Investigation of the hydrogenation of SiCl4

A laboratory scale pressure reactor was constructed to study the 3 SiCl + 2H2 + Si yields 4 SiHCl3 reaction at pressures up to 500 psig. Reaction kinetic measurements were carried out as a function of reactor pressure, reaction temperature and H2/SiCl4 feed ratio. Based on the reaction kinetic data, the hydroclorination of SiCl4 and m.g. silicon metal is found to be an efficient process to produce SiHCl3 in good conversions and in high yields. Copper is an effective catalyst. Results of the corrosion study show that conventional nickel chromium alloys are suitable material of construction for the hydrochlorination reactor. The hydrochlorination reaction is relatively insensitive to external process parameters such as silicon particle size distribution and the impurities in the m.g. silicon metal

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome amongst patients with severe mental illness in the community in Hong Kong--a cross sectional study

Background: Patients with severe mental illness are at increased risk of developing metabolic disorders. The risk of metabolic syndrome in the Hong Kong general population is lower than that observed in western countries; however the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with severe mental illness in Hong Kong is unknown. Method: This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with severe mental illness in Hong Kong and to identify the relationships between metabolic syndrome and socio-demographic, clinical and lifestyle factors. Results: A total of 139 patients with a diagnosis of severe mental illness participated in the study. The unadjusted prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 35%. The relative risk of metabolic syndrome in comparison with the general Hong Kong population was 2.008 (95% CI 1.59-2.53, p < 0.001). In a logistic regression model sleep disruption and being prescribed first generation antipsychotics were significantly associated with the syndrome, whilst eating less than 3 portions of fruit/vegetables per day and being married were weakly associated. Conclusion The results demonstrate that metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent and that physical health inequalities in patients with severe mental illness in Hong Kong are similar to those observed in western countries. The results provide sufficient evidence to support the need for intervention studies in this setting and reinforce the requirement to conduct regular physical health checks for all patients with severe mental illness

A single-axis low-cost accelerometer fabricated using printed-circuit-board techniques

This letter presents a new single-axis low-cost printed-circuit-board (PCB)-based accelerometer. Motivated by the need to develop low-cost human-sensing accelerometer, a capacitive PCB-based microelectromechanical- system (MEMS) accelerometer is developed, and the experimental results of the prototype have demonstrated that the objective is feasible. The PCB-based MEMS accelerometer is fabricated with a metal film adhered to a PCB, which forms the two electrodes of the sensing capacitor of the accelerometer. This signal is compared with the output signal of a commercially available accelerometer, ADXL330, by Analog Devices. The prototypes are designed to have a dynamic range of ±5 g and a bandwidth from 0 to 20 Hz, which covers the range of accelerations for human limbs. The result shows that the new low-cost accelerometer can fulfill the requirement of human motion sensing. © 2009 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

Gallium vacancy and the residual acceptor in undoped GaSb studied by positron lifetime spectroscopy and photoluminescence

Positron lifetime, photoluminescence (PL), and Hall measurements were performed to study undoped p-type gallium antimonide materials. A 314 ps positron lifetime component was attributed to Ga vacancy (V Ga) related defect. Isochronal annealing studies showed at 300°C annealing, the 314 ps positron lifetime component and the two observed PL signals (777 and 797 meV) disappeared, which gave clear and strong evidence for their correlation. However, the hole concentration (∼2×10 17cm -3) was observed to be independent of the annealing temperature. Although the residual acceptor is generally related to the V Ga defect, at least for cases with annealing temperatures above 300°C, V Ga is not the acceptor responsible for the p-type conduction. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio

Osteoprotegerin mediates tumor-promoting effects of Interleukin-1beta in breast cancer cells

__Background:__ It is widely recognized that inflammation promotes breast cancer invasion and metastasis. Given the complex nature of the breast tumor inflammatory microenvironment, much remains to be understood of the molecular mechanisms that govern these effects. We have previously shown that osteoprotegerin knockdown in breast cancer cells resulted in reduced invasion and metastasis. Here we present novel insight into the role of osteoprotegerin in inflammation-driven tumor progression in breast cancer by investigating the link between osteoprotegerin, macrophages and the potent pro-inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-1beta. __Methods:__ We used human breast cancer cell lines to investigate the effects of Interleukin-1beta treatment on osteoprotegerin secretion as measured by ELISA. We analyzed public datasets containing human breast cancer genome-wide mRNA expression data to reveal a significant and positive correlation between osteoprotegerin mRNA expression and the mRNA expression of Interleukin-1beta and of monocyte chemoattractant protein CC-chemokine ligand 2. Osteoprotegerin, Interleukin-1beta and CC-chemokine ligand 2 mRNA levels were also examined by qPCR on cDNA from normal and cancerous human breast tissue. We determined the effect of Interleukin-1beta-producing macrophages on osteoprotegerin expression by co-culturing breast cancer cells and differentiated THP-1 macrophages. Immunohistochemistry was performed on human breast tumor tissue microarrays to assess macrophage infiltration and osteoprotegerin expression. To demonstrate that osteoprotegerin mediated functional effects of Interleukin-1beta we performed cell invasion studies with control and OPG siRNA knockdown on Interleukin-1beta-treated breast cancer cells. __Results:__ We report that Interleukin-1beta induces osteoprotegerin secretion, independent of breast cancer subtype and basal osteoprotegerin levels. Co-culture of breast cancer cells with Interleukin-1beta-secreting macrophages resulted in a similar increase in osteoprotegerin secretion in breast cancer cells as Interleukin-1beta treatment. Macrophage infiltration correlates with osteoprotegerin secretion in human breast tumor tissue samples. We show that osteoprotegerin secretion is regulated by Interleukin-1beta in a p38- and p42/44-dependent manner. We also demonstrate that osteoprotegerin knockdown represses Interleukin-1beta expression, Interleukin-1beta-mediated breast cancer cell invasion and MMP3 expression. __Conclusions:__ These data indicate a novel role for osteoprotegerin as a mediator of inflammation- promoted breast cancer progression

Next-generation sequencing of advanced prostate cancer treated with androgen-deprivation therapy

&lt;b&gt;Background:&lt;/b&gt; Androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) is standard treatment for locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer (PCa). Many patients develop castration resistance (castration-resistant PCa [CRPC]) after approximately 2–3 yr, with a poor prognosis. The molecular mechanisms underlying CRPC progression are unclear.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Objective:&lt;/b&gt; To undertake quantitative tumour transcriptome profiling prior to and following ADT to identify functionally important androgen-regulated pathways or genes that may be reactivated in CRPC.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Design, setting, and participants:&lt;/b&gt; RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on tumour-rich, targeted prostatic biopsies from seven patients with locally advanced or metastatic PCa before and approximately 22 wk after ADT initiation. Differentially regulated genes were identified in treatment pairs and further investigated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) on cell lines and immunohistochemistry on a separate CRPC patient cohort. Functional assays were used to determine the effect of pathway modulation on cell phenotypes.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Outcome measurements and statistical analysis:&lt;/b&gt; We searched for gene expression changes affecting key cell signalling pathways that may be targeted as proof of principle in a CRPC in vitro cell line model.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Results and limitations:&lt;/b&gt; We identified ADT-regulated signalling pathways, including the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway, and observed overexpression of β-catenin in a subset of CRPC by immunohistochemistry. We validated 6 of 12 (50%) pathway members by qRT-PCR on LNCaP/LNCaP-AI cell RNAs, of which 4 (67%) demonstrated expression changes consistent with RNA-seq data. We show that the tankyrase inhibitor XAV939 (which promotes β-catenin degradation) reduced androgen-independent LNCaP-AI cell line growth compared with androgen-responsive LNCaP cells via an accumulation of cell proportions in the G0/G1 phase and reduction in the S and G2/M phases. Our biopsy protocol did not account for tumour heterogeneity, and pathway inhibition was limited to pharmacologic approaches.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/b&gt; RNA-seq of paired PCa samples revealed ADT-regulated signalling pathways. Proof-of-principle inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway specifically delays androgen-independent PCa cell cycle progression and proliferation and warrants further investigation as a potential target for therapy for CRPC.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt

Notorious places: image, reputation, stigma: the role of newspapers in area reputations for social housing estates

This paper reviews work in several disciplines to distinguish between image, reputation and stigma. It also shows that there has been little research on the process by which area reputations are established and sustained through transmission processes. This paper reports on research into the portrayal of two social housing estates in the printed media over an extended period of time (14 years). It was found that negative and mixed coverage of the estates dominated, with the amount of positive coverage being very small. By examining the way in which dominant themes were used by newspapers in respect of each estate, questions are raised about the mode of operation of the press and the communities' collective right to challenge this. By identifying the way regeneration stories are covered and the nature of the content of positive stories, lessons are drawn for programmes of area transformation. The need for social regeneration activities is identified as an important ingredient for changing deprived-area reputations

The mutual interplay between calcification and coccolithovirus infection

© The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Johns, C. T., Grubb, A. R., Nissimov, J. I., Natale, F., Knapp, V., Mui, A., Fredricks, H. F., Van Mooy, B. A. S., & Bidle, K. D. The mutual interplay between calcification and coccolithovirus infection. Environmental Microbiology, 21(6), (2019): 1896-1915, doi:10.1111/1462-2920.14362.Two prominent characteristics of marine coccolithophores are their secretion of coccoliths and their susceptibility to infection by coccolithoviruses (EhVs), both of which display variation among cells in culture and in natural populations. We examined the impact of calcification on infection by challenging a variety of Emiliania huxleyi strains at different calcification states with EhVs of different virulence. Reduced cellular calcification was associated with increased infection and EhV production, even though calcified cells and associated coccoliths had significantly higher adsorption coefficients than non‐calcified (naked) cells. Sialic acid glycosphingolipids, molecules thought to mediate EhV infection, were generally more abundant in calcified cells and enriched in purified, sorted coccoliths, suggesting a biochemical link between calcification and adsorption rates. In turn, viable EhVs impacted cellular calcification absent of lysis by inducing dramatic shifts in optical side scatter signals and a massive release of detached coccoliths in a subpopulation of cells, which could be triggered by resuspension of healthy, calcified host cells in an EhV‐free, ‘induced media’. Our findings show that calcification is a key component of the E. huxleyi‐EhV arms race and an aspect that is critical both to the modelling of these host–virus interactions in the ocean and interpreting their impact on the global carbon cycle.We thank Liti Haramaty for her guidance and assistance in culturing and infection experiments. This research was funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF3301 to BVM and KDB and GBMF3789 to KDB) and the National Science Foundation (OCE‐1537951 and OCE‐1559179 to KDB)

A lattice model for the kinetics of rupture of fluid bilayer membranes

We have constructed a model for the kinetics of rupture of membranes under tension, applying physical principles relevant to lipid bilayers held together by hydrophobic interactions. The membrane is characterized by the bulk compressibility (for expansion), the thickness of the hydrophobic part of the bilayer, the hydrophobicity and a parameter characterizing the tail rigidity of the lipids. The model is a lattice model which incorporates strain relaxation, and considers the nucleation of pores at constant area, constant temperature, and constant particle number. The particle number is conserved by allowing multiple occupancy of the sites. An equilibrium ``phase diagram'' is constructed as a function of temperature and strain with the total pore surface and distribution as the order parameters. A first order rupture line is found with increasing tension, and a continuous increase in proto-pore concentration with rising temperature till instability. The model explains current results on saturated and unsaturated PC lipid bilayers and thicker artificial bilayers made of diblock copolymers. Pore size distributions are presented for various values of area expansion and temperature, and the fractal dimension of the pore edge is evaluated.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure

The impact of nitrogen gas flushing on the stability of seasonings: volatile compounds and sensory perception of cheese & onion seasoned potato crisps

The impact of natural cheese and onion seasoning on the sensory perception and shelf life stability of potato crisps was studied. This study was carried out to evaluate the impact of nitrogen (N2) gas flushing on the shelf-life stability and sensory attributes of cheese & onion seasoned potato crisps. Markers of lipid oxidation and flavour volatile compounds were evaluated in sliced, unwashed, batch fried potato crisps during accelerated storage at 45 °C for 10 weeks. Volatile flavour compounds were evaluated by headspace gas analysis using solid phase microextraction (SPME) GC-MS and correlated with sensory perception. Gas flushing significantly increases the shelf life of both unsalted and cheese & onion seasoned potato crisps in terms of the stability of volatile compounds and sensory perception. Further to this, the addition of the cheese & onion seasoning increased the shelf life of the base potato crisp; this is proposed to be explained by the antioxidant properties of milk proteins in the seasoning. Sensory evaluation indicated that the key negative sensory attributes reported were rancidity and stale attributes, which were correlated to the progression of lipid oxidation and loss of flavour over storage time irrespective of the packaging environment (with/without gas flushing)