A propensity score matched analysis of COVID-19 ongoing symptoms in primary medical staff members with different levels of stress in Jiangsu Province, China.

Objective: Ongoing symptoms which originated from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections threaten the health of a broad population of patients. With recent changes in COVID-19 control measures in China, medical staff members are currently experiencing a high level of stress. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 and explore the potential association between stress and ongoing COVID symptoms. Methods: From January 17th to February 2, 2023, primary medical staff members in Jiangsu Province were surveyed using a self-designed questionnaire. Univariate multinomial logistic analysis was used to illustrate the relationship between stress and ongoing symptoms after matching the low- and high-stress groups in a 1:1 ratio based on propensity scores. Results: Analysis revealed that 14.83 % (3785/25,516) of primary medical staff members infected with COVID-19 experienced ongoing symptoms, the most common of which included cough (9.51 %), dyspnea (9.51 %), sleep problems (4.40 %), anxiety (2.29 %), and reproductive system symptoms (1.89 %). In matched patients, higher stress levels were associated with a greater risk of ongoing symptoms than in patients without ongoing symptoms for 14 of the 15 reported symptoms in this study (odds ratios [ORs] > 1 and P < 0.05). Moreover, higher levels of stress were associated with a greater risk of more ongoing symptoms, and the overall ORs increased with the number of symptoms (ORs >1 and P < 0.05). Conclusion: To mitigate the possibility of experiencing ongoing symptoms, healthcare organizations and local authority agencies should institute helpful measures to decrease stress levels such as medical staff augmentation and enabling all staff to have a reasonable work-life balance.

Duration and severity of COVID-19 symptoms among primary healthcare workers: A cross-sectional survey.

AIMS: This study aims to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers, including the severity, duration of infection, post-infection symptoms and related influencing factors. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was utilized to assess the post-infection status of primary healthcare workers in Jiangsu Province. The questionnaire collected information on demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, post-infection clinical manifestations, work environment and recovery time of the respondents. Customized outcome events were selected as dependent variables and logistic regression models were employed to analyse the risk factors. Phi-coefficient was used to describe the relationship between post-infection symptoms. RESULTS: The analysis revealed that several factors, such as female, older age, obesity, previous medical history, exposure to high-risk environments and stress, were associated with a higher likelihood of experiencing more severe outcomes. On the other hand, vaccination and regular exercise were found to contribute to an earlier resolution of the infection. Among the post-infection symptoms, cough, malaise and muscle aches were the most frequently reported. Overall, there was a weak association among symptoms persisting beyond 14 days, with only cough and malaise, malaise and dizziness and headache showing a stronger correlation. CONCLUSION: The study findings indicate that the overall severity of the first wave of infection, following the complete lifting of restrictions in China, was low. The impact on primary healthcare workers was limited, and the post-infection symptoms exhibited similarity to those observed in other countries. It is important to highlight that these conclusions are specifically relevant to the population infected with the Omicron variant. IMPACTS: This study helps to grasp the impacts of the first wave of COVID-19 infections on healthcare workers in China after the national lockdown was lifted. PATIENTS: Primary healthcare workers in Jiangsu Province, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other personnel from primary healthcare units such as community health service centres and health centres.

Zinc Doping Induces Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance of Solvothermal SnTe.

The creation of hierarchical nanostructures can effectively strengthen phonon scattering to reduce lattice thermal conductivity for improving thermoelectric properties in inorganic solids. Here, we use Zn doping to induce a remarkable reduction in the lattice thermal conductivity in SnTe, approaching the theoretical minimum limit. Microstructure analysis reveals that ZnTe nanoprecipitates can embed within SnTe grains beyond the solubility limit of Zn in the Zn alloyed SnTe. These nanoprecipitates result in a substantial decrease of the lattice thermal conductivity in SnTe, leading to an ultralow lattice thermal conductivity of 0.50 W m-1 K-1 at 773 K and a peak ZT of ~0.48 at 773 K, marking an approximately 45 % enhancement compared to pristine SnTe. This study underscores the effectiveness of incorporating ZnTe nanoprecipitates in boosting the thermoelectric performance of SnTe-based materials.

Modelling the capacitance of the elongated plasma in tokamak.

The capacitance model suitable for the non-circular cross-section plasma is studied based on the capacitance model of the circular cross-section plasma. The coaxial elliptic-torus capacitor property is further derived and used to determine the capacity of non-circular cross-section tokamak plasma, such as EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak). By testing all the physical terms in this model, we find that the capacitance [Formula: see text]) is increasing exponentially with the increase of elongation ratio (k2/k1), while the minor radius ratio (a2/a1) is just reversed at the flat-top of plasma current, and the capacitance property is implicitly included in the H-mode study during the L-H transition. It is noted that Cp-H mode is the least and Cp-I mode is approximately equal to Cp-L mode under the L-mode, I-mode and H-mode regimes based on this capacitance model in EAST. Consequently, it may be integrated into an equivalent circuit of the tokamak transformer or transport computer code of the edge plasma for use in precise simulations of fusion plasma behavior in the future, such as ITER (International Tokamak Experimental Reactor) or BEST (Burning-plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak) in China.

Efficacy and Safety of Niraparib as First-Line Maintenance Treatment for Patients with Advanced Ovarian Cancer: Real-World Data from a Multicenter Study in China.

BACKGROUND: Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors are a new maintenance therapy option for patients with ovarian cancer (OC). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and influencing factors of the novel PARP inhibitor niraparib for maintenance treatment of Chinese patients with advanced OC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this retrospective multicenter real-world study patients with advanced OC from 15 hospitals throughout China were enrolled. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) and the secondary endpoints included the time to treatment discontinuation and safety. Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression was used to identify possible risk factors for PFS, after which a prediction model was established to evaluate the likelihood of achieving an 18-month PFS. The relationship between the dose of niraparib and PFS was also evaluated. RESULTS: The PFS rates of 199 patients at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 months were 87.4%, 75.9%, 63.6%, 56.1%, and 51.8%, respectively. LASSO regression model revealed that only age < 65 years (P = 0.011), BRCA mutations (P < 0.001), and R0 status after cytoreductive surgery (P = 0.01) were significant factors associated with prolonged PFS times. Based on the LASSO logistic regression analysis, a clinical prediction formula was developed: - 2.412 + 1.396Age≥65yr + 2.374BRCAwt + 1.387R1 + 0.793Interval≥12w + 0.178BMI>24kg/m2 which yielded a cut-off value of 0.091, an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.839 (0.763-0.916), a sensitivity of 94.3%, and an accuracy of 78.5%. A nomogram was then built to visualize the results. The major treatment-emergent adverse events of ≥ grade 3 included a platelet count decrease (19.1%), white blood cell count decrease (15.1%), neutrophil count decrease (13.1%), and anemia (18.6%). The 18-month PFS rates in patients treated with 200 mg niraparib were somewhat higher than in patients treated with 100 mg after 3-months of therapy. CONCLUSIONS: For Chinese OC patients, niraparib, particularly at a 200 mg individual starting dose, was an effective therapy with easily manageable safety.

Maintenance therapy with poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors is a new option for patients with ovarian cancer (OC) after they have received platinum-based chemotherapy to reduce the recurrence or relapse rates, but it remains unclear whether there are any changes in efficacy and safety when different starting doses of niraparib are administrated to Chinese patients, who typically have a bodyweight < 77 kg. We found that niraparib exhibited satisfactory efficacy with tolerable safety during maintenance therapy for advanced OC whether administered at 100 mg or 200 mg doses. We believe these regimens can serve as a valuable addition to the previous results of randomized controlled trials.

A novel genes-based signature with prognostic value and predictive ability to select patients responsive to Atezolizumab treatment in bladder cancer: an analysis on data from real-world studies.

Background: There is a lack of molecular markers that effectively predict response to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with uroepithelial bladder carcinoma. The purpose of this study was to explore molecular markers that effectively predict the efficacy of Atezolizumab in the treatment of uroepithelial bladder carcinoma based on real-world clinical trial data. Methods: Gene expression and clinical information of two groups of patients in two datasets, IMvigor210 and GSE176307, who were treated effectively and ineffectively with the programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor Atezolizumab, were obtained. Bioinformatic methods were used to screen out differentially expressed genes and detect the correlation between their expression and immune-related indicators. Subsequently, we assessed the ability of differentially expressed genes to predict the therapeutic response and prognosis of bladder cancer patients following Atezolizumab treatment. Results: A total of 2 differentially expressed genes, CXC motif chemokine ligand 9 (CXCL9) and CXC motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) [all P<0.05, log|fold change (FC)| >1], which were co-upregulated, were screened as study targets. In The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, CXCL9/10 mRNA expression was positively correlated with both PD-L1 and tumor mutation burden (TMB) (all P<0.05). In the IMvigor210 dataset, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for CXCL9, CXCL10 and PD-L1 mRNA expression to predict response to treatment with Atezolizumab were 0.645, 0.636 and 0.566, respectively; And CXCL9/10 mRNA was effective in predicting overall survival in patients receiving treatment (all P<0.05). In the GSE176307 dataset, the area under the ROC curve for CXCL9, CXCL10 and PD-L1 mRNA expression to predict response to treatment with Atezolizumab were 0.829, 0.829 and 0.765, respectively; And CXCL9/10 mRNA was not effective in predicting overall survival in patients receiving treatment (all P>0.05). Conclusions: The mRNA expression levels of CXCL9/10 have the potential to serve as a molecular marker for predicting the therapeutic response and overall survival outcomes of bladder cancer patients treated with Atezolizumab.

Stability and Bautin bifurcation of four-wheel-steering vehicle system with driver steering control.

In this paper, the stability and Bautin bifurcation of a four-wheel-steering (4WS) vehicle system, by considering driver steering control, are investigated. By using the central manifold theory and projection method, the first and second Lyapunov coefficients are calculated to predict the type of Hopf bifurcation of the vehicle system. The topological structure of Bautin bifurcation, a degenerate Hopf bifurcation of the 4WS vehicle system, is presented in parameter space, and it reveals the dynamics of the vehicle system of different choices of control parameters. The influences of system parameters on critical values of the bifurcation parameter are also analyzed. It is shown that with the increase in the frontal visibility distance of the driver control strategy coefficient and the cornering stiffness coefficients of rear wheels, the critical speed increases. Nevertheless, the critical speed decreases with the increase in the distance from the center of gravity of the vehicle to the front axles, Driver's perceptual time delay, and cornering stiffness coefficients of the front wheels.

Chemically Recyclable Biobased Non-Isocyanate Polyurethane Networks from CO2 -Derived Six-membered Cyclic Carbonates.

Non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs) are widely studied as sustainability potential, because they can be prepared without using toxic isocyanates in the synthesis process. The aminolysis of cyclic carbonate to form NIPUs is a promising route. In this work, a series of NIPUs is prepared from renewable bis(6-membered cyclic carbonates) (iEbcc) and amines. The resulting NIPUs possess excellent mechanical properties and thermal stability. The NIPUs can be remolded via transcarbamoylation reactions, and iEbcc-TAEA-10 (the molar ratio of tris(2-aminoethyl)amine in amines is 10%) still get a recovery ratio of 90% in tensile stress after three cycles of remolding. In addition, the obtained materials can be chemically degraded into bi(1,3-diol) precursors with high purity (>99%) and yield (>90%) through alcoholysis. Meanwhile, the degraded products can be used to regenerate NIPUs with similar structures and properties as the original samples. The synthetic strategy, isocyanate-free and employing isoeugenol and carbon dioxide (CO2 ) as building blocks, makes this approach an attractive pathway to NIPU networks taking a step toward a circular economy.

Mechanically Robust and Chemically Recyclable Polyhydroxyurethanes from CO2-Derived Six-Membered Cyclic Carbonates.

In the current context of sustainable chemistry development and new regulations, aminolysis of cyclic carbonate is one of the most promising routes to nonisocyanate polyurethanes, also called polyhydroxyurethanes (PHU). In this study, a new kind of shape memory PHU vitrimers with outstanding mechanical properties and chemical recyclability is prepared. The monomer employed for aminolysis to form the PHUs is bis(six-membered cyclic carbonate) of 4,4'-biphenol (BCC-BP), which is synthesized by bi(1,3-diol) precursors and CO2. The synthetic strategy, isocyanate-free and employing CO2 as a building block, is environmentally friendly and suits the concept of carbon neutrality. The thermal properties, mechanical properties, and dynamic behaviors of the PHUs are explored. The maximum breaking strength and elongation at break of the resultant PHUs reach 65 MPa and 452%, respectively, exceeding other reported PHU-based materials in combined performance. Such a PHU material can also lift up a load 4700 times heavier than its own weight by a shape recovery process. Finally, the bi(1,3-diol) can be regenerated through the alcoholysis of PHUs to realize chemical recycling. This work provides a feasibility study for a green synthetic approach and for designing a novel PHU material with outstanding properties.

Primary healthcare workers' COVID-19 infection status following implementation of adjusted epidemic prevention and control strategies: a cross-sectional study in Jiangsu, China.

Introduction: In times of epidemic outbreaks, healthcare workers (HCWs) emerge as a particularly vulnerable group. This cross-sectional study endeavors to assess the COVID-19 infection rate among the primary HCWs in Jiangsu Province subsequent to the implementation of adjusted epidemic prevention and control strategies. Methods: From January 17 to February 2, 2023, an extensive survey was conducted among primary HCWs in Jiangsu Province, employing a self-designed questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was utilized to identify the factors associated with COVID-19 infection. Results: The overall infection rate among primary HCWs stood at 81.05%, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 80.61-81.48%. Among those afflicted, cough, fatigue, and fever emerged as the three most prevalent symptoms, each with an incidence rate exceeding 80%. In the context of multivariate logistic regression, an elevated risk of COVID-19 infection was observed in correlation with female gender (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.04-1.21), possessing a bachelor's degree or higher (aOR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.23-1.41), accumulating over 10 years of work experience (aOR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.11-1.47), holding a middle-level cadre position (aOR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.11-1.35), assuming the role of a unit leader (aOR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.11-1.54), and working in a fever clinic for 1 to 10 days per month (aOR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.29-1.57). Conversely, advanced age (aOR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.70-0.82), being underweight (aOR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.69-0.90), current smoking (aOR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.57-0.71), receiving 4 doses of COVID-19 vaccine (aOR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.37-0.66), and pregnancy or perinatal status (aOR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.72-0.99) were associated with a diminished risk of infection. Conclusion: Following the implementation of adjusted policies, a substantial proportion of primary HCWs in Jiangsu province contracted COVID-19. Female gender and younger age emerged as risk factors for COVID-19 infection, while no discernible link was established between professions and COVID-19 susceptibility. The receipt of COVID-19 vaccines demonstrated efficacy in curtailing the infection rate, underscoring the significance of bolstering prevention knowledge and heightening self-protective awareness among primary HCWs.

An Unsupervised Deep Learning-Based Model Using Multiomics Data to Predict Prognosis of Patients with Stomach Adenocarcinoma.

Methods: Patients (363 in total) with stomach adenocarcinoma from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort were included. An autoencoder was constructed to integrate the RNA sequencing, miRNA sequencing, and methylation data. The features of the bottleneck layer were used to perform the k-means clustering algorithm to obtain different subgroups for evaluating the prognosis-related risk of stomach adenocarcinoma. The model's robustness was verified using a 10-fold cross-validation (CV). Survival was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression was used to estimate hazard risk. The model was validated in three independent cohorts with different endpoints. Results: The patients were divided into low-risk and high-risk groups according to the k-means clustering algorithm. The high-risk group had a significantly higher risk of poor survival (log-rank P value = 2.80e - 06; adjusted hazard ratio = 2.386, 95% confidence interval: 1.607~3.543), a concordance index (C-index) of 0.714, and a Brier score of 0.184. The model performed well both in the 10-fold CV procedure and three independent cohorts from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) repository. Conclusions: A robust and generalizable model based on the autoencoder was proposed to integrate multiomics data and predict the prognosis of patients with stomach adenocarcinoma. The model demonstrates better performance than two alternative approaches on prognosis prediction. The results might provide the grounds for further exploring the potential biomarkers to predict the prognosis of patients with stomach adenocarcinoma.

Interactions of circRNAs with methylation: An important aspect of circRNA biogenesis and function (Review).

Circular RNA (circRNA) molecules are noncoding RNAs with unique circular covalently closed structures that contribute to gene expression regulation, protein translation and act as microRNA sponges. circRNAs also have important roles in human disease, particularly tumorigenesis and antitumor processes. Methylation is an epigenetic modification that regulates the expression and roles of DNA and coding RNA and their interactions, as well as of noncoding RNA molecules. Previous studies have focused on the effects of methylation modification on circRNA expression, transport, stability, translation and degradation of circRNAs, as well as how circRNA methylation occurs and the influence of circRNAs on methylation modification processes. circRNA and methylation can also regulate disease pathogenesis via these interactions. In the present study, we define the relationship between circRNAs and methylation, as well as the functions and mechanisms of their interactions during disease progression.

Biodegradable Ru-Containing Polycarbonate Micelles for Photoinduced Anticancer Multitherapeutic Agent Delivery and Phototherapy Enhancement.

The lack of selectivity between tumor and healthy cells, along with inefficient reactive oxygen species production in solid tumors, are two major impediments to the development of anticancer Ru complexes. The development of photoinduced combination therapy based on biodegradable polymers that can be light activated in the "therapeutic window" would be beneficial for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of Ru complexes. Herein, a biodegradable Ru-containing polymer (poly(DCARu)) is developed, in which two different therapeutics (the drug and the Ru complex) are rationally integrated and then conjugated to a diblock copolymer (MPEG-b-PMCC) containing hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) and cyano-functionalized polycarbonate with good degradability and biocompatibility. The polymer self-assembles into micelles with high drug loading capacity, which can be efficiently internalized into tumor cells. Red light induces the generation of singlet oxygen and the release of anticancer drug-Ru complex conjugates from poly(DCARu) micelles, hence inhibiting tumor cell growth. Furthermore, the phototherapy of polymer micelles demonstrates remarkable inhibition of tumor growth in vivo. Meanwhile, polymer micelles exhibit good biocompatibility with blood and healthy tissues, which opens up opportunities for multitherapeutic agent delivery and enhanced phototherapy.

Role of Hub Genes in the Occurrence and Development of Testicular Cancer Based on Bioinformatics.

BACKGROUND: Testicular cancer severely affects male health, so finding effective diagnosis and prognostic indicators and exploring its pathogenesis are very important. PURPOSE: This study aims to explore the hub genes that play important roles in the occurrence and development of testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT). METHODS: Data were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus datasets (GSE3218 and GSE1818) and verified in The Cancer Genome Atlas database and the Genotype-Tissue Expression database and the Human Protein Atlas database. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed to obtain hub genes. GEO2R, R software and packages were used to analyze differentially expressed genes (DEGs), receiver operating characteristic curve assessment, Cox regression analysis, Kaplan-Meier survival curve assessment, Gene Ontology analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis, the relationship with clinicopathological information, gene set enrichment analysis, the correlation with immune cells' infiltration, and the expression in pan-cancers of the hub genes. RESULTS: PLK4, TRIP13, TPR, KIF18A, CDKN3, HMMR, PBK, PTTG1, CKS2, SYCP1, HSPA2, and MKI67 were selected as the hub genes. mRNA of PLK4, TRIP13, CDKN3, SYCP1, HSPA2, and MKI67 had high diagnostic values, and higher expression of CDKN3 and HSPA2 mRNA were poor prognostic factors for progression-free interval of TGCT. The hub genes involved organelle division and cell cycle, chromosome and centromeric region, heat shock protein binding, and more. Downregulated TPR and PLK4 were selected as research targets for continued study, and they may participate in multiple signaling pathways. The expression of TPR and PLK4 correlated with the infiltration of a variety of immune cells and differed in pan-cancers. CONCLUSION: The mRNA levels of multiple hub genes have high diagnostic and prognostic values for TGCT. TPR and PLK4 may play a role in the occurrence and development of TGCT through cancer-related signaling pathways.

A Sequential Dual-Model Strategy Based on Photoactivatable Metallopolymer for On-Demand Release of Photosensitizers and Anticancer Drugs.

The synergistic combination of chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy has attracted considerable attention for its enhanced antitumoral effects; however, it remains challenging to successfully delivery photosensitizers and anticancer drugs while minimizing drug leakage at off-target sites. A red-light-activatable metallopolymer, Poly(Ru/PTX), is synthesized for combined chemo-photodynamic therapy. The polymer has a biodegradable backbone that contains a photosensitizer Ru complex and the anticancer drug paclitaxel (PTX) via a singlet oxygen (1 O2 ) cleavable linker. The polymer self-assembles into nanoparticles, which can efficiently accumulate at the tumor sites during blood circulation. The distribution of the therapeutic agents is synchronized because the Ru complex and PTX are covalently conjugate to the polymer, and off-target toxicity during circulation is also mostly avoided. Red light irradiation at the tumor directly cleaves the Ru complex and produces 1 O2 for photodynamic therapy. Sequentially, the generated 1 O2 triggers the breakage of the linker to release the PTX for chemotherapy. Therefore, this novel sequential dual-model release strategy creates a synergistic chemo-photodynamic therapy while minimizing drug leakage. This study offers a new platform to develop smart delivery systems for the on-demand release of therapeutic agents in vivo.

Relationship between parental control and aggressive behavior of middle school students / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the relationship between parental control and aggressive behavior of middle school students.@*Methods@#Random cluster sampling was used to select 1 046 students.Information was collected through the Chinese version of Parental Control Questionnaire and Buss ＆ Perry Aggression Questionnaire.@*Results@#The score on anger were high among female students and the total score were high among male students(t=6.28,2.56,P<0.01).Multiple comparison showed. the grade two junior middle school students’aggression level is significantly higher than grade three junior middle school students and grade one, two high school students(t=3.22,4.07,3.01,P<0.05). There were significant gender differences in parental control,father’s behavior control and father’s psychological control(P<0.05).Parental control shows a significant grade difference,multiple comparison showed, parental control among junior middle school students is significantly higher than that among high school students(t=3.22, 4.07, 3.01, P<0.05).Parental control and aggressiveness of the students were significantly positively correlated(r=0.16,0.29).There was a significant positive correlation between the psychological control of the parents and the aggressiveness of the boys(r=0.26,0.23).The behavior control and psychological control of the parents were positively correlated with the aggressiveness of the girls(r=0.09,0.13,0.29,0.35)(P<0.05).The Logistic regression analysis showed,father’s psychological control(OR=0.50,95%CI=0.21-0.79) and mother’s psychological control(OR=0.32,95%CI=0.02-0.62) showed significant positive association with aggression of the boys.Mother’s psychological control(OR=0.55,95%CI=0.23-0.87)and parents’ control(OR=0.17,95%CI=0.01-0.33) were positively associated with aggression of the girls(P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#Effective intervention of parental control might help prevent and control aggressive behavior of middle school students.

Dual-angle technique for simultaneous measurement of refractive index and temperature based on a surface plasmon resonance sensor.

We describe a theoretical model to analyze temperature effects on the Kretschmann surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor, and describe a new double-incident angle technique to simultaneously measure changes in refractive index (RI) and temperature. The method uses the observation that output signals obtained from two different incident angles each have a linear dependence on RI and temperature, and are independent. A proof-of-concept experiment using different NaCl concentration solutions as analytes demonstrates the ability of the technique. The optical design is as simple and robust as conventional SPR detection, but provides a way to discriminate between RI-induced and temperature-induced SPR changes. This technique facilitates a way for traditional SPR sensors to detect RI in different temperature environments, and may lead to better design and fabrication of SPR sensors against temperature variation.

Symmetry restoring bifurcations and quasiperiodic chaos induced by a new intermittency in a vibro-impact system.

Quasiperiodic chaos (QC), which is a combination of quasiperiodic sets and a chaotic set, is uncovered in the six dimensional Poincaré map of a symmetric three-degree of freedom vibro-impact system. Accompanied by symmetry restoring bifurcation, this QC is the consequence of a novel intermittency that occurs between two conjugate quasiperiodic sets and a chaotic set. The six dimensional Poincaré map P is the 2-fold composition of another virtual implicit map Q, yielding the symmetry of the system. Map Q can capture two conjugate attractors, which is at the core of the dynamics of the vibro-impact system. Three types of symmetry restoring bifurcations are analyzed in detail. First, if two conjugate chaotic attractors join together, the chaos-chaos intermittency induced by attractor-merging crisis takes place. Second, if two conjugate quasiperiodic sets are suddenly embedded in a chaotic one, QC is induced by a new intermittency between the three attractors. Third, if two conjugate quasiperiodic attractors connect with each other directly, they merge to form a single symmetric quasiperiodic one. For the second case, the new intermittency is caused by the collision of two conjugate quasiperiodic attractors with an unstable symmetric limit set. As the iteration number is increased, the largest finite-time Lyapunov exponent of the QC does not converge to a constant, but fluctuates in the positive region.

[Experimentation and investigation of the effects of TNF and the acceptor expression in renal early trauma with extraneous adrenomedullin].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of TNF-alpha, TNF-beta and the acceptor expression about mechanical renal trauma with extraneous ADM. METHODS: There were 104 healthy adult plain grade Wistar rat, randomly divided into four groups:8 in the group of control, 32 in the group of trauma, 32 in the group injected ADM before trauma, 32 in the group injected ADM post trauma. The experimental model of rat kidney with mechanical trauma was prepared by striking the area of rat skin reflecting by kidney with free dropping ferrous hammer in the last three groups. ADM (0.1 nmol/kg) administrated by intraperitoneal injection at 10 minutes before trauma or post trauma respectively in injected groups. All rats were executed by drawing-out all the blood in their hearts. Renal tissue was investigated to study positive expression of TNF-alpha, TNF-beta, TNFR after SABC stained. RESULTS: TNF-alpha expression:the TNF-alpha expression of trauma group was more positive than it of control group in the wound early time. The expression of group injected post trauma was less than it of trauma group at 1 h (P < 0.01). The expression of group injected before trauma was less than it of trauma group at 6 h (P < 0.05) TNF-beta expression: the TNF-beta expression of trauma group was less than it of control group at 1 h and 6 h (P < 0.05). The TNF-beta expression of group injected post trauma was more positive than it of trauma group at the same time of 1 h and 6 h (P < 0.01). TNFR expression: the TNFR expression of trauma group was less than it of control group at 6 h (P < 0.01). The TNFR expression of group injected before trauma was more positive than it of trauma group in the at the same time of 1 h and 6 h (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The TNFR can regulate the TNF-alpha and the TNF-beta in dynamic balancing. The regulation of TNFR is main to TNF-alpha. What the TNF-beta participated in renal trauma mainly is the anti-damage process. ADM can reduce the expression of TNF-alpha. ADM increases the expression of TNF-beta and TNFR.