Ultra-Sensitive Piezo-Resistive Sensors Constructed with Reduced Graphene Oxide/Polyolefin Elastomer (RGO/POE) Nanofiber Aerogels.

Flexible wearable pressure sensors have received extensive attention in recent years because of the promising application potentials in health management, humanoid robots, and human machine interfaces. Among the many sensory performances, the high sensitivity is an essential requirement for the practical use of flexible sensors. Therefore, numerous research studies are devoted to improving the sensitivity of the flexible pressure sensors. The fiber assemblies are recognized as an ideal substrate for a highly sensitive piezoresistive sensor because its three-dimensional porous structure can be easily compressed and can provide high interconnection possibilities of the conductive component. Moreover, it is expected to achieve high sensitivity by raising the porosity of the fiber assemblies. In this paper, the three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide/polyolefin elastomer (RGO/POE) nanofiber composite aerogels were prepared by chemical reducing the graphene oxide (GO)/POE nanofiber composite aerogels, which were obtained by freeze drying the mixture of the GO aqueous solution and the POE nanofiber suspension. It was found that the volumetric shrinkage of thermoplastic POE nanofibers during the reduction process enhanced the compression mechanical strength of the composite aerogel, while decreasing its sensitivity. Therefore, the composite aerogels with varying POE nanofiber usage were prepared to balance the sensitivity and working pressure range. The results indicated that the composite aerogel with POE nanofiber/RGO proportion of 3:3 was the optimal sample, which exhibits high sensitivity (ca. 223 kPa-1) and working pressure ranging from 0 to 17.7 kPa. In addition, the composite aerogel showed strong stability when it is either compressed with different frequencies or reversibly compressed and released 5000 times

The Factors Influencing Teachers' Willingness to Remain in Rural Areas After the Expiration of Their Compulsory Service Contract: A Case Study in Enshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China

Quality education can only be achieved with the assistance of experienced and qualified teachers. In order to ensure quality education in disadvantaged areas in China, it is necessary to keep experienced teachers in rural areas. This paper investigates factors that could influence rural teachers’ decision to stay or not on teaching at the expiry of their service contract. As a part of project, “Research on rural Teacher Training Mode in Minority Areas of Hubei Province in post-poverty Era “data from 1193 rural teachers who had qualified from a government teacher training programme from selected villages under the jurisdiction of the Enshi Prefecture, Hubei province was collected. As part of the survey, a number of factors are examined that influence a teacher's willingness to stay or leave, as well as remedial measures that are deemed necessary to prevent teachers from leaving. For the analysis of the data, SPSS 25 and AMOS 24 were used. The study found that the teachers have a high willingness to stay on the job after the contract expires. Among the factors contributing to their willingness are the local cultural environment, the local infrastructure attachment to the area, and the school's working environment. Wage income, professional identity, professional development, and school working conditions also play an important role as maintenance factors. There is a direct relationship between the rural infrastructure and a person's willingness to continue working after the expiration of a contract, and there is also direct relationship between the local attachment and the cultural atmosphere of the local community. Local attachment is the dominant factor, the local infrastructure is a secondary improvement area, and salary, promotion of opportunities, respect for teachers and education are in the priority improvement area. Finally, the paper proposes that the retention of rural teachers should be based on the cultivation of local attachment, rural revitalization, improvement of health factors and construction of “UGSR–P” cultivation of community

Direct Bypass Surgery Vs. Combined Bypass Surgery for Hemorrhagic Moyamoya Disease: A Comparison of Angiographic Outcomes

Objective: Extracranial-intracranial bypass is currently recognized as the optimal treatment for hemorrhagic-type moyamoya disease (MMD) which reduces incidence of rebleeding. Recent studies have reported the advantage of combined bypass over direct bypass for the general MMD patients. However, the effect of direct bypass and combined bypass surgery specifically for hemorrhagic-type MMD had not been investigated yet.Methods: Hemorrhagic-type MMD patients who underwent direct and combined bypass surgery with complete clinical and radiological documentation from a multicenter cohort between 2009 and 2017 were retrospectively included. Surgical methods included superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) anastomosis (direct bypass), combined STA-MCA bypass with encephalodurosynangiosis (EDS), and combined STA-MCA bypass with encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis (EDAS). Matsushima standard on follow-up catheter angiography was used to assess surgical outcome. Modified Rankin Scale, incidence of rebleeding and ischemia during follow-up were recorded. Rebleeding-free survival rates between direct and combined bypass were compared by Kaplan-Meier analysis.Results: Sixty eight hemorrhagic-onset MMD patients were included in this study, among which 71 hemispheres were treated with surgery (direct bypass: 17; bypass+EDS: 24; bypass+EDAS: 30). Forty six (64.8%) hemispheres had satisfactory revascularization (Matsushima level 2–3) and 26 (36.6%) had poor neoangiogenesis. Matsushima level was not significantly different between surgical groups (P = 0.258). Good neoangiogenesis from dural grafts was achieved in 26 (36.6%) hemispheres, and good neoangiogenesis from STA grafts was only seen in 4 (out of 30, 12.5%) hemispheres. Multivariate analysis showed bypass patency [P < 0.001, OR (95%CI): 13.41 (3.28–54.80)] and dural neoangiogenesis [P < 0.001, OR (95%CI): 13.18 (3.26–53.36)] both independently contributed to good angiographic outcome. During follow-up, incidences of rebleeding or ischemic events, and re-bleeding free survival rate were not significantly different between surgical groups (P = 0.433, P = 0.559, and P = 0.997). However, patients who underwent combined bypass surgery had significantly lower mRS at follow-up comparing to patients who underwent direct bypass (P = 0.006).Conclusion: Combined bypass surgery and direct bypass surgery offered similar revascularization for hemorrhagic MMD. Bypass patency and dural angiogenesis both contributed to revascularization independently. The potential of indirect bypass to grow new vessels in hemorrhagic-MMD patients was generally limited, but dural leaflets offered better neoangiogenesis than STA grafts and was therefore recommended for surgical revascularization of hemorrhagic MMD

In vitro evaluation of photon and carbon ion radiotherapy in combination with cisplatin in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines

BackgroundHeavy ion radiotherapy, such as carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT), has multiple advantages over conventional photon therapy. Cisplatin, as a classic anti-tumor drugs, has been tested and discovered as a photon radiosensitizer in several cell lines, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Hence, the aim of our study is to evaluate whether cisplatin can sensitize CIRT towards HNSCC cell lines in vitro.MethodsHuman nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line CNE-2, human tongue squamous carcinoma cell line TCA 8113 and human hypopharynx squamous carcinoma cell line FADU were all irradiated with photon beam of 2, 4, 6, 8 Gy (physical dose) and carbon ion beam of 1, 2, 3, 4 Gy (physical dose) and treated with cisplatin. Cell survival was assessed by clonogenic survival assay.ResultsCIRT showed significantly stronger cytotoxic effect than standard photon radiotherapy. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of carbon ion beam at 10% survival (RBE10) was calculated 3.07 for CNE-2, 2.33 for TCA 8113 and 2.36 for FADU. Chemoradiotherapy (both photon radiotherapy and CIRT) was more effective than radiotherapy alone. In vitro sensitizer enhancement ratios (SERs) of cisplatin in CNE-2, TCA 8113 and FA DU cell lines after photon irradiation were 1.33, 1.14 and 1.21, while after carbon ion irradiation were 1.02, 1.00 and 0.96, showed that cisplatin sensitized photon irradiation but showed no sensitization effect in carbon ion irradiation in all tested cell lines.ConclusionsIn conclusion, high linear energy transfer (LET) CIRT was more effective than photon irradiation to prevent the proliferation of HNSCC cell lines. Additional treatment with cisplatin could sensitize photon irradiation but showed no effect on carbon ion irradiation

Molecular dynamics studies on the NMR and X-ray structures of rabbit prion protein wild-type and mutants

Prion diseases are invariably fatal and highly infectious neurodegenerative diseases that affect a wide variety of mammalian species such as sheep, goats, mice, humans, chimpanzees, hamsters, cattle, elks, deer, minks, cats, chicken, pigs, turtles, etc. These neurodegenerative diseases are caused by the conversion from a soluble normal cellular protein into insoluble abnormally folded infectious prions and the conversion is believed to involve conformational change from a predominantly alpha-helical protein to one rich in beta-sheet structure. Such conformational changes may be amenable to study by molecular dynamics (MD) techniques. For rabbits, classical studies show they have a low susceptibility to be infected, but in 2012 it was reported that rabbit prion can be generated (though not directly) and the rabbit prion is infectious and transmissible (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 109(13): 5080-5). This paper studies the NMR and X-ray molecular structures of rabbit prion protein wild-type and mutants by MD techniques, in order to understand the specific mechanism of rabbit prion protein and rabbit prions.Comment: (The 2nd version of arXiv1304.7633

Xingshentongqiao Decoction Mediates Proliferation, Apoptosis, Orexin-A Receptor and Orexin-B Receptor Messenger Ribonucleic Acid Expression and Represses Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Signaling

Background: Hypocretin (HCRT) signaling plays an important role in the pathogenesis of narcolepsy and can be significantly influenced by Chinese herbal therapy. Our previous study showed that xingshentongqiao decoction (XSTQ) is clinically effective for the treatment of narcolepsy. To determine whether XSTQ improves narcolepsy by modulating HCRT signaling, we investigated its effects on SH-SY5Y cell proliferation, apoptosis, and HCRT receptor 1/2 (orexin receptor 1 [OX1R] and orexin receptor 2 [OX2R]) expression. The signaling pathways involved in these processes were also assessed. Methods: The effects of XSTQ on proliferation and apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells were assessed using cell counting kit-8 and annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate assays. OX1R and OX2R expression was assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Western blotting for mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway activation was performed to further assess the signaling mechanism of XSTQ. Results: XSTQ reduced the proliferation and induced apoptosis of SH-SY5Y cells. This effect was accompanied by the upregulation of OX1R and OX2R expression and the reduced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) 1/2, p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Conclusions: XSTQ inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells. XSTQ also promotes OX1R and OX2R expression. These effects are associated with the repression of the Erk1/2, p38 MAPK, and JNK signaling pathways. These results define a molecular mechanism for XSTQ in regulating HCRT and MAPK activation, which may explain its ability to treat narcolepsy

Orthostatic change in systolic blood pressure associated with cold pressor reflection and heart rate variability in the elderly

Background: Impaired orthostatic blood pressure (BP) response is a frequent finding in the elderly. The goal of the study was to investigate the association of variability of supine-to-orthostatic BP with cold pressor reflection and heart rate variability in the elderly. Methods: From June 2010 to September 2013, 287 elderly aged ≥ 60 years were enrolled in Jinan area, China. The elderly were classified into lower (n = 96), intermediate (n = 95), and higher (n = 96) tertile groups according to the tertile of the percentage change of supine-to-orthostatic systolic BP. Results: There were significant increasing trends in systolic BP response to the CPT at 0 and 60 sec; the plasma levels of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and angiotensin II; and decreasing trends in DNN, SDNN index, and SDANN from the lower to the higher tertile group, and differences between any two groups were significant (P < .05). The percentage change of supine-to-orthostatic systolic BP was positively correlated with systolic BP response to CPT at 0 and 60 sec, VLF, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and angiotensin II (P < .001) and negatively correlated with SDNN, SDNN index, SDANN, rMSSD, pNN50, LF, and ratio of LF/HF (P < .001). The BP response to CPT, parameters of HRV, and the plasma levels of norepinephrine and angiotensin II were independently associated with the percentage change of supine-to-orthostatic systolic BP after adjustment for confounders. Conclusion: Aggressive variability of supine-to-orthostatic systolic BP might be significantly associated with the imbalance of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity, especially high sensitivity sympathetic response in the elderly. Abbreviations: BP: blood pressure; BMI: body mass index; CPT: cold pressor test; HRV: heart rate variability; SDNN: standard deviation of all normal-to-normal R-R intervals; SDNN index: mean of the standard deviations of all 5-min normal-to-normal R-R intervals of the entire recording; SDANN: standard deviation of the averages of normal-to-normal R-R intervals during all 5-min periods of the entire recording; rMSSD: square root of the mean squared differences between successive normal R-R intervals; pNN50: number of adjacent normal R-R intervals differing by more than 50 ms; VLF: very low frequency; LF: low frequency; HF: high frequency; TCHO: total cholesterol; HDL-c: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-c: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; FPG: fasting plasma glucose; SD: standard deviation

Myxobolus taibaiensis sp n. (Myxozoa: Myxosporea) infecting the intestinal wall of common carp Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus in China

Myxobolus taibaiensis sp. n. was found in the inner intestinal wall of common carp, Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, during the investigation of fish parasite fauna in Lake Taibai, located in the middle reach of the Yangtze River, China. The whitish ellipsoidal plasmodia, up to 2.9 mm long and 1.7 mm wide, developed in the circular muscle layer of the intestinal wall and produced significant compression into adjacent tissues, but no significant inflammatory responses were observed against this infection. Mature spores are oval in frontal view and lemon-like in lateral and apical view, averaging 10.2-11.2 mu m (10.8 +/- 0.2 mu m) in length, 9.1-9.9 mu m (9.6 +/- 0.2 mu m) in width and 6.1-6.6 mu m (6.3 +/- 0.1 mu m) in thickness. Polar capsules are pyriform, equal in size, slightly converging anteriorly, measuring 4.4-5.4 mu m (5.0 +/- 0.2 mu m) in length by 3.2-3.6 mu m (3.4 +/- 0.1 mu m) in width. Polar filaments coiled with four to five turns and arranged perpendicular to the polar capsule length, measuring up to 106 mu m. Myxobolus taibaiensis sp. n. is morphologically similar to Myxobolus rotundatus Achmerov, 1956 which also infects the inner wall of the intestine of common carp. However, the small subunit ribosomal DNA sequence identity was only 94%, generally beyond the intraspecies variation in the genus. Phylogenetically, this new species is sister to M. rotundatus and then clusters with M. shantungensis Hu, 1965 to form an independent common carp-infecting cluster within the Henneguya-Myxobolus clade

Reversible electroadhesion induced through low ion concentration migration for biomedical applications

Reversible adhesions have exhibited a great potential in the biomedical field. Here, we designed a reversible electroadhesion between anionic κ-carrageeenan hydrogel and physiological saline-based nonionic polyacrylamide hydrogel through the low and controllable ion migration. A robust adhesion was obtained between the hydrogel pairs via a direct current (DC) of 10 V. Upon the application of a reverse voltage, the pair could be effortlessly and rapidly detached. We elucidated the mechanism of reversible electroadhesion through electrochemical analysis, attributing the adhesion to the formation of double ion layers between the adhesive interfaces under the electrical field and pH variation. When a reverse voltage was applied, the adhesion strength was dropped lower than 0.1 kPa and the detachment was occurred due to the disruption of the double ion layer by ionic migration and even diffusion. Moreover, the adhesion system demonstrated outstanding electrochemical stability, with less than a 7 % variation in charge storage capability after 1000 cycles. The proposed strategy paves the way for developing high-performance adhesion hydrogels with electrically controllable functions, which are indispensable for various emerging fields like tissue repair and soft biomedical applications