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Energies for the multiexcited states 1s22s2pnl and 1s22p2nl 4 Pe,o ( n ≥ 2) of B-like oxygen are calculated using Rayleigh-Ritz variation method with configuration interaction. The mass polarization and relativistic corrections are obtained with first-order perturbation theory. Configuration structures of the high-lying multiexcited series are identified by energies and contribution to normalization of angular-spin components. These structures are further checked by calculations of relativistic corrections and fine structure splittings. Hyperfine parameters and hyperfine coupling constants are calculated for the first time. Wavelengths including quantum electrodynamic effect and higher-order relativistic corrections and lifetimes are also calculated. These results are compared with available results in the literature. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new hydraulic, water-lifting aerator was developed for ameliorating water quality. It aims at mixing lower and upper water bodies, controlling algae growth, increasing dissolved oxygen concentration in water and inhibiting the release of pollutants from sediments. This new device was applied to control the algae growth in surface water of the water source of Tianjin. It was found that the content of agrology chlorophyll-a was reduced by 13.96%, and the growth of algae was inhibited. In this paper, the theory and application conditions of this new device for controlling algae are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variational method with mutilconfiguration interaction wave function is used to obtain the energies, fine structures, and hyperfine structures of high-lying core-excited quartet states 1s2lnl' 4Po(m) (m = 1–5) and 1s2pnp 4P(m) (m = 1–5) in Li-like N4+ and F6+ ions, including the mass polarization and relativistic corrections. Restricted variational method is carried out to extrapolate a better energy. The oscillator strengths, lifetime, wavelengths, fine structure, and hyperfine structure for this system are also investigated to compare with other theoretical and experimental data in the literature. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial effects on phosphorus release were studied for the sediments of Tianjin source water by controlling DO and pH. The results show that: (1) In sterilised water, phosphorus began to release when pH = 9.1 and the stable release rate was 9.51 mg/(d·m2). It indicates that microorganisms may utilise anaerobic iron respiration to release Fe-P. (2) With unsterilised water, phosphorus release rate is 2.14 mg/(d·m2) when pH = 6.5, 8.60 mg/(d·m2) when pH is uncontrolled, and gets to 8.51 mg/(d·m2) when pH = 9.1. This indicates that microorganisms can dissolve insoluble phosphates to accelerate the ion exchange of OH- and PO43-, which are derived from iron-bound ortho-P and aluminium-bound ortho-P. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variational calculations are carried out with a multiconfiguration-interaction wave function to obtain the relativistic energies of the 1s2 2 ln l 1S(m)(n =2–6, m1–5) states for the beryllium isoelectronic sequence (Z =4–10). Relativistic corrections and the mass polarization effects are evaluated with the first-order perturbation theory. The identifications of the energy levels for 1s2 2 ln l 1S(m)(n =2–6, m1–5) states in the Be-like ions are reported. The oscillator strengths, transition rates and wavelengths are also calculated. The calculated results are compared with other theoretical and experimental data in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energies and fine-structure corrections for the doubly excited 3Pe and 3De states of the helium atom are calculated using the Rayleigh–Ritz variational method and the saddle-point variational method with a multiconfiguration-interaction function. The relativistic and mass polarization corrections are included. The oscillator strengths, transition rates, and wavelengths are also calculated. The doubly excited states are grouped into Rydberg series labeled by the quantum numbers K, T, and A to display the systematic regularity along the series. The results are compared with the theoretical and experimental data in the literature. PACS Nos.: 31.15.Pf, 31.25.Jf, 32.70.Cs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A constant sound speed (i.e., 1540 m/s) is generally used in various ultrasound (US) and photoacoustic (PA) image reconstruction algorithms based on the assumption of a homogeneous sound speed in human tissue. However, the variation of the sound speed in human tissue can be as great as 10%, which can lead to low contrast, distortion, and blurring in reconstruction images. We proposed an automatic method of selecting the mean sound speed based on optimum focusing of received PA signals to enhance the quality of reconstructed PA images. Optimum focusing is quantified by calculating the minimum sum of the deviation of beamformed PA signals from their mean value for various sound speeds. The proposed method was demonstrated by homogeneous and heterogeneous sound speed simulation models, and also evaluated by experiments with agar and porcine tissue-mimicking phantoms. The central vertical and lateral profiles of reconstructed absorbers verified the improvement of contrast, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and spatial resolution by using the estimated mean sound speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relativistic energies, fine structures, hyperfine structures, Auger rates and widths of the core-excited states for the Li isoelectronic sequence (Z = 10-20) are studied using the saddle-point variational method and the saddle-point complex-rotation method. The oscillator strengths, radiative rates, wavelengths and lifetimes are also reported. Properties such as fine-structure splitting, radiative and Auger rate regularly change along the Li isoelectronic sequence are discussed. The results are compared with other theoretical and experimental data in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ischemic stroke (IS) is one of the main causes inducing death and disability in adults. Because of the high recurrence rate of IS, prevention of recurrence is of great significance to this population, for which the evidence-based and effective secondary prevention strategy is an important means, and acupuncture intervention has a positive effect on its risk factors. In the present article, we reviewed the progress of researches on the mechanisms of acupuncture underlying prevention of IS relapse from the perspective of its main risk factors, namely 1) hypertension (preventing and controlling the adverse effects caused by the imbalance of blood pressure level, vascular and other tissue structures, endocrine factors and central nervous system activities in patients with hypertension after IS), 2) hypercholesterolemia (lowering serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and raising high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), 3) diabetes (regulating the secretion function of adipose tissue, activating the insulin signal transduction pathway, protecting the function of pancreatic β cells, and regulating the central nervous system functions to participate in the secondary prevention of IS), 4) smoking (relieving the symptoms of smoking cessation and reducing the smoker's dependence on smoking by changing the internal environment, lowering the level of blood endorphin and regulating the excitability of central nervous system), 5) sleep apnea syndrome (regulating local muscle function and the excitability of the nervous system, but also affecting some organic changes as reducing tonsil swelling) and 6) obesity (lowering blood glucose and lipid, increasing the ratio of brown/white fat, reducing leptin resistance, and suppressing appetite to induce body weight loss, or directly regulate the changes of fat tissue, etc). Results shows that the acupuncture's regulatory mechanism for IS risk factors is closely related to the neuroendocrine system, and simultaneously involves multiple targets of multiple risk factors. Due to its good efficacy and safety, acupuncture therapy is of great value for clinical promotion as an important intervention for secondary prevention.

Due to various constraints, such as clinical implementation conditions and unique characteristics of acupuncture-moxibustion, some randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture-moxibustion still suffer from relatively low quality and limited applicability. The single-arm objective performance criteria/performance goal can be considered as an ideal supplementary and alternative research approach to RCTs. In this paper, the feasibility of applying the single-arm objective performance criteria/performance goal in acupuncture-moxibustion clinical research is explored from the limitations of conducting acupuncture-moxibustion RCTs, the principles, the essential design considerations and key statistical steps. In addition, illustrative examples are provided. The objective is to offer insights into resolving practical difficulties in acupuncture-moxibustion clinical research.

The appropriate needle device is crucial for obtaining the curative effect of fire needling therapy. The article introduces the material specification, clinical operation, indications, characteristics and advantages of the contemporary traditional fire needling devices (e.g. He 's fire needle and Shi 's fire needle) and the contemporary new-type ones (e.g. fire needling with filiform needle and micro-needle); and determines the innovations of modern fire needling. It is anticipated that the needle specifications, production process and operation standard of fire needling devices should be further unified so as to provide the references for the selection of fire needling devices in treatment based on clinical syndrome differentiation and expand the clinical application of fire needling therapy.

Physicians in the past dynasties have improved the theory of fire needling from the aspects of fire needling instruments, clinical efficacy, application scope, operation, precautions, etc., which promoted the clinical application of fire needling. Modern fire needling breaks through the traditional clinical taboos such as heat syndrome, face, forbidden acupoints, and no needle retention. By using modern fire needling with various types, characteristics and functions, multiple needles and multiple methods are used to treat various diseases, which can further exert the therapeutic effect of fire needling and promote the popularization and application of fire needle therapy.

The effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) for depression have been identified by abundant clinical trials and experimental findings. The c-Jun-NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway is considered to be involved in the antidepressant mechanism of EA. However, the antidepressant effect of EA via modulating the expression of c-Fos/activator protein-1 (AP-1) under the condition of JNK inhibition remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the antidepressant effect and possible mechanism of EA in regulating the expression of c-Fos/AP-1 under the condition of JNK inhibition by SP600125 in rats exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). The depression-like behaviors were evaluated by the body weight, sucrose preference test (SPT), and open field test (OFT). The expression levels of c-Jun in the hypothalamus, c-Fos in the pituitary gland, and c-Fos and AP-1 in the serum of CUMS induced rat model of depression were detected by ELISA. The results indicated that treatment with EA and fluoxetine can reverse the CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors in rats and can up-regulate the expression levels of c-Jun in the hypothalamus, c-Fos in the pituitary gland, and c-Fos and AP-1 in the serum. Of note, the data demonstrated that SP600125, the inhibitor of JNK signaling pathway, can exert synergistic effect with EA in regulating CUMS-induced abnormal activation of the JNK signaling pathway. The antidepressant effect of EA might be mediated by modulating the expression of c-Fos/AP-1., (© 2021 American Association for Anatomy.)

Objective: To investigate the effect of acupuncture on behavior changes and the expression of reactive oxygen species (ROS), cytochrome C, cysteine-containing aspartate-specific proteases-3 (caspase-3), apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) in the hippocampus of rats exposed to chronic restraint stress (CRS), so as to provide experimental evidence for the prevention and treatment of depression., Methods: Thirty two male SD rats were equally randomized into control, model, acupuncture and medication (Fluoxetine) groups according to the random number table. The depression model was established by chronic psychological stress stimulation (fasting, water deprivation, chronic restraint combined with solitary raising for 28 days). Manual acupuncture stimulation (2 circles/s) was applied to "Baihui" (GV20), "Yintang" (GV29) and bilateral "Sanyinjiao" (SP6) for 2 min, followed by retaining the needles for 20 min. Rats in the medication group were treated by gavage of Fluoxetine (0.18 mg/mL, 1 mL/100 g body weight). The treatment was conducted once daily for 28 days. The depression-like behavior was evaluated by using open-field test, sucrose preference test, and body weight. The content of ROS of the right hippocampus tissue was detected by using dichloro-dihydro-fluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) assay, and the expression levels of cytochrome C, caspase-3 and AIF proteins of hippocampus were determined by using Western blot., Results: After 28 days' stress procedure, the depression rats in the model group showed a significant decrease in the numbers of crossing and rearing of open-field test, sucrose preference index and the body weight compared to the control group ( P <0.01). The content of ROS and expression levels of cytochrome C, caspase-3 and AIF in the hippocampus of the model group were significantly increased relevant to the control group (all P <0.01). After the intervention and compared with the model group, the decreased levels of the numbers of crossing and rearing, body weight and sucrose preference index, and the up-regulated levels of content of ROS and expression of cytochrome C, caspase-3 and AIF proteins were all reversed in both acupuncture and medication groups ( P <0.01， P <0.05), displaying an anti-depressant effect. The effect of acupuncture was significantly superior to that of medication in up-regulating the numbers of crossing and rearing ( P <0.01, P <0.05), and in down-regulating the expression of caspase-3 ( P <0.01). No significant differences were found between the medication and acupuncture groups in increasing the body weight and sucrose preference index, and in down-regulating the expression of cytochrome C and AIF proteins ( P >0.05)., Conclusion: Acupuncture intervention can significantly reduce ROS content and expression level of cytochrome C, caspase-3 and AIF proteins in the hippocampus possibly by inhibiting the chronic psychological stress-hippocampal oxidative stress-mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in psychological stress-induced depression rats, which may contribute to its effect in relieving depression.

Objective: To investigate the effect of acupuncture intervention on the depression behavior and expression of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERK 1/2), p-ERK 1/2 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the prefrontal cortex of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) induced depression rats, so as to explore its antidepressant mechanism., Methods: Sixty-four male SD rats were randomly divided into control, model, acupuncture, Fluoxetine, model ＋ Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), model ＋ PD 98059(an ERK pathway inhibitor), acupuncture ＋ PD 98059 and Fluoxetine ＋ PD 98059 groups ( n ＝8 rats in each). The CUMS depression model was established by using chronic mild and unpredictable stress methods for 21 days. Manual acupuncture stimulation was applied to "Baihui" (GV 20) and "Yintang" (GV 29) for 10 min before modeling, once daily for 21 days. Fluoxetine hydrochloride suspension (1.8 mg•kg －1 •d －1 ) was given to rats of the Fluoxetine group and Fluo-xetine ＋ PD 98059 group by gavage 30 min before CUMS. PD 98059 (dissolved in DMSO, 10 µL) was administered to rats of model ＋ PD 98059 group, acupuncture ＋ PD 98059 and Fluoxetine ＋ PD 98059 group, and DMSO (10 µL) to rats of model ＋ DMSO group by intracerebroventricular injection 1 h before CUMS. Sucrose consumption test was carried out to evaluate the depressive behavior. Western blot was performed to detect the expression of ERK 1/2, p-ERK 1/2 and BDNF of prefrontal cortex., Results: Compared with the control group, the sucrose consumption and the expression levels of p-ERK 1/2 and BDNF protein in the prefrontal cortex were significantly reduced in the model and model＋DMSO group ( P <0. 01). After the intervention, modeling induced decrease of the sucrose consumption, and p-ERK 1/2 and BDNF expression was significantly up-regulated in both acupuncture and Fluoxetine groups ( P <0.01, P <0.05), but not in the model＋PD 98059, Fluoxetine ＋PD 98059 and acupuncture＋PD 98059 groups ( P >0.05). No significant differences were found among the model＋PD 98059, Fluoxetine ＋PD 98059 and acupuncture＋PD 98059 groups in the sucrose consumption, and ERK 1/2, p-ERK 1/2 and BDNF expression levels ( P >0.05), and in the expression levels of ERK 1/2 protein among the 8 groups ( P >0.05)., Conclusion: Acupuncture intervention has an anti-depressive role in CUMS induced depression rats, which may be related to its effects in up-regulating the expression of p-ERK 1/2 and BDNF in the prefrontal cortex tissue.

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on behavior changes and the adundance levels of transforming growth factor beta 3 (TGF-beta 3) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) proteins in the hippocampus of rats with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression, so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of depression., Methods: Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following groups: control, model, EA, and medication (Fluoxetine), n = 10 in each group. The depression model was established by CUMS combined with solitary raising for 28 days. EA (2 Hz, 0.6 mA) was applied to "Baihui" (GV 20) and "Yintang" (GV 29) for 20 mm, once daily before CUMS every day. The rats of the medication group were given with Fluoxetine (10 mg/kg, 5 mL/kg) before CUMS every day. The behavioral changes (crossing and rearing locomotion) were detected by using open field tests. The expression levels of TGF-beta 3 and bFGF proteins of the bilateral hippocampus tissues were detected using biotin label-based antibody protein chips. Results Compared to the control group, the crossed grid-square numbers and rearing times were significantly decreased in the model group (P<0.01). Following EA and medication interventions, the CUMS induced decreases of the crossed grid-square number and rearing times were notably reversed in both EA and medication groups (P<0.01), suggesting an amelioration of depression after the intervention. The relative expression level of hippocampal TGF-beta 3 was down-regulated (fold change = 0.48, vs. the control group) and that of bFGF up-regulated (fold change= 1.36, vs the control group) in the model group. In both the EA and medication groups, the down-regulated TGF-beta 3 expression and the up-regulated bFGF protein expression were suppressed (TGF-beta 3: fold change = 1.61, 1.6 and bFGF: fold change = 0.61, 0.45, vs. the model group respectively)., Conclusion: EA can improve the depression-like state in depression rats which may be associated with its effect in up-regulating hippocampal TGF-beta 3 protein level and down-regulating bFGF protein expression via promoting neurogenesis.

Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture on c-jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) signaling in the hippocampus in rats with forced-swimming stress, so as to reveal its underlying mechanism in relieving depression-like motor response., Methods: Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 8 groups as control, control + JNK inhibitor (SP 600125) , model, model + SP 600125, acupuncture, acupuncture + SP 600125, Fluoxetine (an anti-depressant) , and Fluoxetine + SP 600125 (n = 6 in each group). The depression-like behavior (immobility) model was established by forcing the rat to swim in a glass-cylinder and solitary raise. Acupuncture stimulation was applied to "Baihui" (GV-20) and "Yintang" (GV 29) for 20 min before forced swimming and once again 24 h later.. The rats of the Fluoxetine and Fluoxetine+ SP 600125 groups were treated by intragastric administration of fluoxetine 10 mL (1.8 mg)/kg before forced swimming and once again 24 h thereafter. The rats of the model + SP 600125 and acupuncture + SP 600125 groups were treated by intraperitoneal injection of SP 600125 (10 mg/kg) 90 min before forced swimming and 30 min before acupuncture intervention, respectively. The immobility duration of rats in the water glass-cylinder was used to assess their depression-like behavior response. The expression levels of protein kinase kinase 4 (MKK 4), MKK 7, JNK, and phosphorylated JNK (p-JNK) in the hippocampus were detected by Western blot., Results: Compared to the control group, the duration of immobility, and the expression levels of hippocampal MKK 4, MKK 7, and p-JNK proteins were significantly increased in the model group (P < 0.01). While in comparison with the model group, the duration of immobility in the model + SP 600125, acupuncture, acupuncture + SP 600125, Fluoxetine and Fluoxetine + SP 600125 groups, the expression levels of hippocampal MKK 4 and MKK 7 proteins in the Fluoxetine + SP 600125 group, and those of p-JNK protein in the acupuncture, acupuncture + SP 600125, model + SP 600125, Fluoxetine and Fluoxetine + SP 600125 groups were considerably decreased (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). No significant differences were found between the control and control + SP 600125 groups and among the model + SP 600125, acupuncture, acupuncture + SP 600125, Fluoxetine and Fluoxetine + SP 600125 groups in the duration of immobility (P > 0.05), and in the expression level of p-JNK protein (P > 0.05). No significant changes were found in the expression levels of JNK among the 8 groups (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: Acupuncture stimulation of GV 20 and GV 29 is effective in relieving depression-like motor response in forced-swimming stress rats, which may be closely associated with its effects in down-regulating the expression of hippocampal p-JNK protein.