Evidence that prokineticin receptor 2 exists as a dimer in vivo

Prokineticins are proteins that regulate diverse biological processes including gastrointestinal motility, angiogenesis, circadian rhythm, and innate immune response. Prokineticins bind two closed related G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), PKR1 and PKR2. In general, these receptors act as molecular switches to relay activation to heterotrimeric G-proteins and a growing body of evidence points to the fact that GPCRs exist as homo- or heterodimers. We show here by Western-blot analysis that PKR2 has a dimeric structure in neutrophils. By heterologous expression of PKR2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we examined the mechanisms of intermolecular interaction of PKR2 dimerization. The potential involvement of three types of mechanisms was investigated: coiled-coil, disulfide bridges, and hydrophobic interactions between transmembrane domains. Characterization of differently deleted or site-directed PKR2 mutants suggests that dimerization proceeds through interactions between transmembrane domains. We demonstrate that co-expressing binding-deficient and signaling-deficient forms of PKR2 can re-establish receptor functionality, possibly through a domain-swapping mechanism.     

内部控制对公司价值的影响——基于关联交易的中介效应检验

以2010—2017年沪深两市上市公司为样本,基于关联交易视角,采用中介效应检验方法,从对外关联担保、对外提供资金和非公允关联购销3个角度,系统考察内部控制对公司价值的影响及影响机理。研究结果表明:健全的内部控制能显著提升公司价值,良好的内部控制能够抑制对外关联担保,进而提高公司价值,内部控制对外提供资金和非公允关联购销对公司价值没有显著影响;内部控制主要通过抑制关联担保提升公司价值;内部控制对公司价值的影响不随监管强度、市场化程度和产权性质的变化而变化;内部控制对关联担保的抑制作用,仅在内部控制建设监管较严时、市场化程度较高的地区存在。     

Voice Recognition by Neuro-Heuristic Method

The amount of digital data is increasing every day. At every step of our daily lives, we deal with technologies in which our data are stored(e.g., mobile phones and laptops), and this is one of the main reasons for the design of various types of encryption and user identity verification algorithms. These algorithms are meant not only to fulfill the desire of protecting data but also to address the possibility of granting access of specific digital data to selected individuals. This process brings with it the problem of identity verification. This paper discusses the problem of voice verification and presents a voice verification method based on artificial intelligence methods.Numerous tests are performed herein to demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented solution. The research results are shown and discussed in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of the solution.     

西藏纳木错湖芯正构烷烃及其反映的8.4 ka以来的环境变化

采用索氏抽提法提取纳木错NMLC-1孔湖芯沉积物中的正构烷烃, 利用GC/MS进行了测试. 在已经建立的深度-年代曲线基础上, 通过分析正构烷烃的组成与含量, 结合TOC, TN和CaCO₃等环境代用指标, 重建了纳木错湖区约8.4 ka以来的环境变化历史. 结果表明: 约8.4~6.7 ka BP期间, 环境较温暖, 降水呈增加趋势, 末期变冷干. 约6.7~2.9 ka BP期间可分为两个亚期, 早期温暖湿润, 至6.0 ka BP左右达到环境最适宜期; 晚期温度波动降低, 陆生植被和沉水植物退化, 以3.0 ka BP左右的冷事件结束. 约2.9 ka BP~现在, 冷暖交替, 1.4 ka BP左右开始趋于干燥, 600~400 a BP间的降温体现了小冰期特征.     

Photocatalytic degradation kinetics of Rhodamine B catalyzed by nanosized TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> film

A fixed bed photocatalytic reactor was designed,and dynamic fast scan of UV-Vis adsorption spectrum was adopted to study the photocatalytic degradation dynamic behavior of Rhodamine B,a kind of dye generally recognized as to be degraded difficultly ,on the surface of nanosized TiO2 thin film,The results indicate that the photocatalytic degradation process of Rhodamine B does not comply with the first-order reaction kinetic process ,As a result,a kinetic model of Rhodamine B photocataly tic degradation ,reaction is brough forward ,and the model is proved by the theoretical deduction and experiment.     

Optimal policy with a total order quantity commitment contract in the presence of a spot market

In this paper,the optimal policy is considered when the buyer faces two supply sources:one is the contract supplier from which the buyer orders over a specific contract period(say,a year) at a pre-agreed price,and the other is the spot market.However,when ordering from the contract supplier,the buyer must fulfill a pre-determined total order quantity,or the so-called definite total order quantity commitment,over the whole contract period.In other words,the commitment secures the buyer a fixed price but obliges him/her a total order quantity over the contract period.Although the spot market gives the buyer more flexibility in terms of order quantities,its prices are volatile.Such a combination of contract and spot procurements is often observed in practice.Within the contract period,there are multiple sub-periods,during each of which the buyer reviews the inventory,issues an individual order,and uses the on-hand inventory to meet the random demand.Thus,in each(ordering) period,the buyer will weigh between the current known spot price(by procuring from the spot market) and a lower future price(by waiting while consuming the remaining commitment).An optimal dual ordering policy is characterized for each period,depending on the on-hand inventory level,the spot price,and the remaining commitment quantity.The optimal policy in each period is also shown to be independent of the contract price.Through a numerical study,the inventory cost is demonstrated to be(1) insensitive to the contract price when the total commitment quantity is lower than the total expected demand over the contract period and(2) non-increasing in the variability of spot prices.     

Effects of truncated mutants of the ε subunit of chloroplast ATP synthase on the fast phase of millisecond delayed light emission of chloroplast and its ATP synthesis ability

The ε subunit of the chloroplast ATP synthase and the truncated ε mutants which lack some amino acid residues from the N-terminus or C-terminus were overexpressed in E. coil When the ε subunit or the truncated ε proteins was added to the spinach chloroplast suspension, both the intensity of the fast phase of millisecond delayed light emission (ms-DLE) and the cyclic and noncyclic photophosphorylation activity of chloroplast were enhanced. With an increase in the number of residues deleted from the N-terminus, the enhancement effect of the N-terminal truncated proteins decreased gradually. For the C-terminal truncated proteins, the enhancement effect increased gradually with an increase in the number of residues deleted from the C-terminus. Besides, the ATP synthesis activity of ε-deficient membrane reconstituted with the ε subunit or the truncated ε proteins was compared. The ATP synthesis activity of reconstituted membrane with the N-terminal truncated proteins decreased gradually as the number of residues deleted from the N-terminus increased. For the C-terminal truncated proteins, the ATP synthesis activity of reconstituted membrane increased gradually with an increase in the number of residues deleted from the C-terminus, but was still lower than that of the wild type ε protein. These results suggested that: (a) the N-terminal domain of the ε subunit of the chloroplast ATP synthase could affect the ATP synthesis activity of ATP synthase by regulating the efficiency of blocking proton leakage of ε subunit; and (b) the C-terminal domain of the ε subunit of the chloroplast ATP synthase had a subtle function in modulating the ATP synthesis ability of ATP synthase.     

液压蓄能式风力机组并网转速解耦优化控制

针对在风速、同步发电机负载变化情况下,液压蓄能式风力机组并网转速控制问题,提出一种新型并网转速控制方法——解耦广义预测优化控制方法（Decoupled Generalized Predictive Optimization Control, DGPOC）.首先,DGPOC利用基于广义预测的前馈解耦方法解除变量马达摆角和蓄能器比例阀开度之间的耦合关系,进而调节蓄能器比例阀,依靠蓄能器吸收波动流量,同步调节变量马达摆角实现恒转速控制,解决因风速、同步发电机负载变化引起的变量马达转速波动问题; 其次,将蓄能器比例阀的能量损耗作为性能约束项,加入到优化目标函数中,求取最优控制量,从而提高液压蓄能式风力机组风能利用率; 最后,利用建立的MATLAB-AMESim联合仿真实验平台验证DGPOC方法的有效性.实验结果表明： DGPOC方法不仅可以实现变量马达摆角和蓄能器比例阀开度两个变量的解耦,提升变量马达转速控制的快速性及鲁棒性,而且能够降低系统的能量损耗.     

Change in the sedimentary environment of Wanquan River Estuary,Hainan Island,China

Pb geochronology and sediment core profiles of organic carbon, total sulfur and organic carbon isotope (d 13C) values were used to reconstruct the local environ-mental history of the Shamei Lagoon, located in the Wan-quan River Estuary, eastern Hainan Island, China. Totalsulfur and d 13C values decreased upwards in the top 30 cm of a sediment core that spanned the last 200 years of deposi-tion. Total sulfur concentration and d 13C values respectively decreased upward from 1.92% to 0.36%, and -20.63?to -23.64? The C/S ratio in the 19th century and earlier was relatively stable in the range of 0.47—0.80, and there was a positive correlation between organic carbon and total sulfur. Since around 1900 AD, the C/S ratio increased rapidly to a maximum of 3.94, but no simple correlation was found be-tween organic carbon and total sulfur during this more re-cent period. These results indicated that before 1800 AD, the lagoon had a fully marine character, and the location of to-day抯 Wanquan River Estuary was an open embayment.From 1800 to 1900, the salinity of Shamei Lagoon decreased noticeably. The amount of seawater which could enter thelagoon decreased gradually as the Yudai spit grew. Today,seawater scarcely affects the lagoon; it is essentially a fresh-water basin.     

国土规划理论方法的几点新认识

从必要性———发展社会主义市场经济必须加强国土规划工作,理论基础———可持续发展理论和战略是国土规划的指导思想,系列化———加强基层区域规划,构建完整的国土规划体系,规范化———确立规划内容、方法、程序的统一标准,现代化———采用地理信息系统等先进手段,法制化和公开化———确立组织公众参与规划的编制和实施国土规划的法律地位等方面,论述了我国国土规划的若干理论、方法问题,提出了改进规划工作的具体建议．