3D spherical-cap fitting procedure for (truncated) sessile nano- and micro-droplets & -bubbles

In the study of nanobubbles, nanodroplets or nanolenses immobilised on a substrate, a cross-section of a spherical-cap is widely applied to extract geometrical information from atomic force microscopy (AFM) topographic images. In this paper, we have developed a comprehensive 3D spherical cap fitting procedure (3D-SCFP) to extract morphologic characteristics of complete or truncated spherical caps from AFM images. Our procedure integrates several advanced digital image analysis techniques to construct a 3D spherical cap model, from which the geometrical parameters of the nanostructures are extracted automatically by a simple algorithm. The procedure takes into account all valid data points in the construction of the 3D spherical cap model to achieve high fidelity in morphology analysis. We compare our 3D fitting procedure with the commonly used 2D cross-sectional profile fitting method to determine the contact angle of a complete spherical cap and a truncated spherical cap. The results from 3D-SCFP are consistent and accurate, while 2D fitting is unavoidably arbitrary in selection of the cross-section and has a much lower number of data points on which the fitting can be based, which in addition is biased to the top of the spherical cap. We expect that the developed 3D spherical-cap fitting procedure will find many applications in imaging analysis.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figure

Sulfotanshinone Sodium Injection for Unstable Angina Pectoris: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective. To assess the effect of sulfotanshinone sodium injection for unstable angina. Methods. We searched for published and unpublished studies up to June 2011. We included randomized controlled trials that confoundedly addressed the effect of sulfotanshinone sodium injection in the treatment of unstable angina. Results. Twenty-five studies involving 2,377 people were included. There was no evidence that sulfotanshinone sodium alone had better or worse effects to routine western medicine treatments in improving clinical symptoms (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.11) and ECG (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.09). However, there was evidence that sulfotanshinone sodium combined with western medications was a better treatment option than western medications alone in improving clinical symptoms (RR 1.28, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.3), ECG (RR 1.26, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.35), C-reaction protein (mean difference 2.10, 95% CI 1.63 to 2.58), and IL-6 (mean difference −3.85, 95% CI −4.10 to −3.60). There was no difference between sulfotanshinone sodium plus western medications and western medications alone affecting mortality (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.02 to 12.13). Conclusion. Compared with western medications alone, sulfotanshinone sodium combined with western medications may provide more benefits for patients with unstable angina. Further large-scale high-quality trials are warranted

Capacitive Properties and Structure of RuO₂-HfO₂ Films Prepared by Thermal Decomposition Method

Binary RuO2-HfO2 films on Ti substrates were prepared by a thermal decomposition method. cyclic voltammetric and charge/discharge properties of the RuO2-HfO2 electrodes were characterized. It was determined that the incorporation of HfO2 into RuO 2 greatly improved the capacitive properties of the material. The RuO2-HfO2 electrodes showed excellent cyclic stability, with no decay in charge capability during 1000 CV cycles in acidic solution. A nominal content of 50 mol% RuO2 and 50 mol% HfO2 gave the highest specific capacitance of 789.3 F/g (RuO2). The excellent capacitive properties and stability were related to the hydrous amorphous mixed-oxides formed in the film. This work proves that high capacitive performance of RuO2-based electrode materials can be obtained by thermal decomposition, even with the retained chloride in the film

Capacitive Properties and Structure of RuO₂-HfO₂ Films Prepared by Thermal Decomposition Method

Binary RuO2-HfO2 films on Ti substrates were prepared by a thermal decomposition method. cyclic voltammetric and charge/discharge properties of the RuO2-HfO2 electrodes were characterized. It was determined that the incorporation of HfO2 into RuO 2 greatly improved the capacitive properties of the material. The RuO2-HfO2 electrodes showed excellent cyclic stability, with no decay in charge capability during 1000 CV cycles in acidic solution. A nominal content of 50 mol% RuO2 and 50 mol% HfO2 gave the highest specific capacitance of 789.3 F/g (RuO2). The excellent capacitive properties and stability were related to the hydrous amorphous mixed-oxides formed in the film. This work proves that high capacitive performance of RuO2-based electrode materials can be obtained by thermal decomposition, even with the retained chloride in the film

Seed Germination Responses to Seasonal Temperature and Drought Stress Are Species‐Specific but Not Related to Seed Size in a Desert Steppe: Implications for Effect of Climate Change on Community Structure

Investigating how seed germination of multiple species in an ecosystem responds to environmental conditions is crucial for understanding the mechanisms for community structure and biodiversity maintenance. However, knowledge of seed germination response of species to environmental conditions is still scarce at the community level. We hypothesized that responses of seed germination to environmental conditions differ among species at the community level, and that germination response is not correlated with seed size. To test this hypothesis, we determined the response of seed germination of 20 common species in the Siziwang Desert Steppe, China, to seasonal temperature regimes (representing April, May, June, and July) and drought stress (0, −0.003, −0.027, −0.155, and −0.87 MPa). Seed germination percentage increased with increasing temperature regime, but Allium ramosum, Allium tenuissimum, Artemisia annua, Artemisia mongolica, Artemisia scoparia, Artemisia sieversiana, Bassia dasyphylla, Kochia prastrata, and Neopallasia pectinata germinated to \u3e60% in the lowest temperature regime (April). Germination decreased with increasing water stress, but Allium ramosum, Artemisia annua, Artemisia scoparia, Bassia dasyphylla, Heteropappus altaicus, Kochia prastrata, Neopallasia pectinata, and Potentilla tanacetifolia germinated to near 60% at −0.87 MPa. Among these eight species, germination of six was tolerant to both temperature and water stress. Mean germination percentage in the four temperature regimes and the five water potentials was not significantly correlated with seed mass or seed area, which were highly correlated. Our results suggest that the species‐specific germination responses to environmental conditions are important in structuring the desert steppe community and have implications for predicting community structure under climate change. Thus, the predicted warmer and dryer climate will favor germination of drought‐tolerant species, resulting in altered proportions of germinants of different species and subsequently change in community composition of the desert steppe

Tumor Suppressor Function of Syk in Human MCF10A In Vitro and Normal Mouse Mammary Epithelium In Vivo

The normal function of Syk in epithelium of the developing or adult breast is not known, however, Syk suppresses tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis in breast cancer cells. Here, we demonstrate that in the mouse mammary gland, loss of one Syk allele profoundly increases proliferation and ductal branching and invasion of epithelial cells through the mammary fat pad during puberty. Mammary carcinomas develop by one year. Syk also suppresses proliferation and invasion in vitro. siRNA or shRNA knockdown of Syk in MCF10A breast epithelial cells dramatically increased proliferation, anchorage independent growth, cellular motility, and invasion, with formation of functional, extracellular matrix-degrading invadopodia. Morphological and gene microarray analysis following Syk knockdown revealed a loss of luminal and differentiated epithelial features with epithelial to mesenchymal transition and a gain in invadopodial cell surface markers CD44, CD49F, and MMP14. These results support the role of Syk in limiting proliferation and invasion of epithelial cells during normal morphogenesis, and emphasize the critical role of Syk as a tumor suppressor for breast cancer. The question of breast cancer risk following systemic anti-Syk therapy is raised since only partial loss of Syk was sufficient to induce mammary carcinomas

A New Chinese Medicine Intestine Formula Greatly Improves the Effect of Aminosalicylate on Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic lifelong inflammatory disorder of the colon. Current medical treatment of UC relies predominantly on the use of traditional drugs, including aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, and immunosuppressants, which failed to effectively control this disease’s progression and produced various side effects. Here, we report a new Chinese medicine intestine formula (CIF) which greatly improved the effect of mesalazine, an aminosalicylate, on UC. In the present study, 60 patients with chronic UC were treated with oral mesalazine alone or in combination with CIF enema. The combination of mesalazine and CIF greatly and significantly improved the clinical symptoms and colon mucosal condition and improved the Mayo Clinic Disease Activity Index and health-related quality of life, when compared to mesalazine alone. In particular, the addition of CIF further decreased serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and hypersensitivity C-reactive protein but in contrast increased interleukin-4. Thus, the results demonstrate the beneficial role of CIF in UC treatment, which may be mediated by the regulation of inflammation

Carbonaceous electrode materials for supercapacitor: Preparation and surface functionalization

Supercapacitors became more and more important recently in the area of energy storage and conversion. Their large power deliveries abilities, high stability and environmental friendliness characteristics draw tremendous attention in high-power applications such as public transit networks. Carbonaceous materials with unique surface and electrochemical properties were widely used in supercapacitors as electrode materials. This review focuses on the developments in supercapacitor electrodes made from carbonaceous materials recently, their working principle and evaluation parameters were summarized briefly. The preparation methods and electrochemical properties of different carbonaceous materials were compared and classified. It was found that the surface situation (e.g., porous structure, hydrophilic) of carbonaceous materials strongly affect the electrochemical performances of supercapacitor. So far, active carbons would be the most applicable carbonaceous electrode materials owing to their good chemical stability and conductivity, extensive accessibility inexpensiveness. But their energy densities still fall behind practical demands. Both theoretical calculations and experimental studies show that surface modification and doping of carbonaceous materials can not only optimize their pore size, structure, conductivity and surface properties, but also can introduce extra pseudocapacitance into these materials. Considering global environmental pollution and energy shortage problems nowadays, we sincerely suggested that future work should focus on domestic, medical and industrial wastes residues derived carbonaceous materials and scaled production process such as reactors and exhaust gas treatment