Synthesis of ultrathin platinum nanoplates for enhanced oxygen reduction activity.

Ultrathin Pt nanostructures exposing controlled crystal facets are highly desirable for their superior activity and cost-effectiveness in the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), and they are conventionally synthesized by epitaxial growth of Pt on a limited range of templates, such as Pd nanocrystals, resulting in a high cost and less structural diversity of the ultrathin Pt nanostructures. To solve this problem, we demonstrate that ultrathin Pt nanostructures can be synthesized by templating conveniently available Ag nanocrystals without involving galvanic replacement, which enables a much-reduced cost and controllable new morphologies, such as ultrathin Pt nanoplates that expose the {111} facets. The resulting ultrathin Pt nanoplates are ∼1-2 nm in thickness, which show an ∼22-fold increase in specific activity (5.3 mA cm-2), an ∼9.5-fold increase in mass activity (1.62 A mg-1) and significantly enhanced catalytic stability in the ORR, compared with the commercial Pt/C catalyst. We believe this strategy opens a door to a highly extendable family of ultrathin noble metal nanostructures, thus promising excellent activity and stability in a broad range of catalytic applications

Spindle oscillations are generated in the dorsal thalamus and modulated by the thalamic reticular nucleus

Spindle waves occur during the early stage of slow wave sleep and are thought to arise in the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), causing inhibitory postsynaptic potential spindle-like oscillations in the dorsal thalamus that are propagated to the cortex. We have found that thalamocortical neurons exhibit membrane oscillations that have spindle frequencies, consist of excitatory postsynaptic potentials, and co-occur with electroencephalographic spindles. TRN lesioning prolonged oscillations in the medial geniculate body (MGB) and auditory cortex (AC). Injection of GABA~A~ antagonist into the MGB decreased oscillation frequency, while injection of GABA~B~ antagonist increased spindle oscillations in the MGB and cortex. Thus, spindles originate in the dorsal thalamus and TRN inhibitory inputs modulate this process, with fast inhibition facilitating the internal frequency and slow inhibition limiting spindle occurrence

扩张型心肌病患者尿酸水平与恶性室性心律失常研究

To analyze the relation between uric acid (UA) and malignant ventricular arrhythmia (MVA) in patient with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and to provide clinic basis for predicting the risk of death. Methods: We divide the 48 patient with dilated cardiomyopathy into 2 groups according to MVA. They are MVA group and normal group. We analyze the difference of the incidence of hyperuricemia (HUA) between the 2 groups. Results: ⑴ The indices of age, creatinine (Crea), uric acid, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) and the percentage of  HUA and ventricular late potential (VLP%) in MVA group are higher than those in normal group, as to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), the normal group is higher than that in MVA group. And the difference between the two groups is statistically significant. There is no statistically difference in the indices of proportion of men, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate(HR) between the 2 groups. ⑵Using logistic regression, MVA was positively related to UA, VLP, age, NT-proBNP and LVEDV, and it is negatively related to LVEF. Conclusions: MVA is closely related to uric acid. Uric acid might be used to predict the incidence of MVA in patient with DCM.目的  分析扩张型心肌病患者血浆尿酸水平与恶性心律失常（MVA）关系，为评估扩张型心肌病死亡风险提供临床依据。方法  利用2008年2月至2014年8月本院住院诊断扩张型心肌病患者（共48例）作为研究对象，依据24小时动态心电图检查是否出现恶性室性心律失常，将研究对象分为恶性室性心律失常组MVA（+）及对照组MVA（–），分析恶性MVA与尿酸关系。结果  （1）年龄、肌酐、尿酸、NT-proBNP、左室舒张末容积（LVEF）及心室晚电位（VLP）阳性率皆为MVA（+）组高于对照组；左室射血分数则相反，为对照组高于MVA（+）组，上述指标的组间差异皆有统计学意义。而性别比、收缩压、舒张压、心率之间的组间差异没有统计学意义，尚不能认为这些指标在两组间有所不同。（2）采用logistic回归分析研究MVA的相关危险因素，MVA与VLP、Age、NT-proBNP、尿酸及LVEDV呈正相关，与LVEF呈负相关。在排除其他因素对MVA的干扰后，尿酸仍是MVA重要的危险因素，其OR值为1.196（P＜0.05）。结论  扩张型心肌病患者恶性室性心律失常与其尿酸水平密切相关，可能可以使用尿酸水平预测恶性室性心律失常的发生

Excitatory and inhibitory effects of prolactin release activated by nerve stimulation in rat anterior pituitary

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A series of studies showed the presence of substantial amount of nerve fibers and their close relationship with the anterior pituitary gland cells. Our previous studies have suggested that aside from the classical theory of humoral regulation, the rat anterior pituitary has direct neural regulation on adrenocorticotropic hormone release. In rat anterior pituitary, typical synapses are found on every type of the hormone-secreting cells, many on lactotrophs. The present study was aimed at investigating the physiological significance of this synaptic relationship on prolactin release.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The anterior pituitary of rat was sliced and stimulated with electrical field in a self-designed perfusion chamber. The perfusate was continuously collected in aliquots and measured by radioimmunoassay for prolactin levels. After statistic analysis, differences of prolactin concentrations within and between groups were outlined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results showed that stimulation at frequency of 2 Hz caused a quick enhancement of prolactin release, when stimulated at 10 Hz, prolactin release was found to be inhibited which came slower and lasted longer. The effect of nerve stimulation on prolactin release is diphasic and frequency dependent.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present in vitro study offers the first physiological evidence that stimulation of nerve fibers can affect prolactin release in rat anterior pituitary. Low frequency stimulation enhances prolactin release and high frequency mainly inhibits it.</p

Efficient Conversion of Phenylpyruvic Acid to Phenyllactic Acid by Using Whole Cells of Bacillus coagulans SDM

Background: Phenyllactic acid (PLA), a novel antimicrobial compound with broad and effective antimicrobial activity against both bacteria and fungi, can be produced by many microorganisms, especially lactic acid bacteria. However, the concentration and productivity of PLA have been low in previous studies. The enzymes responsible for conversion of phenylpyruvic acid (PPA) into PLA are equivocal. Methodology/Principal Findings: A novel thermophilic strain, Bacillus coagulans SDM, was isolated for production of PLA. When the solubility and dissolution rate of PPA were enhanced at a high temperature, whole cells of B. coagulans SDM could effectively convert PPA into PLA at a high concentration (37.3 g l 21) and high productivity (2.3 g l 21 h 21) under optimal conditions. Enzyme activity staining and kinetic studies identified NAD-dependent lactate dehydrogenases as the key enzymes that reduced PPA to PLA. Conclusions/Significance: Taking advantage of the thermophilic character of B. coagulans SDM, a high yield and productivity of PLA were obtained. The enzymes involved in PLA production were identified and characterized, which makes possible the rational design and construction of microorganisms suitable for PLA production with metaboli

DRNN-based shift decision for automatic transmission

In research on intelligent shift for automatic transmission, the neural network selected has no feedback and lacks an associative memory function. Thus, its adaptability needs to be improved. To achieve this, an automatic shift strategy based on a deep recurrent neural network (DRNN) is proposed. First, a neural network framework was designed in combination with an eight-speed gearbox that matches a particular type of vehicle. Then, the working principle of the DRNN was applied to the shifting process of an automatic gearbox, and the implementation model of the shift logic was established in MATLAB/Stateflow. A data sample obtained from the model was used to train the DRNN. Training and evaluation of the DRNN were accomplished in Python. Finally, a simulation comparison of the DRNN with a back-propagation (BP) neural network proved that after the epochs have been increased, the DRNN has higher precision and adaptation than a BP neural network. This research provides a theoretical basis and technical support for intelligent control of automatic transmission.https://doi.org/10.1177/168781402097529

Neoadjuvant Carboplatin/Paclitaxel versus 5-Fluorouracil/Cisplatin in Combination with Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma:A Multicenter Comparative Study

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The most beneficial neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for Asian patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma remains uncertain. Using propensity score matching by inverse probability of treatment weighting to balance the baseline variables, the neoadjuvant carboplatin/paclitaxel (CROSS) regimen versus the cisplatin/5-fluorouracil (PF) regimen in combination with 41.4–50.4 Gy of radiotherapy were compared. We found that Taiwanese patients treated with the CROSS regimen (Carboplatin + Paclitaxel + 41.4–45.0 Gy) had less treatment-related complications and more favorable survival figures. Collectively, these results suggest that CROSS is safe and effective. ABSTRACT: Background: The most beneficial neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) combination for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Asia remains uncertain. Herein, we compared the neoadjuvant carboplatin/paclitaxel (CROSS) regimen versus the cisplatin/5-fluorouracil (PF) regimen in combination with 41.4–50.4 Gy of radiotherapy. Methods: Patients were stratified according to their nCRT regimen: CROSS + 41.4–45.0 Gy (CROSS), PF + 45.0 Gy (PF4500) or PF + 50.4 Gy (PF5040). Propensity score matching by inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to balance the baseline variables. Results: Before IPTW, a total of 334 patients were included. The lowest chemotherapy completion rate was observed in the PF5040 group (76.2% versus 89.4% and 92.0% in the remaining two groups, respectively). Compared with CROSS, both PF groups showed more severe weight loss during nCRT and a higher frequency of post-esophagectomy anastomotic leaks. The use of PF5040 was associated with the highest rate of pathological complete response (45.3%). While CROSS conferred a significant overall survival benefit over PF4500 (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.05 to 1.62, p = 0.018), similar survival figures were observed when compared with PF5040 (HR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.94 to 1.45, p = 0.166). Conclusions: The CROSS regimen conferred a significant survival benefit over PF4500, although the similar survival figures were similar to those observed with PF5040. Considering the lower incidences of severe weight loss and post-esophagectomy anastomotic leaks, CROSS represents a safe and effective neoadjuvant treatment for Taiwanese patients with ESCC