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Aim: To evaluate the relationship between psychological distress and the efficacy of whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) in advanced brain metastasis patients. Methods: Brain metastasis patients (40 with psychological distress and 47 without psychological distress) completed distress thermometer tests before WBRT, and progression-free survival (PFS) was acquired during the follow-up period. Results: Psychological distress was a risk factor for poorer PFS in patients treated with WBRT (p

The single-cell triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) often produces insufficient energy, leading to the use of a multicellular TENG structure. This work experimented with and simulated a dual-cell TENG with various configurations in parallel and series arrangements. The working principle of charge generation during each phase of a contact–separation cycle was explained through the analysis and comparison of five electrical configurations of a dual-cell TENG. Our observations indicate that measuring the output charge of a TENG provides a more reliable performance comparison. Finally, multicellular TENG with four cells arranged in an X-shape (X-TENG), self-supporting structure is fabricated and further experimented with, validating our conjectures derived from a dual-cell TENG.

Even though spring ecosystems are ecologically unique and socio-culturally important worldwide, they hardly attract research attention. The aims of this study were to evaluate the environmental status of water quality, and to inventory the species diversity of aquatic animals in 65 springs in Taiwan from 2012 to 2017, of which seven springs were unable to be sampled due the fact that they were dried or sealed up. The environmental status of 58 springs with complete water quality data was assessed by the River Pollution Index (RPI). Based on the RPI, the water quality of these 58 sampled springs was mainly non-/mildly polluted (26 springs, 44.8%) and lightly polluted (23 spring, 39.6%), and nine (15.5%) springs were moderately polluted. However, when applied to springs, the RPI may intensify the pollution rankings because dissolved oxygen is an assessing factor, and hypoxia may naturally be observed in the springs. To avoid this concern, we suggest choosing the concentration of coliform instead of dissolved oxygen content in the RPI when it is applied to springs. During the 6 years of the study period, we collected 48 fish species in 44 springs, 24 gastropoda and bivalve species in 46 springs, 16 shrimp species in 34 springs, and 14 crab species in 18 springs. Within the species collected, 31 fish, 20 gastropoda and bivalves, 12 shrimps, and 14 crabs are native species of Taiwan. They totaled 27.2 to 35% of the known aquatic native species of the island. Thus, springs in Taiwan may be considered to be a conservation hotspot of aquatic animals. Other than native species, exotic aquatic animals also represent threats, as seventeen fishes (35.4%), four gastropoda and bivalves (16.6%), and two shrimps (12.5%) were found in the springs of Taiwan. The springs in Taiwan show diverse and vital ecosystem services, such as delivering social, cultural, and economic value, conserving native and endangered freshwater animals, developing new academic theories, and supplying habitat refugees from climate change. Unfortunately, springs in Taiwan currently are also threatened by multiple anthropogenic disturbances, such as the overconsumption of groundwater by land development and urbanization, deterioration of water quality by agricultural, domestic, and industrial pollution, and inappropriate tourism and management tactics. To restore and sustain the springs in Taiwan, effective strategies and practical measures are urgently required to minimize human-caused threats and revitalize social awareness of springs.

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the effects of managing cancer and living meaningfully (CALM) intervention on the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), fear of cancer recurrence, quality of life and general distress in lung cancer patients and to explore whether there is a correlation between the NLR, fear of cancer recurrence, general distress and quality of life. Methods Eighty lung cancer patients with clinical range scores (≥13 points) on the FCRI severity subscale were recruited and randomly assigned to the CALM group or usual care (UC). The NLR was recorded before and after treatment. The Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI), Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (DASS-21) were used to evaluate patients at baseline (T0), immediately after treatment (T1), and at 2 (T2) and 4 (T3) months. Results Compared with the UC group, the NLR was significantly different before and after CALM intervention (z=-5.498; P=0.000). There were significant differences in the scores of QLQ, FCR and general distress (referring to depression and anxiety) before and after the T1, T2 and T3 interventions (F=220.30, F=315.20, F=290.10, respectively; PConclusion The CALM intervention can effectively reduce the NLR, alleviate the recurrence fear and general distress symptoms and improve the quality of life in lung cancer patients. Meanwhile, the NLR, fear of cancer recurrence and general distress were negatively correlated with quality of life. This indicates that the NLR can be used as a marker of the efficacy of the CALM intervention.

BACKGROUND Patients receiving cranial radiation face the risk of delayed brain dysfunction. However, an early medical imaging marker is not available until irreversible morphological changes emerge. PURPOSE To explore the micromorphological white matter changes during the radiotherapy session by utilizing an along-tract analysis framework. STUDY TYPE Prospective. POPULATION Eighteen nasopharyngeal carcinoma (two female) patients receiving cranial radiation. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 3.0 T; Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and T1- and T2-weighted images (T1W, T2W); computed tomography (CT). ASSESSMENT Patients received three DTI imaging scans during the radiotherapy (RT), namely the baseline scan (1-2 days before RT began), the middle scan (the middle of the RT session), and the end scan (1-2 days after RT ended). Twelve fibers were segmented after whole-brain tractography. Then, the fractional anisotropy (FA) values and the cumulative radiation dose received for each fiber streamline were resampled and projected into their center fiber. STATISTICAL TESTS The contrast among the three scans (P1: middle scan-baseline scan; P2: end scan-middle scan; P3: end scan-baseline scan) were compared using the linear mixed model for each of the 12 center fibers. Then, a dose-responsiveness relationship was performed using Pearson correlation. P

In recent years, the incidence rate of type 2 diabetes (T2D) has risen rapidly and has become a global health crisis. Recent experimental and clinical studies have shown that islet β-cell dysfunction is an important cause of T2D and its related complications. β-cells undergo dynamic compensation and decompensation in the course of T2D. In this process, metabolic stress responses, such as ER stress, oxidative stress and inflammation, are key regulators of β-cell functional alternations. In this review, we summarize the research progress on the β-cell functional dynamics in the course of T2D, in order to deepen the understanding of the molecular mechanism of T2D, and provide reference for its precise diagnosis and clinical intervention.近年来,2型糖尿病(type 2 diabetes,T2D)发病率迅速上升,已成为全球性的健康危机。最近的临床和基础研究表明,胰岛β细胞功能障碍是导致T2D及其相关并发症的重要原因。在2型糖尿病的自然病程中,胰岛β细胞经历从代偿到失代偿的动态变化;其中,代谢应激反应,如内质网应激(endoplasmic reticulum stress,ER stress)、氧化应激(oxidative stress)和炎症(inflammation)是β细胞功能变化的关键调控机制。本文总结了β细胞功能在2型糖尿病病程中动态变化的研究进展,以期深化对2型糖尿病分子机制的理解,为精准诊断和临床干预2型糖尿病提供参考。.

Building the relationship between marathon events and tourism is a significant strategy for the local governments. However, there has been little agreement on the effect of city marathon events on local tourism performance. Therefore, this research gap is addressed by providing empirical evidence for the effect of city marathon events on local tourism performance. First, the paper analyzes the theoretical mechanism of the effect of city marathon events on tourism from three aspects: the preliminary effect before marathon events, the agglomeration effect during marathon events, and the legacy effect after marathon events. Second, taking the city marathon events in China as a quasi-natural experiment, the paper uses the Difference-in-Difference model to identify the effect of the marathon events on tourism based on the panel data of 50 major tourist cities from 2010 to 2017. The results indicate that city marathon events significantly boost local tourism performance. These research findings are further confirmed by performing various robustness checks.

Objective The aim of this research was to determine the association between sorptivity of water and the state of mineralization in carious enamel of different stages of severity. Methods As a preliminary work, water droplets of 1.5 μL were placed on the surfaces of hydroxyapatite (HA) discs of different densities. The water droplet profile was dynamically recorded every second over a period of 10 s using a contact angle meter to determine the relationship between sorptivity and density. To measure and calculate sorptivity on enamel surfaces, varnish was painted on the labial surface of 96 extracted caries-free human teeth, leaving two 1.4 ± 0.1 mm diameter circular exposed test sites. The specimens were randomly divided into 6 groups (n = 16) and subjected to 0(G0), 7(G7), 14(G14), 21(G21), 28(G28) and 35(G35) days of pH cycling, respectively. A 0.7 μL water droplet was placed on each exposed site and Optical Coherence Tomography was used to measure its height every 10 seconds for 2 min. Sorptivity was computed by considering sorption equations and Washburn's analysis of capillary kinetics and correction for evaporation was also performed. Micro-Computed Tomography scans of the specimens were obtained and delta Z (ΔZ) is the parameter used to measure mineral loss. ΔZ at 10 μm (ΔZ10) and 50 μm (ΔZ50) from the surface were calculated. One-way ANOVA and Post-hoc Tukey tests were used to compare sorptivity between groups and bivariate correlations were used to analyze the association between sorptivity and ΔZ. Results Sorptivity was found to be inversely and linearly correlated with HA density with R2 value of 0.95. With enamel, there is a general trend of increase in mean sorptivity from G0 to G35, except for a decrease in G21. The same trends were observed for both ΔZ10 and ΔZ50. The decrease in sorptivity in G21 coincided with the presence of a surface hypermineralized layer in G21 samples. Post-hoc Tukey showed significant differences in mean sorptivity between G0 and G14, G0 and G21 as well as G14 and G21. Post-hoc Dunnett’s T3 showed significant differences for ΔZ10 between G0 and G14 as well as G14 and G21. Significant correlation between mean sorptivity and ΔZ10 was detected with Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.461. For ΔZ50, post-hoc Tukey showed significant differences between G0 and G14 but no significant difference was detected between G14 and G21. No correlations were detected between mean sorptivity and ΔZ50. Significance Sorptivity was found to be inversely and linearly correlated with HA density with R2 value of 0.95. With enamel, there is a general trend of increase in mean sorptivity from G0 to G35, except for a decrease in G21. The same trends were observed for both ΔZ10 and ΔZ50. The decrease in sorptivity in G21 coincided with the presence of a surface hypermineralized layer in G21 samples.

The operation of high-speed railway (HSR) always plays a key role in promoting tourism development of city by improving transportation accessibility and facilitating tourists’ travel. Based on the panel data of 50 major tourist cities in China from 2010 to 2017, this article uses a Tobit model to explore the impact of HSR service on hotel performance that is embodied in occupancy rate. The results show that with other factors unchanged, the cities with a high-frequency HSR service system or hub HSR station tend to have higher hotel occupancy rate. Moreover, the hotel occupancy rate of cities with a suburb HSR station is lower than that of other HSR-served cities. After classifying hotels into luxury and budget groups, this article finds that HSR train frequency and station grade still show positive effects on both luxury and budget hotels. However, in cities with suburb HSR stations, budget hotels tend to have lower occupancy rates, while occupancy rate for luxury hotels shows no significant difference.

Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily 19 (TNFRSF19) is a transmembrane protein involved in tumorigenesis. RAB43 is a small molecule GTP-binding protein contributing to the occurrence and development of tumors. However, TNFRSF19/RAB43 dysregulation and their role in hepatocellular carcinoma cells are unknown. Herein, we found that TNFRSF19 and RAB43 were downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues. TNFRSF19/RAB43 overexpression suppressed, whereas TNFRSF19/RAB43 knockdown promoted cell proliferation and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Previously, using deep sequencing technology, a new miRNA, miR-HCC3, was identified and found to suppress the expression of TNFRSF19 and RAB43 by binding to their 3′untranslated regions (3′UTRs) directly. miR-HCC3 was upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues and promoted proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in HCC cells. Furthermore, TNFRSF19/RAB43 suppressed but miR-HCC3 promoted tumor growth in vivo. Collectively, our results indicated that downregulation of TNFRSF19 and RAB43 by miR-HCC3 contributes to oncogenic activities in HCC, which sheds light on tumorigenesis and might provide potential therapeutic targets for HCC.

This study investigates cross-cultural differences between Chinese and American consumers in the relationships of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) intentions and consumers’ engagement with CSR communication through social media with three antecedents: (1) attitude toward CSR in social media, (2) peer communication about CSR activities, and (3) opinion leadership characteristics. An online survey was conducted with samples of social media users in China and the U.S. Results from the multiple-group analysis show that the degree of impact of the three antecedents varies significantly between consumers in China and the U.S. Specifically, the influence of attitudes toward CSR in social media on consumers’ engagement with CSR communication in social media is stronger for the Chinese participants than for the U.S. participants. In addition, peer communication and opinion leadership characteristics have significantly stronger effects on consumers’ engagement with CSR communication via social media for the Chinese participants than for the U.S. participants.

Bone metastasis is a common complication of many types of advanced cancer, including breast cancer. Bone metastasis may cause severe pain, fractures, and hypercalcemia, rendering clinical management challenging and substantially reducing the quality of life and overall survival (OS) time of breast cancer patients. Studies have revealed that bone metastasis is related to interactions between tumor cells and the bone microenvironment, and involves complex molecular biological mechanisms, including colonization, osteolytic destruction, and an immunosuppressive bone microenvironment. Agents inhibiting bone metastasis (such as bisphosphate and denosumab) alleviate bone destruction and improve the quality of life of breast cancer patients with bone metastasis. However, the prognosis of these patients remains poor, and the specific biological mechanism of bone metastasis is incompletely understood. Additional basic and clinical studies are urgently needed, to further explore the mechanism of bone metastasis and develop new therapeutic drugs. This review presents a summary of the molecular mechanisms and therapeutic strategies of bone metastasis of breast cancer, aiming to improve the quality of life and prognosis of breast cancer patients and provide a reference for future research directions.

The Elashan fault (ELSF) and Qinghainanshan fault (QHNF), two major faults developed around the Qinghai Lake and Chaka-Gonghe basins, are of great importance for investigating the deformation model of the internal northeastern Tibetan Plateau. However, their late Pleistocene slip rates remain poorly constrained. In this study, we combine high-resolution topography acquired from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and geomorphological dating to calculate the slip rates of the two faults. We visited the central ELSF and western QHNF and measured displaced terraces and stream channels. We collected 10Be samples on the surface of terraces to constrain the abandonment ages. The dextral slip rate of the central segment of the Elashan fault is estimated to be 2.6±1.2 mm/yr. The uplift rates since the late Pleistocene of the Elashan and Qinghainanshan faults are 0.4±0.04 mm/yr and 0.2±0.03 mm/yr, respectively. Comparing the geological rates with the newly published global positioning system (GPS) rates, we find that the slip rates of the major strike-slip faults around the Qinghai Lake and Chaka-Gonghe basins are approximately consistent from the late Pleistocene to the present day. The overall NE shortening rates by summing up the geological slip rates on major faults between the East Kunlun and Haiyuan faults are ~3.4 mm/yr, smaller than the geodetic shortening rates (~4.9 to 6.4 mm/yr), indicating that distributed deformation plays an important role in accommodating the regional deformation. By analyzing the geometrical and kinematic characteristics of the major faults surrounding the basins, we suggest that the kinematic deformation of the internal northeastern Tibet is a nonrigid bookshelf model that consists of counterclockwise rotation (~0.8° Myr-1) and distributed thrusting.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) shows great promise in enhancing neurocognitive abilities. However, the neurostimulation responsiveness varied hugely. Our previous work demonstrates that people receiving tDCS stimulation over Temporoparietal Junction (TPJ) fall into two heterogeneous groups: the positive responders who benefit and the negative responders who hurt from tDCS. The present study investigated whether dynamic brain network properties of resting-state fMRI could predict the pattern. We calculated each subsystem of the default mode network’s dynamic attributes using the multilayer community detection algorithm. Results indicated that the recruitment indexes were significantly different in bilateral aMPFC, PCC, Rsp, and PHC regions between positive responders and negative responders. Our results also confirm the advantages of the dynamic network measures over the static network measures. The study provides a feasible protocol in establishing the pre-stimulation screening procedure using resting-state fMRI.

Building environmental monitoring and compliance checking are important in ensuring environmental performance. The information required for monitoring and checking is obtained from different data sources in different information systems. In this context, information sharing between stakeholders and the semantic interoperability that prevails with varying information systems are necessary. However, the implementation of information sharing and semantic interoperability can be a challenge. This paper proposes an ontology-based framework to support environmental monitoring and compliance checking under building information modeling (BIM) environment among different information systems. The framework integrates building information from BIM, environmental information provided by sensors, and regulatory information based on building regulations and design requirements. In this framework, four specific ontologies are developed to represent relevant knowledge. Building information is extracted from BIM and then converted, together with environmental information provided by sensors, into resource description framework format as ontology instances. The regulation clauses are transformed into SPARQL (SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language) rules. A case study is performed to apply the framework, and environmental monitoring and automated compliance checking are implemented in the context of a real distributed energy station project. The testing results validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed framework.

Based on data of 286 Chinese cities from 2006 to 2015, the paper applies Difference-in-Difference (DID) model to investigate whether and how High-Speed Railway (HSR) influences the tourist arrivals. Empirical results suggest that 1) although HSR opening can significantly promote tourist arrivals, the multi-stage DID model indicates a time-lag effect of HSR on tourism. 2) The positive effects of HSR opening on tourist arrivals increase gradually. 3) Improving HSR frequency helps cities to attract more tourists. 4) The location of HSR station has no significant impact on tourist arrivals. 5) Compared with the ordinary station, the hub station of HSR in the city can attract more tourist arrivals through an enhanced network effect.

We report a tandem asymmetric aldehyde–alkyne–amine (A3) coupling-carboxylative cyclization sequence for the highly enantioselective synthesis of chiral N-aryl 2-oxazolidinones. This is a rare example of a multicatalyst-promoted asymmetric tandem reaction using CO2 as a C1 synthon. Notably, the copper species and ligand from the upstream A3 reaction are internally reused to facilitate the downstream silver-catalyzed carboxylative cyclization.

// Han Xuan 1, * , Chen Gan 1, * , Wen Li 1 , Zhonglian Huang 1 , Longsheng Wang 1 , Qianqian Jia 1 , Zhendong Chen 1 and Huaidong Cheng 1, * 1 Department of Oncology, Cancer and Cognition Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Zhendong Chen, email: 1225886738@qq.com Huaidong Cheng, email: chd1975ay@126.com Keywords: breast cancer; network; cognitive function; MRI; chemotherapy Received: July 05, 2017 Accepted: August 17, 2017 Published: November 09, 2017 ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the topological organization of functional brain networks in chemotherapy-treated breast cancer (BC) patients with source memory impairment. Methods: Twenty-eight patients with BCfollowingchemotherapyand40age-and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited in the current study. All participants underwent source memory tests and resting-state functional MRI scans. Individual whole-brain functional brain networks were constructed and analyzed using graph-based network approaches. Results: Compared with the HCs, the BC patients showed lower scores in the source memory tests ( P < 0.001).Graph-based analyses revealed that the patients showed higher absolute global and local efficiency (both P < 0.01) but lower normalized global and normalized local efficiency (both P < 0.001) compared with the HCs. Locally, several prefrontal, occipital, and parietal regions exhibited higher nodal efficiency and functional connectivity in the patients( P < 0.05, corrected). Finally, positive correlations were observed between normalized global efficiency and Mini-Mental State Examination scores (r = 0.398, P = 0.036) and between normalized local efficiency and the source memory scores (r = 0.497, P = 0.01) in the patients. Conclusion: Chemotherapy-treated BC is associated with abnormal organization of large-scale functional brain networks, which could account for source memory dysfunction in patients with BC.

The study examines whether and how social media use can be sources of political affects.It examines both positive/negative affects and discrete negative emotions.It finds civic and political participation were triggered by different affects.It proposes a mediation-moderation mode. Although the role of affects and emotions in political participation has attracted much scholarly attention, few studies have examined whether and how media and communications can be the sources of political affects. This study argues that social media are not only information channels; they can also be effective in communicating feelings and emotions. Social media use may contribute to political affects, which in turn impinge on civic and political participation. In addition, political affects may moderate the effects of social media use on political participation. Based on a survey of university students in Guangzhou, China (N=897), this study finds that, under Chinas networked authoritarianism, political communication via social media is related to positive affects toward the government and society, while connection with activists via social media is related to negative affect. Positive and negative affects have different impact on different types of participation. Negative affects strengthen the connection between social media use and participation. The roles of three discrete negative emotions anger, anxiety and fear are also explored.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between depression and occurrence of chemotherapy induced prospective memory impairment in patients with breast cancer (BC).The 63 BC patients before and after chemotherapy were administered with the self-rating depression scale (SDS) and a battery of cognitive neuropsychological tests including event-based and time-based prospective memory (EBPM and TBPM, respectively) tasks. The changes in their prospective memory and cognitive neuropsychological characteristics before and after chemotherapy were compared. Compared with the scores before chemotherapy, the EBPM score exhibited a statistically significant difference after chemotherapy (t = 6.069, P 0.05). Further, compared with the patients without depression, the patients with depression exhibited a statistically significant difference in the EBPM score (t = -4.348, P 0.05). Post-chemotherapy, EBPM and overall cognitive functions in BC patients merged with depression were found to decline, while TBPM did not show a significant change, suggesting that the combination of chemotherapy and depression might be related with the occurrence of post-chemotherapy EBPM impairment.

In the present work, we focus on the development of hierarchical MoO2–C hollow spheres with large reversible capacity and high rate capability in lithium ion batteries. The hierarchical MoO2–C hollow spheres assembled by MoO2 nanoparticles were initially synthesized successfully through ethanol thermal reduction method, followed by annealing process. Due to the synergistic effect between the assembled hierarchical hollow structure and the carbon coating, the sample exhibited excellent electrochemical properties as anode material for lithium-ion batteries. For example, a large reversible capacity of 763 mA h g−1 was obtained after 50 cycles at a current density of 0.2 A g−1. In addition, a large reversible capacity of 573 mA h g−1 can be remained when the current density reached at the high current density of 2 A g−1, indicating that the hierarchical MoO2–C hollow spheres electrode possess an outstanding rate performance.

The capability of High-Speed Rail (HSR) to influence urban development has received considerable attention. However, due to lack of statistical data, there are few studies examining HSR-led urban development from a national perspective. Using the brightness of nighttime lights as a proxy for economic development, this manuscript begins to offer a more complete picture of development around 124 HSR station areas in China. Moreover, the manuscript explores the causes of different development patterns among China's HSR station areas. Empirical results reveal three main findings. 1) HSR station areas with high nighttime light brightness are mainly located in Beijing, Tianjin, Yangtze River delta city cluster and Pearl River delta city cluster. HSR station areas with relatively rapid growth in nighttime light brightness are mostly distributed in Hebei province, Henan province and Anhui province. 2) The level of urban economic development, the level of city rank and the location of HSR stations are three important factors affecting the development of HSR station areas. 3) The factors affecting the development of new and existing HSR station areas are distinct from one another. The influence of the overall urban economic development level on the development of new HSR station areas is larger than such influence on existing station areas where HSR has been added to existing infrastructure. The level of city ranking and the location of HSR stations significantly affect the development around new HSR stations, but have no significant impact on the development surrounding pre-existing HSR stations.

According to geological history, Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo formed at different times and were once connected during Quaternary glaciations. To determine how this history has influenced phylogeography, our study examined the population genetic structure of the tropical freshwater gastropod Melanoides tuberculata across Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo using the sequences from mitochondrial DNA 16S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I genes (1168 bp). In total, 104 specimens were collected from seventeen populations. All mtDNA haplotypes were identified as belonging to two highly divergent lineages, and these lineages were almost allopatric in their distributions. Our study found that the freshwater fauna in Malaysia might be divided into four regions: northeast Peninsular Malaysia, northwest Peninsular Malaysia, south Peninsular Malaysia, and Borneo. The phylogeography of M. tuberculata in Malaysia was shaped by the landforms of Peninsular Malaysia and by the paleo-river systems in the Sunda continental shelf. In addition, our study found that these two lineages in Malaysia have invaded the globe. These results suggest that Malaysia is located in important shipping lanes throughout the world, and the populations of M. tuberculate might be widely distributed throughout the world by shipping.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between psychosocial distress and quality of life (QOL) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after radiotherapy. Fifty-three patients with an initial diagnosis of NPC were enrolled in this study. The psychological Distress Thermometer (DT) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Head & Neck (FACT-H&N) were conducted before and after radiotherapy in NPC patients. We compared the differences in psychological distress and QOL before and after radiotherapy and analyzed the correlation between psychological distress and QOL after radiotherapy. The performance on the DT was 6.60 ± 1.42 and 2.81 ± 1.43 before and after chemotherapy, respectively, with a significant difference between the time points (t = -13.73,P< 0.01). The performance on the FACT-H&N was 68.30 ± 6.14 and 39.84 ± 6.14 before and after chemotherapy, respectively, with a significant difference between the time points (t = -19.9,P< 0.01). There was a significant negative correlation between the DT score and the FACT-H&N score (r = -3.64,P< 0.01). Patients with NPC experience different degrees of psychological distress, an important factor that affects quality of life, after radiotherapy.

For the physiological signal monitoring applications, as a micro-controller based on field programmable gate array (FPGA) physiological parameters intelligent acquisition system is given, which has the advantages of low cost, high speed, low power consumption. FPGA is responsible for the completion of pulse sensor, the temperature sensor, acceleration sensor data acquisition and serial output and so on. Focuses on the design ideas and architecture of the various subsystems of the whole system, gives the internal FPGA circuit diagram of the entire system. The whole system is easy to implement and has a very good promotional value.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of genetic polymorphisms of catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT), apolipoprotein E (APOE), and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on the modulation of the chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI) in breast cancer patients. Eighty triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and 165 non-triple negative breast cancer (NTNBC) patients were selected, and subjected to a number of neuropsychological tests, including memory questionnaires, before and after chemotherapy. Six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including COMT (rs165599, rs4680, rs737865), APOE (rs429358, rs7412), and BDNF (rs6265), were evaluated. The scores of breast cancer patients after chemotherapy were poorer in comparison to those before chemotherapy (t = -5.317, z = -3.372, respectively, P < 0.01), and the scores of TNBC patients were poorer than those of NTNBC patients were after chemotherapy (t = -5.997, z = -5.284, respectively, P < 0.01). Patients with the COMT (rs165599) genotype had a significantly lower chance of developing cognitive decline than the patients with the G/G genotype, and this was linear with the retrospective memory (RM) questionnaires (β = -1.441, CI (95%) = -2.781~-0.101). However, there was no significant difference between the memory scores of APOE (rs429358, rs7412) and BDNF (rs6265) carriers before or after chemotherapy. This study suggests that CICI in TNBC patients was more prominent than that in NTNBC patients after chemotherapy, and the COMT (rs165599) polymorphism was linear to the retrospective memory (RM) questionnaires, and may be a potential genetic marker for increased vulnerability to CICI in TNBC patients.

Electric vehicle is an important developing trend of the vehicle industry and the power and technique field. But nowadays, there still exist some problems in this field which cant be solved with mature solutions, such as long time of charging, high cost of replacing and charging station and large areas it covers, low efficiency and so on. By building an effective model, this paper brings up a conceptual design of an automatic system of replacing and charging batteries for electric vehicles with the late-model design of the multi-station device. By observing the effect of the experimental device, it can solve the problems mentioned above, but more should be done to improve it. This design, the demo system, mainly includes electric vehicle model system, replacing and charging station system and GPS navigation system, and it performs excellent in experiment.

This study aimed to investigate prospective memory impairment in patients with breast cancer with different expression of hormone receptors, including the estrogen receptor (ER) and the progesterone receptor (PR). A total of 120 patients with breast cancer who underwent chemotherapy following surgery were divided into 2 groups. The A group included 60 patients with ER−/PR− status, and the B group included 60 patients with ER+/PR+ status. After 6 cycles of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, all patients were administered neuropsychological and prospective memory tests, such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), verbal fluency test (VFT), and digit span test (DST), as well as examination of event-based prospective memory (EBPM) and time-based prospective memory (TBPM). As the neuropsychological background test results showed, there were no significant differences in MMSE, DST, and TBPM scores (∗:P > 0.05) between patients with breast cancer in the ER−/PR− and ER+/PR+ groups, while the VFT and EBPM scores were significantly greater in patients with breast cancer with ER+/PR+ status than in those with ER−/PR− status (∗∗: P

To investigate the diagnosis and treatment of sacrococcygeal teratoma in adults.The clinical data of 17 patients with sacrococcygeal teratoma confirmed by pathological examination, 9 males and 8 females, aged 20 - 53, were analyzed retrospectively.Correct diagnosis was made pre-operatively in 13 of the 17 patients. Two cases were misdiagnosed as with leiomyoma, and 2 cases as with sacrococcygeal cyst. Pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of teratoma in all 17 cases. Thirteen patients were followed up for 1 - 5 years post-operatively. Malignant change was seen in 1 case, and 1 patient died 1 year after operation. Two patients suffered a relapse and then fully recovered after re-operation, and the other 15 patients all recovered without relapse.Sacrococcygeal teratoma in adults usually has no typical clinical symptom and signs and is often misdiagnosed. The pathologic examination is the base to make a definite diagnosis. Complete excision is necessary to prevent local recurrence and potential malignant transformation. The sacrococcygeal approach or combined abdominal-sacral approach is recommended.

Estimation of directional frequency transfer functions of floating offshore structures is important to estimate their behaviours in realistic short crested irregular waves (such waves are called as directional spectrum waves) Of course, there are some theoretical calculation methods for such directional response functions, but it seems that there are not so many experimental results confirming such theoretical ones. For that purpose, square basins are needed.On the other hand, recently the authors developed a wave maker which can generate directional spectrum waves in a long towing tank, and many experiments of offshore structures are conducted in such waves.So we tried to make inverse estimation of directional transfer functions of a floating offshore structure using both one dimensional response spectrum measumred in such waves, and measured two dimensional directional wave spectrum.Estimated results by present method on heave, pitch, and roll response functions are reported here, but this method will be applicable to other situations like motions of floating structures in actual seas by measuring its motions and incoming waves.

Energy transfer processes of Tm3+ singly doped and Tm3+/Ho3+-codoped TeO2-WO3-ZnO glass have been investigated under excitation of 808 nm diode laser and the involved mechanisms are discussed. The microscopic parameters and critical radii are calculated by using Dexter model and their characteristics are analyzed. The Inokuti-Hirayama model improved by Vila et al. is utilized to fit the fluorescence decay curves of Tm3+. The results indicate that there are not only Inokuti-Hirayama-type solution but also localized interaction solution in the energy transfer processes of Tm3+ and Ho3+. Furthermore, the contribution of the localized interaction increases with the increasing of the concentrations of Tm3+ and Ho3+.

This paper reports on spectroscopic properties and energy transfer of Tm 3+ /Ho 3+ -codoped ZnO-WO 3 -TeO 2 glass upon excitation of 808nm diode laser. The J-O strength parameters， spontaneous emission probability and radiative lifetime of Ho 3+ were calculated using Judd-Ofelt theory. The absorption cross-section and stimulated emission cross-section were also investigated. Our result indicates that the highest gain of 2.0 μm emission, which comes from 5 I 7 to 5 I 8 transition of Ho 3+ , might be achieved from the glass at the rare-earth ion concentration of 0.5 mol% of Tm 2 O 3 and 0.15 mol% of Ho 2 O 3 . It is found that coefficients of the forward Tm 3+ →Ho 3+ energy transfer is about 18 times that for the backward Tm 3+ ←Ho 3+ energy transfer. The calculated fluorescence lifetime of the 5 I 7 level of Ho 3+ is 3.9 ms and the emission cross section of the 5 I 7 → 5 I 8 transition of Ho 3+ exhibits a maximum of 9.15×10 -21 cm 2 at 2027 nm. We also found that Tm 3+ /Ho 3+ -codoped tellurite glass is a promising host material for potential 2.0 μm laser by comparing the quantum efficiencies, the values of σ e × τ m and gain coefficients of fluoride and heavy metal oxide glasses respectively.