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Binary copper(I) 3,5-dibutyl triazolate has been prepared from 3,5-dibutyl triazole and Cu(NO) under hydrothermal condition. This complex crystallizes in tetragonal I4/ a with a = b = 17.622(3) Å, c = 15.842(3) Å and exhibits a 3D structure of either four-connected lvt or three-connected lvt-a topology. Graphical Abstract: Binary copper(I) 3,5-dibutyl triazolate exhibits a 3D structure of either four-connected lvt or three-connected lvt-a topology.[Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal zones provide habitat cores and corridors that maintain the diversity of entire landscapes, and they can form the cornerstone elements of regional conservation strategies. Natural environmental driving factors and excessive anthropogenic activities play important roles in coastal wetland change. Many studies have used remote sensing images to map and assess coastal wetland change on local or regional scales. This paper aims to provide insight into coastal wetland change in the Yancheng National Nature Reserve (YNNR) using remote sensing technology and landscape metrics analysis. The results reveal that grass flat and reed areas have significantly decreased, whereas agriculture fields, aquaculture ponds and built-up areas have continuously increased from 1988 to 2006. The spatial pattern of the coastal landscape has become fragmented and heterogeneous under great pressure from rapid economic development and population growth. The wetland changes have important impacts on natural habitat of the red-crowned cranes. The results of this study provide basic information that is required for developing measures toward a sustainable management and conservation of the YNNR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constant shear drained tests (CSD) are probably the most suitable to simulate the strength and deformation behaviour of soils in slopes under water infiltration conditions or lateral stress relief. This is significant because soil behaviour following a CSD stress path could differ from that of traditional compression triaxial tests. In this paper, CSD tests on sand following an alternative procedure are presented and discussed. The modified CSD tests were conducted by increasing the pore water pressure at a constant rate from one end of the specimen with water free to drain from the opposite end. Among the results from specimens consolidated at variable initial void ratios and principal stress ratios it was revealed that specimens showed a tendency to dilate even for loose sands; failure was reached at low axial strains; and a pre-failure type of instability could be identified. The modified procedure has the potential to provide new insights into the failure mechanisms of slopes under a water infiltration condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability analysis of a Ka-band gyrotron traveling-wave tube amplifier (gyro-TWT) operating in the circular TE mode at the fundamental cyclotron harmonic is presented. The small signal linear theory is used to analyze the amplification of operation mode and oscillation of parasitic modes. The optimum dielectric parameters including loss layer thickness and permittivity are given. Propagation loss of operation mode is 3 dB/cm with the thickness of loss layer d = 0.7 mm and relative permittivity ξ″ = 11−6j, and propagation loss per unit length of parasitic modes TE, TE, TE at each oscillation frequency (24.85 GHz, 27.85 GHz, 61.2 GHz) is 2.5 dB/cm, 6 dB/cm, 7.5 dB/cm, respectively, sufficient to suppress oscillations of operation and parasitic modes. Taking advantage of the optimized parameters of loaded dielectric, a high gain scheme has been demonstrated in a 34-GHz, TE-mode gyro-TWT, producing 160 kW saturated output power at 40 dB stable gain and 22.8% efficiency with a 3-dB bandwidth of 5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant viruses cause many diseases that lead to significant economic losses. However, most of the approaches to control plant viruses, including transgenic processes or drugs are plant-species-limited or virus-species-limited, and not very effective. We introduce an application of jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA), a broad-spectrum, efficient and nontransgenic method, to improve plant resistance to RNA viruses. Applying 0.06 mM JA and then 0.1 mM SA 24 h later, enhanced resistance to Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and Turnip crinkle virus (TCV) in Arabidopsis, tobacco, tomato and hot pepper. The inhibition efficiency to virus replication usually achieved up to 80-90%. The putative molecular mechanism was investigated. Some possible factors affecting the synergism of JA and SA have been defined, including WRKY53, WRKY70, PDF1.2, MPK4, MPK2, MPK3, MPK5, MPK12, MPK14, MKK1, MKK2, and MKK6. All genes involving in the synergism of JA and SA were investigated. This approach is safe to human beings and environmentally friendly and shows potential as a strong tool for crop protection against plant viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PurposeDual-tracer, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose and 18F-fluorodeoxythymidine (18F-FDG/18F-FLT), dual-modality (positron emission tomography and computed tomography, PET/CT) imaging was used in a clinical trial on differentiation of pulmonary nodules. The aims of this trial were to investigate if multimodality imaging is of advantage and to what extent it could benefit the patients in real clinical settings.MethodsSeventy-three subjects in whom it was difficult to establish the diagnosis and determine management of their pulmonary lesions were prospectively enrolled in this clinical trial. All subjects underwent 18F-FDG and 18F-FLT PET/CT imaging sequentially. The images were interpreted with different strategies as either individual or combined modalities. The pathological or clinical evidence during a follow-up period of more than 22 months served as the standard of truth. The diagnostic performance of each interpretation and their impact on clinical decision making was investigated.Results18F-FLT/18F-FDG PET/CT was proven to be of clinical value in improving the diagnostic confidence in 28 lung tumours, 18 tuberculoses and 27 other benign lesions. The ratio between maximum standardized uptake values of 18F-FLT and 18F-FDG was found to be of great potential in separating the three subgroups of patients. The advantage could only be obtained with the full use of the multimodality interpretation. Multimodality imaging induced substantial change in clinical management in 31.5% of the study subjects and partial change in another 12.3%.ConclusionMultimodality imaging using 18F-FDG/18F-FLT PET/CT provided the best diagnostic efficacy and the opportunity for better management in this group of clinically challenging patients with pulmonary lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, three-dimensional MD simulations are carried out to study the nanometric scratching process. The ploughing friction coefficient and the adhesion friction coefficient are distinguished for the first time using MD simulations. The contribution of chip to friction coefficient is also evaluated. The simulation results show that the macroscale theory can qualitatively evaluate the ploughing friction coefficient, but it slightly overestimates the ploughing friction coefficient on the nanoscale for the scratching depths studied. It is found that the adhesion friction coefficient is independent of the scratching depth as predicted by macroscale theory. It is also found that the contribution of chip to friction coefficient is independent of the scratching depth and cannot be neglected on the nanoscale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although the microvascular decompression (MVD) has become a definitive treatment for the primary hemifacial spasm (HFS), there still are some failed cases. To obtain a satisfactory postoperative outcome, those failure cases of MVD need to be analyzed. Method: Between January and October 2009, 393 patients with primary HFS underwent MVD. Postoperatively, 375 presented complete spasm-free, 7 improved apparently, and 11 without any improvement at all. A reoperation was performed in 9 of the 11 patients who had poor outcome within 5 days. Those redo MVD cases were reviewed. Findings: After the reoperation, the symptom of those patients all disappeared immediately. Therefore, the final outcomes were excellent in 97.7%, good in 1.8%, and poor in 0.5%. Up to the 1 year follow-up period, neither recurrence nor change was found. For the two patients without reoperation, their symptoms remained. The previous surgery was a failure due to insufficient decompression in two and conflict missed in seven. Conclusions: A successful MVD operation is attributable to a thorough exploration of the entire nerve course. An early relief should become the ambition of the operator while performing MVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studies are presented in this research to integrate the unidimensional and multidimensional perspective of leader-member exchange (LMX). We posit that the dimensions of multidimensional LMX (LMX-MDM) are the exchange currencies of global LMX and investigate their joint effects on task performance and extra-role behaviors of employees. The results from Study One indicate that the affect, loyalty, contribution, and professional respect dimension of LMX-MDM influence overall level of leader-member relationship quality, and global LMX is positively related to task performance as well as organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB). Study Two partially replicates the results in Study One and demonstrates that global LMX is also associated with contextual performance of employees. Limitations and future research on LMX are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider functions $${u\in W^{m,1}(0,1)}$$ where m ≥ 2 and u(0) = Du(0) = · · · = D u(0) = 0. Although it is not true in general that $${\frac{D^ju(x)}{x^{m-j}} \in L^1(0,1)}$$ for $${j\in \{0,1,\ldots,m-1\}}$$, we prove that $${\frac{D^ju(x)}{x^{m-j-k}} \in W^{k,1}(0,1)}$$ if k ≥ 1 and 1 ≤ j + k ≤ m, with j, k integers. Furthermore, we have the following Hardy type inequality, where the constant is optimal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) enhances taxol-induced antitumor effects against some human cancer cells. The aim of this study is to investigate whether SAHA can enhance taxol-induced cell death against human breast cancer cells and to illustrate the mechanism in detail. Methods: A panel of eight human breast cancer cell lines and an immortalized human breast epithelial cell line were used to determine the inhibitory effects of SAHA, taxol, or their combination by MTT assay. The effects of SAHA with or without taxol on cell cycle distributions, apoptosis, and protein expressions were also examined. The inhibitory effects on tumor growth were characterized in vivo in BALB/c nude mice bearing a breast cancer xenograft model. Results: Taxol-resistant and multi-resistant breast cancer cells were as sensitive to SAHA as taxol-sensitive breast cancer cells. A dose-dependent synergistic growth inhibition was found in all the tested breast cancer cell lines treated with the SAHA/taxol combinations. The synergetic effect was also observed in the in vivo xenograft tumor model. The cell cycle analysis and apoptosis assay showed that the synergistic effects resulted from enhanced G2/M arrest and apoptosis. Conclusions: SAHA increased the anti-tumor effects of taxol in breast cancer in vitro and in vivo. The combination of SAHA and taxol may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the ecophysiological adaptation mechanisms of Calligonum roborovskii to altitude variation, this study analyzed chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b), Chl ( a + b), carotenoid (Car), malondialdehyde (MDA), ascorbate (AsA), proline (Pro), membrane permeability (MP), reactive oxygen species (ROS), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf nitrogen content based on mass (N), and the activities of peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in leaves of plants inhabiting different altitudes (A1: 2100 m, A2: 2350 m, A3: 2600 m) on the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains. The results showed that Chl a, Chl b, Chl ( a + b), SLA, N, and the activity of CAT increased with increasing altitude. LMA, MP, MDA, Car, Pro, AsA, O, HO and the activities of SOD, POD, and APX decreased with increasing altitude. The test results also showed that, changes in venvironmental factors along an altitudinal gradient are not obvious. Soil water content is the main ecological factor. With increasing altitude, soil water content increased significantly. More non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants played an important role in eliminating intracellular ROS. They kept the cell membrane in a stable state and ensured the normal growth of C. roborovskii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a solution to support parametric design modification in a virtual reality (VR) environment. It builds upon a novel computer-aided design (CAD) and VR integration framework, namely, CAD-linked virtual reality environment. With this framework, semantic information in CAD models, such as constraints, design features, and parametric settings can be automatically extracted during the creation of VR environment and be integrated into the virtual assembly (VA) models. Moreover, the persistent naming mechanism originating from feature-based modeling technology is introduced into the CAD-VR integration, based on which a persistent linkage between VA models and their CAD counterparts can be established. Users are able to visualize design features and to access the associated parametric info in VR environment and also to change the parametric settings online whenever necessary. The modified parametric settings are then sent back to the linked CAD models so that parts can be re-evaluated. The modified CAD part can then be reloaded into the VA model under an automated mechanism. Such communications between CAD and VR applications are supported in a live mode utilizing the COM interfaces provided by CAD server. With this solution, a quick return loop from VR to CAD is achieved. Therefore, it provides the possibility to support quick design change review and 'what-if' evaluations for applications such as collaborative system design and immersive project review in VR. This constitutes the major contribution of the work to product development process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypothesis: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in promoter of human nonmetastatic clone 23 type 1 (nm23-H1) may affect their binding with transcription factors and affect promoter activity as well as gene transcription. Therefore, we investigated the impact of the nm23-H1 gene polymorphisms on the neoplastic lesions of uterine cervix in mid-Taiwan women (women who live in the central area of Taiwan). We expected that women with different genotypes in nm23-H1 polymorphisms, such as rs34214448, rs 16949649, or rs2302254, may have different incidences of cervical neoplasia. Materials and Methods: In total, 366 blood samples were collected from 244 healthy women and 122 patients with cervical neoplasia to analyze 3 nm23-H1 gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs34214448, rs 16949649, and rs2302254). Results: The heterozygous genotypes, TG in rs34214448 or TC in rs 16949649, were differentially distributed between patients with cervical neoplasia and normal women (Hommel adjusted P =.0440 and .0435, respectively) as compared to their homozygotes. Moreover, compared to those with wild-type homozygotes and heterozygotes, women with variant homozygotes TT in rs34214448 or CC in rs 16949649 exert different distributions between patients with cervical neoplasia and normal women (P = .058 and .058). Interestingly, we found the genotype distribution of rs34214448 has significant association with that of rs 16949649 with high consistency. Conclusions: Mid-Taiwan women with the polymorphic heterozygotes TG in rs34214448 or TC in rs 16949649 of human nonmetastatic clone 23 type 1 promoter have the tendency to develop cervical neoplasia while compared to their homozygous counterparts. However, women with variant homozygotes TT in rs34214448 or CC in rs 16949649 exhibit less tendency as compared to those with wild-type homozygotes and heterozygotes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous broadleaf plantations are increasingly developing as a prospective silvicultural management approach for substituting in place of large pure conifer plantations in subtropical China. However, little information is known about the effects of tree species conversion on soil-atmosphere greenhouse gas (GHG) exchanges. Four adjacent monospecific plantations were selected in subtropical China to examine the effects of tree species on soil-atmosphere exchanges of NO, CH and CO. One coniferous plantation was composed of Pinus massoniana (PM), and the three broadleaf plantations were Castanopsis hystrix (CH), Michelia macclurei (MM) and Mytilaria laosensis (ML). We found that mean soil NO and CO emissions in the PM plantation were 4.34 μg N m h and 43.25 mg C m h, respectively, lower than those in the broadleaf plantations (>5.25 μg N m h and >56.38 mg C m h). The PM plantation soil had higher mean CH uptake (39.03 μg C m h) than the broadleaf plantation soils (<32.67 μg C m h). Variations in soil NO emissions among tree species could be primarily explained by the differences in litter C:N ratio and soil total N stock. Differences in soil CH uptake among tree species could be mostly attributed to the differences in mean soil CO flux and water filled pore space (WFPS). Litter C:N ratio could largely account for variations in soil CO emissions among tree species. This study confirms that there is no GHG benefit of converting PM plantation to broadleaf plantations in subtropical China. Therefore, the future strategy of tree species selection for substituting in place of large coniferous plantations in subtropical China needs to consider the potential effects of tree species on soil-atmosphere GHG exchanges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elucidating the processes of leaf litter and fine root decomposition has been a major research focus, while how the correlation between leaf litter and fine root decomposition is unclear. We studied the in situ decomposition and N dynamics of leaf litter and fine root of four subtropical tree species ( Pinus massoniana, Castanopsis hystrix, Michelia macclurei and Mytilaria laosensis) to determine whether leaf litter and fine root decomposition is correlated across species as well as which factors influence decomposition above versus below ground. Decomposition rate of leaf litter was related to that of fine root across species. The strong correlation between leaf litter and fine root decomposition rates arose largely for several reasons. First, soil moisture had the similar influences on both leaf litter and fine root decomposition rates. Second, traits (i.e., initial Ca concentration) important to both leaf litter and fine root decomposition rates showed significant similarity among species. Third, initial P, N and aromatic C concentrations, and C/N ratio were uniquely important for fine root decomposition rate, while no unique traits for leaf litter decomposition rate. This also could account for the strong correlation between leaf litter and fine root decomposition rates. Our study suggests that among these subtropical trees, species effects on in situ decomposition rates of leaf litter and fine root are very similar. Thus, species differences in decomposition rates may be as large as they would be if faster decomposition of leaf litter was correlated with faster decomposition of fine root. N immobilization rate of leaf litter was unrelated to that of fine root across species. Our results help explain some important mechanisms by which tree species influence litter in situ decomposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To check feasibility and effectiveness of the α-amylase reporter system, two vectors were designed and tested using hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) and Homo sapiens granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor 2 (hGM-CSF2) as a model. By integrating the vector containing two independent cassettes into the same genome locus, high-producing clones of HBsAg (or hGM-CSF2) were screened using the α-amylase as a reporter. Results show there was a positive correlation (Correlation coefficient, R > 0.95) between the yield of recombinant proteins and the α-amylase activity of corresponding transformants, which was independent of the gene dosage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laboratory investigations were conducted to test the toxicity of aged petroleum sludge collected from Shengli Oil Field, the second largest oilfield in China, to earthworm Eisenia fetida. Various end points were measured in the earthworms, including mortality, growth, cocoon output, juvenile production, and avoidance behavioral response, to determine their comparative sensitivity for assessing harmful effects of petroleum-hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. The results showed that all these assays responded in a concentration-dependent manner, and two chronic end points, juvenile production and cocoon output, as well as avoidance behavioral response appeared to be sensitive end points for detecting toxicity of petroleum-hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. Comparatively, juvenile production exhibited similar sensitivity to avoidance behavior response, both of which were more sensitive than cocoon output, while mortality and adult growth were proposed as the least sensitive parameters. It was suggested that large amounts of petroleum sludge deposited in Shengli Oil Field may pose a potential threat to the local ecosystem, and the utility of multiple effects-based end points in earthworm E. fetida is useful to facilitate ecological risk assessments in hydrocarbon-contaminated sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arachidonate 12/15-lipoxygenase (12/15-LOX) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, but with contradicting results. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of two polymorphisms in ALOX15 and the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in a Chinese Han population. A total of 519 unrelated CAD patients and 608 unrelated control subjects of the Chinese Han population were recruited in the case-control study. Two tagSNPs, rs7217186:T>C and rs2619112:G>A, were selected and genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The carriers of the C allele (the CC homozygote and the CT heterozygote) of rs7217186:T>C and the carriers of the A allele (the AA homozygote and the GA heterozygote) of rs2619112:G>A displayed elevated odds ratios (ORs) for CAD compared with the TT homozygotes and GG homozygotes, respectively, after adjusting for other potential confounders including age, sex, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and smoking status (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 3.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.335–7.665, P = 0.009 and adjusted OR = 3.5, 95% CI: 1.343–9.330, P = 0.011). In stratified analyses, after adjusting those aforementioned confounders, the CC and CT genotypes of rs7217186:T>C were associated with a greater risk of CAD in subjects <60 years (adjusted OR = 5.7, 95% CI: 1.557–21.097, P = 0.009) and in females (adjusted OR = 9.3, 95% CI: 1.048–82.213, P = 0.045). For rs2619112:G>A, subjects (<60 years) carrying the A allele had a greater risk of CAD than the GG homozygotes (adjusted OR = 4.9, 95% CI: 1.215–19.547, P = 0.025); the male carriers of A allele also had a greater risk (adjusted OR = 3.5, 95% CI: 1.136–11.006, P = 0.029). In summary, the present study shows that after adjustment for other confounding CAD factors, rs7217186:T>C and rs2619112:G>A of ALOX15 are associated with increased risk of CAD in this Chinese Han population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mucin-1 (MUC1) is a breast tumor-associated antigen. However, clinical trials with MUC1 showed that, with respect to its expression levels, MUC1 is a relatively poor immunogen in human beings. Evidence showed that MUC1-specific immunodominant B and T cell epitopes are derived from the variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) region. Therefore, immunotherapy that targets multiple VNTRs may induce anti-MUC1 immune responses. GM-CSF has been shown to increase the percentage and activity of antigen-presenting cells. In this study, we constructed two recombinant Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccines that combine the expression of multiple tandem repeats of MUC1 and CSF. The effect of two novel breast cancer vaccines (rBCG-MVNTR4-CSF and rBCG-MVNTR8-CSF) on the growth of breast tumor on hu-PBL-SCID mice was evaluated. We coupled VNTRs (4 and 8) of MUC1 with GM-CSF (MVNTR4-CSF and MVNTR8-CSF). The MVNTR4-CSF and MVNTR8-CSF were inserted into the pDE22 plasmid and transformed into competent BCG by electroporation. The effect of both BCG vaccines on the growth of breast tumor on hu-PBL-SCID mice was evaluated. The growth of MUC1-positive breast tumors from hu-PBL-SCID mice immunized with two vaccines was significantly inhibited. rBCG-MVNTR4-CSF and rBCG-MVNTR8-CSF vaccines may be good candidates for breast tumor immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The choice of appropriate therapeutic plans for primary endocervical adenocarcinomas (ECA) and endometrial adenocarcinomas (EMA) depend on the tumor’s site of origin. The purpose of this study was to compare the performances of the commonly used three-marker (ER/Vim/CEA), four-marker (ER/Vim/CEA/PR) and five-marker (ER/Vim/CEA/PR/p16INK4a) panels in distinguishing between primary ECA and EMA. A tissue microarray was constructed using paraffin-embedded, formalin-fixed tissues from 35 hysterectomy specimens, including 14 ECA and 21 EMA. Utilizing the avidin-biotin (ABC) technique, tissue array sections were immunostained with five commercially available antibodies (ER, Vim, CEA, PR and p16INK4a) to evaluate the performances of their respective three-, four- and five-marker panels in distinguishing between primary ECA and EMA. ER, PR and Vim were more likely to be expressed in EMA, while CEA and p16INK4a were frequently expressed in ECA. The three-marker (ER/Vim/CEA) panel exhibits the most favorable performance in the distinction between these two gynecologic malignancies (ECA vs. EMA). According to our data, when histomorphological and clinical doubt exists as to the primary site of origin, we recommend that the conventional three-marker (ER/Vim/CEA) panel is sufficient, appropriate and useful in distinguishing between primary ECA and EMA, instead of the four-marker (ER/Vim/CEA/PR) and five-marker (ER/Vim/CEA/PR/p16INK4a) panels. Ancillary PR and p16INK4a add no supplementary value to the performance of the conventional three-marker (ER/Vim/CEA) panel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite abundant expression of DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) in brain, the regulation and behavioral role of DNA methylation remain poorly understood. We found that Dnmt3a expression was regulated in mouse nucleus accumbens (NAc) by chronic cocaine use and chronic social defeat stress. Moreover, NAc-specific manipulations that block DNA methylation potentiated cocaine reward and exerted antidepressant-like effects, whereas NAc-specific Dnmt3a overexpression attenuated cocaine reward and was pro-depressant. On a cellular level, we found that chronic cocaine use selectively increased thin dendritic spines on NAc neurons and that DNA methylation was both necessary and sufficient to mediate these effects. These data establish the importance of Dnmt3a in the NAc in regulating cellular and behavioral plasticity to emotional stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social stress has been linked to several neuropsychiatric diseases, including depression, which is a debilitating disease that has genetic, environmental, and epigenetic underpinnings. This study examined the effects of repeated social defeat on both depressive-like behaviors and histone acetylation in the hippocampus, amygdala, and dorsal prefrontal cortex of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Subjects were exposed to four consecutive social defeats. Depressive-like behaviors were assayed in the sucrose preference, forced swim, contextual fear, and social approach and avoidance tests. Histone H3 and H4 acetylation in the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex were examined by Western blots under basal conditions and at several time points. We also investigated the potential involvement of N-methyl- d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors and glucocorticoid receptors (GR) by injecting respective antagonists prior to each social defeat and examining their effect on histone acetylation in the hippocampus. Social defeat resulted in behavioral changes in the forced swim, social avoidance, and contextual fear tests nearly 6 weeks after defeat, with no change in sucrose preference. Additionally, histone H3 acetylation was increased in the hippocampus 30 min following the last defeat and was not blocked by antagonism of either NMDA or GR receptors. There were no changes in histone H4 acetylation. These results indicate that social defeat induces several long-lasting depressive-like behaviors in rats and induces a significant, short-lived increase in H3 acetylation in the hippocampus, although the underlying mechanism behind this change warrants further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the interfacial reactions and joint reliabilities of Sn–9Zn/Cu and Sn–9Zn–0.3Ag/Cu were investigated during isothermal aging at 150 °C for aging times of up to 1,000 h. Cu5Zn8 IMCs layer is formed at the as-soldered Sn–9Zn/Cu interface. Adding 0.3wt.% Ag results in the adsorption of AgZn3 on the Cu5Zn8 IMCs layer. The as-soldered Sn–9Zn/Cu and Sn–9Zn–0.3Ag/Cu joints have sufficient pull strength. The thickness of the IMCs layer formed at the interface of Sn–9Zn/Cu and Sn–9Zn–0.3Ag/Cu both increase with increasing aging time. Correspondingly, both the pull forces of the Sn–9Zn and Sn–9Zn–0.3Ag soldered joints gradually decrease as the aging time prolonged. However, the thickness of the IMCs layer of Sn–9Zn–0.3Ag/Cu increases much slower than that of Sn–9Zn/Cu and the pull force of Sn–9Zn–0.3Ag soldered joint decreases much slower than that of Sn–9Zn soldered joint. After aging for 1,000 h, some Cu–Sn IMCs form between the Cu5Zn8 IMC and the Cu substrate, many voids form at the interface between the Cu5Zn8 layer and solder alloy, and some cracks form in the Cu5Zn8 IMCs layer of Sn–9Zn/Cu. The pull force Sn–9Zn soldered joint decreases by 53.1% compared to the pull force measured after as-soldered. Fracture of Sn–9Zn/Cu occurred on the IMCs layer on the whole and the fracture micrograph implies a brittle fracture. While the pull force of Sn–9Zn–0.3Ag soldered joint decreases by 51.7% after aging at 150 °C for 1,000 h. The fracture mode of Sn–9Zn–0.3Ag soldered joint is partially brittle at the IMCs layer, and partially ductile at the outer ring of the solder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A problem that frequently occurs in biological experiments with laboratory animals is that some subjects are less susceptible to the treatment group than others. Finite mixture models have traditionally been used to describe the distribution of responses in treated subjects for such studies. In this paper, we first study the mixture normal model with multi-levels and multiple mixture sub-populations under each level, with particular attention being given to the model in which the proportions of susceptibility are related to dose levels, then we use EM-algorithm to find the maximum likelihood estimators of model parameters. Our results are generalizations of the existing results. Finally, we illustrate realistic significance of the above extension based on a set of real dose-response data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influences of different Ce content on the properties of Sn–9Zn lead-free solder were investigated. The results indicate that Ce plays an important role not only in the structure and the solderability, but also in the interfacial structure of Sn–9Zn– xCe/Cu and mechanical property of soldered joint. Sn–9Zn–0.08Ce shows finer and more uniform microstructure than Sn–9Zn, and when the quantity of Ce is 0.5–1 wt%, some dark Sn–Ce compounds appear in the solder. With the addition of 0.08 wt% Ce, the solderability of solder is significantly improved because the surface tension of molten solder is decreased. Adding Ce makes the Cu5Zn8 IMCs formed at the interface of solder/Cu become much thicker than that of Sn–9Zn/Cu because much more content of Zn diffuse to the interface of solder/Cu to react with Cu. Results also indicate that adding 0.08 wt% Ce to the solder enhances mechanical property of soldered joint. When the Ce content is 0.1–0.5 wt%, some hard and brittle Cu–Zn IMCs appear in the bottom of dimples and the pull force of soldered joint decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize seeds are an important source of food, animal feed, and industrial raw materials. To understand global gene expression and regulation during maize seed development, a normalized cDNA library, covering most of the developmental stages of maize seeds, was constructed. Sequencing analysis of 10,848 randomly selected clones identified 6,630 unique ESTs. Among them, 57 putative transcription factors (TFs) were identified. The TFs belong to seven different super-families, specifically 17 Zinc-finger, 13 bZIP, 8 bHLH, 6 MADS, 7 MYB, 3 Homedomain, and 3 AP2/EREBP. The spatial and temporal expression of the TFs was analyzed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR with representative tissue types and seeds at different developmental stages, revealing their diverse expression patterns and expression levels. One-third (19) of the maize TFs was found their putative orthologs in Arabidopsis. Similar expression patterns were observed in both maize and Arabidopsis for the majority of orthologous pairs (15 out of 19), suggesting their conserved functions during seed development. In conclusion, the systematic analysis of maize seed TFs has provided valuable insight into transcriptional regulation during maize seed development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prediction of the life expectancy of a patient with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains difficult. The aims of the study were to construct a new staging scheme for patients with unresectable HCC and to compare the discriminatory ability of the staging scheme with the Okuda and CLIP score and TNM staging system in a cohort of patients with unresectable HCC. A retrospective analysis of unresectable HCC cases from 1999 to 2003 was performed. The Cox model was used for multivariate analyses. The final model was derived from 10 randomly chosen training samples and the prognostic validity of the new staging scheme was assessed on the corresponding testing samples. Moreover, 54 cases with unresectable HCC were enrolled and prospectively followed up. The new staging, named the China integrated score (CIS), Okuda, TNM and CLIP systems were determined for each case. Comparisons of the survival rate between each stage were performed to evaluate their discriminatory ability. A simple scoring system was constructed, assigning linear scores (0/1/2) to the three covariates (TNM, α-fetoprotein and Child–Pugh) of the final model. The CIS system was more discriminant than the Okuda or TNM staging system, as confirmed by the Kaplan–Meier comparison of survival curves and by the Cox’s regression analysis, with a median survival rate of 9.0, 2.3, 2.1 and 0.6 months in patients with CIS 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. The CIS system was performed as well as the CLIP score. The new staging system, accounting for both liver function and tumor characteristics, can accurately identify patients with different prognoses, particularly in the advanced phases of HCC. It should be useful as the only tool that can be applied for patients with unresectable HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our goal was to compare the expression of plasma monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) and the gene polymorphism in patients with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and healthy controls. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction--restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) were, respectively, used to measure the plasma MCP-1 level and MCP-1 polymorphism in 70 healthy controls and in 64 patients with PID before and after they received routine treatment protocols. We found plasma MCP-1 was significantly elevated in patients with PID compared to that in normal controls and decreased significantly compared to that in patients with PID after they received treatment. The increased expression of plasma MCP-1 was significantly correlated with the cell counts of white blood cells (WBCs) in blood and the level of plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) of patients with PID before they received treatment. There was no association between MCP-1 -- 2518G/A SNP and its gene expression levels and PID susceptibility. Elevated plasma MCP-1 could be a biological marker for the diagnosis and to be a new strategy for target therapy of pelvic inflammatory disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PHR protein family consists of C. elegan Rpm-1/Drosophila Highwire/Zebrafish Esrom/Mouse Phr-1/Human Pam. Esrom is required for correct neurites exiting the paused state at intermediate targets as well as pteridine synthesis. This study reports the identification and characterization of two novel Esrom splice variants, named splice variants 2 (splicing out 5′ 24 bp of exon 17) and 3 (splicing out 5′ 24 bp of exons 17 and 18). Polypeptides encoded by 5′ 24 bp of exons 17 and 18 are part of basic amino-acid-rich region inside Esrom RCC1-like domain (RLD). These two splice variants maintain the whole protein reading frame and alternative exons usage patterns are conserved with mammal. At different developmental stages and adult zebrafish tissues, abundances of these splice variants are different. Importantly, by yeast two-hybrid screen and confocal colocalization analysis, it was found that alternative splicing of exon 18 regulates Esrom RLD interaction with kinesin family member 22 and G protein beta-subunit 1. Taken together, these results suggest that Esrom RLD functions are regulated by alternative splicing at temporal and spatial-specific manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA microarray technology has been extensively used for gene expression analysis of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. For eukaryotic gene expression profiling, the poly(A)-based reverse transcription of messenger RNA (mRNA) followed by T7 RNA polymerase-based in vitro transcription is generally required to produce enough RNA targets for hybridization with the microarray chips. However, the same method cannot be directly applied to prokaryotic mRNAs due to the lack of poly(A) sequences at the 3′ ends. Conventional methods usually require large amounts of starting RNAs and lead to high background noise. Recently developed amplification methods enable smaller amounts of prokaryotic RNA to be used from samples with species-specific primers, oligo(dT) primers, or random primers. In this study, three target preparation methods, including the direct labeling, polyadenylation-involved oligo-dT priming, and random priming amplification (respectively referred to as DL, PAOD, and RPA hereafter) were evaluated through expression profiling of a heat shock model of Escherichia coli. The PAOD method was found to be more sensitive and more specific in differential gene expression measurements than either DL and RPA, even when the E. coli RNA was only a small proportion of the simulated eukaryotic host RNA. The results suggest that PAOD is the preferred target preparation method for prokaryotic transcriptome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roads and buildings are considered as primary causes of rural landscape changes. In this study, linear regression models were used to analyze the dynamic influences of environmental factors and variables on roads and rural buildings from 1979 to 2005 in Dongzhi Yuan (tableland) of the Loess Plateau, China. The relationship between roads and rural buildings and their effects on Dongzhi Yuan are discussed also. The results showed that three environmental factors (topography, land cover, and development level) explained roads better than rural buildings referring densities and patterns. The environmental variables significantly related to roads have decreased, whereas those related to rural buildings have increased over time. Among these significant variables, percent of farmland mostly determined the densities and patterns of both roads and rural buildings. There was significant correlation between roads and rural buildings in terms of density and pattern. In addition, roads and rural buildings have increased greatly in gully areas of this region. Therefore, more attention should be paid to planning of roads and rural buildings in Dongzhi Yuan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Storing and sharing databases in the cloud of computers raise serious concern of individual privacy. We consider two kinds of privacy risk: presence leakage, by which the attackers can explicitly identify individuals in (or not in) the database, and association leakage, by which the attackers can unambiguously associate individuals with sensitive information. However, the existing privacy-preserving data sharing techniques either fail to protect the presence privacy or incur considerable amounts of information loss. In this paper, we propose a novel technique, Ambiguity, to protect both presence privacy and association privacy with low information loss. We formally define the privacy model and quantify the privacy guarantee of Ambiguity against both presence leakage and association leakage. We prove both theoretically and empirically that the information loss of Ambiguity is always less than the classic generalization-based anonymization technique. We further propose an improved scheme, PriView, that can achieve better information loss than Ambiguity. We propose efficient algorithms to construct both Ambiguity and PriView schemes. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of both Ambiguity and PriView schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructures, wettabilities and mechanical properties of Sn–9Zn–xAg ( x = 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1 wt%) lead-free solders were investigated, respectively in this paper. Results show that, when the quantity of Ag added to the solder is 0.3 wt%, the microstructure of the solder becomes finer and more uniform than Sn–9Zn, and when the quantity of Ag is exceeded 0.3 wt% (upto 0.5–1 wt%), the AgZn3 intermetallic compounds appear in the solder. In particular, adding 0.3 wt% Ag improves the wettability due to the better oxidation resistance of the Sn–9Zn–0.3Ag solder. Results also indicate that adding 0.3 wt% Ag to the solder enhances mechanical property of soldered joint, at which the fracture micrographs show that plenty of small and uniform dimples could be observed on the Sn–9Zn–0.3Ag soldered joints fractures. When the content of Ag is upto 1 wt%, some Cu–Zn and Ag–Zn intermetallic compounds appear on the bottom of dimples, and the mechanical property of the soldered joint decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influences of different Ga content on the properties of Sn–9Zn lead-free solder were investigated. The results indicate that Ga plays an important role not only in the structure and melting behavior, but also in the solderability and mechanical property. Sn–9Zn–0.5Ga shows finer and more uniform microstructure than Sn–9Zn. With the addition of low-melting-point Ga, TL (liquidus temperature) and TS (solidus temperature) of the alloys decreases with increasing of Ga content while △T (liquidus temperature minus solidus temperature) increases. Ga can improve the oxidation resistance and reduce the surface tension of solder, so the solderability of Sn–9Zn– xGa lead-free solder is significantly improved. When the content of Ga is 0.5 wt.%, the pull force of soldered joint is 16.1 N, enhanced by 11% compared to that of Sn–9Zn, and the fracture micrographs show that the joint failed in a ductile manner. The addition of 3 wt.%Ga resulted in a brittle failure. The introduction of 0.5 wt.% Ga into Sn–9Zn alloy improves creep resistance of the solder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study is to test the hypothesis that large-diameter myelinated muscle afferents contribute to the pathophysiology of myofascial trigger points (MTrPs). The ischemic compression blockage (ICB) of large-diameter myelinated muscle afferents was obtained with a 7-cm-wide tourniquet applied around the upper arm proximal to the brachioradialis muscle in 20 healthy subjects. This study consisted of two randomized sessions with an interval of 1 week in between each session. In one session, pressure pain threshold (PPT) and pressure threshold for eliciting referred pain (PTRP) were measured at an MTrP region in the brachioradialis muscle in one forearm. In another session, PPT was measured at a non-MTrP region in the brachioradialis muscle of the contralateral forearm at the time of pre-compression, 20 min following compression, and 10 min after decompression. The results showed that ICB, which mainly blocks large-diameter myelinated muscle afferents, was associated with an increase in PPT and PTRP (all P < 0.001) at MTrP regions but not at non-MTrP regions. These results suggest that large-diameter muscle afferents may be involved in pain and mechanical hyperalgesia at MTrPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gynecological pathologists are used to operating many panels of various markers in combination for the diagnostic distinction between primary endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinomas. The conventional 3-marker (ER/Vim/CEA) panel is the most promising tool. In this study, our aim is to investigate whether a 2-marker panel is enough to distinguish between these two gynecologic malignancies. Additionally, we wish to determine which one is the most favorable among eight panels tested, including six 2-marker (ER/CEA, PR/CEA, Vim/CEA, ER/p16(INK4a), PR/p16(INK4a), Vim/p16(INK4a)) and two 3-marker (ER/Vim/CEA, ER/Vim/p16(INK)) panels. A tissue microarray was constructed using paraffin-embedded, formalin-fixed tissues from 35 hysterectomy specimens, including 14 primary endocervical adenocarcinomas and 21 primary endometrial adenocarcinomas. Utilizing the avidin-biotin complex (ABC) method, tissue array sections were immunostained with five commercially available antibodies (ER, Vim, CEA, PR, and p16(INK4a)) to evaluate their individual frequencies of expression. We found that all eight aforementioned panels showed an encouraging range of overall accuracy (69.2% to 78.3%). However, one panel of 2-markers (Vim, CEA) exhibited the most efficiency (78.3%) in the diagnostic distinction between primary endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinomas. Based on the analyzed data, we conclude that the 2-marker (Vim/CEA) panel seems adequate to be an appropriate, convenient, and efficient means to distinguish between primary endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinomas. Even though there were a limited number of cases, this study still provides valuable references to help avoid wasting resources and unnecessary marker testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium has the largest cytochrome P450 contingent known to date in fungi, but the study on the function of these P450s is limited. In this study, induction of functional P450 in P. chrysosporium was first shown and P450-mediate degradation of benzoic acid was demonstrated in this fungus. Carbon monoxide difference spectra indicated significant induction of P450 by benzoic acid, m-chlorobenzoic acid, p-chlorobenzoic acid and n-hexane, and showed the effect of inducer concentration and nutrient condition on the induction of P450. The high contents of P450 in the microsomal fractions facilitated the study on the function of P450. While the n-hexane-induced P450 could not interact with benzoic acid, the microsomal P450 induced by benzoic acid produced type I substrate binding spectra upon the addition of benzoic acid. The benzoic acid degradation by the microsomal P450 was NADPHdependent at a specific rate of 194 ± 14 min-1, and significantly inhibited by piperonyl butoxide (a P450 inhibitor). However, inhibition of benzoic acid degradation by piperonyl butoxide was slight or not detectable in the cultures of this fungus, suggesting presumable involvement of other enzyme in benzoic acid degradation. The extracellular ligninolytic enzymes, lignin peroxidase and manganese-dependent peroxidase, were not involved in initial metabolism of benzoic acid under the test conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endocervical adenocarcinomas (ECAs) and endometrial adenocarcinomas (EMAs) are malignancies that affect the uterus; however, their biological behaviors are quite different. This distinction has clinical significance because the appropriate therapy may depend on the site of tumor origin. The purpose of this study is to evaluate two different scoring mechanisms of p16INK4a immunohistochemical (IHC) stain in distinguishing between primary ECAs and EMAs. A tissue microarray (TMA) was constructed using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue from hysterectomy specimens, including 14 ECAs and 21 EMAs. Tissue array sections were stained with a commercially available antibody, p16INK4a. The avidin–biotin complex method was used to visualize antigens. The staining intensity and extent of the IHC reactions were evaluated using a semi-quantitative scoring system. Two scoring methods were defined on the following bases: (1) independent cytoplasmic staining alone, irrespective of nucleic stain (Method C) and (2) independent nucleic staining alone, irrespective of cytoplasmic staining. (Method N). Of the two scoring mechanisms for p16INK4a expression, Method N showed a significant difference ( P = 0.015), but Method C showed no significant ( P = 0.432) frequency differences in distinguishing between ECAs and EMAs. However, Method N had a higher overall accuracy rate (71.4%) in accurately diagnosing ECAs from EMAs in the total number of p16INK4a IHC cases. According to the data of p16INK4a expression in this TMA study, Method N is favorable and efficient in distinguishing between ECAs and EMAs, while Method C is not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The choice of appropriate therapeutic plans for primary endocervical adenocarcinomas (ECA) and endometrial adenocarcinomas (EMA) depends on the tumor’s site of origin. Some panels of antibodies help to distinguish primary ECA from EMA. However, unexpected expressions of those markers often exist, which causes this diagnostic dilemma to be still unresolved. In this study, we investigate five commonly used monoclonal antibodies (p53, TTF1, CK7, CK20, and CK34βE12) to evaluate their potential use in distinguishing between these two gynecologic malignancies. A tissue microarray was constructed using paraffin-embedded, formalin-fixed tissues from 35 hysterectomy specimens, including 14 ECA and 21 EMA. Utilizing the avidin–biotin (ABC) technique, tissue array sections were immunostained with the five aforementioned commercially available antibodies. Immunohistochemical (IHC) expressions of p53, TTF1, CK7, CK20, and CK34βE12 were all nonsignificant ( P > 0.05) in frequency differences between the immunostaining results (positive vs. negative) in tumors from both the two primary adenocarcinomas (ECA vs. EMA). It is still uncertain which markers or panels would be the most appropriate for making diagnoses; hence, exploration of other useful markers, which make a definitive distinction between ECA and EMA merits further studies. This study, however, uncovered that the five commonly used monoclonal antibodies (p53, TTF1, CK7, CK20, and CK34βE12) are of no beneficial value in distinguishing between primary ECA and EMA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Annexin B2 (AnxB2) is a novel member of the annexin family of Ca2+ and phospholipid-binding proteins from Cysticercus cellulosae. To obtain highly pure AnxB2 with an easy and inexpensive purification approach, its cDNA was cloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pJLA503 and the translation initiation codon was immediately under the control of the inducible bacteriophage λ promoters P R and P L. After induction by shifting temperature, large amounts of non-fusion protein were produced in Escherichia coli in a soluble form. Then a novel purification method based on Ca2+dependent phosphatidylserine (PS)-binding activity was established, whereby the purity of AnxB2 was increased to 98.7%. Western blot analysis showed that recombinant AnxB2 was specifically recognized by serum of pigs infected with cysticercosis. In vitro test showed that, the recombinant AnxB2 had anticoagulant activity and platelet binding activity. The expression, purification, and initial characterization of AnxB2 set an important stage for further characterization of the protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new VEGF receptor fusion protein FP3 was shown to have promising antitumor potency better than Bevacizumab. Characterization of its immune response is essential to the safe and effective administration in clinical trials. In this study, both BIACORE and ELISA assays were employed to assess pre-clinical immunogenicity of FP3 in monkeys. Serum samples from 20 rhesus monkeys were analyzed for the generation of anti-FP3 antibody after intravenous administration of three doses of FP3 ( n = 6 per group) or buffer control ( n = 2). Sera samples were obtained at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 weeks after the first administration. It showed BIACORE presented linear correlation with the dilution of anti-FP3 antibody and the results of ELISA. Two weeks after the initial FP3 injection, anti-FP3 antibody was detected in about 20% FP3-treated monkeys. The ratio of positive samples and the titer of antibody increased along with the FP3-treatment time. Six weeks following FP3 injection almost all the samples were anti-FP3 antibody positive. Moreover, the titer of anti-FP3 antibody but not the ratio of positive samples was also enhanced when the dose of FP3 was elevated. Furthermore, the immunoglobulin types and subclasses of anti-FP3 antibody serum components were mainly identified as IgG1 and IgG4, not IgM. Serum antibodies are characterized that they could not block FP3 binding to VEGF and were non-neutralizing. Our data implied that proteins with full human sequences may also have the potential to induce immune response in rhesus monkeys, and BIACORE could be an effective approach to detect the immunogenicity of protein therapeutics in clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetting balance method is used to evaluate the effects of Ga, Al, Ag, and Ce multi-additions on the solderability of Sn–9Zn lead-free solders, results show that the optimal addition amounts of Ga, Al, Ag, and Ce is 0.2, 0.002, 0.25, and 0.15 wt% respectively. The surface property of Sn–9Zn–0.2Ga–0.002Al–0.25Ag–0.15Ce solder is studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and auger electron spectroscopy analysis; results indicate that Al aggregates on the surface as a compact aluminum oxide film which prevents the further oxidation. The aggregation of Ce on the subsurface can reduce the surface tension of solder, and improve the solderability accordingly. Meanwhile, SEM and XRD analysis indicate that Cu5Zn8 and AgZn3 intermetallic compounds form at the interface between Sn–9Zn–0.2Ga–0.002Al–0.25Ag–0.15Ce solder and Cu substrate, while AuZn3 and AuAgZn2 form at the interface between solder and Cu/Ni/Au substrate. Moreover, results also indicate that the mechanical property of soldered joints is improved duo to the dispersion strengthening effects of AgZn3 in Sn–9Zn–0.2Ga–0.002Al–0.25Ag–0.15Ce solder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multistage adaptive beamformer for wireless communications is proposed. The beamformer adopts a novel nested system architecture to reduce the system complexity and to achieve the system optimization which is carried out independently at each stage. It is shown that this method attains an improved performance in comparison to another competitive method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diosgenin is an important starting material in the steroidal hormone industry. Traditionally, diosgenin is mainly produced by acid hydrolysis of Dioscorea zingiberensis C. H. Wright (DZW) tubers. This method yields numerous byproducts that can cause serious pollution. In this study, diosgenin was obtained by biotransformation of steroidal saponins in DZW afforded by Trichoderma harzianum CGMCC 2979. The medium was optimized for maximum diosgenin production. The addition of phosphate buffer, surfactant Tween-85, and Fe2+ increased the yield of diosgenin by 50.28%, 33.35%, and 22.07%, respectively. The optimum medium obtained by response surface methodology was composed of 60 mmol l−1 phosphate buffer, 0.07% ( w/ v) Tween-85, and 0.93 mmol l−1 Fe2+. Under these conditions, a maximum diosgenin yield of 30.05 ± 0.59 mg g−1 was achieved, which was slightly higher than that obtained from traditional acid hydrolysis. By hydrolyzing the un-transformed steroidal saponins after biotransformation, the total diosgenin yield increased by 35% compared to traditional method. Moreover, chemical oxygen demand and residual reduced sugar in the wastewater produced by this integrated process were only 3.72% and 0.3%, respectively, that of the traditional acid hydrolysis method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of dietary Selenium (Se) supplementation on muscle superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities and haemolymph superoxide anions ( $$ {\text{O}}_{2}^{ - } $$) of Neocaridina heteropoda exposed to ambient nitrite were investigated. The results showed supplementation of Se in diet could enhance the resistance of shrimp to low concentration ambient nitrite. The results demonstrated that Se might have a potentially useful role as an effective antioxidant and resistance to aqueous nitrite in shrimp and the effect of the organic Se was better than that of the inorganic Se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface soils from Guiyu, China (an intense e-waste processing center) were analyzed for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and variations in composition of the resident bacterial communities. Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA gene showed that e-waste pollution altered the bacterial community structure by promoting changes in species composition and species richness. Bacterial diversity was not decreased at e-waste open-burning sites, compared with a non e-waste site (reservoir site), due to flourishing of possible POPs-consuming bacterial cohorts. PAH-incubated experiments confirmed that different levels of PAHs might affect the bacterial community by suppressing or favoring certain groups of bacteria, for instance, uncultured Clostridium sp. and Massilia sp., respectively. Taxonomic analysis indicated β-proteobacteria and Firmicutes were abundant bacterial lineages in PAH-polluted soils. This study is the first reporting bacterial community structures at e-waste processing sites, and indicated that crude processing of e-waste has become a biohazard to the terrestrial environment warranting more extensive studies of microbial communities at e-waste polluted environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal was to manufacture carbon/carbon (C/C) composites through a unique procedure with improved biocompatibility and reduced debris release. C/C composites were prepared by chemical vapor deposition, and their biological properties were analyzed. With regard to mechanical properties, compressive strength/modulus was 219.1 MPa/9.72 GPa, flexural strength/modulus was 121.63 MPa/21.9 GPa, and interlaminar sheer was 15.13 GPa. Biocompatibility testing revealed: (1) the extract liquid from the C/C composites had no effect on cell proliferation; (2) the extract had no impact on micronucleus frequency as compared with the control groups ( P > 0.05); (3) in vivo, there was mild tissue inflammation after implantation within the first 2 weeks, but there was no significant difference compared with the control group ( P > 0.05); (4) the implants were well integrated into the host tissue, and debris was limited. The tested samples have excellent biocompatibilities and reduced release of debris. The demonstrated changes in manufacturing procedures are promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of Ga–Al, Ga–Ag and Al–Ag binary additions on the wetting characteristics of Sn–9Zn–X–Y lead-free solders are studied by the wetting balance method. Experimental results show that Sn–9Zn–1.0Ga–0.3Ag, Sn–9Zn–0.005Al–0.3Ag, and Sn–9Zn–0.3Ga–0.002Al possess better wettability than the other alloys tested. The mechanism by which Ga, Al, and Ag additions improve the wettability is also proposed. It appears that dense aluminum oxide film formation and the enrichment of Ga on the surface may protect the bulk liquid solder from further oxidation. Moreover, results also indicate that, AgZn3 IMCs layer formed at the interface, which may release reaction energy during the wetting, results in improving the wettability of the solder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]