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Abstract Mutations in the potassium channel subunit KCNQ1 cause the human severe congenital deafness Jervell and Lange‐Nielsen (JLN) syndrome. We applied a gene therapy approach in a mouse model of JLN syndrome (Kcnq1−/− mice) to prevent the development of deafness in the adult stage. A modified adeno‐associated virus construct carrying a Kcnq1 expression cassette was injected postnatally (P0–P2) into the endolymph, which resulted in Kcnq1 expression in most cochlear marginal cells where native Kcnq1 is exclusively expressed. We also found that extensive ectopic virally mediated Kcnq1 transgene expression did not affect normal cochlear functions. Examination of cochlear morphology showed that the collapse of the Reissner's membrane and degeneration of hair cells (HCs) and cells in the spiral ganglia were corrected in Kcnq1−/− mice. Electrophysiological tests showed normal endocochlear potential in treated ears. In addition, auditory brainstem responses showed significant hearing preservation in the injected ears, ranging from 20 dB improvement to complete correction of the deafness phenotype. Our results demonstrate the first successful gene therapy treatment for gene defects specifically affecting the function of the stria vascularis, which is a major site affected by genetic mutations in inherited hearing loss.

Due to the oil price fluctuations in recent decades, international and national oil companies have developed programs of strategically oriented development and assets optimization. Many companies have also promptly promoted opportunities for oilfield joint ventures. Therefore, a fast and accurate assessment methodology of oilfield assets, including planning and costs assessment, is expected to be proposed. Oilfield development cost assessment can be dynamically affected by a number of factors, including oilfield internal indexes and macroeconomic indexes. Based on a machine learning algorithm and combining mathematical and statistical methodology, the Microsoft Azure machine learning studio has been used for modeling the oilfield development cost. The proposed method has adopted three algorithms: a neural network, a boosted decision tree, and a decision forest. Results showed that the boosted decision tree and decision forest algorithms can achieve PFI ranking with stable training results. The results of the machine training model have been analyzed, and they showed that the permutation feature importance (PFI) model can provide reasonable scientific and technical support for oil companies and help to attain more effective and accurate estimation and prediction of oilfield assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A conductive pattern is formed by a conductive material on the substrate having an electromagnetic function. Ink-jet printing using metal nanoparticles is an attractive method for the direct fabrication of a conductive pattern, with low-cost, low-waste, and simple process. The conductive pattern that is usually fabricated on complex surface substrates is widely used, but this method has several drawbacks like stacking of printing curves to the surface and complexity of the motion path; moreover, the conductive inks flow easily on the surface, resulting in low printing accuracy. In addition, each curve needs to be individually cured leading to a long interface, thus resulting into the decrease in conductivity. In this pursuit, the current work presents a reduced dimension patch printing method, which uses a series of patches to approach the surface. These patches were rotated to the horizontal plane through the five-axis motion system for printing and curing by turn, so that the surface printing gets converted to two-dimensional printing. To execute this method, we designed the print path planning algorithm as follows: initially, based on the topological relation of the triangles in the STL (stereolithography) model, the sub-region culling method was used to reduce the number of final patches and the length of the boundary, as well as to improve the conductivity. Subsequently, the patches were rotated to the horizontal plane for optimizing the print path, by turn according to the adjacent relation, thus achieving the ink-jet process in two-dimensional motion. This improved the efficiency and ensured that the conductive inks were always on the horizontal plane before curing, thus effectively avoiding its flow and improving the printing precision. Additionally, the patch was integrally cured to improve the overall connectivity. The results show that the algorithm could achieve the print path planning and significantly reduce the number of print patches and boundary length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ryanodine receptors (RyRs) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) are members of a family of tetrameric intracellular Ca2+-release channels (CRCs). While it is well known in mammals that RyRs and IP3Rs modulate multiple physiological processes, the roles of these two CRCs in the development and physiology of insects remain poorly understood. In this study, we cloned and functionally characterized RyR and IP3R cDNAs (named TcRyR and TcIP3R) from the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. The composite TcRyR gene contains an ORF of 15,285 bp encoding a protein of 5,094 amino acid residues. The TcIP3R contains an 8,175 bp ORF encoding a protein of 2,724 amino acids. Expression analysis of TcRyR and TcIP3R revealed significant differences in mRNA expression levels among T. castaneum during different developmental stages. When the transcript levels of TcRyR were suppressed by RNA interference (RNAi), an abnormal folding of the adult hind wings was observed, while the RNAi-mediated knockdown of TcIP3R resulted in defective larval-pupal and pupal-adult metamorphosis. These results suggested that TcRyR is required for muscle excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling in T. castaneum, and that calcium release via IP3R might play an important role in regulating ecdysone synthesis and release during molting and metamorphosis in insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major challenge in palaeohydrology is the extraction of continuous palaeoflood information from geophysical records. A high-resolution sediment core off the Minjiang estuary area in the Taiwan Strait, SE China, records the sedimentation history from approximately 1660 to the present. The alkane ratio C31/C17, a classic organic geochemical indicator of terrestrial/aquatic matter, peaks in the layers dating as 1876-1878 and 1968-1970, suggesting the large terrestrial input to the Minjiang estuary area by huge flood transporting during the each peak interval. Historical archives are consistent with this interpretations and record catastrophic floods in the Minjiang River during both intervals. Furthermore between 1876-1878 there were floods in southern China and droughts in northern China, as well as throughout Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. The 1876-1878 catastrophic flood of the Minjiang River may therefore has been the local response to global climate anomalies during that time interval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Horizontal transfer (HT) of transposable elements has been recognized to be a major force driving genomic variation and biological innovation of eukaryotic organisms. However, the mechanisms ofHT in eukaryotes remain poorly appreciated. The non-autonomousHelitron family,Lep1, has been found to be widespread in lepidopteran species, and showed little interspecific sequence similarity of acquired sequences at 39 end, which makes Lep1 a good candidate for the study of HT. In this study, we describe the Lep1-like elements in multiple non-lepidopteran species, including two aphids, Acyrthosiphon pisum and Aphis gossypii, two parasitoid wasps, Cotesia vestalis, and Copidosoma floridanum, one beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis, as well as two bracoviruses in parasitoid wasps, and one intracellular microsporidia parasite, Nosema bombycis. The patchy distribution and high sequence similarity of Lep1-like elements among distantly related lineages as well as incongruence of Lep1-like elements and host phylogeny suggest the occurrence of HT. Remarkably, the acquired sequences of bothNbLep1 fromN. bombycis andCfLep1 fromC. floridanum showed over 90% identity with their lepidopteran host Lep1. Thus, our study provides evidence of HT facilitated by host-parasite interactions. Furthermore, in the context of these data, we discuss the putative directions and vectors of HT of Lep1 Helitrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism by which nanoparticles cross the placental barrier was studied by using isotopic tracers. The abortion rates and other related data were counted and analysed in pregnant mice with different pregnancy times. Results showed that oxidised multi-walled carbon nanotubes (oMWCNTs) crossed the placental barrier and entered the foetus body. The abortion rates in the pregnant mice depended on pregnancy times. The abortion rates in the first-time, second-time and fourth-time pregnant mice were 70%, 40% and 50%, respectively. The maternal body weight gain was inhibited until gestational ages of 13, 10 and 11 d. oMWCNTs decreased the serum progesterone level and increased the serum oestradiol level in a dose- and time-dependent manner. However, this effect decreased with gestational age. The histology and vascular endothelial growth factor/reactive oxygen species content in the placenta showed that oMWCNTs narrowed the blood vessel and decreased the number of blood vessels in the placenta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we present a theoretical method to determine the line tension of nanodroplets on homogeneous substrates via decomposing the grand free energy into volume, interface and line contributions. With the obtained line tension, we check the viability of Young equation and find that the chemical potential dependence (or equivalently, droplet curvature dependence) of the interface tensions is crucial for the viability of modified Young equation at the nanometer scale. In particular, the linear relationship between the cosine of contact angle and the curvature of the contact line, which is often used to determine the line tension, is found to be incorrect at the nanometer scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a technique for measuring the conductivity of individual hybrid metal, semiconducting core-shell and full-metal conducting particles by a microscopic four-point probe (m-4PP) method. The four-point probe geometry allows for minimizing contact resistances between electrodes and particles. By using a focused ion beam we fabricate platinum nanoleads between four microelectrodes on a silicon chip and an individual particle, and determine the particle's conductivity via sensitive current and voltage measurements. Up to sixteen particles can be taken up by each chip, which allows for multiple conductivity measurements by simply multiplexing the electric contacts connected to a multimeter. Although, for demonstration, we used full Au (conducting) and Ag-coated latex particles (semiconducting) of a few micrometers in diameter, the method can be applied to other types of conducting or semiconducting particles of different diameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technetium-99 (Tc) was used as an isotope tracer to study the biodistribution of oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (oMWCNTs) and /or graphene oxide nanoplatelets (GONP) after intravenous administration (i.v.). The authors also investigated the histological impact of non-radiolabeled oMWCNT or GONP as they passed through systemic circulation and their excretion pathways in comparison to co-exposure groups of both (oMWCNTs and GONP). Results indicated that oMWCNTs were mainly excreted through feces rather than urine. From the blood, oMWCNTs first entered the stomach, then intestines via chyme, and were finally excreted in feces. GONP also followed this pathway, but could also be excreted through urine when co-exposed with oMWCNTs. In summary, the biodistribution patterns and excretion rates of the nanomaterials in vivo depended on their composition and chemical modifications. A new mechanism is proposed to explain how chemical modification groups affect the behavior of nanomaterials in vivo. The behavior and fate of GONP depended strongly on oMWCNTs in mice in vivo, but the GONP did not affect deeply biodistribution and excretion pattern of oMWCNTs in co-exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly[bis(resorcinol monobenzoate)phosphazenes] (PRMBP) and poly[bis(resorcinol monoben- zoate diethylamino)phosphazenes] (PRMBDEAP) were synthesized in two steps. In the first step, polydichlorophosphazenes (PDCP) were synthesized from hexachlorocyclotriphosphazenes (HCCP) via ring opening polymerization in the presence of AlCl as a catalyst. In the second step, the chlorine atoms in PDCP were replaced with resorcinol monobenzoate and (or) diethylamine in a macromolecular substitution reaction. The structures of the polymers were elucidated by H NMR, P NMR, and GPC. In addition, the self assembly behaviors of PRMBP and PRMBDEAP were investigated in different solvent using optical microscopy and SEM techniques. The SEM images showed that PRMBDEAP self assembled into star-like dendrimers comprising of open ended tubular arms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cisplatin (DDP)-based adjuvant chemotherapy is widely used for the treatment of esophageal cancer. However, DDP resistance has become more common and thus new approaches are required to be explored. Cisplatin was used to induce autophagy in the human esophageal cancer cell line, EC9706 cells, and the effect of autophagy on the survival of EC9706 cells was investigated using an autophagy inhibitor 3-MA. Cell viability was measured by CCK8 assay. Apoptosis and cell cycle were detected by flow cytometry. Monodansylcadaverine (MDC) was used to detect autophagy. Western blotting assay was used to investigate the molecular changes that occurred in the course of treatment. DDP inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell death and cell cycle arrest at S phage. Moreover, autophagy was activated through class III PI3K pathway. The expression of autophagy-related Beclin1 and LC3-I was up-regulated and part of LC3-I was converted into LC3-II. However, after the combination treatment of 3-MA and DDP, the cell inhibitory rate increased; the apoptosis rate and the numbers of cells in S phase also increased. Furthermore, the accumulation of autophagic vacuoles was decreased; the expression of Beclin1 and LC3 was significantly down-regulated and the release of cytochrome c was decreased. DDP-induced apoptosis in EC9706 cells can be enhanced by the inhibitor of autophagy, 3-MA. Autophagy might play a role as a self-protective mechanism in DDP-treated esophageal cancer cells, and its inhibition could be a novel strategy for the adjuvant chemotherapy of esophageal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An esterase, Sso2518, from Sulfolobus solfataricus P2 was over-expressed in E. coli. and characterized after purification. The maximum activity was at pH 7.5 and 50°C. The half life of Sso2518 was about 30 min at 85°C and the enzyme was activated by Cu2+. The catalytic triad of Sso2518 was comprised of residues Ser151, Asp176, and His328. Sso2518 showed the highest activity with p-nitrophenyl caproate (C6) and could also hydrolyze olive oil. Under native conditions, Sso2518 consists of 125 kDa homotrimers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response spectra are helpful to understand the vibrational characteristics of linear system, and further could be used as important indications for the failure diagnosis and state detecting of the system. Due to the parametric excitation, the vibrational spectra of linear periodic system differ distinctly from that of the linear time-invariant system. Thus, utilizing the Sylvester’s theorem and Fourier series approximations, commonly used in the matrix decomposition, the spectral components for both the free and forced responses of linear parametrically excited system are obtained theoretically in the first part of the paper. The effects of system stability and damping on the response spectra are discussed in detail. Moreover, the external resonant condition for periodic system is found in the analysis. In the following part of the paper, spectral simulations for a spur gear pair under idle load (modeled as the free response) and fluctuating load (modeled as forced response) are done respectively to validate the theoretical results and illustrate the special frequency distributing features of periodic system intuitively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic regulation of histone methylation/demethylation plays an important role during development. Mutations and truncations in human plant homeodomain (PHD) finger protein 8 (PHF8) are associated with X-linked mental retardation and facial anomalies, such as a long face, broad nasal tip, cleft lip/cleft palate and large hands, yet its molecular function and structural basis remain unclear. Here, we report the crystal structures of the catalytic core of PHF8 with or without α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) at high resolution. Biochemical and structural studies reveal that PHF8 is a novel histone demethylase specific for di- and mono-methylated histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9me2/1), but not for H3K9me3. Our analyses also reveal how human PHF8 discriminates between methylation states and achieves sequence specificity for methylated H3K9. The in vitro demethylation assay also showed that the F279S mutant observed in clinical patients possesses no demethylation activity, suggesting that loss of enzymatic activity is crucial for pathogenesis of PHF8 patients. Taken together, these results will shed light on the molecular mechanism underlying PHF8-associated developmental and neurological diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, anthropogenic contribution of heavy metals far exceeds natural input in some aquatic sediment, but the proportions are difficult to differentiate due to the changes in sediment characters. In this paper, the metal (Al, Fe, K, Mg, Ca, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn) concentrations, grain size, and total organic carbon (TOC) content in the surface and core sediments of Nansihu Lake Catchment (the open lake and six inflow rivers) were determined. The chemical speciations of the metals (Al, Fe, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn) in the surface sediments were also analyzed. Approaches of factor analysis, normalized enrichment factor (EF) and the new non-residual fractions enrichment factor (KNRF) were used to differentiate the sources of the metals in the sediments, from detrital clastic debris or anthropogenic input, and to quantify the anthropogenic contamination. The results indicate that natural processes were more dominant in concentrating the metals in the surface and core sediments of the open lake. High concentration of Ca and deficiency of other metals in the upper layers of the sediment core were attributed to the input of carbonate minerals in the catchment with increasing human activities since 1980s. High TOC content magnified the deficiency of the metals. Nevertheless, the EF and KNRF both reveal moderate to significant anthropogenic contamination of Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn in the surface sediments of Laoyun River and the estuary and Cr in the surface sediments of Baima River. The proportion of non-residual fractions (acid soluble, reducible, and oxidizable fractions) of Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn in the contaminated sediments increased to 37–99% from the background levels less than 30%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial robots can be made compliant to the environment when the control loop gains are reduced, creating a so-called soft servo capability. This allows industrial robots to be used for assemblies with limited contact requirements. In this paper, we propose an assembly method using soft servo to perform certain assembly tasks where part location errors typically require the use of force control or remote center of compliance (RCC) methods. A typical industrial application, valve body assembly, was used to validate the developed method. This assembly was chosen because it is simple, yet requires compliance in all directions. Lab experiments were performed and the assembly operations were consistently successful enough to show that the developed soft servo strategy can perform certain assembly tasks with small part location errors. Therefore, the soft servo strategy may open a new door for low-cost industrial assembly. Experiments with force control were also performed to compare the performance between soft servo and force control. We found that the force control method is much more sensitive to environmental contact, that the contact forces can be controlled directly, and that greater part location errors can be tolerated. Conversely, assembly with soft servo may either fail to assemble the parts or generate bigger contact forces than allowed. Thus, applications of soft servo are more limited while force control can be successfully used in most all applications. Further investigation is needed to determine the practical industrial use of soft servo for particular types of precision assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eukaryotic plankton assemblages in 11 high-mountain lakes located at altitudes of 2,817 to 5,134 m and over a total area of ca. one million square kilometers on the Eastern Tibet Plateau, spanning a salinity gradient from 0.2 (freshwater) to 187.1 g l−1 (hypersaline), were investigated by cultivation independent methods. Two 18S rRNA gene-based fingerprint approaches, i.e., the terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) with subsequent band sequencing were applied. Samples of the same lake type (e.g., freshwater) generally shared more of the same bands or T-RFs than samples of different types (e.g., freshwater versus saline). However, a certain number of bands or T-RFs among the samples within each lake were distinct, indicating the potential presence of significant genetic diversity within each lake. PCA indicated that the most significant environmental gradient among the investigated lakes was salinity. The observed molecular profiles could be further explained (17–24%) by ion percentage of chloride, carbonate and bicarbonate, and sulfate, which were also covaried with change of altitude and latitude. Sequence analysis of selected major DGGE bands revealed many sequences (largely protist) that are not related to any known cultures but to uncultured eukaryotic picoplankton and unidentified eukaryotes. One fourth of the retrieved sequences showed ≤97% similarity to the closest sequences in the GenBank. Sequences related to well-known heterotrophic nanoflagellates were not retrieved from the DGGE gels. Several groups of eukaryotic plankton, which were found worldwide and detected in low land lakes, were also detected in habitats located above 4,400 m, suggesting a cosmopolitan distribution of these phylotypes. Collectively, our study suggests that there was a high beta-diversity of eukaryotic plankton assemblages in the investigated Tibetan lakes shaped by multiple geographic and environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five truncated constructs of Xcc_est GDSL esterase from Xanthomonas campestris were heterologously expressed and purified. The truncated constructs with a RGD motif had higher specific activities than those without the motif. The specific activity of wild-type Xcc_est was 32.5 ± 2.7 U/mg, while the RGD mutant was 12.5 ± 4.9 U/mg. Moreover, we expressed mature forms of the Xcc_est protein and the RGD mutant as inclusion bodies and, after refolding, there was no significant difference between the two constructs in specific activity. These results suggest that the RGD motif affects the esterase-domain folding in vivo during the translocation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although organic-aggregate-associated bacteria play a pivotal role in microbial food webs and in the cycling of major elements, their community composition and diversity have not been extensively studied, especially in shallow freshwater systems. This study is among the first to explore intra-lake horizontal heterogeneity of organic-aggregate-associated bacterial community composition (OABC) in the large, shallow, and eutrophic Lake Taihu. During November 2006, samples were collected at four locations representing different trophic states and food web structures. Regional variability of OABC and diversity were studied by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis and comparative analysis of four large 16S ribosomal RNA clone libraries. Our results demonstrate that OABC were numerically dominated by members of the β-proteobacteria (19.2–38.6%), Bacteroidetes (3.6–20.0%), and α-proteobacteria (11.5–19.2%) groups. The dominance of the Bacteroidetes group was related to algae-based aggregates. Horizontal heterogeneity of OABC exists within habitats, suggesting that the trophic state of the water and the physicochemical properties of organic aggregates (OA) play a key role. Diverse bacterial communities found on OA were substantially different from free-living ones. Comparative statistical analyses of the habitats of OA-associated bacteria highlight the potential ecological importance of the exchange between OABC and the surrounding planktonic community. Lastly, we found at least 45% of sequences closely related to ones previously found in soils, sludge, sediments, and other habitats. This demonstrates that microorganisms from terrestrial and sediment habitats are an important component of OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rice Eui (ELONGATED UPPERMOST INTERNODE) gene encodes a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase that deactivates bioactive gibberellins (GAs). In this study, we investigated controlled expression of the Eui gene and its role in plant development. We found that Eui was differentially induced by exogenous GAs and that the Eui promoter had the highest activity in the vascular bundles. The eui mutant was defective in starch granule development in root caps and Eui overexpression enhanced starch granule generation and gravity responses, revealing a role for GA in root starch granule development and gravity responses. Experiments using embryoless half-seeds revealed that RAmy1A and GAmyb were highly upregulated in eui aleurone cells in the absence of exogenous GA. In addition, the GA biosynthesis genes GA3ox1 and GA20ox2 were downregulated and GA2ox1 was upregulated in eui seedlings. These results indicate that EUI is involved in GA homeostasis, not only in the internodes at the heading stage, but also in the seedling stage, roots and seeds. Disturbing GA homeostasis affected the expression of the GA signaling genes GID1 (GIBBERELLIN INSENSITIVE DWARF 1), GID2 and SLR1. Transgenic RNA interference of the Eui gene effectively increased plant height and improved heading performance. By contrast, the ectopic expression of Eui under the promoters of the rice GA biosynthesis genes GA3ox2 and GA20ox2 significantly reduced plant height. These results demonstrate that a slight increase in Eui expression could dramatically change rice morphology, indicating the practical application of the Eui gene in rice molecular breeding for a high yield potential.Cell Research (2008) 18:412–421. doi: 10.1038/cr.2008.28; published online 12 February 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The TIMSS 1995, 1999, and 2003 data have been gathered from Hong Kong before and after its sovereignty switch from the United Kingdom to China in 1997. Built on a reciprocal relation theory from the research literature, this investigation is designed to examine models of student self-concept and mathematics achievement during the political transition. Along with a perceived 'brain drain' from the population migration, there was a non-monotonic change in the reciprocal relationship between self-concept and mathematics achievement. In addition, indicators of mathematics achievement and self-concept have demonstrated different linkages to the permanent emigration of Hong Kong residents with valued or desirable skills and qualifications. Interpretation of these empirical findings entails a need of enhancing cross-cultural understanding in mathematics education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of penguins on vegetation cover is a frequently documented but not fully explained phenomenon, especially over geological time scales. To address this we collected two ornithogenic sediment cores from Ardley Island, Antarctica, and reconstructed historic variations of penguin population and different vegetations by using biomarkers fecal sterols and n-alkanols in the cores. The three major types of vegetations in the colony, namely coprophilic algae, moss and lichen, exhibited quite different trends, in concert with fluctuations in the penguin populations: a moderate penguin population is favorable for coprophilic algae and mosses, while lichen abundances decreased whenever penguin population increased, and vice versa. Cholestanol and alkanols biomarkers, in combination with bioelements, provided integrated information about the 2,400-year evolution of the penguin colony: historical penguins and vegetation populations, their fluctuations, and their interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composite materials with periodic variations of density and/or sound velocities, so-called phononic crystals, can exhibit bandgaps where propagation of acoustic waves is forbidden. Phononic crystals are the elastic analogue of the well-established photonic crystals and show potential for manipulating the flow of elastic energy. So far, the experimental realization of phononic crystals has been restricted to macroscopic systems with sonic or ultrasonic bandgaps in the sub-MHz frequency range. In this work, using high-resolution Brillouin spectroscopy we report the first observation of a hypersonic bandgap in face-centred-cubic colloidal crystals formed by self-assembly of polystyrene nanoparticles with subsequent fluid infiltration. Depending on the particle size and the sound velocity in the infiltrated fluid, the frequency and the width of the gap can be tuned. Promising technological applications of hypersonic crystals, ranging from tunable filters and heat management to acousto-optical devices, are anticipated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several existence theorems on multiple positive radial solutions of the elliptic boundary value problem in an exterior domain are obtained by using the fixed point index theory. Our conclusions are essential improvements of the results in [7], [10] and [13]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The specific anti-tumor immune response induced by mouse bone marrow dendritic cells (DCs) transfected with recombinant adenovirus carrying mutant k-ras genes was investigated. DCs were generated from mouse bone marrow in the presence of rmGM-CSF (3.3 ng/mL) and rmIL-4 (1.3 ng/mL) and detected by FACS, and then transfected with the recombinant adenovirus encoding mutant k-ras gene. The efficacy of transfection and T cell stimulating activity of DCs were detected. CTL activity of the mice vaccinated with DCs was observed. The results showed that DCs had dendritic veiled morphology. BmDCs highly expressed B7-1 (80%), B7-2 (77%), MHC II (70%), CD11c (65%), CD40 (70%) and CD54 (96%) with FACS, and no significant difference in the expression was observed before and after the transfection ( P>0.05). The DCs transfected by mutant k-ras gene could significantly stimulate lymphocytes proliferation as compared with those transfected by Ad-c or non-modified DCs ( P<0.05). DC vaccine transfected by mutant k-ras gene could induce CTL activity against Lewis lung cancer, but not against B16. The specific cytotoxicity against Lewis lung cancer in Ad-k-ras/12-transduced DC group was significantly higher than those in the control, vector and non-transfected DCs groups ( P<0.05). It was concluded that special antitumor response could be induced by DCs transfected with recombinant adenovirus carrying mutant k-ras genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the status of crop genetic resources in Yunnan province of China from 1978 to 1999. Results are presented of same research in the field of the diversity of cultivated and wild crop. Yunnan is one of the centre of origin or genetic diversity of more than 200 cultivated and wild crops. There are over 500 cultivated plants which account for over 80% of the total in China and more than 650 species of wild crops. In addition, there are more than 440 species of main wild flowers. According to our recently researches there are abundant species, subspecies and varieties of crop genetic resources in Yunnan Province. The Lancang River Valley is the richest genetic diversity centre of rice, maize, wheat, barley, buckwheat, legumes, ramie, sugarcane, vegetable, tea, actinidia and so on. For example, there are 59 varieties (including all varieties of Oryza sativa L. in China) in 5933 accession of Yunnan indigenous rice. The Lancang River Valley is one of the centre for genetic diversity of rice resources and a rich region for elite and rare rice resources of Yunnan, too. In order to protect the highly endangered crop genetic resources in the Lancang River Valley, it is necessary and very important to set up a collection, conservation, utilization and research system, enhancing their protection and utilization, in situ- and ex situ-conservation, farm management and sustainable production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the acceptance of the concept of histamine in brain as a transmitter or modulator while referencing to previous studies. What previous studies have revealed; Demonstration of the presence of histamine receptors; Physiological effect of histamine on the cerebellar neurons; Observation of the effects of histamine on the granule cell (GrC) in rat cerebellar slices.

A new Suboptimal Maximum Likelihood Estimation (SMLE) algorithm based on full-deramp model and its implementation in satellite-borne radar altimeter are presented, with emphasis on the influence of both the return fluctuation and the receiver noise on height and slope estimation precision. Some conclusions are obtained and varified by computer simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to establish more simple and effective rat orthotopic lung transplantation models, 20 rats were divided into donor and recipient groups. Rat lung transplantation models were established by using improved cuff technique. All the 10 operations were accomplished successfully. The mean operative time of recipients was 45±4 min. The survival time was over 30 days after lung transplantation. The checks of X-ray were almost normal. There was no significant difference in the blood gas analysis before and after clipping the right hilum ( P>.05). This method is more simple, applicable and requires less time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a letter to the editor about assignments of a monomeric, biologically active apolipoprotein E carboxyl-terminal D.

Presents a letter to the editor about exchangeable apolipoprotein in Locusta migratoria apolipophorin III.

Nanoindentation is a widely accepted test method for materials characterization. Given the complexity of contact deformation behavior, design of parametric constitutive models and determination of the unknown parameters is challenging. To address the need for identification of mechanical properties of viscoelastic/plastic materials from nanoindentation data, a combined numerical finite element/optimization-based indentation modeling tool was developed, fully self-contained, and capable of running on a PC as a stand-alone executable program. The approach uses inverse engineering and formulates the material characterization task as an optimization problem. The model development consists of finite element formulation, viscoelastic/plastic material models, heuristic estimation to obtain initial solution boundaries, and a gradient-based optimization algorithm for fast convergence to extract mechanical properties from the test data. A four-parameter viscoelastic/plastic model is presented, then a simplified three-parameter model with more rapid convergence. The end result is a versatile tool for indentation simulation and mechanical property analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a letter to the editor about the complete backbone assignment of the low density lipoprotein receptor binding domain of apolipoprotein E.