Mercury profiles in sediments of the Pearl River Estuary and the surrounding coastal area of South China

Author name used in this publication: Carman C. M. Ip2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Spatial and temporal variations of mercury in sediments from Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

Author name used in this publication: Carman C. M. IpAuthor name used in this publication: Chole W. Y. Tang2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Attenuation performance of a semi-active Helmholtz resonator in a grazing flow duct

Author name used in this publication: Mak, Cheuk Ming2012-2013 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Impact of the solar wind dynamic pressure on the field‐aligned currents in the magnetotail: Cluster observation

We statistically investigate the influence of the solar wind dynamic pressure (SW Pdyn) on the field-aligned currents (FACs) in the magnetotail with 1492 FAC cases from July to October in 2001 and 2004, which covers 74 Cluster crossings of the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) in both storm time and non-storm time. The FAC density in the magnetotail is derived from the magnetic field data with the four-point measurement of Cluster, and the SW Pdyn is taken from ACE data. The results indicate the FAC density becomes stronger with increasing SW Pdyn. The statistics show that the FAC occurrence increased monotonically with SW Pdyn in the three levels (Weak: SW Pdyn5 nPa). The FAC density increased with increasing SW Pdyn, while its footprint (invariant latitude, ILAT) in the polar region decreased with increasing SW Pdyn. The response of the FAC to SW Pdyn in the magnetotail had a north-south hemispheric asymmetry. The FAC density had a better correlation with SW Pdyn in the Northern hemisphere, while the footprint had a better correlation with SW Pdyn in the Southern hemisphere. Possible underlying mechanisms for our results are analyzed and discussed. However, it requires more observations and simulation studies to find out the mechanism of north-south asymmetry

MicroRNA expression, survival, and response to interferon in liver cancer

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common and aggressive cancer that occurs mainly in men. We examined microRNA expression patterns, survival, and response to interferon alfa in both men and women with the disease. METHODS: We analyzed three independent cohorts that included a total of 455 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who had undergone radical tumor resection between 1999 and 2003. MicroRNA-expression profiling was performed in a cohort of 241 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma to identify tumor-related microRNAs and determine their association with survival in men and women. In addition, to validate our findings, we used quantitative reverse-transcriptase-polymerase- chain-reaction assays to measure microRNAs and assess their association with survival and response to therapy with interferon alfa in 214 patients from two independent, prospective, randomized, controlled trials of adjuvant interferon therapy. RESULTS: In patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, the expression of miR-26a and miR-26b in nontumor liver tissue was higher in women than in men. Tumors had reduced levels of miR-26 expression, as compared with paired noncancerous tissues, which indicated that the level of miR-26 expression was also associated with hepatocellular carcinoma. Moreover, tumors with reduced miR-26 expression had a distinct transcriptomic pattern, and analyses of gene networks revealed that activation of signaling pathways between nuclear factor κB and interleukin-6 might play a role in tumor development. Patients whose tumors had low miR-26 expression had shorter overall survival but a better response to interferon therapy than did patients whose tumors had high expression of the microRNA. CONCLUSIONS: The expression patterns of microRNAs in liver tissue differ between men and women with hepatocellular carcinoma. The miR-26 expression status of such patients is associated with survival and response to adjuvant therapy with interferon alfa. Copyright © 2009 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.published_or_final_versio

MiR-200b/200c/429 subfamily negatively regulates Rho/ROCK signaling pathway to suppress hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis

MiR-200 family is an important regulator of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and has been implicated in human carcinogenesis. However, their expression and functions in human cancers remain controversial. In the work presented here, we showed that miR-200 family members were frequently down-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although all five members of miR-200 family inhibited ZEB1/2 expression in HCC cell lines, we showed that overexpression only of the miR-200b/200c/429 subfamily, but not the miR-200a/141 subfamily, resulted in impeded HCC cell migration. Further investigations led to the identification of RhoA and ROCK2 as specific down-stream targets of the miR-200b/200c/429 subfamily. We demonstrated that the miR-200b/200c/429 subfamily inhibited HCC cell migration through modulating Rho/ROCK mediated cell cytoskeletal reorganization and cell-substratum adhesion. Re-expression of miR-200b significantly suppressed lung metastasis of HCC cells in an orthotopic liver implantation model in vivo. In conclusion, our findings identified the miR-200b/200c/429 subfamily as metastasis suppressor microRNAs in human HCC and highlighted the functional discrepancy among miR-200 family members.published_or_final_versio

Patient-Specific Prosthetic Fingers by Remote Collaboration - A Case Study

The concealment of amputation through prosthesis usage can shield an amputee from social stigma and help improve the emotional healing process especially at the early stages of hand or finger loss. However, the traditional techniques in prosthesis fabrication defy this as the patients need numerous visits to the clinics for measurements, fitting and follow-ups. This paper presents a method for constructing a prosthetic finger through online collaboration with the designer. The main input from the amputee comes from the Computer Tomography (CT) data in the region of the affected and the non-affected fingers. These data are sent over the internet and the prosthesis is constructed using visualization, computer-aided design and manufacturing tools. The finished product is then shipped to the patient. A case study with a single patient having an amputated ring finger at the proximal interphalangeal joint shows that the proposed method has a potential to address the patient's psychosocial concerns and minimize the exposure of the finger loss to the public.Comment: Open Access articl

A look into the future of in-building networks: roadmapping the fiber invasion

Optical fiber-based in-building network solutions can outperform in the near future copper- and radiobased solutions both regarding performance and costs. POF solutions are maturing, and can already today be cheaper than Cat-5e solutions when ducts are shared with electricity cabling. Advanced signal modulation techniques allow high-capacity services over POF. With their extra features of multi-wavelength transport and routing, fiber solutions offer a higher network throughput and flexibility, and improved sustainability

Liver cancer immunoassay with magnetic nanoparticles and MgO-based magnetic tunnel junction sensors

This journal issue is proceedings of the 56th 56th Conference on Magnetism and Magnetic MaterialsSession DV - Sensors 2 (Poster Session): no. DV-07We have demonstrated the detection of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) labeled with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) using MgO-based magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) sensors. AFP is an important hepatic tumor biomarker and the detection of AFP has significant applications for clinical diagnostics and immunoassay for early-stage liver cancer indications. In this work, MgO-based MTJ sensors and 20-nm iron-oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were used for detecting AFP antigens by a sandwich-assay configuration. The MTJ sensors with a sensing area of 4 × 2 μm 2 possess tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) of 122 and sensitivity of 0.95/Oe at room temperature. The target AFP antigens of three concentrations were successfully detected, and the experimental data indicate that the resistance variations of the MTJ sensor increased with the AFP concentration ratios proportionally. These results demonstrate that MgO-based MTJ sensors together with MNPs are a promising biosensing platform for liver cancer immunoassay. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versionThe 56th Conference on Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, Scottsdale, AZ., 30 October-3 November 2011. In Journal of Applied Physics, 2012, v. 111 n. 7, article no. 07E50