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Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a major odor in landfill gas and needs urgent treatment. In this study, the effect of migration and transformation of iron on the endogenous reduction of H2S was investigated in two simulated landfills. The results showed that the H2S emission concentration from the landfill cover of conventional anaerobic landfill (CL) and anaerobic landfill with leachate recirculation (RL) could reach 19.4mgm(-3) and 24.1mgm(-3), respectively. However, the migration and transformation of iron in anaerobic landfill with different operational modes results in different endogenous reduction mechanism for H2S. The proportion of precipitation-reduction mechanism and oxidation-reduction mechanism in CL was 73.3% and 26.3%, respectively. But for RL, the function of oxidation was enhanced, and the sulfide content was reduced 23.1% compared with CL. The iron in landfill with leachate recirculation revealed good endogenous reduction effect on H2S control after a period of time landfilling.

The study intends to explain the convergence of the UCR and NCVS data series (1973–2008). Hypothesized explanatory variables include increased police productivity, change in people’s attitudes toward crime and the police, demographic changes, changes in the measurements used in data collections, and the advancement of telecommunication tools. The time series models with relevant predictor variables are estimated to explain the convergence of the two crime data series in five different crime categories. The results show that an increase in the total number of employees in the police, changes in measurements, especially the methodological changes adopted in the victimization survey in 1992, and changing attitudes toward crime and the police affect the relationship between the two crime data series and may have helped the convergence of the two. We argue that (1) the convergence of the two crime data series is not a mere convergence of methodological inadequacies resulting from the declining quality of the victimization survey and (2) all the predictor variables only partially affect the convergence of the two crime data series. Methodological limitations of this study are also addressed.

The microstructure evolution of adiabatic shear bands (ASBs) in AISI 52100 produced under high strain rate impact loading was investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A full view of the shear band formation and development was presented. The results reveal that no strain hardening effect occurred in the AISI 52100 under the dynamic loading. Two distinct regions of the ASBs and the transition region were observed. Driven by the high shear deformation and assisted by a thermal softening effect, the formation of ASBs started in the core region under the dominant mechanism of dynamic recrystallization. It is followed by the formation of neighbouring region under the co-action of both dynamic recovery and dynamic recrystallization. Then the transition region formed which was controlled by dynamic recovery. The core region of ASBs was consisted of subgrains and fine equiaxed grains. The grains were refined either through partitioning and breaking down the elongated subgrains by entangled dislocations clusters or through splitting and rotating the elongated subgrains into small grains under a synergistic effect of shearing and twisting. The amount and size of cementites were greatly reduced in ASBs due to cementite dissolution induced by large plastic deformation and dynamic recrystallization.

Nitrogen deficiency induces leaf senescence. However, whether or how nitrate might affect this process remains to be investigated. Here, we report an interesting finding that nitrate-instead of nitrogen-starvation induced early leaf senescence in nrt1.5 mutant, and present genetic and physiological data demonstrating that nitrate starvation-induced leaf senescence is suppressed by NRT1.5. NRT1.5 suppresses the senescence process dependent on its function from roots, but not the nitrate transport function. Further analyses using nrt1.5 single and nia1 nia2 nrt1.5-4 triple mutant showed a negative correlation between nitrate concentration and senescence rate in leaves. Moreover, when exposed to nitrate starvation, foliar potassium level decreased in nrt1.5, but adding potassium could essentially restore the early leaf senescence phenotype of nrt1.5 plants. Nitrate starvation also downregulated the expression of HAK5, RAP2.11, and ANN1 in nrt1.5 roots, and appeared to alter potassium level in xylem sap from nrt1.5. These data suggest that NRT1.5 likely perceives nitrate starvation-derived signals to prevent leaf senescence by facilitating foliar potassium accumulation.

The solute diffusion regulates many properties and phenomena of metal alloys. Decades of research has led to lots of knowledge of interrelationships between diffusion parameters and transition metal (TM) solutes properties in metals. But none has provided a universal relationship to elucidate the underlying physics of TM solute diffusion in metals. In this paper, we systematically study TM solutes diffusion in tungsten using the first-principles calculations coupled with harmonic transition state theory. We found the solute migration energies vary parabolically across the TM series reaching a maximum at V, Mo, and W for 3d, 4d, and 5d, respectively. The correlation factor is temperature-dependent in an Arrhenius-like way, whose fitted correlation energies and pre-factors are inversely proportional to the solute migration energies. Using the database of TM solute diffusion in tungsten developed here and other existing databases, we identify the role of the matrix metals on the law of solute diffusion. When the atomic radii of matrix metals are larger than TM solutes, the solute diffusion is dominated by metallic bonds between the solute and matrix atoms, whose solute migration energy follows a positive correlation to the melting point of the solute element. While for the reverse case, the solute diffusion is controlled by solute-induced lattice distortions and their solute migration energy shows a negative correlation with the solute radius.

An analytical drain current model on the basis of the surface potential is proposed for indium–gallium zinc oxide (InGaZnO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with an independent dual-gate (IDG) structure. For a unified expression of carriers’ distribution for the sub-threshold region and the conduction region, the concept of equivalent flat-band voltage and the Lambert W function are introduced to solve the Poisson equation, and to derive the potential distribution of the active layer. In addition, the regional integration approach is used to develop a compact analytical current–voltage model. Although only two fitting parameters are required, a good agreement is obtained between the calculated results by the proposed model and the simulation results by TCAD. The proposed current–voltage model is then implemented by using Verilog-A for SPICE simulations of a dual-gate InGaZnO TFT integrated inverter circuit.

Near-infrared light (NIR) stimulated anti-Stokes fluorescence imaging has unique advantages compared with conventional down-conversion fluorescence imaging, especially applied in bioimaging. However, the existing NIR induced fluorescence nanomaterials like up-conversion nanoparticles are restricted by issues like insufficient fluorescent brightness. Hence we introduce triple-doped red emission (CaS:Eu,Sm,Mn), and blue emission (SrS:Ce,Sm,Mn) alkaline earth sulfide nanoparticles (AES NPs) with ultra-bright NIR stimulated fluorescence, high brightness and variable emission wavelength make them very promising as a novel type of biolabeling probe. In this work, CaS:Eu,Sm,Mn nanoparticles and SrS:Ce,Sm,Mn nanoparticles are covalently linked with bacteria targeting moiety (teicoplanin or polymyxin B) for in-vivo and in-situ imaging of Gram-positive/negative bacteria, the in-vivo experiment demonstrates the functionalized AES NPs are able to adequately distinguish and differentiate bacterial infection between aseptic inflammation. Significantly, non-overlapping emission bands of this two AES NPs make Gram-positive/negative strain selective fluorescence imaging possible, and intense fluorescence under 980 nm light irradiation enables both high sensitivity and deep tissue imaging. Further, low biological toxicity of the bacteria targeting probe based the AES NPs is assessed. We conclude that CaS/SrS based system has a high potential and practical value for in vivo bacteria fluorescent imaging and detection.

High surface area (136 m

The present study was aimed to establish a modified method for culturing mouse renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (TECs). Renal cortex was isolated from mouse kidney and scissored into pieces. TECs were separated by digesting scissored renal cortex in type II collagenase combined with strainer filtration, and then cultured in DMEM. The morphology of TECs was observed under inverted microscopy. The cell proliferative ability was assessed by flow cytometry, and cell viability was analyzed by CCK-8 assay. The purity of TECs was identified by immunofluorescence. Immunofluorescence observation showed that more than 95% cells were epithelial marker CK18 positive and more than 90% cells expressed renal proximal TECs marker proteins, Villin, AQP1, and SGLT2. The cells could be subcultured for about 5 times. The cell proliferative ability declined following the repeated passage. This study introduced a modified efficient method for culturing highly purified mouse renal proximal TECs.

Turbine and the working fluid are two key factors that affect the performance of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC). A one-dimensional design for an ORC radial inflow turbine is conducted in this paper. An entire three-dimensional model of the designed turbine including the nozzle, rotor, and volute, is developed and its performance is predicted by Computational Fluid Dynamics. Peng-Robinson equation is employed to predict the properties of working fluids. The simulation shows that the numerical results agree well with the designed value. Additionally, the performance comparison between R245fa and R245fa/R134a is carried out. It is concluded that when R245fa and R134a are mixed with a ratio of 7:3, the power output and isentropic efficiency of the turbine are 9.3% and 2.5% higher than pure R245fa, respectively. What’s more, the off-design performance of the radial turbine using R245fa/R134a is numerically investigated. The results show that there is little change for isentropic efficiency of the radial inflow turbine when the rotational speed varies from 95% rpm to 115% rpm. However, the pressure ratio has a great impact on turbine efficiency. The performance prediction method based on preliminary design and numerical simulation can be applied to the future optimal design of a radial-inflow turbine using zeotropic mixture fluids.

The canopy structures and light conditions and the population characteristics of Fargesia decurvata, a dominant understory species, were investigated in three typical communities, i.e., deciduous broad-leaved forest, evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest, evergreen broad-leaved forest. The results showed that with the succession from deciduous broad-leaved forest to evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest and to evergreen broad-leaved forest, the Shannon index, Simpson index and Pielou index were increased, suggesting that the development of communities in Jinfo Mountains tended to be stable. Moreover, canopy structures were significantly changed, in that the canopy openness and mean leaf angle decreased, leaf area index increased, and canopy extinction ability enhanced, resulting in the decrease of light intensity under the canopy. The upper canopy was the main contributor for canopy closure, with the crown depth and crown area of canopy being the two main influencing factors. Moreover, canopy structures were significantly correlated with light conditions in the forest, with the greatest influence on the diffuse solar radiation. With the growth season coming, canopy openness and understory light conditions were decreased, while leaf area index increased, and their maximum values appeared in June or July in the three forest types. The maximum and minimum value of mean leaf angle appeared in spring and summer, respectively. Clonal growth of F. decurvata was closely related to canopy structures and light conditions. In evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest with moderate light, F. decurvata grew best, with high and thick ramets, high ramet density (29.69±1.68 ind·m选择金佛山国家自然保护区内落叶阔叶林、常绿落叶阔叶混交林、常绿阔叶林3种典型群落类型,研究冠层结构和光环境特征,以及林下优势种——紫耳箭竹的种群特征.结果表明: 随着落叶阔叶林→常绿落叶阔叶混交林→常绿阔叶林的演替,Shannon多样性指数、Simpson优势度指数和Pielou指数呈增加趋势,表明群落趋于稳定发展的状态;冠层结构特征也发生了显著改变,冠层开度和平均叶倾角减小,叶面积指数增加,冠层的消光能力增强,林下光照水平降低.上层林冠是造成林型郁闭的主要原因,其中冠层厚度和冠层面积是2个主要的影响因素.冠层结构与林下光照指标显著相关,对林下散射光的影响最大.冠层开度、林下光照条件均随着生长季的到来而下降,而叶面积指数呈现增长的趋势,峰值出现在6、7月;平均叶倾角在春季达到最大值,在夏季为最小值.紫耳箭竹的生长与冠层结构和光环境密切相关,其在光照适中的常绿落叶阔叶混交林中生长得最好,分株粗壮、密度大(29.69±1.68株·m

Exosomes (Exo) secreted from hypoxia-conditioned bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) were found to be protective for ischemic disease. However, the role of exosomal miRNA in the protective effect of hypoxia-conditioned BM-MSCs-derived Exo (Hypo-Exo) remains largely uncharacterized and the poor specificity of tissue targeting of Exo limits their clinical applications. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the effect of miRNA in Hypo-Exo on the repair of ischemic myocardium and its underlying mechanisms. We further developed modified Hypo-Exo with high specificity to the myocardium and evaluate its therapeutic effects. Methods: Murine BM-MSCs were subjected to hypoxia or normoxia culture and Exo were subsequently collected. Hypo-Exo or normoxia-conditioned BM-MSC-derived Exo (Nor-Exo) were administered to mice with permanent condition of myocardial infarction (MI). After 28 days, to evaluate the therapeutic effects of Hypo-Exo, infarction area and cardio output in Hypo-Exo and Nor-Exo treated MI mice were compared through Masson's trichrome staining and echocardiography respectively. We utilized the miRNA array to identify the significantly differentially expressed miRNAs between Nor-Exo and Hypo-Exo. One of the most enriched miRNA in Hypo-Exo was knockdown by applying antimiR in Hypoxia-conditioned BM-MSCs. Then we performed intramyocardial injection of candidate miRNA-knockdown-Hypo-Exo in a murine MI model, changes in the candidate miRNA's targets expression of cardiomyocytes and the cardiac function were characterized. We conjugated Hypo-Exo with an ischemic myocardium-targeted (IMT) peptide by bio-orthogonal chemistry, and tested its targeting specificity and therapeutic efficiency via systemic administration in the MI mice. Results: The miRNA array revealed significant enrichment of miR-125b-5p in Hypo-Exo compared with Nor-Exo. Administration of miR-125b knockdown Hypo-Exo significantly increased the infarction area and suppressed cardiomyocyte survival post-MI. Mechanistically, miR-125b knockdown Hypo-Exo lost the capability to suppress the expression of the proapoptotic genes p53 and BAK1 in cardiomyocytes. Intravenous administration of IMT-conjugated Hypo-Exo (IMT-Exo) showed specific targeting to the ischemic lesions in the injured heart and exerted a marked cardioprotective function post-MI. Conclusion: Our results illustrate a new mechanism by which Hypo-Exo-derived miR125b-5p facilitates ischemic cardiac repair by ameliorating cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Furthermore, our IMT- Exo may serve as a novel drug carrier that enhances the specificity of drug delivery for ischemic disease.

To follow up the participants of the randomized clinical trial "Efficacy and Safety of Niaoduqing Particles () for Delaying Moderate-to-Severe Renal Dysfunction", and assess the long-term effects of Niaoduqing Particles on delaying the progression of renal dysfunction.Participants, who had previously been randomly assigned to receive Niaoduqing Particles or placebo for 24 weeks (146 cases in each group), were invited to follow-up and all were administered Niaoduqing Particles 5 g thrice daily and 10 g before bedtime for 24 weeks. The primary endpoints were changes in baseline serum creatinine (Scr) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) after completion of the open-label treatment period.After the double-blind period, the median (interquartile range) changes in Scr were 1.1 (-13.0-24.1) and 11.7 (-2.6-42.9) μmol/L for the Niaoduqing Particle and placebo groups, respectively (P=0.008), and the median changes in eGFRs were-0.2 (-4.3-2.7) and-2.21 (-5.7-0.8) mL•minNiaoduqing Particles appear to have long-term efficacy for patients with moderate-to-severe renal dysfunction. Although there was no statistical difference, the early use of Niaoduqing Paticles seems to ameliorate the worsening of renal function. (Trial registration No. ChiCTR-TRC-12002448).

Patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) are subject to a higher-than-usual prevalence of depressive disorders. However, the lack of consensus regarding the best assessment method remains an important problem. Thus, there is a clear need for more effective screening tools and an easily administered, disease-specific self-report measure of depression in MHD patients. After we developed and administered an initial depression inventory for MHD patients (I-DI-MHD), we created the DI-MHD and administered the DI-MHD and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to 354 patients from four hospitals. Reliability, construct validity and receiver operator characteristic curves were assessed. The 17-item DI-MHD instrument displayed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha =0.893), provided excellent convergent validity, and correlated with the BDI scale (kappa =0.785, P 0.001). A factor analysis pattern matrix analysis showed that a four-factor model provided the best account of the data. Finally, the DI-MHD cutoff yielded a sensitivity of 0.97 and a specificity of 0.86, which were slightly better than the corresponding values for the BDI. The DI-MHD scale shows reasonable validity and reliability for assessing depression in MHD patients.

Due to their unique properties, rare-earth doped upconversion luminescence (UCL) nanomaterials are of considerable scientific interest. Meanwhile, alkaline-earth sulfide materials based on a completely different electron trapping (ET) mechanism demonstrate extremely high UCL efficiencies, which are several dozens of times more than those of conventional fluoride UCL nanomaterials. However, the large particle size, easy hydrolysis, and difficulty in achieving uniform dispersion have precluded bioassay applications. Herein, we have synthesized super-bright Eu,Sm,Mn-doped CaS nanoparticles of ∼30 nm average particle size using a reverse microemulsion technique. The UCL quantum yield was up to nearly 60%. Modification of the nanoparticles with an organic layer allows their stable dispersion throughout aqueous solutions without significant loss of the fluorescence intensity. We demonstrate the application of the novel UCL materials to latent fingerprint detection, deep tissue imaging, and in vivo bioimaging.

The paper introduces the application of new medical materials of PGLA and its advantages in different fields of acupoint catgut embedding therapy in clinical, pointed out that with the development of biological materials and minimally invasive medicine, the usage of PGLA in clinical popularity rate will more and more high.

The large intrinsic band gap of GeO2 hinders its potential application as a photocatalyst under visible-light irradiation. Here, we perform first-principles calculations to investigate the origin of the experimentally observed visible-light photocatalytic activity of GeO2 induced by N doping. Four possible defects (N-doping, N+H codoping, Ge vacancy and O vacancy) for the redshift of N-doped GeO2 are tentatively put forward. The lowest formation energy indicates that N+H codoped GeO2 is the most stable and easiest to form. N-doping at an oxygen site induces gap states, which are made up primarily of N 2p-derived states with some O 2p contributions, and the lowest-energy empty states is in the middle of the gap. For Ge vacancy model, O 2p states form the intermediate band, while Ge 4s orbitals localized in the gap contribute to the impurity level in O vacancy model. These gap levels lead to a reduced effective band gap, which is one of the potential interest for photocatalytic applications. Electronic transitions from these localized states induce a redshift to the visible region of the optical absorption edge. The calculated optical properties for N-doped GeO2 show a significant visible light absorption at about 400–600 nm, in close agreement with the experimental result. This work indicates that N-doped GeO2 would be a promising photocatalyst with favorable photocatalytic activity in the visible region.

A great proportion of nitrate taken up by plants is stored in vacuoles. Vacuolar nitrate accumulation and release is of great importance to nitrate reallocation and efficient utilization. However, how plants mediate nitrate efflux from vacuoles to cytoplasm is largely unknown. The current study identified NPF5.11, NPF5.12 and NPF5.16 as vacuolar nitrate efflux transporters in Arabidopsis. Histochemical analysis showed that NPF5.11, NPF5.12 and NPF5.16 were expressed preferentially in root pericycle cells and xylem parenchyma cells, and further analysis showed that these proteins were tonoplast-localized. Functional characterization using cRNA-injected Xenopus laevis oocytes showed that NPF5.11, NPF5.12 and NPF5.16 were low-affinity, pH-dependent nitrate uptake transporters. In npf5.11 npf5.12 npf5.16 triple mutant lines, more root-fed 15NO3− was translocated to shoots compared to the wild type control. In the NPF5.12 overexpression lines, proportionally less nitrate was maintained in roots. These data together suggested that NPF5.11, NPF5.12 and NPF5.16 might function to uptake nitrate from vacuoles into cytosol, thus serving as important players to modulate nitrate allocation between roots and shoots.

Rhamnolipids are the most promising biosurfactants, have widespread applications in many fields. However, low yield and productivity in fermentation caused a high production cost and thus prohibited the bulk applications of rhamnolipids in industry. In this study, a sequential fed-batch fermentation process with fill-and-draw operation was developed to improve rhamnolipids production. By utilizing this strategy, the total produced rhamnolipids reached over 150 g/L, had a 163% and 102% increase over the traditional batch and fed-batch processes, respectively. This remarkable high production efficiency was achieved by the well-maintained high productivity of 0.4 g/L h for a period of 17 d. Astonishingly, the conversion yield was high as 84%, while this value was only 53.2% and 42.7% in the traditional batch and fed-batch process, respectively. The high-efficiency rhamnolipids production in this sequential fed-batch fermentation could be largely explained by a high presence of cell coupled with the replenishment of nutrients and dilution of toxic byproducts via fill-and-draw operation. In all, this validated fermentation strategy offers a great prospect for high-efficiency production of rhamnolipids in industry.

A novel ligand, diethylenetriamine-N,N′,N″-tri(acetyl-p-hydroxybenzoyl hydrazine)-N,N″-bisacetic acid, and its three soluble non-ion transition metal complexes, ML· nH2O (M = Mn, n = 4; M = Co, Ni,...

Ultrasound-guided diffuse optical tomography (US-DOT) can potentially detect breast carcinomas by measuring total tumour haemoglobin concentrations (TTHC). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether vascular haemoglobin concentrations (VHC) affect the ability of US-DOT to distinguish breast carcinomas from benign. In 85 women (97 palpable lesions) referred for core breast biopsy, we measured VHC with a complete blood count and calculated TTHCs for each lesion with US-DOT. Anaemia was defined as a VHC less than 120.0 g/L. Mean TTHCs were significantly higher in malignant lesions (n = 53) than in benign lesions (n = 44), regardless of whether the lesions were from women with anaemia (TTHC, 248.5 vs. 123.3 μmol/L; P = 0.001) or from those without (TTHC, 229.7 vs. 173.9 μmol/L; P = 0.016). A cut-off TTHC of 155.1 μmol/L provided 81.3 % sensitivity, 81.8 % specificity and 81.5 % accuracy for detecting malignant tumours in women with anaemia and 78.4 % sensitivity, 54.5 % specificity and 67.1 % accuracy for women without. There was no significant difference in sensitivity (P = 0.813), specificity (P = 0.108) and accuracy (P = 0.162) between the anaemic group and the non-anaemic group. Vascular haemoglobin concentrations did not affect the ability of US-DOT to differentiate breast carcinomas from benign lesions. • US-DOT can differentiate benign from malignant breast lesions by measuring TTHC. • No difference in TTHC between the anaemia and non-anaemia group. • Vascular haemoglobin concentrations do not affect the diagnostic ability of US-DOT.

Codoping is demonstrated as an efficient approach to narrow the band gap of ZnS and enhance its photocatalytic activity. Herein, we perform the density-function theory calculations of ZnS by codoping of X (N, F) with transition metals (TM = V, Cu). The band gap is reduced in four different types of codoped ZnS. In particular, CuZnFS codoping, a charge-compensated donor–acceptor pair, leads to an about 32 % reduction of the energy gap, thus extending the absorption edge to visible-light region. The band gap reduction is due to the upshift of the top valence band comprised with the delocalized hybridizing levels of Cu 3d and S 3p states, and the downshift of the bottom conduction band consisting of F 2s states. Moreover, the larger value of m e*/m h* in CuZnFS–ZnS would result in a lower recombination rate of the electron–hole pairs. Both band gap reduction and low recombination rate are critical elements for efficient light-to-current conversion in codoped ZnS. These findings raise the prospect of using codoped ZnS with specifically engineered electronic properties in a variety of photocatalytic applications.

The survival of most patients with both unresectable hepatic and pulmonary metastases of colorectal cancer is poor. In this retrospective study, we investigated the efficacy of computed tomography (CT)-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and systemic chemotherapy plus hepatic artery infusion of floxuridine (HAI-FUDR). Sixty-one patients were selected from 1,136 patients with pulmonary and hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer. Patients were treated with RFA and systemic chemotherapy plus HAI-FUDR (ablation group, n = 39) or systemic chemotherapy plus HAI-FUDR (FUDR group, n = 22). Patients in the two groups were matched by sex, age, number of metastases, and calendar year of RFA or FUDR. Survival data were evaluated by using univariate and multivariate analyses. Clinical characteristics were comparable between the two groups. All patients in the ablation group underwent RFA and chemotherapy. Median follow-up was 56.8 months. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 97%, 64%, and 37%, respectively, for the ablation group, and 82%, 32%, and 19%, respectively, for the FUDR group. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates after metastasis were 97%, 49%, and 26% for the ablation group, and 72%, 24%, and 24% for the FUDR group, respectively. The median OS times were 45 and 25 months for the ablation and FUDR groups, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, treatment allocation was a favorable independent prognostic factor for OS (P = 0.001) and survival after metastasis (P = 0.009). These data suggest that the addition of RFA to systemic chemotherapy plus HAI-FUDR improves the survival of patients with both unresectable hepatic and pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer.

Four new cucurbitane-type triterpene sapogenins, compounds 1–4, together with other eight known compounds were isolated from the acid-hydrolyzed fruits extract of Momordica charantia L. Their chemical structures were established by NMR, mass spectrometry and X-ray crystallography. Compounds 1–7 and 9–12 were evaluated for their inhibitory activities toward protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), a tyrosine phosphatase that has been implicated as a key target for therapy against type II diabetes. Compounds 1, 2, 4, 7 and 9 were shown inhibitory activities of 77%, 62%, 62% 60% and 68% against PTP1B, respectively. All of these tested compounds were exhibited higher PTP1B inhibition activities than that of the Na3VO4, a known PTP1B inhibitor used as positive control in present study. Structure activity relationship (SAR) analysis indicated that the inhibition activity of PTP1B was associated with the presence and number of –OH groups.

The original navigation information of XNAV is the arrival time series of X-ray photons received by spacecraft. The key issue is to estimate parameters,including time delay, frequency drift and change rate of the observed profile by comparing it with corresponding standard profile in “folding process”. This paper illustrates the equation of equiphase point in time series of photons, and gets the initial approximate value of time delay and frequency drift by Larsson cycle folding and coherent function methods. Higher-order approximation is obtained by least square method, and more precise value is calculated by cyclic iteration. Simulation result indicates our method can achieve high precision even without noise eliminating and smoothing process. The proposed method, maybe kind of complicate, it proves the feasibility of XNAV.

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is the causative pathogen of classical swine fever (CSF), a highly contagious disease of swine. Mx proteins are interferon-induced dynamin-like GTPases present in all vertebrates with a wide range of antiviral activities. Although Zhao et al. (2011) have reported that human MxA can inhibit CSFV replication, whether porcine Mx1 (poMx1) has anti-CSFV activity remains unknown. In this study, we generated a cell line designated PK-15/EGFP–poMx1 which expressed porcine Mx1 protein constitutively, and we observed that the proliferation of progeny virus in this cell line was significantly inhibited as measured by virus titration, indirect immune fluorescence assay, Q-PCR and Western blot. Furthermore, when PTD–poMx1 fusion protein expressed in Escherichia coli (Zhang et al., 2013) was used to treat CSFV-infected PK-15 cells, the results showed that PTD–poMx1 inhibited CSFV replication in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, the proliferation of progeny virus was inhibited as measured by virus titration and Q-PCR. Overall, the results demonstrated that poMx1 effectively inhibited CSFV replication, suggesting that poMx1 may be a valuable therapeutic agent against CSFV infection.

To improve the quality of ultrasonic elastography, by taking the advantage of code excitation and frequency compounding, a transmitting-side multi-frequency with coded excitation for elastography (TFCCE) was proposed. TFCCE adopts the chirp signal excitation scheme and strikes a balance in the selection of sub-signal bandwidth, the bandwidth overlap and the number of sub-strain image based on theoretical derivation, so as to further improve the quality of elastic image. Experiments have proved that, compared with the other optimizing methods, the elastographyic signal-to-niose ratio(Re-SN) and contrast-to-noise ratio(Re-CN) are improved significantly with different echo signal-to-noise ratios (ReSN) and attenuation coefficients. When ReSN is 50 dB, compared with short pulse, Re-SN and Re-CN obtained by TFCCE increase by 53% and 143%, respectively. Moreover, in a deeper investigation (85–95 mm), the image has lower strain noise and clear details. When the attenuation coefficient is in the range of 0-1 dB/(cm·MHz), Re-SN and Re-CN obtained by TFCCE can be kept in moderate ranges of 5

In recent years, amorphous InGaZnO thin-film transistor (InGaZnO TFT) has attracted intensive attention. Due to its high mobility, low off-state current, and excellent uniformity over large fabrication area, the InGaZnO TFTs promise to replace silicon-based TFTs in flat panel displays, optical image sensors, touch sensing and fingerprint sensing area. The on-state performances of InGaZnO TFT are used in thin film transistor liquid crystal display, active-matrix organic light emitting display, etc. Consequently, numerous on-current models have been proposed previously. However, for lots of the emerging sensing applications such as optical image sensors, the leakage current of InGaZnO TFTs is critical.Previous literature has shown that the leakage current generation mechanisms in TFTs include trap-assisted thermal emission, trap-assisted field emission, inter-band tunneling, and auxiliary thermal electron field emission containing Poole-Frenkel effect. However, up to now, there has been few reports on the leakage current model of InGaZnO TFT, which hinders further the development of emerging applications in InGaZnO TFTs for sensor and imagers integrated in display panels.In this paper, the leakage current model of InGaZnO TFT is established on the basis of carrier generation recombination rate. The feasibility of the proposed model is proved by comparing the TCAD simulations with the measured results. In addition, the influences of geometrical parameters on the leakage current of InGaZnO TFT, i.e. the channel width, the active layer thickness, and the gate dielectric thickness, are analyzed in detail. This research gives insightful results for designing the sensors and circuits by using the InGaZnO TFTs.

This study evaluated the clinical efficacy of autologous cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cell transfusion in combination with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA), compared to sequential therapy with TACE and RFA, for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We retrospectively studied 2 groups of HCC patients: 85 patients in the TACE+RFA+CIK group were treated with adoptive autologous CIK cell transfusion in combination with minimally invasive therapy, 89 patients in the TACE+RFA group were treated with minimally invasive therapy alone. The overall response rate was 76.5% in the TACE+RFA+CIK group and 79.8% in the TACE+RFA group. The disease control rate was higher in the TACE+RFA+CIK group than that in the TACE+RFA group (95.3% vs. 88.8%), but the difference was not significant (P=0.113). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the patients in the TACE+RFA+CIK group had significantly longer overall survival (56 vs. 31 mo, P=0.001) and progression-free survival (17 vs. 10 mo, P=0.001) than those in the TACE+RFA group. No severe side effects occurred in the CIK cell transfusion patients. In conclusion, CIK cell immunotherapy may be a valuable therapeutic strategy to prevent recurrence and metastasis in HCC patients after TACE and RFA, and to improve patient prognosis and quality of life. Combined CIK immunotherapy and minimally invasive therapies represent a safe, potential treatment modality for HCC. However, because patient assignment to the 2 treatments was not randomized, any conclusions concerning improvements in survival must be interpreted with great caution.