Metabonomic analysis of hepatitis B virus-induced liver failure： identification of potential diagnostic biomarkers by fuzzy support vector machine

Hepatitis B virus （HBV）-induced liver failure is an emergent liver disease leading to high mortality. The severity of liver failure may be reflected by the profile of some metabolites. This study assessed the potential of using metabolites as biomarkers for liver failure by identifying metabolites with good discriminative performance for its phenotype. The serum samples from 24 HBV-indueed liver failure patients and 23 healthy volunteers were collected and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS） to generate metabolite profiles. The 24 patients were further grouped into two classes according to the severity of liver failure. Twenty-five eommensal peaks in all metabolite profiles were extracted, and the relative area values of these peaks were used as features for each sample. Three algorithms, F-test, k-nearest neighbor （KNN） and fuzzy support vector machine （FSVM） combined with exhaustive search （ES）, were employed to identify a subset of metabolites （biomarkers） that best predict liver failure. Based on the achieved experimental dataset, 93.62% predictive accuracy by 6 features was selected with FSVM-ES and three key metabolites, glyeerie acid, cis-aeonitie acid and citric acid, are identified as potential diagnostic biomarkers.     

N-doped porous graphene for carbon dioxide separation： a molecular dynamics study

Using molecular dynamics simulations, it is shown that N-doped porous graphene membrane can efficiently separate CO2 from the CO2/CH4 mixture. The effects of pore rim modifications, N-doping sites, initial gas pressure, and feed gas compositions on CO2 separation performance of N-doped porous graphene membrane are also examined. It is found that gas permeability increases with increasing initial gas pressure or the feed gas percentages. Pore rim modifications with nitrogen atoms （pyridinic N） can significantly improve the selectivity of CO2 over CH4 owing to the enhanced electrostatic interactions compared to the unmodi- fied one, and the all-N-modified pore-16 shows the highest CO2 selectivity over CH4 （- 29）. Doping N atoms on the graphene sheets （quaternary N） has little effect on the CO2 selectivity. Our study demonstrates that the N-doped porous graphene is an excellent candidate for CO2 separation, which may be beneficial for the realization of a low carbon society.     

Phytate: impact on environment and human nutrition. A challenge for molecular breeding

Phytic acid （PA） is the primary storage compound of phosphorus in seeds accounting for up to 80% of the total seed phosphorus and contributing as much as 1.5% to the seed dry weight. The negatively charged phosphate in PA strongly binds to metallic cations of Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn and Zn making them insoluble and thus unavailable as nutritional factors. Phytate mainly accumulates in protein storage vacuoles as globoids, predominantly located in the aleurone layer （wheat, barley and rice） or in the embryo （maize）. During germination, phytate is hydrolysed by endogenous phytase（s） and other phosphatases to release phosphate, inositol and micronutrients to support the emerging seedling. PA and its derivatives are also implicated in RNA export, DNA repair, signalling, endocytosis and cell vesicular trafficking. Our recent studies on purification of phytate globoids, their mineral composition and dephytinization by wheat phytase will be discussed. Biochemical data for purified and characterized phytases isolated from more than 23 plant species are presented, the dephosphorylation pathways of phytic acid by different classes of phytases are compared, and the application of phytase in food and feed is discussed.     

Dehydration melting of UHP eclogite and paragneiss in the Dabie orogen: Evidence from laboratory experiment to natural observation

Dehydration melting of subducted continental crust is significant during exhumation, and its study from both experimental and petrological observations is of great importance to our understanding of continental geodynamics. Dehydration melting experi- ments were carried out on ultrahigh-pressure （UHP） eclogite from Bixiling in the Dabie orogen using a piston cylinder at 1.5-3.0 GPa and 800-950℃ to investigate partial melting of eclogite induced by phengite breakdown. The phengite-bearing eclogite started to melt at T≤800-850℃ and P=1.5-2.0 GPa and produced about 3% granitic melt. The products of dehydration melting vary with temperature and pressure. Such results provide valuable constraints on the micro-texture related to partial melting of UHP rocks in the Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt. Three types of polyphase inclusions were identified in garnet from the Shuanghe UHP eclogite. K-feldspar and quartz inclusions are interpreted to represent the products of segregation and crystallization of minor amounts of melt that formed during dehydration melting of phengite by the inferred reaction Phengite＋Omphacite＋Quartz Amphibole_＋Garnet＋Melt （K-feldspar＋Quartz＋Plagioclase）. Polyphase inclusions of phengite and K-feldspar＋Quartz inclusions were also found in zoisite/clinozoisite and garnet from the Shuanghe garnet-bearing paragneiss. These polyphase inclusions pro- vide evidence for a continuous process from sub-solidus dehydration to partial melting within the UHP gneissic rocks. The com- positional variation of garnets demonstrates that breakdown of epidote-group minerals may have played a crucial role during de- hydration melting reaction of phengite. The Ti-in-zircon thermometry and Si content of phengite in zircon suggest that partial melting would occur at 783-839℃ and 2.0-2.5 GPa. Therefore, both experimental results and petrological observations indicate that dehydration melting and fluid activity within the Dabie UHP rocks at micro-scale are controlled by the breakdown of phengite.     

Weak interaction between CH3SO and HOCl: Hydrogen bond, chlorine bond and oxygen bond

B3lyp/6-311＋＋g＊＊ and mp2/6-311＋＋g＊＊ calculations were used to analyze the interaction between CH3SO and HOCl. Nine （complex A： S1A-S9A） and five （complex B： S4B-S7B and S10B） minima were localized on the potential energy surface of CH3SO…HOCl complexes at b3lyp/6-311＋＋g＊＊ and mp2/ 6-311＋＋g＊＊ computational levels, respectively. The AIM and NBO theories were also applied to explain the nature of the complexes. Bonding energy of complexes A and B corrected with BSSE falls in the ranges of -0.4―-41.4 kJ·mol-1 and -6.9―-35.8 kJ·mol-1 at mp2/6-311＋＋g＊＊ level, respectively. The re- sults show that a novel oxygen bond complex （S6） exists in the system, besides hydrogen bond and chlorine bond. Especially, S6B-F, S6B-Br and S7B are blue shifted complexes compared with red shifted S6A, because the electron transfer occurs between LP1（S8） and σ＊（O5-Cl7）, resulting in the increase of O5-Cl7 and the decrease of vibrational frequency. The complex of S10B has characteristics of both red shift and blue shift.     

Effects of different types of palatal lateral excisions on growth and development of maxilla and dental arch

Objective： This study aimed to explore the effects of different types of palatal lateral excisions on the growth and development of the maxilla and dental arch, and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Methods： A total of 112 3-week-old Sprague-Dawley （SD） male rats were randomly divided into a control and 3 experimental groups： the mucoperiosteal denudation group, the mucosal flap excision group, and the periosteum excision group. In the experimental groups, bilateral mucoperiosteal, mucosal flap and periosteum were excised respectively in the lateral one half of the palate. Four rats in each group were randomly chosen for sacrifice every two weeks. The maxilla was dissected following the excision. The widths of the maxilla and dental arch were measured and the histological phenomena were investigated at different phases. At the same time, 12 animals in each group were sequentially injected with calcein every two weeks. Three animals in each group, whose fluorescent labeling was used, were sacrificed for investigating bone formation at Week 8 following injection. Results： （1） Each experimental group presented the constriction of the maxilla and dental arch. The upper first molars in the experimental groups inclined medially. The mucoperiosteal denudation group showed the largest degree of effect followed by the periosteum excision group. The indices of the mucosal flap excision group, which retained the structures of the periosteum layer, had the most approximate values to the control group; （2） Different histological changes among the experimental groups were detected. The fibers penetrated into the palatal bone as Sharpey＇s fibers in the mucoperiosteal denudation group. The pattern of bone deposition was the bundle type. Sharpey＇s fibers were not found in the mucosal flap and periosteum excision groups and the depositions of palatal bone were the lamellar type as those in the control group; （3） The rates of bone deposition in the experimental groups decreased compared with the     

Optimization of acidic extraction of astaxanthin from Phaffia rhodozyma

Optimization of a process for extracting astaxanthin from Phaffia rhodozyma by acidic method was investigated, regarding several extraction factors such as acids, organic solvents, temperature and time. Fractional factorial design, central composite design and response surface methodology were used to derive a statistically optimal model, which corresponded to the following optimal condition： concentration of lactic acid at 5.55 mol/L, ratio of ethanol to yeast dry weight at 20.25 ml/g, temperature for cell-disruption at 30 ℃, and extraction time for 3 min. Under this condition, astaxanthin and the total carotenoids could be extracted in amounts of 1294.7 μg/g and 1516.0 μg/g, respectively. This acidic method has advantages such as high extraction efficiency, low chemical toxicity and no special requirement of instruments. Therefore, it might be a more feasible and practical method for industrial practice.     

Problems of drinking water treatment along Ismailia Canal Province, Egypt

The present drinking water purification system in Egypt uses surface water as a raw water supply without a preliminary filtration process. On the other hand, chlorine gas is added as a disinfectant agent in two steps, pre- and post-chlorination. Due to these reasons most of water treatment plants suffer low filtering effectiveness and produce the trihalomethane （THM） species as a chlorination by-product. The Ismailia Canal represents the most distal downstream of the main Nile River. Thus its water contains all the proceeded pollutants discharged into the Nile. In addition, the downstream reaches of the canal act as an agricultural drain during the closing period of the High Dam gates in January and February every year. Moreover, the wide in- dustrial zone along the upstream course of the canal enriches the canal water with high concentrations of heavy metals. The obtained results indicate that the canal gains up to 24.06 × 10^6 m^3 of water from the surrounding shallow aquifer during the closing period of the High Dam gates, while during the rest of the year, the canal acts as an influent stream losing about 99.6× 10^6 m^3 of its water budget. The reduction of total organic carbon （TOC） and suspended particulate matters （SPMs） should be one of the central goals of any treatment plan to avoid the disinfectants by-products. The combination of sedimentation basins, gravel pre-filtration and slow sand filtration, and underground passage with microbiological oxidation-reduction and adsorption criteria showed good removal of parasites and bacteria and complete elimination of TOC, SPM and heavy metals. Moreover, it reduces the use of disinfectants chemicals and lowers the treatment costs. However, this purification system under the arid climate prevailing in Egypt should be tested and modified prior to application.     

Real-time haptic model for soft tissue deformation in surgery simulation

The modelling and simulation of deformable objects is a challenging topic in the field of haptic rendering between human and virtual environment. In this paper, a novel and efficient layered rhombus-chain-connected haptic deformation model based on physics is proposed for an excellent haptic rendering. During the modelling, the accumulation of relative displacements in every chain structure unit in each layer is equal to the deformation on the virtual object surface, and the resultant force of corresponding springs is equivalent to the external force. The layered rhombus-chain-con- nected model is convenient and fast to calculate, and can satisfy real-time requirement due to its simple nature. Simulation experiments in virtual human liver based on the proposed model are con- ducted, and the results demonstrate that our model provides stable and realistic haptic feeling in real time. Meanwhile, the display result is vivid.     

A novel portable transmitter with 8dBm output power for wireless communication equipments

In this paper,a portable 2.42 GHz transmitter for wireless communication systems,with 8dBm output power and small size is proposed.Several novel features exist in this transmitter.First,power consumption and output are balanced by introducing a differential oscillator with input signal controlled biasing,which acts as both a carrier generator and an OOK modulator.Then,power consumption of the transmitter is reduced by the OOK modulated signal via switching the oscillator and the power amplifier at the same time.Furthermore,the area size is also reduced by a class-AB power amplifier,which uses the PCB antenna as the resonance inductance.With these features,the total chip area is reduced to 670μm×740μm(In a 0.18μm CMOS process).     

Hypothetical mode of action of earthworm extract with hepatoprotective and antioxidant properties

The hepatoprotective potential of earthworm extract （EE） （Lampito mauritii, Kinberg） was evaluated against paracetamol-induced liver injury in Wistar albino rat, in comparison with silymarin, the standard hepatoprotective drug. We observed a reduction in liver antioxidants, such as glutathione （GSH）, superoxide dismutase （SOD）, glutathione peroxidase （GPx）, and catalase （CAT） and in serum total protein, and an increase in serum alkaline phosphatase （ALP）, serum aspertate ami- notranferase （AST）, serum alanine aminotranferase （ALT）, bilirubin and liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substances （TBARS） due to liver injury in the paracetamol-administered rats （2 g/kg）. On the contrary, increased activities of liver GSH, SOD, GPx, CAT and serum total protein level, and decrease in the contents of serum ALP, AST, ALT, bilirubin and liver TBARS were observed in rats administered with different doses of EE （100, 200 and 300 mg/kg）, which are similar to the activities of hepato- protective drug silymarin （150 mg/kg）. The mode of action of EE as evidenced by the above parameters may suggest that EE, on the one hand, prevents the formation of the reactive oxygen groups, or scavenges these groups, thereby preventing the damage on the hepatic cells, and, on the other hand, modulates the genes responsible for synthesis of antioxidant enzymes such as GPx, CAT and SOD in liver tissue and decreases the serum enzymatic activities such as ALP, AST and ALT.     

Phytoremediation of heavy metal polluted soils and water: Progresses and perspectives

Environmental pollution affects the quality ofpedosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. Great efforts have been made in the last two decades to reduce pollution sources and remedy the polluted soil and water resources. Phytoremediation, being more cost-effective and fewer side effects than physical and chemical approaches, has gained increasing popularity in both academic and practical circles. More than 400 plant species have been identified to have potential for soil and water remediation. Among them, Thlaspi, Brassica, Sedum alfredii H., and Arabidopsis species have been mostly studied. It is also expected that recent advances in biotechnology will play a promising role in the development of new hyperaccumulators by transferring metal hyperaccumulating genes from low biomass wild species to the higher biomass producing cultivated species in the times to come. This paper attempted to provide a brief review on recent progresses in research and practical applications of phytoremediation for soil and water resources.     

Drainage after total thyroidectomy or lobectomy for benign thyroidal disorders

Objective： This prospective randomized clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the necessity of drainage after total thyroidectomy or lobectomy for benign thyroidal disorders. Methods： A total of 116 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy or lobectomy for benign thyroidal disorders were randomly allocated to be drained or not. Operative and postoperative outcomes including operating time, postoperative pain assessed by visual analogue scale （VAS）, total amount of intramuscular analgesic administration, hospital stay, complications, necessity for re-operation and satisfaction of patients were all assessed. Results： The mean operating time was similar between two groups （the drained and non-drained groups）. The mean VAS score was found to be significantly low in the non-drained group patients in postoperative day （POD） 0 and POD 1. The mean amount of intramuscular analgesic requirement was significantly less in the non-drained group. One case of hematoma, two cases ofseroma and three cases of transient hypoparathyroidism occurred in the non-drained group, whereas one case of hematoma, two cases of seroma, two cases of wound infections and two cases of transient hypoparathyroidism occurred in the drained group. No patient needed re-operation for any complication. The mean hospital stay was significantly shorter and the satisfaction of patients was superior in the non-drained group. Conclusion： These findings suggest that postoperative complications cannot be prevented by using drains after total thyroidectomy or lobectomy for benign thyroid disorders. Furthermore, the use of drains may increase postoperative pain and the analgesic requirement, and prolong the hospital stay. In the light of these findings, the routine use of drains might not be necessary after thyroid surgery for benign disorders.     

Research and implementation ranging method based of continuous wave radar on tri-frequency

In the traditional dual-frequency radar ranging system, there is a contradiction between ranging precision and ranging distance. So a tri-frequency ranging method is proposed. The principle of the tri-frequency ranging is that the distance can be achieved by transmitting the three frequencies and then measuring the three phase difference and calculating the number of wavelength. What＇ s more, range ambiguity will not occur within a certain distance. The experimental results show that, if the waveband is 0.47 -0.57m, the measurement of unambiguous distance of 25 -500m can be realized. If the wavelength tolerance error is less than ± 10^-7 and the phase error is less than ± 10 ^-3, the precision of the distance ranging can reach 10^-6.     

A preliminary study on the teratogenesis of dexamethasone and the preventive effect of vitamin B12 on murine embryonic palatal shelf fusion in vitro

Excessive dexamethasone （Dex） administrated into pregnant mice during critical periods of palatal development can produce a high incidence of cleft palate. Its mechanisms remain unknown. Vitamin B12 has been shown to antagonize the teratogenic effects of Dex, which, however, remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the effects of Dex and vitamin B12 on murine embryonic palatal shelf fusion using organ culture of murine embryonic shelves. The explanted palatal shelves on embryonic day 14 （E14） were cultured for 24, 48, 72 or 96 h in different concentrations of Dex and/or vitamin B 12. The palatal shelves were examined histologically for the morphological alterations on the medial edge epithelium （MEE） and fusion rates among different groups. It was found that the palatal shelves were not fused at 72 h or less of culture in Dex group, while they were completely fused in the control and vitamin B 12-treated groups at 72 and 96 h, respectively. The MEE still existed and proliferated. In Dex＋vitamin B12 group the palatal shelves were fused at each time point in a similar rate to controls. These results may suggest that Dex causes teratogenesis of murine embryonic palatal shelves and vitamin B12 prevents the teratogenic effect of Dex on palatogenesis on murine embryos in vitro.     

A polynomial smooth epsilon-support vector regression based on cubic spline interpolation

Regression analysis is often formulated as an optimization problem with squared loss functions.Facing the challenge of the selection of the proper function class with polynomial smooth techniques applied to support vector regression models,this study takes cubic spline interpolation to generate a new polynomial smooth function |x|_ε~2 in ε-insensitive support vector regression.Theoretical analysis shows that S_ε~2-function is better than p_ε~2-function in properties,and the approximation accuracy of the proposed smoothing function is two order higher than that of classical p_ε~2-function.The experimental data shows the efficiency of the new approach.     

Mechanisms of inherited cancer susceptibility

A small proportion of many cancers are due to inherited mutations in genes, which result in a high risk to the individual of developing specific cancers. There are several classes of genes that may be involved： tumour suppressor genes, oncogenes, genes encoding proteins involved in DNA repair and cell cycle control, and genes involved in stimulating the angiogenic pathway. Alterations in susceptibility to cancer may also be due to variations in genes involved in carcinogen metabolism. This review discusses examples of some of these genes and the associated clinical conditions caused by the inheritance of mutations in such genes.     

Mechanisms and assessment of water eutrophication

Water eutrophication has become a worldwide environmental problem in recent years, and understanding the mechanisms of water eutrophication will help for prevention and remediation of water eutrophication. In this paper, recent advances in current status and major mechanisms of water eutrophication, assessment and evaluation criteria, and the influencing factors were reviewed. Water eutrophication in lakes, reservoirs, estuaries and rivers is widespread all over the world and the severity is increasing, especially in the developing countries like China. The assessment of water eutrophication has been advanced from simple individual parameters like total phosphorus, total nitrogen, etc., to comprehensive indexes like total nutrient status index. The major influencing factors on water eutrophication include nutrient enrichment, hydrodynamics, environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, carbon dioxide, element balance, etc., and microbial and biodiversity. The occurrence of water eutrophication is actually a complex function of all the possible influencing factors. The mechanisms of algal blooming are not fully understood and need to be further investigated.