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Current research on the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as a diagnostic strategy is still in its early stages. Consequently, there is a need for an efficient platform to capture and accurately detect CTCs with high sensitivity. This study presents the development of a bio-sensing platform that employs a planar-gated graphene field-effect transistor (GFET). This platform is designed for the detection of CTCs associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this approach, bilayer graphene is functionalized through a low-damage nitrogen plasma treatment, and then further modified with specific antibodies to enable a label-free detection of CTCs. The real-time electrical signal changes of the sensor were analyzed, demonstrating advantages in terms of rapid sensing and cost-effective on chip fabrication and instrument investment. The results showed that the low-damage nitrogen plasma effectively aminated the graphene surface, with the C–NH 2 bonds accounting for approximately 62.8 % of the nitrogen content. The linear detection range of the sensor from 1 cell/15 μl to 1 cell/1000 μl, with a limit of detection (LoD) of 1 cell/15 μl(∼66/ml). The sensitivity of the sensor was determined to be 0.040 V/decade with a linear regression of 0.93 and with high sensing specificity in mixture cells environments. The CTCs capture density on aminated graphene was calculated to be 238.6 ± 29.8 cells/mm2. We also integrated this sensor chip into a portable system, including the sensing and signal processing unit enabling fast detection and close to point-of-care diagnostic tests. This study provides a promising platform for the rapid and accurate detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma CTCs for early detection and post-treatment monitoring. Amin-Functionalized Bilayer Graphene Enhancing the CTC Biosensing with Integrated Chip-Level System for Point-of-Care Testing. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Candecomp/Parafac decomposition (CPD) of the tensor whose maximal dimension is greater than its rank is considered. We derive the upper bound of rank under which computing the CPD is equivalent to solving a structured polynomial system that is determined by the full rank factorization of the matricization of the tensor. Under the generic uniqueness conditions, the CPD solutions of the system are isolated so that these solutions can be achieved by homotopy method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a routine phenotype-driven screen, we identified a point mutation in exon 7 of the IL-15 gene in Pedigree 191 (deficient memory (DM)) of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea mutagenized mice. The DM epidermis expressed an alternatively spliced IL-15 mRNA isoform, IL-15ΔE7, and a wild-type (WT) IL-15 isoform at comparable levels. Mechanical stimulation of DM skin or DM skin graft transplanted onto the WT host resulted in reduced keratinocyte activation and inhibition of neutrophil infiltration into the dermis, demonstrating that DM keratinocytes produced less inflammatory response to external stimulation. Ectopic expression of IL-15ΔE7 in WT skin prevented abrasion-induced epidermal thickening, blocked the accumulation of nuclear antigen Ki67+ cells in the basal and the suprabasal cell layers, increased loricrin expression, and also increased keratinocyte CXCL1 and G-CSF production. IL-15ΔE7 also profoundly blocked neutrophil infiltration in SDS- or immiquimod (IMQ)-treated WT skin. Recombinant IL-15ΔE7 failed to activate STAT-5 and its downstream target bcl-2 expression. Our study points to IL-15ΔE7 as a potential therapeutic agent for treating neutrophilia-associated inflammatory skin disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Accurate predictions of storm surge and surge deviation are essential for industrial activities in coastal areas. Usually numerical hydrodynamic models or empirical methods are used to estimate the storm surge. This paper proposes an alternative back-propagation neural network (BPN) approach to forecast the storm surge and surge deviation. The prediction of storm surge from a previous typhoon is used as a training set to form predictions for the next event. Wind velocity, wind direction, atmospheric pressure and astronomical tide were selected as inputs in the neural network. The observations obtained during three typhoons from four stations in Taiwan were used to illustrate performance of the BPN model. Comparisons with numerical methods indicate that the storm surge and surge deviation can be efficiently predicted using BPN. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An application of an artificial neural network (ANN) combined with thermographic analysis for estimating the depth of eroded caves in a seawall is presented in this paper. A model experiment was first conducted in a sandbox using a thermographic device to detect the interior conditions of a structure from its temperature changes measured on the surface. The temperature difference calculated from the air temperature and the measured concrete surface point on a thermographic image was obtained for the neural network. Based on the laboratory data, an optimum ANN model for the estimation of the depth of eroded caves in a seawall was established by using four input factors: the site temperature, humidity, thermographic area, and the temperature difference. The model was verified using data from a seawall in Tainan City, Taiwan. From the results, it was found that the present ANN model efficiently estimates the depth of eroded caves in a seawall. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: It is essential to forecast the variation of storm surge in coastal areas during the typhoon attacks. Conventional investigations of storm surge often used the method of numerical hydrodynamic models or empirical formula. In this paper, the back-propagation neural network (BPN) is applied to predict the short-term typhoon surge and surge deviation in order to overcome the problem of exclusive and nonlinear relationships. The observations obtained during three typhoons of Taichung harbor in Taiwan are verified by the present model. From the comparison with numerical methods, it can be found that the short-term storm surge and surge deviation can be efficiently predicted 1 to 6h ahead using BPN. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Recently, considerable efforts have been devoted to evaluation of seismic dynamic response of a circular tunnel. Conventional approaches have considered integral liners embedded in an elastic medium. In this study, we re-examine the problem with piecewise liners embedded in a porous medium. Surrounding saturated porous medium of tunnels is described by Biot''s poroelastic theory, while the liner pieces and the connecting joints are treated as curved beams and characterized by curved beam theories. The scattered wave field in the porous medium is obtained by the wave function expansion method. The differential equations governing the vibration of a curved beam is discretized by the General Differential Quadrature (GDQ) method. The domain decomposition method is used to establish the global discrete dynamic equations for the piecewise tunnel. The surrounding soil and the tunnel are coupled together via the stress and the displacement continuation conditions which are implemented by the boundary collocation method. Numerical results demonstrate that the stiffness difference between the liner piece and the connecting joints has a considerable influence on the internal forces of the liner piece. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• ToF-SIMs was conducted in depth profiling analysis for the structural information. • Silane affects the adsorption of 10-MDP by enhancing the hydroxylation of zirconia. • High PO 3 - is the indicator of formation of zirconium phosphate (ZrP) compounds. • Silane-free SE bond presented the highest PO and ZrP related ions at the interface. [Display omitted] The purposes of this study were to investigate whether the presence of silane in universal adhesives affects the functions of 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (MDP) and adhesion to zirconia. Two silane-containing universal adhesives (Scotchbond Universal (SBU) and Clearfil Universal-Bond (CUB)) and two silane-free adhesives (All-Bond Universal (ABU) and SE-Bond primer (SE)) were individually applied on zirconia disks. Time-of-flight secondary-ion-mass-spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) examined the distributions of MDP- and silane-related ions, as well as evidence of zirconium phosphate (ZrP) compounds, on the surface and interfacial regions using a depth profiling mode. The hydrophilicity and resin wettability of the treated zirconia were examined using a contact angle test. For the shear bond strength (SBS) test, the zirconia disks were air-blasted, treated with the assigned adhesives, and bonded with pre-cured composite cylinders using a resin cement. These resin-zirconia assemblies received a bond test after 24-h storage. Both SBU and CUB exhibited silane-related ions and ZrO 2 (OH)-, but fewer PO- ions in the interfacial regions. CUB had more siloxane-related ions. SE-treated zirconia had abundant PO- ions and particularly high PO 3 -- and ZrP- related ions in the interfacial regions. The silane-free adhesives exhibited a higher affinity to both water and adhesive liquids. SE showed significantly higher SBSs compared to ABU, while SBU and CUB were not statistically different. The silane content may cause hydroxylation of zirconia and affect MDP adsorption. An acidic pH accelerated the condensation of silanol. The bond performance of the MDP-based adhesive could be influenced by the silane content and other components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]