NDVI spatial pattern and its differentiation on the Mongolian Plateau

GIMMS NDVI database and geo-statistics were used to depict the spatial distribution and temporal stability of NDVI on the Mongolian Plateau. The results demonstrated that: (1) Regions of interest with high NDVI indices were distributed primarily in forested mountainous regions of the east and the north, areas with low NDVI indices were primarily distributed in the Gobi desert regions of the west and the southwest, and areas with moderate NDVI values were mainly distributed in a middle steppe strap from northwest to southeast. (2) The maximum NDVI values maintained for the past 22 years showed little variation. The average NDVI variance coefficient for the 22-year period was 15.2%. (3) NDVI distribution and vegetation cover showed spatial autocorrelations on a global scale. NDVI patterns from the vegetation cover also demonstrated anisotropy; a higher positive spatial correlation was indicated in a NW-SE direction, which suggested that vegetation cover in a NW-SE direction maintained increased integrity, and vegetation assemblage was mainly distributed in the same specific direction. (4) The NDVI spatial distribution was mainly controlled by structural factors, 88.7% of the total spatial variation was influenced by structural and 11.3% by random factors. And the global autocorrelation distance was 1178 km, and the average vegetation patch length (NW-SE) to width (NE-SW) ratio was approximately 2.4:1.0.

Knocking-Down Cyclin A(2) by siRNA Suppresses Apoptosis and Switches Differentiation Pathways in K562 Cells upon Administration with Doxorubicin

Cyclin A(2) is critical for the initiation of DNA replication, transcription and cell cycle regulation. Cumulative evidences indicate that the deregulation of cyclin A(2) is tightly linked to the chromosomal instability, neoplastic transformation and tumor proliferation. Here we report that treatment of chronic myelogenous leukaemia K562 cells with doxorubicin results in an accumulation of cyclin A(2) and follows by induction of apoptotic cell death. To investigate the potential preclinical relevance, K562 cells were transiently transfected with the siRNA targeting cyclin A(2) by functionalized single wall carbon nanotubes. Knocking down the expression of cyclin A(2) in K562 cells suppressed doxorubicin-induced growth arrest and cell apoptosis. Upon administration with doxorubicin, K562 cells with reduced cyclin A(2) showed a significant decrease in erythroid differentiation, and a small fraction of cells were differentiated along megakaryocytic and monocyte-macrophage pathways. The results demonstrate the pro-apoptotic role of cyclin A(2) and suggest that cyclin A(2) is a key regulator of cell differentiation.

Multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry for differentiation of isomeric saponins

Four isomers of steroidal saponins were differentiated using multiple-stage tandem mass spectrometry combined with electrospray ionization (ESI-MSn). With the addition of lithium salt, the [M+Li](+) ions of saponins were observed in the ESI spectra. MSn spectra of these [M+Li](+) ions provided detailed structural information and allowed differentiation of the four isomeric saponins. The cross-ring cleavage ions from the saccharide chains of the saponins could be used as diagnostic ions for information concerning the linkage of the sugar moieties of the saponins. The masses of the X, A, Y and C type fragment ions formed from [M+Li](+) ions of the isomeric saponins provided information defining the methyl group locations.

Applications of generalized torsion angles in studies on quantitative structure-activity relationship

In this article, generalized torsion angles of derivatives of 1-[(2-hydroxyethoxy)methy1]-6(phenylthio)thymine(HEPT) were calculated, which include abundant three dimensional information of molecules. Molecular similarity matrix was built based on the calculated generalized torsion angles. These similarities were taken as the new variables, and the new variables were selected by using Leaps-and-Bounds regression analysis. Multiple regression analysis and neural networks were performed, and the satisfactory results were achieved by using the neural networks.

Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 plays an important role in regulating pharyngeal skeleton and inner ear formation and differentiation

Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein (IGFBP)-3 is the major insulin-like growth factor (IGF) carrier protein in the bloodstream. IGFBP-3 prolongs the half-life of circulating IGFs and prevents their potential hypo-glycemic effect. IGFBP-3 is also expressed in many peripheral tissues in fetal and adult stages. In vitro, IGFBP-3 can inhibit or potentiate IGF actions and even possesses IGF-independent activities, suggesting that local IGFBP-3 may also have paracrine/autocrine function(s). The in vivo function of IGFBP-3, however, is unclear. In this study, we elucidate the developmental role of IGFBP-3 using the zebrafish model. IGFBP-3 mRNA expression is first detected in the migrating cranial neural crest cells and subsequently in pharyngeal arches in zebrafish embryos. IGFBP-3 mRNA is also persistently expressed in the developing inner ears. To determine the role of IGFBP-3 in these tissues, we ablated the IGFBP-3 gene product using morpholino-modified antisense oligonucleotides (MOs). The IGFBP-3 knocked down embryos had delayed pharyngeal skeleton morphogenesis and greatly reduced pharyngeal cartilage differentiation. Knockdown of IGFBP-3 also significantly decreased inner ear size and disrupted hair cell differentiation and semicircular canal formation. Furthermore, reintroduction of a MO-resistant form of IGFBP-3 "rescued" the MO-induced defects. These findings suggest that IGFBP-3 plays an important role in regulating pharyngeal cartilage and inner car development and growth in zebrafish.

Phenoloxidase, a marker enzyme for differentiation of the neural ectoderm and the epidermal ectoderm during embryonic development of amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri tsingtaunese

The development of phenoloxidase during amphioxus embryogenesis was spectrophotometrically and histochemically studied for the first time in the present study. It was found that (1) PO activity initially appeared in the general ectoderm including the neural ectoderm and the epidermal ectoderm at the early neurala stage but not in the mesoderm or the endoderm, and (2) PO activity disappeared in the neural plate cells but remained unchanged in the epidermal cells when the neural plate was morphologically quite distinct from the rest of the ectoderm. It is apparent that PO could serve as a marker enzyme for differentiation of the neural ectoderm from the epidermal ectoderm during embryonic development of amphioxus. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lack of genetic differentiation in the shrimp Penaeus chinensis in the northwestern pacific

Genetic differentiation of the shrimp Penaeus chinensis in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea was investigated using the mitochondrial control region (CR). RFLP of a partial CR segment (613 bp) shows that 106 out of 122 (86.9%) individuals from six sampling localities along the coast of northern China and the west coast of the Korean Peninsula share the same haplotype, and the haplotype frequencies among localities are not significantly different. The findings are further confirmed by sequencing the complete CR. Divergence of the complete CR (992 bp) is less than 1.6% in 14 individuals from the six localities. F-statistics based on RFLP data and the TCS network of sequencing data suggest little genetic differentiation of P. chinensis in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea. Mismatch analysis suggests a rapid expansion of P. chinensis population to the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea, which probably occurred with the rapid rise in sea level after the last glacial maximum. Despite the lack of genetic heterogeneity, we propose that P. chinensis populations in this region should be treated as separate management units, as fishery management programs have to be applied on a local basis by different governments.

Identification and characterization of a myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) cDNA from Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri

Myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) is a universal and essential adapter for the TLR/IL-1R family. In this report, the first mollusk Myd88 ortholog (named as CfMyd88) was cloned from Zhikong scallop (Chlamys farreri). The full-length cDNA of CfMyd88 was of 1554 bp, including a 5 '-terminal untranslated region (UTR) of 427 bp, a polyA tail, and an open reading frame (ORF) of 1104 bp encoding a polypeptide of 367 amino acids containing the typical TLR and IL-1R-related (TIR) domain and death domain (DD). Homology analysis revealed that the predicted amino acid sequence of CfMyd88 was homologous to a variety of previously identified Myd88s with more than 30% identity. The temporal expressions of CfMyd88 mRNA in the mixed primary cultured haemocytes stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and peptidoglycans (PGN) were measured by real-time RT-PCR system. The mRNA expression of CfMyd88 decreased after stimulation with both LPS and PGN, and the lowest level was about 1/3 times (at 6 h) and 1/10 times (at 9 h) to that in the control group, respectively. The expression then recovered and was upregulated to two-fold at 9 h after LPS stimulation or to the original level at 12 It after PGN stimulation. The results suggest that the MyD88-dependent signaling pathway exists in scallop and was involved in the defense system. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differentiation of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) from Atlantic salmon (Salmon salar) by the AFLP-derived SCAR

A species-specific SCAR marker for rainbow trout, which was used to detect adulteration and fraudulent labeling in Atlantic salmon products, has been developed based on the AFLP analysis and evaluated in this study. The SCAR marker could be amplified and visualized in 1% agarose gel in all tested rainbow trout samples and absent in all salmon samples. Using DNA admixtures, the detection of 1% (0.5 ng), 10% (5 ng) rainbow trout DNA in Atlantic salmon DNA for fresh and processed samples, respectively was readily achieved. The molecular approach was sensitive and demonstrated to be a rapid and reliable method for identifying frauds in salmon products and could be extended for applications of species identification in food industry.

复杂介质中地震波场数值模拟研究——基于广义正交多项式迭积微分算子法

In this paper, we propose a new numerical modeling method – Convolutional Forsyte Polynomial Differentiator (CFPD), aimed at simulating seismic wave propagation in complex media with high efficiency and accuracy individually owned by short-scheme finite differentiator and general convolutional polynomial method. By adjusting the operator length and optimizing the operator coefficient, both global and local informations can be easily incorporated into the wavefield which is important to invert the undersurface geological structure. The key issue in this paper is to introduce the convolutional differentiator based on Forsyte generalized orthogonal polynomial in mathematics into the spatial differentiation of the first velocity-stress equation. To match the high accuracy of the spatial differentiator, this method in the time coordinate adopts staggered grid finite difference instead of conventional finite difference to model seismic wave propagation in heterogeneous media. To attenuate the reflection artifacts caused by artificial boundary, Perfectly Matched Layer (PML) absorbing boundary is also being considered in the method to deal with boundary problem due to its advantage of automatically handling large-angle emission. The PML formula for acoustic equation and first-order velocity-stress equation are also derived in this paper. There is little difference to implement the PML boundary condition in all kind of wave equations, but in Biot media, special attenuation factors should be taken. Numerical results demonstrate that the PML boundary condition is better than Cerjan absorbing boundary condition which makes it more suitable to hand the artificial boundary reflection. Based on the theories of anisotropy, Biot two-phase media and viscous-elasticity, this paper constructs the constitutive relationship for viscous-elastic and two-phase media, and further derives the first-order velocity-stress equation for 3D viscous-elastic and two-phase media. Numerical modeling using CFPD method is carried out in the above-mentioned media. The results modeled in the viscous-elastic media and the anisotropic pore elastic media can better explain wave phenomena of the true earth media, and can also prove that CFPD is a useful numerical tool to study the wave propagation in complex media.