Characterization of lectins and their specificity in carcinomas—An appraisal

Lectins, a group of specific glycoproteins present in animal as well as plant cells, are used as differentiating markers to study cancers and metastatic cell lines. This property of lectins depends on the process of cellular glycosylation. Glycosylation of some of the extracellular membrane proteins and lipids maintains the cell/cell and cell/matrix interactions. Chemical alterations in glycosylation play an important role in the metastatic behavior of tumor cells. Carbohydrate residues of the membrane glycoproteins can be detected using lectins due to their binding specificity to carbohydrates. Lectins, therefore have gained an importance in the field of cancer research. Galectins, a specialized group of lectin like proteins that are Ca+ independent and galactoside binding, are also considered as differentiation markers in some specific cancers like the carcinomas of thyroid. Thus the use of lectins and galectins to identify specific carbohydrates present on cell surface help in invasion and metastasis processes.     

Distributive Characteristics of Metallic Nano-particlcs in China＇s Urban Water Bodies and their Ecological Risks

Engineering nano-materials ＆ their impact on human health or environmental security constitute a newly emerging R＆D hot spot and a key problem now urgently waiting for its solution in supporting the su...     

Distributive Characteristics of Metallic Nano-particles in China’s Urban Water Bodies and their Ecological Risks

Engineering nano-materials & their impact on human health or environmental security constitute a newly emerging R&D hot spot and a key problem now urgently waiting for its solution in supporting the sustainability of China’s nano-science and related technology development. At present, water bodies in Chinese cities have been seriously polluted by metallic nano-particles (MNPs) while related monitoring data are found woefully lacking throughout the country. Based on the above understanding, this article gives a round-up explanation on distributive characteristics of MNPs in the river mouths or water bodies of Chinese cities, their ecological hazards as well as our research in this regard, providing some inspiring ideas and data for control over this scourge. In addition, our exploration probes the discharge traits of MNPs themselves and the mechanism underlying its impact on water pollution.     

A confluence of new technology and the right to water: experience and potential from South Africa’s constitution and commons

South Africa’s groundbreaking constitution explicitly confers a right of access to sufficient water (section 27). But the country is officially ‘water-stressed’ and around 10 % of the population still has no access to on-site or off-site piped or tap water. It is evident that a disconnect exists between this right and the reality for many; however the reasons for the continuation of such discrepancies are not always clear. While barriers to sufficient water are myriad, one significant factor contributing to insufficient and unpredictable access to water is the high percentage of broken water pumps. Previous studies have reported that between 20 and 50 % of all hand operated water pumps installed on the African continent are broken, or out of use. Monitoring and maintenance of pumps, which in South Africa is the responsibility of local municipalities is often ineffective, in part due to the distances between municipal centres and rural communities and the consequent costs of site visits, as well as breakdowns within the local bureaucratic system. The emergence of new telemetry tools that can remotely monitor water applications constitutes a novel and cost-efficient alternative to undertaking regular sites visits. Sustainable, appropriate, low-cost telemetry systems are emerging that could be used to monitor the operational performance of water pumps, or a wide range of other field parameters, and to communicate this information swiftly and cheaply to water service providers, using SMS messages. Data on the performance of water pumps could also be made available to the public online. This is an example of how ICT can be used for water resources management and environmental regulation, as well as in the governance of socio-economic rights: helping to optimize water allocation by improving communication and strengthening accountability.     

Phospholipid—polymer amphiphile hybrid assemblies and their interaction with macrophages

Recently, the combination of lipids and block copolymers has become an alternative to liposomes and polymersomes as nano-sized drug carriers. We synthesize novel block copolymers consisting of poly(cholesteryl acrylate) as the hydrophobic core and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) as the hydrophilic extensions. Their successful phospholipid-assisted assembly into vesicles is demonstrated using the evaporation-hydration method. The preserved thermo-responsive property of the lipid-polymer hybrids is shown by a temperature dependent adsorption behaviour of the vesicles to poly(l lysine) coated surfaces. As expected, the vesicle adsorption is found to be higher at elevated temperatures. The cellular uptake efficiency of hybrids is assessed using macrophages with applied shear stress. The amount of adhering macrophages is affected by the time and level of applied shear stress. Further, it is found that shorter PNIPAAm extensions lead to higher uptake of the assemblies by the macrophages with applied shear stress. No inherent cytotoxicity is observed at the tested conditions. Taken together, this first example of responsive lipid-polymer hybrids, and their positive biological evaluation makes them promising nano-sized drug carrier candidates.     

Annual Top 10 Science Advances of 2020 in China——To Honor and to Inspire

"Annual Top 10 Science Advances" of 2020 in China is revealed on February 27. In the list is an interesting case of quantum interference in a hydrogen exchange reaction observed by CAS scientists.     

Money and Marriage——The matrimonial value orientation in Pride and Prejudic

Introduction Pride and Prejudice is the most enduringly popular novel writ- ten by Jane Austen. It talks about trivial matters of love, marriage and family life between country squires and fair ladies in Britain in the 18th century. The plot is very simpl…     

The impact of network ties strength and enterprises＇ learning capability on the technological innovation

网络关系强度作为表征企业网络的重要变量之一,理论界关于其对企业技术创新的影响尚存在较大的争议。本文以企业规模和研发投入作为控制变量,构建了网络关系强度、企业学习能力和技术创新三者之间的关系理论模型,并以申报广东省高新技术企业和民营科技型企业的企业为调查对象进行了实证检验。研究发现：（1）企业网络关系强度和学习能力都对技术创新存在着显著的正向影响。（2）企业学习能力在网络关系强度和技术创新之间起到不完全中介作用。（3）在小规模企业中,这三者之间并不存在相互影响的关系。本研究进一步深化了前人的研究结论,对组织网络及技术创新的相关研究都有学术贡献。     

Industrial Dehumanization——Viewed from the husband and wife relationship in "Odour of Chrysanthemums"

Lawrence is regarded as one of most accomplished short story writers in twentieth century, with ＂Odour of Chrysanthemums＂ one of his early works. Through the death of a miner, the text shows how humanity was ruined by industrial civilization. This essay is intended to unveil the destructive force by analyzing the relationship between the husband and wife.     

Promoting Transdisciplinary and Transcultural Cooperation in Space Science in Face of COVID-19——Interview with Prof. Wing-Huen Ip,Executive Director of ISSI-BJ

<正>Prof. Wing-Huen Ip, a world-renown scientist in cometary physics, planetary science, solar system evolution and exoplanets, took the post of the Executive Director of the International Space Science Institute – Beijing(ISSI-BJ) in June. As the only partner of the well-known International Space Science Institute(ISSI) in Bern outside Switzerland, ISSI-BJ has adopted the same tools as ISSI to facilitate international cooperation and academic exchanges: workshops, forums,     

Molecular mechanics—modeling molecular structure and energetics: the 2002 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry presented to Norman Allinger

The Franklin Institute of Philadelphia awarded the 2002 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry to Norman L. Allinger for his pioneering work in computational chemistry in the field of molecular mechanics with his development of the MM series of force fields, their widespread application to the fundamental understanding of molecular structure and energetics, and their implementation as a significant tool to practicing chemists.