85,276 research outputs found
Comparisons of Transcriptional Profiles of Gut Genes between Cry1Ab-Resistant and Susceptible Strains of Ostrinia nubilalis Revealed Genes Possibly Related to the Adaptation of Resistant Larvae to Transgenic Cry1Ab Corn
No full textCitation: Yao, J. X., Zhu, Y. C., Lu, N. Y., Buschman, L. L., & Zhu, K. Y. (2017). Comparisons of Transcriptional Profiles of Gut Genes between Cry1Ab-Resistant and Susceptible Strains of Ostrinia nubilalis Revealed Genes Possibly Related to the Adaptation of Resistant Larvae to Transgenic Cry1Ab Corn. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 18(2), 17. doi:10.3390/ijms18020301A microarray developed on the basis of 2895 unique transcripts from larval gut was used to compare gut gene expression profiles between a laboratory-selected Cry1Ab-resistant (R) strain and its isoline susceptible (S) strain of the European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) after the larvae were fed the leaves of transgenic corn (MON810) expressing Cry1Ab or its non-transgenic isoline for 6 h. We revealed 398 gut genes differentially expressed (i.e., either up- or down-regulated genes with expression ratio 2.0) in S-strain, but only 264 gut genes differentially expressed in R-strain after being fed transgenic corn leaves. Although the percentages of down-regulated genes among the total number of differentially expressed genes (50% in S-strain and 45% in R-strain) were similar between the R- and S-strains, the expression ratios of down-regulated genes were much higher in S-strain than in R-strain. We revealed that 17 and 9 significantly up- or down-regulated gut genes from S and R-strain, respectively, including serine proteases and aminopeptidases. These genes may be associated with Cry1Ab toxicity by degradation, binding, and cellular defense. Overall, our study suggests enhanced adaptation of Cry1Ab-resistant larvae on transgenic Cry1Ab corn as revealed by lower number and lower ratios of differentially expressed genes in R-strain than in S-strain of O. nubilalis
LmCYP4G102: An oenocyte-specific cytochrome P450 gene required for cuticular waterproofing in the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria
No full textCitation: Yu, Z. T., Zhang, X. Y., Wang, Y. W., Moussian, B., Zhu, K. Y., Li, S., . . . Zhang, J. Z. (2016). LmCYP4G102: An oenocyte-specific cytochrome P450 gene required for cuticular waterproofing in the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria. Scientific Reports, 6, 11. doi:10.1038/srep29980Cytochrome P450 superfamily proteins play important roles in detoxification of xenobiotics and during physiological and developmental processes. To contribute to our understanding of this large gene family in insects, we have investigated the function of the cytochrome P450 gene LmCYP4G102 in the migratory locust Locusta migratoria. Suppression of LmCYP4G102 expression by RNA interference (RNAi) does not interfere with moulting but causes rapid loss of body weight - probably due to massive loss of water, and death soon after moulting. Accordingly, maintaining these animals at 90% relative humidity prevented lethality. Consistently, RNAi against LmCYP4G102 provoked a decrease in the content of cuticular alkanes, which as an important fraction of cuticular hydrocarbons have been shown to confer desiccation resistance. In addition, the cuticle of LmCYP4G102- knockdown locusts was fragile and easier deformable than in control animals. Presumably, this phenotype is due to decreased amounts of cuticular water that is reported to modulate cuticle mechanics. Interestingly, LmCYP4G102 was not expressed in the epidermis that produces the cuticle but in the sub-epdiermal hepatocyte-like oenocytes. Together, our results suggest that the oenocyte-specific LmCYP4G102 plays a critical role in the synthesis of cuticular hydrocarbons, which are important for cuticle waterproofing and mechanical stability in L. migratori
Using performance assessment in secondary school mathematics: an empirical study in a Singapore classroom
No full textThis article reports an exploratory study on using performance assessment in mathematics instruction in a high-performing secondary school in Singapore. An intact mathematics class participated in the study, and received chapter-based performance tasks as intervention during regular mathematics lessons for about one and a half school years. The performance tasks used included authentic and/or open-ended tasks. The students’ academic achievements and attitudes in mathematics were compared with a comparison class that did not receive the intervention. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected, mainly through questionnaire surveys, performance task tests, conventional school exams, and interviews with students and teachers. The results suggest that the students receiving the intervention performed significantly better than their counterparts in solving conventional exam problems, and in general they also showed more positive changes in attitudes towards mathematics and mathematics learning. The students from the experimental class also expressed positive views about the benefits of using performance tasks in promoting their ability in higher order thinking, though no statistically significant difference was detected between the two classes of students in solving unconventional tasks before and after intervention. Overall, the results appear to support teachers’ using contextualised problems in real life situations and open-ended investigations in students’ learning of mathematic
Y(4143) is probably a molecular partner of Y(3930)
No full textAfter discussing the various possible interpretations of the Y(4143) signal observed by the CDF collaboration in the J/Sigma phi mode, we tend to conclude that Y(4143) is probably a D(s)(*)D(s)(*) molecular state with J(PC)=0(++) or 2(++) while Y(3930) is its D(*)D(*) molecular partner as predicted in our previous work [X. Liu, Z. G. Luo, Y. R. Liu, and Shi-Lin Zhu, Eur. Phys. J. C 61, 411 (2009)]. Both the hidden-charm and open-charm two-body decays occur through the rescattering of the vector components within the molecular states while the three- and four-body open-charm decay modes are forbidden kinematically. Hence, their widths are narrow naturally. CDF, BABAR and Belle collaborations may have discovered heavy molecular states already. We urge experimentalists to measure their quantum numbers and explore their radiative decay modes in the future.Astronomy & AstrophysicsPhysics, Particles & FieldsSCI(E)50ARTICLE1null8
Are Chinese loess deposits essentially continuous?
No full textWe conducted a paleomagnetic examination of the last glacial loess of three representative profiles along an east-west transect in the central Loess Plateau in order to assess the continuity of Chinese loess. The results show that the Xifeng and Luochuan profiles record the Laschamp geomagnetic excursion but with different morphologies. Together with the published results from Weinan, southern plateau, our results suggest that sedimentation of the last glacial loess in the central-southern plateau was continuous at the time scale equivalent to the duration of the Laschamp excursion (~2 kyr), but probably episodic at finer time scales (<2 kyr). No geomagnetic excursion was found at the Yichuan profile near the Yellow River valley, where loess accumulation may be strongly affected by local environmental changes and thus may have been discontinuous. Both site location and time scale therefore need to be considered when considering continuity of Chinese loess.<br/
Electronic phase separation and the CMR effect in Pr1-xCaxMnO3 films on (001) vicinal SrTiO3 substrates
No full textOur previous work showed that Pr1-xCaxMnO3 (x=0.2-0.5) thin films reveal an electronic phase separation, in which the low-temperature phase is orbital- and charge-ordered of the Zener-polaron type [Ch. Jooss, T. Beetz, L. Wu, M. Beleggia, R. Klie, M. Schofield, Y. Zhu, S. Schramm, J. Hoffmann, submitted for publication]. Applying a magnetic field leads to a ferromagnetic and conducting phase, which gives rise to the colossal magneto resistance effect (CMR). In this article we show that the orbital- and charge-ordered state could be significantly modified by different kind of lattice defects. Quenched disorder, present after the film deposition, can suppress long-range ordering. In addition, extended defects like twin boundaries act as a nucleation center for ordered domains, i.e. the hysteretic properties depend on the density of these defects. Well-ordered artificial anti-phase boundaries (APB) can be introduced by an epitaxial growth on vicinal substrates, leading to anisotropic transport properties with respect to the orientation of the APB. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Clinical Characteristics and Antifungal Susceptibility of Candida nivariensis from Vulvovaginal Candidiasis
No full textObjectives: The aim of this work is to evaluate the susceptibility profile of the isolates against antifungal drugs and the level of virulent genes and resistant genes mRNA expression of Candida nivariensis. Methods: We analyzed a collection of 9 C. nivariensis isolates from clinical isolates of Candida glabrata complex isolated from patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). Antifungal susceptibilities of the isolates were assayed by using the broth microdilution method. The level of virulent genes and resistant genes mRNA expression was determined by using real-time PCR. Results: At day 7-14 and day 30-35 follow-up, mycological cure of VVC caused by C. nivariensis was 5 in 9 and 4 in 9 cases. The minimum inhibitory concentration geometric means of caspofungin, fluconazole, itraconazole, and amphotericin B in C. nivariensis isolates were higher than those in Candida albicans ATCC90028 (0.340, 1.852, 0.367, and 1.587 vs. 0.124, 0.140, 0.030, and 0.891 μg/mL; p < 0.05). The level of resistant genes ERG11, CDR1, and CDR2 and virulent genes YPS1, AWP3, and EPA1 mRNA expression was higher in C. nivariensis isolates than that of C. glabrata (2.58 ± 0.78, 9.31 ± 5.19, 11.10 ± 0.76, 13.57 ± 0.54, 11.96 ± 2.93, and 14.40 ± 0.61 vs. 1.05 ± 1.19, 2.22 ± 0.27, 0.85 ± 0.48, 0.30 ± 0.37, 1.90 ± 0.43, and 2.40 ± 0.65). Conclusion: We conclude that patients infected with C. nivariensis were symptomatic and with a low mycological cure rate when treated with commonly used antifungal agents. Compared with C. albicans, C. nivariensis is more antifungal resistant and virulent
The Efficacy of Chaihu-Guizhi-Ganjiang Decoction on Chronic Non-Atrophic Gastritis with Gallbladder Heat and Spleen Cold Syndrome and Its Metabolomic Analysis: An Observational Controlled Before-After Clinical Trial [Letter]
No full textYing Zhu, Shiyu Geng, Feiye Zhu School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Feiye Zhu, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]
Correction to: Dynamic Collaborative Optimization for Disaster Relief Supply Chains under Information Ambiguity (Annals of Operations Research, (2022), 10.1007/S10479-022-04758-5)
No full textThis correction is published as author name was misspelt thus Jiangxiang Zhu to be read as Jiaxiang Zhu. Original article has been corrected. \textcopyright The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2022
Magnetic properties measurement of soft magnetic composite material (SOMALOY 700) by using 3-D tester
No full text© 2017 Author(s). Core losses of rotating electrical machine can be predicted by identifying the magnetic properties of the magnetic material. The magnetic properties should be properly measured since there are some variations of vector flux density in the rotating machine. In this paper, the SOMALOY 700 material has been measured under x, y and z- axes flux density penetration by using the 3-D tester. The calibrated sensing coils are used in detecting the flux densities which have been generated by the Labview software. The measured sensing voltages are used in obtaining the magnetic properties of the sample such as magnetic flux density B, magnetic field strength H, hysteresis loop which can be used to calculate the total core loss of the sample. The results of the measurement are analyzed by using the Mathcad software before being compared to another material
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