Pinpointing Moisture: The Capacitive Detection for Standing Tree Health.

Background: the feasibility of the capacitance method for detecting the water content in standing tree trunks was investigated using capacitance-based equipment that was designed for measuring the water content of standing tree trunks.

Methods: In laboratory experiments, the best insertion depth of the probe for standing wood was determined by measurement experiments conducted at various depths. The bark was to be peeled when specimens and standing wood were being measured.

Prognostic value of tumor deposits and positive lymph node ratio in stage III colorectal cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: In colorectal cancer (CRC), tumor deposits (TD) have been used to guide the N staging only in node-negative patients. It remains unknown about the prognostic value of TD in combination with positive lymph node ratio (LNR) in stage III CRC.

Patients And Methods: The authors analyzed data from 31 139 eligible patients diagnosed with stage III CRC, including 30 230 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database as a training set and 909 from two Chinese hospitals as a validation set.

Ultrasound treatment alleviates external pericarp browning and improves fruit quality of pomegranate during storage.

Background: Ultrasound treatment has a beneficial role in horticultural production from harvest to consumption. The quality traits and microbiological load in pomegranate fruit were explored during 30 days' storage at 20 °C after 10 min and 30 min ultrasound treatments.

Results: Ultrasound treatment significantly reduced the microbiological load during storage, providing a relatively clean and suitable storage environment.

Study on the Overmolding Process of Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Poly (Aryl Ether Ketone) (PAEK)/Poly (Ether Ether Ketone) (PEEK) Thermoplastic Composites.

This paper used poly (aryl ether ketone) (PAEK) resin with a low melting temperature to prepare laminate via the compression-molding process for continuous-carbon-fiber-reinforced composites (CCF-PAEK). Then, poly (ether ether ketone) (PEEK), or a short-carbon-fiber-reinforced poly (ether ether ketone) (SCF-PEEK) with a high melting temperature, was injected to prepare the overmolding composites. The shear strength of short beams was used to characterize the interface bonding strength of composites.

Growth arrest-specific protein 2 (GAS2) interacts with CXCR4 to promote T-cell leukemogenesis partially via c-MYC.

Although growth arrest-specific protein 2 (GAS2) promotes the growth of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cells in culture, the effect of GAS2 on T-cell leukemogenesis has not been studied, and the mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, xenograft studies showed that GAS2 silencing impaired T-cell leukemogenesis and decreased leukemic cell infiltration. Mechanistically, GAS2 regulated the protein expression of C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) rather than its transcript expression.

Overexpression of and Transcription Factors from Pomegranate Enhances Freezing Tolerance in under the Promoter Activity Positively Regulated by PgICE1.

Cold stress limits plant growth, development and yields, and the C-repeat binding factors (CBFs) function in the cold resistance in plants. However, how pomegranate CBF transcription factors respond to cold signal remains unclear. Considering the significantly up-regulated expression of and in cold-tolerant 'Yudazi' in comparison with cold-sensitive 'Tunisia' under 4 °C, the present study focused on the two genes.

Laser Ablation Mechanism and Performance of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Poly Aryl Ether Ketone (PAEK) Composites.

The ablation mechanism and performance of carbon fiber (CF)-reinforced poly aryl ether ketone (PAEK) thermoplastic composites were studied in this paper. The results show that the ablation damaged area is controlled by the irradiation energy, while the mass loss rate is controlled by the irradiation power density. In the ablation center, the PAEK resin and CFs underwent decomposition and sublimation in an anaerobic environment.

The spirobichroman-based polyimides with different side groups: from structure-property relationships to chain packing and gas transport performance.

Spirobichroman-based polymers with high gas permeability and selectivity are promising for their applications as membranes in gas separation. In this study, three spirobichroman-based polyimides (PIs; 6FDA-FH, 6FDA-DH, and 6FDA-MH) were synthesised by the polyreaction between diamines containing different substituents (benzene ring, pyridine ring, and methyl group) and 4,4'-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)-diphthalic anhydride (6FDA). The physical properties, gas transport behaviour, -spacing, dihedral angle of molecules, and fractional free volume of the PIs were investigated through experiments and molecular simulations.

Dual-Switching Electrochromism and Electrofluorochromism Derived from Diphenylamine-Based Polyamides with Spirobifluorene/Pyrene as Bridged Fluorescence Units.

Electrochromic (EC)/electrofluorochromic (EFC) bifunctional materials are receiving great attention because of their promising applications in optoelectronic devices. However, the development of ideal EC/EFC bifunctional materials is still a great challenge because of the poor integration of EC/EFC performances (optical contrast, response speed, and switching stability). Herein, we reported two novel diphenylamine-based mixed valence (MV) polyamides (S-HPA and P-HPA) with spirobifluorene (2,7-positions) and pyrene (1,6-positions) as bridged fluorescence units, respectively, showing impressive cyclability and fluorescence contrast with rapid switching.

Phase Behavior and Phase Diagram of Polystyrene--Poly(Perfluorooctylethyl Acrylates).

Fluorocontaining polymers bearing special properties are unique and important materials in modern society. In this work, we focused on the phase behavior and phase diagram of poly(styrene--perfluorooctylethyl acrylate) with a volume fraction varying from 0.2 to 0.

Synthesis of Superheat-Resistant Polyimides with Enhanced Dielectric Constant by Introduction of Cu(ΙΙ)-Coordination.

To achieve polyimide-metal complexes with enhanced properties, 5-amine-2-(5-aminopyridin-2-yl)-1-methyl-benzimidazole (PyMePABZ) that contains stiff 2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazole (PyBI) was synthesized and exploited to construct the Cu(ΙΙ)-crosslinked polyimides (Cu-PIs). These Cu-PIs exhibited higher dielectric, thermal, and mechanical properties with an increase in Cu content. Among them, their dielectric constants (ε) were up to 43% superior to that of the neat PI, glass transition temperatures (Ts) were all over 400 °C, and 5% weight loss temperature (T) maintained beyond 500 °C.

Measurement of Quasi-Static 3-D Knee Joint Movement Based on the Registration From CT to US.

The measurement of quasi-static 3-D knee joint movement is an important basis for studying the mechanism of knee joint injury. Most of the existing measurement methods make use of computed tomography (CT) and nuclear magnetic resonance (MR) imaging technology and hence have the disadvantages of invasiveness, ionizing radiation, low accuracy, and high cost. To overcome those drawbacks, this article innovatively proposes a 3-D motion measurement system for the knee joint based on the registration of CT images to ultrasound (US) images.

Highly optical transparency and thermally stable polyimides containing pyridine and phenyl pendant.

In order to obtain highly optical transparency polyimides, two novel aromatic diamine monomers containing pyridine and kinky structures, 1,1-bis[4-(5-amino-2-pyridinoxy)phenyl]diphenylmethane (BAPDBP) and 1,1-bis[4-(5-amino-2-pyridinoxy)phenyl]-1-phenylethane (BAPDAP), were designed and synthesized. Polyimides based on BAPDBP, BAPDAP, 2,2-bis[4-(5-amino-2-pyridinoxy)phenyl]propane (BAPDP) with various commercial dianhydrides were prepared for comparison and structure-property relationships study. The structures of the polyimides were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer, wide-angle X-ray diffractograms (XRD) and elemental analysis.

Evaluation of electrocardiograms recorded in cynomolgus monkeys with short- and long-term intracardiac lead implantations.

Introduction: minimally invasive placement of intracardiac (IC) ECG leads in monkeys has greatly improved signal quality and the ability to interpret these ECGs. However, information on characteristics of the ECGs recorded using the IC lead is not available in the literature. There are concerns about the potential impact of IC lead placement on the ECG waveform and cardiac function as a result of potential irritation or trauma resulting from the placement and/or long term residence of the IC lead.

Heterogeneous gap junction remodeling in reentrant circuits in the epicardial border zone of the healing canine infarct.

Background: The epicardial border zone (EBZ) of surviving myocytes in the healing, 4- to 5-day-old canine infarct is an arrhythmogenic substrate characterized by both structural and functional remodeling of Cx43. Unknown is whether the remodeling of gap junction conductance is heterogeneous in the EBZ like that of sarcolemmal ion channel remodeling and how remodeling of the gap junction influences conduction and anisotropy.

Methods And Results: Ventricular tachycardia was initiated by programmed stimulation in healing canine infarcted hearts.

Dimethyl sulfoxide effects on hERG channels expressed in HEK293 cells.

Introduction: Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is widely used as a solvent to facilitate formulation of test substances in cell perfusion solutions. However, DMSO concentration in bath (extracellular) solution is usually limited to 0.1-0.

Estimation of potency of HERG channel blockers: impact of voltage protocol and temperature.

Introduction: The HERG channel is widely used for the assessment of proarrhythmic risk for new drugs. HERG channel blockers obstruct channel functions through various mechanisms, which usually show time dependence, voltage dependence, and state dependence. The voltage protocol and temperature may affect the estimation of drug potency, but limited information is available in this regard.

Cell coupling between ventricular myocyte pairs from connexin43-deficient murine hearts.

Mice with cardiac-restricted inactivation of the connexin43 gene (CKO mice) have moderate slowing of ventricular conduction and lethal arrhythmias. Mechanisms through which propagation is maintained in the absence of Cx43 are unknown. We evaluated gap junctional conductance in CKO ventricular pairs using dual patch clamp methods.

Remodeling of gap junctional channel function in epicardial border zone of healing canine infarcts.

The epicardial border zone (EBZ) of canine infarcts has increased anisotropy because of transverse conduction slowing. It remains unknown whether changes in gap junctional conductance (Gj) accompany the increased anisotropy. Ventricular cell pairs were isolated from EBZ and normal hearts (NZ).