This research manuscript reports the heavy metal accumulation in four marine seaweeds sp. 1)?Caulerpa sertlatioides (Cuba);2) Caulerpa cf. brachypus;(Bali, Indonesia);3) Undaria pinnatifida (West-Donegal, Ireland);4) ...This research manuscript reports the heavy metal accumulation in four marine seaweeds sp. 1)?Caulerpa sertlatioides (Cuba);2) Caulerpa cf. brachypus;(Bali, Indonesia);3) Undaria pinnatifida (West-Donegal, Ireland);4) Ulva lactuca (Easters-Scheldt, the Netherlands). Mechanical pressure at 10 bar of fresh seaweed fronds casu quo biomass in the laboratory delivered seaweed moisture which was analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectroscopy (ICP)-techniques for heavy-metals = [HM], (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, Pb & Zn). Three important observations were made: 1) The [HM] in the seaweed moisture is higher than in the surrounding seawater which directs to mechanism(s) of bio-accumulation;2) The accumulation factor [AF] is varying per metallic-cation with an overall trend for our four seaweeds and sampling locations for [HM] are: As & Co & Cu: 5000 - 10,000 μg/l;Ni & Zn: 3000 - 5000 μg/l;Cd: 2000 - 3000 μg/l;Cr: 1000 - 2000 μg/l;Al: 200 - 1000 μg/l;Mo & Pb & Fe: 0 - 200 μg/l range. 3) Seaweed moisture detected that [HM]: Pb & Zn & Fe—which all three could not be detected in the seawater—supports the view that seaweeds have a preference in their bio-accumulation mechanism for these three HM. Major conclusion is in general that “overall” for the macro-elements Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P & S in the moisture of the four seaweed species the concentration is lower in the seaweed species, or equals the concentration, in comparison to the surrounding sea water. For the HM (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb & Zn) the opposite is the case species and is the concentration “overall” higher in the seaweed species in comparison to the surrounding sea water. Further topics addressed include strategies of irrigation of the Sahara desert with the moisture out of seaweeds under conditions of low anthropogenic influences.展开更多
Virus-specific T cells play an important role in the resolution of hepatic infection. However, during chronic hepatitis infection these cells lack their effector functions and fail to control the virus. Hepatitis B vi...Virus-specific T cells play an important role in the resolution of hepatic infection. However, during chronic hepatitis infection these cells lack their effector functions and fail to control the virus. Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus have developed several mechanisms to generate immune tolerance. One of these strategies is the depletion of virus-specific T cells by apoptosis. The immunotolerogenic liver has unique property to retain and activate na ve T cell to avoid the over reactivation of immune response against antigens which is exploited by hepatotropic viruses to persist. The deletion of the virus-specific T cells occurs by intrinsic (passive) apoptotic mechanism. The pro-apoptotic molecule Bcl-2 interacting mediator (Bim) has attracted increasing attention as a pivotal involvement in apoptosis, as a regulator of tissue homeostasis and an enhancer for the viral persistence. Here, we reviewed our current knowledge on the evidence showing critical role of Bim in viral-specific T cell death by apoptotic pathways and helps in the immune tolerance.展开更多
Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses which adversely affect crop plants limiting growth and yield potential.Structural and functional characterization of drought stress-induced genes has contributed to a bette...Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses which adversely affect crop plants limiting growth and yield potential.Structural and functional characterization of drought stress-induced genes has contributed to a better understanding of how plants respond and adapt to the drought stress.In the present study,differential display technique was employed to study the gene expression of rice plants at the reproductive stage that were subjected to drought stress by withholding water,Pseudomonas fluorescens strain(Pf1) treated plants subjected for drought stress by withholding water and control(well-watered).Differentially expressed c DNAs of six genes(COX1,PKDP,b ZIP1,AP2-EREBP,Hsp20 and COC1) were identified,cloned and sequenced.Real-time q PCR analysis showed that all the six genes were upregulated in drought-stressed plants treated with Pf1.This revealed that the remarkable influence of Pf1 colonization leads to drought tolerance at the reproductive stage.These results showed that high levels of gene expression in plants lacking adequate water can be remarkably influenced by Pf1 colonization,which might be a key element for induced systemic tolerance by microbes.展开更多
The persimmon leaf has been shown to improve cerebral ischemic outcomes; however, its mechanism of action remains unclear. In this study, mice were subjected to 10 minutes of ischemic preconditioning, and persimmon le...The persimmon leaf has been shown to improve cerebral ischemic outcomes; however, its mechanism of action remains unclear. In this study, mice were subjected to 10 minutes of ischemic preconditioning, and persimmon leaf flavonoid was orally administered for 5 days. Results showed that the persimmon leaf fiavonoid significantly improved the content of tissue type plasminogen activator and 6-keto prostaglandin-F1 a in the cerebral cortex, decreased the content of thromboxane B2, and reduced the content of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in mice. Following optical microscopy, persimmon leaf flavonoid was also shown to reduce cell swelling and nuclear hyperchromatism in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of mice. These results suggested that persimmon leaf fiavonoid can effectively inhibit brain thrombosis, improve blood supply to the brain and relieve ischemia-induced pathological damage, resulting in brain ischemic tolerance.展开更多
Abiotic stresses like salinity and drought directly affect plant growth and water availability, resulting in lower yield in rice. So, a combination of stress tolerance along with enhanced grain yield is a major focus ...Abiotic stresses like salinity and drought directly affect plant growth and water availability, resulting in lower yield in rice. So, a combination of stress tolerance along with enhanced grain yield is a major focus of rice breeding. It was reported earlier that loss in function of the drought and salt tolerance (DST) gene results in increase in grain production through downregulating Gn1a/OsCKX2 expression. Moreover, dst mutants also showed enhanced drought and salt tolerance in rice by regulating genes involved in ROS homeostasis. In the present study, we proceeded to test these reports by downregulating DST using artificial microRNA technology in the commercial but salt sensitive, high-yielding, BRRIdhan 28 (BR28). This cultivar was transformed with DST_artificial microRNA (DST_amiRNA) driven by the constitutive CaMV35S promoter using tissue culture independent Agrobacterium mediated in planta transformation. DST_amiRNA transgenic plants were confirmed by artificial microRNA specific PCR. Transformed plants at T0 generation showed vigorous growth with significantly longer panicle length and higher primary branching resulting in higher yield, compared to the wild type (WT) BR28. Semi-quantitative RT PCR confirmed the decrease in DST expression in the BR28 transgenic plants compared to WT. T1 transgenic plants also showed improvement in a number of physiological parameters and greater growth compared to WT after 14 days of 120 mM salt (NaCl) stress at seedling stage. Therefore, DST downregulated transgenic plants showed both higher stress tolerance as well as better yields. Furthermore, stable inheritance of the improved phenotype of the DST_amiRNA transgenics will be tested in advanced generations.展开更多
介绍了中国计量科学研究院新研制的两台高精度钠热管固定点炉(SHPF-1、SHPF-2),并测量了其垂直温场.当这两台钠热管固定点炉的炉温分别控制在比铝凝固点低约2℃、3℃时,铝点容器温度计阱底部150 mm范围内温场均匀性分别为15 mK和11 mK,...介绍了中国计量科学研究院新研制的两台高精度钠热管固定点炉(SHPF-1、SHPF-2),并测量了其垂直温场.当这两台钠热管固定点炉的炉温分别控制在比铝凝固点低约2℃、3℃时,铝点容器温度计阱底部150 mm范围内温场均匀性分别为15 mK和11 mK,并与国外同类的钠热管固定点炉的技术指标进行比较.此外,分析了影响固定点炉等温性能的因素.
Abstract：
Two sodium heat-pipe fixed point furnaces (SHPF-1, SHPF-2) developed at the National Institute of Metrology (NIM) are described, and their vertical temperature uniformities are measured. When the temperatures of the these two furnaces are controlled about 2 ℃ and 3 ℃ respectively, below the freezing point of the aluminum, the largest temperature differences did not exceed 15 mK and 11 mK in a distance about 150mm along the reentrant well of the aluminum point cell, respectively. These temperature uniformities are compared with those of foreign similar sodium heat pipe furnaces. Additionally, factors influencing isothermal characteristics of fixed point furnaces are analyzed.展开更多
Dependable computer based systems employing fault tolerance and robust software development techniques demand additional error detection and recovery related tasks. This results in tangling of core functionality with ...Dependable computer based systems employing fault tolerance and robust software development techniques demand additional error detection and recovery related tasks. This results in tangling of core functionality with these cross cutting non-functional concerns. In this regard current work identifies these dependability related non-functional and cross-cutting concerns and proposes design and implementation solutions in an aspect oriented framework that modularizes and separates them from core functionality. The degree of separation has been quantified using software metrics. A Lego NXT Robot based case study has been completed to evaluate the proposed design framework.展开更多
[Objective] This study aimed to identify possible quantitative trait loci (QTL) for vegetative drought tolerance traits of rice (Oryza sativa L.). [Method] A total of 184 rice genotypes were field screened and 156 SSR...[Objective] This study aimed to identify possible quantitative trait loci (QTL) for vegetative drought tolerance traits of rice (Oryza sativa L.). [Method] A total of 184 rice genotypes were field screened and 156 SSR markers randomly distributed at each 3 Mb bin were used through genome-wide scanning method and association analysis to detect QTLs for vegetative drought tolerance traits leaf rolling (LER), leaf drying (LED) and drought recovery rate (DRR). [Result] The experimental rice genotypes showed varied response under vegetative drought, LER, LED and DRR were highly correlated. Population structure was detected at K=3 and K=7, certain extent of admixture existed in the experimental rice genotypes, relative kinship of the rice genotypes ranged from 0 to 0.924 5. Significant linkage disequilibrium among SSR markers was detected. Sixteen SSR markers have been detected to be associated with vegetative drought tolerance traits, four for LER, eight for LED and four for DDR. Most of the markers were associated with more than one trait, indicating a single mechanism might involve in expression of several related traits, i.e. osmotic adjustment. RM107 (Chr.9) was associated with all the three traits and fell exactly within or closely nearby to previous reported regions, was a major QTL for vegetative drought tolerance, RM477 (Chr.8) was significantly associated with DRR and extremely significantly associated with LER was probably another major QTL for vegetative drought tolerance. [Conclusion] Association mapping is a very effective method for describing complex traits like drought tolerance.展开更多
The brake unit bracket of a bogie frame is an important load-carrying component, particularly under emergency start/stop conditions. Conventional infinite/safe life approaches provide an over-conservative recommendati...The brake unit bracket of a bogie frame is an important load-carrying component, particularly under emergency start/stop conditions. Conventional infinite/safe life approaches provide an over-conservative recommendation for the allowable strength and lifetime, which hinders the lightweight design of modern railway vehicles. In this study, to ensure the reliability and durability of a brake unit bracket, an attempt was made to integrate the nominal stress method and an advanced damage tolerance method. First, a complex bogie frame was modelled using solid elements instead of plate and beam elements. A hot spot stress region on the bracket was found under an eight-stage load spectrum obtained from the Wuhan–Guangzhou high-speed railway line. Based on the probability of foreign damage, a semi-elliptical surface crack was then assumed for residual life assessment. The results obtained by the cumulative damage and damage tolerance methods show that the brake unit bracket can operate for over 30 years. Moreover, even if a 2-mm depth crack exists, the brake unit bracket can be safely operated for more than 2.27 years, with the hope that the crack can be detected in subsequent maintenance procedures. Finally, an appropriate safety margin was suggested which provides a basis for the life prediction and durability assessment of brake unit brackets of high-speed railways.展开更多
At subzero temperature, the startup capability and performance of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) deteriorates markedly. The object of this work is to study the degradation mechanism of key components o...At subzero temperature, the startup capability and performance of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) deteriorates markedly. The object of this work is to study the degradation mechanism of key components of PEMFC-membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) and seek feasible measures to avoid degradation. The effect of freeze/thaw cycles on the structure of MEA is investigated based on porosity and SEM measurement. The performance of a single cell was also tested before and after repetitious freeze/thaw cycles. The experimental results indicated that the performance of a PEMFC decreased along with the total operating time as well as the pore size distribution shifting and micro configuration changing. However, when the redundant water had been removed by gas purging, the performance of the PEMFC stack was almost resumed when it experienced again the same subzero temperature test. These results show that it is necessary to remove the water in PEMFCs to maintain stable performance under subzero temperature and gas purging is proved to be the effective operation.展开更多
文摘This research manuscript reports the heavy metal accumulation in four marine seaweeds sp. 1)?Caulerpa sertlatioides (Cuba);2) Caulerpa cf. brachypus;(Bali, Indonesia);3) Undaria pinnatifida (West-Donegal, Ireland);4) Ulva lactuca (Easters-Scheldt, the Netherlands). Mechanical pressure at 10 bar of fresh seaweed fronds casu quo biomass in the laboratory delivered seaweed moisture which was analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectroscopy (ICP)-techniques for heavy-metals = [HM], (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, Pb & Zn). Three important observations were made: 1) The [HM] in the seaweed moisture is higher than in the surrounding seawater which directs to mechanism(s) of bio-accumulation;2) The accumulation factor [AF] is varying per metallic-cation with an overall trend for our four seaweeds and sampling locations for [HM] are: As & Co & Cu: 5000 - 10,000 μg/l;Ni & Zn: 3000 - 5000 μg/l;Cd: 2000 - 3000 μg/l;Cr: 1000 - 2000 μg/l;Al: 200 - 1000 μg/l;Mo & Pb & Fe: 0 - 200 μg/l range. 3) Seaweed moisture detected that [HM]: Pb & Zn & Fe—which all three could not be detected in the seawater—supports the view that seaweeds have a preference in their bio-accumulation mechanism for these three HM. Major conclusion is in general that “overall” for the macro-elements Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P & S in the moisture of the four seaweed species the concentration is lower in the seaweed species, or equals the concentration, in comparison to the surrounding sea water. For the HM (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb & Zn) the opposite is the case species and is the concentration “overall” higher in the seaweed species in comparison to the surrounding sea water. Further topics addressed include strategies of irrigation of the Sahara desert with the moisture out of seaweeds under conditions of low anthropogenic influences.
基金Supported by Grants from "Fiscam" JCCM, Ayuda para proyectos de investigación en salud, PI-2010/022"Fundación de Investigación Médica Mutua Madrilea", Beca Ayudas a la Investigación FMMM, 8922/2011A research grant from "Asociación de Hepatología Translacional", No. AHT 2010-01, to Lokhande MU
文摘Virus-specific T cells play an important role in the resolution of hepatic infection. However, during chronic hepatitis infection these cells lack their effector functions and fail to control the virus. Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus have developed several mechanisms to generate immune tolerance. One of these strategies is the depletion of virus-specific T cells by apoptosis. The immunotolerogenic liver has unique property to retain and activate na ve T cell to avoid the over reactivation of immune response against antigens which is exploited by hepatotropic viruses to persist. The deletion of the virus-specific T cells occurs by intrinsic (passive) apoptotic mechanism. The pro-apoptotic molecule Bcl-2 interacting mediator (Bim) has attracted increasing attention as a pivotal involvement in apoptosis, as a regulator of tissue homeostasis and an enhancer for the viral persistence. Here, we reviewed our current knowledge on the evidence showing critical role of Bim in viral-specific T cell death by apoptotic pathways and helps in the immune tolerance.
基金the Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) research fellowship sponsored by the Department of Biotechnology(DBT),Government of India
文摘Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses which adversely affect crop plants limiting growth and yield potential.Structural and functional characterization of drought stress-induced genes has contributed to a better understanding of how plants respond and adapt to the drought stress.In the present study,differential display technique was employed to study the gene expression of rice plants at the reproductive stage that were subjected to drought stress by withholding water,Pseudomonas fluorescens strain(Pf1) treated plants subjected for drought stress by withholding water and control(well-watered).Differentially expressed c DNAs of six genes(COX1,PKDP,b ZIP1,AP2-EREBP,Hsp20 and COC1) were identified,cloned and sequenced.Real-time q PCR analysis showed that all the six genes were upregulated in drought-stressed plants treated with Pf1.This revealed that the remarkable influence of Pf1 colonization leads to drought tolerance at the reproductive stage.These results showed that high levels of gene expression in plants lacking adequate water can be remarkably influenced by Pf1 colonization,which might be a key element for induced systemic tolerance by microbes.
基金funded by the State "Major New Drug Creation" Science and Technology Major Special Project Foundation, No. 2009ZX09103-324a grant from the Henan Province Science and Technology Innovation Team in University, No. 2012IRTSTHN011
文摘The persimmon leaf has been shown to improve cerebral ischemic outcomes; however, its mechanism of action remains unclear. In this study, mice were subjected to 10 minutes of ischemic preconditioning, and persimmon leaf flavonoid was orally administered for 5 days. Results showed that the persimmon leaf fiavonoid significantly improved the content of tissue type plasminogen activator and 6-keto prostaglandin-F1 a in the cerebral cortex, decreased the content of thromboxane B2, and reduced the content of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in mice. Following optical microscopy, persimmon leaf flavonoid was also shown to reduce cell swelling and nuclear hyperchromatism in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of mice. These results suggested that persimmon leaf fiavonoid can effectively inhibit brain thrombosis, improve blood supply to the brain and relieve ischemia-induced pathological damage, resulting in brain ischemic tolerance.
文摘Abiotic stresses like salinity and drought directly affect plant growth and water availability, resulting in lower yield in rice. So, a combination of stress tolerance along with enhanced grain yield is a major focus of rice breeding. It was reported earlier that loss in function of the drought and salt tolerance (DST) gene results in increase in grain production through downregulating Gn1a/OsCKX2 expression. Moreover, dst mutants also showed enhanced drought and salt tolerance in rice by regulating genes involved in ROS homeostasis. In the present study, we proceeded to test these reports by downregulating DST using artificial microRNA technology in the commercial but salt sensitive, high-yielding, BRRIdhan 28 (BR28). This cultivar was transformed with DST_artificial microRNA (DST_amiRNA) driven by the constitutive CaMV35S promoter using tissue culture independent Agrobacterium mediated in planta transformation. DST_amiRNA transgenic plants were confirmed by artificial microRNA specific PCR. Transformed plants at T0 generation showed vigorous growth with significantly longer panicle length and higher primary branching resulting in higher yield, compared to the wild type (WT) BR28. Semi-quantitative RT PCR confirmed the decrease in DST expression in the BR28 transgenic plants compared to WT. T1 transgenic plants also showed improvement in a number of physiological parameters and greater growth compared to WT after 14 days of 120 mM salt (NaCl) stress at seedling stage. Therefore, DST downregulated transgenic plants showed both higher stress tolerance as well as better yields. Furthermore, stable inheritance of the improved phenotype of the DST_amiRNA transgenics will be tested in advanced generations.
文摘介绍了中国计量科学研究院新研制的两台高精度钠热管固定点炉(SHPF-1、SHPF-2),并测量了其垂直温场.当这两台钠热管固定点炉的炉温分别控制在比铝凝固点低约2℃、3℃时,铝点容器温度计阱底部150 mm范围内温场均匀性分别为15 mK和11 mK,并与国外同类的钠热管固定点炉的技术指标进行比较.此外,分析了影响固定点炉等温性能的因素.
Abstract：
Two sodium heat-pipe fixed point furnaces (SHPF-1, SHPF-2) developed at the National Institute of Metrology (NIM) are described, and their vertical temperature uniformities are measured. When the temperatures of the these two furnaces are controlled about 2 ℃ and 3 ℃ respectively, below the freezing point of the aluminum, the largest temperature differences did not exceed 15 mK and 11 mK in a distance about 150mm along the reentrant well of the aluminum point cell, respectively. These temperature uniformities are compared with those of foreign similar sodium heat pipe furnaces. Additionally, factors influencing isothermal characteristics of fixed point furnaces are analyzed.
文摘Dependable computer based systems employing fault tolerance and robust software development techniques demand additional error detection and recovery related tasks. This results in tangling of core functionality with these cross cutting non-functional concerns. In this regard current work identifies these dependability related non-functional and cross-cutting concerns and proposes design and implementation solutions in an aspect oriented framework that modularizes and separates them from core functionality. The degree of separation has been quantified using software metrics. A Lego NXT Robot based case study has been completed to evaluate the proposed design framework.
文摘[Objective] This study aimed to identify possible quantitative trait loci (QTL) for vegetative drought tolerance traits of rice (Oryza sativa L.). [Method] A total of 184 rice genotypes were field screened and 156 SSR markers randomly distributed at each 3 Mb bin were used through genome-wide scanning method and association analysis to detect QTLs for vegetative drought tolerance traits leaf rolling (LER), leaf drying (LED) and drought recovery rate (DRR). [Result] The experimental rice genotypes showed varied response under vegetative drought, LER, LED and DRR were highly correlated. Population structure was detected at K=3 and K=7, certain extent of admixture existed in the experimental rice genotypes, relative kinship of the rice genotypes ranged from 0 to 0.924 5. Significant linkage disequilibrium among SSR markers was detected. Sixteen SSR markers have been detected to be associated with vegetative drought tolerance traits, four for LER, eight for LED and four for DDR. Most of the markers were associated with more than one trait, indicating a single mechanism might involve in expression of several related traits, i.e. osmotic adjustment. RM107 (Chr.9) was associated with all the three traits and fell exactly within or closely nearby to previous reported regions, was a major QTL for vegetative drought tolerance, RM477 (Chr.8) was significantly associated with DRR and extremely significantly associated with LER was probably another major QTL for vegetative drought tolerance. [Conclusion] Association mapping is a very effective method for describing complex traits like drought tolerance.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.11572267)Sichuan Science and Technology Program(Grant No.2017JY0216)+1 种基金Open Research Project of State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures of China(Grant No.SV2016-KF-21)Open Research Project of State Key Laboratory of Traction Power of China(Grant No.2018TPL_T03)
文摘The brake unit bracket of a bogie frame is an important load-carrying component, particularly under emergency start/stop conditions. Conventional infinite/safe life approaches provide an over-conservative recommendation for the allowable strength and lifetime, which hinders the lightweight design of modern railway vehicles. In this study, to ensure the reliability and durability of a brake unit bracket, an attempt was made to integrate the nominal stress method and an advanced damage tolerance method. First, a complex bogie frame was modelled using solid elements instead of plate and beam elements. A hot spot stress region on the bracket was found under an eight-stage load spectrum obtained from the Wuhan–Guangzhou high-speed railway line. Based on the probability of foreign damage, a semi-elliptical surface crack was then assumed for residual life assessment. The results obtained by the cumulative damage and damage tolerance methods show that the brake unit bracket can operate for over 30 years. Moreover, even if a 2-mm depth crack exists, the brake unit bracket can be safely operated for more than 2.27 years, with the hope that the crack can be detected in subsequent maintenance procedures. Finally, an appropriate safety margin was suggested which provides a basis for the life prediction and durability assessment of brake unit brackets of high-speed railways.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.20206030) and Ministry of Science and Technology 863 Hi-Technology Research and Development Program of China (2005AA501660).
文摘At subzero temperature, the startup capability and performance of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) deteriorates markedly. The object of this work is to study the degradation mechanism of key components of PEMFC-membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) and seek feasible measures to avoid degradation. The effect of freeze/thaw cycles on the structure of MEA is investigated based on porosity and SEM measurement. The performance of a single cell was also tested before and after repetitious freeze/thaw cycles. The experimental results indicated that the performance of a PEMFC decreased along with the total operating time as well as the pore size distribution shifting and micro configuration changing. However, when the redundant water had been removed by gas purging, the performance of the PEMFC stack was almost resumed when it experienced again the same subzero temperature test. These results show that it is necessary to remove the water in PEMFCs to maintain stable performance under subzero temperature and gas purging is proved to be the effective operation.
