1. |
- Fu, Jinrong, et al.
(author)
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Anti-ischemia/reperfusion of C1 inhibitor in myocardial cell injury via regulation of local myocardial C3 activity.
- 2006
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In: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications - BBRC. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-291X .- 1090-2104. ; 350:1, s. 162-8
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- C3 is common to all pathways of complement activation augmenting ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced myocardial injury and cardiac dysfunction. Complement inhibition with the complement regulatory protein, C1 inhibitor (C1INH), obviously exerts cardioprotective effects. Here, we examine whether C1INH regulates C3 activity in the ischemic myocardial tissue. C1INH markedly suppressed C3 mRNA expression and protein synthesis in both a model of I/R-induced rat acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and the cultured rat H9c2 heart myocytes. At least, this regulation was at the transcriptional level in response to oxygen tension. In vitro, C3 deposition on, and binding to, the surface of rat myocardial cells were significantly blocked by C1INH treatment. C1INH could inhibit classical complement-mediated cell lysis via suppressing the biological activity of C3. Therefore, C1INH, in addition to inhibition of the systemic complement activation, prevents myocardial cell injury via a direct inhibitory role in the local myocardial C3 activity.
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2. |
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3. |
- Tian, Chao, et al.
(author)
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Overexpression of connective tissue growth factor WISP-1 in Chinese primary rectal cancer patients
- 2007
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In: World Journal of Gastroenterology. - 1007-9327 .- 2219-2840. ; 13:28, s. 3878-3882
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim: To clarify the expression change of Wnt-induced secreted protein-1 (WISP-1) in human rectal cancer and to determine whether it is correlated with invasion and metastasis of human rectal cancer. Methods: Eighty-six paired samples of rectal cancer and surgically resected distant normal rectal tissue were collected and allocated into cancer group and control group respectively. WISP-1 mRNA was detected by relative quantitative real-time RT-PCR and WISP-1 protein was examined by immunohistochemical staining. Results: WISP-1 gene overexpression was found in 65% (56/86) primary rectal cancers, 2-30 times that of the level in normal matched rectal tissues (P = 0.001). The mRNA expression level was correlated with Duke's staging, histological differentiation grade and lymph node status. The WISP-1 protein expression was in accordance with mRNA expression level. The positive degree of immunohistochemical staining in the cancer group (1.40 ± 0.35) was different from that in control group (1.04 ± 0.08, P < 0.001). Moreover, in cancer group the positive staining degree in high-level mRNA cancers (1.46 ± 0.37, n = 56) was higher than that in low-level mRNA (1.28 ± 0.28, n = 30, P = 0.018). Conclusion: Aberrant levels of WISP-1 expression may play a role in rectal tumorigenesis. WISP-1 may be used as a specific clinical diagnosis and prognosis marker in rectal cancer. © 2007 WJG. All rights reserved.
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4. |
- Xu, Bing, et al.
(author)
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Clinicopathological significance of caspase-8 and caspase-10 expression in rectal cancer
- 2008
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In: Oncology. - : S. Karger AG. - 0890-9091 .- 0030-2414 .- 1423-0232. ; 74:3-4, s. 229-236
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: To investigate the expression of caspase-8 and -10 in rectal adenoma, adenocarcinoma and the corresponding normal mucosa tissue, and to clarify the relationship between their expression and clinicopathological parameters of rectal cancer. Methods: The expression of caspase-8 and -10 was determined by real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry in 36 rectal adenomas, 93 rectal cancers and 93 corresponding normal rectal mucosa samples. Results: Compared with normal mucosa, the mRNA expression of caspase-8 was higher in adenomas (p = 0.003), while that of caspase-10 was lower in adenomas (p = 0.035) and cancers (p = 0.001). Immunohistochemical results showed caspase-8 up-regulation in adenomas (p = 0.014), and caspase-10 down-regulation in adenomas (p = 0.034) and cancers (p < 0.001) compared with normal mucosa samples. Cancers with poor differentiation had lower caspase-10 mRNA and protein levels than those with better differentiation (p = 0.041 and p = 0.046, respectively). The protein expression of caspase-8 and -10 was in accordance with the mRNA expression (p = 0.043 and p = 0.018, respectively). Conclusions: Caspase-8 expression was up-regulated in rectal adenomas. Caspase-10 expression was down-regulated in both rectal adenomas and cancers, and was further related to differentiation. Caspase-8 and -10 may be involved in the pathogenesis of rectal cancer. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG.
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5. |
- Zhang, Fan, et al.
(author)
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VEGF-B is dispensable for blood vessel growth but critical for their survival, and VEGF-B targeting inhibits pathological angiogenesis
- 2009
-
In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 106:15, s. 6152-6157
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- VEGF-B, a homolog of VEGF discovered a long time ago, has not been considered an important target in antiangiogenic therapy. Instead, it has received little attention from the field. In this study, using different animal models and multiple types of vascular cells, we revealed that although VEGF-B is dispensable for blood vessel growth, it is critical for their survival. Importantly, the survival effect of VEGF-B is not only on vascular endothelial cells, but also on pericytes, smooth muscle cells, and vascular stem/progenitor cells. In vivo, VEGF-B targeting inhibited both choroidal and retinal neovascularization. Mechanistically, we found that the vascular survival effect of VEGF-B is achieved by regulating the expression of many vascular prosurvival genes via both NP-1 and VEGFR-1. Our work thus indicates that the function of VEGF-B in the vascular system is to act as a "survival," rather than an "angiogenic" factor and that VEGF-B inhibition may offer new therapeutic opportunities to treat neovascular diseases.
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6. |
- Zhang, Zhi-Bin, et al.
(author)
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Photo-Activated Interaction Between P3HT and Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Studied by Means of Field-Effect Response
- 2009
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In: IEEE Electron Device Letters. - 0741-3106 .- 1558-0563. ; 30:12, s. 1302-1304
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- It is shown in this letter that the field-effect electrical response of transistors with their channel made of networks of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) embedded in a poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) matrix can be significantly altered by light illumination. The experimental results indicate a photo-activated electron transfer from P3HT selectively to the semiconducting SWNTs. This finding points to a potential optoelectronic application of such a field-effect device as a photo-triggered electronic switch.
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7. |
- Attridge, Stephen, 1951, et al.
(author)
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Differential immunogenicity of Vibrio cholerae O139 variants expressing different combinations of naturally occurring and atypical forms of the serogroup polysaccharide.
- 2009
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In: Vaccine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0264-410X. ; 27:7, s. 1055-61
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Field testing of an inactivated bivalent O1/O139 cholera vaccine suggests that Vibrio cholerae O1 is more immunogenic than V. cholerae O139. To investigate whether this might be partly attributable to the production of capsular polysaccharide (CPS) by O139 isolates, we have compared the immunogenicity of variant strains expressing different combinations of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and CPS. These studies indicate that the core-linked LPS structure is of paramount importance for induction of antibodies to the serogroup antigen. By contrast CPS was minimally immunogenic. Significantly the presence of CPS did not modulate the immunogenicity of the underlying LPS. To examine whether differences in LPS structure might contribute to the differing immunogenicities of the O1 and O139 serogroups, an attempt was made to modify the normal O139 LPS structure by provision of one of several heterologous wzz genes. The resulting variants displayed additional, atypical surface polysaccharide, whose modal length was characteristic for the particular wzz gene. By immunoblotting this novel material showed a ladder-like banding pattern typical of LPS, but its failure to be stained by silver indicated that it was not core-associated and was therefore more like truncated CPS. Consistent with our earlier findings, studies using systemic or mucosal routes of immunization failed to demonstrate any consistent enhancement of antibody responses associated with production of these aberrant polysaccharide polymers.
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8. |
- Elsik, Christine G., et al.
(author)
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The Genome Sequence of Taurine Cattle : A Window to Ruminant Biology and Evolution
- 2009
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In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 324:5926, s. 522-528
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To understand the biology and evolution of ruminants, the cattle genome was sequenced to about sevenfold coverage. The cattle genome contains a minimum of 22,000 genes, with a core set of 14,345 orthologs shared among seven mammalian species of which 1217 are absent or undetected in noneutherian (marsupial or monotreme) genomes. Cattle-specific evolutionary breakpoint regions in chromosomes have a higher density of segmental duplications, enrichment of repetitive elements, and species-specific variations in genes associated with lactation and immune responsiveness. Genes involved in metabolism are generally highly conserved, although five metabolic genes are deleted or extensively diverged from their human orthologs. The cattle genome sequence thus provides a resource for understanding mammalian evolution and accelerating livestock genetic improvement for milk and meat production.
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9. |
- Fu, Jinrong, et al.
(author)
-
Anti-apoptotic role for C1 inhibitor in ischemia/reperfusion-induced myocardial cell injury.
- 2006
-
In: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications - BBRC. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-291X .- 1090-2104. ; 349:2, s. 504-12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Complement activation augments myocardial cell injury and apoptosis during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), whereas complement system inhibition with C1 inhibitor (C1INH), a serine protease inhibitor, exerts markedly cardioprotective effects. Our recent data demonstrate that C1INH prevents vascular endothelial cell apoptosis and a "modified" form of the reactive center loop-cleaved, inactive C1INH (iC1INH) plays an anti-inflammatory role in endotoxin shock. The aim of this study was to determine whether C1INH protects against myocardial cell injury via an anti-apoptotic activity or anti-inflammatory effect. In a rat model of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) induced by I/R, administration of C1INH protected against cardiomyocytic apoptosis via normalization of ratio of the Bcl-2/Bax expression in the myocardial infarct area. C1INH improved parameters of cardiac function and hemodynamics and reduced myocardial infarct size (MIS). In addition, myocardial and blood myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, a marker of neutrophil infiltration, was decreased by treatment of C1INH. In cultured H9c2 rat cardiomyocytic cells, C1INH blocked hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced apoptosis in the absence of sera associated with inhibition of cytochrome c translocation and suppression of caspase-3 activation. The proportion of Bcl-2/Bax expression induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation was reversed by C1INH. Importantly, iC1INH also revealed these similar effects, indicating that C1INH has a direct anti-apoptotic activity. Therefore, these studies support the hypothesis that C1INH, in addition to inhibition of activation of the complement and contact systems, improves outcome in I/R-mediated myocardial cell injury via an anti-apoptotic activity independent of serine protease inhibitory activity.
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10. |
- Gao, Bin, et al.
(author)
-
Studies of bromine modified single-walled carbon nanotubes using photoelectron spectroscopy and density-functional theory
- 2006
-
In: Radiation Physics and Chemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0969-806X .- 1879-0895. ; 75:11, s. 1939-1942
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Many applications based on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) require chemical modification of carbon nanotube to optimize the functionalities of the device. In this contribution we discuss the properties of SWNTs immersed in a hydrobromic acid (HBr) solution. Changes of atomic and electronic structures of bromine modified SWNTs were investigated using photoelectron spectroscopy (PES). Spectra of SWNTs before and after immersion in the HBr solution exhibit different features. To understand the mechanism of interaction between SWNTs and bromine, we performed density-functional theory calculations to reveal the structural changes, adsorption energy and chemical bonding information of SWNTs interacting with bromine. In addition, based on the Gelius model, from the molecular orbitals (MOs), we calculated ultraviolet photoelectron spectra (UPS) of SWNTs with and without functionalizing and compared them with the experiment. The present study is a first step in the understanding of the functionalization mechanism of carbon nanotubes.
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11. |
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12. |
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13. |
- Jiang, Jingting, et al.
(author)
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Increased plasma apoM levels in the patients suffered from hepatocellular carcinoma and other chronic liver diseases
- 2008
-
In: Lipids in Health and Disease. - 1476-511X. ; 7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To determine plasma apolipoprotein M ( apoM) levels and other lipid profiles in hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC) patients compared to other chronic liver diseases and normal subjects. Materials and methods: 36 HCC, 68 chronic hepatitis, 29 liver cirrhosis patients and 64 normal controls were subjected in the present study. Serum lipids, lipoproteins, apolipoprotein AI ( apoAI) and apoB were determined by the conventional methods. Plasma apoM levels were semiquantitatively determined by both dot- blotting and western blotting analysis. Results: Serum levels of triglycerides ( TG), HDL- cholesterol, apoAI and lipoprotein ( a) ( Lp( a)) were significantly lower in the HCC patients than in the normal subjects, whereas there were no obvious differences on serum total cholesterol, LDL- cholesterol and apoB between HCC patients and normal subjects. However, plasma apoM levels in HCC patients were significantly increased than those in the normal subjects, but lower than those in the chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis patients. Conclusion: It is concluded that serum TG, apoAI, HDL- C and Lp( a) were significantly decreased in HCC patients than in controls, whereas plasma apoM levels were significantly increased in the HCC patients. Decreased serum TG, apoAI, HDL- C and Lp( a) may reflect the liver damage in HCC patients, whereas the clinical significance of increased plasma apoM levels in relation to HCC is not clear.
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14. |
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15. |
- Li, Jin Billy, et al.
(author)
-
Multiplex padlock targeted sequencing reveals human hypermutable CpG variations
- 2009
-
In: Genome Research. - : Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. - 1088-9051 .- 1549-5469. ; 19:9, s. 1606-1615
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Utilizing the full power of next-generation sequencing often requires the ability to perform large-scale multiplex enrichment of many specific genomic loci in multiple samples. Several technologies have been recently developed but await substantial improvements. We report the 10,000-fold improvement of a previously developed padlock-based approach, and apply the assay to identifying genetic variations in hypermutable CpG regions across human chromosome 21. From approximately 3 million reads derived from a single Illumina Genome Analyzer lane, approximately 94% (approximately 50,500) target sites can be observed with at least one read. The uniformity of coverage was also greatly improved; up to 93% and 57% of all targets fell within a 100- and 10-fold coverage range, respectively. Alleles at >400,000 target base positions were determined across six subjects and examined for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and the concordance with independently obtained genotypes was 98.4%-100%. We detected >500 SNPs not currently in dbSNP, 362 of which were in targeted CpG locations. Transitions in CpG sites were at least 13.7 times more abundant than non-CpG transitions. Fractions of polymorphic CpG sites are lower in CpG-rich regions and show higher correlation with human-chimpanzee divergence within CpG versus non-CpG sites. This is consistent with the hypothesis that methylation rate heterogeneity along chromosomes contributes to mutation rate variation in humans. Our success suggests that targeted CpG resequencing is an efficient way to identify common and rare genetic variations. In addition, the significantly improved padlock capture technology can be readily applied to other projects that require multiplex sample preparation.
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16. |
- Li, S., et al.
(author)
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A high functional cathode material
- 2006
-
In: Electrochemical and solid-state letters. - : The Electrochemical Society. - 1099-0062 .- 1944-8775. ; 9:2, s. A86-A87
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A novel type of LaNi1-xFexO3 (x=0.4-0.8) (LNF) perovskite oxide, specifically LaNi0.4Fe0.6O3 (LNF-46), was synthesized and studied as the cathode for low-temperature, 400-500 degrees C, solid oxide fuel cells (LTSOFCs). The maximum power density of 227 mW/cm(2) was obtained at 450 degrees C and a rather close result was also obtained at 400 degrees C. The cell performance showed that with a proper choice of the LNF-based cathode material and a suitable electrolyte, the operation of LTSOFC at temperatures 400-500 degrees C is a realistic goal.
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17. |
- Li, Song, et al.
(author)
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Electrochemical Performances of Nanocomposite Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Using Nano-Size Material LaNi0.2Fe0.65Cu0.15O3 as Cathode
- 2009
-
In: Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. - 1533-4880 .- 1533-4899. ; 9:6, s. 3824-3827
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In order to develop nanocomposite solid oxide fuel cells (NANOCOFCs) at the range of intermediate temperature (500-700 degrees C), the new cathode materials LaNi0.2Fe0.8-xCuxO3 (x = 0.0-0-2) (LNFCu) powders were prepared using coprecipitation method. It was found that the orthorhombic structure could be formed after being calcined at 900 degrees C for 4 h, and the powders were mainly composed of nano-size particles. The lattice volume of LNFCu decreased with increasing x, and the second phase La2CuO4 appeared when x = 0.15. Fuel cells based on the nano-ceramic composite electrolyte were fabricated to evaluate the electrochemical properties of the LNFCu materials as cathodes at different operating temperatures. The peak power density of the fuel cell with LaFe0.65Ni0.2Cu0.15O3 cathode reached 635.2 mW/cm(2) and 762.7 mW/cm(2) at 580 degrees C and 650 degrees C respectively, which were much higher than that of LaFe0.8Ni0.2O3 under the same condition. The results indicate doping with copper improves evidently electrochemical properties of the cathode compared with the LaFe0.8Ni0.2O3 cathode. The excellent performance of fuel cells makes LaNi0.2Fe0.8-xCuxO3 material as the candidate electrode for NANOCOFCs.
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18. |
- Li, Song, et al.
(author)
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Novel ceramic fuel cell using non-ceria-based composites as electrolyte
- 2007
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In: Electrochemistry communications. - : Elsevier BV. - 1388-2481 .- 1873-1902. ; 9:12, s. 2863-2866
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A novel concept of ceramic or solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) based on non-ceria-salt-composites electrolyte has been investigated. The fuel cell using LiAlO2-carbonate (LiNaCO3) as electrolyte exhibits excellent performances, when we used hydrogen and air as fuel and oxidant respectively, instead of molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) environment. The maximum output power density can reach 466 mW/cm(2) at 650 degrees C and the discharging current keeps constant. The ion transport mechanics of the ceramic fuel cell were discussed. In the H-2/air atmosphere, the new fuel cell function should be performed only by proton or oxygen ion conduction, which differs essentially from the MCFC function, in which the CO32- conduction dominates process.
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19. |
- Nygren, Erik, et al.
(author)
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Establishment of an adult mouse model for direct evaluation of the efficacy of vaccines against Vibrio cholerae
- 2009
-
In: Infection and Immunity. - 0019-9567 .- 1098-5522. ; 77:8, s. 3475-3484
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We describe here a new animal model that offers the prospect of using conventional adult mice for direct evaluation of the protective potential of new cholera vaccines. Pretreatment of adult mice with oral streptomycin allowed intestinal colonization by streptomycin-resistant Vibrio cholerae strains of either the O1 or the O139 serogroup. Bacteria were recovered in greatest numbers from the cecum and large intestine, but recoveries from all regions of the gut correlated significantly with bacterial excretion in fresh fecal pellets, which thus provides a convenient indicator of the extent and duration of gut colonization. Mice immunized mucosally or systemically with viable or inactivated V. cholerae were shown to be comparatively refractory to colonization after challenge with the immunizing strain. Several variables were examined to optimize the model, the most significant being the size of the challenge inoculum; surprisingly, a smaller challenge dose resulted in more consistent and sustained colonization. Studies with mutant strains unable to produce cholera toxin or toxin-coregulated pili revealed that neither factor contributed significantly to colonization potential. Protection against V. cholerae challenge was shown to be serogroup restricted, and significant inverse correlations were detected between serum and intestinal anti-lipopolysaccharide antibody responses and the levels of excretion of challenge organisms.
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20. |
- Richards, Stephen, et al.
(author)
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The genome of the model beetle and pest Tribolium castaneum.
- 2008
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In: Nature. - 1476-4687. ; 452:7190, s. 949-55
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Tribolium castaneum is a representative of earth’s most numerous eukaryotic order, a powerful model organism for the study of generalized insect development, and also an important pest of stored agricultural products. We describe its genome sequence here. This omnivorous beetle has evolved an ability to interact with a diverse chemical environment as evidenced by large expansions in odorant and gustatory receptors, as well as p450 and other detoxification enzymes. Developmental patterns in Tribolium are more representative of other arthropods than those found in Drosophila, a fact represented in gene content and function. For one, Tribolium has retained more ancestral genes involved in cell-cell communication than Drosophila, and some are expressed in the growth zone crucial for axial elongation in short germ development. Systemic RNAi in T. castaneum appears to use mechanisms distinct from those found in C. elegans, but nevertheless offers similar power for the elucidation of gene function and identification of targets for selective insect control.
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21. |
- Rong-Li, Jia, et al.
(author)
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Preparation and characterization of Pt/superfine mesocarbon microbead powers electrocatalysts
- 2006
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In: Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology. - : ASME International. - 1550-624X .- 1551-6989. ; 3:3, s. 358-360
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Superfine mesocarbon microbead powders (SFMCMBs) as the new supports for platinum electrocatalysts were first investigated. The Pt/SFMCMB electrocatalysts were prepared by an impregnation-reduction method, with hexachloroplatinic acid as the platinum precursor and formaldehyde as the reducing agent. The catalysts were characterized with x-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission gun transmission electron microscope (TEM), and electrochemical analysis. TEM photos showed the platinum particles were dispersed uniformly on the surface of SFMCMBs and there existed a little aggregation of platinum particles in the Pt/SFMCMB catalysts. The TEM photos showed the existence of the platinum on the supports-where the average platinum particle size were 4-6 nm. The electrochemical analysis proved that SFMCMBs are excellent candidates to be used as the support of platinum electrocatalyst for methanol electrochemical oxidation as the potential catalyst candidate for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs).
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22. |
- Rong-Li, J., et al.
(author)
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Preparation of platinum supported on carbon blacks with different surface chemical characteristics
- 2005
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In: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Fuel Cell Science, Engineering, and Technology. - : ASME Press. ; , s. 235-238
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In a study of the preparation of Pt/C eletrocatalysts, a set of modified Vulcan XC-72R carbon black supports have been prepared by nitric acid or hydrogen peroxide oxidation, or thermal treatment in nitrogen flow. The supports obtained by these methods had largely identical pore structure, but different from the amount of surface oxygen-containing groups. The physical and surface chemical nature of the supports was characterized by XPS, BET, FTIR and acid-base titration. The above pre-treatment-carbon supported platinum catalysts were prepared by impregnation-reduction method with formaldehyde as the reducing agent, H2PtCl6 as precursor. The effect of the amount of surface oxygen-containing groups of Vulcan XC-72R carbon black on Pt/C catalysts dispersion was studied by the characterization with XRD and TEM. It has been found that decreasing the amount of surface oxygen-containing groups on carbon supports favored the platinum dispersion on the Pt/C catalysts.
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23. |
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24. |
- Sun, Xueli, et al.
(author)
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Electrochemical performances of BSCF cathode materials for ceria-composite electrolyte low temperature solid oxide fuel cells
- 2007
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In: International Journal of Electrochemical Science. - 1452-3981. ; 2:6, s. 462-468
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.2Fe0.8O3 (BSCF) cathode material was synthesized and evaluated for cathode in low temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LTSOFCs). Using Ni as anode, Sm0.2Ce0.8O2(SDC)-carbonate composites as electrolyte and the BSCF as cathode to construct the fuel cell (LTSOFC), maximum power output of 860 mW/cm(2) has been achieved at 500 degrees C. The LTSOFC at a large area, 14 cm(2), has delivered 5 W corresponding to a power density of 358 mW/cm(2) at 510 degrees C. These results have been the first recorded for the best performance of SOFCs at low temperatures.
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25. |
- Tao, Yong, et al.
(author)
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Hollow fiber supported ionic liquid membrane microextraction for determination of sulfonamides in environmental water samples by high-performance liquid chromatography
- 2009
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In: Journal of Chromatography A. - : Elsevier. - 0021-9673 .- 1873-3778. ; 1216:35, s. 6259-6266
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- By using ionic liquid as membrane liquid and tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) as additive, hollow fiber supported liquid phase microextraction (HF-LPME) was developed for the determination of five sulfonamides in environmental water samples by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection The extraction solvent and the parameters affecting the extraction enrichment factor such as the type and amount of carrier, pH and volume ratio of donor phase and acceptor phase, extraction time, salt-out effect and matrix effect were optimized. Under the optimal extraction conditions (organic liquid membrane phase: [C8MIM][PF6] with 14% TOPO (w/v); donor phase: 4mL, pH 4.5 KH2PO4 with 2M Na2SO4; acceptor phase: 25microL, pH 13 NaOH; extraction time: 8 h), low detection limits (0.1-0.4microg/L, RSDor=0.999) were obtained for all the analytes. The presence of humic acid (0-25mg/L dissolved organic carbon) and bovine serum albumin (0-100 μg/mL) had no significant effect on the extraction efficiency. Good spike recoveries over the range of 82.2-103.2% were obtained when applying the proposed method on five real environmental water samples. These results indicated that this present method was very sensitive and reliable with good repeatabilities and excellent clean-up in water samples. The proposed method confirmed hollow fiber supported ionic liquid membrane based LPME to be robust to monitoring trace levels of sulfadiazine, sulfamerazine, sulfamethazine, sulfadimethoxine and sulfamethoxazole in aqueous samples.
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26. |
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27. |
- Wang, Mo-Jin, et al.
(author)
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The Ile646Val (2073A > G) Polymorphism in the Kinase-Binding Domain of A-Kinase Anchoring Protein 10 and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer
- 2009
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In: ONCOLOGY. - : S. Karger AG. - 0030-2414 .- 1423-0232. ; 76:3, s. 199-204
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the Ile646Val (2073A>G) polymorphism in the kinase-binding domain of A-kinase anchoring protein 10 (AKAP10) is related to the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), clinicopathological variables and the environmental factors for the development of CRC. Methods: Applying TaqMan allelic discrimination, we investigated AKAP10 Ile646Val (2073A>G) polymorphism in 288 Chinese CRC patients and 281 healthy controls. Results: Logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association of AKAP10 Ile646Val (2073A>G) polymorphism with increased CRC risk (adjusted OR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.01-2.07, p = 0.02). Stratification analysis showed that the increased risk associated with the variant genotypes (GG+AG) was more evident in male subjects (adjusted OR = 1.48, 95% CI 0.94-2.34, p = 0.03). Compared with the AA genotype, the adjusted OR for the variant genotypes was 1.81 (95% CI 1.08 - 3.05, p = 0.01) among young subjects (age ! 57 years). Among individuals who did not smoke or who smoked lightly, there was a significantly increased risk with the variant genotypes (adjusted OR = 1.66, 95% CI 1.08 - 2.56, p = 0.02). We did not observe a relationship between the AKAP10 polymorphism and other clinicopathological and environmental factors. Conclusions: Our data suggested that the AKAP10 2073A>G variation is associated with an increased risk of CRC in the Chinese population.
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28. |
- Wang, Yong-Bin, et al.
(author)
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A novel dual mode capacitor biosensor for real-time, label-free DNA detection
- 2006
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In: 2006 INTERNATIONAL ELECTRON DEVICES MEETING, VOLS 1 AND 2. - NEW YORK : IEEE. - 9781424404384 ; , s. 447-450
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A novel biosensor working in both MOS capacitor and electric double-layer capacitor mode for real-time, label-free DNA detection is presented. The former mode measures density and polarity of charged biomolecules to be monitored, while the latter mode appears to reveal more of surface-molecule interactions and offers high sensitivity and easiness for diagnosis. A combined mode-utilization yields optimal complementary information of significance.
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29. |
- Xie, Yao, et al.
(author)
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Multistatic adaptive microwave imaging for early breast cancer detection
- 2006
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In: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. - 0018-9294 .- 1558-2531. ; 53:8, s. 1647-1657
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We propose a new multistatic adaptive microwave imaging (MAMI) method for early breast cancer detection. MAMI is a two-stage robust Capon beamforming (RCB) based image formation algorithm. MAMI exhibits higher resolution, lower sidelobes, and better noise and interference rejection capabilities than the existing approaches. The effectiveness of using MAMI for breast cancer detection is demonstrated via a simulated 3-D breast model and several numerical examples.
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30. |
- Xie, Yao, et al.
(author)
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Novel multistatic adaptive microwave imaging methods for early breast cancer detection
- 2006
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In: Eurasip Journal on Applied Signal Processing. - 1110-8657. ; , s. 91961-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Multistatic adaptive microwave imaging (MAMI) methods are presented and compared for early breast cancer detection. Due to the significant contrast between the dielectric properties of normal and malignant breast tissues, developing microwave imaging techniques for early breast cancer detection has attracted much interest lately. MAMI is one of the microwave imaging modalities and employs multiple antennas that take turns to transmit ultra-wideband (UWB) pulses while all antennas are used to receive the reflected signals. MAMI can be considered as a special case of the multi-input multi-output (MIMO) radar with the multiple transmitted waveforms being either UWB pulses or zeros. Since the UWB pulses transmitted by different antennas are displaced in time, the multiple transmitted waveforms are orthogonal to each other. The challenge to microwave imaging is to improve resolution and suppress strong interferences caused by the breast skin, nipple, and so forth. The MAMI methods we investigate herein utilize the data-adaptive robust Capon beamformer (RCB) to achieve high resolution and interference suppression. We will demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed methods for breast cancer detection via numerical examples with data simulated using the finite-difference time-domain method based on a 3D realistic breast model.
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32. |
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33. |
- Zhang, Zhibin, et al.
(author)
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Reversible surface functionalisation of carbon nanotubes for fabrication of field effect transistors
- 2005
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In: Applied Physics Letters. - : AIP Publishing. - 0003-6951 .- 1077-3118. ; 87
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Evidence of the adsorption of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) residuals on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is shown using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The adsorption of SDS on semiconducting SWNTs (s-SWNTs) is believed to result in deposition and alignment of s-SWNTs between predefined electrode pairs using ac dielectrophoresis. However, the presence of SDS on SWNTs degrades electrical properties of the fabricated devices. Attempts at surface cleaning, aimed at removal of the SDS residuals and formation of an improved contact between the SWNTs and the metal, are described.
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34. |
- Zhong, Jun, et al.
(author)
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Bio-nano interaction of proteins adsorbed on single-walled carbon nanotubes
- 2009
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In: Carbon. - : Elsevier BV. - 0008-6223 .- 1873-3891. ; 47:4, s. 967-973
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We applied X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to investigate the adsorption of proteins onto single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Specific XANES spectral features such as peptide C=O bonds in proteins were recognized and found to be affected by the corresponding aromatic structure of SWCNTs. Experimental data combined with first-principle calculation of the investigated nano-complex allow the understanding of adsorption mechanism and reveal that an interface interaction occurs leading to precise structural distortions of proteins. The study also demonstrates that XANES is a powerful tool to characterize structural details of proteins at the interface of complex systems.
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35. |
- Zhu, Bin, et al.
(author)
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Compatible cathode materials for high performance low temperature (300-600°C) solid oxide fuel cells
- 2006
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In: Proceedings of 4th International ASME Conference on Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology, FUELCELL2006. - : ASMEDC.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have made extensive efforts to develop various compatible electrode materials for the ceria-based composite (CBC) electrolytes, which have been, reported as most advanced LTSOFC electrolyte materials (Zhu, 2003). The electrode materials we have investigated can be classified as four categories: i) LSCCF (LaSrCoCaFeO) and BSCF perovskite oxides applied for our CBC electrolyte LTSOFCs; ii) LFN (LaFeO-based oxides, e.g. LaFe0.8Ni 0.2O3) perovskite oxides; iii) lithiated oxides: e.g. LiNiOx, LiVOx or LiCuOx are typical cathode examples for the CBC LTSOFCs; iv) other mixed oxide systems, most common in a mixture of two-oxide phases, such CuOx-NiOx, CuO-ZnO etc. systems with or without lithiation are developed for the CBC systems, especially for direct alcohol LTSOFCs. These cathode materials used for the CBC electrolyte LTSOFCs have demonstrated excellent performances at 300-600°C, e.g. 1000 mWcm-2 was achieved at 580°C. The LTSOFCs can be operated with a wide range of fuels, e.g. hydrogen, methanol, ethanol etc with great potential for applications.
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36. |
- Zhu, Bin, et al.
(author)
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Theoretical approach on ceria-based two-phase electrolytes for low temperature (300-600 degrees C) solid oxide fuel cells
- 2008
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In: Electrochemistry Communications. - : Elsevier BV. - 1388-2481 .- 1873-1902. ; 10:2, s. 302-305
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recently, extensive studies on the ceria-based two-phase composites as functional electrolytes have created excellent 300-600 degrees C fuel cell technology. There is an emergence need to deepen the knowledge and to develop theoretical methodologies in this field. The feasibility to design and develop two-phase materials as superionic conductors for 300-600 degrees C solid oxide fuel cells (LTSOFCs) is reported. The superionic conductivity at 300-600 degrees C in two-phase materials where the interfaces between the constituent phases are constructed as "superionic highways" resulting in interfacial high ionic conduction. The material architecture and design presented in this report thus reaches beyond the conventional molecular way to synthesize new compounds. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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37. |
- Zou, Bin, et al.
(author)
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Effects of field-induced geometry relaxation on the electron transport properties of 4,4'-biphenyldithiol molecular junction
- 2007
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In: Chemical Physics Letters. - : Elsevier BV. - 0009-2614 .- 1873-4448. ; 447:03-jan, s. 69-73
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The non-linear charge transport properties of 4,4 '-biphenyldithiol molecular junction have been studied using the generalized Green's function theory. It is shown that the torsion angle between two phenyls is slightly decreased as increase of the external voltage while the whole molecule moves slightly along the reversed direction of the electric field. Calculations indicate that the inclusion of molecular geometry relaxation can avoid a false prediction of negative differential resistance behavior. The charge redistribution under the external bias results in resistive dipoles inside the molecule. The calculated I-V curves of 4,4 '-biphenyldithiol molecular junction is consistent with experimental observations in some ways.
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