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Two disparate types of nano-fuels comprised of N-tetradecane (C14) with carbon nanotubes (CNT) and cerium dioxide (CeO2) nanoparticles were prepared, and their main physical parameters were compared. The visualized evaporation experiment of single pendant droplet was conducted at the environment temperatures from 100 ℃ to 200 ℃, and the effects of nanoparticles' concentration, size, and properties on the droplet evaporation performances were interpreted. It was found that the droplet evaporation process of different types of nano-fuels followed the classical D2-law well in the definite temperature range. However, nanoparticles have completely inverse effects on the droplet evaporation under low and high temperatures. At 100 ℃, due to the intensified surface tension and viscosity, the pendant nano-fuel droplets evaporated more slowly than C14 droplets, and the evaporation restraint was enhanced with the increase of nanoparticles' concentration. However, when the environment temperature was over 150 ℃, the droplet evaporation rate of nano-fuels was higher than that of C14, and it rose up with the increase of nanoparticles' concentration. At the same concentration, the droplet evaporation rate declined with the increase of the particle size. In addition, the role of CNT in enhancing the droplet evaporation was more pronounced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Exploration (GOCE) has changed the global contribution in the determination of high-accuracy global geopotential models (GGMs). In this paper, a spectral expansion method is used to determine the combined GGMs, using the high-resolution EGM2008 model and residual terrain model (RTM) to effectively bridge the spectral gap between the satellite and terrestrial data. The accuracy of the combined GGMs shows improvement compared with GOCE/GRACE-based GGMs and EGM2008 in determining the geopotential of the Hong Kong Principal Datum (HKPD). As a result of the DIR_R5/EGM2008/RTM model and GNSS/levelling, the geopotential value of HKPD is estimated to be 62,636,860.52 m2s−2 with respect to the global geoid W0 = 62,636,853.4 m2s−2. Therefore, the vertical offset between the HKPD and global geoid is about −72.8 cm, which means that the HKPD is 72.8 cm below the global height datum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A detailed discussion of the adjustment problems used to combine GNSS/levelling/gravity network data is provided in this paper. The two primary problems inherent to heterogeneous data networks, namely, parametric models that describe the datums and systematic distortions among the available data sets and stochastic models that describe the observational residuals, are described. For parametric models, a relationship between the transformation parameters and the effects of datums and systematic distortions inherent among different height data types is established based on a least squares criterion. For stochastic models, the stochastic errors in GNSS/levelling/gravity data are evaluated, and a Helmert variance component estimation approach is introduced to refine weighting models. Finally, the proposed model is applied to determine the hybrid geoid in Linyi, China. The numerical results validate the capability and effectiveness of the proposed combined adjustment technique for hybrid geoid computations, revealing an achievable external accuracy of ±1.22 cm compared with GNSS/levelling measurements, which can be increased by 0.44 cm compared with classic adjustments of GNSS/levelling/geoid height data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sample pre-treatment plays an important role in sample analysis, which directly affects the accuracy and reliability of the results. In this work we studied the influence of three common sample pre-treatment methods (direct injection, microwave digestion and wet digestion) on the determination of lead (Pb) content of Chinese health-care wines by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). Six different brands of Chinese health wines were selected for the research. After each Chinese health-care wine was digested by three digestion methods, GFAAS was used to detect the Pb content of the samples. For the selected six different health-care wines, the results showed that the Pb content obtained by GFAAS with different pre-treatment methods were different. Microwave digestion had the best recovery, and was proposed to be applied to the pre-treatment of many kinds of health-care wines, while the direct injection method might be suitable only for health-care wine with lesser amounts of ingredients such as sugar. In the practical work, due to the complexity of the base composition of Chinese health-care wines, currently there is no relevant standard analysis method for the pre-treatment of Chinese health wines. According to the accuracies of the three chosen common pre-treatment methods, it was proposed that microwave digestion might be more suitable as a standard digestion method for the determination of Pb in Chinese health-care wines. This work could provide theoretical support for the further establishment of a standard analytical method for the determination of lead and other (heavy) metal elements in Chinese health wines by GFAAS and other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) is an inherited disorder associated with abnormal deposition of cholestenol in the brain and other tissues. Here we report a Chinese family with two affected members of CTX. Clinical data were collected. Gene analysis, MRI, neuropsychological assessments, and the biopsy of right Achilles tendon xanthoma were carried out. The two cases had similar symptoms for cataracts, chronic diarrhea, progressive cognitive impairment and a disturbance of gait, and were identified with the same compound heterozygous mutations, c.435G>T in exon 2 and c.562C>T in exon 3. Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) is an inherited disorder associated with abnormal deposition of cholestenol in the brain and other tissues. Although CTX is a treatable disease, the time of beginning treatment is crucial for therapeutic effect. Unfortunately, it usually takes years even decades from initial symptoms to the diagnosis of CTX. The screening for 27-hydroxylase (CYP27A1) gene even before the occurrence of tendon xanthoma is important for early diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study adopts microdata of individual housing transactions in Beijing to explore the value that households place on high-quality schools. It is among the first to match exactly the housing unit with its corresponding school in studies on Chinese housing markets. We find a significant school premium of 21.1% in Beijing's housing market after controlling the unobservable neighbourhood effects using regressions with a spatial lag. We have further discovered different school premiums across quantiles with a spatial quantile regression. The result finding a larger school premium in the lower-priced housing units suggests that low-income households prefer high-quality schools over housing consumption. Our results indicate that public education influences households' residential location choice and housing consumption decisions, which thus have important policy implications in public goods provision, housing development and urban planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the spatial spillover effects of nonperforming loans in commercial banks are investigated based on Chinese provinces. Panel data from 31 provinces in China covering the period from 2005 to 2014 are used in this study. First, we employ Moran's I statistic to describe the empirical evidence for the presence of spatial dependencies in provincial nonperforming loans ratio (NPLR) after checking the stationarity of the data by the second-generation panel unit root tests. Then we construct the spatial panel data model through a set of model specification tests, and calculate the direct and indirect effects of the explanatory variables. The empirical results show that the spatial spillover effect plays a significant role in regional nonperforming loans. Furthermore, the growth rate of the gross domestic product and the unemployment rate are two important factors in the transmission of nonperforming loans among the regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Human ether-a-go-go-related gene (HERG) K+ channels are shown to be aberrantly expressed in a variety of cancer cells where they play roles in contributing to cancer progression. Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of clinical heterogeneous disorders characterized by bone marrow failure and dysplasia of blood cells. However, the involvement of HERG K+ channels in MDS development is poorly understood. Methods: The expression of HERG K+ channels in untreated MDS, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and the control group was detected by flow cytometry. The roles of HERG K+ channels in regulation of SKM-1 cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle were determined by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Results: We found that expression of HERG K+ channels in MDS patients was significantly higher than controls and was lower than AML. Percentage of HERG K+ channels on CD34+CD38- cells gradually increased from controls to high-grade MDS subtypes. And HERG K+ channel levels showed an ascending tendency from low-risk to high-risk MDS group. In addition, the CCK-8 assay, apoptosis and cell cycle analysis were performed and showed that blockage of HERG K+ channels decreased the proliferation of MDS cells but rarely had effects on cell apoptosis and cell cycle distribution. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that HERG K+ channels might be a potential tumor marker of MDS. These channels were likely to contribute to MDS progression and were helpful for predicting prognosis of MDS. Inhibition of HERG K+ channels might be a novel therapeutic measure for MDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activating mutations in NOTCH1 consitute the most prominent genetic abnormality in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). However, most T-ALL cell lines with NOTCH1 mutations are resistant to treatment with γγ-secretase inhibitors (GSIs). The spotlight is now shifting to the phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway as another key potential target. These two signaling routes are deregulated in many types of cancer. In this review we discuss these two pathways with respect to their signaling mechanisms, functions during T-cell development, and their mutual roles in the development of T-ALL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notch and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling play critical roles in cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, and thereby may contribute to the development of breast cancer. We constitutively overexpressed active Notch1 in human breast cancer cells to explore the consequences of Notch1 signaling on cell growth and to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. We found that EGFR expression was increased. Then, using EGFR inhibitor, we found it exhibited an inhibitory role on human breast cancer cells. Overexpression of Notch1 could reverse EGFR inhibitor-induced cell toxicity, suggesting that Notch and EGFR signaling may be positively cross-linked in human breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Avocados have a high content of phytochemicals with potential chemopreventive activity. Previously we reported that phytochemicals extracted from avocado meat into a chloroform partition (D003) selectively induced apoptosis in cancer but not normal, human oral epithelial cell lines. In the present study, we observed that treatment of human oral cancer cell lines containing high levels of reactive oxygen (ROS) with D003 increased ROS levels twofold to threefold and induced apoptosis. In contrast, ROS levels increased only 1.3-fold, and apoptosis was not induced in the normal cell lines containing much lower levels of basal ROS. When cellular ROS levels in the malignant cell lines were reduced by N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), cells were resistant to D003 induced apoptosis. NAC also delayed the induction of apoptosis in dominant negative FADD-expressing malignant cell lines. D003 increased ROS levels via mitochondrial complex I in the electron transport chain to induce apoptosis. Normal human oral epithelial cell lines transformed with HPV16 E6 or E7 expressed higher basal levels of ROS and became sensitive to D003. These data suggest that perturbing the ROS levels in human oral cancer cell lines may be a key factor in selective apoptosis and molecular targeting for chemoprevention by phytochemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bone marrow (BM) microenvironment plays a critical role in malignant cell growth, patient survival and response to chemotherapy in hematologic malignancies. However, the molecular mechanisms of BM stromal cells (BMSCs)-mediated survival of tumor cell remain unclear. In this study, to further evaluate the role of Notch-1 in vivo microenvironment, we investigated the influence of inhibiting Notch-1 pathway by Notch-1 siRNA on Jurkat cells in the co-culture system. We found that Notch-1 signaling in Jurkat cells was further activated by interaction with BMSCs, which inhibited drug-induced apoptosis in Jurkat cells. Notch-1 siRNA down-regulated Notch-1 and restored drug-induced apoptosis in co-cultured Jurkat cells. The possible mechanism of restoration of sensitivity to chemotherapy could be associated with repressed Akt signaling. The results indicated that Notch-1 may be a potential mechanism of BMSCs involvement in the protection of hematopoietic malignant cells from drug-induced apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy is an inherited disease caused by abnormal accumulation of very long chain fatty acids. The diagnosis of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy can be confirmed with the mutation of ABCD1 gene. The main symptom of the X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy is spastic paraparesis, and autonomic dysfunction is rare in X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy. Here, we presented an X-ALD case of a 46-year-old Asian male with severe autonomic dysfunction. Impairment of the autonomic nervous system may closely relate to mitochondrial defect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]