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Fiber Bragg grating and resistance strain gauge have been used to test the stress change in key parts of structure of 61t-55m quayside container crane under the same testing conditions. The testing data and stress-time history diagrams obtained by the resistance strain gauge and fiber Bragg grating have been analyzed. The results verify good real-time property and high reliability of the structural health monitoring system based on fiber Bragg grating system.

In the present study, we aimed to investigate the expression and distribution of transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM)- and vanilloid (TRPV)- related channels in rat spermatogenic cells and spermatozoa. Spermatogenic cells and spermatozoa were obtained from male Sprague-Dawley rats. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to detect the expression of all TRPM and TRPV channel members with specific primers. Western blot analysis was applied for detecting the expression of TRPM and TRPV channel proteins. Immunohistochemistry staining for TRPM4, TRPM7 and TRPV5 was also performed in rat testis. The mRNAs of TRPM3, TRPM4, TRPM7 and TRPV5 were detected in the spermatogenic cells and spermatozoa in rat. Western blot analysis verified the expression of TRPM4, TRPM7 and TRPV5 in the rat spermatogenic cells and spermatozoa. Immunocytochemistry staining for TRPM and TRPV channel families indicated that TRPM4 and TRPM7 proteins were highly expressed in different stages of spermatogenic cells and spermatozoa, while TRPV5 protein was lowly expressed in these cells. Our results demonstrate that mRNAs or proteins for TRPM3, TRPM4, TRPM7 and TRPV5 exist in rat spermatogenic cells and spermatozoa. These data presented here may assist in elucidating the possible physiological function of TRPM and TRPV channels in spermatogenic cells and spermatozoa.

We examined allele frequency distributions at 15 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci including 13 Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) core STRs in four regional Japanese populations (Akita, Nagoya, Oita and Okinawa). Those distributions were compared pairwise and statistically among them. We also analyzed the distributions with published data on a Korean population by genetic distance DA to construct a tree based on the neighbor-joining method. Consequently, we obtained one that coincides well with their geographical distributions.

We analyzed the genotypes and haplotypes at 14 short tandem repeat (STR) loci on Y-chromosome (Y-STRs) in 10 East and Southeast Asian populations including two regional Japanese populations (Nagoya and Okinawa) using two multiplex typing systems. The allele frequency at each locus was calculated in each population and then compared among the populations. We also estimated the gene diversity at each locus and the haplotype diversity in each population. As a result, Japanese populations seemed to be genetically less diverse than other Asian populations. Furthermore, we constructed a tree based on the neighbor-joining method using a genetic distance DA. The resultant tree was comprised of three clusters (Japanese, Chinese and Southeast Asian) and coincided well with their geographical distributions.

Objective: Growing evidence has shown that menthol has potent anticancer activity in various human cancers via the transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8)-dependent pathway or in a TRPM8-independent manner. However, its effect on bladder cancer remains obscure. In the present investigation, we examined the expression of TRPM8 and the role of menthol in cells of the human bladder cancer cell line T24. Methods: RT-PCR, Western blotting and immunocytochemistry were used to confirm the expression and location of TRPM8 in T24 cells. Results: TRPM8 was highly expressed in T24 cells and located in both the cell membrane and cytoplasm. With the use of small interfering RNA to silence the expression of TRPM8, we found that menthol could increase the concentration of intracellular calcium and decrease cell viability via the TRPM8 channel in T24 cells. We also found that menthol could induce cell death through TRPM8 in T24 cells, rather than cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. Moreover, the detection of mitochondrial membrane potential showed that menthol could induce mitochondrial membrane depolarization in T24 cells. Conclusions: In the present study, we demonstrated that menthol can induce mitochondrial membrane depolarization via the TRPM8 channel in cells of the human bladder cancer cell line T24, resulting in cell death. It would be helpful to explore the precise mechanism of action of menthol in bladder cancer with a view to its possible use as intravesical chemotherapy.