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Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common malignancy in Southern China and Southeast Asia. Radiotherapy is the main treatment option. However, radiotherapy does not benefit all patients because there is no known precise biomarker that can be used for screening radioresistant patients. Genetic predisposition is closely related to tumor development, therapeutic response, and prognosis. The relationship between regenerating gene IA (REGIA) and NPC is unclear. This study aimed to retrospectively analyze the association between REGIA expression and metastasis, radiosensitivity, and survival in patients with NPC as well as assess the effect of radiation on REGIA expression in vitro. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect REGIA. The relationship between REGIA expression in radioresistant NPC and the prognosis of CNE1 NPC cells were analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. We found that increased doses of radiation in CNE1 cells significantly decreased REGIA expression (P<0.05). The overall rate of REGIA-positive expression was 47.15% in NPC tissues and 45.00% and 61.02% in radiosensitive and radioresistant cases, respectively, showing significant differences (P<0.05). A REGIA-positive protein expression rate had a negative correlation with radiosensitivity in NPC (r= –0.109, P=0.047). Both REGIApositive and REGIA-negative expression strongly predicted the overall survival rate and progression-free survival of NPC patients (P<0.01). A multivariate analysis indicated that REGIA was an inverse prognostic factor in NPC patients (REGIA-positive expression: hazard ratio (HR)=2.139, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.56–2.94, P<0.001 and REGIAnegative expression: HR=1.958, 95% CI=1.42–2.69, P<0.001). In conclusion: Radiation can affect REGIA expression. The REGIA expression level correlated with radioresistance and a poor prognosis. In addition, REGIA expression might act as a potential therapeutic target and prognostic predictor in NPC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dyes, a kind of visible chemical, have severe deleterious effects on human health and ecological environment. In this work, batch biosorption experiments were carried out under various experimental conditions such as pH value and agitation time to optimize the potentiality of Enteromorpha prolifera for the removal of malachite green (MG) dye from aqueous solution (70·7%). Then, the algal biomass was treated with a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in helium for 4 and 10 min to enhance MG removal efficiency (84·7 and 96·6%). In addition, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy in combination with scanning electron microscopy was employed to monitor the chemical and physical changes of algal cells treated by DBD. This study illustrates that DBD may serve as an effective tool to activate the functional groups on the cell wall surface for dye binding, and it even offers an alternative new technique to improve the adsorption properties of native biosorbents for the removal of toxic dyes from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Starter feeding is usually used in lamb production to improve rumen development and to facilitate the weaning process, but molecular mechanism of which is not well understood. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the effect of starter feeding on the expression of ruminal epithelial genes involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis and metabolism in pre-weaned lambs. We selected eight pairs of 10-day-old lamb twins. One twin was fed ewe milk (M, n =8), while the other was fed ewe milk plus starter (M+S, n =8). The lambs were sacrificed at 56 days age. Results showed that the lambs fed M+S had lower pH in the rumen and a higher concentration of acetate, propionate, butyrate and total volatile fatty acid (VFA). Compared with the M group, the concentration of β -hydroxybutyric acid in plasma had an increased trend, and the concentration of IGF-1 in plasma had an decreased trend in the M+S group. The length, width and surface of rumen papillae increased in the M+S group compared with the M group; this was associated with increased cell layers in the stratum corneum, stratum granulosum and total epithelia. Messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of proliferative genes of cyclin A, cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 in the ruminal epithelia of M+S lambs was increased compared with M only lambs. The mRNA expression of apoptosis genes of caspase-3, caspase-8, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) in the M+S group was decreased compared with M group, but the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax were not changed between the two groups. Expression of IGF-1 mRNA was decreased, but the mRNA expression of IGF-1 receptor was higher in ruminal epithelia in the M+S group. Furthermore, the mRNA expression of VFA absorption and metabolism genes of β -hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase isoforms 1 and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA lyase had an increased trend in the M+S group than in the M group, but the mRNA expression of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase isoform 1, monocarboxylate transporter isoform 1 and putative anion transporter isoform 1 had a decreased trend in the M+S group than in the M group. These results suggest that starter feeding increased proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of ruminal epithelial cells, and may promote the VFA metabolism in ruminal epithelium in pre-weaned lambs. These findings provide new insights into improving rumen development by nutritional intervention strategies in pre-weaned lambs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unicellular freshwater green microalga Haematococcus pluvialis is the richest source of natural astaxanthin. Since accumulation of astaxanthin differs significantly among various algal strains at different stages, it is therefore critical to develop an effective high-throughput assay for rapid screening astaxanthin-hyperproducing strains. In the present study, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in combination with biochemical assay was employed for evaluation of the wide-type H. Pluvialis strains. The partial least squares (PLS) models of total biomass, astaxanthin content and astaxanthin expressed as a percentage of dry weight (DW) were developed with the R2 values as 0·959, 0·982 and 0·952, the prediction correlation factor ( r) values as 0·979, 0·988 and 0·966, and the residual predictive deviation (RPD) values as 4·88, 6·22 and 3·86, respectively. Furthermore, the PLS models were employed to evaluate H. pluvialis mutants, with the r values as 0·973, 0·983 and 0·976, and the RPD values as 3·45, 7·59 and 4·07, respectively. This work thus demonstrates that NIRS is an easy, fast and non-invasive approach that can be applied in high-throughput screening of astaxanthin-hyperproducing algal mutants. Significance and Impact of the Study Haematococcus pluvialis has potential application for its ability to accumulate natural antioxidant astaxanthin. In this study, we initiated the application of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in the analysis of total biomass and astaxanthin content of different mutant strains, demonstrating that NIRS can be very useful in the screening of axataxanthin-hyperproducing mutant strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Dementia and cognitive impairment (CI) are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and have important clinical consequences. We explored the prognostic factors for CI in patients with PD. Methods: A total of 102 patients with PD in Xuan wu hospital and Qian dongnan People's Hospital from 2005 to 2010 were included in this study. All patients underwent clinical and neurological assessments. Relevant demographic and performance parameters were analysed to determine variables that may be independently associated with the progression of CI. Results: In the 6-month follow-up group, CI progressed in three out of 58 cases (5%): two cases progressed from mild CI (MiCI) to moderate CI (MoCI), and one case from MoCI to dementia. In the six-month-to-two-year follow-up group, seven out of 46 cases (15%) worsened: one case developed MiCI, three cases progressed from MiCI to MoCI and three other cases from MoCI to dementia. In the two-to-five-year group, 20 out of 44 cases (45%) worsened with one case developing MiCI, 14 cases progressing from MiCi to MoCI and five cases from MoCI to dementia. Compared with other patients, those with worsening of CI symptoms were significantly older in the two-to-five-year group. Progression of CI was also associated with age at onset and initial staging of PD. Conclusions: Advanced age, late onset of disease and severity of PD are the predictive factors for the progression of CI in PD. The highest probability of progression of CI is in patients with initial severe impairments of visuospatial function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water and nitrogen (N) are the two most important factors influencing the growth and yield of oat (Avena sativa). A pot culture study was conducted to determine the physiological and biomass production of contrasting oat genotypes to water and N supply conditions. With sufficient water, biomass yield of the naked ‘Shadow’ was 12.4% and 10.0% greater than ‘Bia’ in the treatments 750 and 1250 mg N pot−1, respectively, but ‘Bia’ produced greater grain yield than ‘Shadow’. Under severe water stress conditions, increasing N supply decreased PN mainly due to the reduction of gs and E. ‘Shadow’ had higher chlorophyll and leaf N than ‘Bia’, while there were no differences in plant total N, NuptE and NUE. With increasing N application and water stress, WUEL and WUEP both increased. NUE was inversely related with increasing N rates and water stress levels, resulting in a trade-off relationship between WUEP and NUE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A kind of system used for bobbin quality controlling tracing based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is discussed in this paper. The fundamental obstacle of quality control for each spindle in spinning frame is the loss of information associated with bobbins and spindles after the point-of-spinning. The information of bobbins associated with serial number of spindles is identified and recorded automatically in this system via nontouching dual-directional data communication based on RFID technique. The basic qualitative data of each spindle is provided by a PC system B-MIS (Bobbin Management Information System) through the wireless reader devices as well as some complementary. The concept of also tracing the structure, function and implementation of the system are introduced. The process of addressing the problems of spindle, improving spinning machine maintenance as well as the bobbin recovery decisions and so on are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Dwarf bunt of wheat, caused by Tilletia controversa Kühn, is a destructive disease on wheat as well as an important international quarantined disease in many countries. The objective of this investigation was to develop a diagnostic molecular marker generated from amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) for rapid identification of T. controversa. Methods and Results: A total of 30 primer combinations were tested by AFLP to detect DNA polymorphisms between T. controversa and related species. The primer combination E08/M02 generated a polymorphic pattern displaying a 451-bp DNA fragment specific for T. controversa. The marker was converted into a sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR), and specific primers (SC-0149/SC-02415), designed for use in PCR detection assays, amplified a unique DNA fragment in all isolates of T. controversa, but not in the related pathogens. The detection limit with the primer set SC-0149/SC-02415 was 10 ng of DNA which could be obtained from 11 μg of teliospores in a 25- μl PCR reaction. Conclusions: An approach to distinguish T. controversa from similar pathogenic fungi has been developed based on the use of a SCAR marker. Significance and Impact of the Study: Development of the simple, high throughput assay kit for the rapid diagnosis of dwarf bunt of wheat and detection of T. controversa is anticipated in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A laser crystal of Yb:LuVO4 with high optical quality was grown by the Czochralski technique. Its thermal properties including specific heat, thermal expansion coefficients, and thermal conductivities along the a- and c-axis have been measured for the first time. Continuous-wave laser output up to 3.5 W at 1031 nm was obtained at room temperature through end-pumping by a high-power diode laser. The corresponding optical conversion efficiency was 43% and the slope efficiency was 72%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A microwave double dielectric resonator is implemented to measure the dielectric constants of nano-metallic powders. The metallic nanoparticles prepared by vacuum evaporation in inert gas are collected and mixed with alumina powder to fill the inner hole of a sapphire disc by which the resonant frequency and Q factor are measured at the TE011 mode to derive the complex dielectric constant. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We have studied the magnetic helicity transport rate and the current helicity for solar active region (AR) NOAA 10488 and find a complex relationship between them. We further extend this study to a statistical one, and find that 33 among the selected 57 ARs show opposite sign for the two parameter.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To exploit the potential application of the conductive polymers in incorporating with carbon-based materials, polypyrrole (PPY) nanotube and polyaniline (PANI) nanofiber were synthesized and the electrochemical properties were compared. The morphology, texture and chemical structure of PPY and PANI were tested employing SEM, TEM, FTIR and XPS. The results of electrochemical tests demonstrate that the specific capacitance of PPY nanotube is as high as 463 F/g at a current density of 0.3 A/g, much higher than that of PANI nanofiber (243 F/g). Furthermore, at a current density of 0.8 A/g, the capacitance of PPY nanotube is 172 F/g, higher than that of PANI nanofiber (104 F/g). Additionally, after the long-term charge-discharge test at a current density of 1.5 A/g, the preserved capacitance of PPY nanotube is still higher than that of PANI nanofiber (106.5 F/g vs. 75 F/g). The EIS measurement illustrates that the PPY nanotube shows lower contact interface resistance and shorter ion diffusion path than the PANI nanofiber. It suggests that the PPY nanotube is a promising material to be applied in supercapacitor rather than the PANI nanofiber, because of its extended internal cavity surface area and pore volume. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Various samples of Radix Angelicae pubescentis (Duhuo) andsubstitutes from the genera Angelica, Heracleum (Umbelliferae),and Aralia (Araliaceae) were analyzed for their constituents andinhibitory effect on cyclooxygenase (COX-1) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO). HPLCanalysis showed that osthol, columbianedin, columbianetin acetate, and angelol-typecoumarins are the principal constituents of the n-hexane and dichloromethaneextracts of the roots of Angelica pubescens f. biserrata. The constituentsof the substitutes from Angelica and Heracleum species werefound to be mainly furanocoumarins and falcarindiol. No coumarins were detectedin Aralia cordata. The presence of fatty acids (linoleic acid) couldbe confirmed by GC in Duhuo and the substitutes. All the species showed inhibitoryeffects on COX-1 and 5-LO. Linoleic acid turned out to be the most activeconstituent in the extract exerting ! COX- 1 inhibition and also had stronginhibitory activity on 5-LO. Osthol was another major inhibitor of 5-LO in Radix Angelicae pubescentis, while in the substitutes falcarindiol wasmainly responsible for the 5-LO inhibitory effect, except in Aralia cordata which also contained other polyacetylene derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]