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The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of the excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and the possible association of ERCC1 polymorphisms with susceptibility and response to chemotherapy of OSCC in a Chinese Han population. The expression of ERCC1 was determined by real-time PCR in eight patients. Four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs11615, rs3212948, rs3212961, and rs735482 of ERCC1 were genotyped in 113 OSCC patients and 184 healthy controls using a PCR restriction matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) assay. We found that a higher gene expression of ERCC1 was observed in tumor tissue as compared to pericarcinomatous tissue in OSCC patients. All genotypic and allelic frequencies of the tested ERCC1 polymorphisms were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The genotypic and allelic frequencies of rs11615, rs3212948, rs3212961, and rs735482 of ERCC1 were not different between OSCC patients and controls. No correlation was observed between ERCC1 polymorphisms and the response to chemotherapy. Our results show that ERCC1 is increased in the tumor tissue of OSCC patients. The investigated ERCC1 gene polymorphisms (rs11615, rs3212948, rs3212961, and rs735482) are not associated with the susceptibility and response to chemotherapy of OSCC in our investigated Chinese Han population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A productive equipment for sorting famous tea raw materials was designed. • The sorting scheme consists of classification, control and process scheme. • Higher grades of fresh tea leaves have a longer horizontal throwing trajectory. • The sorting effect of high-grade raw material is better under the optimal parameters. • Improving the classification performance of the model using genetic algorithms. Famous tea is a pillar of China's tea industry and must be processed using fresh leaves of consistent tenderness and size. However, equipment with high accuracy and efficiency are unavailable for sorting fresh tea leaves (FTLs). Therefore, in this study, we designed a machine-vision platform for sorting FTLs. This platform subjects FTLs to a horizontal tossing motion and change trajectory by blowing air, thereby achieving the sorting of different types of FTLs. The overall sorting scheme consists of classification scheme, control scheme, and process scheme. We found that different types of FTLs have different flight trajectories when subjected to horizontal tossing. And have different optimal classification features and sorting parameters. When sorting high-grade FTLs (low-grade FTLs), the classification feature used is area and mean saturation (equivalent diameter, major-axis length and G variance), the designed platform achieved a recognition rate, purity, selection rate, and integrity rate of 100% (98.5%), 94.32% (87.47%), 91.67% (90.67%), and 100% (100%), respectively. Under optimal parameters, the production efficiency of the platform reached 25 kg/h. Overall, the results of this study indicate that the designed platform can meet the small-scale production requirements for famous tea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that in the border region there are a great number of shamans. East Gate Village of Yanan City has a population of 149 house- holds comprising over 400 people. Of these, 3 are shamans. Researchers assume that this ratio of 3 to 400 applies to the entire border region, then the number of shamans is rather large. Among their number, a small minority have turned into bonafide workers. According to the preliminary investigation, most of the shamans themselves do not believe in spirits. When they become sick they seek out a real doctor for a medical cure. It follows then that they knowingly set out to deceive people through trickery, and among the people they persistently oppose the spread of Western and Chinese medicine, insisting on the reality of ghosts and spirits. Their goal is to obtain wealth through deceit, and to hurt people for their own advantage--all this in seeking their own livelihood. Their so-called "cures" can consist of the special arranging of bricks or tiles so that they appear to act magically, or the burning of paper amulets.