Effects of cadmium, 17β-estradiol and their interaction in the male Chinese loach （Misgurnus anguillicaudatus）

To assess the interaction effect between cadmium (Cd) and 17-estradiol (E2),male Chinese loaches (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) were exposed to E2 (1 g/L) and Cd (50 or 500 g/L) alone and in combination using a semi-static waterborne exposure system.The effects of E2 on the accumulation and distribution of Cd,as well as the effects of Cd on vitellogenin (Vtg) synthesis induced by E2,were investigated.Cd mainly accumulated in the kidneys,liver,intestines,and gills,with little amounts in muscles,bones,and gonads.Co-exposure with E2 did not change the main targets for Cd.E2 could induce Vtg synthesis in male Chinese loaches,and co-exposure with 50 or 500 g/L Cd could inhibit the Vtg induced by 1 g/L E2.Compared with the results reported in the literature,it can be concluded that factors such as fish species,Cd dosage,and manner of exposure might make contributions to the interaction between Cd and E2.Our results also suggested that male Chinese loaches are susceptible to Cd,and can be recommended as a potential sentinel species to study the ecotoxicology of heavy metals.     

Preliminary survey of estrogenic activity in part of waters in Haihe River, Tianjin

A preliminary survey of estrogenic activity of the contaminant in part of waters （Ziya River and the estuary of Haihe River） in Haihe River, Tianjin has been performed with the plasma vitellogenin （Vtg） in feral fish as a biomarker for estrogenic activity. The concentrations of bisphenol A （BPA）, 4-tert-octylphenol （OP） and 4-nonyl- phenol （NP） in surface water were also determined. The presence of Vtg in male fish plasma as well as that in female can be detected at different sites and different seasons. The results indicate that the water in the sampling sites was contaminated by some estrogenic compounds. Although BPA, OP and NP can be detected in all of the water samples, their concentrations were much lower than the effective concentrations for those chemicals to induce Vtg production in male fish.     

Preventive effects of Xin-Kang oral liquid on viral myocarditis in mice

To investigate the preventive effects of Xin-Kang oral liquid on myocarditis induced by Coxsakie virus B ( CVB) > the medicine was given to mice two days prior to the challenge of mice with the CVB to induce myocarditis. The oral liquid was continuously given to mice for 20 days and quantitative histological changes at various stages of the myocarditis were observed. The pathological changes on the cardiac surface were significantly reduced in Xin-Kang treated mice compared to those in control group (P<0. 01). and the occurrence of severe myocardium damage ( massive cardiac tissue death and degradation) was less in the Xin-Kang group than the groups either challenged with CVB or treated with interferon. The group treated with 0. 015g per gram body weight per day showed significant improvement over the viral group (P<0.01). The results proved that Xin-Kang could protect the cardiac muscle from viral infection and accelerate recovery of damaged cardiac tissue.     

Construction of AFLP-based genetic linkage maps for the Chinese shrimp Fenneropaeneus chinensis

Fenneropaeneus chinensis is an important species in marine fishery resources and aquaculture in China. A genetic linkage map is essential for improving the efficiency of its breeding by marker-assisted selection and identifying commercially important genes. Linkage maps of F. chinensis were constructed with an F2 mapping population （110 progenies） using amplified fragment length polymorphic （AFLP） marker in this study. Fifty-five AFLP primer combinations produced 532 AFLP markers fitting for map strategy in mapping family. The markers with 3：1 segregating ratios were analyzed using F2 intercross model for the common linkage map, while the markers with 1：1 ratio were analyzed using the pseudo-testcross strategy. The maps of male, female and common were constructed. The female map included 103 markers that formed 28 linkage groups, covering a total length of 1090 cM. All markers were linked with the linkage groups. Segregation distortion was observed for 6 of 103 markers in the female map. The average distance between markers was 14.53 cM and ranged from 4.4 to 24.8 cM. The male map included 144 markers that formed 35 linkage groups. Ten markers remained unlinked in male map. Segregation distortion was observed for 7 of 144 markers in the male map. The total distance of male map covered 1617 cM. The average distance between markers was 16.36 cM. The male map was 32.6% longer than the female map, which may reflect sex-specific recombination rates in Chinese shrimp. The common map was composed of 216 markers, including in 44 linkage groups covering a total distance of 1772.1 cM. Two markers remained unlinked. No distorted markers of 216 markers were shown in the common map. The distance between markers was 10.42 cM. An average estimated genome size for the Chinese shrimp was 2420 cM, which was consistent with the relative size of the Penaeid genome. The distribution of AFLP markers was relatively even in chromosomes of Chinese shrimp maps. The linkage analysis presented in this work provided some insight     

Construction of AFLP-based genetic linkage maps for the Chinese shrimp Fenneropaeneus chinensis

Fenneropaeneus chinensis is an important species in marine fishery resources and aquaculture in China. A genetic linkage map is essential for improving the efficiency of its breeding by marker-as- sisted selection and identifying commercially important genes. Linkage maps of F. chinensis were constructed with an F2 mapping population (110 progenies) using amplified fragment length polymor- phic (AFLP) marker in this study. Fifty-five AFLP primer combinations produced 532 AFLP markers fitting for map strategy in mapping family. The markers with 3:1 segregating ratios were analyzed using F2 intercross model for the common linkage map, while the markers with 1:1 ratio were analyzed using the pseudo-testcross strategy. The maps of male, female and common were constructed. The female map included 103 markers that formed 28 linkage groups, covering a total length of 1090 cM. All mark- ers were linked with the linkage groups. Segregation distortion was observed for 6 of 103 markers in the female map. The average distance between markers was 14.53 cM and ranged from 4.4 to 24.8 cM. The male map included 144 markers that formed 35 linkage groups. Ten markers remained unlinked in male map. Segregation distortion was observed for 7 of 144 markers in the male map. The total dis- tance of male map covered 1617 cM. The average distance between markers was 16.36 cM. The male map was 32.6% longer than the female map, which may reflect sex-specific recombination rates in Chinese shrimp. The common map was composed of 216 markers, including in 44 linkage groups covering a total distance of 1772.1 cM. Two markers remained unlinked. No distorted markers of 216 markers were shown in the common map. The distance between markers was 10.42 cM. An average estimated genome size for the Chinese shrimp was 2420 cM, which was consistent with the relative size of the Penaeid genome. The distribution of AFLP markers was relatively even in chromosomes of Chi- nese shrimp maps. The linkage analysis presented in this work provided some insight into the level of polymorphism and genetic variation of Chinese shrimp.     

The role of different cues in the brain mechanism on visual spatial attention

The visual spatial attention mechanism in the brain was studied in 16 young subjects through the visual search paradigm of precue-target by the event-related potential (ERP) technique, with the attentive ranges cued by different scales of Chinese character and region cues. The results showed that the response time for Chinese character cues was much longer than that for region cues especially for small region cues. With the exterior interferences, the target stimuli recognition under region cues was much quicker than that under Chinese character cues. Compared with that under region cues, targets under Chinese character cues could lead to increase of the posterior P1, decrease of the N1 and increase of the P2. It should also be noted that the differences between region cues and Chinese character cues were affected by the interference types. Under exterior interferences, no significant difference was found between region cues and Chinese character cues; however, it was not the case under the interior interferences. Considering the difference between the exterior interferences and the interior interferences, we could conclude that with the increase of difficulty in target recognition there was obvious difference in the consumption of anterior frontal resources by target stimuli under the two kinds of cues.     

Body weights in Han Chinese populations

The body weights of 26,954 Han Chinese adults in 67 areas （16,503 in rural areas and 10,451 in urban areas） across China were measured from 2009 to 2013. The results showed that in China, the three areas （north China, northeast China, and Jianghuai Plain） were with the greatest body weight. Northwest Hart Chinese populations were heavier. Southwestern dialect groups were at the middle level and lighter than northern Han Chinese populations, but were heavier among southern Han Chinese populations. Chinese Han who located in areas of Hangjiahu were the general level, and similar to south- western dialect groups. The mean values of body weight in Hunan Han and Fujian Han were greater than other Han groups in southern China. Gan dialect groups and Can- tonese dialect groups showed the minimum body weight value in all Chinese Han groups. Besides, the mean body weight of Hakka was heavier than Gan dialect groups and Cantonese dialect groups which were adjacent to Hakka. Body weight increases with an increase in height, bone diameter, subcutaneous fat on the limbs and trunk, chest circumference, and abdomen circumference. This study revealed that northern Han men were heavier than southern Hart men, because the former were taller and had a larger waist circumference as well as thicker subcutaneous fat on their backs. Among women, height, bone diameter of the upper limbs, chest and abdomen circumferences, and sub- cutaneous fat on the limbs and trunks of northern Hart exceeded those of rural southern Han. Consequently, body weight values of northern Han women were higher than those of southern Han women. While a significant differ- ence in these values was found between urban and rural men, no significant difference occurred between urban and rural women. Body weight was associated with age in urban and rural men only in the case of minority groups. However, there was a positive correlation between body weight and age in the majority groups of both urban and rural women. The particular composition of genes involv     

SRO1 regulates heavy metal mercury stress response in Arabidopsis thaliana

Heavy metals in the environment are harmful limiting factors for the normal growth and development of plants. Here, we isolated and identified an Arabidopsis thaliana T-DNA insertion mutant, named srol-1, which showed a hyper-sensitive response to HgCl2. The SRO1 protein contains a WWE domain that mediates proteinprotein interactions. Under HgCl2 treatment, when compared with the wild-type plants, the growth of srol-1 was repressed dramatically and the number of true leaves was reduced and etiolated. The electrolyte leakage rates showed that cell membrane integrity in srol-1 was damaged more severely than in the wild type. DAB （3,5-diaminobenzidine） staining and confocal microscopy showed that Hg2＋ stress induced more hydrogen peroxide accumulation in srol-1 than in the wild type. The qRT-PCR results indicated that the expression of some abiotic stress-induced genes, such as L-ascorbate peroxidase （APX1）, was reduced under oxidative or Hg2＋ stress. Transgenic plants containing a GFP：：SRO1 fusion protein showed that SRO1 was localized in the nucleus of the cells. SRO1 was shown to be expressed in various tissues, and was most highly expressed in the vigorous tissues. Our results suggest thatSRO1 may play an important role in the stress response of A. thaliana to heavy metals.     

Variation in copper and zinc tolerance and accumulation in 12 willow clones： implications for phytoextraction

Willows （Salix spp.） have shown high potential for the phytoextraction of heavy metals. This study com- pares variations in copper （Cu） and zinc （Zn） tolerance and accumulation potential among 12 willow clones grown in a nutrient solution treated with 50 pmol/L of Cu or Zn, respectively. The results showed differences in the tolerance and accumulation of Cu and Zn with respect to different species/clones. The biomass variation among clones in response to Cu or Zn exposure ranged from the stimulation of growth to inhibition, and all of the clones tested showed higher tolerance to Cu than to Zn. The clones exhibited less variation in Cu accumulation but larger variation in Zn accumulation. Based on translocation factors, it was found that most of the Cu was retained in the roots and that Zn was more mobile than Cu for all clones. It is concluded that most willow clones are good accumulators of Zn and Cu.     

Does noble metal modification improve the photocatalytic activity of BiOCl?

Noble metal-surface-deposited BiOCl photocatalysts were prepared through photo-deposition and used for photodecomposition of Rhodamine B(RhB).The received materials were characterised using X-ray photoemission spectroscopy(XPS),UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy(UV-vis DRS),and X-ray diffraction(XRD) to understand the influence of surface deposited noble metals.The results showed that the noble metal species on the surface of BiOCl are in metallic state,which also brought about enhanced light absorption in broad UV-vis region due to plasmonic effects induced by the surfacedeposited noble metal species.All the samples showed good activity in photodecomposition of RhB under UV-light irradiation,but only Ag/BiOCl was more active than bulk BiOCl.The mechanism of the different reactivity of these noble-metal modified BiOCl was tentatively proposed based on the band structure and the interactions between noble metals and the BiOCl.     

Experimental investigation of integrated air purifying technology for bioaerosol removal and inactivation in central air-conditioning system

In this research, high voltage static electricity and ultraviolet technologies were integrated to an air purifying device which can be used to trap and kill airborne bacteria and viruses in central air-conditioning systems. An experimental platform was built to mimic the central air system, in which the efficacy of the newly built device was examined. In addition to the standard physical and chemical tests, bacteriophages were used to simulate airborne viruses in the experimental system. The bacteriophage suspension was aerosolized into the air with ultrasonic wave atomization. The result showed that more than 86% removal efficiency of micro-particles (<10 micron in diameter) were removed after the device was in operation in a building and more than 95% of bacteriophages in the experimental system. It is concluded that the integrated air purifier is suitable for controlling air quality and preventing virus transmission through the central air system.     

Neurobiological disruptions induced in brains of the rats fed with mercury contaminated rice collected from experimental fields in Guizhou Province, China

Guizhou Province, located in the southwestern China, is an important mercury （Hg） production center. High levels of Hg were found in local environmental and biomass samples. The neurobiological disruptions induced in brains of rats fed with Hg polluted rice collected from two experimental plots in Guizhou Province were studied. The plots are close to the Hg mine of Wanshang area and a chemical plant （where Hg is used as a catalyst for the production of acetaldehyde） of Qingzhen area. Rats were fed for 30 d before toxicological end points were tested. The results showed that the accumulations of Hg in rat＇s brain of Qingzhen chemical plant group and Wanshang mine group were significantly higher than those of Shanghai group （control group） （P〈0.01）. The neural transmitters, including acetylcholine （Ach）, acetylcholine enzyme （AchE）, nitric oxide and nitricoxide synthase （NOS）, in rat＇s brain were significantly affected. Oxidative stress was observed in the exposure groups. The expression levels of the immediately early gene （lEG）, c-fos and c-FOS proteins were induced by the Hg polluted rice. It was noted that the lEG （c-fos） participated in the neurotoxic process induced by the Hg polluted rice. lEG response to Hg might be dependent on interactions between neural transmitter and oxidative damage, c.fos could be used as an effective index of detecting and assessing the neurotoxicity of Hg. The results suggested that it should be alert to mental health problem in human beings eating Hg-polluted food. More efforts are necessary to protect the local ecosystem and human health in the Hg polluted areas such as Wangshan and Qingzhen in Guizhou Province of China.     

Micronuclei rate and hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase mutation in radon-exposed rats

The genetic changes in rats with radon exposure were studied by the micronucleus technology and detection of hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase （hprt） mutations. The rate of the micronuclei in peripheral blood lymphocytes and tracheal-bronchial epithelial cells in the radon-inhaled rats was higher than that of the controls （P 〈 0.05）. A similar result was obtained from the hprt assay, which showed a higher mutation frequency in radon-exposed rats. Our results suggested that micronuclei rate and hprt deficiency could be used as biomarkers for the genetic changes with radon exposure.     

Rapid genome evolution in Pms 1 region of rice revealed by comparative sequence analysis

Pms1, a locus for photoperiod sensitive genic male sterility in rice, was identified and mapped to chromosome 7 in previous studies. Here we report an effort to identify the candidate genes for Pms1 by comparative sequencing of BAC clones from two cultivars Minghui 63 and Nongken 58, the parents for the initial mapping population. Annotation and comparison of the sequences of the two clones resulted in a total of five potential candidates which should be functionally tested. We also conducted com-parative analysis of sequences of these two cultivars with two other cultivars, Nipponbare and 93-11, for which sequence data were available in public databases. The analysis revealed large differences in sequence composition among the four genotypes in the Pms1 region primarily due to retroelement activity leading to rapid recent growth and divergence of the genomes. High levels of polymorphism in the forms of indels and SNPs were found both in intra- and inter-subspecific comparisons. Dating analysis using LTRs of the retroelements in this region showed that the substitution rate of LTRs was much higher than reported in the literature. The results provided strong evidence for rapid genomic evolution of this region as a consequence of natural and artificial selection.     

Pulmonary toxicity induced by three forms of titanium dioxide nanoparticles via intra-tracheal instillation in rats

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are in wide commercial use worldwide. To evaluate if acute pulmonary toxicity can be induced by nano-TiO2 particles, rats were intra-tracheally instilled with 0.5, 5, or 50 mg/kg of 5, 21, and 50 nm TiO2 primary particles. Toxic effects were determined with the coefficients of lung tissues to body weight, histopathology, biochemical parameters of blood, activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and acid phosphatase (ACP) in tissues, and the phagocytotic ability of alveolar macrophages (AMs). All the indicators were observed in sacrificed rats one week post-exposure. There was a significant difference of coefficients of pulmonary tissues between the high-dose group and the low- or moderate-dose groups with an exposure of 5 nm TiO2. At the same time, 5 nm TiO2 primary particles increased the activity of LDH and ALP when exposure dose was >5 mg/kg. A significant difference in LDH and ALP activity was observed between the 50 mg/kg group and 0.5 or 5 mg/kg group with exposure of 5 nm TiO2. Lung tissues showed increased ALP activity only if treated with 5 and 50 mg/kg of 21 nm TiO2 particles. There was no significant difference in LDH and ALP activity in the 50 nm TiO2 group and control group. Histopathologic examination of lung tissues indicated that the pulmonary response to exposure to TiO2 particles in rats manifested as dosedependent inflammatory lesions, which mainly consisted of infiltration of inflammatory cells and interstitial thickening. Analysis of uptake of neutral red dye showed that 50 nm TiO2 particles significantly increased phagocytotic ability of AMs compared with controls (P < 0.05), whereas exposure with 5 nm TiO2 reduced the phagocytotic ability of AMs when the exposure dose was 50 mg/kg. These results suggest that particle size and exposure dose may have important roles in pulmonary toxicity. The toxic effect of TiO2 nanoparticles in lung tissue exhibited a dose–response relationship. After exposure with TiO2 particles of >5.0 mg/kg, 5 and 21 nm TiO2 particles induced standing pulmonary lesions; and 5 nm TiO2 particles may suppress the phagocytotic ability of AMs if exposure dose was ≥50 mg/kg. Pulmonary toxicity caused by 5 nm TiO2 particles was more severe than that caused by 21 and 50 nm TiO2 particles.     

First observation of thermospheric neutral wind at Chinese Yellow River Station in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

A compact and cost-effective all-sky Fabry-Perot interferometer, which is produced by Wuhan University and used for the observation of the thermospheric neutral wind, was installed at Chinese Yellow River Station in Nylesund, Svalbard in November 2010, and continuously operated in last two winter seasons. The 92-day all-sky interference data acquired from November 1, 2011 to February 26, 2012 were collected to get the velocity of thermospheric neutral wind, which was calculated from the Doppler shift caused by the movement of oxygen atom at the different layers. The database was divided into two periods: (1) The OI 557.7 nm emission was observed from November 1, 2011 to January 12, 2012. Observations showed that the velocity of horizontal wind is normally less than ～40 m/s on the quiet condition, and exceeded 100 m/s on the disturbed condition; and (2) the OI 630.0 nm emission was observed from January 13, 2012 to February 26, 2012. Observations showed that the velocity of horizontal wind is normally less than ～200 m/s, and enhanced to over 300 m/s on strong magnetic activities. It shows that the velocities of meridional and zonal wind are more consistent with the velocities calculated from the model HWM07 at the higher layer, especially for the zonal direction at nightside auroral regions. Ion drag and Joule heating were the two important processes considered in the analysis of the relationship between the wind pattern and aurora, suggesting that wind speed would be increased and accelerated in the direction perpendicular to the aurora arc when the aurora activity becomes strong.     

Genetic relationships among Chinese and American isolates of Phytophthora sojae assessed by RAPD markers

The genetic diversity of three geographic populations of Phytophthora sojae from China and the United States was determined using random amplified polymorphic DNA （RAPD）. The purpose was to explore genetic relationships among Chinese and American isolates of the organism. 21 random primers were selected among 200 random primers screened. A total of 223 reproducible RAPD fragments were scored among 111 individuals, of which 199 （89.23%） were polymorphic. Analysis of genetic variation showed that there existed higher genetic variation in the United States population in comparison to the Chinese populations. Nei＇s genetic identity and principal component analysis indicated that the populations of Fujian and United States are closer to each other than to Heilongjiang populations. Shannon-Wiener diversity index revealed that the United States populations have a higher genetic di- versity than that of Chinese populations. These data are in support of the hypothesis that P. sojae in the United States might not have been introduced from China.     

Effects of heavy metal on dielectric properties of E. coli revealed by dielectric spectroscopy

Dielectric spectroscopy of E. coli cell before and after exposure to heavy metals Cd^2＋ , Cu^2＋ , Zn^2＋ and Ca^2＋ was investigated. The results indicate that changes in dielectric spectra reflect effects of heavy metal on the structure and function of E. coli cells. Heavy metal can change membrane capacitance as well as pennittivity and conductivity of the cytoplasm. Changes in volume fraction suggested that dielectric measurement could monitor the growth of E. coli cells. These results demonstrated that dielectric spectroscopy was a potential effective technique for studying electric properties of biological cells.     

Preparation of graphene and TiO2 layer by layer composite with highly photocatalytic efficiency

A process for fabricating graphene and TiO2 layer by layer composite was introduced to improve the photocatalytic activity by controlling the layers, thickness and the mass ratio between graphene and TiO2. The graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized from natural graphite pow der by the modified Hummers met hod. Large-area uniform GO and TiO2 thin films were made by a spin-coating process in turn. After exposure of the TiO2/GO multilayer film to UV light irradiation which allows the reduction of GO to graphene, a novel photocatalyt ic structure as graphene and TiO2 layer by layer composite was synthesized. The cross-sectional SEM image showed that a clear layer by layer microstructure with a single layer thickness of graphene or TiO2 was in the range of about 50 nm. The total thickness of the film was around 5 μm which was varied according to the layer number of spin coating process. Raman spectra revealed th at significant structural changes occurred through UV light irradiation. Photodegrada tion for methylene blue (MB) exhibited that the layer by layer com posite is of higher photocatalytic activity than the pure TiO2 layer.     

Combined immunity of DNA vector and recombinant vaccinia virus expressing Gag proteins of equine infectious anemia virus

In order to develop a new vaccine candidate for equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), gag gene of Chinese donkey leukocyte attenuated strain (EIAV DLV) and its parental virulent strain (EIAV LN) were inserted respectively into the TK region of the Tiantan strain (VV) of vaccinia virus by homologous recombination and the positive clone was confirmed by blue plaque assay. Protein expression was examined by Western blot. Prime and prime-boost procedures were used to immunize mice with two DNA vectors and two recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing EIAV Gag proteins. The results showed that the specific lysis of CTL responses in the DNA rVV groups was stronger than those in the DNA groups, amounting to 31%. Although the levels of specific antibodies were not significantly different, we could conclude that the recombinant vaccinia virus could boost the cellular responses following DNA vector priming. There was no detectable difference between the immune responses induced by DLV and LN Gag proteins. This data demonstrates that the combined immunity of DNA vector and recombinant vaccinia virus expressing EIAV gag proteins, utilizing the prime-boost procedure, can drive immunized mice to produce powerful cellular responses. These results lay an important foundation for the development of a new EIAV genetic engineering vaccine.