In this paper,the experimental investigation on the performance improvement of conventional stepped solar still is conducted.The steps are covered by the porous material to improve the performance of the conventional ...In this paper,the experimental investigation on the performance improvement of conventional stepped solar still is conducted.The steps are covered by the porous material to improve the performance of the conventional device and increase the evaporation rate.All the parameters,including the temperature on the glass surface,the water temperature inside the evaporation zone,and the amount of water produced in both conventional and modified stepped solar stills are measured and compared.The efficiency of two devices and their exergy efficiency have been calculated.Finally,the economic analysis of both devices has been done to check the economic feasibility of the modified device.The amount of freshwater generated during one day was 2244.4 and 3076.2 mL/m^(2),respectively for the conventional and modified stepped solar stills.As a result,the amount of water produced in one day by modified stepped solar still is 35.5% more than the conventional one.Also,the costs for the conventional and modified stepped solar stills have been calculated as 0.0359 and 0.029$/(L·m^(-2)),respectively.展开更多
Found in the Trans-Himalayas of north-west Yunnan and south-east Tibet, the black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) is one of the world’s most endangered primates. A recent survey indicates that onl...Found in the Trans-Himalayas of north-west Yunnan and south-east Tibet, the black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) is one of the world’s most endangered primates. A recent survey indicates that only 15 groups with 2500 individuals remain in the wild. However, the Tibetan Xiaochangdu group may be the only equilibrium group in the field since the last investigation in 1988. To evaluate the effects of traditional culture and socioeconomic activity on biodiversity conservation of R. bieti, we conducted a case study in the Honglaxueshan National Nature Reserve in southeast Tibet from June 2003 to May 2005. Interviews, direct observations, and analysis of socioeconomic data indicated major advantages to the conservation of R. bieti, which included that: 1) traditional culture mainly depended on raising livestock and collecting non-timber products rather than forest planting of Tibetan highland barley; 2) religious beliefs, against to kill any wildlife living on the sacred mountain, were mainly influenced by Tibetan Buddhism; and 3) bigger household numbers were induced by the polyandrous marriage system, which resulted in lower per capita resource consumption than smaller ones.展开更多
The semi-classical black hole tunneling radiation (Parikh-Wilczek tunneling proposal) is calculated undera minimal length uncertainty analysis.It is shown that,the generalized second law of thermodynamics may bound th...The semi-classical black hole tunneling radiation (Parikh-Wilczek tunneling proposal) is calculated undera minimal length uncertainty analysis.It is shown that,the generalized second law of thermodynamics may bound thetunneling probability radiation of a Reissner-Nordstrom black hole radiation.展开更多
Nestin is a class Ⅵ intermediate filament protein that was originally described as a neuronal stem cell marker during central nervous system (CNS) development, and is currently widely used in that capacity. Nestin is...Nestin is a class Ⅵ intermediate filament protein that was originally described as a neuronal stem cell marker during central nervous system (CNS) development, and is currently widely used in that capacity. Nestin is also expressed in non-neuronal immature or progenitor cells in normal tissues. Under pathological conditions, nestin is expressed in repair processes in the CNS, muscle, liver, and infarcted myocardium. Furthermore, increased nestin expression has been reported in various tumor cells, including CNS tumors, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, malignant melanoma, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberances, and thyroid tumors. Nestin is reported to correlate with aggressive growth, metastasis, and poor prognosis in some tumors; however, the roles of nestin in cancer cells have not been well characterized. Furthermore, nestin is more specifically expressed in proliferating small-sized tumor vessels in glioblastoma and gastric, colorectal, and prostate cancers than are other tumor vessel markers. These findings indicate that nestin may be a marker for newly synthesized tumor vessels and a therapeutic target for tumor angiogenesis. It has received a lot of attention recently as a cancer stem cell marker in various cancer cells including brain tumors, malignant rhabdoid tumors, and uterine, cervical, prostate, bladder, head and neck, ovarian, testicular, and pancreatic cancers. The purpose of this review is to clarify the roles of nestin in cancer cells and in tumor angiogenesis, and to examine the association between nestin and cancer stem cells. Nestin has the potential to serve as a molecular target for cancers with nestin-positive cancer cells and nestin-positive tumor vasculature.展开更多
BZ]To investigate the exact mechanism of melatonin to prohibit the apoptosis of neural cells induced by various kinds of cytotoxic agents. [WT5”BX]Methods. [WT5”BZ]We used the methods of phase contrast microscopy, M...BZ]To investigate the exact mechanism of melatonin to prohibit the apoptosis of neural cells induced by various kinds of cytotoxic agents. [WT5”BX]Methods. [WT5”BZ]We used the methods of phase contrast microscopy, MTT assay and hoechst dye staining to check this mechanism in SKNSH and U251 cell lines. [WT5”BX]Results. Both 2mmol/L H 2O 2 and 0 5 μ mol/L amyloid β protein (Aβ) induce these two cell lines die via apoptosis. Either melatonin or glutathione can significantly protect both cell lines. The protective effect of 10 μ mol/L melatonin is as same as that of 60 μ mol/L glutathione. [WT5”BX]Conclusion. Melatonin can partly inhibit the cytotoxicity of H 2O 2 and Aβ through its role as a free radical scavenger.展开更多
AIM: To determine the and clinical features of prevalence, histologic types primary epithelial tumours of the vermiform appendix in a predominantly black population.METHODS: All cases of primary tumours of the appen...AIM: To determine the and clinical features of prevalence, histologic types primary epithelial tumours of the vermiform appendix in a predominantly black population.METHODS: All cases of primary tumours of the appendix identified by review of the histopathology records at the University of the West Indies between January 1987 and June 2007 were selected. Relevant pathologic and clinical data were extracted with supplementation from patient charts where available. Non-epithelial tumours were excluded. The total number of appendectomy specimens over the period was also ascertained.RESULTS: Forty-two primary epithelial tumours were identified out of 6 824 appendectomies yielding a prevalence rate of approximately 0.62%. Welldifferentiated neuroendocrine cell tumours (carcinoids, 47.6%) and benign non-endocrine cell tumours (adenomas, 45.2%) were most common with nearly equal frequency. The median age was 43 years, with no sex predilection. Carcinoid tumours occurred in younger patients (mean age 32 years), with a male-to-female ratio of 1.2:1. A clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis was the most common reason for appendectomy (57.1%) and was histologically confirmed in 75% (18 of 24) of cases. In total, 16.7% of cases were diagnosed after incidental appendectomy.CONCLUSION: Appendiceal epithelial tumours are rare in our experience, and are represented principally by carcinoid turnours and adenornas. Carcinoid tumours occurred in younger patients but were slightly more common in men than women. Tumours were not suspected clinically and were diagnosed incidentally in specimens submitted for acute appendicitis supporting the need for histological evaluation in all resection specimens.展开更多
This report gives a better emphasis on the role of targeted effectors (e.g. a combination of 5-FC with CD-NSPCs as compared to the application of NSPCs alone) and how such delivery of pro-drug activating enzymes and o...This report gives a better emphasis on the role of targeted effectors (e.g. a combination of 5-FC with CD-NSPCs as compared to the application of NSPCs alone) and how such delivery of pro-drug activating enzymes and other tumor-killing substances may overcome melanocytic defence system, interact with and promote the host defence and immune response modulations not only in melanoma but, potentially, in other highly-metastatic cancers.展开更多
Objective To study the apoptotic effects of 1 methyl 4 phenyl 1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) on the nigral dopaminergic neurons of mice and 1 methyl 4 phenylpyridium ion (MPP +) on pheochromocytoma (P...Objective To study the apoptotic effects of 1 methyl 4 phenyl 1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) on the nigral dopaminergic neurons of mice and 1 methyl 4 phenylpyridium ion (MPP +) on pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells, as well as the antagonism of Eldepryl against MPTP's apoptotic effect Methods Three groups of C 57 BL mice were treated with MPTP, Eldepryl plus MPTP and normal saline, respectively, for 7 days before performing TUNEL (terminal deoxyneucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP x nick end labeling) and FACS (fluorescence activated cell sorting) analyses of neuronal apoptosis in the substantia nigra The same tests were employed in cell culture to examine apoptosis in PC12 cells treated with MPP +, MPTP or PBS Results Intraperitoneal administration of MPTP 30?mg/kg could induce nigral apoptosis, and oral use of Eldepryl prior to MPTP treatment could completely prevent the nigral apoptosis caused by MPTP MPP +, an intermediate metabolite of MPTP, could lead to the apoptosis of PC12 cells, whereas MPTP itself had no such effect on PC12 cells Conclusions The experiment indicated that the neurotoxin, MPTP, might cause the death of nigral neurons through a mechanism of apoptosis and this effect might be mediated by its bioactive intermediate metabolite MPP + Eldepryl could protect the neurotoxicity from MPTP展开更多
This paper reviews recent studies in understanding neural-network representations and learning neural networks with interpretable/disentangled middle-layer representations.Although deep neural networks have exhibited ...This paper reviews recent studies in understanding neural-network representations and learning neural networks with interpretable/disentangled middle-layer representations.Although deep neural networks have exhibited superior performance in various tasks,interpretability is always Achilles' heel of deep neural networks.At present,deep neural networks obtain high discrimination power at the cost of a low interpretability of their black-box representations.We believe that high model interpretability may help people break several bottlenecks of deep learning,e.g.,learning from a few annotations,learning via human–computer communications at the semantic level,and semantically debugging network representations.We focus on convolutional neural networks(CNNs),and revisit the visualization of CNN representations,methods of diagnosing representations of pre-trained CNNs,approaches for disentangling pre-trained CNN representations,learning of CNNs with disentangled representations,and middle-to-end learning based on model interpretability.Finally,we discuss prospective trends in explainable artificial intelligence.展开更多
Objective:To explore the central neurobiological mechanisms of pleasure effect on rats with neuralgia treated by tuina manipulations of An-pressing and Rou-kneading Huantiao (GB 30).Methods:A total of 64 male Sprague-...Objective:To explore the central neurobiological mechanisms of pleasure effect on rats with neuralgia treated by tuina manipulations of An-pressing and Rou-kneading Huantiao (GB 30).Methods:A total of 64 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used in this study.Eighteen rats were randomly selected as a normal group,and the other 46 rats were used to duplicate the chronic constriction injury (CCI) model.Ten rats failed in modeling and 36 rats succeeded.These 36 rats were then randomly divided into a model group and a tuina group,with 18 rats in each group.The rats in the normal group and the model group did not receive any interventions,while those in the tuina group received An-pressing and Rou-kneading Huantiao (GB 30),1 min for each time,once a day,3 weeks in total.Heating tests were evaluated to observe the change of pain-sensitivity score before intervention,1 week after intervention,2 weeks after intervention,and 3 weeks after intervention.After 1 week of intervention,2 weeks of intervention,and 3 weeks of intervention,6 rats were randomly selected from each group respectively for brain extraction.The change of Nissl's body and β-endorphin in the accumbens nucleus as well as amygdaloid nucleus of pleasure circuits,and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) in the arcuate nucleus were analyzed by methods of histochemistry and molecular biology.Results:After modeling,the pain-sensitivity scores of the tuina group and the model group were statistically different from the score of the normal group (both P<0.05).After An-pressing and Rou-kneading Huantiao (GB 30) for one week,the pain-sensitivity score of the tuina group had statistical difference compared with that of the model group (P<0.05).At each different time point:the amounts of Nissl's body in accumbens nucleus and amygdaloid nucleus of the tuina group were significantly more than those of the model group (all P<0.01).Besides,the numbers of β-endorphin immunoreactive cells in the accumbens nucleus and amygdaloid nucleus of the rats in the tuina group were significantly higher than those in the model group (all P<0.01),and so was the expression of POMC in arcuate nucleus (all P<0.01).Conclusion:An-pressing and Rou-kneading Huantiao (GB 30),where the sciatic nerve is ligated,can reduce pain-sensitivity score and increase pain tolerance value of rats with chronic neuralgia.It can increase the activity of neurons in accumbens nucleus and amygdaloid nucleus of pleasure circuits,which indicates that the analgesia effect of tuina therapy may correlate with pleasure effect,and also reveals a part of neurobiological mechanisms of neuralgia.展开更多
文摘In this paper,the experimental investigation on the performance improvement of conventional stepped solar still is conducted.The steps are covered by the porous material to improve the performance of the conventional device and increase the evaporation rate.All the parameters,including the temperature on the glass surface,the water temperature inside the evaporation zone,and the amount of water produced in both conventional and modified stepped solar stills are measured and compared.The efficiency of two devices and their exergy efficiency have been calculated.Finally,the economic analysis of both devices has been done to check the economic feasibility of the modified device.The amount of freshwater generated during one day was 2244.4 and 3076.2 mL/m^(2),respectively for the conventional and modified stepped solar stills.As a result,the amount of water produced in one day by modified stepped solar still is 35.5% more than the conventional one.Also,the costs for the conventional and modified stepped solar stills have been calculated as 0.0359 and 0.029$/(L·m^(-2)),respectively.
基金supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KSCX2-1-03)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30870375, 31071937)the Central South University of Forestry & Technology (101-0654)
文摘Found in the Trans-Himalayas of north-west Yunnan and south-east Tibet, the black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) is one of the world’s most endangered primates. A recent survey indicates that only 15 groups with 2500 individuals remain in the wild. However, the Tibetan Xiaochangdu group may be the only equilibrium group in the field since the last investigation in 1988. To evaluate the effects of traditional culture and socioeconomic activity on biodiversity conservation of R. bieti, we conducted a case study in the Honglaxueshan National Nature Reserve in southeast Tibet from June 2003 to May 2005. Interviews, direct observations, and analysis of socioeconomic data indicated major advantages to the conservation of R. bieti, which included that: 1) traditional culture mainly depended on raising livestock and collecting non-timber products rather than forest planting of Tibetan highland barley; 2) religious beliefs, against to kill any wildlife living on the sacred mountain, were mainly influenced by Tibetan Buddhism; and 3) bigger household numbers were induced by the polyandrous marriage system, which resulted in lower per capita resource consumption than smaller ones.
文摘The semi-classical black hole tunneling radiation (Parikh-Wilczek tunneling proposal) is calculated undera minimal length uncertainty analysis.It is shown that,the generalized second law of thermodynamics may bound thetunneling probability radiation of a Reissner-Nordstrom black hole radiation.
基金Supported by Grants (No. S0801035, to Naito Z) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technol-ogy (MEXT), JapanGrant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A, No. 22689038 to Matsuda Y)
文摘Nestin is a class Ⅵ intermediate filament protein that was originally described as a neuronal stem cell marker during central nervous system (CNS) development, and is currently widely used in that capacity. Nestin is also expressed in non-neuronal immature or progenitor cells in normal tissues. Under pathological conditions, nestin is expressed in repair processes in the CNS, muscle, liver, and infarcted myocardium. Furthermore, increased nestin expression has been reported in various tumor cells, including CNS tumors, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, malignant melanoma, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberances, and thyroid tumors. Nestin is reported to correlate with aggressive growth, metastasis, and poor prognosis in some tumors; however, the roles of nestin in cancer cells have not been well characterized. Furthermore, nestin is more specifically expressed in proliferating small-sized tumor vessels in glioblastoma and gastric, colorectal, and prostate cancers than are other tumor vessel markers. These findings indicate that nestin may be a marker for newly synthesized tumor vessels and a therapeutic target for tumor angiogenesis. It has received a lot of attention recently as a cancer stem cell marker in various cancer cells including brain tumors, malignant rhabdoid tumors, and uterine, cervical, prostate, bladder, head and neck, ovarian, testicular, and pancreatic cancers. The purpose of this review is to clarify the roles of nestin in cancer cells and in tumor angiogenesis, and to examine the association between nestin and cancer stem cells. Nestin has the potential to serve as a molecular target for cancers with nestin-positive cancer cells and nestin-positive tumor vasculature.
基金This project is supported by Korea Science & EngineeringFoundation (KOSEF) and Korea Ministry of Science &Technology
文摘BZ]To investigate the exact mechanism of melatonin to prohibit the apoptosis of neural cells induced by various kinds of cytotoxic agents. [WT5”BX]Methods. [WT5”BZ]We used the methods of phase contrast microscopy, MTT assay and hoechst dye staining to check this mechanism in SKNSH and U251 cell lines. [WT5”BX]Results. Both 2mmol/L H 2O 2 and 0 5 μ mol/L amyloid β protein (Aβ) induce these two cell lines die via apoptosis. Either melatonin or glutathione can significantly protect both cell lines. The protective effect of 10 μ mol/L melatonin is as same as that of 60 μ mol/L glutathione. [WT5”BX]Conclusion. Melatonin can partly inhibit the cytotoxicity of H 2O 2 and Aβ through its role as a free radical scavenger.
文摘AIM: To determine the and clinical features of prevalence, histologic types primary epithelial tumours of the vermiform appendix in a predominantly black population.METHODS: All cases of primary tumours of the appendix identified by review of the histopathology records at the University of the West Indies between January 1987 and June 2007 were selected. Relevant pathologic and clinical data were extracted with supplementation from patient charts where available. Non-epithelial tumours were excluded. The total number of appendectomy specimens over the period was also ascertained.RESULTS: Forty-two primary epithelial tumours were identified out of 6 824 appendectomies yielding a prevalence rate of approximately 0.62%. Welldifferentiated neuroendocrine cell tumours (carcinoids, 47.6%) and benign non-endocrine cell tumours (adenomas, 45.2%) were most common with nearly equal frequency. The median age was 43 years, with no sex predilection. Carcinoid tumours occurred in younger patients (mean age 32 years), with a male-to-female ratio of 1.2:1. A clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis was the most common reason for appendectomy (57.1%) and was histologically confirmed in 75% (18 of 24) of cases. In total, 16.7% of cases were diagnosed after incidental appendectomy.CONCLUSION: Appendiceal epithelial tumours are rare in our experience, and are represented principally by carcinoid turnours and adenornas. Carcinoid tumours occurred in younger patients but were slightly more common in men than women. Tumours were not suspected clinically and were diagnosed incidentally in specimens submitted for acute appendicitis supporting the need for histological evaluation in all resection specimens.
文摘This report gives a better emphasis on the role of targeted effectors (e.g. a combination of 5-FC with CD-NSPCs as compared to the application of NSPCs alone) and how such delivery of pro-drug activating enzymes and other tumor-killing substances may overcome melanocytic defence system, interact with and promote the host defence and immune response modulations not only in melanoma but, potentially, in other highly-metastatic cancers.
文摘Objective To study the apoptotic effects of 1 methyl 4 phenyl 1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) on the nigral dopaminergic neurons of mice and 1 methyl 4 phenylpyridium ion (MPP +) on pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells, as well as the antagonism of Eldepryl against MPTP's apoptotic effect Methods Three groups of C 57 BL mice were treated with MPTP, Eldepryl plus MPTP and normal saline, respectively, for 7 days before performing TUNEL (terminal deoxyneucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP x nick end labeling) and FACS (fluorescence activated cell sorting) analyses of neuronal apoptosis in the substantia nigra The same tests were employed in cell culture to examine apoptosis in PC12 cells treated with MPP +, MPTP or PBS Results Intraperitoneal administration of MPTP 30?mg/kg could induce nigral apoptosis, and oral use of Eldepryl prior to MPTP treatment could completely prevent the nigral apoptosis caused by MPTP MPP +, an intermediate metabolite of MPTP, could lead to the apoptosis of PC12 cells, whereas MPTP itself had no such effect on PC12 cells Conclusions The experiment indicated that the neurotoxin, MPTP, might cause the death of nigral neurons through a mechanism of apoptosis and this effect might be mediated by its bioactive intermediate metabolite MPP + Eldepryl could protect the neurotoxicity from MPTP
基金supported by the ONR MURI pro ject(No.N00014-16-1-2007)the DARPA XAI Award(No.N66001-17-2-4029)NSF IIS(No.1423305)
文摘This paper reviews recent studies in understanding neural-network representations and learning neural networks with interpretable/disentangled middle-layer representations.Although deep neural networks have exhibited superior performance in various tasks,interpretability is always Achilles' heel of deep neural networks.At present,deep neural networks obtain high discrimination power at the cost of a low interpretability of their black-box representations.We believe that high model interpretability may help people break several bottlenecks of deep learning,e.g.,learning from a few annotations,learning via human–computer communications at the semantic level,and semantically debugging network representations.We focus on convolutional neural networks(CNNs),and revisit the visualization of CNN representations,methods of diagnosing representations of pre-trained CNNs,approaches for disentangling pre-trained CNN representations,learning of CNNs with disentangled representations,and middle-to-end learning based on model interpretability.Finally,we discuss prospective trends in explainable artificial intelligence.
基金Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine(上海中医药大学预算内课题,2015YSN13)The Three-year Development Project for Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shanghai(上海市进一步加快中医药事业发展三年行动计划项目,ZY(2018-2020)-CCCX-2001-05).
文摘Objective:To explore the central neurobiological mechanisms of pleasure effect on rats with neuralgia treated by tuina manipulations of An-pressing and Rou-kneading Huantiao (GB 30).Methods:A total of 64 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used in this study.Eighteen rats were randomly selected as a normal group,and the other 46 rats were used to duplicate the chronic constriction injury (CCI) model.Ten rats failed in modeling and 36 rats succeeded.These 36 rats were then randomly divided into a model group and a tuina group,with 18 rats in each group.The rats in the normal group and the model group did not receive any interventions,while those in the tuina group received An-pressing and Rou-kneading Huantiao (GB 30),1 min for each time,once a day,3 weeks in total.Heating tests were evaluated to observe the change of pain-sensitivity score before intervention,1 week after intervention,2 weeks after intervention,and 3 weeks after intervention.After 1 week of intervention,2 weeks of intervention,and 3 weeks of intervention,6 rats were randomly selected from each group respectively for brain extraction.The change of Nissl's body and β-endorphin in the accumbens nucleus as well as amygdaloid nucleus of pleasure circuits,and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) in the arcuate nucleus were analyzed by methods of histochemistry and molecular biology.Results:After modeling,the pain-sensitivity scores of the tuina group and the model group were statistically different from the score of the normal group (both P<0.05).After An-pressing and Rou-kneading Huantiao (GB 30) for one week,the pain-sensitivity score of the tuina group had statistical difference compared with that of the model group (P<0.05).At each different time point:the amounts of Nissl's body in accumbens nucleus and amygdaloid nucleus of the tuina group were significantly more than those of the model group (all P<0.01).Besides,the numbers of β-endorphin immunoreactive cells in the accumbens nucleus and amygdaloid nucleus of the rats in the tuina group were significantly higher than those in the model group (all P<0.01),and so was the expression of POMC in arcuate nucleus (all P<0.01).Conclusion:An-pressing and Rou-kneading Huantiao (GB 30),where the sciatic nerve is ligated,can reduce pain-sensitivity score and increase pain tolerance value of rats with chronic neuralgia.It can increase the activity of neurons in accumbens nucleus and amygdaloid nucleus of pleasure circuits,which indicates that the analgesia effect of tuina therapy may correlate with pleasure effect,and also reveals a part of neurobiological mechanisms of neuralgia.