Effect of water-to-binder ratio and fly ash content on the mechanical and deformation properties of bendable concrete

To investigate the effect of water-to-binder ratio and fly ash content on the properties of bendable concrete, we prepared four samples of different strength grades with water-to-binder ratios of 0.25 and 0.30 and fly ash contents of 60% and 80%. The effects of water-to-binder ratio and fly ash content on the compressive strength, flexural strength, elastic modulus, fracture toughness, and uniaxial tensile deformation of the samples were investigated. The results show that the strength of bendable concrete can be varied by varying the water-to-binder ratio and fly ash content. Water-to-binder ratio and fly ash content showed almost the same effect on fracture toughness, whereas fly ash content exhibited a greater effect on elastic modulus. With an increase in water-to-binder ratio and fly ash content of concrete, the initial crack stress and tensile strength decreased and the ultimate tensile strain increased, but the change of water-to-binder ratio showed a more significant effect on the ultimate tensile strain

Melanoma Cell Expression of CD200 Inhibits Tumor Formation and Lung Metastasis via Inhibition of Myeloid Cell Functions

CD200 is a cell surface glycoprotein that functions through engaging CD200 receptor on cells of the myeloid lineage and inhibits their functions. Expression of CD200 has been implicated in a variety of human cancer cells including melanoma cells and has been thought to play a protumor role. To investigate the role of cancer cell expression of CD200 in tumor formation and metastasis, we generated CD200-positive and CD200-negative B16 melanoma cells. Subcutaneous injection of CD200-positive B16 melanoma cells inhibited tumor formation and growth in C57BL/6 mice but not in Rag1−/−C57BL/6 mice. However, i.v. injection of CD200-positive B16 melanoma cells dramatically inhibited tumor foci formation in the lungs of both C57BL/6 and Rag1−/−C57BL6 mice. Flow cytometry analysis revealed higher expression of CD200R in Gr1+ myeloid cells in the lung than in peripheral myeloid cells. Depletion of Gr1+ cells or stimulation of CD200R with an agonistic antibody in vivo dramatically inhibited tumor foci formation in the lungs. In addition, treatment with tumor antigen specific CD4 or CD8 T cells or their combination yielded a survival advantage for CD200 positive tumor bearing mice over mice bearing CD200-negative tumors. Taken together, we have revealed a novel role for CD200-CD200R interaction in inhibiting tumor formation and metastasis. Targeting CD200R may represent a novel approach for cancer immunotherapy

Bacteria establish an aqueous living space in plants crucial for virulence

High humidity has a strong influence on the development of numerous diseases affecting the above-ground parts of plants (the phyllosphere) in crop fields and natural ecosystems, but the molecular basis of this humidity effect is not understood. Previous studies have emphasized immune suppression as a key step in bacterial pathogenesis. Here we show that humidity-dependent, pathogen-driven establishment of an aqueous intercellular space (apoplast) is another important step in bacterial infection of the phyllosphere. Bacterial effectors, such as Pseudomonas syringae HopM1, induce establishment of the aqueous apoplast and are sufficient to transform non-pathogenic P. syringae strains into virulent pathogens in immunodeficient Arabidopsis thaliana under high humidity. Arabidopsis quadruple mutants simultaneously defective in a host target (AtMIN7) of HopM1 and in pattern-triggered immunity could not only be used to reconstitute the basic features of bacterial infection, but also exhibited humidity-dependent dyshomeostasis of the endophytic commensal bacterial community in the phyllosphere. These results highlight a new conceptual framework for understanding diverse phyllosphere–bacterial interactions

Observation of a ppb mass threshoud enhancement in \psi^\prime\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi(J/\psi\to\gamma p\bar{p}) decay

The decay channel $\psi^\prime\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi(J/\psi\to\gamma p\bar{p})$ is studied using a sample of $1.06\times 10^8$ $\psi^\prime$ events collected by the BESIII experiment at BEPCII. A strong enhancement at threshold is observed in the $p\bar{p}$ invariant mass spectrum. The enhancement can be fit with an $S$-wave Breit-Wigner resonance function with a resulting peak mass of $M=1861^{+6}_{-13} {\rm (stat)}^{+7}_{-26} {\rm (syst)} {\rm MeV/}c^2$ and a narrow width that is $\Gamma<38 {\rm MeV/}c^2$ at the 90% confidence level. These results are consistent with published BESII results. These mass and width values do not match with those of any known meson resonance.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Chinese Physics

Analysis and prediction of cancerlectins using evolutionary and domain information

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Predicting the function of a protein is one of the major challenges in the post-genomic era where a large number of protein sequences of unknown function are accumulating rapidly. Lectins are the proteins that specifically recognize and bind to carbohydrate moieties present on either proteins or lipids. Cancerlectins are those lectins that play various important roles in tumor cell differentiation and metastasis. Although the two types of proteins are linked, still there is no computational method available that can distinguish cancerlectins from the large pool of non-cancerlectins. Hence, it is imperative to develop a method that can distinguish between cancer and non-cancerlectins.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All the models developed in this study are based on a non-redundant dataset containing 178 cancerlectins and 226 non-cancerlectins in which no two sequences have more than 50% sequence similarity. We have applied the similarity search based technique, i.e. BLAST, and achieved a maximum accuracy of 43.25%. The amino acids compositional analysis have shown that certain residues (e.g. Leucine, Proline) were preferred in cancerlectins whereas some other (e.g. Asparatic acid, Asparagine) were preferred in non-cancerlectins. It has been found that the PROSITE domain "Crystalline beta gamma" was abundant in cancerlectins whereas domains like "SUEL-type lectin domain" were found mainly in non-cancerlectins. An SVM-based model has been developed to differentiate between the cancer and non-cancerlectins which achieved a maximum Matthew's correlation coefficient (MCC) value of 0.32 with an accuracy of 64.84%, using amino acid compositions. We have developed a model based on dipeptide compositions which achieved an MCC value of 0.30 with an accuracy of 64.84%. Thereafter, we have developed models based on split compositions (2 and 4 parts) and achieved an MCC value of 0.31, 0.32 with accuracies of 65.10% and 66.09%, respectively. An SVM model based on Position Specific Scoring Matrix (PSSM), generated by PSI-BLAST, was developed and achieved an MCC value of 0.36 with an accuracy of 68.34%. Finally, we have integrated the PROSITE domain information with PSSM and developed an SVM model that has achieved an MCC value of 0.38 with 69.09% accuracy.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>BLAST has been found inefficient to distinguish between cancer and non-cancerlectins. We analyzed the protein sequences of cancer and non-cancerlectins and identified interesting patterns. We have been able to identify PROSITE domains that are preferred in cancer and non-cancerlectins and thus provided interesting insights into the two types of proteins. The method developed in this study will be useful for researchers studying cancerlectins, lectins and cancer biology. The web-server based on the above study, is available at <url>http://www.imtech.res.in/raghava/cancer_pred/</url></p

Modulation of NKT Cell Development by B7-CD28 Interaction: An Expanding Horizon for Costimulation

It has been demonstrated that the development of NKT cells requires CD1d. The contribution of costimulatory molecules in this process has not been studied. Here we show that in mice with targeted mutations of B7-1/2 and CD28, the TCRβ+α-Galcer/CD1d + (iVα14 NKT) subset is significantly reduced in the thymus, spleen and liver. This is mainly due to decreased cell proliferation; although increased cell death in the thymi of CD28-deficient mice was also observed. Moreover, in the B7-1/2- and CD28-deficient mice, we found a decreased percentage of the CD4−NK1.1+ subset and a correspondingly increased portion of the CD4+NK1.1− subset. In addition, the mice with a targeted mutation of either B7 or CD28 had a reduced susceptibility to Con A induced hepatitis, which is known to be mediated by NKT cells. Our results demonstrate that the development, maturation and function of NKT cell are modulated by the costimulatory pathway and thus expand the horizon of costimulation into NKT, which is widely viewed as a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity. As such, costimulation may modulate all major branches of cell-mediated immunity, including T cells, NK cells and NKT cells

Inter-Homolog Crossing-Over and Synapsis in Arabidopsis Meiosis Are Dependent on the Chromosome Axis Protein AtASY3

In this study we have analysed AtASY3, a coiled-coil domain protein that is required for normal meiosis in Arabidopsis. Analysis of an Atasy3-1 mutant reveals that loss of the protein compromises chromosome axis formation and results in reduced numbers of meiotic crossovers (COs). Although the frequency of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) appears moderately reduced in Atasy3-1, the main recombination defect is a reduction in the formation of COs. Immunolocalization studies in wild-type meiocytes indicate that the HORMA protein AtASY1, which is related to Hop1 in budding yeast, forms hyper-abundant domains along the chromosomes that are spatially associated with DSBs and early recombination pathway proteins. Loss of AtASY3 disrupts the axial organization of AtASY1. Furthermore we show that the AtASY3 and AtASY1 homologs BoASY3 and BoASY1, from the closely related species Brassica oleracea, are co-immunoprecipitated from meiocyte extracts and that AtASY3 interacts with AtASY1 via residues in its predicted coiled-coil domain. Together our results suggest that AtASY3 is a functional homolog of Red1. Since studies in budding yeast indicate that Red1 and Hop1 play a key role in establishing a bias to favor inter-homolog recombination (IHR), we propose that AtASY3 and AtASY1 may have a similar role in Arabidopsis. Loss of AtASY3 also disrupts synaptonemal complex (SC) formation. In Atasy3-1 the transverse filament protein AtZYP1 forms small patches rather than a continuous SC. The few AtMLH1 foci that remain in Atasy3-1 are found in association with the AtZYP1 patches. This is sufficient to prevent the ectopic recombination observed in the absence of AtZYP1, thus emphasizing that in addition to its structural role the protein is important for CO formation

In vivo pharmacological evaluations of novel olanzapine analogues in rats: a potential new avenue for the treatment of schizophrenia

Olanzapine (Olz) is one of the most effective antipsychotic drugs commonly used for treating schizophrenia. Unfortunately, Olz administration is associated with severe weight gain and metabolic disturbances. Both patients and clinicians are highly interested in the development of new antipsychotics which are as effective as atypical antipsychotics but which have a lower propensity to induce metabolic side effects. In the present study, we examined two new derivatives of Olz; OlzEt (2-ethyl-4-(4′-methylpiperazin-1′-yl)-10Hbenzo[b]thieno[2,3-e][1,4]diazepine), and OlzHomo (2-ethyl-4-(4′-methyl-1′,4′-diazepan-1′-yl)-10H-benzo[b]thieno[2,3-e] [1,4]diazepine), for their tendency to induce weight gain in rats. Weight gain and metabolic changes were measured in female Sprague Dawley rats. Animals were treated orally with Olz, OlzEt, OlzHomo (3 or 6 mg/kg/day), or vehicle (n = 8), three times daily at eight-hour intervals for 5 weeks. Furthermore, a phencyclidine (PCP)-treated rat model was used to examine the prevention of PCP-induced hyperlocomotor activity relevant for schizophrenia therapy. Male Sprague Dawley rats were pre-treated with a single dose (3 mg/kg/day) of Olz, OlzEt, OlzHomo, or vehicle (n = 12), for 2 weeks. Locomotor activity was recorded following a subcutaneous injection with either saline or PCP (10 mg/kg). Olz was found to induce weight gain, hyperphagia, visceral fat accumulation, and metabolic changes associated with reduced histamatergic H1 receptor density in the hypothalamus of treated rats. In contrast, OlzEt and OlzHomo presented promising antipsychotic effects, which did not induce weight gain or fat deposition in the treated animals. Behavioural analysis showed OlzEt to attenuate PCP-induced hyperactivity to a level similar to that of Olz; however, OlzHomo showed a lower propensity to inhibit these stereotyped behaviours. Our data suggest that the therapeutic effectiveness of OlzHomo may be delivered at a higher dose than that of Olz and OlzEt. Overall, OlzEt and OlzHomo may offer a better pharmacological profile than Olz for treating patients with schizophrenia. Clinical trials are needed to test this hypothesis

Polymorphisms in the selectin gene cluster are associated with fertility and survival time in a population of Holstein Friesian cows

Selectins are adhesion molecules, which mediate attachment between leucocytes and endothelium. They aid extravasation of leucocytes from blood into inflamed tissue during the mammary gland’s response to infection. Selectins are also involved in attachment of the conceptus to the endometrium and subsequent placental development. Poor fertility and udder health are major causes for culling dairy cows. The three identified bovine selectin genes SELP, SELL and SELE are located in a gene cluster. SELP is the most polymorphic of these genes. Several SNP in SELP and SELE are associated with human vascular disease, while SELP SNP rs6127 has been associated with recurrent pregnancy loss in women. This study describes the results of a gene association study for SNP in SELP (n = 5), SELL (n = 2) and SELE (n = 1) with fertility, milk production and longevity traits in a population of 337 Holstein Friesian dairy cows. Blood samples for PCR-RFLP were collected at 6 months of age and animals were monitored until either culling or 2,340 days from birth. Three SNP in SELPEx4-6 formed a haplotype block containing a Glu/Ala substitution at rs42312260. This region was associated with poor fertility and reduced survival times. SELPEx8 (rs378218397) coded for a Val475Met variant locus in the linking region between consensus repeats 4 and 5, which may influence glycosylation. The synonymous SNP rs110045112 in SELEEx14 deviated from Hardy Weinberg equilibrium. For both this SNP and rs378218397 there were too few AA homozygotes present in the population and AG heterozygotes had significantly worse fertility than GG homozygotes. Small changes in milk production associated with some SNP could not account for the reduced fertility and only SELPEx6 showed any association with somatic cell count. These results suggest that polymorphisms in SELP and SELE are associated with the likelihood of successful pregnancy, potentially through compromised implantation and placental development