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Ga2O3 has been considered as one of the most suitable materials for x-ray detection, but its x-ray detection performance is still at a low level due to the limitation of its quality and absorbance, especially for hard x-ray. In this work, the effects of growth temperature and miscut angle of the sapphire substrate on the crystal quality of Ga2O3 thin films were investigated based on the MOCVD technique. It was found that the crystal growth mode was transformed from island growth to step-flow growth using miscut sapphire substrates and increasing growth temperature, which was accompanied by the improvement of the crystal quality and the reduction of the density of trapped states. Ga2O3 films with optimal crystal quality were finally prepared on a 4° miscut substrate at 900 °C. The x-ray detector based on this film shows good hard x-ray response with a sensitivity of 3.72 × 105μC·Gyair−1·cm−2. Furthermore, the impacts of Ga2O3 film crystal quality and trap density on the x-ray detector were investigated in depth, and the mechanism of the photoconductive gain of the Ga2O3 thin-film x-ray detector was analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carvacrol is an effective natural antimicrobial and antioxidant agent; however, its poor aqueous solubility and high volatility limit its application in food systems. Ovalbumin can encapsulate hydrophobic molecules, thereby improving aqueous solubility and reducing volatility. The aim of this study was to explore the potential of an ovalbumin nanocarrier to improve the application range of carvacrol. Protein structure and scanning electron microscopy showed that carvacrol increased gel hardness and tackiness at pH 5, and OVA gel formed a uniform granular shape that was beneficial for reconstitution. The dominant force in OVA gel changed from electrostatic to hydrophobic interaction, indicating that carvacrol could hydrophobically bind to the gel. The ovalbumin-carvacrol (OVA-Car) complex was prepared using an oil-in-water method. The particle size was 132 ± 10 nm, and the encapsulation efficiency was 51.41%. The polydispersity index was 0.355, indicating the general stability of the composite. Fluorescence spectroscopy and differential thermogram studies indicated complex formation. Antibacterial property testing against Bacillus cereus and Salmonella indicated that the OVA-Car complex inhibited bacterial growth at lower concentrations than free carvacrol. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration for Bacillus cereus (0.0968 and 0.3875 mg/mL) and Salmonella (0.1937 and 0.3875 mg/mL), respectively, were 2–4 times higher than those of free carvacrol. The time sterilization curve indicated that pathogenic bacterial growth did not reach the control level. The OVA-Car complex has potential application in food systems owing to its storage stability and improved antimicrobial activity. Image 1 • As a nanoparticle carrier, ovalbumin improved the application range of carvacrol. • The ovalbumin-carvacrol (OVA-Car) complex was stable. • OVA-Car complex inhibited bacterial growth more effectively than free carvacrol. • The OVA-Car complex has potential application in food systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cannabinoids are reported to rescue cocaine-induced seizures (CISs), a severe complication in cocaine users. However, the molecular targets for cannabinoid therapy of CISs remain unclear. Here, we report that the systemic administration of cannabinoids alleviates CISs in a CB 1 /CB 2 -receptor-independent manner. In HEK293 cells and cortical neurons, cocaine-induced dysfunction of the glycine receptor (GlyR) is restored by cannabinoids. Such restoration is blocked by GlyRα1S296A mutation. Consistently, the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids on CISs are also eliminated in GlyRα1S296A mutant mice. Based on molecular dynamic simulation, the hydrogen-bonding interaction between cocaine and the GlyR is weakened by cannabinoid docking. Without altering cocaine distribution across the brain, cannabinoids significantly suppress cocaine-exaggerated neuronal excitability in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus by rehabilitating extra-synaptic GlyR function. Microinjection of cannabinoids into the PFC and hippocampus restores cocaine-puzzled neural activity and alleviates CISs. These findings suggest that using GlyR-hypersensitive cannabinoids may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for treating CISs. • Cannabinoids alleviate cocaine-induced seizures (CISs) by glycine receptors (GlyRs) • Cannabinoid docking reduces hydrogen-bonding interaction between cocaine and GlyRs • The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus mediate the effect of cannabinoids on CISs • Cannabinoids suppress neuronal hyperexcitability by potentiating extra-synaptic GlyRs Zou et al. identify the glycine receptor as a potential therapeutic target for cannabinoids in treating cocaine-induced seizures. The function of extra-synaptic glycine receptors in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus is impaired by cocaine and rescued by cannabinoids, therefore leading to the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids in treating cocaine-induced seizures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unstable nature against moisture is one of the major issues of metallic halide perovskite solar cell application. Thin-film encapsulation is known as a powerful approach to notably enhance the operational stability of perovskite solar cells in humid environment. However, encapsulation layers with ideal gas barrier performance always require harsh fabrication conditions with high temperature and harmful precursors. For this reason, here we provide a mild encapsulation strategy to maintain the original performance of solar cell devices by utilization of ethylene glycol-induced immediate layer to minimize the damage of plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition to perovskite solar cells. The organic-inorganic alternating encapsulation structure has exhibited a water vapor transmittance rate of 1.3 × 10−5 g m−2·day−1, which is the lowest value among the reported thin film encapsulation layers of perovskite solar cells. Our perovskite solar cells have survived at 80% relative humidity and 30 °C for over 2000 h while preserving 96% of its initial performance. Image 1 • Plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition was applied to the encapsulation of perovskite solar cells. • Methyl-rich alucone is used to avoid plasma damage to perovskite batteries. • The lowest water vapor transmission rate in the thin film encapsulation of the perovskite solar cells was obtained. • The encapsulated standard MAPbI 3 perovskite solar cells maintained 96% of initial efficiency for over 2000 h. • The encapsulated devices maintained 95% the initial performance after 300 mins under water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The permeability rebound and recovery of coal reservoirs is one of the key factors affecting the efficient recovery of coalbed methane (CBM). Most studies focus on the permeability rebound and recovery of intact coal reservoirs. Conversely, the permeability rebound characteristics of tectonic coal have only been rarely investigated. In this paper, an improved fully coupled mathematical model for methane transport of tectonic coal and intact coal seam was established. Then, the phenomenon of permeability rebound and recovery was analyzed theoretically, and the permeability rebound time, rebound value and recovery time were proposed to compare the difference in permeability evolution. In addition, the permeability rebound characteristics of tectonic and intact coal were evaluated for different geological parameters of coal reservoirs. The results indicate that the rebound time and recovery time of both intact and tectonic coal increase with the increase of initial gas pressure. As the initial permeability increases, the permeability rebound time of intact and tectonic coal show a decreasing trend. The permeability rebound time of intact coal decreases with increasing initial diffusion coefficient, while that of tectonic coal shows the opposite trend. Furthermore, the change in permeability recovery time for tectonic coal is 6.59 times larger than for intact coal, indicating that the effect of permeability rebound phenomenon is more significant during gas extraction in tectonic coal reservoirs. Finally, a conceptual model was proposed to explain the differential mechanism of permeability rebound between tectonic and intact coal, and its implications for CBM recovery in tectonic coal reservoirs was discussed. Therefore, the results presented in this paper can provide a theoretical basis for the efficient development of CBM in tectonic coal reservoirs. • Methane transport mathematical models of tectonic and intact coal are developed. • The permeability rebound in tectonic and intact coal is quantitatively analyzed. • The evolutionary mechanism of permeability rebound of tectonic coal is revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensitive high‐energy photon detection from UV to X‐ray and high‐resolution array imaging are critical for medical diagnosis, space exploration, and scientific research. The key challenges for high‐performance photodetector and imaging arrays are the effective material and device design strategies for the miniaturization and integration of the device. Here, photon‐controlled diodes (i.e., the detector has rectifying characteristics only under light irradiation) are proposed for high‐resolution and anti‐crosstalk array imaging applications without integrating the switching element. Based on ultra‐wide bandgap semiconductor Ga2O3, the sensitive DUV/X‐ray photon‐controlled diodes are realized by the design of high‐resistance Ga2O3 film and high‐barrier contact. The device exhibits remarkable detection performance, including high photo‐responsivity (168 A W−1) and specific detectivity (1.45 × 1015 Jones) under DUV illumination, as well as a high sensitivity (1.23 × 105 µC Gyair−1 cm−2) under X‐ray light. Moreover, the low dark current and excellent rectification characteristics are obtained. Furthermore, its potential for high‐density and anti‐crosstalk array imaging applications is verified. These results not only bring forth new insights in the implementation of high‐performance DUV/X‐ray photodetector, but also pave a feasible way to realize high pixel density detector array through the simplified fabrication process for high‐resolution imaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigated the single-event effects (SEE) of NiO/β-Ga2O3 heterojunction diodes (HJDs) irradiated by 1.86 GeV tantalum ions with linear energy transfer over 80 MeV cm2/mg. The HJDs exhibited radiation responses with the early single-event leakage current (SELC) degradation until the fatal single-event burnout (SEB) failure, which was far below their breakdown voltages. Meanwhile, the surface morphology revealed the SELC damage expressed as burnout of topside NiO and metal stacks, while the SEB damage was observed as a burned hole in the β-Ga2O3 epitaxial layer. According to technology computer aided design simulations, the thicker p-type region in HJDs could further alleviate the electric field crowding effect exacerbated by the heavy-ion strike because of the extension of charge distribution in the p-type region. The SEB threshold was raised to 250 V by thickening the NiO layer to 300 nm. As for the SELC degradation process along with the burnout of topside stacks in HJDs, we supposed the probable reason was the intolerance of NiO to the high electric field under the SEE. This paper analyzed the SEE mechanism in β-Ga2O3 diodes and paved the way for heavy-ion irradiation hardening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thyroid cancer is the most common type of endocrine cancer, and most patients have a good prognosis. However, the thyroid cancer differentiation status strongly affects patient response to conventional treatment and prognosis. Therefore, exploring the molecular mechanisms that influence the differentiation of thyroid cancer is very important for understanding the progression of this disease and improving therapeutic options. In this study, SETMAR as a key gene that affects thyroid cancer differentiation is identified. SETMAR significantly regulates the proliferation, epithelial‐mesenchymal transformation (EMT), thyroid differentiation‐related gene expression, radioactive iodine uptake, and sensitivity to MAPK inhibitor‐based redifferentiation therapies of thyroid cancer cells. Mechanistically, SETMAR methylates dimethylated H3K36 in the SMARCA2 promoter region to promote SMARCA2 transcription. SMARCA2 can bind to enhancers of the thyroid differentiation transcription factors (TTFs) PAX8, and FOXE1 to promote their expression by enhancing chromatin accessibility. Moreover, METTL3‐mediated m6A methylation of SETAMR mRNA is observed and showed that this medication can affect SETMAR expression in an IGF2BP3‐dependent manner. Finally, the METTL3‐14‐WTAP activator effectively facilitates the redifferentiation of thyroid cancer cells via the SETMAR‐SMARCA2‐TTF axis utilized. The research provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying thyroid cancer dedifferentiation and provides a new approach for therapeutically promoting redifferentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3), with an ultrawide bandgap corresponding to the deep ultraviolet (DUV) range, has attracted significant attention in optical filter‐free photodetectors. In practical terms, DUV photodetectors employed in extreme conditions, for example, flame detection and space exploration, face the challenges of performance degradation caused by high/low‐temperature transformation. Here, DUV photodetectors are tailored with high durability and stability by one‐step‐grown β‐Ga2O3 films via pulsed laser deposition. A high‐oxygen‐pressure scheme effectively addresses the issue of film‐free deposition at specifically high temperatures, facilitating the formation of polycrystalline high‐resistivity β‐Ga2O3 films. As a result, the devices exhibit outstanding performance, including a low dark current (4.4 pA @30 V), high photoresponsivity (147.36 A W−1), and fast response time (3.1/22.6 ms). Additionally, the photoresponse performance shows minimal degradation at high temperatures up to 300 °C and even improves at low temperatures down to −100 °C, ranking it among the most robust DUV photodetectors. The mechanism of photoresponse, involving the exciton formation, bandgap evolution, carrier‐phonon scatter, etc., is also elucidated in a wide temperature range. This work provides an efficient solution for developing robust Ga2O3 DUV photodetectors with excellent performance for extreme‐condition applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ga2O3 photodetectors with demonstrated high sensitivity provide a potential subversive scheme for solar‐blind photodetection. However, the planar structure and the relatively slow response speed of the device have restricted the integration and application of Ga2O3 photodetectors. Herein, a narrow SiO2 barrier layer is introduced on the commercial SiC substrate, and a vertical photodetector is realized based on β‐Ga2O3/SiO2/SiC heterostructure with controllable tunneling effect by tailoring the band structure at the interface. The developed device exhibits unconventional rectification characteristics and photoresponse performance in different biasing modes owing to the controllable tunneling effect at the interface. In particular, the photodetector achieves a high responsivity (186.8 A W−1) under solar‐blind illumination at reverse bias, while exhibiting obvious advantages in dark current (3 pA), photo‐to‐dark current ratio (8.8 × 106), linear dynamic range (138.8 dB), and specific detectivity (1.4 × 1015 Jones) at forward bias. The photodetector also demonstrates excellent photoresponse stability after 6 months in air without encapsulation. In addition, an alternating biasing strategy, inspired by its bidirectional operability, is proposed to suppress the persistent photoconductivity effect and increase the decay speed by 1.23 × 105 times. This work provides a referable strategy for the further development of high‐performance Ga2O3‐based photoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractMany offshore wind turbine (OWT) foundations are situated in earthquake-prone areas, where complex environmental loads intensified the seismic responses of the OWTs. In response to this situation, the composite bucket foundations is proposed and extensively applied due to its reliable installation and high seismic resistance. To analyze the seismic response of composite bucket foundations subjected to environmental loads, refined numerical models of the 6.45 MW OWT system are established, and parametric analyses are conducted, considering the influence of seismic frequency contents and intensities, the soil layer distributions and wind velocities. The results show that the composite bucket foundations undergo cumulative rotational deformation around a point biased toward the windward side of the foundation under the seismic and environmental loads. The increasing mean wind velocity significantly enlarges the displacement response envelope, while has limited influence of the acceleration response envelope of OWTs. Increasing the bucket diameter enhances the deformation resistance of the OWT, while the efficiency of this improvement diminishes as the diameter increases. Greater bucket skirt length also enhances its deformation resistance, but may lead to increased lateral acceleration response of the OWT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance radiation detectors are essential in many sectors spanning medical diagnostics, nuclear control, and particle physics. Ultrawide bandgap semiconductor materials have become one of the most promising candidates due to their excellent performance. Here, based on β-Ga2O3, a Schottky diode-type alpha particle detector was demonstrated. In order to reduce the reverse leakage current of the large-area device, the metal-oxide electrode PtOx was introduced to form high-barrier contacts (1.83 eV) with Ga2O3. The device exhibits a low leakage current density of 63 pA/cm2 at −100 V and apparent energy spectra of 241Am generated alpha particles with an energy of 5.486 MeV at various reverse voltages from −40 to −120 V. The charge collection efficiency (CCE) and energy resolution of the device (at −120 V) are 31.7% and 15.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, the mechanism of interaction between alpha particles and β-Ga2O3 was analyzed, and a 45° oblique incidence was adopted to increase the deposited energy of alpha particles in the depletion region. Furthermore, the differences between actual CCE and theoretical CCE are investigated as guidance for further improving detector performance. This work reveals the great potential and good prospects of Ga2O3 as an economical, efficient, and radiation-resistant ionizing radiation detector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft x-ray detectors play crucial roles in biology, chemistry, and lithography. Current soft x-ray detectors suffer from insufficient responsivity (R), excessively large cell area, and limited stability. Here, the β-Ga2O3 soft x-ray detector is constructed, and the effects of varying the sensitive layer thickness and voltage on the soft x-ray detection characteristics of the device are explored. Meanwhile, the mechanism of the multiplication ionization process from soft x-ray and the photoconductivity gain on the photoresponse performance of the device are analyzed. The device obtains the R up to 3.05 × 103 A/W under 300 eV soft x-ray irradiation at the synchrotron beamline, which is about 1.19 × 104 times higher than that of the conventional device. The Ga2O3 device also maintains stable operation under long-term irradiation and multicycle switching. These results indicate that Ga2O3 is an ideal candidate material for soft x-ray detection, which has great potential for applications such as imaging of biological cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beta phase gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) is emerging as a promising material for space applications due to its unique properties and potential high performance in extreme environments. In this work, we systematically study the impact of β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) under a high fluence neutron irradiation to explore the degradation mechanism of the devices. After irradiated by neutrons with an average energy of 1–2 MeV and a dose rate of 1.3 × 1012 cm−2 s−1, SBDs with a homoepitaxial layer suffered serious performance degradation. The main manifestation of this degradation was a substantial increase in on-resistance, which rose from 3.9 to 3.5 × 108 mΩ·cm2 under the aforementioned irradiation conditions. The appearance of amorphous/polycrystalline striped lattice damage in the epitaxial layer as well as the presence of deep-level defects caused by oxygen vacancies are factors related to this phenomenon. The simulation revealed that the capture reaction of neutrons and Ga elements is the primary cause of neutron irradiation. This reaction generates high-energy beta- particles (β-particles) resulting in the formation of defects. This paper reveals the degradation mechanism of β-Ga2O3 SBDs under neutron irradiation and provides a possible design roadmap for radiation-resistant β-Ga2O3 power devices. Moreover, a high-temperature oxygen annealing process was implemented, which proved to be in restoring the device performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environment constraints have become more restrictive over time, because the transformation of energy consumption structure (ECS) is the key path to achieve the commitment of net-zero emission. However, the adjustment of ECS involves the influence of many factors, including economic factors, energy factors and social factors. Not to mention how ECS -driving factors under tougher environmental regulation may behave throughout long time period remains explored. According to the background, the periodic driving factors of industrial ECS in China based on the periodic effect of environmental regulation on ECS are discussed. In this paper, industries of China are divided into four sectors from 1998 to 2017, and a multi-layer LMDI decomposition model is constructed to decompose ECS of the four sectors in stages. Since the industrial and commercial sector provides the largest contribution rate, the LMDI model based on PDA production theory method is applied to decompose industrial and commercial ECS , aiming to deeply explore the main driving factors of ECS in subindustries, and formulate scientific energy and environmental policies. The results show that from the perspective of the whole industry, the per capita pollution control investment has the most significant negative contribution, and the economic activity effect provides a great positive contribution to the ECS. In terms of subindustries, the main negative drivers are potential energy intensity and GDP technology change. The comprehensive decomposition framework. [Display omitted] • The drivers of ECS in four sectors are identified. • An integrated decomposition measurement combined LMDI with PDA is constructed. • EP is major inhibiting factor of ECS optimizing in four sectors. • PE and GT are major inhibiting factors of ECS optimizing in subsectors. • Some policy recommendations to optimize energy consumption structure are purposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The angle and position of the scapular glenoid are important in shoulder mechanics, the interpretation of diseases, and planning shoulder replacement surgery. In total shoulder replacement, understanding the bony parameters of the glenoid is also of considerable guiding significance for designing implant size and improving material adaptability. To compare glenoid parameters measured from skeletal scapula specimens with those measured by 3D modeling of CT scanning images, analyze correlations between these data, and draw conclusions to guide clinical treatment of shoulder joint injury and total shoulder joint replacement. The data of manual and CT measurements from the same Chinese dry glenoid was compared. Three-dimensional measurement data were collected from the Japanese population and compared with the Chinese population data generated in this study. There were no significant differences between manual measurement and CT measurement in the inclination angle, glenopolar angle, anteroposterior transverse diameter, upper to lower vertical diameter, and depth of the glenoid (P = 0.288, 0.524, 0.111, 0.194, and 0.055, respectively). Further, there were no significant differences between Japanese and Chinese glenoid bones in the upper and lower vertical diameters or anteroposterior transverse diameters (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences between CT and manual measurements, suggesting that the CT method may provide measurements very close to the actual specimen size. This result, however, indicated that the measurer should be careful when measuring the depth of the glenoid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The results firstly revealed a significant degradation on neuronal fine coding in the aging V1 area but not coarse coding. • The noise and signal correlations increased during aging. • The damaged information coding efficiency might account for the degradation of performance in human. Human visual function degrades with age. Previous studies of visual perception have shown that aged people have worse performance in the coding of orientation information. However, the neuronal mechanism still remains elusive. In this study, we performed in vivo extracellular single-unit recording in the primary visual cortex of senescent and young monkeys, and we used the Chernoff distance to quantify the encoded information of neurons for fine and coarse orientation difference. Our results showed that the Chernoff distance for fine orientation difference in senescent monkeys is significantly smaller than that in young monkeys. In contrast, the Chernoff distance for the coarse coding was comparable in young and old groups. Meanwhile, increased spontaneous response and maximum evoked response was also observed. Further investigation of neuronal correlation showed higher noise and signal correlations in aging monkeys than that in young monkeys. These correlation changes predicted a detrimental effect on the efficiency of population coding of orientation information. Taken together, our results suggest that the information coding efficiency of orientation information is impaired during aging and might account for the degradation of performance in human fine orientation discrimination task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β- Ga 2 O 3 solar-blind photodetector (SBPD) promises great potential applications in both industrial and scientific fields while it urgently needs performance optimization. Herein, the unique bottom-up Zn diffusion doping engineering was applied to fabricate an ultrahigh-performance β- Ga 2 O 3 planar MSM SBPD. High-quality β- Ga 2 O 3 film was grown by MOCVD heteroepitaxy technology on the cost-effective ZnGa 2 O 4 substrate, and the high-temperature growth process successfully realized the moderate diffusion Zn doping from the substrate to the film. This low-cost one-step doping not only reduces the dark current of the device to 635 fA at 20 V, which is 103 times lower than the β- Ga 2 O 3 film SBPD grown on a c-sapphire substrate under the same conditions, but also maintains the excellent crystal quality of the MOCVD grown film, thus brings the comprehensive performance of the device exceeding most reported β- Ga 2 O 3 SBPDs. The device exhibits a high photo-to-dark-current ratio of 1.18 × 107, high responsivity of 72.35 A/W, considerable rejection ratio (R 254 nm / R 365 nm) of 107, and extremely fast decay time of 8 ms under 254 nm illumination at 20 V. This work provides novel strategies of β- Ga 2 O 3 film optimization for the future development of high-performance photodetectors. • A high-quality β -Ga 2 O 3 film is grown by MOCVD on the low-cost ZnGa 2 O 4 substrate, while the unique bottom-up Zn diffusion doping engineering is applied, which obviously reduces the dark current of the MSM solar-blind photodetector (SBPD) based on the film. • The SBPD based on the film has a high I photo /I dark ratio of 1.18 × 107, considerable rejection ratio (R 254 nm/R 365 nm) of 107 and fast response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the axial compression failure characteristics of gangue with varying particle sizes under the Talbot distribution, the Talbot gradation coefficient is constrained within the range of 0.3–0.7, the loading strain rate is set to 1kN / s, and different colors are employed to differentiate the particle sizes within the mixed gangue during the loading process. The test results demonstrate that the selected gangue materials have an elastic modulus of 13.62 GPa and a compressive strength of 73.25 MPa. Furthermore, the changes in gradation between different particle sizes are visually expressed and analyzed using the gangue breakage rate. It is concluded that the 'large sized particle' gangue tends to be broken locally, while the 'small sized particle' gangue tends to be broken as a whole. The initial porosity distribution of the mixed gangue is calculated to establish the initial model of the gangue sample using the Particle Flow Code program. Numerical simulation experiments related to uniaxial compression were implemented. The strain change characteristics observed in the actual uniaxial compression test are further validated. Analyzing the simulation results, it was observed that the force chain propagates from the top to the bottom, causing cracks to form in the same direction. Moreover, the transmission area of force chain gradually decreases, resulting in the highest compaction degree at the top and the loosest at the bottom of the compressed model. [Display omitted] • Large sized gangue is more consistent with 'local fracture' and 'surface grinding'. • Small and medium sized gangue is more prone to 'overall fracture'. • Force chain propagates from the top to the bottom, the area gradually decreases. • Bottom of the sample has the most voids and the loosest particle distribution. • Crushing of the gangue mainly occurs in the upper part of the sample model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing evidence that metabolic dysregulation contributes to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is however difficult to detect multiple metabolites simultaneously in the different areas of the entire AD brain. Our research used a modified mass spectrometry imaging technique based on desorption electrospray ionization to visualize the spatial distributions of more than 300 compounds, including 119 putative metabolite candidates, in the whole brain slices from AD mice. Through such imaging measurements, we had quantified the level changes of more than 70 metabolites in 12 brain regions of AD mice. We had also evaluated metabolic pathway alterations in AD mice of various ages. In AD mice, we found a dysfunctional glutamine-glutamate/GABA cycle with deficient production and release of glutamate in glutamatergic neurons and aberrant increase of GABA. Disordered metabolism of excitatory glutamate and inhibitory GABA might contribute to the abnormal neural activity. The untargeted mapping of metabolic dysregulations during pathological progression in the AD model might provide implications for the pathogenesis and treatment of AD. [Display omitted] • Mass spectrometry imaging allowed simultaneous mapping of over 300 compounds. • The level changes of 71 metabolites were investigated in 12 brain regions in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. • About 20 metabolic pathways were examined in the mouse brains of Alzheimer's disease at different ages. • Dysregulated metabolism of neurotransmitters led to impaired neuronal firing in Alzheimer's disease mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep semi-supervised learning is becoming an active research topic because it jointly utilizes labeled and unlabeled samples in training deep neural networks. Recent advances are mainly focused on inductive semi-supervised learning which generally extends supervised algorithms to include unlabeled data. In this paper, we propose CL_PLP, a new transductive deep semi-supervised learning algorithm based on contrastive self-supervised learning and partial label propagation. The proposed method consists of two modules, contrastive self-supervised learning module extracting features from labeled and unlabeled data and partial label propagation module generating confident pseudo-labels through label propagation. For contrastive learning, we propose an improved twins network model by adding multiple projector layers and the contrastive loss term. Meanwhile, we adopt strong and weak data augmentation to increase the diversity of the dataset and the robustness of the model. For the partial label propagation module, we interrupt the label propagation process according to the quality of pseudo-labels and improve the impact of high-quality pseudo-labels. The performance of our algorithm on three standard baseline datasets CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100 and miniImageNet is better than previous state-of-the-art transductive deep semi-supervised learning methods. By transferring our model to the medical COVID19-Xray dataset, it also achieves good performance. Finally, we propose a strategy to integrate our partial label propagation module with inductive semi-supervised learning method, and the results prove that it can further improve their performance and obtain additional high-quality pseudo-labels for the unlabeled data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer (ATC) is an aggressive form of cancer with poor prognosis, heavily influenced by its tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Understanding the cellular and gene expression dynamics within the TIME is crucial for developing targeted therapies. This study analyzes the immune microenvironment of ATC and Papillary Thyroid Cancer (PTC) using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). We performed a comprehensive scRNA-seq analysis on ATC and PTC samples, incorporating cell type annotation, marker gene identification, and clustering based on gene expression. A specific focus was on the prevalence and biomarkers of Pre-Exhausted CD8+ T cells in ATC, utilizing the single-cell tumor immune atlas for immune cell characterization. The scRNA-seq analysis identified distinct immune cell populations and differentially expressed genes in ATC and PTC samples. Notably, Pre-Exhausted CD8+ T cells were found to be prevalent in ATC datasets. Additional immunofluorescence staining and co-culture experiments with the ATC cell line identified GNLY, a member of the saposin-like protein family as a potential biomarker for Pre-Exhausted CD8+ T cells in ATC. This study provides valuable insights into the immune landscape of ATC, emphasizing the prevalence of Pre-Exhausted CD8+ T cells and identifying GNLY as a potential biomarker. Understanding the TIME composition and the role of specific immune cells in cancer progression can inform the development of targeted immunotherapies for ATC. Future research should explore the functional implications of GNLY and other identified biomarkers in modulating the immune response in thyroid cancer.

Antiferromagnets (AFMs) are ideal materials to boost neuromorphic computing toward the ultrahigh speed and ultracompact integration regime. However, developing a suitable AFM neuromorphic memory remains an aspirational but challenging goal. In this work, we construct such a memory based on the CoO/Pt heterostructure, in which the collinear insulating AFM CoO shows a strong perpendicular anisotropy facilitating its electrical readout and writing. Utilizing the unique nonlinear response and bipolar fading memory properties of the device, we demonstrate a multidimensional reservoir computing beyond the traditional binary paradigm. These results are expected to pave the way toward next-generation fast and massive neuromorphic computing.

Detecting high-energy photons from the deep ultraviolet (DUV) to X-rays is vital in security, medicine, industry, and science. Wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors exhibit great potential for detecting high-energy photons. However, the implementation of highly sensitive and high-speed detectors based on WBG semiconductors has been a huge challenge due to the inevitable deep level traps and the lack of appropriate device structure engineering. Here, a sensitive and fast pyroelectric photoconductive diode (PPD), which couples the interface pyroelectric effect with the photoconductive effect based on tailored polycrystal Ga-rich GaOx (PGR-GaOx) Schottky photodiode, is first proposed. The PPD device exhibits ultrahigh detection performance for DUV and X-ray light. The responsivity for DUV light and sensitivity for X-ray are up to 10 4 A W -1 and 10 5 µC Gy air -1 cm -2 , respectively. Especially, the interface pyroelectric effect induced by polar symmetry in the depletion region of the PGR-GaOx can significantly improve the response speed of the device by 10 5 times. Furthermore, the potential of the device is demonstrated for imaging enhancement systems with low power consumption and high sensitivity. This work fully excavates the potential of the pyroelectric effect for detectors and provides a novel design strategy to achieve sensitive and high-speed detectors., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Recognition and judgment of X-ray computed tomography (CT) images play a crucial role in medical diagnosis and disease prevention. However, the storage and calculation of the X-ray imaging system applied in the traditional CT diagnosis is separate, and the pathological judgment is based on doctors' experience, which will affect the timeliness and accuracy of decision-making. In this paper, a simple-structured reservoir computing network (RC) is proposed based on Ga 2 O 3 X-ray optical synaptic devices to recognize medical skeletal CT images with high accuracy. Through oxygen vacancy engineering, Ga 2 O 3 X-ray optical synaptic devices with adjustable photocurrent gain and a persistent photoconductivity effect were obtained. By using the Ga 2 O 3 X-ray optical synaptic device as a reservoir, we constructed an RC network for medical skeletal CT diagnosis and verified its image recognition capability using the MNIST data set with an accuracy of 78.08%. In the elbow skeletal CT image recognition task, the recognition rate is as high as 100%. This work constructs a simple-structured RC network for X-ray image recognition, which is of great significance in applications in medical fields.

Proline Rich 12 (PRR12) protein is primarily expressed in the brain and localized in the nucleus. The variants in the PRR12 gene were reported to be related to neuroocular syndrome. Patients with PRR12 gene presented with intellectual disability (ID), neuropsychiatric disorders, some congenital anomalies, and with or without eye abnormalities. Here, we report an 11-year-old boy with a novel PRR12 variant c.1549_1568del, p.(Pro517Alafs*35). He was the first PRR12 deficiency patient in China and presented with ID, short stature, and mild scoliosis. He could not concentrate on his studies and was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGH-1) was low in our patient, which may be the cause of his short stature. Patients with neuroocular syndrome are rare, and further exploration is needed to understand the reason for neurodevelopmental abnormalities caused by PRR12 variants. Our study further expands on the PRR12 variants and presents a new case involving PPR12 variants., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2024 Liu, Ding, Xu and Fang.)

Plant essential oil has attracted much attention in delaying pork spoilage due to its safety, but its low antibacterial efficiency needs to be solved by encapsulation. Our previous research had fabricated a type of ovalbumin gel nanoparticles loaded with carvacrol (OCG n -2) using the gel-embedding method, which had a high encapsulation rate and antibacterial activity. The main purpose of this study was to further evaluate the stability and slow-release characteristics of OCG n -2 and potential quality effects of the nanoparticles on the preservation of fresh pork pieces during 4 °C storage. The particle test showed that the nanoparticles had better heat stability below 85 °C and salt stability below 90 mM. The in vitro release study indicated that the carvacrol in OCG n -2 followed a Fickian release mechanism. The pork preservation test suggested that the OCG n -2 coating treatments could remarkably restrict the quality decay of pork slices compared to free carvacrol or a physical mixture of ovalbumin and carvacrol treatment. Nano-encapsulation of ovalbumin is beneficial to the sustained release, enhanced oxidation resistance, and improved antibacterial activity of carvacrol. The study suggested that ovalbumin gel nanoparticles embedded with carvacrol could be applied as an efficient bacterial active packaging to extend the storage life of pork.

The accurate calculation of the contribution which provided by clay minerals in coal on methane adsorption not only bares a significant importance for evaluating the effectiveness of acid stimulation in improving permeability and estimating the coalbed methane reserves but also serves a guide for the governance and utilization of methane resources. In this study, hydrochloric acid (HCl) and hydrofluoric acid (HF) were used to remove specific minerals in Qingdong coal samples. We firstly analyzed the mineral compositions of coal samples with different acidification treatments based on the X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments, together with analysis of the changes in pore morphology and adsorption capacity. The results showed that acidification did not significantly change the shape of the pores, which remained slit-/plate-like pore. However, the altered adsorption capacity of the coal samples was attributed to changes in pore structure and mineral distribution. Acid erosion of mesopores promoted the transition from mesopores to macropores, contributing to an increase of 8.4% and 24.36% in the percentage of macropores in coal samples treated with HCl and HF, respectively. Fractal dimension D 1 grew from 2.2193 to 2.3888 and 2.2572, respectively, but D 2 decreased from 2.6146 to 2.5814 and 2.5433, indicating an increment in pore surface roughness and a simplification of the pore structure. The mineral richness of the coal seams should be taken into consideration when applying acid stimulation to increase permeability due to that the acidification products may block the passage of gas migration when the mineral content is slight, which can hinder gas extraction. The aim of this study is to quantitatively determine the contribution rate of clay minerals in coal to methane adsorption with a calculation method is provided by combining pore parameters and limit adsorption capacity, resulting in a contribution rate of 15%., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The neurotrophin-tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB) signaling pathway plays an important role in regulating the balance of excitation and inhibition in the primary visual cortex (V1). Previous studies have revealed its mechanism of regulating the level of cortical excitability by increasing the efficiency of excitatory transmission, but it has not been elucidated how TrkB receptors regulate the balance of excitation and inhibition through the inhibitory system, which in turn affects visual cortex function. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate how the TrkB signaling pathway specifically regulates the most important inhibitory neuron-PV neurons affects the visual cortex function of mice. The expression of TrkB receptor on PV neurons in the V1 region was specifically reduced by the virus, the functional changes of inhibitory and excitatory neurons in the primary visual cortex were recorded by multi-channel electrophysiological in vivo . The orientation discrimination ability of mice was tested by behavioral experiments, and altered orientation discrimination ability of mice was tested by behavioral experiments. The results showed that reduced expression of TrkB receptors on PV inhibitory neurons in primary visual cortex significantly increased the response intensity of excitatory neurons, reduced the orientation discrimination ability of inhibitory and excitatory neurons, and increased the signal-to-noise ratio, but the orientation discrimination ability at the individual level in mice showed a decrease. These results suggest that the TrkB signaling pathway does not modulate the function of PV neurons solely by increasing excitatory transmission targeting PV neurons, and its effect on neuronal signal-to-noise ratio is not due to enhancement of the inhibitory system.

The preparation of polymers with high self-healing ability is conducive to environmental protection and resource conservation. In the present work, two kinds of polyurethane (PU) elastomers were prepared: the one containing flexible end blocks (polypropylene glycol) and the other containing flexible end blocks and 2-ureido-4[1 H ]-pyrimidinone (UPy) groups that can form reversible quadruple hydrogen bonds. Both of the two PU elastomers have self-healing ability. At low temperatures the PU without UPy groups exhibits stronger self-healing ability, while at high temperatures the PU with UPy groups has better self-healing function. The difference can be attributed to the combined effect of segmental mobility and reversible network strength. Based on molecular simulations, we further observed that the self-healing behaviors are affected by four factors: healing temperature, reversible interaction strength, reversible interaction site density and segment diffusion ability.

Affected by tectonics, soft and hard composite coal seams are widely distributed in China; the soft stratification in the soft and hard composite coal seam is the key to controlling the occurrence of coal and gas outburst accidents. Based on this, for soft and hard composite coal seams, in order to accurately extract soft layers, a directional hydraulic coal mining equipment has been developed, including a drilling rig pump truck system, a directional coal wireless measurement system, and a cutter drill pipe system. By constructing a mathematical model and conducting numerical simulations, it was found that the vertical stress, horizontal stress, and gas pressure of the coal body around the borehole after coal extraction decreased significantly compared to normal borehole conditions; the on-site test results indicate that the hydraulic coal extraction volume of directional hydraulic coal extraction boreholes reaches 0.25 m 3 per meter. The total amount of coal extracted accounts for more than 3‰ of the total amount of coal within the coverage area. The average concentration of gas extraction in the coal extraction area is 80.15%, and the net amount of gas extraction from 100 m boreholes reaches 0.17 m 3 /(min·hm). After extraction, the measured residual gas content in the coal extraction and non-extraction areas decreased by 59.27 and 40.38%, respectively. Directional hydraulic coal mining technology can effectively solve the problem of coal and gas outburst prevention in soft and hard composite coal seams and has good application prospects., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Detection and recognition of latent fingerprints play crucial roles in identification and security. However, the separation of sensor, memory, and processor in conventional ex-situ fingerprint recognition system seriously deteriorates the latency of decision-making and inevitably increases the overall computing power. In this work, a photoelectronic reservoir computing (RC) system, consisting of DUV photo-synapses and nonvolatile memristor array, is developed to detect and recognize the latent fingerprint with in-sensor and parallel in-memory computing. Through the Ga-rich design, we achieve amorphous GaO x (a-GaO x ) photo-synapses with an enhanced persistent photoconductivity (PPC) effect. The PPC effect, which induces nonlinearly tunable conductivity, renders the a-GaO x photo-synapses an ideal deep ultraviolet (DUV) photoelectronic reservoir, thus mapping the complex input vector into a dimensionality-reduced output vector. Connecting the reservoirs and a memristor array, we further construct an in-sensor RC system for latent fingerprint identification. The system maintains over 90% recognition accuracy for latent fingerprint within 15% stochastic noise level via the proposed dual-feature strategy. This work provides a subversive prototype system of DUV in-sensor RC for highly efficient recognition of latent fingerprints., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Liver cancer (HCC) is a common malignant tumor whose incidence is increasing worldwide, but existing chemotherapeutic agents are not ideally effective drugs and have considerable resistance to chemotherapy. Exosome microRNA-103 plays an important role in the proliferation and invasion of liver cancer cells. The purpose of this article is to investigate the role and mechanism of exosome microRNA-103 in hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and invasion. 84 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosed in a hospital from June 2017 to June 2020 were selected. The average age was 60.13±6.99 years. When the patient was fasting, 3 mL of peripheral venous blood was taken. And 50 healthy control groups were established, with an average age of 59.98±8.18 years old. 3 ml of peripheral venous blood was collected on an empty stomach to compare the cell proliferation rate and invasion rate. The results of the study showed that the number of stage III hepatocellular carcinoma cells invaded at 6h was 68.9, and it changed to 89.4 at 12h, and 106.4 at 24h; compared with that, the cell invasion rate in stage IV was higher. The number of stage IV hepatocellular carcinoma invasions at 6h was 68, which changed to 94.5 at 12h and 112.4 at 24h.

The use of the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib exhibits drug resistance in the treatment of thyroid cancer (TC), and finding more effective multitarget combination therapies may be an important solution. In the present study, we found strong correlations between Ref-1 high expression and BRAF mutation, lymph node metastasis, and TNM stage. The oxidative stress environment induced by structural activation of BRAF upregulates the expression of Ref-1, which caused intrinsic resistance of PTC to vemurafenib. Combination inhibition of the Ref-1 redox function and BRAF could enhance the antitumor effects of vemurafenib, which was achieved by blocking the action of Ref-1 on BRAF proteins. Furthermore, combination treatment could cause an overload of autophagic flux via excessive AMPK protein activation, causing cell senescence and cell death in vitro. And combined administration of Ref-1 and vemurafenib in vivo suppressed PTC cell growth and metastasis in a cell-based lung metastatic tumor model and xenogeneic subcutaneous tumor model. Collectively, our study provides evidence that Ref-1 upregulation via constitutive activation of BRAF in PTC contributes to intrinsic resistance to vemurafenib. Combined treatment with a Ref-1 redox inhibitor and a BRAF inhibitor could make PTC more sensitive to vemurafenib and enhance the antitumor effects of vemurafenib by further inhibiting the MAPK pathway and activating the excessive autophagy and related senescence process., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Contrast perception is a fundamental visual ability that allows us to distinguish objects from the background. However, whether it is perturbed by chronic exposure to environmental xenoestrogen, bisphenol A (BPA), is still elusive. Here, we used adult cats to explore BPA-induced changes in contrast sensitivity (CS) and its underlying neuronal coding mechanism. Behavioral results showed that 14 days of BPA exposure (0.4 mg/kg/day) was sufficient to induce CS declines at the tested spatial frequencies (0.05-2 cycles/deg) in all four cats. Furthermore, based on multi-channel electrophysiological recording and interneuronal correlation analysis, we found that the BPA-exposed cats exhibited an obvious up-regulation in noise correlation in the primary visual cortex (area 17, A17), thus providing a population neuronal coding basis for their perceptual dysfunction. Moreover, single neuron responses in A17 of BPA-exposed cats revealed a slight but marked decrease in CS compared to that of control cats. Additionally, these neuronal responses presented an overt decrease in signal-to-noise ratio, accompanied by increased trial-to-trial response variability (i.e., noise). To some extent, these neuron population and unit dysfunctions in A17 of BPA-exposed cats were attributable to decreased response activity of fast-spiking neurons. Together, our findings demonstrate that chronic BPA exposure restricts contrast perception, in response to impoverished neuronal coding ability in A17., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The resistive switching effect in memristors typically stems from the formation and rupture of localized conductive filament paths, and HfO 2 has been accepted as one of the most promising resistive switching materials. However, the dynamic changes in the resistive switching process, including the composition and structure of conductive filaments, and especially the evolution of conductive filament surroundings, remain controversial in HfO 2 -based memristors. Here, the conductive filament system in the amorphous HfO 2 -based memristors with various top electrodes is revealed to be with a quasi-core-shell structure consisting of metallic hexagonal-Hf 6 O and its crystalline surroundings (monoclinic or tetragonal HfO x ). The phase of the HfO x shell varies with the oxygen reservation capability of the top electrode. According to extensive high-resolution transmission electron microscopy observations and ab initio calculations, the phase transition of the conductive filament shell between monoclinic and tetragonal HfO 2 is proposed to depend on the comprehensive effects of Joule heat from the conductive filament current and the concentration of oxygen vacancies. The quasi-core-shell conductive filament system with an intrinsic barrier, which prohibits conductive filament oxidation, ensures the extreme scalability of resistive switching memristors. This study renovates the understanding of the conductive filament evolution in HfO 2 -based memristors and provides potential inspirations to improve oxide memristors for nonvolatile storage-class memory applications., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

m6A methylation has been demonstrated to be one of the most important epigenetic regulation mechanisms in cell differentiation and cancer development especially m6A derived diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers have been identified in the past several years. However, systemic investigation to the interaction between germline single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and m6A has not been conducted yet. In this study, we collected previous identified significant thyroid cancer associated SNPs from UKB cohort (358 cases and 407,399 controls) and ICR cohort (3,001 patients and 287,550 controls) and thyroid eQTL (sample size = 574 from GTEx project) and m6A-SNP (N = 1,678,126) were applied to prioritize the candidate SNPs. Finally, five candidate genes ( PLEKHA8, SMUG1, CDC123, RMI2, ACSM5 ) were identified to be thyroid cancer associated m6A-related genetic susceptibility. Loss and gain function studies of m6A writer proteins confirm that ACSM5 is regulated by m6A methylation of mRNA. Moreover, ACSM5 is downregulated in thyroid cancer and inversely correlated with PTC malignancy and patient survival. Together, our study highlight mRNA-seq and m6A-seq double analysis provided a novel approach to identify cancer biomarkers and understanding the heterogeneity of human cancers., Competing Interests: None., (AJCR Copyright © 2021.)

The reticulotegmental nucleus (RtTg) has long been recognized as a crucial component of brainstem reticular formation (RF). However, the function of RtTg and its related circuits remain elusive. Here, we report a role of the RtTg in startle reflex, a highly conserved innate defensive behaviour. Optogenetic activation of RtTg neurons evokes robust startle responses in mice. The glutamatergic neurons in the RtTg are significantly activated during acoustic startle reflexes (ASR). Chemogenetic inhibition of the RtTg glutamatergic neurons decreases the ASR amplitudes. Viral tracing reveals an ASR neural circuit that the cochlear nucleus carrying auditory information sends direct excitatory innervations to the RtTg glutamatergic neurons, which in turn project to spinal motor neurons. Together, our findings describe a functional role of RtTg and its related neural circuit in startle reflexes, and demonstrate how the RF connects auditory system with motor functions., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Objective: To construct a three-dimensional (3D) liver model of Wuzhishan mini-pig for virtual liver surgeries., Methods: The biliary tree and hepatic arteries of Wuzhishan mini-pig were perfused with perchloroethylene and ethyl acetate along mixed with lead oxide, and the hepatic vein and portal vein were perfused with a mixture of dental base acrylic resin and lead oxide. The sectional images were acquired using a 64-slice spiral CT, and the 3D models of the portal vein, hepatic vein, biliary tree, hepatic arteries, and liver parenchyma were reconstructed using Mimics software; the resection image of the liver was also designed. The intrahepatic vascular cast was prepared by corroding the soft tissue with hydrochloric acid., Results and Conclusion: The intrahepatic vascular cast obtained fully retained the vascular architecture and displayed the fifth- and sixth-level branches of the hepatic vein and portal vein and the third- and fourth-level branches of the artery and bile duct. The 3D model of liver allowed stereoscopic and accurate display of the third- and fourth-level branches of the hepatic vein and portal vein and the second- and third-level branches of the artery and bile duct. The 3D model showed fewer branches but represented the structural distribution identical to the cast. The 3D model could clearly display the spatial relationship between the vasculature and the soft tissue in virtual resection of the liver tissues, and thus provides a useful model for training of laparoscopic liver resection.

Objective: To analyze the mutations of BRCA1 in 9 Chinese familiar breast cancer patients., Methods: Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 9 patients enrolled from 9 breast cancer families, one normal control, 32 sporadic breast cancer patients and 33 normal donors. DNA extracted from lymphocytes was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The 22 exons and partial introns of BRCA1 were screened by PCR-denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (PCR-DHPLC) and confirmed by direct sequencing., Results: Among these 9 familiar breast cancer patients, a deleterious mutation was detected in one case in exon 11 (3870delTGTC) which was a 4-base deletion and caused a frameshift in turn. One novel and unique amino acid substitution (E867R) was detected in one case. Eight patients were detected to have a known variation in intron 18 (IVS18 + 65G-->A), and the ratio of this variation detected was 88.9% (8/9). The ratio of this variation was 37.5% (12/32) in sporadic breast cancer patients or 33.3% (11/33) in normal control. This variation was found to be accompanied all the time with a known missense variation in exon 11 (P871L) and a polymorphism in intron 9 (IVS8-57delT). Those three variants were also detected in homozygous in one case, which implies the linkage of the 3 sites. The linkage had not been reported. Two patients had been found with a known polymorphism in exon 13 (S1436S). Another known polymorphism was found in one case (L771L). In addition, intronic variants (IVS2 + 48C-->T, IVS2 + 133C-->T, IVS12 + 112C-->A) were detected., Conclusion: The mutations of BRCA1 in Chinese familiar breast cancer patients are different from the hot spots reported in Caucasian and Jewish. It is important that further study be conducted to seek for specific mutations of this gene or other possible relevant genes in Chinese familiar breast cancer patients.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of Mycoplasma hyorhinis in archived paraffin-embedded gastric cancer tissue and to find whether Mycoplasma hyorhinis infection can influence gene expression level in gastric cancer cells., Methods: A high-dense tissue microarray containing 105 gastric cancer samples, 101 benign margin samples and 62 non-cancerous gastric disease samples resected during operation was constructed. PD4, a specific anti-Mycoplasma-hyorhinis Mab, was used to detect the infection rate in all the samples in the tissue microarrays immunohistochemically. Then, cDNA microarray was used to pinpoint differentially the expressed genes between gastric cancer cell line MGC803 samples with and without Mycoplasma hyorhinis infection., Results: The infection rate of M. hyorhinis was 54.1% 53/98 in gastric cancer samples, 51.7% 45/87 in benign margin samples, and 15.8 % 9/57 in non-cancerous disease samples respectively. The difference of infection rates between gastric cancer and non-cancerous gastric disease was statistically significant (P = 0.001). Highly differentiated adenocarcinomas had more opportunity (84.6%) to be infected with M. hyorhinis than poorly differentiated ones (45.9%)(P < 0.05). Intestinal type of gastric cancers (according to Lauren's classification) got the infection more often than diffused type. About 409 gene expression alterations were detected in 48 000 sites from two gastric cancer cell lines and the expression levels of some genes correlating with cell apoptosis and cell adhesion were down regulated after Mycoplasma hyorhinis infection., Conclusion: The infection rate of M. hyorhinis is significantly higher in gastric cancer than in other gastric diseases, thus indicating the association between Mycoplasma infection and gastric cancer. Mycoplasma hyorhinis infection influences the gene expression level in gastric cancer cell line MGC803, which indicates that the infection could have something to do with the process of gastric cancer. The question whether M.hyorhinis has oncogenic potential remains to be elucidated.

Objectives: To summarize the clinical experience of preoperative intraarterial chemotherapy (PRAC) and evaluate the long-term results of multimodality against colorectal cancer., Methods: Seldinger procedure was used to intubate the tube to the artery branch which supplied blood to the tumor. The tumor was imaged to make sure the diagnosis and irrigate the chemotherapeutic drugs. Ten days after PRAC, the patients received radical operation and 6 chemotherapeutic courses with FCF regimen. Concurrent patients receiving surgical treatment yet no PRAC therapy were chosen as controls., Results: One-year survival rate was 93.05% in the PRAC group and 80.78% in the controls (P = 0.023). COX multivariate analysis was used to analyse the prognostic factors. Dukes'staging and the PRAC prescription or not were found to be independent prognostic factors of colorectal cancer patients. Patients in the PRAC group survived longer than those in the control group., Conclusion: PRAC can improve the survival of colorectal cancer patients.

Background: To evaluate the significance of flow cytometry (FCM) in the analysis of multi-drug resistance of doxorubicin., Methods: The level of doxorubicin or Rh-123 in S-180R and BGC-823/DOX, which were two cell lines with different drug resistance, was measured by FCM comparatively and continuously., Results: The total fluorescence profile peaks of S-180R, a high resistant cell line, were predominantly different from those of S-180, the parent cell line, by the FCM analysis. The subtle fluorescence profile differences between BGC-823/DOX (a low resistant cell line) and the parent cell line were quantitatively measured on the FCM map. The changes of each resistant cell fluorescence from the S 180R cells could be displayed by continuous tests, the more near the fluorescence level of each cell was, the more the fluorescence pike of whole cells centralized., Conclusions: FCM is a sensitive, accurate and quantitative test in the analysis of doxorubicin drug resistance.