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BACKGROUND: Smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotypic switching has been increasingly detected in aortic aneurysm and dissection (AAD) tissues. However, the diverse SMC phenotypes in AAD tissues and the mechanisms driving SMC phenotypic alterations remain to be identified. METHODS: We examined the transcriptomic and epigenomic dynamics of aortic SMC phenotypic changes in mice with angiotensin II-induced AAD by using single-cell RNA sequencing and single-cell sequencing assay for transposaseaccessible chromatin. SMC phenotypic alteration in aortas from patients with ascending thoracic AAD was examined by using single-cell RNA sequencing analysis. RESULTS: Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis revealed that aortic stress induced the transition of SMCs from a primary contractile phenotype to proliferative, extracellular matrix-producing, and inflammatory phenotypes. Lineage tracing showed the complete transformation of SMCs to fibroblasts and macrophages. Single-cell sequencing assay for transposaseaccessible chromatin analysis indicated that these phenotypic alterations were controlled by chromatin remodeling marked by the reduced chromatin accessibility of contractile genes and the induced chromatin accessibility of genes involved in proliferation, extracellular matrix, and inflammation. IRF3 (interferon regulatory factor 3), a proinflammatory transcription factor activated by cytosolic DNA, was identified as a key driver of the transition of aortic SMCs from a contractile phenotype to an inflammatory phenotype. In cultured SMCs, cytosolic DNA signaled through its sensor STING (stimulator of interferon genes)-TBK1 (tank-binding kinase 1) to activate IRF3, which bound and recruited EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2) to contractile genes to induce repressive H3K27me3 modification and gene suppression. In contrast, double-stranded DNA-STING-IRF3 signaling induced inflammatory gene expression in SMCs. In Sting-/- mice, the aortic stress-induced transition of SMCs into an inflammatory phenotype was prevented, and SMC populations were preserved. Finally, profound SMC phenotypic alterations toward diverse directions were detected in human ascending thoracic AAD tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objectives]This article aimed to study the grafting propagation techniques of red sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus), so as to provide technical support for the effective propagation of seedlings of this precious Hongmu species. [Methods] Based on the analysis and comparison of the growth performance of the Hongmu tree species introduced to China, taking 1 to 2-year-old Pterocarpus indicus seedlings as root-stocks and single-bud stems of P. santalinus as scions, grafting was carried out from January to April using three grafting propagation methods, cut grafting propagation, skin grafting propagation and oblique grafting propagation. [Results] The results of several years of experiments show that in early spring, P. santalinus could be propagated well using the grafting propagation methods of skin grafting propagation and oblique grafting propagation, with survival rate over 80%. For rootstocks with young age or thin stems, the joint unions of the oblique grafting propagation healed well, without apparent protrusions, unlike those of skin grafting propagation. The survival rate of oblique grafting propagation that is fast and reliable was higher than that of cut grafting propagation. [Conclusions] It is feasible to use the grafting propagation methods to propagate P. santalinus seedlings. This is a traditional and innovative technology path in the propagation of high-quality seedlings of precious Hongmu trees, and can be promoted and applied in industrial practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss implementation of a profile likelihood method for estimating a Pearson correlation coefficient from bivariate data with censoring and/or missing values. The method is implemented in an R package clikcorr which calculates maximum likelihood estimates of the correlation coefficient when the data are modeled with either a Gaussian or a Student t-distribution, in the presence of left, right, or interval censored and/or missing data. The R package includes functions for conducting inference and also provides graphical functions for visualizing the censored data scatter plot and profile log likelihood function. The performance of clikcorr in a variety of circumstances is evaluated through extensive simulation studies. We illustrate the package using two dioxin exposure datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design: A retrospective study.Objective: The aim of this study was to detect risk factors for Adding-on after posterior correction surgery in patients with Lenke 1 or 2 AIS, and to explore whether Adding-on Index could be used to predict Adding-on effectively.Summary Of Background Data: Adding-on phenomenon is a common complication in Lenke 1 or 2 AIS patients after correction surgery. However, whether it can be predicted after surgery remains unknown.Methods: Lenke 1 or 2 AIS patients receiving correction surgery in our center from January 2009 to July 2013 were analyzed. Antero-posterior and lateral films were evaluated before surgery, at 2 weeks' and 2 years' follow-up. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to whether Adding-on occurred at the 2 years' follow-up. Risk factors of Adding-on were analyzed, and Adding-on Index was proposed and verified.Results: Sixteen patients (16.3%) suffered from distal Adding-on at 2-year follow-up. Several parameters were found to be significantly different between 2 groups, including Risser's sign, postoperative Cobb angle of main thoracic, postoperative Cobb angle of main thoracic curve at 2-year follow-up, preoperative and postoperative Cobb angle of lumbar curve, postoperative Cobb angle of lumbar curve at 2-year follow-up, LIV-EV, LIV-SV, LIV-CSVL, LAV-CSVL, LAV-LIV, DnfS, and postoperative TJK. No significant differences in SRS-22 scores were observed. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that DnfS and postoperative residual Cobb angle of lumbar curve were primary factors for occurrence of Adding-on. According to the regression equation, Adding-on Index was defined as 4 × DnfS-postoperative lumbar curves Cobb angle. On the basis of ROC curve, if Adding-on Index was more than 12, the occurrence rate of Adding-on was 88%. On the contrary, the rate of no Adding-on phenomenon was 80%.Conclusion: DnfS and posterior Cobb angle of lumbar curve were 2 important factors for Adding-on in Lenke 1, 2 AIS patients. Adding-on Index can be used to predict the occurrence of Adding-on effectively.Level Of Evidence: 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: Technological advances that allow routine identification of high-dimensional risk factors have led to high demand for statistical techniques that enable full utilization of these rich sources of information for genetics studies. Variable selection for censored outcome data as well as control of false discoveries (i.e. inclusion of irrelevant variables) in the presence of highdimensional predictors present serious challenges. This article develops a computationally feasible method based on boosting and stability selection. Specifically, we modified the component-wise gradient boosting to improve the computational feasibility and introduced random permutation in stability selection for controlling false discoveries. Results: We have proposed a high-dimensional variable selection method by incorporating stability selection to control false discovery. Comparisons between the proposed method and the commonly used univariate and Lasso approaches for variable selection reveal that the proposed method yields fewer false discoveries. The proposed method is applied to study the associations of 2339 common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with overall survival among cutaneous melanoma (CM) patients. The results have confirmed that BRCA2 pathway SNPs are likely to be associated with overall survival, as reported by previous literature. Moreover, we have identified several new Fanconi anemia (FA) pathway SNPs that are likely to modulate survival of CM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of low-dose diuretics on the serum cystatin C (CysC) and serum creatinine (Scr) levels, and on the prognosis in patients with asymptomatic chronic heart failure (HF). A total of 66 asymptomatic chronic HF patients were divided into the observation and control groups (n=33 in each group). Patients in the control group were treated with a routine treatment, while the patients in the observation group were treated with the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide along with the same routine treatment as the control group. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), serum CysC levels, Scr levels, heart function, prognosis, adverse reactions and complications of the patients in the two groups were compared prior to and following treatment. The LVEF increased in the two groups following treatment, while the levels of serum CysC and Scr decreased. The LVEF in the observation group increased following treatment for 1, 3 and 6 months compared with the LVEF values in the control group. In addition, the levels of serum CysC and Scr in the observation group were found to be lower compared with those in the control group (P<0.05). The incidence of adverse prognosis following treatment for 6 months in the observation group was lower compared with that in the control group (P<0.05). The proportion of HF patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I and II increased following treatment for 6 months in the two groups (P<0.05). However, in the observation group, a higher number of patients exhibited class I and II disease after treatment for 6 months compared with the number in the control group (P<0.05). Furthermore, no statistically significant difference was observed between adverse reactions and complications in the two groups (P>0.05). In conclusion, low-dose diuretics may effectively improve the cardiac and renal functions and prognosis in asymptomatic chronic HF patients, without increasing the incidence of side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in a variety of biological processes. The regulatory function and potential role of miRNAs targeting the mRNA of the 51-aminolevulinate synthase 2 (ALAS2) in erythropoiesis were investigated in order to identify miRNAs which play a role in erythroid iron metabolism and differentiation. Firstly, the role of ALAS2 in erythroid differentiation and iron metabolism in human erythroid leukemia cells (K562) was confirmed by ALAS2 knockdown. Through a series of screening strategies and experimental validations, it was identified that hsa-miR-218 (miR-218) targets and represses the expression of ALAS2 by binding to the 31-untranslated region (UTR). Overexpression of miR-218 repressed erythroid differentiation and altered iron metabolism in K562 cells similar to that seen in the ALAS2 knockdown in K562 cells. In addition to iron metabolism and erythroid differentiation, miR-218 was found to be responsible for a reduction in K562 cell growth. Taken together, our results show that miR-218 inhibits erythroid differentiation and alters iron metabolism by targeting ALAS2 in K562 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study set out to investigate the molecular epidemiology of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolates collected from Xiang Ya Hospital, Hunan, China. Methodology: The carbapenemase genes from Enterobacteriaceae isolates were determined by PCR and sequencing. Relatedness of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates was evaluated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Results: Twenty-four out of 738 non-repetitive Enterobacteriaceae isolates harbored carbapenemase genes including IMP-38, a novel IMP- type metallo-enzyme. Nine IMP-38-producing isolates were shown to originate from the same clone and caused a small outbreak in the neonatal ward. Conclusions: IMP-38, a novel IMP-type metallo-enzyme, was one of the predominant types of carbapenemase in the clinical carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae isolates in our hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-dimensional variable selection in the proportional hazards (PH) model has many successful applications in different areas. In practice, data may involve confounding variables that do not satisfy the PH assumption, in which case the stratified proportional hazards (SPH) model can be adopted to control the confounding effects by stratification without directly modeling the confounding effects. However, there is a lack of computationally efficient statistical software for high-dimensional variable selection in the SPH model. In this work an R package, SurvBoost, is developed to implement the gradient boosting algorithm for fitting the SPH model with high-dimensional covariate variables. Simulation studies demonstrate that in many scenarios SurvBoost can achieve better selection accuracy and reduce computational time substantially compared to the existing R package that implements boosting algorithms without stratification. The proposed R package is also illustrated by an analysis of gene expression data with survival outcome in The Cancer Genome Atlas study. In addition, a detailed hands-on tutorial for SurvBoost is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chlorination titanium blast furnace slag belongs to industrial waste, but after grinding, they can be used to prepare cementing fluids to realize the secondary utilization of solid waste resources. As a common additive, fluid loss additives are mostly used in oil well cement systems, and there is still a lot of room for development when applied to chlorination titanium blast furnace slag systems. In this paper, the AMPS/DN-1/DMC/AA tetramer fluid loss additive was synthesized by free radical polymerization and named as ADDA. After testing its adsorption, hydration and plugging experiments, the TOC results showed that with the increase of ADDA, the organic carbon absorption increased from 5.68 mg/L to 34.59 mg/L; the BET results showed that, with the increase of ADDA, the specific surface area decreased from 15.3976m³/g to 8.4157m³/g. Combined with the microscopic morphology and other tests, it is shown that ADDA can effectively adsorb slag particles due to the electrostatic interaction of the sulfonic and carboxyl group in its molecular structure and the steric effect of the quaternary amine group. In addition, ADDA can promote the hydration reaction of the slag and entangle with the hydration products to form a complex network structure, thereby changing the filter cake structure to produce a dense and uniform filter cake; Polymer macromolecules can also effectively block the "gap" and "holes" in the structure, greatly reducing the flow path of free water, thereby realizing the control of water loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Filter capacitors in an HVDC converter station produce audible noise, which can be as loud as that of converter transformers and, therefore, needs to be reduced. Compressible space component (CSC) absorbers can be used to reduce the audible noise due to their broadband frequency and outstanding performance. In this paper, a mechanical model of a CSC absorber is proposed as an audible noise reduction measure for the filter capacitor in the HVDC converter station and then three CSC absorbers with different gas volumes are designed and installed at the bottoms of capacitors, respectively. Audible noise experiments of the filter capacitors with different CSC absorbers are performed and the experimental results are compared with those of a regular filter capacitor. Results indicate that the CSC absorber is a broadband absorber and is effective to reduce audible noise of the filter capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents a novel approach to the design of a high-precision CMOS voltage reference. The proposed circuit utilizes MOS transistors instead of bipolar transistors to generate positive and negative temperature coefficient (TC) currents summed up to a resistive load to generate low TC reference voltage. A piecewise curvature-compensation technique is also used to reduce the TC of the reference voltage within a wider temperature range. The output reference voltage can be adjusted in a wide range according to different system requirements by setting different parameters such as resistors and transistor aspect ratios. The proposed circuit is designed for TSMC 0.6μm standard CMOS process. Spectre-based simulations demonstrate that the TC of the reference voltage is 4.3ppm/°C with compensation compared with 107ppm/°C without compensation in the temperature ranges from −15 to 95°C using a 1.5V supply voltage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The regulation effect of melatonin on water use efficiency of leaf and potential mechanisms related to phytohormone of leaf/root were investigated using two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars with contrasting drought tolerance: drought-tolerant 'Hengguan35' (HG35) and growing in irrigated fields 'Jimai22' (JM22). Four treatments, including normal water treatment (N), 20% polyethylene glycol (PEG) (P), P + 1 μM melatonin and P + 10 μM melatonin were conducted. Results indicated that exogenous melatonin could significantly improve net photosynthetic rate (Pn), instantaneous water use efficiency (WUEinst.) and intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEintr.) of cultivar 'Jimai22'. This was possibly related to increasing root auxin (IAA), zeatin riboside (ZR) content and inhibiting abscisic acid (ABA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) production in leaf. However, for cultivar 'Hengguan35', 1 μM and 10 μM melatonin did not improve photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll content even took negative effect on that. This could be caused by high vapour pressure deficit (VPD) and high H2O2 contents in leaf. Also, as a drought-tolerant cultivar, 'Hengguan35' possesses some physiological regulation itself such as increasing IAA and ZR content in root and leaf, inhibiting H2O2 production in root. But ABA and ACC content in root was not inhibited, even increased with melatonin under drought treatment. ACC was a potential central player in the hormone cross-talks that regulated leaf and root growth and physiological function. These results suggest that the effect of exogenous melatonin application on drought-resistance in seedling was distinct owing to wheat cultivars with different drought sensitivity, and this was also involved in complicated mechanism of physiological regulation to keep water status. Suitable application of melatonin thus can be an effective way in improving plant drought tolerance in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of crystalline/ionic complexed block copolymers (BCPs) with various compositions have been prepared by sequential reactions. The BCPs with different hydrophilic fractions can self-assemble into various morphologies, such as spindlelike, rodlike, and spherical micelles with different crystallinity of the core. Bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate sodium salt (AOT) is added as a surfactant to induce the morphological transition of BCPs in aqueous media. The introduced AOT can be tightly bound to the cationic units, and a water-insoluble unit in the corona forms, leading to a reduced tethering density. Consequently, morphological variety changing from rods to platelets to fibril to dendrite-like micelles can be observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different routes of tirofiban injection on the function of the left ventricle and the prognosis of patients with myocardial infarction (MI) treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Ninety-five patients with MI treated with PCI were divided into two groups [coronary (n=49) and intravenous (n=46)] according to the injection route. A comparison of the left ventricular function and prognosis was made between the two groups following PCI. The success rate of PCI in the coronary group was 97.96%, which was higher than that in the intravenous group (P<0.05). No significant differences were identified in the platelet count (PLT) and platelet aggregation rate (PAR) between the two groups prior to the tirofiban injection. Following the tirofiban injection, the PLT decreased markedly in both groups, with no significant differences between them. The PAR also decreased significantly in the two groups; however, the value in the coronary group was lower than that in the intravenous group (P<0.05). The improvements in the thrombolysis in MI grades, left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular diastolic function were greater in the coronary group than those in the intravenous group (P<0.05). All patients received follow-up for 30 days and the incidence of bleeding in the coronary group was lower than that in the intravenous group (P<0.05). No significant differences were recorded in the recurrence rates of MI, arrhythmia, myocardial ischemia, thrombocytopenia and mortality between the two groups. In conclusion, the administration of tirofiban into the coronary artery could effectively improve the blood flow, left ventricular function and prognosis of patients with MI treated with PCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy and toxicity of gefitinib single drug in treatment of advanced esophageal cancer.Materials and Methods: Forty-one case of advanced esophageal cancer were included from February 2012 to June 2016 in the Department of Oncology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University. All of the included 41 cases were pathology or cytology confirmed of esophageal cancer with advanced stage with previously chemotherapy regimen of cisplatin or fluorouracil. The patients received gefitinib 250 mg/day orally until disease progression or development of unbearable drug-related toxicity. The objective response rate, overall survival, disease-free survival, and drug-related toxicity were recorded.Results: All of the 41 cases had evaluable lesions with complete response rate of 0.0% (0/41), partial response rate of 4.9% (2/41), stable disease rate of 34.1% (14/41), and progression disease rate of 61.0% (25/41). The objective response rate and disease control rate were 4.9% (2/41) and 39.0% (25/41), respectively. At the follow-up, end-point of October 2016, we observed 33 death of the included 41 patients with median disease progression time of 2.2 months and median survival time of 6.1 months; most of the drug-related toxicity was Grade 1-3 nonhematological toxicity with the incidence of Grade 1-2 rash of 51.2% (21/41), Grade 3-4 rash of 17.1% (7/41), Grade 1-2 diarrhea of 26.8% (11/41), Grade 3-4 diarrhea of 7.3% (3/41), Grade 1-2 nausea and vomiting of 14.6% (6/41).Conclusion: Gefitinib can improve the survival rate and quality of life in patients with advanced stage esophageal cancer who failed for first-line chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mapping of DNase I hypersensitive sites (DHSs) is a powerful tool to experimentally identify cisregulatory elements (CREs). Among CREs, enhancers are abundant and predominantly act in driving cell-specific gene expression. Krüppel-like factors (KLFs) are a family of eukaryotic transcription factors. Several KLFs have been demonstrated to play important roles in hematopoiesis. However, transcriptional regulation of KLFs via CREs, particularly enhancers, in erythroid cells has been poorly understood. Results: In this study, 23 erythroid-specific or putative erythroid-specific DHSs were identified by DNase-seq in the genomic regions of 17 human KLFs, and their enhancer activities were evaluated using dual-luciferase reporter (DLR) assay. Of the 23 erythroid-specific DHSs, the enhancer activities of 15 DHSs were comparable to that of the classical enhancer HS2 in driving minimal promoter (minP). Fifteen DHSs, some overlapping those that increased minP activities, acted as enhancers when driving the corresponding KLF promoters (KLF-Ps) in erythroid cells; of these, 10 DHSs were finally characterized as erythroid-specific KLF enhancers. These 10 erythroid-specific KLF enhancers were further confirmed using chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to sequencing (ChIP-seq) data-based bioinformatic and biochemical analyses. Conclusion: Our present findings provide a feasible strategy to extensively identify gene- and cell-specific enhancers from DHSs obtained by high-throughput sequencing, which will help reveal the transcriptional regulation and biological functions of genes in some specific cells [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genome-wide association studies have identified hundreds of loci for type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction, as well as for related traits such as body mass index, glucose and insulin levels, lipid levels, and blood pressure. These studies also have pointed to thousands of loci with promising but not yet compelling association evidence. To establish association at additional loci and to characterize the genome-wide significant loci by fine-mapping, we designed the "Metabochip," a custom genotyping array that assays nearly 200,000 SNP markers. Here, we describe the Metabochip and its component SNP sets, evaluate its performance in capturing variation across the allele-frequency spectrum, describe solutions to methodological challenges commonly encountered in its analysis, and evaluate its performance as a platform for genotype imputation. The metabochip achieves dramatic cost efficiencies compared to designing single-trait follow-up reagents, and provides the opportunity to compare results across a range of related traits. The metabochip and similar custom genotyping arrays offer a powerful and cost-effective approach to follow-up large-scale genotyping and sequencing studies and advance our understanding of the genetic basis of complex human diseases and traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wave coupling theory with analytic solution for mutual action of optical activity and Pockels effect in birefringent crystals is developed, which is based on Maxwell's equations and the second-order polarizations responsible for the two effects. We take the crystalline quartz as an example to demonstrate the applications of the theory and some typical results for different propagation directions and different external electric fields are presented. Besides, we find out the directions of pure electro-optic delay in the optically active crystals belonging to different point groups. Along these directions both the optical activity and electro-optic coupling are absent. These will facilitate the use of an optically active medium as an electro-optic modulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We executed a genome-wide association scan for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in 2.157 cases and 1.150 controls. Our results validate AMD susceptibility loci near CFH (P < 10-75). ARMS2 (P < 10-59), C2/CFB (P < 10-20), C3 (P < 10-9), and CFI (P < 10-6). We compared our top findings with the Tufts/Massachusetts General Hospital genome-wide association study of advanced AMD (821 cases, 1,709 controls) and genotyped 30 promising markers in additional individuals (up to 7,749 cases and 4.625 controls). With these data, we identified a susceptibility locus near TIMP3 (overall P = 1.1 x 10-11). a metalloproteinase involved in degradation of the extracellular matrix and previously implicated in early-onset maculopathy. In addition, our data revealed strong association signals with alleles at two loci (LIPC. P= 1.3 x 10-7 CETP, P = 7.4 x 10-7) that were previously associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) levels in blood. Consistent with the hypothesis that HDL metabolism is associated with AMD pathogenesis, we also observed association with AMD of HDL-c—associated alleles near LPL (P - 3.0 x 10-3) and ABCA1 (P = 5.6 x 10-4). Multilocus analysis including all susceptibility loci showed that 329 of 331 individuals (99%) with the highest-risk genotypes were cases, and 85% of these had advanced AMD. Our studies extend the catalog of AMD associated loci, help identify individuals at high risk of disease, and provide clues about underlying cellular pathways that should eventually lead to new therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The choice of the materials used as the dielectric media in large transformers continues to be a combination of pressboard and mineral oil. However, a number of failures in the field have been attributed to the surface discharge or creeping discharge over the oil/pressboard interface. This paper reports on an experiment to study surface discharge over oil/pressboard. The TJ (triple-junction) model was used to study the characteristic of partial discharge (PD) from inception to flashover. The max PD charge, pattern, frequency and current pulse were measured during the flashover process. Four oil/pressboard specimens with different aging degrees were used and their influence on the flashover process over oil/paper interface was studied in this experiment. The results indicate that the max PD charge and PD frequency increase with the increase of applied voltage. The oil aging has great influence while the pressboard aging has little influence on PD characteristic over oil/pressboard. The PD pattern and current pulse shape show great difference for various applied voltages. The results therefore suggest that the PD detection on the oil/pressboard can be used effectively to implement the early monitor of surface discharge thereby to avoid the formation of surface flashover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]