2-Methyl-1,1-diphenyl-2-[(4S)-4-phenyl-4,5-di-hydro-1,3-oxazol-2-yl]propan-1-ol.

In the title compound, C25H25NO2, the phenyl ring on the 1,3-oxazole ring is disordered over two positions with occupancies of 0.600 (4) and 0.400 (4). The inter-planar angle between these two disordered rings is 77.8 (2)°. There is an intra-molecular O-H⋯N hydrogen bond of moderate strength. In the crystal, C-H⋯π inter-actions interconnect neighbouring molecules. The absolute structure has been derived from the known absolute structure of the reagents.

Predictive power of high-resolution vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging in ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) is a key contributor to ischemic stroke and has a high recurrence rate. This study aimed to investigate the function of high-resolution vessel wall MRI (HR-VW-MRI) and evaluate plaque characteristics in patients with ICAD. METHODS: A consecutive series of patients with ICAD who underwent HR-VW-MRI were enrolled, and imaging measurements were acquired. Baseline clinical characteristics were identified. Telephone follow-up was conducted every three months. The endpoint events were the first onset or recurrence of ischemic stroke and new clinical vascular events. Patients were divided into groups with or without events according to whether the endpoint event occurred. RESULTS: A total of 70 patients (mean age = 57.6 years old) were enrolled. The median follow-up duration was 182 days. During the follow-up, 10 patients developed ischemic stroke, experienced endpoint events, and were found with 44 plaques in the artery area. A total of 169 plaques were further found in 70 patients. There were significant differences in EI, HST1, surface features, and WA reference between the two groups (P < 0.05). Logistic analysis showed that grade 2 enhancements, stenosis degree ≥ 50%, HST1, and surface features were independent prognostic factors of the onset of stroke, caused by ICAD. CONCLUSION: This prospective study demonstrates that HR-VW-MRI can identify atherosclerotic plaques in the cerebral artery and high-risk plaques, which may contribute to the prevention of ICAD and guide clinical treatment.

[Optimization and evaluation of key photosynthesis parameters in forest ecosystems based on FLUXNET data and VPM model.] / 基于FLUXNET观测数据与VPMæ¨¡åž‹çš„æ£®æž—ç”Ÿæ€ç³»ç»Ÿå ‰åˆä½œç”¨å ³é”®å‚æ•°ä¼˜åŒ–åŠéªŒè¯.

Gross primary productivity (GPP) plays an important role in global carbon cycle. Vegetation maximum light use efficiency (Δmax) is the key parameter for GPP simulation of terrestrial ecosystem. Based on the vegetation photosynthesis model (VPM) and the eddy covariance flux data at 40 stations from FLUXNET (179 site-years of data), we identified the key model parameters influencing the simulation of GPP with VPM through one-at-a-time (OAT) method. The cross validation method was employed to optimize the key model parameters and evaluate the model perfor-mance for global forest ecosystems. The results showed that the prediction of GPP was mostly affec-ted by Δmax, maximum temperature for photosynthesis (Tmax), and optimum temperature for photosynthesis (Topt). There were distinguishable differences for the key optimized parameters among different forest ecosystems. The optimized Δmax ranged from 0.05 to 0.08 µmol CO2·µmol-1 PAR (evergreen broad-leaved forest>evergreen coniferous forest>mixed forest>deciduous broad-leaved forest). The optimized Tmax ranged from 38 to 48 ℃,while Topt ranged from 18 to 22 ℃. With the optimized key parameters based on ecosystem types, the VPM was able to simulate the seasonal and inter-annual variations of GPP in four forest ecosystems.

[Near surface CO2 concentration and its quantitative relationship with character of underlying surface in Shanghai City, China].

Land use change and fossil fuel combustion due to urbanization have a significant effect on global carbon cycle and climate change. It's important to have an explicit understanding of the spatial distribution of CO2 to recognize and control GHG emission, which is helpful to reduce human-induced contribution to global climate change. The study area of this project was set in the city of Shanghai with intensive human activity and rapid urbanization. The monitoring of near surface CO2 concentration along 3 transects was conducted across an urban-rural gradient by means of near infrared gas analyzer Li-840A in spring, 2014. Remote sensing data were also used to derive underlying surface information. Further quantitative analysis of the mechanism of CO2 concentration's response to the characteristics of underlying surface was presented in this paper. The results showed that the average near surface CO2 concentration was (443.4±22.0) µmol . mol-1. CO2 concentration in city center was in average 12.5% (52.5 µLmol . mol-1) higher than that in the suburban area. Also, CO2 concentration showed a significant spatial differentiation, with the highest CO2 concentration in the northwest, the second highest in the southwest, and the lowest in the southeast, which was in accordance with the urbanization level of the underlying surface. The results revealed that the vegetation coverage rate (CVeg) was an important indicator to describe near surface CO2 concentration with a negative correlation, and the impervious surface area coverage rate (CISA) had lower explanatory power with a positive correlation. The study also found that the determination coefficient (R2) between CO2 concentration (CCO2) and CISA or CVeg achieved its highest value when the buffer distance was 5 km, and their quantitative relationships be described by a stepwise regression equation: CCO2=0.32CISA-0.89CVeg+445.13 (R2 =0.66, P<0.01).

Distinct activated cortical areas and volumes in Uygur-Chinese bilinguals.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate variations in cortical activation in early and late Uygur-Chinese bilinguals from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. Methodology: During a semantic judgment task with visual stimulation by a single Chinese or Uygur word, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed. The fMRI data regarding activated cortical areas and volumes by both languages were analyzed. RESULTS: The first language (L1) and second language (L2) activated language-related hemispheric regions, including the left inferior frontal and parietal cortices, and L1 specifically activated the left middle temporal gyrus. For both L1 and L2, cortical activation was greater in the left hemisphere, and there was no significant difference in the lateralization index (LI) between the two languages (p > 0.05). Although the total activated cortical areas were larger in early than late bilinguals, the activation volumes were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: Activated brains areas in early and late fluent bilinguals largely overlapped. However, these areas were more scattered upon presentation of L2 than L1, and L1 had a more specific pattern of activation than L2. For both languages, the left hemisphere was dominant. We found that L2 proficiency level rather than age of acquisition had a greater influence on which brain areas were activated with semantic processing.

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the evaluation of infiltration zone of cerebral alveolar echinococcosis.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral alveolar echinococcosis (CAE) grows infiltratively like a malignant tumor, causing great harm to the human body. It is possible to display mass lesions of CAE using various imaging systems, but regarding the infiltrating proliferation active regions, it is difficult to evaluate its actual range using conventional magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI). This research focused on proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)HMRS) techniques to find the mass and infiltration zone of CAE. We explored the marginal zone (MZ) of CAE nearly close to the actual infiltrating scope, to provide reliable images for clinical purposes, to overcome shortcomings of cMRI, to formulate beneficial clinical surgical plans and assess prognosis. METHODS: Between September 2005 and May 2011, 15 patients who were suffering from CAE (36 effective lesions altogether) were examined by (1)HMRS at the first affiliated hospital of Xinjiang Medical University. Multi-voxel (1)HMRS was acquired with a 1.5T MRI scanner. Concentrations and the ratios of the metabolites of CAE were calculated. Furthermore, changes in the concentrations of the metabolites containing N-acetyl-aspartic-acid (NAA), choline (Cho), creatine (Cr), lipids and lactate (Lip + Lac) and the ratios of Cho/Cr, NAA/Cr, (Lip + Lac) /Cr were compared in the substantial region, 0 - 10 mm MZ, and 11 - 20 mm MZ of the infiltration zone, as well as the corresponding contralateral part of the normal brain parenchyma area (control group). RESULTS: In this study, the ratios of Cho/Cr in the substantial region, 0 - 10 mm MZ of infiltration zone and the control group were 1.78 ± 0.70, 1.90 ± 0.54, and 0.78 ± 0.15, respectively; the ratios of NAA/Cr were 1.60 ± 0.20, 1.80 ± 0.42, 2.24 ± 0.86, respectively; the ratios of (Lip + Lac)/Cr were 25.69 ± 13.84, 25.18 ± 16.03, and 0.61 ± 0.15, respectively. From the control group, 11 - 20 mm MZ to 0 - 10 mm MZ and the substantial region of CAE, the concentrations of the metabolites showed that NAA and Cho decreased gradually and markedly. But (Lip + Lac) increased gradually and markedly. The ratios of Cho/Cr and NAA/Cr, (Lip + Lac)/Cr were statistically significant (P < 0.0083) between the substantial region and the control group, as well as between the 0 - 10 mm MZ and the control group. The ratios of Cho/Cr and NAA/Cr, (Lip + Lac)/Cr displayed no statistically significant differences (P > 0.0083) between the substantial region and the 0 - 10 mm MZ. CONCLUSIONS: There was a pathological spectrum surrounding the infiltration zone of CAE. Multi-voxel 1HMRS has great clinical value for discerning the main lesion and the infiltration zone of CAE.