Expression of beta-carotene hydroxylase gene (crtR-B) from the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis in chloroplasts of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

A carotenoid gene (crtR-B) from the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis, encoding beta-carotene hydroxylase that was able to catalyze the conversion of beta-carotene to zeaxanthin and canthaxanthin to astaxanthin, was cloned into Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplast expression vector p64D to yield plasmid p64DcrtR-B. The vector p64DcrtR-B was transferred to the chloroplast genome of C. reinhardtii using micro-particle bombardment. PCR and Southern blot analyses indicated that crtR-B was integrated into the chloroplast genome of the transformants. RTPCR assays showed that the H. pluvialis crt R-B gene was expressed in C. reinhardtii transformants. The transformants rapidly synthesized carotenoids in larger quantities than the wild-type upon being transferred from moderate to high-intensity white light. This research provides a foundation for further study to elucidate the possible mechanism of photo-protection by xanthophylls and other carotenoids in high light conditions or through exposure to UV radiation.

Three-dimensional micro- and nano-fabrication in transparent materials by femtosecond laser

Femtosecond pulsed lasers have been widely used for materials microprocessing. Due to their ultrashort pulse width and ultrahigh light intensity, the process is generally characterized by the nonthermal diffusion process. We observed various induced microstructures such as refractive-index-changed structures, color center defects, microvoids and microcracks in transparent materials (e.g., glasses after the femtosecond laser irradiation), and discussed the possible applications of the microstructures in the fabrication of various micro optical devices [e.g., optical waveguides, microgratings, microlenses, fiber attenuators, and three-dimensional (3D) optical memory]. In this paper, we review our recent research developments on single femtosecond-laser-induced nanostructures. We introduce the space-selective valence state manipulation of active ions, precipitation and control of metal nanoparticles and light polarization-dependent permanent nanostructures, and discuss the mechanisms and possible applications of the observed phenomena.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of N-acetyl-beta-aryl-1,2-didehydroethylamines as new HIV-1 RT inhibitors in vitro

A variety of N-acetyl-o-aryl-1,2-didehydroethylamines were synthesized by direct reduction-acetylation of beta-aryl-nitroolefins and assayed as HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) for the first time. Compound 7a exhibited a TI v

A STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF LESIONS OF AREA-7 OF THE PARIETAL CORTEX ON THE SHORT-TERM VISUAL SPATIAL MEMORY OF RHESUS-MONKEYS (MACACA-MULATTA)

This research is focused on the contribution of area 7 to the short-term visual spatial memory. Three rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were trained in the direct delayed response task in which 5 delay intervals were used in each session. When each monkey reached the criterion of 90% correct responses in 5 successive sessions, two monkeys underwent a surgery while the other one received a sham operation as a control. In the first stage of the surgery, bilateral areas 7a, 7b and 7ip of the parietal cortex of two monkeys were precisely lesioned. After 7 days of recuperation, the monkeys were required to do the same task. The average percentage of correct responses in the lesioned animals decreased from 94.7% to 89.3% and 93.3% to 82.0% respectively (no significance, P > 0.05, n = 2). In addition, the monkeys' complex movements were mildly impaired. The lesioned monkeys were found to have difficulty picking up food from the wells. In the second stage, bilateral area 7m was lesioned. In the 5 postoperative sessions, the average percentage of correct responses in one monkey, with a relatively precise 7m lesion, decreased from 94.7% to 92.2% (no significance, P > 0.05), while the other monkey, with widely spread necrosis of lateral parietal cortex, showed an. obvious decline in performance, but still over the chance level. After 240 trials this monkey reattained the normal criterion. The results of this research suggest that the lesions of area 7 of the parietal cortex did not significantly affect the short-term visual spatial memory, which has been shown to be sensitive to lesions of the prefrontal cortex; they also support the notion of dissociation of spatial functions in the prefrontal and parietal cortices.

Waterborne exposure to fluorotelomer alcohol 6:2 FTOH alters plasma sex hormone and gene transcription in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis of zebrafish

Fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) have shown estrogenic activity in vitro and in vivo, but the mechanism of this activity is not known. In this study, 18-week-old zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to 0, 0.03, 0.3 and 3.0 mg/l 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctan-1-ol (6:2 ETCH) for 7 days, and the effects on plasma sex hormone levels were measured followed by use of real-time PCR to examine selected gene expression in hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and liver. Exposure to 6:2 FTOH significantly increased plasma estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) levels in both males and females. Furthermore, the ratio of T/E2 was reduced in females while increased in males. In females, the increase of E2 was accompanied by up-regulated hepatic estrogenic receptor alpha (ER alpha) and vitellogenin (VTG1 and VTG3) expression. In males, the elevation of the T level is consistent with the up-regulation of cytochrome P450 c17 alpha-hydroxylase, 17, 20-lase (CYP17) and the down-regulation of cytochrome P450 aromatase A (CYP19A). The present study demonstrated that waterborne exposure to 6:2 FTOH alter plasma sex hormone levels and the ratio of T/E2, as well as the transcriptional profiles of some genes in the HPG axis and liver. The results suggested that FTOHs may disturb fish reproduction through endocrine disrupted activity. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Response of macrozoobenthos communities to ecological engineering remediation in a hypertrophic urban lake

The relationship of macrozoobenthos communities with some environmental variables, and their response to the ongoing restoration measures were studied in a small hypertrophic urban lake near the Yangzte River, China. Twenty taxa including 9 oligochaetes, 7 insects, 2 mollusks and two other animals were found during March 2005 to May 2006. The reappearance of some indigenous macrozoobenthos species showed that the ecological engineering remediation carried out was helpful for the recovery of the macrozoobenthos communities. Through canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), it was detected that temperature (T), conductivity (COND), Secchi depth/deep (SD/Deep), TN, total suspended solids (SS) and chemical oxygen demand (CODcr) were significant environmental factors that influenced the pattern of macrozoobenthos. Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, Tanypus sp. and Alocinma longicornis could be used as potential bio-indicators in monitoring the development of ecological restoration.

Accumulation of hepatotoxic microcystins in freshwater mussels, aquatic insect larvae and oligochaetes in a large, shallow eutrophic lake (Lake Chaohu) of subtropical China

This paper studied the seasonal changes of two common microcystins (MCs), MC-RR and -LR, in the commercially important mussel Corbicula fluminea in Lake Chaohu, where there occurred dense cyanobacteria. Occasional measurements were also made for MC in the mussel Arconaia lanceolat, the oligochaete Limnodilus hoffineisteri and the insect larva Chironomus sp. Mean MC of C. fluminea was much higher in hepatopancreas than in intestine and foot. Our study is the first to report accumulation of MCs in oligochaetes and aquatic insect larvae. The hi-h contents of MCs in the insect larvae suggest a great possibility for the transfer of MCs to benthos-feeding omnivores like common carp. According to the provisional standard by the WHO, 28.6% of the collected C. fluminea were harmful for human consumption, assuming a daily consumption of 300 by a person. It is recommended that edible mussels should not be collected for human consumption during toxic cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Chaohu.

Gene structures and promoter characteristics of interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1), IRF-2 and IRF-7 from snakehead Channa argus

Three interferon regulatory factor (IRF) genes, CaIRF-1, CaIRF-2 and CaIRF-7, and their promoters of snakehead (Channa argus) were cloned and characterized. The CaIRF-1 gene consists of ten exons, spans 4.3 kb and encodes a putative peptide of 299 aa. The CaIRF-2 gene consists of nine exons, spans 8 kb and encodes a putative peptide of 328 aa. The gene organizations of CaIRF-1 and CaIRF-2 are very similar to that of human IRF-1 and IRF-2 except more compact. Comparison of exon-intron organization of the two genes indicated a common evolutionary structure, notably within the exons encoding the DNA binding domain (DBD) of the two factors. The CaIRF-7 gene spans 4.1 kb and encodes a putative peptide of 437 aa. However, the gene organization of CaIRF-7 consisting of ten exons is different to human IRF-7a gene which has an intron in 5' UTR. Three CaIRFs share homology in N-terminal encompassing the DBD that contains a characteristic repeat of tryptophan residues. The promoters of CaIRF-1 and CaIRF-2 genes contain the conserved sites for NF-kappa B and Sp1. The gamma-IFN activation sites (GAS) were found in the promoters of CaIRF-1 and CaIRF-7. The promoter of CaIRF-7 contains conserved interferon stimulating response element (ISRE) which is characteristic of IFN-induced gene promoter, and suggests that there also exist intracellular amplifier circuit in fish IFN signal pathway. Moreover, the element GAAANN oriented in both directions is repeated in CaIRF promoter regions, which confers to further inducibility by IFN. The constitutive expression of CaIRF genes were found to increase obviously in response to induction by the known IFN-inducer poly I:C. (c) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Improving response speed of electrooptical switch in silicon-on-insulator by modifying modulation area structure

This paper reports on the simulation of two 2 x 2 electrooptical switches with different modulation area structures in silicon-on-insulator (SOI). A two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor device simulation tool PISCES-II has been used to analyze the dc and transient behaviors of the two devices. The modeling results show that the switch with an N+-I-P+-I-N+ modulation structure has a much faster response speed than the device with a P+-I-N+ modulation structure, although the former requires slightly stronger injection power.

黄土丘陵区退耕撂荒地土壤微生物量演变过程

土壤微生物量是表征土壤生态系统中物质和能量流动的重要参数,研究黄土丘陵区坡耕地撂荒后微生物量及其活性的变化过程对认识该地区生态恢复过程中土壤质量的演变及其效果评价具有重要意义。【方法】采用时空互代法,以典型侵蚀环境纸坊沟流域生态恢复过程中不同年限的撂荒地为研究对象,选取坡耕地和天然侧柏林为参照,通过室内测试分析,并运用统计和相关分析等方法,研究坡耕地撂荒后土壤微生物量、呼吸强度、代谢商(qCO2)及土壤理化性质的演变特征。【结果】侵蚀环境下的坡耕地土壤微生物量含量偏低,土壤理化性质较差,撂荒后理化性质得到显著改善,微生物量碳(Cmic)在撂荒1a后显著增大,前7a较为剧烈,增幅较大,随后呈波动式上升,50a达到最大值;微生物量氮(Nmic)在撂荒初期增长缓慢,40a时才达到显著水平,微生物量磷(Pmic)在撂荒初期显著降低,5～7a达到最低值,随后逐渐上升,20～25a时和坡耕地没有显著差异,50a时达到最大值。撂荒50a时土壤Cmic、Nmic和Pmic分别较坡耕地增加166%、146%和52%,但仅为侧柏林的43.42%、45.06%和51.47%。呼吸强度在撂荒初期迅速增加,随后趋于稳定,与侧柏...

不含桥基的茂金属烯烃聚合催化剂的合成及催化

本论文探讨了烯烃聚合催化剂的合成及其用于聚合的研究，合成的催化剂是不含桥基的IVB族的茂金属化合物。共合成了十九个茂金属化合物：（~tBuC_5H_4)CpMCl_2[M=Ti(1a)，Zr(1b)]； Me_3SiC_5H_4CpMCl_2[M=Ti(2a)， Zr(2b)]；~tBu_2C_5H_3CpMCl_2[M=Ti(3a)，Zr(3b)]；C_5H_9IndCpMCl_2[M=Ti(4a)，Zr(4b)]；PhCH_2IndCpMCl_2[M=Ti(5a)，Zr(5b)]；(~tBu_2C_5H_3)_2MCl~2[M=Ti(6a)，Zr(6b)，Hf(6c)]；(C_5H_9Ind)_2MCl_2[M=Ti(7a)，Zr(7b)，Hf(7c)]；(PhCH_2C_6H_5)_2MCl_2[M=Ti(8a)，Zr(8b)，Hf(8c)]。这十九个化合物分别通过EI-MS，~1H-NMR，IR 和元素分析进行了表征。用所合成的十九种茂金属化合物与甲基铝氧烷作为催化体系，在常温常压下，研究了乙烯聚合反应。得到的主要结论如下：（1）1a，2a， 5b 8b 催化活性最好。（2）1a 在铝钛比等于 1167 时聚合效率最高，2a 在铝钛比等于 1500 时聚合效率最高， 5b 在铝锆比大于 2955 时聚合效率最高，8b 在铝锆比等于 1667 时聚合效率最高。（3）相同的聚合条件下，催化效率是 1a＜2a，8b＜5b。（4）由聚合物的DSC表征中可见，所得聚合物的结晶度是 1a＜2a，5b＞8b。（5）由聚合物的分子量的测定可知，所得聚合物的分子量是 1a＞2a ，5b＜8b，由 8b 催化得到的聚合物的分子量最大。

第一性原理研究Mg,Si和Mn共掺GaN

采用基于密度泛函理论(DFT)的第一性原理平面波赝势法(PWP)计算Mg,Si和Mn共掺GaN电子结构和光学性质,分析比较计算结果.计算表明:掺杂后体系均在能隙深处产生自旋极化杂质带,具有半金属性,能产生自旋注入.与Mn掺杂GaN比较,Mg共掺后能使居里温度(TC)升高,并在1.0eV出现源于Mn4+离子基态4T1(F)到4T2(F)态跃迁的较强的光吸收,而Mn掺杂GaN时位于1.3eV处的吸收峰消失;Si共掺后没能使TC升高,且在低能区无光吸收现象.

Mn掺杂GaN电子结构和光学性质研究

采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理平面波赝势法计算不同Mn浓度掺杂GaN晶体的电子结构和光学性质.计算结果表明Mn掺杂GaN使得Mn 3d与N2p轨道杂化,产生自旋极化杂质带,材料表现为半金属性,非常适于自旋注入,说明该种材料是实现自旋电子器件的理想材料,折射率在带隙处出现峰值,紫外区光吸收系数随Mn浓度的增加而增大.