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Photon-induced deactivation of traps in MAPbI3 can strongly affect charge relaxation behavior. Charge relaxation associated with photo-induced deactivation of various traps in MAPbI3 films was investigated through steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy under laser excitation at 635 and 430 nm to investigate the properties of the traps. Three types of traps that could be deactivated by photons were observed in the MAPbI3 films, namely TL, TH, and TGB. TL and TH, which were related to MAPbI3 bulk, had low and high photon energy thresholds (red and blue photons) for deactivation, respectively. TGB was related to the traps at grain boundaries in MAPbI3 and had a low photon energy threshold (red photons) for deactivation. The energy level of TGB was higher than that of the conduction band of MAPbI3. Under blue excitation, TGB mediated a fast nonradiative recombination at few nanoseconds, and TL and TH mediated a slow nonradiative recombination at few 100 ns. The fast nonradiative recombination led to a significantly low initial normalized photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) (1/22) under blue excitation, compared with that obtained under red excitation (1/4). The deactivation of TL and TH resulted in increases in both the amplitude of PL and recombination time. The deactivation of TGB resulted only in a significant increase in PLQY of blue excitation.

The resistance hysteresis of vanadium dioxide ([Formula: see text]) is a key feature in revealing mechanisms of a phase transition as well as emerging applications. In this study, a dynamical model based on random-resistor networks is developed to simulate the transport properties of [Formula: see text] thin films. The reversible metal–insulator phase transition of each microscopic domain is captured by a modified Landau-type functional. The proposed model enables analysis of not only the formation of conducting filaments driven by an electric field, but also the thermal-driving reversal curves of resistance hysteresis. It is shown that the appearance of a hysteresis loop as well as the aggregation of metallic domains can be tuned via the interactions of each domain with its neighbors and the substrate. The interaction effects are vital for the persistence of metallic domains, which can re-trigger the insulating-to-metallic transition by a subthreshold voltage bias with the delay time much longer than the transition switching time. These results are in agreement with experimental observations and can be helpful in developing [Formula: see text]-based key components ranging from infrared bolometers to the volatile resistive switches for neuromorphic computing.

Tracheophilus cymbius (Trematoda: Cyclocoelidae) is a common tracheal fluke of waterfowl, causing serious loss in the poultry industry. However, taxonomic identification of T. cymbius remains controversial and confused. Mitochondrial (mt) genomes can provide genetic markers for the identification of closely related species. We determined the mt genome of T. cymbius and reconstructed phylogenies with other trematodes. The T. cymbius mt genome is 13,760 bp in size, and contains 12 protein-coding genes (cox 1-3, nad 1-6, nad 4L, cyt b and atp 6), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and one non-coding region. All are transcribed in the same direction. The A + T content is 62.82%. ATG and TAG are the most common initiation and termination codons, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses of concatenated nucleotide sequences show T. cymbius grouping in suborder Echinostomata, and clustering together, with high statistical support, as a sister taxon with Echinochasmus japonicus (Echinochasmidae), the two forming a distinct branch rooted to the ancestor of all Echinostomatidae and Fasciolidae species. This is the first report of the T. cymbius mt genome, and the first reported mt genome within the family Cyclocoelidae. These data will provide a significant resource of molecular markers for studying the taxonomy, population genetics and systematics of trematodes.

Parascarosis is caused mainly by parasitic infections with Parascaris equorum and Parascaris univalens, the most common ascarid nematodes, in the small intestine of equines. Parascarosis often causes severe illness and even death in foals and yearlings. In this study, we obtained the complete sequence of the P. equorum mitochondrial (mt) genome and compared its organization and structure with that of P. equorum Japan isolate (nearly complete), and the complete mtDNA sequences of P. univalens Switzerland and USA isolates. The complete mtDNA genome of P. equorum China isolate is 13,899 base pairs (bp), making it the smallest of the four genomes. All four Parascaris mt genomes are circular, and all genes are transcribed in the same direction. The P. equorum mtDNA genome consists of 12 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer (t) RNA genes and one non-coding region, which is consistent with P. equorum Japan isolate and P. univalens Switzerland isolate but distinct from P. univalens USA isolate, which has 20 tRNA genes. Differences in nucleotide sequences of the four entire mt genomes range from 0.1–0.9%, and differences in total amino acid sequences of protein-coding genes are 0.2–2.1%. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the four Parascaris species clustered in a clade, indicating that P. equorum and P. univalens are very closely related. These mt genome datasets provide genetic evidence that P. equorum and P. univalens may represent the same species, which will be of use in further studies of the taxonomy, systematics and population genetics of ascarids and other nematodes.

The reversible phase change of Germanium Telluride (GeTe) is essential for developing advanced non-volatile devices. We investigate off-stoichiometric effect on the thermal and structural properties of amorphous Ge1−δ Te (0 ≤ δ ≤ 0.12) via molecular dynamics. The structural optimization due to off-stoichiometry was taken into account with an empirical potential. Our simulated thermal conductivity is in the range of experimental observations. With increasing δ, the thermal conductivity tends to be slightly reduced. Analysis on the coordination number and the bond angle distribution indicates that the off-stoichiometric Ge1−δ Te still retain its ability of rapid phase transition. These results are helpful in reliable device design and modeling.

Effect of Ta underlayer on the magnetic properties of sputter-prepared NiFe(5 nm)/FeMn(20 nm) bilayer films have been studied. The magnetic properties of studied films are optimized by modification of working Ar pressure deposition of Ta (PTa) in the range of 2–12 mTorr and thickness of Ta (tTa) in the range of 0–25 nm. X-ray diffraction results show that the crystallinity of the FeMn(111) strongly depends on the PTa and tTa. All studied films exhibit smooth and flat surface with root-mean-square roughness below 1 nm due to deposition at RT. Large EB field (Heb) of 65–123 Oe with small coercivity (Hc) of 5–16 Oe is obtained. Besides, the change of Heb with various PTa and tTa are related to the crystallinity of FeMn(111) layer, interfacial roughness, and also strain/stress. Correlation between magnetic properties and microstructure is also discussed. This study suggests that proper Ta underlayer is crucial in the exchange bias for NiFe/FeMn bilayer system.

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) can progress into macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), which may be fatal. We report on a 19-year-old Han Chinese female, who presented with MAS-related pulmonary parenchymal involvement complicating AOSD, and further associated with disseminated intravascular coagulation and generalized tonic-clonic seizure. She was managed by high-dose corticosteroids and pulse cyclophosphamide therapy with a complete recovery of disease activity.

In view of the low output power and high power density of ultrasonic power supply, a high power ultrasonic power supply based on 9-level inverter technology is proposed. The inverter of the power supply consists of two H-bridge units cascaded to form a 9-level converter, which outputs the 9-level voltage waveform, which can significantly improve the output power of the ultrasonic power supply, reduce the inductance of the matching network, and reduce the power density of the ultrasonic wave. The phase difference method based on PI control is used to track the resonance frequency. By analyzing the system structure, working principle and control strategy of the ultrasonic power supply, modeling and simulation were conducted on Matlab/Simulink to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the scheme.

Magnetic properties and phase composition of both MnN/CoFe (MnN at top of bilayer) and CoFe/MnN films (MnN at bottom of bilayer) bilayers through annealing at various temperatures (Ta = 300-450 °C) and then cooling to room temperature under the application of an external magnetic field of 1.5 kOe are compared. The exchange bias field (HE), the magnitude of magnetic hysteresis loop shift, of the studied films is highly related to phase composition of antiferromagnetic (AF) layer. The increase of HE with increasing Ta in the range of 300-375 °C possibly results from the improvement of magnetocrystalline anisotropy of AF related to the promoted crystallinity and stress relaxation of tetragonal face-centered θ-MnN phase. The reduction of HE at higher Ta is due to the decreased volume fraction or disappearance of θ-MnN phase and the formation of impurity phases, such as Mn4N and Mn. The induction of impurity phases is possibly related to the diffusion of part of N out of MnN phase at higher Ta. Higher HE for CoFe/MnN than MnN/CoFe at Ta = 300-375 °C might be attributed to larger amount and higher degree of stress relaxation for θ-MnN phase. For CoFe/MnN film annealed at 375 °C, the highest HE = 562 Oe is attained, and the corresponding interfacial exchange energy of 0.47 mJ/m2 in this study is comparable to that reported by Meinert et al. [Phys. Rev. B 92, 144408 (2015)].

The parasiteCyathostomum pateratum, which occurs in the large intestine of equines, is a common species of the subfamily Cyathostominae. Cyathostominae nematodes are a complex nematode group for which only limited genetic information has been reported. To re-examine the phylogenetic relationships among Cyathostominae nematodes, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome ofCy. pateratumand compared it with the mt genome of the congeneric speciesCyathostomum catinatum.The complete mtDNA sequence ofCy. pateratumwas 13,822 bp in length, 16 bp shorter than that ofCy. catinatum.The mtDNA sequences of both species contained 12 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes and 22 tRNA genes, and all 36 genes were transcribed in the same direction and in the same strand. Pairwise comparisons of the 12 predicted amino acid sequences betweenCy. catinatumandCy. pateratumrevealed differences of 0.4–3.1%; the least conserved sequence was that of cytochromecoxidase subunit 3 (cox3). Phylogenetic analysis of the concatenated amino acid sequences using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods showed thatCy. catinatumandCy. pateratumclustered together with very high nodal support, andCylicostephanus goldiwas closer to theCyathostomumnematodes than to other Cyathostominae nematodes. The mtDNA sequence ofCy. pateratumis reported here for the first time. The study will shed some light on the genetic evolution among parasitic nematodes inCyathostomum.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of microRNA-222 (miR-222) in osteosarcoma (OS), and to further explore the potential molecular mechanism.We measured the level of miR-222 in OS tissues and cell lines using quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction. Synthesized miR-222 mimics or inhibitors were obtained to up-regulate or down-regulate the expression of miR-222 in U2OS or Saos2 cells. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and colony formation assay were employed to detect the ability of cell proliferation, and transwell assay was used to confirm the ability of cell invasion. Furthermore, luciferase assay and Western blot were applied to verify the target of miR-222 in OS.The level of miR-222 in OS tumor tissue samples was significantly lower than that in normal group. Over-expression of miR-222 decreased cell proliferation and invasion in U2OS cells while knockdown of miR-222 promoted cell growth and metastasis in Saos2 cells. Furthermore, YWHAG was found to be a candidate target of miR-222 using several databases. Elevated level of miR-222 inhibited YWHAG expression while reduced miR-222 promoted YWHAG expression. Also, up-regulation of YWHAG restored the inhibiting effect of miR-222 mimics.We identified for the first time that the expression level of miR-222 was reduced in OS tissues as well as in OS cell lines. miR-222 could inhibit cell proliferation and invasion via down-regulating YWHAG. These data could provide a potential target for the biological treatment of OS.

Effect of M underlayer on the structure, microstructure, magnetic properties of FePt films have been studied (M = Ti, Zr, and Hf). The structural results confirm the extensive ordering of FePt in the bilayer films obtained with annealing at temperature 200 °C lower than that at which the single layer film has similar ordering. Microstructure data indicate an obvious grain refinement in the bilayer films. Magnetic force microscopy shows a reduced interaction domain size with M underlayer. We suggest that the intermixing between the FePt and underlayers during the post annealing may lower ordering temperature by stimulating the nucleation of the L 1 0 phase, causing refined grain and magnetic domain sizes, leading to remarkable enhancement in permanent magnetic properties at lower T a . The optimized ( BH ) max of FePt films is greatly enhanced from 9.5 MGOe for single layer to 18.1, 19.8, 20.2 MGOe for Ti-, Zr-, and Hf-underlayered films, respectively.

FePt(20 nm) and FePt(20 nm)/Hf(10 nm) thin films prepared on the glass substrates by sputtering and post annealing are studied. For both samples, the as deposited films are disordered and L1 0 -ordering is triggered by a 400 °C-annealing. At T a ≥600 °C, Hf–Pt intermetallic compound forms with increasing T a , which consumes Pt in FePt layer and results in the formation of Fe 3 Pt phase. The film becomes soft magnetic at T a =800 °C. The optimized condition of FePt/Hf film is in the T a range of 500 to 600 °C where the interdiffusion between Hf and FePt layer is not extensive. The value of H c is 8.9 kOe and M r is 650–670 emu/cm 3 . Unlike FePt films, the Hf-undelayered samples show significantly reduced out-of-plane remanent and coercivity. The values for both are around 50% smaller than that of the FePt films. Additionally, Hf underlayer markedly reduces the FePt grain size and narrows the distribution, which enhances magnetic intergrain coupling. Good in-plane magnetic properties are preferred for the uses like a hard biasing magnet in a spintronic device.

Background and purpose Huntington's disease is due to a CAG triplet repeat elongation in the huntingtin gene. Boundaries in CAG numbers have been found between healthy people with and without risk to pass the disorder to the next generation, and between people without, with a mild, or with a fully penetrant phenotype. These data have been generated in western populations and it is not clear whether they are also valid amongst Chinese. Methods In order to establish normative data in the huntingtin gene for Chinese people, 966 chromosomes from normal controls were tested. Further, the range of CAG repeats was examined in a cohort from six centres and a total of 368 patients with the disease were included. Results The CAG triplet repeat range in normal controls was between 9 and 35 (mean 18.9, SD 2.57). Triplets in the range between 26 and 35 were found in 2.5%. In the patient cohort, triplet repeats in the shorter allele were between 8 and 37 (mean 17.7, SD 1.6). In the longer allele, a range between 36 and 120 was found. There was a negative correlation (−0.65, r = 0.42) between age at onset and the number of triplet repeats in the larger allele. The mean age at onset was 38 years, with a range between 2 and 70 years. In 23 patients (6%) a childhood or juvenile onset was noted. Conclusion These data show comparable ranges of huntingtin gene CAG triplet repeats in normal people and in patients with Huntington's disease as in western populations.

Structure and magnetic properties of the sputter-prepared FePt (160 nm) and FePt(160 nm)/Zr(10 nm) are studied. The films were deposited at room temperature and followed by a post annealing for magnetic hardening by L10-ordering. Distinct ordering processes are observed. In FePt films, extensive ordering occurs after annealing at Ta=700 °C and forms strong (111) texture. Hc increases to 8.5 kOe with a decrease in Mr of about 10%. In contrast, FePt/Zr samples orders at Ta=500 °C and results in drastic increase in Hc reaching 12.5 kOe with only 2.7% decrease in Mr. The difference in surface morphology of the two samples suggests that the low temperature ordering is a result of the nucleation promotion by Zr underlayer. The refined grain size strengthens the intergrain coupling resulting in greatly enhanced magnetic properties. The value of (BH)max for the film with Ta=500, 600, and 700 °C are 16.8, 20.0, and 19.6 MGOe, respectively. The maximum value is more than 110% higher than that of the FePt film annealed at Ta=700 °C (9.5 MGOe).

Structure and magnetic properties of sputter-prepared Co(5 nm)/MnPt(20 nm) and MnPt/Co polycrystalline films with various annealing temperatures (T) have been compared. XRD and TEM analysis show that MnPt is more compressive in film plane for Co/MnPt than MnPt/Co at as-deposited state. Large HE of 464-560 Oe are attained in two series films through proper thermal process of post annealing and cooling in external magnetic field. The increase of HE with T is mainly dominated by the ordering degree of MnPt layer and the roughness of the interface. As compared to MnPt/Co film (T = 250 °C), Co/MnPt film with more compressive in film plane exhibits L10-ordering, the onset of stress release, and the optimized HE at lower T = 200 °C. Higher HE for MnPt/Co film at T = 250 °C (560 Oe) than Co/MnPt film T = 200 °C (464 Oe) might be related to grain growth for L10 phase. Nevertheless, higher annealing temperature leads to the interdiffusion, the roughened surface and therefore the decrease of HE and Hc. This study provides useful information to fabricate exchange-bias system with L10-MnPt as an antiferromagnetic layer.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures are grown on p- and n-GaN/Si(111) by aqueous method in this paper. The structural and optical properties of the nanostructures are characterised by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy, micro-Raman and photoluminescence. The results show the distinct appearance of ZnO nanostructures grown on different GaN substrates. The ZnO nanorod array with a hexagonal wurtzite structure is grown on the n-GaN/Si substrate, whereas the film-like structure is shown on p-GaN/Si. The morphology difference is due to the density of threading dislocations in the different doped GaN layers that can affect the ZnO nanorod density. Meanwhile, the ZnO nanostructures grown on n-GaN/Si show superior optical property with lower tensile stress compared with those on p-GaN/Si. The results will provide novel opportunities for the fabrication of hybrid ZnO/GaN optoelectronic devices.

Toxoplasma gondii is a successful opportunistic protozoan distributed worldwide, which can infect all vertebrates, leading to serious infection, blindness, and abortion. Micronemal (MIC) proteins are critically important for T. gondii infection, as they participate in various stages of the Toxoplasma life cycle, including invasion and attachment to host cells. MIC8 secretion relies on the concentration of intracellular calcium, and can mediate the invasion of T. gondii by interacting with soluble MIC3. To investigate genetic diversity of the MIC8 gene, 16 T. gondii strains from different hosts and geographical locations, and two reference isolates (ToxoDB: TGME49_245490 and TGVEG_245490) were examined in this study. The results showed that all the examined MIC8 genes are 2055 bp, with an A+T content ranging from 50.2 to 50.6%. Conversely, lower levels of variation were detected within their nucleotide and amino acid sequences. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that three classical genotypes of T. gondii and the ToxoDB#9 genotype did not group exclusively via Bayesian inference, maximum parsimony, neighbor joining, and/or maximum likelihood assays based on the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the MIC8 gene. In summary, the T. gondii MIC8 gene is not a suitable marker for population genetic studies of this parasite.

Cellular behaviour is controlled by numerous processes, including intracellular signalling pathways that are triggered by the binding of ligands with cell surface receptors. Multivalent ligands have multiple copies of a recognition element that binds to receptors and influences downstream signals. Nanoparticle-ligand complexes may form multivalent structures to crosslink receptors with high avidity and specificity. After conjugation onto gold nanoparticles, galectin-1 (Au-Gal1) bound with higher affinity to Jurkat cells to promote CD45 clustering and inhibition of its phosphatase activity, resulting in enhancement of apoptosis via caspase-dependent pathways. Au-Gal1 injected intra-articularly into rats with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) promoted apoptosis of CD4+ T cells and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in the ankle joints as well as ameliorated clinical symptoms of arthritis. These observed therapeutic effects indicate that the multivalent structure of nanoparticle-ligands can regulate the distribution of cell surface receptors and subsequent intracellular signalling, and this may provide new insights into nanoparticle applications.

The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii has a worldwide distribution; it can cause serious diseases in humans and almost all other warm-blooded animals. Different genotypes of T. gondii result in different lesions in the same host. T. gondii rhoptry protein 8 (TgROP8) is a major factor of T. gondii acute virulence. We examined sequence variation in the TgROP8 gene among T. gondii isolates from different hosts and geographical localities. The TgROP8 gene was amplified from individual isolates and sequenced. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using Bayesian inference, maximum parsimony, and maximum likelihood based on the sequences obtained plus TgME49 from the ToxoDB database. The TgROP8 gene was 1728 bp in length for all the examined T. gondii strains, and their A+T contents were 45.37-45.95%. Sequence analysis detected 140 (0.06-5.56%) variable nucleotide positions resulting in 96 (0-10.78%) amino acid substitutions. Sequence variations in the TgROP8 gene resulted in polymorphic restriction sites for endonucleases BstBI, BsaI, and XhoI, which allowed the differentiation of the three classical genotype strains (types I, II, and III) by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). However, phylogenetic analyses indicated that the TgROP8 gene is not a suitable genetic marker for population studies of T. gondii.

Diabet. Med. 27, 1443–1449 (2010) Abstract Aims POU class 2 homeobox 1 (POU2F1), also known as octamer-binding transcription factor-1 (OCT-1), is a ubiquitous transcription factor that plays a key role in the regulation of genes related to inflammation and cell cycles. POU2F1 is located on chromosome 1q24, a region with linkage for Type 2 diabetes in Chinese and other populations. We examined the association of POU2F1 genetic variants with Type 2 diabetes in Hong Kong Chinese using two independent cohorts. Methods We genotyped five haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms at POU2F1 in 1378 clinic-based patients with Type 2 diabetes and 601 control subjects, as well as 707 members from 179 families with diabetes. Results We found significant associations of rs4657652, rs7532692, rs10918682 and rs3767434 (OR = 1.26–1.59, 0.0003

Undoped ZnO and Zn0.9Cr0.1O films were prepared on Al2O3 (0 0 0 1) substrates using the magnetron co-sputtering technique. X-ray diffraction scans show that all films exhibit nearly single-phase wurtzite structure with c-axis orientation. Both chromium doping and growth ambient have a significant impact on the lattice constants and nucleation processes in ZnO film. A large quantity of subgrains (10 nm in size) has been observed on Zn0.9Cr0.1O film grown under Ar + O2, while irregular plateau-like grains 40–50 nm in size were observed on Zn0.9Cr0.1O film grown under Ar + N2. The ultraviolet–visible transmittance and optical bandgap of all films were also examined. The photoluminescence spectra of all films exhibit a broad emission located around 400 nm, which is composed of one weak ultraviolet luminescence and another rather intense near-violet one, as determined by Gaussian peak fitting. The near-violet emission centered on 400 nm might originate from the electron transition between the band tail state levels of surface defects and/or lattice imperfection in the ZnO film.

The metabolites of endophytic fungus Penicillium sp. from the leaf of Hopea hainanensis were reported for the first time. By bioassay-guided fractionation, the EtOAc extract of a solid-matrix steady culture of this fungus afforded six compounds, which were identified through a combination of spectral and chemical methods (IR, MS, 1H- and 13C-NMR) to be monomethylsulochrin (1), rhizoctonic acid (2), asperfumoid (3), physcion (4), 7,8-dimethyl-iso-alloxazine (5) and 3,5-dichloro-p-anisic acid (6). Compounds 2, 3 and 6 were obtained from Penicillium sp. for the first time. All of the six isolates were subjected to in vitro bioactive assays including antifungal action against three human pathogenic fungi Candida albicans, Trichophyton rubrum and Aspergillus niger and cytotoxic activity against the human nasopharyngeal epidermoid tumor KB cell line and human liver cancer HepG2 cell line. As a result, compounds 2–4 and 6 inhibited the growth of C. albicans with MICs of 40.0, 20.0, 50.0 and 15.0 μg/ml, respectively and the compound 6 showed growth inhibition against A. niger with MICs of 40.0 μg/ml. In addition, compounds 1–3 and 6 exhibited cytotoxic activity against KB cell line with IC50 value of 30.0, 20.0, 20.0, 5.0 μg/ml, respectively and against HepG2 cell line with IC50 value of 30.0, 25.0, 15.0, 10.0 μg/ml, respectively.

The dynamic analysis of the multi-shaft turbine rotor equipped with a spur gear pair for the various gear parameters is studied. Main components of the multi-shaft turbine rotor system include the outer shaft, the inner shaft, the impeller shaft, the oil shaft and the ball bearings. The global assumed mode method (GAMM) is applied to model the rotor motion and the system equation of motion is formulated using Lagrange’s approach. The dynamic behavior of the geared multi-shaft turbine rotor system includes the natural frequency, mode shape and unbalanced response. Numerical results show that large vibration amplitude is observed in steady state at self-excited rotating speed adjacent to the natural frequency. There is no influence of the various pressure angle, modulus, and modification coefficients on unbalance response. Contrary to above cases, the variation of the system unbalance response is dominated by the tooth types rather than the other gear parameters.Copyright © 2015 by ASME

Selectively targeting signalling pathways represents a promising pharmacological approach in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Abundant levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are expressed in the synovial lining layers, and the anti-arthritis effect of erlotinib and lapatinib, small-molecule EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), has been demonstrated through the systemic administration on experimental arthritis models. Nevertheless, their therapeutic responses by the intra-articular (i.a.) route remain to be explored in rheumatoid joint.The administration of an EGFR TKI (a gefitinib analogue) was explored in two in vivo models of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and in vitro experiments by using synovial fibroblasts (SF) from RA patients and CIA rats.There was a significant reduction of arthritis scores in CIA mice receiving the daily intraperitoneal injection. After the onset of arthritis in CIA rats, ankle joints receiving a single i.a. injection had significant lower articular indexes with reduced synovial inflammation, pannus formation and erosion on cartilage and bone as well as total histological scores by histopathological analyses. In CIASF or RASF, upon in vitro human EGF stimulation, there was a dose-dependent increase in cell proliferation and Akt activation with suppressed responses under the EGFR TKI treatment.These findings demonstrate the effect of i.a. injection of an EGFR TKI on amelioration of rheumatoid joint through the suppression of synovial inflammation, pannus formation and erosion on cartilage and bone in experimental arthritis, implicating targeting the i.a. EGFR signalling transduction as a pharmacological strategy.

This paper describes the final incarnation of the Fermilab High Intensity Lab spectrometer which operated for ten years in the Proton West Area of Fermilab in the execution of two experiments (E537 and E705) which studied hadroproduction of high mass dimuon pairs. The version of the spectrometer used in E771 differed from earlier versions of the spectrometer by the addition of a silicon microstrip detector, pad chambers and resistive plate counters. These additions were implemented to give the spectrometer the capability of detection of secondary decay vertices from B --> mu or B --> J/psi --> mu mu decays. As discussed, the spectrometer in a short data taking period was able to address many kinds of physics, other than beauty decays.

This study was carried out in order to compare and establish the changes in physicochemical properties of starch from four different cultivars of yam at various stages of maturity during growth. The results showed that the starch content of the four yam tubers increased as growth progressed and were in the range of 70.5–85.3% on a dry basis. The shapes of the starch granules were round to oval or angular in the four yams and the size of starch granule increased with growth time ranging from 10 to 40 μm. The X-ray diffraction patterns could be classified as typical of B-type starch for the four cultivars of yam starch. The transition temperature of gelatinization of the four yam starches decreased during maturity. The RVA parameters suggested that yam starch paste showed a lower breakdown at an early harvest time. It appeared to be thermo-stable during heating but had a high setback after cooling, which might result in a tendency towards high retrogradation. The results for pasting behaviors showed that higher amylose content was associated with a lower pasting temperature and a higher peak viscosity in these starches.

X-ray absorption near-edge fine structure (XANES) and valence-band photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) measurements were performed to elucidate the effect of the Mn constituent on the electronic structures of icosahedral (i)-Al70Pd22.5(Re1−xMnx)7.5 quasicrystals (QCs). Pd and Re L3-edge and Al K-edge XANES spectra reveal that the unoccupied Pd 4d, Re 5d and Al 3p states are insensitive to the Mn doping. The valence-band PES and resonant photoemission analysis indicate a marked Mn 3d contribution within ~5 eV of the Fermi level, suggesting that the Mn doping increases the conductivity of i-Al–Pd–Re–Mn QCs.

The structure of an IPR-violated metallofullerene Sc2@C66 has been determined in the electron density level by the MEM/Rietveld method using synchrotron radiation powder data. The fundamental structure has been obtained by the Rietveld analysis. The cage structure of C66 has been unambiguously identified as that of Isomer No. 4348. The obtained charge density by the MEM analysis shows that the encapsulated two Sc atoms form the covalent bonded Sc2 dimer and that the charge density of dimer is overlapping with that of C66 cage, indicating the existence of a covalent bond character between Sc2 and the carbon cage.