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The use of 31P MRS in clinical cancer research has been hampered by both poor anatomic localization of spectra and poor resolution of overlapping signals. We found that accurate localization using 3D chemical shift imaging and improved resolution using 1H-decoupling and nuclear Overhauser-enhancement (NOE) increased signal-to-noise and permitted resolution of separate components within phosphomonoester (PME) and phosphodiester (PDE) regions. Fifty-three cancers of different types (lymphoma, sarcoma, adenocarcinoma) had the following common features: (1) phosphoethanolamine the dominant PME; (2) glycerophosphoethanolamine and -choline rarely detected; (3) a broad PDE signal probably from membrane phospholipids; and(4) prominent nucleoside triphosphates. 1H-decoupling with NOE-enhancement permitted us to obtain new information about in vivo metabolism in human cancers; generate new hypotheses and help guide development of experimental models appropriate to test them; and provide a firm basis with which to examine clinical uses of 31P MRS.

This paper examines the potential and limitations of peak area quantitation of biological NMR spectra using principal component analysis (PCA), including its requirement for prior knowledge. The principles of the method are presented without in-depth mathematical treatment. PCA is illustrated for simulated data, 31P NMR spectra obtained consecutively over 1-2.5 days from perfused Rat-2 cells metabolizing the choline analogue phosphoniumcholine (Chop) and in vivo proton-decoupled, NOE-enhanced, three-dimensional CSI localized 31P NMR spectra of the liver of healthy volunteers. The results show that PCA can be used to quantitate strongly overlapping peaks without prior knowledge of the peak shapes or positions and to reconstruct spectra with significantly reduced noise variance. Two major limitations of PCA are presented: (1) PCA cannot separate peaks whose intensities are well correlated; (2) PCA is sensitive to differences in chemical shift and line-width of peaks between spectra. The discussion focuses on what knowledge of the biological and spectroscopic features of the samples and the principles of PCA is necessary for peak area quantitation via PCA.

The development of clinical applications of 19F magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) has been limited by the inability to localize 19F spectra to specific regions of interest, making it difficult to quantitate drug and metabolite concentrations accurately. To develop methodology for quantitation, we studied the liver of patients receiving rapid bolus i.v. injections of 5-FU. In serial studies, 5-FU disappeared from the liver within 17-26 min, and its catabolite, alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine (FBAL), rose to reach a plateau after 40 min. A high peak level of fluoro-ureido-propionic acid preceded that of FBAL in only one patient, and dihydrofluorouracil was never observed. During the plateau, we obtained MR imaging-directed 19F MR spectra localized using three-dimensional chemical shift imaging. The spin-lattice relaxation time of FBAL in liver, measured using a variable nutation angle method, was 1.6 +/- 0.2 s (mean +/- SD; n = 5). The concentration of FBAL at 60 +/- 10 min after injection was 1.0 +/- 0.2 mm in liver (mean +/- SD; n = 7). This amount represents approximately 20% of the injected dose and 1.4 times the initial hepatic 5-FU concentration. Our approach may permit one to obtain molar concentrations of fluoropyrimidine metabolites simultaneously in hepatic cancers and surrounding liver, and it helps expand pharmacokinetic modeling of fluoropyrimidine catabolism.

Development of biological and clinical uses of in vivo 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been hampered by poor anatomic localization of spectra and poor resolution of overlapping signals within phosphomonoester and phosphodiester regions of the spectrum. We applied 1H-decoupling and nuclear Overhauser enhancement to improve resolution of 31P magnetic resonance spectra accurately localized to 21 non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) by using three-dimensional chemical shift imaging. All 21 spectra had large phosphomonoester signals (26% of total phosphorus) that contained high amounts of phosphoethanolamine relative to phosphocholine. There were no signals from glycerophosphoethanolamine or glycerophosphocholine but only a broad signal from membrane phospholipids in the phosphodiester region (20% of phosphorus). Prominent nucleoside triphosphates (47% of phosphorus) and low inorganic phosphate (7% of phosphorus) indicate well-perfused tissue with viable cells. Mean intracellular pH was 7.23. These characteristics were similar in all grades and stages of NHL. By analogy with recently reported studies in cell lines in vitro, we hypothesize that the pattern of phospholipid metabolites observed in NHL in vivo is partly a manifestation of sustained activation of phospholipase C or D. The techniques we implemented permitted us to obtain more information about in vivo metabolism of NHL than has heretofore been available. This information is important for the establishment of appropriate experimental models and provides a basis from which to examine potential clinical uses of 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

We consider a class of stochastic differential equations of jump-diffusion type $$d{{x}_{t}} = f\left( {t,{{x}_{t}}} \right)dt + G\left( {t,{{x}_{t}}} \right)d{{W}_{t}} + \int_{U} {h\left( {t - ,u,{{x}_{{t - }}}} \right)} N\left( {dt,du} \right),$$ where f, G, and h are cadlag adapted processes; W t is an m-dimensional standard Brownian motion and N(dt, du) is a Poisson random counting measure with deterministic characteristic measure ⋋(du) on the measurable space U The pathwise unique strong solution and the stability problem for a sequence of stochastic systems with small perturbations in almost sure convergence are discussed by means of a stochastic version of Gronwall’s inequality.

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Sonchus asper is an exotic annual herb belonging to the Asteraceae family. Crude extracts of S. asper leaves have antiphlogistic and antibacterial properties. In May 2011, severe infection of powdery mildew was observed on S. asper in Henan Province, a central area of China. Symptoms began as small, nearly circular white spots that later enlarged and coalesced. As the disease progressed, white mycelia covered the entire plant, including the inflorescence. The voucher specimens are kept at the Key Laboratory of Plant-Microbe Interaction, Shangqiu Normal University. Conidiophores were erect, 108 to 220 × 10 to 12 μm, and composed of a cylindrical foot cell followed by two to three short cells. Nipple-shaped appressoria were formed on ectophytic mycelia. Conidia were hyaline and cylindrical, without distinct fibrosin bodies, and ranging from 29 to 42 × 19 to 24 μm. Long, unbranched germ tubes were formed from the ends of the conidia. These morphological characteristics suggested that the powdery mildew fungus is the anamorph of Golovinomyces cichoracearum (1,2). Chasmothecia were not observed in the collected samples. To confirm the identification, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rDNA was amplified with ITS1 and ITS4 primers (4) and sequenced. The ITS sequence obtained was assigned Accession No. JQ010848 in GenBank, and had 99% similarity to two ITS sequences from different G. cichoracearum accessions (HM449077 and AY739111). The ITS sequence analysis further verified that the causal agent of the powdery mildew on S. asper was G. cichoracearum. Pathogenicity was confirmed by inoculating five healthy plants of S. asper with a conidial suspension (105 conidia/ml) from the infected plants, with five noninoculated plants serving as control. Inoculated plants developed the original powdery mildew symptoms after 10 days, whereas control plants remained healthy. G. cichoracearum (synonym Erysiphe cichoracearum) is a cosmopolitan powdery mildew fungus, parasitic on numerous plant species in the Asteraceae family. It was reported to be infecting S. asper in Bulgaria (3). To our knowledge, this is the first report of G. cichoracearum infections on S. asper in China. S. asper is one of the most important Chinese herbal medicines. The sudden appearance of powdery mildew caused by G. cichoracearum on this plant could result in substantial production loss of S. asper unless fungicide applications are employed. References: (1) U. Braun. Beih. Nova Hedwigia 89:1, 1987. (2) R. T. A. Cook and U. Braun. Mycol. Res. 113:616, 2009. (3) G. Negrean and C. M. Denchev. Mycologia Balcanica, 2004, 1:63. (4) T. J. White et al. Page 315 in: PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. M. A. Innis et al., eds. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1990.

The South China Sea (SCS) is one of the largest marginal seas of the West Pacific Ocean, with a surface area of 3.5 × lO6 km2. It extends across the tropical and sub-tropical zones, with an average annual precipitation of 2000 mm. A large amount of freshwater enters the sea from the Zhujiang (Pearl) River in the north and from the Mekong River in the southwest. The SCS is connected to the East China Sea, the Pacific Ocean, the Sulu Sea, the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean through the Taiwan, Bashi, Balabac, Karimata, and Malacca straits, respectively. All these straits are narrow and shallow, except the Bashi Channel whose maximum depth is over 2000 m. Consequently, the SCS is a semi-enclosed water body. The bottom topography of the SCS is complicated. Wide continental shelves appear in the north and in the south; steep slopes in the east and in the west. The 200 m isobath encloses a NE-elongated rhomboid basin. The Luzon, Manila, and Nansha troughs are distributed on the east slope, while the Dongsha, Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands form underwater plateaus. Strong northeastly winter monsoon and weaker southwestly summer monsoon prevail at the sea surface. Due to the great expanse of the SCS, the beginning and ending of winter or summer monsoon may lag for up to three months from the south to the north. During the transitional periods between winter and summer monsoons, different controlling wind fields may coexist at the sea surface. These environmental factors have determined the hydrological features and the complex current patterns of the SCS.

Euonymus japonicus Thunb. is a popular, woody, ornamental plant in China. From June to September 2010, severe outbreaks of powdery mildew occurred on all investigated E. japonicus plants used for hedges in Zhoukou and Shangqiu cities of Henan province in central China, which is the second largest province in terms of ornamental plant cultivation. A large amount of fungicide was used to prevent the fungal disease, which caused serious environmental pollution and was estimated to result in a 40 to 60% increase in preservation cost of E. japonicus hedges. Gray-white colonies of powdery mildew fungi occurred mainly on the leaves of E. japonicus, on average approximately 50% of the leaves of an individual plant were infected by the fungi. On severely infected leaves, mycelia were amphigenous, thick, forming irregular white patches, and effused to cover the whole surface. Subsequently, these leaves became chlorotic, curled, and withered. The fungus was identified as Erysiphe euonymi-japonici (Vienn.-Bourg.) U. Braun & S. Takam on the basis of the following data of microscopic morphology with scanning electron microscopy and molecular phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. The fungus had unbranched conidiophores with an average length of 57.3 μm and width of 8.8 μm, which was composed of a cylindrical foot cell, 15 to 40 × 6 to 10 μm and one to three shorter cells or cells of about the same length. Conidia were borne singly, cylindrical, or ellipsoid-cylindrical, with an average length of 27.7 μm and width of 10.4 μm. Chasmothecia were not observed in the collected samples during the whole outbreak period. PCR amplification and sequencing of the ITS region was amplified using the universal primers ITS1 and ITS4 (4). The obtained ITS sequence was assigned Accession No. HQ012432 in GenBank, which had a 99 and 98% nt similarity with the ITS sequences (ITS region including the 5.8S rDNA) of two Erysiphe euonymi-japonici isolates from Japan and Argentina in GenBank (Accession Nos. AB250228 and AB250229 (3), respectively). To our knowledge, Erysiphe euonymi-japonici has not been reported previously from central China, although synonymous species, Oidium euonymi-japonici and Microsphaera euonymi-japonici, were reported in southwestern (Sichuan Province) (1) and eastern (Shandong Province) (2) regions. Herbarium specimens are available at the Key Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Molecular Breeding, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, China. References: (1) H. Feng. J. Sichuan For. Sci. Technol. 13:57, 1992. (2) S. Z. Li et al. J. Shandong For. Sci. Technol. 46:40, 1995. (3) S. Limkaisang et al. Mycoscience 47:327, 2006. (4) T. J. White et al. Page 315 in: PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. M. A. Innis et al., eds. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1990.

Radular formation in the limpet, Acmae striata, was explored by magnetic measurements, Mossbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy. It was found that, in premature radula, acicular goethite alone precipitated in the matrix-mediated manner. It grows extensively to be interlocking masses in a cusp region of detected in the porous region. A new mineral phase, hisingerite, was identified to coexist with goethite and an amorphous silicate. The goethite has a relative susceptibility of 2.5*10/sup -5/. An oxidation-reduction turned the goethite to gamma-Fe/sub 2/O/sub 3/ with a coercivity of 250 Oe and a saturation magnetization of only 6.65 emu/g due to the dilution effect of coexisting silicates. >

Summary Background The prevalence of atopic eczema in adolescents has recently been reported as increasing in many countries, a phenomenon yet to be fully explained. This study compared the prevalence of atopic eczema among Taiwanese adolescents with individual-level risk factors and community-level data of temperature, relative humidity, and air pollutants to determine whether changes in these factors could explain the observed change in prevalence. Methods We conducted two nationwide, cross-sectional surveys of atopic illness and symptoms among Taiwanese 12–15-year-old schoolchildren in 1995–1996 and 2001. The effects of personal and environmental factors were assessed and temporal changes of outdoor monitoring data were also compared with the prevalence difference of atopic eczema. Results A total of 42 919 adolescents from the 1995 to 1996 survey and 10 215 adolescents from the 2001 survey attended schools located within 1 km of 22 monitoring stations. The 12-month prevalence of atopic eczema increased significantly during this period [adjusted prevalence ratio (PR)=1.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21–1.70 in boys; PR=1.77, 95% CI 1.49–2.10 in girls]. After adjustment for potential risk factors, the prevalence differences were statistically unchanged. Although parental education level contributed the most, changes in personal and environmental factors might not explain the observed prevalence increases of atopic eczema. Temporal change in the relative humidity was significantly associated with prevalence increase among boys but its contribution was also small. Conclusion Correlates of the investigated risk factors that have changed over time still underlie the prevalence increases of atopic eczema in Taiwanese adolescents. The exact reasons for the rising trends remain to be elucidated.

The siliceous cell wall of diatoms is formed in a silica deposition vesicle that is delimited by a membrane, the silicalemma. Once the siliceous wall matures, it is expelled and a new plasmalemma is formed underneath. Underlying wall formation is a multitude of events and processes, some of which are now known. A comparative study on wall morphogenesis in seven centric diatoms leads to the following conclusions: (1) the silica deposition vesicle is formed by the coalescence of small vesicles; (2) the silicalemma becomes part of the organic casing of the mature siliceous wall; (3) at least four morphological forms of deposited silica can be seen during the development of wall components; (4) microtubules, serving as cytoskeletons, are associated with the formation of certain wall components initiated from a cytoplasmic protrusion. These events are discussed in detail.

The present study on a centric diatom,Ditylum brightwellii, includes two parts: detection of sugars in the silica deposition vesicle (SDV) with lectins and labeling the developing siliceous cell wall in the SDV with rhodamine 123. Cells with developing valves are treated with SDS to remove all the cytoplasmic contents, then either stained with fluorescein labeled lectins or thin-sectioned and stained with colloidal gold labeled lectins. The results show that mannose is part of the organic matrix in the SDV. Rhodamine 123, a non-toxic fluorescent laser dye, enters the cell immediately and is trapped in the SDV probably by the high reducing potential of the SDV. Silica is co-deposited with rhodamine 123 in the SDV, and the resulting valves and girdle bands become fluorescent. Implications of this study for the mechanism of silicification are discussed.

Controllability of infinite-dimensional linear systems with multiple independent controllers, each of which is norm-bounded, is studied. Necessary and sufficient conditions for systems to be such are presented. Both the usual (cooperative) and the game (non-cooperative) controllability are examined. The problem of sending an initial state to some target sets is investigated. Applications to differential delay linear systems and simple distributed parameter systems are given. For the cooperative mode, a duality theory is introduced for the constrained infinite dimensional case.

Active filters can be designed using operational amplifiers with resistors as the only external components. The reactance of these filters is derived from the parasitic capacitances associated with the amplifiers. For internally compensated amplifiers the integrator model is employed Some basic blocks are presented in this paper. These would serve to realize a variety of active circuits when the signal flow graph of the desired transfer function is drawn.

We consider the problem of determining the sample path stability of a class of linear stochastic differential equations with point process coefficients. Necessary and sufficient conditions are obtained which are similar in spirit to those derived by Khas’minskii and Pinsky for diffusion processes. The conditions are based on the deep theorems of Furstenburg on the asymptotic behavior of products of random matrices. Estimates on the probabilities of large deviations for stable processes are also given, together with a result on the stabilization of unstable systems by feedback controls.

The growth and shape of the membraneous labyrinth appears to be organized and restricted by the formation of the cartilaginous capsule. Coiling of the cochlear duct appears to be the result of the physical barrier and support provided by the cartilage cells differentiating from mesenchyme surrounding the otocyst. In addition, tissue interactions between this mesenchyme and the developing cochlear duct may be the source of a genetic message for the coiling mechanism.

Field measurements of sea waves were carried out in South China Sea near Hong Kong during the passages of four typhoons. Statistical analysis of the field data was performed to produce useful wave parameters. The wave spectra obtained were fitted well by the JONSWAP type spectrum. The results are of practical value for the offshore engineering works around there.

Twenty-seven patients with malignant lymphoma (14 Hodgkin's disease, 9 histiocytosarcoma, 2 plasmacytoma, 2 lympholeucosarcoma) were treated by Ailin-injection plus Chinese herbal medicine. The latter's composition and dose varied depending on the clinical manifestations. All the patients had stage III and IV lesions. The total remission rate was 70.37% (complete remission 13 patients, partial remission 6 patients, no remission 8 patients). In addition, we also studied the suppressive effect of Ailin on transplanted tumor in vivo (S-180). The suppression rates were 36.09%, 48.80%, 32.67% by three repetitions with an average of 39.18% (P less than 0.002). They were 37.25%, 35.29% on S37 with an average of 36.27% (P less than 0.005). They were 46.53%, 44.56%, 51.35%, 45.95% on Ehrlich ascites tumor cells with an average of 47.09% (P less than 0.001). The clinical and experimental studies suggest that Ailin-1 has no serious side effects and is well tolerated by patients with malignant lymphoma at moderate or advanced stages. No toxic reactions were observed at the clinical dose. In the above combination therapy, the Chinese herbal medicine has obvious supplementary effect in the treatment of the patients' cachexia and immuno-suppression.

Values of the atomic masses from n^1 to F^(20) have been derived from the Q-values of nuclear reactions with a procedure of statistical adjustment. Tables are given of several fundamental mass differences, the most probable Q-values, and the atomic masses. Some disparity with the mass spectroscopic results is noted.

A dichotomy of hair-cell types has been found in the bullfrog sacculus, and considerable evidence supports the view that one type (“peripheral”) is transformed during macular growth to the other type (“central”). Between the periphery and the center of the macula, one finds a gradation of form from “peripheral” to “central” type. Occasionally in adults and more often in stage-26 tadpoles one finds the presumably younger peripheral type of hair cell occurring well beyond the limits of the macula proper. The apparent morphogenic sequence for saccular hair cells is (1) development of a kinocillum on an endolymphatic epithelial cell, (2) gradual transformation of microvilli into stereocilia, (3) growth of the stereocilia and development of kinociliary bulb, (4) achievement of final size and form.

The energy of the reaction products from the disintegration of C13 by deuterons has been analyzed with the 16" double-focusing magnetic spectrometer. The emitted particles, identified by their mv/Ze value and pulse size in the scintillation proportional counter, correspond to the reactions (1) C13(d,α)B11, (2) C13(d,p)C14, and (3) C13(d,t)C12.

We have investigated the yield of gamma rays resulting from the bombardment of F19 by α particles [1]. Up to an α-particle energy 2.8 Mev we observed only the 1.28 Mev γ ray of the reaction F19(α,p)Ne22*, and the 114-kev and 200-kev radiations from the first and second excited states of F19 produced by inelastic scattering of the α particles. The γ rays were detected with a 1 1/2 in. X 1 1/2 in. sodium iodide scintillation spectrometer. The pulse spectrum was recorded with a 10-channel analyzer.