An amino-acid taste receptor

The sense of taste provides animals with valuable information about the nature and quality of food. Mammals can recognize and respond to a diverse repertoire of chemical entities, including sugars, salts, acids and a wide range of toxic substances. Several amino acids taste sweet or delicious (umami) to humans, and are attractive to rodents and other animals. This is noteworthy because L-amino acids function as the building blocks of proteins, as biosynthetic precursors of many biologically relevant small molecules, and as metabolic fuel. Thus, having a taste pathway dedicated to their detection probably had significant evolutionary implications. Here we identify and characterize a mammalian amino-acid taste receptor. This receptor, T1R1+3, is a heteromer of the taste-specific T1R1 and T1R3 G-protein-coupled receptors. We demonstrate that T1R1 and T1R3 combine to function as a broadly tuned L-amino-acid sensor responding to most of the 20 standard amino acids, but not to their D-enantiomers or other compounds. We also show that sequence differences in T1R receptors within and between species (human and mouse) can significantly influence the selectivity and specificity of taste responses.     

Evidence for ubiquitous strong electron-phonon coupling in high-temperature superconductors

Coupling between electrons and phonons (lattice vibrations) drives the formation of the electron pairs responsible for conventional superconductivity. The lack of direct evidence for electron-phonon coupling in the electron dynamics of the high-transition-temperature superconductors has driven an intensive search for an alternative mechanism. A coupling of an electron with a phonon would result in an abrupt change of its velocity and scattering rate near the phonon energy. Here we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to probe electron dynamics-velocity and scattering rate-for three different families of copper oxide superconductors. We see in all of these materials an abrupt change of electron velocity at 50-80 meV, which we cannot explain by any known process other than to invoke coupling with the phonons associated with the movement of the oxygen atoms. This suggests that electron-phonon coupling strongly influences the electron dynamics in the high-temperature superconductors, and must therefore be included in any microscopic theory of superconductivity.     

Design and implementation of WebGIS based on SOAP

0　IntroductionTheWorldWideWebisconsideredasalargedistributedin formationsystemthatprovidesaccesstoshareddataob jects.AsoneofthemostpopularapplicationscurrentlyrunningontheInternet,theWorldWideWebisofanexponentialgrowthinsize,whichresultsinnetworkcongestionandserveroverloading .Inthefieldsofspatialinformationsystems,therehavethesameproblems.Recently ,attentionhasbeenpaidtoefficientintegra tionoftheWebandGIS(GeographicInformationSystem)appli cation .ThisisbecausetheWebhasmanyadvantages,i…     

Formation of the inclusion complex of Orange II with β-Cyclodextrin and its photostability

Inclusion complex of Orange II with β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD) and the anti-photolysis effect under UV-light were investigated. The molar ratio of inclusion complex of β-Cyclodextrin and Orange II is 1∶1. The formation constantK = 1.236×10³ L/mol was determined by the UV and Fluorescence spectra respectively, which was quite in accordance with the calculation with a modified Benesi-Hildbrand equation. The inclusion complex was characterized by the IR spectra and the molar ratio of inclusion complex is 1∶1 too. The formation constantK = 1.266×10³ L/mol was determined by¹H NMR analysis and was nearly the same by UV and fluorescence spectra. The photocatalytic decolorization rate of Orange II solutions containing β-CD and TiO₂ was smaller by 51.9% than that of the Orange II solutions only containing TiO₂, while in the case of direct photolysis of Orange II solutions, β-CD can lower the photolysis rate by 48.1% under UV-light. This result indicates β-CD can inhibit the photolysis and photocatalytic decolorization of Orange II under UV-light. The β-CD inclusion complex was found to be persistent to UV-light photolysis. Foundation item: Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (20177017) Biography: Lu Ping (1958), male. Associate professor, research direction: environmental photochemistry.     

CUL-4 ubiquitin ligase maintains genome stability by restraining DNA-replication licensing

To maintain genome stability, DNA replication is strictly regulated to occur only once per cell cycle. In eukaryotes, the presence of 'licensing proteins' at replication origins during the G1 cell-cycle phase allows the formation of the pre-replicative complex. The removal of licensing proteins from chromatin during the S phase ensures that origins fire only once per cell cycle. Here we show that the CUL-4 ubiquitin ligase temporally restricts DNA-replication licensing in Caenorhabditis elegans. Inactivation of CUL-4 causes massive DNA re-replication, producing cells with up to 100C DNA content. The C. elegans orthologue of the replication-licensing factor Cdt1 (refs 2, 3) is required for DNA replication. C. elegans CDT-1 is present in G1-phase nuclei but disappears as cells enter S phase. In cells lacking CUL-4, CDT-1 levels fail to decrease during S phase and instead remain constant in the re-replicating cells. Removal of one genomic copy of cdt-1 suppresses the cul-4 re-replication phenotype. We propose that CUL-4 prevents aberrant re-initiation of DNA replication, at least in part, by facilitating the degradation of CDT-1.     

Fuzzy cluster analysis of the provenance of ancient Yaozhou porcelain body

The technique of neutron activation analysis (NAA) has been employed to measure the content of 29 kinds of elements in the sample of Yaozhou porcelain bodies,Then a fuzzy cluster analsis has been conducted to the NAA data and a diagram of the dynamic fuzzy cluster analysis has been achived,The results indicate that the batch of ancient Yaozhou porcelain bodies,which were of different overglaze color and were produced by different kilns during a period of over 800 years from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) to the Yuan Dyansty(1271-1368 A.D.) ,has shared a stable and concentrated raw material source,Provenances of porcelain bodies from different times ,though having their specific independence ,enjoy a close relationship and are not far from one another,Provenances of porcelain bodies made during the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties (907-960 A.D.)are found to be closer to one another,while those of the Song (960-1279A.D.) and the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234 A.D.)are comparatively concentrated in certain areas and are different from those of the Tang Dynasty .Both the tri-colored glazed pottery made in Yaozhou kilns during the Tang Dynasty and the Yaozhou porcelain bodies of the Tang period are from the same provenance.     

我国能源发展与石油安全

中国是世界能源生产大国，更是世界能源消费大国，能源发展是当前我国经济社会发展的重要组成部分。国家“十一五”规划提出，到本轮规划期末，单位GDP能耗要比“十五”期末降低20％．这是在中央文件中首次将节能降耗目标与经济增长目标放在同等地位，置于全国社会经济发展总目标中，其重要意义不言而喻。目前我国能源面临的问题中以石油供需矛盾日益突出．在国际市场持续的高油价和脆弱的石油供求格局背景下．制定正确的能源战略保障国家石油安全已势在必行。     

浅谈平遥古城文化景观的特色与保护

文章以世界文化遗产——平遥古城为例,探讨了其文化景观的特色和保护现状当中存在的问题以及应该采取的有效措施。     

浅谈中国电力发展方向

分别从开源和节流2个方面论述了中国电力发展的方向。     

山西煤炭私营业主生活满意感调查

运用《生活满意感量表》,对山西省200名煤炭私营业主进行抽样调查,考察了山西省煤炭私营业主的生活满意感的基本情况.