Phase transition in a coevolving network of conformist and contrarian voters.

In the coevolving voter model, each voter has one of two diametrically opposite opinions, and a voter encountering a neighbor with the opposite opinion may either adopt it or rewire the connection to another randomly chosen voter sharing the same opinion. As we smoothly change the relative frequency of rewiring compared to that of adoption, there occurs a phase transition between an active phase and a frozen phase. By performing extensive Monte Carlo calculations, we show that the phase transition is characterized by critical exponents β=0.

[Clinical efficacy of immunotherapy of dendritic cell and cytokine-induced killer cell combined with chemotherapy for treatment of multiple myeloma].

Objective: This research was aimed to evaluate the immune mechanism and clinical effect of immunotherapy of dendritic cells (DC) and cytokine-induced killer cell (CIK) combined with chemotherapy on multiple myeloma (MM).

Methods: 60 patients with MM were randomly divided into two groups. 30 patients in chemotherapy group were treated by chemotherapy only, 30 patients in joint group were treated by adoptive immunotherapy (DC-CIK) combined with chemotherapy.

Associations of polymorphisms in the genes of FGFR2, FGF1, and RBFOX2 with breast cancer risk by estrogen/progesterone receptor status.

Genetic polymorphisms of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) have been demonstrated to be associated with breast cancer risk, presumably through elevation of FGFR2 expression. Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) and RNA binding protein fox-1 homolog 2 (RBFOX2), which are functionally related to FGFR2, may also associate with breast cancer risk. We investigated the associations between breast cancer risk and the polymorphisms of FGFR2 rs2981582, FGF1 rs250108, and RBFOX2 rs2051579 among 839 incident breast cancer cases and 863 age-matched controls in the Guangzhou Breast Cancer Study.

Parent Ratings of ADHD Symptoms in Chinese Urban Schoolchildren: Assessment With the Chinese ADHD Rating Scale-IV: Home Version.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Chinese ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD RS-IV): Home Version and to explore parent ratings of ADHD symptoms in a large sample of urban schoolchildren in China.

Method: Parents of a representative sample of 1,616 schoolchildren (aged 6-17) in 12 Chinese cities completed the ADHD RS-IV: Home Version.

Results: The Chinese ADHD RS-IV: Home Version demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency, test-retest reliability, parent-teacher correlation, discriminant validity, and convergent validity.

Oryza sativa actin-interacting protein 1 is required for rice growth by promoting actin turnover.

Rapid actin turnover is essential for numerous actin-based processes. However, how it is precisely regulated remains poorly understood. Actin-interacting protein 1 (AIP1) has been shown to be an important factor by acting coordinately with actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin in promoting actin depolymerization, the rate-limiting factor in actin turnover.

Noninvasive estimation of the arterial input function in positron emission tomography imaging of cerebral blood flow.

Positron emission tomography (PET) with (15)O-labeled water can provide reliable measurement of cerebral blood flow (CBF). Quantification of CBF requires knowledge of the arterial input function (AIF), which is usually provided by arterial blood sampling. However, arterial sampling is invasive.

Cluster-size heterogeneity in the two-dimensional Ising model.

We numerically investigate the heterogeneity in cluster sizes in the two-dimensional Ising model and verify its scaling form recently proposed in the context of percolation problems [Phys. Rev. E 84, 010101(R) (2011)].

Identification of novel piperazinylquinoxaline derivatives as potent phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors.

Background: Development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) has been an appealing strategy for the treatment of various types of cancers.

Methodology/principal Finding: Our approach was to perform structural modification and optimization based on previously identified morpholinoquinoxaline derivative WR1 and piperidinylquinoxaline derivative WR23 with a total of forty-five novel piperazinylquinoxaline derivatives synthesized. Most target compounds showed low micromolar to nanomolar antiproliferative potency against five human cancer cell lines using MTT method.

A biomimetic lipid library for gene delivery through thiol-yne click chemistry.

The delivery of nucleic acids such as plasmid DNA and siRNA into cells is a cornerstone of biological research and is of fundamental importance for medical therapeutics. Although most gene delivery therapeutics in clinical trials are based on viral vectors, safety issues remain a major concern. Non-viral vectors, such as cationic lipids and polymers, offer safer alternatives but their gene delivery efficiencies are usually not high enough for clinical applications.

Oxcarbazepine versus carbamazepine in the treatment of paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia.

Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD) is an uncommon neurological disorder, consisting of brief attacks of involuntary movements triggered by sudden action. Patients with PKD generally respond positively to antiepileptic drugs. We compared the efficacy and tolerability of oxcarbazepine (OXC) and carbamazepine (CBZ) in the treatment of PKD, in order to find the optimal prescription.

Controllable anchoring of gold nanoparticles to polypyrrole nanofibers by hydrogen bonding and their application in nonenzymatic glucose sensors.

An enzymeless glucose biosensor based on polypyrrole nanofibers-supporting Au nanoparticles (Au/PPyNFs) was investigated in this study. The Au/PPyNFs heterogeneous composite materials were synthesized in-situ via hydrogen bonding interactions for the assembly of polyethyleneimine (PEI) on the surface of polypyrrole nanofibers (PPyNFs). By changing the molar ratio of PPy to HAuCl(4), Au/PPyNFs with different Au loadings were obtained.

Joint effects of febrile acute infection and an interferon-γ polymorphism on breast cancer risk.

Background: There is an inverse relationship between febrile infection and the risk of malignancies. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) plays an important role in fever induction and its expression increases with incubation at fever-range temperatures. Therefore, the genetic polymorphism of IFN-γ may modify the association of febrile infection with breast cancer risk.

Discovery of novel 2-piperidinol-3-(arylsulfonyl)quinoxalines as phosphoinositide 3-kinase α (PI3Kα) inhibitors.

A series of novel 2-aliphatic cyclic amine-3-(arylsulfonyl)quinoxalines was synthesized based on the structural features of a previously identified lead, WR1. The 2-piperidinol-3-(arylsulfonyl)quinoxalines, which showed excellent antitumor activities against five human cell lines, with inhibitory activities ranging from 0.34 to 2.

Intensification of β-poly(L: -malic acid) production by Aureobasidium pullulans ipe-1 in the late exponential growth phase.

β-Poly(malic acid) (PMLA) has attracted industrial interest because this polyester can be used as a prodrug or for drug delivery systems. In PMLA production by Aureobasidium pullulans ipe-1, it was found that PLMA production was associated with cell growth in the early exponential growth phase and dissociated from cell growth in the late exponential growth phase. To enhance PMLA production in the late phase, different fermentation modes and strategies for controlling culture redox potential (CRP) were studied.

Urinary titanium and vanadium and breast cancer: a case-control study.

Titanium and vanadium are essential trace elements. This study examined the associations of urinary titanium and vanadium with breast cancer risk in a hospital-based case-control study comprising 240 women with incident breast cancer, and 246 cancer-free and age-matched controls who attended health screening assessments in 2 affiliated hospitals of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou between October 2009 and July 2010. Survey data and urine specimens were collected before treatment for the patients and after interview for the controls.

Designing an active motor skill learning platform with a robot-assisted laparoscopic trainer.

Laparoscopic Surgery poses significant complexity in hand-eye coordination to the surgeon. In order to improve their proficiency beyond the limited exposure in the operating theatre, surgeons need to practice on laparoscopic trainers. We have constructed a robotic laparoscopic trainer with identical degrees of freedom and range of motion as a conventional laparoscopic instrument.

Right ventricular regional wall curvedness and area strain in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot.

A quantitative understanding of right ventricular (RV) remodeling in repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF) is crucial for patient management. The objective of this study is to quantify the regional curvatures and area strain based on three-dimensional (3-D) reconstructions of the RV using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Fourteen (14) rTOF patients and nine (9) normal subjects underwent cardiac MRI scan.

Urinary strontium and the risk of breast cancer: a case-control study in Guangzhou, China.

Strontium has been widely used in industries like electronic and pharmacy. It has a carcinogenic potential, however, and no study has been conducted to evaluate its effects on cancer risk. The aim of this study was to explore the possible association between strontium and breast cancer risk in a case-control study including 240 incident invasive breast cancer patients and 246 age-matched controls.

Downward entailment in child Mandarin.

There are three hallmarks of core linguistic properties. First, they are expected to be manifested in typologically different languages. Second, they should unify superficially unrelated linguistic phenomena.

Joint effects of Epstein-Barr virus and polymorphisms in interleukin-10 and interferon-γ on breast cancer risk.

Background: The relationship between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and breast cancer (BC) is controversial. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) are believed to play a critical role in the host's responses to EBV infection, and their genetic variations may modify the association of EBV with BC risk.

Methods: We examined serum levels of EBV viral capsid antigen (VCA) immunoglobulin A (IgA) and nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA-1) IgA along with the polymorphisms of IL-10 rs1800871 and IFN-γ rs2069705 in 354 incident BC cases and 504 age-matched controls.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 2-arylamino-3-(arylsulfonyl)quinoxalines as PI3Kα inhibitors.

A series of novel 2-arylamino-3-(arylsulfonyl)quinoxalines was synthesized through a newly developed approach. All synthesized target compounds were screened for their cytotoxicities against cancer cell lines including PC3, A549, HCT116, HL60 and KB. Representative compounds with favorable cytotoxicities were tested for their PI3Kα inhibitory activities.

Children's use of phonological information in ambiguity resolution: a view from Mandarin Chinese.

How do children develop the mapping between prosody and other levels of linguistic knowledge? This question has received considerable attention in child language research. In the present study two experiments were conducted to investigate four- to five-year-old Mandarin-speaking children's sensitivity to prosody in ambiguity resolution. Experiment 1 used eye-tracking to assess children's use of stress in resolving structural ambiguities.

Urinary rubidium in breast cancers.

Background: Rubidium is a putative anticancer agent, but no studies have been performed on the association of rubidium levels in biospecimen with breast cancer risk and the potential as a biomarker of the risk assessment.

Methods: Survey data and urine specimens were collected from 240 women with incident invasive breast cancer before their treatments and 246 age-matched female controls between October 2009 and July 2010. Urinary concentrations of rubidium were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Inorganic arsenic causes cell apoptosis in mouse cerebrum through an oxidative stress-regulated signaling pathway.

Arsenic pollution is a major public health problem worldwide. Inorganic arsenic (iAs) is usually more harmful than organic ones. iAs pollution increases the risk of human diseases such as peripheral vascular disease and cancer.