cDNA芯片技术和病毒感染的基因表达

论述了最近发展的ｃＤＮＡ芯片技术及其在基因的发现和表达以及在疾病诊断上的应用。该技术是把ｃＤＮＡ的阵列由高速自动控制仪器置于玻璃片上,用标记的探针测定互补结合的情况,可同时进行大量基因的表达和基因的发现研究。这是一个高效率和大规模的基因组分析和表达的研究技术。使用这一新技术,发现了ＨＩＶ感染期间ｈｓｐ７０基因表达发生的变化,传统的Ｎｏｒｔｈｅｒｎ分析证实了芯片的测定结果。综述中还包括了作者未作发表     

Perfluorooctane sulfonate （PFOS） and related fluorochemicals in chicken egg in China

The ubiquitous occurrence of perfluorinated compounds （PFCs） in environmental samples has drawn much attention. Recent human exposure studies found relatively high perfluorooctane sulfonate （PFOS） concentrations in blood samples from several cities in China when compared with other countries. The objectives of the present study were： （1） to measure PFC concentrations and compositions in chicken egg samples from local markets in China; and （2） to conduct a preliminary human health risk assessment of egg consumption. Eight pooled egg samples from eight locations were analyzed for 11 PFCs. The results showed that close to 100% of the PFOS in the egg was distributed in egg yolk and PFOS was not detected in egg white （〈0.08 ng/g wet weight, w/w）. Of the perfluoroalkylsulfonates, only PFOS was detected in all egg samples, while of the perfluoroalkylcarboxylates, perfluoroundecanoic acid （PFUnDA） was detected in all samples, followed by perfluorooctanoate （PFOA） （75% occurrence） and perfluorodecanoic acid （PFDA） （50% occurrence）. PFOS concentrations in egg ranged from 45.0 to 86.9 ng/g w/w. The results suggested that current concentrations of PFOS in domestic chicken eggs are unlikely to cause immediate harm to Chinese populations.     

Engineered polycaprolactone – magnesium hybrid biodegradable porous scaffold for bone tissue engineering

In this paper, we describe the fabrication of a new biodegradable porous scaffold composed of polycaprolactone(PCL) and magnesium(Mg)micro-particles. The compressive modulus of PCL porous scaffold was increased to at least 150% by incorporating 29% Mg particles with the porosity of 74% using Micro-CT analysis. Surprisingly, the compressive modulus of this scaffold was further increased to at least 236% when the silane-coupled Mg particles were added. In terms of cell viability, the scaffold modified with Mg particles significantly convinced the attachment and growth of osteoblasts as compared with the pure PCL scaffold. In addition, the hybrid scaffold was able to attract the formation of apatite layer over its surface after 7 days of immersion in normal culture medium, whereas it was not observed on the pure PCL scaffold. This in vitro result indicated the enhanced bioactivity of the modified scaffold. Moreover, enhanced bone forming ability was also observed in the rat model after 3 months of implantation. Though bony in-growth was found in all the implanted scaffolds. High volume of new bone formation could be found in the Mg/PCL hybrid scaffolds when compared to the pure PCL scaffold. Both pure PCL and Mg/PCL hybrid scaffolds were degraded after 3 months. However, no tissue inflammation was observed. In conclusion, these promising results suggested that the incorporation of Mg micro-particles into PCL porous scaffold could significantly enhance its mechanical and biological properties. This modified porous bio-scaffold may potentially apply in the surgical management of large bone defect fixation.     

挤压速度对Ti6Al4V钛合金等通道转直角挤压过程 影响的数值模拟

采用Deform-3D有限元软件,对样品初始温度为900℃的Ti6Al4V钛合金等通道转直角挤压在0~5 mm/s的下压速度范围内进行了数值模拟。模拟计算结果表明：在相同的挤压速度下,试样通过转角后的温度降低速率减小;挤压速度越大,挤压过程所需的荷载越低,应变累积越小,等效应力越低,应力集中现象越少,挤压过程中试样的温降越小;本研究条件下,挤压速度值选定为5 mm/s。     

Arc-parallel flow in the mantle wedge beneath Costa Rica and Nicaragua

Resolving flow geometry in the mantle wedge is central to understanding the thermal and chemical structure of subduction zones, subducting plate dehydration, and melting that leads to arc volcanism, which can threaten large populations and alter climate through gas and particle emission. Here we show that isotope geochemistry and seismic velocity anisotropy provide strong evidence for trench-parallel flow in the mantle wedge beneath Costa Rica and Nicaragua. This finding contradicts classical models, which predict trench-normal flow owing to the overlying wedge mantle being dragged downwards by the subducting plate. The isotopic signature of central Costa Rican volcanic rocks is not consistent with its derivation from the mantle wedge or eroded fore-arc complexes but instead from seamounts of the Galapagos hotspot track on the subducting Cocos plate. This isotopic signature decreases continuously from central Costa Rica to northwestern Nicaragua. As the age of the isotopic signature beneath Costa Rica can be constrained and its transport distance is known, minimum northwestward flow rates can be estimated (63-190 mm yr(-1)) and are comparable to the magnitude of subducting Cocos plate motion (approximately 85 mm yr(-1)). Trench-parallel flow needs to be taken into account in models evaluating thermal and chemical structure and melt generation in subduction zones.     

Optical pumping of a single hole spin in a quantum dot

The spin of an electron is a natural two-level system for realizing a quantum bit in the solid state. For an electron trapped in a semiconductor quantum dot, strong quantum confinement highly suppresses the detrimental effect of phonon-related spin relaxation. However, this advantage is offset by the hyperfine interaction between the electron spin and the 10(4) to 10(6) spins of the host nuclei in the quantum dot. Random fluctuations in the nuclear spin ensemble lead to fast spin decoherence in about ten nanoseconds. Spin-echo techniques have been used to mitigate the hyperfine interaction, but completely cancelling the effect is more attractive. In principle, polarizing all the nuclear spins can achieve this but is very difficult to realize in practice. Exploring materials with zero-spin nuclei is another option, and carbon nanotubes, graphene quantum dots and silicon have been proposed. An alternative is to use a semiconductor hole. Unlike an electron, a valence hole in a quantum dot has an atomic p orbital which conveniently goes to zero at the location of all the nuclei, massively suppressing the interaction with the nuclear spins. Furthermore, in a quantum dot with strong strain and strong quantization, the heavy hole with spin-3/2 behaves as a spin-1/2 system and spin decoherence mechanisms are weak. We demonstrate here high fidelity (about 99 per cent) initialization of a single hole spin confined to a self-assembled quantum dot by optical pumping. Our scheme works even at zero magnetic field, demonstrating a negligible hole spin hyperfine interaction. We determine a hole spin relaxation time at low field of about one millisecond. These results suggest a route to the realization of solid-state quantum networks that can intra-convert the spin state with the polarization of a photon.     

An internal thermal sensor controlling temperature preference in Drosophila

Animals from flies to humans are able to distinguish subtle gradations in temperature and show strong temperature preferences. Animals move to environments of optimal temperature and some manipulate the temperature of their surroundings, as humans do using clothing and shelter. Despite the ubiquitous influence of environmental temperature on animal behaviour, the neural circuits and strategies through which animals select a preferred temperature remain largely unknown. Here we identify a small set of warmth-activated anterior cell (AC) neurons located in the Drosophila brain, the function of which is critical for preferred temperature selection. AC neuron activation occurs just above the fly's preferred temperature and depends on dTrpA1, an ion channel that functions as a molecular sensor of warmth. Flies that selectively express dTrpA1 in the AC neurons select normal temperatures, whereas flies in which dTrpA1 function is reduced or eliminated choose warmer temperatures. This internal warmth-sensing pathway promotes avoidance of slightly elevated temperatures and acts together with a distinct pathway for cold avoidance to set the fly's preferred temperature. Thus, flies select a preferred temperature by using a thermal sensing pathway tuned to trigger avoidance of temperatures that deviate even slightly from the preferred temperature. This provides a potentially general strategy for robustly selecting a narrow temperature range optimal for survival.