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The purpose of this thesis is to develop a dynamic model of biped locomotion and implement a suitable controller for it . The locomotion aimed to be realized in this thesis is walking on a flat horizontal sueface in the sagittal plane. a planar five-link biped robot , which consists of a torso, two thighs and two shanks, with five degree of freedom is modeled. A gait cycle of the walking motion includes the single support phase(SSP), the impact phase and the support end exchange phase. The dynamic equation at SSP is derived by using the Lagrangian formulation and the impact equation is derivd by using the momention change caused by the nonconservative force during impact and the constraint imposed in the impact leg.

Elevated compression tests were conducted on 2205 duplex stainless steel using a Gleeble 3800 thermal simulator under constant strain rates ranging from 0.1 s−1 to 50 s−1 and at deformation temperatures ranging from 900°C to 1200°C for the sample. All tests were performed at a total true strain of 0.9. The elevated temperature deformation behavior of the 2205 duplex stainless steel was characterized based on an analysis of the stress–strain curves. A set of constitutive equations for 2205 duplex stainless steel was proposed by employing hyperbolic sine function. The equations revealed the dependence of flow stress on strain, strain rate and temperature. In order to evaluate the accuracy of the constitutive equations, the mean errors of flow stress between the experimental data and predicted results were calculated. The results showed that there was a good agreement between the prediction and experimental values.

This study was designed to investigate the expression patterns of CEACAM1 and its relationship with angiogenesis in nonneoplastic and neoplastic gastric lesions.CEACAM1 and TGF-β expression was detected by immunohistochemical staining and dual-labeling immunohistochemical staining in neoplastic and nonneoplastic lesions. MVD-CD31 and MVD-CD105 were counted in CEACAM1-positive areas by dual-labeling immunohistochemistry.There was no expression of CEACAM1 in normal gastric mucosa. In IM and GIN, CEACAM1 was mainly expressed with membranous pattern. CEACAM1 was expressed with membranous pattern in well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, with cytoplasmic pattern in poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, and with cytoplasmic and membranous pattern mixed together in intermediately adenocarcinoma. The expression patterns of CEACAM1 showed a significant difference (P0.05) in nonneoplastic and neoplastic lesions. Coexpression of CEACAM1 and TGF-β was elevated and significantly different from nonneoplastic to neoplastic lesions (P0.05). Moreover, CEACAM1 and TGF-β coexpression were related to carcinoma progression (r = 0.35; P0.05). MVD-CD31 and MVD-CD105 showed significant differences from nonneoplastic to neoplastic lesions (P0.05).CEACAM1 has different expression patterns in nonneoplastic and neoplastic lesions. The coexpression of CEACAM1 and TGF-β increased from nonneoplastic to neoplastic lesions and may be related with tumor progression via promoting tumorous angiogenesis.

We report a facile and novel route toin-situgrowth of conducting polypyrrole (PPy)/Fe3O4nanocomposites via a counter-ion induced method, in which the cationic surfactant CTAB was used as a soft template, ammonium persulfate (APS) or FeCl3was used as an oxidant, and organic acids were used as a configuration “directing” agent. The as-synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by TEM, XRD and the measurements of their electromagnetic properties. Experimental results show that both the kind of oxidant and the size of counter-ions in the polymerization system play the key roles in the fabrication of the morphologies of the final PPy/Fe3O4nanocomposites. A uniform core-shell spherical nanostructure was formed when FeCl3was used as the oxidant, whereas the string-bead nanostructure could be obtained when APS was used instead. The size of the counter-ions during the connection of micellar molecules could directly induce the formation of the PPy/Fe3O4composites with various morphologies from spherical nanoparticles, nanofibers or string-bead nano-network to microtube structures. Meanwhile the loading amount of Fe3O4ferrofluid would not only determine the diameter size of the string-bead nanostructures, but also the electromagnetic properties such as the microwave absorbing capacity of the resulting nanocomposites.

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of Nrf2 and IGF-1 in benign, premalignant, and malignant gastric lesions, and to explore the role of Nrf2 and IGF-1 in gastric carcinoma carcinogenesis. Nrf2 and IGF-1 expression was detected in normal gastric mucosa, hyperplastic polyp, intraepithelial neoplasia, and adenocarcinoma by immunohistochemistry. There was no expression of Nrf2 and IGF-1 in normal gastric mucous membrane. With the elevation of Nrf2, IGF-1 expression, their co-expressions were highly elevated from benign proliferative lesions to malignant lesions. There were significant differences between hyperplastic polyps, intraepithelial neoplasias, and adenocarcinoma (hyperplastic polys vs. intraepithelial neoplasia: P = 0.012; hyperplastic polyps vs. adenocarcinoma: P = 0.023; and intraepithelial neoplasia vs. adenocarcinoma: P = 0.027; hyperplastic polyps vs. adenocarcinoma: P = 0.0000, respectively). Nrf2 expression and IGF-1 expression were correlated positively (r = 0.337, P = 0.037). The increased expression of Nrf2 and IGF-1 may be related to gastric carcinogenesis. Elevated Nrf2 and IGF-1 may play important roles in promoting tumor progression.

A viscometer based on velocity attenuation of rotating cylinder is presented in the paper. A solid rotor motor drives the cylinder immersed in liquid in a cup to a scheduled velocity. The electricity supply of the motor is cut, the velocity of the cylinder with rotor of the motor attenuates with time because of viscous torque and other resistance torque. The velocity is measured by optical encoder. Viscosity of the fluid was calculated by a computer. Experiments are carried out and results show that deviation of viscosity beyond 1000 mPa•s are below 3%. The viscometer can be used in measurement of viscosity beyond 1000 mPa•s in industry.

Numerical simulation is an effective method for predicting formability of metals, and the use of computer simulation enables a significant increase in the number of tool designs that can be tested before hard tools are manufactured. Based on dynamic explicit finite element software, finite element simulation of sheet metal forming was performed to investigate the applicability of applying hydrostatic pressure on blank in multi point discrete dies. Simulation results show that using the hydrostatic pressure on blank is apposite for the process of multi point discrete dies.

A composite layer was prepared on the surface of Ti-6Al-4V alloy by nitriding-sulfurizing composite treatment, and its microstructure and phase structure were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The tribological performance was measured to investigate its dependence on the nitriding-sulfurizing composite treatment process. The results indicated that the composite layer was mainly comprised of Ti2N, TiN, and TiS2. It was found that the composite layer exhibited superior tribological properties under dry friction and absolute sliding conditions due to the formation of sulfides with self-lubricating function.

Grain-size and geochemical characteristics of 18 Quaternary Red Clay (QRC) profiles mainly located in the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River in subtropical China were studied. The results showed that all the QRC profiles can be classified into three types: Type A, mainly distributed between 29°N and 31°N, share the similar characteristics with the Xiashu Loess, with the uniformity of grain-size and elemental compositions and the enrichment of the basic dust fraction (10 μm–63 μm), which may originate from aeolian dust deposits and is hence called a loess-like QRC. Type B, mainly distributed between 25°N and 28°N, shows alluvial features, with many coarse grains and large-scale vertical variation of grain-size and chemical compositions. Type AB, distributed between Type A and Type B, approximately 28°N–29°N, shows double-unit structure: The upper part is similar to Type A; the lower, however, shows alluvial features like Type B. The loess-like QRC is mainly distributed along the Yangtze River, but gradually declines southwards and is rarely seen south of 28°N. The existence of the loess-like QRC is strong evidence for the occurrence of heavy dustfalls in the modern red-soil areas in subtropical China during the Quaternary glacial periods. The region distributed with the loess-like QRC is at least 3° latitude south of the Xiashu Loess, implying that the loess/red clay boundary in the Yangtze Valley had once oscillated with the alternations between glacial and interglacial climates during the Quaternary period. The loess-like QRC actually includes both glacial and interglacial paleoclimatic information. We suggest that the Yellow-brown Earth (YBE) in the upper QRC was formed during the last glacial period; the underlying red clay, with the aeolian dust characteristics but being strongly weathered, was initially deposited during the second last glacial or earlier glacial stages but heavily weathered and rubefied in the subsequent interglacial events. No multi-cyclical paleoclimatic records were found in the QRC profiles due to the overlapped information. But the weathering degree of the profiles clearly show a trend of decreasing upwards, which suggests that the climate in the Yangtze Valley has become colder and drier since the late Quaternary period.

Successive point prevalence surveys were conducted in November 2007 and 2008 to monitor the prevalence of healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) in 13 grade III, 1st class hospitals in Hubei Province of China, using the case definition criteria established by the Ministry of Health in the People's Republic of China. In total, of 20 350 patients surveyed, 833 (4.09%) HCAIs were observed in 790 (3.88%) patients. There was no significant difference between the overall prevalence of HCAI in 2007 (4.14%) and 2008 (3.72%). Respiratory tract infection was the most common HCAI (63.15%), followed by surgical site infection (9.60%) and urinary tract infection (8.64%). Only 35.29% (294/833) of HCAI patients had positive microbiology results. Gram-negative bacteria were isolated most frequently and the most frequent organism was Pseudomonas aeruginosa, followed by Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii and Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiotic use was documented for 10,344 (50.83%) patients, and cephalosporins, penicillins, and quinolones were the most commonly used agents for treatment or prophylaxis.

Removed due to plagiarism. The original was published as: H. Shinno, H. Yoshioka, K. Taniguchi, A Newly Developed Linear Motor-Driven Aerostatic X-Y Planar Motion Table System for Nano-Machining, CIRP Annals - Manufacturing Technology, V.56, 1, 2007, Pages 369–372 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000785060700090X doi:10.1016/j.cirp.2007.05.086

The aim of this paper is to construct an image recongnition system based on Gabor wavelets for infrared image. An enhanced representation of the Gabor wavelets is proposed, in which the properties of Gaussian mask in Gabor wavelets is developed to enhance the envelope function, and simultaneously the parameters of the filter based on Gabor wavelets is designed depengding on the frequency response of the training images. Some experiments including infrared image recognitions are given. The good performances are verified through using the proposed scheme in this paper.

In order to improve quality and efficiency of the overall five-axis milling for arbitrary surface impellers. In rough milling, the arbitrary surface was replaced by fitted ruled surface, the flank milling was a good method to replace the point milling. In semi-finish milling, the primal surface was replaced by piecewise ruled surfaces, using step flank milling to gain the satisfaction in model’s nicety and machining efficiency. Then , algorithm of the paper is proved to be viable by Model building, NC programming and machining.

In the version of this Letter originally published, the authors reported on the use of 2,5-dimethylpyrrolyl benzoic acid to block Ephrin receptors. In 2011, it was reported that newly synthesized 2,5-dimethylpyrrolyl benzoic acid lacked the previously reported EphA2 antagonizing activity1. However, the purchased compound did in fact have the activity initially reported, suggesting that an uncharacterized alteration occurred during storage. The authors therefore wish to clarify that the compound used in their study should be more accurately referred to as a 2,5-dimethylpyrrolyl benzoic acid derivative. All references to 2,5-dimethylpyrrolyl benzoic acid in the Letter have now been changed to reflect this. Although 2,5-dimethylpyrrolyl benzoic acid derivatives have been reported to have off-target effects2, as do most small-molecule inhibitors, the multiple complementary methods and techniques used demonstrate that EphA2 is a key Epstein–Barr virus epithelial cell receptor. The conclusions of the study are therefore unchanged.

Three composite coatings were prepared by nitriding-sulfurizing processing of Ti-6Al-4V alloy at different sulfurizing temperatures. The microstructure and phase structure of the coatings were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Furthermore, the hardness of the coatings was measured. The effect of the sulfurizing temperature on microstructure of coatings was investigated. The results indicated that the composite coating was mainly comprised of titanium nitrides, titanium sulfides, and titanium. It was found that the phase composition of composite coating changed with the variation of the sulfurizing temperature.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) and its effects on promoting angiogenesis in gastric adenocarcinomas. Paraffin wax sections of 222 patients with gastric adenocarcinomas having undergone surgery between 2001 and 2006 were classified into three histotypes: intestinal, diffuse, and mixed carcinomas following the Laurén classification. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to study the distribution of CEACAM1, and double-labeling immunohistochemistry was used to observe the relationship between CEACAM1 expression and neovascularization in carcinoma areas. No CEACAM1 expression was found in normal non-metaplastic mucosa adjacent to the tumors; but in metaplastic mucosa, CEACAM1 was expressed on the apical surface. However, all of the collected gastric carcinomas expressed CEACAM1 with cytoplasmic or membranous staining. CEACAM1 was expressed mainly with a membranous pattern in the intestinal carcinomas, and with a cytoplasmic pattern in the diffuse carcinomas. There was a significant difference between the expression patterns and the histotypes (P0.0001). CEACAM1 expression was classified as high (or =66% positive cells) and low (66% positive cells), and high CEACAM1 expression was associated with lymph nodes metastasis (P0.05). High microvessel density (MVD) was observed more frequently in the tumors with membranous expression, and low MVD in the tumors with cytoplasmic staining (P0.0001). The transformation of CEACAM1 distribution from membrane to cytoplasm is an important incident for the reverse effects on the tumorous angiogenesis, and high expression of CEACAM1 facilitates the metastasis of carcinoma cells to lymph nodes. Moreover, the different distribution of CEACAM1 in the intestinal and diffuse carcinomas indicates a different tumorigenic pathway.

Objective To investigate the impact of extended culture of early stage embryos on pregnancy outcome of frozen embryo transfer (FET). Methods The survival rates of embryos after thawing and pregnancy outcome following FET were compared retrospectively between zygote and cleavage embryos which cultured to cleavage stage or extended cultured to blastocysts. Results A total of 425 zygote embryos in 67 cycles were thawed. After thawing, the survival rate was 94.4% and with an average transfer of 2.8 embryos, the clinical pregnancy rate was 55.2% (37/67). In 222 FET cycles, totally 1 270 cleavage stage embryos were thawed and the overall survival rates were 80.3%. With an average transfer of 2.7 embryos, the clinical pregnancy rate was 55.4% (123/222). A significantly lower percentage of degenerated embryos were found for zygotes (5.6%) than that for cleavage stage embryos (19.7%) (P 0.05). Conclusion Although the clinical pregnancy rate was not different between patients with freeze-thaw zygote and cleavage stage embryo transfer, higher survival rate for zygote was shown compared with that for cleavage stage embryo. However, the present studies did not demonstrate that extended culture thawing embryos to blastocyst could achieve favor clinical outcome.

A method of processing the data obtained with the CHAMP satelliteborne accelerometer is introduced. Through an analysis of the data the fault in the x -axis of the instrument is verified. We examined the accuracy of the atmospheric models in solar maximum years with the accelerometer data obtained from 2001 to 2002 and the inversion of the atmospheric density from the tangential non-gravitational acceleration. Then from a statistical analysis of the errors of the models, DTM94 and MSIS90, we obtained the following quantitative conclusions. During the solar maximum years the error of DTM94 is 30% to 35%, and that of MSIS90 is smaller at 25% to 30%. The greatest difference between the two models is about 10%.

The effect of target-directed regulation of the uncoupling protein-2 (UCP-2) gene expression on the ischemia-reperfusion injury of hepatocytes under different conditions was investigated. The expression plasmid and RNAi plasmid targeting UCP-2 gene were constructed and transfected into normal hepatocytes and fatty liver cells, respectively. The expression of UCP-2 mRNA was detected by real time PCR. The cells were divided into normal cell group (NCG), group of normal cells transfected with empty vector (EVNCG), group of normal cells transfected with expression plasmid (EPNCG), fatty liver cell group (FCG) and group of fatty liver cells transfected with RNAi plasmid (RPFCG). The ischemia-reperfusion model in vitro was established. One, 6, 12 and 24 h after reperfusion, Annexin V/PI flow cytometry was used to measure cell necrosis rate, apoptosis rate and survival rate. Simultaneously, the intracellular ATP, ROS and MDA levels were determined. The results showed that 1, 6, 12 and 24 h after ischemia-reperfusion, the intracellular ROS, MDA and ATP levels and cell survival rate in EPNCG were significantly lower, and cell necrosis rate significantly higher than in NCG and EVNCG, but there was no significant difference in apoptosis rate among NCG, EVNCG and EPNCG (P>005). Six, 12 and 24 h after reperfusion there was no significant difference in ROS, MDA levels and apoptosis rate between FCG and RPFCG (P>0.05), but the ATP level and survival rate of cells in RPFCG were higher than in FCG (P

In order to investigate the paleoclimatic changes in S China during the late Quaternary and their influence on pedogenesis and soil classification, a yellow-brown earth (YBE)-red clay (RC) profile in Langxi County, Anhui Province was studied. The grain-size distribution and the major- and trace-element compositions of the profile indicate that the YBE of the profile shares the same origin with the YBE in Jiujiang and Xuancheng and the Xiashu loess in Zhenjiang, and the underlying RC also has aeolian characteristics and shares the same origin with the Xiashu loess. Grain-size characteristics, molecular ratios of SiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 /(Al 2 O 3 +Fe 2 O 3 ), and BA ([CaO+MgO+K 2 O+Na 2 O]/Al 2 O 3 ) and other weathering indices (CaO/TiO 2 , MgO/TiO 2 , K 2 O/TiO 2 , Na 2 O/TiO 2 , and Rb/Sr) of the profile indicate that the RC is more strongly weathered than the YBE. Magnetic susceptibility (Χ lf ) of the uniform red clay (URC) of the profile is significantly enhanced. However, that of the underlying reticulate red clay (RRC) is significantly decreased because of the paleogroundwater movement and cannot indicate its strong weathering properties. The YBE-RC profile in Langxi County recorded a great climatic change during late Quaternary: At that time, the pedogenic development of the RC was terminated and widespread dust deposition occurred. The parent material of the RC may be aeolian deposits which were accumulated before the last interglacial and were strongly weathered and rubified under the subsequent interglacial climate. It is observed that red soils, derived from the RC, and yellow-brown soils, derived from the YBE, coexist in the study area, which is contradictive to the theory of the zonal distribution of soils. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the history of Quaternary climatic changes when studying pedogenesis.

Objective To investigate whether CD146, a cell adhesion molecule, is expressed in mouse and human preimplantation blastocysts and to localize CD146 in the layer of trophectoderm(TE) and/or inner cell mass(ICM). Methods Human and mouse embryos were collected. Using reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR), the expression of CD146 mRNA in blastocyst was evaluated in human and mouse embryos. Single embryo immunohistochemical staining was applicated in the examination of the expression of CD146 in protein level. The statistical significance of the data was analyzed using t-test. Results CD146 transcript was detected in all human and mouse preimplantation morula and blastocyst. The expression of CD146 was found to localize in human and mouse compacted morula stage embryos and the TE and ICM of the expanded blastocysts. Conclusion mRNA and protein of CD146 was expressed in preimplantation embryos, which may have a profound influence on early preimplantation development for the differentiation of the trophectoderm and the morphogenesis of the blastocyst. Furthermore, the expression of CD146 in blastocyst stage may be implicated in the assistance of embryo implantation.

In this study, high-betacyanin Suaeda salsa seedlings were developed and used to explore whether the betacyanin accumulation is related to salinity tolerance in S. salsa. After 8 days of culture, betacyanin content decreased markedly in both high-betacyanin S. salsa seedlings and the control under nonsalt stress, but the decreases were suppressed by NaCl treatments. Betacyanin content in high-betacyanin seedlings was much higher than that in the control throughout the salt treatments. Growth of S. salsa plants was significantly promoted by NaCl treatments, and the fresh weight of high-betacyanin seedlings was much higher than that of the control when grown in 400 mmol L−1 NaCl. Similar cell sap osmolarity and K+/Na+ ratios were observed in high-betacyanin seedlings and the control. No obvious differences in V-ATPase (tonoplast H+-ATPase) activity, leaf SOD (superoxide dismutase) activity, and total chloroplast SOD (including thylakoid-bound SOD and stroma SOD) activity were detected between high-betacyanin seedlings and the control under nonsalt stress conditions. However, V-ATPase hydrolytic activity increased dramatically in S. salsa seedlings when subjected to different levels of NaCl, and the increases in V-ATPase activity in high-betacyanin seedlings were much higher than that in the control. No clear pattern was observed for NaCl-dependent activity changes of P-ATPase (plasma membrane H+-ATPase) and V-PPase (tonoplast H+-pyrophosphatase). Similar changes were demonstrated in leaf SOD activity and chloroplast SOD activity under salt stress. Both leaf SOD activity and chloroplast SOD activity were markedly enhanced with the increase of NaCl or with time, especially thylakoid-bound SOD activity. Furthermore, the increases in chloroplast SOD activity and thylakoid-bound SOD activity were much higher in high-betacyanin seedlings than that in the control at different levels of NaCl treatment. The higher V-ATPase activity, chloroplastic SOD activity, and thylakoid-bound SOD activity demonstrated in high-betacyanin seedlings, but lower in the control, suggest that high-betacyanin S. salsa seedlings may have higher potential to be energized by the electrochemical gradient for ion uptake into the vacuole and to scavenge O2−• in situ produced in the chloroplasts, which may lead to higher salt tolerance than the control under salt stress. Thus, betacyanin may be involved in salt tolerance of S. salsa.

The satellites TC-1 and TC-2 are the two Chinese satellites with great elliptical orbits which are still in orbit around the earth at present. Since the launch the orbits of the two satellites have continuously evolved, which has a certain effect on the orbit determination and prediction precision. The regularities of the orbital evolution of the two sounding satellites are qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. Under the current tracking mode the corresponding prediction precision of orbit determination is analyzed based on the different stages of the orbital evolution, thereby providing the basis for the adjustment of planning mode by the satellite application departments and the guarantee of normal satellite payload. Finally, the orbital lifetimes of the two satellites are predicted through the trend of the orbital evolution.

( Z )- and ( E )-2-(3′,4′-Dimethoxybenzoyl)benzyl cinnamate ( 3Z and 3E ) and ( E )- N -(2-(3′,4′-dimethoxybenzoyl)benzoxycarbonymethyl) cinnamide ( 4E ) have been prepared. The photosensitized isomerization of cinnamates via intramolecular triplet–triplet (T–T) energy transfer from the triplet 2-dimethoxybenzophenone (DMBP) moiety was observed. The phosphorescence of the DMBP moiety is quenched by the attached cinnamate, indicating efficient T–T energy transfer from triplet DMBP to the cinnamate. On the basis of the intramolecular phosphorescence quenching and the intermolecular quenching experiments, it can conclude that T–T energy transfer to the E isomer is more efficient than to the Z isomer, and faster than the overall decay rate of the sensitizer triplets, and the non-isomerization radiationless decays of triplet 2 , or triplet cinnamate moiety in 3 and 4 are faster than the isomerization. The latter be an important reason for low quantum yields of isomerization.

A new photolabile protecting group for aldehydes and ketones, 2-(1,2-dihydroxyethyl) anthraquinone (Aqe-diol) and four caged compounds have been prepared and their photochemistry investigated. Upon 350 nm light irradiation, the caged compounds 2a-d in CH 3 CN–H 2 O solution can efficiently release the carbonyl compounds (conversion rate 60–90%), and their uncaging quantum efficiencies were measured, ranging from 0.03 to 0.09. On the basis of HPLC analysis and quenching experiments, a mechanism of the uncaging reaction was suggested.

Inverted top-emitting organic light-emitting diodes (ITOLEDs) with aluminum as cathode and semitransparent silver as anode are investigated. Comparing the blue, green and red ITOLEDs with conventional BEOLEDs based on iridium complex, it is surprising that the red ITOLED exhibits a higher efficiency nearly twice as that of the bottom-emitting counterpart, while blue and green ITOLEDs are comparable to BEOLEDs. We explain that the role of the strong microcavity effect improved the spontaneous emission of emitters in all ITOLEDs, however, only the intrinsic quantum yield of the red emitters is improved due to its comparable radiative and nonradiative decay rates.

CO2-switchable desiccants have been prepared and evaluated for the drying of isobutanol. CO2 addition triggered the binding of water to the drying agent, while CO2 displacement triggered the water's facile release. The switchable desiccants were capable of absorbing more water and were able to regenerate at much milder conditions than traditional desiccants like molecular sieves.

EBV causes B lymphomas and undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Although the mechanisms by which EBV infects B lymphocytes have been extensively studied, investigation of the mechanisms by which EBV infects nasopharyngeal epithelial cells (NPECs) has only recently been enabled by the successful growth of B lymphoma Mo-MLV insertion region 1 homolog (BMI1)-immortalized NPECs in vitro and the discovery that neuropilin 1 expression positively affects EBV glycoprotein B (gB)-mediated infection and tyrosine kinase activations in enhancing EBV infection of BMI1-immortalized NPECs. We have now found that even though EBV infected NPECs grown as a monolayer at extremely low efficiency (, published_or_final_version

Ankle injuries are responsible for more than 5 million emergency department visits each year. The AO and Lauge-Hansen classification systems are widely used in the clinical diagnosis of ankle injuries. This study aimed to analyze the intraobserver reliability and interobserver reproducibility of the AO and Lauge-Hansen classification systems. In addition, the authors explored the differences among physicians’ classification responses and evaluated the clinical value for diagnosis. Fifty-six patients with an ankle injury with complete clinical and radiologic data were enrolled. The definition of injury type, the index score typing methods, and the specific study criteria were explained in detail. Five observers, who were orthopedic surgeons, determined the classifications according to both the AO and Lauge-Hansen systems. The classification was repeated 1 month later. Cronbach’s alpha and Cohen’s kappa test were used to determine interobserver reliability and intraobserver reproducibility. The physicians conducted 560 classifications (56 cases × 5 physicians × 2 times per patient). Average inter- and intraobserver kappa values for the AO system were 0.708 and 0.608, respectively. Average inter- and intraobserver kappa values for the Lauge-Hansen system were 0.402 and 0.398, respectively. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 96.7% for the AO system and 76.0% for the Lauge-Hansen system. The Lauge-Hansen classification system is a comprehensive yet cumbersome system. Comparatively, the AO classification system is easier to understand. This study shows that the AO classification system has more reliability and reproducibility, and thus has more value in clinical practice, than the Lauge-Hansen classification system. [ Orthopedics. 2015; 38(7):e626–e630.]

Previous studies indicate that the role of B lymphoma Mo-MLV insertion region 1 homolog (Bmi-1) is responsible for multiple cancer progression. However, Bmi-1 in controlling gene expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) development is not well explored. Here we report that the Bmi-1 level is highly increased in primary NSCLC tissues compared to matched adjacent non-cancerous tissues and required for lung tumor growth in xenograft model. Furthermore, we also demonstrate that Bmi-1 level is lower in matched involved lymph node cancerous tissues than the respective primary NSCLC tissues. We find that Bmi-1 does not affect cell cycle and apoptosis in lung cancer cell lines as it does not affect the expression of p16/p19, Pten, AKT and P-AKT. Mechanistic analyses note that reduction of Bmi-1 expression inversely regulates invasion and metastasis of NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo, followed by induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Using genome microarray assays, we find that RNAi-mediated silence of Bmi-1 modulates some important molecular genetics or signaling pathways, potentially associated with NSCLC development. Taken together, our findings disclose for the first time that Bmi-1 level accumulates strongly in early stage and then declines in late stage, which is potentially important for NSCLC cell invasion and metastasis during progression.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is implicated as an aetiological factor in B lymphomas and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The mechanisms of cell-free EBV infection of nasopharyngeal epithelial cells remain elusive. EBV glycoprotein B (gB) is the critical fusion protein for infection of both B and epithelial cells, and determines EBV susceptibility of non-B cells. Here we show that neuropilin 1 (NRP1) directly interacts with EBV gB 23-431. Either knockdown of NRP1 or pretreatment of EBV with soluble NRP1 suppresses EBV infection. Upregulation of NRP1 by overexpression or EGF treatment enhances EBV infection. However, NRP2, the homologue of NRP1, impairs EBV infection. EBV enters nasopharyngeal epithelial cells through NRP1-facilitated internalization and fusion, and through macropinocytosis and lipid raft-dependent endocytosis. NRP1 partially mediates EBV-activated EGFR/RAS/ERK signalling, and NRP1-dependent receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signalling promotes EBV infection. Taken together, NRP1 is identified as an EBV entry factor that cooperatively activates RTK signalling, which subsequently promotes EBV infection in nasopharyngeal epithelial cells. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved., published_or_final_version

The photochemical [2 + 2] cycloadditions (the so-called Paterno-Buchi (PB) reaction) of 1,3-dimethyluracil (DMU) and 1,3-dimethylthymine (DMT) with benzophenone ( 1d ) and its derivatives (BPs) with 4,4′-disubstituted groups including CH 3 O ( 1a ), CH 3 ( 1b ), t -Bu ( 1c ), F ( 1e ), Cl ( 1f ) and CN ( 1g ) generate two series of regioisomeric oxetanes, A and B , and reveal notable substituent effects on the regioselectivity ( A : B ) and the photochemical efficiency, that is a higher ratio of A : B and lower efficiency for the BPs with electron-donating groups (EDGs), and a contrary effect for the BPs with electron-withdrawing groups (EWGs), such as A : B ≥ 95:5 for 1a to 32:68 for 1g in DMU photochemical system. The PB reactions of DMU with three BPs ( 1d , 1e and 1g ) were performed at various temperatures, and temperature effects on the regioselectivity and the efficiency were observed. The ratio of photoproducts ( A : B ) in the DMU systems decreases with increasing the reaction temperature, such as DMU– 1d system, ranging from 75:25 at −30 °C to 55:45 at 60 °C. On the basis of computational studies, the substituent effects were relationalized in terms of stability and charge distribution of intermediary triplet diradicals. The EWGs can stablize triplet diradicals especially the diradicals causing oxetanes B , and a destablization for EDGs. It was demonstrated that temperature effects originate from the conformational properties of intermediatary triplet diradicals.

Permethrin is popularly used in a variety of therapeutic areas. However, the poor water solubility of permethrin seriously limits its wider clinical applications. The present study demonstrates that solubility of permethrin in aqueous solution can considerably increase in the presence of beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD). Extensive experimental data along with computational modeling reveal the formation of stable permethrin/beta-CD inclusion complexes, including permethrin(beta-CD) and permethrin(beta-CD)2, through hydrophobic binding. Both permethrin(beta-CD) and permethrin(beta-CD)2 complexes coexisted in aqueous solution, and the ratio of the concentration of permethrin(beta-CD) complex to that of permethrin(beta-CD)2 complex was dependent on the concentration of beta-CD. The complexation of permethrin with beta-CD significantly improved the bioavailability of permethrin and, therefore, increased the bioactivity. The significant increase of the bioactivity of permethrin in the presence of beta-CD provides an effective approach to improve the practical use of permethrin in public health and agriculture.

Three covalently linked tryptophan-thymine oxetane compounds used as a model of the (6-4) photolyase-substrate complex have been prepared. Under 290 nm light, efficient splitting of the thymine oxetane with aromatic carbonyl compounds gives the thymine monomer and the corresponding carbonyl compounds by the covalently linked tryptophan via an intramolecular electron transfer, and exhibits a strong solvent dependence: the quantum yield (Phi) is ca. 0.1 in dioxane, and near 0.3 in water. Electron transfer from the excited tryptophan residue to the oxetane unit is the origin of fluorescence quenching of the tryptophan residue, and is more efficient in strong polar solvents. The splitting efficiency of the oxetane radical anion within the tryptophan.+-oxetane.- species is also solvent-dependent, ranging from ca. 0.2 in dioxane to near 0.35 in water. Thus, the back electron transfer reaction in the charge-separated species would be suppressed in water, but is still a main factor causing low splitting efficiencies in the tryptophan-oxetane systems. In contrast to the tryptophan-oxetane system, fast nonradiation processes are the main causes of low efficiency in the flavin-oxetane system. Hence, nonradiative processes of the excited FADH-, rather than electron transfer to oxetane, may be an important factor for the low repair efficiency of (6-4) photolyase.

The effects of reaction pathway and temperature on stereo- and regio-selectivity of photocycloaddition of 1, 3‐dimethylthymine (DMT) which gives four cyclobutane type dimers in solution using acetone as the photosensitizer, are investigated by measuring the product distribution. It is demonstrated that the ground-state aggregation between DMT molecules mainly leads to (h-t) dimers, and the diffusion-controlled triplet dimerization is favorable to the formation of (h-h) dimers. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 30000036, 20273066) and Special Fund for Doctoral Programme from the State Education Commission of China (2000035821)

[reaction: see text] The [2 + 2] photochemical additions of 1,3-dimethylthymine (DMT) with benzophenone and its 4,4'-substituted derivatives (BPs), difluoro, di-tert-butyl, and dimethoxy benzophenones, have been investigated at a temperature range from -40 to 70 degrees C. The photochemical reactions, which are cycloaddition of the 5-6 double bond of DMT with the carbonyl group of BPs, the so-called the Paternò-Büchi (PB) reaction, reveal largely temperature-dependent regioselectivity. The chemical yields of one series of regioisomers, 2, decrease with the increase of the reaction temperature, but those of another regioisomer series, 3, increase, and thus the ratio of 2/3 is strongly dependent on the temperature (2/3 = ca. 70:30 to 30:70). The temperature dependence of the regioselectivity yields two linear functions in the corresponding Eyring diagrams. The Eyring plot with changed slopes is clearly indicative of the change for the selectivity-determining step in the PB reaction, in which the triplet 1,4-diradicals play a crucial role. Computational studies reveal the conformational equilibrium structures of the triplet 1,4-diradicals, energy barriers between the conformers, and the conjectural equilibrium constants from relative potential energies of the stable conformers. A proposed mechanism can reasonably explain the temperature-dependent regioselectivity and chemical yields of two regioisomers varying with the reaction temperature.

Tryptophan-thymine dimer model compounds used to mimic the repair reaction of DNA photolyase have been synthesized. The photosensitized cleavage of the dimer by the covalently linked tryptophan is strongly solvent-dependent with the reaction rates increasing in increasingly polar solvents, for example, the quantum yield Φ = 0.004 in THF/hexane (5:95) and 0.093 in water. The fluorescence of the tryptophan residue is quenched by the dimer moiety by electron transfer from the excited tryptophan to the dimer. Fluorescence-quenching studies indicated that the electron transfer was efficient in polar solvents. The splitting efficiency of the dimer radical anion within the tryptophan·+–dimer·– species is also remarkably solvent-dependent and increases with the polarity of the solvents. The back-electron-transfer reaction in the charge-separated species, which competes with cleavage, was suppressed in polar solvents. These results are in contrast to those of earlier solvent-dependent studies of indole-dimer systems, but they can be rationalized in terms of the differences in the distances between the chromophore unit and the attached dimer. The pH-dependent measurements of the splitting reaction and the deuterium isotope effect showed that the tryptophan radical cation within the charge-separated species does not deprotonate prior to the cleavage of the dimer radical anion. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2005)

The treatment of patients with advanced gastric cancer remains a most challenging task in the clinical practice. Recently, targeted therapies have significantly impacted the treatment strategy for many common malignancies. The use of trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody against human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2; also known as ERBB2), plus chemotherapy proved to improve median overall survival in patients with advanced gastric cancer, compared with chemotherapy alone in Trastuzumab for Gastric Cancer (ToGA) trial. However, the prognostic value of HER2 status in gastric cancer remains controversial. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the clinical pathology significance of HER2 overexpression in resectable gastric cancer for selecting the right patients with gastric cancer who may benefit from trastuzumab treatment.Publications reported the clinicopathological factors associated with HER2 status in gastric cancer from 2012 to 2017 were collected. The literature databases, such as "Cochrane Library", "Sciencedirect", "Springer", "PubMed", "Embase", were extensively searched to retrieve the clinical studies of HER2 expression in gastric cancer. The major outcomes measures were odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% CIs. Statistical analysis was carried out by Revman software 5.3. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess the quality of evidence.Fifteen studies met our inclusion criteria. This study demonstrated that the pooled OR for HER2 positivity was associated with being male (OR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.23-1.64), well/moderately differentiated tumor (OR: 2.76; 95% CI: 1.72-4.45), and for intestinal-type tumor (OR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.25-0.38). However, it had no correlation with depth of tumor (P = .07), venous invasion (P = .82), and lymphovascular invasion (P = .24).HER2-positive expression was associated with male gender, intestinal type, and well/moderate cell differentiation. We recommend that those gastric cancer patients who may benefit from trastuzumab treatment should be subjected to targeted therapies. However, detecting HER2 status may contribute to the target therapy for gastric carcinoma using trastuzumab. This would be strengthened by further studies incorporating comorbidity data, and outcomes from centralized programs.

The electrocardiogram (ECG) has broad applications in clinical diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular disease. Many researchers have contributed to its progressive development. To commemorate those pioneers, and to better study and promote the use of ECG, we reviewed and present here a systematic introduction about the history, hotspots, and trends of ECG. In the historical part, information including the invention, improvement, and extensive applications of ECG, such as in long QT syndrome (LQTS), angina, and myocardial infarction (MI), are chronologically presented. New technologies and applications from the 1990s are also introduced. In the second part, we use the bibliometric analysis method to analyze the hotspots in the field of ECG-related research. By using total citations and year-specific total citations as our main criteria, four key hotspots in ECG-related research were identified from 11 articles, including atrial fibrillation, LQTS, angina and MI, and heart rate variability. Recent studies in those four areas are also reported. In the final part, we discuss the future trends concerning ECG-related research. The authors believe that improvement of the ECG instrumentation, big data mining for ECG, and the accuracy of diagnosis and application will be areas of continuous concern.

Native cellulose can be disintegrated into substructures with nano-size dimension through electronspinning. Typically, the most common source material available for cellulose nano-fiber production is wood. More attempts are employed to find new suitable resources to produce nano-cellulose at present. Bamboo boasts the abundant resource in China and possesses fast-growing, anti-bacterial, anti-UV, aroma absorbance properties as well as superior physical and mechanical characters. Cellulose is the main constituent in bamboo, which shows great potential to be the ideal source for producing cellulose nano-fiber. Traditional method for bamboo cellulose extraction needs the use of high concentrated alkaline. Such process causes severe environment problems. Therefore, study on alternative green technologies is inevitable. In this work, self-produced xylanase was applied to hydrolyze bamboo noncellulosic substances. Results indicated that such xylanase from Streptomyces sp. FA1 isolated from bamboo retting system showed broad pH range for xylan hydrolysis, which presented activity of 180 U/mL and 270 U/mL under preferred pH5.5 and pH7, respectively. Three pretreatment methods (including high temperature, ultrasonic generator and supersonic cleaner) were employed to enhance the bamboo processing, among which, xylanase hydrolysis on high temperature pretreated (120°C, 60 min) bamboo showed the most obvious effect. Thermogravimetric test represented that the weight loss of xylanase hydrolysis on high-temperature pretreated sample was higher than that of original sample, which might be attributed to the decomposition of hemi-cellulose and part of cellulose. This study establishes a base for future studies to develop enzymatic hydrolysis of bamboo noncellulosic materials, making them suitable for cellulose nano-fiber producing.

A sensitive and rapid ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed to determine kurarinone in rat plasma using chlorzoxazone as the internal standard (IS). Sample preparation was accomplished through a liquid-liquid extraction procedure with ethyl acetate to 0.2 mL plasma sample. The analyte and IS were separated on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (2.1 mm × 50 mm, 1.7 μm) with the mobile phase of acetonitrile and 1% formic acid in water with gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.40 mL/min. The detection was performed on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer equipped with electrospray ionization (ESI) by multiple reactions monitoring (MRM) of the transitions at m/z 437.0→301.2 for kurarinone and m/z 168.1→132.1 for IS. The linearity of this method was found to be within the concentration range of 20-2000 ng/mL with a lower limit of quantification of 20 ng/mL. Only 3.0 min was needed for an analytical run. The matrix effect was 94.7-107.2% for kurarinone. The intra- and inter-day precision (RSD%) were less than 8.2% and accuracy (RE%) was within ±9.0%. The recovery ranged from 77.3% to 85.6%. Kurarinone was sufficiently stable under all relevant analytical conditions. The method was also successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of kurarinone in rats.

Response surface methodology (RSM) based on Box-Behnken design (BBD) was employed to investigate the effect of ultrasonic treatment on b-carotene production by Blakeslea trispora. The optimized strategy involved exposing three-day-old mycelial cultures to ultrasonic treatment at a fixed frequency of 20 kHz, power of 491 W, treatment time of 3 min, working time of 3 s, and rest time of 5:8 s, repeated four times at a 24-h interval. Mycelium growth was not significantly promoted under ultrasonic stimulation; however, the glucose metabolism increased by about 10%, the average size of the aggregates significantly decreased, and the uptake rate of imidazole into cells was increased about 2.5-fold. After a 6-d culture, the technique produced 173 mg=L of b-carotene and 82 mg=L of lycopene, which represented an increase of nearly 40:7% and 52:7%, respectively, over the yields obtained in cultures without ultrasonic treatment

CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) and Th17 cells are known to be involved in the alloreactive responses in organ transplantation, but little is known about the relationship between Tregs and Th17 cells in the context of liver alloresponse. Here, we investigated whether the circulating Tregs/Th17 ratio is associated with acute allograft rejection in liver transplantation. In present study, thirty-eight patients who received liver transplant were enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups: acute allograft rejection group (Gr-AR) (n = 16) and stable allograft liver function group (Gr-SF) (n = 22). The frequencies of circulating Tregs and circulating Th17 cells, as well as Tregs/Th17 ratio were determined using flow cytometry. The association between Tregs/Th17 ratio and acute allograft rejection was then analyzed. Our results showed that the frequency of circulating Tregs was significantly decreased, whereas the frequency of circulating Th17 cells was significantly increased in liver allograft recipients who developed acute rejection. Tregs/Th17 ratio had a negative correlation with liver damage indices and the score of rejection activity index (RAI) after liver transplantation. In addition, the percentages of CTLA-4(+), HLA-DR(+), Ki67(+), and IL-10(+) Tregs were higher in Gr-SF group than in Gr-AR group. Our results suggested that the ratio of circulating Tregs/Th17 cells is associated with acute allograft rejection, thus the ratio may serve as an alternative marker for the diagnosis of acute rejection.

This study explored the effects of different light quality on photosynthetic pigment contents and photosynthetic characteristics of peanut (Qinhua 6) seedling leaves. The results showed that, compared with natural light, blue light (445-470 nm) could significantly improve the specific leaf area (SLA), chlorophyll a/b value and carotenoid content of peanut seedlings. Meanwhile, the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate were higher, the intercellular CO2 content was lower, and the photosynthetic efficiency was improved significantly under blue light. Red light (610-660 nm) could improve the chlorophyll content significantly, and reduce SLA, chlorophyll a/b value and carotenoid content, with a lower photosynthetic efficiency than natural light. Green light (515-520 nm) and yellow light (590-595 nm) were not conducive to photosynthetic pigment accumulation of leaves, and significantly inhibited leaf photosynthesis of peanut seedlings.

Based on the remote images in 2001 and 2010, the source and sink areas of urban heat island (UHI) in Shenyang City, Northeast China were determined by GIS technique. The effect of urban regional landscape pattern on UHI effect was assessed with land surface temperature (LST), area rate index (CI) of the source and sink areas and intensity index (LI) of heat island. The results indicated that the land use type changed significantly from 2001 to 2010, which significantly changed the source and sink areas of UHI, especially in the second and third circle regions. The source and sink areas were 94.3% and 5.7% in the first circle region, 64.0% and 36.0% in the third circle region in 2001, while they were 93.4% and 6.6%, 70.2% and 29.8% in 2010, respectively. It suggested that the land use pattern extended by a round shape in Shenyang led to the corresponding UHI pattern. The LST in the study area tended to decrease from the first circle region to the third. The UHI intensity was characterized with a single center in 2001 and with several centers in 2010, and the grade of UHI intensity was in a decreasing trend from 2001 to 2010. The absolute value of CI increased from the first circle region to the third, and the L1 was close to 1, suggesting the change in land use pattern had no significant influence on UHI in Shenyang.