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Background Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are rare and highly heterogenous malignant neoplasms. Because obtaining BTC tissues is challenging, the purpose of this study was to explore the potential roles of bile as a liquid biopsy medium in patients with BTC. Patients and methods Sixty-nine consecutive patients with suspected BTC were prospectively enrolled in this study. Capture-based targeted sequencing was performed on tumor tissues, whole blood cells, plasma, and bile samples using a large panel consisting of 520 cancer-related genes. Results Of the 28 patients enrolled in this cohort, tumor tissues were available in eight patients, and plasma and bile were available in 28 patients. Somatic mutations were detected in 100% (8/8), 71.4% (20/28), and 53.6% (15/28) of samples comprising tumor tissue DNA, bile cell-free DNA (cfDNA), and plasma cfDNA, respectively. Bile cfDNA showed a significantly higher maximum allele frequency than plasma cfDNA (P = 0.0032). There were 56.2% of somatic single-nucleotide variant (SNVs)/insertions and deletions (indels) shared between bile and plasma cfDNA. When considering the genetic profiles of tumor tissues as the gold standard, the by-variant sensitivity and positive predictive value for SNVs/indels in bile cfDNA positive for somatic mutations were both 95.5%. The overall concordance for SNVs/indels in bile was significantly higher than that in plasma (99.1% versus 78.3%, P < 0.0001). Moreover, the sensitivity of CA 19-9 combined with bile cfDNA achieved 96.4% in BTC diagnosis. Conclusion We demonstrated that bile cfDNA was superior to plasma cfDNA in the detection of tumor-related genomic alterations. Bile cfDNA as a minimally invasive liquid biopsy medium might be a supplemental approach to confirm BTC diagnosis., Highlights • This is the first study to compare somatic mutation profiling in tumor tissues, bile and plasma samples in BTC patients. • Our findings demonstrated that bile cfDNA outperformed plasma cfDNA in detecting somatic mutations. • Bile cfDNA might be a feasible liquid biopsy medium for BTC diagnosis.

Summary Amplitude versus offset/angle (AVO/AVA) inversion recovers elastic properties of subsurface media and thus is an essential tool in oil and gas exploration. The exact Zoeppritz equation has high accuracy in reflection coefficient modelling, but the amplitude inversion based on the exact Zoeppritz equation is highly nonlinear. In this abstract, we propose a hybrid quantum genetic algorithm (HQGA) for the nonlinear AVO inversion using the exact Zoeppritz equation. Compared with the conventional genetic algorithm (GA) and quantum genetic algorithm (QGA), HQGA includes a self-adaptive rotating strategy, quantum mutation, and quantum catastrophe. The self-adaptive rotating strategy improves the flexibility and efficiency of a quantum revolving gate, and quantum mutation and quantum catastrophe enhance the local and global search capabilities respectively. Numerical tests show that compared with GA and QGA, HQGA requires fewer searches to converge to a global optimal solution, and the inversion results of HQGA have higher accuracy, higher efficiency and greater robustness than that of GA and QGA. A field data application verifies that there is a good consistency between the inverted parameters and real logs.

Summary Full waveform inversion (FWI) is an essential tool for delineating the Earth’s interior using measurements of seismic data, for example acquired on the Earth’s surface (illuminating the medium in which waves propagate). It specifically provides the potential to admit high resolution models as it maps the scattering aspects of the recorded data. Such resolution also depends of the frequency band utilized in the inversion. Preferably, we would like to use the full band of data in FWI, however, the cost of FWI increases almost exponentially with the increase of frequencies used in the inversion. Also, at high frequencies the elastic nature of the Earth has a greater effect on data as scattering becomes more profound.

To explore the effects of micro ribonucleic acid-129-2 (miR-129-2) on proliferation and migration of liver cancer cells and its possible mechanism.The expression level of miR-129-2 was measured in liver cancer tissues and adjacent tissues from patients with liver cancer. Its level in liver cancer HepG2 cells and normal liver cells L-02 was also detected via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). MiR-192-2 overexpression model was established in the HepG2 cell line. The proliferation and apoptosis levels of cells were determined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Wound healing assay was performed to detect the migration ability of cells. The expressions level of genes in the Wnt signaling pathway were measured through Western blotting. Xenograft tumor model was conducted in nude mice for exploring the in vivo effects of miR-129-2 on liver cancer growth.The expression level of miR-129-2 was significantly lower in liver cancer tissues than that in adjacent tissues (p0.01), and it was overtly lower in HepG2 cells than that in L-02 cells (p0.01). Overexpression of miR-129-2 weakened proliferation and migration abilities of liver cancer cells (p0.01), and evidently increased apoptosis level (p0.01). Sex-determining region Y-related HMG-box 4 (Sox4) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) were downregulated, while phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase-3β (p-GSK3β) was upregulated in liver cancer cells overexpressing miR-129-2. Besides, the weight and volume of tumors in nude mice bearing liver cancer were significantly smaller after overexpression of miR-129-2.MiR-129-2 weakens proliferation and migration and stimulates apoptosis in liver cancer cells mainly by downregulating Sox4 and inactivating the Wnt signaling pathway.

In order to study the net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) variation and its response to environmental factors, CO2 flux and related environmental factors were monitored from May until September. The diurnal NEE variations in this region showed a U-shaped distribution. The average daily CO2 absorption in July was the largest. The study area is a carbon sink during the growing season. At the soil depth of 40 and 80 cm, due to the influence of underground water, the soil water content had a significantly negative correlation with NEE. The increase in relative air humidity can facilitate stomata opening, which also improves CO2 absorption. Additionally, the increase in air temperature, soil temperature and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) all promote plant photosynthesis, which leads to a negative correlation with NEE.

Summary At present, accurate prediction of high brittleness regions is an important issue in the development of shale gas field. Elastic impedance inversion works as an effective technology to estimate elastic parameters of subsurface media to guide the identification of reservoir characteristics. In this study, an improved elastic impedance inversion is proposed to establish a workflow for brittleness prediction on shale gas field. Based on previous research results, an expanded elastic impedance equation is derived from reflection approximation and established relationship between brittleness sensitive parameter Eρ with elastic impedance. After that we advance a workflow for target parameter extraction based on Bayesian theory. Then the novel elastic impedance equation is accepted the accuracy test and verified the reliability. Finally, the workflow is utilized to implement the applicability on shale gas field data of Sichuan Basin, which runs well even on the influence of the SNR=3. and the Eρ section also shows that it is coinciding with the well logging curves in the destination layer.

Energy crisis and environmental pollution lead to the dual pressures of worldwide exploration for new materials applied in energy storage and environmental protection. Graphene with excellent mechanical and electrochemical properties is considered a promising material to solve these problems by applying in energy storage and conversion, desalination and so on. Particularly, with the demand for flexible, portable devices in recent years, developing flexible, self-supporting materials is a hot but difficult spot. Therefore, there are a lot of researches on developing the graphene-based free-standing bendable film in recent years and its advance is reviewed in this paper, which includes fabricating techniques and applications. The preparation methods are categorized into five types to introduce, including vacuum filtration, layer-by-layer self-assembly, vacuum-assisted self-assembly, mechanical compression, and solvent evaporation. In the part of applications, the current applications and challenges of graphene-based free-standing bendable films in energy storage and environmental protection are discussed.

To explore and discuss the correlation between osteoporosis and the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in the elderly.A total of 1240 patients, who were hospitalized in our hospital from January 2012 to January 2017, with the age ≥ 65 years old, were selected. All the patients were divided into osteoporosis group and normal bone mass group according to their bone mineral density. The general conditions, biochemical indexes, combined cardiovascular diseases, and the related risk factors, were recorded and analyzed.The proportion of patients with coronary heart diseases, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and smoking in osteoporosis group was significantly higher than that in normal bone mass group (p0.05). Results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that homocysteine (HCY), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol (TC) were the major risk factors of osteoporosis in the elderly patients. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) and body weight were protective factors for senile patients with osteoporosis. Female, hypertension, coronary heart diseases, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus were the main risk factors of complication in the elderly patients with osteoporosis.Senile osteoporosis is closely correlated with cardiovascular diseases and related risk factors, including hypertension, coronary heart disease as well as hyperlipidemia, and should be early prevented and treated.

W f /Cu 82 Al 10 Fe 4 Ni 4 composite was fabricated by flow casting method. Dynamic compression tests with strain rate of 1600 s −1 at 20 °C, 200 °C, 400 °C and 600 °C were finished by means of Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB). The results showed that the composites possessed obvious high temperature softening behaviors. The damages of W f /Cu 82 Al 10 Fe 4 Ni 4 composites all occurred within the tungsten fibers when compressed at 20 °C, 200 °C and 400 °C, indicating that the interface strength of the composites was high. While the damages of the composites occurred either in the tungsten fibers or in the matrix at 600 °C, in addition, the melt of matrix alloy also occurred. Microstructure of the composites after dynamic compressing at 600 °C was analyzed by transmission electron microscope (TEM), observation revealed that there were a lot of high-density dislocations, stacking faults and twins existing in the matrix. It was also found that the precipitated phase in the matrix played the role of the second phase strengthening.

Nanostructured and ultrafine WC–17Co coatings have been prepared by means of the high velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) technique. The structures of the two feedstock powders were analysed. The wear resistances at the elevated temperature (600°C) of the two coatings were compared using GCr15 steel as a counterpart in sliding wear tests. The results show that the WC particles are of nanosize, ranging from 50 to 500 nm. Finer subparticles of 2–5 nm are also found, composed of the nanosized WC particles. These subparticles can act as crystallising nuclei and make the grains much finer during the HVOF spraying process, which is beneficial to the formation of nanostructure in the coating. The wear resistance and fracture toughness of the nanostructured coatings at elevated temperatures are better than that of ultrafine coatings.

The MBP content change in serum was observed by ELISA in rats with experimental closed diffuse cranial injury. The MBP content was 6.1633 +/- 1.5301 ng/ml (X +/- S) in the normal group, 11.3818 +/- 2.6574 ng/ml in the first group died immediately after injury, 10.8319 +/- 2.3135 ng/ml in the second group of 15 min after injury. This increased level of MBP was lasting in the following 3 days and returned to normal at the 4th and 5th day after injury. The difference of the MBP levels between the groups after injury and that in the normal group is significant (P0.01).

To reveal the C1R polymorphism in Chinese, three Han populations in Guangzhou (101 samples), Jilin (105 samples) and Chengdu (111 samples) were investigated with a technique using PAGIF followed by immunoblotting. The results showed in Chengdu the C1R * 1 = 0.5676, C1R * 2 = 0.3424 and C1R * 5 = 0.0856, in Guangzhou C1R * 1 = 0.5248, C1R * 2 = 0.2663 and C1R * 5 = 0.1089, and in Jilin C1R * 1 = 0.5381, C1R * 2 = 0.2619 and C1R * 5 = 0.1714. Three rare genes C1R * 6, C1R * 7 and C1R * 8 were found in the investigation. These indicate that the frequency of C1R * 2 is elevated from north to south which may imply a geographic cline in this locus. The cumulated heterogeneity of C1R in Han population is 61.5% which means that this polymorphic system is useful in anthropolgy as well as in forensic science.

To understand the distribution of allele frequencies of inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor(ITI) in Chinese populations.The polymorphism of this protein in six Chinese populations was investigated using isoelectric focusing followed by immunoblotting technique.Three common alleles, ITI*1, ITI*2, and ITI*3 were observed in four populations, namely Han living in Jilin, Mongol in Hailaer, Tibetan in Lasa, and Bai in Dali respectively. In other two populations, Zhuang in Guangxi and Han in Guangdong, only ITI*1 and ITI*2 were observed. For these populations, the frequency of ITI*1 ranges from 0.5500 to 0.7525; that of ITI*2 from 0.2475 to 0.4322; and that of ITI*3 from 0.0034 to 0.0729.This study reveals that there is no parallel relationship between variation of allele frequencies and geographic differences.

To understand the distribution of allele frequencies of blood factor XIIIB subunit(FXIIIB) in Chinese populations and evaluate the genetic polymorphism of FXIIIB for the purposes of population genetics and forensic haemogenetics.The genetic polymorphism of FXIIIB subunit in seven Chinese populations was investigated. Isoelectrofocusing technique on polyoacrylamid gels followed by immunoblotting was used to determine the phenotype of individuals in each population sample.There were three common alleles in all the seven Chinese populations. The frequency of FXIIIB*3 was the highest, that of FXIIIB*2 was the lowest, and the one of FXXIIIB*1 was at the middle. All of them reached to the polymorphism's level. A rare variant allele was also found in some Chinese populations. Comparison of the constituents of FXIIIB phenotypes in the seven populations showed that there was no significant difference (P0.05). The distribution of the allele frequencies in these populations reflected most likely the mode of the distribution in all Chinese populations. The phylogenetic tree and genetic distance, based on the allele frequencies of FXIIIB differentiated the populations in the world into the main ethnic groups as what other authors reported.FXIIIB is a useful genetic marker for population genetics and forensic haemogenetics.

The genetic polymorphisms of antithrombin III (AT III) in 5 Chinese populations were studied by isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide gels followed by immunoblotting. The products of two alleles at the antithrombin III locus together with 1 AT III anodic variant and 3 cathode variants were observed. The results revealed that the predominant allele of AT III blood group system in Chinese populations was AT III *1, with frequencies between 0.9773-0.9850. Frequencies of AT III *2 ranged from 0.0091 to 0.0169. These results indicate that the polymorphic information content of AT III blood group system in Chinese populations is limited.

We have developed a new technique of complex isoelectric focusing (IEF) by which various proteins with different pHs can be detected out in polyacrylamide gels containing ampholytes with different pH ranges at the same time. The success of phenotyping 12 human proteins by this technique proved it was reliable and efficient. The cumulative Epp and the cumulative Dp reached 0.9 and 0.9999 respectively. It provides a new approach to analysis of genetic markers in the field of forensic haemogenetics.

The protein and DNA polymorphisms of human antithrombin III (ATIII) were studied by isoelectric focusing (IEF) and PCR techniques in a Chinese population sample (n = 51). Products of two alleles within the coding region of the ATIII locus were observed by IEF. The allele frequencies were: ATIII*1 = 0.9608, ATIII*2 = 0.0392. The PCR analysis of the fragment length polymorphism (FLP) for the ATIII 5' locus disclosed two alleles. Their frequencies were: ATIII5'*1 = 0.4118, ATIII 5'*2 = 0.5882. An association analysis between these two ATIII polymorphisms revealed the incompatibility between the ATIII 5'FLP and the ATIII IEF variants, indicating that the ATIII 5' FLP is not responsible for ATIII variants.

The distributions of genotypes and allele frequencies for the short tandem repeat locus HUMTH01 in Chinese and German populations were studied by amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis. The PCR amplification products with different primers were compared by coelectrophoresis and the population data from different laboratories were evaluated. Based on the allele frequencies of HUMTH01, the genetic distances among 25 populations were computed and a phylogenetic tree was constructed accordingly. Some new implications for population genetics were obtained from this phylogenetic tree.

The rotor consisted of rotating components and origin of energy transfer is the source of all vibrations in a hydro turbine generator unit. Among all vibration modes, the lateral mode is of the greatest concern. A lateral vibration response calculation model for rotor-bearing system with the nonlinear characteristics of the guide bearing's stiffness is presented in this paper. The model for hydro-generator rotor combines finite element model with the varying guide bearing's stiffness, the gyroscopic effect, unbalanced magnetic pull, hydraulic force and mechanical forces to calculate natural frequencies and steady state response. Take Francis turbine unit with three guide bearings for an example, the unit's lateral vibration characteristics and response of rotating components had been simulated by using FEM. The lateral vibration characteristics and response amplitude at rotating parts had been analyzed by varying stiffness simultaneously or one of the three guide bearings based on the assumption of elastic supporting models, and the influence of rotating speed, phase difference between the unbalanced forces on the vibration response had also been analyzed by the simplified analysis at the designed guide bearing stiffness. It shows that accounting for bearing stiffness and support structure flexibility, and then understanding the resulting in vibration behavior is an important factor in enhancing the stability of a hydro turbine generator rotor. The simulation results show that, for a vertical-mounted hydro turbine generator unit, there exists a common characteristic in the first three vibration mode, that is, the maximum amplitude is at the exciter in the first vibration mode and at the runner in the second vibration mode respectively, and the maximum amplitude is near the exciter or rotor in the third vibration mode. These results have great significance for the optimization design of the supporting structure of a hydro turbine generator unit.

The human placenta transferrin receptor was purified in the form of transferrin-transferrin receptor complex (Tf-TfR), and a monospecific polyclonal antibody against TfR was developed by a Tf-coupled Sepharose 4B affinity chromatography to remove the anti-Tf components in the antiserum. A sandwich enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) was established for measuring serum transferrin receptor (sTfR) by using monoclonal antibody OKT9 and monospecific polyclonal antibody. This method is simple, specific and sensitive and has a good accuracy. The measurement of sTfR showed that the level of normal children was 4.54 +/- 1.08 mg/L. There were increased levels of sTfR in patients with severe iron deficiency anemia and those with hemolytic anemia (13.92 +/- 4.45 mg/L and 9.94 +/- 3.22 mg/L, respectively). In patients with aplastic anemia, the level was decreased (2.06 +/- 0.82 mg/L). These results indicate that the sTfR measurement has a differential significance for diagnoses of various anemia.

The genetic polymorphism of properdin factor B(Bf) was first investigated in the Han population in Chengdu by isoelectrofocusing and immunofixation. The results revealed BfSS (129 cases), BfFS (48 cases) and BfFF (9 cases). No Bf variants were noted in this study. The allele frequencies were: Bf * S 0.8226, Bf * F 0.1774.

The amplifiable VNTR polymorphic system COL2A1 has been investigated in a Chinese Han population (n = 120) by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and PAGE horizontal electrophoresis followed by silver stain. In order to accurately identify COL2A1 alleles, a number of human allele ladders prepared by mixing DNAs extracted from different individuals of known COL2A1 genotypes were used. A total of 14 different alleles in 23 genotypes were observed in this Chinese Han population. Among them, four were new alleles disclosed in the present study. The results imply that COL2A1 locus may be served as a genetic marker in forensic haemogenetics as well as in anthropogenetics.

The distribution of G2m(23) gene frequencies in eight Chinese populations, which cover three ethnic groups, was studied by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay inhibition test. According to the results of multiple linear regression and multiple liner correlation there exists a cline of G2m(23) gene frequencies along with the height and latitude in China. In addition, an equation of multiple linear regression which can be used to expect the G2m(23) gene frequencies in some Chinese populations was established. Some possible reasons for this cline were also discussed.

Alpha-1 acid glycoprotein, also named orosomucoid (ORM), is a serum protein with genetic polymorphism. This paper describes a two-step procedure for purifying ORM from human sera. The procedure consists of both anion exchange chromatography on a DEAE-Sephadex-A50 column and affinity chromatography on a Reactive Blue 2-Sepharose CL-6B column. The purified ORM identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, SDS-polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis, immunoelectrophoresis and immunodiffusion was homogeneous and reacted specifically with a commercial anti-ORM serum (Sigma). The molecular weight of the purified ORM was about 41 kd.

For the purpose of detecting G2m(n) factor in human bloodstains, an ELISA inhibition test using mouse antihuman G2m(n) monoclonal antibody was established. The results revealed that the correctness rate for G2m(n) factor detection was 100%. The minimal amount of bloodstain required for detecting G2m(n) factor was 0.25 cm x 0.125 cm. This approach provided a new method for individual identification of human bloodstains.

The Han population in Chengdu, China, was investigated for genetic polymorphisms of alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein (A2HS), group-specific component (GC) and orosomucoid (ORM) using isoelectric focusing followed by immunofixation. The allele frequencies were: A2HS*1 = 0.6958,A2HS*2 = 0.3042, GC*1F = 0.4021, GC*1S = 0.3182, GC*2 = 0.2745, GC*1A = 0.0052, ORM1*F1 = 0.7028, ORM1*S = 0.2762, ORM1*F2 = 0.0210, ORM2*A = 0.9965, ORM2*Var = 0.0035.

The distribution of alpha 2HS-glycoprotein (AHSG) phenotype frequencies in the Han population in Chengdu was studied using polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing followed by immunofixation with rabbit anti-human AHSG serum. Two hundred eighty-six serum samples collected at random from unrelated individuals were phenotyped for AHSG. The distribution of AHSG phenotype frequencies was found to be AHSG 1 = 47.20%, AHSG 2 = 8.04% and AHSG 2 - 1 = 44.76%. The observed numbers agreed well with the expected numbers calculated on the basis of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The allele frequencies were estimated to be AHSG.1 = 0.6958 and AHSG.2 = 0.3042. The discrimination probability of AHSG is 0.5704 and the exclusion probability of parentage 0.1669.

Semi-empirical SCF-MO method — CNDO/2 is extended to transition element iron. The chemical adsorption energy of atom H and the desorption activation energy of molecule H2 on a iron grain surface are computed using a cluster model. The weak chemical adsorption energy of H and the desorption activation energy of H2 on a nickel grain surface are also calculated by assuming a configuration 3s23p63d10 for the Ni-atom in solid state. In a diffuse cloud, which is near a strong interstellar radiation field, according to the kinetic theory of chemical reactions, the formation rates of H2 on Fe and Ni grain surfaces are estimated. The functions of dielectric grains and Ni, Fe grains on the formation of interstellar H2 are discussed.

The rotational spectra of 2,5-difluorobenzyl alcohol and of its OD isotopologue have been assigned and measured in a supersonic expansion by Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. The hydroxyl oxygen is gauche (with a dihedral angle of 65.) with respect to the ring, but tilted towards the F atom in ortho (position 2) rather than towards the F atom in meta (position 5). The hydroxyl hydrogen points towards the 2-F atom, in such a way to form a OHF hydrogen bridge. No tunnelling effects due to the two equivalent configurations with the OH group above and below the aromatic ring have been observed.

We recorded the molecular beam Fourier transform microwave spectra of several isotopic species of several homo and hetero dimers of carboxylic acids (R-COOH). Several tunnelling splittings have been measured with the accuracy underlying microwave spectroscopy. These splittings have been originated by the concerted double proton transfer of the two protons, but in some cases also by internal motions within the R chain in R-COOH. When the splittings were due to the double proton transfer, they were considerably decreasing upon mono- or bi-deuteration of the two carboxylic protons. The splittings due to the proton transfer have been used to determine the barrier to the proton transfer by applying a flexible model suited to take into account the coupling of the proton motions with the skeletal motions. The potential energy surfaces of the lateral chain motions have also been estimated. A full frame structure has been determined for some bimolecules, obtaining details of the Ubbelohde effect associated to the double hydrogen bond.