Search

There has been a long-standing debate about the mechanism of the unusual superconductivity in alkali-intercalated fulleride superconductors. In this work, using high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we systematically investigate the electronic structures of superconducting K3C60 thin films. We observe a dispersive energy band crossing the Fermi level with an occupied bandwidth of about 130 meV. The measured band structure shows prominent quasiparticle kinks and a replica band involving high-energy Jahn-Teller active Hg(8) phonon mode, reflecting strong electron-phonon coupling in the system. The electron-phonon coupling constant is estimated to be about 1.2, which dominates the quasiparticle mass renormalization. Moreover, we observe an isotropic nodeless superconducting gap beyond the mean-field estimation. Both the large electron-phonon coupling constant and large reduced superconducting gap suggest a strong-coupling superconductivity in K3C60, while the electronic correlation effect is indicated by the observation of a waterfall-like band dispersion and the small bandwidth compared with the effective Coulomb interaction. Our results not only directly visualize the crucial band structure of superconducting fulleride but also provide important insights into the mechanism of the unusual superconductivity., Accepted by Phys. Rev. Lett

To investigate the protective effect ofTwenty-four BALB/c mice at ages of 8 to 10 weeks, each weighing approximately 20 g, were randomly divided into four groups, including groups A (blank control group), B (blank intervention group), C (AR model group) and D (AR+HCFP intervention group), with 6 mice in each group. On days 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12, mice in groups A, B, C and D were injected with 200 μL sterile phosphate buffered saline (PBS), 200 μL sterile PBS containing 20 μg HCFP, 200 μL sterile PBS containing 50 μg OVA and 5 mg Al(OH)The mean behavioral score was significantly greater in Group C (6.83 ± 0.50) than in groups A (1.17 ± 0.52) and B (1.33 ± 0.52) (

Information on genetic diversity and population structure is currently lacking for populations of Lilium cernuum in China, yet it's needed to inform conservation efforts and breeding programs, and to promote commercialization. In this study, we use molecular markers of inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and morphological traits to characterize the genetic diversity of L. cernuum sampled from eight populations in northeastern China. The total percentage of polymorphic bands was 91.14%, the Nei's genetic diversity index was 0.26, Shannon's information index was 0.41, and the coefficient of gene differentiation among populations was 0.13. Genetic differentiation within populations was much higher than among populations. The phylogenic patterns of populations revealed by molecular markers were not strictly correlated with the geographical position or the characteristics of sites.

To investigate the protective effect of recombinant adult serine protease inhibitor fromA total of 18 male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into the sham-operation group, the model group, and theAt 12 h following CLP, there were significant differences in the serum levels of ALT (

Lopinavir/ritonavir has modest antiviral activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The aim was to investigate the viral kinetics and factors associated with viral clearance during lopinavir/ritonavir-based combination treatment in non-severe patients.Sixty-four patients were retrospectively enrolled. Viral RNA was detected by real-time RT-PCR assay from sputum or throat swab samples at different time points. The patterns of viral kinetics were characterized, and factors associated with rapid viral clearance, which was defined as viral RNA undetectable within two weeks, were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analyses.All patients achieved viral RNA negativity and were discharged from the hospital. Furthermore, 48 (75%) and 16 (25%) patients achieved rapid and delayed viral clearance, respectively. The lymphocyte counts of rapid viral clearance patients (1.40 [1.20-1.80] × 109/L) were higher, when compared to delayed viral clearance patients (1.00 [0.70-1.47] × 109/L) (p=0.024). The multivariate logistic analysis revealed that high lymphocyte count (≥1.3×109/L) is an independent factor associated with rapid viral clearance (OR=7.62, 95% CI=1.15-50.34, p=0.035).The viral shedding exhibited different patterns during treatment. Immune insufficiency is responsible for the delayed viral clearance, suggesting that an immunomodulator should be considered to promote viral clearance in patients with low lymphocyte counts.

A 8-week trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of Codonopsis pilosula on immune and digestion in sea cucumber. The results showed that the total coelomocytes counts (TCC), phagocytic activity and superoxide anion production (O2-), superoxide dismutase (SOD), acid phosphatase (ACP), phenoloxidase (PO) activities in coelomocytes of sea cucumbers were improved significantly after 28 or 42 days. Again dietary C. pilosula had a positive impact by activating the RNA expression levels of complement component 3 (C3), lysozyme and protease, amylase and alginase activities in the gut. Finally the resistance of A. japonicus against Vibrio splendidus was enhanced.

本文报道一例女性74岁阴道后穹窿破裂伴盆腔多脏器脱出患者，于2017年4月10日收治于武汉大学中南医院，经行Hartmann术+子宫附件切除+阴道后穹窿修补+阴道残端骶岬悬吊+阴道后壁修补术后恢复良好，无便秘和肛门失禁症状。本病例为一种少见急诊，常发生于子宫切除术后。既往无盆腔手术史的病例较罕见，临床上易漏诊和误诊。正确认识该病的病因、临床特点，并早期诊断治疗，对患者预后具有重要意义。.

Hepatocarcinogenesis, a multistep process, involves not only genetic mutations but also epigenetic alterations. Widespread of global DNA hypomethylation is accompanied with specific regional hypermethylation especially at tumor suppressor genes' promoters. The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy of combined DNA methylation analysis of a global DNA methylation marker - LINE-1 and a tumor suppressor gene highly associated with the malignancy of HCC- RASSF1A in serum as a novel prognostic marker for diagnosis of early recurrence after curative resection.LINE-1 was hypomethylated in 66.7% (70/105) and RASSF1A promoter was hypermethylated in 73.3% (77/105) of HCC serum DNA samples by methylation specific PCR, but in none of the healthy controls: LINE-1 hypometylation (0/50) and RASSF1A hypermethylation (0/50). A significant association was found between LINE-1 hypomethylation and clinical pathologic features including HBsAg positivity (p=0.009), tumor size (p=0.001) and AFP levels (p

In the summer of 2008, phyllody and enlarged petioles resembling symptoms of phytoplasma infection were observed on clover (Trifolium repens) plants in lawns on the campus of Northwest A&F University. Typical phytoplasma-like bacteria were observed in the phloem cells when ultra-thin sections from leaf midrib tissues were examined with transmission electron microscopy. Nested PCR assays were used to verify the association of phytoplasma with the disease. Total DNA was extracted from the phloem of leaf midribs from 20 symptomatic plants and six symptomless plants using the modified CTAB method (1). Using the phytoplasma universal primer pair R16mF2/R16mR1 followed by specific primers R16F2n/R16R2 (4), PCR products of 1.4 and 1.2 kb were amplified, respectively, from symptomatic plants only. Jujube witches'-broom (JWB) and paulownia witches'-broom (PaWB) phytoplasma DNA samples served as controls and were used to study group relationships. After sequencing of the 16S rDNA fragment (GenBank Accession No. FJ436792), a BLAST search determined that the clover phytoplasma shared closest homology (99.6%) with JWB (GenBank Accession No. FJ154846) phytoplasmas compared with lesser identity (90.4%) with PaWB (GenBank Accession No. EF199937). Subsequent restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the PCR-amplified 1.2-kb 16S rDNA R16(1)F1/R1 fragment indicated that the phytoplasma associated with the disease belongs to subgroup 16SrV-B of the elm yellows phytoplasma group. Clover phyllody phytoplasma were previously reported to infect clover in Canada (GenBank Accession No. L33762) (3) and Italy (GenBank Accession No. X77482) (2). The phytoplasma reported here shared 86.7 and 90.0% identity with the clover phyllody phytoplasma above, respectively, much lower than that with Elm yellows phytoplasma group. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Elm yellows phytoplasma infecting clover in China. References:(1) E. Angelini et al. Vitis 40:79, 2001. (2) G. Firrao et al. Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 102:817, 1996. (3) N. A. Harrison et al. Plant Pathol. 52:147, 2003. (4) I.-M. Lee et al. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 48:1153, 1998.

Fast detection and identification of chemicals are of utmost importance for field testing and real-time monitoring in many fields. Raman spectroscopy is the predominant technique in principle, but its wide application is limited on account of weak scattering efficiency. Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) technique provides a solution for signal enhancement, but may not good at fast detection due to cross contamination and bulky instruments. Hollow-core fiber-based Raman cell with long interaction length can achieve high detection sensitivity, but it also suffers from low flow rate, bulky high-pressure equipment and light coupling structure, which also restricts its application for fast detection. In order to solve those problems, we proposed a portable Raman cell, by using metal-lined hollow-core fibers (MLHCF) with large bandwidth, good field confinement, extremely large numerical aperture and arbitrary length. With our proposed fiber inserted light coupling and light reflecting method, a Raman cell of 3.1 cm in length provides nearly 50 times of signal enhancement compared with direct detection using bare fiber tip. Furthermore, the sample exchange rate could be as fast as 1 second even under normal pressure without any cross contamination. At last, we also demonstrated the underlying general mechanism of signal enhancement and summarized it as volumetric enhancement of Raman scattering (VERS). Both the experiment results and the theoretical analysis demonstrated that our device has the potential for fast online Raman detection, which also possesses high-sensitivity and high-accuracy. Published version

The ocnus (ocn) gene encodes a protein abundant in the testes, implying its role in testis development. When Drosophila melanogaster is infected with the endosymbiont wMel Wolbachia, which affects the spermatogenesis of its hosts, ocn is downregulated in the third-instar larval testes, suggesting a role of ocn in spermatogenesis. In this study, we knocked down ocn in the testes and found that the hatch rates of embryos derived from ocn-knockdown males were significantly decreased, and 84.38% of the testes were much smaller in comparison to controls. Analysis of the smaller testes showed no germ cells but they had an extended hub. Using RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq), we identified 69 genes with at least a twofold change (q-value 5%) in their expression after ocn knockdown; of these, eight testes-specific and three reproduction-related genes were verified to be significantly downregulated using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. Three genes (orientation disruptor, p24-2 and CG13541) were also significantly downregulated in the presence of Wolbachia. Furthermore, 98 genes were not expressed when ocn was knocked down in testes. These results suggest that ocn plays a crucial role in male germ cell development in Drosophila, possibly by regulating the expression of multiple spermatogenesis-related genes. Our data provide important information to help understand the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying spermatogenesis.

Peptidoglycan is the major bacterial component recognized by the insect immune system. Peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs) are a family of pattern-recognition receptors that recognize peptidoglycans and modulate innate immune responses. Some PGRPs retain N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase (Enzyme Commission number: 3.5.1.28) activity to hydrolyse bacterial peptidoglycans. Others have lost the enzymatic activity and work only as immune receptors. They are all important modulators for innate immunity. Here, we report the cloning and functional analysis of PGRP-S4, a short-form PGRP from the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori. The PGRP-S4 gene encodes a protein of 199 amino acids with a signal peptide and a PGRP domain. PGRP-S4 was expressed in the fat body, haemocytes and midgut. Its expression level was significantly induced by bacterial challenges in the midgut. The recombinant PGRP-S4 bound bacteria and different peptidoglycans. In addition, it inhibited bacterial growth and hydrolysed an Escherichia coli peptidoglycan in the presence of Zn

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small-molecule peptides that play crucial roles in insect innate immune responses. To better understand the function of AMPs in Plutella xylostella, one of the main pests of cruciferous vegetables, three full-length cDNAs encoding moricins were cloned from Pl. xylostella. Two variants of the moricin named PxMor2 and PxMor3 were heterologously expressed and purified. A secondary structure analysis using circular dichroism demonstrated that the two peptides adopted an α-helical structure in the membrane-like environment, but in aqueous solution, they were present in random coiled conformation. Antimicrobial activity assays demonstrated that PxMor2 exhibited high activity against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli; however, PxMor3 only demonstrated high activity against E. coli. Scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser-scanning microscopy analyses suggest that PxMors can lead to the disruption of bacterial membrane, which might be the mechanism by which PxMors inhibit bacterial growth. This study contributes to the understanding of Pl. xylostella AMPs and immune responses, and also enriches the knowledge of insect moricin.

The effects of perilla (Perilla frutescens L.) seed on carcass traits, meat quality, antioxidant status and antioxidant gene expression in the liver and muscle of Hu lambs were investigated in this study. Sixty Hu lambs (23.02 ± 1.36 kg) were randomly divided into four experimental groups receiving diets containing 0%, 5%, 10% or 15% perilla seed (CD, 5%PFSD, 10%PFSD and 15%PFSD, respectively). The addition of perilla seed had no significant impacts on carcass traits (p .05). There were no differences in pH, meat colour, drip loss, cooking loss or shear force among the four treatments (p .05). Addition of perilla seed increased (p .05) deposition of intramuscular lipids but had no effect on other chemical components in the longissimus dorsi (LD) (p .05). The 15%PFSD diet decreased the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the liver (p .05 for both) but increased the activity of these antioxidant enzymes in LD (p .05 for both). Compared to CD, addition of perilla seed increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) expression in the liver and LD (p .05 for all). These results indicate that perilla seed supplementation in lambs' diets can increase deposition of intramuscular lipids and improve muscular oxidative status and meat quality.

Aim Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract and reinforcement with a bioprosthetic graft are two recently reported procedures that have shown promise in the treatment of anal fistula. This study was undertaken to validate combining ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract plus bioprosthetic anal fistula plug and report our preliminary results and experience. Method Twenty-one patients with transsphincteric anal fistula were treated with ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract plus concurrent bioprosthetic plug of the anal fistula. We evaluated healing time, fistula closure rate and postoperative anal function according to the Wexner continence score. Results No mortality or major complications were observed. Median operative time was 20 (range 15–40) min. After a median follow-up of 14 (range 12–15) months, the overall success rate was 95% (20/21), with a median healing time of 2 (range 2–3) weeks for external anal fistula opening and 4 (range 3–7) weeks for intersphincteric groove incision. Only 1 (5%) patient reported rare incontinence for gas postoperatively (Wexner score 1). Conclusions Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract plus a bioprosthetic anal fistula plug is an easy, safe, effective and useful alternative in the management of anal fistula. Further randomized controlled studies are necessary to better evaluate long-term results.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the hybrid graft technique for complicated infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs).The clinical data of 183 patients who underwent endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for AAA with challenging anatomy at Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Fudan University from 2010 to 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Endografts were divided into two groups: Hybrid Group (28 cases) used more than one type of stent graft, and Standard Group (110 cases) used only one stent graft type. Patients were recommended to undergo CT angiography at 1, 3, 6, 12 month after the procedure. Clinical data were analyzed with a focus on postoperative hospital stay, endoleak, limb occlusion, complications of approach, complications of system, converted to open operation and secondary intervention.Technical success was achieved in all patients in both groups. Compared with hybrid group and standard group, there was no difference in postoperative hospital stay ((5.35±2.99) and (5.92±3.70) days, t=0.753, P0.05). During the follow up, there was no difference in endoleak (10.7% and 18.2%), limb graft occlusion (3.6% and 10.9%), complications of approach (0 and 1.8%), complications of system (7.1% and 0.9%), converted to open operation (0 and 0.9%) between two groups (χ(2)=0.896, 1.408, 0.517, 4.078, 0.256, all P0.05). However, there was statistically significant difference in secondary intervention between two groups (3.6% and 19.1%, 2=4.011, P0.05).The use of hybrid stent graft in patients with unfavorable neck and iliac artery anatomy AAA is feasible, and it could improve the postoperative outcomes such as secondary intervention rate.

In this article, we tackle the problem of using globally optimal estimate for variational surface reconstruction. We give an overview of globally optimal method on variational surface when the three-dimensional (3D) surface is represented by a point-based surface and a triangular mesh-based surface, and we detail the variational surface used on surface reconstruction. It can be applied to derive a range of meaningful surface reconstructions from this high dimensional space. We show that using a progression of spatially varying anisotropic weights can achieve significant improvements in surface reconstruction. Simulated surfaces and real model are experimentally studied, and the results validate that the proposed approaches improved the reconstruction. The proposed method improved the reconstruction results significantly for the simulated and real data.

In this paper, we propose a novel variational scheme for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction from point cloud using estimated topological surface. The scheme using estimated topological surface recovers the underlying 3D shape by integrating an estimated surface topology gradient field. The estimated gradient is usually non-integrable due to the presence of noise and outliers in the estimation process and inherent ambiguities. The method represents a continuum of surface reconstruction solutions of a given non-integrable gradient field. For an N6N point cloud, the subspace of all integrable gradient fields is of dimension N 2 21. It can be applied to derive a range of meaningful surface reconstructions from this high dimensional space. We show that by using a progression of spatially varying anisotropic weights, significant improvements in surface reconstruction from point cloud can be achieved. Simulated surfaces are experimentally studied, and the results validate that the proposed approaches improve the reconstruction. The proposed method improves the reconstructing results significantly for the simulated data.

A development has been made for the charged-particle-induced nonresonant reaction-rate equations. The forms of reaction-rate equations for nonresonant and resonant reactions have been united in a frame of Lorentzian-Function Approximation (LFA) mathematically. In the frame of LFA, the nonresonant reaction taken place within the Gamow window can be considered, in form, as a "resonance" reaction with a full width at half maximum (FWHM, Γ nr ) equal to the 1/e width (Δ) in a well-known Gaussian-Function Approximation (GFA).

A metal-lined hollow-core fiber-based Raman probe extension kit is proposed in this Letter for in situ and sensitive ultramicro-analysis. A hollow-core fiber can confine light and fluid samples in its hollow core, with enhanced light–sample interaction. By using a homemade light coupling device with a glass window for liquid isolation, a 3.5-cm-long hollow-core fiber could mount on and connect to a Raman probe, with perfect light coupling efficiency. After full filling the hollow-core fiber chamber with a volume of 13 μL by using a syringe pump, it can act as an extension kit for an ordinary Raman probe and be used as a ultramicro-analysis tool for the sample of microfluidic chips. In order to enhance its sensitivity, a gold film coated fiber tip is inserted into the capillary, which can double the Raman signal received by reflecting pump light and Raman light. Finally, a detection limit of 5% for ethanol solution and an enhancement factor of two compared with direct detection of bulk sample volume are demonstrated. Above all, our device can be utilized as a Raman probe extension kit, which is suitable for rapid, sensitive, and in situ measurements for a few microliter level samples.

The well-known astrophysical resonant-reaction-rate (RRR) equations for an isolated narrow resonance induced by the charged particles have been reexamined. The validity of those assumptions used in deriving the classical analytic equations has been checked, and found that these analytic equations only hold for certain circumstances. It shows the customary definition of "narrow" is inappropriate or ambiguous in some sense, and it awakes us not to use those analytic equations without caution. As a suggestion, it is better to use the broad-resonance equation to calculate the RRR numerically even for a narrow resonance of a few keV width. The present conclusion may influence some work in which the classical narrow-resonant equations were used for calculating the RRRs, especially at low stellar temperatures for those previously defined "narrow" resonances.

In this paper, we propose a Bayesian of inductive cognition algorithm based on Dirichlet process used in virtual reality multimedia information data classification. We present a Bayesian of inductive cognition algorithm framework model for classifying scenes in virtual reality multimedia data. The multimedia can switch between different shots, the unknown objects can leave or enter the scene at multiple times, and the scenes can be classified. The proposed algorithm consists of Bayesian inductive cognition part and Dirichlet process part. This algorithm has several advantages over traditional distance-based agglomerative classifying algorithms. Bayesian of inductive cognition algorithm based on Dirichlet process hypothesis testing is used to decide which merges are advantageous and to output the recommended depth of the scenes. The algorithm can be interpreted as a novel fast bottom-up approximate inference method for a Dirichlet process mixture model. We describe procedures for learning the model...

2-Acetyl-4(5)-tetrahydroxybutyl imidazole (THI) has been shown to reduce rodent peripheral blood lymphocytes through increasing lymphoid sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) by inhibiting S1P lyase. The objective of this study was to characterize the relationship between systemic THI exposure, splenic S1P concentrations, and lymphopenia in rats. Following the oral administration of 10 and 100 mg kg(-1) THI to male rats, THI was rapidly absorbed and reached a plasma peak level at 1 h post-dosing. Splenic S1P increased and reached the peak level at 24 h. Blood lymphocyte count decreased as the splenic S1P level increased. THI plasma concentration was linked to splenic S1P concentration using an indirect model incorporated with a four-step signal transduction model. In turn, the S1P level was directly coupled with blood lymphocyte number. The integrated model simultaneously captured the splenic S1P and blood lymphocyte responses. This pharmacokinetic-biomarker-pharmacodynamic model resolved the remarkable discrepancy between plasma THI concentration and the pharmacological response and quantitatively described the relationship of THI exposure, S1P, and lymphopenic response.

Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea, also known as Red barberry, is a small ornamental shrub in the family Berberidaceae. In recent years, a phyllody symptom has been observed frequently, spreading in the shrubs in northwestern China. A phytoplasma 16S rDNA specific fragment was amplified by PCR from Berberis plants with the phyllody symptoms. DNA sequencing and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis revealed the phytoplasma belongs to 16SrV-B subgroup. This is the first report that Berbegis thunbergii atropurpurea is a host for 16SrV-B phytoplasma. The disease was named Berberis phyllody.

We theoretically analyze the generation of quadripartite continuous-variable entanglement, with different frequency, by cascaded nonlinear process in a quadruply resonant optical cavity. This process is realized by one optical parametric down-conversion operated below threshold cascaded by two sum-frequency generations in a quasiperiodic optical supperlattice. It shows that the signal, idler and two sum frequency modes are entangled according to the sufficient inseparability criterion proposed by van Loock and Furusawa. The quantum correlation spectra among these four modes versus normalized analysis frequency and nonlinear coupling coefficients are discussed as well in detail.

In vitro determination of metabolic stability is routinely used to assess the overall metabolic liability of com- pounds and for prioritization for in vivo studies. If in vitro metabolic stability data could be used to reliably predict in vivo clearance (CL), it would add significant value in the selection of compounds for in vivo pharmacokinetic and pharmacol- ogy studies. We have evaluated the utility of our in vitro metabolic stability screening assay to estimate in vivo CL in the mouse. The in vitro mouse clearances (CLin vitro) of 146 structurally diverse compounds with metabolic stabilities > 30 %, were compared to mouse in vivo CL data. Approximately 45 % of the compounds showed agreement between in vivo CL and predicted CLin vitro within a 2-fold error criteria. The correlation appeared worse when correction for the extent of in- corporation of plasma protein binding or both plasma and S9 bindings (i.e. ~14 % and~ 28 % agreement, respectively). Classification of the compounds into three groups based on in vivo CL ( 70 mL/min/kg) did not show any improvement between in vivo CL and predicted CLin vitro. The percentage of compounds fal- ling within the 2-fold error criteria for low CL, moderate CL and high CL groups were 54, 31 and 24 %, respectively. In conclusion, our analysis suggests that in vitro metabolic stability data, as routinely obtained in early ADME screening protocols, does not demonstrate a strong correlation with or predictivity for, absolute in vivo CL in the mouse.

The three-color continuous-variable entanglement directly produced by a cascaded nonlinear process in an optical superlattice was investigated theoretically. This cascaded nonlinear process can be realized by using quasi-phase-matching technique in a quasiperiodic superlattice. In the first step, signal- and idle-beams can be generated by a parametric down-conversion. Then, the third beam can be obtained through sum-frequency of idle and pump. The degree of quadrature phase amplitude correlations between the three modes was discussed by a sufficient inseparability criterion with a single inequality for continuous-variable entanglement.

The production of quadripartite continuous-variable entanglement, with different frequency, is analyzed theoretically. This process is realized by parametric amplifier cascaded with a sum frequency generation in a quasiperiodically optical supperlattice, meanwhile, the nondegenerated optical parametric amplifier operated above threshold and the injection signal field with very small intensity is in coherent state. It shows that the four-partite of the pump, two subharmonic and the up-converted modes from the cavity is genuinely entangled according to the sufficient inseparability criterion proposed by Van Loock and Furusawa. Moreover, the entanglement characteristics versus different parameters are discussed as well in detail.

We present an approach to generating a tunable orange laser from 0.601 to 0.604 μm based on a quasi-periodically poled superlattice in LiTaO3 and a Q-switched 1.064 μm Nd:YVO4 laser as pump. The orange laser was generated in a cavity by a parametric process cascaded by a frequency mixing with a maximum output of 310 mW using 15 W pump power.

Tobacco vein banding mosaic virus (TVBMV) is of increasing importance in tobacco production on the Chinese mainland. The 3'-terminal genomic sequences (1624 nucleotides) of 12 TVBMV isolates from China were determined and compared to the sequences of only four TVBMV isolates available in databanks. The results revealed that TVBMV consists of several phylogenetically distinguishable strains that show a degree of correlation with the geographical origin. Two isolates from Yunnan had a unique putative NIb/CP proteolytic cleavage site of Q/N that is uncommon for potyviruses, whereas other TVBMV isolates had the more typical Q/G amino acids at that site. One isolate (ZB6) from Zibo, Shandong Province, was predicted to have experienced recombination within the characterized genomic region.

There is an increasing use of herbal medicines worldwide, and the extracts from the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza are widely used in the treatment of angina and stroke. In this study, we investigated the mechanism for the intestinal absorption of tanshinone IIB (TSB), a major constituent of S. miltiorrhiza. The oral bioavailability of TSB was about 3% in rats with less proportional increase in its maximum plasma concentration (C(max)) and area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) with increasing dosage. The time to C(max) (T(max)) was prolonged at higher oral dosage. In a single pass rat intestinal perfusion model, the permeability coefficients (P(app)) based on TSB disappearance from the lumen (P(lumen)) were 6.2- to 7.2-fold higher (p0.01) than those based on drug appearance in mesenteric venous blood (P(blood)). The uptake and efflux of TSB in Caco-2 cells were also significantly altered in the presence of an inhibitor for P-glycoprotein (PgP) or for multi-drug resistance associated protein (MRP1/2). TSB transport from the apical (AP) to basolateral (BL) side in Caco-2 monolayers was 3.3- to 5.7-fold lower than that from BL to AP side, but this polarized transport was attenuated by co-incubation of PgP or MRP1/2 inhibitors. The P(app) values of TSB in the BL-AP direction were significantly higher in MDCKII cells over-expressing MDR1 or MRP1, but not in cells over-expressing MRP2-5, as compared with the wild-type cells. The plasma AUC(0-24hr) in mdr1a and mrp1 gene-deficient mice was 10.2- to 1.7-fold higher than that in the wild-type mice. Furthermore, TSB significantly inhibited the uptake of digoxin and vinblastine in membrane vesicles containing PgP or MRP1. TSB also moderately stimulated PgP ATPase activity. Taken collectively, our findings indicate that TSB is a substrate for PgP and MRP1 and that drug resistance to TSB therapy and drug interactions may occur through PgP and MRP1 modulation.

Insect C-type lectins function as pattern recognition receptors in innate immunity. In the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta, we have previously isolated three C-type lectins named immulectins, which are involved in innate immune responses. Here, we report a new member of the immulectin family, immulectin-4 (IML-4). IML-4 mRNA was detected in the fat body of control larvae and was induced in the fat body when larvae were injected with bacteria. Recombinant IML-4 bound to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA), and the binding activity was not affected by addition of calcium or EGTA. IML-4 agglutinated bacteria and yeast, and agglutination of Escherichia coli by IML-4 was concentration- and calcium-dependent. IML-4 also enhanced haemocyte encapsulation and melanization.

Two sets of reciprocal introgression line (IL) populations, i.e., ILs with Lemont as recurrent parent (IL_LT) and ILs with Teqing as recurrent parent (IL_TQ), were developed and evaluated for traits representing panicle size, including primary branch number (PBN), secondary branch number (SBN), and spikelet number per panicle (SNP). Together with the regression to recurrent parent by advanced backcross, transgressive segregations were observed for all traits. Correlation and regression analysis showed that SBN had much higher contribution to SNP than PBN. It was confirmed by the QTL analysis that many common loci were detected between SBN and SNP, in comparison with single common locus between PBN and SNP. One and three main effect QTLs (M-QTLs) were detected for PBN in IL_LT and IL_TQ, respectively. Six M-QTLs per trait per populations were associated with SBN and SNP. Less number and lower contribution of epistasis were detected in IL populations in comparison with mapping result from F2 or RI population. There were only four QTLs in fourteen loci (near 30%) commonly detected in both reciprocal IL populations implying the large impact of genetic background on QTLs expression.

Drought is a major constraint to rice (Oryza sativa L.) production in rainfed and poorly irrigated environments. Identifying genomic regions influencing the response of yield and its components to water deficits will aid our understanding of the genetic mechanism of drought tolerance (DT) of rice and the development of DT varieties. Grain yield (GY) and its components of a recombinant inbred population developed from a lowland rice and an upland rice were investigated under different water levels in 2003 and 2004 in a rainout DT screening facility. Correlation and path analysis indicated that spikelet fertility (SF) was particularly important for grain yield with direct effect (P=0.60) under drought stress, while spikelet number per panicle (SN) contributed the most to grain yield (P=0.41) under well-watered condition. A total of 32 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for grain yield and its components were identified. The phenotypic variation explained by individual QTLs varied from 1.29% to 14.76%. Several main effect QTLs affecting SF, 1,000-grain weight (TGW), panicle number (PN), and SN were mapped to the same regions on chromosome 4 and 8. These QTLs were detected consistently across 2 years and under both water levels in this study. Several digenic interactions among yield components were also detected. The identification of genomic regions associated with GY and its components under stress will be useful to improve drought tolerance of rice by marker-aided approaches.

For many years Fe3Al based alloys have been of interest because of their excellent oxidation and sulphidation resistance. However, there are still some obstacles to industrial application of these materials, including the poor hot workability of Fe3Al based alloys. Four types ofhot working (hotrolling, hotforging, hotpressing, and hotpressing plus hot forging) for the processing of Fe3Al ingots have been studied in the present work, and the results indicate that a combination of hot pressing and hot forging might be an optimal method for breakdown of the Fe3Al ingot.

The influences of tungsten and molybdenum additions on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe3Al based alloys have been studied. The results indicate that the macrostructure of base alloy Fe - 28Al- 4Cr (at.-%) is comprised of coarse columnar grains, which have a detrimental effect on the later hot working of the ingot. After combined additions of tungsten and molybdenum, the cast structure of the ingots change significantly and consist of finer equiaxed grains. This macrostructure results in a great improvement in hot workability. Although the high temperature (HT) tensile and creep properties of Fe3Al alloys can be improved in varying degrees by additions of various amounts of tungsten or molybdenum, respectively, the best effect in improving HT mechanical properties is achieved through combined additions of small amounts of tungsten and molybdenum to the Fe -28Al- 4Cr alloy.

Resonant properties in 18Ne relevant to the stellar reaction of 14O(α,p)17F have been investigated through a resonant elastic scattering of 17F+p. The 17F RI beam was produced via a projectile-fragmentation reaction, and subsequently separated and purified by a Radioactive Ion beam Line in Lanzhou (RIBLL). After a series of energy degradation, a 4.21 AMeV 17F beam bombarded a thick (CH2)n target at T2 terminal. Energy and angle of the recoiled protons were measured by two sets of ΔE-E silicon telescope at θlab ≈ 0°, 14° respectively. Several resonances in 18Ne were observed, and their resonant parameters including energy, spin-parity and decay width have been determined by an R-Matrix analysis of the experimental excitation function.

One promising technique for working toward practical photonic quantum technologies is to implement multiple operations on a monolithic chip, thereby improving stability, scalability and miniaturization. The on-chip spatial control of entangled photons will certainly benefit numerous applications, including quantum imaging, quantum lithography, quantum metrology and quantum computation. However, external optical elements are usually required to spatially control the entangled photons. Here we present the first experimental demonstration of on-chip spatial control of entangled photons, based on a domain-engineered nonlinear photonic crystal. We manipulate the entangled photons using the inherent properties of the crystal during the parametric downconversion, demonstrating two-photon focusing and beam-splitting from a periodically poled lithium tantalate crystal with a parabolic phase profile. These experimental results indicate that versatile and precise spatial control of entangled photons is achievable. Because they may be operated independent of any bulk optical elements, domain-engineered nonlinear photonic crystals may prove to be a valuable ingredient in on-chip integrated quantum optics.

Aperiodically poled nonlinear crystal can be used as a broadband continuous-variable entanglement source and has strong stability under perturbations. We study the conversion dynamics of the sum-frequency generation and the quantum correlation of the two pump fields in a chirped-structure nonlinear crystal using the quantum stochastic method. The results show that there exists a frequency window for the pumps where two optical fields can perform efficient upconversion. The two pump fields are demonstrated to be entangled in the window and the chirped-structure crystal can be used as a continuous-variable entanglement source with a broad response bandwidth.

we investigate the propagation and scattering of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in a dual-periodical metal heterowaveguide based on the transfer matrix method and the finite-difference time-domain analysis (FDTD). In this structure, the resonance transmission mode with high with high-quality factors can be generated. By adjusting the structure parameters, center frequency, frequency interval and number of the modes can be flexibly tuned. The numerical simulation agrees well with the theoretical predication. Our results can be implied for the SPP-based wavelength division multiplexers and multi-channel light emitters. The structure can be applied to the multi-wavelength filters.

We theoretically show that continuous-variable genuine quadripartite entanglement can be generated by intracavity cascaded nonlinear optical interactions. The process consists of a parametric down-conversion, a sum-frequency generation of pump and signal and a sum-frequency generation of pump and idler. The characteristics of the quadripartite entanglement among the signal, the idler, and two sum-frequency modes are analyzed by applying a sufficient inseparability criterion for multipartite continuous-variable entanglement proposed by Van Loock and Furusawa. The threshold properties of the system are also discussed.

We study the spatial correlation of a two-photon entangled state produced in a multistripe periodically poled LiTaO 3 crystal by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. The far-field diffraction-interference experiments reveal that the transverse modulation of domain patterns transforms the spatial mode function of the two-photon state. This result offers an approach to prepare a novel type of two-photon state with a unique spatial entanglement by using a domain-engineering technique.