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We compared two contrast agents, agitated saline and agitated saline with blood, with respect to their efficacy in the diagnosis of right-to-left shunt with contrast-enhanced transcranial Doppler. Three hundred thirty Chinese patients underwent examinations with one of four different methods in random order: (i) 9 mL agitated saline solution with 1 mL air without the Valsalva maneuver (ASwoVM); (ii) 9 mL agitated saline solution with 1 mL air with the Valsalva maneuver (ASwVM); (iii) 9 mL agitated saline solution, 1 mL air and a drop of the patient's blood without the Valsalva maneuver (ASbwoVM); and (iv) 9 mL agitated saline solution, 1 mL air and a drop of the patient's blood, with the Valsalva maneuver (ASbwVM). Rates of detection were 11.5%, 17.9%, 16.7% and 23.6% for the ASwoVM, ASwVM, ASbwoVM, and ASbwVM examinations, respectively. The embolus track numbers for these examinations were 4.0 ± 1.83, 11.5 ± 6.2, 10.5 ± 4.9 and 33.7 ± 14.9, respectively. There were significant differences between the four groups (all comparisons, p < 0.001). For contrast-enhanced transcranial Doppler examinations, the agitated saline/blood agent yielded better rates of diagnosis of right to-left shunt than did the agitated saline alone.

Little is known about the effects of nitrogen supply on plant productivity and defensive response to pathogen exposure. Here, tuber yield and resistance to the fungal pathogen Phytophthora infestans were investigated in potato plants supplied with four different nitrogen levels (N1: 45 kg-hm-2, N2: 90 kg-hm-2, N3: 135 kg-hm-2, and N4: 180 kg-hm-2). The N2 level of nitrogen promoted the highest tuber yield and largest tubers under pathogen-free conditions. However, N3 promoted the strongest pathogen resistance and highest potato production in response to P. infestans exposure. Also, the highest level of chlorophyll accumulation was observed with N3 relative to the other treatment groups under pathogen-infected but not pathogen-free conditions. Further study showed that, in response to pathogen infection, the N3 level of nitrogen induced the highest activity levels for the defensive enzymes polyphenol oxidase and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (but not chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase) and the most abundant accumulation of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. Our data demonstrated that modest increases in the nitrogen supply provided potato plants with optimum growth and defensive capability in response to P. infestans exposure. Key words: Nitrogen, tuber yield, pathogen resistance, Phytophthora infestans, Solanum tuberosum.

This paper investigates the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) electroosmotic flow (EOF) of Newtonian fluid through a zeta potential modulated parallel plate microchannel with patterned hydrodynamic slippage. The driven mechanism of the flow originates from the Lorentz force generated by the interaction of externally imposed lateral electric field Ey and vertical magnetic field Bz and electric field force produced by an externally applied electric field Ex . It is assumed that the wall zeta potential and the slip length are periodic functions of axial coordinate x, an analytical solution of the stream function is achieved by utilizing the method of separation of variables and perturbation expansion. The pictures of streamlines are plotted and the vortex configurations produced in flow field due to patterned wall potential and hydrodynamic slippage are discussed. Based on the stream function, the velocity field and volume flow rate are obtained, which are greatly depend on some dimensionless parameters, such as slip length ls , electrokinetic width λ, the amplitude δ of the patterned slip length, the amplitude m of the modulated zeta potential and Hartmann number Ha. The variations of velocity and volume flow rate with these dimensionless parameters are discussed in details. These theoretical results may provide some guidance effectively operating micropump in practical nanofluidic applications.

We report two-dimensional spectroscopic analysis of massive red spiral galaxies ($M_{*}$ $>$ 10$^{10.5}$ $M_{\odot}$) and compare them to blue spiral and red elliptical galaxies above the same mass limit based on the public SDSS DR15 MaNGA observations. We find that the stellar population properties of red spiral galaxies are more similar to those of elliptical galaxies than to blue spiral galaxies. Red spiral galaxies show a shallow mass-weighted age profile, and they have higher stellar metallicity and Mgb/${\rm \langle Fe \rangle}$ across the whole 1.5$R_{\rm e}$ as compared to blue spirals, but all these properties are close to those of elliptical galaxies. One scenario to explain this is that red spirals form as remnants of very gas-rich major mergers that happened above $z$$\sim$1., 10 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJL

Solvothermal reactions of LnCl3·6H2O (Ln = Eu, Tb, Sm and Dy) with 2-aminoterephthalic acid obtain four isostructural lanthanide(III)–organic frameworks. The structure has the topology of a gadolinium 2-aminoterephthalic acid (MOF-LIC-1). The as-obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, TGA and luminescence spectroscopy. They all belong to the luminescence materials system with broad band excitation, which could extend to the visible-light region. The selected ligand could effectively sensitize the luminescence of Eu3+, Tb3+ and Sm3+, particularly the Eu3+ ions; thus, leading to the characteristic luminescence of Ln3+. More significantly, the white-light emission may be realized by a single-component Sm(III) framework. Furthermore, Eu-MOF was selected as a representative sample to examine the potential of the material for the sensing of metal ions. It showed highly selective and sensitive luminescence sensing for Al3+ ions. In addition, the luminescence color change can be easily distinguished with the naked eye under UV-light irradiation.

A series of novel polymer–lanthanide–zeolite A hybrid films have been synthesized by polymerization of ethyl methacrylate (EMA) and 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) containing surface modified zeolite A, inside the channels of which lanthanide complexes are incorporated. The surface modification was conducted by first functionalizing zeolite A with a multi-functional linker and then covalently grafting lanthanide ions which coordinate to both the molecular linker and the polymer chain. The SEM images suggest that lanthanide-based zeolite A particles are evenly dispersed in the polymer matrices, leading to a certain transparency of the thin films. The luminescence properties of the resulting materials were characterized in detail and the results reveal that all the materials exhibit intense emission lines upon UV-light irradiation. Various emitting colors of the zeolite A–polymer materials can be obtained by simply changing the lanthanide complexes inside and outside the channels of zeolite A. Furthermore, the white light emission from the tricolor luminous materials can be easily obtained by adjusting the different concentrations of the doped ions and the excitation wavelength.

A 3D microporous compound Al(OH) (H2btec)·H2O (MIL-121) containing uncoordinated carbonyl groups is selected as a parent metal–organic framework (MOF). Moreover, because the uncoordinated carbonyl groups in the channels could act as a postsynthetic modification sites, a robust luminescent lanthanide-based MOF can be constructed by encapsulating Eu3+ cations into the pores of MIL-121. The intense luminescence of Eu3+ incorporated MIL-121 products demonstrates that the framework with rigid, permanently porous structure and non-coordinated carboxyl group is an efficient scaffold for hosting and sensitizing Eu3+ cations. More significantly, the robust Eu3+@MIL-121 shows excellent selectivity, fast detection time (

Eight host-guest assemblies of zeolite A (ZA) and their thin films have been synthesized. The assembly of zeolite A was prepared by first embedding lanthanide complexes (Eu(TTA)n or Tb(TAA)n) into the cages of zeolite A and then grafting lanthanide complexes (Eu(L) or Tb(L), L = bipy or phen) onto the surface of functionalized zeolite A via 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyltrimethoxysilane (γ-MPS). The obtained organic-inorganic hybrid materials were investigated by means of XRD, FT-IR, SEM and luminescence spectroscopy. Firstly, the dependence of the crystal stability of zeolite A as the host of lanthanide complexes on the level of ion exchange was studied by XRD. The results indicated the degradation and partial collapse of zeolite A framework occurred upon doping with high amounts of lanthanide complexes into its channels. The integrity of zeolite A's framework was well maintained after fabrication through careful control of the ion-exchange extent. Secondly, the thin films of zeolite A assemblies obtained this way have the properties of homogeneous dense packing and a high degree of coverage of the crystals on the ITO glass, as shown in SEM images. Thirdly, the luminescence behavior of all the materials were investigated in detail. Among them, four white light-emitting materials from a three-component system that comprises a blue-emitting zeolite A matrix, a red-emitting europium complex and a green-emitting terbium complex were obtained.

Analyzing the passengers queuing behavior is powerful support of subway operation efficiency developing. Based on the three level pedestrian micro behavior theory, the decision process of passenger queuing behavior on urban rail transit platform is analyzed. The frame of passenger queuing behavior survey is put forward. The survey plan is designed. Finally, the quantitative analysis is performed which is on passengers queue selection, the time during the waiting and boarding stage.

Metal-organic frameworks as a powerful platform for drug delivery have attracted significant attention in recent years. In this study, mesoporous iron-metal-organic framework nanoparticles (mesoMOFs) were synthesized via the double-template method. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and citric acid (CA) were chosen as the double-template agent. The mesoMOFs were characterized by EDX, elemental analysis, TG, BET, SEM, TEM, and DLS. The anticancer drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) was encapsulated in the mesoMOFs, and the DOX loading content was up to 55 wt%. The mesoMOFs are non-toxic to both 4T1 breast cancer cells and 3T3 fibroblasts. The DOX-loaded mesoMOFs exhibit a better anti-tumor effect than free doxorubicin in vitro. The in vivo anticancer activities of the DOX-loaded mesoMOFs were investigated in 4T1 breast cancer-bearing mice. The intratumoral injection of DOX-loaded mesoMOFs revealed that the mesoMOFs could significantly reduce the systemic toxicity of DOX, sustainably release DOX, and maintain an effective DOX concentration for chemotherapy. The DOX-loaded mesoMOFs exhibit excellent therapeutic efficacy and low side effects in local chemotherapy.

Damage on rail increasingly originates from the surface of the rail as a result of for example rolling contact fatigue (RCF). This is a major concern for track operators, who operate test regimes for ∞aw detection and monitoring. The paper aims to assess the feasibility of applying electromagnetic (EM) simulation techniques to high frequency magnetic induction sensing of ∞aws in a section of rail head using the Boundary element method (BEM). When the driving frequency is signiflcantly high (» MHz), the rail with high conductivity can be treated as perfect electric conductors (PEC) with negligible errors. In this scenario, BEM based on scalar potential and integral formulations becomes an efiective way to analyze this kind of scattering problems since meshes are only required on the surface of the object. A simple high frequency magnetic induction sensing system was chosen to inspect the surface ∞aw of the rail. Difierent kinds of ∞aws were tested with difierent sensor conflgurations. The simulations were carried out using an algorithm the authors have developed in MATLAB. The paper provides new insights into the application of magnetic induction sensing technique using BEM in non-destructive testing. Based on the simulation and mathematical analysis, hardware system can be built to verify the proposed detection strategy.

The Ly$\alpha$ escape fraction is a key measure to constrain the neutral state of the intergalactic medium and then to understand how the universe was fully reionized. We combine deep narrowband imaging data from the custom-made filter NB393 and the $H_{2}S$1 filter centered at 2.14 $\mu$m to examine the Ly$\alpha$ emitters and H$\alpha$ emitters at the same redshift $z=2.24$. The combination of these two populations allows us to determine the Ly$\alpha$ escape fraction at $z=2.24$. Over an area of 383 arcmin$^{2}$ in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (ECDFS), 124 Ly$\alpha$ emitters are detected down to NB393 = 26.4 mag at the 5$\sigma$ level, and 56 H$\alpha$ emitters come from An14. Of these, four have both Ly$\alpha$ and H$\alpha$ emissions (LAHAEs). We measure the individual/volumetric Ly$\alpha$ escape fraction by comparing the observed Ly$\alpha$ luminosity/luminosity density to the extinction-corrected H$\alpha$ luminosity/luminosity density. We revisit the extinction correction for H$\alpha$ emitters using the Galactic extinction law with the color excess for nebular emission. We also adopt the Calzetti extinction law together with an identical color excess for stellar and nebular regions to explore how the uncertainties in extinction correction affect our results. In both cases, an anti-correlation between the Ly$\alpha$ escape fraction and dust attenuation is found among the LAHAEs, suggesting that dust absorption is responsible for the suppression of the escaping Ly$\alpha$ photons. However, the estimated Ly$\alpha$ escape fraction of individual LAHAEs varies up to ~3 percentage points between the two methods of extinction correction. We find the global Ly$\alpha$ escape fraction at $z=2.24$ to be ($3.7\pm1.4$)% in the ECDFS. The variation in the color excess of the extinction causes a discrepancy of ~1 percentage point in the global Ly$\alpha$ escape fraction., Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJ

A field experiment applying six rates of P fertilizer (P2O5, 0, 150, 225, 300, 375 and 450 kg . hm-2, respectively) was conducted to investigate the effects of P fertilization on dry matter accumulation (DMA), P uptake and accumulation (PUA) and P use efficiency (PUE) of trellis-cultivated melon. Results showed that, P application increased DMA and PUA, for 150 and 225 kg P2O5 . hm-2 treatments, being 19.9% and 26.3%, 23.0% and 26.3% higher than that in no P fertilizer treatment at fruiting stage. With plant growth, DMA and PUA of different organs and the whole plant gradually increased. DMA and PUA were mainly distributed in the leaves during the early stage of the growth and in the fruit during the latter stage. P application decreased the recovery efficiency of applied P (REP), agronomic efficiency of applied P (AEP) and partial factor productivity of applied P (PFP). At 150 kg . hm-2 P application rate, the maximum REP, AEP and PFP were 11.1%, 152.9 kg . kg-1 and 476.3 kg . kg-1, respectively. Compared with no P fertilizer treatment, melon yields of 150 and 225 kg P2O5 . hm2 treatments increased by 47.3% and 39.7%, respectively. In summary, the vining stage and fruit expanding stage were the key periods for P application in trellis-cultivated melon system. Based on synthesized economic yield and P fertilizer efficiency, the recommendation of P fertilizer for trellis-cultivated melon is 150-225 kg P2O5 . hm-2 under the climatic condition of the experimental area.

Based on a sample of 79 local advanced merger (adv-merger) (U)LIRGs, we search for the evidence of quenching process by investigating the distributions of the star formation history indicators (EW(H$\alpha$), EW(H$\delta$$_A$) and D$_n(4000)$) on the NUV-r color-mass and SFR-$M_{\ast}$ diagrams. The distributions of the EW(H$\alpha$) and D$_n(4000)$ on the NUV-r color-mass diagram show clear trends that at a given stellar mass, galaxies with redder NUV-r colors have smaller EW(H$\alpha$) and larger D$_n(4000)$. The reddest adv-merger (U)LIRGs close to the green valley have D$_n(4000)$$>1.4$ mostly. In addition, in the SFR-$M_{\ast}$ diagram, as the SFR decreases, the EW(H$\alpha$) decreases and the D$_n(4000)$ increases, implying that the adv-merger (U)LIRGs on the star formation main sequence have more evolved stellar populations than those above the main sequence. These results indicate that a fraction of the adv-merger (U)LIRGs have already exhibited signs of fading from the starburst phase and that the NUV-r reddest adv-merger (U)LIRGs are likely at the initial stage of post-starbursts with age of $\sim 1$ Gyr, which is consistent with the gas exhausting time-scales. Therefore, our results offer additional support for the fast evolutionary track from the blue cloud to the red sequence., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics

A dual-emissive 4d-4f Ag(i)-Eu(iii) functionalized MOF nanocomposite was fabricated and utilized as a self-calibrating luminescent nanoprobe for detecting indoor formaldehyde (FA). The implantation of Ag(+) ions can tune the dual-emissive characters of the material. FA can interact with the Ag(+) ions and induce opposite luminescence behaviors of the two emitters in the singular molecular material, thus realizing its recognition. This nanoprobe for FA exhibits many merits, such as excellent selectivity, high sensitivity with a detection limit of 51 ppb, fast response, room-temperature testing ability, easy preparation and low cost. This is the first example of a MOF-implicated self-calibrated sensor for indoor FA detection.

Endometriosis is a common multifactorial disease caused by an interaction between multiple gene loci and environment. Four genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of endometriosis have identified several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with endometriosis. However, results from independent replication studies with different populations are inconsistent. The present study aims to evaluate whether the GWAS-derived susceptibility loci are correlated with the risk of the development of ovarian endometriosis in North Chinese women. This case-control study comprised 580 patients with ovarian endometriosis and 606 matched control women. Three SNPs were selected for this association study including rs10965235 in CDKN2BAS, rs2235529 located in LI NC00339-WNT4, and rs 12700667 in an intergenic region on 7p 15.2. The results show that the G/A genotype of rs 12700667 can significantly increase the risk of developing ovarian endometriosis when compared with the G/G genotype (odds ratio [OR] = 1.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23–2.00). Similarly, the carriers with A allele showed a higher risk of ovarian endometriosis than those with G allele (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.12–1.68). The study suggests that the endometriosis-associated genetic polymorphisms (rs 12700667) from GWAS be associated with the risk of developing ovarian endometriosis in North Chinese women.

With the aim of exploring the fast evolutionary path from the blue cloud of star-forming galaxies to the red sequence of quiescent galaxies in the local universe, we select a local advanced merging infrared luminous and ultraluminous galaxy (adv-merger (U)LIRGs) sample and perform careful dust extinction corrections to investigate their positions in the SFR-$M_{\ast}$, u-r and NUV-r color-mass diagrams. The sample consists of 89 (U)LIRGs at the late merger stage, obtained from cross-correlating the IRAS Point Source Catalog Redshift Survey and 1 Jy ULIRGs samples with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7 database. Our results show that $74\%\pm 5\%$ of adv-merger (U)LIRGs are localized above the $1\, \sigma$ line of the local star-forming galaxy main sequence. We also find that all adv-merger (U)LIRGs are more massive than and as blue as the blue cloud galaxies after corrections of Galactic and internal dust extinctions, with $95\%\pm 2\%$ and $81\%\pm 4\%$ of them outside the blue cloud on the u-r and NUV-r color-mass diagrams, respectively. These results, combined with the short timescale for exhausting the molecular gas reservoir in adv-merger (U)LIRGs ($3\times 10^{7}$ to $3\times 10^{8}$ years), imply that the adv-merger (U)LIRGs are likely at the starting point of the fast evolutionary track previously proposed by several groups. While the number density of adv-merger (U)LIRGs is only $\sim 0.1\%$ of the blue cloud star-forming galaxies in the local universe, this evolutionary track may play a more important role at high redshift., Comment: 32 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

This paper presents a new cycloid permanent magnet gear(PM gear) based on Halbach array, which has the advantages such as extreme torque density and a very high gearing ratio. And the Halbach array can produce one-sided filed that will increase the magnetic filed intensity. The air-gap magnetic field of cycloid PM gear based on Halbach is got by adopting finite element method. At the same time, to research the torque characteristics, the factors which affect the magnetic torque of cycloid PM gear are studied respectively through the FEM, such as torque angle，offset，thickness of permanent magnets and yoke irons.

Field measurements of dynamic characteristics of the multi-storey reinforced concrete frame structure buildings were carried out, by using the ambient vibration test technique, and structural modal parameters were extracted. The measured results and calculated results in accordance with current design specifications were compared. Results show that for multi-storey reinforced concrete frame structure, the measured vibration period of structure is close to the natural period calculated in accordance with the empirical formula of the “Load Code for the Design of Building Structures”. In the actual project, when the designer calculate the natural period if considering only the quality of the infill walls, without considering the stiffness of the infill walls, the period should be shortened. In this paper, the recommended period shortening factor for the multi-storey reinforced concrete frame structure is gave 0.4~0.5.

1. Hydrogen sulphide (H₂S), one of three signalling gasotransmitters, plays an important role in oxidative stress and apoptosis. However, the effects of H₂S on oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in focal cerebral ischaemic injury in rats have not been clarified. 2. In the present study, sodium hydrosulphide (NaHS) was used as the H₂S donor. Eighty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups: sham, sham + low-dose (2.8 mg/kg) NaHS, sham + high-dose (11.2 mg/kg) NaHS, infarct, infarct + low-dose NaHS and infarct + high-dose NaHS. The focal cerebral ischaemic model was created by cranially inserting a nylon thread with a rounded tip into an internal carotid artery. Rats were killed 21 h after administration of NaHS. 3. In the infarct + low-dose NaHS compared with infarct group, infarct volume was significantly decreased and injury to the mitochondria in nerve cells was mitigated. Furthermore, significant increases were seen in mitochondrial superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity and neuronal bcl-2 protein levels, whereas mitochondrial malondialdehyde content and neuronal bax and caspase 3 protein levels were significantly decreased, in the infarct + low-dose NaHS compared with infarct group. The effects seen in the infarct group were significantly aggravated in the infarct + high-dose NaHS group. 4. The findings of the present study provide novel evidence for the dual effects of H₂S on focal cerebral ischaemic injury via modulation of oxidative stress-induced apoptosis.

This paper introduces the basic principle of the microscopic visual servoing system based on image and summarizes systematically about the researching situation of microscopic visual servo based on image at home and abroad. From three aspects, which are Jacobin matrix calculating, automatic focusing technology of microscopic lens, and microscopic image fusing technology, it proposes some key problems to be urgently solved about the microscopic visual servoing based on image.

In the detailed analysis of the data transmission needs of the intelligent fire control training system, the network management is modeled based on Unified Modeling Language (UML). In order to improve the reliability of network transmission, authentication part is designed in the server side, and a connected state detecting method is proposed, which is based on heartbeat mechanism and with data-carrying. Test results show that the network system has got higher reliability while satisfying the real-time constraints. It can provide certain valuable reference to network system designing of the similar corresponding systems.

The KINGFISH project (Key Insights on Nearby Galaxies: a Far-Infrared Survey with Herschel) is an imaging and spectroscopic survey of 61 nearby (d < 30 Mpc) galaxies, chosen to cover a wide range of galaxy properties and local interstellar medium (ISM) environments found in the nearby Universe. Its broad goals are to characterize the ISM of present-day galaxies, the heating and cooling of their gaseous and dust components, and to better understand the physical processes linking star formation and the ISM. KINGFISH is a direct descendant of the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS), which produced complete Spitzer imaging and spectroscopic mapping and a comprehensive set of multi-wavelength ancillary observations for the sample. The Herschel imaging consists of complete maps for the galaxies at 70, 100, 160, 250, 350, and 500 microns. The spectal line imaging of the principal atomic ISM cooling lines ([OI]63um, [OIII]88um, [NII]122,205um, and [CII]158um) covers the subregions in the centers and disks that already have been mapped in the mid-infrared with Spitzer. The KINGFISH and SINGS multi-wavelength datasets combined provide panchromatic mapping of the galaxies sufficient to resolve individual star-forming regions, and tracing the important heating and cooling channels of the ISM, across a wide range of local extragalactic ISM environments. This paper summarizes the scientific strategy for KINGFISH, the properties of the galaxy sample, the observing strategy, and data processing and products. It also presents a combined Spitzer and Herschel image atlas for the KINGFISH galaxies, covering the wavelength range 3.6 -- 500 microns. All imaging and spectroscopy data products will be released to the Herschel user generated product archives.

Heparin is an effective competitive antagonist of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP(3)Rs). It binds to IP(3)Rs and affects calcium homeostasis. Ultra-low-molecular-weight heparin (ULMWH) is heparin's derivative, the present study was designed to test the effects of ULMWH on intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)]i) in primary cultured neurons. [Ca(2+)]i was measured by Multilabel Counter Victor-1420 using Fura-2/AM as the calcium fluorescent probe. The results indicated that ULMWH decreased the resting [Ca(2+)]i with or without extracellular Ca(2+). They had no effects on high K(+)-induced elevation of intracellular Ca(2+) level indicating that ULMWH had no effect on external Ca(2+) influx mediated by voltage-dependent calcium channels. However, they partially reduced the increase in [Ca(2+)]i induced by glutamate. Furthermore, ULMWH significantly inhibited the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3))-induced increase in [Ca(2+)]i both in cellular and subcellular level. These results suggest that ULMWH may reduce [Ca(2+)]i in neurons through suppressing Ca(2+) release from IP(3)-sensitive stores.

The electrochemical deposition of thiophene and CdSe on TiO2/ITO by cyclic voltammetry(CV) technique was carried out to study the influence of conditions on the preparation and photophysical performance of poly(thiophene) (PTh)/CdSe double layers electrode. The chemical structure of the obtained polymer was characterized by FT-IR, Raman, X-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectroscopy. The morphology was observed by electronic scanning microscope (SEM) which showed nano-grain shape. Finally the photovoltaic performance of the solar cell which was composed of PTh/CdSe/TiO2 composite film used as working electrode, Pt used as counter electrode was investigated. And mechanism of photogenerated electron of PTh/CdSe electrode was proposed. The results showed that TiO2electrode modified by PTh/CdSe composite film had good response on irradiation, which indicated the PTh/CdSe was promising dye in solar cell.

Objective To analyze the relationship between karyotypes and clinic features of patients with primary amenorrhea. Methods G banding was done for 340 patients with primary amenorrhea to facilitate individual chromosome identification, and if specific staining for certain portions of the chromosome was necessary, C banding was used. The clinical data were recorded by physical examination and ultrasound scanning. Results Karyotype analysis of the 340 patients revealed that 180 (52.94%) patients had normal female karyotypes and 160 (47.06%) patients had abnormal karyotypes. The abnormal karyotypes included abnormal X chromosome (150 patients), mosaic X-Y chromosome (4 patients), abnormal autosome (5 patients), and X-autosome translocation (1 patient). The main clinical manifestations in patients with primary amenorrhea were primordial or absent uterus (95.9%), invisible secondary sex features (68.8%), little or absent ovary (62.6%), and short stature (30.0%). The incidence of short stature in patients with X chromosome aberration (46%, 69/150) was significangly higher that in patients with 46, XX (9.44%, 17/180) as well as 46, XY (6.67%, 3/45; χ2=146.25, P=0.000). All primary amenorrhea patients with deletion or break-point at Xp11.1-11.4 were short statures. Conclusions One of the main reasons of primary amenorrhea is choromosome abnormality, especially heterosome abnormality. It implies the need to routinely screen chromosomal anomalies for such patients. There might be relationship between Xp11.1-11.4 integrity and height improvement.

Ordered mesoporous polymer–organosilica composites have been synthesized through a triconstituent co-assembly strategy. These composites have ordered 2-D hexagonal mesostructures (space group p 6m) with uniform pore size (6.2–7.3 nm), suitable surface areas (619–794 m 2 g −1 ) and pore volumes (0.61–0.88 cm 3 g −1 ). With increasing BTSE (1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane) content, the surface area and pore volume reduce. The composites have homogeneous interpenetrating frameworks, in which both polymer and organosilica synergistically support the ordered mesostructure. The hybrid materials exhibit good adsorption capacities of benzene (up to 2.0 mmol g −1 ), suggesting their use as a potential adsorbent for removal of volatile organic compounds.

Australian Research Council; Monash Research Graduate School and Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University

Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) and ultra-low-molecular-weight heparin (ULMWH) are heparin's derivatives, having various pharmacological effects. The present study aims to investigate the effect of ULMWH on amyloid β peptide (Aβ25–35)-induced neurotoxicity in cultured rat cortical neurons, and LMWH was employed as a positive control agent. The neurons were incubated with Aβ25–35 (35 μM), Aβ25–35 plus ULMWH (2, 10, 50 μg/ml) or LMWH (10 μg/ml) for 24 h. The cell viability was assessed by MTT and LDH release. FITC-Annexin V/PI double staining, Hoechst 33258 staining, TUNEL and Western blotting for bcl-2 and caspase-3 were employed to measure the neuron apoptosis. Furthermore, the intracellular Ca 2+ concentration was measured by a fluorescent dye, Fura-2/AM. The results showed that ULMWH significantly increased cell viability and the protein expression levels of bcl-2 and decreased the LDH release, the number of apoptotic cells, the concentration of intracellular Ca 2+ and the protein expression levels of caspase-3 in cortical neurons, suggesting that ULMWH can obviously reduce Aβ25–35-induced neurotoxic effects and might act as a potential agent for Alzheimer's disease.

Swiss cheese or slices? A two-step method has been developed for the preparation of the title membranes from lytropic liquid crystals templated with poly(methyl methacrylate). The membranes have ordered mesopores and tunable macropore channels. The mesostructure of the membranes can be tailored by adjusting the concentration of the surfactant solution (see picture: 1=low, 2=high concentration)

This paper proposes a target-based tactical clustering algorithm based on the grouping field. Inspired by the midfield theory of physics, the concept of gravitational force is used in the target tactical grouping of the armored unit level, and the concept of grouping field and grouping force is proposed. After acquiring the target identity, the state of motion parameters and the trend of the movement, the information of the identity attributes and state parameters of each target are fused and analyzed, the group field strength function is constructed, and a single target with a certain cooperation relationship in tactics is classified, forming tactical groups. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Introduction: Complete non-mosaic trisomy 22 is a fatal chromosomal disorder that only few fetuses can survive over 12 weeks as reported. Prenatal sonographic findings combined with postnatal or postmortem discoveries showed characteristic multi-systematic anomalies. Patient concerns: The unborn baby of a 35-year-old pregnant woman was found to have several anomalies during a prenatal sonographic scan, including intrauterine growth retardation, ventricular septal defect, flat facial profile, and unclear bilateral kidney structures. Diagnoses: The fetus was diagnosed as having complete non-mosaic trisomy 22 by chromosomal analysis. Interventions: The pregnancy was terminated at 24 weeks, and autopsy was permitted. Outcomes: Postmortem examinations revealed additional long-sectional spina bifida occulta and imperforate anus. Conclusions: This was the first time a case of spinal cord defect was reported in trisomy 22 fetuses. More attention should be paid to the spinal cord during sonographic examinations in trisomy 22 fetuses.

We present a wide-field IFS survey on the nearby face-on Sbc galaxy NGC 628, comprising 11094 individual spectra, covering a nearly circular field-of-view of ~6 arcmin in diameter, with a sampling of ~2.7 arcsec per spectrum in the optical wavelength range (3700--7000 AA). This galaxy is part of the PPAK IFS Nearby Galaxies Survey, (PINGS, Rosales-Ortega et al. 2009). To our knowledge, this is the widest spectroscopic survey ever made in a single nearby galaxy. A detailed flux calibration was applied, granting a spectrophotometric accuracy of $\sim$\,0.2 mag. The age of the stellar populations shows a negative gradient from the inner (older) to the outer (younger) regions. We found an inversion of this gradient in the central ~1 kpc region, where a somewhat younger stellar population is present within a ring at this radius. This structure is associated with a circumnuclear star-forming region at ~ 500 pc, also found in similar spiral galaxies. From the study of the integrated and spatially resolved ionized gas we found a moderate SFR of ~ 2.4 Msun yr$^{-1}$. The oxygen abundance shows a a clear gradient of higher metallicity values from the inner part to the outer part of the galaxy, with a mean value of 12~+~log(O/H) ~ 8.7. At some specific regions of the galaxy, the spatially resolved distribution of the physical properties show some level of structure, suggesting real point-to-point variations within an individual \hh region. Our results are consistent with an inside-out growth scheme, with stronger star formation at the outer regions, and with evolved stellar populations in the inner ones.

Large-pore periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) hollow spheres with controllable pore size and high pore volume (2.5 cm3 g−1) were successfully synthesized at low-temperature (∼15 °C) by using the triblock copolymer Pluronic F127 as a template and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (TMB) as a swelling agent in the presence of inorganic salt (KCl). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements show that the PMO hollow spheres are uniform and well dispersed, and the composites have a large wall thickness. The influence of TMB, KCl, CTAB contents and media acidity on the mesostructure was systematically studied. The pore size (9.8–15.1 nm) of the hollow spheres can be gradually expanded by increasing TMB content together with a relatively high acidity. By controlling the content of CTAB, successive structural transformation from hollow sphere to wormlike mesostructure and eventually to ordered body-centered cubic (space group of Im-3m) mesostructure is observed. Our results reveal that the hydrophobicity of bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTSE) and low-temperature approach contribute to the slow hydrolysis rate of silica precursors, which leads to weak interaction between individual TMB/F127 micelles and silicate oligomers. Furthermore, the salting-out effect of KCl may influence the swelling capacity of individual micelles as well as decrease the critical micelle concentration and critical micelle temperature, resulting in the formation of PMO hollow spheres from the assembly of individual TMB/F127 micelles with silicate oligomers. The composites exhibit efficient adsorption capacity (703 mg g−1) for toluene, suggesting they are a potentially useful adsorbent for removal of volatile organic compounds. The PMO hollow spheres allow biomolecules with large molecular weight to diffuse in, and show superior encapsulation capacity of bovine serum albumin (BSA) molecules (∼585 mg g−1) over other porous materials.

We demonstrate a simple and efficient biosynthesis method to prepare easily harvested biocompatible cadmium telluride (CdTe) quantum dots (QDs) with tunable fluorescence emission using yeast cells. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirm that the CdTe QDs are formed via an extracellular growth and subsequent endocytosis pathway and have size-tunable optical properties with fluorescence emission from 490 to 560 nm and a cubic zinc blende structure with good crystallinity. In particular, the CdTe QDs with uniform size (2-3.6 nm) are protein-capped, which makes them highly soluble in water, and in situ bio-imaging in yeast cells indicates that the biosynthesized QDs have good biocompatibility. This work provides an economic and environmentally friendly approach to synthesize highly fluorescent biocompatible CdTe QDs for bio-imaging and bio-labeling applications. Open image in new window

Well-ordered two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) with a high content of disulfide groups have been prepared by a simple metal-ions-assisted amphiphilic surfactant templating process under a strong acidic condition. Long-chain organic bridge silane, bis(triethoxysilylpropyl)disulfide (BTSPDS) was used as a precursor which can be co-condensed with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) to assemble with the triblock copolymer Pluronic P123 template and to construct the mesostructured organic–inorganic frameworks. The content of disulfide functional groups is up to 20% (BTSPDS molar content in the initial silane mixture) incorporated into the framework. The obtained ordered mesoporous DS-PMO materials have relatively high BET surface area (∼580 m 2 /g), large uniform pore size (up to 6.3 nm) and thick pore walls (thickness up to 7.1 nm), because of the long-chain disulfide bridges. The metal ions such as Zn 2+ formed the four-coordination complex with two sulfides of BTSPDS and ethylene oxide moieties of P123 template, which could enhance the interaction between the “soft” long disulfide groups and P123 template, thus improving the mesostructural regularity correspondingly. The disulfide-bridged PMO materials exhibit excellent hydrothermal stability in boiling water for 5 days, probably due to the thick pore walls. SEM images show that after the hydrothermal treatment, the morphology of the ordered disulfide-bridged PMO materials is retained, as that of the wheat-like SBA-15. Excellent adsorption efficiency (∼716 mg/g) for Hg 2+ ions is observed, suggesting a potential application in removal of heavy metal ions in wastewater.

We combine H-alpha emission-line and infrared continuum measurements of two samples of nearby galaxies to derive dust attenuation-corrected star formation rates (SFRs). We use a simple energy balance based method that has been applied previously to HII regions in the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS), and extend the methodology to integrated measurements of galaxies. We find that our composite H-alpha+IR based SFRs are in excellent agreement with attenuation-corrected SFRs derived from integrated spectrophotometry, over the full range of SFRs (0.01 -- 80 solar mass per year) and attenuations (0 -- 2.5 mag) studied. We find that the combination of H-alpha and total infrared luminosities provides the most robust SFR measurements, but combinations of H-alpha measurements with monochromatic luminosities at 24 micron and 8 micron perform nearly as well. The calibrations differ significantly from those obtained for HII regions (Calzetti et al. 2007), with the difference attributable to a more evolved population of stars heating the dust. Our results are consistent with a significant component of diffuse dust (the `IR cirrus' component) that is heated by a non-star-forming population. The same methodology can be applied to [OII]$\lambda$3727 emission-line measurements, and the radio continuum fluxes of galaxies can be applied in place of IR fluxes when the latter are not available. We assess the precision and systematic reliability of all of these composite methods., Comment: 75 pages, 22 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

The paper investigates the choice of government to offer a grant to a potential entrant aimed at reducing its fixed cost of entry when a monopoly firm provides the needed pharmaceutical drug given the prevalence path of the disease in a dynamic economic framework. The results of present study suggest that government can use a grant to credibly threaten the entry of a new firm into the industry and to promote limit-output pricing by the incumbent firm. The paper therefore suggests that the government policy set includes subsidizing the potential entry of a new firm into an industry manufacturing pharmaceutical drugs for the treatment of a communicable disease. Clearly, foreign aid could also be used as a source of this credible threat. The study also extends the paper by Mechoulan (2007) through the introduction of the government’s choice into the model.

A viscoplastic constitutive model with void damage is developed to analyze the macroscopic mechanical response and damage mechanism of lead-free solder alloy in CBGA packaging under cyclic thermal loading. The constitutive model is implemented into ABAQUS through its user defined material subroutine. Two-dimensional nonlinear finite element analysis of a ceramic ball grid array(CBGA) package is conducted to simulate the viscoplastic deformation and damage failure process of the lead-free solder joint under cyclic thermal loading. The damage model is helpful for optimization and reliability of electronic package.

We compare the ionized gas velocity dispersion σgas with the stellar velocity dispersion σ in star-forming galaxies, composite galaxies, Low Ionization Nuclear Emission-line Regions (LINERs) and Seyfert 2s, compiled from a cross-identification of Sloan Digital Sky Survey Fourth Data Release (SDSS DR4) and Point Source Catalogue Redshift Survey (PSCz). We measure σgas from the FWHMs of emission lines (Hα, [NII]λλ6548, 6583 and [SII]λλ6716, 6731). A significant correlation between the gas and stellar velocity dispersion exists, despite substantial scatter. The mean value of the gas to stellar velocity dispersion ratio is close to unity. This suggests that gas velocity dispersion can substitute for the stellar velocity dispersion as a tracer of the gravitational potential well for all the four types of galaxies, but the involved uncertainties are different from type to type. We also studied gas/σ as a function of the redshift and the axial ratio to test the effects of aperture and galaxy inclination, and found that both effects are weak. Finally we checked the trend of gas/σ with the infrared luminosity and found no significant correlation.