The outbreak was attributed to Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) subtype IE, not previously associated with

equine learn more disease and death. To better understand the ecology of this VEEV strain in Chiapas, we experimentally infected 5 species of wild rodents and evaluated their competence as reservoir and amplifying hosts. Rodents from 1 species (Baiomys musculus) showed signs of disease and died by day 8 postinoculation. Rodents from the 4 other species (Liomys salvini, Oligoryzomys fulvescens, Oryzomys couesi, and Sigmodon hispidus) became viremic but survived and developed neutralizing antibodies, indicating that multiple species may contribute to VEEV maintenance. By infecting numerous rodent species and producing adequate viremia, VEEV may increase its chances of long-term persistence in nature and could increase risk for establishment in disease-endemic areas and amplification outside the disease-endemic range.”
“Background: Malaria still remains a life-threatening disease worldwide causing between 190 and 311 million

cases of malaria in 2008. Due to increased resistance to sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), the Ministry of Health in Malawi, as in many sub-Saharan African countries, changed the malaria treatment Go 6983 research buy policy to use artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT). In order to optimize the correct use of this drug, and protect against the development of the parasite’s resistance, it is important to assess the knowledge and practices of medical practitioners on the use of ACT and its impact on adherence to new treatment policy guidelines.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey find protocol was conducted to assess the knowledge and perceptions of Malawian medical doctors and pharmacists on the use

of ACT and the drivers of treatment choice and clinical treatment decisions. Medical doctors and pharmacists who are involved in managing malaria patients in Malawi were recruited and a self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics of the study participants, knowledge on ACT, source of information on ACT and methods used to decide on the treatment of patients with malaria.

Results: Most of the participants (95.7%) know at least one form of ACT, 67.4% reported that different forms of ACT have different characteristics, 77.3% reported that there are special formulations for children. The most commonly mentioned ACT was artemether-lumefantrine (AL), by 94.6% of the participants and 75.0% of the participants indicated that they prefer to prescribe AL. 73.9% of participants had ever received information on ACT. However, only 31.5% had received training on management of malaria using ACT. There were 71.7% respondents who had heard of ACT causing side effects. Only 25.0% of the participants had received training on how to report SAEs.

We evaluated the association of APOE genotype with risk of ischaemic stroke and assessed whether the observed effect was consistent with the effects of APOE genotype on LDL-C or other lipids and biomarkers of cardiovascular risk.

Methods We conducted a systematic review of published and unpublished studies reporting on APOE genotype and ischaemic stroke. We pooled 41 studies (with a total of 9027 cases and 61 730 controls) using a Bayesian meta-analysis to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) for ischaemic stroke with APOE genotype. To better

evaluate 10058-F4 Cell Cycle inhibitor potential mechanisms for any observed effect, we also conducted a pooled analysis of primary data using 16 studies (up to 60 883 individuals) of European ancestry. We evaluated the association of APOE genotype with lipids, other circulating biomarkers of cardiovascular risk and carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT).

Results The ORs for association of APOE genotypes with ischaemic stroke were: 1.09 (95% credible intervals (CrI): 0.84-1.43) for epsilon 2/epsilon 2; 0.85 (95% CrI: 0.78-0.92) for epsilon 2/epsilon 3; 1.05 (95% CrI: 0.89-1.24) for epsilon 2/epsilon 4; 1.05 (95% CrI: 0.99-1.12)

for epsilon 3/epsilon 4; and 1.12 (95% CrI: 0.94-1.33) for epsilon 4/epsilon 4 using the epsilon 3/epsilon 3 genotype as the reference group. A regression AZD2014 mouse analysis that investigated the effect of LDL-C (using APOE as the instrument) on ischaemic stroke showed a positive dose-response association with an OR of 1.33 (95% CrI: 1.17, 1.52) per 1 mmol/l increase in LDL-C. In the separate

pooled analysis, APOE genotype was linearly and positively associated with levels of LDL-C (P-trend: 2 x 10(-152)), apolipoprotein B (P-trend: 8.7 x 10(-06)) and C-IMT (P-trend: 0.001), and negatively and linearly associated with apolipoprotein E (P-trend: 6 x 10(-26)) and HDL-C (P-trend: 1.6 x 10(-12)). Associations with lipoprotein(a), C-reactive protein and triglycerides were non-linear.

Conclusions In people of European ancestry, APOE genotype Epacadostat research buy showed a positive dose-response association with LDL-C, C-IMT and ischaemic stroke. However, the association of APOE epsilon 2/epsilon 2 genotype with ischaemic stroke requires further investigation. This cross-domain concordance supports a causal role of LDL-C on ischaemic stroke.”
“The aim of this study was to compare the long-term results between laparoscopic myotomy and pneumatic dilatation in achalasia treatment.

A retrospective study was conducted involving 46 achalasia patients. Twenty-three patients underwent laparoscopic Heller myotomy with partial (Toupet) fundoplication (I group), other 23 – endoscopic pneumatic dilatation (II group). Long-term results included evaluation of dysphagia according Vantrappen and Hellemans and intensity of heartburn.

The patients in these two groups were similar in terms of age, weight and height. The median follow up was 44 months in I group, 47 months in II group. Laparoscopic myotomy was effective in 82.

Cumulative incidence functions and cause-specific Cox models examined the association of medical and psychosocial risk (low: non-depressed and socially integrated; medium: depressed or socially isolated; high: depressed and socially isolated) with time until MCSD, considering covariates and competing outcomes (death, high-urgency transplantation [HU-HTx], elective HTx, and MK-2206 PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitor delisting due to clinical improvement or deterioration).

RESULTS: Psychosocial risk groups were comparable regarding demographics, medical parameters, and quality of life, but differed in waiting list-related stressors. During follow-up (median, 326; range, 5-1,849 days),

26 patients received MCSD, 53 died, 144 underwent HTx (103 in HU status), and 53 were delisted (15 deteriorated, 31 improved). Non-depressed and socially integrated patients did not require MCSD. Controlling for medical risk, psychosocial risk significantly contributed to MCSD, HU-HTx, and improvement; medical risk and female gender predicted death (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial risk at time of listing affects the prognosis

of HTx candidates beyond medical risk. Psychosocial interventions may help to stabilize patients’ SBE-β-CD price health. J Heart Lung Transplant 2012;31:16-26 (C) 2012 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. All rights reserved.”
“Microscale laser dynamic forming (mu LDF) shows great potential in fabricating robust and high-aspect-ratio metallic microcomponents. Experiments revealed that strain rate

and sample size play important roles in determining the dynamic plasticity and final results of mu LDF. To further understand these effects, a multiscale modeling methodology is adopted to characterize the microscale dynamic plasticity considering the evolutions of nano-to-submicron dislocations avalanches under shock loading. In this methodology, 3D discrete dislocation SNX-5422 ic50 dynamics simulations are implemented to derive the yield strength and the initial strain hardening dependence on size and strain rate. It is observed that there exist three dynamic stages during deformation process. The initial strain hardening rate in Stage II increases with strain rate. The mechanical threshold stress model, intrinsically equipped with strain-rate-dependent flow stress and initial hardening, is chosen and modified to incorporate size effect quantitatively. This scale-dependent model, implemented in ABAQUS/EXPLICIT, provides deformation depths and thickness variations in good agreement with experimental results in mu LDF. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3590144]“
“BACKGROUND: The HeartMate II (Thoratec Corp, Pleasanton, CA) continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) improved survival in destination therapy (DT) patients during a randomized trial compared with pulsatile-Flow LVADs.

Due to the interaction between the local spins and the extrinsic carriers, the local magnetic moments may be coupled through the mediation of itinerant carriers. (C)2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3574638]“
“Bulbil formation in Agave tequilana was analysed with the objective this website of understanding this phenomenon at the molecular and cellular levels. Bulbils formed 14-45 d after induction and were associated with rearrangements in tissue structure and accelerated cell multiplication. Changes at the cellular level during bulbil development were documented by histological analysis. In

addition, several cDNA libraries produced from different stages of bulbil development were generated and partially sequenced.

Sequence analysis led to the identification of candidate genes potentially involved in the initiation and development NU7441 clinical trial of bulbils in Agave, including two putative class I KNOX genes. Real-time reverse transcription-PCR and in situ hybridization revealed that expression of the putative Agave KNOXI genes occurs at bulbil initiation and specifically in tissue where meristems will develop. Functional analysis of Agave KNOXI genes in Arabidopsis thaliana showed the characteristic lobed phenotype of KNOXI ectopic expression in leaves, although a slightly different phenotype was observed for each of the two Agave genes. An Arabidopsis KNOXI (knat1) mutant line (CS30) was successfully complemented with one of the Agave KNOX genes and partially complemented by the other. Analysis

of the expression of the endogenous Arabidopsis genes KNAT1, KNAT6, and AS1 in the transformed lines ectopically expressing or complemented by the Agave KNOX genes again showed different regulatory patterns for each Agave gene. These results show that Agave KNOX genes are functionally similar to class I KNOX genes and suggest that spatial and temporal control of their expression is essential during bulbil formation in A. tequilana.”
“Introduction: Sensing and detection can be performed in true bipolar or integrated bipolar configuration by implantable defibrillators. New Medtronic generators (Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA) can be configured so that the sensing function of the learn more device can be either true bipolar or integrated bipolar. We compared the sinus rhythm R-wave amplitude and detection time of induced ventricular fibrillation (VF) at implant (acute phase), and sinus rhythm R-wave amplitude 3 months or more after the implant (chronic phase) in these two configurations.

Methods: Twenty-eight patients were studied in the acute phase, and a subgroup of 15 patients was tested in the chronic phase. The generators were Medtronic model numbers D224VRC, D224TRK, D224DRG, D284VRC, D284TRK, and D284DRG. The leads were Medtronic 6947 or 6935. Sensing was evaluated by recording the electrogram and measuring the R-wave peak-to-peak amplitude in the two configurations.

Methods: Data used in this study were extracted from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. From 1997 to 2007, incident ESRD patients who underwent dialysis longer than three months were selected. The established dialysis modality at day 90 was used to analyze the impact of dialysis modality on survival. For each PD patient indentified, five HD patients matched for age, sex, and year in which the patients received their first dialysis treatment were randomly selected. Finally, a total of 35 664 patients including 29 720 HD patients and 5944

PD patients were selected. The primary outcome was death after commencing dialysis.

Results: For diabetic ESRD patients with or without coronary artery disease (CAD) or congestive heart failure (CHF), patients receiving PD had

inferior survival compared with those receiving Protein Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor HD (P<.001, adjusted HR=1.34 to 1.43). For nondiabetic patients with CAD or CHF, patients receiving PD also had inferior survival compared with those receiving HD (adjusted HR=1.30, CI: 1.08 to 1.57; adjusted HR=1.31, CI: 1.11 to 1.55). For nondiabetic ESRD patients without CAD or CHF, there was no statistically significant difference in survival between PD and HD (adjusted HR=1.00, CI: 0.92 to 1.09; adjusted HR=0.98, CI: 0.90 to 1.07).

Conclusions: PD MAPK inhibitor was associated with poorer survival among ESRD patients with CVD or diabetes mellitus compared with HD.”
“Background: Physical activity has been consistently associated with enhanced quality of life (QOL) in older adults. However, the nature of this relationship is not fully understood. In this study of community dwelling older adults, we examined the proposition that physical selleck activity influences global QOL through self-efficacy and health-status.

Methods: Participants (N = 321, M age = 63.8) completed measures of physical activity, self-efficacy, global QOL, physical self worth, and disability limitations. Data were analyzed using covariance modeling to test the fit of the hypothesized model.

Results:

Analyses indicated direct effects of a latent physical activity variable on self-efficacy but not disability limitations or physical self-worth; direct effects of self-efficacy on disability limitations and physical self worth but not QOL; and direct effects of disability limitations and physical self-worth on QOL.

Conclusion: Our findings support the role of self-efficacy in the relationship between physical activity and QOL as well as an expanded QOL model including both health status indicators and global QOL. These findings further suggest future PA promotion programs should include strategies to enhance self-efficacy, a modifiable factor for improving QOL in this population.”
“Intake of saturated and trans-fatty acids is a strong risk factor for coronary heart disease.

“
“Green, white and black teas were assayed for inhibition of pancreatic lipase activity in vitro. White tea proved to be more effective than green tea with black tea showing little inhibition even at 200 mu g GAE/ml. The EC(50) values for inhibition were 22 mu g/ml for white tea and 35 mu g/ml for green tea: both easily achievable from normal infusions of tea. Liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy analysis showed that white and green teas had essentially equal amounts of flavan-3-ols but green tea had higher levels ON-01910 of flavonols. White tea had higher levels of 5-galloyl quinic

acid, digalloyl glucose, trigalloyl glucose and the tannin, strictinin.

After chromatography on Sephadex LH-20, the main inhibitory fraction was enriched in strictinin and fractions enriched in other components were ineffective. This suggests that strictinin content may be crucial for inhibition

of pancreatic lipase. However, the possibility of synergies between the polyphenols cannot be disregarded. Crown Copyright (C) PF-04929113 datasheet 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Objective-To measure thiamine concentrations in commercial canned foods formulated for cats as an initial assessment of the variation among canned foods and to determine the effects of flavor (fish vs nonfish) of the food, texture (pate vs nonpate) of the food, country of manufacture, and buy JQ-EZ-05 size of the company on thiamine concentration.

Design-Prospective cross-sectional study.

Sample-90 canned, nontherapeutic diets formulated for cats (1 fish and 1 nonfish flavor for each of 45 brands).

Procedures-Each canned food was homogenized, and thiamine concentration was analyzed with a fluorometric method.

Results-Thiamine concentration was below the minimums of the Association of American Feed Control Officials in 12 of 90 (13.3%) foods and below the recommended allowance of the National Research

Council in 14 of 90 (15.6%) foods. Pate foods had significantly lower thiamine concentrations than did nonpate foods, and foods from smaller companies had significantly lower thiamine concentrations, compared with concentrations in foods from larger companies. Flavor of food and country of manufacture were not significantly associated with thiamine concentration.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-A wide range of thiamine concentrations was found in the foods evaluated. Thiamine concentration in a substantial percentage of commercially available canned foods was below the amount recommended for adult cats. Additional research on interlot and intralot variation in thiamine concentrations of foods formulated for cats is warranted. Companies should implement strict quality control and analysis practices regarding food products.

“
“Background: The increasing number

of multidrug-resistant Plasmodium strains warrants exploration of new anti-malarials. Medicinal plant research has become more important, particularly after the development of Chinese antimalarial drug artemisnin from Artemisia annua. The present study shows evaluation of anti-malarial effects of two plants commonly used against malaria in the Garhwal region of north-west Himalaya, in order to discover the herbal-based medicine.

Methods: In vitro anti-plasmodial sensitivity of plant extracts was assessed using schizont maturation and parasite lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) assay. Cytotoxic activities of the examined extracts were determined on L-6 cells of rat skeletal muscle myoblast. The 4-day test for anti-malarial PARP inhibitor trial activity against a chloroquine sensitive Plasmodium berghei NK65 strain in Swiss albino mice was used for monitoring in vivo activity of plant extracts.

Results: Chloroform extract of H. antidysenterica (HA-2) and petroleum ether extract of V. canescens (VC-1) plants significantly reduced parasitaemia in P.

berghei infected mice. The extract HA-2 showed in vitro anti-plasmodial activity with its IC(50) value 5.5 mu g/ml using pLDH assay and ED(50) value 18.29 mg/kg in P. berghei infected Swiss albino mice. Similarly petroleum ether extract of V. canescens (VC-1) showed in vitro anti-plasmodial activity with its IC(50) value 2.76 mu g/ml using pLDH assay and ED(50) 15.8 mg/kg in P. berghei infected LY2835219 mice. The extracts coded as HA-2 at 30 mg/kg and VC-1 at 20 mg/kg

exhibited parasite inhibition in mice: 73.2% and 63.0% respectively. Of these two plant extracts, petroleum ether extract of V. canescens was found slightly cytotoxic.

Conclusion: The present investigation reflects the use of these traditional medicinal plants against malaria and these plants may work as potential source in the development of variety of herbal formulations for the treatment of malaria.”
“The melt blending of polylactide (PLA) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) elastomer was performed in an effort to toughen the PLA. The phase morphology, mechanical properties, and toughening mechanism of the PLA/TPU blends were investigated. The results indicate that the spherical TPU particles dispersed in the PLA matrix, and the uniformity decreased with find more increasing TPU content. There existed long threads among some TPU droplets in blend with 30 wt % TPU. TPU improved the toughness of the PLA. With 30 wt % TPU, the elongation at break of the blend reached 602.5%, and samples could not be broken in the notched Izod impact tests at room temperature. The matrix ligament thickness of the PLA/TPU blends was below the critical value, and the blends deformed to a large extent because of shear yield caused by debonding, the formation of fibers upon impact; this dissipated a large amount of energy. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

“
“Intracellular calcium dynamics is critical for many functions of cerebellar granule cells (GrCs) including membrane excitability, synaptic plasticity, apoptosis, and regulation of gene transcription. Recent measurements of calcium

responses in GrCs to depolarization and synaptic stimulation reveal spatial compartmentalization and heterogeneity within dendrites of these cells. However, the main determinants of local calcium dynamics in GrCs are still poorly understood. One reason is that there have been few published studies of calcium dynamics in intact GrCs in their native environment. In the absence of complete information, biophysically realistic models are useful for testing whether specific Ca2+ handling mechanisms may account for existing experimental observations. Simulation results can be used to identify critical measurements that would discriminate 3-deazaneplanocin A between different models. In this review, we briefly describe experimental studies and phenomenological models of Ca2+ signaling in GrC, and then discuss a particular biophysical model, with a special emphasis on an approach for obtaining information regarding selleck screening library the distribution of Ca2+ handling systems under conditions of incomplete experimental data. Use of this approach suggests that Ca2+ channels and fixed endogenous Ca2+ buffers are highly heterogeneously distributed in GrCs. Research avenues for investigating calcium dynamics

in GrCs by a combination of experimental and modeling studies are proposed.”
“The intensive studies carried out in many scientific laboratories and the efforts of numerous pharmaceutical companies have led to the development of drugs which are able to effectively inhibit HIV proliferation. At present, a number of antiretroviral agents with different mechanisms of

action are available. Unfortunately, long-term use of antiretroviral drugs, however, does not remain indifferent to the patient and can cause significant side effects.

In the present work, the antiretroviral drugs with a nephrotoxicity potential most commonly PFTα research buy used in clinical practice are described. In the review attention has also been focused on the nephropathy resulting from the HIV infection alone and the influence of genetic factors on the occurrence of pathological changes in the kidney.”
“OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of physician assessment with a new multivariate index assay in identifying high-risk ovarian tumors.

METHODS: The multivariate index assay was evaluated in women scheduled for surgery for an ovarian tumor in a prospective, multi-institutional trial involving 27 primary-care and specialty sites throughout the United States. Preoperative serum was collected, and results for the multivariate index assay, physician assessment, and CA 125 were correlated with surgical pathology. Physician assessment was documented by each physician before surgery.

Race performance variables were compared between horses with and without lesions and between horses categorized by 1-furlong presale workout times (< or >= 11 seconds).

Results-299 horses had >= 1 lesion, and 654 had no lesion detected. Odds of starting a race and of earning money racing were lower for horses with any lesion and lower for horses with proximal phalangeal dorsoproximal articular margin VX-809 supplier chip fracture, proximal sesamoid bone fracture or sesamoiditis, or wedge-shaped central or third tarsal bones, compared with horses that had no lesion. For horses that raced, proximal phalangeal dorsoproximal articular margin chip fractures were associated with lower lifetime earnings, and flattening of the medial

femoral condyle was associated with fewer 3-year-old racing starts, compared with values for horses that

had no AR-13324 lesion. Horses with workout times < 11 seconds had greater odds of having lifetime starts, lifetime earnings, and maximum purse above threshold (median) values than did horses with slower workout times.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-No radiographic lesions prevented all affected horses from racing. Among horses that raced, few differences were found in performance for horses with and without lesions. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2013;242:969-976)”
“Background: Few studies have investigated the association of dietary carbohydrate and fiber intake with breast cancer risk in women in China, where carbohydrate intake is traditionally high.

Objective: The objective was to prospectively evaluate the association of dietary carbohydrates, glycemic index, glycemic load, and dietary fiber with breast cancer risk and to determine whether the effect of these dietary intakes is modified by age and selected insulin- or estrogen-related risk factors.

Design: A total of 74,942 women aged 40-70 y were recruited into the Shanghai Women’s Health Study, a population-based cohort study. Dietary intake was assessed by in-person interviews. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to evaluate associations.

Results:

During an average of 7.35 y of follow-up, 616 incident breast cancer cases were documented. A higher carbohydrate intake was associated FG-4592 chemical structure with a higher risk of premenopausal breast cancer (P for trend = 0.002). Compared with the lowest quintile, the hazard ratios (and 95% CIs) were 1.47 (1.00, 2.32) and 2.01 (1.26, 3.19) for the fourth and fifth quintiles, respectively. A similar pattern was found for glycemic load. The association between carbohydrate intake and breast cancer was significantly modified by age; the increased breast cancer risk associated with carbohydrate intake was restricted to women who were younger than 50 y. No significant association of breast cancer risk with glycemic index or dietary fiber intake was found.

Conclusion: Our data suggest that a high carbohydrate intake and a diet with a high glycemic load may be associated with breast cancer risk in premenopausal women or women,50 y.

The toric IOL axis was measured 3 weeks postoperatively by rotating the slitlamp beam to align with the IOL axis indicator marks and using the Internal OPD Map on the Nidek OPD-Scan system. Uncorrected (UDVA) and corrected (CDVA) distance visual acuities, residual retractive sphere, and residual keratometric and refractive cylinders were also measured at 3 weeks.

RESULTS: Postoperatively, the mean UDVA was 0.17 logMAR +/- 0.18 (SD) and the mean CDVA, -0.01 +/- 0.12 logMAR; 88.2% of eyes had a UDVA of 0.3 or better, and no eye lost lines of visual acuity. There was an 82.33% reduction in defocus equivalent and a 64.62% reduction in refractive cylinder.

The mean IOL misalignment measured by slitlamp Selleck VX-770 was 2.55 +/- 2.76 degrees and by the internal

map, 2.65 +/- 1.98 degrees. The correlation between the 2 methods was highly significant (r = 0.99, P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Both refractive power/corneal analyzer system and slitlamp observation were reliable and predictable methods of assessing IOL alignment. The 4-point preoperative marking technique yielded clinically acceptable, accurate toric IOL alignment.”
“The effect of functionalized polyphosphazene on the thermal, rheological, and morphological properties of PPO (poly(phenylene oxide))/liquid crystalline polymer (Vectra A) blend has been investigated by means of the capillary rheometry, mechanical testing, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in this Selleckchem ALK inhibitor study. The rheological measurements show that compatibilized blends

exhibit substantial rise in viscosity in comparison to uncompatilized blend especially pronounced at lower shear rates which results in improved interfacial adhesion. DMA study highlights that polyphosphazene could be used as Sotrastaurin an effective compatibilizer for the concerned blend system. SEM study reveals fine fibrillation of liquid crystalline polymers in presence of compatibilizer and the fibers are oriented in the direction of flow field. The mechanical properties of the ternary blends are increased when a proper amount of polyphosphazene is added. This is attributed to fine strand generation induced via the addition of polyphosphazene. Enhanced adhesion at the interface invokes better elongation in the ternary blends. However, mechanical properties deteriorate considerably when polyphosphazene content is 5 wt %. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 119: 1914-1922, 2011″
“Inspired by recent progress of experimental fabrication of carbon structure [Borrnert et al., Phys. Rev. B 81, 085439 (2010)], we proposed a scheme to generate spin-polarized current based on an all-carbon system consisting of carbon nanotube and chain. The transmission spectra are calculated based on density functional theory combined with nonequilibrium Green’s function method.