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The Al95−xNixY5 ribbon x = 7 has a Y-depleted extra film and has a longer passive zone in the polarization curve and higher corrosion resistance than x = 10.

免疫检查点抑制剂能有效增强机体的免疫反应，进而达到重新激发抗肿瘤免疫监视的效果，但会引起一系列免疫相关不良反应（irAEs）。irAEs的临床疾病谱复杂，目前的机制研究尚不深入，临床诊治中往往会借鉴传统风湿病的诊治经验。irAEs治疗方案的选择需警惕药物的副作用，以及降低免疫检查点抑制剂抗肿瘤效应的风险。本文从免疫学角度概述了介导irAEs的关键的病理生理机制，总结当前可用的药物及有前景的生物制剂和小分子靶向药物，以提供未来针对irAEs进行个性化治疗的解决方案。.

In this work, we correlate the microstructure and passivation of the Al

Spawned by fast-paced progress in new materials and integrate circuit technology, the past two decades have witnessed tremendous development of humanoid robots for both scientific and commercial purposes, e.g. emergency response and daily life assistant. At the root of this trend are the increasing research interests and cooperation opportunities across different laboratories and countries. The application-driven requirements of high effectiveness and reliability of humanoid robots led intensive research and development in humanoid locomotion and control theories. In spite of the progress in the area, challenges such as unnatural locomotion control, inefficient multi-motion planning, and relatively slow disturbances recovery set further requirements for the next generation of humanoid robots. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to review the current development of highly representative bipedal humanoid robots and discuss the potential to move the ideas and models forward from laboratory settings into the real world. To this end, we also review the current clinical understanding of the walking and running dynamics to make the robot more human-like.

The corrosion resistance of the free surface (FS) and roller surface (RS) of Fe

Scars are the result of abnormal repair of skin tissue trauma. Recently, fractional laser is more and more widely used in the treatment of scars, but its mechanism is not clear. Studies have shown that fractional laser could produce multiple microthermal zones in target skin, induce wound repair responses, affect the function of epidermal and dermal cells, induce changes in blood vessels and collagens, and change the expression of heat shock proteins, microRNA, matrix metalloproteinases, cytokines such as transforming growth factor β, basic fibroblast growth factor, and facilitate drug delivery, thus achieving the effect of treating scars. This article reviews the mechanism of fractional laser in treating scars from three aspects, including the tissue and cell mechanism, molecular mechanism, and drug delivery.瘢痕是皮肤组织创伤异常修复的结果。近年来点阵激光被越来越广泛地应用于瘢痕治疗中，但其治疗机制尚不明确。目前研究表明点阵激光能够在靶组织中形成多个微热损伤区，诱导皮肤创伤修复反应，影响表皮层和真皮层细胞的功能，诱导血管和胶原蛋白变化，改变热休克蛋白、微小RNA、基质金属蛋白酶和转化生长因子β、碱性成纤维细胞生长因子等细胞因子的表达，促进药物运输，达到治疗瘢痕的效果。本文从细胞及组织学机制、分子机制及药物运输3个方面对点阵激光治疗瘢痕的机制进行综述。.

Zhejiang Wukang sanatorium evolved from Hangchow C. M.S. Hospital, which was founded in 1887. It is the leprosy prevention and treatment center of Zhejiang Province after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Most of the leprosy patients (convalescents)in sanatoriums entered the hospital successively in 1960s. Due to the limitation of dapsone monotherapy and the poor living conditions, the convalescents need to receive long-term isolation treatment and engage in collective production. After the implementation of Reform and Opening-up policy, the leprosy patients' health care has been greatly improved. The leprosy prevention and treatment course has been gradually reduced; the widespread knowledge of leprosy gradually freed leprosy patients from the dilemma of being stigmatized. In the post-leprosy era, Wukang sanatorium changed from the original focus on disease treatment to strengthening the psychological construction of patients. Its function changed from isolation and prevention to rest and pension, and the status of leprosy patients changed from "patients" to "convalescents" . These changes reflect the humanistic care and guidance of destigmatization in the process of leprosy isolation and epidemic prevention from prevention to treatment to the aged.浙江武康疗养院由始建于1887年的杭州广济麻风医院演变而来，是中华人民共和国成立后浙江省麻风病防治中心。现居疗养院的麻风病患(休养员)大多于20世纪60年代陆续进院。由于氨苯砜单疗法的局限和生活条件艰苦，休养员需要长期接受隔离治疗，从事集体生产。改革开放后，疗养院的医疗和生活水准得到显著改善，社会治疗取代隔离治疗，休养员逐渐融入社会；联合化疗的推广缩短了疗程，也大大降低了麻风畸残率；政府持续加大对麻风病人的财政补助，他们的生活来源基本得到保障；广泛普及的麻风防治知识也使麻风病人逐渐摆脱了被"污名化"的困境。在"后麻风时代"，武康疗养院由注重疾病治疗转向加强病人的心理建设，其职能从隔离防疫转向休憩养老，麻风病人的身份也从"病人"转变为"休养员"。这一系列的变迁反映了麻风防疫事业由防治向养老转变过程中的人文关怀与"去污名化"的价值引导。.

To investigate the biological effect of long non-coding ribonucleic acid (lncRNA) lung cancer-associated transcript 1 (LUCAT1) in the development of ovarian cancer.Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was utilized to detect the expression levels of lncRNA LUCAT1 in three human ovarian cancer cell lines (CaoV-3, SK-OV-3 and HO-8910) and the normal human ovarian surface epithelial cell line (IOSE80). Small interfering RNAs against lncRNA LUCAT1 (si-LUCAT1) were transfected into SK-OV-3 cells. Transfection efficiency of si-LUCAT1 was verified via RT-qPCR. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays were performed to test the effect of silencing lncRNA LUCAT1 on SK-OV-3 cell proliferation. The apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry. The miRcode database was searched to predict potential microRNAs (miRNAs) binding lncRNA LUCAT1. It was found that lncRNA LUCAT1 contained a highly conserved binding site of miR-199a-5p in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR). Subsequently, the targeting relationship between them was determined through Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay and RT-qPCR analysis.LncRNA LUCAT1 was highly expressed in three human ovarian cancer cell lines compared to that in normal ovarian surface epithelial cell line (p0.05). The cell proliferation rate in SK-OV-3 cells with lncRNA LUCAT1 knockdown was remarkably lower in comparison to that in control group. Moreover, colony formation assay also revealed that the number of cell clones decreased significantly after knockdown of lncRNA LUCAT1 compared to that in control group (p0.05). In addition, the apoptosis rate was distinctly elevated in the lncRNA LUCAT1 silencing group (p0.05). Furthermore, a highly conserved binding site of miR-199a-5p was found in the 3'-UTR of lncRNA LUCAT1. Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay exhibited that the Luciferase activity of LUCAT1-wt was significantly reduced after overexpression of miR-199a-5p (p0.05), while that of LUCAT1-mut was unchangeable. Further analysis via RT-qPCR suggested that miR-199a-5p overexpression significantly decreased the expression level of lncRNA LUCAT1 (p0.05).LncRNA LUCAT1 is overexpressed in ovarian cancer cells, which may target miR-199a-5p to exert its effects on driving the malignant development of ovarian cancer.

The present study is aimed to determine the mechanism of the protective effect of mailuoning and its main component luteolin on diabetic retinopathy. Human retinal microvascular endothelial cells were obtained and cultured in high glucose medium. Different concentrations of mailuoning and luteolin were added to the cells. MTT, flow cytometry and TUNEL staining assays were performed to investigate the effects of mailuoning on high glucose-induced proliferation and apoptosis in human retinal microvascular endothelial cells. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect changes in inflammatory factors, and qPCR was used to detect the expression of apoptosis-related protein Bax and antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. Western blot was used to detect changes of VEGFR2 and its phosphorylated p-VEGFR2. After adding mailuoning, cell viability of human retinal microvascular endothelial cells was significantly decreased in a concentration-dependent manner while 200 μg/ml mailuoning was the highest concentration without cytotoxic effects. Under high glucose conditions, apoptosis of human retinal microvascular endothelial cells was remarkably increased in a concentration-dependent manner and 100 μg/ml mailuoning was the optimum concentration on human retinal microvascular endothelial cells. Further studies indicated that mailuoning and luteolin inhibited the expression of apoptotic protein Bax and upregulated the expression of antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. At the same time, inhibited the expression of inflammatory factors IL-6, TNFα and IL-1β. Mechanism studies have shown that mailuoning and luteolin could inhibit p-VEGFR2. Mailuoning and luteolin could prevent high glucose-induced human retinal microvascular endothelial cell apoptosis in diabetic retinopathy, suggesting that mailuoning and luteolin could be useful in the clinical treatment of diabetic retinopathy.

To explore the regulatory mechanism of micro-ribonucleic acid (miR)-122-3p in the osteogenic differentiation of mouse adipose-derived stem cells (mADSCs).The regulatory mechanism of miR-122-3p in the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells was investigated through its overexpression and knockdown.The overexpression of miR-122-3p inhibited the osteogenic differentiation of mADSCs. On the contrary, its knockdown promoted the osteogenic differentiation of mADSCs. The further study on the molecular mechanism of miR-122-3p regulating mADSCs' osteogenic differentiation showed that the overexpression of miR-122-3p could activate the Wingless and int-1 (WNT)/β-catenin signaling pathway, but the knockdown of miR-122-3p could repress this signaling pathway.MiR-122-3p influences the osteogenic differentiation of mADSCs by modulating the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway.

This study evaluates the efficacy of statin-ezetimibe co-therapy compared to statin monotherapy in reducing cardiovascular and/or cerebrovascular disease (CVD) prevalence in diabetes and non-diabetes patients.Literature search was conducted in electronic databases and study selection was based on pre-determined eligibility criteria. Random-effects metanalyses were performed to examine the risk of CVD incidence between statin-ezetimibe co-therapy and statin monotherapy and subgroups were performed to examine the significance of differences between diabetic and non-diabetic individuals. A pooled analysis of hazard ratios of statin-ezetimibe combination versus statin monotherapy in the prevalence of CVD reported by the individual studies was also performed.8 studies (136893 individuals; 80790 diabetics, 85555 non-diabetics; age 63.5 years [95% confidence interval (CI) 61.2, 65.8]; 61.5% [95% CI 55.2, 67.8] males) were included. Follow-up duration was 45 months [95% CI 27.5, 62.5]. Risk of CVD prevalence was significantly less with ezetimibe-statin than with statin alone in both diabetes (RR 0.69 [95% CI 0.67, 0.73]; p0.00001) and in non-diabetes (RR 0.68 [95% CI 0.52, 0.90]; p=0.006) subjects (subgroup difference: chi2=0.00; p=0.97). Risk of prevalence of stroke was significantly less with ezetimibe-statin than with statin monotherapy in diabetes (RR 0.74 [95% CI 0.56, 0.98]; p=0.03) but non-significantly less in non-diabetes patients (RR 0.74 [95% CI 0.39, 1.41]; p=0.39) and this sub-group difference was also not statistically significant (chi2=0.00; p=0.99).Statin-ezetimibe co-therapy is found more efficacious than statin monotherapy in reducing the incidence of CVD with no significant difference between diabetic and non-diabetic individuals.

Heat storage performance of an open thermochemical heat storage (TCHS) system using composite salt hydrates of Wakkanai siliceous shale (WSS) - 9.6 wt.% LiCl was investigated numerically. A two-dimensional model considering the combined heat and mass transfer was developed. The calculation results were validated by the experimental results obtained in our previous study. The inlet air temperature, inlet air relative humidity, humid air flow rate, the ratio of the thickness of air channel and the thickness of composite solid wall, and length of the TCHS unit were evaluated to evaluate the heat storage performance. When the ratio of the thickness of air channel and the thickness of composite solid wall is 5 and the length of the heat storage unit is 0.1 m, the volumetric heat storage density of the open TCHS system can reach 510 MJ/m3.

The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanism of micro-ribonucleic acid (miR)-214-3p in regulating fracture healing in rats with osteoporosis.A total of 30 female Sprague-Dawley rats were selected and randomly divided into 3 groups, including group A [phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), n=10], group B (AntagomiR-NC, n=10), and group C (AntagomiR-214-3p, n=10). All rats underwent ovariectomy, and the osteoporosis rat model was verified by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry 8 weeks after the operation. Then the osteoporotic fracture was established in rats via a second operation. From the successful modeling until the 6th week, 50 μL PBS (2 nmoL) was intraperitoneally injected in group A, an equal amount of AntagomiR-NC was injected in group B, and an equal amount of AntagomiR-214-3p was injected in group C once a week. At the 6th week, fracture healing of osteoporosis rats was evaluated. At the same time, the expression of miR-214-3p in the three groups was detected via reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Furthermore, the protein expressions of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) and Smad4 in the three groups were detected via Western blotting (WB).After ovariectomy, the bone mineral density in each group was significantly lower than that before ovariectomy, and the differences were statistically significant (p0.05). Imaging evaluation demonstrated that compared with group A and B, there were significantly more callus tissues in group C. Meanwhile, the fracture line healing was better and blurred, and the internal fixation had no displacement and loosening. RT-PCR results indicated that the expression level of miR-214-3p in group C was significantly lower than that of the other two groups (p0.05). WB results showed that the protein expression levels of BMP2 and Smad4 in group C were significantly higher than those of group A and group B (p0.05).MiR-214-3p delays fracture healing in rats with osteoporotic fracture by inhibiting the BMP/Smad signaling pathway.

MicroRNAs have been reported to contribute to the development of osteosarcoma via negatively regulating the target genes. Nevertheless, the undiscovered function of miR-361 on osteosarcoma development remains uncertain.MiR-361 and FKBP14 (FK506-binding protein 14) expression in osteosarcoma samples were detected by Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Cells invasive ability was examined via the transwell invasion assay. The luciferase reporter assay was used to examine the regulation mechanism. The protein level of FKBP14 was detected by Western blot. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to detect cell lines proliferation.MiR-361 was reduced both in osteosarcoma samples and cell lines. Up-regulation of miR-361 significantly inhibited cells invasive and proliferative abilities, while down-regulation of miR-361 promoted cell lines invasion and proliferation. miR-361 could negatively regulate FKBP14 in osteosarcoma. Suppression of FKBP14 could reverse the function of miR-361 inhibitor.MiR-361 inhibits osteosarcoma cell lines invasion and proliferation by targeting FKBP14.

This study aimed to investigate the expression and clinical significances of long noncoding RNA-ATB (lncRNA-ATB) in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), and to explore the roles of lncRNA-ATB in PTC cell proliferation and migration.The expression of lncRNA-ATB in 64 PTC tissues and paired adjacent noncancerous thyroid tissues was measured. The association between lncRNA-ATB expression and clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed by Pearson X2. The diagnostic value of lncRNA-ATB was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses. The effects of lncRNA-ATB on PTC cell proliferation were evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 assays and Ethynyl deoxyuridine incorporation assays. The effects of lncRNA-ATB on PTC cell migration were evaluated by transwell assays.LncRNA-ATB is upregulated in PTC tissues compared with noncancerous tissues. LncRNA-ATB is also increased in PTC cell lines compared with normal thyroid follicular epithelial cell line. High-expression of lncRNA-ATB is associated with large tumor size and lymph node metastasis. ROC analyses revealed that lncRNA-ATB could sensitively discriminate PTCs from noncancerous tissues, as well as discriminating PTCs with lymph node metastasis from those without lymph node metastasis. Functional experiments showed that depletion of lncRNA-ATB significantly inhibits PTC cell proliferation and migration.LncRNA-ATB is upregulated and functions as an oncogene in PTC. Furthermore, lncRNA-ATB may serve as a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for PTC.

In this work, the magnetic molybdenum disulfide catalyst (Fe3O4@SiO2@MoS2) was prepared and evaluated as a dispersed catalyst for the viscosity reduction of Canadian oil sand asphalt. The flower-like MoS2 formed and some Fe3O4@SiO2 particles were deposited on the surface of MoS2. The catalytic reaction was carried out at 400°C and hydrogen pressure of 15 MPa. The results showed that the viscosity of the liquid product at 50°C dramatically decreased from 4660 mPas to 76.9 mPas and the degree of viscosity reduction reached 98%.

Methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) and ESBL(Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase)-producing bacteria are the most important resistant pathogens in sepsis. In this study, a new multiplex-touchdown PCR method (MT-PCR) was developed to detect rapidly and simultaneously the presence of mecA, blaMany studies on the development of PCR for the detection of resistance genes have already been published, including multiplex PCR methods. However, cross-amplification reactions can be a major concern in multiplex PCR methods. In this study, we developed a highly sensitive and specific multiplex-touchdown PCR assay for simultaneous detection of mecA, bla

To explore the yearly, monthly and habitat-related distribution and their relations with Meriones unguiculatus density in the Hebei Meriones unguiculatus plague foci, from 2001 to 2013.Data related to Meriones unguiculatus was gathered through the monitoring programs set up at the national and provincial Meriones unguiculatus plague foci in Hebei province, from 2001 to 2013. According to the yearly density of Meriones unguiculatus, criteria set for the three groups under study, were as follows:'high-risk group'-when the rodent density was≥1.00 under rodents/hm(2),'warning group'-when the rodents/hm(2)rodent density0.20,'standard group'-when rodents/hm(2) rodent density≤0.20 rodents/hm(2). Differences of habitats and monthly distribution among the three groups were compared, under the Kruskal-Wallis H rank sum test while their relations were under the multiple correspondence analysis.The Meriones unguiculatus densities were higher than 1.00 rodents/hm(2), far above the set national standards, in the monitoring area, between 2001 and 2005. From 2005, though the rodent densities began to decrease, however, figures from 2008 to 2013 were still among 0.20 to 1.00 rodents/hm(2). The distribution of habitats in the three groups showed that the Meriones unguiculatus densities were all different in habitats and the difference was statistically significant (P0.05). The highest median densities were all in the arable land, with maximum value of high-risk group appeared the highest (20.50 rodents/hm(2)) in the wasteland. Monthly distribution showed that the Meriones unguiculatus densities were different and the difference was statistically significant (P0.05) in the high-risk and standard groups but not statistically significant in the warning group. Data from the multiple correspondence analysis showed that there was a strong aggregation among wasteland, in April and June, while the warning group was associated with weather in July and the arable land.When the density became higher than 1.00 rodents/hm(2), the risk on animal plague increased in Hebei Meriones unguiculatus plague foci. Based on the distribution of Meriones unguiculatus, programs should be set to monitor the rodent in arable land and wasteland, in April and June, to reduce the prevalence of animals plague.

This paper discusses and analyses the performance of passive vessel suspension systems with inerters. The inerter is a newly proposed two-terminal mechanical element, in which the equal and opposite force applied at the nodes is proportional to the relative acceleration between them. In order to investigate the performance benefits of passive vessel suspension with inerters, a hydrofoil supported catamaran model with inerter was developed for seakeeping analysis. Performance of measurement in the former vessel model is simulated here to compare with the conventional one. Based on the simulation results, it is concluded that some reductions have been achieved for the vertical suspension system at low frequencies.

The parallel surface contact between a template and a wafer is of critical importance for pattern fidelity in step imprint lithography. The passive compliant stage, which has a much simpler structure than an active control one, is an effective orientation-adjusting mechanism. For a perfect passive compliant stage, the orientation-adjusting process should bring about the smallest possible additional lateral motion to maintain the overlay precision. In the present paper, based on the analysis of a compliant wafer stage and the influence of the rotation axis on position shift, a monolithic template orientation stage with four groups of passive compliant mechanisms is proposed to satisfy the above requirements. This compliant template orientation stage can be regarded as two four-bar linkages that interfere with each other, with the connecting line of two flexible hinges in each group passing through the centre of the template, ensuring that the rotation axis is located in the centre of the template during the whole orientation-adjusting process. The performance of the designed compliant template orientation stage is researched using the finite element analysis method and experiments. The results indicate that this compliant template stage can ensure the parallel surface contact between a template and a wafer while minimizing relative lateral motion during the imprinting process.

Small in-plane angular displacement is determined by adopting two matched moiré fringes and frequency analysis method in this paper. The gratings in the specimen and reference have a complementary configuration; when the specimen has an angular displacement with respect to the reference, two matched moiré fringes rotate in opposite directions, and thus this angle determination method does not depend on the direction of the moiré fringe in a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. The frequency components acquired by fast Fourier transfer and local frequency spectrum zooming process are used to determine the fringe inclination. Different from the two-dimensional fast Fourier transform (FFT) method, this method can realize the accurate measurement of fringe inclination in any direction by selecting different orthogonal frequency components. After the magnitude of fringe inclination is determined, automatic detection of fringe orientation is realized by comparing the peak frequencies in their possible directions. This method can be used to determine the angular displacement automatically and accurately.

The interactive effects of light intensity and controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer (CRNF) supply on growth, gas exchange, and chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence parameters of two species of potted Hosta seedlings, original species of the genus Hosta in China, were studied. N4 (4 g of CRNF per pot), N8 (8 g of CRNF per pot), and sometimes N12 (12 g of CRNF per pot), significantly increased total dry weights, net photosynthetic rate (PN), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (E), the maximum quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), the maximum ratio of quantum yields of photochemical and concurrent nonphotochemical processes in PSII (Fv/F0), actual efficiency of photochemical energy conversion in PSII under light (ΦPSII), and photochemical quenching coefficient (qP), but significantly decreased internal CO2 concentration (Ci) and nonphotochemical Chl fluorescence quenching (NPQ) compared to control plants at different growth stages of the two Hosta species in two levels of light intensities (50% of natural light (L50) and 70% of natural light (L70)). Based on the available data, we concluded that the increments in total dry weights of Hosta clausa var. ensata and Hosta ventricosa by appropriate amount of CRNF supply treatments under L50 and/or L70 light conditions are directly related to the increments in the PN, which may be due to both stomatal and nonstomatal improvements for a longer growing time. Furthermore, there was an interaction between light intensity and CRNF supply treatments on growth and photosynthetic characteristics of the two Hosta species. The adaptability of Hosta plants with obvious stoloniferous rootstock to stronger light was higher than that of Hosta plants without obvious stoloniferous rootstock.

According to the relationship between damping, strain and time, the piecewise linear wavelet transform and the piecewise linear short time Fourier transform methods are put forward to identify the nonlinear damping of alloy material. The overall nonlinear property of damping is derived from the piecewise local linearisation. The satisfied results obtained from simulations demonstrate that the methods presented are effective. Usually, damping measured in the non-uniform stress field is only a volumetric average. To overcome this deficiency, a trapezoid specimen with quasi-uniform stress field is developed on the basis of the traditional damping experimental equipment. The damping measurement experiment is carried out. The measurement signal is analysed by the two methods presented. The relation curve of damping versus strain has shown that the damping capacity of the alloy Al–33Zn–6Si increases with the increasing strain. The relationship between damping and strain appears obviously nonlinear.

The pharyngeal tooth remains of crucian and common carp from the Tinaluoshan site of the Hemudu Cultural Stage, Zhejiang Province, China, were analysed. The body-lengths (BLs) of the fish were estimated from tooth size and plotted as bar diagrams. Based on these, we infer that Neolithic dwellers used gill nets to efficiently catch fish of a specific size during the breeding season. The BL distribution of common carp there is similar to those from Jomon sites in Japan, and we therefore infer that the technology for controlling water for rice cultivation in paddy fields had not yet been developed. The abundance of tooth remains of crucian carp unearthed at the Tianluoshan site is reminiscent of similar finds in Western Japan, and we thus infer that the culture trait of utilizing crucian carp as a major protein resource was distributed from the Yangtze River basin to Western Japan. Analysis of pharyngeal tooth remains of carp at various Japanese archaeological sites shows that freshwater fishing was conducted quite differently before and after the establishment of paddy fields. With this fact in mind, one of the present authors tried to model the development of freshwater fishing, with reference to the relation of fishing to rice cultivation (Nakajima, 2010). In Phase I, artisanal fishing became an active and technically developed endeavour, and people began to cultivate rice at fishing site. In Phase II, people began to cultivate rice purposefully in irrigated paddy fields while also fishing there. Comparing the present results of the pharyngeal tooth remains from the Tianluoshan site with those from the Jomon Period, we see that the Tianluoshan site was in the same stage as the end of Phase I in Japan, which rice cultivation was done as a supplementary activity at fishing site. Copyright (c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Co-precipitation method is used to synthesize PrpZrqOx composite oxide support and impregnation method is adopted in preparing (Ni4Fe)mAgPrpZrqOx catalysts. X-ray power diffraction (XRD), Temperature programmed reduction (TPR) and Temperature programmed oxidation (TPO) are used to characterize the catalysts. The results indicate that not only the improvement of catalytic activity is remarkable, but also an excellent capacity of resistance to carbon deposition when Ag dropped into the Ni-Fe bimetallic catalysts. XRD spectrum of the fresh (Ni4Fe)mAg(PrZr4)nOx catalysts present characteristic diffraction peak of tetragonal crystal phase ZrO2, rhombohedral Fe2O3, hexagonal NiO and cubic Ag2O while no diffraction peak of praseodymium oxide appears because the doped praseodymium ions can enter the ZrO2 lattice. After 823K's pretreatment by H2, the main active components are cubic Ni0 and cubic Ag0. TPR shows that the presence of Ag is of great benefit to the reduction of Fe2O3 and NiO: the peaks maximum due to the Fe2O3→Fe3O4 and NiO→Ni0 reduction of the Ag-containing sample are shifted by more than 150K to lower temperatures in comparison with Ni-Fe bimetallic metallic catalysts. (Ni4Fe)16Ag(PrZr4)64.8Ox catalyst shows its best catalytic activity in ethanol steam reforming. Under the following conditions, reaction temperature 773K, ethanol/water with molar ratio of 1:6, weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 11.8 h−1, the ethanol conversion rates are nearly 100% and the molar percentage of H2, CO, CH4, CO2 are 70.5%, 1.8%, 7.9%, and 19.6% respectively.

This study was performed to determine the localization strategies of Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4) in digestive tract (oesophagus, bulbodium, foregut, midgut and hindgut) of Blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) using immunohistochemical staining method. TLR4 positive cells were observed throughout the digestive tract. In the oesophagus, some positive reactions in lamina propria were found around small blood vessels and there were also some positive cells within the stratified squamous epithelium. Lots of positive cells were observed in the muscular layer of the oesophagus. In bulbodium, foregut and hindgut, the expression of TLR4 was mainly restricted to the apical surface of epithelial cells located at the bottom of the mucosal folds and the mesenchymal cells in lamina propria. It was very interesting that epithelial cells in the midgut, but none in other parts, had many TLR4 positive cytoplasmic granular structures which were also periodic acid Schiff positive. These findings suggested that TLR4 was expressed in a compartmentalized manner in the Blunt snout bream (M. amblycephala) digestive tract and provided novel information about the in vivo localization of pattern recognition receptors.

Lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) and CD14 protein play important roles in the defense against infection of Gram-negative bacteria. In the present study, tissue distribution and polymorphism of porcine LBP and CD14 genes were analyzed. Real-time PCR results showed that the porcine LBP gene was especially highly expressed in liver, while CD14 gene was highly expressed in liver and spleen tissues. A 1,732 bp cDNA fragment of porcine LBP gene and a 1,682 bp genomic DNA fragment of CD14 gene were isolated. Polymorphisms were identified in these two fragments and showed that there were 14 potential SNPs in the porcine LBP gene and 3 potential SNPs in the porcine CD14 gene. Three SNPs, 292G/A (Gly/Ser), 1168G/A (Ala/Thr) of the LBP gene and -61G/A of the CD14 gene, were genotyped using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method. Association analyses indicated that polymorphism of the 292G/A locus was significantly associated with porcine immune traits hematocrit (HCT), IgG and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) (p

An improved method to identify the T-DNA insertion site in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana (Columbia ecotype) genome was presented. Firstly, the pre-adaptor was amplified by PCR from the plasmid pLASC11.12.8 and digested by HindIII to produce the adaptor. After treated with calf intestine alkaline phosphatase, the adaptor was ligated to the genomic restriction digested fragment with the same restriction endonucleases. Then two rounds of PCR (nested-PCR) were carried out and an unknown sequence between the T-DNA and the adaptor was amplified. Further analysis would reveal the accurate site of T-DNA insertion into transgenic A. thaliana genome.

A composite buffer of CeO 2/ YSZ / Y 2 O 3 was investigated on the biaxially textured NiW long tape for YBCO coated conductor with magnetron sputtering technique. Every layer's surface morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The seed layer Y 2 O 3 film was full coverage of the NiW substrate. The cap layer CeO 2 showed a smooth and crack-free surface and good crystallinity. The roughness of CeO 2 surface was measured by atom force microscopy. The transmission electron microscopy was used to analyze the cross-section of buffer layers and YBCO layer.

An Y 2 O 3 film, as seed layer, was directly deposited on the meter long length rolling assisted biaxially textured substrate (RABiTS) NiW tapes by the reactive magnetron sputtering process. Yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and CeO 2 films were further carried out as the barrier and cap layers, and YBCO layer was prepared by magnetron sputtering technique as well. X-ray diffraction was employed to characterize the texture of film. The results showed that on NiW tapes highly textured films were obtained.

The composite electroforming technology was used to fabricate nanosized alumina particles (nano Al2O3) reinforced copper matrix composite. The surface, fracture and wear surface morphology were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well as microstructure observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Microhardness, tensile properties, wear resistance and electrical resistivity E r were investigated. The results showed that Cu/nano Al2O3 composites with different compositions were obtained successfully by composite electroforming technology. Nano Al2O3 particles were dispersed in copper matrix uniformly and tightly. By comparing with the electroformed pure copper, Cu/nano Al2O3 composites achieved higher microhardness, better mechanical property and wear resistance, and just a little effect of nano Al2O3 on the electrical property of composite was presented.

A reel-to-reel PLD system was set up for studying YBCO coated conductor. YBCO films could be continuously grown on the CeO2/YSZ/Y2O3 buffered Ni-5W tape. Some deposition parameters were investigated. XRD θ–2θ scans were employed to characterize the c-axis orientation and in-plane texture of YBCO films deposited with different laser repetition rates and tape moving speeds. We investigated the dependence of critical current Ic on laser repetition rates and tape moving speeds for YBCO films. It had been found that a-axis oriented grains appeared as YBCO layer thickness increased, which prevented the values of Ic improved.

The present study was performed to investigate the numerical distribution of mast cells (MCs) in the uteri of pregnant Meishan pigs to explore the functions of MCs in pig pregnancy. The uterine samples from pregnant (on days 15, 26 and 50 of gestation) pigs were obtained respectively and stained with toluidine blue. The results were as follows: MCs were constitutively located in the uterus of the Meishan pig, with the distribution varying with gestational stages. On days 15 and 26 of gestation, MCs were mainly distributed around the blood vessels and uterine glands within the endometrium. On day 50 of gestation, MCs were mostly distributed in the myometrium. These results indicated that uterine MCs possibly have versatile functions in pig pregnancy.

17β-Estradiol has been demonstrated to protect blood-brain barrier from disruption and attenuate brain injury in various conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 17β-estradiol on the blood-retina barrier (BRB) breakdown induced by intravitreous injection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a significant mediator of vascular permeability. Intravitreous injection of VEGF was performed to initiate BRB breakdown in male rats with PBS in the contralateral eye as control. 2 doses of 17β-estradiol and vehicle control were given to 3 groups of rats. The integrity of the BRB was quantified by Evans blue technique and assessed by fluorescent dyes in retinal sections and wholemounts. BRB breakdown was achieved by VEGF as retinal vascular permeability was increased compared with control eyes (14.66±4.09 vs. 4.94±1.20 μl/g/h, p0.01). Vascular permeability in the 2 groups treated with 17β-estradiol was reduced compared with control (14.66±4.09 vs. 10.26±3.67 vs. 7.37±2.22 μl/g/h, p0.01). Rhodamine isothiocyanate (RhIC) extravasation in retinal sections and Evans blue-albumin complex leakage in retinal wholemounts were also decreased in the 2 treatment groups. These results suggest that 17β-estradiol attenuates BRB breakdown induced by VEGF in male rats, which may provide a new role of 17β-estradiol in ocular diseases.

RIG-1 signalling is responsible for the detection of cytoplasmic viral RNA molecules. DEXH(Asp-Glu-X-His) box polypeptide 58 (encoded by DHX58) is a negative regulator of the RIG-1 signalling pathway. In human, the DHX58 gene can be upregulated and can inhibit the RIG-1 signalling pathway during viral infection. In this study, porcine DHX58 gene expression patterns were studied. According to our results, the porcine DHX58 gene was upregulated not only by the stimulation of Poly I:C but also by the stimulation of lipopolysaccharides (LPS). One polymorphism (g.4919GC), detected in the ninth intron,was significantly associated with some blood parameters including the red cell distribution width of 1-day-old pigs and white blood cell counts, lymphocyte absolute counts, and platelet distribution width of 17-day-old pigs (P0.05). Moreover, the individuals with the genotype GG have a significantly higher mean white blood cell count than individuals with genotype CC or GC (P0.05). Our study indicates that DHX58 is an important gene that is associated with the immune response in swine.

By analyzing the 336-hour performance testing period operation parameters and the actual measurement data at the scene, this paper took a study of the heat balance on Baima’s 300MWe CFB boiler. Through calculating and by the use of DL/T964-2005 standard in China, the efficiency of this boiler under the Ml load was 91.9089%. The result was very close to the manufacture’s assurance efficiency. In all the heat loss, the value of dissipated heat loss calculated in this paper was about 0.63%, which was higher than the manufacture’s provided value 0.25%. Besides analyzed the reason, it was discussed about the influence factors of CFB boiler’s dissipated heat loss in this paper, including the radiation areas and the out-surface temperature. Additionally, when calculated the heat loss due to the physical heat of bottom ash, the selection of output ash temperature was important. It was discussed in paper about how to choose different output temperatures for different types of ash coolers.