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Object recognition and pose estimation is an important task in computer vision. A pose estimation algorithm using only depth information is proposed in this paper. Foreground and background points are distinguished based on their relative positions with boundaries. Model templates are selected using synthetic scenes to make up for the point pair feature algorithm. An accurate and fast pose verification method is introduced to select result poses from thousands of poses. Our algorithm is evaluated against a large number of scenes and proved to be more accurate than algorithms using both color information and depth information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motion capture of the human body potentially holds great significance for exoskeleton robots, human-computer interaction, sports analysis, rehabilitation research, and many other areas. Dielectric elastomer sensors (DESs) are excellent candidates forwearable humanmotion capture systems because of their intrinsic characteristics of softness, light weight, and compliance. In this paper, DESs were applied to measure all component motions of the wrist joints. Five sensors were mounted to different positions on the wrist, and each one is for one component motion. To find the best position to mount the sensors, the distribution of the muscles is analyzed. Even so, the component motions and the deformation of the sensors are coupled; therefore, a decoupling method was developed. By the decoupling algorithm, all component motions can be measured with a precision of 5°, which meets the requirements of general motion capture systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bin picking refers to picking the randomly-piled objects from a bin for industrial production purposes, and robotic bin picking is always used in automated assembly lines. In order to achieve a higher productivity, a fast and robust pose estimation algorithm is necessary to recognize and localize the randomly-piled parts. This paper proposes a pose estimation algorithm for bin picking tasks using point cloud data. A novel descriptor Curve Set Feature (CSF) is proposed to describe a point by the surface fluctuation around this point and is also capable of evaluating poses. The Rotation Match Feature (RMF) is proposed to match CSF efficiently. The matching process combines the idea of the matching in 2D space of origin Point Pair Feature (PPF) algorithm with nearest neighbor search. A voxel-based pose verification method is introduced to evaluate the poses and proved to be more than 30-times faster than the kd-tree-based verification method. Our algorithm is evaluated against a large number of synthetic and real scenes and proven to be robust to noise, able to detect metal parts, more accurately and more than 10-times faster than PPF and Oriented, Unique and Repeatable (OUR)-Clustered Viewpoint Feature Histogram (CVFH). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased insulin demand resulting from insulin resistance and/or overnutrition induces a compensatory increase in β-cell mass. The physiological factors responsible for the compensation have not been fully characterized. In zebrafish, overnutrition rapidly induces compensatory β-cell differentiation through triggering the release of a paracrine signal from persistently activated β-cells. We identified Fgf1 signaling as a key component of the overnutrition-induced β-cell differentiation signal in a small molecule screen. Fgf1 was confirmed as the overnutrition-induced β-cell differentiation signal, as inactivation of fgf1 abolished the compensatory β-cell differentiation. Furthermore, expression of human FGF1 solely in β-cells in fgf1(-/-) animals rescued the compensatory response, indicating that β-cells can be the source of FGF1. Additionally, constitutive secretion of FGF1 with an exogenous signal peptide increased β-cell number in the absence of overnutrition. These results demonstrate that fgf1 is necessary and FGF1 expression in β-cells is sufficient for the compensatory β-cell differentiation. We further show that FGF1 is secreted during prolonged activation of cultured mammalian β-cells and that endoplasmic reticulum stress acts upstream of FGF1 release. Thus, the recently discovered antidiabetes function of FGF1 may act partially through increasing β-cell differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glucagon antagonismis a potential treatment for diabetes. One potential side effect is α-cell hyperplasia, which has been noted in several approaches to antagonize glucagon action. To investigate the molecular mechanism of the α-cell hyperplasia and to identify the responsible factor, we created a zebrafishmodel in which glucagon receptor (gcgr) signaling has been interrupted. The genetically and chemically tractable zebrafish, which provides a robust discovery platform, has two gcgr genes (gcgra and gcgrb) in its genome. Sequence, phylogenetic, and synteny analyses suggest that these are co-orthologs of the human GCGR. Similar to its mammalian counterparts, gcgra and gcgrb are mainly expressed in the liver. We inactivated the zebrafish gcgra and gcgrb using transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) first individually and then both genes, and assessed the number of α-cells using an α-cell reporter line, Tg(gcga:GFP). Compared to WT fish at 7 days postfertilization, there were more α-cells in gcgra-/-, gcgrb-/-, and gcgra-/-;gcgrb-/- fish and there was an increased rate of α-cell proliferation in the gcgra-/-;gcgrb-/- fish. Glucagon levels were higher but free glucose levels were lower in gcgra-/-, gcgrb-/-, and gcgra-/-;gcgrb-/- fish, similar to Gcgr-/- mice. These results indicate that the compensatory α-cell hyperplasia in response to interruption of glucagon signaling is conserved in zebrafish. The robust α-cell hyperplasia in gcgra-/-;gcgrb-/- larvae provides a platform to screen for chemical and genetic suppressors, and ultimately to identify the stimulus of α-cell hyperplasia and its signaling mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulin from islet β-cells maintains glucose homeostasis by stimulating peripheral tissues to remove glucose from circulation. Persistent elevation of insulin demand increases β-cell number through selfreplication or differentiation (neogenesis) as part of a compensatory response. However, it is not well understood how a persistent increase in insulin demand is detected. We have previously demonstrated that a persistent increase in insulin demand by overnutrition induces compensatory β-cell differentiation in zebrafish. Here, we use a series of pharmacological and genetic analyses to show that prolonged stimulation of existing β-cells is necessary and sufficient for this compensatory response. In the absence of feeding, tonic, but not intermittent, pharmacological activation of β-cell secretion was sufficient to induce β-cell differentiation. Conversely, drugs that block β-cell secretion, including an ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel agonist and an L-type Ca2+ channel blocker, suppressed overnutrition- induced β-cell differentiation. Genetic experiments specifically targeting β-cells confirm existing β-cells as the overnutrition sensor. First, inducible expression of a constitutively active KATP channel in β-cells suppressed the overnutrition effect. Second, inducible expression of a dominant-negative KATP mutant induced β-cell differentiation independent of nutrients. Third, sensitizing β-cell metabolism by transgenic expression of a hyperactive glucokinase potentiated differentiation. Finally, ablation of the existing β-cells abolished the differentiation response. Taken together, these data establish that overnutrition induces β-cell differentiation in larval zebrafish through prolonged activation of β-cells. These findings demonstrate an essential role for existing β-cells in sensing overnutrition and compensating for their own insufficiency by recruiting additional β-cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium(II) in water sources has threatened the availability of safe drinking water and, thus, human health. Therefore, development of a feasible technique for cadmium(II) removal from micro-polluted water is urgently needed. In this study, modified zeolite powder, a new adsorbent, was prepared from natural zeolite powders, chitosan, and sodium hydroxide and was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It was used to remove cadmium(II) from a micro-polluted water source. The effect of adsorption time, pH, initial cadmium(II) concentration, and zeolite powder dosages on the removal of cadmium(II) was investigated. Results show that the cluster structures became porous structures in the modified zeolite powder. Chitosan was supported on the zeolite. The process formed porous structures with a large inner specific surface area. Under the experimental conditions, maximum cadmium(II) adsorption capacities were 0.159 mg·g−1 for the natural zeolite powder and 1.011 mg·g−1 for the modified zeolite powder. Cadmium(II) was more effectively removed by the modified zeolite powder than by natural zeolite powder. Equilibrium adsorption data were analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Kaganer-Radushkevich isotherm models. A pseudo second-order adsorption kinetics model was used to describe the adsorption processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complicated crown-root fractures are challenging for pediatric dentists to treat. Many treatment strategies have been proposed, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. The purpose of this report was to suggest a new method to treat a complicated crown-root fracture using fragment reattachment with the aid of a splint and an intracanal fiber post. It is recommended that the fractured fragment be stabilized to its original position instead of being extracted if the biological width is minimally invaded. Furthermore, the use of an intracanal post is recommended to reinforce the root in a horizontal root fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the port-of-entry, containers are inspected through a specific sequence of sensor stations to detect the presence of radioactive materials, biological and chemical agents, and other illegal cargo. The inspection policy, which includes the sequence in which sensors are applied and the threshold levels used at the inspection stations, affects the probability of misclassifying a container as well as the cost and time spent in inspection. This work is an extension of a paper by Elsayed et al., which considers an inspection system operating with a Boolean decision function combining station results. In this paper, we present a multiobjective optimization approach to determine the optimal sensor arrangement and threshold levels, while considering cost and time. The total cost includes cost incurred by misclassification errors and the total expected cost of inspection, while the time represents the total expected time a container spends in the inspection system. Examples which apply the approach in various systems are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose a novel complex radial basis function network approach for dynamic behavioral modeling of nonlinear power amplifier with memory in 3 G systems. The proposed approach utilizes the complex QR-decomposition based recursive least squares (QRD-RLS) algorithm, which is implemented using the complex Givens rotations, to update the weighting matrix of the complex radial basis function (RBF) network. Comparisons with standard least squares algorithms, in batch and recursive process, the QRD-RLS algorithm has the characteristics of good numerical robustness and regular structure, and can significantly improve the complex RBF network modeling accuracy. In this approach, only the signal's complex envelope is used for the model training and validation. The model has been validated using ADS simulated and real measured data. Finally, parallel implementation of the resulting method is briefly discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2009. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathway is a conserved pathway that regulates animal development, growth, metabolism, reproduction, and aging. The biological actions of IGFs are modulated by IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs). Although the structure and function of fish IGFBP-1, -2, -3, and -5 have been elucidated, there is currently no report on the full-length structure of a fish IGFBP-4 nor its biological action. In this study, we cloned and characterized the IGFBP-4 gene from fugu. Sequence comparison, phylogenetic, and synteny analyses indicate that its chromosomal location, gene, and protein structure are similar to its mammalian orthologs. Fugu IGFBP-4 mRNA was easily detectable in all adult tissues examined with the exception of spleen. Older animals tended to have higher levels of IGFBP-4 mRNA in the muscle and eyes compared with younger animals. Starvation resulted in significant increases in IGFBP-4 mRNA abundance in the muscle, liver, gallbladder, and brain. Overexpression of fugu and human IGFBP-4 in zebrafish embryos caused a significant decrease in body size and somite number, suggesting that fugu IGFBP-4 inhibits growth and development, possibly by binding to IGFs and inhibiting their binding to the IGF receptors. These results provide new information about the structural and functional conservation, expression patterns, and physiological regulation of the IGFBP-4 gene in a teleost fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a feasibility study of using eddy current induced heating for the solder reflow of area array packages. With a high frequency electromagnetic field, Sn3.5%Ag lead-free solder balls were heated to melt and wet the solder pads on an organic substrate. The experimental results showed that such a solder reflow process could be implemented effectively in a wide processing window. With an infrared temperature sensor, it was found that the temperature difference between the solder balls and the FR4 board might reach 80 °C, indicating a rather localized heating mechanism. In addition, the heating and cooling rates during the soldering were found very high. This is another feature of the induction heating reflow process. It was also found that the generated temperature in the solder balls would depend on the size of the solder balls. This characteristic may be used to perform selective soldering of flip chip BGA packages. Furthermore, the developed soldering process was applied to the board level reflow of actual components. The result verified that the induction heating reflow is a feasible soldering process in actual applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood amino acid levels are maintained in a narrow physiological range. The pancreatic α cells have emerged as the primary aminoacidemia regulator through glucagon secretion to promote hepatic amino acid catabolism. Interruption of glucagon signaling disrupts the liver–α cells axis leading to hyperaminoacidemia, which triggers a compensatory rise in glucagon secretion and α cell hyperplasia. The mechanisms of hyperaminoacidemia-induced α cell hyperplasia remain incompletely understood. Using a mouse α cell line and in vivo studies in zebrafish and mice, we found that hyperaminoacidemiainduced a cell hyperplasia requires ErbB3 signaling. In addition to mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1, another ErbB3 downstream effector signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 also plays a role in α cell hyperplasia. Mechanistically, ErbB3 may partner with ErbB2 to stimulate cyclin D2 and suppress p27 via mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3. Our study identifies ErbB3 as a new regulator for hyperaminoacidemia induced α cell proliferation and a critical component of the liver–α cells axis that regulates aminoacidemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vertical Schottky diode rectifier was fabricated using a bulk n-GaN wafer. Pt Schottky contacts were prepared on the Ga face and full backside ohmic contact was prepared on the N face by using Ti/Al. The root mean square surface roughnesses of the Ga and N faces are 0.61 and 4.7 nm, respectively. A relatively high breakdown field of 5.46 kV/cm was achieved with no additional edge termination. The breakdown field decreases as the size of the device increases. The background electron concentration of the bulk GaN wafer was low (5×1015 cm-3), which may lead to a relatively high breakdown field even with no special edge termination. The forward turn-on voltage was as low as 2.4 V at the current density of 100 A/cm2. The device exhibited an ultrafast reverse recovery characteristics (reverse recovery time <20 ns). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • ZnO NiO nanostructures with single target ZnO0.8-NiO0.2 is successfully obtained. • ZnO NiO nanostructures are fully discriminate by the aid of SPM techniques. • Local semi-conducting properties are recorded on the ZnO matrix and NiO pillars. • The charge transport mechanisms of our system are discussed with band diagram models. Abstract In this work we have successfully discriminate NiO from ZnO materials in a pillar-matrix nanostructured thin film using various surface microscopy techniques. In order to do so, we have deposited a ZnO NiO co-deposited thin film with a single target composed of ZnO 0.8 NiO 0.2 grown on SrTiO 3 :Nb substrate by pulsed laser deposition. Scanning probe microscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques reveal that the surface is composed of wide and well-spaced topographical nanopillars with various size embedded in a flat matrix. In order to fully discriminate the nanopillars from the matrix, the nanoscale piezoelectric and electrical properties of the sample have been analyzed by Piezoresponse Force Microscopy and Conductive-Atomic Force Microscopy. These techniques reveal that the flat matrix is piezoelectric, semiconducting and correspond to ZnO. Whereas the nanopillars are non-piezoelectric, exhibit a low current semiconducting behavior and correspond to NiO. Local I-V measurements confirm the low current semiconducting behavior for the NiO nanopillars and the semiconducting behavior for the ZnO matrix and well agree with the Scanning Probe Microscopy images. In order to investigate the charge transport mechanism of the NiO pillars and the ZnO matrix system, the local I-V measurements are compared to the theoretical band diagram models of our metal/semiconductor/metal systems. Graphical abstract Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultrasensitive conformation-dependent colorimetric assay has been developed for the detection of mercury(II) ions. It is based on the use of exonuclease III (Exo III)-assisted target recycling and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). In the absence of Hg(II), the hairpin-shaped DNA probe (H-DNA) binds to AuNPs and stabilizes them in solutions of high ionic strength. In the presence of Hg(II), on the other hand, the sticky termini of the H-DNA form a rigid DNA duplex stem with a blunt 3'-terminus. Thus, Exo III is activated as a biocatalyst for selective and stepwise removal of mononucleotides from the 3'-terminus of the H-DNA. As a result, Hg(II) is released from the T--Hg(II)--T complexes. The guanine-rich sequences released from the H-DNA are then selfassembled with potassium ion to form a stable G-quadruplex conformation. In solutions of high ionic strength, this results in aggregation of AuNPs and a color change from red to blue which can be seen with bare eyes. The method is highly sensitive and selective. It has a linear response in the 10 pM to 100 nM Hg(II) concentration range, and the detection limit is as low as 3.2 pM (at an S/N ratio of 3). The relative standard deviation at a level of 0.5 nM of Hg(II) is 4.9% (for n = 10). The method was applied to the detection of Hg(II) in spiked environment water samples, with recoveries ranging from 92% to 106%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glucagon receptor (GCGR) is a potential target for diabetes therapy. Several emerging GCGR antagonism-based therapies are under preclinical and clinical development. However, GCGR antagonism, as well as genetically engineered GCGR deficiency in animal models, are accompanied by α-cell hyperplasia and hyperglucagonemia, which may limit the application of GCGR antagonism. To better understand the physiological changes in α cells following GCGR disruption, we performed single cell sequencing of α cells isolated from control and gcgr-/- (glucagon receptor deficient) zebrafish. Interestingly, beyond the α-cell hyperplasia, we also found that the expression of gcga, gcgb, pnoca, and several glucagon-regulatory transcription factors were dramatically increased in one cluster of gcgr-/- α cells. We further confirmed that glucagon mRNA was upregulated in gcgr-/- animals by in situ hybridization and that glucagon promoter activity was increased in gcgr-/-;Tg(gcga:GFP) reporter zebrafish. We also demonstrated that gcgr-/- α cells had increased glucagon protein levels and increased granules after GCGR disruption. Intriguingly, the increased mRNA and protein levels could be suppressed by treatment with high-level glucose or knockdown of the pnoca gene. In conclusion, these data demonstrated that GCGR deficiency not only induced α-cell hyperplasia but also increased glucagon expression in α cells, findings which provide more information about physiological changes in α-cells when the GCGR is disrupted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low temperature joining of amorphous alloys has big challenges to prevent them from crystallization. An ultrasonic-assisted soldering method was proposed to join the Fe-based amorphous alloys with the aluminum plates in air by using Sn-based solders. No obvious defects were observed and the joining ratio was more than 90%. At the interface of solder/aluminum, scallop α-Al solid solutions were formed and large fretting (pits) with a size of 50 μm on the aluminum plates was found due to ultrasonic vibrations. At the interface of solder/amorphous, Fe-Zn intermetallic compound (FeZn13) was probably formed. Its formation activation energy was approximately 30.9 kJ/mol between the amorphous iron and the Sn-9Zn during the solid state diffusion, which was much lower compared with crystallized couples. The enhanced diffusion/reaction and the much low activation energy in this work are probably attributed to the amorphous state of the Fe-based foils. Adding nickel in the Sn-Zn solder can improve the hardness of the joints by formation of NiAl3 intermetallic particles and depress the corrosion on the aluminum. Both the initially interfacial wetting and the microstructure refinement during solidification of the filler solder were improved by ultrasonic vibrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the mechanism of gene function is greatly enhanced using conditional mutagenesis. However, generating engineered conditional alleles is inefficient and has only been widely used in mice. Importantly, multiplex conditional mutagenesis requires extensive breeding. Here we demonstrate a system for one-generation multiplex conditional mutagenesis in zebrafish (Danio rerio) using transgenic expression of both cas9 and multiple single guide RNAs (sgRNAs). We describe five distinct zebrafish U6 promoters for sgRNA expression and demonstrate efficient multiplex biallelic inactivation of tyrosinase and insulin receptor a and b, resulting in defects in pigmentation and glucose homeostasis. Furthermore, we demonstrate temporal and tissue-specific mutagenesis using transgenic expression of Cas9. Heat-shock-inducible expression of cas9 allows temporal control of tyr mutagenesis. Liver-specific expression of cas9 disrupts insulin receptor a and b, causing fasting hypoglycemia and postprandial hyperglycemia. We also show that delivery of sgRNAs targeting ascl1a into the eye leads to impaired damage-induced photoreceptor regeneration. Our findings suggest that CRISPR/Cas9-based conditional mutagenesis in zebrafish is not only feasible but rapid and straightforward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of thermal aging on the microstructure evolution and solder joint reliability in hard disk drive (HDD) under mechanical shock was investigated. Significant coarsening of Ag3Sn particles was found in SnAgCu solder, and AuSn4 intermetallic compound (IMC) changed from needle-type to layer-type during aging. For as-soldered SnAgCu solder joints after mechanical shock, the cracks were initiated in AuSn4 at the corner of the solder joints, and mainly propagated along the thin Ni3Sn4 IMC layer. After aging at 150 °C for 21 days, the cracks were mainly propagated along the solder, Ni3Sn4, Au-Sn-Ni-Cu, and Au-Cu-Sn. The significant coarsening of microstructure was found in SnPb solder joints, and only microcracks were found on the surfaces of as-soldered and aged solder joints after mechanical shock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the influence of aging treatment on fracture behavior of Sn–Pb eutectic solder alloys at different loading rate regime during tensile tests under the scanning electron microscope. In high homologous temperature, the solder exhibit the creep behavior that could be confirmed through the phenomena of grain boundary sliding (GBS) to both as-cast and aged specimens. Owing to the large grain scale after high temperature storage, boundary behavior was limited to some extent for the difficulty in grain rotation and boundary migration. Instead, drastic intragranular deformation occurred. Also, the phase coarsening weakened the combination between lead-rich phase and tin matrix. Consequently, surface fragmentation was detected for the aged specimens. Furthermore, the fracture mechanism changed from intergranular dominated to transgranular dominated with increasing loading rate to both specimens during early stage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Desmoplasia describes the deposition of extensive extracellular matrix and defines primary pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). The acellular component of this stroma has been implicated in PDA pathogenesis and is being targeted therapeutically in clinical trials. By analyzing the stromal content of PDA samples from numerous annotated PDA data sets and correlating stromal content with both anatomic site and clinical outcome, we found PDA metastases in the liver, the primary cause of mortality to have less stroma, have higher tumor cellularity than primary tumors. Experimentally manipulating stromal matrix with an anti-lysyl oxidase like-2 (anti-LOXL2) antibody in syngeneic orthotopic PDA mouse models significantly decreased matrix content, led to lower tissue stiffness, lower contrast retention on computed tomography, and accelerated tumor growth, resulting in diminished overall survival. These studies suggest an important protective role of stroma in PDA and urge caution in clinically deploying stromal depletion strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This phase II bridging study assessed the safety and efficacy of nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine (Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Clinical Trial [MPACT] regimen) in Chinese patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (MPC).Methods: This 3-part sequential study evaluated nab-paclitaxel 125 mg/m2 plus gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 every 4 weeks. Part 1 evaluated safety. Part 2 evaluated efficacy using Simon's optimal 2-stage design: if >2 responses were observed in Stage 1 (n = 28), 54 additional patients would be enrolled in Stage 2. If >9 responses were observed, the study was complete. Otherwise, nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine would be compared with gemcitabine alone in Part 3. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints included duration of response (DOR), overall survival (OS), and safety.Results: Eighty-three patients were treated. The prespecified primary endpoint was met: the independently assessed ORR in Stages 1 + 2 was 35% (95% CI, 24.8-46.2); therefore, Part 3 was not initiated. The median DOR was 8.9 months (95% CI, 6.01-8.94). The median OS and progression-free survival were 9.2 (95% CI, 7.6-11.1) and 5.5 (95% CI, 5.29-7.16) months, respectively. The 12-month OS rate was 30%. In an updated analysis, the median OS was 9.3 months and the 12-month OS rate was 32%. Longer OS was observed in patients with baseline neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio ≤ 5 vs > 5. The most common grade ≥ 3 adverse events were leukopenia (35%), neutropenia (34%), anemia (15%), thrombocytopenia (10%), and fatigue (13%). Grade 3 peripheral neuropathy occurred in 7% of patients (no grade 4 reported).Conclusions: The MPACT regimen of nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine is efficacious in Chinese patients with MPC. No new safety signals were observed.Trial Registration: NCT02135822 , May 8, 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report ultrasensitive and highly selective detection of testosterone based on microring resonance sensor using molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP). A silicon-on-insulator (SOI) micoring resonator was modified by MIP films (MIPs) on a surface. The MIPs was synthesized by thermopolymerization using methacrylic acid as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as crosslinking agent. The concentration of detected testosterone varies from 0.05 ng/mL to 10 ng/mL. The detection limit reaches 48.7 pg/mL. Ultrahigh sensitivity, good specificity and reproducibility have been demonstrated, indicating the great potential of making a cost effective and easy to operate lab-on-Chip and down scaling micro-fluidics devices in biosensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ TiB2 particulate reinforced copper matrix composites were prepared using Cu-Ti and Cu-B master alloys. Rotating magnetic field (RMF) was employed to improve the dispersion of in situ TiB2 particles during casting. The influences of RMF on the microstructures, TiB2 distribution and mechanical properties of thus prepared composites were investigated. The results show an improved distribution of TiB2 particles in the copper matrix, which resulted in the improvement of mechanical properties of Cu/TiB2 composites. The ultimate tensile strength and Vickers hardness of Cu-1 wt.% TiB2 with a 30% reduction hot rolling and a 90% reduction cool rolling increased from 405 MPa, 125 HV to 470 MPa, 171 HV by the variation of field currents, respectively. Moreover, the action mechanism of RMF on TiB2 distribution in the copper matrix was explained and analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The liquid nature of ionic liquids (ILs) limits their use in potential electrolytes due to the problem of leakage. Herein, we design a new strategy to immobilize an ionic liquid by incorporating it within ZIF-8 (ZIF = zeolitic imidazolate framework) by the ionothermal method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fabrication and characterization of a compact InP-based polarization beamsplitter (PBS) is presented. A multimode interference (MMI) coupler with an internal air hole photonic crystal (PhC) section is utilized to separate the two polarizations. The PhC structure in the middle of the MMI is polarization dependent, so that one polarization is reflected and the other one is transmitted; both are collected by the respective output ports of the MMI coupler. The obtained experimental results show that the PBS as short as ∼400 mhas an extinction ratio as large as 15 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBP5) are high-affinity binding partners for IGFs and play important roles in modulating IGF activities. In this study, we have identified and characterized two functional IGFBP-6 genes in zebrafish. Structural, phylogenetic, and comparative genomic analyses indicate that they are co-orthologs of the human IGFBP-6 gene. To gain insight into how the duplicated genes may have evolved throughpartitioning of ancestral functions, gene expression and functional studies were carried out. In adult fish, IGFBP-6a mRNA was most abundantly expressed in the muscle. The levels of IGFBP-6a mRNA in nonmuscle tissues were very low or barely detectable. In comparison, the levels of IGFBP-6b mRNA were high in the brain. heart, and muscle, but very low or undetectable in other adult tissues. During embryogenesis, the IGFBP-6a mRNA levels were relatively low. The IGFBP-6b mRNA levels were low during the initial 48 h. They became significantly higher at 72 and 96 h postfertilization. Over- expression of zebrafish IGFBP-6a and IGFBP-6b caused a similar degree of reduction in body size and developmental rate. No notable effects were observed on cell fate or patterning in these transgenic fish. These data suggest that the duplicated igfbp-6 genes encode two functionally similar proteins, but they have evolved distinct spatial and temporal expression patterns. These findings are consistent with the notion of an additional gene duplication event in teleost fish and have provided novel insight into the structural and functional evolution of the IGFBP gene family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetic interference protection in optoelectronic devices is challenging because of the dual requirements of optical transmittance and high shielding effectiveness (SE). Herein, we propose a novel silver nanowire (AgNW)/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) multi-layer mesh pattern structure for transparent electromagnetic shielding obtained via laser marking and transfer printing. A three-layer composite shielding film with an optical transmittance of 67.8% exhibits a SE of 44 dB at 10 GHz, which is superior to most of the reported transparent shielding films composed of AgNWs to date. The newly designed multi-layer composite structure can enhance the transparent shielding properties of the shielding film via optimization of the AgNW distribution and the shielding film structure. It is expected that this multi-layer mesh composite structure will have splendid application prospects in electromagnetic shielding films, which require both light transmittance and high SE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sintering of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) at low temperature is highly wanted in the manufacturing of flexible electronics. And for ink-jet printing, the metallic NPs after printing usually need thermal or chemical post-treatment to remove stabilizing agents and achieve conductivity. Here, we reported a facile method to realize one-step printed sintering of silver nanoparticle (AgNP) ink at room temperature by using intermediate coated layers composed of oxide NPs and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) mixture. We found that the detachment of the stabilizer (citrate) from the AgNPs was caused by hydroxyl groups on the surface of the oxide NPs, which enabled the coalescence and sintering of the AgNPs. With the aid of SiO2 NPs based intermediate layer, the patterns showed resistivity as low as 3.45 μΩ cm after sintering. Moreover, the mixed PVA could ensure the forming quality of patterns owing to its adsorption of ink and the high adhesiveness of PVA with substrates. So, we envision that this approach could serve as an adaptive method for sintering of AgNPs based conductive patterns on various substrates at room temperature and promote the manufacture of printed electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a promising replacement material for indium tin oxide in flexible electronics, silver nanowires (AgNWs) usually need complicated post-treatment to reduce the high contact resistance across the intersections when used as transparent conductive films. In this work, a widely applicable nano-joining method for improving the overall conductivity of AgNW networks with different kinds of electrolyte solutions is presented. By treatment with an electrolyte solution with appropriate ionic strengths, the insulating surfactant layer (polyvinylpyrrolidone, PVP) on the AgNWs could be desorbed, and the AgNW network could be densified. The sheet resistance of the AgNW film on a glass slide is reduced by 60.9% (from 67.5 to 26.4 Ohm sq−1) with a transmittance of 92.5%. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis indicates that atomic diffusion occurs at the intersection of two AgNWs. Thus, metallurgical bonding on the nanometer scale is achieved across the junctions of the AgNWs, leading to a significant enhancement in the conductivity of the AgNW network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]