Thermodynamics in the universe described by the emergence of the space and the energy balance relation

It has previously been shown that it is more general to describe the evolution of the universe based on the emergence of the space and the energy balance relation. Here we investigate the thermodynamic properties of the universe described by such a model. We show that the first law of thermodynamics and the generalized second law of thermodynamics (GSLT) are both satisfied and the weak energy condition are also fulfilled for two typical examples. Finally we examine the physical consistency for the present model.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure

A Sarsa( λ

Traffic problems often occur due to the traffic demands by the outnumbered vehicles on road. Maximizing traffic flow and minimizing the average waiting time are the goals of intelligent traffic control. Each junction wants to get larger traffic flow. During the course, junctions form a policy of coordination as well as constraints for adjacent junctions to maximize their own interests. A good traffic signal timing policy is helpful to solve the problem. However, as there are so many factors that can affect the traffic control model, it is difficult to find the optimal solution. The disability of traffic light controllers to learn from past experiences caused them to be unable to adaptively fit dynamic changes of traffic flow. Considering dynamic characteristics of the actual traffic environment, reinforcement learning algorithm based traffic control approach can be applied to get optimal scheduling policy. The proposed Sarsa(λ)-based real-time traffic control optimization model can maintain the traffic signal timing policy more effectively. The Sarsa(λ)-based model gains traffic cost of the vehicle, which considers delay time, the number of waiting vehicles, and the integrated saturation from its experiences to learn and determine the optimal actions. The experiment results show an inspiring improvement in traffic control, indicating the proposed model is capable of facilitating real-time dynamic traffic control

Effect of radiation on the Notch signaling pathway in osteoblasts

Notch signaling has been shown to be important in osteoblast differentiation. Therapeutic radiation has been shown to alter the skeletal system, yet little information is available on the changes in Notch signaling in irradiated osteoblasts. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of radiation therapy with 2 and 4 Gy on Notch signaling in osteoblasts. In order to assess the radiation damage on osteoblast differentiation, total RNA and protein were collected three days after exposure to radiation. The effects of radiation on Notch signaling at the early and terminal stages of osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cell differentiation was analyzed by qRT-PCR and western blot analysis. Our study applied a previously established method to induce MC3T3-E1 cell differentiation into osteoblasts and osteoblast precursors. Our results showed that the expression of Notch receptors (Notch1-4), ligands (Jagged1, Jagged2 and Delta1), target of Notch signaling (Hes1) and markers (ALP, M-CSF, RANKL and OPG) were altered following 2 and 4 Gy of irradiation. The present research did not indicate a strong relationship between Notch1 regulation and suppression of osteoblast differentiation. We found Hes1 may play a role in the radiation effect on osteoblast differentiation. Our results indicate that radiated osteoblast precursors and osteoblasts promoted osteoclast differentiation and proliferation

Refined mapping of loss of heterozygosity in Chinese sporadic gastric carcinoma

The aim of this study is to explore precise deleted regions where the candidate tumor suppressor genes might be located in Chinese sporadic gastric carcinoma. By searching in Genothon, NCBI and GDB databases, 145 polymorphic microsatellite markers were chosen, at a mean density of approximately one marker every 2 - 4 cM, covering 15 chromosomes. These polymorphic microsatellite markers in gastric carcinoma and adjacent tissue were analyzed via PCR. PCR products were submitted to electrophoresis on an ABI 3730 DNA sequencer. Genemapper3.2 software was used for LOH (Loss of Heterozygosity) scanning and analysis. Comparison between LOH frequency and clinicopathological factors was performed by Fisher’s exact test. 26 refined regions were mapped as candidate regions for TSGs (Tumor suppression genes) in Chinese sporadic gastric cancer. Associations between LOH and clinical information indicated that 6 loci was associated with pTNM stage, 5 with Lauren's type, 4 with lymph nodes metastasis and another 2 with distant metastasis. Through refined deletion mapping, 26 candidate regions, where TSGs may be located, were found and 17 loci were proposed to be used as clinical markers in Chinese sporadic gastric cancer.Keywords: Gastric carcinoma, refined mapping, loss of heterozygosity (LOH), tumor suppressor genes (TSGs), tumor markersAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(35), pp. 5754-5761, 30 August, 201

Fluorescent protein tagged hepatitis B virus capsid protein with long glycine-serine linker that supports nucleocapsid formation

Fusion core proteins of Hepatitis B virus can be used to study core protein functions or capsid trafficking. A problem in constructing fusion core proteins is functional impairment of the individual domains in these fusion proteins, might due to structural interference. We reported a method to construct fusion proteins of Hepatitis B virus core protein (HBc) in which the functions of fused domains were partially kept. This method follows two principles: (1) fuse heterogeneous proteins at the N terminus of HBc; (2) use long Glycine-serine linkers between the two domains. Using EGFP and RFP as examples, we showed that long flexible G4S linkers can effectively separate the two domains in function. Among these fusion proteins constructed, GFP-G4S186-HBc and RFP-G4S47-HBc showed the best efficiency in rescuing the replication of an HBV replicon deficient in the core protein expression, though both of the two fusion proteins failed to support the formation of the relaxed circular DNA. These fluorescent protein-tagged HBcs might help study related to HBc or capsids tracking in cells

The mechanism of chlorogenic acid inhibits lipid oxidation: An investigation using multi-spectroscopic methods and molecular docking

Endogenous lipase and lipoxygenase play important roles in accelerating lipid oxidation. Polyphenols are a series of commonly used chemicals for preserving fish and seafood products, due to their positive inhibitory effects on lipid oxidation. However, the mechanism involved is still unknown. The inhibitory effects of chlorogenic acid (CGA) on lipase and lipoxygenase were investigated and explored with multi- spectroscopic and molecular docking approaches. Results showed that CGA could inhibit the activities of lipase and lipoxygenase with concentration increased in a highly dose-dependent manner. CGA quenched intrinsic fluorescence intensities of enzymes by static quenching and binding with CGA which led to changes in 3D structures of enzymes. Results of the molecular docking confirmed binding modes, binding sites and major interaction forces between CGA and enzymes, which reduced the corresponding activity. Thus, this study could provide basic mechanisms of the inhibitory effects of polyphenols on lipid oxidation during food preservation