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The optical properties of the Au–Ag alloy nanowire coated with a cylindrical shell with radial dielectric anisotropy are investigated based on quasistatic theory. Numerical results show that the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak is redshifted with increasing the component ratio of Au in the alloy, while the intensity of extinction section at the SPR increases with increasing the component ratio of Ag in the alloy. In addition, as the extent of anisotropy of the shell increases, the extinction section at SPR wavelength decreases and the SPR wavelength is redshifted, but compared with the isotropic shell consisting of comparable dielectric constant materials, the SPR has a distinct blueshift for anisotropic shell. We also find that the field enhancement can be completely concentrated inside the anisotropic shell and the electromagnetic transparency can be exhibited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extractive microbial fermentation for production of lipase by Serratia marcescens ECU1010 has been carried out in cloud point system. The cloud point system is composed of mixture nonionic surfactants with a ratio of Triton X-114 to Triton X-45 4:1 in aqueous solution. The lipase prefers to partition into the surfactant rich phase (coacervate phase) whereas the cells and other hydrophilic proteins retain in the dilute phase of cloud point system. Thus, a concentration factor 4.2-fold and a purification factor 1.3-fold of the lipase have been achieved in the extractive fermentation process. This is the first report about extractive fermentation of proteins in cloud point system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  The objectives of this paper were to look into the possible incidence of obvious soft tissue extension from Langerhans’ cell histiocytosis (LCH) of the spine in children and to evaluate the effects of chemotherapy for those patients. Eighteen patients with histopathological diagnosis of LCH were reviewed and nine with obvious paravertebral soft tissue extension were included in this study. Soft tissue extension was involved in the spinal canal and/or around the vertebral body in eight cases and posterior involvement was prevalent in one case. Eight patients experienced neurological symptoms. All received chemotherapy and one had surgical treatment. The mean follow-up time was 30.3 months. Soft tissue extension disappeared completely in all patients. No clinical evidence of disease was observed at the most recent follow-up. The incidence of LCH of the spine in children with obvious soft tissue extension was up to 50%. Chemotherapy is safe and effective, and surgical decompression was probably not necessary for most patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have numerically studied the characteristics of a slab waveguide loaded with dispersive anisotropic metamaterials. For two typical-structured metamaterials, we have analyzed the tensor expressions of frequency-dependent permittivity and permeability and discussed influences of the resonant cell structures on waveguiding characteristics. Numerical results show that the slab waveguide loaded with anisotropic metamaterials may, to some extent, behave as the slab waveguides of isotropic left-handed metamaterials (LHMs) core and conventional right-handed materials core. To one’s interest, some unusual properties are revealed in this paper, such as the coexistence of the fundamental guided mode and negative group velocity, and extraordinarily large normal or anomalous group velocity dispersion. Our results may find some potential applications in both linear and nonlinear optical technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates robust filter design for linear discrete-time impulsive systems with uncertainty under H∞ performance. First, an impulsive linear filter and a robust H∞ filtering problem are introduced for a discrete-time impulsive systems. Then, a sufficient condition of asymptotical stability and H∞ performance for the filtering error systems are provided by the discrete-time Lyapunov function method. The filter gains can be obtained by solving a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Finally, a numerical example is presented to show effectiveness of the obtained result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with an initial boundary value problem for strictly convex conservation laws whose weak entropy solution is in the piecewise smooth solution class consisting of finitely many discontinuities. By the structure of the weak entropy solution of the corresponding initial value problem and the boundary entropy condition developed by Bardos–Leroux–Nedelec, we give a construction method to the weak entropy solution of the initial boundary value problem. Compared with the initial value problem, the weak entropy solution of the initial boundary value problem includes the following new interaction type: an expansion wave collides with the boundary and the boundary reflects a new shock wave which is tangent to the boundary. According to the structure and some global estimates of the weak entropy solution, we derive the global L 1–error estimate for viscous methods to this initial boundary value problem by using the matching travelling wave solutions method. If the inviscid solution includes the interaction that an expansion wave collides with the boundary and the boundary reflects a new shock wave which is tangent to the boundary, or the inviscid solution includes some shock wave which is tangent to the boundary, then the error of the viscosity solution to the inviscid solution is bounded by O(ε1/2) in L 1–norm; otherwise, as in the initial value problem, the L 1–error bound is O(ε| ln ε|). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

H7N9 influenza A virus (IAV)-infected human cases are increasing and reported over 200 mortalities since its first emergence in 2013. Host inflammatory response contributes to the clearance of influenza virus; meanwhile, the induced 'cytokine storm' also leads to pathological lesions. However, what inflammation-related response of the host for H7N9 influenza A virus infection to survival from injures of exuberant cytokine release is still obscure. In this research, expression pattern and histological distribution of inflammation-related genes, RIP3, NLRP3, IL-1β, TNF-α, Slit2 and Robo4 in the lung of BALB/c mice infected with two H7N9 IAV strains with only a PB2 residue 627 difference were investigated, as well as the histopathological injury of the lung. Results showed that significantly higher expression level of NLRP3, RIP3, IL-1β and TNF-α in H7N9-infected groups compared with the control would play a key role in driving lung pathological lesion. While the expression level of Slit2 and Robo4 in H7N9 rV group had significantly increased trend than V which might be the main factor to inhibit the interstitial pneumonia and infiltration. Also, H7N9 induced the histopathological changes in the lung of infected mice, and RIP3, NLRP3, IL-1β, TNF-α, Slit2 and Robo4 showed cell-specific distribution in the lung. The results will provide basic data for further research on the mechanism of inflammatory response and understanding of the role of site 627 in PB2 in H7N9 IAVs infection. In addition, enhancing the resilience of the host vascular system to the inflammatory response by regulation of Slit2-Robo4 signaling pathway might provide a novel strategy for H7N9 IAVs infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RIP3, a member of receptor-interacting protein family, is serine/threonine kinase that contributes to necrosis and promotes systematic inflammation. However, detailed information of the expression pattern and tissue distribution in BALB/c mice, a commonly used laboratory animal model, is still unavailable. Here, we provided the basic data of expression profile and histologic distribution of RIP3 in tissues of BALB/c mice. Rip3 mRNA expression levels and tissue distribution were detected by real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemical detection, respectively. Rip3 mRNA expression showed the highest level in the spleen and duodenum, while with the lowest level in brain. Immunohistochemical detection revealed this protein located in different type cells in different tissues. What's more, the obvious positive staining in nuclear was detected in liver cells and neurons in cerebral cortex of the brain, while cells in other organs, including heart, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, duodenum and trachea, showed strong positive mainly in cytoplasm. The results will help us to further understand the site-specific functions of RIP3 in necrosis and inflammatory responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to design a voice training program for Chinese speakers, and to evaluate its efficacy. It was a prospective, randomized, case–control study practiced in three middle schools in Beijing, China. Teachers in the treatment group received voice training for 4 weeks, whereas the control group subjects received no treatment. The voice training program, which was adapted for Chinese, contained vocal hygiene education and group voice training. The outcome was assessed by voice handicap index (VHI), maximum phonation time (MPT) and acoustic analysis parameters including, noise to harmonic ratio (NHR), jitter and shimmer. The results showed that at the onset of the study, no significant differences were found between the subjects in two groups for VHI, MPT and NHR. VHI of treatment group subjects who received voice training decreased significantly, whereas VHI of control group subjects showed no significant change. Treatment group MPT was significantly increased after training, whereas the control group one presented no significant change during the same period. NHR in treatment group decreased significantly after training, whereas the one in control group showed no significant change. There were no significant changes for jitter and shimmer in both groups before and after the study. So we conclude that the voice training program is suitable to treat voice diseases, particularly for middle school teachers. This result provided reliable evidence for carrying out further voice training in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]