Identification of susceptibility genes loci associated with type 2 diabetes

In this study, we selected 10 susceptible SNPs loci to investigate their contribution to susceptibility to type 2 diabetes in Han Chinese among Hubei population. We genotyped SNPs rs5219, rs1801282, rs1470579, rs1111875, rs1081661, rs7754840, rs4506565, rs13266634, rs4402960, and rs5643981 by using the method of polymerase chain reaction-ligase detection reaction (PCR-LDR). In a case-control study, we have genotyped the 10 candidate susceptibility SNP loci, and here, we reported that the SNP rs5219 in KCNJ1...     

A communication security protocol of mobile agent system

The security issues of mobile agent system have embarrassed its widespread implementation. The paper analyses communication security threats and countermeasures of mobile agent system and proposes a communication security protocol of mobile agent system. It provides multifactor authentication, encryption transmission, and integrity protection of mobile agent.     

Identification of <Emphasis Type=Italic>Fallopia</Emphasis> species based on the chloroplast <Emphasis Type=Italic>mat</Emphasis>K gene sequences

In order to develop an efficient identification method for Fallopia plants and drugs, molecular analysis of the partial matK gene sequences was performed on 6 Fallopia species. Based on the matK sequences, a phylogenetic tree was constructed, which showed that different populations of inter- and intra-species could be specified and distinguished. The matK gene sequences of the 6 Fallopia species were all found to be of 1 271 bp in length, with some nucleotide variations throughout the entire sequences. The nucleotide difference at position 1 041 could distinguish F. denticulata from others, while specific nucleotide at position 1 154 became identification markers for F. aubertii. Moreover, four specific marker sites for F. multiflora var. ciliinerve at positions 216, 224, 1 060 and 1 179, seven for F. convolvulus at 318, 765, 772, 874, 936, 952 and 1 036, and seven for F. dentate alata at 111, 192, 366, 450, 457, 1 032 and 1 074 were also observed. By detecting the marker nucleotides and analyzing the phylogenetic relationship, the botanical origins of five inspected drugs were determined, suggesting that matK sequences can be used for authenticating Fallopia plants and drugs.     

Swelling behaviors and pervaporation properties of CA/PAN composite membranes for separation of caprolactam/water mixtures

The composite membranes with cellulose acetate (CA) as the separating layer material and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as the supporting layer material were prepared for separating caprolactam (CPL) from CPL/water mixtures by pervaporation technique. The swelling experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of swelling time and CPL concentration on the degree of swelling. The results showed that the CA membrane reached swelling equilibrium within 24 h, and the degree of swelling first slightly decreased then increased with the increase of CPL concentration in the feed under the experimental conditions. Respectively comparing flux with permeance, and separation factor with selectivity, we found out that the separation performance of the CA/PAN composite membrane is more strongly dependent on its hydrophilic/hydrophobic nature as well as on the effects of operating parameters, such as feed composition concentration and feed temperature.     

Importance of NPA motifs in the expression and function of water channel aquaporin-1

The asparagine-proline-alanine sequences (NPA motifs) are highly conserved in aquaporin water channel family. Crystallographic studies of AQP1 structure demonstrated that the two NPA motifs are in the narrow central constriction of the channel, serving to bind water molecules for selective and effi-cient water passage. To investigate the importance of the two NPA motifs in the structure, function and biogenesis of aquaporin water channels, we generated AQP1 mutations with NPA1 deletion, NPA2 de-letion and NPA1,2 double deletion. The coding sequences of the three mutated cDNAs were subcloned into the mammalian expression vector pcDNA3.1 to form expression plasmids. We established stably transfected CHO cell lines expressing these AQP1 mutants. Immunofluorescence indicated that all the three mutated AQP1 proteins are expressed normally on the plasma membrane of stably transfected CHO cells, suggesting that deletion of NPA motifs does not influence the expression and intracellular processing of AQP1. Functional analysis demonstrated that NPA1 or NPA2 deletion reduced AQP1 water permeability by 49.6% and 46.7%, respectively, while NPA1,2 double deletion had little effect on AQP1 water permeability. These results provide evidence that NPA motifs are important for water per-meation but not essential for the expression, intracellular processing and the basic structure of AQP1 water channel.     

First observation of mesospheric and thermospheric winds by a Fabry-Perot interferometer in China

A Fabry-Perot interferometer, funded by the Meridian Project in China, was deployed at the Xinglong station (40.2°N,117.4°E) of the National Astronomical Observatories in Hebei Province, China. The instrument has been operating since April 2010, measuring mesospheric and thermospheric winds. The first observational data of winds at three heights in the mesosphere and thermosphere were analyzed, demonstrating the capacity of this instrument to aid basic scientific research. The wavelengths of three airglow emissions were OH892.0, OI 557.7, and OI 630.0 nm, which corresponded to heights of 87, 98, and 250 km, respectively. Three 38-day data sets of horizontal winds, from April 5, 2010 to May 12, 2010, show clear day-to-day variations at the same height. The minimum and maximum meridional winds at heights of 87, 98, and 250 km were –16.5 to 8.7 m/s, –24.4 to 15.9 m/s, and –43.6 to 1.5 m/s. Measurements of zonal winds were –5.4 to 7.6 m/s, 2.3 to 23.0 m/s, and –22.6 to 49.3 m/s. The average data from the observations was consistent with the data from HWM93. The wind data at heights of 87 and 98 km suggest a semi-diurnal oscillation, clearly consistent with HWM93 results. Conversely there was a clear discrepancy between the observations and the model at 250 km. In general, this Fabry-Perot interferometer is a useful ground-based instrument for measuring mesospheric and thermospheric winds at middle latitudes.     

Sequence similarity analysis of non-self CTL epitopes and mouse proteins using sequence alignment

This research analyzed amino acid sequence similarity between non-self T cell epitopes recognized by mouse antibodies and mouse proteins. Using sequence alignment,we found that only 8 of 1 108 epitopes are highly similar to mouse protein sequences. The result shows that non-self T cell epitopes are not similar or have little similarity to mouse protein sequences. Furthermore,reviewing the related literature,we also found that the eight epitopes would trigger immune responses in some particular environment,which are ignored by T cells in normal condition. The result suggests that no or low-similarity peptide vaccines can reduce the chance of collateral cross-reactions and enhance the antigen-specific immune response to vaccine.     

Photocatalytic activity of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> sensitized by CdS quantum dots under visible-light irradiation

In this paper, CdS quantum dots sensitized TiO2 composite powders (QD-CdS/TiO2) were synthesized by impregnating TiO2 powder into CdS sol with different concentrations. X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) shows the crystal structures of CdS and TiO2 are cubic phase and anatase phase separately in QD- CdS/TiO2 powder samples; the crystal size of CdS in QD- CdS/TiO2 is about 3-7 nm, while TiO2 crystal size is about 20 nm. With increasing CdS content in QD-CdS/TiO2 composite, the UV-Vis absorption spectrum shifted to the longer wavelength lines, exhibiting obvious quantum size effect. The fluorescence intensity of QD-CdS/TiO2 irradiated by blue light is weaker than that of pure CdS. When the molar ratio of CdS and TiO2 is about 1∶2, the QD-CdS/TiO2 powder has the best catalytic properties under visible-light irradiation, and the degradation rate of rhodamine B (RhB) is up to 92.2% within 60 min.     

A blind watermarking algorithm resisting to geometric transforms based on SVD

A new watermarking algorithm resisting to geometric transformation based on singular value decomposition(SVD) in logarithm polar coordinate is proposed.The log-polar mapping(LPM) is used to resist rotation and scaling attacks,and the odd-even quantization algorithm is used to embed watermark so it can be extracted without the original host image.The experiments show that the proposed algorithm not only resists various geometric attacks but also is robust enough to the common signal processing.