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The key to successful stimulating carbonate reservoir is acid uniformly distribute in entire reservoir, diverting acid technology could effectively solve this problem. In this paper, completed a series of single agent contrast tests, such as corrosion inhibitor optimization evaluation experiment, Fe stabilizer optimization evaluation experiment, diverting agent optimization evaluation experiment, then formed a novel formula of diverting acid system. Meanwhile carried out a series of performance tests of acid system, including acid apparent viscosity test, high temperature dynamic corrosion test, acid dissolving rate test, acid etched conductivity test, acid-rock reaction kinetic parameters test, diverting acid diverting performance test, the results show that this system could keep stability and present well diverting performance in high temperature conditions. Stimulated a well by using this novel diverting acid system, achieved acid uniform distribution in heterogeneous reservoirs, and stimulation ratio was significant.

Chromium trioxide is calcined from 350 to 400 °C yielding pure Cr2O5. The electrochemical properties of the resulting chromium oxides have been measured in the potential range 2.0–4.5 V (vs. Li+/Li) when used in lithium batteries. The first discharge process, the intercalation of lithium into Cr2O5, proceeds via two steps. In the following cycles, lithium is found to be reversibly de-lithiated/lithiated via a solid solution process with an un-known single phase LixCr2O5 (u-phase) characterized by an X-ray diffractive lattice spacing of about 0.20 nm. The sample that results from chromium trioxide being calcined at 350 °C shows the highest capacity of 273 mAh g−1 (the first discharge at 0.5 C rate) and the sample calcined at 400 °C shows the best cyclability with the capacity retention of 96% after 100 cycles. The energy density of Cr2O5 can reach 819 Wh kg−1 with the energy conversion efficiency of 83%.

Whether traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) could be categorized as a kind of science or not has been a controversial issue over last century. Part of the confusion is caused by the indistinguishable usage of Chinese words "science" and "scientific" during discussion. According to western academic standards, TCM cannot be considered as pure or conventional science. However, in author's view, the foundation of a majority part of TCM practice is probably scientific, while many TCM theories remain unproved. In this article, medical theories and practices are classified based on scientific content into eight levels: medical science, scientific medicine, medical system, medical theory, medical opinion, medical belief, medical cultism, and medical fraud. Both Western medicine and TCM are positioned in this system accordingly. Currently, the scientific level of TCM is much lower than that of Western medicine, and more research is needed for its improvement.

Context • In the October 2014 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Hinman et al published the results of an Australian clinical trial on acupuncture in a paper entitled "Acupuncture for Chronic Knee Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial" (JAMA report), in which they concluded that neither acupuncture nor laser acupuncture had any greater effects than sham laser acupuncture for pain or function for patients aged 50 y and older with moderate-to-severe knee pain. That study has been criticized extensively by international scholars for its validity because serious methodological flaws existed throughout the study's design, implementation, and conclusions. Objective • The current study intended to re-examine the prior study's conclusions about the efficacy of acupuncture for chronic knee pain. Design • The current research team performed a reanalysis of relevant data from the JAMA report. Intervention • The original study included 4 groups: (1) an acupuncture group, which received needle acupuncture, inferred by the current authors to have been set up to be a positive control in the original study; (2) a laser acupuncture group, which received laser acupuncture; (3) a sham laser acupuncture group, which received sham laser acupuncture and acted as the negative controls for the laser acupuncture intervention; and (4) a control group, which received conventional care but no acupuncture or laser treatments. The study lasted 12 wk. Outcome Measures • The measures included evaluations in the following areas: (1) poststudy modifications-an evaluation of the consistency of the JAMA report with the study's intentions as identified for a grant that was originally approved and funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in 2009, as indicated in the study's trial registration, and as compared with the published protocols and to the study's originally stated objectives; (2) high heterogeneity-an assessment of the heterogeneity among the 4 groups for the overall outcome related to pain; (3) ineffectiveness of laser acupuncture-an analysis of laser acupuncture's efficacy for chronic knee pain as stated in the JAMA report, using effect size (ES); (4) effectiveness of acupuncture-a reanalysis of acupuncture's efficacy for chronic knee pain in comparison with the original analysis in the JAMA report, using ES; and (5) acupuncture after data adjustment-a new analysis of acupuncture's efficacy for chronic knee pain using data from the original study that was discussed in the JAMA report, using ES, with an estimation after data adjustment and elimination of the dilution effect of the Zelen design. Results • Contrary to a general impression that acupuncture was the focus, laser acupuncture was the primary intervention tested in the actual study, "Laser Acupuncture in Patients With Chronic Knee Pain: A Randomized, Placebo Controlled Trial." The study discussed in the JAMA report was neither a truly randomized, controlled trial (RCT) for acupuncture nor was it an appropriately designed, randomized study in general. High heterogeneity was found among its groups in the evaluation of overall pain in patients. Both the ES of 0.60 that had been set by Hinman et al for the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) and the resulting interpretation of results in the JAMA report were not appropriate. Using the original study's criteria of efficacy, the reanalysis has confirmed that the laser acupuncture was not effective, whereas the acupuncture was found to be moderately effective for chronic knee pain (P.05) for both overall pain and function at 12 wk, with an ES of 0.58, or after the adjustment of the data, with an ES of 0.67. Conclusions • The JAMA study was neither a conventional RCT nor an appropriately randomized trial, and its results are probably invalid. The ES of 0.60 for the MCID that was used in the JAMA study and the resulting explanation were not appropriate. Even with an ES of 0.60 for the MCID, acupuncture remained effective after data adjustment. Consequently, compared with conventional care, acupuncture treatment was found to be moderately effective for chronic knee pain in patients aged 50 y and older.

We present a generalization of g-frames related to an adjointable operator $K$ on a Hilbert $C^{\ast}$-module, which we call $K$-g-frames. We obtain several characterizations of $K$-g-frames and we also give conditions under which the removal of an element from a $K$-g-frame leaves again a $K$-g-frame. In addition, we define a concept of dual, and using it we study the relation between a $K$-g-frame and a g-Bessel sequence with respect to different sequences of Hilbert $C^{\ast}$-modules.

Using ASP.NET as a development tool is in order to develop this small trading company customer management system. This article appeared in recent years by trading on the domestic management system software analysis, combined with work experience, according to the software engineering approach to the small trading company customer management system, a system analysis, overall design, detailed design. Uses the popular client / server mode, select the database performance SQL, using efficient tools VISUAL STUDIO 2005, to complete the small trading company customer management system software design and development.

Using polymer gel is still the mainstream technique of the chemical method for water shut-off in mature oilfield development. The gelation performance of polyethyleneimine (PEI) cross-linking partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) gel was systematically investigated in this paper by using three types of molecular weight (Mw) HPAM. Results show that the gelant solution (the fluid solution of cross-linker and polymer that exists before gelation) can slightly gel even at room temperature and form a rudimentary 3D network structure for protecting the subsequent gelling. The main factors, including HPAM, PEI concentrations, HPAM Mw, and total dissolved solids (TDS) to affect the gelation performance are also discussed. The gelation time is around 18–72 h at 65 °C, which is much longer than the commonly used chromium(III)-acetate cross-linking HPAM gel system. The gelation performance of the PEI/HPAM gel system is improved after flowing through porous media and shows the adverse law for a porous media shear...

Whether thermal effects have a contribution on oil recovery mechanisms in the high-pressure air injection (HPAI) process in a light-oil reservoir has confused many people over several decades. The argument is due to the lack of convictive evidence from both direct laboratory and simulation studies. This paper is the prelusion for the subsequent study for a better understanding of the influence of thermal effects on oil production. In a previous study, thermogravimetry/differential thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) tests were employed to investigate the kinetic parameters and exothermic behavior of Keke Ya light crude oil (Tarim Basin, China) and oil + cuttings, showing that Keke Ya light crude oil as well as oil + cuttings exhibited very low activation energy and favorable exothermic behavior. In this study, we develop a thermal effect monitoring device, which is similar to the isothermal oxidation tube, and we have detected the obvious exothermic phenomenon of Keke Ya ligh...

We discuss the upper bound of quantum discord, and derive a necessary condition for the reachable entropy quantum correlated states. We analyze the optimal measurements to access classical correlation in arbitrary two-qubit system. Then, we define the minimum quantum discord on the correlation direction, and demonstrate that it could be a good approximation of quantum discord. Finally, we study the dynamics of quantum correlation, which exhibits a sudden change under the decayed process, then we give a reasonable interpretation for this phenomenon with respects to the minimum quantum discord on the correlation direction.

We study noncommutative Chern-Simons mechanics and noncommutative Hall effect by Dirac theory in this paper. The magnetic field is introduced by means of minimal coupling. We show that the constraint set will enlarge when a dimensionless parameter takes zero value. In order to illustrate our idea, we study two specific models. One is noncommutative Chern-Simons mechanics which describes a charged particle on a noncommutative plane interacting with a perpendicular uniform magnetic field. The other is a charged particle on a noncommutative plane with a background uniform electromagnetic field. We show that when the dimensionless parameter tends to zero, the particle will live in a lower dimensional space in both models. Noncommutative Chern-Simons mechanics will reduce to a harmonic oscillator and the classical equations of motion of a charged particle in the background of a uniform electromagnetic field are governed by classical Hall law when the dimensionless parameter tends to zero.

Chern-Simons quantum mechanics is studied by using the path integral formulation. We find that the model can be decomposed into two independent oscillators when a set of new coordinate is chosen. The propagator is constructed in this new set of coordinate and the spectra is read off directly from it. The spectra will be divergent when the mass of the particle tends to zero. In order to get a physical result, one must regularize the spectra properly. We afford a new scheme of regularization. Interestingly, our scheme shows that the regularization we proposed amounts to erase one of the oscillators in the new set of coordinate. Physical interpretations for the regularization are given and some ambiguities in the literatures are clarified.

Sr3M2(OH)12 (M = Al, Cr, Fe) are prepared by mechanical room temperature solid state reaction through quickly grinding mixtures of Al(NO3)3·9H2O or MCl3·6H2O (M: Cr, Fe), Sr(NO3)2, and 10 mol% excess solid NaOH.

In addition to systemic and local factors, mechanical strain plays a crucial role in bone remodeling during growth, development, and fracture healing, and especially in orthodontic tooth movement. Although many papers have been published on the effects of mechanical stress on osteoblasts or osteoblastic cells, little is known about the effects of different magnitudes of mechanical strain on such cells. In the present study, we investigated how different magnitudes of cyclic tensile strain affected osteoblasts. MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells were subjected to 0%, 6%, 12% or 18% elongation for 24h using a Flexercell Strain Unit, and then the mRNA and protein expressions of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL) were examined. The results showed that cyclic tensile strain induced a magnitude-dependent increase (0%, 6%, 12%, and 18%) in OPG synthesis and a concomitant decrease in RANKL mRNA expression and sRANKL release from the osteoblasts. Furthermore, the induction of OPG mRNA expression by stretching was inhibited by indomethacin or genistein, and the stretch-induced reduction of RANKL mRNA was inhibited by PD098059. These results indicate that different magnitudes of cyclic tensile strain influence the biological behavior of osteoblasts, which profoundly affects bone remodeling.

In this Technical Note, the adaptive block element method of rock masses is formulated, in which the elastoplastic characteristics of both rock blocks and discontinuities are taken into account. The concept of an overlay element is illustrated first; then the displacement fields of rock blocks are expressed as functions of so-called general degree of freedoms using the shape functions of the hierarchical finite element method; the governing equations of the rock block system are deduced on the basis of the virtual work principle; and the p-version adaptive algorithm based on the energy norm error estimation of each block element is proposed. The method is applied to the deformation and stability study of a gravity dam, and the parallel laboratory physical test is used to check the validity and ability of the method.

The proton conductive property of methano [60] fullerene diphosphoric acid has been investigated under various humidity conditions at the temperature range between 15 and 45 °C. It shows proton conductivity as high as 10 −2 S cm −1 at 25 °C under relative humidity of 95%. Thermal analyses including TG–DTA and thermal desorption mass spectroscopy (TDS) confirm that the compound is thermally stable up to 200 °C. Proton conduction of the compound depends very much on humidity or water content. The logarithmic conductivity at 25 °C is increased linearly with increasing relative humidity. The activation energy ( E a ) estimated from the slope of log( σT ) vs. 1/ T is decreased from 1.08 to 0.52 eV, as the relative humidity is increased from 40% to 75%. The humidity dependence of conductivity is discussed in the light of the observed hydration isotherm.

Films of V 0.9 Mo 0.1 O 2.55 were fabricated by spin-coating or casting technique using a solution of molybdenum-doped polyvanadate. Their lithium insertion/extraction performance was investigated in a LiClO 4 /propylene carbonate solution. A coated thin film (0.4 μm in thickness) showed the capacity of about 14 μA h/cm 2 at the current density of 25 μA/cm 2 between 3.5 and 2.2 V (vs. Li). This level of capacity was maintained through 100 times of discharge/charge cycles, performed with the cut-off voltages of 4.7 and 2.2 V. The capacity of cast films increased linearly with their thickness up to 18 μm (480 μA h/cm 2 at this thickness) at the slope of 27 μA h/cm 2 /μm, which was almost comparable to the per-thickness capacity of far thinner coated films. Such cast films also showed good cyclic performance.

Proton conductivity of layered hydrates WO3·2H2O and WO3·H2O was investigated in the temperature range of 273–423 K under various water vapor pressures (pH2O). Dihydrate exhibited conductivity as high as 7×10−3 S cm−1 at 423 K under pH2O/pS=1 (pS: equilibrium pressure, about 0.6 MPa at this temperature). Conductivity stayed at this level until the compound started decomposing with the release of inter-layer water at a low pH2O/pS. The activation energy of conductivity for the 323–423 K region was 0.36 eV. At lower temperature, however, conductivity depended very strongly on water pressure, especially in the region near pH2O/pS=1. The activation energy here was much smaller, 0.15 eV, which was typical of the surface water mechanism. For monohydrate WO3·H2O, the temperature dependence of conductivity was uniform with the activation energy of 0.13 eV through the range of 298–423 K. Its conductivity at 423 K and pH2O/pS=1 was about one order of magnitude lower than that of dihydrate.

By weakening the identity condition of uninorm, a general class of associative identity aggregation operators called weak uninorm is introduced. It is proved that continuous weak uninorms are the combination of continuous t-norm and continuous t-conorm through median operator. The representation theorem for Archimedean weak uninorm is also given. In the final, the counting number of the identity elements of weak uninorm is also investigated.

Curve offsetting is one of the most important geometric operations in CAD/CAM systems due to its immediate applications to NC machining. Although offset curves to Pythagorean hodograph curves are rational, offset curves to generic rational curves are non-rational and hence incompatible with B-spline representation. For this reason, approximation techniques have been widely used for curve offsetting. From the Neumann theorem it is known that an analytic function defined over [−1. 1] has a converging Legendre series. Based on the use of the Legendre series, we present a stable and efficient method for offsetting planar B-spline curves. Our approach provides users with easy control of approximation accuracy and flexibility to determine the degree of an offset curve.

Bezier representation of curves and surfaces has been a standard in most CAD/CAM systems. The conversion between Bezier, Tchebyshev, and Legendre representation of polynomial curves and surfaces is often desired when an approximation procedure is involved. In this paper, we present a simple and numerically stable method for basis conversion of Bezier, Tchebyshev, and Legendre polynomials.

Some results of clinical trials from the West on traditional acupuncture with modern research design have puzzled the acupuncture community. These include (1) what is the implication of acupuncture, (2) whether acupuncture point has its specificity, and 3) why practical experience in the East is quite different from research observations in the West. Three hypotheses, namely, Acupuncture Healing Effect, Pan-acupoint Phenomenon, and Hard Acupuncture and Soft Acupuncture, are proposed here to explain these sensitive issues. Further investigation with scientific approach may prove or reject these hypotheses. The resolving of these issues will shed light on the re-evaluation of traditional acupuncture and promote the maturation of modern acupuncture theory.

BACKGROUND: Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) are implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic vascular disease of diabetic and nondiabetic etiology. Recent research suggests that advanced glycation of ApoB contributes to the development of hyperlipidemia. AGE-specific receptors, expressed on vascular endothelium and mononuclear cells, may be involved in both the clearance of, and the inflammatory responses to AGEs. The aim of this study was to examine whether there is a relationship between serum AGE-ApoB and AGEs in arterial tissue of older normolipidemic nondiabetic patients with occlusive atherosclerotic disease, compared with age-matched and younger asymptomatic persons. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum AGE-ApoB was measured by ELISA in 21 cardiac bypass patients. Furthermore, an AGE-specific monoclonal antibody, and polyclonal antibodies against anti-AGE-receptor (anti-AGE-R) 1 and 2 were used to explore the localization and distribution of AGEs and AGE-R immunoreactivity (IR) in arterial segments excised from these patients. RESULTS: Serum AGE-ApoB levels were significantly elevated in the asymptomatic, older population, compared with those in young healthy persons (259 +/- 24 versus 180 +/- 21 AGE U/mg of ApoB, p < 0.01). Higher AGE-ApoB levels were observed in those patients with atherosclerosis (329 +/- 23 versus 259 +/- 24 AGE U/mg ApoB, p < 0.05). Comparisons of tissue AGE-collagen with serum AGE-ApoB levels showed a significant correlation (r = 0.707, p < 0.01). In early lesions, AGE-IR occurred mostly extracellularly. In fatty streaks and dense, cellular atheromatous lesions, AGE-IR was visible within lipid-containing smooth muscle cells and macrophages, while in late-stage, acellular plaques, AGE-IR occurred mostly extracellularly. AGE-R1 and -R2 were observed on vascular endothelial and smooth-muscle cells and on infiltrating mononuclear cells in the early-stage lesions, whereas in dense, late-stage plaques, they colocalized mostly with lipid-laden macrophages. On tissue sections, scoring of AGE-immunofluorescence correlated with tissue AGE and plasma AGE-ApoB. CONCLUSIONS: (1) The correlation between arterial tissue AGEs and circulating AGE-ApoB suggests a causal link between AGE modification of lipoproteins and atherosclerosis. AGE-specific receptors may contribute to this process. (2) Serum AGE-ApoB may serve to predict atherosclerosis in asymptomatic patients.

Diabetic uremic sera contain excessive amounts of reactive advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs), which accelerate the vasculopathy of diabetes and end-stage renal disease. To capture in vivo-derived toxic AGEs, high affinity AGE-binding protein lysozyme (LZ) was linked to a Sepharose 4B matrix. Initial studies showed that > 80% of 125I-AGE-BSA was retained by the LZ matrix, compared with < 10% retained by a control matrix. More than 60% of AGE-lysine was captured by the LZ matrix, and the LZ-bound fraction retained immunoreactivity and cross-linking activity, but had little intrinsic fluorescence (370/440 nm). After passage through the LZ matrix, AGE levels in diabetic sera (0.37+/-0.04 U/mg) were significantly reduced to a level (0.09+/-0.01 U/mg; n = 10; P < 0. 0001) comparable with the level of normal human serum, whereas total protein absorption was < 3%. The AGE-enriched serum fraction exhibited cross-linking activity, which was completely prevented by aminoguanidine. Among numerous LZ-bound proteins in diabetic uremic sera, three major proteins "susceptible" to AGE modification were identified: the immunoglobulin G light chain, apolipoprotein J (clusterin/SP-40,40), and the complement 3b beta chain. These findings indicate that the LZ-linked AGE affinity column may serve as an efficient method for the depletion of toxic AGEs from sera, including specific AGE-modified proteins that may be linked to altered immunity, lipoprotein metabolism, and accelerated vasculopathy in renal failure patients with or without diabetes.

Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) have been linked to many sequelae of diabetes, renal disease and aging. To detect AGE levels in human tissues and blood samples, a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been widely used. As no consensus or standard research method for the quantitation of AGEs currently exists, nor a universally defined AGE unit available, the comparative quantitation of AGEs between research laboratories is problematic and restricts the usefulness of interlaboratory clinical data. By comparing the cross-reactivities of five different anti-AGE antisera with five different in vitro AGE-modified proteins, we found that the immunological recognition of AGEs by competitive ELISA is both AGE-carrier protein- and anti-AGE antibody-dependent. This suggests that in vitro AGE-modified proteins might not be appropriate standards for AGEs that occur naturally in vivo. Based on our observation that serum AGE levels in the normal human population are consistently within a narrow range and several folds lower than in diabetics, we propose a method to standardize AGE units against normal human serum (NHS). In this new method, one AGE unit is defined as the inhibition that results from 1:5 diluted NHS in the competitive AGE-ELISA; thus the AGE value in NHS is 5 units/ml. This NHS method requires a competitive AGE-ELISA with reasonable sensitivity such that 1:5 NHS produces a 25 to 40% inhibition of anti-AGE antibody binding to immobilized AGE-proteins. By using this standardized method we found that the AGE levels in normal human serum (5.0 +/- 2.2 units/ml; mean +/- SD, n = 34) fit a normal distribution (chi 2-test, p0.01), and the serum AGE levels in diabetic patients (20.3 +/- 3.8 units/ml, n = 7) are significantly higher than that of the normal population (p0.0001). Since AGE units can now be defined against a universally available standard, NHS, the results of quantitative AGE measurements using this method should be comparable between assays and between different laboratories. Taken together, standardizing the AGE-ELISA protocol as described here provides a simple and quantitative method that should facilitate the expanded application of clinical AGE data.

Using homogeneous coordinates, a rational curve can be represented in a nonrational form. Based on such a nonrational representation of a curve, a simple method to identify inflection points and cusps on 2-D and 3-D rational curves is proposed.

Sixty percent of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States and 90% throughout the world will have diarrhea at some point in their illness. This article provides an introductory exploration and discussion of Western and Eastern perspectives of chronic diarrhea in patients with HIV. Western etiologies and treatment approaches, as well as Eastern views from traditional Chinese medicine pathogenesis and treatment principles involving acupuncture and moxibustion are presented. Whereas their interpretations of the causes of diarrhea are different, both the East and West have something to offer patients with this distressing symptom. Further exploration and clinical research is needed in this area.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains contain high levels of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs). Double immunostaining using anti-AGE and anti-apolipoprotein E (apoE) antibodies demonstrated that AGEs co-localized to a very high degree with apoE. We examined the binding of apoE to in vitro-prepared AGE-bovine serum albumin (AGE-BSA), using Western ligand blot analysis. ApoE exhibited AGE-specific binding activity in the presence of excess native BSA, with the dimeric form of apoE binding better than the monomeric form. Other apolipoproteins including apo A1, B, CI and CII, and serum beta2-microglobulin, did not bind AGE-BSA. ApoE4 exhibited a 3-fold greater AGE-binding activity than the apoE3 isoform. These results suggest that apoE may participate in aggregate formation in the AD brain by binding to AGE-modified plaque components. It is possible that enhanced binding of apoE4 might have pathogenic consequences in vivo.

Thioglycollate medium (TGM) is widely used as a stimulatory agent to induce non-infectious peritoneal inflammation for elicitation of macrophages from mice and rats. It has been known for a long time that aged, autoclaved TGM is more efficient than freshly prepared TGM, however, the mechanism responsible for this enhanced activity of aged TGM remains obscure. The aging of TGM apparently favors the non-enzymatic reactions between proteins and reducing sugars in TGM that may lead to the generation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs). We have found that aged TGM contains 40-fold more AGEs than fresh TGM. The formation of AGEs in TGM was completely blocked by co-incubation with an AGE inhibitor, aminoguanidine. Intraperitoneal injection of aged TGM into rats elicited approximately 2-fold more macrophages than fresh TGM. However, the addition of AGE-modified proteins to fresh TGM increased the yield of peritoneal cells to a level which was significantly higher than both fresh and aged TGM. The injection of AGE-modified proteins alone did not elicit significantly more macrophages than the level of resident peritoneal cells. These results suggest that the formation of AGEs during aging of TGM is responsible for the enhanced macrophage-eliciting activity in aged TGM. AGEs may act as an enhancing agent to augment the existing inflammatory responses. AGE-supplemented TGM may provide an efficient method for eliciting peritoneal macrophages or establishing an inflammatory animal model.

Flow cytometry was used to examine the expression of type I insulin-like growth factor receptors (IGF-IR) on three types of human hematopoietic cells that represent different stages of myeloid lineage development. Both HL-60 (promyeloid) and U-937 (monocytic) cells express abundant IGF-IR protein (> 79% cells positive for the IGF-IR), whereas KG-1 myeloblasts express negligible levels of IGF-IR (< 1% IGF-IR-positive cells). Exogenous IGF-I, IGF-II, and an IGF-I analog that binds poorly to IGF-binding protein-3 (des-IGF-I) increased DNA synthesis of HL-60 and U-937 cells in a dose-dependent (1-25 ng/ml) fashion by 2- to 4-fold in serum-free medium, whereas KG-1 cells did not respond to any of these growth factors. The IGF-induced increase in proliferation of HL-60 promyeloid cells was inhibited by soluble IGF-binding protein-3 (500 ng/ml) when these cells were stimulated with 10 ng/ml of either IGF-I (53 +/- 8%) or IGF-II (59 +/- 8%), but not with des-IGF-I (3 +/- 1%). In contrast, the anti-IGF-IR monoclonal antibody (mAb; alpha IR-3) inhibited the DNA synthesis caused by 10 ng/ml exogenous IGF-I (67 +/- 6%), IGF-II (72 +/- 8%), and des-IGF-1 (82 +/- 9%). Proliferation of KG-1 myeloblasts, however, was neither stimulated by the IGFs nor inhibited by the anti-IGF-IR mAb. In the absence of exogenous IGF-I, the mAb directed against the IGF-IR significantly suppressed basal DNA synthesis of HL-60 promyeloid (72 +/- 5%) and U-937 monocytic (39 +/- 7%) cells, but did not affect DNA synthesis of KG-1 myeloblasts (8 +/- 1%) compared to an isotype-matched control mAb. Similarly, the alpha IR-3 mAb abrogated vitamin D3-induced differentiation of the HL-60 cells into macrophages in serum-free medium, as assessed by expression of the leucam surface protein, CD11b. As the alpha IR-3 mAb inhibits DNA synthesis in the presence and absence of exogenous IGF-I on receptor-bearing cells, but not IGF-IR-negative cells, these data demonstrate that both endocrine and autocrine IGF-I are potent growth factors in human myeloid cells where expression of the surface receptor, rather than the ligand, is the critical control element. More importantly, these data support the hypothesis that autocrine IGF-I may play a significant role in the differentiation of promyeloid cells into macrophages.

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression and clinical significance of leptin in lung cancer. Methods 126 patients with lung cancer ranged from 30 to 83 years of age were studied. Serum leptin levels were determined by ELISA. The mRNA and protein levels of leptin in normal and lung cancer tissues were measured by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. The relationships between leptin levels and clinicopathological factors were evaluated by Wilcoxon rank sum or Kruskal–Wallis H test. Results Serum leptin levels in lung cancer patients were significantly higher compared to those in controls and leptin expression in lung cancer tissue was markedly increased than that in normal lung tissue (both P Conclusions Determination of leptin levels might provide useful predictive information for lung cancer.

Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) are derivatives of nonenzymatic reactions between sugars and protein or lipids, and together with AGE-specific receptors are involved in numerous pathogenic processes associated with aging and hyperglycemia. Two of the known AGE-binding proteins isolated from rat liver membranes, p60 and p90, have been partially sequenced. We now report that the N-terminal sequence of p60 exhibits 95% identity to OST-48, a 48-kDa member of the oligosaccharyltransferase complex found in microsomal membranes, while sequence analysis of p90 revealed 73% and 85% identity to the N-terminal and internal sequences, respectively, of human 80K-H, a 80- to 87-kDa protein substrate for protein kinase C. AGE-ligand and Western analyses of purified oligosaccharyltransferase complex, enriched rough endoplasmic reticulum, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, and plasma membranes from rat liver or RAW 264.7 macrophages yielded a single protein of approximately 50 kDa recognized by both anti-p60 and anti-OST-48 antibodies, and also exhibited AGE-specific binding. Immunoprecipitated OST-48 from rat rough endoplasmic reticulum fractions exhibited both AGE binding and immunoreactivity to an anti-p60 antibody. Immune IgG raised to recombinant OST-48 and 80K-H inhibited binding of AGE-bovine serum albumin to cell membranes in a dose-dependent manner. Immunostaining and flow cytometry demonstrated the surface expression of OST-48 and 80K-H on numerous cell types and tissues, including mononuclear, endothelial, renal, and brain neuronal and glial cells. We conclude that the AGE receptor components p60 and p90 are identical to OST-48, and 80K-H, respectively, and that they together contribute to the processing of AGEs from extra- and intracellular compartments and in the cellular responses associated with these pathogenic substances.

An electrochromic thin film of amorphous Mo 0.5 V 0.5 O 2.75 was fabricated on an ITO glass substrate by the spin-coating technique using a solution of a mixed peroxo-polyacid based on Mo and V (denoted as Mo/V-HPA with the mole ratio of Mo V = 1 ). The Li insertion dynamics of the film in contact with a Li + doped solid polymer electrolyte was investigated by the chrono-amperometric method. It was confirmed that the insertion rate is controlled by the Li diffusion process with the chemical diffusion coefficient about 1 × 10 −11 cm 2 /s (25 °C).

On the basis of similar structure of solution for a second-order linear differential equation's boundary value problem, and our analysis of the relationship between this similar structure and its kernel function, the differential equation, and the boundary conditions, we propose a new simple solution—similar constructive method of solution (SCMS)—and sum up its detailed steps. We set up a porous media model under three kinds of outer boundary conditions (infinite, constant pressure, and closed), in which the influences of fractal dimension, spherical flow, skin effect, and storage are taken into consideration. And then we use SCMS to solve it. The SCMS is a straightforward method for differential equation's boundary value problems with complex boundary conditions, especially for solving the reservoir models in petroleum engineering.

Peroxo-polymolybdovanadates with various mole ratios of Mo/V are formed by direct reaction of a mixture of metallic Mo and V with hydrogen peroxide solution. Homogeneous amorphous thin films about 0.4 μm are fabricated on an ITO glass substrate by a spin-coating technique using the peroxo-polymolybdovanadate solutions. After heat-treatment at a desired temperature (80–120°C) in air for 1 h, they show reversible electrochromism in an organic Li-electrolyte solution, and change color between greenish yellow and violet. The potential ( E ) versus composition ( x , Li content per mole of Mo y V 1− y O z ) diagrams for these mixed films could be approximated by two straight lines with different slopes, which suggests that in these films there are two kinds of sites with different site energies. The changes in electrochromism with heat-treatment are also discussed in relation to the micro-structure of the films.

BACKGROUND: Advanced glycation end products (AGE), the reactive derivatives of nonenzymatic glucose-protein condensation reactions, are implicated in the multiorgan complications of diabetes and aging. An AGE-specific cellular receptor complex (AGE-R) mediating AGE removal as well as multiple biological responses has been identified. By screening an expression library using antibody against a previously identified component of the AGE-R complex p90, a known partial cDNA clone was isolated with homology to galectin-3, a protein of diverse identity, and member of the galectin family. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To explore this unexpected finding, the nature of the interactions between galectin-3 and AGE was studied using intact macrophage-like RAW 264.7 cells, membrane-associated and recombinant galectin-1 through -4, and model AGE-ligands (AGE-BSA, FFI-BSA). RESULTS: Among the members of this family (galectin-1 through 4), recombinant rat galectin-3 was found to exhibit high-affinity 125I-AGE-BSA binding with saturable kinetics (kD 3.5 x 10(7) M-1) that was fully blocked by excess unlabeled naturally formed AGE-BSA or synthetic FFI-BSA, but only weakly inhibited by several known galectin-3 ligands, such as lactose. In addition to the p90, immunoprecipitation with anti-galectin-3, followed by 125I-AGE-BSA ligand blot analysis of RAW 264.7 cell extracts, revealed galectin-3 (28 and 32 kD), as well as galectin-3-associated proteins (40 and 50 kD) with AGE-binding activity. Interaction of galectin-3 with AGE-BSA or FFI-BSA resulted in formation of SDS-, and beta-mercaptoethanol-insoluble, but hydroxylamine-sensitive high-molecular weight complexes between AGE-ligand, galectin-3, and other membrane components. CONCLUSIONS: The findings point toward a mechanism by which galectin-3 may serve in the assembly of AGE-R components and in the efficient cell surface attachment and endocytosis by macrophages of a heterogenous pool of AGE moieties with diverse affinities, thus contributing to the elimination of these pathogenic substances.

A now mixed metal peroxo-polyacid based on Mo and V is formed by the direct reaction of a mixture of metallic Mo and V with hydrogen peroxide solution. A homogeneous amorphous thin film about 0.4 {mu}m is fabricated on an indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrate by a spin-coating technique using this peroxo-polymolybdovanadate solution. After heat-treatment from 80 to 120 C in air for 1 h, it shows reversible electrochromism in an organic LiClO{sub 4} electrolyte solution, and changes color from greenish yellow to grayish violet and violet, depending on the intercalation level of Li. Cyclic-voltammograms of the mixed Mo/V oxide film and those of the end members (MoO{sub 3} and V{sub 2}O{sub 5}) are quite different from one another, both in shape and peak-current potential, indicating that each film has distinctly different intercalation electrochemistry. The potential (E) vs. composition (x, Li content per mol Mo{sub 0.5}V{sub 0.5}O{sub 2.75}) diagram of the present film recorded in the intercalation process agrees with that of the deintercalation process in the range 0 < x < 1.5. The E-x relationship is approximated by two straight lines with different slopes, with a kink at x = 0.5. This suggests that in this film theremore » are two kinds of sites with different site energies. The changes in electrochromic properties with heat-treatment are also discussed in relation to the microstructure of the film.« less

We consider an inverse heat conduction problem (IHCP), the sideways heat equation. The problem is ill-posed: a small perturbation in the data may cause dramatically large error in the solution. In reference [1] theory analysis and numerical implementation are not consistent. We solve this inconsistence by proposing a new regularization method. The method not only has the same accurate and computing cost but also keeps parts of high-frequency components of the data compared to the results in [1].

High levels of tissue advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that result from the spontaneous modification of proteins by glucose occur in diabetes and aging. To address the potential pathogenic role of AGEs in the glomerulosclerosis of diabetes or nephrosclerosis of aging, doses of AGE-modified rat albumin (25 mg per kg per day, i.v.) sufficient to elevate circulating AGE levels to the range of diabetic serum were administered daily to healthy rats alone or in combination with the AGE inhibitor aminoguanidine. After 5 months, the AGE content of renal tissues in AGE-treated rats rose to 50% above controls (P < 0.025), whereas serum contained 2.8-fold greater AGE levels (P < 0.025). Light and electron microscopy of kidneys from AGE-treated rats revealed a more than 50% increase in glomerular volume compared to controls (P < 0.001), significant periodic acid/Schiff reagent-positive deposits, basement membrane widening, and mesangial extracellular matrix increase and indicated significant glomerulosclerosis compared to untreated (P < 0.002) or albumin-treated controls (P < 0.002). These changes were associated with significant loss of protein (P < 0.005) and albumin (P < 0.002) in the urine of AGE-treated rats compared to controls. Cotreatment with aminoguanidine markedly limited both the structural and functional defects. These in vivo data demonstrate that AGEs influence glomerular structure and function in a manner leading to glomerulosclerosis. The effects are AGE-specific, as they are ameliorated by a pharmacological AGE inhibitor, aminoguanidine.

The conventional techniques of linear regression analysis (linear least squares) applied to the 3-parameter Weibull distribution are extended (not modified), and new techniques are developed for the 3-parameter Weibull distribution. The three pragmatic estimation methods in this paper are simple, accurate, flexible, and powerful in dealing with difficult problems such as estimates of the 3 parameters becoming nonpositive. In addition, the inherent disadvantages of the 3-parameter Weibull distribution are revealed; the advantages of a new 3-parameter Weibull-like distribution over the original Weibull distribution are explored; and the potential of a 4-parameter Weibull-like distribution is briefly mentioned. This paper demonstrates how a general linear regression analysis or linear least-squares breaks away from the classical or modern nonlinear regression analysis or nonlinear least-squares. By adding a parameter to the simplest 2-parameter linear regression model (AB-model), two kinds of ABC models (elementary 3-parameter nonlinear regression models) are found, and then a 4-parameter AABC model is built as an example of multi-parameter nonlinear regression models. Although some other techniques are still necessary, additional applications of the ABC models are strongly implied. >

An electrochromic thin film of amorphous WO3nH2O was fabricated by spin-coating a peroxo-polytungstate solution. Coloration and bleaching kinetics of the film in contact with a solid polymer electrolyte were investigated by a chrono-amperometric method using a cell, Li/Polymer/WO3nH2O, ITO. The transition currents were analyzed on the basis of a newly proposed theory for the diffusion-controlled current generated by a voltage step in such a cell without a reference electrode. It was found that both kinetics were controlled by the diffusion process and the chemical diffusion coefficients of lithium were, in common, about 5 × 10−12 cm2 s−1.