Microstructure evolution and the deformation mechanism in nanocrystalline superior-deformed tantalum.

The temperature-controlled relationship between the mechanical properties and deformation mechanism of tantalum (Ta) enables the extension of its application potential in various areas of life, including energy and electronics industries. In this work, the microstructure and deformation behavior of nanocrystalline superior-deformed Ta have been investigated in a wide temperature range. The structural analysis revealed that the high-performance Ta consists of several different substructures, with an average size of about 20 nm. The tensile behavior of nanocrystalline Ta (NC-Ta) was analysed and simulated at various temperatures from 100 K to 1500 K by the molecular dynamics (MD) method. It is shown that with increasing average grain size, the elastic modulus of NC-Ta linearly increases, and the impact factor reaches a value close to 1.8. The critical grain size, as obtained from the Hall-Petch relationship, was found to be about 8.2 nm. For larger grains, the flow stress follows the Hall-Petch relationship, and the thermal behavior of twin bands determines the deformation process. On the other hand, when grains are smaller than the critical size, the relationship between the flow stress and structure transforms into the inverse Hall-Petch relationship, and the deformation mechanism is controlled by grain rotation, boundary sliding or atomic migration. The results of numerical simulations revealed that temperature significantly affects the critical grain size for the plastic deformation of NC-Ta. In addition, it is demonstrated that both the elastic modulus and dislocation density decrease with increasing temperature. These findings provide guidance for the design of polycrystalline tantalum materials with tailored mechanical properties for specific industrial applications such as heat exchangers and condensers in aerospace, bone substitutes in biomedicine, and surface acoustic wave filters or capacitors in electronics.

Inetetamab in combination with rapamycin and chemotherapy for trastuzumab-treated metastatic human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer with abnormal activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

BACKGROUND: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression is an independent prognostic factor of poor prognosis and a predictor of efficacy of anti-HER2 therapy. A limited number of patients can receive standard second-line therapy (DS-8201 or T-DM1) for metastatic HER2-positive in some parts of the world, including China, due to many factors, such as cost-benefit ratios. CASE: A 51-year-old premenopausal woman was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer. The pathological stage was ypT3N2M0 and stage IIIA. Trastuzumab targeted therapy combined with goserelin depot was started along with letrozole endocrine therapy. After eight courses of treatment, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination revealed new multiple metastases in the liver, and progression disease (PD) was evaluated. Due to abnormal activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) pathway in the patient, treatment was changed to the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor combined with the anti-HER-2 agents inetetamab and paclitaxel, while partial response (PR) was evaluated after 6 cycles of treatment. As the patient was hormone receptor (HR) positive, treatment was changed to the inetetamab + rapamycin + exemestane regimen. The lesion continued to shrink and PR was evaluated for 8 cycles. The original regimen was continued, PR was evaluated after 12 courses of treatment. The abdominal MRI performed showed an increase in the volume of intrahepatic multiple metastatic tumor lesion. Efficacy was used to assess for PD and the progression-free survival (PFS) was 317 days. CONCLUSION: A phosphatidylinositol-4, 5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) mutation in trastuzumab-treated metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer female had a long PFS by treating with the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor in combination with the anti-HER-2 agent inetetamab.

Sloping Farmlands Conversion to Mixed Forest Improves Soil Carbon Pool on the Loess Plateau.

Vegetation restoration is considered a potentially useful strategy for controlling soil erosion and improving soil organic carbon (SOC) in arid and semiarid ecosystems. However, there is still debate regarding which vegetation restoration type is the best choice. In this study, four vegetation restoration types (i.e., grasslands, shrubs, forests and mixed forests) converted from sloping farmlands were selected to explore the SOC variation among the four types and to investigate which soil factors had the greatest effect on SOC. The results showed while the magnitude of effect differed between vegetation restoration type, all studied systems significantly increased SOC and labile organic carbon contents (p < 0.01), soil nutrients such as total nitrogen (TN) (p < 0.01), available nitrogen (AN) (p < 0.01), total phosphorus (TP) (p < 0.05) and available phosphorus (AP) (p < 0.05), soil enzyme activities such as phosphatase (p < 0.01), soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) (p < 0.05), and basal respiration (BR) (p < 0.05), but had significant negative correlationswith polyphenol oxidase (p < 0.05). However, the effects of vegetation restoration of farmland converted to natural grasslands, shrubs, forests and mixed forests varied. Among the types studied, the mixed forests had the largest overall positive effects on SOC overall, followed by the natural grasslands. Soil nutrients such as N and P and soil microbial activities were the main factors that affected SOC after vegetation restoration. Mixed forests such as Robinia pseudoacacia and Caragana korshinskii are the best choice for farmland conversion on the central of the Loess Plateau.

DisEHPPC: Enabling Heterogeneous Privacy-Preserving Consensus-Based Scheme for Economic Dispatch in Smart Grids.

These days, the increasing incremental cost consensus-based algorithms are designed to tackle the economic dispatch (ED) problem in smart grids (SGs). However, one principal obstruction lies in privacy disclosure for generators and consumers in electricity activities between supply and demand sides, which may bring great losses to them. Hence, it is extraordinarily essential to design effective privacy-preserving approaches for ED problems. In this article, we propose a two-phase distributed and effective heterogeneous privacy-preserving consensus-based (DisEHPPC) ED scheme, where a demand response (DR)-based framework is constructed, including a DR server, data manager, and a set of local controllers. The first phase is that Kullback-Leibler (KL) privacy is guaranteed for the privacy of consumers' demand by the differential privacy method. The second phase is that (ε,δ) -privacy is, respectively, achieved for the generation energy of generators and the sensitivity of electricity consumption to electricity price by designing the privacy-preserving incremental cost consensus-based (PPICC) algorithm. Meanwhile, the proposed PPICC algorithm tackles the formulated ED problem. Subsequently, we further carry out the detailed theoretical analysis on its convergence, optimality of final solution, and privacy degree. It is found that the optimal solution for the ED problem and the privacy preservation of both supply and demand sides can be guaranteed simultaneously. By evaluation of a numerical experiment, the correctness and effectiveness of the DisEHPPC scheme are confirmed.

Immediate versus delayed frozen embryo transfer in women following a failed IVF-ET attempt: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The optimal time at which to perform a frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) following a failed in-vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) attempt remains elusive to most reproductive experts. Physicians often delay the introduction of FET due to concerns related to potential residual effects of ovarian hyperstimulation which may interfere with the regular menstrual cycle. Moreover, given that most of the published studies on the topic are retrospective and have inconsistent findings, it is crucial to develop evidence-based randomized control guides for clinical practice. Therefore, this well-designed randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to determine whether it is necessary to delay FET for at least one menstrual cycle after the failure of fresh embryo transfer. METHODS: Infertile women eligible for IVF-ET were invited to participate in this multicenter, randomized, non-inferiority, parallel-group, unblinded, controlled trial at the academic fertility centers of four public hospitals in Chinese Mainland. Infertile women scheduled to receive their first FET cycle after a failed IVF-ET attempt were randomly assigned to either (a) the immediate FET group in which FET was performed in the first menstrual cycle following the failed IVF-ET cycle (n = 366) or (b) the delayed FET group in which FET was performed in the second or subsequent menstrual cycle following the failed IVF-ET cycle (n = 366). All FET cycles were performed during hormone replacement cycles for endometrial preparation. The primary outcome was the ongoing pregnancy, defined as a detectable fetal heart beat beyond twelve weeks of gestation. Secondary outcomes were other pregnancy-related outcomes, maternal and neonatal complications. Analysis was performed by both intention-to-treat and per-protocol principles. RESULTS: A total of 646 FETs were completed. The frequency of moderate to severe depression and high stress level prior to FET in delayed FET group were significantly higher than that in immediate FET group (10.6% vs 6.1%, p = 0.039; 30.3% vs 22.4%, p = 0.022, respectively). Immediate FET resulted in a higher frequency of clinical pregnancy than did delayed FET (41.7% vs 34.1%), for a relative risk (RR) of 1.23 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.50; p = 0.045). Women who underwent immediate FET also had a lower frequency of biochemical pregnancy loss (11.7% vs. 30.6%), with a RR of 0.28 (95% CI 0.23-0.63, p < 0.001), and a higher frequency of embryo implantation (25.2% vs. 20.2%), with a RR of 1.25 (95% CI 1.01-1.53; p = 0.038). Although the ongoing pregnancy and live birth rates did not differ significantly between the immediate FET and delayed FET groups (37.1% vs 30.3%, RR 1.22, 95% CI 0.99-1.52, p = 0.067; 36.5% vs 30.0%, RR 1.22, 95% CI 0.98-1.52, p = 0.079, respectively), a multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for potential confounders such as depression and stress levels revealed that the immediate FET group had a significantly higher ongoing pregnancy and live birth rates than the delayed FET group (odds ratio 0.68, 95% CI 0.47-0.99, p = 0.041; odds ratio 0.67, 95% CI 0.46-0.96, p = 0.031). The risks of maternal and neonatal complications were comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In women with a previous failed IVF-ET attempt, immediate FET resulted in higher ongoing pregnancy and live birth rates than delayed FET. These findings warrant caution in the indiscriminate application of a delayed FET strategy when apparent risk of high stress level is perceived. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2000033313 .

Effect of cetyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide on the properties of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles stabilized Pickering emulsion and its cured poly(L-lactic acid) materials.

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles stabilized Pickering emulsions were prepared by dichloromethane (CH2 Cl2 ) dissolved poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) as the oil phase and the deionized water with different concentrations of cetyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide (CTAB) as the aqueous phase. Effect of CTAB concentration on emulsions type and stability were studied. The emulsion type underwent a two-phase inversion, and emulsion stability increased first and then decreased with increasing CTAB concentrations. Besides, effect of CTAB concentration on zeta potential, aggregate size, contact angle of HAp nanoparticles and the oil-water interfacial tension were studied. The results indicated that zeta potential value of HAp nanoparticles changed from negative to positive, and the contact angle increased to over 80° initially and then decreased to below 40° rapidly. The distribution of HAp nanoparticles on the surface of emulsion droplets with different concentrations of CTAB (5 and 20 mM) was characterized using laser-induced confocal microscope. It revealed the distribution of HAp nanoparticles changed with different CTAB concentrations. The cured PLLA materials were obtained after the solvent being volatilized using as-received emulsions as templates. Scanning electron microscope images showed both microspheres and porous materials with interconnected pore structure were obtained. In conclusion, the microstructure of microspheres or porous PLLA materials is controllable by adjusting the property of HAp nanoparticles stabilized Pickering emulsions with appropriate amount of CTAB.

Identification of potential metabolic biomarkers of polycystic ovary syndrome in follicular fluid by SWATH mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex disorder associated with multiple metabolic disturbance, including defective glucose metabolism and insulin resistance. The altered metabolites caused by the related metabolic disturbance may affect ovarian follicles, which can be reflected in follicular fluid composition. The aim of this study is to investigate follicular fluid metabolic profiles in women with PCOS using an advanced sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment-ion spectra (SWATH) mass spectrometry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nineteen women with PCOS and twenty-one healthy controls undergoing IVF/ET were recruited, and their follicular fluid samples were collected for metabolomic study. Follicular fluid metabolic profiles, including steroid hormones, free fatty acids, bioactive lipids, and amino acids were analyzed using the principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares to latent structure-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model. RESULTS: Levels of free fatty acids, 3-hydroxynonanoyl carnitine and eicosapentaenoic acid were significantly increased (P < 0.05), whereas those of bioactive lipids, lysophosphatidylcholines (LysoPC) (16:0), phytosphingosine, LysoPC (14:0) and LysoPC (18:0) were significantly decreased in women with PCOS (P < 0.05). Additionally, levels of steroid hormone deoxycorticosterone and two amino acids, phenylalanine and leucine were higher in the PCOS patients (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Women with PCOS display unique metabolic profiles in their follicular fluid, and this data may provide us with important biochemical information and metabolic signatures that enable a better understanding of the pathogenesis of PCOS.

Metabolomic Analysis Of Human Follicular Fluid: Potential Follicular Fluid Markers Of Reproductive Aging.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the difference in the metabolomics profiles of follicular fluid between older and younger reproductive-aged women. METHODS: The retrospective study was conducted at the Centre of Reproduction and Genetics, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China and comprised patient data related to the period between July and October 2015. Follicular fluid was obtained from male-factor infertility women aged 28-35 years as the younger group A, and those aged 35-42 years as the older group B. The subjects were undergoing in vitro fertilization / intracytoplasmic sperm injection and were retrospectively analysed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry. The fragments were structurally identified using debris' information obtained from fragmented ion scans to identify the different compounds. RESULTS: Of the 55 cases studied, 28(51%) were in group A with a mean age of 29.57 ± 2.92 years, and 27(49%) were in group B with a mean age of 39.19±2.95 years. Compared with the group A, four types of compounds, hormones, licithin, lysophospholipids, and protein degradation fragments, were expressed significantly differentially in group B (p<0.05 each). Nicotine glucuronide and phosphatidylcholine were found only in Group B follicular fluid. CONCLUSIONS: The components of follicular fluid and relative contents were found changed with ageing.

Influence of soil and water conservation measures on soil fertility in the Beijing mountain area.

Soil and water conservation (SWC) measures can be adopted to conserve soil and water and improve soil fertility. The degree to which SWC measures improve soil fertility is affected by the type of SWC measure, soil type, climate, etc. The purpose of this study was to study the effect of the main SWC measures implemented in the Beijing mountain area on soil fertility. Six runoff plots, including a fish pit (fallow) (FPF), fish pit (Platycladus orientalis L. Franco) (FPP), narrow terrace (fallow) (NTF), narrow terrace (Juglans regia L.) (NTJ), tree pan (Juglans regia L.) (TPJ), and fallow land (FL), were established to analyze the differences in soil fertility in the Beijing mountain area. Soil samples were collected in 2005 and 2015 from the six runoff plots. Soil particle size; soil total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorous (TP), total potassium (TK), alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen (Ah-N), available P (Av-P), and available K (Av-K); and soil organic matter (SOM) were measured. The soil integrated fertility index (IFI) was calculated. The results showed that the soil nutrient content and IFI significantly decreased from 2005 to 2015 in the FL plot and significantly increased in the five runoff plots with SWC measures. Compared to the other runoff plots with SWC measures, the FPP plot more significantly improved the soil nutrient content and IFI. The TN, Ah-N, Av-K, SOM, and IFI in the FPP plots increased by 98%, 113%, 61%, 69 and 47%, respectively, from 2005 to 2015. The IFI for the FPP, NTJ, and TPJ exceeded the average IFI of the farmland soil in the study region. The results indicated that the combination of engineering practices and vegetative measures effectively improved soil fertility. These results may be helpful for selecting SWC measures, land-use planning and monitoring and assessing soil fertility.

SWATHHM-Based Metabolomics of Follicular Fluid in Patients Shows That Progesterone Adversely Affects Oocyte Quality.

OBJECTIVE: We reveal the relationship between progesterone level in follicular fluid and oocyte quality based on sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment-ion spectra (SWATH™), a powerful high-resolution mass spectrometric data independent acquisition technique. METHOD: Follicular fluid samples were collected from 22 subjects (the level of progesterone > 1.5 ng/mL) of progesterone group, as well as from 22 subjects (the level of progesterone < 1.5 ng/mL) of control group, and analyzed using UPLC-Q-TOF. All methods were performed in accordance with ISO 9001:2008. Novel SWATH acquisition mode on an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid triple quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (with resolving power 20,000-40,000) was investigated for the analysis of human follicular fluid. The principal component variable grouping detects intersample variable correlation and groups variables with similar profiles which simplifies interpretation and highlights related ions and fragments. It can also extract product ion spectra from the data collected by fragmenting a wide precursor ion window. RESULTS: Follicular fluid from the two groups differed with respect to five metabolites. Follicular fluid from the progesterone group contained elevated levels of 8-hydroxyguanosine and 4-hydroxynonenal and reduced levels of ATP, estradiol, and L-carnitine. The increased progesterone level on the day of HCG injection could negatively impact oocyte quality, thus reducing the pregnancy rate of IVF patients.

Novel SWATHTM technology for follicular fluid metabolomics in patients with endometriosis.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment-ion spectra (SWATHTM), a powerful high-resolution mass spectrometric data independent acquisition technique, was used to identify differences that relate certain metabolites to endometriosis (EMT) in follicular fluid collected from EMT patients and a control group. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted to analyze the EMT-related metabolites and the IVF clinical data of 33 subjects. Subjects were divided between the observation group (17 cases, infertility due to EMT) and the control group (16 cases, infertility due to male factor, such as obstructive azoospermia). RESULTS: Analysis revealed three metabolites including phytosphingosine, LysoPC(18:2(9Z,12Z)) and LysoPC(18:0), which were closely related to infertility associated withEMT. In the EMT group, LysoPC(18:2(9Z,12Z)) and LysoPC(18:0) were upregulated, while phytosphingosine was downregulated. CONCLUSIONS: This study employed, for the first time, the SWATHTM data acquisition mode for the metabolomics study of human follicular fluid in patients with EMT. The differential metabolite profiles of follicular fluid were identified and mapped. These differential metabolites are involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis, energy metabolism, inflammatory responses and angiogenesis. The differential metabolite profile may be a new tool for early noninvasive assessment of the developmental potential of oocytes in patients with EMT.

Study on influencing factors of Pickering emulsions stabilized by hydroxyapatite nanoparticles with nonionic surfactants.

Emulsions were prepared using hydroxyapatite nanoparticles and nonionic surfactant sorbitan monooleate (Span 80) as emulsifier. Effects of Span 80 concentration, emulsification time, emulsification rate, poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) concentration and the surface chemical properties of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles on emulsion properties were systematically studied. The results showed that emulsion would undergo a phase inversion from oil-in-water (O/W) type to water-in-oil (W/O) type with an increase in Span 80 concentration. All of the above factors are closely related to emulsion type and stability. SEM results indicated that cured materials with different structures were obtained using these emulsions as templates via in situ evaporation; especially, open-cell porous structures were obtained by a mixture of hydroxyapatite and a moderate concentration of Span 80. The mechanism of this emulsion system is proposed in relation to the emulsion properties and cured material structure, which should be attributed to the formation of hydrogen bonds between hydroxyapatite and Span 80 by hydroxyl groups as well as their location changes in the emulsion.

Effect of stearic acid modified HAp nanoparticles in different solvents on the properties of Pickering emulsions and HAp/PLLA composites.

Stearic acid (Sa) was used to modify the surface properties of hydroxyapatite (HAp) in different solvents (water, ethanol or dichloromethane(CH2Cl2)). Effect of different solvents on the properties of HAp particles (activation ratio, grafting ratio, chemical properties), emulsion properties (emulsion stability, emulsion type, droplet morphology) as well as the cured materials (morphology, average pore size) were studied. FT-IR and XPS results confirmed the interaction occurred between stearic acid and HAp particles. Stable O/W and W/O type Pickering emulsions were prepared using unmodified and Sa modified HAp nanoparticles respectively, which indicated a catastrophic inversion of the Pickering emulsion happened possibly because of the enhanced hydrophobicity of HAp particles after surface modification. Porous materials with different structures and pore sizes were obtained using Pickering emulsion as the template via in situ evaporation solvent method. The results indicated the microstructures of cured samples are different form each other when HAp was surface modified in different solvents. HAp particles fabricated using ethanol as solvent has higher activation ratio and grafting ratio. Pickering emulsion with higher stability and cured porous materials with uniform morphology were obtained compared with samples prepared using water and CH2Cl2 as solvents. In conclusion, surface modification of HAp in different solvents played a very important role for its stabilized Pickering emulsion as well as the microstructure of cured samples. It is better to use ethanol as the solvent for Sa modified HAp particles, which could increase the stability of Pickering emulsion and obtain cured samples with uniform pore size.

Factors influencing the stability and type of hydroxyapatite stabilized Pickering emulsion.

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticle stabilized Pickering emulsion was fabricated with poly(l-lactic acid) dissolved in dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) solution as oil phase and HAp aqueous dispersion as aqueous phase. Pickering emulsion was cured via in situ solvent evaporation method. Effect of PLLA concentrations, pH value, HAp concentrations, oil-water ratio, emulsification rates and times were studied on emulsion stability and emulsion type, etc. The results indicated emulsion stability increased with the increase of HAp concentration, emulsification rate and time; it is very stable when pH value of aqueous phase was adjusted to 10. Stable W/O and O/W emulsions were fabricated successfully using as-received HAp particles as stabilizer by adjusting the fabricating parameters. The interaction between HAp and PLLA played an important role to stabilize Pickering emulsions. SEM results indicated that both microsphere and porous materials were fabricated using emulsion stabilized by unmodified HAp nanoparticles, implying that both W/O and O/W emulsion type were obtained.

Photocurable high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) containing hydroxyapatite for additive manufacture of tissue engineering scaffolds with multi-scale porosity.

Porous composites containing hydroxyapatite (HA) were templated from high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) and were further structured using direct-write UV stereolithography to produce composite scaffolds with multi-scale porosity. FTIR, TGA and SEM analyses confirmed that HA was retained after photocuring and subsequent treatments and was incorporated within the polymerised HIPE (polyHIPE). The addition of HA particles to the polyHIPE caused changes in the mechanical properties of the material. An increase in both the Young's modulus and maximum stress at yield was observed compared with the pure polyHIPE from 1.544±0.231 to 4.614±0.775 and 0.177±0.009 to 0.267±0.034MPa, respectively. Except at very high concentrations, adding HA did not adversely cause the phase separation of the HIPE or the porous microstructure of the resulting polyHIPE. In combination with a photoinitiator, the HIPE emulsion containing HA was investigated as a photocurable resin for stereolithography-based additive manufacturing. The material was readily processable into "woodpile" structures via direct-write UV stereolithography, producing scaffolds with multi-scale porosity which may be useful for medical applications such as tissue engineering. In conclusion, HA was successfully added into polyHIPEs, producing a similar porous structure to that of the pure polyHIPE whilst improving the mechanical performance.

Event-triggered synchronization strategy for complex dynamical networks with the Markovian switching topologies.

This paper concerns the synchronization problem of complex networks with the random switching topologies. By modeling the switching of network topologies as a Markov process, a novel event-triggered synchronization strategy is proposed. Unlike the existing strategies, the event detection of this strategy only works at the network topology switching time instant, which can significantly decrease the communication frequency between nodes and save the network resources. Under this strategy, the synchronization problem of complex network is equivalently converted to the stability of a class of Markovian jump systems with a time-varying delay. By using the Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional method and the weak infinitesimal operation, a sufficient condition for the mean square synchronization of the complex networks subject to Markovian switching topologies is established. Finally, a numerical simulation example is provided to demonstrate the theoretical results.

Increased circulating Lin(-/low) CD33(+) HLA-DR(-) myeloid-derived suppressor cells in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

AIM: Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) can be induced or expanded in tumor-bearing mice and cancer patients. The frequency of MDSC denoted here as Lin(-/low) CD33(+) HLA-DR(-) was investigated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. The clinical relevance of MDSC and patients' characteristics were examined. Also, MDSC-related immune regulatory pathways in these patients were discussed. METHODS: The quantity of MDSC was tested in peripheral blood of patients with HCC (n = 63) and healthy donors (n = 56). The expressions of interferon (IFN)-γ, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13, nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-2 and arginase (ARG)-1 were analyzed. Co-culturing with anti-CD3/CD28-stimulated T lymphocytes was used to determine the suppressive effect of MDSC on the T lymphocytes. RESULTS: Patients with treatment-naive HCC had an increased subpopulation of Lin(-/low) CD33(+) HLA-DR(-) cells in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with characteristics of MDSC and associated to the stage (P = 0.0004). Patients with splenomegaly had a higher frequency of circulating MDSC. Also, COX-2, MMP-13 and VEGF were expressed differently associated with the alteration of MDSC. CONCLUSION: Our study provides evidence showing an increased population of Lin(-/low) CD33(+) HLA-DR(-) MDSC in the peripheral blood of HCC patients. Our data also suggest that MMP-13 and COX-2 in PBMC may play a new important role companied with MDSC in HCC patients.

Effect of raw material ratios on the compressive strength of magnesium potassium phosphate chemically bonded ceramics.

The compressive strength of magnesium potassium phosphate chemically bonded ceramics is important in biomedical field. In this work, the compressive strength of magnesium potassium phosphate chemically bonded ceramics was investigated with different liquid-to-solid and MgO-to-KH2PO4 ratios. X-ray diffractometer was applied to characterize its phase composition. The microstructure was imaged using a scanning electron microscope. The results showed that the compressive strength of the chemically bonded ceramics increased with the decrease of liquid-to-solid ratio due to the change of the packing density and the crystallinity of hydrated product. However, with the increase of MgO-to-KH2PO4 weight ratio, its compressive strength increased firstly and then decreased. The low compressive strength in lower MgO-to-KH2PO4 ratio might be explained by the existence of the weak phase KH2PO4. However, the low value of compressive strength with the higher MgO-to-KH2PO4 ratio might be caused by lack of the joined phase in the hydrated product. Besides, it has been found that the microstructures were different in these two cases by the scanning electron microscope. Colloidal structure appeared for the samples with lower liquid-to-solid and higher MgO-to-KH2PO4 ratios possibly because of the existence of amorphous hydrated products. The optimization of both liquid-to-solid and MgO-to-KH2PO4 ratios was important to improve the compressive strength of magnesium potassium phosphate chemically bonded ceramics.

Effect of liquid-to-solid ratios on the properties of magnesium phosphate chemically bonded ceramics.

The temperature variation, setting time, phase compositions and compressive strength of magnesium phosphate chemically bonded ceramics were important for its application in biomedical field. Different amounts of liquid were added into the premixed acid phosphate and oxide powders in order to study the effect of liquid-to-solid ratios on the properties of magnesium phosphate chemically bonded ceramics. The results indicated that the setting time increased and the maximum temperature decreased as the liquid-to-solid ratio increases. The hydrated product was mainly composed of magnesium potassium phosphate hexahydrate, which was not affected by the liquid-to-solid ratios. Besides, magnesia was also found because it was an obvious excess of the hydrated reaction. The compressive strength decreased as the liquid-to-solid ratios increase possibly because of the higher porosity caused by the superfluous liquid. According to the performed study, results indicated that the properties of MPCBC could be adjusted by changing the liquid-to-solid ratios.

On-road pollutant emission and fuel consumption characteristics of buses in Beijing.

On-road emission and fuel consumption (FC) levels for Euro III and IV buses fueled on diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG) were compared, and emission and FC characteristics of buses were analyzed based on approximately 28,700 groups of instantaneous data obtained in Beijing using a portable emissions measurement system (PEMS). The experimental results revealed that NOx and PM emissions from CNG buses were decreased by 72.0% and 82.3% respectively, compared with Euro IV diesel buses. Similarly, these emissions were reduced by 75.2% and 96.3% respectively, compared with Euro III diesel buses. In addition, CO2, CO, HC, NOx, PM emissions and FC of Euro IV diesel buses were reduced by 26.4%, 75.2%, 73.6%, 11.4%, 79.1%, and 26.0%, respectively, relative to Euro III diesel buses. The CO2, CO, HC, NOx, PM emissions and FC factors all decreased with bus speed increased, while increased as bus acceleration increased. At the same time, the emission/FC rates as well as the emission/FC factors exhibited a strong positive correlation with the vehicle specific power (VSP). They all were the lowest when VSP < 0, and then rapidly increased as VSP increased. Furthermore, both the emission/FC rates and emission/FC factors were the highest at accelerations, higher at cruise speeds, and the lowest at decelerations for non-idling buses. These results can provide a base reference to further estimate bus emission and FC inventories in Beijing.