工业烟气脱硫同时制取硫化氢的初步研究

提出一种无废烟气脱硫新方法。用硫化钠溶液洗脱工业烟气中二氧化硫，同时生成硫化氢。后者用Ｃｌａｕｓ反应可制取元素硫。反应过程为三阶段模式。第一阶段发生二氧化硫溶解和硫离子向硫氢根离子转变；第二阶段主要发生硫氢根离子向硫化氢转变同时吸收二氧化硫；第三阶段，溶液逐渐失去脱除ＳＯ２的能力。提高硫化钠初始浓度和反应温度或降低进气中二氧化硫含量，于提高Ｈ２Ｓ转化率有利。进气中二氧化硫分压增大，各阶段周期缩短。     

电离辐射诱发小鼠骨髓细胞依赖和不依赖P53基因的凋亡

细胞凋亡(apoptosis)或程序性细胞死亡(programmed cell death),是一种具有典型形态学和生化特征的细胞死亡模式。在胚胎发育,T,B细胞成熟和内分泌相关的组织萎缩等生命过程中发生的细胞死亡,就是一种生理性细胞凋亡,以此控制体内细胞数量。辐射和某些抗肿瘤药物等DNA损伤因子,亦能诱发细胞凋亡,并与某些肿瘤相关基因的诱导表达和蛋白稳定性的改变等事件发生相关。P53基因是一种抑癌基因,参与细胞增殖调控,使细胞生长停滞于G_1期。近年发现,P53基因在细胞DNA受损伤后引发的细胞凋亡过程中也起重要作用。不同学者分别报道,电离辐射诱发小鼠胸腺细胞和小肠上皮细胞的凋亡,是依赖于P53基因,包括P53基因表达增加和P53蛋白稳定性增强。在P53基因缺失纯合子小鼠中,电离辐射就不能有效地启动上述组织细胞的凋亡机制。本文利用基因打靶技术产生的P53基因突变小鼠模型,研究不同P53基因状态下,即野生型(P53+/+)、杂合子(P53+/-)和纯合子突变型(P53-/-),电离辐射诱发小鼠骨髓细胞的凋亡。     

纤维对PEI改性环氧树脂单向复合材料形态的影响

人们改善环氧树脂基复合材料的脆性通常只改善环氧树脂基体和增强纤维间的界面，提高环氧树脂韧性的另一种常用方法是添加初始相容性良好的热塑性树脂如聚醚酰亚胺，在某一转化率（取决于体系的组成和反应温度）时体系发生相转变，体系最终的形态由相转变速率和环氧树脂反应速度所控制。本文作者研究了两种增强纤维（玻璃纤维和碳纤维）对不同环氧树脂／聚醚酰亚爱体系形态形成的影响，结果发现体系中纤维的存在不会影响基体相分离过程，但会改变体系的最终形态；形态的变化与纤维的品种关系不大；基体中不同组分的粘度是影响复合材料形态形成的关键因素。     

The early Holocene optimum inferred from a high-resolution pollen record of Huguangyan Maar Lake in southern China

A high-resolution pollen record of the past 13000 a from Huguangyan Maar Lake reveals the vegetation and environment changes in southern China during the Holocene. It shows that (i) pollen percentage of trees and shrubs reached 56% during the early Holocene (11600―7800 cal a BP), of which the pollen percentage of tropical trees reached a maximum at 9500―8000 cal a BP, reflecting a hot and wet envi- ronment; (ii) during the mid-Holocene (7800―4200 cal a BP), the pollen percentage of montane conif- erous trees and herbs increased, while the percentage of tropical-subtropical trees decreased, indi- cating lower temperature and humidity; (iii) in the late Holocene spanning from 4200 to 350 cal a BP, the pollen percentage of herbs and montane conifer increased significantly, indicating a marked decrease of temperature and humidity. Our pollen data reveal that the time period 9500―8000 cal a BP in south- ern China represents a climatic optimum for the Holocene characterized by hot and wet conditions. This is consistent with the Holocene optimum found in lower latitude regions globally. We speculate that strong insolation might cause the northward migration of the ITCZ and subtropical summer mon- soon front, which resulted in an early Holocene optimum in the Huguangyan area. The dry tendency and climate fluctuations of the middle and late Holocene could be associated with a decrease in solar insolation and frequent ENSO event.     

Symmetrical directional cloning: An efficient method to prepare hairpin RNA interference constructs

RNA interference (RNAi) is a loss-of-function approach by which double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) initiates degradation of homologous mRNAs in a sequence specific manner. The dsRNA molecules can be produced in vitro or in vivo, and can be introduced to cells in a number of ways. Here we report a more efficient method for the cloning of inverted repeat DNA fragments into expression vectors that can be transcribed into effective dsRNA molecules in vivo or in vitro. This method, named Symmetrical Directional Cloning (SDC), takes the advantage of compatible non-palindromic restriction enezyme sites, which allow one to directionally clone a single PCR product in both the sense and antisense orientations together into a vector. SDC allows for the directional cloning of inverted repeats using a single PCR product; it requires only one cut site on each side of the loop. Hence this method is more cost effective and less time-consuming. At least 21 commercially available restriction endonucleases can be used as cloning sites for the SDC method. The efficacy of dsRNA expression vectors prepared by SDC has been demonstrated by targeting a negative regulator of the signaling pathway mediating the response of cells to phytohormone, gibberellins (GA), in the aleurone cells.     

Temporal precision in the neural code and the timescales of natural vision

The timing of action potentials relative to sensory stimuli can be precise down to milliseconds in the visual system, even though the relevant timescales of natural vision are much slower. The existence of such precision contributes to a fundamental debate over the basis of the neural code and, specifically, what timescales are important for neural computation. Using recordings in the lateral geniculate nucleus, here we demonstrate that the relevant timescale of neuronal spike trains depends on the frequency content of the visual stimulus, and that 'relative', not absolute, precision is maintained both during spatially uniform white-noise visual stimuli and naturalistic movies. Using information-theoretic techniques, we demonstrate a clear role of relative precision, and show that the experimentally observed temporal structure in the neuronal response is necessary to represent accurately the more slowly changing visual world. By establishing a functional role of precision, we link visual neuron function on slow timescales to temporal structure in the response at faster timescales, and uncover a straightforward purpose of fine-timescale features of neuronal spike trains.     

SLAC1 is required for plant guard cell S-type anion channel function in stomatal signalling

Stomatal pores, formed by two surrounding guard cells in the epidermis of plant leaves, allow influx of atmospheric carbon dioxide in exchange for transpirational water loss. Stomata also restrict the entry of ozone--an important air pollutant that has an increasingly negative impact on crop yields, and thus global carbon fixation and climate change. The aperture of stomatal pores is regulated by the transport of osmotically active ions and metabolites across guard cell membranes. Despite the vital role of guard cells in controlling plant water loss, ozone sensitivity and CO2 supply, the genes encoding some of the main regulators of stomatal movements remain unknown. It has been proposed that guard cell anion channels function as important regulators of stomatal closure and are essential in mediating stomatal responses to physiological and stress stimuli. However, the genes encoding membrane proteins that mediate guard cell anion efflux have not yet been identified. Here we report the mapping and characterization of an ozone-sensitive Arabidopsis thaliana mutant, slac1. We show that SLAC1 (SLOW ANION CHANNEL-ASSOCIATED 1) is preferentially expressed in guard cells and encodes a distant homologue of fungal and bacterial dicarboxylate/malic acid transport proteins. The plasma membrane protein SLAC1 is essential for stomatal closure in response to CO2, abscisic acid, ozone, light/dark transitions, humidity change, calcium ions, hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide. Mutations in SLAC1 impair slow (S-type) anion channel currents that are activated by cytosolic Ca2+ and abscisic acid, but do not affect rapid (R-type) anion channel currents or Ca2+ channel function. A low homology of SLAC1 to bacterial and fungal organic acid transport proteins, and the permeability of S-type anion channels to malate suggest a vital role for SLAC1 in the function of S-type anion channels.     

SoC处理器的时钟生成器：电路和体系结构

本书涵盖了面向SoC（System　on　Chip，片上系统）处理器的集成综合器电路设计的论题，采取了一种更为全局的设计观念来考察电路级和体系结构级的设计空间。书中的论述十分广泛，而且包括电路理论和锁相环反馈控制理论的综述。在电路级方面，讨论包括深亚微米数字CMOS过程的低功耗模拟设计、供电噪声效应、设备噪声；在体系结构级方面的论述，涵盖了连续时间和离散时间模型的锁相环分析，以及锁相行为的细节分析。还有一些章节对特定的时钟生成器模块做了电路级和系统结构级的深入描述，其中包括高供电噪声屏蔽的锁相环电路、体系结构和数字锁相环体系结构，考察了为离散时间模拟部件产生低失真采样时钟的方法。这里所说的锁相环包括希格马．代尔塔N分锁相环、直接数字综合（DDS、Direct　Digital　Synthesis）技术和锁相环的非常规应用。本书讨论的面向测试的设计（Dvr、Design　for　Test），其中包括锁相环的精确测量滤波器方法和嵌人式测试（BIST、Built—in—self-test）技术。     

A role for mitochondria in NLRP3 inflammasome activation

An inflammatory response initiated by the NLRP3 inflammasome is triggered by a variety of situations of host 'danger', including infection and metabolic dysregulation. Previous studies suggested that NLRP3 inflammasome activity is negatively regulated by autophagy and positively regulated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from an uncharacterized organelle. Here we show that mitophagy/autophagy blockade leads to the accumulation of damaged, ROS-generating mitochondria, and this in turn activates the NLRP3 inflammasome. Resting NLRP3 localizes to endoplasmic reticulum structures, whereas on inflammasome activation both NLRP3 and its adaptor ASC redistribute to the perinuclear space where they co-localize with endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria organelle clusters. Notably, both ROS generation and inflammasome activation are suppressed when mitochondrial activity is dysregulated by inhibition of the voltage-dependent anion channel. This indicates that NLRP3 inflammasome senses mitochondrial dysfunction and may explain the frequent association of mitochondrial damage with inflammatory diseases.