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The purpose of this study is to analyze the risk of cryptocurrencies, as an alternative investment. In particular, we find the wealth distribution of the cryptocurrency, evaluate its corresponding effects on the market and analyze other risk factors resulting in the death of altcoins. The paper concludes that the closer the right tail of wealth distribution approaching the Power-Law model, the more stable the market will be. This result is quite useful for investors to make decisions when investing in cryptocurrencies.

In this study, we firstly studied whether H3K27me3 modification is a mechanism of miR-129-5p downregulation in breast cancer and further investigated the functional role of miR-129-5p in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and in multi-drug resistance (MDR) of the cancer cells.Immunoprecipitation (IP) and Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay were performed to detect the association among SOX4, EZH2 and H3K27me3 and their enrichment in the promoter region of miR-129-2. Western blot and immunofluorescent staining were performed to detect the expression of epithelial and mesenchymal markers. MTT assay was applied to test drug sensitivity.Enforced EZH2 and SOX4 expression resulted in suppressed miR-129-5p level in MCF-7 cells. There was an interaction among SOX4, EZH2 and H3K27me3 modification and they were significantly enriched in the region upstream of transcription start of miR-129-2. MCF-7 cells transfected with miR-129-5p mimics had significantly suppressed SOX4 expression. MCF-7 cells with miR-129-5p overexpression had significantly restored E-cadherin expression and suppressed N-cadherin and Vimentin expression. The drug sensitivity assay showed that miR-129-5p substantially reduced IC50 of ADM, VCR and PTX in MCF-7/ADM cells CONCLUSIONS: There is a reciprocal regulation between miR-129-5p and SOX4 via the SOX4/EZH2 complex mediated H3K27me3 modification in breast cancer cells. MiR-129-5p is an important miRNA modulating EMT and MDR in breast cancer cells.

Out-of-plane angular dependent torque measurements were performed on CaFe0.88Co0.12AsF single crystals. Superconducting fluctuations, featured by magnetic field enhanced and exponential temperature dependent diamagnetism, are observed above the superconducting transition temperature T c, which is similar to that of cuprate superconductors, but less pronounced. In addition, the ratio of T c versus superfluid density follows well the Uemura line of high-T c cuprates, which suggests the exotic nature of the superconductivity in CaFe0.88Co0.12AsF.

To analyze the preventive effect of mecobalamin combined with glutathione on neurotoxicity induced by FOLFOX4 chemotherapy.Ninety-four patients receiving FOLFOX4 chemotherapy between January 2012 and December 2013 were randomized into experimental group and control group. Patients in the experimental group were given mecobalamin tablets and glutathione injection during chemotherapy while the patients in control group received glutathione injection only. The status of neurotoxicity was evaluated by the Levi neurotoxicity criteria 1992.After six cycles of chemotherapy, the incidence of grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ neurotoxicity in the experimental and control groups were 34.7% (17/49) and 55.6%(25/45), respectively (P=0.042), the incidence of grade Ⅲ neurotoxicity in the experimental and control groups were 2.0%(1/49) and 13.3%(6/45), the difference is also statistically significant (P=0.037). After nine cycles of chemotherapy, significantly less grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ neurotoxicity was observed in the experimental group (44.6%) than that in the control group(70.3%, P=0.019). Incidence of grade Ⅲ neurotoxicity in the experimental group was significantly lower(4.26%) than that in the control group(18.9%, P=0.031).Mecobalamin combined with glutathione can significantly reduce the incidence and severity of neurotoxicity induced by FOLFOX4 chemotherapy, therefore, worthy of clinical application.

To establish the method of solvent desorption gas chromatography for determination of bromoform in workplace air.Bromoform in the air was adsorbed by activated carbon tube sampling and solvent desorption using carbon disulfide, then analyed by GC with DB-FFAP capillary column.The linear regression equation is y=1.22x-0.81 (r=0.999 9)between 0.57~300.00 μg/ml of target concentration in the air. The detection limit was 0.17 μg /ml. The relative standard deviations of the batch and inter batch were 1.7%~3.6%, 2.8%~6.3%, respectively. The sampling efficiency was 100%. The overall desorption efficiency was 95.0%. The breakthrough capacity was more than 0.61 mg(100 mg activated carbon).The method is suitable to determine bromoform in the air of workplace.

All Things, Prescriptions of Fifty-two Diseases and Yinshu were three bamboo and silk medical manuscripts which form-time was no later than the late Warring States period. From the visible bamboo and silk, the ancient Chinese knew the relationships between some drugs and the volume of saliva and used compound drugs to treat dental caries. Some oral and maxillofacial diseases, such as inflammation and pain of oromaxillo-facial region, temporomandibular dislocation and the methods of treatment were descriped in these books. Mouth-rinsing and tooth-picking were the more often used methods for maintaining oral hygiene. Kouchi(clicking the tooth)was also used for prevention and/or treatment of caries. Most of these knowledge were the first documents in ancient China.

Autophagy can be used as both a protective mechanism of cell survival and a mechanism of cell death.The dual mechanism has been the emphases and difficulties of our research.The latest research shows that autophagy plays an important role in occurrence,development, transfer and treatment of the cancer.Head and neck cancer is usually derived from the upper respiratory tract's. The upper digestive tract's malignant tumor, because of its complex anatomic structure, low 5 years of survival rate, to study the prevention and treatment has the extremely important significance. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the role of lysosome-autophagy,mitochondria-autophagy in the treatment of head and neck cancers and the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis, which will be contribute to the prevention and treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas for us.Autophagy as a cellular lysosomal degradation pathway that can be used as a kind of dynamic monitoring index of the tumor.

To investigate the influence of repeated roll test in horizontal semicircular canalithasis(HSC-Can) positioned diagnosis, so as to investigate the cecessity of repeated roll test.The patients with a chief complaint of positional vertigo accepted two consecutive cycles roll test, the evoked nystagmus characteristics of each cycle recorded by video-nystagmuograph(VNG), whose direction, intensity, time and other parameters characteristics were analyzed in 51 HSC-Can.Horizontal nystagmus in the same direction with turning were induced in HSC-Can roll test. In 51 HSC-Can, roll test cycle 1 and cycle 2 induced nystagmus same strength side in 26 cases(51.0%), of which 19 cases with stronger nystagmus intensity in cycle 2, another 7 cases were weaker; the opposite strength side of the two loops induced nystagmus, and cycle 1 evoked nystagmus intensity were weaker than cycle 2, based on cycle 2 results determined HSC-Can affected side in 25 cases (49.0%). Lesion and normal side in cycle 1 induced nystagmus duration (x±s, the same below) were (13.4±11.5)s and (14.1±9.9)s, respectively intensity (18.1±22.4)°/s and (13.0±12.0)°/s; as in cycle 2 induced nystagmus duration was (20.7±10.2)s and (18.0±12.0)s, strength respectively(40.4±28.0)°/s and (15.6 ±11.2)°/s. Cycle 2 ipsilateral rotor position evoked nystagmus showed longer duration and stronger intensity than cycle 1. Between two cycle induced ipsilateral nystagmus duration, intensity differences were statistically significant (t values were -4.233 and -5.154, P=0.000). 51 HSC-Can patients, 44 patients selected repositioning maneuver, after 1-2 times of maneuver, 41 cases (93.2%) showed complete resolution of symptoms, all cases's symptoms were improved; other 7 patients selected medication only.The proposed suspicious HSC-Can patients should receive at least two cycles roll test, and mainly in the second cycle could determine the location of the responsible semicircular canals.

To investigate the effect of chitooligosaccharide (COS) on hepatic triglyceride (TG) metabolism and related mechanisms.The LO2 cells treated by 1 mmol/L fatty acid were used as model group, the cells treated by 1 mmol/L fatty acid and 0.5 mg/ml COS were used as COS group, and the untreated cells were used as control group. The TG content in cells was measured. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to measure the mRNA and protein expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and carnitine palmityl transferase 1A (CPT1A) in each group. Male C57BL/6J mice were randomized into control group, high-fat group, and COS group to receive different treatments. Sixteen weeks later, the liver was harvested for HE and oil red O staining to measure the content of TG in the liver. The t-test or one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of data between groups, and the SNK method was used for comparison of data between any two groups.The LO2 cells in the model group had an increased number of lipid droplets and an increased TG content, and after COS treatment, the TG content was low. The COS group had significantly lower relative mRNA expression of SREBP-1c and FAS compared with the model group (1.135 ± 0.177 vs 2.322 ± 0.198,F= 60.457,P0.01; 1.226 ± 0.150 vs 1.801 ± 0.159,F= 24.753,P0.01), while compared with the control group, the COS group had significantly higher mRNA expression of CPT1A (1.254 ± 0.156 vs 1.908 ± 0.087,F= 31.734,P0.01). The COS group had significantly lower protein expression of SREBP-1c and FAS than the model group (0.161 ± 0.081 vs 0.351±0.016,F= 188.920,P0.01; 0.332 ± 0.023 vs 1.238 ± 0.051,F= 624.069,P0.01), and significantly higher protein expression of CPT1A than the model group (1.014 ± 0.033 vs 0.561 ± 0.046,F= 193.793,P0.01). COS reduced the TG content in the liver in rats on high-fat diet.COS can reduce the accumulation of TG in the hepatocyte model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and in the liver in rats on high-fat diet, and the possible mechanism may be related to inhibiting the expression of SREBP-1c and downstream FAS, reducing the synthesis of TG, increasing the expression of CPT1A, and accelerating the breakdown of TG.

To observe the effects of San-huang-sheng-fu oil (S) on peripheral circulatory disorders and foot ulcers in diabetic rats and the relevant mechanisms.(1) Twenty-five Wistar rats were divided into non-diabetes (N), diabetes and sham treatment (DS), metformin (M), S, and combined treatment (CT) groups according to the random number table, with 5 rats in each group. Rats in group N were injected with sodium citrate buffer solution, while rats in the other 4 groups were injected with 10 mg/mL streptozotocin to induce diabetes. In post injection week (PIW) 3, feet of rats in all the 5 groups received an ice-cold stimulation to induce peripheral circulatory disorders. From PIW 9 to 12, rats in groups N and DS were gavaged with saline and applied with sesame oil on pelma of both hind limbs; rats in group M were gavaged with diluted M and applied with sesame oil on pelma of both hind limbs; rats in group S were gavaged with saline and applied with S on pelma of both hind limbs; rats in group CT were gavaged with diluted M and applied with S on pelma of both hind limbs. In PIW 9 before treatment (hereinafter referred to as before treatment) and post treatment week (PTW) 1, 2, and 3, plantar temperature and hot pain threshold of rats were detected by infrared thermometer and foot tester respectively. (2) Another 25 rats were divided and induced with diabetes (expect for group N) as above. In PIW 9, rats in the 5 groups were inflicted with foot ulcer in the left pelma of hind limb by steam and received the corresponding treatment. On post treatment day (PTD) 3, 7, 21, and 35, the general condition and area of wounds were observed and measured respectively. All the rats were sacrificed on PTD 35, and wound tissue was collected for histomorphological observation and determination of expressions of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) using HE staining and immunohistochemical staining respectively. Data were processed with analysis of variance for repeated measurement, one-way analysis of variance, and Bonferroni post hoc test.(1) The experiment of peripheral circulatory disorders in diabetes. Compared with the plantar temperature of rats in group N, except for that in group CT in PTW 2 and groups M, S, and CT in PTW 3 (with t values from 0.258 to 2.647, P values above 0.05), the plantar temperature of rats with diabetes in the 4 groups at each time point was lowered significantly (with t values from 2.811 to 6.066, P values below 0.05). Compared with the plantar temperature of rats in group DS, except for that in group CT in PTW 2 and 3 significantly increased (with t values respectively 3.419 and 2.863, P values below 0.05), the plantar temperature of rats in groups M, S, and CT showed no significant difference at each time point (with t values from 0.128 to 1.654, P values above 0.05). The plantar hot pain threshold of rats was significantly decreased in group N than in the other 4 groups before treatment and group S in PTW 1 (with t values from 2.836 to 4.456, P values below 0.05). The plantar hot pain thresholds of rats in groups M, S, and CT were close to the hot pain threshold in group DS (with t values from 0.312 to 1.611, P values above 0.05). (2) The experiment of diabetic foot ulcers. Edema existed in all the wounds of rats on PTD 3. The wound areas of all the rats continued to increase with swelling and scar formation on PTD 7. On PTD 21, the scar of rats in groups N, S, and CT fell off; the wounds of rats in group DS were still swollen; scar of rats did not fall off with dark red in the skin around the wound in group M. On PTD 35, wounds of rats in groups N, S, and CT were nearly healed; while wounds of rats in groups DS and M were still swollen and the scar around the wound failed to fall off. On PTD 3 and 7, the wound areas of rats with diabetes in the 4 groups were close to those in group N (with t values from 0.111 to 1.476, P values above 0.05). On PTD 21, the wound area of rats in group DS was significantly larger than that in group N (t=5.502, P0.01), while the wound areas of rats with diabetes in the other 3 groups were close to the area in group N (with t values from 0.544 to 1.676, P values above 0.05). On PTD 21, the wound area of rats in group M was close to that in group DS (t=1.895, P0.05), while the wound areas of rats in groups S and CT were significantly smaller than the area in group DS (with t values respectively 5.809 and 3.426, P0.05 or P0.01). On PTD 35, the wound areas of rats in groups DS and M were significantly larger than the area in group N (with t values respectively 8.495 and 4.108, P values below 0.01), while the wound areas of rats in groups S and CT were close to the area in group N (with t values respectively 0.291 and 2.195, P values above 0.05). On PTD 35, the wound area of rats in group M was close to that in group DS (t=0.897, P0.05); while the wound areas of rats in groups S and CT were significantly smaller than the area in group DS (with t values respectively 6.923 and 6.583, P values below 0.01). On PTD 35, the structures of wound tissue were in better integrity with less inflammatory cells and more regularly arranged collagen fibers around the wounds of rats in groups N, S, and CT than in groups DS and M. On PTD 35, the expression levels of COX-2 and VEGF in the wounds of rats in group DS [respectively (222±89)% and (55±12)%] were close to those in group M [respectively (137±24)% and (94±36)%, with t values respectively 3.046 and 2.653, P values above 0.05]. On PTD 35, the expression level of COX-2 in the wounds of rats in group DS was significantly higher than the expression levels of COX-2 in groups N, S, and CT [respectively (100±35)%, (91±42)%, and (109±17)%, with t values from 4.039 to 4.653, P values below 0.01], while the expression level of VEGF in the wounds of rats in group DS was significantly lower than the expression levels of VEGF in groups N, S, and CT [respectively (100±28)%, (143±12)%, and (120±13)%, with t values from 3.363 to 5.905, P0.05 or P0.01].S can improve the plantar temperature decrease and pain dysesthesia of rats caused by diabetic peripheral circulatory disorders. It also can promote wound healing of diabetic foot ulcers in rats with down-regulation of COX-2 and up-regulation of VEGF.

SUMMARY An experiment was conducted to assess the effects of a novel thermostable phytase in male broiler chicks (Ross 308) fed available P (AP)-deficient diets on growth performance and bone mineralization. The treatments consisted of 8 experimental diets: 1 positive control diet containing an adequate level of AP, 1 negative control diet deficient in AP, and 6 diets with the same level of AP as in the negative control but supplemented with different levels of phytase (250, 500, 750, 1,000, 1,250, and 1,500 phytase units/kg of diet). The addition of phytase significantly improved (P 0.05) were found in FCR and bone mineralization among the broilers fed different levels of phytase and those fed the positive control diet. In conclusion, normal growth performance and bone mineralization were maintained in broilers fed AP-deficient diets supplemented with thermostable phytase.

During its converter extraction process, vanadium is oxidised into vanadium slag and forms spinel crystals. The spinel crystallisation process is one of the most decisive factors in the subsequent extraction and hence is worth exploration and discussion. The classical crystallisation kinetic model presented by Turnbull and Uhlmann was employed to analyse the crystallisation processes of vanadium, chromium and titanium spinel crystals in the vanadium slag. The crystallisation abilities of the three kinds of spinels were quantified and found to follow the order FeCr2O4>FeV2O4>Fe2TiO4. Furthermore, the precipitation sequence of spinels in the vanadium slag during cooling was achieved as FeCr2O4→FeV2O4→Fe2TiO4, and a suitable heat treatment condition on the vanadium slag was proposed. Finally, the optimum temperature range that benefits the precipitation of spinels was obtained as 1507–1557 K by both theoretical calculation and experiment.

Summary Novel high-throughput deep sequencing technology has dramatically changed the study of the functional complexity of transcriptomes. Here, we report the first use of this technology for analysing the wide range of transcriptional changes in porcine adipose tissue from different breeds and different growth phases in a model of obesity. Digital gene expression (DGE) data sets were instrumental to verifying the predicted gene models. We obtained a sequencing depth of over 3 million tags per sample (lean, obese-a and obese-b). Tag mapping indicated expression of more than 76% of all genes represented in three transcript databases. We found the expression level of 1596 genes was significantly different between lean and obese-a library (P

This work reports the functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with crystalline poly(4- vinylpyridine) (P4VP) in CO2-expanded liquids (CXLs). The structure and morphology of MWCNT-induced polymer crys- tallization are examined, with the focus on molecular weight of P4VP (MW-P4VP), the pressure of CXLs and the concentration of P4VP. First, it is observed that the crystallization morphologies for the P4VP/MWCNTs composite with a low molecular weight P4VP (LMW-P4VP) matrix could be finely controlled in CXLs, and it is surprising to find that the P4VP8700 wrapping patterns undergo a morphological evolution from dot crystals to dotted helical wrappings, and then to dense helical patterns by facile pressure tuning under lower polymer concentration. In other words, the CXLs method enables superior control of the P4VP crystallization patternings on MWCNTs, particularly efficient for LMW-P4VP at lower polymer concentration. Meanwhile, the CXL-assisted P4VP crystal growth mechanism on MWCNT is investigated, and the dominating growth mechanism is attributed to 'normal epitaxy' at lower P4VP concentration rather than 'soft epi- taxy' at higher concentration. We believe that this work reports a new crystalline polymer wrapping approach in CXLs to noncovalent engineering of MWCNTs surfaces.

The validation research is the basis of application of remote sensing data. This study using soil surface measured data for 10 cm in Northeast China in 1992-2013 to verify the European space agency soil moisture data set (ESA CCI SM). In this study, two methods evaluating CCI data for revealing drought was used: common Pearson coefficient method and drought judgement method for coincidence degree of drought. This verification study is located in the main grain producing areas of Northeast China, which is dominated by rain-fed agriculture. After the result analysis, CCI remote sensing soil moisture is feasible for assessment research on agricultural drought. Through the evaluation of this study, this remote sensing soil water can be used as an effective indicator of agricultural drought in the main grain-producing region of Northeast China.

In this paper, we investigate initial boundary value problems of the spacetime fractional diffusion equation and its numerical solutions. Two definitions, i.e., Riemann-Liouville definition and Caputo one, of the fractional derivative are considered in parallel. In both cases, we establish the well-posedness of the weak solution. Moveover, based on the proposed weak formulation, we construct an efficient spectral method for numerical approximations of the weak solution. The main contribution of this work are threefold: First, a theoretical framework for the variational solutions of the space-time fractional diffusion equation is developed. We find suitable functional spaces and norms in which the space-time fractional diffusion problem can be formulated into an elliptic weak problem, and the existence and uniqueness of the weak solution are then proved by using existing theory for elliptic problems. Secondly, we show that in the case of Riemann-Liouville definition, the well-posedness of the space-time fractional diffusion equation does not require any initial conditions. This contrasts with the case of Caputo definition, in which the initial condition has to be integrated into the weak formulation in order to establish the well-posedness. Finally, thanks to the weak formulation, we are able to construct an efficient numerical method for solving the space-time fractional diffusion problem. AMS subject classifications: 35S10, 35A05, 65M70, 65M12

Aims: To evaluate the protective effect of berberine on β-cell lipoapoptosis induced by palmitate and to explore the possible underlying mechanisms. Materials and methods: HIT-T15 pancreatic β-cells were divided into the following treatment groups: untreated controls; 100 μM berberine; 0.5 mM palmitate; 0.5 mM palmitate + 0.1 μM berberine; 0.5 mM palmitate + 1 μM berberine; 0.5 mM palmitate + 10 μM berberine; and 0.5 mM palmitate + 100 μM berberine. After 48 h, cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry and the Hoechst 33258 fluorescent assay. Basal and glucose-stimulated insulin levels in culture medium were measured by radioimmunoassay. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) mRNA and protein levels were determined by real-time PCR and immunocytochemistry, respectively. Results: Apoptosis was significantly increased upon treatment with palmitate as compared to the untreated controls (p

A series of exohedrally functionalized derivatives of the D 6-symmetrical C24 fullerene, with attached -CH2OH, -CONH2, -COOH, and -COH chemical groups, have been investigated by using density-functional theory approach at the UB3LYP/6-31G(d) level. According to the calculated results, the C24(COOH) is the most stable structure, with −73.58 kcal mol−1 value for the functionalization reaction energy and 3.16 eV for the dissociation energy, while C24(CONH2) displays the largest dipole moment (3.09 D). It was also found that the HOMO-LUMO energy gaps, the vertical ionization potentials (VIP), and vertical electron affinities (VEA) of these functionalized derivatives are similar to those of the more stable C24 fullerene. Moreover, their corresponding HOMO and LUMO orbitals are mainly associated with the surface of the cage. Also, the vibrational frequencies of these derivatives are discussed. It was concluded that it would be possible to produce novel species for bio-medical applications by attaching selected chemical groups.

The reaction of nitric acid with the hydroxyl radical influences the residence time of HONO 2 in the lower atmosphere. Prior studies [Brown SS, Burkholder JB, Talukdar RK, Ravishankara AR (2001) J Phys Chem A 105:1605–1614] have revealed unusual kinetic behavior for this reaction, including a negative temperature dependence, a complex pressure dependence, and an overall reaction rate strongly affected by isotopic substitution. This behavior suggested that the reaction occurs through an intermediate, theoretically predicted to be a hydrogen-bonded OH–HONO 2 complex in a six-membered ring-like configuration. In this study, the intermediate is generated directly by the association of photolytically generated OH radicals with HONO 2 and stabilized in a pulsed supersonic expansion. Infrared action spectroscopy is used to identify the intermediate by the OH radical stretch (ν 1 ) and OH stretch of nitric acid (ν 2 ) in the OH–HONO 2 complex. Two vibrational features are attributed to OH–HONO 2 : a rotationally structured ν 1 band at 3516.8 cm −1 and an extensively broadened ν 2 feature at 3260 cm −1 , both shifted from their respective monomers. These same transitions are identified for OD–DONO 2 . Assignments of the features are based on their vibrational frequencies, analysis of rotational band structure, and comparison with complementary high level ab initio calculations. In addition, the OH ( v = 0) product state distributions resulting from ν 1 and ν 2 excitation are used to determine the binding energy of OH–HONO 2 , D 0 ≤ 5.3 kcal·mol −1 , which is in good accord with ab initio predictions.

Nanostructured polycrystalline titanium dioxides are produced by gas-phase detonation and pyrohydrolysis. Titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) is used as a precursor in the gas phase, and a premixed gas (O2 and H2) is used as a source of energy. The product is a mixture of TiO2 crystals in the rutile phase (80%) and anatase phase (20%).

Nanosized TiO2 powders were prepared for the first time by gaseous detonation method. The structure, composition and size distribution of the detonation product were systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicate the powders are a mixed crystal of rutile and anatase exhibiting non-spherical grains, and the average size of particles was between 20 and 40 nm. The results of detonation pressure measurement show that the reaction took place under a deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) course.

The feasibility of bonding amorphous ribbons via explosive welding (EW) is demonstrated. With 20–120 layers of Fe78B13Si9 and Fe40Ni40P14B6 amorphous ribbons 25 µm thick and 10 cm wide, the plate samples are bonded by using two setups with a collision point velocity of 3900–4800 m/sec and a flyer plate velocity of 570–900 m/sec. The largest area of the bonded sample is 30 cm2. The microstructures of the samples are observed by optical microscopy and X-ray diffractometry. Based on the formation characteristics of amorphous alloys and heat-exchange characteristics during the EW process, a square-wave model for the temperature distribution across the interface is proposed. It can be used to explain the reasons for the samples keeping the amorphous state across the interface after explosive welding. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experiments.

To reduce the cost and cycle time in fabrication of the conventional stamping die, a new forming technology, so-called multi-point matched-die forming (MPMDF), has been developed based on the discretization of the die. In MPMDF, the fixed shape matched-dies of conventional stamping are replaced by a pair of opposed matrices of movable punch elements. Using multi-point matched-dies generated by punch matrices, a variety of three-dimensional sheet parts of different shapes can be produced. Taking advantage of the flexibility of the multi-point die, new sheet forming techniques have been developed, which realize the formation of parts of large size and with large deformation. In this paper, the principle of MPMDF and the new forming techniques are described, new MPMDF equipment is introduced, and typical application examples are presented.

The operating conditions of cast steel staves at Masteel blast furnace have been simulated to generate the temperature distribution under different operating conditions. The influence of the temperature and velocity of cooling water as well as the gas temperature of blast furnace on the temperature distribution of the cast steel stave was obtained. The main cause of stave damage is discussed. The result shows that cast steel staves possess better heat transfer ability and a lower temperature distribution field than nodular cast iron staves, but their performance is much less satisfactory than that of copper staves.

The morphology development of an immiscible polymer blend along a single screw extruder was investigated, concentrating on the effect of screw geometry. Three different screw geometries were evaluated: one with conventional screw elements; the other two with a fluted and Pineapple mixing element, respectively. The experiments were conducted using a polypropylene/polyamide-6 (PP/PA 6) blend. The blend samples were collected from four different positions using specially designed sampling device along the extruder online during blending and were then examined using scanning electron microscopy. The experimentally observed morphology evolution was evaluated both qualitatively, in terms of spatial distribution of dispersed phase, as well as quantitatively, by analysis for the size of the dispersed phase. The morphology development was interpreted with the aid of the flow fields occurring along screw elements. The results showed that the screw with conventional screw elements produce the coarsest and most non-uniform morphology whereas the screw with a fluted mixing element appears to produce the finest and most uniform morphology at the end of the extruder. The Pineapple mixing element, with a characteristic of chaotic mixing, facilitates to form thinner laminar layers of dispersed phase. The experimentally observed morphology difference between the conventional and fluted mixing element was demonstrated by the simulation.

To investigate the clinical effects of argon plasma coagulation combined high frequency electric knife in treating patients with colorectal polyp canceration.56 patients diagnosed with colorectal polyp canceration were divided into control group (n=23) and observation group (n=33). Patients in the control group were treated with high frequency electric band ligation electroexcision while patients in observation group were treated with argon coagulation combined high frequency electric knife therapy. The patients were followed up for 6 months and, then, compared for their clinical effects and prognosis.The average diameter of the polyp, the ratios of sessile and flat polyps in observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group with p0.05. While the differences in the ratio of adenomatous polyp, middle and high differentiated as well as leafless polyps between the two groups had no statistical significance with p0.05. Further, the differences in operation completion rate and polyp resection rate at one time in observation group was significantly higher than those of control group while operative complication rate and operation time was significantly lower than those in the control group with p0.05. Also, the differences in recurrence in situ and recurrence time did not differ significantly between the two groups.Treating colorectal polyps by argon plasma coagulation combined high frequency electric knife could extend polyp resection indication, along with improvement in the operation effect and reduction of complications.

To explore the clinical effect of emergency laparoscopic repair of perforation and conventional open surgery in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) complicated with peptic ulcer perforation.A total of 34 patients diagnosed as severe acute pancreatitis complicated by peptic ulcer perforation were selected as experimental group and a total of 38 patients diagnosed as severe acute pancreatitis complicated by peptic ulcer perforation were selected as control group. The experimental group was treated with emergency laparoscopic perforation repair and the control group was treated with conventional open operation, comparing the difference between the results and the prognosis of the patients.The success rate of the experimental group and the control group are compared was not statistically significant (p0.05). While the operation time, postoperative intestinal function recovery time, the time of drainage tube pulled out and the occurrence of complications in experimental group was significantly lower than those in control group. The survival rate of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group, the recurrence rate was significantly lower than that of the control group (p0.05). The high sensitive C reactive protein (hs CRP) and tumor necrosis factor TNF-α levels of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group (p0.05).Emergency laparoscopic repair of peptic ulcer perforation in the treatment of SAP complicated with perforation is safe and effective, which can reduce the systemic inflammatory response and better than conventional open surgery.

Batch tests were conducted to know the effectiveness of using surfactants only and surfactants with a complexing agent to remove Cu (II) and Zn (II) from an artificially contaminated sandy soil. SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate), AOT (alpha-olefin sulfonate) and Tx-100 (Triton X-100) were the surfactants selected as the washing liquids. Complexing agent EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) was also selected for washing the soil. To avoid external factors from interfering with the cleaning process, artificial soil formed by a mixture of clean sand and bentonite was used to form contaminated soil samples. The amount of organic matter present was insignificant. Compared to extraction by distilled water, tests indicated that a six-fold increase in copper extraction occurred due to the presence of surfactants and/or the complexing agent EDTA. Compared to extraction by distilled water, zinc extraction by surfactants and or the complexing agent EDTA was nearly 1.2 to 1.3 times more. Effects of competition as well as interference associated with the adsorption and desorption of these metals are also very briefly reported.

A total of 196 day-old male broiler chicks were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 treatments in a study conducted to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of chito-oligosaccharide (COS) on growth, nutrient digestibility, and serum composition. The experimental diets consisted of an unsupplemented control diet based on corn, soybean meal, and fish meal or similar diets supplemented with either chlortetracycline, 50 mg/kg of COS, or 100 mg/kg of COS. Each treatment was fed to 7 replicate pens of birds, with 7 birds per pen. Broiler performance, nutrient digestibility, cecal microbial concentrations, and serum indices were measured at the end of the starter (d 21) and grower phases (d 42). During the starter period and overall, broilers fed 50 or 100 mg/kg of COS had better (P

Micro-arc oxidation technique (MAO) treatment produces a layer of alumina film on the surface of the aluminum alloy. A hard and uniform tetrahedral amorphous carbon film (diamond-like carbon, DLC) was deposited on the top of the alumina layer of the 2024 aluminum alloy by a pulsed filtered catholic vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition system with a metal vapor vacuum arc (MEVVA) source. The morphology and tribological properties of the duplex DLC/Al2O3 coating were investigated by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a ball-on-disk sliding tester. These results suggested that the duplex DLC/Al2O3 coating had good adhesion and a low friction coefficient, which improved significantly the wear resistance of aluminum alloys.

Current methods of rapid detection of influenza are based on detection of the nucleic acids or antigens of influenza viruses. Since influenza viruses constantly mutate leading to appearance of new strains or variants of viruses, these detection methods are susceptible to genetic changes in influenza viruses. Type A and B influenza viruses contain neuraminidase, an essential enzyme for virus replication which enables progeny influenza viruses leave the host cells to infect new cells. Here we describe an assay method, the homogeneous biochemiluminescent assay (HBA), for rapid detection of influenza by detecting viral neuraminidase activity. The assay mimics the light production process of a firefly: a viral neuraminidase specific substrate containing a luciferin moiety is cleaved in the presence of influenza virus to release luciferin, which becomes a substrate to firefly luciferase in a light production system. All reagents can be formulated in a single reaction mix so that the assay involves only one manual step, i.e., sample addition. Presence of Type A or B influenza virus in the sample leads to production of strong, stable and easily detectable light signal, which lasts for hours. Thus, this influenza virus assay is suitable for use in point-of-care settings.

Ahi-1 (Abelson helper integration site 1) is a novel gene frequently activated by provirus insertional mutagenesis in murine leukemias and lymphomas. Its involvement in human leukemogenesis is demonstrated by gross perturbations in its expression in human leukemia cells, particularly in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma cell lines where increases in AHI-1 transcripts of 40-fold are seen. To test directly whether deregulated expression of AHI-1 contributes to their transformed properties, knockdown of AHI-1 expression in Hut78 cells, a cell line derived from a patient with Sezary syndrome (SS), was performed using retroviral-mediated RNA interference. Retroviral-mediated suppression specifically inhibited expression of AHI-1 and its isoforms in transduced cells by 80% and also reduced autocrine production of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) by up to 85%. It further significantly reduced their growth factor independence in vitro and the ability to produce tumors in immunodeficient mice. Interestingly, aberrant expression of AHI-1, particularly truncated isoforms, was present in CD4+CD7- Sezary cells from some patients with SS. Elevated expression of IL-2 and TNFalpha was also found in these cells. These findings provide strong evidence of the oncogenic activity of AHI-1 in human leukemogenesis and demonstrate that its deregulation may contribute to the development of SS.

In order to elucidate the mechanism(s) behind the interactions between barbiturates and Ca(2+) antagonists, the effects of three structurally diverse types of Ca(2+) antagonists combined or not with 5-HT on pentobarbital-induced hypnosis in mice were investigated. The results showed that dihydropyridine derivative nifedipine (10.0 and 20.0 mg/kg, p.o.) and other types of Ca(2+) antagonist, verapamil (5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg, p.o.) and diltiazem (2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg, p.o.) increased both the sleeping time in hypnotic dosage of pentobarbital (45 mg/kg, i.p.) treated mice and the rate of sleep onset in the sub-hypnotic dosage of pentobarbital (28 mg/kg, i.p.) treated mice in a dose-dependent manner, respectively, and these effects were significantly augmented by 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), the immediate precursor of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). Pretreatment with p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA, 300 mg/kg, s.c.), an inhibitor of tryptophan hydroxylase, significantly decreased pentobarbital-induced sleeping time and nifedipine (10.0 mg/kg, p.o.), verapamil (5.0 mg/kg, p.o.) and diltiazem (2.5 mg/kg, p.o.) abolished this effect. From these results, it should be presumed that the augmentative effect of L-type Ca(2+) channel blockers on pentobarbital-induced sleep may be influenced by serotonergic system.

A new series of 3:29 compounds in the Fe–Nd–Ti–Zr quaternary system were synthesized successfully. The formation and structural properties were studied by means of powder x-ray and powder neutron diffraction. The results reveal that only a small amount of Zr content can exist in the 3:29-type compounds in the Fe–Nd–Ti–Zr quaternary system. Higher Zr content induces the formation of rhombohedral Th2Zn17-type phase. In the structures of 3:29-type compounds, the Zr content partially substitutes for Nd and enters the 2a and 4i crystallographic sites exclusively. Upon Zr substitution, the lattice parameters a, b, c and the unit cell volumes V of (Nd,Zr)3(Fe,Ti)29 compounds decrease monotonically and their intrinsic magnetic properties, including the Curie temperature and saturation magnetization, lessen as well.

The effects of the combined substitution of Y and Ga on the crystallographic structure of Nd 2− x Y x Fe 17− y Ga y compounds with x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and y = 0, 1, 2, 3 have been investigated using X-ray and neutron powder diffractions. Rietveld refinements of the diffraction data indicate that all the samples crystallize in the rhombohedral Th 2 Zn 17 -type structure with only small amounts of alpha iron. It is found that the addition of Ga atoms lessens the decreasing rates of the a -axis and unit cell volume V on the Y content but almost does not affect the decreasing rates of the c -axis. However, the substitution of Y has a positive effect on the increasing rates of the a -axis and unit cell volume V on the Ga content but has a very slight effect on the increasing rate of the c -axis. The c / a ratio of Nd 2− x Y x Fe 17− y Ga y as a function of Ga content exhibits a different increase for different Y content owe to the combined effects of Y and Ga on the crystallographic structure. The substitution of Y is found to have little effect on the site occupancy of Ga in Nd 2− x Y x Fe 17− y Ga y . The combined effects of Y and Ga on the bond lengths and ASBL of Nd 2− x Y x Fe 17− y Ga y indicate that more bonds detrimental to ferromagnetic exchange can be modulated into the desirable ferromagnetic exchange distance range through suitable combined substitution, which provides a valuable way to improve the magnetic properties of rare earth-transition intermetallic compounds.

GaN-based magnetic semiconductors are expected to exhibit ferromagnetism even at high temperatures. We have studied the magnetic and optical properties of transition-metal- and rare-earth-doped GaN. GaCrN showed ferromagnetic characteristics at 7–400 K. Clear hysteresis and clear saturation were observed in the magnetization versus magnetic field (M–H) curves at all measuring temperatures. We observed photoluminescence (PL) emission from GaCrN layers. GaGdN also showed ferromagnetic characteristics at 7–400 K. Sharp PL emission was observed for GaGdN. X-ray diffraction and EXAFS measurements showed no phase separation, and that the Cr and Gd atoms substitute Ga sites. Applications to novel devices controlling charges (electrons and holes), spins and photons are expected.

A ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic semiconductor DyN/GaN superlattice sample showed a large coercivity Hc of about 1800 Oe at 7 K, which originates from DyN layers. Ferromagnetic order was also observed at 300 K, which may come from GaDyN alloy layers formed at GaN/DyN interfaces. For this superlattice sample, spin tunnel resistance characteristics were observed at low temperatures. GaCrN/GaN/GaCrN trilayer structures were grown by radio frequency molecular beam epitaxy. Clear hysteresis and clear saturation characteristics were observed in the magnetization versus magnetic field curves at all measuring temperatures. A hysteresis loop was observed in the magnetic field dependence of vertical electrical resistance.

In this paper, the band-gap characteristics of 3-D EBG structure composed of stratified orthogonal or non-orthogonal dielectric gratings are analyzed. Though the complete band-gap for electromagnetic waves with arbitrary polarization and arbitrary propagation direction does not exist, a common polarization-independent broad band-gap for the normal incidence is found. These structures can be used as the substrate of printed or low-profile antenna. The related curves of stop band-width vs. geometric and constitutive parameters, and also 3 dB stop bandwidth vs. the finite number of layer are provided as valuable reference data for the engineering design. It is found that the performance of the non-orthogonal gratings is better than the orthogonal one.