LETTER TO CSB

From new experiments in our laboratory, we found out thatwe need to make the following corrections in one of our paperspublished in your journal, namely, Novel method for accuratedetermination of the orientational angle of interfacial chemicalgroups, by Lǖ Rong, Gan Wei and Wang Hongfei, Chin. Sci.Bull., 2003, 48(20): 2183—2187.     

Immunogenicity of induced pluripotent stem cells

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), reprogrammed from somatic cells with defined factors, hold great promise for regenerative medicine as the renewable source of autologous cells. Whereas it has been generally assumed that these autologous cells should be immune-tolerated by the recipient from whom the iPSCs are derived, their immunogenicity has not been vigorously examined. We show here that, whereas embryonic stem cells (ESCs) derived from inbred C57BL/6 (B6) mice can efficiently form teratomas in B6 mice without any evident immune rejection, the allogeneic ESCs from 129/SvJ mice fail to form teratomas in B6 mice due to rapid rejection by recipients. B6 mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) were reprogrammed into iPSCs by either retroviral approach (ViPSCs) or a novel episomal approach (EiPSCs) that causes no genomic integration. In contrast to B6 ESCs, teratomas formed by B6 ViPSCs were mostly immune-rejected by B6 recipients. In addition, the majority of teratomas formed by B6 EiPSCs were immunogenic in B6 mice with T cell infiltration, and apparent tissue damage and regression were observed in a small fraction of teratomas. Global gene expression analysis of teratomas formed by B6 ESCs and EiPSCs revealed a number of genes frequently overexpressed in teratomas derived from EiPSCs, and several such gene products were shown to contribute directly to the immunogenicity of the B6 EiPSC-derived cells in B6 mice. These findings indicate that, in contrast to derivatives of ESCs, abnormal gene expression in some cells differentiated from iPSCs can induce T-cell-dependent immune response in syngeneic recipients. Therefore, the immunogenicity of therapeutically valuable cells derived from patient-specific iPSCs should be evaluated before any clinic application of these autologous cells into the patients.     

Monitoring of atmospheric radionuclides from the Fukushima nuclear accident and assessing their impact on Xi’an, China

Aerosol radionuclides (131I, 134Cs, 137Cs) and gaseous radioactive xenon (133Xe) were monitored at Xi’an, China following the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in March 2011. The additional annual effective dose attributable to the Fukushima emissions was much lower than the public annual effective dose from natural radiation, according to Chinese national standards. The monitoring results were compared with data from other countries as well as with the radionuclide concentrations observed in Xi’an after the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986. Possible transport pathways of the released radionuclides from Fukushima to Xi’an were investigated. The occurrence of an anticyclone in the Pacific Ocean region and the extended period over which the radionuclides were released made the determination transport pathways complex, but divergence in the plume and easterly flow evidently brought the initial suite of radionuclides to Xi’an.     

Softest elastic mode governs materials hardness

Single-crystal elastic constants and mechanical hardness of covalent and ionic crystals have been studied using first-principles calculations. The results show that the hardness is dominated by the softest elastic mode, not by the averaged elastic moduli as generally assumed. It reveals that the mechanical stability and anisotropy play an important role in determining the hardness of materials. The concept is then employed in designing hard alloys. By strengthening the softest elastic mode of tungsten carbide, which is the primary component in industrial hard alloys, we show that the carbide can be made even harder by alloying with nitrogen or rhenium via Fermi-level tuning.     

Dynamic crack growth in a fiber-reinforced composite plate

The dynamic fracture process of fiber-reinforced com-posite materials due to impact loading is a complex me-chanical phenomenon. There have been much profound researches by means of theoretical analysis, experiment and numerical simulation[1,2]. But most of them focused on two aspects: the orientation of dynamic crack growth is either parallel to the fiber direction, or along a bimaterial interface of two fiber-reinforced composites. They simply assumed the mechanical model of fiber-reinforced…     

Comprehensive assessment for removing multiple pollutants by plants in bioretention systems

Bioretention is a best management practice which uses vegetation to improve the pollutant removal rates in the rain water management.To select the best plant species to remove multiple pollutants in a bioretention system,we tested thirty species of plants in a laboratory in Beijing,China.We found that the ability of the plants to reduce concentrations of heavy metals including cadmium(Cd),lead(Pb),zinc(Zn),and ammonium(NH4?–N)is more than90%.The removal efficiencies for NH4?–N,nitrate(NO3-–N),total phosphorus,and copper(Cu)varied markedly among plant species.The single overall best plant was not easy to be determined.To select the best plant species,we used a dynamic neural network to establish an assessment index system,assessment criteria,and an assessment model that is used here for the first time for multiple pollutants’removal.Applying the theory and model,we discovered that Plantago asiatica L.and Digitaria sanguinalis(L.)Scop.are the overall best plants for removing the seven typicalpollutants.This paper will provide a simple and useful guide for the comprehensive assessment of multiple pollutant removal by plants in complex ecological systems.     

浅谈我县小水电站技术改造

我县小水电事业起步早、发展快,素有“小水电之乡”之称。全县电站数量众多、星罗棋布,共有水电站56座,总装机为14．4万kW。但电站装机容量都比较小,普遍选用0．4kV低压机组。现结合我县小水电的实际,谈谈水电站低压机组的设备改造及运行情况。