1,769 research outputs found
Engineering of Escherichia coli protein expression process development
It almost 30% protein drugs are expression by Escherichia coli, because of rapid growth and high production yield. We have developed E.coli base system for recombinant protein expression, scFv, Fab and vaccine. In this study we introduce example about process development for nutrient components selection. Shaker flasks were used for different nitrogen and carbon components screening by DoE. Seven media formulations for E. coli fermentation were used in this study. By changing nitrogen and carbon source ratio, product titer of target protein could be optimized, at least 1.4 folds increased. The best result from shaker flask was used in 250 mL parallel fermenter and pH, dissolved oxygen, feeding/induction strategy were evaluated. The processes from seed culture to harvest only require 64 hours. The optimized time was reduced to 32 hours. The result showed that both target protein expression and cell density value were comparable, but the total process time was significantly reduced by half
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In-depth analysis of music structure as a self-organized network
Words in a natural language not only transmit information but also evolve
with the development of civilization and human migration. The same is true for
music. To understand the complex structure behind the music, we introduced an
algorithm called the Essential Element Network (EEN) to encode the audio into
text. The network is obtained by calculating the correlations between scales,
time, and volume. Optimizing EEN to generate Zipfs law for the frequency and
rank of the clustering coefficient enables us to generate and regard the
semantic relationships as words. We map these encoded words into the
scale-temporal space, which helps us organize systematically the syntax in the
deep structure of music. Our algorithm provides precise descriptions of the
complex network behind the music, as opposed to the black-box nature of other
deep learning approaches. As a result, the experience and properties
accumulated through these processes can offer not only a new approach to the
applications of Natural Language Processing (NLP) but also an easier and more
objective way to analyze the evolution and development of music.Comment: 5 page
REG3A overexpression functions as a negative predictive and prognostic biomarker in rectal cancer patients receiving CCRT
Background. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is suggested before resection surgery in the control of rectal cancer. Unfortunately, treatment outcomes are widely variable and highly patientspecific. Notably, rectal cancer patients with distant metastasis generally have a much lower survival rate. Accordingly, a better understanding of the genetic background of patient cohorts can aid in predicting CCRT efficacy and clinical outcomes for rectal cancer before distant metastasis. Methods. A published transcriptome dataset (GSE35452) (n=46) was utilized to distinguish prospective genes concerning the response to CCRT. We recruited 172 rectal cancer patients, and the samples were collected during surgical resection after CCRT. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was performed to evaluate the expression level of regenerating family member 3 alpha (REG3A). Pearson's chi-squared test appraised the relevance of REG3A protein expression to clinicopathological parameters. The Kaplan-Meier method was utilized to generate survival curves, and the log-rank test was performed to compare the survival distributions between two given groups. Results. Employing a transcriptome dataset (GSE35452) and focusing on the inflammatory response (GO: 0006954), we recognized that REG3A is the most significantly upregulated gene among CCRT nonresponders (log2 ratio=1.2472, p=0.0079). Following IHC validation, high immunoexpression of REG3A was considerably linked to advanced post-CCRT tumor status (p<0.001), post-CCRT lymph node metastasis (p=0.042), vascular invasion (p=0.028), and low-grade tumor regression (p=0.009). In the multivariate analysis, high immunoexpression of REG3A was independently correlated with poor disease-specific survival (DSS) (p=0.004) and metastasis-free survival (MeFS) (p=0.045). The results of the bioinformatic analysis also supported the idea that REG3A overexpression is implicated in rectal carcinogenesis. Conclusion. In the current study, we demonstrated that REG3A overexpression is correlated with poor CCRT effectiveness and inferior patient survival in rectal cancer. The predictive and prognostic utility of REG3A expression may direct patient stratification and decisionmaking more accurately for those patients
LAMOST Experiment for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (LEGUE) The survey science plan
We describe the current plans for a spectroscopic survey of millions of stars
in the Milky Way galaxy using the Guo Shou Jing Telescope (GSJT, formerly the
Large Area Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope - LAMOST). The survey will
obtain spectra for 2.5 million stars brighter than during dark/grey
time, and 5 million stars brighter than or on nights that are
moonlit or have low transparency. The survey will begin in fall of 2012, and
will run for at least four years. The telescope design constrains the optimal
declination range for observations to , and site
conditions lead to an emphasis on stars in the direction of the Galactic
anticenter. The survey is divided into three parts with different target
selection strategies: disk, anticenter, and spheroid. The resulting dataset
will be used to study the merger history of the Milky Way, the substructure and
evolution of the disks, the nature of the first generation of stars through
identification of the lowest metallicity stars, and star formation through
study of open clusters and the OB associations. Detailed design of the LEGUE
survey will be completed after a review of the results of the pilot survey in
summer 2012.Comment: 19 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in RA
US Cosmic Visions: New Ideas in Dark Matter 2017: Community Report
This white paper summarizes the workshop "U.S. Cosmic Visions: New Ideas in
Dark Matter" held at University of Maryland on March 23-25, 2017.Comment: 102 pages + reference
Dihydroartemisinin Enhances Apo2L/TRAIL-Mediated Apoptosis in Pancreatic Cancer Cells via ROS-Mediated Up-Regulation of Death Receptor 5
BACKGROUND: Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), a semi-synthetic derivative of artemisinin, has recently shown antitumor activity in various cancer cells. Apo2 ligand or tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (Apo2L/TRAIL) is regarded as a promising anticancer agent, but chemoresistance affects its efficacy as a treatment strategy. Apoptosis induced by the combination of DHA and Apo2L/TRAIL has not been well documented, and the mechanisms involved remain unclear. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we report that DHA enhances the efficacy of Apo2L/TRAIL for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. We found that combined therapy using DHA and Apo2L/TRAIL significantly enhanced apoptosis in BxPC-3 and PANC-1 cells compared with single-agent treatment in vitro. The effect of DHA was mediated through the generation of reactive oxygen species, the induction of death receptor 5 (DR5) and the modulation of apoptosis-related proteins. However, N-acetyl cysteine significantly reduced the enhanced apoptosis observed with the combination of DHA and Apo2L/TRAIL. In addition, knockdown of DR5 by small interfering RNA also significantly reduced the amount of apoptosis induced by DHA and Apo2L/TRAIL. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest that DHA enhances Apo2L/TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in human pancreatic cancer cells through reactive oxygen species-mediated up-regulation of DR5
The Use of Nanoscale Visible Light-Responsive Photocatalyst TiO2-Pt for the Elimination of Soil-Borne Pathogens
Exposure to the soil-borne pathogens Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia cenocepacia can lead to severe infections and even mortality. These pathogens exhibit a high resistance to antibiotic treatments. In addition, no licensed vaccine is currently available. A nanoscale platinum-containing titania photocatalyst (TiO2-Pt) has been shown to have a superior visible light-responsive photocatalytic ability to degrade chemical contaminants like nitrogen oxides. The antibacterial activity of the catalyst and its potential use in soil pathogen control were evaluated. Using the plating method, we found that TiO2-Pt exerts superior antibacterial performance against Escherichia coli compared to other commercially available and laboratory prepared ultraviolet/visible light-responsive titania photocatalysts. TiO2-Pt-mediated photocatalysis also affectively eliminates the soil-borne bacteria B. pseudomallei and B. cenocepacia. An air pouch infection mouse model further revealed that TiO2-Pt-mediated photocatalysis could reduce the pathogenicity of both strains of bacteria. Unexpectedly, water containing up to 10% w/v dissolved soil particles did not reduce the antibacterial potency of TiO2-Pt, suggesting that the TiO2-Pt photocatalyst is suitable for use in soil-contaminated environments. The TiO2-Pt photocatalyst exerted superior antibacterial activity against a broad spectrum of human pathogens, including B. pseudomallei and B. cenocepacia. Soil particles (<10% w/v) did not significantly reduce the antibacterial activity of TiO2-Pt in water. These findings suggest that the TiO2-Pt photocatalyst may have potential applications in the development of bactericides for soil-borne pathogens
Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data
Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV
Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio
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