Potassium and sodium transport in non-animal cells: the Trk/Ktr/HKT transporter family

Bacterial Trk and Ktr, fungal Trk and plant HKT form a family of membrane transporters permeable to K⁺ and/or Na⁺ and characterized by a common structure probably derived from an ancestral K⁺ channel subunit. This transporter family, specific of non-animal cells, displays a large diversity in terms of ionic permeability, affinity and energetic coupling (H⁺–K⁺ or Na⁺–K⁺ symport, K⁺ or Na⁺ uniport), which might reflect a high need for adaptation in organisms living in fluctuating or dilute environments. Trk/Ktr/HKT transporters are involved in diverse functions, from K⁺ or Na⁺ uptake to membrane potential control, adaptation to osmotic or salt stress, or Na⁺ recirculation from shoots to roots in plants. Structural analyses of bacterial Ktr point to multimeric structures physically interacting with regulatory subunits. Elucidation of Trk/Ktr/HKT protein structures along with characterization of mutated transporters could highlight functional and evolutionary relationships between ion channels and transporters displaying channel-like features.     

Requirements for leukocyte transmigration via the transmembrane chemokine CX3CL1

The surface-expressed transmembrane CX3C chemokine ligand 1 (CX3CL1/fractalkine) induces firm adhesion of leukocytes expressing its receptor CX3CR1. After shedding by the disintegrins and metalloproteinases (ADAM) 10 and 17, CX3CL1 also acts as soluble leukocyte chemoattractant. Here, we demonstrate that transmembrane CX3CL1 expressed on both endothelial and epithelial cells induces leukocyte transmigration. To investigate the underlying mechanism, we generated CX3CR1 variants lacking the intracellular aspartate-arginine-tyrosine (DRY) motif or the intracellular C-terminus which led to a defect in intracellular calcium response and impaired ligand uptake, respectively. While both variants effectively mediated firm cell adhesion, they failed to induce transmigration and rather mediated retention of leukocytes on the CX3CL1-expressing cell layer. Targeting of ADAM10 led to increased adhesion but reduced transmigration in response to transmembrane CX3CL1, while transmigration towards soluble CX3CL1 was not affected. Thus, transmembrane CX3CL1 mediates leukocyte transmigration via the DRY motif and C-terminus of CX3CR1 and the activity of ADAM10.     

Deep levels,transport and THz emission properties of SiGe/Si quantum-well structures

In coal mines in such countries as China and Russia,most of the coal mine methane(CMM) generated during mining is emitted to the atmosphere without any effective usage,because the methane concentration of CMM is relatively low and not allowed to be used as fuel for safety reasons.Methane is one of the greenhouse gases.Therefore,if it becomes possible to concentrate CMM to an acceptable level for use as fuel,this will greatly contribute to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.With the aim of gaining approva...     

Performance of an activated carbon made from waste palm shell in simultaneous adsorption of SO_x and NO_x of flue gas at low temperature

This study examined the individual and simultaneous adsorption of SOx(SO2)and NOx(NO-NO2)on activated carbon prepared from waste palm shell.The adsorption process was examined in a fixed bed reactor at low temperatures(100 300°C).For individual adsorption without any catalytic activation,SOx showed good adsorption whereas NOx was very much poor.In the simultaneous adsorption of SOx and NOx,SOx showed greater adsorption affinity than NOx.For palm shell activated carbon(PSAC)impregnated with metal catalyst(Ni and Ce)the concentration adsorbed profile showed that the amount of SOx adsorbed decreased regularly,while the amount of the adsorbed NOx increased irregularly.The properties of the pure and impregnated PSAC were analyzed by BET,SEM and EDX.These investigations indicated that PSAC impregnated with metal catalyst is the determining factor in the adsorption of SOx and NOx simultaneously.     

变量施肥决策的多目标优化模型与算法

变量决策模型和优化算法是精准农业变量作业处方生成的核心环节.文中建立了一个综合考虑作物产量、质量、能源消耗、环境影响等多个指标的变量施肥多目标优化模型,提出了一种求解此类问题的高效禁忌搜索算法,从产量最大化的初始施肥方案出发,基于最近可行解的概念进行邻域搜索,并按照质量优先的策略不断寻找和更新解集,最后得到一组非支配意义下的优化施肥方案,以提高精准农业变量施肥的决策支持能力和水平.通过对江西宜春地区油茶树变量施肥问题的案例研究,验证了模型和算法的有效性和实用性.     

求解Hamming距离下单位型单发点树型网络最短路改进问题的算法

给出了求解两类特殊的Hamming距离下单位型单发点树型网络最短路改进问题的多项式时间算法,并研究了一般树型网络下该问题的性质.解决了Hamming距离下逆问题(改进问题)中的部分问题,有助于设计出更多的求解Hamming距离下单位型树型网络最短路改进问题的算法.     

空间图有纽结的正则投射

Taniyam在文[5]中构造了一个平面图有Tn的正则投射,其中平面图是由正五边形所构造的。推广了Taniyam的结果,证明了由任意奇数边(≥5)正多边形所构造的平面图都会有一个有Tn的正则投射,另外,对于这些平面图,还构造了一种新的有Tn的正则投射。     

木果楝挥发油成分的GC-MS分析

采用气相色谱-质谱联用技术,首次对木果楝叶子和果实挥发油进行了成分分析,从木果楝叶子和果实分别鉴定出了33和36种化合物,分别占挥发油的99.11%和97.63%.两个部位中挥发油化学组成各有异同,但其主要成分均是倍半萜类化合物b-桉叶烯和γ-桉叶烯.本研究结果可为木果楝的综合开发利用提供理论依据.     

Recent temperature increase recorded in an ice core in the source region of Yangtze River

Interests on climate change in the source region of Yangtze River have been raised since it is a region with the greatest warming over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). A 70-year history of precipitation δ~(18)O has been recovered using an ice core record retrieved in a plat portion of the firn area in the Guoqu Glacier (33°34′37.8″N, 91°10′35.3″E, 5720 m a.s.l.), Mt. Geladaindong (the source region of Yangtze River), in November, 2005. By using a significant positive relationship between ice core δ~(18)O record and summer air temperature (July to September) from the nearby meteorological stations, a history of summer air temperature has been reconstructed for the last 70 years. Summer temperature was relatively low in 1940s and high in 1950s to the middle of 1960s. The lowest temperature occurred in the middle of 1970s. Temperature was low in 1980s and dramatically increased since 1990s, keeping the trend to the begin-ning of the 21st century. The warming rate recorded in the ice core with 0.5℃/10 a since 1970s is much higher that that in the central TP and the Northern Hemisphere (NH), and it becomes 1.1℃/10 a since 1990s which is also higher than these from the central TP and the NH, reflecting an accelerated warm-ing and a more sensitive response to global warming in the high elevation region.