Exchange of Proton and Major Elements in Two-Layer Canopies Under Acid Rain in a Subtropical Evergreen Forest in Central-South China

Canopy exchanges of H^＋ and N （NH4^＋-N, NO3^--N） and other major ions were evaluated and quantified In twolayer canopies based on throughfall measurements in Shaoshan Forest during the period 2000-2002, central-south China, The collected annual rainfall, throughfall, and sub-throughfall were 1 401, 1 191, and 1 084 mm/year, respectively. Fifteen percent and 8% of rainfall （or 9% of throughfall） were intercepted by the top canopy and sub-canopy layers, respectively, The foliar leaching of base cations from the top canopy was significantly higher than that from the sub-canopy, and the latter accounted for 25% of the former. The uptake of H^＋ and NH4^＋ was significantly higher in the top canopy than in the sub-canopy, indicating that the canopy buffering capacity in the top canopy was stronger than the sub-canopy; Mg^2＋ can be absorbed from water flux on the sub-canopy foliar surfaces to compensate for the Mg deficit in the forest soil during the growing season,     

PLEK2 promotes the proliferation and migration of non-small cell lung cancer cells in a BRD4-dependent manner

Molecular Biology Reports - It has been reported that Pleckstrin 2 (PLEK2) acts as an oncogene in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Bromodomain containing protein 4 (BRD4), an important...     

Emission and Control Characteristics for Incineration of Sedum Plumbizincicola Biomass in a Laboratory-Scale Entrained Flow Tube Furnace

Experiments were conducted to investigate and control pollutant emission from incineration of Sedum plumbizincicola plants on a laboratory scale using an entrained flow tube furnace. Without control technologies, the flue gas contained 0.101 mg Nm^?3 of Cd, 46.4 mg Nm^?3 of Zn, 553 mg Nm^?3 of NOx, 131 pg Nm^?3 of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDD/Fs) and 35.4 mg Nm^?3 of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In pollutants control experiments. Al₂O₃, CaO, and kaolin were compared as adsorbents and activated carbon was used as an end-of-pipe method for the capture of pollutants. Kaolin, the most effective of the three adsorbents, removed 91.2% of the Cd in flue gas. While 97.6% of the Cd and 99.6% of the PAHs were removed by activated carbon. Incineration may therefore be regarded as a viable option for the safe disposal of the biomass of the zinc and cadmium hyperaccumulator species S. plumbizincicola.     

Taxonomic synopsis of Berberis (Berberidaceae) from the northern Hengduan mountains region in China,with descriptions of seven new species

Though Berberis (Berberidaceae) is widely distributed across the Eurasian landmass it is most diverse in the Himalaya–Hengduan Mountain (HHM) region. There are more than 200 species in China where it is one of the most common mountain shrubs. The study on the taxonomy and evolution of Berberis in this region can thus provide an important insight into the origin and diversification of its flora. A prerequisite to this is mapping and describing the various species of Berberis in the region – a task that despite recent progress is by no means complete. It is clear that in China there may be a significant number of species still to be described and that even with published species much about their distribution remains to be discovered. As a contribution to the first of these tasks seven new species from the northern Hengduan Mountain of N. Sichuan and S. Qinghai: Berberis chinduensis, Berberis degexianensis, Berberis jiajinshanensis, Berberis jinwu, Berberis litangensis, Berberis longquensis and Berberis riparia, are described here. Differences in overall morphology and especially in floral structures with each other and with similar species of Berberis in the same region are presented. The report is the result of phylogenetic analyses based on plastome and partial nrDNA sequences of both the seven proposed new species and a significant number of similar species already published. Provisional conclusions as to the insights provides on the history of the genetic divergence are discussed.     

Clonality analysis of archival cervical smears. Correlation of monoclonality with grade and clinical behavior of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

OBJECTIVE: To establish a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based clonality assay for archival cervical smears and examine its value in the detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and prediction of its clinical behavior. STUDY DESIGN: Dyskaryotic cells were microdissected from archival cervical smears of 33 cases and subjected to PCR-based clonality analysis of the androgen receptor gene. High-risk HPV subtypes were screened by PCR. RESULTS: Monoclonal patterns were found in 9/9 CIN 3 and 15/21 CIN 2, while polyclonal patterns were observed in the remaining 6 CIN 2 and 3/3 CIN 1. All patients with monoclonal CIN lesions, including 15 CIN 2, showed recurrence of the disease despite treatment. The original CIN 2 and recurrent CIN lesion in each of the 6 examined cases showed the same monoclonal pattern, suggesting a clonal link. In contrast, the patients with polyclonal CIN 1 or 2 became negative and remained disease free. High-risk HPV subtypes were found in all monoclonal CIN lesions, including 9 CIN 3 and 15 CIN 2, and in 4/6 polyclonal CIN 2 but not in CIN 1 lesions. CONCLUSION: Clonality analysis of cervical smears is potentially valuable in the identification of true neoplastic cells and prediction of clinical behavior of CIN 2 lesions.