Serine/threonine protein phosphatases in DNA damage response

DNA damage response (DDR) is among the most important of the mechanisms that maintain genome stability which, when destabilized, predisposes organs to cancer. Reversible phosphorylation mediated by protein kinases and protein phosphatases regulates most, if not all, cellular activities, including DDR. Protein kinase inhibitors have become the main focus of targeted therapy and anticancer drug development. However, our limited knowledge of protein phosphatase function is compromising our capacity to develop therapeutic agents against phosphatases. In this review, we summarize the roles of serine/threonine protein phosphatases involved in DDR and propose that in situ dephosphorylation of phosphoproteins by protein phosphatases, instead of proteasome-mediated degradation of phosphoproteins, is mainly employed by cells.     

Development of cryogenically-cooled low noise amplifier for mobile base station receivers

A new circuit model for designing and manufacturing an S-band low noise amplifier(LNA) with the software,Advanced Design System(ADS),is introduced in this paper.The proposed model involves shunted impedance at the grid to achieve a stable LNA without measuring the S-parameters of transistors at low temperatures.The LNA was measured over the operation band of 2.2-2.3 GHz,which has input and output standing wave ratios below 1.2.The noise figure of the manufactured LNA was about 0.2 dB and the gain was above 22 dB,which indicated that our LNA worked well at 77 K.     

Entransy dissipation minimization for optimization of heat exchanger design

In this paper,by taking the water-water balanced counterflow heat exchanger as an example,the entransy dissipation theory is applied to optimizing the design of heat exchangers.Under certain conditions,the optimal duct aspect ratio is determined analytically.When the heat transfer area or the duct volume is fixed,analytical expressions of the optimal mass velocity and the minimal entransy dissipation rate are obtained.These results show that to reduce the irreversible dissipation in heat exchangers,the heat exchange area should be enlarged as much as possible,while the mass velocity should be reduced as low as possible.     

Response of the northwestern Pacific upper water δ~(13)C to the last deglacial ventilation of the deep Southern Ocean

The deglacial δ~13C minimum events that originated from the ventilation of the deep Southern Ocean around Antarctica, have been recorded in a range of marine sediments from the southern to tropical oceans in late Pleistocene. However, the broad δ~13C minimum event was also reported as far as to the northern middle latitudes, in northwestern Pacific marginal sea areas, during the last deglaciation. In the northwestern Pacific, forcing from the northern high latitudes is strongly expressed, while the records of in- fluence from the southern high latitudes are few. The Kuroshio Source Region (KSR) forms a boundary between the northwestern Pacific and the southern, tropical Pacific. So, high-resolution planktonic foraminiferal records in core MD06-3054 from the KSR are well positioned to identify signals from the southern hemisphere in the northwestern Pacific. Planktonic foraminiferal tests from the upper 1030 cm of the core were subject to AMS14C, carbon and oxygen isotopic measurements. A negative excursion was found to occur from about 20.0-6.0 ka BP in δ~13C records of both surface (Globigerinoides ruber) and subsurface (Pulleni- atina obliquiloculata) dwellers, but the overall trends of the two curves have reversed since 26.5 ka BP. Moreover, the δ~13C rec- ord of G. ruber (the surface dweller) shows a robust link to the record of atmospheric CO2, and its changes precede the records of P. obliquiloculata (the subsurface dweller). According to the hydrologic conditions, the broad δ~13C minimum event recorded in the KSR is also a response to the increasing ventilation of the deep Southern Ocean around Antarctica during the last deglaciation. The inconsistency between the records of the surface and subsurface dwellers was possibly caused by the ways that the low δ~13C signal was transmitted. Subsurface water primarily received the low δ~13C signal from the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW), whereas the surface water was probably mainly impacted by atmospheric CO2 in the KSR. The records from the KSR confirm the deduction that the broad δ~13C minimum event in the Okinawa Trough was due to the impact of tropical Pacific surface water dur- ing the last deglaciation, and suggest that signals from the southern high latitudes also can be delivered to the northern middle latitudes.     

A gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous analysis of 50 phenols in wastewater using deconvolution technology

Phenolic compounds exist widely in the influents and effluents of sewage treatment plants (STPs) and most are un-regulated. In this study, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for the simultaneous analysis of 50 phenolic compounds in wastewater was developed. Deconvolution technology was used to identify contaminants that are covered by co-extracted materials. A mass spectral library containing all 50 silylated phenolic compounds was first established and used for deconvolution. Twelve typical phenolic compounds were selected to optimize the sample preparation procedures. Solid-phase extraction using a C18 cartridge coupled with an HLB cartridge was used for pre-concentration and dichloromethane was used for elution. The solutes were derivatized and analyzed by GC-MS. The blank and matrix spike recoveries ranged from 57.46% to 136.4% and 47.87% to 114.8%, respectively. Method detection limits ranged from 3.64 to 97.64 ng L⁻¹. The relative standard deviations of all the recovery experiments were lower than 13.6%. The instrument limits of quantification ranged from 0.7 to 87.7 pg. The method has been applied to analyze the influents and effluents of 5 Chinese STPs. Except for regulated phenolic compounds (phenol and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol), three un-regulated phenolic compounds, including 2-chlorophenol, 2,5-dichlorophenol and 2,4-dichloro-3-ethyl-6-nitrophenol were identified in the effluent wastewater. The detected concentrations of un-regulated phenolic compounds could possibly cause environmental effects, indicating that immediate attention is required to prevent complications.     

Carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions and their evolutions of gases generated by herbaceous swamp peat at different thermal maturity stages

Coalbed methane (CBM) accumulation models include continuous gas accumulation and staged gas accumulation.However,studied on the geochemical characteristics and indices to evaluate staged accumulation CBM are lacking.This study for the first time obtained the carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of methane and ethane generated at different evolution stages using thermal simulation of samples prepared by treating an herbaceous swamp peat at different temperatures.The results showed that the carbon isotopic compositions of methane and ethane were obviously affected by the thermal evolution level of the starting sample,while the hydrogen isotopic compositions were closely related to the maturity of gases.The carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of gases generated by coal-forming organic matter with Ro values from 1.2%,1.7%,2.4%,3.2% and 3.7% to 5.2% were determinated.The relationship between Ro values and the carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of gases generated by coal-forming organic matter at different evolution stages as well as the carbon or hydrogen isotopic relationships between methane and ethane were established.The results provide a scientific basis for studying the genesis of CBM generated at different maturity intervals and understanding the geochemical characteristics of staged accumulation CBM.These results were applied to a case study on CBM from the southern Qinshui basin,and it was found that the CBM accumulated after the Middle Jurassic and was characteristic of staged gas accumulation.This is consistent with the result of geological studies,and further showed that the results of thermal simulation experiments are very important for evaluating the genesis of natural CBM.     

Angular dependent NEXAFS study of the molecular orientation of PTCDA multilayers on Au （111） surface

The molecular orientation of perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (PTCDA) multilayers adsorbed on Au (111) surface has been investigated using angular dependent O K-edge near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. The significant angular dependence of important resonant structures (π* and σ*) reveals that PTCDA molecules adopt an ordered geometry on the substrate surface. The average tilt angle of the PTCDA molecular planes is 27°±10° from the Au (111) surface.     

Role of locust <Emphasis Type="Italic">Locusta migratoria manilensis</Emphasis> claws and pads in attaching to substrates

The present study attempts to investigate the role of rigid claws and smooth adhesive pads in the locust Locusta migratoria manilensis,when attaching to various substrates.We measured the attachment forces on sandpaper and silicate glass plate of locusts with intact attachment system,and those with either the pretarsal claws or the tarsal pads having been entirely destroyed,to explore the role of pads and claws when a locust is walking on various substrates.To obtain information about morphological characteristics and material properties of the claws,we examined the intact and fractured claws by scanning electron microscopy,and tested the fractural force in a fracture experiment.We proposed a mechanical model for locust climbing on a slanting surface to analyze the conduction and final result of the attachment forces generated by the attachment organs on the fore-,mid-and hindlegs.Attachment forces generated by locusts with destroyed pads were similar to those generated by locusts with intact attachment system on both substrates,which presumably indicated that the claws have a significantly important role when attaching to various substrates.The result of the fracture experiment demonstrated that the claws are made of relatively stiff material,and their shear strength ranged between 39-45 MPa.Mechanical analysis of locust climbing on slanting surface showed that the force generated by the hindlegs suspended the whole body of locust up from the surface and pushed the body forward,while the midlegs steadily suspended the centre of gravity and the forelegs pulled the suspended body forward.The results obtained contribute to the further interpretation of the interaction mechanisms between insect attachment system and substrates,and supply information for designing and manufacturing slippery plates for trapping plague locusts.     

Potential influence of water level changes on energy flows in a lake food web

Large seasonal water-level fluctuations may influence isotopic signatures of primary producers and the types and amounts of these potential food sources accessible to aquatic fauna of Poyang Lake,the largest freshwater lake in China.In this study,the isotopic signatures of primary producers and consumers were determined,stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis and mixing models were combined to investigate the influence of water levels on the diet and isotopic composition of Poyang Lake fish and inverteb...     

高清晰度电视系统三维色域研究

根据相加混色原理,建立了常规色域的三维数学模型,在CIE1976LUV三维色度系统与Pointer物体真实表面色色域作了色度学比较.结果表明,常规HDTV传输系统之所以不能传输或重显全部Pointer色域,并不单纯因为色域范围小,两个色域涵盖的颜色范围有差别也是重要原因.这对需要从三维和颜色覆盖范围方面研究色域问题具有...