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An efficient and eco-friendly procedure has been developed for synthesis of naphthoquinone-fused oxazine derivatives via one-pot pseudo four-component reaction of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, aromatic amine and formaldehyde in water under ultrasound irradiation. This protocol has the advantages of being catalyst-free, with short reaction times and high yields, and being environmentally benign with an easy work-up.

Objective To investigate the correlation between miR-21 and chemotherapy-induced premature ovarian failure (CIPOF) by measuring the serum miR-21 level in animal models and patients. Methods CIPOF animal model was established by intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide. Caudal vein blood samples were collected at the first and the 15th day after the models established. Serum miR-21 level was detected by QT-PCR. The correlations between miR-21 level with estradiol (E2) level, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) level and ovary structure were analyzed. From Jan. 2014 to Jun. 2015, 30 patients with CIPOF and 30 normal women of child-bearing age were enrolled in the study. Serum miR-21 levels of all cases were detected and the correlations between serum miR-21 levels and other laboratory indexes [luteinizing hormone (LH), E2, FSH and prolactin (PRL)] were analyzed. Results Compared to control group, the serum miR-21 levels in CIPOF animal models and patients were obviously lower with statistical significances (t=15.467, P=0.000; t=10.197, P=0.000). Positive correlations existed in animal models between miR-21 and E2, primordial, primary, secondary and antrum follicle numbers (r=0.750, P=0.000; r=0.403, P=0.006; r=0.704, P=0.000; r=0.783, P=0.000; r=0.849, P=0.000, respectively), and a negative correlation existed between miR-21 and FSH (r=–0.801, P=0.000). A positive correlation existed in patients between miR-21 and E2 (r=0.817, P=0.000), and negative correlations existed between miR-21 and FSH (r=–0.771, P=0.000) and miR-21 and LH (r=–0.784, P=0.000). No correlation existed between miR21 and PRL (r=0.204, P=0.207). Conclusion The evident decrease of serum miR-21 level in CIPOF animal models and patients suggests that miR-21 may play an important role in the process of CIPOF, and the miR-21 may be a potential prevention and therapeutic option for CIPOF. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2016.11.07

Piccolo is a lightweight block cipher proposed at CHES 2011. This paper firstly gives the zero-correlation linear approximations over 7-round Piccolo and studies the security of Piccolo-128 against multidimensional zero-correlation linear cryptanalysis. Based on the statistic used in multidimensional linear cryptanalysis to detect the right key and wrong keys, this paper gives the data complexity when using this statistic in multidimensional zero-correlation linear cryptanalysis. Finally, with partial sum technique and the relation between the round keys in Piccolo-128, the first known-plaintexts attacks on round 0-12/round, 15-28/round, and 14-28 of Piccolo-128 are proposed; the data complexities of those attacks are 256.8/252.43/255.6 known plaintexts, respectively; and the time complexities are 2117.2,2123.09,2126.55, respectively. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Protein tyrosine kinases belonging to the Janus kinase (JAK) family are associated with many cytokine receptors, which, on ligand binding, regulate important cellular functions such as proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation. The protective effects of JAK inhibitors on fibrotic diseases such as myelofibrosis and bone marrow fibrosis have been demonstrated in previous studies. The JAK inhibitor SHR0302 is a synthetic molecule that potently inhibits all members of the JAK family, particularly JAK1. However, its effect on hepatic fibrosis has not been investigated to date, to the best of our knowledge. In the present study, the effects of SHR0302 on the activation, proliferation, migration and apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) as well as HSC collagen production were investigated. Our data demonstrated that treatment with SHR0302 (10-9-10-5 mol/l) exerted an inhibitory effect on the activation, proliferation and migration of HSCs. In addition, the expression of collagen I and collagen III were significantly decreased following treatment with SHR0302. Furthermore, SHR0302 induced the apoptosis of HSCs, which was demonstrated by Annexin V/PI staining. SHR0302 significantly increased the activation of caspase-3 and Bax in HSCs whereas it decreased the expression of Bcl-2. SHR0302 also inhibited the activation of Akt signaling pathway. The pharmacological inhibition of the JAK1/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3 pathway led to the disruption of functions essential for HSC growth. Taken together, these findings provide evidence that SHR0302 may have the potential to alleviate hepatic fibrosis by targeting HSC functions.

Although the existence of short-lived univalent magnesium cation (Mg+) was supposed to play an important role on negative difference effect (NDE) during anodic dissolution of magnesium in previous work, no direct proof of the existence of Mg+ has ever been reported. Here, a modified substrate generation/tip collection mode of scanning electrochemical microscopy was applied to detect Mg+ via the reaction of generated Mg+ and potassium ferricyanide (K3[Fe(CN)6]). Based on the new design method and experimental data, our studies provide a direct evidence of the presence of Mg+ in aqueous solution combining with open circuit and polarization condition, which is benefit to understand NDE.

Conducting safety education lectures and distributing questionnaires to students, teachers and administrators are measures needed to improve the safety awareness of college students and promote safe behavior of students. This paper uses statistical data analysis software package SPSS17.0 to analyze and verify the collected data, using structural equation model (SEM) and confirmatory factor analysis. The paper investigate the factors influencing college students’ safety awareness, reveals the influence of various factors and the present situation of students’ safety consciousness. The results showed that the overall score index of safety awareness of students, teachers and administrators in a certain university is 75, therefore the overall level of students’ safety consciousness is relatively good. Results of the study supports the implementation of safety environment and safety culture for colleges, in order to improve the safety management of college leaders.

The taxonomic records of Chinese perisphaerine cockroaches were scattered in literature, and therefore a dedicated study is desired to update our knowledge. This paper reviews the subfamilial diagnosis and Chinese species, mostly from southwestern China. We provide high-definition habitus photos and drawings, the latter emphasizes the genitalia of both sexes, which are generalized with diagrams, abstracted from specimens examined. A total of 18 species are recorded in four genera, including Perisphaerus, or pill cockroach, the type genus of the subfamily. Two new genera and three new species are proposed: Achatiblatta achates gen. & sp. nov., Frumentiforma frumentiformis gen. & sp. nov., and Pseudoglomeris montana sp. nov.. Pseudoglomeris has five new junior synonyms: Corydidarum, Trichoblatta, Kurokia, Glomerexis, and Glomeriblatta; the following combinations are thus revived or new: Ps. aerea comb. nov., Ps. angustifolia comb. nov., Ps. beybienkoi comb. nov., Ps. fallax comb. nov., Ps. magnifica comb. rev., Ps. montshadskii comb. nov., Ps. nigra comb. nov., Ps. sculpta comb. nov., Ps. semisulcata comb. rev., Ps. tibetana comb. nov., and Ps. valida moderata comb. nov.. The following species are revalidated and combinations revived: Pe. pygmaeus comb. rev., Ps. dubia comb. & sp. rev., and Ps. planiuscla comb. & sp. rev.

Among a great variety of cell surface receptors, the largest superfamily is G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), also known as seven-transmembrane domain receptors. GPCRs can modulate diverse signal-transduction pathways through G protein-dependent or independent pathways which involve β-arrestins, G protein receptor kinases (GRKs), ion channels, or Src kinases under physiological and pathological conditions. Recent studies have revealed the crucial role of GPCRs in the tumorigenesis and the development of cancer metastasis. We will sum up the functions of GPCRs—particularly those coupled to chemokines, prostaglandin, lysophosphatidic acid, endothelin, catecholamine, and angiotensin—in the proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis of hepatoma cells and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in this review. We also highlight the potential avenues of GPCR-based therapeutics for HCC.

The incorrect generic name Perisphaeria Burmeister, 1838 results from a mistake by Princis (1947). Perisphaeria is an incorrect spelling by Burmeister referring to Perisphaerus Serville, 1831. Princis (1947) incorrectly regarded Perisphaeria as proposed by Burmeister and as the senior synonym of Hyposphaeria Lucas, 1863, which is valid. The subfamilial name Perisphaeriinae based on Perisphaeria should be corrected to Perisphaerinae Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865 based on Perisphaerus; but note Princis’ Perisphaeriinae is based on his Perisphaeria Burmeister. The taxa involved are listed.

Nocticolidae are delicate cockroaches, characterized by simple but unique wing venation. They are included in Corydioidea with Corydiidae. No fossil of this family was reported. Here we describe a stem member of Nocticolidae, Crenocticola burmanica gen. et sp. nov., from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Its morphology appears plesiomorphic for Nocticolidae, and exhibits transitional form between crown Nocticolidae and Latindiinae (in Corydiidae). Placing Crenocticola in stem Nocticolidae is confirmed by a preliminary morphological phylogeny based on 28 non-genital characters. We use Crenocticola and published fossils to calibrate dating analyses of Corydioidea under autocorrelated TK02 relaxed clock model in MrBayes, and the analyses in turn test the power of Crenocticola as a node calibration. The dataset comprises published DNA (12S, 16S, 18S and 28S) of 19 ingroup taxa of Corydioidea, and eight outgroup taxa including termites. As a result, Crenocticola is too young to be an effective calibration. It is suppressed by the oldest fossil of termites, which may also be crucial in previous studies provided that unjustified fossil calibrations (e.g. ‘roachoids’) are excluded. We compare two approaches to applying fossil calibrations: 1) in-analytical calibration, i.e. incorporating the fossil age in prior settings, and 2) post-analytical calibration, i.e. adjusting the fixed prior so that the estimated age does not conflict with the fossil age. In-analytical calibration may underestimate the age, whilst post-analytical calibration yields better estimates. Our dating analyses suggest that crown Corydioidea likely originated in the Late Triassic or Early Jurassic. Questionable genera in Nocticolidae are briefly discussed.

“Rapid response” features enable supercapacitor energy storage systems (SCESSs), used as auxiliary equipment for primary frequency regulation (PFR), to meet the stability and reliability requirements of power grids. In this application, capacity allocation for SCESSs is studied through theoretical derivation and simulation experiments. Firstly, the application scenarios of SCESSs in PFR are analyzed on the basis of weak grid frequency characteristics. Secondly, in two typical operating modes, namely virtual inertia control and droop control, an integrated operating mode is presented with consideration of the start-stop timing and the output depth of SCESSs, and the relationship between the operating modes and rated powers is derived. Then, to satisfy simulation needs of PFR, an analysis model for SCESSs is built, and a common process of SCESS capacity allocation is summarized. Finally, the optimal rated power, virtual inertia coefficient and droop coefficient of an SCESS is calculated with reference events and frequency control requirements of a weak grid as the benchmark. The results show that aforementioned theory is correct and reasonable, and that the proposed method can achieve optimal frequency regulation effects with a small capacity.

In primary frequency regulation (PFR) using battery energy storage system (BESS), the droop configuration for BESS needs to be considered thoroughly. This paper modified the traditional droop configuration method by considering more BESS`s internal nonlinear constraints and then proposed a variable droop strategy for operation. By doing this, a modified BESS model for PFR was constructed. Finally, the validity of BESS droop configuration method in this paper is testified with a three-area equivalent model based on the data of actual grid. The results show that variable droop strategy is more suitable for PFR than fixed traditional one.

An improved Quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization algorithm is proposed for 0-1 knapsack problem.In the new algorithm, the inertia weight is expressed as functions of particle evolution velocity and particle aggregation by defining particle evolution velocity and particle aggregation so that the inertia weight has adaptability. At the same time, slowly varying function is introduced to the traditional location updating formula so that the local optimal solution can be effectively overcome. The simulation experiments show that improved Quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization algorithm has better convergence and stability in solving knapsack problem.

Dunaliella salina, a unicellular green alga, has the potential to grow in hypersaline environments via one of its gene products, superoxide dismutase (SOD). The superoxide radicals (O2 (-) ) produced by environmental stresses can cause damage to cells, and SOD catalyzes the turnover of such free radicals to protect cells. In this study, the gene coding for SOD in D. salina was cloned and the product was further identified and characterized. The open reading frame of this gene was 651 bp long, encoding for 217 amino acids. According to the sequence alignment using BLAST, native polyacrylamide electrophoresis for SOD activity analysis, and atomic absorption spectroscopy analysis, this protein belongs to the manganese-containing superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) family. Complementation analysis, performed by introducing plasmids carrying an inducible version of the D. salina gene encoding for MnSOD into an SOD-deficient mutant of E.coli, revealed that this gene could not only complement the defects in SOD activity, but was also capable of providing a stronger tolerance to restrictive growth conditions, such as high salt and prolonged UV exposure, compared to the tolerance of wild-type strains.

Aiming at solving the low efficiency and low quality of the existing test paper generation algorithm, this paper proposes an improved particle swarm algorithm, a new algorithm for intelligent test paper generation. Firstly, the paper conducts mathematically modeling based on item response theory. Secondly, in the new algorithm, the inertia weight is expressed as functions of particle evolution velocity and particle aggregation by defining particle evolution velocity and particle aggregation so that the inertia weight has adaptability. At the same time, slowly varying function is introduced to the traditional location updating formula so that the local optimal solution can be effectively overcome. Finally, simulation results show that compared with the quantum-behaved particle swarm algorithm, the proposed algorithm has better performance in success rate and composing efficiency.

The article puts forward an improved PSO algorithm based on the quantum behavior——CMQPSO algorithm to improve premature convergence problem in particle swarm algorithm. The new algorithm first adopts Tent mapping initialization of particle swarm, searches each particle chaos, and strengthens the diversity of searching. Secondly, a method of effective judgment of early stagnation is embedded in the algorithm. Once the early maturity is retrieved, the algorithm mutates particles to jump out of the local optimum particle according to the structure mutation so as to reduce invalid iteration. The calculation of classical function test shows that the improved algorithm is superior to classical PSO algorithm and quantum-behaved PSO algorithm.

Complex I is the first enzyme in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. It extracts energy from NADH, which is produced by the oxidation of sugars and fats, and traps the energy by virtue of a potential difference or voltage across the mitochondrial inner membrane. Herein, the genomic sequence and four splice variants encoding the complex I 19-kD subunit were isolated from Dunaliella salina. There were four transcripts coding for the complex I 19-kD subunit due to alternative splicing in algae, and the four transcripts were translated to two protein isoforms with varying C-terminals. We report the splicing pattern in the 3'-region of the D. salina 19-kD subunit, in which three of the exons (5, 6, and 7) could be alternatively spliced. Moreover, we found that four alternatively spliced variants were subject to coordinated transcription in response to different stresses by real-time quantitative PCR.

Morphogenesis requires the coordination of cell growth, division, and cell differentiation. Female gametogenesis in flowering plants, where a single haploid spore undergoes continuous growth and nuclear division without cytokinesis to form an eight-nucleate coenocytic embryo sac before cellularization, provides a good system to study the genetic control of such processes in multicellular organisms. Here, we report the characterization of an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) female gametophyte mutant, slow walker2 (swa2), in which the progression of the mitotic cycles and the synchrony of female gametophyte development were impaired, causing an arrest of female gametophytes at the two-, four-, or eight-nucleate stage. Delayed pollination test showed that a portion of the mutant ovules were able to develop into functional embryo sacs and could be fertilized. SWA2 encodes a nucleolar protein homologous to yeast NUCLEOLAR COMPLEX ASSOCIATED PROTEIN1 (NOC1)/MAINTENANCE OF KILLER21 that, together with NOC2, is involved in preribosome export from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. Similarly, SWA2 can physically interact with a putative Arabidopsis NOC2 homologue. SWA2 is expressed ubiquitously throughout the plant, at high levels in actively dividing tissues and gametophytes. Therefore, we conclude that SWA2 most likely plays a role in ribosome biogenesis that is essential for the coordinated mitotic progression of the female gametophyte.

This paper constructs the probability model of Gunther generator at first, and the finite dimension union distribution of the output sequence is presented. The result shows that the output sequence is an independent and uniformly distributed 0,1 random variable sequence. It gives the theoretical foundation about why Gunther generator can avoid the statistic weakness of the output sequence of stop-and-go generator, and analyzes the coincidence between output sequence and input sequences of Gunther generator. The conclusions of this paper would offer theoretical references for designers and analyzers of clock-controlled generators.

The government replacement subsidy promotes the sales of remanufacturing products and recycling of obsolete products, and then makes significant impacts on differential pricing closed-loop supply chain. This paper discusses the effects of the government replacement subsidy on the decision-making of four different differential pricing closed-loop supply chain models, and analyzes its impacts on the profits of closed-loop supply chain system and its members. The research shows that, the reasonable government replacement subsidy can effective achieve the goal of the policy and some stakeholders will benefit from it, including the replacement consumers, closed-loop supply chain system and its participants, environmental benefits, while others will damaged from it.

The beetle cockroach, or genus Diploptera Saussure, has been reviewed recently, with unresolved issues remaining. New materials facilitated a molecular phylogenetic study and further comparisons of male and female genitalia among known species. We performed phylogenetic estimates based on two mitochondrial DNA fragments: 657 bases of COI gene and 376 bases of 16S rRNA gene. We used codon model and doublet model (secondary structure) for COI and 16S respectively, and the predicted secondary structure of sequenced 16S fragment is illustrated. The phylogeny revealed that 1) D. bicolor Hanitsch is a junior synonym of D. maculata Hanitsch, and therefore D. pulchra Anisyutkin is also a new synonym of the latter because of its synonymy with D. bicolor ; and 2) D. punctata (Eschscholtz) can be reliably determined only for specimens from Hawaii and continental Asia, and distributional records of this species require re-examination. The male phallic complex and female valvulae are generalized with diagrams, and interspecific differences are discussed. Genital structures of Diploptera are not significantly varied. We notice a superficial linkage between hook-like phallomere and pronotum: a protrusion on the inner margin of hook-apex sclerite is combined with an angular pronotum; whilst no protrusion, no pronotal angles. The differences in valvulae lie with the third valvulae and the anterior arch of second valvifer ring; these may have taxonomic implications. The uniformity in physical property of oothecae suggests that all Diploptera species, not only D. punctata , are viviparous.

Pollen undergo a maturation process to sustain pollen viability and prepare them for germination. Molecular mechanisms controlling these processes remain largely unknown. Here, we report an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant, dayu (dau), which impairs pollen maturation and in vivo germination. Molecular analysis indicated that DAU encodes the peroxisomal membrane protein ABERRANT PEROXISOME MORPHOLOGY9 (APEM9). DAU is transiently expressed from bicellular pollen to mature pollen during male gametogenesis. DAU interacts with peroxisomal membrane proteins PEROXIN13 (PEX13) and PEX16 in planta. Consistently, both peroxisome biogenesis and peroxisome protein import are impaired in dau pollen. In addition, the jasmonic acid (JA) level is significantly decreased in dau pollen, and the dau mutant phenotype is partially rescued by exogenous application of JA, indicating that the male sterility is mainly due to JA deficiency. In addition, the phenotypic survey of peroxin mutants indicates that the PEXs most likely play different roles in pollen germination. Taken together, these data indicate that DAU/APEM9 plays critical roles in peroxisome biogenesis and function, which is essential for JA production and pollen maturation and germination.

Dunaliella salina, a unicellular green alga, has the potential to grow in hypersaline environments via one of its gene products, superoxide dismutase (SOD). The superoxide radicals (O2 (-) ) produced by environmental stresses can cause damage to cells, and SOD catalyzes the turnover of such free radicals to protect cells. In this study, the gene coding for SOD in D. salina was cloned and the product was further identified and characterized. The open reading frame of this gene was 651 bp long, encoding for 217 amino acids. According to the sequence alignment using BLAST, native polyacrylamide electrophoresis for SOD activity analysis, and atomic absorption spectroscopy analysis, this protein belongs to the manganese-containing superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) family. Complementation analysis, performed by introducing plasmids carrying an inducible version of the D. salina gene encoding for MnSOD into an SOD-deficient mutant of E.coli, revealed that this gene could not only complement the defects in SOD activity, but was also capable of providing a stronger tolerance to restrictive growth conditions, such as high salt and prolonged UV exposure, compared to the tolerance of wild-type strains.

Microbial lipids, which are also known as single cell oils (SCO), are produced by oleaginous microorganisms including oleaginous bacteria, yeast, fungus and algae through converting carbohydrates into lipids under certain conditions. Due to its unique environment having extremely low temperature and anoxia, the Tibetan Plateau is amongst the regions with numerous rare ecotypes such as arid desert, salt marsh, alpine permafrost, hot spring, and lawn. By using a rapid, convenient screening method, we identified 31 strains of oleaginous microorganisms from different habitats in the Tibetan Plateau, which include wetlands, lawn, hot spring, alpine permafrost, and saline-alkali soil. Molecular identity analysis showed that they belong to 15 different species, 7 of which are reported for the first time as lipid-producing microorganisms, that is, Cladosporium sp., Gibberella fujikuro, Ochrobactrum sp., Plectosphaerella sp., Tilletiopsis albescens, Backusella ctenidia, and Davidiella tassiana. The distribution of the oleaginous microorganisms varies with habitats. 11 strains were found in hot spring (35.5%), 10 in farmland (32.3%), 6 in lawn (19.4%), 2 in sand (6.4%), 1 in wetland (3.2%), and 1 in permafrost (3.2%). Carbon utilization analysis indicated that most of these filamentous fungi can use xylose and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as carbon source, where Backusella ctenidia, Fusarium sp. and Gibberella fujikuroi have the strongest capability.

Due to the rapid development observed in industries, environmental pollution became more and more critical. Lipase-producing strains played a key role in the enzymological remediation of polluted soils. Diversity of culturable lipase-producing bacteria in the southwest of China was studied with 198 samples collected from different points, along the transect from Tibetan Plateau-Ya An–Sichuan Basin. The enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) technology was used to amplify the isolated lipolytic producer’s DNA samples and the amplified results were analyzed by NTSYS-pc2.1 to identify the similarity of isolates. A total of 54 bacterial strains were isolated from samples: 21 strains from Sichuan Basin (38.9%), 15 strains from Ya An (27.8%) and 18 strains from Tibetan Plateau (33.3%). The result of enzyme activity analysis showed that intracellular enzyme activity was nearly three folds than extracellular enzyme activity, and the intracellular enzyme activity was 6.79, 6.23 and 5.59 U/ml from Sichuan Basin, Ya An and Tibetan Plateau, respectively. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, 12 strains were identified and belonged to Bacillus, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas and Enterobacter. The results showed that the Bacillus strains were the preponderant strains in the Tibetan Plateau and the Klebsiella strains were predominant isolates in Ya An. It suggested that the strains of Klebsiella were the transitional lipase-producing strains from Tibetan Plateau to Sichuan Basin. It could be concluded that the diversity of lipase-producing strains showed a transitional tendency: diversity of lipase-producing strains in Sichuan Basin were significantly higher than that of other two places and the diversity decreased gradually from plain region to Plateau region. Key words: Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction(ERIC-PCR), lipase-producing microorganisms, diversity, Tibetan Plateau

To observe the role of large-diameter fibers of infraorbital nerve (ION) in "Sibai" (ST 2)-electroacupuncture (EA) induced analgesia in visceral pain (VP) rats.A total of 36 SD rats were randomized into control, VP, EA, ION transaction, snake venom (SV) and saline groups, with 6 rats in each group. EA(2 Hz/20 Hz) was applied to bilateral "Sibai" (ST 2) for 20 min. VP model was established by intraperitoneal injection of 0.6% acetic acid (10 mL/kg). Bilateral ION were transacted or pretreated by regional application of snake venom to selectively destroy A fibers,respectively. Behavior reactions were assessed by counting abdominal muscular contractions. Meanwhile, c-fos expression in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and paratrigeminal nucleus (PTN) was displayed by immunohistochemistry.In comparison with control group, the numbers of abdominal muscular contraction,and c-fos immuno-reaction (IR) positive neurons in both NTS and PTN increased significantly in VP group (P0.001); while in comparison with VP group, the numbers of the abdominal contraction, and c-fos IR-positive neurons of both NTS and PTN in EA and SV and saline groups decreased considerably (P0.05, P0.01). No significant differences were found between ION transaction and VP groups in the abdominal contraction number, and c-fos IR-positive neurons in both NTS and PTN areas,and among EA and SV and saline groups in the numbers of abdominal contraction and c-fos IR-positive neurons of both NTS and PTN (P0.05).The large-diameter (A) fibers of ION are not the major afferent fibers affecting EA-ST 2 induced analgesia in visceral pain rats; and somatic sensory afferents from orofacial areas and visceral pain input converge in the NTS and PTN, which may be the basis of the EA analgesia in the present study.

Utilizing the optimizing capability of PSO arithmetic, this paper makes use of the united arithmetic of chaos particle swarm optimization and discrete binary particle swarm optimization simultaneously processing parameters of joint structure of neural network and connective power. Experimental result shows that this arithmetic is an effective neural network training arithmetic which can effectively amend neural network structure and parameter's optimization, enhance network capability.

Acupuncture has been applied in the clinic to treat visceral pain for a long time. However, the underlying mechanism still remains unknown. In the present study, extrasegmental analgesia of electroacupuncture (EA) at orofacial acupoints on visceral pain rats was investigated. The results revealed that nociceptive EA stimulation applied at heterotopic acupoints or nonacupoints to activate A(δ) and/or C fibers induced c-fos expression in the paratrigeminal nucleus (PTN) and significantly inhibited acetic acid-induced abdominal contractions and c-fos expression in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). However, non-nociceptive EA or non-EA stimulation applied at heterotopic acupoints was totally ineffective. After infraorbital nerves transaction or pretreated by capsaicin, the EA analgesia was dramatically inhibited. Snake venom pretreatment had no influence on this analgesia. Consequently, heterotopic EA stimulation trigger the pain-inhibiting effect of diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC), in which PTN-NTS secondary neural pathway may be involved and small-diameter (A(δ) and/or C) fibers are crucial.

Four taxa of beetle cockroaches (Diploptera Saussure, 1864) from South China are described and illustrated, viz., two new species D. elliptica sp. n. and D. naevus sp. n., one new subspecies D. nigrescens guani subsp. n. and one widespread known species D. punctata (Eschscholtz, 1822). The genus and known species from around the world are discussed based on types and other specimens. D. pulchra Anisyutkin, 2007 is now regarded as a junior synonym of D. bicolor Hanitsch, 1925. Whether the populations of D. punctata represent or not different species needs to be studied in the future. A key, a distribution map, and photos of species are provided.

We established a simple and effective system to induce somatic embryos in Arabidopsis via ovule culture. Agar-solidified B5 basic medium supplemented with 10 micro M 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid was used for callus induction. Ovules at all developmental stages were tested, and among these, ovules older than 48 h after anthesis could be successfully induced to form embryogenic calli at high frequencies (42-82%). Structural and molecular probe analyses confirmed that the embryogenic calli were derived from embryos in the ovules. These calli were then easily induced to generate somatic embryos at frequencies of 63-95%. Subculture of the somatic embryos onto 1/2 strength MS medium resulted in their direct conversion into plants. The regenerants appeared morphologically normal and were fertile. This method provides a useful alternative tool to create sufficient numbers of somatic embryos for the study of biochemical and molecular mechanisms of embryogenesis, especially to recover early defective embryos in some mutations for cell-biological analyses.

Four new species of Margattea Shelford from China are described: M. angusta sp. n., M. flexa sp. n., M. spinosa sp. n. and M. pseudolimbata sp. n.. Male genitalia are illustrated. M. limbata and M. hemiptera are redescribed and illustrated based on types. M. bisignata is described in detail for the first time. A key to Margattea spp. from China and photographs of M. mckittrickae and M. spinifera in nature are provided.