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Robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD) can achieve similar surgical results to open and PD; however, RPD has a long learning curve and operation time (OT). To address this issue, we have summarized a surgical path to shorten the surgical learning curve and OT.To investigate the effective learning curve of a "G"-shaped surgical approach in RPD for patients.A total of 60 patients, who received "G"-shaped RPD (GRPD) by a single surgeon in the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from May 2017 to April 2020, were included in this study. The OT, demographic data, intraoperative blood loss, complications, hospitalization time, and pathological results were recorded, and the cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis was performed to evaluate the learning curve for GRPD.According to the CUSUM analysis, the learning curve for GRPD was grouped into two phases: The early and late phases. The OT was 480 ± 81.65 minGRPD can improve the learning curve and operative time, providing a new method for shortening the RPD learning curve.

Background The objective of the current study was to investigate the clinical significance of the suprasternal space lymph node (SSLN) in pathological node-positive (pN+) papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients. Method One hundred and forty patients with pN + PTC who underwent neck dissection were enrolled into this study. SSLN was resected and used as a specimen to investigate the relationship of SSLN with several clinicopathological parameters. Results The metastasis rate of SSLN was 20.7%. On univariate analysis, we found that SSLN metastasis was significantly associated with primary cancer site (inferior portion), strap muscle invasion, level III metastasis, Level IV metastasis and lymph node metastasis between sternocleidomastoid and sternohyoid muscles. On multivariate analysis, primary cancer site (inferior portion), strap muscle invasion, Level IV metastasis and lymph node metastasis between sternocleidomastoid and sternohyoid muscles were independent risk factors for SSLN metastasis of PTC. Conclusion For pN + PTC patients, special attention should be paid to the issue of SSLN metastasis.

Shi-Tong Yu,1,* Jun-Na Ge,1,* Jing-Yi Luo,2,* Zhi-Gang Wei,1 Bai-Hui Sun,1 Shang-Tong Lei1 1Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; 2State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been administered to advanced or radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid carcinoma (RR-DTC) patients for years. We performed a pooled analysis to explore the frequency of severe adverse effects in advanced or RR-DTC patients treated with sorafenib and lenvatinib. Methods: We performed a comprehensive search of computerized databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Ovid, EMASE, and the Cochrane Library, from the drugs’ inception to July 2018 to identify clinical trials. All grade and severe adverse events (AEs; grade ≥3) were analyzed. This meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Results: In total, seve studies published from 2012–2018 with 657 patients were eligible for this study. We included two studies (238 patients) that received 200 mg sorafenib twice and five studies (419 patients) that received 24 mg lenvatinib daily. The frequency of AEs was different among the two drugs. Patients in the sorafenib group had a significantly higher frequency of all grade hand-foot syndrome, hypocalcemia, rash, elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Conversely, the lenvatinib group experienced more frequent all grade voice change, hypertension, nausea, and vomiting compared with those with sorafenib. For grade ≥3 adverse effects, hand-foot syndrome, hypocalcemia, and elevated ALT were more frequent in sorafenib-treated patients. Moreover, lenvatinib-treated patients had a significantly higher incidence of severe weight loss, hypertension, and nausea. Conclusion: Significant differences in common adverse effects, such as all-grade and severe AEs, were detected between sorafenib and lenvatinib in the current study. Early intervention and management of treatment-related AEs (TRAEs) can minimize the impact on patients’ quality-of-life, and avoid unnecessary dose reductions and treatment-related discontinuations. Keywords: sorafenib, lenvatinib, radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid carcinoma, RR-DTC, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, TKIs, adverse effects

In our previous study, we have shown that CRLF1 can promote proliferation and metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC); however, the mechanism is unclear. Herein, we investigated whether the interaction of CRLF1 and MYH9 regulates proliferation and metastasis of PTC cells via the ERK/ETV4 axis. Immunohistochemistry (IHC), qPCR, and Western blotting assays were performed on PTC cells and normal thyroid cells to profile specific target genes. In vitro assays and in vivo assays were also conducted to examine the molecular mechanism. Results showed that CRLF1 directly bound MYH9 to enhance the stability of CRLF1 protein. Inhibition of MYH9 in PTC cells overexpressing CRLF1 significantly reversed malignant phenotypes, and CRLF1 overexpression activated ERK pathway, in vitro, and in vivo. RNA-sequencing revealed that ETV4 is a downstream target gene of CRLF1, which was up-regulated following ERK activation. Moreover, it was revealed that ETV4 is highly expressed in PTC tissues and is associated with poor prognosis. Finally, the ChIP assays showed that ETV4 induces the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP1) by binding to its promoter on PTC cells. Altogether, our study demonstrates that CRLF1 interacts with MYH9, promoting cell proliferation and metastasis via the ERK/ETV4 axis in PTC.

The study is aimed at finding out the characteristics of Tea Furniture under the tea culture and lifestyle of Tang Dynasty in China. (1) The purpose is to protect and inherit intangible cultural heritage and realize the combination of tradition and modernity. (2) Method: the analysis of the contents of five tea paintings of Tang Dynasty, data statistics of tea culture and lifestyle and conclusion of the characteristics of eight kinds of Tea Furniture in four types under the tea culture and lifestyle of Tang Dynasty are carried out, according to User-centered five analysis standards of tea culture and lifestyle—User, Drinking Tea, Form, Tea Space and Furniture. (3) Conclusion: the data is studied, analyzed, summed up and counted by insight research method and statistical analysis method. The types and kinds of Tea Furniture of Tang Dynasty are clarified, which can clearly point out the functions, materials, colors and shapes, providing innovative ideas, inspiration and decision-making basis for contemporary Tea Furniture designers.

Background Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumours. Identifying novel genes that govern the development of gastric cancer will help to elucidate its molecular mechanisms and find novel biomarkers. Methods Expression of the ANKRD49 protein was assessed by immunohistochemical analysis of tissue microarrays containing 92 sets of human gastric cancer specimens with adjacent non-cancerous tissue. Associations between ANKRD49 levels and clinicopathological characteristics of the patient were investigated. The correlation between ANKRD49 expression and patient survival was analysed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Results The results revealed that the expression level of the ANKRD49 protein in gastric cancer was significantly upregulated and correlated with the tumour size, tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, histological grade, depth of invasion, vessel invasion, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis. The mean survival time of patients with low expression levels of ANKRD49 was significantly longer than that of patients with high expression levels of ANKRD49. Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the ANKRD49 protein expression level was an independent prognostic indicator for the survival rate of patients with gastric cancer. Conclusion The results of the present study highlighted an important role of the ANKRD49 protein in the progression of gastric cancer. The ANKRD49 protein could act as a potential biomarker for prognosis evaluation of gastric cancer and may be used as a molecular target for gastric cancer treatment.

Background: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with many epithelial malignancies. A few reports on the association between EBV and thyroid tumorigenesis have been investigated. However, the conclusion is highly contradictory. We aimed to explore the role of EBV in thyroid nodule development and its clinical significance in a cohort from southern China. Method: We conducted a retrospective data abstraction study of patients who underwent thyroidectomy between December 2017 and June 2018. We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological parameters and EBV infection status (serological antibodies and in situ hybridization). Result: The cohort comprised 384 patients with newly diagnosed thyroid diseases, including 261 papillary thyroid carcinomas, 87 nodular goiters, 21 follicular adenomas, 12 follicular thyroid carcinomas, and 3 medullary thyroid carcinomas. Forty-two (10.9%) patients were identified as being serological antibody positive. However, there was no association between the clinicopathological parameters and serological antibody positivity. Additionally, none of the patients showed EBER expression in thyroid normal/cancer cell nuclei in in situ hybridization. Conclusion: In this study, no correlation between EBV and thyroid diseases was found in a cohort from southern China.

Metal cations as well as water are important factors to control the synthesis of MnO2 crystal nanostructures. In this work, systemic Density functional theory calculations about α, β, δ-MnO2 are presented to show the importance of metal cations and water for the structure stability and energy stability of MnO2. It is shown that the α-MnO2 crystal and its (110) surface will crash without the tunnel cations such as K+, and the distance between the layers of the δ-MnO2 will be significantly lower than that of the experimental results without the interlayer metal cations and water. At the same time, α-MnO2 and δ-MnO2 can be more stable than β-MnO2 with metal cations and water, and vice versa.

In this paper, nano TiO2 loaded on activated carbon fiber(ACF) was prepared by hydrothermal method as TiO2/ACF photocatalytic.The material crystal structure, the superficial appearance of catalyst, were analyzed and measured by XRD and SEM images.Moreover, it used for photocatalytic oxidation As(Ⅲ).The effect of pH on the oxidation of As(Ⅲ) was studied. The oxidation of As(Ⅲ) efficiency increasing markedly with pH, and the catalytic efficiency is much higher in the alkaline environment than in the acidic environment.

Al–Sn co-doped ZnO thin films were fabricated onto quartz glass substrates by the sol-gel method. The surface morphology, electrical and optical properties at different post-deposition heating temperatures were investigated. The grains of preferred c-axis showed a well-mixed microstructure and the peak height was enhanced with the post-deposition heating temperature increasing from 400°C to 600°C. Doped films showed a preferential orientation along the (002) plane, while the preferential orientation changed to the (101) plane when temperature was higher than 500°C. The lowest resistivity 6×10–3Ω•cm was observed from samples made at 500°C, with an average 91.2% optical transmittance in the visible range. In this study, optical band gap of all the doped films were broadened, regardless of post–deposition heating temperature.

Climate model has become an irreplaceable tool for the study and prediction of climate changes. The land surface process, as one of the important parts of all climate models, must be considered so that the simulative ability of climate models could be improved. Using the common land model (CoLM) that is driven by the LOPEX experiment data, the characteristics of land surface processes of the Loess Plateau are simulated. Furthermore, based on the comparison of the field observation data with the simulated results, the simulative performance of CoLM in the Loess Plateau region is also examined. The results show that, CoLM can be used in the Loess Plateau, and it perfectly simulates net radiations and net short-wave radiations. However, the simulated land-surface temperature is slightly higher than actual measured value, while the simulated soil temperature values in lower layers (5, 10, 20, 40 cm) are relatively less and the variety phase of these also lag. Moreover, the simulated sensible heat flux is a little larger, while the simulated soil thermal conductivity value is obviously lower. By modifying the calculation plan of soil thermal conductivity, the simulated result has been greatly improved. As a whole, if CoLM is applied in the Loess Plateau of Northwestern China, the parameterization of soil thermal conductivity should be ameliorated, which can improve its simulative capacity in the Loess Plateau regions.

Ni-P alloy electrode was prepared by electroless plating on the Cu-Zn substrate. The surface morphology and textural properties of electrode were characterized by Scanning electron microscope(SEM), Energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS) and X-ray diffraction(XRD). The performance of Ni-P alloy electrode was tested by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.The results of cyclic voltammetry showed that: At room temperature, Ni-P alloy electrode had significant catalytic effect on the electrocatalytic oxidation of ethanol in alkaline solution. Results of chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy further confirmed the catalytic effect of Ni-P alloy electrode on the electrochemical oxidation of ethanol.

As a simple and useful approach, vapor-phase photografting acrylic acid was used to modify the surface of PET films. Catalyst of silver nanoparticles was distributed on the photografting PET films equably after reducing by ascorbic acid. Topography of the pristine, grafting and metallized PET films was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). XRD and FTIR-ATR were also used to analyze the electroless plating copper layer and the grafting PET film respectively.

There are many areas in the world where the ground water has been contaminated by arsenic. One process to purify the water is to use TiO2 to adsorb the arsenic. As the TiO2 surface can be cleaned and reused, it has a promising potential as a water purifier. In this paper, the plane-wave function method, based on the density functional theory, has been used to calculate the structures of arsenic(III) on a perfect TiO2 anatase (1 0 1) surface. All the arsenic(III) solution species such as H3AsO3, H2AsO3-1, HAsO3-2 and AsO3-3 are put onto the surface with many different possible structures to obtain the adsorption energy. Based on the adsorption energy, the bidentate binuclear (BB) adsorption configurations of arsenic(III) on the surface are more favorable at low concentrations, whereas BB form and monodentate mononuclear (MM) form may coexist at higher concentrations. The models and results fit well with published experimental results. The results and conclusions will be of benefit to further research on arsenite adsorption and its photocatalytic oxidation on a TiO2 surface.

In this paper, TiO2crystallines doped with transition metal ions have been prepared by sol-gel method. The UV-visible spectra indicated that the doping with transition metal ions (especially Cu2+, Mn2+and Cr3+ions) could effectively improve the absorption of TiO2crystals in the visible-light range. The XRD results showed that the doping does not affect the anatase phase of TiO2. The band structure and the UV-vis absorption spectrum of Mn2+ions doped-TiO2were also calculated by DFT (density function theory) method, which indicated that the doping with transition metal ion could make the band gap of TiO2smaller and a red shift in optical absorption.

There are many areas in the world where the ground water has been contaminated by arsenic. One process to purify the water is to use TiO2 to adsorb the arsenic. As the TiO2 surface can be cleaned and reused, it has a promising potential as a water purifier. In this paper, the plane-wave function method, based on the density functional theory, has been used to calculate the structures of arsenic(III) on a perfect TiO2 anatase (1 0 1) surface. All the arsenic(III) solution species such as H3AsO3, H2AsO3-1, HAsO3-2 and AsO3-3 are put onto the surface with many different possible structures to obtain the adsorption energy. Based on the adsorption energy, the bidentate binuclear (BB) adsorption configurations of arsenic(III) on the surface are more favorable at low concentrations, whereas BB form and monodentate mononuclear (MM) form may coexist at higher concentrations. The models and results fit well with published experimental results. The results and conclusions will be of benefit to further research on arsenite adsorption and its photocatalytic oxidation on a TiO2 surface.

Plant hormone jasmonates play an important role in the response of plants to environmental stress. Jasmonate ZIM-do-main (JAZ) family proteins are key elements in the jasmonate signaling pathway. In Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis), the JAZ2 (At1g74950) gene expresses at a low level in the entire plant, but the response can be strongly and quickly induced by MeJA. The promoter sequence (1389 bp) of JAZ2 from Arabi-dopsis genome was cloned and linked to a GFP reporter gene, and we then investigated the transient expression of GFP in Populus trichocarpa protoplasts. After treating the transformed protoplasts with MeJA, we observed the GFP fluorescence and quantified its mRNA transcription level. The results showed that the Arabidopsis JAZ2 promoter was able to drive GFP expression, and also responded to MeJA in Populus trichocarpa mesophyll protoplasts. The analysis of promoter sequences of JAZ gene family members showed that there were several conserved motifs, which were related to jas-monate signaling, such as G-box (CACGTG), CGTCA-motif (CGTCA) and TGACG-box (TGACG), and also some known cis-acting regulatory elements involved in other aspects, however the function of these motifs still needs further study.

The titania films codoped by aluminum and nitrogen have been prepared by cathodic vacuum arc with titanium aluminum alloy target in an O2/N2 gas mixture. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-rayphotoelectron spectra (XPS) and ultraviolet-visible spectra (UV–vis). The results showed that all films annealled were crystalline anatase structure with a (101) preferential orientation, XPS revealed that Al and N were successfully doped into the lattice of TiO2. The optical properties of the films revealed that the spectrum response of the Al, N-codoped TiO2 films extended from the UV region to the visible region. The absorption of the Al, N-codoped TiO2 film in the visible region(>400 nm) was enhanced, compared with the pure TiO2 film and N-doped TiO2 film. The Al, N-codoped TiO2 film showed the best photocatalytic activities for the oxidative destruction of Acid Fuchsin (AF) under visible light irradiation.

We adopt the density function theory with generalized approximation by the Beeke exchange plus Lee-Yang-Parr correlation functional to calculate the electronic first-principles band structure of tin-phthalocyanine (SnPc). The intermolecular interaction related to transport behavior was analyzed from the Γ-point wave function as well as from the bandwidths and band gaps. From the calculated bandwidths of the frontier bands as well as the effective masses of the electron and hole, it can be concluded that the mobility of the electron is about two times larger than that of the hole. Furthermore, when several bands near the Fermi surface are taken into account, we find that the interband gaps within the unoccupied bands are generally smaller than those of the occupied bands, indicating that the electron can hop from one band to another which is much easier than the hole. This may happen through electron-phonon coupling for instance, thus effectively yielding an even larger mobility for the electron than for the hole. These facts indicate that in SnPc the electrons are the dominant carriers in transport, in contrast to most organic materials.

Using cDNAs prepared from the leaves and stems of Polygonum sibiricum Laxm. treated with NaHCO3 stress for 48 h as testers and cDNAs from unstressed P. sibiricum leaves and stems as drivers library, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was employed to construct a cDNA subtracted library, which contained 2 282 valid sequences including 598 ESTs in the stems forward SSH library and 490 ESTs in the stem reverse SSH library, 627 ESTs in the leaf forward SSH library and 567 in the leaf reverse SSH library. According to the functional catalogue of MIPs and the comparison of the reverse and forward SSH libraries of the stem and leaf, the responses to NaHCO3 stress were different between leaf and stem, except for the same trend in cell rescue defense and transport facilitation. The trend in the metabolism, energy, photosynthesis, protein synthesis, transcription, and signal transduction was opposite. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that the expression of 12 putative stress related genes in the NaHCO3-treated leaves and stems was different from that in the untreated leaves and stems. This indicated that different mechanisms might be responsible for reactions of leaf and stem in P. sibiricum. The results from this study are useful in understanding the molecular mechanism of saline-alkali tolerance in P. sibiricum.

Copper phthalocyanine (CuPc), was reported to have high electron mobility. In order to gain a deeper understanding for its carrier transport properties, we adopt the density functional theory (DFT) with generalized gradient approximation (GGA) to calculate the electronic band structure by the Becke exchange plus Lee–Yang–Parr correlation (BLYP) functional. The intermolecular interaction related to transport behavior has been analyzed from the bandwidths and band gaps. Within the effective mass approximation, we conclude that the interband gaps within the unoccupied bands are generally smaller than those for the occupied bands, which indicate that the electron can hop through scattering from one band to another, much easier than the hole. These facts indicate that, in CuPc the electron are the dominant carriers in transport, in contrast to most organic materials.

The doublet potential energy surface for the reactions 3NCN+NO, 3CNN+NO, 1NNO+CN and 2N3+CO is studied at the B3LYP/6-311G(d) and G2M(cc3) (single-point) levels of theory. For the reaction 3NCN+NO, the pathways 3NCN+NO⇌1 trans-ONNCN→2 cis-ONNCN→1NNO+CN and 3NCN+NO⇌2 cis-ONNCN→1NNO+CN are the major pathways. For the reaction 3CNN+NO, the pathway 3CNN+NO⇌3 trans-ONCNN→N2+2CNO is the major pathway. For the reaction 1NNO+CN, the pathways 1NNO+CN⇌2 cis-ONNCN→3NCN+NO and 1NNO+CN⇌2 cis-ONNCN→1 trans-ONNCN→3NCN+NO are the major pathways. For the reaction 2N3+CO, the pathways 2N3+CO⇌7 trans-OCNNN→N2+2NCO and 2N3+CO⇌7 trans-OCNNN→8 cis-OCNNN→N2+2NCO are the major pathways. In addition, the quartet potential energy surface for these reactions is also considered, but no favorable pathways can be found on it.

In the present study, the reaction mechanism of NCS+NO2 on the singlet potential energy surface is studied using the MP2/6-311G(d,p) level of theory. It is shown that the pathway (1) NCS + NO 2 ⇌ O ( O ) NNCS → O ( NNC ( S ) O ) → N 2 O + OCS is the major pathway, and the pathways (2) NCS + NO 2 ⇌ O ( O ) NSCN → ONS + OCN and (3) NCS + NO 2 ⇌ cis ‐ cis ‐ ONONCS → NO + SCNO are the minor pathways in the singlet potential energy surface. The major pathway (1), involving the barrierless entrance to the first adduct isomer O(O)NNCS and tight transition states to the products N2O and OCS, is in good agreement with the experimentally observed negative temperature dependence of rate constants. The energies of the stationary points are refined using a multi-level method.

The reaction of 3 C 2 radical with NO molecule is studied at the B3LYP/6-311G(d) level of theory. Both doublet and quartet potential energy surfaces (PES) are considered. On the doublet potential energy surface, we obtainfour major pathways in which the pathways 3 C 2 + NO ⇄ 1 CCNO → 2 (NC)CO → 3 CNCO → P 1 CN + CO and 3 C 2 + NO ⇄ 1 → 4 CC(NO) → 2 → 3 → P 1 CN + CO have lower energetics than the other two pathways that form the 3 O atom, namely 3 C 2 + NO ⇄ 1 CCNO → P 2 3 O + 2 CCN and 3 C 2 + NO ⇄ 1 CCNO → 5 ON(CC) → P 3 3 O + 2 CCN r i n g . However, the latter two pathways may compete with the former two pathways. The calculated energetics of the four pathways may account for the experimental results that CN is the primary product at low temperatures and 3 O is the main product at higher temperatures. The barrierless entrance to the first adduct isomer 1 and the tight transition states to the products P 1 , can provide a reasonable explanation for the experimentally observed negative temperature dependence of rate constants at low temperatures. The pathways on the quartet potential energy surface are less competitive than those on the doublet potential energy surface. Thus, they are negligible.

The singlet potential energy surface of the NCO+NO2 reaction system, including four isomers and four transition states, has been studied theoretically at the Gaussian-3 level of theory in order to explore the possible mechanism of the reaction. By means of the ab initio MO calculations, we found that the pathway (1), NCO+NO2⇌O(O)NNCO→ON(NC(O)O)→NNO+CO2, is the major pathway, while the pathway (2), NCO+NO2 ⇌cis-trans-ONONCO→cis-cis-ONONCO→CO+2NO, is the minor pathway on the singlet potential energy surface. The pathways on the triplet potential energy surface are less competitive than those on the singlet potential energy surface. Thus, they are negligible. Both pathways (1) and (2), involving the barrierless entrances to the first adduct isomers and the tight transition states to the products, can give a reasonable explanation for the experimentally observed negative temperature dependence of rate constants.

The reaction of 3C2 radical with NO molecule is studied at the B3LYP/6-311G(d) level of theory. Both doublet and quartet potential energy surfaces (PES) are considered. On the doublet potential energy surface, we obtain four major pathways in which the pathways 3C2 + NO ⇌ 1 CCNO → 2 (NC)CO → 3 CNCO → P1 CN + CO and 3C2 + NO ⇌ 1 → 4 CC(NO) → 2 → 3 → P1 CN + CO have lower energetics than the other two pathways that form the 3O atom, namely 3C2 + NO ⇌ 1 CCNO → P2 3O + 2CCN and 3C2 + NO ⇌ 1 CCNO → 5 ON(CC) → P3 3O + 2CCNring. However, the latter two pathways may compete with the former two pathways. The calculated energetics of the four pathways may account for the experimental results that CN is the primary product at low temperatures and 3O is the main product at higher temperatures. The barrierless entrance to the first adduct isomer 1 and the tight transition states to the products P1, can provide a reasonable explanation for the experimentally observed negative temperature dependence of rate constants at...

The potential energy surface of the CH2O+CH3 reaction is explored at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p), MP4SDQ/6-311G(d,p), and QCISD(T)/6-311+G(3df,2p) (single point) levels of theory. Theoretical calculations suggest that the major product channel (R1) is the hydrogen abstraction leading to the product P1 CHO+CH4 (R1), while the addition process leading to P2H+CH3CHO (R2) appears to be negligibly small. The calculated enthalpies and dissociation activation energies for CH3CH2O and CH3OCH2 radicals involved in the reaction are in line with the experimental values. Dual-level dynamics calculation is carried out for the direct hydrogen abstraction channel. The energy profile of (R1) is refined with the interpolated single-point energies (ISPE) method at the QCISD(T)//MP2 level. The rate constants, which are evaluated by canonical variational transition-state theory (CVT) including small-curvature tunneling (SCT) correction, are in good agreement with the available experimental data. It is shown that tunneling effect plays a significant role in the rate constant calculation; and as a result, the CVT/SCT rate constants exhibit typical non-Arrhenius behavior over a wide temperature range 300–2000 K. The three parameter expression is k=6.35×10−26 T4.4 exp(−2450/T) cm3 molecule−1 s−1.

In this paper we quantitatively model degree of automation (DofA) in supervisory control as a function of the number and nature of tasks to be performed by the operator and automation. This model uses a task weighting scheme in which weighting factors are obtained from task demand load, task mental load, and task effect on system performance. The computation of DofA is demonstrated using an experimental system. Based on controlled experiments using operators, analyses of the task effect on system performance, the prediction and assessment of task demand load, and the prediction of mental load were performed. Each experiment had a different DofA. The effect of a change in DofA on system performance and mental load was investigated. It was found that system performance became less sensitive to changes in DofA at higher levels of DofA. The experimental data showed that when the operator controlled a partly automated system, perceived mental load could be predicted from the task mental load for each task component, as calculated by analyzing a situation in which all tasks were manually controlled. Actual or potential applications of this research include a methodology to balance and optimize the automation of complex industrial systems.

The basic method of DNA extraction (CTAB) was improved as the multi-times STE-CTAB extraction method and used to extract the DNA of birch leaved in this experiment. Results showed that the improved method is suitable not only for genomic DNA extraction of birch but also for that of other plants. The purity of genomic DNA extracted by the multi-times STE-CTAB extraction method is higher than that by one time STE-CTAB method, and it does not need the process of RNase. The factors of influencing ISSR system were explored based on the genomic DNA of birch extracted by the two methods. The optimal conditions for ISSR system were determined as follows: Mg2+ concentration is 1.5–3.0 mmol·L−1, dNTP concentration 0.10–0.25 mmol·L−1, the quantity of Taq polymerase 0.5–2.0 U, template DNA 30–100 ng, and the concentration of primer is 0.2–0.4 μmol·L−1, and the reaction program was as: initial denaturation for 5 min at 94°C, 30 cycles of denaturation for 30 s at 94°C, annealing for 30 s at 51 °C, extension for 30 s at 72°C, and a final 7 min extension at 72 °C.

To evaluate the effect of simulated intraperitoneal 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) aerosol chemotherapy (AIPC) on the proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle of human gastric cancer cell line MKN-45 in vitro.The gastric cancer cells MKN-45 were treated with 5-Fu aerosol for 30 min under the pressure of 8 mmHg, and those treated with normal saline (NS) aerosol served as the control. The cell proliferation after the treatment was detected by MTT assay, and flow cytometry and FITC Annexin V/PI kit were used to detect the cell apoptosis and changes in the cell cycle.MTT assay showed a significantly greater inhibition rate of the cell proliferation in 5-Fu aerosol group than in NS group [(31.13∓3.51)% vs (4.65∓1.99)%, P0.001]. FCM analysis also showed a significantly higher cell apoptotic rate in 5-Fu aerosol group than in NS group [(12.00∓0.92)% vs (2.65∓0.52)%, P0.001]. Compared with saline treatment, treatment with 5-Fu aerosol resulted in a greater proportion of G1 phase cells [(51.83∓1.95)% vs (36.41∓2.33)%, P0.001] with a lowered proportion of S phase cells [(16.72∓2.36)% vs (45.20∓3.27)%, P0.001].Simulated 5-Fu AIPC can inhibit the proliferation, induce cell apoptosis and cause cell cycle arrest at G1 phase in gastric cancer cells.

To report the experience of surgical resection of Bismuth-Corlette type I and II hilar cholangiocarcinoma.From January 1998 and January 2008, 52 cases of Bismuth-Corlette type I and II hilar cholangiocarcinoma were operated on. The clinical data and long-term outcome of the patients was retrospectively analyzed.Of the 52 cases, 44 cases (84.6%) received operation, 28 patients underwent radical resection (63.6%) and 16 patients (36.4%) underwent palliative resection.Seven patients were resected on caudate lobe and other section and lobe of the liver; among them, 2 patients received combined portal vein resection and 4 underwent combined hepatic artery resection respectively. Eleven cases developed postoperative complications and another one died in hospital. The median survival was 33.2 months in radical resection group, and 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rate was 82.6%, 47.8%, 34.7%, respectively, which was significant greater than those in the palliative resection group (41.6%, 16.6%, 8.3%, respectively) (P0.05). The median survival was 16.7 months in the palliative resection group.The radical resection is still the best treatment for Bismuth-Corlette type I and II hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Intraoperative pathology for resection margin, and combined liver resection, portal vein resection and hepatic artery resection can help improve the radical resection rate.

Using cDNAs prepared from the leaves and stems of Polygonum sibiricum Laxm. treated with NaHCO3 stress for 48 h as testers and cDNAs from unstressed P. sibiricum leaves and stems as drivers library, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was employed to construct a cDNA subtracted library, which contained 2 282 valid sequences including 598 ESTs in the stems forward SSH library and 490 ESTs in the stem reverse SSH library, 627 ESTs in the leaf forward SSH library and 567 in the leaf reverse SSH library. According to the functional catalogue of MIPs and the comparison of the reverse and forward SSH libraries of the stem and leaf, the responses to NaHCO3 stress were different between leaf and stem, except for the same trend in cell rescue defense and transport facilitation. The trend in the metabolism, energy, photosynthesis, protein synthesis, transcription, and signal transduction was opposite. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that the expression of 12 putative stress related genes in the NaHCO3-treated leaves and stems was different from that in the untreated leaves and stems. This indicated that different mechanisms might be responsible for reactions of leaf and stem in P. sibiricum. The results from this study are useful in understanding the molecular mechanism of saline-alkali tolerance in P. sibiricum.

To evaluate the clinical effect of intraoperative and early postoperative continuous hyperthermic pertioneal perfusion chemotherapy (CHPPC) for gastric cancer.Eight-five patients with gastric cancer were randomized into therapeutic group with perioperative CHPPC combined with intravenous chemotherapy (n=44) and control group with intravenous chemotherapy only (n=41). The postoperative complications, adverse effects, local recurrence rates, distant metastasis rates, and 1- and 3-year survival rates were compared between two groups.No significant differences were found in the postoperative complications and adverse effects between the two groups. The recurrence rate and distant metastasis rates in the therapeutic group were significantly lower than those in the control group (20.45% vs 43.90%, and 15.90% vs 39.02%, P0.05). The 1- and 3-year survival rates in the therapeutic group were significantly higher than those in the control group (90.90% vs 78.05%, and 59.09% vs 34.15%, P0.05).Perioperative CHPPC for gastric cancer is safe and feasible, and can reduce the recurrence rate, distant metastasis rate and improve the survival for gastric cancer patient after operation.

Cysteine synthase is a key enzyme for restricting plant cysteine synthesis. Cysteine synthase gene, designated PcCSase1 (GenBank accession no. EU597481), was successfully isolated from Polygonum sibiricum Laxm. by RACE technique. This gene was 1 260 bp in full-length and encoded a peptide of 382 amino acids. Based on bioinformatic analysis, PcCSase1 is a cytoplasm cysteine synthesis and contains a 16 amino-terminal (N-terminal) signal peptide, which led the PcCSase1 to go to the cytoplasm. The results obtained through homologous sequence analysis indicated that PcCSase1 mature protein was highly conserved in plants, which shared approximate 90% in the amino acid sequence. Expression analysis by RT-PCR showed that PcCSase1 gene was expressed in leaf, stem and root with the largest expression in leaf. Under 3% NaHCO3 stress, the largest expression of PcCSase1 gene was detected in leaf, stem and root at the second day following stress. PcCSase1 gene was inserted into pYES2 and transformed into yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The contents of the glutathione in the recombinant yeast and the cysteine in the medium were increased. INVSc1-pYES2-PcCSase1 was more tolerant to salt treatment than INVSc1-pYES2 and the former survival rate was higher than that of the later under the stress of 10% NaHCO3 and 5 mol/L NaCl. These results proved that PcCSase1 gene may confer high salt-tolerance.

Plant flower can be divided into two phases--from stem apex meristem tissue into flower meristem tissue and floral apparatus. The flower time genes control the flower development and the homologous genes control flower apparatus identify. This paper summarizes recent studies on plant flower and emphasizes on the first phase flower control genes, theirs interaction and function,characteristic of the homologous genes.