A Nationwide Nitrogen Deposition Monitoring Network (NNDMN) containing 43 monitoring sites was established in China to measure gaseous NH3, NO2, and HNO3 and particulate NH4+ and NO3− in air and/or ...precipitation from 2010 to 2014. Wet/bulk deposition fluxes of Nr species were collected by precipitation gauge method and measured by continuous-flow analyzer; dry deposition fluxes were estimated using airborne concentration measurements and inferential models. Our observations reveal large spatial variations of atmospheric Nr concentrations and dry and wet/bulk Nr deposition. On a national basis, the annual average concentrations (1.3–47.0 μg N m−3) and dry plus wet/bulk deposition fluxes (2.9–83.3 kg N ha−1 yr−1) of inorganic Nr species are ranked by land use as urban > rural > background sites and by regions as north China > southeast China > southwest China > northeast China > northwest China > Tibetan Plateau, reflecting the impact of anthropogenic Nr emission. Average dry and wet/bulk N deposition fluxes were 20.6 ± 11.2 (mean ± standard deviation) and 19.3 ± 9.2 kg N ha−1 yr−1 across China, with reduced N deposition dominating both dry and wet/bulk deposition. Our results suggest atmospheric dry N deposition is equally important to wet/bulk N deposition at the national scale. Therefore, both deposition forms should be included when considering the impacts of N deposition on environment and ecosystem health.
Genetic algorithm (GA) is used for the topological optimization of phononic crystal thin plate composed of aluminum and epoxy resin. Plane wave expansion (PWE) method is used for calculations of band ...gaps. Fourier displacement property is used to calculate the structure function in PWE. The crossover rate and the mutation rate are calculated according to the adaptive GA method. Results indicate that filling rates, symmetry, polymerization degree and material parameters are key factors for design of topological configurations. The relations between the key factors and different topologies are studied in detail.
Berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid, is a traditional oriental medicine used to treat diarrhea and gastroenteritis. Recently, we reported that it could inhibit the growth of intestinal polyp in ...animals and in patients with the familial adenomatous polyposis by downregulating β-catenin signaling. However, the intracellular target mediating the effects of berberine remains elusive. Here, we provide evidence that berberine inhibits β-catenin function via directly binding to a unique region comprising residues Gln275, Arg316 and Arg371 in nuclear receptor retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRα), where berberine concomitantly binding to and synergistically activating RXRα with 9-cis-retinoic acid (9-cis-RA), a natural ligand binding to the classical ligand-binding pocket of RXRα. Berberine binding promotes RXRα interaction with nuclear β-catenin, leading to c-Cbl mediated degradation of β-catenin, and consequently inhibits the proliferation of colon cancer cells. Furthermore, berberine suppresses the growth of human colon carcinoma xenograft in nude mice in an RXRα-dependent manner. Together, our study not only identifies RXRα as a direct protein target for berberine but also dissects their binding mode and validates that berberine indeed suppresses β-catenin signaling and cell growth in colon cancer via binding RXRα, which provide new strategies for the design of new RXRα-based antitumor agents and drug combinations.
Necroptosis is mediated by a signaling complex called necrosome, containing receptor-interacting protein (RIP)1, RIP3, and mixed-lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL). It is known that RIP1 and RIP3 form ...heterodimeric filamentous scaffold in necrosomes through their RIP homotypic interaction motif (RHIM) domain-mediated oligomerization, but the signaling events based on this scaffold has not been fully addressed. By using inducible dimer systems we found that RIP1-RIP1 interaction is dispensable for necroptosis; RIP1-RIP3 interaction is required for necroptosis signaling, but there is no necroptosis if no additional RIP3 protein is recruited to the RIP1-RIP3 heterodimer, and the interaction with RIP1 promotes the RIP3 to recruit other RIP3; RIP3-RIP3 interaction is required for necroptosis and RIP3-RIP3 dimerization is sufficient to induce necroptosis; and RIP3 dimer-induced necroptosis requires MLKL. We further show that RIP3 oligomer is not more potent than RIP3 dimer in triggering necroptosis, suggesting that RIP3 homo-interaction in the complex, rather than whether RIP3 has formed homo polymer, is important for necroptosis. RIP3 dimerization leads to RIP3 intramolecule autophosphorylation, which is required for the recruitment of MLKL. Interestingly, phosphorylation of one of RIP3 in the dimer is sufficient to induce necroptosis. As RIP1-RIP3 heterodimer itself cannot induce necroptosis, the RIP1-RIP3 heterodimeric amyloid fibril is unlikely to directly propagate necroptosis. We propose that the signaling events after the RIP1-RIP3 amyloid complex assembly are the recruitment of free RIP3 by the RIP3 in the amyloid scaffold followed by autophosphorylation of RIP3 and subsequent recruitment of MLKL by RIP3 to execute necroptosis.
The vacuolar‐type H+‐ATPase (V‐ATPase) is an ATP‐dependent proton pump, which regulates various cellular processes. To date, most functional studies on V‐ATPases of insects have focused on subunits ...of the V1 complex, and there is little information on the VO genes. In this study, two cDNA sequences of LmV‐ATPase a were identified in Locusta migratoria. RT‐qPCR analysis revealed that LmV‐ATPase a1 and LmV‐ATPase a2 are differentially expressed in various tissues and developmental stages. Injection of dsRNA for the common region of LmV‐ATPase a1 and LmV‐ATPase a2 into third‐instar nymphs resulted in a significant suppression of LmV‐ATPase a. The injected nymphs ceased feeding, lost body weight and finally died at a mortality of 98.6%. Furthermore, aberrations of midgut epithelial cells, the accumulation of electron‐lucent vesicles in the cytoplasm, and a partially damaged brush border were observed in dsLmV‐ATPase a‐injected nymphs using transmission electron microscopy. Especially, the mRNA level of wingles, and notch genes were dramatically down‐regulated in the dsLmV‐ATPase a‐injected nymphs. Taken together, our results suggest that LmV‐ATPase a is required for survival and midgut development of L. migratoria. Hence, this gene could be a good target for RNAi‐based control against locusts.
Injected dsLmV‐ATPase a into 3rd instar nymphs resulted in a mortality of 98.6%.
Nymphs ceased feeding, lost body weight and there was almost no food in midguts.
The accumulation of electron‐lucent vesicles in the cytoplasm, and a partially damaged brush border were observed in dsLmV‐ATPase a‐injected nymphs.
Summary
Multi‐compartment models have been playing a central role in modelling infectious disease dynamics since the early 20th century. They are a class of mathematical models widely used for ...describing the mechanism of an evolving epidemic. Integrated with certain sampling schemes, such mechanistic models can be applied to analyse public health surveillance data, such as assessing the effectiveness of preventive measures (e.g. social distancing and quarantine) and forecasting disease spread patterns. This review begins with a nationwide macromechanistic model and related statistical analyses, including model specification, estimation, inference and prediction. Then, it presents a community‐level micromodel that enables high‐resolution analyses of regional surveillance data to provide current and future risk information useful for local government and residents to make decisions on reopenings of local business and personal travels. r software and scripts are provided whenever appropriate to illustrate the numerical detail of algorithms and calculations. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic surveillance data from the state of Michigan are used for the illustration throughout this paper.
Naringinase was mainly obtained by microbial fermentation, and mutagenesis was a major way for obtaining excellent mutants. The aim of this study was to screen out a high naringinase yielding mutant ...to enhance the potential application value of its industrialization and compare the effects of different mutagenic methods on the enzyme activity of the strain. A novel producing naringinase strain, Aspergillus tubingensis MN589840, was isolated from mildewed pomelo peel, later subjected to mutagenesis including UV, ARTP and UV‐ARTP. After five rounds iterative mutagenesis, the mutants U1, A6 and UA13 were screened out with 1448·49, 1848·71, 2475·16 U mg−1 enzyme activity, the naringinase productivity raised by 79·08, 123·56 and 206%, respectively. In addition, the naringinase activity of three mutants rose after each round of iterative mutagenesis. These results indicated that the mutagenesis efficiency of UV‐ARTP was higher than that of single ARTP, and both are better than UV. In summary, the iterative UV‐ARTP mutagenesis is an effective strategy for screening high naringinase‐producing strains.
Significance and impact of the study: The ‘delayed bitterness’ of naringin in citrus processing is a challenging problem restricting the development of citrus processing industry. Naringinase can transform naringin to naringenin for debittering. Therefore, it is significant to breed high naringinase‐producing strains suitable for industrialization. In this study, we screened a naringinase high‐yielding mutant, which had potential industrial application value and laid a foundation for the development of citrus processing industry. In addition, the method of iterative UV‐ARTP mutagenesis provided an effective strategy for breeding high‐yield naringinase‐producing mutants.
A
bstract
Using 24.1 fb
−
1
of
e
+
e
−
collision data collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, the Born cross sections and effective form factors of the
e
+
e
−
→
Σ
+
Σ
¯
−
reaction ...are measured. The measurements are performed at center-of-mass energies ranging from 3.510 to 4.951 GeV. No significant evidence for the decay of the charmonium(-like) states,
ψ
(3770),
ψ
(4040),
ψ
(4160),
Y
(4230),
Y
(4360),
ψ
(4415), and
Y
(4660), into a
Σ
+
Σ
¯
−
final state is observed. Consequently, upper limits for the products of the branching fractions and the electronic partial widths at the 90% confidence level are reported for these decays.
Accretionary orogens contain key evidence for the conversion of oceanic to continental crust. The late tectonic history and closure time of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean are recorded in the Mazongshan ...subduction–accretion complex in the southern Beishan margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. We present new data on the structure, petrology, geochemistry and zircon U–Pb isotope ages of the Mazongshan subduction–accretion complex, which is a tectonic mélange with a block-in-matrix structure. The blocks are of serpentinized peridotite, basalt, gabbro, basaltic andesite, chert and seamount sediments within a matrix that is mainly composed of fore-arc-trench turbidites. U–Pb zircon ages of two gabbros are 454.6 ± 2.5 Ma and 434.1 ± 3.6 Ma, an andesite has a U–Pb zircon age of 451.3 ± 3.5 Ma and a tuffaceous slate has the youngest U–Pb zircon age of 353.6 ± 5.1 Ma. These new isotopic ages, combined with published data on ophiolitic mélanges from central Beishan, indicate that the subduction–accretion of Beishan in the southernmost Central Asian Orogenic Belt lasted until Late Ordovician – Early Carboniferous time. Structure and age data demonstrate that the younging direction of accretion was southwards and that the subduction zone dipped continuously to the north. Accordingly, these results record the conversion of oceanic to continental crust in the southern Beishan accretionary collage.
Mutations in GBA gene have been reported to be in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) from different ethnic populations, including Taiwanese Chinese. To explore whether mutation in GBA is also ...associated with PD in Mainland China, we have now a case control study. The occurrence of the GBA L444P mutation was analyzed in an independent cohort of PD patients and controls from Mainland China. This mutation was present in 20/616 (3.2%) of PD compared with 1/411 (0.2%) of controls (odds ratio, OR
=
13.76, 95% Confidence interval, CI: 1.84–102.92,
p
=
0.001). All carriers harbored the heterozygous genotype. In a subset analysis, the frequency of this mutation was higher both in early onset (EOPD) and late onset PD (LOPD) than in controls. However, no difference in clinical characteristics, such as gender, age at onset, onset symptoms, Hoehn–Yahr stage and UPDRS, was found between L444P carriers and non-carriers. In addition, we also explored the potential relationship between GBA L444P mutation and LRRK2 G2385R and R1628P variants in patients with PD. But no association was found, either. In conclusion, our data suggest that the GBA L444P mutation plays an important role in the development of PD also in Han-Chinese patients from Mainland China.
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