Annexin A2 (ANXA2) is reported to be associated with cancer development. To investigate the roles ANXA2 plays during the development of cancer, the RNAi method was used to inhibit the ANXA2 expression in caco2 (human colorectal cancer cell line) and SMMC7721 (human hepatocarcinoma cell line) cells. The results showed that when the expression of ANXA2 was efficiently inhibited, the growth and motility of both cell lines were significantly decreased, and the development of the motility relevant microstructures, such as pseudopodia, filopodia, and the polymerization of microfilaments and microtubules were obviously inhibited. The cancer cell apoptosis was enhanced without obvious significance. The possible regulating pathway in the process was also predicted and discussed. Our results suggested that ANXA2 plays important roles in maintaining the malignancy of colorectal and hepatic cancer by enhancing the cell proliferation, motility, and development of the motility associated microstructures of cancer cells based on a possible complicated signal pathway.

Direct numerical simulation is conducted to uncover the response of a supersonic turbulent boundary layer to streamwise concave curvature and the related physical mechanisms at a Mach number of 2.95. Streamwise variations of mean flow properties, turbulence statistics and turbulent structures are analysed. A method to define the boundary layer thickness based on the principal strain rate is proposed, which is applicable for boundary layers subjected to wall-normal pressure and velocity gradients. While the wall friction grows with the wall turning, the friction velocity decreases. A logarithmic region with constant slope exists in the concave boundary layer. However, with smaller slope, it is located lower than that of the flat boundary layer. Streamwise varying trends of the velocity and the principal strain rate within different wall-normal regions are different. The turbulence level is promoted by the concave curvature. Due to the increased turbulence generation in the outer layer, secondary bumps are noted in the profiles of streamwise and spanwise turbulence intensity. Peak positions in profiles of wall-normal turbulence intensity and Reynolds shear stress are pushed outward because of the same reason. Attributed to the Görtler instability, the streamwise extended vortices within the hairpin packets are intensified and more vortices are generated. Through accumulations of these vortices with a similar sense of rotation, large-scale streamwise roll cells are formed. Originated from the very large-scale motions and by promoting the ejection, sweep and spanwise events, the formation of large-scale streamwise roll cells is the physical cause of the alterations of the mean properties and turbulence statistics. The roll cells further give rise to the vortex generation. The large number of hairpin vortices formed in the near-wall region lead to the improved wall-normal correlation of turbulence in the concave boundary layer.

TiO2 nanomaterials with platelet or nanosheet morphologies can offer improved properties for photocatalytic applications, but established methods to produce them typically require structure-directing agents since anatase-phase TiO2 does not have a layered structure. In the present work, the preparation of TiO2 nanosheets by the chemical oxidation of TiS2 nanosheets is demonstrated. Electrochemical exfoliation of bulk TiS2 into TiS2 nanosheets, followed by the hydrothermal treatment at 180 °C for 14 h is performed. The results show that polycrystalline TiO2 nanosheets with the anatase structure are formed, and that the nanosheet morphology can still be maintained after the hydrothermal treatment. The TiO2 nanosheets show good photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue, but the performance is negatively affected by the residual carbon black that was needed in the TiS2 electrode to enable electrochemical exfoliation. These results show that conversion of TiS2 nanosheets to TiO2 nanosheets is a promising synthetic strategy but highlights how the interfacial properties of the obtained materials could be affected by ancillary components in the preparation method.

Objectives: Mental arithmetic is essential to daily life. Researchers have explored the mechanisms that underlie mental arithmetic. Whether mental arithmetic fact retrieval is dependent on surface modality or knowledge format is still highly debated. Chinese individuals typically use a procedure strategy for addition; and they typically use a rote verbal strategy for multiplication. This provides a way to examine the effect of surface modality on different arithmetic operations. Methods: We used a series of neuropsychological tests (i.e., general cognitive, language processing, numerical processing, addition, and multiplication in visual and auditory conditions) for a patient who had experienced a left frontotemporal stroke. Results: The patient had language production impairment; but preserved verbal processing concerning basic numerical abilities. Moreover, the patient had preserved multiplication in the auditory presentation rather than in the visual presentation. The patient suffered from impairments in an addition task, regardless of visual or auditory presentation. Conclusions: The findings suggest that mental multiplication could be characterized as a form of modality-dependent processing, which was accessed through auditory input. The learning strategy of multiplication table recitation could shape the verbal memory of multiplication leading to persistence of the auditory module. (JINS, 2017, 23, 692–699)

A novel scheme for power-combined frequency tripler adopting 2N diodes is proposed in this work. Even mode coupled suspended substrate stripline is used to divide and recombine the input and output power. The circuits of the tripler are printed on both sides of the substrate, with N diodes on the front side and the other N diodes on the back side. The front diodes and back diodes are in anti-parallel connection, and DC biased separately to increase the bandwidth and power capacity. Three Q-band prototypes with two, four, and six diodes are fabricated and tested. The output compression powers at output frequency of 43.5 GHz for two/four/six-diode tripler are 9.2, 11, and 12 dBm, respectively. Power capacity is improved with the proposed tripler. Optimum DC bias is also discussed in this work, and it is found that it first increases with drive power, and then drops when large drive power applied because of the increased series resistance of the diode due to high junction temperature.

More and more rare genetic variants are being detected in the human genome, and it is believed that besides common variants, some rare variants also explain part of the phenotypic variance for human diseases. Due to the importance of rare variants, many statistical methods have been proposed to test for associations between rare variants and human traits. However, in existing studies, most methods only test for associations between multiple loci and one trait; therefore, the joint information of multiple traits has not been considered simultaneously and sufficiently. In this article, we present a study of testing for associations between rare variants and multiple traits, where trait value can be binary, ordinal, quantitative and/or any mixture of them. Based on the method of generalized Kendall's τ, a nonparametric method called NM-RV is proposed. A new kernel function for U-statistic, which could incorporate the information of each rare variant itself, is also presented and is expected to enhance the power of rare variant analysis. We further consider the asymptotic distribution of the proposed association test statistic. Our simulation work suggests that the proposed method is more powerful and robust than existing methods in testing for associations between rare variants and multiple traits, especially for multivariate ordinal traits.

Dilatometric studies of C–Mn hypoeutectoid steel with an as-cast structure were carried out to study the effects of the heating or cooling rate, heating and cooling process on phase transformation, and the thermal expansion coefficient. As the heating or cooling rate (Vc) increased, the characteristic temperatures of Ac1, Acp, and Ac3 also rose, while Ar3, Ar1, and Arp fell. In addition, the phase transformation temperature range (Ac3–Ac1) rose, while (Ar3–Arp) fell as the heating or cooling rate increased. At the same time, the maximum thermal expansion coefficients│αT│ between the heating and cooling processes during phase transformation showed significant differences, and the difference (│ΔαT│) in the maximum │αT│ between these processes increased along with the heating or cooling rate, and this is because of the different phase transformation rates, with regard to the change from austenite to ferrite on cooling and ferrite to austenite on heating. During the heating process, the phase transformation rate of ferrite to austenite first decreases and then increases as the temperature rises, and the phase transformation rate of austenite to ferrite first increases and then decreases during the cooling process. The evolution of carbon and substitutional alloying elements (Si and Mn) in austenite during heating and cooling is also analyzed in this work.

Phyto-oestrogens are a family of plant-derived xeno-oestrogens that appear to have beneficial effects on human health. To date, no data are available about phyto-oestrogen consumption affecting liver health in a population. The present study aimed to explore the relationship of urinary phyto-oestrogen metabolites with serum liver enzymes in US adults. A nationally representative sample of US adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–10 was analysed. The cross-sectional study sample consisted of 6438 adults with data on urinary phyto-oestrogen levels, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and γ-glutamyl transaminase (GGT) concentrations and data on other potential confounders. Multivariate logistic regression and linear regression were applied to assess associations between urinary phyto-oestrogen levels and ALT, AST, ALP and GGT concentrations. We found a remarkable association between urinary enterolactone and GGT in both adult males (OR 0·37, 95 % CI 0·22, 0·61; P= 0·003) and females (OR 0·37, 95 % CI 0·26, 0·54; P= 0·009). Moreover, elevated enterolactone levels were inversely associated with ALT and AST levels in adult males. However, no association was present between levels of urinary daidzein, O-desmethylangolensin, equol, enterodiol or genistein with liver enzyme levels in this population. The present study results provide epidemiological evidence that urinary enterolactone levels are associated with liver GGT levels in humans. This suggests a potential protective effect of enterolactone on human liver function. However, the underlying mechanisms still need further investigation.

Phyto-oestrogens are a family of plant-derived xeno-oestrogens that have been shown to prevent cancer in some studies. Whether phyto-oestrogen intake affects obesity status in a population is still unclear. In the present cross-sectional study, we examined the association of urinary phyto-oestrogen metabolites with obesity and metabolic parameters in children and adults. Data from 1294 children (age 6–19 years) and from 3661 adults (age ≥ 20 years) who participated in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001–10 were analysed. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to investigate the associations of BMI, waist circumference, serum metabolites (total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, TAG, fasting glucose and fasting insulin) and the metabolic syndrome with urinary phyto-oestrogen levels. When stratified by age and sex, we found a stronger association (OR 0·30, 95 % CI 0·17, 0·54; P< 0·001) between urinary enterolactone levels and obesity in adult males (age 20–60 years) than in children (age 12–19 years) or the elderly (age >60 years) in the same survey. However, no associations with urinary daidzein, O-desmethylangolensin, equol, enterodiol or genistein were found in the overall population. We also found that the elevation of enterolactone levels was inversely associated with TAG levels, fasting glucose levels, fasting insulin levels and the metabolic syndrome in males aged 20–60 years, but positively associated with HDL-cholesterol levels. The present results provide epidemiological evidence that urinary enterolactone is inversely associated with obesity in adult males.

The influence of TiO2 addition to LF refining slag on Ti-stabilized stainless steel was evaluated using a vacuum induction furnace at 1873 K. The effect of CaO-SiO2-MgO-Al2O3 basic slags with different TiO2 contents on the titanium loss, aluminum loss and total oxygen content in the steel was studied. It was observed that the oxidation rate of Ti first decreases and then increases with the increase in the content of TiO2 in slag and reaches the minimum when 8%TiO2 is added to the slag. However, the change in the oxidation rate of Al shows the opposite tendency. The total oxygen in the molten steel remains unchanged with time when 8%TiO2 is added to the slag, and the total oxygen of the others increases monotonically with time. The activities of TiO2 and Al2O3 from the calculation of the ion and molecule coexistence theory (IMCT) in the initial slag present the same change tendency, and both first increase and then decrease with the gradual increase in TiO2 in the slag and reach the maximum when 8%TiO2 is added to the slag. The results of a kinetic analysis showed that the rate-determining step of the oxidation of Ti in the steel is the mass transfer on the slag side, and the rate-determining step of the oxidation of Al in the steel is the mass transfer on the metal side.

As the demands of scientific research and application for specimens increase rapidly, biobanks in China have been springing up over the recent years. This paper summarizes Chinese biobanks through investigation and survey on operative, managerial, ethical conditions and challenges of biobanks. At present, hospitals and research institutes in China set up and operate most of the biobanks, collecting human specimens to support clinical and scientific research. With the development of bio-industry and arrival of the big data era, biobanks need not only collect and store human and non-human specimens but also to manage the big data associated with these specimens.

The physics process in a new kind of plasma magnetic field compression generator (MFCG) without the preliminary magnetic field is studied with a zero-dimensional theoretical model. It is found that the plasma liner is accelerated in the conduction stage and is decelerated in the compression stage. The geometry parameters of MFCG effect the load current amplification significantly. The geometry parameters need to be chosen carefully to make the acceleration space and the deceleration space being suitable for the generator circuit and the injected plasma liner to obtain the optimal amplification factor. For the given driven circuit, the typical amplification factor of load current is greater than 2.

High speed framing camera (HSFC) could be used to capture the image of the electron beams generated by the intense electron-beam accelerator (IEBA), and it is useful to visualize the evolution of discharging and plasma generation phenomenon. So an overview of the application of HSFC on the IEBA is presented. First, we introduce the synchronization problem of HSFC and IEBA, and a synchronization trigger system which could provide a trigger signal with rise time of 17 ns and amplitude of about 5 V is presented. Second, an imaging system based on IEBA, HSFC, and the synchronization trigger system is developed, and it can be used to image the developmental process of plasma in the output vacuum chamber of IEBA and to measure the electrical parameter of IEBA and electrical trigger signal in real time. Furthermore, the imaging system is used to investigate the developmental process of the electron beam of the A-K gap in vacuum under 180 nanosecond quasi-square pulses. It is obtained that the short A-K gap is closed prematurely under long pulse operation with plasma expansion velocity of about 6.25 cm/µs and the light emission in the A-K gap region has the characteristics of “re-ignition” with light duration time about 3800 ns. At last, the discharging process of surface flashover channel of poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) insulator with gap spacing of 170 mm in vacuum under nanosecond quasi-square pulses is studied by the imaging system, and the change of luminosity is analyzed during the surface flashover process.

As the development of the pulsed power technology, high voltage pulse transformer (HVPT) is usually used instead of Marx generator as a charging device for the pulse forming line (PFL) of intense electron-beam accelerator (IEBA), and which make the IEBA compact. However, during the operation of the IEBA, the HVPT may be destroyed for the failure of electrical insulation and the over-voltage. So in this paper, the output voltage characteristics of IEBA, characteristics of the voltage at the output terminal of HVPT at four kinds of load conditions are analyzed, including load matching, load short, load open, and surface flashover in the vacuum chamber. It is found that load short, load open, and surface flashover in vacuum chamber will affect the voltage at the output terminal of HVPT, and an oscillation wave could be formed, which affect the electrical insulation of HVPT and decrease the lifetime of HVPT. Meanwhile, the waveform of the load voltage is also modified, especially at the conditions of load open and surface flashover in vacuum chamber. When the load is open, the amplitude of the output main pulse of IEBA is twice the charging voltage of BPFL. However, the amplitude of the output pulse of IEBA is modified by the voltage at the output terminal of HVPT, and the resistance of main switch channel has a great effect on the amplitude of the load voltage. When surface flashover occurs in the vacuum chamber, the pulse duration of the output voltage will be decreased. So, during the operation of IEBA, load short, load open and surface flashover in vacuum chamber should be avoided.

The Blumlein pulse forming line (BPFL) consisting of an inner coaxial pulse forming line (PFL) and an outer coaxial PFL is widely used in the field of pulsed power, especially for intense electron-beam accelerators (IEBA). The output voltage waveform determines the quality and characteristics of the output beam current of the IEBA. Comparing with the conventional BPFL, an IEBA based on a strip spiral type BPFL can increase the duration of the output voltage in the same geometrical volume. However, for the spiral type BPFL, the voltage waveform on a matched load may be distorted, which influences the electron-beam quality. In this paper, the output waveform of an IEBA based on strip spiral BPFL is analyzed. It is found that there is fluctuation on the flattop of the main pulse, and the flatness is increased with the increment of the output voltage. According to the time integrated pictures of the cathode holder during the operation of the IEBA, the electron emission of the cathode holder is one of the reasons to cause the variance of the flatness. Furthermore, the distribution of the current density of spiral middle cylinder of the BPFL is calculated by using electromagnetic simulation software, and it is obtained that the current density is not uniform, and which leads to the nonuniformity of the impedance of BPFL. Meanwhile, when the nonuniformity of the BPFL is taken into account, the operation of the whole accelerator is simulated using a circuit-simulation code called PSpice. It is obtained that the nonuniformity of the BPFL influences the flatness of the output voltage waveform. In order to get an ideal square pulse voltage waveform and to improve the electron beam quality of such an accelerator, the uniformity of the spiral middle cylinder should be improved and the electron emission of the cathode holder should be avoided. The theoretical analysis and simulated output voltage waveform shows reasonable agreement with that of the experimental results.

Graphene, two-dimensional layers of sp2 -bonded carbon, has many unique properties. In this paper, graphene is decorated with flower-like MnO2 nanostructures for the application in energy storage devices. The as-prepared graphene and MnO2 nano-flowers, which were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), were assembled into an asymmetric supercapacitor. The specific capacitance of the graphene electrode reached 245 F/g at a charging current of 1 mA. The MnO2 nano-flowers which consisted of tiny rods with a diameter of less than 10 nm were coated onto the graphene electrodes by electrodeposition. The specific capacitance after the MnO2 deposition is 328 F/g at the charging current of 1 mA with an energy density of 11.4Wh/kg and power density of 25.8 kW/kg. This work suggests that our graphene-based electrodes can be a promising candidate for high-performance energy storage devices.

The implantation of Ag into MgO (100) single crystals, followed by thermal annealing at 1100°C, leads to dramatic changes in their optical properties. The changes in the optical properties are due to the presence of small Ag clusters which are formed in the annealed samples. The small Ag clusters are obtained by thermal annealing of the implanted MgO crystals between 600°C and 1100°C to investigate the changes in cluster sizes and to correlate with changes in their optical properties. Sample characterization is carried out using optical spectrophotometry to confirm the effective presence of Ag clusters and Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) to study the profile of Ag clusters.

This Paper investigates the bending behavior of piezoelectric laminates under combined mechanical and electrical loading. The laminate has a PZT - 5H ceramic core sandwiched by graphite/epoxy plates. Three-point bending tests and in-situ acoustic emission measurements were conducted on the PZT-5H laminates preloaded by an applied electric field. The results show that the PZT-5H core fractures first and then delaminaton occurs along the tensile stressed interface between the PZT ceremic and the graphite/epoxy layer. Finite element analysis was performed to analyze stresses in the sandwich structure under combined mechanical and electrical loading. Consequently, the bending strength of the PZT core was evaluated from the experiment data. The electric field, either positive or negative, reduces the fracture strength of the pzt core.

Photoluminescence (PL) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) are employed to study the Si nanocrystals formed in the thermal oxide by Si+ implantation. PL results estimate the size of nanocrystals and the concentration of Pb centers in the Si-SiO2 nanocrystal-matrix interfaces. It is shown that the size of Si nanocrystals increase with implantation dose. Increasing the dose from 1×1016 to 1×1017 Si+/cm2 shifts the size of nanocrystals from ~2 nm to ~3.5nm, while prolonging the annealing time from 1h to 2h has no effect on the position of PL peak. P and Ar implantations into the SiO2 films are also investigated to suggested that the PL peak is due to implant induced chemical changes rather than implant induced damage. XPS analysis shows that the concentration of Si nanocrystals increases with Si implantation dose. Research on the annealing dependence of the forming of Si nanocrystals suggests that 1000°C annealing produces larger amount of Si nanocrystals than 1100°C annealing.