1,433 research outputs found

    Mathematical analysis of SOFC based on co-ionic conducting electrolyte

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    2012-2013 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

    PENGARUH PENGGANTIAN KACANG HIJAU DENGAN BIJI ASAM TERFERMENTASI TERHADAP KARKAS, LEMAK ABDOMINAL DAN KOLESTROL AYAM BROILER

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    The study aimed at evaluating the mung bean substitution with fermented tamarind seeds on  broiler carcass, abdominal fat and cholesterol. A completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 4 replicates was applied in this study. The feed treatments offered were R0: Control feed; R1: Feed containing TBAF (fermented tamarind seeds) substitutted with 8% mung bean; R2: Feed containing TBAF substituted with 10% mung bean; and R3: Feed containing TBAF substituted with 12% mung bean. Substituting mung bean with fermented tamarind seeds had significantly (P<0,01) decreased carcass weight and meat cholesterol. A significant reduction (p<0.05) also noted for both carcass percentage and abdominal fat percentage. It can be concluded substitution of mung bean with 8-12% fermented tamarind seeds had reduced carcass weight and percentage, abdominal fat weight and percentage, and meat cholesterol content of broilers. ABSTRAK Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh penggantian kacang hijau dengan tepung biji asam terfermentasi terhadap karkas, lemak abdominal dan kolesterol daging ayam broiler. Penelitian ini menggunakan rancangan acak lengkap (RAL) yang terdiri dari 4 perlakuan dan 4 ulangan. Perlakuan yang diuji adalah, R0: Ransum Kontrol; R1: Ransum mengandung TBAF (tepung biji asam terfermentasi) menggantikan 8% tepung kacang hijau; R2: Ransum mengandung TBAF menggantikan 10% tepung kacang hijau; dan R3: Ransum mengandung TBAF menggantikan 12% tepung kacang hijau. Hasil penelitian berpengaruh sangat nyata (P<0,01) menurunkan berat karkas dan kadar kolesterol daging; berpengaruh nyata (P<0,05) menurunkan persentase karkas, lemak abdominal dan persentase lemak abdominal. Kesimpulannya bahwa, penggantian 8-12% kacang hijau dengan TBAF dalam ransum menurunkan berat karkas, persentase karkas, berat lemak abdominal dan persentase lemak abdominal serta kadar kolesterol daging

    Cold Air Plasma Inhibiting Tumor-Like Biological Behavior of Rheumatoid Arthritis Fibroblast-Like Synovial Cells via G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest

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    Le-Ying Ni,1– 3,* Cheng-Biao Ding,1,2,4,* Ji-Min Deng,5 Zheng-Wei Wu,4,6,7 Yun Zhou1,2 1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of China; 2Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Maanshan People’s Hospital, Maanshan, Anhui, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People’s Republic of China; 5Anhui institute for Food and Drug Control, Hefei, People’s Republic of China; 6CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People’s Republic of China; 7Institute of Advanced Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zheng-Wei Wu, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86-551-63606045, Email [email protected] Yun Zhou, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-0551-65997010, Email [email protected]: Rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synovial cells (RA-FLS) have become the core effector cells for the progression of rheumatoid arthritis due to their “tumor-like cell” characteristics, such as being able to break free from growth restrictions caused by contact inhibition, promoting angiogenesis, invading surrounding tissues, and leading to uncontrolled synovial growth. In recent years, cold air plasma (CAP) has been widely recognized for its clear anticancer effect. Inspired by this, this study investigated the inhibitory effect of CAP on the tumor-like biological behavior of RA-FLS through in vitro experiments.Methods: Treatment of RA-FLS with CAP at different time doses (0s, 30s, 60s, 120s). 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine (EdU) proliferation assay was used to determine the cell viability. Analysis of cell migration and invasion was performed by wound-healing assay, transwell assay and immunofluorescent staining for f-actin, respectively. Flow cytometry technique was used for analysis of cell cycle and determination of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Hoechst staining was used for analysis of cell apoptosis. Protein expression was analyzed by Western blot analysis.Results: Molecular and cellular level mechanisms have revealed that CAP blocks RA-FLS in the G2/M phase by increasing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to increased apoptosis and significantly reduced migration and invasion ability of RA-FLS.Conclusion: Overall, CAP has significant anti proliferative, migratory, and invasive effects on RA-FLS. This study reveals a new targeted treatment strategy for RA.Keywords: cold air plasma, rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synovial cells, proliferation, apoptosis, migratio

    Facile Synthesis of High Quality Graphene Nanoribbons

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    Graphene nanoribbons have attracted attention for their novel electronic and spin transport properties1-6, and because nanoribbons less than 10 nm wide have a band gap that can be used to make field effect transistors. However, producing nanoribbons of very high quality, or in high volumes, remains a challenge. Here, we show that pristine few-layer nanoribbons can be produced by unzipping mildly gas-phase oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotube using mechanical sonication in an organic solvent. The nanoribbons exhibit very high quality, with smooth edges (as seen by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy), low ratios of disorder to graphitic Raman bands, and the highest electrical conductance and mobility reported to date (up to 5e2/h and 1500 cm2/Vs for ribbons 10-20 nm in width). Further, at low temperature, the nanoribbons exhibit phase coherent transport and Fabry-Perot interference, suggesting minimal defects and edge roughness. The yield of nanoribbons was ~2% of the starting raw nanotube soot material, which was significantly higher than previous methods capable of producing high quality narrow nanoribbons1. The relatively high yield synthesis of pristine graphene nanoribbons will make these materials easily accessible for a wide range of fundamental and practical applications.Comment: Nature Nanotechnology in pres

    Recent changes of water discharge and sediment load in the Yellow River basin, China

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    The Yellow River basin contributes approximately 6% of the sediment load from all river systems globally, and the annual runoff directly supports 12% of the Chinese population. As a result, describing and understanding recent variations of water discharge and sediment load under global change scenarios are of considerable importance. The present study considers the annual hydrologic series of the water discharge and sediment load of the Yellow River basin obtained from 15 gauging stations (10 mainstream, 5 tributaries). The Mann-Kendall test method was adopted to detect both gradual and abrupt change of hydrological series since the 1950s. With the exception of the area draining to the Upper Tangnaihai station, results indicate that both water discharge and sediment load have decreased significantly (p<0.05). The declining trend is greater with distance downstream, and drainage area has a significant positive effect on the rate of decline. It is suggested that the abrupt change of the water discharge from the late 1980s to the early 1990s arose from human extraction, and that the abrupt change in sediment load was linked to disturbance from reservoir construction.Geography, PhysicalGeosciences, MultidisciplinarySCI(E)43ARTICLE4541-5613

    Infection with hepatitis B virus carrying novel pre-S/S gene mutations in female siblings vaccinated at birth: two case reports

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>After the initiation of a mass hepatitis B vaccination program in Taiwan, the prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection has declined progressively. However, about 1 percent of the young generation, who received hepatitis B vaccination at birth, remain carriers. Infection with vaccine-escape hepatitis B virus mutants always occurs shortly after birth. Here, we report two female siblings in whom the infection occurred in their adolescence. This report raises the question of whether a booster for hepatitis B vaccination is needed.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>Two 19 and 14-year-old Taiwanese female siblings were born to a mother infected with hepatitis B virus and received a complete course of hepatitis B vaccination at birth. They remained negative for serum hepatitis B surface antigen and positive for serum anti-hepatitis B surface antibody throughout their childhood. However, both were infected with the hepatitis B virus in their adolescence. Hepatitis B virus DNA was extracted from serum samples from the mother and two siblings. Hepatitis B virus pre-S/S sequence was amplified by polymerase chain reaction followed by nucleotide sequencing. When compared with the sequence obtained from the mother, multiple amino acid substitutions located near or in the major hydrophilic region of the surface antigen were identified in the elder sister. Four of these mutations (sL97S, sL98S, sG102R, and sA159P) were novel. A novel in-frame deletion (14 amino acids deleted, pre-S 127-140) was found in the hepatitis B virus pre-S2 region in the younger sister.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Despite having received hepatitis B vaccination at birth, hepatitis B virus infection can still occur in adolescence with the emergence of novel mutations in the pre-S/S gene. This is a rare event and, to the best of our knowledge, has not been previously reported.</p

    Behavior and Impact of Zirconium in the Soil–Plant System: Plant Uptake and Phytotoxicity

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    Because of the large number of sites they pollute, toxic metals that contaminate terrestrial ecosystems are increasingly of environmental and sanitary concern (Uzu et al. 2010, 2011; Shahid et al. 2011a, b, 2012a). Among such metals is zirconium (Zr), which has the atomic number 40 and is a transition metal that resembles titanium in physical and chemical properties (Zaccone et al. 2008). Zr is widely used in many chemical industry processes and in nuclear reactors (Sandoval et al. 2011; Kamal et al. 2011), owing to its useful properties like hardness, corrosion-resistance and permeable to neutrons (Mushtaq 2012). Hence, the recent increased use of Zr by industry, and the occurrence of the Chernobyl and Fukashima catastrophe have enhanced environmental levels in soil and waters (Yirchenko and Agapkina 1993; Mosulishvili et al. 1994 ; Kruglov et al. 1996)

    An Open Randomized Comparison of Gatifloxacin versus Cefixime for the Treatment of Uncomplicated Enteric Fever

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    OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of gatifloxacin versus cefixime in the treatment of uncomplicated culture positive enteric fever. DESIGN: A randomized, open-label, active control trial with two parallel arms. SETTING: Emergency Room and Outpatient Clinics in Patan Hospital, Lagankhel, Lalitpur, Nepal. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with clinically diagnosed uncomplicated enteric fever meeting the inclusion criteria. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were allocated to receive one of two drugs, Gatifloxacin or Cefixime. The dosages used were Gatifloxacin 10 mg/kg, given once daily for 7 days, or Cefixime 20 mg/kg/day given in two divided doses for 7 days. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was fever clearance time. The secondary outcome measure was overall treatment failure (acute treatment failure and relapse). RESULTS: Randomization was carried out in 390 patients before enrollment was suspended on the advice of the independent data safety monitoring board due to significant differences in both primary and secondary outcome measures in the two arms and the attainment of a priori defined endpoints. Median (95% confidence interval) fever clearance times were 92 hours (84-114 hours) for gatifloxacin recipients and 138 hours (105-164 hours) for cefixime-treated patients (Hazard Ratio[95%CI] = 2.171 [1.545-3.051], p&lt;0.0001). 19 out of 70 (27%) patients who completed the 7 day trial had acute clinical failure in the cefixime group as compared to 1 out of 88 patients (1%) in gatifloxacin group(Odds Ratio [95%CI] = 0.031 [0.004 - 0.237], p&lt;0.001). Overall treatment failure patients (relapsed patients plus acute treatment failure patients plus death) numbered 29. They were determined to be (95% confidence interval) 37.6 % (27.14%-50.2%) in the cefixime group and 3.5% (2.2%-11.5%) in the gatifloxacin group (HR[95%CI] = 0.084 [0.025-0.280], p&lt;0.0001). There was one death in the cefixime group. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this study, gatifloxacin is a better treatment for uncomplicated enteric fever as compared to cefixime. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN75784880

    Quantal Glutamate Release Is Essential for Reliable Neuronal Encodings in Cerebral Networks

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    Background: The neurons and synapses work coordinately to program the brain codes of controlling cognition and behaviors. Spike patterns at the presynaptic neurons regulate synaptic transmission. The quantitative regulations of synapse dynamics in spike encoding at the postsynaptic neurons remain unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings: With dual whole-cell recordings at synapse-paired cells in mouse cortical slices, we have investigated the regulation of synapse dynamics to neuronal spike encoding at cerebral circuits assembled by pyramidal neurons and GABAergic ones. Our studies at unitary synapses show that postsynaptic responses are constant over time, such as glutamate receptor-channel currents at GABAergic neurons and glutamate transport currents at astrocytes, indicating quantal glutamate release. In terms of its physiological impact, our results demonstrate that the signals integrated from quantal glutamatergic synapses drive spike encoding at GABAergic neurons reliably, which in turn precisely set spike encoding at pyramidal neurons through feedback inhibition. Conclusion/Significance: Our studies provide the evidences for the quantal glutamate release to drive the spike encodings precisely in cortical circuits, which may be essential for programming the reliable codes in the brain to manage wellorganize
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