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Objective: Health psychology (HP) plays a critical role within a multidisciplinary, integrative oncology team. HP provides coping tools, helping patients engage in healthy lifestyle. HP in integrative oncology is not well established and criteria for referral has not been examined. This study examined characteristics of referral to HP. Methods: A retrospective chart review of 1827 patients seen for consultation in the IMC between January 1st, 2019 and January 13th, 2020 was conducted. Patient assessments included the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale, Measure Yourself Concerns and Well-being, and PROMIS-10. Chi-square tests were used to compare categorical variables, Mann-Whitney test for non-normally distributed continuous variables, and t-tests for normally distributed continuous variables comparing those referred and not referred to HP. Results: Referred patients were mostly female (85.4%), White (67.1%), married/partnered (67.7%), obese (42.1%), with breast cancer (52.2%). Compared to those not referred, patients referred to HP were significantly more likely to be female, younger, Black, and had a higher BMI (p ≤ .01). Referred patients reported worse fatigue, sleep, depression, anxiety, well-being, spiritual pain, financial distress, memory, and overall mental health, physical health, and global health (p ≤ .01). Most common concerns of referrals were diet/nutrition, overall health, and stress/anxiety. Compared to non-referred, HP referrals were more likely to prioritize depression, spirituality, and stress/anxiety as their concerns (p ≤ .01). Conclusions: Patient characteristics are well-suited treatment targets for HP, including addressing emotional distress, healthy lifestyle, and quality of life. Our findings can help cancer programs develop strategies to facilitate engagement with psychological counseling.

The persistent erythema and flushing seen in some cases of rosacea do not respond effectively to, or may easily relapse after, oral medication or light-based therapies (laser or intense pulsed light). Intradermal botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injection can be used to treat intractable erythema and flushing, but studies with large samples and long-term observation have not been conducted to determine its effectiveness and safety. The aim of this study is thus to investigate the effective duration and safety of intradermal BTX-A injection for intractable erythema and flushing.Sixteen patients with rosacea with erythema telangiectasia were injected with BTX-A at 1-cm intervals between each point. Clinician Erythema Assessment (CEA) scores were obtained at baseline and 1 month after injection. Flushing assessment and survey using the Dermatological Quality of Life Index (DLQI) questionnaire were conducted at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months after injection.At 1 month after injection, CEA scores revealed significant improvements in erythema and flushing; the results of the questionnaire on flushing and DLQI indicated that the improvement of flushing usually lasted for 3-6 months, but the effect decreased significantly at 6 months, and individual patients needed another treatment.BTX-A significantly improves the symptoms and quality of life of patients with refractory rosacea with few adverse effects.

In recent years, a temperature-sensitive hydrogel was reported as a promising draw agent in forward osmosis (FO) technology. PEG, acts as porogen, as an enabler to improve the swelling property of hydrogels. From FO test, the addition of porogen to the hydrogel can improve the water flux of FO by increasing the swelling properties of the hydrogel. And the hydrogel modified with porogen improves the concentration efficiency of wastewater from 1.09 to 1.124 times, indicating that the modification of the hydrogel by the porogen has positive significance for FO technology. In this study, an advanced hydrogel was synthesized via physical copolymerization by using N-isopropylacrylamide and sodium acrylate. The internal structure was investigated by SEM test where it was found that that porogens have different mechanisms of action on hydrogel performance: Porogen affects the swelling property of hydrogel by changing the internal network structure through physical “occupation”. The effect of porogen concentration is to act on the porosity of hydrogel, while the main effect of the molecular weight of porogen on the hydrogel structure is by altering the pore size.

Coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) are an important anthropogenic mercury (Hg) source in China, and it is crucial to understand the environmental impacts of this detrimental element emitted from this source. In the present study, field experiments were conducted for measuring Hg in ambient atmosphere and upland agricultural soils within a radius of 10 km surrounding a large scale coal-fired power plant (1550 MW) in Tangshan, Hebei province. Short-term (20 min) average of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM or Hg0) in ambient air varying from 1.5 to 9.0 ng/m3 and total Hg (THg) in surface agricultural soil (0-20 cm) varying from 9.2 to 43.5 μg/kg at different sites were observed. THg in two soil cores decreased with depth, with concentrations being 2-2.5 times higher in the surface layer than that in the deep layer (50-60 cm), indicating the possibility of the atmospheric input of Hg. Based on the information of the total atmospheric Hg emission since this CFPP's operation in 1970s and the increased THg in nearby soils, it was estimated that about 3.9% discharged Hg has accumulated in the nearby agricultural soils. The low retention rate of the total emitted Hg by soils is a result of high proportion of Hg0 (79.5%) in stack gas emission and potential loss of Hg from soil surface reemission. The positive shifting (~ 0.5‰) of Hg isotopic signature (δ202Hg) from deep soil to surface soil reflected Hg deposition from nearby CFPP emissions that are featured with much heavier Hg isotopic signatures inherited from feed coal (δ202Hg: -0.50‰) and different combustion products (δ202Hg: -0.95 to 3.71‰) compared with that in deep soil layer (δ202Hg: ca -1.50‰). Overall, this study demonstrated that this CFPP has a slight but distinguishable effect on the elevation of ambient GEM and agricultural soil THg in the local environment.

The lateral resolution is one of the most important hallmarks for evaluating the imaging performance of a confocal Raman microscope (CRM). A method based on the resolution test chart for testing the lateral resolution of the CRM was proposed. The test imaging target comprised a polished silicon substrate coated with a thin metallic pattern, which provided a high contrast and negligible edge effects. By using a single-bar target instead of a conventional three-bar target, quantitative measurements of the lateral resolution of the CRM were possible. Single-bar targets with different widths were used to test a CRM with a nominal lateral resolution of approximately 1 μm. The response of the CRM to the single-bar target was studied further with a theoretical model, and the relationship between the Michelson contrast of the response function and the lateral resolution was investigated. Finally, the method used to calculate the lateral resolution was described and tested and shown to have a relative repeatability of only 5.6%, which is ideal for resolution testing. Overall, our experimental results showed excellent agreement with simulation results and proved that the single-bar target method was capable of measuring the lateral resolution of CRMs with high accuracy, efficiency and reproducibility.

The perovskite-based materials with optical tuning properties are very important for many practical applications such as the solid-state lighting technology, solar cell, and catalysis. In this work, we used the top-down method to prepare the two-dimensional (2D) (CH3(CH2)3NH3)2(CH3NH3)n−1PbnI3n+1 (CPI, n = 1, 2) hybrid perovskite quantum dots (QDs), and reported that the 2D CPI QDs featured an emission band covering the ultraviolet (UV) and blue region, with almost all the emission intensity in the UV region. This UV emission spectrum, along with the UV absorption spectrum, means a strong quantum confinement, as revealed by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In addition, the nonlinear optical scattering and absorption properties based respectively on the optical and photoacoustic z-scan characterizations were observed in the 2D CPI QDs, the results of which revealed a two-photon absorption coefficient of up to 6.5 × 102 cm/GW. This work reveal the potential of 2D CPI QDs in the high optical limiting applications.

Till now, very few studies are focused on the interactive effect of wine-associated microbes including non-Saccharomyces, Saccharomyces, and lactic acid bacteria on modulating the organoleptic quality of black raspberry wines. In our study, Torulaspora delbrueckii, a widely studied non-Saccharomyces yeast, and Lactobacillus plantarum, a promising malolactic fermentation starter, were used in combination with S. cerevisiae for the production of black raspberry wine by three inoculation modes, i.e., sequential inoculation of three species (SE), co-culture of S. cerevisiae and L. plantarum (CO) and T. delbrueckii/S. cerevisiae sequential inoculation plus a spontaneous malolactic fermentation (SP), on the quality of black raspberry wine. A total of 34 aromatic compounds were identified by HS–GC–IMS technology. CO was found to boost the production of many fruity ester compounds, and scored the highest for ‘fruity’, ‘sweet’, and ‘total aroma’ attributes during sensory evaluation. SP was characterized by the lowest production of most volatile components and obtained the lowest rating. Principal component analysis showed that three samples were quite different from each other. Overall, CO had greater potential to be used in the production of black raspberry wine.

Objective Increased myelopoiesis has been linked to risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACD). Excessive myelopoiesis can be driven by dyslipidemia and cholesterol accumulation in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) and may involve increased signaling via Janus kinase 2 (JAK2). Constitutively activating JAK2 mutants drive biased myelopoiesis and promote development of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) or clonal hematopoiesis, conditions associated with increased risk of ACD. JAK2 inhibitors have been developed as a therapy for MPNs. The potential for JAK2 inhibitors to protect against atherosclerosis has not been tested. We therefore assessed the impact of JAK2 inhibition on atherogenesis. Methods A selective JAK2 inhibitor TG101348 (fedratinib) or vehicle was given to high-fat high-cholesterol Western diet (WD)–fed wild-type (WT) or Apoe−/− mice. Hematopoietic cell profiles, cell proliferation, and atherosclerosis in WT or Apoe−/− mice were assessed. Results TG101348 selectively reversed neutrophilia, monocytosis, HSPC, and granulocyte-macrophage progenitor (GMP) expansion in Apoe−/− mice with decreased cellular phosphorylated STAT5 and ERK1/2 and reduced cell cycling and BrdU incorporation in HSPCs, indicating inhibition of JAK/STAT signaling and cell proliferation. Ten-week WD feeding allowed the development of marked aortic atherosclerosis in Apoe−/− mice which was substantially reduced by TG101348. Conclusions Selective JAK2 inhibition reduces atherogenesis by suppressing excessive myelopoiesis in hypercholesterolemic Apoe−/− mice. These findings suggest selective JAK2 inhibition as a potential therapeutic approach to decrease ACD risk in patients with increased myelopoiesis and leukocytosis.

Despite the initial success of some drugs and vaccines targeting COVID-19, understanding the mechanism underlying SARS-CoV-2 disease pathogenesis remains crucial for the development of further approaches to treatment. Some patients with severe Covid-19 experience a cytokine storm and display evidence of inflammasome activation leading to increased levels of IL-1β and IL-18; however, other reports have suggested reduced inflammatory responses to Sars-Cov-2. In this study we have examined the effects of the Sars-Cov-2 envelope (E) protein, a virulence factor in coronaviruses, on inflammasome activation and pulmonary inflammation. In cultured macrophages the E protein suppressed inflammasome priming and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Similarly, in mice transfected with E protein and treated with poly(I:C) to simulate the effects of viral RNA, the E protein, in an NLRP3-dependent fashion, reduced expression of pro-IL-1β, levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid, and macrophage infiltration in the lung. To simulate the effects of more advanced infection, macrophages were treated with both LPS and poly(I:C). In this setting the E protein increased NLRP3 inflammasome activation in both murine and human macrophages. Thus, the Sars-Cov-2 E protein may initially suppress the host NLRP3 inflammasome response to viral RNA while potentially increasing NLRP3 inflammasome responses in the later stages of infection. Targeting the Sars-Cov-2 E protein especially in the early stages of infection may represent a novel approach to Covid-19 therapy.

Background The commonly used NEMA IEC Body phantom has a number of defects, hindering its application for detecting micro-lesions and measuring the performance parameters of computed tomography (CT). This study aimed to propose a PET/CT phantom designed by National Institute of Metrology (NIM), China, which is capable of simultaneously testing the performance of PET and CT systems, and to evaluate the quality of imaging. Methods The phantom developed in the present study, the NIM PET/CT phantom, is composed of a PET imaging module and a CT imaging module, and these modules are connected together through bolts, which can simultaneously measure the imaging performance of PET and CT systems. Hot spheres were filled with 4:1 sphere-to-background activity concentration using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG), and cold spheres were filled with non-radioactive water. We compared the results of imaging obtained from the NIM PET/CT phantom and the NEMA IEC Body phantom to assess their diagnostic efficacy. In order to evaluate the generalization ability of the NIM PET/CT phantom, three different PET/CT systems were used to scan on the same scanning protocol. To evaluate the effects of image reconstruction algorithms on image quality assessment, ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM), OSEM-point-spread function (PSF), OSEM-TOF, and OSEM-PSF-TOF algorithms were employed. Results The imaging quality of the NIM PET/CT phantom and the NEMA IEC Body phantom was relatively consistent. The NIM PET/CT phantom could detect 7 mm spheres without influencing the imaging quality. It was found that PSF reconstruction exhibited to reduce the speed of convergence, the contrast and background variability of spheres (13–28 mm) were significantly improved after two iterations. In addition to improve the image contrast and background variability, TOF could markedly improve the overall image quality and instrument detection limit. TOF-PSF could noticeably reduce noise level, enhance imaging details, and improve quality of imaging. Conclusions The results showed that in comparison with the NEMA IEC Body phantom, the NIM PET/CT phantom outperformed in evaluating the PET image quality of micro-lesions and the performance parameters of CT.

Background UBTF is an HMGB-box DNA binding protein and a necessary Pol I/Pol II basal transcription factor. It has been found that UBTF involves in carcinogenesis and progression of a few cancers. Nevertheless, the the biological function and potential molecular mechanism of UBTF in melanoma are still not clear and need to be clarified. Methods UBTF and GIT1 expressions in melanoma specimens and cell lines were examined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. MTT and colony formation assays were used to investigate the effects of UBTF and GIT1 on melanoma cell proliferation. Cell cycle and apoptosis assays were detected by flow cytometry. Tumor formation assay was used to analyze the effect of UBTF on melanoma growth. Bioinformatics predicting, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-qRT-PCR and reporter gene assay were fulfilled for verifing GIT1 as UBTF targeting gene. Results Here we reported that UBTF mRNA and protein expressions were upregulated in primary melanoma specimens and cell lines. UBTF overexpression facilitated melanoma cell proliferation and cell cycle progression and restrained. Silencing UBTF suppressed cell multiplication, cell cycle progression and tumor growth, and promoted apoptosis. UBTF expression was positively related with GIT1 expression in human melanoma tissues. It was verified that UBTF promoted GIT1 transcription in melanoma cells through binding to the promoter region of GIT1. Furthermore, GIT1 overexpression promoted melanoma cell growth and suppressed apoptosis. Knockdown of GIT1 inhibited cell multiplication and induced apoptosis. Overexpression of GIT1 eliminated the effects of silencing UBTF on melanoma cells. Importantly, UBTF activated MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signalling pathways by upregulating GIT1 expression. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that UBTF promotes melanoma cell proliferation and cell cycle progression by promoting GIT1 transcription, thereby activating MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signalling pathways. The findings indicate that UBTF plays a crucial function in melanoma and may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of this disease.

We present a user-friendly and transferable genome-wide DNA G-quadruplex (G4) profiling method that identifies G4 structures from ordinary whole-genome resequencing data by seizing the slight fluctuation of sequencing quality. In the human genome, 736,689 G4 structures were identified, of which 45.9% of all predicted canonical G4-forming sequences were characterized. Over 89% of the detected canonical G4s were also identified by combining polymerase stop assays with next-generation sequencing. Testing using public datasets of 6 species demonstrated that the present method is widely applicable. The detection rates of predicted canonical quadruplexes ranged from 32% to 58%. Because single nucleotide variations (SNVs) influence the formation of G4 structures and have individual differences, the given method is available to identify and characterize G4s genome-wide for specific individuals., Current methods to identify G-quadruplex structures in DNA require specialized protocols and multiple rounds of sequencing. Here, the authors develop a method to detect G-quadruplex structures in DNA based on fluctuations in sequencing quality in a standard sequencing experiment.

A real-time comparative measurement method is proposed to enhance the measurement accuracy of Raman shifts. Several experimental configurations are presented and demonstrated. The error sources in Raman shifts are also analyzed. The method is tested on a Raman spectrometer by measuring a sample of monocrystalline silicon and a sample of polystyrene. Experimental results indicate that the accuracy limit of the method is 0.07 cm–1. The measurement uncertainty of the Raman shift of the silicon is 0.2 cm–1 (k = 2), and the measurement uncertainty of the polystyrene is also improved. It is shown that the real-time comparative measurement method can remarkably enhance the measurement accuracy of Raman shift, and it applies to Raman spectrometers regardless of whether their exact laser wavelengths are known or not.

To control potential fungal denitrification rate (PFDR) in vertical flow simulated wetlands (VFSW) microcosms, thirty VFSW microcosms were established and planted with three plant species richness levels (i.e. unplanted, monoculture, and four-species polyculture treatment), and effects of carbon, nitrogen and pH amendments on the PFDR were investigated using a room-incubating method. Among seven carbon compounds, sodium citrate, glycerol, glucose and sodium succinate were more effective in enhancing PFDRs. These enhanced effects were dependant on a given species richness level. Sodium nitrite mostly stimulated PFDRs to a greater extent than the other three nitrogen compound amendments at any richness level. Treatments with pH 5.6 or 8.4 had significantly greater PFDRs than the treatment with pH 2.8 in the three species richness levels. However, no effect of plant species richness on the PFDR was observed among any carbon, nitrogen and pH amendments. Current results suggest carbon, nitrogen and pH factors should be considered when mediating fungal denitrification in VFSW microcosms.

Since the transferrin receptor (CD71 or TFRC) is known to be highly expressed in numerous cancers, CD71 has become an attractive target in cancer research. Acquiring specific molecular probes for CD71, such as small molecular ligands, aptamers, peptides, or antibodies, is of great importance for cancer cell recognition and capture. In this work, we chose CD71 as the target for phage display, and after four rounds of positive selection and one round of negative selection, the specific phage library was enriched. After verification and sequence analysis, six peptides were identified to be able to bind to CD71 with high specificity. The specific recognition of the CD71-positive cells was confirmed by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Competition experiments demonstrated that peptide Y1 and transferrin (TF) were bound to distinct sites on CD71, indicating that peptide Y1 could replace TF as a potential probe for cell imaging and drug delivery, thus avoiding competition by endogenous TF and side effects. Graphical abstract Six peptides were successfully isolated using in vitro biopanning against CD71 with high specificity and affinity. Peptides Y1 and Y2 would be powerful tools in biosensors and biomedicine due to their unique properties.

We study two classes of modules for order preserving symplectic and order preserving even special orthogonal rook monoids. The first class of modules are indexed by admissible sets, and the second are the regular representations. For the first class we show that every submodule is cyclic and completely reducible, and for each irreducible component when restricted to a module over a proper submonoid we explore its module properties. For the second we provide explicitly their decompositions into irreducible submodules using admissible sets.

Cross-efficiency evaluation is an effective method for ranking decision making units (DMUs) in data envelopment analysis, which is performed with peer-evaluation and self-evaluation. From different points of view, various cross-efficiency evaluations have been proposed with different secondary goals. Yet they usually lead to different average cross-efficiencies and different rankings. In this paper, we develop a concept of the aggressive game cross-efficiency, and propose an aggressive secondary model to minimize the cross-efficiencies of other DMUs under the constraints that the aggressive game cross-efficiency of the evaluated DMU is guaranteed. To achieve the aggressive game cross-efficiency, we develop an iterative algorithm. Mathematically, it is proved that all conventional average cross-efficiencies are sure to converge to the same aggressive game cross-efficiency by the iterative algorithm. Finally, numerical examples are presented to show the effectiveness of our approach in evaluating and ranking DMUs.

The similar floatabilities of calcium minerals and the huge difference between scheelite and wolframite have resulted in difficulties during their separation by flotation in Shizhuyuan Mine. In this study, novel collectors, lead complexes of benzohydroxamic acid (Pb–BHA), were introduced to modify the surface properties of scheelite and wolframite, thereby effectively and selectively improving floatability. The Pb–BHA complexes are found to be selective for the separation of scheelite and calcium minerals with little use of depressants and enable the synchronous flotation of scheelite and wolframite. Hence, a novel flotation process was developed for the recovery of tungsten minerals. The process is simplified greatly, and the recovery is improved by almost 10%. Removing or decreasing the amount of water glass contributes to the improvement of tungsten and fluorite recovery and the circulation of water and reagents, which benefits the environment.

Menghai rhabdovirus (MRV) was isolated from Aedes albopictus in Menghai county of Yunnan Province, China, in August 2010. Whole-genome sequencing of MRV was performed using an Ion PGM™ Sequencer. We found that MRV is a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus. The complete genome of MRV has 10,744 nt, with short inverted repeat termini, encoding five typical rhabdovirus proteins (N, P, M, G, and L) and an additional small hypothetical protein. Nucleotide BLAST analysis using the BLASTn method showed that the genome sequence most similar to that of MRV is that of Arboretum virus (NC_025393.1), with a Max score of 322, query coverage of 14%, and 66% identity. Genomic and phylogenetic analyses both demonstrated that MRV should be considered a member of a novel species of the family Rhabdoviridae.

Olfactomedin 4 (OLFM4) is an olfactomedin domain-containing glycoprotein. Multiple signaling pathways and factors, including NF-κB, Wnt, Notch, PU.1, retinoic acids, estrogen receptor, and miR-486, regulate its expression. OLFM4 interacts with several other proteins, such as gene associated with retinoic-interferon-induced mortality 19 (GRIM-19), cadherins, lectins, nucleotide oligomerization domain-1 (NOD1) and nucleotide oligomerization domain-2 (NOD2), and cathepsins C and D, known to regulate important cellular functions. Recent investigations using Olfm4-deficient mouse models have provided important clues about its in vivo biological functions. Olfm4 inhibited Helicobacter pylori-induced NF-κB pathway activity and inflammation and facilitated H. pylori colonization in the mouse stomach. Olfm4-deficient mice exhibited enhanced immunity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus infection. Olfm4 deletion in a chronic granulomatous disease mouse model rescued them from S. aureus infection. Olfm4 deletion in mice treated with azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate led to robust intestinal inflammation and intestinal crypt hyperplasia. Olfm4 deletion in Apc Min/+ mice promoted intestinal polyp formation as well as adenocarcinoma development in the distal colon. Further, Olfm4-deficient mice spontaneously developed prostatic epithelial lesions as they age. OLFM4 expression is correlated with cancer differentiation, stage, metastasis, and prognosis in a variety of cancers, suggesting its potential clinical value as an early-stage cancer marker or a therapeutic target. Collectively, these data suggest that OLFM4 plays important roles in innate immunity against bacterial infection, gastrointestinal inflammation, and cancer. In this review, we have summarized OLFM4’s initial characterization, expression, regulation, protein interactions, and biological functions.

The aim of this study was to prepare APAP crystals by cooling, anti-solvent, and solvent evaporation crystallization to enhance its dissolution rate and to make comparisons of the three methods. Agitating speeds and types were regarded as factors affecting crystallization procedure. Samples were made with different ratios of PEG4000. They were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Dissolution tests were conducted to assess their dissolution property. The proportions of carriers existing in crystals by cooling and anti-solvent crystallization ranged from 1.3 to 5.1%. Mean dissolution time (MDT) of samples by the two methods was about 3 min, which was 17.2 min for untreated APAP. Addition of too much PEG4000 in solvent evaporation crystallization could decrease dissolution rate of APAP. Samples agitated by a rotor with speed of 100, 500, and 1000 rpm dissolved faster than those by a high shear mixer with speed of 3400 and 5000 rpm or by a glass rod. Agitating speed and type could affect particle size and drug dissolution. Dissolution enhancement of APAP might be attributed to decrease of fine particles and increase of particle wettability.

Maceral separation is one possible technique to expand coking coal resources, either by increasing the blending ratio of non- or slightly caking coal or rationally utilizing the coking coal according to the different behaviors of macerals in coking. The success of maceral enrichment for a given coal usingfiotation is dependent on the differences in flotation kinetic rate among macerals. This paper presents theflotation rates and zeta potentials of the vitrinite-rich and inertinite- rich maceral concentrates obtained from six coal samples of different ranks — from high-volatile B bituminous coal with mean random vitrinite reflectance (Rrandom) of 0.64 percent to low-volatile bituminous coal with Rrandom of 1.73 percent — using a float-sink procedure. The flotation results show that vitrinite-rich concentrates can be produced in tap water using froth flotation only with frother for the high-volatile B and A bituminous coal samples, but there was no good performance for the high-volatile C bituminous and medium- to low-volatile bituminous coal samples. The zeta potential results show that froth flotation could probably separate the high-volatile C bituminous coal samples well by adjusting pH, but there was no good performance for the higher-rank coal samples.

We study the thermo-optic Goos–Hanchen (TOGH) effect in a prism–waveguide coupling structure with silicon-on-insulator waveguide. Stationary-phase method is utilized to calculate the TOGH shift. When the waveguide is regarded as a two-dimensional planar waveguide, a nonlinear relation between GH shift and temperature is obtained. Based on the noticeable TOGH effect, a sensitive temperature modulator or sensor can be realized. As the waveguide width is limited, the proposed structure can be regarded as a three-dimensional rectangular waveguide. We explore the GH shift and TOGH effect for different modes propagating in rectangular waveguide which show different linear relations between GH shift and temperature, which can be used to design mode-selective device based on TO effect.

Surface layer proteins had been proposed that it could protect human intestine from pathogens and aid in maintaining cellular integrity. However, the functions of S-layer proteins have not yet been fully revealed, and it has been proposed that these structures protected the intestinal microbes from hostile environmental agents. In this study, the ability of the Lactobacilli to inhibit adhesion of Salmonella to intestinal mucosa was studied on cultured HT-29 cells. Lactobacillus paracasei M7 was shown to inhibit the adhesion of Salmonella to epithelial cells, a process which may be related to the specific component of the bacterial surface. Human epithelial HT-29 cells were treated with S-layer proteins after Salmonella injection and pretreated with S-layer proteins to determine their importance in the inhibition of pathogen adherence. According to the analysis of cell cycle by flow cytometry, the HT-29 cells treated by Salmonella in S phase were 26.88 % compared with 36.70 % in the normal HT-29 cells. However, the addition of S-layer proteins made the HT-29 cells in S phase increase to 30.13 %. The activity of caspase-3 in the HT-29 cell was determined using a caspase-3 activity kit, which indicated the degree of apoptosis. Moreover, we also found that Lactobacillus S-layer proteins could protect Salmonella-induced apoptosis through reducing the caspase-3 activity. This mechanism might represent a novel approach for antagonizing Salmonella infection.

Selective flocculation is a new method to solve the problem of China’s bauxite de-silication besides flotation and reverse flotation. The method of selective flocculation of bauxite using hydrolyzed polyacrylamide as flocculant was experimented and evaluated. The results of diaspore and kaolinite single mineral settling tests show that the difference between settlement yield of kaolinite (settling 15 min) and diaspore (settling 3 min) increases from 16% to 60% by adding flocculant at pH=7. Results of selective flocculation experiment of bauxite show that the higher concentrate grade (65.75) and Al-Si ratio (7.34) could be obtained with sodium carbonate as dispersant compared with sodium hexametaphosphate; under the action of flocculating agent, the concentrate grade and Al-Si ratio increase to 67.99 and 9.01. These results could meet the requirements of Bayer production, and the simpler process was expected to cost far less than traditional flotation method and a promising de-silication method of bauxite.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the atmospheric water cycle in Lanzhou and surrounding areas, a place sensitive to climatic conditions and located in the vertex of the “Monsoon Triangle” of China; this study obtained 243 event-based precipitation samples from four stations in Lanzhou, Yongdeng, Yuzhong and Gaolan for 1 year from April 2011 to March 2012. The seasonal variations of δ 18O and d excess indicate that westerly water vapor, local moisture and summer monsoon all have an influence in this region on a large scale. The westerlies play a dominant role. However, the impact of monsoon moisture has a seasonal limitation, mainly during the period from June to early August. On a local scale, the transportation of moisture appears via two routes. The contribution rate of recycling moisture, over the region, is only 3.6 % on average due to the deficiency of water resource in arid and semi-arid land. Additionally, the effect of secondary evaporation has also been discussed, and the results show that relative humidity, temperature and precipitation amount have different impacts on the effect. However, the influence of precipitation amount is not obvious when the rainfall amount is below 10 mm, while the meteorological parameters of relative humidity and temperature play a significant role in that scope.

Heterostyly functions as an outcrossing mechanism facilitating accurate pollen transfer from anthers to stigmas of particular heights as a result of the behavior of specialist pollinators. However, heterostylous plants are also visited by generalist pollinators, which may affect the plant–pollinator mutualism. Eichhornia crassipes is a tristylous invasive species, with only the mid- and long-styled morphs (M and L) found in China. We recorded flower-visiting insects in Zhuhai, Zhongshan and Nanning in South China. We hand-pollinated the two morphs to determine their compatibility. In addition, by allowing controlled insect pollination in artificial isoplethically monomorphic and bimorphic populations, we undertook a detailed analysis of pollen deposition between the floral morphs, and fruit and seed set. Ranked by relative abundance, the flower-visiting insects were: Apis mellifera, A. cerana, Lasioglossum sp. and Eristalis arvorum. Hand pollination showed that both the M and L morphs were self-compatible, but the former was probably more so than the latter. Intra-morph pollen transfer by A. mellifera within a population was significantly greater than legitimate pollen transfer between populations, suggesting that the pollen exchange between populations was limited. Seed set of the L morph was significantly greater than that of the M morph in monomorphic populations, indicating intra-morph pollen deposition in the former was higher than in the latter. The results showed that A. mellifera was the major pollinator in South China and able to pollinate E. crassipes legitimately and to promote its fruit and seed set, even though high levels of intra-morph pollination occurred.

Based on the daily data of temperature and precipitation of 108 meteorological stations in Southwest China from 1960 to 2009, we calculate the monthly and yearly surface humid indexes, as well as the extreme drought frequency. According to the data, the temporal and spatial characteristics of the extreme drought frequency in inter-annual, inter-decadal, summer monsoon period and winter monsoon period are analyzed. The results are indicated as follows. (1) In general, the southwestern Sichuan Basin, southern Hengduan Mountains, southern coast of Guangxi and northern Guizhou are the areas where the extreme drought frequency has significantly increased in the past 50 years. As for the decadal change, from the 1960s to the 1980s the extreme drought frequency has presented a decreasing trend, while the 1990s is the wettest decade and the whole area is turning wet. In the 2000s, the extreme drought frequency rises quickly, but the regional differences reduce. (2) During summer monsoon period, the extreme drought frequency is growing, which generally occurs in the high mountains around the Sichuan Basin, most parts of Guangxi and “the broom-shaped mountains” in Yunnan. It is distinct that the altitude has impacts on the extreme drought frequency; during winter monsoon period, the area is relatively wet and the extreme drought frequency is decreasing. (3) During summer monsoon period, the abrupt change is observed in 2003, whereas the abrupt change during winter monsoon period is in 1989. The annual extreme drought frequency variation is a superposition of abrupt changes during summer monsoon and winter monsoon periods. The departure sequence vibration of annual extreme drought frequency is quasi-5 years and quasi-12 years.

The interest of probiotics as remedy for a broad number of infectious diseases has gained wide interest over the last few years, but little is known about their underlying mechanism of action. In this study, five selected Lactobacillus isolated from human intestinal and ferment milk were preliminarily identified by 16S rDNA gene sequencing and assessed the ability to inhibit the adhesion of enteropathogens using HT-29 cells model through a process which may be related to specific components of the bacterial surface. Surface layer proteins are located in a paracrystalline layer outside the bacterial cell wall and are thought to play a role in tissue adherence. Removal of S-layer proteins from the Lactobacillus (treated with 5 M LiCl) reduced inhibition activity as revealed in exclusion, competition and displacement assays, which suggested that S-layer proteins had involved in the adhesion of probiotics. SDS-PAGE analysis confirmed the presence of S-layer proteins with dominant band which was approximately 60 kDa. Further analysis of S-layer proteins revealed that the hydrophobic amino acids accounted for 43.2 % of the total amino acid for the Lactobacillus paracasei M7. So, these probiotics could be used in the health-promoting food products, which could prevent the diarrhea caused by pathogens.

According to the meteorological observation data of 72 stations from 1960 to 2010 in the Huanghe (Yellow) River Watershed, China, the long-term variations of potential evapotranspiration, calculated in the modified Penman-Monteith model of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, were presented, as well as the meteorological causes for the decrease of potential evapotranspiration were discussed. Since 1960, temperature has risen significantly and potential evapotranspiration a decreasing trend, which indicated the existence of “Evaporation paradox” in the Huanghe River Watershed. This phenomenon was not consistent spatially or temporally with the increase of temperature, potential evapotranspiration decreased in spring, summer and winter, mainly over most parts of Shanxi and Henan, and some parts of Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, and Shaanxi. During the recent half century, the trends of temperature and potential evapotranspiration were negatively correlated at most of the stations, while precipitation and potential evapotranspiration exhibited a contrary trend. Calculated in multiple regressions, the contribution to potential evapotranspiration change of related meteorological factors was discussed, including mean pressure, maximum and minimum temperature, sunshine hours, relative humidity and average wind speed. The decrease of wind speed in the Huanghe River Watershed may be the dominating factor causing potential evapotranspiration decreasing.

To investigate the role of the Notch1 signaling pathway in growth arrest of an esophageal carcinoma cell line (EC109) in vitro and the mechanism involved.An intracellular domain of Notch1 (ICN) was transfected into cultured EC109 cells by lipofectamine transfection. Subsequently, the proliferation of the transfected cells was measured by an MTT assay. Cell cycle distribution was analyzed by flow cytometry. Human papillomavirus type 18 (HPV18) E6/E7 mRNA expression was detected by RT-PCR, and p53 protein expression was detected by Western blot.Activation of Notch1 signaling resulted in inhibition of EC109 cell proliferation with the induction of G(2)/M arrest, downmodulation of HPV18 E6/E7 gene expression, and upregulation of p53 expression.Repression of HPV18 E6/E7 expression by Notch1 signaling results in the activation of p53-mediated pathways with concomitant growth suppression of HPV18-positive EC109 cells.

The flocculation behavior of ultrafine kaolinite suspension was investigated through settlement tests and FTIR method was employed to probe the adsorption mechanism of flocculant on kaolinite. The results show that the maximum settling rate of kaolinite occurs at pH value of 3.33, which is close to the point of zero charge(PZC) of kaolinite (3.5). This result is in good agreement with the double electric layer theory. Kaolinite suspension reaches the largest settling rate at a low concentration of 39 g/t for poly diallyl-dimethyl-ammonium chloride(PDADMA) flocculant, whereas for polyacrylamides(PAM) the dosage is required to be 500 g/t. When macromolecule polymer is adsorbed on surface, kaolinite particles may be flocculant due to the bridging effect. There are cation flocculant characteristic bands on the spectrum of kaolinite but no obvious shifting. Thus, the adsorption of poly diallyl-dimethyl-ammonium chloride on kaolinite surface is physical adsorption.

Aim: To investigate the effects of Sonic hedgehog (shh) protein on bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (BM-EPC) proliferation, migration and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production, and the potential signaling pathways involved in these effects. Methods: Bone marrow-derived Flk-1 + cells were enriched using the MACS system from adult Kunming mice and then BM-EPC was cultured in gelatin-coated culture dishes. The effects of shh N-terminal peptide on BM-EPC proliferation were evaluated using the MTT colorimetric assay. Cell migration was assayed using a modified Boy den chamber technique. The production of VEGF was determined by ELISA and immunofluorescence analysis. The potential involvement of PKC and PI3K signaling pathways was explored using selective inhibitor or Western blot. Results: The proliferation, migration and VEGF production in BM-EPC could be promoted by endogenous shh N-terminal peptide at concentrations of 0.1 μg/mL to 10 μg/mL, and could be inhibited by anti-shh antibodies. Shh-mediated proliferation and migration in BM-EPC could be partly attenuated by anti-VEGF. Phospho-PI3-kinase expression in newly separated BM-EPC was low, and it increased significantly when exogenous shh N-terminal peptide was added, but could be attenuated by anti-human/mouse shh N-terminal peptide antibody. Moreover, the inhibitor of the PI3-kinase, but not the inhibitor of the PKC, significantly inhibited the shh-mediated proliferation, migration and VEGF production. Conclusion: Shh protein can stimulate bone marrow-derived BM-EPC proliferation, migration and VEGF production, which may promote neovascularization to ischemic tissues. This results also suggests that the PI3-kinase/Akt signaling pathways are involved in the angiogenic effects of shh.

Objective To evaluate the effect of ligustrazine on bone marrow hematopoietic microenvironment and signal transduction in irradiation injured mice.

(Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated gene (ATM) functions in control of cell cycle checkpoints in responding to DNA damage and protects cells from undergoing apoptosis. Knock-out within tumor cells of endogenous ATM will achieve therapeutic benefits and enable a better understanding of the decisive mechanisms of cell death or survival in response to DNA damaging agents.) In present paper, we sought to characterize the cell cycle checkpoint profiles in U937-ASPI3K, a U937 cell mutant that was previously established with endogenous ATM knock-out phenotype. Synchronized U937-ASPI3K was exposed to 137Cs irradiation, G1, S, G2/M cell cycle checkpoint profiles were evaluated by determining cell cycle kinetics, p53/p21 protein, cyclin dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) and p34CDC2 kinase activity in response to irradiation. U937-ASPI3K exhibited multiple defects in cell cycle checkpoints as defined by failing to arrest cells upon irradiation. The accumulation of cellular p53/p21 protein and inhibition of CDK kinase was also abolished in U937-ASPI3K. It was concluded that the stable expression of anti-sense PI3K cDNA fragment completely abolished multiple cell cycle checkpoints in U937-ASPI3K, and hence U937-ASPI3K with an AT-like phenotype could serves as a valuable model system for investigating the signal transduction pathway in responding to DNA damaging-based cancer therapy.

In recent years, increasing concern has surrounded the consequences of improper electric and electronic waste (e-waste) disposal. In this paper, Phthalate esters (PAEs) including dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP) in the e-waste soils were collected and analyzed from sites Fengjiang, Nanshan and Meishu in Taizhou city. The result showed that the total PAEs concentrations ranged from 12.566 to 46.669 mg/kg in these three sites. DEHP, DBP and DEP were the major phthalates accounting for more than 94% of total phthalates studied. Comparing to the results from other studies, the e-waste soils from Taizhou city were severely contaminated with PAEs.

Multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (M-RT-PCR) has been proved to possess great clinical potential for simultaneous screening of 29 chromosomal translocations in acute leukemia. To evaluate the clinical value of M-RT-PCR in hematologic malignancies, bone marrow samples from 90 patients with various hematologic malignancies, including 25 acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), 22 acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 27 chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), 4 myeloproliferative diseases (MPD), 3 chronic lymphoblastic leukemia (CLL), 3 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), 3 myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), 2 multiple myeloma (MM) and 1 malignant histiocytosis (MH) were subjected to both M-RT-PCR and chromosome karyotypic analysis. Some of cases were subjected to follow-up examination of M-RT-PCR during the period of clinical complete remission (CR) for detection of minimal residual leukemia. In our hand, 12 of 29 chromosomal translocation transcripts including TEL/PDGFR, DEK/CAN, MLL/AF6, AML1/ETO, MLL/AF9, BCR/ABL, MLL/MLL, PML/RARu, TLS/ERG, E2A/HLF, EVI1 and HOXI1 were detected in 57 cases (63.3 %) of the 90 samples, which were in consistency with the results of karyotypic analysis. Furthermore, M-RT-PCR had also shown good clinical relevance when used as an approach to detect minimal residual leukemia. We concluded that M-RT-PCR could be used as an efficient and fast diagnostic tool not only in the initial diagnosis of hematologic malignancies but also in subsequent monitor of minimal residual leukemia.