意大利当代城市规划实践中的生态视角及其本土化应用探析

从班纳姆对洛杉矶的“生态”解读入手,整理概括了意大利当代基于生态视角的规划实践。以博洛尼亚、安特卫普的结构规划为例,阐述它们如何通过生态视角识别、连接各具特色的城市片段以构建主题化的“城市之城”,并提出相应规划策略来指引城市发展。以厦门鼓浪屿为例,探索这一新视角、方法在中国非均质的历史区域中的应用—通过定义“四个体系”和“四个区域”以庖丁解牛的方式建立起对鼓浪屿复杂的物理与社会现状以及未来发展目标的结构性与差异性认知,并在此基础上提出具有针对性的规划策略以平衡遗产保护、旅游发展、当地宜居性提升的多种需求。最后总结意大利基于生态视角的规划实践一方面为中国当前城市规划实践提供了新的认知角度和新的规划思路、方法与工具,另一方面其建立起的结构规划和战略规划框架能帮助丰富与完善中国现有的规划体系。     

Parallel Evolution of the Glycogen Synthase 1 (Muscle) Gene Gys1 Between Old World and New World Fruit Bats (Order: Chiroptera)

Glycogen synthase, which catalyzes the synthesis of glycogen, is especially important for Old World (Pteropodidae) and New World (Phyllostomidae) fruit bats that ingest high-carbohydrate diets. Glycogen synthase 1, encoded by the Gys1 gene, is the glycogen synthase isozyme that functions in muscles. To determine whether Gys1 has undergone adaptive evolution in bats with carbohydrate-rich diets, in comparison to insect-eating sister bat taxa, we sequenced the coding region of the Gys1 gene from 10 species of bats, including two Old World fruit bats (Pteropodidae) and a New World fruit bat (Phyllostomidae). Our results show no evidence for positive selection in the Gys1 coding sequence on the ancestral Old World and the New World Artibeus lituratus branches. Tests for convergent evolution indicated convergence of the sequences and one parallel amino acid substitution (T395A) was detected on these branches, which was likely driven by natural selection.     

Quantification of Rare Cancer Cells in Patients With Gastrointestinal Cancer by Nanostructured Substrate

Detecting the cancer cells in the peripheral blood, i.e. circulating tumor cell (CTC), have been considered as the “liquid biopsy” and become a particular area of focus. A deep insight into CTC provides a potential alternative method for early diagnosis of solid tumor. Previous studies showed that CTC counts could be regarded as an indicator in tumor diagnosis, predicting clinical outcomes and monitoring treatment responses. In this report, we utilize our facile and efficient CTC detection device made of hydroxyapatite/chitosan (HA/CTS) for rare cancer cells isolation and enumeration in clinical use. A biocompatible and surface roughness controllable nanofilm was deposited onto a glass slide to achieve enhanced topographic interactions with nanoscale cellular surface components, anti-EpCAM (epithelial cell adhesion molecule, EpCAM) were then coated onto the surface of nanosubstrate for specific capture of CTCs. This device performed a considerable and stable capture yields. We evaluated the relationship performance between serial CTC changes and the changes of tumor volume/serum tumor marker in gastrointestinal cancer patients undergoing anti-cancer treatments. The present study results showed that changes in the number of CTC were associated with tumor burden and progression. Enumeration of CTCs in cancer patients may predict clinical response. Longitudinal monitoring of individual patients during the therapeutic process showed a close correlation between CTC quantity and clinical response to anti-cancer therapy. Effectively capture of this device is capable of CTCs isolation and quantification for monitoring of cancer and predicting treatment response.     

West Nile Virus (WNV) protease and membrane interactions revealed by NMR spectroscopy

Although the importance of Wnt3a in melanocyte development has been well recognized, the effect of Wnt3a in normal HF melanocytes has not been clearly elucidated yet. Thus, we sought to examine the presence and location of Wnt3a in HF during hair cycle. By using melanocyte-targeted Dct-LacZ transgenic mice, we found that Wnt3a signaling is activated in mouse HF melanocytes during anagen of hair cycle. To further explore the potential functions of Wnt3a in mouse melanocytes, we infected melan-a cells with AdWnt3a to serve as the production source of Wnt3a protein. We demonstrated that Wnt3a promoted melanogenesis through upregulation of MITF and its downstream genes, tyrosinase and TRP1, in melanocytes. In vivo, AdWnt3a rescued the effects of AdsimMITF on HF melanocytes and promoted melanin synthesis. Our results suggest that Wnt3a plays an important role in mouse HF melanocytes homeostasis.     

Characterization of monoclonal antibodies against waterfowl parvoviruses VP3 protein

Background

Ebola viruses (EBOVs) cause severe hemorrhagic fever with a high mortality rate. At present, there are no licensed vaccines or efficient therapies to combat EBOV infection. Previous studies have shown that both humoral and cellular immune responses are crucial for controlling Ebola infection. CD8⁺ T cells play an important role in mediating vaccine-induced protective immunity. The objective of this study was to identify H-2^d-specific T cell epitopes in EBOV glycoproteins (GPs).

Results

Computer-assisted algorithms were used to predict H-2^d-specific T cell epitopes in two species of EBOV (Sudan and Zaire) GP. The predicted peptides were synthesized and identified in BALB/c mice immunized with replication-deficient adenovirus vectors expressing the EBOV GP. Enzyme-linked immunospot assays and intracellular cytokine staining showed that the peptides RPHTPQFLF (Sudan EBOV), GPCAGDFAF and LYDRLASTV (Zaire EBOV) could stimulate splenoctyes in immunized mice to produce large amounts of interferon-gamma.

Conclusion

Three peptides within the GPs of two EBOV strains were identified as T cell epitopes. The identification of these epitopes should facilitate the evaluation of vaccines based on the Ebola virus glycoprotein in a BALB/c mouse model.     

福建洛阳江口红树林湿地大型底栖动物多样性及季节变化

基于2013-2014年福建洛阳江口红树林湿地的周年调查资料, 研究了该湿地大型底栖动物的物种多样性现状、季节变化以及红树林恢复对底栖动物群落的影响。本次调查共鉴定大型底栖动物7门78种, 环节动物和节肢动物种类最为丰富, 节肢动物对总生物量贡献最大, 短拟沼螺(Assiminea brevicula)为本区第一优势种。林区底栖动物的密度和生物量明显低于光滩, 部分优势种仅在林区出现, 此外, 林区群落与光滩有显著差异。本区底栖动物的密度高值出现在冬、春季, 生物量高值出现在春、夏季, 群落结构季节变化明显。本区底栖动物种类组成特点反映出洛阳江口红树林处在年轻期, 群落的季节变化可能跟优势种的繁殖特点有关。研究结果也表明红树林植被会影响底栖动物群落结构, 林区群落已然不同于光滩, 与2009年调查结果相比, 林区底栖动物密度虽明显下降, 但褶痕拟相手蟹(Parasesarma plicata)数量增加, 是优势种之一。洛阳江口红树林和光滩支撑着不同的生物组成, 因此, 红树林恢复应当保持栖息地的多样性/异质性。     

Screening of hibernation-related genes in the brain of Rhinolophus ferrumequinum during hibernation

The greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) is a widely distributed small mammal that hibernates annually. A systematic study was initiated to identify differentially expressed genes in hibernating and aroused states of the greater horseshoe bat brain by using suppressed subtractive hybridization technique and dot blot. Forty-one over-expressed ESTs in the hibernating state were found and 17 were known genes reported in NCBI. Among these 17 genes, three were further checked by real time PCR. The bioinformatics analysis suggests that the major over-expressed ESTs may be responsible for the regulation of cell cycle and apoptosis, the growth of neurons, signal transduction and neuroprotection, gene expression regulation, and intracellular trafficking.     

Dihydroartemisinin induces apoptosis in human gastric cancer cell line BGC-823 through activation of JNK1/2 and p38 MAPK signaling pathways

Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), a semi-synthetic derivative of artemisinin, is associated with a broad range of biological properties including antitumor activity. However, the effect of DHA on gastric cancer has not been clearly clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and mechanism of DHA in human gastric cancer cell line BGC-823. Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was analyzed with flow cytometry. The expressions of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and their phosphorylated forms as well as apoptosis related proteins were examined by western blot analysis. The results demonstrated that DHA inhibited cell viability of BGC-823 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. DHA treatment upregulated the expression of Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and -9, and degraded form of PARP, and downregulated the Bcl-2 expression and Bcl-2/Bax ratio. Meanwhile, DHA increased the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK1/2 and p38 MAPK. Synthetic inhibitors of JNK1/2 or p38 MAPK kinase activity, but not inhibitor of ERK1/2, significantly abolished the DHA-induced activation of caspase-3 and -9. In vivo tumor-suppression assay further indicated that DHA displayed significant inhibitory effect on BGC-823 xenografts in tumor growth. These results indicate that DHA induces apoptosis of BGC-823 cells through JNK1/2 and p38 MAPK signaling pathways and DHA could serve as a potential additional chemotherapeutic agent for treatment of gastric cancer.     

同一山洞中五种蝙蝠的回声定位比较及生态位的分化

对同一山洞中5种蝙蝠的回声定位叫声和外部形态作了比较分析,根据蝙蝠回声定位叫声,形态特征与捕食策略之间的联系,并结合部分的野外观察研究,推断其捕食生境及捕食策略,并对洞中5种共栖蝙蝠的生态位分化进行了分析;研究结果如下：（1）南蝠（Ia io)在地面或树冠中间的开阔空间捕食个体较大的昆虫;（2）大鼠耳蝠（Myotis myotis)主要以掠食性方式（gleaning) 捕食森林或草地地表面的昆虫;（3）黄大蹄幅（Hipposideros pratti)主要在树冠周围或树冠上方进行捕蝇器式（Fly-catching)（即倒挂于一固定枝条或地点,探索周围飞行或接近的昆虫,探索到后捕捉回原倒挂地点再进食）或飞行捕食,它主要捕食个体较大的甲虫;（4）角菊头蝠（Rhinolophus cornutus)主要在较密集树木中（枝叶间）,农田及树木周围捕食型较小的翼拍动昆虫;（5）三叶蹄幅（Aselliscus wheeleri)是在树木,灌丛或在其周围空间内捕食较小的翼拍动昆虫,但其食性可能菊头蝠不同,根据以上研究结果,认为这5种蝙蝠的取食生态位存在着明显的分化。