Background Platelet （PLT） clumping occurring in pseudothrombocytopenia （PTCP） can result in inaccurate PLT. Automated platelet clump count （APCC） is a quantitative parameter of platelet aggregation. In this stud...Background Platelet （PLT） clumping occurring in pseudothrombocytopenia （PTCP） can result in inaccurate PLT. Automated platelet clump count （APCC） is a quantitative parameter of platelet aggregation. In this study, we evaluated the clinical utility of APCC in the screening for platelet aggregation related ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid （EDTA）-dependent PTCP （EDTA-PTCP）. Methods A total of 105 patients and 200 healthy individuals were enrolled in this study. Blood samples were collected with dipotassium EDTA and sodium citrate respectively. ADVIA 2120 hematology analyzer was used to perform complete blood count （CBC） and APCC. Blood smears of both EDTA- and citrate-anticoagulated samples were made for microscope observation and manual PLT counting. Results In 25 patients with EDTA-PTCP patients, for EDTA-2K anticoagulated-blood, PLT was （55±6）×10^9/L, significantly lower than citrate anticoagulated blood （（186±13）×10^9/L））. APCC was （905±694）×10^9/L, significantly higher than citrate anticoagulated blood （98±37）×10^9/L. In true thrombocytopenia and healthy control groups, APCC was （63±60）×10^9/L and （69±59）×10^9/L respectively and there was no significant difference between EDTA and citrate anticoagulants. Receiver operator characteristic （ROC） curve showed both sensitivity and specificity of APCC were 96% when the cutoff value of APCC was set as 182×10^9/L. Other platelet parameters had poor performance. Conclusion The APCC has a good sensitivity and specificity in differentiating EDTA-PTCP from true thrombocytopenia compared with other platelet parameters.展开更多
To properly simulate hard rock with a high ratio of the uniaxial compressive strength to tensile strength(UCS/TS) and realistic strength-failure envelope,the rock deformation and mechanical characteristics were discus...To properly simulate hard rock with a high ratio of the uniaxial compressive strength to tensile strength(UCS/TS) and realistic strength-failure envelope,the rock deformation and mechanical characteristics were discussed in detail when the particle simulation method with the clump parallel-bond model(CPBM) was used to conduct a series of numerical experiments at the specimen scale.Meanwhile,the effects of the loading procedure and crack density on the mechanical behavior of a specimen,which was modeled by the particle simulation method with the CPBM,were investigated.The related numerical results have demonstrated that:1) The uniaxial compressive strength(UCS),tensile strength(TS) and elastic modulus are overestimated when the conventional loading procedure is used in the particle simulation method with the CPBM; 2) The elastic modulus,strength and UCS/TS decrease,while Poisson ratio increases with the increase of the crack density in the particle simulation method with the CPBM; 3) The particle simulation method with the CPBM can be used to reproduce a high value of UCS/TS(>10),as well as a high friction angle and reasonable cohesion strength; 4) As the confining pressure increases,both the peak strength of the simulated specimen and the number of microscopic cracks increase,but the ratio of tensile cracks number to shear cracks number decreases in the particle simulation method with the CPBM; 5) Compared with the conventional parallel-bond model,the CPBM can be used to reproduce more accurate results for simulating the rock deformation and mechanical characteristics.展开更多
Zagros forests are mainly covered byQuercus brantii L. coppices and oak sprout clumps occupy the forest area like patches. We investigated post-fire herbaceous diversity in the first growing season after fire. For thi...Zagros forests are mainly covered byQuercus brantii L. coppices and oak sprout clumps occupy the forest area like patches. We investigated post-fire herbaceous diversity in the first growing season after fire. For this purpose neighboring burned and unburned areas were selected with the same plant species and ecological conditions. The data were collected from areas subjected to different fire severities. Overall 6 treatments were considered with respect to fire severity and the mi-crosites of inside and outside of oak sprout clumps including： unburned inside and outside of sprout clumps （Ni and No）, inside of sprout clumps that burned with high fire severity （H）, inside of sprout clumps that burned with moderate fire severity （M）, outside of sprout clumps that burned with low fire severity （OH and OM）. Different herbaceous com-position was observed in the unburned inside and outside of oak sprout clumps. The species diversity and richness were increased in treatments burned with low and moderate fire severity. However, in treatment burned with high fire severity （H）, herbaceous cover was reduced, even-ness was increased, and richness and diversity were not significantly changed. We concluded that besides the microsites conditions in forest, fire severity is an inseparable part of the ecological effect of fire on her-baceous composition.展开更多
The humid agroclimatic conditions of Kerala,India permit the cultivation of an array of bamboo species of which Dendrocalamus strictus Roxb.(Nees.) is an important one on account of its high growth rate and multiple u...The humid agroclimatic conditions of Kerala,India permit the cultivation of an array of bamboo species of which Dendrocalamus strictus Roxb.(Nees.) is an important one on account of its high growth rate and multiple uses. Stand density, a potential tool in controlling the productivity of woody ecosystems, its effect on growth and root distribution patterns may provide a better understanding of productivity optimization especially when bamboo-based intercropping options are considered.Growth attributes of 7-year-old bamboo(D. strictus) stands managed at variable spacing(4×4 m, 6×6 m, 8×8 m,10×10 m, 12×12 m) were studied. Functional root activity among bamboo clumps were also studied using a radio tracer soil injection method in which the radio isotopeP was applied to soil at varying depths and lateral distances from the clump. Results indicate that spacing exerts a profound influence on growth of bamboo. Widely spaced bamboo exhibited higher clump diameters and crown widths while clump heights were better under closer spacing. Clump height was 30% lower and DBH 52%higher at the widest spacing(12×12 m) compared to the closest spacing(4×4 m). With increasing soil depth and lateral distance, root activity decreased significantly. Root activity near the clump base was highest(809 counts per minute, cpm; 50 cm depth and 50 cm lateral distance) at 4×4 m. Tracer study further showed wider distribution of root activity with increase in clump spacing. It may be concluded that the intensive foraging zone of bamboo is within a 50-cm radius around the clump irrespective of spacing. N, P and K content in the upper 20 cm was 2197,21, and 203 kg/ha respectively for the closely spaced bamboo(4×4 m) which were significantly higher than corresponding nutrient content at wider spacings. About 50% of N, P and K were present within the 0–20 cm soil layer, which decreased drastically beyond the 20 cm depth.The results suggest that stand management practices through planting density regulation can modify the resource acquisit展开更多
Power connector, as one kind of fittings, is used to connect power equipmentto conductor, conductor to wire or wire to wire in power lines. Owing to its simple structure, easyinstallation and low cost, bolt-type power...Power connector, as one kind of fittings, is used to connect power equipmentto conductor, conductor to wire or wire to wire in power lines. Owing to its simple structure, easyinstallation and low cost, bolt-type power connector-parallel groove clamp is widely used inoverhead power transmission and distribution line. However, owing to high current load and harshenvironment in China, there are still some problems in application of this kind of connector. So,some failure connectors replaced from domestic overhead power lines are collected. The main reasonsthe failure are given out through investigation into residual contact force, connection resistance,substrate quality, makeup, condition of contact interface and installation, manufacture techniqueetc. Then, the current test on parallel groove clamps is carried out and finite element method isused to simulate its failure process.展开更多
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAggEC) strains cause the persistent diarrhea in infants and compromised hosts in developing countries. These strains are currently defined as E. coli that adheres to HEp-2 cells in...Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAggEC) strains cause the persistent diarrhea in infants and compromised hosts in developing countries. These strains are currently defined as E. coli that adheres to HEp-2 cells in an aggregative adherence (AA) pattern. In this study, we compared 4 different rapid methods for the detection of EAggEC using a PCR assay, clump formation test, glass slide adherence assay, and the HEp-2 cell adherence assay. Out of 683 E. coli strains isolated from diarrheal stool samples, we detected 17 aggR and/or clump-positive strains, and identified 2 aggR-positive, clump-negative strains and 2 aggR-negative, clump-positive strains. All the aggR positive and clump positive strains also showed positive results in glass slide adherence and HEp-2 cell adherence assays. From all these results, we suggest the following procedure for the rapid identification of EAggEC strains: first, screen E. coli strains with the clump formation test and subsequently perform the glass slide adherence assay to observe AA for confirmation.展开更多
In discrete element method(DEM)simulations,multi-sphere(MS)clumped and convex particles are two main particle models that are used to study the mechanical behaviours of granular materials.Of interest is the evaluation...In discrete element method(DEM)simulations,multi-sphere(MS)clumped and convex particles are two main particle models that are used to study the mechanical behaviours of granular materials.Of interest is the evaluation of the effect of multiple contacts between clumped particles or single contacts between convex particles on the mechanical behaviours of granular materials.In this context,a series of drained triaxial compression tests were conducted on convex true(CT)ellipsoids and MS ellipsoids with aspect ratios(ARs)ranging from 1.0-2.0.The microscale results indicate that at a given AR,the critical friction angleφ_(c)changes with the particle type,whereas the peak friction angleφ_(p)is nearly independent of the particle type.The anisotropic analysis provides underlying mechanisms of the shear strength evolution from two perspectives.First,the anisotropies of granular materials are essential to shear strength as the deviatoric(q)-to-effective mean(p′)stress ratio can be expressed as the sum of the anisotropies,i.e.,q/p'≈0.4a_(c)+0.4a_(n)+0.6a_(t),where ac,an and at are the normal contact anisotropy,normal contact force anisotropy and tangential contact force anisotropy,respectively.For all samples,a_(c)and a_(n)underpin the shear strength and are influenced by the particle type.The similarφ_(p)displayed by the CT and MS ellipsoids does not translate to similar a_(n)and a_(c)but similar a_(c)+a_(n)for the two particle types.In addition,owing to their larger a_(c)+a_(n),the CT ellipsoids have a higherφ_(c)than the MS ellipsoids.Second,there is a satisfactory linear relationship between q/p'and ac within strong and non-sliding(sn)contacts a_(c)^(sn)(i.e.,q/p′=ka_(c)^(sn)),where k is the fitting parameter.Accordingly,in the peak state,the subtle difference in shear strength is attributed to the greater acsn in the CT ellipsoids than in the MS ellipsoids that is counteracted by the smaller k.However,in the critical state,the greater difference in a_(c)^(sn)between the CT and MS ellipsoids is partially offset展开更多
Isolating rare circulating tumor cells(CTCs)from blood is critical for the downstream analysis that is important in cancer-related research,diagnosis,and medicine,and efforts are ongoing to increase the efficiency and...Isolating rare circulating tumor cells(CTCs)from blood is critical for the downstream analysis that is important in cancer-related research,diagnosis,and medicine,and efforts are ongoing to increase the efficiency and purity of CTC isolation in microfluidics.Reported in this paper is a two-stage integrated microfluidic chip for coarse-to-fine CTC isolation from whole blood.First,blood cells are removed by filtration using a micropore-array membrane,then CTCs and other cells that are trapped in the micropores are peeled off the membrane by a novel release method based on air–liquid interfacial tension,which significantly increases the recovery rate of CTCs.The second stage is CTC capture based on an on-chip dense immuno-magnetic-bead clump,which offers high capture efficiency and purity.Both the micropore filtration and immuno-magnetic-bead capture are validated and optimized experimentally.Overall,the integrated microfluidic chip can realize a recovery rate of 85.5%and a purity of 37.8%for rare cancer cells spiked in whole blood.展开更多
文摘Background Platelet （PLT） clumping occurring in pseudothrombocytopenia （PTCP） can result in inaccurate PLT. Automated platelet clump count （APCC） is a quantitative parameter of platelet aggregation. In this study, we evaluated the clinical utility of APCC in the screening for platelet aggregation related ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid （EDTA）-dependent PTCP （EDTA-PTCP）. Methods A total of 105 patients and 200 healthy individuals were enrolled in this study. Blood samples were collected with dipotassium EDTA and sodium citrate respectively. ADVIA 2120 hematology analyzer was used to perform complete blood count （CBC） and APCC. Blood smears of both EDTA- and citrate-anticoagulated samples were made for microscope observation and manual PLT counting. Results In 25 patients with EDTA-PTCP patients, for EDTA-2K anticoagulated-blood, PLT was （55±6）×10^9/L, significantly lower than citrate anticoagulated blood （（186±13）×10^9/L））. APCC was （905±694）×10^9/L, significantly higher than citrate anticoagulated blood （98±37）×10^9/L. In true thrombocytopenia and healthy control groups, APCC was （63±60）×10^9/L and （69±59）×10^9/L respectively and there was no significant difference between EDTA and citrate anticoagulants. Receiver operator characteristic （ROC） curve showed both sensitivity and specificity of APCC were 96% when the cutoff value of APCC was set as 182×10^9/L. Other platelet parameters had poor performance. Conclusion The APCC has a good sensitivity and specificity in differentiating EDTA-PTCP from true thrombocytopenia compared with other platelet parameters.
基金Project(11272359) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘To properly simulate hard rock with a high ratio of the uniaxial compressive strength to tensile strength(UCS/TS) and realistic strength-failure envelope,the rock deformation and mechanical characteristics were discussed in detail when the particle simulation method with the clump parallel-bond model(CPBM) was used to conduct a series of numerical experiments at the specimen scale.Meanwhile,the effects of the loading procedure and crack density on the mechanical behavior of a specimen,which was modeled by the particle simulation method with the CPBM,were investigated.The related numerical results have demonstrated that:1) The uniaxial compressive strength(UCS),tensile strength(TS) and elastic modulus are overestimated when the conventional loading procedure is used in the particle simulation method with the CPBM; 2) The elastic modulus,strength and UCS/TS decrease,while Poisson ratio increases with the increase of the crack density in the particle simulation method with the CPBM; 3) The particle simulation method with the CPBM can be used to reproduce a high value of UCS/TS(>10),as well as a high friction angle and reasonable cohesion strength; 4) As the confining pressure increases,both the peak strength of the simulated specimen and the number of microscopic cracks increase,but the ratio of tensile cracks number to shear cracks number decreases in the particle simulation method with the CPBM; 5) Compared with the conventional parallel-bond model,the CPBM can be used to reproduce more accurate results for simulating the rock deformation and mechanical characteristics.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation(51309069&11572094)Harbin Innovation Talent in Science and Technology Research Special Fund(2014QN001008)+1 种基金Chinese Postdoctoral Science Fund(2014M561334)Coupling Characteristic Analysis of Floating Wave-current Hybrids System(51579055)
文摘Zagros forests are mainly covered byQuercus brantii L. coppices and oak sprout clumps occupy the forest area like patches. We investigated post-fire herbaceous diversity in the first growing season after fire. For this purpose neighboring burned and unburned areas were selected with the same plant species and ecological conditions. The data were collected from areas subjected to different fire severities. Overall 6 treatments were considered with respect to fire severity and the mi-crosites of inside and outside of oak sprout clumps including： unburned inside and outside of sprout clumps （Ni and No）, inside of sprout clumps that burned with high fire severity （H）, inside of sprout clumps that burned with moderate fire severity （M）, outside of sprout clumps that burned with low fire severity （OH and OM）. Different herbaceous com-position was observed in the unburned inside and outside of oak sprout clumps. The species diversity and richness were increased in treatments burned with low and moderate fire severity. However, in treatment burned with high fire severity （H）, herbaceous cover was reduced, even-ness was increased, and richness and diversity were not significantly changed. We concluded that besides the microsites conditions in forest, fire severity is an inseparable part of the ecological effect of fire on her-baceous composition.
基金financially supported by the Kerala Agricultural University
文摘The humid agroclimatic conditions of Kerala,India permit the cultivation of an array of bamboo species of which Dendrocalamus strictus Roxb.(Nees.) is an important one on account of its high growth rate and multiple uses. Stand density, a potential tool in controlling the productivity of woody ecosystems, its effect on growth and root distribution patterns may provide a better understanding of productivity optimization especially when bamboo-based intercropping options are considered.Growth attributes of 7-year-old bamboo(D. strictus) stands managed at variable spacing(4×4 m, 6×6 m, 8×8 m,10×10 m, 12×12 m) were studied. Functional root activity among bamboo clumps were also studied using a radio tracer soil injection method in which the radio isotopeP was applied to soil at varying depths and lateral distances from the clump. Results indicate that spacing exerts a profound influence on growth of bamboo. Widely spaced bamboo exhibited higher clump diameters and crown widths while clump heights were better under closer spacing. Clump height was 30% lower and DBH 52%higher at the widest spacing(12×12 m) compared to the closest spacing(4×4 m). With increasing soil depth and lateral distance, root activity decreased significantly. Root activity near the clump base was highest(809 counts per minute, cpm; 50 cm depth and 50 cm lateral distance) at 4×4 m. Tracer study further showed wider distribution of root activity with increase in clump spacing. It may be concluded that the intensive foraging zone of bamboo is within a 50-cm radius around the clump irrespective of spacing. N, P and K content in the upper 20 cm was 2197,21, and 203 kg/ha respectively for the closely spaced bamboo(4×4 m) which were significantly higher than corresponding nutrient content at wider spacings. About 50% of N, P and K were present within the 0–20 cm soil layer, which decreased drastically beyond the 20 cm depth.The results suggest that stand management practices through planting density regulation can modify the resource acquisit
文摘Power connector, as one kind of fittings, is used to connect power equipmentto conductor, conductor to wire or wire to wire in power lines. Owing to its simple structure, easyinstallation and low cost, bolt-type power connector-parallel groove clamp is widely used inoverhead power transmission and distribution line. However, owing to high current load and harshenvironment in China, there are still some problems in application of this kind of connector. So,some failure connectors replaced from domestic overhead power lines are collected. The main reasonsthe failure are given out through investigation into residual contact force, connection resistance,substrate quality, makeup, condition of contact interface and installation, manufacture techniqueetc. Then, the current test on parallel groove clamps is carried out and finite element method isused to simulate its failure process.
文摘Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAggEC) strains cause the persistent diarrhea in infants and compromised hosts in developing countries. These strains are currently defined as E. coli that adheres to HEp-2 cells in an aggregative adherence (AA) pattern. In this study, we compared 4 different rapid methods for the detection of EAggEC using a PCR assay, clump formation test, glass slide adherence assay, and the HEp-2 cell adherence assay. Out of 683 E. coli strains isolated from diarrheal stool samples, we detected 17 aggR and/or clump-positive strains, and identified 2 aggR-positive, clump-negative strains and 2 aggR-negative, clump-positive strains. All the aggR positive and clump positive strains also showed positive results in glass slide adherence and HEp-2 cell adherence assays. From all these results, we suggest the following procedure for the rapid identification of EAggEC strains: first, screen E. coli strains with the clump formation test and subsequently perform the glass slide adherence assay to observe AA for confirmation.
基金The study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,(Nos.51809292,51478481 and 51508141)Postdoctoral Fund of Central South University,China(No.205455)Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Project:Research and Application of Design and Construction Technology of Railway Engineering Traveling the Rift Valley,China(No.Z181100003918005).
文摘In discrete element method(DEM)simulations,multi-sphere(MS)clumped and convex particles are two main particle models that are used to study the mechanical behaviours of granular materials.Of interest is the evaluation of the effect of multiple contacts between clumped particles or single contacts between convex particles on the mechanical behaviours of granular materials.In this context,a series of drained triaxial compression tests were conducted on convex true(CT)ellipsoids and MS ellipsoids with aspect ratios(ARs)ranging from 1.0-2.0.The microscale results indicate that at a given AR,the critical friction angleφ_(c)changes with the particle type,whereas the peak friction angleφ_(p)is nearly independent of the particle type.The anisotropic analysis provides underlying mechanisms of the shear strength evolution from two perspectives.First,the anisotropies of granular materials are essential to shear strength as the deviatoric(q)-to-effective mean(p′)stress ratio can be expressed as the sum of the anisotropies,i.e.,q/p'≈0.4a_(c)+0.4a_(n)+0.6a_(t),where ac,an and at are the normal contact anisotropy,normal contact force anisotropy and tangential contact force anisotropy,respectively.For all samples,a_(c)and a_(n)underpin the shear strength and are influenced by the particle type.The similarφ_(p)displayed by the CT and MS ellipsoids does not translate to similar a_(n)and a_(c)but similar a_(c)+a_(n)for the two particle types.In addition,owing to their larger a_(c)+a_(n),the CT ellipsoids have a higherφ_(c)than the MS ellipsoids.Second,there is a satisfactory linear relationship between q/p'and ac within strong and non-sliding(sn)contacts a_(c)^(sn)(i.e.,q/p′=ka_(c)^(sn)),where k is the fitting parameter.Accordingly,in the peak state,the subtle difference in shear strength is attributed to the greater acsn in the CT ellipsoids than in the MS ellipsoids that is counteracted by the smaller k.However,in the critical state,the greater difference in a_(c)^(sn)between the CT and MS ellipsoids is partially offset
基金This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.61774095 and 21727813)the Beijing Research Institute of Mechanical Equipment.
文摘Isolating rare circulating tumor cells(CTCs)from blood is critical for the downstream analysis that is important in cancer-related research,diagnosis,and medicine,and efforts are ongoing to increase the efficiency and purity of CTC isolation in microfluidics.Reported in this paper is a two-stage integrated microfluidic chip for coarse-to-fine CTC isolation from whole blood.First,blood cells are removed by filtration using a micropore-array membrane,then CTCs and other cells that are trapped in the micropores are peeled off the membrane by a novel release method based on air–liquid interfacial tension,which significantly increases the recovery rate of CTCs.The second stage is CTC capture based on an on-chip dense immuno-magnetic-bead clump,which offers high capture efficiency and purity.Both the micropore filtration and immuno-magnetic-bead capture are validated and optimized experimentally.Overall,the integrated microfluidic chip can realize a recovery rate of 85.5%and a purity of 37.8%for rare cancer cells spiked in whole blood.
