Bovine microvascular endothelial cells of separate morphology differ in growth and response to the action of interferon-γ

Five cell types recently isolated from the bovine corpus luteum differed in their epithelioid morphology and their cytoskeleton, but shared common criteria of microvascular endothelial cells^1,2. To give strong evidence for the separate entity, the growth rate of the 5 phenotypically different cells was studied. They were seeded at low density on day 0. Most of these cells were treated with 200 to 1000 U recombinant bovine interferon- (IFN-) for 3 days. The untreated remainder served as controls. Cell counts were made for all cultures on days 4, 7, 10 and 13. morphology: 13 d after treatment with IFN- senescent cells as well as intact cells occurred in cultures of cell types 1 to 4. Cultures of cell type 5 were apparently unchanged and resembled their untreated counterparts. Desminpositive cells in cultures of cell type 2 developed cell processes. Growth rate: In the absence of IFN-, the growth rate was high for cell types 3 and 4, moderate for cell type 1, and low for cell types 2 and 5. The presence of IFN- caused anti-proliferative effects. These were higher for cell types 3 and 4 than for cell types 1 and 2. IFN- could be cytotoxic on cell type 3. In contrast, the cytokine tended to support the cell growth of cell type 5. These findings substantiate the postulate that endothelial cells exhibiting separate morphology in culture also function differently.     

Population biology of bryozoans: correlates of sessile,colonial life histories in freshwater habitats

Bryozoans are common, often abundant, sessile, colonial invertebrates of freshwaters. By reviewing what is known of their general ecology and considering in further detail the population biology of specific groups, we provide evidence that 1) populations are locally ephemeral and regional persistence is attained via a dynamic equilibrium between dispersal and colonization, and 2) sex may often be infrequent and a high degree of clonality obtains at both local and regional scales. On the basis of these characteristics we discuss how the group offers exceptional opportunities for investigating a number of fundamentally important ecological and evolutionary questions.The highly curious modification of the Molluscan type which the Polyzoa [=Bryozoa] present... the great beauty of their forms, and the facility with which they can in general be observed in a living state, cannot but render them special favorites for every lover of Nature; and for the more profound student must confer on them a peculiar significance, and invest their study with a scientific interest which is scarcely surpassed by that of any other group of animals.... (Allman 1856)     

Presence of hsp65 in bacterial extracts (OM-89): A possible mediator of orally-induced tolerance?

Heat shock proteins (HSP) have been implicated in rodent models of autoimmunity, particularly arthritis, and there is suggestive though inconclusive evidence that they may also play a role in human autoimmune disease. The simplest hypothesis is based on molecular mimicry due to the amino-acid sequence homology between mammalian and microbial HSP. Recently OM-89, an extract of several strains ofEscherichia coli, has shown some efficacy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) when taken orally. Using species-specific antibodies, we show here that OM-89 contains the 65 kDa HSP (hsp65), while hsp65 was not detected in another bacterial extract containing other microorganisms, includingStaphylococcus aureus (OM-85). We suggest that if the human homologue of hsp65 is a relevant target antigen in the human disease, the efficacy of the preparation could be due to induction of oral tolerance or to switching the Th1 response towards Th2. Alternatively, even if the human hsp65 is not a target molecule in RA joints, OM-89 may evoke bystander suppression of joint inflammation via induction of TGF-secreting effector cells. These hypotheses should be tested in further studies.     

Occurrence of 3-epi-22-deoxy-20-hydroxyecdysone and its phosphoric ester in diapause eggs of the silkworm,Bombyx mori

Ecdysteroids in diapause eggs of the silkworm,Bombyx mori, were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with radioimmunoassay (RIA). A relatively large amount of an unidentified free ecdysteroid and its phosphoric ester (conjugated form) were detected. These two compounds were isolated by a combination of column chromatography on silicic acid, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and HPLC using a reverse-phase (RP) column. The purified compounds were identified as 3-epi-22-deoxy-20-hydroxyecdysone (22d20E) and 3-epi-22-deoxy-20-hydroxyecdysone 2-phosphate (22d20E2P) by means of mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. to our knowledge, this is the first report of 22d20E and 22d20E2P.     

Energy flow and community structure in freshwater ecosystems

The goal of this article is twofold: 1) It aims at providing an overview on some major results obtained from energy flow studies in individuals, populations, and communities, and 2) it will also focus on major mechanisms explaining community structures. The basis for any biological community to survive and establish a certain population density is on the one hand energy fixation by primary producers together with adequate nutrient supply and the transfer of energy between trophic levels (bottom-up effect). On the other hand, predator pressures may strongly control prey population densities one or more trophic levels below (top-down effect). Other interpopulation effects include competition, chemical interactions and evolutionary genetic processes, which further interact and result in the specific structuring of any community with respect to species composition and population sizes.     

Sex pheromone of the pine sawflyDiprion pini (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae): Chemical identification,synthesis and biological activity

The main component of the sex pheromone secretion of femaleDiprion pini L. (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) from insects collected both in Finland and in France has been identified as athreo-3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol (8 ng per female) stereoisomer by GC-MS and synthesis. The secretion also contains lower and higher homologues in small amounts (1–4% of the main component). Combined gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection showed activity in both natural and esterified extracts (acetates and propionates); the esters of the main component gave the largest responses. The acetates and propionates of the eight stereoisomers of 3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol were synthesized from enantiomerically highly enriched (>99% ee) building blocks. The stereochemistry of the main component was established to be (2S,3R,7R)-3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol by GC analysis of the natural material. It was purified by liquid chromatography prior to the GC analysis of both its pentafluorobenzoates and its isopropylcarbamates on a non-chiral polar column (ECD) and a chiral column (NPD), respectively. Field tests demonstrated that both the acetate and propionate of the main component (100 g of each applied on cotton roll dispensers) were active in attracting males, with or without the presence of several of the minor compounds. Experiments with smaller amounts of the acetate and the propionate (1 g in France and 50 g in Finland) demonstrated that the propionate was more active than the acetate, and that it also caught more males than a blend of the two compounds.     

Fibronectin peptide DRVPHSRNSIT and fibronectin receptor peptide DLYYLMDL arrest gastrulation ofRana pipiens

Gastrulation is characterized by dramatic cell migration which is thought to require the interaction of cell adhesion molecules with extracellular molecules. We have tested two novel peptides, a fibronectin peptide and a fibronectin receptor peptide, for their effects on gastrulation of the leopard frogRana pipiens. The fibronectin peptide DRVPHSRNSIT corresponds to residues 1373–1383 of the cell-binding domain of fibronectin; the receptor peptide DLYYLMDL corresponds to residues 124–131 of 1 subunit of a variety of integrins including 51. Either of these peptides significantly inhibited gastrulation after being microinjected into mid-blastulae. These results indicate that these sequences may correspond to the ligand/receptor interaction sites of fibronectin and its receptor(s).     

基于新型相似日选取和VMD-NGO-BiGRU的短期光伏功率预测

光伏功率预测在现代电力系统调度和运行中起着重要作用.针对光伏发电功率的多变性和复杂性,提出了一种基于新型相似日选取和北方苍鹰算法（Northern Goshawk Optimization, NGO）优化双向门控循环单元（Bidirectional Gated Recurrent Unit, BiGRU）的短期光伏功率预测方法.首先,利用斯皮尔曼相关系数选取主要气象因子,通过变分模态分解（Variational Mode Decomposition, VMD）将原始光伏功率和最大气象因子分解重构为一系列子信号.其次,通过构建新的评价指标筛选出相似日数据集,利用一组BiGRU建立以相似日子信号为网络输入的深度学习模型,并利用NGO对每个BiGRU网络的超参数进行有效优化.最后,对各子信号的预测结果进行综合,得到最终的光伏功率预测值.仿真结果表明,所提混合深度学习方法在预测精度和计算效率方面均优于其他方法.     

Determination of tectonic background for sedimentary basin from sandstone geochemistry

The chemical composition of sedimentary rocks is mainly controlled by source rocks. Through examining chemical composition of terrigenous rocks, the tectonic evolution of a sedimentary basin can be modeled. The Turpan Basin belongs to a continental sedimentary basin and its source rocks are derived from the upper continental crust.