Three bufadienolides induce cell death in the human lung cancer cell line CL1-5 mainly through autophagy.

The effects of 3 bufadienolides, namely kalantuboside B, kalantuboside A, and bryotoxin C, isolated from Kalanchoe tubiflora (Harvey) were evaluated and characterized in CL1-5 highly metastatic human lung cancer cells. In contrast to their apoptosis-promoting activity in other cancer cells, these bufadienolides only slight or did not induce apoptosis in CL1-5 cancer cells. Instead, they activated an autophagy pathway, as indicated by increased autophagosome formation.

Investigation of the Impact of Infrared Sensors on Core Body Temperature Monitoring by Comparing Measurement Sites.

Many types of thermometers have been developed to measure body temperature. Infrared thermometers (IRT) are fast, convenient and ease to use. Two types of infrared thermometers are uses to measure body temperature: tympanic and forehead.

Determination of Optimal Measurement Points for Calibration Equations-Examples by RH Sensors.

The calibration points for sensors must be selected carefully. This study uses accuracy and precision as the criteria to evaluate the required numbers of calibration points required. Two types of electric relative humidity (RH) sensors were used to illustrate the method and the standard RH environments were maintained using different saturated salt solutions.

IRON MAN is a ubiquitous family of peptides that control iron transport in plants.

Iron (Fe) is an essential mineral nutrient that severely affects the growth, yield and nutritional quality of plants if not supplied in sufficient quantities. Here, we report that a short C-terminal amino-acid sequence consensus motif (IRON MAN; IMA) conserved across numerous, highly diverse peptides in angiosperms is essential for Fe uptake in plants. Overexpression of the IMA sequence in Arabidopsis induced Fe uptake genes in roots, causing accumulation of Fe and manganese in all plant parts including seeds.

Uncertainly Analysis of Two Types of Humidity Sensors by a Humidity Generator with a Divided-Flow System.

Humidity measurement is an important technique for the agricultural, foods, pharmaceuticals, and chemical industries. For the sake of convenience, electrical relative humidity (RH) sensors have been widely used. These sensors need to be calibrated to ensure their accuracy and the uncertainty measurement of these sensors has become a major concern.

Uncertainty Analysis in Humidity Measurements by the Psychrometer Method.

The most common and cheap indirect technique to measure relative humidity is by using psychrometer based on a dry and a wet temperature sensor. In this study, the measurement uncertainty of relative humidity was evaluated by this indirect method with some empirical equations for calculating relative humidity. Among the six equations tested, the Penman equation had the best predictive ability for the dry bulb temperature range of 15-50 °C.

Determining the leaf emissivity of three crops by infrared thermometry.

Plant temperature can provide important physiological information for crop management. Non-contact measurement with an infrared thermometer is useful for detecting leaf temperatures. In this study, a novel technique was developed to measure leaf emissivity using an infrared thermometer with an infrared sensor and a thermocouple wire.

Arabidopsis HFR1 is a potential nuclear substrate regulated by the Xanthomonas type III effector XopD(Xcc8004).

XopDXcc8004, a type III effector of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) 8004, is considered a shorter version of the XopD, which lacks the N-terminal domain. To understand the functions of XopDXcc8004, in planta, a transgenic approach combined with inducible promoter to analyze the effects of XopDXcc8004 in Arabidopsis was done.

Use of temperature and humidity sensors to determine moisture content of oolong tea.

The measurement of tea moisture content is important for processing and storing tea. The moisture content of tea affects the quality and durability of the product. Some electrical devices have been proposed to measure the moisture content of tea leaves but are not practical.

Purification and biochemical characterization of Arabidopsis At-NEET, an ancient iron-sulfur protein, reveals a conserved cleavage motif for subcellular localization.

CDGSH iron-sulfur domain-containing proteins (CISDs) are newly discovered proteins with electron-accepting and electron-donating moieties. Although the CISDs of plants and animals show high sequence similarity in their CDGSH domain at the C-terminus, their N-terminal peptides have low sequence homology. Here, we show that At-NEET, a recently identified Arabidopsis CISD, contains a cleavable N-terminal peptide for chloroplast targeting, which is different from the uncleavable N-terminal peptide of mammal CISDs for mitochondrial outer membrane localization.

The AvrB_AvrC domain of AvrXccC of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris is required to elicit plant defense responses and manipulate ABA homeostasis.

Plant disease induced by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris depends on type III effectors but the molecular basis is poorly understood. Here, AvrXccC8004 was characterized, and it was found that the AvrB_AvrC domain was essential and sufficient to elicit defense responses in an Arabidopsis-resistant ecotype (Col-0).

Prism-type holographic optical element design and verification for the blue-light small-form-factor optical pickup head.

This paper presents the prism-type holographic optical element (PT-HOE) design for a small-form-factor (SFF) optical pickup head (OPH). The surface of the PT-HOE was simulated by three steps of optimization and generated by binary optics. Its grating pattern was fabricated on the inclined plane of a microprism by using the standard photolithography and specific dicing procedures.

Development and testing of a perspiration measuring system.

Sweating measurement is a very useful tool for the physiological health state of the human body. A sweating measuring system developed in this study was composed of several sensors. All sensors were calibrated to ensure the accuracy.

Evaluation of performance and uncertainty of infrared tympanic thermometers.

Infrared tympanic thermometers (ITTs) are easy to use and have a quick response time. They are widely used for temperature measurement of the human body. The accuracy and uncertainty of measurement is the importance performance indicator for these meters.

Performance evaluation of an infrared thermocouple.

The measurement of the leaf temperature of forests or agricultural plants is an important technique for the monitoring of the physiological state of crops. The infrared thermometer is a convenient device due to its fast response and nondestructive measurement technique. Nowadays, a novel infrared thermocouple, developed with the same measurement principle of the infrared thermometer but using a different detector, has been commercialized for non-contact temperature measurement.

Study of laser noises corresponding to different feedback configurations for blue-light optical pickup heads.

Based on the technology of real-time laser noise measurement which had been developed for the red-light DVD optical storage system before, this study investigates the laser noises corresponding to different feedback configurations by using the optical system of a blue-light HD-DVD optical pickup head (OPH) with the numerical aperture (NA) of 0.65 and the laser wavelength of 405 nm. It combines with a digital servo controller for dynamically measuring the blue laser noise while operated in an OPH.

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic study of the phosphoglucose isomerase from Bacillus subtilis.

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of the phosphoglucose isomerase from a Bacillus subtilis native strain were carried out. The crystals belonged to the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 145.7, b = 136.

Micro objective lens with NA 0.65 for the blue-light small-form-factor optical pickup head.

A micro objective lens with the numerical aperture (NA) of 0.65 and clear aperture of 1.1mm was designed, fabricated, and tested for the proposed blue-light small-form-factor optical pickup head system.

Adsorption kinetics, thermodynamics and desorption of natural dissolved organic matter by multiwalled carbon nanotubes.

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were thermally treated and were employed as adsorbents to study their adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics of natural dissolved organic matter (NDOM) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption kinetics follows the first-order rate law while the adsorption thermodynamics indicates the exothermic and spontaneous nature. A comparative study on the adsorption/desorption properties of NDOM between CNTs and granular activated carbon (GAC) was also conducted and revealed that the CNTs possess more NDOM adsorption capacities and show less weight loss through 10 cycles of water treatment and reactivation than the GAC.

Comparisons of sorbent cost for the removal of Ni2+ from aqueous solution by carbon nanotubes and granular activated carbon.

The reversibility of Ni2+ sorption by NaOCl oxidized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and granular activated carbon (GAC) was investigated to evaluate their repeated availability performance in water treatment. Under the same conditions, the SWCNTs and MWCNTs possess more Ni2+ sorption capacities and show better reversibility of Ni2+ sorption and less weight loss after being repeated sorption/desorption processes than the GAC, suggesting that they are effective Ni2+ sorbents and can be reused through many cycles of water treatment and regeneration. A statistical analysis on the replacement cost of these sorbents revealed that SWCNTs and MWCNTs can be possibly cost-effective Ni2+ sorbents in water treatment regardless of their high unit cost at the present time.

Comparisons of adsorbent cost for the removal of zinc (II) from aqueous solution by carbon nanotubes and activated carbon.

The reversibility of Zn2+ sorption onto single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and powdered activated carbon (PAC) was investigated to evaluate their repeated availability performance in water treatment. Under the same conditions, the Zn2+ sorption capacity of SWCNTs and MWCNTs was more than that of PAC and could be maintained after several cycles of water treatment and regeneration. A statistical analysis on the replacement cost of these adsorbents based on the best-fit regression of the measured equilibrium capacity of each water treatment cycle was also conducted.

Cell cycle stage analysis of rabbit foetal fibroblasts and cumulus cells.

Synchronization of the cell cycle stages in G0/G1 phase is one of the key factors determining the success of nuclear transplantation. Serum deprivation, contact inhibition and chemical inhibitors are widely used methods for this purpose. In this study, cell cycle stages of foetal fibroblasts and cumulus cells were determined using flow cytometry [fluorescence-activated cell scan (FACS)].

Scenario analysis of freight vehicle accident risks in Taiwan.

This study develops a quantitative risk model by utilizing Generalized Linear Interactive Model (GLIM) to analyze the major freight vehicle accidents in Taiwan. Eight scenarios are established by interacting three categorical variables of driver ages, vehicle types and road types, each of which contains two levels. The database that consists of 2043 major accidents occurring between 1994 and 1998 in Taiwan is utilized to fit and calibrate the model parameters.

An antiplatelet aggregation principle and X-ray structural analysis of cis-khellactone diester from Peucedanum japonicum.

Three structurally related khellactone coumarins, 1-3, were isolated from the aerial parts of Peucedanum japonicum (Umbelliferae). Compound 2 was identified as a new coumarin (cis-3'-isovaleryl-4'-senecioylkhellactone) by spectral and chemical analysis. Conformation of the dihydropyrano ring of cis-3',4'-disenecioylkhellactone [3] was elucidated by X-ray crystallographic analysis.