Route Selection and Distribution Cost of Express Delivery: An Urban Metro Network Based Study

Route selection and distribution costs of express delivery based on the urban metro network, referred to as metro express delivery (MeD), is addressed in this study. Considering the characteristics of express delivery transportation and the complexity of the urban metro network, three distribution modes of different time periods are proposed and a strict integrated integer linear programming model is developed to minimize total distribution costs. To effectively solve the optimal problem, a standard genetic algorithm was improved and designed. Finally, the Ningbo subway network is used as an example to confirm the practicability and effectiveness of the model and algorithm. The results show that when the distribution number of express delivery packages is 1980, the three different MeD modes can reduce transportation costs by 40.5%, 62.0%, and 59.0%, respectively. The results of the case analysis will help guide express companies to collaborate with the urban metro network and choose the corresponding delivery mode according to the number of express deliveries required

ChickVD: a sequence variation database for the chicken genome

Working in parallel with the efforts to sequence the chicken (Gallus gallus) genome, the Beijing Genomics Institute led an international team of scientists from China, USA, UK, Sweden, The Netherlands and Germany to map extensive DNA sequence variation throughout the chicken genome by sampling DNA from domestic breeds. Using the Red Jungle Fowl genome sequence as a reference, we identified 3.1 million non-redundant DNA sequence variants. To facilitate the application of our data to avian genetics and to provide a foundation for functional and evolutionary studies, we created the ‘Chicken Variation Database’ (ChickVD). A graphical MapView shows variants mapped onto the chicken genome in the context of gene annotations and other features, including genetic markers, trait loci, cDNAs, chicken orthologs of human disease genes and raw sequence traces. ChickVD also stores information on quantitative trait loci using data from collaborating institutions and public resources. Our data can be queried by search engine and homology-based BLAST searches. ChickVD is publicly accessible at http://chicken.genomics.org.cn

SilkDB: a knowledgebase for silkworm biology and genomics

The Silkworm Knowledgebase (SilkDB) is a web-based repository for the curation, integration and study of silkworm genetic and genomic data. With the recent accomplishment of a ∼6X draft genome sequence of the domestic silkworm (Bombyx mori), SilkDB provides an integrated representation of the large-scale, genome-wide sequence assembly, cDNAs, clusters of expressed sequence tags (ESTs), transposable elements (TEs), mutants, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and functional annotations of genes with assignments to InterPro domains and Gene Ontology (GO) terms. SilkDB also hosts a set of ESTs from Bombyx mandarina, a wild progenitor of B.mori, and a collection of genes from other Lepidoptera. Comparative analysis results between the domestic and wild silkworm, between B.mori and other Lepidoptera, and between B.mori and the two sequenced insects, fruitfly and mosquito, are displayed by using B.mori genome sequence as a reference framework. Designed as a basic platform, SilkDB strives to provide a comprehensive knowledgebase about the silkworm and present the silkworm genome and related information in systematic and graphical ways for the convenience of in-depth comparative studies. SilkDB is publicly accessible at http://silkworm.genomics.org.cn

Comparative Genomics Study of Multi-Drug-Resistance Mechanisms in the Antibiotic-Resistant Streptococcus suis R61 Strain

BACKGROUND: Streptococcus suis infections are a serious problem for both humans and pigs worldwide. The emergence and increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant S. suis strains pose significant clinical and societal challenges. RESULTS: In our study, we sequenced one multi-drug-resistant S. suis strain, R61, and one S. suis strain, A7, which is fully sensitive to all tested antibiotics. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that the R61 strain is phylogenetically distinct from other S. suis strains, and the genome of R61 exhibits extreme levels of evolutionary plasticity with high levels of gene gain and loss. Our results indicate that the multi-drug-resistant strain R61 has evolved three main categories of resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Comparative genomic analysis of S. suis strains with diverse drug-resistant phenotypes provided evidence that horizontal gene transfer is an important evolutionary force in shaping the genome of multi-drug-resistant strain R61. In this study, we discovered novel and previously unexamined mutations that are strong candidates for conferring drug resistance. We believe that these mutations will provide crucial clues for designing new drugs against this pathogen. In addition, our work provides a clear demonstration that the use of drugs has driven the emergence of the multi-drug-resistant strain R61

Deferoxamine preconditioning ameliorates mechanical ventilation-induced lung injury in rat model via ROS in alveolar macrophages: a randomized controlled study

Abstract Background Mechanical ventilation (MV) can provide effective breathing support; however, ventilatior-induced lung injury (VILI) has also been widely recognized in clinical practice, including in the healthy lung. Unfortunately, the morbidity and mortality of VILI remain unacceptably high, and no satisfactory therapeutic effect can be achieved. The current study aimed to examine the effects of iron chelator preconditioning on the mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) in alveolar macrophages and pathological lung injury in VILI. Methods Twenty four healthy male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats (250–300 g in weight) were randomly divided into 3 groups, including the control group (NC group, n = 8), the high-volume mechanical ventilation group (HV group, n = 8), and the deferoxamine treatment group (HV + DFO group, n = 8). Rats in the HV and HV + DFO groups were subjected to high-volume MV at a dose of 40 ml/kg. DFO was administered at a dose of 200 mg/kg 15 min prior to over-ventilation. Spontaneously breathing anesthetized rats were used as the controls. The animals were sacrificed after 4 h of high-volume ventilation or under control conditions, the animals were sacrificed. Purified alveolar macrophages from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were collected for further analysis through light microscopy and flow cytometry. Results Compared with the controls, the high-volume-ventilated rats had exhibited typical lung edema and histological lung injury, and ROS were markedly increased in alveolar macrophages and mitochondria. Moreover, all indices of VILI were remarkably different in rats treated with DFO preconditioning. DFO could ameliorate lung injury in the mechanically ventilated SD rat model. Conclusions DFO preconditioning contributes to mitigating the histological lung damage while reducing ROS levels in alveolar macrophages and mitochondria, suggesting that iron metabolism in alveolar macrophages may participate in VILI

A Lanthanide-Complex-Based Ratiometric Luminescent Probe Specific for Peroxynitrite

A lanthanide-complex-based ratiometric luminescence probe specific for peroxynitrite (ONOO-), 4'-(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2,2':6',2 ''-terpyridine- 6,6 ''-diyl]bis(methylenenitrilo)tetrakis-(acetate)-Eu3+/Tb3+ ([Eu3+/Tb3+ (DTTA)]), has been designed and synthesized. Both [Eu3+(DTTA)] and [Tb3+(DTTA)] are highly water soluble with large stability constants at approximate to 10(20), and strongly luminescent with luminescence quantum yields of 10.0 and 9.9%, respectively, and long luminescence lifetimes of 1.38 and 0.26 ms, respectively. It was found that the luminescence of [Tb3+(DTTA)] could be quenched by ONOO- rapidly and specifically in aqueous buffers, while that of [Eu3+(DTTA)] did not respond to the addition of ONOO-. Thus, by simply mixing [Eu3+(DTTA)] and [Tb3+(DTTA)] in an aqueous buffer, a ratiometric luminescence probe specific for time-gated luminescence detection of ONOO- was obtained. The performance of [Tb3+(DTTA).] and [Eu3+/Tb3+(DTTA)] as the probes for luminescence imaging detection of ONOO- in living cells was investigated. The results demonstrated the efficacy and advantages of the new ratiometric luminescence probe for highly sensitive luminescence bioimaging application