A new micro/nano-touch-trigger probe using an optoelectronic sensor with a wedge prism.

In this paper, we propose a new touch-trigger probe with high precision and a large permissible measurement range. A wedge prism was used in the sensing unit to achieve 3D detection using only one optoelectronic sensor. The measurement range was expanded from ±8 µm to ±14 µm through the new optical structure. The probe has uniform stiffness and uniform sensitivity. Some experiments were performed to investigate the performance of the probe. It was found that the probe has a resolution of 10 nm and a repeatability of less than 9.1 nm. The applicability of the probe was also verified.

Down-regulation of miR-1181 indicates a dismal prognosis for nasopharyngeal carcinoma and promoted cell proliferation and metastasis by modulating Wnt/ß-catenin signaling.

OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to investigate the expression pattern, clinicopathological feature and prognostic role of miR-1181 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and to determine the functional effects and potential mechanism of miR-1181 in NPC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The expression levels of miR-1181 were determined in NPC tissues and cell lines by RT-PCR. The clinical data were interpreted by chi-square test, univariate analysis, and multivariate analysis. The effect of PVT1 on proliferation was evaluated by CCK-8 and colony formation assays, and migration and invasion ability were evaluated by transwell and wound-healing assays. The association between miR-1181 and Wnt/ß-catenin pathway was analyzed by Western blot. RESULTS: We found that miR-1181 expression was significantly down-regulated in both NPC tissues and cell lines. Low expression of miR-1181 was significantly associated with N stage (p=0.013), clinical stage (p=0.037) and grade (p=0.033). Clinical assays showed that patients with low miR-1181 expression had shorter overall survival time than those with high miR-1181 expression (p=0.0007). Multivariate analysis revealed that miR-1181 expression was independently associated with the overall survival. Functional investigations indicated that overexpression of miR-1181 suppressed NPC cells proliferation, migration and invasion. Mechanistically, forced miR-1181 expression suppressed the activity of Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings proved that miR-1181 may serve as a candidate prognostic biomarker and target for new therapies in NPC patients.

Long interspersed nucleotide acid element-1 ORF-1 protein promotes proliferation and invasion of human colorectal cancer LoVo cells through enhancing ETS-1 activity.

The human proto-oncogene long interspersed nucleotide acid element-1 (LINE-1) open reading frame-1 protein (ORF-1p) is involved in the progress of several cancers. The transcription factor ETS-1 can mediate the transcription of some downstream genes that play specific roles in the regulation of cancerous cell invasion and metastasis. In this study, the effects of LINE-1 ORF-1p on ETS-1 activity and on the proliferation and invasion of human colorectal cancer LoVo cells were investigated. Results showed that the overexpression of LINE-1 ORF-1p enhanced the transcription of ETS-1 downstream genes and increased their protein levels, and downregulation of the LINE-1 ORF-1p level by small interfering RNA (siRNA) reduced the transcriptional activation of ETS-1. In addition, overexpression of LINE-1 ORF-1p promoted LoVo cell proliferation and anchor-independent growth, and a knockdown of the LINE-1 protein level by siRNA reduced the proliferation and anchor-independent growth ability of LoVo cells. In vivo data revealed that LINE-1 ORF-1p overexpression increased LoVo tumor growth in nude mice, whereas the siRNA knockdown of endogenous LINE-1 ORF-1p expression decreased LoVo cell growth in nude mice. Therefore, LINE- 1 ORF-1p could promote LoVo cell proliferation and invasion both in vitro and in vivo, indicating that it might be a useful molecular target for the treatment of human colorectal cancer.

Pilot studies for in-situ aerobic cometabolism of trichloroethylene using toluene-vapor as the primary substrate.

In-situ pilot studies of aerobic cometabolism were conducted to evaluate the injection of toluene-vapor and air into TCE-contaminated aquifer. Delivery of primary substrate (toluene) in a vapor state with air enhanced the growth of indigenous toluene-utilizing bacteria that would degrade TCE by aerobic cometabolism. Meanwhile, delivering toluene in a vapor state effectively reduced potential clogging near the injection points due to excessive microbial growth, which was observed in the field when the injection of neat toluene was employed. Over 90% removal of TCE was achieved with primary substrate (toluene) degraded to a concentration below 10 microg/L.

A new image flux conduction model and its application to selective image smoothing.

A discrete image flux conduction equation which is completely new in this field is proposed. The new approach starts with formulating a discrete image flux conduction equation based on the concept of heat conduction theory. Based on this discrete equation, the status change at a time point can be directly computed from its spatial neighborhood. To more accurately estimate an image flux, we have used an orthogonal wavelet basis to approximate the gradient of the intensity at each point. Since the proposed approach is discrete by nature, it is not necessary to formulate a continuous PDE to fit the discrete image data set. Furthermore, introduction of different numerical methods to solve the PDE can also be avoided. Since the proposed approach does not require that a PDE be solved, it is therefore more efficient and accurate than the conventional methods. Experimental results obtained using both synthetic signals and real images have demonstrated that the proposed model could effectively handle the selective image smoothing problem.

Genetic-based search for error-correcting graph isomorphism.

Error-correcting graph isomorphism has been found useful in numerous pattern recognition applications. This paper presents a genetic-based search approach that adopts genetic algorithms as the searching criteria to solve the problem of error-correcting graph isomorphism. By applying genetic algorithms, some local search strategies are amalgamated to improve convergence speed. Besides, a selection operator is proposed to prevent premature convergence. The proposed approach has been implemented to verify its validity. Experimental results reveal the superiority of this new technique than several other well-known algorithms.

Repetitive elements in the third intron of murine apolipoprotein A-I gene.

Genomic DNAs containing the gene encoding apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) from four strains of mice and three strains of rats have been sequenced. Some peculiar repetitive sequences were found in the third intron of apoA-I of the murine species. The striking features include regular tandem repeats of C(A)4 and C(A)6 in mice and long A-tracts in rats. Not completely identical but very similar motifs were found in mice or rats belonging to the same species while repetitive elements from different species show some variation from their species-specific consensus sequences. These repetitive motifs are very similar to the sequences flanking human Alu and rodent B1 repetitive elements, although no evidence for the existence of Alu or B1 was found near the peculiar repetitive DNA sequences in apoA-I gene.

Radioimmunoassay for plasma glutathione S-transferase-pi and its clinical application in gastrointestinal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Plasma acidic glutathione S-transferase (GST-pi) concentrations in 135 patients with gastrointestinal cancer were measured by an improved radioimmunoassay (RIA). METHODS: Blood was collected into a silicified glass tube containing a specific anticoagulant. The plasma, which was separated rapidly by centrifugation with adequate force, underwent RIA procedures (double antibody and polyethylene glycol separation method). RESULTS: The improved RIA for plasma GST-pi was specific and sensitive. Plasma GST-pi in 75% of patients with esophageal cancer, 64.44% of those with gastric cancer, 74.41% of those with colon cancer, 85.19% of those with hepatocellular carcinoma, and 60.00% of those with pancreatic cancer was elevated higher than 13.99 micrograms/l (mean + 1.96 standard deviation of normal controls). Plasma GST-pi levels in patients with gastric cancer with Stages I-II, III and IV disease increased in proper order. Plasma GST-pi concentrations in 57% of patients with colon cancer decreased to the normal range 14 days after surgery. Plasma GST-pi levels of patients with recurrent colon cancer were higher than of those with primary colon cancer. CONCLUSION: The procedure for specimen collection must be critical. Plasma GST-pi may be useful in diagnosing gastrointestinal cancer and in monitoring its clinical course.