2-.mu.m fiber amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) source

A 2-.mu.m fiber Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) source provides a wide emission bandwidth and improved spectral stability/purity for a given output power. The fiber ASE source is formed from a heavy metal oxide multicomponent glass selected from germanate, tellurite and bismuth oxides and doped with high concentrations, 0.5-15 wt. %, thulium oxides (Tm.sub.2O.sub.3) or 0.1-5 wt% holmium oxides (Ho.sub.2O.sub.3) or mixtures thereof. The high concentration of thulium dopants provide highly efficient pump absorption and high quantum efficiency. Co-doping of Tm and Ho can broaden the ASE spectrum

hsa-miR-125a-5p Enhances Invasion Ability in Non-Small Lung Carcinoma Cell Lines

Background and objective MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that posttranscriptionally regulate gene expression by partially binding complementary to target sites in mRNAs. Although some impaired miRNA regulations have been observed in many human cancers, the functions of miR-125a are still unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression of hsa-miR-125a-5p in NSCLC cell lines and the relationship between hsa-miR-125a-5p and the invasion of lung cancer cells. Methods The expression of hsa-miR-125a-5p and the effectiveness for a given period time after being transfected sense hsa-miR-125a-5p 2’-O-methyl oligonucleotide, which were 24 h, 36 h, 48 h, 60 h and 72 h, were examined by realtime PCR. Meanwhile, we investigated the modification of invasive ability in A549 and NCI-H460 cells by transwell. Results Real-time PCR showed that hsa-miR-125a-5p was poorly-expressed in 6 lung cancer cell lines, especially in LH7, NCI-H460, SPC-A-1 and A549. The highest expression of hsa-miR-125a-5p occurred in the cells transfected with sense hsa-miR-125a-5p 2’-O-methyl oligonucleotide 36 h. Furthermore, the invasive abilities of A549 and NCI-H46O were enhanced by up-regulating hsa-miR-125a-5p. Conclusion hsa-miR-125a-5p was poorly-expressed in lung cancer cells and it could enhance lung cancer cell invasion by up-regulating hsa-miR-125a-5p

Impact of Wall Configurations on Seismic Fragility of Steel-Sheathed Cold-Formed Steel-Framed Buildings

Seismic fragility of steel-sheathed cold-formed steel-framed (CFSF) structures is scarcely investigated; thus, the information for estimation of seismic losses of the steel-sheathed CFSF buildings is insufficient. This study aims to investigate the seismic fragility of steel-sheathed CFSF buildings with different wall configurations. Analytic models for four 2-story steel-sheathed CFSF buildings are established based on shaking table tests on steel-sheathed CFS walls. Then, a group of fragility curves for these buildings are generated. The results show that the thickness of steel sheathing and the fastener spacing of the wall have significant impact on seismic fragility of steel-sheathed CFSF buildings. The seismic fragility of the CFSF building can be reduced by increasing the thickness of steel sheathing or decreasing the fastener spacing. By increasing the thickness of steel sheathing, the reduction on probability is more obvious for the CP limit. It is also found that the exceeding probability is approximately linear with fastener spacing, with a slope in the range from 0.25%/mm to 0.50%/mm

Martian column CO2 and pressure measurement with spaceborne differential absorption lidar at 1.96 µm

By utilizing progress in millijoule-level pulsed fiber lasers operating in the 1.96 µm spectral range, we introduce a concept utilizing a spaceborne differential absorption barometric lidar designed to operate within the 1.96 µm CO2 absorption band for remote sensing of Martian atmospheric properties. Our focus is on the online wavelength situated in the trough region of two absorption lines, selected due to its insensitivity to laser frequency variations, thus mitigating the necessity for stringent laser frequency stability. Our investigation revolves around a compact lidar configuration, featuring reduced telescope dimensions and lower laser pulse energies. These adjustments are geared towards minimizing costs for potential forthcoming Mars missions. The core measurement objectives encompass the determination of column CO2 absorption optical depth, columnar CO2 abundance, surface atmospheric pressure, and vertical distributions of dust and cloud layers. Through the amalgamation of surface pressure data with atmospheric temperature insights garnered from sounders and utilizing the barometric formula, the prospect of deducing atmospheric pressure profiles becomes feasible. Simulation studies validate the viability of our approach. Notably, the precision of Martian surface pressure measurements is projected to surpass 1 Pa when the aerial dust optical depth is projected to be under 0.7, a typical airborne dust scenario on Mars, considering a horizontal averaging span of 10 km.</p

Histogram Analysis of ADC in Brain Tumor Patients

At various stage of progression, most brain tumors are not homogenous. In this presentation, we retrospectively studied the distribution of ADC values inside tumor volume during the course of tumor treatment and progression for a selective group of patients who underwent an anti-VEGF trial. Complete MRI studies were obtained for this selected group of patients including pre- and multiple follow-up, post-treatment imaging studies. In each MRI imaging study, multiple scan series were obtained as a standard protocol which includes T1, T2, T1-post contrast, FLAIR and DTI derived images (ADC, FA etc.) for each visit. All scan series (T1, T2, FLAIR, post-contrast T1) were registered to the corresponding DTI scan at patient\u27s first visit. Conventionally, hyper-intensity regions on T1-post contrast images are believed to represent the core tumor region while regions highlighted by FLAIR may overestimate tumor size. Thus we annotated tumor regions on the T1-post contrast scans and ADC intensity values for pixels were extracted inside tumor regions as defined on T1-post scans. We fit a mixture Gaussian (MG) model for the extracted pixels using the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm, which produced a set of parameters (mean, various and mixture coefficients) for the MG model. This procedure was performed for each visits resulting in a series of GM parameters. We studied the parameters fitted for ADC and see if they can be used as indicators for tumor progression. Additionally, we studied the ADC characteristics in the peri-tumoral region as identified by hyper-intensity on FLAIR scans. The results show that ADC histogram analysis of the tumor region supports the two compartment model that suggests the low ADC value subregion corresponding to densely packed cancer cell while the higher ADC value region corresponding to a mixture of viable and necrotic cells with superimposed edema. Careful studies of the composition and relative volume of the two compartments in tumor region may provide some insights in the early assessment of tumor response to therapy for recurrence brain cancer patients

p21WAF1/CIP1 gene transcriptional activation exerts cell growth inhibition and enhances chemosensitivity to cisplatin in lung carcinoma cell

BACKGROUND: Non-small-cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs) exhibit poor prognosis and are usually resistant to conventional chemotherapy. Absence of p21WAF1/CIP1, a cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitor, has been linked to drug resistance in many in vitro cellular models. RNA activation (RNAa) is a transcriptional activation phenomena guided by double-strand RNA (dsRNA) targeting promoter region of target gene. METHODS: In this study, we explored the effect of up-regulation of p21 gene expression on drug-resistance in A549 non-small-cell lung carcinoma cells by transfecting the dsRNA targeting the promoter region of p21 into A549 cells. RESULTS: Enhanced p21 expression was observed in A549 cells after transfection of dsRNA, which was correlated with a significant growth inhibition and enhancement of chemosensitivity to cisplatin in A549 cells in vitro. Moreover, in vivo experiment showed that saRNA targeting the promoter region of p21 could significantly inhibit A549 xenograft tumor growth. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that p21 plays a role in lung cancer drug-resistance process. In addition, this study also provides evidence for the usage of saRNA as a therapeutic option for up-regulating lower-expression genes in lung cancer

S-nitrosylation of the zinc finger protein SRG1 regulates plant immunity

Upon pathogen infection plants accumulate nitric oxide which subsequently regulates defence gene expression. Here, the authors show that S-nitrosylation of the zinc finger transcription factor SRG1 affects transcriptional suppression and contributes to activation of defence responses