Abstract Objective To compare a shear bond strength test for resin composite cements developed in order to better consider the shrinkage stress (here termed “Swiss shear test”) with the shear test ...design according to ISO 29022. Method Four restorative materials (VITA Enamic (VE), VITA Suprinity (VS), Vitablocs Mark II (VM) and VITA YZ T (YZ)) served as substrate. VE, VS and VM were polished or etched. YZ was polished, sandblasted or etched. Specimens were either bonded according to the Swiss or the ISO shear test. RelyX Unicem 2 Automix, Maxcem Elite and PermaFlo DC were used as cements. Shear bond strength (SBS) was measured. Failure modes (adhesive, cohesive or mixed) were evaluated by means of SEM. Results Mean SBS values obtained with the Swiss shear test were significantly lower than those obtained with the ISO shear test. VE and VM exhibited similar SBS, values of VS were significantly higher. On etched surfaces VM and VE exhibited primarily cohesive failures, VS primarily adhesive failures. On polished substrates significantly lower bond strength values and exclusively adhesive failures were observed. YZ exhibited solely adhesive failures. Compared to polished YZ, SBS significantly increased after sandblasting and even more after etching. Only for adhesively failed specimens mean SBS values of Swiss and ISO shear test were strongly correlated. Significance Both test designs showed the same ranking of test results. When adhesive failure occurred test results were strongly correlated. When cohesive failure was involved, both test designs did not provide reliable results.
Lung cancer is the most common cancer in China. Previous studies have indicated that lung cancer incidence exhibits remarkable spatial heterogeneity, and lung cancer is related to outdoor air ...pollution. However, the non-linear spatial association between outdoor air pollution and lung cancer incidence in China remains unclear.
In this study, the relationships between the lung cancer incidence of males and females from 207 counties in China in 2013 with annual concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, SO
, NO
, CO and O
were analysed. GeoDetector q statistic was used for examining the non-linear spatial association between outdoor air pollution and incidence of lung cancer.
An apparent spatial and population gender heterogeneity was found in the spatial association between outdoor air pollution and lung cancer incidence. Among the six selected pollutants, SO
has the greatest influence on lung cancer (q = 0.154 in females) in north China. In the south, each selected pollutant has a significant impact on males or females, and the mean q value in the south is 0.181, which is bigger than that in the north (q = 0.154). In addition, the pollutants have evident non-linear interaction effects on lung cancer. In north China, the interaction between SO
and PM2.5 is the dominant interaction, with q values of 0.207 in males and 0.334 in females. In the south, the dominant interactive factors are between SO
and O
in males and between SO
and CO in females, with q values of 0.45, 0.232 respectively. Smoking is a substantial contributor to lung cancer among men, either in South or North China, with q value of 0.143 and 0.129 respectively, and the interaction between smoking and air pollutants increases this risk.
This study implies that the influence of SO
and PM2.5 on lung cancer should be focused on in north China, and in the south, the impact of O
and CO as well as their interaction with SO
need to be paid more attention. Smoking, particularly in men, remains a significant risk factor for lung cancer in both North and South China.
Genetic polymorphisms of CYP2C9 significantly influence the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of some drugs, which might result in adverse drug effects and therapeutic failure. Several studies ...have been performed on CYP2C9 genetic polymorphisms in Han Chinese populations. However, these studies only focused on two commonly investigated alleles, *2 and *3, in relatively small sample sizes. To scale up the gene-scanning region and determine relatively precise data on the genetic distribution pattern in Chinese populations, unrelated healthy Han Chinese volunteers from Zhejiang Province (n=1127) and Hebei (n=1000) Province were recruited as subjects for the direct sequencing of all exons of CYP2C9. As a result, 14 previously reported alleles were detected in this work, and 8 of these alleles (*14, *16, *19, *23, *27, *29, *33 and *34) were described for the first time in Chinese populations. In addition, 37 novel mutations were also detected, of which 22 variants were non-synonymous, and 21 new alleles, *36-*56, were designated by the Human CYP Allele Nomenclature Committee. In vitro functional analysis of these 22 novel CYP2C9 variants revealed that 17 mutations had a significant influence on the protein's catalytic activity. Our study provides the most accurate data on CYP2C9 polymorphisms in Han Chinese populations and detects the largest number of novel allelic variants existing to date. These new alleles will greatly enrich the current knowledge of naturally occurring CYP2C9 variants in Chinese populations.
Simultaneous measurements of particle number size distribution, particle hygroscopic properties, and size-resolved chemical composition were made during the summer of 2014 in Beijing, China. During ...the measurement period, the mean hygroscopicity parameters (κs) of 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 nm particles were respectively 0.16 0.07, 0.19 0.06, 0.22 0.06, 0.26 0.07, and 0.28 0.10, showing an increasing trend with increasing particle size. Such size dependency of particle hygroscopicity was similar to that of the inorganic mass fraction in PM1. The hydrophilic mode (hygroscopic growth factor, HGF > 1.2) was more prominent in growth factor probability density distributions and its dominance of hydrophilic mode became more pronounced with increasing particle size. When PM2.5 mass concentration was greater than 50 μg m−3, the fractions of the hydrophilic mode for 150, 250, and 350 nm particles increased towards 1 as PM2.5 mass concentration increased. This indicates that aged particles dominated during severe pollution periods in the atmosphere of Beijing. Particle hygroscopic growth can be well predicted using high-time-resolution size-resolved chemical composition derived from aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements using the Zdanovskii–Stokes–Robinson (ZSR) mixing rule. The organic hygroscopicity parameter (κorg) showed a positive correlation with the oxygen to carbon ratio. During the new particle formation event associated with strongly active photochemistry, the hygroscopic growth factor or κ of newly formed particles is greater than for particles with the same sizes not during new particle formation (NPF) periods. A quick transformation from external mixture to internal mixture for pre-existing particles (for example, 250 nm particles) was observed. Such transformations may modify the state of the mixture of pre-existing particles and thus modify properties such as the light absorption coefficient and cloud condensation nuclei activation.
Metamaterials provide compelling capabilities to manipulate electromagnetic waves beyond the natural materials and can dramatically enhance both their electric and magnetic fields. The enhanced ...magnetic fields, however, are far less utilized than the electric counterparts, despite their great potential in spintronics. In this work, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a hybrid perfect metamaterial absorbers which combine the artificial metal/insulator/metal (MIM) metamaterial with the natural ferromagnetic material permalloy (Py) and realize remarkably larger spin rectification effect. Magnetic hot spot of the MIM metamaterial improves considerably electromagnetic coupling with spins in the embedded Py stripes. With the whole hybridized structure being optimized based on coupled-mode theory, perfect absorption condition is approached and an approximately 190-fold enhancement of spin-rectifying photovoltage is experimentally demonstrated at the ferromagnetic resonance at 7.1 GHz. Our work provides an innovative solution to harvest microwave energy for spintronic applications, and opens the door to hybridized magnetism from artificial and natural magnetic materials for emergent applications such as efficient optospintronics, magnonic metamaterials and wireless energy transfer.
Essentials Shp2 negatively regulates thrombus stability under pathological shear rate. Shp2 suppresses TXA2 receptor-mediated platelet dense granule secretion. Through αIIbβ3 outside-in signaling, ...Shp2 targets calmodulin-dependent activation of Akt. Shp2 may serve to prevent the formation of unwanted occlusive thrombi. SUMMARY: Background Perpetuation is the final phase of thrombus formation; however, its mechanisms and regulation are poorly understood. Objective To investigate the mechanism of Shp2 in platelet function and thrombosis. Methods and results We demonstrate that the platelet-expressed Src homology region 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase Shp2 is a negative regulator of thrombus stability under high shear stress. In a ferric chloride-induced mesenteric arteriole thrombosis model, megakaryocyte/platelet-specific Shp2-deficient mice showed less thrombi shedding than wild-type mice, although their occlusion times were comparable. In accordance with this in vivo phenotype, a microfluidic whole-blood perfusion assay revealed that the thrombi formed on collagen surfaces by Shp2-deficient platelets were more stable under high shear rates than those produced by wild-type platelets. Whereas Shp2 deficiency did not alter platelet responsiveness towards thrombin, ADP and collagen stimulation, Shp2-deficient platelets showed increased dense granule secretion when stimulated by the thromboxane A
analog U46619. Shp2 appears to act downstream of integrin α
β
outside-in signaling, inhibiting the phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473 and Thr308) and dense granule secretion. Calmodulin was also shown to bind both Shp2 and Akt, linking Shp2 to Akt activation. Conclusions Platelet Shp2 negatively regulates thrombus perpetuation under high shear stress. This signaling pathway may constitute an important mechanism for the prevention of unwanted occlusive thrombus formation, without dramatically interfering with hemostasis.
Forward photoproduction of
J
/
ψ
can be used to extract generalized parton distributions (GPDs) of gluons. We analyze the process at twist-3 level and study relevant classifications of twist-3 gluon ...GPDs. At leading power or twist-2 level the produced
J
/
ψ
is transversely polarized. We find that at twist-3 the produced
J
/
ψ
is longitudinally polarized. Our study shows that in the high-energy limit the twist-3 amplitude is only suppressed by the inverse power of the heavy quark mass relatively to the twist-2 amplitude. This indicates that the power correction to the cross-section of unpolarized
J
/
ψ
can have a sizable effect.The poles in the hard factor convoluted with twist-3 gluon GPDs may concern the GPDs discontinuities, which will be briefly discussed in this work. We have also derived the amplitude of the production of
h
c
at twist-3, but the result contains end-point singularities. The production of other quarkonia has been briefly discussed.
Failure of palatogenesis results in cleft palate, one of the most common congenital disabilities in humans. During the final phases of palatogenesis, the protective function of the peridermal cell ...layer must be eliminated for the medial edge epithelia to adhere properly, which is a prerequisite for the successful fusion of the secondary palate. However, a deeper understanding of the role and fate of the periderm in palatal adherence and fusion has been hampered due to a lack of appropriate periderm-specific genetic tools to examine this cell type in vivo. Here we used the cytokeratin-6A (Krt-6a) locus to develop both constitutive (Krt6ai-Cre) and inducible (Krt6ai-Cre
ERT2
) periderm-specific Cre driver mouse lines. These novel lines allowed us to achieve both the spatial and temporal control needed to dissect the periderm fate on a cellular resolution during palatogenesis. Our studies suggest that, already before the opposing palatal shelves contact each other, at least some palatal periderm cells start to gradually lose their squamous periderm-like phenotype and dedifferentiate into cuboidal cells, reminiscent of the basal epithelial cells seen in the palatal midline seam. Moreover, we show that transforming growth factor–β (TGF-β) signaling plays a critical periderm-specific role in palatogenesis. Thirty-three percent of embryos lacking a gene encoding the TGF-β type I receptor (Tgfbr1) in the periderm display a complete cleft of the secondary palate. Our subsequent experiments demonstrated that Tgfbr1-deficient periderm fails to undergo appropriate dedifferentiation. These studies define the periderm cell fate during palatogenesis and reveal a novel, critical role for TGF-β signaling in periderm dedifferentiation, which is a prerequisite for appropriate palatal epithelial adhesion and fusion.
Proxy records of temperature from the Atlantic clearly show that the Younger Dryas was an abrupt climate change event during the last deglaciation, but records of hydroclimate are underutilized in ...defining the event. Here we combine a new hydroclimate record from Palawan, Philippines, in the tropical Pacific, with previously published records to highlight a difference between hydroclimate and temperature responses to the Younger Dryas. Although the onset and termination are synchronous across the records, tropical hydroclimate changes are more gradual (>100 years) than the abrupt (10-100 years) temperature changes in the northern Atlantic Ocean. The abrupt recovery of Greenland temperatures likely reflects changes in regional sea ice extent. Proxy data and transient climate model simulations support the hypothesis that freshwater forced a reduction in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, thereby causing the Younger Dryas. However, changes in ocean overturning may not produce the same effects globally as in Greenland.
Purpose
Although vitamin D is reportedly associated with various cancers, the association between vitamin D and thyroid cancer is indefinite. We aimed to investigate whether this association applies ...to thyroid cancer (TC).
Methods
A total of 276 Chinese Han people were recruited in a current matched case–control study. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was computed to estimate the association between plasma 25(OH)D and papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). In addition, we searched relevant studies in PubMed and Web of Science databases before December 2017 to conduct a meta-analysis.
Results
In our case–control study, plasma 25(OH)D concentration was inversely associated with PTC risk (highest tertile
vs
lowest tertile: adjusted OR = 0.25; 95% CI 0.10, 0.61;
P
trend
= 0.003). This association was independent of body mass index and physical activity (all adjusted
P
interaction
> 0.05). A total of 11 studies were included in the meta-analysis, among which ten studies have been published and one was our case–control study. Compared with 25(OH)D non-deficient group, the pooled
OR
of TC was 1.42 (95% CI 1.17, 1.73) in the deficient group. Similarly, blood 25(OH)D levels in patients with TC were tend to be lower than those in the controls (SMD = − 0.20, 95% CI − 0.36, − 0.03).
Conclusions
A high level of circulating 25(OH)D was associated with a decreased TC risk. This association has important significance in public health and should, therefore, be further studied.