Mechanisms of the acute ischemia-induced arrhythmogenesis--a simulation study

The underlying ionic mechanisms of ischemic-induced arrhythmia were studied by the computer simulation method. To approximate the real situation, ischemic cells were simulated by considering the three major component conditions of acute ischemia (elevated extracellular K(+) concentration, acidosis and anoxia) at the level of ionic currents and ionic concentrations, and a round ischemic zone was introduced into a homogeneous healthy sheet to avoid sharp angle of the ischemic tissue. The constructed models were solved using the operator splitting and adaptive time step methods, and the perturbation finite difference (PFD) scheme was first used to integrate the partial differential equations (PDEs) in the model. The numerical experiments showed that the action potential durations (APDs) of ischemic cells did not exhibited rate adaptation characteristic, resulting in flattening of the APD restitution curve. With reduction of sodium channel availability and long recovery of excitability, refractory period of the ischemic tissue was significantly prolonged, and could no longer be considered as same as APD. Slope of the conduction velocity (CV) restitution curve increased both in normal and ischemic region when pacing cycle length (PCL) was short, and refractory period dispersion increased with shortening of PCL as well. Therefore, dynamic changes of CV and dispersion of refractory period rather than APD were suggested to be the fundamental mechanisms of arrhythmia in regional ischemic myocardium.     

Environmental Supply Chain Cooperation and Its Effect on the Circular Economy Practice‐Performance Relationship Among Chinese Manufacturers

Due to resource scarcity and environmental degradation, a new development concept emphasizing environmental concerns, called the circular economy (CE), has been enacted in legislation in China. This environmental management concept can be implemented at three levels, namely, region, industrial zone, and individual enterprise, with the objective of boosting economic development while lessening environmental and resource challenges. Environmental supply chain cooperation (ESCC), an approach that utilizes customer and supplier cooperation in environmental management, has been initiated among Chinese enterprises. Using survey data collected from 396 Chinese manufacturers, we examine the role of ESCC practices in influencing the relationship between implementing CE practices and the achievement of performance outcomes by testing the moderation and mediation effects of ESCC practices on the CE practice‐performance relationship through hierarchical regression analysis. Our data analyses indicate that ESCC practices are useful by moderation and, in some cases, essential by mediation, for Chinese manufacturers seeking to realize the performance targets desired in CE practices. The results highlight the need for Chinese manufacturers to improve supply chain coordination in their implementation of CE. On the policy side, our research findings suggest that ESCC practices are beneficial and, in some cases, necessary for the development of CE in China.     

PNAS-4 expression and its relationship to p53 in colorectal cancer

PNAS-4 is a novel pro-apoptotic protein activated during the early response to DNA damage; however, the molecular mechanisms and pathways regulating PNAS-4 expression in tumors are not well understood. We hypothesized that PNAS-4 is a p53 down-stream target gene and designed this study. We searched online for putative p53-binding sites in the entire PNAS-4 gene and did not find any corresponding information. In HCT116 colon cancer cells, after being transfected with small interfering RNA to silence p53, the expressions of PNAS-4 and other known p53 target gene (Apaf1, Bax, Fas and Dr5) were determined by real-time PCR. We found that PNAS-4 was up-regulated while Apaf1, Bax, Fas and Dr5 were down-regulated. We then examined the expression of PNAS-4 and p53 mutation in colorectal cancer patients. PNAS-4 expressed both in colorectal cancers and normal tissues, but compared with paired control, PNAS-4 was up-regulated in cancers (P = 0.018). PNAS-4 overexpression ratios were correlated to the p53 mutant status (P = 0.001). The mean PNAS-4 expression levels of p53 mutant homozygote group and heterozygote group were higher than that of p53 wild type group (P = 0.013). The expression ratios of PNAS-4 (every sample in relative to its paired normal mucosa) were different between negative lymph node metastasis (66% up-regulated, 34% down-regulated) and positive metastasis (42% up-regulated, 58% down-regulated). Taken together, these findings suggested that PNAS-4 was not a p53 target, but overexpression of PNAS-4 was correlated to p53 inactivity in colorectal cancer.     

Common and rare species respond to similar niche processes in macroinvertebrate metacommunities

Ecologists have long investigated why communities are composed of a few common species and many rare species. Most studies relate rarity to either niche differentiation among species or spatial processes. There is a parallel between these processes and the processes proposed to explain the structure of metacommunities. Based on a metacommunity perspective and on data on stream macroinvertebrates from different regions of Brazil, we answer two questions. 1) Are sets of common and rare species affected by similar niche and spatial processes? 2) How does the community composition of common and of rare species differ? The main hypothesis we test is that common species are mainly affected by environmental factors, whereas rare species are mostly influenced by dispersal limitation. We used variation partitioning to determine the proportion of variation explained by the environment and space in common and rare species matrices. Contrary to our expectations, evidence supported the idea that both common and rare species are affected mainly by environmental factors, even after controlling for the differing information content between common and rare species matrices. Moreover, the abundance of some common species is also a good predictor of variation in rare species matrices. Niche differences are unlikely to be the sole cause of patterns of rarity in these metacommunities. We suggest that sets of common and rare species react to similar major environmental gradients and that rare species also respond to processes that operate at a more fine‐grained spatial scale, particularly biotic interactions. We extend the view that species sorting is the dominant process structuring metacommunities and argue that future studies focusing on rarity would benefit from a metacommunity perspective.     

cⅠ857基因的体外定位同义突变

 ｃⅠ８５７基因的体外定位同义突变陈南春,高辉,陈苏民,杨萍,刘新平（西安第四军医大学分子生物学研究所,西安７１００３２）外源基因要在大肠杆菌中获得高表达,需要合适的ＳＤ序列和可调控的强启动子［１］。ＰＬ启动子在原核启动子中属强启动子,它受ｃⅠ基因产物...     

林农复合经营生态体系的研究

林农复合经营以生态经济学的原理,运用现代生物和生态工程方法技术,组成林、农、牧、副、渔有机结合的复合生产体系。它突破了传统林业的单一生产方式,形成以林为主的一个复合的、开放的、具有整体效应的生态系统。这种复合系统能有效地提高土地资源利用率,促进太阳能和有关物质在系统内的多次循环利用,实现整个系统在空间和时间上的高效利用。多年来的研究表明,这种由多种产业部     

Ubiquitin‐specific protease‐like 1 (USPL1) is a SUMO isopeptidase with essential,non‐catalytic functions

Isopeptidases are essential regulators of protein ubiquitination and sumoylation. However, only two families of SUMO isopeptidases are at present known. Here, we report an activity‐based search with the suicide inhibitor haemagglutinin (HA)‐SUMO‐vinylmethylester that led to the identification of a surprising new SUMO protease, ubiquitin‐specific protease‐like 1 (USPL1). Indeed, USPL1 neither binds nor cleaves ubiquitin, but is a potent SUMO isopeptidase both in vitro and in cells. C13orf22l—an essential but distant zebrafish homologue of USPL1—also acts on SUMO, indicating functional conservation. We have identified invariant USPL1 residues required for SUMO binding and cleavage. USPL1 is a low‐abundance protein that colocalizes with coilin in Cajal bodies. Its depletion does not affect global sumoylation, but causes striking coilin mislocalization and impairs cell proliferation, functions that are not dependent on USPL1 catalytic activity. Thus, USPL1 represents a third type of SUMO protease, with essential functions in Cajal body biology.     

Biological soil crusts in ecological restoration: emerging research and perspectives

Drylands encompass over 40% of terrestrial ecosystems and face significant anthropogenic degradation causing a loss of ecosystem integrity, services, and deterioration of social‐ecological systems. To combat this degradation, some dryland restoration efforts have focused on the use of biological soil crusts (biocrusts): complex communities of cyanobacteria, algae, lichens, bryophytes, and other organisms living in association with the top millimeters of soil. Biocrusts are common in many ecosystems and especially drylands. They perform a suite of ecosystem functions: stabilizing soil surfaces to prevent erosion, contributing carbon through photosynthesis, fixing nitrogen, and mediating the hydrological cycle in drylands. Biocrusts have emerged as a potential tool in restoration; developing methods to implement effective biocrust restoration has the potential to return many ecosystem functions and services. Although culture‐based approaches have allowed researchers to learn about the biology, physiology, and cultivation of biocrusts, transferring this knowledge to field implementation has been more challenging. A large amount of research has amassed to improve our understanding of biocrust restoration, leaving us at an opportune time to learn from one another and to join approaches for maximum efficacy. The articles in this special issue improve the state of our current knowledge in biocrust restoration, highlighting efforts to effectively restore biocrusts through a variety of different ecosystems, across scales and utilizing a variety of lab and field methods. This collective work provides a useful resource for the scientific community as well as land managers.