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In this study, a novel equivalent damping ratio model that is suitable for reinforced concrete (RC) structures considering cyclic degradation behavior is developed, and a new equivalent linearization analysis method for implementing the proposed equivalent damping ratio model for use in seismic damage evaluation is presented. To this end, Ibarra's peak-oriented model, which incorporates an energy-based degradation rule, is selected for representing hysteretic behavior of RC structure, and the optimized equivalent damping for predicting the maximum displacement response is presented by using the empirical method, in which the effect of cyclic degradation is considered. Moreover, the relationship between the hysteretic energy dissipation of the inelastic system and the elastic strain energy of the equivalent linear system is established so that the proposed equivalent linear system can be directly integrated with the Park-Ang seismic model to implement seismic damage evaluation. Due to the simplicity of the equivalent linearization method, the proposed method provides an efficient and reliable way of obtaining comprehensive insight into the seismic performance of RC structures. The verification demonstrates the validity of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, Clusterin, a glycosylated protein with multiple biological functions, has attracted extensive research attention. It is closely associated with the physiological and pathological states within the organism. Particularly in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research, Clusterin plays a significant role in the disease's occurrence and progression. Numerous studies have demonstrated a close association between Clusterin and AD. Firstly, the expression level of Clusterin in the brain tissue of AD patients is closely related to pathological progression. Secondly, Clusterin is involved in the deposition and formation of β-amyloid, which is a crucial process in AD development. Furthermore, Clusterin may affect the pathogenesis of AD through mechanisms such as regulating inflammation, controlling cell apoptosis, and clearing pathological proteins. Therefore, further research on the relationship between Clusterin and AD will contribute to a deeper understanding of the etiology of this neurodegenerative disease and provide a theoretical basis for developing early diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for AD. This also makes Clusterin one of the research focuses as a potential biomarker for AD diagnosis and treatment monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prognosis of patients with angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma (AITL) remains dismal, with their 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates of 32–41% and 18–38%, respectively. Spleen involvement occurs in a proportion of patients with AITL. But still, it is unclear whether spleen involvement impacts the prognosis of AITL patients. In this study, we aim to establish new prognostic indicators for the identification of high-risk patients to draft optimal treatment regimens. Methods: We collected and counted the clinical data of 54 patients with AITL treated with CHOP-based first-line chemotherapy regimen between 2010 and 2021 at Hubei Cancer Hospital and Hunan Cancer Hospital. In addition, all patients received PET-CT scan prior to receiving treatment. We performed univariate and multivariate analyses to assess the predictive role of tumor characteristics, laboratory, and radiographic data for the prognosis of AITL. Results: We observed that PFS and OS are worse in patients with high ECOG scores, spleen involvement, and low serum albumin levels in patients with AITL. In univariate analysis, stage (HR 3.515 [1.142–10.822], p = 0.028) and spleen involvement (HR 8.378 [1.085–64.696, p = 0.042) were correlated with PFS in patients with AITL. Besides, stage (HR 3.439 [1.108–10.674], p = 0.033) and spleen involvement (HR 11.002 [1.420–85.254], p = 0.022) were significantly correlated with OS. Consistently, spleen involvement was correlated with OS (HR 16.571 [1.350–203.446], p = 0.028) and PFS (HR 10.905 [1.037–114.690], p = 0.047) in AITL patients in a multivariate analysis. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that spleen involvement might be used as a prognostic indicator for AITL patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel method of patterning high precision copper conductive micropatterns on flexible polymer substrate (polyimide) is developed. We utilized the coordination effect between palladium salts and pyridine structures to fix the palladium chloride (PdCl2) on the surface of polymer film while the 2,6-dimethylpyridine structures formed in the specific areas under ultraviolet light guaranteed the resolution of final patterns. Simultaneous thermal reduction of PdCl2 on the surface can be achieved in the process of thermal cyclization of the polymer substrate. As a consequence, the obtained polyimide (PI) film can be patterned with conductive copper micropatterns directly by electroless plating. In particular, we accomplished the deposition of high precision copper pattern with a minimum line width of 50 µm and minimum line spacing of 20 µm on PI thin films (thickness ∼10 µm) by electroless plating. The prepared conductive copper micropatterns exhibit a low resistivity of 1.78 µΩ·cm the same as the pure block copper. And the relationship between the structures of the polymer chains and the physical properties of polymer substrates, such as the dimensional stability, mechanical and dielectric properties were also discussed in detail. This simple and novel method of patterning metal on the polymer surface does not need to achieve the catalytic metal adhesion required for electroless plating at the cost of destroying the substrate surface and avoiding the introduction of unstable interlayers. This patterning method is compatible with the current roll-to-roll production process and can be used to develop high-performance micro-integrated circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study aims to investigate whether malnutrition defined by the Global Leadership Initiative in Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria using hand-grip strength (HGS) adequately predict postoperative complications and long-term survival in patients underwent radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer in a similar manner to GLIM-defined malnutrition using skeletal muscle index (SMI).Methods: Patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer from August 2014 to June 2019 were included in this study. Clinical data were prospectively collected. Malnutrition was diagnosed based on the two-step approach following the GLIM criteria. Skeletal muscle mass was assessed using SMI based on abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans, or assessed using HGS.Results: A total of 1359 patients were included in this study, in which 36.2% of the patients were at risk of malnutrition (Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 scores ≥3). The incidence of malnutrition was 28.2% and 27.5% using SMI and HGS, respectively. There was a high agreement between the two criteria of malnutrition (kappa = 0.863, P < 0.001). Both of the two criteria of malnutrition were independently associated with postoperative complications (SMI-GLIM, P = 0.041; HGS-GLIM, P = 0.023), overall survival (P < 0.001, both), and disease-free survival (P < 0.001, both), with similar odds ratio or hazard ratio after adjusting for the same confounding variables. HGS-GLIM malnutrition (P = 0.046) but not SMI-GLIM malnutrition (P = 0.270) was associated with a higher incidence of severe complications.Conclusions: GLIM criteria using HGS is a useful tool to diagnose malnutrition and has a similar or even better predictive value for postoperative complications and long-term survival after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer compared with GLIM criteria using SMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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To investigate the duration of humoral immune response in convalescent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, we conduct a 12-month longitudinal study through collecting a total of 1,782 plasma samples from 869 convalescent plasma donors in Wuhan, China and test specific antibody responses. The results show that positive rate of IgG antibody against receptor-binding domain of spike protein (RBD-IgG) to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the COVID-19 convalescent plasma donors exceeded 70% for 12 months post diagnosis. The level of RBD-IgG decreases with time, with the titer stabilizing at 64.3% of the initial level by the 9th month. Moreover, male plasma donors produce more RBD-IgG than female, and age of the patients positively correlates with the RBD-IgG titer. A strong positive correlation between RBD-IgG and neutralizing antibody titers is also identified. These results facilitate our understanding of SARS-CoV-2-induced immune memory to promote vaccine and therapy development. COVID-19 pandemic is a global health risk, but our understanding on the induced durable immunity remains scarce. Here the authors assess antibody responses in 869 convalescent COVID-19 patients to find that specific antibody titers reduce with time, and the RBD-IgG positive rate exceed 70% at 12 month post diagnosis, with male and older patients showing stronger responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A structure scheme of a pile-based breakwater with integrated oscillating water column (OWC) energy conversion chamber was proposed, and four structure forms had been designed. Based on the physical test, the variations of the reflected wave height, the transmitted wave height, the air velocity at the outlet of the chamber, the air pressure and the wave height in the air chamber were studied under the conditions of different wave heights, periods, with or without elliptical front wall and the baffles on both sides of the chamber. Moreover, based on the results, the changes and relationship between the wave-eliminating effect and energy conversion effect of the scheme were analyzed. In general, it turns out, the transmission coefficients of the four structure forms are kept below 0.5. Furthermore, the transmission coefficients of the structural forms G2, G3, and G4 were all smaller than 0.4, and it is only 0.1 at its smallest. Thereinto, in general, the structure form G4 has the best wave-eliminating and energy conversion performance. At the same time, when the wave steepness is 0.066, the energy conversion and wave dissipation effect of the four structure forms is the best. The research results could be provided as the reference for the design structure selection of pile-based breakwater with integrated OWC energy conversion chamber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image-to-image translation aims to learn the mapping between two visual domains. There are two main challenges for this task: (1) lack of aligned training pairs and (2) multiple possible outputs from a single input image. In this work, we present an approach based on disentangled representation for generating diverse outputs without paired training images. To synthesize diverse outputs, we propose to embed images onto two spaces: a domain-invariant content space capturing shared information across domains and a domain-specific attribute space. Our model takes the encoded content features extracted from a given input and attribute vectors sampled from the attribute space to synthesize diverse outputs at test time. To handle unpaired training data, we introduce a cross-cycle consistency loss based on disentangled representations. Qualitative results show that our model can generate diverse and realistic images on a wide range of tasks without paired training data. For quantitative evaluations, we measure realism with user study and Fréchet inception distance, and measure diversity with the perceptual distance metric, Jensen–Shannon divergence, and number of statistically-different bins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new fault tolerant control scheme for a class of nonlinear systems including robotic systems and aeronautical systems. In this method, a sliding mode control is applied to maintain system stability under the post-fault dynamics. A neural network is used as on-line estimator to reconstruct the change rate of the fault and compensate for the impact of the fault on the system performance. The control law and the neural network learning algorithms are derived using the Lyapunov method, so that the neural estimator is guaranteed to converge to the fault change rate, while the entire closed-loop system stability and tracking control is guaranteed. Compared with the existing methods, the proposed method achieved fault tolerant control for time-varying fault, rather than just constant fault. This greatly expands the industrial applications of the developed method to enhance system reliability. The main contribution and novelty of the developed method is that the system stability is guaranteed and the fault estimation is also guaranteed for convergence when the system subject to a time-varying fault. A simulation example is used to demonstrate the design procedure and the effectiveness of the method. The simulation results demonstrated that the post-fault is stable and the performance is maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some physical parameters of a hub motor-driven four-wheel electric vehicle will change when the vehicle turns or maneuvers and the parameter change is caused by the change of the driving conditions. An adaptive sliding mode control is proposed in this paper to maintain the vehicle's stability by compensating for the change of these parameters. The control parameter being adapted is the converging rate of the system state towards the sliding mode. As the Lyapunov method is used, so both the vehicle stability and adaptive rate convergence are guaranteed. Moreover, the hierarchical control structure is adopted for this vehicle stability control system. The above adaptive sliding model control forms the upper-layer; while the lower-layer control is to distribute the upper torque to the four wheels in an optimal way, subject to several constraints. In addition, the best feasible reference of the yaw rate and the vehicle side slip angle are obtained and used in the control system. The developed method is simulated under the CarSim/MATLAB co-simulation environment to evaluate the system performance. The simulation results are compared with the non-adaptive existing sliding mode control, and show that the proposed method is superior under different conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gaussian spatial soliton solutions of both the constant-coefficient and variable-coefficient (2 + 1)-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equations in quintic-septimal nonlinear materials with different diffractions are presented under two kinds of PT-symmetric potentials. The linear stability analysis and direct numerical simulation are jointly utilized to investigate the stability for analytical solutions of the constant-coefficient equation. Results from the linear stability analysis and the direct numerical simulation possess a high degree of consistency, that is, the stable case for Gaussian spatial solitons of the constant-coefficient equation appears only in the defocusing quintic and focusing septimal nonlinear material. Moreover, reconstruction of stable Gaussian spatial solitons of the variable-coefficient equation is studied based on the expression of the effective propagation distance Z(z) by choosing an appropriate form of diffraction β1(z). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An adaptive p-step prediction model for nonlinear dynamic processes is developed in this paper and implemented with a radial basis function (RBF) network. The model can predict output for multi-step-ahead with no need for the unknown future process output. Therefore, the long-range prediction accuracy is significantly enhanced and consequently is especially useful as the internal model in a model predictive control framework. An improved network structure adaptation is also developed with the recursive orthogonal least squares algorithm. The developed model is online updated to adapt both its structure and parameters, so that a compact model structure and consequently a less computing cost are achieved with the developed adaptation algorithm applied. Two nonlinear dynamic systems are employed to evaluate the long-range prediction performance and minimum model structure and compared with an existing PSC model and a non-adaptive RBF model. The simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the developed model and superior over the existing models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchies of Peregrine solution and breather solution are derived in a (2+1)-dimensional variable-coefficient nonlinear Schrödinger equation with partial nonlocality. Based on these solutions, we study the control of the excitation of Peregrine solution and breather solution in different planes. In particular, the localized Peregrine solution and breather solution are firstly reported in two-dimensional space. It is expected that our analysis and results may give new insight into higher-dimensional localized rogue waves in nonlocal media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standard genetic algorithms (SGAs) are investigated to optimise discrete-time proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller parameters, by three tuning approaches, for a multivariable glass furnace process with loop interaction. Initially, standard genetic algorithms (SGAs) are used to identify control oriented models of the plant which are subsequently used for controller optimisation. An individual tuning approach without loop interaction is considered first to categorise the genetic operators, cost functions and improve searching boundaries to attain the desired performance criteria. The second tuning approach considers controller parameters optimisation with loop interaction and individual cost functions. While, the third tuning approach utilises a modified cost function which includes the total effect of both controlled variables, glass temperature and excess oxygen. This modified cost function is shown to exhibit improved control robustness and disturbance rejection under loop interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel high-performance non-noble metal electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was fabricated by anchoring cobalt tetraferrocenylporphyrin (CoFcP) onto poly(sodium- p-styrenesulfonate) modified graphene (PSS-Gr) through solvothermally assisted π-π assembling method. The morphology of the assembled composite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The interactions between CoFcP moieties and graphene sheets were confirmed by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrocatalytic properties of the CoFcP/PSS-Gr catalyst towards the oxygen reduction reaction were assessed using rotating disk electrode (RDE) and rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE) measurements in both alkaline and acidic media. In addition, cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometric measurements were utilized to evaluate the catalytic activity and stability of the CoFcP/PSS-Gr composite in alkaline solution. The results showed that CoFcP supported on graphene exhibited an outstanding electrocatalytic performance towards the ORR comparable with commercial Pt/C catalyst in alkaline media, such as high onset potential (0.889 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, RHE), half wave potential (0.789 V vs. RHE), better tolerance to methanol, excellent stability (84.1 %, retention after 10000 s), and efficient four-electron pathway. Moreover, the proposed hybrid presented excellent catalytic activity in terms of onset potential (0.72 V vs. RHE) and high-electron transfer number compared with Pt/C in acidic media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-Resolved Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (TR-FRET) technology is a widely used immunoassay that enables high-throughput quantitative measurements of proteins of interest. One of the well established examples is the TR-FRET assay for mutant huntingtin protein (HTT), which is the major cause of the neurodegenerative Huntington's disease (HD). To measure the mutant HTT protein, the published assays utilize a polyQ antibody, MW1, paired with HTT N-terminal antibodies. MW1 has much higher apparent affinity to mutant HTT with expanded polyQ stretch than to wild-type HTT with shorter polyQ, and thus the assays detect mutant HTT preferentially. Here we report a reversible temperature dependent change of TR-FRET signals for HTT N-terminal fragments: the signals become higher when the temperature is lowered from room temperature to 4°C. Interestingly, the temperature sensitivity of the TR-FRET signals is much higher for the Q25 (wild-type) than for the Q72 (mutant) protein. We further revealed that it is likely due to a temperature and polyQ length-dependent structural or spatial change of HTT, which is potentially useful for understanding polyQ structure and toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The free radical scavenging activity of six 2′-hydroxychalcones has been studied in gas phase and solvents using the density functional theory (DFT) method. The three main working mechanisms, hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), stepwise electron-transfer-proton-transfer (ET-PT) and sequential-proton-loss-electron-transfer (SPLET) have been considered. The O-H bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE), ionization potential (IP), proton affinity (PA) and electron transfer energy (ETE) parameters have been computed in gas phase and solvents. The theoretical results confirmed the important role of the B ring in the antioxidant properties of hydroxychalcones. In addition, the calculated results matched well with experimental values. The results suggested that HAT would be the most favorable mechanism for explaining the radical-scavenging activity of hydroxychalcone in gas phase, whereas SPLET mechanism is thermodynamically preferred pathway in aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purposes of this study were to develop and evaluate calcium pectinate/alginate microspheres (PAMs) and to exploit their pH-sensitive properties for colon-targeted delivery of encapsulated cisplatin. PAMs were prepared using an electrospraying method. The PAMs, as cores, were then coated with Eudragit S100 using a polyelectrolyte multilayer coating technique in aqueous solution. The morphology of the microspheres was observed under scanning electron microscopy. In vitro drug release studies were performed in simulated gastrointestinal fluid, and the results indicated that approximately 5 % of the cisplatin was released from the Eudragit S100-coated PAMs, and 51 % of the cisplatin was released from the uncoated PAMs at 1 h. The release of cisplatin from the Eudragit S100-coated PAMs was more sustained in simulated gastric fluid than in simulated intestinal fluid due to the increased solubility of the coating polymer in media with pH >7.0. Drug release from the Eudragit S100-coated PAMs was best described by the Higuchi's square root model. From these results, it was concluded that Eudragit S100-coated PAMs are a potential carrier for delivery of cisplatin to the colon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reservoir characterization needs the integration of various data through history matching, especially dynamic information such as production or four-dimensional seismic data. To update geostatistical realizations, the local gradual deformation method can be used. However, history matching is a complex inverse problem, and the computational effort in terms of the number of reservoir simulations required in the optimization procedure increases with the number of matching parameters. History matching large fields with a large number of parameters has been an ongoing challenge in reservoir simulation. This paper presents a new technique to improve history matching with the local gradual deformation method using the gradient-based optimizations. The new approach is based on the approximate derivative calculations using the partial separability of the objective function. The objective function is first split into local components, and only the most influential parameters in each component are used for the derivative computation. A perturbation design is then proposed to simultaneously compute all the derivatives with only a few simulations. This new technique makes history matching using the local gradual deformation method with large numbers of parameters tractable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large scale production of recombinant human flotillin-2 (reggie-1) is desirable for structural and biochemical studies. However, as the major lipid rafts specific hydrophobic protein, flotillin-2 was difficult to be expressed as soluble and functional form in prokaryotic system. In this study, we first cloned and expressed human flotillin-2 in Escherichia coli with five different fusion tags: poly-histidine, glutathione S-transferase (GST), thioredoxin (TRX), N-Utilization substance (NusA) and maltose binding protein (MBP). We screened the expression level and solubility of the five flotillin-2 fusion proteins, the best MBP tagged flotillin-2 was then large scale produced. The optimized purification procedure included two steps of chromatography: Ni-NTA affinity chromatography and anion exchange chromatography. The typical yield was 36.0 mg soluble and functional recombinant flotillin-2 from 1 L of culture medium with purity above 97%. The activity of recombinant flotillin-2 was verified by pull-down assay with flotillin-1, showing that the purified recombinant flotillin-2 can specifically interact with flotillin-1. The circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy showed that recombinant flotillin-2 had a very stable secondary structure dominated by α-helix, β-turn and random structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tungstophosphoric acids (PW) supported on various metal oxides (SiO, γ-AlO, TiO, ZrO and CeO) were synthesized and used as catalysts for sorbitol dehydration to isosorbide for the first time. 30% PW/SiO exhibited the best catalytic performance for sorbitol dehydration, over which 56% isosorbide selectivity could be gained at a 95% sorbitol conversion at 250 °C. The catalytic performance of regenerated 30% PW/SiO catalysts by dichloromethane elution showed no loss after recycling five runs. Characterizations with UV-Vis, XRD, NH-TPD and thermal analysis techniques revealed that PW had a good dispersion, and the primary Keggin structure was preserved after supporting PW on different supports. The interaction between PW and oxides resulted in different acidity of catalysts, which affected conversion of sorbitol and selectivity for isosorbide. The final acidity order of supported PW catalysts was the following: SiO> γ-AlO>TiO ≈ ZrO>CeO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title compound, [Zn(pytpy)2][NO3]2·2H2O (pytpy = 4′-(4-pyridyl)-2,2′: 6′,2″-terpyridine), has been synthesized by the reaction of Zn(NO3)2·6H2O with pytpy, and its crystal structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal belongs to tetragonal space group P43 with a = 0.90873(8) nm, b = 0.90873(8) nm, c = 4.4741(6) nm, V = 3.6946(7) nm3, Z = 4, D c = 1.521 g/cm−3, μ = 0.736 mm−1, F(000) = 1744, R = 0.0871, wR = 0.1302 for 5553 observed reflections with I > 2σ( I). X-ray analysis has revealed that the ZnII ion is surrounded by six N atoms from two pytpy ligands leading to a distorted octahedral geometry. In the crystal structure there are numerous strong intermolecular and intramolecular H-bonds and π-π interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PNAS-4, a novel pro-apoptotic gene activated during the early response to DNA damage, can inhibit proliferation via apoptosis when overexpressed in some tumor cells. The objectives of this study were to determine whether PNAS-4 could enhance apoptosis induced by cisplatin besides its induction of apoptosis, and to evaluate the usefulness of combined treatment with mouse PNAS-4 ( mPNAS-4) gene therapy and low-dose cisplatin chemotherapy in the inhibition of tumor growth in colon carcinoma (CT26) and Lewis lung carcinoma (LL/2) murine models. In this study, the in vitro growth-inhibitory and pro-apoptotic effects of PNAS-4 and/or cisplatin on CT26, LL/2, and SKOV3 cancer cells were assessed by MTT assay, flow cytometric analysis, DNA fragmentation, and morphological analysis, respectively. The in vivo antitumor activity of combined treatment with mPNAS-4 gene therapy and low-dose cisplatin were evaluated in the inhibition of tumor growth in colon carcinoma (CT26) and Lewis lung carcinoma (LL/2) murine models. Tumor volume and survival time were observed. Induction of apoptosis was also assessed in tumor tissues. In vitro, PNAS-4 inhibited proliferation of colon carcinoma (CT26), Lewis lung carcinoma (LL/2) and human ovarian cancer (SKOV3) cell lines via apoptosis, and significantly enhanced the apoptosis of CT26, LL/2, and SKOV3 cells induced by cisplatin. In vivo systemic administration of expression plasmid encoding mPNAS-4 (pcDNA3.1-mPS) and cisplatin, significantly decreased tumor growth through increased tumor cell apoptosis compared to treatment with mPNAS-4 or cisplatin alone. Our data suggests that the combined treatment with mPNAS-4 plus cisplatin may augment the induction of apoptosis in tumor cells in vitro and in vivo, and that the augmented antitumor activity in vivo may result from the increased induction of apoptosis. The present study may provide a novel way to augment the antitumor efficacy of cytotoxic chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of terrain, geological structure, river down-incising and human activities, the upriver Minjiang Valley in Sichuan Province, Southwest China, constitutes a disaster area prone to frequent landslides. During the roadway rebuilding periods, the Xiaozongqu landslide reactivated on the G213 Roadway in Maoxian District of Sichuan Province. From the September to November in 2002, the landslide sped up, reaching a maximum movement rate of 32 mm/d. The rapid slide seriously threatened the road. To stabilize the landslide and eliminate the damage of landslide to the road, remedying its damage and monitoring further developments are crucial. Based on its kinematic behaviour, remediation was implemented in two phases from November 2002 to October 2003. Systematic monitoring has been carried out since 18 June 2003 to determine kinematic variations of the landslide during the post-remediation period and to assess the effects of remediation and the potential of the landslide for further destructive influences on the roadway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep plays a crucial role in learning and memory. Previous studies have demonstrated that postlearning REM sleep deprivation (RSD) impairs memory consolidation. Most of these studies observed only the effects of RSD on learning and memory. In the present study, we not only investigated the impacts of 48-h RSD on the spatial reference memory of young rats in a Morris water maze, but also specifically examined whether an REM rebound for 24-48 h after 48-h RSD affected the maintenance of spatial reference memory. RSD was induced by the modified multiple platform method, and spatial reference memory was tested in a Morris water maze. The results demonstrated that, compared with the control groups, posttraining RSD for 48 h produced a significant impairment in the retention of acquired spatial reference memory, and the impairment continuously existed after 24 and 48 h of release from sleep deprivation, which indicates that REM sleep plays a critical role in reference memory maintenance and consolidation. Moreover, postlearning RSD may lead to a long-term impairment in the consolidation of newly acquired memories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  In this paper, we present an adaptive evolutionary Monte Carlo algorithm (AEMC), which combines a tree-based predictive model with an evolutionary Monte Carlo sampling procedure for the purpose of global optimization. Our development is motivated by sensor placement applications in engineering, which requires optimizing certain complicated “black-box” objective function. The proposed method is able to enhance the optimization efficiency and effectiveness as compared to a few alternative strategies. AEMC falls into the category of adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms and is the first adaptive MCMC algorithm that simulates multiple Markov chains in parallel. A theorem about the ergodicity property of the AEMC algorithm is stated and proven. We demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method by applying it to a sensor placement problem in a manufacturing process, as well as to a standard Griewank test function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original version of this Article contained an error in the abstract, which incorrectly read 'The level of RBD-IgG decreases with time, with the titer stabilizing at 64.3% of the initial level by 9 month'. The correct version replaces this sentence with 'The level of RBD-IgG decreases with time, with the titer stabilizing at 35.7% of the initial level by the 9th month'. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract   Dendrobium officinale is commonly used as a traditional valuable Chinese tonic hygienic food. In order to authenticate the quality of hygienic food in the market and geoherbalism in the process of GAP (good agriculture practice), sequences of chloroplast genes (matK and rbcL), the nuclear rDNA ITS region and mitochondria gene nad1 intron2 were used to survey eight populations of D. officinale. No difference was found in sequences of matK, rbcL and nad1 intron2 between populations, except for nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) sites in rDNA ITS regions. Two pairs of allele-specific PCR primers based on SNPs were designed to authenticate two genuine populations (GSG and FSC populations). The AS-PCR (allele-specific PCR) fragments of GSG and FSC populations are about 600 and 560 bp, and annealing temperatures are 55–57 and 58–60°C, respectively. Dried “Fengdou” food samples from genuine populations could also be authenticated using two pairs of diagnostic primers. It is demonstrated that methods based on SNPs of rDNA ITS region and AS-PCR are simple, practical and effective for genuine germplasm authentication of D. officinale during the process of GAP and hygienic food quality control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A psychrophilic glutathione reductase from Antarctic ice microalgae Chlamydomonas sp. Strain ICE-L was purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation and three steps of chromatography. The yield was up to 25.1% of total glutathione reductase in the crude enzyme extract. The glutathione reductase activity was characterized by the spectrophotometric method under different conditions. Purified glutathione reductase was separated by SDS-PAGE, which furnished a homogeneous band. The native molecular mass of the enzyme was 115 kDa. Apparent Km values for NADPH and NADH (both at 0.5 mmol L−1 oxidized glutathione) were 22.3 and 83.8 μmol L−1, respectively. It was optimally active at pH 7.5, and it was stable from pH 5 to 9. Its optimum temperature was 25°C, with activity at 0°C 23.5% of the maximum. Its optimum ion strength and optimum Mg2+ were 50–90 and 7.5 mmol L−1, respectively. Ca2+, Mg2+, and cysteine substantially increased the activity of the enzyme but chelating agents, heavy metals (Cd2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, etc.), NADPH, and ADP had significant inhibitory effects. This glutathione reductase can be used to study the adaptation and mechanism of catalysis of psychrophilic enzymes, and it has a high potential as an environmental biochemical indicator under extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract   The optimization strategies employing second order sensitivity information has higher accuracy, but its computation is complex. In this paper, an adjoint variable method applied for the second order design sensitivity analysis of multibody design problems is developed. Based on Lagrange equations of multibody system dynamics, a general objective function, constraint conditions, initial and end conditions, the adjoint variable equations for first order sensitivity analysis and design sensitivity formulations are derived firstly. Then, second order sensitivity analysis formulations, as well as the detailed computation steps, are given based on the previous results. For simplification, the second derivative of the objective function with respect to design variables is translated into an initial value problem of an ordinary differential equation with one variable. Finally, a numerical example of slider–crank mechanism validates the accuracy and efficiency of the method for second order sensitivity analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of state vector stems from statistical physics, where it is usually used to describe activity patterns of a physical field in its manner of coarsegrain. In this paper, we propose an approach by which the state vector was applied to describe quantitatively the damage evolution of the brittle heterogeneous systems, and some interesting results are presented, i.e., prior to the macro-fracture of rock specimens and occurrence of a strong earthquake, evolutions of the four relevant scalars time series derived from the state vectors changed anomalously. As retrospective studies, some prominent large earthquakes occurred in the Chinese Mainland (e.g., the M 7.4 Haicheng earthquake on February 4, 1975, and the M 7.8 Tangshan earthquake on July 28, 1976, etc) were investigated. Results show considerable promise that the time-dependent state vectors could serve as a kind of precursor to predict earthquakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions are thought to play the vital role in maintenance and deformation of red blood cell (RBC) membrane. Protein 4.2, a 76-KDa peripheral protein, binds to the cytoplasmic domain of band 3 (CDB3) and also interacts with ankyrin in RBCs. In order to explore the characteristics of protein 4.2–CDB3–ankyrin interactions, three protein 4.2-derived recombinant proteins encompassing amino acid residues 31–200, 1–300, and 187–260 respectively were expressed in Escherichia coli. Their interactions with CDB3 and ankyrin were investigated by using Far-Western blot and pull-down assay. The results showed that the CDB3-binding site of protein 4.2 is located in the region of residues 200–211 and the ankyrin-binding site is located in the region of residues 187–200 of protein 4.2. Our findings also suggested that the ankyrin D34 domain can interact directly with protein 4.2. The proper tertiary structures of these protein 4.2 fragments are essential for protein 4.2–ankyrin interaction. Meanwhile, ankyrin can enhance the interaction between protein 4.2 and CDB3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A psychrotrophic bacterium Colwellia sp. NJ341 from Antarctic sea ice could grow at −5 and 22 °C, and the extent of cellular protein content and growth were greater at low temperatures (0–10 °C) than at higher temperatures. SDS-PAGE analysis demonstrated the presence of a 7 kDa cold-shock protein. The further result of two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) showed that two proteins a and c were newly synthesized at near-freezing temperatures. With matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis, proteins a and c were identified as glutathione S-transferase (GST) and cold-shock protein A (CspA), respectively, which were involved in cold-adaptation at near-freezing temperature in an Antarctic psychrophilic bacterium Colwellia sp. NJ341. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an application of adaptive neural network model-based predictive control (MPC) to the air-fuel ratio of an engine simulation. A multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural network is trained using two on-line training algorithms: a back propagation algorithm and a recursive least squares (RLS) algorithm. It is used to model parameter uncertainties in the nonlinear dynamics of internal combustion (IC) engines. Based on the adaptive model, an MPC strategy for controlling air-fuel ratio is realized, and its control performance compared with that of a traditional PI controller. A reduced Hessian method, a newly developed sequential quadratic programming (SQP) method for solving nonlinear programming (NLP) problems, is implemented to speed up nonlinear optimization in the MPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colwellia sp. NJ341, isolated from Antarctic sea ice, secreted a cold-active serine protease. The purified protease had an apparent Mr of 60 kDa by SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF MS. It was active from pH 5–12 with maximum activity at 35 °C (assayed over 10 min). Activity at 0 °C was nearly 30% of the maximum activity. It was completely inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To observe the effects and adverse reactions of a OXA-HCPT LV / 5FU 3 regimen for patients with advanced gastric cancer. OHLF 3 regimen: OXA 130 mg/m2iv d 1, HCPT 6 mg / m2, iv d 1 ∼ 5, LV 200 mg/m2iv 2 h followed by a 5FU 400 mg/m2 iv bolus and 5FU 600 mg/m2 iv d 1 ∼3, were given, every 21 days as 1 cycle. Assessment of the tumor was conducted after 3 cycles and the effective cases were confirmed after 4 weeks. Among 39 patients, 36 were actually evaluable. Overall response rates (CR + PR) were 50% ; the major adverse reactions were mild hematological toxicity, nausea and vomiting and peripheral nerve abnormalities. The OHLF 3 regimen using OXA and HCPT is effective and results in mild toxicity when used in combined chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work describes a ground breaking process that provides a direct highly localized measurement of the atomic mass on surfaces at room temperature. Employing an original system that joins a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) device and a time of flight (TOF) mass analyzer, we could previously ionize surface atoms by the combination of an optical laser pulse and an electric pulse at the STM tip. Desorbed ions from a localized area were accelerated and detected by a TOF chamber. We will demonstrate in this paper that high localization and mass discrimination can be obtained even without the aid of an electric pulse from the tip. We reduced the angle of incidence of the laser beam to zero (laser beam parallel to the sample surface). In this condition we were able to demonstrate for the first time ionic desorption at a confinement level of the order of 5-10 nm, an order of magnitude better than previous configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the mechanism of LiNiVO[sub 4] by wet chemical method. Use of oxalic acid for the preparation of dry gel; Foundation of Advantages of the solid phase reaction method; Description of the electrochemical reaction mechanisms of LiNiVO[sub 4].

The pattern and range of present crustal movement as well as characteristic of deformation-strain play a key role in cognizing seismogenic mechanism in the Jiashi region, Xinjiang, northwestern China. Using GPS geodesy in 1994 and 1998, here we give geodetic evidence of rapid convergence of about 19 mm/a across the western Tianshan, which is about 50% greater than the seismic moment solution (13 mm/a) by assembling major earthquake in the 20th century. The discrepancy of deformation rate between geodetic observation and seismic energy releasing indicates the possibilities that, there exists a lot of aseismic strain and strain during seismic interval in the western Tianshan, or seismic fault slip in this century could not be enough to compensate the present deformation in the whole area. Whichever it maybe, from the view of accumulation of stress-strain, it suggests that there will be potential strong earthquakes in the western segment of Tianshan and the northeastern corner of Pamir in a long period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]