Wall stretch and thromboxane A2 activate NO synthase (eNOS) in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells via H2O2 and Akt-dependent phosphorylation

Kim, H. J.,Yoo, H. Y.,Jang, J. H.,Lin, H. Y.,Seo, E. Y.,Zhang, Y. H.,Kim, S. J. Springer Science + Business Media 2016 Pfl ugers Arch Vol.468 No.4

<P>Pulmonary arteries (PAs) have high compliance, buffering the wide ranges of blood flow. Here, we addressed a hypothesis that PA smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) express nitric oxide synthases (NOS) that might be activated by mechanical stress and vasoactive agonists. In the myograph study of endothelium-denuded rat PAs, NOS inhibition (L-NAME) induced strong contraction (96 % of 80 mM KCl-induced contraction (80K)) in the presence of 5 nM U46619 (thromboxane A(2) (TXA(2)) analogue) with relatively high basal stretch (2.94 mN, S(+)). With lower basal stretch (0.98 mN, S(-)), however, L-NAME application following U46619 (TXA(2)/L-NAME) induced weak contraction (27 % of 80K). Inhibitors of nNOS and iNOS had no such effect in S(+) PAs. In endothelium-denuded S(+) mesenteric and renal arteries, TXA(2)/L-NAME-induced contraction was only 18 and 21 % of 80K, respectively. Expression of endothelial-type NOS (eNOS) in rat PASMCs was confirmed by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Even in S(-) PAs, pretreatment with H2O2 (0.1-10 mu M) effectively increased the sensitivity to TXA(2)/L-NAME (105 % of 80K). Vice versa, NADPH oxidase inhibitors, reactive oxygen species scavengers, or an Akt inhibitor (SC-66) suppressed TXA(2)/L-NAME-induced contraction in S(+) PAs. In a human PASMC line, immunoblot analysis showed the following: (1) eNOS expression, (2) Ser(1177) phosphorylation by U46619 and H2O2, and (3) Akt activation (Ser(473) phosphorylation) by U46619. In the cell-attached patch clamp study, H2O2 facilitated membrane stretch-activated cation channels in rat PASMCs. Taken together, the muscular eNOS in PAs can be activated by TXA(2) and mechanical stress via H2O2 and Akt-mediated signaling, which may counterbalance the contractile signals from TXA(2) and mechanical stimuli.</P>

Inelastic Light Scattering Studies of Overdoped Y1-xCaxBa₂Cu₃O₇ Film

J. H. Lin,S. M. Weng,H. L. Liu,P. C. Chung,J.-Y. Lin 한국자기학회 2007 한국자기학회 학술연구발표회 논문개요집 Vol.- No.-

TRANSPORT OF SOLAR WIND H ⁺ AND He ⁺⁺ IONS ACROSS EARTH’S BOW SHOCK

Parks, G. K.,Lee, E.,Fu, S. Y.,Kim, H. E.,Ma, Y. Q.,Yang, Z. W.,Liu, Y.,Lin, N.,Hong, J.,Canu, P.,Dandouras, I.,Rè,me, H.,Goldstein, M. L. American Astronomical Society 2016 ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS - Vol.825 No.2

<P>We have investigated the dependence of mass, energy, and charge of solar wind ( SW) transport across Earth's bow shock. An examination of 111 crossings during quiet SW in both quasi-perpendicular and quasi-parallel shock regions shows that 64 crossings had various degrees of heating and thermalization of SW. We found 22 crossings where the SW speed was <400 km s(-1). The shock potential of a typical supercritical quasi-perpendicular shock estimated from deceleration of the SW and cutoff energy of electron flat top distribution is similar to 50 Volts. We find that the temperatures of H+ and He++ beams that penetrate the shock can sometimes be nearly the same in the upstream and downstream regions, indicating little or no heating had occurred crossing the bow shock. None of the models predict that the SW can cross the bow shock without heating. Our observations are important constraints for new models of collisionless shocks.</P>

Genetic polymorphism in pvmdr1 and pvcrt-o genes in relation to in vitro drug susceptibility of Plasmodium vivax isolates from malaria-endemic countries

Lu, F.,Lim, C.S.,Nam, D.H.,Kim, K.,Lin, K.,Kim, T.S.,Lee, H.W.,Chen, J.H.,Wang, Y.,Sattabongkot, J.,Han, E.T. Verlag für Recht und Gesellschaft ; Elsevier 2011 Acta Tropica Vol.117 No.2

Treatment failure of chloroquine for Plasmodium vivax infection has increased in endemic countries. However, the molecular mechanisms for resistance and in vitro susceptibility of P. vivax to chloroquine remain elusive. We investigated the prevalence of mutations in the pvmdr1 and pvcrt-o genes, and the copy number of the pvmdr1 gene in isolates from the Republic of Korea (ROK), Thailand, the Union of Myanmar (Myanmar), and Papua New Guinea (PNG). We also measured in vitro susceptibility of Korean isolates to antimalarial drugs. The pvmdr1 analysis showed that mutations at amino acid position Y976F of pvmdr1 were found in isolates from Thailand (17.9%), Myanmar (13.3%), and PNG (100%), but none from the ROK, and mutation at position F1076L was present in isolates from the ROK (100%), Thailand (60.7%), and Myanmar (46.7%). One copy of the pvmdr1 gene was observed in most isolates and double copy numbers of the gene were observed in two Thai isolates. In the exons of the pvcrt-o gene that were sequenced, a K10 insertion was present in isolates from Thailand (56.0%) and Myanmar (46.2%), and the wild type was found in all Korean isolates. The results suggest that gene polymorphisms and copy number variation was observed in isolates of P. vivax from Southeast Asian countries. In Korean isolates polymorphism as limited to the F1076L variant, and no isolates with high level of resistance were found by in vitro susceptibility determinations. Moreover, our results provide a baseline for future prospective drug studies in malaria-endemic areas.

Broadband omnidirectional light detection in flexible and hierarchical ZnO/Si heterojunction photodiodes

Lim, S.,Um, D. S.,Ha, M.,Zhang, Q.,Lee, Y.,Lin, Y.,Fan, Z.,Ko, H. Springer Science + Business Media 2017 Nano research Vol.10 No.1

<P>The development of flexible photodetectors has received great attention for future optoelectronic applications including flexible image sensors, biomedical imaging, and smart, wearable systems. Previously, omnidirectional photodetectors were only achievable by integration of a hemispherical microlens assembly on multiple photodetectors. Herein, a hierarchical photodiode design of ZnO nanowires (NWs) on honeycomb-structured Si (H-Si) membranes is demonstrated to exhibit excellent omnidirectional light-absorption ability and thus maintain high photocurrents over broad spectral ranges (365 to 1,100 nm) for wide incident angles (0A degrees to 70A degrees), which enabled broadband omnidirectional light detection in flexible photodetectors. Furthermore, the stress-relieving honeycomb pattern within the photodiode micromembranes provided photodetectors with excellent mechanical flexibility (10% decrease in photocurrent at a bending radius of 3 mm) and durability (minimal change in photocurrent over 10,000 bending cycles). When employed in semiconductor thin films, the hierarchical NW/honeycomb heterostructure design acts as an efficient platform for various optoelectronic devices requiring mechanical flexibility and broadband omnidirectional light detection.</P>

Evaluation and Clinical Validation of Two Field-Deployable Reverse Transcription-Insulated Isothermal PCR Assays for the Detection of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus

Go, Y.Y.,Kim, Y.S.,Cheon, S.,Nam, S.,Ku, K.B.,Kim, M.,Cho, N.H.,Park, H.,Alison Lee, P.Y.,Lin, Y.C.,Tsai, Y.L.,Thomas Wang, H.T.,Balasuriya, U.B.R. American Society for Investigative Pathology and t 2017 The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics Vol.19 No.6

<P>Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is an emerging zoonotic viral respiratory disease that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. In 2015, the largest MERS outbreak outside of the Middle East region occurred in the Republic of Korea. The rapid nosocomial transmission of MERS-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Korean health care settings highlighted the importance and urgent need for a rapid and reliable on-site diagnostic assay to implement effective control and preventive measures. Here, the evaluation and validation of two newly developed reverse transcription insulated isothermal PCR (RT-iiPCR) methods targeting the ORF1a and upE genes of MERS-CoV are described. Compared with World Health Organization recommended singleplex real-time quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) assays, both RT-iiPCR assays had comparable analytical sensitivity for the detection of MERS-CoV RNA in tissue culture fluid and in sputum samples spiked with infectious virus. Furthermore, clinical evaluation was performed with sputum samples collected from subjects with acute and chronic respiratory illnesses, including patients infected with MERS-CoV. The overall agreement values between the two RT-iiPCR assays and the reference RT-qPCR assays were 98.06% (95% CI, 94.43%-100%; K = 0.96) and 99.03% (95% CI, 95.88%-100%; K = 0.99) for ORF1a and upE assays, respectively. The ORF1a and upE MERS-CoV RT-iiPCR assays coupled with a field deployable system provide a platform for a highly sensitive and specific on-site tool for diagnosis of MERS-CoV infections.</P>

Empirical Selection of Informative Microsatellite Markers within Co-ancestry Pig Populations Is Required for Improving the Individual Assignment Efficiency

Lia, Y.H.,Chu, H.P.,Jiang, Y.N.,Lin, C.Y.,Li, S.H.,Li, K.T.,Weng, G.J.,Cheng, C.C.,Lu, D.J.,Ju, Y.T. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2014 Animal Bioscience Vol.27 No.5

The Lanyu is a miniature pig breed indigenous to Lanyu Island, Taiwan. It is distantly related to Asian and European pig breeds. It has been inbred to generate two breeds and crossed with Landrace and Duroc to produce two hybrids for laboratory use. Selecting sets of informative genetic markers to track the genetic qualities of laboratory animals and stud stock is an important function of genetic databases. For more than two decades, Lanyu derived breeds of common ancestry and crossbreeds have been used to examine the effectiveness of genetic marker selection and optimal approaches for individual assignment. In this paper, these pigs and the following breeds: Berkshire, Duroc, Landrace and Yorkshire, Meishan and Taoyuan, TLRI Black Pig No. 1, and Kaohsiung Animal Propagation Station Black pig are studied to build a genetic reference database. Nineteen microsatellite markers (loci) provide information on genetic variation and differentiation among studied breeds. High differentiation index ($F_{ST}$) and Cavalli-Sforza chord distances give genetic differentiation among breeds, including Lanyu's inbred populations. Inbreeding values ($F_{IS}$) show that Lanyu and its derived inbred breeds have significant loss of heterozygosity. Individual assignment testing of 352 animals was done with different numbers of microsatellite markers in this study. The testing assigned 99% of the animals successfully into their correct reference populations based on 9 to 14 markers ranking D-scores, allelic number, expected heterozygosity ($H_E$) or $F_{ST}$, respectively. All miss-assigned individuals came from close lineage Lanyu breeds. To improve individual assignment among close lineage breeds, microsatellite markers selected from Lanyu populations with high polymorphic, heterozygosity, $F_{ST}$ and D-scores were used. Only 6 to 8 markers ranking $H_E$, $F_{ST}$ or allelic number were required to obtain 99% assignment accuracy. This result suggests empirical examination of assignment-error rates is required if discernible levels of co-ancestry exist. In the reference group, optimum assignment accuracy was achievable achieved through a combination of different markers by ranking the heterozygosity, $F_{ST}$ and allelic number of close lineage populations.

<i>In vivo</i> accumulation of T cells in response to IL‐2/anti‐IL‐2 mAb complexes is dependent in part on the TNF family ligand 4‐1BBL

Lin, Gloria H Y,Stone, John C,Surh, Charles D,Watts, Tania H Nature Publishing Group 2012 Immunology and cell biology Vol.90 No.7

<P>Immune complexes combining IL‐2 with particular anti‐IL‐2 antibodies can be used to selectively expand regulatory T cells or memory T cells. Combining IL‐2 with anti‐IL‐2 (Clone S4B6) greatly enhances the biological potency of IL‐2 <I>in vivo</I> leading to selective expansion of CD8 memory T cells and NK cells compared with regulatory T cells. Here we show that <I>in vivo</I> administration of IL‐2/anti‐IL‐2 mAb (IL‐2/mAb) complexes induces 4‐1BB expression on both adoptively transferred antigen‐specific memory CD8 T cells as well as on endogenous memory phenotype cells. Remarkably, the accumulation of adoptively transferred memory CD8 T cells following <I>in vivo</I> IL‐2/mAb‐complex treatment was found to be dependent in part on the presence of 4‐1BBL in the host. These effects were independent of IL‐2‐induced cell division, suggesting that 4‐1BBL‐induced survival signals contribute to IL‐2/mAb‐complex‐induced T‐cell accumulation <I>in vivo</I>.</P>

Design of wireless sensor network and its application for structural health monitoring of cable-stayed bridge

Lin, H.R.,Chen, C.S.,Chen, P.Y.,Tsai, F.J.,Huang, J.D.,Li, J.F.,Lin, C.T.,Wu, W.J. Techno-Press 2010 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.6 No.8

A low-cost wireless sensor network (WSN) solution with highly expandable super and simple nodes was developed. The super node was designed as a sensing unit as well as a receiving terminal with low energy consumption. The simple node was designed to serve as a cheaper alternative for large-scale deployment. A 12-bit ADC inputs and DAC outputs were reserved for sensor boards to ease the sensing integration. Vibration and thermal field tests of the Chi-Lu Bridge were conducted to evaluate the WSN's performance. Integral acceleration, temperature and tilt sensing modules were constructed to simplify the task of long-term environmental monitoring on this bridge, while a star topology was used to avoid collisions and reduce power consumption. We showed that, given sufficient power and additional power amplifier, the WSN can successfully be active for more than 7 days and satisfy the half bridge 120-meter transmission requirement. The time and frequency responses of cables shocked by external force and temperature variations around cables in one day were recorded and analyzed. Finally, guidelines on power characterization of the WSN platform and selection of acceleration sensors for structural health monitoring applications were given.

Biaxially extended quaterthiophene-thiophene and -selenophene conjugated polymers for optoelectronic device applications

Lin, H. W.,Lee, W. Y.,Lu, C.,Lin, C. J.,Wu, H. C.,Lin, Y. W.,Ahn, B.,Rho, Y.,Ree, M.,Chen, W. C. Royal Society of Chemistry 2012 Polymer chemistry Vol.3 No.3