Design of wavelength division multiplexing devices based on tunable edge states of valley photonic crystals.

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) devices are key photonic integrated circuit (PIC) elements. Conventional WDM devices based on silicon waveguides and photonic crystals have limited transmittance due to the high loss introduced by the strong backward scattering from defects. In addition, it is challenging to reduce the footprint of those devices.

Palladium-Catalyzed Decarbonylative Cyanation of Carboxylic Acids with TMSCN.

The direct decarbonylative cyanation of benzoic acids with TMSCN was achieved through palladium catalysis. By this strategy, a wide range of nitriles including those with functional groups was synthesized in good to high yields. Moreover, this reaction applied to modifying bioactive molecules such as adapalene, probenecid, telmisartan, and 3-methylflavone-8-carboxylic acid.

Unidirectional transmission of visible region topological edge states in hexagonal boron nitride valley photonic crystals.

Here we theoretically design valley photonic crystals (VPCs) based on two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) materials, which are able to support topological edge states in the visible region. The edge states can achieve spin-dependent unidirectional transmission with a high forward transmittance up to 0.96 and a transmission contrast of 0.

Different responses of multifaceted plant diversities of alpine meadow and alpine steppe to nitrogen addition gradients on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), >4000 m known as the "third pole of the earth" and is highly sensitive to nitrogen (N) deposition, understanding the effects of N deposition on multifaceted plant diversity (taxonomy diversity, functional diversity and phylogenetic diversity) in the alpine grasslands of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are vital for the conservation of alpine plant diversity and the sustainability of alpine grasslands ecosystem services. We added N of different gradients to test the effects of soil acidification, soil eutrophication, and phosphorus limitation independently, and interactively on the multifaceted plant richness and evenness in both an alpine meadow and an alpine steppe of the QTP. We found that all the p-value of taxonomy diversity, functional diversity and phylogenetic diversity were >0.

Effects of simulated N deposition on photosynthesis and productivity of key plants from different functional groups of alpine meadow on Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.

Nitrogen (N) deposition may alter physiological process of plants in grassland ecosystem. However, little is known about the response mechanism of individual plants in alpine regions to N deposition. We conducted a field experiment, and three treatments including 0 kg Nhayear (CK), 8 kgNhayear (Low N), and 72 kg N ha year (High N) were established to simulate N deposition in alpine meadow of Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.

Polymer Template Synthesis of Soft, Light, and Robust Oxide Ceramic Films.

Oxide ceramic materials underpin a wide variety of technologies. However, the inherent fragility of these materials limits their use in emerging fields like wearable electronics and soft energy storage devices. Here, we develop a sol-gel electrospinning technique followed by calcination to create a range of oxide ceramic nanofiber films that exhibit significant softness without fragility after various deformations.

Genome-Wide Identification of Cyclophilin Gene Family in Cotton and Expression Analysis of the Fibre Development in .

Cyclophilins (CYPs) are a member of the immunophilin superfamily (in addition to FKBPs and parvulins) and play a significant role in peptidyl-prolyl - isomerase (PPIase) activity. Previous studies have shown that CYPs have important functions in plants, but no genome-wide analysis of the cotton gene family has been reported, and the specific biological function of this gene is still elusive. Based on the release of the cotton genome sequence, we identified 75, 78, 40 and 38 gene sequences from , , , and , respectively; 221 genes were unequally located on chromosomes.

Regulation of Hypertension for Secondary Prevention of Stroke: The Possible 'Bridging Function' of Acupuncture.

Worldwide, stroke is the leading cause of mortality and disability, with hypertension being an independent risk factor for a secondary stroke. Acupuncture for the treatment of hypertension gains more attention in alternative and complementary medicine, but the results are inconsistent. Few studies regarding the secondary prevention of stroke by managing hypertension with acupuncture have been carried out as there are some problems regarding the antihypertensive drug status in the secondary prevention of stroke.

Are land use and short time climate change effective on soil carbon compositions and their relationships with soil properties in alpine grassland ecosystems on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau?

Fencing and grass plantation are two key interventions to preserve the degraded grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). Climate warming and N deposition have substantially affected the alpine grassland ecosystems. However, molecular composition of soil organic carbon (SOC), the indicator of degradation of SOC, and its responses to climate change are still largely unclear.

Effect of Tiaoshen Kaiqiao acupuncture in the treatment of ischemic post-stroke depression: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To observe the effect of Tiaoshen Kaiqiao acupuncture in the treatment of ischemic post-stroke depression.

Methods: This research was a single-blind, positive-controlled trial done in a single entity. Totally 58 patients with ischemic post-stroke depression were randomly divided into two groups.

Effects of warming and nitrogen deposition on CH, CO and NO emissions in alpine grassland ecosystems of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Increases in nitrogen (N) deposition along with climate warming can change the dynamics of carbon and nitrogen in the soil, and alter greenhouse gases (GHGs) fluxes. To examine how N deposition and warming affect GHGs (CH, CO and NO) fluxes in alpine grasslands, we conducted experiments in an alpine meadow (AM), alpine-steppe (AS), and alpine cultivated grassland (CG) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). We simulated N deposition by treating soil with ammonium nitrate (NHNO) (8kgNhayear), a warming treatment using an open top chamber (OTC) was carried out, and a combined treatment of warming and N deposition (8kgNhayear) was conducted.

Identification and characterization of histone lysine methylation modifiers in Fragaria vesca.

The diploid woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) is an important model for fruit crops because of several unique characteristics including the small genome size, an ethylene-independent fruit ripening process, and fruit flesh derived from receptacle tissues rather than the ovary wall which is more typical of fruiting plants. Histone methylation is an important factor in gene regulation in higher plants but little is known about its roles in fruit development. We have identified 45 SET methyltransferase, 22 JmjC demethylase and 4 LSD demethylase genes in F.

Characterization of DNA methyltransferase and demethylase genes in Fragaria vesca.

DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification essential for gene regulations in plants, but understanding on how it is involved in fruit development, especially in non-climacteric fleshy fruit, is limited. The diploid woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) is an important model for non-climacteric fruit crops. In this study, we identified DNA methyltransferase genes and demethylase genes in Fragaria vesca and other angiosperm species.

Novel two-step method to form silk fibroin fibrous hydrogel.

Hydrogels prepared by silk fibroin solution have been studied. However, mimicking the nanofibrous structures of extracellular matrix for fabricating biomaterials remains a challenge. Here, a novel two-step method was applied to prepare fibrous hydrogels using regenerated silk fibroin solution containing nanofibrils in a range of tens to hundreds of nanometers.

The effects of co-administration of butter on the absorption, metabolism and excretion of catechins in rats after oral administration of tea polyphenols.

In Southwest China, tea polyphenols are usually utilized by way of butter tea. Tea polyphenols inhibit the absorption and biosynthesis of fatty acids in vivo, but the effects of butter on the pharmacokinetics of tea polyphenols have drawn less concern. A rapid UHPLC-MS/MS method was used to quantitatively determine the catechins in the plasma, feces and bile of rats after the oral administration of tea polyphenol or its combination with butter.

Exploring the desumoylation process of SENP1: a study combined MD simulations with QM/MM calculations on SENP1-SUMO1-RanGAP1.

The small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO)-specific protease (SENP) processes SUMOs to mature forms and deconjugates them from various modified substrates. Loss of the equilibrium from desumoylation catalyzed by abnormal SENP1 is associated with cancers and transcription factor activity. In spite of the significant role of SENP1, the molecular basis of its desumoylation remains unclear.

Proteomics-based identification of two novel direct targets of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 and their potential roles in migration/invasion of cancer cells.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), consisting of oxygen-sensitive HIF-1alpha and constitutively expressed HIF-1beta subunits, is a master transcriptional activator for cellular response to hypoxia. To explore direct HIF-1 targets, here we used differential gel electrophoresis (DIGE) to compare the HIF-1-regulated proteins between leukemic U937T-cell line with and without conditional induction of HIF-1alpha protein by tetracycline-off system. Among the upregulated proteins identified, mRNA levels of annexin A1, macrophage-capping protein (CapG), S100 calcium-binding protein A4 (S100A4), S100A11, acyl-CoA-binding protein and calcyclin-binding protein also increased.

NDRG1 is down-regulated in the early apoptotic event induced by camptothecin analogs: the potential role in proteolytic activation of PKC delta and apoptosis.

We previously reported that NSC606985, a new camptothecin analog, induces apoptosis of acute myeloid leukemic cells, which is triggered by proteolytic activation of protein kinase C delta (PKC delta). Here, we performed quantitative proteomic analysis of NSC606985-treated and untreated leukemic U937 cells with two-dimensional fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis (2-D DIGE) in combination with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight/time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. Thirty-three proteins were found to be deregulated.

NDRG1 contributes to retinoic acid-induced differentiation of leukemic cells.

N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) protein has been shown to be up-regulated during leukemic cell differentiation induced by some differentiation-inducing agents such as all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). However, the potential role of up-regulated NDRG1 in the event is greatly unknown. In this work, we show that inducible NDRG1 expression can drive leukemic U937 cells to undergo differentiation, while the knock-down of NDRG1 expression by specific small interfering RNA significantly antagonizes ATRA-induced differentiation of leukemic cells, proposing the role of NDRG1 in leukemic cell differentiation.

Comparative proteomic analysis of hypoxia-treated and untreated human leukemic U937 cells.

We reported recently that moderate hypoxia and hypoxia-mimetic agents could induce growth arrest and differentiation of leukemic cells via the mediation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1alpha), but the exact molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, human acute promonocytic leukemic U937 cells were incubated under 2% O2 or in 50 microM of the hypoxia mimetic agent cobalt chloride (CoCl2) and normal oxygen for 24 h, and their protein expression profiles were compared by 2-DE coupled with MALDI-TOF/TOF MS/MS. We identified 62 and 16 proteins that were significantly deregulated by hypoxia and CoCl2 treatment, respectively.

[Application of image identification technology to the analysis system of gene chip and image processing by VB].

Because of the anomalous points distributed in the image, gene chip is hard to be distinguished effectively in fact. This article offers some arithmetic of image processing by VB such as increasing contrast, self-adapt thresholds, two-values and searching for spares and disperse templet which can distinguish all kinds of gene chip quickly, well and truly.