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The increasing incidence of thyroid cancer (TC) cannot be fully explained by overdiagnosis. Metabolic syndrome (Met S) is highly prevalent due to the modern lifestyle, which can lead to the development of tumors. This review expounds on the relationship between Met S and TC risk, prognosis and its possible biological mechanism. Met S and its components were associated with an increased risk and aggressiveness of TC, and there were gender differences in most studies. Abnormal metabolism places the body in a state of chronic inflammation for a long time, and thyroid-stimulating hormones may initiate tumorigenesis. Insulin resistance has a central role assisted by adipokines, angiotensin II, and estrogen. Together, these factors contribute to the progression of TC. Therefore, direct predictors of metabolic disorders (e.g., central obesity, insulin resistance and apolipoprotein levels) are expected to become new markers for diagnosis and prognosis. cAMP, insulin-like growth factor axis, angiotensin II, and AMPK-related signaling pathways could provide new targets for TC treatment.

Breast cancer heterogeneity determines cancer progression, treatment effects, and prognosis. However, the precise mechanism for this heterogeneity remains unknown owing to its complexity. Here, we summarize the origins of breast cancer heterogeneity and its influence on disease progression, recurrence, and therapeutic resistance. We review the possible mechanisms of heterogeneity and the research methods used to analyze it. We also highlight the importance of cell interactions for the origins of breast cancer heterogeneity, which can be further categorized into cooperative and competitive interactions. Finally, we provide new insights into precise individual treatments based on heterogeneity.

The probability of toxicity-related myocardial injury event with anthracyclines is controversial, which could be related to the underlying cardiac status before chemotherapy. Our study sought to investigate the influence of cardiovascular risk factors on myocardial motion and cardiac function using layer-specific speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) during chemotherapy with epirubicin. Female patients with first-diagnosed breast cancer were prospectively enrolled in our study and received 4 chemotherapeutic cycles with epirubicin in each cycle of 21 days. All patients underwent echocardiography for layer-specific STE analysis before and after all chemotherapy. Clinical data including cardiovascular risk factors were collected. According to the Framingham score, patients with cardiovascular risk factors were divided into groups with low, medium, and high risk. 134 patients existed in the final analysis. The accumulated dose of epirubicin for were 560.0 ± 103.8 mg. 97 (72.4%) patients had cardiovascular risk factors. According to the Framingham score, 57 (42.5%) patients categorized in high risk. Endocardial layer strain after chemotherapy were lower than those at baseline (p

Using a flexible bis (triazole) ligand BBPTZ, where BBPTZ = 4,4'- bis (1,2,4-triazol-1-ylmethyl) biphenyl, a novel compound of [Ni2(BBPTZ)4][β-Mo8O26] (1) based on [NiN4O2]2+ secondary building unit (SBU) and [β-Mo8O26]4– cluster was synthesized by hydrothermal method. In compound 1, the [NiN4O2]2+ SBUs serving as 2-connected joints were directly connected [β-Mo8O26]4– clusters forming 1D inorganic strips. The adjacent strips were assembled through two types of BBPTZ ligands along the c axis, giving rise to 2D layers. It exhibits not only good thermal stability but also bifunctional electrocatalytic activity. When using it as the electrocatalyst for the electrochemical sensing for bromate, it shows a broad sensor range (1.35–4.75 mM) and comparable sensitivity of 62.39 µA cm−2 mM−1. Moreover, it also exhibits a remarkable activity towards the hydrogen evolution reaction, with a 248 mV onset potential, a Tafel slope of 131 mV dec−1, and a η10 of 386 mV.

Accurate and reliable displacement prediction is vital for developing landslide early warning system, since displacement variations directly reveal the evolution of landslide. The past decade has seen the rapid development of displacement prediction technology. Most of the existing studies are based on deterministic point prediction models, with the goal of obtaining high-precision predictions. However, these pointwise predictions do not give any indication of credibility, which makes it difficult to make accurate decisions for subsequent landslide treatment. To address this problem, a prediction interval estimation method, instead of point prediction, for landslide displacement is proposed. In the methodology, double exponential smoothing is employed to deal with the nonlinear cumulative displacement, while two support vector machines are proposed to directly generate the displacement lower boundary and upper boundary. To obtain optimal model parameters, the adaptive chicken swarm optimization using chaotic mapping and adaptive inertia weight strategies is proposed to minimize a modified prediction interval-based objective function. A real-world landslide displacement data set is used to demonstrate the proposed method. Experimental results show that it is a promising tool for the construction of high-quality prediction intervals, which can inform the landslide treatment-related decision-making.

Nanofibers with high specific surface area and chemical stability have broad prospects in the applications of adsorption. However, the adsorption capacity is limited by the scarcity of adsorption groups and storage space. Herein, the activated carbon-hybridized and amine-modified nanofibers are prepared by integrating activated carbon (AC) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) via electrospinning method and the subsequent amination, which could provide additional storage space and adsorption groups for ultrahigh adsorption capability. Thus, the obtained aminerich porous PAN nanofibers (APAN/AC) readily realized the ultrahigh adsorption capacity for metal ions and dyes in wastewater. Specifically, the adsorption capacity of APAN/AC nanofibers were 284 mg·g−1 for Cr(VI) and 248 mg·g−1 for methyl orange, which were almost 2 and 4 times than that of amine-modified nanofibers (APAN) and carbon-hybridized nanofibers (PAN/AC), respectively. Moreover, the AC inhibited the chain mobility of polymer matrix and thereby endowing APAN/AC nanofibers with excellent recyclability. The adsorption capability retained 80% after nine adsorption-desorption cycles. The adsorption kinetics and corresponding mechanism were further explored. This strategy combines the advantages of polymer nanofibers and AC, opening a new avenue for developing next-generation absorbent materials.

Mycobacterium kansasii is an opportunistic pathogen that causes both intrapulmonary and extrapulmonary infections. The symptoms of the pulmonary diseases caused by M. kansasii closely resemble Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Rapid and accurate differentiation of M. kansasii from M. tuberculosis, as well as other mycobacteria, is crucial for developing effective therapeutics and disease treatment. In this study, we combined loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) with lateral flow biosensors (LFB) to detect M. kansasii, by targeting the species-specific sequence of rpoB, a gene which encodes the β subunit of bacterial RNA polymerase. The assay was validated to ensure that it was highly selective by testing M. kansasii, M. tuberculosis, other species of respiratory bacteria, and other nontuberculous mycobacteria. The detection limit of the assay was 1 fg/μL of DNA and 50 CFU of bacilli in sputum. The M. kansasii-LAMP-LFB assay is a fast, cheap, and accurate method for detecting M. kansasii by constant temperature amplification and simple interpretation.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are regarded as crucial regulators in tumor progression. Potassium two pore domain channel subfamily K member 15 and WISP2 antisense RNA 1 (KCNK15-AS1) has been confirmed to inhibit the migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer (PC) cells. However, its downstream mechanism and effect on other cellular functions in PC remain unknown. This study probed the function and potential mechanism of KCNK15-AS1 in PC cell growth. RT-qPCR and western blot were employed to measure gene expression in PC cells. ISH was applied to analyze KCNK15-AS1 expression in PC tissues. Functional assays were utilized to evaluate PC cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and EMT. Mechanical experiments were adopted to detect gene interaction in PC cells. The obtained data indicated that KCNK15-AS1 was down-regulated in PC cells and tissues. Overexpressing KCNK15-AS1 hindered cell proliferation, migration and EMT while facilitated cell apoptosis in PC. Mechanically, alkylation repair homolog protein 5 (ALKBH5) was verified to induce m6A demethylation of KCNK15-AS1 to mediate KCNK15-AS1 up-regulation. KCNK15-AS1 combined with KCNK15 5’UTR to inhibit KCNK15 translation. Moreover, KCNK15-AS1 recruited MDM2 proto-oncogene (MDM2) to promote RE1 silencing transcription factor (REST) ubiquitination, thus transcriptionally upregulating phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) to inactivate AKT pathway. In conclusion, our study first confirmed that KCNK15-AS1 hinders PC cell growth by regulating KCNK15 and PTEN, suggesting KCNK15-AS1 as a potential biomarker of PC.

Preoperative staging of suspicious axillary lymph nodes (ALNs) allows patients to be triaged to ALN dissection or to sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) and cytology of ALN is moderately sensitive but its clinical utility relies heavily on the cytologist’s experience. We proposed that the 5-h automated GeneXpert system-based prototype breast cancer detection assay (BCDA) that quantitatively measures DNA methylation in ten tumor-specific gene markers could provide a facile, accurate test for detecting cancer in FNA of enlarged lymph nodes. We validated the assay in ALN-FNA samples from a prospective study of patients (N = 230) undergoing SLNB. In a blinded analysis of 218 evaluable LN-FNAs from 108 malignant and 110 benign LNs by histology, BCDA displayed a sensitivity of 90.7% and specificity of 99.1%, achieving an area under the ROC curve, AUC of 0.958 (95% CI: 0.928–0.989; P N = 72, benign, N = 53 by cytology) collected in the outpatient setting prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Using the ROC-threshold determined in the prospective study, compared to cytology, BCDA achieved a sensitivity of 94.4% and a specificity of 92.5% with a ROC-AUC = 0.977 (95% CI: 0.953–1.000; P

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) plays an important role in formation and development of the East Asian atmospheric circulation, climate variability, and disastrous weathers in China. Among the many topics on TP meteorology, it is critical to understand the microphysical characteristics of clouds over the TP; however, observations of the cloud micro-physics in this area are insufficient mainly due to sparse stations and limited cloud physical data. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite, has an improved imaging spectroradiometer with 17 channels of 750-m moderate resolution and 5 channels of 375-m image resolution. The high-resolution instrument has an advantage for observing the small or initial convective clouds. Based on the methodologies that we proposed before for retrieving cloud microphysical properties from SNPP, an automated mapping software package named Automatic Mapping of Convective Clouds (AMCC) has been developed at the scale of satellite swath. The properties of convective clouds are retrieved by AMCC and their values are averaged over 0.33° × 0.33° grids based on the SNPP/VIIRS satellite data over the TP during the summers of 2013–17. The results show that: (1) the temperature of lifting condensation level (TLCL) at Naqu meteorological station and the cloud base temperature (Tb) retrieved from VIIRS are linearly correlated, with a correlation coefficient of 0.87 and standard deviation (STD) of 3.0°C; (2) convective clouds over the TP have the following macro- and micro-physical properties. First, the cloud base temperature (Tb) is about −5°C, the cloud base height above the ground (Hb) ranges between 1800 and 2200 m, and the cloud water content is low. Second, the cloud condensation nuclei concentration (NCCN) is between 200 and 400 mg−1 with 0.7% in maximum supersaturation (Smax); consequently, the condensation growth of water cloud droplet with less NCCN and higher Smax is fast. Third, because the precipitation initiation depth (D14) varies within 1500–2000 m and 500–1000 m at the Yarlung Zangbo River basin and southern Tibet, respectively, the clouds over these areas are more prone to precipitation. Fourth, mean height of the cloud top above sea level (Htop) is between 10 and 13 km, but the cloud depth (Dcld) is rather small, which is about 5000 m in southern TP and gradually reduces to 2500 m in northern TP. Fifth, the glaciation temperature (Tg) ranges from −30°C in central and southern TP to −25°C in northern TP, which, combined with the warmer Tg and the Tb less than 0°C, leads to the domination of ice process in the clouds; (3) the macro- and microphysical properties of convective clouds over the TP explain why rainfall there is frequent and lasts over a short time with small amount and large rain drops.

In the field of ammunition, piezoelectric ceramics are increasingly used as part of impact fuze systems. It is an urgent problem to improve the low-temperature storage and low-temperature environment adaptability of piezoelectric ceramic power supply. In order to study the dynamic mechanical and electrical response characteristics of PZT-5H at − 40 to 25 °C, the static electrical parameters of PZT-5H at different temperatures were measured, and the Hopkinson bar experiments at different temperatures and impact velocities were carried out by using the self-established low-temperature mechanical and electrical test system. The variation of resistivity and relative permittivity of PZT-5H from − 40 to 25 °C is obtained by experiment, and the relaxation time of PZT-5H is obtained according to Debye’s theory. Combined with the observation of scanning electron microscope (SEM), the influence mechanism of porosity and crack on the electrical output characteristics of piezoelectric ceramics was obtained. The mechanism of the freezing effect of piezoelectric ceramics at low temperatures is obtained through space charge theory analysis. The variation of the dynamic piezoelectric voltage constant with temperature and time in the elastic region measured by the experiment is clarified.

BackgroundThe disease burden caused by pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in Sichuan province still persisted at a high level, and large spatial variances were presented across regional distribution disparities. The socio-economic factors were suspected to affect the population of TB notification, we aimed to describe TB case notification rate (CNR) and identify which factors influence TB epidemic are necessary for the prevention and control of the disease in Sichuan province.MethodsA retrospective cross-sectional study and an ecological spatial analysis was conducted to quantify the presence and location of spatial clusters of TB by the Moran’sIindex and examined these patterns with socio-economic risk factors by hierarchical Bayesian spatio-temporal model.ResultsA total of 630,009 pulmonary TB cases were notified from 2006 to 2015 in 181 counties of Sichuan province. The CNR decreased year by year since 2007, from 88.70 to 61.37 per 100,000 persons. The spatial heterogeneities of CNR were observed during the study periods. Global Moran’sIindex varied from 0.23 to 0.44 with allP-value DIC)(19,379.01), and in which the quadratic form of time was taken. The proportion of age group and education year were all associated with CNR after adjusting the spatial effect, temporal effect and spatio-temporal interactions. TB CNR increased by 10.2% [95% credible interval (CI): 6.7–13.7%] for every 1-standard-deviation increase in proportion of age group and decreased by 23% (95%CI: 13.7–32.7%) for every 1-standard-deviation increase in education year.ConclusionsThere were spatial clusters of TB notification rate in Sichuan province from 2006 to 2015, and heavy TB burden was mainly attributed to aging and low socioeconomic status including poor education. Thus, it is more important to pay more attention to the elderly population and improve socioeconomic status including promoting education level in Sichuan province to reduce the TB burden.

In this paper, we give a novel one-parameter algebraic functional equation for fractional resolvent families. With the help of this functional equation, we are able to show that all fractional resolvent families, except $$C_0$$ -semigroups, are never exponentially stable.

This paper presents a review of the correlations for saturated flow boiling heat transfer coefficients. Fifty correlations are systematically reviewed, which fall into seven categories. An experimental database for saturated flow boiling heat transfer was compiled from 67 sources. It contains 10,932 data points and covers 19 fluids, including eight pure halogenated refrigerants (R134a, R22, R123, R1234yf, R1234ze(E), R152a, R245fa, and R32), five refrigerant mixtures (R404A, R407C, R410A, R417A, and R507), four inorganic compounds (CO2, ammonia, water, and nitrogen), and two hydrocarbons (R290 and R600a). The parameter range of the database covers hydraulic diameters of 0.137–21 mm, mass fluxes of 20–1500 kg m−2 s−1, heat fluxes of 1.99–201 kW m−2, qualities of 0.001–0.999, and reduced pressures of 0.005–0.61. Fifty correlations of saturated flow boiling heat transfer coefficients are evaluated with the database, and the detail analysis of the evaluation results is performed. The work provides a guide to choosing a proper correlation for a given application and is helpful for understanding prediction methods of saturated flow boiling heat transfer coefficients.

To investigate the use of non-family versus family executives in family-dominated, publicly listed firms, we consider ownership concentration both at the firm level and within the dominant family. Whereas the appointment of family executives is supported by an institutional logic of family control, the use of non-family, professional executives is guided by a shareholder logic. We suggest that higher levels of ownership held by the dominant family relative to other shareholders propel family owners to adopt the family logic, and higher levels of ownership held by the largest family owner relative to other family members weaken the family logic in favor of the shareholder logic. We test our hypotheses on a sample of 2174 firm-year observations covering 635 family-dominated Chinese entrepreneurial firms listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Statistical results indicate that ownership by family increases, and ownership concentration in family decreases, the use of non-family CEO and non-family top management team.

Gene data on infiltrative hepatocellular carcinoma (iHCC) are still unknown. This study aims to identify the gene expression signature of iHCC compared with single nodular (SN)-type HCC according to the gross classification. The whole-exome sequencing was performed in six matched HCC tumor/normal pairs (three infiltrative type and three single nodular type) from six patients who received curative hepatectomy. Subsequent validation using Sanger sequencing and real-time PCR was performed in 30 HCC tumor samples (15 infiltrative type and 15 single nodular type). Following whole-exome sequencing, Sanger sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis, it revealed significant difference of iHCC from SN-type HCC in gene patterns. Particularly, a typical growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase FGFR3 was predominantly mutated in iHCC. One nonsynonymous variant c.G285T (p.Q95H) and five additional mutations (c.G938A:p.G313D, c.G1291A:p.A431T, c.C1355G:p.T452R, c.C1377T:p.L459L, and c.A1445T:p.E482V) were investigated by whole-exome and Sanger sequencing, respectively. Immunohistochemical studies confirmed the specific expression of FGFR3 in iHCC samples. Our studies indicated that FGFR3 may be a candidate oncogene in tumor progression and a promising therapeutic target in iHCC patients who had early recurrence.

Background Avoiding the phagocytosis by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is necessary for the growth and metastasis of solid tumors. CD47 binds to the receptor signal-regulatory protein-α (SIRP-α) on the macrophages to avoid normal phagocytosis. In this study, we evaluated the expression and prognostic significance of CD47 and CD68-labeled TAMs in breast cancer solid tumors. Methods Two hundred seventeen cases of breast cancer tissues and 40 cases of benign breast lesions were collected for immunohistochemical staining of CD47 and CD68. Results Both of the CD47 and CD68 expression were significantly higher in breast cancer tissues (P P P > 0.05). Interestingly, combined high expression of CD47 and CD68 (CD47highCD68high) not only had a significant association with advanced TNM stage, histological grade, LNM, ER status, PR status and recurrence (P P = 0.011). Strikingly, CD47highCD68high served as a novel independent prognostic factor for poor DFS compared to the expression of CD47 or CD68 alone (P = 0.045). Furthermore, our study also showed for the first time that the prognostic significance of CD47highCD68high not only in breast cancer in general, but also in hormone receptor-negative breast cancer in particular. Conclusions Combined detection of CD47 and CD68 may provide guidance for the prognosis of breast cancer, especially hormone receptor-negative breast cancer.

Precipitation scavenging of aerosol particles is an important removal process in the atmosphere that can change aerosol physical and optical properties. This paper analyzes the changes in aerosol physical and optical properties before and after four rain events using in situ observations of mass concentration, number concentration, particle size distribution, scattering and absorption coefficients of aerosols in June and July 2013 at the Xianghe comprehensive atmospheric observation station in China. The results show the effect of rain scavenging is related to the rain intensity and duration, the wind speed and direction. During the rain events, the temporal variation of aerosol number concentration was consistent with the variation in mass concentration, but their size-resolved scavenging ratios were different. After the rain events, the increase in aerosol mass concentration began with an increase in particles with diameter

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a unique breast cancer subtype with high heterogeneity and poor prognosis. Currently, the treatment effect of TNBC has reached a bottleneck, rendering new breakthroughs difficult. Cancer invasion is not an entirely cell-autonomous process, requiring the cells to transmigrate across the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) barriers. Developing a new system that integrates key constituents in the tumor microenvironment with pivotal cancer cell molecules is essential for the in-depth investigation of the mechanism of invasion in TNBC. We describe a computer-aided algorithm developed using quantum dot (QD)-based multiplex molecular imaging of TNBC tissues. We performed in situ simultaneous imaging and quantitative detection of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), expressed in the TNBC cell membrane, and collagen IV, the major ECM constituent; calculated the EGFR/collagen IV ratio; and investigated the prognostic value of the EGFR/collagen IV ratio in TNBC. We simultaneously imaged and quantitatively detected EGFR and collagen IV in the TNBC samples. In all patients, quantitative determination showed a statistically significant negative correlation between EGFR and collagen IV. The 5-year disease-free survival (5-DFS) of the high and low EGFR/collagen IV ratio subgroups was significantly different. The EGFR/collagen IV ratio was predictive and was an independent prognostic indicator in TNBC. Compared with EGFR expression, the EGFR/collagen IV ratio had a greater prognostic value for 5-DFS. Our findings open up a new avenue for predicting the clinical outcome in TNBC from the perspective of integrating molecules expressed in both cancer cells and the ECM.

In the 21st century, fossil fuels will remain the mainstay of energy production, while natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) features environmental benignity and high efficiency. Hence, it is desirable to assess the potential of NGCC for power generation, in which gas turbine (GT) is operated with alternative gaseous fuel from coal gasification, since coal is the most abundant fossil fuel. System-level analyses for NGCC plants, combining advanced GTs with various fuels, are performed in this study. The commercial chemical process simulator, Pro/II® V8.1.1, is implemented to build the simulation models. This work further performs various analyses as the basic and feasibility cases. The former is the benchmark case verified with the reference data of an operating NGCC power plant located in northern Taiwan. The latter introduces a feasibility study with advanced GTs and actual parameters in Taiwan. Alternative fuel, including synthetic natural gas (SNG) or a mixture of SNG and syngas, is fed to combined cycle for evaluating the overall performance. The results indicate that the system output or efficiency in either case is slightly (2–3 % points, LHV) lower than the counterpart in the benchmark one. In Taiwan, the natural gas price is much higher than that of coal, and results in higher idle capacity of NGCC. The advantage of adopting SNG to NGCC is that it could increase the capacity factor and subdue the environmental impact of the energy portfolio. The outcome of this study indicates a possible means to utilize coal more efficiently and reduce emissions.

Dysregulation of the actin cytoskeleton in podocytes represents a common pathway in the pathogenesis of proteinuria across a spectrum of chronic kidney diseases (CKD). The GTPase dynamin has been implicated in the maintenance of cellular architecture in podocytes through its direct interaction with actin. Furthermore, the propensity of dynamin to oligomerize into higher-order structures in an actin-dependent manner and to cross-link actin microfilaments into higher-order structures has been correlated with increased actin polymerization and global organization of the actin cytoskeleton in the cell. We found that use of the small molecule Bis-T-23, which promotes actin-dependent dynamin oligomerization and thus increased actin polymerization in injured podocytes, was sufficient to improve renal health in diverse models of both transient kidney disease and CKD. In particular, administration of Bis-T-23 in these renal disease models restored the normal ultrastructure of podocyte foot processes, lowered proteinuria, lowered collagen IV deposits in the mesangial matrix, diminished mesangial matrix expansion and extended lifespan. These results further establish that alterations in the actin cytoskeleton of kidney podocytes is a common hallmark of CKD, while also underscoring the substantial regenerative potential of injured glomeruli and identifying the oligomerization cycle of dynamin as an attractive potential therapeutic target to treat CKD.

Studying the response of bridge due to temperature effects is the main aim of this paper. The Fu-Sui bridge is constructed on a hard environmental effect region in China. To evaluate and assessment the behavior of this bridge, a finite element model and Structural Health Monitoring System (SHM) are used. In addition, the output only model identification is used to assess the thermal response and displacement of bridge. The results of the finite element and monitoring system reveal to that the behavior of the bridge after the first working year is safe, but over a long time period the low temperatures will have an effect on the behavior of the bridge, especially for the upper girder monitoring points. The thermal response and displacement output of the model used conforms with the SHM measurements. Also, the models calculated can be used to detect the bridge behavior in future time monitoring.

The paper is devoted to the study of representation of complex powers of closed linear operators whose negatives generate equicontinuous (gα, C)-regularized resolvent families (0 < α ≤ 2) on sequentially complete locally convex spaces. Several interesting formulas regarding powers and their domains are proved.

The development of precision machine tools requires an accurate understanding of the thermal be- haviour of the tools. Therefore, by developing highly accurate machine tool thermal behaviour simulations, it can accurately forecast the functional performance of a machine tool at the prototype design stage and provide guidance on its design and performance optimization. To improve the accuracy of the thermal simulation of machine tools, it proposed whole-machine temperature field and thermal deformation modeling and a simula- tion method for vertical machining centers. Based on the studies of thermal-structure coupling finite-element data flow and its critical conditions, it also proposed design and computational methods for obtaining the heat-source power, when various rotational speeds, the forced convection heat transfer coefficient between a rotating surface and the air, the combined heat transfer coef- ficient between a stationary surface and the air/environment, and key contact surface thermal resistances were considered. Furthermore, this paper performed finite-element simulation analysis based on the constructed whole-machine thermal model, and the temperature characteristics and heat deforma- tion mechanism/state were obtained. After comparing the simulation and experimental results, it verified the effective- ness of the finite-element simulation model and the relevant methods and confirmed that the simulation accuracy for both the temperature characteristics and the thermal defor- mation had been improved significantly, with a simulation error less than 10 %.

The presented method provides an easy processing route to synthesize Fe3O4/Ag core–shell composite nanoparticles. Their structures were characterized by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The average size of the Fe3O4 core and Ag shell was about 32.0 nm and 5.0 nm (or 28.0 nm), respectively. Furthermore, magnetic measurements showed that the composite nanoparticles exhibited typical superparamagnetic behavior, specific saturation magnetization of ca. 24.0 emu/g, and intrinsic coercivity of 106.0 Oe. At the same time, high conductivity (64.7 S/cm) of the composite nanoparticles was also observed. This method provides an opportunity to synthesize other core–shell (Fe3O4) nanoparticles in a single step.

The objective of the study was to compare the clinical value of preoperative serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and carbohydrate antigen 242 (CA242) in diagnosis and prognosis for 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Preoperative serum CA19-9 and CA242 concentrations were detected by C12 protein chip diagnostic system in 185 patients with CRC, and informative data were collected during 5-year follow-up periods. The value of CA19-9 and CA242 in diagnosis and prognosis for 5-year RFS as well as their consistencies and correlations were comparatively analyzed. The sensitivities of CA19-9 and CA242 were only 19.5 and 20%, respectively; the efficiencies of two TMs were 53.9 and 54.2%, respectively; and two TMs increased significantly with advancing clinical stages (P < 0.0001). Preoperative CA19-9 and CA242 levels correlated with stage (r, 0.411 and 0.408) and CEA concentration (r, 0.553 and 0.630). The concentrations of two TMs closely correlated with each other (r = 0.829), and two TMs had a very strong consistency in diagnosis (κ = 0.931). Among 88 of 185 cases with complete follow-up information on RFS, patients with positive preoperative serum CA19-9 or CA242 had higher 5-year recurrent rates (72.2% vs. 44.3%, P = 0.034; 76.5% vs. 43.7%, P = 0.015) and reduced median RFS (14 vs. 36 months, 12 vs. 36 months) compared with those with negative TMs. The consistency of predicting prognosis for RFS of two TMs was extremely strong (κ = 0.964). ROC curves analysis showed that CA242 test performed better than CA19-9 test (AUC, 0.648 vs. 0.605). Univariate analysis showed that preoperative serum status of both TMs was correlated with 5-year RFS (P < 0.05), whereas multivariate Cox regression model analysis revealed that none of them were independent prognostic factors for RFS. Both CA19-9 and CA242 had strong consistencies in diagnosis and prognosis for predicting 5-year RFS. CA242 demonstrated superior value to CA19-9 in CRC.

To evaluate the prognostic value of preoperative serum carbohydrate antigen19-9 (CA19-9), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) for overall survival (OS) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Preoperative serum CA19-9, CEA, and CA125 levels were detected by C12 protein chip diagnostic system in 80 patients with CRC, and the association of their preoperative status with the patients' OS was analyzed. Patients with positive preoperative serum CA19-9, CA125, and CEA had a worse survival comparing with those negative patients, the difference in CA19-9 and CA125 reached statistical significance (Log rank test, P0.05), but the difference of CEA did not achieve statistical significance (Log rank test, P0.05). The OS of patients with CRC with three positive tumor markers (TMs)1 or 2 positive TMsnegative TM, simultaneously positive serum CA19-9, CEA, and CA125 was the most dismal predicting factor for OS. Spearman correlations revealed that the preoperative serum status of CA19-9 (P=0.000), CEA (P=0.000), and CA125 (P=0.000) had correlations with stage; the preoperative serum CA125 status (r=-0.385, P=0.000) and stage (r=-0.457, P=0.000) and location (r=0.223, P=0.047) had correlations with OS. Multivariate analysis with Cox regression model showed that only stage (P=0.000) and the preoperative serum CA125 status (P=0.016) were independent prognostic factors for OS of patients with CRC. The preoperative status of serum CA19-9, CEA, and CA125 had correlations with CRC stage. The simultaneously positive serum CA19-9, CEA, and CA125 was the most dismal predicting factor for OS of patients with CRC. Preoperative serum CA125 status and stage were independent prognostic factors for OS of CRC.

We introduce the concept of α times C-second resolvent families and present the relationship between α times C-resolvent families and α times C-second resolvent families. Moreover, the perturbation and square root for α times C-resolvent families are considered in this paper which generalize the counterparts of C-Cosine operator functions.

In this paper we introduce three kinds of resolvent families defined by purely algebraic equations, which extend the classical semigroup property and Cosine functional equation. We give their basic properties and analyticity criteria. Moreover, the relations between integrated resolvent families and resolvent families are discussed as well.

Processor (vertex) faults and link (edge) faults may happen when a network is used, and it is meaningful to consider networks (graphs) with faulty processors and/or links. A k-regular Hamiltonian and Hamiltonian connected graph G is optimal fault-tolerant Hamiltonian and Hamiltonian connected if G remains Hamiltonian after removing at most k?2 vertices and/or edges and remains Hamiltonian connected after removing at most k?3 vertices and/or edges. In this paper, we investigate in constructing optimal fault-tolerant Hamiltonian and optimal fault-tolerant Hamiltonian connected graphs. Therefore, some of the generalized hypercubes, twisted-cubes, crossed-cubes, and Mobius cubes are optimal fault-tolerant Hamiltonian and optimal fault-tolerant Hamiltonian connected.

A ‘‘patch clamp’’ microelectrode modified on the surface for single cell adhesion and growth was developed using a novel polymer-transfer technique to deposit cell-adhesive polymer layers on the substrate platform. Several hydrophilic polymers–-polyvinyl pyrrolidone, chitosan, alginic acid, and gelatin were successfully transferred onto the platform in order to enhance cell adhesion. The process was developed to apply a PDMS stamp pre-adhered with a phosphorylcholine (PC) layer on the protruding areas of the pattern, followed by adsorbing an adhesive polymer to imprint the adhesive layer onto the platform. Plasma activation on the stamp, adsorbed polymers, and/or the substrate was evaluated to provide an accessible method to obtain a nanothick (about 180 nm) polymeric film without any residual layer. XPS characterization on the platform verified that the bioactive polymer was only transferred and coated on the convex surfaces of the pattern. From observing the cell adhesion on the chitosan-modified platform, the number of adhered cells on the chitosan layer was found to be greater than that on the original poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) layer, corresponding with the prediction that chitosan can serve as the cell-adhesive layer. The modified patterns were found to confine a single cell on each convex top of the platforms.

Tumor markers have been of vital importance in cancer diagnosis, treatment and monitoring. However, the sensitivity of current tumor markers for early diagnosis is low, reducing the clinical usefulness of tumor markers. Quantum dots are new fluorescent nanoparticles with unique photophysical and chemical properties, thus having a great potential impact on the investigation of cancer pathogenesis, early diagnosis, targeted therapy, prognosis and monitoring, when combined with tumor markers. The current research is focused on the detection of specific tumor markers or molecules based on tangible carriers such as cells and tissues. One of the most promising clinical applications would be to explore the potential of this highly sensitive labeling technique for the detecting and imagining tumor markers in serum and other body fluids, where some progresses have already been made recently. How to detect early cancer based solely on invisible carriers would be the next step of quantum dots bio-probes in clinical use, so as to develop a new detection technique with greater sensitivity, specificity, rapidity and availability.