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To verify the safety and efficacy of the domestic 3D cardiac electrophysiological mapping system for catheter ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF).From December 2011 to April 2014, 255 patients (184 male) with persistent AF in 13 centers were enrolled in this multicenter prospective controlled study.The patients were allocated to catheter ablation group (experiment group) and antiarrhythmics drugs cardioversion group (control group) with the ratio 2∶1 according to the patients' intention. Left atria were constructed with 3D cardiac electrophysiology mapping system, magnetic sensored saline irrigated radiofrequency ablation catheter (FireMagic™ Cool 3D) and surface reference (Columbus™). Pulmonary vein isolation and left atrial roof line, mitral annulus isthmus line, three tricuspid annulus isthmus line, superior vena cava, the coronary sinus and complex atrial fragmented potentials were targeted if necessary under the guidance of the 3D mapping system. Antiarrhythmics drugs (except amiodarone) were applied to patients for 2 to 3 months after ablation. The patients were followed up for 9 months after 3 months blanking period. The patients in the control group underwent cardioversion with amiodarone and electrical cardioversion if needed. Patients in the control group were also followed up for 9 months.Of the 255 patients, 167 cases were in the experiment group and 88 cases were in the control group. In per protocol set (PPS), 155 cases were in the experiment group, 79 cases in the control group. Catheter ablation was successful for all patients in the experiment group under the guidance of the 3D cardiac electrophysiological mapping system. Pumononary veins isolation was achieved in all patients. After 9 months follow-up beyond blanking period, in full analysis set, the success rate was 66.5% (111/167) in the experiment group, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (21.6% (19/88), P0.001). In PPS, the success rate was also significantly higher in the experiment group than in the control group (67.1% (104/155) vs. 22.8%(18/79), P0.001). The incidence of adverse events was 19.8% in the experiment group and 13.6% in the control group(P=0.223). The adverse events associated with catheter ablation included 1 case of left subclavian hematoma, 1 case of left subclavian bleeding and 1 case of pericardial effusion, which was alleviated by pericardiocentesis. No pulmonary vein stenosis occurred.Domestic 3D cardiac electrophysiological mapping system can safely and effectively guide catheter ablation of persistent AF.

The current evidence implicates that psychosocial stress, especially pregnancy-specific stress, is associated with the risk of spontaneous preterm birth. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of pregnancy-specific stress on spontaneous preterm birth among Chinese people.A total of 2,189 pregnant women were enrolled and followed up until parturition from February 2011 to January 2012. Maternal pregnancy-specific stress was assessed using the revised Pregnancy Stress Rating Scale (PSRS) at third trimester in pregnancy. Socio-demographic and psychological data were collected through interviews, medical, and obstetrical examination records.High levels of maternal pregnancy-specific stress during the third trimester increased risk of spontaneous preterm birth compared with the low and medium levels (adjusted risk ratios, 2.92; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-7.58). The first stressor from the revised PSRS includes a risk factor for the safety of infants.High level of pregnancy-specific stress in third trimester might predict spontaneous preterm birth.

To determine the effects of adiponectin on high glucose induced BeWo cell proliferation in vitro.BeWo cells were seeded in 96-well plates at the appropriate density. After treatments with high glucose (25 mmol/L), western blot analysis of cyclin D1 and a colorimetric assay (cell counting kit-8, CCK-8) were used to analyse BeWo cells' proliferation, and western blot was used to detect the expression of adiponectin. Moreover, we added adiponectin (20 μg/ml) in the culture medium and three methods were utilized for cell proliferation analysis: CCK-8, cell cycle analysis (by flow cytometry) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunocytochemical staining.Compared to BeWo cells cultured by normal glucose and high mannitol, the proliferation of BeWo cells treated by high glucose increased (P0.05). Compared with BeWo cells cultured by high mannitol, the expression of adiponectin in BeWo cells treated by high glucose decreased. After added adiponectin in the culture medium, the proliferation of BeWo cells treated by adiponectin+high glucose decreased than that of cells treated by high glucose (0.770±0.050 versus 0.990±0.070, P0.05); the proportion of G2+S phases of BeWo cells treated by adiponectin+high glucose decreased than that of cells treated by high glucose [(40.7±2.1)% versus (44.9± 3.9)%, P0.05]; the rate of PCNA positive cell in BeWo cells treated by adiponectin+high glucose decreased than that of cells treated by high glucose [(28±5)% versus (44±5)%, P0.05].Adiponectin could inhibit proliferation of high glucose induced BeWo cells in vitro.

Background\ud While localized prostate cancer (PCa) can be effectively cured, metastatic disease inevitably progresses to a lethal state called castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Emerging evidence suggests that aberrant epigenetic repression by the polycomb group (PcG) complexes fuels PCa progression, providing novel therapeutic opportunities.\ud \ud Results\ud In the search for potential epigenetic drivers of CRPC, we analyzed the molecular profile of PcG members in patient-derived xenografts and clinical samples. Overall, our results identify the PcG protein and methyl-lysine reader CBX2 as a potential therapeutic target in advanced PCa. We report that CBX2 was recurrently up-regulated in metastatic CRPC and that elevated CBX2 expression was correlated with poor clinical outcome in PCa cohorts. Furthermore, CBX2 depletion abrogated cell viability and induced caspase 3-mediated apoptosis in metastatic PCa cell lines. Mechanistically explaining this phenotype, microarray analysis in CBX2-depleted cells revealed that CBX2 controls the expression of many key regulators of cell proliferation and metastasis.\ud \ud Conclusions\ud Taken together, this study provides the first evidence that CBX2 inhibition induces cancer cell death, positioning CBX2 as an attractive drug target in lethal CRPC.

This article experimentally studied the mechanical behaviors of steel fiber reinforced concrete by conventional triaxial tests. Cylindrical concrete specimens were first fabricated with four different fiber volume fractions of 0, 0.75, 1.5, and 3.0%. Triaxial compression tests were then conducted for the specimens subjected to four confining pressures (10, 20, 40, and 80 MPa). Their stress-strain curves were obtained and their failure patterns were photographed. The results show that under the same confining pressure, peak stress, peak strain, and toughness increase with the increase of fiber volume fraction. At the same fiber volume fraction, with the increase of confining pressure comes an increase in both compressive strength and toughness. Under lower confining pressure, the addition of fibers seems to have a better performance to improve the concrete toughness. Peak stress and peak strain increase with the increase of strain-rate. Besides, shearing and crushing are the main failure patterns of SFRC u...

Using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method with generalized gradient approximation, the magnetic properties and the electronic structure of the boron-doped ZnSe (zinc blende phase) are investigated. Spin polarization calculations show the magnetic moment of the 64-atoms supercell containing one B-se (B-zn) is 3.00 (0.015)mu(B). The density of states indicates the magnetic moments of the B-se doped configuration mainly come from the doped boron atoms and a few from its neighboring zinc atoms. The ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic calculations for several doped configurations suggest B-se could induce stable ferromagnetic ground state in ZnSe hosts and ferromagnetic couplings exist between the doped boron atoms. Electronic structures show that B-se is p-type ferromagnetic semiconductor and hole-mediated double exchange is responsible for the ferromagnetism, while the B-zn doped configuration is n-type semiconductor. Relative shallow acceptor and donor levels indicate boron-doped ZnSe is ionized easily at working temperatures. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Summary Length-weight relationships were determined for four fish species [Acentrogobius viridipunctatus (Valenciennes, 1837); Acentrogobius caninus (Valenciennes, 1837); Glossogobius olivaceus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1845); and Lutjanus ophuysenii (Bleeker, 1860)] belonging to two families. Samples were collected from 2002 to 2010 by cage net (50 × 15 × 15 cm, mesh size 0.5 cm) from Zhanjiang mangrove in China (20°36′N; 110°54′E). The total length ranged is between 2.3 and 18.1 cm and weighted between 0.3 and 90.2 g. The allometric coefficient (b) of length-weight relationship varied from 2.72 for Zenarchopterus buffonis to 3.48 for Acentrogobius viridipunctatus. Length-weight relationships for these four fish species were determined for the first time.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes/mutants are known to affect natural outcomes. The virologic differences among HBV genotype, precore and basal core promoter (BCP) mutations were investigated. HBV strains were isolated from 18 hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients (nine genotype B and nine genotype C). All had precore and BCP wild-type sequences. After cloning of full-length HBV genome, the effects of viral genotype, precore and BCP mutations singly or additively on the expression of viral DNA and antigens were investigated by mutagenesis and transfection assays in Huh7 cells. Significant findings included the following: (i) expression of intracellular core protein increased when precore or BCP mutation was introduced in genotype C strains; (ii) expression of intracellular surface protein was lower in genotype C precore wild-type strain compared with genotype B; (iii) precore mutation was associated with a lower extracellular expression level of HBV DNA; (iv) secretion of hepatitis B surface antigen in genotype C was lower than that in genotype B; and (v) secretion of HBeAg in genotype B was lower than that in genotype C. No additive effect was observed by combining precore and BCP mutations. Hence, HBV genotype and precore/BCP mutations correlate with intrahepatic expression of viral antigens in vitro.

The resistance furnace temperature control system has the characteristics of large time delay and large inertia, etc. The traditional PID control method is not ideal. Therefore, a fuzzy PID control method is proposed, which can adjust PID parameters in real time according to temperature deviation and temperature deviation rate. The simulation experiment shows that the control method can make the furnace temperature control system faster in dynamic response, more robust, more precise and steady, smaller and overshoot, stronger in anti disturbance and better in control effect.

Two-year old seedlings of Silver buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea (Pursh) Nutt.) were exposed to NaCl salinity (0, 200, 400 and 600 mmol/l) for 30 days. Leaf water potential (Ψ w ), chlorophyll contents (Chl a, b, and a + b) and K + content decreased with an increase in salinity. Relative water content (RWC) declined significantly with 400 and 600 mmol/l NaCl. However, salinity induced an excessive accumulation of Na + in the leaves of plants. Light responses of photosynthesis showed that net photosynthetic rate (P N ) values were continuously raised with the increase of photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) at all salinity levels and plants treated with 600 mmol/l salinity suffered from photoinhibition with the lowest P N values. The reduction of P N and stomatal conductance (g s ) associated with a sharp increase of intercellular CO 2 concentration (C i ) in the leaves at 600 mmol/l salt-treated plants showed that non-stomatal limitations might have prevailed over stomatal limitations under severe saline conditions, due to severe cellular dehydration, inhibited synthesis of chlorophyll and ionic imbalance and toxicity. It is concluded that S. argentea possesses high salt tolerance capacity and can be widely cultivated in salt-affected areas.

The effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecular weight (Mw) upon the microhole filling by Cu electrodeposition was investigated by cross-sectional images using optical microscopy. The bottom-up filling capability of the electroplating bath was increased clearly with an increase in PEG Mw from 600 to 8000 g mol–1, and holes with a diameter of 50 μm and aspect ratio of one were filled completely when PEG Mw was higher than 6000 g mol–1. The electrochemical study indicated that the polarisation on the cathode was increased with an increase in PEG Mw, and the Cu deposition rate was inhibited. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction analyses showed the crystallography and the peak intensity ratio I(111)/I(200) of plated Cu film were decreased with an increase in PEG Mw. The surface roughness of deposited Cu film was decreased, and a smooth surface was obtained as the PEG Mw increased. The results present PEG-8000 as an inhibitor which is beneficial for microholes filling for high density interconnections prin...

Since 2002, Silver buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea) has been introduced from North America in order to improve the fragile ecological environment in western China. To elucidate the salt-resistance mechanism of S. argentea, we conducted a test with two-year-old seedlings subjected to 0, 200, 400, and 600 mM NaCl solutions for 30 d. The results showed that significant salt-induced suppression of plant fresh mass (FM) and stem height of S. argentea seedlings occurred only at the highest salinity level (600 mM). Leaf number, plant dry mass (DM), and chlorophyll (Chl) content declined markedly at both 400 and 600 mM. Leaf area (LA) and leaf water potential (Ψw) continuously declined with the increase of salinity. There was also a progressive and evident decrease in net photosynthetic rate (P N), transpiration rate (E), and stomatal conductance (g s) with the increase of salinity and time. The correlation analysis indicated that P N was positively correlated with g s at all salinity levels while correlated with intercellular CO2 concentration (C i) only at moderate salinity levels (

Early recovery of myocardial perfusion is beneficial for myocardial ischemia. However, ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) may exacerbate myocardial injury. Research shows that total peony glucoside (TPG) can inhibit ischemic myocardial cell apoptosis. However, whether it can ameliorate I/R injury remains poorly understood. This study explored the effect of TPG pretreatment on I/R, through nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expressions in I/R-affected myocardium. Healthy 7-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly categorized into sham operation (A), modeling (B), and 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg TPG pretreatment groups (C, D, and E, respectively), with 20 rats in each group. I/R rat models were designed by ligating left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min to induce ischemia and for 120 min to induce reperfusion. Serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 8 (IL-8) levels were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. NF-κB and ICAM-1 mRNA and protein expressions were detected through RT-PCR and western blot analysis, respectively. Compared to group A, serum IL-6 and IL-8 levels of group B elevated significantly (P < 0.05), whereas NF-κB and ICAM-1 mRNA and protein expressions increased in the myocardium (P < 0.05). Serum IL-6 and IL-8 levels, and NF-κB and ICAM-1 mRNA and protein expressions, in myocardium of TPG groups reduced in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, TPG pretreatment could alleviate myocardium reperfusion injury in I/R rat models by reducing NF-κB and ICAM-1 mRNA and protein expressions and cytokine secretions. This mechanism could be associated with the inhibition of NF-κB activation and downregulation of ICAM-1 expression.

The addition of bis(3-sulphopropyl) disulphide in Cu electroless plating results in Cu superfilling. However, the deposition rate of superfilling copper plating is decreased, which hinders its application for filling Cu into via holes of ultralarge scale integrations. In the present study, the effect of triethanolamine (TEA) on the deposition rate of electroless copper plating was investigated. The deposition rates of electroless plated copper both in traditional and superfilling copper plating were accelerated with an addition of TEA, which was attributed to a decrease in reaction activation energy of a dominant reduction reaction. X-ray diffractometry and atomic force microscopy measurements indicated that with an addition of TEA, the peak intensity ratio /(111)//(200) of electroless plated Cu film was increased and the average surface roughness was decreased.

SUMMARYIn the near future, the inactivated enterovirus 71 (EV71) vaccine is expected to become available on the market in China. Since EV71 is a major cause of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), the vaccine is expected to significantly reduce the number of cases, as well as the detrimental economic effect of the disease. However, for a national vaccination strategy to be developed, policy-makers need more information on the socioeconomic burden of EV71 HFMD infection. Based on the 2011 population data, we estimated the clinical and economic effect of EV71 HFMD infection in children aged 0–9 years in Shanghai, China. The annual cost related to HFMD is >US$7.66 million for a population of 1·42 million children aged 0–9 years with an average cost of US$208.2/case. The extrapolated cost for EV71 HFMD infection was US$3.53 million, comprising 46·1% of the overall cost associated with HFMD. Around 97% of all of the HFMD-related expenses were paid for by the families creating a considerable economic burden. Our findings could provide the necessary recommendations on the most effective national EV71 vaccine implementation, as well as a baseline data for assessing the cost-effectiveness of the vaccine in China.

The present paper studies influences of high pressure up to 4 GPa at 1273 K on the microstructures and the phases of Al–9·6Mg alloy by means of optical microscopy (OM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that fine dendrite with long primary arm formed at 4 GPa in comparison with the coarse discontinuous dendrite under normal pressure. Specially, a new high pressure metastable phase, Al(63·7)Mg(36·3), was produced besides a small amount of β-Al3Mg2 phases at 4 GPa, which was not found in other solidification conditions. Al(63·7)Mg(36·3) phase has bcc structure with the lattice constant a=8·495 A. Evolution mechanism of microstructures and phases was studied in the present paper. Furthermore, Mg concentration in α-Al phase has increased by 42%. Correspondingly, the lattice constant of α-Al phase has increased by 0·44%. The nanohardness of α-Al phase in the alloy i...

Dry matter and nutrient accumulation in the growing season are the main factors in the determination of seed yield and nutrient use efficiency. Field experiments were conducted with spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and oat (Avena sativa L.) in 1998 and 1999 at Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada, to determine the biomass accumulation and plant nutrient uptake at different growth stages, and their relationship with days after emergence (DAE) and growing degree days (GDD). All crops generally followed a similar pattern of biomass and nutrient accumulation in the growing season, which increased continuously with growing time, with much faster increase at early growth stages than at late growth stages. Maximum biomass accumulation rate and amount usually occurred at late boot stage (46–47 DAE or 443–460 GDD) and ripening stage (89–90 DAE or 948–1050 GDD), respectively. Maximum rate of nutrient uptake occurred at tillering to stem elongation stages (22–36 DAE or 149–318 GDD). Maximum amount of nutrient uptake generally occurred at the beginning of flowering to medium milk stages (61–75 DAE or 612–831 GDD), except for P in 1998 when it occurred at late milk to ripening stages (80–90 DAE or 922–1050 GDD). In general, the maximum nutrient uptake rate and amount, respectively, occurred earlier than maximum biomass accumulation rate and amount. For various cereal species/cultivars, maximum biomass accumulation rate was 204–232 kg ha-1 d-1, and maximum uptake rate of N, P, K and S, respectively, was 3.2–5.7, 0.30–0.60, 3.85–7.05 and 0.45–0.60 kg ha-1 d-1. The findings suggest that a sufficient supply of nutrients from soil and fertilizers at early growth stages is of great importance for optimum crop yield. Key words: Barley, biomass accumulation, cereals, growth stages, nutrient uptake, oat, wheat

Effects of high pressure on the microstructure and phase structure of the Al–11·4Mg–4·5Zn (wt-%) alloy were investigated in the present paper. When the alloy solidified under high pressure, the advanced equiaxed dendrite formed and the sizes of Mg32(Al,Zn)49 phases became small and that of the amounts decreased with increasing pressure. In addition, the solid solubility of Mg and Zn in α-Al has a great increment under high pressure compared with that of normal pressure; it was up to 7·7–30·64%, 40–46% respectively. The chemical constitution of the Mg32(Al,Zn)49 phase varied greatly. Correspondingly, the lattice constant of α-Al and Mg32(Al,Zn)49 phase was also changed.

Pulse-thermal processing (PTP) based on high-density plasma arc lamp technology has been utilized to crystallize melt-spun NdFeB-based amorphous ribbons to form magnetic nanocomposites consisting of Nd2Fe14B and α-Fephases. After applying suitable pulses, the NdFeB-based ribbons were developed with hard magnetic properties. The highest coercivity can be obtained for ribbons with a thickness of 40 μm after PTP treatments consisting of a 400 A pulse for 0.25 s for ten times. The correlation between PTP parameters and magnetic properties indicates that PTP is an effective approach to control the structure and properties of nanostructured magnetic materials. Transmission-electorn microscopy analysis revealed that the observed decoupling between the hard and the soft phases is related to large grain size in the samples, which is in turn related to different heating conditions in different regions of samples.

Interface and defect structures of Zn–ZnO core–shell nanobelts have been investigated using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Most of the nanobelts can be classified into two types from their growth directions: [2110] and [0001], with the top/bottom surfaces being (0001) and (2110), respectively. The Zn core and ZnO shell overlapped areas display a two-dimensional moire pattern resulting from the lattice mismatch. In the 〈2110〉 growth nanobelts, a network of three sets of misfit dislocations relaxes the mismatch strain in the top/bottom interfaces, and every set rotates 60° with respect to the other; there are two types of grains oriented in specific orientations that compose the side wall of the ZnO shell. In the [0001] growth nanobelts, a network containing a set of stacking faults in (0001) planes and a set of misfit dislocations in (0110) planes takes the main role in the misfit relaxation. Threading dislocations indicated by terminating moire fringes are present in both of them, which are located at the small angle rotated boundary between adjacent misoriented ZnO grains.

Dynamic Brazilian disc (or splitting) tests were carried out to study the characteristics of energy dissipation and failure behavior of heat-treated granite under impact loading. Six groups of granite samples were treated at the temperatures of 25°C, 100°C, 300°C, 500°C, 700°C, and 900°C, respectively. Each group of heat-treated samples was tested with three impact velocities of 5.4, 7.7 and 13.7 m/s in a modified split Hopkinson pressure bar. An average change rate of incident energy (ACRIE) was proposed to characterize the loading rate effect. The effects of treatment temperature and ACRIE on the energy dissipation and the failure patterns of samples under impact loading were investigated. The results show that the energy dissipation of the granite decreases with the increase of treatment temperature but increases with the increase of the ACRIE. A rise in treatment temperature or ACRIE may lead to smaller size and greater number of sample fragments. The effect of treatment temperature becomes more obvious as the ACRIE increases. The energy utilization ratio of the granite is generally less than 30 % and has an opposite effect when compared to the loading rate. In addition, the dynamic tensile strength of the samples increases almost linearly with the transmitted wave energy. These studies also indicate that the resistance of rock against tensile failure can be well characterized from the perspective of energy dissipation.

Summer maize is a major crop in the Northern Huaihe Plain, where is one of the most important grain producing areas in Anhui Province, while the maize yield has been seriously affected by drought stress for a long period of time. To maximize maize yield and improve water use efficiency, the rule of yield loss should be clarified which was caused by drought stress in the Northern Huaihe Plain. DSSAT-CERES-Maize model was used to simulate maize yield losses caused by water stress in Bengbu Station of the Northern Huaihe Plain, which was calibrated and validated with drought stress experiments conducted in 2013. Comparing the simulated yield with measured yield under different drought stresses at different growth stages, we found that simulated losses under mild drought were higher than that of measured in all growing stages, on the contrary, simulated data under moderate and severe drought were lower than measured ones in each stage. There were 8 years that loss percentage was higher than 20% from 1961 to 2015. Results implied that maize yield under rain-fed environment was higher than that of suitable water condition, which might benefit from overcompensation of rehydration after appropriate drought stress.

In X-ray grating-based phase contrast imaging, information retrieval is necessary for quantitative research, especially for phase tomography. However, numerous and repetitive processes have to be performed for tomographic reconstruction. In this paper, we report a novel information retrieval method, which enables retrieving phase and absorption information by means of a linear combination of two mutually conjugate images. Thanks to the distributive law of the multiplication as well as the commutative law and associative law of the addition, the information retrieval can be performed after tomographic reconstruction, thus simplifying the information retrieval procedure dramatically. The theoretical model of this method is established in both parallel beam geometry for Talbot interferometer and fan beam geometry for Talbot-Lau interferometer. Numerical experiments are also performed to confirm the feasibility and validity of the proposed method. In addition, we discuss its possibility in cone beam geometry ...

Black carbon (BC), a distinct type of carbonaceous material formed from the incomplete combustion of fossil and biomass based fuels under certain conditions, can interact with solar radiation and clouds through its strong light-absorption ability, thereby warming the Earth's climate system. Some studies have even suggested that global warming could be slowed down in a short term by eliminating BC emission due to its short lifetime. In this study, we estimate the influence of removing some sources of BC and other co-emitted species on the aerosol radiative effect by using an aerosol-climate coupled model BCC_AGCM2.0.1_CUACE/Aero, in combination with the aerosol emissions from the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) scenarios. We find that the global annual mean aerosol net cooling effect at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) will be enhanced by 0.12 W m−2 compared with present-day conditions if the BC emission is reduced exclusively to the level projected for 2100 based on the RCP2.6 scenario. This will be beneficial for the mitigation of global warming. However, the global annual mean aerosol net cooling effect at the TOA will be weakened by 1.7–2.0 W m−2 relative to present-day conditions if emissions of BC and co-emitted sulfur dioxide and organic carbon are simultaneously reduced as the most close conditions to the actual situation to the level projected for 2100 in different ways based on the RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 scenarios. Because there are no effective ways to remove the BC exclusively without influencing the other co-emitted components, our results therefore indicate that a reduction in BC emission can lead to an unexpected warming on the Earth's climate system in the future.

Cadmium, a heavy metal, is a toxic environmental and industrial pollutant. Exposure to cadmium can lead to the toxic effects in a variety of tissues, also including the brain. The present study investigated the effect of cadmium exposure on the histopathology of cerebral cortex in juvenile mice. Juvenile mice were randomly divided into control, low (1.87 mg/kg), medium (3.74 mg/kg), and high (7.48 mg/kg) dose groups. After cadmium exposure by drinking water for 10 days, the cerebral cortex was obtained for histopathology studies. The medium and high dose of cadmium, rather than low dose, could induce the histopathology alterations of cerebral cortex in a dose-dependent manner. In the high-dose group, microstructure significantly showed pia mater encephali divorcing from cerebral cortex layer, serious hyperemia of blood capillary in pia mater encephali and cerebral cortex, broadening vessel peripheral clearance, a large number of eosinophil leukocyte infiltrating around blood vessel, vacuolar degeneration in part granule cells, and obviously increasing apoptotic cells. Ultrastructure obviously displayed marginalized heterochromatin, incomplete or fused nuclear membranes, broadened perinuclear space, ambiguous mitochondria cristae, decreased synaptic cleft, and fused presynaptic and postsynaptic membrane. Our results revealed that cadmium at the middle and high dose could induce obvious microstructure and ultrastructure alterations of cerebral cortex in juvenile mice, which may be one important mechanism of cadmium neurotoxicity.

In this study, two antioxidative substances, a homogeneous polysaccharide [abalone shell polysaccharide (ASP-1), corresponding to the first peak by size exclusion chromatography] and a non-polysaccharide compound [abalone shell compound (ACS-2), corresponding to the second peak by size exclusion chromatography], were extracted from the abalone (Haliotis discus hannai Ino) shell. We primarily focused on the investigation of ASP-1. As a heteropolysaccharide, ASP-1 is comprised of 9.3% uronic acid and 86.4% saccharide, the latter including mannose, ribose, rhamnose, glucose, galactose, arabinose, and two unknown monosaccharides, NO1 and NO2, with a mass ratio of 9.5:10.1:2.2:18.2:21.8:5.5:16.5:16.2. The antioxidant activity assays indicated that 5.0 mg/mL ASP-1 has significant scavenging effects on superoxide radicals (86.2%) compared to the positive control of ascorbic acid (95.6%).

©1999 American Institute of Physics. The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://link.aip.org/link/?JCPSA6/111/1255/1

Gold−silver alloy nanoparticles with varying mole fractions are prepared in aqueous solution by the co-reduction of chlorauric acid HAuCl4 and silver nitrate AgNO3 with sodium citrate. As the optical absorption spectra of their solutions show only one plasmon absorption it is concluded that mixing of gold and silver leads to a homogeneous formation of alloy nanoparticles. The maximum of the plasmon band blue-shifts linearly with increasing silver content. This fact cannot be explained by a simple linear combination of the dielectric constants of gold and silver within the Mie theory. On the other hand, the extinction coefficient is found to decrease exponentially rather than linearly with increasing gold mole fraction xAu. Furthermore, the size distribution of the alloy nanoparticles is examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). High-resolution TEM (HRTEM) also confirms the formation of homogeneous gold−silver alloy nanocrystals.

The structure and conformation of the complex [BaL](ClO4)2·MeCN have been studied by NMR spectra and molecular dynamics method in CD3CN solution. The coordination geometry of barium(II) is distorted, tricapped trigonal prism, in which the six nitrogen atoms of the imine compose the prism and three pyridyl nitrogen atoms are capping atoms forming nine coordinated structure.

Using many-body perturbation theory, we demonstrate the calculation for resonance structure into satellite lines in the photoionization of the ion . The resonance structure results from the interference between a satellite line and a resonant Auger process. A new approach of the coupled equation method has been used to calculate this interference, and the resonance structure is enhanced via a super-Coster - Kronig (sCK) decay and separated by spin - orbit splitting at the energy of the transitions.

The present paper deals with the scattering of an obliquely polarized electromagnetic (EM) wave from a slightly rough surface, which is assumed to be a two-dimensional (2D), homogeneous and isotropic Gaussian random field. In contrast to the cases of TE(s) and TM(p) polarized incidence, the scattering profile for an obliquely polarized incidence is not symmetric with respect to the incident plane, despite the fact that the random surface is statistically isotropic.

The scattering of an electromagnetic wave from a two-dimensional, slightly rough dielectric surface is studied based on the stochastic functional approach. It is shown that in the case of TM(p)-polarized incidence there exists a zero in the incoherent scattering at the angle we call the ‘Brewster scattering angle’, which depends on the incident angle in contrast to the Brewster angle of coherent reflection which is independent of the incident angle, that a ‘quasi-anomalous scattering’ can generally occur in the optically denser medium at the critical angle of total reflection in both TE(s)- and TM(p)-polarized incidence, regardless of which side of the random surface is illuminated, and that the Yoneda peak in the x-ray scattering can be interpreted as a special case of the quasi-anomalous scattering which becomes sharper when the relative refractive index becomes closer to unity as in the x-ray region. Cross-polarized scattering and enhanced backscattering due to the second-order effect are also...

The random wave fields on the surface of a random rough metallic grating are numerically calculated by the stochastic functional approach for the Bragg incidence, and the wave localization on the grating surface can be clearly observed from the spatial distributions of the random wave fields. The fields are expanded as the harmonics of the central spatial frequency of the grating with the stochastic amplitudes, instead of the Wiener-Ito expansion used in our previous work [Ogura and Wang, Phys. Rev. B 53 (1996) 10358], which could not give convergent results in the numerical calculation. There is no divergence problem for the harmonic expansion, but in the present its application is limited only for a rough grating with a very narrow-band spectrum.

The scattering of an electromagnetic wave from a slightly random metal surface which supports the surface plasmon mode at optical frequencies is studied theoretically by means of a stochastic functional approach. In order to investigate the Stokes matrix or the state of polarizations, as well as the intensity of the scattered waves, the rough surface is assumed to be one dimensional, and is illuminated by a+45° linearly polarized plane electromagnetic (light) wave whose plane of incidence is perpendicular to the grooves of the surface. The stochastic wave fields are represented in terms of the Wiener-Hermite functionals, and the approximate solutions of the Wiener kernels are obtained for both TM- and TE-polarized components, from which the Stokes matrix elements can be determined. The dressed or perturbed plasmon mode in the presence of surface roughness is obtained by a mass operator involved in the solutions, and the enhanced backscattering closely related to the plasmon mode is studied in con...

This paper deals with the scattering of an electromagnetic (EM) wave from a waveguide structure with a slightly rough surface. The waveguide structure is a dielectric film on a planar, perfectly conductive surface, and the top of the film is a two-dimensional (2D) homogeneous Gaussian random surface. The treatment is based on the stochastic functional theory where the random EM field is represented in terms of a Wiener - Hermite functional of the random surface. Numerical calculations show that enhanced backscattering and cross-polarization occur, but that no enhanced satellite peak appears for a 2D random surface, in contrast to the case of a 1D surface. The enhanced backscattering is caused by the interference of two double-scattering processes and is attributed to the existence of guided waves in the scattering structure.

Objective: A fixed dose combination tablet of niacin extended release (ER)/simvastatin was recently developed in China. This study was designed to assess and compare the pharmacokinetics of niacin, simvastatin and their metabolites in healthy Chinese subjects after single and multiple doses administration. Methods: From day 1 to day 7, 12 Chinese subjects were given a tablet every day at approximately 10 p.m. Serial blood samples were collected. Niacin and nicotinuric acid (NUA) in plasma, niacin, NUA, N-methylnicotinamide (MNA) and N-methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide (2PY) in urine, simvastatin and simvastatin acid in plasma were determined by LC/MS/MS methods. Pharmacokinetic parameters on days 1 and 7 were compared. Results:The main pharmacokinetic parameters for the single and multiple doses were as ­follows: Niacin: Tmax were 3.8±1.5 h and 3.9±2.0 h; Cmax were 2 091±1 315 ng/ml and 2 323±1 542 ng/ml; AUC0-t were 4 123.88±3 138.48 ng ∙ h/ml and 4 385.98±3 127.05 ng ∙ h/ml. NUA: Tmax were 4.7±1.7 h and 3.8±1.5 h; Cmax were 1 057±549 ng/ml and 1 087±470 ng/ml; AUC0-t were 4 012.49±2 168.68 ng ∙ h/ml and 4 040.45±1 886.57 ng ∙ h/ml. Simvastatin: Tmax were 1.8±1.0 h and 2.5±2.5 h; Cmax were 3.15±1.67 ng/ml and 4.87±4.11 ng/ml; AUC0-t were 9.03±5.10 ng ∙ h/ml and 17.63±13.93 ng ∙ h/ml. Simvastatin acid: Tmax were 5.8±1.7 h and 6.5±1.4 h; Cmax were 4.22±2.10 ng/ml and 9.30±8.09 ng/ml; AUC0-t were 34.65±16.89 ng ∙ h/ml and 61.62±46.41 ng ∙ h/ml. Urine Recovery rate of total niacin: (40.55±7.38)% and (62.87±12.04)%. Conclusion: Compared with those after a single dose, pharmacokinetics of niacin and NUA was similar; total urine recovery of niacin was higher; exposure to simvastatin and simvastatin acid were higher following multiple doses.

A novel temperature demodulation method which eliminates the impact of Rayleigh scattering on Raman distributed temperature sensors (RDTS) using anti-Stokes light only is presented. This method utilizes two sections of reference fiber which are placed into temperature control chambers with different temperatures, such that the impact caused by the variation of laser’ power and the Rayleigh scattering is eliminated by the two reference temperatures. In the experiment, the temperature error caused by the Rayleigh scattering was decreased by 0.6℃ and 1.7℃ at 30℃ and 50℃compared with conventional method respectively.

In trace water vapor direct absorption spectroscopy, the absorption signal is buried in noise and up and downs of the light intensity, an effective signal extraction method is vital. In the basis of double-beam differential absorption, division method in voltage and an approach based on balanced ratiometer detection (BRD) were studied. Voltage division has an excellent stability to temperature variation, mechanical extrusion and fiber bend loss. As to the BRD method, it has an outstanding self-adjusting capability and it can also avoid an excess phase difference caused by current-to-voltage converting circuit, thus this method has a high sensitivity. Furthermore, a so called dual-peak method based on the differential value of two adjacent absorption lines is introduced, the differential value proved has a linear relation with water vapor concentration, and this method provides a way to measure the concentration at high pressure. In addition, the influence of water vapor inside the optical components has been discussed.

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The present paper deals with the electromagnetic (EM) scattering from a perfectly conductive, random surface by means of the stochastic functional approach and aims to study the backscattering enhancement associated with co-polarized and cross-polarized scattering. The treatment is based on the stochastic functional theory where the random EM field is represented in terms of a Wiener-Hermite functional of the homogeneous Gaussian random surface. To obtain more precise solutions than the previous works (Nakayama J et at 1981 Radio Sci. 16 831-53), we first establish the reciprocal theorem for vector Wiener kernels which describe the stochastic functional representation of the EM field and, using this, we derive the reciprocal relations for the co-polarized and cross-polarized scattering distribution relative to TE and TM polarizations of incident wave. Solutions for the vector Wiener kernels up to the second are obtained so precisely as to satisfy the reciprocal relations and are expressed in terms of generating matrices, so that complex EM scattering processes described by the vector Wiener kernels are given clear physical interpretations. Compact operator representations are introduced to reformulate the hierarchical kernel equations, the mass operator equation and higher-order kernel solutions. It is shown that the second vector Wiener kernel physically describes a 'dressed double-scattering' process, similar to the scalar theory (Ogura H and Takahashi N 1995 Waves Random Media 5 223-42), and that the 'dressed double scattering', which involves anomalous scattering in the intermediate scattering processes, creates the backscattering enhancement in both co- and cross-polarized scattering for both TE and TM wave incidence.