Principles Of Modification Research Articles

Functional coatings formed on the titanium and magnesium alloys as implant materials by plasma electrolytic oxidation technology: fundamental principles and synthesis conditions

AbstractMetallic implants have been successfully used in medicine for the past 60–70 years. Historically, implants were designed only as mechanical devices, whereas the biological aspects of their application were beyond the researchers’ interest. The improvement of living conditions and the increase of the average life span have changed the situation. The clinical requirements for medical implants rise up substantially. Presently, it seems impossible to imagine the use of metallic implants in the human body without preliminary surface modification to modulate the interaction between the surrounding biological environment and the implant. The review highlights the most recent advances in the field of functional coatings formed on implants by the plasma electrolytic oxidation technology. Special attention is dedicated to the principles of surface modification of the commercially pure titanium, titanium nickelide, and Mg-Mn-Ce magnesium alloy. The advantages and disadvantages of the method and the characteristics of these materials are discussed from this point of view. Some aspects of this review are aimed at corrosion protection of implants with application of polymer materials.

人工影响天气对气象防灾减灾作用

人工影响天气是人们科学把握客观规律，合理开发、利用、改造自然的一项重要气象科技手段。山东作为一个自然灾害和突发事件多发的省份，多年来，在抵御干旱和冰雹过程中，积极组织开展增雨防雹作业，为缓解旱情灾情做出了显著贡献，对促进农业丰产丰收发挥了重要作用；在扑救2011年“4•18”长清特大森林大火和“4•29”蒙山森林大火等多起森林大火中，人工影响天气大显身手，发挥了关键作用；在保障奥帆赛、亚沙会，特别是在第十一届全运会开幕式当日，成功开展了应急人工消(减)雨作业，保证了活动的顺利进行。文中对人工影响天气作业原理及使用的催化剂和运载工具进行了概述，详细介绍了山东人工影响天气工作的发展历程、作业规模及其在防灾减灾中发挥的重要作用。 Weather modification is an important meteorological technique for people to scientifically hold the ob-jective law, to properly develop, utilize and change nature. For frequent natural disaster and emergency, Shandong Province has actively organized times of artificial precipitation and hail suppression in many years against of drought and hail, which has made significant contribution to mitigate disaster and guarantee fertility and good harvest in agriculture. Weather modification has played a key role in forest fires, i.e. “4.18 forest fire in Changqing District”, “4.29 forest fire in Mengshan Mountain”. To guarantee the smooth process of important events, suppression of precipitation had been successfully conducted especially at the opening ceremony of the 11th National Games of China. This paper outlines principle of weather modification, the usage of catalyst and vehicle, also analyses the development course of weather modification in Shandong province, scale of operation, as well as the important role that weather mod-ification has played in disaster prevention and mitigation.

Management of Steroid-induced Hyperglycemia

Steroids are widely used as potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs to treat a wide range of diseases. However, they are also associated with a number of side effects including new-onset hyperglycemia in patients without a history of diabetes mellitus or severely uncontrolled hyperglycemia in patients with known diabetes mellitus. This negative effect is believed to be caused by a variety of factors, including increased insulin resistance, increased glucose intolerance, reduced beta-cell mass from beta-cell dysfunction, and increased hepatic insulin resistance leading to impaired suppression of hepatic glucose production. Steroid-induced hyperglycemia is important in clinical practice because it has been associated with deleterious effect on prognosis. However, there is no scientific evidence regarding the consequences of corticosteroid-induced hyperglycemia and clinical studies investigating the effects of prevention and correction of the condition are lacking. Similar to non-steroid-related diabetes, the principles of early detection and risk factor modification apply. Challenges in the management of steroid-induced diabetes stem from wide fluctuations in post-prandial hyperglycemia and the lack of clearly defined treatment protocols. Together with, or after, life style measures, hypoglycemic drug with important insulin sensitizer effects is indicated. Other oral hypoglycemic drugs or insulin therapy can be considered as the drug of choice. These treatments may provide additional long-term survival benefit and improve glycemic control.

2015, big data in healthcare: for whom the bell tolls?

The health care sector generates bountiful data around the clock, which can paradoxically complicate our quest for information, knowledge, and ‘wisdom’ [1]. It may be prudent that medical end-users consider seriously a fundamental change that would allow us to gain full value from the ‘big data’ that the health care section is generating [2]. Proponents of the big data revolution suggest that the value for physicians rests on the added information provided by big data analysis. Indeed, supplementary information could clarify areas for improvement, such as optimization of treatments, reduced adverse events and readmission rates, earlier identification of those patients whose health is worsening, and more efficient identification of populations in need. Recent cloud computing has even turned computing and software into commodity services, and such big data processing seems to be forging a technology revolution [3,4]. However, opponents of the big data revolution speculate that validation and impact analyses of big data in health care are still in their infancy, and approaches such as Google’s baseline study may thus not be effective in preventing disease, and possibly even lead to unnecessary, if not harmful, interventions [5]. The value of any kind of data is greatly enhanced when it exists in a form that allows for integration with other data [6]. One problem with large data sets in general is the risk for ‘GIGO’ - garbage in, garbage out - that requires very careful and thoughtful investigation to rule out the many errors of large-scale data capture before any of it can be used. Thus, an essential step for data integration is the annotation of multiple bodies of data using common controlled vocabularies or ‘ontologies’ that incorporate accurate representations of biological reality [7]. Data mining in health care is not new, and initiatives for data acquisition and analysis, storage and retrieval have all been presented before [8,9]. Yet, to our knowledge, subcommittees addressing ontology have not been established by any medical specialty. As clinicians, we apply general principles of risk stratification and risk modification to individual patients based on our education and experience. The proliferation of biomedical research makes it difficult to keep abreast of current knowledge, so clinical decision support technologies that are based on data mining techniques are knocking at our doors. Although their implementation seems inevitable, the lack of standardization continues [9]. A dramatic paradigm shift toward controlled ontologies is needed in order to optimize the technologies that integrate big data into medical decision making and practice.

Making a User-friendly Bilingual Dictionary for Chinese Translators: on the Revision ofA New Century Chinese-English Dictionary

This paper gives an account of how a dictionary project, the revision of A New Century Chinese-English Dictionary (2003) with Hui Yu and Du Ruiqing as editors-in-chief, is currently being undertaken. Building on the lexicographic objectives, framework, and excellent lexicographic tradition of independent study of the first edition, the new edition of the said dictionary aims at making itself more useful to translators through a full-scale revision. The focus of the discussion is on how the revisers have followed the three major principles of dictionary revision, that is, addition, deletion, and modification, to improve the user-friendliness of the new edition. The purpose of the discussion is not only to offer our international colleagues a picture of the development of Chinese bilingual lexicography, an area not adequately represented in international lexicographic literature yet, but also to give a detailed account of the actual revision of the said dictionary, which serves the practical needs of Chinese translators and writers who use English for language production purposes.

Mechanical properties of chemically modified portuguese pinewood

To turn wood into a construction material with enhanced properties, many methods of chemical modification have been developed in the last few decades. In this work, mechanical properties of pine wood were chemically modified, compared and evaluated. Maritime pine wood (Pinus pinaster) was modified with four chemical processes: 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea, N-methylol melamine formaldehyde, tetra- alkoxysilane and wax. The following mechanical properties were assessed experimentally: Modulus of elasticity measured statically, stiffness stabilization efficiency in different climates (30 and 87% of relative humidity), modulus of rupture, work maximum load, impact bending strength, compression, tensile and shear strength at indoor conditions (65% of relative humidity). In both types of active principle of modification, cell wall or lumen fill, no significant changes on the bending stiffness (modulus of elasticity) were found. In the remaining properties analysed significant changes in the modified wood-material took place compared to unmodified wood control: - Cell wall modification was the most effective method to achieve high stiffness stabilization efficiency (up to 60%) and also increased compression strength (up to 230%). However, modulus of rupture, tensile, shear and the impact bending strength were reduced by both resins, but in a varying extent, where the N-methylol melamine formaldehyde endured less reduction than 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea resin. In the latter, reduction up to 60% can take place. - In the lumen fill modification: tetra-alkoxysilane has no effect in the mechanical properties. Although, a slight increase in shear strength parallel to the grain was found. Wax specimens have shown a slight increase in bending strength, compression, tensile and shear strength as well as in the absorption energy capacity.

The Principle and Application of Plasma Surface Treatment Technology

The emergence of plasma surface treatment technology, not only improved the product performance, increase the production efficiency, with the rapid development of high-tech industries. This paper mainly introduces the principle of plasma surface modification, and emphatically expounds the plasma surface treatment technology in process industry and important application in the field of medical treatment.

Strophic Modification in Songs by Amy Beach

American composer Amy Beach wrote over a hundred art songs, many of which comprise compelling hybrid formal designs that fuse principles of modified strophic form with other formal schemes. In order to explore form in Beach’s art songs that resist simple classification, I develop a new model for interpreting song form that situates songs based on the nature of recurring material, from strophic (maximal recurring material) to through-composed (minimal recurring material). Analyses of “Within Thy Heart” (op. 29, no. 1) and “Forgotten” (op. 41, no. 3) demonstrate additions to and departures from strophic design. An analysis of “Ah, Love, but a Day!” (op. 44, no. 2) highlights complex principles of strophic modification in which the melody preserves strophic structure but the harmony and texture depart from strophic design. Finally, analyses of “Sweetheart, Sigh No More” (op. 14, no. 3) and “Wind o’ the Westland” (op. 77, no. 2) explore blurred boundaries and quasi-parallel constructions within sectional formal designs.

Targeting of Intravenous Polymeric Nanoparticles by Differential Protein Adsorption

SummaryThe organ distribution of intravenously injected nanoparticles is determined by the composition of the blood protein adsorption pattern occurring after injection. This is exploited in the concept of “differential protein adsorption” for drug targeting, which is briefly discussed. The surface properties of the nanoparticles determine the adsorption patterns, by controlling the surface properties one can generate adsorption patterns required for achieving the desired organ distribution. The efficiency of this principle is shown by reviewing different organ distributions achieved using various polymeric nanoparticles with different surface properties. Surface modification can be obtained by polymer adsorption and can create nanoparticles circulating in the blood, or accumulating in targets such as bone marrow and brain. The protein adsorption patterns were analyzed using two‐dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2‐D PAGE). Here, adsorption patterns of dendritic polymer nanoparticles were investigated, where the used polymer was dendritic polyglycerol sulfate. They showed reduced opsonization and preferential adsorption of apolipoprotein A‐I with brain targeting potential. In perspective, the principle of surface property modification by polymer/stabilizer adsorption can be transferred to intravenous drug nanocrystals. A hybrid system of nanocrystal and polymeric nanoparticles is suggested, the polymeric nanoparticle with nanocrystal core.

A piecewise linear model for analyzing thin film/substrate structure in flexible electronics

The conventional analytical method of predicting strain in a thin film under bending is restricted to the uniform material assumption, while in flexible electronics, the film/substrate structure is widely used with mismatched material properties taken into account. In this paper, a piecewise model is proposed to analyze the axial strain in a thin film of flexible electronics with the shear modification factor and principle of virtual work. The excellent agreement between analytical prediction and finite element results indicates that the model is capable of predicting the strain of the film/substrate structure in flexible electronics, whose mechanical stability and electrical performance is dependent on the strain state in the thin film.

Ultrasensitive QRS made by supramolecular assembly of functionalized cyclodextrins and graphene for the detection of lung cancer VOC biomarkers.

A novel electronic nose system comprising functionalized β-cyclodextrin wrapped reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sensors with distinct ability of discrimination of a set of volatile organic compounds has been developed. Non-covalent modification of chemically functionalized cyclodextrin with RGO is carried out by using pyrene adamantane as a linker wherever necessary, in order to construct a supramolecular assembly. The chemical functionality on cyclodextrin is varied utilising the principle of selective chemical modification of cyclodextrin. In the present study, the combined benefits of the host-guest inclusion complex formation ability and tunable chemical functionality of cyclodextrin, as well as the high surface area and electrical conductivity of graphene, are utilized for the development of a set of highly selective quantum resistive chemical vapour sensors (QRS), which can be assembled in an electronic nose.

Surface modification for the collection and identification of fingerprints and colorimetric detection of urea nitrate.

Glass surfaces were modified with a combination of dyes and reagents to allow for the potential simultaneous recording of a detailed fingerprint and the detection of the explosive urea nitrate (UN), as a proof of principle of surface modification for simultaneous linking of identity to manipulation of explosives. By coating microscope slides with 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA), p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (p-DMAB) and p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (p-DMAC), a colorimetric change was observed in the presence of UN, while revealing a fingerprint with enough resolution to isolate at least 10 minutiae. This is the first step in creating point-of-care devices capable of detecting low concentrations of explosives and drug metabolites and connecting them to a fingerprint.

Chemical modification of amino acids by atmospheric-pressure cold plasma in aqueous solution

Plasma medicine is an attractive new research area, but the principles of plasma modification of biomolecules in aqueous solution remain elusive. In this study, we investigated the chemical effects of atmospheric-pressure cold plasma on 20 naturally occurring amino acids in aqueous solution. High-resolution mass spectrometry revealed that chemical modifications of 14 amino acids were observed after plasma treatment: (i) hydroxylation and nitration of aromatic rings in tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan; (ii) sulfonation and disulfide linkage formation of thiol groups in cysteine; (iii) sulfoxidation of methionine and (iv) amidation and ring-opening of five-membered rings in histidine and proline. A competitive reaction experiment using 20 amino acids demonstrated that sulfur-containing and aromatic amino acids were preferentially decreased by the plasma treatment. These data provide fundamental information for elucidating the mechanism of protein inactivation for biomedical plasma applications.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of dendritic spines in the living brain.

Dendritic spines are ubiquitous postsynaptic sites of most excitatory synapses in the mammalian brain, and thus may serve as structural indicators of functional synapses. Recent works have suggested that neuronal coding of memories may be associated with rapid alterations in spine formation and elimination. Technological advances have enabled researchers to study spine dynamics in vivo during development as well as under various physiological and pathological conditions. We believe that better understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns of spine dynamics will help elucidate the principles of experience-dependent circuit modification and information processing in the living brain.

Study on process and principle of lactose grinding modification to decrease hygroscopic of Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizoma extract

In this paper, Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizoma extract,with high hygroscopic,was selected as research model, while lactose was selected as modifiers to study the effect of the grinding modification method on the hygroscopic. Subsequently, particle size distribution, scannin electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and surface properties were adopted for a phase analysis. The results showed that the modified extract, prepared by Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizoma extract grinding 5 min with the same amount of lactose UP2, which hygroscopic initial velocity, acceleration, and critical relative humidity moisture were less than that of Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizoma extract and the mixture dramatically. In addition, compared with the mixture, the size distribution of modified extract was much less, the microstructure was also difference, while the infrared spectroscopy and surface properties were similar with that of lactose. It is the main principle that lactose particle adhered to the surface of Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizoma extract after grinding mofication to decress the moisture obviously.

LHRH-peptide conjugated dextran nanoparticles for targeted delivery of cisplatin to breast cancer.

Cisplatin is one of the most common anticancer agents for treating different kinds of solid tumors today. However, its broader therapeutic applications are limited by the severe side effects and nonspecific biodistribution. In this study, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH)-targeted polysaccharide nanoparticles for tumor-targeted delivery and controlled release of cisplatin were developed. This nanoparticle delivery system possessed the following unique properties: (1) as the degradation products of the carrier, both dextran and succinic acid have been proved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for parenteral use, indicating good safety and great application potential; (2) both the drug loading and LHRH conjugation procedures were carried out with efficiency in aqueous medium without the use of organic solvents, thus representing a green chemistry approach; and (3) the design followed the principle of drug encapsulation first and subsequent targeting ligand modification, guaranteeing that the targeting molecules were conjugated on the surface of nanoparticles. As compared to free cisplatin, both the non-targeted and targeted nanoparticles displayed sustained drug release, prolonged blood circulation and reduced systemic toxicity. Foremost, the LHRH-targeted nanoparticles led to significant higher cellular internalization in MCF-7 tumor cells in vitro and enhanced accumulation in MCF-7 xenograft tumors in vivo, compared with the non-targeted counterparts. Systemic delivery of the targeted nanoparticles carrying cisplatin via intravenous injection showed enhanced tumor suppression in MCF-7 tumor bearing mice compared to the non-targeted nanoparticles and free CDDP. Collectively, the LHRH-mediated polysaccharide nanoparticles appeared to be a promising nanomedicine drug delivery system for tumor-targeted delivery of cisplatin.

Theory-driven intervention for changing personality: Expectancy value theory, behavioral activation, and conscientiousness.

Considerable evidence suggests that personality traits may be changeable, raising the possibility that personality traits most linked to health problems can be modified with intervention. A growing body of research suggests that problematic personality traits may be altered with behavioral intervention using a bottom-up approach. That is, by targeting core behaviors that underlie personality traits with the goal of engendering new, healthier patterns of behavior that, over time, become automatized and manifest in changes in personality traits. Nevertheless, a bottom-up model for changing personality traits is somewhat diffuse and requires clearer integration of theory and relevant interventions to enable real clinical application. As such, this article proposes a set of guiding principles for theory-driven modification of targeted personality traits using a bottom-up approach, focusing specifically on targeting the trait of conscientiousness using a relevant behavioral intervention, Behavioral Activation (BA), considered within the motivational framework of expectancy value theory (EVT). We conclude with a real case example of the application of BA to alter behaviors counter to conscientiousness in a substance-dependent patient, highlighting the EVT principles most relevant to the approach and the importance and viability of a theoretically driven, bottom-up approach to changing personality traits.

Equal-channel angular extrusion of polymers

One of the priority lines of development of physics of polymers and material science is the development of the principles of structure modification of polymeric materials and the study of the relation between the structure and the properties, aimed to their control. Nowadays, great attention is paid to investigation of severe plastic deformation (SPD) effect on the structure modification of polymers and polymeric composites as well as to the development of the simple shear based methods of formation of orientation order. The main difference between SPD and traditional methods of pressure shaping such as die extrusion, rolling, drawing is the ability to accumulate essential plastic deformation in the processed materials. At the same time, the billet form and size are maintained and there is a possibility of development of varied deformation routes in order to generate different forms of molecular orientation. The most widely used SPD methods applied to polymeric materials are equal-channel angular extrusion (ECAE) and its modified version, so-called equal-channel multiple angular extrusion (ECMAE). The investigations carried out in research centers of USA, Japan, China, France and Ukraine showed perspectives of the use of these methods for improvement of the set of the existing physical and mechanical properties and the formation of functional properties previously unknown. In particular, in the case of semi-crystalline polymers, SPD results in increase in rigidity and strength at conserved high level of plasticity. For polymeric composites, SPD facilitates homogeneous distribution and better dispersion of the filler particles within the polymeric matrix, orientation of transition layers and polymeric matrix etc. As a result, physical and mechanical characteristics higher of those of polymeric composites without SPD were achieved.

Changing Times Call for Changing Methods: Introduction to the Special Issue on Innovative Treatments and Prevention Programs for Pediatric Obesity

According to recent survey results, approximately 17% of children and adolescents (ages 2 through 19) in the United States are obese (body mass index >95th percentile for sex and age) and about 32% are overweight (body mass index >85th percentile; Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2012). Ogden et al., also reported that the prevalence of ‘‘high weight-for-recumbent length’’ among infants (ages 0–2) was just under 10%. These data taken from the 2009– 2010 National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey reflect increasing rates of obesity over the past 12 years in boys (ages 2 through 19) and relatively stable rates of obesity among girls over this span. Overall, the prevalence of obesity is approximately three times greater than it was in 1980. Although alarming, these summary statistics mask important differences in obesity across demographic categories, including racial/ethnic group, sex, income range, and urbanicity. For example, among both African American girls (ages 2–19) and Mexican American boys (ages 2–19), the prevalence of obesity approaches 25% and the prevalence of overweight exceeds 40%. Further, emerging evidence indicates that childhood obesity is more prevalent in households with lower income, lower education, and higher unemployment, as well as among those in rural (vs. urban) settings (Hearst, Biskborn, Christensen, & Cushing, 2013; Lutfiyya, Lipsky, Wisdom-Behounek, & Inpanbutr-Martinkus, 2007; Singh, Siahpush, & Kogan, 2010, Voss, Masuoka, Webber, Scher, & Atkinson, 2013). Internationally, childhood obesity prevalence rates vary widely, but appear to be increasing among economically advantaged countries as well as in developing countries (Gupta, Goel, Shs, & Misra, 2012; Jackson-Leach & Lobstein, 2006; Knai, Lobstein, Darmon, Rutter, & McKee, 2012). It is well-known that pediatric obesity is associated with numerous health and mental health conditions, including insulin resistance, hypertension, abnormal glucose intolerance, sleep apnea, peer victimization, decreased health-related quality of life, and increased risk for internalizing problems (see Jelalian & Hart, 2009; Vivier & Tomkins, 2008; Zeller & Modi, 2008 for reviews). Further, obesity in childhood is associated with increased likelihood for sustained obesity and overweight (and their attendant health risks) into adulthood (Singh, Mulder, Twisk, van Mechelen, & Chinapaw, 2008). Because of these health risks, pediatric weight-related health—including active living and healthy eating—remains a priority area for Healthy People 2020 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010) as well as the National Prevention Council’s (2011) National Prevention Strategy. Recent reviews of the literature (Kitzmann et al., 2010; Oude Luttikhuis et al., 2009; Wilfley et al., 2007) indicate that behaviorally based individual and family interventions can be efficacious. Such therapies typically include behavior modification principles such as reinforcement for healthy behaviors, stimulus control, and modeling. However, effect sizes for such treatments remain relatively modest, and post-treatment outcome assessments frequently suggest poor maintenance of treatment effects over time (Epstein, Paluch, Roemmich, & Beecher, 2007). Further, issues such as nonor incomplete Defined as weight-for-recumbent length at or above the 95th percentile on the 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts.

Protection and Reconstruction Strategy Research of Mixed-Used Historical Settlements Shengzhou Dongqian Street as an Example

Based on the protection and reconstruction of the ancient community and regarding the "culture inheritance" and "mixed-use" as a core, this paper will study the modification principle in terms of the reconstruction of wall area, the design of public recreational center, the reconstruction of reserved dwellings and the design of newly-built dwellings. Space utilization, improvement of public service facilities, combination of basic house type unit and the harmony of ancient and newly-built construction are the key part of the principle. Through the description of current cultural conservation status, this paper analyze the generation motivation of China's ancient community functional mixed paradigm and culture clues, summarize the evolution of spatial pattern of Shengzhou with its geographic-specific properties and propose an updated protection strategies in order to achieve fundamental purpose "old community, new life".