Axolotl Xenografts Improve Regeneration of Xenopus Hind Limbs

poster abstractAxolotls regenerate perfect copies of amputated limbs, whereas Xenopus froglet limbs regenerate only a spike of cartilage. We asked whether axolotl muscle and cartilage xenografted from normal or GFP-labeled limbs to amputated froglet limbs, with or without treatment with cyclosporin A (CSA) and/or retinoic acid (RA), would improve Xenopus limb regeneration via the release of regeneration-promoting factors into the host limb tissue. The grafted froglet limbs were allowed to regenerate for three months to two years. We detected initial symptoms of graft vs. host disease with or without CSA treatment that subsequently disappeared. The grafted limbs first formed a spike that subsequently grew wider at the tip and after three months began to separate into 2-5 digit-like structures that continued to grow. CSA and low-dose RA treatment decreased the time at which digit formation could be detected but were not necessary for digit formation. The digit pattern was not asymmetric, thus individual digits were not identifiable. Immature muscle was detected in the regenerated limbs by trichrome and MF-20 antibody staining, and nerve fibers were detected by Luxol Fast Blue staining. In one limb with a GFP graft, a few axolotl cells were detected around the base of the digits that may have stimulated digit separation. Although the mechanism of digit formation remains obscure, we conclude that factors released by degraded axolotl tissue or surviving axolotl cells can stimulate complex tissue regeneration and initiate the first step of digital anterior-posterior pattern formation in regenerating Xenopus hind limbs. These results have significance for the possibility of stimulating the regeneration of complex mammalian structures that have been injured by trauma or disease

A Pyrrole-Based Triazolium-Phane with Nh and Cationic Ch Donor Groups as a Receptor for Tetrahedral Oxyanions that Functions in Polar Media

The pyrrole-based triazolium-phane 1(4+)center dot 4BF(4)(-) has been prepared via the tetraalkylation of a macrocycle originally prepared via click chemistry. It displays a high selectivity for tetrahedral oxyanions relative to various test monoanions and trigonal planar anions in mixed polar organic-aqueous media. This selectivity is solvent dependent and is less pronounced in acetonitrile. Theoretical calculations were carried out in with the chloride anion in an effort to understand the influence of solvent on the intrinsic hydrogen bonding ability of the donor groups (pyrrole N-H, benzene C-H and triazolium C-H). The host-guest interactions between receptor 1(4+)center dot 4BF(4)(-) and representative tetrahedral oxyanions were further analysed by H-1 NMR spectroscopy, and the findings proved consistent with the differences in the intrinsic strength of the various H-bond donor groups inferred from the electronic structure calculations carried out in methanol, namely that (CH)(+)-anion interactions are less important in an energetic sense than neutral CH-anion interactions in polar media. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses of the mixed salts 1(4+)center dot HP2O73-center dot BF4- and 31(4+)center dot 4H(2)PO(4)(-)center dot 8BF(4)(-) confirmed that receptor 1(4+) can bind the pyrophosphate and phosphate anions in the solid state.Cai, Jiajia, Benjamin P. Hay, Neil J. Young, Xiaoping Yang, and Jonathan L. Sessler. "A pyrrole-based triazolium-phane with NH and cationic CH donor groups as a receptor for tetrahedral oxyanions that functions in polar media." Chemical Science 4, no. 4 (Jan., 2013): 1560-1567.Chemistr

Cloud Workflow Scheduling with Deadlines and Time Slot Availability

[EN] Allocating service capacities in cloud computing is based on the assumption that they are unlimited and can be used at any time. However, available service capacities change with workload and cannot satisfy users' requests at any time from the cloud provider's perspective because cloud services can be shared by multiple tasks. Cloud service providers provide available time slots for new user's requests based on available capacities. In this paper, we consider workflow scheduling with deadline and time slot availability in cloud computing. An iterated heuristic framework is presented for the problem under study which mainly consists of initial solution construction, improvement, and perturbation. Three initial solution construction strategies, two greedy-and fair-based improvement strategies and a perturbation strategy are proposed. Different strategies in the three phases result in several heuristics. Experimental results show that different initial solution and improvement strategies have different effects on solution qualities.This work has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 61572127, 61272377) and the Key Research & Development Program in Jiangsu Province (No. BE2015728). Ruben Ruiz is partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, under the project "RESULT - Realistic Extended Scheduling Using Light Techniques" (No. DPI2012-36243-C02-01) partially financed with FEDER funds.Li, X.; Qian, L.; Ruiz García, R. (2018). Cloud Workflow Scheduling with Deadlines and Time Slot Availability. IEEE Transactions on Services Computing. 11(2):329-340. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSC.2016.2518187S32934011

Role of genomics and transcriptomics in selection of reintroduction source populations

The use and importance of reintroduction as a conservation tool to return a species to its historical range where it has become extirpated will only increase as climate change and human development accelerate habitat loss and population extinctions. Although the number of reintroduction attempts has rapidly increased over the past two decades, the success rate is generally low. As a result of population differences in fitness-related traits and divergent responses to environmental stresses, there is a high likelihood for differential performance among potential source populations upon reintroduction. It is well known that population performance upon reintroduction is highly variable and it is generally agreed that selecting an appropriate source population is a critical component of a successful reintroduction

Design, Construction and Monitoring for the Excavation of Shanghai World Plaza

The Shanghai World Plaza is a multi-function building located in Shanghai Pudong New Development Area. It is a steel structure with thirty eight stories (199m) above the ground and three stories of basement. The excavation area of this building is 75m by 100m. The depth of the excavation is 16m to 18m (kernel part). The construction site is covered with soft soils up to a depth of 25m. Main streets, pipelines and existing buildings surround the site. The retaining structure employs a diaphragm with 1m in thickness, 30m in depth and 340m in total length. Three levels of H shaped steel supports are placed on 163 steel columns. De-watering of groundwater was applied during the excavation in order to decrease the hydraulic gradient and to improve the soils at the bottom of the excavation. Field monitoring includes 40 settlement/displacement points to cover main street pavements, pipelines and diaphragm units. Other items of monitoring include the excessive pore water pressure within the soils, multi-layer settlement, inclination of the retaining walls, lateral soil pressure, axial supporting force and, stresses within the diaphragm

Preparation and characterization of antigenic properties of gramicidin A- keyhole limpet hemocyanin and gramicidin A- ovalbumin conjugates

A rapid, simple and low cost procedure for preparing hapten-protein conjugates was developed using gramicidin A (GA) and two other water-soluble proteins, keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) and ovalbumin (OVA). GA was a kind of antimicrobial peptides. Two lysines and a cysteine were linked to amino- terminus and carboxyl-terminus of the peptide chain, respectively, in order to form sulfhydryl groups and improve its water solubility. And the molecule weight and purity of the modified peptidechain were checked by electron spray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Then the activated KLH and OVA were conjugated to GA by using  4-(Nmaleimidomethyl) cyclohexane-1-carboxylic acid 3-sulfo-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester sodium salt (sulfo-SMCC) to form disulfide linkage. In order to obtain artificial antigen of GA, GA was linked to KLHand OVA by sulfo-SMCC coupling at room temperature. The conjugates of KLH-Peptide and OVAPeptide were identified by infrared and ultraviolet spectrophotometry SDS-PAGE and DTNB method, which could prove the activity of the sulfhydryl-groups. In this way, we have obtained a novel artificial immunogen and coating antigen that could be used to raise polyclonal antibody through immunized rabbits

Development of Competency Indexes to Assess Nursing Postgraduate's Tutor

The aim of this study was to develop competency indexes assessing nursingpostgraduate's tutor in China. Based on Iceberg competency theory, a Delphisurvey was carried out. 30 nursing experts in 16 provinces of China wereinvited to rate the importance of indexes and give some comments on thecontent. There were 22 experts taking part in two rounds Delphi study. AKendall's W test also demonstrated experts were well coordinated. Duringthe first round, overall mean scores were high, except for 1 tertiary index.We also added and moved some indexes building on the experts'suggestions. After two rounds, we developed competency indexesappropriate to assess tutots' competencies, consisting of 5 preliminaryindexes, 13 secondary indexes and 68 tertiary indexes. The competencyindexes were validated and scientific, it can be used to assess tutors in China

Anisotropic nonlinear elasticity in a spherical bead pack: influence of the fabric anisotropy

Stress-strain measurements and ultrasound propagation experiments in glass bead packs have been simultaneously conducted to characterize the stress-induced anisotropy under uniaxial loading. These measurements, realized respectively with finite and incremental deformations of the granular assembly, are analyzed within the framework of the effective medium theory based on the Hertz-Mindlin contact theory. Our work shows that both compressional and shear wave velocities and consequently the incremental elastic moduli agree fairly well with the effective medium model by Johnson et al. [J. Appl. Mech. 65, 380 (1998)], but the anisotropic stress ratio resulting from finite deformation does not at all. As indicated by numerical simulations, the discrepancy may arise from the fact that the model doesn't properly allow the grains to relax from the affine motion approximation. Here we find that the interaction nature at the grain contact could also play a crucial role for the relevant prediction by the model; indeed, such discrepancy can be significantly reduced if the frictional resistance between grains is removed. Another main experimental finding is the influence of the inherent anisotropy of granular packs, realized by different protocols of the sample preparation. Our results reveal that compressional waves are more sensitive to the stress-induced anisotropy, whereas the shear waves are more sensitive to the fabric anisotropy, not being accounted in analytical effective medium models.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Rapid activation of dormant presynaptic terminals by phorbol esters

Presynaptic stimulation stochastically recruits transmission according to the release probability (P(r)) of synapses. The majority of central synapses have relatively low P(r), which includes synapses that are completely quiescent presynaptically. The presence of presynaptically dormant versus active terminals presumably increases synaptic malleability when conditions demand synaptic strengthening or weakening, perhaps by triggering second messenger signals. However, whether modulator-mediated potentiation involves recruitment of transmission from dormant terminals remains unclear. Here, by combining electrophysiological and fluorescence imaging approaches, we uncovered rapid presynaptic awakening by select synaptic modulators. A phorbol ester phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu, a diacylglycerol analog), but not forskolin (an adenylyl cyclase activator) or elevated extracellular calcium, recruited neurotransmission from presynaptically dormant synapses. This effect was not dependent on protein kinase C activation. After PDBu-induced awakening, these previously dormant terminals had a synaptic P(r) spectrum similar to basally active synapses naive to PDBu treatment. Dormant terminals did not seem to have properties of nascent or immature synapses, judged by NR2B N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) receptor subunit contribution after PDBu-stimulated awakening. Strikingly, synapses rendered inactive by prolonged depolarization, unlike basally dormant synapses, were not awakened by PDBu. These results suggest that the initial release competence of synapses can dictate the acute response to second messenger modulation, and the results suggest multiple pathways to presynaptic dormancy and awakening