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Researchers have made bi-layered scaffolds but mostly for osteochondral repairs. The anatomic structure of human cartilage has different zones and that each has varying matrix morphology and mechanical properties is often overlooked. Two bi-layered collagen-based composites were made to replicate the superficial and transitional zones of an articular cartilage. Aligned and random collagen-PVA nanofibers were electrospun onto a freeze-dried collagen sponge to make the aligned and random composites, respectively. The morphology, swelling ratio, degradation and tensile properties of the two composites were examined. Primary porcine chondrocytes were cultured on the composites for three weeks and their proliferation and secretion of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and type II collagen were measured. The influences of the cell culture on the tensile properties of the composites were studied. The nanofiber layer remained adhered to the sponge after three weeks of cell culture. Both composites lost 30-35% of their total weight in a saline buffer after three weeks. The tensile strength and Young's modulus of both composites increased after three weeks of chondrocyte culture (p 0.05). The aligned composite with extracellular matrix deposition had a Young's modulus (0.35 MPa) similar to that of articular cartilage reported in literature (0.36-0.8 MPa). The chondrocytes on both aligned and random composites proliferated and secreted similar amounts of GAG and type II collagen. They were seen embedded in lacunae after three weeks. The aligned composite may be more suitable for articular cartilage repair because of the higher tensile strength from the aligned nanofibers on the surface that can better resist wear.

Aim During ablation of the posterior wall (PW), luminal oesophageal temperature elevation (OTE) prompts attenuation of radiofrequency (RF) energy delivery to minimize oesophageal injury. This strategy on lesion efficacy is unknown. The goal of this study was to analyse the relationship between OTE and pulmonary vein reconnection (PVR). Methods and results During the index antral pulmonary vein (PV) isolation procedure with an irrigated RF ablation catheter, OTE was detected with a multisensor oesophageal temperature probe. Posterior wall ablation did not exceed 25 W and was terminated when the temperature was ≥38.5°C. Patients undergoing redo procedures (n = 142) were studied for PW sites of PVR along 4 segments: left and right superior, and left and right inferior. Pulmonary vein reconnections had occurred in 51 of the 142 patients (36%), in 58 of 284 PV pairs (20%). Among these 58 reconnected pairs, 83% (n = 48) were along the PW. Oesophageal temperature elevation had occurred in 30 patients (59%). No difference in characteristics was seen between the patients with OTE (n = 30) and those without (n = 21). For superior segments, there was no interaction between the presence or absence of OTE and PVR. For inferior segments, there were more PVRs in the group with OTE: for the right-inferior segment, the PVR rate was 72% for OTE cases vs. 42% without (P = 0.04), and for the left-inferior segment, the PVR rate was 44% for OTE cases vs. 22.9% without (P = 0.12). Conclusion Pulmonary vein reconnections are predominantly posteriorly located. Along the right- and left-inferior PW segments, there was an association with elevated oesophageal temperature during the index procedure.

A progressing non-toxic plasma-enhanced solid Se vapor selenization process (PESVS) technique, compared with hydrogen-assisted Se vapor selenization (HASVS) to achieve a large-area (30×40 cm2) Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar panel with enhanced efficiencies from 10.8% to 13.2% (14.7% for active area), was demonstrated. The bonding of Se was partially broken by ICP plasma treatment and these Se radicals are helpful to enhance reaction activity for following selenization process at an extremely low temperature of 330 °C. The effects of plasma steps, plasma power, selenization temperature and optimized conditions were thoroughly studied in detail. The remarkable enhancement of the efficiency is ascribed to the better crystallinity, enlarged grain size, less Se vacancy and uniform depth distribution of Ga. From reaction kinetics point of view, PESVS provides extra energy to crack Se, resulting in the decrease in reaction activation energy. The PESVS methodology was also applied to low temperature (450 °C) selenized CIGS thin film solar panel with uniform conversion efficiency more than ~10%. Furthermore, a large-area flexible stainless steel substrate with remarkable conversion efficiency of ~6.8% without Na addition was demonstrated. We believed that this work can provide a facile approach of low temperature selenization on flexible substrate applications or fast selenization for throughput consideration, thus stimulating the mass-production in large scale CIGS PV industry.

We report on the fabrication of a robust and flexible transparent electrode to replace costly and fragile indium tin oxide (ITO) used in flexible Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells, composed of an aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO)/Ag-nanowires/aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) (AAA herein) sandwich structure. The Ag-NWs networks form low-resistance, long-range pathways throughout the electrode that are able to maintain efficient charge carrier collection and extraction after strenuous mechanical bending. The improved durability of the AAA electrode enables our CIGS solar cells to maintain ∼95% of their initial power conversion efficiency, following 1000 bending cycles. In comparison, devices fabricated using AZO and ITO electrodes are only able to maintain ∼57 and ∼5%, respectively, due to crack formation and delamination of the films. This AAA sandwich structure electrode could therefore serve as a high-performance electrode for numerous flexible optoelectronic applications.

A facile wet soaking process by immersing a CIGS thin film in a mixed aqueous solution, containing gallium trichloride and thioacetamide at 80 °C for a few tens of seconds, was proposed to reduce the existence of defects in the CIGS absorption layer which can be confirmed by the temperature dependence of the open-circuit voltage (Voc). The depth profiles of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results indicate that the gallium (Ga) concentration increases during the short wet soaking time, resulting in a widening of the band gap near the surface region. The enhanced carrier lifetime attributed to the Ga-induced defect reduction during thermal treatment of device fabrication was evaluated by time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) spectroscopy. With wet and light soaking processes, Voc, short circuit current (Jsc) and fill factor (F.F.) can be increased, yielding a significant enhancement in cell efficiency from ∼1% to ∼6.4%. We believe that this fast, simple and effective method can further stimulate the development of CBD-Zn(O,S)/post-selenization CIGS solar cells toward commercialized thin film photovoltaics.

Background Phloretin, a dihydrochalcone flavonoid, possesses anti-inflammatory activity and inhibits the growth of various cancers. However, the flavonoid's effect on cervical cancer metastasis and angiogenesis remains unknown. Purpose In this study, we provide molecular evidence associated with the antimetastatic and antiangiogenic effects of phloretin. Methods In this study, the anti-invasive effect of phloretin (0–60 μM) in cervical cancer cells was evaluated using the Matrigel invasion assay, gelatin zymography, cell-matrix adhesion assay, wound healing assay, and Western blotting. Antiangiogenic potential of phloretin (0–100 μM) was assessed by the Matrigel tube formation assay. The in vivo antitumor effect of phloretin (10 or 20 mg/kg) was fed by oral gavage and determined using subcutaneous inoculation and tail vein injection in immunodeficient nude mice. Results Phloretin (60 μM) showed marked suppression of invasion and migration through downregulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-3, and cathepsin S in human SiHa cervical cancer cells. Phloretin (60 μM) reversed the epithelial-mesenchymal transition induced by transforming growth factor-β1 and downregulated mesenchymal markers, such as fibronectin, vimentin, and RhoA. Phloretin (100 μM) treatment significantly inhibited the aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 activity of SiHa cells, reduced the self-renewal properties and stemness signatures of CD44 and Sox-2 in sphere-forming cervical cancer-derived tumor-initiating cells, and inhibited the invasion, MMP-2 activity, and tube formation capacity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. The ability of phloretin (20 mg/kg) to suppress lung metastasis and tumor growth in SiHa cells was evidenced by tail vein injection and subcutaneous inoculation in a tumor xenograft model. Conclusion In summary, the findings indicate that phloretin inhibits the metastatic and angiogenic abilities and cancer stemness of SiHa cells, thereby suggesting that this flavonoid is a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of human cervical cancer cells.

Gait rehabilitation is an important process of medical treatments on lower extremity injuries for human neuromusculoskeletal system. Benefiting from the medical device automation technology in recent years, robots achieve the rehabilitation in a professional, precise and continuous manner by integrating mechatronics, automation, computer science and communication technologies, improving the qualities provided by human therapists, the labor-intensive works. This research proposes a Stewart Platform-based measurement system for human gait rehabilitation and test purposes. Related works are collected and analyzed, fetching a brief understanding of the market. Human gait model is constructed in 3D Studio Max and the CAD model is established in Solidworks. This research forms the mathematic models of kinetics and dynamics and performs the footplate posture simulations by using these models.

STUDY DESIGN The biomechanical effects of disc degeneration and hybrid fixation on the transition and adjacent segments were evaluated using a numerical approach. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the rigidity-rising effects of the dehydrated disc and bridged fixator on the kinematic and mechanical redistribution of the transition and adjacent segments. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA After static fixation, a dynamic fixator can be used to preserve motion and share loads for the transition segments. However, the hybrid use of both static and dynamic fixators and its effects on the biomechanical behavior of the transition and adjacent segments were not investigated extensively. METHODS A nonlinear and osseoligamentous lumbar model from L1 vertebra to S1 vertebrae was developed. Ligament interconnection, muscular contraction, and weight compression were all used to simulate lumbar flexion. The static fixator was instrumented at the degenerative L4-L5 segment and the dynamic fixators (Dynesys system) with different stiffness were subsequently applied to the degenerative or healthy L3-L4 segment. A healthy lumbar model was used as a reference point for further comparison and evaluation. The predicted results were validated with the cadaveric and numerical values of the literature studies. Among the 21 models, the junctional problem at the adjacent (L2/L3 and L5/S1) discs as well as the motion preservation and stress distribution at the transition (L3/L4) disc were compared. RESULTS Static fixation and the degenerative disc deteriorated the junctional problem at adjacent segments. On average, the hybrid fixation of the original Dynesys cord constrained the range of motion (ROM) by 65%. Furthermore, it shared 43% of the stress on the transition disc. However, this resulted in the adjacent discs increasing about 50% ROM and 40% stress. The term "trade-off stiffness" was used to express the concept that the decreased stiffness of the original cord could balance the junctional problem, motion preservation, and load protection of the transition and adjacent segments. The trade-off stiffness of the degenerative transition disc was higher than that of the healthy disc. Compared with the original design, the increased ROM and stress of the adjacent segments can be reduced by about 43% using the trade-off stiffness. CONCLUSION The use of the hybrid fixator should involve a certain trade-off between the protection of the transition segment and the deterioration of the adjacent segments. This trade-off stiffness, which largely depends on both fixator design and disc degeneration, provides the improved rigidity and flexibility of the transition and adjacent segments.

In this paper, we present a surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based sensor for measuring DNA hybridization and DNA/small-molecule interactions. A mixed self-assembled monolayer (SAM) was used to optimize the biosensor sensitivity. It was observed that the mixed SAM formed by mixing 10 mM of 16-mercapto-1-hexadecanoic acid (16-MHA) and 6-mercapto-1-hexanol (6-MCH) at a 1:10 molar ratio showed the best results. Subsequently, avidin was attached to the carboxyl groups on the SAM to serve as a binding element for biotinylated single-stranded (ss)DNA. The ssDNA-coated sensor was first evaluated as a nucleic acid biosensor through a DNA-DNA hybridization assay for synthetic 28-mer ssDNA. A linear calibration curve was observed in the range of 0.25–2.5 µg/mL. Non-complementary DNA induced no significant SPR angle shift, which demonstrated the specificity of the assay. Secondly, the sensor was used to monitor the binding kinetics of DNA/small-molecule interactions in real time. The dissociation constant between imm...

Profile monitoring has received increasingly attention in a wide range of applications in statistical process control (SPC). In this work, we propose a framework for monitoring nonparametric profiles in multi-dimensional data spaces. The framework has the following important features: (i) a flexible and computationally efficient smoothing technique, called Support Vector Regression, is employed to describe the relationship between the response variable and the explanatory variables; (ii) the usual structural assumptions on the residuals are not required; and (iii) the dependence structure for the within-profile observations is appropriately accommodated. Finally, real AIDS data collected from hospitals in Taiwan are used to illustrate and evaluate our proposed framework.

Electrochemical and surface plasmon resonance technologies were combined to detect binding of low-molecular-weight compounds to DNA. First, zirconia thin films were electrochemically deposited onto bare gold electrodes. Second, calf thymus DNA was attached onto the zirconia thin films. Finally, the interaction of methylene violet with the DNA-modified surface was tested. The binding isotherm gave a KD of 2.21 × 10−5 M. Fluorescence quenching experiments were performed to confirm the interaction. Regenerating surfaces with 1 mM NaOH provided reusable surfaces. This study provides a generic platform which can be tailored for the study of interactions of small molecules with DNA.

Autogenic bone graft is the first choice for managing bone defects. However, donor site-associated morbidity and limited bone volume are constraints in clinical applications. Allografts can provide sufficient amounts for bone defects but have a high risk of infection. Bone substitute composed of hydroxyapatite (HA) is an alternative material for avoiding the aforementioned risks. Sintered bovine bone is a naturally occurring HA that has been proved to have excellent bioactivity for inducing osteoblastic expression and new bone formation in animal studies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the interactions between the tissue and the bone substitute composed of HA (sintered from bovine bone) in the human body.From 2003 to 2005, a total of 33 patients were enrolled to receive the sintered bovine HA as a bone substitute. Inclusion criteria were fractures with bony defects, benign bone tumors with a cavity, and spinal fusions. Bone healing was monitored by a series of radiographs, and bone microstructure was checked by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and von Kossa staining.In 81.8% (27/33) of cases, significant fusion mass formation was visible in the radiographs after 6-12 months. New bone formation on the surface of the sintered bovine HA was seen under microscopic observation. Tight bonding between the interface of the bone and the sintered bovine HA was shown with SEM/energy-dispersive spectroscopy and von Kossa staining.Sintered bovine HA is a suitable material as a bone substitute to provide bone growth and promote bone healing.

An immunosensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with a mixed self-assembled monolayer (SAM) was developed to determine staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). The SAM on a gold surface was fabricated by adsorbing a mixture of 16-mercapto-1-hexadecanoic acid (16-MHA) and hexanethiol at various molar ratios. Initially, full-length anti-SEB was randomly immobilized onto the SAM to form the immunosensing surface. Through optimization of surface functionalization and anti-SEB immobilization, the SPR sensors can be applied to the determination of SEB in a linear range of 0.01 ~ 1.0 μg.mL−1. Furthermore, a smaller antibody fragment (F(ab)’) was generated and immobilized randomly (via amino groups) or in an oriented manner (via −SH groups) to form the immunosensing surface. The oriented immobilization of F(ab)’ led to a 50% increase in the antigen binding efficiency compared to randomly immobilized covalent F(ab’) fragments. The resulting calibration curve showed higher sensitivity. In addition, the specificity and applicability of the proposed immunosensor to milk samples were also demonstrated. Furthermore, the sensor can be regenerated using 0.1 M HCl, and 70% of the initial response was maintained over 3 cycles.

An immunosensor for determining staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) was developed on the basis of surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The sensor surfaces were constructed from various thiol mixtures of different molar ratios of 16-mercapto-1-hexanol (16-MHA) to 6-mercapto-1-hexanol (6-MCH). The surface functionalized with a 1:20 mixed self-assembled monolayer (SAM) exhibited the best result in terms of SEA detection sensitivity. Through optimization of anti-SEA immobilization, the SPR sensor could detect SEA in phosphate-buffered saline buffer in a linear range from 100 to 1000 ng/ml. Furthermore, studies of recovery and matrix effects were performed to evaluate the suitability of the developed immunosensor for directly analyzing SEA in milk samples. Results indicated that the mixed SAM-based SPR immunosensor has the potential for the specific detection of SEA.

Introduction: The primary goal of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is to resolve knee destruction and associated problems at the end stages of diseases such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. High satisfactory rate has been reported in terms of pain relief and correction of deformity. However, the method for objective assessment of the outcome, such as range of motion (ROM) and quantitative evaluation of the clinical outcome of TKA, is to be confirmed. The purpose of this study was mandatory to investigate the ROM objectively and the newly designed prostheses. Materials and methods: The study was done in randomly selected patients who received dynamic measurement of knee function. Twenty-six patients participated in the study. They were divided into two groups (13 patients in A and 13 patients in B group), according to the knee prostheses they had received. Basic knee functions were evaluated in various dynamic activities, including nonweight bearing status of knee flexion, level walking, kneeling, and squatting, using computerized gait analysis techniques (Vicon 512 system). Passive knee ROM and static alignment were measured using traditional goniometer. HSS scores, physical, and neural examination were recorded. Results: After comparing patients in almost similar criteria, results have shown that there was no significant difference between two types of knee prostheses in randomly selective patients. Conclusion: Newly designed prostheses for achieving higher flexion angle cannot guarantee to provide better knee flexion for every patient. A patient, who can achieve higher knee flexion in pre-operative status, will have high flexion results in post-operative result. In other words, poor knee flexion function in pre-operation will lead to poor knee flexion function in post-operation status. Minor prosthesis design has little to do with the surgical outcome of knee flexion.

For asymptotic posterior normality in the one-parameter cases, Weng [2003. On Stein's identity for posterior normality. Statist. Sinica 13, 495–506] proposed to use a version of Stein's Identity to write the posterior expectations for functions of a normalized quantity in a form that is more transparent and can be easily analyzed. In the present paper we extend this approach to the multi-parameter cases and compare our conditions with earlier work. Three examples are used to illustrate the application of this method.

The use of costly and rare metals such as indium and gallium in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) based solar cells has motivated research into the use of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) as a suitable replacement due to its non-toxicity, abundance of compositional elements and excellent optical properties (1.5 eV direct band gap and absorption coefficient of ~104 cm−1). In this study, we demonstrate a one-step pulsed hybrid electrodeposition method (PHED), which combines electrophoretic and electroplating deposition to deposit uniform CZTS thin-films. Through careful analysis and optimization, we are able to demonstrate CZTS solar cells with the VOC, JSC, FF and η of 350 mV, 3.90 mA/cm2, 0.43 and 0.59%, respectively.

Defect control in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) materials, no matter what the defect type or density, is a significant issue, correlating directly to PV performance. These defects act as recombination centers and can be briefly categorized into interface recombination and Shockley–Read–Hall (SRH) recombination, both of which can lead to reduced PV performance. Here, we introduce an electrochemical passivation treatment for CIGS films that can lower the oxygen concentration at the CIGS surface as observed by X-ray photoelectron spectrometer analysis. Temperature-dependent J–V characteristics of CIGS solar cells reveal that interface recombination is suppressed and an improved rollover condition can be achieved following our electrochemical treatment. As a result, the surface defects are passivated, and the power conversion efficiency performance of the solar cell devices can be enhanced from 4.73 to 7.75%.

A piezoelectric immunosensor based on a competitive format was developed for determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) concentration. Surface modifications via two self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) were investigated respectively and a better result was obtained with the SAM of 16‐mercaptohexadecanoic acid (16‐MHDA). The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)‐based immunosensor was fabricated by immobilizing anti‐OTA antibodies onto the surface of the 16‐MHDA‐modified electrode, and allowing competition between free OTA and that conjugated with BSA to occur. The assay exhibited a working range of 50–1000 ng/mL and a detection limit of 16.1 ng/mL. Studies of interference and matrix effects were performed to evaluate the feasibility of the developed immunosensor for the direct analysis of OTA in real samples. Recoveries were conducted at 50, 200, and 1000 ng/g and were determined to be in the range of 142%–76%. The OTA assay is specific. No cross‐reactivates were observed with citrinin.

Combined effects of hyaluronate and indomethacin in the treatment of rabbits with antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) were evaluated by assessing joint swelling, C-reactive protein (CRP) and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) levels with periodic intra-articular (ia) injections of hyaluronate alone (HA group) and with either a low or high concentration of indomethacin (LI-HA or HI-HA group). End-point analyses included matrix metalloproteinases-3 (MMP-3) activity and macroscopic and histological joint examinations. Results demonstrated that treatment in LI-HA and HI-HA groups resulted in statistically significant suppression of CRP, PGE(2, )and MMP-3 in comparison with those of HA group. Inhibition of serum CRP was only observed in LI-HA group. The order of serum MMP-3 inhibition was LI-HAHI-HAHA. Based on macroscopic and histological analyses of pannus formation, hyperplasia, inflammation, joint leakage and erosion, and loss of proteoglycan, the only statistically significant improvement was shown in LI-HA group compared to HA group and HI-HA group compared to control group.

A mediated amperometric biosensor for the determination of uric acid in human serum is described. In the optimized studies, the enzyme electrode prepared by using 20 U/mL uricase and 350 U/mL peroxidase showed optimum performance. Amperometric calibrations were linear over the range of 0.01–2.0 mg/dL, with the former representing the limit of detection. A mean recovery of 100.6% was obtained while various concentrations of uric acid were spiked to human serum samples. The functioning of the biosensor is indifferent to a range of potential interferences. In an interlaboratory study, a good correlation with a conventional spectrometric method was observed. The performance of the biosensor is stable for the first 10 days.

A piezoelectric immunosensor was developed for the detection of α-fetoprotein (AFP) in human serum. A number of immobilization schemes via amine-functionalized coating have been studied and evaluated for their potential use in fabricating a piezoelectric immunosensor. These included polyethyleneimine (PEI) and two different types of self-assembled monolayers (SAM), cystamine and cysteamine. Antibody was immobilized onto the amine-coated surface via glutaraldehyde (GA) cross-linking. Antibodies cross-linked at 1.25% GA for 40 min showed the best activity. The amount and the reaction activity of bound antibody on PEI film were better than those on SAM. The calibration graph for AFP obtained by the immunosensor was linear up to 800 ng/ml. Application of the immunosensor to clinical samples demonstrated that results were in good agreement with ELISA. No cross-reactivates were observed with the common endogenous substances in serum, such as glucose (1 mg/ml), ascorbic acid (1 mg/ml) and uric acid (0.25 mg/ml). The antibody-modified crystals showed no significant loss in activity over 3 days under storage at 4 °C.

The work of fabricating a piezoelectric (PZ) immunosensor for the detection of staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) is presented in this paper. Three different immobilization methods using anti-SEB antibody onto a gold electrode of the PZ have been conducted. The electrode coated with polyethyleneimine (PEI) has shown the best result. The fabricated PZ sensor can be used for SEB determination in the range of 2.5-60 microg/ml with a correlation coefficient of 0.997. Milk samples spiked with various concentrations of SEB gave an average of 111% recovery of the toxin. The SEB assay is specific. For example the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) at 40 microg/ml gave 6.44% of the signal while staphylococcal enterotoxin D (SED) appeared to give no detectable signal. After regeneration with 1.2 M NaOH, the coated crystal could be reused three times with retention of 66% of the initial signal. The crystal has also been found to be stable for 3 days when stored at 4 degrees C in a dry atmosphere without appreciable loss of activity.

A finely tuned balance of angiogenic inhibitors and inducers controls the activity of angiogenesis characterized by proliferation, migration and differentiation of endothelial cells. Among many angiogenic factors, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was first identified to be angiogenic whereas vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) is an endothelial cell specific mitogen. In addition to being a specific mitogen, VEGF-A is also known as a vascular permeability factor. The majority of growth factors transduce their mitogenic signals from cell surface to nucleus where gene expression occurs. Whether these ligands utilize a distinct or a common molecular pathway to exert their biological effects on human endothelial cells remains elusive. We thus studied the expression profile of 884 human genes under the influence of either bFGF or VEGF-A alone in the context of human endothelial cells. A total of ninety-four genes were differentially regulated by more than two folds. The expression patterns of 32 genes are similar between the treatment of either factor alone whereas those of the remaining 62 genes are only regulated by one but not the other factor. Their function in the control of angiogenesis will be discussed and apoptotic signaling in the regulation of angiogenesis is also implicated.

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) can inhibit cell growth by directly interacting with cells, as well as by forming complexes with IGF-I and IGF-II that prevent their growth-promoting activity. The present study examines the mechanism of inhibition of DNA synthesis by IGFBP-3 in CCL64 mink lung epithelial cells. DNA synthesis was measured by the incorporation of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine, using an immunocolorimetric assay. Recombinant human IGFBP-3 (rh[N109D,N172D]IGFBP-3) inhibited DNA synthesis in proliferating and quiescent CCL64 cells. Inhibition was abolished by co-incubation of IGFBP-3 with a 20% molar excess of Leu(60)-IGF-I, a biologically inactive IGF-I analogue that binds to IGFBP-3 but not to IGF-I receptors. DNA synthesis was not inhibited by incubation with a preformed 1:1 molar complex of Leu(60)-IGF-I and IGFBP-3, indicating that only free IGFBP-3 inhibits CCL64 DNA synthesis. Inhibition by IGFBP-3 is not due to the formation of biologically inactive complexes with free IGF, since endogenous IGFs could not be detected in CCL64 conditioned media; any IGFs that might have been present could only have existed in inactive complexes, since endogenous IGFBPs were present in excess; and biologically active IGFs were not displaced from endogenous IGFBP complexes by Leu(60)-IGF-I. After incubation with CCL64 cells, (125)I-IGFBP-3 was covalently cross-linked to a major thick similar400-kDa complex. This complex co-migrated with a complex formed after incubation with (125)I-labeled transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) that has been designated the type V TGF-beta receptor. (125)I-IGFBP-3 binding to the thick similar400-kDa receptor was inhibited by co-incubation with unlabeled IGF-I or Leu(60)-IGF-I. The ability of Leu(60)-IGF-I to decrease both the inhibition of DNA synthesis by IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-3 binding to the thick similar400-kDa receptor is consistent with the hypothesis that the thick similar400-kDa IGFBP-3 receptor mediates the inhibition of CCL64 DNA synthesis by IGFBP-3.

We demonstrate, for the first time, an integration-friendly selective PMOSFET fully silicided (FUSI) gate process. In this process, a millisecond-anneal (MSA) technique is utilized for the nickel silicide phase transformation. A highly tensile FUSI gate electrode is created and hence exerts compressive stress in the underlying channel. The highly flexible integration scheme successfully, and exclusively, implements uniform P+ FUSI gates for PMOSFETs while preserving a FUSI-free N+ poly-Si gate for NMOSFETs with the feature size down to 30 nm. A 20% improvement in FUSI- gated PMOSFET Ion- Ioff is measured, which can be attributed to the enhanced hole mobility and the elimination of P+ poly-gate depletion.

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are an important class of materials used in a wide range of optoelectronic technologies, including solar cells, flat-panel displays and organic light emitting diodes, and presently there is a strong drive toward the development of solar cell technologies on flexible platforms that are robust, portable and flexible enough to conform to unusual shapes, particularly building structures. Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) is currently the commonly chosen TCO for use in non-flexible applications; however, its brittleness limits its application on flexible substrates, whilst the scarcity of indium maintains an undesirably high cost for use in solar cell applications. As such, it is important that ITO alternatives are developed with suitably flexible mechanical and electronic properties, which can also be fabricated at reasonable costs. The chalcopyrite absorber, copper indium gallium selenide, Cu(In,Ga)Se2, has a very high absorption coefficient (~104 cm-1), requiring only thin-films (~1 μm) for efficient solar cell fabrication, making it thin enough for flexible applications. However the lack of a high quality flexible TCO has, to date, limited its use in such applications. In this work, we present a new approach for the fabrication of high performance transparent electrodes suitable for flexible CIGS solar cell applications, using a stacked Al-doped ZnO/Ag-nanowire/Al-doped ZnO (AAA) sandwich structure.1 In our AAA electrode the Al-doped ZnO (AZO) layers act as a broad area charge carrier collector and protective encapsulant for the Ag-nanowire network. Concurrently, the Ag-nanowires provide low-resistance, long-range pathways that aid the extraction of charge carriers, but more importantly, they aid in maintaining a low resistivity for our total electrode structure, by maintaining charge transport pathways across cracks that develop in the AZO during repeated strenuous bending. By optimising of our Ag-nanowire network density, AZO deposition and AAA stack structure we are able produce a transparent electrode with comparable resistivity and transparency performance to that of ITO. These combined benefits enable us to fabricate CIGS solar cells that are able to maintain 95% of their initial power conversion efficiency, following 1000 bending cycles. In comparison, devices fabricated using equivalent thickness AZO and ITO electrodes are only able to maintain 57 and 5%, respectively, due to crack formation and delamination of the films. This AAA sandwich structure electrode could therefore serve as a high-performance electrode for numerous flexible optoelectronic applications. 1. W.-C. Tsai, S. R. Thomas, C.-H. Hsu, Y.-C. Huang, J.-Y. Tseng, T.-T. Wu, C.-h. Chang, Z. M. Wang, J.-M. Shieh, C.-H. Shen and Y.-L. Chueh, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2016.

Background Little is known about the biomechanical effectiveness of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) cages in different positioning and various posterior implants used after decompressive surgery. The use of the various implants will induce the kinematic and mechanical changes in range of motion (ROM) and stresses at the surgical and adjacent segments. Unilateral pedicle screw with or without supplementary facet screw fixation in the minimally invasive TLIF procedure has not been ascertained to provide adequate stability without the need to expose on the contralateral side. This study used finite element (FE) models to investigate biomechanical differences in ROM and stress on the neighboring structures after TLIF cages insertion in conjunction with posterior fixation. Methods A validated finite-element (FE) model of L1-S1 was established to implant three types of cages (TLIF with a single moon-shaped cage in the anterior or middle portion of vertebral bodies, and TLIF with a left diagonally placed ogival-shaped cage) from the left L4-5 level after unilateral decompressive surgery. Further, the effects of unilateral versus bilateral pedicle screw fixation (UPSF vs. BPSF) in each TLIF cage model was compared to analyze parameters, including stresses and ROM on the neighboring annulus, cage-vertebral interface and pedicle screws. Results All the TLIF cages positioned with BPSF showed similar ROM ( Conclusions TLIF surgery is not favored for asymmetrical positioning of a diagonal cage and UPSF used in contralateral axial rotation or lateral bending. Supplementation of a contralateral facet screw is recommended for the TLIF construct.

Control charts are effective tools in monitoring both the manufacturing processes and the service processes. Many service processes data came from a process with non-normal distribution or unknown distribution the commonly used Shewhart variables control charts which depend heavily on the normality assumption should not be applied here. Hence an alternative is desired to handle these type of process data. In this paper, we propose a new Mean Chart based on a simple statistic to monitor the process mean shifts. The sampling properties of the new monitoring statistic are explored and the average run lengths of the proposed new chart are calculated. A numerical example of service times from a bank service system with skewed distribution is used to illustrate the proposed Mean Chart. A comparison with two existing charts is also performed. The Mean Chart showed better detection ability than those two charts in detecting the shifts of the process mean.

In practice, sometimes the process data did not come from a known population distribution. So the commonly used Shewhart variables control charts are not suitable since their performance could not be properly evaluated. In this paper, we propose a new EWMA Control Chart based on a simple statistic to monitor the small mean shifts in the process with non-normal or unknown distributions. The sampling properties of the new monitoring statistic are explored and the average run lengths of the proposed chart are examined. Furthermore, an Arcsine EWMA Chart is proposed since the average run lengths of the Arcsine EWMA Chart are more reasonable than those of the new EWMA Chart. The Arcsine EWMA Chart is recommended if we are concerned with the proper values of the average run length. Na prática a distribuição de probabilidade de muitas variáveis não é conhecida e sabe-se que não é proveniente de uma distribuição normal. Segue que o uso dos gráficos de controle Shewhart não é conveniente e daí há necessidade de procurar outros gráficos de controle alternativos. Neste artigo um novo gráfico de controle do tipo EWMA é proposto. Ele utiliza uma estatística não paramétrica para monitorar a média de um processo e observou-se que é ágil para detectar pequenos desvios da média. Propriedades amostrais da estatística são exploradas e um exemplo ilustra a nova proposta. Além disto, outro gráfico do tipo EWMA é apresentado utilizando como estatística o arco-seno da estatística não paramétrica. Os valores de ARL’s deste gráfico apresentaram melhor desempenho do que a proposta anterior. Desta forma o gráfico Arco-Seno EWMA é recomendado se o critério do ARL for empregado.

Background This study was designed to derive the theoretical formulae to predict the pullout strength of pedicle screws with an inconstant outer and/or inner diameter distribution (conical screws). For the transpedicular fixation, one of the failure modes is the screw loosening from the vertebral bone. Hence, various kinds of pedicle screws have been evaluated to measure the pullout strength using synthetic and cadaveric bone as specimens. In the literature, the Chapman's formula has been widely proposed to predict the pullout strength of screws with constant outer and inner diameters (cylindrical screws). Methods This study formulated the pullout strength of the conical and cylindrical screws as the functions of material, screw, and surgery factors. The predicted pullout strength of each screw was compared to the experimentally measured data. Synthetic bones were used to standardize the material properties of the specimen and provide observation of the loosening mechanism of the bone/screw construct. Results The predicted data from the new formulae were better correlated with the mean pullout strength of both the cylindrical and conical screws within an average error of 5.0% and R 2 = 0.93. On the other hand, the average error and R 2 value of the literature formula were as high as -32.3% and -0.26, respectively. Conclusion The pullout strength of the pedicle screws was the functions of bone strength, screw design, and pilot hole. The close correlation between the measured and predicted pullout strength validated the value of the new formulae, so as avoid repeating experimental tests.

Fifteen elderly subjects with bilateral medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) and 15 healthy elderly subjects walked and crossed obstacles with heights of 10%, 20%, and 30% of their leg lengths while sagittal angles and angular velocities of each joint were measured and their phase angles (ϕ) calculated. Continuous relative phase (CRP) were also obtained, i.e., ϕhip−knee and ϕknee−ankle. The standard deviations of the CRP curve points were averaged to obtain deviation phase (DP) values for the stance and swing phases. Significant differences between the OA and control groups were found in several of the peak and crossing angles, and angular velocities at the knee and ankle. Both groups had similar CRP patterns, and the DP values of the hip–knee and knee–ankle CRP curves were not significantly different between the two groups. Despite significant changes in the joint kinematics, knee OA did not significantly change the way the motions of the lower limb joints are coordinated during obstacle-crossing. It appears that the OA groups adopted a particular biomechanical strategy among all possible strategies that can accommodate the OA-induced changes of the knee mechanics using unaltered inter-joint coordination control. This enabled the OA subjects to accommodate reliably the mechanical demands related to bilateral knee OA in the sagittal plane during obstacle-crossing. Maintaining normal and reliable inter-joint coordination may be considered a goal of therapeutic intervention, and the patterns and variability of inter-joint coordination can be used for the evaluation of treatment effects.

In recent years, grid technology, which is frequently used to solve the scientific problem, has ripened gradually. A large number of storage resources and computational power are combined to form a data grid network to deal with massive data of scientific experiments. Data replication generates huge data which are distributed in wide-area for researches around the globe. The files of grid environments can be modified by grid users might bring a critical problem of maintaining data consistency among the several replicas distributed in different machines. For that reason how to maintain the consistency of those files is a great challenge. In this paper, we propose a Oneway Replica Consistency model in data grid environments, which is used for consistency maintenance issue. Furthermore, we anticipate striking a balance between improving data access performance and replica consistency in data grids. This work can find out the more efficient ways of utilizing storage space is an important point.

This paper considers a problem of estimating an unknown symmetric region in $R^k$ based on $n$ points randomly drawn from it. The domain of interest is characterized by two parameters: size parameter $r$ and shape parameter $p$. Three methods are investigated which are the maximum likelihood, Bayesian procedures, and a composition of these two. A modification of Wald's theorem as well as a Bayesian version of it are given in this paper to demonstrate the strong consistency of these estimates. We use the measures of symmetric differences and the Hausdorff distance to assess the performance of the estimates. The results reveal that the composite method does the best. Discussion on the convergence in distribution is also given.

The FOXO family of forkhead transcription factors stimulates the transcription of target genes involved in many fundamental cell processes, including cell survival, cell cycle progression, DNA repair, and insulin sensitivity. The activity of FOXO proteins is principally regulated by activation of protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt by insulin and other cytokines. PKB/Akt phosphorylates three consensus sites in FOXO proteins, leading to their export from the nucleus and the inhibition of FOXO-stimulated transcription. It has been widely accepted that the decreased transcription results from reduced abundance of FOXO proteins in the nucleus. In the present study we mutated Leu 375 to alanine in the nuclear export signal of Foxo1 (mouse FOXO1), so that it would remain in the nucleus of H4IIE rat hepatoma cells after insulin treatment, and determined whether insulin could still inhibit transcription stimulated by the Foxo1 mutant. Despite the retention of the Foxo1 mutant in the nucleus, insulin inhibited L375A-Foxo1-stimulated transcription to the same extent as transcription stimulated by wild-type Foxo1. Similar results were obtained using reporter plasmids containing the rat IGF-binding protein-1 promoter or a minimal promoter with three copies of the insulin response element to which FOXO proteins bind. We conclude that insulin can inhibit Foxo1-stimulated transcription even when nuclear export of Foxo1 is prevented, indicating that insulin inhibition can occur by direct mechanisms that do not depend on altering the subcellular distribution of the transcription factor. (Endocrinology 144: 5615–5622, 2003)

This study investigates the formation of Ni silicides on Si 1-y C y (0 ≤ y ≤ 0.02) epilayers grown on Si(001). The presence of C atoms retards the growth kinetics of NiSi and significantly enhances the thermal stability of NiSi thin films. In particular, an abnormal redistribution of C atoms in the NiSi thin films was observed during Ni silicidation. The NiSi layer was split into two sublayers by an obvious pileup of C atoms. This study proposes a mechanism to elucidate this phenomenon in terms of the C solubility. C atoms accumulated at the NiSi/S 1-y C y interfaces and NiSi grain boundaries may act as diffusion barriers, effectively hindering the grain growth and agglomeration of NiSi and extending the process window of low resistivity NiSi silicides.

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An enzyme electrode for the determination of hydrogen peroxide and linoleic hydroperoxide, a model compound for lipid hydroperoxides, is described. Horseradish peroxidase bearing covalently attached ferrocene groups as electron transfer mediators is used as the sensing molecule and is adsorbed to the surface of disposable printed carbon electrodes as the base sensor. The electrodes are suitable for the determination of hydrogen peroxide in the range 1–50 µmol l–1 and linoleic hydroperoxide in the range 5–100 µmol l–1. A comparison of the kinetic behaviour of the modified enzyme in solution by spectrophotometry, and on the electrode by amperometry, shows that the catalytic current is limited by mass transport when hydrogen peroxide is the substrate and enzyme kinetics when linoleic hydroperoxide is the substrate.