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Ferroelectric tunnel junctions are promising towards high-reliability and low-power non-volatile memories and computing devices. Yet it is challenging to maintain a high tunnelling electroresistance when the ferroelectric layer is thinned down towards atomic scale because of the ferroelectric structural instability and large depolarization field. Here we report ferroelectric tunnel junctions based on samarium-substituted layered bismuth oxide, which can maintain tunnelling electroresistance of 7 × 105 with the samarium-substituted bismuth oxide film down to one nanometer, three orders of magnitude higher than previous reports with such thickness, owing to efficient barrier modulation by the large ferroelectric polarization. These ferroelectric tunnel junctions demonstrate up to 32 resistance states without any write-verify technique, high endurance (over 5 × 109), high linearity of conductance modulation, and long retention time (10 years). Furthermore, tunnelling electroresistance over 109 is achieved in ferroelectric tunnel junctions with 4.6-nanometer samarium-substituted bismuth oxide layer, which is higher than commercial flash memories. The results show high potential towards multi-level and reliable non-volatile memories.

Red blood cells (RBCs) mediate cardioprotection via nitric oxide-like bioactivity, but the signaling and the identity of any mediator released by the RBCs remains unknown. We investigated whether RBCs exposed to hypoxia release a cardioprotective mediator and explored the nature of this mediator. Perfusion of isolated hearts subjected to ischemia-reperfusion with extracellular supernatant from mouse RBCs exposed to hypoxia resulted in improved postischemic cardiac function and reduced infarct size. Hypoxia increased extracellular export of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) from mouse RBCs, and exogenous cGMP mimicked the cardioprotection induced by the supernatant. The protection induced by hypoxic RBCs was dependent on RBC-soluble guanylate cyclase and cGMP transport and was sensitive to phosphodiesterase 5 and activated cardiomyocyte protein kinase G. Oral administration of nitrate to mice to increase nitric oxide bioactivity further enhanced the cardioprotective effect of hypoxic RBCs. In a placebo-controlled clinical trial, a clear cardioprotective, soluble guanylate cyclase-dependent effect was induced by RBCs collected from patients randomized to 5 weeks nitrate-rich diet. It is concluded that RBCs generate and export cGMP as a response to hypoxia, mediating cardioprotection via a paracrine effect. This effect can be further augmented by a simple dietary intervention, suggesting preventive and therapeutic opportunities in ischemic heart disease.

Red blood cells (RBCs) mediate cardioprotection via nitric oxide-like bioactivity, but the signaling and the identity of any mediator released by the RBCs remains unknown. We investigated whether RBCs exposed to hypoxia release a cardioprotective mediator and explored the nature of this mediator. Perfusion of isolated hearts subjected to ischemia-reperfusion with extracellular supernatant from mouse RBCs exposed to hypoxia resulted in improved postischemic cardiac function and reduced infarct size. Hypoxia increased extracellular export of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) from mouse RBCs, and exogenous cGMP mimicked the cardioprotection induced by the supernatant. The protection induced by hypoxic RBCs was dependent on RBC-soluble guanylate cyclase and cGMP transport and was sensitive to phosphodiesterase 5 and activated cardiomyocyte protein kinase G. Oral administration of nitrate to mice to increase nitric oxide bioactivity further enhanced the cardioprotective effect of hypoxic RBCs. In a placebo-controlled clinical trial, a clear cardioprotective, soluble guanylate cyclase-dependent effect was induced by RBCs collected from patients randomized to 5 weeks nitrate-rich diet. It is concluded that RBCs generate and export cGMP as a response to hypoxia, mediating cardioprotection via a paracrine effect. This effect can be further augmented by a simple dietary intervention, suggesting preventive and therapeutic opportunities in ischemic heart disease.

Red blood cells (RBCs) mediate cardioprotection via nitric oxide-like bioactivity, but the signaling and the identity of any mediator released by the RBCs remains unknown. We investigated whether RBCs exposed to hypoxia release a cardioprotective mediator and explored the nature of this mediator. Perfusion of isolated hearts subjected to ischemia-reperfusion with extracellular supernatant from mouse RBCs exposed to hypoxia resulted in improved postischemic cardiac function and reduced infarct size. Hypoxia increased extracellular export of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) from mouse RBCs, and exogenous cGMP mimicked the cardioprotection induced by the supernatant. The protection induced by hypoxic RBCs was dependent on RBC-soluble guanylate cyclase and cGMP transport and was sensitive to phosphodiesterase 5 and activated cardiomyocyte protein kinase G. Oral administration of nitrate to mice to increase nitric oxide bioactivity further enhanced the cardioprotective effect of hypoxic RBCs. In a placebo-controlled clinical trial, a clear cardioprotective, soluble guanylate cyclase-dependent effect was induced by RBCs collected from patients randomized to 5 weeks nitrate-rich diet. It is concluded that RBCs generate and export cGMP as a response to hypoxia, mediating cardioprotection via a paracrine effect. This effect can be further augmented by a simple dietary intervention, suggesting preventive and therapeutic opportunities in ischemic heart disease.

This presentation will introduce a mixed-fidelity multidisciplinary control co-design optimization (MCCDO) framework for floating offshore wind turbines. We will describe a modular computational framework for the modeling, optimization, and control of primary structures coupled to the surrounding air, water, and actuator dynamics.

[Objective]: Although great progress has been made in the field of siRNA gene therapy, safe, efficient, and targeted delivery of siRNA are still major challenges in siRNA therapeutics., [Methods]: We developed an up-conversion nanoparticle-based nanocage system. This system protected the siRNA from being degraded by nucleases in organisms and selectively delivered the siRNAs to the tumor sites, due to modifications of targeted molecules on the surfaces of nanocages and local inhalation., [Results]: The siRNAs delivered by the up-conversion nanoparticle nanocages were protected from degradation in transit to the tumor sites, where they accumulated. Compared with the passive target and control groups, the up-conversion nanoparticles based on the nanocage system showed a tumor suppressive effect after approximately 3 weeks of treatment., [Conclusions]: The up-conversion nanoparticle nanocages efficiently delivered vascular endothelial growth factor siRNAs to tumor sites. Mice with lung tumors treated with tumors targeting up-conversion nanoparticle nanocages showed steady body weight changes, high tumor inhibition ratios, and longer survival times.

Background: Cardiometabolic disease, which includes the combination of cardiovascular disease, especially coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes (T2D), is a major health problem and cause of mortality worldwide. ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) occurs when coronary arteries are occluded and is regarded as a life-threatening disorder. In these situations, both cardiac and endothelial function are impaired but specific treatment to alleviate the dysfunction is lacking which is partially due to that the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Red blood cells (RBCs) have for long been considered as passive transporters of respiratory gases. Emerging evidence suggests that RBCs are critically involved in physiological cardiovascular regulation by exporting nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity and adenosine triphosphate, especially under hypoxic and ischemic conditions. It has been further suggested that dysfunctional RBCs may act as mediators of cardiovascular injury under pathological conditions. However, the role of RBCs in patients with cardiovascular disease associated with T2D has not been explored. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the role of RBCs in the development of cardiac and endothelial dysfunction in cardiometabolic disease. Methods and results: In Study I, RBCs from both patients and mice with T2D were given to isolated Langendorff-perfused hearts from mice or rats ex vivo at the onset of myocardial ischemia followed by reperfusion. The post-ischemic cardiac recovery was impaired and infarct size was increased via a mechanism depending on upregulated RBC-arginase which led to increased formation of reactive oxygen species by the NO-producing enzyme NO synthase. In Study II, RBCs from patients with T2D under poor or improved glycemic control were given to Langendorff-perfused hearts or incubated with rat aorta. Improvement in glycemic control attenuated cardiac but not endothelial dysfunction induced the by RBCs. RBC-arginase acti

Background: Cardiometabolic disease, which includes the combination of cardiovascular disease, especially coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes (T2D), is a major health problem and cause of mortality worldwide. ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) occurs when coronary arteries are occluded and is regarded as a life-threatening disorder. In these situations, both cardiac and endothelial function are impaired but specific treatment to alleviate the dysfunction is lacking which is partially due to that the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Red blood cells (RBCs) have for long been considered as passive transporters of respiratory gases. Emerging evidence suggests that RBCs are critically involved in physiological cardiovascular regulation by exporting nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity and adenosine triphosphate, especially under hypoxic and ischemic conditions. It has been further suggested that dysfunctional RBCs may act as mediators of cardiovascular injury under pathological conditions. However, the role of RBCs in patients with cardiovascular disease associated with T2D has not been explored. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the role of RBCs in the development of cardiac and endothelial dysfunction in cardiometabolic disease. Methods and results: In Study I, RBCs from both patients and mice with T2D were given to isolated Langendorff-perfused hearts from mice or rats ex vivo at the onset of myocardial ischemia followed by reperfusion. The post-ischemic cardiac recovery was impaired and infarct size was increased via a mechanism depending on upregulated RBC-arginase which led to increased formation of reactive oxygen species by the NO-producing enzyme NO synthase. In Study II, RBCs from patients with T2D under poor or improved glycemic control were given to Langendorff-perfused hearts or incubated with rat aorta. Improvement in glycemic control attenuated cardiac but not endothelial dysfunction induced the by RBCs. RBC-arginase acti

Background: Cardiometabolic disease, which includes the combination of cardiovascular disease, especially coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes (T2D), is a major health problem and cause of mortality worldwide. ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) occurs when coronary arteries are occluded and is regarded as a life-threatening disorder. In these situations, both cardiac and endothelial function are impaired but specific treatment to alleviate the dysfunction is lacking which is partially due to that the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Red blood cells (RBCs) have for long been considered as passive transporters of respiratory gases. Emerging evidence suggests that RBCs are critically involved in physiological cardiovascular regulation by exporting nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity and adenosine triphosphate, especially under hypoxic and ischemic conditions. It has been further suggested that dysfunctional RBCs may act as mediators of cardiovascular injury under pathological conditions. However, the role of RBCs in patients with cardiovascular disease associated with T2D has not been explored. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the role of RBCs in the development of cardiac and endothelial dysfunction in cardiometabolic disease. Methods and results: In Study I, RBCs from both patients and mice with T2D were given to isolated Langendorff-perfused hearts from mice or rats ex vivo at the onset of myocardial ischemia followed by reperfusion. The post-ischemic cardiac recovery was impaired and infarct size was increased via a mechanism depending on upregulated RBC-arginase which led to increased formation of reactive oxygen species by the NO-producing enzyme NO synthase. In Study II, RBCs from patients with T2D under poor or improved glycemic control were given to Langendorff-perfused hearts or incubated with rat aorta. Improvement in glycemic control attenuated cardiac but not endothelial dysfunction induced the by RBCs. RBC-arginase acti

Here, we report measurements of detailed dynamic cohesive properties (DCPs) beyond the dynamic fracture toughness of a bicontinuously nanostructured copolymer, polyurea, under an extremely loading rate, from deep-learning analyses of a dynamic big-data-generating experiment. We first describe a new Dynamic Line-Image Shearing Interferometer (DL-ISI), which uses a streak camera to record optical fringes of displacement-gradient vs time profile along a line on sample's rear surface. This system enables us to detect crack initiation and growth processes in plate-impact experiments. Then, we present a convolutional neural network (CNN) based deep-learning framework, trained by extensive finite-element simulations, that inversely determines the accurate DCPs from the DL-ISI fringe images. For the measurements, plate-impact experiments were performed on a set of samples with a mid-plane crack. A Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks (cGAN) was employed first to reconstruct missing DL-ISI fringes with recorded partial DL-ISI fringes. Then, the CNN and a correlation method were applied to the fully reconstructed fringes to get the dynamic fracture toughness, 12.1kJ/m^2, cohesive strength, 302 MPa, and maximum cohesive separation, 80.5 um, within 0.4%, 2.7%, and 2.2% differences, respectively. For the first time, the DCPs of polyurea have been successfully obtained by the DL-ISI with the pre-trained CNN and correlation analyses of cGAN-reconstructed data sets. The dynamic cohesive strength is found to be nearly three times higher than the dynamic-failure-initiation strength. The high dynamic fracture toughness is found to stem from both high dynamic cohesive strength and high ductility of the dynamic cohesive separation., Comment: Submitted for Review in Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids (JMPS)

Symmetries play a major role in identifying topological phases of matter and in establishing a direct connection between protected edge states and topological bulk invariants via the bulk-boundary correspondence. One-dimensional lattices are deemed to be protected by chiral symmetry, exhibiting quantized Zak phases and protected edge states, but not for all cases. Here, we experimentally realize an extended Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model with broken chiral symmetry by engineering one-dimensional zigzag photonic lattices, where the long-range hopping breaks chiral symmetry but ensures the existence of inversion symmetry. By the averaged mean displacement method, we detect topological invariants directly in the bulk through the continuous-time quantum walk of photons. Our results demonstrate that inversion symmetry protects the quantized Zak phase but edge states can disappear in the topological nontrivial phase, thus breaking the conventional bulk-boundary correspondence. Our photonic lattice provides a useful platform to study the interplay among topological phases, symmetries, and the bulk-boundary correspondence.

[Background]: Gene and chemical therapy has become one of the rising stars in the field of molecular medicine during the last two decades. However, there are still numerous challenges in the development of efficient, targeted, and safe delivery systems that can avoid siRNA degradation and reduce the toxicity and adverse effects of chemotherapy medicine., [Results]: In this paper, a highly efficient AS1411 aptamer modified, dsDNA and MMP-2 cleavable peptide-fabricated gold nanocage vehicle, which could load doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) and siRNAs to achieve a combination of tumor responsive genetic therapy, chemotherapy, and photothermal treatment is presented. Our results show that this combined treatment achieved targeted gene silencing and tumor inhibition. After nearly one month of treatment with DOX-loaded Au-siRNA-PAA-AS1411 nanoparticles with one dose every three days in mice, a synergistic effect promoting the eradication of long-lived tumors was observed along with an increased survival rate of mice. The combined genetic, chemotherapeutic, and photothermal treatment group exhibited more than 90% tumor inhibition ratio (tumor signal) and a ~ 67% survival rate compared with a 30% tumor inhibition ratio and a 0% survival rate in the passive genetic treatment group., [Conclusions]: The development of nanocarriers with double-stranded DNA and MMP-2 cleavable peptides provides a new strategy for the combined delivery of gene and chemotherapy medicine. Au-siRNA-PAA-AS1411 exerts high anticancer activities on lung cancer, indicating immense potentials for clinical application.

Optical nanocircuits, inspired by electrical nanocircuits, provide a versatile platform for tailoring and manipulating optical fields at the subwavelength scale, which is vital for developing various innovative optical nanodevices and integrated nanosystems. Plasmonic nanoparticles can be employed as promising building blocks for optical nanocircuits with unprecedentedly high integration capacity. Among various plasmonic systems, aggregated metallic nanoparticle, known as oligomers, possess great potential in constructing functional metatronic circuits. Here, the optical nanocircuits comprising special plasmonic oligomers, such as trimers with D3h symmetry, quadrumers with D2h symmetry, and their variants with reduced symmetry, are systematically investigated in the metatronic paradigm, both theoretically and experimentally. Our proposed circuit models, based on the displacement current in the oligomers, not only reproduce the resonance spectral details, but also retrieve many hidden physical quantities associated with their optical responses. Guided by the metatronic circuits, the spectral engineering of the oligomers with reduced geometric symmetry is predicted, and subgroup decomposition of several plasmonic quadrumers is examined. Our investigation has revealed a close correlation between the metatronic circuitry and strongly coupled plasmonic oligomers. The observed correlation of spatial arrangement and frequency response in oligomers provides a metatronic guide to modulate plasmonic responses via geometric variation.

The mass of 27P is expected to impact the X-ray burst (XRB) model predictions of burst light curves and the composition of the burst ashes, but large uncertainties and inconsistencies still exist in the reported 27P masses. We have used the ß-decay spectroscopy of 27S to determine the most precise mass excess of 27P to date to be keV, which is 63 keV (2.3s) higher and a factor of 3 more precise than the value recommended in the 2016 Atomic Mass Evaluation. Based on the new 27P mass, the P reaction rate and its uncertainty were recalculated using Monte Carlo techniques. We also estimated the previously unknown mass excess of 27S to be 17678(77) keV, based on the measured ß-delayed two-proton energy and the Coulomb displacement energy relations. The impact of these well-constrained masses and reaction rates on the modeling of the explosive astrophysical scenarios has been investigated by post-processing XRB and hydrodynamic nova models. Compared to the model calculations based on the masses and rates from databases, the abundance of in the burst ashes is increased by a factor of 2.4, while no substantial change was found in the XRB energy generation rate or the light curve. Our calculation also suggests that 27S is not a significant waiting point in the rapid proton capture process, and the change of the P reaction rate is not sufficiently large to affect the conclusion previously drawn on the nova contribution to the synthesis of galactic 26Al., Postprint (published version)

Distinctively different metabolism between tumor cells and normal cells endows tumor tissues unique microenvironment. In this regard, we have successfully prepared a sequential catalytic platform based on Au/Pt star for tumor theragnostic. The multifunctional probes consisted of a gold/platinum star-shaped core (Au/Pt star) conjugated with a GSH-sensitive disulfide bond (S–S), a targeting ligand (rHSA-FA), a near-infrared fluorophore (IR780) and glucose oxidase (GOx). When systemically administered in a xenografted murine model, the probes specifically targeted the tumor sites. As the disulfide linker was cleaved by intracellular GSH, the IR780 molecules could be released for photo-thermal therapy & photodynamic therapy (PTT&PDT) and imaging. Subsequently, the Pt nanolayer of the Au/Pt star and the GOx formed a sequential catalytic system: GOx effectively catalyzed intracellular glucose by consuming oxygen to generate H2O2 and enhance the local acidity, and the Pt layer exhibited peroxidase-like property to catalyze H2O2 producing toxic ·OH for tumor oxidative damage. Here we demonstrated that our probes simultaneously possessed a GSH-sensitive release, real-time imaging ability, and synergetic cancer starving-like therapy/enzyme oxidative therapy/PTT/PDT features, which provides a potential strategy for effective tumor theragnostic.

Point-of-care testing (POCT) is widely used for early diagnosis and monitoring of diseases. Lateral flow assay (LFA) is a successfully commercial tool for POCT. However, LFA often suffers from a lack of quantification and analytical sensitivity. To solve these drawbacks, we have previously developed a thermal LFA using plasmonic gold nanoparticles for thermal contrast into a portable device. Although this methodology significantly improves the analytical sensitivity compared with conventional visual detection, quantification problems are still remaining. In this study, we optimized the operating conditions for the device using conduction and radiation thermal sensing modes allowing the quantification of LFA. The limit of detection of the strips merely containing nanoparticles was decreased by 5-fold (conduction mode) and 12-fold (radiation mode) compared to traditional visual detection. The effect of the ambient temperature was studied for both methods of detection showing that the radiation mode was more affected by the ambient temperature than the conduction mode. To validate the thermal sensing method, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) biomarker was quantified using our LFA strips, obtaining a detection limit of 2.8 mIU/mL when using the radiation method of detection.

DNA nanostructures have been evolving ever since the development of self-assembling DNA tile-based structures in the 1980s. DNA origami technology developed by Rothemund in 2006 simplified the synthesis process of DNA nanostructures, while simultaneously upgrading the complexity, size, and the flexibility of these structures to a great extent. DNA nanostructures possess extraordinary features, such as controllable appearance, biocompatibility, and a capacity for diverse modifications, due to which they are considered an ideal tool for cancer diagnosis and treatment. The present review describes the classification of DNA nanostructures into three categories based on their structural features and construction methods, and summarizes their performance in cancer treatment. It was established that DNA nanostructures serve as reliable carriers of chemotherapy drugs and therapeutic genes, and exhibit great compatibility with inorganic materials such as gold nanoparticles. Cancer treatment using DNA nanostructures has presented positive results in vitro as well as in vivo, and studies exploring further comparisons among the different structures are expected in future research.

Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a benign proliferative disorder of the synovium that usually involves joints, tendon sheaths, and bursae. It presents rarely, however, in the temporomandibular joints (TMJs). This paper reports a 59-year-old female patient with PVNS of the TMJ and its clinico-pathologic features are discussed. The patient was treated with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy (PORT). Follow-up was conducted, and there were no recurrences, metastases, skin changes or joint stiffness noted. The main treatment of PVNS is surgical resection. However, postoperative radiotherapy is important for local control of extensive tumors or positive margins. We conducted a literature review for postoperative radiotherapy case reports related to PVNS of the TMJ.

Emerging Fenton‐like activity of copper ions has inspired great exploration for tumor microenvironment‐activated tumor therapy due to the toxic ·OH production for chemodynamic therapy and extra oxygen generation for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Still, the ·OH produced by copper ions is not satisfied even when copper ions are placed in a low pH environment (pH ≈ 5.0). To amplify its Fenton‐like activity, in this work, one kind of Cu2+–protein self‐assemblies (C‐m‐ABs) loaded with photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG) is constructed, which can catalyze H2O2 generating more amounts of ·OH under light irradiation once Cu2+ is reduced to Cu+ by glutathione. Such fantastic phenomena confirms that C‐m‐ABs can act as a photo‐Fenton‐like agent. Furthermore, C‐m‐ABs can dramatically accelerate O2 generation (catalase activity) to enhance the PDT of ICG. After loading with the anticancer drug doxorubicin, C‐m‐ABs are further self‐assembled into novel nanobelts, which simultaneously exhibit superior photo‐heat conversion effects, enhanced r1 relaxation (21.416 s−1 mm−1) and stimuli‐responsive drug release behaviors. High cytotoxicity in vitro, effective tumor accumulation capacity observed by fluorescence/photoacoustic/magnetic resonance imaging, and enhanced chemo‐/photodynamic/photothermal therapeutic performance are achieved. Based on these results, a photo‐Fenton‐like metal–protein self‐assemblies demonstrate great potential for tumor theranostics.

Long-chain multiantenna N-glycans are extremely complex molecules. Their inherent flexibility and the presence of repetitions of monosaccharide units in similar chemical environments hamper their full characterization by X-ray diffraction or standard NMR methods. Herein, the successful conformational and interaction analysis of a sialylated tetradecasaccharide N-glycan presenting two LacNAc repetitions at each arm is presented. This glycan has been identified as the receptor of the hemagglutinin protein of pathogenic influenza viruses. To accomplish this study, a N-glycan conjugated with a lanthanide binding tag has been synthesized, enabling analysis of the system by paramagnetic NMR. Under paramagnetic conditions, the NMR signals of each sugar unit in the glycan have been determined. Furthermore, a detailed binding epitope of the tetradecasaccharide N-glycan in the presence of HK/68 hemagglutinin is described. © 2018 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Biological systems provide the richest spectrum of sophisticated design for materials engineering. We herein provide a paradigm of Au22(SG)18-engineered (SG, glutathione thiolate) and hydrogen bonds engaged assemblies for mimicking capsid protein self-assembly. The water-evaporation-induced self-assembly method allows discrete ultrasmall gold nanoclusters (GNCs) to be self-assembled into super-GNCs assemblies (SGNCs) ranging from nano-, meso- to microscale in water-dimethyl sulfoxide binary solvents in a template-free manner. After removing free and hydration layer water molecules, the formation of SGNCs is engaged by the collective cohesion of hydrogen bonds between glutathione ligands of gradually approaching GNCs. Then, a series of tightly orchestrated cellular events induced by the complexes of Au22(SG)18-engineered assemblies and folic acid are demonstrated to mimic the invasion of eukaryotic cells by pathogens. First, the activation of macropinocytosis mimics the macropinocytic entry used by the pathogens to invade host cells. Then the cytoplasmic vacuolization is a mimicry of vacuolating effects induced by the oligomeric vacuolating toxins secreted by some bacteria. Lastly, the escaping from macropinosomes into cytosol is in a vacuolating toxin's strategy. The findings demonstrate the capabilities of artificial pathogens to emulate the structures and functions of natural pathogens.

Despite its undoubted potential, recent studies have began to highlight the complex processes of photothermal therapy. In this perspective, we tackle several issues that affect current research on photothermal therapy, such as the influence of other factors produced in the process, for instance reactive oxygen species or vapor nanobubbles. After focusing on several of the aspects of photothermal therapy that need further clarification, we step back and see this therapy from a wider angle in order to identify its weaknesses. Finally, we briefly summarize what we consider should be the orientation and key focus of future researches in order to establish the full potential of this rapidly advancing and promising therapy.

The novel architecture of wave???like proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack developed in our previous work achieved peak volumetric power density and specific power of 2,715.9???W???L ???1 and 2,157.9???W???kg ???1 , respectively. However, there still existed perforated bipolar plates and the carbon fiber gas diffusion layer (GDL) was easy to cause damage during the fabrication process of undulate membrane electrode assembles (MEAs). In the present study, sintered stainless steel fiber felt (SSSFF) was employed to work as metallic GDL (MGDL) and bipolar plates simultaneously. Compound membrane electrode assembles (CMEAs) with serpentine and interdigitated flow channels were designed and fabricated using stamping process. A single cell with CMEA was assembled in house and the output performance was evaluated systemically. The results indicated that the peak volumetric power density and specific power of wave???like PEMFC single with CMEA are 5,764.0???W???L ???1 and 4,693.5???W???kg ???1 respectively. This study achieved a significant performance improvement due to the concept of CMEA and may propose a possible means to meet the DOE's 2020 technical target that volumetric power density is 2,500???W???L ???1 and specific power is 2,000???W???kg ???1 for stack.

Abnormalities in the JAK2/STAT3 pathway are involved in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC), including apoptosis. However, the exact mechanism by which dysregulated JAK2/STAT3 signalling contributes to the apoptosis has not been clarified. To investigate the role of both JAK2 and STAT3 in the mechanism underlying CRC apoptosis, we inhibited JAK2 with AG490 and depleted STAT3 with a small interfering RNA. Our data showed that inhibition of JAK2/STAT3 signalling induced CRC cellular apoptosis via modulating the Bcl???2 gene family, promoting the loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential (????m) and the increase of reactive oxygen species. In addition, our results demonstrated that the translocation of cytochrome c (Cyt c), caspase activation and cleavage of poly (ADP???ribose) polymerase (PARP) were present in apoptotic CRC cells after down???regulation of JAK2/STAT3 signalling. Moreover, inhibition of JAK2/STAT3 signalling suppressed CRC xenograft tumour growth. We found that JAK2/STAT3 target genes were decreased; meanwhile caspase cascade was activated in xenograft tumours. Our findings illustrated the biological significance of JAK2/STAT3 signalling in CRC apoptosis, and provided novel evidence that inhibition of JAK2/STAT3 induced apoptosis via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Therefore, JAK2/STAT3 signalling may be a potential target for therapy of CRC.

[Aim]: This work compares the synthesis, heating capability, cellular internalization and thermoablation capacity of two different types of anisotropic gold nanoparticles: gold nanorods (NRs) and nanoprisms (NPrs). [Methods]: Both particles possess surface plasmon resonance absorption bands in the near-IR, and their heating efficiency upon irradiation with a continuous near-IR laser (1064 nm) was evaluated. The cellular internalization, location and toxicity of these PEG-stabilized NPrs and NRs were then assessed in the Vero cell line by transmission electron microscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis, and their ability to induce cell death upon laser irradiation was then evaluated and compared. [Results & conclusion]: Although both nanoparticles are highly efficient photothermal converters, NRs possessed a more efficient heating capability, yet the in vitro thermoablation studies clearly demonstrated that NPrs were more effective at inducing cell death through photothermal ablation due to their greater cellular internalization.

1. 西南交通大学授予卞学鐄博士名誉教授仪式, 西南交通大学授予陈耳博士顾问教授仪式 -- 2. Bicycle ride : 乐山to峨嵋., Detailed contents in vernacular field only., Date and venue: June 14 '83, 西南交通大学 (content 1) ; 6/15/83, 四川省 (content 2)., Title from video content (content 1)., Live recording., Electronic reproduction from Rulan Chao Pian VHS collection., Spoken in Chinese., Date and venue: June 14 '83, Xi nan jiao tong da xue (content 1) ; 6/15/83, Sichuan Sheng (content 2).

[Context]: Individualized management, incorporating papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) variant-specific risk, is conceivably a useful treatment strategy for PTC, which awaits comprehensive data demonstrating differential risks of PTC variants to support. [Objective]: This study sought to establish the differential clinicopathological risk of major PTC variants: conventional PTC (CPTC), follicular-variant PTC (FVPTC), and tall-cell PTC (TCPTC). [Methods]: This was a retrospective study of clinicopathological outcomes of 6282 PTC patients (4799 females and 1483 males) from 26 centers and The Cancer Genome Atlas in 14 countries with a median age of 44 years (interquartile range, 33-56 y) and median follow-up time of 37 months (interquartile range, 15-82 mo)., [Results]: The cohort consisted of 4702 (74.8%) patients with CPTC, 1126 (17.9%) with FVPTC, and 239 (3.8%) with TCPTC. The prevalence of high-risk parameters was significantly different among the three variants, including extrathyroidal invasion, lymph node metastasis, stages III/IV, disease recurrence, mortality, and the use (need) of radioiodine treatment (all P < .001), being highest in TCPTC, lowest in FVPTC, and intermediate in CPTC, following an order of TCPTC > CPTC ≫ FVPTC. Recurrence and mortality in TCPTC, CPTC, and FVPTC were 27.3 and 6.7%, 16.1 and 2.5%, and 9.1 and 0.6%, corresponding to events per 1000 person-years (95% confidence interval [CI]) of 92.47 (64.66-132.26) and 24.61 (12.31-49.21), 34.46 (30.71-38.66), and 5.87 (4.37-7.88), and 24.73 (18.34-33.35) and 1.68 (0.54-5.21), respectively. Mortality hazard ratios of CPTC and TCPTC over FVPTC were 3.44 (95% CI, 1.07-11.11) and 14.96 (95% CI, 3.93-56.89), respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses showed the best prognosis in FVPTC, worst in TCPTC, and intermediate in CPTC in disease recurrence-free probability and disease-specific patient survival. This was particularly the case in patients at least 45 years old. [Conclusion]: This large multicenter study demonstrates differential prognostic risks of the three major PTC variants and establishes a unique risk order of TCPTC > CPTC ≫ FVPTC, providing important clinical implications for specific variant-based management of PTC.

Quantum effects in plasmonic systems play an important role in defining the optical response of structures with subnanometer gaps. Electron tunneling across the gaps can occur, altering both the far-field optical response and the near-field confinement and enhancement. In this study, we experimentally and theoretically investigate plasmon coupling in gold >nanomatryoshka> (NM) nanoparticles with different core-shell separations. Plasmon coupling effects between the core and the shell become significant when their separation decreases to 15 nm. When their separation decreases to below 1 nm, the near- and far-field properties can no longer be described by classical approaches but require the inclusion of quantum mechanical effects such as electron transport through the self-assembled monolayer of molecular junction. In addition, surface-enhanced Raman scattering measurements indicate strong electron-transport induced charge transfer across the molecular junction. Our quantum modeling provides an estimate for the AC conductances of molecules in the junction. The insights acquired from this work pave the way for the development of novel quantum plasmonic devices and substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Web Intelligence is gaining its growth in a rapid speed. The notion of wisdom, which is considered as the next paradigm shift of WI, has become a hot research topic in recent years. The basic application of wisdom is making a short conversation in an interactive and understandable way based on the huge web resources. However, current conversation system normally applies the recognition of semantic similarities in the prepared database, neglecting the true intention hiding in the expression. In this paper, we present a model based on the medical Q&A knowledge base to overcome this challenge. The knowledge base includes three parts: disease entity, medicine, properties. A simple graph path algorithm based on words direction and relation weight adjustment is used to realize conversation intention perception. The experimental results show that this method can effectively perceive types of intention. This method can also be applied in deep understanding of other intelligent systems such as classifications and text mining., See also ADA601889. Pacific-Asia Conference on Advances in Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (PAKDD2014) (18th) Held in Tainan, Taiwan on 13-16 May 2014. Parts 1 and 2.

Composite materials of porous pyrolyzed polyacrylonitrile???sulfur@graphene nanosheet (pPAN???S@GNS) are fabricated through a bottom???up strategy. Microspherical particles are formed by spray drying of a mixed aqueous colloid of PAN nanoparticles and graphene nanosheets, followed by a simple heat treatment with elemental sulfur. The pPAN???S primary nanoparticles are wrapped homogeneously and loosely within a three???dimensional network of graphene nanosheets (GNS). The hierarchical pPAN???S@GNS composite shows a high reversible capacity of 1449.3???mAh???g ???1 sulfur or 681.2???mAh???g ???1 composite in the second cycle; after 300???cycles at a 0.2???C charge/discharge rate the capacity retention is 88.8???% of its initial reversible value. Additionally, the coulombic efficiency (CE) during cycling is near 100???%, apart from in the first cycle, in which CE is 81.1???%. A remarkable capacity of near 700???mAh???g ???1 sulfur is obtained, even at a high discharge rate of 10???C. The superior performance of pPAN???S@GNS is ascribed to the spherical secondary GNS structure that creates an electronically conductive 3D framework and also reinforces structural stability. The Peter PAN of Composites : Composite materials of porous pyrolyzed polyacrylonitrile???sulfur@graphene nanosheet (pPAN???S@GNS) are prepared through a bottom???up strategy. The superior rate capability and excellent cycling stability of pPAN???S@GNS is ascribed to the special spherical structure possessing an electronically conductive and rigid hierarchical framework.

Outgoing

Understanding the interactions between proteins and ligands is critical for protein function annotations and drug discovery. We report a new sequence???based template???free predictor (TargetATPsite) to identify the Adenosine???5??????triphosphate (ATP) binding sites with machine???learning approaches. Two steps are implemented in TargetATPsite: binding residues and pockets predictions, respectively. To predict the binding residues, a novel image sparse representation technique is proposed to encode residue evolution information treated as the input features. An ensemble classifier constructed based on support vector machines (SVM) from multiple random under???samplings is used as the prediction model, which is effective for dealing with imbalance phenomenon between the positive and negative training samples. Compared with the existing ATP???specific sequence???based predictors, TargetATPsite is featured by the second step of possessing the capability of further identifying the binding pockets from the predicted binding residues through a spatial clustering algorithm. Experimental results on three benchmark datasets demonstrate the efficacy of TargetATPsite. ?? 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Accurately localizing the protein???ATP binding sites is important for protein function analysis and drug design. A template???free machine learning???based software named TargetATPsite is developed to predict protein???ATP binding residues and pockets from amino acid sequences. The binding residues are predicted by an ensemble classifier formed by support vector machines, and the input features are sparse representations of residue evolution images. Binding pockets are identified through spatially clustering predicted binding residues.

The calpain family of Ca 2+ ???dependent cysteine proteases plays a vital role in many important biological processes which is closely related with a variety of pathological states. Activated calpains selectively cleave relevant substrates at specific cleavage sites, yielding multiple fragments that can have different functions from the intact substrate protein. Until now, our knowledge about the calpain functions and their substrate cleavage mechanisms are limited because the experimental determination and validation on calpain binding are usually laborious and expensive. In this work, we aim to develop a new computational approach (LabCaS) for accurate prediction of the calpain substrate cleavage sites from amino acid sequences. To overcome the imbalance of negative and positive samples in the machine???learning training which have been suffered by most of the former approaches when splitting sequences into short peptides, we designed a conditional random field algorithm that can label the potential cleavage sites directly from the entire sequences. By integrating the multiple amino acid features and those derived from sequences, LabCaS achieves an accurate recognition of the cleave sites for most calpain proteins. In a jackknife test on a set of 129 benchmark proteins, LabCaS generates an AUC score 0.862. The LabCaS program is freely available at: http://www.csbio.sjtu.edu.cn/bioinf/LabCaS . Proteins 2013. ?? 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The electronic structure origins of interfacial losses in hematite photoanodes and the cause of the literature-reported order-of-magnitude photocurrent increase upon short high-temperature annealing are investigated. Synchrotron-based soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy is used to probe the unoccupied states at and near the interface between hematite (α-Fe 2O 3) and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO). Oxygen K-edge and iron L-edge absorption spectra indicate that the interfacial interaction reduces the degree of p-d hybridization and alters the crystal field in α-Fe 2O 3. The interface is found to be associated with a distribution of unoccupied oxygen p-hybridized states located below the lowest unoccupied iron 3d states in α-Fe 2O 3 (just below the conduction band minimum), which are eliminated with high-temperature processing. These data facilitate future efforts to engineer favorable interfacial compositions and associated electrochemical potential gradients within photoanodes, which are required to efficiently separate charge carriers in operating photoelectrochemical systems such as solar cells and photocatalytic devices. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Commercialisation of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology depends on high volumetric power density and specific power for a given cost. In the present study, a novel wave-like architecture for PEMFC stack based on undulate membrane electrode assembles (MEAs) and perforated bipolar plates (PBPs) was presented. Different from conventional plate-and-frame architecture, this design increased active area and achieved higher volumetric power density due to undulate MEAs. Moreover, perforated sheet metal was used as bipolar plates so that it could improve specific power. A single cell was designed and fabricated in house to evaluate the performance of the novel architecture stack. Stamped PBPs with open rate of 28.26% and hot pressed 5-layer undulate MEAs with Nafion® 112 were adopted. The results indicated that the peak volumetric power density and specific power are 2,715.94 W L –1 and 2,157.86 W kg –1 , respectively, while they are 2,151.28 W L –1 and 1,709.22 W kg –1 at the output voltage of 0.6 V. This study may propose a possible means to meet the DOE's 2010 technical target that volumetric power density is 2,000 W L –1 and specific power is 2,000 W kg –1 for stack.

Amorphous carbon nitride films (a-CN(x)) were synthesized by using single ion beam sputtering of a graphite target in argon and nitrogen sputtering gases. This thin film could be used as a novel photovoltaic material. The films were characterized with the technique of laser Raman, spectroscopic ellipsometry and electron spin resonance spectrometer (ESR). In this paper we report the effects of ion impacting and nitrogenation on the microstructure, density of defect states, bonding character, optical and photovoltaic properties. Effective decreasing of intensity of the ESR signal and formation of C-N bonding were observed, which could be attributed to the increment of the impinging ions on the growing films. The nitrogenation of a-CN(x) films could decrease the Tauc optical gap (0.62 ^ 0.86 eV) and the intensity of ESR signal, increase photon absorption coefficient of the films (10(exp 6) ^ 10(exp 4)/cm). The primary photovoltaic values of the devices having Schottky structure of ITO/CN(x)/Al are I(sub sc) 1.56 Micro A/sq cm and V(sub oc) 250 mV, respectively, when exposed to AM 1.5 illumination ( 100 mW/sq cm, 25 deg C)., Pub in: Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, Volume 692. This article is from ADA405047 Progress in Semiconductor Materials for Optoelectronic Applications Symposium held in Boston, Massachusetts on November 26-29, 2001.

Paclitaxel stabilizes microtubules while inhibits mitotic spindle formation. It has been found to be effective in treating several solid cancers. The aim of this study was to incorporate paclitaxel in conventional and PEGylated liposomes, and to evaluate the antiproliferative effects of different formulations on MCF-7 and ZR75-1 cell lines. MTT assay was used to determine the growth inhibition of the cell line by paclitaxel. A significant dose-dependent inhibition of proliferation was found after the cells were exposed to certain liposomal paclitaxel preparations, suggesting the possible use of liposomes as effective paclitaxel delivery devices., Presented at Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (23rd) held in Istanbul, Turkey on 25-28 Oct 2001. See also ADM001351 for entire conference on CD-ROM.

A novel imaging mode of cone-beam volume CT is proposed in this paper. It adopts a raster scanning x-ray source on a trough-like surface, and a group of point detectors distributing on a large circle plus an orthogonal arc. Through a single rotation of the trough-like surface, a full set of projection data can be acquired and an accurate 3D image can be reconstructed. This paper describes the shape and dimension of the trough-like x-ray source and the configuration of detectors in detail, proves that this structure is satisfied with the completeness condition, and gives a reconstruction algorithm of 3-D image adapting to this structure. Computer simulations show that this structure could achieve optimal result in meeting the following requirements: minimum time of rotation, less Compton scatter, and fast image reconstruction speed while keeping the completeness condition to be realized., Presented at the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (23rd) held in Istanbul, Turkey on 25-28 October 2001. See also ADM001351 for entire conference on CD-ROM. The original document contains color images. All DTIC reproductions will be in black and white.

Transmembrane proteins play vital roles in living cells. The difficulties in determining the topology of transmembrane protein experimentally and the increasing amino acid sequence data from genome projects provide great demand for computational methods to predict the region of transmembrane segments in protein sequences. A hydrophobicity based supervised learning vector quantization neural network prediction method is presented. The prediction accuracy is above 90% and comparable to existing methods., Papers from the 23rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, October 25-28, 2001, held in Istanbul, Turkey. See also ADM001351 for entire conference on CD-ROM. The original document contains color images.

In this paper, a generalized binomial theorem about the real function (1+t)α (α≠0, 1, 2, . . . ) is proposed, which is proved to be convergent to (1 + t)α in the region -10) for all real values of α(α≠0,1,2, . . .), and even in the region -2/ℏ-10) for such values of α that (1+t)α has meanings for t<-1, so that it can be convergent to (1+t)α in the whole region where (1+t)α has meanings. Moreover, the classical Newtonian binomial expression is a special case of it at ℏ=-1.

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the page, Genes that are differentially expressed between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls may have key roles in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. We analyzed two large-scale genome-wide expression studies, which examined changes in gene expression in schizophrenia patients and their matched controls. We found calcium/calmodulin (CAM)-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CAMKK2) is significantly downregulated in individuals with schizophrenia in both studies. To seek the potential genetic variants that may regulate the expression of CAMKK2, we investigated the association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within CAMKK2 and the expression level of CAMKK2. We found one SNP, rs1063843, which is located in intron 17 of CAMKK2, is strongly associated with the expression level of CAMKK2 in human brains (P=1.1 × 10(-6)) and lymphoblastoid cell lines (the lowest P=8.4 × 10(-6)). We further investigated the association between rs1063843 and schizophrenia in multiple independent populations (a total of 130 623 subjects) and found rs1063843 is significantly associated with schizophrenia (P=5.17 × 10(-5)). Interestingly, we found the T allele of rs1063843, which is associated with lower expression level of CAMKK2, has a higher frequency in individuals with schizophrenia in all of the tested samples, suggesting rs1063843 may be a causal variant. We also found that rs1063843 is associated with cognitive function and personality in humans. In addition, protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis revealed that CAMKK2 participates in a highly interconnected PPI network formed by top schizophrenia genes, which further supports the potential role of CAMKK2 in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Taken together, these converging lines of evidence strongly suggest that CAMKK2 may have pivotal roles in schizophrenia susceptibility.

International audience, This paper presents the importance and the cycle choice for long-distance transportation of low-grade thermal energy, and the thermodynamic and hydrodynamic feasibility of single-effect ammonia-water absorption system for heat or cold transportation over long distance are also involved. A model of a long-distance thermal energy transportation system is built and analyzed, which shows satisfactory and attractive results. When a steam heat source at 120°C is available, the user site can get hot water output at about 55°C with the thermal COP of about 0.6 and the electric COP of about 100 in winter, and cold water output at about 10°C with the thermal COP of about 0.5 and the electric COP of 50 in summer. A small-size prototype is built to verify the performance analysis. Basically the experimental data show good accordance with the analysis results. The ammonia-water absorption system is a potential prospective solution for the heat or cold transportation over long distance.