To decrease breakdown time and improve machine operation reliability,accurate residual useful life(RUL) prediction has been playing a critical role in condition based monitoring.A data fusion method was proposed to ac...To decrease breakdown time and improve machine operation reliability,accurate residual useful life(RUL) prediction has been playing a critical role in condition based monitoring.A data fusion method was proposed to achieve online RUL prediction of slewing bearings,which consisted of a reliability based RUL prediction model and a data driven failure rate(FR) estimation model.Firstly,an RUL prediction model was developed based on modified Weibull distribution to build the relationship between RUL and FR.Secondly,principal component analysis(PCA) was introduced to process multi-dimensional life-cycle vibration signals,and continuous squared prediction error(CSPE) and its time-domain features were employed as equipment performance degradation features.Afterwards,an FR estimation model was established on basis of the degradation features and relevant FRs using simplified fuzzy adaptive resonance theory map(SFAM) neural network.Consequently,real-time FR of equipment can be obtained through FR estimation model,and then accurate RUL can be calculated through the RUL prediction model.Results of a slewing bearing life test show that CSPE is an effective indicator of performance degradation process of slewing bearings,and that by combining actual load condition and real-time monitored data,the calculation time is reduced by 87.3%and the accuracy is increased by 0.11%,which provides a potential for online RUL prediction of slewing bearings and other various machineries.展开更多
The global economic downturn caused primarily by the US sub-prime mortgage crisis in 2007 engendered revenue loss of the multinational corporations. Existing studies have yet to depict the detrimental impacts on city...The global economic downturn caused primarily by the US sub-prime mortgage crisis in 2007 engendered revenue loss of the multinational corporations. Existing studies have yet to depict the detrimental impacts on city's command and control functions induced by the sub-prime mortgage crisis together with its residual wave of global economic recession on the global spatial economy. Recent and previous studies have produced an 'instant history' of the global spatial economy before the global economic downturn undermines the global economy in late 2008. How- ever, the waxes and wanes of major cities' command and control functions on the global economic arena before and after the outbreak of financial crisis and its associated geo-economic transitions are still poorly understood. This paper attempts to contribute a new set of customized data to update and fill in the gap in the literature with the investigation of the command and control functions of cities arotmd the world from 2005 to 2009. Particular attentions are paid to the time-space relationship of the geo-economic transition that can capture the recent historical images of the com- mand and control situation of different cities in the world.展开更多
This paper applied Maximum Entropy (ME) model to Pinyin-To-Character (PTC) conversion in-stead of Hidden Markov Model (HMM) that could not include complicated and long-distance lexical informa-tion. Two ME models were...This paper applied Maximum Entropy (ME) model to Pinyin-To-Character (PTC) conversion in-stead of Hidden Markov Model (HMM) that could not include complicated and long-distance lexical informa-tion. Two ME models were built based on simple and complex templates respectively, and the complex one gave better conversion result. Furthermore, conversion trigger pair of y A → y B cBwas proposed to extract the long-distance constrain feature from the corpus; and then Average Mutual Information (AMI) was used to se-lect conversion trigger pair features which were added to the ME model. The experiment shows that conver-sion error of the ME with conversion trigger pairs is reduced by 4% on a small training corpus, comparing with HMM smoothed by absolute smoothing.展开更多
AIM: To evaluate the anti-viral effect of emodin plus Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) in hepatitis B virus (HBV) transgenic mice.METHODS: Sixty HBV transgenic mice (HBV TGM) whose weight varied between 18 and 24 g wer...AIM: To evaluate the anti-viral effect of emodin plus Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) in hepatitis B virus (HBV) transgenic mice.METHODS: Sixty HBV transgenic mice (HBV TGM) whose weight varied between 18 and 24 g were randomly divided into 3 groups, with 20 mice in each group. Group A was the normal control, where the mice were treated with physiological saline; group B was the positive control where the mice were treated with lamivudine solution (100 mL/kg per day). Group C was the experimental group where the mice were treated with physiological saline containing emodin and APS (57.59 mg/kg per day and 287.95 mg/kg per day, respectively). The mice were treated daily for 3 wk. After 1 wk recovery time, the mice were sacrifi ced and serum as well as liver tissues were collected for ELISA and histological examination.RESULTS: After 21 d treatment, HBV DNA levels in group B and group C significantly declined when compared with group A (P < 0.05). However, a signif icant increase in HBV DNA content was observed in group B, whereas this phenomenon was not observed in group C. A reduction in the contents of HBsAg, HBeAg and HBcAg in the mice from group B and C was observed when compared with group A.CONCLUSION: Emodin and APS have a weak but persistent inhibitory effect on HBV replication in vivo, which may function as a supplementary modality in the treatment of hepatitis B infection.展开更多
The radiance leaving the earth-atmosphere system which can be sensed by a satellite borne radiometer is the sum of radiation emission from the earth surface and each atmospheric level that are transmitted to the top o...The radiance leaving the earth-atmosphere system which can be sensed by a satellite borne radiometer is the sum of radiation emission from the earth surface and each atmospheric level that are transmitted to the top of the atmosphere. The radiation emission from the earth surface and the radiance of each atmospheric level can be separated from the radiance at the top the atmospheric level measured by a satellite borne radiometer. However, it is very difficult to measure the atmospheric radiance, especially the synchronous measurement with the satellite. Thus some atmospheric radiative transfer models have been developed to provide many options for modeling atmospheric radiation transport, such as LOWTRAN, MODTRAN, 6S, FASCODE, LBLRTM, SHARC, and SAMM. Meanwhile, these models can support the detailed detector system design, the optimization and evaluation of satellite mission parameters, and the data processing procedures. As an example, the newly atmospheric radiative transfer models, MODTRAN will be compared with other models after the atmospheric radiative transfer is described. And the atmospheric radiative transfer simulation procedures and their applications to atmospheric transmittance, retrieval of atmospheric elements, and surface parameters, will also be presented.展开更多
AIM: To evaluate the possible role of Tribble 3 (TRB3) in a rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its signal transduction mechanism.METHODS: Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into t...AIM: To evaluate the possible role of Tribble 3 (TRB3) in a rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its signal transduction mechanism.METHODS: Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into three groups: normal control group, non-alcoholic fatty liver group A (fed on a high-fat diet for 8 wk) and group B (fed on a high-fat diet for 16 wk). To determine the degree of hepatic steatosis in rats of each group, livers were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and evaluated; real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure the expression levels of TRI33 mRNA, and Western blotting analysis was done to determine the expression levels of protein kinase B (Akt) and phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-Akt-Thr308, p-Akt-Ser473).RESULTS: Hepatic steatosis was evident in both NAFLD groups: mild to moderate hepatic steatosis occurred in group A, mainly as mild steatosis.Moderate to severe hepatic steatosis occurred in group B, mainly as severe steatosis. The expression level of TRB3 mRNA in group B was significantly higher than in the control group (122.28 ± 95.37 vs 3.06 ± 2.33,P = 0.002) and group A (122.28 ± 95.37 vs 5.77 ± 4.20,P = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the expression levels of Akt (1.03 ± 0.53 vs 1.12 ± 0.77,P = 0.729) and p-Akt-Thr308 (0.82 ± 0.45 vs 0.92 ± 0.38, P = 0.592) between group A and the control group. The expression level of Akt and p-Akt-Thr308 in group B was significantly lower than in group A (Akt 0.41 ± 0.16 vs 1.12 ± 0.77, P = 0.008; p-Akt-Thr308 0.47 ± 0.19 vs 0.82 ± 0.45, P = 0.036) and the control group (Akt 0.41 ± 0.16 vs 1.03 ± 0.53, P = 0.018;p-Akt-Thr308 0.47 ± 0.19 vs 0.92 ± 0.38, P = 0.010).The expression level of p-Akt-Ser473 in group A was significantly higher than in group B (1.48 ± 0.50 vs 0.81± 0.39, P = 0.041) as well as the control group (1.48 ± 0.50 vs 0.45 ± 0.26, P = 0.003).CONCLUSION: TRB3 blocks insulin signaling by inhibiting Akt activation, which contributes to insulin resistance. It may be an important factor in the occurrence and development of NAFLD.展开更多
As critical piece of China's gradualist economic transition, domestic price reform still faces major challenges. In particular, factor price, which is still tightlycontrolled and not market-based, is lower than marke...As critical piece of China's gradualist economic transition, domestic price reform still faces major challenges. In particular, factor price, which is still tightlycontrolled and not market-based, is lower than market equilibrium price. Factor price distortion not only reduces market efficiency but also affects wealth distribution. Subsequent wealth transfer has, over the past ten to fifieen years, created a powerful vested interests and spawned social resentment, both of which may constitute major hazards in China's future reform and development. Keeping in mind that China will have to address factor price distortion in its next step of reform, this paper takes stock of China's journey toward price rejorm; examines the relationship among factor price distortion, previous economic growth, and policy; and estimates' the size of resulting wealth transfer.展开更多
The radiative transfer is one of the significant theories that describe the processes of scattering, emission, and absorption of electromagnetic radiant intensity through scattering medium. It is the basis of the stud...The radiative transfer is one of the significant theories that describe the processes of scattering, emission, and absorption of electromagnetic radiant intensity through scattering medium. It is the basis of the study on the quan-titative remote sensing. In this paper, the radiative characteristics of soil, vegetation, and atmosphere were described respectively. The numerical solution of radiative transfer was accomplished by Successive Orders of Scattering (SOS). A radiative transfer model for simulating microwave brightness temperature over land surfaces was constructed, de-signed, and implemented. Analyzing the database generated from soil-vegetation-atmosphere radiative transfer model under Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) configuration showed that the atmospheric effects on microwave brightness temperature should not be neglected, particularly for higher frequency, and can be parameterized. At the same time, the relationship between the emissivities of the different channels was developed. The study results will promote the development of algorithm to retrieve geophysical parameters from mi-crowave remotely sensed data.展开更多
The Malaysian government's vision to be a developed nation by 2020 has pushed forward the use of innovative technologies in most sectors and industries, including the construction industry. Through the ETP (Economic...The Malaysian government's vision to be a developed nation by 2020 has pushed forward the use of innovative technologies in most sectors and industries, including the construction industry. Through the ETP (Economic Transformation Programme), major projects launched are expected to provide a great catalyst for the economy, and may become the platform for increasing the use of automation and highly enhanced plants and machineries in the construction industry. Innovations in most countries are mostly driven by the need to find revolutionary solutions to problems, such as a shortage of skilled labor, decreasing quality of product and processes, inferior working conditions, declining productivity and increasing costs of labor and materials. Automation and robotics technologies encompass a wide range of innovative technologies using technologically advanced machineries to improve the speed and efficiency of a given process. This paper discusses the readiness of a developing country in embracing construction automation and robotics, by exploring industry perception, suggested practices and barriers to its implementation using a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews directed at Malaysian construction finns of contractors, specialist sub-contractors, developers and consultants. The findings show that the Malaysian construction industry is ready, to a certain extent, for implementing the technologies in limited areas such as prefabrication and assembly and in the design, planning and costing phases.展开更多
AIM: To investigate the effects of a novel Leukotriene B4 receptor antagonist and/or tacrolimus on ischemia-reperfusion in a rat liver model. METHODS: Male Lewis rats were pretreated with ONO-4057 (100 mg/kg) and/or t...AIM: To investigate the effects of a novel Leukotriene B4 receptor antagonist and/or tacrolimus on ischemia-reperfusion in a rat liver model. METHODS: Male Lewis rats were pretreated with ONO-4057 (100 mg/kg) and/or tacrolimus (1 mg/kg) orally, and divided into four experimental groups; group 1 (control), group 2 (ONO-4057), group 3 (tacrolimus), group 4 (ONO-4057 + tacrolimus). RESULTS: There was a tendency for long survival in the groups treated with tacrolimus alone and ONO-4057 plus tacrolimus. Post-reperfusion serum aspartate aminotransferase levels decreased more signif icantly in ONO-4057 plus tacrolimus group (P < 0.01), than in the tacrolimus alone group (P < 0.05), compared to controls. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that pretreat-ment with ONO-4057 in combination with tacrolimus produced additive effects in a rat model of liver isch-emia-reperfusion injury.展开更多
The key factors that pushed College English in China to the stage of transformation are:globalization,student challenges,expansion of enrolment and primary and high school coordination challenge.The theoretical framew...The key factors that pushed College English in China to the stage of transformation are:globalization,student challenges,expansion of enrolment and primary and high school coordination challenge.The theoretical frameworks should cover the concepts of communicative competence,the learning-centered approach and learner autonomy.It then describes the major areas affected by the transformation to a new CE,in which the primary objective is to develop students’English comprehension and communicative competence:the nature and goal of the curriculum,curriculum requirements,teaching mode,assessment,and administration,In the new CE,focus has shifted from reading to listening and speaking,and special attention is now given to independent learning by capitalizing on advanced information technology;five principles are understood as the underpinnings of the transformation:a shift in orientation towards competence,the dominance of learning,focus on process,emphasis on culture,and increasingly democratic learning.展开更多
We use oral history materials from elderly rural people aged over seventy to analyze the circumstances of rural family production and daily life prior to collectivization in the mid- 1950s; during collectivization in ...We use oral history materials from elderly rural people aged over seventy to analyze the circumstances of rural family production and daily life prior to collectivization in the mid- 1950s; during collectivization in the 1950s to the 1970s; and under the household contract responsibility system of the late 1970s. We find that the transition from the traditional to the nuclear family did not involve industrialization in the traditional Western sense. As an early state industrialization strategy after 1949, rural collectivization fundamentally changed the organizational pattern of traditional family production and daily life and of inter-generational relations and structures under the patriarchal system, launching the historical process of structural transition in the family. This explanation differs from the classic "theory of modernization" of family change.展开更多
The laboratory rat is a valuable mammalian model organism for basic research and drug discovery. Here we demonstrate an efficient methodology by applying transcription activator-like effector nucleases(TALENs) technol...The laboratory rat is a valuable mammalian model organism for basic research and drug discovery. Here we demonstrate an efficient methodology by applying transcription activator-like effector nucleases(TALENs) technology to generate Leptin receptor(Lepr) knockout rats on the Sprague Dawley(SD) genetic background. Through direct injection of in vitro transcribed m RNA of TALEN pairs into SD rat zygotes, somatic mutations were induced in two of three resulting pups. One of the founders carrying bi-allelic mutation exhibited early onset of obesity and infertility. The other founder carried a chimeric mutation which was efficiently transmitted to the progenies. Through phenotyping of the resulting three lines of rats bearing distinct mutations in the Lepr locus, we found that the strains with a frame-shifted or premature stop codon mutation led to obesity and metabolic disorders. However, no obvious defect was observed in a strain with an in-frame 57 bp deletion in the extracellular domain of Lepr. This suggests the deleted amino acids do not significantly affect Lepr structure and function. This is the first report of generating the Lepr mutant obese rat model in SD strain through a reverse genetic approach. This suggests that TALEN is an efficient and powerful gene editing technology for the generation of disease models.展开更多
Compared with Karl Polanyi’s first Great Transformation,the emergence of the even more influential financial capitalism can be called the second Great Transformation.The global expansion of financial capitalism has e...Compared with Karl Polanyi’s first Great Transformation,the emergence of the even more influential financial capitalism can be called the second Great Transformation.The global expansion of financial capitalism has extended its power beyond the remit of nation-states as governments,firms,families and individuals are increasingly guided and reshaped by financial markets,producing a trend toward the financialization of social life.An important social consequence is the ever more marked separation of financial markets from society,a separation that has gradually eroded the power of the state,trade unions and civil society and aggravated the employment crises,the polarization of rich and poor and the structural inequality of developed capitalist countries.In the face of society’s erosion by financial capital,the West has taken measures of social self-protection,but these have so far had little effect.To establish a new financial and market governance structure at the global level that will effectively cope with the negative impact of financial capitalism is a long and arduous task.展开更多
OBJECTIVE: To observe the influence of Sijunzi decoction and Yupingfeng powder on the expression of the relevant DNAs of janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) sig- nal pathway...OBJECTIVE: To observe the influence of Sijunzi decoction and Yupingfeng powder on the expression of the relevant DNAs of janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) sig- nal pathway of the brain in spleen-deficiency mod- el rats. METHODS: Eighty male Wistar rats of sanitary degree were divided randomly into four groups: nor- mal group, model group, treatment group 1, treatment group 2. Besides the rats in the normal group, all the rats in other 3 groups were prepared as spleen deficiency model. The treatment group 1 were treated with Sijunzi decoction and the treat- ment group 2 were treated with Yupingfeng powder. After treatment for 6 weeks, perfusion was given and the brain was taken for detection of the ex- pression of the relevant DNAs of JAK-STAT signal pathwayofthe brain in SD rats bygene chip method. RESULTS: Spleen deficiency could lead to increase expression of JAKI, STATI and Interleukin 4 (IL-4) in the brain, but the decrease expression of Suppres- sor of cytokine signaling I (SOCSI), prolactin recep- tor (PRLR) and binding protein 3 (GATA 3). Sijunzi decoction could increase expression of STAT3, Pro- lactin (PRL) and GATA3, but decrease expression of JAKI, STAT, STAT4, Interleukin 10 receptor, alpha (ILIORA), Coagulation factor II (F2), PRLR, MAD homolog 3 (SMAD3) and IL-4. Yupingfeng powder could decrease expression of JAKI, STATI, STAT4, SOCS4_ predicted, Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), PRLR, High mobility group AT-hook I (HMGAI 0), IL-4. CONCLUSION: Sijunzi decoction and Yupingfeng powder can improve immune function of the rat through influencing the genetic expression of JAK-STAT signal pathway.展开更多
Astragalus mongholicus (AM) derived from the dry root ofAstragalus membranaceus Bge. var. mongolicus (Bge.) Hsiao is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine. The present study investigated the potential role of...Astragalus mongholicus (AM) derived from the dry root ofAstragalus membranaceus Bge. var. mongolicus (Bge.) Hsiao is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine. The present study investigated the potential role of AM on renal fibrosis on a rat model of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). We divided 48 Sprague-Dawley rats randomly into 4 groups: sham-operated group (Sham), untreated UUO group, AM-treated (10 g/(kg.d)) UUO group, and losartan-treated (20 mg/(kg.d)) UUO group as positive control. Haematoxylin & eosin (HE) and Masson staining were used to study the dynamic histological changes of the kidneys 7 and 14 d after operation. The expressions of fibronectin (FN), type I collagen (coil), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and eL-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemistry staining, and Western blot. Results show that, similar to losartan, AM alleviated the renal damage and decreased the deposition of FN and coil from UUO by reducing the expressions of TGF-β1 and α-SMA (P〈0.05), whereas HGF increased greatly with AM treatment (P〈0.05). Our findings reveal that AM could retard the progression of renal fibrosis. The renoprotective effect of AM might be related to inhibition ofmyofibroblast activation, inducing of HGF and reducing of TGF-β1 expression.展开更多
OBJECTIVE:To observe the effects of Bushen Huoxue Yin(补肾活血饮,BSHXY) on nuclear transcription factor kappa B(NF-κB) and nitric oxide(NO) in the brain of the Parkinson's disease(PD) model mouse.METHODS:Forty-fi...OBJECTIVE:To observe the effects of Bushen Huoxue Yin(补肾活血饮,BSHXY) on nuclear transcription factor kappa B(NF-κB) and nitric oxide(NO) in the brain of the Parkinson's disease(PD) model mouse.METHODS:Forty-five C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups;normal,model and BSHXY treatment groups.Concentrations of NF-κB and NO in mouse brain tissue were determined by ELISA and spectrophotometry,respectively.RESULTS:NF-κB concentration in brain tissue in the model group was 14.04±4.38 μg· L-1,which was higher than that in normal(P<0.01) and BSHXY(P< 0.05) groups.NO content in brain tissue in the model group was 5.93±0.79 μmol · gprot-1,which was also higher than that in model(P<0.01) and BSHXY(P<0.01) groups.However,there were no significant differences in the content of NF-κB and NO between BSHXY and normal groups(P>0.05).CONCLUSION:The mechanism of BSHXY for treatment of PD is possibly related to inhibition ofNF-κB activation and decreased NO content in the brain.展开更多
As the teacher education in China gradually evolves from the closed one into an open one,and with the greater pressure from the competition among universities,the transformation of normal universities is an inevitable...As the teacher education in China gradually evolves from the closed one into an open one,and with the greater pressure from the competition among universities,the transformation of normal universities is an inevitable choice.The problems that normal universities need to face up to are the proper goal orientation and the setting of appropriate development goals.Through the comparison and interpretation of the development goals of current normal universities in China,this paper finds similar tendency in the development types and the choices of features.Goal orientation is vital to the development of normal universities.Therefore,when setting and implementing development goals,a sound understanding about expressions like“the features of operating schools”and“comprehensive universities”should be improved,and a rational thinking about the fundamental questions should be engaged in as well.展开更多
基金Projects(51375222,51175242)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘To decrease breakdown time and improve machine operation reliability,accurate residual useful life(RUL) prediction has been playing a critical role in condition based monitoring.A data fusion method was proposed to achieve online RUL prediction of slewing bearings,which consisted of a reliability based RUL prediction model and a data driven failure rate(FR) estimation model.Firstly,an RUL prediction model was developed based on modified Weibull distribution to build the relationship between RUL and FR.Secondly,principal component analysis(PCA) was introduced to process multi-dimensional life-cycle vibration signals,and continuous squared prediction error(CSPE) and its time-domain features were employed as equipment performance degradation features.Afterwards,an FR estimation model was established on basis of the degradation features and relevant FRs using simplified fuzzy adaptive resonance theory map(SFAM) neural network.Consequently,real-time FR of equipment can be obtained through FR estimation model,and then accurate RUL can be calculated through the RUL prediction model.Results of a slewing bearing life test show that CSPE is an effective indicator of performance degradation process of slewing bearings,and that by combining actual load condition and real-time monitored data,the calculation time is reduced by 87.3%and the accuracy is increased by 0.11%,which provides a potential for online RUL prediction of slewing bearings and other various machineries.
基金Foundation item:Under the auspices of Hui Oi Chow Trust Fund(No.200902172004)Mrs.Li Ka Shing Fund,Strategic Research Theme on Contemporary China,Small Project Funding provided by the University of Hong Kong(No.200807176152)
文摘The global economic downturn caused primarily by the US sub-prime mortgage crisis in 2007 engendered revenue loss of the multinational corporations. Existing studies have yet to depict the detrimental impacts on city's command and control functions induced by the sub-prime mortgage crisis together with its residual wave of global economic recession on the global spatial economy. Recent and previous studies have produced an 'instant history' of the global spatial economy before the global economic downturn undermines the global economy in late 2008. How- ever, the waxes and wanes of major cities' command and control functions on the global economic arena before and after the outbreak of financial crisis and its associated geo-economic transitions are still poorly understood. This paper attempts to contribute a new set of customized data to update and fill in the gap in the literature with the investigation of the command and control functions of cities arotmd the world from 2005 to 2009. Particular attentions are paid to the time-space relationship of the geo-economic transition that can capture the recent historical images of the com- mand and control situation of different cities in the world.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China as key program (No.60435020) and The HighTechnology Research and Development Programme of China (2002AA117010-09).
文摘This paper applied Maximum Entropy (ME) model to Pinyin-To-Character (PTC) conversion in-stead of Hidden Markov Model (HMM) that could not include complicated and long-distance lexical informa-tion. Two ME models were built based on simple and complex templates respectively, and the complex one gave better conversion result. Furthermore, conversion trigger pair of y A → y B cBwas proposed to extract the long-distance constrain feature from the corpus; and then Average Mutual Information (AMI) was used to se-lect conversion trigger pair features which were added to the ME model. The experiment shows that conver-sion error of the ME with conversion trigger pairs is reduced by 4% on a small training corpus, comparing with HMM smoothed by absolute smoothing.
文摘AIM: To evaluate the anti-viral effect of emodin plus Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) in hepatitis B virus (HBV) transgenic mice.METHODS: Sixty HBV transgenic mice (HBV TGM) whose weight varied between 18 and 24 g were randomly divided into 3 groups, with 20 mice in each group. Group A was the normal control, where the mice were treated with physiological saline; group B was the positive control where the mice were treated with lamivudine solution (100 mL/kg per day). Group C was the experimental group where the mice were treated with physiological saline containing emodin and APS (57.59 mg/kg per day and 287.95 mg/kg per day, respectively). The mice were treated daily for 3 wk. After 1 wk recovery time, the mice were sacrifi ced and serum as well as liver tissues were collected for ELISA and histological examination.RESULTS: After 21 d treatment, HBV DNA levels in group B and group C significantly declined when compared with group A (P < 0.05). However, a signif icant increase in HBV DNA content was observed in group B, whereas this phenomenon was not observed in group C. A reduction in the contents of HBsAg, HBeAg and HBcAg in the mice from group B and C was observed when compared with group A.CONCLUSION: Emodin and APS have a weak but persistent inhibitory effect on HBV replication in vivo, which may function as a supplementary modality in the treatment of hepatitis B infection.
文摘The radiance leaving the earth-atmosphere system which can be sensed by a satellite borne radiometer is the sum of radiation emission from the earth surface and each atmospheric level that are transmitted to the top of the atmosphere. The radiation emission from the earth surface and the radiance of each atmospheric level can be separated from the radiance at the top the atmospheric level measured by a satellite borne radiometer. However, it is very difficult to measure the atmospheric radiance, especially the synchronous measurement with the satellite. Thus some atmospheric radiative transfer models have been developed to provide many options for modeling atmospheric radiation transport, such as LOWTRAN, MODTRAN, 6S, FASCODE, LBLRTM, SHARC, and SAMM. Meanwhile, these models can support the detailed detector system design, the optimization and evaluation of satellite mission parameters, and the data processing procedures. As an example, the newly atmospheric radiative transfer models, MODTRAN will be compared with other models after the atmospheric radiative transfer is described. And the atmospheric radiative transfer simulation procedures and their applications to atmospheric transmittance, retrieval of atmospheric elements, and surface parameters, will also be presented.
文摘AIM: To evaluate the possible role of Tribble 3 (TRB3) in a rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its signal transduction mechanism.METHODS: Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into three groups: normal control group, non-alcoholic fatty liver group A (fed on a high-fat diet for 8 wk) and group B (fed on a high-fat diet for 16 wk). To determine the degree of hepatic steatosis in rats of each group, livers were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and evaluated; real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure the expression levels of TRI33 mRNA, and Western blotting analysis was done to determine the expression levels of protein kinase B (Akt) and phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-Akt-Thr308, p-Akt-Ser473).RESULTS: Hepatic steatosis was evident in both NAFLD groups: mild to moderate hepatic steatosis occurred in group A, mainly as mild steatosis.Moderate to severe hepatic steatosis occurred in group B, mainly as severe steatosis. The expression level of TRB3 mRNA in group B was significantly higher than in the control group (122.28 ± 95.37 vs 3.06 ± 2.33,P = 0.002) and group A (122.28 ± 95.37 vs 5.77 ± 4.20,P = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the expression levels of Akt (1.03 ± 0.53 vs 1.12 ± 0.77,P = 0.729) and p-Akt-Thr308 (0.82 ± 0.45 vs 0.92 ± 0.38, P = 0.592) between group A and the control group. The expression level of Akt and p-Akt-Thr308 in group B was significantly lower than in group A (Akt 0.41 ± 0.16 vs 1.12 ± 0.77, P = 0.008; p-Akt-Thr308 0.47 ± 0.19 vs 0.82 ± 0.45, P = 0.036) and the control group (Akt 0.41 ± 0.16 vs 1.03 ± 0.53, P = 0.018;p-Akt-Thr308 0.47 ± 0.19 vs 0.92 ± 0.38, P = 0.010).The expression level of p-Akt-Ser473 in group A was significantly higher than in group B (1.48 ± 0.50 vs 0.81± 0.39, P = 0.041) as well as the control group (1.48 ± 0.50 vs 0.45 ± 0.26, P = 0.003).CONCLUSION: TRB3 blocks insulin signaling by inhibiting Akt activation, which contributes to insulin resistance. It may be an important factor in the occurrence and development of NAFLD.
文摘As critical piece of China's gradualist economic transition, domestic price reform still faces major challenges. In particular, factor price, which is still tightlycontrolled and not market-based, is lower than market equilibrium price. Factor price distortion not only reduces market efficiency but also affects wealth distribution. Subsequent wealth transfer has, over the past ten to fifieen years, created a powerful vested interests and spawned social resentment, both of which may constitute major hazards in China's future reform and development. Keeping in mind that China will have to address factor price distortion in its next step of reform, this paper takes stock of China's journey toward price rejorm; examines the relationship among factor price distortion, previous economic growth, and policy; and estimates' the size of resulting wealth transfer.
基金Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40425012)"Hundred Talent" Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences
文摘The radiative transfer is one of the significant theories that describe the processes of scattering, emission, and absorption of electromagnetic radiant intensity through scattering medium. It is the basis of the study on the quan-titative remote sensing. In this paper, the radiative characteristics of soil, vegetation, and atmosphere were described respectively. The numerical solution of radiative transfer was accomplished by Successive Orders of Scattering (SOS). A radiative transfer model for simulating microwave brightness temperature over land surfaces was constructed, de-signed, and implemented. Analyzing the database generated from soil-vegetation-atmosphere radiative transfer model under Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) configuration showed that the atmospheric effects on microwave brightness temperature should not be neglected, particularly for higher frequency, and can be parameterized. At the same time, the relationship between the emissivities of the different channels was developed. The study results will promote the development of algorithm to retrieve geophysical parameters from mi-crowave remotely sensed data.
文摘The Malaysian government's vision to be a developed nation by 2020 has pushed forward the use of innovative technologies in most sectors and industries, including the construction industry. Through the ETP (Economic Transformation Programme), major projects launched are expected to provide a great catalyst for the economy, and may become the platform for increasing the use of automation and highly enhanced plants and machineries in the construction industry. Innovations in most countries are mostly driven by the need to find revolutionary solutions to problems, such as a shortage of skilled labor, decreasing quality of product and processes, inferior working conditions, declining productivity and increasing costs of labor and materials. Automation and robotics technologies encompass a wide range of innovative technologies using technologically advanced machineries to improve the speed and efficiency of a given process. This paper discusses the readiness of a developing country in embracing construction automation and robotics, by exploring industry perception, suggested practices and barriers to its implementation using a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews directed at Malaysian construction finns of contractors, specialist sub-contractors, developers and consultants. The findings show that the Malaysian construction industry is ready, to a certain extent, for implementing the technologies in limited areas such as prefabrication and assembly and in the design, planning and costing phases.
文摘AIM: To investigate the effects of a novel Leukotriene B4 receptor antagonist and/or tacrolimus on ischemia-reperfusion in a rat liver model. METHODS: Male Lewis rats were pretreated with ONO-4057 (100 mg/kg) and/or tacrolimus (1 mg/kg) orally, and divided into four experimental groups; group 1 (control), group 2 (ONO-4057), group 3 (tacrolimus), group 4 (ONO-4057 + tacrolimus). RESULTS: There was a tendency for long survival in the groups treated with tacrolimus alone and ONO-4057 plus tacrolimus. Post-reperfusion serum aspartate aminotransferase levels decreased more signif icantly in ONO-4057 plus tacrolimus group (P < 0.01), than in the tacrolimus alone group (P < 0.05), compared to controls. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that pretreat-ment with ONO-4057 in combination with tacrolimus produced additive effects in a rat model of liver isch-emia-reperfusion injury.
文摘The key factors that pushed College English in China to the stage of transformation are:globalization,student challenges,expansion of enrolment and primary and high school coordination challenge.The theoretical frameworks should cover the concepts of communicative competence,the learning-centered approach and learner autonomy.It then describes the major areas affected by the transformation to a new CE,in which the primary objective is to develop students’English comprehension and communicative competence:the nature and goal of the curriculum,curriculum requirements,teaching mode,assessment,and administration,In the new CE,focus has shifted from reading to listening and speaking,and special attention is now given to independent learning by capitalizing on advanced information technology;five principles are understood as the underpinnings of the transformation:a shift in orientation towards competence,the dominance of learning,focus on process,emphasis on culture,and increasingly democratic learning.
文摘We use oral history materials from elderly rural people aged over seventy to analyze the circumstances of rural family production and daily life prior to collectivization in the mid- 1950s; during collectivization in the 1950s to the 1970s; and under the household contract responsibility system of the late 1970s. We find that the transition from the traditional to the nuclear family did not involve industrialization in the traditional Western sense. As an early state industrialization strategy after 1949, rural collectivization fundamentally changed the organizational pattern of traditional family production and daily life and of inter-generational relations and structures under the patriarchal system, launching the historical process of structural transition in the family. This explanation differs from the classic "theory of modernization" of family change.
基金supported by the State Key Development Programs of China (2012CB910400 to Mingyao Liu)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31371455, 31171318 and 81330049)the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (14140900300)
文摘The laboratory rat is a valuable mammalian model organism for basic research and drug discovery. Here we demonstrate an efficient methodology by applying transcription activator-like effector nucleases(TALENs) technology to generate Leptin receptor(Lepr) knockout rats on the Sprague Dawley(SD) genetic background. Through direct injection of in vitro transcribed m RNA of TALEN pairs into SD rat zygotes, somatic mutations were induced in two of three resulting pups. One of the founders carrying bi-allelic mutation exhibited early onset of obesity and infertility. The other founder carried a chimeric mutation which was efficiently transmitted to the progenies. Through phenotyping of the resulting three lines of rats bearing distinct mutations in the Lepr locus, we found that the strains with a frame-shifted or premature stop codon mutation led to obesity and metabolic disorders. However, no obvious defect was observed in a strain with an in-frame 57 bp deletion in the extracellular domain of Lepr. This suggests the deleted amino acids do not significantly affect Lepr structure and function. This is the first report of generating the Lepr mutant obese rat model in SD strain through a reverse genetic approach. This suggests that TALEN is an efficient and powerful gene editing technology for the generation of disease models.
基金This paper is a phased result of a National Social Science Fund of China project“Research on the Social Mechanism of Stable Development of China’s Stock Market”(16BSH075).
文摘Compared with Karl Polanyi’s first Great Transformation,the emergence of the even more influential financial capitalism can be called the second Great Transformation.The global expansion of financial capitalism has extended its power beyond the remit of nation-states as governments,firms,families and individuals are increasingly guided and reshaped by financial markets,producing a trend toward the financialization of social life.An important social consequence is the ever more marked separation of financial markets from society,a separation that has gradually eroded the power of the state,trade unions and civil society and aggravated the employment crises,the polarization of rich and poor and the structural inequality of developed capitalist countries.In the face of society’s erosion by financial capital,the West has taken measures of social self-protection,but these have so far had little effect.To establish a new financial and market governance structure at the global level that will effectively cope with the negative impact of financial capitalism is a long and arduous task.
基金Supported by State Natural Science Fund (No. 30772685)
文摘OBJECTIVE: To observe the influence of Sijunzi decoction and Yupingfeng powder on the expression of the relevant DNAs of janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) sig- nal pathway of the brain in spleen-deficiency mod- el rats. METHODS: Eighty male Wistar rats of sanitary degree were divided randomly into four groups: nor- mal group, model group, treatment group 1, treatment group 2. Besides the rats in the normal group, all the rats in other 3 groups were prepared as spleen deficiency model. The treatment group 1 were treated with Sijunzi decoction and the treat- ment group 2 were treated with Yupingfeng powder. After treatment for 6 weeks, perfusion was given and the brain was taken for detection of the ex- pression of the relevant DNAs of JAK-STAT signal pathwayofthe brain in SD rats bygene chip method. RESULTS: Spleen deficiency could lead to increase expression of JAKI, STATI and Interleukin 4 (IL-4) in the brain, but the decrease expression of Suppres- sor of cytokine signaling I (SOCSI), prolactin recep- tor (PRLR) and binding protein 3 (GATA 3). Sijunzi decoction could increase expression of STAT3, Pro- lactin (PRL) and GATA3, but decrease expression of JAKI, STAT, STAT4, Interleukin 10 receptor, alpha (ILIORA), Coagulation factor II (F2), PRLR, MAD homolog 3 (SMAD3) and IL-4. Yupingfeng powder could decrease expression of JAKI, STATI, STAT4, SOCS4_ predicted, Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), PRLR, High mobility group AT-hook I (HMGAI 0), IL-4. CONCLUSION: Sijunzi decoction and Yupingfeng powder can improve immune function of the rat through influencing the genetic expression of JAK-STAT signal pathway.
基金(No.30170437) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘Astragalus mongholicus (AM) derived from the dry root ofAstragalus membranaceus Bge. var. mongolicus (Bge.) Hsiao is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine. The present study investigated the potential role of AM on renal fibrosis on a rat model of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). We divided 48 Sprague-Dawley rats randomly into 4 groups: sham-operated group (Sham), untreated UUO group, AM-treated (10 g/(kg.d)) UUO group, and losartan-treated (20 mg/(kg.d)) UUO group as positive control. Haematoxylin & eosin (HE) and Masson staining were used to study the dynamic histological changes of the kidneys 7 and 14 d after operation. The expressions of fibronectin (FN), type I collagen (coil), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and eL-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemistry staining, and Western blot. Results show that, similar to losartan, AM alleviated the renal damage and decreased the deposition of FN and coil from UUO by reducing the expressions of TGF-β1 and α-SMA (P〈0.05), whereas HGF increased greatly with AM treatment (P〈0.05). Our findings reveal that AM could retard the progression of renal fibrosis. The renoprotective effect of AM might be related to inhibition ofmyofibroblast activation, inducing of HGF and reducing of TGF-β1 expression.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation (No.30672762)
文摘OBJECTIVE:To observe the effects of Bushen Huoxue Yin(补肾活血饮,BSHXY) on nuclear transcription factor kappa B(NF-κB) and nitric oxide(NO) in the brain of the Parkinson's disease(PD) model mouse.METHODS:Forty-five C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups;normal,model and BSHXY treatment groups.Concentrations of NF-κB and NO in mouse brain tissue were determined by ELISA and spectrophotometry,respectively.RESULTS:NF-κB concentration in brain tissue in the model group was 14.04±4.38 μg· L-1,which was higher than that in normal(P<0.01) and BSHXY(P< 0.05) groups.NO content in brain tissue in the model group was 5.93±0.79 μmol · gprot-1,which was also higher than that in model(P<0.01) and BSHXY(P<0.01) groups.However,there were no significant differences in the content of NF-κB and NO between BSHXY and normal groups(P>0.05).CONCLUSION:The mechanism of BSHXY for treatment of PD is possibly related to inhibition ofNF-κB activation and decreased NO content in the brain.
文摘As the teacher education in China gradually evolves from the closed one into an open one,and with the greater pressure from the competition among universities,the transformation of normal universities is an inevitable choice.The problems that normal universities need to face up to are the proper goal orientation and the setting of appropriate development goals.Through the comparison and interpretation of the development goals of current normal universities in China,this paper finds similar tendency in the development types and the choices of features.Goal orientation is vital to the development of normal universities.Therefore,when setting and implementing development goals,a sound understanding about expressions like“the features of operating schools”and“comprehensive universities”should be improved,and a rational thinking about the fundamental questions should be engaged in as well.