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GW170817 is the unique gravitational-wave (GW) event that is associated to the electromagnetic (EM) counterpart GRB 170817A. NGC 4993 is identified as the host galaxy of GW170817/GRB 170817A. In this paper, we particularly focus on the spatially resolved properties of NGC 4993. We present the photometric results from the comprehensive data analysis of the high spatial-resolution images in the different optical bands. The morphological analysis reveals that NGC 4993 is a typical early-type galaxy without significant remnants of major galaxy merger. The spatially resolved stellar population properties of NGC 4993 suggest that the galaxy center has passive evolution with the outskirt formed by gas accretion. We derive the merging rate of the compact object per galaxy by a co-evolution scenario of supermassive black hole and its host galaxy. If the galaxy formation is at redshift 1.0, the merging rate per galaxy is $3.2\times 10^{-4}$ to $7.7\times 10^{-5}$ within the merging decay time from 1.0 to 5.0 Gyr. The results provide the vital information for the ongoing GW EM counterpart detections. The HST data analysis presented in this paper can be also applied for the Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST) research in the future., RAA accepted

The protooncoprotein N-Myc, which is overexpressed in approximately 25% of neuroblastomas as the consequence of MYCN gene amplification, has long been postulated to regulate DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair in neuroblastoma cells, but experimental evidence of this function is presently scant. Here, we show that N-Myc transcriptionally activates the long noncoding RNA MILIP to promote nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) DNA repair through facilitating Ku70–Ku80 heterodimerization in neuroblastoma cells. High MILIP expression was associated with poor outcome and appeared as an independent prognostic factor in neuroblastoma patients. Knockdown of MILIP reduced neuroblastoma cell viability through the induction of apoptosis and inhibition of proliferation, retarded neuroblastoma xenograft growth, and sensitized neuroblastoma cells to DNA-damaging therapeutics. The effect of MILIP knockdown was associated with the accumulation of DNA DSBs in neuroblastoma cells largely due to decreased activity of the NHEJ DNA repair pathway. Mechanistical investigations revealed that binding of MILIP to Ku70 and Ku80 increased their heterodimerization, and this was required for MILIP-mediated promotion of NHEJ DNA repair. Disrupting the interaction between MILIP and Ku70 or Ku80 increased DNA DSBs and reduced cell viability with therapeutic potential revealed where targeting MILIP using Gapmers cooperated with the DNA-damaging drug cisplatin to inhibit neuroblastoma growth in vivo. Collectively, our findings identify MILIP as an N-Myc downstream effector critical for activation of the NHEJ DNA repair pathway in neuroblastoma cells, with practical implications of MILIP targeting, alone and in combination with DNA-damaging therapeutics, for neuroblastoma treatment.

Rationale: Recurrent and metastatic cancers often undergo a period of dormancy, which is closely associated with cellular quiescence, a state whereby cells exit the cell cycle and are reversibly arrested in G0 phase. Curative cancer treatment thus requires therapies that either sustain the dormant state of quiescent cancer cells, or preferentially, eliminate them. However, the mechanisms responsible for the survival of quiescent cancer cells remain obscure. Methods: Dual genome-editing was carried out using a CRISPR/Cas9-based system to label endogenous p27 and Ki67 with the green and red fluorescent proteins EGFP and mCherry, respectively, in melanoma cells. Analysis of transcriptomes of isolated EGFP-p27highmCherry-Ki67low quiescent cells was conducted at bulk and single cell levels using RNA-sequencing. The extracellular acidification rate and oxygen consumption rate were measured to define metabolic phenotypes. SiRNA and inducible shRNA knockdown, chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays were employed to elucidate mechanisms of the metabolic switch in quiescent cells. Results: Dual labelling of endogenous p27 and Ki67 with differentiable fluorescent probes allowed for visualization, isolation, and analysis of viable p27highKi67low quiescent cells. Paradoxically, the proto-oncoprotein c-Myc, which commonly drives malignant cell cycle progression, was expressed at relatively high levels in p27highKi67low quiescent cells and supported their survival through promoting mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). In this context, c-Myc selectively transactivated genes encoding OXPHOS enzymes, including subunits of isocitric dehydrogenase 3 (IDH3), whereas its binding to cell cycle progression gene promoters was decreased in quiescent cells. Silencing of c-Myc or the catalytic subunit of IDH3, IDH3α, preferentially killed quiescent cells, recapitulating the effect of treatment with OXPHOS inhibitors. Conclusion: These results establish a rigorous experimental system for investigating cellular quiescence, uncover the high selectivity of c-Myc in activating OXPHOS genes in quiescent cells, and propose OXPHOS targeting as a potential therapeutic avenue to counter cancer cells in quiescence.

Objectives To develop a new prognostic risk score index for predicting in-hospital mortality in geriatric patients undergoing colorectal cancer resection. Participants and methods A retrospective study included 111,976 patients with colorectal cancer who were ≥ 65 years of age and underwent resection. The records were extracted from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database between 2005 and 2014. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine the associations of in-hospital mortality and demographics, number of comorbidities, clinical and hospital-related characteristics. A prognostic risk score index on in-hospital mortality was established based on the odds ratios of the significant factors. Results 30 points were distributed across the identified predictors of in-hospital mortality. Emergent admission had the greatest impact on mortality (adjusted OR = 3.01) and received the highest ranking with 7 points. The odds were followed by age ≥85 years old and number of comorbidities ≥3 (adjusted OR = 2.58 and 1.99, respectively), which received a rank of 5 points. The other elements of the risk score index were age 75–84 (4 points), male (3 points), tumor located in the colon or with distant metastasis (2 points), and with two comorbidities or socioeconomic status Conclusion This study proposes a novel risk score index for predicting in-hospital mortality in geriatric colorectal cancer patients undergoing resection. This risk score may be helpful for clinicians in decision-making and risk stratification at the pre-surgical phase.

Background Recently, several studies have examined the association between preoperative sarcopenia and prognosis evaluation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing hepatectomy. However, their conclusions remain ambiguous and controversial. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to assess the prognostic role of preoperative sarcopenia in patients with HCC undergoing hepatectomy. Methods We searched the existing literature reporting on the prognostic value of preoperative computed tomography (CT)-assessed sarcopenia for the survival of patients with HCC undergoing hepatectomy. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were used to assess the prognostic value of preoperative sarcopenia in HCC patients. The associations between preoperative sarcopenia and clinicopathological characteristics were also evaluated. Results A total of six studies with 1,420 patients (including 458 sarcopenia and 962 non-sarcopenia patients) were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that preoperative sarcopenia was significantly associated with poor OS (HR =1.572, 95% CI: 1.342-1.840, P=0) and shorter DFS (HR =1.544, 95% CI: 1.178-2.024, P=0.002) in patients with HCC undergoing hepatectomy. Preoperative sarcopenia was also significantly related to larger diameter tumors (WMD =0.598, 95% CI: 0.216-0.980, P=0.002). The results of the sensitivity analysis were stable in this meta-analysis. Egger's tests revealed that there was no significant publication bias. Conclusions Sarcopenia appears to have significant adverse impacts on postoperative outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma following hepatectomy. However, further large-scale prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common complication of type 1 and type 2 diabetes that can lead to kidney damage and high blood pressure. Increasing evidence support the important roles of microproteins and cytokines, such as β2-microglobulin (β2-MG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), in the pathogenesis of this disease. In this study, we identified novel therapeutic options for this disease.To analyze the guiding significance of β2-MG, HbA1c, and VEGF levels in patients with DN.A total of 107 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with nephropathy and treated in our hospital from May 2018 to February 2021 were included in the study. Additionally, 107 healthy individuals and 107 patients with simple diabetes mellitus were selected as the control groups. Changes in β2-MG, HbA1c, and VEGF levels in the three groups as well as the different proteinuria exhibited by the three groups were examined.Changes in β2-MG, HbA1c, and VEGF levels in the disease, healthy, and simple diabetes groups were significantly different (The expression of serum β2-MG, HbA1c, and VEGF was closely correlated with DN progression, and disease progression could be evaluated by these factors.

Hulless barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum), also called naked barley, is a unique variety of cultivated barley. The genome-wide specific length amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) method is a rapid deep sequencing technology that is used for the selection and identification of genetic loci or markers. In this study, we collected 300 hulless barley accessions and used the SLAF-seq method to identify candidate genes involved in plant height (PH) and tiller number (TN). We obtained a total of 1407 M paired-end reads, and 228,227 SLAF tags were developed. After filtering using an integrity threshold of >0.8 and a minor allele frequency of >0.05, 14,504,892 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) loci were screened out. The remaining SNPs were used for the construction of a neighbour-joining phylogenetic tree, and the three subcluster members showed no obvious differentiation among regional varieties. We used a genome wide association study approach to identify 1006 and 113 SNPs associated with TN and PH, respectively. Based on best linear unbiased predictors (BLUP), 41 and 29 SNPs associated with TN and PH, respectively. Thus, several of genes, including Hd3a and CKX5, may be useful candidates for the future genetic breeding of hulless barley. Taken together, our results provide insight into the molecular mechanisms controlling barley architecture, which is important for breeding and yield.

Objective: To identify a multi-gene prognostic factor in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Materials and methods Prognosis-related genes were screened in the TCGA-LUAD cohort. Then, patients in this cohort were randomly separated into training set and test set. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was performed to the penalized the Cox proportional hazards regression (CPH) model on the training set, and a prognostication combination based on the result of LASSO analysis was developed. By performing Kaplan-Meier curve analysis, univariate and multivariable CPH model on the overall survival (OS) as well as recurrence free survival (RFS), the prognostication performance of the multigene combination were evaluated. Moreover, we constructed a nomogram and performed decision curve analysis to evaluate the clinical application of the multigene combination. Results We obtained 99 prognosis-related genes and screened out a 4-gene combination (including CIDEC, ZFP3, DKK1, and USP4) according to the LASSO analysis. The results of survival analyses suggested that patients in the 4-gene combination low-risk group had better OS and RFS than those in the 4-gene combination high-risk group. The 4-gene mentioned was demonstrated to be independent prognostic factor of patients with LUAD in the training set(OS, HR=11.962, P

The effect of traps to C–V and I–V plots of InP/InGaAs heterostructure with 3 MeV proton irradiation at different fluences has been discussed. After proton irradiation, the total reverse capacitanc...

Collagen is a kind of biocompatible protein material, which is widely used in medical tissue engineering, drug delivery, cosmetics, food and other fields. Because of its wide source, low extraction cost and good physical and chemical properties, it has attracted the attention of many researchers in recent years. However, the application of collagen derived from terrestrial organisms is limited due to the existence of diseases, religious beliefs and other problems. Therefore, exploring a wider range of sources of collagen has become one of the main topics for researchers. Marine-derived collagen (MDC) stands out because it comes from a variety of sources and avoids issues such as religion. On the one hand, this paper summarized the sources, extraction methods and characteristics of MDC, and on the other hand, it summarized the application of MDC in the above fields. And on the basis of the review, we found that MDC can not only be extracted from marine organisms, but also from the wastes of some marine organisms, such as fish scales. This makes further use of seafood resources and increases the application prospect of MDC.

Genomic amplification of the distal portion of chromosome 3q, which encodes a number of oncogenic proteins, is one of the most frequent chromosomal abnormalities in malignancy. Here we functionally characterise a non-protein product of the 3q region, the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) PLANE, which is upregulated in diverse cancer types through copy number gain as well as E2F1-mediated transcriptional activation. PLANE forms an RNA-RNA duplex with the nuclear receptor co-repressor 2 (NCOR2) pre-mRNA at intron 45, binds to heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein M (hnRNPM) and facilitates the association of hnRNPM with the intron, thus leading to repression of the alternative splicing (AS) event generating NCOR2-202, a major protein-coding NCOR2 AS variant. This is, at least in part, responsible for PLANE-mediated promotion of cancer cell proliferation and tumorigenicity. These results uncover the function and regulation of PLANE and suggest that PLANE may constitute a therapeutic target in the pan-cancer context., Genomic amplification of chromosome 3q often encodes proteins that contribute to cancer development. Here the authors identify a non-coding product of the 3q region, the lncRNA PLANE that promotes tumorigenesis through the deregulation of transcriptional corepressor NCOR2 pre-mRNA splicing.

We have recently identified the MYC proto-oncogene, bHLH transcription factor (MYC, best known as c-Myc)-responsive pan-cancer lncRNA c-Myc-Inducible Long noncoding RNA Inactivating P53 (MILIP) as an oncogenic driver. Our studies show that MILIP facilitates tumor protein p53 (TP53, best known as p53) turnover by reducing its SUMOylation through suppressing tripartite-motif family-like 2 (TRIML2), thus promoting cell survival, proliferation, and tumorigenicity. MILIP may thus represent an anti-cancer target for counteracting the c-Myc axis.

The afterglow of GRB 170817A has been detected for more than three years, but the origin of the multi-band afterglow light curves remains under debate. A classical top-hat jet model is faced with difficulties in producing a shallow rise of the afterglow light curves as observed $(F_{\nu} \propto T^{0.8})$. Here we reconsider the model of stratified ejecta with energy profile of $E(>\Gamma \beta)=E_0(\Gamma \beta)^{-k}$ as the origin of the afterglow light curves of the burst, where $\Gamma$ and $\beta$ are the Lorentz factor and speed of the ejecta, respectively. $k$ is the power-law slope of the energy profile. We consider the ejecta are collimated into jets. Two kinds of jet evolutions are investigated, including a lateral-spreading jet and a non-lateral-spreading jet. We fit the multi-band afterglow light curves, including the X-ray data at one thousand days post-burst, and find that both the models of the spreading and non-spreading jets can fit the light curves well, but the observed angular size of the source and the apparent velocity of the flux centroid for the spreading jet model are beyond the observation limits, while the non-spreading jet model meets the observation limits. Some of the best-fit parameters for the non-spreading jet model, such as the number density of the circumburst medium $\sim10^{-2}$ cm$^{-3}$ and the total jet kinetic energy $E \sim 4.8\times 10^{51}$ erg, also appear plausible. The best-fit slope of the jet energy profile is $k \sim 7.1$. Our results suggest that the afterglow of GRB 170817A may arise from the stratified jet and that the lateral spreading of the jet is not significant., Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in RAA

Regardless of their different types of progenitors and central engines, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) were always assumed to be standalone systems after they formed. Little attention has been paid to the possibility that a stellar companion can still accompany a GRB itself. This paper investigates such a GRB-involved binary system and studies the effects of the stellar companion on the observed GRB emission when it is located inside the jet opening angle. Assuming a typical emission radius of $\sim10^{15}\,$cm, we show that the blockage by a companion star with a radius of $R_\mathrm{c}\sim67\,\mathrm{R_\odot}$ becomes non-negligible when it is located within a typical GRB jet opening angle (e.g., $\sim10$ degrees) and beyond the GRB emission site. In such a case, an on-axis observer will see a GRB with a similar temporal behavior but 25% dimmer. On the other hand, an off-axis observer outside the jet opening angle (hence missed the original GRB) can see a delayed "reflected" GRB, which is much fainter in brightness, much wider in the temporal profile and slightly softer in energy. Our study can naturally explain the origin of some low-luminosity GRBs. Moreover, we also point out that the companion star may be shocked if it is located inside the GRB emission site, which can give rise to an X-ray transient or a GRB followed by a delayed X-ray bump on top of X-ray afterglows., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, accepted by ApJ

Gamma-ray bursts have been phenomenologically classified into long and short populations based on whether the observed duration is longer or shorter than two seconds. Multi-wavelength and multi-messenger observations in recent years have revealed that in general long GRBs originate from massive star core collapse events, whereas short GRBs originate from binary neutron star mergers. It has been known that the duration criterion is sometimes unreliable, and multi-wavelength criteria are needed to identify the physical origin of a particular GRB. Some apparently long GRBs have been suggested to have a neutron star merger origin, whereas some apparently short GRBs have been attributed to genuinely long GRBs whose short, bright emission is above the detector's sensitivity threshold. Still, there has been no known case that a GRB is genuinely short but originates from death of a massive star. Here we report the comprehensive analysis of the multi-wavelength data of a bright short GRB 200826A. This burst has a sharp 1-second spike, which is not part of an underlying long-duration event. Its other observational properties are, however, inconsistent with those of other short GRBs believed to originate from binary neutron star mergers. Rather, these properties resemble those of long GRBs. This burst presents a challenge to the traditional GRB classification scheme and reveals a class of core-collapse-origin GRBs with genuinly short durations.

Genomic amplification of the distal portion of chromosome 3q, which encodes a number of oncogenic proteins, is one of the most frequent chromosomal abnormalities in malignancy. Here we functionally characterise a non-protein product of the 3q region, the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) PLANE, which is upregulated in diverse cancer types through copy number gain as well as E2F1-mediated transcriptional activation. PLANE forms an RNA-RNA duplex with the nuclear receptor co-repressor 2 (NCOR2) pre-mRNA at intron 45, binds to heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein M (hnRNPM) and facilitates the association of hnRNPM with the intron, thus leading to repression of the alternative splicing (AS) event generating NCOR2-202, a major protein-coding NCOR2 AS variant. In consequence, PLANE promotes cancer cell proliferation and tumorigenicity and its upregulation is associated with poor patient outcomes. These results uncover the function and regulation of PLANE and suggest that PLANE may constitute a therapeutic target in the pan-cancer context.

A D-type flip-flop (D-FF) based on InP HBT working at a clock frequency of 40 GHz and a data rate of 20 Gbps is designed and hardened to resist single-event transient (SET). Based on experimental data of SET in InP HBT induced by pulsed laser, a mathematical model is carried out and the influence of SET on D-FF is studied through software simulation. The circuit is hardened by partial elimination of the effect of cross-coupling at the transistor level in the storage cell and the performance of the hardened circuit is analyzed. The result shows an effective improvement even at a pulsed laser energy of 100 pJ.

Background To examine the effect of mean arterial pressure on the progression of arterial stiffness in normotensive subjects. Methods The subjects who completed 2 measurements of brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and were normotensive at the first baPWV measurement, were enrolled during the second, third, fourth, and fifth follow-up of the Kailuan study. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the effect of baseline mean arterial pressure and mean arterial pressure on arterial stiffness at the end of follow-up and its progression in normotensive subjects. Results Among the 11,697 subjects who met the inclusion criteria, the average age was (43.7 ± 12.2) years old with 6,284 males (53.7%). The average follow-up time was 3.7 years, and baseline baPWV value was (1,346.2 ± 239.9) cm/s. The follow-up baPWV value was (1,403.4 ± 273.5) cm/s, and the average baPWV progression was 57.2 cm/s. In multivariate linear regression analysis, after adjustment for age, glucose, serum lipid, and other factors, an increase of 1 mm Hg in baseline mean arterial pressure resulted in an increase of 8. 6 cm/s in baPWV at the end of follow-up and 3.7 cm/s in baPWV progression, respectively. An increase of 1 mm Hg in mean arterial pressure during follow-up period resulted in an increase of 5.2 cm/s at the end of follow-up and 2.9 cm/s in baPWV progression, respectively. Conclusions Mean arterial pressures at baseline and during follow-up are associated with the progression of arterial stiffness in normotensive subjects.

We performed a time-resolved spectral analysis of 53 bright gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) observed by \textit{Fermi}/GBM. Our sample consists of 908 individual spectra extracted from the finest time slices in each GRB. We fitted them with the synchrotron radiation model by considering the electron distributions in five different cases: mono-energetic, single power-law, Maxwellian, traditional fast cooling, and broken power-law. Our results were further qualified through Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) by comparing with the fit by empirical models, namely the so-called Band function and cut-off power-law models. Our study showed that the synchrotron models, except for the fast-cooling case, can successfully fit most observed spectra, with the single power-law case being the most preferred. We also found that the electron distribution indices for the single power-law synchrotron fit in more than half of our spectra exhibits flux-tracking behavior, i.e., the index increases/decreases with the flux increasing/decreasing, implying that the distribution of the radiating electrons is increasingly narrower with time before the flux peaks and becomes more spreading afterward. Our results indicate that the synchrotron radiation is still feasible as a radiation mechanism of the GRB prompt emission phase., Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures. Updated version accepted for publication in ApJ

Acute lung injury (ALI) presents a pervasive health burden due to the high morbidity and mortality associated with it. Volatile anesthetics like sevoflurane has been previously shown to have organ-protective effect, both in the context of normal physiological function in liver, and during LPS-induced ALI. Sevoflurane was shown to exert lung protective effect during LPS-induced ALI by modulating expression level of microRNAs (miRNAs), specifically miR-155. The objective of the current study was to define the underlying mechanism by which sevoflurane alters miRNA expression levels. Lung injury caused by LPS and its amelioration post sevoflurane administration was first confirmed. Expression levels of different miRNA and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) encoding inflammatory cytokines were measured in a rat model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI, which were subsequently treated with either sevoflurane or vehicle control. Host of miRNAs and messenger RNAs encoding pro-inflammatory cytokines are overexpressed during LPS-induced ALI, which are reversed following sevoflurane administration. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the RNA-binding protein, poly r(C) binding protein 1 (PCBP1) expression is induced in ALI and is repressed following sevoflurane treatment. RNA immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that PCBP1 expression dictates the altered miRNA expression and sevoflurane altered miRNA expression by suppressing PCBP1 expression. Our study thus elucidates a unique mechanism of lung protective effect of sevoflurane mediated by suppression of expression of a RNA-binding protein that potentiates expression of pro-inflammatory miRNAs.

The giant flares of soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) have long been proposed to contribute to at least a subsample of the observed short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). In this paper, we perform a comprehensive analysis of the high-energy data of the recent bright short GRB 200415A, which was located close to the Sculptor galaxy. Our results suggest that a magnetar giant flare provides the most natural explanation for most observational properties of GRB 200415A, including its location, temporal and spectral features, energy, statistical correlations, and high-energy emissions. On the other hand, the compact star merger GRB model is found to have difficulty reproducing such an event in a nearby distance. Future detections and follow-up observations of similar events are essential to firmly establish the connection between SGR giant flares and a subsample of nearby short GRBs., Comment: ApJ published in August 2020 (Yang et al. 2020, ApJ, 899, 106)

The southern block of Pai 6 belongs to a structural lithologic reservoir, with high crude oil viscosity and large difference on the plane. Because of thermal recovery development of horizontal wells, the initial daily oil production capacity is relatively high. The oil-gas ratio in the first cycle is 1.65, which gradually deteriorated from the second cycle. In the sixth cycle, the oil-gas ratio in the cycle drops to 0.74, mainly because the water cut in the southern well rises too fast. The rise of water cut is closely related to wellbore trajectory and crude oil viscosity, in addition to structural location. This paper focuses on the analysis of the factors affecting the water cut of oil wells in fault blocks and the law of water invasion by side water.

The damage mechanism of proton irradiation in InP/InGaAs heterostructures was studied. The deep level traps were investigated in detail by deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), capacitance&ndash, voltage (C&ndash, V) measurements and SRIM (the stopping and range of ions in matter, Monte Carlo code) simulation for non-irradiated and 3 MeV proton-irradiated samples at a fluence of 5 &times, 1012 p/cm2. Compared with non-irradiated samples, a new electron trap at EC-0.37 eV was measured by DLTS in post-irradiated samples and was found to be closer to the center of the forbidden band. The trap concentration in bulk, the interface trap charge density and the electron capture cross-section were 4 &times, 1015 cm&minus, 3, 1.8 &times, 1012 cm&minus, 2, and 9.61 &times, 10&minus, 15 cm2, respectively. The deep level trap, acting as a recombination center, resulted in a large recombination current at a lower forward bias and made the forward current increase in InP/InGaAs heterostructures for post-irradiated samples. When the deep level trap parameters were added into the technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation tool, the simulation results matched the current&ndash, voltage measurements data well, which verifies the validity of the damage mechanism of proton irradiation.

Recently, tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium( ii ) (Ru(bpy)32+) has been widely used in electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensors. However, its ECL has to be triggered at high positive or negative voltage, leading to a series of undesired side effects containing electrical damage toward biomolecules and hydrogen/oxygen evolution reaction. In this work, a new low-potential-triggered Ru(bpy)32+ ECL system was reported using oxalate as coreactant with the aid of platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) electrodeposited on the surface of the graphene-ionic liquid composite. When cyclic scanning in a potential range from 0.3 to −0.2 V, the ECL signal appeared at onset potential of 0.05 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), and reached the maximum at about −0.15 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), which were quite lower than that in the typical Ru(bpy)32+-oxalate (C2O42−) ECL system. The possible mechanism was discussed in detail. Meanwhile, the low-potential-triggered ECL signals were strong and stable, which were further exploited to detect the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The constructed ECL sensor exhibited a good linearity between the ECL signals and the logarithm of the concentrations of CEA in a range from 0.1 pg mL−1 to 100 ng mL−1 with the detection limit of 0.01 pg mL−1. In addition, the sensor showed a promising potential in clinical detection.

Background: Endotracheal tube (ETT) is often necessary to achieve airway control during general anesthesia. Recent studies have showed that sore throat following endotracheal intubation is a common complaint after surgery. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate whether ETT cuff pressure affects the incidence of postoperative sore throat (POST) after general anesthesia.Methods: The following databases were searched electronically: PubMed (updated to Nov 2015), EMBASE (updated to Nov 2015), World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (updated to Jul 2015), Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (1978 to Oct 2015), and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (1994 to Oct 2015). Trials comparing EET cuff pressure for elective surgery were included.Results: Three trials with a total of 609 patients were included in current analysis. Pool results from these trials showed that a lower ETT cuff pressure significantly decreased the incidence of POST at 24 hours after surgery (relative ratio [RR]=0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.61-0.95, P

The proton-induced degradation for InP/InGaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) is studied based on the calculation in the energy range from the displacement damage threshold to 100 MeV with analytical model of nonionizing energy loss (NIEL). The experiments of 3 and 10 MeV proton radiation on InP/InGaAs HBTs have been performed, in which significant current gain degradation is predominant. The increase in base current due to the increased recombination is responsible for the noticeable current gain degradation. Qualitative comparison of the NIEL results with the proton damage coefficients for InP/InGaAs HBTs is made and good correlation is found.

In this paper, the impact of deep level traps on the I-V and C-V characteristics of InP/InGaAs heterojunction have been studied by introducing deep level traps in pre and post-irradiation samples. In this case, forward recombination current and junction capacitance in dependence of the deep level density and energy have been analyzed by TCAD simulation and experiments. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results. The junction capacitance and recombination current both increase with the increasing of deep level density. Apart from this, the radiation induces deeper level traps, which contributes more to these increased trends.

Background Frailty associated with aging increases the risk of falls, disability, and death. We investigated gender-associated factors for frailty. Methods Data of 3,079 geriatric subjects were retrieved from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2010 database. After excluding 1,126 subjects with missing data on frailty, medical history and survival, data of 1,953 patients were analyzed. Main endpoints were frailty prevalence, mortality rates and causes of death. Results Frailty prevalence was 5.4% in males, 8.8% in females. Significant risk factors for geriatric frailty in males were being widowed/divorced/separated, low daily total calorie intake, physical inactivity, sleeping >9 h, smoking and hospitalization history; and in females were obesity, physical inactivity, sleeping Discussion Factors associated with frailty differ by gender, with higher frailty prevalence in females and higher mortality in males. Gender-associated factors for frailty identified in this study may be useful in evaluating frailty and guiding development of public health measures for prevention. Key Message Common predictive factors for frailty among older adults of both genders, including more frequent previous hospitalizations, physical inactivity, and certain gender-associated factors for frailty, are consistent with results of other NHANES studies in which self-reported higher levels of illness and sedentary behavior were directly associated with frailty.

This paper examines the load margins and bifurcation types of the power flow model and those of the quasi-steady state (QSS) model. Physical explanations are provided for the difference in load margins between the two models. This examination shows that load margins of the power flow model are always greater than those of the QSS model. On the other hand, both the power flow model and the QSS model encounter the same type of local bifurcations, which can be either the saddle-node bifurcation (SNB) or the structure-induced bifurcation (SIB). The numerical studies conducted in this paper confirm the above observation and raise the issue of accuracy in load margin calculation using the power flow model.

The mechanism of single event transients in indium phosphide heterojunction bipolar transistors are studied with different laser energy, collector and irradiation positions based on a pulsed laser experiment. The area of the depletion region neutralized by the laser track determines the area of the funnel region, and affects the total charges collected by collector Q Total. The total charge collection consists of the charge collected in the depletion region, the charges collected in funnel region, and the diffusion charges. The larger the area of the neutralized depletion region, the larger the area of the funnel region, thus, the more electron–hole pairs would be collected. The influence of laser energy, collector bias and irradiation positions on total charge collection is studied and discussed in detail.

Objective Recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor (rhPDGF) is used topically in the treatment of diabetic lower-extremity ulcers. There have been few meta-analyses of the efficacy of rhPDGF in this treatment context. The aim of this study was to perform an updated systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the clinical efficacy of rhPDGF in the treatment of diabetic lower-extremity ulcers. Methods We searched the MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE and Web of Knowledge databases up to April 30, 2014. Studies were identified and selected, and data were extracted by two independent reviewers. The primary efficacy outcome was complete healing rate. Adverse events were also assessed. The studies were evaluated for quality and publication bias. Results A total of 6 randomized controlled trials including 992 patients were selected from 173 identified studies. The studies compared rhPDGF treatment in the context of standard of care (SOC) to placebo or SOC alone. In the absence of study heterogeneity, a fixed-effects model was performed, and the combined odds ratio (OR) indicated a significantly greater complete healing rate in patients treated with rhPDGF compared to placebo or SOC alone. The ORs ranged from 0.58 to 2.77, with a combined OR of 1.53 (95% CI = 1.14 to 2.04, p = 0.004). A sensitivity analysis (leave-one-out method) indicated good study reliability, and a funnel plot with Egger test showed no publication bias. Conclusion These results indicate that rhPDGF is efficacious in the treatment of diabetic lower-extremity ulcers.

The soil bacteria diversity in different concentrations of CO2was investigated in the simulation test area, by using PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) -DGGE (Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis) and 16Sr-DNA library technology. The results showed that the bacteria diversity coefficient (P) got down to 0.8710, 0.8710 and 0.7742 from 0.9032 (from control area) when the concentration of CO2in soil reached 20000ppm, 40000ppm, 60000ppmrespectively. With the increasing concentration of CO2in soil, the abundance of the original low-density bacteria such asAsticcacaulis excentricus, etc. increased, while the abundance ofunclassified_Rhizobialesreduced significantly. Dominant bacteria such asBrucella melitensisetc. had the higher homology. It can be revealed that high concentration of CO2had a significant impact on the soil bacteria community diversity, while a weak influence on main bacterial species. Azotobacter was sensitive to the increasing of the CO2concentration. Great reducing of their abundance had an adverse effect on nitrogen-fixing capability of soil.

Accompanied by the establishment of environmental impact assessment law and the development and improvement of construction industry information in nearly a decade, network Forum has become an important information resource platform and information exchange manner for EIA workers. The China Environmental Impact Assessment Forum, which is hosted by the Appraisal Center for Environmental and Engineering of Ministry of Environmental Protection, is a professional forum focused on environmental impact assessment. It has more than 17,000 professional members in China, and has become one of the most influential EIA professional forums. In addition to the general technical forum features, the China EIA Forum also has its own characteristics in its content and form. This paper will discuss the content setting, technical characteristics and information resources utilization of the EIA Forum, combine with the role of the EIA Forum in construction and development of the EIA industry information. Then, we propose the future development orientation of the EIA Forum, and the major development tasks and work contents.