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key to satisfy people’s demand for consumption of livestock and poultry products. This study focused on the strategic requirements of ensuring food security and achieving sustainable protein supply, and analyzed the utilization status of protein feed resources and summarized the major problems in protein feed supply. Based on the protein feed resources in China and the potential of protein supply in the international market, this article analyzed the potential for substituting soybean meal in our country. It is expected that by 2035 the soybean imports will have reduced 58.8 million tons compared with 2020 by expanding the planting, increasing the income of oil crops, developing new feed resources, utilizing conventional protein feed resources, efficiently, optimizing the planting structure of forage crops, as well as improving the efficiency of livestock and poultry protein conversion. It is suggested that future efforts should be focused on tapping potentials and expanding resources, strengthening scientific and technological support, also carrying out appropriate import by imptementing major projects such as increasing crop and forage production, improving quality and efficiency of unconventional protein feed resources, and developing new protein feed resources. In addition, financial support should be increased and the international market effectively exploited, in order to promote soybean meal substitution and ensure national food security.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and management strategies for multiple endocrine neoplasia 1 （MEN1） during pregnancy. Methods The gender, age, detailed medical history, clinical symptoms and signs, laboratory, imaging and pathological examination data of a MEN1 proband were collected. And the demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics and auxiliary examination of 20 members from the MEN1 family were also collected. MEN1 cases during pregancy were searched from PubMed and Wanfang Data using the keywords of “Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1“and“Pregnant” in both English and Chinese. Results The main clinical manifestations of the MEN1 proband were pituitary microadenoma （galactorrhea, elevated prolactin）, pancreatic endocrine tumor （hypoglycemia） and parathyroid adenoma （asymptomatic, elevated parathyroid hormone and blood calcium）. Gene analysis confirmed that exon 9 of MEN1 gene （CGA > TGA, Arg415Term） was the pathogenic mutated gene. The father and daughter of the proband carried this pathogenic mutation and had hyperparathyroidism. After drug treatment for pituitary microadenoma and surgical treatment for pancreatic endocrine tumor and parathyroid adenoma, the proband was pregnant and delivered a female infant successfully. During this period, there was no recurrence of galactorrhea and hypoglycemia, the levels of parathyroid hormone and blood calcium were stable, and fetal growth and development were normal. A total of seven pregnant cases of MEN1 in English literature and one in Chinese literature were retrieved. It was found that all MEN1 patients developed onset of diseases at childbearing age. As for clinical symptoms, parathyroid, pancreas and pituitary were the most involved. Most patients had family history and MEN1 gene mutation. In terms of pregnancy outcome, seven patients delivered successfully under strict condition monitoring and treatment. Conclusion Clinicians’ active detection, diagnosis and treatment will help to improve the prognosis of MEN1 patients and their offspring.

Cotton is a relatively salt-tolerant crop, but high salt stress leads to a significant decline in cotton yield and fiber quality. Mining the genes involved in salt-tolerance and illuminating the molecular mechanisms that underlie this resistance is of great importance in cotton breeding programs. Here, we identified an AP2/ERF transcription factor GhTINY2 in the transcriptome database from cotton treated with salt, and the relative expression level of GhTINY2 was reduced by salt. Subsequently, the salt-resistant phenotype and physiological indicators of the GhTINY2-overexpression Arabidopsis were analyzed. The results revealed that the GhTINY2-overexpression Arabidopsis had a significant decrease in seed germination rate, the content of proline, soluble sugar, and chlorophyll under salt stress, leading to more severe leaf wilting compared with WT. RNA-seq data from GhTINY2-transgenic Arabidopsis revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were enriched in a series of biological processes, including chlorophyll metabolism and response to stimulus, and the relative expression level of these DEGs significantly was down-regulated. Moreover, the silence of GhTINY2 in cotton through Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) assay showed that TRV:GhTINY2 had a significant increase in chlorophyll and proline content, leading to improved salt tolerance compare with TRV:00. In conclusion, these findings suggest that GhTINY2 was an important gene in cotton that negatively regulated salt stress resistance, and it was expected to create salt-tolerant cotton materials using GhTINY2 gene by modern genetic engineering technology in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel chloride (NiCi2), as a cathode material of high potential thermal battery, its poor conductivity limits Is application in thermal battery. In this study, cuprous ion doped nickel chloride (NiCl2-Cu.r) was prepared vasa liquid-phase mixing and low temperature calcination process. NiCl2-Cu5 possesses the best electro- chemical performance. Compared wk. NiCl2, NiCl2-Cu5 exhibits the advantages of high voltage and high specie- c energy. Especially at the current dimity of 500 cm2, NiCl2-Cu5 shows a high specific energy of 724 kg, which Ls about 82% higher than that of NiCl2. Pulse test shows that NiCl2-Cu5 cathode material has lower internal resistance and can aureate ohm polarization doing discharge, thus realizing high specific energy output. This work provides a new approach for the development of high-performance cathode materials for thermal battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In allusion to problems that current protection device of belt conveyor in coal preparation plant is lack of dynamic anti-assault monitoring function and rotating parts of conveyor easily lead to injury accident and other issues, the paper proposed a design scheme of anti-assault safety protection system of belt conveyor in coal preparation plant，and introduced overall design, equipment selection and detector layout of the system. The system uses pyroelectric infrared detector, active infrared intrusion detector and infrared electronic network to detect human body near rotating parts of conveyor, and gives tips, alarm or shutdown for protection. Field industrial test results showed that the system can effectively prevent injury accident caused by rotating parts of conveyor.

A novel anti-aging silane coupling agent (Si-GD) was synthesized by the ring-opening reaction of p-phenylenediamine and 3-glycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane based on the mechanism of aging protection and coupling agent modification on silica. Natural rubber/silica composites were modified by Si-GD. The effects of different amounts of Si-GD on crosslinking density, micro-morphology, mechanical properties, aging resistance and wear resistance on natural rubber/composites were studied. The results show that the tear strength, tensile strength, modulus, resilience, Shore A hardness and hot air aging resistance of Si-GD modified composites are significantly increased. The natural rubber/silica composites modified with 4 phr of Si-GD has better wear resistance than that modified with 4 phr of Si-69. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To explore the correlation between the different glycemic variability (GV) indices calculated by self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) and mean amplitude of glycemic excursion (MAGE) obtained from the continuous glucose monitor (CGM) system in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods This was a retrospective study. We analyzed the data of T2DM patients who received 48-72 h CGM and 7-point SMBG (pre and post-breakfast, lunch, dinner and prior to bedtime) simultaneously in Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Disease, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun-Yat-sen University from January 2018 to October 2019. The GV indices calculated from the 7-point SMBG data included the standard deviation (SDBG) of the 7-point glucose profiles, the largest amplitude of glycemic excursions (LAGE) and the postprandial glucose excursion (PPGE), coefficient of variation of blood glucose (CV) and mean amplitude of glucose excursion (MAGE', calculated by SMBG profile). Spearman's correlation analysis, simple linear regression and multiple stepwise regression analysis were used to analyze the relationship between the different GV indices calculated from 7-point SMBG and MAGE obtained by CGM, and the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to evaluate the ability of the former to predict the latter. Results Among 105 patients with T2DM, the SDBG, PPGE, LAGE and CV calculated by 7-point glucose profiles of SMBG were (2.02±0.77) mmol/L, (2.75±1.13) mmol/L, (5.62±2.13) mmol/L and (25.92±0.77)%, respectively, while the level of MAGE' and median MAGE were 4.11 (2.84, 5.92) mmol/L and 4.00 (2.65, 5.00) mmol/L, respectively. SDBG, PPGE, LAGE, CV and MAGE' were significantly correlative with MAGE (r=0.614, 0.499, 0.588, 0.533 and 0.473, respectively, all P<0.01). Multiple stepwise regression analysis was performed with MAGE as dependent variable and SDBG, PPGE, LAGE, CV and MAGE' as independent variables, and only SDBG entered the equation (P<0.01). The areas under ROC curve for SDBG [0.795, 95% confidence interval (CI) was 0.708-0.882], LAGE (0.782, 95%CI was 0.692-0.872) and CV (0.769, 95%CI was 0.677-0.846) were larger than those for PPGE (0.718, 95%CI was 0.620-0.816) and MAGE' (0.704, 95%CI was 0.607-0.789, all P<0.01) in reflecting the unqualified MAGE. Conclusions GV indices calculated from 7-point SMBG data including SDBG, LAGE, PPGE, CV and MAGE' are positively correlated with MAGE obtained from CGM. And SDBG has higher accuracy than the other four parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the relationship between self-management and dietary pattern among adults patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) by a Chinese version of the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities Measure scale (C-SDSCA) and a short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Methods C-SDSCA scale and FFQ were performed on 100 adult T1DM patients recruited from Guangdong T1DM Translational Medicine Study from April to October in 2018. According to the score of C-SDSCA scale, patients were divided into three groups by self-management: excellent, moderate and poor behaviors. Dietary pattern of the participants was classified as appropriate/inappropriate based on the results of FFQ. Differences between groups were compared using t-test, ANOVA test or chi-square test, when applicable. The effect of self-management behavior on dietary pattern was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression model. Results In total, 100 patients responded and 93 provided eligible responses. The average score of C-SDSCA scale was 59%, while only 25.8% (24/93) of the subjects had appropriate dietary patterns. Compared with patients with appropriate dietary patterns, those with in appropriate ones had significantly elevated level of HbA1c [(7.4±1.1)% vs (6.9±1.0)%, t=-2.08, P=0.04]. The scores of C-SDSCA were higher in the group of patients with appropriate diet patterns comparing to those with inappropriate ones (45.63±11.71 vs 35.03±11.73, t=3.81, P<0.01). In the group of excellent self-management behaviors, 55.6% (10/18) patients had appropriate dietary patterns, but the ratio were only 22.0% (13/59) and 6.2% (1/16) in the groups with moderate and poor self-management behaviors, respectively. Results from logistic regression shows that deterioration in self-management level by one category was associated with a 4.78-fold increase in the risk of inappropriate dietary pattern (OR=4.78, 95%CI 1.71-13.34, P<0.01). Conclusions Current situation of self-managing behaviors and dietary patterns of adult patients with T1DM were not ideal. It was found that appropriate dietary pattern was associated with better glycemic control and better self-managing behaviors, indicating that more attention should be paid to diet education in patients who have poorer self-management behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants has been continuously increasing in China. One way to manage sewage sludge is drying, which yields a solid with low humidity. This solid can be easily stored, recycled and transported to other facilities. The drying of sewage sludge has been proved to considerably reduce solid volumes. Using superheated steam in the drying process can lead to substantial energy, if the vapour evaporating from the materials is used elsewhere in overall process. Therefore, superheated steam drying is an attractive drying process for industrial use especially if the cost energy for the drying is a major part of the cost of manufacture such as sewage sludge drying process. In order to further study the moisture diffusion mechanism and effective diffusivity of thin layer of sludge in superheated steam drying, this paper ignoring the influence of sample's moisture content change on effective diffusivity when determining the effective diffusivity through drying method, and adopts Fourier number method and optimization method respectively to calculate the effective diffusivity of sludge thin layers with the thickness of 2, 4, 6 and 10 mm at superheated steam temperature from 120° to 280°, respectively. Relations of the effective diffusivity with superheated steam temperature and the thickness of thin layer were analyzed. The results showed that the effective diffusivity values derived from Fourier number method and optimization method were basically identical, and the effective diffusivity values and change characteristics of thin layer sludge in superheated steam drying were more accurately reflected based on these two methods. Calculation results derived from the Fourier number method and optimization method showed that the effective diffusivity of sludge with the thickness at 4 mm were 2.52×10-10-2.93×10-9m2/s and 2.75×10-10-3.32×10-9 m2/s respectively at the temperature 120-280°,and the effective diffusivity of sludge with thicknesses of 2, 4, 6 and 8 mm were 3.85×10-10-2.28×10-9 m2/s and 4.40×10-10-2.72×10-9 m2/s respectively at the temperature of 160°. The effective diffusivity increased gradually with the increase of superheated steam temperature and the thickness of thin layer, and had a linear relationship with the two parameters. By using the multiple linear regression method, simplified expressions that reflect the relationship between effective diffusivity and drying temperature and thickness of layer were established respectively according to Fourier number method and optimization method, with the corresponding determination coefficient of 0.9982 and 0.9956. The calculation results can provide a valuable reference for the analysis of moisture diffusion process and effective diffusion coefficient of thin sludge layer in superheated steam drying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the effects of host stage on the fitness of the offspring Aenasius bambawalei Hayat, the sex ratio and body size of their offsprings parasitizing Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley of different stages (3rd instar nymph and adult) were determined under the laboratory conditions of (27±1) °C, RH (70±5)% and 14L :10D. Sex ratio, body length and hind tibia length of the off- springs of A. bambawalei parasitizing the P. solenopsis adult females were significantly higher compared to those parasitizing the 3rd instar mealybugs. The hind tibia length of the offspring wasp was closely related to the body length. The body size of the parasitised 3rd instar mealybugs affected the size of the offspring wasp of A. bambawalei significantly, while such relationship was not found between the adult female of mealybugs and the offspring wasp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li Nianci was a poet in the region of Guanzhong in the early Qing Dynasty. His poetic thoughts did not only follow the traditional Chinese theory of poetry, especially the notions concerning poetic creation (e. g., embodiment of emotions and wishes; promotion of lofty ideas and principles; nurture and inspiration from nature; greatness as a consequence of personal sufferings), but added new contents to these traditional notions through connecting them with the literary practice in the early Qing Dynasty, thus showing a distinct spirit of the time. He emphasized both the personal quality of the poets as well as the social function and cognitive value of literature, which speaks of his positive view on life. Characterized by its inclusiveness and systematicness, Li's poetic theory occupies a u-nique and significant place in Chinese literary history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studied the threshold value of the water use of Nitraria tanturorum shrubs at the southeast edge of Baddain Jiran Desert. From the early May to late September in 2009, an irrigation simulating increased precipitation was conducted once every month. Three ratios of increased precipitation (0, 50% and 100%) were designed, based on the local mean annual precipitation (115 mm). On the 1 day before irrigation and the 1, 3 and 7 days after irrigation in May, July and September, the δD in the xylem water of N. tangutorum, the soil water at the depths 10 and 30 cm, and the well water and natural rainfall, and the variations of the soil water content were measured. Under natural condition, the N. tangutorum mainly utilize ground water in May and September, and utilize the soil water at the depths 10 and 30 cm in July. After irrigation, the ground water use rate of the N. tangutorum decreased, while the soil water use rate increased. In the treatment of 100% increased precipitation, the ?D ratio of the water in N. tangutorum xylem was affected significantly, and the water use of the N. tangutorum in May, July and September increased. In the treatment of 50% increased precipitation, the soil water condition in May and July was improved, but the water use rate had little improvement. Only when the increased precipitation reached 100% of the local mean annual precipitation, could the water use rate of the N. tangutorum have an obvious increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of different feed COD concentrations on the removal of phosphorus and nitrogen in a sequencing batch moving bed biofilm reactor (SBMBBR) was studied. The experiments were performed in the concentration of COD varying from 200 to 800 mg/L and the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus fixing at 40 mg/L and 10 mg/L respectively. The results show that maximal anaerobic phosphorus release of 61. 2 mg/L is obtained in the condition of initial COD concentration of 450 mg/L. Increasing COD concentration is harmful to phosphorus release when COD concentration is higher than 450 mg/L. More than 30% of TN loss is observed in the initial stage of anaerobic due to biological adsorption. High TN and phosphorus removal in the aerobic indicates that simultaneous nitrification and dinitrification (SND) and dinitrification phosphorous accumulation might occur inside biofilm. A proper extent of COD promotes TN removal. Maximal removal of 87.8% of TN can be achieved at 450 mg/L of initial COD concentration. The removal of nitrogen and phosphorus is closely related to biological amount and thickness of biofilm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to exploit magnetic material with new structure, Fe-N amorphous alloy and nano-crystal alloy were prepar by the mechanical ball milling of mixed powder of Fe and hexagonal BN(h-BN). The influenced of milling parameters on the mechanism and structure of alloy was discussed by Mossbauer patterns, XRD and vibration sample magnetometer. Results indicate that amorphous Fe-N alloy is formed firstly with the increase of ball milling time. Then amorphous Fe-N alloy is crystallized to ε-FexN alloy with hexagonal structure, and electron phase transformation occurs at the samtime. Magnetic properties of amorphous Fe-N alloy and ε-FexN alloy were characterized. It is indicated that the magnetic property of ε-FexN alloy changes from ferromagnetisium to paramagnetisium with the increasing N content, which illustrates the law and mechanisms that saturation magnetization of the samples changes with ball milling time. Thus the proposed method is is effective to prepare alloy containing Fe atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characteristic information is hidden in the received signal of active torpedo electromagnetic fuse. The conventional burst controlling strategies based on energy-comparison are affected by ambient and electromechanical noises. The improved algorithms based on digital signal processing techniques are proposed. The received signals are first processed by all-phase compensation method to eliminate the direct coupling component, and then the residual signal is demodulated using STFT. An improved polynomial least mean square approximation method, which reduces the computation time, is presented for eliminating the side-effects brought by noise. A parametric estimation model base on bell-shape impulse is used to estimate the maximum of echo envelope. Simulation and trial data show that the proposed algorithm is effective and practical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharmaceutically active compounds(PhACs) have become a class of new pollutants in the environment after extensive production and use of PhACs in China. To investigate the pollution characteristics of PhACs in Guangdong Province, raw sewage was collected from 186 sewage treatment plants in 21 cities, including 178 townships and administrative districts in Guangdong Province. The pollution levels of ten typical PhACs in influent water of sewage treatment plants were analyzed using automatic solid phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. The spatial distribution characteristics of PhACs in Guangdong Province were fully revealed, and the potential ecological risks of PhACs were evaluated. The results showed that PhACs were detected in all wastewater plants, and the mass concentration of PhACs ranged from 21.00 to 9558.25 ng·L -1 . Metoprolo, acetaminophen, bezafibrate, and caffeine were the main pollutants. In terms of spatial distribution, the average mass concentration of ΣPhACs in various regions of Guangdong Province was in the following order:Pearl River Delta>North Guangdong>East Guangdong≈West Guangdong. When the mass concentration of ΣPhACs was over 2500 ng·L -1 in the influent water of sewage treatment plants, the concentration of PhACs in effluent was estimated according to the sewage disposal technology. The ecological risk of PhACs was carried out based on the effluent. The results revealed that the ecological risk of PhACs was low in Guangdong Province, and the risk of bezafibrate was moderate in the cities of Shaoguan, Jiangmen, and Shenzhen. The highest ecological risk of ΣPhACs was located in Shaoguan.

Pectin methylesterase (PME) is an important pectinase that hydrolyzes methyl esters in pectin to release methanol and reduce the degree of methylation of pectin. At present, it has broad application prospects in food processing, tea beverage, paper making and other production processes. With the in-depth study of PME, the crystal structures with different sources have been reported. Analysis of these resolved crystal structures reveals that PME belongs to the right-hand parallel β-helix structure, and its catalytic residues are two aspartic acids and a glutamine, which play the role of general acid-base, nucleophile and stable intermediate, in the catalytic process. At the same time, the substrate specificity is analyzed to understand the recognition mechanism of the substrate and active sites. This paper systematically reviews these related aspects.

Microbial electrosynthesis systems (MESs) can convert carbon dioxide into added value compounds using microorganisms as catalyst, which is expected to help achieve conversion of greenhouse gases into resources. However, the synthetic efficiency of MESs is far behind the industry requirements. In this study, carbon cloth surfaces were bonded with carboxyl groups by electrochemical reduction of aryl diazonium salts and then used as a cathode in MESs reactors. The results showed that the hydrophilicity of the carbon cloth surfaces improved after the carboxyl groups were modified. However, weaker current of cyclic voltammetry was obtained in the modified cathode. Significant differences were observed between modified (CA-H, CA-M, CA-L) and non-modified cathode (CK) during the start-up period. After 48h, the hydrogen production rate of CA-H, CA-M, CA-L was 21.45, 28.60, and 22.75 times higher than CK. After 120h, the acetate accumulation concentration of CA-H, CA-M, CA-L was 2.01, 2.43, and 1.44 times higher than CK. After 324h, there was little difference in the electrochemical activity of cathodic biofilm and protein content (about 0.47 mg·cm -2 ) in all groups. The analysis of the community structure of cathodic biofilm showed that, in the genus level, Acetobacterium , Norank&#95;p&#95;Saccharibacteria, and Thioclava were the dominant species, accounting for 59.6% to 82.1%. There was little difference in the relative abundance of Acetobacterium in all groups (31.3% to 40.1%). However, the relative abundance of norank&#95;p&#95;Saccharibacteria in CA-H, CA-M, CA-L, and CK were 16.1%, 24.6%, 31.1%, and 37.5%, respectively. The carboxyl modified cathode had a great influence on the start-up stage of MESs, which could be a new idea for the rapid start-up of MESs.

Glucoamylase is a critical ingredient for saccharification in the starch decomposition, and widely used in food, pharmaceutical and fermentation industries. Glucoamylases are usually thermostable and have peak activities at high temperature, as required for the industrial process of glucose production. In this study, a glucoamylase gene belonging to the glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 15, Tlga15A, was cloned from Talaromyces leycettanus JCM12802, and successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115. Recombinant glucoamylase TlGA showed optimal activities at pH 4.5 and 75 °C. The result of thermostability analysis showed that TlGA retained above 70% activity after incubating for 1 h at 65 °C, and 43% residual activity after 30 min at 70 °C. Moreover, TlGA had high resistance to most metal ions and chemical reagents tested. Various starch substrates could be hydrolyzed by TlGA, including soluble starch (255.6±15.3) U/mg, amylopectin (342.3±24.7) U/mg, glycogen (185.4±12.5) U/mg, dextrin (423.3±29.3) U/mg and pullulan (65.7±8.1) U/mg. The primary, secondary and tertiary structures of glucoamylase were further analyzed. The low ratio of Gly in the primary structure and low exposed nonpolarity solvent accessible surface in the tertiary structure may be the main reasons for TlGA's thermostability. These results show that TlGA is great promising for potential use in the commercial production of glucose syrups. Moreover, this research will provide knowledge and innovating ideas for the improvement of glucoamylase thermostability.

The removal efficiencies of environmental pollutants in a microbial electrolysis system (MES) with a biocathode are highly affected by the externally applied voltage. Although the cathode biofilm plays a key role in the pollution removal, its response to the applied voltage is still unknown. A two-chambered MES with a biocathode was constructed to study the impact of the different applied voltages (0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, and 0.8 V) on the sulfate reduction, extracellular polymer formation, and cathodic bacterial community. The results show that the current output and coulomb and COD removals of the MES are positively correlated with the applied voltage ranging from 0.4 to 0.8 V. The sulfate reduction rate first increases and then decreases with increasing voltage in the MES. The maximum sulfate reductive rate[78.9 g·(m 3 ·d) -1 ] and maximum S 2- production (31.9 mg·L -1 ±2.2 mg·L -1 ) were achieved at 0.7 V. The highest electron recovery efficiencies of the MES are 41.8%; hydrogen production may be a pathway leading to electron loss. The polysaccharide and protein contents of the cathode biofilm increase with increasing voltage. The cathode biomass at 0.8 V is 70% higher than that at 0.4 V. The high throughput sequencing results show that Proteobacteria and Dsulfovibrio are dominant in the cathodic microbial community at the phylum and genus levels, respectively. The relative abundance of Desulfovibrio shows little variation with the increasing voltage, indicating that Desulfovibrio is of advantage for using the cathode as electron donor for the respiratory metabolism. With the increasing voltage, the distribution of Desulfovibrio at species level indicates that the changes of Desulfovibriox magneticus RS-1 and s&#95;unclassified&#95;g&#95; Desulfovibrio are contrary.

Efficient utilization of cellulose and xylan is of importance in the bioethanol industry. In this study, a novel bifunctional xylanase/cellulase gene, Tcxyn10a, was cloned from Thermoascus crustaceus JCM12803, and the gene product was successfully overexpressed in Pichia pastoris GS115. The recombinant protein was then purified and characterized. The pH and temperature optima of TcXyn10A were determined to be 5.0 and 65-70 °C, respectively. The enzyme retained stable under acid to alkaline conditions (pH 3.0-11.0) or after 1-h treatment at 60 °C. The specific activities of TcXyn10A towards beechwood xylan, wheat arabinoxylan, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and lichenan were (1 480±26) U/mg, (2 055±28) U/mg, (7.4±0.2) U/mg and (10.9±0.4) U/mg, respectively. Homologous modeling and molecular docking analyses indicated that the bifunctional TcXyn10A has a single catalytic domain, in which the substrate xylan and cellulose shared the same binding cleft. This study provides a valuable material for the study of structure and function relationship of bifunctional enzymes.

We analyzed spatiotemporal changes in vegetation net primary productivity (NPP) in the Qinling-Daba Mountains based on MOD17A3 data and driving factor data from 2000 to 2015. We used trend analysis, Hurst index, and correlation analysis to examine the effects of climate change, soil type, topographic factors, vegetation type, and human activities on NPP. With respect to spatial variation, NPP was the highest in southwestern area and lowest in the northeast. The temporal trend over the 16-year period showed that NPP was increased in the northwest and decreased in the northeast. The projected trend of NPP was of continuity in northern area and anti-continuity in southern area of the Qinling-Daba Mountains. NPP was positively correlated with precipitation and temperature. NPP in areas with dark-brown earths, yellow earths, purplish soils and paddy soils were significantly higher than those with other soil types. The spatial distribution and trends of NPP differed among vegetation types. High NPP mainly occurred on slopes of 25° to 50° and altitudes of 500 to 1000 m or above 2500 m. Human activities had both positive and suppressive effects on NPP.

Xylanase is a high-profile glycoside hydrolase with applications in brewing, feed, pharmacy and bioenergy industries, but most of xylanases are in active below 30 ℃. In order to obtain low temperature active xylanase, a xylanase gene, XYN11A, was cloned from Penicillium sp. L1 and expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115. After purification and enzyme assay, optimal pH and temperature were determined to be 3.5 to 4.0 and 55 ℃. This enzyme was stable at acid and neutral condition (pH 1.0 to 7.0) or under the treatment of 40 ℃ for 1 hour. This xylanase displayed strong resistance to all tested ions and chemicals. Noteworthily, XYN11A maintained a higher activity of 6 700 U/mg than a lot of GH11 xylanase, and demonstrated higher activity (24% to 58%) at lower temperature from 20 to 40 ℃. After beechwood xylan hydrolysis for 16 h, the hydrolysates consisted mainly of xylobiose, xylotriose and xylotetraose and barely of xylose, thus XYN11A could be used for the production of prebiotic xylooligosaccharide. Possessing the features of acidophilic, highly active at lower temperature and oligosaccharide production, XYN11A demonstrated great potential in food and feed industrials.

Objective: To observe the influence of suspended moxibustion on neutrophilic asthma related signal factors in asthma rats., Methods: Thirty-two SD rats were randomly divided into normal control, model, dexamethasone(DEX) and suspended moxibustion (MOX) groups, with 8 rats in each group. The neutrophil granulocyte asthma model was made by intranasal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin(OVA) and inhalation of OVA, once a day for 14 d. After modeling, rats of the DEX group received intraperitoneal injection of DEX (0.5 mg/kg), once daily for 14 d, and those of the MOX group treated by suspended MOX at "Danzhong" (CV 17), and bilateral "Feishu" (BL 13), "Pishu" (BL 20), and "Shen-shu" (BL 23) for 40 min, once a day, for 14 d. The total number of leukocytes and Wright's stain-displayed differential counts in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were counted, and the content of IL-17 in the BALF was assayed by ELISA. The contents of T-helper 17 (Th 17) cells in the spleen and peripheral blood were detected using flow cytometry, and the expression of retinoic acid-related orphan receptor gamma t (ROR-γt) mRNA and protein in the inferior lobe of the right lung were detected by quantitative real-time PCR, immunohistochemical stain and Western blot, respectively., Results: Compared with the normal control group, the total number of leukocytes, the percentages of neutrophils, eosinophilis and lymphcytes and IL-17 content in the BALF, and Th 17 contents in the peripheral blood and spleen tissue were significantly increased in the model group ( P <0.01). After the treatment, the total numbers of leukocytes, the percentages of neutrophils, eosinophils and lymphocytes and IL-17 contents in the BALF, and Th 17 contents in the peripheral blood and spleen tissues were down-regulated considerably in both the DEX and MOX groups ( P <0.05, P <0.01). Immunohistochemical stain, real-time PCR and Western blot measurements showed that the expression levels of ROR-γt protein and mRNA in the lung tissues were notably higher in the model group than in the normal control group ( P <0.01), and significantly down-regulated in both DEX and MOX groups relevant to the model group ( P <0.05, P <0.01). No significant differences were found between the DEX and MOX groups in all the aforementioned indexes ( P <0.05), except plasma Th 17 ( P <0.05)., Conclusions: Suspended moxibustion, being comparable to DEX treatment, can reduce the inflammatory reactions of neutrophilic asthma rats by down-regulating the expression of ROR -γt in the lung, and lowering IL-17 and neutrophils levels in the airway, and Th 17 in the peripheral blood and spleen.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of different microstructures prepared by three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting on proliferation and viability of the murine epithelial stem cells in vitro., Methods: 3D cell-laden microstructures were constructed using 3 different printing nozzles with diameters of 210, 340, and 420 µm. Fluorescence microscopy and the live/dead assay kit were used to observe the proliferation and viability of the murine epithelial stem cells in the microstructures., Results: All the 3D cell-laden micro-structures were capable of promoting the proliferation of murine epithelial stem cells. In the 3 groups of micro-structures, the cell viability decreased significantly with time until 7 days after printing (P<0.01), but at 14 days after the printing, the cell viability increased significantly as compared with that at 7 days (P<0.01). The viability of the cells was significantly higher in the microstructure printed using a 420 µm nozzle than in the microstructures printed with 210 µm and 340 µm nozzles (P<0.01)., Conclusion: The microstructure printed with a 420 µm nozzle can stably promote the proliferation of murine epithelial stem cells and maintain a high level of cell viability, suggesting the feasibility of constructing tissue-engineered epidermis and full-thickness skin graft using 3D bioprinting technique.

Landsat TM images of Mt. Qinling in 1984, 2000, 2005, and 2014 were used to extract land use and land cover type by a supervised classification method in ERDAS software. Equivalent factor of ecosystem service value per unit area was revised regionally in temporal and spatial dimensions, and then was modified pixel by pixel using the vegetation coverage. Forest ecosystem service values from 1984 to 2014 were calculated with RS and GIS techniques, and the results were tested by the sensitivity index. The results showed that from 1984 to 2014, forest area accounted for 77% of the study area, and the area changes in cultivated land and construction land were the most obvious. The total ecosystem service value of Mt. Qinling increased annually and by a total of 1.68×10 17 yuan during the study period. The forest ecosystem service value (its growth rate was the biggest) contributed 93.8% of the overall ecosystem service value, while water and grass ecosystem service value contributed 1.6% and 1.3%, respectively. The ecosystem service value tended to increase with increasing distance from the study area boundary, which was consistent with the spatial distribution and per-unit ecosystem service value of land use types in Mt. Qinling. The annual rate of change of each ecosystem service value was insignificant. Among the four ecosystem functions, the service value of regulation accounted for 62.7%-65.8% of the total ecosystem service value, and the service value of climate regulation showed the most dramatic increase by 4.91×10 16 yuan over the study period. The sensitivity index was <1, which indicated that the modified service value index was stable and the calculated results were reliable. Overall, the forest ecosystem service value in Mt. Qinling was very large, and strengthening forest protection would be an effective measure for maintaining the stability of the Mt. Qinling ecosystem.

Objective: To evaluate the mid-term clinical outcome of endoscopic greater saphenous vein harvesting (EVH) in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Method A total of 205 patients receiving off-pump CABG between July, 2012 and April, 2013 at our department were enrolled in this study, including 66 patients (35 male and 31 female patients with a mean age of 60.3±7.92 years) undergoing EVH and 139 patients (109 male and 30 female patients with a mean age of 59.20±8.37 years) undergoing open greater saphenous vein harvesting (OVH)., Results: The surgical procedures were completed smoothly in all the cases. The perioperative mortality rates was 3.03% (2/66) in EVH group, as compared with 3.60% (5/139) in OVH group (P=1.00). Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) occurred during the perioperative period in 3 (2.16%) patients in OVH group and in 1 (1.52%) patient in EVH group. Perioperative low cardiac output syndrome was diagnosed in 4 (2.88%) patients in OVH group and in 2 (3.03%) in EVH group (P>0.05). During the follow-up, 8 (8.80%) patients in OVH group and 5 (8.06%) in EVH group had recurrent angina (P=0.93). No patients experienced AMI during the follow-up. The 2-year patency rate of the venous grafts was 83.59% in OVH group and 82.22% in EVH group (P=0.73)., Conclusion: EVH has significant advantage in reducing the complications of the incision in the lower limbs. The mid-term patency rates of venous grafts are similar between OVH and EVH, but the long-term patency rate needs further evaluation.

To express Pleurocidin in Escherichia coli and to enhance the secretory efficiency of the fusion protein, the gene encoding Pleurocidin was ligated with Cherry DNA sequence via blunt-end ligation. Then this fusion gene was cloned into pET22b (+) vector and the recombinant plasmid was transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3). Lactose was used to induce expression of fusion protein. The recombinant plasmid pET22b (+) -CP was successfully constructed and high-level expression of fusion protein was induced with lactose. Statistics showed that addition of glycine after 16 h of induction significantly enhanced the secretory efficiency of the fusion protein. After hydrolysis of the fusion protein by diluted hydrochloric acid and some further purification steps, r-Pleurocidin was obtained with antibacterial activity against E. coli DH5α and Bacillus subtilis BS168. In conclusion, the fusion protein was expressed in E. coli and biologically active r-Pleurocidin was obtained after hydrochloric acid cleavage and purification.

Objective: To investigate the dynamic effects of adjunct peritoneal resuscitation ( APR ) on the early intestinal injury of rats with hemorrhagic shock, and explore its possible mechanisms., Methods: According to random number table, 96 male Wistar rats were assigned randomly into control group, shock group, Ringer solution APR group and dialysate APR group. Each group was further divided into three time points, namely 1, 2, and 6 hours after resuscitation, with 8 rats for each time point. The model of hemorrhagic shock was reproduced. The rats in the shock group received shed blood plus twice amount of normal saline as conventional intravenous resuscitation ( CIR ). Besides CIR, at the beginning of resuscitation, those rats in Ringer solution APR and dialysate APR groups were given 100 mL/kg of Ringer solution or 2.5% glucose-based peritoneal dialysis solution intravenously, respectively. The rats in four groups were sacrificed at 1, 2 and 6 hours after resuscitation, respectively. Plasma activity of diamine oxidase ( DAO ) was detected by ultraviolet spectrophotometry colorimetry. Intestinal pathological changes were observed under light microscope, and the grading of the intestinal mucosal damage ( GIMD ) score was estimated. The expressions of nuclear factor-ΚB ( NF-ΚB ) and heat shock protein 70 ( HSP70 ) mRNA in the intestinal tissue were determined with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction ( RT-PCR ), and the wet/dry weight ratios ( W/D ) of the remaining intestinal tissue were measured., Results: Compared with the control group, plasma activity of DAO, GIMD score, expressions of NF-ΚB and HSP70 mRNA and W/D ratios of intestinal tissue at 1 hour after resuscitation were increased significantly in the shock group. Except the expression of NF-ΚB mRNA reached the peak level at 2 hours after resuscitation, all the other parameters increased with time. Compared with the shock group, plasma activity of DAO ( U/L: 8.78±0.76 vs. 13.30±1.37, 9.67±0.92 vs. 16.56±1.61, 10.53±0.84 vs. 18.31±1.72,all P<0.05 ), GIMD score ( 1.36±0.31 vs. 3.51±0.66, 2.28±0.40 vs. 4.02±0.76, 2.47±0.38 vs. 4.76±0.77, all P<0.05 ), the expressions of NF-ΚB mRNA in the intestine tissue ( gray value: 0.658±0.062 vs. 0.765±0.067, 0.945±0.077 vs. 1.158±0.096, 0.761±0.062 vs. 0.912±0.082, all P<0.05 ), and W/D ratios ( 3.91±0.26 vs. 4.34±0.33, 3.96±0.32 vs. 4.51±0.40, 4.37±0.33 vs. 4.99±0.43, all P<0.05 ) at 1, 2, 6 hours after resuscitation in the dialysate APR group were decreased significantly, but the expressions of HSP70 mRNA were increased significantly ( gray value: 0.717±0.054 vs. 0.635±0.056, 0.853±0.068 vs. 0.745±0.071, 1.258±0.111 vs. 1.108±0.105, all P<0.05 ). The activity of DAO and GMID score at 1 hour after resuscitation in the Ringer solution APR group were decreased significantly compared with the shock group, while the differences of the other parameters between the Ringer solution APR group and shock group showed no statistical significance., Conclusions: APR with 2.5% glucose-based peritoneal dialysis solution can significantly mitigate the early intestinal injury secondary to hemorrhagic shock, and the mechanism may be associated with enhancement of the expressions of HSP70 mRNA and inhibition of the expressions of NF-ΚB mRNA.

Silver bismuth oxide(BSO) was prepared by a simple ion exchange-coprecipitation method with AgNO3 and NaBiO, .2H2O as raw materials, and then used to oxidatively degrade tetrabromobisphenol A(TBBPA). Effects of the molar ratio of Ag/Bi during BSO preparation and the BSO dosage on the degradation of TBBPA were investigated. The results showed that under the optimized conditions (i.e., the Ag/Bi molar ratio of 1:1, BSO dosage of 1 g x L(-1), 40 mg x L(-1) of TBBPA was completely degraded and the removal of total organic carbon achieved more than 80% within 7 min. The degradation intermediates of TBBPA were identified by ion chromatography, gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The degradation pathway of TBBPA included the debromination, the cleavage of tert-butyl group and the open epoxidation of benzene ring. Based on a quenching study of NaN3, singlet oxygen was proved to play a dominant role in the TBBPA degradation.

Objective: To explore the factors associated with glycemic control in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) on an insulin pump., Methods: A total of 108 patients aged over 18 years and on an insulin pump therapy for >6 months were selected from 16 centers of Guangdong Type 1 diabetes Translational Medicine Study. They were classified into two groups according to the (American Diabetes Association) ADA Hemoglobin A1c target (7.0%). Those reaching the target (n = 59) were compared with those failed (n = 49) using ANOVA and Logistic regression., Results: There were 75 females and 33 males with a median age of 32.0 (25.9-40.9) years and a median disease duration of 7.9(4.2-12.3) years. Logistic regression analysis revealed an odds ratio of 4.48(95%CI 1.53-13.15, P = 0.00) for total daily basal insulin dose within 0.2-0.3 units per kilogram, an OR of 1.31 (95%CI 1.05-1.63, P = 0.01) for self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) and an OR of 3.43 (95%CI 1.18-10.01, P = 0.02) for males., Conclusion: Higher frequencies of SMBG and appropriate basal insulin dose are essential for adult patients with T1D on an insulin pump.

Objective: To explore the insulin requirement profiles and analyze the related factors of type 2 diabetics on insulin pump therapy., Methods: A total of 296 patients were admitted to hospital for 1-2 weeks of insulin pump therapy and received a diet of 25-30 kcal/kg ideal body weight per day. Insulin infusion was adjusted to achieve normoglycemia. It was defined as fasting capillary blood glucose of no more than 7.0 mmol/L and capillary blood glucose at 2 hours after each of three meals of no more than 10.0 mmol/L. After goal-reaching for 3 days, the insulin requirement profiles and related factors were analyzed., Results: The average time of achieving normoglycemia was (5.1 ± 2.9) days. The total daily insulin dose per kilogram was (0.80 ± 0.27) U/kg and the ratio of total basal insulin dose to total bolus insulin dose 40%: 60%. Patients with central obesity needed a higher ratio of total basal insulin dose to total daily insulin dose (P < 0.05). Associations existed between the ratio of total basal insulin dose to total daily insulin dose and disease duration, waist circumference and ratio of 2 hour-postprandial C-peptide to fasting C-peptide (r = 0.169, 0.143, -0.107, all P < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression analyses showed that waist circumference, disease duration and ratio of 2 hour-postprandial C-peptide to fasting C-peptide were independently related with the ratio of total basal insulin dose to total daily insulin dose. Also waist circumference, fasting plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1c levels were independently associated with total daily insulin dose per kilogram., Conclusion: The ratio of total basal insulin dose to total bolus insulin dose is 40%: 60% in Chinese type 2 diabetics with insulin pump therapy. And it is associated with central obesity level and β-cell function. Parameters indicating glycemic control and central obesity should be taken into consideration for total insulin requirements.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of early intervention with Mycobacterium phlei F.U.36 injection on the balance of CD4⁺CD25⁺ regulatory T cells and Th17 cells in asthmatic mice, and to investigate the immunomodulatory effect of Mycobacterium phlei F.U.36., Methods: Thirty female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into three groups: normal control (n=10), asthma model (n=10) and Mycobacterium phlei F.U.36 treatment groups (n=10). A mouse model of asthma was prepared by injection and aerosol inhalation of chicken ovalbumin in the asthma model and Mycobacterium phlei F.U.36 treatment groups, while mice in the normal control group were given normal saline instead. The treatment group was intraperitoneally injected with Mycobacterium phlei F.U.36 (0.57 μg, once every other day) three times in the first two weeks after the first sensitization. All mice were sacrificed at 24 hours after the last challenge. Left lung tissues of these mice were obtained and made into sections for observation of inflammatory changes. The percentages of CD4⁺CD25⁺ regulatory T cells and Th17 cells in CD4⁺ T cells among splenic mononuclear cells were determined by flow cytometry. The levels of interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-17 in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were measured using ELISA., Results: Compared with the normal control group, the asthma model group had significantly decreased percentages of CD4⁺CD25⁺ regulatory T cells and IL-10 levels (P<0.05) and significantly increased percentages of Th17 cells and IL-17 levels (P<0.05). Compared with the asthma model group, the Mycobacterium phlei F.U.36 treatment group had significantly increased percentages of CD4⁺CD25⁺ regulatory T cells and IL-10 levels (P<0.05) and significantly decreased percentage of Th17 cells and IL-17 levels (P<0.05)., Conclusions: Early intervention with Mycobacterium phlei F.U.36 can promote development of CD4⁺CD25⁺ regulatory T cells and production of IL-10 and inhibit generation of Th17 cells and production of IL-17 in asthmatic mice.

Objective: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF ) locus has been a long-standing type 2 diabetes (T2D) candidate gene. Few studies have been conducted on TNF SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) as rs1799964 (T-1031C), rs1800630 (A-863C) and rs1799724 (C-857T) in T2D. The purpose of this study is to examine the association of TNF SNP and T2D in a case control study and further explore whether these SNPs influence the clinical efficacy of insulin therapy., Methods: A total of 109 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics and 168 healthy individuals were recruited. Three tag SNPs (rs1799964 (T-1031C), rs1800630 (A-863C), rs1799724 (C-857T)) were selected across the TNF locus and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) directed sequencing was performed. The patients received Lispro 25 twice daily to achieve glycemic control and they were followed up for 1 year. Plasma glucose level, lipid profile, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and homeostatic model assessment for beta-cell function (HOMA-β) were compared among groups with different haplotypes of SNPs., Results: Haplotype of TNF-1031C-863C-857C increased the risk of T2D (OR = 2.7, P < 0.05) . Comparing with homozygote of TNF-1031T-863C-857C diabetics (TCC), those carrying CCC allele had higher fasting serum insulin (16.1(12.0-20.3) mU/L) and HOMA-IR (lnHOMA-IR 1.8 ± 0.4) levels (TCC group: 10.6(8.1-14.3) mU/L and 1.42 ± 0.54 respectively, P < 0.05)). One-year insulin treatment decreased HbA1c effectively in both TCC and CCC groups (P < 0.05). However, higher HOMA-IR was still observed in CCC group than that of TCC after normoglycemia (lnHOMA-IR: 2.5(0.9-3.9) vs 1.1(0.8-1.8) respectively, P < 0.05) . Moreover HOMA-β showed no significant improvement in CCC group as it was in TCC group by the endpoint of follow-up., Conclusions: TNF-1031C-863C-857C is a risk haplotype for T2D. CCC carrying patients failed to achieve HOMA-β improvement. And it might be due to increased endogenous HbOMA-IR level comparing with TCC homozygote.

Co-doped BiFeO3 was synthesized by the sol-gel method and used as a catalyst of persulfate (PMS) for the degradation of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA). The effects of the amount of oxidizing agent, catalyst dosage, and the content of doped Co on the degradation of TBBPA were investigated. Under the optimized conditions (doping level of Co to Fe 0.1, dosage 0.5 g x L(-1), PMS concentration 2.5 mmol x L(-1)), the degradation removal of TBBPA within 60 min achieved more than 95%. Catalyst activity showed only a little loss after 4 recycles, and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) result showed that few Co ions were leached (0.27% of total Co). The catalyst can be recycled with magnet which shows a good application prospect in the wastewater treatment.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and incidence of asthma among children aged 0-14 years, with different living environments, economic levels, and sanitary conditions, in the urban and rural areas of Chengdu, China, and their influential factors., Methods: Children aged 0-14 years who were selected from urban, suburban and rural areas of Chengdu, were included in the study. The subjects were selected from all children aged 0-14 years in schools, kindergartens and communities by random, cluster and non-proportional sampling. Parents were surveyed by questionnaire to find out suspected cases, which were then confirmed by inquiry and physical examination in the department of respiratory medicine. All the obtained data were analyzed using SPSS/PC statistical software., Results: A total of 12082 children from the urban areas, 5677 from suburban areas and 5590 from the rural areas were included in the study. Of all the subjects, 551 (4.56%) had confirmed asthma, 150 (2.64%) had cough variant asthma (CVA), and 142 (2.54%) had suspected asthma. The prevalence rate of asthma was significantly higher in the urban areas than in the suburban and rural areas. The correct rate of diagnosis of asthma and CVA was highest in the urban areas, followed by the suburban and rural areas. Use of antibiotics and systemic corticosteroids was most common in the rural areas, followed by the suburban and urban areas, but this pattern was reversed for use of inhaled corticosteroids and leukotriene modifier. All the results in the three areas demonstrated that sex, age, age at which the first attack occurred, respiratory tract infection, inhalation/intake of allergens and genetic factors were significantly associated with asthmatic attack., Conclusions: Population density, living environment, medical and health resources and economic level are associated with the prevalence and treatment of asthma.

Objective: To study the effects of early intervention on CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells and TLR4 expression with Mycobacterium phlei F.U.36 in asthmatic mice., Methods: Thirty female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into three groups: control, asthma model and Mycobacterium phlei F.U.36 treated asthma groups. Asthma was induced by sensitization and challenges with ovalbumin (OVA) in the later two groups. Mycobacterium phlei F.U.36 was intraperitoneally injected 2 weeks before the first sensitization (0.57 μg/time, once every other day for three times) in the intervention group. After 24 hrs of the last challenge, the mice were sacrificed and the left lung tissues were obtained for the observation of lung pathological changes. Splenic mononuclear cells were isolated. The percentage of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in CD4+ T cells and the mean fluorescence intensity of TLR4 on CD4+ CD25+ T cells were detected by flow cytometry., Results: The percentage of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in the asthma model group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.01), but the mean fluorescence intensity of TLR4 on CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells was not significantly different from the control group. The percentage of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells and the mean fluorescence intensity of TLR4 on CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells increased significantly in asthmatic mice receiving Mycobacterium phlei F.U.36 treatment compared with the asthma group (P<0.01)., Conclusions: Early intervention with Mycobacterium phlei F.U.36 can increase TLR4 expression on CD4+CD25+ cells and the number of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells, and thus provides therapeutic effects in asthmatic mice.

Objective: The fusion protein SL2B with both xylanase and N-acyl-homoserine lactonase activities was expressed in Pichia pastori. Characterization of the purified xylanase and N-acyl-homoserine lactonase fusion protein SL2B was investigated., Methods: The fusion gene sl2b was amplified from the N-acyl-homoserine lactonase gene aiiA-B546 and the xylanase gene xynAS27cd via overlap PCR technique. After the recombinant vector pPIC9/sl2b was transformed into P. pastoris, transformants with both xylanase and N-acyl-homoserine lactonase activity were screened. The purified SL2B was obtained with ammonium sulfate precipitation and molecular sieve. Both N-acyl-homoserine lactonase and xylanase activities of SL2B were characterized., Results: The purified SL2B showed that the xylanase had optimal pH and temperature at pH 6.5 and 60 degrees C, respectively. The enzyme was stable between pH 6.0 and 8.0, retained over 80% enzyme activity between 50 and 65 degrees C. It resisted various neutral proteases and chemical reagents. With oat spelt xylan as substrate, the Km value of SL2B was 2.9 mg/L. The N-acyl-homoserine lactonase had optimal pH and temperature at pH 8.0 and 30 degrees C, respectively. The enzyme was stable between pH 4.0 and 10.0, retained over 80% enzyme activity between 0 and 50 degrees C. It resisted various neutral proteases and chemical reagents. The fusion protein can hydrolyze many N-acyl homoserine lactones substrates. With N-(3-oxo-octanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone as substrate, the Km value of SL2B was 0.050 mmol/L., Conclusion: High level expression is achieved by fusing N-acyl-homoserine lactonase to the xylanase.

Poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) could be efficiently accumulated under optimized conditions in a sequencing batch moving bed biological reactor (SBMBBR), and a high performance of denitrifying phosphorus removal in the reactor could be achieved by coupling with a two-sludge system. Denitrifying phosphorus removal achieved the highest efficiency under influent COD of 200 mg/L, neutral pH and stirring speed of 80 r/min. The removal rates of phosphorus, NO3(-)-N and NO2(-)-N reached 83.7%, 81.4% and above 100%, respectively. High biomass in the SBMBBR is one of keys to improve the performance in removal of nitrogen and phosphorus. When the SBMBBR was conducted under a two-sludge system, stable and high performance was obtained. Removal rates of phosphorus and TN reached 89.2% and 84.5% under the influent COD of 140-170 mg/L and TN of 34-42 mg/L, respectively. In the process, phosphorus content in excess sludge approached to that in the feeding, and other path of phosphorus removal was not found.

The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of hypoxic training on mitochondrial antioxidants and activities of respiratory chain complexes in mitochondria of skeletal muscle in rats. Forty healthy male Wistar rats were randomized to 5 groups (n=8): living low-training low (LoLo), living high-training high (HiHi), living high-training low (HiLo), living low-training high (LoHi), and living high-exercise high-training low (HiHiLo). All the animals were subjected to 5-week training in normoxic (atmospheric pressure=632 mmHg, altitude of about 1 500 m) or hypoxic environment (atmospheric pressure=493 mmHg, simulated altitude of about 3 500 m). Before exhaustive running, the animals stayed in normoxia for 3 d. Skeletal muscles were prepared immediately after exhaustive running. Muscle mitochondria were extracted by differential centrifugation. Spectrophotometric analysis was used to evaluate activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA) level and respiratory chain complex (C) I-III activities in muscle homogenate and mitochondria. Results showed that SOD, GSH-Px, CAT activities and MDA level in skeletal muscle homogenate in HiHi and HiHiLo groups were significantly increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01) compared with those in LoLo group. Muscle mitochondrial MDA level in HiHi and HiHiLo groups was significantly lower (P<0.01), while activities of SOD, GSH-Px and CAT were remarkably higher (P<0.01) than those in LoLo group. Meanwhile, C I-III activities in HiHi and HiHiLo groups were increased significantly (P<0.01), and C II activity in HiLo group also was increased remarkably (P<0.01) compared with those in LoLo group. These results suggest that HiHiLo might be an ideal hypoxic training mode.

Objective: A previously reported female diagnosed with type A insulin resistance syndrome bearing a heterozygous missense mutation of R1174W in the insulin receptor gene was followed for 7 years since the age of 16 years., Methods: Five-hour oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) were done on baseline, the 3(rd), 6(th) and 7(th) year respectively, with serum insulin and C-peptide measured at the same time points. Areas under of curve (AUC) of glucose, insulin and C-peptide were compared between the years. Acute insulin response (AIR) was determined at baseline and the 7(th) year. The dose response were insulin secretion rates at each time point during OGTT being plotted over the corresponding glucose levels, and the slopes of which quantified the insulin secretion responding to glucose., Results: The follow up data showed that the glucose metabolism of the subject did not deteriorate over time with yearly glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) being normal (4.6% - 5.5%), and hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia was a persistent phenomenon observed at 4 - 5 hours post-load. The fasting and AUCs of serum insulin and C-peptide tended to decline without simultaneously increase of those of plasma glucose. The AIR decreased by 56% as compared to baseline. The dose response curves shifted downward as years went by., Conclusions: It supports that with the alleviation of physiological insulin resistance after puberty, the gross hyperinsulinemia tends to ameliorate, and β-cell secretion does not deteriorate over time as glucose homeostasis maintains.

The effects of influent nitrate concentration and its adding modes on denitrifying phosphorus removal in a wastewater with low carbon (COD = 200 mg/L) using a sequencing batch moving bed biofilm reactor (SBMBBR) operated under anaerobic-anoxic conditions was investigated. After the domestication, the percentage of denitrifying phosphorus removing bacteria (DPB) in all phosphorus removing bacteria(PB) increased from 15.7% to 71.3%, indicating that DPB was enriched. Concentration of the influent nitrate had a significant effect on the treatment. At the influent nitrate concentration of 30 mg/L, i. e., C/N = 6.7 : 1, COD, PO4(3-) -P and NO3(-) -N removal increased to 97.8%, 82.0% and 81.2%, respectively, showing an efficient treatment under this low carbon. When the influent nitrate was less or more (20 and 40 mg/L), phosphorous uptake observed was insufficient in the anoxic stage, and poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) increased from 2.2 mg/g MLSS in the initial anaerobic stage to 5.1 mg/g MLSS and 3.5 mg/g MLSS, respectively, affecting phosphorous release in the next period. Adding nitrate in one time, two times or continuous mode had little effect on the denitrifying phosphorus removal, but affected the removal rate in the initial anoxic stage.

The heat and ferrous ion-activated sodium peroxydisulfate (PDS) for the oxidation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) was investigated. These processes are based on the generation of sulfate radicals, which are powerful oxidizing species found in nature. The effects of temperature, pH, the initial concentrations of Fe (II), PDS and citric acid on the degradation efficiencies of 4-CP were studied. The results show that the degradAtion efficiency of 4-CP is significantly enhanced as temperature increases. The degradation efficiencies of 4-CP are 2.5% and 43.5% within 4 h at 30 degrees C and 50 degrees C, respectively. Moreover, 4-CP is degraded completely at 60 degrees C. The degradation efficiency of 4-CP follows the order: pH 4.0 > pH 7.0 > pH 10.0. In the PDS/Fe (II) system, ferrous ion played an important role in generating sulfate radicals at ambient temperature. The optimum experimental condition is established and the addition of probe compounds proves the formation of sulfate radicals. Furthermore, the iron availability in the aqueous solution is manipulated with the optimum amount of citric acid, as a chelating agent. The degradation efficiency of 4-CP is 50.9% in the PDS/Fe (II)/citric acid system, which is superior to 43.5% at 50 degrees C under the same initial concentration of PDS.

Xe lamp was employed to simulate the sunlight as light source to study the direct photolysis of three kinds of phenolic pollutants under different pH values. The effects of the dissociation on their photolysis were investigated, and a calculation method and a forecasting model for the photolysis rate constants under the situation of dissociation and non-dissociation of phenolic pollutants were established. The experiment results showed that the photolysis rate constant of pentachlorophenol (PCP) increased from 25.30 x 10(-4) min(-1) to 82.90 x 10(-4) min(-1) when pH value varied from 4.0 to 9.0, and that of nitrophenol (PNP) decreased from 11.90 x 10(-4) min(-1) to 3.18 x 10(-4) min(-1) Similar to the PNP, the photolysis rate constant of phenol decreased from 32.50 x 10(-4) min(-1) to 13.40 x 10(-4) min(-1) with the pH value increased from 4.0 to 11.0. From analysis of the results, a power function relationships between the total photolysis rate constants (K) and dissociation degrees (alpha) of these three phenolic compounds could be established. If alpha had been determined, the dissociation and non-dissociation species photolysis rate constants could be calculated by the tangent equation of the power function. The effect of dissociation on the photolysis should be mainly attributed to the formation of the negative oxygen ions, which led to the changes of the activities of benzene ring and substituent groups. These results will provide theoretical references to further understand environmental behaviors of phenolic compounds in natural waters.

Objective: To analyze the forensic pathological characteristics of sudden death caused by pulmonary thromboembolism and the chronological transformation of thrombus and explore the assessment method of the causal relationship between previous trauma and the following fatal PTE episode., Methods: All the 23 cases reviewed here were collected from our institute files from the year of 1998 to 2008., Results: Trauma, surgery and braking etc. were all risky factors of PTE. Of these cases, 12 cases were caused by trauma, 21 cases were caused by surgery and 22 cases died in hospitals which were often happened one or two weeks after injury or one week's postoperative time. Of all the cases, 6 cases had single attack of thrombus and the rest 17 cases had the recurrence of thrombus. The number of the leg deep vein to be the embolic source was 16 cases which were often seen in the left leg., Conclusion: It is important to confirm the embolic source, trauma, surgery and chronological events in determing the sudden death with PTE.

To elucidate the roles of humic acids (HAs) and iron on the environmental fate and transport of organic pollutants in natural water, the interactions of HAs with Fe(III) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra, Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra and fluorescence spectra, indicating the formation of HAs-Fe(III) complex. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra show *OH radicals are generated and can participate in the photoreaction in solutions containing HAs, Fe(III) and HAs-Fe(III) complex. Under Xe lamp irradiation (lamda >290 nm), the photodegradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), as a kind of herbicide, followed the pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics. The pseudo-first-order rate constant of 2,4-D photodegradation with the presence of only 2,4-D (2 mg x L(-1)) was 0.007 h(-1). In the presence of HAs (5 mg x L(-1)), Fe(III) (0.2 mmol x L(-1)) and HAs-Fe(III) complex, the rate constants of 2,4-D degradation were 0.004, 0.034 and 0.046 h(-1), respectively. It was interesting to note that in the existence of HAs, 2,4-D photodegradation was inhibited. While in the presence of Fe(III), 2,4-D photodegradation was enhanced. Furthermore, in the coexistence of HAs and Fe(III), HAs-Fe(III) complex showed better increased effect on the photodegradation of 2,4-D than Fe(III) alone.

Enzymes can degrade the anti-nutrient factors in feedstuff, increase nutrient digestibility, and reduce pollution to environment, and have been widely supplemented in animal feedstuff. However, the use of enzymes is limited because of their undesirable properties, such as thermoliability and susceptibility against protease digestions. And its commercialization is also limited by low production efficiency and high cost. Therefore, the focuses for future enzyme development will be: (1) to obtain novel enzymes with better properties by high-throughput screening of enzyme encoding genes, especially those from extreme and special environments; (2) to improve enzyme properties using directed mutagenesis and protein engineering methods; (3) to achieve high-level fermentation of enzymes by heterogonous expression and optimization of codons, vectors and fermentation conditions; (4) to determine the effect of enzymes to animals and utilize enzymes efficiently.