-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: AIM: To characterize the multi-section computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of collecting duct carcinoma (CDC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with CDC were studied retrospectively using MSCT (n = 20), and MSCT and MRI (n = 5). MSCT and MRI were undertaken to investigate tumour location, size, radiodensity, cystic or solid appearance, calcification, capsule, signal, enhancement pattern, and metastases. RESULTS: Tumours (mean diameter 3.6 ± 1.7 cm) were solitary (20/20), solid (18/20), had cystic components (12/20), calcifications (12/20), poorly defined (18/20), were centred in the medulla (20/20), compressed the renal pelvis (12/20), and had lymph node metastases (2/20). On unenhanced computed tomography (CT), the radiodensity of the CDC was greater than that of the normal renal cortex or medulla (43.8 ± 2.4 versus 37.6 ± 5.1 or 32.6 ± 4.1, p = 0.041, n = 20). Five patients with CDC underwent MRI, which revealed cystic components (4/5), poorly defined CDC (5/5), and none of the patients had lymph node metastasis. The CDC was isointense on T1-weighted imaging, and iso- or hypointense on T2-weighted imaging. Enhancement was lower within the CDC than the renal cortex and medulla during all enhanced phases (p = 0.032, 0.001, 0.018, respectively, n = 20). CONCLUSION: CDC should be considered when a renal tumour is centred in the medulla, with increased radiodensity on unenhanced CT and reduced enhancement compared to the adjacent cortex or medulla.
Clinical radiology 05/2013; · 1.65 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The immunoregulatory actions of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) of relevance immunosuppression were investigated. To test the hypothesis that CLA ameliorate immunosuppression, we developed the immunosuppressive model of peripheral blood T lymphocytes in broiler chickens induced by cyclosporin A. Peripheral blood T lymphocytes of broiler chickens were cultured with media containing various concentrations (25, 50, 100, and 200 μmol/L) of c9, t11-CLA and t10, c12-CLA to investigate the effects of CLA isomers on peripheral blood T lymphocyte proliferation, interleukin-2, the activity of phospholipase C, and protein kinase C production. Results suggested that CLA alleviated the immunosuppression of T lymphocytes in broiler chickens exposed to cyclosporin A through increasing of peripheral blood T lymphocyte proliferation and interleukin-2. The 2 CLA isomers enhanced T lymphocyte proliferation at low concentration and inhibited T lymphocyte proliferation at high concentration. In addition, the effect of c9, t11-CLA was better than that of t10, c12-CLA. At the cellular level, the effects of CLA on the alleviation of immunosuppression in T lymphocytes are mainly attributable to increasing the signaling molecules, such as phospholipase C and protein kinase C.
Poultry Science 10/2012; 91(10):2431-7. · 1.73 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Linear properties of the reverse shear Alfvén eigenmode (RSAE) in a well-diagnosed DIII-D tokamak experiment (discharge #142111) are studied in gyrokinetic particle simulations. Simulations find that a weakly damped RSAE exists due to toroidal coupling and other geometric effects. The mode is driven unstable by density gradients of fast ions from neutral beam injection. Various damping and driving mechanisms are identified and measured in the simulations. Accurate damping and growth rate calculation requires a non-perturbative, fully self-consistent simulation to calculate the true mode structure. The mode structure has no up–down symmetry mainly due to the radial symmetry breaking by the density gradients of the fast ions, as measured in the experiment by electron cyclotron emission imaging. The RSAE frequency up-sweeping and the mode transition from RSAE to TAE (toroidal Alfvén eigenmode) are in good agreement with the experimental results when the values of the minimum safety factor are scanned in gyrokinetic simulations.
Nuclear Fusion 03/2012; 52(4):043006. · 4.09 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The immunoregulatory actions of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) of relevance to viral disease pathogenesis and immune responses were investigated. To test the hypothesis that CLA ameliorates immunosuppression, we developed a viral challenge model by infecting chickens with infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). After 14 d of dietary supplementation with either soybean oil or CLA, half of the chickens in each group were challenged with IBDV. We examined the effect of CLA on the development of lesions (i.e., lymphoid depletion and necrosis) and observed the immune responses against IBDV. The IBDV infection depleted lymphocytes in the medullary area and significantly stimulated interferon (IFN)-γ and IL-6 mRNA relative expression of bursa (P < 0.05) compared with the uninfected bursa. Compared with the CLA diet, lymphocytes depletion was more accentuated in chickens fed the control diet, whereas IFN-γ and IL-6 mRNA relative expression were upregulated (P < 0.05). Additionally, histopathological examination of the bursa revealed that the pathological changes tended to be more severe in infected chickens fed the control diet, which also significantly decreased (P < 0.05) on lymphocyte proliferation. Significant interactions were found between infection and diets for lymphocyte proliferation, antibody titers, and IFN-γ mRNA relative expression (P < 0.05). The results of this study indicate that dietary CLA enhanced immune function in chickens, particularly those of the IBDV-immunosuppressive status. Furthermore, at the molecular level, the immunoregulatory functions of CLA on chickens are attributable mainly to the antiinflammatory properties of CLA and are mediated, at least in part, through suppressing IBDV-specific proinflammatory cytokines mRNA relative expression.
Poultry Science 09/2011; 90(9):1926-33. · 1.73 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Intrathymic injection is a common technique used for research concerning immunotolerance induction, gene therapy and T cell development in mice. Traditionally used protocols involve major surgery that exposes the thoracic cavity, which results in injury to the mice and increased risk of poor recovery and postsurgical complications such as infection. We introduce a simplified intrathymic injection technique that does not expose the thoracic cavity and virtually eliminates pain, distress and postoperative complications while maintaining high injection efficiency. The technique is suitable for both adult and neonatal mice.
Biotechnic & Histochemistry 05/2011; 87(2):140-7. · 0.67 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: There are no efficient and noninvasive clinical tests to distinguish between obstructive azoospermia (OA) and non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). Epididymal protease inhibitor (Eppin) protein is secreted specifically by testes and epididymides in male reproductive system. It does not exist in seminal plasma of patients with OA in theory. The seminal plasma from 40 normal men and 46 azoospermic patients was detected via Western blot for investigating the presence and characteristics of Eppin protein to distinguish between OA and NOA. The cases were diagnosed as NOA whether Eppin in seminal plasma was positive via Western blot analysis. The cases were diagnosed as OA when samples were Eppin-negative. Additionally, percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) and percutaneous testicular sperm aspiration (PTSA) were performed on these patients at the same time as the diagnostic criteria to compare with Western blot analysis. Eppin detection in seminal plasma showed similar effectivity with PESA/PTSA in differential diagnosis between OA and NOA. Compared with PESA/PTSA, Eppin detection is a new, efficient and noninvasive method which has good clinical application.
Andrologia 03/2011; · 1.55 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The magnetic properties of single-phase 2:17 compounds of the composition Sm2Fe17−xGaxHy were investigated. The substitution of Ga for Fe in the Sm2Fe17 compound resulted in a substantial increase in the Curie temperature and, for alloys with x > 2, the formation of a uniaxial magnetic anisotropy at room temperature. The diffusion of hydrogen into those compounds that exhibit an easy axis anisotropy causes a transition back to a planar anisotropy. This indicates that the presence of interstitial hydrogen is detrimental to the hard magnetic properties of these materials.
Canadian Journal of Physics 02/2011; 71:574-577. · 0.86 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The authors consider the control of an underactuated mechanical system: Pendubot, which has four separated equilibrium points. A unified controller is proposed to stabilise the system at the four equilibrium points. Moreover, the proposed unified control can bring the underactuated link to ideal homoclinic orbits, which cannot be achieved by existing approaches. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed control.
IET Control Theory and Applications 02/2011; · 0.99 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Small quantities of medium-Z and high-Z impurities were injected into JET plasmas and their progression was followed by two soft X-ray cameras with good spatial and temporal resolution. The results show that the transport of impurities is much slower in the central region of the plasma than outside of it and that it is greatly enhanced during sawtooth crashes. Simulation of the evolution of the emissivity profiles using an impurity transport code yielded values for the radially dependent transport coefficients; in particular, these values were compared for cases of ohmically heated plasmas and RF heated plasmas.
Nuclear Fusion 01/2011; 30(10):2049. · 4.09 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a common oral inflammatory disease affecting about 1-2% of the general adult population. As with European families who are diagnosed with OLP, the Chinese family who we studied was diagnosed with a severe form of oral reticular and erosive lesions; moreover, two of the five affected individuals developed oral cancer at an early age. A whole-genome genotyping scan with linkage analysis was performed using the 10K SNP array to investigate the genetic susceptibility of the Chinese family to OLP, which revealed one maximal nonparametric LOD score of 2.32 (P = 0.0156) for SNP marker rs2372736, defined at the chromosome 3p14-3q13 region encompassing 19 SNPs. Blood samples were obtained from 10 members of the family, which included the grandmother, father and mother, and the children altogether. The grandfather is dead, but the family members remembered he also suffered from the same disease. Chromosome 3p14-3q13 was identified as the candidate gene region for OLP; this information provides a foundation for further identification of the gene responsible for OLP.
Genetics and molecular research: GMR 01/2011; 10(3):1427-33. · 1.18 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Ectopic neurons are often found in the brains of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) patients, suggesting that alcohol exposure impairs neuronal cell migration. Although it has been reported that alcohol decreases the speed of neuronal cell migration, little is known about whether alcohol also affects the turning of neurons. Here we show that ethanol exposure inhibits the turning of cerebellar granule cells in vivo and in vitro. First, in vivo studies using P10 mice demonstrated that a single intraperitoneal injection of ethanol not only reduces the number of turning granule cells but also alters the mode of turning at the EGL-ML border of the cerebellum. Second, in vitro analysis using microexplant cultures of P0-P3 mouse cerebella revealed that ethanol directly reduces the frequency of spontaneous granule cell turning in a dose-dependent manner. Third, the action of ethanol on the frequency of granule cell turning was significantly ameliorated by stimulating Ca(2+) and cGMP signaling or by inhibiting cAMP signaling. Taken together, these results indicate that ethanol affects the frequency and mode of cerebellar granule cell turning through alteration of the Ca(2+) and cyclic nucleotide signaling pathways, suggesting that the abnormal allocation of neurons found in the brains of FASD and FSA patients results, at least in part, from impaired turning of immature neurons by alcohol.
Neuroscience 11/2010; 170(4):1328-44. · 3.38 Impact Factor
-
Y Qiu,
Y Liu,
Z Qi,
W Wang,
Z Kou,
Q Zhang,
G Liu,
T Liu,
Y Yang,
X Yang,
Y Xin,
C Li,
B Cui,
S Huang,
H Liu,
L Zeng, Z Wang,
R Yang,
H Wang,
X Wang
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The subunit vaccine SV1 (20 μg F1+10 μg rV270) has been identified as the optimal formulation in mice, which provided a good protection against plague in mice, guinea pigs and rabbits. To compare SV1 and SV2 (200 μg F1+100 μg rV270) with live attenuated vaccine EV76, antibody responses, protective efficacy, cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10 and IL-12) production, CD4/CD8 ratio and CD69(+) T-cell activation marker were determined in sera of the immunized Chinese-origin rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta. The immunized animals with SV1 or SV2 developed higher anti-rV270 IgG titre, while those immunized with EV76 elicited a negligible IgG to V antigen, indicating that subunit vaccine (SV) had an advantage over EV76 in terms of the indispensable role of anti-V antibody against Yersinia pestis. There was no significant antibody titre difference between SV1 and SV2, suggesting that the immune response may have been saturated at the dose level of SV1. There were no statistical changes for CD4/CD8 ratios, IL-4 and CD69 levels between the three-vaccine immunized groups. However, a significant higher level of IL-12 was observed in the EV76 immunized animals, indicating that EV76 had an advantage over SV in respect of cellular immunity. Complete protection was observed for the immunized animals with SV and EV76, revealing that SV has a similar protective efficacy with EV76 against 6×10⁶ CFU of Y. pestis challenge by subcutaneous route in Chinese-origin rhesus macaques.
Scandinavian Journal of Immunology 11/2010; 72(5):425-33. · 2.23 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: In this study, we will show how ocean surface wave displacement can be estimated from sensors onboard a subsurface moving autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The approach is to use a high-resolution vertical accelerometer along with a highresolution pressure sensor mounted coincidently on an AUV. We apply this approach to data collected in summer 2005, in northeast Monterey Bay, CA, during an engineering experiment as a part of the Layered Organization in the Coastal Ocean (LOCO) program. The AUV used was the School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth T-REMUS vehicle. Data were collected while the vehicle traveled at a constant speed 1.2 m/s and a constant depth of 10 m in water of depth 19.5 m. The local wind-generated surface wave field was relatively weak and dominated by surface wave swell of frequencies of 1/12 and 1/6 Hz, respectively. Surface waves of these frequencies in this depth of water have wavelengths of 150 and 55 m, respectively, both values being much larger than the length of the T-REMUS, which is 2 m. This condition, along with the fact that the AUV is moving over an order of magnitude slower than the phase speed associated with these surface waves, allows estimation of the frequency spectrum of surface waves by sensors onboard the AUV as well as interpretation of how the AUV responds to the surface wave field. From our estimation technique, we have confirmed that the two frequencies of 1/12 and 1/6 Hz were the dominant surface wave frequencies present and that the AUV-based estimated spectral values agreed very closely with in situ observations made by a fixed slow rise profiler located 200 m away. Pitch spectra indicated that the AUV responded to the higher frequency swell component of 1/6 Hz by adjusting its depth to try to follow the surface-wave-induced pressure. At the lower frequency, the AUV tended to follow the surface wave coherently.
IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering 11/2010; · 0.95 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The effect of parameter uncertainties on stability of delayed genetic regulatory networks is investigated. With the presence of parameter uncertainties, the delayed coupled genetic regulatory network is a parameter-dependent non-linear system, in which not only the dynamics are indefinite but also its equilibrium point is unknown. The authors first derive a sufficient condition to guarantee robust stability of uncertain genetic regulatory networks by introducing convergence region. Then, the estimation of convergence region bound is obtained by using Lyapunov stability theory and linear matrix inequality. It is worth noting that these results are derived in the case that the equilibrium point of parameter-dependent non-linear system is unknown. Finally, two examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed results.
IET Control Theory and Applications 11/2010; · 0.99 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The epitaxial growth of thin films of the topological insulator Bi2Se3 on nominally flat and vicinal Si(111) substrates was studied. In order to achieve a planar growth front and better quality epifilms, a two-step growth method was adopted for the van der Waals epitaxy of Bi2Se3 to proceed. By using vicinal Si(111) substrate surfaces, the in-plane growth rate anisotropy of Bi2Se3 was exploited in order to achieve single crystalline Bi2Se3 epifilms, in which threading defects and twins are effectively suppressed. The optimization of the growth parameters has resulted in the vicinal Bi2Se3 films showing a carrier mobility of ~2000 cm2 V−1 s−1 and a background doping of ~3×1018 cm−3 of the as-grown layers. Such samples not only show a relatively high magnetoresistance but also show a linear dependence on the magnetic field.
New Journal of Physics 10/2010; 12(10):103038. · 4.18 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: In this paper, we address the problem of adaptive control design for a class of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) nonlinear systems. A Lypaunov based singularity free control law, which compensates for parametric uncertainty in both the drift vector and the input gain matrix, is proposed under the mild assumption that the signs of the leading minors of the control input gain matrix are known. Lyapunov analysis shows global uniform ultimate boundedness (GUUB) result for the tracking error under full state feedback (FSFB). Under the restriction that only the output vector is available for measurement, an output feedback (OFB) controller is designed based on a standard high gain observer (HGO) - stability under OFB is fostered by the uniformity of the FSFB solution. Simulation results for both FSFB and OFB controllers demonstrate the efficacy of the MIMO control design in the classical 2-DOF robot manipulator model.
Intelligent Control (ISIC), 2010 IEEE International Symposium on; 10/2010
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Micromachined thermopiles are considered as a cost-effective solution for energy harvesters working at a small temperature difference and weak heat flows typical for, e.g., the human body. They can be used for powering autonomous wireless sensor nodes in a body area network. In this paper, a micromachined thermoelectric energy harvester with 6 µm high polycrystalline silicon germanium (poly-SiGe) thermocouples fabricated on a 6 inch wafer is presented. An open circuit voltage of 1.49 V and an output power of 0.4 µW can be generated with 3.5 K temperature difference in a model of a wearable micromachined energy harvester of the discussed design, which has a die size of 1.0 mm × 2.5 mm inside a watch-size generator.
Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering 09/2010; 20(10):104005. · 2.11 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The development of communication devices, especially cellular phones has necessitated the advances of several portable and wearable technologies, such as Bluetooth headsets within wireless body area networks (WBAN). Such wearable devices use the human body as a communication channel; hence, a comprehensive understanding of the transmission mechanism between such devices is vital. This study presents an investigative study to characterise the electromagnetic transmission between a body-mounted Bluetooth headset antenna and a mobile phone handset antenna. Commercially used antennas have been used to study various factors affecting on-body communication links including handset-to-body separation and presence of blocking objects. A thorough numerical modelling, supported by the measurements, has been carried out to demonstrate the importance of surface waves in the on-body Bluetooth transmission.
IET Microwaves Antennas & Propagation 08/2010; · 0.68 Impact Factor
-
Y. Song,
P. Bauer,
Y. Bi,
Y. Chen,
Y. Cheng,
A. Devred,
F. Rodriguez-Mateos,
K. Ding,
X. Huang,
K. Lu,
N. Mitchell,
A. Sahu,
G. Shen, Z. Wang,
T. Zhou
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) superconducting magnet system requires current supplies from 10 kA to 68 kA. The components relating the electrical power and cryogens through the warm-cold barrier to the ITER magnets are the so-called feeders. In total there are 31 such feeders for the ITER magnet system, 9 of them necessary for the toroidal field magnet system are called TF feeders. Each feeder consists of three main units: the In-Cryostat Feeder (ICF), the Cryostat Feed-Through (CFT) and the S-Bend Box (SBB)/Coil Terminal Box (CTB) assembly. This paper presents the latest design of the TF feeder components.
IEEE Transactions on Appiled Superconductivity 07/2010; · 1.04 Impact Factor
-
A.K. Sahu,
P. Bauer,
Y. Bi,
Y. Chen,
Y. Cheng,
A. Devred,
K. Ding,
X. Huang,
S. Liu,
K. Lu,
N. Mitchell,
Y. Peng,
G. Shen,
Y. Song, Z. Wang,
T. Zhou
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The nuclear radiation levels, magnetic fields and general access restrictions in the ITER Tokamak are such that it is undesirable to place remote control helium supply valves close to the coils. The Coil Terminal Boxes (CTB), which are further away from the coils, are therefore designed for easy access and contain as much as possible the components needing maintenance, such as the cryo-valves. The CTBs also house the electrical cold-warm transitions with the HTS current leads and the NbTi feeder busbars. Also most of the feeder instrumentation is located in the CTB. Based on the functional specification by ITER, ASIPP has manufactured and tested a prototype CTB for the ITER magnet system. This test allowed for the verification of the mechanical design of the cryostat and the thermal shield design. Following a discussion of the ITER CTB design, with particular emphasis on the concepts of flow distribution for the large ITER magnet system, considering safety and maintenance, this paper will also present the results of the prototype CTB development.
IEEE Transactions on Appiled Superconductivity 07/2010; · 1.04 Impact Factor
