Isolation and Identification of Acholeplasma sp. from the Mud Crab, Scylla serrata

For the first time, a mollicute-like organism (MLO) was cultured from moribund mud crabs (Scylla serrata) during an outbreak of clearwater disease in Zhejiang Province, China. The MLO displayed a fried-egg colony morphology in culture, did not possess a cell wall, and was not retained by 0.45 μm and 0.2 μm filters. It was able to ferment glucose, sucrose, lactose, and maltose, but it did not utilize arginine and urea. The MLO grew in the absence of bovine serum and was not susceptible to digitonin. Sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that this MLO had 99% identity with Acholeplasma laidlawii PG-8A, which indicates that the organism isolated from mud crabs is a member of the genus Acholeplasma

Inhibition of proliferation, migration and invasion of human non-small cell lung cancer cell line A549 by phlomisoside F from Phlomis younghusbandii Mukerjee

Purpose: To determine the effect of phlomisoside F (PMF) on the proliferation,  migration and invasion of human non-small cell lung cancer cell line A549 and explore the possible mechanisms.Methods: The anti-proliferative effect of PMF on A549 cells was determined by CCK-8. Subsequently, migration and invasion were evaluated by Transwell and Transwell with matrigel assays, respectively. Furthermore, cell cycle and apoptosis were assessed by flow cytometry, while the mechanisms of action were determined by Western blotting.Results: PMF exhibited significant anti-proliferative effect on A549 cells in  concentration-dependent and time-dependent manners, with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 54.51 μM. Treatment with PMF (10, 20 and 40 μM) for 48 h resulted in significantly decreased migration and invasion in A549 cells. In addition, PMF at concentrations of 25, 50 and 75 μM induced cell cycle arrest in  G0/G1phase and enhanced cell apoptosis in A549 cells. Furthermore, caspase-3, caspase-9 and Bax protein expressions were up-regulated while Bacl-2 and COX-2 protein expressions were significantly downregulated at 10, 20 and 40 μM concentrations of PMF.Conclusion: PMF suppresses A549 cell growth, migration and invasion. The  mechanism may be related to the induction of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway via regulation of caspase-3, caspase-9, Bcl-2 and Bax expressions, and inhibition of PGE2 synthesis by reducing COX-2 expression.Keywords: Phlomisoside F, Lung cancer, Cell mobility, Apoptosis, PGE2, COX-2 expression, Caspase, Cell cycle arres

Extraction and Recovery of Cerium from Rare Earth Ore by Solvent Extraction

Rare earth elements are widely found in many minerals, some of which, such as bastnaesite, monazite, and xenotime, are of great commercial value. Cerium (Ce) is the rare earth element with the highest content in light rare earth ore. Solvent extraction is the most effective and efficient method to recover and separate Ce from other light rare earth elements. After acid leaching of rare earth minerals, leaching solution was obtained, and cerium oxide of products of high purity was obtained by extraction and stripping. It is well known that Ce(IV) can be easily separated from the other RE(III) by adopting the traditional solvent extraction. Based on this principle, the clean process of oxidation roasting and Ce(IV) separation for Sichuan bastnaesite was developed. And then, a preliminary flow sheet of two-step oxidation and extraction of Ce(IV) for Bayan Obo mixed rare earth ores was further proposed

Estimation and Testing of Gene Expression Heterosis

Heterosis, also known as the hybrid vigor, occurs when the mean phenotype of hybrid offspring is superior to that of its two inbred parents. The heterosis phenomenon is extensively utilized in agriculture though the molecular basis is still unknown. In an effort to understand phenotypic heterosis at the molecular level, researchers have begun to compare expression levels of thousands of genes between parental inbred lines and their hybrid offspring to search for evidence of gene expression heterosis. Standard statistical approaches for separately analyzing expression data for each gene can produce biased and highly variable estimates and unreliable tests of heterosis. To address these shortcomings, we develop a hierarchical model to borrow information across genes. Using our modeling framework, we derive empirical Bayes estimators and an inference strategy to identify gene expression heterosis. Simulation results show that our proposed method outperforms the more traditional strategy used to detect gene expression heterosis. This article has supplementary material online

Borrowing Information Across Genes and Experiments for Improved Error Variance Estimation in Microarray Data Analysis

Statistical inference for microarray experiments usually involves the estimation of error variance for each gene. Because the sample size available for each gene is often low, the usual unbiased estimator of the error variance can be unreliable. Shrinkage methods, including empirical Bayes approaches that borrow information across genes to produce more stable estimates, have been developed in recent years. Because the same microarray platform is often used for at least several experiments to study similar biological systems, there is an opportunity to improve variance estimation further by borrowing information not only across genes but also across experiments. We propose a lognormal model for error variances that involves random gene effects and random experiment effects. Based on the model, we develop an empirical Bayes estimator of the error variance for each combination of gene and experiment and call this estimator BAGE because information is Borrowed Across Genes and Experiments. A permutation strategy is used to make inference about the differential expression status of each gene. Simulation studies with data generated from different probability models and real microarray data show that our method outperforms existing approaches

Exploring Cognitive Playfulness Through Zero Interactions

Many emerging technologies, products and services today try to use diverse methods of interaction to provide playful experiences. Increasingly more interactive features and techniques are being introduced to afford users new experiences and enrich our living environment. While many of these playful experiences can be achieved through various types of physical, sensory and social interactions, this paper attempts to focus on how 'no-interaction' can achieve playfulness in relation to our cognitive experience. If there is a way to give someone a playful experience without any physical, sensory and social interactions, where and how can we apply this approach or phenomenon? Here we share a provocation that tries to demonstrate a tangible means whereby such an idea could be used to explore potential user experiences within HCI

Pemanfaatan Susu Kambing Untuk Pembuatan Tahu Susu Dengan Penambahan Ekstrak Limbah Nenas (Enzim Bromelin) Dan Penambahan Ekstrak Daun Pepaya (Enzim Papain)

ABSTRAK Tahu susu adalah semacam keju yang dapat dibuat dari susu sapi, susu kambing atau susu hewan lainnya. Produk ini mempunyai nutrisi yang baik karena susu sebagai bahan pangan merupakan sumber protein hewani dengan susunan asam-asam amino yang lebih lengkap dibanding dengan protein dari tumbuh-tumbuhan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan konsumsi susu kambing dalam bentuk tahu susu untuk mencukupi kekurangan gizi masyarakat serta memanfaatkan limbah nenas dan daun pepaya dalam pembuatan tahu susu. Pembuatan tahu susu dengan penambahan ekstrak nenas dilakukan pada suhu 60°C dengan konsentrasi 12 ml, 14 ml, 16 ml dan 18 ml tiap 100 ml susu kambing, sedangkan pembuatan tahu susu dengan penambahan ekstrak pepaya dilakukan pada suhu 60° C dengan konsentrasi 11 ml, 13 ml, 15 ml tiap 100 ml susu kambing. Setelah diperoleh gumpalan tahu, dilakukan penyaringan dan pengepresan sehingga terbentuk tahu susu. Pembuatan tahu susu dengan penambahan 14 ml ekstrak limbah nenas (enzim bromelin) dan 15 ml ekstrak daun pepaya (enzim papain) memberikan hasil optimum berdasarkan tekstur dan rendemennya, selanjutnya digunakan untuk melakukan uji inderawi. Uji ini dilakukan terhadap warna, bau, kehalusan kelembutan saat dimakan, rasa dan kesukaan secara menyeluruh dengan metoda scoring test. Hasil uji inderawi terhadap warna, bau, kehalusan saat dimakan , rasa dan kesukaan secara menyeluruh menunjukkan bahwa tahu susu bromelin dan tahu susu papain tidak memberikan beda nyata dengan tahu susu kedelai dan tahu susu lain yang terdapat di pasaran. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa tahu susu bromelin dan tahu susu papain dapat diterima dan disukai oleh konsumen