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All insects are influenced by low temperature. However, as a typical stenothermic insect, the honey bee is perhaps the most severely affected. Low temperature exposure during the capped brood stages leads to high mortality and shortened worker longevity. The impact of low temperature stress on vein development has not, however, been investigated. In this study, the eight different developmental stages of capped brood (Apis mellifera) were exposed to 20 °C for 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, and 96 h, and then incubated at 35 °C (the optimum temperature for brood development) until emergence. We found a total of 21 abnormal vein types, consisting of 16 types of supernumerary veins and five types of lost veins. The abnormal phenomena in the brood occurred mainly 1–4 days after capping, when the metamorphosis process from larvae to pupa occurs. Our results suggest that this metamorphosis process is critical for the development of veins, indicating it as the most sensitive period to low-temperature. In addition, ...

Although swarming is a natural biological behavior of the honey bee, it significantly influences the production of honey bee products. In this short note, we measured temperature changes of entire ...

Based on the DFT, the adsorption and dehydrogenation reactions of methanol over PtCo@SV have been extensively investigated. When PtCo binary metal is adsorbed on the defect of single vacancy graphene (SV) by Co atom, its stability is obviously stronger than that of pure platinum on defect of SV. Both the H-adsorption and O-adsorption on Pt and Co sites are considered as initial reaction steps. Compared with Cu site, methanol is more likely to dehydrogenate at Pt site. Although the H-adsorption on the Pt site is weaker than the O-adsorption, the dehydrogenation by the H-adsorption path has much lower energy barrier than that by the O-adsorption path. Generally, for the H-adsorption path, the adsorption is rate determining step because of the rather low dehydrogenation barrier for the H-adsorption complex (thermodynamic control), whereas the O-adsorption path is determined by its dehydrogenation step (kinetic control). Among all the PtCo@SV investigated, PtCo-2 and PtCo-3 are found to enhance the activity of catalytic dehydrogenation by the H-adsorption path on the Pt site as compared with that on Pt2@SV, which explains why PtCo catalyst has become the focus of fuel cell research in recent years.

The targeting protein for Xenopus kinesin-like protein 2 (TPX2) has been demonstrated to be associated with the tumourigenesis of many cancers. In the present study, we investigated the role and preliminary mechanism of TPX2 in the resistance of lung squamous carcinoma to radiation therapy. The results showed that SK-MES-1R and NCI-H226R cells were more resistant to X-ray irradiation than the parental cells (SK-MES-1 and NCI-H226). Moreover, TPX2 was upregulated in the radioresistant cells compared with the parental cells. TPX2 knockdown significantly decreased TPX2 expression in SK-MES-1 cells, while TPX2 overexpression increased TPX2 expression in NCI-H226 cells compared with the corresponding control cells. TPX2 knockdown enhanced the radiosensitivity of SK-MES-1 and promoted cell apoptosis following exposure to irradiation, whereas TPX2 overexpression decreased the radiosensitivity of NCI-H226 and inhibited cell apoptosis. In in vivo studies, the combination of TPX2 knockdown and irradiation significantly inhibited tumour growth, decreased tumour weight, downregulated TPX2 expression in tumour tissue and induced cell apoptosis in nude mice, while TPX2 overexpression exerted an opposite effect. Our results indicated that TPX2 was correlated with cell radioresistance and it might be served as a therapeutic target to enhance cell radiosensitivity in the radiation therapy of lung squamous carcinoma.

The mechanism of the cyclic reaction N2O(X1Σ+) + CO(1Σ+) → N2(X1Σg+) + CO2(1Σg+) catalysed by Y+ ions has been investigated on both singlet and triplet potential energy surfaces. The reactions were investigated by means of the relativistic effective core potential together with the Stuttgart basis sets on Y and the UB3LYP/6-311G** level of theory on non-metal atoms. The crossings involved between the singlet and triplet energy surfaces have been investigated by means of the intrinsic reaction coordinate approach used by Yoshizawa et al. Furthermore, both steps of the reaction are exothermic and the overall reaction is exothermic by 361.12 kJ mol−1.

Background: Cardiac and/or pulmonary cement embolus (CPCE) caused by the leakage of bone cement after percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) are rare but are lethal complications in patients with vertebral compression fracture (VCF). Literature in this field is limited, and guidelines for the management of such complications are unclear. This study aimed to review our center’s experience. Methods: Medical records (clinical characteristics and management) and imaging data (X-ray findings, CT findings, and fluoroscopic findings) of 12 patients with CPCE after PVP between October 2015 and July 2018 at our hospital were collected and examined retrospectively. Their health conditions were also evaluated through a telephone follow-up survey. Results: Twelve patients with an average age of 76.8±8.5 years were included in our study. One patient who had a cardiac cement embolus and one patient who suffered from an inferior vena cava (IVC) cement embolus were successfully treated via percutaneous retrieval. Ten asymptomatic patients with pulmonary cement embolus (PCE) were managed with conservative observation. All of the patients were alive and remained asymptomatic during the follow-up period (median time, 6.5 months; range, 1–50 months). Conclusions: More attention should be paid to the possibility of development of CPCE. For patients with cardiac cement embolus, open heart surgery should be considered as a preferred treatment, and percutaneous procedure could be used as an alternative treatment for patients with surgical contraindication or other surgical high-risk factors. For patients with an IVC cement spike, percutaneous retrieval could be recommended. Careful observation and clinical follow-up could be recommended for patients with asymptomatic peripheral or central PCEs.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate and analyze the prognostic factors affecting lymph node (LN) metastasis and postoperative recurrence in patients with primary small cell...

To analyze the current status of diagnosis and management of acute appendicitis (AA) in China.Questionnaire survey was used to retrospectively collect data of hospitalized patients with AA from 43 medical centers nationwide in 2017 (Sort by number of cases provided: Jinling Hospital of Medical School of Nanjing University, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Lu'an People's Hospital, Tengzhou Central People's Hospital, Dalian Central Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Dongying People's Hospital, Jinjiang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huangshan Shoukang Hospital, Xuyi People's Hospital, Nanjing Jiangbei People's Hospital, Lanzhou 940th Hospital of PLA, Heze Municipal Hospital, The First College of Clinical Medical Science of China Three Gorges University, Affiliated Jiujiang Hospital of Nanchang University, The Second People's Hospital of Hefei, Affiliated Central Hospital of Shandong Zaozhuang Mining Group, The Third People's Hospital of Kunshan City, Xuzhou First People's Hospital, The 81st Group Army Hospital of PLA, Linyi Central Hospital, The General Hospital of Huainan Eastern Hospital Group, The 908th Hospital of PLA, Liyang People's Hospital, The 901th Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, The Fourth Hospital of Jilin University, Harbin Acheng District People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Nanjing Luhe People's Hospital, Taixing Municipal People's Hospital, Baotou Central Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Linyi People's Hospital, The 72st Group Army Hospital of PLA, Zaozhuang Municipal Hospital, People's Hospital of Dayu County, Taixing City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Beijing Guang'anmen Hospital, Langxi County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanyang Central Hospital, The Affiliated People's Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University).The diagnosis and management of AA were analyzed through unified summary. Different centers collected and summarized their data in 2017 and sent back the questionnaires for summary.A total of 8 766 AA patients were enrolled from 43 medical centers, including 4 711 males (53.7%) with median age of 39 years and 958 (10.9%) patients over 65 years old. Of 8 776 patients, 5 677 cases (64.6%) received one or more imaging examinations, and the other 3 099 (35.4%) did not receive any imaging examination. A total of 1 858 (21.2%) cases received medical treatment, mainly a combination of nitroimidazoles (1 107 cases, 59.8%) doublet regimen, followed by a single-agent regimen of non-nitroimidazoles (451 cases, 24.4%), a nitroimidazole-free doublet regimen (134 cases, 7.2%), a triple regimen of combined nitroimidazoles (116 cases, 6.3%), nitroimidazole alone (39 cases, 2.1%) and nitroimidazole-free triple regimen (3 cases, 0.2%). Of the 6 908 patients (78.8%) who underwent surgery, 4 319 (62.5%) underwent laparoscopic appendectomy and 2589 (37.5%) underwent open surgery. Ratio of laparotomy was higher in those patients under 16 years old (392 cases) or over 65 years old (258 cases) [15.1%(392/2 589) and 10.0%(258/2 589), respectively, compared with 8.5%(367/4 316) and 8.0%(347/4 316) in the same age group for laparoscopic surgery, χ²=91.415, P0.001; χ²=15.915,P0.001]. Patients with complicated appendicitis had higher ratio of undergoing open surgery as compared to those undergoing laparoscopic surgery [26.7%(692/2 589) vs. 15.6%(672/4 316), χ²=125.726, P0.001].The cure rates of laparoscopic and open surgery were 100.0% and 99.8%(2 585/2 589) respectively without significant difference (P=0.206). Postoperative complication rates were 4.5%(121/2 589) and 4.7%(196/4 316) respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant (χ²=0.065, P=0.799). The incidence of surgical site infection was lower (0.6% vs. 1.7%, χ²=17.315, P0.001), and hospital stay was shorter [6(4-7) days vs. 6(5-8) days, U=4 384 348.0, P0.001] in the laparoscopic surgery group, while hospitalization cost was higher (median 12 527 yuan vs. 9 342 yuan, U=2 586 809.0, P0.001).The diagnosis of acute appendicitis is still clinically based, supplemented by imaging examination. Appendectomy is still the most effective treatment at present. Laparoscopic appendectomy has become the main treatment strategy, but anti-infective drugs are also very effective.

The reaction mechanism of the gas-phase PtCH2 + with H2S has been systematically investigated on the doublet and quartet potential energy surfaces at BPW91/6-311++G(2d, p)∪ SDD level. The Pt in PtCH2 + prefers to attack S–H bond in H2S. For PtCH2 + + H2S reaction, the potential energy surfaces (PESs), including three reaction pathways of hydrogen (including one and two hydrogen elimination) and methane elimination, have been explored and characterized. By contrast with hydrogen elimination, methane elimination reaction channel is energetically favorable, which is in good agreement with the experimental observation. The optimal S–H bond activation is the first step, followed by cleavage of Pt–C and Pt–S bond. About the path a and b, the lowering of activation barrier is mainly caused by the more stabilizing transition state interaction $$\varDelta E_{\text{int}}^{ \ne }$$ , which is the actual interaction energy between the deformed reactants in the transition state.

The concrete breaking mechanism of ultra-high pressure water jet is divided into two parts: the characteristics of ultra-high pressure water jet and the characteristics of concrete under the action of water jet. Through the analysis of the water wedge and water hammer under the action of the jet on the concrete breaking, ultra-high pressure water jet pressure and jet on the concrete strike force is a linear relationship.

Many species of high-altitude plateaus tend to be narrowly distributed along river valleys at lower elevations due to a limitation of suitable habitats. The eastern honeybee (Apis cerana) is such a species and this study explored the effects of long and narrow geographic distributions on honeybee populations. Genetic differentiation and diversity were assessed across populations of the southeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. A total of 492 honeybee samples from eight sampling sites in four valleys were analyzed for the genetic differentiation and diversity of 31 microsatellite loci and mitochondrial tRNAleu-COII fragments. The following results were obtained: (1) Microsatellite genetic differentiation coefficients (FST) ranged from 0.06 to 0.16, and mitochondrial FST estimates ranged from 0.18 to 0.70 for different sampling sites in the same valley, indicating genetic differentiation. (2) Honeybees in adjacent valleys were also genetically differentiated. The FST of microsatellites and mitochondria were 0.04–0.29 and 0.06–0.76, respectively. (3) Likely a result of small population sizes, the observed genetic diversity was low. The observed impedance of honeybee gene flow among valleys increased both genetic differentiation and population numbers in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This study contributes significantly to the current understanding of the mechanism underlying population genetic differentiation and highlights the potential effects of utilizing genetic resources that are subject to the ecological conditions of the long and narrow geographic distributions of plateau-valley landforms.

The gas-phase reaction of C–H bond activation in ethane by CrO 2 + has been investigated using density functional theory (DFT) at the UB3LYP/6-311G(2d,p) level. Our results reveal that the activation process is actually a spin-forbidden reaction. The involved crossing point between the doublet and quartet potential energy surfaces (PES) has been discussed by two well-known methods, i.e., intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) approach for crossing point (CP) and Harvey’s algorithm for minimum energy crossing point (MECP). The obtained single ( P 1 ISC = 2.48 × 10 −3 ) and double ( P 1 ISC = 4.95 × 10 −3 ) passes estimated at MECP show that the intersystem crossing (ISC) occurs with a little probability. The C–H bond activation processes should proceed to be endothermic by 73.16 kJ/mol on the doublet surface without any spin change.

Platinum nanoparticles on phosphorus-doped carbon materials exhibit high electrocatalytic activity and long-time stability as shown in recent experimental studies. In the present work, we use density functional theory calculations to study the adsorption nature of atomic platinum on phosphorus-doped carbon nanotube. Our calculation results demonstrate enhancement of the binding energy of Pt on P-doped CNT compared to pristine and nitrogen-doped CNTs. This increase in binding energy primarily results from the significant orbital hybridization between Pt sd hybridized orbital and P sp hybridized orbital.

In the present work, density functional theory (DFT) is used to investigate the binding mechanism of atomic platinum on several heteroatom (Be, B, N, and O) doped (6, 6) single-walled carbon nanotubes. The binding abilities in ascending order by dopants are found to be pristine, nitrogen, boron, beryllium, and oxygen. The adsorption mechanisms of Pt on these nanotubes have been discussed based on the adsorption geometries, frontier orbitals, and projected density of states. Due to the unused binding site of the carbon atom created by O-doping, the O-doped CNT presents the strongest binding for atomic Pt. It is found that the degree of s-orbital of the carbon atom involved in the C–Pt bond could reflect the binding strength of Pt on these doped CNT supports.

To evaluate therapeutic outcomes of intraluminal brachytherapy (ILBT) for malignant obstructive jaundice (MOJ) against stent alone. The PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wan Fang, VIP and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched for all relevant comparative studies from the earliest available date up to 1 May 2017. Subgroup analyses were performed according to the type of study design and type of stent. Twelve studies that compared ILBT versus stent alone were eligible. A total of 641 participants with MOJ were included in our meta-analysis. A total of 340 participants were treated with intraluminal brachytherapy (ILBT); the other 301 participants were treated with biliary stent alone (stent group). ILBT was associated with lower risk of stent occlusion (OR 0.19; 95% CI 0.13–0.28; P

Objective: To investigate the expression of long-chain non-coding RNAs DAPK1 and miR-182 in pancreatic cancer tissues and the role of DAPK1 and miR-182 in pancreatic cancer cell invasion and migration and its mechanism. Methods: The expression of DAPK1 and miR-182 in different pancreatic cancer and adjacent tissues and different pancreatic cancer cells were detected by qPCR. Transwell invasion assay was used to detect the invasion ability of pancreatic cancer cells after DAPK1 expression. The changes of the migration ability of pancreatic cancer cells after DAPK1 expression were detected by scratch test. Double luciferase reporter gene was used to detect the interaction between DAPK1 and miR-182. Transwell invasion assay showed that miR-182 overexpression of DAPK1 could restore the invasive ability of pancreatic cancer cells. Western blot was used to detect the expression of ROCK-1/RhoA pathway protein after overexpression of miR-182 in DAPK1 cells. Phalloidin was used to label the cytoskeleton. The effect of miR-182 overexpression of DAPK1 on tumor size and volume of pancreatic cancer was detected by subcutaneous tumor formation in nude mice. Results: The expression of DAPK1 was significantly decreased in pancreatic cancer tissues compared with adjacent tissues, and the expression of DAPK1 decreased gradually and the expression of miR-182 was opposite with the progression of tumor. DAPK1 was associated with pathological stage of pancreatic cancer and lymph node metastasis, while miR-182 was positively correlated. The expression level of DAPK1 in pancreatic cancer cell HS766T was the lowest. Overexpression of DAPK1 could inhibit the invasion and migration of pancreatic cancer cells. DAPK1 could bind specifically to 3’UTR of miR-182. Overexpression of miR-182 could restore the invasion and migration of pancreatic cancer cells after overexpression of DAPK1. The expression of ROCK-1/RhoA pathway protein was down-regulated by miR-182 after expression of DAPK1, and the expression of ROCK-1/RhoA pathway protein was restored. The expression of F-actin in LV5-DAPK1 group was significantly decreased, the formation of cell membrane wrinkles was significantly reduced, and the formation of pseudopodia was significantly reduced compared with LV5-DAPK1 + miR-182-mimic group. The tumor volume and weight of tumor-bearing mice in LV5-DAPK1 + miR-182-mimic group were significantly increased compared with LV5-DAPK1 group. Conclusion: DAPK1 plays an important role in the development and progression of pancreatic cancer. DAPK1 can regulate the invasion and migration of pancreatic cancer cells through the regulation of miR-82 through ROCK-1/RhoA signaling pathway.

Gas-phase CS2 activation by M+ (M = Ta, W, Re) was studied by the B3LYP density functional method.The geometries for reactants, transition states, and products were completely optimized. CS2 activation mediated by M+ (M = Ta, W, Re) were found to be a spin-forbidden process as a result of the crossing among the multistate energetic profiles. On the basis of the Hammond postulate, this was a typical two-state reactivity reaction. Among the different potential energy surfaces, the crossing points had been explored. The spin–orbit coupling (SOC) was also calculated between the electronic states of different multiplicities at the crossing point to estimate the intersystem crossing probability. For CP1, CP2, and CP4, the computed SOC constants were 80.28, 128.65, and 526.77 cm−1, which obtained by using one-electron spin–orbit Hamiltonian in Gaussian 09.

The mechanism of the cyclic reaction N2O(1∑) + CO(1∑+) → N2(1∑ g + ) + CO2(1∑ g + ) catalyzed by Re+ has been investigated on quintet and septet potential energy surfaces (PES). The reactions were studied by the B3LYP density functional method and the CCSD(T) theory. The calculated results of different PES show that the reaction proceeds in a two-step manner and spin crossing between different PES occurs. The involving crossing points (CPs) between the quintet and septet PES have been discussed by means of the intrinsic reaction coordinate approach. And the O-atom affinities testified that Re+ can capture O from N2O and transfer O atom to CO in the two spin state, which are thermodynamically allowed. Furthermore, the spin–orbit coupling (SOC) is calculated between electronic states of different multiplicities at the CPs. For CP1 and CP2, the computed SOC constants are 8.34 and 10.09 cm−1, respectively, obtained by using one-electron spin–orbit Hamiltonian in GAMESS. Therefore, the intersystem crossing at CP1 and CP2 occurs with a little probability because of the small SOC involved.

Geographic isolation interrupted gene flow between populations leading to population differentiation during the long evolutionary period. In this paper, 33 colonies from Damen Island and 100 colonies from adjacent mainland populations, Juxi and Chixi, were analyzed with both mitochondrial tRNA leu -COII sequences and five microsatellite loci. The results showed that Apis cerana cerana population from Damen Island significantly differentiated from its adjacent mainland populations. In addition, Damen Island population showed a lower level of genetic diversity in terms of the number of mitochondrial haplotypes while both island and mainland populations showed a low level of genetic diversity with mutilocus analysis. The divergent small island population A.c. cerana might probably have suffered inbreeding and genetic drift as well as limited gene flow across the strait. Our data provides useful information for management and preservation for the Damen Island population.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) and its receptor (PAFR), have been reported to participate in many cellular processes of cancer. However, little is known about their function in prostate cancer. In the present study, we found that PAFR was overexpressed in prostate cancer cells. PAF stimulation dose-dependently promoted the invasion, migration and growth of prostate cancer cells in vitro, while knockdown of PAFR inhibited the effect of PAF on prostate cancer cells. We further found that PAFR promoted prostate cancer cell growth and metastasis in vivo. Moreover, we found that PAFR activation increased MMP-3 expression and decreased E-cadherin expression of prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Finally, we found that PAFR time-dependently induced activation of ERK1/2, and ERK1/2 pathway contributed to PAFR-mediated prostate cancer cell invasion, migration and growth. Together, our findings demonstrate that PAFR can activate ERK1/2 pathway, and subsequently increase MMP-3 expression and decrease E-cadherin expression, which finally promote prostate cancer cell growth, invasion and metastasis. Thus, PAFR may act as a potential target for therapeutic use of prostate cancer.

The mechanism of the cyclic reaction N 2 O ( 1 Σ ) + CO ( 1 Σ + ) → N 2 ( 1 Σ g + ) + CO 2 ( 1 Σ g + ) catalyzed by Co+ has been investigated on both triplet and quintet potential energy surfaces (PESs). The reactions were studied by the UB3LYP density functional method and the CCSD(T) theory. The calculated results of different spin PES show that the reaction proceeds in a two-step manner and spin crossing between different PES occurs. The involved crossing between the PES has been discussed by means of the intrinsic reaction coordinate approach used by Yoshizawa et al., and the crossing points were located. Furthermore, the spin–orbit coupling (SOC) is calculated between electronic states of different multiplicities at the crossing points to estimate the intersystem crossing probabilities.

To analyze the clinical features of patients with gallbladder cancer from 17 hospitals in 5 Northwestern provinces (autonomous region) of China from 2009 to 2013.A total of 2 379 cases with gallbladder cancer in 17 tertiary hospitals from 5 Northwestern provinces of China from January 2009 to December 2013 were reviewed retrospectively. The clinical data was collected by standardized "Questionnaire for Clinical Survey of Gallbladder Cancer in Northwestern Area of China". χ² test was used to analyze the data.(1) Gallbladder cancer from 17 hospitals accounted for 1.6%-6.8% of all bile tract diseases from 2009 to 2013 in Northwestern China, average was 2.7%. Gallbladder cancer accounted for 0.4%-0.9% of abdominal surgery, average was 0.7%. (2) The incidence of gallbladder cancer was higher in the aged females, the ration of female to male was 1.0 to 2.1. The average age of gallbladder cancer was (64 ± 11) years. The occupation of patients was mainly farmers (χ² = 147.10, P0.01). (3) 57.2% of the gallbladder cancers were associated with gallstones. (4) The main pathological patterns of gallbladder cancer were moderate and poor differentiated adenocarcinoma, showing an aggressive malignancy. TNM stage IV accounted for 55.1% of all cases, which was associated with the poor prognosis. (5) The curative resection rate was 30.4%.Gallbladder cancer is common in the aged females and mainly at advanced stage. The screening and follow-up of high-risk groups with ultrasound and other methods regularly could increase the early diagnosis rate of gallbladder cancer, aggressive surgical resection combined with other comprehensive treatment could improve the prognosis of patients.

In this work, the enzymatic degradation of poly(butylene succinate- co -butylene terephthalate) (PBST) copolyesters was studied using the lipase from Pseudomonas (Lipase PS ® ). The biodegradation behavior was found to strongly depend on the overall impacts of several important factors as the BT comonomer structure and molar content, thermal characteristics, morphology, the enzyme-substrate, and so forth. Further, the biodegraded residual film samples were allowed to be analyzed by means of gel permeation chromatography (GPC), proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). On the experimental evidences, an exo-type mechanism of enzymatic chain hydrolysis preferentially occurring in the amorphous region was suggested for the PBST film samples.

In this study, thermal degradation and their related kinetics have been investigated mainly by means of thermal gravimetrical analyzer (TGA) under the dynamic nitrogen and air atmospheres for the chemically prepared biodegradable aliphatic–aromatic copolyesters of poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene terephthalate) (PBST). To further shed new lights on the comonomer molar composition and experimental condition dependences of thermal degradation kinetics, the as-known Friedman model was at first applied to quantitatively evaluate the kinetic parameters in terms of activation energy (E), degradation reaction order (n) and the frequency factor (Z). The results clearly demonstrated that thermal stabilities of these PBST copolyesters were substantially enhanced with the incorporation of more rigid butylene terephthalate comonomer, and tended to be much better in nitrogen than in air. Furthermore, the Friedman, Freeman–Carroll and Chang models were concurrently employed to quantitatively evaluate the thermal degradation kinetic parameters of the PBST copolyesters in nitrogen at different heating rates of 1, 2 and 5 K/min. It was found that the thermal degradation kinetic parameters for the PBST copolyesters were strongly dependent on the heating rate and calculating models. In addition, life-time parameters of the biodegradable PBST copolyesters were first calculated to predict the maximum usable temperatures, and this would be useful for practical application of these new bio-based green plastics.

In this work, new investigations on the effect of comonomer sequential structure on the thermal and crystallization behaviors and biodegradability have been implemented for the biodegradable poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene terephthalate) (PBST) as well as aliphatic poly(butylene succinate) (PBS). At first, these copolyesters were efficiently synthesized from dimethyl succinate and/or dimethyl terephthalate and 1,4-butanediol via condensation polymerization in bulk. Subsequently, their molecular weights and macromolecular chain structures were analyzed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. By means of differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and wide-angle X-ray diffractometer (WAXD), thermal and crystallization behaviors of these synthesized aromatic-aliphatic copolyesters were further explored. It was demonstrated that the synthesized copolyesters were revealed to have random comonomer sequential structures with thermal and crystallization properties strongly depending on their comonomer molar compositions, and that crystal lattice structures of the new crystallizable copolyesters shifted from the monoclinic crystal of semicrystalline PBS to triclinic lattice of the poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) with increasing the terephthalate comonomer composition, and the minor comonomer components were suggested to be trapped in the crystallizable component domains as defects. In addition, the enzymatic degradability was also characterized for the copolyesters film samples. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

We aimed to determine the optimal cryopreservation method for eradication of the greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) from honey bee comb. To pursue this goal, mortality rates of G. mellonella eggs, larvae, pupae and adults were studied after treatment at −15 or −20 °C for varying durations. The results showed that larvae, pupae and adults all died after they were treated for one hour at either −15 or −20 °C. Moth eggs, on the other hand, had strong frost resistance. It was only when the treatment time increased to 10 h that all G. mellonella eggs were killed. Freeze tolerance of 7-day-old eggs was higher than that of 1, 3 and 5 day-old eggs. We propose two protocols for cryopreservation of comb to kill all stages of the greater wax moth.

Nutrient loaded and non-loaded Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb) Hook) seedlings were transplanted in a pot trial to examine effects of exponential nutrient loading and fertilization treatments on first season growth and N nutrition. The treatments tested four rates of N (0, 30, 60, and 90 mg tree-1) as a mixed NPK fertilizer applied before planting to create a soil fertility gradient, and two topdressings applied only to non-loaded seedlings later in the season. Nutrient loading alone consistently enhanced seedling growth on the four soil fertility classes, increasing respective biomass and N uptake 42, 45, 20 and 8%, and 65, 67, 29 and 18% more than non-loaded seedlings. The positive response was attributed to increased N retranslocation from higher nutrient reserves built up by loading during nursery culture. Net retranslocation from old shoots to new growth was highest soon after planting when nutrient stress was most severe. Pre-plant soil fertilization and post-plant topdressings were also effective in promoting seedling productivity, but equivalent additions yielded less biomass than that from nutrient loading alone. Implications are that exponential nutrient loading may be more efficient in improving early growth performance of Chinese fir seedlings than traditional field fertilization practices at plantation establishment, and may on competitive sites avoid problems of stimulating surrounding vegetation rather than trees.

Containerized Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb) Hook) were reared from seed at four fertilizer levels (0, 15, 45, 75 mg N seedling-1 season-1) and two topdressing schedules (conventional or exponential) for a 22-week greenhouse rotation to assess growth, nutrition and nutrient loading capacity of seedlings. Extra P supplemented high fertilization (or nutrient loading) treatments to test for induced deficiency of this element. The schedule and rate of fertilization significantly affected growth and nutrient dynamics of the seedlings. Steady-state nutrition and superior growth performance were achieved by seedlings fertilized exponentially at the operational dose (15 mg N), yielding 23, 72 and 52% more in respective biomass, N uptake and P uptake than seedlings fertilized conventionally at the equivalent dose. The improved growth and fertilizer efficiency were attributed to close synchronization of exponential nutrient supply with exponential growth and nutrient demand of plants. High dose exponential fertilization (45 and 75 mg N) induced steady state-nutrition late in the season, increasing seedling N and P uptake by 72–83% and 50–96% compared to low dose exponential fertilization, demonstrating effective nutrient loading of plants without changing biomass. The extra P stimulated P uptake without altering growth or N uptake, thus P was probably not limiting during the greenhouse culture despite high N additions.

The clinical features and etiology of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) vary from region to region, and there is lack of large sample studies about BCS in China. The aim of the present study was to study the clinical features and etiology of patients with incident BCS in China prospectively.A consecutive case series of patients with incident BCS who were diagnosed in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College (Jiangsu, China) were enrolled from September 2010 to December 2011. All of the patients had continuous follow-ups to record the symptoms, body features, laboratory and radiology findings, and treatment methods through May 2012.A total of 145 incident cases of BCS were identified. BCS was caused by hepatic venous obstruction in 31% of the patients, inferior vena cava obstruction in 6% of the patients, and 63% suffered from a combination of the two conditions. At least one etiological factor was present in 82% of the patients, with the most common being membranous obstruction (61%). Only 5% of the patients had myeloproliferative neoplasms with a JAK2 V617F mutation, and none of the patients had a factor V Leiden mutation. Eighteen months after a percutaneous transluminal angioplasty was performed, the survival rate and the asymptomatic survival rate were 99% (95% confidence interval, 95-100%) and 93% (95% confidence interval, 89-98%), respectively.The most prevalent etiological factor for BCS in China is membranous obstruction. Moreover, most Chinese patients with chronic BCS are treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and have an excellent clinical outcome.

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are key pollinators, playing a vital role in ecosystem maintenance and stability of crop yields. Recently, reduced honey bee survival has attracted intensive attention. Among all other honey bee stresses, temperature is a fundamental ecological factor that has been shown to affect honey bee survival. Yet, the impact of low temperature stress during capped brood on brood mortality has not been systematically investigated. In addition, little was known about how low temperature exposure during capped brood affects subsequent adult longevity. In this study, capped worker broods at 12 different developmental stages were exposed to 20°C for 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84 and 96 hours, followed by incubation at 35°C until emergence. We found that longer durations of low temperature during capped brood led to higher mortality, higher incidences of misorientation inside cells and shorter worker longevity. Capped brood as prepupae and near emergence were more sensitive to low-temperature exposure, while capped larvae and mid-pupal stages showed the highest resistance to low-temperature stress. Our results suggest that prepupae and pupae prior to eclosion are the most sensitive stages to low temperature stress, as they are to other stresses, presumably due to many physiological changes related to metamorphosis happening during these two stages. Understanding how low-temperature stress affects honey bee physiology and longevity can improve honey bee management strategies.

This paper with Profili and CAXA solid designing software for the platform, for small wind turbine blades of parameterized modeling methods are given. To improve modeling accuracy and efficiency, using the EXECL software solution for blade section method for modeling of three dimensional coordinate space location. CAXA manufacturing engineer for further research on machining of blades, solid design is given in the file output approach.

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(2000). Scholars in Sichuan. Comparative Literature: East & West: Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 203-205.

In a rapidly changing world, continuous adoption of new practices is crucial for survival; organizations embracing the latest technologies have a competitive edge. Smart organizations readily take on board new organizational forms and practices, those in particular that offer agility and responsiveness. The Internet and the World Wide Web offer a new way of collaboration via Web services, but heterogeneity of different service components make cooperation difficult. This chapter describes a new approach to combine Web services by employing a layered structure, in which composition of a value-added service can be built from individual components, and each service component can have semantically equivalent but syntactically different alternatives.