The Limiting Sizes of the Habitable Planets

The astrobiological problem of the occurrence of life in the universe is discussed from the standpoint of the size and nature of planets upon which living organisms might arise. The conclusion is tentatively drawn that the most likely radius of a habitable planet lies between 10(exp 8) cm and 2 x 10(exp 9) cm. Conditions of temperature and density also bear upon the occurrence of life; thus the moon and Mercury, although both fall within the range of favorable radii, are nevertheless believed uninhabited by indigeneous life

Characteristics of Si(111) surface with embedded C84molecules

A monolayer of fullerene molecules on Si(111) surfaces is fabricated in an ultrahigh vacuum chamber through a controlled self-assembly process. The characteristics of self-assembled Si(111) surfaces, including supramolecular structures, electronic density of states, the quantum confinement effect, field emission features, and optoelectronical properties with embedded C84 are determined by the use of an ultrahigh vacuum scanning probe microscope. The results revealed that such a silicon surface with embedded C84 has a wide band gap of [similar]3.4 eV, high emission efficiency and low turn-on voltage, all of which are crucial to nano-electronics, optoelectronics, and the fabrication of semiconductor carbide. The measured data derived from photoluminescence emission experiments further confirm the corresponding band gap value obtained from I–V curves. The theoretical results from first-principles calculations for the field enhancement factor are compared with experimental measurements

Prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Taiwan: A Model for Strain Evolution Linked to Population Migration

The global evolution and spread of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), one of the most successful bacterial pathogens, remain a mystery. Advances in molecular technology in the past decade now make it possible to understand MTB strain evolution and transmission in the context of human population migration. Taiwan is a relatively isolated island, serving as a mixing vessel over the past four centuries as colonization by different waves of ethnic groups occurred. By using mycobacterial tandem repeat sequences as genetic markers, the prevalence of MTB strains in Taiwan revealed an interesting association with historical migrations of different ethnic populations, thus providing a good model to explore the global evolution and spread of MTB

Noninvasive prediction of Blood Lactate through a machine learning-based approach.

We hypothesized that blood lactate concentration([Lac]blood) is a function of cardiopulmonary variables, exercise intensity and some anthropometric elements during aerobic exercise. This investigation aimed to establish a mathematical model to estimate [Lac]blood noninvasively during constant work rate (CWR) exercise of various intensities. 31 healthy participants were recruited and each underwent 4 cardiopulmonary exercise tests: one incremental and three CWR tests (low: 35% of peak work rate for 15 min, moderate: 60% 10 min and high: 90% 4 min). At the end of each CWR test, venous blood was sampled to determine [Lac]blood. 31 trios of CWR tests were employed to construct the mathematical model, which utilized exponential regression combined with Taylor expansion. Good fitting was achieved when the conditions of low and moderate intensity were put in one model; high-intensity in another. Standard deviation of fitting error in the former condition is 0.52; in the latter is 1.82 mmol/liter. Weighting analysis demonstrated that, besides heart rate, respiratory variables are required in the estimation of [Lac]blood in the model of low/moderate intensity. In conclusion, by measuring noninvasive cardio-respiratory parameters, [Lac]blood during CWR exercise can be determined with good accuracy. This should have application in endurance training and future exercise industry

Eosinophilia triggers changes in IL-5, eotaxin and IL-17, and acts as a prognostic biomarker for atopic dermatitis

Purpose: To investigate the implication of eosinophilia in atopic dermatitis (AD).Methods: A total of 139 AD patients from The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine between February 2013 and May 2015, were involved in this study. Scoring atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) index was used to evaluate the skin lesions. The levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IL-17, INFgamma, IP-10, eotaxin and Regulated on Activation, Normal T-cell Expressed and Secreted (RANTES), were determined with commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Eosinophil counts were carried out by granulocyte count method. Correlation between SCORAD scores and levels of cytokines was analyzed using the Spearman correlation method.Results: SCORAD scores significantly increased in the eosinophil-positive group when compared to eosinophil-negative group (p < 0.05). Eosinophil counts correlated with SCORAD scores in the eosinophil-positive group (p < 0.05). INF-γ, IP-10 and RANTES levels were significantly higher in the eosinophil-positive group than in eosinophil- negative group, while IL-5, eotaxin and IL-17 levels significantly decreased in eosinophil-positive group (p < 0.05). In the eosinophil-positive group, IL-5, eotaxin and IL-17 levels positively correlated with SCORAD scores.Conclusion: Eosinophilia triggers lL-5, eotaxin and IL-17 changes and acts as a prognostic biomarker for atopic dermatitis. These findings may give further insights into the pathogenesis of AD.Keywords: Atopic dermatitis, Eosinophilia, SCORAD score, Biomarker, Cytokine

Fever Screening at Airports and Imported Dengue

Airport fever screening in Taiwan, July 2003–June 2004, identified 40 confirmed dengue cases. Results obtained by capture immunoglobulin (Ig) M and IgG enzyme-linked immunoassay, real time 1-step polymerase chain reaction, and virus isolation showed that 33 (82.5%) of 40 patients were viremic. Airport fever screening can thus quickly identify imported dengue cases

Uplift, Climate and Biotic Changes at the Eocene-Oligocene Transition in Southeast Tibet

The uplift history of southeastern Tibet is crucial to understanding processes driving the tectonic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding areas. Underpinning existing palaeoaltimetric studies has been regional mapping based in large part on biostratigraphy that assumes a Neogene modernisation of the highly diverse, but threatened, Asian biota. Here, with new radiometric dating and newly-collected plant fossil archives, we quantify the surface height of part of Tibet’s southeastern margin of Tibet in the latest Eocene (~34 Ma) to be ~3 km and rising, possibly attaining its present elevation (3.9 km) in the early Oligocene. We also find that the Eocene-Oligocene transition in southeastern Tibet witnessed leaf size diminution and a floral composition change from sub-tropical/warm temperate to cool temperate, likely reflective of both uplift and secular climate change, and that by the latest Eocene floral modernization on Tibet had already taken place implying modernization was deeply-rooted in the Paleogene