[The relationship between the changes of serum NGF, HO-1, IL-1 beta and cognitive function in patients with severe OSAHS after comprehensive treatment].

Objective:To explore the relationship between the levels of serum nerve growth factor(NGF), hemeoxygenase 1(HO-1),interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) and cognitive function in OSAHS patients. Method:the levels of serum NGF, HO-1 and IL-1ß concentrations in 60 severe OSAHS patients were measured before and after treatment, and the Montreal cognitive score (MoCA), AHI and the LSaO2 were also recorded. Result:①OSAHS patients have serum NGF decreased and serum HO-1, IL-1ß increased.②In severe OSAHS patients the AHI was negatively correlated with NGF (r=－0.648), positively correlated with HO-1 (r=0.695), and positively correlated with IL-1ß(r=0.616).③The MoCA value was positively correlated with NGF (r=0.663), negatively correlated with HO-1 (r=－0.614), and negatively correlated with IL-1ß(r=－0.346).④After half a year of follow-up, the AHI and Serum HO-1 and IL-1ß were significantly decreased, while the MoCA values and serum NGF were significantly increased after treatment. Conclusion:①Severe OSAHS patients have cognitive impairment.②The changes of serum NGF, HO-1 and IL-1ß may be related to the changes of cognitive function in OSAHS patients. ③Comprehensive treatment can improve the patient's LSaO2,reduce AHI, and improve the cognitive function.④Regular monitoring the concentration of serum NGF, HO-1, and IL-1ß may be helpful to assess the patient's condition and recovery.

A statistical simulation approach for early stage thin-film growth from vapor-deposited atoms.

We present a statistical simulation method for the early stage of thin-film growth from vapor-deposited atoms, which simulate evolution of density, size, and spatial distribution of the growing islands on a supported substrate. The method describes surface processes of the deposited atoms by random walks and the Arrhenius form. However, we utilize the statistical behavior of the atomic surface processes over a time scale significantly larger than the typical attempt time (10(-13) s). This novel method saves enormous simulation time and thus overcomes the difficulty resulting from the remarkable gap between the typical experimental deposition rates and the attempt frequency. The statistical approach is verified by comparisons with direct step-by-step (kinetic Monte Carlo) simulations at large deposition rates. Results obtained for low deposition rates matching experimental conditions are also presented.

An atomic force microscope study of thermal behavior of phospholipid monolayers on mica.

We observed by using atomic force microscope (AFM) phospholipid (1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) monolayers on mica being annealed and cooled to a selection of temperatures through steps of 2-4 degrees C/min. The annealed phospholipid monolayers started to disappear at 45-50 degrees C and disappeared completely above 60-63 degrees C under AFM observation. The phospholipid monolayers reformed when the samples were cooled below 60 degrees C and developed from fractal into compact monolayer films with decreasing temperatures. Simultaneously the height of the reformed phospholipid films also increased with decreasing temperatures from 0.4 nm to the value before annealing. The observed thermal features are attributed to a phase-transition process that upon heating to above 45-50 degrees C, the lipids condensed in the monolayers transform into a low-density expanded phase in which the lipids are invisible to AFM, and the transformation continues and completes at 60-63 degrees C. The lipid densities of the expanded phase inferred from the dissociated area of the condensed phase are observed to be a function of the temperature. The behavior contrasts with a conventional first-order phase transition commonly seen in the Langmuir films. The temperature-dependent height and shape of the reformed phospholipid films during cooling are argued to arise from the adjustment of the packing and molecular tilting (with respect to the mica surface) of the phospholipids in order to accommodate more condensed phospholipids.

Growth of Co clusters on thin films Al2O3NiAl(100).

We present a scanning tunnel microscopy study of Co clusters grown through vapor deposition on Al(2)O(3) thin films over NiAl(100) at different coverages and temperatures. Formation of Co clusters was observed at 90, 300, 450, and 570 K. At the three lower temperatures, we find narrow cluster size distributions and the mean sizes (with a diameter of 2.6 nm and a height of 0.7 nm) do not change significantly with the coverage and temperature, until the clusters start to coalesce. Even on 3-4-nm-wide crystalline Al(2)O(3) strips where the deposited Co atoms are confined, the same features sustain. Only at 570 K the normal growth mode where the cluster size increases with the deposition coverage is observed, although the data are less conclusive. A simple modeling of kinetic surface processes on a strip confirms the normal growth mode, but fails to show a favored size unless additional energetic constraints are applied on the cluster sizes. Increasing Co coverages to cluster coalescence, a larger preferable size (mean diameter of 3.5 nm and height of 1.4 nm) appears for growth at 450 K. These two sizes are corroborated by morphology evolution of high Co coverages deposited at 300 K and annealed to 750 K, in which the coalescence is eliminated and the two preferable geometries appear and coexist.

Physisorption of molecular oxygen on C60 thin films.

The interaction of oxygen molecules with a fullerene surface has been studied using high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy and temperature programmed desorption. Vibrational excitation of the adsorbed oxygen is observed at 190 meV, an energy value comparable with that for molecular oxygen in the gas phase. We take this to indicate physisorption of molecular oxygen on the C(60) surface. Thermal desorption results also show that the bonding of oxygen molecules to the C(60) overlayer is comparable to that on a graphite surface. A detailed study of the energy dependence of the vibrational excitation reveals an inelastic electron resonance scattering process. The angular dependence of the resonant vibrational excitation exhibits features distinctively different from those for molecular oxygen physisorbed on the related graphite surface, at a comparable coverage. One possible reason is that the corrugated surface potential, due to the curvature of the C(60) molecules, promotes the preferential ordering of the physisorbed oxygen molecules perpendicular to the surface plane of the C(60) overlayer.

Bayesian inference for categorical traits with an application to variance component estimation.

We implemented statistical models of Bayesian inference that included direct and maternal genetic effects for genetic parameter estimation of categorical traits by Gibbs sampling. The estimation errors and variances of estimates of animal versus sire and maternal grandsire models, of linear versus threshold models, of single-trait versus multiple-trait models, and of treating herd-year-season as fixed versus random effects in the model were compared. The results indicated that linear models yielded biased estimates of genetic parameters for categorical traits. The animal model was improper for analysis of categorical traits using a threshold model and the Gibbs sampler. Moreover, linear versus threshold models and animal versus sire-maternal grandsire models resulted in larger Monte Carlo errors and increased auto-correlations among posterior samples. Treating herd-year-seasons as random effects in the threshold models decreased the Monte Carlo error, auto-correlations, and the variances of estimates. Efficiency of the single-trait threshold sire model, as measured by the variance of the estimates, was lower than for a multiple-trait model that included a correlated continuous trait, but both estimates were unbiased. Therefore, the threshold single-trait sire and maternal grandsire model is a feasible alternative to the multiple-trait model for analysis of variance components of categorical traits affected by direct and maternal genetic factors.

Variance component estimation and multitrait genetic evaluation for type traits of dairy goats.

Covariance components for final score and 13 linear type traits of dairy goats were estimated by multitrait REML using canonical transformation with an animal model. Data were 10,932 type appraisals from 1988 through 1994 from herds with > or = 40 appraisals. Heritabilities were estimated as 0.27 for final score, 0.52 for stature, 0.29 for strength, 0.24 for dairyness, 0.38 for teat diameter, 0.21 for rear legs, 0.32 for rump angle, 0.27 rump width, 0.25 for fore udder attachment, 0.25 for rear udder height, 0.19 for rear udder arch, 0.25 for udder depth, 0.33 for suspensory ligament, and 0.36 for teat placement. Genetic correlations of linear type traits and final score were positive except for dairyness (-0.15) and teat diameter (-0.10); the largest correlations with final score were 0.66 for fore udder attachment, 0.44 for rear udder arch, 0.36 for rump width, and 0.30 for strength. The largest positive correlation among linear traits was 0.63 for stature and rump width; the largest negative correlation was -0.51 for strength and dairyness. Multitrait evaluations were calculated with data from all herds. Correlations between PTA calculated with animal and sire models ranged from 0.44 to 0.70 for bucks that had a PTA with a reliability of > or = 30%.