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Ca2+ is an important intracellular second messenger known to regulate several cellular functions. This research aimed to investigate the mechanisms of exercise-induced immunosuppression by measuring intracellular calcium levels, Ca2+-regulating gene expression, and agonist-evoked proliferation of murine splenic T lymphocytes. Mice were randomly assigned to the control, sedentary group (C), and three experimental groups, which performed a single bout of intensive and exhaustive treadmill exercise. Murine splenic lymphocytes were separated by density-gradient centrifugation immediately (E0), 3h (E3), and 24h after exercise (E24). Fura-2/AM was used to monitor cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration in living cells. The combined method of carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE) labeling and flow cytometry was used for the detection of T cell proliferation. The transcriptional level of Ca2+-regulating genes was quantified by using qPCR. Both basal intracellular Ca2+ levels and agonist (ConA, OKT3, or thapsigargin)-induced Ca2+ transients were significantly elevated at E3 group (p

The core of modern cadastre management is to renew the cadastre database and keep its currentness,topology consistency and integrity.This paper analyzed the changes and their linkage of various cadastral objects in the update process.Combined object-oriented modeling technique with spatio-temporal objects' evolution express,the paper proposed a cadastral data updating model based on the spatio-temporal process according to people's thought.Change rules based on the spatio-temporal topological relations of evolution cadastral spatio-temporal objects are drafted and further more cascade updating and history back trace of cadastral features,land use and buildings are realized.This model implemented in cadastral management system-ReGIS.Achieved cascade changes are triggered by the direct driving force or perceived external events.The system records spatio-temporal objects' evolution process to facilitate the reconstruction of history,change tracking,analysis and forecasting future changes.

Red tide, as one of the major marine disasters in the coastal waters, has a significant temporal and spatial characteristics and pattern. A new understanding of red tides evolution can be used to make early predictions for emergency decision-making of red tides. The geostationary ocean color imager (GOCI) with a high space coverage and temporal resolution can fully meet the monitoring needs of the rapidly changing red tide. In this paper, we analyzed the spectral characteristics of red tide water, high turbid water and clean water based on GOCI imagery and proposed a red tide extraction index R rc H by combining the fluorescence line height (FLH). The comparison with buoy monitoring data validated the accuracy and reliability of the R rc H algorithm. The cases show that the formation of the red tides in a highly turbid water environment can be detected and monitored by using GOCI, which is beneficial to disaster prevention and reduction.

Legume research and cultivar development are important for sustainable food production, especially of high-protein seed. Thanks to the development of deep-sequencing technologies, crop species have been taken to the front line, even without completion of their genome sequences. Black-eyed pea (Vigna unguiculata) is a legume species widely grown in semi-arid regions, which has high potential to provide stable seed protein production in a broad range of environments, including drought conditions. The black-eyed pea reference genotype has been used to generate a gene expression atlas of the major plant tissues (i.e. leaf, root, stem, flower, pod and seed), with a developmental time series for pods and seeds. From these various organs, 27 cDNA libraries were generated and sequenced, resulting in more than one billion reads. Following filtering, these reads were de novo assembled into 36 529 transcript sequences that were annotated and quantified across the different tissues. A set of 24 866 unique transcript sequences, called Unigenes, was identified. All the information related to transcript identification, annotation and quantification were stored into a gene expression atlas webserver (http://vugea.noble.org), providing a user-friendly interface and necessary tools to analyse transcript expression in black-eyed pea organs and to compare data with other legume species. Using this gene expression atlas, we inferred details of molecular processes that are active during seed development, and identified key putative regulators of seed maturation. Additionally, we found evidence for conservation of regulatory mechanisms involving miRNA in plant tissues subjected to drought and seeds undergoing desiccation.

Flower opening is essential for pollination and thus successful sexual reproduction; however, the underlying mechanisms of its timing control remain largely elusive. We identify a unique cucumber (Cucumis sativus) line '6457' that produces normal ovaries when nutrients are under-supplied, and super ovaries (87%) with delayed corolla opening when nutrients are oversupplied. Corolla opening in both normal and super ovaries is divided into four distinct phases, namely the green bud, green-yellow bud, yellow bud, and flowering stages, along with progressive color transition, cytological tuning, and differential expression of 14,282 genes. In the super ovary, cell division and cell expansion persisted for a significantly longer period of time; the expressions of genes related to photosynthesis, protein degradation, and signaling kinases were dramatically up-regulated, whereas the activities of most transcription factors and stress-related genes were significantly down-regulated; concentrations of cytokinins (CKs) and gibberellins were higher in accordance with reduced cytokinin conjugation and degradation and increased expression of gibberellin biosynthesis genes. Exogenous CK application was sufficient for the genesis of super ovaries, suggesting a decisive role of CKs in controlling the timing of corolla opening. Furthermore, 194 out of 11,127 differentially expressed genes identified in pairwise comparisons, including critical developmental, signaling, and cytological regulators, contained all three types of cis-elements for CK, nitrate, and phosphorus responses in their promoter regions, indicating that the integration of hormone modulation and nutritional regulation orchestrated the precise control of corolla opening in cucumber. Our findings provide a valuable framework for dissecting the regulatory pathways for flower opening in plants.

A practical spatio-temporal database (STDB) technique for dynamic urban land management is presented. One of the STDB models, the expanded model of Base State with Amendments (BSA), is selected as the basis for developing the dynamic cadastral management technique. Two approaches, the Section Fast Indexing (SFI) and the Storage Factors of Variable Granularity (SFVG), are used to improve the efficiency of the BSA model. Both spatial graphic data and attribute data, through a succinct engine, are stored in standard relational database management systems (RDBMS) for the actual implementation of the BSA model. The spatio-temporal database is divided into three interdependent sub-databases: present DB, history DB and the procedures-tracing DB. The efficiency of database operation is improved by the database connection in the bottom layer of the Microsoft SQL Server. The spatio-temporal system can be provided at a low-cost while satisfying the basic needs of urban land management in China. The approaches presented in this paper may also be of significance to countries where land patterns change frequently or to agencies where financial resources are limited.

A practical method for visualizing flood area and evaluating damage is presented, which consists of two technical approaches: self-programming and adapting commercial GIS platforms. The low-cost and easy-to-use GIS-Based model developed by self-programming can meet current requirements of most local authorities, especially in developing countries. In this model, two cases, non-source flood and source flood, are distinguished and the Seed-spread algorithm suitable for source-flood is discussed; The flood damage is assessed by overlaying the flood area range with thematic maps and other related social and economic data. and all thematic maps are converted to raster format before overlay analysis. Two measures are taken to improve the operation efficiency of speed seed-spreed algorithm. The accuracy of the model mainly depends on the resolution and precision of the DEM data, and the accuracy of registering all raster layers and the quality of attribute data.

A GIS-based method to estimate flood area and damage is presented in this paper, which is oriented to developing countries like China, where labor is readily available for GIS data collecting, and tools such as, HEC-GeoRAS might not be readily available. At present local authorities in developing countries are often not predisposed to pay for commercial GIS platforms. To calculate flood area, two cases, non-source flood and source flood, are distinguished and a seed-spread algorithm suitable for source-flooding is described. The flood damage estimation is calculated in raster format by overlaying the flood area range with thematic maps and relating this to other socioeconomic data. Several measures used to improve the geometric accuracy and computing efficiency are presented. The management issues related to the application of this method, including the cost-effectiveness of approximate method in practice and supplementing two technical lines (self-programming and adopting commercial GIS software) to each other, are also discussed. The applications show that this approach has practical significance to flood fighting and control in developing countries like China.

The genus Phytophthora consists of many notorious pathogens of crops and forestry trees. At present, battling Phytophthora diseases is challenging due to a lack of understanding of their pathogenesis. We investigated the role of small RNAs in regulating soybean defense in response to infection by Phytophthora sojae, the second most destructive pathogen of soybean. Small RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), are universal regulators that repress target gene expression in eukaryotes. We identified known and novel small RNAs that differentially accumulated during P.sojae infection in soybean roots. Among them, miR393 and miR166 were induced by heat-inactivated P.sojae hyphae, indicating that they may be involved in soybean basal defense. Indeed, knocking down the level of mature miR393 led to enhanced susceptibility of soybean to P.sojae; furthermore, the expression of isoflavonoid biosynthetic genes was drastically reduced in miR393 knockdown roots. These data suggest that miR393 promotes soybean defense against P.sojae. In addition to miRNAs, P.sojae infection also resulted in increased accumulation of phased siRNAs (phasiRNAs) that are predominantly generated from canonical resistance genes encoding nucleotide binding-leucine rich repeat proteins and genes encoding pentatricopeptide repeat-containing proteins. This work identifies specific miRNAs and phasiRNAs that regulate defense-associated genes in soybean during Phytophthora infection.

Using geographic information system to study flooded area and damage evaluation has been a hotspot in environmental disaster research for years. In this paper, a model for flooded area calculation and damage evaluation is presented. Flooding is divided into two types: ‘soruce flood’ and ‘non-source flood’. The source-flood area calculation is based on seed spread algorithm. The flood damage evaluation is calculated by overlaying the flooded ara range with thematic maps and relating the results to other social and economic data. To raise the operational efficiency of the model, a skipping approach is used to speed seed spread algorithm and all thematic maps are converted to raster format before overlay analysis. The accuracy of flooded area calculation and damage evaluation is mainly dependent upon the resolution and precision of the digital elevation model (DEM) data, upon the accuracy of registering all raster layers, and upon the quality of economic information. This model has been successfully used in the Zhejiang Province Comprehensive Water Management Information System developed by the authors. The applications show that this model is especially useful for most counties of China and other developing countries.

Cytosine DNA methylation is a stable epigenetic mark that is frequently associated with the silencing of genes and transposable elements (TEs). In Arabidopsis, the establishment of DNA methylation is through the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway. Here, we report the identification and characterization of RDM16, a new factor in the RdDM pathway. Mutation of RDM16 reduced the DNA methylation levels and partially released the silencing of a reporter gene as well as some endogenous genomic loci in the DNA demethylase ros1-1 mutant background. The rdm16 mutant had morphological defects and was hypersensitive to salt stress and abscisic acid (ABA). Map-based cloning and complementation test led to the identification of RDM16, which encodes a pre-mRNA-splicing factor 3, a component of the U4/U6 snRNP. RNA-seq analysis showed that 308 intron retention events occurred in rdm16, confirming that RDM16 is involved in pre-mRNA splicing in planta. RNA-seq and mRNA expression analysis also revealed that the RDM16 mutation did not affect the pre-mRNA splicing of known RdDM genes, suggesting that RDM16 might be directly involved in RdDM. Small RNA expression analysis on loci showing RDM16-dependent DNA methylation suggested that unlike the previously reported putative splicing factor mutants, rdm16 did not affect small RNA levels; instead, the rdm16 mutation caused a decrease in the levels of Pol V transcripts. ChIP assays revealed that RDM16 was enriched at some Pol V target loci. Our results suggest that RDM16 regulates DNA methylation through influencing Pol V transcript levels. Finally, our genome-wide DNA methylation analysis indicated that RDM16 regulates the overall methylation of TEs and gene-surrounding regions, and preferentially targets Pol IV-dependent DNA methylation loci and the ROS1 target loci. Our work thus contributes to the understanding of RdDM and its interactions with active DNA demethylation.

Moderate intensity exercise improves immune functions, whereas excessive exercise has been shown to impair the immune response. The effect of exercise on immunity is mediated via numerous factors, but the exact molecular basis still isn t clear. Intracellular Ca2+ is a final focus of cellular signaling transduction, and many Ca2+-regulating factors control intracellular Ca2+ transients. Thus, this research focused on the change in intracellular Ca2+ concentration and sought to investigate whether or not exercise could affect intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis, Ca2+-regulating gene expression and mitogens-induced cell proliferation in murine splenic lymphocytes in order to uncover the potential mechanism by which exercise influences immune functions. In this study, lymphocytes were isolated from spleens. Intracellular Ca2+ was determined from Fura-2(AM)-loaded cell suspensions by using a fluorescence spectrometer. The combination of flow cytometry and CFSE-labeling techniques was used for the determination of cell proliferation. The expressions of Ca2+-regulating genes were determined by qPCR analysis. Compared with the control group, basal [Ca2+]i was significantly elevated (P

Moderate intensity exercise improves immune functions, whereas excessive exercise has been shown to impair the immune response. The effect of exercise on immunity is mediated via numerous factors, but the exact molecular basis still isn’t clear. Intracellular Ca2+ is a final focus of cellular signaling transduction, and many Ca2+-regulating factors control intracellular Ca2+ transients. Thus, this research focused on the change in intracellular Ca2+ concentration and sought to investigate whether or not exercise could affect intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis, Ca2+-regulating gene expression and mitogens-induced cell proliferation in murine splenic lymphocytes in order to uncover the potential mechanism by which exercise influences immune functions. In this study, lymphocytes were isolated from spleens. Intracellular Ca2+ was determined from Fura-2(AM)-loaded cell suspensions by using a fluorescence spectrometer. The combination of flow cytometry and CFSE-labeling techniques was used for the determination of cell proliferation. The expressions of Ca2+-regulating genes were determined by qPCR analysis. Compared with the control group, basal [Ca2+]i was significantly elevated (P

Based on the characteristics of land resources information management, this research firstly designs a land resources cloud computing platform. Four main strategies, namely job scheduling, cloud cache pool, Map Reduce and resources-oriented techniques are then discussed in details. A prototype system named Land Cloud is then introduced, followed by two experiments which are conducted to test the performance of the system. The results show enough evidence of the usefulness of cloud computing services in managing land resources data.

With the increasing of side-scan sonar applications, the studies on side-scan sonar image processing have been reported more and more increasingly. This paper firstly analyzes these current studies in this field to explain the need for this study, then it brings forward the main contents of side-scan sonar image processing and analyzes these contents one by one. Based on SIS-1624 side-scan sonar system, ArcGIS92 and Oracle92 this paper has built a prototype system and implemented the geometric correction, the gray correction, the geo-coding and the image fusion methods.

Background Transposable elements constitute an important part of the genome and are essential in adaptive mechanisms. Transposition events associated with phenotypic changes occur naturally or are induced in insertional mutant populations. Transposon mutagenesis results in multiple random insertions and recovery of most/all the insertions is critical for forward genetics study. Using genome next-generation sequencing data and appropriate bioinformatics tool, it is plausible to accurately identify transposon insertion sites, which could provide candidate causal mutations for desired phenotypes for further functional validation. Results We developed a novel bioinformatics tool, ITIS (Identification of Transposon Insertion Sites), for localizing transposon insertion sites within a genome. It takes next-generation genome re-sequencing data (NGS data), transposon sequence, and reference genome sequence as input, and generates a list of highly reliable candidate insertion sites as well as zygosity information of each insertion. Using a simulated dataset and a case study based on an insertional mutant line from Medicago truncatula, we showed that ITIS performed better in terms of sensitivity and specificity than other similar algorithms such as RelocaTE, RetroSeq, TEMP and TIF. With the case study data, we demonstrated the efficiency of ITIS by validating the presence and zygosity of predicted insertion sites of the Tnt1 transposon within a complex plant system, M. truncatula. Conclusion This study showed that ITIS is a robust and powerful tool for forward genetic studies in identifying transposable element insertions causing phenotypes. ITIS is suitable in various systems such as cell culture, bacteria, yeast, insect, mammal and plant. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12859-015-0507-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.