Encapsulation kinetics and dynamics of carbon monoxide in clathrate hydrate.

Carbon monoxide clathrate hydrate is a potentially important constituent in the solar system. In contrast to the well-established relation between the size of gaseous molecule and hydrate structure, previous work showed that carbon monoxide molecules preferentially form structure-I rather than structure-II gas hydrate. Resolving this discrepancy is fundamentally important to understanding clathrate formation, structure stabilization and the role the dipole moment/molecular polarizability plays in these processes. Here we report the synthesis of structure-II carbon monoxide hydrate under moderate high-pressure/low-temperature conditions. We demonstrate that the relative stability between structure-I and structure-II hydrates is primarily determined by kinetically controlled cage filling and associated binding energies. Within hexakaidecahedral cage, molecular dynamic simulations of density distributions reveal eight low-energy wells forming a cubic geometry in favour of the occupancy of carbon monoxide molecules, suggesting that the carbon monoxide-water and carbon monoxide-carbon monoxide interactions with adjacent cages provide a significant source of stability for the structure-II clathrate framework

Evaluation by hierarchical clustering of multiple cytokine expression after phytohemagglutinin stimulation

The hierarchical clustering method has been used for exploration of gene expression and proteomic profiles; however, little research into its application in the examination of expression of multiplecytokine/chemokine responses to stimuli has been reported. Thus, little progress has been made on how phytohemagglutinin(PHA) affects cytokine expression profiling on a large scale in the human hematological system. To investigate the characteristic expression pattern under PHA stimulation, Luminex, a multiplex bead-based suspension array, was performed. The data set collected from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was analyzed using the hierarchical clustering method. It was revealed that two specific chemokines (CCL3 andCCL4) underwent significantly greater quantitative changes during induction of expression than other tested cytokines/chemokines after PHA stimulation. This result indicates that hierarchical clustering is a useful tool for detecting fine patterns during exploration of biological data, and that it can play an important role in comparative studies

Research on the spatial characteristics of sky gardens based on networked pictures: a case study of Singapore

As alternative public spaces in vertical public realms, sky gardens have become an increasingly important spatial element and part of the urban vocabulary in high-density environments worldwide. However, the public's spatial experience, social behavior and aesthetic needs in sky gardens have not been thoroughly explained. This paper takes Singapore, which has a rich social public space in the air, as an example where studies estimating spatial perception have used networked images instead of user preference survey results. Manual image identification and image recognition were performed with a computer vision application programming interface (API) to recognize networked images. Then, we extracted the sky gardens’ main elements in Singapore’s urban environment using clustering analysis, principal component analysis and factor analysis with SPSS. Finally, we discuss the spatial distribution, role and composition of sky gardens in high-density cities and people’s emotional preferences. The study shows that sky gardens are effective alternative public spaces in Singapore's vertical city, and their physical elements occupy a dominant position in the public’s spatial perception; there is a strong tendency for different buildings’ sky gardens to have spatial demand characteristics, while public facilities and cultural activities are key factors that affect sky gardens’ quality

Lactate Dehydrogenase is involved in but not the Target Antigen in Children with Kawasaki Disease

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis often complicating coronary arterial lesions, and gradually becomes the leading cause of acquired heart disease instead of rheumatism. Previous studies often regards elevation of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level as an auxiliary diagnosis marker when judging myocardial diseases.Methods: We analyzed the serum LDH levels in newly confirmed KD patients, compared with febrile non-KD patients and healthy donors as controls. Then a subtype of LDH protein (LDHA) were over-expressed and purified for antigenicity analysis of potential anti-LDHA autoantibodies in IgA, IgM and IgG isotype by homemade ELISA, respectively.Results: An obvious elevation serum levels of LDH was found in 5/27 KD patients (19%, p&lt;0.05) and 16/27 febrile non-KD patients (59%, p&lt;0.001). None of IgA or IgM isotype of anti-LDHA antibodies were detected in all cases, and only low titer IgG antibodies were detected in KD patients (7%) and febrile non-KD patients (11%).Conclusions: Our results demonstrated the LDH was associated but not the main autoimmune target in children with KD.</p

Characteristics, Classification, and Application of Stem Cells Derived from Human Teeth

Since mesenchymal stem cells derived from human teeth are characterized as having the properties of excellent proliferation, multilineage differentiation, and immune regulation. Dental stem cells exhibit fibroblast-like microscopic appearance and express mesenchymal markers, embryonic markers, and vascular markers but do not express hematopoietic markers. Dental stem cells are a mixed population with different sensitive markers, characteristics, and therapeutic effects. Single or combined surface markers are not only helpful for understanding the subpopulation of mixed stem cell populations according to cell function but also for improving the stable treatment effect of dental stem cells. Focusing on the discovery and characterization of stem cells isolated from human teeth over the past 20 years, this review outlines the effect of marker sorting on cell proliferation and differentiation ability and the assessment of the clinical application potential. Classified dental stem cells from markers and functional molecules can solve the problem of heterogeneity and ensure the efficacy of cell therapy strategies including dentistry, neurologic diseases, bone repair, and tissue engineering

Sky Gardens, Public Spaces and Urban Sustainability in Dense Cities: Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Singapore

This paper studies the spatial characteristics of sky gardens as public spaces to explore their potential to support urban sustainability in dense cities. This research understands public spaces as spaces that are open and available in different levels of access and use. The research focuses on 982 sky gardens in Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Singapore. It adopts a mixed methodology, including site visits and observations, statistic measurements (based on SPSS software), and Grey Relation Analysis (GRA) methods. The research follows three steps: first, it studies the urban context, including urban density, land uses, and policy regulations regarding sky gardens and sustainability. Second, it examines sky gardens&rsquo; spatial characteristics in terms of form (morphology, typology, size, affordances, configuration), openness quality (accessibility, ownership, permeability), and geometry (open space ratio, height of space-to-building, void-to-solid ratio, shape index). Third, the research compares the findings in three case cities and discusses their potential to support urban sustainability. The results suggest that despite the limitations of sky gardens, they may play, to different degrees, fundamental roles as open public spaces in high-density urban environments supporting cities&rsquo; sustainability. High-density environments offer more opportunities for the sustainable development of sky gardens, which creates a new spatial paradigm for compact vertical greenery in high-density cities

Sky Gardens, Public Spaces and Urban Sustainability in Dense Cities: Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Singapore

This paper studies the spatial characteristics of sky gardens as public spaces to explore their potential to support urban sustainability in dense cities. This research understands public spaces as spaces that are open and available in different levels of access and use. The research focuses on 982 sky gardens in Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Singapore. It adopts a mixed methodology, including site visits and observations, statistic measurements (based on SPSS software), and Grey Relation Analysis (GRA) methods. The research follows three steps: first, it studies the urban context, including urban density, land uses, and policy regulations regarding sky gardens and sustainability. Second, it examines sky gardens’ spatial characteristics in terms of form (morphology, typology, size, affordances, configuration), openness quality (accessibility, ownership, permeability), and geometry (open space ratio, height of space-to-building, void-to-solid ratio, shape index). Third, the research compares the findings in three case cities and discusses their potential to support urban sustainability. The results suggest that despite the limitations of sky gardens, they may play, to different degrees, fundamental roles as open public spaces in high-density urban environments supporting cities’ sustainability. High-density environments offer more opportunities for the sustainable development of sky gardens, which creates a new spatial paradigm for compact vertical greenery in high-density cities

Establishment and Validation of a Drug-Target Microarray for SARS-CoV-2

COVID-19 has become one of the worst epidemic in the world, currently already more than four million people have been infected, which probably co-exist with human beings, and has a significant impact on the global economy and political order. In the process of fighting against the epidemic in China, the clinical value of a variety of herbal medicines has been recognized and written into the clinical application guide. However, their effective molecular mechanism and potential targets are still not clear. Pathology and pharmacology research will gradually attract attention in the post-epidemic outbreak term. Here, we constructed a COVID-19 protein microarray of potential therapy targets, which contains the main drug targets to the SARS-COV-2 virus and the anti-virus, anti-inflammatory cellar targets of the host. Series of quality controls test has been carried out, which showed that it could be applied for drug target screening of bio-active natural products. The establishment of this microarray will provide a useful tool for the study of the molecular pharmacology of natural products.</p