Engineering of multiferroic BiFeO3 grain boundaries with head-to-head polarization configurations

Confined low dimensional charges with high density such as two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at interfaces and charged domain walls in ferroelectrics show gre...     

东北地区城市群组城市流强度研究

采用城市流强度的定量分析方法,对东北三个城市群组"辽中南"、"吉中"、"哈大齐"的区位熵、外向功能量和城市流强度进行了计算分析,并基于此提出了城市群组的城市流强化与城市整合对策.结果显示,东北三个城市群组的中心城市均可以分为三类--高等、中等、低等:沈阳、大连、长春和哈尔滨以较大的城市流强度值成为各自城市群组联系的高等级中心;鞍山、丹东、营口、四平、大庆、绥化分别成为各自的中等级中心;其他城市成为各自群组的低等级中心.东北地区城市群组实现城市流强化和城市整合发展的对策为:网络化发展以解决结构与体制的矛盾,合理定向以实现各群组内部城市的整合发展,分等策略以提升城市群组内部的城市流强度.     

基于图像特征的双目测距系统的研究

针对双目视觉测距中测量误差大、图像信息单一、实时性差等问题,提出一种基于ORB(oriented fast and rotated brief)特征的双目测距方法。对视频帧进行中值滤波处理,提取图像ORB特征,通过实验选出匹配效果最好的汉明距离。对筛选后的匹配点进行RANSAC(random sample consensus)模型估计,去除误匹配,分析视差和真实距离的模型关系,构建最优的测距模型并在实验平台上进行验证。结果表明:所提方法比其他双目测距方法具有测距精确、运行速度快、鲁棒性强的优势,能够实时显示图中特征的距离信息。     

云仿真系统可信度评估问题探讨

云仿真平台支持“云仿真”模式,能够自动查找仿真资源、动态构建云仿真系统。由于云仿真平台具有按需构建仿真服务、多粒度资源共享等特点,云仿真系统的可信度评估工作在仿真资源的可信度、仿真子系统的可信度、仿真运行环境的可靠性等方面面临新的问题。从云仿真系统全生命周期角度,建立了云仿真系统的可信度评估过程模型和云仿真系统可信度评估指标体系,并给出了一种仿真资源排序评估方法,为云仿真系统可信度评估工作提供参考。     

Act in contravention: a non-planar coupled electrode design utilizing "tip effect" for ultra-high areal capacity,long cycle life zinc-based batteries

Aqueous zinc-based batteries (ZBBs) have great potential as commercial energy storage devices.However,the poor cycling stability of zinc anode under high areal ...     

Differentiated cells are more efficient than adult stem cells for cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer

Since the creation of Dolly via somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), more than a dozen species of mammals have been cloned using this technology. One hypothesis for the limited success of cloning via SCNT (1%-5%) is that the clones are likely to be derived from adult stem cells. Support for this hypothesis comes from the findings that the reproductive cloning efficiency for embryonic stem cells is five to ten times higher than that for somatic cells as donors and that cloned pups cannot be produced directly from cloned embryos derived from differentiated B and T cells or neuronal cells. The question remains as to whether SCNT-derived animal clones can be derived from truly differentiated somatic cells. We tested this hypothesis with mouse hematopoietic cells at different differentiation stages: hematopoietic stem cells, progenitor cells and granulocytes. We found that cloning efficiency increases over the differentiation hierarchy, and terminally differentiated postmitotic granulocytes yield cloned pups with the greatest cloning efficiency.     

The Pristionchus pacificus genome provides a unique perspective on nematode lifestyle and parasitism

Here we present a draft genome sequence of the nematode Pristionchus pacificus, a species that is associated with beetles and is used as a model system in evolutionary biology. With 169 Mb and 23,500 predicted protein-coding genes, the P. pacificus genome is larger than those of Caenorhabditis elegans and the human parasite Brugia malayi. Compared to C. elegans, the P. pacificus genome has more genes encoding cytochrome P450 enzymes, glucosyltransferases, sulfotransferases and ABC transporters, many of which were experimentally validated. The P. pacificus genome contains genes encoding cellulase and diapausin, and cellulase activity is found in P. pacificus secretions, indicating that cellulases can be found in nematodes beyond plant parasites. The relatively higher number of detoxification and degradation enzymes in P. pacificus is consistent with its necromenic lifestyle and might represent a preadaptation for parasitism. Thus, comparative genomics analysis of three ecologically distinct nematodes offers a unique opportunity to investigate the association between genome structure and lifestyle.     

A Gata6-Wnt pathway required for epithelial stem cell development and airway regeneration

Epithelial organs, including the lung, are known to possess regenerative abilities through activation of endogenous stem cell populations, but the molecular pathways regulating stem cell expansion and regeneration are not well understood. Here we show that Gata6 regulates the temporal appearance and number of bronchioalveolar stem cells (BASCs) in the lung, its absence in Gata6-null lung epithelium leading to the precocious appearance of BASCs and concurrent loss in epithelial differentiation. This expansion of BASCs was the result of a pronounced increase in canonical Wnt signaling in lung epithelium upon loss of Gata6. Expression of the noncanonical Wnt receptor Fzd2 was downregulated in Gata6 mutants and increased Fzd2 or decreased beta-catenin expression rescued, in part, the lung epithelial defects in Gata6 mutants. During lung epithelial regeneration, canonical Wnt signaling was activated in the niche containing BASCs and forced activation of Wnt signaling led to a large increase in BASC numbers. Moreover, Gata6 was required for proper lung epithelial regeneration, and postnatal loss of Gata6 led to increased BASC expansion and decreased differentiation. Together, these data demonstrate that Gata6-regulated Wnt signaling controls the balance between progenitor expansion and epithelial differentiation required for both lung development and regeneration.     

Melatonin and mitochondrial function during ischemia/reperfusion injury

Ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury occurs in many organs and tissues, and contributes to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Melatonin, an endogenously produced indolamine, provides a strong defense against IR injury. Mitochondrion, an organelle for ATP production and a decider for cell fate, has been validated to be a crucial target for melatonin to exert its protection against IR injury. In this review, we first clarify the mechanisms underlying mitochondrial dysfunction during IR and melatonin’s protection of mitochondria under this condition. Thereafter, special focus is placed on the protective actions of melatonin against IR injury in brain, heart, liver, and others. Finally, we explore several potential future directions of research in this area. Collectively, the information compiled here will serve as a comprehensive reference for the actions of melatonin in IR injury identified to date and will hopefully aid in the design of future research and increase the potential of melatonin as a therapeutic agent.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Yersinia pseudotuberculosis</Emphasis> supports Th17 differentiation and limits de novo regulatory T cell induction by directly interfering with T cell receptor signaling

Adaptive immunity critically contributes to control acute infection with enteropathogenic Yersinia pseudotuberculosis; however, the role of CD4⁺ T cell subsets in establishing infection and allowing pathogen persistence remains elusive. Here, we assessed the modulatory capacity of Y. pseudotuberculosis on CD4⁺ T cell differentiation. Using in vivo assays, we report that infection with Y. pseudotuberculosis resulted in enhanced priming of IL-17-producing T cells (Th17 cells), whereas induction of Foxp3⁺ regulatory T cells (Tregs) was severely disrupted in gut-draining mesenteric lymph nodes (mLNs), in line with altered frequencies of tolerogenic and proinflammatory dendritic cell (DC) subsets within mLNs. Additionally, by using a DC-free in vitro system, we could demonstrate that Y. pseudotuberculosis can directly modulate T cell receptor (TCR) downstream signaling within naïve CD4⁺ T cells and Tregs via injection of effector molecules through the type III secretion system, thereby affecting their functional properties. Importantly, modulation of naïve CD4⁺ T cells by Y. pseudotuberculosis resulted in an enhanced Th17 differentiation and decreased induction of Foxp3⁺ Tregs in vitro. These findings shed light to the adjustment of the Th17-Treg axis in response to acute Y. pseudotuberculosis infection and highlight the direct modulation of CD4⁺ T cell subsets by altering their TCR downstream signaling.