Modulation of protein kinases and phosphoprotein phosphatases by a small acidic protein from bovine brains

Summary A small, acidic and heat-stable protein was purified from bovine brains by column chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, Bio-Gel HTP, Affi-Gel phenothiazine and Sephadex G-75. This protein stimulates megamodulin-dependent protein kinase I from brains and phosphoprotein phosphatases from either brain or yeast. However, it inhibits cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases from skeletal muscle.Acknowledgments. This work was supported by a grant (RR-08229) from the National Institutes of Health, USA. W.N. Kuo is a recipient of a Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award from United Negro College Fund, Inc., USA.     

Regulation of self-renewal and differentiation by the intestinal stem cell niche

The gastrointestinal epithelium is a highly organised tissue that is constantly being renewed. In order to maintain homeostasis, the balance between intestinal stem cell (ISC) self-renewal and differentiation must be carefully regulated. In this review, we describe how the intestinal stem cell niche provides a unique environment to regulate self-renewal and differentiation of ISCs. It has traditionally been believed that the mesenchymal myofibroblasts play an important role in the crosstalk between ISCs and the niche. However, recent evidence in Drosophila and in vertebrates suggests that epithelial cells also contribute to the niche. We discuss the multiple signalling pathways that are utilised to regulate stemness within the niche, including members of the Wnt, BMP and Hedgehog pathways, and how aberrations in these signals lead to disruption of the normal crypt–villus axis. Finally, we also discuss how CDX1 and inhibition of the Notch pathway are important in specifying enterocyte and goblet cell differentiation respectively.     

Applying particle swarm optimization and honey bee mating optimization in developing an intelligent market segmentation system

Data mining has been successfully applied in many fields to find useful information stored in vast databases.Market segmentation,which segments data into homogenous clusters by using cluster analysis,is among the most important of the applications in data mining.In this study,we propose a clustering system which integrates particle swarm optimization and honey bee mating optimization methods (PSHBMO).Simulations for a benchmark test function show that our proposed method is better equipped to find the global optimum than other well-known clustering algorithms.Finally,the proposed clustering system is applied to a real-world consumer electronic company to perform market segmentation via the RFM model.     

Ontogenetic changes in relative levels of cyclic AMP-dependent and cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinases in prostates, epididymides and testes from guinea-pigs.

Changes in relative levels of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (A-PK) and cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase (G-PK) in prostates, epidymides and testes from guinea-pigs were examined at 3 different ages. During postnatal development, a decrease in the ratio of the 2 classes of protein kinases was seen in prostates, whereas increases of the ratios of the enzymes were found in epididymides and testes.     

快速图像分割和抠图技术研究

为解决现有算法速度慢、 集成度低的问题, 提出了改进的算法。利用图像分割算法Grabcut对图片的前景进行分割； 高效地生成三分图, 并以此作为基于三分图的抠图算法Shared Matting的输入； 综合处理抠图结果。针对该系统的特点, 使用下采样技术对Grabcut算法进行优化, 加快分割速度, 并对三分图生成算法和Shared Matting抠图算法进行并行性加速。仿真实验结果表明, 该系统适用性较强, 可用性较好, 并能在短时间内利用较少的交互量取得较理想的抠图效果。     

The pallid gene encodes a novel, syntaxin 13-interacting protein involved in platelet storage pool deficiency

Pallid (pa) is 1 of 13 platelet storage pool deficiency (SPD) mouse mutants. pa animals suffer from prolonged bleeding time, pigment dilution, kidney lysosomal enzyme elevation, serum alpha1-antitrypsin activity deficiency and abnormal otolith formation. As with other mouse mutants of this class, characterization of pa mice suggests a defect in organelle biosynthesis. Here we describe the physical mapping, positional cloning, and mutational and functional analysis of the gene that is defective in pa mice. It encodes a ubiquitously expressed, highly charged 172-amino-acid protein (termed pallidin) with no homology to known proteins. We detected a nonsense mutation at codon 69 of this gene in the pallid mutant. In a yeast two-hybrid screen, we discovered that pallidin interacts with syntaxin 13, a t-SNARE protein that mediates vesicle-docking and fusion. We confirmed this interaction by co-immunoprecipitation assay. Immunofluorescence studies corroborate that the cellular distribution of pallidin overlaps that of syntaxin 13. Whereas the mocha and pearl SPD mutants have defects in Ap-3, our findings suggest that pa SPD mutants are defective in a more downstream event of vesicle-trafficking: namely, vesicle-docking and fusion.     

In situ analyses of genome instability in breast cancer

Transition through telomere crisis is thought to be a crucial event in the development of most breast carcinomas. Our goal in this study was to determine where this occurs in the context of histologically defined breast cancer progression. To this end, we assessed genome instability (using fluorescence in situ hybridization) and other features associated with telomere crisis in normal ductal epithelium, usual ductal hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive cancer. We modeled this process in vitro by measuring these same features in human mammary epithelial cell cultures during ZNF217-mediated transition through telomere crisis and immortalization. Taken together, the data suggest that transition through telomere crisis and immortalization in breast cancer occurs during progression from usual ductal hyperplasia to ductal carcinoma in situ.     

张承志作品的意象群落

“意象指创作主体通过艺术思维所创造的融汇了主体意趣的形象。”通过意象,作者把自己的影子投射到物质中;通过意象,我们也可以解读作者的意旨。对于回族作家张承志来说,意象是一种特有的话语方式。他的小说和散文均呈现出浓烈的诗性。与其说作为作家的张承志创造了作品意象,毋宁说意象创造了作为张承志的作家。本文把作家现实经历及文本透露出的主体经验作为“意”,把作品中选取、塑造的具体形象作为“象”,把二者的交合物群看作一个具有整体性的意象群落,剖析出群落的形成因素、群落的特性和群落的指涉意义。     

Effect of NaNO<Subscript>3</Subscript> concentration on anodic electrochemical behavior on the Sb surface in NaOH solution

The effect of NaNO₃ concentration on the anodic electrochemical behavior of antimony in 4 M NaOH solution was investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analyses. The mechanism of NO₃- concentration effect on the anodic electrochemical behavior of antimony was proposed, and its availability was confirmed by experimental results. The effect of NaNO₃ on the anodic behavior of antimony in NaOH solution can be interpreted as a stepwise formation of different antimony compounds with different NaNO₃ concentrations. Metallic antimony is apt to be oxidized into Sb₂O₃ within the NaNO₃ concentration range of 0-0.48 M. NaSbO₃ can be found on the antimony surface when the NaNO₃ concentration increases gradually. Insoluable NaSbO₃ inhibits the anodic oxidation of antimony due to its shielding effect on the mass transport of the reactants and products. Surface morphology and composition were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and electron dispersion spectroscopy (EDS) analyses. Results indicate that the anodic oxidation layer is composed of Sb₂O₃, NaSbO₃, and Sb. The atomic proportion of antimony in the form of NaSbO₃ increases with increasing NaNO₃ concentration due to the powerful oxidizing property of NaNO₃.     

Rapamycin selectively inhibits interleukin-2 activation of p70 S6 kinase.

The macrolide rapamycin induces cell cycle G1 arrest in yeast and in mammalian cells, which suggests that an evolutionarily conserved, rapamycin-sensitive pathway may regulate entry into S phase. In mammals, rapamycin inhibits interleukin-2 receptor-induced S phase entry and subsequent T-cell proliferation, resulting in immunosuppression. Here we show that interleukin-2 selectively stimulates the phosphorylation and activation of p70 S6 kinase but not the erk-encoded MAP kinases and rsk-encoded S6 kinases. Rapamycin completely and rapidly inhibits interleukin-2-induced phosphorylation and activation of p70 S6 kinase at concentrations comparable to those blocking S phase entry of T cells (0.05-0.2 nM). The structurally related macrolide FK506 competitively antagonizes the actions of rapamycin, indicating that these effects are mediated by FKBP, which binds the transition-state mimic structure common to both rapamycin and FK506 (refs 4, 6, 9-11). The selective blockade of the p70 S6 kinase activation cascade by the rapamycin-FKBP complex implicates this signalling pathway in the regulation of T cell entry into S phase.