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ZnO nanorods (NRs) perpendicularly oriented to the fused silica substrates were directly grown under hydrothermal conditions at 90 °C with or without UV irradiation. The different morphological structures were visualized and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The crystalline configuration and the structural quality of the ZnO NRs were investigated by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The surface properties of ZnO NRs were examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Photoluminescence and photothermal deflection spectroscopy techniques were employed to investigate the optical and photoelectrical characteristics of the synthesized ZnO NRs, as well as the changes induced by the absorbance of UV irradiation. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy was applied to investigate the electron spin state and the structural defects in the given structures. The results from the SEM analysis showed a significant increase in the length of the ZnO NRs grown under UV irradiation, as well as the improvement in their uniformity. An enhancement of the optical and opto-electrical quality of the UV irradiated samples was also observed.

Nanostructured zinc oxide (ZnO), as a semiconductor, is used as an alternative to TiO2 for the construction of hybrid solar cells. We studied two different nanostructures – nanowires (NWs) and hedgehog-like needle-clusters prepared by hydrothermal growth method. The morphological parameters were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The X-ray diffraction (XRD) data for both samples confirmed wurtzite structure. The surface chemistry was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and paramagnetic defects were studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technique. This analysis confirmed that both types nanostructures of ZnO achieve comparable quality in terms of structure and sample purity.

The synthesis, characterization by X-ray analysis and magnetic properties of a one dimensional coordination polymer {[Mn7(OH)2(dhap)2(N3)3(MeCN)4(ClO4)2]·2(MeCN)·2(ClO4)}∞ (1) are reported. The ligand dhapH4 in the complex is 2,6-bis[N,N-di(hydroxyethyl)aminomethyl]pyridine. This compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c. Each [Mn7(OH)2(dhap)2(N3)3(MeCN)4(ClO4)2] unit (abbreviated by Mn7) is linked end-to-end by azido ligands to its neighboring units to form a one dimensional polymer. Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that the polymer is composed of S = 8 units with inter-Mn7-unit antiferromagnetic coupling. The Jahn–Teller axes of the Mn7 units are arranged in a zigzag manner along the polymer chain which induces spin canting at low temperatures. The slow magnetization relaxation at low temperatures was evidenced by observing out-of-phase signals in ac magnetic susceptibility measurements that give Ueff = 47.5 K and Δ0 = 2.7 × 10−13 s. This phenomenon also indicates that this one dimensional coordination polymer functions as a single-chain magnet (SCM).

We have optimized the deposition of the highly electrically resistive undoped (intrinsic) polycrystalline ZnO thin layers on fused silica substrates by the DC reactive magnetron sputtering of metallic zinc target in argonne/oxide atmosphere and we introduced the post-deposition hydrogen plasma doping. The thickness of thin film was evaluated by reflectance interferometry using the metallographic optical microscope fiber coupled to the CCD spectrometer operating in 400-1000 nm spectral range. The optical absorption was measured by photothermal deflection spectroscopy operating in 300-1600 nm spectral range. The change of the optical absorption edge and the increase of the infrared optical absorption was detected in hydrogenated ZnO. The increase of the infrared optical absorption goes with the increase of the electrical conductivity. We conclude that the plasma hydrogenation of the intrinsic ZnO thin films is related to increase of the free carrier concentration.

The exchange bias (EB) effect, which is the shift of the hysteresis loop of a ferromagnet in direct contact with an antiferromagnet, is highly advantageous for the development of spintronics applications. Carbon (C) has been considered as a potential material in next generation electronics production as well as spintronics devices beyond silicon. Here we show experimental evidence for an EB in C/Co composites. The significant EB needs thermal annealing to occur. X-ray absorption spectra and transmission electron microscopy data of these samples reveal that Co carbides in as grown samples decompose and form graphitic C/Co interfaces after annealing. Using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism we have detected the C spins that are responsible for the EB. These results inspire a theoretical model to investigate the magnetic interactions in graphitic C/Co interfaces and interpret the observed results.

This paper reports on the results of Er+ ion implantation into various ZnO structures – standard single crystal c-plane (0001) ZnO, nanostructured thin films and nanorods. Er+ ions were implanted using an ion implantation energy of 400 keV and implantation fluences in the range of 5 × 1014 to 5 × 1015 ions/cm2. Er concentration depth profiles and the degree of crystal damage were measured using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and RBS/channelling (RBS/C). Additionally, Raman spectroscopy was used to analyse structural modifications of the prepared samples. The main focus was placed on the luminescence properties of various ZnO structures. The results showed that the characteristic bands of ZnO, i.e. near-band-edge (NBE) luminescence and deep-level emission (DLE) – that can be influenced by the excitation wavelength – appeared in the spectra of single crystals and nanorods. The characteristic luminescence bands of erbium ions in the NIR region appeared in non-annealed ZnO single-crystal samples and nano-crystalline films.

Two ligands, 2,4-di-2-pyridyl-2,4-pentanediol (rD and mD), were employed to synthesize two Mn2 complexes, [Mn2(rD)2Br2] (1) and [Mn2(mD)2(H2O)2]Br2 (2). Compound 1 crystallized in a tetragonal space group, P41212, with a novel hamburger shaped structure. A detailed study indicated that compound 1 did not contain a metal&ndash, metal bond, but antiferromagnetic coupling was observed between the Mn(III) ions. Compound 2 crystallized in a monoclinic space group, C2/c, with one Mn(II) and the other with Mn(IV). The two manganese ions were bridged by two alkoxide ligands, resulting in ferromagnetic coupling. Magnetic property studies confirm the above assignments.

Circular dichroism (CD) signals revealed in some materials may arise from different origins during measurements. Magnetic field dependent CD (MCD) emanating from the spin-polarized band provides direct insight into the spin–spin interband transitions in magnetic materials. On the contrary, natural CD effects which are artefactual signals resulting from the linear polarization (LP) components during the polarization modulation with a photo-elastic modulator in anisotropic polymer systems were usually observed. There is no simple method to reliably distinguish MCD effect due to spin polarized band structures from natural CD effect, which limits our understanding of the magnetic material/polymer hybrid structures. This paper aims to introduce a general strategy of averaging out the magnetic linear dichroism (MLD) contributions due to the anisotropic structure and disentangling MCD signal(s) from natural MCD signal(s). We demonstrate the effectiveness of separating MCD from natural MCD using rotational MCD measurement and presented the results of a sample with Co thin film on polymer Scotch tape (unplasticized polyvinyl chloride) glued on a quartz substrate. We demonstrate that the proposed method can be used as an effective tool in disentangling MCD and natural MCD effects, and it opens prospects to study the magnetic material /polymer hybrid systems.

The aim of the work is to clarify the influence of the precursor age and post-deposition treatment on defect states of hexagonally shaped ZnO nanorods grown by hydrothermal process. Photoluminescence, radioluminescence and thermally stimulated luminescence indicate that ZnO nanorods synthetized from aged precursors possess larger amount of defects and charge traps. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) shows the dominant signal with the 1.96 g-factor together with subsidiary resonances probably coming from precursor salt residuals used during the sample growth. All samples exhibit a change of the 1.96 g-factor signal intensity after X-ray irradiation. Stepwise annealing in air at elevated temperature removes the subsidiary resonances and corresponding defects. A new EPR signal with the 2.0038 g-factor appears after the X-ray irradiation, air annealing and plasma hydrogenation. It was attributed to surface defects.

This study investigated the behaviors of judo players regarding the relationships of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) while watching broadcast judo games. This study drew on 206 valid survey responses from research participants participated in judo related activities. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and PLS-SEM. The research results showed that (1) In terms of applying TAM to watching judo broadcast, all variables were significant except for Perceived Usefulness (PU) to Behavioral Intention (BI); (2) after TAM acceded to external variables and applied to watching the judo games, all variables were significant except for Subjective Norms (SN) to PU, Perceived Ease of Use (PEU) to PU, and PU to Behavioral Intention (BI). Judo players who watched judo competition broadcast on television considered it was easy and worthwhile approach to enjoying the sport. The competitions could be watched instantly, increase the exposure of judo to further promote the sport, and attracting more people to participate in judo.

Introduction and aim. Developing reliable biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who are at a high risk of recurrence after curative hepatic resection is very important for determining subsequent therapeutic strategies. We investigated the role of the cell cycle factor NIMA-related kinase 2 (NEK2) in HCC progression in hepatoma cells and post-surgery patients. Material and methods. The effects of NEK2 on proliferation, invasion and migration of hepatoma HuH7 and SK-Hep1 cells were evaluated. In a post-surgery HCC cohort (N = 97), the Nek2 induction levels in the tumors were examined with real-time RT-PCR analysis, and the results were analyzed for their correlations with recurrence. Results. NEK2 promoted G1 to S phase cell cycle progression by causing increases in cyclin D1 and AKT phosphorylation and decreases in the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27, indicating that NEK2 plays an important role during interphase in addition to its previously identified role in M phase. NEK2 also enhanced the proliferation, migration and invasion of hepatoma cells and regulated the expression of E-cadherin and MMP9. The Nek2 mRNA levels in the tumors were highly correlated with recurrence rates in the post-surgery HCC patients. Combined evaluation of the tumor AJCC stage and the Nek2level can serve as a reliable method for predicting the relative risk of HCC recurrence in these patients. Conclusions. NEK2 plays a significant role in cell cycle progression in the inter- and M-phases. NEK2 enhances HCC metastasis and is correlated with recurrence and thus can potentially serve a promising high-risk biomarker for HCC.

Although hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been established to cause hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the exact mechanism remains to be clarified. Type II ground glass hepatocytes (GGHs) harbouring the HBV pre-S2 mutant large surface protein (LHBS) have been recognized as a morphologically distinct hallmark of HCC in the advanced stages of chronic HBV infection. Considering its preneoplastic nature, we hypothesized that type II GGH may exhibit high genomic instability, which is important for the carcinogenic process in chronic HBV carriers. In this study we found that pre-S2 mutant LHBS directly interacted with importin α1, the key factor that recognizes cargos undergoing nuclear transportation mediated by the importin α/β-associated nuclear pore complex (NPC). By interacting with importin α1, which inhibits its function as an NPC factor, pre-S2 mutant LHBS blocked nuclear transport of an essential DNA repair and recombination factor, Nijmegen breakage syndrome 1 (NBS1), upon DNA damage, thereby delaying the formation of nuclear foci at the sites of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Pre-S2 mutant LHBS was also found to block NBS1-mediated homologous recombination repair and induce multi-nucleation of cells. In addition, pre-S2 mutant LHBS transgenic mice showed genomic instability, indicated by increased global gene copy number variations (CNVs), which were significantly higher than those in hepatitis B virus X mice, indicating that pre-S2 mutant LHBS is the major viral oncoprotein inducing genomic instability in HBV-infected hepatocytes. Consistently, the human type II GGHs in HCC patients exhibited increased DNA DSBs representing significant genomic instability. In conclusion, type II GGHs harbouring HBV pre-S2 mutant oncoprotein represent a high-risk marker for the loss of genome integrity in chronic HBV carriers and explain the complex chromosome changes in HCCs. Mouse array CGH raw data: GEO Accession No. GSE61378 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE61378).

In this study, we integrated bilayer structure of covered Pt on nickel zinc ferrite (NZFO) and CoFe/Pt/NZFO tri-layer structure by pulsed laser deposition system for a spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) study. In the bilayer structure, the angular-dependent magnetoresistance (MR) results indicate that Pt/NZFO has a well-defined SMR behavior. Moreover, the spin Hall angle and the spin diffusion length, which were 0.0648 and 1.31 nm, respectively, can be fitted by changing the Pt thickness in the longitudinal SMR function. Particularly, the MR ratio of the bilayer structure (Pt/NZFO) has the highest changing ratio (about 0.135%), compared to the prototype structure Pt/Y3Fe5O12 (YIG) because the NZFO has higher magnetization. Meanwhile, the tri-layer samples (CoFe/Pt/NZFO) indicate that the MR behavior is related with CoFe thickness as revealed in angular-dependent MR measurement. Additionally, comparison between the tri-layer structure with Pt/NZFO and CoFe/Pt bilayer systems suggests that the SMR ratio can be enhanced by more than 70%, indicating that additional spin current should be injected into Pt layer.

Hyperglycemia is associated with advanced glycation end products (AGEs). This study was designed to evaluate the inhibitory effects of monascin on receptor for advanced glycation end product (RAGE) signal and THP-1 monocyte inflammation after treatment with S100b, a specific ligand of RAGE. Monascin inhibited cytokine production by S100b-treated THP-1 monocytes via up-regulation of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) and alleviated p47phox translocation to the membrane. Methylglyoxal (MG, 600 mg/kg bw) was used to induce diabetes in Wistar rats. Inhibitions of RAGE and p47phox by monascin were confirmed by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of MG-induced rats. Silymarin (SM) was used as a positive control group. It was found that monascin promoted heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression mediated by Nrf2. Suppressions of AGEs, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-β) in serum of MG-induced rats were attenuated in the monascin administration group treated with retinoic acid (RA). RA treatment resulted in Nrf2 inactivation by increasing RA receptor-α (RARα) activity, suggesting that RA acts as an inhibitor of Nrf2. The results showed that monascin exerted anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects mediated by Nrf2 to prevent the development of diseases such as type 2 diabetes caused by inflammation.

Several previous studies have investigated the use of questions to facilitate interactions in academic lectures in tertiary education. However, the issue of how disciplinary cultures influence the patterns of questions in lectures has received little attention. Therefore, this study aims to examine the interdisciplinary differences in professors’ use of questions in terms of both their forms and functions. The corpus used in this study consists of 15 small-class lectures from three academic divisions: Humanities & Arts (HA), Social Sciences & Education (SS) and Physical Sciences & Engineering (PS). These data are a subset of the Michigan Corpus of Academic Spoken English (MICASE). Previous studies on academic spoken English have reported that, compared with other contextual factors, the disciplinary culture seems to exert a more critical influence on the use of various linguistic features. However, the results of this study show far more similarities than differences across different disciplines. Based on the major findings pertaining to the use of question forms and functions across the three divisions, it is suggested that for questions in academic lectures at the tertiary level, the influence of genre seems to outweigh that of disciplinary culture.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocolumns have interesting material properties such as the direct band gap, tunable electrical conductivity, high optical transparency, high thermal conductivity, and large surface to volume ratio. Here we present the latest results on the enhancement of the infrared optical absorptance and ultraviolet photoluminescence in ZnO nanocolumns after hydrogen plasma treatment. The photoluminescence in near UV region at 378 nm has been significantly enhanced by hydrogen plasma treatment at roo temperature whereas the defect related yellow photoluminescence (broad band 550–650 nm) decreased.

Objective. This paper aimed to determine the standardised incidence ratio (SIR) of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in workers exposed to asbestos in Taiwan.Methods. All workers employed in asbestos-related factories and registered by the Bureau of Labour Insurance between 1 March, 1950, and 31 December, 1989, were included in the study and were followed from 1 January, 1980, through 31 December, 2009. Incident cases of all cancers, including MPM (ICD-9 code: 163), were obtained from the Taiwan Cancer Registry. SIRs were calculated based on comparison with the incidence rate of the general population of Taiwan and adjusted for age, calendar period, sex, and duration of employment.Results. The highest SIR of MPM was found for male workers first employed before 1979, with a time since first employment more than 30 years (SIR 4.52, 95% CI: 2.25–8.09). After consideration of duration of employment, the SIR for male MPM was 5.78 (95% CI: 1.19–16.89) for the workers employed for more than 20 years in asbestos-related factories.Conclusions. This study corroborates the association between occupational asbestos exposure and MPM. The highest risk of MPM was found among male asbestos workers employed before 1979 and working for more than 20 years in asbestos-related factories.

We previously showed that galectin-1 (GAL1) is an arsenic-binding protein. In the current study, we further characterize the interaction of GAL1 with sodium arsenite (As(III)). The GALl-As(III) complex was prepared from the cell extracts of GAL1-transfected Escherichia coli (E. coli) that were pretreated with As(III). The results of the circular dichroism (CD) spectrum of GAL1-As(III) exhibited a negative signal at around 205-210 nm, whereas that of GAL1 showed a negative signal at around 215-220 nm. This shift in the CD spectrum is indicative of a substantial change in the secondary structure arising from the binding of As(III) to the GAL1 protein. The UV absorptive spectrum of the GAL1-As(III) complex was significantly lower than that of GAL1 itself. A mobility shift binding assay showed that the GAL1-As(III) complex migrated closer than GAL1 toward the anode. Capillary electrophoretic analysis also showed that As(III) binding decreased the mobility of GAL1. These results further confirmed the structural change of the GAL1 complex with As(III). Furthermore, isothermal titration microcalometric studies showed that As(III) titration into the GAL1 protein solution was an endothermic process with absorption enthalpy (DeltaH(abs)) around 8-10 kJ/mol As(III). The affinity constant (K(d)) of As(III) toward GAL1 was around 8.239 +/- 2.627 microM as estimated by tryptophan (Trp) fluorescence quenching. However, the binding of As(III) did not significantly affect the biological activity of GAL1, since the GAL1-As(III) complex only partially lost its lectin activity. In addition, we show that GAL1-transfected KB cells accumulated more arsenic than did the parental cells. Taken together, these results suggest that GAL1 might serve as a target protein of As(III) in vivo, and the binding of GAL1 with As(III) could interfere with the excretion of As(III).

Galectin-1 (GAL1), a beta-galactoside-binding protein, functions in cell adhesion, development, and growth regulation. A number of studies suggest that GAL1 play an important role in enhancing cell adhesion to extracellular matrix and inducing cell proliferation. Chitosan is a derivative of chitin extracted from lobsters, crabs and shrimps' exoskeletons. In clinical medicine, chitosan membrane had been used as a semi-permeable biological dressing. Although chitosan membranes show no cytotoxicity, some cell types (e.g. 3T3 cells) fail to attach and proliferate on their surface. In these studies, we show that over-expression of GAL1 does not enhance 3T3 cell proliferation on chitosan membranes. However, coating the chitosan membrane with recombinant GAL1 proteins significantly expedites 3T3 cells proliferation. The enhanced cell growth was inhibited by thiodigalactoside (TDG, a potent inhibitor of beta-galactoside binding) and GAL1 monoclonal antibodies, suggesting GAL1's specific effect on the proliferation of 3T3 cells upon chitosan membranes. Moreover, immunoblotting detected a markedly suppressed tyrosine phosphorylation in several proteins on 3T3 cell growths upon GAL1-coated chitosan membrane. Pretreating the cells with sodium fluoride (NaF, a phosphatase inhibitor) inhibits the attachment and proliferation of 3T3 cells. These findings support a proposed role for altered levels of protein phosphorylation in GAL1-mediated cell attachment and proliferation on chitosan membranes.

Quercetin, a natural flavonoid, inhibits the growth of leukemia cells and induces apoptosis. Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) has been reported to promote the development of leukemia by protecting tumor cells from apoptosis through various mechanisms. The present study investigated the effects of small hairpin (sh)RNA-mediated HSP27 knockdown on the anti‑cancer effects of quercetin in U937 human leukemia cells. Cells were transfected with recombinant lentiviral vector pCMV‑G‑NR‑U6‑shHSP27 (shHSP27), which expressed shRNA specifically targeting the HSP27 gene, alone or in combination with quercetin. The results showed that shHSP27 and quercetin synergistically inhibited U937 cell proliferation and induced apoptosis by decreasing the Bcl2-to-Bax ratio. Furthermore, this combined treatment significantly suppressed the infiltration of tumor cells and the expression of angiogenesis‑associated proteins HIF1α and VEGF. Compared with shHSP27 or quercetin alone, shHSP27 plus quercetin markedly decreased the protein expression of cyclinD1 and thus blocked the cell cycle at G1 phase. The Notch/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway is important in tumor aggressiveness; quercetin plus shHSP27 significantly decreased Notch 1 expression and the phosphorylation levels of the downstream signaling proteins AKT and mTOR. The inhibitory effects of quercetin plus shHSP27 on this pathway may thus have been responsible for the cell cycle arrest, inhibition of proliferations and infiltration as well as enhancement of apoptosis. Therefore, these findings collectively suggested that suppression of HSP27 expression amplified the anti‑cancer effects of quercetin in U937 human leukemia cells, and that quercetin in combination with shHSP27 represents a promising therapeutic strategy for human leukemia.

The rise of e-commerce and globalization has changed consumption patterns. Different industries have different logistical needs. In meeting needs with different schedules logistics play a key role. Delivering a seamless service becomes a source of competitive advantage for the logistics industry. Global positioning system-based fleet management system technology provides synergy to transport companies and achieves many management goals such as monitoring and tracking commodity distribution, energy saving, safety, and quality. A case company, which is a subsidiary of a very famous food and retail conglomerate and operates the largest shipping line in Taiwan, has suffered from the nonsmooth introduction of GPS-based fleet management systems in recent years. Therefore, this study aims to identify key factors for introducing related systems to the case company. By using DEMATEL and ANP, we can find not only key factors but also causes and effects among key factors. The results showed that support from executives was the most important criterion but it has the worst performance among key factors. It is found that adequate annual budget planning, enhancement of user intention, and collaboration with consultants with high specialty could be helpful to enhance the faith of top executives for successfully introducing the systems to the case company.

Monascus-fermented products have been used as dietary food and traditional medicine due to their beneficial effects on circulation and digestive systems in Asia for thousands of years. Besides, monascin and ankaflavin, secondary metabolites from Monascus-fermented products, have proven anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. In previous research, monascin and ankaflavin ameliorated ovalbumin-induced airway allergic reaction often used as a type I allergy asthma model. Additionally, mast cells play critical roles in type I allergy. Therefore, RBL-2H3 cells were used as the mast cell model to determine whether the improving effects on asthma of monascin and ankaflavin came from influencing mast cells. PMA and ionomycin are common activators of mast cells because they stimulate the main signaling molecules during mast cell activation. Forty micromolar monascin and ankaflavin inhibited PMA/ionomycin-induced mast cell degranulation and TNF-α secretion through suppressing the phosphorylation of PKC and MAPK family ERK, JNK, and p38. Consequently, monascin and ankaflavin affected the activation of mast cells and may have the potential to improve type I allergy.

Although hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been established to cause hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the exact mechanism remains to be clarified. Type II ground glass hepatocytes (GGHs) harbouring the HBV pre-S2 mutant large surface protein (LHBS) have been recognized as a morphologically distinct hallmark of HCC in the advanced stages of chronic HBV infection. Considering its preneoplastic nature, we hypothesized that type II GGH may exhibit high genomic instability, which is important for the carcinogenic process in chronic HBV carriers. In this study we found that pre-S2 mutant LHBS directly interacted with importin α1, the key factor that recognizes cargos undergoing nuclear transportation mediated by the importin α/β-associated nuclear pore complex (NPC). By interacting with importin α1, which inhibits its function as an NPC factor, pre-S2 mutant LHBS blocked nuclear transport of an essential DNA repair and recombination factor, Nijmegen breakage syndrome 1 (NBS1), upon DNA damage, thereby delaying the formation of nuclear foci at the sites of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Pre-S2 mutant LHBS was also found to block NBS1-mediated homologous recombination repair and induce multi-nucleation of cells. In addition, pre-S2 mutant LHBS transgenic mice showed genomic instability, indicated by increased global gene copy number variations (CNVs), which were significantly higher than those in hepatitis B virus X mice, indicating that pre-S2 mutant LHBS is the major viral oncoprotein inducing genomic instability in HBV-infected hepatocytes. Consistently, the human type II GGHs in HCC patients exhibited increased DNA DSBs representing significant genomic instability. In conclusion, type II GGHs harbouring HBV pre-S2 mutant oncoprotein represent a high-risk marker for the loss of genome integrity in chronic HBV carriers and explain the complex chromosome changes in HCCs. Mouse array CGH raw data: GEO Accession No. GSE61378 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE61378).

This chapter circumscribes linguistic analysis of certain 'informal elements' in academic writing, such as using imperatives. Then it turns to the non-native speaker (NNS) reactions to these usages. The chapter involves the stylistic investigations not only textual analysis, but also surveys of writing manuals, as well as face-to-face text-based interviews with research article authors and e-mail interviews with their journal editors. It consists of NNS graduate students, visiting scholars and an associate professor taking either a Research Paper or Dissertation Writing class at the University of Michigan in 1997. The chapter discusses the Informant reactions to the stylistic features, were elicited through a combination of recorded class discussion, e-mail follow-up interviews, and questionnaires. The chapter also discusses the fact that most of these NNS informants expressed considerable sensitivity to English-language grammatical and rhetorical choices once again points to the social constructionist nature of academic writing.

This study examines the relationships between brand equity, brand preference, and purchase intentions on international air passengers’ decisions in Taiwan. The findings indicate positive relationships between brand equity, brand preference, and purchase intentions with a moderation effect of switching cost affecting the relationship between brand equity and purchase intentions. More specifically, the effect of brand equity on purchase intentions is not significant for passengers with low switching costs.

The aim of this study was to report the successful treatment of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in pathologic myopia (PM) with a posterior sub-Tenon bevacizumab (PSTB; Avastin(®)) injection. The study was a prospective case series including nine eyes of eight patients with PM and CNV. All nine eyes were injected with PSTB (12.5 mg/0.5 ml). Treatment effectiveness was evaluated with optical coherence tomography (OCT). If intraretinal edema or subretinal fluid were detected, injections were repeated after 2 weeks. The main outcome measures were logMAR best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central foveal thickness. The mean follow-up time was 77.56 weeks. BCVA improved by a mean of -0.38 logMAR (3 lines). The average reduction in absolute central foveal thickness was 25.67 μm. OCT revealed marked CNV volume reduction and fluid-free status in seven eyes. The fluid-free status remained for ≥ 1 year in these eyes. Fluorescein angiography revealed CNV resolution in three eyes. Corneal stromal penetration of subconjunctival bevacizumab has been demonstrated in animal studies. PSTB may be an equally effective, yet less invasive alternative for the treatment of myopic CNV.

Methylglyoxal (MG) is a toxic-glucose metabolite and a major precursor of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs). MG has been reported to result in inflammation by activating receptor for AGEs (RAGE). We recently found that Monascus-fermented metabolite monascin acts as a novel natural peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) agonist that improves insulin sensitivity. We investigated the metabolic, biochemical, and molecular abnormalities characteristic of type 2 diabetes in MG-treated Wistar rats treated with oral administration of monascin or rosiglitazone. Monascin (a novel PPARγ agonist) activated nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and down-regulated hyperinsulinmia in oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Monascin was able to elevate glyoxalase-1 expression via activation of hepatic Nrf2, hence, resulting in MG metabolism to d-lactic acid and protected from AGEs production in MG-treated rats. Rosiglitazone did not activate Nrf2 nor glyoxalase expression to lower serum and hepatic AGEs levels. Monascin acts as a novel natural Nrf2 activator with PPARγ-agonist activity were confirmed by Nrf2 and PPARγ reporter assays in Hep G2 cells. These findings suggest that monascin acts as an anti-diabetic and anti-oxidative stress agent to a greater degree than rosiglitazone and thus may have therapeutic potential for the prevention of diabetes.

This study investigates the effects of inserting amorphous carbon (a-C) layers between the Al electrode layer and the ZnO insulator layer in Al/ZnO/Al heterostructures on resistive switching (RS) therein. The inserted a-C layers can play an important role to stabilize RS behavior for random access memory performance. The complex impedance spectra of Al/ZnO/Al devices with and without a-C inserted layers examined to probe the characteristics of their conducting mechanism. The formation of meta-stable a-COx after forming process caused repeatable redox reaction at interfaces, critically affecting RS behaviors.

Ankaflavin (AK) is an active compound having anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antiatherosclerotic, and hypolipidemic effects. We have previously reported that AK acts as an antioxidant and antidiabetic drug; however, the mechanism by which AK prevents diabetes remains unknown. Hyperglycemia is associated with protein glycation, which produces advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Methylglyoxal (MG)—a metabolite of carbohydrates—is believed to cause insulin resistance by inducing inflammation and pancreas damage. In this work, diabetes was induced in Wistar rats (4 weeks of age) by treating them with MG (600 mg/kg bw) for 4 weeks. We observed that AK (10 mg/kg bw) exerted peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) agonist activity, thereby enhancing insulin sensitivity (as indicated by hepatic GLUT2 translocation, PTP1B suppression, and glucose uptake) by downregulating blood glucose and upregulating pancreatic and duodenal homeobox-1 and Maf-A expression and increasing insulin production in MG-induced rats. However, these effects were abolished by the administration of GW9662 (PPARγ antagonist), but the expression of hepatic heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and glutamate–cysteine ligase (GCL) was not suppressed in MG-induced rats. Therefore, the nuclear factor erythroid-related factor-2 (Nrf2) activation was investigated. AK did not affect hepatic Nrf2 mRNA or protein expression but significantly increased Nrf2 phosphorylation (serine 40), which was accompanied by increased transcriptional activation of hepatic HO-1 and GCL. These data indicated that AK protected rats from oxidative stress resulting from MG-induced insulin resistance. In contrast, these effects were not detected when the rats were treated with the antidiabetic drug rosiglitazone (10 mg/kg bw). Moreover, we found that AK did not inhibit the generation of AGEs in vitro; however, the glutathione (GSH) levels in liver and pancreas of MG-induced rats were elevated in rats administered AK. Therefore, we believe that GSH may lower the MG level, which attenuates the formation of AGEs in the serum, kidney, liver, and pancreas of MG-induced rats. We also found that AK treatment reduced the production of inflammatory factors, such as tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β. Taken together, the results of our mechanistic study of MG-induced rats suggest that the protective effects of AK against diabetes are mediated by the upregulation of the signaling pathway of Nrf2, which enhances antioxidant activity and serves as a PPARγ agonist to enhance insulin sensitivity.

To better characterize the interaction of protein–cysteines with sodium arsenite, arsenic-binding proteins were identified from the arsenic-resistant Chinese hamster ovary cell line SA7 using a p-aminophenylarsine oxide (PAO)-agarose matrix in combination with proteomic techniques. Twenty of the isolated arsenic-binding proteins were further peptide-mapped by MALDI-Q-TOF-MS. The binding capacity of PAO-agarose-retained proteins was then verified by re-applying Escherichia coli overexpressed recombinant proteins with various numbers of cysteine residues onto the PAO-agarose matrix. The results showed that recombinant heat shock protein 27 (HSP27, with one cysteine residue), reticulocalbin-3 (RCN3, with no cysteine residue), galectin-1 (GAL1, with six cysteine residues), but not peroxiredoxin 6 (Prdx6, with one cysteine residue but not retained by the PAO-agarose matrix), were bound to the PAO-agarose matrix. The six free cysteine residues in GAL1 were individually or double-mutated to alanine by means of site-directed mutagenesis and subjected to CD and ICP-MS analysis. The binding capacity of GAL1 for sodium arsenite was significantly attenuated in C16A, C88A and all double mutant clones. Taken together, our current data suggest that the cysteine residues in GAL1 may play a critical role in the binding of arsenic, but that in the case of RCN3 and Prdx6, this interaction may be mediated by other factors.