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To explore the effects of different particle sizes of rubber particles, mixed basalt fibers and polypropylene fibers on the mechanical property and impact performance of concrete. The combined waste tire rubber particles with various particle sizes were proposed. Then the combination of rubber content of various particle sizes, the volume content of different basalt and polypropylene fibers seemed as influence factors, and nine kinds of composite rubber hybrid fiber concrete (CRFC) were designed by the orthogonal test method. Compressive, splitting tensile, dynamic compressive and impermeability tests were carried out. The impacts of the three influence factors on the CRFC test index were obtained according to the range and variance analysis of the test data, meanwhile, the energy conversion in the process of dynamic compression was used. All that aimed to reveal the influence mechanism of three influencing factors on the mechanical, impact and impermeability properties of CRFC. The results showed that the increase in the particle size of the rubber weaken the uniform dispersion ability of the rubber particles in the matrix, the rate of energy absorption/dissipation, the energy storage limit, the failure energy and the transmission energy ratio of the CRFC and the ultimate load capacity of the concrete. However, the adhesion between the rubber particles and the matrix, the ability to prevent crack propagation, the ratio of reflected energy, the accumulated elastic energy, and the ductility of concrete all improved with the particle size of the rubber. Although there are different physical properties for the basalt fiber and polypropylene fiber, the good rigidity and ductility can be found in the CRFC impact test, and the appropriate amount of fiber content can mostly exert the synergistic effect of hybrid fiber. Finally, the static compression and dynamic impact damage models of CRFC are established on basis of the statistical damage theory. That can provide reference for engineering application of CRFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lymph node (LN) dissection along left recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is challenging in esophagectomy for esophageal cancer, and double-lumen endotracheal tube (DLT) impedes the exposure of this area. The aim of this study was to determine whether bronchial blockers (BB) could be a better choice for this procedure. Methods: The clinical characteristics of patients who received McKeown esophagectomy with radical lymph node dissection in Wuhan Tongji Hospital between August 2017 and July 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The 1:1 propensity score match analysis was performed to compare the short-term effectiveness, the numbers of lymph nodes dissected, and the patterns of recurrence and survival between the two groups. Results: A total of 294 patients (192 and 102 in the DLT and BB group, respectively) were enrolled in the study. After matching, 204 patients (102 pairs) who underwent one-lung ventilation with DLT or BB displayed no significant variance in baseline characteristics. The BB group had higher number of LNs resected along left RLN (1.8 ± 2.3 vs. 2.5 ± 2.5, P = 0.001). For patients with metastatic left RLN LN, the BB group had longer medium survival time (15 vs. 32 months, P = 0.045), and tended to have longer medium recurrence-free survival time (6 vs. 15 months, P = 0.079), and lower rate of upper mediastinal and cervical LN recurrence (30.00% vs. 66.67%, P = 0.198). The postoperative complications were similar in both groups. Conclusions: Compared with DLT, using BB in esophagectomy may allow more radical lymphadenectomy along left RLN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, numerous studies have carried out to research the effect of biochars remediation soil heavy metals (HMs) contaminated, but there have been fewer explorations of the effect of biochars tubule on soil HMs remediation. This work aimed to study the effect of passivation and remediation of lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr) contaminated soil after insert sewage sludge biochar (SSB) tubule. The results showed that the high risky fractions of Pb and Cr could be transformed into more stable fractions; also, Pb and Cr total contents are significantly decreased by SSB tubule. The mechanisms include adsorption, ion exchange, complexation, and precipitation which are concluded from the characteristic analysis. Detailly, the passivation of Pb and Cr is better when the moisture is 25% and 35%, respectively [Pb: exchangeable (F1), carbonate bound (F2) decreased by 25.1%, 16.8%, Fe-Mn oxides bound (F3) increased by 18.5%; Cr: F1 decreased by 73.0%, F2, F3, organic matter bound (F4) increased by 13.2%, 23.9%, 30.8%), respectively]. The remediation of Pb and Cr is better when the moisture is 25% and 35%, respectively, (Pb: decreased by 23.3%; Cr: decreased by 38.4%, respectively). The findings showed that the SSB tubule is effective when used for soil HMs contaminated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the construction of water-rich bored tunnels, it is important to improve the impermeability of the primary support shotcrete to ensure construction safety. This work considers the underground excavation of water-rich strata in the section between the Baisheng Shaft and Xiba River Station of the Beijing Metro Line 12. A polypropylene fiber-reinforced shotcrete (PFRS) was designed using an orthogonal experimental method. The fiber size and content, cement content, sand rate, and water–cement ratio were the key factors in the PFRS performance. Based on the analysis of the experimental data along with numerical simulations and other research methods, a new mix proportion of PFRS is proposed and successfully applied to engineering sites. It is shown that compared with ordinary shotcrete, the impermeability of PFRS is greatly improved as the maximum can be increased by 42.5%. After the application of PFRS on-site, the problems of water seepage and excessive deformation of the tunnel supporting structure in the water-rich strata were alleviated. This fully ensures the overall stability of the tunnel and provides a guarantee for a safe construction site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentrations and fractions of heavy metal in sediments at different altitudes in the water-level fluctuation zone (WLFZ) of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) were determined. The Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the differences between heavy metal fractions and physicochemical properties. The results showed that Cr and Cu were mainly horizontally and vertically distributed in the residual (RE) fractions with the highest stability and relatively low ecological risk. Pb and Zn were mainly in the Fe-Mn oxide-bound (Fe-Mn) fractions, which can be reduced to a bioavailable state when the redox potential decreased or the oxygen was severely depleted in the aquatic environment. There were significant differences in the heavy metal fractions and risks in sediment in the three different altitudes of the TGR. The physicochemical characteristics of the sediment indicated that the sediments in the low altitude area had rough forms and large pores. In addition, heavy metals at low altitudes were likely to be released into the water during antiseasonal water storage, causing secondary pollution, which greatly increased the mobility of heavy metals and ecological risks to the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Codeposition of mixed ZnO and Cu2O (ZnO-Cu2O) crystal films using electrochemical deposition (ECD) was investigated. The ZnO-Cu2O films were prepared using different ratios of Zn2+ and Cu2+ in precursor solutions and at various ECD periods and potential settings. The properties of the ECD films, such as crystal composition, morphology, and light absorption, were analyzed. Results showed that the properties of the fabricated films were affected by the potential setting, metal ion ratio, and deposition period in the ECD process. The potential required to fabricate ZnO film was lowered negatively from − 1 V without Cu2+ to − 0.4 V with the presence of Cu2+ in the ECD solution. The presence of Cu2+ was determined to be the major factor affecting the shape of ZnO particles formed, which varied from rod-like to spherical. The crystal composition of the ECD films involved Cu2O and Cu without ZnO using a low ratio of Zn2+ in the precursor at − 0.4 V. ZnO and Cu2O crystals appeared in the film at − 0.4 V with a high ratio of Zn2+ in the precursor. The composition of ZnO, Cu2O, and Cu in the ECD films was the major factor to influence the light absorption patterns of the films. The codeposition steps of ZnO-Cu2O films were elucidated from the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical reduction of indium tin oxide (ITO) in SiO2 solution was investigated by analyzing the properties of ITO and the reactant diffusion in ITO films. In the electrochemical system, an ITO anode and cathode were immersed in 1 wt % SiO2 solution (pH 6.8). The electrodes were set to 15 V at room temperature under different durations of electrochemical treatment. The properties of the cathodic ITO film were analyzed after treatment. The ITO films varied from transparent to black and gray during the treatment. In2O3 underwent reduction and transformed to In, as indicated by X-ray diffractometry. The surface morphologies of the ITO samples revealed that the ITO crystals were damaged. The damage resulted in numerous aggregated particles forming on the film surface after electrochemical treatment. The major elements of the particles were confirmed to be oxygen and In. The electrical resistance of the treated ITO considerably increased because of the damage to the In2O3 crystals. The simulation of the diffusion model and experimental results indicated that the electrochemical reaction rate of ITO was controlled by the reactant diffusion in the ITO film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To describe the clinicopathological features of nine patients with acute Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive cytotoxic T cell lymphoid hyperplasia (EBV+TLH) in the upper aerodigestive tract, in which initial findings led to a preliminary misdiagnosis of extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTL). A series of nine cases of EBV+TLH in one Chinese institution over a 9-year interval was retrospectively analyzed. Median age was 16 years (range 5-29 years) with a M:F ratio of 5:4. All patients were previously healthy with an acute onset period of < 1 month. Six patients (66%) presented with masses or polypoid protrusions in the upper aerodigestive tract. Nasopharyngeal symptoms, cervical lymphadenopathy, and fever were found in 89%, 78%, and 56% of patients, respectively. In seven cases, morphology mainly showed small-sized irregular cells and in two cases medium-to-large cells. In all cases, the cells diffusely expressed cytoplasmic CD3 and at least one marker for cytotoxic granules, but were negative for CD56. CD5 expression was detected in eight cases (8/9, 89%). In all cases, double staining for CD3 and EBER indicated that most T cells were infected with EBV. T cell receptor gene rearrangement was performed in five cases and all showed polyclonal results. All patients achieved complete remission within 1 month after diagnosis without any chemoradiotherapy and were followed up 19-124 months without recurrent disease. EBV+TLH in the upper aerodigestive tract is occasionally observed in China. The histopathologic features of EBV+TLH can mimic ENKTL. EBV+TLH should be taken into consideration as a potential diagnosis when the disease duration is short, spontaneous remission is achieved without intervention, and when histology shows infiltration with EBV-infected T lymphocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote the activity and stability of immobilized porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL), novel carrier was combined with special immobilization method. Enzymatic activity was enhanced after immobilized onto ionic liquid modified magnetic Fe3O4 by electrostatic adsorption. Activity of immobilized enzyme (PPL-IM/BF4-Fe3O4@CA) reached 596 U/g PPL. Through the combination of electrostatic adsorption and embedding immobilization methods, we improve binding force between the carrier and enzyme, and further enhance the efficiency and stability of immobilized enzyme. The activity of PPL-IM/BF4-Fe3O4@CA after repeated third use was 78%. After storage at room temperature for 5 days, the residual activity was 89%. Enzymatic properties and catalytic kinetics of immobilized enzymes were studied, and the effect mechanism of ionic liquid modified Fe3O4 on PPL was revealed. The effect of ionic liquid on the carrier structure was investigated by characterization of XRD, FT-IR, SEM and TG. The mechanism and enzymatic properties of immobilized PPL via electrostatic adsorption and embedding were analyzed. A novel and efficient immobilized PPL was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chemical peeling is an efficient method for the treatment of pigment disorders. For freckles, medium-depth to deep peeling using a phenol solution is one of the most effective chemical peels, and modifications of facial skin can be observed up to 20 years after peeling. However, applying phenol to the skin may cause serious side effects. Phenol peeling has been rarely used in Asia due to its tendency to cause permanent pigmentary changes and hypertrophic scars.Methods: In total, 896 Chinese inpatients with facial freckles were enrolled in this study. The phenol formula was modified with crystalline phenol, dyclonine, camphor, anhydrous alcohol and glycerin and adjusted to a concentration of 73.6-90.0%. The entire peeling treatment was divided into two procedures performed separately on 2 days.Results: All patients exhibited 26% or greater improvement, and 99.66% of patients exhibited 51% or greater improvement (good and excellent). Scarring and systemic complications were not observed in any patient.Conclusions: The modified phenol formula is very effective and safe for the treatment of facial freckles in Asian patients.Level of Evidence IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A film of perovskite-type LaFeO3 nanoparticles (NPs) was deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conducting glass via dipping-lifting and calcination. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the NPs are evenly distributed on the surface of the glass. The modified glass was further coated with antibody against human interleukin 6 (IL-6) to result in a photoelectrochemical immunosensor for IL-6. The well-established photoelectrochemical immunoassay has a linear current response in the range of 0.1 pg⋅mL-1 to 0.1 µg⋅mL-1 and a detection limit as low as 33 fg⋅mL-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Phenoxazinone synthase (PHS) is a laccase-like multicopper oxidase originating from Streptomyces with great industrial application potential. In this paper, we prepared the PHS nanogel retaining 82% of its initial activity by aqueous in situ polymerization at pH 9.3. Results: The average diameter of the PHS nanogel was 50.8 nm based on dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis. Fluorescence analysis indicated the impressive preservation of the enzyme molecular structure upon modification. The PHS nanogel exhibited the most activity at pH 4.0-4.5 and 50 °C while the corresponding values were pH 4.5 and 40 °C for the native PHS. The Km and Vmax of the PHS nanogel were found to be 0.052 mM and 0.018 mM/min, whereas those of the native PHS were 0.077 mM and 0.021 mM/min, respectively. In addition, the PHS nanogel possessed higher thermal and storage stability and solvent tolerance compared with the native one. The half-life of the PHS nanogel was 1.71 h and multiplied around ninefold compared to 0.19 h for the native one. Conclusion: In summary, the PHS nanogel could be a promising biocatalyst in industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status is the best predictor of patient response to treatments with tyrosine kinase inhibitors in primary lung adenocarcinoma and is typically analyzed by DNA-based techniques, such as direct DNA sequencing and allele-specific PCR. Recently, however, two mutation-specific antibodies against delE746-A750 in exon 19 and L858R in exon 21 have opened the door for a more convenient and more efficient strategy to determine EGFR mutation status. To evaluate the clinical application of a new mutation-specific mouse monoclonal antibody for EGFR (L858R), we performed immunohistochemistry (IHC) studies with tumor samples from primary lung adenocarcinoma in retrospective and validation settings. A total of 215 cases of primary lung adenocarcinoma were examined and compared using a combination of DNA-based techniques (direct DNA sequencing and/or allele-specific PCR) and protein-based IHC. IHC staining was assessed on a 0 to 3+ score scale, and a cutoff value of 2+ was used as positive by IHC. In the retrospective setting, statistical analyses of the data showed that the sensitivity of IHC was 90.9 % and the specificity was 96.8 %. Findings from the validation study demonstrated that the sensitivity and specificity of IHC were 88.2 % and 100 %, respectively. IHC with the novel mutation-specific antibody could be used as a screening method to assess the EGFR L858R mutation status in primary lung adenocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a novel peptide probe for the detection of neurokinin-1 receptor using disaggregation-caused signal enhancement. The probe was obtained via the aggregation of a modified substance P in a terpyridine-Fe (II) complex with Gd (III)-DOTA into well-defined nanostructures, which effectively weaken ligand fluorescence and slow the exchange rate of inner-sphere water molecules. This probe disaggregates upon binding to the neurokinin-1 receptor and activates the contrast agents to generate a fluorescent signal that positively enhances magnetic resonance imaging contrast and allows for the detection of overexpressed receptors on tumor cells and the identification of lung cancer using serum samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published literatures on the prognostic value of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) overexpression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) are conflicting and heterogeneous. We performed a meta-analysis to more precisely evaluate the clinicopathological and prognostic value of HIF-1α in patients with ESCC. Searches were applied to MEDLINE, Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Chinese BioMedical Literature Databases until September 10, 2013, without language restrictions. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the effects. Twelve studies with 942 ESCC patients were selected to evaluate the correlation between HIF-1α and overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), response to chemoradiation (RC), and clinicopathological features. HIF-1α overexpression was significantly associated with poor OS (HR 1.78, 95 % CI 1.41-2.24), DFS (HR 1.91, 95 % CI 1.15-3.18), and RC (HR 3.56, 95 % CI 1.68-7.53). Besides, HIF-1α overexpression was significantly associated with stage (OR 2.90, 95 % CI 1.97-4.27), lymph node metastasis (OR 1.86, 95 % CI 1.39-2.49), depth of invasion (OR 2.45, 95 % CI 1.24-4.86), lymphatic invasion (OR 2.28, 95 % CI 1.46-3.56), distant metastasis (OR 2.04, 95 % CI 1.19-3.50), and vascular endothelial growth factor (OR 3.67, 95 % CI 1.81-7.46). Our results indicate that HIF-1α overexpression can potently predict the poor prognosis and chemoradiation resistance for ESCC. Large prospective studies with multivariable survival analyses are now needed to confirm the clinical utility of HIF-1α as an independent prognostic marker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Escherichia coli AFP111, a pflB, ldhA, ptsG triple mutant of E. coli W1485, can be recovered for additional succinate production in fresh medium after two-stage fermentation (an aerobic growth stage followed by an anaerobic production stage). However, the specific productivity is lower than that of two-stage fermentation. In this study, three strategies were compared for reusing the cells. It was found when cells were aerobically cultivated at the end of two-stage fermentation without supplementing any carbon source, metabolites (mainly succinate and acetate) could be consumed. As a result, enzyme activities involved in the reductive arm of tricarboxylic acid cycle and the glyoxylate shunt were enhanced, yielding a succinate specific productivity above $$ 1 2 5\;{\text{mg}}\;{\text{g}}_{\rm DCW}^{ - 1} \,{\text{h}}^{ - 1} $$ and a mass yield above 0.90 g g in the subsequent anaerobic fermentation. In addition, the intracellular NADH of cells subjected to aerobic cultivation with metabolites increased by more than 3.6 times and the ratio of NADH to NAD increased from 0.4 to 1.3, which were both favorable for driving the TCA branch to succinate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Escherichia coli AFP111 cells recovered from spent two-stage fermentation broth were investigated for additional production of succinic acid under anaerobic conditions. Recovered cells produced succinic acid in an aqueous environment with no nutrient supplementation except for glucose and MgCO. In addition, initial glucose concentration and cell density had a significant influence on succinic acid mass yield and productivity. Although the final concentration of succinic acid from recovered cells was lower than from two-stage fermentation, an average succinic acid mass yield of 0.85 g/g was achieved with an average productivity of 1.81 g/l h after three rounds of recycling, which was comparable to two-stage fermentation. These results suggested that recovered cells might be reused for the efficient production of succinic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of redox potential used as a control parameter on the process of succinic acid production in batch cultures of Actinobacillus succinogenes NJ113 have been investigated. In batch fermentation, cell growth and metabolite distribution were changed with redox potential levels in the range of −100 to −450 mV. From the results, the ORP level of −350 mV was preferable, which resulted in high succinic acid yield (1.28 mol mol), high succinic acid productivity (1.18 g L h) and high mole ratio of succinic acid to acetic acid (2.02). The mechanism of redox potential regulation was discussed by metabolic flux analysis and the ratio of NADH/NAD. We expected that redox potential can be used as a valuable parameter to monitor and control much more anaerobic fermentation production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Filled skutterudite thermoelectric (TE) materials have been extensively studied to search for better TE materials in the past decade. However, there is no detailed investigation about the thermal stability of filled skutterudite TE materials. The evolution of microstructure and TE properties of nanostructured skutterudite materials fabricated with BaInCoNiSb/SiO core–shell composite particles with 3 nm thickness shell was investigated during periodic thermal cycling from room temperature to 723 K in this work. Scanning electronic microscopy and electron probe microscopy analysis were used to investigate the microstructure and chemical composition of the nanostructured skutterudite materials. TE properties of the nanostructured skutterudite materials were measured after every 200 cycles of quenching in the temperature range from 300 K to 800 K. The results show that the microstructure and composition of BaInCoNiSb/SiO nanostructured skutterudite materials were more stable than those of single-phase BaInCoNiSb bulk materials. The evolution of TE properties indicates that the electrical and thermal conductivity decrease along with an increase in the Seebeck coefficient with increasing quenching up to 2000 cycles. As a result, the dimensionless TE figure of merit ( ZT) of the nanostructured skutterudite materials remains almost constant. It can be concluded that these nanostructured skutterudite materials have good thermal stability and are suitable for use in solar power generation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study investigated a rapid and reliable method of surgical occlusion of coronary vessels in mice. The study improves the chance of success in making a myocardial ischemia model in mice, and provides a novel method to a novice and laboratory with limited conditions. Sixty mice were evenly divided into two groups, a modified group (oral intubation and self-made rib retractor) and a conventional group (tracheotomy and rib cutting). During the perioperative period, the success rate of model establishment and the survival rate of the mice in the modified group were significantly higher than those in the conventional group ( P < 0.01). Also, the status of the mice in the modified group after operation was better than that of the conventional group. Moreover, operation times in the modified group were significantly shorter than those of the conventional group ( P < 0.01). The infarct size, as assessed using triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining, was similar between the two groups ( P > 0.05). This novel method is simple and efficient and can be conducted independently, enhancing the success rate of myocardial ischemic model establishment in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkaline phosphatases (APs), known inducible enzymes of the Pho regulon and poorly characterized in cyanobacteria, hydrolyze phosphomonoesters to produce inorganic phosphate (Pi) during Pi starvation. In this study, two predicted alkaline phosphatase genes in the genome of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120, all2843 and alr5291, were apparently induced during Pi starvation. Sequence analysis showed that alr5291 encodes a protein that is an atypical alkaline phosphatase like other cyanobacteria PhoAs, but the protein encoded by all2843 is very similar to the classical PhoAs, such as Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase (EAP). To date, there have been no reports about classical phoA in cyanobacterial genomes. The alkaline phosphatase APA, coded by all2843, is characterized as a metalloenzyme containing Mg2+ and Zn2+ with molar ratio of 1: 2. Site-directed mutagenesis analysis indicated that, though the active center of APA is highly conserved in comparison with EAP, differences do exist between APA and EAP in metal ion coordination. Besides, biochemical analysis revealed that APA is a monomeric protein and inactivated rapidly at 50°C. These results suggest that APA is the first monomeric heat-labile classical PhoA found in cyanobacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper–manganese oxides were analyzed by in situ high-temperature powder neutron and X-ray diffraction to investigate their crystal structure. Cu–Mn spinel was found to form a continuous solid solution with cubic symmetry between Mn3O4 and Cu2MnO4. A high-temperature phase with approximate composition Cu5Mn4O9 was shown to have hexagonal symmetry. The cation distribution and lattice parameters of Cu–Mn spinel were resolved through Rietveld refinement of in situ neutron diffraction data. The results demonstrated that the Cu ion has a lower octahedral site preference than manganese ions, and quenching is not a reliable method to determine the equilibrium structure in the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Dilute acid hydrolysate of corn fiber was used as carbon source for the production of succinic acid by Actinobacillus succinogenes NJ113. The optimized hydrolysis conditions were obtained by orthogonal experiments. When corn fiber particles were of 20 mesh in size and treated with 1.0% sulfuric acid at 121 °C for 2 h, the total sugar yield could reach 63.3%. It was found that CaCO3 neutralization combined with activated carbon adsorption was an effective method to remove fermentation inhibitors especially furfural that presented in the acid hydrolysate of corn fiber. Only 5.2% of the total sugar was lost, while 91.9% of furfural was removed. The yield of succinic acid was higher than 72.0% with the detoxified corn fiber hydrolysate as the carbon source in anaerobic bottles or 7.5 L fermentor cultures. It was proved that the corn fiber hydrolysate could be an alternative to glucose for the production of succinic acid by A. succinogenes NJ113. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The second laser cooling cesium fountain clock NIM5 at the National Institute of Metrology (NIM) China adopts the (1,1,1) direct optical molasses ( OM) configuration. NIM5 has been running with a stability of 3×10−15/d and an operation ratio of 99% since 2007. Preliminary evaluations of NIM5 in 2008 showed a typical combined uncertainty of 3×10−15. The NIM5 clock is operating in parallel with NIM’s first fountain clock NIM4. NIM4 and NIM5 are used to steer the frequency of the calculated NIM atomic time TA-c(NIM) and the first set of results are promising. We are now at the stage of comparing the frequency of NIM5 with UTC to support the independent frequency shift evaluations of NIM5 and contribute to the international atomic time in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel genes ( pwtsB and pwtsC) encoding lipases were isolated by screening the soil metagenomic library. Sequence analysis revealed that pwtsB encodes a protein of 301 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 33 kDa, and pwtsC encodes a protein of 323 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 35 kDa. Furthermore, both genes were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) using pET expression system. The expressed recombinant enzymes were purified by Ni-nitrilotriacetic acid affinity chromatography and characterized by spectrophotometric with different p-nitrophenyl esters. The results showed that PWTSB displayed a high degree of activity and stability at 20°C with an optimal pH of around 8.0, and PWTSC at 40°C with an optimal pH of around 7.0. P-nitrophenyl palmitate ( p-NPP) was identified as the best substrate of PWTSB and PWTSC. The specific activities of PWTSB and PWTSC were 150 and 166 U/mg, respectively toward p-NPP at 30°C, about 20-fold higher than that toward p-nitrophenyl butyrate (C4) and caprylate (C8). In conclusion, our results suggest that PWTSB is a cold adapt lipase and PWTSC is a thermostable lipase to long-chain p-nitrophenyl esters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the construction and characterization of a full-length complimentary DNA (cDNA) library and the determination of genes encoding high quality proteins in vegetable soybean seed development. Study shows that constructed cDNA library was a full-length library with high quality and used to screen genes encoding high quality proteins. This serves as a foundation for gene cloning and reveals expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences enriching the knowledge of function genes.

A novel approach is proposed for the efficient estimation of the two-dimensional (2-D) direction-of-arrival (DOA) of signals impinging on two orthogonal uniform linear arrays (ULAs). By partitioning the cross-correlation matrix (CCM) between two ULAs data into a great deal of submatrices and making use of the submatrices and the symmetric subarrays, an extended correlation matrix is constructed, and then uses the modified ESPRIT approach to extract out the so-called Kronecker Steering Vectors (KSVs)of which each is the Kronecker product of the elevation and azimuth angle with a one-to-one relationship. Upon that the proposed method yields the estimate of the 2-D DOA efficiently without requiring the additionally computational burden to remove the pair-matching problem. Furthermore, the main idea of the matrix partition and stacking is to much-enhanced subspace estimate. So based on the use of the concept, the proposed method's performance is better than the existing similar approaches. Meanwhile, unlike the traditional subspace methods, it is shown that the proposed can resolve the same uncorrelated sources as the number of subarray sensor through a delicate partition-and-stacking process. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method is superior to the existing techniques in both DOA estimation and the detection capability of sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Darier’s disease (DD) is an autosomal dominant genodermatology. Mutations in the ATP2A2 gene encoding sarco-endoplasmic reticulum calcium pumping ATPase type 2 (SERCA2) have been identified as the molecular basis of DD. The aim of this study was to report two Chinese pedigree of DD and to explore the genetic mutations. Polymerase chain reaction was carried out to amplify the exons and flanking intron boundaries of the ATP2A2 gene followed by direct sequencing. Two novel missense mutations were identified, a change of C203 to A (A68E) in exon 3 was found in one family and a change of C2759 to T (S920F) in exon 19 in the other, which were located within the transmembrane domain of SERCA2, highly conserved during evolution. The A68E and S920F mutations might be regarded as the causes of the disease in two Chinese families, but these were not tested functionally. Additional functional experiments are necessary to verify the relevance and suitability of these findings for future use in genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on characteristics of deep sea flexible mining system, a new pump-lockage ore transportation system was designed. According to Bernoulli equation and two-phase hydrodynamics theory, parameters of the new system were obtained and four ore transportation systems were analyzed. The results indicate that the pump head of 1 000 m mining system is 100–150 m and that of 5 000 m mining system is 660–750 m. In addition, based on similarity theory, a model of the new transportation system was made, which can simulate more than 5 000 m actual ore transportation system. So both theory and experiment prove that the new pump-lockage ore transportation system is an ideal design for deep sea flexible mining system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UV-vis spectra, fluorescence emission spectra, cyclic voltammetric and electron spin resonance are employed to study the location of rutin in cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles with different microstructures and microenvironments, and to gain information about the antioxidant capacity (hydroxyl radical scavenge activity) of rutin in CTAB micelles. Rutin molecules can be partly solubilized in CTAB spherical micelles through electrostatic attraction and hydrophobic force, which leads to the bathochromic shift of absorption spectra, decrease of the microenvironment polarity of pyrene and the hydroxyl radical scavenge activity. However, CTAB rod-like micelles congregate rutin molecules on their surfaces, which results in the hypochromic shift of absorption spectra compared to the spectrum in CTAB spherical micelles and also heightens the antioxidant capacity of rutin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The localized attentional interference (LAI) effect was investigated in a visual search task requiring participants to simultaneously monitor two spatially separated features from the same or different dimensions. In Experiment 1, the search type was blocked and targets were defined by fixed feature values in two dimensions (e.g., a yellow item and a circular item). In contrast, in Experiment 2, participants had to look for a color and a form singleton, with the exact feature values varying randomly across trials. In both experiments, reaction times (RTs) were generally slower when two features were CLOSE to, rather than DISTANT from, each other. Moreover, RTs to CLOSE stimuli increased as the search set size increased, while RTs to DISTANT stimuli were unaffected by set size. Experiment 3 also used a singleton search task, but with the two singletons defined either in different dimensions or in the same dimension. A larger interference effect for CLOSE, as compared to DISTANT, stimuli was found for cross-dimension than for intra-dimension targets. These findings suggest that neighboring items, irrespective of whether these items are from the same or different dimensions, interfere with each other in attentional selection, and that searching for two cross-dimension targets may engage a process of dimension switching to effectively solve the ambiguity of each item, especially when these items are close to each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel flame retardant (DPA–SiN) containing phosphorus, nitrogen and silicon elements at the same time was synthesized. 9-(9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide)-propanoic acid (DPA) synthesized through simple addition reaction of 9, 10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) and acrylic acid (AA) was introduced into N-β-(aminoethyl)-γ-aminopropyl methyl dimethoxysilane/dimethylsiloxane copolymer (SiN) to form a novel flame retardant (FR). The structure of DPA and DPA–SiN were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. After blend with PC/ABS, the flame-retardant properties of the PC/ABS/DPA–SiN blends are estimated by Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI) values and CONE Calorimeter, while thermal stabilities are investigated through Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). The morphological structures of the char formed after PC/ABS/DPA–SiN burnt in LOI test were investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay system was employed for detecting Bacillus anthracis spores in pure cultures as well as in various simulated powder samples. The specificity of the designed LAMP primer sets was validated by assaying 13 B. anthracis strains and 33 non- B. anthracis species. The detection limits of the LAMP assay were 10 spores/tube for pure cultures and 100 spores/2 mg powder for simulated powder samples. The results show that the LAMP protocol is a promising method for detecting B. anthracis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract??Physiological and photosynthetic responses were investigated at three different depths of groundwater (DGW: 1.4, 2.4, and 3.4?m) inElaeagnus angustifoliaL., a locally adapted tree to the arid region in northwest China. Predawn leaf water potential and chlorophyll content declined gradually with the increasing DGW, whereas there was little effect on predawn variable-to-maximum chlorophyll fluorescence ratioFv/Fmand leaf carotenoid compositions (xanthophyll cycle pool, neoxanthin, lutein, and ?-carotene). Net photosynthetic rate (Pn), quantum yield of PSII electron transport (?PSII), stomatal conductance (Gs), and intercellular CO2concentration (Ci) declined obviously; however,Pndecreased more than ?PSIIat deeper DGW. The photoinhibition of PSII at all three DGW occurred at midday in summer and increased as DGW increased. The ?pH-dependent thermal dissipation and the level of de-epoxidation of the xanthophyll cycle at all three DGW reached their maxima at midday with the increase of light intensity. However, the fraction of functional PSII and light intensity at deeper DGW (2.4, 3.4?m) showed a negative correlation. This correlation suggested that most of violaxanthin was converted into zeaxanthin at midday, and the reversible inactivation of partial PSII reaction centers took place at deeper DGW. These results together suggest that both the xanthophyll cycle-dependent thermal dissipation and the reversible inactivation of partial PSII might have played important roles in avoiding the excess light-induced energy damage in leaves of this tree species at deeper DGW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of Pt-bearing dealuminated USY supported Cs salts of 12-tungstophosphoric acid (PW) catalysts were prepared and their catalytic performances were measured in the hydroisomerization of n-heptane with an atmospheric fixed-bed flow reactor. USY was found to be a poor support for Cs salts of PW, leading to a lower catalytic activity in this reaction, but dealuminated USY supported Cs salts of PW catalysts showed very high catalytic conversion and selectivity. Among the various Cs salts of PW with different Cs/P ratios, Cs2.0PW was revealed to be the most effective active species. Over the dealuminated USY supported catalyst with the Pt loading of 0.4 wt.% and Cs2.0PW loading of 10 wt.%, the conversion of n-heptane was enhanced up to 76.2% with a high selectivity to isomerized products of 92.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The defatted seed meal of common vetch ( Vicia sativa L.) served as a source of ( R)-oxynitrilase which catalyzed the enantioselective addition of HCN to aromatic, heteroaromatic, fluoro-substituted aromatic aldehydes to produce the corresponding enantiomeric pure cyanohydrins in yields of 52–100% and 88–99% ee at 12°C under micro-aqueous medium (diisopropyl ether) without addition of buffer solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium ions are the most ubiquitous and pluripotent cellular signaling molecules that control a wide variety of cellular processes. The calcium signaling system is represented by a relatively limited number of highly conserved transporters and channels, which execute Ca2+ movements across biological membranes and by many thousands of Ca2+-sensitive effectors. Molecular cascades, responsible for the generation of calcium signals, are tightly controlled by Ca2+ ions themselves and by genetic factors, which tune the expression of different Ca2+-handling molecules according to adaptational requirements. Ca2+ ions determine normal physiological reactions and the development of many pathological processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional molecular and crystal structures of a pair of enantiopure mirror complexes of Ni (II) to chiral Schiff bases of (R)- and (S)-serine with (S)- and (R)-2-N-(N′-benzylprolyl)-aminobenzophenone (BPB), denoted as (S,R)-BPB-Ser-Ni and (R,S)-BPB-Ser-Ni, respectively, have been determined by X-ray diffraction. The complexes crystallize in the orthorhombic space group P212121 with unit cell parameters: a = 10.050(2) Å, b = 10.100(2) Å, c = 26.514(5) Å, V = 2691.3(9) Å3, and Z = 4 for (S,R)-BPB-Ser-Ni; and a = 9.878(2) Å, b = 10.130(2) Å, c = 26.304(5) Å, V = 2632.1(9) Å3, and Z = 4 for (R,S)-BPB-Ser-Ni. The Ni atom is square-planar-coordinated to N(1), N(2), O(4), and N(3) of the Schiff base with minor distortion. The hydroxymethyl group on the serine moiety is axial to the coordination plane and parallel to the neighboring phenyl group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract H9N2 subtype influenza virus has become worldwide and prevalent in China. Previous studies illustrated that at least three sublineages had been established in terrestrial poultry of Eurasian avian. In this presentation, eight full-length genes of an H9N2 strain, A/Chicken/Shanghai/F/98 (Ck/SH/F/98) were obtained. Sequence analysis and phylogenetic studies were conducted by comparing eight genes with those of all the available H9N2 strains from the GenBank. The results showed that four genes (HA, NA, M and NS genes) of Ck/SH/F/98 were incorporated into the sublineage represented by the early mainland China strain, Ck/BJ/1/94. However, the other four of RNP genes of Ck/SH/F/98 did not show close relationship with those of the three known sublineages viruses. Therefore, Ck/SH/F/98 was a natural reassortant between different sublineages. In addition, comparison showed that Ck/SH/F/98 could be a putative precursor of a later isolate from southern China, Dk/ST/1605/01, with at least six genes of both closely related, indicating genes of Ck/SH/F/98 and early isolates had ever been circulating. Further comparison in terms of molecular markers of species specificity of HA1 revealed that DK/ST/1605/01 also resembled Ck/SH/F/98 more than a common earlier duck strain. The results supported the idea of two-way transmission between terrestrial and aquatic birds that emphasized the importance to raise concerns on the natural evolution of all the eight genes of H9N2 avian influenza viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Albuleukin fusion protein is a recombinant human interleukin-2 (rIL-2) genetically fused to recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA). The pharmacokinetics and pharmacologic activity of Albuleukin were examined in mice to determine whether the fusion protein had the immunomodulatory and anti-tumor properties of rIL-2 as well as a prolonged serum half-life due to the rHSA.Methods: The effect of Albuleukin on lymphocyte proliferation, IL-2 receptor binding, and release of IFN-? from human NK cells were examined in vitro. For the pharmacokinetic analysis, Albuleukin and rIL-2 were administered intravenously (i.v.) and subcutaneously (s.c.) to BALB/c mice, both at a single dose of 500 µg/kg. The anti-tumor properties of Albuleukin were evaluated in a Renca tumor model in BALB/c mice and in a metastatic liver model of B16F10 melanoma in C57B1/6 mice. In the Renca tumor model, BALB/c mice were dosed intraperitoneally (i.p.) and s.c. with Albuleukin on days 12, 14, 16, 19, 21, and 23 and i.p. with rIL-2 daily for two periods of 5 days (days 10-14 and 17-21). In the B16 melanoma model, C57B1/6 mice were dosed s.c. with rIL-2 twice daily or Albuleukin every 48 h for 14 days.Results: In vitro, Albuleukin induced the proliferation of primary human and mouse T cells and B cells and primary human NK cells, competed with rIL-2 for binding to the IL-2 receptors, and induced the production of IFN-? from primary human NK cells. The s.c. bioavailability of Albuleukin was about 45% relative to the i.v. dose. Plasma half-life was prolonged and ranged from 6 to 8 h with Albuleukin, compared to 19-57 min with rIL-2. Total clearance of Albuleukin was about 50-fold slower than that of rIL-2 after i.v. dosing. In vivo, Albuleukin suppressed the growth of Renca tumors and induced a dense infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Both Albuleukin and rIL-2 significantly reduced the tumor burden in mice with hepatic B16F10 metastases. Albuleukin significantly reduced the incidence of residual macroscopic hepatic tumors, resulting in improved survival relative to controls and rIL-2.Conclusion: Results from these studies suggest that the therapeutic efficacy of rIL-2 is improved in mice by prolonging its in vivo half-life through genetic fusion to albumin. Albuleukin, the fusion protein, had pronounced anti-tumor effects in Renca and hepatic melanoma tumor models without an increase in mortality. On the basis of its preclinical effects, Albuleukin was brought to the clinic to assess its therapeutic benefit in a variety of cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used the flow cytometric immunoassay to study the correlation between the tumor-suppressor gene product p53 and the DNA ploidy in 30 de novo cases of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). The results showed that 15 cases were negative and the other 15 cases were positive expression for p53. As compared with p53 negative (p53) cases, the patients with positive p53 (p53) had higher percentage of bone marrow blasts and lower peripheral leukocyte and platelet counts, which had no influence on the complete remission rate. Before treatment, DNA diploidy was seen in 18 cases including 12 p53 cases, and DNA aneuploidy in 12 cases including 9 p53. After therapy, aneuploidy could be transformed into diploidy. Patients with P53 or having aneuploidy in complete remission were at risk for early relapse. We believe that p53 may be involved in the process of leukemogenesis and progression of ANLL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional approaches of spatial spectral estimation are usually based on the second-order statistics. The higher-order cumulants and the poly-spectrum contain more information and are capable of reducing the Gaussian noise. In this paper, we present a new spectrum estimation method for direction-finding, the FOMUSIC algorithm, which is based on the eigen-structure analysis of the fourth-order cumulants. The derivation of the algorithm is given in detail and its performance is illustrated by both the computer simulations and the experiments of a direction-finding system. The obtained results demonstrate that the fourth-order cumulants based method outperforms the traditional methods, especially when the noise is an unknown colored one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charge density and molecular coverage on the surface of electrode play major roles in the science and technology of surface chemistry and biochemical sensing. However, there has been no easy and direct method to characterize these quantities. By extending the method of Transient Induced Molecular Electronic Signal (TIMES) which we have used to measure molecular interactions, we are able to quantify the amount of charge in the double layers at the solution/electrode interface for different buffer strengths, buffer types, and pH values. Most uniquely, such capabilities can be applied to study surface coverage of immobilized molecules. As an example, we have measured the surface coverage for thiol-modified single-strand deoxyribonucleic acid (ssDNA) as anchored probe and 6-Mercapto-1-hexanol (MCH) as blocking agent on the platinum surface. Through these experiments, we demonstrate that TIMES offers a simple and accurate method to quantify surface charge and coverage of molecules on a metal surface, as an enabling tool for studies of surface properties and surface functionalization for biochemical sensing and reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]