Effects of anesthesia on conventional and speckle tracking echocardiographic parameters in a mouse model of pressure overload

Genetically‑modified mice are widely applied in cardiovascular studies as model organisms. Echocardiography is a key tool for evaluating cardiac and hemodynamic functions in mice. The present study aimed to examine the effects of isoflurane (ISF) on conventional and speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) parameters under healthy and pathological conditions using a murine model of pressure overload. In addition, the optimal dose of ISF in the process of echocardiographic measurement, with minimum cardiac contraction depression, was investigated. Conventional echocardiographic and STE examinations were performed on 38 adult C57BL/6 male mice. The mice were divided into the following three groups: The sham (n=15); mild thoracic aortic banding (TAB; n=15); and severe TAB (n=8) groups. ISF was administered under deep anesthesia (DA; 1‑2% ISF), light anesthesia (LA; 0.5‑1% ISF) and immediately prior to the mice waking up (awake; 0‑0.5% ISF). Conventional echocardiographic parameters were preserved within the sham and mild TAB groups (P>0.05 for each parameter) under LA and awake conditions. However, under DA conditions, the majority of these parameters were reduced compared with the LA and awake conditions (P<0.05). In the severe TAB group, conventional echocardiographic parameters remained constant under LA, DA and awake conditions. STE parameters in the groups remained similar between the LA and awake conditions, but were significantly reduced under DA conditions. Therefore, conventional echocardiography and STE may be performed using LA induced with low doses of ISF, under various pathological conditions without affecting cardiac function

Photonic crystal fiber half-taper probe based refractometer

A compact singlemode - photonic crystal fiber - singlemode fiber tip (SPST) refractive index sensor is demonstrated in this paper. A CO2 laser cleaving technique is utilised to provide a clean-cut fiber tip which is then coated by a layer of gold to increase reflection. An average sensitivity of 39.1 nm/RIU and a resolvable index change of 2.56 x 10-4 are obtained experimentally with a ~3.2 µm diameter SPST. The temperature dependence of this fiber optic sensor probe is presented. The proposed SPST refractometer is also significantly less sensitive to temperature and an experimental demonstration of this reduced sensitivity is presented in the paper. Because of its compactness, ease of fabrication, linear response, low temperature dependency, easy connectivity to other fiberized optical components and low cost, this refractometer could find various applications in chemical and biological sensing

Gold Adatoms and Dimers on Relaxed Graphite Surfaces

The interaction of deposited gold adatoms and dimers with multilayer relaxed graphite surfaces is investigated through a density functional approach with numerical orbitals and a relativistic core pseudopotential. The energy landscape for a gold adatom along [110] agrees with scanning tunneling microscopy observations including the preferred β binding site for adatoms and the mobility difference between silver and gold adatoms. Deposited particles are shown to induce surface deformation and polarization. Static relaxation and dynamic simulations indicate that the energetically preferred binding orientation for a gold dimer is normal rather than parallel to the graphite surface. The dimer response to a simulated scanning tunneling microscopy tip is investigated by molecular dynamics simulations

NETSTARS 模式加入橋墩沖刷功能之研究─以八掌溪為例

This study applies NETSTARS V3.0 by adding the calculation functions of eighteen pier scour formulas based on a comprehensive literature review to demonstrate local scour mechanisms. The study area is a reach of the Pachang Creek from the Housheng Bridge to the Chukou Bridge. We do not set the structures and weirs in the river to be scoured. Simulations are conducted by setting boundary conditions and importing information about nineteen bridges, and validations are separated into two steps as: general scouring and bridge local scouring. The best parameters are qualified by computing error evaluated parameter to fit the changing tendencies of the Pachang Creek. Finally, long-term riverbed evolution is simulated. The results show that there are 5 bridges with erosion trends. The results can be used as a reference for one-dimensional numerical models with pier scouring functions.本研究以NETSTARS V3.0 功能為基礎，根據橋墩沖刷研究，撰寫橋墩沖刷功能並新增18 個常用的橋墩沖刷公式於模式中。研究區域為八掌溪厚生橋至觸口橋河段。在輸砂模式建置上，將結構物設定為不可沖刷，並輸入邊界條件與現有19 座橋樑資訊，完成一般沖刷與局部沖刷階段之參數檢定，並利用誤差評估參數檢視最佳參數以反應八掌溪流域河床變遷趨勢。最後對未來十年河床沖淤進行預測，推測有沖刷趨勢的橋樑共5 座，研究成果可作為一維數值模式新增橋墩沖刷功能之參考

Case Report: A 65-year-old man with paraganglioma accompanied by elevated interleukin-6 levels and KIF1B single gene mutation

Paraganglioma is a less prevalent disease, and paraganglioma with only secreting interleukin-6 (IL-6) has not been previously reported. A 64-year-old male patient came to the hospital with the chief complaints of fever and palpitations. The peak body temperature was 38.7°C (101.66°F). Heart rate was 110 bpm, while blood pressure was in the normal range. Antibiotics and antiviral therapies were ineffective. The levels of blood IL-6, C-reactive protein (CRP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), platelets (PLT), glutamyltransferase (GGT), fibrinogen, and D-dimer were all elevated. Infectious diseases, auto-immune diseases, and hematological malignancy were all excluded. Nearly 10 years ago, a large retroperitoneal mass of the patient was detected by accident. Fortunately, there have been no special symptoms for the past 10 years after regular follow-up. After admission this time, PET-CT was performed. A large confounding density mass at the upper part of the abdominal and retroperitoneal area was seen, and the possibility of paraganglioma was considered. However, biochemical assays for blood and urine catecholamine and their metabolites including adrenaline, norepinephrine, 3-methoxytyramine, methoxyepinephrine, methoxynorepinephrine, and vanillylmandelic acid were all in normal range in spite of mild elevated dopamine with no significance. The whole-exome capture and sequencing of the genomic DNA of the patient showed a heterozygous mutation in the coding site of KIF1B gene (Coding: NM_015047.3:c.4660G&gt;C, Mutation: p.Val1554Leu; chromosomal location was chr1: 10428570). The mutation at this locus of KIF1B has not been reported previously. The patient refused the surgical treatment. Because the mass burdens several important organs including the pancreas, the risk of surgery was high. Doxazosin was then administered to the patient. After taking doxazosin, the symptoms disappeared rapidly. Body temperature returned to normal range in 3 days. Heart rate decreased to approximately 90 bpm. In the following days, the levels of IL-6, CPR, ALP, platelets, GGT fibrinogen, and D-dimer continued to decrease. After 63 days of taking doxazosin, IL-6 level was completely normal. After 190 days of medication, hemoglobin (Hb) and GGT levels also returned to the normal range. After 1 year onset, the patient again underwent a blood test. Almost all blood indexes were in the normal range including IL-6

Socioeconomic impact assessment of China's CO2 emissions peak prior to 2030

China is the largest emitter of carbon emissions in the world. In this paper, we present an Integrated Model of Economy and Climate (IMEC), an optimization model based on the input-output model. The model is designed to assess the tradeoff between emission deceleration and economic growth. Given that China's projected average growth rate will exceed 5% over the next two decades, we find that China may reach its peak CO2 emissions levels by 2026. According to this scenario, China's carbon emissions will peak at 11.20 Gt in 2026 and will then decline to 10.84 Gt in 2030. Accordingly, approximately 22 Gt of CO2 will be removed from 2015 to 2035 relative to the scenario wherein China's CO2 emissions peak in 2030. While this earlier peaking of carbon emissions will result in a decline in China's GDP, several sectors, such as Machinery and Education, will benefit. In order to reach peak CO2 emissions by 2026, China needs to reduce its annual GDP growth rate to less than 4.5% by 2030 and decrease energy and carbon intensity levels by 43% and 45%, respectively, from 2015 to 2030