X rays may be twice as potent as gamma rays for malignant transformation at low doses

The introduction in the 1950s of 60Co teletherapy units and megavoltage X-ray accelerators for radiotherapy prompted several studies which showed that the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of orthovoltage X rays, compared with 60Co gamma rays, was approximately 1.1-1.2 (refs 1, 2). Subsequently, radiation therapists confirmed that the effect of established treatment protocols using orthovoltage X rays could be duplicated with the higher energy radiation by increasing the dose by approximately 10%, when radiation doses are of the order of tens of grays (or thousands of rads). The dependence of biological effectiveness on photon energy led to recommendations in which the quality factor, Q, which is an RBE for radiation protection purposes, was set at unity for X and gamma rays as well as for electrons or other directly ionizing particles having a linear energy transfer (LET) of less than 3.5 ke V microns-1. Over the past decade, however, several studies have shown differences in RBE between various low-LET radiations having LET values within the range designated for standard radiation. Underbrink et al. found an RBE for orthovoltage X rays relative to 60Co gamma rays of approximately 2 at 0.04 Gy, for induction of pink mutations in the stamen hairs of Tradescantia. Schmidt et al. scored chromosome aberrations in human lymphocytes, and at 0.25 Gy found the RBE of 200-k Vp X rays relative to 3-MeV electrons to be also approximately 2. Here we have compared 60Co gamma rays and orthovoltage X rays over the dose range 0.03-1.5 Gy using malignant transformation in mammalian cells in vitro as an end point. Our findings indicate that whereas the transformation incidence seems similar for X and gamma rays at high doses, the malignant potential of X rays is about twice that of gamma rays at 0.03 Gy.     

云计算不失为中小企业的合适之选

中小企业资金少,发展快,但专业IT人员稀缺。如何选择适合于自己的存储方案,成为中小企业健康成长的关键环节。云计算技术借助互联网中巨型计算机,可进行强大的信息处理功能。它可以解决过去企业需要在每台电脑中安装软件,又需要专人进行维护的烦恼。现在只要利用全新的云计算技术,尤其是其低廉的费用,即使没有资金实力的企业,也能一瞬间在互联网上寻找到需要的信息。文章先介绍什么是云计算技术,再描述云在中小企业的应用实例及所带来的收益。最后分析"云"可能存在的安全隐患。     

The human RNA kinase hClp1 is active on 3' transfer RNA exons and short interfering RNAs

RNA interference allows the analysis of gene function by introducing synthetic, short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) into cells. In contrast to siRNA and microRNA duplexes generated endogenously by the RNaseIII endonuclease Dicer, synthetic siRNAs display a 5' OH group. However, to become incorporated into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) and mediate target RNA cleavage, the guide strand of an siRNA needs to display a phosphate group at the 5' end. The identity of the responsible kinase has so far remained elusive. Monitoring siRNA phosphorylation, we applied a chromatographic approach that resulted in the identification of the protein hClp1 (human Clp1), a known component of both transfer RNA splicing and messenger RNA 3'-end formation machineries. Here we report that the kinase hClp1 phosphorylates and licenses synthetic siRNAs to become assembled into RISC for subsequent target RNA cleavage. More importantly, we reveal the physiological role of hClp1 as the RNA kinase that phosphorylates the 5' end of the 3' exon during human tRNA splicing, allowing the subsequent ligation of both exon halves by an unknown tRNA ligase. The investigation of this novel enzymatic activity of hClp1 in the context of mRNA 3'-end formation, where no RNA phosphorylation event has hitherto been predicted, remains a challenge for the future.     

细胞外ATP调节了NaCl胁迫诱导的烟草悬浮细胞的死亡和呼吸的抑制

本文以烟草悬浮细胞BY-2为材料,探讨了胞外ATP对NaCl诱导的细胞死亡和呼吸抑制的调节作用。实验表明,随着NaCl浓度的逐渐上升(50、100、200、400 mmol/L),细胞的死亡水平逐渐上升,而胞外ATP含量和细胞呼吸速率则随NaCl浓度的上升而逐渐下降。本文在200 mmol/L NaCl处理下的细胞中探索了胞外ATP对NaCl诱导的细胞死亡和呼吸抑制的调节作用。结果发现,较之200 mmol/L NaCl胁迫下的细胞,对NaCl胁迫的细胞加入外源ATP(20 μmol/L )其使得细胞死亡水平显著性降低,也使得胞外ATP含量和细胞呼吸速率均有所回升。上述实验观察表明,NaCl胁迫诱导的植物细胞的死亡和呼吸抑制可能和细胞外ATP水平的变化有关,而胞外ATP对NaCl诱导的细胞死亡具有一定的调节作用。     

电极活性材料氮化钼的制备与表征

文章通过三氧化钼与氨气的高温反应 ,采用程序升温法开展了氮化钼的制备 ,采用 XRD和表面测定等方法对反应产物进行了表征和研究。探讨了反应条件对产物晶型、比表面积和比电容的影响。研究表明制备条件能显著影响氮化钼的结晶形态、分布和不同晶型的比例 ;反应温度、恒温时间及冷却方式对氮化钼的比表面积和电容特性有重要影响。制备出高比表面积的氮化钼 ,循环伏安测试显示了氮化钼电极具有良好的电容特性。     

英语和古汉语中名词动用的相似之处

语言学中的语言转移(Language transfer)理论表明：相同的语言现象可能存在于不同语言中，名词用作动词为一种词类活用现象同时存在于英语及古汉语中，了解这类现象及其规律，对两种语言的教学将是大有益处的。     

英语和古汉语中名词动用的相似之处

语言学中的语言转移(Language transfer)理论表明:相同的语言现象可能存在于不同语言中.名词用作动词为一种词类活用现象同时存在于英语及古汉语中.了解这类现象及其规律,对两种语言的教学将是大有益处的.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Porphyrin-Trisbenzimidazole Dinucleating Ligand and Its Heterodinuclear Complex as CcO Active Site Model

A new dinucleating ligand having two metal-binding sites has been designed and synthesized as model ligand for Cytochrome c Oxidase. The corresponding heterodi-nuclear complex, as an active site model of Cytochrome c Oxidase, consisting of a porphyrinatocobalt compound covalently linked with a copper derivative of tris(2-benzimidazylmethyl) amine bearing three benzimidazole ligands for copper was synthesized and spectroscopically characterized. The spectra data suggest that there are interactions between the cobalt and copper coordination units. The cobalt is coordinated to four central nitrogens of the porphyrin and the copper has pentaco-ordinate geometry with the four tertiary amine nitrogens and a chloride.     

改性麦饭石用于除铅、镉、汞废水吸附剂的开发与应用

本文对山西麦饭石进行改性处理,探讨了除去废水中铅、镉、汞吸附剂的加工方法和条件,用1mol/L HCI处理3h后烘干,再在150℃焙烧,对铅、镉、汞有较好的吸附性.     

Methanol as a probe to investigate the relationship between the secondary electron donor Tyr<Subscript>Z</Subscript> and the substrate water molecules in active photosystem II

The secondary electron donor, TyrZ, is implicated in tuning the primary charge separation and the water oxidation in active pho-tosystem II (PSII). Two types of mechanisms have been proposed to explain the function of TyrZ. One is that TyrZ tunes the water oxidation through the direct interaction with substrate water molecules; the other is that TyrZ is located in a hydrophobic envi-ronment without interacting with H2O, and controls the water oxidation by tuning the strength of the hydrogen bond between TyrZ and His190. Here, methanol was used as a probe to study the possible relationship between TyrZ and H2O by monitoring the TyrZ oxidation and TyrZ· reduction at cryogenic temperatures with electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The oxidation of TyrZ and reduction of TyrZ· in both S2 and S0 states at 10 K were accelerated by addition of a small amount of methanol (6%). Theoretical studies indicate that Tyr oxidation becomes more difficult if it interacts directly with the methanol molecule; while the decrease of the polarity of its environment accelerates the oxidation of Tyr. Accordingly, CH3OH does not directly interact with TyrZ in active PSII, and the accelerative effect of methanol is caused by the strength increase of the hydrogen bond between TyrZ and His190, resulting from the decrease of polarity of their environment after the displacement of H2O by CH3OH inside PSII. Considering the similarity between methanol and water, the results in this study support the model in which TyrZ does not interact with H2O in active PSII.     

衣带渐宽终不悔 为伊消得人憔悴——评小说《当年拚却醉颜红》中的女性悲剧形象

薛晴的小说《当年拚却醉颜红》讲述了两位都市白领丽人麦微、崔燕对爱情的执著和绝望、坚韧和无助、挣扎和牺牲以及麦微和楚天舒、崔燕和任远重的错位爱情悲剧。文章从麦微、崔燕的爱情观入手，分析她们在两性情感的错位认识以及导致的悲剧性结局，从而看到这些女性内心隐秘的充满爱与恨的世界，对情感的无望等待和坚守以及为此付出的巨大牺牲和代价。