A cat cloned by nuclear transplantation

Sheep, mice, cattle, goats and pigs have all been cloned by transfer of a donor cell nucleus into an enucleated ovum, and now we add the successful cloning of a cat (Felis domesticus) to this list. However, this cloning technology may not be readily extendable to other mammalian species if our understanding of their reproductive processes is limited or if there are species-specific obstacles.     

Petrological implication of wagnerite-Ma5bc in the quartzofeldspathic gneiss, Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica

Mg dominantmineralsofwagnerite triplite group,i.e.(Mg,Fe,Mn)2(PO4)(F,OH),arerelativelyrare,buthavebeenfoundinawidevariety ofgeologicenvironments,includingmetamorphic rocksofallgrades[1]suchasquartz carbonateveinsof hydrothermalorigin,pegmatites,kyanite quartzite,micaschist,sillimanitegneiss,andmagnetiteores.Uptonow,wagneriteispresentmainlyasthe Ma2bcpolytype,anaccessorymineralincalcium poorrocks[2,5]inwhichapatite,ifpresent,oftenoc cursasretrograderimaroundwagnerite.Henriques[6]reportedasma…     

Application of microfluidic chip to realize controllable pH gradient

A kind of PH gradient microfluidic chips through soft-lithography microfabrication for isoelectric focusing (IEF) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is introduced here. These pH gradient chips have the advantages such as easy fabrication, controllable pH range and precision, isoelectric focusing and separation at the same time, low voltage for isoelectric focusing, and time stable pH gradient. This method has potential application to sample preparation, separation and analysis of microfluidic chips.     

半导体热电材料Bi1-xSbx薄膜的电化学制备

B I1-XSBX半导体合金是性能优异的热电和磁电功能材料,为制备固态电制冷器件、温差发电器件和磁电器件的重要材料。电化学沉积薄膜技术工艺设备简单成本低,在半导体薄膜制备方面有很好的应用前景。系统研究了高浓度盐酸(2.4 MOL/L)的B I和SB盐酸溶液,成份从纯铋逐步变化到纯锑的B I1-XSBX合金半导体薄膜电化学沉积特性。测试了沉积过程I-V循环曲线和和沉积电荷效率等电化学参数。结果表明在所有成份范围内都可以得到典型的B I1-XSBX固溶体结构的高质量薄膜。薄膜生长为典型的溶液扩散控制过程,具有高的沉积电荷效率。薄膜沉积和溶解之间的电位差随溶液中SB(Ⅲ)离子浓度增加而增大,生长的薄膜越来越稳定。在30%SB浓度附近,电化学过程、薄膜结构和性能发生明显的突变。应用X射线衍射和电子显微镜研究薄膜结构,发现薄膜具有明显的(012)择优取向,薄膜晶粒尺寸也随SB浓度的增加而变化。     

Microbial starch-binding domains are superior to granule-bound starch synthase I for anchoring luciferase to potato starch granules

Microbial starch-binding domains (SBD) and granule-bound starch synthase I (GBSSI) are proteins which are accumulated in potato starch granules. The efficiency of SBD and GBSSI for targeting active luciferase reporter proteins to granules during starch biosynthesis was compared. GBSSI or SBD sequences were fused to the N- or C-terminus of the luciferase (LUC) gene, via an artificial Pro-Thr encoding linker sequence. The genes were introduced into an amylose-free (amf) potato mutant. It appeared that SBD was superior to GBSSI as a targeting sequence, mainly because the luciferase retained higher activity in the SBD-containing fusion proteins than in the GBSSI-containing ones.     

宏观面内剪切作用下多尺度裂纹模型的耦合闭合解

裂纹在面内剪切荷载作用下,宏观应力场呈反对称分布,微观应力场将不再具有反对称性,可能是面内拉伸与面内剪切的混合型分布.另外,考虑微观裂纹前还有一个刃型位错区,据此建立起一个多尺度嵌套的裂纹模型,可以描述从原子尺度下的刃型位错区过渡到Ⅰ、Ⅱ复合型微观裂纹,再过渡到Ⅱ型宏观裂纹.材料不同尺度下的损伤,通过约束过渡区相连接,引入尺度变换因子的概念,并利用位移连续性条件与应力场匹配条件,求解出多尺度耦合问题的闭合形式的解.通过数值计算,讨论了材料宏观力学性能对不同尺度下各影响因素的的敏感性.研究结果表明,材料破坏机理非常复杂,与作用荷载、不同尺度下缺陷的几何形状、尺寸及材料性能等因素相关.     

Accelerated carbonation and leaching behavior of the slag from iron and steel making industry

Ground granulated blast furnace slag(GGBFS)and steelmaking slag have been used as a raw material for cement production or as an aggregate to make concrete,which contribute aluminum,calcium,iron,and silicon oxides.The suitability of the slag for a particular application depends on its reactivity,cost,availability,and its influence on the properties of the resulting concrete.For the interest of durability studying of concrete in the presence of slag,the accelerated carbonation products and leaching behavior of the slag and Portland cement(PC)were studied.The experimental results confirmed that the slag was more resistant to carbonation compared to PC.The carbonation degree of GGBFS reduced by 17.74%;and the carbonation degrees of steelmaking slags reduced by 9.51%-11.94%.Carbonation neutralized the alkaline nature of the hydrated pastes and gave rise to the redox potential of the leachate slightly(30-77 mV).The carbonation also increased the release of most of the elements presented,except for calcium,to the aqueous environment.It is concluded that blend cements(PC plus slag)have economical advantages and better durability compared to PC.     

Mutations in genes encoding melanosomal proteins cause pigmentary glaucoma in DBA/2J mice.

Pigmentary glaucoma is a significant cause of human blindness. Abnormally liberated iris pigment and cell debris enter the ocular drainage structures, leading to increased intraocular pressure (IOP) and glaucoma. DBA/2J (D2) mice develop a form of pigmentary glaucoma involving iris pigment dispersion (IPD) and iris stromal atrophy (ISA). Using high-resolution mapping techniques, sequencing and functional genetic tests, we show that IPD and ISA result from mutations in related genes encoding melanosomal proteins. IPD is caused by a premature stop codon mutation in the Gpnmb (GpnmbR150X) gene, as proved by the occurrence of IPD only in D2 mice that are homozygous with respect to GpnmbR150X; otherwise, similar D2 mice that are not homozygous for GpnmbR150X do not develop IPD. ISA is caused by the recessive Tyrp1b mutant allele and rescued by the transgenic introduction of wildtype Tyrp1. We hypothesize that IPD and ISA alter melanosomes, allowing toxic intermediates of pigment production to leak from melanosomes, causing iris disease and subsequent pigmentary glaucoma. This is supported by the rescue of IPD and ISA in D2 eyes with substantially decreased pigment production. These data indicate that pigment production and mutant melanosomal protein genes may contribute to human pigmentary glaucoma. The fact that hypopigmentation profoundly alleviates the D2 disease indicates that therapeutic strategies designed to decrease pigment production may be beneficial in human pigmentary glaucoma.