Current understanding of metformin effect on the control of hyperglycemia in diabetes

Shipping containers used as service buildings at the end of the marina-front beach; Part of the redevelopment of Montreal’s Old Port. A stroll along the quay opens a panorama to the visitor: the St. Lawrence River and Jacques Cartier Bridge towering over Île Sainte-Hélène. The project created an (artificial) urban beach at the Pointe de l’Horloge, with its elegant clock tower built in 1921, and along the lower quay bordering the marina. A huge stairway-ramp makes the venue accessible to all. Beach umbrellas and weeping willows, brightly colored chairs and fixtures, showers and mist stations (swimming is not allowed), a boardwalk, silky sand, and a refreshment stand were added. The second part of the project added a parking area, clearly defined by rows of trees that reproduces the triangular layout of the quay. At the far west end of the site is a “porcupine” installation, shooting up from a mound around which a roundabout loops. It is composed of hundreds of sticks in three shades of blue which generate an intriguing pixilation effect. Source: Claude Cormier + Associes [website]; www.claudecormier.com/en/ (accessed 5/9/2014

Nasolabial perforator flap for nasal defects

Nasal defects can be reconstructed with a nasolabial perforator flap, resulting in good aesthetic outcomes based on the facial subunit principle, owing to the combined advantages of the traditional nasolabial flap and the perforator flap. However, the localization of perforators makes the clinical application of a nasolabial perforator flap difficult. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the nasolabial perforator flap from anatomical, methodological, and clinical application aspects, intending to provide plastic surgeons with a reference on conducting nasal reconstruction with a nasolabial perforator flap

Figure 4 in Two new decapod (Crustacea: Malacostraca) complete mitochondrial genomes: bearings on the phylogenetic relationships within the Decapoda

Figure 4. Phylogenetic analyses of the nucleotide sequence (A) and amino acid datasets (B) derived from the Decapoda using the maximum likelihood (ML) analyses and Bayesian inferences (BI), respectively. Bayesian posterior probability (BPP) and bootstrap support (BP) of each node are denoted by the asterisk indicating the well-supported values (BPP = 1.00 and simultaneously BP> 90), or otherwise are presented directly. The phylogram shown is from BI except that the a' clade was based on amino acid datasets from ML analyses. Scale bars represent 0.1 mutations per site.Published as part of <i>Qian, Guanghui, Zhao, Qiang, Wang, An, Zhu, Lin, Zhou, Kaiya & Sun, Hongying, 2011, Two new decapod (Crustacea: Malacostraca) complete mitochondrial genomes: bearings on the phylogenetic relationships within the Decapoda, pp. 471-481 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 162 (3)</i> on page 477, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2010.00686.x, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10114754">http://zenodo.org/record/10114754</a&gt

A system review of central nervous system tumors on children in China: epidemiology and clinical characteristics

Abstract Background Central nervous system (CNS) tumors are the most common solid tumors in children and the leading cause of cancer-related death in the latter. Currently, the incidence rate exceeds that of leukemia and ranks first in the incidence of malignant tumors in children. Methods The epidemiological data on childhood CNS tumors were collected from the Chinese Cancer Registry Annual Report. The annual percent change (APC) of incidence and mortality-rate changes were estimated via Joinpoint regression. Due to a lack of pertinent data, we performed a system review on the clinical-pathological characteristics in Chinese publications. Results There was no significant increase in the incidence rate (APC: -0.1, 95% CI: -1.5 to 1.3), but there was a significant increase in the mortality rate (APC: 1.8, 95% CI: 0.3 to 3.4) for childhood CNS tumors. In the subgroup analysis, there were significant increases in both the incidence and mortality rates in rural areas (APC in the incidence: 6.2, 95% CI: 2.4 to 10.2; APC in mortality: 4.4, 95% CI: 0.4 to 8.4). The most common location and type of childhood CNS were, respectively, the cerebral hemisphere (25.5%, 95% CI: 21.7% to 29.4%) and astrocytomas (26.8%, 95% CI: 23.9% to 29.6%). Conclusions The epidemiological trends, and the relevant prediction, highlighted the need to pay continual attention to childhood CNS tumors, and the clinicopathology evinced its own distinctive characteristics. Timely detection and effective treatment must be further promoted regarding childhood CNS tumors with a view to decreasing the disease burden, especially in rural areas

Addition of niobium in Fe-13Cr-4.5Al-2Mo alloy used as ATF cladding: Effect on high temperature water corrosion and in-situ electrochemistry

Niobium addition in candidate accident tolerant fuel (ATF) cladding FeCrAl alloy has received much attention, but its effect on high temperature water corrosion behavior has not been revealed. Four alloys with different Nb content (0 wt%, 0.5 wt%, 1.0 wt% and 1.5 wt%) based on Fe-13Cr-4.5Al-2Mo model alloy were designed, and the corrosion behavior was investigated by in-situ electrochemistry and microscopy. The in-situ electrochemistry analyses, including open circuit potential (OCP), polarization and electrochemical impedance spectrum, were carried out in 360 °C/19.0 MPa lithiated and borated water connected with a loop system to monitor the water chemistry. The oxide films formed after immersion for 85 days were deeply investigated by focused ion bombarding and transmission electron microscopy. Results have shown that OCP decreased with elevated temperature and corrosion potential increased with time. FeCrAl alloys have satisfactory corrosion resistance because of small corrosion currents and thin oxide films. Only monolayer multicrystal spinel oxide forms on FeCrAl alloys. Slight Nb addition (0.5 wt% and 1.0 wt%) benefits the corrosion resistance due to relatively large impedance of oxide and delayed oxidation of Fe2Nb particles. Porosities with Fe depletion were spotted in oxide and especially severe in 1.5 wt%-Nb alloy. Cathodic Tafel kinetics and corrosion mechanisms of FeCrAl were further discussed

Novel non-covalent interactions involved with the Al₁₃M cluster (M = Li, Na, K, Cu, Ag, Au)

<div><p>The complexes of Al₁₃M cluster (M = Li, Na, K, Cu, Ag, Au) and Lewis bases NH₃, H₂O, C₆H₆, and HLi have been predicted and characterised. The results showed that the cluster Al₁₃M forms the alkali-bonding or coinage metal-bonding interaction through M with these Lewis bases. These complexes exhibit some similarities and differences in the structures, properties, and nature with conventional molecules. The formation of these interactions has a negligible or small effect on the structures of Al₁₃M. This study combines the cluster Al₁₃M with non-covalent interactions, which is of great importance in supramolecular chemistry.</p></div