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A facile method for manufacturing super hydrophobic surfaces is presented using the stainless steel wire mesh as templates. The rough surfaces of polymers including polycarbonate, polypropylene and PMMA are prepared with hot embossing on different specifications of stainless steel wire mesh. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results reveal that the surfaces roughness of the polymers can be controlled by selecting templates. Contact angle measurement shows that the water contact angles(WCA) rise with the increase of surface roughness, especially, the water contact angle on the PC surfaces prepared with specifications of 635mesh screen can reach to 152.3°, alias super hydrophobic surfaces.

Herein, graphene was proposed as a simple label-free electrochemical sensing platform. In this sensing strategy, the graphene modified electrode was used to bind aptamer by physical adsorption. The aptamer on the graphene surface could catch the target protein in the solution, which made a neutralization of the negatively charged phosphate backbone of the aptamer, resulting in the decrease of the electrochemical signals of surface-bound [Ru(NH3)6]3+. This strategy could be applied in logic aptasensor. Through the built-in NAND logic gate, it enabled us to construct logic aptasensor that could determine whether the two specific targets at saturated concentrations were both present in a sample.

Superhydrophobic materials can be used in building materials, such as glass, ceramics, and concrete, which keep buildings clean. Slip phenomenon plays an important role on the hydrophobic of solid surface. Based on the model of Volume of Fluid (VOF) for given inlet velocity and outlet pressure, the unilateral slip flow of three typical physical models (rectangular, triangular and round head shape physical model) in superhydrophobic microchannel are numerically simulated. Furthermore, the hydrophobic laws are analyzed in the condition of different shapes and dimensions, and the optimal dimension and shape of microstructure is obtained. Numerical simulation results show that the slip happens in the air-liquid interface of the microchannel, and when the micro rib’s height is 40μm, the slip velocity for rectangular physical model reaches to 125mm/s. When the micro rib’s height is at 50μm-100μm, the round head shape physical model has the largest slip velocity of 350mm/s. This study plays an important guiding role for the design and application of the superhydrophobic surface.

Objective To evaluate the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermis growth-factor receptor 2(HER-2), to determine the phenotype transformation of these receptors before and after recurrence and/or metastasis, and to explore the effects of expression and phenotype transformation of receptors on the treatment efficacy and clinical prognosis of patients with breast cancer. Methods Based on the phenotype transformation of ER, PR, and HER-2 receptor, 211 breast cancer patients were assigned to 3 groups. Twenty patients of Group A were with primary triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC, defined as lacking expression of ER, PR and HER2) which transformed into non-TNBC after recurrence and/ or metastasis, 73 of Group B were with primary non-TNBC which transformed into TNBC after recurrence and/or metastasis, and 118 of Group C were with primary TNBC which was still TNBC after recurrence and/or metastasis. The phenotype transformation of receptors, recurrence/metastasis, and efficacy and clinical prognosis were analyzed following collection of general information of the patients. Results The median age of 211 recurrent patients was 52 years (range, 22 to 78 years). Most of the patients exhibited solitary metastasis. The most common locations of the initial metastasis were lymph node, bone and skin. The median disease-free survival for Groups A, B, and C was 34.0, 25.0, and 20.0 months, respectively. The clinical effect of Groups B and C was better than that of Group A for first-line, second-line, and third-line rescuing therapy (P=0.030, 0.003, 0.001). However, the clinical benefit rate of Group A was higher than those of Groups B and C for rescuing endocrine therapy. The median follow-up time of the 211 patients was 68 months (range, 20 to 127 months), and the median survival after recurrence for Groups A, B, and C was 63.1, 33.7, and 25.8 months respectively (P=0.000). The median overall survival for Groups A, B, and C was 156.7, 67.8, and 47.4 months respectively (P=0.000). Conclusions The phenotype transformation of ER, PR and HER-2 may influence the clinical prognosis of patients with breast cancer. Therefore, the expression of ER, PR and HER-2 should be determined to ensure the efficacy of rescuing therapy.

An installation, consisting of an explosive-driven planar flyer and a cylindrical chamber, was designed to synthesize γ-Si3N4 with cubic spinel structure using the mixtures of impure α-Si3N4 and copper powders as starting materials. Sintering of γ-Si3N4 with Y2O3-Al2O3-La2O3 as additives were studied under pressures of 5.7 GPa and temperatures of 1370K. The corrosion resistance of γ-Si3N4 sintered compact to hydrofluoric acid was investigated at temperature between 490K and 500K, and its thermal stability of γ-Si3N4 powder prepared by shock wave synthesis was studied at temperature between 1670K and 1690K in a nitrogen atmosphere. The results show that γ-Si3N4 sintered compact could not react with hydrofluoric acid at 490K. At 500K, γ-Si3N4 sintered compact could reaction with hydrofluoric acid slowly, and 0.2g γ-Si3N4 sintered compact quality reduced 0.013g after 6h. The γ-Si3N4 sintered compact could not react with hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid and universal solvent at 500K. The γ-Si3N4 powder was quite stable and without phase transformation at 1670K, and after soaking at 1680K for 10 min and 30 min, the ratio of transformation from γ-Si3N4 to β-Si3N4 is about 0% and 80%, respectively. The γ-Si3N4 powder could be completely transformed into β-Si3N4 after soaking at 1690K for 30 min. Keywords: cubic silicon nitride; shock wave synthesis; phase transformation; corrosion

Electrochemical activities of typically electrochemical targets at three kinds of modified carbon electrodes, i.e. carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE), graphene/carbon paste electrode (CPE), and ionic liquid-functionalized graphene (IL-graphene)/CPE, were compared in detail. The redox processes of the probes at IL-graphene/CPE were faster than those at CILE and graphene/CPE from cyclic voltammetry. An electrochemical method for the simultaneous determination of guanine and adenine was described with detection limits of 6.5×10(-8) mol L(-1) (guanine) and 3.2×10(-8) mol L(-1) (adenine). Single A→G mutation of sequence-specific DNA could be discriminated by the IL-graphene/CPE.

The ternary Ni-W-P alloy coatings were deposited on the surface of Q235 steel using Chemical deposition. The microstructure, phase analysis, plating velocity and hardness were investigated with scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction technique and Vickers hardness tester. The results showed that the plating rate had been increased firstly, and then decreased with the increment of sodium citrate concentration in the range of 20-80g/L, the maximum plating velocity was 9.14μm/h. The hardness of Ni-W-P plating increased first and then decreased with the increment of sodium citrate concentration, the maximum hardness was 643HV when the concentration of sodium citrate was 40g/L. When the concentration of sodium citrate was 40g/L, the substrate was completely covered by Ni-W-P plating, the surface was composed of uniform crystalline grains, and had no obvious defects and presented amorphous. The coating and substrate were relatively strong, the coating had no the phenomena of fall off and crackle in the bending and files tests when the concentration of sodium citrate was 40g/L and 50g/L respectively.

The differentiation of benign and malignant tumors is of great significance for the preliminary evaluation of biological behaviors and prognosis of tumors prior to surgery or other interventions (1). Histopathological examination of the tumor biopsy samples serves as the gold standard for confirming the degree of malignancy of tumors. However, it is desirable and valuable to explore noninvasive imaging approaches to obtain diagnostic information at the earliest possible time points and without biopsy. When compared with other imaging modalities, ultrasound offers many advantages. It is safe, sensitive and portable. It offers a lower cost, yet also provides the features of real-time imaging and deep tissue penetration. Traditional ultrasound imaging technologies include B-mode-based grayscale ultrasonography, blood-flow-based color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) and stiffness-based elastography. These techniques reflect local anatomy and can provide precursory information on the benign and malignant status of tumors (2,3). For example, the representative grayscale ultrasonography of malignant neoplasms is considered to be hypoechoic in grey scale, with fuzzy boundary often accompanied by microcalcification (4). CDFI is generally used to determine the benign vs. malignant tumor status from the blood vessel density and blood flow spectrum data (5,6). Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is capable of assessing the blood flow in the lesions through perfusion imaging of small capillary blood vessels (7,8). To some degree, all these methods provide diagnostic information on the benign or malignant status of the interrogated lesions. However, these ultrasound techniques mostly reflect the characteristics of tumor anatomy. During the past 20 years, ultrasound elastography has developed as a supplement to traditional ultrasound technology for differentiation of benign and malignant tumors, especially in superficial organs (9). Based on the heterogeneity of stiffness between different tumor tissues, ultrasound elastography can distinguish between benign and malignant tumors by detecting the modulus of elasticity (10). Studies have confirmed that, compared with conventional ultrasonography, ultrasound elastography has better specificity and accuracy in differentiating benign from malignant breast tumors (11,12). Nevertheless, ultrasound elastography has limitations in precise tumor diagnosis. The results of ultrasound elastography were easily affected by the skills of the operators and the location of the lesion, which might cause false positive results and reduce the diagnosis accuracy (13). Therefore, it is very important to develop novel ultrasound imaging technology to acquire functional information, especially the information on the tumor status at the molecular level, which is currently only available from invasive techniques, such as biopsy and histology. Fortunately, ultrasound technology has emerged with an exciting molecular imaging potential in tumor diagnosis. Ultrasound molecular imaging with targeted probes requires specific targeting to the receptors overexpressed on the angiogenic blood vessels. Such targeted contrast agents are administered intravenously, and accumulate in the vasculature in the areas of disease (14). Therefore, microbubbles, the most popular ultrasound contrast agents, need to be functionalized with appropriate ligands that have high affinity to the target vasculature biomarkers of disease, and allow specific binding and retention of these particles on the target vessel surface, despite the dislodging action of blood flow. Numerous targeting ligands, including antibodies, antibody fragments, peptides, and carbohydrates have been applied to construct targeted microbubble probes (15). By detecting the signals derived from the retained microbubbles in the target regions, ultrasound molecular imaging can determine the expression level of molecules and visualize biomarker status in situ. Multiple studies in vivo have demonstrated the diagnostic utility of ultrasound molecular imaging for the detection of inflammation, atherosclerosis and tumor angiogenesis in animal studies (16-19).

Objective Radiation therapy is an important component of the multidisciplinary management of esophageal carcinoma. Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy requires the precise definition of the target volume. We aimed to compare the treatment results and radiation toxicities between three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) and conventional radiotherapy (CR) for patients with cervical and thoracic esophageal carcinoma.

This paper described a novel electrochemical DNA biosensor for rapid specific detection of nucleic acids based on the sulfonated polyaniline (SPAN) nanofibre and cysteamine-capped gold nanoparticle (CA-G(NP)) layer-by-layer films. A precursor film of 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) was firstly self-assembled on the Au electrode surface. CA-G(NP) was covalently deposited on the Au/MPA electrode to obtain a stable substrate. SPAN nanofibre and CA-G(NP) were alternately layer-by-layer assembled on the stable substrate by electrostatic force. Cyclic voltammetry was used to monitor the consecutive growth of the multilayer films by utilizing [Fe(CN)(6)](3-/4-) as the redox indicator. The (CA-G(NP)/SPAN)(n) films showed satisfactory ability of electron transfer and excellent redox activity in neutral media. Negatively charged probe ssDNA was immobilized on the outer layer of the multilayer film (CA-G(NP)) through electrostatic affinity. Chronopotentiometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were employed to obtain the direct electrochemical readout for probe ssDNA immobilization and hybridization using [Fe(CN)(6)](3-/4-) in solution as the mediator. While electrochemical impedance spectroscopy led to the characterization of the electron-transfer resistance at the electrode, chronopotentiometry provided the total resistance at the interfaces of the modified electrodes. A good correlation between the total electrode resistances and the electron-transfer resistances at the conducting supports was found. Chronopotentiometry was suggested as a rapid transduction means (a few seconds). Based on the (CA-G(NP)/SPAN)(n) films, the target DNA with 20-base could be detected up to 2.13x10(-13)mol/L, and the feasibility for the detection of base-mismatched DNA was also demonstrated.

Carboxylic group-functionalized carbon nanotubes (c-CNT) were modified on the surface of carbon paste electrode to obtain a conducting precursor film. Positively charged poly-l-lysine (pLys) and negatively charged double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) were alternately adsorbed on the c-CNT-modified electrode, forming (pLys/dsDNA) n layer-by-layer (LBL) films. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of the electroactive probe [Fe(CN)6]3−/4− could give the valuable dynamic information of multilayer films growth. The oxidative DNA damage induced by cadmium ion (Cd2+) in the LBL multilayer films was studied by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) with methylene violet (MV) as the intercalation redox probe. The electrochemical signals of MV on the multilayer films were effectively amplified via LBL technology. The specific intercalation of MV into dsDNA base pairs and the amplified electrochemical response of MV, combined with the unique feature of loading reversibility of MV in the DNA layer-by-layer films, made the difference in DPV response between the intact, and damaged dsDNA films become pronounced. This biosensor exhibited that the (pLys/dsDNA) n films could be utilized for investigations of DNA damage.

The CS/PVA/Fe3O4 nanocomposite membranes with chainlike arrangement of Fe3O4 nanoparticles are prepared by a magnetic-field-assisted solution casting method. The aim of this work is to investigate the relationship between the microstructure of the magnetic anisotropic CS/PVA/Fe3O4 membrane and the evolved macroscopic physicochemical property. With the same doping content, the relative crystallinity of CS/PVA/Fe3O4-M is lower than that of CS/PVA/Fe3O4. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-TR) measurements indicate that there is no chemical bonding between polymer molecule and Fe3O4 nanoparticle. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles in CS/PVA/Fe3O4 and CS/PVA/Fe3O4-M are wrapped by the chains of CS/PVA, which is also confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The saturation magnetization value of CS/PVA/Fe3O4-M obviously increases compared with that of non-magnetic aligned membrane, meanwhile the transmittance decreases in the UV-visible region. The o-Ps lifetime distribution provides information about the free-volume nanoholes present in the amorphous region. It is suggested that the microstructure of CS/PVA/Fe3O4 membrane can be modified in its curing process under a magnetic field, which could affect the magnetic properties and the transmittance of nanocomposite membrane. In brief, a full understanding of the relationship between the microstructure and the macroscopic property of CS/PVA/Fe3O4 nanocomposite plays a vital role in exploring and designing the novel multifunctional materials.

An electrochemical DNA sensing film was constructed based on the multilayers comprising of poly-L-lysine (pLys) and Au-carbon nanotube (Au-CNT) hybrid. A precursor film of mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) was firstly self-assembled on the Au electrode surface. pLys and Au-CNT hybrid layer-by-layer assembly films were fabricated by alternately immersing the MPA-modified electrode into the pLys solution and Au-CNT hybrid solution. Cyclic voltammetry was used to monitor the consecutive growth of the multilayer films by utilizing [Fe(CN)6]3−/4− and [Co(phen)3]3+/2+ as the redox indicators. The outer layer of the multilayer film was the positively charged pLys, on which the DNA probe was easily linked due to the strong electrostatic affinity. The hybridization detection of DNA was accomplished by using methylene blue (MB) as the indicator, which possesses different affinities to dsDNA and ssDNA. Differential pulse voltammetry was employed to record the signal response of MB and determine the amount of the target DNA sequence. The established biosensor has high sensitivity, a relatively wide linear range from 1.0×10−10 mol/L to 1.0×10−6 mol/L and the ability to discriminate the fully complementary target DNA from single or double base-mismatched DNA. The sequence-specific DNA related to phosphinothricin acetyltransferase gene from the transgenically modified plants was successfully detected.

The positively charged nano-ZnO and negatively charged natural DNA were alternately adsorbed on the surface of a gold electrode, forming (ZnO/dsDNA)nlayer-by-layer films. Valuable dynamic information for controlling the formation and growth of the films was obtained by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) measurements showed that the electroactive probe methylene blue (MB) could be loaded in the (ZnO/dsDNA)nfilms from its solution, and then released from the films into Britton-Robinson (B-R) buffer. The complete reloading of MB in the films could be realized by immersing the films in MB solution again. However, after incubation in the solution of carcinogenic metal nickel, the damaged (ZnO/dsDNA)n films could not return to their original and fully-loaded state, and showed smaller DPV peak currents. The results demonstrated that the DNA damage induced by the hydroxyl radical could be achieved by electrochemistry.

Objective -The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between increased plasma osteoprotegerin (OPG) levels and acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods - Plasma OPG levels from 85 subjects undergoing coronary artery angiography in three different groups, including ACS (n = 45), stable angia pectoris (SAP) (n = 20) and normal coronary artery (NCA) (n = 20), were detected by ELISA. Twenty-two ascending aorta specimens were surgically taken from 8 ACS, 7 SAP and 7 NCA patients, and OPG mRNA expression in the specimens was detected by RT-PCR. In addition, 10 coronary artery sections each were selected from autopsy archives for the presence of vulnerable atherosclerosis plaques (VP), stable plaques (SP) or no plaques (NP) and OPG protein expression in the sections was detected by immunohistochemistry. Results - Plasma OPG concentrations in the ACS group were significantly higher than those in the SAP or NCA group. The levels of plasma OPG in the 1-, 2- and 3-vessel disease subgroups of ACS were increasingly higher (P

2,6-Pyridinedicarboxylic acid (PDC) was electropolymerized on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface combined with carboxylic group-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by cyclic voltammetry (CV) to form PDC-SWNTs composite film, which was rich in negatively charged carboxylic group. Then, poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDDA), a linear cationic polyelectrolyte, was electrostatically adsorbed on the PDC-SWNTs/GCE surface. DNA probes with negatively charged phosphate group at the 5′ end were immobilized on the PDDA/PDC-SWNTs/GCE due to the strong electrostatic attraction between PDDA and phosphate group of DNA. It has been found that modification of the electrode with PDC-SWNTs film has enhanced the effective electrode surface area and electron-transfer ability, in addition to providing negatively charged groups for the electrostatic assembly of cationic polyelectrolyte. PDDA plays a key role in the attachment of DNA probes to the PDC-SWNTs composite film and acts as a bridge to connect DNA with PDC-SWNTs film. The cathodic peak current of methylene blue (MB), an electroactive label, decreased obviously after the hybridization of DNA probe (ssDNA) with the complementary DNA (cDNA). This peak current change was used to monitor the recognition of the specific sequences related to PAT gene in the transgenic corn and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of NOS gene from the sample of transgenic soybean with satisfactory results. Under optimal conditions, the dynamic detection range of the sensor to PAT gene target sequence was from 1.0 × 10−11 to 1.0 × 10−6 mol/L with the detection limit of 2.6 × 10−12 mol/L.

Photocatalysis with TiO 2 (UV/TiO 2 ) was employed to treat Reactive Black SRE (RB SRE) in aqueous solution. The effects of TiO 2 loading, initial concentration of RB SRE and pH on the photocatalytic activity were investigated. The RB SRE degradation intermediate products were analyzed by ultraviolet visible spectrum (UV-vis), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and ion chromatography (IC). The results show the optimum TiO 2 loading was 0.15 g L -1 and acidic medium could improve the removal of RB SRE, and the rise of RB SRE initial concentration decreased color removal. The main intermediate products were 2,5-diritrobenzoic acid and 3,5,5-trimethylhexanoic acid. The primary inorganic ions were cl - , NO 3 - , and SO 2- 4 . The photocatalytic degradation rate followed pseudo-first order at different loadings of TiO 2 and initial concentrations of RB SRE. On the basis of Langmuir model, the limiting rate of the reaction at maximum coverage (k v ) and the equilibrium constant for adsorption (K e ) of RB SRE are 1.129 mg L -1 min -1 and 0.01789 L mg -1 respectively.

Objective To compare the differences of immunological characteristics between newborn and adults, we performed high-throughput sequencing to reveal the diversity of umbilical cord blood and adult peripheral blood at both T-cell receptor beta chain (TRB) and immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) levels. Study design High-throughput sequencing was performed to analyze the expression of TRB-CDR3 and IGH-CDR3 in circulating T and B cells isolated from 20 healthy adults, 56 pregnant women, and 40 newborns. Results Our results revealed different immunological characteristics between newborn and adults, such as distinctive complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) lengths, usage bias of variable and joining segments, random nucleotide addition, a large number of unique CDR3 peptides, and a greater repertoire diversity. Moreover, each newborn had a distinctive TRB-/IGH-CDR3 repertoire that was independent of the maternal immune status. Conclusions This study presents comprehensive, unrestricted profiles of the TRB/IGH-CDR3 repertoire of newborns, pregnant women, and healthy adults at a sequence-level resolution. Our data may contribute to a better understanding of the immune system of newborns and benefit the efficient application of umbilical cord blood transplantation in future.

SPOT6 is a new remote sensing satellite launched in 2012, with high spatial resolution and strong data acquisition ability. However, a complete data preprocessing technology for the regulation of land resources has not yet been formed. According to the characteristics of SPOT6 satellite images, four different image fusion methods – Gram-Schmidt, HPF, PanSharpand PanSharpening were selected to conduct the comparison experiment by using the software platforms of ENVI, ERDAS and PCI. We evaluate the results’ performances from 3 different aspects. First, evaluating the image quality of experiment results qualitatively, then assessed quantitatively by establishing evaluation indexes including mean, standard deviation, information entropy, average gradient and correlation coefficient. Finally, evaluating the applicative effect of fused images based on the classification accuracy. The analysis results shows that the method of PanSharp is best to extract construction land information. Based on the PanSharp fusion image, in order to obtain the texture information under different scales, the authors screened the texture features according to Shannon entropy, and then used distance-based approach J-M to calculate the separation for choosing the optimal texture window. Once got the texture information, combining it with the original image to participate in the multi-scale image classification. The research result showed that multi-window texture participation in classification can improve separation of objects. Finally we extract construction land information with the method of SVM. This study may provide the technical support for application of SPOT6 image in the land resources management.

The potential of adsorptive removal of basic dyes with titanate nanotubes (TNTs) and acid dyes with surfactant (hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) chloride)-modified TNTs were investigated. TNTs were prepared via a hydrothermal method and subsequently washed with HCl aqueous solutions of different concentrations. The prepared TNTs were then mediated by the HDTMA ions through the cation exchange process. Effects of acid washing and HDTMA-modified process on the revolution of microstructure and surface chemistry characteristics of TNTs were characterized with XRD, nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, and FTIR. The adsorption capacities of two basic dyes (two acid dyes) on TNTs (their HDTMA-modified version) at initial dye concentration of 2000 mg/L were measured. It was experimentally concluded that if the amount of Na+ in the TNTs was not very low, the TNTs and their HDTMA-modified version might be a good adsorbent for the removal of basic and acid dyes from aqueous solution through the cation and anion exchange mechanism, respectively. The adsorption capacity for basic and acid dyes could reach 380 and 400 mg/g, respectively.

The aim of this study was to investigate the viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state of the bacterium. Vibrio alginolyticus VIB283 was cultured in sterilized seawater microcosm at 4 degrees C. Culturability of the cells in the microcosm was monitored by spread plate count (PC) on 2216E agar, PCs declined to undetectable levels (

We investigate the dynamic characteristics of oil-water two-phase flow in small diameter pipes in terms of chaotic attractor comparison method, and we find that the attractor comparison statistic changes along with the flow patterns. In particular, this statistic is very sensitive to the oil-in-water flow pattern and the very fine dispersed oil-in-water flow pattern, for which is very difficult to distinguish from conventional method. The results indicate that the attractor comparison statistic is a very effective index to reveal the intrinsic dynamic mechanism of the oil-water two-phase flow in small diameter pipes.

The calcium channel blocker (CCB), nifedipine, is a more effective treatment for early- than late-stage cardiac hypertrophy. We investigated the effects of early- and late-stage nifedipine administration on calcium homeostasis, CaMKII (Ca(2+) /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II) activity and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes under hypertrophic stimulation with angiotensin II (AngII). Primary rat cardiomyocytes were divided into five treatment groups: AK, AngII plus the CaMKII inhibitor, KN-93; AN-1 (early-stage), AngII plus nifedipine × 48 h; AN-2 (late-stage), AngII × 48 h, then AngII plus nifedipine × 48 h; C, untreated; and A, AngII × 48 h. The t1/2β [time required for intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+) ]i) to decline to one half of the peak value] decreased; however, CaMKII and SERCA2a (sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) -ATPase 2a) activities increased in the AN-1 group compared with the AK group. In the AN-2 group compared with the AN-1 group, CaMKII activity, t1/2α [time required for [Ca(2+) ]i to increase from the bottom to one half of peak value], t1/2β, and apoptosis increased. These results indicate that the timing of CCB administration affects the calcium concentration and apoptosis of hypertrophic cardiomyocytes through the CaMKII-SERCA2a signalling pathway, thereby influencing the drug's protective activity against cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.

To explore the factors influencing cognitive functions in patients with childhood and adolescence-onset schizophrenia.The clinical data of 78 patients with childhood and adolescence-onset schizophrenia who met with the criteria of ICD-10 for schizophrenia were retrospectively reviewed. The cognitive functions were evaluated by the Chinese Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (C-WISC), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), digit span backward and P300. The clinical symptoms were evaluated by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).The patients with a lower education level or earlier onset of age had a longer P3 latency at the P300Fz area. The patients with a higher parental education level had higher scores of full intelligence quotient (FIQ), verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ), performance intelligence quotient (PIQ), conceptual level and completed categories of WCST and backward numeric order reciting. The patients with higher PANSS negative subscale scores had lower scores of FIQ, VIQ, PIQ, completed categories and conceptual level of WCST and backward numeric order reciting. The patients with a longer stabilization time had higher backward numeric order reciting scores.The severity of negative symptoms of the patients and the educational level of their parents are major factors influencing cognitive functions in patients with childhood and adolescence-onset schizophrenia.

With the world’s accelerating economic growth as well as the continuous expansion of the global population, the demand for energy and other resources from human society has correspondingly increased year by year. For the purpose of energy saving and environmental protection, a “low-carbon tide” has swept the globe. Despite of the bargaining in right and obligation associated with carbon emissions abatement, most countries per se have taken the low-carbon path to prepare for strategic competitiveness in the long run. Beyond all question, low-carbon economy would be a significant issue in China’s development, which has already orientated by policies such as National twelfth Five-year plan. As a typical resource-based city, Kaiyuan has consolidated and developed several pillar industries including coal, electricity, chemical, building materials, and food industries around its coal energy industry. The well-developed industrial system and especially the heavy industries have contributed a lot to local economy, however, also brought about severe challenges to the sustainable development of Kaiyuan. As a city whose 90 % energy depends on coal, Kaiyuan is suffering serious pressure in reduction of CO2, SO2, and oxynitride. Therefore, supportive works for Kaiyuan’s low-carbon planning are in sore need and could make profound meaning. This paper firstly establishes an accounting model for measurement of city’s carbon emissions in which every category, namely husbandry and energy consumption, which should be taken into account has been recognized. After the definition of accounting scope, the calculation method and standard for the emission of each category has been formulated. Some quantitative researches for the total carbon emissions and their sub-items have accordingly carried out to reveal the contradictions and problems during the development of Kaiyuan. Based on the current status as to carbon emissions, three sceneries, referred as Basic analysis unit (BAU), Basic policy (BP) and Low-carbon (LC) scenery, have been set up to check out the development goals for LC urban development of Kaiyuan. According to these analyses, some policy advices have been proposed for reference.

The fundamental and the fluorescence anisotropies of New Red and Erythrosine were measured. The intersection angles between the absorption and the emission dipole moments for New Red and Erythrosine are 4.44[Formula: see text] and 23.26[Formula: see text], respectively. The average angle shift of the emission dipole moment of New Red is 3.91[Formula: see text] during the lifetime of the excited state. This indicates that it has a bifurcated linear structure with weak rotational capacity. The average angle shift of the emission dipole moment of Erythrosine is 9.25[Formula: see text], indicating that it has a partial planar structure and is easier to rotate. The spatial ground state structures were simulated with Gaussian 09.

The effect of cold deformation on microstructure and mechanical properties of a Fe–20Mn–19Cr–0.5C–0.6N high nitrogen austenitic steel has been studied. Microstructural observations show that the low cold deformation is fully dominated by the dislocation structures, namely, pile-ups, Taylor lattice, and dislocation cells. With further cold deformation, the effect of twinning induced plasticity and grains fragmentation play an important role during cold deformation process. At critical cold deformation reduction range of 26–36%, the microstructural transitions by dislocation planar slip and multiplication gradually transits to twinning. For mechanical properties, with the increase of cold deformation reduction, the yield strength increases from 0.52 to 1.60 GPa, being increased by three times. The flow stress–strain model of the solution-treated specimen can be described as σ = 1974 ϵ 0.402 + e − 0.3625 ⋅ e − 33.114 ϵ . In addition, the strength-elongation product and the cold deformation reduction present a linear relationship with a correlation coefficient of −0.27 to estimate the variation rate of the strength-elongation product during cold deformation.

The electrode polarization effects on bioelectrical impedance measurement at low-frequency cannot be ignored. In this paper, the bioelectrical data of mice livers are measured to specify the polarization effects on the bio-impedance measurement data. We firstly introduce the measurement system and methodology. Using the depolarization method, the corrected results are obtained. Besides, the specific effects of electrode polarization on bio-impedance measurement results are investigated using comparative analysis of the previous and posterior correction results from dielectric spectroscopy, Cole-Cole plot, conductivity and spectroscopy of dissipation tangent. Experimental results show that electrode polarization has a significant influence on the characteristic parameters of mouse liver tissues. To be specific, we see a low-frequency limit resistance R0 increase by 19.29%, a reactance peak XP increase by 8.50%, a low-frequency limit conductivity l K decrease by 17.65% and a dissipation peak tangent decrease by 160%.

As lithography still pushing toward to lower k􀬵 imaging, traditional illumination source shapes may perform marginally in resolving complex layouts, freeform source shapes are expected to achieve better image quality. Illumination optimization as one of inverse lithography techniques attempts to synthesize the input source which leads to the desired output wafer pattern by inverting the forward model from mask to wafer. This paper proposes a method to optimize illumination by using simulated annealing algorithms (SA). A synthesis of the NILS values at multi-critical mask locations over a focus range is chose as the merit function. The advantage of the SA algorithm is that it can identify optimum source solutions without any additional apriori knowledge about lithographic processes. The results show that our method can provide great improvements in both image quality and DOF.

To evaluate the serum HER2 ECD level and its significance in advanced breast cancer patients with different molecular subtypes.A total of 322 advanced breast cancer patients were enrolled. The serum HER2 ECD concentrations were quantitatively detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Its relationship with clinicopathological characteristics and clinical significance were analyzed.It was found that 55.9% (19/34)Luminal A, 42.7% (44/103) Luminal B-HER2(-), 70.6% (60/85) Luminal B-HER2(+), 73.8% (45/61)HER2-enriched and 23.1% (9/39) triple-negative patients had serum concentrations of HER2 ECD at least 15 ng/ml respectively. The prevalence of elevated ECD level in patients of different molecular subtypes differed significantly (P0.001). Tissue HER2 status, number of metastatic sites, visceral metastasis, CA15-3 and carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA) levels exhibited statistically significant correlations with the prevalence of elevated serum HER2 ECD level. The serum concentrations of HER2 ECD decreased after effective targeted therapy in tissue HER2-positive patients.The prevalence of elevated serum levels of HER2 ECD differed significantly in advanced breast cancer patients with different molecular subtypes. The serum HER2 ECD level may reflect both histological HER2 status and tumor load. And the dynamic changes of ECD concentrations are somewhat correlated with the efficacies of targeted treatment.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate renal insufficiency in patients with chemotherapy.

The different toxicity characteristics of arsenic species result in discrepant ecological risk. The predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs) 43.65, 250.18, and 2.00×10(3)μg/L were calculated for As(III), As(V), and dimethylarsinic acid in aqueous phase, respectively. With these PNECs, the ecological risk from arsenic species in Pearl River Delta in China and Kwabrafo stream in Ghana was evaluated. It was found that the risk from As(III) and As(V) in the samples from Pearl River Delta was low, while much high in Kwabrafo stream. This study implies that ecological risk of arsenic should be evaluated basing on its species.

The essential task of risk investment is to select an optimal tracking portfolio among various portfolios. Statistically, this process can be achieved by choosing an optimal restricted linear model. This paper develops a statistical procedure to do this, based on selecting appropriate weights for averaging approximately restricted models. The method of weighted average least squares is adopted to estimate the approximately restricted models under dependent error setting. The optimal weights are selected by minimizing ak-class generalized information criterion (k-GIC), which is an estimate of the average squared error from the model average fit. This model selection procedure is shown to be asymptotically optimal in the sense of obtaining the lowest possible average squared error. Monte Carlo simulations illustrate that the suggested method has comparable efficiency to some alternative model selection techniques.

To investigate the radiotherapy modality progress of stageIIb-IIIb cervical stump cancer.The clinical data of 13 patients with stageIIb-IIIb cervical stump cancer undergoing radiotherapy from January 2000 to April 2012 was reviewed. Before 2006, 8 patients received conventional external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy.Since 2006, 5 patients received intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and brachytherapy.The median survival was 12-139 months. The median overall survivals and disease free survivals in the conventional radiotherapy (CRT) group were 57 months and 50 months, 3 cases of them recurred during 8-19 months and died of tumor progression.While, the median overall survivals and disease free survival in the IMRT group both were 21 months and nobody recurred. In the CRT group, 7 patients suffered toxicities, including 5 patients grade I-II acute rectum reaction, 2 patients grade I bladder reaction; and 3 had grade I-III, late rectum reaction, 2 patients for grade II bladder late reaction.In the IMRT group, toxicities including 1 case grade I acute or late rectum reaction, and no bladder reaction.In our experience, the recommended IMRT and interstitial brachytherapy for the selected patients with advanced cervical stump carcinoma may be obtain better tumor dose distribution and more sparing of the organ at risk.

A novel solvothermal-induced self-assembly approach, using colloid sol as precursor, is developed to construct monolithic 3D metal oxide/GS (graphene sheets) aerogels. During the solvothermal process, graphene oxide (GO) is highly reduced to GS and self-assembles into 3D macroscopic hydrogels, accompanying with in situ transformation of colloid sol to metal oxides. As a proof of concept, Fe2 O3 /GS aerogels are synthesized based on Fe(OH)3 sol, in which GS self-assemble into an interconnected macroporous framework and Fe2 O3 nanocrystals (20-50 nm) uniformly deposit on GS. Benefitting from the integration of macroporous structures, large surface area, high electrical conductivity, and good electrode homogeneity, the hybrid electrode manifests a superior rate capability (930, 660 and 520 mAh g(-1) at 500, 2000 and 4000 mA g(-1), respectively) and excellent prolonged cycling stability at high rates (733 mAh g(-1) during 1000 charge/discharge cycles at 2000 mA g(-1)), demonstrating its great potential for application in high performance lithium ion batteries. The work described here provides a versatile pathway to construct various graphene-based hybrid aerogels.

As lithography still pushing toward to lower K1 imaging, traditional illumination source shapes may perform marginally in resolving complex layouts, freeform source shapes are expected to achieve better image quality. Illumination optimization as one of inverse lithography techniques attempts to synthesize the input source which leads to the desired output wafer pattern by inverting the forward model from mask to wafer. Usually, inverse lithography problem could be solved by standard numerical methods. Recently, a set of gradient-based numerical methods have been developed to solve the mask optimization problem based on Hopkins' approach. In this study, the same method is also applied to resolve the illumination optimization but based on Abbe imaging formulation for partially coherent illumination. Firstly we state a pixel-based source representation, and analyze the constraint condition for source intensity. Secondly, we propose an objective function which includes three aspects: image fidelity, source smoothness and discretization penalty. Image fidelity is to ensure that the image is as close to the given mask as possible. Source smoothness and discretization penalty are to decrease the source complexity. All of the three items could be described mathematically. Thirdly, we describe the detailed optimization flow, and present the advantages of using Abbe imaging formulation as calculation mode of light intensity. Finally, some simulations were done with initial conventional illumination for 90nm isolated, dense and elbow features separately. As a result, we get irregular dipole source shapes for isolated and dense pattern, and irregular quadrupole for elbow pattern. The results also show that our method could provide great improvements in both image fidelity and source complexity.

Ganoderma luncidum (Leyss. ex Fr.) Karst. (GLK) has been used traditionally for the prevention and treatment of cancers or tumors for a long time in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The triterpenes as main effective components of GLK have been found to be beneficial for the efficacy. The purpose of this study was to examine the anti-lung cancer activity of triterpenes of GLK in vitro and in vivo and to explore their anti-lung cancer effects and potential mechanisms. A549 cells and Lewis tumor-bearing mice were used to evaluate the inhibition effects of triterpenes on cell proliferation and tumor growth. The IC50 of triterpenes of GLK on A549 cells was 24.63 μg/mL. Triterpenes of GLK could significantly inhibit tumor growth in mice (30, 60 and 120 mg/kg). The immune organs indexes including spleen and thymus were increased remarkedly by the treatment with triterpenes. Moreover, they were able to stimulate the immune response by increasing the expressions of IL-6 and TNF-α. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that cell arrest caused by triterpenes treatment (7.5, 15 and 30 μg/mL) was in the G2/M phase in A549 cells. Triterpenes induced apoptosis by decreasing the expression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and pro-caspase 9 and increasing the levels of cleaved-caspase 9. Our findings suggested that the triterpenes of GLK have anti-lung cancer activity in vitro and in vivo via enhancement of immunomodulation and induction of cell apoptosis. The study provides insights into the mechanism of GLK in the prevention and treatment of lung cancer.

To explore one-step method for the preparation of Ganoderma lucidum multicomponent microemulsion, according to the dissolution characteristics of triterpenes and polysaccharides in Ganoderma lucidum, formulation of the microemulsion was optimized. The optimal blank microemulsion was used as a solvent to sonicate the Ganoderma lucidum powder to prepare the multicomponent microemulsion, besides, its physicochemical properties were compared with the microemulsion made by conventional method. The results showed that the multicomponent microemulsion was characterized as (43.32 +/- 6.82) nm in size, 0.173 +/- 0.025 in polydispersity index (PDI) and -(3.98 +/- 0.82) mV in zeta potential. The contents of Ganoderma lucidum triterpenes and polysaccharides were (5.95 +/- 0.32) and (7.58 +/- 0.44) mg x mL(-1), respectively. Sonicating Ganoderma lucidum powder by blank microemulsion could prepare the multicomponent microemulsion. Compared with the conventional method, this method is simple and low cost, which is suitable for industrial production.

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy induced by angiotensin II (AngII) can subsequently give rise to heart failure, a leading cause of mortality. Nardosinone is a pharmacologically active compound extracted from the roots of Nardostachys chinensis, a well-known traditional Chinese medicine. In order to investigate the effects of nardosinone on AngII-induced cardiac cell hypertrophy and the related mechanisms, the myoblast cell line H9c2, derived from embryonic rat heart, was treated with nardosinone (25, 50, 100, and 200 μmol/L) or AngII (1 μmol/L). Then cell surface area and mRNA expression of classical markers of hypertrophy were detected. The related protein levels in PI3K/Akt/mTOR and MEK/ERK signaling pathways were examined by Western blotting. It was found that pretreatment with nardosinone could significantly inhibit the enlargement of cell surface area induced by AngII. The mRNA expression of ANP, BNP and β-MHC was obviously elevated in AngII-treated H9c2 cells, which could be effectively blocked by nardosinone at the concentration of 100 μmol/L. Further study revealed that the protective effects of nardosinone might be mediated by repressing the phosphorylation of related proteins in PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK signaling pathways. It was suggested that the inhibitory effect of nardosinone on Ang II-induced hypertrophy in H9c2 cells might be mediated by targeting PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK signaling pathways.