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Background A limitation of the current guidelines of the timing of invasive coronary angiography (ICA) for patients with non-ST-segment elevation (NSTE) acute coronary syndrome is based on randomization time. So far, no study has reported the clinical outcomes of invasive strategy timing based on the time of symptom onset. Herein, we aimed to investigate the effect of invasive strategy timing from the time of symptom onset on the 3-year clinical outcomes of patients with NSTE myocardial infarction (MI). Methods and results Among 13,104 patients from the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry-National Institutes of Health, we evaluated 5,856 patients with NSTEMI. The patients were categorized according to symptom-to-catheter (StC) time (140. Conclusion Early invasive strategy based on the StC time improves all-cause mortality in patients with NSTEMI. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Background Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the heart muscle often resulting in cardiac dysfunction and death. One of the most common causes is a cardiac infection with viruses, especially with enteroviruses of the Coxsackievirus B (CVB) family. CVB3-induced viral myocarditis is a well-established model to elucidate viral myocarditis in mice. It is assumed that mitochondrial damage control and mitochondria-associated innate immunity is essential for defence against viral infection of the heart muscle. And Parkinson's disease genes Parkin and PINK1 are well known for their critical function in mitochondrial homeostasis and damage control. We investigated the roles of Parkin and PINK1 in CVB3-induced viral myocarditis mouse model. Material and methods Male C57BL/6J WT, Parkin KO and PINK1 KO mice were used in an age of 8 to 12 weeks. The animals were injected intraperitoneally with 1x104 plaque forming units of CVB3 diluted in phosphate-buffered saline. Control and survived virus-infected mice were sacrificed for tissue sampling at day 7 to investigate imaging and molecular workup. Result After virus inoculation, the Parkin KO and PINK1 KO groups showed a significantly lower 28-day survival rate compared with the WT group (p Conclusion The Parkin KO and PINK1 KO mice showed a higher mortality rate and more severe cardiomyocyte damage than the WT mice in the viral myocarditis mouse model. Parkin and PINK1 is critical to the type II IFN pathway that inhibits virus replication. And Parkin and PINK1 play an important role in the recruitment of IFN-γ-producing lymphocytes through NF-κB pathway and CXCL10 family chemokines. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Searching for the ground state of a given system is one of the most fundamental and classical questions in scientific research fields. However, when the system is complex and large, it often becomes an intractable problem; there is essentially no possibility of finding a global energy minimum state with reasonable computational resources. Recently, a novel method based on deep learning techniques was devised as an innovative optimization method to estimate the ground state. We apply this method to one of the most complicated spin-ice systems, aperiodic Penrose P3 patterns. From the results, we discover new configurations of topologically induced emergent frustrated spins, different from those previously known. Additionally, a candidate of the ground state for a still unexplored type of Penrose P3 spin-ice system is first proposed through this study. We anticipate that the capabilities of the deep learning techniques will not only improve our understanding on the physical properties of artificial spin-ice systems, but also bring about significant advances in a wide range of scientific research fields requiring computational approaches for optimization.

With the ban of conventional cigarettes from public spaces, electronic cigarette (E-cig) liquids have emerged as a nicotine replacement treatment for smoking cessation. However, consumers possess little knowledge of the ingredients and health effects of E-cig liquids following exposure. This study evaluated hair cell damage and developmental toxicities following gestational exposure to E-cig liquids. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to E-cig liquids at different concentrations (0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.4%). Embryonic developmental toxicity and hair cell damage was evaluated at 6 and 7 d, respectively, after fertilization. The average number of hair cells in the anterior lateral line (ALL) and posterior lateral line (PLL) following E-cig exposure was compared to that of the control. Morphological abnormalities and heart rate were evaluated. E-cig liquids significantly damaged the hair cells in the ALL, compared to the control (control; 52.85 ± 5.29 cells, 0.1% E-cig; 49.43 ± 7.70 cells, 0.2% E-cig; 40.68 ± 12.00 cells, 0.4% E-cig; 32.14 ± 20.75%; n = 29–40; p < 0.01). At high concentrations, E-cig liquids significantly damaged the hair cells in the PLL (control; 36.88 ± 5.43 cells, 0.1% E-cig; 33.06 ± 5.21 cells, 0.2% E-cig; 30.95 ± 8.03 cells, 0.4% E-cig; 23.72 ± 15.53%, n = 29–40; p < 0.01). No morphological abnormalities in body shape, somites, notochord, tail, and pectoral fin were observed; however, abnormalities were observed in the dorsal fin and heart rate at high concentrations. Thus, gestational exposure to E-cigs significantly damaged hair cells in a concentration-dependent manner and induced developmental toxicities to the dorsal fin and heart rate at high concentrations.

Background & Aims: Nucleo(s)tide analogue (NUC) withdrawal may result in HBsAg clearance in a subset of patients. However, predictors of HBsAg loss after NUC withdrawal remain ill-defined. Methods: We studied predictors of HBsAg loss in a global cohort of HBeAg-negative patients with undetectable HBV DNA who discontinued long-term NUC therapy. Patients requiring retreatment after treatment cessation were considered non-responders. Results: We enrolled 1,216 patients (991 with genotype data); 98 (8.1%) achieved HBsAg loss. The probability of HBsAg loss was higher in non-Asian patients (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 8.26, p 100 IU/ml) and HBcrAg (100 IU/ml with detectable HBcrAg. HBsAg loss rates also varied with HBV genotype; the highest rates were observed for genotypes A and D, and none of the patients with HBV genotype E experienced HBsAg loss (p

OBJECTIVE Production of alpha-1,3-galactosyltransferase (αGT)-deficient pigs is essential to overcome xenograft rejection in pig-to-human xenotransplantation. However, the production of such pigs requires a great deal of cost, time, and labor. Heterozygous αGT knockout pigs should be bred at least for two generations to ultimately obtain homozygote progenies. The present study was conducted to produce αGT-deficient miniature pigs in much reduced time using mitotic recombination in neonatal ear skin fibroblasts. METHODS Miniature pig fibroblasts were transfected with αGT gene-targeting vector. Resulting gene-targeted fibroblasts were used for nuclear transfer (NT) to produce heterozygous αGT gene-targeted piglets. Fibroblasts isolated from ear skin biopsies of these piglets were cultured for 6 to 8 passages to induce loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and treated with biotin-conjugated IB4 that binds to galactose-α-1,3-galactose, an epitope produced by αGT. Using magnetic activated cell sorting, cells with monoallelic disruption of αGT were removed. Remaining cells with LOH carrying biallelic disruption of αGT were used for the second round NT to produce homozygous αGT gene-targeted piglets. RESULTS Monoallelic mutation of αGT gene was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction in fibroblasts. Using these cells as nuclear donors, three heterozygous αGT gene-targeted piglets were produced by NT. Fibroblasts were collected from ear skin biopsies of these piglets, and homozygosity was induced by LOH. The second round NT using these fibroblasts resulted in production of three homozygous αGT knockout piglets. CONCLUSION The present study demonstrates that the time required for the production of αGT-deficient miniature pigs could be reduced significantly by postnatal skin biopsies and subsequent selection of mitotic recombinants. Such procedure may be beneficial for the production of homozygote knockout animals, especially in species, such as pigs, that require a substantial length of time for breeding.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer. However, effective therapeutics for ccRCC are lacking. Novel biomarkers could provide critical information when determining prognoses for patients with ccRCC. In this study, we sought to determine if the expression of receptor tyrosine kinase (TEK) could be a potential novel prognostic biomarker for ccRCC. TEK, originally identified as an endothelial cell-specific receptor, plays an important role in the modulation of vasculogenesis and remodeling. Altered TEK expression has been observed in tumor tissues (e.g., oral squamous cell carcinomas, leukemia) and breast, gastric and thyroid cancers. However, the role of TEK in ccRCC remains unknown.Differential TEK expression between non-metastatic (stage M0) and metastatic (stage M1) ccRCC patient cohorts was determined from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC). Furthermore, TEK expression was assessed as a prognostic factor using the time-dependent area under the curve (AUC) of Uno's C-index, the AUC value of the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) at 5 years, Kaplan-Meier survival curves and multivariate analyses.A Kaplan-Meier curve analysis revealed that the downregulation of TEK expression was associated with a poor prognosis for patients with ccRCC with good discrimination (p0.0001 and p=0.0044 for the TGCA and ICGC cohorts, respectively). Analyses of C-indices and receiver operating characteristic AUC values further support this discriminative ability. Moreover, multivariate analyses showed the prognostic significance of TEK expression levels (p0.001).Although additional clinical investigations will be needed, our results suggest that TEK is a potential biomarker for ccRCC.

The Hemistepta lyrata Bunge flower has various biological and pharmacological effects, but effects of its absolute on skin regeneration or wound healing-linked responses remain unknown. In the present study, effects of Hemistepta lyrata Bunge flower absolute were explored on the proliferation and migration of normal human keratinocytes as well as the composition of absolute from Hemistepta lyrata Bunge flower was analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Hemistepta lyrata Bunge flower absolute stimulated both proliferation and migration of the keratinocytes. It also enhanced the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and serine/threonine-specific protein kinase in human keratinocytes. Moreover, the Hemistepta lyrata Bunge flower absolute increased the sprout outgrowth of human keratinocytes. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of Hemistepta lyrata Bunge flower absolute allowed identification of 16 compounds. These findings indicated that the absolute promoted the migration and proliferation of keratinocytes. Therefore, Hemistepta lyrata Bunge flower absolute might play a beneficial role in skin regeneration or wound healing by elevating migration and proliferation of keratinocytes.

In this paper, we analyze VLF signals received at Busan to study the the D-region changes linked with the solar eclipse event of 22 July 2009 for very short (� 390 km) transmitter–receiver great circle path (TRGCP) during local noon time 00:36–03:13 UT (09:36– 12:13 KST). The eclipse crossed south of Busan with a maximum obscuration of � 84%. Observations clearly show a reduction of � 6.2 dB in the VLF signal strength at the time of maximum solar obscuration (84% at 01:53 UT) as compared to those observed on the control days. Estimated values of change in Wait ionospheric parameters: reflection height (h 0 ) in km and inverse scale height parameter (b )i n km � 1 from Long Wave Propagation Capability (LWPC) model during the maximum eclipse phase as compared to unperturbed ionosphere are 7 km and 0.055 km � 1 , respectively. Moreover, the D-region electron density estimated from model computation shows 95% depletion in electron density at the height of � 71 km. The reflection height is found to increase by � 7k m in the D-region during the eclipse as compared to those on the control days, implying a depletion in the Lyman-a flux by a factor of � 7. The present observations are discussed in the light of current understanding on the solar eclipse induced D-region dynamics. 2014 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Background. Peripheral cytokines are related to cognitive impairment in delirium and dementia. During alcohol detoxification, elevation of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines is reported. However, the relationship between peripheral cytokines and cognitive function in alcohol dependence has not been examined. We characterised the serum cytokine profile during alcohol detoxification, hypothesising that cytokines changing during detoxification would relate to cognitive performance. Methods. We recruited 54 patients undergoing in-patient detoxification (M = 33, aged 47 ± 13), took blood for serum cytokine analysis early (day 1-3), mid (day 4-6) and late (day 7 -10) in detoxification. At the last time point, verbal memory (Weschler Memory Scale), and Trail Making Tests A and B (Halstead-Reitan battery) were administered. Cytokines were measured using a Luminex 25-plex system. Ten cytokines undetectable in >10% samples were excluded from further analysis. We performed repeated-measures analyses of variance to examine cytokine changes during detoxification, and correlations controlling for age, previous alcohol intake, previous detoxifications and gamma glutamyl transferase, to examine the relationship between cytokines and cognition. Results. Few cytokines changed during detoxification: IL-6 (F = 7.210; p = 0.0038), MCP-1 (F = 10.25; p = 0.0002) and IL-8 (F = 11.46; p = 0.0002) decreased while IL-12 increased (F = 12.32; p = 0.0003). MCP-1 (-0.508, p = 0.004) correlated inversely with time taken to complete Trails A (-0.508, p = 0.004), and directly with performance on both immediate (0.371; p = 0.044), and delayed verbal memory (0.412; p = 0.024). Conclusions. Our initial analysis suggests an association between MCP-1 and cognitive function. Further exploration is required to understand its nature, and whether it can be exploited to protect cognition in alcohol dependence.

Introduction Graft rejection remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality following renal transplantation. One of the main determinants of success after renal transplantation is histocompatibility between donor and recipient. Most of the research on this topic has addressed human leukocyte antigen (HLA), but the roles played by minor histocompatibility antigens (mHAgs), such as mitochondrially transmitted antigens, are poorly understood. In this study, we evaluated immune responses induced by minor antigens originating from mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in a large animal model. Methods To characterize whole swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) allele in 8 cloned pigs, we performed SLA genotyping for SLA-1, SLA-2, SLA-3, SLA-DQB1, and SLA-DRB1 as well as the hypervariable region 1 (HV1) of mtDNA. Renal transplantation was performed using SLA-matched pigs with different mtDNA as well as SLA-mismatched cloned animals. Cytokine profiling was performed by incubating peripheral leukocytes with cellular components from SLA-matched different mtDNA and SLA-mismatched cells to evaluate mtDNA-mediated immune response. Results SLA types were confirmed to be identical, but mtDNA sequences of HV1 varied among cloned pigs. Rejection episodes in the SLA-matched group with different mtDNA were similar to those in the SLA-mismatched group; that is, plasma creatinine and BUN levels were increased and mononuclear cell infiltration was observed in perivascular regions in the matched and SLA-mismatched groups. Furthermore, in vitro studies showed interleukin (IL)-1β expression to be elevated in SLA-matched and SLA-mismatched groups. Conclusion Cloned pigs are a useful preclinical model to evaluate the immunogenicity of mtDNA encoding minor antigens. The mtDNA originating from nongenomic DNA induced cell-mediated immune rejection after kidney transplantation.

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by a combination of neurological symptoms and hamartomatous growths, and caused by mutations in the TSC1 and TSC2 genes. Overall, TSC2 mutations are associated with a more severe disease phenotype. We identified the c. 3598C> T (R1200W) change in the TSC2 gene in seven different families. The clinical phenotypes in the families were mild, characterized by mild skin lesions, remitting epilepsy and a lack of severe mental retardation or major organ involvement. Functional analysis of the TSC2 R1200W variant, and four other TSC2 missense variants associated with a mild TSC phenotype, confirmed that the changes disrupted the TSC1-TSC2 function. Interestingly however, in each case, the TSC1-TSC2 interaction was not affected by the amino acid substitution.

We report for the first time the direct conversion of raw grape berry biomass to hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) using ionic liquid solvents with metal chloride catalysts. Exploiting raw plant biomass as a biorefinery feedstock is innovative for sustainable chemical industry. The use of the raw biomass to synthesize compounds can indeed lead to less energy consumption and less CO2 emissions. Using raw plant biomass skips pretreatment steps that are required to produce biomaterials such as carbohydrates or cellulosic biomass. Here, grape berry biomass was used as a raw chemical feedstock for the production of hydroxymethylfurfural, a key platform intermediate for syntheses of future renewable biofuels. We examined 3 ionic liquid solvents, 3 reaction temperatures, 5 chloride catalysts, and 5 concentrations of HCl. We found an increasing HMF yields depending on reaction conditions. 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride was most effective for HMF synthesis. Addition of HCl or metal chlorides alone showed little improvement. The highest HMF yield of about 100 mg HMF per mL of grape biomass extract was obtained using 0.3 M HCl, [OMIM]Cl, and CrCl2 at 100°C for 3 h. Our study provides a model system of sustainable production of valuable compounds from raw plant biomass.

To cite this article: Cheong HS, Park S-M, Kim M-O, Park J-S, Lee JY, Byun JY, Park BL, Shin HD, Park C-S. Genome-wide methylation profile of nasal polyps: relation to aspirin hypersensitivity in asthmatics. Allergy 2011; 66: 637–644. Abstract Background: In addition to the dysregulation of arachidonic acid metabolism in aspirin-intolerant asthma (AIA), aspirin acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) exerts effects on inflammation and immunity; however, many of these effects are unknown. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the methylation status of whole genome in blood and polyp tissues with and without aspirin hypersensitivity. Methods: Genome-wide DNA methylation levels in nasal polyps and peripheral blood cells were examined by microarray analysis using five subjects with AIA and four subjects with aspirin-tolerant asthma (ATA). Results: In the nasal polyps of the patients with AIA, hypermethylation was detected at 332 loci in 296 genes, while hypomethylation was detected at 158 loci in 141 genes. Gene ontologic and pathway enrichment analyses revealed that genes involved in lymphocyte proliferation, cell proliferation, leukocyte activation, cytokine biosynthesis, cytokine secretion, immune responses, inflammation, and immunoglobulin binding were hypomethylated, while genes involved in ectoderm development, hemostasis, wound healing, calcium ion binding, and oxidoreductase activity were hypermethylated. In the arachidonate pathway, PGDS, ALOX5AP, and LTB4R were hypomethylated, whereas PTGES was hypermethylated. Conclusion: The nasal polyps of patients with AIA have characteristic methylation patterns affecting 337 genes. The genes and pathways identified in this study may be associated with the presence of aspirin hypersensitivity in asthmatics and are therefore attractive targets for future research.

Aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1))-mediated hepatic damage is involved in production of AFB(1)-8,9-epoxide-bound DNA adducts and this is also affected by a pro-oxidant potential of the toxin. In this study we investigated the effects of quercetin on AFB(1)-treated HepG2 cells. We also examined the biochemical mechanisms associated with the effects of quercetin on AFB(1)-mediated liver damage in mice. Our results revealed that quercetin and isorhamnetin inhibit production of reactive oxygen species and cytotoxicity, and block the decrease of reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in AFB(1)-treated HepG2 cells. Isorhamnetin have inhibitory ability on lipid peroxidation stronger than quercetin in the cells. Oral supplementation with quercetin decreased serum lactate dehydrogenase levels, increased hepatic GSH levels and superoxide dismutase activity, and reduced lipid peroxidation in both the liver and kidney in AFB(1)-treated mice. However, quercetin did not show a significant reduction on serum levels of alkaline phosphate, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase that were increased in AFB(1)-treated mice. HPLC analysis revealed that quercetin in plasma is mainly present as glucoronides and/or sulfates of quercetin. Collectively, it is suggested that quercetin does not directly protect against AFB(1)-mediated liver damage in vivo, but exerts a partial role in promoting antioxidative defense systems and inhibiting lipid peroxidation.

Noroviruses are the enteric pathogens most commonly responsible for infectious gastroenteritis and outbreaks of foodborne illness. The GII.4 norovirus, in particular, is responsible for the majority of epidemics. Here, we present data on the distribution of norovirus genotypes in Chungnam, Korea, in 2008, measure genetic variation among GII.4 strains, and compare Korean GII.4 variants with reference strains based on the 237-bp junction of ORF1 and ORF2. We detected 139 different strains, which formed two distinct genetic clusters with significant sequence diversity. One Korean cluster (2008-Korea_a) showed high similarity to the Sakai cluster that appeared in Japan and Europe in 2006. The other cluster (2008-Korea_b) was unique and unrelated to previously reported clusters. Genotype GII.4 was confirmed as the predominant cause of norovirus epidemics in Korea. Foodborne norovirus infections, on the other hand, were generally caused by emerging GII.4 genetic variants similar to those responsible for global epidemics.

We prove that there are 95 non-isomorphic totally complex quartic fields whose rings of algebraic integers are generated by an algebraic unit and whose class numbers are equal to 1. Moreover, we prove Louboutin's Conjecture according to which a totally complex quartic unit e u generally generates the unit group of the quartic order Z [ e u ] .

The present invention provides structures including a substrate, a crosslinked polymer film disposed over the substrate, and a patterned diblock copolymer film disposed over the crosslinked polymer film. The crosslinked polymer comprises a random copolymer polymerized from a first monomer, a second monomer, and a photo-crosslinkable and/or thermally crosslinkable third monomer, including epoxy-functional or acrylyol-functional monomers. Also disclosed are methods for forming the structures.

The authors investigated the effects of various additive gases and different injection methods on the chemical dry etching of silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and silicon oxide layers in F2 remote plasmas. N2 and N2+O2 gases in the F2∕Ar∕N2 and F2∕Ar∕N2∕O2 remote plasmas effectively increased the etch rate of the layers. The addition of direct-injected NO gas increased the etch rates most significantly. NO radicals generated by the addition of N2 and N2+O2 or direct-injected NO molecules contributed to the effective removal of nitrogen and oxygen in the silicon nitride and oxide layers, by forming N2O and NO2 by-products, respectively, and thereby enhancing SiF4 formation. As a result of the effective removal of the oxygen, nitrogen, and silicon atoms in the layers, the chemical dry etch rates were enhanced significantly. The process regime for the etch rate enhancement of the layers was extended at elevated temperature.

In this study, zinc oxide (ZnO) sensors were fabricated from ZnO nanorods prepared by ultrasound radiation method, and their gas-sensing properties were investigated for nitric oxide (NO), trimethylamine ((CH3)3N), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), carbon monoxide (CO), and methyl mercaptan (CH3SH). In the procedure, zinc nitrate hydrate (Zn(NO3)2·6H2O) and hexamethyleneteramine (C6H12N4,) were dissolved in deionized water and then the solution was irradiated with high-intensity ultrasound radiation for 1 h by employing a direct immersion of titanium horn. The length of the ZnO nanorods was from 250 nm to 500 nm and the diameter was from 40 nm to 80 nm. The size of the ZnO nanorods can be controlled by the concentration of the solution. The sensing characteristics of these nanostructures were investigated for three kinds of sensor fabricated by different concentrations (0.01, 0.005, and 0.001 M) of solution. It was observed that the property of the sensors was influenced by the morphology. The crystal structure and ceramic microstructure of the ZnO nanorods were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

The surface topography of a real lotus leaf was successfully replicated using a capillarity directed soft lithographic technique. The replication was carried out on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) film coated on a silicon wafer. The friction property of the patterned surfaces was investigated on a microscale. Its friction coefficient was almost six times lower than that of the PMMA thin film. The reduced real area of contact projected by the patterned surface appears to be the main reason for its superior friction property.

A numerical study, using the volume-of-fluid method, has been made of laminar core-annular flow in a 90◦ bend. To verify the numerical method we first compared our results for a single-phase flow in a 90◦ bend with numerical results and experimental data given in the literature. The agreement was good. Thereafter a detailed analysis was made of the velocities and pressures occurring in coreannular flow in a 90◦ bend. Special attention was given to the influence of the secondary flow perpendicular to the pipe axis. This secondary flow plays an important role in the behaviour of core-annular flow in a curved pipe.

We have investigated the intrabinary shock emission from the redback millisecond pulsar PSR J2129-0429 with XMM-Newton and Fermi. Orbital modulation in X-ray and UV can be clearly seen. Its X-ray modulation has a double-peak structure with a dip in between. The observed X-rays are non-thermal dominant which can be modeled by a power-law with a photon index of ~1.2. Intrabinary shock can be the origin of the observed X-rays. The UV light curve is resulted from the ellipsoidal modulation of the companion. Modeling the UV light curve prefers a large viewing angle. The heating effect of the UV light curve is found to be negligible which suggests the high energy radiation beam of PSR J2129-0429 does not direct toward its companion. On the other hand, no significant orbital modulation can be found in gamma-ray which suggests the majority of the gamma-rays come from the pulsar., 14 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Here we report the results of searching millisecond pulsar (MSP) candidates from the Fermi LAT second source catalog (2FGL). Seven unassociated $\gamma-$ray sources in this catalog are identified as promising MSP candidates based on their $\gamma$-ray properties. Through the X-ray analysis, we have detected possible X-ray counterparts, localized to an arcsecond accuracy. We have systematically estimated their X-ray fluxes and compared with the corresponding $\gamma$-ray fluxes. The X-ray to $\gamma$-ray flux ratios for 2FGL J1653.6-0159 and 2FGL J1946.4-5402 are comparable with the typical value for pulsars. For 2FGL J1625.2-0020, 2FGL J1653.6-0159 and 2FGL J1946.4-5402, their candidate X-ray counterparts are bright enough for performing a detailed spectral and temporal analysis to discriminate their thermal/non thermal nature and search for the periodic signal. We have also searched for possible optical/IR counterparts at the X-ray positions. For the optical/IR source coincident with the brightest X-ray object that associated with 2FGL J1120.0-2204, its spectral energy distribution is comparable with a late-type star. Evidence for the variability has also been found by examining its optical light curve. All the aforementioned 2FGL sources resemble a pulsar in one or more aspects, which make them as the promising targets for follow-up investigations., Comment: 37 pages, 12 figures, 6 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ

Background: Thyroid dysgenesis is the most frequent cause of congenital hypothyroidism (CH), and its genetic basis is largely unknown. Hitherto, two mutations in the human thyroid transcription factor 2 (TTF-2) gene have been described in unrelated cases of CH with cleft palate, spiky hair, variable choanal atresia, and complete thyroid agenesis. Here, we describe a novel TTF-2 mutation in a female child resulting in syndromic CH in the absence of thyroid agenesis. Results: The index case is homozygous for an arginine to cysteine mutation (R102C) of a highly conserved residue within the forkhead, DNA binding domain of TTF-2. Her consanguineous, heterozygous parents are unaffected, and the mutation was not detected in 100 control chromosomes. Consonant with its location, the R102C mutant TTF-2 protein showed loss of DNA binding and was transcriptionally inactive. CH in the proposita was associated with cleft palate, spiky hair, and bilateral choanal atresia. However, radiological studies showed the presence of thyroid tissue in a eutopic location. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that human thyroid development can occur despite loss of TTF-2 function and suggest that TTF-2 gene defects should also be considered in cases of syndromic CH without total athyreosis.

Cellular senescence is considered as an important tumor-suppressive mechanism. Here, we demonstrated that heparan sulfate (HS) prevents cellular senescence by fine-tuning of the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signaling pathway. We found that depletion of 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate synthetase 2 (PAPSS2), a synthetic enzyme of the sulfur donor PAPS, led to premature cell senescence in various cancer cells and in a xenograft tumor mouse model. Sodium chlorate, a metabolic inhibitor of HS sulfation also induced a cellular senescence phenotype. p53 and p21 accumulation was essential for PAPSS2-mediated cellular senescence. Such senescence phenotypes were closely correlated with cell surface HS levels in both cancer cells and human diploid fibroblasts. The determination of the activation of receptors such as FGFR1, Met, and insulin growth factor 1 receptor β indicated that the augmented FGFR1/AKT signaling was specifically involved in premature senescence in a HS-dependent manner. Thus, blockade of either FGFR1 or AKT prohibited p53 and p21 accumulation and cell fate switched from cellular senescence to apoptosis. In particular, desulfation at the 2-O position in the HS chain contributed to the premature senescence via the augmented FGFR1 signaling. Taken together, we reveal, for the first time, that the proper status of HS is essential for the prevention of cellular senescence. These observations allowed us to hypothesize that the FGF/FGFR signaling system could initiate novel tumor defenses through regulating premature senescence.

Cobalt nanoparticles were synthesized on silica thin films by heat treating Co/silica films spun on thermally oxidized Si substrates. The as-deposited films were calcined in vacuum (∼0.03 Torr) for 2 h at 500 °C, followed by reduction in hydrogen at 650 °C for up to 15 h. The reduction process is characterized as one of time-dependent evolution of nanoparticles in both physical appearance and phase nature, eventually leading to the formation of well-dispersed Co nanoparticles, as ascertained by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Slow conversion of Co ions into metallic Co observed in this study is ascribed to the absence of a Co3O4 phase that forms predominantly during calcination in air. Atomic force microscopy revealed a marked increase in the surface roughness of the film due to the development of nanoparticles. A distinct duplex-layer structure was observed in the reduced film, which consisted of the upper layer laden with nanoparticles and the lower layer essentially particle-free. The growth of the upper layer appears to be controlled by the upward diffusion of Co2+ in the film during the reduction process.

We explored the possibility of incorporating carbon nanotubes in a patterned and macroporous silica structure replicated from a thin polystyrene template. A V-shaped thin, vertical channel was constructed and successfully used to assemble 10.06-μm polystyrene spheres into a dense three-dimensionally ordered template of uniform thickness. Infiltration of a single Co/silica precursor sol into the template followed by thermal treatments in vacuum and H2 produced three-dimensionally ordered silica pores with embedded Co nanoparticles. Wormlike carbon nanofilaments of 50–120 nm in diameter were grown on the inner surface of silica pores with plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition.

A new extrusion process of the circular section product with helical fins could be developed by rotating extrusion die. The twisting of extruded product is caused by the twisted conical die surface connecting the die entrance section and the die exit section linearly. But, until now, because the process has used fixed extrusion die, it needs high pressure in order to twist billet and form fin shape on the surface of billet. So, during extruding billet, in order not to twist billet, the extrusion die is needed to rotate itself instead of twisting of billet. It is known that it is possible to reduce extrusion load of product with helical fins by analysis and experiments using rotating die. And it is known that, through the extrusion load analysis by software, optimal rotational velocity of rotating die can be obtained according to reduction ratio of area and twisted angle of die. And experiments and analysis using rotating extrusion die show that the twisted angle of product can be controlled by twisted angle of extrusion helical die and the rotational velocity of extrusion helical die.

The objective of this study was to investigate a small sewage treatment system that could improve nitrogen and BOD5 removal efficiency as well as generate less solid using an anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic biofiltration system. Wastewater temperature was in the range of 14–25°C, and hydraulic residual times were 12 h for each reactor. The upflow anaerobic digester equipped with anoxic filter was fed with both raw sewage and recycled effluent from the aerobic filter to induce denitrification and solid reduction simultaneously. In the subsequent aerobic filter, residual organic carbon and ammonia might be oxidized and finally nitrate formed. In the anaerobic reactor, about 71% of influent TCOD was removed by sedimentation of the un-filterable COD at the recycle ratio of 300%. Another 20% of influent TCOD was removed in the anoxic filter by denitrification of the recycled nitrate. After 100 days operation, solid reduction and nitrification efficiency were about 30% and 95%, respectively. Overall removal efficiencies of COD and total nitrogen (T-N) were above 94% and 70% at the recycle ratio of 300%, respectively. Total wasted solid from the system after 100 days operation was about 316 g, which was only 44% of the solid generated from a controlled activated sludge system operated at sludge retention time of 8 days.

Nitrogen removal from a piggery wastewater was investigated in a post-denitrification modified Lüdzack Ettinger (PDMLE) process. Overall hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the PDMLE, consisting of contact/separator (C/S), nitrification, denitrification and re-aerobic bioreactor was 10 days. 60% of the influent SCOD was separated in the C/S by contacting the return sludge with the synthetic wastewater, however, only 10% of the influent SCOD was separated from the piggery wastewater. Biosorption capacities of the synthetic wastewater and piggery wastewater were 800 and 150 mg/g-MLSS, respectively. In spite of the high organic and nitrogen load, nitrification efficiency was above 95%, and nitrification rate was about 180 mg-NH4+-N/L·day. The removed ΔCOD/Δnitrate ratios in the denitrification tank were 4.0 and 11.5 g-SCOD/g-nitrate, while denitrification rates were 8.4 and 2.6 mg-nitrate/day for synthetic and piggery wastewater, respectively. In the proposed PDMLE process, both bio-sorbed and bypassed organic matter could be successfully used for nitrate reduction as carbon sources and the final TN removal efficiency was as high as 95%.

The characteristics of the microstructure and mechanical properties of thixoforged 357 Al parts with an arbitrary shape were studied for microstructure and mechanical property variations as a result of changes in the applied pressure (110, 140, and 170 MPa) and the solution heat treatment aging time (4, 6, and 10 h).