(1 − / (0)) with ϕ 0 and ξ(0) being the flux quantum and the GL coherent length at zero temperature, respectively, we obtained ξ(0) = 2.0 nm, which is around two times shorter than the bulk value 3 .8 Getting back to the thickness dependence of T c on in Figs. 2c and 2d, we note that the first single step superconducting transition appears at the thickness of 9.6 nm and 5.9 nm for sample A and N, respectively. The appearance of high-T C superconductivity in the rather thicker conditions offers us to consider that how the electric-field effect contributes to the high-T C superconductivity. Here, we examined the effect of electrostatic doping on the superconductivity in both ultrathin and thicker conditions by different experimental schemes in the same device set-up as sample A. At first, samples B, C on SrTiO 3 and M on MgO were etched at T = 245 K to induce the superconductivity as shown in Fig. 3a, the top panel of Fig. 3c and Fig. 3d (red line data), respectively. The thicknesses of samples B, C and M are tuned to the one/two-unit-cell (the red square in Fig. 2c), 9.4 nm (the blue triangle in Fig. 2c) and 3.7 nm (the green circle in Fig. 2d), respectively, by monitoring the leakage current under the assumption that the same etching rate with sample A holds. After the detection of the high-T C superconducting behavior, we examined the electrostatic effect with removing and then applying V G at T = 220 K (along the blue arrow in Fig. 1b; Note that no electrochemical etching occurs at this temperature as mentioned above).For sample B expectedly in the one/two-unit-cell condition, the initial insulating behavior was not recovered by removing V G from 5 V to 3 and 0 V as shown in Fig. 3b. 9 This result is a good evidence for the thickness reached close to one/two-unit-cell, because the high-T C superconductivity under V G = 0 V is consistent with the result of previous reports on FeSe/SrTiO 3 with charge transfer solely from the SrTiO 3 substrate 8 .Interestingly, the increase of T c on from 43.5 K to 46.3 K as a result of reduced V G implicates the over-doping effect by electrostatic doping. In contrast, in sample C under the thicker 9.4 nm condition, the superconductivity vanishes and the R s -T curve is back to the insulating behavior when V G is removed (blue line in middle panel of Fig. 3c).The reappearance of insulating behavior indicates the uniform etching without local ultrathin region providing a high-T C superconducting current pass. Then, application of V G = 5 V recovers the superconductivity again (blue line in bottom panel of Fig. 3c), demonstrating a reversible control of insulator-superconductor transition by electrostatic mean. These series of results in sample C suggests that the observable thickness condition for high-T c on superconductivity is widely expanded from one/two-unit-cell to above 10-unit-cells by the application of electric field. Additionally, T c on in sample M decreases with reducing the accumulated charge as shown in Fig. 3d. Therefore, we suppose that the high-T C supercondu...

Abstract. The Inner Mongolia grassland, one of the most important grazing regions in China, has long been threatened by land degradation and desertification, mainly due to overgrazing. To understand vegetation responses over the last decade, this study evaluated trends in vegetation cover and phenology dynamics in the Inner Mongolia grassland by applying a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series obtained by the Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) during 2002-2014. The results showed that the cumulative annual NDVI increased to over 77.10 % in the permanent grassland region (2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014). The mean value of the total change showed that the start of season (SOS) date and the peak vegetation productivity date of the season (POS) had advanced by 5.79 and 2.43 days, respectively. The end of season (EOS) was delayed by 5.07 days. These changes lengthened the season by 10.86 days. Our results also confirmed that grassland changes are closely related to spring precipitation and increasing temperature at the early growing period because of global warming. Overall, productivity in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region tends to increase, but in some grassland areas with grazing, land degradation is ongoing.

Endocrine therapy is the most important treatment of choice for estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer. Potential mechanisms for resistance to endocrine therapy involve ER-coregulatory proteins and cross-talk between ER and other growth factor-signaling networks. However, the factors and pathways responsible for endocrine therapy resistance, particularly resistance to aromatase inhibitors, have not been clearly established. Sixteen postmenopausal patients with ERa-positive primary breast cancer were treated daily with 25 mg of exemestane (an aromatase inhibitor) for 6 months. Expressions of ERa, ERb, progesterone receptor (PgR), androgen receptor (AR), amplified in breast cancer 1 (AIB1), aromatase, epidermal growth factor receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2, Ki67, cyclin D1, p53, Bcl2, signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (Stat5), and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 (IGFBP5), and phosphorylations of ERa serine (Ser) 118, ERa Ser167, Akt Ser473, and p44 ⁄ 42 MAPK threonine (Thr) 202 ⁄ tyrosine (Tyr) 204, were examined by immunohistochemistry on pretreatment tumor biopsies and post-treatment surgical specimens. Analyses were made to test for correlations with response to exemestane. Of the 16 patients, seven responded and nine retained stable disease. High-level expression of AIB1 and phosphorylation of Akt Ser473 were significantly associated with a better response to exemestane, suggesting that these factors could be considered as predictors of exemestane response. Expressions of ERa, ERb, PgR, aromatase, Ki67, cyclin D1, and p53, and phosphorylations of ERa Ser118, ERa Ser167, and p44 ⁄ 42 MAPK Thr202 ⁄ Tyr204, were decreased, whereas expressions of Stat5 and IGFBP5 were increased in post-treatment specimens compared to the values in pretreatment biopsies. Thus, the analysis of factors involved in the estrogendependent growth-signaling pathways may be useful in identifying patients responsive to exemestane.

The expression of estrogen receptor (ER) and bcl-2 (Bcl-2), an apoptosis protective oncogene, in normal and cancerous breast duct epithelia was immunohistochemically examined in fresh frozen tumor tissues from 142 Japanese breast cancer patients. The clinico-pathological characteristics and the disease free survival of the patients were analyzed. The expression of both the proteins was also observed in intraductal components of breast cancer. Although less than 1% of normal duct epithelia expressed ER, Bcl-2 was diffusely expressed. The expression of both these proteins in breast cancer significantly correlated with each other. Their expression significantly correlated negatively with tumor size but not with lymph node status. The papillo-tubular sub-type of invasive ductal carcinoma expressed Bcl-2 significantly more frequently than the solid-tubular sub-type. Patients with Bcl-2 expressing tumors survived without recurrence significantly more than those with tumors exhibiting reduced expression. Papillary-cribriform type intraductal components expressed both those proteins more often than the solid-comedo type.

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