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Index data distribution is an important approach that provides parallelism and can improve the usability of a distributed parallel database. B+ tree is a storage structure, which perfectly fits for distributed and parallel indexing, and the distributed B+ tree is adopted to index the massive and rapidly increasing data available in a distributed network. This paper proposes an index data distribution strategy using distributed parallel B+ tree in a distributed network environment. In our proposal, the basic data distribution strategy can improve the efficiency of a query by utilizing a data fragment method based on the scope of value, and the replica distribution can be adjusted dynamically, according to the number of system access. The performance evaluation and experiment results show that this index data distribution strategy can improve the query's efficiency and load balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a versatile acoustic resonator that can be built by an undergraduate student and used to demonstrate several concepts of the kinetic theory of gases and wave mechanics. Although simple, the apparatus has a very high Q-factor. Because of this high Q-factor, the error in measuring the Boltzmann constant is limited by the accuracy of the effective length of the resonator. The closed geometry of the resonator allows the use of different types of pure gases as well as measurements of the concentration of binary mixtures of known gases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the current investigation was to design, synthesize and demonstrate the anticancer and apoptotic activity of trifluoromethyl-phenyl-triazolyl derivative of beta-bisabolol (TTB) in ME-180 human cervical cancer cells. MTT and clonogenic assays were used to evaluate the cell viability and colony formation tendencies of the cells respectively. Phase contrast and fluorescence microscopic investigations were used to evaluate the effect of TTB on cellular morphology and apoptosis. Flow cytometric analysis using fluorescent CMDCFH2- DA were used to study the effect of TTB on reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. The results revealed that TTB significantly inhibited the proliferation of ME-180 human cervical cancer cells in a time-dependent as well as dose-dependent manner. TTB has the capacity to inhibit both anchorage dependent as well as anchorage independent growth of ME-180 cervical cancer cells. TTB-treated cells revealed chromatin condensation, fragmented nuclei and nuclear shrinkage. A 3-fold increase of ROS production was seen after 72 μM TTB treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines how various types of attention cueing and cognitive preference affect learners' comprehension of a cardiovascular system and cognitive load. EFL learners were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: non-signal, static-blood-signal, static-blood-static-arrow-signal, and animation-signal. The results indicated that attention cueing yielded similar performance but helped reduce the learners' mental load. No interaction effects between cognitive style and the experimental conditions on the learners' total score and cognitive load were observed. Both high- and low-visualizers benefited equally well from attention cueing. However, an interaction effect in one subtest was observed indicating that attention cueing can result in learning interference among high-visualizers. Contrary to the hypothesis, the presence of attention cueing did not optimize conceptual understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Degradation due to molten salt attack is one of the failure mechanisms of thermal barrier coatings. Thermochemical attack of the salt mixture Na 2 SO 4 –30 mol% NaVO 3 on ZrO 2 –8 mol% YO 1.5 (8YSZ) at 1100 °C for different times was investigated. In the present study, 8YSZ powder was synthesized using co-precipitation route. The graded morphologies and phase compositions were examined using SEM, XRD and Raman before and after hot corrosion test. The results obtained from XRD have shown that m-ZrO 2 and YVO 4 were the main corrosion products after hot corrosion test at 1100 °C. The results obtained from SEM and EDS observations have shown that large polyhedron crystals of m-ZrO 2 and rod-like crystals of YVO 4 formed as hot corrosion products after hot corrosion test for 6 h and 24 h. The phase transformation and chemical interaction are the primary corrosion mechanisms for degradation of 8YSZ ceramic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the demonstration of a reconfigurable aluminum nitride (AlN) piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonator using phase change material (PCM) programmable vias. Two 10\-\mu \textm\times 10\-\mu \textm Ge50Te50 PCM programmable vias are monolithically integrated with a piezoelectric MEMS resonator, and used to dynamically reconfigure the terminal connections of its top and bottom electrodes, which determine the distribution of the electric field across the piezoelectric layer and therefore the equivalent electrical impedance of the resonator. The ability to reconfigure the device to operate in four different states is experimentally demonstrated: 1) lateral field excitation mode (both vias ${{{\scriptstyle OFF}}} ); 2) resonator static capacitance, C0\approx 484~fF ; 3) motional resistance, Rm\approx 320~\Omega ; 4) thickness field excitation mode-high impedance (via 1 ${{{\scriptstyle ON}}} , C0\approx 564~fF ; Rm\approx 470~\Omega ) ; 5) thickness field excitation mode-low impedance (via 2 ${{\mathbf{\scriptstyle ON}}} , C0\approx 1459~fF ; Rm\approx 155~\Omega ) ; and 6) SHORT (both vias ${{\mathbf{\scriptstyle ON}}}$ , the resonator is reconfigured into a short circuit). This paper sets a milestone toward the demonstration of an innovative technology platform, based on the monolithic integration of AlN resonators and PCM switches, capable of delivering highly reconfigurable radio frequency components, enabling new radio architectures with enhanced spectrum coverage. [2015-0040] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracking multiple moving targets from a video plays an important role in many vision-based robotic applications. In this paper, we propose an improved Gaussian mixture probability hypothesis density (GM-PHD) tracker with weight penalization to effectively and accurately track multiple moving targets from a video. First, an entropy-based birth intensity estimation method is incorporated to eliminate the false positives caused by noisy video data. Then, a weight-penalized method with multi-feature fusion is proposed to accurately track the targets in close movement. For targets without occlusion, a weight matrix that contains all updated weights between the predicted target states and the measurements is constructed, and a simple, but effective method based on total weight and predicted target state is proposed to search the ambiguous weights in the weight matrix. The ambiguous weights are then penalized according to the fused target features that include spatial-colour appearance, histogram of oriented gradient and target area and further re-normalized to form a new weight matrix. With this new weight matrix, the tracker can correctly track the targets in close movement without occlusion. For targets with occlusion, a robust game-theoretical method is used. Finally, the experiments conducted on various video scenarios validate the effectiveness of the proposed penalization method and show the superior performance of our tracker over the state of the art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

of the study: The prognostic value of the detection of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in gastric cancer has been studied intensely in recent years. However, the application of different technologies led to inconsistent results between the studies. Here, we performed a meta-analysis of published studies to summarise the evidence. Material and methods: Medline and ISI Web of Knowledge were searched up to March 2013 using "circulating tumor cells" and "gastric cancer" as search terms. Hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for prognostic outcomes and clinical characteristics were extracted from each study. Pooled hazard ratios (HR) and odds ratios (OR) were calculated using random or ?xed-effects models. Results: Twelve studies enrolling 774 patients were included. The combined HR estimate for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and progression- free survival (PFS) were 1.41 (95% CI: 1.28-1.62), 2.99 (95% CI: 2.01-4.45) and 1.64 (95% CI: 1.02- 2.62), respectively. Subgroup analysis concerning detection methods and sampling time showed that results of RT-PCR for the OS group and RT-PCR for the DFS group suggest a prognostic significance of CTC detection (pooled HR [95% CI]: 1.45 [1.28-1.65], I2 = 38%, p = 0.13; 2.99 [2.01-4.45], I2 = 0%, p = 0.32). In addition, results of the baseline CTC detection group also indicated a significant prognostic value to predict OS and DFS (pooled HR [95% CI]: 1.47 [1.19-1.82], I2 = 38%, p = 0.14; 2.99 [2.01-4.45], I2 = 0%, p = 0.32). We simultaneously found that the detection of CTCs correlated with pathological stage (pooled OR [95% CI]: 2.95 [1.65-5.28], I2 = 56%, p = 0.03), lymph node status (pooled OR [95% CI]: 2.26 [1.50-3.41], I2 = 37%, p = 0.09), the depth of invasion (pooled OR [95% CI]: 3.21 [1.38- 7.43], I2 = 72%, p = 0.002), and distant metastasis (pooled OR [95% CI]: 2.68 [1.25-5.73], I2 = 43%, p = 0.15). Conclusions: Detection of CTCs is associated with poorer prognosis in gastric cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ageing brings about the gradual deterioration of the immune system, also known as immunosenescence. The role of non-coding circular RNA in immunosenescence is under studied. Using circular RNA microarray data, we assembled Comparison groups (C1, C2, C3 and C4) that allowed us to compare the circular RNA expression profiles between CD28(+)CD8(+) T cells and CD28(-)CD8(+) T cells isolated from healthy elderly or adult control subjects. Using a step-wise biomathematical strategy, the differentially-expressed circRNAs were identified in C1 (CD28(+)CD8(+) vs CD28(-)CD8(+)T cells in the elderly) and C4 (CD28(-)CD8(+)T cells in the elderly vs in the adult), and the commonly-expressed circRNA species from these profiles were optimized as immunosenescence biomarkers. Results: Four overlapping upregulated circular RNAs (100550, 100783, 101328 and 102592) expressed in cross-comparison between C1 and C4 were validated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Of these, only circular RNA100783 exhibited significant validation. None of the down-regulated circular RNAs were expressed in the C1 and the C4 cross-comparisons. Therefore, we further predicted circular RNA100783-targeted miRNA-gene interactions using online DAVID annotation. The analysis revealed that a circular RNA100783-targeted miRNA-mRNA network may be involved in alternative splicing, the production of splice variants, and in the regulation of phosphoprotein expression. Considering the hypothesis of splicing-related biogenesis of circRNAs, we propose that circular RNA100783 may play a role in phosphoprotein-associated functions duringCD28-related CD8(+) T cell ageing. Conclusions: This study is the first to employ circular RNA profiling to investigate circular RNA-micro RNA interactions in ageing human CD8(+)T cell populations and the accompanying loss of CD28 expression. The overlapping expression of circular RNA100783 may represent a novel biomarker for the longitudinal tracking ofCD28-related CD8(+) T cell ageing and global immunosenescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Induction of oxidative stress has a causal role in atherosclerosis. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) in oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL)-induced oxidative stress in atherosclerosis. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology was employed to decrease the expression of LOX-1 in mouse RAW264.7 macrophages and the effects of LOX-1 silencing on OxLDL-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and NADPH oxidase (NOX) expression were investigated. The in vivo effects of reducing LOX-1 were also examined in a mouse model (ApoE-/-) of high-fat diet-induced atherosclerosis. Compared with the control cells, OxLDL exposure led to a significant (P<0.05) increase in the intracellular levels of malondialdehyde and ROS and a significant decrease in the activity of superoxide dismutase. Delivery of LOX-1-targeting siRNA significantly (P<0.05) reversed the alterations in oxidative stress parameters induced by OxLDL. LOX-1 silencing downregulated the expression of NOX2, Rac1, p47phox and p22phox and impaired the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases in OxLDL-treated cells. Adenoviral delivery of LOX-1 siRNA caused a significant increase in the size of the fibrous cap and a decrease in the macrophage content in lesions, compared with the control mice. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the protein expression levels of NOX1, Rac1, p47phox and p22phox in aortic lesions were significantly lower in the LOX-1 siRNA group than in the control group. LOX-1 is implicated in OxLDL-induced oxidative stress of macrophages in atherosclerosis, which in part, involves the regulation of NADPH oxidases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the mesoporous SiO2 preparation process, Sm3+ ions are dissolved in the anhydrous ethanol solution. The ethanol solution permeates the mesoporous SiO2 then the gel is formed by sol-gel synthesis method. Such, the Sm3+ ions are absolutely introduced into the porous of the mesoporous SiO2 when the gel is dried. In this study, the mesoporous SiO2/Sm3+ composite materials were synthesized by the sol-gel synthesis method. A series of characterization means were used to evaluate the structures of the materials. The near infrared spectrum was used to evaluate the luminescent characteristics. The excitation and emission spectrum of prepared materials showed that the materials had better near infrared luminescent characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient monitor and phantom studies were carried out in the international arrival hall of Taichung Airport, Taiwan. A total of 172 thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) were used for ambient monitoring. The sites of the export conveyor, the outward face of the x-ray scanning chamber, and the x-ray image monitor were assessed as low-radiation areas because the possible annual effective doses were 0.12, 0.39, and 0.16 mSv, all less than 1 mSv per year. In addition, a phantom filled with 126 TLDs was used to simulate a 10-year-old child being exposed by the x-ray baggage scanner. The effective dose was evaluated as 3.39 ± 0.33 μSv/scan, using the tissue weighting factor of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) 103 report. This figure is a useful reference should a person be accidentally scanned by the x-ray baggage scanner. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lattice structures, including reflection lattice planes and lattice constant, of liquid-crystal blue phase I (BPI) are studied via the measurements on reflection spectrum and Kossel diagram as concentration of a chiral dopant is changed. Peaks of the reflection wavelength in BPI are mainly dominated by the lattice plane and the lattice constant, which are affected by the chiral concentration. In the chiral nematic state, as decreasing the chiral concentration the reflection peak will shift to a longer wavelength because the helical pitch linearly depends on the chiral concentration and becomes longer. However, this dependence of the chiral concentration and reflection wavelength is broken in the BPI. The reflection peak of BPI moves to a short wavelength when the chiral concentration is less due to the contraction of the lattice constant as well as helical pitch. Moreover, when the concentration of the chiral dopant increases over a certain value, a discontinuous shift in reflection peak occurs due to the production of the different lattice planes. It means that the relationship between the chiral concentration and the helical pitch in BPI is not the same as it in the chiral nematic phase and should be reconsidered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The discharging flow-rate of a lane-drop bottleneck can drop when its upstream is congested, and such capacity drop leads to additional traffic congestion as well as safety threats. Even though many studies have demonstrated that variable speed limits (VSL) can effectively delay and even avoid the occurrence of capacity drop, there lacks a simple approach for analyzing the performance of a VSL control system. In this study, we formulate the VSL control problem for the traffic system in a zone upstream to a lane-drop bottleneck based on two traffic flow models: the Lighthill–Whitham–Richards (LWR) model, which is an infinite-dimensional partial differential equation, and the link queue model, which is an ordinary differential equation and approximates the LWR model. In both models, the discharging flow-rate is determined by a recently developed model of capacity drop, and the upstream in-flux is regulated by the speed limit in the VSL zone. We first analytically study the properties of the control system with the link queue model. For an open-loop control system with a constant speed limit, we prove that a constant speed limit can introduce an uncongested equilibrium state, in addition to a congested one with capacity drop, but the congested equilibrium state is always exponentially stable. Then we apply a feedback proportional-integral (PI) controller to form a closed-loop control system, in which the congested equilibrium state and, therefore, capacity drop can be removed by both I- and PI-controllers. Both analytical and numerical results show that, with appropriately chosen controller parameters, the closed-loop control system is stable, effect, and robust. Finally, we show that the VSL strategies based on I- and PI-controllers are also stable, effective, and robust for the LWR model. Since the properties of the control system are transferable between the two models, we establish a dual approach for studying the control problems of nonlinear traffic flow systems. We also confirm that the VSL strategy is effective only if capacity drop occurs. The obtained method and insights can be useful for future studies on other traffic control methods and implementations of VSL strategies in lane-drop bottlenecks, work zones, and incident areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are essential molecular chaperones that are highly conserved across organisms. They have a pivotal function in responding to thermal stress and are responsible for many cellular functions. Here, we aimed to elucidate the possible roles of Hsp70 and Hsp90 in the life cycle of the parasitic nematode Anisakis , particularly third- and fourth-stage larvae, from cold-blooded fish to warm-blooded marine mammals or accidentally to human hosts. We examined the expression profiles of Hsp70 and Hsp90 in different developmental stages of Anisakis pegreffii . The open reading frame of Hsp70 of A. pegreffii was 1950 bp, and deduced amino acid sequence showed high homology with those of other nematodes. Heatmap analysis revealed sequence identity of Hsp70 and Hsp90 in 13 important parasitic species, human and yeast. On heatmap and phylogenetic analysis, ApHsp70 and ApHsp90 shared the highest amino acid sequence identity with other nematodes and formed a monophyletic clade. The three-dimensional (3D) structure prediction of the newly characterized ApHsp70 and known ApHsp90 gene showed highly conserved motifs between A. pegreffii and other species. Quantitative real-time PCR and western blot analysis revealed higher mRNA and protein expression for ApHsp70 and ApHsp90 in fourth- than third-stage larvae, with higher mRNA and protein expression for ApHsp70 than ApHsp90. ApHsp70 and ApHsp90 may play important roles in Anisakis in response to thermal stress and might be important molecules in the development of A. pegreffii , which has implications for its control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are known to prevent ischemic brain damage after stroke. Natriuretic peptides, which are increased by a neprilysin inhibitor, are also reported to protect against brain damage. Therefore, we investigated the possible protective effect of valsartan (VAL) compared with LCZ696 (VAL+ neprilysin inhibitor; 1:1) after middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. Eight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were treated with VAL (3 mg/kg per day) or LCZ696 (6 mg/kg per day) for 2 weeks before MCA occlusion. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured by telemetry. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was determined by laser-Doppler flowmetry. Ischemic area was evaluated by triphenytetrasodium chloride staining, and oxidative stress was determined by dihydroethidium staining. Blood pressure and heart rate were not significantly different before and after treatment. Pre-treatment with LCZ696 or VAL reduced the ischemic area, and this effect of LCZ696 was more marked than that of VAL pre-treatment. The decrease in CBF in the peripheral region of the ischemic area was significantly attenuated by pre-treatment with LCZ696 or VAL, without any significant effect on CBF in the core region. VAL or LCZ696 pre-treatment significantly decreased the increase of superoxide anion production in the cortex on the ischemic side. However, no significant difference in CBF and superoxide anion production was observed between VAL and LCZ696 pre-treatment. The preventive effect of LCZ696 on ischemic brain damage after stroke was more marked than that of VAL. LCZ696 could be used as a new approach to prevent brain damage after stroke. (246 words) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Minimally invasive video-assisted thyroidectomy (MIVAT), originally described by Miccoli, is considered to be the most widely practiced and easily reproducible procedure for selected patients with benign and/or malignant thyroid nodules. Modified techniques based on MIVAT, namely modified Miccoli's thyroid surgery (MMTS), were developed based on MIVAT. This study aimed to evaluate the preliminary results of MMTS compared with those of MIVAT. The enrolling criteria included a benign nodule <3.5 cm in diameter, a malignant tumor <2 cm, no previous neck surgery and no evidence of any suspected lymph node metastasis or local invasion. Unilateral lobectomy was considered for benign lesions and the additional dissection of central compartment (level VI) lymph nodes was applied for malignant disease. The modified techniques included carefully selecting the operative incision, expanding the operative space, embedding a drainage tube in situ and delicately suturing every layer inwards and crosswise, as well as measuring cervical motion. In addition to the comparison of surgical outcomes between MMTS and MIVAT, other surgical parameters, including operative time, blood loss, postoperative drainage, cosmetic satisfaction, peak angle of cervical rotation, length of hospitalization and complications, were retrospectively analyzed. A consecutive series of 70 patients, including 54 cases of benign and 16 cases of malignant disease, initially underwent MIVAT between April, 2008 and May, 2012, while 127 patients, including 98 benign and 29 malignant cases, subsequently underwent MMTS between September, 2011 and October, 2014. Patients who received MMTS exhibited significantly less blood loss (20.3±11.3 vs. 32.3±12.6 ml, P<0.01), lower volume of postoperative drainage (42.77±15.2 vs. 50.48±23.2 ml, P<0.01) and higher cosmetic satisfaction (94.6±3.5 vs. 88.9±2.7%, P<0.01), but a longer operative time (102±36 vs. 50.48±23.2 min, P<0.01) when compared with MIVAT. In addition, a better peak angle of cervical rotation (38.6±4.1° vs. 35.3±3.8°, P=0.25) and shorter length of hospitalization (4.25±1.08 vs. 4.51±1.30 days, P=0.52) was observed in the MMTS group, although the differences with the MIVAT group were not statistically significant. No complications were observed, apart from 2 cases of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and 1 case of transient hypocalcemia at the beginning of MIVAT. In conclusion, both MMST and MIVAT are safe and feasible methods of thyroidectomy; however, MMST is associated with less trauma and higher cosmetic satisfaction compared with MIVAT. Therefore, MMST may be used as a standard operative method and prospectively applicable for thyroidectomy, even for early-stage malignancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the small interfering RNA (siRNA)-induced inhibition of the Trop2 gene on the proliferation and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma H460 cells. A recombinant adenovirus expression vector, which contained siRNA targeting open reading frames for Trop2 (rAd5-siTrop2), was transfected into lung adenocarcinoma H460 cells. Three groups were included in the study, namely the Ctrl (non-transfected control), rAd5-siCtrl (native control) and rAd5-siTrop2 (knockdown Trop2 gene) groups. The mRNA and protein expression levels of Trop2 were detected using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis, respectively. In addition, the expression levels of cyclin Dl and phospho-extracellular signal regulated kinase (p-ERK)-1 were detected using western blot analysis. The effects of Trop2 inhibition on the proliferation and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma H460 cells were investigated using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and Transwell assay. Trop2-targeted siRNA recombinant plasmids were successfully constructed. The recombinant adenovirus vector, rAd5-siTrop2, significantly downregulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of Trop2 in the lung adenocarcinoma H460 cells, with cyclin D1 and p-ERK-1 expression downregulated simultaneously. In addition, following the silencing of Trop2, the proliferation and invasion rates of the lung adenocarcinoma H460 cells were reduced. Therefore, the results indicated that Trop2 serves a key function in the proliferation and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma H460 cells in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously developed dmGWAS to search for dense modules in a human protein--protein interaction (PPI) network; it has since become a popular tool for network-assisted analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS). dmGWAS weights nodes by using GWAS signals. Here, we introduce an upgraded algorithm, EW_dmGWAS, to boost GWAS signals in a node- and edge-weighted PPI network. In EW_dmGWAS, we utilize condition-specific gene expression profiles for edge weights. Specifically, differential gene co-expression is used to infer the edge weights. We applied EW_dmGWAS to two diseases and compared it with other relevant methods. The results suggest that EW_dmGWAS is more powerful in detecting disease-associated signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 73-year-old woman discovered to have a interatrial mass onward the septum. The patient underwent coronary angiogram and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) which shown the mass reaching the right atrium (RA). She was later diagnosed with cavernous hemangioma in the interatrial septum.

Carbon/carbon composites were plasma sprayed with a ZrB 2 –SiC-Si/Yb 2 SiO 5 /LaMgAl 11 O 19 coating to improve the oxidation resistance at high temperature. Oxidation protection behavior of the coating was investigated by thermal cycling test using a gas flame about 2273 K. Results showed that the weight loss for the completely coated sample was only 0.30% after 10 cycles of heating for 79 min, and it gradually increased to 4.8% until the failure of coating with 24 cycles. The presence of through-cracks and horizontal cracks in the coating due to the durative oxidation of ZrB 2 –SiC–Si layer progressively accelerated the oxidation of substrate and failure of coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiotensin II (Ang II) and Ang-(1-7) are key effector peptides of the renin-angiotensin system. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Ang-(1-7) on Ang II-stimulated cholesterol efflux and the associated molecular mechanisms. Differentiated THP-1 macrophages were treated with Ang II (1 µM) and/or Ang-(1-7) (10 and 100 nM) for 24 h and the cholesterol efflux and gene expression levels were assessed. Pharmacological inhibition of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) were performed to identify the signaling pathways involved. The results demonstrated that Ang II significantly inhibited the cholesterol efflux from cholesterol-loaded THP-1 macrophages. Treatment with Ang-(1-7) led to a dose-dependent restoration of cholesterol efflux in the Ang II-treated cells. The co-treatment with Ang-(1-7) and Ang II significantly increased the expression levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette (ABC)A1 and ABCG1 compared with treatment with Ang II alone. This was coupled with increased expression levels of PPARγ and liver X receptor (LXR)α. The pharmacological inhibition of PPARγ significantly (P<0.05) eliminated the Ang-(1-7)-mediated induction of ABCA1 and ABCG1 mRNA expression. Treatment with Ang-(1-7) caused the inactivation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and p38 MAPK signaling in the Ang II-treated THP-1 macrophages. In addition, the inhibition of JNK or p38 MAPK signaling using specific pharmacological inhibitors mimicked the Ang-(1-7)-induced expression of PPARγ and LXRα. In conclusion, the data demonstrated that treatment with Ang-(1-7) promoted cholesterol efflux in Ang II-treated THP-1 macrophages, partly through inactivation of p38 and JNK signaling and by inducing the expression of PPARγ and LXRα. Ang (1-7) may, therefore, have therapeutic benefits for the treatment of atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of short hairpin (sh)RNA targeting AKT1 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/p85 on the proliferation and self-renewal of lung cancer stem cells (LCSCs). The recombinant adenovirus expression vector, which contained shRNA targeting open reading frames of AKT1 and PI3K/p85, was transfected into LCSCs. It was found that AKT1 and PI3K/p85 expression was upregulated in LCSCs compared with that in the primary lung cancer cells. Recombinant adenovirus vector rAd5-siAKT1-siPI3K/p85 significantly downregulated AKT1 and PI3K/p85 mRNA and protein expression in LCSCs. The downstream factors, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and cyclin D1 were also downregulated, while p53 was upregulated. Following silencing of AKT1 and PI3K/p85, cell proliferation, tumor sphere formation and tumor formation in NOD/SCID mice were also reduced. According to the present results, it was hypothesized that the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is important in the self-renewal and proliferation of LCSCs, and that targeting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway decreases the rate of tumor formation in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of four Lactobacillus transformant strains on mice, including recombinant Lactobacillus casei (L. casei), Lactobacillus pentosus (L. pentosus), Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum), and Lactobacillus paracasei (L. paracasei) that expressed porcine lactoferrin with a level of 20.5, 23.6, 27.2 and 21.6 µg/ml, respectively. Treatment groups of mice were fed with 200 µl of 109 CFU of recombinant Lactobacillus strain in basal diet as a feed additive, respectively, until 14 days experimental period. Compared to the control group, feeding with recombinant L. casei, L. pentosus, L. plantarum or L. paracasei improved growth performance of mice, followed by the increasing of average daily gain (ADG) by 14% and average daily feed intake (ADFI) by 6%, and the decreasing of feed efficiency (F/G) by 7%. Supplementation with recombinant Lactobacillus augmented the production of total IgG and sIgA by 11.2 and 33% in mice, respectively. Moreover, the levels of IL-2 and TNF-α were respectively shown increasing by 27 and 46%, and the levels of IL-4 were shown a significant reduction by 39% in mice received recombinant Lactobacillus strains. In the intestinal tract of treatment groups of mice, the total viable counts of E. coli were decreased and the total viable counts of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were increased by 5 and 2.7% compared to the control. After E. coli K88 and porcine pseudorabies virus (PRV) challenged, approximate 10 and 30%, respectively, of the control mice exhibited abnormal health with the symptoms that feeble body, relatively dark hair, loss of body weight, and death, which did not observed in the mice received the recombinant Lactobacillus expressing porcine lactoferrin. In contrast, the recombinant L. pentosus and L. plantarum treatment expressing porcine lactoferrin showed a better beneficial effect on the health of animal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SBA-15 surfacewas modified with a silane reagent then coupled toEDTA.Sm3+ ions were coordinated to the surface of the material through the EDTAgroups. The Sm-EDTA-(SBA-15) composite materialswas luminescent. The EDTAenhanced the energy-transfer efficiency of the triplet level of ligands to the 4f electron of Sm3+ ion, and enhanced the luminescence intensity of the Sm3+ ion. The Sm3+ was grafted on the surface of SBA-15 porous and may be shielded from the environment. This reduced the probability of coordination of the Sm ion by water. As a result, the temperature quenching effect was suppressed and the energy-transfer efficiency was increased. These factors made the Sm-EDTA-(SBA-15) materials have much higher relative luminescent intensities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a sporadic disorder that has been increasingly linked to inherited genetic factors. Previous studies have demonstrated that human leukocyte antigen (HLA) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of MG. We determined the genotypes of the HLA-A, B, and DRB1 alleles in 257 southern Chinese Han MG patients using polymerase chain reaction sequence-based typing (PCR-SBT). The allele frequencies in the MG patients were compared to 292 healthy controls using the case-control method. HLA-A*0207, HLA-B*4601, HLA-DRB1*0403, HLA-DRB1*0901, and HLA-DRB1*1602 were more frequent in juvenile ocular MG patients than controls. HLA-DRB1*0701 was significantly reduced in the juvenile ocular MG group compared with controls. HLA-A*0207-B*4601, HLA-B*4601-DRB1*0403, HLA-B*4601-DRB1*0901, and HLA-B*4601-DRB1*1602 were found to be in strong linkage disequilibrium in juvenile ocular MG patients. Within the MG patients, there was a strong positive association between HLA-B*4601-DRB1*0901 and juvenile ocular MG patients, and the value of odds ratios (OR) decreased as the disease became more severe and the age of onset increased. We believe this could be the main heredity phenotype in juvenile ocular MG patients from southern China and may be a clinical marker to predict the severity of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ascending control of stratospheric airship is a challenging control problem, especially if both the rising velocity and the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the airship are required to be controlled simultaneously during ascending. In this paper, a coordinated scheme to control pressure difference and rising velocity of stratospheric airship with vector thrust is presented. With the control scheme, the airship maintains the pressure difference by exhausting air with feedback control. At the same time, the supplemental thrust is generated to compensate the buoyancy fluctuation caused by exhausting air so that the airship’s vertical velocity can track a given reference trajectory. Simulations show that the coordinated control scheme ensures that the airship rises to the altitude of 20 km steadily and rapidly while the pressure difference is always in the safe range. Furthermore, the control scheme is robust enough to the thermal disturbance caused by solar radiation and other thermal processes, which is calculated with partial differential equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is an extremely rare lung disease affecting females of a childbearing age. The condition occurs sporadically or in association with tuberous sclerosis complex. The diagnosis of LAM is often delayed since the clinical symptoms and signs are non-specific. The present study reports the a case of a patient with LAM, in which bloody sputum was presented as the initial symptom. The 43-year-old female had experienced a small amount of bloody sputum over the previous five years. The patient was admitted to the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Taizhou People's Hospital (Taizhou, China) in 2012, reporting symptoms of a cough, shortness of breath and bloody sputum over the previous 10 days. A high-resolution computed tomography scan revealed multiple small circular thin-walled translucent areas in both lung fields. The initial diagnosis of the patient was LAM. A biopsy was performed using a video-assisted thoracoscopy. In conclusion, increased awareness and early diagnosis and treatment were determined to be key factors in ensuring a satisfactory prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the results from two experiments investigating how referential context information affects native and non-native readers’ interpretation of ambiguous relative clauses in sentences such as The journalist interviewed the assistant of the inspector who was looking very serious. The preceding discourse context was manipulated such that it provided two potential referents for either the first (the assistant) or the second (the inspector) of the two noun phrases that could potentially host the relative clause, thus biasing towards either an NP1 or an NP2 modification reading. The results from an offline comprehension task indicate that both native English speakers’ and German and Chinese-speaking ESL learners’ ultimate interpretation preferences were reliably influenced by the type of referential context. In contrast, in a corresponding self-paced-reading task we found that referential context information modulated only the non-native participants’ disambiguation preferences but not the native speakers’. Our results corroborate and extend previous findings suggesting that non-native comprehenders’ initial analysis of structurally ambiguous input is strongly influenced by biasing discourse information. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To date, genome sequences (complete or in draft form) from only six baeocytous cyanobacteria in four genera have been reported: Xenococcus, Chroococcidiopsis, Pleurocapsa, and Stanieria. To expand our knowledge on the diversity of baeocytous cyanobacteria, this study sequenced the genome of GI1, which is a Myxosarcina-like baeocytous cyanobacterium. GI1 is of interest not only because of its phylogenetic niche, but also because it is a cyanobiont isolated from the marine cyanobacteriosponge Terpios hoshinota, which has been shown to cause the death of corals. The ~7 Mb draft GI1 genome contains 6,891 protein-coding genes and 62 RNA genes. A comparison of genomes among the sequenced baeocytous cyanobacterial strains revealed the existence or absence of numerous discrete genes involved in nitrogen metabolism. It will be interesting to determine whether these genes are important for cyanobacterial adaptations and interactions between cyanobionts and their marine sponge hosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity and its associated metabolic diseases present a major public health problem around the world. The discovery that thermogenic fat is active in adult humans has sparked a renewal of interest in the study of its development and function and in the feasibility of using modulators of thermogenesis to work against obesity. In recent years, it has been shown that there are at least two distinct types of thermogenic fat cells: brown and beige fat. In this review, we discuss the transcriptional mediators of thermogenesis and the signaling molecules that regulate thermogenic cells. We also review the effects of thermogenic fat activation on whole-body metabolic parameters and evaluate the increasing evidence that activating thermogenesis in humans can be a viable method of ameliorating obesity. In these discussions, we highlight targets that can potentially be stimulated or modified in anti-obesity treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The host response to spinal cord injury (SCI) can lead to an ischemic environment that can induce cell death. Therapeutic interventions using neurotrophic factors have focused on the prevention of such reactions in order to reduce this cell death. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent angiogenic and vascular permeability factor. We hypothesized in this study that batroxobin would exhibit protective effects following SCI by promoting the expression of VEGF to reduce the levels of apoptosis in a rat model of SCI. Ninety adult female Sprague Dawley rats were divided randomly into sham injury (group I), SCI (group II) and batroxobin treatment (group III) groups. The Basso-Bettie-Bresnahan (BBB) scores, number of apoptotic cells and expression of VEGF were assessed at 1, 3, 5, 7, 14 and 28 days post-injury. The BBB scores were significantly improved in group III compared with those in group II between days 5 and 28 post-injury (P<0.05). At each time-point subsequent to the injury, the number of apoptotic cells in group III was reduced compared with that in group II. Compared with group II, treatment with batroxobin significantly increased the expression of VEGF from day 3 until 2 weeks post-SCI (P<0.05), while no significant difference was observed at day 28. These data suggest that batroxobin has multiple beneficial effects on SCI, indicating a potential clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore the educative power of an experienced mathematics teacher educator-researcher (MTE-R) who displayed his insights and strategies in teacher professional development (TPD) programs. To this end, we propose a framework by first conceptualizing educative power based on three constructs-communication, reasoning, and connection-and then we extend the conceptualization with another two dimensions: the reciprocal facilitator-learner relationships involving educators, teachers, and students, as well as a bridge between research and practice. Based on both self-study and case-study approaches, we further elaborate features specific to the MTE-R's educative power which includes communication using an approach of creating educative phenomenology, reasoning by mapping teachers' ideas onto emergent models to solve problems in educative challenges, and connection between research and practice by coordination. In particular, the core of the educative power that supported the MTE-R to initiate at-the-moment actions was his insights into the essence of mathematics, and the learning of students and teachers. We believe that the conceptual framework in this study offers a powerful tool that could guide the analyses of educative power, especially for those studies related to the initiation of at-the-moment actions and the implementation of TPD programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, 8YSZ:Eu 3+ powder was synthesized using co-precipitation route. The evolution of phase composition and fluorescence properties of 8YSZ:Eu 3+ powder have been assessed after being subjected to hydrothermal degradation for different times. Morphology and microstructure of the sintered powder were observed by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). XRD, Raman spectra, photoluminescence (PL) spectra and the decay curve were used to evaluate the phase composition variation and fluorescence properties variation of the powder. The results showed that 8YSZ:Eu 3+ powder had a pure tetragonal phase structure. Under hydrothermal degradation conditions, due to the reaction of OH − and oxygen vacancy, the transformation of tetragonal to monoclinic occurred, furthermore the fluorescence properties of the powder were altered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZrO 2 :Eu 3+ nanocrystals were synthesized by hydrothermal technique. Effects of Eu 3+ -doping and annealing on the morphology, crystal structure and fluorescence properties of the resultant ZrO 2 :Eu 3+ nanocrystals were investigated. The morphology and crystal structure of the ZrO 2 :Eu 3+ nanocrystals were characterized by TEM, XRD, FT-IR and Raman, respectively. The fluorescence properties were explored by PL and decay curve. The results showed that both the Eu 3+ doping concentration and annealing temperature had influence on the crystal structure and fluorescence properties of ZrO 2 :Eu 3+ nanocrystals. For the low Eu 3+ -doping concentration, the amount of the tetragonal phase decreased with increasing the annealing temperature. The Eu 3+ ion is trivalent rare earth (RE 3+ ) activator, which can stabilize the tetragonal as well as the cubic structure of ZrO 2 . The ZrO 2 :Eu 3+ nanocrystals with tetragonal or cubic structure may find potential applications as the raw material for producing the transparent ceramics with efficient fluorescence properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new chromene derivative, 2-(4',8'-dimethylnona-3'E,7'-dienyl)-8-hydroxy-2,6-dimethyl-2H-chromene (1) together with four known natural products, methylfarnesylquinone (2), isololiolide (3), pheophytin a (4), and β-carotene (5) were isolated from the brown alga Homoeostrichus formosana. The structure of 1 was determined by extensive 1D and 2D spectroscopic analyses. Acetylation of 1 yielded the monoacetylated derivative 2-(4',8'-dimethylnona-3'E,7'-dienyl)-8-acetyl-2,6-dimethyl-2H-chromene (6). Compounds 1-6 exhibited various levels of cytotoxic, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities. Compound 2 was found to display potent in vitro anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the generation of superoxide anion (IC50 0.22 ± 0.03 μg/mL) and elastase release (IC50 0.48 ± 0.11 μg/mL) in FMLP/CB-induced human neutrophils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery has shown its prospection as a minimally invasive endoscopic surgery. This study aimed to examine the safety and feasibility of transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic hysterectomy (tVNOTEH) for nonprolapsed uteri in the management of benign gynecological diseases. Methods: Records were reviewed for the 147 consecutive tVNOTEH procedures between April 2011 and October 2013. Age, body mass index, number of vaginal delivery, and specimen weight were used to select comparable patient who had undergone laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH). Results: A total of 512 patients were recruited in this study (147 tVNOTEHs and 365 LAVHs, respectively). These patients were stratified into six subgroups according to the uterine weight and type of hysterectomy. There was no incidence of switching to abdominal laparatomy. Length of operation, estimated blood loss (EBL), requirement of blood transfusion, and length of postoperative stay were significantly greater in the LAVH group than in the tVNOTEH group but total hospital charges were higher in the tVNOTEH group ( p < 0.001). There was no difference in overall incidence of operative complications between the two groups but more complications in LAVH for uterine weight more than 500 g (4.3 vs. 0 %, p < 0.001); this likely reflects higher hospital charges in this subgroup. Significant linear correlations of uterine weight with operating time and EBL existed in both groups. Conclusion: tVNOTEH can be safely performed for large and nonprolapsed uterus. Besides, as uterine weight increased, the operative efficiency of tVNOTEH increases compared with LAVH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate organ doses for individual patients undergoing interventional transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using measurement-based Monte Carlo simulation and adaptive organ segmentation. Five patients were enrolled in this study after institutional ethical approval and informed consent. Gafchromic XR-RV3 films were used to measure entrance surface dose to reconstruct the nonuniform fluence distribution field as the input data in the Monte Carlo simulation. XR-RV3 films were used to measure entrance surface doses due to their lower energy dependence compared with that of XR-RV2 films. To calculate organ doses, each patient?s three-dimensional dose distribution was incorporated into CT DICOM images with image segmentation using thresholding and k -means clustering. Organ doses for all patients were estimated. Our dose evaluation system not only evaluated entrance surface doses based on measurements, but also evaluated the 3D dose distribution within patients using simulations. When film measurements were unavailable, the peak skin dose (between 0.68 and 0.82 of a fraction of the cumulative dose) can be calculated from the cumulative dose obtained from TAE dose reports. Successful implementation of this dose evaluation system will aid radiologists and technologists in determining the actual dose distributions within patients undergoing TAE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anisakid nematodes are distributed worldwide in a wide variety of marine fishes and they are known to cause the zoonotic disease, anisakiasis. The temperature control is commonly applied for prevention and control of anisakiasis. To analyze the cellular response to temperature stress in Anisakis , the heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) was chosen in the present study, as it plays a key role in many cellular processes and responds to stress conditions such as heat or cold shock. Anisakids were sampled from spotted mackerel Scomber australasicus caught from the coastal waters of Yilan, in northeastern Taiwan (25° N, 121° E). Anisakid nematodes were pre-identified morphologically and later molecularly by PCR-RFLP. In total, we obtained six species of the genus Anisakis , A. typica , A. pegreffii , A. paggiae , A. brevispiculata , A. physeteris , and a recombinant genotype between A. pegreffii and A. simplex sensu stricto. Thereby we provide new host and locality records for A. paggiae , A. brevispiculata and A. physeteris . The Hsp90 genes of five species (except the recombinant genotype) were cloned by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and their deduced amino acid sequences were further characterized. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analysis were used to examine the expression levels of the Hsp90 in A. pegreffii under different temperature conditions. Quantitative RT-PCR showed that Hsp90 transcript levels increased slightly under heat shock (50 °C) treatment, and increased gradually during the first 3 h, and thereafter, returned to its baseline value at 37 °C. Under cold shock (4 °C) treatment, the mRNA expression of Hsp90 did not change significantly. In addition, we found a clear time-dependent Hsp90 protein expression pattern of A. pegreffii exposed to high temperature. Our results suggest that the mRNA and protein expression patterns of Hsp90 are related to the temperature, and are especially significantly increased under heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic usage promotes intestinal colonization of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, whether resistant bacteria gain dominance in enteric microflora or disseminate to extraintestinal viscera remains unclear. Our aim was to investigate temporal diversity changes in microbiota and transepithelial routes of bacterial translocation after antibiotic-resistant enterobacterial colonization. Mice drinking water with or without antibiotics were intragastrically gavaged with ampicillin-resistant (Amp-r) nonpathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) and given normal water afterward. The composition and spatial distribution of intestinal bacteria were evaluated using 16S rDNA sequencing and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Bacterial endocytosis in epithelial cells was examined using gentamicin resistance assay and transmission electromicroscopy. Paracellular permeability was assessed by tight junctional immunostaining and measured by tissue conductance and luminal- to-serosal dextran fluxes. Our results showed that antibiotic treatment enabled intestinal colonization and transient dominance of orally acquired Amp-r E. coli in mice. The colonized Amp-r E. coli peaked on day 3 postinoculation and was competed out after 1 wk, as evidenced by the recovery of commensals, such as Escherichia, Bacteroides, Lachnospiraceae, Clostridium, and Lactobacillus. Mucosal penetration and extraintestinal dissemination of exogenous and endogenous enterobacteria were correlated with abnormal epithelial transcytosis but uncoupled with paracellular tight junctional damage. In conclusion, antibiotic-induced enteric dysbiosis predisposes to exogenous infection and causes systemic dissemination of both antibiotic- resistant and commensal enterobacteria through transcytotic routes across epithelial layers. These results may help explain the susceptibility to sepsis in antibiotic-resistant enteric bacterial infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhizoctonia cerealisandBipolaris maydisare fungal plant pathogens that cause enormous agricultural losses of wheat and maize.Bacillus amyloliquefaciensPEBA20 inhibited mycelial growth and spore germination of the pathogens and reduced fungal infections in wheat and maize, indicating its potential for application as a biocontrol agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We design and analyze up to third order accurate discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods satisfying a strict maximum principle for Fokker-Planck equations. A procedure is established to identify an effective test set in each computational cell to ensure the desired bounds of numerical averages during time evolution. This is achievable by taking advantage of the two parameters in the numerical flux and a novel decomposition of weighted cell averages. Based on this result, a scaling limiter for the DG method with first order Euler forward time discretization is proposed to solve the one-dimensional Fokker-Planck equations. Strong stability preserving high order time discretizations will keep the maximum principle. It is straightforward to extend the method to two and higher dimensions on rectangular meshes. We also show that a modified limiter can preserve the strict maximum principle for DG schemes solving Fokker-Planck equations. As a consequence, the present schemes preserve steady states. Numerical tests for the DG method are reported, with applications to polymer models with both Hookean and FENE potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Econazole nitrate (EN), a synthetic compound, is now in use as a routine antifungal drug. EN was shown to have antitumor effect, the tumor cell killing mechanisms, however, remain unclear. In this research, the apoptosis-inducing effect of EN on MCF-7 cells was investigated. The results showed that EN inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells in a time- and dosedependent manner by MTT method and colony forming assay. MCF-7 cells treated with EN showed typical characteristics of apoptosis including the morphological changes and DNA fragmentation. Meanwhile, the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential was showed by flow cytometry. In addition, western blot analysis showed that EN resulted in the decrease expression of procaspase-3, procaspase-9 and bcl-2. In conclusion, these findings suggest that EN may be an effective way for treating human breast cancer. The anti-tumor mechanisms of EN might involve mitochondrial and caspase pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decreases in cell division at the stationary phase in bacterial cultures are often due to the depletion of nutrients and/or accumulation of toxic waste products. Yet, during the stationary phase, the highly radiation-resistant bacteriumDeinococcus radioduransundergoes new rounds of cell division when Mn(II) is added to the medium in a phenomenon known as manganese-induced cell division (MnCD). When cells were cultured in medium without Mn(II)-enrichment, a heat-resistant, proteinase K-resistant factor (or factors) with a molecular mass less than 10 kD accumulated in the spent medium. Inclusion of the concentrated spent medium in fresh medium could inhibit the growth ofD. radioduranssignificantly, and the degree of inhibition was dose dependent. However, the relative stimulatory effect of MnCD was also dose dependent—the higher the inhibition, the stronger was the MnCD response. Previous studies have shown that nutrients were not limiting and deinococcal cells would continue metabolizing its nutrients at stationary phase. Cells became more sensitive to radiation when nutrients in the medium eventually became depleted. We speculated thatD. radioduransmight produce this factor in the medium to control its population density. The reduction in cell population would conserve the nutrients that in turn might enhance the survival of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has become an indispensable tool for label-free detection and quantification of molecular binding. Traditionally, the principle of SPR biosensors is described with a stratified medium model, in which discrete molecules are approximated with a uniform thin film. With the recent technical advances, SPR can now detect extremely low coverage of molecules, which raises the question of the validity of the traditional model. Here, we present combined theoretical, numerical and experimental analysis of SPR detection principle by considering the discrete nature of the molecules (particles). Our results show that the stratified medium model can provide reasonable description of SPR biosensors for relatively high coverage and weakly scattering samples. However, interference between the SPR images of individual particles needs to be considered for high spatial resolution images and for strong scattering samples at certain incident angles of light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two different basic catalysts, NaOH and NH 4 OH, to the formation of mesoporous silica with completely different pore morphology at the same mole concentration with or without polyethylene glycol (PEG) were investigated. NaOH catalyzed system seemed to have a more ordered structure and larger particle size than NH 4 OH catalyzed system. The addition of PEG tended to promote the charge matching probability for silicate oligomers and micelles, which resulted in the more ordered pore morphology for NH 4 OH system. With increased ammonia concentrations, the pore morphology of disordered wormlike structure was transformed into ordered MCM-41 type mesoporous structure with particle dimension in a few tenths of nanometer to hundred nanometer. With the addition of PEG, at low ammonia concentration, the mesoporous pores became more orderly arranged as well. However, the effect of PEG on the pore and particle morphology of the NaOH catalyzed system was less evident than that of the NH 4 OH system. The catalyst types were also investigated at the same pH to contrast the significance of catalyst effect on the preparation of mesoporous silica, which was often neglected in the literature. NaOH catalyzed system still indicated a more ordered wormlike structure and slightly larger particle size than NH 4 OH catalyzed system. The XRD (X-ray diffraction) results and N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms were in agreement with the TEM (Transmission electron microscope) morphology. The significance of two different catalysts with the addition of PEG in tuning pore morphology was justified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overexpression of HOXB4 in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) leads to increased self renewal without causing hematopoietic malignancies in transplanted mice. The molecular basis of HOXB4-mediated benign HSC expansion in vivo is not well understood. To gain further insight into the molecular events underlying HOXB4-mediated HSC expansion, we analyzed gene expression changes at multiple time points in Lin-Sca1+c-kit+ cells from mice transplanted with bone marrow (BM) cells transduced with a MSCV-HOXB4-ires YFP vector. A distinct HOXB4 transcriptional program was reproducibly induced and stabilized by 12 weeks after transplant. Dynamic expression changes were observed in genes critical for HSC self-renewal as well as genes involved in myeloid and B cell differentiation. Prdm16, a transcription factor associated with human acute myeloid leukemia (AML), was markedly repressed by HOXB4 but upregulated by HOXA9 and HOXA10, suggesting that Prdm16 downregulation was involved in preventing leukemia in HOXB4 transplanted mice. Functional evidence to support this mechanism was obtained by enforcing co-expression of sPrdm16 and HOXB4, which led to enhanced self-renewal, myeloid expansion, and leukemia. Altogether, these studies define the transcriptional pathways involved in HOXB4 HSC expansion in vivo and identify repression of Prdm16 transcription as a mechanism by which expanding HSCs avoid leukemic transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lattice misfit and diffraction elastic constants in hot rolled polycrystalline Co-7Al-5W-2Ta and Co-6Al-6W-2Ti (at.%) are measured using neutron and synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The misfit in the two alloys was found to be +0.67 and +0.59%, using neutron diffraction at HRPD. The misfit was found to increase with temperature, as in Ni superalloys. This implies that the amount of coherency strengthening increases with temperature. The diffraction elastic constants measured show that the γ' phase is less stiff than the γ matrix in all orientations, which means that load shedding will occur to the γ phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this contribution, well-size-distributed nanopowder of 8YSZ:Eu3+ composite oxide was synthesized by hydrothermal method. TG-DSC, SEM, TEM and XRD were applied to characterize the thermal decomposition, morphology and crystal structure of nanopowder. The thermal stability of the powder was investigated by thermal treated at temperatures ranging from 500°C to 1300°C for 2h. Fluorescence properties variation and phase composition variation of the powder were investigated after thermal exposure at 1300°C for 192h. The relationship between the phase composition variation and fluorescence properties variation was further examined. The results show that when monoclinic phase is absent, the intensity ratio I 593/I 608 of fluorescence spectroscopy can be used to preliminary assess the extent of the phase transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]