[en] Promising geothermal areas were identified according to the relationship between geothermal emergencies and the affected surroundings in Tengchong County, China. It is expected that the study will guide further preliminary investigations performed over large areas with limited information. Publicly available datasets that were used in this analysis included earthquake epicenters, distribution of faults, Bouguer gravity anomalies, magnetic anomalies and Landsat7 ETM + images were used to generate five impact factor maps; b-value, distance to faults, distance to major grabens, magnetic anomaly, and land surface temperature, respectively. Predictor maps were produced separately from the impact factor maps using modified certainty factor, index overlay of certainty factor, and weight of certainty factor methods. The findings revealed that the modified certainty factor method showed a more accurate prediction, and the index overlay of certainty factor method can be applied in a simple and straightforward manner, and the weight of certainty factor has the advantage of objective and realistic applications. Based on the suitability maps, potential geothermal regions were discovered in Nujiang basin where have not been explored and exploited. - Highlights: • Certainty Factor based models were proposed to identity geothermal potential regions. • All impact factor maps are conditional independent. • Modified certainty factor method showed a more accurate prediction.

[en] Objective: To study the clinical significance of the determination of plasma β-EP levels with RIA in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: The plasma levels of β-EP were determined with RIA in 35 patients with PD and 30 controls. Results: The plasma levels of β-EP in patients with PD were significantly lower than those in controls. The levels were decreased more significantly in those patients who were elderly, severe, demential and depressive. Conclusion: The decreased plasma levels of β-EP in PD patients might play some role in pathogenesis and were closely related to the severity of the disease and prognosis. (authors)

[en] The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric, junction (AEG) is rising rapidly in recent years. AEG as an independent disease different from squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus and gastric adenocarcinoma is getting acknowledged for most of scholars, with the distinctive anatomy location and involute recurrence and metastasis style. A higher rate of relapse and poor prognosis after resection become conscious since most of patients have been diagnosed with advanced disease, and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy needs to be valued further. But so far, there is no clinical data and subgroup analysis aimed at the value of postoperative treatment for AEG specially, leading to controversy is remaining in patients could get benefit from postoperative treatment, and delineation of the radiation target, etc. The design of the irradiation target should in terms of the clinical-pathological characteristics of the AEG, Siewert's subtypes, the lymph node metastasis mapping and recurrence characteristics after surgery. (authors)

[en] Highlights: • A novel cholesterol biosensor was constructed based on ChOx-IL-capped-AuNPs/GCE. • IL-capped-AuNPs was synthesized using two-phase synthesis and employed as a conducting matrix to immobilize ChOx. • Direct electrochemistry of ChOx on the electrode was obtained. • The ChOx-IL-capped-AuNPs/GCE exhibit remarkable performance for cholesterol detection. - Abstract: A novel scheme for fabrication of hydrophobic ionic liquid-capped gold nanoparticles (IL-capped AuNPs) modified electrode is presented and its application potential for cholesterol biosensor is investigated. Highly stable gold nanoparticles were characterized by UV–vis absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) indicated that IL-capped AuNPs nanocomposites showed excellent electrical conductivity. Furthermore, cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) was directly immobilized on the IL-capped AuNPs nanocomposite, and then the direct electrochemistry of ChOx on the modified glass carbon electrode (GCE) was obtained. As a new platform in cholesterol analysis, ChOx-IL-capped AuNPs/GCE exhibited a linear response to cholesterol in the range of 0.1–50 μM with a detection limit of 0.033 μM. Therefore, hydrophobic ionic liquid-capped gold nanoparticles would serve as a good candidate material to construct the related enzyme biosensors

[en] Nuclear hypoxia imaging is a convenient and safe method which can provide qualitative and quantitative information of oncology hypoxic degree. The commonly used imaging agent have two categories. Nitroimidazole agent, which effective group (-NO₂)reducted in the hypoxia cell can not be reoxidized and be detained in it. Nonitroimidazole agent, which imaging mechanisms are different according to different agents. This technology is useful to formulate reasonable radiotherapy plan and evaluate radiotherapy effect. (authors)

[en] Objective: To explore the clinical significance of changes of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) levels in infants (2-24months) with bronchiolitis. Methods: Plasma levels of CGRP and VIP were determined with RIA in 31 infants with bronchiolitis both during acute infection and convalescence as well as in 35 controls. Results: Plasma CGRP levels in patients during acute infection were significantly higher than those in patients during convalescence and in controls (P<0.05). Levels of CGRP dropped during convalescence, but still remained significantly higher than those in controls (P<0.05). The reverse was true for the plasma VIP levels. The plasma VIP levels in patients during acute infection were significantly lower than those in patients during convalescence and in controls (P<0.05). During convalescence, the plasma VIP levels rose but remained significantly lower than those in controls (P<0.05). Conclusion: There were dynamic changes of plasma CGRP and VIP levels in the course of infant bronchiolitis and the two peptides played opposite roles. (authors)

[en] Small Animal Radiation Research Platform (SARRP) is a highly efficient platform specifically designed for research in the fields of radiation oncology and radiobiology. This platform possesses precise radiometers with gantries capable of isocentric, coplanar, and non-coplanar conformal irradiation. Based on the three-dimensional images acquired by the cone-beam computed tomography, the platform can perform 'real time' treatment planning and irradiation, which assures timeliness for precise irradiation and research on small animals. The wide application of SARRP not only accelerates the bench to bedside translation, but also facilitates the development of radiation oncology and radiobiology. (authors)

[en] Objective: To evaluate the value of ⁹⁹Tc^m-ECD brain SPECT imaging with acetazolamide (ACZ, diamox) stress in silent cerebral infarction (SCI). Methods: Brain ⁹⁹Tc^m-ECD SPECT studies before and after ACZ (1 g, i.v.) administration with in the same day were performed on 7 control subjects and 18 cases with SCI. CT and MRI were performed on all patients and control subjects as well. Imaging analysis: by semiquantitative method, 350 ROIs were set on brain cortical regions. The responses of rCBF to ACZ can be divided into the following five patterns: type A: rCBF were normal in both rest and stress test; type B: the rest rCBF was normal but new hypo-perfused area appeared at stress test; type C₁: the rest rCBF was decreased, and remained unchanged after ACZ; type C₂: the rest rCBF was decreased and decreased significantly after ACZ test; type D: the rest rCBF was decreased, but improved after ACZ test. Results: There were total 98 ROIs in 7 control subjects, 96 were fit for type A and 2 for type B. There were total 252 ROIs in 18 cases with SCI, 198 were fit for type A, 9 for type B, 5 for type C₁, 6 for type C₂, 34 for type D. The average increase of rCBF after ACZ stress test was (32.50 +- 3.56)% in control subjects; the average increase of rCBF in affected hemispheres was (24.18 +- 4.85)% in cases with SCI (t = 12.39, P < 0.01). Conclusions: The vascular reserve in type B, type C₁ and type C₂ patients was poor; the vascular reserve in type D and type A patients was good. The protocol is useful for evaluating the cerebrovascular reserve capacity in SCI patients; it may be helpful for therapy programming and for predicting the therapeutic effects on this patients. 'One day protocol' ACZ test is a safe, convenient method and it is easy to perform

[en] Observations under transmission electron microscope showed that the structure was different between eupyrene sperm and aupyrene sperm of Helicoverpa armigera. The eupyrene sperm consists of acrosome, semi-moon-shaped nucleus, flagellum and appendages on the plasma membrane. The mitochondria derivative of eupyrene sperm links tightly with axoneme. The eupyrene has no nucleus and appendages on the plasma membrane. The acrosome connects with flagellum by protein micro-tubes. The mitochondria derivative of aupyrene sperm links un-tightly with axoneme. The structure of sperm is intact after Helicoverpa armigera has been irradiated, but the number of protein arms on the doublet of axoneme decreases or the arms dismiss by irradiation

[en] Mating habit and sexual competition ability of Helicoverpa armigera irradiated with 300 Gy of γ-rays were observed. The results showed that when reared in laboratory, most adults mated at 4-7 o'clock, a small proportion of adults mated at 2-3 o'clock or at 8-9 o'clock in the morning, meanwhile wild population mated two and a half hours earlier than laboratory populations did. No difference in mating habit and sexual competition ability was found between the irradiation-sterilized and normal adults except that the effective mating rate of the former was 61.6%, one third less than that of the latter ones. Most irradiation-sterilized adults mated one time in their whole lives, only a few could mate 2-3 times and even 5 times, indicating that the multi-mating characteristic of Helicoverpa armigera was not changed by irradiation. It can be concluded that irradiated sterile insect technique is feasible for integrated controlling the cotton bollworm