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Flower-like ZnO nanostructures were obtained by annealing flower-like ZnOHF by a simple hydrothermal route. The experiments could be carried out under mild conditions in an inexpensive and environmental-friendly way. The surface morphology and microstructure of these as-prepared ZnO nanostructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The optical property of the prepared flower-like ZnO nanostructures was investigated by room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra as well. The PL spectra confirmed that ZnO flower-like nanostructures exhibited emission band centered at 382 nm in UV region, which came from the characteristic emission of ZnO. Meanwhile, weak and broad emission peak centered at about 540 nm, which may be come from the defects existed in ZnO nanostructures.

The spheroidal wave functions are investigated in the case $m = 1$. The integral equation is obtained for them. There are two kinds of eigenvalues in the differential and corresponding integral equations, and the relation between them is given explicitly. This is the great advantage of our integral equation, which will provide useful information through the study of the integral equation. Also an example is given for the special case, which shows another way to study the eigenvalue problem.

Ixeris sonchifolia Hance, a normal perennial herb, has effects on appendicitis, headache, menstruation, blood circulation, blood stasis, pain, fibrinolytic enzymes, thrombus formation, coronary artery, myocardial infarct size, PGI2, ET, TXA2, TNF-,?IL-6 and IL-8, etc . However, there was no full coverage about the molecular basis and gene targets of Ixeris sonchifolia injection. PubChem Database and DAVID Database had been used conjunctively to detect the gene IDs, gene targets and their functions. There were 3008 genes found in the final results, 16 kinds of definite functions had been detected, 9 of which had been proved and the effects were focused on the psychological, immune, neurological, metabolic, cardiovascular and cancer functions. Ixeris sonchifoliahad a wide effects on various symptoms, which had been reported by previous experiments and verified by this research; however its influences on aging, chemdependency, developmental, normalvariation, reproduction, pharmacogenomic and psychologic functions should be confirmed in the future experiments.

A muscle tension training device that contains series elastic actuators (SEAs) has high safety and control performance in human–machine interaction equipment. Based on the cascade impedance controller and the electromyographic (EMG) sensor signal, this paper proposes a self-adaptive gain-scheduled algorithm. The algorithm automatically adjusts the stiffness gain value according to the muscle force. Simultaneously the stable gain function of the passivity condition can ensure the interaction stability. A cascade impedance controller is the basis for ensuring the stiffness of the port and the stability of the interaction; the gain-scheduled function is derived based on the acquired EMG signal and the pre-set muscle exercise mode. Therefore, the control structure is highly efficient, safe to use and offers diverse strength training modes. The simulation and experimental results show that the stiffness gain-scheduled controller can accurately achieve matching of the force and port stiffness. Furthermore, the interaction process ensures precise stability. The gain-scheduled method can adjust the contact stiffness in real time according to the needs of the experimenter. It changes the way muscles exercise under the original constant stiffness. This method that has a personalized exercise feature provides a new solution for improving dynamic training.

BACKGROUND: We developed an evidence-based medical record for doctor-patient relationship building through an integrated therapy of traditional Chinese and Western medicine (DPEBMR) to assess the efficacy in patients with digestive system diseases. The instrument was categorized into a doctor section and a patient section. In this article, our main goal was to test the validity and reliability of the patient’s section for DPEBMR (DPEBMR-P). METHODS: One hundred patients were recruited. Doctors and patients used a predefined format to jointly record the illness. Cronbach’s α and factor analysis were used to evaluate the reliability and structure validity, respectively. RESULTS: Cronbach’s α of all 12 items from DPEBMR-P was 0.906, which demonstrated high reliability. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value was 0.811 and Bartlett’s spherical test value was 452.2 (P

This study was designed to investigate the effect of long-term electroacupuncture at Baihui (DU20) and Zusanli (ST36) on cerebral microvessels and neurons in CA1 region of hippocampus in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). A total of 45 male Wistar rats and 45 SHR were randomly grouped, with or without electroacupuncture (EA) at DU20 and ST36, once every other day for a period of 8 weeks. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured once every 2 weeks. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and the number of open microvessels in hippocampal CA1 region were detected by Laser Doppler and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Nissl staining and Western blotting were performed, respectively, to determine hippocampus morphology and proteins that were implicated in the concerning signaling pathways. The results showed that the MAP in SHR increased linearly over the observation period and was significantly reduced following electroacupuncture as compared with sham control SHR rats, while no difference was observed in Wistar rats between EA and sham control. The CBF, learning and memory capacity, and capillary rarefaction of SHR were improved by EA. The upregulation of angiotensin II type I receptor (AT1R), endothelin receptor (ETAR), and endothelin-1 (ET-1) in SHR rats was attenuated by electroacupuncture, suggesting an implication of AT1R, ETAR, and ET-1 pathway in the effect of EA.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Wenxin Keli (WXKL) alone or combined with Western medicine in treating ventricular premature complexes (VPCs) with heart failure (HF).We searched five databases to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published before May 2016. Two review authors independently searched and screened the literature, extracted the data as well as assessed the methodological quality of the included studies by using criteria from the Cochrane Handbook, and analyzed via using Review Manager 5.3 software.Eight studies of WXKL were included. The results of the Meta-analysis showed that WXKL was more significant on the frequency of VPCs (MD=-427.08, 95% CI: -526.73∼-327.43, P0.01), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (MD=-4.12, 95% CI: 2.97∼5.27, P0.01), the total effect of VPCs (RR=0.48, 95% CI: 0.34∼0.69, P0.01) and 6-min walking test (MD=28.05, 95% CI: 19.56∼36.54, P0.01). The treatment group presented a significant reduction at left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVED) (MD=-3.94, 95% CI: -6.57∼-1.31, P0.01) when treatment time was 12 weeks, however, there was no statistical difference at 8 weeks. In addition, the included trials generally showed low methodological quality.Wenxin Keli may be effective and safe for treating VPCs and HF. However, further RCTs of larger scale, multi-center/country, longer follow-up periods, and higher quality are still required to verify the efficacy of Wenxin Keli in ventricular premature beat with heart failure.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have been regarding as “the world’s first killer” of human beings in recent years owing to the striking morbidity and mortality, the involved molecular mechanisms are extremely complex and remain unclear. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) adheres to the aim of combating complex diseases from an integrative and holistic point of view, which has shown effectiveness in CVDs therapy. However, system-level understanding of such a mechanism of multi-scale treatment strategy for CVDs is still difficult. Here, we developed a system pharmacology approach with the purpose of revealing the underlying molecular mechanisms exemplified by a famous compound saffron formula (CSF) in treating CVDs. First, by systems ADME analysis combined with drug targeting process, 103 potential active components and their corresponding 219 direct targets were retrieved and some key interactions were further experimentally validated. Based on this, the network relationships among active components, targets and diseases were further built to uncover the pharmacological actions of the drug. Finally, a “CVDs pathway” consisted of several regulatory modules was incorporated to dissect the therapeutic effects of CSF in different pathological features-relevant biological processes. All this demonstrates CSF has multi-scale curative activity in regulating CVD-related biological processes, which provides a new potential way for modern medicine in the treatment of complex diseases.

There are two kinds of recurrence relations for the spherical functions Plm. The first are those with the same m but different l. The second are those with the same l but different m. The spheroidal functions are extensions of the spherical functions. Recurrence relations of the first kind are obtained for the spheroidal functions in recent studies. Using the shape invariance method in supersymmetric quantum mechanics, we investigate the second type of recurrence relations for the spheroidal functions. The results show that the second kind of recurrence relation can not be extended to the spheroidal functions.

The integrable properties of the spheroidal equations are investigated. The shape-invariance property is proved to be retained for the spheroidal equations, for which the recurrence relations are obtained. This is the extension of the recurrence relation of the Legendre polynomials.

It is well known that observers will be accelerated when they approach the planets. Thus, discussing the properties of accelerating observers in the Schwarzschild space is of sense. For the sake of simplicity, we can construct these observers' world lines by comparing with the observers in the Hawking effect and Unruh effect, whose world lines are both hyperbolic curves in the appropriate coordinates. We do it after defining a certain special null hypersurface in the Kruskal coordinates. Our result shows that these accelerating observers defined in our paper can also detect the radiation with the analogy of the Unruh effect, though locally. Furthermore, we conjecture that, for any null hypersurface in any spacetime, the corresponding observers who can at least locally detect the radiation from it can be found., Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, typos corrected and figures added, the version accepted by Mod.Phys.Lett.A; published version

The entropy of an arbitrarily accelerating black hole is studied. As the metric is neither axisymmetric nor stationary, its entropy is difficult to calculate. We overcome the difficulty via introduction of a new coordinate system in which ĝ00 is zero at the event horizon's surface r = rh, and calculate the entropy locally via the improved brick-wall model, that is, the thin film model with the locally thermal equilibrium satisfied. The results confirm that the entropy is proportional to its area both in the stationary space-time and non-stationary one.

In the case of the brick-wall model for a static black hole, the Bekenstein–Hawking entropy is the contributions of the fields in the vicinity of the horizon, which sometimes is called as the improved brick-wall model, or the thin film model. According to this idea, the entropy of the ‘arbitrarily accelerating’ Kinnersley black hole is computed by using the assumption of local equilibrium near the horizon. First, by the generalized tortoise coordinate transformation we get the Hawking radiation temperature and spectrum, which indicates the particle has chemical potential originated from the acceleration of the black hole. Second, we obtain the entropy of the hole, which is proportional to its area with the same geometrical cutoff relationship as in the static case and relies on the notion of the local equilibrium crucially that can be met if the evaporation of the hole is negligible and the change of the acceleration is slow.

Given a null geodesic in Minkowski spacetime, there exists a one-parameter family of observers in 'hyperbolic' motion which approaches the null geodesic as the parameter x0 approaches zero. It is well known that the proper acceleration of the observers in the family approaches infinity as their world line approaches the null geodesic. The main purpose of this paper is to generalize this result to future-complete null geodesics in curved spacetimes.

Circadian clocks are present in most organisms to coordinate daily rhythms in physiology and behavior. The general molecular mechanisms are based on interlocked transcription-translation feedback loops driving rhythms in gene expression of a series of core clock genes. Multiple levels of regulations including transcriptional, posttranscriptional and post-translational mechanisms make circadian clock regulation more complex than once thought. Particularly, accumulating evidences have shown that miRNAs are significant players in regulating various aspects of circadian clock function. In this review, we will summarize the recent findings in the interplay of miRNAs and mammalian circadian clock and discuss future perspectives for research on the role of miRNAs played in circadian timing in health and disease.

Objective. To summarize the characteristics and analysis of relevant factors and to give references for prevention and further study of liver damage associated withPolygonum multiflorumThunb. (HSW), we provide a systematic review of case reports and case series about liver damage associated with HSW.Methods. An extensive search of 6 medical databases was performed up to June 2014. Case reports and case series involving liver damage associated with HSW were included.Results. This review covers a total of 450 cases in 76 articles. HSW types included raw and processed HSW decoction pieces and many Chinese patent medicines that contain HSW. Symptoms of liver damage occur mostly a month or so after taking the medicine, mainly including jaundice, fatigue, anorexia, and yellow or tawny urine. Of the 450 patients, two cases who received liver transplantation and seven who died, the remaining 441 cases recovered or had liver function improvement after discontinuing HSW products and conservative care.Conclusion. HSW causes liver toxicity and may cause liver damage in different degrees and even lead to death; most of them are much related to long-term and overdose of drugs. Liver damage associated with HSW is reversible, and, after active treatment, the majority can be cured. People should be alert to liver damage when taking HSW preparations.

Objective The quality and quantity of published research papers are important in both scientific and technology fields. Although there are several bibliometric studies based on citation analysis, very few have focused on research related to Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. Methods The bibliometric method used in this study included the following focuses: publication outputs for each year, paper type, language of publication, distribution of internationally collaborative countries, sources of funding, authorization number, distribution of institutes regarding collaborative publications, research fields, distribution of outputs in journals, citation data, and h-index. Results A total of 3809 papers published from 1995 to 2012 were extracted from the science citation index (SCI). The cumulative number of papers from all six universities is constantly increasing. The United States attained the dominant position regarding complementary and alternative medicine research. The Chinese Academy of Sciences was the greatest participator in collaborative efforts. Research field analysis showed that the research mainly focused on pharmacology pharmacy, chemistry, integrative complementary medicine, plant sciences, and biochemistry molecular biology. The Shanghai University of Chinese Medicine had the most citations. Conclusion In recent years, in terms of SCI papers, the six Traditional Chinese Medicine universities studied here have made great advances in scientific research.

To provide evidence-based recommendations for clinical application and provoke thoughts for future researchers by conducting a comprehensive summary and evaluation of the current evidence profile for the role of Chinese medicine (CM) in treating myocardial infarction (MI). Online databases including PubMed, EMBase, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Medicine (CBM), VIP Journal Integration Platform, and Wanfang database were systematically searched for literatures on CM in treating MI. After screening, studies were categorized into 5 types, i.e. systematic review (SR), randomized controlled trial (RCT), observational study, case report and basic research. General information was abstracted, and the quality levels of these studies and their conclusions were summarized and assessed. A total of 452 studies including 10 SRs, 123 RCTs, 47 observational studies, 28 case reports, and 244 basic researches were selected. Clinical studies centered primarily on herbal decoction and mostly were not rigorously performed. High-quality studies were predominantly on Chinese patent medicines (CPMs) such as Danshen Injection (丹参注射液), Shenmai Injection (参麦注射液), Shengmai Injection (生脉注射液) and Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pills (芪参益气滴丸). The most frequently observed pattern of drug combination was decoction plus injection. Results of SRs and clinical studies showed that CM may reduce mortality, decrease risk of complication, reduce myocardial injury, improve cardiac function and inhibit ventricular remodeling. Findings from basic researches also supported the positive role of CM in reducing infarct size and myocardial injury, promoting angiogenesis, preventing ventricular remodeling and improving cardiac function. According to the current evidence body, CM has proven effects in the prevention and treatment of MI. It is also found that the effects of CPMs vary with indications. For instance, Shenmai Injection has been found to be especially effective for reducing the incidence of acute clinical events, while CPMs with qi-nourishing and bloodcirculating properties have been proven to be effective in inhibiting ventricular remodeling. High quality evidence supports the use of CM injection for acute MI and CPM for secondary prevention. Reports on adverse events and other safety outcomes associated with CM for MI are scarce. Sufficient evidence supported the use of CM as an adjuvant to Western medicine for preventing and treating MI. The choice of drug use varies with disease stage and treatment objective. However, the quality of the evidence body remains to be enhanced.

Tumor progression is supported by the lymphatic system which should be scanned efficiently for tumor staging as well as the enhanced therapeutic outcomes. Poor resolution and low sensitivity is a limitation of traditional lymphatic imaging modalities; thus new noninvasive approaches like nanocarriers, magnetic resonance imaging, positron-emission tomography, and quantum dots are advantageous. Some newer modalities, which are under development, and their potential uses will also be discussed in this review.

DNA strand displacement which is an approach of dynamic nanotechnology has been widely used in constructing of molecular logic circuit, molecular automata and nanomedicine and so on. DNA strand displacement is enormous capable of implementation of logical calculation which plays a critical role in the acquirement of bio-computer. In our paper, the multi-digit full adder which is based on the reaction of DNA strand displacement is designed and has been verified by simulation of DSD (DNA strand displacement). The accuracy of simulation result further confirmed DNA strand displacement is a valid method for the research of logical bio-chemical circuit.

Background : Type II diabetes has become a serious threat to human health in recent years. Among adults above 20 years old in China, the prevalence rate of diabetes is 9.7%. Thus, it is imperative to study the mechanisms underlying type II diabetes to develop effective therapeutic treatments. Objective : To examine metabolic changes in a rat model of type II diabetes and explore mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in this model. 120 rats were divided into four groups, including a control group, a high-fat diet group (high-fat diet and streptozotocin injection), a TCM group (high-fat diet, streptozotocin injection, followed by TCM administration), and a rosiglitazone maleate group (high-fat diet, streptozotocin injection, followed by rosiglitazone maleate administration). Metabolites in urine samples from 1-3 weeks (time point 1) and 4-6 weeks (time point 2) of drug administration were compared by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results : Our results showed that in the high-fat diet group, at time point 2, the levels of dihydroxybenzoic acid, L-ascorbic acid, D-gluconic acid, octadecanoic acid, and glutaric acid in urine were significantly higher than at time point 1. In the TCM group, at time point 2, the urine levels of L-ascorbic acid were markedly lower than at time point 1. Conclusion : Our studies demonstrated that examining urine metabolic changes provided important insights into the mechanisms underlying type II diabetes as well as the therapeutic effects of TCM. Key words : Type II diabetes; Urine metabonomics; Traditional Chinese Medicine; Rat Model

Electromagnetic fields yielding plane symmetric metrics in higher-dimensional spacetimes are exhausted and classified. It is shown that these EM fields must fall into one of the following two cases: (i)F it =F iz =0,i=1,...,n; (ii)Ftz=0. We give the general solution to the Einstein-Maxwell equations in higher dimensions corresponding to electromagnetic fields of case (ii) withF it =F iz , which covers all even-dimensional spacetimes as well as a subcase of odd-dimensional spacetimes.

Integral equations for the spin-weighted spheroidal wave functions is given. For the prolate spheroidal wave function with m=0, there exists the integral equation whose kernel is(sin x)/x, and the sinc function kernel (sin x)/x is of great mathematical significance. In the paper, we also extend the similar sinc function kernel (sin x)/x to the case m and s both are not zero, which interestingly turn out as some kind of Hankel transformation.

Given a null geodesic $\gamma_0(\lambda)$ with a point $r$ in $(p,q)$ conjugate to $p$ along $\gamma_0(\lambda)$, there will be a variation of $\gamma_0(\lambda)$ which will give a time-like curve from $p$ to $q$. This is a well-known theory proved in the famous book\cite{2}. In the paper we prove that the time-like curves coming from the above-mentioned variation have a proper acceleration which approaches infinity as the time-like curve approaches the null geodesic. This means no observer can be infinitesimally near the light and begin at the same point with the light and finally catch the light. Only separated from the light path finitely, does the observer can begin at the same point with the light and finally catch the light., Comment: 6 pages, no figures, submited to Physical Review D

We present a series of studies to solve the spin-weighted spheroidal wave equation by using the method of super-symmetric quantum mechanics. We first obtain the first four terms of super-potential of the spin-weighted spheroidal wave equation in the case of s = 1. These results may help summarize the general form for the n-th term of the super-potential, which is proved to be correct by means of induction. Then we compute the eigen-values and the eigenfunctions for the ground state. Finally, the shape-invariance property is proved and the eigen-values and eigenfunctions for excited states are obtained. All the results may be of significance for studying the electromagnetic radiation processes near rotating black holes and computing the radiation reaction in curved space-time.

Confined to the second derivative of the variation of a null geodesic, the proper acceleration of the timelike curves obtained from the variation goes infinity as they approach the null geodesic except that the variation vector is a generalized Jacobi field on the null geodesic and the second variation β2 is constant on the null geodesic.