Prognostic Value of Subcarinal Lymph Node Metastasis in Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Feng, Ji-Feng,Zhao, Qiang,Chen, Qi-Xun Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.5

Purpose: The 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual for esophageal cancer (EC) categorizes N stage according to the number of metastatic lymph nodes (LNs), irrespective of the site. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of subcarinal LN metastasis in patients undergoing esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: A retrospective analysis of 507 consecutive patients with ESCC was conducted. Potential clinicopathological factors that could influence subcarinal LN metastasis were statistically analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were also performed to evaluate the prognostic parameters for survival. Results: The frequency of subcarinal LN metastasis was 22.9% (116/507). Logistic regression analysis showed that tumor length (>3cm vs ${\leq}3cm$; P=0.027), tumor location (lower vs upper/middle; P=0.009), vessel involvement (Yes vs No; P=0.001) and depth of invasion (T3-4a vs T1-2; P=0.012) were associated with 2.085-, 1.810-, 2.535- and 2.201- fold increases, respectively, for risk of subcarinal LN metastasis. Multivariate analyses showed that differentiation (poor vs well/moderate; P=0.001), subcarinal LN metastasis (yes vs no; P=0.033), depth of invasion (T3-4a vs T1-2; P=0.014) and N staging (N1-3 vs N0; P=0.001) were independent prognostic factors. In addition, patients with subcarinal LN metastasis had a significantly lower 5-year cumulative survival rate than those without (26.7% vs 60.9%; P<0.001). Conclusions: Subcarinal LN metastasis is a predictive factor for long-term survival in patients with ESCC.

Mutations in AP22.65 Accelerate Flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana

Ji Hong Xing,Feng Ru Wang,Jiao Jia,Jing Zhang,Li Li,Zhan Chen,Qiao Yun Weng,Ping Yang,Ye Zhang,Bin Zhao,He Long Si,Jin Gao Dong,Jian Min Han 한국식물학회 2013 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.56 No.1

Identification of the gene(s) responsible for floweringtime in Arabidopsis has significant implications. We used theT-DNA insertion library of Arabidopsis thaliana to screen anearly-flowering mutant that exhibits accelerated floweringunder short-day conditions. AP22.65, a novel flowering-timegene in that species, was isolated and identified via genomewalkingand bioinformatics analysis. The flowering time ofAP22.65-complementing plants was similar to that of theCol-0 wild type (WT). Conversely, its overexpression delayedflowering. Consistent with this phenotype, expression ofAP22.65 was decreased in the ap22.65-1 mutant, recoveredin AP22.65-complementing plants, and increased in AP22.65-overexpressing plants. Compared with the WT, expressionlevels of critical genes in different flowering pathways, i.e.,SPY, FLC, GI, CO, FT, and LFY, were down-regulated inloss-of-function mutants. Expression of AP22.65 was distributedin flowers, siliques, rosette leaves, and whole seedlings. Therefore, this gene may be a negative regulator of Arabidopsisflowering.

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Quantum Chemistry of a Novel Schiff Base N-(2,4-Dinitro-phenyl)-N'-(1-phenyl-ethylidene)-hydrazine

Ji, Ning-Ning,Shi, Zhi-Qiang,Zhao, Ren-Gao,Zheng, Ze-Bao,Li, Zhi-Feng Korean Chemical Society 2010 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.31 No.4

A novel Schiff base N-(2,4-dinitro-phenyl)-N'-(1-phenyl-ethylidene)-hydrazine has been synthesized and structurally characterized by X-ray single crystal diffraction, elemental analysis, IR spectra and UV-vis spectrum. The crystal belongs to monoclinic with space group P21/n. The molecules are connected via intermolecular O-$H{\cdots}O$ hydrogen bonds into 1D infinite chains. The crystal structure is consolidated by the intramolecular N-$H{\cdots}O$ hydrogen bonds. weak intermolecular C-$H{\cdots}O$ hydrogen bonds link the molecules into intriguing 3D framework. Furthermore, Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the structure, stabilities, orbital energies, composition characteristics of some frontier molecular orbitals and Mulliken charge distributions of the title compound were performed by means of Gaussian 03W package and taking B3LYP/6-31G(d) basis set. The time-dependent DFT calculations have been employed to calculate the electronic spectrum of the title compound, and the UV-vis spectra has been discussed on this basis. The results show that DFT method at B3LYP/6-31G(d) level can well reproduce the structure of the title compound.

Variable step adaptive kurtogram method based on empirical wavelet transform for rolling bearing fault diagnosis

Keqin Zhao,Feng Cheng,Wei-Xi Ji 대한기계학회 2022 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.36 No.6

Envelope analysis is one of the most effective methods in rolling element bearing diagnostics, but finding an optomal frequency band (OFB) has been a challenge for a long time. In this study, a variable-step adaptive kurtogram (VSAK) method based on empirical wavelet transform (EWT) was proposed to select the OFB and apply it in fault detection of rolling element bearings. The VSAK method mainly contains signal reconstruction based on EWT and detection of the appropriate demodulation frequency band based on RK. A new weighted kurtosis-RK was applied in this VSAK method to reduce the influence of high gaussian noise. According to simulation and experimental studies, the results showed that, VSAK was superior over those traditional methods, such as FK and autogram, for the diagnosis of rolling element bearing. It was also concluded that, the sum of amplitude corresponding to the first five fault harmonic frequencies based on VSAK was larger than the sum of amplitude based on FK as well as autogram method.

Inhibition of Nemo-like Kinase Increases Taxol Sensitivity in Laryngeal Cancer

Dong, Ji-Rui,Guo, Nan,Zhao, Jian-Pu,Liu, Pin-Duo,Feng, Hui-Hong,Li, Yan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.12

Several studies have shown that nemo-like kinase (NLK) plays a vital role in apoptosis of cancer cells. The present research concerned effects and mechanisms of Taxol on NLK knockdown human laryngeal cancerHep-2 cell lines in vitro. Using RNAi, methyl-thiazoltetrazolium (MTT) assays, real-time RT-PCR, Western blotting and flow cytometry analysis, growth and the cell cycle progression of NLK knockdown Hep-2 cells and expression of downstream molecules were observed. Cell growth was obviously suppressed in the Taxol treated group (P<0.001, 48 hours). Cell numbers of combined Taxol-based chemotherapy with lentivirus mediated RNAi treatment group (Lv-shNLK+Taxol goup) were significantly different from NLK-specific siRNA lentivirus infected group (Lv-shNLK group) (p<0.001). Flow cytometry analysis revealed that Lv-shNLK+Taxol caused the G0/G1-phase DNA content to decrease from 44.1 to 3.33% (p<0.001) and the S-phase DNA content to increase from 38.4 to 82.0% (p<0.001), in comparison with the Lv-shNLK+Taxol group. Immunoblot analysis showed that knockdown of NLK led to significant reduction in the levels of cyclin D1, PCNA and PARP, whereas cyclin B1 was elevated in. Cell growth was also obviously suppressed in the Hep-2 cell line, knockdown of NLK making them more sensitive to Taxol treatment. NLK is expected to become a target of new laryngeal cancer gene therapies.

Goos-Hänchen Shift and Even–Odd Peak Oscillations in Edge-Reflections of Surface Polaritons in Atomically Thin Crystals

Kang, Ji-Hun,Wang, Sheng,Shi, Zhiwen,Zhao, Wenyu,Yablonovitch, Eli,Wang, Feng American Chemical Society 2017 NANO LETTERS Vol.17 No.3

<P>Two-dimensional surface polaritons (2DSPs), such as graphene plasmons, exhibit various unusual properties, including electrical tunability and strong spatial confinement with high Q-factor, which can enable tunable photonic devices for deep subwavelength light manipulations. Reflection of plasmons at the graphene’s edge plays a critical role in the manipulation of 2DSP and enables their direct visualization in near-field infrared microscopy. However, a quantitative understanding of the edge-reflections, including reflection phases and diffraction effects, has remained elusive. Here, we show theoretically and experimentally that edge-reflection of 2DSP exhibits unusual behaviors due to the presence of the evanescent waves, including an anomalous Goos-Hänchen phase shift as in total internal reflections and an unexpected even–odd peak amplitude oscillation from the wave diffraction at the edge. Our theory is not only valid for plasmons in graphene but also for other 2D polaritons, such as phonon polaritons in ultrathin boron nitride flakes and exciton polariton in two-dimensional semiconductors.</P><P><B>Graphic Abstract</B> <IMG SRC='http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/nalefd/2017/nalefd.2017.17.issue-3/acs.nanolett.6b05077/production/images/medium/nl-2016-050772_0005.gif'></P><P><A href='http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/nl6b05077'>ACS Electronic Supporting Info</A></P>

Intracerebral Hemorrhage Progression Score: A Novel Risk Score to Predict Neurological Deterioration after Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Ruijun Ji,Linlin Wang,Feifei Ma,Wenjuan Wang,Yanfang Liu,Runhua Zhang,Dandan Wang,Jiaokun Jia,Hao Feng,Gaifen Liu,Yi Ju,Jingjing Lu,Xingquan Zhao 대한뇌졸중학회 2022 Journal of stroke Vol.24 No.2

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Facile preparation and performance of novel high-TC xBi(Ni1/2Ti1/2)O3-(1-x)Pb(Zr1/2Ti1/2)O3 piezoceramics

Wanwan Ji,Shuai Feng,Bijun Fang,Xiangyong Zhao,Shuai Zhang,Jianning Ding,Haosu Luo 한국물리학회 2018 Current Applied Physics Vol.18 No.3

High Curie temperature (TC) xBi(Ni1/2Ti1/2)O3-(1-x)Pb(Zr1/2Ti1/2)O3 (xBNT-(1-x)PZT, BNT-PZT) piezoelectric ceramics were prepared by the conventional ceramic processing. The composition-induced morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) and its influences on structure and electrical performance were investigated. The synthesized BNT-PZT ceramics exhibit rather pure perovskite structure, and densified microstructure morphology with uniform elementals distribution in both grains and grain boundaries. With increasing the content of Bi(Ni1/2Ti1/2)O3 (BNT), crystal structure of the BNT-PZT ceramics transform from tetragonal phase to rhombohedral phase, and dielectric response peaks change from narrow shape to very broad shape but all presenting dielectric frequency dispersion. The diffused and relaxation dielectric behavior can be fitted well by the quadratic law, and the Vogel-Fulcher law fitting provides additional information on the relaxation characteristic. The MPB effects are confirmed further by ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties measurements. High-TC combined with excellent piezoelectric performance can be realized in the BNT-PZT system, which presents promising applications in geothermal exploration, aerospace and related elevated temperatures fields.

Reducing undesirable vibrations of planar linkage mechanism with joint clearance

Zheng Feng Bai,Xin Jiang,Fei Li,Ji Jun Zhao,Yang Zhao 대한기계학회 2018 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.32 No.2

An optimization design method is presented to reduce the undesirable vibrations caused by clearance for planar linkage mechanism. A clearance joint is defined and considered a contact/impact force constraint. Contact and impact force models for the clearance joint are established using a normal contact force model based on Hertz model with energy loss and a tangential friction model based on modified Coulomb model with dynamic friction coefficient, respectively. In view of the clearance joint, dynamic equations and optimization method for a planar four-bar mechanism are then presented as an application example. The optimization aims to minimize the maximum absolute acceleration peaks of the mechanism by determining the link lengths of the planar linkage mechanism. Finally, the optimization design is solved by a generalized reduced gradient algorithm. Results show evident decrease in vibration peaks of the mechanism and obvious reduction in the contact forces in the clearance joint, which contribute to a good performance of planar linkage mechanism systems.

Design Methodology for Optimal Phase-Shift Modulation of Non-Inverting Buck-Boost Converters

Shi, Bingqing,Zhao, Zhengming,Li, Kai,Feng, Gaohui,Ji, Shiqi,Zhou, Jiayue The Korean Institute of Power Electronics 2019 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.19 No.5

The non-inverting buck-boost converter (NIBB) is a step-up and step-down DC-DC converter suitable for wide-input-voltage-range applications. However, when the input voltage is close to the output voltage, the NIBB needs to operate in the buck-boost mode, causing a significant efficiency reduction since all four switches operates in the PWM mode. Considering both the current stress limitation and the efficiency optimization, a novel design methodology for the optimal phase-shift modulation of a NIBB in the buck-boost mode is proposed in this paper. Since the four switches in the NIBB form two bridges, the shifted phase between the two bridges can serve as an extra degree of freedom for performance optimization. With general phase-shift modulation, the analytic current expressions for every duty ratio, shifted phase and input voltage are derived. Then with the two key factors in the NIBB, the converter efficiency and the switch current stress, taken into account, an objective function with constraints is derived. By optimizing the derived objective function over the full input voltage range, an offline design methodology for the optimal modulation scheme is proposed for efficiency optimization on the premise of current stress limitation. Finally, the designed optimal modulation scheme is implemented on a DSPs and the design methodology is verified with experimental results on a 300V-1.5kW NIBB prototype.