Activation of Plasma Membrane NADPH Oxidase and Generation of H_2O_2 Mediate the Induction of PAL Activity and Saponin Synthesis byEndogenous Elicitor in Suspension-Cultured Cells of Panax ginseng

Endogenous elicitor, termed cellulase-degraded cell wall (CDW), was prepared from the cell wall of suspension-cultured ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) cells via cellulase degradation. CDW activated the NADPH oxidase activity of isolated plasma membranes and stimulated in vivo H2O2 generation in ginseng cell suspensions. CDW also increased the activity of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), expression of a P. ginseng squalene epoxidase (sqe) gene and saponin synthesis. NADPH oxidase inhibitors inhibited both in vitro NADPH oxidase activity and in vivo H2O2 generation. Induction of PAL activity, saponin synthesis and sqe gene expression were all inhibited by such inhibitor treatments and reduced by incubation with catalase and HA scavengers. These data indicate that activation of NADPH oxidase and generation of H2O2 are essential signalling events mediating defence responses induced by the endogenous elicitor(s) present in CDW.

Antibiotic Activity of Seven Fungicides against Alternaria panax Whetz

[Objective] This study was conducted to screen suitable fungicides to con-trol ginseng leaf blight caused by Alternaria panax_Whetz. [Method] The antifungal activity of seven fungicides against A. panax_ was determined based on mycelial growth rate in vitro. [Result] The results of in vitro antibiotic activity assay showed that there were significant differences in inhibition rate among different concentration treatments of each of the seven fungicides. Toxicity test results showed that among the seven fungicides, difenoconazole had the smal est EC50 （0.61 mg/L）, fol owed by streptomycin and captan, with EC50 value lower than 100 mg/L. [Conclusion] A fungicide which had strong antifungal activity on A. panax was screened out, and the results wil provide a theoretical basis for further field trial.

On Naipaurs novels from reality and acuity

Naipaul＇s novels are real and acute, which reflect many countries and social realities, especially terrible lives and depressed emotions, including human interests, opinions, ideas, consciousnesses, self-acceptance, idea crisis, looking for identity, spiritual trouble, contradiction between religion and life, cultural conflict in colonized countries and post-colonized areas. Such novels are from actual realities, life facts, street matters with miscellaneous, vicissitudinous, and integrative skills and abilities.

An Active Endoscopy Robotic System for Direct Tracheal Inspection

The development of active endoscopy techniques is one important area of medical robot.This paper designed a new flexible and active endoscopy robotic system for direct tracheal inspection.The mobile mechanism of the robot is based on the inchworm movement actuated by pneumatic rubber actuator.There are five air chambers controlled independently,by adjusting pressures in air chambers,the robot can move in a straight mode or in a bending mode.The inspection sensors and some therapy surgery tools can be equipped in the front of the robot.The prototype was made and its mechanical characteristics were analyzed.The robot could move smoothly in a small plastic tube,and the robot is respectable to be used for inspection in human trachea directly.

Variation of Floods Characteristics and Their Responses to Climate and Human Activities in Poyang Lake, China

The Poyang Lake is one of the most frequently flooded areas in China. Understanding the changing characteristics of floods as well as the affecting factors is an important prerequisite of flood disaster prevention and mitigation. The present study identified the characteristics variations of historical floods in the Poyang Lake and their tendencies based on the Mann-Kendall(M-K) test, and also investigated the related affecting factors, both from climate and human activities. The results revealed that the highest flood stages, duration as well as hazard coefficient of floods showed a long-term increasing linear trend during the last 60 years with the M-K statistic of 1.49, 1.60 and 1.50, respectively. And, a slightly increasing linear trend in the timing of the highest stages indicated the floods occurred later and later during the last six decades. The rainfall during the flood season and subsequent discharges of the Changjiang(Yangtze) River and runoff from the Poyang Lake Basin were mainly responsible for the severe flood situation in the Poyang Lake in the 1990 s. In addition, the intensive human activities, including land reclamation and levee construction, also played a supplementary role in increasing severity of major floods. While, the fewer floods in the Poyang Lake after 2000 can be attributed to not only the less rainfall over the Poyang Lake Basin and low discharges of the Changjiang River during flood periods, but also the stronger influences of human activity which increased the floodwater storage of the Poyang Lake than before.

The Affects of Acupuncture at Sibai and Neiting Acupoints on Gastric Peristalsis

The frequency and amplitude of gastric peristaltic wave were significantly changed in 15 subjects when Sibai (ST 2) and Neiting (ST 44) acupoints of the Stomach Channel of Foot-Yangming were punctured. The results demonstrate that these acupoints are effective for treatment of stomach diseases, providing an experimental basis for the theory of channels and collaterals.

Selection of diet for culture of juvenile silver pomfret, Pampus argenteus

Juvenile silver pomfret, Pampus argenteus, was grown in culture tanks for 9 weeks on four different diets, and their effects on fish growth, digestive enzyme activity, and body composition were assessed. The feeding regime was as follows: Diet 1: fish meat; Diet 2: fish meat+artificial feed; Diet 3: fish meat+artificial feed+Agamaki clam meat; Diet 4: fish meat+artificial feed+Agamaki clam+copepods. The greatest weight gain was associated with Diet 4, while the lowest weight gain was associated with Diet 1. No significant difference was observed in weight gain between fish receiving Diet 2 and Diet 3. Specific growth rate followed similar trends as weight gain. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) of fish fed Diet 1 was significantly higher than the other fish groups, but no significant differences were observed in FCRs of fish fed Diet 2, Diet 3 or Diet 4. There was also no significant difference in the hepatosomatic index (HSI) between the four diets. For fish that received Diets 2-4, containing artificial feed, higher protease activities were detected. A higher lipid content of the experimental diets also significantly increased lipase activities and body lipid content. No significant differences in amylase activity or body protein content were found between Diets 1-4. In conclusion, a variety of food components, including copepods and artificial feed, in the diet of silver pomfret significantly increased digestive enzyme activity and could improve growth performance.

High resolution tracking of adult horseshoe crabs Limulus polyphemus in a New Hampshire estuary using fixed array ultrasonic telemetry

While several studies have documented the large-scale, seasonal movements of horseshoe crabs, little is known about their fine-scale, daily movement patterns. In this study we used a fixed array ultrasonic telemetry system to track the movements of 12 male and 16 female horseshoe crabs in the Great Bay estuary, New Hampshire. Data were obtained during the mating season, as well as during the remainder of the summer and fall, in the years 2005-2008. During the mating season animals were often, but not always, active during the high tides when they were approaching and leaving the spawning beaches. On average, both males and females approached mating beaches during 33% of the high tides they experienced and they most often made the tran- sition from being inactive to active during the last two hours of an incoming tide. From April-October horseshoe crabs were significantly more active during high tide periods vs low tide periods, with no clear preference for diurnal vs nocturnal activity. After the mating season ended horseshoe crabs continued to move into shallower water at high tide and then return to deeper water at low tide. Observations by SCUBA divers suggest that during these excursions into the mudflats horseshoe crabs were digging pits in the sediment while foraging for food. Thus, the tidal rhythm of activity that has been so well documented during the mating season probably persists into the fall, and primarily involves foraging activities

PTEN induces anoikis through its phosphatase activity in human bladder transitional carcinoma cells BIU-87

Objective:To investigate the effects and mechanisms of tumor suppressor gene PTEN on the induction of anoikis of human bladder transitional carcinoma cells BIU-87.Methods:BIU-87 cells were transfected with GFP plasmids containing wild-type PTEN or phosphatase inactivating mutant PTEN(C124A-PTEN)in vitro.The PTEN expression and the phosphorylation levels of focal adhesion kinase(FAK)and protein kinase B(PKB/Akt)were detected by Western blotting.Flow cytometry assay and laser scanning confocal microscopy were used to analyze apoptosis in adherent and non-adherent cells.Results: Compared with the control group,PTEN expression in the cells transfected with wild-type PTEN increased to 210%–260%, while the phosphorylation level of FAK and Akt decreased 59%(P<0.01)and 89%(P<0.01),respectively.And the anoikis percentage increased from 8.32±0.57%to 37.62±2.12%.In the cells transfected with C124A-PTEN,neither the phos- phorylation of FAK and Akt nor the anoikis percentage had obviously changed,although the PTEN expression enhanced remarkably in comparison with the control.Conclusion:Through its phosphatase activity,tumor suppressor gene PTEN can suppress the phosphorylation of FAK and Akt,and induce anoikis in human bladder transitional carcinoma cells BIU-87.

An Analog Front End for Recording Neuronal Activity in Freely Behaving Small Animals

Extracting characteristic brain signals and simultaneous recording animals behaving could help us to understand the complex behavior of neuronal ensembles. Here, a system was established to record local field potentials (LFP) and extracellular signal or multiple-unit discharge and behavior synchronously by utilizing electrophysiology and integrated circuit technique. It comprised microelectrodes and micro-driver assembly, analog front end (AFE),while a computer (Pentium III ) was used as the platform for the graphic user interface, which was developed using the LabVIEW programming language. It was designed as a part of ongoing research to develop a portable wireless neural signal recording system. We believe that this information will be useful for the research of brain-computer interface.

Using a non-radioisotopic, quantitative TRAP-based method detecting telomerase activities in human hepatoma cells

A non-radioisotopic, quantitative TRAP-based telomerase activity assay was established mainly by using SYBR Green-I staining instead of radioisotope. Comparing with conventional radioisotope based method, it was better in reproducibility and accuracy. Using this method, we found telomerase activities were absent in normal human liver cells, while detected in ail of four human hepatoma cell lines (BEL-7404, SMMC-7721, QGY-7903 and HCCM) without significant differences.

Effects of Berbamine on PAF Production in Human Neutrophils and on Platelet Aggregation

The effects of berbamine, an alkaloid of dibenzylisoquinoline, on PAF produc tion in human neutrophils and on platelet aggregation induced by PAF were studied and compared with those of the calcium antagonist verapamil. Preincubation with berbamine (50 mmol / L, 100 mmol / L) or verapamil (10 mmol / L, 100 mmol / L) was shown to significantly inhibit A 23187 stimulated PAF synthesis. Berbamine and verapamil were found to inhibit platelet aggregation induced by PAF 70 pmol / L in a dose dependent manner. These results suggest that the inhibitory effects of berbamine and verapamil on A 23187 stimulated PAF synthesis in human neutrophils and PAF induced platelet aggregation are possibly brought about by inhibiting cellular calcium influx.

The Four-Seasonal Movement of Life

The four-seasonal movement is the general movement of the universe. Galaxies, living beings, society, man-made worlds and all substances have or take part in the four-seasonal movement. There are transverse four-seasonal movement and longitudinal four-seasonal movement. The former is the breathing movement. All substances have the function of breathing. Breathing involves living beings, celestial bodies, society and man-made systems and living beings of different levels have different ways of breathing. The longitudinal four-seasonal movement of living beings is controlled by genes. The four-seasonal movement is confined. Life originates in seeds and seeds are generated in the four-seasonal movement. Thoughts, ideas, designs and methods are the seeds of celestial bodies, society and man-made worlds. Just like living beings, galaxies, and society also have reproductive function. Reproduction has three major means： self-generation, generation by augmentation and generation by transformation. The reproduction of living beings is self-generation while the reproduction of the solar system and other galaxies is generation by augmentation. Man-made objects, society and galaxies are formed with automatic organization of thoughts, thus called generation by transformation. The solar system and the earth have reproduction function. Living beings began with the combined action of the earth, the solar system and the universe. Life forms of the universe include dominant life and recessive life. Different forms of life transform continuously.

The blend modification of EVA-150/starch and controlled-release of imazethapyr

The EVA-150 and starch were extruded by extruding press and the bio-degra- dation composite material was prepared to use as the controlled-release matrix of imazethapyr.The compatibility and crystallinity of EVA-150/starch blending were analyzed by SEM and DSC,and the controlled-released performance of imazethapyr in the carriers was also investigated by UV analysis.The results show that EVA-150/starch composite matrix has the obvious controlled-released function and the release rates of imazethapyr all exceed 50% in the environment of pH4,pH7,or pH9 after nine days.

Catalytic Pyrolyses of Rayon and the Effect on Activated Carbon Fiber

The catalytic pyrolyses of rayon have been studied respectively by thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) when rayon was treated with phosphoric acid (PA), three ammonium phosphate salts and ammonium sulfate (AS). The air is favorable to the catalysis of dibasic ammonium phosphate (DAP), but not to those of ADP, PA, AP, and AS obviously. It is put forward that a peak’s shape character can be described with the ratio of height to half-height-width (H/W /2) of the peak on a differential thermo-gravimetric (DTG) curve. A flat cracking peak, presenting a more moderate dehydration reaction, has a smaller ratio and could lead to higher carbonization and activation yields. The experimental results prove this view. According to expectation, the order of catalysis is: DAP≥ADP>PA> APAS no catalyst.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Adult Renal Sarcoma

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of primary adult renal sarcoma.Methods A total of 1654 cases with adult renal tumors were treated during 1985 to 2009 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital.Of all,17 cases were diagnosed as primary renal sarcoma and underwent radical nephrectomy.The clinical features of 17 such patients were retrospectively analyzed.Results The first symptom of 10(59%) cases in all renal sarcomas was abdominal mass.The pathological diagnosis was leiomyosarcoma(7 cases),rhabdomyosarcoma(2 cases),malignant fibrous histiocytoma(2 cases),low-differentiated sarcoma(2 cases),chromophobe renal cell carcinoma coexisting with liposarcoma(1 case),fibrosarcoma(1 case),embryonic sarcoma(1 case) and leiomyosarcoma(1 case).One patient died of tumor thrombus of the inferior vena cava during surgery.Finally,15 cases were regularly followed up for 4 to 60 months.Till now,1 had tumor-free survival for 9 months,and the other 14 cases died 2-38 months after the operation with a median survival time of 18(range,5-60) months.The median survival time of leiomyosarcoma group was 28(range,11-60) months,and 2 cases of malignant fibrous histiocytoma died 4 and 8 months after the operation respectively.Conclusions The primary renal sarcoma has the clinical symptom similar with advanced renal cell carcinoma and has poor prognosis.Leiomyosarcoma might have relative good prognosis.

Effects of small peptides, probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics on growth performance, digestive enzymes, and oxidative stress in orange-spotted grouper, Epinephelus coioides, juveniles reared in artificial seawater

Aquaculture production efficiency may increase by using feed additives. This study investigated the effects of different dietary additives [w/w: 2% small peptides, 0.01% probiotics( Bacillus licheniformis) and 0.2% prebiotics(inulin)] on growth performance, digestive enzyme activities, and oxidative stress in juvenile Epinephelus coioides reared in artificial seawater of two salt concentrations(13.5 vs. 28.5). Weight gain rate was significantly higher in fish fed the diet supplemented with small peptides, B. licheniformis, inulin, or synbiotics than that in fish fed the basal diet; the greatest weight gain rate was found in fish fed the small peptide treatment [56.0% higher than basal diet]. Higher feed efficiency was detected in fish fed the diet supplemented with small peptides than that of fish in the other dietary treatments. Total protease activity in the stomach and intestines was highest in fish fed the small peptide-treated diet, whereas lipase activity was highest in those fed synbiotics(combination of Bacillus licheniformis and inulin) than that in fish fed the other treatments. Antioxidant enzyme(total superoxide dismutase and catalase) activities and hepatic malondialdehyde content were higher in fish receiving the dietary supplements and maintained in artificial seawater containing 13.5 salinity compared with those in the control(28.5). Hepatic catalase activity in grouper fed the diets with small peptides or synbiotics decreased significantly compared with that in control fish. Overall, the three types of additives improved growth rate of juvenile grouper and digestive enzymes activities to varying degrees but did not effectively improve antioxidant capacity under low-salinity stress conditions.

Development and Future Challenges of Bio-Syncretic Robots

Bio-syncretic robots consisting of both living biological materials and non-living systems possess desirable attributes such as high energy efficiency, intrinsic safety, high sensitivity, and self-repairing capabilities. Compared with living biological materials or non-living traditional robots based on elec- tromechanical systems, the combined system of a bio-syncretic robot holds many advantages. Therefore, developing bio-syncretic robots has been a topic of great interest, and significant progress has been achieved in this area over the past decade. This review systematically summarizes the development of bio-syncretic robots. First, potential trends in the development of bio-syncretic robots are discussed. Next, the current performance of bio-syncretic robots, including simple movement and controllability of velocity and direction, is reviewed. The living biological materials and non-living materials that are used in bio-syncretic robots, and the corresponding fabrication methods, are then discussed. In addition, recently developed control methods for bio-syncretic robots, including physical and chemical control methods, are described. Finally, challenges in the development of bio-syncretic robots are discussed from multiple viewpoints, including sensing and intelligence, living and non-living materials, control approaches, and information technology.

Molecular mechanisms of ＂off-on switch＂ of activities of human IDH1 by tumor-associated mutation R132H

Human cytosolic NADP-1DH （IDH1） has recently been found to be involved in tumorigenesis. Notably, the tumorderived IDH1 mutations identified so far mainly occur at Arg132, and mutation R132H is the most prevalent one. This mutation impairs the oxidative IDH activity of the enzyme, but renders a new reduction function of converting a-ketoglutarate （aKG） to 2-hydroxyglutarate. Here, we report the structures of the R132H mutant IDH1 with and without isocitrate OCT） bound. The structural data together with mutagenesis and biochemical data reveal a previ- ously undefined initial ICT-binding state and demonstrate that IDH activity requires a conformational change to a closed pre-transition state. Arg132 plays multiple functional roles in the catalytic reaction; in particular, the R132H mutation hinders the conformational changes from the initial ICT-binding state to the pre-transition state, leading to the impairment of the IDH activity. Our results describe for the first time that there is an intermediate conformation that corresponds to an initial ICT-binding state and that the R132H mutation can trap the enzyme in this conforma- tion, therefore shedding fight on the molecular mechanism of the ＂off switch＂ of the potentially tumor-suppressive IDH activity. Furthermore, we proved the necessity of Tyr139 for the gained aKG reduction activity and propose that Tyr139 may play a vital role by compensating the increased negative charge on the C2 atom of aKG during the trans- fer of a hydride anion from NADPH to aKG, which provides new insights into the mechanism of the ＂on switch＂ of the hypothetically oncogenic reduction activity of IDH1 by this mutation.

Integrated Futures for Europe’s Mountain Regions: Reconciling Biodiversity Conservation and Human Livelihoods

Europe＇s mountains cover nearly half of the continent＇s area and are home to one fifth of the European population. Mountain areas are hotspots of biodiversity and agriculture has played a multifunctional role in defining and sustaining mountain biodiversity. Ongoing trends of agricultural decline are having negative impacts on mountain biodiversity. This paper presents results from an interdisciplinary European research project, BioScene, which investigated the relationship between agriculture and biodiversity in six mountain study areas across Europe to provide recommendations for reconciling biodiversity conservation with social and economic activities through an integrated rural development strategy. BioScene used scenario analysis and stakeholder participation as tools for structuring the analysis of alternative mountain futures. Three main BioScene scenarios were evaluated： Business as Usual （BAIT）, Agricultural Liberalisation （Lib）, Managed Change for Biodiversity （MCB）. BioScene brought together ecologists, economists, sociologists and rural geogra- phers, to carry out interdisciplinary analysis of the scenarios： identifying key drivers of change, assessing the biodiversity consequences and evaluating costeffectiveness. BioScene used a sustainability assessment to integrate the research outputs across natural and social science disciplines to assess the broader sustainability of the scenarios in terms of biodiversity, natural resources, rural development, social development, economic development and institutional capacity. The sustainability assessment showed that the MCB scenario was potentially the most sustainable of the three BioScene scenarios. Through the reconciliation of potentially conflicting objectives, such as conservation, economic development and human livelihoods, and with a strong participatory planning approach, the MCB scenario could represent an alternative approach to BaU for sustainable rural development in Europe＇s mountains. BioScene confirms the necessity for natural and social scientists to work together to seek solutions to environmental problems. Interdisciplinary research can assist with the definition of integrated strategies with the potential to reconcile the ecological, social and economic parameters that determine a sustainable future for European mountain areas.