ENDORSING SENSE OF IDENTITY FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS’ ENGLISH LANGUAGE PERFORMANCE

Triggered by the lack of students’ sense of identity in English regular class effects their language achievement, this research aimed at developing a kind of teaching mode for building students’ sense of identity with a series of teaching activities. Targeted at 55 non-English major students for one semester, the experiment was to explain the effectiveness of this kind of mode in endorsing student’s sense of identity. Here, the researcher used teaching observation and students’ feedback to collect the data. It revealed that the kind of mode can help improve students’ sense of identity, intrigue their interest, and improve their English learning efficiency

ENDORSING SENSE OF IDENTITY FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS’ ENGLISH LANGUAGE PERFORMANCE

Triggered by the lack of students’ sense of identity in English regular class effects their language achievement, this research aimed at developing a kind of teaching mode for building students’ sense of identity with a series of teaching activities. Targeted at 55 non-English major students for one semester, the experiment was to explain the effectiveness of this kind of mode in endorsing student’s sense of identity. Here, the researcher used teaching observation and students’ feedback to collect the data. It revealed that the kind of mode can help improve students’ sense of identity, intrigue their interest, and improve their English learning efficiency.Keywords: sense of identity, college English, regular class, English class, teaching researc

Small-scale fluctuation and scaling law of mixing in three-dimensional rotating turbulent Rayleigh-Taylor instability

The effect of rotation on small-scale characteristics and scaling law in the mixing zone of the three-dimensional turbulent Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) is investigated by the lattice Boltzmann method at small Atwood number. The mixing zone width h ( t ) , the root mean square of small scale fluctuation, the spectra, and the structure functions are obtained to analyze the rotating effect. We mainly focus on the process of the development of plumes and discuss the physical mechanism in the mixing zone in rotating and nonrotating systems. The variation of kinetic energy spectra E u and temperature energy spectra E θ with the dimensionless rotation Ω τ demonstrate the suppression effect of rotation. Two scaling laws between the mixing layer width h ( t ) and dimensionless time t / τ are obtained at various Coriolis forces( √ h ( t ) ≃ t 0.9 and √ h ( t ) ≃ t 0.35 ). The rotation increasingly suppresses the growth of the mixing layer width h ( t ) . The velocity and temperature fluctuations are also suppressed by the rotation effect. The relation between the Nusselt number (Nu) and the Rayleigh number (Ra) indicates that the heat transfer is suppressed by the rotation effect in the rotating RT system. The width of the inertial subrange increasingly narrows with increasing Ω τ

Pt nanowire growth induced by Pt nanoparticles in application of the cathodes for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs)

Improving cathode performance at a lower Pt loading is critical in commercial PEMFC applications. A novel Pt nanowire (Pt-NW) cathode was developed by in-situ growth of Pt nanowires in carbon matrix consisting Pt nanoparticles (Pt-NPs). Characterization of TEM and XRD shows that the pre-existing Pt-NPs from Pt/C affect Pt-NW morphology and crystallinity and Pt profile crossing the matrix thickness. The cathode with Pt-NP loading of 0.005 mgPt-NP cm−2 and total cathode Pt loading of 0.205 mgPt cm−2 has the specific current density of 89.56 A gPt−1 at 0.9 V, which is about 110% higher than that of 42.58 A gPt−1 of the commercial gas diffusion layer (GDE) with Pt loading of 0.40 mg cm−2. When cell voltage is below 0.48 V, the Pt-NW cathode has better performance than the commercial GDE. It is believed that the excellent performance of the Pt-NW cathode is attributed to Pt-NP induction, therefore producing unique Pt-NW structure and efficient Pt utilization. A Pt-NW growth mechanism was proposed that Pt precursor diffuses into the matrix consisting of pre-existent Pt-NPs by concentration driving, and Pt-NPs provide priority sites for platinum depositing at early stage and facilitate Pt-NW growth

Phylogeny and taxonomy on cryptic species of forked ferns of asia

Cryptic species comprise two or more taxa that are grounded under a single name because they are more-or-less indistinguishable morphologically. These species are potentially important for detailed assessments of biodiversity, but there now appear to be many more cryptic species than previously estimated. One taxonomic group likely to contain many cryptic species is Dicranopteris, a genus of forked ferns that occurs commonly along roadsides in Asia. The genus has a complex taxonomical history, and D. linearis has been particularly challenging with many intra-specific taxa dubiously erected to accommodate morphological variation that lacks clear discontinuities. To resolve species boundaries within Dicranopteris, we applied a molecular phylogenetic approach as complementary to morphology. Specifically, we used five chloroplast gene regions (rbcL, atpB, rps4, matK, and trnL-trnF) to generate a well-resolved phylogeny based on 37 samples representing 13 taxa of Dicranopteris, spanning the major distributional area in Asia. The results showed that Dicranopteris consists of ten highly supported clades, and D. linearis is polyphyletic, suggesting cryptic diversity within the species. Further through morphological comparison, we certainly erected Dicranopteris austrosinensis Y.H. Yan & Z.Y. Wei sp. nov. and Dicranopteris baliensis Y.H. Yan & Z.Y. Wei sp. nov. as distinct species and proposed five new combinations. We also inferred that the extant diversity of the genus Dicranopteris may result from relatively recent diversification in the Miocene based on divergence time dating. Overall, our study not only provided additional insights on the Gleicheniaceae tree of life, but also served as a case of integrating molecular and morphological approaches to elucidate cryptic diversity in taxonomically difficult groups

Chloroplast genome structure analysis of Equisetum unveils phylogenetic relationships to ferns and mutational hotspot region

Equisetum is one of the oldest extant group vascular plants and is considered to be the key to understanding vascular plant evolution. Equisetum is distributed almost all over the world and has a high degree of adaptability to different environments. Despite the fossil record of horsetails (Equisetum, Equisetaceae) dating back to the Carboniferous, the phylogenetic relationship of this genus is not well, and the chloroplast evolution in Equisetum remains poorly understood. In order to fill this gap, we sequenced, assembled, and annotated the chloroplast genomes of 12 species of Equisetum, and compared them to 13 previously published vascular plants chloroplast genomes to deeply examine the plastome evolutionary dynamics of Equisetum. The chloroplast genomes have a highly conserved quadripartite structure across the genus, but these chloroplast genomes have a lower GC content than other ferns. The size of Equisetum plastomes ranges from 130,773 bp to 133,684 bp and they encode 130 genes. Contraction/expansion of IR regions and the number of simple sequences repeat regions underlie large genomic variations in size among them. Comparative analysis revealed we also identified 13 divergence hotspot regions. Additionally, the genes accD and ycf1 can be used as potential DNA barcodes for the identification and phylogeny of the genus Equisetum. Twelve photosynthesis-related genes were specifically selected in Equisetum. Comparative genomic analyses implied divergent evolutionary patterns between Equisetum and other ferns. Phylogenomic analyses and molecular dating revealed a relatively distant phylogenetic relationship between Equisetum and other ferns, supporting the division of pteridophyte into Lycophytes, Equisetaceae and ferns. The results show that the chloroplast genome can be used to solve phylogenetic problems within or between Equisetum species, and also provide genomic resources for the study of Equisetum systematics and evolution

Menin Deficiency Leads to Depressive-like Behaviors in Mice by Modulating Astrocyte-Mediated Neuroinflammation

厦门大学医学院、神经科学研究所张杰教授团队发现了抑郁症新的致病基因MEN1，并阐明了MEN1调控星形胶质细胞炎症导致抑郁发生发展的新机制，为抑郁症的诊治提供了新靶点和方向。抑郁症是严重威胁人类健康的重大神经系统疾病，危及全球30%的人口。但对其发病机制并不清楚。张杰教授团队发现，在慢性不可预测以及LPS处理的模拟抑郁小鼠模型中，多发性内分泌肿瘤蛋白(menin)在大脑中的表达显著降低，并且在星形胶质细胞中降低最明显。为了研究menin是否参与了小鼠抑郁表型的产生，研究团队制作了多种神经系统menin条件性敲除小鼠。通过对这些小鼠行为学的检测，锁定了只有在星形胶质细胞中敲除menin后，小鼠才会表现出抑郁样表型。证实了menin可能是通过调控星形胶质细胞的功能促进了抑郁的发生。 MEN1基因的突变会导致多发性内分泌肿瘤，而内分泌的紊乱和抑郁等精神疾病有着密切的联系。下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴（HPA轴）的功能紊乱直接参与了抑郁的产生。基于此研究团队推测MEN1的基因突变是否也会导致抑郁的发生。通过和中国医学科学院基础所的许琪教授合作，研究团队对1000多例重度抑郁患者和800多例对照人群进行了MEN1基因的外显子测序。通过测序发现MEN1的一个SNP s375804228和抑郁的发生有着显著关联。该SNP导致menin第503位的氨基酸由G突变成D。通过功能研究进一步证实该突变可以阻断menin和p65的结合，从而过度激活NF-κB-IL-1β通路，导致神经炎症的发生。 张杰，厦门大学特聘教授、博士生导师。国家优秀青年科学基金；教育部新世纪优秀人才；福建省杰出青年科学基金；厦门市五四青年奖章等获得者。2011年8月加入厦门大学医学院神经科学研究所担任教授至今。张杰博士主要从事重大神经系统疾病（老年痴呆、帕金森、抑郁症、自闭症、术后认知障碍、胶质瘤）等的发病机制和药物开发研究。至今以第一作者或者通讯作者在国际知名期刊发表研究论文21篇。其中回国独立开展研究工作以后，作为通讯作者在 Neuron，Cell Reports, PNAS, The Journal of Neuroscience, Clinical Cancer Research，Cell Death and Disease, JBC, Chemistry，Chem. Biol. Drug Des.等杂志上发表多篇研究论文。【Abstract】Astrocyte dysfunction and inflammation are associated with the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the mechanisms underlying these effects remain largely unknown. Here, we found that multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (Men1; protein: menin) expression is attenuated in the brain of mice exposed to CUMS (chronic unpredictable mild stress) or lipopolysaccharide. Astrocyte-specific reduction of Men1 (GcKO) led to depressive-like behaviors in mice. We observed enhanced NF-κB activation and IL-1β production with menin deficiency in astrocytes, where depressive-like behaviors in GcKO mice were restored by NF-κB inhibitor or IL-1β receptor antagonist. Importantly, we identified a SNP, rs375804228, in human MEN1, where G503D substitution is associated with a higher risk of MDD onset. G503D substitution abolished menin-p65 interactions, thereby enhancing NF-κB activation and IL-1β production. Our results reveal a distinct astroglial role for menin in regulating neuroinflammation in depression, indicating that menin may be an attractive therapeutic target in MDD.We thank Prof. Guanghui Jin (Xiamen University) and Prof. Xianxin Hua (University of Pennsylvania) for providing the Men1-floxp mice. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grants 81522016, 81271421, and 31571055 to J.Z.; 81625008 and 31430048 to Q.X.; 81630026 to Z.Y.; 81771163 and U1405222 to H.X.; U1505227 to G.B.; 81472725 to W.M.), the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China (grant 2013J01147 and 2014J06019 to J.Z.), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (grants 20720150062 and 20720180049 to J.Z.), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC1305903), and CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (grant 2016I2M1004 to Q.X.).研究工作得到国家自然科学基金项目（81522016、81271421、31571055）以及厦门大学校长基金等资助

NudC L279P Mutation Destabilizes Filamin A by Inhibiting the Hsp90 Chaperoning Pathway and Suppresses Cell Migration

Filamin A, the first discovered non-muscle actin filament cross-linking protein, plays a crucial role in regulating cell migration that participates in diverse cellular and developmental processes. However, the regulatory mechanism of filamin A stability remains unclear. Here, we find that nuclear distribution gene C (NudC), a cochaperone of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), is required to stabilize filamin A in mammalian cells. Immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry and western blotting analyses reveal that NudC interacts with filamin A. Overexpression of human NudC-L279P (an evolutionarily conserved mutation in NudC that impairs its chaperone activity) not only decreases the protein level of filamin A but also results in actin disorganization and the suppression of cell migration. Ectopic expression of filamin A is able to reverse these defects induced by the overexpression of NudC-L279P. Furthermore, Hsp90 forms a complex with filamin A. The inhibition of Hsp90 ATPase activity by either geldanamycin or radicicol decreases the protein stability of filamin A. In addition, ectopic expression of Hsp90 efficiently restores NudC-L279P overexpression-induced protein stability and functional defects of filamin A. Taken together, these data suggest NudC L279P mutation destabilizes filamin A by inhibiting the Hsp90 chaperoning pathway and suppresses cell migration