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Background Along with the medical development, organ transplant patients increase dramatically. Since these transplant patients take immunosuppressants for a long term, their immune functions are in a suppressed state, prone to all kinds of opportunistic infections and cancer. However, it is rarely reported that the kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) have pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer simultaneously. Case presentation A 60-year-old male was admitted because of persistent lung shadow for 2 years without any obvious symptom 8 years after renal transplant. T-SPOT test was positive but other etiological examinations for Mycobacterium tuberculosis were negative. Chest CT scan revealed two pulmonary lesions in the right upper and lower lobe respectively. 18F-fluorodesoxyglucose positron-emission tomography (FDG-PET) CT found FDG intake increased in both pulmonary consolidation lesions. CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy revealed lung adenocarcinoma and tuberculosis. The video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was operated to resect the malignancy lesions. The patient received specific anti-tuberculosis therapy and was discharged. At the follow-up of 6 months post drug withdrawal, the patient was recovered very well. Conclusions We for the first time reported co-existence of smear-negative pulmonary TB and lung adenocarcinoma in a KTR, which highlighted the clinical awareness of co-occurrence of TB and malignancy after renal transplant and emphasized the value of biopsy and 18F-FDG-PET in early diagnosis of TB and cancer.

Improving patient activation can lead to better health outcomes among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, no studies have focused on the issue of activation in patients with COPD in China.This study was designed to explore the status of activation in patients with COPD in China and explicate the significant influencing factors.One hundred seventy patients with COPD were recruited using a convenience sampling method from eight tertiary and secondary hospitals in Nanjing, China. Sociodemographic, clinical, and patient-reported factor data were collected. Univariate analysis and multivariate linear regression were performed.Only 10.6% of the patients were identified as activated for self-management. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed four explanatory elements as significantly associated with patient activation, including social support (β = .463, p.001), free medical insurance (β = .173, p = .007), smoking status (β = -.195, p = .002), and health status (β = -.139, p = .04).The findings of this study indicate that a minority of patients with COPD are activated for self-management in China. Having a higher level of patient activation was associated with having better social support, having free medical insurance, being a nonsmoker, and having a better health status. Creating a supportive environment, promoting smoking cessation, and improving medical security and health status may be considered as potential strategies to activate patients into better self-management.

Background Hypertension (HTN) is a common adverse event of the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway inhibitor apatinib. This study was conducted to evaluate the association of apatinib-induced HTN with clinical outcomes in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods We retrospectively analyzed 110 consecutive patients with advanced NSCLC who were treated with apatinib from August 2014 to January 2018. All patients were classified as normotensive or hypertensive based on blood pressure measurements after initiating therapy. Therapeutic response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazards method. Results A total of 46 patients (42%) were diagnosed with HTN. The median PFS for the hypertensive and normotensive groups were 5.6 months and 4.2 months, respectively (P=0.0027). The median OS times for the hypertensive and normotensive groups were 9.9 months and 7.8 months, respectively (P=0.005). Thirty percent of patients who experienced HTN showed partial response to apatinib as compared with 6.3% of non-hypertensive patients (P=0.002). HTN was independently associated with improved PFS and OS on both univariate and multivariate analyses. Conclusion Apatinib-induced HTN may be an inexpensive, valid, and easily measurable biomarker for apatinib antitumor efficacy in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Shen-Cun Fang,1,2 Wen Huang,2 Ying-Ming Zhang,1 Hai-Tao Zhang,1 Wei-Ping Xie2 1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nanjing Chest Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; 2Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Background: Hypertension (HTN) is a common adverse event of the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway inhibitor apatinib. This study was conducted to evaluate the association of apatinib-induced HTN with clinical outcomes in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 110 consecutive patients with advanced NSCLC who were treated with apatinib from August 2014 to January 2018. All patients were classified as normotensive or hypertensive based on blood pressure measurements after initiating therapy. Therapeutic response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazards method. Results: A total of 46 patients (42%) were diagnosed with HTN. The median PFS for the hypertensive and normotensive groups were 5.6 months and 4.2 months, respectively (P=0.0027). The median OS times for the hypertensive and normotensive groups were 9.9 months and 7.8 months, respectively (P=0.005). Thirty percent of patients who experienced HTN showed partial response to apatinib as compared with 6.3% of non-hypertensive patients (P=0.002). HTN was independently associated with improved PFS and OS on both univariate and multivariate analyses. Conclusion: Apatinib-induced HTN may be an inexpensive, valid, and easily measurable biomarker for apatinib antitumor efficacy in patients with advanced NSCLC. Keywords: biomarker, hypertension, apatinib, non-small-cell lung cancer, clinical outcomes

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a heterogeneous and progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease with a poor prognosis. However, there are currently no effective biomarker that can reliably predict the prognosis for IPF in clinic. The serum level of soluble suppression of tumorigenicity-2 (sST2), which is involved in the immune response, has proven to be a prognostic predictor for various diseases. Previous studies have confirmed that the immune dysfunction plays an important role in the pathogenesis of IPF and the serum sST2 concentrations in patients with IPF are elevated. However, the relationship between sST2 and the prognosis of IPF remains unknown.A total of 83 patients with IPF and 20 healthy controls from 2016 to 2021 were enrolled and demographic variables, indices of lung function testing as well as the biomarkers including the sST2 were obtained at baseline. During follow-up, the primary endpoint was defined as all-cause death and clinical deterioration. Cox hazard models and Kaplan-Meier method were used to assess the prognostic value of various indices including sST2.Mean duration of follow-up was 29 months, during which 49 patients had an event, and of them, 35 patients died. The sST2 level was higher in the IPF patients compared with the healthy controls. Although the sST2 level did not directly predict all-cause death in the present study, it was proved to be an independent predictor of event-free survival. Multivariate forward stepwise model which was adjusted by age, sex, and body surface area (BSA) showed that the overexpression of sST2 increased the hazard ratio [1.005, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.001-1.010]. A higher sST2 serum level heralded more deterioration and the poor outcomes. Moreover, the effect of sST2 on the prognosis of IPF may not necessarily involve the development of IPF-related pulmonary hypertension (PH).In our study, the sST2 serum level was significantly elevated and a higher serum level of sST2 predicted more deterioration and poor outcomes in patients with IPF. Thus, sST2 can serve as a valuable prognostic biomarker for the outcome of IPF. However, further multicenter clinical trials of larger sample size are needed in the future.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is similar to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in its pathogenesis. Changed hemodynamic parameters in acute vasoreactivity testing (AVT) have proved to be prognostic predictors of PAH. We wanted to determine whether these changed indices also impacted the prognosis of CTEPH. Data was retrieved for 86 CTEPH patients who underwent right heart catheterization (RHC) with AVT at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital from 2009 to 2018 and following up for 20 ± 15 months for event. Cox proportional hazards models were performed to determine the predictors of independent event-free survival. Receiver operating characteristic curve was plotted to determine the cut-off value of independent parameters in CTEPH. Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to perform the Survival analyses. Forty seven patients had an event. Many hemodynamic indices improved after AVT. The event-free group had better mean right atrial pressure, mean pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and oxygen saturation of mixed venous blood (SvO2) both at baseline and after AVT. The event-free group also showed higher cardiac output (CO) and cardiac index (CI) after AVT. Among the changed hemodynamic parameters during the AVT, ΔCO, ΔCO/baseline CO, ΔCI, ΔCI/baseline CI and ΔPVR/baseline PVR were significantly higher in the event-free group. Foremost, ΔPVR/baseline PVR, PVR after AVT and baseline SvO2 were independent predictors for event-free survival. Patients with SvO2 ≥ 61.65% at baseline or PVR < 8.09 WU after AVT or ΔPVR/baseline PVR ≥ 0.054 had significantly better survival. Hemodynamic indices both at baseline and after AVT as well as the changes in these indices reflected the severity of CTEPH. Baseline SvO2, PVR after AVT, and ΔPVR/baseline PVR could be used as independent predictors to estimate the outcomes of CTEPH patients.

A continuous measurement was conducted in Yixing city urban area from 24

Good’s syndrome (GS) is often accompanied by recurrent respiratory infections and chronic diarrhea. The main purpose was to evaluate the peripheral immune status of a GS patient after thymoma resection. Twenty healthy volunteers were recruited as healthy controls (HCs). Flow cytometry was applied to determine the proportions of circuiting CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, γδT cells, and regulatory T (Treg) cells in our GS patient. We also examined the proliferation capability of ex vivo CD4+ T cells and detected the levels of cytokines interferon- (IFN-) γ and interleukin-17A secreted by ex vivo immune cells from this GS patient. Compared with healthy control subjects, this GS patient had fewer B cells, an inverted ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cells, and more Treg cells in his peripheral blood. Additionally, the patient’s Vδ2 T cell levels were significantly decreased despite having a normal percentage of γδT cells. Ex vivo peripheral CD4+ T cells from the patient showed insufficient proliferation and division potential as well as excessive expression of PD-1. Moreover, IFN-γ was predominantly derived from CD8+ T cells in this GS patient, rather than from CD4+ T cells and γδT cells. This GS patient had impaired T and B cell immunological alternations and cytokine disruptions after thymectomy. Detailed research should focus on therapies that can adjust the immune status in such patients for a better outcome.

In recent years, because of the controlled blasting engineering in China concentrated in the downtown area, the surrounding environment of the downtown area is complex and the underground pipeline is dense, which poses a great challenge to the controlled blasting. It is of great significance to study the impact of falling ground vibration caused by controlled blasting on the underground station. Based on the numerical simulation analysis of ground contact vibration, the dynamic response of underground stations under the action of falling ground vibration is studied by using finite element software. Discuss the propagation rules of acceleration and velocity of ground surface of dynamic response caused by the collapsing touchdown vibration and the propagation law of the velocity, acceleration and displacement of the top and bottom plate of the underground station, and the research shows that: (1) In the area of 5–20 m from the collapse point, the vibration caused by the collapse is dominated by vertical vibration, and the vertical vibration decays faster; (2) The vibration of the roof and floor of the underground station is also dominated by vertical vibration, and the phase difference of vibration exists.

As a typical cylindrical-convergent drive technique, magnetically driven solid liner implosion could compress interior substance with a shock or quasi-isentropic manner, which has been widely used to investigate the hydrodynamic behavior, the dynamic characteristics of material and fusion energy and so on. For aspecific facility, the implosion parameters depend on material, radius and thickness of the liner, and the ablation of liner restrict the optional parameters. The concept of electrical action is introduced via thin shell model, which not only is the representation of states for conductive metal, but also indicates the change of liner velocity under the condition of thin shell hypothesis. The result shows that the outer velocity of liner increases linearly with electrical action and is directly proportional to liner thickness but inversely proportional to liner density. The incompressible zero-dimensional model is used to calculate the dynamic parameters of thin shell liner, including the implosion time, the outer interface velocity, the implosion kinetic energy, and the electrical action under the condition of low linear current density. There exist optimal radius and thickness which can achieve the maximum velocity, momentum, and kinetic energy. The aluminum is suitable for reaching higher velocity and the copper can obtain higher pressure according to a proportionality coefficient Qb/ρ which is an intrinsic quality of metal. A one-dimensional (1D) elastic plastic magnetic hydrodynamic code which is called SOL1D is developed to simulate liner implosion behavior. The modified relationship between resistivity and electrical action is introduced to SOL1D, which can adapt higher hydrodynamic pressure. According to current waves, the 1D code can be used to simulate liner implosion behavior for all kinds of current densities. The 1D simulation liner velocity is in agreement with both the experimental results and the electrical action model for liner implosion experiment on FP-1 facility. The simulation of isentropic compression experiment at ZR facility shows that the magnetic diffusion process is suppressed at extra high current density and hydrodynamic pressure, and the electrical action is larger than the experimental value of wire electrical explosion. The zero-dimensional (0D) and 1D simulation show that estimating the liner velocity and liner phase changing via the electrical action are suitable when thin shell hypothesis and low current density assumption are satisfied.

This study aimed to evaluate the selectivity of substance identification in systematic toxicological analysis (STA) through analysis of 61 drugs by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection (HPLC–DAD). Substance identification was based on the comparison of UV spectra and relative retention time (RRT) with reference compounds stored in the database. Discrimination power (DP) and mean list length (MLL) were used to assess the selectivity of UV spectra and RRT for the identification of unknown substances. DP and MLL were 0.9995 and 1.033, respectively, when both UV spectra and RRT were taken into account. These findings demonstrate that when combining UV spectra and RRT, HPLC–DAD constitutes a reliable and inexpensive method for substance identification in STA. Application to actual samples was demonstrated as well.

A rigorous scheme must be formulated in advance before a viaduct is to be exploded, in this case, numerical simulation can provide effective guarantee to the formulation of the scheme. Focusing on the explosion engineering of a large-scale city viaduct, the process of its explosion and collapse were simulated by the LS-DYNA software. The vibration responses of soil surface caused by the explosion and collapse were analyzed, and also the numerical results were compared with the measurement data. The numerical results agreed well with the measurement data, which showed that the simulation method proposed in the paper could simulate the explosion process well and the results could be also an guidline for the similar projections in future.

Much concern has been paid on the human-induced vibration of high-speed railway station structures in recent years. But the vibration responses are influenced greatly by are two key factors, which are rational pedestrian load model and accurate structure calculation model. Field test, therefore, is the most directly and valuable method to obtain the vibration responses of large-span railway station structure. The vibration responses of the waiting floor of the Hangzhou East Railway Station, which is just completed, are measured and analyzed. The test results showed that the vibration of waiting room floor under pedestrian load cannot be neglected for vibration comfort evaluation.

The first example of 3D heterometallic 4d–4f 2,7-naphthanlenedisulfonate compounds [LnAg2(2,7-NDS)(IN)3] (Ln = Sm (1), Eu (2), Gd (3), Tb (4), Dy(5); 2,7-NDS = 2,7-naphthanlenedisulfonate; IN = isonicotinic acid) has been synthesized via hydrothermal reaction and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analyses, FT-IR spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction(PXRD) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). X-Ray structural analysis reveals that compounds 1–5 exhibit same well-organized 3D coordination frameworks that are built up by 2D elliptical cylinder shaped [LnAg2(2,7-NDS)(IN)3] layers which are constructed by 1D anionic chains [Ln(2,7-NDS)(IN)3]2 − linking the adjacent Ag(I) ions, and [LnAg(μ2-O)2] units, possessing a 7-connected topology with the Schlafli symbol of {33;411;56;6}. Furthermore, the luminescence properties of compounds 2 and 4 and the magnetic properties of compounds 3 and 5 were investigated.

Focusing on the Zhengzhou East Railway Station, which is the larges railway staton in China at present and has the characteristics of bridge-station combined structure, the fine finite element model was established by considering the influence of second dead loads. The rational crowd loading models were also determined based on the testing results. The vibration responses of waiting room floor and business floor caused by crowd loading are calculated. The vibration comfort was evaluated by the code of ATC (1999). The calculation and analysis results showed that: (1) the vibration of waiting floor and business floor under crowd get up loading is small, which can satisfy the comfort demand; (2) the vibration of waiting floor and business floor under crowd walk loading is bigger because the frequency of crowd walk loading (2Hz) is closer to the structure first natural frequency, which can satisfy the comfort demand basically and only some individual parts can not satisfy the comfort demand; (3) the vibration caused by crowd loading can not neglected for the large-span flexible structures.

Current pulses flowing along a metallic target obliquely irradiated by Z pinch-generated X-rays are measured. The leading interaction mechanism shows a strong dependence on incident X-ray intensity in addition to photon energy. Photoelectric effect expected to explain the observed current is not vital in the case of intense irradiation used in our experiments. The measured results are attributed to Compton current and thermocurrent on the same level. Simple analytical modeling of radiation demonstrates that obliquely incident X-ray-metal interaction is an effective method for generating directional electromagnetic pulse with its energy and intensity being of interest for practical purposes.

In order to establish and solve vehicle-bridge interaction matrix equations more easily and able to be applied to any vehicle-bridge interaction problems, a procedure has been programmed based on the ANSYS and MATLAB. Its feasibility and accuracy has been verified via comparing the results of a simple example with another verified procedure programed in the same method based on MATLAB. A study of contrasting moving load model and moving sprung mass model has been done with the former procedure. It indicates that the inertia force of the mass has a low effect on the dynamic response of vehicle and bridge when the vertical roughness of the bridge and damping effect are ignored.

Three 3D Ln(III)–Zn(II) 3d-4f heterometallic coordination polymers (HCPs) constructed from the coligands 3-amino-1H-1,2,4-triazole and oxalate, {[Ln2Zn19(atz)18(ox)9(Cl)8]·17H2O}n(Ln = Eu 1, Gd 2, Tb 3, Hatz = 3-amino-1H-1,2,4-triazole, ox = oxalic acid) have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, TG analysis and X-ray diffraction. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that these complexes are isostructural and feature 3D pillar-layered coordination frameworks constructed by the linkages of 2D layers and 1D zigzag chains, possessing a 5-nodal net topology with Schlafli symbol of {32;52;62}3{33;44;57;65;72}6{33;45;55;6;7}6{36;415;56;6}2{53}4. In addition, the magnetic property of 2 and the luminescence properties of 1 and 3 were also investigated.

A series of Ln(III)-Ag(I) 4d–4f heterometallic coordination polymers [LnAg(oba)2(H2O)]n (Ln = Dy 1, Ho 2, Er 3) have been synthesized under hydrothermal reactions of 4,4′-oxybis(benzoicacid) (H2oba) with Ln(NO3)3 · 6H2O and AgNO3 at 180 °C. All complexes are isostructural with 3D networks expanded from 1D zigzag chains and 2D layers. In addition, the luminescent property of compound 1 was investigated in the solid-state at room temperature.

Two different types of novel lanthanide coordination polymers constructed from 5-nitroisophthalic acid, and picolinic acid as auxiliary ligand, namely, {[Ln 2 (nip) 2 (pic) 2 (H 2 O)]} n (type I, Ln = Pr 1 , Nd 2 , Sm 3 , Eu 4 , and H 2 nip = 5-nitroisophthalic acid, Hpic = picolinic acid), and {[Ln 4 (nip) 5 (pic) 2 (H 2 O) 2 ]·2H 2 O} n (type II, Ln = Tb 5 , Dy 6 , Ho 7 , Er 8 ), have been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by IR, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Complexes 1 – 4 (type I) are isostructural and the infinite 1D Sm-carboxylate chains are bridged by pia ligands to form 2D sheets, such sheets are further united together to generate a 3D supramolecular structure. Complexes 5 – 8 (type II) are isostructural and the infinite 1D Tb–carboxylate chains are bridged by pia ligands to form 2D sheets, such sheets are further united together to generate a 3D supramolecular structure. Furthermore, the luminescence properties of compounds 4 and 5 have also been studied.

Four novel functional supramolecular metal–organic coordination polymers, [Cd2Cl3(IP)2(NIPH)2](1), [Zn2(IP)2(μ2-SO4)2(NIPH)2]·2H2O(2), [Cd(IP)2(BPDC)](3), [Zn2(IP)2(NDC)2](4) (IP = 1-H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]-phenanthroline, H2NIPH = 5-nitro-isophthalic acid, H2BPDC = 4,4′-biphenyldicarboxylic acid, H2NDC = 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid), have been obtained through three types of dicarboxylate linkers. All the four compounds are extended into a 3-D supramolecular framework by hydrogen bonds or weak aromatic interactions. The different structures demonstrate the effect of the dicarboxylate ligands on the formation of such coordination architectures. Compound 1 is a 1-D double-stranded loop-like chain with repeated [Cd4(Cl)4]4 + units connected by H2NIPH ligands. In compound 2, there are two indie 1D zigzag chains jointed by sulfate anions with μ2-bridging mode. With different metal centers, compounds 1 and 2 hold different crystal structures. With different auxiliary dicarboxylate ligands, compounds 3 and 4 exhibit disparate 1D chains. The fluorescence property and thermal stability of all complexes are also investigated.

Three novel compounds, {[Ln(Hbidc)(ox)0.5(H2O)]·H2O}n [Ln = Pr (1), Sm (2), Eu (3)] were synthesized by hydrothermal reaction of 1H-benzimidazole-5, 6-dicarboxylic acid (H3bidc) and oxalate (ox) with Ln(NO3)3·6H2O in the presence of NaOH solution at 180 °C, and were structurally characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveal that all the compounds are isomorphous, displaying 3D networks with 9-connected topology based on the linkages of 2D layers and 1D zigzag chains. In addition, complex 3 exhibits strong luminescent property in the solid state at room temperature.

Accumulating data, including those from our laboratory, have shown that the opening of ATP‐sensitive potassium channels (KATP) plays a protective role in pulmonary vascular diseases (PVD). As maintainers of the endothelial framework, endothelial colony‐forming cells (ECFCs) are considered excellent candidates for vascular regeneration in cases of PVD. Although KATP openers (KCOs) have been demonstrated to have beneficial effects on endothelial cells, the impact of KATP on ECFC function remains unclear. Herein, this study investigated whether there is a distribution of KATP in ECFCs and what role KATP play in ECFC modulation. By human ECFCs isolated from adult peripheral blood, KATP were confirmed for the first time to express in ECFCs, comprised subunits of Kir (Kir6.1, Kir6.2) and SUR2b. KCOs such as the classical agent nicorandil (Nico) and the novel agent iptakalim (Ipt) notably improved the function of ECFCs, promoting cell proliferation, migration and angiogenesis, which were abolished by a non‐selective KATP blocker glibenclamide (Gli). To determine the underlying mechanisms, we investigated the impacts of KCOs on CaMKII, Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase pathways. Enhanced levels were detected by western blotting, which were abrogated by Gli. This suggested an involvement of Ca2+ signalling in the regulation of ECFCs by KATP. Our findings demonstrated for the first time that there is a distribution of KATP in ECFCs and KATP play a vital role in ECFC function. The present work highlighted a novel profile of KATP as a potential target for ECFC modulation, which may hold the key to the treatment of PVD.

Two 2D zinc(II) layered coordination polymer compounds [Zn2(atz)2(na)2]n (1), and [Zn(atz)(ina)]n (2) (Hatz = 3-amino-1H-1, 2, 4-triazole, na = nicotinic acid, ina = isonicotinic acid) were synthesized and structurally characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The interconnection of a coplanar six-membered hexagonal ring and a 16-membered non-planar chair-like ring results in a 2D sheet with (4, 82) topological network. Hydrogen bonds connect the neighboring planes into 3D supramolecular architectures. Furthermore, both complexes exhibit strong luminescent properties in the solid state at room temperature.

This paper proposes a new isolation module, which is composed of double-layer tubular structures and the middle filling material. The hoop vibration isolation module is set somewhere out of pier footings of the footbridge, which presents some advantages such as good reliability, convenient construction, limited occupation areas, little damage to the environment and low cost. The energy of the vibration wave is confined at the most degree outside of the bridge pier, which reduces the vibration of beams and piers of footbridge. The present work gives an account of the experimental investigation on mitigation effects of the new vibration isolation module. The horizontal and vertical accelerations at test points under various working conditions were presented in this paper. Vibration levels were calculated to analyze the regularity of vibration attenuation, compared with no measures of vibration isolation. The results can provide some basic data for the mitigation of environment vibration arising from traffic loads.

This paper presents a new vibration isolation module which is set somewhere out of pier footings of footbridges. The isolation vibration effect of the vibration isolation module was analysed by means of experiment and FEM analysis. The attenuation decibels of the vibration strength were measured and researched under various working conditions. Making use of the finite element program, the new vibration isolation module was simulated and calculated. That the calculated results were in good agreement with the measured ones indicated the reliability of the numerical model. The simulation and measured results suggest that vibration reduction effects are satisfactory. The results can provide reference for vibration attenuation and vibration isolation of footbridges.

The directionally solidified Nb-Ti-Si-Cr-Al-Ta-Hf-C-B (NTS-09C) superalloys were prepared by HRS method. This alloy with strong orientations of (Nb, Ti)ss and Nb-silicide along the growth direction consists of (Nb,Ti)ss, (Nb,Ti)3Si, Nb5Si3, MC carbide and C14 Laves phases. Not only the morphologies and compositions of various phases have been systemically studied, but also the formation mechanisms have been analyzed and discussed in detail.

Rapid and accurate screening for toxicants/chemicals in a broad range is an important element in systematic toxicological analysis (STA). Herein, we report a novel method for the rapid screening of 61 central nervous system (CNS) drugs in plasma, using a solid-phase extraction (SPE) column termed, weak cation exchange (WCX) and high performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). The SPE column was preconditioned sequentially with 3 ml of acetonitrile, 1 ml of water and, 2 ml of buffer solution. The pretreated plasma was loaded onto the column, which was then washed with 2 ml of water, followed by 2 ml of acetonitrile, and the acetonitrile elution was collected as the neutral/acid fraction. Subsequently, 3 ml of trifluoroacetic acid-acetonitrile (2+98) was then used to elute the column and the elution was collected as basic fraction. The collected fractions were evaporated at 60°C under a nitrogen stream until about 100 μl of solvent remained. The final volume was then adjusted to 1 ml with 5% of acetonitrile. The HPLC separation was accomplished on an Agilent TC-C18 column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with acetonitrile and phosphate buffer solution as mobile phase, by gradient elution at a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min. The detection wavelength was 210 nm, and the full spectra were recorded from 200 to 364 nm. The absolute recoveries of 55 drugs tested, exceeded 50%; 42 of them exceeded 80%. In conclusion, the WCX SPE preparation combined with HPLC-DAD, is suitable for a broad drug screening for CNS drugs. Key words: Solid phase extraction (SPE), weak cation exchange (WCX), high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD), systematic toxicological analysis (STA), drug screening.

The bioactivity, refolding, and multimer formation of endostatin, particularly of recombinant endostatin produced from bacteria, are proved challenging for clinical application. In order to determine the biological activity of recombinant endostatin multimer, first, we expressed endostatin in Escherichia coli and purified it with ion-exchange chromatography. The purified active protein could elicit multimer formation spontaneously, but still has comparable activity. Aim to determine the anti-angiogenic activity of multimer endostatin, by use of RP-HPLC, we then successfully separated endostatin monomer and multimer for subjecting to anti-angiogenesis assay. The results from CAM (chorioallantoic membrane) inhibition assay showed that both monomer and multimer suppressed CAM vascularization significantly. At the dosage of 0.8 microg, inhibition rates of multimeric and monomeric proteins were about 58% and 38%, respectively. Multimeric endostatin exerted a higher activity than monomeric endostatin (p0.05). However, when the protein dosage is less than 0.4 microg/ml, there is no significance between their inhibition rates (p0.05), although both of them show a high inhibition effect in contrast to control. The results from HUVEC proliferation assay also showed similar effects at dosages of 0.6 and 1.6 microg/ml, multimer exerted a higher activity on inhibition of HUVEC proliferation comparing with monomer (p0.05). In conclusion, our results suggest that endostatin multimer has a comparable or higher bioactivity and multimerization will not affect its bioactivity, implying that endostatin activity is insensitive to structure conformation contributed by disulfide bonds.

Aim: To investigate the effects of adenoviral gene transfer of IκBα mutant (IκBαM), a novel inhibitor of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), on apoptosis, phenotype and function of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DC). Methods: Monocytes, cocultured with granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF; 900 ng/mL) and interleukin (IL)-4 (300 ng/mL) for 5 d, followed by stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 100 ng/mL) for 2 d differentiated into mature DC. Monocytes were either left untransfected or were transfected with AdIκBαM or AdLacZ. The transcription and expression of the IκBαM gene, and the inhibitory effect of IκBαM on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced NF-κB activation in mature DC were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot analysis, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays, respectively. The phenotype, apoptosis, IL-12 secretion level of DC, and ability to stimulate the proliferation of T cells were determined by flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and mixed leukocyte reaction. Results: PCR and RT-PCR were used to detect a unique 801 bp band in AdIκBαM-transfected mature DC, and also a dose- and time-dependent expression of the IκBαM gene, which peaked at a multiplicity of infection of 100 pfu/cell and at 48 h. Furthermore, AdIκBαM significantly suppressed the TNF-α-induced NF-κB activation, augmented apoptosis, downregulated CD80, CD83, and CD86 surface molecules, IL-12 secretion levels and the ability to stimulate the proliferation of T cells in mature DC. Conclusion: AdIκBαM effectively transfected and potently inhibited NF-κB activation in monocyte-derived mature DC. Overexpression of the IκBαM gene in mature DC may contribute to T-cell immunosuppression through induction of DC apoptosis and downregulation of B7 molecules, providing a potential strategy for future DC-based immunotherapy of asthma.

The hydrothermal reaction of rare earth nitrates, CuCN, 2,7-naphthalenedisulfonate (2,7-nds), and isonicotinic acid (Hina) affords a new family of 3D heterometallic 3d-4f coordination polymers, [Ln2Cu(2,7-nds)2(ina)4(H2O)4]·4H2O (Ln = Nd (1), Sm (2), Eu (3), Gd (4); 2,7-nds = 2,7-naphthalenedisulfonate, Hina = isonicotinic acid). Complexes 1-4 are structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis (EA), FT-IR spectroscopy (IR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). X-Ray crystal structure analyses reveal that 1-4 are isomorphous with dinuclear subunit [Sm2(ina)4] binding Cu ions to generate 2D networks. Such 2D networks are pillared by linking 2,7-nds ligands to result in the 3D layer-pillared Ln(III)-Cu(II) coordination architectures. The valence of Cu salts changed in the reaction. In addition, the luminescence properties of 1-3 and the magnetic properties of 3 and 4 have also been investigated.

Summary This paper investigates the effect of both stationary and walking people on vertical dynamic characteristics of structures based on an experimental program. A lively lightweight bridge was designed and constructed for the experiments. Dynamic properties of the bridge are obtained based on ambient vibration testing method. Stationary tests of straight knees and bent knees postures under different crowd sizes were performed using heel-impact method. Synchronized walking tests were conducted considering walking frequencies ranging from 1.6 to 2.4 Hz and different group sizes of the participants. Random walking activities were also performed. Results of stationary people tests show a decrease in natural frequency and an increase in damping ratio of the occupied structure with respect to the empty structure as number of people increases, for both straight knees and bent knees postures. However, the structural damping tends to be “stable” (or “saturated”) when number of occupants exceeds a critical value. Theoretical modeling of standing people–structure interaction system reflects similar trend. Results of walking tests also show a decrease in natural frequency and an increase in damping ratio of the structure. Comparison of all test data implies that structural properties, structural weight, load frequency, and crowd size all contribute to structural responses, among which load frequency plays a decisive role. Furthermore, both higher harmonics of walking load and higher vibration modes may contribute remarkably to total structural response for lightweight structures.

The preliminary experimental results of Z-pinch dynamic hohlraums conducted on the Primary Test Stand (PTS) facility are presented herein. Six different types of dynamic hohlraums were used in order to study the influence of load parameters on radiation characteristics and implosion dynamics, including dynamic hohlraums driven by single and nested arrays with different array parameters and different foams. The PTS facility can deliver a current of 6–8 MA in the peak current and 60–70 ns in the 10%–90% rising time to dynamic hohlraum loads. A set of diagnostics monitor the implosion dynamics of plasmas, the evolution of shock waves in the foam and the axial/radial X-ray radiation, giving the key parameters characterizing the features of dynamic hohlraums, such as the trajectory and related velocity of shock waves, radiation temperature, and so on. The experimental results presented here put our future study on Z-pinch dynamic hohlraums on the PTS facility on a firm basis.

To evaluate the field effect of the plant molluscicide "Luo-wei" (tea-seed distilled saponins, TDS) against the snail Oncomelania hupensis in the river beach in Anhui Province.The immersing and spraying experiments were carried out in the river beach in Dongzhi County, Anhui Province, to assess the molluscicidal effect of 4% TDS comparing with 50% wettable powder of niclosamide ethanolamine salt (WPN). The chi(2) test or Fish's exact test was used to examine the differences between or among the molluscicidal effects by different environments, molluscicides, application methods, or days after the intervention. Meanwhile, the cost-effectiveness of the two molluscicides was analyzed.After 1, 2 , 3 d and 7 d of the immersion, the snail death rates in both TDS group and WPN group increased gradually, the snail death rates in the two groups after immersing for 7 d were 94.62% and 99.24%, respectively, and there was no significant difference between them ( chi(2) = 3.30, P0.05). After 1 , 3 , 7 d and 15 d of spraying, the snail death rates were 70.82%, 79.75%, 85.11% and 91.65% in the TDS group, and 77.71%, 84.27%, 91.90% and 95.58% in the WPN group, respectively, and the differences among the snail death rates of the two groups at each time point were statistically significant (all P values0.05). The costs of spraying were 316.71 yuan per 100 m2 for TDS and 309.71 for WPN.The molluscicidal effect of TDS has reached the requirements of national standard on nature source pesticides in the river beach of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It is necessary to further evaluate its cost-effectiveness in large-scale field experiments in the future.

本研究では, 高速列車走行を想定して, 半無限地盤, 成層地盤上の軌道構造をはりでモデル化し, 高速移動載荷・加振状態でのはり―地盤系としての動的相互作用解析を行った. そして軌道はりと地表面の応答を移動速度, 地盤条件のパラメータの下で調べた. 解析手法には, フーリエ変換法を適用して波数―振動数領域解を求め, その空間―時間領域への逆変換には離散波数法と高速フーリエ・アルゴリズムをとっている.解析結果からは, 半無限地盤と剛基盤上の成層地盤では, 軌道振動および地盤応答が非常に異なることを指摘した. 前者にはレーリ波による共振現象があるが, 後者にはエアリー相の固有モード波との共振現象が生じる移動速度が存在する.

Two kinds of three-dimensional (3D) coordination frameworks from monometallic to heterometallic, including a charming 3D monometallic complex, namely, [Eu2(mpda)3(H2O)4]n (1) and the first series of novel 3D heterometallic 4d–4f coordination frameworks based on 2,6-dimethylpyridine-3,5-dicarboxylic acid, namely, [Ln2Cd2(mpda)2(bdc)2(SO4)2(H2O)6]n [Ln = Sm(2), Eu(3), Gd(4), Tb(5), Dy(6); mpda = 2,6-dimethylpyridine-3,5-dicarboxylic acid; bdc = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid] have been successfully synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and structurally characterized. Crystal 1 is featured by its interesting 3D chain-layer construction which is formed by the alternative arrangement of chains and layers and exhibits 2-nodal 5, 6-connected 3D network with the Schlafli symbol of {33.43.55.64}{36.46.53}. Complexes 2–6 are isostructural and it reveals that these 3D heterometallic compounds are firstly built by H2mpda ligand. What is worth mentioning is that anionic ligand SO42 − plays a crucial function in the construction building. The two-dimensional (2D) lanthanide-transition heterometallic bilayers [Ln2Cd2(mpda)2(bdc)2]n are pillared by SO42 − subunits forming mixed-ligand complexes with a pillared-layer 3D structure. Complexes 2–6 feature 4-nodal 3, 4, 5, 6-connected 3D frameworks with {4.82}{4.84.10}{42.810.102.12}{42.88} topology. All the complexes are characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR spectroscopy, Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). Furthermore, the luminescence properties of compounds 1, 3, and 5 and the magnetic properties of complexes 4 and 6 were also investigated in detail.

The removal of 5 estrogens (bisphenol A, estradiol, ethinylestradiol, estrone and octylphenol) in laccase catalyzed oxidative processes was studied. The effects of pH and NOM on the removal of EDCs were discussed in detail, as well as the kinetics of EE2 removal and the reaction products. The results indicated that laccase was capable of removing estrogens efficiently. The optimal pH was between 4 and 6. NOM significantly inhibited the removal of estrogens at the initial stage of the reaction. However, the adverse effect of NOM was not obvious after 24 h treatment. The removal of EE2 obeyed the second-order kinetics. The activity of laccase remained stable during the reactions and the stability was higher than that of peroxidase. MS analysis demonstrated that the EE2 dimer formed through radical coupling mechanism was the main reaction product.

Background Long non-coding RNAs play an important role in tumorigenesis, hence, identification of cancer-associated lncRNAs and investigation of their biological functions and molecular mechanisms are important for understanding the development and progression of cancer. Recently, the downregulation of lncRNA MEG3 has been observed in various human cancers. However, its role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the expression pattern of MEG3 in NSCLC and to evaluate its biological role and clinical significance in tumor progression. Methods Expression of MEG3 was analyzed in 44 NSCLC tissues and 7 NSCLC cell lines by qRT-PCR. Over-expression approaches were used to investigate the biological functions of MEG3 in NSCLC cells. Bisulfite sequencing was used to investigate DNA methylation on MEG3 expression. The effect of MEG3 on proliferation was evaluated by MTT and colony formation assays, and cell apoptosis was evaluated by Hoechst staining and Flow-cytometric analysis. NSCLC cells transfected with pCDNA-MEG3 were injection into nude mice to study the effect of MEG3 on tumorigenesis in vivo . Protein levels of MEG3 targets were determined by western blot analysis. Differences between groups were tested for significance using Student’s t-test (two-tailed). Results MEG3 expression was decreased in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor tissues compared with normal tissues, and associated with advanced pathologic stage, and tumor size. Moreover, patients with lower levels of MEG3 expression had a relatively poor prognosis. Overexpression of MEG3 decreased NSCLC cells proliferation and induced apoptosis in vitro and impeded tumorigenesis in vivo. MDM2 and p53 protein levels were affected by MEG3 over-expression in vitro. Conclusions Our findings indicate that MEG3 is significantly down-regulated in NSCLC tissues that could be affected by DNA methylation, and regulates NSCLC cell proliferation and apoptosis, partially via the activition of p53. Thus, MEG3 may represent a new marker of poor prognosis and is a potential therapeutic target for NSCLC intervention.

To establish a method for determination of the epichlorohydrin in drinking water by isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).The internal standard solution D5-epichlorohydrin was added in drinking water sample. The epichlorohydrin was firstly collected by active carbon, and the adsorbent was then centrifuged at 2739 × g for 10 min to remove water. Finally, the epichlorohydrin was desorbed by dipping the active carbon in 1.0 ml acetone for 1 h. The desorbed solution was tested by GC-MS and quantified with isotopic internal standards. The detection limit, precision and accuracy of the assay were evaluated. This method was adopted to detect the epichlorohydrin in drinking water for 25 batches in a city.The determination method of epichlorohydrin represented a good linear relationship in the range of 0.0645-3.8700 µg/L, the linear regression equation was Y = 2.828X + 4.91 × 10(-2) (r0.999). When the epichlorohydrin concentration were 0.0806, 0.3230 and 3.2300 µg/L, the relative standard deviations (RSD) were 7.9%, 4.7% and 3.1%, respectively. The average recoveries were from 95.7% to 98.7%. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.015 µg/L, limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.052 µg/L. The content of epichlorohydrin in the 25 cases of drinking water was under the limit of detection.The method is more simple than the national standard method, with high sensitivity, accuracy and good reproducibility, which is suitable for detection of the trace amounts of epichlorohydrin in drinking water.