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Groundwater in the Yinchuan Plain (China) is a critical domestic resource that is also used for agricultural irrigation and to maintain ecological environments, among other purposes. Recent research has shown that ineffective planning of water resources, along with large-scale groundwater pumping (mining) has led to ecological problems. To further analyze the characteristics of the regional groundwater flow patterns, and guide the development and utilization of water resources, potentiometric, hydrochemical, and isotopic data were collected along a 60-km transect that crosses the middle Yinchuan Plain. The data were used to develop a two-dimensional conceptual model of the sources, flow patterns, and geochemical evolution of groundwater from the Helan Mountains in the west across the Yellow River in the east. An important component of the model is that in the process of groundwater flow from west to east, the flow direction changes due to the influence of a thick fine-grained sandy-clay unit and long-term groundwater pumping. Local lakes and the shallow groundwater system are recharged by water from the Yellow River. Geochemically, water within the proluvial deposits exhibits relatively low concentrations of total dissolved solids. Further east, the water gradually becomes brackish. The geochemical composition of the shallow groundwater beneath the fluviolacustrine plain west of the Yellow River is also controlled by evaporation, precipitation and cation exchange processes. In other areas, groundwater chemistry is mainly controlled by water–rock interactions and cation exchange. This study enhances understanding of groundwater flow in the region, and provides information critical to water resources development and management.

In this work, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are utilized as effective ECL coreactant accelerator to enhance the ECL responses of N-(aminobutyl)-N-(ethylisoluminol) (ABEI). Zn-based MOFs (MOF-Zn-1) were prepared by chelating Zn ions with melamine and thiophenedicarboxylic acid (TPDA), which observably accelerated the electrocatalytic oxidation of tripropylamine (TPA). Then, ABEI-MOF-Zn-1 as a high-performance ECL emitter was synthesized via an amide reaction between ABEI and mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) modified MOF-Zn-1. Strikingly, the ABEI-MOF-Zn-1 showed the 18-fold increase in the ECL signals relative to pure ABEI by using TPA as a coreactant. Moreover, ferrocene (Fc) as a quencher was first linked with capture DNA (cDNA), and then used to modify the ABEI-MOF-Zn-1, thereby constructing a label-free ECL biosensor. After the linkage between chloramphenicol (CAP) and aptamer DNA (aptDNA), the ECL response was definitely recovered by releasing L-DNA from double-stranded DNA (dsDNA, hybridization of aptDNA and L-DNA). The resultant sensor showed a wide linear range of 1.00 nM–0.10 mM (R2 = 0.99) and a low limit of detection (LOD) down to 0.11 nM for detecting CAP. This work developed a novel pattern to design an efficient ECL enhanced emitter, coupled by expanding its potential applications in clinical diagnosis.

Development of ultra-sensitive and high specific aptasensors is important for early diagnosis of prostate cancer. Herein, ultrasensitive detection of prostate specific antigen (PSA) aptasensor was realized based on the “on-off-on” model via fluorescence (FL) covalent energy transfer between g-C3N4 quantum dot (g-CNQDs) and palladium triangular plates (Pd TPs). Specifically, the Pd TPs were primarily linked with PSA aptamer (PA) as the reporter probe, followed by attaching them onto the g-CNQDs surfaces, causing the highly enlarged FL quenching rate (ca. 75%). After the introduction of PSA, the FL intensities recovered again because of the distinctively stronger affinity of PA to PSA than that of g-CNQDs. The bond of pyridine N with Pd was identified as efficient energy transfer pathway through the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and FL measurements. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments certified the remarkably different affinity of PA towards g-CNQDs and PSA. The as-constructed FL aptasensor can accurately quantify PSA with wide linear range of 10 pg mL−1-50 ng mL−1 and ultra-low limit of detection (LOD, 4.2 pg mL−1), indicating the promising applications in clinical assay and biological detection.

The transplacental transfer of maternal antibodies to the fetus is a critical mechanism for infant protection and perinatal disease. Hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) is a representative fetal disease caused by transplacental transfer of maternal IgG antibodies. However, it is unclear whether placental-related miRNAs are expressed in Rh-HDFN. Through the investigation of the miR-181a-5p and miR-125b-2-3p levels in maternal plasma using qPCR, we found that both miR-181a-5p and miR-125b-2-3p were highly expressed in maternal plasma of newborns with Rh-HDFN compared with healthy controls, indicating the potential roles of these two miRNAs in Rh-HDFN. To demonstrate whether dysregulation of miR-125b-2-3p and miR-181a-5p contributes to Rh-HDFN development, we analyze the placental miRNA-/mRNA sequencing data (GSE73714) using weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA), miRNA target predictive databases, and DAVID (Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery). The results showed that miR-125b-2-3p and miR-181a-5p could regulate several biological processes including cytoplasmic microtubule organization and angiogenesis. Moreover, core promoter sequence-specific DNA binding and protein binding were highly enriched molecular functions, indicating the potential roles of transcriptional regulation. Further pathway enrichment showed that miR-181a-5p and miR-125b-2-3p could regulate several biological pathways that were closely related to placental function, including the FoxO signaling pathway, focal adhesion, mTOR signaling pathway, and central carbon metabolism in cancer. In conclusion, the present results first revealed miRNA expression in the maternal circulation of newborns with Rh-HDFN, which could be caused by dysfunction of the placenta.

To investigate the prevalence of 11 thoracic vertebrae (TVs), four lumbar vertebrae (LVs) and six LVs among asymptomatic Chinese volunteers, and the influence of spine variations on the global spinal sagittal parameters.A total of 389 asymptomatic Chinese volunteers were recruited. Each subject underwent a full-spine X-ray examination with measurement of global spinal sagittal parameters. The radiographs were examined by a spine surgeon and a radiologist to determine the variation in the number of vertebrae. These parameters were used to compare individuals with five LVs to those with 11 TVs, four LVs, and six LVs.The study population included 12 individuals (3.1%) with seven cervical vertebrae (C) + 11 thoracic vertebrae (T) + five lumbar vertebrae (L), 8 (2.1%) with 7C + 11T + 6L, 8 (2.1%) with 7C + 12T + 4L, and 15 (3.9%) with 7C + 12T + 6L. Compared to the 7C + 12T + 5L individuals, those with 7C + 11T + 5L had significantly lower CAsymptomatic adults with 7C + 12T + 6L, 7C + 12T + 4L, and 7C + 11T + 5L presented with different spinal sagittal alignment compared to those with 7C + 12T + 5L. Compared to variation in the number of LVs, the variation in the number of TVs had less effect on global spinal sagittal parameters. Spinal surgeons and researchers should be aware of the effects of variation in numbers of TVs and LVs on global spinal parameters and sagittal balance.

In this work, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are utilized as effective ECL coreactant accelerator to enhance the ECL responses of

Bi2S3/BiOCl (denoted as BS-BC) heterojunction photocatalyst has been reported to be able to increase light absorption, promote charge separation and consequently enhance photocatalytic efficiency in comparison with single BiOCl. However, the heterojunction was usually prepared by a two-step method, i.e., BiOCl was firstly prepared and then to BS-BC heterojunction through an ion exchange strategy. In this work, BS-BC was prepared by a one-pot room temperature route, where Bi(NO3)3 dissolved in aqueous urea solution could homogeneously react with a mixture solution of NaCl and thiacetamide (TAA) to form BS-BC heterojunction. The urea could prohibit the hydrolysis of Bi(NO3)3 and accelerate the decomposition of TAA to release S2-, and as a consequence, the heterojunction photocatalyst with small size and large interfacial area could be prepared in several hours. The resulted heterojunction exhibited better visible-light photocatalytic activity for RhB degradation than individual BiOCl or that prepared by a two-step route due to close contact between Bi2S3 and BiOCl, modified band structures and effective interfacial charge transfer.

The simulation of groundwater flow is widely used to understand dynamic groundwater processes and frequently serves as the basis for quantitative analysis and management of groundwater resources. Reliable groundwater flow simulations require a sound understanding of the hydrogeological structure of the subsurface materials. However, a detailed model of the hydrological structure of thick unconsolidated basin sediments is often limited by their inaccessible nature, especially in the deep domain. As a result, deep regional flow is generally neglected in traditional groundwater flow simulations. This study presents an integrated approach for developing a model of hydrogeological structures using multiple data sources, including audio-magnetotelluric data (AMT), borehole data, and the interpreted lower boundary of Quaternary sediments. The approach overcomes the disadvantages of using the depth of boreholes as the lower boundary of the hydrogeological system and may be used to analyse the effects of hydrogeological structures on groundwater flow simulations. The model, which utilized sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS) and natural neighbor interpolation (NNI), was evaluated by application to a typical cross-section through the Yinchuan Basin, China, to a depth of 1,700 m. The horizontal hydraulic conductivity (Kx) field was calibrated using observation wells and the PEST pilot points (PPP) method. The effects of the developed hydrogeological structure on groundwater flow simulations were evaluated for the entire thickness of Quaternary sediments (complete-domain model, CDM) as well as for sediments above the maximum depth of the boreholes (shallow-domain model, SDM). In addition, the sensitivity of the Kx field on groundwater flow patterns was analysed. The results show that the proposed approach can characterize the spatial distribution of lithologic units and the heterogeneity of hydrogeological parameters in the deep domain (>300 m), as well as avoid the multi-solution problem of inferring hydrogeological parameters from geophysical data. It can also improve the accuracy of the hydrogeological structure model and the reliability of groundwater flow simulations. The adjustment of the hydrogeological structure affects the flow budget as well as the pattern of the groundwater flow systems (including the type of system, and their number, location, and extent). Changes in the Kx field affect the local flow field, whereas adjustment of the hydrogeological structure model affects the global flow field.

Clubroot, caused by the soil-borne obligate pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae, is one of the most severe disease in cruciferous crops. Previous studies showed that when oilseed rape was planted after soybean (namely soybean-oilseed rotation), the incidence and severity of clubroot of oilseed rape could be significantly reduced, compared with that with oilseed rape-oilseed rape conti-nuous cropping. Therefore, the soybean-oilseed rape rotation is a good way to suppress clubroot of oilseed rape. In this study, we compared the rhizosphere microbiome of soybean and oilseed rape rhizosphere soil collected from the field by 16S rRNA (for identification of prokaryotes) and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) (for identification of fungi) sequencing. The results showed that both soybean and oilseed rape rhizosphere soils had Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Ascomycota, Zygomycota, Basidiomycota and Chytridiomycota. Many microbial genera (e.g., Flavobacterium, Sphingomonas, Bacillus, Streptomyces, Pseudomonas, Trichoderma and Coniothyrium) with activities of biological control and plant growth promotion were more abundant in soybean rhizosphere soil than in the oilseed rape rhizosphere soil. The abundance of plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi was higher in the oilseed rape rhizosphere soil than in the soybean rhizosphere soil. Moreover, the soybean rhizosphere soil was enriched with Rhizobium, Bradyrhizobium (both for nitrogen fixation), and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (Glomus). These results indicated that soybean rhizosphere soil could promote the growth and proliferation of beneficial microorga-nisms, but inhibit that of plant pathogens. Our results provide evidence for explanation of the effectiveness of soybean-oilseed rape rotation to control clubroot of oilseed rape and provide potential bio-control resources for clubroot prevention.根肿病是由芸薹根肿菌侵染引起的专性寄生性土传病害,严重制约着油菜等十字花科作物的可持续生产.前期研究发现,大豆作为前茬作物可以显著降低后茬油菜根肿病的发生和危害,“豆-油轮作”模式是一种值得探索和应用的根肿病防治新途径.为了解开大豆作为前茬防治根肿病发生的机理,本研究基于扩增子测序技术探究大豆与油菜根际土壤微生物的群落结构差异.结果表明: 大豆和油菜根际土壤微生物类群在门水平的优势类群相同,包括变形菌门、拟杆菌门、酸杆菌门、放线菌门、子囊菌门、接合菌门、担子菌门和壶菌门等丰度都较高.但相比于油菜根际土壤,大豆根际土壤富含具有生防作用和促进植物生长的微生物,如黄杆菌属、鞘脂单胞菌属、芽孢杆菌属、链霉菌属、假单胞菌属、木霉属和盾壳霉属等;而一些植物病原细菌(如肠杆菌、黄单胞菌)和真菌(炭疽菌和尾孢菌)含量则低于油菜根际土壤;另外,大豆根际土壤中还富含具有固氮功能的根瘤菌属、慢生根瘤菌属和丛枝菌根真菌(如球囊霉属).可见,大豆根际土壤利于有益微生物生长并可抑制病原菌繁殖.大豆和油菜根际微生物组差异为大豆-油菜轮作防治根肿病提供了理论依据,并为根肿病的防治提供了一些潜在的生物防治资源.

Bi2S3/BiOCl (denoted as BS-BC) heterojunction photocatalyst has been reported to be able to increase light absorption, promote charge separation and consequently enhance photocatalytic efficiency in comparison with single BiOCl. However, the heterojunction was usually prepared by a two-step method, i.e., BiOCl was firstly prepared and then to BS-BC heterojunction through an ion exchange strategy. In this work, BS-BC was prepared by a one-pot room temperature route, where Bi(NO3)3 dissolved in aqueous urea solution could homogeneously react with a mixture solution of NaCl and thiacetamide (TAA) to form BS-BC heterojunction. The urea could prohibit the hydrolysis of Bi(NO3)3 and accelerate the decomposition of TAA to release S2-, and as a consequence, the heterojunction photocatalyst with small size and large interfacial area could be prepared in several hours. The resulted heterojunction exhibited better visible-light photocatalytic activity for RhB degradation than individual BiOCl or that prepared by a two-step route due to close contact between Bi2S3 and BiOCl, modified band structures and effective interfacial charge transfer.

Distance education technology has been broadly applied in various subjects. It also leads to more revolution to teaching models, such as MOOC, flipped classroom, and live streaming teaching. To evaluate the efficacy of live streaming teaching compared to real class teaching, we investigate its application in two phrases—voice streaming and camera streaming. The study implements these two phrases facilitated by an e-community group to achieve class management. Under the guideline of positivism, this study developed a survey to examine live streaming teaching in respect of its conduct, learner acceptance, and teaching efficiency. It was found that it could assist learning in timing and location flexibility, interaction quality, and material variety, offering insights on open learning. Based on these, we conclude that there is fundamental need for further exploration with this new teaching method to advance the science of learning.

In the primitive society, people live long cave, nesting, and shack, know from practical experience to the circular and square building space, structure more safe and simple structure. Enclosed is the enclosed housing. "House" development from southwest to northeast gradually weakening trend, the construction time, according to the existing data of the earliest of the late Ming dynasty. While the Gannan Hakka, from the architectural characteristics and structural art, its history dates back to the ancient palace style and rammed earth technology, has the significance and the value of a certain.

Lead-free 0.996(Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3-0.004BiYO3 [BCZT-BY] ceramics were prepared by the conventional solid-state sintering method. By means of XRD, SEM, and quasi-static d33 meter etc., the effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure, piezoelectric and dielectric properties of BCZT-BY ceramics were investigated. All the ceramics possess a pure perovskite structure, indicating that Bi3+ and Y3+ are incorporated into Ba0.85Ca0.15Ti0.9Zr0.1O3 lattices to form a solid solution. The results show that the ceramics sintered at 1420°C exhibit the optimum electrical properties: d33 = 130 pC/N, kp = 18.2 %, εr = 4225, and tan δ = 1.95%, respectively.

To obtain lead-free 0.5Ba (Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3-0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 ceramics with excellent microstructure and electrical properties, BZT-BCT ceramics doping Mn4+ and Nb5+ was synthesized follow a conventional solid state reaction route. By means of SEM, XRD, quasi-static d33 meter, the influence of sintering temperature on microstructure, piezoelectric and dielectric properties of BZT-BCT-Mn-Nb ceramics was discussed. The results show that grain size and the dielectric loss of BZT-BCT-Mn-Nb ceramics increase as raising the sintering temperature. When BZT-BCT-Mn-Nb ceramics is sintered at 1380°C, the optimum piezoelectric coefficient and dielectric constant are 264pC/N and 4142, respectively.

In this note, we establish a converse comparison theorem for backward stochastic differential equations (BSDEs).

Male infertility is a multifactorial syndrome encompassing a wide variety of disorders. In recent years, several genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) association studies (GWAS) have been performed on azoospermia and/or oligozoospermia in different populations including two GWAS on nonobstructive azoospermia in China; however, the association of SNPs with idiopathic male infertility, especially asthenozoospermia and oligozoospermia, and their correlation with semen parameters are still not clear. To investigate genetic variants associated with idiopathic male infertility (asthenozoospermia, oligozoospermia, and oligoasthenozoospermia) in Chinese Han people, 20 candidate SNPs were selected from GWAS results and genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY assay. A total of 136 subfertile men and 456 healthy fertile men were recruited. rs6476866 in SLC1A1 (P = 1.919E-4, OR = 0.5905, 95% CI: 0.447–0.78) and rs10129954 in DPF3 (P = 0.0023, OR = 2.199, 95% CI: 1.311–3.689) were strongly associated with idiopathic male infertility. In addition, positive associations were observed between asthenozoospermia and rs215702 in LSM5 (P = 0.0016, OR = 1.479, 95% CI: 1.075–2.033) and between oligoasthenozoospermia and rs2477686 in PEX10 (P = 0.0011, OR = 2.935, 95% CI: 1.492–5.775). In addition, six SNPs (rs215702 in LSM5, rs6476866 in SLC1A1, rs10129954 in DPF3, rs1801133 in MTHFR, rs2477686 in PEX10, and rs10841496 in PED3A) were significantly correlated with semen quality alterations. Our results suggest that idiopathic male infertility in different ethnic groups may share the same mechanism or pathway. Cohort expansion and further mechanistic studies on the role of genetic factors that influence spermatogenesis and sperm progressive motility are suggested.

Detection for deoxyribozyme (DNAzyme) cleavage usually needs complex and time-consuming radial labeling, gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. A new approach was reported for detection DNAzyme cleavage product based on molecular beacon (MB). Part of the loop of MB was designed to complementary to DNAzyme cleavage product. MB was employed to monitor ligation process of RNA/DNA complex and to convert directly cleavage product information into fluorescence signal. Detection limit of the assay is 0.02 nmol/L. The cleavage product of 8−17 DNAzyme against HCV-RNA was detected perfectly based on this assay. The method is fast, simple and ultrasensitive, which might hold great promise in DNAzyme reaction and DNAzyme gene therapy.

Starch from hardleaf oatchestnut was isolated, and its chemical composition and physicochemical properties were determined and compared with those of corn or potato starch. The yield and purity of the starch were 386.5 g kg-1 and 912.6g kg-1, respectively, and the starch granules were in spherical and irregular shape ranging from 8μm to 18μm in diameter. It contained 275.4 g kg-1 amylose and had relatively low gelatinization temperature with 60.38°C, and moderate solubility as well as swelling power. The starch gel showed weak freeze-thaw stability with high syneresis of 20.5%, and high viscosity (667BU), hardness (75.06g) and gumminess (30.68g), therefore, making it potentially useful as thickening agent in sweets processing, baking industry and seasoning, but was not appropriate in frozen foods.

Toinvestigate CAG repeats variation of ATXN2 gene coding region in six ethnic groups that live in comparatively different environments, to evaluate whether these variations are under positive selection, and to find factors driving selection effects, 291 unrelated healthy individuals were collected from six ethnic groups and their STR geneotyping was performed. The frequencies of alleles and genotypes were counted and thereby Slatkin's linearized Fst values were calculated. The UPGMA tree against this gene was constructed. The MDS analysis among these groups was carried out as well. The results from the linearized Fst values indicated that there were significant evolutionary differences of the STR in ATXN2 gene between Hui and Yi groups, but not among the other 4 groups. Further analysis was performed by combining our data with published data obtained from other groups. These results indicated that there were significant differences between Japanese and other groups including Hui, Hani, Yunnan Mongolian, and Inner Mongolian. Both Hui and Mongolian from Inner Mongolia were significantly different from Han. In conclusion, the six ethnic groups had their own distribution characterizations of allelic frequencies of ATXN2 STR, and the potential cause of frequency changes in rare alleles could be the consequence of positive selection.

Since digital media is gaining popularity nowadays, people are more concerned about its integrity protection and authentication since tampered media may result in unexpected problems. Considering a better media protection technique, this paper proposes an efficient tamper detection scheme for absolute moment block truncation coding (AMBTC) compressed images. In AMBTC, each image block is represented by two quantization levels (QLs) and a bitmap. Requiring insignificant computation cost, it attracts not only a wide range of application developers, but also a variety of studies to investigate the authentication of its codes. While the existing methods protect the AMBTC codes to a large extent, the leakage of some unprotected codes may be insensitive to intentional tampering. The proposed method fully protects the AMBTC codes by embedding authentication codes (ACs) into QLs. Meanwhile, the most significant bits of QLs are symmetrically perturbed to generate the candidates of ACs. The ACs that cause the minimum distortion are embedded into the least significant bits of QLs to minimize the distortion. When compared with prior works, the experimental results reveal that the proposed method offers a significant sensitivity-of-tamper property while providing a comparable image quality.

Telomeres are evolutionary conserved, multifunctional DNA-protein complexes located at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. Telomeres maintain chromosome stability and genome integrity and also play an important role in meiosis which aid in synapsis, homologous recombination, and segregation. Sperm telomere has been reported to play an important role in fertilization and embryo development. Nowadays, the association between telomere and reproduction is one of the major areas of interest, however whether sperm telomere associated with male infertility is not clear. In this study, in order to find out the association between Chinese idiopathic infertility and sperm telomere length, we analyzed the difference of sperm telomere length between idiopathic infertile men and normal fertile men, as well as the correlations between sperm telomere length and human semen characteristics. We analyzed 126 Chinese idiopathic infertile men and 138 normal fertile men for sperm telomere length by using quantitative PCR. We found that the relative sperm mean telomere length of infertile men was significantly shorter than that of fertile men (2.894 ± 0.115 vs. 4.016 ± 0.603, P=5.097 x 10⁻⁵). Both sperm count and semen progressive motility are related with telomere length. Our results suggest that sperm telomere length is associated with idiopathic male infertility of China and we proposed the possibility that shorter telomeres in sperm chromosome will reduce spermatogenesis and sperm functions, which finally affected the fertility of male.

Telomerase is a specialized reverse transcriptase that extends telomeres of eukaryotic chromosomes. The functional telomerase complex contains a telomerase reverse transcriptase catalytic subunit and a telomerase template RNA. We have previously demonstrated that human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) catalytic subunit is functionally compatible with a telomerase template RNA from rabbit. In this study, we show that hTERT is also functionally compatible with a telomerase template RNA from bovine. Introduction of hTERT into bovine lens epithelial cells (BLECs) provides the transfected cells telomerase activity. The expressed hTERT in BLECs supports normal growth of the transfected cells for 108 population doublings so far, and these cells are still extremely healthy in both morphology and growth. In contrast, the vector-transfected cells display growth crisis after 20 population doublings. These cells run into cellular senescence due to shortening of the telomeres and also commit differentiation as indicated by the accumulation of the differentiation markers, beta-crystallin and filensin. hTERT prevents the occurrence of both events. By synthesizing new telomere, hTERT prevents replicative senescence, and through regulation of MEK/ERK, protein kinase C, and protein kinase A and eventual suppression of the MEK/ERK signaling pathway, hTERT inhibits differentiation of BLECs. Our finding that hTERT can suppress RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway to prevent differentiation provides a novel mechanism to explain how hTERT regulates cell differentiation.

The proto-oncogene, bcl-2, has various functions besides its role in protecting cells from apoptosis. One of the functions is to regulate expression of other genes. Previous studies have demonstrated that Bcl-2 regulates activities of several important transcription factors including NF-kappaB and p53, and also their downstream genes. In our recent studies, we reported that Bcl-2 substantially downregulates expression of the endogenous alphaB-crystallin gene through modulating the transcriptional activity of lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF). In the present communication, we report that human Bcl-2 can positively regulate expression of the proto-oncogenes c-jun and c-fos. Moreover, it enhances the DNA binding activity and transactivity of the activating protein-1 (AP-1). Furthermore, we present evidence to show that Bcl-2 can also activate both ERK1 and ERK2 MAP kinases. Inhibition of the activities of these kinases or the upstream activating kinases by pharmacological inhibitors or dominant-negative mutants abolishes the Bcl-2-mediated regulation of AP-1, LEDGF and their downstream genes. Together, our results demonstrate that through activation of the ERK kinase signaling pathway, Bcl-2 regulates the transcriptional activities of multiple transcription factors, and hence modulates the expression of their downstream genes. Thus, our results provide a mechanism to explain how Bcl-2 may regulate expression of other genes.

Based on our previous result of the three-dimensional model of the μ-opioid receptor, binding conformations of 13 fentanyl analogs and three-dimensional structures for the complexs of these analogs with μ-opioid receptor were constructed employing the molecular modeling method and our binding conformation search program for ligands (BCSPL). Energetic calculation and quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) analysis indicated a good correlation between the calculated binding energies of fentanyl analogs and their binding affinities, pKi's and pK's, and analgesic activities, − log ED50's. Based on the three-dimensional models, the possible interaction mechanism of fentanyl analogs with μ-opioid receptor can be illustrated and the available structure–activity relationship of these analgesic agents can be explained reasonably. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 78: 285–293, 2000

To investigate the association between SNPs located in 5'UTR and intron of prolyl hydroxylase 2 (EGLN1 or PHD2) and adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia, the SNPs (rs2066140, rs2808584, rs2491405, rs2486741, rs2486734 and rs21533646) of EGLN1 gene were genotyped using Sequenom MassArray genotyping system in 152 unrelated healthy Tibetan individuals (3 650 m altitude) and 192 Han (5 00 m altitude), and the haplotypes of these SNPs were constructed and analyzed. Our results showed all the homozygous genotypes of six SNPs loci were significantly different between the two groups (P0.05). The frequencies of haplotypes G-G (rs2066140 and rs2808584) and G-C (rs2486741 and rs2486734) of high-altitude group were significantly different from low-altitude group (P0.05). In addition, the frequencies of haplotypes C-A (rs2066140 and rs2808584) and C-T (rs2486741 and rs2486734) of high-altitude group were significantly lower than those in low-altitude group (P0.05). Our results indicate that the polymorphism of homozygous genotype in six SNPs and their haplotypes were associated with adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia.

Recently, a 14 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism (+14 bp/-14 bp) in exon 8 of the human leucocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) gene has been widely recognized to associate with recurrent miscarriage, autoimmune diseases, hepatocellular carcinoma and other diseases. Our previous studies have shown the distribution characteristics of linguistic family for HLA-G 14 bp insertion/deletion in different ethnic groups. In the present study, we investigated the distribution of HLA-G 14 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism and their subsequent associations with HLA-A alleles in Tu, Yugu, Lisu and Nu ethnic populations based upon the HLA-A genotyping data. Our results showed that the frequencies of the 14 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism were diverse in these four populations while that in the same linguistic subfamily was similar. The significant difference in different linguistic subfamily except for Han and Mongolian language subfamily was identified. In addition, the 14 bp insertion was found to associate with HLA-A alleles in different ethnic populations.

To assess the association between genetic polymorphisms of 7 SNPs in PTPN22 and PADI4 genes and susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis in Yunnan.A case-control study was carried out on 192 patients of rheumatoid arthritis and 288 healthy controls. Genotypes of rs33996649 and 1858 loci within PTPN22 gene, and rs11203366 and rs874881 loci within PADI4 gene were determined with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Genotypes of rs1635579, rs2428736 and rs2240340 in PADI4 gene were determined with pyrosequencing.The frequencies of alleles and genotypes of rs2240340 locus in PADI4 gene showed a significant difference between rheumatoid arthritis and controls in Yunnan population (P U+003C 0.05).Our results suggested that rs2240340 in PADI4 gene is associated with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis in Yunnan.

To investigate the frequencies of chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5 gene (CCR5)Δ32 deletional mutation of in Han and Dai populations from Yunnan province. Immortalized cell lines were derived from a family carrying the CCR5Δ32 mutation.Blood samples of 346 Han and 355 Dai individuals were collected for genotyping. The coding regions of CCR5 gene were amplified with PCR followed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Suspected mutations were verified with DNA sequencing. Immortalized cell lines were constructed by using Epstain Barr virus and cyclosporine A. The difference between the cell lines and original blood samples was verified with PCR.One ethnic Han individual was confirmed to be heterozygous for a deletional mutation by sequencing, which has led to discovery of a family with CCR5Δ32. Nine immortalized cell lines were established from this family, and no difference between the cell lines and original blood samples was detected by PCR.Together with previous reports, this study has indicated a significant difference in CCR5Δ32 among different ethnic groups in China. Established immortalized cell lines can also provide material for future research.

To determine frequencies of genetic polymorphisms of coagulation factor VII (FVII), coagulation factor FXII (FXII), fibrinogen (FBG) and 9p21 in ethnic Han Chinese from Yunnan province, and to assess the association between such polymorphisms and onset of myocardial infarction (MI).One hundred and forty-two patients with MI and 192 healthy controls were analyzed. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and pyrosequencing were used to determine the genotypes of FVII, FXII, FBG and 9p21.No significant difference was found in the frequencies of R353Q, 5'F7, C46T, -148C/T, rs1333049 and rs4977574 loci between the two groups (P0.05). However, the frequencies of AA of -455G/A, T and TT of rs1333040, T and TT of rs10116277 and G and GG of rs2383207 were significantly higher in MI group compared with the controls (P0.05), whilst the frequencies of CT of rs1333040 and GT of rs10116277 were significantly lower in MI group compared with the controls (P0.05).Polymorphisms of FVII, FXII, -148C/T of FBG and rs1333049 of 9p21 were not associated with myocardial infarction. Polymorphisms of -455G/A of FBG and rs1333040, rs10116277 and rs2383207 of 9p21 may be associated with MI in ethnic Han Chinese from Yunnan province.

To observe the antimicrobial activity of topical agents commonly used for burns on Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) in both free and biofilm states, and their synergistic effect with ambroxol on AB within biofilm.Eleven AB strains were isolated from wound excretion, respiratory tract, and blood of patients hospitalized in our hospital from August 2005 to April 2007. (1) The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of mafenide acetate and chlorhexidine acetate to free AB (including drug-resistant, drug-sensitive, and standard strains) were determined by dilution method. (2) AB was cultured with LB or TSB medium for 12, 24, and 48 h to form biofilm, and it was treated with above-mentioned two topical agents in MBC (mafenide group and chlorhexidine group) for 30 min. Biofilm not treated by topical agent was used as control group. The biofilm thickness was determined with confocal laser scanning microscope. The proportion of living bacteria in biofilm was calculated. AB biofilm in each topical agent group was mixed and inoculated into LB culture dish to observe the growth of bacteria. (3) AB was cultured with LB medium for 48 h to form biofilm, which was respectively treated by above-mentioned two topical agents in MBC (mafenide group and chlorhexidine group) and combination of each topical agent with 3.75 mg/mL ambroxol solution (ambroxol + mafenide group and ambroxol + chlorhexidine group) for 30 min. Biofilm not treated by topical agents was used as control group. Growth of bacteria in biofilm was detected with MTT method (denoted as absorbance value). Data were processed with one-way analysis of variance and LSD-t test.(1) MIC of mafenide acetate and chlorhexidine acetate for free AB was respectively 25.00 mg/mL and 0.03 mg/mL. MBC of both agents for free AB was the same as their MIC. (2) Among three groups, the thickness of biofilm of sensitive AB was thicker than that of drug-resistant bacteria at most of the time points. Compared with those in control group, biofilm thickness and proportion of living bacteria in biofilm were slightly decreased in mafenide and chlorhexidine groups. The growth of bacteria was abundant in each group. (3) Absorbance value of drug-resistant bacteria in control, mafenide, and chlorhexidine groups was respectively 0.776 ± 0.071, 0.625 ± 0.063, and 0.420 ± 0.068. Absorbance value of drug-resistant bacteria in ambroxol + mafenide group (0.174 ± 0.089) was significantly lower than that of control group (t = 11.823, P = 0.000) and mafenide group (t = 9.248, P0.01). Absorbance value of ambroxol + chlorhexidine group (0.178 ± 0.044) was significantly lower than that of control group (t = 16.009, P = 0.000) and chlorhexidine group (t = 6.681, P0.01).Drug-resistant AB forms biofilm readily, which prevents topical agents from killing the bacteria inside. Combined use of ambroxol with topical agents gives synergistic effect on killing AB in biofilm in the wound.

To investigate the frequencies of HLA-Alu repeat polymorphisms (AluMICB, AluTF, AluHJ, AluHG and AluHF) in Chinese Lisu and Nu ethnic populations.The frequencies of HLA-Alu repeat polymorphisms in above populations were determined with polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The associations between HLA-Alu repeat polymorphisms and HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-C alleles were also analyzed. Phylogenetic trees were constructed with genetic distance calculated from the frequencies of HLA-Alu repeat polymorphisms.Frequencies of AluTF*2 and AluHF*2 were different between the two populations (P0.05), while those of other three insertions were similar. The strength of association between HLA-Alus and HLA alleles were different (P0.05) in the two populations. Although AluMICB*2 were associated with HLA-B*56:01 in both populations, the association was stronger in Lisu population (74.0%) but moderate in Nu population (30.7%). HLA-Alus were associated with particular HLA subtypes, e.g., AluHG*2 with certain HLA-A*02 subtypes. By phylogenetic analysis, Lisu and Nu were clustered together with southern Chinese and Thai populations.The distribution of HLA-Alus and the strength of associations between HLA-Alus and HLA class I alleles have varied between the two populations. Study of this association may facilitate identification of origins, evolution, progenitor haplotypes and recombination within the HLA class I region.

The key to achieve intelligent is to introduce frontal information communication technology and integrate high-voltage equipment monitoring with the information system . High-voltage equipment system based on Internet of Things (IOT), including radio frequency technology, wireless sensor network and WISP environment monitoring technology, makes high-voltage equipment system,computer system and the network work together. It can realize the immediate response,analysis and control of the high-voltage equipment. This paper will lauch the research from following parts. First, it brings up a structural frame of high-voltage monitoring system based on the concept of IOT and characteristics of the high voltage equipment monitoring. Then main functions and core technology of the frane are introduced. Finally, the author elaborates the research problems and challenges of high-voltage equipment monitoring based on IOT from the aspects of the pivotal parts of IOT、simulation algorithms and security assessment.

In wireless sensor networks, the sensor nodes are facing the random failure and the selective attacks all the time, which will cause partial or even entire network disintegrating. How to control the failures resulted from random failure or the selective attacks has become a hot topic in recent years. In this paper, we applied three matching models of capacity on three common kinds of wireless sensor network topology, and each model developed a profit function to defense cascading failures. Performances of the proposed matching models of capacity are evaluated using computer simulations. By studying the relationship between network investment and robustness, we find that NM model can defend against cascading failures better and requires a lower investment cost when higher robustness is required .The network performance analysis and the simulation results indicated that it can improve network robustness and invulnerability which are particularly important for the design of networks after applying this algorithm in the wireless sensor network.

To study the selection effect of endothelial PAS domain protein 1 (EPAS1) gene induced by high altitude hypoxia environment.Fourteen single nucleotide polymorphism sites (SNPs) of the EPAS1 gene were genotyped using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in three Tibetan groups (58 samples from Tibetan living in an altitude of about 3700 meters above sea level, 47 from Qinghai province, about 3100 meters above sea level, 43 from Yunnan province, about 2500 meters above sea level), and Han of Shandong (47 samples, about 50 meters above sea level).There were significant differences of most SNP allelic, genotypic and haplotypic frequencies when comparing Han of Shandong, Tibetan of Yunnan with Tibetan of Tibetan and Qinghai. But no difference between Han of Shandong and Tibetan of Yunnan was found.The EPAS1 gene might be under hypoxic selection induced by high altitude.

To investigate the distribution of human leukocyte antigen(HLA) class I genes and haplotypes in Jinuo, Maonan and Wa ethnic populations in southwest China.Polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific oligonucleotide (PCR-SSO) typing by Luminex was performed to genotype the HLA-C alleles in unrelated healthy individuals in the three populations. HLA C-B, A-C-B haplotypes were computed by combining the previous HLA-A and -B genotyping data using Pypop7.0 software.Eighteen HLA-C genes were identified in the three populations, with 17, 13 and 15 HLA-C genes in Jinuo, Maonan and Wa populations respectively. The alleles with frequency of more than 10% from high to low were C*08:01, C*01:02, C*03:04 and C*07:02 in the Jinuo, C*03:04, C*01:02, C*07:02 and C*08:01 in the Maonan, and C*12:03, C*08:01, C*07:02 and C*04:01 in the Wa. The predominant HLA A-C-B haplotypes were A*02:07-C*01:02-B*46:01, A*11:01-C*08:01-B*15:02 and A*11:01-C*03:04-B*13:01 in the Jinuo, A*11:01-C*03:04-B*13:01, A*02:07-C*01:02-B*46:01, A*11:01-C*08:01-B*15:02 and A*02:03-C*07:02-B*38:02 in the Maonan, and A*11:01-C*08:01-B*15:02, A*11:01-C*12:03-B*15:32 and A*11:01-C*04:01-B*35:01 in the Wa, respectively.There were different characteristics in the distributions of HLA-C genes and HLA C-B, A-C-B haplotypes in the Jinuo, Maonan and Wa populations. However, haplotypes C*08:01-B*15:02 and A*11:01-C*08:01-B*15:02 with high frequencies were common in the three populations, which might be the common ancient haplotypes of southern Chinese population. The study of HLA genes and haplotypes in these populations may be of significance in the study of population genetics, transplantation and disease association.

To study the association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (GPx4 or PHGPx) gene and oligo- or asthenozoospermic male infertility.The 5'-UTR region of the GPx4 gene was amplified from infertile men and controls using the polymerase chain reaction and was analyzed for polymorphisms by direct sequencing.A total of 9 SNPs were present in the cohort, however there were no significant differences in these 9 SNPs between the case and control groups. According to the results of linkage disequilibrium analysis and haplotype construction, one haplotype (rs757229-rs757230-rs4588110-rs3746165-rs3746166: C-G-G-T-A) was present only in the control men, and significant difference was detected(P0.01).The SNPs of 5'-UTR region of the GPx4 gene might not be associated with oligo- or asthenozoospermic male infertility. However, the haplotype (rs757229-rs757230-rs4588110- rs3746165-rs3746166: C-G-G-T-A) might be a protective haplotype.

To explore the relationship between genetic polymorphisms of 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the elastin microfibril interfacer 1 (EMILIN1) gene and essential hypertension.A case-control study was conducted in which 201 hypertensive patients and 202 healthy controls in Mongolian population were enrolled, and the genotypes of rs3754734, rs2011616 and rs2304682 loci were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and direct sequencing techniques.There were significant differences in the frequencies of alleles and genotypes for the rs2304682 between the hypertensives and normotensives in the population (P0.05). The frequency of the G-G haplotype established by rs3754734 and rs2304682 was significantly higher in the hypertensive patients (P0.05). The frequencies of alleles and genotypes for the rs2304682 also had significant differences between the group with high diastolic blood pressure and normal diasto lic blood pressure (P0.05).There were no significant differences in the frequencies of alleles and genotypes for the 3 SNPs between the group with high systolic blood pressure and normal systolic blood pressure (P0.05).The rs2304682 locus in the EMILIN1 gene, as well as the haplotypes G-G constructed using rs3754734 and rs2304682, may associate with the susceptibility of essential hypertension in the Mongolian population. Also, rs2304682 may associate with the level of the diastolic blood pressure.