A two-species interacting system, motivated by the triblock copolymers theory, is studied on a flat torus, the quotient space of the complex plane by a lattice. The free energy of the system, which contains both short-range and long-range interactions, admits disc–disc-like stationary points. The relative displacement of the disc centres in a stationary point is related to Green’s function of the Laplace operator on the flat torus. When restricted to disc–disc configurations with relative displacements equal to half periods, the free energy is minimized with respect to the lattice and its half periods. The resulting optimal lattice depends on a single parameter. As this parameter varies, the optimal lattice may be rectangular, square, rhombic, or hexagonal. This is in sharp contrast to single-species systems where optimal lattices are always hexagonal.

Transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE), caused by transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), is a highly infectious disease in pigs. Vaccination is an effective approach to prevent TGEV infection. Here, we evaluated the potential of TGEV S1 as a DNA vaccine and porcine interleukin (pIL)-12 as an adjuvant in a mouse model. A DNA vaccine was constructed with the TGEV S1 gene to induce immune response in an experimental mouse model; pIL-12 was chosen as the immunological adjuvant within this DNA vaccine. The pVAX1-(TGEV-S1) and pVAX1-(pIL-12) vectors were transfected into BHK-21 cells and expressed in vitro. Experimental mice were separately immunized with each of the recombinant plasmids and controls through the intramuscular route. The lymphocytes isolated from the blood and spleen were analyzed for proliferation, cytotoxic activities, and populations of CD4+ and CD8+ cells. The titers of TGEV S1 in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and TGEV neutralizing antibodies and the concentrations of interferon (IFN)-γ and IL-4 were also analyzed in the serum. The plasmids pVAX1-(TGEV-S1) and pVAX1-(pIL-12) could be expressed in BHK-21 cells, and the combination of pVAX1-(TGEV-S1) and pVAX1-(pIL-12) could induce a significant increase in all markers. pIL-12 could act as an immunological adjuvant in the DNA vaccine for TGEV-S1. Furthermore, the DNA vaccine prepared using TGEV-S1 and porcine IL-12 could induce excellent humoral and cellular immune responses.

Transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE), cause by transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), is an acute digestive and highly infectious disease in piglets. In this study, porcine interleukin-12 immunological adjuvant combined with a DNA vaccine bearing the TGEV-S1 gene was used to immunize piglets, and assessed the immune response of piglets. The results showed that CD4+ and CD8+CD28+ T lymphocytes were significantly increased in immunized piglets compared to control groups. In addition, the observed increase of IFN-γ suggested that T helper cells tended to convert to Th1 cells during immune response. HE stain and indirect immunofluorescence assays indicated obvious differences between the immunized piglets and the controls, suggesting that immunized piglets suffered less pathological changes relative to piglets in the control groups. Moreover, the levels of anti-TGEV and neutralizing antibodies in serum also indicated an effective immune response in the immunized piglets by which the pathogen was rapidly controlled. Altogether, our results suggest that the combination of pVAX1-(pIL-12) and pVAX1-(TGEV-S1) in a vaccine is capable of producing a significantly enhanced immune response in piglets.

A nonlocal model with a possibly sign changing kernel is proposed to study pattern formation problems in physical and biological systems with self-organization properties. One defines pre-solutions of a related linear problem and gives sufficient conditions for pre-solutions to be jump discontinuous solutions of the nonlocal model. Among a multitude of solutions a selection criterion is used to single out more significant critical solutions. These solutions are further classified into minimizing solutions, maximizing solutions and saddle solutions. Minimizing solutions are the most relevant for patterned states and they exist if the kernel changes sign. A non-negative kernel on the other hand behaves in some ways like the gradient term in the standard local model.

Borrelia burgdorferi as a causative agent of Lyme disease is transmitted by Ixodes spp. ticks to humans and animals. Sheep is considered a natural reservoir for B. burgdorferi and plays a pivotal role in disease transmission and the expansion of natural foci. An epidemiological investigation of B. burgdorferi in sheep is essential for prevention and control of Lyme disease. In this study, we developed a recombinant outer surface protein C (OspC)-based ELISA for serological study of B. burgdorferi in sheep with a specificity and sensitivity of 84.4% and 86.2%, respectively. A total of 972 collected serum samples from the Northeast China regions in 2015 and 2016 were determined with positive rates of 5.8% and 12.2%, respectively. Thus, specific pathogen-free sheep were infected with B. burgdorferi SZ strain to study on the secretion of specificity antibody against OspC. It revealed that specific antibody was detected on day 5 postinoculation and sustained in a high level for ∼28 days, the peak occurred at ∼13 days. Taken together, the result indicated that the established ELISA is capable for clinical diagnosis and epidemiological study on B. burgdorferi in sheep at the early stage of infection and detecting the specific antibody during the secretion period.

Lipid rafts are major structural components in plasma membranes that play critical roles in many biological processes including virus infection. However, few reports have described the relationship between lipid rafts and porcine rotavirus (PRV) infection. In this study, we investigated whether or not the locally high concentrations (3–5 fold) of cholesterol present in lipid rafts are required for PRV infection, and further examined which stages of the infection process are most affected.

The utilization of bamboo fibers in polymer-based composites has expanded in the past few years due to the demand for biodegradable, sustainable and recyclable materials. This article reviews the processing of extracted bamboo fibers and their composites, ultimate mechanical properties/thermal stabilities and corresponding characterizations, as well as the applications. Currently, the challenges regarding bamboo fibers-filled polymer composites involve extraction of high quality bamboo fibers, uniform fiber dispersion/distribution in polymer matrix and/or formation of interphase between matrix-filler phases. Relationships among processing techniques, properties and structural orders are significant to guide the design of future composite.

The profile problem for the Ohta–Kawasaki diblock copolymer theory is a geometric variational problem. The energy functional is defined on sets in R3 of prescribed volume and the energy of an admissible set is its perimeter plus a long range interaction term related to the Newtonian potential of the set. This problem admits a solution, called a torus profile, that is a set enclosed by an approximate torus of the major radius 1 and the minor radius q. The torus profile is both axially symmetric about the z axis and reflexively symmetric about the xy-plane. There is a way to set up the profile problem in a function space as a partial differential-integro equation. The linearized operator L of the problem at the torus profile is decomposed into a family of linear ordinary differential-integro operators Lm where the index m=0,1,2,… is called a mode. The spectrum of L is the union of the spectra of the Lm’s. It is proved that for each m, when q is sufficiently small, Lm is positive definite. (0 is an eigenvalue for both L0 and L1, due to the translation and rotation invariance.) As q tends to 0, more and more Lm’s become positive definite. However no matter how small q is, there is always a mode m of which Lm has a negative eigenvalue. This mode grows to infinity like q−3/4 as q→0.

ABSTRACTCarbon black (CB)‐filled chloroprene rubber (CR) compounds and vulcanizates containing naphthenic oil (NO), soybean oil (SO), and two different levels of norbornyl modified soybean oil (MSO) were prepared and investigated. The MSO was prepared through the reaction of SO and dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) at different ratios. Various properties including gel fraction, crosslink density, bound rubber fraction, curing behavior, thermal, mechanical, and aging properties of CB‐filled CR containing different oils were compared. It was observed that the addition of SO and MSO could benefit the dispersion of the filler, lower the glass transition temperature, and increase the thermal stability of the CB‐filled CR/MSO compounds and vulcanizates, and also slightly decrease the crosslink density of the CB‐filled CR/MSO vulcanizates compared to that of the CR/NO vulcanizate. With the increase of the modification level of the MSO, the curing time of the CB‐filled CR/MSO compounds was found to be decreased, the tensile property, tear strength, abrasion resistance, and aging resistance of the CB‐filled CR/MSO vulcanizates were improved compared with those of the CB‐filled CR/NO vulcanizate. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43809.

Three maleimide-terminated imide (MTI) oligomers/polymers with varying molecular weight were synthesized and characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The MTI oligomers were formulated with two reactive diluents, N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA) or N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP), and were photopolymerized with and without a photoinitiator. The kinetics of film formation was investigated using real-time FTIR and photo-differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Thermal and viscoelastic properties of UV cured films were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The reaction rate and conversion were improved by adding a photoinitiator. MTI oligomer with low molecular weight ((M) over bar (n) similar to 2 kg/mol) MTI-2k had the highest reaction rate and final conversion. More than 90% of conversion was achieved after exposure to UV light for 60 s. A wide alpha-transition (tan delta) for all UV cured films was observed, indicating a heterogeneous system. When no photoinitiator was used, the MTI/NVP formulations polymerized, while the MTI/DMAA formulations did not. It was proposed that the NVP could react with MTI oligomers via a donor/acceptor complex, and the DMAA could not due to the electron-poor double bond. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.

A new series of hydroxyl-substituted bismaleimide (BMI) oligomers were successfully prepared based on 2,2′-Bis[4-(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)phenyl]propane dianhydride (BPADA), 2,2-Bis(amino-4-hydroxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane (BIS-AP-AF), and different diamines. To develop BMI oligomers with improved UV-curing efficiency, the methacryloyl groups were incorporated into the oligomers using. The hydroxyl-substituted BMIs as well as the methacrylated BMIs oligomers were characterized by 1HNMR, 13C NMR, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), mass spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The photo-cure kinetics of the methacrylated BMI oligomers was investigated by real-time FT-IR, photo-DSC, and photo-rheometry. Although the presence of oxygen (O2) delayed the polymerization of methacryloyl moieties, it did not affect the polymerization of the maleimide groups. In general, the overall conversion of these systems was reduced in the O2 atmosphere compared to the nitrogen (N2) atmosphere. In addition, the maleimide groups exhibited higher conversions than the methacrylic groups in both O2 and N2 atmospheres .

This chapter contains sections titled: Waterborne Coatings Seed Oil-Based Coatings Conclusion

为了解目前流行的猪传染性胃肠炎病毒(TGEV)的生物学特征及其遗传变异情况,从疑似感染TGEV的猪群中采集发病仔猪小肠,病料处理后在ST细胞上盲传,至第5代出现特征性细胞病变,通过PCR和间接免疫荧光验证,成功分离出2株TGEV,被命名为HE-1和HE-4.RT-PCR方法扩增测序其S基因,对14株TGEV S基因进化和变异情况进行分析.氨基酸比对发现,与TGEV经典毒株Purdue株相比,分离株在第562～564 aa处缺少NNT糖基化位点,与TS株相比在第375～377 aa处缺少NDT糖基化位点;同时,HE-4株在影响抗原位点D位点的第385 aa处发生突变.这种糖基化位点的缺失和抗原位点的突变,对TGEV生物学特性的影响有待进一步研究.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a significant causative agent of arthropod-borne encephalitis and what is less clear that the factors cause the virus wide spread. The objective was to confirm whether the homologous recombination imposed on JEV. The phylogenetic and homologous recombination analyses were performed based on 163 complete JEV genomes which were recently isolated. They were still separated into five genotypes (GI-GV) and the most of recently isolated JEVs were GI rather than GIII in Asian areas including mainland China. Two recombinant events were identified in JEV and the evidence of the recombination was observed between China and Japan isolates that partitioned into two distinct subclades, but still the same genotype (GIII). Our data further suggested that most of the nucleotides in JEV genome were under negative selection; however, changes within codon 2 316 (amino acid NS4b-44) showed an evidence of the positive selection.

为了使猪圆环病毒2b型(PCV2b)Cap蛋白在猪圆环病毒病等疾病的诊断和防制方面取得更有效的应用,本试验将编码PCV2b Cap蛋白的ORF2基因克隆到原核表达载体pET-32a(+)中,并构建pET-32a-ORF2重组质粒,重组质粒转化大肠杆菌BL21受体菌后,通过IPTG诱导表达重组蛋白,将重组蛋白用镍柱进行纯化并免疫大白兔,制备兔抗PCV2b Cap蛋白的多克隆抗体.利用ELISA、Western blotting、间接免疫荧光及病毒交叉反应等试验对制备的多克隆抗体进行生物学特性检测.ELISA检测结果显示,该抗体效价可达到1∶216;Western blotting检测结果显示,该多克隆抗体可与PCV2b产生特异性的反应条带,说明其具有较好的反应活性;间接免疫荧光试验结果显示,该多克隆抗体能识别感染PK-15细胞中的PCV2b,说明该多克隆抗体具有鉴别诊断PCV2b的能力;病毒交叉试验结果显示,该多克隆抗体能与PCV2b反应,而不与猪流行性腹泻病毒(PEDV)、猪传染性胃肠炎病毒(TGEV)、猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒(PRRSV)、猪轮状病毒(PRoV)、猪伪狂犬病病毒(PRV)、猪细小病毒(PPV)等猪源病毒发生交叉反应,表明该多克隆抗体具有高度特异性.本试验制备的抗PCV2b Cap蛋白多克隆抗体为PCV2b病原特性研究及该病的临床检测奠定基础.

It is well known that many viruses use heparan sulfate as the initial attachment factor. In the present study, we determined whether porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), an emerging veterinary virus, infects Vero cells by attaching to heparan sulfate. Western blot analysis, real-time PCR, and plaque formation assay revealed that PEDV infection was inhibited when the virus was pretreated with heparin (an analogue of heparan sulfate). There was no inhibitory effect when the cells were pre-incubated with heparin. We next demonstrated that enzymatic removal of the highly sulfated domain of heparan sulfate by heparinase I treatment inhibited PEDV infection. We also confirmed that sodium chlorate, which interferes with heparan sulfate biosynthesis, also inhibited PEDV infection. Furthermore, we examined the effect of two heparin derivatives with different types of sulfation on PEDV infection. The data suggested de-N-sulfated heparin, but not N-acetyl-de-O-sulfated heparin, inhibits PEDV infection. In summary, our studies revealed that heparan sulfate acts as the attachment factor of PEDV in Vero cells.

根据猪传染性胃肠炎病毒(TGEV)N基因序列设计2对反转录环介导等温扩增(RT-LAMP)引物,建立针对TGEV N基因的RT-LAMP快速检测方法,并对该检测方法的特异性与灵敏性进行了评价.该方法在63℃恒温下作用50 min,使TGEV N基因获得了高效率特异性扩增,与猪流行性腹泻病毒等其他猪易感病毒无交叉反应,具有很好的特异性;同时该方法具有极高的灵敏性,可检测到131.4 fg/μL的目标病毒DNA,比普通PCR的灵敏度高3个数量级.反应结束后加入SYBR Green Ⅰ在紫外灯下观察颜色变化,结果显示阳性扩增产物呈现绿色荧光.经47份临床样品RT-LAMP检测结果与已得到验证的RT-PCR和ELISA结果进行比对,结果显示符合率为100％.

为研究鸡氨肽酶N（Chicken aminopeptidase N,c APN）在鸡传染性支气管炎病毒（IBV）感染细胞过程中作用,构建稳定表达c APN的MDCK细胞系。将重组质粒pc DNA3.1-c APN通过脂质体转染到MDCK细胞中并利用G418筛选,克隆纯化获得稳定表达c APN的MDCK细胞系。通过RT-PCR和间接免疫荧光检测表明c APN在MDCK细胞中持续稳定表达。IBV可以感染稳定表达c APN的MDCK细胞并连续传代,该细胞系接种IBV阳性样品24 h即可产生典型细胞融合病变,而对照MDCK细胞接种后没有细胞病变出现。结果表明c APN在介导IBV感染宿主细胞过程中发挥重要作用。