Yeast Pif1 Helicase Exhibits a One-base-pair Stepping Mechanism for Unwinding Duplex DNA

Kinetic analysis of the DNA unwinding and translocation activities of helicases is necessary for characterization of the biochemical mechanism(s) for this class of enzymes. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pif1 helicase was characterized using presteady state kinetics to determine rates of DNA unwinding, displacement of streptavidin from biotinylated DNA, translocation on single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), and ATP hydrolysis activities. Unwinding of substrates containing varying duplex lengths was fit globally to a model for stepwise unwinding and resulted in an unwinding rate of ∼75 bp/s and a kinetic step size of 1 base pair. Pif1 is capable of displacing streptavidin from biotinylated oligonucleotides with a linear increase in the rates as the length of the oligonucleotides increased. The rate of translocation on ssDNA was determined by measuring dissociation from varying lengths of ssDNA and is essentially the same as the rate of unwinding of dsDNA, making Pif1 an active helicase. The ATPase activity of Pif1 on ssDNA was determined using fluorescently labeled phosphate-binding protein to measure the rate of phosphate release. The quantity of phosphate released corresponds to a chemical efficiency of 0.84 ATP/nucleotides translocated. Hence, when all of the kinetic data are considered, Pif1 appears to move along DNA in single nucleotide or base pair steps, powered by hydrolysis of 1 molecule of ATP.     

Validation of an OpenSim full-body model with detailed lumbar spine for estimating lower lumbar spine loads during symmetric and asymmetric lifting tasks

There is currently no validated full-body lifting model publicly available on the OpenSim modelling platform to estimate spinal loads during lifting. In this study, the existing full-body-lumbar-spine model was adapted and validated for lifting motions to produce the lifting full-body model. Back muscle activations predicted by the model closely matched the measured erector spinae activation patterns. Model estimates of intradiscal pressures and in vivo measurements were strongly correlated. The same spine loading trends were observed for model estimates and reported vertebral body implant measurements. These results demonstrate the suitability of this model to evaluate changes in lumbar loading during lifting.     

涝渍地农业示范小区综合整治开发的理论与方法研究

寻求与当地自然条件和农业经济水平相适应的土地开垦及其合理利用方式,是我国南方涝渍地域面临的一个重要问题,选择江汉平原四湖地区一个由湖泊垦殖形成的碟形微域作为研究对象。借助对该地区进行综合开发的契机,对其生态学特点、开发模式等进行了重新探讨。结果表明,该地区随地面高程的梯级递变,土壤类型、剖面结构、土壤水分和土壤温度动态变化等方面存在明显的梯级分异特征。总体上可分成5个梯级,根据对该梯级分异的具体面积和位置的分析,该地区存在水稻面积过大,低湖地区资源利用不合理,水旱轮作地区农田整治水平低,利用不充分等问题。通过对其进行工程整治,将原有的5个梯级归并成4个梯级;在此基础上开展以农业综合开发和优化农作制度为主要内容的“梯级开发”,使该地区的农业经营效益得到大幅度提高。     

A model for the coordinated stepping of cytoplasmic dynein

Cytoplasmic dynein play an important role in transporting various intracellular cargos by coupling their ATP hydrolysis cycle with their conformational changes. Recent experimental results showed that the cytoplasmic dynein had a highly variable stepping pattern including “hand-over-hand”, “inchworm” and “nonalternating-inchworm”. Here, we developed a model to describe the coordinated stepping patterns of cytoplasmic dynein, based on its working cycle, construction and the interaction between its leading head and tailing head. The kinetic model showed how change in the distance between the two heads influences the rate of cytoplasmic dynein under different stepping patterns. Numerical simulations of the distribution of step size and striding rate are in good quantitative agreement with experimental observations. Hence, our coordinated stepping model for cytoplasmic dynein successfully explained its diverse stepping patterns as a molecular motor. The cooperative mechanism carried out by the two heads of cytoplasmic dynein shed light on the strategies adopted by the cytoplasmic dynein in executing various functions.     

大孔树脂对三孢布拉霉菌产番茄红素的吸附性能研究

为利用大孔吸附树脂分离纯化三孢布拉霉菌发酵液番茄红素,考察了4种大孔树脂(HP20, HP2MG, SP825, SP207)对番茄红素的吸附 解吸特性,筛选出最佳树脂。结果表明,HP20大孔树脂对番茄红素具有较好的吸附 解吸性能,且吸附迅速,能在1h内达到吸附平衡。用含55%和60%异丙醇的丙酮不连续梯度洗脱,回收率可达89.55%,重结晶后可获得纯度95%以上的番茄红素,经红外、质谱、核磁等鉴定为天然型番茄红素。该方法简单,可操作性强,极具工业应用价值。     

太极拳运动对老年人步态稳定性的影响

目的:本实验通过对比老年人参加太极拳锻炼后的步态学参数的变化,旨在探究太极拳运动对老年人步态稳定性的影响。方法:(1)研究对象:选取40名社区老年人为研究对象。其中练习太极拳两年以上者20人为实验组(练习内容均为简化二十四式太极拳),其中男女各10名;未曾练习太极拳而且未参加其他项目锻炼者20名为对照组,其中男女各10名。(2)测试方法:采用BIODEX步态训练仪对两组不同老年人进行步态测试。实验数据采用SPSS13.0统计软件进行处理,以P<0.05为有显著性差异,P<0.01为有非常显著性差异。结果:随着年龄的增长,老年人的步态稳定性逐渐下降,同年龄段的老年人女性的步态稳定性优于男性老年人,男性老年人步长大于女性老年人。女性老年人的左脚功能明显优于男性老年人左脚功能。长期参加太极拳锻炼的老年人步态稳定性明显提高,在步速一定的情况下,通过加大步长,降低步频提高了步态的稳定性。结论:太极拳锻炼对促进老年人步态稳定提高平衡能力有显著效果,经常参加太极拳锻炼有助于老年人下肢功能的维持,应大力开展老年人太极拳锻炼。     

紫水鸡冬季觅食地选择

2006年11月-2007年2月,在广东海丰鸟类自然保护区采用样方法研究了紫水鸡(Porphyrio porphyrio)的冬季觅食地选择。研究结果显示,紫水鸡在冬季对觅食地植被具有明显的选择性,偏爱水葱(Scirpus tabernaemontani)。对62个觅食地样方18个因子的主成分分析表明,草本密度、草本均高、草本盖度、灌木种类、水质和水位这6个因子是冬季觅食地选择的主要因子。判别分析结果表明,枯高、动物性食物丰富度、距大道距离、草本种类、距小道距离、距所处水面边缘距离是区别冬季觅食地和对照地样方的主要参数,判别准确率可达78.1%。紫水鸡冬季多选择在水葱或芦苇(Phragmites communis)等草本植被生长良好、具有特定水位或水质及中等程度的人为干扰的地方觅食。因此,该地区冬季觅食地的恢复和保护对紫水鸡的保护有着重要的意义。     

On identification of the number of best treatments using the Newman-Keuls test

In this paper, we provide a stochastic ordering of the Studentized range statistics under a balanced one-way ANOVA model. Based on this result we show that, when restricted to the multiple comparisons with the best, the Newman-Keuls (NK) procedure strongly controls experimentwise error rate for a sequence of null hypotheses regarding the number of largest treatment means. In other words, the NK procedure provides an upper confidence bound for the number of best treatments.     

Rewarming of feet by lower and upper body exercise

The capacity of different types of exercise to rewarm the body, especially the feet, was studied. Six healthy male subjects wearing winter clothing (2.4 clo, 0.37 degrees C.m2.W-1) were exposed on three occasions to -15 degrees C for 120 min. For the first 60 min the subjects were cooled while sitting motionless and for the latter 60 min they were submitted to cycle ergometer exercise (CE), arm ergometer exercise (AE) or step exercise (ST). The rate of work in CE (about 350 W) served as a reference value for AE and ST. The cooling resulted in an average 1.7 (SEM 0.03) degrees C decrease in mean body temperature (Tb) corresponding to a 425 (SEM 9) kJ heat debt. The ST increased most effectively mean skin, rectal and lower body skin temperatures as well as dry heat loss. The ST increased Tb by 0.83 (SEM 0.16) degrees C, CE by 0.10 (SEM 0.11) degrees C and AE by only 0.07 (SEM 0.12) degrees C. At the end of the exercise the foot temperature was approximately 6 degrees C higher in ST than in CE. The superior rewarming by ST was apparently due to its low mechanical efficiency. Because the increase in Tb could not explain all the changes in foot temperatures, increased circulation and metabolism of the feet would also appear to have been involved.     

陕西省女子举重队夏训期间的血尿素氮、肌酸激酶的监测

目的：通过对血尿素氮、肌酸激酶生化指标的监测,以找出评价举重项目的运动负荷和机能评定的有效指标。方法：采用追踪研究,从2014年6月至8月共12周,对8名陕西省女子举重队员夏训期间生理指标变化进行监测,以3周为一个训练周期,每个训练周期的第一日为测试日。本实验在夏训各周期测试日的清晨6：30~7：00（早操前）空腹抽取静脉血2 ml测试,以本次的测试数值作为上一周期的指标数据。结果：举重运动员血尿素氮安静基础值高。举重运动员大运动量训练后两星期,肌酸激酶具有同步增长的趋势,甚至在很长一段时间不能回到安静值,表明运动员在训练中出现过度训练。结论：血尿素氮、肌酸激酶值有同步增长的趋势,且较长时间亦不能恢复到基础值,表明运动员已达到运动疲劳。说明在第一、二周期时负荷强度偏大,身体机能恢复慢,运动疲劳没有完全恢复。血尿素氮、肌酸激酶值对控制训练负荷,判断运动疲劳,防止过度疲劳和运动损伤的发生,有效的挖掘运动潜力,提高竞技能力等有十分重要的意义。