A new Mg-2.2 wt% Zn alloy containing 1.8 wt% Ca and 0.5 wt% Mn has been developed and subjected to extrusion under different extrusion parameters.The finest(~0.48 μm) recrystallized grain structures,containing both n...A new Mg-2.2 wt% Zn alloy containing 1.8 wt% Ca and 0.5 wt% Mn has been developed and subjected to extrusion under different extrusion parameters.The finest(~0.48 μm) recrystallized grain structures,containing both nano-sized MgZn2 precipitates and α-Mn nanoparticles,were obtained in the alloy extruded at 270℃/0.01 mm s-1.In this alloy,the deformed coarse-grain region possessed a much stronger texture intensity(~32.49 mud) relative to the recrystallized fine-grain region(~13.99 mud).A positive work hardening rate in the third stage of work hardening curve was also evident in the alloy extruded at 270℃,which was related to the sharp basal texture and which provided insufficient active slip systems.The high work hardening rate in the fourth stage contributed to the high ductility extruded at 270℃/1 mm s-1.This alloy exhibited a weak texture,and the examination of fracture surface revealed highly dimpled surfaces.The optimum tensile strength was achieved in the alloy extruded at 270℃/0.01 mm s-1,and the yield strength,ultimate tensile strength and elongation to failure were^364.1 MPa,~394.5 MPa and^7.2%,respectively.Fine grain strengthening from the recrystallized fine-grain region played the greatest role in the strength increment of this alloy compared with Orowan strengthening and dislocation strengthening in the deformed coarse-grain regions.展开更多
There is now strong evidence that the paternal contribution to offspring phenotype at fertilisation is more than just DNA. However, the identity and mechanisms of this nongenetic inheritance are poorly understood. One...There is now strong evidence that the paternal contribution to offspring phenotype at fertilisation is more than just DNA. However, the identity and mechanisms of this nongenetic inheritance are poorly understood. One of the more important questions in this research area is： do changes in sperm DNA methylation have phenotypic consequences for offspring？ We have previously reported that offspring of obese male rats have altered glucose metabolism compared with controls and that this effect was inherited through nongenetic means. Here, we describe investigations into sperm DNA methylation in a new cohort using the same protocol. Male rats on a high-fat diet were 30% heavier than control-fed males at the time of mating （16-19 weeks old, n = 14/14）. A small （0.25%） increase in total 5-methyl-2＇-deoxycytidine was detected in obese rat spermatozoa by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Examination of the repetitive fraction of the genome with methyI-CpG binding domain protein-enriched genome sequencing （MBD-Seq） and pyrosequencing revealed that retrotransposon DNA methylation states in spermatozoa were not affected by obesity, but methylation at satellite repeats throughout the genome was increased. However, examination of muscle, liver, and spermatozoa from male 27-week-old offspring from obese and control fathers （both groups from n = 8 fathers） revealed that normal DNA methylation levels were restored during offspring development. Furthermore, no changes were found in three genomic imprints in obese rat spermatozoa. Our findings have implications for transgenerational epigenetic reprogramming. They suggest that postfertilization mechanisms exist for normalising some environmentally-induced DNA methylation changes in sperm cells.展开更多
Repairing spinal cord injury(SCI)is one of the most challenging endeavours currently faced by neuroscientists.One promising therapeutic avenue to reverse this once considered permanent condition is gene therapy,howeve...Repairing spinal cord injury(SCI)is one of the most challenging endeavours currently faced by neuroscientists.One promising therapeutic avenue to reverse this once considered permanent condition is gene therapy,however progress has been hampered by the anatomica intricacy of the spinal cord itself as well as by the sheer complexity of the molecular cascades of events that take place in the injured cord.展开更多
Metal-free carbon electrocatalyts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are attractive for their high activity and economic advantages. However, the origin of the activity has never been clearly elucidated in a syst...Metal-free carbon electrocatalyts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are attractive for their high activity and economic advantages. However, the origin of the activity has never been clearly elucidated in a systematic manner. Halogen group elements are good candidates for elucidating the effect, although it has been a difficult task due to safety issues. In this report, we demonstrate the synthesis of Cl-, Br- and I-doped reduced graphene oxide through two solution phase syntheses. We have evaluated the effectiveness of doping and performed electrochemical measurements of the ORR activity on these halogenated graphene materials. Our results suggest that the high electroneg-ativity of the dopant is not the key factor for high ORR activity; both Br- and I-doped graphene promoted ORR more efficiently than Cl-doped graphene. Furthermore, an unexpected sulfur-doping in acidic conditions suggests that a high level of sulfide can degrade the ORR activity of the graphene material.展开更多
BACKGROUND Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases/ligases(ARSs)are highly conserved enzymes involved in attaching amino acids to tRNA promoting protein synthesis.Although deficiencies of ARSs localized to the mitochondria classic...BACKGROUND Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases/ligases(ARSs)are highly conserved enzymes involved in attaching amino acids to tRNA promoting protein synthesis.Although deficiencies of ARSs localized to the mitochondria classically present with neuropathology,the clinical features of cytosolic ARS deficiencies are more variable.They have previously been associated with neonatal hepatitis,but never with early-onset inflammatory bowel disease.CASE SUMMARY A nine-year-old Bangladeshi boy presented with neonatal liver failure and deranged clotting,transaminitis and cholestasis.His parents were first cousins.Two older brothers and a sister were well.The patient suffered from loose stools from early infancy which became more troublesome and persistent from five years old with ten bloody motions a day.Repeated endoscopies showed persistent pancolitis,which was refractory to mesalazine,corticosteroids,azathioprine,sirolimus and anti-TNF(adalimumab)therapy,but has improved recently with subcutaneous methotrexate.Whole Genome Sequencing revealed a novel pathogenic missense variant(c.290A>G)in the cytosolic isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase gene,leading to an amino acid substitution(p.Asp97Gly).Pathogenic variants in other genes associated with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)(ADAM17,EGFR,FOXP3,IL10RA,IL10RB,IL21R,NCF4,STAT3)were excluded.Cytokine assays demonstrated markedly elevated IL-2,IL-5,IL-13,IL-9 and IL-10 by the patient’s CD4+T-cells,while IL-17A,IL-17F,IFNβwere lower,and TNFαnot significantly different when compared to healthy controls.CONCLUSION This case report provides evidence that recessive mutations in cytosolic isoleucyltRNA synthetase are a novel monogenic cause of IBD,which should be considered,particularly in infants and children with a history of neonatal hepatitis and very early-onset IBD poorly responsive to treatment.展开更多
Gamma irradiation is employed for in situ preparation of PVA-PANI-ZnS nanocomposite. The irradiation dose is varied from 10 to 40 kGy at 10 kGy intervals. The XRD result confirms the formation of crystalline phases co...Gamma irradiation is employed for in situ preparation of PVA-PANI-ZnS nanocomposite. The irradiation dose is varied from 10 to 40 kGy at 10 kGy intervals. The XRD result confirms the formation of crystalline phases corresponding to ZnS nanoparticles, PVA and PANI. Field emission scanning electron microscopy shows the formation of agglomerated PANI along the PVA backbone, within which the ZnS nanoparticles are dispersed.UV-visible spectroscopy is conducted to measure the transmittance spectra of samples revealing the electronic absorption characteristics of ZnS and PANI nanoparticles. Photo-acoustic（PA） setup is installed to investigate the thermal properties of samples. The PA spectroscopy indicates a high value of thermal diffusivity for samples due to the presence of ZnS and PANI nanoparticles. Moreover, at higher doses, the more polymerization and formation of PANI and ZnS nanoparticles result in enhancement of thermal diffusivity.展开更多
This review article is aimed at describing the primary healthcare system of Pakistan and its challenges in the face of epidemic of type 2 diabetes, focusing particularly on the middle-aged population of rural area of ...This review article is aimed at describing the primary healthcare system of Pakistan and its challenges in the face of epidemic of type 2 diabetes, focusing particularly on the middle-aged population of rural area of Pakistan. The main concern in Pakistan is that its middle-aged population is facing the onslaught of obesity and overweight due to lack of physical activity. In addition unhealthy eating habits making it more difficult for this population to control their weight. All these factors are contributing to a high risk of type 2 diabetes for the population of Pakistan. This article provides insight into the primary health care system of Pakistan and highlights its deficiencies by identifying that its primary healthcare system has a poor utilization of health care services, the poor accessibility to health system and poor management of diabetes by the healthcare system, gender disparity and inequity in the health care system. The primary objective of this study is to provide an overview of self-management of diabetes among the middle-aged population of Pakistan and to identify the overall deficiencies in the primary healthcare system, its delivery and access to the system, barriers to self-management of diabetes and quality of life in that region.展开更多
Various hydrogels have been explored to create minimally invasive microneedles(MNs)to extract interstitial fluid(ISF).However,current methods are time-consuming and typically require 10–15 min to extract 3–5 mg of I...Various hydrogels have been explored to create minimally invasive microneedles(MNs)to extract interstitial fluid(ISF).However,current methods are time-consuming and typically require 10–15 min to extract 3–5 mg of ISF.This study introduces two spiral-shaped swellable MN arrays:one made of gelatin methacryloyl(GelMA)and polyvinyl alcohol(PVA),and the other incorporating a combination of PVA,polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP),and hyaluronic acid(HA)for fast ISF extraction.These MN arrays demonstrated a rapid swelling ratio of 560±79.6%and 370±34.1%in artificial ISF within 10 min,respectively.Additionally,this study proposes a novel method that combines MNs with a custom-designed Arduino-based applicator vibrating at frequency ranges(50–100 Hz)to improve skin penetration efficiency,thereby enhancing the uptake of ISF in ex vivo.This dynamic combination enables GelMA/PVA MNs to rapidly uptake 6.41±1.01 mg of ISF in just 5 min,while PVA/PVP/HA MNs extract 5.38±0.77 mg of ISF within the same timeframe.To validate the capability of the MNs to recover glucose as the target biomarker,a mild heating procedure is used,followed by determining glucose concentration using a D-glucose content assay kit.The efficient extraction of ISF and glucose detection capabilities of the spiral MNs suggest their potential for rapid and minimally invasive biomarker sensing.展开更多
The Inconel 718 alloy is widely used in the aerospace and power industries. The machining-induced surface integrity and fatigue life of this material are important factors for consideration due to high reliability and...The Inconel 718 alloy is widely used in the aerospace and power industries. The machining-induced surface integrity and fatigue life of this material are important factors for consideration due to high reliability and safety requirements. In this work, the milling of Inconel 718 was conducted at different cutting speeds and feed rates. Surface integrity and fatigue life were measured directly. The effects of cutting speed and feed rate on surface integrity and their further influences on fatigue life were analyzed. Within the chosen parameter range, the cutting speed barely affected the surface roughness, whereas the feed rate increased the surface roughness through the ideal residual height. The surface hardness increased as the cutting speed and feed rate increased. Tensile residual stress was observed on the machined surface, which showed improvement with the increasing feed rate. The cutting speed was not an influencing factor on fatigue life, but the feed rate affected fatigue life through the surface roughness. The high surface roughness resulting from the high feed rate could result in a high stress concentration factor and lead to a low fatigue life.展开更多
Aims We test the hypothesis that invasive plant species at their range edges experience lower herbivory and allocate less to defense at the edge of an expanding range edge than from more central parts of their distrib...Aims We test the hypothesis that invasive plant species at their range edges experience lower herbivory and allocate less to defense at the edge of an expanding range edge than from more central parts of their distribution,during secondary invasion in a new range.Invasive plants are often able to spread rapidly through new areas.The success of invasive species in new ranges is frequently attributed to enemy release in these new areas and associated evolutionary changes minimizing allocation to defense in favor of growth and reproduction.Enemy release could also explain rapid advances of invasive species upon arriving in new habitats.If invasive species accumulate enemies over time in a new location,then these species may experience a release from their enemies at expanding range fronts.Enemy release at these range fronts may accelerate range expansion.Methods We used populations of four woody invasive species within the invaded range,and four native control species.We quantified leaf herbivory and leaf physical defense traits at both range central and range edge locations,over two 1-month sampling periods,sampled 7 months apart.Important Findings Herbivory at the range edge did not differ to the range center but patterns were not consistent across species.There was a trend for lower herbivory at the range edge for Lantana camara,which was reflected in lower leaf toughness.Overall,leaf toughness was greater at the range edge location across invasive and control species.Physical defenses were different among range locations in a few species,though most species show the same trend,suggesting higher herbivory pressures at the range edge location or differences may be due to climatic factors.Leaves of L.camara were significantly less tough at range edges,suggesting that some species can potentially escape their enemies at range edges.However,our results overall do not support the hypothesis that plants at the edge of their ranges experience reduced impact from their enemies.展开更多
Microneedle patches have received much interest in the last two decades as drug/vaccine delivery or fluid sampling systems for diagnostic and monitoring purposes.Microneedles are manufactured using a variety of additi...Microneedle patches have received much interest in the last two decades as drug/vaccine delivery or fluid sampling systems for diagnostic and monitoring purposes.Microneedles are manufactured using a variety of additive and subtractive micromanufacturing techniques.In the last decade,much attention has been paid to using additive manufacturing techniques in both research and industry,such as 3D printing,fused deposition modeling,inkjet printing,and two-photon polymerization(2PP),with 2PP being the most flexible method for the fabrication of microneedle arrays.2PP is one of the most versatile and precise additive manufacturing processes,which enables the fabrication of arbitrary three-dimensional(3D)prototypes directly from computer-aided-design(CAD)models with a resolution down to 100 nm.Due to its unprecedented flexibility and high spatial resolution,the use of this technology has been widespread for the fabrication of bio-microdevices and bio-nanodevices such as microneedles and microfluidic devices.This is a pioneering transformative technology that facilitates the fabrication of complex miniaturized structures that cannot be fabricated with established multistep manufacturing methods such as injection molding,photolithography,and etching.Thus,microstructures are designed according to structural and fluid dynamics considerations rather than the manufacturing constraints imposed by methods such as machining or etching processes.This article presents the fundamentals of 2PP and the recent development of microneedle array fabrication through 2PP as a precise and unique method for the manufacture of microstructures,which may overcome the shortcomings of conventional manufacturing processes.展开更多
Beijing City has suffered from groundwater-induced subsidence since the late 1930s and the over-exploration of groundwater could lead to subsidence as much as−12.0 cm yr−1.Previous studies on the ground deformation at...Beijing City has suffered from groundwater-induced subsidence since the late 1930s and the over-exploration of groundwater could lead to subsidence as much as−12.0 cm yr−1.Previous studies on the ground deformation at Beijing City mainly focused on the period before the year of 2014 when a mega-engineering project was launched to reduce water shortage in Beijing.To study the most recent ground deformation,19 L-band ALOS-1 PALSAR images(June 2007–January 2011),24 C-band Sentinel-1 SAR images(June 2015–November 2016)together with 9 ALOS-2 PALSAR acquisitions(September 2014–February 2017)were analysed in this work.Levelling measurements were exploited to verify the ALOS-1-based time series InSAR(TS-InSAR)result while Sentinel-1 and ALOS-2 result were cross-verified with each other.Furthermore,the whole study area was divided into four sub-zones,and the result indicated that the subsidence rates over five townships,Cuigezhuan,Jinzhan,Liyuan,Songzhuang and Yanjiao were accelerating and more attentions should be paid.On the contrary,the town centre of Douge Zhuang township experienced a decreasing trend between these two temporal-periods.Additionally,the time series measurements with respect to five selected measurement points and the profile line along the subsidence hot spots were analysed.展开更多
POCl3 diffusion is currently the de facto standard method for industrial n-type emitter fabrication. In this study, we present the impact of the following processing parameters on emitter formation and electrical perf...POCl3 diffusion is currently the de facto standard method for industrial n-type emitter fabrication. In this study, we present the impact of the following processing parameters on emitter formation and electrical performance： deposition gas flow ratio, drive-in tempera- ture and duration, drive-in O2 flow rate, and thermal oxidation temperature. By showing their influence on the emitter doping profile and recombination activity, we provide an overall strategy for improving industrial POCl3 tube diffused emitters.展开更多
Aims We aimed to test the hypothesis that plants that grow at lower lati-tudes will be better structurally defended than plants from higher latitudes.Methods We collated binary spinescence data for 5145 species across...Aims We aimed to test the hypothesis that plants that grow at lower lati-tudes will be better structurally defended than plants from higher latitudes.Methods We collated binary spinescence data for 5145 species across Australia and New Zealand.Our dataset spanned 35°of latitude,and included over 1 million observations,making it the larg-est empirical study ever conducted for a single physical defence trait.A weighted logistic regression was applied first within Australia and New Zealand separately,and then across the com-bined dataset.Important Findings There was no significant latitudinal gradient in the proportion of spe-cies with spinescence in Australia or New Zealand,or in the overall dataset.That is,plant species are no more likely to be defended by spines at low latitudes than at high latitudes.This finding is counter to the idea that plant defences increase with latitude due to increased selective pressure from higher levels of herbivory.We suggest that future studies should investigate the relationship between herbivory and defence directly,without using latitude as a proxy.展开更多
Coalbed methane(CBM)exploration generally refers to a technique that extracts natural gas from coal beds.The development of CBM in Liulin,China,has experienced a significantly growth period during the past two decades...Coalbed methane(CBM)exploration generally refers to a technique that extracts natural gas from coal beds.The development of CBM in Liulin,China,has experienced a significantly growth period during the past two decades.Previous research mainly focused on the coal geological background or CBM technique itself,while time series InSAR(TS-InSAR)technique was conducted in this work to study the potential land deformation induced by CBM extraction from 2003 to 2011.In total,21 ALOS-1 PALSAR images(acquired from 22 December 2006 to 2 January 2011)and 14 ENVISAT ASAR scenes(captured between 29 October 2003 and 7 November 2007)were used.The TS-InSAR outcome revealed that the annual deformation rates were ranging from 15 to−40 mm yr−1 over the study region.Then the time series deformation evolutions were analysed over 8 CBM sites(No.4 coal seam)out of 20,and the subsidence rates between 1.9 and−6.5 mm yr−1 were derived.In addition,the average subsidence rate and standard deviation among these eight measurements were−3.0 and 2.6 mm yr−1 respectively,suggesting that these CBM extraction sites were quite stable and no obvious subsidence had been observed during this eight-year period.展开更多
Utzon throughout his life time designed and built three houses for himself and his family. A study of these houses shows the slow development of a doubt, albeit understated, on his early architectural belief that was ...Utzon throughout his life time designed and built three houses for himself and his family. A study of these houses shows the slow development of a doubt, albeit understated, on his early architectural belief that was much celebrated in his public buildings, such as the Sydney Opera House. But Utzon is not unique in this instance. Some other modern architects too had experienced a similar change, gradual or sudden, in their attitudes towards life and the world, hence the transformation of their architecture as a consequence. This change, on the surface and as represented in architecture, is from a building that boldly embraces outside vista to that of a more internalized receptacle. But unlike Corbusier, Utzon, instead of a complete transformation, showed an inner conflict arising from this doubt, which is between the modern urge to conquer the capacious space out there and a yearning for an interior life.展开更多
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos.51771129, 51401144 and 51771128)the Program for the Outstanding Innovative Teams of Higher Learning Institutions of Shanxi,the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province (Nos.2015021067and 201601D011034)+2 种基金the special fund project for guiding local science and technology development by the central government (YDZX20191400002734)the Projects of International Cooperation in Shanxi (No.201703D421039)the China Scholarship Council。
文摘A new Mg-2.2 wt% Zn alloy containing 1.8 wt% Ca and 0.5 wt% Mn has been developed and subjected to extrusion under different extrusion parameters.The finest(~0.48 μm) recrystallized grain structures,containing both nano-sized MgZn2 precipitates and α-Mn nanoparticles,were obtained in the alloy extruded at 270℃/0.01 mm s-1.In this alloy,the deformed coarse-grain region possessed a much stronger texture intensity(~32.49 mud) relative to the recrystallized fine-grain region(~13.99 mud).A positive work hardening rate in the third stage of work hardening curve was also evident in the alloy extruded at 270℃,which was related to the sharp basal texture and which provided insufficient active slip systems.The high work hardening rate in the fourth stage contributed to the high ductility extruded at 270℃/1 mm s-1.This alloy exhibited a weak texture,and the examination of fracture surface revealed highly dimpled surfaces.The optimum tensile strength was achieved in the alloy extruded at 270℃/0.01 mm s-1,and the yield strength,ultimate tensile strength and elongation to failure were^364.1 MPa,~394.5 MPa and^7.2%,respectively.Fine grain strengthening from the recrystallized fine-grain region played the greatest role in the strength increment of this alloy compared with Orowan strengthening and dislocation strengthening in the deformed coarse-grain regions.
文摘There is now strong evidence that the paternal contribution to offspring phenotype at fertilisation is more than just DNA. However, the identity and mechanisms of this nongenetic inheritance are poorly understood. One of the more important questions in this research area is： do changes in sperm DNA methylation have phenotypic consequences for offspring？ We have previously reported that offspring of obese male rats have altered glucose metabolism compared with controls and that this effect was inherited through nongenetic means. Here, we describe investigations into sperm DNA methylation in a new cohort using the same protocol. Male rats on a high-fat diet were 30% heavier than control-fed males at the time of mating （16-19 weeks old, n = 14/14）. A small （0.25%） increase in total 5-methyl-2＇-deoxycytidine was detected in obese rat spermatozoa by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Examination of the repetitive fraction of the genome with methyI-CpG binding domain protein-enriched genome sequencing （MBD-Seq） and pyrosequencing revealed that retrotransposon DNA methylation states in spermatozoa were not affected by obesity, but methylation at satellite repeats throughout the genome was increased. However, examination of muscle, liver, and spermatozoa from male 27-week-old offspring from obese and control fathers （both groups from n = 8 fathers） revealed that normal DNA methylation levels were restored during offspring development. Furthermore, no changes were found in three genomic imprints in obese rat spermatozoa. Our findings have implications for transgenerational epigenetic reprogramming. They suggest that postfertilization mechanisms exist for normalising some environmentally-induced DNA methylation changes in sperm cells.
基金supported by grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council(NHMRC)of Australiathe Brain Foundation of Australia awarded to RM
文摘Repairing spinal cord injury(SCI)is one of the most challenging endeavours currently faced by neuroscientists.One promising therapeutic avenue to reverse this once considered permanent condition is gene therapy,however progress has been hampered by the anatomica intricacy of the spinal cord itself as well as by the sheer complexity of the molecular cascades of events that take place in the injured cord.
基金financial support from The University of Queensland and the Australian Research Council Discovery Project (DP110100550)
文摘Metal-free carbon electrocatalyts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are attractive for their high activity and economic advantages. However, the origin of the activity has never been clearly elucidated in a systematic manner. Halogen group elements are good candidates for elucidating the effect, although it has been a difficult task due to safety issues. In this report, we demonstrate the synthesis of Cl-, Br- and I-doped reduced graphene oxide through two solution phase syntheses. We have evaluated the effectiveness of doping and performed electrochemical measurements of the ORR activity on these halogenated graphene materials. Our results suggest that the high electroneg-ativity of the dopant is not the key factor for high ORR activity; both Br- and I-doped graphene promoted ORR more efficiently than Cl-doped graphene. Furthermore, an unexpected sulfur-doping in acidic conditions suggests that a high level of sulfide can degrade the ORR activity of the graphene material.
文摘BACKGROUND Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases/ligases(ARSs)are highly conserved enzymes involved in attaching amino acids to tRNA promoting protein synthesis.Although deficiencies of ARSs localized to the mitochondria classically present with neuropathology,the clinical features of cytosolic ARS deficiencies are more variable.They have previously been associated with neonatal hepatitis,but never with early-onset inflammatory bowel disease.CASE SUMMARY A nine-year-old Bangladeshi boy presented with neonatal liver failure and deranged clotting,transaminitis and cholestasis.His parents were first cousins.Two older brothers and a sister were well.The patient suffered from loose stools from early infancy which became more troublesome and persistent from five years old with ten bloody motions a day.Repeated endoscopies showed persistent pancolitis,which was refractory to mesalazine,corticosteroids,azathioprine,sirolimus and anti-TNF(adalimumab)therapy,but has improved recently with subcutaneous methotrexate.Whole Genome Sequencing revealed a novel pathogenic missense variant(c.290A>G)in the cytosolic isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase gene,leading to an amino acid substitution(p.Asp97Gly).Pathogenic variants in other genes associated with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)(ADAM17,EGFR,FOXP3,IL10RA,IL10RB,IL21R,NCF4,STAT3)were excluded.Cytokine assays demonstrated markedly elevated IL-2,IL-5,IL-13,IL-9 and IL-10 by the patient’s CD4+T-cells,while IL-17A,IL-17F,IFNβwere lower,and TNFαnot significantly different when compared to healthy controls.CONCLUSION This case report provides evidence that recessive mutations in cytosolic isoleucyltRNA synthetase are a novel monogenic cause of IBD,which should be considered,particularly in infants and children with a history of neonatal hepatitis and very early-onset IBD poorly responsive to treatment.
文摘Gamma irradiation is employed for in situ preparation of PVA-PANI-ZnS nanocomposite. The irradiation dose is varied from 10 to 40 kGy at 10 kGy intervals. The XRD result confirms the formation of crystalline phases corresponding to ZnS nanoparticles, PVA and PANI. Field emission scanning electron microscopy shows the formation of agglomerated PANI along the PVA backbone, within which the ZnS nanoparticles are dispersed.UV-visible spectroscopy is conducted to measure the transmittance spectra of samples revealing the electronic absorption characteristics of ZnS and PANI nanoparticles. Photo-acoustic（PA） setup is installed to investigate the thermal properties of samples. The PA spectroscopy indicates a high value of thermal diffusivity for samples due to the presence of ZnS and PANI nanoparticles. Moreover, at higher doses, the more polymerization and formation of PANI and ZnS nanoparticles result in enhancement of thermal diffusivity.
文摘This review article is aimed at describing the primary healthcare system of Pakistan and its challenges in the face of epidemic of type 2 diabetes, focusing particularly on the middle-aged population of rural area of Pakistan. The main concern in Pakistan is that its middle-aged population is facing the onslaught of obesity and overweight due to lack of physical activity. In addition unhealthy eating habits making it more difficult for this population to control their weight. All these factors are contributing to a high risk of type 2 diabetes for the population of Pakistan. This article provides insight into the primary health care system of Pakistan and highlights its deficiencies by identifying that its primary healthcare system has a poor utilization of health care services, the poor accessibility to health system and poor management of diabetes by the healthcare system, gender disparity and inequity in the health care system. The primary objective of this study is to provide an overview of self-management of diabetes among the middle-aged population of Pakistan and to identify the overall deficiencies in the primary healthcare system, its delivery and access to the system, barriers to self-management of diabetes and quality of life in that region.
文摘Various hydrogels have been explored to create minimally invasive microneedles(MNs)to extract interstitial fluid(ISF).However,current methods are time-consuming and typically require 10–15 min to extract 3–5 mg of ISF.This study introduces two spiral-shaped swellable MN arrays:one made of gelatin methacryloyl(GelMA)and polyvinyl alcohol(PVA),and the other incorporating a combination of PVA,polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP),and hyaluronic acid(HA)for fast ISF extraction.These MN arrays demonstrated a rapid swelling ratio of 560±79.6%and 370±34.1%in artificial ISF within 10 min,respectively.Additionally,this study proposes a novel method that combines MNs with a custom-designed Arduino-based applicator vibrating at frequency ranges(50–100 Hz)to improve skin penetration efficiency,thereby enhancing the uptake of ISF in ex vivo.This dynamic combination enables GelMA/PVA MNs to rapidly uptake 6.41±1.01 mg of ISF in just 5 min,while PVA/PVP/HA MNs extract 5.38±0.77 mg of ISF within the same timeframe.To validate the capability of the MNs to recover glucose as the target biomarker,a mild heating procedure is used,followed by determining glucose concentration using a D-glucose content assay kit.The efficient extraction of ISF and glucose detection capabilities of the spiral MNs suggest their potential for rapid and minimally invasive biomarker sensing.
基金Acknowledgements This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant No. 51675312）, a Project of Shandong Province Higher Educational Science and Technology Program （Grant No. J ITKZ001）, and the Key Laboratory of High-efficiency and Clean Mechanical Manufacture at Shandong University, Ministry of Education.
文摘The Inconel 718 alloy is widely used in the aerospace and power industries. The machining-induced surface integrity and fatigue life of this material are important factors for consideration due to high reliability and safety requirements. In this work, the milling of Inconel 718 was conducted at different cutting speeds and feed rates. Surface integrity and fatigue life were measured directly. The effects of cutting speed and feed rate on surface integrity and their further influences on fatigue life were analyzed. Within the chosen parameter range, the cutting speed barely affected the surface roughness, whereas the feed rate increased the surface roughness through the ideal residual height. The surface hardness increased as the cutting speed and feed rate increased. Tensile residual stress was observed on the machined surface, which showed improvement with the increasing feed rate. The cutting speed was not an influencing factor on fatigue life, but the feed rate affected fatigue life through the surface roughness. The high surface roughness resulting from the high feed rate could result in a high stress concentration factor and lead to a low fatigue life.
基金School of Biological,Earth and Environmental Sciences,UNSW Australia.
文摘Aims We test the hypothesis that invasive plant species at their range edges experience lower herbivory and allocate less to defense at the edge of an expanding range edge than from more central parts of their distribution,during secondary invasion in a new range.Invasive plants are often able to spread rapidly through new areas.The success of invasive species in new ranges is frequently attributed to enemy release in these new areas and associated evolutionary changes minimizing allocation to defense in favor of growth and reproduction.Enemy release could also explain rapid advances of invasive species upon arriving in new habitats.If invasive species accumulate enemies over time in a new location,then these species may experience a release from their enemies at expanding range fronts.Enemy release at these range fronts may accelerate range expansion.Methods We used populations of four woody invasive species within the invaded range,and four native control species.We quantified leaf herbivory and leaf physical defense traits at both range central and range edge locations,over two 1-month sampling periods,sampled 7 months apart.Important Findings Herbivory at the range edge did not differ to the range center but patterns were not consistent across species.There was a trend for lower herbivory at the range edge for Lantana camara,which was reflected in lower leaf toughness.Overall,leaf toughness was greater at the range edge location across invasive and control species.Physical defenses were different among range locations in a few species,though most species show the same trend,suggesting higher herbivory pressures at the range edge location or differences may be due to climatic factors.Leaves of L.camara were significantly less tough at range edges,suggesting that some species can potentially escape their enemies at range edges.However,our results overall do not support the hypothesis that plants at the edge of their ranges experience reduced impact from their enemies.
文摘Microneedle patches have received much interest in the last two decades as drug/vaccine delivery or fluid sampling systems for diagnostic and monitoring purposes.Microneedles are manufactured using a variety of additive and subtractive micromanufacturing techniques.In the last decade,much attention has been paid to using additive manufacturing techniques in both research and industry,such as 3D printing,fused deposition modeling,inkjet printing,and two-photon polymerization(2PP),with 2PP being the most flexible method for the fabrication of microneedle arrays.2PP is one of the most versatile and precise additive manufacturing processes,which enables the fabrication of arbitrary three-dimensional(3D)prototypes directly from computer-aided-design(CAD)models with a resolution down to 100 nm.Due to its unprecedented flexibility and high spatial resolution,the use of this technology has been widespread for the fabrication of bio-microdevices and bio-nanodevices such as microneedles and microfluidic devices.This is a pioneering transformative technology that facilitates the fabrication of complex miniaturized structures that cannot be fabricated with established multistep manufacturing methods such as injection molding,photolithography,and etching.Thus,microstructures are designed according to structural and fluid dynamics considerations rather than the manufacturing constraints imposed by methods such as machining or etching processes.This article presents the fundamentals of 2PP and the recent development of microneedle array fabrication through 2PP as a precise and unique method for the manufacture of microstructures,which may overcome the shortcomings of conventional manufacturing processes.
基金This research was supported under Australian Research Council’s Discovery funding scheme[project number DP130101694]JAXA PI investigation project 1419–Automated interferometric analysis of L-band SAR satellite data for operational earthquake and volcano monitoring.
文摘Beijing City has suffered from groundwater-induced subsidence since the late 1930s and the over-exploration of groundwater could lead to subsidence as much as−12.0 cm yr−1.Previous studies on the ground deformation at Beijing City mainly focused on the period before the year of 2014 when a mega-engineering project was launched to reduce water shortage in Beijing.To study the most recent ground deformation,19 L-band ALOS-1 PALSAR images(June 2007–January 2011),24 C-band Sentinel-1 SAR images(June 2015–November 2016)together with 9 ALOS-2 PALSAR acquisitions(September 2014–February 2017)were analysed in this work.Levelling measurements were exploited to verify the ALOS-1-based time series InSAR(TS-InSAR)result while Sentinel-1 and ALOS-2 result were cross-verified with each other.Furthermore,the whole study area was divided into four sub-zones,and the result indicated that the subsidence rates over five townships,Cuigezhuan,Jinzhan,Liyuan,Songzhuang and Yanjiao were accelerating and more attentions should be paid.On the contrary,the town centre of Douge Zhuang township experienced a decreasing trend between these two temporal-periods.Additionally,the time series measurements with respect to five selected measurement points and the profile line along the subsidence hot spots were analysed.
文摘POCl3 diffusion is currently the de facto standard method for industrial n-type emitter fabrication. In this study, we present the impact of the following processing parameters on emitter formation and electrical performance： deposition gas flow ratio, drive-in tempera- ture and duration, drive-in O2 flow rate, and thermal oxidation temperature. By showing their influence on the emitter doping profile and recombination activity, we provide an overall strategy for improving industrial POCl3 tube diffused emitters.
基金Australian Research Council(DP 0984222 and DP140102861)to A.T.M.
文摘Aims We aimed to test the hypothesis that plants that grow at lower lati-tudes will be better structurally defended than plants from higher latitudes.Methods We collated binary spinescence data for 5145 species across Australia and New Zealand.Our dataset spanned 35°of latitude,and included over 1 million observations,making it the larg-est empirical study ever conducted for a single physical defence trait.A weighted logistic regression was applied first within Australia and New Zealand separately,and then across the com-bined dataset.Important Findings There was no significant latitudinal gradient in the proportion of spe-cies with spinescence in Australia or New Zealand,or in the overall dataset.That is,plant species are no more likely to be defended by spines at low latitudes than at high latitudes.This finding is counter to the idea that plant defences increase with latitude due to increased selective pressure from higher levels of herbivory.We suggest that future studies should investigate the relationship between herbivory and defence directly,without using latitude as a proxy.
基金This research was supported under Australian Research Council’s Discovery funding scheme[project number DP130101694]JAXA PI investigation project 1419–Automated interferometric analysis of L-band SAR satellite data for operational earthquake and volcano monitoring.
文摘Coalbed methane(CBM)exploration generally refers to a technique that extracts natural gas from coal beds.The development of CBM in Liulin,China,has experienced a significantly growth period during the past two decades.Previous research mainly focused on the coal geological background or CBM technique itself,while time series InSAR(TS-InSAR)technique was conducted in this work to study the potential land deformation induced by CBM extraction from 2003 to 2011.In total,21 ALOS-1 PALSAR images(acquired from 22 December 2006 to 2 January 2011)and 14 ENVISAT ASAR scenes(captured between 29 October 2003 and 7 November 2007)were used.The TS-InSAR outcome revealed that the annual deformation rates were ranging from 15 to−40 mm yr−1 over the study region.Then the time series deformation evolutions were analysed over 8 CBM sites(No.4 coal seam)out of 20,and the subsidence rates between 1.9 and−6.5 mm yr−1 were derived.In addition,the average subsidence rate and standard deviation among these eight measurements were−3.0 and 2.6 mm yr−1 respectively,suggesting that these CBM extraction sites were quite stable and no obvious subsidence had been observed during this eight-year period.
文摘Utzon throughout his life time designed and built three houses for himself and his family. A study of these houses shows the slow development of a doubt, albeit understated, on his early architectural belief that was much celebrated in his public buildings, such as the Sydney Opera House. But Utzon is not unique in this instance. Some other modern architects too had experienced a similar change, gradual or sudden, in their attitudes towards life and the world, hence the transformation of their architecture as a consequence. This change, on the surface and as represented in architecture, is from a building that boldly embraces outside vista to that of a more internalized receptacle. But unlike Corbusier, Utzon, instead of a complete transformation, showed an inner conflict arising from this doubt, which is between the modern urge to conquer the capacious space out there and a yearning for an interior life.
