甲烷市场化合作计划——煤矿煤层气项目开发的机遇

煤矿煤层气的排放是全球甲烷排放的一个重要来源，“甲烷市场化合作计划”的发起是为了识别并开发相关的工程项目，减少煤矿、垃圾填埋场和石油天然气系统等各领域中的甲烷排放。煤矿煤层气项目是“甲烷市场化合作计划”的三个核心领域之一，对推动煤炭行业的甲烷减排发挥重要作用。     

Immune and Anticancer Responses Elicited by Fully Synthetic Aberrantly Glycosylated MUC1 Tripartite Vaccines Modified by a TLR2 or TLR9 Agonist

The mucin MUC1 is overexpressed and aberrantly glycosylated by many epithelial cancer cells manifested by truncated O‐linked saccharides. Although tumor‐associated MUC1 has generated considerable attention because of its potential for the development of a therapeutic cancer vaccine, it has been difficult to design constructs that consistently induce cytotoxic T‐lymphocytes (CTLs) and ADCC‐mediating antibodies specific for the tumor form of MUC1. We have designed, chemically synthesized, and immunologically examined vaccine candidates each composed of a glycopeptide derived from MUC1, a promiscuous T_helper peptide, and a TLR2 (Pam₃CysSK₄) or TLR9 (CpG‐ODN 1826) agonist. It was found that the Pam₃CysSK₄‐containing compound elicits more potent antigenic and cellular immune responses, resulting in a therapeutic effect in a mouse model of mammary cancer. It is thus shown, for the first time, that the nature of an inbuilt adjuvant of a tripartite vaccine can significantly impact the quality of immune responses elicited against a tumor‐associated glycopeptide. The unique adjuvant properties of Pam₃CysSK₄, which can reduce the suppressive function of regulatory T cells and enhance the cytotoxicity of tumor‐specific CTLs, are likely responsible for the superior properties of the vaccine candidate 1 .     

Discovery of 5′′‐Chloro‐N‐[(5,6‐dimethoxypyridin‐2‐yl)methyl]‐2,2′:5′,3′′‐terpyridine‐3′‐carboxamide (MK‐1064): A Selective Orexin 2 Receptor Antagonist (2‐SORA) for the Treatment of Insomnia

The field of small‐molecule orexin antagonist research has evolved rapidly in the last 15 years from the discovery of the orexin peptides to clinical proof‐of‐concept for the treatment of insomnia. Clinical programs have focused on the development of antagonists that reversibly block the action of endogenous peptides at both the orexin 1 and orexin 2 receptors (OX₁R and OX₂R), termed dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs), affording late‐stage development candidates including Merck’s suvorexant (new drug application filed 2012). Full characterization of the pharmacology associated with antagonism of either OX₁R or OX₂R alone has been hampered by the dearth of suitable subtype‐selective, orally bioavailable ligands. Herein, we report the development of a selective orexin 2 antagonist (2‐SORA) series to afford a potent, orally bioavailable 2‐SORA ligand. Several challenging medicinal chemistry issues were identified and overcome during the development of these 2,5‐disubstituted nicotinamides, including reversible CYP inhibition, physiochemical properties, P‐glycoprotein efflux and bioactivation. This article highlights structural modifications the team utilized to drive compound design, as well as in vivo characterization of our 2‐SORA clinical candidate, 5′′‐chloro‐N‐[(5,6‐dimethoxypyridin‐2‐yl)methyl]‐2,2′:5′,3′′‐terpyridine‐3′‐carboxamide (MK‐1064), in mouse, rat, dog, and rhesus sleep models.     

PARAFAC modeling of three-way hyperspectral images: Endogenous fluorophores as health biomarkers in aquatic species

Demand for a renewable liquid-phase fuel has reinvigorated interest in the development of novel biofuels from algae. The effects of fluctuating nutrients, temperature, and predation which arise in algal aquaculture necessitate novel analytical methods to assess and optimize the health of these cultures. In this article we describe the use of trilinear modeling to these ends, using imaging data of endogenous fluorescence from the marine diatom, Thalassiosira pseudonana, collected on a hyperspectral fluorescence confocal microscope (HSF-CM). By combining the spatial and spectral data with the additional physical parameter introduced by the varying photobleach rates of endogenous fluorophores, we obtain a means for employing trilinear analysis in this system. In this case, analysis was implemented using the method of parallel factors analysis (PARAFAC) which alleviates the rotational ambiguities involved in multivariate analysis of 2-way data. By imposing a nutrient limitation in our diatom culture, and collecting single cell microscopy data at various time points during the nutritional stress, PARAFAC results reveal evolution of the spectral emission characteristics of six components and a background as a result of incremental photobleaching. Although the underlying mechanisms for these observations are not addressed, the differences observed between nutritively normal and nutritively stressed cells provide signatures for early detection of health deterioration in the algal culture. Finally, the combination of hyperspectral fluorescence microscopy with PARAFAC is generally applicable for the study of complex biological systems with endogenous fluorescence.     

Performance evaluation of wavelet-based distributed video coding schemes

In this paper we propose and compare different distributed video coding (DVC) schemes based on the use of the wavelet transform, which naturally allows for spatial and other forms of scalability. In particular, we propose a hybrid encoder which utilizes channel codes, and evaluate its performance in the absence of a feedback channel. The proposed scheme uses statistical models for the estimation of the required bitrate at the encoder. We also propose a scheme that is based on a modulo reduction procedure and does not use channel codes at the receiver/transmitter. These schemes are compared with more conventional coders that do not or only partially exploit the distributed coding paradigm. Experimental results show that the considered schemes have good performance when compared with similar asymmetric video compression schemes, and that DVC can be an interesting option in appropriate scenarios.     

A Genetically Informed Study of Marital Instability and Its Association With Offspring Psychopathology.

Parental divorce is associated with a number of emotional and behavioral problems in young-adult offspring, but theoretical and empirical considerations suggest that the relation may be partially or fully accounted for by passive gene-environment correlation or environmental selection characteristics. The current study used the Children of Twins Design to explore whether shared environmental or genetic factors confound the relationship between parental marital instability and measures of psychopathology. Comparisons of the offspring of adult twins in Australia on 3 factors of abnormal behavior, including drug and alcohol, behavioral, and internalizing problems, suggest that environmental influences associated with divorce account for the higher rates of psychopathology. The results are consistent with a causal connection between marital instability and psychopathology in young-adult offspring. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use of complementary medications by cancer patients attending an outpatient pain and symptom clinic

Complementary medications appear to be gaining popularity among cancer patients. When we surveyed 143 advanced cancer patients attending an outpatient pain and symptom clinic at a regional cancer centre as to their use of complementary medications and nutritional supplements, we found 37% (53/143) to be making use of complementary medications. Users tended to be younger (mean age 53.3 years) and have a preference for purchase from health stores, with 61% of complementary medications being bought there. Health store staff were the primary recommenders for both men and women and especially for those over 60 years of age. Of the 197 complementary medications purchased, 78 (39.6%) were herbs, 67 (32.5%) were vitamins, 13 (6.6%) were minerals, 21 (10.7%) were other medications including shark cartilage, and 21 (10.7%) could not be identified. Both anticancer effect and the promotion of well-being were prominent among the stated reasons for using these medications.     

Gender differences in peer relations of children with neurodevelopmental conditions.

Objective: To examine gender differences in the peer relations of children with congenital neurodevelopmental conditions (NDC). Participants: Thirty-four children with cerebral palsy or spina bifida and 41 typically developing (TD) children, ages 6-12. Measures: Personality Inventory for Children-Second Edition (PIC-2), Social Network Inventory for Children-Child Version, and the Friendship Quality Questionnaire-Revised (FQQ-R). Results: Children with NDC report smaller social networks and lower quality of friendships than TD peers. Group × Gender interaction effects were not significant. Conclusion: Prior to adolescence, the social differences and risks associated with NDC do not appear to be gender specific. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)