The mechanical response of amorphous silica (or silica glass) under hydrostatic compression for very high pressures up to 25 GPa is modelled via an elastic-plastic constitutive equation (continuum mechanics framework). The material parameters appearing in the theory have been estimated from the ex situ experimental data from Rouxel et al. [Rouxel T, Ji H, Guin JP, Augereau F, Rufflé B J Appl Phys 2010;107(9):094903]. The model is shown to capture the major features of the pressure-volume changes response from the in situ experimental work of Sato and Funamori [Sato T, Funamori N Phys Rev Lett 2008;101:255502]. In particular, the onset and saturation of densification, the increase in elasticity parameters (bulk, shear and Young's moduli) andPoisson's ratio are found to be key parameters of the model.

Some of the active phytochemicals in herbal medicine are finding therapeutic use. For example, patients with heart disease are reported to benefit from treatment with herbal medicine with fewer side effects. Previous studies showed the inhibitory effects of tetramethylpyrazine, an active component of medicinal herb, on phosphodiesterase that is associated with heart disease and the cardio-protective effects of other herbal medicine that was used to protect ischemia-reperfusion injury of rat hearts. Individual herbal medicines show antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. In addition to sharing many therapeutic activities, the active components of herbal medicine are also used in nutrient supplement for cardiovascular disease. Numerous in vitro studies of herbal medicine on different cell lines and in vivo study of herbal medicine have been reported. However, the mechanism of actions remains unclear. The present review aims to give an overview of the recent development of herbal medicine in treatment of cardiovascular disease, and covers the possible mechanism of action of some of active principles. The study will provide insights into drug action and demonstrate the therapeutic benefits of herbal medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

IntroductionThis study aims to evaluate the gastro-protective effects of virgin coconut oil (VCO) on different ulcer models as compared to the standard drug (omeprazole).Material and methodsThree groups of rats (6 rats per group for each ulcer model) were pre-treated with distilled water for the negative control group, 30 mg/kg of omeprazole for the positive control group and VCO (2 ml per rat) for the treatment group. Animals were pre-treated for 7 days and ulcers were induced with cold restraint stress, piroxicam, ethanol and pylorus ligation. On day eight, animals were sacrificed and ulcer scores were determined based on macroscopic evaluation. The gastric volume, pH, total acidity and mucus content were measured in the pylorus-ligated model. The levels of antioxidants were determined from the gastric tissue homogenates.ResultsVirgin coconut oil significantly (p < 0.001) inhibited the ulceration caused by different inducers. The percentage of inhibition for the VCO-treated group was 78.3%, 84.7%, 72.7% and 73.1%, while for the omeprazole-treated group it was 60.8%, 61.5%, 59% and 53.8% in cold restraint stress, ethanol, piroxicam and pylorus-ligated ulcer models, respectively. Virgin coconut oil significantly (p < 0.001) inhibited gastric juice volume and total acidity for VCO and omeprazole treated groups as compared to the non-treated negative control group. Moreover, VCO and omeprazole caused a significant (p < 0.001) increase of gastric mucus content and pH. Virgin coconut oil also proved to have significantly increased glutathione (GSH) and nitrite levels, whereas the levels of SOD, GP, MDA and CAT were significantly (p < 0.001) reduced by VCO relative to the control group. Virgin coconut oil also significantly (p < 0.001) increased the level of prostaglandin in rat tissue homogenate, similar to the omeprazole treated group.ConclusionsVirgin coconut oil shows a possible association with antioxidant properties to control the regulation of prostaglandin synthesis and protect against reactive oxygen species damage.

Ginkgo biloba L., a native of China, enjoys unrivaled fame in the plant world, owing to its multipurpose characters. Ginkgo leave extract contains high levels of flavone glycosides and terpene lactones, which are widely used in orthodox or traditional medicine to treat diseases. However, there are few good Ginkgo varieties for leaf application to date. In this study, we collected fifteen core Ginkgo resources including the variety &ldquo;Anlu 1&rdquo; from different locations in China. Through 60Co-&gamma;-ray irradiation of &ldquo;Anlu 1&rdquo;, a variety named as &ldquo;ZY 1&rdquo; with good properties was cultivated. Field test assays showed that &ldquo;ZY 1&rdquo; has obvious advantages compared with &ldquo;Anlu 1&rdquo; (control). &ldquo;ZY 1&rdquo; grows faster and has no branches but higher leaf yield. More importantly, its leaf extracts contain higher flavonoids and terpenoids contents but lower undesired components such as ginkgolic acids. These results indicated that the variety &ldquo;ZY 1&rdquo; may have a high value of leaf application for clinical medicine, health care products and cosmetic.

As wind turbine blades tend to be long and narrow, the demand for its properties of bending resistance and vibration suppression is improving day by day. Mimicking the three-layer structure (the outer skin, the middle, the inner skin) of bamboo, this paper puts forward a new damping structure with the blade as a basic layer, one transitional layer and one free damping layer added to it. The formula of the structural loss factor is deduced by vibration differential equations. Then combined with the formula, the models of airfoil flutter and damping vibration suppression and related data, the numerical simulation is done using Matlab/Simulink Software. Consequently, the comparison diagrams of swing and wave velocity responses and their displacement responses between conditions with and without the new damping structure are gained, which indicates that the property of vibration suppression of wind turbine blades with the new damping structure is significantly improved.

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Bearingless motorized spindle is a new type of motorized spindle composed of bearingless motor and motorized spindle. With the increasing speed, the spindle will produce obvious gyro effect and vibration interference, so it is of practical significance to study the vibration control of bearingless motorized spindle. In this paper, the principle of minimum rotor vibration displacement is introduced, and a compensation controller based on adaptive feedback is designed and verified by simulation.

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