Search

As an anti-metabolic drug, methotrexate (MTX) plays an important role in the treatment of various malignant tumors. However, several side effects such as low selectivity and high toxic of MTX limited its further applications. With aims to increase its accumulation in the tumor sites and reduce the toxicity of normal tissue nonspecific uptake, a self-assembled hyaluronic acid-alendronate-methotrexate nanoparticle (HA-ALN-MTX NPs) with a dual-tumor-targeted drug loaded system was designed and synthesized with an average particle size of 265.6 ± 13.3 nm. The advantage of this nanosystem is that the anticancer drug MTX can be used as a tumor-targeted ligand for folate acid receptors (FA), and hyaluronic acid (HA) can be used as another tumor targeted ligand for CD44 receptors. In vitro experiments confirmed that HA-ALN-MTX NPs has lower toxic effect on normal tissue cells HUVECs and has relatively high proliferation inhibition effect on tumor cells A549. Moreover, the inhibition effect could be adjusted by altering the dose of given drugs. All these results revealed that the prepared HA-ALN-MTX NPs could be selectively taken up by tumor cells by FA and CD44 receptor-mediated endocytosis. Therefore, self-assembled HA-ALN-MTX NPs targeted by these FA/CD44 receptors for anticancer drugs could act as effective antitumor drugs.

Introduction More and more studies suggest that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can lead to an increased fracture risk. Some previous clinical studies and experimental data have shown that some antidiabetic drugs can increase or decrease the incidence of fractures. Methods We searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, and the ClinicalTrials.gov website (https://www.clinicaltrials.gov) for published or unpublished randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from inception through 2 December 2018 to compare the effects of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DDP-4) inhibitors with active control drugs or placebo in T2DM patients. All RCTs had a duration of at least 12 weeks, and the ultimate measure was whether a fracture occurs or not. We calculated odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals by the fixed effect Mantel–Haenszel model. Publication bias was investigated firstly through visual observation of funnel plot asymmetry and then through Begg’s test or Egger’s test. The Cochrane bias risk tools were used to assess the quality of included studies. Results Eighty-seven eligible RCTs were included in this study. Of 93,772 participants, 49,270 patients received therapy and 44,502 were control patients. Five kinds of DDP-4 inhibitors were included: sitagliptin, saxagliptin, alogliptin, linagliptin and vildagliptin. There were 676 fractures in the DDP-4 inhibitor treatment group and 646 in the control group. The median average glycosylated hemoglobin level was 8.2%. DDP-4 inhibitor treatment did not seem to influence the fracture risk, no matter whether compared with placebo or active comparators in T2DM patients (Mantel–Haenszel odds ratio (MH-OR) = 1.01, 95% CI 0.90–1.12, P = 0.92). After three subgroup analyses which were defined by drug type, control regimen and duration, the results were still stable. Conclusion This systematic review and meta-analysis shows that DDP-4 inhibitors do not affect the fracture risk when compared with antidiabetic drugs or placebo in T2DM patients. Electronic Supplementary Material The online version of this article (10.1007/s13300-019-0668-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

As2O3-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) based on poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) were prepared by double emulsion-solvent evaporation method. Then Lactose acid (LA) and/or PEG were modified onto the NPs by chemical covalent coupling through -NH2 and -COOH. The FTIR results showed that LA and PEG could be successfully modified onto the surface of the NPs. All the As2O3-loaded PLGA NPs (As2O3@PLGA NPs) presented suitable physical stability, favorable size, and spherical shape. The in vitro release rate of As2O3 from the NPs depended on the surface of the NPs. As expected, the As2O3@PLGA-PEG/LA NPs showed a moderate release rate, the highest anticancer effects and cellular internalization against SMMC-7721 cell line. The PLGA-PEG/LA NPs could represent an effective nano-size delivery system of As2O3 for treatment of liver cancer.

Long non-coding RNA Gomafu is involved in diabetes-related diseases. However, its role in insulin resistance (IR) remains unclear. Our objective is to explore the role of Gomafu in hepatic IR and glucose intolerance. Gomafu expression was determined in livers of ob/ob mice and high-fat diet (HFD) mice. The binding activity of NF-κB on the Gomafu promoter was measured by chromatin immunoprecipitation and quantitative real-time PCR assays. Increased Gomafu expression was observed in the livers of obese mice. Besides, the binding of NF-κB on the Gomafu promoter was also observed in hepatocytes from ob/ob mice. Further study showed that knockdown of NF-κB p65 alleviated the increase in hepatic Gomafu expression in vivo and in vitro. Knockdown of hepatic Gomafu inhibited hepatic glucose production (HGP) and improved insulin sensitivity in obese mice, whereas, overexpression of hepatic Gomafu resulted in an increase in random and fasting blood glucose levels in lean mice. In addition, we demonstrated that Gomafu functioned as miR-139 sponge and led to the de-repression of its target gene Foxo1, which played an important role in gluconeogenesis and HGP in hepatocytes. Finally, silenced Foxo1 expression abolished the effect of Gomafu overexpression on gluconeogenesis and glucose production in hepatocytes. Taken together, our data suggested that the increase in Gomafu expression contributed to hepatic IR in obese mice.

Results on the relationships between vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms and postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) susceptibility and bone mineral density (BMD) are conflicting. The aim of the study is to identify more eligible studies that calculated pooled OR and WMD with 95% CI to assess their associations. Overall, there were significant correlations between VDR ApaI, VDR FokI and PMOP susceptibility. Subgroup analysis showed that VDR ApaI polymorphism significantly decreased the osteoporosis risk in Caucasian postmenopausal women. In Asian populations, VDR BsmI and VDR FokI were associated with an increased risk of PMOP. As to the associations between VDR polymorphisms and BMD, Caucasian PMOP women carrying the ApaI aa genotype were at risk of high BMD in femoral neck, and low femoral neck BMD was observed in Caucasian PMOP women with FokI Ff genotype. PMOP women with the Cdx2 GA genotype had a lower lumbar spine BMD in overall and Caucasian populations compared with PMOP women with GG genotype. Different VDR gene polymorphisms have different impacts on PMOP risk and BMD.

As

Background: The incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), especially in children, has rapidly increased in China. However, the prevalence of adult-onset classic T1DM and latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA) remains unknown. Methods: A nationwide, multicenter survey of newly-diagnosed diabetes in adults aged ≥30 years was conducted from hospitals in 24 Chinese provincial administrative areas from April 2015 to October 2017. Classic T1DM, identified based on insulin-dependency, and standardized glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibody testing, was used to differentiate LADA from patients with initially an undefined diabetes type. The age and sex distributions from a large national survey of diabetes in China conducted in 2010, were used to standardize the prevalence of T1DM and LADA. Findings: Among 17,349 adult patients, the prevalence of T1DM was 5·84% (5·14% in males and 6·16% in females), with 65% of these having LADA. The prevalence of classic T1DM decreased with increasing age (p 0·05). The prevalence of T1DM in overweight or obese patients was 3·4% and 2·4%, respectively, and LADA accounted for 75% and 80% of T1DM in these two groups. LADA's cumulative age distribution was much closer to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) than to that of classic T1DM. Interpretation: T1DM, especially LADA, was prevalent in newly-diagnosed adult-onset diabetes in China, which highlights the importance of identification of LADA in clinical practice in China. Funding Statement: The National Science and Technology Infrastructure Program and the National Key R&D Program of China. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: The ethics review committee/institutional review board of each of the participating hospitals approved the study protocol. Written informed consent was obtained from all the participants before data collection.

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) play vital roles in plant growth and development. Yet how climate regimes and soil fertility influence plant N and P stoichiometry is not well understood, especially in the belowground plant parts. Here we investigated plant aboveground and belowground N and P concentrations ([N] and [P]) and their stoichiometry in three dominant genera along a 2200 km long climatic gradient in northern China. Results showed that temperature explained more variation of [N] and [P] in C4 plants, whereas precipitation exerted a stronger influence on [N] and [P] in C3 plants. Both plant aboveground and belowground [N] and [P] increased with decreasing precipitation, and increasing temperatures yet were negatively correlated with soil [N] and [P]. Plant N:P ratios were unrelated with all climate and soil variables. Plant aboveground and belowground [N] followed an allometric scaling relationship, but the allocation of [P] was isometric. These results imply that internal processes stabilize plant N:P ratios and hence tissue N:P ratios may not be an effective parameter for predicting plant nutrient limitation. Our results also imply that past positive relationships between plant and nutrient stocks may be challenged under changing climatic conditions. While any modeling would need to be able to replicate currently observed relationships, it is conceivable that some relationships, such as those between temperature or rainfall and carbon:nutrient ratios, should be different under changing climatic conditions.

Biofunctionalized chitosan@Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles are synthesized by combining Fe 3 O 4 and CS chemically modified with PEG and lactobionic acid in one step. The biofunctionalized nanoparticles are characterized by TEM, X-ray, DLS, zeta-potential and magnetic measurements. The in vitro and in vivo behaviors of the biofunctionalized nanoparticles, especially, the cytotoxicity, the protein resistance, metabolism and iron toxicity are assessed. The functional groups, PEG enable the nanoparticles more biocompatible and the lactobionic acid groups enable liver targeting. The potential applications of the nanoparticles in liver magnetic resonance imaging are confirmed. The results demonstrated that the nanoparticles are suspension stability, non-cytotoxicity, non-tissue toxicity and sensitive in liver magnetic resonance imaging, representing potential tools for applications in the biomedical field.

The low-temperature limited alpine treeline is one of the most obvious boundaries in mountain landscapes. The question of whether resource limitation is the physiological mechanism for the formation of the alpine treeline is still waiting for conclusive evidence and answers. We therefore examined non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) and nitrogen (N) in treeline trees (TATs) and low-elevation trees (LETs) in both summer and winter in 11 alpine treeline cases ranging from subtropical monsoon to temperate continental climates across Eurasia. We found that tissue N concentration did not decrease with increasing elevation at the individual treeline level, but the mean root N concentration was lower in TATs than in LETs across treelines in summer. The TATs did not have lower tissue NSC concentrations than LETs in summer. However, the present study with multiple tree species across a large geographical scale, for the first time, revealed a common phenomenon that TATs had significantly lower NSC concentration in roots but not in the aboveground tissues than LETs in winter. Compared with LETs, TATs exhibited both a passive NSC storage in aboveground tissues in excess of carbon demand and an active starch storage in roots at the expense of growth reduction during the growing season. This starch accumulation disappeared in winter. Our results highlight some important aspects of the N and carbon physiology in relation to season in trees at their upper limits. Whether or to what extent the disadvantages of winter root NSC and summer root N level of TATs affect the growth of treeline trees and the alpine treeline formation needs to be further studied.

We estimated the key molecules related to Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in adipose, liver, and muscle tissues, from nonobese diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats and their Wistar controls, by computationally analyzing the expression profiles in open source data. With the aid of information from previous reports, Rev-erbα in adipose tissue emerged as one of the most plausible candidates. Here, in animal models, including GK rats surgically treated to ameliorate T2DM, we examined the association of Rev-erbα in adipose tissue with T2DM progression. After analyses of the Rev-erbα mRNA expression in the adipose tissue of our animal models, we compared the Rev-erbα protein expression levels in the adipose, liver, and muscle tissues of GK and Wistar controls at the ages of 1 mo (M), 3M, and 6M. The Rev-erbα protein levels in adipose tissue showed a distinctive pattern, with the negative correlation of an increasing trend in GK rats, and a decreasing trend in Wistar rats during aging, from those in liver and muscle tissues. Moreover, dysregulation of the circadian Rev-erbα expression in the adipose tissue of 6-mo-old GK rats was also observed. In particular, we ameliorated T2DM in GK rats by gastric bypass surgery, and revealed that T2DM amelioration in diabetic GK rats was associated with improved circadian Rev-erbα expression, in a comparison between the surgically treated and untreated GK rats. The roles of Rev-erbα in adipose tissue were further investigated by observations of Rev-erbα-related molecules, with reference to previous reports.

Many studies have provided evidence to demonstrate the beneficial renal effects of resveratrol (RESV) due to its antioxidant character and its capacity for activation of surtuin 1. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the protective role of RESV against kidney injury are still incompletely understood. The present study used Lepr db/db (db/db) and Lepr db/m (db/m) mice as models to evaluate the effect of RESV on diabetic nephropathy (DN). RESV reduced proteinuria and attenuated the progress of renal fibrosis in db/db mice. Treatment with RESV markedly attenuated the diabetes-induced changes in renal superoxide dismutase copper/zinc, superoxide dismutase manganese, catalase, and malonydialdehyde as well as the renal expression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 4 (NOX4), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and E-cadherin in db/db mice. The kidney expression of the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) was increased in db/db mice, but the expression of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl reductase degradation (HRD1), a ubiquitin E3 ligase, was significantly decreased in the DN model. RESV treatment dramatically decreased IGF-1R and increased HRD1 expressions, consistent with data obtained with HKC-8 cells. HRD1 physically interacted with IGF-1R in HKC-8 cells and liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) data supported the concept that IGF-1R is one of the HRD1 substrates. HRD1 promoted the IGF-1R ubiquitination for degradation in HKC-8 cells, and the down-regulation of HRD1 reversed the protective effects of RESV in HKC-8 cells. In summary, we have demonstrated that RESV reduces proteinuria and attenuates the progression of renal fibrosis in db/db mice. These protective effects of RESV on DN were associated with the up-regulation of HRD1, induced by RESV, and the promotion of IGF-1R ubiquitination and degradation.

Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) is implicated in liver cell proliferation. However, its role in hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of MALAT1 on hepatic lipid accumulation and its potential targets. As expected, MALAT1 expression is increased in hepatocytes exposed to palmitate and livers of ob/ob mice. Knockdown of MALAT1 expression dramatically suppressed palmitate-induced lipid accumulation and the increase of nuclear SREBP-1c protein in HepG2 cells. In addition, RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down assay confirmed that MALAT1 interacted with SREBP-1c to stabilize nuclear SREBP-1c protein. Finally, injection of si-MALAT1 prevented hepatic lipid accumulation and insulin resistance in ob/ob mice. In conclusion, our observations suggest that MALAT1 promotes hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance by increasing nuclear SREBP-1c protein stability.

Trees, 27 (2), ISSN:0931-1890, ISSN:1432-2285

Plant-plant interaction plays a key role in regulating the composition and structure of communities and ecosystems. Studies of plant-plant interactions in forest ecosystems have mainly concentrated on growth effects of neighboring plants on target trees. Physiological effects of neighboring plants on target trees, in particular understorey effects on physiology of overstorey trees, have received less attention. It is still unclear what is the physiological mechanisms underlying positive growth effects of understorey removal, although understorey removal has been applied to improve the wood production for hundreds of years worldwide. Only 17.5% of published works dealt with understorey-overstorey interactions and only a few of those researched the understorey effects on the physiology of overstorey trees. Case studies indicated that overstorey Abies faxoniana trees grown with different understorey shrubs showed significantly different levels of tissue nitrogen and mobile carbohydrates. Removal experiment showed that nitrogen and mobile carbohydrates concentrations in Cunninghamia lanceolata trees grown in the absence of understorey shrubs differed significantly (pure stand > mixture) with those in trees grown in the presence of understorey shrubs, in particular during the dry season. This review highlighted that the neighboring woody plants affect C- and N-physiology in overstorey trees. These effects may be mainly resulted from underground competition for soil water rather than for other resources as the effects were more pronounced during the dry season. The present review suggests that positive effects of neighboring removal (e.g., understorey removal, thinning) on overstorey trees can be expected more rapidly and strongly in stressful area (e.g., low rainfall, nutrient-poor site) than in areas with optimal growth conditions. Hence, ecophysiology- based management strategies for dealing with neighboring plants in forest ecosystems should take into account: 1) site conditions, 2) timing, duration and frequency of management practices, and 3) species-specific properties and other aspects such as biodiversity conservation and soil erosion.

Knowledge on variations in stomata is useful in reflecting leaf physiological characteristics of CO2 uptake and water transpiration, and predicting the responses of plants to future climate change. Stomatal density and number of stomatal rows (current-year, 1- and 2-year-old needles) in relation to tree age (ranging from 25 to 320 years old), elevation (ranging from 738 to 1,380 m a.s.l.), and sun exposure (sun and shade exposure) were investigated in Pinus koraiensis trees. Stomatal density and number of stomatal rows in relation to tree age and elevation showed a humped curve with the maximum values at intermediate levels of tree age (210 years old) and elevation (1,050 m a.s.l.), respectively. Needle age but not sun exposure significantly affected the stomatal density across tree ages and elevations. Our results suggest that variations in stomatal density of Pinus koraiensis needles are related to ontogenetic growth and environmental factors.

MicroRNA-9 (miR-9) is involved in the regulation of pancreatic beta cell function. However, its role in gluconeogenesis is still unclear. Our objective was to investigate the role of miR-9 in hepatic glucose production (HGP). MiR-9 expression was measured in livers of high-fat diet (HFD) mice and ob/ob mice. The methylation status of the miR-9-3 promoter regions in hepatocytes was determined by the methylation-specific PCR procedure. The binding activity of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT)1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b on the miR-9-3 promoter was detected by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and quantitative real-time PCR assays. HGP was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Glucose tolerance, insulin tolerance and pyruvate tolerance tests were also performed. Reduced miR-9 expression and hypermethylation of the miR-9-3 promoter were observed in the livers of obese mice. Further study showed that the binding of DNMT1, but not of DNMT3a and DNMT3b, to the miR-9-3 promoter was increased in hepatocytes from ob/ob mice. Knockdown of DNMT1 alleviated the decrease in hepatic miR-9 expression in vivo and in vitro. Overexpression of hepatic miR-9 improved insulin sensitivity in obese mice and inhibited HGP. In addition, deletion of hepatic miR-9 led to an increase in random and fasting blood glucose levels in lean mice. Importantly, silenced forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) expression reversed the gluconeogenesis and glucose production in hepatocytes induced by miR-9 deletion. Our observations suggest that the decrease in miR-9 expression contributes to an inappropriately activated gluconeogenesis in obese mice.

Gastric bypass surgery produces clear antidiabetic effects in a substantial proportion of morbidly obese patients. In view of the recent trend away from ‘bariatric’ surgery and toward ‘metabolic’ surgery, it is important to elucidate the enhancing effect of bypass surgery on pancreatic β-cell mass, which is related to diabetes remission in non-obese patients. We investigated the effects of gastric bypass surgery on glycemic control and other pancreatic changes in a spontaneous non-obese type 2 diabetes Goto-Kakizaki rat model. Significant improvements in postprandial hyperglycemia and plasma c-peptide level were observed when glucose was administered orally post-surgery. Other important events observed after surgery were enhanced first phase insulin secretion in a in site pancreatic perfusion experiment, pancreatic hyperplasia, improved islet structure (revealed by immunohistochemical analysis), striking increase in β-cell mass, slight increase in ratio of β-cell area to total pancreas area, and increased number of small islets closely related to exocrine ducts. No notable changes were observed in ratio of β-cell to non-β endocrine cell area, β-cell apoptosis, or β-cell proliferation. These findings demonstrate that gastric bypass surgery in this rat model increases endocrine cells and pancreatic hyperplasia, and reflect the important role of the gastrointestinal system in regulation of metabolism.

Most mistletoes are xylem-tapping hemiparasites, which derive their resources from the host's xylem solution. Thus, they affect the host's water relations and resource balance. To understand the physiological mechanisms underlying the mistletoe-host relationship, we experimentally removed Viscum album ssp. austriacum (Wiesb.) Vollmann from adult Pinus sylvestris L. host trees growing in a Swiss dry valley. We analyzed the effects of mistletoe removal over time on host tree growth and on concentrations of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) and nitrogen (N) in needles, fine roots and sapwood. In addition, we assessed the δ(13)C and δ(18)O in host tree rings. After mistletoe removal, δ(13)C did not change in newly produced tree rings compared with tree rings in control trees (still infected with mistletoe), but δ(18)O values increased. This pattern might be interpreted as a decrease in assimilation (A) and stomatal conductance (gs), but in our study, it most likely points to an inadequacy of the dual isotope approach. Instead, we interpret the unchanged δ(13)C in tree rings upon mistletoe removal as a balanced increase in A and gs that resulted in a constant intrinsic water use efficiency (defined as A/gs). Needle area-based concentrations of N, soluble sugars and NSC, as well as needle length, single needle area, tree ring width and shoot growth, were significantly higher in trees from which mistletoe was removed than in control trees. This finding suggests that mistletoe removal results in increased N availability and carbon gain, which in turn leads to increased growth rates of the hosts. Hence, in areas where mistletoe is common and the population is large, mistletoe management (e.g., removal) may be needed to improve the host vigor, growth rate and productivity, especially for relatively small trees and crop trees in xeric growth conditions.

The association of retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) with atherosclerosis of the carotid artery in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains undefined. We aimed to investigate the correlation of RBP4 expression with atherosclerosis of the carotid artery in T2DM. A total of 1,076 subjects were investigated for intima-media thickness of the bilateral common carotid arteries, and they were divided into three groups: in group I, patients had normal neck vascular ultrasound, in group II, intimal carotid artery media thickness was equal to or more than 1 mm, and in group III, carotid artery plaque was present. Height, weight, blood pressure (BP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoprotein A-1 (apoA-1), apolipoprotein B (apoB) and lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] were determined by routine laboratory methods. RBP4 and high sensitivity C reactive protein (HsCRP) were measured by an enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay, and insulin concentration was measured by an electrochemiluminescence sandwich immunoassay. Duration of diabetes, waist and BP, FPG, HbA1c, TG, TC, LDL-C, APOB, Lp(a), HsCRP, RBP4 and homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) were significantly lower in group I than in the other two groups (P

Polymers with targeted ligands are widely used as the anti-cancer drug delivery materials. For applications of chitosan as an anti-liver cancer drug delivery, poly (ethylene glycol)/lactobionic acid-grafted chitosan (PEG/LA-CS) was prepared and investigated since lactobionic acid can be specifically recognized by the hepatocytes. The structure of the PEG/LA-CS was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and elemental analysis. The self-assembly behaviors of the PEG/LA-CS were monitored by steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy and electronic transmission microscope. The protein adsorption of the PEG/LA-CS was detected with bovine serum albumin (BSA) by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results showed that the PEG/LA-CS almost did not adsorb protein. To study the effects of PEG/LA-CS on the structure of BSA, the interactions between the PEG/LA-CS and BSA were detected by ultraviolet spectrum, fluorescence spectrum, and circular dichroism. All the data gave one result that BSA maintained its original folded confirmation in PEG/LA-CS solution. The hemocompatibility of PEG/LA-CS was investigated by observing the effects of PEG/LA-CS on the hemolysis rate and the plasma recalcification time (PRT). The results showed that the PRT was prolonged greatly and the hemolysis rate was less than 5%. Furthermore, PEG/LA-CS also showed good cytocompatibility with K562, Hep G2, and LO2 cells. Therefore, the PEG/LA-CS is believed to have great potential for producing injectable anti-liver cancer drug delivery.

Multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) has been widely used in the object category classification of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. Feature selection is an essential operation in pattern classification. Searchlight, based on information mapping, is one method of feature selection. In contrast with traditional methods based on activation, searchlight has more sensitivity and then provides higher statistical power. In this study, we applied two different feature selection methods, searchlight and activation, combined with linear support vector machine (SVM) classifier, to investigate the classification effect in classifying 4-category objects on fMRI data. We found that the average classification accuracies of searchlight were 0.8095 (house vs. face), 0.7240 (house vs. car), 0.7247 (house vs. cat), 0.6980 (face vs. car), 0.5982 (face vs. cat) and 0.6860 (car vs. cat). For house vs. car, the average classification accuracy based on searchlight was better than that based on activation (0.7240 vs. 0.7143). Specially, searchlight method performed better than activation for some subjects. The results showed that object category classification of fMRI data based on information mapping were significantly reliable. Our findings suggest that information mapping can be applied in pattern classification in future work.

Support Vector Machine (SVM) is an accurate pattern recognition method which has been widely used in functional MRI (fMRI) data classification. Voxel selec tion is a very important part in classification. In general, voxel selection is based on brain regions associated with activation caused by different experiment conditions or stimulations. However, negative blood oxygenation level-dependent responses (deactiva tion) which have also been found in humans or animals contribute to the classification of different cognitive tasks. Different from traditional studies which focused merely on the activation voxel selection methods, our aim is to investigate the deactivation voxel selection methods in the classification of fMRI data using SVM. In this study, three different voxel selection methods (deactivation, activation, the combination of deactivation and activation) are applied to decide which voxel is included in SVM classifier with linear kernel in classifying 4-category objects on fMRI data. The average accuraci es of deactivation classification were 73.36%(house vs. face), 60.34%(hous e vs. car), 60.94%(house vs. cat) e71.43%(face vs. car) e 63.17%(face vs. cat) and 61.61%(car vs. cat). The classification results of deactivation were significantly above the chance level which implies the deactivation is informative. The accuracies of combination of activa tion and deactivation method were close to that of activation method, and it was even better for some representative subjects. These results suggest deactivation provides useful information in the object category classification on fMRI data and the method of voxel selection based on both activation and deactivation will be a significant method in classification in the future. Keywords: deactivation, feature selectio n, classification, fMRI, SVM

Knowledge of the responses of soil nitrogen (N) availability, fine root mass, production and turnover rates to atmospheric N deposition is crucial for understanding fine root dynamics and functioning in forest ecosystems. Fine root biomass and necromass, production and turnover rates, and soil nitrate-N and ammonium-N in relation to N fertilization (50 kg N ha(-1) year(-1)) were investigated in a temperate forest over the growing season of 2010, using sequential soil cores and ingrowth cores methods. N fertilization increased soil nitrate-N by 16% (P

For both ecologists and physiologists, foliar physioecology as a function of spatially and temporally variable environmental factors such as sunlight exposure within a tree crown is important for understanding whole tree physiology and for predicting ecosystem carbon balance and productivity. Hence, we studied concentrations of nitrogen (N), non-structural carbohydrates (NSC = soluble sugars + starch), and δ(13)C in different-aged needles within Pinus koraiensis tree crowns, to understand the needle age- and crown position-related physiology, in order to test the hypothesis that concentrations of N, NSC, and δ(13)C are needle-age and crown position dependent (more light, more photosynthesis affecting N, NSC, and δ(13)C), and to develop an accurate sampling strategy. The present study indicated that the 1-yr-old needles had significantly higher concentration levels of mobile carbohydrates (both on a mass and an area basis) and N(area) (on an area basis), as well as NSC-N ratios, but significantly lower levels of N(mass) (on a mass basis) concentration and specific leaf area (SLA), compared to the current-year needles. Azimuthal (south-facing vs. north-facing crown side) effects were found to be significant on starch [both on a mass (ST(mass)) and an area basis (ST(area))], δ(13)C values, and N(area), with higher levels in needles on the S-facing crown side than the N-facing crown side. Needle N(mass) concentrations significantly decreased but needle ST(mass), ST(area), and δ(13)C values significantly increased with increasing vertical crown levels. Our results suggest that the sun-exposed crown position related to photosynthetic activity and water availability affects starch accumulation and carbon isotope discrimination. Needle age associated with physiological activity plays an important role in determining carbon and nitrogen physiology. The present study indicates that across-scale sampling needs to carefully select tissue samples with equal age from a comparable crown position.

A great number of dimensionality reduction methods are finally reduced to solving generalized eigenvector problems. Optimization techniques are promising ways to solve the parameter selection problems in these dimensionality reduction methods. The most important step in these optimization methods is to compute the objective function with respect to the parameter, which depends on computing the gradient and Hessian matrix of the resulted eigenvectors and eigenvalues. In this paper, we propose a novel method to compute the gradient of the eigenvalues, and then apply them to tune the parameter in the kernel principal component analysis. Experimental results on UCI data sets show that the new method outperforms the original algorithm, especially in time complexity.

Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris L. var. mongolica Litv.) was the first tree specie to defend wind and retain sand in North china. However, a decline of forest growth has occurred. In order to expose the decline problem, we cultured 2-year old Mongolian pine seedlings in sand added different sludge for 3 months and followed by drought stresses experiment to examine the effect of sewage-sludge and drought on eco-physiology of seedlings. net photosynthesis rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), CO 2 concentration inside the cell (Ci), transpiration rate (Tr), leaf water potential and chlorophyll (Chl) of seedlings were measured. The results showed that seedlings applied sludge increased apparently in the height, stem diameter and root length than those grew in sands and increased the most when sludge volume got 30%. During the course of drought stresses, the soil relative water content added sludge was increasing higher than that of sand with the time extension. Values of Pn, Gs, Tr. Ci and leaf water potential increased significantly with the increasing of contents of sludge and reached the peak when the sludge was 30% in volume as the soil relative water content at the same level. 10% and 20% sludge had no significant effects on relief stresses on seedling. Added 30% to 50% sludge, the seedlings occurred heavily stressed at 20 % of field water capacity while seedlings in sands showed heavily stressed at 30 % of field water capacity. 80% sludge aroused serious metal stress of seedlings, values of Pn, Gs, Tr. Ci and leaf water potential were very low and had no significant difference with CK Proper sludge proved the drought resistance of seedlings due to the moisture capacity of sludge. For the sludge supplied more nutrients (e.g. nitrogen), values of Chl increased with the increasing of sludge and were highest ca. 50% sludge, then, decreased with more sludge. When sludge content was 80% of total volumes, the values of Chl were the lowest compared to others owing to the soil was glued strongly and the air, water conductance in soil declined and heavy metal in sludge destroyed the structure of chloroplast.