The Dirichlet and the weighted metrics for the space of Kahler metrics

In this work we study the intrinsic geometry of the space of Kahler metrics under various Riemannian metrics. The first part is on the Dirichlet metric. We motivate its study, we compute its curvature, and we make links with the Calabi metric, the K-energy, the degenerate complex Hessian equation. The second part is on the weighted metrics, for which we investigate as well their geometric properties.Comment: 33 pages, new sections on the weighted metric

Tensile deformation of silver micro-wires of small thickness-to-grain-size ratios

A recent letter from us has indicated that the tensile proof strength of polycrystalline Ag micro-wires, with thicknesses in the range from 20 to 50. μm, depends strongly on the specimen size (t) and weakly on the grain size (d) when t/. d becomes smaller than about 3. In this work, we report further coupled effects of specimen size and grain size in the regime when their ratio is small. At a given grain size from 3 to 40. μm, the tensile elongation was found to decrease as the wire thickness decreases, and as the t/. d ratio gets smaller than about 3, the tensile elongation loses its dependence on the grain size. The work-hardening rate was found to scale approximately with the proof strength, and so they should be controlled by the same metallurgical factors. Transmission electron microscopy examination of the dislocation microstructures showed that in the regime where the grain size dominates strength and ductility, the dislocation density rises rapidly on deformation, but in the regime where the specimen thickness dominates strength and ductility, the dislocation density remains on the same order of magnitude as the undeformed state. The easy escape of dislocations from the specimen is thought to be the reason for the observed size effect of strength. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.postprin

Extract of Zanthoxylum bungeanum maxim seed oil reduces hyperlipidemia in hamsters fed high-fat diet via activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ

Purpose: To investigate the anti-hyperlipidaemic effect of extract of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. seed oil (EZSO) on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemic hamsters.Methods: Following feeding with HFD for 30 days, hyperlipidemic hamsters were intragastrically treated with EZSO for 60 days. Serum levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density-lipoproteincholesterol (LDL-C), nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were analyzed. Protein expression and location of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in liver were determined by Western blot and immunohistochemical assays, respectively.Results: EZSO at 5 and 10 g/kg significantly reduced levels of TG by 26 and 23 % (p < 0.05), TC by 19 % (p < 0.01) and 13 % (p < 0.01), LDL-C by 18 % (p < 0.05) and 21 % (p < 0.01), NO by 15 % (p < 0.01) and 31 % (p < 0.01), and MDA by 16 % (p < 0.05) and 30 % (p < 0.01), respectively, in serum of hyperlipidemic hamsters. However, EZSO did not show significant effect on HDL-C level in serum. Furthermore, EZSO at 5 and 10 g/kg markedly promoted protein expression of PPARγ by 71 % (p < 0.05) and 102 % (p < 0.01) in liver tissue of hyperlipidemic hamsters. EZSO also notably increased the content of PPARγ protein in the nucleus of liver cells of hyperlipidemic hamsters.Conclusion: These findings suggest that EZSO can reduce hyperlipidemia and improve oxidative stress in hyperlipidemic hamsters through activation of PPARγ, and that EZSO is a promising novel hypolipidemic health product.Keywords: Zanthoxylum bungeanum, Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ, Hyperlipidemia, Hamster, High-fat die

The expression patterns of nogo-A, myelin associated glycoprotein and oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein in the retina after ocular hypertension : the expression of myelin proteins in the retina in glaucoma

Nogo-A, a major myelin inhibitory protein, inhibits axon growth and synaptic function in the central nervous system. Glaucoma is a progressive neuropathy as a result of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death. Synaptic degeneration is thought to be an early pathology of neurodegeneration in glaucoma and precedes RGC loss. Here experimental ocular hypertension model was induced in adult rats with laser coagulation of the episcleral and limbal veins. The expression of Nogo-A, myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) and oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein (OMgp) in the retina was investigated using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. We found that Nogo-A was expressed in the RGCs and upregulated after the induction of ocular hypertension. OMgp was only expressed in the inner plexiform layer. There was no MAG expression in the retina. Our data provided, for the first time, the expression patterns of three myelin proteins in the adult retina and suggested an important role of Nogo-A in the RGC death and synaptic degeneration in glaucoma. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.postprin

Spontaneous recovery of hydrogen-degraded TiO₂ ceramic capacitors

2003-2004 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Initial validation of Chinese Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia Scale (C-PAINAD)

2007-2008 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Relationship of prenatal maternal obesity and diabetes to offspring neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders: a narrative review

Obesity and diabetes is a worldwide public health problem among women of reproductive age. This narrative review highlights recent epidemiological studies regarding associations of maternal obesity and diabetes with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders in offspring, and provides an overview of plausible underlying mechanisms and challenges for future human studies. A comprehensive search strategy selected terms that corresponded to the domains of interest (maternal obesity, different types of diabetes, offspring cognitive functions and neuropsychiatric disorders). The databases searched for articles published between January 2010 and April 2019 were PubMed, Web of Science and CINAHL. Evidence from epidemiological studies strongly suggests that maternal pre-pregnancy obesity is associated with increased risks for autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and cognitive dysfunction with modest effect sizes, and that maternal diabetes is associated with the risk of the former two disorders. The influence of maternal obesity on other psychiatric disorders is less well studied, but there are reports of associations with increased risks for offspring depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and eating disorders, at modest effect sizes. It remains unclear whether these associations are due to intrauterine mechanisms or explained by confounding family-based sociodemographic, lifestyle and genetic factors. The plausible underlying mechanisms have been explored primarily in animal models, and are yet to be further investigated in human studies

Antisense epidermal growth factor receptor RNA transfection in human glioblastoma cells down-regulates telomerase activity and telomere length

Epidermal growth factor receptor is overexpressed and/or amplified in up to 50% of glioblastomas, suggesting an important role of this gene in glial tumorigenesis and progression. In the present study we demonstrated that epidermal growth factor receptor is involved in regulation of telomerase activity in glioblastoma. Antisense-epidermal growth factor receptor approach was used to inhibit epidermal growth factor receptor expression of glioblastoma U87MG cells. Telomerase activity in antisense-epidermal growth factor receptor cells decreased by up to 54 folds compared with control cells. Moreover, the telomere lengths of antisense-epidermal growth factor receptor cells were shortened. In addition, the tumorigenicity of antisense-epidermal growth factor receptor cells was significantly inhibited. Taken together, there were strong correlations between tumorigenicity and epidermal growth factor receptor expression levels, and between tumorigenicity and telomerase activity. These results provide evidence that epidermal growth factor receptor plays an important role in the regulation of telomerase activity of glioma cells. Our findings provide new insights into both the biological functions of epidermal growth factor receptor and the regulation of telomerase activity. The inhibition of telomerase activity triggered by antisense-epidermal growth factor receptor treatment may reflect yet another mechanism of antisense-epidermal growth factor receptor approach in tumour suppression

Observation of CR Anisotropy with ARGO-YBJ

The measurement of the anisotropies of cosmic ray arrival direction provides important informations on the propagation mechanisms and on the identification of their sources. In this paper we report the observation of anisotropy regions at different angular scales. In particular, the observation of a possible anisotropy on scales between $\sim$ 10 $^{\circ}$ and $\sim$ 30 $^{\circ}$ suggests the presence of unknown features of the magnetic fields the charged cosmic rays propagate through, as well as potential contributions of nearby sources to the total flux of cosmic rays. Evidence of new weaker few-degree excesses throughout the sky region $195^{\circ}\leq$ R.A. $\leq 315^{\circ}$ is reported for the first time.Comment: Talk given at 12th TAUP Conference 2011, 5-9 September 2011, Munich, German

Brown Carbon Aerosol in Urban Xi’an, Northwest China: TheComposition and Light Absorption Properties

Light-absorbing organic carbon (i.e., brown carbon or BrC) in the atmospheric aerosol has significant contribution to light absorption and radiative forcing. However, the link between BrC optical properties and chemical composition remains poorly constrained. In this study, we combine spectrophotometric measurements and chemical analyses of BrC samples collected from July 2008 to June 2009 in urban Xi'an, Northwest China. Elevated BrC was observed in winter (5 times higher than in summer), largely due to increased emissions from wintertime domestic biomass burning. The light absorption coefficient of methanol-soluble BrC at 365 nm (on average approximately twice that of water-soluble BrC) was found to correlate strongly with both parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (parent-PAHs, 27 species) and their carbonyl oxygenated derivatives (carbonyl-OPAHs, 15 species) in all seasons (r(2) > 0.61). These measured parent-PAHs and carbonyl-OPAHs account for on average similar to 1.7% of the overall absorption of methanol-soluble BrC, about 5 times higher than their mass fraction in total organic carbon (OC, similar to 0.35%). The fractional solar absorption by BrC relative to element carbon (EC) in the ultraviolet range (300-400 nm) is significant during winter (42 +/- 18% for water-soluble BrC and 76 +/- 29% for methanol-soluble BrC), which may greatly affect the radiative balance and tropospheric photochemistry and therefore the climate and air quality