Impact of strain engineering on nanoscale strained III-V PMOSFETs

Stress distributions in the strained InGaAs PMOSFET with source/drain (S/D) stressors for various lengths and widths were studied with 3D stress simulations. The resulting mobility improvement was analyzed. Compressive stress along the transport direction was found to dominate the hole mobility improvement for the wide width devices. Stress along the vertical direction perpendicular to the gate oxide was found to affect the mobility the least, while stress along the width direction enhanced in the middle wide width region. The impact of channel width and length on performance improvements such as the mobility gain was analyzed using the Kubo-Greenwood formalism accounting for nonpolar hole-phonon scattering (acoustic and optical), surface roughness scattering, polar phonon scattering, alloy scattering and remote phonon scattering. The novelty of this paper is studying the impact of channel width and length on the performance of InGaAs PMOSFET such as mobility and exploring physical insight for scaling the future III-V CMOS devices.

6-[(2-Hy-droxy-eth-yl)amino]-7H-dibenzo[de,h]quinolin-7-one

The title compound, C₁₈H₁₄N₂O₂, is a new oxoisoaporphine derivative synthesized by alkyl­ation of 6-chloro-1-aza­benzanthrone. The oxoisoaporphine fragment deviates significantly from planarity with a dihedral angle of 5.1 (1)° between the heterocycle and the remote benzene ring. The amino and oxo groups are involved in an intra­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond, while the hy­droxy groups form inter­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, which link pairs of mol­ecules into inversion dimers. In the dimer, two approximately parallel oxoisoaporphine fragments exhibit π–π inter­actions between the aromatic rings, the shortest centroid–centroid distance being 3.649 (3) Å.

TCAD simulations for thin film solar cells with nanoplate structures

The novel thin film solar cell with a nanoplate structure that can solve the conflict between the light absorption and the carrier transport in amorphous silicon thin film solar cell was investigated by TCAD simulations. This new structure has n-type amorphous silicon nanoplate array on the substrate, and p-type amorphous silicon-carbon as window layer and intrinsic amorphous silicon as absorption layer are sequentially grown along the surface of each n-type amorphous silicon nanoplate. Under AM 1.5 G sunlight illumination, the light is absorbed along the vertical direction of nanoplate while the carrier transport is along the horizontal direction. Therefore, nanoplate with the larger height can absorb most of the sunlight. The advantage of this novel structure is that the thickness of the solar cell can be used as thin as possible for effective transport of photo-generated carriers in comparison with the planer one.

Visible luminescence mechanism of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by sol-gel method

We presented our investigations on the absorption and emission properties of the nanocrystalline ZnO particles of different particle sizes (2 nm-5 nm) by sol-gel method. In the room temperature PL spectra, three emission bands, ultraviolet (UV), blue and green were observed. With increasing the particle sizes, both the UV and the visible emission bands shifted to lower energies progressively. From the size-dependency, there was a linear relationship between the energetic maxima of the UV and the green emission bands with a slope of about 0.26, which indicated that the green luminescence of ZnO was produced by the transitions of electrons from deep level to the valence band (or shallow acceptor level). A linear dependence was also found between the energetic maxima of the UV and the blue emissions with a slope of 0.15, the origin this blue emission band is not clear at present. While in van Dijken et al.'s paper, however, they identified only two emission bands in the emission spectra, an UV and a broad visible emission band, and the linear fit between the energetic maxima of these two bands in particles of different sizes has a slope of 0.6, so they proposed that the visible emission in ZnO was originated from the recombination of a shallowly trapped electron with a deeply trapped hole. We attributed this divergence to the fact that the broad visible band is actually composed of two separate emission bands originated from two different recombination processes, and should not had been treated as one emission band.

Genome-wide association study identifies multiple novel loci associated with disease progression in subjects with mild cognitive impairment

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia among the elderly population; however, knowledge about genetic risk factors involved in disease progression is limited. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using clinical decline as measured by changes in the Clinical Dementia Rating-sum of boxes as a quantitative trait to test for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were associated with the rate of progression in 822 Caucasian subjects of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI). There was no significant association with disease progress for any of the recently identified disease susceptibility variants in CLU, CR1, PICALM, BIN1, EPHA1, MS4A6A, MS4A4E or CD33 following multiple testing correction. We did, however, identify multiple novel loci that reached genome-wide significance at the 0.01 level. These top variants (rs7840202 at chr8 in UBR5: P=4.27 × 10(-14); rs11637611 with a cluster of SNPs at chr15q23 close to the Tay-Sachs disease locus: P=1.07 × 10(-15); and rs12752888 at chr1: P=3.08 × 10(-11)) were also associated with a significant decline in cognition as well as the conversion of subjects with MCI to a diagnosis of AD. Taken together, these variants define approximately 16.6% of the MCI sub-population with a faster rate of decline independent of the other known disease risk factors. In addition to providing new insights into protein pathways that may be involved with the progress to AD in MCI subjects, these variants if further validated may enable the identification of a more homogeneous population of subjects at an earlier stage of disease for testing novel hypotheses and/or therapies in the clinical setting.

Excitons emissions and Raman scattering of ZnO nanoparticles embedded in BaF2 matrices by reactive magnetron sputtering

ZnO nanoparticles embedded in BaF2 matrix were fabricated by rf magnetic sputtering technology. The optical properties of high quality ZnO nanoparticles, thermally post treated in a N2 atmosphere, were investigated by temperature-dependence photoluminescence measurement. Free exciton and localized exciton were observed at the low temperature. Free exciton peak was at 3.374 eV and localized exciton peak was at 3.420 eV, dominating the PL spectrum at 77 K. Free exciton transition was observed at 3.310 eV at room temperature, whereas the localized exciton transition was at 3.378 eV. The multiple-phonon Raman scattering spectrum showed that ZnO nanoparticles embedded in BaF2 matrix had a large deformation energy originated from lattice mismatch between ZnO and BaF2 matrix. Analysis of the fitting results from the temperature dependence of FWHM of ZnO exciton illustrated that the large value of gamma(ph) was good qualitative agreement with the large deformation potential.

[Lateral position one-stage combined posteroanterior approaches for the treatment of lumbosacral tuberculous spondylitis]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the feasibility of a one-stage combined posteroanterior approaches for the treatment of lumbosacral tuberculous spondylitis with the patients lying in a lateral position.

METHODS

A retrospective review was conducted for 15 patients with lumbosacral tuberculosis undergoing one-stage combined posteroanterior approaches for radical lesion resection and reconstruction. All patients were observed and evaluated by clinical and imaging studies.

RESULTS

Operative posture:11 cases for right side and 4 cases for left side. The mean operative duration was 280 min (range: 230 - 380 min) and the mean estimated volume of blood loss 1720 ml (range: 1100 - 3000 ml). Imaging results: No recurrence of tuberculose focus was found until the last follow-up. Upon image reviewing, it showed no loosening or displacement except for two cases of slightly collapsed titanium mesh. Preoperative and postoperative changes in the degree of lumbar lordosis were statistically significant [(20 ± 5)° vs (31 ± 5)°, P < 0.05]. The Kirkaldy-Willis classification rating yielded satisfactory results for 13 cases.

CONCLUSION

The patients with lumbosacral tuberculosis undergoing one-stage combined posteroanterior approaches may achieve radical lesion resection, posteroanterior collaboration and reconstruction. It avoids a 2-stage operation, eliminates the need of changing a patient's body position with secondary sterilization and shortens the operative duration. Lumbosacral surgery for tuberculosis combines the respective advantages of anterior, posterior and combined posteroanterior approaches and yet makes up for their deficiencies.

Natural occurrence of fumonisins b1 and b2 in corn from three main production provinces in China

A total of 255 corn samples collected in 2010 from three main corn production provinces of China (Liaoning, Shandong, and Henan) were analyzed for contamination with fumonisins (FB(1) and FB(2)). The incidence of contamination was significantly higher in samples from Liaoning than in samples from the other two provinces. Approximately 80.0% of the samples from Liaoning were contaminated with fumonisins, with a mean total fumonisin concentration of 3,990 ng/g. In contrast, the mean total fumonisin concentrations were 845 and 665 ng/g in samples from Shandong and Henan, respectively. The probable daily intake of fumonisins (0.3 μg/kg of body weight) is within the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake of 2.0 μg/kg of body weight set by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives.

Spin squeezing: transforming one-axis twisting into two-axis twisting

Squeezed spin states possess unique quantum correlation or entanglement and are significantly promising for advancing quantum information processing and quantum metrology. In recent back-to-back publications [C. Gross et al., Nature (London) 464, 1165 (2010) and Max F. Riedel et al., Nature (London) 464, 1170 (2010)], reduced spin fluctuations are observed leading to spin squeezing at -8.2 and -2.5 dB, respectively, in two-component atomic condensates exhibiting one-axis-twisting interactions. The noise reduction limit for the one-axis twisting scales as ∝1/N(2/3), which for a condensate with N∼10(3) atoms is about 100 times below the standard quantum limit. We present a scheme using repeated Rabi pulses capable of transforming the one-axis-twisting spin squeezing into the two-axis-twisting type, leading to Heisenberg limited noise reduction ∝1/N or an extra tenfold improvement for N∼10(3).

Diaqua-[3,5-bis-(4-pyrid-yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole-κN](pyridine-2,6-dicarboxyl-ato-κO,N,O)nickel(II)

In the title compound, [Ni(C₇H₃NO₄)(C₁₂H₉N₅)(H₂O)₂], the Ni^II atom is coordinated in a distorted octa­hedral geometry by one N and two O atoms from a pyridine-2,6-dicarboxyl­ate ligand, one N atom from a 3,5-bis­(4-pyrid­yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole ligand in equatorial positions and two water mol­ecules in axial positions. The crystal packing is consolidated by inter­molecular O—H⋯O, O—H⋯N and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

The mutL Mutation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates Reveals Multidrug-resistant Traits and Possible Evolutionary Trends

To evaluate the genetic differences and possible evolutionary trends of clinical multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and evolutionary distances were estimated. A total of 85.7% of the P. aeruginosa isolates were MDR strains. Strains with the PFGE pattern A predominated; all were susceptible to amikacin and cefepime but resistant to levofloxacin and meropenem (except strain PA45 which was sensitive to meropenem). PFGE pattern H or P strains exhibited resistance to six to eight different antibiotics. PFGE pattern I or J strains were susceptible to all antibiotics tested. Two imperfect six base-pair tandem repeats, CTGGCG and CTGGCC, were found in the mutL gene. In conclusion, MDR characteristics and PFGE profiles were clearly correlated with the mutL phylogenetic tree. This indicates that mutations in mutL might contribute to genetic stability in adaptation by changing the MDR traits. Phylogenetic analysis of mutL revealed the MDR relatedness of P. aeruginosa strains.

The relationship between acid-suppressing drugs and phytobezoar formation: a retrospective analysis and discussion of phytobezoar formation

OBJECTIVES

Although phytobezoars are a rare cause of gastrointestinal obstruction, they are most commonly found in patients with previous gastric surgery. It is well known that predisposing factors of phytobezoar formation are ingestion of fruits containing soluble tannin, presence of dilute hydrochloric acid in the stomach, and gastric stasis or delayed emptying. We investigated whether intake of acid-suppressing drugs that neutralize gastric acidity or inhibit gastric acid secretion to constitute a hypo-acidic condition, increases the risk of phytobezoar formation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between September 1992 and October 2008, 32 patients (24 male and 8 female) with gastrointestinal phytobezoars were diagnosed either surgically or endoscopically at the Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, Republic of China. The data were collected from hospital records and analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

Eighteen (56.25%) of all patients had previous gastric surgery and 6 (42.9%) of the 14 patients who had not undergone surgery had diabetes mellitus. The majority of admissions were during winter and spring (between October and March) (P < 0.01) and none of the patients had taken acid-suppressing drugs during the 6 months before detection of gastrointestinal phytobezoars.

CONCLUSIONS

In our study, intake of acid-suppressing drugs did not increase the risk of phytobezoar formation in patients with normal gastric motility. Moreover, we believe that the major factor in phytobezoar formation is gastric stasis or delayed emptying, which sufficiently prolongs the retention period of materials in the stomach, while dilute hydrochloric acid is a minor factor.

Faceted ice growth in hydrophilic and hydrophobic channels

This study is motivated by the cryo-preservation for tissues, which is related to the solidification of blood in a confined space. The morphological behavior of growing ice facet in 1.3 mm hydrophilic and hydrophobic channels is the focus of this study. Both DI water and KCl solution were solidified without seeds in the channels and the growing front facet was discussed in regards to contact angle, in-situ morphology, conductivity difference between two phases and solute segregation. For DI water, the formation of facets was observed during ice growth in both hydrophilic and hydrophobic channels and could be classified into two modes according to the local curvature of the interface. The facet was formed at different positions of the interface in hydrophilic and hydrophobic channels. Solutal segregation effect was taken into consideration to partially govern the interface morphology and the facet formation during solidification of the KCl solution. In addition, the growth rates of the ice growth with a facet were also compared and discussed.

Potential new inorganic antitumour agents from combining the anticancer traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) matrine with Ga(III), Au(III), Sn(IV) ions, and DNA binding studies

Three new compounds of Ga(III), Au(III), Sn(IV) with matrine (MT), [H-MT][GaCl(4)] (1), [H-MT][AuCl(4)] (2) and [Sn(H-MT)Cl(5)] (3), have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ESI-MS and single crystal X-ray diffraction methods. The crystal structural analyses indicate that 1 and 2 are ionic compounds, whereas 3 is a tin(IV) complex formed by the monodentate MT via its carbonyl oxygen atom of MT coordinating to Sn(IV). Their in vitro cytotoxicity towards eight selected tumour cell lines has been evaluated by MTT (3-[4,5-Dimentylthiazole-2-yl]-2,5-diphenpyltetra-zolium bromide) method, and compounds 1 and 2 exhibit enhanced activity, such as 1 to SW480, 2 to HeLa, HepG2 and MCF-7, which exceeds matrine and cisplatin, and display synergistic contribution of their components. The cell cycle analyses show that compounds 1, 3 and MT exhibit cell cycle arrest at the G(2)/M phase. Interactions of these compounds with calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) have been investigated by spectroscopic analyses. The planar extension of the intercalative metal-matrine compounds increases the interaction of the metal-matrine with DNA, indicating that the cationic metal ions and configuration of the intercalated metal-matrine will affect the extent of interaction. Compound 2, [H-MT][AuCl(4)], exhibits more intensive binding ability to DNA, which may correlate with intercalation and other action mode. The circular dichroism spectra of the ct-DNA bound with metal-MT compounds also suggest that ct-DNA interacted with 1, 2, 3 does not influence its secondary structure. Furthermore, both compounds 1 and 2 exhibit effective inhibition ability to topoisomerase (TOPO I) at concentration of 50 μM, while matrine and compound 3 do not.

Split of surface plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles on silicon substrate: a study of dielectric functions

The split of surface plasmon resonance of self-assembled gold nanoparticles on Si substrate is observed from the dielectric functions of the nanoparticles. The split plasmon resonances are modeled with two Lorentz oscillators: one oscillator at ~1 eV models the polarization parallel to the substrate while the other at ~2 eV represents the polarization perpendicular to the substrate. Both parallel and perpendicular resonances are red-shifted when the nanoparticle size increases. The red shifts in both resonances are explained by the image charge effect of the Si substrate.

(Sulfasalazinato-κO)bis-(triphenyl-phosphine-κP)copper(I)

The title mixed-ligand copper(I) complex, [Cu(C₁₈H₁₃N₄O₅S)(C₁₈H₁₅P)₂], was synthesized via solvothermal reaction of [Cu(PPh₃)₂(MeCN)₂]ClO₄ and sulfasalazine [systematic name: 2-hydr­oxy-5-(2-{4-[(2-pyridylamino)sulfon­yl]phen­yl}diazen­yl)benzoic acid]. The mononuclear complex displays a trigonal coordination geometry for the Cu(I) atom, which is surrounded by two P-atom donors from two different PPh₃ ligands and one O-atom donor from the monodentate carboxyl­ate group of the sulfasalazinate ligand. The latter ligand is found in a zwitterionic form, with a deprotonated amine N atom and a protonated pyridine N atom. Such a feature was previously described for free sulfasalazine. The crystal structure is stabilized by C—H⋯O, C—H⋯N, N—H⋯N and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

The synthesis and optical properties of ZnO nanocombs

The ZnO nanocombs were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition method, which the uniform and dense nanotips were along one side of the comb ribbon. The growth mechanism was described as free catalyst self-assembled and vapor-solid model. The optical properties related with the surface states were investigated by Raman and PL spectra. The large redshift of 1LO phonon peak was attributed to the surface and interface states. The normalized PL spectra showed that the deep-level emission decreased for the sample to be annealed in O2 ambient at 500 degrees C. On the contrary, the deep-level emission increased while for the annealed sample in O2 ambient at 600 degrees C. The deep-level emission was attributed to the transition from the shallow donor to the deep acceptor. The XPS analysis showed the existence of oxygen rich and Zn deficient in the ZnO nanocombs annealed at 600 degrees C. The abnormal temperature dependence of integrated PL intensity was attributed to the abundant surface states.

Characterization and optical transition in tb-doped 12CaO x 7Al2O3 powders

Tb-doped 12CaO x 7Al2O3 (C12A7:Tb3+) powders with strong green emission were prepared using the sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectra, scanning electron microscopy and absorption spectra showed that C12A7:Tb3+ powders with grain size of 200-300 nm were synthesized. Porous powders could be formed as the concentration of Tb3+ was 5 at%. The absorption band around 209 nm was attributed to the host lattice absorption, and the bands around 255 nm and 274 nm were related to the 4f-5d transitions of Tb3+. The absorption intensity of the visible region was enhanced due to the presence of one 100 nm-diameter hole in every grain of C12A7:Tb3+ powders. The emission spectra showed noticeable influence of Tb-Tb cross relaxation, which favored the green photoluminescence (PL) over the blue PL. The study on the concentration quenching indicated that the energy transfers depopulating the 5D3 and 5D4 levels were assigned to the mechanisms of electric dipole-dipole and exchange interaction, respectively.

Probing the visible luminescence mechanism in ZnO nanoparticles by band edge modulation

The visible luminescence mechanism of ZnO is an important but controversial problem. In this paper, we report the structural and optical properties of Mg-doped ZnO nanoparticles (approximately 3-4 nm) synthesized via the sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and absorption spectra observations revealed that Mg ions replace Zn ions in the lattice. In the room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra, three emission bands, ultraviolet (UV), blue, and green, were observed. With increasing concentration of Mg, the near band edge (NBE) emission band progressively shifted to the higher energy side. The green emission in the visible emission band, however, presented an inconspicuous shift. The reason is probably that the bottom of the conduction band in ZnO is determined by the Zn 4s state, and the top of the valence band is determined by the O 2p state. Mg ions in ZnO substitute for zinc ions and enter a slightly distorted tetrahedral site, which causes the bottom of the ZnO conduction band to be shifted to higher energy and leaves the top of the valence band unchanged. This combined with the fact that the deep level position is insensitive to the shift of the band edge led us to conclude that the green emission originates from electronic transition between the deep defect level and the top of the valence band (or very shallow acceptor level).

catena-Poly[[(liriodenine-κ2N,O)lead(II)]-di-μ-chlorido]

The title compound, [PbCl₂(C₁₇H₉NO₃)]_n, was synthesized by the hydro­thermal reaction of PbCl₂ and liriodenine. The lead(II) atom has a distorted octa­hedral environment made up of the O and N atoms of the liriodenine ligand [Pb—O 2.666 (4) Å, Pb—N 2.587 (5) Å, O—Pb—N 61.78 (14)°] and four bridging chloro ligands, which link the complex mol­ecules into infinite chains along the a axis. Both crystallographically independent chloro-bridges are asymmetric, so that the Pb atom participates in two short [2.6872 (18) and 2.7952 (18) Å] and two noticeably longer Pb—Cl bonds [2.9626 (18) and 3.031 (2) Å].

catena-Poly[[triaqua-(pyridine-κN)nickel(II)]-μ-sulfato-κO:O']

The title compound, [Ni(SO(4))(C(5)H(5)N)(H(2)O)(3)](n), was synthesized by the hydro-thermal reaction of NiSO(4)·6H(2)O, pyridine and water. The central Ni(II) atom is coordinated in a distorted octa-hedral environment by a pyridine N atom, three aqua O atoms and two O atoms of bridging sulfate anions, yielding a zigzag chain. A three-dimensional network is generated via complex hydrogen bonds involving the sulfate and aqua ligands and a pyridine C-H group.

Tetra-aqua-bis(pyridine-κN)cobalt(II) bis-[4-amino-N-(6-chloro-pyridazin-3-yl)benzene-sulfonamidate]

The structure of the title compound, [Co(C(5)H(5)N)(2)(H(2)O)(4)](C(10)H(8)ClN(4)O(2)S)(2), consists of a discrete tetra-aqua-bis(pyridine-κN)cobalt(II) cation and two 4-amino-N-(6-chloro-pyridazin-3-yl)benzene-sulfonamidate anions. In the cation, the Co(II) ion sits on an inversion centre and is octa-hedrally coordinated by two pyridine N atoms and four O atoms. A two-dimensional network parallel to (010) is formed via inter-molecular O-H⋯O, O-H⋯N, N-H⋯N and N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

Cytotoxicity of the traditional chinese medicine (TCM) plumbagin in its copper chemistry

The anticancer traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), plumbagin (PLN), was isolated from Plumbago Zeylanica. Reaction of plumbagin with Cu(II) salt, afforded [Cu(PLN)(2)].2H(2)O (1). With 2,2'-bipyridine (bipy) as a co-ligand, PLN reacts with Cu(II) to give [Cu(PLN)(bipy)(H(2)O)](2)(NO(3))(2).4H(2)O (2). 1 and 2 were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ESI-MS spectra. Their crystal structures were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction methods. The in vitro cytotoxicity of PLN, 1 and 2 against seven human tumour cell lines was assayed. The metal-based compounds exhibit enhanced cytotoxicity vs. that of free PLN, suggesting that these compounds display synergy in the combination of metal ions with PLN. The binding properties of PLN, 1 and 2 to DNA were investigated through UV-vis, fluorescence, CD spectra, and gel mobility shift assay, which indicated that 1 and 2 were non-covalent binding and mainly intercalated the neighboring base pairs of DNA. PLN, 1 and 2 exhibit inhibition activity to topoisomerase I (TOPO I), but 1 and 2 were more effective than PLN.

4-(8-Hydroxy-3-methyl-1,4-dioxo-1,4-dihydro-2-naphthyl)butanoic acid

In the title compound, C₁₅H₁₄O₅, an intramolecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs. In the crystal, the molecules form inversion dimers linked by pairs of O—H⋯O bonds, which are further linked by C—H⋯O interactions.

9-[4-Hydroxy-3-(hydroxymethyl)butyl]guanine monohydrate

In the mol­ecular structure of the title compound, also named penciclovir monohydrate, C₁₀H₁₅N₅O₃·H₂O, the 4-hydr­oxy-3-hydroxy­methyl­but-1-yl group is connected to guanine through an N atom of the imidazole ring. Water mol­ecules stabilize the mol­ecular packing by forming O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. A three-dimensional network is generated via inter­molecular N—H⋯N, N—H⋯O, O—H⋯N and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonding.

Lack of association between AKT1 variances versus clinical manifestations and social function in patients with schizophrenia

The elucidation of genotype-phenotype relationships in psychiatric research is at an early stage. V-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (AKT1) is a serine/threonine kinase known as protein kinase B. Emerging studies have implicated the role of AKT1 in pathogenesis of schizophrenia; however, the findings have not been consistent. This study aims to examine the association of AKT1 polymorphisms with drug-free and post-treatment symptomatology and social function in patients with schizophrenia. One hundred and twenty newly hospitalised patients with acutely exacerbated schizophrenia who had never been treated by atypical antipsychotics were recruited. They received optimal treatment of risperidone for up to 42 days in the inpatient research unit. Clinical manifestations were monitored by Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and social function by Nurses' Observation Scale for Inpatients Evaluation (NOSIE). Patients were genotyped for eight AKT1 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs), which have been previously investigated for association with schizophrenia. At drug-free status and after best possible treatment of risperidone, genotypes of each SNP did not influence performances in NOSIE, PANSS-total, -positive, -negative and -general psychopathology profiles. These results suggest that AKT1 does not play a significant role in clinical and functional manifestations in patients with schizophrenia who receive risperidone treatment. Future research should also focus on the relationships between genotypes of other susceptibility genes and phenotypes or functional outcomes of schizophrenia.

[Determination of contents of many kinds of metal elements in Phellodendron by ICP-AES]

Dry and wet methods were used to digest Phellodendron grown in Jinxiu Dayaoshan of Guangxi with a high-pressure jar and to prepare the samples. The contents of microelements Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn and Ni and macroelements K, Ca, Mg, Sr and Na in Phellodendron were determined by using ICP-AES. Meanwhile, the optimal digestion conditions were found: 7 mL of HNO3 +HClO4 +H2O2 (volume ratio 5 : 1 : 1) for 4 h. The work condition and the optical wavelength were selected. The RSD was found to be less than 5% and the recovery rates of all elements were within the range of 89.4%-113.1%. The determined results agree with the analytical demand, and also indicate that Phellodendron contains high contents of Cu, Fe, Zn and Mn microelements. It is important to assess the medicinal value and understand pharmacological action of Phellodendron by the determination of microelements in the Chinese medicine with ICP-AES.

[Determination of trace metal elements in Zanthoxylum nitidum by ICP-AES]

The contents of twenty microelements were determined in the root, stem and leaf of traditional Chinese herbs, Zanthoxylum nitidum by ICP-AES (inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry) analytical technology. For such method, their recovery ratio obtained by standard addition method ranged between 89% and 107.5%, and most of RSDs were lower than 4%, with good correction and precision. The analytical results show that there exist different contents from the different parts of the plant. There are most rich elements such as Mg, Na, K, and Ca in its three parts, while Mn, Zn, Fe, Cu, Co, Sr and some toxic elements Cd, Cr, Pb and Bi were also detected; four elements, Se, V, Mo and Hg, were not detected in all parts. There exist many kinds of metal elements benefiting human being health, which may provide useful information for the usage of the herbs and for the study of the relationship between the elements in Chinese traditional medicine and its bioactivities.

Compact optical curvature sensor with a flexible microdisk laser on a polymer substrate

We demonstrate a chip-scale compact optical curvature sensor. It consists of a low threshold InGaAsP microdisk laser on a flexible polydimethylsiloxane polymer substrate. The curvature dependence of lasing wavelength was characterized by bending the cavity at different bending radii. The measurements showed that the lasing wavelength decreases monotonously with an increasing bending curvature. A good agreement between experiment and three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulation was also obtained. The sensitivity of the compact device to the bending curvature is -23.7 nm/mm from the experiment.

Flexible compact microdisk lasers on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate

Compact microdisk cavities were fabricated on a polydimethylsiloxane substrate. The lasing of the flexible compact cavity was achieved with a low threshold power. The whispering-gallery mode of the microdisk was also characterized with three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulation. The curvature dependence in output power and threshold was also demonstrated by bending the microdisk cavity.

Persistent dizziness and nausea in patients receiving postoperative epidural pain control after living donor liver transplantation: case reports

Dizziness and nausea are frequent problems among patients receiving patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) after major surgery. It is important to consider the various etiologies that might cause these adverse events, especially among patients who have undergone massive hepatic resection for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). We have described 2 LDLT cases with persistent dizziness and nausea postoperatively despite several adjustments in PCEA management. Their symptoms were quickly relieved after suspension of PCEA medication. Our 2 cases of LDLT represented a unique setting for this type of complication.

Effects of silymarin on the resolution of liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride in rats

Silymarin, a standardized extract of the milk thistle (Silybum marianum), has a long tradition as a herbal remedy, and was introduced as a hepatoprotective agent a few years ago. However, the therapeutic effects of silymarin remain undefined. Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is a xenobiotic used extensively to induce oxidative stress and is one of the most widely used hepatic toxins for experimental induction of liver fibrosis in the laboratory. In this study, we investigated the restoration of the CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis by high dose of silymarin in rats. After treatment with oil (as normal group; n = 6) or CCl4 [as model (n = 7) and therapeutic (n = 7) groups] by intragastric delivery for 8 weeks for the induction of liver fibrosis, the rats in the normal and model group were administered orally normal saline four times a week for 3 weeks whilst the therapeutic group received silymarin (200 mg/kg). The histopathological changes were observed with Masson staining. The results showed that the restoration of the CCl4-induced damage of liver fibrosis in the therapeutic group was significantly increased as compared to that in the model group. Moreover, silymarin significantly decreased the elevation of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase in serum, and also reversed the altered expressions of alpha-smooth muscle actin in liver tissue. Therefore, these findings indicated that silymarin may have the potential to increase the resolution of the CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in rats.

[Characteristic analysis of E protein genes of new strains of tick-borne encephalitis virus isolated from China]

In order to determine the characteristics and genotypes of E protein genes of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus strains DXAL-5, 12,13,16,18, 21 isolated from Ixodes persulcatus in the Northeast of China, cDNA synthesis of E protein genes of the six DXAL strains was performed using RT-PCR, and the E protein genes were cloned and sequenced. The results showed that the nucleotide sequence of E protein gene of the six DXAL strains was 1488 bp in length respectively and the length of predicted protein was 496 aa respectively. Sequence comparison of E protein genes among the six DXAL strains and the reference TBE virus strains showed that the six DXAL strains were more homologous to Far Eastern subtype strains than to Siberian subtype strains or European subtype strains. And the majority of subtype-determining amino acid sites of the six DXAL strains belonged to TBE virus Far Eastern subtype. Phylogenetic analysis of protein E showed that the six DXAL strains were all within the clade containing Far Eastern subtype strains. The new strains had higher identities and closer phylogenetic relationships with Senzhang strain, so we speculate that this vaccine strain still have good protection against the new TBE virus isolates. In the A, B and C antigenic domains of protein E, the six DXAL strains had different degrees of amino acid changes. These mutations were likely to affect the function of E protein.

Preparation and visible emission of Er-doped 12CaO x 7Al2O3 powder

Er(3+)-doped 12CaO x 7Al2O3 (C12A7:Er3+) powders were prepared using the sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectra and absorption spectra showed that C12A7:Er3+ powder had been obtained. Sharp and intense Er(3+)-related emission from C12A7:Er3+ powder with different Er3+ concentrations in the visible region at room temperature was investigated by analyzing the local structure of Ca atoms in C12A7, and it revealed that cation sites with low symmetry of the host were beneficial to the photoluminescence of Er3+ ions. The emission lines were attributed to two types of Er3+ centers, isolated Er3+ ions and complex centers formed by aggregation of Er3+ ions. The PL intensity might be affected by free oxygen species relative to Er3+ ions formed by charge compensation. The inverse temperature dependent luminescence from the upper level of 2H11/2 state and that from the lower level of 4S3/2 state implied that the thermalization or thermal equilibrium of electrons between the two closely emission states occurred.

Photoluminescence of ZnO nanocrystals embedded in BaF2 matrices by magnetron sputtering

This paper describes ZnO nanocrystals embedded in BaF2 matrices by the magnetron sputtering method in an attempt to use fluoride as a shell layer to embed ZnO nanocrystals core. BaF2 is a wide-band gap material, and can confine carriers in the ZnO films. As a result, the exciton emission intensity should be enhanced. The sample was annealed at 773 K, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that ZnO nanocrystals with wurtzite structure were embedded in BaF2 matrices. Raman-scattering spectra also confirmed the formation of ZnO nanoparticles. Abnormal longitudinal-optical (LO) phonon-dominant multiphonon Raman scattering was observed in the sample. Room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra showed an ultraviolet emission peak at 374 nm. The origin of the ultraviolet emission is discussed here with the help of temperature-dependent PL spectra. The ultraviolet emission band was a mixture of free exciton and bound exciton recombination observed in the low temperature PL spectra (at 77 K). Abnormal temperature dependence of ultraviolet near-band-edge emission-integrated intensity of the sample was observed. The band tail state was observed in the absorption spectra, illustrating that the impurity-related defects were caused by the shell of the BaF2 grain layer. For comparison, ZnO films on BaF2 substrates were also fabricated by the magnetron sputtering method, and the same measurement methods were used.