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Liver regeneration is a necessary but complex process involving multiple cell types besides hepatocytes. Mechanisms underlying liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy and acute liver injury have been well-described. However, in patients with chronic and severe liver injury, the remnant liver cannot completely restore the liver mass and function, thereby involving liver progenitor-like cells (LPLCs) and various immune cells.Macrophages are beneficial to LPLCs proliferation and the differentiation of LPLCs to hepatocytes. Also, cells expressing natural killer (NK) cell markers have been studied in promoting both liver injury and liver regeneration. NK cells can promote LPLC-induced liver regeneration, but the excessive activation of hepatic NK cells may lead to high serum levels of interferon-γ, thus inhibiting liver regeneration.This review summarizes the recent research on 2 important innate immune cells, macrophages and NK cells, in LPLC-induced liver regeneration and the mechanisms of liver regeneration during chronic liver injury, as well as the latest macrophage- and NK cell-based therapies for chronic liver injury. These novel findings can further help identify new treatments for chronic liver injury, saving patients from the pain of liver transplantations.

Emerging urban logistics applications need to address various challenges, including complex traffic conditions and time-sensitive requirements. In this study, in the context of urban logistics, we consider a vehicle routing problem with time-dependent travel times and time windows (VRPTW), and the goal is to minimize the total generalized costs including the transportation, waiting time, and fixed costs associated with each vehicle. We adopt a high-dimensional space–time network flow model to formulate an underlying vehicle routing problem (VRP) with a rich set of criteria and constraints. A difficult issue, when solving VRPs, is how to iteratively improve both the primal and dual solution quality in general and how to break the symmetry generated by many identical solutions, particularly with homogeneous vehicles. Along this line, many coupling constraints, such as the consensus constraints across different agents or decision makers, need to be carefully addressed to find high-quality optimal or close-to-optimal solutions under medium- or large-scale instances. Currently, the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) is widely used in the field of convex optimization, as an integration of the augmented Lagrangian relaxation and block coordinate descent methods, for machine learning and large-scale continuous systems optimization and control. In this work, we introduce the use of ADMM to solve the multi-VRP, which is a special case of integer linear programming, and demonstrate a manner to reduce the quadratic penalty terms used in ADMM into simple linear functions. In a broader context, a computationally reliable decomposition framework is developed to iteratively improve both the primal and dual solution quality. Essentially, the least-cost path subproblem or other similar subproblems involving binary decisions can be embedded into a sequential solution scheme with an output of both lower bound estimates and upper bound feasible solutions. We examine the performance of the proposed approach using classical Solomon VRP benchmark instances. We also evaluate our approach on a real-world instance based on a problem-solving competition by Jingdong Logistics, a major E-commerce company.

The golden tide, caused by the brown algae Sargassum horneri, exerts severe influences on the Pyropia aquaculture of Jiangsu coast, China. To study the outbreak of the golden tide in response to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, S. horneri was cultured under four conditions: ambient condition (10 °C, 400 μatm), elevated temperature condition (14 °C, 400 μatm), elevated CO2 level (10 °C, 1000 μatm), and potential greenhouse condition (14 °C, 1000 μatm). The growth, photosynthetic performances, and inorganic carbon affinity of S. horneri were studied. The results showed that elevated temperature exerted a more pronounced positive influence on S. horneri growth, photosynthesis, and carbon assimilation than CO2 enrichment. The growth of S. horneri was significantly improved by moderately elevated temperatures, especially under concurrently elevated CO2 levels. This suggests that the greenhouse effect will benefit growth and carbon sequestration of S. horneri, which may enhance the frequency and scale of golden tides.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a common public health problem in developing countries. However, the current prevalence of HEV and the relationship of HEV genotype between swine and human within high-density pig-farming areas in central China are still inadequately understood. Here, cross-sectional serological and genotypic surveys of HEV among the 1232 general population, 273 workers occupationally exposed to swine, and 276 pigs in a high-density pig-breeding area, were undertaken by ELISA and nested RT-PCR methods. Anti-HEV IgG was detected in 26.22% of general population and 48.35% of occupational workers. The prevalence of swine serum HEV-Ag was 6.52%. The prevalence of anti-HEV IgG was significantly higher among the workers occupationally exposed to swine than among the general population. An increased HEV seropositivity risk among the general population was associated with either being a peasant or male and was very strongly associated with the increase of age. Among the occupationally exposed group, the prevalence of anti-HEV IgG antibodies increased with age and working years. Among the 30 HEV-IgM-positive people, the infection rates of clerks in the public, peasants, pork retailers, and pig farmers were higher than those of others. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that all the isolates belonged to subgenotype 4(d), and four people and four pigs shared 97.04%–100% sequence homology. This study revealed a high HEV seroprevalence among the general population and workers occupationally exposed to swine in the Anlu City, and supports the notion that swine are a source of human HEV infection. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12250-019-00136-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Li3P-VP nanocomposite has been formed by a homemade pulsed laser deposition route and its electrochemical characteristic with lithium is reported for the first time. It displays high lithium storage capability as electrode material for secondary lithium ion batteries. The Li3P-VP nanocomposite exhibits high specific discharge capacity of 1040.4 mAh g−1 between 0.01 and 4.0 V and the specific capacity can still maintain 95% after 50 cycles. Ex situ transmission electron microscopy reveals that VP2 is generated from Li3P and VP after the first charging process to 4.0 V, while Li3P and V are found to be the final discharge products. In the recharging process, VP and VP2 are formed as the delithiated products.

Parasites from the family Anisakidae are capable of infecting a range of marine fish species worldwide. Coilia nasus, which usually feeds and overwinters in coastal waters and spawns in freshwater, is highly susceptible to infection by Anisakidae. In this study, we used scanning electron microscopes to show that C. nasus infected by Anisakidae exhibited damage and fibrosis of the liver tissue. To better understand host immune reaction and metabolic changes to Anisakidae infection, we used a combination of transcriptomic and metabolomic method to characterize the key genes and metabolites, and the signaling pathway regulation of C. nasus infected by Anisakidae. We generated 62,604 unigenes from liver tissue and identified 391 compounds from serum. Of these, Anisakidae infection resulted in significant up-regulation of 545 genes and 28 metabolites, and significant down-regulation of 416 genes and 37 metabolites. Seventy-four of the 961 differentially expressed genes were linked to immune response, and 1, 2-Diacylglycerol, an important immune-related metabolite, was significantly up-regulated after infection. Our results show activation of antigen processing and presentation, initiation of the T cell receptor signaling pathway, disruption of the TCA cycle, and changes to the amino acid and Glycerolipid metabolisms, which indicate perturbations to the host immune system and metabolism following infection. This is the first study describing the immune responses and metabolic changes in C. nasus to Anisakidae infection, and thus improves our understanding of the interaction mechanisms between C. nasus and Anisakidae. Our findings will be useful for future research on the population ecology of C. nasus.

Increased ocean uptake of CO2, due to rising atmospheric CO2 is leading to ocean acidification (OA) and alters light intensity due to increased turbidity and depth variation in seawater. Macroalgae have been found to alter their behavior in response to OA and other climate factors. In order to optimize farming strategies for economically important seaweeds, this study assesses the growth of Pyropia yezoensis at three different light intensities (HL:35%; ML:10%; LL:5%) and two CO2 concentrations (ambient CO2, 400 ppm; elevated CO2, 1000 ppm). Results show that P. yezoensis growth was significantly inhibited by decreased light intensity, due to reductions in photosynthesis, relative electron transfer rate (rETR) and carotenoid synthesis. However, under LL conditions, the relative growth rates (RGR), maximum net photosynthetic rate (Pmax) and maximum relative electron transfer rate (rETRmax) of PSI and PSII in P. yezoensis, were significantly enhanced under elevated CO2 concentrations. Phycocyanin (PC) and phycoerythrin (PE) levels in P. yezoensis were simultaneously increased under elevated CO2 concentrations. This study demonstrates that algal species may adapt to ocean acidification in the future and avoid light-induced growth inhibition.

Background & Aims Chemokine-mediated immune cell recruitment plays pivotal roles in liver inflammation. C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) has been shown to be responsible for the recruitment of monocytes/macrophages and has been implicated in various liver diseases, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Previous studies have also shown that inhibition of CCL5 appears to be a promising therapeutic approach for several chronic liver diseases. However, whether blocking CCL5 could benefit immune cell–mediated hepatitis remains largely elusive. Methods By adopting a specific agonist, alpha-galactosylceramide (α-Galcer), of invariant natural killer T cells (iNKTs), we investigated the function and mechanism of CCL5 in the iNKT induced murine hepatitis model. Results We found significantly increased CCL5 expression in α-Galcer–induced hepatitis murine model. Such an increase in CCL5 is mainly enriched in non-parenchymal cells such as macrophages and iNKTs but not in hepatocytes. Surprisingly, CCL5 blockage by genetic deletion of Ccl5 does not affect the α-Galcer–induced iNKT activation but greatly worsens α-Galcer–induced liver injury accompanied by an increased hepatic neutrophil infiltration. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that greater neutrophil accumulation in the liver is responsible for the enhanced liver injury in Ccl5-/- mice. Such an increased hepatic neutrophil infiltration is mainly caused by an enhanced CXCL1-CXCR2 signal in Ccl5-/- mice. Therapeutically, either antibody-mediated neutrophil depletion or a CXCR2 antagonist, SB225002, mediated CXCR2 signaling blockage significantly ameliorated α-Galcer–induced liver injury in Ccl5-/- mice. Conclusions Our present study demonstrates that (1) α-Galcer–induced murine hepatitis could greatly induce CCL5 production in macrophages and iNKT cells; (2) loss of CCL5 could enhance CXCL1 expression in hepatocytes and activate CXCL1-CXCR2 axis in neutrophils to augment their hepatic infiltration; and (3) neutrophil depletion or blockage of CXCL1-CXCR2 axis greatly improves α-Galcer–induced liver injury in Ccl5-/- mice. This study suggests that clinical utilization of CCL5 blockage may compensatorily induce the activation of other chemokine pathways to enhance neutrophil recruitment and liver injury in hepatitis., Graphical abstract

To understand how seasonal factors could drive the formation of green tide blooms and their flotation and decay, we cultured the green tide algal species Ulva prolifera at various temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 °C) and light intensities (40, 80, 140, 240, and 400 μmol photons m

Despite the importance of the skin mucosal barrier and commensal microbiota for the health of amphibians, the potential of environmental contaminants to disrupt the skin mucosal barrier and microbiota have rarely been studied in toxicology. In this study, tadpoles (Lithobates catesbeianus) were exposed to 0, 0.5, and 2 μg/L of microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR) for 30 days to explore the impacts of environmentally realistic MC-LR concentrations on the physical skin barrier, immune barrier, commensal microbiota, and skin resistance to pathogenic bacterial invasion. MC-LR exposure significantly reduced the collagen fibrils in the dermis of skin tissues and down-regulated tight junction and stratum corneum-related gene transcriptions, suggesting the damage caused by MC-LR to the physical barrier of the skin. Increased skin eosinophils and upregulated transcriptions of inflammation-related genes in the exposed tadpoles underline the development of skin inflammation resulting from MC-LR exposure even at environmentally realistic concentrations. Comparative transcriptome and immunobiochemical analyses found that antimicrobial peptides (Brevinin-1PLc, Brevinin-2GHc, and Ranatuerin-2PLa) and lysozyme were down-regulated in the exposed groups, while complement, pattern recognition receptor, and specific immune processes were up-regulated. However, the content of endotoxin lipopolysaccharide produced by bacteria increased in a dose-dependent pattern. The disc diffusion test showed a reduced ability of skin supernatant to inhibit pathogenic bacteria in the exposed groups. Analysis of microbial 16 S rRNA gene by high-throughput sequencing revealed that MC-LR interfered with the abundance, composition, and diversity of the skin commensal microbiota, which favored the growth of pathogen-containing genera Rhodococcus, Acinetobacter, and Gordonibacter. In summary, the current study provides the first clues about the impact of MC-LR on the integrity and function of skin barrier of amphibians. These new toxicological evidences can facilitate a more comprehensive evaluation of the ecological risk of MC-LR to amphibians.

Large-scale Sargassum blooms have been increasingly observed in coastal zones in recent years. Sargassum horneri (Turner) C. Agardh blooms (pelagic) have been observed in Jeju Island (Korea) and the southwest of the Korean Peninsula, causing serious problems for seaweed and abalone farms as well as for fisheries, tourism and recreational industries. The present study explored the physiological responses of attached and pelagic S. horneri populations cultivated under different nutrient concentrations (HN: 50 μM of nitrogen and 5 μM of phosphorus; LN: 5 μM of nitrogen and 0.5 μM of phosphorus) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) (H-PAR: 250; M-PAR: 150; L-PAR: 50 μmol photons m

Few studies exist on the toxic effects of chronic exposure to microcystins (MCs) on amphibian intestines, and the toxicity mechanisms are unclear. Here, we evaluated the impact of subchronic exposure (30 days) to environmentally realistic microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR) concentrations (0 μg/L, 0.5 μg/L and 2 μg/L) on tadpole (Lithobates catesbeianus) intestines by analyzing the histopathological and subcellular microstructural damage, the antioxidative and oxidative enzyme activities, and the transcriptome levels. Histopathological results showed severe damage accompanied by inflammation to the intestinal tissues as the MC-LR exposure concentration increased from 0.5 μg/L to 2 μg/L. RNA-sequencing analysis identified 634 and 1,147 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) after exposure to 0.5 μg/L and 2 μg/L MC-LR, respectively, compared with those of the control group (0 μg/L). Biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway were upregulated in the intestinal tissues of the exposed groups, with many lipid droplets being observed on transmission electron microscopy, implying that MC-LR may induce lipid accumulation in frog intestines. Moreover, 2 μg/L of MC-LR exposure inhibited the xenobiotic and toxicant biodegradation related to detoxification, implying that the tadpoles' intestinal detoxification ability was weakened after exposure to 2 μg/L MC-LR, which may aggravate intestinal toxicity. Lipid accumulation and toxin efflux disorder may be caused by MC-LR-induced endoplasmic reticular stress. This study presents new evidence that MC-LR harms amphibians by impairing intestinal lipid metabolism and toxin efflux, providing a theoretical basis for evaluating the health risks of MC-LR to amphibians.

The Chinese concave-eared torrent frog (Odorrana tormota) is the first known non-mammalian vertebrate that can communicate using ultrasound. In this species, females are approximately four times as large as males, in which the female growth rate is obviously higher than that of male. Until now, the molecular mechanisms underlying muscle growth development differences between male and female frogs have not been reported. Here, we integrated mRNA and miRNA expression profiles to reveal growth differences in the hindlimb muscles of 2-year-old frogs. Among 569 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 69 were associated with muscle growth and regeneration. Fifty-one up-regulated genes in females were potentially involved in promoting muscle growth and regeneration, whereas 18 up-regulated genes in males may lead to muscle growth inhibition and fast-twitch muscle fiber contraction. 244 DEGs were enriched in mTOR and other protein synthesis signaling pathways, and protein degradation pathways, including lysosomal protease, calpain, caspase, and ubiquitin-proteasome system pathways. It may interpret why female muscles grow faster than males. Based on expression differences of genes involved in glycolysis and oxidative metabolism, we speculated that the proportion of slow muscle fiber was higher and that of fast muscle fiber was lower in female compared with male muscle. Additionally, 767 miRNAs were identified, including 217 new miRNAs, and 6248 miRNA-negatively regulated mRNAs were predicted. The miRNA target genes were enriched in pathways related to muscle growth, protein synthesis, and degradation. Thus, in addition to the identified mRNA differential expressions, miRNAs may play other important roles in the differential regulation of hindlimb muscle growth between female and male O. tormota.

To promote efficiency nitrogen-rich wastewater treatment from a sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR), three aerobic denitrifiers (Pseudomonas mendocina IHB602, Methylobacterium gregans DC-1 and Pseudomonas stutzeri IHB618) with dual-capacities of strong auto-aggregation and high nitrogen removal efficiency were studied. The aggregation index analysis indicated that coaggregation of the three strains co-existed was better when compared with one or two strains grown alone. Optimal coaggregation strains were used to bioaugmente a test reactor (SBBRT), which exhibited a shorter time for biofilm-formation than uninoculated control reactor (SBBRC). With different influent ammonia-N loads (150, 200 and 300 mg·L-1), the average ammonia-N and nitrate-N removal efficiency were all higher than that in SBBRC, as well as a lower nitrite-N accumulation. Microbial community structure analysis revealed coaggregation strains may successfully colonize in the bioreactor and be very tolerant of high nitrogen concentrations, and contribute to the high efficiency of inorganic nitrogen-removal and biofilm-formation.

Nutrient removal ability of seaweeds on Pyropia yezoensis aquaculture rafts was studied during the P. yezoensis aquaculture season of 2012–2013 at the offshore farm along the radial sandbanks of Jiangsu Province, China. During the P. yezoensis cultivation season, three Ulva species, including Ulva prolifera , Ulva linza , and Ulva flexuosa , were present on the cultivation rafts. These Ulva spp. were then removed from the rafts or floated away when rafts were recycled in April 2013. The quantities of nitrogen and phosphorus removed by the harvest of P. yezoensis were 3688 and 106 tons, respectively. The nitrogen and phosphorus removal of Ulva were 77 and 3 tons, respectively. These results indicate that P. yezoensis can efficiently remove excess nutrients from coastal waters. The Ulva if harvested can also be utilized as an additional nutrient management tool in eutrophic waters. In addition, introduction of high-temperature adapted seaweeds would be a useful way to continue algal bioremediation during the off season of P. yezoensis aquaculture.

The occurrence of various marine macroalgae in the same niche will inevitably lead to interspecific competition due to similar environmental requirements. With the increasing global atmospheric CO2 concentration, the resulting ocean acidification can potentially influence competition among macroalgae in the future. Neopyropia yezoensis (Rhodophyta, formerly Pyropia yezoensis) and the epiphytic alga Ulva prolifera (Chlorophyta) were selected for investigating competition among macroalgae grown under different CO2 conditions. The results showed that when cultured with U. prolifera, N. yezoensis' growth rate was significantly inhibited along with a sharp decrease in net photosynthetic rate. Although CO2 decreased the growth rate of N. yezoensis, it enhanced the resistance of the alga to the allelopathic effect of U. prolifera. While no difference was found between U. prolifera grown in monoculture and biculture, strong competitive ability was observed. CO2 could enhance this ability with higher net photosynthetic rate. However, CO2 significantly inhibited the carotenoid synthesis in both plants. This inhibition in N. yezoensis was more pronounced in the presence of U. prolifera. Biculture promoted the accumulation of soluble protein in N. yezoensis while it inhibited the process in U. prolifera. In addition, it enhanced the inhibitory effect of acidification on soluble carbohydrates of both plants. Elevated CO2 levels alleviated the competition between N. yezoensis and U. prolifera, but the latter can become the more competitive epiphytic alga which can impact the future of nori culture.

The feasibility of a novel perhydrolase-ISCO ( in situ chemical oxidation) coupled technology for decolorization process of dye effluent was investigated. All the tested synthetic dyes, Malachite green chloride, Indigo Carmine, Rhodamine B, Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) and Orange I, could be decolorized using the novel process technology. In the RBBR effluent model, the optimized parameters for decolorization process using free acyltransferase as biocatalyst were as follows: 4 U/mL acyltransferase dosage, 40:1 molar ratio of ethyl acetate to hydrogen peroxide, and 80 mg/L RBBR original concentration in 20 mmol/L disodium hydrogen phosphate-citrate buffer, pH5.0. Under the optimal parameters for RBBR decolorization process, the maximum decolorization rate reached 81.11% at 30 °C for 6 h. The decolorization rate could be further increased to 95.08% in 10 min when acyltransferase CLEAs (Crossed-Linked Enzyme Aggregates) was used as biocatalyst. In the continuous batch process for RBBR decolorization, acyltransferase E-CLEAs (Encapsulated CLEAs with polyvinyl alcohol) could be recycled at least 6 times.

Gaseous 1,2-dichlorobenzene (1,2-DCBz) was catalytically decomposed in a fixed-bed catalytic reactor using composite copper-based titanium oxide (CuOx/TiO2) catalysts with different copper ratios. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were introduced to produce novel CuOx/TiO2-CNTs catalysts by the sol-gel method. The catalytic performances of CuOx/TiO2 and CuOx/TiO2-CNTs on 1,2-DCBz oxidative destruction under different temperatures (150-350 °C) were experimentally examined and the correlation between catalyst structure and catalytic activity was characterized and the role of oxygen in catalytic reaction was discussed. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) generation during 1,2-DCBz catalytic oxidation by CuOx/TiO2-CNTs composite catalyst was also examined. Results indicate that the 1,2-DCBz destruction/removal efficiencies of CuOx (4 wt%)/TiO2 catalyst at 150 °C and 350 °C with a GHSV of 3400 h(-1) are 59% and 94% respectively and low-temperature (150 °C) catalytic activity of CuOx/TiO2 on 1,2-DCBz oxidation can be improved from 59 to 77% when CNTs are introduced. Furthermore, oxygen either in catalyst or from reaction atmosphere is indispensible in reaction. The former is offered to activate and oxidize the 1,2-DCBz adsorbed on catalyst, thus can be generally consumed during reaction and the oxygen content in catalyst is observed lost from 39.9 to 35.0 wt% after reacting under inert atmosphere; the latter may replenish the vacancy in catalyst created by the consumed oxygen thus extends the catalyst life and raises the destruction/removal efficiency. The introduction of CNTs also increases the Cu(2+)/Cu(+) ratio, chemisorbed oxygen concentration and surface lattice oxygen binding energy which are closely related with catalytic activity. PCDD/Fs is confirmed to be formed when 1,2-DCBz catalytically oxidized by CuOx/TiO2-CNTs composite catalyst with sufficient oxygen (21%), proper temperature (350 °C) and high concentration of 1,2-DCBz feed (120 ppm).

A strain with efficient biofilm-formation and aerobic denitrification capabilities was isolated and identified as Pseudomonas mendocina IHB602. In pure culture, strain IHB602 removed almost all NO3−-N, NO2−-N, and NH4+-N (initial concentrations 50 mg/L) within 24 h. The strain produced large amounts of extracellular polymeric substances (maximum 430.33 mg/g cell dry weight) rich in protein but containing almost no humic acid. This, and strong autoaggregation (maximum 47.09%) and hydrophobicity (maximum 85.07%), imparted strain IHB602 with biofilm forming traits. A sequencing batch biofilm reactor bioaugmented with strain IHB602 (SBBR1) had more rapid biofilm-formation than the control without strain IHB602 inoculation (SBBR2). During the stabilization period, the effluent removal ratios for NH4+-N (95%), NO3−-N (91%) and TN (88%) in SBBR1 were significantly higher than those in SBBR2 (NH4+-N: 91%, NO3−-N: 88%, TN: 82%). Microbial community structure analysis revealed that strain IHB602 successfully proliferated and contributed to nitrogen removal as well as biofilm formation.

The molecular characteristics, expression patterns and functions of the amphibian myostatin (MSTN) gene are unknown. Here, we isolated a full-length Odorrana tormota MSTN cDNA sequence of 1701 bp (Ot-MSTN), containing a putative N-terminal signal peptide, a TGF-β propeptide domain and an active peptide. Ot-MSTN was expressed in 9 selected tissues examined, and the highest level of expression was in thigh muscle, followed by brain and female gonadal tissue. The expression of Ot-MSTN in multiple O. tormota tissues supported that the activities of MSTN may be not limited to skeletal muscle. Ot-MSTN expression was decreased from stage 31 to stage 40, while the growth rate was increased. The expression of Ot-MSTN in adult male frogs increased with age, indicating that adult male frogs may inhibit the continued hypertrophy of thigh muscle fibers and decrease the growth rate of thigh muscle to ensure muscles do not grow too large. Luciferase reporter assays showed that miR-29b-3p directly targeted the 3′-UTR of Ot-MSTN. miR-29b-3p expression in the thigh muscle of 2 yrs. females who grew faster was significantly lower than that of the slow-growing 2 yrs. male individuals, which showed an opposite trend with Ot-MSTN expression. In addition，miR-29b-3p expression reversed trends of Ot-MSTN expression at different developmental stages in thigh muscle. Therefore, these data indicate that miR-29-3p may negatively regulate the expression of MSTN and regulate thigh muscle growth and development in O. tormota.

Compositions, changes and biomass of attached Ulva species on Porphyra rafts along the radial sandbank in the Yellow Sea were investigated, and potential contributions to green tides was analyzed. Ulva prolifera, Ulva flexuosa and Ulva linza were all appeared throughout the investigated period. U. prolifera and U. flexuosa dominated attached Ulva population on Porphyra rafts. Attached Ulva species biomass showed obviously spatial and temporal variations. Temperature, Ulva microscopic propagules and human activities were main factors to influence attached Ulva species biomass. The total attached Ulva species biomass was more than 20,000 fresh weight tons in April, and the green tide causative species U. prolifera accounted 51.03% in April 2013 before green tides occurred. The high biomass of attached Ulva species would contribute most to green tides in the Yellow Sea. But how attached Ulva species on Porphyra rafts contributing to green tides in the Yellow Sea should be further studied.

A novel aerobic denitrifying strain Methylobacterium gregans DC-1 was isolated and identified. Strain DC-1 removed 98.4% of nitrate-nitrogen (NO3−-N) and 80.7% of total organic carbon with initial concentrations of 50 and 2400 mg/l, respectively. The N balance showed that most NO3−-N was converted to N2 (62.18%) without nitrous oxide (N2O) emission. Response surface analysis showed that the optimal conditions for total N removal were carbon (C):N ratio of 18.7, temperature of 26.8 °C, pH of 6.5 and shaking speed of 180 rpm. In combination with the N balance and successful amplification of napA, nirK and nosZ genes, the metabolic pathway was as follows: NO3−NO2− → NO → N2O → N2. Strain DC-1 had strong auto-aggregation rate (maximum 38.7%), produced large amounts of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS; maximum of 781.4 mg/g cell dry weight) and had corresponding strong hydrophobicity (maximum 83.2%). Pearson correlation analysis showed that EPS content and hydrophobicity were significantly positively correlated with auto-aggregation.

A 100 Nm3/hr capacity pilot scale dual bag filter (DBF) system was tested on the flue gas from an actual hazardous waste incinerator (HWI), the removal efficiency of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was also studied. The first filter collected most of the fly ash and associated chlorinated organic; then activated carbon (AC) was injected and used to collect phase chlorinated organic from the gas. Concentrations of PCDD/Fs and PCBs after the DBF system were 0.07 and 0.01 ng TEQ/Nm3 respectively, which were both far below the national emission standard. Comparing with the original single bag filter system, the PCDD/Fs concentration dropped a lot from 0.36 to 0.07 ng TEQ/Nm3. Increasing AC feeding rate enhanced their collection efficiency, yet reduced the AC utilization efficiency, and it still needs further study to select an appropriate feeding rate in the system. These results will be useful for industrial application and assist in controlling emissions of PCDD/Fs and other persistent organic pollutions from stationary sources in China.

The red algae, Gracilaria verrucosa , was co-cultivated with the fish Pseudosciaena crocea in an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system for nearly two months in summer at coastal waters of Xiangshan harbor in the East China Sea. The nutrient reduction efficiency of ammonium and phosphorus was determined. Prior to the G. verrucosa co-cultured, the eutrophication index ( E ) values of cage areas ranged from 4.2 to 32.0, indicating serious eutrophication conditions, and the high ratio of N/P and relative high P concentration indicated a nitrogen surplus. During the co-culture period, G. verrucosa showed efficiently at removing inorganic nitrogen (IN) and inorganic phosphate (IP), and maintained a more stable dissolved oxygen (DO) and chlorophyll a (Chl a ) level in the IMTA system. The maximum reduction efficiency of PO 4 –P, NO 2 –N, NH 4 –N and NO 3 –N was 58%, 48%, 61% and 47%, respectively. Based on the DIN balance in the IMTA system, the optimal co-cultivation proportion of P. crocea to G. verrucosa in this area was 1 cage, 144.95 m 2 or 1 kg, 7.27 kg, respectively. Results of the present study indicated that environmental advantage could be achieved by integrating the red alga G. verrucosa co-cultured with fish at the open coastal waters in the East China Sea.

Posttranslational modifications mediated by ubiquitin-like proteins have been implicated in regulating a variety of cellular pathways. Although small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) is a new member of this family, it has caught a great deal of attention recently because of its novel and distinguished functions. Sumoylation is a multiple-step process, involving maturation, activation, conjugation and ligation. Ubc9 is an E2 conjugating enzyme essential for sumoylation. We have previously shown that suppression of sumoylation by a dominant negative Ubc9 mutant (Ubc9-DN) in the estrogen receptor (ER) positive MCF-7 cells is associated with alterations of tumor cell's response to anticancer drugs as well as tumor growth in a xenograft mouse carcinoma model. To dissect the underlying mechanism of Ubc9-associated alterations of drug responsiveness and tumor growth, we profiled gene expression for the cells expressing wild type Ubc9 (Ubc9-WT) and Ubc9-DN. We found that several tumorigenesis-related genes were downregulated in the Ubc9-DN cells. Within this group, we found that over 10 genes are known to be regulated by ER. Experiments using the estrogen response element fused to the luciferase reporter showed that the basal level of luciferase activity was significantly reduced in the Ubc9-DN cells when compared to the vector alone or the Ubc9-WT cells. Furthermore, we found that both the stability and the subcellular localization of steroid hormone receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1) were altered in the Ubc9-DN cells. Together, these results suggest that Ubc9 might regulate bcl-2 expression through the ER signaling pathway, which ultimately contributes to the alterations of drug responsiveness and tumor growth.