ST6Gal-I Predicts Postoperative Clinical Outcome for Patients with Localized Clear-cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Liu, Hai-Ou,Wu, Qian,Liu, Wei-Si,Liu, Yi-Dong,Fu, Qiang,Zhang, Wei-Juan,Xu, Le,Xu, Jie-Jie Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.23

Hyperactivated ${\alpha}2$-6-sialylation on N-glycans due to overexpression of the Golgi enzyme ${\beta}$-galactoside: ${\alpha}2$-6-sialyltransferase (ST6Gal-I) often correlates with cancer progression, metastasis, and poor prognosis. This study was aimed to determine the association between ST6Gal-I expression and the risk of recurrence and survival of patients with localized clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) following surgery. We retrospectively enrolled 391 patients (265 in training cohort and 126 in validation cohort) with localized ccRCC underwent nephrectomy at a single center. Tissue microarrays were constructed for immunostaining of ST6Gal-I. Prognostic value and clinical outcomes were evaluated. High ST6Gal-I expression was associated with Fuhrman grade (p<0.001 and p=0.016, respectively) and the University of California Los-Angeles Integrated Staging System (UISS) score (p=0.004 and p=0.017, respectively) in both cohorts. Patients with high ST6Gal-I expression had significantly worse overall survival (OS) (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively) and recurrence free survival (RFS) (p<0.001 and p=0.002, respectively) than those with low expression in both cohorts. On multivariate analysis, ST6Gal-I expression remained associated with OS and RFS even after adjusting for the UISS score. Stratified analysis suggested that the association is more pronounced among patients with low and intermediate-risk disease defined by the UISS score. High ST6Gal-I expression is a potential independent adverse predictor of survival and recurrence in ccRCC patients, and the prognostic value is most prominent in those with low and intermediate-risk disease defined by the UISS score.

A Study of the Content Validity of Reading Comprehension Tests in NMET II

Zhen-Jie Liu,Ming-Hao Jin 대한언어학회 2018 언어학 Vol.26 No.4

Liu, Zhen-Jie & Jin, Ming-Hao. (2018). A study of the content validity of reading comprehension tests in NMET II. The Linguistic Association of Korea Journal, 26(4), 103-124. Based on Bachman and Palmer’s (1996) framework of task characteristics, this paper aims to compare the reading comprehension tests of the 2013-2017 National Matriculation English Test II (NMET II) with the requirements of the New Curriculum Standards and Testing Syllabus, in particular, concerning the content validity of the tests in terms of the characteristics of input and expected responses. The implications of this study are discussed for test designers, teachers, and students. The results show that reading comprehension tests from 2013 to 2017 basically meet the requirements of the New Curriculum Standard and Testing Syllabus and have a high content validity. In terms of the characteristics of input, the length, reading speed, and readability of comprehension passages are appropriate for students; however, the distribution of topics and genres in each year is uneven. In terms of the characteristics of expected responses, the wordings of questions and the design of question items are reasonable. However, the response type is mainly restricted to selected response questions (multiple-choice), and the measure of reading skills coverage is unbalanced.

De novo assembly of the transcriptome for Greenbug (Schizaphis graminum Rondani) and analysis on insecticide resistance-related genes

Jun-Jie LIU,Liu-Yang LU,Hui-Hui LIU,Ya-She LI,Xu SU,Bai-Zhong ZHANG,Xi-Ling CHEN 한국곤충학회 2019 Entomological Research Vol.49 No.8

The greenbug, Schizaphis graminum Rondani is a major pest species of wheat crops. In this study, a transcriptome sequencing, and the expression of the 12 genes related to insecticide resistance were conducted in S. graminum. The sequencing and subsequent bioinformatics analysis outputed 46,593 unigenes, among which 28,289 unigenes were annotated to corresponding functions by blasting with high homologous genes in database, giving annotation rate of 60.72%. To gain insight into the mechanism of insecticide resistance, the expression of the 12 genes related to insecticide resistance for S. graminum was investigated. The expression level of aminopeptidase N (AN), cytochrome P450 (CYP), acetylcholinesterase 1 (AC), catalase (CAT), cytochrome c oxidas (CCC), GABA receptor (GABA), glutathione S-transferase (GST) were highest in the apterous nymphs among different developmental stages; The expression level of AN, CBL, CYP, CA, SD, and GST were relatively more abundant in the abdomen compared to head and throax. The results could give out the key information about the relationship between the expression of these genes in different developmental stages, tissues, treatments and metabolism of insecticides. These genes that were co-up-regulated significantly in third instar nymphs of S. graminum induced by imidacloprid, were consistent with their putative involvement in insecticide resistance. This provides most comprehensive transcriptome data for S. graminum to further study and managenment.

The Clinical Observation of Inflammation Theory for Depression: The Initiative of the Formosa Long COVID Multicenter Study (FOCuS)

Shu-Tsen Liu(Shu-Tsen Liu),Sheng-Che Lin(Sheng-Che Lin),Jane Pei-Chen Chang(Jane Pei-Chen Chang),Kai-Jie Yang(Kai-Jie Yang),Che-Sheng Chu(Che-Sheng Chu),Chia-Chun Yang(Chia-Chun Yang),Chih-Sung Liang( 대한정신약물학회 2023 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.21 No.1

There is growing evidence that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is associated with increased risks of psychiatric sequelae. Depression, anxiety, cognitive impairments, sleep disturbance, and fatigue during and after the acute phase of COVID-19 are prevalent, long-lasting, and exerting negative consequences on well-being and imposing a huge burden on healthcare systems and society. This current review presented timely updates of clinical research findings, particularly focusing on the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying the neuropsychiatric sequelae, and identified potential key targets for developing effective treatment strategies for long COVID. In addition, we introduced the Formosa Long COVID Multicenter Study (FOCuS), which aims to apply the inflammation theory to the pathogenesis and the psychosocial and nutrition treatments of post-COVID depression and anxiety.

Experimental and numerical study on fire resistance of tubed steel-reinforced concrete stub columns under eccentric compression

Jie-Peng Liu,Yonghui Xing,Keyan Song,Wei-Yong Wang 국제구조공학회 2021 Steel and Composite Structures, An International J Vol.41 No.4

This paper presents a series of eight fire tests conducted on circular tubed steel-reinforced concrete columns subjected to eccentric loads. The cross-sectional temperature, axial displacements, fire resistance, and failure modes were recorded and discussed. The influence of key parameters-load ratio, load eccentricity, and wall thickness of the steel tube—on the deformation and fire resistance of the circular tubed steel-reinforced concrete columns were also investigated. Subsequently, the coupled thermal–stress model was developed using the ABAQUS program to investigate the effects of key parameters on both thermal distribution and fire resistance. For the thermal analysis, the considered parameters comprised the cross-section dimensions, the thickness of the steel tube, and types of concrete, and for the fire resistance analysis, they were the load ratio, load eccentricity, thickness of the steel tube, and concrete and H steel strengths. The results showed that the cross-section dimensions have a relatively larger influence than the thickness of the steel tube and the types of concrete on the temperature distribution of the columns. Regarding the fire resistance of the columns, the effects of the load ratio and thickness of the steel tube are remarkable, whereas the concrete and H steel strengths and the load eccentricity have a minor influence. The calculation methods were simplified to determine the steel temperature of a column in a fire, and the N–M curves of the eccentric members subjected to ISO 834 standard temperature are presented. Using the simplified methods, the steel temperature, and the N–M curves of the eccentric circular tubed steel-reinforced concrete columns can be evaluated for any value of the significant parameters, such as the thickness of the steel tube, load ratio, and concrete strength.

A novel strategy for response and force reconstruction under impact excitation

Jie Liu,Bing Li 대한기계학회 2018 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.32 No.8

Force and response amplitude are vital to mechanical product life-time. However, these data are always difficult, even impossible, to measure directly. Therefore, we propose a reconstruction strategy based on the subspace identification (SI) algorithm and fast iterative shrinkage-thresholding (FIST) algorithm to reconstruct impact-force and response at desired location. For the reconstruction strategy, reconstruction equations are built by a state-space model, and SI algorithm is utilized to estimate coefficient matrices of the state-space model to form transfer matrices. And then, considering ill-condition of transfer matrix and sparsity of impact-force, FIST algorithm is employed to solve sparse regularization model by minimizing the l 1 -norm. Numerical and experimental studies indicate that the proposed reconstruction strategy can be used to accurately reconstruct force and response under impact excitation, and compared with typical l 2 -norm regularization methods, FIST algorithm is more efficient and accurate in both single-time impact and consecutive impact cases.

Analytical solution for free vibration of multi-span continuous anisotropic plates by the perturbation method

Jie-Peng Liu,Liang Cao,Y. Frank Chen 국제구조공학회 2019 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.69 No.3

Accurately determining the natural frequencies and mode shapes of a structural floor is an essential step to assess the floor’s human-induced vibration serviceability. In the theoretical analysis, the prestressed concrete floor can be idealized as a multi-span continuous anisotropic plate. This paper presents a new analytical approach to determine the natural frequencies and mode shapes of a multi-span continuous orthotropic plate. The suggested approach is based on the combined modal and perturbation method, which differs from other approaches as it decomposes the admissible functions defining the mode shapes by considering the intermodal coupling. The implementation of this technique is simple, requiring no tedious mathematical calculations. The perturbation solution is validated with the numerical results.

Decay of Populus cathay Treated with Paraffin Wax Emulsion and Copper Azole Compound

( Jie Liu ),( Min Liu ),( Bingyi Hou ),( Erni Ma ) 한국목재공학회 2019 목재공학 Vol.47 No.1

In order to investigate the decay process of wood treated with preservative, waterproofing agent and their compound systems, a full-cell process was applied to impregnate the sapwood of poplar (Populus cathay) at paraffin wax emulsion concentrations of 0.5% and 2.0%, Copper Azole (CA) concentrations of 0.3% and 0.5%, and their four compound systems, respectively. Leaching tests and laboratory decay resistance against the white-rot fungus Corious versicolor (L.) Murrill for treated wood were carried out according to the America Standard E11-06 and China Standard GB/T 13942.1-2009. At certain time intervals during the decay test, samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction technique (XRD) to investigate the time-dependent changes of chemical components and crystalline structure, thus clarifying the decay mechanisms. The results suggested that white-rot fungi degrade hemicellulose and lignin in the wood cell wall first, followed by a simultaneous degradation of polysaccharides and lignin. Besides, CA could not only slower the decomposition of both hemicellulose and lignin, but also reduce the degradation amount of hemicellulose. However, paraffin wax emulsion at high concentration had a negative effect on the impregnation of CA for the compound system treated wood.

Temporally Constrained Group Sparse Learning for Longitudinal Data Analysis in Alzheimer's Disease

Jie, Biao,Liu, Mingxia,Liu, Jun,Zhang, Daoqiang,Shen, Dinggang IEEE 2017 IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering Vol.64 No.1

<P>Sparse learning has been widely investigated for analysis of brain images to assist the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and its prodromal stage, i.e., mild cognitive impairment. However, most existing sparse learning-based studies only adopt cross-sectional analysis methods, where the sparse model is learned using data from a single time-point. Actually, multiple time-points of data are often available in brain imaging applications, which can be used in some longitudinal analysis methods to better uncover the disease progression patterns. Accordingly, in this paper, we propose a novel temporallyconstrained group sparse learning method aiming for longitudinal analysis with multiple time-points of data. Specifically, we learn a sparse linear regression model by using the imaging data from multiple time-points, where a group regularization term is first employed to group the weights for the same brain region across different time-points together. Furthermore, to reflect the smooth changes between data derived from adjacent time-points, we incorporate two smoothness regularization terms into the objective function, i.e., one fused smoothness term thatrequires that the differences between two successive weight vectors from adjacent time-points should be small, and another output smoothness term thatrequires the differences between outputs of two successive models from adjacent time-points should also be small. We develop an efficient optimization algorithm to solve the proposed objective function. Experimental results on ADNI database demonstrate that, compared with conventional sparse learning-based methods, our proposed method can achieve improved regression performance and also help in discovering disease-related biomarkers.</P>

Priming and Activation of Inflammasome by Canarypox Virus Vector ALVAC via the cGAS/IFI16—STING—Type I IFN Pathway and AIM2 Sensor

Liu, Fengliang,Niu, Qingli,Fan, Xiuzhen,Liu, Connie,Zhang, Jie,Wei, Zhi,Hou, Wei,Kanneganti, Thirumala-Devi,Robb, Merlin L.,Kim, Jerome H. American Association of Immunologists 2017 Journal of Immunology Vol. No.