A Stiffness Criterion For Cooling Time Estimation

The cooling time of an injection molded part directly affects the production cost and efficiency. In order to accurately estimate the cooling time, it is necessary to define the ejection condition. One common criterion for part ejection is when the mean or maximal temperature is equal or less than an estimated ejection temperature, Te [1]. But in industrial practice, the ejection condition is determined by the part's deformation or warpage due to ejection forces and subsequent cooling [2]. This research uses a combination of experimental, analytical, and statistical methods to discuss different ejection criteria and their rationality, thereby developing a more effective criterion based on part stiffness. This stiffness criterion facilitates more accurate estimation of cooling time at early stages of product development. This knowledge will help the designer to improve the design and reduce the cost by increasing the production efficiency while simultaneously ensuring injection molded part quality.

Tight Tolerance Thermoforming

Tighter tolerances are becoming more prevalent as thermoforming applications are increasingly utilized in multiple component assemblies with load bearing and other functional capabilities. A1 analytical method is described for shrinkage predictions utilizing a thermoviscoelastic constitutive model to try and avoid costly and time consuming forming trials by determine adequacy of the mold and process a-priori. Validation experiments and sensitivity analyses were performed to understand the process behavior and estimate the accuracy of the shrinkage analysis. Design and manufacturing guidelines were then developed to facilitate tight tolerance thermoforming. While the analysis was generally capable of predicting linear shrinkage, statistical yield models indicated that improved process control and further process development is required to consistently produce thermoformed parts to tight tolerances.

[Construction and immunogenicity of recombinant bacteriophage T7 vaccine expressing M2e peptides of avian influenza virus]

To construct a recombinant T7 phage expressing matrix protein 2 ectodomain (M2e) peptides of avian influenza A virus and test immunological and protective efficacy in the immunized SPF chickens. M2e gene sequence was obtained from Genbank and two copies of M2e gene were artificially synthesised, the M2e gene was then cloned into the T7 select 415-1b phage in the multiple cloning sites to construct the recombinant phage T7-M2e. The positive recombinant phage was identified by PCR and sequencing, and the expression of surface fusion protein was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western-blot. SPF chickens were subcutaneously injected with 1 X 10(10) pfu phage T7-M2e, sera samples were collected pre- and post-vaccination, and were tested for anti-M2e antibody by ELISA. The binding capacity of serum to virus was also examined by indirect immunofluorescence assay in virus- infected CEF. The immunized chickens were challenged with 200 EID50 of H9 type avian influenza virus and viral isolation rate was calculated to evaluate the immune protective efficacy. A recombinant T7 phage was obtained displaying M2e peptides of avian influenza A virus, and the fusion protein had favorable immunoreactivity. All chickens developed a certain amount of anti-M2e antibody which could specially bind to the viral particles. In addition, the protection efficacy of phage T7-M2e vaccine against H9 type avian influenza viruses was 4/5 (80%). These results indicate that the recombinant T7 phage displaying M2e peptides of avian influenza A virus has a great potential to be developed into a novel vaccine for the prevention of avian influenza infection.

Altered expression of mitofusin 2 in penile tissues of diabetic rats

Diabetic erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common complication in diabetes mellitus, and the efficacy of first-line therapies is not satisfactory. Recent studies revealed that corporal apoptosis was responsible for the nonresponsiveness of severe ED to phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. Mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) is a versatile protein, regulating mitochondrial morphology and playing an important role in apoptosis. Several studies showed that expression of Mfn2 was decreased in STZ-induced diabetic rats' kidney, myocardium and retina, which was associated with diabetic nephropathy, cardiomyopathy and retinopathy respectively. In this study, our aim was to explore the expression of Mfn2 and apoptosis in diabetic rats' penes. We found that erectile function (ICP/MAP) elicited by electrical stimulation of cavernous nerve was markedly impaired in diabetic rats compared with the normal rats. The mRNA and protein levels of Mfn2 were found to be significantly reduced in diabetic rats' penile tissues. Compared with normal rats, the content of smooth muscle and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)/Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) ratio were dramatically decreased, and penile apoptotic index and expression of activated-caspase-3 were dramatically increased in diabetic rats. This data indicated that repression of Mfn2 in diabetic rats' penes might be associated with excessive apoptosis in diabetes-induced severe ED.

Beclin 1 is highly expressed in papillary thyroid carcinoma and correlates with lymph node metastasis

BACKGROUND

Autophagy is believed to be important in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. The human beclin-1 gene, a key regulator of autophagy formation, located on chromosome 17q21, has been identified as the mammalian orthologue of Atg6 (autophagy-related gene) and may be a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor gene. Loss of expression or point mutation could serve as a mechanism of loss of beclin-1 tumor suppressor function in cancers. However, our recent study revealed that point mutation of the beclin-1 gene is a rare event in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

METHODS

We investigated the expression of beclin-1 in human PTC. Tissue samples from 86 cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma were used for the present study. 57 cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma were with lymph node metastasis. The expression of beclin-1 in tumor, normal tissue adjacent to tumor, distant normal tissue, metastatic lymph node and normal lymph node was examined with immunohistochemistry. The beclin-1 expression between tumor and normal tissue, metastatic and normal lymph node was also analyzed.

RESULTS

The expression of beclin-1 was detected in 88.4% (76/86) of the tumors and 98.2% (56/57) of metastatic lymph nodes. In contrast, normal tissues adjacent to tumor, distant normal tissues and normal lymph nodes showed no or very weak expression of beclin-1. Beclin-1 was significantly correlated with tumorigenesis and lymph node metastasis in human PTC.

CONCLUSIONS

High expression of beclin-1 in PTC and metastatic lymph node suggest that neo-expression of beclin-1 may play a role in tumorigenesis and lymph node metastasis in human PTC.

The Myb-p300-CREB axis modulates intestine homeostasis, radiosensitivity and tumorigenesis

The gastrointestinal (GI) epithelium is constantly renewing, depending upon the intestinal stem cells (ISC) regulated by a spectrum of transcription factors (TFs), including Myb. We noted previously in mice with a p300 mutation (plt6) within the Myb-interaction-domain phenocopied Myb hypomorphic mutant mice with regard to thrombopoiesis, and here, changes in GI homeostasis. p300 is a transcriptional coactivator for many TFs, most prominently cyclic-AMP response element-binding protein (CREB), and also Myb. Studies have highlighted the importance of CREB in proliferation and radiosensitivity, but not in the GI. This prompted us to directly investigate the p300–Myb–CREB axis in the GI. Here, the role of CREB has been defined by generating GI-specific inducible creb knockout (KO) mice. KO mice show efficient and specific deletion of CREB, with no evident compensation by CREM and ATF1. Despite complete KO, only modest effects on proliferation, radiosensitivity and differentiation in the GI under homeostatic or stress conditions were evident, even though CREB target gene pcna (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) was downregulated. creb and p300 mutant lines show increased goblet cells, whereas a reduction in enteroendocrine cells was apparent only in the p300 line, further resembling the Myb hypomorphs. When propagated in vitro, crebKO ISC were defective in organoid formation, suggesting that the GI stroma compensates for CREB loss in vivo, unlike in MybKO studies. Thus, it appears that p300 regulates GI differentiation primarily through Myb, rather than CREB. Finally, active pCREB is elevated in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and adenomas, and is required for the expression of drug transporter, MRP2, associated with resistance to Oxaliplatin as well as several chromatin cohesion protein that are relevant to CRC therapy. These data raise the prospect that CREB may have a role in GI malignancy as it does in other cancer types, but unlike Myb, is not critical for GI homeostasis.

Genetic analysis of novel avian A(H7N9) influenza viruses isolated from patients in China, February to April 2013

Novel influenza viruses of the H7N9 subtype have infected 33 and killed nine people in China as of 10 April 2013. Their haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase genes probably originated from Eurasian avian influenza viruses; the remaining genes are closely related to avian H9N2 influenza viruses. Several characteristic amino acid changes in HA and the PB2 RNA polymerase subunit probably facilitate binding to human-type receptors and efficient replication in mammals, respectively, highlighting the pandemic potential of the novel viruses.

Genetic analysis of novel avian A(H7N9) influenza viruses isolated from patients in China, February to April 2013

Novel influenza viruses of the H7N9 subtype have infected 33 and killed nine people in China as of 10 April 2013. Their haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase genes probably originated from Eurasian avian influenza viruses; the remaining genes are closely related to avian H9N2 influenza viruses. Several characteristic amino acid changes in HA and the PB2 RNA polymerase subunit probably facilitate binding to human-type receptors and efficient replication in mammals, respectively, highlighting the pandemic potential of the novel viruses.

Rapid Synthesis for Mesoporous Molecular Sieves MCM-41

A facile method for rapid synthesis of mesoporous molecular sieves MCM-41 has been developed in the present work. After completion mixing of initial raw materials consisting of templating agent, source of silica as well as source of alkali in glycerol solvent at the temperature of 80°C, the mixture obtained was diluted by distilled water at once and filtrated to acquire high-quality mesoporous MCM-41, the obtained products were characterized and analyzed by Nitrogen adsorption-desorption, XRD and SEM technique, which shows the sample have good pore structure and unique morphology characterization.

Preparation and Characterization of Pillared Derivatives from δ-Layered Sodium Disilicate and their Tribological Properties in Liquid Paraffin

The pillared derivatives from δ-layered sodium disilicate were investigated by intercalation of bisoctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride and dioctadecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride. The influence of various parameters such as water content, pH of the mixture, and time were examined. The resultant samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, and thermal gravimetric observation. The experimental results showed that δ-layered sodium disilicate was first transformed to kanemite (NaHSi2O4(OH)2 · 2H2O), and subsequently kanemite was pillared with bisoctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride or dioctadecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride. The tribological properties of typical samples then were investigated by point contact test. The results show that the pillared derivatives have good load-carrying capacity and friction-reducing property.

Observation of an energy-dependent difference in elliptic flow between particles and antiparticles in relativistic heavy ion collisions

Elliptic flow (v(2)) values for identified particles at midrapidity in Au + Au collisions, measured by the STAR experiment in the beam energy scan at RHIC at sqrt[s(NN)] = 7.7-62.4 GeV, are presented. A beam-energy-dependent difference of the values of v(2) between particles and corresponding antiparticles was observed. The difference increases with decreasing beam energy and is larger for baryons compared to mesons. This implies that, at lower energies, particles and antiparticles are not consistent with the universal number-of-constituent-quark scaling of v(2) that was observed at sqrt[s(NN)] = 200 GeV.

Interaction between α, β Layered Sodium Disilicate and Surfactants

This paper investigated the interaction of α-Na2Si2O5 and β-μNa2Si2O5 with surfactants sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), sodium lauryl sulfate (K12), alkyl polyglycol ether-9 (AEO-9) and α-olefin hydrocarbon sulfonate (AOS) under condition approximating the detergent spray drying process. The interaction samples were characterized by XRD and TG. The experimental results showed that α-Na2Si2O5 and β-Na2Si2O5 sustained their phases after interacted with surfactants. The relative crystallinity of α-Na2Si2O5 had little change after interacting with surfactants exception of AOS because it had better adsorbable effect on the surface of α-Na2Si2O5 than LAS, K12 and AEO-9. At the same conditions, the amount of H2O and surfactants were both important factors on the relative crystallinity of β-μNa2Si2O5. It also was proved that the temperature had little influence on the relative crystallinity of both α-Na2Si2O5 and β-Na2Si2O5. Compared with Al-δ-Na2Si2O5, α-Na2Si2O5 and β-μNa2Si2O5 were more stable than Al-δ-Na2Si2O5 after interacted with surfactants.