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This paper develops a serial three-stage network data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to estimate the efficiency of banks who transform their resources into final products, incomes. Different from previous studies, which oversimplified the banking's production, we divide it into three stages, namely, capital organisation, capital allocation, and capital turnover. The shared resources and undesirable outputs are also integrated into the evaluation framework to better reflect the nature of banking business. The novel contribution of our network structure is its ability to disclose the inefficient of each stage as well as its relative importance in the whole operation. The model is then employed to appraise the technical efficiency of 35 banks in Taiwan. Some managerial implications are offered to optimise their performance.

Nanocarbons (NCs) consisting of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were coated on the surface of nickel foam (NF) via a chemical vapor deposition method. The CNFs formed conductive networks on NF, while the CNTs grew perpendicular to the surface of the CNFs, accompanied with the formation of Ni nanoparticles (Ni NPs) at the end of CNTs. The unique Ni-NCs-coated NF with a porous structure was applied as the three-dimensional (3D) current collector of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries, which provided enough space to accommodate the electrode materials inside itself. Therefore, the 3D interconnected conductive framework of the coated NF collector merged in the electrode materials shortened the path of electron transport, and the generated Ni NPs could adsorb lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and effectively accelerated the conversion kinetics of LiPSs as well, thereby suppressing the “shuttle effect”. Moreover, the rigid framework of NF would also constrain the movement of the electrode compositions, which benefited the stability of the Li–S batteries. As a matter of fact, the Li–S battery based on the Ni-NCs-coated NF collector delivered an initial discharge capacity as high as 1472 mAh g–1at 0.1C and outstanding high rate capability at 3C (802 mAh g–1). Additionally, low decay rates of 0.067 and 0.08% at 0.2C (300 cycles) and 0.5C (500 cycles) have been obtained, respectively. Overall, our prepared Ni-NCs-coated NF collector is promising for the application in high-performance Li–S batteries.

ABSTRACTCryptococcus neoformansis a human fungal pathogen that often causes lung and brain infections in immunocompromised patients, with a high fatality rate. Our previous results showed that an F-box protein, Fbp1, is essential for Cryptococcusvirulence independent of the classical virulence factors, suggesting a novel virulence control mechanism. In this study, we show that Fbp1 is part of the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and we further investigated the mechanism of Fbp1 function during infection. Time course studies revealed that the fbp1? mutant causes little damage in the infected lung and that the fungal burden in the lung remains at a low but persistent level throughout infection. The fbp1? mutant cannot disseminate to other organs following pulmonary infection in the murine inhalation model of cryptococcosis but still causes brain infection in a murine intravenous injection model, suggesting that the block of dissemination of the fbp1? mutant is due to its inability to leave the lung. The fbp1? mutant showed a defect in intracellular proliferation after phagocytosis in a Cryptococcus-macrophage interaction assay, which likely contributes to its virulence attenuation. To elucidate the molecular basis of the SCF(Fbp1) E3 ligase function, we analyzed potential Fbp1 substrates based on proteomic approaches combined with phenotypic analysis. One substrate, the inositol phosphosphingolipid-phospholipase C1 (Isc1), is required for fungal survival inside macrophage cells, which is consistent with the role of Fbp1 in regulating Cryptococcus-macrophage interaction and fungal virulence. Our results thus reveal a new determinant of fungal virulence that involves the posttranslational regulation of inositol sphingolipid biosynthesis.

High stress is caused by sliding in the process of the line-contact has a great influence on its service life. Through establishing a finite element 3D model of the cylinder-plane friction couple for dynamic contact, ANSYS/LS-DYNA is used to analyze the friction pair’s stress in the condition of rolling-sliding. The stress state of the friction is compared in the condition of five different slide-roll ratios by numerical simulation. The results show that the friction’s stress in the dynamic condition of rolling-sliding is rather bigger than in the static condition. Comparing the average value and the maximum value of the von mises and shear stresses in five different slid-roll ratios situations, it can be found that the values of max and average both first increased then decreased with increasing of the slide-roll ratio and the maximum values both appeared at the slide-roll ratio of 0.1. Methods and conclusions can provide some references for the research of the line friction pair’s dynamic contacting nature in the condition of rolling-sliding and the prediction of the friction pair’s service life.

Heat dissipation and working efficiency of transport air in rolling bearing under oil-air lubrication are closely related to the flowing state of oil-air in bearing chamber. For cylindrical roller bearing NF211, numerical simulation model of oil-air flow field in bearing chamber was established combining with the practical structure features of rolling bearing and ignoring the effect caused by roller rotation. Combining with flow field numerical simulation functions of Fluent software, simulation analysis of the flow state in bearing chamber were carried out. Based on k-ε turbulent model, three-dimensional flow field in the bearing chamber and main feature parameters of inner flow were got analyzed carefully considering the effect of twirling. Comparing with the numerical simulation of simplified flow field, it showed that energy dissipation and axial velocity of the air were influenced by the effect of twirling distinctly. Simulation results were expected to give useful references for the optimization design of the oil-air lubrication system in rolling bearing.

Fungal meningitis is a serious disease caused by a fungal infection of the central nervous system (CNS) mostly in individuals with immune system deficiencies. Fungal meningitis is often fatal without proper treatment, and the mortality rate remains unacceptably high even with antifungal drug interventions. Currently, cryptococcal meningitis is the most common fungal meningitis in HIV-1/AIDS, and its disease mechanism has been extensively studied. The key steps for fungi to infect brain and cause meningitis after establishment of local infection are the dissemination of fungal cells to the bloodstream and invasion through the blood brain barrier to reach the CNS. In this review, we use cryptococcal CNS infection as an example to describe the current molecular understanding of fungal meningitis, including the establishment of the infection, dissemination, and brain invasion. Host and microbial factors that contribute to these infection steps are also discussed.

A dynamic finite element analysis model for cylindrical roller bearing is developed, and the complex stress distribution and dynamic contacting nature of the bearing are investigated carefully based on ANSYS/LS-DYNA. Numerical simulation results show that the stress would be bigger when the element contacting with the inner or outer ring than at other times, and the biggest stress would appear near the area that roller contacting with the inner ring. Phenomenon of stress concentration on the roller is found to be very obvious during the operating process of the bearing system. The stress distributions of different elements are uneven on the same side surface of roller in its axis direction. Numerical simulation results can give useful references for the design and analysis of rolling bearing.

AbstractThe ubiquitin-proteasome system is one of the major protein turnover mechanisms that plays important roles in the regulation of a variety of cellular functions. It is composed of E1 (ubiquitin-activating enzyme), E2 (ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme), and E3 ubiquitin ligases that transfer ubiquitin to the substrates that are subjected to degradation in the 26S proteasome. The Skp1, Cullin, F-box protein (SCF) E3 ligases are the largest E3 gene family, in which the F-box protein is the key component to determine substrate specificity. Although the SCF E3 ligase and its F-box proteins have been extensively studied in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, only limited studies have been reported on the role of F-box proteins in other fungi. Recently, a number of studies revealed that F-box proteins are required for fungal pathogenicity. In this communication, we review the current understanding of F-box proteins in pathogenic fungi.

Casein kinases regulate a wide range of cellular functions in eukaryotes, including phosphorylation of proteins that are substrates for degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). Our previous study demonstrated that Fbp1, a component of the SCFFBP1E3 ligase complex, was essential for Cryptococcus virulence. Because the Saccharomyces cerevisiae homolog of Fbp1, Grr1, requires casein kinase I (Yck1 and Yck2) to phosphorylate its substrates, we investigated the function of casein kinase I in Cryptococcus neoformans. In this report, we identified a C. neoformans casein kinase I protein homolog, Cck1. Similar to Fbp1, the expression of Cck1 is negatively regulated by glucose and during mating. cck1 null mutants showed significant virulence attenuation in a murine systemic infection model, but Cck1 was dispensable for the development of classical virulence factors (capsule, melanin, and growth at 37°C). cck1 mutants were hypersensitive to SDS treatment, indicating that Cck1 is required for cell integrity. The functional overlap between Cck1 and Fbp1 suggests that Cck1 may be required for the phosphorylation of Fbp1 substrates. Interestingly, the cck1 mutant also showed increased sensitivity to osmotic stress and oxidative stress, suggesting that Cck1 regulates both cell integrity and the cellular stress response. Our results show that Cck1 regulates the phosphorylation of both Mpk1 and Hog1 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), demonstrating that Cck1 regulates cell integrity via the Mpk1 pathway and regulates cell adaptation to stresses via the Hog1 pathway. Overall, our study revealed that Cck1 plays important roles in regulating multiple signaling pathways and is required for fungal pathogenicity.

ABSTRACTCasein kinases regulate a wide range of cellular functions in eukaryotes, including phosphorylation of proteins that are substrates for degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). Our previous study demonstrated that Fbp1, a component of the SCFFBP1E3 ligase complex, was essential for Cryptococcusvirulence. Because the Saccharomyces cerevisiaehomolog of Fbp1, Grr1, requires casein kinase I (Yck1 and Yck2) to phosphorylate its substrates, we investigated the function of casein kinase I in Cryptococcus neoformans. In this report, we identified a C. neoformanscasein kinase I protein homolog, Cck1. Similar to Fbp1, the expression of Cck1 is negatively regulated by glucose and during mating. cck1null mutants showed significant virulence attenuation in a murine systemic infection model, but Cck1 was dispensable for the development of classical virulence factors (capsule, melanin, and growth at 37°C). cck1mutants were hypersensitive to SDS treatment, indicating that Cck1 is required for cell integrity. The functional overlap between Cck1 and Fbp1 suggests that Cck1 may be required for the phosphorylation of Fbp1 substrates. Interestingly, the cck1mutant also showed increased sensitivity to osmotic stress and oxidative stress, suggesting that Cck1 regulates both cell integrity and the cellular stress response. Our results show that Cck1 regulates the phosphorylation of both Mpk1 and Hog1 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), demonstrating that Cck1 regulates cell integrity via the Mpk1 pathway and regulates cell adaptation to stresses via the Hog1 pathway. Overall, our study revealed that Cck1 plays important roles in regulating multiple signaling pathways and is required for fungal pathogenicity.

Oil delivery pefromance of oil pump in engines are investigated by a new prediction method based on computational fluid dynamic (CFD) and artificial neural network (ANN). CFD analysis was done by using Fluent commercial code and distribution of velocity of pump’s internal flow field was achieved by the solving of pump’s CFD model. Infromation data about oil pump’s rotate speed, supplying pressure, oil temperature and oil flow rate were obtained by CFD simulation analyzing. ANN model that used to describe the delivery performance of oil pump was employed, and the model was trained by learning samples from those CFD simulation results. Predicting for the delivery performance of oil pump under various operating conditions were carried out by this model. Experimental results were also used to validate the obtained simulation results. The studies show that the ANN(trained by CFD learning samples) predictions are in very close agreement with the oil flow obtained experimentally or predicted by CFD. The method introduced here can give useful supports for optimization designing of oil pump’s dimension.

Cryptococcus neoformans is the leading cause of fungal meningitis in immunocomprised populations. Although extensive studies have been conducted on signal transduction pathways important for fungal sexual reproduction and virulence, how fungal virulence is regulated during infection is still not understood. In this study, we identified the F-box protein Fbp1, which contains a putative F-box domain and 12 leucine-rich repeats (LRR). Although fbp1 mutants showed normal growth and produced normal major virulence factors, such as melanin and capsule, Fbp1 was found to be essential for fungal virulence, as fbp1 mutants were avirulent in a murine systemic-infection model. Fbp1 is also important for fungal sexual reproduction. Basidiospore production was blocked in bilateral mating between fbp1 mutants, even though normal dikaryotic hyphae were observed during mating. In vitro assays of stress responses revealed that fbp1 mutants are hypersensitive to SDS, but not calcofluor white (CFW) or Congo red, indicating that Fbp1 may regulate cell membrane integrity. Fbp1 physically interacts with Skp1 homologues in both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and C. neoformans via its F-box domain, suggesting it may function as part of an SCF (Skp1, Cullins, F-box proteins) E3 ligase. Overall, our study revealed that the F-box protein Fbp1 is essential for fungal sporulation and virulence in C. neoformans, which likely represents a conserved novel virulence control mechanism that involves the SCF E3 ubiquitin ligase-mediated proteolysis pathway.

Simulation of two-dimensional (2D) transverse laser cooling of Cs atomic beam from pyramidal magneto-optical trap atom funnel (PMOTAF) conceived for atom lithography is presented. The results show that both the minimum full width at half maximum (FWHM) and the maximum peak value of the spatial profile of the atomic beam occur at the frequency detuning of optical molasses equals to -0.5 Г. Moreover, for each frequency detuning, an increase in the intensity of the optical molasses leads to smaller FWHM and higher peak value. The not negligible role of gravity on the atomic beam of sub-thermal longitudinal velocity along the horizontal direction is that every atomic trajectory possesses a parabolic motion either before or after laser cooling which leads to a noticeable displacement of the peak value at the observation plane with respect to the starting point.

ABSTRACTCryptococcus neoformansis an AIDS-associated human fungal pathogen and the most common cause of fungal meningitis, with a mortality rate over 40% in AIDS patients. Significant advances have been achieved in understanding its disease mechanisms. Yet the underlying mechanism of a high frequency of cryptococcal meningitis remains unclear. The existence of high inositol concentrations in brain and our earlier discovery of a large inositol transporter (ITR) gene family in C. neoformansled us to investigate the potential role of inositol in Cryptococcus-host interactions. In this study, we focus on functional analyses of two major ITRgenes to understand their role in virulence of C. neoformans. Our results show that ITR1Aand ITR3Care the only two ITRgenes among 10 candidates that can complement the growth defect of a Saccharomyces cerevisiaestrain lacking inositol transporters. Both S. cerevisiaestrains heterologously expressing ITR1Aor ITR3Cshowed high inositol uptake activity, an indication that they are major inositol transporters. Significantly, itr1a itr3cdouble mutants showed significant virulence attenuation in murine infection models. Mutating both ITR1Aand ITR3Cin an ino1mutant background activates the expression of several remaining ITRcandidates and does not show more severe virulence attenuation, suggesting that both inositol uptake and biosynthetic pathways are important for inositol acquisition. Overall, our study provides evidence that host inositol and fungal inositol transporters are important for Cryptococcuspathogenicity.

Cryptococcus neoformans is an AIDS-associated human fungal pathogen and the most common cause of fungal meningitis, with a mortality rate over 40% in AIDS patients. Significant advances have been achieved in understanding its disease mechanisms. Yet the underlying mechanism of a high frequency of cryptococcal meningitis remains unclear. The existence of high inositol concentrations in brain and our earlier discovery of a large inositol transporter (ITR) gene family in C. neoformans led us to investigate the potential role of inositol in Cryptococcus-host interactions. In this study, we focus on functional analyses of two major ITR genes to understand their role in virulence of C. neoformans. Our results show that ITR1A and ITR3C are the only two ITR genes among 10 candidates that can complement the growth defect of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain lacking inositol transporters. Both S. cerevisiae strains heterologously expressing ITR1A or ITR3C showed high inositol uptake activity, an indication that they are major inositol transporters. Significantly, itr1a itr3c double mutants showed significant virulence attenuation in murine infection models. Mutating both ITR1A and ITR3C in an ino1 mutant background activates the expression of several remaining ITR candidates and does not show more severe virulence attenuation, suggesting that both inositol uptake and biosynthetic pathways are important for inositol acquisition. Overall, our study provides evidence that host inositol and fungal inositol transporters are important for Cryptococcus pathogenicity.

Atg4 is a unique cysteine protease responsible for the cleavage of the carboxyl terminus of Atg8 during the formation of autophagosomes in yeast. Here we report that MoAtg4, an Atg4 homologue in Magnaporthe oryzae, controls cell differentiation and pathogenicity by interacting with MoAtg8, an autophagic protein essential for autophagic cell death and pathogenicty. Yeast complementation assay revealed that MoATG4can fuctionally complemented the defects of the yeastATG4deletion mutant. The direct interaction between MoAtg4 and MoAtg8 was detected in both yeast two hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays. We also specify a cysteine residue, Cys206, as the active residue within MoAtg4 for the cleavage of MoAtg8 in vitro. Expression pattern analysis revealed that MoATG4 gene is expressed throughout growth and development by M. oryzaeand can be induced by starvation and MoAtg4 protein localized in the cytoplasm of M. oryzae. Deletion of MoATG4 in M. oryzaecaused significant reduction of aerial hyphae, conidiation, perithecia formation, and delay of conidial germination and appressorium formation. Furthermore, as a result of lower turgor pressure of the appressorium, the ∆Moatg4 mutant lost its ability to penetrate rice and barley. The developmental and pathogenic phenotypes were recovered by re-introduction of an intact copy ofMoATG4into the mutant, suggesting thatMoATG4is indispensable in the development ofM. oryzaeand essential to pathogenicity of this fungus.

A mature appressorium cDNA library of rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe griseawas constructed in a λ TriplEx2 vector by SMART™cDNA library containing 2.37×106independent clones about 100% of which harbor foreign cDNA inserts with average size of 660 bp. Of 9 randomly selected clones, 2 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) sequences did not have homologous EST sequences of M. griseain GenBank. The appressorium cDNA library is suitable for gene expression analysis and function analysis of the late stages of appressorium formation and the early stages of penetration of M. grisea.

The silverleaf whitefly (SLW), Bemisia argentifolii(Bellows and Perring), has been a severe pest of numerous field and vegetable crops for many years. Nevertheless, little has been reported on the complex interactions between SLW and its host plants. This study was aimed at investigating the effects of SLW on cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) photosynthesis and productivity under various irrigation and N fertilization regimes. Cotton plants (cv. Siv'on) were examined during an entire growing season in two factorial‐designed screenhouse experiments consisting of two irrigation regimes (I) × two N application rates × two SLW levels (noninfested vs. infested). Buildup of the SLW population was markedly higher on N‐fertilized plants than on N‐deficient plants. Seed cotton yield was reduced by SLW in festation under all combinations of I × N treatments by about 40%. Yield reduction (noninfested minus infested) was significantly correlated with the number of SLW adults on the maximally infested leaf at peak flowering (r2= 0.94, P< 0.05 in 1995; r2= 0.91, P< 0.05 in 1996). Photosynthetic rate decreased 50% at about 60 d after SLW introduction. The relative photosynthetic rate (infested/noninfested) was significantly correlated with SLW adult density on the maximally infested leaf (r2= 0.72, P< 0.001 in 1995; r2= 0.53, P< 0.01 in 1996). The reduced photosynthetic rate was associated with reductions in chlorophyll variable fluorescence (Fv/Fm) and fluorescence yield. No substantial changes were found in stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2concentration, and leaf chlorophyll content. These findings indicate that SLW infestation impairs, either directly or indirectly, the photochemical reaction of the photosynthetic system in cotton plants.

The procedure and the results of realizing a low-level photometric scale down to 1 × 10^−6 lx with standardized detectors are described. The detectors are two photomultipliers (one of them operated in the photon counting mode) and two operational amplifier/photodiode combinations. The relative spectral sensitivity of these detectors was modified to closely approximate the V(λ) curve, and the absolute monochromatic irradiance sensitivity at 633 nm was determined using self-calibrated Si photodiodes. The estimated uncertainty of the measurement of illuminance using these standardized detectors is about ±1%. A low-level photometric source that can provide illuminance of 1.5 × 10^−1 lx−5 × 10^−7 lx or luminance of 3 × 10^2 cd/m^2−2 × 10^−3 cd/m^2 has been developed. The repeatability of calibrations of the low-level photometers was ±0.3%.

ABSTRACTCryptococcus neoformansis the main etiologic agent of cryptococcal meningitis and causes a significant number of deadly infections per year. Although it is well appreciated that host immune responses are crucial for defense against cryptococcosis, our understanding of factors that control the development of effective immunity to this fungus remains incomplete. In previous studies, we identified the F-box protein Fbp1 as a novel determinant of C. neoformansvirulence. In this study, we found that the hypovirulence of the fbp1Δ mutant is linked to the development of a robust host immune response. Infection with the fbp1Δ mutant induces a rapid influx of CCR2+monocytes and their differentiation into monocyte-derived dendritic cells (mo-DCs). Depletion of CCR2+monocytes and their derivative mo-DCs resulted in impaired activation of a protective inflammatory response and the rapid death of mice infected with the fbp1Δ mutant. Mice lacking B and T cells also developed fungal meningitis and succumbed to infection with the fbp1Δ mutant, demonstrating that adaptive immune responses to the fbp1Δ mutant help to maintain the long-term survival of the host. Adaptive immune responses to the fbp1Δ mutant were characterized by enhanced differentiation of Th1 and Th17 CD4+T cells together with diminished Th2 responses compared to the H99 parental strain. Importantly, we found that the enhanced immunogenicity of fbp1Δ mutant yeast cells can be harnessed to confer protection against a subsequent infection with the virulent H99 parental strain. Altogether, our findings suggest that Fbp1 functions as a novel virulence factor that shapes the immunogenicity of C. neoformans.IMPORTANCECryptococcus neoformansis the most common cause of deadly fungal meningitis, with over 270,000 infections per year. Immune responses are critically required for the prevention of cryptococcosis, and patients with impaired immunity and low CD4+T cell numbers are at high risk of developing these deadly infections. Although it is well appreciated that the development of protective immunity is shaped by the interactions of the host immune system with fungal cells, our understanding of fungal products that influence this process remains poor. In this study, we found that the activity of F-box protein 1 (Fbp1) in highly virulent C. neoformansclinical strain H99 shapes its immunogenicity and thus affects the development of protective immune responses in the host. The identification of this new mechanism of virulence may facilitate the future development of therapeutic interventions aimed at boosting antifungal host immunity.

A quantum mechanical Monte Carlo simulation is carried out for one-dimensional laser cooling of Chromium atoms. Chromium atom beam collimation via transverse laser cooling is essential for the fabrication of periodic nanometer scale structures by laser-focused atomic deposition. Such structures can be used as precision pitch standards for nanometer scale measurement and engineering. We explore the roles played by several factors, such as laser intensity and detuning, in the cooling process. Calculation results show different dependencies for cooling rate and ultimate temperature to be reached with given sets of parameters. Also, for atoms with different initial velocities in the transverse direction, the conditions under which optimal collimation effect is achieved can differ. Consequently, the current experimental setup, which utilizes LIF spots from marginal beams to monitor the laser collimation, can produce cooling effects which are not optimal for the end product.

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's reflections on how the Chinese government has changed since the Tiananmen Square Incident in China on June 4, 1989, and his experience of being imprisoned from May 28, 1989 through 1996 at Qincheng Prison in China as a member of the Communist Party.

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's reflections on how the Chinese government has changed since the Tiananmen Square Incident in China on June 4, 1989, and his experience of being imprisoned from May 28, 1989 through 1996 at Qincheng Prison in China as a member of the Communist Party.

Reflects on the author's experience in China during its Communist era. Arrest and time spent in Quincheng Prison; Reflections of the political and economic downfalls of the system under the Communist Party; How economic liberalization in the 1990s will continue to clash with political controls; Complaints about the Tiananmen Square incident.