Targeting BCRP/ABCG2 by RNA Interference Enhances the Chemotherapy Sensitivity of Human Colon Cancer Side Population Cells

Relapse and metastasis are frequent in colon cancer and may be linked to stem cell characteristics.This study isolated side population（SP） cells from a colon cancer cell line（Colo-320） and examined their self-renewal and differentiation abilities.Compared to non-SP（NSP） cells,SP colon cancer cells were more tumorigenic in vivo and exhibited more invasive characteristics and a greater ability to form colonies.Additionally,more cells were in G0/G1 phase and more highly expressed the multidrug resistance protein BCRP/ABCG2.We achieved enhanced chemotherapy sensitivity by transfecting SP cells with a hairpin-like,small interfering RNA（si RNA） eukaryotic expression plasmid targeting BCRP/ABCG2.

Sediment texture and grain-size implications: the Changjiang subaqueous delta

Sediment cores were collected from the subaqueous delta of the Changjiang Estuary. Sediment grain-size profiles and their fractal dimensions were analyzed, to elucidate responses to long-term sedimentary processes. In addition, the environmental sensitive populations of grain size have been extracted. The sediment cores can be divided into two parts, according to the sedimentary structures present. The upper part （0-12 cm） is interpreted as being the active layer, which is influenced frequently by changes in the short-term hydrodynamic environment. The lower part extends from a depth of 12 cm, to the bottom of the core. The pattern of fluctuation is linked to sediment grain size. Moreover, two grain-size sensitive populations can be identified. The fine sensitive population is 6.0-7.2 μm, which is a similar grain size to the suspended sediment from up-river. The coarse sensitive population varies from 40.7 to 57.5 μm, revealing complex changes. Thus, the riverine inputs from the Changjiang River may be an important source, which contributes to seasonal fluctuations of grain-size distribution, over the area. The sediments, with grain-sizes ranging from 0.9 to 20.3 μm, are characterised by self-similar in the fractal non-scale region. The fraetal dimension is eonsistant with the grain-size parameter varatioins, which could be used as a replacement index to reveal and reconstruct the sedimentary environmental evolution.

Simulation of mass balance behavior in a large-scale circulating fluidized bed reactor

We determine using a compound model the influence of the mass of granular matter on the behavior of a supercritical circulating fluidized bed （CFB） reactor. Population balance enables a stationary-regime modeling of the mass flow of granular matter inside a CFB unit in a large-scale. The simulation includes some important dynamic processes of gas-particle flows in fluidized bed such as attrition, fragmenta- tion, elutriation, and fuel combustion. Numerical calculations with full boiler loading were performed of operational parameters such as furnace temperature, furnace pressure, feeding materials mass flows, and excess air ratio. Furthermore, three bed inventory masses were adopted as experimental variables in the simulation model of mass balance. This approach enables a sensitivity study of mass flows of granular matter inside a CFB facility. Some computational results from this population balance model obtained for a supercritical CFB reactor are presented that show consistency with the operational data for large-scale CFB units.