Analysis of parental strain DNA fragments existing in GEMs-Fhhh

There were 6 target DNA fragments of the three parental strains existing in the cell of GEMs( genetically engineered microorganism strain) Fhhh measured in this research by PCR(polymerase chain reaction). The determination showed that GEMs Fhhh contained all the 6 target DNA fragments, mnpl, mnp2, lipl, lip2, FLOI and 16S rDNA, and had the molecular genetic stability. Meanwhile the PCR production of each parental strain could only had its target DNA fragments and was different from each other. It may illustrate that the technique of the inter-kingdom protoplast fusion for the construction of GEMs Fhhh through the process of intercellular gene recombination could be used as a reliable bioengineefing technique to create the soecific functional stain for the nollution control.     

German taxi drivers' experiences and expressions of driving anger: Are the driving anger scale and the driving anger expression inventory valid measures?

Objective: The objective of this article was 2-fold: firstly, we wanted to examine whether the original Driving Anger Scale (DAS) and the original Driving Anger Expression Inventory (DAX) apply to German professional taxi drivers because these scales have previously been given to professional and particularly to nonprofessional drivers in different countries. Secondly, we wanted to examine possible differences in driving anger experience and expression between professional German taxi drivers and nonprofessional German drivers.

Methods: We applied German versions of the DAS, the DAX, and the State–Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) to a sample of 138 professional German taxi drivers. We then compared their ratings to the ratings of a sample of 1,136 nonprofessional German drivers (Oehl and Brandenburg n.d. Oehl M, Brandenburg S. Driving anger in Germany: validation of the Driving Anger Scale (DAS). Saf Sci. n.d. submitted.  [Google Scholar]).

Results: Regarding our first objective, confirmatory factor analysis shows that the model fit of the DAS is better for nonprofessional drivers than for professional drivers. The DAX applies neither to professional nor to nonprofessional German drivers properly. Consequently, we suggest modified shorter versions of both scales for professional drivers. The STAXI applies to both professional and nonprofessional drivers. With respect to our second objective, we show that professional drivers experience significantly less driving anger than nonprofessional drivers, but they express more driving anger.

Conclusions: We conclude that the STAXI can be applied to professional German taxi drivers. In contrast, for the DAS and the DAX we found particular shorter versions for professional taxi drivers. Especially for the DAX, most statements were too strong for German drivers to agree to. They do not show behaviors related to driving anger expression as they are described in the DAX. These problems with the original American DAX items are in line with several other studies in different countries. Future investigations should examine whether (professional) drivers from further countries express their anger as proposed by the DAX. In addition, professional drivers experience less driving anger (DAS) and less general trait anger (STAXI) than nonprofessional drivers, but they report more driving anger expression (DAX) and more current general state anger (STAXI). Subsequent studies should therefore focus on different types of anger within the group of professional drivers.     

威布尔分布环境折合因子计算及其应用研究

目的对不同环境条件试验下的数据进行融合。方法针对应用最为普遍的威布尔分布类型的环境折合因子进行研究,给出威布尔分布环境折合因子的定义,根据极大似然估计法对威布尔分布环境折合因子进行计算。结果得出了相关环境折合因子的计算结果,在此基础上给出了应用环境折合因子进行数据融合的方法和步骤。结论应用威布尔分布环境折合因子可以合理的对不同环境下试验数据进行融合,达到扩大试验样本的目的。     

Raw single-walled carbon nanotube-induced cytotoxic effects in human bronchial epithelial cells: comparison to asbestos

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) are being developed to be used in many industrial and biomedical applications. However, SWCNT's durability and likely fibrous morphology have raised health concerns. The present investigations were focused on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms induced by raw SWCNT (SWCNT) in human bronchial-epithelial cells (BEAS-2B). Asbestos (crocidolite) was used as a positive control. Exposure of BEAS-2B cells to SWCNT induced apoptosis, DNA damage, and oxidative stress. The generation of hydroxyl radical (^?OH) and increase of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were concentration-dependent. The increase in apoptosis was associated with activation of caspase-3, caspase-7, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1). A short recovery period of 6?h of cells from SWCNT exposure resulted in reversal of caspase-3 and caspase-7, and a partial reversal of PARP-1 activation. The activation of PARP-1, caspase-3, and caspase-7 was only partially diminished after a recovery of 6?h from the exposure to crocidolite. Exposure of BEAS-2B cells to SWCNT resulted in the phosphorylation of protein p42/44 (p42/44) and protein p38 (p38). SWCNT did not induce protein serine-threonine kinase (AKT) phosphorylation. For all the above end points, crocidolite induced a greater response compared to SWCNT. SWCNT induced a significant activation of activator protein-1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and the effect was inhibited by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors. SWCNT also induced significant increase in the expression levels of c-Jun, βIGH3, and CD44 genes. The results of this study show that the molecular mechanism for raw SWCNT-mediated toxicity in BEAS-2B cells is through the activation of caspase-3, caspase-7, and PARP-1. Furthermore, the mechanism of AP-1 and NF-κB activation is through MAPK. This bioactivity of raw SWCNT is associated with the generation of oxidative stress and DNA damage. Considering the role of airway epithelium as a critical barrier for normal pulmonary function and focal point for tumor development, this study demonstrates that raw SWCNT activate molecular events which may be linked to adverse biological responses implicated in pulmonary diseases.     

Data fusion modeling for groundwater systems

Engineering projects involving hydrogeology are faced with uncertainties because the earth is heterogeneous, and typical data sets are fragmented and disparate. In theory, predictions provided by computer simulations using calibrated models constrained by geological boundaries provide answers to support management decisions, and geostatistical methods quantify safety margins. In practice, current methods are limited by the data types and models that can be included, computational demands, or simplifying assumptions. Data Fusion Modeling (DFM) removes many of the limitations and is capable of providing data integration and model calibration with quantified uncertainty for a variety of hydrological, geological, and geophysical data types and models. The benefits of DFM for waste management, water supply, and geotechnical applications are savings in time and cost through the ability to produce visual models that fill in missing data and predictive numerical models to aid management optimization. DFM has the ability to update field-scale models in real time using PC or workstation systems and is ideally suited for parallel processing implementation. DFM is a spatial state estimation and system identification methodology that uses three sources of information: measured data, physical laws, and statistical models for uncertainty in spatial heterogeneities. What is new in DFM is the solution of the causality problem in the data assimilation Kalman filter methods to achieve computational practicality. The Kalman filter is generalized by introducing information filter methods due to Bierman coupled with a Markov random field representation for spatial variation. A Bayesian penalty function is implemented with Gauss–Newton methods. This leads to a computational problem similar to numerical simulation of the partial differential equations (PDEs) of groundwater. In fact, extensions of PDE solver ideas to break down computations over space form the computational heart of DFM. State estimates and uncertainties can be computed for heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity fields in multiple geological layers from the usually sparse hydraulic conductivity data and the often more plentiful head data. Further, a system identification theory has been derived based on statistical likelihood principles. A maximum likelihood theory is provided to estimate statistical parameters such as Markov model parameters that determine the geostatistical variogram. Field-scale application of DFM at the DOE Savannah River Site is presented and compared with manual calibration. DFM calibration runs converge in less than 1 h on a Pentium Pro PC for a 3D model with more than 15,000 nodes. Run time is approximately linear with the number of nodes. Furthermore, conditional simulation is used to quantify the statistical variability in model predictions such as contaminant breakthrough curves.     

Screening differentially expressed genes in an amphipod (Hyalella azteca) exposed to fungicide vinclozolin by suppression subtractive hybridization

Vinclozolin, a dicarboximide fungicide, is an endocrine disrupting chemical that competes with an androgenic endocrine disruptor compound. Most research has focused on the epigenetic effect of vinclozolin in humans. In terms of ecotoxicology, understanding the effect of vinclozolin on non-target organisms is important. The expression profile of a comprehensive set of genes in the amphipod Hyalella azteca exposed to vinclozolin was examined. The expressed sequence tags in low-dose vinclozolin-treated and -untreated amphipods were isolated and identified by suppression subtractive hybridization. DNA dot blotting was used to confirm the results and establish a subtracted cDNA library for comparing all differentially expressed sequences with and without vinclozolin treatment. In total, 494 differentially expressed genes, including hemocyanin, heatshock protein, cytochrome, cytochrome oxidase and NADH dehydrogenase were detected. Hemocyanin was the most abundant gene. DNA dot blotting revealed 55 genes with significant differential expression. These genes included larval serum protein 1 alpha, E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase, mitochondrial protein, proteasome inhibitor, hemocyanin, zinc-finger–containing protein, mitochondrial NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase and epididymal sperm-binding protein. Vinclozolin appears to upregulate stress-related genes and hemocyanin, related to immunity. Moreover, vinclozolin downregulated NADH dehydrogenase, related to respiration. Thus, even a non-lethal concentration of vinclozolin still has an effect at the genetic level in H. azteca and presents a potential risk, especially as it would affect non-target organism hormone metabolism.     

双酚A(BPA)暴露对WHHL家兔糖类和脂类代谢的影响

为利用和人类更为接近的动物模型来研究在高脂血症条件下,BPA暴露是否能促进脂类和糖类代谢异常,并探索潜在的毒性效应机制,选取渡边可遗传高脂血症家兔(WHHL)模型,通过灌胃的方式将其暴露于400μg·kg-1体重的BPA溶液长达12周。在持续暴露第8周,检测了在空腹状态下,家兔血浆中葡萄糖、胰岛素和脂肪含量的变化,并根据所得结果进行了静脉注射胰岛素耐受试验(IVTT)。在暴露第12周,同样对空腹状态下,家兔血浆中的葡萄糖,胰岛素和脂肪含量进行了检测,并测量了血压和心率。然后,将所有的家兔进行解剖,通过苏木精-伊红(HE)及糖原(PAS)染色分别对心脏和肝脏部位的脂肪及糖原蓄积情况进行了病理学切片分析。同时,检测了肝脏中与脂类和糖类代谢相关基因在m RNA水平上的表达变化。结果显示,BPA暴露8周后促使WHHL家兔发生了胰岛素抵抗现象,导致第12周血糖及胰岛素含量升高,同时也促进了高密度脂蛋白胆固醇(HDL-C)、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇(LDL-C)及游离脂肪酸(NEFA)含量的上升。BPA暴露第12周,暴露组WHHL家兔的冠状动脉粥样硬化损伤程度未发生明显增加,但心肌细胞发生了肿胀,胞质中出现了脂肪的蓄积,同时伴随着心律失常。肝脏重量发生增加,肝细胞中同时出现了脂肪和糖原的蓄积现象,相关基因的表达发生了显著上调。研究结果表明,BPA持续暴露可促进WHHL家兔发生脂类和糖类代谢异常,其毒性效应机制可能和胰岛素抵抗及相关基因的异常表达有关。     

北京平原区夏垫断裂的多源遥感影像特征

1679年9月2日三河—平谷8.0级地震在地表形成总体走向N40°~45°E,倾角60°~70°,长达10 km的破裂带。该文采用Landsat-8、SPOT-5、SAR、GDEM、Google Earth多源遥感影像研究夏垫断裂的遥感影像特征。利用ERDAS软件,对Landsat-8影像按7∶4∶2依次为R、G、B分量作彩色合成增强处理,突出影像的线性构造特征;对Landsat-8和SPOT-5影像、Landsat-8和SAR影像分别进行融合处理,丰富影像的光谱信息;对GDEM与SPOT影像进行三维叠加,突出影像的三维特征;对SAR影像进行斑点压缩、方向滤波处理,突出影像平行断裂方向的线性特征。文中分析、对比了Google Earth和SPOT-5影像上地震陡坎的特征,陡坎在SPOT-5影像上表现较明显,但在影像上表现不出较低陡坎,同时,在两种影像上容易将绿色植被、狭窄道路或其它地物误认为陡坎;SAR滤波后的影像表现出暗色的线性条带;Landsat-8和SAR融合后的影像表现出较宽的异常条带,该条带指示断裂带所在位置。     

灾害地貌专家系统试验研究

介绍了灾害地貌专家的建造原理与方法,阐述了灾害地貌专家知识的分类分级方法,讨论了灾害地貌专家系统中知识表示的基本原则和知识库中专家知识的组织方式,以及推理机的设计和推理规则的构造原理与方法。系统采用压缩编码方式存储各种地学专题图形和遥感图像数据,具有与图像的存储更新,查询检索、分析处理、图像显少自动制图功能。该系统可以对灾害地貌过程进行专家级的预测和评价,并对灾害地貌的综合治理与区域规划提出几种可