Analytical Study on the Tidal Wave Propagation Coupled with Vertical Leakage from a Vertically Heterogeneous Aquitard in a Coastal Leaky Aquifer System

AbstractAnalytical studies on the tidal wave propagation in a coastal leaky aquifer commonly assume that the low-permeability aquitard is homogeneous. The aquitard is, however, vertically heterogeneous in nature due to varying soil types along the burial depth as can be frequently seen from borehole logs. In this study, an innovative analytical model is developed to explore the vertical heterogeneity in aquitard hydraulic conductivity (K) and specific storage (Ss) on the tidal wave propagation coupling with vertical leakage from the aquitard. The novelty behind the newly derived analytical solution is attributed to the fact that the aquitard along the burial depth can be divided into any number of homogeneous zones, each of which is associated with distinct K and Ss values, so that arbitrary vertical heterogeneity pattern of aquitard K and Ss can be captured. Theoretical analysis results reveal that an interlayer within the aquitard with a smaller K can significantly enhance the amplitude and phase shift of periodic groundwater head fluctuations in the leaky aquifer, while a larger Ss of the interlayer will weaken the amplitude and phase shift provided a relatively small aquitard K. Buried locations of the interlayer also implement nonnegligible effects on the tidal wave propagation. For the scenario of exponentially decaying aquitard K and Ss, which is commonly encountered for a thick aquitard, a larger decay exponent results in smaller amplitude and phase shift. This analytical study highlights the importance of vertical aquitard heterogeneity on tidal wave propagation in a coastal leaky aquifer system

Dissection of three quantitative trait loci for grain size on the long arm of chromosome 10 in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Background Thousand grain weight is a key component of grain yield in rice, and a trait closely related to grain length (GL) and grain width (GW) that are important traits for grain quality. Causal genes for 16 quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting these traits have been cloned, but more QTL remain to be characterized for establishing a genetic regulating network. A QTL controlling grain size in rice, qGS10, was previously mapped in the interval RM6100–RM228 on chromosome 10. This study aimed to delimitate this QTL to a more precise location. Method A total of 12 populations were used. The ZC9 population comprised 203 S1:2 families derived from a residual heterozygous (RH) plant in the F9 generation of the indica rice cross Teqing (TQ)/IRBB52, segregating the upper region of RM6100–RM228 and three more regions on chromosomes 1, 9, and 11. The Ti52-1 population comprised 171 S1 plants derived from one RH plant in F7 of TQ/IRBB52, segregating a single interval that was in the lower portion of RM6100–RM228. The other ten populations were all derived from Ti52-1, including five S1 populations with sequential segregating regions covering the target region and five near isogenic line (NIL) populations maintaining the same segregating pattern. QTL analysis for 1,000-grain weight, GL, and GW was performed using QTL IciMapping and SAS procedure GLM. Result Three QTL were separated in the original qGS10 region. The qGL10.1 was located in the upper region RM6704–RM3773, shown to affect GL only. The qGS10.1 was located within a 207.1-kb interval flanked by InDel markers Te20811 and Te21018, having a stable and relatively high effect on all the three traits analyzed. The qGS10.2 was located within a 1.2-Mb interval flanked by simple sequence repeat markers RM3123 and RM6673. This QTL also affected all the three traits but the effect was inconsistent across different experiments. QTL for grain size were also detected in all the other three segregating regions. Conclusion Three QTL for grain size that were tightly linked on the long arm of chromosome 10 of rice were separated using NIL populations with sequential segregating regions. One of them, qGS10.1, had a stable and relatively high effect on grain weight, GL, and GW, providing a good candidate for gene cloning. Another QTL, qGS10.2, had a significant effect on all the three traits but the effect was inconsistent across different experiments, providing an example of genotype-by-environmental interaction

Bottom-up synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene sheets for ultrafast lithium storage

National Natural Science Foundation of China for Innovative Research Group [51221462]; Jiangsu Ordinary University Graduate Innovative Research Programs [CXZZ12_0943, CXZZ13_0952]; Jiangsu Planned Projects for Postdoctoral Research Funds [1201030C]; Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education InstitutionsA facile bottom-up strategy was developed to fabricate nitrogen-doped graphene sheets (NGSs) from glucose using a sacrificial template synthesis method. Three main types of nitrogen dopants (pyridinic, pyrrolic and graphitic nitrogens) were introduced into the graphene lattice, and an inimitable microporous structure of NGS with a high specific surface area of 504 m(2) g(-1) was obtained. Particularly, with hybrid features of lithium ion batteries and Faradic capacitors at a low rate and features of Faradic capacitors at a high rate, the NGS presents a superior lithium storage performance. During electrochemical cycling, the NGS electrode afforded an enhanced reversible capacity of 832.4 mA h g(-1) at 100 mA g(-1) and an excellent cycling stability of 750.7 mA h g(-1) after 108 discharge-charge cycles. Furthermore, an astonishing rate capability of 333 mA h g(-1) at 10 000 mA g(-1) and a high rate cycle performance of 280.6 mA h g(-1) even after 1200 cycles were also achieved, highlighting the significance of nitrogen doping on the maximum utilization of graphene-based materials for advanced lithium storage

Treadmill Exercise Reverses Depression Model-Induced Alteration of Dendritic Spines in the Brain Areas of Mood Circuit

Depression is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders. Exercise has been shown to be effective in the amelioration of depression, but the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Alterations in the density and morphology of dendritic spines are associated with psychiatric diseases. Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) is an established animal model of depression. The aim of this study was to determine whether treadmill exercise reverses CUMS-induced both depression-like behaviors and alterations in spine density and morphology of the principal neurons in the brain areas of the mood circuits including the hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), nucleus accumbens (NAc) and basolateral amygdala (BLA). Male rats were randomly divided into four groups: control, CUMS, exercise, and CUMS+exercise. CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors were evaluated by the sucrose preference test (SPT). Golgi staining was used to visualize dendritic spines. Our results showed that CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors characterized by a decrease in sucrose consumption were accompanied by a decrease in spine density and a change in spine morphology in the pyramidal neurons of both the hippocampal CA3 area and the mPFC, and an increase in spine density and an alteration in spine shape in both the NAc medium spiny neurons (MSNs) and the BLA neurons; exercise reversed both CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors and alterations in dendritic spines. This study provides important information for understanding the mechanism through which exercise ameliorates CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors

Exome Sequencing Identifies TENM4 as a Novel Candidate Gene for Schizophrenia in the SCZD2 Locus at 11q14-21

Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder with high genetic heterogeneity, however, the contribution of rare mutations to the disease etiology remains to be further elucidated. We herein performed exome sequencing in a Han Chinese schizophrenia family and identified a missense mutation (c.6724C>T, p.R2242C) in the teneurin transmembrane protein 4 (TENM4) gene in the SCZD2 locus, a region previously linked to schizophrenia at 11q14-21. The mutation was confirmed to co-segregate with the schizophrenia phenotype in the family. Subsequent investigation of TENM4 exons 31, 32, and 33 adjacent to the p.R2242C mutation revealed two additional missense mutations in 120 sporadic schizophrenic patients. Residues mutated in these mutations, which are predicted to be deleterious to protein function, were highly conserved among vertebrates. These rare mutations were not detected in 1000 Genomes, NHLBI Exome Sequencing Project databases, or our in-house 1136 non-schizophrenic control exomes. Analysis of RNA-Seq data showed that TENM4 is expressed in the brain with high abundance and specificity. In line with the important role of TENM4 in central nervous system development, our findings suggested that increased rare variants in TENM4 could be associated with schizophrenia, and thus TENM4 could be a novel candidate gene for schizophrenia in the SCZD2 locus

Genomic and oncogenic preference of HBV integration in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) can integrate into the human genome, contributing to genomic instability and hepatocarcinogenesis. Here by conducting high-throughput viral integration detection and RNA sequencing, we identify 4,225 HBV integration events in tumour and adjacent non-tumour samples from 426 patients with HCC. We show that HBV is prone to integrate into rare fragile sites and functional genomic regions including CpG islands. We observe a distinct pattern in the preferential sites of HBV integration between tumour and non-tumour tissues. HBV insertional sites are significantly enriched in the proximity of telomeres in tumours. Recurrent HBV target genes are identified with few that overlap. The overall HBV integration frequency is much higher in tumour genomes of males than in females, with a significant enrichment of integration into chromosome 17. Furthermore, a cirrhosis-dependent HBV integration pattern is observed, affecting distinct targeted genes. Our data suggest that HBV integration has a high potential to drive oncogenic transformation

Pentagon-Fused Hollow Fullerene in C-78 Family Retrieved by Chlorination

通讯作者地址: Xie, SY (通讯作者), Xiamen Univ, Coll Chem & Chem Engn, State Key Lab Phys Chem Solid Surfaces, Xiamen 361005, Peoples R China 地址: 1. Xiamen Univ, Coll Chem & Chem Engn, State Key Lab Phys Chem Solid Surfaces, Xiamen 361005, Peoples R China 2. Xiamen Univ, Coll Chem & Chem Engn, Dept Chem, Xiamen 361005, Peoples R China 3. Wuhan Univ, Dept Chem, Minist Educ, Key Lab Analyt Chem Biol & Med, Wuhan 430072, Peoples R ChinaC-78 is one of the most widely investigated higher fullerenes. Among its huge isomer family, only one non-IPR (IPR = isolated pentagon ring) cage, the C-2-symmetric C-#22010(78), was previously stabilized by endohedral derivatization. Here we report a new C-1-symmetric non-IPR hollow isomer, C-#23863(78), which was captured as (C78Cl8)-C-#23863 and then subjected to a regioselective substitution reaction with benzyl hydroperoxide to form C-#23863(78)(OOCH2C6H5)Cl-7. The structural connectivity of C-#23863(78), which contains a pair of fused pentagons, was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of the C-#23863(78)(OOCH2C6H5)Cl-7 molecule, which shares the same fullerene core with (C78Cl8)-C-#23863, support for the structure is provided by comparable IR measurements and computation. Theoretical studies suggest that the differences in C-Cl bond length, intermediate stability, and steric effects of the involved molecules account for the chemical regioselectivity of the substitution reaction.NNSF of China 20525103,20721001 ,20625516 973 Program 2007CB81530

Genomic Analyses Reveal Mutational Signatures and Frequently Altered Genes in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and the fourth most lethal cancer in China. However, although genomic studies have identified some mutations associated with ESCC, we know little of the mutational processes responsible. To identify genome-wide mutational signatures, we performed either whole-genome sequencing (WGS) or whole-exome sequencing (WES) on 104 ESCC individuals and combined our data with those of 88 previously reported samples. An APOBEC-mediated mutational signature in 47% of 192 tumors suggests that APOBEC-catalyzed deamination provides a source of DNA damage in ESCC. Moreover, PIK3CA hotspot mutations (c.1624G>A [p.Glu542Lys] and c.1633G>A [p.Glu545Lys]) were enriched in APOBEC-signature tumors, and no smoking-associated signature was observed in ESCC. In the samples analyzed by WGS, we identified focal (<100 kb) amplifications of CBX4 and CBX8. In our combined cohort, we identified frequent inactivating mutations in AJUBA, ZNF750, and PTCH1 and the chromatin-remodeling genes CREBBP and BAP1, in addition to known mutations. Functional analyses suggest roles for several genes (CBX4, CBX8, AJUBA, and ZNF750) in ESCC. Notably, high activity of hedgehog signaling and the PI3K pathway in approximately 60% of 104 ESCC tumors indicates that therapies targeting these pathways might be particularly promising strategies for ESCC. Collectively, our data provide comprehensive insights into the mutational signatures of ESCC and identify markers for early diagnosis and potential therapeutic targets