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Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disease, and the diagnosis of LCH is mainly based on clinical manifestation, imaging and pathological examinations. But during pregnancy, imaging examinations especially play an important role in the diagnosis and prognostic assessment of fetal LCH. Up to now, there has been no report about magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of fetal LCH. We reported a 32-year-old woman at 36 weeks' gestation took fetal MRI because of fetal anomalies diagnosed by ultrasonography. On the fetus's MR images, the thymus was slightly enlarged with smooth or lobulated contour in supra anterior mediastinum, displayed heterogeneous signals and contained multiple small cysts on T2WI. Innumerable irregular nodules and patchy shadows were present throughout both lungs. Pulmonary lesions were bilateral and diffuse with relative sparing of the costophrenic angles. The margins of these lesions were fluffy and indistinct. These lesions showed heterogeneous signals on T2WI. MRI showed no lesions in skin region. After birth, lots of round or oval skin lesions distributed all over the baby's body presenting as ulcerated or blister-like rashes. The chest computer tomography (CT) showed punctate calcification and heterogeneous enhancement in the thymus and bilateral diffuse reticular or reticulonodular opacities in both lungs with fluffy and indistinct margins. Pathological finding was consistent with LCH. Through reporting MRI features of LCH in one fetus, this study aims to improve awareness of fetal LCH in radiologists and clinicians, to improve the prenatal diagnostic rate of this disorder.

One of the critical challenges that limit broad commercialization of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) is to reduce the usage of Pt while maintaining high power output and sufficient durability. Herein, a novel bi-functional layer consisting of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) and nanoparticles of Pt-Co catalysts (Pt-Co/VACNTs) is reported for high-performance PEMFCs. Readily prepared by a two-step process, the Pt-Co/VACNTs layer with a hydrophilic catalyst-loaded side and a hydrophobic gas diffusion side enables a PTFE-free electrode structure with fully exposed catalyst active sites and superior gas–water diffusion capability. When tested in a PEMFC, the bi-functional Pt-Co/VACNTs layer with ultralow Pt loading (~65 μg cm) demonstrates a power density of 19.5 kW g at 0.6 V, more than seven times that of a cell with commercial Pt/C catalyst (2.7 kW g at 0.6 V) at a loading of 400 μg cm tested under similar conditions. This remarkable design of VACNTs-based catalyst with dual functionalities enables much lower Pt loading, faster mass transport, and higher electrochemical performance and stability. Further, the preparation procedure can be easily scaled up for low-cost fabrication and commercialization.

Lead halide perovskite and organic solar cells (PSCs and OSCs) are considered as the prime candidates currently for clean energy applications due to their solution and low-temperature processibility. Nevertheless, the substantial photon loss in near-infrared (NIR) region and relatively large photovoltage deficit need to be improved to enable their uses in high-performance solar cells. To mitigate these disadvantages, low-bandgap organic bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) layer into inverted PSCs to construct facile hybrid solar cells (HSCs) is integrated. By optimizing the BHJ components, an excellent power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 23.80%, with a decent open-circuit voltage (Voc ) of 1.146 V and extended photoresponse over 950 nm for rigid HSCs is achieved. The resultant devices also exhibit superior long-term (over 1000 h) ambient- and photostability compared to those from single-component PSCs and OSCs. More importantly, a champion PCE of 21.73% and excellent mechanical durability can also be achieved in flexible HSCs, which is the highest efficiency reported for flexible solar cells to date. Taking advantage of these impressive device performances, flexible HSCs into a power source for wearable sensors to demonstrate real-time temperature monitoring are successfully integrated.

A self-standing nonwoven flexible Li4Ti5O12/carbon nanofiber composite (denoted LTO/CNF) is synthesized via a facile method involving the electrospinning fabrication of CNF and chemical deposition of LTO over the CNF surface. Powder X-ray diffraction patterns, scanning electron microscopy analyses, and transmission electron microscope analyses showed that the LTO/CNF film is composed of 50±20 nm-diameter LTO polycrystalline particles distributed over 300±50 nm-diameter CNF nanofibers. Nitrogen sorption isotherm further revealed the existence of mesopores in the LTO/CNF film. The as-prepared LTO/CNF composite exhibits attractive rate capability for LIBs, delivering initial specific capacities of 158, 153, 146, 138, 131, 122 and 109 mA h g-1 at rates of 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 C, respectively, and every stable cycling performance during 500 charge and discharge cycles at 20 C, which is much superior to electrodes made of commercial coarse-type LTO anodes. In addition, the electrochemical impedance is effectively reduced by fabricating the unique electrode architecture, which originates from the improved 3D conducting network and nanocrystalline size of the LTO active phase. Electrospinning of CNF and chemical deposition of a nanocrystalline LTO phase proves to be an effective and facile method to develop anodes for flexible LIBs with a wide range of potential applications.

The incorporation of β-carotene, one of the most common pigments or bioactives, into food formulations has attracted increasing interest from the food industry, due to its good nutrition and potential health effects. However, it is poorly soluble and unstable in water, which greatly limits its applications in foods. This work presented an effective approach to improve the water dispersibility, stability and even bioaccessibility of β-carotene, using soy protein isolate (SPI) to perform as effective nanocarriers for this molecule.; Results: The complexation with SPI remarkably improved the water dispersibility and stability against heating and freeze-drying of β-carotene. However, the encapsulation efficiency and stability of β-carotene in the nanocomplexes with SPI were closely dependent on the applied β-carotene-to-protein ratio, at which the complexation occurred. The best improvement of stability was observed at appropriate β-carotene-to-protein ratios, e.g. 10-20 g kg-1 . The complexation with β-carotene mainly occurred on the surface of SPI nanoparticles, through hydrophobic interactions. The complexation resulted in inter-particle aggregation, in a concentration-dependent manner. Almost all of the β-carotene molecules in the nanocomplexes could be progressively released into the aqueous phase.; Conclusion: SPI exhibits a good potential to perform as a nanocarrier for enhanced water dispersibility, stability and bioaccessibility of β-carotene. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.; © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that affect a typical non-green consumption behaviour among Chinese consumers. A conceptual framework was developed and an empirical study was conducted using a geographically diverse sample of Chinese consumers. Based on the consumer choice theory, the conceptual framework in the current study included both economic and non-economic factors. Ten research hypotheses were developed under the framework. A survey was conducted among 600 consumers in four cities in China in 2013. Confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical regression analysis were used for hypothesis testing. The empirical results showed that consumer preference, reference groups, and face perception have a significantly positive effect on the consumers’ non-green consumption behaviour; whereas budget constraints and social responsibility consciousness have a significantly negative effect on the consumers’ non-green consumption behaviour. Furthermore, the current research demonstrated that the relationships between consumer non-green behaviour and its four antecedents – budget constraint, reference groups, social responsibility consciousness and face perception – are significantly moderated by extravagant atmosphere; whereas the relationship between consumer non-green behaviour and consumer preference is not moderated by extravagant atmosphere.

Currently, there are only very few dopant‐free polymer hole‐transporting materials (HTMs) that can enable perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) to demonstrate a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of greater than 20%. To address this need, a simple and efficient way is developed to synthesize novel crossconjugated polymers as high performance dopant‐free HTMs to endow PVSCs with a high PCE of 21.3%, which is among the highest values reported for single‐junction inverted PVSCs. More importantly, rational understanding of the reasons why two isomeric polymer HTMs (PPE1 and PPE2) with almost identical photophysical properties, hole‐transporting ability, and surface wettability deliver so distinctly different device performance under similar device fabrication conditions is manifested. PPE2 is found to improve the quality of perovskite films cast on top with larger grain sizes and more oriented crystallization. These results help unveil the new HTM design rules to influence the perovskite growth/crystallization for improving the performance of inverted PVSCs., Two isomeric crossconjugated polymer hole‐transporting materials (HTMs) are developed to demonstrate significantly distinct device power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) under the same device fabrication conditions, 11.1% PPE1 and 19.3% for PPE2, which is found to be due to the improved quality of perovskite films made on top of PPE2. More excitingly, the PPE2‐based perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) can further achieve a more impressive PCE of 21.3% through suitable surface passivation.

N-Fluorobenzenesulfonimide was used for the first time as a catalyst to carry out the three-component synthesis of isoquinuclidines with the use of various cyclohexenone (1), benzaldehydes (2), and anilines (3). The yields up to 80% and the endo/exo stereoselectivity ratios up to 19:81 were achieved.

Purpose To develop an unsupervised method for measuring quantitative three-dimensional regional strain in the left ventricular wall from tagged cardiac MR images. Materials and Methods A total of 10 normal human volunteers and eight patients with myocardial infarction were imaged using a parallel tagged imaging protocol. Each study was analyzed using the combined tag tracking and strain reconstruction (COTTER) algorithm. In contrast to existing techniques, which first track tag lines independently in each slice, then reconstruct myocardial deformation, the COTTER algorithm fits a three-dimensional cardiac deformation model directly to the image data. This approach ensures that tag line positions identified in the image data are consistent from slice to slice. A total of 10 imaging studies (six normals, four patients) were used to optimize parameters of the COTTER algorithm. Results In the remaining eight imaging studies, the root-mean-square difference between tags tracked by COTTER and user-supervised analysis was 0.66 pixels at end-systole. The correlation coefficient between circumferential shortening strains at end-systole computed by COTTER and user-supervised analysis was 0.84 (P < 0.005) at the midwall. Conclusion The COTTER algorithm can compute accurate measurements of three-dimensional regional strain without user supervision. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2005;21:12–22. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Microencapsulation is an effective strategy to improve the storage stability of β-carotene. This article investigated the potential and effectiveness of soy protein isolate (SPI) and octenylsuccinic anhydride-modified starch (MS), alone or in combination (1:1, w/w), to encapsulate β-carotene by spray drying. The results indicated that the microcapsule with MS exhibited much lower encapsulation efficiency (NE) and poorer dissolution behavior, but much better redispersion behavior, than that with SPI or its blends with MS. The NE was basically unaffected by total solid content (TC) or core/wall ratio; increasing the TC impaired the dissolution and/or redispersion behavior. The dispersion behavior was closely associated with the morphology of the microcapsules. The encapsulated β-carotene suffered a progressive loss upon storage under high humid or temperature environment, but it exhibited extraordinary stability at low temperatures (e.g., 4°C). The β-carotene degradation was independent of sunlight. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40399.

α-End-functionalized polymers and macromonomers of β-pinene were synthesized by living cationic isomerization polymerization in CH2Cl2 at −40°C initiated with the HCl adducts [1; CH3CH(OCH2CH2X)Cl; X = chloride (1a), acetate (1b), and methacrylate (1c)] of vinyl ethers carrying pendant substituents X that serve as terminal functionalities. In conjunction with TiCl3(OiPr) and nBu4NCl, these functionalized initiators led to living β-pinene polymerization where the carbon–chlorine bond of 1 was activated by TiCl3(OiPr). Similarly, end-functionalized poly(p-methylstyrene)-block-poly(β-pinene) were also obtained. 1H-NMR analysis showed that the polymers possess controlled molecular weights (DPn = [M]0/[1]0) and number-average end functionalities close to unity. The end-functionalized methacrylate-capped macromonomers form 1c were radically copolymerized with methyl methacrylate (MMA) to give graft copolymers carrying poly(β-pinene) or poly(p-methylstyrene)-block-poly(β-pinene) as graft chains attached to a PMMA backbone. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 1423–1430, 1997

Familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis has been linked in 15% of families to mutations in the gene encoding for copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD), a key enzyme in the cellular defense mechanisms against free radical attack. We used a transgenic mouse model of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (transgenic G1H mice) based on expression of mutant human Cu/Zn-SOD to examine the influence of the transgene expression on midbrain dopaminergic neurons, cells that contain conspicuous amounts of this enzyme. At the time that 50% of motor neurons of the spinal cord were lost, we observed concurrent reductions in dopamine levels in the caudate-putamen and the nucleus accumbens of transgenic G1H mice. In addition, numbers of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunostained neurons were significantly reduced in both the substantia nigra (26%) and the ventral tegmental area (16%) compared to those in their nontransgenic littermates. Similar abnormalities were not observed in the brains of transgenic mice overexpressing wild-type Cu/Zn-SOD. These findings indicate that overexpression of the mutated Cu/Zn-SOD protein caused a significant loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons in addition to the loss of spinal motor neurons. The potential of the mutated enzyme to induce cell death extending beyond the motor neurons is consistent with the description of substantia nigra degeneration in some patients with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Furthermore, if mutated Cu/Zn-SOD is conclusively shown to kill cells by oxidative stress, such an observation would be in keeping with the known sensitivity of dopaminergic neurons to free radical attack.

N-Fluorobenzenesulfonimide was used for the first time as a catalyst to carry out the three-component synthesis of isoquinuclidines with the use of various cyclohexenone (1), benzaldehydes (2), and anilines (3). The yields up to 80% and the endo/exo stereoselectivity ratios up to 19:81 were achieved.

The polymerization of β-pinene with the AlCl3/SbCl3 binary catalyst was investigated in toluene at −40°C and was compared with that of α-pinene. The polymerization of β-pinene with AlCl3 alone was very rapid and retarded on addition of SbCl3, in sharp contrast to that of α-pinene where added SbCl3 remarkably accelerated it to give relatively high molecular weight oligomers. Attempted copolymerization of the two isomers with the binary catalyst, in turn, induced their parallel homopolymerizations, indicating that the copolymerization was difficult due to the large difference in reactivity. The homopolymerizations with AlCl3/SbCl3 were not seriously affected by a sterically hindered base, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylpyridine (DTBMP); the initiating species, therefore, would be different in nature from a proton. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

An efficient and general two-step halogenation procedure to prepare diethyl α,α-bromofluorophosphonates was described, which included bromination by PPh3, 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzquinone (DDQ) and n-Bu4NBr, and electrophilic fluorination by N-fluorobisbenzenesulfonimide (NFSI). Both aromatic and aliphatic α,α-bromofluorophosphonates could be prepared by this method.

In the presence of nucleophilic additives such as esters (ethyl benzoate, acetate, and chloroacetate), ethers (diethyl ether and 1,4-dioxane), and ammonium salts (nBu4NCl), oligomers of α-pinene with relatively high molecular weights (Mn ≥ 1000) were obtained with the AlCl3/SbCl3 binary catalyst in toluene at 0°C ([AlCl3]0 = 42,5 mmol · L−1, Sb/Al = 0,50, [additive]0 = 10,6 mmol · L−1). The yield was 80–90 wt.-%, and the dimer content was as low as 6 wt.-%. Also in the polymerization at 25°C, the addition of ethyl benzoate increased the oligomer's average molecular weight (Mn = 850) and decreased the dimer content (10 wt.-%), in contrast to the low Mn (350) and the high dimer content (40 wt.-%) in the absence of the additive. The oligomers obtained in the presence of ethyl benzoate contained the repeating unit 1 which has an endo-olefin group, at higher ratio than in the absence of the additive. Phenomenologically, the role of the additives is to retard the polymerization so as to proceed at a moderate rate even at high temperature above 0°C and thereby to suppress the dimer formation.

A series of metal halides (AlCl3, AlBr3, AlEtCl2, BF3 · OEt2, SnCl4, TiCl4, and WCl6) were employed in conjunction with antimony trichloride (SbCl3) for the cationic polymerization of α-pinene in toluene at −15°C. The combinations of aluminium halides (AlCl3, AlBr3, and AlEtCl2) with SbCl3 gave high molecular weight oligomers (Mn ≥ 700) in good yield (>80 wt.-%) with low dimer contents (5–17 wt.%). The other metal halides, both in the absence and presence of SbCl3, gave large amounts (20–40 wt.-%) of dimers along with low molecular weight oligomers. 1H NMR analysis of the obtained oligomers showed that they consist of two isomerized repeating units, one (1) unsaturated (with a cyclohexene ring) and the other (2) saturated (with a bornyl structure). The oligomers obtained with aluminium halides/SbCl3 contained higher amounts of unsaturated units 1 than those with aluminium halides alone. The higher the molecular weight, the larger the content of 1. Isomerization of α-pinene slightly occurred in the course of the polymerization, and the structure of the isomers depended on the catalyst systems. These results show that the aluminium halide/SbCl3 binary systems promote the ring-opening of the cyclobutane unit in α-pinene to give higher molecular weight oligomers.

Oligomers of α-pinene (1) with relatively high molecular weight (number-average molecular weight Mn = 1140, weight-average molecular weight Mw = 2590) were obtained with the binary catalyst AlCl3/SbCl3 in toluene at − 15°C ([AlCl3]0 = 42,5 mmol · L−1, mole ratio SbCl3/AlCl3 = 0,50). The yield was higher than 90%, and the dimer content was as low as 5 wt.-%. In contrast, AlCl3 alone gave predominantly dimers and lower oligomers in poor yield, whereas SbCl3 had no catalytic activity for 1.1H NMR analysis reveled that the structure of the higher-molecular-weight fraction (Mn = 2920, Mw = 3690) of the oligomers obtained with AlCl3/SbCl3 is 6, which consists of a cyclohexene ring with an endo-olefin group, most likely derived from the cationic monomer isomerization of α-pinene via the ring-opening of the cyclobutane unit. Effects of the reaction conditions on the polymerization rate and molecular weight were also investigated.

We describe a 6 month-old girl with a 49, XX-XXX chromosome constitution. The patient had a characteristic round face, a low hairline, hypertelorism, epicanthus, a long philtrum, high-arched palate, short and webbed neck, small hands and feet, clinodactyly of the fifth fingers, overlapping toes, and separation between the first and the second toes. She also had atrial septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus complicated by myocarditis which exacerbated the course of her congestive heart failure. Psychomotor development was retarded with opisthotonoid posture, axial hypotonia, and with a borderline abnormal EEG. A densitometric, transmission analysis on X-linked polymorphic DNA-fragments of the Southern blots of the patient and the parents, using P20/MspI and pERT87-1/XmnI as probe/enzyme combinations, showed that the pentasomy X had resulted from 3 successive nondisjunctions at maternal meiosis. Clinical manifestations among 22 previously reported penta X syndrome patients are also reviewed.

This study consisted of 1) molecular deletion analyses in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) using the entire cDNA for the DMD gene as hybridization probes, 2) RFLP analyses in a large number of Japanese normal women using 11 DMD-linked cloned DNAs as probes, and 3) segregation analyses with these RFLP data in 17 DMD families in which prenatal or carrier diagnosis was required. The deletion study showed that 18 (43%) of 42 male DMD patients had a deletion within the DMD gene, while no detectable deletion was found in 3 BMD patients. These deletions were preferentially observed at the 5' end of the DMD gene, while no deletion was found in the 3' portion of the gene. Of a total of 15 RFLPs detected with the 11 probes, one was a new RFLP (probe/enzyme: P20/MspI). In 6 RFLPs, the allele frequencies in the Japanese were statistically different from those in the Caucasian. Based on the RFLP data combined with the result of the deletion study, an estimated diagnostic rate for prenatal diagnosis and/or carrier detection in the Japanese DMD families was 63%. The real diagnostic rate obtained from the prenatal and carrier diagnoses, which were practically performed in 17 families, corresponded to the estimation. A protocol useful for the diagnosis in Japanese DMD families is presented.