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We discuss the relationship on the periodicity of a transcendental entire function with its differential polynomials. For example, we obtain that if f is a transcendental entire function, k is a non-negative integer and if (anfn + ⋯ + a1f)(k) is a periodic function, then f is also a periodic function, where a1, … an (≠ 0) are constants. Our results are related to Yang’s Conjecture on the periodicity of transcendental entire functions.

To establish a multiplex nucleic acid assay for rapid detection ofThe mitochondrial genomic sequences ofThe multiplex RAA assay was effective to specifically amplify the mitochondrial gene fragments ofA sensitive and specific multiplex nucleic acid assay for rapid detection of

A gradient honeycomb absorber with a layer of carbon-based conductive coating was developed in this work. The geometrical parameters and EM performance were investigated through both numerical simulation and free-space measurement. It is found from measurement results that honeycomb absorber has good absorption properties within frequency from 18 to 40 GHz, and superior power handling capability up to 5 kw/m2. The reflectivity over the whole frequency band is better than − 43 dB. Also, the numerical simulation achieves sound agreement with the free-space measurement. It can be promising candidate for measurement chambers of 5G millimeter phase-array antenna which needs to withstand high radiation power and high temperature.

1. The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of cereal types (maize or wheat) and feed forms (pelleted or mash feed) on production performance, egg quality and egg sanitary indices in laying hens.2. Three hundred and sixty hens (Jinghong No. 1) at 18 weeks of age were randomly assigned to four treatments with six replicates of 15 hens per replicate according to a 2 × 2 factorial design with two cereal types (maize or wheat) and two feed forms (pelleted or mash feed).3. Compared with the wheat-based diet, the maize-based diet improved (P 0.05) average egg weight of laying hens. Yolk colour of hens fed with the maize-based diet was higher (P 0.05) in comparison to those fed the wheat-based diet, while Haugh units were lower (P 0.05) for the maize-based treatment. Egg mass and average daily feed intake of hens fed the pelleted diet were higher (P 0.05) than of those fed the mash diet. However, the mash diet improved (P 0.05) yolk colour compared with the pelleted diet. The percentage of dirty eggs for the wheat-based diet was higher (P 0.05) than for the maize-based diet. The percentage of dirty eggs was higher (P 0.05) in birds fed the pelleted diet compared with those fed the mash diet. There were interactions (P 0.05) between cereal type and feed form, with regard to average egg weight and shell thickness.4. In conclusion, dietary cereal type affected average egg weight, yolk colour and Haugh units in eggs, while feed form influenced egg mass, average daily feed intake and yolk colour.

More than 20 viruses are known to infect strawberry (Fragaria ananassa), and a substantial number of these include new viruses identified since 2000 that can contribute to disease complexes (2). The most serious virus related losses in commercial strawberries are caused by aphid transmitted viruses (3,4,5). A survey was undertaken from 2012 to 2013 to investigate virus prevalence in commercial strawberries in rural areas of Hebei Province around Beijing, China, that were exhibiting virus symptoms. Visual observations revealed that the incidence of virus-like symptoms ranged from 30 to 50% of the plants and these symptoms included yellowing, leaf malformation, sometimes combined with severe stunting and deformed flowers or fruits. Leaf samples were tested for Strawberry vein banding virus (SVBV), Strawberry mottle virus (SMoV), Strawberry mild yellow edge virus (SMYEV), and Strawberry crinkle virus (SCV), which are the four most prevalent aphid-transmitted viruses in single or mixed infections (2). Testing was conducted by RT-PCR using total RNA extracted from fresh symptomatic strawberry leaves (3). SVBV was detected in 58 of 190 samples, but all of the samples tested negative for SMoV, SMYEV, and SCV. Aphids were present on many of the plants, so the samples were tested for Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) because CMV is prevalent in Beijing gardens and farms, and recently had been shown to infect maize in China (5). This RT-PCR was carried out with the CMV primer pair CM420-F (5′-TGATTCTACCGTGTGGGTGA-3′) and CM420-R (5′-CCGTAAGCTGGATGGACAAC-3′) to amplify a portion of the capsid protein coding region and the conserved 3′non-translated regions of the genomic RNAs. This test revealed the presence of 43 CMV-positives out of 190 samples, and only 16 of these samples were co-infected with both SVBV and CMV. Samples infected with CMV only had leaf malformations and yellowing, while no CMV was found in symptomless samples. One of the amplified, CMV-specific DNA fragments was sequenced directly from the PCR product and showed 93.8% nucleotide sequence identity and 100% amino acid sequence identity to the CMV subgroup I (GenBank Accession No. D10538) (1). Subsequent ELISA tests for the CMV presence verified the RT-PCR results (Agdia, Elkhart, IN), and transmission electron microscopy observations revealed 28 nm spherical particles characteristic of CMV in strawberry samples tested positive for CMV. However, we were unable to detect either CMV or SVBV in 89 of the 169 samples from symptomatic plants, which suggested possible presence of the other pathogen(s). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of natural infections of CMV in strawberry plants. These data suggests that CMV is a potential threat to strawberry production. References: (1) M. Q. K. Andrew et al. Virus taxonomy: IXth Report of the ICTV, 970, Elsevier, 2012. (2) R. R. Martin and I. E. Tzanetakis. Plant Dis. 97:1358, 2013. (3) J. R. Thompson et al. J. Virol. Methods 111:85, 2003. (4) I. E. Tzanetakis et al. Plant Dis. 90:1343, 2006. (5) R. Wang et al. J. Phytopathol. 161: 880, 2013.

Unlike the economic dispatch used in most power systems, electricity system dispatch currently used in China is an equal share approach. This form of dispatch has been criticized for its negative influence on system operations, worsening energy security, environmental sustainability and affordability problems. To contribute to on-going electricity market reform discussions, our study employs an optimization model to quantify the economic dispatch savings in the coal-fired power sector. We offer three major findings. First, the heat rates of coal generators in China in 2014 ranged from 273.91 gce/kWh to 348.38 gce/kWh units and as a result of these large differences among generators in different regions, implementing economic (merit order) dispatch will bring economic and environmental benefits. Second, we identify three major political and economic challenges, which hinder the transition from the current dispatch model, namely (i) current running hours are insufficient for cost recovery, (ii) limited cross-border trading due to electricity over-supply and local protectionism, and (iii) political economy problems from generators of different ownership types. Finally, 5.67% of coal used in power generation could be saved if economic dispatch was employed at the provincial level, the value of which equals 0.05% of Chinese GDP in 2014.

Nonlinear optical (NLO) nanostructures have played important roles in frequency conversion, optical switching, information storage and biomedical imaging. Although previous designs have focused on photonic crystals and metal plasmonic nanostructures, complex structure, large ohmic loss and Joule heating greatly hinder their practical applications. Beyond photonic crystals and metal plasmonic nanostructures, all-dielectric materials (ADMs) bring new ways to generate NLO behavior at subwavelength scales. We, for the first time to our knowledge, demonstrate irregular-geometry induced second harmonic generation (SHG) enhancement from an individual all-dielectric SiC nanoparticle. SHG conversion efficiency of single irregular-geometry SiC nanoparticles increases to 10−5 under an average excitation power of 6 mW at 880 nm excitation, thirtyfold higher than that of SiC nanosphere. We also establish that not only electric dipole mode but also magnetic dipole mode can exist in the vicinity of nanoparticles in mid-refractive (2 < n < 3) ADMs, and the stronger enhancement of the magnetic response induced by the irregular-geometry makes a great contribution to the SHG enhancement. A modified formula that includes electric and magnetic contributions is proposed to predict the SHG enhancement from ADMs. This discovery makes geometry-tuning all-dielectric nanoparticles promising in NLO nanostructures of nanophotonics in the future.

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Amplitude death is a physical phenomenon that occurs in coupled systems where oscillation is dead and comes to fixed points. Based on the basic mechanical oscillators, a new kind of coupling named mechanical coupling is proposed to induce amplitude death. Both direct coupling and time delay coupling of mechanical oscillators are tested to be able to induce amplitude death. The amplitude death region is found to be influenced by the coupling strength. Numerical examples of lorenz oscillators and rossler oscillators are also simulated and found that the chaotic motion is induced to death with properly designed parameters. The significant practical applications of the new mechanism of amplitude death is discussed.

An efficient Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation method was successfully established for a newly isolated Taxol-producing fungus, Ozonium sp EFY21. A specific hygromycin B resistance expression vector, pCAMBIA1304'AN7-1, was constructed for fungal transformation. Key factors affecting transformation efficiency were thoroughly investigated and optimized. PCR amplification and Southern hybridization were used to verify the transformation events. This study should pave the way for future genetic modification studies of Ozonium sp EFY21.

Previous genetic studies on wheat from various sources have indicated that aluminum (Al) tolerance may have originated independently in USA, Brazil, and China. Here, TaALMT1 promoter sequences of 92 landraces and cultivars from Sichuan, China, were sequenced. Five promoter types (I', II, III, IV, and V) were observed in 39 cultivars, and only three promoter types (I, II, and III) were observed in 53 landraces. Among the wheat collections worldwide, only the Chinese Spring (CS) landrace native to Sichuan, China, carried the TaALMT1 promoter type III. Besides CS, two other Sichuan-bred landraces and six cultivars with TaALMT1 promoter type III were identified in this study. In the phylogenetic tree constructed based on the TaALMT1 promoter sequences, type III formed a separate branch, which was supported by a high bootstrap value. It is likely that TaALMT1 promoter type III originated from Sichuan-bred wheat landraces of China. In addition, the landraces with promoter type I showed the lowest Al tolerance among all landraces and cultivars. Furthermore, the cultivars with promoter type IV showed better Al tolerance than landraces with promoter type II. A comparison of acid tolerance and Al tolerance between cultivars and landraces showed that the landraces had better acid tolerance than the cultivars, whereas the cultivars showed better Al tolerance than the landraces. Moreover, significant difference in Al tolerance was also observed between the cultivars raised by the National Ministry of Agriculture and by Sichuan Province. Among the landraces from different regions, those from the East showed better acid tolerance and Al tolerance than those from the South and West of Sichuan. Additional Al-tolerant and acid-tolerant wheat lines were also identified.

A novel nonlinear vibration reduction mechanism based on targeted energy transfer (TET) is proposed. Targeted energy transfer is a physical phenomenon that describes a one-way irreversible energy flow from a linear oscillator (LO) to a nonlinearizable (essentially) nonlinear auxiliary substructure, noted as nonlinear energy sink (NES). The optimal targeted energy transfer where NES is set on the optimal state is investigated in this study. Complexification-averaging methodology is used to derive the optimal TET of the undamped system for different initial conditions. It is revealed that the optimal TET is dependent on the energy, indicating that passive control of NES cannot be optimally set for arbitrary initial conditions. In addition, it is found that for the undamped system, the optimal phrase difference between the linear primary oscillator and the nonlinear attachment is π/2. From the perspective of active control, the NES can be taken as an actuator to keep the system vibrating on the optimal TET. An available modification form of the optimal equations is proposed for the impulse excitation with relatively small damping. The comparisons of the effectiveness of the optimal TET is validated by using numerical simulations with the excitations including impulse, harmonic, to input with sufficient bandwidth, and random signal. The design procedure would pave the way for practical implications of TET in active vibration control.

Subspace-based state space system identification method is well known for its computational efficiency and robustness. However, when directly applied to nonlinear models, intrinsic drawbacks exist and may lead to less accurate estimation. This paper explains how the error is generated when transforming continuous-time model to discrete-time one and then presents an approach to identify nonlinear systems by choosing two different sample frequencies for different parts of the discrete-time state-space model. The method allows to identify the nonlinear coefficients and the underlying linear system more robustly based on only the input and output of the structural system. Several numerical examples are given to illustrate the correctness of the analysis and the effectiveness of the method.

To evaluate the prevalence of macrosomia in Beijing in 2013 and identify its risk factors.Retrospective six months analysis of 14 188 full-term singleton pregnant women from 15 hospitals with different levels in Beijing in 2013. Each participant's demographic data and medical information were collected individually by questionnaires. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the associations between variables and the risk of macrosomia.(1)The total prevalence of macrosomia was 7.069% (1 003/14 188) in Beijing in 2013. (2)The prevalence varied between the 15 hospitals, the lowest was 5.36% (89/1 659), while the highest reached 8.80%(46/523). Furthermore, the incidence of macrosomia was 1.284 times (95% CI: 1.114- 1.480, P=0.001) higher in the second graded hospitals than that in the tertiary hospitals. (3) Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that risk factors for macrosomia were maternal height≥160 cm (adjusted OR=1.875, 95% CI: 1.559- 2.256), pre-pregnant body mass index (p-BMI) ≥24.0 kg/m(2) (24.0- 27.9 kg/m(2): adjusted OR=1.696, 95% CI: 1.426- 2.018; p-BMI≥28.0 kg/m(2): adjusted OR=2.393, 95% CI: 1.831- 3.127), gestational weight gain (GWG) ≥15.9 kg (adjusted OR=2.462, 95% CI: 2.125- 2.853), gravidity1 (adjusted OR=1.408, 95% CI: 1.224- 1.620), gestational weeks≥40 (adjusted OR=2.007, 95%CI: 1.745-2.308) and gestational diabetes mellitus (adjusted OR=1.522, 95%CI: 1.298-1.784). GWG≥15.9 kg, p-BMI≥28.0 kg/m(2) and gestational weeks≥40 were three risk factors that had the strongest associations with macrosomia (all P0.01).The prevalence of macrosomia in hospitals with different levels is obvious different. Gestational weeks, p-BMI and GWG are three main controllable risk factors for macrosomia, thus should receive more attentions.

Passive targeted energy transfer (TET) that describes a highly efficient manner of energy absorption is considerably enhanced by a new form of absorber proposed in this paper. The absorber is attached to the primary linear oscillator (LO) through cubic stiffness and bilateral barriers that set to induce vibro-impact (VI). Both essential nonlinearity and non-smooth nonlinearity are considered. Energy pumping phenomenon is found, and complexification averaging method is used to give an analytical treatment for the essential stiffness nonlinearity. At a low level of impulse excitation where energy pumping of nonlinear energy sink (NES) does not occur, by introducing VI energy pumping is brought up. At the optimal TET state, the vibro-impact cubic (VIC) absorber improves the efficiency of cubic NES on energy reduction to a certain degree. For a two-degree-of-freedom LO, the new absorber can absorb most energy of the broadband excitation which is a novel improvement compared with normal NES. Broadband excitations like input with sufficient bandwidth and random signals are found to be absorbed extensively by the VIC NES, meaning that the VIC NES as a nonlinear passive vibration absorber can be very efficient on broadband vibration energy absorption.

To study the pattern of lymph node metastasis (LNM) of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to clarify which node level should be included while undergoing radiotherapy (RT).A total of 2062 patients with NSCLC patients who had undergone thoracotomy were retrospectively examined. The clinicopathological factors related to LNM were analysed.The LNM rates (the number of node-positive patients/the total number of patients) in patients with primary tumours in different lobes (left upper lobe, left lower lobe, right upper lobe, right middle lobe and right lower lobe) were 53.25%, 53.87%, 53.77%, 64.67% and 61.58%, respectively. We have found that in all of the clinicopathological factors, including sex, age, tumour location, histological type, maximum diameter, T stage, degree of differentiation and tumour growth pattern, only maximum diameter (p = 0.336) and histological type (p = 0.360) did not have significant correlation with LNM rate. All of the above factors except tumour growth pattern (p = 0.239) and maximum diameter (p = 0.613) were significantly associated with lymph node ratio [LNR, ratio between metastatic and examined lymph nodes (LNs)] in linear regression.For patients with NSCLC, LNM rate and LNR can be recommended as applicable parameters for LN involvement. Multiple clinicopathological factors should be considered comprehensively to design the clinical target volume for RT of NSCLC.This article can provide evidence to radio-oncologists how to choose range of lymph nodal clinical target volume when they are treating inoperable patients with NSCLC patients by analysing data of patients after surgery.

This paper deals with the optimization of kurtosis for complex-valued signals in the independent component analysis (ICA) framework, where source signals are linearly and instantaneously mixed. Inspired by the recently proposed reference-based contrast schemes, a similar contrast function is put forward, based on which a new fast fixed-point (FastICA) algorithm is proposed. The new optimization method is similar in spirit to the former classical kurtosis-based FastICA algorithm but differs in the fact that it is much more efficient than the latter in terms of computational speed, which is significantly striking with large number of samples. The performance of this new algorithm is confirmed through computer simulations.

An understanding of the characteristics of crop varieties and advanced lines could help improve their cultivation and to further enhance their potential. The objectives of this study were to estimate the genotype (G), environment (E) and genotype x environment (GE) interactions on the grain yield of Chinese spring wheat genotypes in 2000 and 2001 by the additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model, and to evaluate the relationships between yield and its components by correlation and path analysis. Grain yield varied from 3.9 to 5.2 t ha -1 , among which SW8188 had the highest yield performance, followed by 58769-6 and Chuannong 16. Three interaction principal components (IPC) accounted for a total of 79.99 % and 72.96 % of the interactions with 41.05 % and 52.08 % for the corresponding degrees of freedom in 2000 and 2001, respectively. When IPC3 was significant, the stability coefficient D i was more useful in the evaluation of the stability of each genotype. The estimates of D i in the 2 years indicated that the D i values varied between genotypes and years. The D i values ranged from 1.804 to 14.665 and 2.497 to 12.481 in 2000 and 2001 respectively. The suitable locations (environments) for all genotypes were characterized. These results would be useful for improving the Chinese spring wheat cultivation and improvement.

Summary Euonymus bungeanus plants exhibiting symptoms of abnormal branches, small leaves and phyllody, which is indicative of E. bungeanus witches’ broom (EbWB) disease, have recently been found in Beijing, China. A phytoplasma from symptomatic E. bungeanus plants was identified by 16S rRNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the phytoplasma-specific universal primer pair R16mF2/R16mR1. Inoculation of healthy E. bungeanus plants by grafting with diseased scions was also performed. The rp and secY genes of the EbWB phytoplasma were cloned and sequenced as was the 16S rRNA gene. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA, rp and secY genes indicated that the phytoplasma associated with E. bungeanus belongs to the 16SrV-B, rpV-C and secY-C subgroup, the same subgroup as the jujube witches’ broom (JWB) phytoplasma that is widely distributed among jujube trees in China. Comparative analyses based on virtual restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) showed that the EbWB phytoplasma is more closely related to another 16SrV-B subgroup strain: RPWB (Robinia pseudoacacia witches’ broom). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a witches’ broom phytoplasma in E. bungeanus in China, and the findings add a new cultivated plant species to the already broad natural host range of 16SrV-B subgroup phytoplasmas.

A fine mineral identification model using the field Hyperspectral remote sensing was proposed to solve the problem of low mineral identification accuracy. Results show that the accuracy was improved by spectral noises removal, endmember optimization and mineral absorptions enhancement. A regional endmember library was established to improve the reliability by systematically considering of the mineral assemblage relationships. A fine mineral identification system (FMIS) was developed to help geologists to quickly identify minerals and it was applied in the Xiemisitai Mountain, Xinjiang province, China in 2014 to newly find copper mineralized points. The improved model and the FMIS system are therefore not only of great significance to improve efficiency and save cost in remote sensing mineral exploration, but also of great economic value of the local economy development in the future.

We have previously demonstrated that syngeneic marrow mixed with H-2 haploidentical marrow transplantation could provide not only protection against graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) but also anti-leukemic (GVL) effects in mice. In the present studies, we report clinical observations using autologous marrow mixed with HLA-haploidentical allogeneic marrow transplantation for treatment of patients with malignant blood diseases. Sixteen cases, including 12 with acute leukemia and four with advanced malignant lymphoma, were treated by autologous marrow, which was purged in vitro by hyperthemia (42.5 degrees C for 70 min) following incubation for 5 days with interleukin 2 (IL-2) in liquid culture and mixed with HLA haploidentical marrow cells from their sibling or parent. Acute GVHD was not observed in any patient after transplantation. Hematological rescue in the clinical setting was demonstrated in all cases but one who died early from hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD). Five cases who were transplanted at the time of CR2 or CR3 and in advanced phase of lymphoma, relapsed 4 to 7 months after transplantation. The relapse rate was 31.3%. None of eight patients who received allogeneic BMT within 2 h after ABMT relapsed with median follow-up of 12 months and two of them died from procedure-related complications. Seven cases are still alive and disease-free with a median follow-up of 12 months. Mixed chimerism was found in 3/6 cases, who had different sex donors, by analysis of sex chromosomes. These results show that mixed transplantation is a safe, effective and new approach to treating patients with malignant tumors. In order to detect the effects of GVL, studies are now in progress in our clinic.

The aim of this study was to identify genomic aberrations in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by using laser capture microdissection (LCM) combined with microarray analysis. Samples were procured by LCM from HCC and patient-matched normal liver tissue surgically resected from 4 patients. RNA was isolated from the samples and reverse transcribed into cDNA. After 2-cycle linear amplification and 2-color fluorescent labeling, the cRNA was hybridized onto a whole genome microarray. All genes expressed in the normal and HCC samples were counted and analyzed. Differentially expressed genes were identified and the top 10 up and downregulated genes (totally 20 genes) were further evaluated. LCM was able to accurately capture 50-200 cells from HCC and control tissues. The microarray spectrum showed satisfactory detection of HCC-enriched genes. A total of 1361 differentially expressed genes were identified, among which, 607 were upregulated and 754 were downregulated. Among the top 20 up and downregulated genes, 4 genes had not been documented in the literature as being differentially expressed in any tumors. Thus, LCM is an effective approach for identifying aberrantly expressed genes in HCC, and may lead to the discovery of biomarkers for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Among the numerous nonlinear optics effects, second harmonic generation (SHG) is always a hotspot and it is extensively used for optical frequency conversion, biomedical imaging, etc. However, SHG is forbidden in a medium with inversion symmetry under the electric-dipole approximation. Here, we demonstrated SHG from a single amorphous selenium (a-Se) nanosphere under near-infrared femtosecond pulse excitation. It was found that SH spectra are tunable with the size of a-Se nanospheres and the SHG efficiency of a single a-Se sphere with a diameter over 300 nm is estimated at 10(-8). We also established two physical mechanisms of SHG from the amorphous nanospheres. There is an electric-dipole contribution to the second-order nonlinearity in view of the inevitable structural discontinuity at the surface. The discontinuity of the normal component of the electric field strength leads to the quadrupole-type contributions arising from the large electric field gradient. The SHG process can be enhanced by resonance near the fundamental wavelength, giving rise to the detectable second harmonic (SH) spectra of a single a-Se nanosphere (d > 300 nm) or two small a-Se nanospheres (d = 200 nm) aggregated into a dimer, while the single nanosphere with smaller size (d > 300 nm) is undetectable. As an essential trace element for animals, a-Se features unique biological compatibility and has specific properties of optical nonlinearity within the optical window in biological tissue. This discovery makes a-Se nanospheres promising both in nonlinear optics and biomedicine.

The protein contents of four buckwheat flours (from two Chinese bitter, one Chinese sweet and one Polish sweet backwheats) are lower than that of Meneba wheat flour. Buckwheat flours are rich in albumin and globulin, but have a lower content of prolamin and glutelin than wheat flour. In buckwheat protein, the Lys content is approximately two times higher than in wheat protein, and the percentage of all other essential amino acids is higher than or near to that of wheat protein. Buckwheat fluor is rich in K, Mg, Fe, Na, Cu, Mn, Sr, and Li. Its total of mineral content is higher than that of wheat flour. The gelatinization temperature of buckwheat flour is higher than that of wheat flour, its gelatinization resistance is greater, the water absorption of its starch granules is stronger, the viscosity is higher and increases quickly during cooling. When adding 10–20% of buckwheat flour to wheat flour, the mixed flour basically maintains the characteristics of wheat flour. When the buckwheat flour proportion is more than 60%, the mixed flour can hardly develop into dough any more. The dough properties have had some basic changes and the judgement becomes impossible.

A novel single mask dry releasing process for making high aspect ratio SOI MEMS devices is presented. The proposed process takes advantage of lag effect in DRIE. The basic idea is that the buried oxide layer is completely removed using the wide trench and releasing holes defined in the first DRIE, then the second DRIE is carried out to released the narrow trenches. Not only stiction problem is avoided, but also the footing effect can be partially suppressed during the DRIE. The on-chip testing structures for etching end point of DRIE are also designed to precisely monitor the etching results. A capacitive accelerometer is fabricated successfully to demonstrate the process feasibility.

Allelic variation of the low-molecular-weight glutenin subunit (LMW-GS) is associated with the significant differences of dough quality in bread and durum wheat, and has been widely evaluated at protein level in wheat and its relatives. In this study, a PCR primer set, targeting the high variable repetitive domains, was employed to assay the length variation of i-type LMW-GS genes in the A-genomes of diploid wheats, the diploid progenitors of tetraploid and hexaploid wheat. A total of 71 accessions of diploid wheats, belonging to two wild and one cultivated species, were investigated. The higher variations of repetitive length in i-type LMW-GS genes were found in diploid wheats with Nei's genetic variation index (H) of 0.834. The two wild species, T. boeoticum and T. urartu, were found to possess the similar degree of variability, with the Nei's genetic variation index of 0.806 and 0.783, respectively. Less variations were detected in T. monococcum (H = 0.680), a cultivated species domesticated from T. boeoticum. The sufficient variations found in this study could be used as valuable sources for the enrichment of the genetic variations and the alteration of flour-processing properties of the cultivated wheat. To our knowledge, it was the first time that an analysis of length variation targeting a particular group of genes of LMW-GS complex multigene families was conducted.

To carry out the comparative analysis of alpha-gliadin genes on A genomes of diploid and polyploid wheats, 8 full-length alpha-gliadin genes, including 3 functional genes and 5 pseudogenes, were obtained from diploid wheats, among which 2, 2 and 4 alpha-gliadin genes were isolated from T. urartu, T. monococcum and T. boeoticum, respectively. The results indicated that higher number of alpha-gliadin pseudogenes have been present in diploid wheats before the formation of polyploid wheats. Amino acid sequence comparative analysis among 26 alpha-gliadin genes, including 16 functional genes and 10 pseudogenes, from diploid and polyploid wheats was conducted. The results indicated that all alpha-gliadins contained four coeliac toxic peptide sequences (i.e., PSQQ, QQQP, QQPY and QPYP). The polyglutamine domains are highly variable, and the second polyglutamine stretch is usually disrupted by the lysine or arginine residue at the fourth position. The unique domain I is the most conserved domain. There are 4 and 2 conserved cysteine residues in the unique domains I and II, respectively. Comparative analysis indicated that the functional alpha-gliadin genes from A genome are highly conserved, whereas the identity of pseudogenes in diploid wheats are higher than those in hexaploid wheats. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that all the analyzed functional alpha-gliadin genes could be clustered into two major groups, among which one group could be further divided into 5 subgroups. The origin of alpha-gliadin pseudogene and functional genes were also discussed.

Gliadins account for about 40-50% of the total proteins in wheat seeds and play an important role on the nutritional and processing quality of flour. Usually, gliadins could be divided into alpha- (alpha/beta-), gamma- and omega-groups, whereas the low-molecular-weigh (LMW) gliadins were novel seed storage proteins. The low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GSs) were also designated as gliadins in a few literatures. The genes encoding gliadins were mainly located on the short arms of group 6 and group 1 chromosomes, and not evenly distributed. Repetitive sequences covered most of un-coding regions, which attributed greatly to the evolution of wheat genome. Primary structure of each gliadin has been divided into several domains, and the long repetitive domains consisted of peptide motifs. Conserved cysteine residues mainly formed intramolecular disulphide bonds. The rare potential intermolecular disulphide bonds and the long repetitive domains played an important role in the wheat flour quality. There was a general idea that gliadin genes, even prolamin genes, have a common origin and subsequent divergence lead to the gene polymorphism. The gamma-gliadins have been considered to be the most ancient of the wheat prolamin family. Several elements in the 5'-flanking (e.g. CAAT and TATA box) and the 3'-flanking sequences had been detected, which had been shown necessary for the proper expression of gliadins.

Using microsatellite (SSR) markers, the genetic diversity and genetic relationships among 48 Triticum turgidum L. accessions, including 30 Triticum turgidum L. ssp. turgidum, 7 Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum, 4 Triticum turgidum L. ssp. carthlicum, 3 Triticum turgidum L. ssp. paleocolchicum, 2 Triticum turgidum L. ssp. turanicum and 2 Triticum turgidum L. ssp. polonicum accessions, were investigated. A total of 97 alleles were detected on 16 SSR loci. At each locus, the number of alleles ranged from 2 to 14, with an average of 6.1. The Genetic similarity (GS) value ranged from 0.20 to 0.92, with the mean of 0.59. In cluster analysis, it was found the 48 Triticum turgidum L. accessions could be distinguished easily by SSR markers, whereas the 6 subspecies taxonomic entities of T. turgidum L. could not differentiate with each other, indicating that the morphological differences present among the 6 subspecies could not be reflected by the SSR markers. These results suggested that SSR markers had the superiority in detecting the genetic diversity of T. turgidum L., while it was not good for the studies of the phylogenic relationships among the subspecies of T. turgidum L.

Three novel low-molecular-weight glutenin subunit (LMW-GS) genes (designated as Ht1, Ht2, and Ht3) were isolated from the genomic DNA of Hordeum brevisubulatum ssp. turkestanicum by PCR amplification (accession no. Y0695). The coding regions of Ht1, Ht2, and Ht3 were 924, 924, and 903 bp, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequences were 306, 306, and 299 amino acid residues each with a signal peptide, a central repetitive region rich in proline and glutamine, and N- and C-terminal non-repetitive domains. A comparison was carried out of these genes with other known B hordein genes from cultivated barley and LMW glutenin genes from wheat. The results indicated that Ht1, Ht2, and Ht3 had a more similar structure and a higher level of homology with the LMW-GS genes than the B hordein genes. In order to investigate the evolutionary relationship of the novel genes with the prolamin genes from barley and wheat, the phylogenetic tree was constructed and the subfamilies of these prolamin genes were identified. The results suggested that the three novel genes were glutenin-like proteins designated as LMW-m type genes.

Three low-molecular-weight (LMW) glutenin-like genes (designated as Ssy1, Ssy2 and Ssy3) from Secale sylvestre Host were isolated and characterized. The three genes consist of a predicted highly conservative signal peptide with 20 amino acids, a short N-terminal region with 13 amino acids, a highly variable repetitive domain and a less variable C-terminal domain. The deduced amino acid sequences of the three genes were the LMW-m type due to a methionine residue at the N-terminus. The phylogenic analysis indicated that the prolamin genes could be perfectly clustered into five groups, including HMW-GS, LMW-GS, alpha/beta-, gamma- and omega-prolamin. The LMW glutenin-like genes of S. sylvestre were more orthologous with the LMW-GS genes of wheat and B hordein genes of barley, which also had been confirmed by the homology analysis with the LMW-GS of wheat at Glu-A3, Glu-B3 and Glu-D3 loci. These results indicated that a chromosome locus (designated as Glu-R3) might be located on the R genome of S. sylvestre with the functions similar to the Glu-3 locus in wheat and its related species.

The retention behavior of aromatic alcohol homologues in hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) was investigated for the first time. The differences in retention behavior between proteins and small solutes, and the eluted range and ability of different salts to small solutes and biopolymers, are elucidated with the parameter Z of the stoichiometric displacement retention model. The retention of aromatic alcohols follows the homologue rule. By the comparison of the changes of Z in different salt solutions, it is found that for small molecules the salt type only changes the hydration degree; but for proteins, it not only changes the hydration of proteins and stationary phase, but also affects the conformation of protein molecules near the contact regions between the protein and the stationary phase surface.

To examine the effects of diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) on the proliferation, redifferentiation, and apoptosis in human hepatoma cells.Cell surface charge, biochemical changes, cell growth in soft agar, single cell electrophoresis, electron microscopy examination, and flow cytometry analysis were measured.After being treated with DDC 3 mmol/L the growth curve and mitotic index of human hepatoma cells decreased remarkably, and the cellular growth inhibitory rate amounted to 52.4 %. The indices related with cell malignancy were alleviated significantly, such as the cell surface charge decreased significantly, the electrophoresis rate dropped from 1.6 to 0.8 micron . s-1 . V-1 . cm-1, the average value of alpha-fetoprotein (alpha-FP) content decrease d from 314 to 95 microg/g (protein), and gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (gamma-GT) activity from 0.9 to 0.14 U/g (protein). The cell differentiation index increased significantly, such as the average levels of tyrosine-alpha-ketoglutarate transaminase (TAT) activity increased from 11.6 to 36 micromol/g (protein), and the colonogenic potential decreased by 95.6 %. The apoptotic bodies, detached cells, and apoptotic morphological features appeared, and the treated cells DNA was fragmented as observed by the comet assay. The flow cytometric results showed that a 42.9 % fractional DNA content existed in the treated cells.DDC can inhibit human hepatoma cells proliferation, and can induce redifferentiation as well as apoptosis.

To investigate regulative effects of thiol reagents, N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) and natrii dimercaptosussinas (NDMS), catalase (CAT), and calcium chelator 2-[(2-bis-[carboxymethyl]-amino-5-methyl-phenoxy)-met]-6-methoxy-8-bis-[carboxy-methyl]-aminoquinoline (Quin 2) on apoptosis and telomerase activity induced by arsenic trioxide (As2O3) in three myelocytic leukemia cell lines.Flow cytometry was used to examine apoptosis and a PCR ELISA kit was used to detect telomerase activity.As2O3 induced about 40 % - 60 % of apoptosis in NB4, K562, and HL-60 cells at the concentration of 0.6, 2.7, and 8.1 micromol/L respectively, as well as down-regulated telomerase activities in three cell lines. NAC 4 mmol/L, NDMS 200 micromol/L, CAT 80 kU/L, and Quin 2 20 micromol/L could down-regulate apoptosis variously induced by As2O3. NAC and CAT alone could decline telomerase activity in three cell lines and further decline telomerase activities that had been decreased by As2O3, whereas Quin 2 antagonized the decline in K562 and HL-60 cells.Thiol activity loss, free radical alteration, intracellular calcium changes, and decline of telomerase activity might be involved in As2O3-induced apoptosis. NAC, NDMS, CAT, and Quin 2 antagonized in some extent the effect of As2O3 on the three tested cell lines.

In April 2011, a survey of diseases was conducted on strawberry plants grown in greenhouses in the town of Xingshou, Changping District, Beijing, China. A tan-brown leaf spot with the presence of pink spore masses was observed on older leaves of strawberry plants. In general, the leaf spots began as small, round, water-soaked lesions in the middle or on the margin of leaves, which enlarged gradually up to 1 to 3 cm in diameter and were circular or irregular and brown to dark brown. Occasionally, the center of some spots cracked in the middle lesion under dry conditions. Eventually, black sporodochia were produced on the upper surface of spots and exuded pink conidial masses under humid conditions. Fungal structures were taken directly from the diseased leaves and examined microscopically for morphological characteristics. Sporodochia, 172 to 451 × 138 to 343 μm, were dark and suborbicular. Conidiophores, 8.4 to 48.3 × 0.8 to 2.1 μm, were hyaline, unicellular, and cylindrical. Conidia, 3.1 to 10.2 × 1.5 to 3.0 μm, were hyaline, aseptate, and canoe-shaped to allantoid, forming singly. For further study, the fungus was isolated in pure culture on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium from symptomatic leaf tissue. In culture, the mycelium was white at first and then changed to brownish. The sporodochia were light colored at first and turned brownish or almost black in older cultures. To identify the fungus, the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rDNA region of the isolate was amplified by PCR with primers ITS1 (5′-TCCGTAGGTGAACCTGCGG-3′) and ITS4 (5′-TCCTCCGCTTATTGATATGC-3′) and sequenced. The 462-nt sequence (GenBank Accession No. JQ995228) was identical to that of Pilidium concavum (1). To validate Koch's postulates, pathogenicity was tested by inoculating 20 leaves on 10 healthy strawberry plants with a mycelial plug from a 15-day-old colony (0.5 cm in diameter). Controls were treated with plugs of PDA medium. The inoculated and control plants were then maintained in growth chambers at 25°C (12 h of light per day, 80% humidity). After 12 days, 100% of the inoculated leaves showed symptoms identical to those observed on leaves in the field while the control leaves remained healthy. The original fungus was reisolated from inoculated leaves showing the symptoms. Thus, it was concluded that the fungus was the causal organism of the leaf spot. On the basis of morphological characteristics, molecular features, and pathogenicity tests, the pathogen of tan-brown leaf spot on strawberry was identified as P. concavum. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. concavum causing tan-brown leaf spot on strawberry in China. This fungus was reported to cause leaf spot on Paeonia suffruticosa in China (2). It also caused tan-brown rot on strawberry fruit in our pathogenicity test. References: (1) L. Cardin et al. Plant Dis. 93:548, 2009. (2) Y. B. Duan et al. Plant Dis. 94:271, 2010.

The antinociceptive effect of intracerebroventricular injection (icv) of Asn-Ala-Gly-Ala (NAGA), a partial sequence of beta-lipotropin, was studied in rats. The potassium iontophoresis-induced tail flick was used to measure the pain threshold. The antinociceptive effect of NAGA, which was dose-dependent (icv, 0.03-0.24 mumol/rat) and long-lasting (90 min), was reversed by naloxone (icv, 0.26 mg.kg-1) and inhibited by anti-MEK serum (titre: 1:5000, 5 microliters) or anti-LEK serum (titre: 1:5000, 5 microliters). NAGA-induced antinociception was scarcely affected by anti-beta-EP serum (titre: 1:30,000, 5 microliters) or anti-Dyn A1-13 serum (titre: 1:30,000, 5 microliters). It was suggested that the antinociceptive effect of NAGA may be associated with the release of met-enkephalin and leu-enkephalin in rat brain.