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Hypertension is a chronic disease with high levels of morbidity and disability. Elevated blood pressure can lead to many complications and is the main risk factor for stroke, heart failure and nephropathy. Factors associated with hypertension and inflammatory response differ from those associated with vascular inflammation. The immune system plays a vital role in the pathophysiology of hypertension. Inflammation is particularly relevant in the progression of cardiovascular diseases, which has led to extensive research on inflammatory markers and indicators.

Pattern-forming systems can exhibit a diverse array of complex behaviors as external parameters are varied, enabling a variety of useful functions in biological and engineered systems. First-principle derivations of the underlying transitions can be characterized using bifurcation theory on model systems whose governing equations are known. In contrast, data-driven methods for more complicated and realistic systems whose governing evolution dynamics are unknown have only recently been developed. Here, we develop a data-driven approach sparse identification for nonlinear dynamics with control parameters (SINDyCP) to discover dynamics for systems with adjustable control parameters, such as an external driving strength. We demonstrate the method on systems of varying complexity, ranging from discrete maps to systems of partial differential equations. To mitigate the impact of measurement noise, we also develop a weak formulation of SINDyCP and assess its performance on noisy data. Applications include the discovery of universal pattern-formation equations, and their bifurcation dependencies, directly from experimental data and the extrapolation of predictions beyond the weakly nonlinear regime near the onset of an instability., 6 pages, 4 figures, plus supplement

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a novel self-expanding nitinol stent (Smartflex stent) in femoropopliteal artery obliterans disease. Methods From June 2016 to May 2019, patients with atherosclerotic occlusion disease of the superficial femoral and popliteal arteries using the Smartflex stents were retrospectively analyzed in our institution. Patients were monitored at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months and annually thereafter. The main characteristics of the diseased vessels, perioperative and follow-up outcome were evaluated. Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess patency rate and the rate of freedom from clinically driven target lesion revascularization (CD-TLR). Results A total of 50 limbs from 48 patients (mean age 69.4 ± 8.95 years; 38 men) were included. Eighty-eight Smartflex stents (1.76 stents per limb) were deployed successfully. Of the study patients, 82% had claudication (Rutherford III), 10% had rest pain (Rutherford IV), and 8% had tissue loss (Rutherford V). Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus II C and D lesions were 26% and 42%, respectively. The mean lesion length was 18.2 ± 8.5 cm and the mean stented length was 22.3 ± 9.9 cm. The average follow-up time was 16.4 ± 8.2 months. Of these lesions, 42 (94%) were chronic total occlusions and 16 (32%) were severely calcified. The primary patency rate at 1 year per Kaplan-Meier estimating, the rate of freedom from CD-TLR at 1 year, and the second patency rate was 83.3%, 88.1%, and 94%, respectively. Among them, 90% patients had improved ankle-brachial indexes (0.47 ± 0.13 before and 0.84 ± 0.16 after). No stent fractures and kinking were identified. Conclusions Stenting of the femoropopliteal artery diseases using the Smartflex stent appeared to be safe and effective. It performed well in long-segment and above knee joint lesions.

Hydrothermal degradation was used to pretreat terylene with an aim of noticeably improving the yield of fermentable monomers: terephthalic acid (TPA), mono (2- hydroxyethyl) terephthalic acid (MHET), bis-hydroxyethyl terephthalate (BHET), and ethylene glycol (EG). After 0.5 h of reaction time at 180 °C, hydrothermal degradation with ammonia led to almost complete conversion of the terylene to TPA, MHET, BHET and EG, which were then transformed by Taonella mepensis WT-6 to bacterial cellulose (BC). Furthermore, the optimum fermentation conditions with the maximum BC yield were 5.0 g/L yeast extract, 30.0 °C, pH 9.0, 8.0% inoculum, and hydrolysate TOC (5.02 g/L). Additionally, mechanical and thermal analysis revealed that the properties of BC produced from TAH medium were similar to those of BC produced with HS medium. Considering the substantial amount of global terylene waste being produced, this study provides an alternative solution for the biosynthesis of BC.

In this study, the abundant global textile waste old nylon-6,6 was utilized as a substrate for bacterial cellulose (BC) production by Taonella mepensis WT-6. Briefly, different ratios (dry matter/v, 2.5%, 5%, 10%, or 15%) of nylon-6,6 waste were treated with 15% sulfuric acid for 2, 4, and 6 h, termed as nylon-6,6 acid hydrolysate (NAH). The highest depolymerization efficiency of nylon-6,6 waste was found to be 99.1% at 10% nylon-6,6 after 4 h of acid hydrolysis and released the maximum hexamethylenediamine (HMD), which resulted in a nearly complete degradation of nylon-6,6 to HMD, which was then converted to BC by T. mepensis. The structure and properties of BC films produced from Hestrin and Schramm medium (BC-HS) and nylon-6,6 acid hydrolysate (BC-NAH) media were comparatively studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), mechanical properties, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and hydrophilicity analysis. The results demonstrated that the structural features of BC-NAH were comparable to BC-HS, suggesting that nylon-6,6 waste could be used as an inexpensive substrate for the cost-effective industrial production of BC.

Background: Gout is a common inflammatory arthritis, and its exact pathogenesis remains unclear. Multiple studies have demonstrated that genetic factors play important roles in the development of gout. This study aims to investigate the genetic basis of gout in a three-generation pedigree of affected individuals.Methods: Whole-exome sequencing (WES), comprehensive variant analyses, and co-segregation testing were performed. The effects of candidate variants on protein localization and cellular expression were analyzed, as were interactions with gout-related genes.Results: After comprehensive bioinformatic analysis, Sanger sequencing validation, and pedigree co-segregation analysis, we identified a rare heterozygous missense variant (c.1891C > T, p.R631C) in CPT2. Although no associated changes in localization were observed, the fluorescence intensity of p.R631C mutants was obviously reduced in comparison to the wild-type protein, suggesting that protein degradation is induced by the mutant. Furthermore, our results also indicate that the c.1891C > T variant influences the ability of CPT2 to bind UCP2.Conclusion: This study identified a rare CPT2 mutation in a large Chinese pedigree with gout. Functional studies were used to define the effect of this mutant. This study provides novel insight into the genetic etiology of gout.

Objective. Systematic evaluation of the efficacy of acupuncture combined with cognitive rehabilitation training in the treatment of upper limb spasm after cerebral apoplexy. Methods. The data of CNKI, CBM, CQVIP, Wanfang, and the libraries of Pubmed and Cochrane were searched by computer, and the related literatures about acupuncture combined with cognitive rehabilitation training in the treatment of cognitive dysfunction after stroke were searched. The search time is from January 1, 1995 to January 1, 2022. All data segments were independently analyzed and extracted by two evaluators. After evaluating the quality of the methodology, meta-analysis was carried out by using the RevMan5.4 software. Results. Finally, 11 studies were included, with a total of 789 subjects. The results of meta-analysis indicated that acupuncture combined with cognitive rehabilitation training was superior to simple cognitive rehabilitation training or drugs in the following aspects, the difference exhibited statistically significant, the total effective rate (RR=1.58, 95% CI), latency of P300 (MD=−18.46, 95% CI), amplitude of P300 (MD=1.23, 95% CI (0.82), P

The monostromatic green macroalga Monostroma nitidum Wittrock is attracting global attention due to its commercial importance. In this study, field Monostroma strains were collected from Dalang, Naozhou Island, on the South China Sea Coast of Zhanjiang City. They were identified as M. nitidum using morphological and developmental characteristics combined with nuclear-encoded internal transcribed spacer sequences. Moreover, the early ontogeny of M. nitidum was observed for the first time in detail under a photomicroscope. The active zoospores had a spherical shape, were 6.88 μm in diameter, and completely settled on the Petri dish 1 day after release. The first transverse division of settled zoospores occurred on the 3rd day; the length of the elongate cells was 15.94 μm. Longitudinal divisions started to occur in the middle and at the top of erect filaments (61.27 μm in length) on the 12th day, and rhizoids began to appear at the posterior end of the microscopic filamentous thallus. The sac-like microthallus (113.79 μm in length) that developed from erect filaments was observed on the 18th day and divided longitudinally towards the rhizoids to produce expanded monostromatic blades (178.96 μm in length) on the 24th day. These data increase our understanding of the ontogeny of M. nitidum.

Background Increasing evidence has suggested that autophagy may play a resistant role during photodynamic therapy (PDT). The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is tightly involved in cell proliferation and autophagy. In this study, we aimed to determine the influence of 5-Ethylamino-9-diethylaminobenzo[a]phenoselenazinium (EtNBSe) mediated PDT (EtNBSe-PDT) on autophagy, proliferation and Wnt/β-catenin pathway in human NPC cell line (HNE-1 cells), and further explore the underlying crosstalk between them. Methods Cell viability and proliferation was evaluated by MTT assay. Autophagy and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was analyzed by western blotting and immunofluorescence. Results It was revealed that EtNBSe-PDT significantly impeded the viability and proliferation of HNE-1 cells. Meanwhile EtNBSe-PDT could notably induce autophagy in HNE-1 cells accompanied with the inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway activator Wnt agonist was found to partially counteract the inhibitory proliferation of HNE-1 cells and suppress the autophagy induced by EtNBSe-PDT. In addition, pretreatment with the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) or Wnt agonist showed the potential in enhancing the cytotoxic effect of EtNBSe-PDT (cell survival from 50.71 ± 4.16% to 24.53 ± 4.27% and from 52.64 ± 3.54% to 35.74 ± 4.27% respectively). Conclusion Taken together, this study demonstrated that EtNBSe-PDT suppressed viability and proliferation, and induced autophagy of HNE-1 cells via downregulating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The autophagy further constituted the cytoprotective mechanisms involved in HNE-1 cells, which suggested that the combination of EtNBSe-PDT and autophagy inhibitors may be a promising strategy for the treatment of human NPC.

This study was to evaluate the effect of acidic electrolyzed oxidizing water (AEW) on extending the shelf-life of blueberries during postharvest storage. On day 0, two cultivars of blueberries (Brightwell and Camellia) were washed by AEW with available chlorine concentration (ACC) of 48 mg/L at pH 2.8 for 5 min, and then stored at 4 °C until analyzing. Quality attributes of blueberries including firmness, cell wall composition and cell wall degrading enzymes were analyzed on days 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15. Results showed that Brightwell softened faster than Camellia. AEW treatment slowed down the softening of both cultivars, while it had higher efficacy on delaying the softening of Camellia blueberries than the Brightwell blueberries. In addition, AEW treatment deactivated different cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs, polygalacturonase (PG), cellulase and β-galactosidase) and prevented the degradation of cell wall components including Na2CO3-soluble pectin (NSP), hemicellulose and cellulose. These results suggested that AEW treatment can be used as a postharvest technique to delay the softening process of blueberries during storage through lowering CWDEs activities and preventing degradation of cell wall components.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising modality against various cancers including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with which the induction of apoptosis is an effective mechanism. Here, we initially describe the preclinical activity of 5-ethylamino-9-diethylaminobenzo [a] phenoselenazinium(EtNBSe)-mediated PDT treatment in SCC. Results of our studies suggest that EtNBSe-PDT provokes a cellular state of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress triggering the PERK/ eIF2α signaling pathway and induces the appearance of apoptosis in A431 cells at the meantime. With ER stress inhibitor 4-PBA or eIF2α inhibitor ISRIB, suppressing the EtNBSe-PDT induced ER stress substantially promotes apoptosis of A431 cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that ATF4, whose expression is ER-stress-inducible and elevated in response to the PERK/eIF2α signaling pathway activation, contributes to cytoprotection against EtNBSe-PDT induced apoptosis. In a mouse model bearing A431 cells, EtNBSe shows intense phototoxicity and when associated with decreased ER stress, EtNBSe-PDT ameliorates tumor growth. Taken together, our study reveals an antagonistic activity of ER stress against EtNBSe-PDT treatment via inhibiting apoptosis in A431 cells. With further development, these results provide a proof-of-concept that downregulation of ER stress response has a therapeutic potential to improve EtNBSe-PDT sensitivity in SCC patients via the promotion of induced apoptosis.

Huanghua pear will lose its firmness quickly during postharvest storage at ambient temperature, and hence has limited storage and marketing potential. In this study, Huanghua pears treated with paper containing 0 (control) or 0.9 μL L-1 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) for 12 h, and then stored at (25 ± 1) °C for 30 days, were investigated for the effect on fruit firmness, cell wall composition and activities of cell wall-degrading enzymes.; Results: Huanghua pears without 1-MCP treatment softened rapidly during room-temperature storage and cell wall composition analyses showed an increase in water-soluble pectin (WSP) and decreases in cell wall materials (CWM) and cell wall components such as Na2 CO3 -soluble pectin (NSP), cellulose and hemicellulose. In contrast, the 1-MCP-treated fruits maintained higher firmness than the control; also, the treatment prevented the formation of WSP and reduced the degradation of CWM and cell wall components including NSP, cellulose and hemicellulose. 1-MCP treatment also significantly lowered the activities of cell wall-degrading enzymes such as pectinesterase, polygalacturonase, β-galactosidase and cellulase during storage.; Conclusion: 1-MCP treatment can slow down the softening of Huanghua pears through reducing cell wall-degrading enzyme activities and hence maintain the integrity of the cell wall structure. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.; © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

An integrated measurement platform was implemented to make in-vitro impedance measurements of neuronal cells on a multi-functional CMOS microelectrode array (MEA). This high-density array is made of 59’760 platinum microelectrodes with a pitch of 13.5μm. Impedance sensing can be performed through 32 electrodes in parallel, while the electrode sites can be arbitrarily chosen on the array. A wave generator was also integrated on chip to perform impedance spectroscopy within a wide frequency range from 1Hz to 1MHz. For a proof of concept, we show the magnitude and phase plots of platinum electrode-electrolyte interface impedances for different electrode sizes at different frequency ranges.

Background: To report the experience of a single centre regarding the application of the triple-chimney technique using C-TAG with Viabahn or Excluder iliac extension devices for the endovascular management of aortic arch dilation diseases. Methods: From July 2016 to August 2017, 7 patients (5 men; mean age 56.1±10.8 years) with aortic arch dilation diseases were treated with the triple-chimney technique. All patients were followed up at 1, 3, and 6 months and every 6 months thereafter. Results: Six innominate arteries were deployed with Excluder iliac extensions and one with a Viabahn cover-stent. All the left common carotid arteries and left subclavian arteries were placed with Viabahn. Reverse chimney technique was applied in four patients. Three (42.0%) type I endoleaks were found on the final angiogram. Two were apparently reduced, and one disappeared after balloon dilation. The mean follow-up time was 15.7 months (9–20 months). All the type I endoleak was found disappeared within 3 months. One patient died of myocardial infarction at 6 months after discharge. No other complications such as stent-graft migration, occlusion, type II endoleak or neurological stroke occurred. Conclusions: The use of C-TAG coupled with Viabahn or Excluder iliac extension is feasible and effective for the treatment of aortic arch dilatation diseases. However, more patients and longer follow-up time are required to verify its long-term safety and efficacy.

Purpose: In this study, we aimed to provide a new method of corneal preservation by injecting DisCoVisc into the anterior chamber of eyeballs and evaluate its efficiency for corneal transplantation. Methods: Three pairs of eyeballs (n=6) were preserved by DisCoVisc viscoelastic agent, and the corneas were stored for 1 to 6 days. Then, the structure and morphology of cornea were analyzed by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The corneas preserved by this method were transplanted into 15 patients with corneal disease and the efficacy was assessed. Results: Epithelial cells and endothelial cells were intact and a normal morphology was preserved in both fresh corneas and corneas stored for 1-6 days by DisCoVisc viscoelastic agent. Corneal endothelial cells did not appear apoptosis in fresh corneas and corneas stored for 1-3 days, whereas a few apoptosis positive cells were shown on the 4th day. The results of TEM showed that all corneas had active corneal endothelial cells with normal nuclei and homogenous nucleoplasm. Desmosomes and hemidesmosomes were closely connected. Mild nuclear pyknosis and autophagic cell death were only found from the 6th day, and mitochondria appeared a little bubble from the 5th day. Visual acuity in 11 of the 15 patients receiving transplantation of the preserved corneas was improved by more than 0.5. Average corneal endothelial cell counts, areas of corneal endothelial cells, and CV% of average area were not affected during the 6-month follow-up. Compared to the values obtained one-month postoperatively, the values of corneal thickness were significantly reduced in the three-month and six-month periods. Conclusions: Corneal preservation technology with the injection of DisCoVisc viscoelastic agent may effectively extend the preservation time of corneas for five days, which could be used for patients as penetrating keratoplasty surgery.

Biological cells are characterized by highly complex phenomena and processes that are, to a great extent, interdependent. To gain detailed insights, devices designed to study cellular phenomena need to enable tracking and manipulation of multiple cell parameters in parallel; they have to provide high signal quality and high spatiotemporal resolution. To this end, we have developed a CMOS-based microelectrode array system that integrates six measurement and stimulation functions, the largest number to date. Moreover, the system features the largest active electrode array area to date (4.48×2.43 mm2) to accommodate 59,760 electrodes, while its power consumption, noise characteristics, and spatial resolution (13.5 μm electrode pitch) are comparable to the best state-of-the-art devices. The system includes: 2,048 action-potential (AP, bandwidth: 300 Hz to 10 kHz) recording units, 32 local-field-potential (LFP, bandwidth: 1 Hz to 300 Hz) recording units, 32 current recording units, 32 impedance measurement units, and 28 neurotransmitter detection units, in addition to the 16 dual-mode voltage-only or current/voltage-controlled stimulation units. The electrode array architecture is based on a switch matrix, which allows for connecting any measurement/stimulation unit to any electrode in the array and for performing different measurement/stimulation functions in parallel.

The VLSI technology has led to the increased complexity in hardward design, therefore the verification for the correctness of circuit operations has become an exrtremely important task. The verification procedure can be reduced by means of the equivalent signal lines in the circuits. In this paper, a new method is presented for determining the equivalent signal lines, the method utilizes the weight value assignment of signal lines in circuits. First of all, the method makes use of the topological information of circuits to perform forward weight value assignments, assign weight values to the signal lines from the primary inputs to primary outputs. Afterwards, carry out the backward weight value assignment, assign weight values to the signal lines from the primary outputs to primary inputs. Secondly, carry out the random pattern simulation to further check the equivalence of signal lines. A lot of experimental results show that the verification of digital circuits can be carried out effectively by using the method proposed in this paper, the time being needed for the verification procedure can be cut down by utilizing the equivalent signal lines.

The high power consumption during circuit test process can produce unwanted failures or take effects on circuit reliability, therefore the reduction of both peak power and average power of circuit test is necessary. A test pattern generation approach is presented in this paper for the delay faults in digital circuits, the approach makes use of the evolution method with the hybrid strategies to produce the test vectors with low power consumption. First of all, a pair of vectors that may detect a delay fault is coded as an individual. A lot of individuals constitute the populations. Secondly, the test vectors with low power are produced by the evolution of these populations. Many new individuals are randomly produced and are added into every evolution step, and the mutation mode of individuals is related to other individuals in the current population. A lot of experimental results show that the test vectors with low power for the delay faults in digital circuits can be produced by the approach proposed in this paper, and the approach can get the large reduction of power consumption when compared with random test generation algorithm.

A monolithic measurement platform was implemented to enable label-free in-vitro electrical impedance spectroscopy measurements of cells on multi-functional CMOS microelectrode array. The array includes 59,760 platinum microelectrodes, densely packed within a 4.5 mm × 2.5 mm sensing region at a pitch of 13.5 μm. The 32 on-chip lock-in amplifiers can be used to measure the impedance of any arbitrarily chosen electrodes on the array by applying a sinusoidal voltage, generated by an on-chip waveform generator with a frequency range from 1 Hz to 1 MHz, and measuring the respective current. Proof-of-concept measurements of impedance sensing and imaging are shown in this paper. Correlations between cell detection through optical microscopy and electrochemical impedance scanning were established.

Tear high osmotic pressure (HOP) has been recognized as the core mechanism underlying ocular surface inflammation, injury and symptoms and is closely associated with many ocular surface diseases, especially dry eye. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a multi-functional organelle responsible for protein synthesis, folding and transport, biological synthesis of lipids, vesicle transport and intracellular calcium storage. Accumulation of unfolded proteins and imbalance of calcium ion in the ER would induce ER stress and protective unfolded protein response (UPR). Many studies have demonstrated that ER stress can induce cell apoptosis. However, the association between tear HOP and ER stress has not been studied systematically. In the present study, rabbit corneal epithelial cells were treated with HOP and results showed that the production of reactive oxygen species increased markedly, which further activated the ER signaling pathway and ultimately induced cell apoptosis. These findings shed new lights on the pathogenesis and clinical treatment of dry eye and other ocular surface diseases.

An integrated measurement platform was implemented to make in-vitro impedance measurements of neuronal cells on a multi-functional CMOS microelectrode array (MEA). This high-density array is made of 59’760 platinum microelectrodes with a pitch of 13.5μm. Impedance sensing can be performed through 32 electrodes in parallel, while the electrode sites can be arbitrarily chosen on the array. A wave generator was also integrated on chip to perform impedance spectroscopy within a wide frequency range from 1Hz to 1MHz. For a proof of concept, we show the magnitude and phase plots of platinum electrode-electrolyte interface impedances for different electrode sizes at different frequency ranges., Procedia Engineering, 168, Proceedings of the 30th anniversary Eurosensors Conference – Eurosensors 2016

Incontinentia pigmenti is a rare X-linked neurological-skin genetic disease. Some studies have shown that about 30~40% of patients with IP have varying symptoms of eye/central nervous system which are the major causes of disability. Conversion disorder is one of the most common mental diseases in children and may exhibit the single or multiple neurological symptoms. In this paper, we will report a child with new and rare incontinentia pigmenti accompanied by conversion disorder and explore the relationship of this rare combination.

A novel sorbent for solid-phase extraction (SPE) was synthesized by chemical immobilization of ampholine on hybrid organic–inorganic silica material. The ampholine-functionalized hybrid organic–inorganic silica sorbent is consisted of aliphatic amine groups, carboxyl groups and long carbon chains, allowing for extraction of both acidic and basic compounds. The retention properties of the developed sorbent were evaluated for 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (HNA), 1-naphthoic acid (NA), 3-hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA), benzoic acid (BA), sorbic acid (SA), vanillic aldehyde (VA), butyl 4-hydroxybenzoate (BHB), propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate (PHB), ethyl 4-hydroxybenzoate (EHB), and methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate (MHB). The results show that such a sorbent has three types of interaction, i.e., electrostatic interaction, hydrophobic interaction, and hydrogen bonding, exhibiting high extraction efficiency towards the compounds tested. The adsorption capacities of the analytes ranged from 0.61 to 6.54 μg mg −1 . The reproducibility of the sorbent preparation was evaluated at three spiking concentration levels, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 1.0–10.5%. The recoveries of ten acidic and basic compounds spiked in beverage Coca-Cola ® sample ranged from 82.5% to 98.2% with RSDs less than 5.8%. Under optimum conditions, the ampholine-functionalized hybrid organic–inorganic silica sorbent rendered higher extraction efficiency for acidic compounds than that of the commercially available ampholine-functionalized silica particles, and was comparable to that of the commercial Oasis WAX and Oasis WCX.

Orthogonal test was carried out to investigate the effects of hot air temperature, conversed moisture content, microwave intensity and pulse ratio on the L value of the dried litchi pulp, specific energy consumption and sensory score respectively. The results showed that the optimum conditions for drying of litchi pulp by hot air and vacuum microwave combination were found to be hot air temperature 80°C conversed moisture content 50%, microwave intensity 20 W/g and pulsed ratio (10s∶40s). The optimized combination drying process reduced specific energy consumption by approximately 50% as compared with conventional hot air drying, and under such conditions, the quality of dried litchi pulp was better than hot air drying or microwave vacuum drying.

Determination of absolute configuration of different beta-lactam derivatives were performed using TDDFT calculations and CD spectroscopy of beta-lactam-Zn-complex conjugates with Tweezer porphyrine.

A 3.125Gbit/s clock and data recovery (CDR) circuit is described. The circuit adopts parallel structure to recover clock from high-speed data stream. The working clock is reduced by this method and lower power is achieved. Timing jitter has been considered carefully and the loop parameters are optimized to reduce the output jitter. The circuit is designed with 0.18/spl mu/m CMOS process: the simulated function and performance meet the requirements and the core power dissipation is 56mW.

This paper describes a multichannel transceiver targeting IEEE 802.3ae (10-Gb/s) Ethernet standard using 0.18 mm CMOS process. The transmitter sets features: 1) Multiphase clock to multiplex the data; 2) Duty-cycle correction (DCC) circuit to adjust the clock pulse width; 3) Current-mode linedriver to drive transmitter medium. Through simulation, the total jitter (peak-to-peak) is 45 ps, power dissipation is 140 mW, and total latency is 24 ns. Differential output voltage swing of transmitter is 1.6 V.