Development of liquid-nitrogen-cooling friction stir spot welding for AZ31 magnesium alloy joints

A liquid-nitrogen-cooling friction stir spot welding (C-FSSW) technology was developed for welding AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets. The liquid-nitrogen cooling degraded the deformability of the welded materials such that the width of interfacial cracks increased with increasing cooling time. The grain size of the stirred zone (SZ) and the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the C-FSSW-welded joints decreased, whereas that of the thermomechanically affected zone (TMAZ) increased with increasing cooling time. The maximum tensile shear load of the C-FSSW-welded joints welded with a cooling time of 5 or 7 s was larger than that of the friction stir spot welding (FSSW)-welded joint, and the tensile shear load decreased with increasing cooling time. The microhardness of the C-FSSW-welded joints was greater than that of the FSSW-welded joint. Moreover, the microhardness of the SZ and the HAZ of the C-FSSW-welded joints increased, whereas that of the TMAZ decreased, with increasing cooling time.     

Faithful after break-up: suppression of chromosomal translocations

Chromosome integrity in response to chemically or radiation-induced chromosome breaks and the perturbation of ongoing replication forks relies on multiple DNA repair mechanisms. However, repair of these lesions may lead to unwanted chromosome rearrangement if not properly executed or regulated. As these types of chromosomal alterations threaten the cell’s and the organism’s very own survival, multiple systems are developed to avoid or at least limit break-induced chromosomal rearrangements. In this review, we highlight cellular strategies for repressing DNA break-induced chromosomal translocations in multiple model systems including yeast, mouse, and human. These pathways select proper homologous templates or broken DNA ends for the faithful repair of DNA breaks to avoid undesirable chromosomal translocations.     

Tissue-specific and reversible RNA interference in transgenic mice

Genetically engineered mice provide powerful tools for understanding mammalian gene function. These models traditionally rely on gene overexpression from transgenes or targeted, irreversible gene mutation. By adapting the tetracycline (tet)-responsive system previously used for gene overexpression, we have developed a simple transgenic system to reversibly control endogenous gene expression using RNA interference (RNAi) in mice. Transgenic mice harboring a tet-responsive RNA polymerase II promoter driving a microRNA-based short hairpin RNA targeting the tumor suppressor Trp53 reversibly express short hairpin RNA when crossed with existing mouse strains expressing general or tissue-specific 'tet-on' or 'tet-off' transactivators. Reversible Trp53 knockdown can be achieved in several tissues, and restoring Trp53 expression in lymphomas whose development is promoted by Trp53 knockdown leads to tumor regression. By leaving the target gene unaltered, this approach permits tissue-specific, reversible regulation of endogenous gene expression in vivo, with potential broad application in basic biology and drug target validation.     

BRD7 regulates the insulin-signaling pathway by increasing phosphorylation of GSK3β

Reduced hepatic expression levels of bromodomain-containing protein 7 (BRD7) have been suggested to play a role in the development of glucose intolerance in obesity. However, the molecular mechanism by which BRD7 regulates glucose metabolism has remained unclear. Here, we show that BRD7 increases phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) in response to activation of the insulin receptor-signaling pathway shortly after insulin stimulation and the nutrient-sensing pathway after feeding. BRD7 mediates phosphorylation of GSK3β at the Serine 9 residue and this effect on GSK3β occurs even in the absence of AKT activity. Using both in vitro and in vivo models, we further demonstrate that BRD7 mediates phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 kinase (S6K) and leads to increased phosphorylation of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) and, therefore, relieves its inhibition of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E). However, the increase in phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 with BRD7 overexpression is blunted in the absence of AKT activity. In addition, using liver-specific BRD7 knockout (LBKO) mice, we show that BRD7 is required for mTORC1 activity on its downstream molecules. These findings show a novel basis for understanding the molecular dynamics of glucose metabolism and suggest the unique function of BRD7 in the regulation of glucose homeostasis.     

Genome-wide association studies of 14 agronomic traits in rice landraces

Uncovering the genetic basis of agronomic traits in crop landraces that have adapted to various agro-climatic conditions is important to world food security. Here we have identified ～ 3.6 million SNPs by sequencing 517 rice landraces and constructed a high-density haplotype map of the rice genome using a novel data-imputation method. We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for 14 agronomic traits in the population of Oryza sativa indica subspecies. The loci identified through GWAS explained ～ 36% of the phenotypic variance, on average. The peak signals at six loci were tied closely to previously identified genes. This study provides a fundamental resource for rice genetics research and breeding, and demonstrates that an approach integrating second-generation genome sequencing and GWAS can be used as a powerful complementary strategy to classical biparental cross-mapping for dissecting complex traits in rice.     

用气相色谱法测定HMX和NH_4ClO_4中水分

研究了用气相色谱测定HMX和NH_4ClO_4中水分的方法.选用干燥乙醇作提取剂.本法简便、快速、准确.相对标准偏差<30％,相对误差<5％。     

圆薄板非对称的非线性问题

本文首先用Fourier复级数将非线性问题化为线性问题,从而得到各级近似的边值问题,进而提出圆薄板非轴对称大变形问题的修正迭代法,讨论了圆薄板非轴对称的非线性问题。作为算例,在均变荷载、周边可移夹紧、位移在平面内不受约束的条件下对圆薄板非轴对称的非线性问题进行了求解,并绘出了特征曲线。本文的结果与相应的线性问题进行了比较,证明本文提出的理论和方法是正确的。     

Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O系超导体相结构和掺Mn影响的电镜研究

Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O系超导体多相同时存在,多至6相,均属四方晶系钙钛矿结构,其中(2223)(2212)相共生,其衍射谱给出c≈33A的假象.加Mn可以部分取代Tl,但增加Mn的含量将失去高温超导性.     

三苯基铋系列对端羟基共聚醚的固化催化作用

用ＤＳＣ以温度扫描和时间扫描方式，研究三苯基铋系列对环氧乙烷－四氢呋喃共聚醚和Ｎ－１００固化系统的催化效果，并通过动力学参数对实验结果进行了讨论。     

NEPE推进剂中可提取有机组分的分离测定

研究了ＮＥＰＥ推进剂中可提取有机组分（ＨＭＸ，Ｃ２和ＮＧ＋ＢＴＩＮ）的分离和测定方法．试样用ＴＨＦ浸泡２４ｈ后，在５０℃搅拌５ｈ．提取液采用正相高效液相色谱（ＮＰＨＰＬＣ）分离、测定ＨＭＸ，Ｃ２和混合酯．ＨＭＸ，Ｃ２和ＮＧ＋ＢＴＴＮ测定的相对标准偏差分别为０．３１％，１．２０％和２．１９％．