Hematization of Quartz Grains: Study of the Surface of Quartz Grains (M.E.B) and Semi-Quantitative Mineralization

Interest in the Côte d’Ivoire sedimentary basin has led to numerous investigations. All these investigations are aimed at understanding the functioning of the basin and a paleogeographic approach including sediment transport dynamics. However, the use of exoscopy and semi-quantitative mineralogy has been little developed. This study was carried out to compensate for this lack of interest in these methods. Its aim is to understand the transformation of quartz into hematite using exoscopy and semi-quantitative mineralogy in the Adiaké locality, in the eastern onshore basin of Côte d’Ivoire. Two methods were applied to 250 μm-diameter quartz grains from the 40 m coasts. Exoscopy provides information on microscopic texture, surface and corrosion, as well as determining the transport mechanism and deposition phases of quartz grains. Semi-quantitative mineralogy provides an estimate of the weight percentages of major element oxides and the ultrastructure of quartz grains. Exoscopy showed that these grains had been subjected to torrential fluvial transport. They were marked by mechanical and chemical traces during this transport and evolved in different environments. Semi-quantitative mineralogy shows the existence of negative and positive correlations between oxides. Negative correlations indicate a substitution, in order of importance, of silicon by iron, phosphorus and aluminum in these quartz. Positive correlations show that there is no substitution between the oxides concerned in these quartz grains. Divo’s quartz grains have recorded several mechanical and chemical microstructures of their sedimentary episodes, with the appearance of iron nodules in the ports left by silica.

A semi-quantitative coal burst risk classification system

Safety is the highest priority in the mining industry as underground mining in particular poses high safety risks to its workers. In underground coal mines, coal bursts are one of the most catastrophic hazards, which involves sudden and violent dynamic coal mass failure with rapid ejection of the broken material into the mine workings. Despite decades of research, the contributing mechanisms of coal bursts are still not completely understood. Hence, it remains challenging to forecast coal bursts and quantify their likelihood of occurrence. However, a range of geological and geotechnical factors are associated with coal bursts and can increase the coal burst proneness. This paper introduces a semi-quantitative coal burst risk classification system, namely, BurstRisk. Based on back-analysis of case histories from Australia, China and the United States, BurstRisk classifies the coal burst risk into three categories:low, medium and high risk. In addition, it allows mining engineers to modify the weighting of the selected factors based on specific conditions. The risk classification charts introduced are for both longwall retreat and development sections of long-wall mining operations. This paper also provides a set of risk management strategies and control measures for effective coal burst mitigation.

A Semi-Quantitative Analysis of Essential Micronutrient in Folium Lycii Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Technique

Abstract In this paper, the capabilities of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy （LIBS） for rapid analysis to multi-component plant are illustrated using a 1064 nm laser focused onto the surface of folium lycii. Based on homogeneous plasma assumption, nine of essential micronutrients in folium lycii are identified. Using Saha equation and Boltzmann plot method electron density and plasma temperature are obtained, and their relative concentration （Ca, Mg, A1, Si, Ti, Na, K, Li, and Sr） are obtained employing a semi-quantitative method.

A Semi-quantitative Serological Method to Assess the Potency of Inactivated Rabies Vaccine for Veterinary Use

Potency is one of the most important indexes of inactivated vaccines.A number of methods have been established to assay the potency,of which the NIH test and single-dose mouse protection test are the "prescribed methods".Here,we report a method to semi-quantitatively assay the potency of an inactivated rabies vaccine,which uses fewer animals and takes less time to complete.Depending on the quality requirements of a vaccine(e.g.minimum potency),a rabies reference vaccine is,for example,diluted to the minimum potency,and 50 μL of the dilution is taken to inoculate 10 mice.The same amount of the test rabies vaccine is inoculated into another 10 mice.After two weeks,all mice are bled and serum samples are assayed for viral neutralizing antibody by the fluorescent antibody virus neutralization(FAVN) test.By comparing the median and interquartile range of antibody titers of the reference vaccine with those of the test vaccine,the test vaccine potency can be semi-quantitatively judged as to whether it is in accord with the required quality.The reliability of this method was also confirmed in dogs.The procedure can be recommended for batch potency testing during inactivated rabies vaccine production.

Can semi-quantitative evaluation of uncertain (type II) time-intensity curves improve diagnosis in breast DCE-MRI?

Objective/Background: Qualitative assessment of uncertain (type II) time-intensity curves (TICs) in breast DCE-MRI is problematic and operator dependent. The aim of this work is to evaluate if a semi-quantitative assessment of uncertain TICs could improve overall diagnostic performance. Methods: In this study 49 lesions from 44 patients were retrospectively analysed. Per each lesion one region-of-interest (ROI)- averaged TIC was qualitatively evaluated by two radiologists in consensus: all the ROIs resulted in type II (uncertain) TIC. The same TICs were semi-quantitatively re-classified on the basis of the difference between the signal intensities of the last-time-point and of the peak: this difference was classified according to two different cut-off ranges (±5% and ±3%). All patients were cytological or histological biopsy proven. Fisher test and McNemar test were performed to evaluate if results were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Results: Using ±5% cut-off 16 TICs were reclassified as type III and 12 as type I while 21 were reclassified again as type II. Using ±3% 22 TICs were reclassified as type III and 16 as type I while 11 were reclassified again as type II. The semi-quantitative classification was compared to the histological-cytological results: the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values obtained with ±3% were 77%, 91%, 91% and 78% respectively while using ±5% were 58%, 96%, 94% and 68% respectively. Using the ±5% cut-off 26/28 (93%) TICs were correctly reclassified while using the ±3% cut-off 34/38 (90%) TICs were correctly reclassified (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Semi-quantitative methods in kinetic curve assessment on DCE-MRI could improve classification of qualitatively uncertain TICs, leading to a more accurate classification of suspicious breast lesions.

Semi-quantitative analysis on the content of berberine hydrochloride in compound berberine tablets with the fluorescence spectral imaging method

The content of berberine hydrochloride(BH)in compound berberine tablets(CBTs)is subject to strict requirements.Its content is usually measured based on chemical analysis.In this paper,the fluorescence spectral imaging method was used to study the relative content of BH from a physics perspective.By comparing the relative fluorescence intensity of self-made CBTs with di®erent mass percentages of BH,a linear positive relationship was observed between the BH content and the relative fluorescence intensity,and accordingly the quality of CBTs of different brands was evaluated.The results indicate that the fluorescence spectral imaging method can be a simple,fast and nondestructive semi-quantitative analysis method to determine the content of BH in CBTs,and this method has great potential in the quality control of CBTs.

Fault diagnosis of AMT gear shifting process based on semi-quantitative SDG model

In order to diagnose gear shifting process in automated manual transmission（AMT）,a semi-quantitative signed directed graph（SDG）model is applied.Mathematical models are built by analysis of the power train dynamic and the gear shifting control process.The SDG model is built based on related priori knowledge.By calculating the fuzzy membership degree of each compatible passway and its possible fault source,we get the possibilities of failure for each possible fault source.We begin with the nodes with the maximum possibility of failure in order to find the failed part.The diagnosis example shows that it is feasible to use the semi-quantitative SDG model for fault diagnosis of the gear shifting process in AMT.

Standardized Semi-Quantitative Evaluation of [123I]FP-CIT SPECT in a Multicenter Study

To the best of our knowledge no multicenter studies have been published using standardized semi-quantitative evaluation of [123I]FP-CIT scan (DAT-SPECT). The aims of this study were: 1) to cross-compare semi-quantitative software-assisted evaluations of DAT-SPECTs performed in three centers with different equipments;2) to assess the accuracy of semi-quantitative evaluations of DAT-SPECT and 3) to identify the threshold with the best accuracy, sensitivity and specificity in a patient population with suspected parkinsonian syndrome. Materials and Methods: Two hundred twenty patients (mean age at the time of SPECT acquisition, 67.4 ± 9.5 yy) acquired in three centers (Ospedale San Luigi Gonzaga;Ospedale San Giovanni Battista Molinette;Ospedale Mauriziano Umberto I) were included. All of them underwent DAT-SPECT from January 2006 to July 2010. All exams were analyzed with the freely available software BASGAN and semi-quantitative data were used to predict disease. In particular, analyses were based on the values from the most deteriorated putamen and caudate, normalized for age and corrected for equipment. ROC analysis was performed and area under the curve (AUC) was estimated. Results: Analysis showed high AUCs (0.898, 0.864, 0.900 and 0.891 for each center and for the multicenter setting, respectively) confirming the very good accuracies reached. The best cut-off were 0.72 and 0.82 for putamen and caudate respectively. These thresholds allowed sensitivities and specificities in each center and in the multicenter setting of 76% and 96%, 91% and 82%, 93% and 90%, 86% and 89% respectively. No significant differences were observed between sensibility and specificity in each center. Conclusion: A unique threshold useful for all centers with high and similar sensitivities and specificities is possible after correction for age and equipments. The high accuracy reached in this multicenter trial by the semi-quantitative analysis seems similar to accuracies from qualitative analysis in other multicenter studies.

Semi-Quantitative Estimation of Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺Ratio in YAG:Ce³⁺Phosphor under Different Sintering Atmosphere

In order to confirm the relationship between the luminescence and the ratio of Ce3+/Ce4+ more clearly, a series of YAG:Ce3+ (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet, Y2.94Al5O12:0.06Ce3+) phosphors were pre- pared under different sintering atmosphere. A semi-quantitative analysis based on X-ray photoe-lectron spectroscopy (XPS) was introduced to study the mole ratio of Ce3+/Ce4+ in the as-synthesized YAG:Ce3+ phosphors. The results indicated that the percentage of Ce3+/(Ce3+ + Ce4+) reached 88.46% under the reduction atmosphere. The emission intensity of YAG:Ce3+ phosphors was in-creased significantly with the increasing of Ce3+ concentration.

Research on Fast Semi-Quantitative Risk Assessment Method for High Temperature and High Pressure Gas Wells

Aiming at the problem that the existing risk assessment methods in China cannot simply and accurately assess the safety risk of gas wells, a rapid semi-quantitative risk assessment method for gas wells under high temperature and pressure is studied. Based on the rapid risk assessment method of annulus well with pressure in Chevron Company and the existing risk assessment methods, the well barrier and annulus pressure of high temperature and high pressure gas wells are fully considered. A rapid semi-quantitative risk assessment method for high temperature and high pressure gas wells is established, which takes the annulus pressure value, well service life, annulus pressure recovery after pressure relief, reservoir conditions (formation pressure, production) and well CO2 and H2S content as the key risk indexes. The method is applied in a gas field, and the risk value and risk grade of a practical well are semi-quantitatively evaluated. The overall risk situation of the well is obtained. The research results provide important technical guidance for the safe production of gas well.

Semi-quantitative design of synergetic surficial/interfacial sites for the semi-continuous oxidation of glycerol

Qualitatively identifying the dominant catalytic site for each step of a semi-continuous reaction and semi-quantitatively correlating such different sites to the catalytic performance is of great significance toward the integration of multiple well-optimized sites on a heterogeneous catalyst.Herein,a series of structurally defined TiO_(x)-based catalysts were synthesized to provide a feasible approach to investigate the aforementioned issues using the semi-continuous oxidation of glycerol as a model reaction.Detailed investigations have verified the simultaneous presence of two kinds of Pt active sites:1)Negatively charged Pt bound to the oxygen vacancies of modified TiO_(x)in the form of Pt^(δ−)-O_(v)-Ti^(3+) sites and 2)metallic Pt(Pt_(0)site)located away from the inter-face.Meanwhile,the proportion of surficial and interfacial sites varies over this series of catalysts.Combined in situ FTIR experiments revealed that the reaction network was well-tuned via a site cooperation mechanism:The surficial Pt_(0)sites dissociatively adsorb the OH group of glycerol with a monodentate bonding geometry and the Pt^(δ−)-O_(v)-Ti^(3+) sites dissociate the C=O bond of the aldehyde group in a bidentate form.Furthermore,CO-FTIR spectroscopy confirmed a correlation between the reaction rate/product selectivity and the fraction of surficial/interfacial sites.A rational proportion of surficial and interfacial sites is key to enabling a high yield of glyceric acid.The most active catalyst with 32%surface sites and 68%interfacial sites exhibited 90.0%glycerol conversion and 68.5%GLYA selectivity.These findings provide a deeper understanding of the structure-activity relationships using qualitative identification and semi-quantitative analysis.

Sensitive semi-quantitative detection of respiratory syncytial virus by dark-field light scattering imaging of the infected host cells

A novel sensitive semi-quantitative virus detection technique was developed using the respiratory syncytial virus(RSV) as an example, through dark-field light scattering imaging of the surface state of the virusinvaded host cells. In this method, anti-RSV-antibody modified gold nanoparticles(Au NPs) could bind with the invading virus on the cell membrane of the infected host cells through the specific antibody-antigen binding. Then,the host cells could be imaged by the localized surface plasmon resonance light scattering properties of Au NPs under a dark-field light scattering microscopy, which could be further used to semi-quantify the invading virus.

Colloidal Gold Immunochromatographic Assay for Rapid On-Site Detection of Tetracycline in Seawater

Recently increasing concerns from the scientists and public have been paid for seawater pollution due to tetracycline(TC)overuse in maricultural area.However,there are few methods or instruments that can be used for specific and rapid detection of this antibiotic in seawater.In this study,the colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay(CG-ICA)was used to achieve this goal.A commercialized monoclonal antibody against TC(anti-TC mAb)was selected because of its higher sensitivity(half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 2.38μgL^(-1)).The prepared CG particles(average diameter of 20 nm)were used to label anti-TC mAb at pH 8.0.The conjugate pad was formed by spraying the CG-labeled anti-TC mAb on a glass fibre membrane followed by proper dryness.The test pad was made by immobilizing artificial antigen and anti-mouse mAb in the test line and the control line,respectively,in a nitrocellulose membrane.The test strip,assembled with sample pad,conjugate pad,test pad and absorbent pad,could be used to detect TC during seawater sample flowing through these components in turn.The results could be observed by the naked eye in 10min.The visible limit of detection(vLOD)was 20μgL^(-1) for TC in seawater.The CG-ICA test results were in good agreement with those of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS).The assay also showed that,oxytetracycline(OTC)and chlortetracycline(CTC),as the structural analogues of TC,did not interfere with TC determination.Furthermore,the TC concentration given by test strip could not be affected by the fluctuation of temperature(10℃–30℃),pH(7–9)and salinity(0–40)of seawater.Therefore,CG-ICA is a suitable tool for rapid,on-site,and semi-quantitative detection of TC in seawater.

A Proposed Method for Evaluating Management Feasibility When Determining Weed Control Priorities after Major Fires and Floods

Major fires and floods have enormous impacts on natural ecosystems and are predicted to increase in frequency with global warming.Land managers need to make decisions on the prioritisation of weeds for control in post-disturbance landscapes,but little is available in the way of guidance to support timely decision making.Semi-quantitative models(e.g.,scoring systems)have been employed routinely in weed risk assessment,which considers the potential impacts posed by weeds,as well as the likelihood of these impacts being realised.Some progress has been made in the development of similar models addressing the topic of weed risk management.Under conditions prevailing after major disturbances,changes(both positive and negative)can be expected in the multiple factors that determine weed management feasibility,relative to pre-disturbance conditions.A semi-quantitative model is proposed that is based on the key factors that contribute to weed management feasibility in post-disturbance environments,along with annotated modules that could be used by land managers in both post-fire and post-flood situations.The fundamental challenge for weed management in these scenarios lies in the identification of differences between weeds and native species in relation to(1)patterns of seedling emergence;and(2)detectability relative to the growth stage.These two factors will determine the timing of control actions that are designed to address the trade-off between weed control and off-target damage during the period when both types of plants are recovering from a major disturbance event.The model is intuitively sound,but field testing is required to determine both its practical value and any necessary improvement.

Cloning and Analysis of ISA1 from Oryza sativa

[Objective] The aim was to clone ISA1 from Oryza sativa and analyze its expression situation in different tissues and different endosperm filling stage.[Method] With japonica rice cultivar nipponbare as test material,the expression patterns of ISA1 in different tissues and different endosperm filling stage was analyzed by using semi-quantitative RT-PCR technique.[Result]The full length open reading fragments of ISA1 encoded 811 amino acid residues.The homologous alignment and phylogenetic analysis showed th...

Galectin-3在结直肠癌中的表达及其对肠癌细胞株增殖和凋亡的影响

目的:探讨半乳糖凝集素-3(Galectin-3)在结直肠癌中的表达及其对肠癌细胞株SW480增殖和凋亡的影响。方法:采用Semi-quantitative RT-PCR和组织芯片免疫组化染色技术检测结直肠癌组织、淋巴结转移癌组织和邻近正常肠粘膜组织中Galectin-3 mRNA和蛋白的表达情况。构建Lv-Galectin-3-EGFP表达载体和psi Lv-U6-Galectin-3 RNA干扰载体,分别转染SW480细胞,分别利用CCK-8试剂盒和Hoechst染色法观察Galectin-3的表达状态对肠癌细胞株增殖和凋亡的影响。结果:Galectin-3在结直肠癌组织和淋巴结转移癌组织中的表达水平显著高于邻近正常肠粘膜组织(P<0.01)。Galectin-3与结直肠癌患者的临床分期、肿瘤分化程度及淋巴结转移等参数相关。体外细胞实验显示,上调Galectin-3表达可以促进肠癌细胞株的增殖,抑制其凋亡。结论:Galectin-3的表达上调参与结直肠癌的进展。

Isolation of the drought up-regulated gene in Alternanthera philoxeroides by differential display technique

Under drought stress, adventitious roots of Alternanthera philoxeroides seedlings will grow long thick fleshy roots, which are assumed to improve performance of the plant by more efficient reservation and absorption of water from deep soil layers. In this study, the differential display technique was used to clone morphogenesis-related genes from A. philoxeroides roots treated with drought, which would help to improve crop plants＇ drought-tolerance by transgenic method; by 15 pairs of primer combinations, twenty putative drought up-regulated gene segments induced by drought were obtained; and one of them was confirmed by reverse northern blot, and subsequently cloned and sequenced. A homologous analysis revealed that it might be a new sequence. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that the gene was up-regulated by drought and salt stress.

Effects of coal rank on physicochemical properties of coal and on methane adsorption

For the thorough research on coal metamorphism impact on gas adsorption capacity, this paper collected and summarized parameters of experimental adsorption isotherms, coal maceral, proximate analysis and ultimate analysis obtained from National Engineering Research Center of Coal Gas Control and related literatures at home and abroad, systematically discussed the coal rank effect on its physicochemical properties and methane adsorption capacity, in which the coal rank was shown in Vitrinite reflectance, furthermore, obtained the Semi-quantitative relationship between physicochemical properties of coal and methane adsorption capacity.

XAF1 is frequently methylated in human esophageal cancer

AIM： To explore epigenetic changes in the gene encod- ing X chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis-associ- ated factor 1 （XAF1） during esophageal carcinogenesis. METHODS： Methylation status of XAF1 was detected by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction （MSP） in four esophageal cancer cell lines （KYSE30, KYSE70, BICl and partially methylated in TE3 cell lines）, nine cases of normal mucosa, 72 cases of pri- mary esophageal cancer and matched adjacent tissue. XAF1 expression was examined by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptional polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting before and after treatment with 5-aza- deoxycytidine （5-aza-dc）, a demethylating agent. To investigate the correlation of XAF1 expression and methylation status in primary esophageal cancer, immu- nohistochemistry for XAF1 expression was performed in 32 cases of esophageal cancer and matched adjacent tissue. The association of methylation status and clini-copathological data was analyzed by logistic regression. RESULTS： MSP results were as follows： loss of XAF1 expression was found in three of four esophageal cell lines with promoter region hypermethylation （com- pletely methylated in KYSE30, KYSE70 and BIC1 cell lines and partially in TE3 cells）; all nine cases of normal esophageal mucosa were unmethylated; and 54/72 （75.00%） samples from patients with esophageal can- cer were methylated, and 25/72 （34.70%） matched adjacent tissues were methylated （75.00% vs 34,70%, z2 = 23.5840, P = 0.000）. mRNA level of XAF1 mea- sured with semi-quantitative reverse transcription poly- merase chain reaction was detectable only in TE3 cells, and no expression was detected in KYSE30, KYSE70 or BIC1 cells. Protein expression was not observed in KYSE30 cells by Western blotting before treatment with 5-aza-dc. After treatment, mRNA level of XAF1 was detectable in KYSE30, KYSE70 and BIC1 cells. Protein expression was detected in KYSE30 after treatment with 5-aza-dc. Immunohistochemistry was performed on 32 cases of esophageal cancer and adjacent tissue, and demonstrated XAF1 in the nucleus and cytoplasm. XAF1 staining was found in 20/32 samples of adjacent normal tissue but was present in only 8/32 samples of esophageal cancer tissue （Z2= 9.143, P = 0.002）. XAF1 expression was decreased in cancer samples compared with adjacent tissues. In 32 cases of esophageal can- cer, 24/32 samples were methylated, and 8/32 esopha- geal cancer tissues were unmethylated. XAF1 staining was found in 6/8 samples of unmethylated esophageal cancer and 2/24 samples of methylated esophageal cancer tissue. XAF1 staining was inversely correlated with XAF1 promoter region methylation （Fisher＇s exact test, P = 0.004）. Regarding methylation status and clinicopathological data, no significant differences were found in sex, age, tumor size, tumor stage, or metas- tasis with respect to methylation of XAF1 for the 72 tis- sue samples from patients with esophageal cancer. CONCLUSION： XAF1 is frequently methylated in eso- phageal cancer, and XAF1 expression is regulated by promoter region hypermethylation.

Prevalence and Risk Assessment of Campylobacter jejuni in Chicken in China

Objective To understand the occurrence and distribution of Campylobacter jejuni in chicken in China, assess its health risk to the Chinese population, and provide recommendations for effective risk control. Methods Data from the National Food Safety Risk Surveillance Network on Campylobacter jejuni between 2007 and 2010 and from published articles were analyzed. Eleven parameters were used based on the whole chicken preparation process and prevalence of Campylobocter jejuni for risk assessment by using the Ross-Sumner Method. Results The detection rates of Campylobacterjejuni in raw chicken were between 0.29% and 2.28% during 2007-2010 in China （more than 20 provinces）. The probability of illness caused by Campylobacter jejuni due to chicken consumption was around six out of one million consumers per day in urban areas and around one out of one million consumers per day in rural areas. Total predicted illnesses per year was about 736 000, accounting for 1.6‰ of the general population in urban areas and about 301 000, accounting for 0.37‰ of the total population in rural areas. The risk rankings of Campylobocterjejuni in chicken were 52 and 49 in urban and rural areas, respectively. Conclusion A high risk score for Campylobacterjejuni in chicken was obtained in China. This result may contribute to development of food safety management strategies. Key efforts should be made to control the risk of Campylobacterjejuni in chicken in China, especially in chick breeding and chicken preparation processes.