Irreversible Electroporation (IRE): Preclinical Assessment

Cancer Systems Imaginghttps://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp22/1079/thumbnail.jp

Downward Trends in Streamflow and Sediment Yield Associated with Soil and Water Conservation in the Tingjiang River Watershed, Southeast China

Soil erosion is one of the most serious environment problems in China. Soil and water conservation (SWC) measures play an important role in reducing streamflow and sediment yields. A nested watershed approach, together with the Mann–Kendall trend test, double mass curve, and path analysis were used to quantitatively explore hydrological effects of SWC measures in the Tingjiang River Watershed. Results showed the annual streamflow and sediment yields tended toward a remarkable downward trend since the implementation of SWC measures during 1982–2014, indicating that SWC measures produced significant hydrological effects. The contribution of precipitation to annual streamflow increased from 71% to 79% from the periods 1982–2000 to 2000–2014, indicating decreases in annual precipitation after 2003 and stronger impacts on streamflow than that of SWC measures. However, the contribution of SWC measures to sediment yields increased from 11% to 64% from 1982 to 2014 and gradually dominated contributions to the sediment yields in the watershed. An ecological threshold was established at which the proportion of the cumulative afforestation area due to SWC reaches 10% of the whole watershed, and the remarkable improvements of hydrological effects in the watershed can be observed. These findings could be used to evaluate performance of SWC measures in watersheds

Experimental Study on the Permeability of Weakly Cemented Rock under Different Stress States in Triaxial Compression Tests

Mudstone and shaly coarse sandstone samples of Jurassic units in northwestern China were collected to study the seepage mechanism of weakly cemented rock affected by underground mining operations. Samples were studied using seepage experiments under triaxial compression considering two processes: complete stress-strain and postpeak loading and unloading. The results show that permeability variations closely correspond to deviatoric stress-axial strain during the process of complete stress-strain. The initial permeability is 7 times its minimum, contrasting with lesser differentials of initial, peak, and residual permeability. The magnitude of permeability ranges from 10−17 to 10−19 m2, representing a stable water-resisting property, and is 1 to 2 orders lower in mudstone than that in shaly coarse sandstone, indicating that the water-resisting property of the mudstone is much better than that of the shaly coarse sandstone. Permeability is negatively correlated with the confining pressure. In response to this pressure, the permeability change in mudstone is faster than that in shaly coarse sandstone during the process of postpeak loading and unloading. Weakly cemented rock has lower permeability according to the comparison with congeneric ordinary rocks. This distinction is more remarkable in terms of the initial permeability. Analyses based on scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations and mineral composition indicate that the samples are rich in clay minerals such as montmorillonite and kaolin, whose inherent properties of hydroexpansiveness and hydrosliming can be considered the dominant factors contributing to the seepage properties of weakly cemented rock with low permeability

Molecular Imaging of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Xenografts with Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Targeted Affibody Probes

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly aggressive and lethal cancer. It is typically asymptomatic at the early stage, with only 10%–20% of HCC patients being diagnosed early enough for appropriate surgical treatment. The delayed diagnosis of HCC is associated with limited treatment options and much lower survival rates. Therefore, the early and accurate detection of HCC is crucial to improve its currently dismal prognosis. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been reported to be involved in HCC tumorigenesis and to represent an attractive target for HCC imaging and therapy. In this study, an affibody molecule, Ac-Cys-ZEGFR:1907, targeting the extracellular domain of EGFR, was used for the first time to assess its potential to detect HCC xenografts. By evaluating radio- or fluorescent-labeled Ac-Cys-ZEGFR:1907 as a probe for positron emission tomography (PET) or optical imaging of HCC, subcutaneous EGFR-positive HCC xenografts were found to be successfully imaged by the PET probe. Thus, affibody-based PET imaging of EGFR provides a promising approach for detecting HCC in vivo

Genome-wide identification, phylogeny, evolution, and expression patterns of MtN3/saliva/SWEET genes and functional analysis of BcNS in Brassica rapa

Abstract Background Members of the MtN3/saliva/SWEET gene family are present in various organisms and are highly conserved. Their precise biochemical functions remain unclear, especially in Chinese cabbage. Based on the whole genome sequence, this study aims to identify the MtN3/saliva/SWEETs family members in Chinese cabbage and to analyze their classification, gene structure, chromosome distribution, phylogenetic relationship, expression pattern, and biological functions. Results We identified 34 SWEET genes in Chinese cabbage and analyzed their localization on chromosomes and transmembrane regions of their corresponding proteins. Analysis of a phylogenetic tree indicated that there were at least 17 supposed ancestor genes before the separation in Brassica rapa and Arabidopsis. The expression patterns of these genes in different tissues and flower developmental stages of Chinese cabbage showed that they are mainly involved in reproductive development. The Ka/Ks ratio between paralogous SWEET gene pairs of B. rapa were far less than 1. In our previous study, At2g39060 homologous gene Bra000116 (BraSWEET9, also named BcNS, Brassica Nectary and Stamen) played an important role during flower development in Chinese cabbage. Instantaneous expression experiments in onion epidermal cells showed that the gene encoding this protein is localized to the plasma membrane. A basal nectary split is the phenotype of transgenic plants transformed with the antisense expression vector. Conclusion This study is the first to perform a sequence analysis, structures analysis, physiological and biochemical characteristics analysis of the MtN3/saliva/SWEETs gene in Chinese cabbage and to verify the function of BcNS. A total of 34 SWEET genes were identified and they are distributed among ten chromosomes and one scaffold. The Ka/Ks ratio implies that the duplication genes suffered strong purifying selection for retention. These genes were differentially expressed in different floral organs. The phenotypes of the transgenic plants indicated that BcNs participates in the development of the floral nectary. This study provides a basis for further functional analysis of the MtN3/saliva/SWEETs gene family