Search

China is one of the countries with the richest wildlife population. The large variety of widely distributed species act as natural or susceptible hosts for numerous infectious diseases. It is estimated that there are more than 1.2 million unknown virus species in China, and there might be 10,000–30,000 unknown bacteria in wild mammals on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau alone. There are no less than 600,000 species of animal-borne parasites and approximately 2 million species of fungi worldwide. With rapid economic growth and globalization, humans and wildlife interact more frequently, which enhances the probability of wildlife-borne pathogens infecting humans. The occurrence of animal-borne infectious diseases will become the “new normal” we have to face in the future. Therefore, research should be carried out on wildlife-borne microorganisms and the prevention and control of emerging infectious diseases to establish an analytical framework and an evaluation technology system for risk assessment and early warning of potential animal-borne emerging infectious diseases. This will not only improve our understanding of wildlife-borne microbial communities but also enable in-depth analysis, discovery, early warning, and even prediction of major animal-borne emerging infectious diseases that might occur in the future. Furthermore, this research will reduce response times, minimize the social and economic impact and losses, enable interventions related to the emergence or spread of the disease as early as possible, and comprehensively improve our management of infectious disease outbreaks.

A negative resist composition composed of an acrylic-copolymer-binder resin, a crosslinker, photoinitiators, some agents and solvents has been UV-cured and developed for OverCoat (OC)-Bridge of One Glass Solution (OGS) touch panel (TP) sensor, wherein acrylic-copolymer-binder resin as a key element consisting of N-Phenylmaleimide (N-Pm), Methacrylic acid (MA), Styrene (St) and Isobornyl methacrylate (iBMA) monomers, being designed and synthesized to control the acid value (90-110mgKOH/g), molecular weight (Mw:10,000-20,000) and approximate solubility parameter [10.67-11.05(cal/cm3)1/2]. Here,we demonstrate a OC photoresist applies between two ITO line-films by UV-curing process technology deveoled for OC-Bridge pattern with a kind of acrylic-copolymer-binder resin by ours. Acting as TP sensor, the OC patterns have adequate resistance to solvents, acids and alkalis, good thermal and humid stability, and with excellent transparency and insulation. This OC photoresist, coupled with the acrylic-copolymer-binder resins, provides an unprecedented approach to realize supporting high temperature and humidity OC-Bridge.

Background: Echinococcosis caused by the larvae of cestodes of the genus Echinococcus is a parasitic zoonosis that poses a serious threat to the health of humans and animals globally. Albendazole is the drug of choice for the treatment of echinococcosis, but it is difficult to meet clinical goals with this chemotherapy due to its low cure rate and the assocaiated side effects after long-time use. Hence, novel anti-parasitic targets and effective treatment alternatives are urgently needed. A previous study showed that verapamil can suppress the growth of Echinococcus granulosus larvae; however, the mechanism of this effect remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to gain insight into the anti-echinococcal effect of verapamil on Echinococcus with a particular focus on the regulatory effect of verapamil on calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase Ⅱ (Ca2+/CaM-CamKⅡ) in infected mice.Methods: The anti-echinococcal effects of verapamil on E. granulosus protoscoleces (PSC) in vitro and E. multilocularis metacestodes in infected mice were assessed. The morphological alterations in Echinococcus spp. induced by verapamil were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the changes in calcium content in both the parasite and mouse serum and liver were measured by SEM-energy dispersive spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and Alizarin red staining. Additionally, the changes in the protein and mRNA levels of CaM and CamKⅡ in infected mice, and in the mRNA levels of CamKⅡ in E. granulosus PSC were evaluated after treatment with verapamil by immunohistochemistry and/or real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.Results: In vitro, E. granulosus PSC could be killed by verapamil at a concentration of 0.5 μg/mL or higher within 8 days. Under these conditions, the ultrastructure of PSC was damaged, and this damage was accompanied obvious calcium loss and downregulation of CamKⅡ mRNA expression. In vivo, the weight and the calcium content of E. multilocularis metacestodes from mice were reduced after treatment with 40 mg/kg verapamil, and an elevation of the calcium content in the sera and livers of infected mice was observed. In addition, downregulation of CaM and CamKⅡ protein and mRNA expression in the livers of mice infected with E. multilocularis metacestodes was found after treatment with verapamil.Conclusions: Verapamil exerted a parasiticidal effect against Echinococcus both in vitro and in vivo through downregulating the expression of Ca2+/CaM-CamKⅡ, which were over-activated by parasitic infection. The results suggested that Ca2+/CaM-CamKⅡ may be a novel drug-target, and verapamil was shown to be a potential anti-echinococcal drug for controlling echinococcosis in the future.

Background: Echinococcosis caused by the larval stage of cestode of the genus Echinococcus is a parasitic zoonosis, imposing serious threat on the health of humans and animals globally. Albendazole is the drug of choice for treatment of echinococcosis, but it is difficult to meet the clinical challenge in chemotherapy due to its low curative rate and severe side effects. Hence, novel anti-parasitic targets and effective treatment alternatives are urgently needed. Previous study has showed that verapamil can suppress the growth of Echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus) larva, but the mechanism remains unclear. The aim of the present study is to gain insight into the anti-echinococcal effect of verapamil on Echinococcus with particular focus on the regulatory role of verapamil to calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase Ⅱ (Ca2+/CaM-CamK Ⅱ) in infected mice.Methods: The anti-echinococcal effect of verapamil on E. granulosus protoscolex (PSCx) in vitro and Echinococcus multilocularis (E. multilocularis) metacestodes in infected mice were assessed. The morphological alteration of Echinococcus spp. induced by verapamil was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the changes of calcium content in both parasite and mice sera and livers were measured by SEM-energy dispersive spectrometer, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and alizarin red staining accordingly. Additionally, the changes on the protein and mRNA levels of CaM and CamK Ⅱ in infected mice, and on the mRNA levels of CamK Ⅱ in E. granulosus PSCx after treatment of verapamil were evaluated by immunohistochemistry or/and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).Results: In vitro, E. granulosus PSCx could be killed by verapamil at 0.5 μg/mL or more within 8 days. Under these conditions, the ultrastructure of PSCx was damaged and accompanied with obvious calcium loss and down-regulation of CamK Ⅱ mRNA. In vivo, the weight and the calcium content of E. multilocularis metacestodes from the mice were reduced after treatment with verapamil at 40 mg/kg, meanwhile, an elevation of calcium content in the serum and liver of infected mice was observed. In addition, down-regulation of both the over-expressed CaM and CamK Ⅱ proteins and mRNAs in the liver of mice infected with E. multilocularis metacestodes were found after treatment of verapamil.Conclusions: Verapamil exerted a parasiticidal activity on Echinococcus both in vitro and in vivo through down-regulation of Ca2+/CaM-CamK Ⅱ that was over-activated by parasitic infection. It has been speculated that the Ca2+/CaM-CamK Ⅱ can be a novel drug-target and verapamil is shown to be a potential anti-echinococcal drug for controlling echinococcosis in the future.

We aimed to assess the risks of

Being a zoonotic parasitic disease, schistosomiasis was widely spread in 12 provinces of Southern China in the 1950s, severly harming human health and hindering economic development. The National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at the Chinese Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, and Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research (NIPD-CTDR), as the only professional institution focussing on parasitic diseases at the national level, has played an important role in schistosomiasis control in the country. In this article, we look back at the changes of schistosomiasis endemicity and the contribution of NIPD-CTDR to the national schistosomiasis control programme. We review NIPD-CTDR's activities, including field investigations, design of control strategies and measures, development of diagnostics and drugs, surveillance-response of endemic situation, and monitoringevaluation of the programme. The NIPD-CTDR has mastered the transmission status of schistosomiasis, mapped the snail distribution, and explored strategies and measures suitable for different types of endemic areas in China. With a good understanding of the life cycle of Schistosoma japonicum and transmission patterns of the disease, advanced research carried out in the NIPD-CTDR based on genomics and modern technology has made it possible to explore highly efficient and soft therapeutic drugs and molluscicides, making it possible to develop new diagnostic tools and produce vaccine candidates. In the field, epidemiological studies, updated strategies and targeted intervention measures developed by scientists from the NIPD-CTDR have contributed significantly to the national schistosomiasis control programme. This all adds up to a strong foundation for eliminating schistosomiasis in China in the near future, and recommendations have been put forward how to reach this goal.

High performance skin structured Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) shielding composites has been fabricated. Namely, the Ag-coated reduced graphene oxide aerogel film (rGO-AF) and the graphene oxide foam (rGO-F) were combined to form three-dimensional (3D) graphene, which compounded with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix to prepare the lightweight flexible composites. Particularly, the distinct skin structure of the composites imparted it excellent EMI shielding performance and unique bidirectional differential performance. When electromagnetic waves (EMWs) run into the skin structured Ag/rGO-AF/rGO-F/PDMS composites along the direction of Ag side or rGO-F side, the total EMI shielding effectiveness (SEtot) of the two cases at X band (8.2 ~ 12.4 GHz) reached 67.3 dB and 68.9 dB respectively, which hardly changed. Nevertheless, when the EMWs pass through the Ag side, the reflection EMI shielding effectiveness (SER) of the material increased. In contrast, when the EMWs passed through the rGO-F side, the overall absorption EMI shielding effectiveness (SEA) improved.

Being a zoonotic parasitic disease, schistosomiasis was widely spread in 12 provinces of Southern China in the 1950s, severly harming human health and hindering economic development. The National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at the Chinese Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, and Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research (NIPD-CTDR), as the only professional institution focussing on parasitic diseases at the national level, has played an important role in schistosomiasis control in the country. In this article, we look back at the changes of schistosomiasis endemicity and the contribution of NIPD-CTDR to the national schistosomiasis control programme. We review NIPD-CTDR's activities, including field investigations, design of control strategies and measures, development of diagnostics and drugs, surveillance-response of endemic situation, and monitoring & evaluation of the programme. The NIPD-CTDR has mastered the transmission status of schistosomiasis, mapped the snail distribution, and explored strategies and measures suitable for different types of endemic areas in China. With a good understanding of the life cycle of Schistosoma japonicum and transmission patterns of the disease, advanced research carried out in the NIPD-CTDR based on genomics and modern technology has made it possible to explore highly efficient and soft therapeutic drugs and molluscicides, making it possible to develop new diagnostic tools and produce vaccine candidates. In the field, epidemiological studies, updated strategies and targeted intervention measures developed by scientists from the NIPD-CTDR have contributed significantly to the national schistosomiasis control programme. This all adds up to a strong foundation for eliminating schistosomiasis in China in the near future, and recommendations have been put forward how to reach this goal.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 (PCSK9) regulates lipid metabolism by degrading low-density lipoprotein receptor on the surface of hepatocytes. PCSK9-mediated lipid degradation is associated with lipophagy. Lipophagy is a process by which autophagosomes selectively sequester lipid-droplet-stored lipids and are delivered to lysosomes for degradation. Lipophagy was first discovered in hepatocytes, and its occurrence provides important fundamental insights into how lipid metabolism regulates cellular physiology and pathophysiology. Furthermore, PCSK9 may regulate lipid levels by affecting lipophagy. This review will discuss recent advances by which PCSK9 mediates lipid degradation via the lipophagy pathway and present lipophagy as a potential therapeutic target for atherosclerosis.

A facile route to prepare high−performance dielectric nanocomposites of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/multi−walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) is systematically studied. A 30 wt % solution of PMMA/PVDF/MWNTs mixture in a solvent of N,N−dimethylformamide (DMF) is dried isothermally at ca. 20 °C below the upper critical solution temperature. Cocontinuous structure is formed through spinodal phase separation during the solvent evaporation and the MWNTs are found to be exclusively localized in the PVDF phase of the blends. The experiment results show that phase-separation and selection of CNTs occur quickly, while the conductive network needs more time to be formed. The domain size of such cocontinuous structure is in the sub−micrometer range, which is much lower than that produced by melt processing. When the volume fraction of MWNTs is 2 vol %, the dielectric constant of the composites is about 100 (at 100 Hz) and independent of frequency (102−105 Hz). The thermodynamics and kinetics of the polymer blends and composites are also studied by DSC and DMA. The composites have excellent ductility, their elongation at break is above 150%. Compared with the melt−mixing process, this approach provides a general pathway to prepare high−performance dielectric polymer materials containing cocontinuous microscale and nanoscale structures.

Current knowledge of RNA virus biodiversity is both biased and fragmentary, reflecting a focus on culturable or disease-causing agents. Here we profile the transcriptomes of over 220 invertebrate species sampled across nine animal phyla and report the discovery of 1,445 RNA viruses, including some that are sufficiently divergent to comprise new families. The identified viruses fill major gaps in the RNA virus phylogeny and reveal an evolutionary history that is characterized by both host switching and co-divergence. The invertebrate virome also reveals remarkable genomic flexibility that includes frequent recombination, lateral gene transfer among viruses and hosts, gene gain and loss, and complex genomic rearrangements. Together, these data present a view of the RNA virosphere that is more phylogenetically and genomically diverse than that depicted in current classification schemes and provide a more solid foundation for studies in virus ecology and evolution.

Many malaria antigens contain multiple disulphide bonds involved in the formation of inhibitory B-cell epitopes. Producing properly folded malaria antigens in sufficient quantities for vaccination is often a challenge. The 42-kDa fragment of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP142 ) is such a kind of malaria antigen. In this study, we investigated the expression of MSP142 in a rice system (9522, a cultivar of Oryza sativa ssp. japonica), which was used as a bioreactor for protein production. The MSP142 gene was synthesized according to rice-preferred codons and transformed into rice plants via an Agrobacterium-mediated method. The recombinant antigen was efficiently expressed in rice seeds with a level up to 1.56% of total soluble protein and was recognized by both the conformational monoclonal antibody 5.2 (mAb5.2) and the pooled sera of P. falciparum malaria patients. Rabbits were immunized intramuscularly with the purified MSP142 formulated with Freund's adjuvant. High antibody titres against MSP142 were elicited. The rabbit immune sera reacted well with the native protein of P. falciparum parasite and strongly inhibited the in vitro growth of blood-stage P. falciparum parasites, demonstrating that transgenic rice can become an efficient bioreactor for the production of malaria vaccine antigens.

Designing product platform could be an effective and efficient solution for manufacturing firms. Product platforms enable firms to provide increased product variety for the marketplace with as little variety between products as possible. Developed consumer products and modules within a firm can further be investigated to find out the possibility of product platform creation. A bottom-up method is proposed for module-based product platform through mapping, clustering and matching analysis. The framework and the parametric model of the method are presented, which consist of three steps: (1) mapping parameters from existing product families to functional modules, (2) clustering the modules within existing module families based on their parameters so as to generate module clusters, and selecting the satisfactory module clusters based on commonality, and (3) matching the parameters of the module clusters to the functional modules in order to capture platform elements. In addition, the parameter matching criterion and mismatching treatment are put forward to ensure the effectiveness of the platform process, while standardization and serialization of the platform element are presented. A design case of the belt conveyor is studied to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method.

Ubiquitylation is an essential type of protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) in eukaryotes, which mediates various biological processes by regulating the subcellular localization, activity, and stability of proteins. Histones, as the main protein ingredients of chromatin, are closely coupled with DNA activities such as replication, transcription and repair, and therefore are the hotspots of PTMs. After DNA damage, histone ubiquitylations are involved in DNA damage response (DDR) by regulating nucleosome structure, activating cell cycle checkpoints, remodeling the nucleosome, and the recruitment and assembly of repair factors. Meanwhile, histone ubiquitylations can also crosstalk with other types of PTMs to regulate DDR processes. In this review, we summarize how the site-specific histone ubiquitylation forms signal network and contributes to DDR, which may shed light on the further study of how histone codes formed by histone PTMs affect the entire DDR processes.

To investigate the phenotype and phagocytosis changes of the peritoneal macrophages (Mφ) in mice infected with the larval-stage Echinococcus granulosus, and explore the role of Mφ in the responses to parasite infection.Twenty-four female BALB/c mice (age of 6-8 weeks) were randomly assigned into control group and infection group (n=12 in each group). The mice in the infection group were intraperitoneally injected with 2 000 protoscoleces, while the control mice were injected with equal volume of PBS. Five months after infection, the peritoneal mononuclear cells were collected, and the percentage of Mφ and the expression of surface markers CD40, CD80, CD86, and major histocompatibility complex Ⅱ (MHCⅡ) were determined by flow cytometry. The absorbance（A490 value） of Mφ at different concentrations（1×106, 5×105, 1×105） was determined by the neutral red assay to evaluate the phagocytic ability of Mφ.The Mφ constituted（30.40±3.15）% and（20.75±5.91）% in mononuclear cells in the infection and the control groups, respectively. The percentages of Mφ expressing CD40, CD80, CD86, and MHC Ⅱ were（45.33±5.51）%, （61.00±10.61）%, （56.88±10.66）% and （27.00±3.82）% in the infection group, which were all significantly higher than those in the control ［（41.43±6.19）%, （59.23±8.65）%, （10.91±1.82）% and （13.67±3.01%）］ （P0.05）. The A490 values of Mφ at 1×106, 5×105, 1×105 were 0.41±0.03， 0.24±0.05 and 0.16±0.01 in the infection group, which were significantly lower than those in the control （0.61±0.15, 0.47±0.07 and 0.18±0.01）（P0.01）.The phagocytic ability of peritoneal Mφ is dramatically weakened after infection, but the expression of activation-associated surface markers is significantly up-regulated after infection.

To examine the IgG and IgM antibodies for parasites Cysticercus cellulosae and Toxoplasma gondii in 122 patients with meningitis encephalitis syndrome, and provide basis for clinical diagnosis of the meningitis encephalitis syndrome.The sera were collected from patients with meningitis encephalitis syndrome in Shanghai Jiaotong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, People’s Hospital of Danyang City, and Jiangsu University Affiliated Hospital from August, 2014 to December, 2015. Serum IgG and IgM antibodies for cysticercus and T. gondii were examined using antibody test kits. The antibody positive rate was calculated and its distribution was analyzed by gender, season, age and occupation.A total of 122 patients with meningitis encephalitis syndrome were included. Seventeen and 22 patients of them were positive for IgG （13.9%, 17/122） and IgM（18.0%, 22/122） against cysticercus, respectively, while 29 and 8 cases were positive for IgG （23.8%, 29/122） and IgM （6.6%, 8/122） against T. gondii. The positive rate of cysticercus and T. gondii in males was 30.6%（22/72） and 31.9%（23/72） respectively, while that in females was 26.0%（13/50） and 24.0% （12/50）. The positive rate of IgM against cysticercus was 12.0%（3/25）, 27.0%（17/63）, 6.9% （2/29）, and 0（0/5） from spring to winter, highest within 13-25 years（45.0%, 9/20） among age groups, and highest in workers（7/14） among various occupations. The positive rate of IgM against T. gondii was 4.0%（1/25）, 11.1% （7/63）, 0（0/29）, and 0（0/5） from spring to winter, highest in ages65 years（44.0%, 11/25）, and highest in patients with other occupations（4/10）. There was no statistically significant difference in the positive rate between males and females, and among different seasons, ages and occupations.The positive rate of antibodies against cysticercus and T. gondii is high in the patients included, suggesting that a serological test for parasite infection might be performed during clinical diagnosis of meningitis encephalitis syndrome.

To investigate the pathological changes of liver and spleen of mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum and the changes of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells and surface molecules after praziquantel treatment.Fifteen female C57BL/6 mice （6-8 weeks） were randomly assigned into the praziquantel treated infection group （treated group）, infection control group (untreated group) and uninfected group （n=5 in each group）. The mice in the treated group and untreated group were each infected with 20 S. japonicum cercariae through the abdominal skin, and mice in the treated group were further administered with intragastric praziquantel [200 mg/（kg·d）] at week 6 post-infection for 3 consecutive days. Mice were sacrificed at week 4 after treatment to observe the morphological changes of liver and spleen and calculate the worm reduction rate and the liver egg reduction rate. The Tfh cell to CD4+ T cell ratio, as well as the expression of inducible T-cell costimulator （ICOS） and programmed cell death protein 1（PD-1） on peripheral blood and spleen, were determined by flow cytometry. Schistosome soluble egg antigen (SEA) specific IgG antibodies in serum were detected by ELISA.The pathological changes of liver and spleen in the treated group were less severe compared with those of the untreated group, with a worm reduction rate of 84.1% and liver egg reduction rate of 69.1%. Flow cytometry showed that the percent of Tfh cells in peripheral blood and spleen was significantly higher in the treated group（14.7%-18.0%, 15.6%-25.0%） and the untreated group（13.7%-16.7%, 12.4%-18.2%） than that in the uninfected group（2.5%-6.8%, 4.9%-8.0%）, but there was no significant difference between the treated and untreated groups. The expression of ICOS in the peripheral blood and the spleen was significantly higher in untreated group（1.3%-3.2%, 4.1%-7.0%） than in the treated group（0.7%-1.1%, 1.8%-6.8%） and the uninfected group（0.2%-0.3%, 0.5%-0.8%）（P0.01）, The expression of ICOS in the spleen was significantly higher in the treated group than in the uninfected group (P0.01), while this difference was not found for ICOS expression in the peripheral blood. The PD-1 expression in the peripheral blood and spleen was significantly higher in the untreated group（0.8%-1.9%, 4.1%-10.7%） than in the uninfected group（0.4%-0.8%, 1.2%-1.8%）（P0.01）, while there was no significant difference between the treated group（0.5%-1.5%, 4.5%-8.9%） and the untreated group (P0.05). In addition, there was no significant difference in the level of SEA specific IgG between the treated group（2.015±0.061） and the untreated group（1.969±0.038） at 4 weeks after praziquantel treatment.Praziquantel treatment can significantly alleviate the lesions of the liver and the spleen and decrease the ICOS expression by Tfh cells in the peripheral blood and spleen.

To investigate the alteration of expression and activity of arginase from monocytic-type myeloid-derived suppressor cells（M-MDSC） in BALB/c mice infected with Echinococcus granulosus.Twelve BALB/c female mice were randomly divided into control and infected groups. The mice were injected intraperitoneally with 2 000 live protoscoleces or an equivalent volume of normal saline. After 120 days, peripheral blood was collected through venae orbitaeta, and mice were sacrificed for pathological examination. The spleen was collected under aseptic conditions and single-cell suspension was prepared for M-MDSC isolation using the magnetic bead separation technology. Total RNA was extracted from M-MDSC, cDNA was generated, and genes with differential expression without and with infection were screened using the chip hybridization method. The resulting genes were further validated using real-time PCR. The activity of arginase from peripheral blood was also measured.Single cyst was formed within the abdomen and internal organs 120 days after infection. Chip hybridization and real-time PCR showed that the relative expression of arginase from M-MDSC in the infected group （7.92±0.85 and 11.97±5.39, respectively） was significantly higher than that in the control group （1.65±0.19 and 1.00±0.57, respectively） （P0.05）. The activity of arginase was also significantly higher in the infected group ［（3.83±0.44）U/L］ than in the control [(1.57±0.57）U/L].The expression and activity of arginase from mouse M-MDSC both increase significantly after infection with Echinococcus granulosus.

International audience; The selective localization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) in immiscible polystyrene (PS)/ poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) blends (volume ratio of both components is 1/1) and its effect on composites' dielectric, thermal, and mechanical properties are systematically studied. Employing two-step mixing process can make MWNTs localize in PS or PVDF phase successfully. When three components are simply mixed together by one-step processing, the MWNTs are selectively distributed in PVDF phase, which is supported by the dielectric measurements and the SEM observations and is consistent with the wetting coefficient evaluation. For the two-step mixing, when the fillers are first mixed with PS in the first step, some of them will migrate into PVDF phase in the second step although the migration is very slow. When the overall volume fraction of MWNTs is 3.9 vol%, the selective localization of MWNTs in PVDF phase produces higher dielectric constant (e0, ca. 485) than the case when the fillers are only in PS phase (e0 of ca. 16) at 100 Hz and room temperature of 25 degrees C. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements and mechanical tests show that the selective localization of all the fillers in PVDF phase produces little change of the melting point and crystallinity of PVDF component but slightly higher tensile strength. In contrast to the one-step mixing process, the two-step mixing to selectively localize the fillers in their favorite phase could be used to control the dielectric and mechanical properties of the materials.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression by inhibiting translation or targeting messenger RNA (mRNA) for degradation in a posttranscriptional fashion. In this study, we show that ectopic expression of miR-34a-5p reduces the mRNA and protein levels of Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4). We also demonstrate that miR-34a targets the 3′-untranslated mRNA region of KLF4 and show that overexpression of miR-34a induces a significant level of apoptosis in BNL CL.2 cells exposed to doxorubicin or 10 Gy X-ray. Our data suggest that the effects of miR-34a on apoptosis occur due to the downregulation of KLF4.

Near-duplicate image retrieval is a classical research problem in computer vision, for which a large number of diverse approaches have been proposed. Recent studies have revealed that it can be used as an intermediate step to implement search-based celebrity identification given the existence of huge volume of user-tagged or text-surrounded celebrity images on the web. However, the effectiveness of existing near-duplicate image retrieval methods for such a task still remains unclear. To address this issue, this paper presents a comprehensive study of the existing near-duplicate image retrieval methods in a structural way. Four representatives of the existing methods, i.e. hash signature, mean SSIM, BoVW with SIFT features and ARG, are experimentally evaluated using a self-constructed dataset containing 24762 images of 15 top searched celebrities collected using 6 news search engines and the Google image search engine. The experimental results reveal that, compared with global feature based methods, local feature based ones are usually more appropriate for the task of celebrity identification in web images, as they can deal with partial duplicate and scene similar images better. In particular, BoVW with SIFT features is recommended as it provides the best trade-off between on-line speed and retrieval accuracy.

Variation of driver workload degree on freeway was analyzed in order to research safe and comfort of alignment and provide a new technical support for humanization road design. A total of 12 healthy adult drivers heart rate variability index and operating speed are tested on 77 sections of one mountainous freeway. According to the change law of different drivers workload degree on different alignment conditions,4 sections cant meet the expectations of the truck drivers safe and comfort. In addition, accident data is used to verify the dangerous sections. Research results can be applied to design road alignment that meets the driving expectations of different drivers.

Consider attendance management needs of a typical enterprise as well as the problems faced, this article by an actual attendance management system, from system requirements analysis, system architecture, system functions are designed in detail. Attendance results closely integrated with the actual process, and attendance hierarchical management in a distributed network environment. It is instructive significance and promotional value in the establishment of enterprise time and attendance management system.

Based on the analyzing the feature of HT82M99E MCU and the characteristic of signal codes from the remote transmitter based on PT2262 chip ,proposes a design of the computer projection remote page-turner controller based on the HT82M99E,and the software decoding technology is applied. By testing, this technology can reduce chip quantity, reduce PCB area, reduce the cost of the hardware, and can ensure reliability of soft decoding.

We report an in situ thermal reduction of graphene oxide (GO) in a styrene–ethylene/butylene–styrene (SEBS) triblock copolymer matrix during a melt-blending process. A relatively high degree of reduction was achieved by melt-blending premixed GO/SEBS nanocomposites in a Haake mixer for 25 min at 225 °C. Infrared spectral results revealed the successful thermal reduction of, and the strong adsorption of SEBS on, the graphene sheets. The glass transition temperature of polystyrene (PS) segments in SEBS was enhanced by the incorporation of thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRGO). The resultant TRGO/SEBS nanocomposites were used as a masterbatch to improve the mechanical properties of PS. Both the elongation at break and the flexural strength of PS/SEBS blends were enhanced with the addition of the TRGO. Our demonstration of the in situ thermal reduction of GO via melt blending is a simple, efficient strategy for preparing nanocomposites with well-dispersed TRGO in the polymer matrix, which could be an important route for large-scale fabrication of high-performance graphene/polymer nanocomposites. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

In this work, the dielectric properties of immiscible polystyrene (PS)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) blends are tuned by selectively localizing carbon black (CB) nanoparticles in different phases. The PS/PVDF blends have a wide window of cocontinuity (ca. 30-80 vol % in terms of the volume fraction of PS component (v(PS))). The selective localization of CB nanoparticles is achieved by using the masterbatch process during melt mixing. For the volume ratio PS/PVDF 1/1 and the volume fraction of CB nanoparticles (v(CB)) below but close to the percolation threshold (v(c)(CB)), the selective localization of CB nanoparticles in PVDF phase produces higher dielectric constant (ε) than that in PS phase, whereas the ε of the ternary mixtures without selective localization of fillers is in the middle. For the volume ratios PS/PVDF 1/2 and 2/1, the selective location of CB nanoparticles in different phases can be used to easily tune the system from conductive to insulating or inverse, which might have potential applications in industry. The fillers are found to be "fixed" in the masterbatch of PS or PVDF component and there is no migration of the fillers to another phase occurring during the further mixing process for the mixing time up to 30 min. Furthermore, the addition of CB nanoparticles to the polymer matrix is found to induce the brittle-ductile transition in the system and increase the compatibility between the immiscible PS and PVDF components, which should benefit the mechanical properties.

Objective: To compare dose-volume histograms (DVHs) and the dose distribution of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy(3DCRT),7 fields radiotherapy(7FRT) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of treatment planning in gastric cancer. Methods: We selected 5 patients with gastric cancer, they were pathologically confirmed stage T3,T4 or N+ gastric cancer. All patients underwent radical gastrectomy. A dosimetry study was carried out on these five patients. For each patient, three kinds of treatment planning were designed with a prescribed dose of 45Gy to 95％of PTV.Many kinds of parameters of these plans in each patient were compared: isodose distributions line、dose-volume histogram(DVH)、V95%、V110%、CI、HI、EI of target volume and the dose of related critical organs. Results: IMRT was superior to 3DCRT and 7F-RT in dose uniformity（p＜0.05）, there was no statistical difference between 3DCRT and 7FRT in CI（p>0.05）.IMRT had better dose conformity than 3DCRT and 7FRT（p＜0.05）, and 3DCRT was better than 7FRT in CI（p＜0.05）.IMRT showed better EI than 3DCRT and 7FRT（p＜0.05）,there was no statistical difference between 3DCRT and 7FRT in EI（p>0.05）.IMRT had advantage at sparing liver compared with 3DCRT and 7FRT（p＜0.05）,7FRT showed better D1/3 of liver than 3DCRT（p＜0.05）,but there was no statistical difference between 3DCRT and 7FRT in Dmean of liver（p>0.05）.IMRT expressed better Dmax of spinal cord than 3DCRT and 7F-RT（p＜0.05）, and 7FRT was better than IMRT in Dmax of spinal cord（p＜0.05）.But the dose received by the both kidneys were not significantly different. Conclusion: IMRT is superior to 3DCRT and 7FRT,and 3DCRT plans showed better CI and Dmax of spinal cord composed to 7FRT,and 7FRT was superior to 3DCRT in D1/3 of liver. IMRT for gastric cancer had physics advantage for clinical application.

Mdthod :110 gastric cancer patients were selected from Feb 2004 to Jan 2006, who had complete pathological data and were underwent radical resection. All patients were diagnosed by endoscopy, preoperative histologic diagnosis and exclusion from distant metastasis, using D1 or D2 lymph node dissection, postoperative pathology confirmed stump negative. Univariate analysis was applied on the pathologic information and multivariate analysis was applied based on the univariate analysis. Result :(1)Univariate analysis showed that tumor diameter、histology、vascular invasion、lymphatic vessel invasion and neural invasion were correlated with T/N classification.Multivariate analysis showed that vascular invasion and lymphatic vessel invasion were correlated with T classification and lymphatic vessel invasion was associated with N classification. (2) For T and N stages, lymphatic vessel invasion was strongly related factor. Conclusion: For T and N stages,, lymphatic vessel invasion was strongly relevant factor. For patients with confirmed lymphatic vessel invasion, postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy is suggested.

Background Studies have demonstrated the role of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in maintaining normal endothelial function and in endothelial repairing. This study was aimed to observe the protective effects of autologous transplantation of circulating EPCs against endotoxin-induced acute lung injury in rabbits and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Methods One-hundred-and-fifty rabbits were enrolled. After acute lung injury was induced by endotoxin, autologous circulating EPCs, endothelial cell, or normal saline were transfused intravenously, respectively. Pao(2)/FiO(2) ratios, concentrations of plasma nitric oxide, malonyldialdehyde, and activity of superoxide dismutase were examined. The lung wet-to-dry weight ratios were counted; polymorphonuclear cell ratios and areas of hyaline membrane formation and hemorrhage were measured. The levels of interleukin-1β, E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, interleukin-10, vascular endothelial growth factor protein, and inducible nitric oxide synthase protein were analyzed. Results Pao(2)/FiO(2) ratios were significantly increased with EPC transfusion. Infiltration of polymorphonuclear cells, lung wet-to-dry weight ratios, and area of hyaline membrane and hemorrhage in lung tissue were significantly decreased after EPC transplantation. Plasma level of nitric oxide and malondialdehyde were significantly inhibited, and the activity of superoxide dismutase was enhanced in the EPC-treated animals. EPC transplantation significantly increased level of interleukin-10 and vascular endothelial growth factor protein and reduced levels of interleukin-1β, E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and inducible nitric oxide synthase in injury lung tissues. Conclusions Autologous transplantation of circulating EPCs can partly restore the pulmonary endothelial function and effectively attenuate endotoxin-induced acute lung injury by direct endothelial repair and indirect immunomodulation of antioxidation and antiinflammation.