High temperature effects on flavones accumulation and antioxidant system in Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi cells

Scutellaria baicalensis is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant that has long been grown in Hubei Province. However, increasing average annual temperatures in the region have made plants unsuitable for medicinal use. Two flavones, baicalin and baicalein, are the major active ingredients of S. baicalensis. We demonstrated that protracted heat treatment inhibited the accumulation of baicalin and baicalein as well as the activity of phenylalanine ammonla-lyase (PAL). PAL is involved in the phenylpropanoid pathway, which produces baicalin in the plant. Heat treatment also affected the activities of the antioxidant enzymes such as catalase (CAT), superoxide dimutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD). However, superoxide radical and hydrogen peroxide content of the cells were not significantly impacted by heat treatment. Cells continued growing during the protracted heat stress. Hence, the increasing temperatures in Hubei Province will very likely make S. baicalensis unsuitable for medical use by decreasing the flavonoid content.Key words: Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, heat, antioxidant system, flavonoid

Solution Grown Se/Te Nanowires: Nucleation, Evolution, and The Role of Triganol Te seeds

We have studied the nucleation and growth of Se–Te nanowires (NWs), with different morphologies, grown by a chemical solution process. Through systematic characterization of the Se–Te NW morphology as a function of the Te nanocrystallines (NCs) precursor, the relative ratio between Se and Te, and the growth time, a number of significant insights into Se–Te NW growth by chemical solution processes have been developed. Specifically, we have found that: (i) the growth of Se–Te NWs can be initiated from either long or short triganol Te nanorods, (ii) the frequency of proximal interactions between nanorod tips and the competition between Se and Te at the end of short Te nanorods results in V-shaped structures of Se–Te NWs, the ratio between Se and Te having great effect on the morphology of Se–Te NWs, (iii) by using long Te nanorods as seeds, Se–Te NWs with straight morphology were obtained. Many of these findings on Se–Te NW growth can be further generalized and provide very useful information for the rational synthesis of group VI based semiconductor NW compounds

Tumor necrosis factor superfamily 15 promotes lymphatic metastasis via upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor-C in a mouse model of lung cancer

Lymphatic metastasis is facilitated by lymphangiogenic growth factor vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGFC) that is secreted by some primary tumors. We previously identified tumor necrosis factor superfamily 15 (TNFSF15), a blood vascular endothelium-derived cytokine, in lymphatic endothelial cells, as a key molecular modulator during lymphangiogenesis. However, the effect of TNFSF15 on tumor lymphatic metastasis and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. We report here that TNFSF15, which is known to inhibit primary tumor growth by suppressing angiogenesis, can promote lymphatic metastasis through facilitating lymphangiogenesis in tumors. Mice bearing tumors induced by A549 cells stably overexpressing TNFSF15 exhibited a significant increase in densities of lymphatic vessels and a marked enhancement of A549 tumor cells in newly formed lymphatic vessels in the primary tumors as well as in lymph nodes. Treatment of A549 cells with TNFSF15 results in upregulation of VEGFC expression, which can be inhibited by siRNA gene silencing of death domain-containing receptor-3 (DR3), a cell surface receptor for TNFSF15. In addition, TNFSF15/DR3 signaling pathways in A549 cells include activation of NF-κB during tumor lymphangiogenesis. Our data indicate that TNFSF15, a cytokine mainly produced by blood endothelial cells, facilitates tumor lymphangiogenesis by upregulating VEGFC expression in A549 cells, contributing to lymphatic metastasis in tumor-bearing mice. This finding also suggests that TNFSF15 may have potential as an indicator for prognosis evaluation.Tingting Qin, Dingzhi Huang, Zhujun Liu, Xiaoling Zhang, Yanan Jia, Cory J. Xian, Kai L

Continuous twin screw rheo-extrusion of an AZ91D magnesium alloy

© The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International 2012The twin screw rheo-extrusion (TSRE) is designed to take advantage of the nondendritc microstructure and thixotropic characterization of semisolid-metal slurries and produce simple metal profiles directly from melts. The extrusion equipment consists of a rotor-stator high shear slurry maker, a twin screw extruder, and a die assembly. The process is continuous and has a potential for significantly saving energy, manufacturing cost, and enhancing efficiency. The present investigation was carried out to study the process performance for processing rods of an AZ91D magnesium alloy and the microstructure evolution during processing. The semisolid slurry prepared by the process was characterized by uniformly distributed nondendritic granular primary phase particles. AZ91D rods with uniform and fine microstructures and moderate mechanical properties were produced. For the given slurry making parameters, decreasing extrusion temperature was found to improve microstructures and properties. The mechanisms of particle granulation and refinement and the effect of processing parameters on process performance and thermal management are discussed. © 2012 The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International.EPSRC (UK) and Rautomead Lt

Measurement of the branching fractions of psi(2S) -> 3(pi+pi-) and J/psi -> 2(pi+pi-)

Using data samples collected at sqrt(s) = 3.686GeV and 3.650GeV by the BESII detector at the BEPC, the branching fraction of psi(2S) -> 3(pi+pi-) is measured to be [4.83 +- 0.38(stat) +- 0.69(syst)] x 10^-4, and the relative branching fraction of J/psi -> 2(pi+pi-) to that of J/psi -> mu+mu- is measured to be [5.86 +- 0.19(stat) +- 0.39(syst)]% via psi(2S) -> (pi+pi-)J/psi, J/psi -> 2(pi+pi-). The electromagnetic form factor of 3(pi+pi-) is determined to be 0.21 +- 0.02 and 0.20 +- 0.01 at sqrt(s) = 3.686GeV and 3.650GeV, respectively.Comment: 17pages, 7 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Partial Wave Analysis of χc0→π+π−K+K−\chi_{c0}\to\pi^+\pi^-K^+K^-

A partial wave analysis of $\chi_{c0}\to\pi^+\pi^-K^+K^-$ in $\psi(2S)\to\gamma\chi_{c0}$ decay is presented using a sample of 14 million $\psi(2S)$ events accumulated by the BES II detector. The data are fitted to the sum of relativistic covariant tensor amplitudes for intermediate resonant decay modes. From the fit, significant contributions to $\chi_{c0}$ decays from the channels $f_0(980)f_0(980)$, $f_0(980)f_0(2200)$, $f_0(1370)f_0(1710)$, $K^*(892)^0\bar K^*(892)^0$, $K^*_0(1430)\bar K^*_0(1430)$, $K^*_0(1430)\bar K^*_2(1430) + c.c.$, and $K_1(1270)K$ are found. Flavor-SU(3)-violating $K_1(1270)-K_1(1400)$ asymmetry is observed. Values obtained for the masses and widths of the resonances $f_0(1710)$, $f_0(2200)$, $f_0(1370)$, and $K^*_0(1430)$ are presented.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, and 4 table

mTCTScan: a comprehensive platform for annotation and prioritization of mutations affecting drug sensitivity in cancers

Cancer therapies have experienced rapid progress in recent years, with a number of novel small-molecule kinase inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies now being widely used to treat various types of human cancers. During cancer treatments, mutations can have important effects on drug sensitivity. However, the relationship between tumor genomic profiles and the effectiveness of cancer drugs remains elusive. We introduce Mutation To Cancer Therapy Scan (mTCTScan) web server (http://jjwanglab.org/mTCTScan) that can systematically analyze mutations affecting cancer drug sensitivity based on individual genomic profiles. The platform was developed by leveraging the latest knowledge on mutation-cancer drug sensitivity associations and the results from large-scale chemical screening using human cancer cell lines. Using an evidence-based scoring scheme based on current integrative evidences, mTCTScan is able to prioritize mutations according to their associations with cancer drugs and preclinical compounds. It can also show related drugs/compounds with sensitivity classification by considering the context of the entire genomic profile. In addition, mTCTScan incorporates comprehensive filtering functions and cancer-related annotations to better interpret mutation effects and their association with cancer drugs. This platform will greatly benefit both researchers and clinicians for interrogating mechanisms of mutation-dependent drug response, which will have a significant impact on cancer precision medicine.published_or_final_versio

Measurement of the cross section for e^+e^- -> ppbar at center-of-mass energies from 2.0 to 3.07 GeV

Cross sections for e^+e^- -> ppbar have been measured at 10 center-of-mass energies from 2.0 to 3.07 GeV by the BESII experiment at the BEPC, and proton electromagnetic form factors in the time-like region have been determined.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Search for psi(3770)\ra\rho\pi at the BESII detector at the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider

Non-$D\bar{D}$ decay \psppto \rhopi is searched for using a data sample of $(17.3\pm 0.5) pb^{-1}$ taken at the center-of-mass energy of 3.773 GeV by the BESII detector at the BEPC. No \rhopi signal is observed, and the upper limit of the cross section is measured to be \sigma(\EETO \rhopi)<6.0 pb at 90% C. L. Considering the interference between the continuum amplitude and the \pspp resonance amplitude, the branching fraction of \pspp decays to $\rho\pi$ is determined to be \BR(\pspp\ra\rho\pi)\in(6.0\times10^{-6}, 2.4\times10^{-3}) at 90% C. L. This is in agreement with the prediction of the $S$- and $D$-wave mixing scheme of the charmonium states for solving the ``\rhopi puzzle'' between \jpsi and \psp decays.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Measurement of the chi_{c2} Polarization in psi(2S) to gamma chi_{c2}

The polarization of the chi_{c2} produced in psi(2S) decays into gamma chi_{c2} is measured using a sample of 14*10^6 psi(2S) events collected by BESII at the BEPC. A fit to the chi_{c2} production and decay angular distributions in psi(2S) to gamma chi_{c2}, chi_{c2} to pi pi and KK yields values x=A_1/A_0=2.08+/-0.44 and y=A_2/A_0=3.03 +/-0.66, with a correlation rho=0.92 between them, where A_{0,1,2} are the chi_{c2} helicity amplitudes. The measurement agrees with a pure E1 transition, and M2 and E3 contributions do not differ significantly from zero.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl