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Hainan Province is located in the southernmost part of China. Natural conditions, such as high temperature, drought, and typhoons, have become important factors restricting the development of the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) industry. This study aimed to examine the effects of drought stress on growth, ovarian development, antioxidant capacity, sex hormone content, and reproductive gene expression of P. clarkii. An annual survey was conducted on the ovarian development of female P. clarkiiin Hainan Province, China, from January 2023 to January 2024. Under the influence of drought and prolonged light, the ovaries of P. clarkiientered the stage of rapid development in May, and the maturity was the highest in September, reaching a maximum of 2.88. In this study, female P. clarkiiwith a body weight of 31.09 ± 1.20 g were randomly divided into 5 groups with 6 replicates per group for drought stress experiment at 0 d (control group), 10 d, 20 d, 30 d, and 40 d, respectively. Compared with the control group, the maturity of P. clarkiiwas significantly improved after 10 d, 30 d, and 40 d of stress. The levels of GSH-Px, SOD, and T-AOC in hepatopancreas and hemolymph were significantly decreased after 30 d of drought, and MDA level was significantly increased after 10 d, 20 d, and 30 d of drought treatment. The contents of E, PROG, 17A-OHP, and E2 in the hemolymph of female P. clarkiiwere significantly decreased after more than 30 d of drought stress. Cyclin BmRNA transcription level decreased significantly after 20 d of drought. The expression levels of vgrand cdc2significantly increased after 30 d and 40 d of drought, while foxL2significantly decreased and pcnasignificantly increased after 40 d of drought. Based on the above results, 30 d drought was the most effective in promoting the ovarian development of female P. clarkii.

H2as a storable fuel can be sustainably generated from direct cleavage of water with a catalytic approach. However, H2generation is severely affected by poor catalytic activities and the instability of catalyst materials. Recently, transition-metal-based nitrides (TMNs) have been widely explored because of their intrinsic abilities to catalyze water splitting, wide pH stability, high corrosion resistance, and potential for structural modulations. Most investigations have focused on the design of advanced heterostructures for improving catalytic activity. However, identification of the active sites and decoding the inherent mechanisms are often neglected. Here, we investigate the fundamental aspects of H2production to elucidate the cutting-edge progress of TMNs. First, we explore the engineering of the active sites of ordered and disordered structures and the relation with hydrogen evolution reaction activity. Second, we explain the development of advanced oxygen evolution reaction catalysts by focusing on minimizing autoxidation. Third and finally, we discuss complementary strategies for converting unifunctional TMNs to bifunctional catalysts for overall water splitting.

This study was to investigate the effects of Alpinia officinarumHance stems and leaves extract (AOE) on the growth, non-specific immunity, intestinal microflora of shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). A total of 540 juvenile L. vannamei(2.69 ± 0.03 g) were randomly divided into six groups, and feed experiment with diet supplement of 0 g/kg (CG), 0.1 g/kg (AO-1), 0.2 g/kg (AO-2), 0.3 g/kg (AO-3), 0.5 g/kg (AO-4) and 0.7 g/kg(AO-5) AOE was carried out for 8 weeks, respectively. Compared with the control group (CG), the WGR and SGR of the AO-1, AO-3, and AO-4 groups were significantly increased. Crude protein content in the muscle of L. vannameiin AO-2 was significantly increased, while the water content was significantly decreased. The crude lipid content of each extract group was significantly decreased. Compared with the control group, activities of GSH-Px, SOD, and T-AOC in the cell-free hemolymph of AO-3 group were significantly enhanced, and the MDA content of each extract group was significantly decreased. Activities of CAT, SOD, and T-AOC in the hepatopancreas of AO-2 group were significantly increased. Gene expression levels of lvcat, lvgsh-px,and lvmn-sodin AO-3 group were obviously higher than those in the control group, while lvpropoexpression was dramatically higher in AO-2 and AO-3 groups. Moreover, AOE addition in feed changed the composition and species abundance of intestinal microflora of L. vannameiat phylum and genus levels. Through α diversity analysis, the biodiversity of the flora was improved, while β diversity analysis changed the similarity of the flora between the control and addition groups. Therefore, addition of 0.2–0.3 g/kg AOE could improve the growth, immunity and optimize the composition of intestinal microorganisms of L. vannamei.

Vitamin C (VC) plays an essential role in the physiological function and normal growth of aquatic animals. However, the effects and requirements of VC on juvenile ivory shell (Babylonia areolata) are still unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of VC on growth, muscle composition, non-specific immunity, and resistance to ammonia stress of B. areolataand determine its requirement for VC. Six experimental diets (Diet 1, Diet 2, Diet 3 Diet 4 Diet 5, and Diet 6) with different levels of VC (0, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1,200mg/kg diet, respectively) were fed to juvenile B. areolatefor 3 months. The weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) of B. areolataincreased in parallel with the VC content, and those of the 800mg/kg group were significantly higher than those of the control group. There was no significant difference in the survival rate (SR), flesh shell ratio (FSR), viscerosomatic index (VSI), soft tissue index (STI), and muscle composition among the experimental groups. VC (800mg/kg) significantly increased the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) of the hepatopancreas. In addition, VC (400-800mg/kg) significantly increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) of the hepatopancreas and significantly decreased the content of malondialdehyde (MDA). VC significantly induced the expression levels of functional genes, such as SOD, GST, CYP450, ferritin, mucin-5AC, and CYCin the hepatopancreas and increased the survival rate of B. areolataunder ammonia stress. These results indicate that supplementation with dietary VC could increase the growth, antioxidant capacity, immunity, and resistance against the stress caused by ammonia. The optimal dietary VC requirement for juvenile B. areolatawas 400-800mg/kg of VC.

Alpinia officinarumis a medicinal plant and food. Its dried rhizome has been widely used for the relief of symptoms such as stomach aches, colds, ulcer and diarrhea for hundreds of years. Recent pharmacological studies showed it has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, antidiabetic, anti-ulcer, anti-diarrhea, antiemetic, analgesia, anticoagulation, antitumor and antivitiligo effects. In this study, we summarized the current knowledge about its botanical resources, ethanopharmacological function, chemical constituents, pharmacologies and pharmacokinetics, safety and toxicity, and clinical application.

The current study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary Radix bupleuriroot extract (RBE) on the growth performance, muscle composition, immune responses, and microcystin-LR (MC-LR) stress resistance of juvenile red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus). Crayfish (0.28 ± 0.02 g) were fed experimental diets containing graded RBE levels as 0 (Diet 1), 0.2 (Diet 2), 0.4 (Diet 3), 0.6 (Diet 4), 0.8 (Diet 5) and 1.6 (Diet 6) g/kg RBE for 8 weeks. The results showed that specific growth rate (SGR) and weight gain rate (WGR) were significantly increased in the Diet 4 and Diet 5 groups. The content of muscle crude protein was significantly increased in the Diet 4 and Diet 5 groups, and the crude lipid content was significantly decreased in the Diet 5 group. Dietary RBE did not alter the structure of the hepatopancreas. Total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in hepatopancreas and plasma were significantly increased in Diet 4 and Diet 5 groups compared to the control group, while the malondialdehyde (MDA) content in hepatopancreas and plasma was significantly decreased in the Diet 5 group. Plasma alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activity was significantly higher in the Diet 3, Diet 4, Diet 5 and Diet 6 groups. Hepatopancreas and plasma PO activities were significantly increased in Diet 4 and Diet 5 groups. The mRNA levels of extracellular copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (ecCu, Zn-SOD), hemocyanin, C-type lysozyme (C-LZM), GPx, and selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (Se-GPx) were significantly up-regulated in the hepatopancreas of crayfish fed Diet 5 than those of the control group. After MC-LR challenge, the survival rates of crayfish in the Diet 4 and Diet 5 groups were significantly higher than the control group. The findings suggest that 0.6–0.8 g/kg of RBE can improve growth and muscle composition and enhance immunity and microcystin-LR resistance.

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR), the most prevalent cyanobacterial toxin, poses a serious threat to the survival of aquatic animals. Herein, crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) were treated with MC-LR at 33.06 μg kg−1for 48 h, and the effects of MC-LR on behavior, histomorphology, oxidative stress, non-specific immunity, and gene expression were investigated to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying antioxidation and detoxification in crayfish. MC-LR caused vacuolation and disruption of crayfish hepatopancreatic cells, although no significant effect was observed on the structure of intestinal cells. Moreover, MC-LR increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, GPx, GST) and up-regulated the expression of genes encoding antioxidant enzymes (ecCu,Zn-SOD, SOD, Se-GPx, GPx3P, GST). In addition, GSH was found depleted in the hepatopancreas and plasma. MC-LR activated the immune system, enhanced immunoenzyme activity (ACP, AKP) and induced the expression of immunity-related genes (C-LZM, proPO, hemocyanin). Furthermore, caspase and HSP70 genes were induced in the hepatopancreas of crayfish under MC-LR stress. Taken together, MC-LR was shown to cause a positive response in crayfish, and our findings suggested that the antioxidant activity and immune system play an important role in protecting crayfish from MC-LR stress by regulating gene expression and activities of antioxidant and immune enzymes.

Edible bird's nest (EBN) is the solidified saliva of swiftlet Aerodramus fuciphagus. It is an expensive premium health food that has long been consumed, especially in China. However, the broken EBN pieces left behind after the cleaning process have low market value due to high contaminants, particularly fine feathers. Thus, EBN hydrolysate (EBNH) is the best downstream product to add value to this low-grade EBN. This study aims to investigate the effects of ultrasound pretreatment on the enzymatic process of EBNH production. Initially, the EBN was treated with ultrasound at different amplitudes (30%, 60%, 90%) and times (15 min, 30 min, 45 min), then hydrolyzed for 1.5 h at 60 °C using papain enzyme (pH 7). The viscosity, degree of hydrolysis (DH), total soluble protein (TSP), anti-lipoxygenase activity and α-amylase inhibition activity of the EBNHs produced were determined. Results suggested that ultrasound amplitude exerted a more prominent effect than time in lowering the viscosity of EBNH. Viscosity of EBNH dropped by 4.4 folds–6.58 ± 0.10 mPa s after 30 min ultrasound at 90% amplitude. Under this condition, the produced EBNH exhibited 61.66 ± 2.89% anti-lipoxygenase activity and 77.40 ± 5.41% α-amylase inhibition activity, which were >100% and 43%, respectively higher than the control. However, ultrasound had exerted no significant effects on DH and TSP. These findings speculate that ultrasound enhances bioactivities of EBNH by modifying intermolecular interactions between glycopeptides and glycoproteins. This study proved that ultrasound is a promising green pretreatment technology in EBNH production. Besides, this study also provides an insight into the importance of pretreatment in bioactive EBNH production.

Red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) is a valuable aquatic species with fast growth, big size, delicious meat, and strong resistance to diseases worldwide. Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is the most common and potently toxic and is known to infect aquatic animals. The present study was performed at the transcriptome level to investigate the mechanism of C. quadricarinatusin responses to MC-LR by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis. A total of 57,153,501, 51,955,723, and 56,316,927 clean reads were retrieved from the three libraries of C. quadricarinatus(0 h, 6 h, and 48 h). A total of 37,616 unigenes were identified and compared with NR, Swiss-Prot, Pfam, COG, GO, and KEGG databases. A total of 4980 and 4585 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained at 6 h and 48 h compared with control (0 h), respectively. Most of these DEGs were up-regulated in 6 h, but most were down-regulated in 48 h, indicating that gene expression levels were inhibited by MC-LR in 48 h. Based on the GO and KEGG pathways analyses of DEGs, we obtained various pathways related to apoptosis, immunity, and detoxification. A total of 234 DEGs were related to the immune system, including 19 immune metabolic pathways, such as the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, Toll and Imd signaling pathway, interleukin-17 (IL-17) signaling pathway, etc. Besides, detoxification-associated and apoptosis-associated pathways were also identified, including drug metabolism-cytochrome P450 and glutathione metabolism, apoptosis and p53 signaling pathway, etc. Twelve DGEs involved in immune response and MC-LR detoxification were discovered and validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The results indicated that the C. quadricarinatusmight counteract the toxicity of MC-LR at the transcriptomic level by increasing expression levels of immune- and detoxification-related genes. In summary, this study first reported the response mechanism of the C. quadricarinatuswith injected MC-LR at the transcriptional level. The identification of differential expression genes and pathways can help us to understand further the response mechanism of C. quadricarinatusunder MC-LR stress.

Hemocyte types of the Macrobrachium prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii were identified using the methods of flow cytometry and light microscopy. The activities of endoenzymes including peroxidase (POD), phenoloxidase (PO), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in hemocytes were analyzed by cytochemical and biochemical methods. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of the hemocyte was probed according to the accumulation of the cyanine dye, 3′, 3′-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide, in the mitochondrial matrix. The results showed that there were three types of circulating hemocytes (hyalinocytes, semigranulocytes, and granulocytes) in M. rosenbergii. Enzymes POD, PO, and ALP were more abundant and active in granulocytes and semigranulocytes than in hyalinocytes. The data associated with MMP showed that the fluorescence intensity in the hemocyte was directly correlated to cell complexity. The MMP in granulocytes was significantly greater than that in semigranulocytes, and the latter was significantly greater than that in hyalinocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TP53and BRCA1/2mutations are the main drivers in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC). We hypothesise that combining tissue phenotypes from image analysis of tumour sections with genomic profiles could reveal other significant driver events. Automatic estimates of stromal content combined with genomic analysis of TCGA HGSOC tumours show that stroma strongly biases estimates of PTENexpression. Tumour-specific PTEN expression was tested in two independent cohorts using tissue microarrays containing 521 cases of HGSOC. PTEN loss or downregulation occurred in 77% of the first cohort by immunofluorescence and 52% of the validation group by immunohistochemistry, and is associated with worse survival in a multivariate Cox-regression model adjusted for study site, age, stage and grade. Reanalysis of TCGA data shows that hemizygous loss of PTENis common (36%) and expression of PTENand expression of androgen receptor are positively associated. Low androgen receptor expression was associated with reduced survival in data from TCGA and immunohistochemical analysis of the first cohort. PTENloss is a common event in HGSOC and defines a subgroup with significantly worse prognosis, suggesting the rational use of drugs to target PI3K and androgen receptor pathways for HGSOC. This work shows that integrative approaches combining tissue phenotypes from images with genomic analysis can resolve confounding effects of tissue heterogeneity and should be used to identify new drivers in other cancers.

Aiming to the problem that the removal rates of COD, BOD5, SS is low, economic benefits and efficiency are poor on traditional treatment of cassava starch wastewater, a new treatment which combines UASB,CASS with coagulation was presented. The UASB anaerobic reactor is used to remove most of the wastewater containing organic carbon as a pretreatment. Then, CASS aerobic treatment equipment is presented to dislodge organic carbon left and materials such as nitrogen and phosphorus as a secondary process. The coagulation process combined with UASB and CASS was applied to eliminate the residual organic matter in waste water and make the emission up to the standard finally. The UASB-CASS-Coagulation treatment was applying in a certain starch factory and the results show that the proposed method has higher efficiency compared to traditional treatment of cassava starch wastewater. It can directly bring environmental benefits by reducing emissions and economic benefits by recycling methane and yellow pulp. So it has a wider application prospects, and can be popularized easily.

With the growth of population and the increasing scarcity of water resource, making a good water strategy is more and more important. Seawater desalination is the technology to get fresh water from seawater. We construct a model to estimate the cost of desalinization in 2025 and give some advises about the desalination project.

In this paper, we study the Pearl River cadmium spill. Based on the reaction diffusion equations, we can monitor the concentration of pollutants any time. We find that in 20 kilometers distance from pollution sources, the concentration of cadmium is high. At last, we improve the model.

The wetting properties of four typical Sn-based solders, i.e., Sn-37Pb, Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu, Sn-0.7Cu and Sn-9Zn, on copper (Cu) and aluminum (Al) substrates at 250 ℃, 260 ℃ and 270 ℃ were evaluated and compared by wetting balance method. The experimental results show that the wetting time of all solders on Cu substrate is shorter than that on Al substrate, but the wetting force of the solders with Cu substrate is bigger than that with Al substrate except Sn-9Zn solder. In addition, the wettability of the solders on Al substrate increases with increasing soldering temperature, and the wetting force of Sn-9Zn increases most obviously among four solders and reach 3.68 mN at 270 ℃. The results also show that the wettability of the solders on Cu substrate mainly depends on surface tension of solder alloy, however, it depends on both surface tension and interaction with Al on Al substrate. Due to the active element Zn riches on the surface of Sn-9Zn solder, and Zn solid solutes into Al more easily, the wettability of Sn-9Zn solder on Al substrate is better than other three solders.

A series of MF2:Yb3+/Tm3+(M=Ca, Sr, Ba) upconverted nanocrystals were synthesized by hydrothermal method. Polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP) is an surfactant which can render the nanocrystals dispersible in water and ethanol. Upconverted emission was also detected in the red and NIR regions of the spectrum and assigned to the 1G4-3F4 (centered at 650 nm) and 3H4 -3H6 (centered at 800 nm) transitions, respectively. In addition, MF2:Yb3+/Tm3+ NCs show bright blue upconverted emission under the 980 nm excitation. As-synthesized MF2:Yb3+/Tm3+ luminescent NCs might find some potential applications in areas of photoluminescence and displays

Pump-control-motor hydraulic drive system is a common used volume speed-modulating loop in hydraulic control system. Aiming at the working conditions of the cutter head of the tunnel excavator used in the large underground excavation, a pump-control-motor hydraulic drive system was applied that composed of three variable displacement hydraulic pumps and eight hydraulic motors, which can control the rotate speed of the cutter head in real time. The simulation model of the pump-control-motor was established using the AMESim software. The relationships among the rotate speed, torque of the cutter head and the system pressure, system flow were investigated in detail under several typical working conditions in tunneling. The relevant results can provide theory references for design of pump-control-motor hydraulic control system in other occasions.

Graded levels of supplemental copper (Cu) (0, 10, 25, 40, 55 and 110 mg/kg) were fed to juvenile tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) reared in 5‰ salinity water for 8 weeks. According to the results, shrimps fed a diet supplemented with 40 mg/kg Cu had the highest weight gain (WG). Shrimps fed a diet with 110 mg/kg supplemental Cu had the lowest total haemocyte count (THC) and the highest reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and apoptotic ratio in haemocytes, suggesting that excessive levels of dietary Cu caused oxidative stress and induced haemocyte apoptosis. In plasma, the activities of copper, zinc-superoxide dismutase (Cu, Zn-SOD) and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) were higher in shrimps fed diets with 40 and 55 mg/kg supplemental Cu than those fed diets with ≤ 25 and 110 mg/kg supplemental Cu. Hepatic Cu, Zn-SOD activity increased in shrimps fed diets with 25–55 mg/kg supplemental Cu, while hepatic T-SOD activity increased in shrimps fed diets with 40 and 55 mg/kg supplemental Cu. In addition, diets with 25–55 mg/kg supplemental Cu increased the plasma total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), while diets with 10–55 mg/kg supplemental Cu increased the hepatic T-AOC. Hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) content was lowest in shrimps fed diets with 25 and 40 mg/kg supplemental Cu and highest in shrimps fed a diet with 110 mg/kg. Based on the growth and antioxidant activities, the optimum requirement of Cu for the antioxidant status of P. monodonwas 30.7–61.9 mg/kg.

Contributions of fermion loops, W-boson loops and their sum to the high energy ??? ??scattering total cross sections (|cos?| < cos30°) are calculated by analytical expressions of ??? ??scattering amplitude. These contributions may be observed in the future photon linear collider and may be used to test standard model. The contribution of fermions' loops is a half of that in R.K. Arphlus and M. Neuuman's paper (Phys. Rev. 80(1950) 380; 83(1951) 776).

Ig are multifunctional molecules with distinct properties assigned to individual domains. To assess the importance of IgM domain assembly in B cell development we generated two transgenic mouse lines with truncated μH chains by homologous integration of the neomycin resistance gene (neor) into exons Cμ1 and Cμ2. Upon DNA rearrangement shortened μH chain transcripts, VH–D–JH–Cμ3–Cμ4, are produced independent of the transcriptional orientation and termination signals provided by neor. The truncated μH chain of ~52 kDa associates non-covalently with the L chain to form a monovalent HL heterodimer. Surface IgM is assembled into a defective BCR complex which has lost important signalling capacity. In immunizations with T-dependent and T-independent antigens, specific IgM antibodies cannot be detected, whilst IgG responses remain normal. B cell development in the bone marrow is characterized by an increase in early B cells, but a decrease of B220+ cells from the stage when μH chain rearrangement is completed. The peritoneal lymphocyte population has elevated levels of CD5+ B cells and their expansion may be the result of a negative feedback mechanism. The results show that antigenic stimulation is compromised by truncated monovalent IgM and that this deficit in stimulation leads to reduced levels of conventional B-2 lymphocytes, but dramatically increased levels of B-1 cells.

Air exposure exerts unavoidable environmental stress during the transport of crayfish. This study evaluated survival, histological structure, non-specific immunity and gene expression in red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) under air exposure. Survival experiment showed that crayfish under air exposure started dying after 24 h, and survival rate decreased to 62.2% and 20.0% after 36 h and 48 h respectively. In the second experiment, crayfish divided into six groups with different air exposure time (0 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, 24 h and 36 h). Crayfish maintained in the normal culture environment were used as control (0 h), whereas other five groups were placed in tanks without water. Histopathological study found that air exposure resulted in swelling and vacuolation of hepatocytes and enterocytes. Total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) increased at 4–8 h short-term air exposure, and then decreased. T-AOC in hepatopancreas was suppressed significantly at 36 h exposure. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in both hepatopancreas and hemolymph raised after 4 h and then reduced to the initial level. Expression of antioxidant genes (SOD, GPx and Trx 1), immune-related genes (C-LZM, CRU-2, and SERPIN3), anti-stress related genes (HSP70 and HSP90) were induced after short-term air exposure, and then down-regulated. Expression of SERP, HSP21 and NFKBIA maintained high levels during 36 h air exposure, indicating that these genes play vital roles in the defense mechanism against air exposure. In brief, our study demonstrates that air exposure causes pathological changes in hepatopancreas and intestines, and altered antioxidant and immune status in C. quadricarinatus. The suppressed antioxidant status, leading to tissue oxidative damage, is one of the main reason for death of crayfish under long-term air exposure.

•Morphology and immune functions of Penaeus monodonhaemocyte populations were analysed by flow cytometry.•Semigranular cells were the most abundant cells, while hyaline cells were the least.•Granular cells had most mass of mitochondria and lysosome, and hyaline cells contained least.•Granular cells were most active in phagocytic activity, oxidative activity and esterase activity.

Transgenic mice carrying a 380-kb region of the human immunoglobulin (Ig) λ light (L) chain locus in germline configuration were created. The introduced translocus on a yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) accommodates the most proximal Igλ variable region (V) gene cluster, including 15 Vλ genes that contribute to >60% of λ L chains in humans, all Jλ-Cλ segments, and the 3′ enhancer. HuIgλYAC mice were bred with animals in which mouse Igκ production was silenced by gene targeting. In the κ−/− background, human Igλ was expressed by ∼84% of splenic B cells. A striking result was that human Igλ was also produced at high levels in mice with normal κ locus. Analysis of bone marrow cells showed that human Igλ and mouse Igκ were expressed at similar levels throughout B cell development, suggesting that the Igλ translocus and the endogenous κ locus rearrange independently and with equal efficiency at the same developmental stage. This is further supported by the finding that in hybridomas expressing human Igλ the endogenous L chain loci were in germline configuration. The presence of somatic hypermutation in the human Vλ genes indicated that the Igλ-expressing cells function normally. The finding that human λ genes can be utilized with similar efficiency in mice and humans implies that L chain expression is critically dependent on the configuration of the locus.

Oxygen transfer rates through 0.03 to 0.14 kg samples of pure PbO and binaryPbO/Fe 3O 4melts and through molten samples of commercial silvercupellation slag were measured at a temperature of 1050°C. The oxygen transfer rate wascalculated from the rate of oxidation of a molten lead pool that was beneath the molten oxide orslag. The molten lead and oxide or slag were contained in high purity alumina crucibles. Thesource of the oxygen was air that was flowed onto the top surface of the melts from a lanceseparated from the melt at distances ranging from 0.02 to 0.22 m. Air flow rate was 8.3×10 −5m 3/s (5 l/min @ 298 K, 1 ATM) and was equivalent to a pipe ReynoldsNumber of 900 at the lance tip and at the melt temperature. It was found that the rate of oxygentransfer through the molten oxide or slag layer was roughly constant for lance separations greaterthan 0.15 m. The oxygen transfer rate increased with decreasing lance separation for separationsless than 0.15 m. Gas phase mass transfer resistance needed to be taken into account whenanalyzing the kinetic data for lance separations greater than 0.15 m. It was concluded that oxygentransfer through pure PbO melts occurred by molecular diffusion and that the measuredpermeability of oxygen was 1.33×10 −8kmol O 2/m/s. The diffusioncoefficient of molecular oxygen in pure molten PbO was calculated as 3×10 −8m 2/s. When small amounts of Fe 3O 4were added to the purePbO melts, the rate of oxygen transfer increased by at least a factor of ten and the oxygen transfermechanism changed to ionic diffusion. The rate of oxygen transfer was seen to vary with theamount of addition of Fe 3O 4to the PbO melt and exhibited a maximum at 6wt% Fe 3O 4. The rate of oxygen transfer through samples of commercialsilver cupellation slag was not increased by adding Fe 3O 4because the effectof Fe 3O 4was overshadowed by impurities such as Fe, As, Sb and Binaturally present in the commercial slag.

Expression studies of multigene families, such as the immunoglobulin (Ig) loci, are difficult because of their large size and the necessity to introduce germline configured regions into an animal. Antibody diversity from Ig gene miniloci is limited by the number of variable (V) region genes and the need for distal regulatory elements to control expression. Here, we show germline transfer into mice of a 1300 kb human Igκ light chain locus on a yeast artificial chromosome that resulted in early DNA rearrangement and highly efficient human light chain expression. The human locus was assembled from a 300 kb authentic region using contig extension by addition of cosmid multimers to supplement the variable gene cluster. This resulted in the addition of about 100 V region genes in germline configuration from different families. In transgenic animals with Igκ disruption, this large human κ locus replaced the endogenous locus, and subsequent down‐regulation of Igλ light chain contribution led to a dominant expression of the rearranged human genes. Contrary to expectation, rather than providing a solely selective advantage for ensuring repertoire formation controlled by the sheer number of introduced genes, the λ/κ ratio in serum appears to be the result of competition for early surface Ig expression maintained in the developing B cell.—Zou, X., Xian, J., Davies, N. P., Popov, A. V., Brüggemann, M. Dominant expression of a 1.3 Mb human Igκ locus replacing mouse light chain production. FASEB J.10, 1227‐1232 (1996)

The polarization tensors of Z? 3?and ??? ??via W-Boson loops are calculated in the standard model. The constrained equations for the tensors are deduced from the crossing symmetry and gauge invariance. These equations are numerically checked by the polarization tensor of ??? ??to the first three lowest orders in its low energy expansion.

In this note we list possible representations of the classical semisimple groups G1×G2for finite N=2 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories including the pseudoreal representations.

Following Kaku's way, various interacting actions of bosonic open strings as well as closed strings are constructed, which are invariant under local reparametrization transformations, string group and global transformations of a Lie group. Similar to open string, a multiplication rule of closed string fields is given which also satisfies associative law as in open string case.

The exact gauge coupling ? function in the N-extended pure supersymmetric Yang-Mi11s (SYM) theories is extended to arbitrary gauge group and the exact ? function in N=2 SYM theories with N=2 matter multiplets is obtained. Its vanishing in the latter cases is explicitly checked at two-loop level.

A systematic method for calculation of the minima of the potential in a simple supersymmetric SU(N) grand unified theory coupled to N=1 supergravity is presented. The method is essentially valid for more complicated cases of such theories.

When electro-weak interactions are incorporated into Wess-Zumino-Witten effective action, the Cabibbo-like parameters automatically appear in the action. Applications of the action, to weak decays of pseudoscalar mesons are discussed.

A new mechanism of gauge symmetry breaking is found which is induced by gravity in the SU(N) SUSY GUTS. The cosmological constant naturally vanishes, but the vacuum degeneracy cannot be removed at zero temperature.

A realistic finite grand unified model has to accommodate at least three generations of ordinary fermions. When this criterion is imposed, we found that only few models of and exceptional groups can survive as candidates for possible realistic finite supersymmetric grand unified models. All possible solutions are obtianed, but the model is excluded.

The fourth rank polarization tensor and the helicity amplitudes of Z ? 3? via charged Higgs boson loops in some nonstandard models with more than one Higgs doublet are calculated by using a nonlinear R?gauge. The results are presented in terms of three transcendental functions of B(x), T(x) and I(x, y). We have checked the analytic results in Ref. [6] in comparison with ours.

In this note we obtain all two-loop finite N=1 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories of real representations of SU(n) as well as those of complex representations. There are a few candidates which can accommodate three generations of quarks and leptons.

In the present paper we obtain the Wess-Zumino-Witten effective action of the Goldstone bosons coupling to electroweak fields within the left-right symmetry SU(2)L×SU(2)R×U(1) gauge theory with six quarks.

Liver cancer is considered the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Currently, there is no specific and effective therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies against hepatocellular carcinoma is of paramount importance. Solute carrier family 6 member 8 (SLC6A8) encodes the solute carrier family 6-8 to transport creatine into cells in a Na+and Cl-- dependent manner. SLC6A8 deficiency is characterized by intellectual disabilities, loss of speech, and behavioral abnormalities. Of concern, the association of SLC6A8 with hepatocellular carcinoma remains elusive. In this study, we revealed that SLC6A8 knockdown significantly induced apoptosis and suppressed the migration and invasion of Hep3B and Huh-7 cells. These findings depicted the vital role of SLC6A8 in the initiation and progression of human hepatocellular carcinoma.

One approach to the production of human monoclonal antibodies focusses on the creation of transgenic mice bearing human immunoglobulin gene miniloci. Whilst such loci undergo lymphold-speclfic gene rearrangement, only a small proportion of mouse B cells express the human immunoglobulin chains; the miniloci thus contribute poorly to serum immunoglobulin. Attributing this poor performance to competition between the transgenic and endogenous immunoglobulin loci, we crossed mice bearing a human immunoglobulin heavy-chain (HulgH) mlnllocus with animals that had been rendered B cell-deficient by disruption of their endogenous heavy-chain locus. The results were dramatic: the human minilocus rescued B cell differentiation such that effectively all B cells now expressed human £ chains. The concentration of antibody in the mouse serum recognised by anti-human £ increased to a concentration about one sixth that in human serum. The HulgH antibodies are heterogenous with diversity being generated by both combinatorial and junctional processes. Following antigen challenge, specific antibody is elicited but at low titre.