Objective: To determine the clinical serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), individually and in combination, for the diagnosis of 50 healthy subjects and 150 cases ...Objective: To determine the clinical serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), individually and in combination, for the diagnosis of 50 healthy subjects and 150 cases of esophageal, gastric, and colon cancers. Methods: The sensitivities of the two markers were compared individually and in combination, with specificity set at 100%. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted. Results: Serum CEA levels were significantly higher in cancer patients than in the control group. The sensitivity of CEA was determined: in esophageal cancer, sensitivity=28%, negative predictive value (NPV)=61.72%, and AUC=0.742 (SE=0.05), with a significance level of P〈0.0001; in gastric cancer, sensitivity=30%, NPV=58.82%, and AUC=0.734 (SE=0.0S), with a significance level of P〈0.0001; in colon cancer, sensitivity=74%, NPV=79.36%, and AUC=0.856 (SE=0.04), with a significance level of P〈0.0001. The sensitivity of CA19-9 was also evaluated: in esophageal cancer, sensitivity=18%, NPV=54.94%, and AUC=0.573 (SE=0.05), with a significance level of P=0.2054. In gastric cancer, sensitivity=42%, NPV=63.29%, and AUC=0.679 (SE=0.05), with a significance level of P〈0.0011. In colon cancer, sensitivity=26%, NPV=57.47%, and AUC=0.S80 (SE=0.05), with a significance level ofP=0.1670. The following were the sensitivities of CEA/CA19-9 combined: in esophageal cancer, sensitivity=42%, NPV=63.29%, SE=0.078 (95% CI: 0.0159-0.322); gastric cancer, sensitivity=S8%, NPV=70.42%, SE=0.072 (9$% CI: -0.0866-0.198); and colon cancer, sensitivity=72%, NPV=78.12%, SE=0.070 (9S% CI: 0.137-0.415). Conclusion: CEA exhibited the highest sensitivity for colon cancer, and CA19-9 exhibited the highest sensitivity for gastric cancer. Combined analysis indicated an increase in diagnostic sensitivity in esophageal and gastric cancer compared with that in colon cancer.展开更多
Strategies to fill the huge gap in supply versus demand of human organs include bioartificial organs, growing humanized organs in animals, cell therapy, and implantable bioengineered constructs. Reproducing the comple...Strategies to fill the huge gap in supply versus demand of human organs include bioartificial organs, growing humanized organs in animals, cell therapy, and implantable bioengineered constructs. Reproducing the complex relations between different cell types, generation of adequate vasculature, and immunological complications are road blocks in generation of bioengineered organs, while immunological complications limit the use of humanized organs produced in animals. Recent developments in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) biology offer a possibility of generating human, patient-specific organs in non-human primates (NHP) using patient-derived iPSC and NHP-derived iPSC lacking the critical developmental genes for the organ of interest complementing a NHP tetraploid embryo. The organ derived in this way will have the same human leukocyte antigen (HLA) profile as the patient. This approach can be curative in genetic disorders as this offers the possibility of gene manipulation and correction of the patient's genome at the iPSC stage before tetraploid complementation. The process of generation of patient-specific organs such as the liver in this way has the great advantage of making use of the natural signaling cascades in the natural milieu probably resulting in organs of great quality for transplantation. However, the inexorable scientific developments in this direction involve several social issues and hence we need to educate and prepare society in advance to accept the revolutionary consequences, good, bad and ugly.展开更多
Based on flexible pneumatic actuator(FPA),bending joint and side-sway joint,a new kind of pneumatic dexterous robot finger was developed.The finger is equipped with one five-component force sensor and four contactless...Based on flexible pneumatic actuator(FPA),bending joint and side-sway joint,a new kind of pneumatic dexterous robot finger was developed.The finger is equipped with one five-component force sensor and four contactless magnetic rotary encoders.Mechanical parts and FPAs are integrated,which reduces the overall size of the finger.Driven by FPA directly,the joint output torque is more accurate and the friction and vibration can be effectively reduced.An improved adaptive genetic algorithm(IAGA) was adopted to solve the inverse kinematics problem of the redundant finger.The statics of the finger was analyzed and the relation between fingertip force and joint torque was built.Finally,the finger force/position control principle was introduced.Tracking experiments of fingertip force/position were carried out.The experimental results show that the fingertip position tracking error is within ±1 mm and the fingertip force tracking error is within ±0.4 N.It is also concluded from the theoretical and experimental results that the finger can be controlled and it has a good application prospect.展开更多
AIM:To determine whether serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA) correlate with the presence of primary colorectal cancer(CRC),and/or recurrent CRC following radical resection.METHODS:A total of 413 patients wit...AIM:To determine whether serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA) correlate with the presence of primary colorectal cancer(CRC),and/or recurrent CRC following radical resection.METHODS:A total of 413 patients with CRC underwent radical surgery between January 1998 and December 2002 in our department and were enrolled in this study.The median follow-up period was 69 mo(range,3-118 mo),and CRC recurrence was experienced by 90/413(21.8%) patients.Serum levels of CEA were assayed preoperatively,and using a cutoff value of 5 ng/mL,patients were divided into two groups,those with normal serum CEA levels(e.g.,≤ 5 ng/mL) and those with elevated CEA levels(> 5 ng/mL).RESULTS:The overall sensitivity of CEA for the detection of primary CRC was 37.0%.The sensitivity of CEA according to stage,was 21.4%,38.9%,and 41.7% for stagesⅠ-Ⅲ,respectively.Moreover,for stageⅡandstageⅢcases,the 5-year disease-free survival rates were reduced for patients with elevated preoperative serum CEA levels(P < 0.05).The overall sensitivity of CEA for detecting recurrent CRC was 54.4%,and sensitivity rates of 36.6%,66.7%,and 75.0% were associated with cases of local recurrence,single metastasis,and multiple metastases,respectively.In patients with normal serum levels of CEA preoperatively,the sensitivity of CEA for detecting recurrence was reduced compared with patients having a history of elevated CEA prior to radical resection(32.6% vs 77.3%,respectively,P < 0.05).CONCLUSION:CRC patients with normal serum CEA levels prior to resection maintained these levels during CRC recurrence,especially in cases of local recurrence vs cases of metastasis.展开更多
In evaluating Plutarch's contacts with other cultures of his era, scholars have not reached consensus so far regarding the relationship between the Chaironean and Early Christian writers. A good example of this lacks...In evaluating Plutarch's contacts with other cultures of his era, scholars have not reached consensus so far regarding the relationship between the Chaironean and Early Christian writers. A good example of this lacks of consensus rises when we come to the views of the creation of human soul. As a matter of fact, following the first approaches on this issue by Brenk in his "The Origin and the Return of the Soul in Plutarch", it is possible to understand that "Plutarch desecularizes and repersonalizes the master (i.e., Plato) (...) suggesting that the soul enters our miserable world without having had a previous vision of the forms to assure its reborn". Even if the researcher plausibly demonstrates this assert, we must accept from his conclusions that we should also move some steps forward by placing Plutarch's conceptions regarding the origin of human soul in his proper historical, philosophical, and religious context. Therefore, the aim of the following paper is to deal with those contacts in order to highlight their similitudes and/or differences about the motif of the soul's birth.展开更多
Objective:To investigate the application of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of Haemophilus ducreyi in clinical diagnosis of chancroid. Methods: Nucleotide sequences of 16srRNA gene specific for H. dureyi wer...Objective:To investigate the application of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of Haemophilus ducreyi in clinical diagnosis of chancroid. Methods: Nucleotide sequences of 16srRNA gene specific for H. dureyi were used to develop primer sets for amplification of two strains. The amplified products were tested via PCR and sequenced by electrophoresis in a 1.5% gel.These products were compared with those of heterogeneous species or related bacteria to test the specificity of the PCR assay. PCR amplification with different concentrations of H.ducreyi was performed to test its sensitivity. Results: PCR amplification of two strains of H. ducreyi produced a single band of expected 438bp length. The sequence was identified with genomic DNA. None of the other 19 reference species amplified under the same conditions gave this result. The highest sensitivity of PCR assay in the present test was 10ng/L. Conclusions: PCR assay for detection of H. ducreyi is a rapid, specific, and sensitive detection method. If laboratory conditions are strictly controlled, PCR assay is a potentially useful laboratory test for H. ducreyi infection diagnosis.展开更多
The enumeration of elements of c.e. sets in the theory of computability and computational complexity has already been investigated. However, the order of this enumeration has received less attention. The enumeration o...The enumeration of elements of c.e. sets in the theory of computability and computational complexity has already been investigated. However, the order of this enumeration has received less attention. The enumeration orders of elements of c.e. sets by means of Turing machines on natural numbers are investigated. In this paper, we consider the enumeration orders of elements of c.e. sets on rational numbers. We present enumeration order reducibility and enumeration order equivalence on rational numbers and propose some lemmas and theorems on these concepts. Also, we show that the theories here hold for Rc and we could repeat the same theories in this domain, in a same way.展开更多
Although mathematical models(e.g., De Nitrification and De Composition(DNDC) provide a powerful tool to study regional carbon budget, it is still difficult to obtain accurate simulation results because there exists la...Although mathematical models(e.g., De Nitrification and De Composition(DNDC) provide a powerful tool to study regional carbon budget, it is still difficult to obtain accurate simulation results because there exists large uncertainties in modeling regional carbon budget. Through the investigation on the sensitivity of model output parameters to the input parameters, sensitivity analysis(SA) has been proved to be able to identify the key sources of uncertainties and be helpful to reduce the model uncertainties. However, some input parameters with discrete values(e.g., land use type and soil type) and the regional effect of the sensitive parameters were rarely examined in SA. In this paper, taking the Zoige Plateau as a case area, we combined the one-factor-ata-time(OAT) with Extended Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test(EFAST) to conduct a SA of DNDC for simulating the regional carbon budget, including Gross Primary Productivity(GPP), Net Primary Productivity(NPP), Net Ecosystem Productivity(NEP), autotrophic respiration(Ra), soil microbial heterotrophic respiration(Rh) and ecosystem respiration(Re). The result showed that the combination of OAT and EFAST could test the contribution of the input parameters with discrete values to the output parameters. In DNDC model, land use type and soil type had a significant impact on the regional carbon budget of the Zoige Plateau, and daily temperature was also confirmed to be one of the most important parameters for carbon budget. For the other input parameters, with the change of land use type or soil type at regional scale, the sensitive parameters of carbon budget would vary accordingly. The SA results would provide scientific evidence to optimize DNDC model and they suggested that we should pay attention to the spatial/temporal effect of SA and try to use the appropriate data in simulation of the regional carbon budget.展开更多
A highly sensitive in-situ turbidity sensor with the low power consumption was proposed and evaluated in this study. To meet the practical requirements of the in-situ detection, we have designed the light scattering p...A highly sensitive in-situ turbidity sensor with the low power consumption was proposed and evaluated in this study. To meet the practical requirements of the in-situ detection, we have designed the light scattering path, watertight mechanical structure, and ultra-weak scattering light detecting method. Experiments showed that the sensor had a sensitivity of 0.0076 FTU with the concentration range of 0 - 25 FTU and the R-square of 0.9999. The sensor could withstand the water pressure in depth of 1000m and had the low power consumption in the active mode 10.4mA, sleep mode 65 pA with a supply voltage of 8.4V. Southern China Sea buoy experiments indicated that the sensor could work well in the actual in-situ environment. In comparison with sensors of other companies, our sensor had relatively more comprehensive performance.展开更多
基金the financial support provided by the Biotechnology Information Service–Sub-Distributed Information Centre(supported by the Department of Biotechnology,Government of India)Advanced Bioinformatics Centre(supported by the Government of Rajasthan)at Birla Institute of Scientific Research for the infrastructure and facilities for conducting statistical work
文摘Objective: To determine the clinical serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), individually and in combination, for the diagnosis of 50 healthy subjects and 150 cases of esophageal, gastric, and colon cancers. Methods: The sensitivities of the two markers were compared individually and in combination, with specificity set at 100%. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted. Results: Serum CEA levels were significantly higher in cancer patients than in the control group. The sensitivity of CEA was determined: in esophageal cancer, sensitivity=28%, negative predictive value (NPV)=61.72%, and AUC=0.742 (SE=0.05), with a significance level of P〈0.0001; in gastric cancer, sensitivity=30%, NPV=58.82%, and AUC=0.734 (SE=0.0S), with a significance level of P〈0.0001; in colon cancer, sensitivity=74%, NPV=79.36%, and AUC=0.856 (SE=0.04), with a significance level of P〈0.0001. The sensitivity of CA19-9 was also evaluated: in esophageal cancer, sensitivity=18%, NPV=54.94%, and AUC=0.573 (SE=0.05), with a significance level of P=0.2054. In gastric cancer, sensitivity=42%, NPV=63.29%, and AUC=0.679 (SE=0.05), with a significance level of P〈0.0011. In colon cancer, sensitivity=26%, NPV=57.47%, and AUC=0.S80 (SE=0.05), with a significance level ofP=0.1670. The following were the sensitivities of CEA/CA19-9 combined: in esophageal cancer, sensitivity=42%, NPV=63.29%, SE=0.078 (95% CI: 0.0159-0.322); gastric cancer, sensitivity=S8%, NPV=70.42%, SE=0.072 (9$% CI: -0.0866-0.198); and colon cancer, sensitivity=72%, NPV=78.12%, SE=0.070 (9S% CI: 0.137-0.415). Conclusion: CEA exhibited the highest sensitivity for colon cancer, and CA19-9 exhibited the highest sensitivity for gastric cancer. Combined analysis indicated an increase in diagnostic sensitivity in esophageal and gastric cancer compared with that in colon cancer.
文摘Strategies to fill the huge gap in supply versus demand of human organs include bioartificial organs, growing humanized organs in animals, cell therapy, and implantable bioengineered constructs. Reproducing the complex relations between different cell types, generation of adequate vasculature, and immunological complications are road blocks in generation of bioengineered organs, while immunological complications limit the use of humanized organs produced in animals. Recent developments in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) biology offer a possibility of generating human, patient-specific organs in non-human primates (NHP) using patient-derived iPSC and NHP-derived iPSC lacking the critical developmental genes for the organ of interest complementing a NHP tetraploid embryo. The organ derived in this way will have the same human leukocyte antigen (HLA) profile as the patient. This approach can be curative in genetic disorders as this offers the possibility of gene manipulation and correction of the patient's genome at the iPSC stage before tetraploid complementation. The process of generation of patient-specific organs such as the liver in this way has the great advantage of making use of the natural signaling cascades in the natural milieu probably resulting in organs of great quality for transplantation. However, the inexorable scientific developments in this direction involve several social issues and hence we need to educate and prepare society in advance to accept the revolutionary consequences, good, bad and ugly.
基金Project(2009AA04Z209) supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of ChinaProject(R1090674) supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province,ChinaProject(51075363) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘Based on flexible pneumatic actuator(FPA),bending joint and side-sway joint,a new kind of pneumatic dexterous robot finger was developed.The finger is equipped with one five-component force sensor and four contactless magnetic rotary encoders.Mechanical parts and FPAs are integrated,which reduces the overall size of the finger.Driven by FPA directly,the joint output torque is more accurate and the friction and vibration can be effectively reduced.An improved adaptive genetic algorithm(IAGA) was adopted to solve the inverse kinematics problem of the redundant finger.The statics of the finger was analyzed and the relation between fingertip force and joint torque was built.Finally,the finger force/position control principle was introduced.Tracking experiments of fingertip force/position were carried out.The experimental results show that the fingertip position tracking error is within ±1 mm and the fingertip force tracking error is within ±0.4 N.It is also concluded from the theoretical and experimental results that the finger can be controlled and it has a good application prospect.
文摘AIM:To determine whether serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA) correlate with the presence of primary colorectal cancer(CRC),and/or recurrent CRC following radical resection.METHODS:A total of 413 patients with CRC underwent radical surgery between January 1998 and December 2002 in our department and were enrolled in this study.The median follow-up period was 69 mo(range,3-118 mo),and CRC recurrence was experienced by 90/413(21.8%) patients.Serum levels of CEA were assayed preoperatively,and using a cutoff value of 5 ng/mL,patients were divided into two groups,those with normal serum CEA levels(e.g.,≤ 5 ng/mL) and those with elevated CEA levels(> 5 ng/mL).RESULTS:The overall sensitivity of CEA for the detection of primary CRC was 37.0%.The sensitivity of CEA according to stage,was 21.4%,38.9%,and 41.7% for stagesⅠ-Ⅲ,respectively.Moreover,for stageⅡandstageⅢcases,the 5-year disease-free survival rates were reduced for patients with elevated preoperative serum CEA levels(P < 0.05).The overall sensitivity of CEA for detecting recurrent CRC was 54.4%,and sensitivity rates of 36.6%,66.7%,and 75.0% were associated with cases of local recurrence,single metastasis,and multiple metastases,respectively.In patients with normal serum levels of CEA preoperatively,the sensitivity of CEA for detecting recurrence was reduced compared with patients having a history of elevated CEA prior to radical resection(32.6% vs 77.3%,respectively,P < 0.05).CONCLUSION:CRC patients with normal serum CEA levels prior to resection maintained these levels during CRC recurrence,especially in cases of local recurrence vs cases of metastasis.
文摘In evaluating Plutarch's contacts with other cultures of his era, scholars have not reached consensus so far regarding the relationship between the Chaironean and Early Christian writers. A good example of this lacks of consensus rises when we come to the views of the creation of human soul. As a matter of fact, following the first approaches on this issue by Brenk in his "The Origin and the Return of the Soul in Plutarch", it is possible to understand that "Plutarch desecularizes and repersonalizes the master (i.e., Plato) (...) suggesting that the soul enters our miserable world without having had a previous vision of the forms to assure its reborn". Even if the researcher plausibly demonstrates this assert, we must accept from his conclusions that we should also move some steps forward by placing Plutarch's conceptions regarding the origin of human soul in his proper historical, philosophical, and religious context. Therefore, the aim of the following paper is to deal with those contacts in order to highlight their similitudes and/or differences about the motif of the soul's birth.
文摘Objective:To investigate the application of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of Haemophilus ducreyi in clinical diagnosis of chancroid. Methods: Nucleotide sequences of 16srRNA gene specific for H. dureyi were used to develop primer sets for amplification of two strains. The amplified products were tested via PCR and sequenced by electrophoresis in a 1.5% gel.These products were compared with those of heterogeneous species or related bacteria to test the specificity of the PCR assay. PCR amplification with different concentrations of H.ducreyi was performed to test its sensitivity. Results: PCR amplification of two strains of H. ducreyi produced a single band of expected 438bp length. The sequence was identified with genomic DNA. None of the other 19 reference species amplified under the same conditions gave this result. The highest sensitivity of PCR assay in the present test was 10ng/L. Conclusions: PCR assay for detection of H. ducreyi is a rapid, specific, and sensitive detection method. If laboratory conditions are strictly controlled, PCR assay is a potentially useful laboratory test for H. ducreyi infection diagnosis.
文摘The enumeration of elements of c.e. sets in the theory of computability and computational complexity has already been investigated. However, the order of this enumeration has received less attention. The enumeration orders of elements of c.e. sets by means of Turing machines on natural numbers are investigated. In this paper, we consider the enumeration orders of elements of c.e. sets on rational numbers. We present enumeration order reducibility and enumeration order equivalence on rational numbers and propose some lemmas and theorems on these concepts. Also, we show that the theories here hold for Rc and we could repeat the same theories in this domain, in a same way.
基金financial support from National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grants No.41271433,41571373,41301385)the International Cooperation Key Project of CAS(Grant No.GJHZ201320)+3 种基金the International Cooperation Partner Program of Innovative Team,CAS(Grant No.KZZD-EW-TZ-06)STS-Network Plan,CAS(KFJ-EW-STS-020-02)the Strategic Leader Science and Technology project(XDA05050105)“Hundred Talents”Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences
文摘Although mathematical models(e.g., De Nitrification and De Composition(DNDC) provide a powerful tool to study regional carbon budget, it is still difficult to obtain accurate simulation results because there exists large uncertainties in modeling regional carbon budget. Through the investigation on the sensitivity of model output parameters to the input parameters, sensitivity analysis(SA) has been proved to be able to identify the key sources of uncertainties and be helpful to reduce the model uncertainties. However, some input parameters with discrete values(e.g., land use type and soil type) and the regional effect of the sensitive parameters were rarely examined in SA. In this paper, taking the Zoige Plateau as a case area, we combined the one-factor-ata-time(OAT) with Extended Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test(EFAST) to conduct a SA of DNDC for simulating the regional carbon budget, including Gross Primary Productivity(GPP), Net Primary Productivity(NPP), Net Ecosystem Productivity(NEP), autotrophic respiration(Ra), soil microbial heterotrophic respiration(Rh) and ecosystem respiration(Re). The result showed that the combination of OAT and EFAST could test the contribution of the input parameters with discrete values to the output parameters. In DNDC model, land use type and soil type had a significant impact on the regional carbon budget of the Zoige Plateau, and daily temperature was also confirmed to be one of the most important parameters for carbon budget. For the other input parameters, with the change of land use type or soil type at regional scale, the sensitive parameters of carbon budget would vary accordingly. The SA results would provide scientific evidence to optimize DNDC model and they suggested that we should pay attention to the spatial/temporal effect of SA and try to use the appropriate data in simulation of the regional carbon budget.
文摘A highly sensitive in-situ turbidity sensor with the low power consumption was proposed and evaluated in this study. To meet the practical requirements of the in-situ detection, we have designed the light scattering path, watertight mechanical structure, and ultra-weak scattering light detecting method. Experiments showed that the sensor had a sensitivity of 0.0076 FTU with the concentration range of 0 - 25 FTU and the R-square of 0.9999. The sensor could withstand the water pressure in depth of 1000m and had the low power consumption in the active mode 10.4mA, sleep mode 65 pA with a supply voltage of 8.4V. Southern China Sea buoy experiments indicated that the sensor could work well in the actual in-situ environment. In comparison with sensors of other companies, our sensor had relatively more comprehensive performance.