Application of probabilistic neural network in the clinical diagnosis of cancers based on clinical chemistry data

As a recently developed and powerful classification tool, probabilistic neural network was used to distinguish cancer patients from healthy persons according to the levels of nucleosides in human urine. Two datasets (containing 32 and 50 patterns, respectively) were investigated and the total consistency rate obtained was 100% for dataset 1 and 94% for dataset 2. To evaluate the performance of probabilistic neural network, linear discriminant analysis and learning vector quantization network, were also applied to the classification problem. The results showed that the predictive ability of the probabilistic neural network is stronger than the others in this study. Moreover, the recognition rate for dataset 2 can achieve to 100% if combining, these three methods together, which indicated the promising potential of clinical diagnosis by combining different methods. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Stress Resistance and Disease Resistance in Seaweeds:The Role of Reactive Oxygen Metabolism

It has become clear that the last 15-20 years that the immediate effect of a wide range of environmental stresses,and of infection,on vascular plants is to increase the information of reactive oxygen species(ROS) and to impose oxidative stress on the cells.Since 1994,sufficient examples similar responses in a broad range of marine macroalgae have been decribed to show that reactive oxygen metabolism also underlies the mechanisms by which seaweeds respond(and become resistant) to stress and infection.Desiccation,freezing,low temperatures,high light,ultraviolet radiation,and heavy metals all tend to result in a gradual and continued buildup of ROS because photosynthesis is inhibited and excess energy results in the formation of singlet oxygen.The response to other stresses (infection or oligosaccharides which signal that infection is occurring,mechanical stress,hyperosmotic shock) is quite different-a more rapid and intence,but short-lived production of ROS ,discribed as an "oxidative burst"-which is attributed to activation of NADPHoxidases in the plasma membrane.Seaweed species that are able to survive such stresses or resist infection have the capacity to remove the ROS through a high cellular content of antioxidant compounds,or a high activity of antioxidant enzymes.

Modeling of Hillslope Runoff and Soil Erosion at Rainfall Events Using Cellular Automata Approach

National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China [40225004]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [40471048]

Probabilistic modelling of soil moisture dynamics of irrigated cropland in the North China Plain

A probabilistic soil moisture dynamic model is used to estimate the soil moisture probability distribution and plant water stress of irrigated cropland in the North China Plain. Soil moisture and meteorological data during the period of 1998 to 2003 were obtained from an irrigated cropland ecosystem with winter wheat and maize in the North China Plain to test the probabilistic soil moisture dynamic model. Results showed that the model was able to capture the soil moisture dynamics and estimate long-term water balance reasonably well when little soil water deficit existed. The prediction of mean plant water stress during winter wheat and maize growing season quantified the suitability of the wheat-maize rotation to the soil and climate environmental conditions in North China Plain under the impact of irrigation. Under the impact of precipitation fluctuations, there is no significant bimodality of the average soil moisture probability density function.

Numerical Simulation of Reactive Extrusion Processes for Activated Anionic Polymerization

In order to deal with the complicated relationships among the variables of the reactive extrusion process for activated anionic polymerization, a three-dimensional equivalent model of closely intermeshing co-rotating twin screw extruders was established. Then the numerical computation expressions of the monomer concentration, the monomer conversion, the average molecular weight and the fluid viscosity were deduced, and the numerical simulation of the reactive extrusion process of Styrene was carried out. At last, our simulated results were compared with Michaeli's simulated results and experimental results. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Preparation and properties of polyether pentaerythritol mono-maleate grafted linear low density polyethylene by reactive extrusion

A reactive type nonionic surfactant, polyether pentaerythritol mono-maleate (PPMM) was synthesized in our laboratory. PPMM was adopted as functionalizing monomer and grafted onto linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) with a melt reactive extrusion procedure. FT-IR was used to characterize the formation of grafting copolymer and evaluate their degree of grafting. The effects of monomer concentration, reaction temperature and screw run speed on the degree of grafting were studied systematically. Isothermal crystallization kinetics of LLDPE and LLDPE-g-PPMM samples was carried out using DSC.

Grafting acrylic acid onto polypropylene by reactive extrusion with pre-irradiated PP as initiator

In this paper, the modification of polypropylene (PP) with acrylic acid (AA) by reactive extrusion using pre-irradiated PP (rPP) as initiator was investigated. It was found the relatively high graft degree (Gd) and slight degradation of modified PP was obtained when 20 wt% rPP was used. This result can be explained in terms of effective concentration of free radicals.

Improved Melting Strength of Polypropylene by Reactive Compounding With Ultrafine Full-Vulcanized Polybutadiene Rubber (UFBR) Particles

Ultrafine full-vulcanized polybutadiene rubber (UFBR) in particle sizes of ca. 50-100 nm has been used for modifying mechanical and processing performances of polypropylene (PP), and PP-g-maleic anhydride (PP-MA) has been used as a compatibilizer for enhancing the interfacial adhesion between the two components. The results show that PP/UFBR possesses rheological behaviors such as highly branched PP when UFBR content in blends reaches 10 wt%, while in contrast, the much low content of UFBR combining small amount of PP-MA endows the material with rheological characteristics of high melt strength materials like highly branched PP.

Novel Method for Preparation of Polypropylene Blends with High Melt Strength by Reactive Compounding

Ultrafine full-vulcanized polybutadiene rubber(UFBR) with particle sizes of ca. 50-100 nm were used for modifying mechanical and processing performances of polypropylene(PP) with PP-g-maleic anhydride(PP-g-MA) as a compatibilizer for enhancing the interfacial adhesion between the two components. The morphology, dynamical rheology response and mechanical properties of the blends were characterized by means of SEM, rheometer and tensile test, respectively.

Reactive Mold Filling in Resin Transfer Molding Processes with Edge Effects

Reactive mold filling is one of the important stages in resin transfer molding processes, in which resin curing and edge effects are important characteristics. On the basis of previous work, volume-averaging momentum equations involving viscous and inertia terms were adopted to describe the resin flow in fiber preform, and modified governing equations derived from the Navier-Stokes equations are introduced to describe the resin flow in the edge channel. A dual-Arrhenius viscosity model is newly introduced to describe the chemorheological behavior of a modified bismaleimide resin. The influence of the curing reaction and processing parameters on the resin flow patterns was investigated.

Reactive compatibilization of LLDPE/PS blends with a new type of Lewis acid as catalyst

The reactive compatibilization of LLDPE/PS (50/50 wt%) was achieved by Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction with a combined Lewis acids (Me3SiCl and InCl3 center dot 4H(2)O) as catalyst. The graft copolymer at the interface was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the morphology of the blends was analysized by scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the combined Lewis acids had catalytic effect on Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction between LLDPE and PS, and the catalytic effect was maximal when the molar ratio of InCl3 center dot 4H(2)O to Me3SiCl was 1:5. The graft copolymer LLDPE-g-PS was formed via the F-C reaction and worked as a tailor-made compatibilizer to reduce the interfacial tension. The mechanical properties of reactive blend with combined Lewis acids as catalyst was notably improved compared to that of physical LLDPE/PS blend and serious degradation had been decreased compared to the reactive blend system with AlCl3 as catalyst; we interpreted the above results in term of acidity of combined Lewis acids.

Analysis of chemical calorific effect during reactive extrusion processes for free radical polymerization

In the reactive extrusion process for polymerization, the chemical calorific effect has a great influence on the temperature. In order to quantitatively analyze the polymerization trend and optimize the processing conditions, the phenomena of the chemical calorific effect during reactive extrusion processes for free radical polymerization were analyzed. Numerical computation expressions of the heat of chemical reaction and the reactive calorific intensity were deduced, and then a numerical simulation of the reactive extrusion process for the polymerization of n-butyl methacrylate was carried out. The evolutions of the heat of chemical reaction and the reactive calorific intensity along the! axial direction of the extruder are presented, on the basis of which reactive processing conditions can be optimized.

Investigation of the gel effect in reactive extrusion processes for free radical polymerization

The gel effect in the reactive extrusion process for free radical polymerization in a closely intermeshing co-rotating twin screw extruder was investigated. First the reaction kinetic model was constructed mainly on the basis of entanglement theory. Next, numerical calculation expressions for the initiator and monomer concentrations, monomer conversion, average molecular weight and apparent viscosity were deduced. Finally, the evolution of the above variables were shown and discussed for the example of butyl methacrylate. The simulated results of the monomer conversion are in good agreement with experimental results.