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Background The transmission of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused global panic in the past three years. Countries have learned an important lesson in the practice of responding to COVID-19 pandemic: timely and accurate diagnosis is critical. As an important technology of virus diagnosis, nucleic acid testing (NAT) is also widely used in the identification of other infectious diseases. However, geographic factors often constrain the provision of public health services such as NAT services, and the spatial nature of their resource allocation is a significant problem. Methods We used OLS, OLS-SAR, GWR, GWR-SAR, MGWR, and MGWR-SAR models to identify the determinants of spatial difference and spatial heterogeneity affecting NAT institutions in China. Results Firstly, we identify that the distribution of NAT institutions in China shows a clear spatial agglomeration, with an overall trend of increasing distribution from west to east. There is significant spatial heterogeneity in Chinese NAT institutions. Secondly, the MGWR-SAR model results show that city level, population density, number of tertiary hospitals and number of public health emergency outbreaks are important factors influencing the spatial heterogeneity of NAT institutions in China. Conclusions Therefore, the government should allocate health resources rationally, optimise the spatial layout of testing facilities, and improve the ability to respond to public health emergencies. Meanwhile, third-party testing facilities need to focus on their role in the public health emergency response system as a market force to alleviate the inequitable allocation of health resources between regions. By taking these measures to prepare adequately for possible future public health emergencies.

Emerging evidence shows that the biomechanical environment is required to support cancer stem cells (CSCs), which play a crucial role in drug resistance. However, how mechanotransduction signals regulate CSCs and its clinical significance has remained unclear. Using clinical-practice ultrasound elastography for patients’ lesions and atomic force microscopy for surgical samples, we reveal that increased matrix stiffness is associated with poor responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, worse prognosis, and CSC enrichment in patients with breast cancer. Mechanically, TAZ activated by biomechanics enhances CSC properties via phase separation with NANOG. TAZ-NANOG phase separation, which is dependent on acidic residues in the N-terminal activation domain of NANOG, promotes the transcription of SOX2 and OCT4. Therapeutically, targeting NANOG or TAZ reduces CSCs and enhances the chemosensitivity in vivo. Collectively, this study demonstrated that the phase separation of a pluripotency transcription factor links mechanical cues in the niche to the fate of CSCs.

A pyroligneous solution (PS) and soluble calcium application has received growing interest as a sustainable technology to improve salt tolerance of plants. We aimed to study the effect and potential of combined application of soluble calcium and wood vinegar solution on the effect of soil improvement and cotton yield increase. Therefore, a pot trial was conducted to investigate the effects of the individual and co-application of a PS derived from burn straw and soluble calcium (Ca) on cotton growth characteristics, photosynthetic capacity, seed yield, and soil properties. Compared with those in the P0C1 and P1C0 treatments, the P1C1 treatment increased the seed cotton yield by 19.4% and 9.3%, red edge normalized vegetation index by 7.1% and 8.6%, partial fertilizer productivity by 17.7% and 14.6%, nitrogen agronomic efficiency by 64.8% and 32.6%, and quantum efficiency of PS by 0.02 and 0.04 units, respectively. And, the P1C1 treatment decreased the soil pH and electric conductivity by 0.26 and 2.4 units, respectively, compared with P0C0 treatment. Moreover, regardless of individual or co-application, all the amendments had little effect on soil aggregates. Soil amendment by PS in conjunction with soluble calcium might be an effective strategy to alleviate salt stress and improve crop productivity in salt-affected croplands.

Background Organic materials carbon is mainly sequestrated in humin. However, the carbon (C) stability of humin with organic materials amendments in different types of soils is mainly affected by organic materials or soil types as well as the enzymatic reaction is important for understanding the C sequestration mechanism of soil. Results In this study, straw and straw-derived biochar were incorporated into three different types of soils. Using 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, the structural composition of humin (Hu) was analyzed, along with the urease and β-glucosidase activities. The results showed that biochar amendment enhanced aryl C to 49.63%–76.55% while straw amendments increased O-alkyl C of Hu to 33.99%–51.70%. Two-way ANOVA analysis revealed significant differences in the impact of soil types and treatments on enzyme activities and functional groups of humin. A significant positive correlation was found between β-glucosidase activity and O-alkyl C, phenolic C, and methoxyl C of humin. In addition, urease activity showed a significant positive correlation with alkyl C of humin. Compared to tobacco straw, tobacco straw-biochar amendment increased β-glucosidase activity for 22.01 mg kg−1 d−1, 26.01 mg kg−1 d−1 and 14.01 mg kg−1 d−1 in three types of soils, respectively. Conclusions These results showed that β-glucosidase contributed to the transformation of humin functional groups and was influenced by organic materials and soil types, especially the organic materials types. The findings imply that straw or straw-derived biochar application stimulates urease and β-glucosidase activities, which improves the alternation of functional groups of humin in different types of soil. Graphical Abstract

We aimed to investigate the effect of combining urea humate and wood vinegar on the improvement of saline soils and the yield of wheat and maize. The following seven treatments were designed and conducted for 2 years, a no nitrogen fertilizer (CK) treatment, and a further six treatments consisting of a combination of three rates of urea humate (H0: no urea humate; H1: 50% urea humate; H2: 100% urea humate) and two rates of wood vinegar as a foliar fertilizer (W0: no wood vinegar; W1: 90 L ha−1 wood vinegar). The results indicated that the wood vinegar treatment increased wheat yields by 12.4–44.3% and maize yields by 6.8–13.7% and that 100% urea humate application increased wheat yields by 8.1–38.0% and maize yields by 3.5–9.7%. Furthermore, nitrogen use efficiency was significantly improved with the combined application of humic acid urea and wood vinegar. Compared with the no urea humate treatment (H0), at the end of the 2-year field trial, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen increased by 9.8–24.9% and 18.1–29.2%, respectively, urease activity decreased by 16.6–25.0%, and mineral nitrogen (NH4+-N and NO3--N) content increased in the 0–40 cm soil layer. Collectively, our findings thus indicate that the combined application of urea humate and wood vinegar can increase the yields and nitrogen fertilizer utilization of rotation wheat and maize, although the extent of these increases differed according to the amount of urea humate input.

Nonmetal mesoporous carbon exhibits environment friendliness and low cost, which attract much attention in energy storage and conversion. In this work, a N, P-doped mesoporous carbon (NPMC-T) was synthesized by the SiO2 hard template. The mesoporous structure and high N, P content for NPMC-T are beneficial to expose more active sites and accelerate electron transfer, and contribute to exhibit remarkable electrocatalytic activity for supercapacitors and hydrogen evolution reaction application. NPMC-800 is applied as electrode material for supercapacitors and exhibits high specific capacitance (219 F g−1 at 1 A g−1). Meanwhile, the NPMC-T is used as electrocatalyst for HER and shows the good electrocatalytic performance with small Tafel slope of 52 mV dec−1, low overpotential of 298 mV (10 mA cm−2) than that of most other reported analogous catalysts, and excellent stability (after 2000 cycles). This effective capability of N, P-doped multifunctional mesoporous carbon materials is expected to promote the application in supercapacitors and hydrogen evolution reaction widely. A multifunctional non-metal mesoporous carbon electrocatalysis catalyst NPMC-800 was synthesized by the SiO2 hard template method (BET surface area is 593.1 m2g−1). The mesoporous structure and N, P doping of NPMC-800 exhibited the high specific capacitance of 219 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 for supercapacitors, meanwhile, offered glorious electrocatalytic performance for HER with a low overpotential of 298 mV at 10 mA cm-2 , a small Tafel slope 52 mV dec−1 and the surpassing stability after 2000 cycles under acidic conditions.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which consist of chromatin DNA filaments coated with granule proteins, are released by neutrophils to trap microorganisms1-3. Recent studies have suggested that the DNA component of NETs (NET-DNA) is associated with cancer metastasis in mouse models4-6. However, the functional role and clinical importance of NET-DNA in metastasis in patients with cancer remain unclear. Here we show that NETs are abundant in the liver metastases of patients with breast and colon cancers, and that serum NETs can predict the occurrence of liver metastases in patients with early-stage breast cancer. NET-DNA acts as a chemotactic factor to attract cancer cells, rather than merely acting as a 'trap' for them; in several mouse models, NETs in the liver or lungs were found to attract cancer cells to form distant metastases. We identify the transmembrane protein CCDC25 as a NET-DNA receptor on cancer cells that senses extracellular DNA and subsequently activates the ILK-β-parvin pathway to enhance cell motility. NET-mediated metastasis is abrogated in CCDC25-knockout cells. Clinically, we show that the expression of CCDC25 on primary cancer cells is closely associated with a poor prognosis for patients. Overall, we describe a transmembrane DNA receptor that mediates NET-dependent metastasis, and suggest that targeting CCDC25 could be an appealing therapeutic strategy for the prevention of cancer metastasis.

The objectives of this study were to determine the valence state of Se and major components in Se ore powder, examine its effect on Se enrichment in crops under different cultivation patterns, and assess the safety of edible parts of crops. Se ore powder from Enshi was subjected to compositional analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and applied to rice (wetland) and soybean (dryland) fields before planting. Se was mainly present in tetravalent and zero-valent forms at a 4:6 ratio in Se ore powder. Following soil application of Se ore powder, concentrations of As, Hg, Cr, and Pb in brown rice and soybean seed were below the limit of detection, and the Cd concentration was below the European Union food regulation limit. Organic Se accounted for more than 96% of total Se in both crops, including >91% Se-methionine. Compared with dryland, the flooded environment facilitated residual Se transformation into Fe/Mn oxide-bound Se, and thus increased the potential activity of Se in the soil. Se ore powder can be applied for the production of Se-rich agricultural products in the short-term, and possibilities of upgrading the Se ore product should be considered in the future.

The strictly contractive Peaceman-Rachford splitting method is one of effective methods for solving separable convex optimization problem, and the inertial proximal Peaceman-Rachford splitting method is one of its important variants. It is known that the convergence of the inertial proximal Peaceman-Rachford splitting method can be ensured if the relaxation factor in Lagrangian multiplier updates is underdetermined, which means that the steps for the Lagrangian multiplier updates are shrunk conservatively. Although small steps play an important role in ensuring convergence, they should be strongly avoided in practice. In this article, we propose a relaxed inertial proximal Peaceman-Rachford splitting method, which has a larger feasible set for the relaxation factor. Thus, our method provides the possibility to admit larger steps in the Lagrangian multiplier updates. We establish the global convergence of the proposed algorithm under the same conditions as the inertial proximal Peaceman-Rachford splitting method. Numerical experimental results on a sparse signal recovery problem in compressive sensing and a total variation based image denoising problem demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.

Despite the many studies about peatland development and carbon dynamics in China, especially for Zoige peatlands on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, few apply modeling as an effective approach to study peatland development. In order to fill up the knowledge gaps of China alpine peatland development and to provide a comparison with previous research, we studied the Zoige peatlands in Holocene with a modeling approach. Simulated results were obtained by the Holocene peatland model (HPM). Driving data was reconstructed based on paleoclimate studies. Model calibration and performance index validation were done by comparing the model output with literature data about peat age depth. Based on our results, the peat cohort mass mean accumulation rate was 0.45 mm year−1 (ranging from 0.38 to 0.50 mm year−1). The mean C accumulation rate was about 0.026 kg C m−2 year−1 (ranging from 0.023 to 0.029 kg C m−2 year−1), with a peak accumulation rate around 7 ka to 6 ka BP during the Holocene. The peat depth was 5.38 m (ranging from 4.6 to 5.99 m). The total peat storage in Zoige was about 1.76 Pg (ranging from 1.58 to 2.29 pg), and the carbon stock was estimated as 0.432 pg C (ranging from 0.348 to 0.479 pg C) in Zoige peatlands during the Holocene. After model calibration and validation, simulated results indicated that peat development and carbon accumulation were controlled by variation of water table depth (WTD). Simulated results indicated that the Zoige peatlands are the most important component of peatlands in China in terms of carbon stock. Though HPM lacks in driving data of temperature and incomplete climate factors, its limitations in the parameter setting should not offset the added value of the modeling approach in improving our understanding of peatland carbon and their controlling factor dynamics at the long-term scales in the Zoige region where there are very few studies so far.

Crystallization behavior, liberation and beneficiation of Ti-rich phases precipitated from Ti-bearing slag of smelting process for titanomagnetite were systematically investigated. For the slags containing 40-55 % TiO2, anosovite can precipitate as the main Ti-rich phase, especially as the TiO2/MgO/Al2O3 content is relatively high and basicity [R = w(CaO)/w(SiO2)] is low. In particular, as the content of MgO is low, crystallization of rutile is dominant and most of the Ti element is enriched in rutile. Based on the results of variation in the Ti enriched phases within the whole composition, the crystallization diagram of Ti-rich phases has been constructed in the present study. Slags with compositions being in the optimal ranges in the crystallization diagram shows the most satisfactory liberation degree and beneficiation response. By gravity separation, the TiO2 content of the slag can be upgraded to nearly 70 %. In addition, compared with perovskite and rutile, anosovite grains show much bigger sizes since the growth of anosovite crystals is easier under the same condition.

To clarify the effect of sulphate on the uptake and translocation of selenium (Se) by rape (Brassica napus L.) with Se applied as selenite or selenate. Three hydroponic experiments were conducted at the seedling stage of B. napus. Selenium concentrations in plant and culture solution samples were analyzed by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS-8220). The Se absorption capacity of B. napus supplied with selenate or selenite was the same at 0.1 mM sulphate. The translocation factor of Se was significantly reduced by up to 46.4 % with increasing selenite in solution, while sulphate had no effect on Se translocation in selenite treatment. The translocation factor of Se was substantially increased by up to 60.5 % with increasing selenate in solution, and the application of sulphate appeared to facilitate Se translocation in selenate treatment. The positive effect of sulphate was more significant with extended treatment time, but unrelated to selenate or sulphate concentration. The Se absorption capacity of B. napus supplied with selenite or selenate depends on the concentration of sulphate. Sulphate is involved in the root-to-shoot translocation of Se in B. napus supplied with selenate, but not selenite. These results need confirming in pot and field trials.

The main symptom of boron (B) deficiency in cotton is the formation of brown rings on leaf petioles. The objective of the present study was to determine the changes in the anatomical structure and chemical composition of petioles and photosynthesis of leaves in cotton under B deficiency. Compared to the control, B deficiency treatment resulted in large increases in the number of petioles with brown rings per plant (160.0%) and the number of rings on the petiole per functional leaf (711.1%) in cotton seedlings. The relative absorbance intensity in the fingerprint region of polysaccharide structure was decreased in petiole rings under B deficiency, while lignin contents were increased. Cotton plants mitigated the impairment of transport function in cotton petioles by increasing the areas of vascular bundles, phloem, xylem, and phloem fiber. Moreover, the stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, and transpiration rate in leaves were significantly decreased under B deficiency, thus impeding photosynthesis in cotton plants. Therefore, B deficiency reduces transport function in petioles and photosynthesis in leaves, and leads to the formation of noticeable brown rings on petioles of cotton seedlings.

Mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose tissue have the capacity to differentiate into endodermal, mesoderm and ectodermal cell lineages in vitro, which are an ideal engraft in tissue-engineered repair. In this study, mouse adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) were isolated from subcutaneous fat. The markers of ADSCs, CD13, CD29, CD44, CD71, CD73, CD90, CD105, CD166, Nestin, GFAP and MAP-2 were detected by immunofluorescence assays. The ADSCs were cultured in cocktail factors (including ATRA, GGF-2, bFGF, PDGF and forskolin) for neurogenic differentiation. The neurogenic cells markers, Nestin, GFAP and MAP-2 were analyzed using immunofluorescence and real-time PCR after dramatic changes in morphology. Neurogenic cells from ADSCs were autologous transplanted into the mouse of spinal cord injury for observation neurogenic cells colonization in spinal cord. The result demonstrated that the mouse ADSCs were positive for the CD13, CD29, CD44, CD71, CD73, CD90, CD105 and CD166 but negative for neurogenic cell markers, MAP-2, GFAP and Nestin. After neurogenic differentiation, the neurogenic cells were positive for neurogenic cell special markers, gene expression level showed a time-lapse increase, and the cells were successful colonized into spinal cord. In conclusion, our research shows that a population of neuronal cells can be specifically generated from ADSCs and that induced cells may allow for participation in tissue-repair.

This study examined the effect of sulphur (S) on the transformation of selenium (Se) fractions and Se species in soil and on the uptake by wheat of Se applied as selenite. Pot and hydroponic experiments were conducted at the wheat seedling stage. The Se concentrations in shoots and roots of wheat and soil were analyzed by HG-AFS-8220. Selenium content in the soil was divided into different fractions and species. The application of 150 mg∙kg−1 S reduced Se concentrations in wheat shoots and roots significantly, declining 47 % and 45 %, respectively. Sulphur treatment changed soil pH (maximum decrease of 0.52 units) and organic matter content (maximum increase of 0.96 g∙kg−1) significantly, thereby reduced the soluble Se concentration, increased the iron (Fe)/manganese (Mn) oxide-bound Se concentration. Sulphur treatment also reduced the concentration of Se6+ in the exchangeable fraction. The application of S fertiliser promoted soluble Se transformation to Fe-Mn oxide-bound Se, organic matter-bound Se and residual Se by lowering soil pH and increasing organic matter content, and inhibited the transformation of Se4+ to Se6+ in the exchangeable fraction, hence reducing wheat uptake of Se in high-Se areas.

Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was used as surfactants to modify the crystallization of β-Ni(OH)2 via a simple ammonia-evaporation/CTAB-induced method onto nickel foam by using a mixed aqueous solution of nickel nitrate, CTAB, and ammonia. Their structure and surface morphology are characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The SEM images show changes in the microstructure of β-Ni(OH)2, and the XRD patterns exhibit a much higher relative diffraction intensity of (1 0 0) peaks with the addition of CTAB. The effects of CTAB content on the electrochemical behaviors of β-Ni(OH)2 are investigated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results demonstrate that the modified β-Ni(OH)2 electrode has better electrochemical performance, such as better reaction reversibility, higher proton diffuse coefficient, higher specific capacity, and better cyclic stability. Importantly, when the CTAB content in the initial solution was 0.03 g, the results show a drastic improvement in the capacitive characteristics of β-Ni(OH)2 with a specific capacitance increases from 386 to 1,019 F g−1 at a high charging/discharging current density of 6 A g−1.

Based on the fluidized roasting reduction technology of low-grade pyrolusite coupling with pretreatment of stone coal, the manganese reduction efficiency was investigated and technical conditions were optimized. It is found that the optimum manganese reduction efficiency can be up to 98.97% under the conditions that the mass ratio of stone coal to pyrolusite is 3: 1, the roasting temperature of stone coal is 1000 degrees C, the roasting temperature of pyrolusite is 800 degrees C, and the roasting time is 2 h. Other low-grade pyrolusite ores in China from Guangxi, Hunan, and Guizhou Provinces were tested and all these minerals responded well, giving similar to 99% manganese reduction efficiency. Meanwhile, the reduction kinetic model has been established. It is confirmed that the reduction process is controlled by the interface chemical reaction. The apparent activation energy is 36.397 kJ/mol.

Tropical forests play an important role in carbon cycle. However, the temporal and spatial variation in soil carbon dioxide (CO2) emission of tropical forest remains uncertain, especially near the Tropic of Cancer. In this research, we studied the annual soil CO2 fluxes from three tropical montane rainforests on the Hainan Island of China (pristine montane rainforest, PF; secondary montane rainforest, SF; and Podocarpus imbricatus plantation, PP). The results showed a lower annual average soil CO2 flux as 6.85 ± 0.52 Mg C-CO2 ha−1 (9.17 Mg C-CO2 ha−1 in the wet season and 4.50 Mg C-CO2 ha−1 in the dry season). The CO2 fluxes exhibited obviously seasonal variation during the study period. Among the three forest types, PF had the highest average CO2 flux rate of 317.77 ± 147.71 mg CO2 m−2 h−1 (433.08 mg CO2 m−2 h−1 in the wet season and 202.47 mg CO2 m−2 h−1 in the dry season), followed by PP of 286.84 ± 137.48 mg CO2 m−2 h−1 (367.12 mg CO2 m−2 h−1 in the wet season and 206.56 mg CO2 m−2 h−1 in the dry season) and SF of 255.09 ± 155.26 mg CO2 m−2 h−1 (351.48 mg CO2 m−2 h−1 in the wet season and 155.71 mg CO2 m−2 h−1 in the dry season). We found between CO2 fluxes and soil temperature a highly significant linear relation (P 0.05). The CO2 flux was significantly correlated (P

Metal leaching from a low-grade nickel ore was investigated using an ammonium sulfate roasting-water leaching process. The nickel ore was mixed with ammonium sulfate, followed by roasting and finally leaching with water. During the process the effects of the amount of ammonium sulfate, roasting temperature, and roasting time on the leaching recovery of metal elements were analyzed. The optimum technological parameters were determined as follows: ammonium sulfate/ore ratio, 0.8 g/g; roasting temperature, 400°C; and roasting time, 2 h. Under the optimum condition the leaching recoveries of Ni, Cu, Fe, and Mg were 83.48%, 76.24%, 56.43%, and 62.15%, respectively. Furthermore, the dissolution kinetics of Ni and Mg from the nickel ore was studied. The apparent activation energies for the leaching reaction of Ni and Mg were 18.782 and 10.038 kJ·mol−1, which were consistent with the values of diffusion control reactions. Therefore, the results demonstrated that the leaching recoveries of Ni and Mg were controlled by diffusion.

The aim of this study is to systematically review the published literature from East Asia on the clinical, pathological, and epidemiological characteristics of primary clavicle tumor and tumorous lesions. A computerized search based on keywords “clavicle,” “tumor,” and “tumorous lesion” (both in Chinese and in English) was performed on literature published from 1980 to 2011 in East Asian countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, and Mongolia. An analysis was carried out with unified inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two hundred and six cases were identified. The age of onset ranged from 1.5 to 70, with an average age of 29.4, and a male/female ratio of 1.53:1. Lesion locations included 28.9% in medial third, 18.8% in the middle third, and 33.6% in the lateral third of the clavicle. Another 7.4% involved both the medial and middle thirds, 7.4% involved both the middle and lateral thirds, and 4.0% involved the entire length of the clavicle. Major pathological types included 18.5% eosinophilic granuloma, 10.2% plasmocytoma, 7.8% Ewing sarcoma, 8.7% osteosarcoma, 8.7% osteochondroma, and 5.3% chondrosarcoma. The age of onset was found to be strongly correlated with the benign/malignant ratio. Clavicle malignancy was rarely found in patients younger than 10 years, while the incidence of malignancy greatly increased among patients over 40 years old. Total or subtotal claviculectomy was the most common treatment in cases for which treatment information was available. Of these, 40.8% of patients received reconstruction with allograft or autograft. Clavicle tumors and tumorous lesions in East Asia had an inclined occurrence in respect to age and gender. The most common tumors were eosinophilic granuloma and tumors derived from the bone marrow hematopoietic system. Age of onset was found to be a risk factor for malignancy. These characteristics may be related to the special tissue structures and mode of development in the clavicle as well as to the genetic traits of the typical Mongoloids in East Asia.

Plants respond to biotic and abiotic stresses through the activation and coordination of various signalling pathways. The activation often requires the phosphorylation of proteins. In this study, we have identified the wheat TaFLRS MAP kinase (Fusarium and Leaf Rust Sensitive) gene that was upregulated in a wheat EST (expressed sequence tag) array analysis following a wheat-leaf rust interactive challenge. Our results demonstrate that TaFLRS is transcriptionally upregulated in incompatible interactions involving wheat and leaf rust and Fusarium graminearum, suggesting that this MAPK maybe involved in defence responses to these wheat pathogens. RT-PCR revealed that TaFLRS transcript levels are not altered by salicylic acid (SA) treatment. However, immunoprecipitation and western blotting analysis show that phosphorylation of TaFLRS at the TEY motif was enhanced by SA in the Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistant cultivar Frontana following challenge with the FHB pathogen. The role of TaFLRS MAP kinase in defence responses in wheat is discussed.

Disability caused by nonunited fracture of the clavicle is a rare condition that is expressed by local pain. This condition is usually treated by reduction of the fracture and stable fixation with augmentation by autogenous bone graft. This is a retrospective study to assess outcome of the treatment of clavicular nonunion with a novel shape memory Ni-Ti alloy swan-like bone connector (SMC). August, 2003 to December, 2006, 5 consecutive patients with clavicular nonunion were treated using SMC in our hospital. The SMC device was cooled with ice before implantation and then warmed to 40-50 °C after implantation, to produce balanced axial and compression forces that would stabilize the fracture. We have used cancellous bone grafting in all our cases to obtain solid healing. Average follow-up was 37 months (range 25-58). In all patients, satisfactory osseous union was achieved. There was no complication from the hardware. The average Constant score which is for evaluating function of injured shoulder after operation was 86 points (average Constant score for the unaffected shoulder was 95). All patients were very satisfied with the treatment and outcome. The SMC provides a new effective method for fracture fixation and treatment of bone nonunion for clavicle.

We developed the acetabular tridimensional memoryalloy fixation system (ATMFS), which is made of NiTi shape memory alloy, according to the specific mechanical properties of biological memory material, NiTi shape memory alloy and measured distribution of contact area and pressure between the acetabulum and the femoral head of cadaveric pelvis. Seven formalin-preserved cadaveric pelves were used for this investigation. Pressure-sensitive film was used to measure contact area and pressure within the anterior, superior, and posterior regions of the acetabulum. The pelves were loaded under the following four conditions: (1) intact; (2) following a creation posterior wall fracture defect; (3) following reduction and standard internal fixation with reconstruction plate; and (4) following reduction and internal fixation with a new shape memory alloy device named ATMFS. A posterior wall fracture was created along an arc of 40° to 90° about the acetabulur rim. Creation of a posterior wall defect resulted in increased load in the superior acetabulum (1485 N) as compared to the intact condition (748 N, P = 0.009). Following reduction and internal fixation, the load distributed to the superior acetabulum (1545 N) was not statistically different from the defect condition. Following the fixation with ATMFS, the load seen at the superior region of the actabulum (964 N) was familiar with fixation with reconstruction plate and was not different from intact state (P = 0.45). These data indicate that the use of ATMFS as a fracture internal fixation device resulted a partial restoration of joint loading parameters toward the intact state. ATMFS fixation may result in a clinical benefit.

Comminuted and displaced fractures of the inferior pole of the patella are not easy to reduce and it is difficult to fix the fragments soundly enough to allow early movement of the knee. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the internal fixation technique with Patellar Shape-Memory Fixator (PSMF) in acute comminuted fractures of the inferior pole of the patella. We retrospectively studied 25 patients with comminuted fractures of the inferior pole of the patella who were treated with PSMF and followed up for a mean period of 26 months (14 to 60). All the fractures healed at a mean of 6 weeks (5 to 7). The mean grading at the final follow-up was 29.5 points (27 to 30) using the Bostman score, with no observable restriction of movement. No breakage of the PSMF or infection occurred. No delayed union, nonunion, and infection were seen. This technique preserved the length of the patella, reduced the comminuted fragments of the inferior pole and avoided long-term immobilization of the knee.

We present a null-space primal-dual interior-point algorithm for solving nonlinear optimization problems with general inequality and equality constraints. The algorithm approximately solves a sequence of equality constrained barrier subproblems by computing a range-space step and a null-space step in every iteration. The l2 penalty function is taken as the merit function. Under very mild conditions on range-space steps and approximate Hessians, without assuming any regularity, it is proved that either every limit point of the iterate sequence is a Karush-Kuhn-Tucker point of the barrier subproblem and the penalty parameter remains bounded, or there exists a limit point that is either an infeasible stationary point of minimizing the l 2 norm of violations of constraints of the original problem, or a Fritz-John point of the original problem. In addition, we analyze the local convergence properties of the algorithm, and prove that by suitably controlling the exactness of range-space steps and selecting the barrier parameter and Hessian approximation, the algorithm generates a superlinearly or quadratically convergent step. The conditions on guaranteeing that all slack variables are still positive for a full step are presented.

From August 1990 to December 2007, 156 patients with humeral shaft nonunion were treated with our patented Ni-Ti shape memory alloy swan-like memory pressure connector (SMC). The SMC device cooled with ice before implantation was warmed to 40-50 degrees C after implantation to produce balanced axial and compression forces to stabilise the fracture three-dimensionally. This combined with autologous bone grafting achieved bone tissue regeneration in the fracture and promoted smooth recovery of joint function, with a nonunion healing rate of 98.7% after a single SMC implantation. Failure of nonunion healing occurred in only two cases but was successfully managed by a further operation. Complications were not found in any of these patients apart from four with pre-existing radial nerve injuries. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the SMC device for the management of humeral shaft nonunion. The device provides continuous compression of the fracture with minimal trauma to the local blood supply.

TREE submodel affiliated with TREEDYN was used to simulate biomass dynamics of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) forest under different managements (including thinning, clear cutting, combining thinning with clear cutting). The purpose was to represent biomass dynamics involved in its development, which can provide scientific arguments for management of Masson pine forest. The results showed the scenario that 10% or 20% of biomass of the previous year was thinned every five years from 15 to 40 years made total biomass of pine forest increase slowly and it took more time to reach a mature community; If clear cutting and thinning were combined, the case C (clear cutting at 20 years of forest age, thinning 50% of remaining biomass at 30 years of forest age, and thinning 50% of remaining biomass again at 40 years of forest age) was the best scenario which can accelerate speed of development of Masson pine forest and gained better economic values.

SiC fibre with low oxygen content and high tensile strength was first synthesized in our laboratory. The SiC fibre was obtained by using a polyblend of polycarbosilane (PC) and hydroxy-terminated-polybutadiene (HTPB) as a precursor. It was found that PC could react with HTPB to form cross-linked polymers at temperatures around 260 ° C, so the HTPB can be used as a curing agent. Consequently, the need for oxygen to be introduced in the air-curing process is reduced and SiC fibre with low oxygen content and higher tensile strength can be made. The chemical compositions, the oxidation resistance and chemical stability of the SiC fibre were also studied here.

Acetone ferrocenecarbonylhydrazone, HL, reacts with hydrated lanthanide nitrates in absolute EtOH to give mixed ligand complexes, Ln(HL)(dipy)(NO3)3nH2O (Ln = lanthanide; dipy = dipyridine), which have been characterised by i.r., u.V., and n.m.r. spectroscopy, by molar conductance and by t.g. analysis.