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As the global demand for energy conservation increases, achieving efficient energy conversion in fans has become a significant challenge in the field of mine ventilation. To investigate the influence of the blade installation angle distribution in the spanwise direction on the energy characteristics of mining counter-rotating axial flow fan, three blade optimization schemes were proposed in this paper. The internal flow field of the fan was obtained by numerical simulation and experimental methods. Based on the entropy production theory, the correlation between energy loss and flow field parameters was established, thus achieving the quantitative assessment of energy loss. The research findings indicate significant differences in energy characteristics before and after blade optimization, with scheme OP1 (when the optimization case 1 is applied to both the front impeller and rear impeller) demonstrating superior performance. Compared to the original fan, scheme OP1 efficiency and total pressure increase by 1.1% and 1.3%, respectively, under 1.0 QBEP condition (QBEP is flow rate at the best efficiency point). Furthermore, under 1.2 QBEP condition, improvements reach 3.1% and 4.7%, respectively. The improvement in the efficiency of scheme OP1 is mainly attributed to the reduction in the energy loss rate induced by turbulent dissipation within the rear impeller and downstream domain. Notably, distinct differences in the energy loss rates of fan extension pipe for different schemes, the energy loss rate of scheme OP1 is reduced by 24.6% compared to that of the original fan under 1.2 QBEP condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

A Gram–staining–negative, facultative aerobic, motile strain, designated strain ZSDE20T, was isolated from the surface seawater of Qingdao offshore. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene of strain ZSDE20T, affiliated it to the genus Photobacterium. It was closely related to Photobacterium lutimaris DF-42 T (98.92% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). Growth occurred at 4-28ºC (optimum 28ºC), pH 1.0–7.0 (optimum 7.0) and in the presence of 1–7% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 3%). The dominant fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω7c or/and C16:1 ω6c, 34.23%), summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω7c and C18:1 ω6c, 10.36%) and C16:0 (20.05%). The polar lipids of strain ZSDE20T comprised phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, lyso-phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol dimannoside, phosphatidylinositol mannosides and two unknown lipids. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8 (Q-8). The DNA G + C content of strain ZSDE20T was 45.6 mol%. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between ZSDE20T and its reference species were lower than the threshold for species delineation (95–96%); in silico DNA-DNA hybridization further showed that strain ZSDE20T had less than 70% similarity to its relatives. Based on the polyphasic evidences, strain ZSDE20T is proposed as representing a novel species of the genus Photobacterium, for which the name Photobacterium pectinilyticum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ZSDE20T (= MCCC 1K06283T = KCTC 82885 T). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Genetic biocontrol technologies present promising and eco-friendly strategies for the management of pest and insect-transmitted diseases. Although considerable advancements achieve in gene drive applications targeting mosquitoes, endeavors to combat agricultural pests have been somewhat restricted. Here, we identify that the testis-specific serine/threonine kinases (TSSKs) family is uniquely expressed in the testes of Cydia pomonella, a prominent global invasive species. We further generated male moths with disrupted the expression of TSSKs and those with TSSKs disrupted using RNA interference and CRISPR/Cas9 genetic editing techniques, resulting in significant disruptions in spermiogenesis, decreased sperm motility, and hindered development of eggs. Further explorations into the underlying post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms reveales the involvement of lnc117962 as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-3960, thereby regulating TSSKs. Notably, orchard trials demonstrates that the release of male strains can effectively suppress population growth. Our findings indicate that targeting TSSKs could serve as a feasible avenue for managing C. pomonella populations, offering significant insights and potential strategies for controlling invasive pests through genetic sterile insect technique (gSIT) technology. Functional analysis reveals that targeting testisspecific serine/threonine protein kinase (TSSKs) is a feasible avenue for controlling invasive pest Cydia pomonella through genetic sterile insect technique (gSIT) technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Sinoatrial node (SAN) is the pacemaker of the heart in charge of initiating spontaneous electronical activity and controlling heart rate. Myocytes from SAN can generate spontaneous rhythmic action potentials, which propagate through the myocardium, thereby triggering cardiac myocyte contraction. Acutely, the method for isolating sinoatrial node myocytes (SAMs) is critical in studying the protein expression and function of myocytes in SAN. Currently, the SAMs were isolated by transferring SAN tissue directly into the digestion solution, but it is difficult to judge the degree of digestion, and the system was unstable. Here, we present a modified protocol for the isolation of SAMs in mice, based on the collagenase II and protease perfusion of the heart using a Langendorff apparatus and subsequent dissociation of SAMs. The appearance and droplet flow rate of the heart could be significantly changed during enzymatic digestion via perfusion, which allowed us to easily judge the degree of digestion and avoid incomplete or excessive digestion. The SAMs with stable yield and viability achieved from our optimized approach would facilitate the follow-up experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

There is no unified planning standard for unstructured roads, and the morphological structures of these roads are complex and varied. It is important to maintain a balance between accuracy and speed for unstructured road extraction models. Unstructured road extraction algorithms based on deep learning have problems such as high model complexity, high computational cost, and the inability to adapt to current edge computing devices. Therefore, it is best to use lightweight network models. Considering the need for lightweight models and the characteristics of unstructured roads with different pattern shapes, such as blocks and strips, a TMB (Triple Multi-Block) feature extraction module is proposed, and the overall structure of the TMBNet network is described. The TMB module was compared with SS-nbt, Non-bottleneck-1D, and other modules via experiments. The feasibility and effectiveness of the TMB module design were proven through experiments and visualizations. The comparison experiment, using multiple convolution kernel categories, proved that the TMB module can improve the segmentation accuracy of the network. The comparison with different semantic segmentation networks demonstrates that the TMBNet network has advantages in terms of unstructured road extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Neuromorphic hardware, as a non-Von Neumann architecture, has better energy efficiency and parallelism than the conventional computer. Here, with the numerical modeling spin-orbit torque (SOT) device using current-induced SOT and Joule heating effects, we acquire its magnetization stochastic switching probability as a function of the interval time of input current pulses and use it to mimic the spike-timing-dependent plasticity learning behavior like actual brain working. We further demonstrate that the artificial spiking neural network (SNN) built by this SOT device can perform unsupervised handwritten digit recognition with an accuracy of 80% and logic operation learning. Our work provides a new clue to achieving SNN-based neuromorphic hardware using high-energy efficiency and nonvolatile spintronics nanodevices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The chiral magnets with topological spin textures provide a rare platform to explore topology and magnetism for potential application implementation. Here, we study the magnetic dynamics of several spin configurations on the monoaxial chiral magnetic crystal MnNb3S6 via broadband ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) technique at cryogenic temperature. In the high-field forced ferromagnetic state (FFM) regime, the obtained frequency f vs. resonance field Hres dispersion curve follows the well-known Kittel formula for a single FFM, while in the low-field chiral magnetic soliton lattice (CSL) regime, the dependence of Hres on magnetic field angle can be well-described by our modified Kittel formula including the mixture of a helical spin segment and the FFM phase. Furthermore, compared with the sophisticated Lorentz micrograph technique, the observed magnetic dynamics corresponding to different spin configurations allow us to obtain temperature- and field-dependent proportion of helical spin texture and helical spin period ratio L(H)/L(0) via our modified Kittel formula. Our results demonstrated that field- and temperature-dependent nontrivial magnetic structures and corresponding distinct spin dynamics in chiral magnets can be an alternative and efficient approach to uncovering and controlling nontrivial topological magnetic dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has been improving patient outcomes of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but its effectiveness is highly subjective to individual tumor microenvironment. As dominant immune cells in NSCLC, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) display high diversity and plasticity. This study aims to find crucial TAM subtypes associated with ICB response in NSCLC. Materials and methods: Large cohorts of NSCLC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas and a single-cell sequencing dataset were integrated to illustrate immunosuppressive phenotypes of TAMs, followed by experimental verification. 341 NSCLC surgical samples and 40 tissue samples of NSCLC patients who received ICB treatment were collected to state the clinical importance of TAMs. Results: We identified a TREM2 positive (+) TAM subtype in NSCLC stratifying patient responses to immunotherapy. NSCLC patients with high TREM2+ TAM infiltration exhibited advanced tumor progression, inferior prognosis and unique NSCLC molecular characteristics, especially mutations of EGFR. TREM2+ TAMs were induced in TME, but not existed in peripheral blood. TREM2+ TAMs were enriched with multiple anti-inflammatory cytokines, exhibiting a M2-like immunosuppressive phenotype, and potentiate T cell dysfunction including impaired anti-tumor activity of CD8+T cells and enhanced differentiation towards FOXP3+ Tregs, thus facilitating immune evasion of NSCLC. Response rates to PD-1-based ICB were higher in patients with low TREM2+ TAMs (31.58%) compared to high TREM2+ TAMs (14.29%). Conclusions: Our findings implicated the immunosuppressive role of TREM2+ TAMs in NSCLC, and systematically reveal the clinical significance of TREM2+ TAMs as predictive and prognostic markers for NSCLC patients with ICB treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The gas emission zone is an important parameter for the space–time effect of coal excavation and gas emission. In this paper, according to the effect of roadway excavation, a numerical model of gas emission zone based on the evolution of stress and permeability was established to obtain the width of gas emission zone with different pressure and permeability coefficient. Then the numerical simulation results were verified by measuring the gas content at different depths. Through numerical simulation and field measured data, the theoretical calculation formula is established on the basis of comprehensive consideration of the influencing factors of gas emission zone. The results showed that the gas emission zone increases with the increase of coal seam gas pressure and permeability coefficient when the roadway section and exposure time are the same. The measured gas emission zone, when taking gas content as the index with the same logistic function growth curve, matches the measured results with a relative error of 1.3 to 6%. The validity of the model is also verified by field experiments. The results can provide guidance for mine gas emission and gas drainage design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Fourteen constituents were recently isolated from the roots of Dendropanax dentiger with cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitory effects. However, the effect of 14 constituents on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their action mechanism remain unclear. The study aimed to explore the anti-RA effect and potential mechanism of these constituents in tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)–stimulated human RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (MH7A cells). The cell viability, nitric oxide (NO) production, inflammatory cytokine levels, and protein expressions were measured by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), Griess reagent, ELISA, and Western blot assays, respectively. Results showed that 14 constituents (40 μM) have no cytotoxicity for MH7A cells. Among them, two phenols including 3,4-dimethoxyphenyl-1-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (DRG) and 3,4-dimethoxyphenol-β-d-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (DAG) were shown to significantly inhibit the NO production with IC50 values of 5.25±0.34 and 5.35±0.31 μM, respectively. They also remarkably decreased the release of interleukin (IL)-2, 6, 8, and interferon (IFN)-γ, as well as prominently reduced the phosphorylation protein levels of p65, IkBα, AKT, and JNK at a concentration of 10 μM. Taken together, DRG and DAG could inhibit TNF-α-induced inflammatory response through blocking NF-kB/AKT/JNK signaling pathways in MH7A cells, thus could be promising against RA and other inflammation-related agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Coking coal dust is extremely hydrophobic; therefore, combination with droplets in the air is difficult and dust suppression is challenging. Here, a dust suppressant spray for coking coal dust was studied in order to improve of the combination of droplets and coking coal dust. Based on monomer optimization and compounding analysis, two surfactant monomers, fatty alcohol ether sodium sulfate (AES) and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) were selected as the surfactant components of the dust suppressant. The surfactant monomers were combined with four inorganic salts and the reverse osmosis moisture absorption of each solution was determined. By combining the reverse osmosis moisture absorption values with the water retention experimental results, CaCl2 was identified as the optimal inorganic salt additive for the dust suppressant. Finally, the optimal concentration of each component was obtained using orthogonal experimental design i.e., AES (0.03%), SDBS (0.05%), and CaCl2 (0.4%). The dust suppressant solution formulated using this method had a high moisture absorption capacity and excellent performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

A new constituent, named (4R)-6′′′′ -O-sinapoylpueroside B (1), was isolated from the dried roots of Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi. The structure of 1 was identified by HR-ESI-MS, UV, IR, 1D NMR, 2D NMR, and CD spectra. Compound 1 was evaluated for the inhibitory activity against PTP1B in vitro and showed no obvious activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Wall-mounted swirling ventilation is a new type of system in mechanized excavation faces with a dust suppression performance that is closely related to the blowing-to-suction flow ratio. Physical and simulation models were developed according to the No. C103 mechanized excavation face in the Nahe Coal Mine of the Baise Mining Bureau, Guangxi Province to optimize the blowing-to-suction flow ratio for wall-mounted swirling ventilation. Both the k-ε turbulence model and the discrete phase model were utilized to simulate airflow field structures and dust concentration distribution patterns at various blowing-to-suction flow ratios. The results suggest that higher blowing-to-suction flow ratios increase the airflow field disturbance around the working face and weaken the intensity of the axial air curtain. On the other hand, both the intensity of the radial air curtain and the dust suppression effect are enhanced. At a blowing-to-suction flow ratio of 0.8, the wall-mounted swirling ventilation system achieved the most favorable dust suppression performance. Both the total dust and respirable dust had their lowest concentrations with maximum efficiencies of reducing both types at 90.33% and 87.16%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Flash flood disaster ranks top among all the natural hazards across the world due to its high frequency, severity and fatality. However, flash flood simulation is still challenging in small and medium-sized catchments with complex orography, flashy hydrological responses and poor observations. Three distributed hydrological models, i.e., TOPModel, HEC and CNFF, are selected to simulate flash floods in seven humid and six semi-humid catchments in China, with consideration of water balance (RER), peak flow rate (REQ) and its occurrence time (TP), hydrograph variation (SNSE) and model uncertainty. Influences of five catchment attributes are further investigated on individual model performances. All three models perform satisfactorily in humid catchments, but less satisfactorily in semi-humid catchments. Water balance is well obtained by CNFF, followed by HEC and TOPModel. Peak flow rate and its occurrence time are most accurately captured by CNFF and HEC, respectively. Hydrograph variations are well reproduced by HEC and CNFF. TOPModel performs well for picking peak flow and hydrograph variation in humid catchments. Uncertainty interval is narrowest for HEC with average relative interval length at 95% confidence level being 0.78 ~ 2.53. Most observations are bracketed by uncertainty intervals for TOPModel (64.79% ~ 91.91% of total). Three model performance indices (i.e., RER, REQ, and SNSE) are mainly affected by drainage area and forest ratio across humid and semi-humid catchments, while TP performance is mainly affected by mean slope in humid catchments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Pressure nozzle is commonly used in the dust-reduction techniques by spraying of underground coal mines. Based on the internal structure, the pressure nozzle can be divided into the following types: spiral channel nozzle, tangential flow-guided nozzle and X-swirl nozzle. In order to provide better guidance on the selection of nozzles for the coal mine dust-reduction systems by spraying, we designed comparing experiments to study the atomization characteristics and dust-reduction performance of four commonly used nozzles in the coal mine underground with different internal structures. From the experimental results on the atomization characteristics, both the tangential flow-guided nozzle and the X-swirl nozzle have high flow coefficients. The atomization angle is the largest in the spiral non-porous nozzle, and smallest in both the X-swirl nozzle and the spiral porous nozzle. The spraying range and the droplet velocity are inversely proportional to the atomization angle. When the water pressure is low, the atomization performance of the spiral non-porous nozzle is the best among the four types of nozzles. The atomization performance of the X-swirl nozzle is superior to other types when the water pressure is high. Under the high water pressure, the particle size of the atomized droplets is smallest in the X-swirl nozzle. Through the experiments on the dust-reduction performance of the four types of nozzles and the comprehensive analysis, the X-swirl nozzle is recommended for the coal mine application site with low water pressure in the dust-reduction system, while at the sites with high water pressure, the spiral non-porous nozzle is recommended, which has the lowest water consumption and obvious economic advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The R2R3-MYB transcription factors play an important role in regulating secondary metabolism biosynthesis and abiotic stress in plants. In this article, we report the identification of the transcription factor gene, FtMYB31, from the popular Eurasian crop tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) that enhances accumulation of the nutritionally beneficial compound rutin in transgenic tobacco leaves. The FtMYB31 complete cDNA coding sequence was isolated from the leaves of tartary buckwheat, and multiple protein sequence alignments and conserved domain analysis showed it contained a typical R2R3 MYB domain. Subcellular location experiments showed the FtMYB31 protein is localized in nucleus. The phylogenetic tree clustered FtMYB31 with VvMYBPA1 from Vitis vinifera, and AtMYB123 from Arabidopsis thaliana, belonging to the Subgroup 5 cluster. Comparison by qRT-PCR of FtMYB31 transcripts and those from rutin synthesis-related genes showed a relationship between FtMYB31, Ft4CL, and FtUFGT transcripts and rutin content in different tissues of F. tataricum, with correlation coefficients of − 0.68, 0.69, and 0.47, respectively. Transgenic experiments indicated that FtMYB31 upregulated CHS, F3H, and FLS genes in transgenic tobacco and enhanced the accumulation of rutin and total flavonols. These results suggest that FtMYB31 encodes an R2R3-MYB transcription factor that positively regulates flavonol biosynthesis in tartary buckwheat and tobacco and is a possible target for genetically modifying tartary buckwheat to enhance the content of beneficial compounds such as rutin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Flash flood disaster is a prominent issue threatening public safety and social development throughout the world, especially in mountainous regions. Rainfall threshold is a widely accepted alternative to hydrological forecasting for flash flood warning due to the short response time and limited observations of flash flood events. However, determination of rainfall threshold is still very complicated due to multiple impact factors, particular for antecedent soil moisture and rainfall patterns. In this study, hydrological simulation approach (i.e., China Flash Flood-Hydrological Modeling System: CNFF-HMS) was adopted to capture the flash flood processes. Multiple scenarios were further designed with consideration of antecedent soil moisture and rainfall temporal patterns to determine the possible assemble of rainfall thresholds by driving the CNFF-HMS. Moreover, their effects on rainfall thresholds were investigated. Three mountainous catchments (Zhong, Balisi and Yu villages) in southern China were selected for case study. Results showed that the model performance of CNFF-HMS was very satisfactory for flash flood simulations in all these catchments, especially for multimodal flood events. Specifically, the relative errors of runoff and peak flow were within ± 20%, the error of time to peak flow was within ± 2 h and the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency was greater than 0.90 for over 90% of the flash flood events. The rainfall thresholds varied between 93 and 334 mm at Zhong village, between 77 and 246 mm at Balisi village and between 111 and 420 mm at Yu village. Both antecedent soil moistures and rainfall temporal pattern significantly affected the variations of rainfall threshold. Rainfall threshold decreased by 8-38 and 0-42% as soil saturation increased from 0.20 to 0.50 and from 0.20 to 0.80, respectively. The effect of rainfall threshold was the minimum for the decreasing hyetograph (advanced pattern) and the maximum for the increasing hyetograph (delayed pattern), while it was similar for the design hyetograph and triangular hyetograph (intermediate patterns). Moreover, rainfall thresholds with short time spans were more suitable for early flood warning, especially in small rural catchments with humid climatic characteristics. This study was expected to provide insights into flash flood disaster forecasting and early warning in mountainous regions, and scientific references for the implementation of flash flood disaster prevention in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

We develop a splitting Chebyshev collocation (SCC) method for the time-dependent Schrödinger-Poisson (SP) system arising from theoretical analysis of quantum plasmas. By means of splitting technique in time, the time-dependant SP system is first reduced to uncoupled Schrödinger and Poisson equations at every time step. The space variables in Schrödinger and Poisson equations are next represented by high-order Chebyshev polynomials, and the resulting system are discretized by the spectral collocation method. Finally, matrix diagonalization technique is applied to solve the fully discretized system in one dimension, two dimensions and three dimensions, respectively. The newly proposed method not only achieves spectral accuracy in space but also reduces the computer-memory requirements and the computational time in comparison with conventional solver. Numerical results confirm the spectral accuracy and efficiency of this method, and indicate that the SCC method could be an efficient alternative method for simulating the dynamics of quantum plasmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Immune cell activation occurs concurrently with metabolic reprogramming. As important components of the tumor microenvironment, monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSCs) are featured by their potent immunosuppressive abilities on anti-tumor effector cells. However, little is known about the contribution of metabolic adaptations to their suppressive roles. In this study, we found that tumor-infiltrating M-MDSCs had the same phenotype with splenic M-MDSCs. Compared with splenic M-MDSCs, tumor-infiltrating M-MDSCs exhibited stronger suppressive activities which was accompanied by higher glycolysis. Inhibition of glycolysis impaired the suppressive function of tumor M-MDSCs. Meanwhile, the results demonstrated that mTOR was responsible for this function regulation. mTOR inhibition by rapamycin decreased the glycolysis and reduced the suppressive activities of these cells. Furthermore, rapamycin treatment inhibited the tumor growth and reduced the percentage of M-MDSCs in 3LL tumor bearing mice. These results demonstrated that modulation of metabolism in immune cells can be an effective way to enhance anti-tumor effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

In recent years, flash floods and urban waterlogging have become a widespread phenomenon in Fuzhou, which pose a serious threat to people’s lives and property. The primary disaster-causing factors include the intensity and duration of rainfall. Therefore, this article analyzes the characteristics, causes of rainfall, and the existing problems of the two disasters in Fuzhou. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The rainfall in Fuzhou is concentrated in March to September, with high rainfall intensity and rainfall amounts, and frequent extreme rainfall events combined with high rainfall intensity in flash flood-prone areas are higher than that in the plains area. (2) Precipitation, geographical conditions, and urban construction mainly caused the two major disasters and are weak in technology and management. Therefore, it is necessary to adhere to both the structural measures and non-structural measures to coordinate the relationship between people and floods, to strengthen the research on the mechanisms of precipitation, and to forecast and provide early warning of flash floods and urban waterlogging, all of which can provide reference for the defensive disasters in mountainous coastal cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) can selectively kill tumor cells and enhance therapy in vivo. However, concerns regarding its considerable liver toxicity limit its use in humans as a cancer therapy. Tumor molecular targeted peptide 1 (TMTP1) has previously been reported by our laboratory to target primary tumors and metastatic foci. Here, we report a novel recombinant fusion protein, sTRAIL-TMTP1, which not only induced apoptosis in cancer cells in vitro but also inhibited tumor growth and metastases in vivo. Moreover, sTRAIL-TMTP1 impacted tumor angiogenesis. The biodistribution results demonstrated that sTRAIL-TMTP1 accumulation peaked 6 h after injection and persisted for 24 h in the tumor, while faint sTRAIL-TMTP1 accumulation was detected in normal organs in tumor-bearing mice. Thus, combining sTRAIL with TMTP1 resulted in high anti-tumor activity and low toxicity. In conclusion, the novel fusion protein sTRAIL-TMTP1 was successfully developed in our laboratory and was observed to induce apoptosis both in primary and metastatic cancer, which may lead to the development of novel, targeted anticancer agents. Key message: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Hydrogen sulfide (HS), formed mainly by the enzyme cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) in macrophages, is emerging as a novel regulator in inflammation. Although elevated production of HS has been shown in inflammatory processes, the underlying molecular mechanism remains to be further elucidated. In this study, we compared parallel TLR4 knockout (TLR4) mice with their wild-type counterparts following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. It showed that LPS increased the expressions of CSE and biosynthesis of HS in C57BL/6 mice both in vivo and in vitro. However, the effects of LPS were not present in TLR4 mice, indicating the crucial role of TLR4 in LPS-induced expression of CSE and biosynthesis of HS. We subsequently used JNK inhibitor, P38 inhibitor, and ERK inhibitor to block the downstream MAPK pathways of TLR4 in macrophages, and found that LPS-induced CSE expression and HS synthesizing activity were inhibited by pretreatment with the p38 inhibitor. Similarly, the NF-κB inhibitor (BAY 11-7082) reversed the effects of LPS. These results suggest that LPS increases the biosynthesis of CSE and HS in macrophages mainly in a TLR4-p38-dependent and TLR-4-NF-κB-dependent manner. These findings expand our knowledge of HS biosynthesis during inflammation and provide a foundation for the development of novel HS-based therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of suppression of EphB4 and/or mTOR on the biological behaviors of ovarian cancer cells, and the potential regulatory pathways. Antisense EphB4 vectors and shRNA vectors targeting mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) were constructed and transfected into A2780 and SKOV3 cells (two ovarian cancer cell lines). The effects of the antisense EphB4 vectors and the shRNA vectors on the proliferation, apoptosis and invasion of ovarian cancer cells were measured, and the expression of EphB4, mTOR and Akt detected. The results showed that transfection with mTOR shRNA could inhibit growth, induce apoptosis, and reduce invasive ability of ovarian cancer cells, which was accompanied by downregulation of EphB4, mTOR and Akt. The inhibitory effects on cell growth caused by mTOR shRNA alone were weaker than those by antisense pEGFP-C1-EphB4. In the antisense pEGFP-C1-EphB4-transfected cells, it was found that EphB4 knockdown could decrease the mTOR expression and slightly reduce the Akt phosphorylation. Significant suppressive effects on cell growth were observed in cells co-transfected with antisense pEGFP-C1-EphB4 and mTOR shRNA. In co-transfection group, the expression levels of EphB4, mTOR and Akt were distinctly lower than those in other groups. It was concluded that suppression of EphB4 may inhibit the growth of ovarian cancer cells by downregulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, and reverse Akt phosphorylation induced by mTOR shRNA. Inhibition of EphB4 and mTOR combined may cooperatively suppress the biological behaviors of ovarian cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The particular challenges of modeling control systems for the middle route of the south-to-north water transfer project are illustrated. Open channel dynamics are approximated by well-known Saint-Venant nonlinear partial differential equations. For better control purpose, the finite difference method is used to discretize the Saint-Venant equations to form the state space model of channel system. To avoid calculation divergence and improve control stability, balanced model reduction together with poles placement procedure is proposed to develop the control scheme. The entire process to obtain this scheme is described in this paper, important application issue is considered as well. Experimental results show the adopted techniques are properly used in the control scheme design, and the system is able to drive the discharge to the demanded set point or maintain it around a reasonable range even if comes across big withdrawals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

We synthesized the samples Ba[sub1-x]Sm[subx]FFeAs and Eu[sub1-x]Sm[subx]FFeAs with ZrcuSiAs-type structure. These samples were characterized by resistivity and susceptibility. It is found that the substitution of rare earth metal for alkaline earth metal in the two systems suppresses the anomaly in resistivity and induces superconductivity. Superconductivity at 54 K in nominal composition Ba[sub0.5]Sm[sub0.5]FFeAs and at 51 K for Eu[sub0.5]Sm[sub0.5]FFeAs is realized, indicating that the superconducting transition temperatures in the iron arsenide fluorides is the same as that in oxypnictides with the same structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The zinc finger protein (ZFP) transcription factor family plays an important role in regulating plant growth, development, and response to abiotic stress. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of GmZAT4, a C2H2-type transcription factor, in abiotic stress tolerance. The complete coding sequence of the GmZAT4 gene was isolated from soybean root RNA, which shows highest expression level compared with leaf, flower and other tissues. Using multiple sequence alignment and conserved domain analysis, we showed that GmZAT4 is a typical C2H2-type transcription factor which is comprised of two C2H2 domains, including a highly conserved QALGGH motif, and implied the regulation of abiotic stress tolerance in plant. A phylogenetic tree revealed that the soybean GmZAT4 gene clustered with ZAT4 from Glycine soja and AZF1, AZF2, and AZF3 from Arabidopsis thaliana. The mRNA expression levels of GmZAT4 were determined in two soybean cultivars by quantitative reverse transcription (qRT)-PCR and compared. The results showed higher expression (up to 60, 25 and 4 times, respectively) in the drought-tolerant type (Jinda 74) compared to the drought-sensitive soybean cultivar (Jinda 53) following treatment with 18% PEG, 150 mM NaCl, or 100 µM abscisic acid (ABA). GmZAT4 was ectopically over-expressed in A. thaliana to determine its role in abiotic stress tolerance. GmZAT4 overexpression enhanced the tolerance of A. thaliana to treatment with 20% PEG and 150 mM NaCl, and improved the germination rate following treatment with 1 µM or 2 µM ABA. The expression profiles of marker genes in the ABA signaling pathway, such as RD29A, RD29B, ABI, and RAD, indicated that GmZAT4 enhanced the abiotic stress tolerance of Arabidopsis. These results suggest that the C2H2-type ZFP encoded by GmZAT4 plays an important role in PEG and NaCl stress tolerance and ABA responses in soybean and A. thaliana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...