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Nanomaterials with unique structural and properties can be synthesized by rapid transition of the thermodynamic state. One promising method is through electrical explosion, which possesses ultrafast heating/quenching rates (dT/dt~109 K/s) of the exploding conductor. In this study, experiments were performed with fine metallic wire exploding in liquid nitrogen (liq N2, 77 K) under different applied voltages. For the first time in the literature, the physical image of the electrical explosion dynamics in liq N2 is depicted using electro-physical diagnostics and spatial-temporal-resolved photography. Specifically, the pulsation and collapse processes of the vapor bubble (explosion products) have been carefully observed and analyzed. As a comparison, an underwater electrical explosion was also performed. The experimental results suggest that the vapor bubble behavior in liq N2 differs from that in water, especially in the collapse phase, characterized by secondary small-scale bubbles in liq N2, but multiple bubble pulses in water; correspondingly, the products’ characteristics are discrepant.

Background A large number of clinical studies based on spontaneous pregnancies (SP) have proved the superiority of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), and whether this technology is suitable for the offspring of assisted reproductive technology (ART) has attracted people's attention. The aim of this study is to evaluate the application value of NIPT in screening for trisomy21(T21), trisomy18(T18), trisomy13(T13) and sex chromosome aneuploidy (SCA) in pregnant women underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF). Results A total of 804 cases (0.88% (804/91280), singleton = 795, twin = 9) of high-risk in the SP group, of the 558 cases (singleton = 556, twin = 2) that underwent invasive prenatal diagnosis (IPD), 343 cases (singleton = 342, twin = 1) were true positive, including 213 cases T21, 28 cases T18, 5 cases T13 and 97 cases (singleton = 96, twin = 1) SCA. The positive predictive value (PPV) of T21, T18, T13 and SCA in singleton pregnancies were 89.12% (213/239), 51.85% (28/54), 21.74% (5/23) and 40.00% (96/240), and the PPV of SCA in twin pregnancies was 100.00%. In the in vitro fertilization (IVF) group, IPD was underwent in 19 cases (singleton = 16, twin = 3) of the 27 cases (0.78% (27/3477), singleton = 16, twin = 3) high-risk, of which 9 cases (singleton = 8, twin = 1) were true positive, including 5 cases (singleton = 4, twin = 1) T21 and 4 cases of SCA. The PPV of singleton T21 and SCA was 66.67% (4/6) and 50.00% (4/8), and the PPV of twin T21 was 100.00% (1/1). There was no significant difference in sensitivity and specificity between the two groups. Based on follow-up, we found 1 case of T21 false negative results in SP group and no false negative case in IVF group. Additionally, the mean fetal fraction (FF) of IVF group was lower than that of SP group (11.23%vs.10.51%, p

P2P network enables users to share resources effectively. However, with the advent of the big data era, the sensitive data of users in P2P network are also increasing dramatically. In order to solve the contradiction between the huge amount of sensitive data and the limited local storage space, an increasing number of users choose to encrypt their sensitive data and store them in the cloud server. For the problem of the secure storage and flexible access of large amounts of user data in P2P networks, an edge-cloud-assisted multiuser forward secure searchable encryption scheme is proposed. The scheme uses the proxy reencryption technique to optimize the multiuser searchable encryption and prevent the decryption key from being directly transmitted between users. By introducing an edge-cloud architecture, the system achieves efficient communication and timely response capabilities. The security analysis proves that our scheme achieves the CPA (chosen-plaintext attack) security based on DBDH assumption and the forward privacy. Finally, the theoretical and experimental comparisons between this scheme and other schemes show that our scheme has high efficiency in the process of data update, search, and trapdoor generation. In addition, due to the use of edge-cloud architecture, our scheme reduces about 90% and 75% of the user’s consumption in the encryption and token generation process.

Objective The aim of the study was to evaluate the Cobas 4800 Assay and the SeqHPV Assay with self (S) and direct (D) cervical samples in the Chinese Multicenter Screening Trial (CHIMUST). Materials and methods The CHIMUST is a large population-based multicenter clinical trial, and 10,885 women aged 30-59 years from 15 sites in 7 provinces with no cervical cancer screening for 3 years were eligible. All participating women contributed one self-collected sample (S) and 1 physician-collected endocervical sample (DL). The self-collected sample was first applied to the solid media transport card (SS), and then, the brush placed in 6 mL of ThinPrepSolution (SL). All samples were tested with Cobas 4800 and SeqHPV high-risk HPV assays. Patients human papillomavirus positive (self or direct) were recalled for colposcopy and biopsies. Results A total of 10,399 women had complete data. The mean age was 43.9 years. A total of 1.4% (142/10,399) had cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2+ and 0.5% (54/10,339) had CIN 3+. In the liquid specimens, the overall HPV infection rates were 10.8% for Cobas and 10.9% for SeqHPV in D sample, and 13.7% for Cobas and 11.6% for SeqHPV in SL sample, respectively. The sensitivity of Cobas-DL, Cobas-SL, SeqHPV-DL, and SeqHPV-SL for CIN 2+ was 95.07%, 95.07%, 94.33%, and 96.48%, respectively. The specificity of Cobas-DL, Cobas-SL, SeqHPV-DL, and SeqHPV-SL for CIN 2+ was 90.38%, 87.35%, 90.21%, and 89.53%, respectively. There were no differences in sensitivity when applying the 2 assays to both self- and directly collected samples in liquid transport media (p > .05). Conclusions Both Cobas and SeqHPV screening assays using both self-collected and directly endocervical collected specimens demonstrate similar sensitivity for the detection of CIN 2+ and CIN 3+.

Catalytic hydrodechlorination is one of the most potential remediation methods for chlorinated organic pollutants. In this study, Ni

Background and Objectives Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) is a common condition affecting of most postmenopausal women, which greatly impacks the quality of life,and need to treat. This prospective multicenter cohort study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of the fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser with that of topical estrogen for vaginal treatment and relieving symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). Study Design/Materials and Methods This study included 162 postmenopausal patients who received vaginal laser or topical Estriol cream therapy between January 2017 and May 2019 at eight study centers in China. The degree of GSM‐related symptoms (vaginal burning, dryness, and dyspareunia) was evaluated using the Vaginal Health Index score (VHIS) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at baseline, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months posttreatment. The primary endpoint was the improvement in vaginal burning, dryness, and dyspareunia at 6 months after treatment. Multivariate logistic regression was used to compare the rate of improvement in the two groups. Results At baseline, the laser and control groups showed no significant difference in the mean age, time after menopause, and the VHIS (all P > 0.05). In the laser group, compared with baseline, significant differences were seen in the VHIS after the first or second treatment session and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months posttreatment (P 0.05). The VHIS scores were significantly higher after 1 month (16.63 ± 2.79 vs. 15.57 ± 2.43) and 12 months (15.72 ± 2.59 vs. 12.12 ± 4.08) of treatment in both the groups (P 0.05). The VAS findings at 6 months posttreatment were significantly different when compared with the pretreatment findings (P

BackgroundThe disparities of hr-HPV infection among races/ethnicities have not been fully discussed. This study aimed to investigate the difference of hr-HPV infection between Chinese Han and Mongols minority women in Inner Mongolia.MethodsGenotyping and histopathology data of Chinese Han and Mongols minority women in Inner Mongolia from Chinese Multi-Center Screening Trial were used to analyze the hr-HPV prevalence, and type-specific distribution in abnormal pathology results.ResultsThe hr-HPV infection rates of Han women was 15.9% while of Mongols was 21.6% (P < 0.001). The most prevalent genotypes in Han women were ranked as HPV-16,−52,−18/-58,−31/-39, and−59 while in Mongols were−16,−31,−58,−18 and−52. When analyzing the age-specific of hr-HPV infection, two peaks were found at age of 40–44 (20.5%) and 55–59 (23.5%) years in Han women while three peaks were observed at age of 30–34 (22.1%), 45–49 (22.9%), and 55–59 (31.8%) years, respectively, in Mongols. HPV-16 accounting for 62.5 and 53.8% of the CINII+ in Han and Mongols, respectively.ConclusionThe prevalence of hr-HPV was significantly different between the Han and Mongols minority women in Inner Mongolia, races/ethnicities background should be taken into consideration for the refinement of cervical cancer screening strategies and vaccine implementation in China.

BackgroundSpiritual well-being plays an important role in helping patients cope with disease. Previous studies have investigated the association between social support and spiritual well-being, whereas few studies have explored the relationship in patients with esophageal cancer (EC), and the mechanisms behind this pathway have not been thoroughly examined.ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the relationship between social support and spiritual well-being of Chinese patients with EC aged over 50 years and to analyze whether the relationship was mediated by rumination.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted with 197 EC patients. Participants completed the general information questionnaire, the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy–Spiritual Scale, the Chinese Event Related Rumination Inventory, and the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS).ResultsResults demonstrated that social support of patients with EC aged over 50 years was positively correlated with spiritual well-being and deliberate rumination and negatively correlated with intrusive rumination; spiritual well-being was positively associated with deliberate rumination and negatively correlated with intrusive rumination. The effect of social support on spiritual well-being was partially mediated by deliberate rumination and intrusive rumination.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that interventions directed toward enhancing social support and deliberate rumination and reducing the level of intrusive rumination may help patients with EC aged over 50 years improve spiritual well-being.

With the younger onset age of female lower genital tract diseases, there are increasing demands for protecting organ and tissue structures to preserve fertility and, therefore, effective fertility-sparing treatments that cause minimal normal tissue damage and less adverse reactions are urgently needed.This study is aimed at reviewing information and achieving consensus on recommendations on the clinical applications of aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) in female lower genital tract diseases.Members of the expert panel held online and in-person meetings to discuss and revise drafts created by the steering committee based on the literature review and the clinical experiences of the expert panel. Opinions of the experts were transcribed and discussed in detail to ensure that the consensus statement best reflects the current advances in the field and the experts' view.After numerous rounds of meetings, experts unanimously agreed on the importance of ALA-PDT in the treatment of cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL), vaginal SIL, vulvar SIL, vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS), and condyloma acuminatumon (CA). Experts also reached consensus on the recommended treatment regimen and treatment methods.This consensus aimed to provide practical basis and guidance for the clinical applications of ALA-PDT in female lower genital tract diseases in China. Of note, this is the only expert consensus prepared by board-certified specialists in gynecology and obstetrics in China. More evidence-based clinical studies should be made to update and expand the current recommendations.

Objective To investigate the clinical value of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) to screen for chromosomal abnormalities in twin pregnancies and to provide further data on NIPT manifestations in twin pregnancies. Materials and methods In a 4-year period, 1048 women with twin pregnancies were voluntarily prospectively tested by NIPT to screen for chromosomal abnormalities by sequencing cell-free foetal DNA (cffDNA) in maternal plasma. Positive NIPT results were confirmed by karyotyping, while negative results were followed up 42 days after delivery. Results Thirteen women had positive NIPT results as follows: 2 cases of trisomy 21 (T21), 1 of trisomy 18 (T18), 7 of sex chromosome aneuploidy (SCA), 1 of microdeletion, and 2 of microduplication. Of these 13 cases, 2 were true-positive cases confirmed by foetal karyotype analysis, namely, 1 case of T21 and 1 of microdeletion. Furthermore, the remaining 11 high-risk pregnant women were confirmed as false positive by foetal karyotyping. Thus, the combined positive predictive value (PPV) of NIPT screening for chromosomal abnormalities in twin pregnancies was 15.4% (2/13). There were no false-negative case via our follow-up results. Conclusion Safe and rapid NIPT has a certain clinical application value; however, the PPV is limited, and the screening efficiency is not stable. Careful use should be made in the screening of chromosomal abnormalities in twin pregnancies.

Objective Cervical cancers present major threats to women’s health in China. Eliminating cervical cancer in China is a huge challenge, with application of the HPV vaccine, which is an important part. Methods There are currently four HPV vaccines available in China: E-coli bv-HPV (Wantai, China), bv-HPV, qv-HPV (GSK, UK), and 9v-HPV (MSD, USA). To observe the immunogenicity, efficacy, and safety of these four vaccines in China, we formed the "Chinese Expert Consensus on the Clinical Application of HPV Vaccine." Results At 7 months after vaccination, all vaccinated subjects had the same immunogenic response to either HPV16 or HPV18, ranging from 96 to 100%, and antibody production in girls aged 9–14 years was 2–3 times higher than that in adult women. Efficacy of the four vaccines against CIN2 + ranged from 87.3% to 100%, with prevention of HPV-associated infection reaching 96% ~ 97% at 12 months. Clinical trials showed bv-HPV and qv-HPV vaccine were also safe in women aged 18–45 years. Clinical trials of the 9v-HPV vaccine are underway. HPV vaccination is currently voluntary and self-paid in China. The "Chinese Expert Consensus on the Clinical Application of HPV Vaccine" will work to promote the application of HPV vaccine in China. Conclusions In clinical studies, the available HPV vaccines showed excellent efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity in Chinese women. We will continue strengthening screening and encouraging HPV vaccination.

Background A quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV) vaccine (HPV6/11/16/18) has demonstrated efficacy and acceptable safety in international studies. However, these studies did not include participants from mainland China, which has a substantial burden of HPV-related disease. This is the first safety report with a follow-up period of up to 90 months from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of qHPV vaccine in Chinese women 20–45 years of age. Methods Participants were randomized 1:1 to receive three doses of qHPV vaccine or placebo (Day 1, Month 2, and Month 6). Efficacy outcomes are reported elsewhere. Injection-site and systemic adverse events (AEs) were collected using vaccination report cards (VRCs) for 15 days following each vaccination. Serious AEs (SAEs), pregnancy outcomes, new medical conditions, and fetal/infant SAEs were collected during the entire study. Results Of 3006 participants randomized, AEs were reported by 926 (61.8%) qHPV vaccine recipients and 856 (57.1%) placebo recipients over the entire study. Four participants (two in each group) discontinued the study vaccination due to AEs that were considered vaccination-related. Within 15 days following any vaccination, injection-site AEs prompted for on the VRC were more frequent among qHPV vaccine recipients (37.6% vs 27.8%), and systemic AEs prompted for on the VRC were similar in frequency between qHPV vaccine and placebo groups (46.8% vs 45.1%). Thirty-eight and 43 participants reported SAEs in qHPV vaccine and placebo groups, respectively. No SAE was considered qHPV vaccine-related. Pregnancy outcomes, fetal/infant SAEs, and new medical conditions were generally similar in frequency between the qHPV vaccine and placebo groups, and within normal ranges. Conclusion The qHPV vaccine was well tolerated and demonstrated a favorable safety profile in Chinese women 20–45 years of age, consistent with findings from global trials and safety surveillance studies. Trial registration : clinicaltrials.gov ; NCT00834106.

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection and the genotype distribution of HR-HPV in different regions of China using self-collected vaginal samples. Study Design and Setting: A total of 20,136 women aged 30–59 years were recruited from 13 provinces in China from September 2018 to July 2020. All participants registered, signed electronic informed consent, and filled in individual information voluntarily using an internet-based cervical cancer screening platform, then received a self-sampling kit. The samples were tested for 14 types of HR-HPV using the SeqHPV and BMRT HPV PCR assays. Results: After excluding 33 samples because of labeling errors or insufficient amounts of HPV DNA in specimens, 20,103 women (99.84%) were ultimately analyzed with a mean age of 44.31 ± 7.70 years. The overall prevalence of HR-HPV infection was 13.86%. The vast majority of HR-HPV (77.18%) were still a single type. Among 13 regions, Inner Mongolia had the highest prevalence (21.55%), while the lowest prevalence was in Jilin (9.51%). The following factors were found to be significantly associated with HR-HPV infection: age, sexual behavior, irregular screening, and economic level. The top five most common HR-HPV subtypes were HPV-52 (3.42%), HPV-58 (2.29%), HPV-16 (2.17%), HPV-39 (1.35%), and HPV-51 (1.30%), while HPV18 (0.86%) was the less prevalent. The prevalence of infection with a single type of HR-HPV was 10.70% and the prevalence of infection with multiple types was 3.16%. The prevalence curve of age-specific HR-HPV was V-shaped from 30 years to 59 years, with a lower prevalence observed in women aged 40–44 years (12.35%) and infection subsequently increasing with age. The proportion of women aged 30–34 years with HPV-16 (17%) was much higher than the proportion in other age groups, and the prevalence of HPV-18 (6%) was highest in women aged 45–49 years. The undeveloped regions (according to the GDP) had the highest prevalence of specific combinations of HR-HPV subtypes, of which HPV-16/HPV-18 infections decreased with increasing GDP. Furthermore, a more number of sexual partners and age of first sexual intercourse

Additional file 1: Table supplement 1. Rate of HPV testing failure.

A quantitative understanding of thermal field evolution is vital for quality control in additive manufacturing (AM). Because of the unknown material parameters, high computational costs, and imperfect understanding of the underlying science, physically-based approaches alone are insufficient for component-scale thermal field prediction. Here, we present a new framework that integrates physically-based and data-driven approaches with quasi in situ thermal imaging to address this problem. The framework consists of (i) thermal modeling using 3D finite element analysis (FEA), (ii) surrogate modeling using functional Gaussian process, and (iii) Bayesian calibration based on the thermal imaging data. According to heat transfer laws, we first investigate the transient thermal behavior during AM using 3D FEA. A functional Gaussian process-based surrogate model is then constructed to reduce the computational costs from the high-fidelity, physically-based model. We finally employ a Bayesian calibration method, which compares the surrogate modeling results and thermal measurements, to enable layer-to-layer thermal field prediction across the whole component. A case study on fused deposition modeling is conducted for components with 7 to 16 layers. The cross-validation results show that the proposed framework allows for accurate and fast thermal field prediction for components with different process settings and geometric designs. Keywords: Additive manufacturing, Thermal field, Geometry of freeform, Finite element modeling, Bayesian calibration

Cushion materials are very popular and widely used in various applications. Cellular solid has been used for cushioning for many years due to its low weight and high energy absorption capacity. Cushioning selection is the process of selecting a cushioning material to sufficiently cushion an object. There are a few cushion selection methods available in literature. The objective of this report is to investigate the feasibility of a cushion selection method based on predicting the impact absorption capacity from static compressive stress-strain data. This is achieved by comparing the predicted dimensionless deceleration (G) and the measured G. Polyethylene (foam) samples were used to conduct the compression test and drop test. For polyethylene, the predicted G shown higher accuracy at low drop height and became lower accuracy with increasing drop height. A dynamic factor C was introduced to account for the difference. From this report, researchers may explore the feasibility of this cushion selection method on polyethylene or even conduct experiments on other cellular solid specimens in the future.

The antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) method was improved by evaluating the synergy of antimicrobial concentration and time to antimicrobial rate. The concentration of E. coli BBZ6-3 suspension in the MHB was detected with turbidity ( A 600) by automatic growth curve analyzer (Bioscreen) in continuous time while exposed to various concentrations of antibiotics. Based on this testing system of antibacterial dynamics, isobiologram was built by Sigma plot through relative bacteriostatic rate (RBR=1- At - i / At -0) to antibiotic concentration and treating time. It could perfectly suggest that the process and trend of bacteriostatic action was affected with the two factors, which possessed compatible advantage of both quantitative character of two-dimensional curve and visual character of three-dimensional curve. With the normalized processing, RBR could eliminate the influence of some factors, such as the background effect of bacteria growth, inoculums concentration and variety of antibiotics. So the bacteriostatic rate of different antibiotics, specially the effect of concentration and time, could directly be compared through it. The essence of bacteriostaticaction was that the nutriment utilization efficiency and degree were inhibited by antibiotics when bacteria grew in media, which was different form direct sterilization but was a correlative course. Isobiologram was divided into three parts by 0.5 RBR (traditional visual MIC by the naked eye): differentiation area (left area of lengthways isobiologram 0.5 RBR, all concentrations), growth area (above isobiologram 0.5 RBR), bacteriostasis area (right area of lengthways isobiologram 0.5 RBR and below isobiologram 0.5 RBR). The periphery of differentiation area was 100–300 min, so it was credible to determine the MIC at 8–12 h in traditional AST. In fact, the isobiologram density of growth area and bacteriostasis area was the evidence of concentration dependence and time dependence. Bacteriostatic dynamics testing system and RBR isobiologram, which reformed the traditional AST method, would be used to analysis the effect of different inoculation quantity on antibacterial rate and the bacterial population variation, post antibiotic effect (PAE) of different concentrations of antibiotics, and compare bacteriostatic dynamics of different strains with different level of resistance.

Recently, “Big Data” has attracted not only researchers’ but also manufacturers’ attention along with the development of information technology. In this paper, the concept, characteristics, and applications of “Big Data” are briefly introduced first. Then, the various data involved in the three main phases of product lifecycle management (PLM) (i.e., beginning of life, middle of life, and end of life) are concluded and analyzed. But what is the relationship between these PLM data and the term “Big Data”? Whether the “Big Data” concept and techniques can be employed in manufacturing to enhance the intelligence and efficiency of design, production, and service process, and what are the potential applications? Therefore, in order to answer these questions, the existing applications of “Big Data” in PLM are summarized, and the potential applications of “Big Data” techniques in PLM are investigated and pointed out.

Here, The new arbitrated quantum signature (AQS) protocol assisted by asymmetric key based on qubit block encryption algorithm is given. Interestingly, our protocol with the asymmetric key can be easily extended to multi-party verification. Unlike all previous quantum works on arbitrated quantum signature, the encryption algorithm of the pre-sented protocol is qubit block encryption. Since, the proposed protocol has a better performance in resisting existential forgery attack. In addi-tion, with the help of the arbitrator, it can be proved that our protocol is secure.

We present four results on the fluctuations of the spin per site around the thermodynamic magnetization in the mean-field Blume-Capel model. Our first two results refine the main theorem in a previous paper (Ellis et al. in Ann. Appl. Probab. 20:2118–2161, 2010), in which the first rigorous confirmation of the statistical mechanical theory of finite-size scaling for a mean-field model is given. Our first main result studies the asymptotics of the centered, finite-size magnetization, giving its precise rate of convergence to 0 along parameter sequences lying in the phase-coexistence region and converging sufficiently slowly to either a second-order point or the tricritical point of the model. A simple inequality yields our second main result, which generalizes the main theorem in Ellis et al. (Ann. Appl. Probab. 20:2118–2161, 2010) by giving an upper bound on the rate of convergence to 0 of the absolute value of the difference between the finite-size magnetization and the thermodynamic magnetization. These first two results have direct relevance to the theory of finite-size scaling. They are consequences of our third main result. This is a new conditional limit theorem for the spin per site, where the conditioning allows us to focus on a neighborhood of the pure states having positive thermodynamic magnetization. Our fourth main result is a conditional central limit theorem showing that the fluctuations of the spin per site are Gaussian in a neighborhood of the pure states having positive thermodynamic magnetization.

Objective The human papillomavirus (HPV) oncoprotein, E6, activates telomerase reverse transcriptase ( TERT ) expression and causes cellular immortalization. It remains unclear whether E6 affects TERT transcription by altering DNA methylation profiles. In this study, we explored the methylation status of the TERT promoter in cervical cancer cell lines and its variations after E6 was silenced by RNAi. Methods Three kinds of cervical cell lines (HPV16 positive: CaSki and SiHa; HPV18 positive: HeLa), were taken to analyze the methylation status of the TERT promoter by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) and bisulfite sequencing (BS). Stealth RNAi was transiently transfected to these cell lines to silence the expression of HPV16/18 E6, and the subsequent changes of TERT mRNA levels and TERT promoter DNA methylation were examined. Results Hypomethylation of the DNA around the TERT transcription start site (−156 to +162bp) was functionally related to its transcription. After transfection with Stealth RNAi, the levels of HPV16/18 E6 and TERT mRNA were greatly decreased. The methylated CpG around the transcription start sites in CaSki and SiHa cells were statistically increased (respectively P =0.016, P =0.000). However, there was no significant difference in HeLa cells ( P =0.128). Conclusion Hypomethylated CpG around the transcription start site enables the expression of TERT in cervical cancer cells. Our results show for the first time that HPV16 E6 can promote TERT transcription through demethylating the DNA sequence around the TERT transcription start site in cervical squamous cancer cells.

To evaluate genomic amplification of the human telomerase RNA gene (TERC) as a supportive approach to cytopathology or histopathology in diagnosis of low-grade and high-grade uterine cervical lesions, 1,033 Chinese women at three medical centers had liquid-based thin-layer cytopathologic examination and TERC detection by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Human papillomavirus DNA testing, colposcopy with or without biopsy, and histopathologic examination were conducted as needed. In cytopathologic examination, genomic amplification of TERC was found in 30 of 659 (4.6%) normal or benign cellular changes; in 23 of 170 (13.5%) atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS); in 8 of 28 (28.6%) atypical squamous cells with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion possible (ASC-H); and in 26 of 103 (25.2%) low-grade (LSIL) and 64 of 73 (87.7%) high-grade (HSIL) squamous intraepithelial lesions; with pairwise significant difference (P0.05) in each, except ASC-H and LSIL (chi(2) = 0.127, P = 0.72). In histopathologic examination, TERC was amplified in 28 of 671 (4.2%) normal, inflammatory, or wart cases; in 17 of 233 (7.3%) cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1 cases (CIN 1); in 27 of 39 (69.2%) CIN 2 cases; in 57 of 67 (85.1%) CIN 3 cases; and in 22 of 23 (95.7%) cervical cancer cases; with pairwise significant difference in each (P0.05). The number of cells with abnormal signals increased and the abnormal signal patterns were diversified with increasing severity of cervical dysplasia. FISH detection of TERC amplification may provide an effective, noninvasive approach in conjunction with cytopathologic or histopathologic evaluation for differential diagnosis of low- and high-grade cervical disorders.

Best agricultural practices can be adopted to lower the environmental impact of wheat production while maintaining productivity. The work done in this project has been entrusted by a grain buyer who wished to compare the economic and environmental performance of four wheat production systems. A “cradle-to-harvest” life cycle inventory (LCI) was done to assess the environmental impact of four production systems (intensive, conventional, integrated and organic) for wheat in Quebec. Data used in the project come from plots established on farms that were accustomed to sell their wheat to the grain buyer. Producers were asked to provide data for their cultural operations, fertilizer and pesticide application strategies, soil conditions/texture and yields. This paper focuses on the cradle-to-harvest stages for greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), including the production of agricultural inputs and the associated emissions. GHG were estimated for all cultural operations, as well as all processes upstream of the farm like manufacturing and transportation of machinery, diesel, fertilizers, pesticides and seeds. Nitrogen and phosphorus losses were computed for processes occurring on the farm following the application of manure or mineral fertilizers. Per hectare of land use, GHG emissions were 1,824 kg CO2e for the organic system, 3,506 kg CO2e for the integrated system, 3,614 kg CO2e for the conventional system and 3,750 kg CO2e for the intensive system. Per ton of wheat produced, GHG emissions for organic, integrated, conventional and intensive production systems were respectively 629 kg CO2e, 938 kg CO2e, 852 kg CO2e and 793 kg CO2e. Plots with a higher dose of nitrogen generally have higher GHG emissions. There was little difference between productions systems in terms of N losses because dozes of nitrogen applied were in the same range. N2O emissions were lower for the organic system because three of the plots were not fertilized. PO43- leaching to surface water was higher for the organic system due to higher doses of phosphorus coming from manure. Results presented per ton of wheat produced showed that the emissions were lower for higher yields.