Thidiazuron: A multi-dimensional plant growth regulator

Thidiazuron (TDZ) has gained a considerable attention during past decades due to its efficient role in plant cell and tissue culture. Wide array of physiological responses were observed in response to TDZapplication in different plant species. TDZ has shown both auxin and cytokinin like effects, although, chemically, it is totally different from commonly used auxins and cytokinins. A number of biological (physiological and biochemical) events in cells are induced or enhanced by TDZ, but the mode of action of TDZ is yet unknown. However, varieties of underlying mechanisms were revealed by reports showing how morphogenic events were induced by application of TDZ. Other reports showed that TDZ may modify endogenous plant growth regulators, either directly or indirectly and produce reactions in cell/tissue, necessary for its division/regeneration. Other possibilities include modification in cell membrane, energy levels, nutrient absorption, transport and assimilation, etc. In this review, recent advancements in TDZ application in plant sciences are discussed.Key words: Thidiazuron, plant growth regulators, somatic embryogenesis, regeneration, cell cultures, metabolism

Chemical Composition, Fiber Morphology, and Pulping of P. Bolleana Lauche

The chemical composition and fiber morphology of the P. bolleana Lauche was assessed for its suitability for pulping and papermaking. The P. bolleana Lauche used in this study contained a low amount of lignin, but higher quantities of cellulose and hemicelluloses. It was found that morphological indices of P. bolleana Lauche were adequate for pulping and papermaking. The pulping of this wood was carried out using conventional kraft and soda pulping process under varying conditions. The results indicated that at higher sulfidity (24%-32%) with lower EA (14-16%), higher yields, and viscosity of pulping were obtained with an acceptable kappa number. Kraft pulp of P. bolleana Lauche obtained at given conditions (EA 14-16%; sulfidity 24-32%) provided paper sheets with greater tensile strength, burst index and tear index, at the same beating degree

Growth suppressive effect of pegylated arginase in malignant pleural mesothelioma xenografts

BACKGROUND: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a difficult-to-treat global disease. Pegylated arginase (BCT-100) has recently shown anti-tumor effects in hepatocellular carcinoma, acute myeloid leukemia and melanoma. This study aims to investigate the effects of PEG-BCT-100 in MPM. METHODS: A panel of 5 mesothelioma cell lines (H28, 211H, H226, H2052 and H2452) was used to study the in vitro effects of BCT-100 by crystal violet staining. The in vivo effects of BCT-100 were studied using 211H and H226 nude mice xenografts. Protein expression (argininosuccinate synthetase, ornithine transcarbamylase, cleaved PARP, cleaved caspase 3, cyclins (A2, D3, E1 and H), CDK4 and Ki67) and arginine concentration were evaluated by Western blot and ELISA respectively. Cellular localization of BCT-100 was detected by immunohistochemistry and immunoflorescence. TUNEL assay was used to identify cellular apoptotic events. RESULTS: Argininosuccinate synthetase was expressed in H28, H226, and H2452 cells as well as 211H and H266 xenografts. Ornithine transcarbamylase was undetectable in all cell lines and xenograft models. BCT-100 reduced in vitro cell viability (IC50 values at 13-24 mU/ml, 72 h) across different cell lines and suppressed tumor growth in both 211H and H226 xenograft models. BCT-100 (60 mg/kg) significantly suppressed tumor growth (p < 0.01) with prolonged median survival (p < 0.01) in both xenograft models. Combining BCT-100 with pemetrexed or cisplatin conferred no additional benefits over single agents. Serum and intratumoral arginine levels were effectively decreased by BCT-100, associated with cytosolic accumulation of BCT-100 within tumor cells. Apoptosis (PARP cleavage in 211H xenografts; Bcl-2 downregulation, and cleavage of PARP and caspase 3 in H226 xenografts; positive TUNEL staining in both) and G1 arrest (downregulation of cyclin A2, D3, E1 and CDK4 in 211H xenografts; suppression of cyclin A2, E1, H and CDK4 in H226 xenografts) were evident with BCT-100 treatment. Furthermore, proliferative factor Ki67 was downregulated in BCT-100 treatments arms. CONCLUSIONS: BCT-100 suppressed tumor growth with prolonged median survival partially mediated by intratumoral arginine depletion resulting in apoptosis and G1 arrest in mesothelioma xenograft models. The findings provide scientific evidence to support further clinical development of BCT-100 in treatment of MPM.published_or_final_versio

Interactive energy management for networked microgrids with risk aversion

Department of Finance and Education of Guangdong Province 2016[202]: Key Discipline Construction Programme, China; Guangdong Foshan Power Construction Corporation Group Co. Ltd., Foshan, China

Development and application of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification method for rapid detection of Haemophilus parasuis

Haemophilus parasuis is the causative agent of Glässer’s disease that has received much attention recently, due to the increasing economic losses this disease inflicts upon the pig industry worldwide. In this study, loop-mediated isothermal amplification method (LAMP) methodology was designed for diagnosing H. parasuis infections and tested against 56 clinical samples. Two sets of primers for LAMP were designed based on the H. parasuis inf B gene sequence. Target DNA was amplified and visualized on agarose gels after 50 min incubation at 63°C. The LAMP amplicon was also directly visualized in the reaction tubes by the naked eye following the addition of SYBR green I. The detection limit of the inf BLAMP method was 10 cfu mL-1, that was 10 times more sensitive than conventional PCR. Furthermore, positive rates of H. parasuis detection using inf B-LAMP were higher (46.4%, 26/56) than the rates obtained with conventional PCR (33.9%, 19/56). inf B-LAMP specificity analysis demonstrated no crossreactivity with any other swine pathogens. In conclusion, inf B-LAMP was more sensitive and faster and could be carried out in the absence of expensive equipment. Furthermore, the visual readout demonstrated great potential for the use of inf B-LAMP in the clinical detection of H. parasuis.Key words: Glässer’s disease, Haemophilus parasuis, inf B, PCR, LAM

Agent-based modeling and neural network for residential customer demand response

In this paper, both bottom-up and top-down models for demand response with agent-base approach and neural networks have been investigated. Simulations have been carried out with practical load data from the UK and Canada. Results show that each approach has its advantages and disadvantages depending on difference application scenarios. © 2013 IEEE

A Novel Load Shedding Strategy Combining Undervoltage and Underfrequency with Considering of High Penetration of Wind Energy

Low carbon emission is one of the main targets for smart grid planning. To achieve this goal, intermittent energies such as wind and solar are integrated to the power systems increasingly. However, this may create huge challenges to the power system operators for balancing the generation and demand at all times and guaranteeing the system reliability at the same time. With high penetration of renewable energies, power system operators are compelled to curtail the loads when the power system cannot rely on power from renewable energies continuously due to strong dependence on the environment. As an important defense to protect the power network from collapsing and to keep the system integrating, load shedding has been designed and proposed for decades. However, most of the shedding schemes consider the load increasing instead of lack of generation. This paper applies a load shedding scheme with considering both voltage and frequency changes when the generation is inadequate since the power system cannot obtain the expected renewable generation and renewable energies are highly penetrated into the grid.State Grid Corporation of Chin

Investigation of the on-axis atom number density in the supersonic gas jet under high gas backing pressure by simulation

The supersonic gas jets from conical nozzles are simulated using 2D model. The on-axis atom number density in gas jet is investigated in detail by comparing the simulated densities with the idealized densities of straight streamline model in scaling laws. It is found that the density is generally lower than the idealized one and the deviation between them is mainly dependent on the opening angle of conical nozzle, the nozzle length and the gas backing pressure. The density deviation is then used to discuss the deviation of the equivalent diameter of a conical nozzle from the idealized deq in scaling laws. The investigation on the lateral expansion of gas jet indicates the lateral expansion could be responsible for the behavior of the density deviation. These results could be useful for the estimation of cluster size and the understanding of experimental results in laser-cluster interaction experiments. (C) 2015 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.1111Ysciescopu

Inference of population splits and mixtures from genome-wide allele frequency data

Many aspects of the historical relationships between populations in a species are reflected in genetic data. Inferring these relationships from genetic data, however, remains a challenging task. In this paper, we present a statistical model for inferring the patterns of population splits and mixtures in multiple populations. In this model, the sampled populations in a species are related to their common ancestor through a graph of ancestral populations. Using genome-wide allele frequency data and a Gaussian approximation to genetic drift, we infer the structure of this graph. We applied this method to a set of 55 human populations and a set of 82 dog breeds and wild canids. In both species, we show that a simple bifurcating tree does not fully describe the data; in contrast, we infer many migration events. While some of the migration events that we find have been detected previously, many have not. For example, in the human data we infer that Cambodians trace approximately 16% of their ancestry to a population ancestral to other extant East Asian populations. In the dog data, we infer that both the boxer and basenji trace a considerable fraction of their ancestry (9% and 25%, respectively) to wolves subsequent to domestication, and that East Asian toy breeds (the Shih Tzu and the Pekingese) result from admixture between modern toy breeds and "ancient" Asian breeds. Software implementing the model described here, called TreeMix, is available at http://treemix.googlecode.comComment: 28 pages, 6 figures in main text. Attached supplement is 22 pages, 15 figures. This is an updated version of the preprint available at http://precedings.nature.com/documents/6956/version/