Search Results - (Author, Cooperation:B. Y. Liu)

2013-02-02

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

0036-8075

1095-9203

Biology

Chemistry and Pharmacology

Computer Science

Medicine

Natural Sciences in General

Physics

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/*metabolism ; Animals ; Cell Line ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cytosol/metabolism ; Female ; Gene Knockdown Techniques ; HEK293 Cells ; Humans ; Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-6/metabolism ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Neoplasms/metabolism ; Ovarian Neoplasms/metabolism ; Phosphoproteins/*metabolism ; Phosphorylation ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics/*metabolism ; Transplantation, Heterologous ; *Wnt Signaling Pathway ; Wnt3A Protein/metabolism ; Xenopus Proteins/genetics/*metabolism ; Xenopus laevis/embryology/metabolism ; beta Catenin/metabolism

2018-06-02

Institute of Physics (IOP)

1674-1137

Physics

2018-07-27

Institute of Physics (IOP)

1674-1137

Physics

2018-02-12

Institute of Physics (IOP)

1674-1137

Physics

1089-7623

AIP Digital Archive

Physics

Electrical Engineering, Measurement and Control Technology

A mass spectrometer beam system using a double focusing sector analyzer and an electron impact ion source has been developed for trace analysis. The molecular beam, formed through a focusing glass capillary array, serves as the gas inlet of the system. Closed cycle cryopumps and ion pumps are used to generate the high vacuum. System roughing is achieved using sorption pumps. Clean and oil free vacuum was obtained by nonmechanical pumping. System normal mode sensitivity is about 107 counts/s/Torr. System low pressure mode sensitivity can be three orders of magnitude higher when sample pressures are below 30 mTorr. A parts-per-billion range system detection capability was accomplished. Slow response time for adsorptive species measurements is a major drawback of the sample inlet system. © 1996 American Institute of Physics.

Electronic Resource

1089-7550

AIP Digital Archive

Physics

This work reports the temperature dependence of electronic conduction in thin nitrided oxides for temperatures ranging from 298 to 423 K. It was found that the conduction currents in the nitrided oxides have different temperature dependencies from those of conventional thermal oxides. At low electric fields (∼6 MV/cm), the temperature dependencies of the nitrided oxides can be divided into two segments which are attributed to the shallow trap-assisted conduction for temperature less than 400 K and Poole–Frenkel or thermionic emission for temperatures greater than 400 K, whereas the temperature dependence of thermal oxide is governed by exp(−0.143/kT) for the entire temperature range of this study. At high electric fields (∼12 MV/cm), the conduction current of nitrided oxides is mainly governed by Fowler–Nordheim tunneling for temperatures less than 340 K. In studying the temperature dependencies of the electronic trapping in nitrided oxides, we found that the density of trapped charge decreases as large as 27.8% for temperatures rising from 298 to 423 K. It indicates that the density of traps at energy levels less than 0.036 eV (measured from the conduction band of the nitrided oxide) is significantly larger than that of thermal oxides.

Electronic Resource

1089-7550

AIP Digital Archive

Physics

Conduction enhancement characteristics and the conduction mechanism in nitroxide are reported in this paper. Thermally grown oxides with various thicknesses were nitrided in pure ammonia for different nitridation times. Conduction in thick oxide after short-time nitridation is dominated by Fowler–Nordheim tunneling with lowered barrier height. A trap-assisted tunneling model was used to explain the effect of the degree of nitridation on current enhancement in heavily nitrided films. A theoretical calculation was carried out to fit the theory to the experimental results, and the trap density and trap energy level were found to be in the ranges of 1.2×1019–7.2×1020 cm−3 and 2.46–2.56 eV, respectively. These results are explained satisfactorily by the Auger spectroscopic data.

Electronic Resource

1077-3118

AIP Digital Archive

Physics

Argon-ion-beam sputtering technique has been applied to deposit barium titanate (BaTiO3) films on silicon wafers at room temperature under vacuum, and then Al/BaTiO3/Si structures were fabricated. Results show that the current and capacitance of these devices are sensitive to the change of relative humidity at room temperature, and saturation absorption (response) time as well as humidity sensitivity of the devices depend on the chemical composition of the BaTiO3 films. For higher annealing temperature and longer annealing time, the oxygen composition increases while fixed charge density decreases. These changes result in lower humidity sensitivity and longer response time. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.

Electronic Resource

1600-0714

Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005

Medicine

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of levamisole on the immune system of patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU) or oral lichen planus (OLP) in an open trial. Lymphocyte subsets, serum immunoglobulins, and circulating immune complexes (CIC) in patients with RAU or OLP and in normal control subjects were determined by an indirect immunofluorescence (ML) technique with monoclonal anti-lymphocyte antibodies, by single radial immunodiffusion, and by precipitation with 3% polyethylene glycol, respectively. In addition, the anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-basal cell antibodies (anti-BCA) in sera were detected by an IIF technique. We found a significant improvement in clinical symptoms and normalization of the decreased CD4/CD8 ratio in RAU patients after levamisole treatment. Moreover, the decreased CD4/CD8 ratio, which persisted until the remission stage in the untreated RAU patients, reverted to normal m the active late stage in the levamisole-treated patients. This reversion of aberrant cellular immunity in an earlier stage of the ulcer cycle may explain why RAU patients experience symptom improvement after levamisole treatment. Although RAU patients treated with levamisole for 1 to 3 or 4 months still had higher than normal levels of CIC and serum immunoglobulins, the levels of their IgA and IgM returned to normal values after 4 months of levamisole treatment. The serum ANA detected m 6 patients with RAU and 3 patients with erosive OLP disappeared after 1-22 months of levamisole treatment. The disappearance of serum anti-BCA was also observed in 50%, of the anti-BCA-positive patients with erosive OLP after 3–13 months of levamisole treatment. These findings suggest that levamisole has modulating effects on both cell-mediated and humoral immunity in patients with RAU or OLP.

Electronic Resource

1600-0714

Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005

Medicine

Background: Previous studies have shown that the local and systemic upregulation of fibrogenic cytokines and downregulation of antifibrotic cytokine are central to the pathogenesis of oral submucous fibrosis (OSF). The milk from cows immunized with human intestinal bacteria (immune milk) contains an anti-inflammatory component that may suppress the inflammatory reaction and modulate cytokine production. Therefore, it was decided to test whether immune milk may have some beneficial effects on controlling the symptoms and signs in OSF patients.Methods: In this preliminary study, 26 OSF patients who received immune milk treatment (45 g of immune milk powder twice a day) for 3 months and oral habit intervention were included in the experimental group. Another 20 OSF patients who received only oral habit intervention served as the control group.Results: We found that the interincisor distance was significantly improved (≧3 mm of the baseline measurement) in 18 of the 26 (69.2%) OSF patients in the experimental group at exit. However, in the control group none of the OSF patients had an increase in interincisor distance greater than 2 mm. In addition, disappearance or significant improvement of symptoms at exit was observed in 80% (16/20) of the patients with intolerance to spicy foods (P〈0.001) and 72.2% (13/18) of the patients with xerostomia (P〈0.005) in the experimental group, compared with 17.6% (3/17) of the patients with improvement of intolerance to spicy foods and 15.4% (2/13) of the patients with improvement of xerostomia in the control group. Partial regression of concomitant oral leukoplakia or erythroplakia (judged from the size reduction of the lesions) at exit was noted in 71.4% (5/7) of the patients in the experimental group (P〈0.05), compared with none (0/5) of the patients with improvement in the control group.Conclusion: We conclude that oral administration of immune milk leads to significant improvements of symptoms and signs in OSF patients.

Electronic Resource

1600-0714

Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005

Medicine

In this study we used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), slot blot and Southern blot hybridization, direct sequencing and in situ hybridization (ISH) to show the possible presence of EBV-DNA in pre-ulcerative oral aphthous lesions of patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU) or Behet's disease (BD). For this purpose, formalin-fixed biopsy specimens were obtained from 13 pre-ulcerative oral aphthous lesions of nine RAU and four BD patients. Five specimens of normal oral mucosa (NOM) from five normal control subjects and 10 specimens of oral erosive or ulcerative lesions from 10 patients with erosive lichen planus (ELP) were also included. EBV-DNA was detected by PCR in 5 of the 13 (38.5%) pre-ulcerative oral aphthous lesions, two from RAU patients and three from BD patients. However, no EBV-DNA was demonstrated in five NOM specimens from normal control subjects and in 10 specimens of oral lesions from ELP patients. EBV-DNA was also demonstrated in patients’peripheral blood lymphocytes and/ or plasma, suggesting that the lymphocytes may be the reservoir of latent EBV infection and there is EBV shedding in the plasma. EBV-DNA was detected by ISH in only one PCR-positive case; the reaction product was found to deposit on the nuclei of some of the epithelial cells and lymphocytes. By immunohistochemistry, expression of Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen and EBV/C3d receptors was also noted in some of the epithelial cells and lymphocytes in this ISH-positive case. Therefore, we suggest that the epithelial cells of pre-ulcerative oral aphthous lesions may be infected by EBV through EBV-infected lymphocytes; also, the cytotoxic T lymphocyte-induced lysis of the EBV-infected epithelial cells, but not the virus-induced cytolysis, may be the main mechanism causing oral ulcer formation. Our data provide preliminary evidence for an association of EBV with pre-ulcerative oral aphthous lesions in RAU and BD patients.

Electronic Resource

1600-0714

Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005

Medicine

In a preliminary study on anti-human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) antibody (Ab) by ELISA. the serum anti-HCMV/IgG Ab concentrations in 22 patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU) in the remission stage were found to be significantly higher than in 22 control subjects (121±42 vs 100±27, P〈0.05) and in 39 patients with RAU in the active stage (121±42 vs 88±45, P〈0.01). Therefore, the potential of HCMV as an etiologic agent in RAU was proposed and studies using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridization (ISH) have been performed to investigate the possible presence of HCMV DNA in pre-ulcerative oral aphthous lesions in patients with RAU or Behçet's disease (BD) of the mucocutaneous type. For this purpose, formalin-fixed biopsy specimens were obtained from 13 pre-ulcerative oral aphthous lesions, 2 samples of normal oral mucosa and 1 ileal mucosal lesion from 9 RAU patients and 4 BD patients. Five specimens of normal oral mucosa from 5 normal control subjects and 12 specimens of oral erosive or ulcerative lesions from 12 patients with erosive lichen planus (ELP) were also included. By PCR, HCMV DNA was detected in 5 of the 13 (38.5%) pre-ulcerative oral aphthous lesions. 3 from RAU patients and 2 from BD patients. The ileal mucosa specimen was also HCMV DNA-positive, whereas HCMV DNA was not demonstrated in any of the 7 specimens of normal oral mucosa from RAU patients and normal control subjects; 12 specimens of oral lesions from ELP patients were similarly negative. ISH did not detect HCMV DNA in any of the biopsy specimens from RAU patients and control subjects. Our findings suggest that HCMV may be an etiologic agent in some cases of RAU and BD.

Electronic Resource

1600-0714

Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005

Medicine

Background:  Previous study has shown a high incidence of autoantibodies including antinuclear (ANA), antismooth muscle (SMA), antigastric parietal cell (GPCA), antithyroid microsomal (TMA), and antireticulin antibodies in a small group of 26 patients with oral submucous fibrosis (OSF). The reasons why some of the OSF patients have high titers of autoantibodies in serum have not been completely explained and no further study on autoantibodies in OSF patients has been done in a large group of patients.Methods:  In this study, we determined the serum levels of ANA, SMA, GPCA, and TMA in a large group of 109 male Taiwanese patients with OSF by an indirect immunofluorescence technique (for ANA, SMA, and GPCA), and by a semiquantitative microtiter particle agglutination test (for TMA). The presence of serum autoantibodies in OSF patients was further correlated with patients' oral habits and the severity of OSF measured by maximum mouth opening (MMO) and sites of involvement.Results:  We found that the frequencies of presence of serum ANA (23.9%), SMA (23.9%), and GPCA (14.7%) in OSF patients were significantly higher than those (9.2, 7.3, and 5.5%, respectively) in healthy control subjects (P 〈 0.01, P 〈 0.005, and P 〈 0.05, respectively). Although the frequency of presence of TMA (5.5%) in OSF patients was also greater than that (2.8%) in healthy control subjects, the difference was not significant (P 〉 0.05). The presence of serum GPCA in OSF patients was significantly associated with daily areca quid (AQ) consumption (P 〈 0.05). The presence of serum ANA in OSF patients associated with daily AQ consumption was of borderline statistical significance (P = 0.066). However, no significant correlations were demonstrated between the presence of serum autoantibodies in OSF patients and other variables of oral habits, MMO, and sites of involvement.Conclusion:  In this study, all the 109 OSF patients had AQ chewing habit and 73.4% of the OSF patients swallowed the ‘juice’ of AQ during the chewing process. The presence of serum GPCA and ANA in OSF patients was associated with daily consumption of AQs. AQ chewing caused mucosal microtrauma, and ulcerations facilitated the diffusion of genotoxic and cytotoxic AQ ingredients into the oral and gastric tissues. Altered autoantigens released from AQ ingredients-damaged cells may induce autoantibody production. Higher frequencies of specific HLA-DR antigens in OSF patients may also help autoantibody production. Therefore, we conclude that the high incidence of autoantibodies in OSF patients may be due to AQ chewing habit, toxic AQ ingredients, and genetic susceptibility of the OSF patients.

Electronic Resource

0022-2860

Elsevier Journal Backfiles on ScienceDirect 1907 - 2002

Chemistry and Pharmacology

Physics

Electronic Resource

0277-5387

Elsevier Journal Backfiles on ScienceDirect 1907 - 2002

Chemistry and Pharmacology

Electronic Resource

1752-1688

Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005

Architecture, Civil Engineering, Surveying

Geography

: The SCS curve number method is an accepted method for estimating surface water runoff caused by rainfall. Several modern process-based hydrologic models, including the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model, use the Green-Ampt infiltration equation, but the basis for selecting model parameters is not as comprehensive as for curve number selection. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively relate curve numbers to Green-Ampt effective conductivity parameters, Ke, so that the information avail. able relative to application of curve number technology may be applied to WEPP for predicting runoff from rainfall. Data used to develop relationships included descriptions of 43 soils, CLIGEN-generated weather information for ten geographic locations in the U.S., and eight different types of cropping practices. Values of Ke were derived by optimizing WEPP model output to match that predicted by curve numbers for a 20-year weather sequence. Relationships were developed to describe the optimized Ke values for both fallow and cropped conditions. The relationships were tested on approximately 350 plot years of measured data from 11 runoff and erosion stations in the U.S. and shown to perform as well as or better than the SCS curve number approach for individual storm predictions of runoff volumes.

Electronic Resource

1752-1688

Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005

Architecture, Civil Engineering, Surveying

Geography

: Since the trend in infiltration modeling is currently toward process-based approaches such as the Green-Ampt equation, more emphasis is being placed on methods of determining appropriate parameters for this approach. The SCS curve number method is an accepted and commonly used empirical approach for estimating surface runoff, and is based on numerous data from a variety of sources. The time and expense of calibrating process-based infiltration parameters to measured data are often prohibitive. This study uses curve number predictions of runoff to develop equations to estimate the “baseline” hydraulic conductivities (Kb) for use in the Green-Ampt equation. Curve number predictions of runoff were made for 43 soils. Kb values in the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model were then calibrated so that the annual runoff predicted by WEPP was equal to the curve number predictions. These calibrated values were used to derive an equation that estimated Kb based on the percent sand, percent clay, and cation exchange capacity of the soil. Estimated values of Kb from this equation compared favorably with measured values and values calibrated to measured natural runoff plot data. WEPP predictions of runoff using both optimized and estimated values of Kb were compared to curve number predictions of runoff and the measured values. The WEPP predictions using the optimized values of Kb were the best in terms of both average error and model efficiency. WEPP predictions using estimated values of Kb were shown to be superior to predictions obtained from the curve number method. The runoff predictions all tended to be biased high for small events and low for larger events when compared to the measured data. Confidence intervals for runoff predictions on both an annual and event basis were also developed for the WEPP model.

Electronic Resource