Engineering topics
Zhou, Yuhong
Publications and source records attributed to Zhou, Yuhong.
Fibroblast growth factor 19 improves cardiac function and mitochondrial energy homoeostasis in the diabetic heart
In diabetic cardiomyopathy, mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation dominates over mitochondrial glucose oxidation, leading to metabolic disturbances. Fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) acts as a metabolic regulator and may have a cardioprotective role on diabetic cardiomyopathy. In this study, we investigated the effects of FGF19 on energy metabolism. FGF19 treatment of diabetic hearts exhibited higher glucose uptake and lower lipid profiles, suggesting changes in energy metabolism. The protective effects of FGF19 prevented ventricular dysfunction in diabetic hearts and improved mitochondrial function by the upregulation of PGC-1α expression. On the other side, knockdown of PGC-1α by siRNA attenuated the effects of FGF19 on the enhancement of mitochondrial function and energy efficiency. Taken together, these results show that FGF19 exhibited improved mitochondrial efficiency, which might be associated with higher cardiac contractility in diabetic hearts. It is also of note that modulation of PGC-1α, which is responsible for the activation by FGF19, may be a therapeutic target for diabetic cardiomyopathy.
High-speed, room-temperature quantum cascade detectors at 4.3 μm
We present high-speed, room-temperature operated 4.3 μm quantum cascade detectors. The devices are processed as square mesas with 50 Ω coplanar access line and air-bridge connector. The high frequency features are explored using microwave rectification technique and a RLC circuit model. The -3 dB cutoff frequency is experimentally 9 GHz and 4 GHz for 20×20 μm{sup 2} and 50×50 μm{sup 2} detectors, respectively. The equivalent circuit analysis shows that a second order filter feature governs the devices. Higher cutoff frequency can be achieved by eliminate the parasitics further.
New insight into the helium-induced damage in MAX phase Ti{sub 3}AlC{sub 2} by first-principles studies
In the present work, the behavior of He in the MAX phase Ti{sub 3}AlC{sub 2} material is investigated using first-principle methods. It is found that, according to the predicted formation energies, a single He atom favors residing near the Al plane in Ti{sub 3}AlC{sub 2}. The results also show that Al vacancies are better able to trap He atoms than either Ti or C vacancies. The formation energies for the secondary vacancy defects near an Al vacancy or a C vacancy are strongly influenced by He impurity content. According to the present results, the existence of trapped He atoms in primary Al vacancy can promote secondary vacancy formation and the He bubble trapped by Al vacancies has a higher tendency to grow in the Al plane of Ti{sub 3}AlC{sub 2}. The diffusion of He in Ti{sub 3}AlC{sub 2} is also investigated. The energy barriers are approximately 2.980 eV and 0.294 eV along the c-axis and in the ab plane, respectively, which means that He atoms exhibit faster migration parallel to the Al plane. Hence, the formation of platelet-like bubbles nucleated from the Al vacancies is favored both energetically and kinetically. Our calculations also show that the conventional spherical bubbles may be originated from He atoms trapped by C vacancies. Taken together, these results are able to explain the observed formation of bubbles in various shapes in recent experiments. This study is expected to provide new insight into the behaviors of MAX phases under irradiation from electronic structure level in order to improve the design of MAX phase based materials.
The electronic transport behavior of hybridized zigzag graphene and boron nitride nanoribbons
In this present work, we have investigated the electronic transport properties of the hybridized structure constructed by the zigzag graphene and boron-nitride (BN) nanoribbons (Z-B{sub n}N{sub m}C{sub p}, n + m + p = 16) through employing nonequilibrium Green's functions in combination with the density-functional theory. The results demonstrate that the electronic transport properties of the hybridized Z-B{sub n}N{sub m}C{sub p} nanoribbons are strongly dependent on the width of boron-nitride or graphene nanoribbons. When the numbers of n and m are not equal, the negative differential resistance behavior is observed, which can be modulated by varying the width of BN nanoribbons. The conductance of the hybridized Z-B{sub n}N{sub m}C{sub p} nanoribbons with odd numbers of zigzag carbon chains also increases by the width of BN nanoribbons.
Negative differential resistance behavior in phosphorus-doped armchair graphene nanoribbon junctions
In this present work, we investigate the electronic transport properties of phosphorus-doped armchair graphene nanoribbon (AGNR) junctions by employing nonequilibrium Green's functions in combination with the density-function theory. Two phosphorus (P) atoms are considered to substitute the central carbon atom with the different width of AGNRs. The results indicate that the electronic transport behaviors are strongly dependent on the width of the P-doped graphene nanoribbons. The current-voltage characteristics of the doped AGNR junctions reveal an interesting negative differential resistance (NDR) and exhibit three distinct family (3 n, 3 n + 1, 3 n + 2) behaviors. These results display that P doping is a very good way to achieve NDR of the graphene nanoribbon devices.