Simulation calculation of electric field distribution in the rat brain irradiated by electromagnetic pulses

Based on the spectrum distribution of electromagnetic pulses (EMPs), we constructed a dispersive electromagnetic model of rats with a fine division of tissues and organs and calculated the internal electric field distribution in the rat brain exposed to EMPs. The results showed that EMP radiation was capable of generating electric field distribution with good uniformity in the rat brain and that the peak field intensity in the rat brain was about 1/250 of that in the spatial domain. The electric field in the cerebral cortex was slightly higher than that in the deep hippocampus, striatum, and thalamus, and it was probably the lowest in the hypothalamus. In the cortex, the electric field was low in the prefrontal cortex, while it was relatively high in the parietal and temporal lobes near the middle and at the back of the brain. The data provide a theoretical quantitative basis for establishment of the dose–effect relationship between the electric field in the rat brain and biological effects of the pulse. In addition, it serves as a reference for simulation calculation of the effect of EMPs in living organisms

Zhongguo ke xue yuan she shan guan xiang tai tian wen nian kan.

Editor: Zhongguo ke xue yuan zi jin shan tian wen tai.Mode of access: Internet

Chinese Women Migrants and the Social Apartheid

Au Loong-yu and Nan Shan examine the conditions of the women among the 150 million migrant workers who have left the rural areas in search of jobs in China. They underline that fierce social regression has accompanied Chinese enormous economic growth where women migrants particularly are exploited in ‘the ‘world's greatest sweatshop’. They argue that hukou system or household registration has proved to be as useful to ‘capitalist construction’ as it once was for ‘socialist construction’. It now acts a powerful force for pressing down the wages of rural migrants and preventing them from getting better jobs in the cities. Development (2007) 50, 76–82. doi:10.1057/palgrave.development.1100408

A goose-type lysozyme gene in Japanese scallop (Mizuhopecten yessoensis): cDNA cloning, mRNA expression and promoter sequence analysis

Lysozyme is an important component of the immune response against bacteria that is characterized by its ability to break down bacterial cell-walls. We constructed a high-quality cDNA library from mantle tissue of adult Japanese scallop (Mizuhopecten yessoensis). The EST which is high homology with g-type lysozyme genes of other species was found in the cDNA library. In the present study, the complete express sequence of g-type lysozyme genes from Japanese scallop (designated as MyLysoG) was directly obtained by PCR. The complete sequence of MyLysoG cDNA consisted of a 5' untranslated region (UTR) of 25 bp, an open reading frame (ORF) of 606 bp, and a 3' UTR of 100 bp with one polyadenylation signal (AATAAA). The deduced amino acids of MyLysoG were 201 amino acids with a putative signal peptide of 18 amino acid residues. It shared the sequence similarity and the common structure features with the g-type lysozyme from other species. Quantitative reverse trancriptase real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay demonstrated that mRNA transcripts of g-type lysozyme could be detected in various tissues of unchallenged scallop, and the highest expression of MyLysoG was detected in hepatopancreas tissue. The temporal expression of MyLysoG in hemolymph after Vibrio anguillarum challenge was up-regulated and reached the maximum level at 3 h post stimulation, and then dropped back to the original level even lower than the control group. Furthermore, a 978 bp of 5'-flanking sequence of MyLysoG was identified by genome walking, and several potential transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) were detected in the putative promoter region. One part of the MyLysoG promoter region contains nine sites of SNPs and three sites of insert-deletion (indel) polymorphisms, and these mutations were found organize into two haplotypes. The two haplotypes were associated with different TFBS. The haplotypes could be selected to analyze the transcriptional-level control of scallop g-type lysozyme gene and the scallop immune system. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Science and Technology Project of Liaoning Province [2011203003]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [31140073, 31101899

The expression profile of SpFLT-1 mRNA in hemocytes (Fig 4A) and gills (Fig 4B) post bacterial challenge using qPCR.

<p>The significant difference of SpFLT-1 transcripts between experimental group and control group is indicated with asterisks (*: <i>p</i> < 0.05). Bars indicate mean ±S.E. (n = 5). Immune-blotting analysis of expression of SpFLT-1 and <i>Vibrio</i> protein in hemocytes (Fig 4C) and gills (Fig 4D). N: normal group crabs; S: saline group crabs; B-3 h, B-6 h: crabs from 3 hpi or 6 hpi; V: <i>V</i>. <i>alginolyticus</i> alone. The figure is representative of results from three independent assays.</p