Search

SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors) proteins are a highly regulated class of membrane proteins lying in the center of membrane fusion. In conjunction with accessory proteins, SNAREs drive efficient merger of two distinct lipid bilayers into one interconnected structure. This chapter describes our fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based proteoliposome fusion assays for the roles of various SNARE proteins, accessory proteins, and effects of different lipid compositions on membrane fusion involved in autophagy.

Graphene Oxide (GO) was prepared from natural graphite and treated with different types and various amounts of cationic surfactants to form the intercalation nanocomposites. The resulting specimens were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the interlamellar spacing strongly depended on the mole mass ratios between GO to cationic surfactants and the alkyl chain length of surfactants. In addition, a model was proposed to illustrate the procedure of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC)-GO intercalation, and the angles of inclination between the alkyl chains and GO planes were calculated based on the model.

Polycrystalline Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) films were deposited on ITO conductive glass substrates by one-step pulsed laser deposition. The influence of laser pulse energy on the microstructure and optical properties was investigated. The results indicate that all the films are rich in Sn, poor in S and well crystallized with dominant (1 1 2) preferred orientation. At laser pulse energies of 130, 165 and 180 mJ, SnS2 impurity phase exists in CZTS films, which is probably the reason for their larger bandgaps (1.61–1.67 eV) compared with that of a stoichiometric CZTS film (around 1.50 eV). While at the laser pulse energy of 150 mJ, an attractive Cu-poor and Zn-rich, large grain size and single-phase CZTS film can be obtained. In such a film, excess Cu vacancies reduce the valence band maximum (VBM) of CZTS, leading to the blue shift of its bandgap (1.60 eV).

In-stent restenosis (ISR) and re-endothelialization delay are two major issues of intravascular stent in terms of clinical safety and effects. Construction of mimetic cell membrane surface on stents using phosphorylcholine have been regarded as one of the most powerful strategies to resolve these two issues and improve the performance of stents. In this study, atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology, which is widely used in semiconductor industry, was utilized to fabricate ultra-thin layer (10nm) of alumina (Al2O3) on 316L stainless steel (SS), then the alumina covered surface was modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) and 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) sequentially in order to produce phosphorylcholine mimetic cell membrane surface. The pristine and modified surfaces were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscope and water contact angle measurement. Furthermore, the abilities of protein adsorption, platelet adhesion and cell proliferation on the surfaces were investigated. It was found that alumina layer can significantly enhance the surface grafting of APS and MPC on SS; and in turn efficiently inhibit protein adsorption and platelet adhesion, and promote the attachment and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) on the surfaces. In association with the fact that the deposition of alumina layer is also beneficial to the improvement of adhesion and integrity of drug-carrying polymer coating on drug eluting stents, we expect that ALD technology can largely assist in the modifications on inert metallic surfaces and benefit implantable medical devices, especially intravascular stents.

Monitoring erosion progress of biodegradable drug carrying polymer coated on coronary drug eluting stents (DES) is largely hindered because of the small amount of coating material as well as the irregular profile of coating, both of which make the monitoring using traditional methods highly challenging. In our study, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), a widely used method in the study of metal corrosion, was used to address the challenges traditional methods face. In vitro, remained mass and molecular weight drop data of film-like poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) samples due to degradation were monitored using traditional mass loss measurement and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) methods. The obtained data were compared to the changes of capacitance and impedance measured by EIS from PLGA-coated stainless slices with an equivalent electrical circuit model. The results showed that the changes of the resistance and capacitance obtained by EIS, which indicates transformations of PLGA coating, can be correlated to the degradation measured by traditional methods, such as SEC. Furthermore, EIS method was applied to monitor and evaluate the erosion progress of a real stent with PLGA coating. Our results suggested that EIS method can accurately monitor real-time erosion process of thin polymer coatings on DES in situ. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 103B: 691–699, 2015.

Neutron and Gamma detectors have been used to monitor the nuclear radiation in the environment (Jianping in Nucl Electron Detect Technol 19(1), 1999; Chai et al. in Nucl Electron Detect Technol 25(1), 2005), during the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST) discharging. This paper is focus on the EAST’s nuclear radiation monitoring. Based on the full and real-time need for monitoring of radiation, the placement of radiation’s detectors around the EAST and the environment is studied. To get the radiation’s value, this paper gives the design of the monitoring system and presents the system’s acquisition module which transforms radiation to voltage signal. For the long distance and uneven distribution of each detector, transforming and processing module is designed, and the comparator’s principle and RS-485 transmission protocol are reviewed, the circuits of the comparator and RS-485 used in this system are designed. Then a conversion module is presented to have communication with personal computer, and framework of the whole monitoring system is introduced.

We apply the notion of discrete supersymmetry based on matrix factorization to quantum systems consisting of coupled bosonic oscillators to construct isospectral bosonic quantum networks. By using the algebra that arises due to the indistinguishability of bosonic particles, we write down the Schrodinger equations for these oscillators in the different boson-number sectors. By doing so, we obtain, for every partner quantum network, a system of coupled differential equations that can be emulated by classical light propagation in optical waveguide arrays. This mathematical scheme allows us to build quasi-two-dimensional optical arrays that are either isospectral or share only a subset of their spectrum after deliberately omitting some chosen eigenstates from the spectrum. As an example, we use this technique (which we call bosonic discrete supersymmetry or BD-SUSY) to design two optical, silica-based waveguide arrays consisting of six and three elements, respectively, with overlapping eigenspectrum.

The paper describes a new compact neutron spectrometer optimized for the detection of 2.5 MeV neutrons for fusion plasma applications. The first neutron spectroscopy measurements on a nuclear fusion plasma experiment (EAST) with this detector are also reported together with the data interpretation. The detector allowed separating the different neutron emission components from the plasma and to validate the effectiveness of the Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) heating. A possible improvement of the diagnostic has been also identified in order to increase the detector sensitivity to weak components of the neutron spectrum, such as those due to the Ion Cyclotron Resonace Heating (ICRH). The relatively simple response function of the (CLYC)-L-7 detector to 2.5 MeV neutrons together with its good capability in the n/gamma discrimination, makes this detector an interesting spectrometer for deuterium (D) plasma diagnostics. In particular, its compactness allows for integration in a multi-line of sight camera where space constraints are present.

To investigate the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the normal uterine cervical zonal structures (cervical epithelium, the junctional zone, and myometrium) during different phases of the menstrual cycle among premenopausal women in different age groups.Seventy healthy women, who were divided into three age groups (group A, 24 women in their twenties; group B, 23 women in their thirties; group C, 23 women in their forties), underwent 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) during the mid-proliferative and the mid-secretory phases.The ADC values of each cervical zonal structure were significantly different from one another (p 0.001). The ADC values of the epithelium and junctional zones were both lower during the mid-secretory phase than those during the mid-proliferative phase in each age group (p 0.05). There were no significant differences in the ADC values of any of the cervical zones among the three age groups for a given phase (p 0.05).ADC values of normal cervical epithelium and the junctional zone change with different phases of the menstrual cycle, which should be taken into consideration when early cervical disease is detected, when monitoring treatment response, and differentiating early tumour recurrence.

Malignant glioma is one of the most common brain tumors in the central nervous system. Although the significant progress has been made in recent years, the mortality is still high and 5-year survival rate is still very low. One of the leading causes to the high mortality for glioma patients is metastasis and invasion. An efficient method to control the tumor metastasis is a promising way to treat the glioma. Previous reports indicated that neural stem cells (NSCs) were served as a delivery vector to the anti-glioma therapy. Here, we used the conditioned medium from rat NSCs (NSC-CM) to culture the human glioblastoma cell lines. We found that NSC-CM could inhibit the glioma cell growth, invasion and migration in vitro and attenuate the tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, this anti-glioma effect was mediated by the inactivation of mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Above all, this study provided the direct evidence to put forward a simple and efficient method in the inhibition of glioma cells/tumor growth, potentially advancing the anti-glioma therapy.

目的 制备BCR-ABL (P210）实时定量PCR（RQ-PCR）检测的室内质控物，建立RQ-PCR检测BCR-ABL (P210）转录本水平的室内质控方法。 方法 取K562细胞和HL-60细胞，制备RQ-PCR检测BCR-ABL（P210）转录本水平的高、低浓度质控物，2013年8月至2015年10月用RQ-PCR法与临床标本同步检测BCR-ABL（P210）184次，按试剂批号（批号20130303、20131212、20140411和20150327分别简称为R1、R2、R3、R4）统计分析标准曲线斜率、截距及相关系数，并按试剂批号和质控物批号（批号20130725、20140611分别简称为Q1、Q2）统计分析高、低浓度质控物检测结果，对斜率、截距及质控物检测结果采取Levey-Jennings质控图结合Westgard多规则质控方法进行质控判断。 结果 ①标准曲线斜率、截距：R1检测53次，斜率、截距均未失控；R2检测37次，斜率失控6次，且第2~8次在x−s限值下侧，第12~37次在x值上侧，截距失控9次，且第1~8次在x+s限值上侧，第12~37次出现在x值下侧；R3检测80次和R4检测14次，斜率、截距均未失控。②质控物结果：Q1批号质控物，R1检测49次未失控，R2检测23次失控1次；Q2批号质控物，R2检测14次、R3检测72次及R4检测14次均未失控。 结论 利用K562细胞和HL-60细胞制备定量检测BCR-ABL（P210）转录本水平的高、低浓度室内质控物，制备方便，检测结果可靠、稳定，使用质控物检测结果结合标准曲线斜率、截距进行室内质控，可更有效地保证临床检测结果的准确性和稳定性。

Human colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major worldwide health concern, and its development has been shown to be associated with alcohol intake. We carried out a study to investigate the effect of the ADH1B Arg47His and ALDH2 Glu487Lys genetic polymorphisms and their interaction with alcohol consumption on development of CRC. Between March 2013 and May 2015, a total of 274 CRC patients and 358 healthy controls were recruited. Genotyping of sequence variations was performed using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Under a co-dominant model, individuals with the ADH1B Arg47His AA genotype showed increased CRC risk compared to those carrying the GG genotype, with an adjusted odds ratio (and 95% confidence interval) of 3.37 (2.00-5.70). Moreover, under dominant and recessive models, ADH1B Arg47His variant genotypes were associated with greater susceptibility to CRC when compared with the wild-type sequence. Both polymorphisms examined were positively associated with alcohol consumption in a Spearman correlation analysis of CRC risk. In conclusion, our study suggests that the ADH1B Arg47His polymorphism, but not the ALDH2 Glu487Lys variation, may influence development of CRC in the Chinese population.

In China, Wuling capsule, a traditional Chinese medicine consisting of Wuling mycelia of Xylaria nigripes (Kl.) Sacc (a rare type of fungus), is used to treat major depressive disorders. A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials was performed to compare the efficacy and safety of Wuling capsule alone with Wuling capsule-antidepressant combination in the treatment of major depressive disorders.Two assessors independently selected studies, extracted data, and conducted quality assessment and data synthesis. Standard mean difference, risk ratio (RR) ± 95% confidence interval (CI), the number needed to treat, and the number needed to harm were analysed.A total of 12 randomised controlled trials (880 patients; mean age ± standard deviation, 39.7 ± 12.5 years; male patients, 41%) were identified, including 4 trials with Wuling capsule alone (n = 340) and 8 with Wuling capsule-antidepressant (sertraline, mianserin, mirtazapine, and paroxetine) combination (n = 540). The mean length of trial was 5.7 ± 1.3 weeks. Meta-analysis of symptomatic improvement at last-observation endpoint and study-defined response and remission revealed no significant differences between the Wuling capsule alone and antidepressant monotherapy. The Wuling capsule-antidepressant cotreatment was superior to antidepressant monotherapy in symptomatic improvement at last-observation endpoint (standard mean difference: -0.46, p = 0.001) as well as study-defined response (68.4% vs. 56.0%, RR = 1.23; p = 0.03) and remission (46.5% vs. 34.5%, RR = 1.35; p = 0.05). Wuling capsule was associated with fewer adverse drug reactions than antidepressant monotherapy.Adjunctive Wuling capsule may augment the effects of antidepressants and may be associated with fewer adverse drug reactions. More large-scale and rigorously designed randomised controlled trials with large sample size are warranted to clarify the effectiveness of Wuling capsule for major depressive disorders.

To analyze the etiology of instrumentation failure after corrective surgery for thoracolumbar focal kyphosis, and make suggestion for treatment.Retrospective study for 8 patients with thoracolumbar focal kyphosis who underwent surgical treatment and suffered instrumentation failure from June 2005 to December 2011 was made. The surgical procedures included pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO), anterior opening-posterior closing osteotomy and correction (AOPC), and posterior vertebral column resection (VCR). The reasons of instrumentation failure were analyzed and revision surgeries were performed.The incidence of instrumentation failure was 6.3%. The average occurrence time was 22.5 months after surgery. Except one had failure in 3 months after surgery, all cases happened after 1 year. In this series, there were 5 cases with post-tuberculosis, 2 cases with post-traumatic kyphosis and 1 case with congenital kyphosis. For the surgical procedure, 7 cases underwent VCR and 1 case AOPC. After the instrumentation failure, all cases had back pain, and 3 of them had combined neurological symptoms. The reasons or risk factors of instrumentation failure included non-fusion of bone graft, VCR procedure, sink of the titanium mesh, insufficiency of anchor sites, and more severe kyphosis. All the 8 cases were treated with revision surgery and got good results.The instrumentation failure of thoracolumbar focal kyphosis is relatively late occurred, and can develop with various reasons. Positive revision surgery is suggested for the instrumentation failure, and good results can be expected.

A 200–280 GHz RF front-end of transmitter is demonstrated in 65-nm CMOS. Saturated EIRP is greater than −5dBm over a frequency range of 60GHz. When the input power is −20dBm, EIRP is greater than −10dBm for most of the frequency range, and achieves 3-dB and 6-dB bandwidths of 24% and 33%. The front-end was integrated with a fractional-N synthesizer to form a transmitter operating at 208–255GHz with EIRP of −18 to −11dBm. The transmitter and a CMOS receiver are used for rotational spectroscopy and to detect ethanol in human breath.

A fully integrated CMOS receiver for mm-wave rotational spectroscopy is demonstrated. The receiver consists of a sub-harmonic mixer based receiving front-end which down-converts 225–280 GHz RF input to 20 GHz intermediate frequency, a 20-GHz AM demodulator followed by a baseband buffer amplifier, and an 122–139 GHz local oscillator chain which is comprised of a frequency quadrupler and a driver amplifier. The receiver exhibits responsivity of 400–1200 kV/W and noise equivalent power of 0.4 to 1.2 pW/√Hz from 225 to 280 GHz. Detection of ethanol, propionitrile (EtCN), acetonitrile (CH3CN) and acetone in a mixture is demonstrated using the receiver in a rotational spectrometer setup. This is the first demonstration that a CMOS receiver can be used for rotational spectroscopy and that a CMOS circuit can support an existing application at frequencies above 200 GHz.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of feeding two transgenic corn lines containing the mCry1Ac gene from Bacillus thuringiensis strain (BT-799) and the maroACC gene from Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain (CC-2), respectively, on growth, egg quality and organ health indicators. Expression of the mCry1Ac gene confers resistance to Pyrausta nubilalis and the maroACC gene confers tolerance to herbicides. Healthy hens (n=96 placed in cages; 3 hens/cage) were randomly assigned to one of four corn-soybean meal dietary treatments (8 cages/treatment) formulated with the following corn: non-transgenic near-isoline control corn (control), BT-799 corn, CC-2 corn and commercially available non-transgenic reference corn (reference). The experiment was divided into three 4-week phases (week 1 to 4, week 5 to 8 and week 9 to 12), during which hens were fed mash diets. Performance (BW, feed intake and egg production) and egg quality were determined. Following slaughter at the end of 12 weeks of feeding (n=8/treatment), carcass yield and organ weights (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidneys, stomach and ovary) were recorded; organs and intestines were sampled for histological analysis. Analysis of serum biochemistry parameters to assess the liver and kidney function were performed. No differences in BW, egg production and production efficiency were observed between hens consuming the control diet and hens consuming the BT-799 or CC-2 diet. Haugh unit measures and egg component weights were similar between the control and test groups. Carcass yield was not affected by the diet treatment. Similar organosomatic indices and serum parameters did not indicate the characteristics of organ dysfunction. All observed values of the BT-799 and CC-2 groups were within the calculated tolerance intervals. This research indicates that the performance, egg quality, organ health and carcass yield of laying hens fed diets containing the BT-799 or CC-2 corn line were similar to that of laying hens fed diets formulated with the non-transgenic near-isoline corn with comparable genetic backgrounds.

The characters of slide-away regime in the HT-7 tokamak have been investigated, and evidences that lower hybrid waves (LHW) are excited in slide-away regime are presented based on local fast electron bremsstrahlung (FEB) emission profile and FEB emission spectrum. The interaction of high energy runaway electrons with those excited LHW via anomalous Doppler resonance is analyzed and the resonance energy is derived with which the behavior of those relevant signals in the experiment can be explained very well. It is shown that this interaction can provide an effective way to reduce the damage to the machine caused by runaway electrons.

Three zinc (II) complexes of the amino acid Schiff base were synthesized by the one step reaction of amino acid with aldehyde, zinc acetate in solvent-free. The compositions and structures of the complexes were characterized by elemental analyses, FTIR, XRD, TG-DSC. The compositions of the complexes are ZnL•nH2O (L = sal-leu, sal-ala, van-leu; sal = salicylaldehyde; van = vanillic aldehyde; leu = leucine; ala = alanine). Infrared spectra of the complexes indicate that the Schiff base ligands are formed, zinc ion is coordinated to the Schiff base ligands as terdentate with O, O and N donors from carboxylic, phenolic and imino groups respectively, the coordination numbers of zinc ion is four. The possible pyrolysis reactions in the thermal decomposition process of the complexes, the experimental and calculated percentage mass loss are also given.

Abstract: In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), T lymphocytes overexpress CD70 ( TNFSF7 gene), leading to the synthesis of autoreactive IgGs. CD70 upregulation in SLE CD4+ T cells is associated with hypomethylation of TNFSF7 promoter. In this study, we explored histone modifications in the TNFSF7 promoter region in SLE CD4+ T cells, and characterized the effects of a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor (5-azaC) and a histone deacetylase inhibitor (TSA) on CD70 expression. We found that CD70 mRNA was significantly increased in active lupus CD4+ T cells, and in control cells treated with 5-azaC, TSA, or both. Histone H3 acetylation and dimethylated H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me2) levels were significantly elevated in patients with lupus, and both factors correlated positively with disease activity. MeCP2 protein levels within the TNFSF7 promoter decreased in patients with active lupus. Treatment of CD4+ T cells with 5-azaC alone significantly raised H3K4 dimethyl levels at the TNFSF7 locus. TSA treatment significantly increased H3 and H4 acetylation levels, as well as levels of H3K4 dimethylation at the TNFSF7 locus. Treatment with 5-azaC plus TSA enhanced H3 acetylation levels. These findings indicate that aberrant histone modifications within the TNFSF7 promoter may contribute to the development of lupus by increasing CD70 expression in CD4+ T cells.

Copper electrocrystallisation on a glassy carbon electrode from acid sulphate electrolytes in the presence of different concentrations of 3-mercapto-1-propanesulphonate sodium salt (MPS) and its combinations with chloride ions (Cl) or/and polyethylene glycol (PEG) have been investigated by utilising chronoamperometry (CA) technique and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The CA and SEM results indicate that copper nucleation follows instantaneous nucleation with three-dimensional growth (3DI) from all baths at the deposition potentials studied. With increasing MPS concentration, copper nucleation rate and nuclei number density N increase in the MPS, MPS–Cl and MPS–PEG–Cl baths, but decrease in the MPS–PEG bath.

The quasar absorption lines are crucial to our understanding of the Universe since the absorption lines provide a wealth of information on the gaseous Universe from high redshift to present day. The absorption lines can also allow us to probe the metallicity and ionization state of the gas (Wild et al. 2008). Owing to the advent of large spectroscopic surveys such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS; York et al. 2000), tens of thousands of quasar absorption lines can be identified. However, it is very difficult to identify absorption line systems, especially for the weak absorption line system and the spectrum of low signal-to-noise ratio. In the most previous works, the identification of absorption line systems were mainly completed by two steps: estimating the continuum using the principal component analysis (PCA) and autoidentifying the absorption line systems by computer programs (see, e.g., Lundgren et al. 2009). In this work, we provide our method for identifying the MgII absorption line systems.

Copper electrodeposition and nucleation on a glassy carbon electrode from acid sulfate electrolytes in the presence of 3-mercapto-1-propanesulfonate sodium salt (MPS) and its combinations with chloride ions (Cl) or/and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were investigated by utilizing cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). CV results indicate that MPS and MPS–PEG inhibit whereas MPS–Cl and MPS–PEG–Cl accelerate copper deposition. CA and SEM results suggest that copper nucleation follows an instantaneous nucleation mechanism with three-dimensional growth from all baths at the studied deposition potentials. The copper nucleation rate and nuclei number density are increased greatly in the MPS–Cl and MPS–PEG–Cl baths.

This paper presents the design and fabrication of an improved low-loss 110–130 GHz subharmonically pumped mixer with planar Schottky diodes fabricated by Virginia Diodes Inc. The antiparallel pair of planar GaAs Schottky diodes flip-chipped onto a suspended microstrip is fully integrated with a radio frequency (RF) and an intermediate frequency (IF) filter. A compact microstrip resonant cell (CMRC) filter is for the first time introduced in a submillimeter mixer to replace the traditional low-and-high-impedance microstrip RF filter. The shorter size and wider stop-band of the CMRC filter improved the performance of the subharmonic mixer. The best single-sideband (SSB) conversion loss of 7.7 dB was achieved with 3.5 mW of local oscillator (LO) power at a fixed 59 GHz of LO frequency. Over an RF band of 20 GHz, the SSB conversion loss is below 11 dB.

The Time-Of-Flight Enhanced Diagnostics (TOFED) neutron spectrometer with a double-ring structure has been installed at the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) to perform advanced neutron emission spectroscopy diagnosis for deuterium plasma. In order to reduce the random coincidence from the background neutrons and gamma-rays, TOFED was moved outside the experimental hall and placed in the newly-built nuclear diagnostics laboratory in 2017. In this paper, the instrument-specific weight functions of TOFED are derived by taking the instrument response matrix and the radial line of sight in this new layout into consideration. The results show that the instrument is predominantly sensitive to counter-passing particles in the region where time-of-flights < 69.4 ns, while events at higher time-of-flights (corresponding lower neutron energies) are mostly representative of co-passing ions. The instrument-specific weight functions express the relationship between data in a given channel of the spectrum and the velocity space region that contributes to that. The results can be applied for energetic particle physics studies at EAST, in particular to compare data from different diagnostic techniques.

Neutron emission spectroscopy (NES) measurement aimed at providing the information on fast ions induced by auxiliary heating systems at Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), with a liquid scintillation detector is described. It is the first time that the NES diagnostics are employed to probe fast ions induced by neutral beam injection (NBI) at EAST. The time trace of the fusion neutrons, obtained by the liquid scintillation detector, was consistent with the result measured by a standard 235U fission chamber under NBI heating scenario, which verifies the performance of the detector. NUBEAM code is used to determine the fast deuteron velocity distribution using the parametrized plasma profiles as input. The pulse height spectrum of the fusion neutrons was successfully reproduced by combining the simulation of the neutron energy spectrum and the calculation of the detector response functions. The experimental data are also interpreted from a view of weight functions, which illustrate the velocity-space sensitivity of the liquid scintillation detector with a radial line of sight. The results demonstrate the capability of the liquid scintillation detector to contribute to studies on fast-ion physics at EAST.

Summary Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex genetic disease; the histamine H4 receptor (HRH4) has been shown to be related to different kinds of autoimmune disorders; and copy number variations (CNVs) have been found to be associated with various types of diseases. Objectives To explore a possible association between HRH4 (formerly H4R) CNVs and the risk of SLE. Methods Genomic DNA and RNA from 340 patients with SLE and 392 healthy controls were extracted, and CNVs and mRNA levels of HRH4 were examined. Results The expression of HRH4 mRNA was significantly increased in patients with SLE compared with controls. Amplification of HRH4 copy numbers significantly increased the risk of SLE [P

An experimental study of runaway electrons in the EAST tokamak has been performed by a recently developed multi-channel hard x-ray diagnostics based on NaI(TL) scintillator detectors. It is found that in the current quench phase, the inductive loop voltage plays an important role in the generation of runaway electrons. And the avalanche mechanism was the main mechanism for runaway electrons after the disruptions. The distribution and transportation of runaway electrons were also investigated by multi-channel hard x-ray diagnostics. It is also found that the intensity of runaway electrons emission in the core plasma was much higher than those in the downside of the cross-section, while the emission intensity of runaway electrons in the core plasma was almost the same. Calculated shrinking coefficient of runaway electrons emission after the plasma disruption was about 26 m/s according to the experimental data (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Objective evaluation of the current quality of existing carbonated reinforced concrete members is important as time may degrade their bearing capacity and rigidity. In this paper, a method in which the weight coefficients of every evaluation factor are determined from the coefficients of variation (COVs) or coefficients of dispersion (CODs) of the standard values of every evaluation factor is proposed in order to evaluate the quality of existing carbonated reinforced concrete members. Because it is unnecessary to gather many experts for evaluating every structure, the method should be more practical and applicable in engineering. Finally, an engineering example shows that this method is feasible to solve the problem of quality evaluation of existing carbonated reinforced concrete members.

The first 2+ states in 134Ce and 136Nd and the second 2+ state in 136Nd were populated by Coulomb excitation at relativistic energies, and γ-rays were measured using the RISING setup at GSI. For 134Ce an indication of the excitation to the second 2+ state was observed. This experiment performed for the first time Coulomb excitation to second 2+ states with rare isotope beams at relativistic energies. For 136Nd the B ( E 2 ; 2 1 + → 0 + ) , B ( E 2 ; 2 2 + → 0 + ) , and B ( E 2 ; 2 2 + → 2 1 + ) values relative to the previously known B ( E 2 ; 2 1 + → 0 + ) value for 134Ce are determined as 81(10), 11(3) and 180(92) W.u., respectively. The results are discussed in the framework of geometrical models that indicate pronounced γ-softness in these nuclei.

Four ethylenediamine-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetate complexes with Sb(III)-M-Sb(III) polynuclear structure (M=Co(II), La(III), Nd(III), Dy(III)) are synthesized. [Sb2-μ4-(EDTA)2Co(H2O)2]·5.15H2O is characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal structure of [Sb2-μ4-(EDTA)2Co(H2O)2]·5.15H2O belongs to monoclinic system, space group P21/n, lattice parameters: a=6.9969(2), b=20.8705(4), c=10.8106(2) A, β=90.031(1)°, V=1578.66(6) A3, Z=2, M r=1007.76, D c=2.120 g cm−3, F(000)=1001, μ=2.323 mm−1, the final R=0.0235 and wR=0.0629 for 3480 observed reflections (I>2σ(I)). The powder X-ray diffraction patterns of the complexes are also measured. Elemental analyses, FTIR spectra, TG-DSC and DTA of [Sb2(EDTA)2Ln]NO3·nH2O are performed. FTIR spectra reveal that the antimony and other metallic ions were connected through the carboxylate bridges. The thermal analysis can demonstrate the complex formation of the antimony, other metallic ions and EDTA. The possible pyrolysis reactions in the thermal decomposition process of the complexes, the experimental and calculated percentage mass losses are also given.

The first plasma discharges were successfully achieved on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST) in 2006. The sawteeth behaviours were observed by means of soft x-ray diagnostics and ECE signals in the EAST. The displacement and radius of the q = 1 surface was studied and compared with the result of equilibrium calculation. The density sawtooth oscillation was also observed by the HCN laser interferometer diagnostics. The structure of the EAST operational region was studied in detail. Plasma performance was obviously improved by the boronization and wall conditioning. It was observed that lower qa and a wider stable operating region is extended by the GDC boronization.

International audience; Two odd-odd nuclei from the A ~ 100 and A ~ 130 regions, namely ^102Rh and ^134Pr have been studied in search for chiral doublet bands via ^94Zr(^11B,3n)^102Rh and ^119Sn(^19F,4n)^134Pr reactions, respectively. Two nearly degenerate bands built on the pig_9/2 ⊗ vh_11/2 configuration have been identified in ^102Rh and on the pig_11/2 ⊗ vh_11/2 configuration for ^134Pr. Lifetimes of excited nuclear states were measured using Dopplershift attenuation method and recoil distance Doppler-shift method. The deexciting gamma rays were registered by the Indian National Gamma Array for ^102Rh and using the EUROBALL IV detector array with an inner Bismuth Germanate (BGO) ball for ^134Pr, respectively. Polarization and angular correlation measurements have been performed to establish the spin and parity assignments for these bands. The derived reduced transition probabilities are compared to the predicitons of the two quasiparticles + triaxial rotor and interacting boson fermion-fermion models.

Dengue is a rapidly spreading mosquito-borne disease caused by the dengue virus (DENV) and has emerged as a severe public health problem around the world. Guangdong, one of the southern Chinese provinces, experienced a serious outbreak of dengue in 2014, which was believed to be the worst dengue epidemic in China over the last 20 years. To better understand the epidemic, we collected the epidemiological data of the outbreak and analyzed 14,594 clinically suspected dengue patients from 25 hospitals in Guangdong. Dengue cases were then laboratory-confirmed by the detection of DENV non-structural protein 1 (NS1) antigen and/or DENV RNA. Afterwards, clinical manifestations of dengue patients were analyzed and 93 laboratory-positive serum specimens were chosen for the DENV serotyping and molecular analysis. Our data showed that the 2014 dengue outbreak in Guangdong had spread to 20 cities and more than 45 thousand people suffered from dengue fever. Of 14,594 participants, 11,387 were definitively diagnosed. Most manifested with a typical non-severe clinical course, and 1.96 % developed to severe dengue. The strains isolated successfully from the serum samples were identified as DENV-1. Genetic analyses revealed that the strains were classified into genotypes I and V of DENV-1, and the dengue epidemic of Guangdong in 2014 was caused by indigenous cases and imported cases from the neighboring Southeast Asian countries of Malaysia and Singapore. Overall, our study is informative and significant to the 2014 dengue outbreak in Guangdong and will provide crucial implications for dengue prevention and control in China and elsewhere.

The thiourea complexes of antimony and bismuth triiodide were synthesized by a direct reaction of antimony and bismuth triiodide with thiourea powder at room temperature. The formula of the complex is MI3[SC(NH2)2]3(M=Sb, Bi). The crystal structure of the complexes belongs to monoclinic system and the lattice parameters are a=1.4772 nm, b=1.6582 nm, c=2.0674 nm and β=90.81° for SbI3(SC(NH2)2)3 and a=1.4009 nm, b=2.0170 nm, c=2.0397 nm and β=90.84° for BiI3[SC(NH2)2]3. The infrared spectra reveal that the trivalent antimony or bismuth ion is coordinated by the nitrogen atom, not the sulfur atom of the thiourea. Thermal analysis shows that there are two times structure rearrangements or phase transformation in the complexes from 100 to 170°C.

Cardiolipin (CL) is the signature lipid of the mitochondrial membrane and plays a key role in mitochondrial physiology and cell viability. The importance of CL is underscored by the finding that the severe genetic disorder Barth syndrome results from defective CL composition and acylation. Disruption of PGS1, which encodes the enzyme that catalyses the committed step of CL synthesis, results in loss of the mitochondrial anionic phospholipids phosphatidylglycerol and CL. The pgs1Δ mutant exhibits severe growth defects at 37°C. To understand the essential functions of mitochondrial anionic lipids at elevated temperatures, we isolated suppressors of pgs1Δ that grew at 37°C. The present review summarizes our analysis of suppression of pgs1Δ growth defects by a mutant that has a loss-of-function mutation in KRE5, a gene involved in cell wall biogenesis.

Static and ultrafast infrared spectroscopy have been used to measure absorption spectra and vibrational energy relaxation (VER) times for the antisymmetric stretching vibrational band of azide, N(3)(-), in formamide-containing reverse micelles (RMs). RMs were formed in n-heptane using the surfactant AOT, sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate. The VER times were found to be significantly longer than in bulk formamide. The VER times became longer as the molar ratio of formamide to AOT, omega(F), was decreased. Decreasing omega(F) also resulted in substantial blue shifts of the azide static absorption band compared to the frequency in bulk formamide. The omega(F) dependent studies are consistent with expected size trends, where a larger RM results in more bulklike polar solvent and faster VER rates. These results are in contrast to aqueous AOT RMs where VER times were indistinguishable from those in the bulk and the static spectral shifts were much smaller. The differences between the static and dynamic behavior in aqueous and formamide RMs are related to differences in structural changes upon confinement in RMs.

Twenty chiral isochromene derivatives have been chromatographed on native and derivatized cyclodextrin stationary phases using HPLC. The most effective CSPs for the enantioresolution of these analytes in the reverse phase mode are the hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (Cyclobond RSP), the 2,3-dimethyl-β-cyclodextrin (Cyclobond DM), and the γ-cyclodextrin (Cyclobond II) stationary phases. The α-cyclodextrin (Cyclobond III), β-cyclodextrin (Cyclobond I), acetyl-β-cyclodextrin (Cyclobond AC), S-1-naphthylethyl carbamate-β-cyclodextrin (Cyclobond SN), and 3,5-dimethylphenyl carbamate-β-cyclodextrin (Cyclobond DMP) stationary phases also show enantioselectivities for some analytes. No enantioseparations were observed in the polar organic mode and only a few separations were found in the normal phase mode. The Cyclobond RSP CSP provided the best overall separations of these analytes in the reverse phase mode. The pH of the mobile phase and the nature of organic modifiers have little effect on the enantioresolution. The substituents on the isochromene ring greatly affect the chiral recognition.

Ultrafast infrared spectroscopy has been used to measure vibrational energy relaxation (VER) and reorientation (Tr) times for the high frequency vibrational bands of potassium ferrocyanide and ferricyanide (CN stretches), and sodium nitroprusside (SNP, CN, and NO stretches) in water and several other solvents. Relatively short VER times (4-43 ps) are determined for the hexacyano species and for the NO band of SNP, but the CN band of SNP relaxes much more slowly (55-365 ps). The solvent dependence of the VER times is similar for all the solutes and resembles what has been previously observed for triatomic molecular ions [Li et al., J. Chem. Phys. 98, 5499 (1993)]. Anisotropy decay times are also measured from the polarization dependence of the transient absorptions. The Tr times determined for SNP are different for the different vibrational bands; for the nondegenerate NO mode of nitroprusside (SNP) they are much longer (>15 ps), correlate with solvent viscosity, and are attributed to overall molecular rotation. The short Tr (

We engineered green fluorescent protein (GFP) into affinity fluorescent proteins (aFPs) biosensors. The aFPs detect protein-protein interactions by enhanced fluorescence intensity. In a proof of principle demonstration, aFPs containing haemagglutinin (HA) tag bind specifically to the anti-HA antibody. The sensitivity and specificity is enhanced 28-fold by incorporation of aFPs into solid-phase surface.

Vibrational energy relaxation (VER) and reorientation times have been measured by ultrafast polarization infrared spectroscopy for the antisymmetric stretching ν3 band of free azide ion and NaN3, MgN3+, and CaN3+ ion pairs in dimethyl sulfoxide solutions. The ν3 absorption bands are shifted to higher frequency in the ion pairs relative to the unassociated, dissolved anion, but VER times of the ion pairs are similar, all in the range of 11–18 ps. The reorientation times of the ion pairs are longer (>20 ps) than for free azide (6 ± 2 ps), as expected based on their structures. Ab initio calculations were performed to help interpret the experimental results.

Reorientation and vibrational energy relaxation times have been measured by ultrafast transient polarization IR spectroscopy for the antisymmetric stretching band in the 2000–2200 cm−1 region of pseudohalide ions, N3−, NCO−, and NCS−, confined in nanosize water pools of reverse micelles (RMs). The RMs are composed of nonionic nonylphenyl poly-oxyethylene surfactant in cyclohexane. Vibrational energy relaxation times (T1) of the NCO− and NCS− ions are about three times longer in small RMs compared to bulk water, similar to our earlier results on the N3− ion [J. Chem. Phys. 118, 7074 (2003)]. The longer T1 times are attributed to the reduced interaction between the ions and water molecules due to confinement effects and hydration of the surfactant headgroups by water molecules. Reorientation times (TR) of the N3− and NCS− ions are found to be more than one order of magnitude longer in small RMs than in bulk H2O. The observed longer TR times support the notion that water molecules inside RMs have very restri...

Vibrational energy relaxation (VER) times have been measured by ultrafast infrared spectroscopy near 2000 cm−1 for the antisymmetric stretching ν3 band of azide ion in water pools of nonionic reverse micelles (RM). The water pool radii were varied in the 1–3 nm range by adjusting the water-to-surfactant molar ratio, ω=[H2O]/[surfactant]. Compared to the value measured in this work for bulk water (0.81±0.06 ps), the VER decay times are about three times longer (2.5±0.2 ps) for the smallest RM studied (ω=1) and become shorter with increasing ω and RM size but do not reach the bulk value at the largest ω studied. Solvent shifts of the azide vibrational band in RMs have been previously reported [Langmuir 18, 7401 (2002)], and in a manner similar to the VER rates, tend toward the bulk water value with increasing ω. Studies of the VER dynamics of azide ion in RMs are used to investigate confinement effects on solvation and to explore the effects of continuously modifying the solute–solvent interaction by varyin...

The photodissociation dynamics of the 3s Rydberg state of three ketones (CH3CO–R, R=C2H5, C3H7, and iso-C4H9) and the ensuing dissociation of the nascent acetyl radical following 195 nm excitation were investigated by ultrafast photoionization spectroscopy. The 3s state the lifetimes of these ketones are similar (2.5–2.9 ps), though lifetimes of the acetyl radical range from 8.6 ps for CH3CO–C2H5, 15 ps for CH3CO–C3H7, to 23 ps for CH3CO–(iso-C4H9), which suggests that for larger R more vibrational degrees of freedom compete for the excess energy so that less energy is partitioned into the internal energy of the acetyl radical.

The antisymmetric stretching band of the ν3 vibration of azide ion was studied in nanosize water droplets confined in reverse micelles by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In reverse micelle...