Arrangement of the consolidation works for straight rivers

Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Hydroscience and Engineering, Philadelphia, PA, September 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1860/732This study is to investigate the difference of river habitat patterns before and after the construction of the consolidation works for the straight rivers based on a series of flume experiments and numerical simulations. The objective of this study was to conduct simulations using SMS model (Surface Water Modeling System) developed by the BOSS Company to search for the optimum arrangements of the consolidation works with consideration of both safety and ecological conditions. It was found that relative accurate flow phenomena can be simulated using RMA2 (Resource Management Associates) model. The results of the simulations indicated that the saw-tooth consolidation work was a better tool for energy dissipation and flow regulation than the conventional consolidation work. In general, highest flow diversity of habitat was observed for a saw-tooth consolidation work with an interval 2.5 times of the channel width, and when the saw interval of the consolidation work was a three-fourths value of the saw width. The above consolidation work arrangements can provide multiplicity of stream habitat, and form a better river habitat environment for aquatic creatures

Sympathetic Nervous System Control of Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Oxidative Stress in Liver through a-Adrenergic Signaling

In addition to being the primary organ involved in redox cycling, the liver is one of the most highly innervated tissues in mammals. The interaction between hepatocytes and sympathetic, parasympathetic, and peptidergic nerve fibers through a variety of neurotransmitters and signaling pathways is recognized as being important in the regulation of hepatocyte function, liver regeneration, and hepatic fibrosis. However, less is known regarding the role of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in modulating the hepatic response to oxidative stress. Our aim was to investigate the role of the SNS in healthy and oxidatively stressed liver parenchyma. Mice treated with 6-hydroxydopamine hydrobromide were used to realize chemical sympathectomy. Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) injection was used to induce oxidative liver injury. Sympathectomized animals were protected from CCl4 induced hepatic lipid peroxidation-mediated cytotoxicity and genotoxicity as assessed by 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal levels, morphological features of cell damage, and DNA oxidative damage. Furthermore, sympathectomy modulated hepatic inflammatory response induced by CCl4-mediated lipid peroxidation. CCl4 induced lipid peroxidation and hepatotoxicity were suppressed by administration of an α-adrenergic antagonist. We conclude that the SNS provides a permissive microenvironment for hepatic oxidative stress indicating the possibility that targeting the hepatic α-adrenergic signaling could be a viable strategy for improving outcomes in patients with acute hepatic injury

Herbal Medicine in Uterine Fibroid

Uterine fibroids, also known as uterine leiomyoma is the most common benign tumor of the uterus found in women of reproductive age. Uterine fibroids are the cause of major quality-of-life issues for approximately 25% of all women who suffer from clinically significant symptoms of uterine fibroid. Despite the prevalence of fibroid, currently, there are no effective treatment options for fibroid. The lack of understanding of the etiology of fibroid contributes to the scarcity of medical therapies available. Sex steroid hormones, dysregulation of cell signaling pathways, miRNA expression, and cytogenetic abnormalities may all implicate in fibroid etiology. Several herbal medicines have been used as anti-inflammation and antitumor agents. All of them have a common capability to inhibit expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, proliferative genes, and pro-angiogenetic genes. Exploring herbal medicines as remedies lighten the hope of treatment. In the current review article, we discuss signal transduction pathways activated herbal medicines. We also address the possibility of using herbal medicines for uterine fibroid treatment

Honokiol Eliminates Human Oral Cancer Stem-Like Cells Accompanied with Suppression of Wnt/ β

Honokiol, an active compound of Magnolia officinalis, exerted many anticancer effects on various types of cancer cells. We explored its effects on the elimination of cancer stem-like side population (SP) cells in human oral squamous cell carcinoma SAS cells. The sorted SP cells possessed much higher expression of stemness genes, such as ABCG2, ABCC5, EpCAM, OCT-4, CD133, CD44, and β-catenin, and more clonogenicity as compared with the Non-SP cells. After 48 h of treatment, honokiol dose dependently reduced the proportion of SP from 2.53% to 0.09%. Apoptosis of honokiol-treated SP cells was evidenced by increased annexin V staining and cleaved caspase-3 as well as decreased Survivin and Bcl-2. Mechanistically, honokiol inhibited the CD44 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling of SP cells. The Wnt signaling transducers such as β-catenin and TCF-4 were decreased in honokiol-treated SP cells, while the β-catenin degradation promoting kinase GSK-3α/β was increased. Consistently, the protein levels of β-catenin downstream targets such as c-Myc and Cyclin D1 were also downregulated. Furthermore, the β-catenin-related EMT markers such as Slug and Snail were markedly suppressed by honokiol. Our findings indicate honokiol may be able to eliminate oral cancer stem cells through apoptosis induction, suppression of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and inhibition of EMT

Quantitative determination of interlayer electronic coupling at various critical points in bilayer Mo S 2

Tailoring interlayer coupling has emerged as a powerful tool to tune the electronic structure of van der Waals (vdW) bilayers. One example is the usage of the “moiré pattern” to create controllable two-dimensional electronic superlattices through the configurational dependence of interlayer electronic couplings. This approach has led to some remarkable discoveries in twisted graphene bilayers, and transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) homo- and hetero-bilayers. However, a largely unexplored factor is the interlayer distance, d, which can impact the interlayer coupling strength exponentially. In this letter, we quantitatively 2 determine the coupling strengths as a function of interlayer spacing at various critical points of the Brillouin zone in bilayer MoS2. The exponential dependence of the coupling parameter on the gap distance is demonstrated. Most significantly, we achieved a 280% enhancement of K-valley coupling strength with an 8% reduction of the vdW gap, pointing to a new strategy in designing a novel electronic system in vdW bilayers. gning a unique electronic system in vdW bilayers.This research was primarily supported by the NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC) under DMR-1720595. We also acknowledge support from the Welch Foundation (F-1672 and F-1662), the US NSF (DMR-1808751) and the U.S. Air Force (FA2386-18-1-4097). C.-R.P., P.-J.C., and M.-Y.C. acknowledge the support from Academia Sinica, Taiwan. W.-H.C. acknowledges the support from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan (MOST-110-2119-M-A49-001-MBK) and the support from the Center for Emergent Functional Matter Science (CEFMS) of NYCU supported by the Ministry of Education of Taiwan. W.-T.H. acknowledges the support from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan (MOST-110-2112-M-007-011-MY3) and the Yushan Young Scholar Program from the Ministry of Education of Taiwan. C.K.S. also acknowledge the Yushan Scholar Program from the Ministry of Education of Taiwan.Center for Dynamics and Control of Material

Tetrac and NDAT Induce Anti-proliferation via Integrin αvβ3 in Colorectal Cancers With Different K-RAS Status

Colorectal cancer is a serious medical problem in Taiwan. New, effective therapeutic approaches are needed. The selection of promising anticancer drugs and the transition from pre-clinical investigations to clinical trials are often challenging. The deaminated thyroid hormone analog (tetraiodothyroacetic acid, tetrac) and its nanoparticulate analog (NDAT) have been shown to have anti-proliferative activity in vitro and in xenograft model of different neoplasms, including colorectal cancers. However, mechanisms involved in tetrac- and NDAT-induced anti-proliferation in colorectal cancers are incompletely understood. We have investigated possible mechanisms of tetrac and NDAT action in colorectal cancer cells, using a perfusion bellows cell culture system that allows efficient, large-scale screening for mechanisms of drug actions on tumor cells. Although integrin αvβ3 in K-RAS wild type colorectal cancer HT-29 cells was far less than that in K-RAS mutant HCT116 cells, HT-29 was more sensitive to both tetrac and NDAT. Results also indicate that both tetrac and NDAT bind to tumor cell surface integrin αvβ3, and the agents may have different mechanisms of anti-proliferation in colorectal cancer cells. K-RAS status appears to play an important role in drug resistance that may be encountered in treatment with this drug combination

Sequential formation and resolution of multiple rosettes drive embryo remodelling after implantation

The morphogenetic remodelling of embryo architecture after implantation culminates in pro-amniotic cavity formation. Despite its key importance, how this transformation occurs remains unknown. Here, we apply high-resolution imaging of embryos developing in vivo and in vitro, spatial RNA sequencing and 3D trophoblast stem cell models to determine the sequence and mechanisms of these remodelling events. We show that cavitation of the embryonic tissue is followed by folding of extra-embryonic tissue to mediate the formation of a second extra-embryonic cavity. Concomitantly, at the boundary between embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues, a hybrid 3D rosette forms. Resolution of this rosette enables the embryonic cavity to invade the extra-embryonic tissue. Subsequently, β1-integrin signalling mediates the formation of multiple extra-embryonic 3D rosettes. Podocalyxin exocytosis leads to their polarized resolution, permitting the extension of embryonic and extra-embryonic cavities and their fusion into a unified pro-amniotic cavity. These morphogenetic transformations of embryogenesis reveal a previously unappreciated mechanism for lumen expansion and fusionThe M.Z.G lab is supported by grants from the European Research Council (669198) and the Welcome Trust (098287/Z/12/Z) and the EU Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions (ImageInLife,721537). C.K is supported by BBSRC Doctoral training studentship