Nuclear Power Plant Operator Reliability Research Based on Fuzzy Math

This paper makes use of the concept and theory of fuzzy number in fuzzy mathematics, to research for the response time of operator in accident of Chinese nuclear power plant. Through the quantitative analysis for the performance shape factors (PSFs) which influence the response time of operators, the formula of the operator response time is obtained based on the possibilistic fuzzy linear regression model which is used for the first time in this kind of research. The research result shows that the correct research method can be achieved through the analysis of the information from a small sample. This method breaks through the traditional research method and can be used not only for the reference to the safe operation of nuclear power plant, but also in other areas

Role of OCT4 in cisplatin treatment of testicular embryonal carcinoma

Purpose: To determine the role of embryonal transcription factor OCT4 in cisplatin treatment of testicular embryonal carcinoma.Methods: In vitro assays were employed to assess the effect of cisplatin treatment on testicular embryonal carcinoma cell lines under OCT4 silencing. Following treatment with 500 ng/μL cisplatin, MTT assay was used to examine cell proliferation of 2012-EP and 833K-E cells with or without OCT silencing, while wound healing assay was used to examine cell migration ability. Transwell assay and crystal violet staining were employed to measure cell invasive capacity, whereas the distribution pattern of cell cycle was assessed by flow cytometry. The expression levels of several critical components in tumorigenicity related pathways with or without OCT silencing were determined by Western-blot analysis.Results: Cisplatin enhanced OCT4-silenced cell viability at all concentration (p < 0.01) when compared to control cells. Upon treatment with 500 ng/μL cisplatin, OCT4-silenced cells showed 2- to 3-fold enhancement in cell proliferation (p < 0.001), 2-fold increase in cell migration capacity (p < 0.001), and about 1.5-fold enhancement in invasive capacity (p < 0.001) when compared to control cells. In addition, OCT4 silencing upregulated the expression level of the proteins involved in cell proliferation, cell mobility, cancer metastasis and cell cycle control.Conclusion: The results suggest that OCT4 may serve as a therapeutic target for testicular embryonal carcinoma treatment in combination with cisplatin by modulating OCT4 expression level. This physiological evidence indicates that OCT4 downregulation contributes to cisplatin resistance in chemotherapy and subsequent disease relapse.Keywords: OCT4, Cisplatin resistance, Testicular embryonal carcinoma, Chemotherap

Mechanism and Growth of Flexible ZnO Nanostructure Arrays in a Facile Controlled Way

Nanostructure arrays-based flexible devices have revolutionary impacts on the application of traditional semiconductor devices. Here, a one-step method to synthesize flexible ZnO nanostructure arrays on Zn-plated flexible substrate in Zn(NO3)2/NH3⋅H2O solution system at 70–90∘C was developed. We found out that the decomposition of Zn(OH)2 precipitations, formed in lower NH3⋅H2O concentration, in the bulk solution facilitates the formation of flower-like structure. In higher temperature, 90∘C, ZnO nanoplate arrays were synthesized by the hydrolysis of zinc hydroxide. Highly dense ZnO nanoparticale layer formed by the reaction of NH3⋅H2O with Zn plating layer in the initial self-seed process could improve the vertical alignment of the nanowires arrays. The diameter of ZnO nanowire arrays, from 200 nm to 60 nm, could be effectively controlled by changing the stability of Zn(NH3)42+ complex ions by varying the ratio of Zn(NO3)2 to NH3⋅H2O which further influence the release rate of Zn2+ ions. This is also conformed by different amounts of the Zn vacancy as determined by different UV emissions of the PL spectra in the range of 380–403 nm

FOXL2 and DMRT1L Are Yin and Yang Genes for Determining Timing of Sex Differentiation in the Bivalve Mollusk Patinopecten yessoensis

Sex determination and differentiation have long been a research hotspot in metazoans. However, little is known about when and how sex differentiation occurs in most mollusks. In this study, we conducted a combined morphological and molecular study on sex differentiation in the Yesso scallop Patinopecten yessoensis. Histological examination on gonads from 5- to 13-month-old juveniles revealed that the morphological sex differentiation occurred at 10 months of age. To determine the onset of molecular sex differentiation, molecular markers were screened for early identification of sex. The gonadal expression profiles of eight candidate genes for sex determination or differentiation showed that only two genes displayed sexually dimorphic expression, with FOXL2 being abundant in ovaries and DMRT1L in testes. In situ hybridization revealed that both of them were detected in germ cells and follicle cells. We therefore developed LOG10(DMRT1L/FOXL2) for scallop sex identification and confirmed its feasibility in differentiated individuals. By tracing its changes in 5- to 13-month-old juveniles, molecular sex differentiation time was determined: some scallops differentiate early in September when they are 7 months old, and some do late in December when they are 10 months old. Two kinds of coexpression patterns were found between FOXL2 and DMRT1L: expected antagonism after differentiation and unexpected coordination before differentiation. Our results revealed that scallop sex differentiation co-occurs with the formation of follicles, and molecular sex differentiation is established prior to morphological sex differentiation. Our study will assist in a better understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying bivalve sex differentiation

Development of Novel Cardiac Indices and Assessment of Factors Affecting Cardiac Activity in a Bivalve Mollusc Chlamys farreri

Cardiac activity has been widely used in marine molluscs as an indicator for their physiological status in response to environmental changes, which is, however, largely less studied in scallops. Here, we monitored cardiac performance of Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri using an infrared-based method, and evaluated the effects of several biotic (shell height, total weight, and age) and environmental factors (circadian rhythm and temperature) on scallop heart rate (HR), amplitude (HA), and rate-amplitude product (RAP). Results revealed that size has a significant effect on both HR (negative) and HA (positive), but RAP values are similar in different sized scallops. Age also affects scallop cardiac performance, significantly for HR, but not for HA or RAP. Circadian rhythm affects cardiac activity, with significant elevation of HR, HA and RAP during 1:00–8:00 and 17:00–19:00. With seawater temperature elevation, HR peaks at 30.03 ± 0.23°C, HA at 15.08 ± 0.02°C, and RAP at 15.10 ± 0.19 and 30.12 ± 0.28°C. This suggests HR is a good indicator for thermal limit, whereas HA may indicate optimal growth temperature, and RAP could be an index of myocardial oxygen consumption to indicate myocardium stress. Our study provides basic information on the factors that may affect scallop cardiac performance. It also elucidates the feasibility of HA and RAP as cardiac indices in marine molluscs

Birthrates and delay times of Type Ia supernovae

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) play an important role in diverse areas of astrophysics, from the chemical evolution of galaxies to observational cosmology. However, the nature of the progenitors of SNe Ia is still unclear. In this paper, according to a detailed binary population synthesis study, we obtained SN Ia birthrates and delay times from different progenitor models, and compared them with observations. We find that the Galactic SN Ia birthrate from the double-degenerate (DD) model is close to those inferred from observations, while the birthrate from the single-degenerate (SD) model accounts for only about 1/2-2/3 of the observations. If a single starburst is assumed, the distribution of the delay times of SNe Ia from the SD model is a weak bimodality, where the WD + He channel contributes to the SNe Ia with delay times shorter than 100Myr, and the WD + MS and WD + RG channels to those with age longer than 1Gyr.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, accepted by Science in China Series G (Dec.30, 2009

Higher fibrinogen and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio are associated with the early poor response to intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke

BackgroundInflammation and platelet activation play pivotal roles in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) pathogenesis. Early response to thrombolysis is a vital indicator for the long-term prognosis of AIS. However, the correlation between fibrinogen or the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the early response to intravenous thrombolysis in patients with AIS remains unclear.MethodsAIS patients undergoing intravenous thrombolysis were enrolled between January 2018 and May 2023. Blood cell counts were sampled before thrombolysis. A good response was defined as a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score decreased ≥4 or complete recovery 24 h after thrombolysis treatment. A poor response was defined as any increase in the NIHSS score or a decrease in the NIHSS score <4 at the 24 h after thrombolysis treatment compared with that at admission. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the relationship of the fibrinogen level and NLR with a poor thrombolysis response. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess the ability of the fibrinogen level and NLR to discriminate poor responders.ResultsAmong 700 recruited patients, 268 (38.29%) were diagnosed with a good response, and 432 (61.71%) were diagnosed with a poor response to intravenous thrombolysis. A binary logistic regression model indicated that an elevated fibrinogen level (odds ratio [OR], 1.693; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.325–2.122, P < 0.001) and NLR (OR, 1.253; 95% CI, 1.210–2.005, P = 0.001) were independent factors for a poor response. The area under the curve (AUC) values for the fibrinogen level, NLR and fibrinogen level combined with the NLR for a poor response were 0.708, 0.605, and 0.728, respectively.ConclusionsOur research indicates that the levels of fibrinogen and NLR at admission can be used as a prognostic factor to predict early poor response to intravenous thrombolysis