Nonlocal Immunized Mid-Infrared Magnetic Hot Spots in Graphene Junctions

Magnetic hot spots, which implies confinements and enhancements of magnetic fields, are demonstrated in graphene junctions (GJs) in the mid-infrared range. The appearance of magnetic hot spots in GJs comes from the conduction currents in the junction. In further, the extinction resonance peaks suffer blue shift, along with the increases in the magnetic fields inside junction area, when the junction width reduces. In opposite to the circumstances for electric field enhancements, neither magnetic field enhancements nor resonance frequency of GJs is perturbed by the intrinsic nonlocal electronic response of graphene. Such nonlocality immunized magnetic enhancement could be explained by the polarization dependent property of nonlocal effect.     

Quantitative evaluation of siRNA delivery in vivo

Effective small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated therapeutics require the siRNA to be delivered into the cellular RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). Quantitative information of this essential delivery step is currently inferred from the efficacy of gene silencing and siRNA uptake in the tissue. Here we report an approach to directly quantify siRNA in the RISC in rodents and monkey. This is achieved by specific immunoprecipitation of the RISC from tissue lysates and quantification of small RNAs in the immunoprecipitates by stem-loop PCR. The method, expected to be independent of delivery vehicle and target, is label-free, and the throughput is acceptable for preclinical animal studies. We characterized a lipid-formulated siRNA by integrating these approaches and obtained a quantitative perspective on siRNA tissue accumulation, RISC loading, and gene silencing. The described methodologies have utility for the study of silencing mechanism, the development of siRNA therapeutics, and clinical trial design.     

Effects of thymic polypeptides on the thymopoiesis of mouse embryonic stem cells

The thymus provides a unique cellular and hormonic microenvironment for the development of immunocompetent T cells. Thymic polypeptides have been widely used clinically for the treatment of tumors, infectious diseases and immune deficiency diseases. They have already shown the ability to stimulate the maturation of hematopoietic stem cells towards the CD3+CD4+ T cell lineage. However, their effects on the thymopoiesis of embryonic stem cells are still unexplored. In this paper, we compared the effects of three thymic polypeptides, thymopentin (TP5), thymosin alpha-1 (Talpha-1) and thymopeptides on the in vitro thymopoiesis of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. Using the embryoid body induction system, we found that both Talpha-1 and thymopeptides effectively induced ES cells to differentiate sequentially into the CD3+ and CD4+/CD8+ T cells. These T cells had T cell receptor (TCR) Vbeta gene rearrangement and most were TCRalphabeta T cells. We also found that the expression of the Notch receptor and its ligands Delta-like-1 and Delta-like-4 gradually increased during the induction. However, TP5 failed to induce the T cell differentiation of the ES cells. In summary, this is the first report to demonstrate that Talpha-1 can stimulate the T cell early stage differentiation from ES cells using the embryoid body protocol. These findings provide a powerful model for studying T cell development and may open new venues for the clinical application of Talpha-1.     

木里柠檬种子油的脂肪酸组成和果实主要营养成分的研究

本文报道,采用气相色谱(GC)分析新发现的野生木里柠檬,和栽培的尤力克柠檬种子油的8种脂肪酸成分,和用常规化学方法对比测定两种柠檬果实中的糖,有机酸和维生素C的含量。研究结果表明,木里柠檬的脂肪酸及其它营养成分与尤力克柠檬相近。     

4种红豆杉属植物遗传多样性和遗传关系的RAPD分析

采用RAPD标记研究了分属于4种红豆杉属(Taxus Linn.)植物的68个单株的遗传多样性,并采用UPGMA方法分析68个单株的遗传关系.结果表明:12条RAPD引物共扩增出109条带,其中多态性条带108条,多态性条带百分率为99.1％;平均每条引物扩增出9.1条带.南方红豆杉[T.wallichiana var.mairei (Lemée et Lévl)L.K.Fu et Nan Li.]种内的多态性条带百分率和观察等位基因数均最高;欧洲红豆杉(T.baccata Linn.)种内的有效等位基因数、Nei's基因多样度和Shannon's信息指数均最高;须弥红豆杉(T.wallichiana Zucc.)种内的各项遗传多样性指数均最低.供试4种植物的种内遗传多样度、种间遗传多样度、基因流和种间遗传分化系数分别为0.1745、0.358 6、0.401 7和0.554 5,表明55.45％的遗传变异发生在种间.南方红豆杉和须弥红豆杉遗传距离最近;曼地亚红豆杉(Taxus×media Rehd.)和须弥红豆杉的遗传距离最远.通过聚类分析可将68个单株分为3组,欧洲红豆杉的18个单株和曼地亚红豆杉的18个单株分别各自聚为1组;须弥红豆杉的16个单株和南方红豆杉的16个单株聚为1组,其中须弥红豆杉的16个单株和南方红豆杉的16个单株又各自聚为1个亚组,且南方红豆杉的雌、雄单株也分别聚在同一分支上,表明须弥红豆杉和南方红豆杉遗传关系较近,而欧洲红豆杉与其他3种植物的遗传关系较远.     

粳稻生育后期剑叶光合日变化和光合色素对大气CO2浓度和温度升高的响应——FACE研究

为研究水稻叶片光合色素和光合日变化对大气CO₂浓度和气温升高的响应,我们采用在开放空气中控制升高CO₂浓度和温度的方法,以常规粳稻南粳9108为试验材料,设置了环境CO₂和高大气CO₂浓度(增加200 μmol·mol^-1)、环境温度和增温(增加1～2 ℃)交互的4个处理,测定了灌浆中期和后期水稻剑叶的光合日变化特征和光合色素含量.结果表明: 水稻剑叶净光合速率(P_n)为双峰曲线,发生了光合“午休”现象;大气CO₂浓度升高提高了剑叶P_n,灌浆中期和后期平均分别增加了47.6%和39.1%;高温有降低P_n的趋势,但相关性未达到显著水平.大气CO₂浓度和温度升高导致水稻剑叶生育后期气孔导度(g_s)平均分别降低了17.0%和11.8%.高CO₂浓度水稻剑叶生育后期蒸腾速率(T_r)、叶绿素a、叶绿素b、类胡萝卜素、总叶绿素和叶绿素a/b值显著降低,平均降幅分别为5.9%、50.4%、21.3%、41.4%、39.4%和21.4%,明显增加了剑叶水分利用率(WUE),平均增幅达47.9%.与之相反,生育后期增温使水稻剑叶T_r增加了10.2%,使WUE平均降低了20.4%.综上所述,大气CO₂浓度升高对粳稻生育后期剑叶P_n、g_s和光合色素含量的影响明显大于增温效应.因此,应重视大气CO₂浓度和温度对水稻光合作用和光合色素的综合效应,减弱增温的负效应.     

鲎素的抗菌靶点初探

采用体外抑菌法测定鲎素的抑菌动力学特点,钼酸铵比色法和紫外吸收法分别检测细菌与鲎素共同孵育前后无机磷和大分子泄漏情况,扫描电镜和透射电镜观察细菌与鲎素共同孵育前后细菌形态和结构的变化,紫外吸收法和凝胶电泳法分别观察鲎素对细菌基因组DNA和质粒DNA结构的影响,质粒转化实验检测鲎素对质粒DNA复制和转录功能的影响.结果表明,鲎素对革兰氏阳性菌和阴性菌具有不同的抑菌动力学特点,经鲎素处理的细菌,胞内无机磷和大分子泄漏显著,细胞壁膜和菌体遭到不同程度的破坏,鲎素可与细菌基因组DNA和质粒DNA结合,高浓度鲎素有可能使DNA发生断裂,进而使质粒DNA复制和转录功能受到抑制.上述结果提示,鲎素的抗菌靶点至少包括细胞壁膜和菌体DNA.     

构建重组系统分析回文结构对基因表达的影响

回文结构序列是最常见的一种DNA序列,它是许多基因表达调控因子的顺式作用元件。本文设计了不同长度的回文结构序列,构建了Cre\|loxP重组系统,通过共转化含有cre基因的质粒和含有loxp位点的质粒,观察共转化菌株质粒图谱的变化,研究了重组系统在细菌中对基因表达的作用,同时研究不同长度回文结构对基因表达的影响,结果发现长度在20bp以下回文序列对下游基因的表达没有影响,而长于34bp的回文结构序列则会抑制下游基因的表达。     

一步法发酵菊芋生产乙醇

利用马克斯克鲁维酵母(Kluyveromyces marxianus)YX01具有菊粉酶生产能力且乙醇发酵性能良好的特点,直接发酵菊粉生成乙醇.在摇瓶中考察了该菌株最适发酵温度,进而在2.5L发酵罐中考察了通气量和底物浓度的影响.实验结果表明:该菌株最适发酵温度为35℃;在通气量为50 mL/min和100 mL/min时菌体生长加快,发酵时间缩短,但在不通气条件下糖醇转化率明显提高;在菊粉浓度235 g/L时,发酵终点乙醇浓度达到92.2 g/L,乙醇对糖的得率为0.436,为理论值的85.5%.在此基础上,使用近海滩涂种植海水灌溉收获的菊芋为底物,以批式补料方式直接发酵菊芋干粉浓度为280 g/L的底物,发酵终点乙醇浓度为84.0 g/L,乙醇对糖的得率为0.405,为理论值的80.0%.这些研究工作,为以菊芋为原料的燃料乙醇技术开发奠定了基础.     

生态系统服务需求、供给和消费研究进展

生态系统服务的持续供给是社会和自然可持续发展的基础,人类通过对生态系统服务的消费来满足需求和提高自身福祉。研究人类对生态系统服务的需求、消费,分析生态系统服务的供给与需求关系,对生态系统的管理、土地发展规划和资源的合理有效配置具有重要意义。首先分析了生态系统服务需求、供给和消费的内涵与特征,辨析了生态系统服务的有效需求和潜在需求、有效供给与潜在供给,进而提出了生态系统服务需求与供给研究框架,指出应研究生态系统服务供给和需求的空间关联以及生态系统服务需求弹性差异,进而因地制宜地调控生态系统服务供给使得生态系统服务效用最大化。梳理并比较了对生态系统服务供给和需求的量化指标和研究方法,包括基于土地利用和土地覆被的生态系统服务供需关系矩阵法、生态足迹法、公众参与法、模型计算法等。提出了未来的相关研究主要应从不同群体的需求弹性差异、跨学科与多源数据结合的需求定量评估方法、供需关系的多尺度分析、生态系统服务需求与人类福祉的耦合机制拓展等方面展开,为生态系统服务调控管理和社会的可持续发展提供切实可行的科学依据。