[ZHOU Mei-sheng's academic thought and clinical application of "three-phase moxibustion sensation"].

This paper collects professor ZHOU Mei-sheng's academic thought, "three-phases moxibustion sensation" and expounds its clinical value. Proposed by professor ZHOU, in accordance with the occurrence and development characteristics of the moxibustion propagated sensation, three time phases of moxibustion propagated sensation are divided, i.e. directional conduction phase (the first time phase), effect onset phase (the second time phase), and descending suspension and along-meridian re-transmission phase (the third time phase). In terms of the different characteristics among these three time phases, the clinical therapeutic regimens are designed accordingly. It provides a novel approach to the clinical application of moxibustion.

[Simulation on soil moisture and water productivity of apple orchard on the Loess Plateau, Northwest China]. / 黄土高原苹果园土壤水分及水分生产力模拟.

The WinEPIC model was used to simulate the dynamics of soil moisture and water productivity in the deep layer of the dry farm apple orchard of Changwu in the Loess Plateau from 1980 to 2018, aiming to provide a scientific basis for the sustainable development of apple production in the area. The results showed that the average annual yield of apple orchards in Changwu area was 27.37 t·hm-2, the average annual evapotranspiration was 673.66 mm, and the average annual water productivity was 4.07 kg·m-3. The number of water stress days in adult apple trees was mainly affected by rainfall. The average number of stress days in the late stage of apple tree growth was 46.46 d. The soil water content in deep layer began to approach withering humidity as early as 9-year-old apple trees. Water supply in the whole growing season of Changwu area was the dominant factor impacting the yield of orchards. The reduction of effective soil water content in deep soil was the main factor restricting yield enhancement in the middle and late growth stages of apple trees. When there was no sufficient precipitation, apple trees would use soil water from deeper soil layer. Excessive precipitation could not be used by apple trees but could be converted into shallow soil moisture and evaporation if the deep layer had less available water. For the mature apple trees, less than 500 mm or higher than 700 mm of annual water supply would cause a decline in production. For apple orchard at different growth periods, water management strategy should be adjusted according to rainfall conditions in different years. Supplementary irrigation, rainwater retention, covering, and pruning of branches could be used to reduce the unproductive and luxury water consumption of apple trees, delay the appearance of deep dry layer of soil, and avoid the waste of water resources while ensuring the growth of apple trees.

[Monocarboxylate transporter 1 enhances the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to 3-bromopyruvate in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) in enhancing the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to 3-bromopyruvate (3-BrPA). METHODS: The inhibitory effect of 3-BrPA on the proliferation of breast cancer cells was assessed with MTT assay, and brominated propidium bromide single staining flow cytometry was used for detecting the cell apoptosis. An ELISA kit was used to detect the intracellular levels of hexokinase II, lactate dehydrogenase, lactate, and adenosine triphosphate, and Western blotting was performed to detect the expression of MCT1. MDA-MB-231 cells were transiently transfected with MCT1 cDNA for over-expressing MCT1, and the effect of 3-BrPA on the cell proliferation and adenosine triphosphate level was deteced. RESULTS: 3-BrPA did not produce significant effects on the proliferation and apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells, and the cells treated with 200 µmol/L 3-BrPA for 24 h showed an inhibition rate and an apoptosis rate of only 8.72% and 7.8%, respectively. The same treatment, however, produced an inhibition rate and an apoptosis rate of 84.6% and 82.3% in MCF-7 cells, respectively. In MDA-MB-231 cells with MCT1 overexpression, 200 µmol/L 3-BrPA resulted in an inhibition rate of 72.44%, significantly higher than that in the control cells (P<0.05); treatment of the cells with 25, 50, 100, and 200 µmol/L 3-BrPA for 6 h resulted in intracellular adenosine triphosphate levels of 96.98%, 88.44%, 43.3% and 27.56% relative to the control level respectively. CONCLUSION: MCT1 can enhance the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to 3-BrPA possibly by transporting 3-BrPA into cells to inhibit cell glycolysis.

Criterion for the occurrence of the gas-liquid phase transition.

Using Yang-Lee theory of phase transition and our extension, it is found that for a real fluid, both the singularity of canonical partition function and the critical point of the gas-liquid phase transition occur precisely at the temperature when all the cluster integrals become positive. The critical temperature is determined by the limit of the first zeros of the cluster integrals.

Mean-field cage theory for the freezing of hard-sphere fluids.

Using some observations and some mean-field approximations, we develop a mean-field cage theory for the freezing of hard-sphere fluids with v(f) > or =a(d) and obtain the freezing densities as functions of the closest-packing densities and the spatial densities, which are in good agreement with the experimental and simulation results.

van der Waals-Tonks-type equations of state for hard-hypersphere fluids in four and five dimensions.

Recently, we developed accurate van der Waals-Tonks-type equations of state for hard-disk and hard-sphere fluids by using the known virial coefficients. In this paper, we derive the van der Waals-Tonks-type equations of state. We further apply these equations of state to hard-hypersphere fluids in four and five dimensions. In the low-density fluid regime, these equations of state are in good agreement with the simulation results and existing equations of state.

van der Waals-Tonks-type equations of state for hard-disk and hard-sphere fluids.

Using the known virial coefficients of hard-disk and hard-sphere fluids, we develop van der Waals-Tonks-type equations of state for hard-disk and hard-sphere fluids. In the low-density fluid regime, these equations of state are in good agreement with the simulation results and the existing equations of state.

Singularities of the canonical partition functions of fluid systems with continuous interaction potentials.

We observe that for finite N and V, the canonical partition function Q(N) of a fluid system of N particles is a polynomial of degree N in variable V/Nlambda(3), which has N zeros that depend only on the cluster integrals b(2)(V,T), em leader,b(N)(V,T). In the thermodynamic limit, if the zero distribution approaches the positive real axis, a phase transition arises. The behavior of phase transition is determined solely by the zero distribution near the positive real axis. Below the critical temperature, the Maxwell's equal-area rule must be used to obtain the gas-liquid coexistence regime. Several examples are given.