‐silicon field‐effect transistors (GoSFETs) are fabricated by exploiting various conformations of channel doping and dimensions. The fabricated devices demonstrate hybrid behavior with features specific to both graphene and silicon, which are rationalized via a comprehensive physics‐based compact model which is purposely implemented and validated against measured data. The developed theory corroborates that the device hybrid behavior can be explained in terms of two independent silicon and graphene carrier transport channels, which are, however, strongly electrostatically coupled. Although GoSFET transconductance and carrier mobility are found to be lower than in conventional silicon or graphene field‐effect transistors, it is observed that the combination of both materials within the hybrid channel contributes uniquely to the electrical response. Specifically, it is found that the graphene sheet acts as a shield for the silicon channel, giving rise to a nonuniform potential distribution along it, which impacts the transport, especially at the subthreshold region, due to non‐negligible diffusion current.

Provenances of the Oldest Xiashu loess and Xuancheng loess in southern China: Implications for dust transport and dust proxies of the East Asian winter monsoon

The loess-paleosol sequences of southern China are valuable paleoclimatic archives since the Middle Pleistocene, on the regional and global scales. Knowledge of loess provenance can shed light on dust transport and the development of paleoclimatic proxies for loess deposits. However, there is a research gap regarding the provenance of the Oldest (∼0.9 Ma) Xiashu loess near the Yangtze River valley. The precise source area of the Xuancheng loess in southern China remains to be unidentified. In this study, we used elemental geochemistry and detrital zircon UPb ages to identify the sources of the Oldest Xiashu loess and Xuancheng loess in southern China. The Oldest Xiashu loess is dominantly derived from Yangtze River sediments, and part of its fine-grained dust component originates from the arid regions of Central Asia or northern China. The elemental compositions of the size-fractionated silicates and detrital zircon UPb ages of the Xuancheng loess are like those of the Shuiyang River sediments in the Xuancheng region. These results demonstrate that the Xuancheng loess is mainly the product of local dust activity in the Xuancheng regions, and thus that the Xiashu and Xuancheng loess are the products of independent dust transport processes. This spatial differentiation of loess provenance may be a widespread phenomenon in southern China, and consequently, the grain size compositions of the various loess sections in southern China cannot be used to recover paleo-wind directions on a regional scale. Overall, our study shows that when the grain size compositions from the southern China loess are used to reconstruct East Asian winter monsoon intensity, the signals from local wind fields should first be removed.

In vivo imaging reveals independent intraflagellar transport of the nexin-dynein regulatory complex subunits DRC2 and DRC4.

Many axonemal proteins enter cilia and flagella on intraflagellar transport (IFT) trains, which move bidirectionally along the axonemal microtubules. Certain axonemal substructures including the radial spokes and outer dynein arms are preassembled in the cell body and transported as multisubunit complexes into flagella by IFT. Here, we used in vivo imaging to analyze the transport and assembly of DRC2 and DRC4, two core subunits of the nexin-dynein regulatory complex (N-DRC). Tagged DRC2 moved by IFT in mutants lacking DRC4 and vice versa, showing that they do not depend on each other for IFT. Simultaneous imaging of tagged DRC2 and DRC4, expressed from transgenes that rescue a corresponding double mutant, mostly showed transport on separate IFT trains, but occasional cotransports were also observed. The results demonstrate that DRC2 and DRC4 are transported largely independently of each other into flagella. These studies suggest that the N-DRC assembles onto the axoneme by the stepwise addition of subunits.

Pharmacology of Compounds Targeting Cation-Chloride Cotransporter Physiology.

Transporters of the solute carrier family 12 (SLC12) carry inorganic cations such as Na+ and/or K+ alongside Cl across the plasma membrane of cells. These tightly coupled, electroneutral, transporters are expressed in almost all tissues/organs in the body where they fulfil many critical functions. The family includes two key transporters participating in salt reabsorption in the kidney: the Na-K-2Cl cotransporter-2 (NKCC2), expressed in the loop of Henle, and the Na-Cl cotransporter (NCC), expressed in the distal convoluted tubule. NCC and NKCC2 are the targets of thiazides and "loop" diuretics, respectively, drugs that are widely used in clinical medicine to treat hypertension and edema. Bumetanide, in addition to its effect as a loop diuretic, has recently received increasing attention as a possible therapeutic agent for neurodevelopmental disorders. This chapter also describes how over the past two decades, the pharmacology of Na+ independent transporters has expanded significantly to provide novel tools for research. This work has indeed led to the identification of compounds that are 100-fold to 1000-fold more potent than furosemide, the first described inhibitor of K-Cl cotransport, and identified compounds that possibly directly stimulate the function of the K-Cl cotransporter. Finally, the recent cryo-electron microscopy revolution has begun providing answers as to where and how pharmacological agents bind to and affect the function of the transporters.

Enabling Donor: Acceptor Bicontinuous Networks via Short Contacts in Double‐Cable Polymers with Pendant Rylene Diimides

Double‐cable polymers (DCPs) with donors and acceptors in the same molecular matrix exhibit excellent stability and have great potential in the practical application of organic solar cells (OSCs). However, such chemical structures of DCPs make the morphology and charge transport very complicated. Here, the packing structures and charge transport channels are revealed for the DCPs with pendant acceptors of rylene diimides. Because of strong π–π overlap, the number of neighboring acceptors is limited and the acceptors cannot form a percolation network for electron transport. Importantly, introducing twisted dimeric rylene diimides can significantly increase the number of neighbors and connectivity for the acceptors via short contacts. Moreover, donor:acceptor bicontinuous networks can be achieved by tuning the dimerization ratio. This opens an avenue toward independent, efficient hole, and electron transport for efficient DCP‐based OSCs.

Rab32/38-Dependent and -Independent Transport of Tyrosinase to Melanosomes in B16-F1 Melanoma Cells.

B16-F1 melanoma cells have often been used as a model to investigate melanogenesis, but the evidence that melanosome biogenesis and transport occur by the same mechanisms in normal melanocytes and B16-F1 cells is insufficient. In this study, we established knockout B16-F1 cells for each of several key factors in melanogenesis, i.e., tyrosinase (Tyr), Hps4, Rab27A, and Rab32·Rab38 (Rab32/38), and then compared their phenotypes with the phenotypes of corresponding mutant mouse melanocyte cell lines, i.e., melan-c, melan-le, melan-ash, and Rab32-deficient melan-cht cells, respectively. The results showed that Tyr and Rab27A are also indispensable for melanin synthesis and peripheral melanosome distribution, respectively, in B16-F1 cells, but that Hps4 or its downstream targets Rab32/38 are not essential for Tyr transport in B16-F1 cells, suggesting the existence of a Rab32/38-independent Tyr transport mechanism in B16-F1 cells. We then performed comprehensive knockdown screening of Rab small GTPases and identified Rab10 and Rab24, previously uncharacterized Rabs in melanocytes, as being involved in Tyr transport under Rab32/38-null conditions. Our findings indicate a difference between the Tyr transport mechanism in melanocytes and B16-F1 cells in terms of Rab32/38-dependency and a limitation in regard to using melanoma cells as a model for melanocytes, especially when investigating the mechanism of endosomal Tyr transport.

Improving predictions of solute transport in a laboratory sandbox aquifer through high-resolution characterization with hydraulic tomography

Hydraulic tomography (HT) has been developed over the last two decades to image subsurface heterogeneity at high resolution that is critically important to robust solute transport predictions. In this study, HT based on two concepts (i.e., geological zonation and geostatistical inversion models) was utilized to characterize the K distribution of a laboratory sandbox aquifer at different parameter resolutions. We compared the estimated K fields for predicting independent pumping tests and solute transport using the classical advection–dispersion equation (ADE). The impact of using geological zonation models of varying accuracy for HT analyses was investigated. Results revealed that, when being calibrated to datasets from multiple pumping tests, geological zonation models that faithfully represented the true stratigraphy predicted groundwater flow satisfactorily. The deterministic K field of the calibrated reliable geological zonation models satisfactorily reproduced the preferential migration path of the observed tracer plume, and the breakthrough curves (BTCs) at sampling ports. With further resolving the inter- and intra-layer heterogeneity, the reconstructed K fields by HT better predicted both migrating plumes and BTCs for two conservative tracer tests. The estimated dispersivity values for ADE only resulted in slight improvements in the fitting between observed and simulated solute tracer data. It also demonstrated the need of integrating reliable geological information into the geostatistical inversion approach to reproduce geological structures in K fields. Our study suggested the proper consideration of geological zonation between boreholes during field implementation of HT to yield improved solute transport results.

Effects of MPL Pore Size Distribution on Components of Oxygen Transport Resistance Increased Due to Water Accumulation in a PEFC

To increase the power output of PEFC, management of generated water is extremely important. A gas diffusion layer (GDL) with a microporous layer (MPL) on the cathode side is thought to play important roles in drainage of product water and optimizing oxygen transport, but the details of the mechanism have not been elucidated. In this study, to reveal the water and oxygen transport phenomena, the components of oxygen transport resistance were evaluated using the limiting current analysis (1) for two types of MPL with different pore size distributions. Further, the water distributions in the cathode side MPL and catalyst layer (CL) were observed by a freezing method and a cryo-SEM (2). The active area of the cell used in this study was 1.8 cm2 (0.9 cm × 2.0 cm). The anode and cathode flow fields were parallel straight type with 1.0 mm wide ribs and channels. The anode side was supplied with hydrogen, and the cathode side was supplied with a mixed gas of oxygen and nitrogen. The gas flow rates were 500 sccm for the anode and 4000 sccm for the cathode. The relative humidity of the supplied gases was 90%. Experiments were conducted under two different cell temperature, 30°C (low temperature condition) and 80°C (high temperature condition). The catalyst coated membrane was produced by Japan Gore (PRIMEA). We used two types of MPL with different pore size distributions for the cathode GDL: MPLs with one peak (conventional type) and with two peaks. The MPLs are called MPL-1 and MPL-2, respectively. For the anode side, a GDL with an MPL (SGL, 28 BC) was used. This study used the limiting current analysis developed by the authors (1). The developed method extended the conventional method to the separation under flooded conditions, considering vapor transport and water distribution. Inside the CL, it was assumed that the water production rate dominates the water accumulation, which is proportional to current density. Outside the CL, it was assumed that the product of total pressure and current density determines the water accumulation (1). The experiments were conducted with different back pressures (110 kPa, 140 kPa, 180 kPa) and different oxygen concentrations (1%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 12%, 15%, 18%, 21%) for the cathode side. Figure 1 shows the total oxygen transport resistances at 110 kPa. There is a significant difference in the tendencies of the total oxygen transport resistance between the MPL-1 and the MPL-2 under the low temperature condition, while the tendencies are similar under the high temperature condition. This suggests that the effects of water accumulated in the cell are larger at lower temperature. Figure 2 shows the results separating the total oxygen transport resistance into two resistances. The I Lim is the limiting current density. The R P and R NP are the pressure-dependent and -independent oxygen transport resistances. These correspond to the oxygen transport resistances outside and inside the CL. Under the low temperature condition, the pressure-dependent oxygen transport resistances (corresponding to those outside the CL) are different between the MPL-1 and the MPL-2. The pressure-independent resistances (corresponding to those inside the CL) are similar. These mean that the smaller total oxygen transport resistances with the MPL-2 in Figure 1 are caused mainly by the smaller resistance outside the CL. Before the separation, we predicted that the increase in the total oxygen transport resistance is suppressed by the MPL-2 due to enhanced drainage of product water from the CL. However, Figures 2(a) and (c) revealed that the R P of the MPL-2 becomes smaller than that of the MPL-1 rather than the R NP. This may be considered because the larger pores in the MPL-2 form drainage pathway for product water at the low temperature condition, which significantly contributes to increasing the oxygen transport pathway through the smaller pores. As expected from Figure 1, there is no significant difference in the R P and the R NP between two types of the MPL under the high temperature condition (Figures 2(b) and (d)). The water distribution in the vicinity of MPL-2 was observed after discontinuing operation at 2.0 A/cm2 just before the limiting current condition. The experiment was conducted with 30°C, 180 kPa back pressure, and 21% oxygen concentration. Cryo-SEM images showed that there was ice at the MPL/CL interfaces. Additionally, ice crystals were observed at the larger pores in the MPL-2, supporting the above consideration, the drainage pathway for product water through the larger pores.Reference (1) Y. Iizuka, et al., ECS Transactions, 104(8), 83-92 (2021). (2) Y. Aoyama, et al., Electrochem. Commun., 41, 72-75 (2014). Figure 1

Ionic Liquids for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

AbstractOrganic‐inorganic hybrid metal halide perovskite materials, as an emerging semiconductor, have been successfully used in the field of solar cells and currently achieved a record efficiency of 25.7% within a decade, surpassing the mature thin film photovoltaic technologies on the market. To further improve the stability and efficiency of the forthcoming commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), ionic liquids (IL) have been selectively applied to the field of PSCs due to its excellent properties including designability, thermal stability, and conductivity. In this review, by summarizing recent research progress, the mechanism is discussed as IL serve as precursor solvents, additives, interfacial modification layers, independent electron transport layers, and p‐type dopants. Finally, the future research trend of IL has been prospected.

Thermal transport and nonmechanical forces in metals

We discuss contributions to the thermopower in an electron fluid. A simple argument based on Newton's second law with the pressure gradient as the force suggests that the thermopower is given by a thermodynamic derivative, viz., the entropy per particle, rather than being an independent transport coefficient. The resolution is the existence of an entropic force that results from a coupling between the mass current and the heat current in the fluid. We also discuss and clarify some aspects of a recent paper (Phys. Rev. B {\bf 102}, 214306 (2020)) that provided a method for exactly solving electronic transport equations in the low-temperature limit.

A flexible and highly efficient graphene-based photothermal evaporation device with independent water transport and photothermal absorption system

Solar interfacial evaporation is a new desalination technology, which has the advantages of low cost, low energy consumption, simple system and no pollution. New material development is crucial to improving the light absorption ability, photothermal conversion efficiency, and water evaporation. In this study, a separate photothermal evaporation device is proposed. The graphene oxide (GO) was combined with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) to form a composite (GO/PAN) fiber by wet spinning. GO/PAN fiber as a photothermal absorption system was further woven with cotton yarn to produce a flexible photothermal conversion device. When the device is put in fuchsin solution, it can absorb water within 20 s and be completely soaked in the solution after 25 s. When the device was irradiated by 1 standard sunlight, the water evaporation rate was 1.82 kg m−2 h−1. Under 5 or 10 standard sunlight, the water evaporation rate could reach 5.19 kg m−2 h−1 and 11.79 kg m−2 h−1, respectively. The graphene photothermal evaporation device of the invention adopts the method of interfacial evaporation here is easy to manufacture and has good flexibility. With the help of independent water transport and photothermal absorption system, the device can achieve high water absorption and photothermal properties, showing great potential for high-efficiency water desalination.

Functional Expression of Choline Transporters in Microglia and Their Regulation of Microglial M1/M2 Polarization.

Background: Microglia are key cells of the immune system in the central nervous system and are suggested to be deeply involved in the development of neurodegenerative diseases. It is well known that microglia have functional plasticity, with an inflammatory M1 phenotype and an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. Inhibition of choline transport in macrophages has been reported to suppress the secretion of inflammatory cytokines. However, the role of the choline transport system in regulating microglial M1/M2 polarization has not been fully elucidated to date. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of choline uptake in microglia, and its association with microglial M1/M2 polarization. Methods: The immortalized mouse microglial cell line SIM-A9 was used for [3H]choline uptake and expression analysis of choline transporters. The association between the choline uptake system and the M1/M2 polarization of microglia was also analyzed. Results: Choline transporter-like protein (CTL) 1 and CTL2 were highly expressed in SIM-A9 cells, and CTL1 and CTL2 were localized in the plasma membrane and mitochondria, respectively. Functional analysis of choline uptake demonstrated the existence of Na+-independent, pH-dependent, and intermediate-affinity choline transport systems. Choline uptake was concentration-dependently inhibited by hemicholinium-3 (HC-3), an inhibitor of choline uptake, and increased by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interleukin-4 (IL-4). Expression of the mRNA of M1 microglia markers IL-1β and IL-6 was increased by LPS, and their effects were suppressed by choline deprivation and HC-3. In contrast, mRNA expression of the M2 microglial marker arginase-1 (Arg-1) was increased by IL-4, and the effect was enhanced by choline deprivation and HC-3. Conclusions: Our results suggest that inhibition of CTL1-mediated choline uptake in microglia preferentially induces M2 microglia polarization, which is a potential therapeutic approach for inflammatory brain diseases.

Evidence of decoupling of surface and bulk states in Dirac semimetal Cd3As2

Dirac semimetals have attracted a great deal of current interests due to their potential applications in topological quantum computing, low-energy electronic devices, and single photon detection in the microwave frequency range. Herein are results from analyzing the low magnetic (B) field weak-antilocalization behaviors in a Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 thin flake device. At high temperatures, the phase coherence length l ϕ first increases with decreasing temperature (T) and follows a power law dependence of l ϕ ∝ T −0.4. Below ∼3 K, l ϕ tends to saturate to a value of ∼180 nm. Another fitting parameter α, which is associated with independent transport channels, displays a logarithmic temperature dependence for T > 3 K, but also tends to saturate below ∼3 K. The saturation value, ∼1.45, is very close to 1.5, indicating three independent electron transport channels, which we interpret as due to decoupling of both the top and bottom surfaces as well as the bulk. This result, to our knowledge, provides first evidence that the surfaces and bulk states can become decoupled in electronic transport in Dirac semimetal Cd3As2.

Engineering caveolin-mediated endocytosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

As a potential substitute for fatty acids, common low-cost oils could be used to produce acetyl-CoA derivatives, which meet the needs of low-cost industrial production. However, oils are hydrophobic macromolecules and cannot be directly transported into cells. In this study, caveolin was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to absorb exogenous oils. The expression of caveolin fused with green fluorescent protein showed that caveolin mediated the formation of microvesicles in S. cerevisiae and the addition of 5,6-carboxyfluorescein showed that caveolae had the ability to transport exogenous substances into cells. The intracellular and extracellular triacylglycerol levels were then detected after the addition of soybean oil pre-stained with Nile Red, which proved that caveolae had the ability to absorb the exogenous oils. Lastly, caveolin for oils absorption and lipase from Bacillus pumilus for oil hydrolysis were co-expressed in the naringenin-producing Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, resulting in naringenin production increasing from 222 mg/g DCW (dry cell weight) (231 mg/L) to 269 mg/g DCW (241 mg/L). These results suggested that the caveolin-mediated transporter independent oil transport system would provide a promising strategy for the transport of hydrophobic substrates.

Effects of the CarFreeMe Traumatic Injuries, a Community Mobility Group Intervention, to Increase Community Participation for People With Traumatic Injuries: A Randomized Controlled Trial With Crossover.

IntroductionAfter traumatic injuries community participation is a common goal, promoting wellbeing and independence. Community mobility and transportation influence an individual's independence in community participation. With the ability to drive safely often compromised after traumatic injuries, the adverse consequences of driving cessation include a loss of identity and reduced participation in chosen activities. In rehabilitation, individualized community mobility intervention is not routinely provided. The primary aim of this trial was to evaluate whether a group-based intervention, the CarFreeMe TI program was more effective than standard intervention, an information sheet of alternative transport, in improving community mobility for people following traumatic injuries. The secondary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect: types of transport used, transport satisfaction, community mobility self-efficacy, quality of life, goal satisfaction and performance, for people following traumatic injuries; and to undertake a preliminary assessment of the potential resource use associated with the intervention, and lessons for implementation.DesignProspective, pilot, randomized, blind observer, controlled trial with crossover.ParticipantsTwenty individuals with traumatic injuries.InterventionSix-week group-based support and education program, the CarFreeMe TI delivered in community settings (intervention) and standard information related to transport options available (control).Primary Outcome MeasuresCommunity participation using a Global Positioning System device to record the location and number of outings from home.Secondary Outcome MeasuresCarFreeMe TI Transport Questionnaire, Community Mobility Self-efficacy Scale, quality of life measures, Modified Canadian Occupational Performance Measure for goals (importance and satisfaction), participant satisfaction survey results and researcher logs.ResultsThose who received the intervention were more likely to use public transport and transport services and had an improved quality of life, when compared to the control group. The intervention group also reported high levels of improvement in goal performance and satisfaction. Global Positioning System data collection was incomplete, with geolocation data unusable. There was no significant change in number/type of visits away from home.ConclusionsA group-based community mobility education program promoted modes of active independent transport but did not impact on outings from home. Future research could include passive collection methods using a smartphone to record community participation.Clinical Trial Registrationhttps://www.anzctr.org.au/, identifier: ACTRN12616001254482.

Hazards arising during road accidents in cases of vehicle adaptation for the person with special needs

Independent transport of people with special needs often requires the adaptation of a motorcar to increase the comfort of use and enable proper operating of a vehicle. This adaptation involves, for example, mounting special devices on the steering wheel. This violates the so-called survival zone, defined by (UN/ECE) regulation No. 21. and can deteriorate the occupant’s safety. This study shows the risk for the driver caused by an additional knob mounted on a steering wheel. Model tests were prepared and carried out with the use of the PC-Crash program environment. The simulations of the frontal collisions into the obstacle were computed and the dynamic loads affecting the driver with and without additional adaptation elements on the steering wheel were assessed. Obtained results portray that the impact of the driver’s head into the adaptation element during the collision is possible. This causes a visible increase in the HIC15 head injury indicator by up to 80% for a collision speed of 65 km/h compared to a car without an adaptation device. It was found that the risk of head injury is on average 15% greater compared to the variant without an adaptation device.

PENGARUH LINGKUNGAN KERJA, MOTIVASI DAN KEPUASAN KERJA TERHADAP PRODUKTIVITAS KARYAWAN CV. ANGKUTAN TERANG MANDIRI (ATM) PALEMBANG

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the work environment (X1), motivation (X2) and job satisfaction (X3) on employee productivity (Y) at CV Angkutan Mandiri (ATM) Palembang. The analytical tool used with SPSS, the data source used is primary data and secondary data with respondents as many as 75 people on CV employees. Bright Independent Transport (ATM) Palembang. Based on the results of the analysis of this study, it can be concluded that there is a simultaneous significant effect on employee productivity as indicated by a significance value of 0.000 <0.05. While partially the work environment variable has no effect on employee productivity as shown by the significant value of the t test (0.542 > 0.05). The motivation variable partially has no effect on employee productivity with the results of a significant value of the t test (0.365 > 0.05). While the job satisfaction variable partially has a significant effect on employee productivity with the results of a significant value of the t test (0.000 <0.05). Keywords: Work;Environment; Motivation; Job Satisfaction, and Employee Productivity.

The morphological structure and influence factors analysis of China's domestic civil aviation freight transport network

Civil aviation freight transport (CAFT) in China plays an important role in social and economic development. However, research on the morphological structure of China's CAFT network and its influence factors remains rare. In this paper, we focus on this topic by using a new data set of China's domestic routes from 2015 to 2019. With the complex network theory, we make an empirical study on the morphological structure of China's domestic CAFT network, and try to explore the nexus between the attributes of the network and the influence factors. The results show that China's domestic CAFT network is in line with the small world network model, which has a low average path length and a high clustering coefficient. The centrality of the network presents a saddle distribution with dense in the east and west, while sparse in the central. The results also indicate that there are many localized networks dominated by a few core airports. A number of regional hub cities exist, which are mainly located in the west of China. The development of China's CAFT highly depends on the civil aviation passenger transport (CAPT) network, and is highly affected by GDP, the industrial structure and the geographical location of cities. Finally, we give several policy suggestions, including developing the freight dedicated airports, establishing independent freight transport network system, vigorously developing core and intermediate hub cities, as well as constructing the regional network.

Designing independent water transport channels to improve water flooding in ultra-thin nanoporous film cathodes for PEMFCs

Utilization of 3D nanostructured Pt cathodes could obviously improve performances of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) owing to the reduced tortuosity and the bi-continuous nanoporous structure. However, these cathodes usually suffer from the flooding problem ascribed to the ionomer-free and nanoscale pores which are more susceptible to water condensation. In this paper, ultra-thin nanoporous metal films (100 nm) were utilized to construct PEMFC cathodes and independent transport channels were designed separately for water and gas aiming at the flooding problem. Nanoporous gold (NPG) film was used as the model support for loading Pt nanoparticles owing to its controllable and stable structure. After optimizing the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) content and carbon loading in the gas diffusion layer (GDL), plasma treatment under O2 atmosphere was used to pattern the GDL with independent water transport channels. The obtained liquid permeation coefficients and oxygen gains demonstrated the obviously improved water and O2 transport. By using a home-made optimized GDL and a nanoporous film cathode with pore size ∼60 nm, the flooding problem could be facilely solved. With a Pt loading of ∼16 μg cm−2, this 3D nanostructured cathode exhibits a PEMFC performance of ∼957 mW cm−2 at 80 °C. The Pt power efficiency is about 4 times higher than that of the commercial Pt/C cathode (50 μg cm−2, 756 mW cm−2). Obviously, this study provides a simple but effective methodology to solve the water flooding problem in the ultra-thin nanoporous film cathodes which is applicable for other types of 3D nanostructured PEMFC cathodes.