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As a multifunctional solvent, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have numerous potential applications in a variety of fields due to their low vapor pressure, tunability, environmental friendliness, and the ability to dissolve a wide range of chemicals. DESs serve as solvents, templates, and functionalization agents, among other functions, in the synthesis of functional materials, all of which are covered in this work. In addition, recent developments in the creation of different functional materials utilizing DESs are reviewed, as is the mechanism of DES activity throughout the preparation process and their potential to control the material's characteristics. The inherent features, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness of DESs are highlighted in the study, and it is argued that this makes them a potential green platform. Finally, the potential, key problems, and limitations of DESs are outlined for use in materials science. It is anticipated that this study will be a resource for proponents and users of green chemistry, assisting them in reducing pollution, boosting productivity, and reaping the rewards of progress in the development of DESs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Approximately 20-30% of small bowel capsule endoscopies (SBCEs) do not reach the cecum at the completion of the examination. We aimed to determine whether hypokalemia influences the completion rate and small bowel transit time (SBTT) of SBCE. Patients and Methods: From January to December 2017, 112 patients (18-75 years old) who underwent SBCE were assessed consecutively for enrolment in our study. On the day of the procedure, a blood test was performed prior to capsule ingestion. The completion rate, gastric transit time (GTT), SBTT, and diagnostic yield were recorded for each SBCE. Results: The SBCE completion rate was lower in the hypokalemia group than that in the normal potassium group (55.6% (15/27) vs. 76.5% (65/85), P = 0.036). The median GTT was 55.5 ± 47.1 min in the hypokalemia group and 46.7 ± 44.5 min in the normal potassium group (P > 0.05). The median SBTT was 412.8 ± 123.3 min in the hypokalemia group and 367.3 ± 172.5 min in the normal potassium group (P > 0.05). The diagnostic yields of the hypokalemia and normal potassium groups were 74.1% and 78.8%, respectively (P = 1.00). Conclusion: Hypokalemia may decrease the SBCE completion rate. Physicians should consider the possibility of hypokalemia after bowel preparation because this condition is not rare. Potassium deficiencies should be rectified prior to performing SBCE procedures to increase the SBCE completion rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To elucidate the relationship between physicochemical properties, spray characteristics, and combustion performance, a series of experiments have been conducted in a constant volume vessel with injection of hydrous ethanol diesel emulsion and regular diesel. HE30 (emulsion with 30% volume fraction of 20% water-containing ethanol and 70% volume fraction of 0# diesel) is developed using Shah's technique and regular diesel is also employed for comparison. Firstly, the physicochemical properties of two kinds of fuels are investigated. Then, the non-evaporating and evaporating spray characteristics are examined through the high-speed shadowgraphs. Finally, spray combustion experiments under different ambient oxygen concentrations are carried out, and color-ratio pyrometry (CRP) is applied to measure the flame temperature and soot concentration (KL) distributions. The results indicate that the physicochemical properties, such as density, surface tension, kinematic viscosity, cetane number, and oxygen content, have significant impact on the spray mixture formation and combustion performance. HE30 exhibits lower soot emissions than that of regular diesel. Further analysis supports the standpoint that the hydrous ethanol diesel emulsion can suppress the soot and NOx simultaneously. Therefore, the hydrous ethanol diesel emulsion has great potential to be an alternative clean energy resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: study the clinical efficacy difference between He-Mu acupoints and single point electroacupuncture for gastroparesis to determine whether the He-Mu acupoints effect is better than single point. Methods: Fifty-one patients who met the criteria of gastroparesis are randomly divided into He-Mu acupoints group (26 cases) and single acupoint group (25 cases). The He-Mu acupoints group is treated with electroacupuncture at the Cv12 and St36 points and the single point group at the Cv12 point of electroacupuncture. Both groups continue for 30 min, once daily, 5times per week for 3 weeks. Observe the gastroparesis symptom severity index (GCSI scale) on two groups of patients score before and after treatment, Gastric residual rate at 180 min and gastric emptying time (T1/2) changes, in order to assess its clinical efficacy. Results: After treatment, the total effective rate of He-Mu acupoints group is 91.7%, the single acupoint group is 87.5%. the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusions: St36 and Cv12 combined He-Mu acupoints group is effective for gastroparesis. The efficacy of single point acupuncture on electro-acupuncture for treating gastroparesis is poor, indicating that St36 and Cv12 combined He-Mu acupoints group has a better therapeutic effect than single ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a method for simultaneously performing mechanical tensile test and electrical test on nanowire in SEM. For this purpose, an electrostatic tensile device is designed, fabricated and tested. In order to simpli?ed the testing system, microforce sensor beam is used to measure the tensile force applied to the nanowire instead of traditional capacitive force sensor. Special care is taken on the design and fabrication process to improve the resolution of mechanical measurement by SEM imaging. Mechanical properties such as Young's modulus, elastic limit and fracture strength, and electrical resistance of nanowire can be obtained in the process of tensile testing using this device. Cu nanowire and SiC nanowire are tested as examples in this paper. Smaller Young's modulus is found in both nanowires due to the imperfection in crystallization. On the other hand, electrical properties under different tensile stress are characterized for both nanowires. Nonlinear and identical I--V curves are revealed for Cu nanowire, and linear I--V curves and the piezoresistive effect are revealed for SiC nanowire. The gauge factor of SiC nanowire is calculated and turns out to be compatible with the values of bulk SiC published in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an experimental method for in-situ observation of the lattice behavior of a single crystal silicon nanobelt during uniaxial tensile testing. An in-situ silicon nanobelt tensile testing device for transmission electron microscopy is developed. Atomic behavior and lattice parameters of the nanobelt are studied using selected area electron diffraction. A statistical and least square methods are used for reducing the measurement errors of the lattice parameters. The results suggest that the trends of the lattice parameters during the tensile test are in agreement with the increasing tensile stress in the silicon nanobelt. Furthermore, the local strain calculated from lattice parameters and the average strain of the nanobelt are compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep plays a critical role in children's development. Sleep not only impacts on physical growth, behaviour, and emotional development but also is closely related to cognitive functioning, learning, and attention. Sleep problems that include nightmares, night terrors, sleep talking, sleepwalking, bed-wetting, teeth grinding and snoring are very common in Chinese children. In recent years, there has been improvement in the epidemiology of sleep problems in children of different ages in China. Despite growing research efforts, the aetiology of sleep problems has not been clearly identified. A number of surveys suggest that, in addition to biological determinants of sleep, sleep quality appears to be influenced in part by social, cultural and familial issues. In this review, we focus on assessing cultural aspects of sleep in Chinese children of different ages, especially young children. Particular emphasis is given to sociocultural factors (co-sleeping, transitional objects, child-rearing practices, feeding practices, sleep position) and familial environment that are related to the bedtime behaviour of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanostructures of SingleCrystalSilicon (SCS) with superior electrical, mechanical, thermal, and optical properties are emerging in the development of novel nanodevices. Mechanical properties especially Young's modulus are essential in developing and utilizing such nanodevices. In this paper, experimental researches including bending tests, resonance tests, and tensile tests on Young' s modulus of nanoscaled SCS are reviewed, and their results are compared. It was found that the values of E measured by different testing methods cannotmatch to each other. As the differences cannot be explained as experimental errors, it should be understood by taking surface effect into account. With a simplified model, we qualitatively explained the difference in E value measured by tensile test and by resonance test for Si nanobeams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Abberant aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) expression and AhR pathway activation are involved in gastric carcinogenesis. However, the relationship between AhR pathway activation and gastric cancer progression is still unclear. In present study, we used 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzopara- dioxin (TCDD), a classic and most potent ligand of AhR, to activate AhR pathway and investigated the effect of AhR pathway activation on human gastric cancer AGS cell invasion and explored the corresponding mechanism. Results: To determine whether AhR pathway can be activated in AGS cells, we examined the expression of CYP1A1, a classic target gene of AhR pathway, following TCDD exposure. RT-PCR and western blot analysis showed that both CYP1A1 mRNA and protein expression were increased in a dose-dependent manner following TCDD treatment and AhR antagonist resveratrol (RSV) could reverse this TCDD-induced CYP1A1 expression. To determine whether TCDD treatment of AGS cells results in an induction of MMP-9 expression, we detected MMP-9 mRNA using RT-PCR and detected MMP-9 enzymatic activity using gelatin zymography. The results showed that both MMP-9 mRNA expression and enzymatic activity were gradually increased with the concentration increase of TCDD in media and these changes could be reversed by RSV treatment in a dose-dependent manner. To examine whether AhR activation-induced MMP-9 expression and activity in AGS cells results in increased migration and invasion, we performed wound healing migration assay and transwell migration and invasion assay. After TCDD treatment, the migration distance and the migration and invasion abilities of AGS cells were increased with a dose-dependent manner. To demonstrate AhR activation-induced MMP-9 expression is mediated by c-Jun, siRNA transfection was performed to silence c-Jun mRNA in AGS cells. The results showed that MMP-9 mRNA expression and activity in untreated control AGS cells were very weak; After TCDD (10 nmol/L) treatment, MMP-9 mRNA expression and activity were significant increased; This TCDD-induced MMP-9 expression and activity increase could be abolished by c-Jun siRNA transfection. Conclusion: AhR pathway activation enhances gastric cancer cell invasiveness likely through a c-Jun-dependent induction of MMP-9. Our results provide insight into the mechanism and function of the AhR pathway and its impact on gastric cancer progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth factors play important roles in regulating corneal epithelial cell proliferation/differentiation during wound healing. It is suggested that PAX6 involves corneal epithelium lineage-specific differentiation (Liu, J. J., Kao, W. W., and Wilson, S. E. (1999) Exp. Eye Res. 68, 295–301); however, the regulatory mechanism and function of Pax6 in growth factor-induced corneal epithelial responses is still unknown. In the present study, we found that the mitogenic effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in corneal epithelial cells required suppression of PAX6 activity through cellular mechanisms involving Erk-signaling pathway-mediated increase in CTCF expression. EGF-induced CCCTC binding factor (CTCF) activation subsequently inhibited Pax6 expression by interacting with a CTCF-specific region upstream of the pax6 P0 promoter. Suppression of EGF-induced Erk activation by specific inhibitor or by the dominant expression of a silent Erk mutant effectively abolished the effects of EGF stimulation on regulations of CTCF and pax6. Apparently, down-regulation of Pax6 expression induced by EGF is required for corneal epithelial proliferation, because overexpression of pax6 in these cells attenuated EGF-induced proliferation. In contrast, knockdown of mRNA expression with pax6- or CTCF-specific small interfering RNA in corneal epithelial cells significantly promoted or attenuated EGF-induced proliferation, respectively. Thus, our results revealed a new regulatory mechanism that involves cellular signaling events and pax6 transcription regulation in growth factor-mediated proliferation. In corneal epithelial cells, this suggests that inhibition of pax6 expression is a prerequisite for EGF to elicit controls of cell growth and fate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CCCTC binding factor (CTCF), a transcriptional regulator, plays important roles in epigenetics and development. In the present study, we report that overexpression of CTCF in transgenic mice during embryonic development suppresses Pax6 gene expression. This effect causes defects in ocular development that result in microophthalmia. In eye-derived cells transfected with a tetracycline turn-on CTCF system, up-regulation of CTCF expression significantly suppressed Pax6 expression. In contrast, the knockdown of CTCF mRNA resulted in the down-regulation of CTCF protein expres- sion, which in turn enhanced the Pax6 expression. CTCF controls Pax6 transcription by interacting with a re- pressor element located in the 5′-flanking region up- stream of the Pax6 P0 promoter. This interaction sup- pressed Pax6 gene transcription by blocking the effect of an ectoderm enhancer located 3.5 kb upstream from the P0 promoter. We also found an 80-bp sequence in a region -1.2 kbp upstream from the P0 promoter that contained multiple CTCF binding sites and interacted with nuclear proteins obtained from eye-derived cells forming electrophoretic mobility shift assay complexes with CTCF. We conclude that a novel function of CTCF is to regulate Pax6 transcription by binding to the repressor element, which in turn blocks the effect of the ectoderm enhancer resulting in the inhibition of P0 promoter activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an electrochemical investigation of the rate-limiting mechanisms for trichloroethylene (TCE) and carbon tetrachloride (CT) reduction at iron surfaces. Use of chronoamperometry and chronopotentiometry analyses; Measurement of rate constants for CT and TCE dechlorination; Reaction of TCE with atomic hydrogen.

Determines the effectiveness of electrochemical reduction in removing trichloroethylene (TCE) and carbon tetrachloride (CT) from dilute aqueous solutions. Use of iron electrode reactors in investigating TCE and CT; Effect of palladium on the reaction rates of TCE and CT; Implications of the kinetics and electrode stability of electrochemical reduction.

For spark-ignition (SI) engines, downsizing, exhaust gas recirculation and lean burn are promising methods for meeting more stringent emission regulations and lower fuel consumption requirements. With these technologies, high density and high flow velocity around the spark plug at spark timing bring severe challenges for stable ignition. The ignition processes could be affected by breakdown phases and restrikes under high-density conditions. A quantitative evaluation for the breakdown phase is of great significance especially for high power density engines. In this study, the experiments with pressure up to 40 bar and temperature up to 450 K are established to evaluate the breakdown voltage and current, with different spark plug gaps. The breakdown voltage is related to the ambient density, spark plug gap distance and gas composition. The coil parameters have little effects on the breakdown voltage. The breakdown current shows positive correlation with the breakdown voltage, and is also affected by the coil characteristics. The breakdown voltage and current show the nonlinear correlations with the pressure and gap distance. With the increase of pressure or gap distance, the increase rates of the breakdown voltage and current decrease. The fuel concentration and species have little effects on the breakdown voltage when the fuel concentration is applicable for engine operations. Finally, a novel expression of the breakdown voltage is constructed as a function of ambient pressure, temperature and spark plug gap distance. The newly developed expression is valuable for simulating spark ignition processes for a wide range of ambient density for SI engines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful diagnosis of nuclear power equipment failures plays a vital role in guaranteeing the safe operation of nuclear power systems. Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is one of the most commonly used methods for identifying potential failures. However, several shortcomings associated with the conventional FMEA method limit its further application. This paper develops an extended FMEA approach based on hesitant fuzzy linguistic Z-numbers (HFLZNs). Firstly, the concept of HFLZNs is proposed to describe the evaluation information, which inherits the prominent features of the hesitant fuzzy linguistic term set and linguistic Z-numbers (LZNs). Secondly, an HFLZN assessment method is developed to determine the weights of risk factors, and the weights of experts are measured based on hesitation degree. Subsequently, considering the psychological characteristics of decision makers, Tomada de Decisão Iterativa Multicritério and LZNs are integrated to obtain the risk ranking of failure modes. Finally, the practicability of the extended FMEA method is proven by an illustrative example concerning the risk evaluation of a nuclear main pump bearing, and its robustness is verified by indepth analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dementia is a brain disease which results in irreversible and progressive loss of cognition and motor activity. Despite global efforts, there is no simple and reliable diagnosis or treatment option. Current diagnosis involves indirect testing of commonly inaccessible biofluids and low-resolution brain imaging. We have developed a portable, wireless readout-based Graphene field-effect transistor (GFET) biosensor platform that can detect viruses, proteins, and small molecules with single-molecule sensitivity and specificity. We report the detection of three important amyloids, namely, Amyloid beta (AP), Tau (t), and a-Synuclein (aS) using DNA aptamer nanoprobes. These amyloids were isolated, purified, and characterized from the autopsied brain tissues of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients. The limit of detection (LoD) of the sensor is 10 fM, 1--10 pM, 10--100 fM for Ap, T, and aS, respectively. Synthetic as well as autopsied brain-derived amyloids showed a statistically significant sensor response with respect to derived thresholds, confirming the ability to define diseased vs. nondiseased states. The detection of each amyloid was specific to their aptamers; AP, t, and aS peptides when tested, respectively, with aptamers nonspecific to them showed statistically insignificant cross-reactivity. Thus, the aptamer-based GFET biosensor has high sensitivity and precision across a range of epidemiologically significant AD and PD variants. This portable diagnostic system would allow at-home and POC testing for neurodegenerative diseases globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preference relations as information representation form are widely used to manage complexity and uncertainty in practical decision-making cases. Intuitionistic trapezoidal fuzzy numbers (ITrFNs) can convey more fuzzy messages than other fuzzy numbers. This paper defines intuitionistic trapezoidal fuzzy preference relations (ITrFPRs) to adequately describe the preferences of decision makers (DMs). To optimize the decision-making selection process, this paper constructs a three-cycle decision-making selection mechanism with ITrFPRs. To build this mechanism, firstly, a possibility degree formula is presented to rank ITrFNs. Secondly, ITrFPRs, consistent ITrFPRs, acceptable consistent ITrFPRs and a new consistency index are defined. Thirdly, a novel consistency transformation method is built to elevate the consistency of ITrFPRs. Fourthly, considering the relationship between consistency conditions and priority weight, a priority weight derivation method is exploited to derive intuitionistic trapezoidal fuzzy weights. Ultimately, a three cycle selection mechanism integrated with consistency checking, consistency improvement and priority weight derivation procedures is constructed and applied into the case of trip itinerary selection. Sensitive and comparative analyses are carried out to illustrate the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study develops an approach that incorporates power aggregation operators with the evaluation based on distance from average solution (EDAS) method under linguistic neutrosophic situations to solve fuzzy multi-criteria group decision-making problems. Firstly, the existing operational laws and comparison methods of linguistic neutrosophic numbers (LNNs) are analysed. Secondly, the distance measurement between two LNNs is defined. Thirdly, the power-weighted averaging operator and the power-weighted geometric operator with LNNs are developed to support the decision makers' evaluation information. The models to derive the criteria weights are also constructed based on the proposed distance measurements. Finally, the EDAS method is extended to resolve group decision-making problems in the linguistic neutrosophic environment. An illustrative example of the property management company selection is given to verify the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Z-number has become a new representation of evaluation information because of its superiority in describing reliability measure. Current studies focuses mainly on the unidimensional Z-number like Z = (about 25 min, usually). Studies on multidimensional cases have not been reported. However, because people often describe things from various aspects, using only one aspect of information to describe uncertain events fully is difficult. In this paper, we propose the concept of the multidimensional Z-number, such as ((about 20 miles, about 25 min), usually) to handle complex information. For this purpose, we first define the basic operations of the multidimensional Z-number. We then propose a feasible comparison method. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by a series of numerical examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stock evaluation is a significant decision-making activity for investors. Due to the complexity of stock exchange market, evaluation information may be fuzzy and stochastic in the meantime. Therefore, it is essential to conduct the research on fuzzy stochastic multi-criteria decision-making (FSMCDM) methods. In this paper, at the beginning, we propose interval neutrosophic probability from the definition of neutrosophic probability. Then, a novel MCDM method is proposed with interval neutrosophic probability based on regret theory, in which criteria values are interval neutrosophic numbers (INNs). The method proposed with interval neutrosophic probability may be much better than methods using classic probability or fuzzy probability. Next, we apply the proposed method to stock selection problems and discuss the influence of parameters on ranking results. Finally, we compare regret theory with prospect theory, which is also an important theory of bounded rationality just like regret theory, to emphasize the characteristics the regret theory. Moreover, a comparative analysis is also conducted between the proposed method and existing methods under interval neutrosophic environment to demonstrate efficiency and applicability of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, our investigation of nanofabrication, effects and sensors based on the traditional micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology has been reviewed. Thanks to high selectivity in anisotropic etching and sacrificial layer processes, nanostructures such as nanobeams and nanowires have been fabricated in top-down batch process, in which beams with thickness of only 20 nm and nanowires whose width and thickness is only 20 nm were achieved. With the help of MEMS chip, the scale effect of Young's modulus in silicon has been studied and confirmed directly in a tensile experiment using electron microscopy. Because of their high surface-to-volume ratio and small size, silicon nanowire (SiNW)-based field-effect transistors (FETs) have been shown as one of the most promising electronic devices and ultrasensitive detectors in biological applications. We demonstrated that an SiNW-FET sensor can reveal ultrahigh sensitivity for rapid and reliable detection of 0.1 fM of target DNA with high specificity. All these indicate that the MEMS technology can pave the way to nanoapplications with its advantages of batch production, low cost and high performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Congenital heart defect (CHD) is one of the most common birth defects in the world. The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) genes are two of the most important candidate genes for fetal CHD. However, the correlations between the two genes and fetal CHD were inconsistent in various reports. Therefore, this study is aimed to evaluate the parental effects of the two genes on fetal CHD via three genetic polymorphisms, MTHFR 677C>T (rs1801133), MTHFR 1298 A>C (rs1801131), and MTRR 66A>G (rs1801394). Methods. Parents with pregnancy history of fetal CHD were divided into two subgroups: ventricular septal defect (VSD) (21) and non-VSD groups (78). VSD, non-VSD, and 114 control parents (controls) were analyzed in this study. Genotyping of these genetic polymorphisms was done by sequencing. Results. The MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism of either mothers or fathers was independently associated with fetal non-VSD (P<0.05) but not VSD, while the MTRR 66A>G polymorphism was independently associated with fetal VSD (P<0.05) but not non-VSD. No significance was found for MTHFR 1298A>C polymorphism. Conclusion. In either maternal or paternal group, the MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism was independently related to fetal non-VSD, while the MTRR 66A>G polymorphism was independently related to fetal VSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design and implementation of an expandable neural recording ASIC for multiple-channel neural recording applications. The ASIC consists of 36 modular digital pixels (MDPs) and a global digital controller (GDC) circuit. Each MDP has an analog frontend (AFE) circuit, a 12-bit successive approximation register ADC (SAR ADC), and a local digital controller (LDC) circuit. It achieves 5.9-µV input referred noise (IRN), 10.8-effective number of bits (ENOB), 37.8-µW power consumption, and 0.095 mm2 area per channel. The ASIC is implemented in commercial SMIC 0.18-µm CMOS process and validated by in-vivo experiment on a lab mouse with a 36-channel silicon-based neural probe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive molecular dynamics simulations are employed to optimize nanopore size and surface charge density in order to obtain high ionic selectivity and high water throughput for seawater desalination systems. It is demonstrated that with the help of surface charge exclusion, nanopores with diameter as large as 3.5 nm still have high ionic selectivity. The mechanism of the salt rejection in a surface charged nanopore is mainly attributed to the ion concentration difference between the cations and anions induced by the surface charges. Increasing surface charge density is beneficial to enhance ionic selectivity. However, there exists a critical value for the surface charge density. Once the surface charge density exceeds the critical value, charge inversion occurs inside a nanopore. Further increasing the surface charge density will deteriorate the ionic selectivity because the highly charged nanopore surface will allow more coions to enter the nanopore in order to keep the whole system in charge neutrality. Besides the surface charge density, the nanopore length also affects the ionic selectivity. Based on our systematic simulations, nanopores with surface charge density between -0.09 C/m2 and -0.12 C/m2, diameters smaller than 3.5 nm, and membrane thickness ranging between 8 and 10 graphene layers show an excellent performance for the ionic selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of void ratio on phase change of thermal storage unit for heat pipe receiver under microgravity is numerically simulated. Accordingly, mathematical model is set up. A solidification-melting model upon the enthalpy-porosity method is specially provided to deal with phase changes. The liquid fraction distribution of thermal storage unit of heat pipe receiver is shown. The fluctuation of melting ratio in phase change material canister is indicated. Numerical results are compared with experimental ones in Japan. The results show that void cavity prevents the process of phase change greatly. Phase change material melts slowly during sunlight periods and freezes slowly during eclipse periods as void ratio increases. The utility ratio of phase change material during both sunlight periods and eclipse periods decreases obviously with the improvement of void ratio. The thermal resistance of void cavity is much higher than that of phase change material canister wall. Void cavity prevents the heat transfer between phase change material zone and canister wall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, 3-D periodic numerical model for fully developed flow in a cross wavy primary surface recuperator for a microturbine system is built. The performance of flow and heat transfer is analyzed. The fields of flow and temperature in a gas and air channel are obtained. Different working conditions are numerically simulated. Numerical results are compared with experimental data concerned. Analysis results show that the flow in the gas and air channel is anti-symmetry along the centre of channel. The flow of fluid is fluctuant. The flow velocity of gas is much higher than that of air. The thermal ratio of cross wavy primary surface recuperator can reach 95.2%. The thermal ratio decreases with the improvement of gas inlet temperature. When gas inlet temperature increases by 100 K, the thermal ratio decreases by about 1%. The thermal ratio increases with the reduction of flow rate in the channel. When flow rate reduces by 40%, the thermal ratio increases by about 4%. The research results can be used to guide checking the performance of a recuperator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The most frequently used opioid in cancer pain management is morphine which remains a cornerstone for the management of cancer pain, due to the largest experience existing among physicians and widely availability in a variety of formulation. Considering that analgesics on cancer pain is often under the condition of chemotherapy and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is widely used today as a potent drug for the treatment of advanced cancers, whether analgesics such as morphine, interferes the chemotherapy such as 5-FU, arose as a considerable problem. Methods: In this study, the MCF-7 breast cancer cells were used to determine the antitumor effects of the 5-FU in combination with morphine. The cell proliferation was determined by the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and the apoptosis was determined by the Annexin V/PI staining and flow cytometry. The immunocytochemistry and western blot was used to determine the Bcl-2 and Bax expression. Results: It was shown that in MCF-7 cells, the proliferation was inhibited, the apoptosis was promoted, the Bcl-2 expression was suppressed and the Bax expression was promoted by both 5-FU alone and morphine alone, while the superior effects were achieved in combination with the two drugs. Conclusion: These results suggest that the morphine may have the beneficial effects on the antitumor chemotherapy with 5-FU, in stead of interferential effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Gastrokine-1 (GKN1), a secreted protein, is specifically expressed in gastric mucosa to protect and maintain the integrity of gastric epithelium. The present study investigated differential expression of GKN1 in normal, precancerous, and cancerous gastric tissues, and explored the biological functions of GKN1 protein in gastric cancer cells. Methods: RT-PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry were performed to detect GKN1 expression in normal, precancerous, cancerous gastric tissues and seven gastric cancer cell lines. Gene transfection was used to restoreGKN1 expression in gastric cancer AGS cells. Phenotypic changes (i.e., cell viability, apoptosis, cell cycle modulation, and sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to fluorouracil (5-FU)) were assayed in the transfected cells. DNA microarrays were used to analyze expression changes of apoptosis-related genes. Results: Significant downregulation or absence of GKN1 expression in seven gastric cancer cell lines were detected and progressive decrease of GKN1 expression from normal mucosa, precancerous tissue, to cancer tissues was observed. Moreover, restoration of GKN1 expression suppressed gastric cancer cell viability and induced the cells to undergo apoptosis. GKN1 expression also enhanced tumor cell sensitivity to 5-FU treatment. Moreover, it was found that GKN1 expression in AGS cells modulated expression of 19 apoptosis-related genes. Conclusions: Expression of GKN1 is progressively lost from normal mucosa, precancerous to cancerous gastric tissues, while restoration of GKN1 expression induces gastric cancer cells to undergo apoptosis, and enhances sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to 5-FU-induced apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CCCTC binding factor (CTCF) controls DNA imprinting, insulates important gene expression, and mediates growth factorand stress-induced cell fate. However, regulatory mechanisms involved in intracellular CTCF activity are largely unknown. In this study, we show that epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced increase and UV stress-induced decrease in CTCF activities mediate human corneal epithelial cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. CTCF is regulated by activation of different NF-κB subtypes via stimulation by EGF and UV stress. EGF-induced formation of a p651p50 heterodimer activated CTCF transcription to promote cellular proliferation. This was accomplished by the heterodimer binding to a KB site in the promoter region of CTCF gene. In contrast, UV stress induced formation of a p50/p50 homodimer, which suppressed CTCF expression leading to apoptosis. Thus, CTCF by itself plays a central role in mediating the dichotomous effects of growth factor and stress-stimulated NF-κB activation on cell survival and death. These results suggest that CTCF is a downstream component of the NF-κB pathway involved in the core transcriptional network of cell fate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwavable plastic food containers (MPFCs) are extensively used for food storage, cooking, rapid heating and as take-out containers. There is an urgent need to investigate whether MPFCs pose potential health risks, as a result of the migration of chemicals into foods. Herein, 42 intentionally added substances (IAS) and > 100 non-IAS (NIAS) migrating from MPFCs were identified in food simulants according to Regulation (EU). The migration of major IAS and NIAS was higher in 95% ethanol compared to other simulants, and gradually decreased following repeated use. NIAS, including Cramer class III toxic compounds, such as PEG oligomers of N,N -bis(2-hydroxyethyl) alkyl(C8–C18)amines, isomers of hexadecanamide and oleamide, and Irgafos 168 OXO were detected and exceeded the recommended limits in some MPFCs. Furthermore, microplastics (MPs) were detected with high values of over one million particles/L in some MPFCs in a single test, and migration behaviors of MPs in different MPFCs were diverse. Surprisingly, this rigorous migration might result in an annual intake of IAS/NIAS up to 55.15 mg and 150 million MPs particles if take-out food was consumed once a day. Multi-safety evaluation studies on the migration of various chemicals from MPFCs to foodstuffs during food preparation should be assessed. [Display omitted] • IAS/NIAS and MP can migrate from MPFCs to food simulants. • 42 IAS and over 100 NIAS were identified and quantified in MPFCs. • MPs were detected over one million particles/L in some MPFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voltage-gated K+ channel activities are involved in regulating growth factor-stimulated cell proliferation in a variety of cell types. Here we report that suppression of a voltage-gated K+ channel with 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), barium, and tetraethylammonium inhibited both EGF- and insulin-stimulated myeloblastic leukemia ML- 1 cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. Both MAPK/ERK and Akt pathways are known to mediate cell proliferative signals of a variety of growth factors including insulin. In serum-starved ML-1 cells, insulin rapidly stimulated phosphorylation of ERK½ and Akt, and the phosphorylation levels peaked ∼30 mm after treatment. Pretreatment of ML-1 cells with 4-AP potently and dose-dependently prevented phosphorylation of ERK½ and Akt. However, insulin-induced activation of the Akt pathway also played a role in promoting ML-1 cell proliferation. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that although ML-1 cells were primarily arrested at G1 phase by serum starvation for 36 h, they reentered the cell cycle after treatment with serum or insulin for 24 h. However, concomitant 4-AP treatment was able to attenuate cell cycle progression in synchronized ML-1 cells stimulated with growth factors. Our results strongly suggest that a 4-AP-sensitive K+ channel activity plays an important role in controlling proliferation of ML-1 cells by affecting the activation of multiple signal transduction processes induced by insulin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the double pressure of global energy consumption and climate change, nuclear power has become a low-carbon alternative energy source that could transform the energy structure of the globe. In the nuclear power industry, selecting suitable suppliers plays a significant role in improving the overall performance of nuclear power projects. Along with this symmetrical impact, this paper aims to develop a multistage decision-support framework to determine the optimal nuclear power equipment supplier, which is constructed in the context of Z-number information. Concretely, the Analytic Network Process (ANP) and Tomada de Decisão Iterativa Multicritério (TODIM) are extended by Z-numbers symmetrically—namely, Z-ANP and Z-TODIM. Z-ANP is first applied to analyze the symmetrical interdependence of criteria, so as to accurately determine the criterion weights. Further, the ranking of alternatives is obtained by Z-TODIM, which sufficiently considers the risk preference and psychological states of decision-makers. Finally, a practical case of nuclear-grade cable procurement in the Karachi 2-3 international nuclear power project is performed to illustrate the practicality of the proposed method, and its robustness and superiority are proven by comparing it with current representative approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote the development of nuclear power project in inland China, a specialized multi-criteria decision support framework is constructed for the site selection of inland nuclear power plants in this work. The best worst method (BWM), decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), and technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) are integrated with Z-numbers, namely Z-BWM, Z-DEMATEL, and Z-TOPSIS. Z-BWM and Z-DEMATEL are combined to produce the weights of criteria, and an extended Z-TOPSIS is utilized to determine the ranking of all alternatives. Finally, a case study is performed in Hunan province to demonstrate the practicability of the proposed decision support framework. The robustness and feasibility of the proposed method are shown by an in-depth analysis of the decision results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the design, fabrication and characterization of a MEMS thermal gas flow sensor with self-test function are presented. The flow sensor is composed of a platinum heater and thermopiles, where the heater is served as a heat source and the thermopiles are used for voltage output. In order to improve the performance of the flow sensor, the heavily doped N/P-polysilicon is utilized to form the thermocouple and XeF2 front-side isotropic etching is adopted to realize thermal isolation of the device. At the same time, the effects of the chip position in the gas channel and heater voltage on device performance are also studied from both experiment and simulation. Moreover, a self-test method and corresponding test system based on the thermal flow sensor are proposed, which use an equivalent heater voltage to simulate the gas flow rate for monitoring the dynamic response of the flow sensor to the gas. This method is simple and effective compared with traditional methods for detecting the performance flow sensors. In addition, the basic output performance of the flow sensor using nitrogen as the test gas is characterized. The experimental results show that the flow sensor owns a relatively high sensitivity of 123.006 mV (m/s)−1 (no amplification), a low response time of about 250 ms and good accuracy of  ±1.97%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probabilistic interval‐valued hesitant fuzzy sets (PIV‐HFSs) are suitable for aggregating information from different groups because the probabilistic information of all the groups can be included by using interval values. Moreover, decision makers (DMs) prefer to use interval values to provide evaluation information. Furthermore, the traditional multi‐criteria group decision‐making (MCGDM) approach has some limitations, such as obtaining the DMs' weights with inappropriate methods and neglecting the interactions amongst the criteria and the psychological characteristics of DMs. Motivated by these research background, the main contents of this study are as follows. First, PIV‐HFSs are proposed, and the convex combination operation is extended into PIV‐HFSs. Second, a hybrid MCGDM approach with PIV‐HFSs is suggested that is based on the maximizing deviation method, fuzzy analytic network process (FANP) and TODIM (an acronym in Portuguese for interactive and multi‐criteria decision‐making model). Third, an evaluation case of health management centres based on the service‐specific failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is considered. The results show that the most crucial secondary factor is frequency (0.35775) and that the most serious failure mode is the inaccurate check‐in. The results demonstrate that the proposed model can evaluate service quality effectively and that it performs better than other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The sustainability challenge is increasingly driving the adoption of supercritical water gasification (SCWG) technology to ensure the elimination and recovery of pollution produced by sewage sludge treatment (SST). Risk evaluation by failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) plays a crucial role in guaranteeing the reliability and safety of SCWG systems. However, some limitations in existing FMEA methods need to be ameliorated. Multiple risk factors are involved in prioritizing risk levels for failure modes in SCWG systems, it is essential a multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) process, in which overall assessments of failure modes should be provided according to their performances from several points during a system operation period. Due to differences in knowledge backgrounds and experiences, FMEA team members prefer to utilize multi-granular linguistic term sets to express their assessments of system risk. A hybrid risk evaluation model by FMEA is exploited with multi-granular linguistic distribution assessments to suit practical case. Best-worst and maximizing derivation methods are adopted to determine subjective and objective combined weights for distinguishing the importance of risk factors. Complex proportional assessment method is used to prioritize failure modes for explicitly and effectively reflecting the risk level of each failure mode. The proposed model is applied in a practical case of an SCWG system used in SST. Results derived from comparative and sensitivity analyses fully demonstrate the reliability and validity of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Under the double pressure of global energy tightening and energy saving, new renewable energy sources, especially offshore wind power, have become considerably popular. To promote the development of offshore wind power projects, there has been an urgent push towards the research on selecting a satisfactory offshore wind power station site. However, existing methods have ignored the consensus problem embedded in the selection process. With the aim of addressing this issue, we devote our effort to developing a consensus decision framework. To this end, we employ the picture fuzzy set (PFS) to collect and describe large amounts of uncertain evaluation information for distinctive sites. Then, some relative projection models for PFSs are developed to support the determination of importance weights of groups of decision makers who are invited to evaluate the performance of alternative sites. Subsequently, a consensus reaching process is presented to guarantee that each group is satisfied with the final selection. Finally, the classical technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution method is extended to reasonably select the most suitable site without a subjective supply for criteria weights. A case study on the location selection of offshore wind power station illustrates the validity and applicability of the framework. Through this work, we believe that the models and methods in different phases of our framework can be valuably applicable to similar problems and significantly beneficial to the promotion of PFS theory. Highlights • Picture fuzzy sets are applied to quantify contradictory decision information. • Some relative projection models are adapted to measure similarities and weights. • Two aggregation operators are developed for fusing distinctive opinions. • A consensus reaching process is devised to assess offshore wind power station site. • An extended TOPSIS method is introduced for selecting the optimal site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green supplier selection has recently become one of the key strategic considerations in green supply chain management, due to regulatory requirements and market trends. It can be regarded as a multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) problem, in which a set of alternatives are evaluated with respect to multiple criteria.MCGDMmethods based on Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) are widely used in solving green supplier selection problems. However, the classic AHP must conduct large amounts of pairwise comparisons to derive a consistent result due to its complex structure. Meanwhile, the classic TOPSIS only considers one single negative idea solution in selecting suppliers, which is insufficiently cautious. In this study, an improved TOPSIS integrated with Best-Worst Method (BWM) is developed to solve MCGDM problems with intuitionistic fuzzy information in the context of green supplier selection. The BWM is investigated to derive criterion weights, and the improved TOPSIS method is proposed to obtain decision makers' weights in terms of different criteria. Moreover, the developed TOPSIS-based coefficient is used to rank alternatives. Finally, a green supplier selection problem in the agri-food industry is presented to validate the proposed approach followed by sensitivity and comparative analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faced with risks aroused by the ever-increasing expansion of industrialization and urbanization, water security sustainability takes more and more effect on balancing regional sustainability and development, especially for industrial regions. Introducing sustainability into the indicator framework of water security is an indispensable issue should be addressed. The indicators of water security sustainability in practice are measured by observation data obtained from a monitoring period. These data are commonly expressed in various forms, such as ratio and qualitative linguistic, which makes them hard to be quantified and evaluated. As multiply influential criteria are involved the water security sustainability evaluation process, it can be treated as a multi-criteria decision making problem. An appropriate evaluation framework with scientific and strategic multi-criteria decision making techniques is supposed to be constructed. This paper incorporates the dimensions related to sustainability into the indicator framework of water security sustainability. Another contribution of this paper is that it establishes an observation data conversion standard and adopts linguistic distribution assessments as information representation. Linguistic distribution assessments can capture the natural characteristics of the observation data of water security sustainability indicators. More importantly, a multistage decision support framework integrated with multi-criteria decision making techniques, such as best-worst method (BWM), decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), is constructed for water security sustainability evaluation. Then, deep analyzes about the evaluation results and influential factors are provided, thereby certifying the reliability of evaluation results and facilitating the enhancement of water security sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spastic limb paralysis due to injury to a cerebral hemisphere can cause long-term disability. We investigated the effect of grafting the contralateral C7 nerve from the nonparalyzed side to the paralyzed side in patients with spastic arm paralysis due to chronic cerebral injury.Methods: We randomly assigned 36 patients who had had unilateral arm paralysis for more than 5 years to undergo C7 nerve transfer plus rehabilitation (18 patients) or to undergo rehabilitation alone (18 patients). The primary outcome was the change from baseline to month 12 in the total score on the Fugl-Meyer upper-extremity scale (scores range from 0 to 66, with higher scores indicating better function). Results The mean increase in Fugl-Meyer score in the paralyzed arm was 17.7 in the surgery group and 2.6 in the control group (difference, 15.1; 95% confidence interval, 12.2 to 17.9; P<0.001). With regard to improvements in spasticity as measured on the Modified Ashworth Scale (an assessment of five joints, each scored from 0 to 5, with higher scores indicating more spasticity), the smallest between-group difference was in the thumb, with 6, 9, and 3 patients in the surgery group having a 2-unit improvement, a 1-unit improvement, or no change, respectively, as compared with 1, 6, and 7 patients in the control group (P=0.02). Transcranial magnetic stimulation and functional imaging showed connectivity between the ipsilateral hemisphere and the paralyzed arm. There were no significant differences from baseline to month 12 in power, tactile threshold, or two-point discrimination in the hand on the side of the donor graft.Results: The mean increase in Fugl-Meyer score in the paralyzed arm was 17.7 in the surgery group and 2.6 in the control group (difference, 15.1; 95% confidence interval, 12.2 to 17.9; P<0.001). With regard to improvements in spasticity as measured on the Modified Ashworth Scale (an assessment of five joints, each scored from 0 to 5, with higher scores indicating more spasticity), the smallest between-group difference was in the thumb, with 6, 9, and 3 patients in the surgery group having a 2-unit improvement, a 1-unit improvement, or no change, respectively, as compared with 1, 6, and 7 patients in the control group (P=0.02). Transcranial magnetic stimulation and functional imaging showed connectivity between the ipsilateral hemisphere and the paralyzed arm. There were no significant differences from baseline to month 12 in power, tactile threshold, or two-point discrimination in the hand on the side of the donor graft.Conclusions: In this single-center trial involving patients who had had unilateral arm paralysis due to chronic cerebral injury for more than 5 years, transfer of the C7 nerve from the nonparalyzed side to the side of the arm that was paralyzed was associated with a greater improvement in function and reduction of spasticity than rehabilitation alone over a period of 12 months. Physiological connectivity developed between the ipsilateral cerebral hemisphere and the paralyzed hand. (Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and others; Chinese Clinical Trial Registry number, 13004466 .). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress contributes to the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) plays a key role in cellular defense against oxidative stress. NRF2 activators have shown promising preventive effects on DN. Sodium butyrate (NaB) is a known activator of NRF2. However, it is unknown whether NRF2 is required for NaB protection against DN. Therefore, streptozotocin-induced diabetic C57BL/6 Nrf2 knockout and their wild-type mice were treated in the presence or absence of NaB for 20 weeks. Diabetic mice, but not NaB-treated diabetic mice, developed significant renal oxidative damage, inflammation, apoptosis, fibrosis, pathological changes and albuminuria. NaB inhibited histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity and elevated the expression of Nrf2 and its downstream targets heme oxygenase 1 and NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone 1. Notably, deletion of the Nrf2 gene completely abolished NaB activation of NRF2 signaling and protection against diabetes-induced renal injury. Interestingly, the expression of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1, the negative regulator of NRF2, was not altered by NaB under both diabetic and nondiabetic conditions. Moreover, NRF2 nuclear translocation was not promoted by NaB. Therefore, the present study indicates, for the first time, that NRF2 plays a key role in NaB protection against DN. Other findings suggest that NaB may activate Nrf2 at the transcriptional level, possibly by the inhibition of HDAC activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical properties of black phosphorus (BP)nanosheets suspended over circular holes were measured by an atomic force microscope nanoindentation method. The continuum mechanic model was introduced to calculate the elastic modulus and pretension of BPnanosheets with thicknesses ranging from 14.3 to 34 nm. Elastic modulus of BPnanosheets declines with thickness, and the maximum value is 276 ± 32.4 GPa. Besides, the effective strain of BP ranges from 8 to 17% with a breaking strength of 25 GPa. Our results show that BPnanosheets serve as a promising candidate for flexible electronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A direct, rapid, highly sensitive and specific biosensor for detection of cancer biomarkers is desirable in early diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. However, the existing methods of detecting cancer biomarkers suffer from poor sensitivity as well as the requirement of enzymatic labeling or nanoparticle conjugations. Here, we proposed a two-channel PDMS microfluidic integrated CMOS-compatible silicon nanowire (SiNW) field-effect transistor arrays with potentially single use for label-free and ultrasensitive electrical detection of cancer biomarkers. The integrated nanowire arrays showed not only ultrahigh sensitivity of cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21-1) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) with detection to at least 1 fg/mL in buffer solution but also highly selectivity of discrimination from other similar cancer biomarkers. In addition, this method was used to detect both CYFRA21-1 and PSA real samples as low as 10 fg/mL in undiluted human serums. With its excellent properties and miniaturization, the integrated SiNW-FET device opens up great opportunities for a point-of-care test (POCT) for quick screening and early diagnosis of cancer and other complex diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated the influence of human cytochrome P450 2D6 ( CYP2D6) gene polymorphism in gastric cancer (GC) patients to understand the pharmacogenomic basis for patient response to postoperative fentanyl analgesia. Methods: The prospective study design contained 212 patients recovering from radical gastrectomy. Peripheral blood samples were collected after general anesthesia, and CYP2D6 genotypes were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. After providing adequate instructions to operate the analgesia pump, patients self-administered fentanyl via patient controlled intravenous analgesia. The cumulative amount of fentanyl self-administered and the associated adverse effects were recorded at 6, 12, 24, and 48 h postoperatively. Results: Five patients, out of the 212 patients recruited to this study, failed to complete the study. The remaining 207 patients were classified into three groups based on their genotypes: W/W group ( n=44), M/W group ( n=112), and M/M group ( n=51). Our results demonstrated that the cumulative amount of fentanyl consumption significantly increased in the M/M group at 6, 12, and 24 h postoperatively, compared with the W/W group ( p<0.05). In addition, visual analogue scale (VAS) score in the M/M group was significantly higher than the W/W group in the analepsia period after general anesthesia and at 6 h postoperatively ( p<0.05). No significant adverse effects were observed in all the groups ( p>0.05). Conclusion: CYP2D6 polymorphism influenced patient response to postoperative fentanyl analgesia in GC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Cdx2 upregulats claudin-2 expression. [•] CagA mediates Cdx2 controlling claudin-2 expression. [•] There are highly scattered and invasive in CagA+ Hp infected cells. [•] Cdx2 binding activity is increased in cells infected with CagA+ Hp. [•] CagA+ Hp infected cells display damaged TJs, wider cell gaps, and loss of contacts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We report a newly developed design/fabrication module with low-cost single-sided "low-stress-silicon-nitride (LS-SiN)/polysilicon (poly-Si)/Al" process for monolithic integration of composite sensors for sensing-network-node applications. A front-side surface-/bulk-micromachining process on a conventional Si-substrate is developed, featuring a multifunctional SiN/poly-Si/Al layer design for diverse sensing functions. The first "pressure + acceleration + temperature + infrared" (PATIR) composite sensor with the chip size of 2.5 mm × 2.5 mm is demonstrated. Systematic theoretical design and analysis methods are developed. The diverse sensing components include a piezoresistive absolute-pressure sensor (up to 700 kPa, with a sensitivity of 49 mV/MPa under 3.3 V supplied voltage), a piezoresistive accelerometer (±10 g, with a sensitivity of 66 µV/g under 3.3 V and a -3 dB bandwidth of 780 Hz), a thermoelectric infrared detector (with a responsivity of 45 V/W and detectivity of 3.6 × 107 cm·Hz1/2/W) and a thermistor (-25-120 °C). This design/fabrication module concept enables a low-cost monolithically-integrated "multifunctional-library" technique. It can be utilized as a customizable tool for versatile application-specific requirements, which is very useful for small-size, low-cost, large-scale sensing-network node developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a CMOS MEMS-based thermoelectric energy generator (TEG) device with an efficient heat dissipation path. For present CMOS MEMS-based thermoelectric generator devices, the output performance is greatly limited by the high thermal-contact resistance in the system. For the device proposed in the work, the silicon substrate is etched into two comb-shaped blocks thermally isolated from each other, which form the hot and cold sides. Thin-film-based thermal legs are densely located between the two blocks along the winding split line. Low internal thermal-contact resistance is achieved with the symmetrical thermal structure. When the TEG device is embedded between the heat source and heat sink, the heat loss can be well controlled with flat thermal-contact pads of the device. For a full device with 900 n/p-polysilicon thermocouples, the measured open-circuit voltage reaches as high as 146 mV K-1, and the power factor reaches almost five times higher value compared to the previously reported results. A test system integrated with a single device presents an open-circuit voltage of 110 mV K-1 when forcibly cooled by a Peltier cooler, or 26 mV K-1 when cooled by ambient air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Horizontally aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were directly grown across trenches produced on SiO2/Si substrate, forming suspended aligned SWNTs over the trenches, and were fabricated with simple methods for infrared (IR) detection application. The horizontally aligned SWNTs can grow across trenches as wide as 40 µm. The detector based on such SWNTs shows sharp and remarkable responses to the ON/OFF state changes of the IR lamp and IR radiation with different frequencies. The resistance of the SWNTs decreases about 22.86% under IR radiation with power less than 4 mW. The detector photoresponse to IR radiation of 120 Hz at room temperature could be easily observed. The response time constant is only about 500 µs, which is more than two orders of magnitude shorter than that of the reported devices based on SWNT films and SWNT-polymer composites. This was achieved due to the absence of intertube junctions in our horizontally aligned SWNTs which exist in SWNT bundles and films and may reduce the signal conduction speed and the IR photoresponse performance. Instead of the bolometric model, the interband transition model is suggested to be the dominating origin of the photoresponse of our SWNT-based detector configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We herein report the design of a novel semiconducting silicon nanowire field-effect transistor (SiNW-FET) biosensor array for ultrasensitive label-free and real-time detection of nucleic acids. Highly responsive SiNWs with narrow sizes and high surface-to-volume-ratios were “top-down” fabricated with a complementary metal oxide semiconductor compatible anisotropic self-stop etching technique. When SiNWs were covalently modified with DNA probes, the nanosensor showed highly sensitive concentration-dependent conductance change in response to specific target DNA sequences. This SiNW-FET nanosensor revealed ultrahigh sensitivity for rapid and reliable detection of 1 fM of target DNA and high specificity single-nucleotide polymorphism discrimination. As a proof-of-concept for multiplex detection with this small-size and mass producible sensor array, we demonstrated simultaneous selective detection of two pathogenic strain virus DNA sequences (H1N1 and H5N1) of avian influenza. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]