Network Topologies That Can Achieve Dual Function of Adaptation and Noise Attenuation.

Many signaling systems execute adaptation under circumstances that require noise attenuation. Here, we identify an intrinsic trade-off existing between sensitivity and noise attenuation in the three-node networks. We demonstrate that although fine-tuning timescales in three-node adaptive networks can partially mediate this trade-off in this context, it prolongs adaptation time and imposes unrealistic parameter constraints. By contrast, four-node networks can effectively decouple adaptation and noise attenuation to achieve dual function without a trade-off, provided that these functions are executed sequentially. We illustrate ideas in seven biological examples, including Dictyostelium discoideum chemotaxis and the p53 signaling network and find that adaptive networks are often associated with a noise attenuation module. Our approach may be applicable to finding network design principles for other dual and multiple functions

Noise control and utility: From regulatory network to spatial patterning

Stochasticity (or noise) at cellular and molecular levels has been observed extensively as a universal feature for living systems. However, how living systems deal with noise while performing desirable biological functions remains a major mystery. Regulatory network configurations, such as their topology and timescale, are shown to be critical in attenuating noise, and noise is also found to facilitate cell fate decision. Here we review major recent findings on noise attenuation through regulatory control, the benefit of noise via noise-induced cellular plasticity during developmental patterning, and summarize key principles underlying noise control

A Newly Discovered Late Pleistocene Lower Third Premolar and the High Frequency Occurrence of Tomes’ Root in the Human Fossil Record from China

Dental remains provide crucial evidence for interpreting a populations’ affinity as well as human evolution. Recent studies of fossil human teeth have enriched our current view of morphological variation during the Pleistocene in East Asia. In the present paper, we describe a newly discovered late Pleistocene human tooth, a lower third premolar from the Weijiadong cave in Bijie in south-western China, which is dated around 18-20Ka BP using AMS Carbon 14 dating. The tooth is identified as belonging to an early modern human based on its morphology and size. The Tomes’ root is present in this lower third premolar, one of the non-metrical dental traits developed genetically. Moreover, we examine most of the fossil lower third premolars collected from China, as well as material from several Neolithic and historical human assemblages. We find that the Tomes’ root is very common in Chinese human fossils and occurs in high frequency in Neolithic and historic human remains from China. We suggest the high frequency of Tomes’ root may serve as a non-metric dental trait to support inferences regarding regional continuity of human evolution in East Asia

Liquid biopsy in ovarian cancer in China and the world: current status and future perspectives

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the eighth most common cancer in women, but the mild, non-specific clinical presentation in early stages often prevents diagnosis until progression to advanced-stage disease, contributing to the high mortality associated with OC. While serum cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) has been successfully used as a blood-borne marker and is routinely monitored in patients with OC, CA-125 testing has limitations in sensitivity and specificity and does not provide direct information on important molecular characteristics that can guide treatment decisions, such as homologous recombination repair deficiency. We comprehensively review the literature surrounding methods based on liquid biopsies, which may provide improvements in sensitivity, specificity, and provide valuable additional information to enable early diagnosis, monitoring of recurrence/progression/therapeutic response, and accurate prognostication for patients with OC, highlighting applications of this research in China

One-Pot Synthesis of Bi/Fe3O4 and Its Catalytic Performances for 4-Nitrophenol Reduction

A novel approach was successfully developed for the catalyst Bi-deposited Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles, which was used in the degradation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). The Bi/Fe3O4 composite was prepared via a one-pot process from ferrous sulfate and bismuth chloride using hydrazine hydrate as a reducing agent. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. In the composite pure Fe3O4 particles were synthesized and bismuth particles were well dispersed. The catalytic performances were investigated for the reduction of 4-NP with sodium borohydride. The catalyst has higher activity when Bi/Fe molar ratio is 1:4 in the composite and the rate constant k is about 0.611 min-1. The catalyst has good reusability which can be used 10 cycles without obvious deactivation. Furthermore, the catalyst can be easily separated by an external magnetic field.

Comprehensive analysis of the aldehyde dehydrogenase gene family in Phaseolus vulgaris L. and their response to saline–alkali stress

BackgroundAldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) scavenges toxic aldehyde molecules by catalyzing the oxidation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids. Although ALDH gene family members in various plants have been extensively studied and were found to regulate plant response to abiotic stress, reports on ALDH genes in the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are limited. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of neutral (NS) and basic alkaline (AS) stresses on growth, physiological and biochemical indices, and ALDH activity, ALDH gene expression of common bean. In addition, We used bioinformatics techniques to analyze the physical and chemical properties, phylogenetic relationships, gene replication, collinearity, cis-acting elements, gene structure, motifs, and protein structural characteristics of PvALDH family members.ResultsWe found that both NS and AS stresses weakened the photosynthetic performance of the leaves, induced oxidative stress, inhibited common bean growth, and enhanced the antioxidative system to scavenge reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, we our findings revealed that ALDH in the common bean actively responds to NS or AS stress by inducing the expression of PvALDH genes. In addition, using the established classification criteria and phylogenetic analysis, 27 PvALDHs were identified in the common bean genome, belonging to 10 ALDH families. The primary expansion mode of PvALDH genes was segmental duplication. Cis-acting elemental analysis showed that PvALDHs were associated with abiotic stress and phytohormonal responses. Gene expression analysis revealed that the PvALDH gene expression was tissue-specific. For instance, PvALDH3F1 and PvALDH3H1 were highly expressed in flower buds and flowers, respectively, whereas PvALDH3H2 and PvALDH2B4 were highly expressed in green mature pods and young pods, respectively. PvALDH22A1 and PvALDH11A2 were highly expressed in leaves and young trifoliates, respectively; PvALDH18B2 and PvALDH18B3 were highly expressed in stems and nodules, respectively; and PvALDH2C2 and PvALDH2C3 were highly expressed in the roots. PvALDHs expression in the roots responded positively to NS–AS stress, and PvALDH2C3, PvALDH5F1, and PvALDH10A1 were significantly (P < 0.05) upregulated in the roots.ConclusionThese results indicate that AS stress causes higher levels of oxidative damage than NS stress, resulting in weaker photosynthetic performance and more significant inhibition of common bean growth. The influence of PvALDHs potentially modulates abiotic stress response, particularly in the context of saline–alkali stress. These findings establish a basis for future research into the potential roles of ALDHs in the common bean

Combustion reactivity of ilmenite with coal volatiles under steam gasification atmosphere

学位記番号：理工博甲6

Onboard guidance system design for reusable launch vehicles in the terminal area energy management phase

A terminal area energy management (TAEM) guidance system for an unpowered reusable launch vehicle (RLV) is proposed in this paper. The mathematical model representing the RLV gliding motion is provided, followed by a transformation of extracting the required dynamics for reference profile generation. Reference longitudinal profiles are conceived based on the capability of maximum dive and maximum glide that a RLV can perform. The trajectory is obtained by iterating the motion equations at each node of altitude, where the angle of attack and the flight-path angle are regarded as regulating variables. An onboard ground-track predictor is constructed to generate the current range-to-go and lateral commands online. Although the longitudinal profile generation requires pre-processing using the RLV aerodynamics, the ground-track prediction can be executed online. This makes the guidance scheme adaptable to abnormal conditions. Finally, the guidance law is designed to track the reference commands. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed guidance scheme is capable of guiding the RLV to the desired touchdown conditions

Immunogenicity and Protective Efficacy against Murine Tuberculosis of a Prime-Boost Regimen with BCG and a DNA Vaccine Expressing ESAT-6 and Ag85A Fusion Protein

Heterologous prime-boost regimens utilizing BCG as a prime vaccine probably represent the best hope for the development of novel tuberculosis (TB) vaccines. In this study, we examined the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of DNA vaccine (pcD685A) expressing the fusion protein of Ag85A and ESAT-6 (r685A) and its booster effects in BCG-immunized mice. The recombinant r685A fusion protein stimulated higher level of antigen-specific IFN-γ release in tuberculin skin test- (TST-) positive healthy household contacts of active pulmonary TB patients than that in TST-negative population. Vaccination of C57BL/6 mice with pcD685A resulted in significant protection against challenge with virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv when compared with the control group. Most importantly, pcD685A could act as a BCG booster and amplify Th1-type cell-mediated immunity in the lung of BCG-vaccinated mice as shown the increased expression of IFN-γ. The most significant reduction in bacterial load of both spleen and lung was obtained in mice vaccinated with BCG prime and pcD685A DNA booster when compared with BCG or pcD685A alone. Thus, our study indicates that pcD685A may be an efficient booster vaccine against TB with a strong ability to enhance prior BCG immunity