Occurrence assessment of earth fissure based on genetic algorithms and artificial neural networks in Su-Xi-Chang land subsidence area, China

Wenjing Zhang,Li Gao,Xun Jiao,Jun Yu,Xiaosi Su,Shanghai Du 한국지질과학협의회 2014 Geosciences Journal Vol.18 No.4

Earth fissures in Su-Xi-Chang land subsidence areahave induced massive damages to the area. The non-linear characteristicassociated with the process of earth fissure formation requiresnon-linear method for evaluating the occurrence of the hazard. Based on quantification of influence factors on breeding the hazard,GA-ANN method, which integrates artificial neural networks(ANN) with genetic algorithms (GA), is developed for evaluating theoccurrence of earth fissure hazard. Six indicators, that include thedepth of bedrock burial (DBB), the degree of bedrock relief (DBR),water level (WL) (the II confined aquifer), the gradient of landsubsidence (GLS), transmissivity (T) (the II confined aquifer) andthe thickness of clay soil (TCS), are selected as the input patternsof the integrated approach, and danger index (DI) as the outputpattern. A multilayer back-propagation neural network is trainedwith 30 sets of data samples including 15 sets of earth fissure samplesand 15 sets of safety samples for defining the architecture ofANN. Subsequently, GA is employed by optimizing the initial weightsof trained ANN by minimizing the deviation of output. The efficacy ofthe integrated approach is demonstrated by comparing the deviationof output from ANN and GA-ANN for 5 testing samples andthe result shows that the GA-ANN method is more accurate thanANN in identifying the occurrence of earth fissure. The integratedmethod is applied to the assessment of earth fissure hazard in typicalregions of earth fissure. According to the classification of DI, theregions are divided into four zones ‒ danger zone, sub-danger zone,sub-safe zone and safe zone.

Genetic Screening for Mutations in the Chip Gene in Intracranial Aneurysm Patients of Chinese Han Nationality

Su, Li,Zhang, Yuan,Zhang, Chun-Yang,Zhang, An-Long,Mei, Xiao-Long,Zhao, Zhi-Jun,Han, Jian-Guo,Zhao, Li-Jun Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.3

We performed a case-control study to investigate whether SNPs of CHIP might affect the development of IA in Chinese Han nationality. We believe we are the first to have screened IA patients for mutations in the CHIP gene to determine the association with these variants. The study group comprised 224 Chinese Han nationality patients with at least one intracranial aneurysm and 238 unrelated healthy Han nationality controls. Genomic DNA was isolated from blood leukocytes. The entire coding regions of CHIP were genotyped by PCR amplification and DNA sequencing. Differences in genotype and allele frequencies between patients and controls were tested by the chi-square method. Genotype and allele frequencies of the SNP rs116166850 was demonstrated to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. No significant difference in genotype or allele frequencies between case and control groups was detected at the SNP. Our data do not support the hypothesis of a major role for the CHIP gene in IA development in the Chinese Han population.

Dynamic analysis of Ca^(2+) level during bovine oocytes maturation and early embryonic development

Su Li Liang,Qian Jun Zhao,Xiang Chen Li,Ya Ping Jin,Yi Peng Wang,Xiao Hua Su,Wei Jun Guan,Yue Hui Ma 대한수의학회 2011 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.12 No.2

Mammalian oocyte maturation and early embryo development processes are Ca^(2+)-dependent. In this study, we used confocal microscopy to investigate the distribution pattern of Ca^(2+) and its dynamic changes in the processes of bovine oocytes maturation, in vitro fertilization (IVF), parthenogenetic activation (PA) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryo development. During the germinal vesicle (GV) and GV breakdown stage, Ca^(2+) was distributed in the cortical ooplasm and throughout the oocytes from the MI to MII stage. In IVF embryos, Ca^(2+)was distributed in the cortical ooplasm before the formation of the pronucleus. In 4-8 cell embryos and morulas, Ca^(2+) was present throughout the blastomere. In PA embryos, Ca^(2+) was distributed throughout the blastomere at 48 h, similar to in the 4-cell and 8-cell phase and the morula. At 6 h after activation, there was almost no distribution of Ca^(2+) in the SCNT embryos. However, Ca^(2+) was distributed in the donor nucleus at 10 h and it was distributed throughout the blastomere in the 2-8 cell embryos. In this study, Ca^(2+) showed significant fluctuations with regularity of IVF and SCNT groups, but PA did not. Systematic investigation of the Ca^(2+) location and distribution changes during oocyte maturation and early embryo development processes should facilitate a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in oocyte maturation, reconstructed embryo activation and development, ultimately improving the reconstructed embryo development rate.

T-SPOT.TB for Detection of Tuberculosis Infection among Hematological Malignancy Patients and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients

Qin, Li-Li,Wang, Qin-Rong,Wang, Qian,Yao, Hong,Wen, Li-Jun,Wu, Li-Li,Ping, Na-Na,Xie, Jun-Dan,Chen, Mei-Yu,Chen, Su-Ning Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.12

The diagnosis of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is recommended in hematological malignancy patients and before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Guidelines for the prevention and management of infectious complications of solid organ transplantation, 2004). Compared to traditional methods such as tuberculin skin test (TST), T-SPOT.TB has been shown to be more specific. In the present study we enrolled 536 patients for whom T-SPOT.TB was performed, among which 295 patients also received the TST test. The agreement (79%) between T-SPOT.TB and TST was poor (x=0.274, P<0.001). The patients with positive T-SPOT.TB results numbered 62 (11.6%), in which only 20 (48.8%) of the 41 receiving the TST test had positive results. A majority of the patients with T-SPOT.TB positive results had some other evidence ofTB, such as TB history, clinical symptoms and an abnormal chest CT scan. Active TB was found in 9 patients, in which 2 had negative TST results. We followed up the patients and no one developed active TB. Our study suggested that the T-SPOT.TB may be more useful for screening LTBI and active TB in hematological malignancy patients and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients than the TST test.

SPON2 Promotes M1-like Macrophage Recruitment and Inhibits Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis by Distinct Integrin–Rho GTPase–Hippo Pathways

Zhang, Yan-Li,Li, Qing,Yang, Xiao-Mei,Fang, Fang,Li, Jun,Wang, Ya-Hui,Yang, Qin,Zhu, Lei,Nie, Hui-Zhen,Zhang, Xue-Li,Feng, Ming-Xuan,Jiang, Shu-Heng,Tian, Guang-Ang,Hu, Li-Peng,Lee, Ho-Young,Lee, Su-J American Association for Cancer Research 2018 Cancer research Vol.78 No.9

<P>Matricellular protein SPON2 acts as an HCC suppressor and utilizes distinct signaling events to perform dual functions in HCC microenvironment.</P><P>Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) represent key regulators of the complex interplay between cancer and the immune microenvironment. Matricellular protein SPON2 is essential for recruiting lymphocytes and initiating immune responses. Recent studies have shown that SPON2 has complicated roles in cell migration and tumor progression. Here we report that, in the tumor microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), SPON2 not only promotes infiltration of M1-like macrophages but also inhibits tumor metastasis. SPON2-α4β1 integrin signaling activated RhoA and Rac1, increased F-actin reorganization, and promoted M1-like macrophage recruitment. F-Actin accumulation also activated the Hippo pathway by suppressing LATS1 phosphorylation, promoting YAP nuclear translocation, and initiating downstream gene expression. However, SPON2-α5β1 integrin signaling inactivated RhoA and prevented F-actin assembly, thereby inhibiting HCC cell migration; the Hippo pathway was not noticeably involved in SPON2-mediated HCC cell migration. In HCC patients, SPON2 levels correlated positively with prognosis. Overall, our findings provide evidence that SPON2 is a critical factor in mediating the immune response against tumor cell growth and migration in HCC.</P><P><B>Significance:</B> Matricellular protein SPON2 acts as an HCC suppressor and utilizes distinct signaling events to perform dual functions in HCC microenvironment.</P><P><B>Graphical Abstract:</B> http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/canres/78/9/2305/F1.large.jpg. <I>Cancer Res; 78(9); 2305–17. ©2018 AACR</I>.</P><P><B>Graphical Abstract</B></P><P> [Figure]</P>

Associations Between Age, Cytogenetics, FLT3-ITD, and Marrow Leukemia Cells Identified by Flow Cytometry

Su, Long,Gao, Su-Jun,Tan, Ye-Hui,Han, Wei,Li, Wei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.9

Objectives: To explore the relationships between age, cytogenetic subgroups, molecular markers, and cells with leukemic aberrant immunophenotype in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Methods: In this study, we evaluated the correlations between age, cytogenetic subgroups (normal, balanced and unbalance karyotype), molecular mutations (NPM1, FLT3-ITD, and CEBPA mutations) and marrow leukemia cells (LC) identified by flow cytometry in 256 patients with de novo AML. Results: From age group 10-19 years to age group ${\geq}60$ years, the percentage of LC decreased from $67.0{\pm}18.4%$ to $49.0{\pm}25.1%$ (F=2.353, P=0.041). LC percentage was higher in patients with balanced karyotypes ($65.7{\pm}22.4%$), than those with unbalanced karyotypes ($46.0{\pm}26.6%$) (u=3.444, P=0.001) or a normal karyotype ($49.9{\pm}22.1%$) (u=5.093, P<0.001). Patients with FLT3-ITD ($64.3{\pm}19.5%$) had higher LC percentages compared with those without ($54.2{\pm}24.3%$) (u=2.794, P=0.007). Conclusions: Associations between age, cytogenetics, molecular markers, and marrow leukemia cells may offer beneficial information to understand the biology and pathogenesis of AML.

Time-Dependent Optimal Heater Control Using Finite Difference Method

Li Zhen-Zhe,Heo Kwang-Su,Choi Jun-Hoo,Seol Seoung-Yun 대한기계학회 2008 대한기계학회 춘추학술대회 Vol.2008 No.11

Thermoforming is one of the most versatile and economical process to produce polymer products. The drawback of thermoforming is difficult to control thickness of final products. Temperature distribution affects the thickness distribution of final products, but temperature difference between surface and center of sheet is difficult to decrease because of low thermal conductivity of ABS material. In order to decrease temperature difference between surface and center, heating profile must be expressed as exponential function form. In this study, Finite Difference Method was used to find out the coefficients of optimal heating profiles. Through investigation, the optimal results using Finite Difference Method show that temperature difference between surface and center of sheet can be remarkably minimized with satisfying Temperature of Forming Window.

Research Progress on the Livin Gene and Osteosarcomas

Li, Cheng-Jun,Cong, Yu,Liu, Xiao-Zhou,Zhou, Xing,Shi, Xin,Wu, Su-Jia,Zhou, Guang-Xin,Lu, Meng Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.20

Osteosarcoma is a common malignant tumor of bone, but mechanisms underlying its development are still unclear. At present, it is believed that the inhibition of normal apoptotic mechanisms is one of the reasons for the development of tumors, so specific stimulation of tumor cell apoptosis can be considered as an important therapeutic method. Livin, as a member of the newly discovered inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) family, has specifically high expression in tumor tissues and can inhibit tumor cell apoptosis through multiple ways, which can become a new target for malignant tumor treatment (including osteosarcoma) and might of great significance in the clinical diagnosis of tumors and the screening of anti-tumor agents and carcinoma treatment.

De novo assembly of the transcriptome for Greenbug (Schizaphis graminum Rondani) and analysis on insecticide resistance-related genes

Jun-Jie LIU,Liu-Yang LU,Hui-Hui LIU,Ya-She LI,Xu SU,Bai-Zhong ZHANG,Xi-Ling CHEN 한국곤충학회 2019 Entomological Research Vol.49 No.8

The greenbug, Schizaphis graminum Rondani is a major pest species of wheat crops. In this study, a transcriptome sequencing, and the expression of the 12 genes related to insecticide resistance were conducted in S. graminum. The sequencing and subsequent bioinformatics analysis outputed 46,593 unigenes, among which 28,289 unigenes were annotated to corresponding functions by blasting with high homologous genes in database, giving annotation rate of 60.72%. To gain insight into the mechanism of insecticide resistance, the expression of the 12 genes related to insecticide resistance for S. graminum was investigated. The expression level of aminopeptidase N (AN), cytochrome P450 (CYP), acetylcholinesterase 1 (AC), catalase (CAT), cytochrome c oxidas (CCC), GABA receptor (GABA), glutathione S-transferase (GST) were highest in the apterous nymphs among different developmental stages; The expression level of AN, CBL, CYP, CA, SD, and GST were relatively more abundant in the abdomen compared to head and throax. The results could give out the key information about the relationship between the expression of these genes in different developmental stages, tissues, treatments and metabolism of insecticides. These genes that were co-up-regulated significantly in third instar nymphs of S. graminum induced by imidacloprid, were consistent with their putative involvement in insecticide resistance. This provides most comprehensive transcriptome data for S. graminum to further study and managenment.

Direct catalytic conversion of glucose and cellulose

Li, Zhenhuan,Su, Kunmei,Ren, Jun,Yang, Dongjiang,Cheng, Bowen,Kim, Chan Kyung,Yao, Xiangdong The Royal Society of Chemistry 2018 GREEN CHEMISTRY Vol.20 No.4

<P>Biomass product 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) can be used to synthesize a broad range of value added compounds currently derived from petroleum. Thus, the effective conversion of glucose or cellulose (the major components of biomass) into fuels and chemical commodities has been capturing increasing attention. Previous studies have been extensively focused on a two-step process for producing 5-HMF from glucose or cellulose, <I>i.e.</I>, the isomerization of glucose into fructose and then the dehydration of fructose. We herein discovered that heterogeneous sulfonated poly(phenylene sulfide) (SPPS) containing strong Brønsted acid sites is able to convert glucose and cellulose into 5-HMF with a high yield in ionic liquids (ILs). The optimal activity of glucose conversion to 5-HMF achieves a yield of 87.2% after 4 h reaction at 140 °C. For direct cellulose conversion, a 5-HMF yield of 68.2% can be achieved. The reaction mechanism over the SPPS catalyst in ILs was studied by DFT calculations, and the results indicated that the SO3H group of SPPS plays a crucial role in glucose conversion into 5-HMF, and it acts as a proton donor as a Brønsted acid and functions as a proton acceptor as the conjugate base. Furthermore, the anions and cations of ILs together with SO3H-SPPS helped in stabilizing the reaction intermediates and transition states, which also resulted in glucose facile conversion into 5-HMF. The new catalyst system highlights new opportunities offered by optimizing the production of 5-HMF directly from glucose and cellulose.</P>