Growth mode and strain evolution during InN growth on GaN(0001) by molecular-beam epitaxy

The plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy technique was used to study the epitaxial growth of InN on GaN. A relationship between film growth mode and the deposition condition was established by combining reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The sustained RHEED intensity oscillations were recorded for 2D growth while 2D nucleation islands were revealed by STM. Results showed less than three oscillation periods for 3 D growth, indicating the Strnski-Krastanov (SK) growth mode of the film.published_or_final_versio

Characterization of novel microsatellite loci in rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) and amplification in closely related species in Gobioninae

Rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) is an endangered small fish endemic to upper reach of the Yangtze River. From a (GT)n enriched genomic library, 32 microsatellites were isolated and characterized. Nineteen of these loci were polymorphic in a test population with alleles ranging from 2-7, and observed and expected heterozygosities from zero to 0.8438, and 0.2679 to 0.8264, respectively. In the cross-species amplifications, 13 out of 19 polymorphic loci were found to be also polymorphic in at least one of the 7 closely related species of the subfamily Gobioninae. These polymorphic microsatellite loci should provide sufficient level of genetic diversity to evaluate the fine-scale population structure in rare minnow and its closely related species for the conservation purpose.Rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) is an endangered small fish endemic to upper reach of the Yangtze River. From a (GT)n enriched genomic library, 32 microsatellites were isolated and characterized. Nineteen of these loci were polymorphic in a test population with alleles ranging from 2-7, and observed and expected heterozygosities from zero to 0.8438, and 0.2679 to 0.8264, respectively. In the cross-species amplifications, 13 out of 19 polymorphic loci were found to be also polymorphic in at least one of the 7 closely related species of the subfamily Gobioninae. These polymorphic microsatellite loci should provide sufficient level of genetic diversity to evaluate the fine-scale population structure in rare minnow and its closely related species for the conservation purpose

Expression of CXCL10 is associated with response to radiotherapy and overall survival in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue

Five-year survival for patients with oral cancer has been disappointingly stable during the last decades, creating a demand for new biomarkers and treatment targets. Lately, much focus has been set on immunomodulation as a possible treatment or an adjuvant increasing sensitivity to conventional treatments. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic importance of response to radiotherapy in tongue carcinoma patients as well as the expression of the CXC-chemokines in correlation to radiation response in the same group of tumours. Thirty-eight patients with tongue carcinoma that had received radiotherapy followed by surgery were included. The prognostic impact of pathological response to radiotherapy, N-status, T-stage, age and gender was evaluated using Cox's regression models, Kaplan-Meier survival curves and chi-square test. The expression of 23 CXC-chemokine ligands and their receptors were evaluated in all patients using microarray and qPCR and correlated with response to treatment using logistic regression. Pathological response to radiotherapy was independently associated to overall survival with a 2-year survival probability of 81 % for patients showing a complete pathological response, while patients with a non-complete response only had a probability of 42 % to survive for 2 years (p = 0.016). The expression of one CXC-chemokine, CXCL10, was significantly associated with response to radiotherapy and the group of patients with the highest CXCL10 expression responded, especially poorly (p = 0.01). CXCL10 is a potential marker for response to radiotherapy and overall survival in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue

The Complexity of Vascular and Non-Vascular Complications of Diabetes: The Hong Kong Diabetes Registry

Diabetes is a complex disease characterized by chronic hyperglycemia and multiple phenotypes. In 1995, we used a doctor-nurse-clerk team and structured protocol to establish the Hong Kong Diabetes Registry in a quality improvement program. By 2009, we had accrued 2616 clinical events in 9588 Chinese type 2 diabetic patients with a follow-up duration of 6 years. The detailed phenotypes at enrollment and follow-up medications have allowed us to develop a series of risk equations to predict multiple endpoints with high sensitivity and specificity. In this prospective database, we were able to validate findings from clinical trials in real practice, confirm close links between cardiovascular and renal disease, and demonstrate the emerging importance of cancer as a leading cause of death. In addition to serving as a tool for risk stratification and quality assurance, ongoing data analysis of the registry also reveals secular changes in disease patterns and identifies unmet needs

Silicon Mie Resonators for Highly Directional Light Emission from monolayer MoS2

Controlling light emission from quantum emitters has important applications ranging from solid-state lighting and displays to nanoscale single-photon sources. Optical antennas have emerged as promising tools to achieve such control right at the location of the emitter, without the need for bulky, external optics. Semiconductor nanoantennas are particularly practical for this purpose because simple geometries, such as wires and spheres, support multiple, degenerate optical resonances. Here, we start by modifying Mie scattering theory developed for plane wave illumination to describe scattering of dipole emission. We then use this theory and experiments to demonstrate several pathways to achieve control over the directionality, polarization state, and spectral emission that rely on a coherent coupling of an emitting dipole to optical resonances of a Si nanowire. A forward-to-backward ratio of 20 was demonstrated for the electric dipole emission at 680 nm from a monolayer MoS2 by optically coupling it to a Si nanowire

Nucleolar protein CSIG is required for p33ING1 function in UV-induced apoptosis

Cellular senescence-inhibited gene (CSIG) protein, a nucleolar protein with a ribosomal L1 domain in its N-terminus, can exert non-ribosomal functions to regulate biological processes, such as cellular senescence. Here, we describe a previously unknown function for CSIG: promotion of apoptosis in response to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation-induced CSIG upregulation. We identified p33ING1 as a binding partner that interacts with CSIG. After UV irradiation, p33ING1 increases its protein expression, translocates into the nucleolus and binds CSIG. p33ING1 requires its nucleolar targeting sequence region to interact with CSIG and enhance CSIG protein stability, which is essential for activation of downstream effectors, Bcl-2-associated X protein, to promote apoptosis. Thus, our data imply that p33ING1–CSIG axis functions as a novel pro-apoptotic regulator in response to DNA damage

Influences of wake-effects on bubble dynamics by utilizing micro-pin-finned surfaces under microgravity

The influences of wake on bubble dynamics under various heat fluxes have been studied in microgravity. Nucleate pool boiling experiments of FC-72 on silicon chips fabricated with micro-pin-fins were conducted in 10(-3) gravitational acceleration for 3.6 s. Experimental results indicated that wake field had little influence on bubble dynamics at low heat flux, q = 12.53 W/cm(2), but its effects on bubble dynamics became very great at moderate heat flux, q = 27.89 W/cm(2), and high heat flux, q = 39.54 W/cm(2). More importantly, wake-effects appeared even more significant in microgravity. In the wake field, the horizontal flow of the liquid on micro-pin-finned silicon chips promoted the collision, coalescence and movement of bubbles, and the vertical flow of liquid phase exerted an upward force on bubbles, which can effectively shorten the growth cycle and decrease the departure radius of bubbles. Furthermore, fresh liquid could easily be inhaled into the micro-pin-finned structure owning to the negative pressure in wake region, which can supply sufficient liquid for the growth of bubble, avoiding film boiling. The interaction between the micro-pin-finned structure and the wake effect promoted the process of bubble coalescence and departure effectively, so the process of heat transfer was significantly improved on micro-pin-finned surface. In addition, the flow field and bubble behavior in wake region were also briefly analyzed based on some reasonable simplifications and hypotheses. The theoretical analyses showed that the durations of wake-effects lasted longer than the time periods of the bubble in next generation, and the bubble diameters were also smaller than the thickness of Wake region. Therefore, the dominant bubble of next generation was influenced by the wake field during its ebullition cycle, which is consistent with the experimental phenomenon. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Brief Overview of Bioinformatics Activities in Singapore

10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000508PLoS Computational Biology5

From design to implementation - The Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) program: A descriptive report of an electronic web-based diabetes management program

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) Program is a web-based program incorporating a comprehensive risk engine, care protocols, and clinical decision support to improve ambulatory diabetes care.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The JADE Program uses information technology to facilitate healthcare professionals to create a diabetes registry and to deliver an evidence-based care and education protocol tailored to patients' risk profiles. With written informed consent from participating patients and care providers, all data are anonymized and stored in a databank to establish an Asian Diabetes Database for research and publication purpose.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The JADE electronic portal (e-portal: <url>http://www.jade-adf.org</url>) is implemented as a Java application using the Apache web server, the mySQL database and the Cocoon framework. The JADE e-portal comprises a risk engine which predicts 5-year probability of major clinical events based on parameters collected during an annual comprehensive assessment. Based on this risk stratification, the JADE e-portal recommends a care protocol tailored to these risk levels with decision support triggered by various risk factors. Apart from establishing a registry for quality assurance and data tracking, the JADE e-portal also displays trends of risk factor control at each visit to promote doctor-patient dialogues and to empower both parties to make informed decisions.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The JADE Program is a prototype using information technology to facilitate implementation of a comprehensive care model, as recommended by the International Diabetes Federation. It also enables health care teams to record, manage, track and analyze the clinical course and outcomes of people with diabetes.</p

Plasma-assisted ignition for a kerosene fueled scramjet at Mach 1.8

By using a plasma jet (PJ) torch with 1.5 kW input power as an igniter, successful ignition for liquid-kerosene fueled combustion experiment was conducted in a direct-connected supersonic test facility. The incoming flow has total temperature of 950 K and local Mach number of 1.8, corresponding to Mach 4 flight condition. In this study, several optical techniques, including high speed photography, high speed schlieren photography, and planar laser scattering (PLS) technique, were combined to study the ignition process, flame propagation, and mixing features of liquid kerosene fuel with air around the cavity. The effect of fuel injection position, injection pressure, and feedstock gas on ignition performance has been analyzed. The results indicate that local mixing is a critical factor for ignition. It is also shown that the PJ torch with N-2 + H-2 feedstock is superior to the PJ torch with N-2 feedstock for the ignition of liquid-kerosene fuel. These results are valuable for the future optimization of kerosene-fueled scramjet engine when using a PJ torch as an igniter