Similar worldwide patterns in the sex pheromone signal and response in the oriental fruit moth, <i>Grapholita molesta</i> (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Knight, A.L.,Barros-Parada, W.,Bosch, D.,Escudero-Colomar, L.A.,Fuentes-Contreras, E.,Herná,ndez-Sá,nchez, J.,Yung, C.,Kim, Y.,Kovanci, O.B.,Levi, A.,Lo, P.,Molinari, F.,Valls, J.,Gemeno, Cambridge University Press 2015 Bulletin of entomological research Vol.105 No.1

<B>Abstract</B><P>The response of <I>Grapholita molesta</I> (Busck) males to three-component sex pheromone blends containing a 100% ratio of the major sex pheromone component, (<I>Z</I>)-8-dodecenyl acetate and a 10% ratio of (<I>Z</I>)-8-dodecenol, but with varying ratios of (<I>E</I>)-8-dodecenyl acetate (0.4, 5.4, 10.4, 30.4, and 100.1% <I>E</I>-blends) was tested with populations in eight stone and pome fruit orchards in Europe, Asia, and North and South America. Traps baited with the 5.4% <I>E</I>-blend caught significantly more males than traps with any other blend with all populations. Significantly more males were caught in traps baited with the 10.4% <I>E</I>-blend than in traps with the remaining blends, except with the 0.4% <I>E-</I>blend in Turkey. Significant differences in male moth catches occurred between the other blends with the 0.4>30.4% <I>E-</I>blend, and the 30.4>100.1% <I>E-</I>blend. Male moth catches with the 100.1% <I>E</I>-blend only differed from the hexane control in Chile. No apparent differences were noted to these blends in populations collected from pome or stone fruits. Flight tunnel assays to synthetic blends with a subset of populations were similar to the field results, but the breadth of the most attractive <I>E-</I>blends was wider. Flight tunnel assays also demonstrated a high level of male-female cross-attraction among field-collected populations. Female gland extracts from field-collected populations did not show any significant variation in their three-component blends. The only exceptions in these assays were that long-term laboratory populations were less responsive and attractive, and produced different blend ratios of the two minor components than recently collected field populations.</P>

ASCL2 Gene Expression Analysis and Its Association with Carcass Traits in Pigs

Cheng, H.C.,Zhang, F.W.,Deng, C.Y.,Jiang, C.D.,Xiong, Y.Z.,Li, F.E.,Lei, M.G. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2007 Animal Bioscience Vol.20 No.10

Achaete-scute like 2 (ASCL2) gene encodes a member of the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor which is essential for the maintenance of proliferating trophoblasts during placental development. ASCL2 gene preferentially expresses the maternal allele in the mouse. However, it escapes genomic imprinting in the human. In this study, the complete open reading frame consisting of 193 amino acids of ASCL2 gene was obtained. Sequence analysis indicated that a C-G mutation existed in the 3' region between Meishan and Large White pigs. The polymorphism was used to determine the monoallelic or biallelic expression with RT-PCR-RFLP in pigs of Large $White{\times}Meishan$ $F_1$ hybrids. Imprinting analysis indicated that the ASCL2 gene expression was biallelic in all the tested tissues (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, small intestine, skeletal muscle, fat, uterus, ovary and pituitary). PCR-RFLP was used to detect the polymorphism in 270 pigs of the "$Large\;White{\times}Meishan$" $F_2$ resource population. The statistical results showed highly significant associations of the genotypes and fat meat percentage (FMP), lean meat percentage (LMP) and ratio of lean to fat (RLF) (p<0.01), and significant associations of the genotypes and loin eye area (LEA) and internal fat rate (IFR) (p<0.05).

CYP2W1, CYP4F11 and CYP8A1 Polymorphisms and Interaction of CYP2W1 Genotypes with Risk Factors in Mexican Women with Breast Cancer

Cardenas-Rodriguez, N.,Lara-Padilla, E.,Bandala, C.,Lopez-Cruz, J.,Uscanga-Carmona, C.,Lucio-Monter, P.F.,Floriano-Sanchez, E. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.3

Breast cancer (BCa) is the leading type of cancer in Mexican women. Genetic factors, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of P450 system, have been reported in BCa. In this report, and for the first time in the literature, we analyzed the rs3735684 (7021 G>A), rs11553651 (15016 G>T) and rs56195291 (60020 C>G) polymorphisms in the CYP2W1, 4F11 and 8A1 genes in patients with BCa and in healthy Mexican women to identify a potential association between these polymorphisms and BCa risk. Patients and controls were used for polymorphism analysis using an allelic discrimination assay with TaqMan probes and confirmed by DNA sequencing. Links with clinic-pathological characteristics were also analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed using the standard ${\chi}^2$ or Fisher exact test statistic. No significant differences were observed in the distributions of CYP2W1 (OR 8.6, 95%CI 0.43-172.5 P>0.05; OR 2.0, 95%CI 0.76-5.4, P>0.05) and CYP4F11 (OR 0.3, 95%CI 0.01-8.4 P>0.05) genotypes between the patients and controls. Only the CYP8A1 CC genotype was detected in patients with BCa and the controls. All polymorphism frequencies were in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) in the controls (P>0.05). We found a significant association between BCa risk and smoking, use of oral contraceptives or hormonal replacement therapy (HRT), obesity, hyperglycemia, chronic diseases, family history of cancer and menopausal status in the population studied (P<0.05). Tobacco, oral contraceptive or HRT, chronic diseases and obesity or overweight were strongly associated with almost eight, thirty-five, nine and five-fold increased risk for BCa. Tobaco, obesity and hyperglycemia significantly increased the risk of BCa in the patients carrying variant genotypes of CYP2W1 (P<0.05). These results indicate that the CYP2W1 rs3735684, CYP4F11 rs11553651 and CYP8A1 rs56195291 SNPs are not a key risk factor for BCa in Mexican women. This study did not detect an association between the CYP2W1, 4F11 and 8A1 genes polymorphisms and BCa risk in a Mexican population. However, some clinico-pathological risk factors interact with CYP2W1 genotypes and modifies susceptibility to BCa.

New approach to monitor transboundary particulate pollution over Northeast Asia

Park, M. E.,Song, C. H.,Park, R. S.,Lee, J.,Kim, J.,Lee, S.,Woo, J.-H.,Carmichael, G. R.,Eck, T. F.,Holben, B. N.,Lee, S.-S.,Song, C. K.,Hong, Y. D. Copernicus GmbH 2014 Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Vol.14 No.2

<P>Abstract. A new approach to more accurately monitor and evaluate transboundary particulate matter (PM) pollution is introduced based on aerosol optical products from Korea's Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI). The area studied is Northeast Asia (including eastern parts of China, the Korean peninsula and Japan), where GOCI has been monitoring since June 2010. The hourly multi-spectral aerosol optical data that were retrieved from GOCI sensor onboard geostationary satellite COMS (Communication, Ocean, and Meteorology Satellite) through the Yonsei aerosol retrieval algorithm were first presented and used in this study. The GOCI-retrieved aerosol optical data are integrated with estimated aerosol distributions from US EPA Models-3/CMAQ (Community Multi-scale Air Quality) v4.5.1 model simulations via data assimilation technique, thereby making the aerosol data spatially continuous and available even for cloud contamination cells. The assimilated aerosol optical data are utilized to provide quantitative estimates of transboundary PM pollution from China to the Korean peninsula and Japan. For the period of 1 April to 31 May, 2011 this analysis yields estimates that AOD as a proxy for PM2.5 or PM10 during long-range transport events increased by 117-265% compared to background average AOD (aerosol optical depth) at the four AERONET sites in Korea, and average AOD increases of 121% were found when averaged over the entire Korean peninsula. This paper demonstrates that the use of multi-spectral AOD retrievals from geostationary satellites can improve estimates of transboundary PM pollution. Such data will become more widely available later this decade when new sensors such as the GEMS (Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer) and GOCI-2 are scheduled to be launched. </P>

Modelling Pasture-based Automatic Milking System Herds: The Impact of Large Herd on Milk Yield and Economics

Islam, M.R.,Clark, C.E.F.,Garcia, S.C.,Kerrisk, K.L. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2015 Animal Bioscience Vol.28 No.7

The aim of this modelling study was to investigate the effect of large herd size (and land areas) on walking distances and milking interval (MI), and their impact on milk yield and economic penalties when 50% of the total diets were provided from home grown feed either as pasture or grazeable complementary forage rotation (CFR) in an automatic milking system (AMS). Twelve scenarios consisting of 3 AMS herds (400, 600, 800 cows), 2 levels of pasture utilisation (current AMS utilisation of 15.0 t dry matter [DM]/ha, termed as 'moderate'; optimum pasture utilisation of 19.7 t DM/ha, termed as 'high') and 2 rates of incorporation of grazeable complementary forage system (CFS: 0, 30%; CFS = 65% farm is CFR and 35% of farm is pasture) were investigated. Walking distances, energy loss due to walking, MI, reduction in milk yield and income loss were calculated for each treatment based on information available in the literature. With moderate pasture utilisation and 0% CFR, increasing the herd size from 400 to 800 cows resulted in an increase in total walking distances between the parlour and the paddock from 3.5 to 6.3 km. Consequently, MI increased from 15.2 to 16.4 h with increased herd size from 400 to 800 cows. High pasture utilisation (allowing for an increased stocking density) reduced the total walking distances up to 1 km, thus reduced the MI by up to 0.5 h compared to the moderate pasture, 800 cow herd combination. The high pasture utilisation combined with 30% of the farm in CFR in the farm reduced the total walking distances by up to 1.7 km and MI by up to 0.8 h compared to the moderate pasture and 800 cow herd combination. For moderate pasture utilisation, increasing the herd size from 400 to 800 cows resulted in more dramatic milk yield penalty as yield increasing from c.f. 2.6 and 5.1 kg/cow/d respectively, which incurred a loss of up to $AU 1.9/cow/d. Milk yield losses of 0.61 kg and 0.25 kg for every km increase in total walking distance (voluntary return trip from parlour to paddock) and every one hour increase in MI, respectively. The high pasture utilisation combined with 30% of the farm in CFR in the farm increased milk yield by up to 1.5 kg/cow/d, thereby reducing loss by up to $0.5/cow/d (c.f. the moderate pasture and 800 cow herd scenario). Thus, it was concluded that the successful integration of grazeable CFS with pasture has the potential to improve financial performance compared to the pasture only, large herd, AMS.

Time evolution of electron structure in femtosecond heated warm dense molybdenum

Dorchies, F.,Recoules, V.,Bouchet, J.,Fourment, C.,Leguay, P. M.,Cho, B. I.,Engelhorn, K.,Nakatsutsumi, M.,Ozkan, C.,Tschentscher, T.,Harmand, M.,Toleikis, S.,Stö,rmer, M.,Galtier, E.,Lee, H. J.,N American Physical Society 2015 Physical review. B, Condensed matter and materials Vol.92 No.14

Quantum squeezing of motion in a mechanical resonator

Wollman, E. E.,Lei, C. U.,Weinstein, A. J.,Suh, J.,Kronwald, A.,Marquardt, F.,Clerk, A. A.,Schwab, K. C. American Association for the Advancement of Scienc 2015 Science Vol.349 No.6251

<P><B>Manipulation of a quantum squeeze</B></P><P>The uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics dictates that even when a system is cooled to its ground state, there are still fluctuations. This zero-point motion is unavoidable but can be manipulated. Wollman <I>et al.</I> demonstrate such manipulation with the motion of a micrometer-sized mechanical system. By driving up the fluctuations in one of the variables of the system, they are able to squeeze the other related variable below the expected zero-point limit. Quantum squeezing will be important for realizing ultrasensitive sensors and detectors.</P><P><I>Science</I>, this issue p. 952</P><P>According to quantum mechanics, a harmonic oscillator can never be completely at rest. Even in the ground state, its position will always have fluctuations, called the zero-point motion. Although the zero-point fluctuations are unavoidable, they can be manipulated. Using microwave frequency radiation pressure, we have manipulated the thermal fluctuations of a micrometer-scale mechanical resonator to produce a stationary quadrature-squeezed state with a minimum variance of 0.80 times that of the ground state. We also performed phase-sensitive, back-action evading measurements of a thermal state squeezed to 1.09 times the zero-point level. Our results are relevant to the quantum engineering of states of matter at large length scales, the study of decoherence of large quantum systems, and for the realization of ultrasensitive sensing of force and motion.</P>

Highly durable fuel cell electrodes based on ionomers dispersed in glycerol

Kim, Y. S.,Welch, C. F.,Mack, N. H.,Hjelm, R. P.,Orler, E. B.,Hawley, M. E.,Lee, K. S.,Yim, S.-D.,Johnston, C. M. The Royal Society of Chemistry 2014 Physical chemistry chemical physics Vol.16 No.13

<P>A major, unprecedented improvement in the durability of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells is obtained by tuning the properties of the interface between the catalyst and the ionomer by choosing the appropriate dispersing medium. While a fuel cell cathode prepared from aqueous dispersion showed 90 mV loss at 0.8 A cm<SUP>−2</SUP> after 30 000 potential cycles (0.6–1.0 V), a fuel cell cathode prepared from glycerol dispersion exhibited only 20 mV loss after 70 000 cycles. This minimum performance loss occurs even though there was an over 80% reduction of electrochemical surface area of the Pt catalyst. These findings indicate that a proper understanding and control of the catalyst–water–ionomer (three-phase) interfaces is even more important for maintaining fuel cell durability in typical electrodes than catalyst agglomeration, and this opens up a novel path for tailoring the functional properties of electrified interfaces.</P> <P>Graphic Abstract</P><P>A major, unprecedented improvement in the durability of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells is obtained by tuning the properties of the interface between the catalyst and the ionomer by choosing the appropriate dispersing medium. <IMG SRC='http://pubs.rsc.org/services/images/RSCpubs.ePlatform.Service.FreeContent.ImageService.svc/ImageService/image/GA?id=c4cp00496e'> </P>

Amelioration of neurodegenerative diseases by cell death-induced cytoplasmic delivery of humanin

Park, T.Y.,Kim, S.H.,Shin, Y.C.,Lee, N.H.,Lee, R.K.C.,Shim, J.H.,Glimcher, L.H.,Mook-Jung, I.,Cheong, E.,Kim, W.K.,Honda, F.,Morio, T.,Lim, J.S.,Lee, S.K. Elsevier Science Publishers 2013 Journal of controlled release Vol.166 No.3

Inhibition of the early intracellular event that triggers neurodegenerative cascades and reversal of neuronal cell death are essential for effective treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, a novel therapeutic for AD, a transducible humanin with an extended caspase-3 cleavage sequence (tHN-C3), was developed and showed multiple mechanisms of therapeutic action. These included targeted delivery of anti-apoptotic protein humanin through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to neuronal cells, specific inhibition of caspase-3 activation to inhibit the early triggering of AD progression, and delivery of humanin into the cytoplasm of neuronal cells undergoing apoptosis where it exerts its anti-apoptotic functions effectively. The tHN-C3 prevented neuronal cell death induced by H<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>2</SUB>, or soluble Aβ<SUB>42</SUB>, via Bax binding. In animal models of AD induced by amyloid beta, in Tg2576 mice, and in the rat middle cerebral artery occlusion model of stroke, tHN-C3 effectively prevented neuronal cell death, inflammatory cell infiltration into the brain, and improved cognitive memory. The therapeutic effectiveness of tHN-C3 was comparable to that of Aricept, a clinically approved drug for AD treatment. Therefore, tHN-C3 may be a new remedy with multiple therapeutic functions targeting the early and late stages of neurodegeneration in AD and other brain injuries.

TP53, MSH4, and LATS1 Germline Mutations in a Family with Clustering of Nervous System Tumors

Kim, Y.H.,Ohta, T.,Oh, J.E.,Le Calvez-Kelm, F.,McKay, J.,Voegele, C.,Durand, G.,Mittelbronn, M.,Kleihues, P.,Paulus, W.,Ohgaki, H. American Association of Pathologists and Bacteriol 2014 The American journal of pathology Vol.184 No.9

Exome DNA sequencing of blood samples from a Li-Fraumeni family with a TP53 germline mutation (codon 236 deletion) and multiple nervous system tumors revealed additional germline mutations. Missense mutations in the MSH4 DNA repair gene (c.2480T>A; p.I827N) were detected in three patients with gliomas (two anaplastic astrocytomas, two glioblastomas). Two family members without a TP53 germline mutation who developed peripheral schwannomas also carried the MSH4 germline mutation, and in addition, a germline mutation of the LATS1 gene (c.286C>T; p.R96W). LATS1 is a downstream mediator of the NF2, but has not previously been found to be related to schwannomas. We therefore screened the entire coding sequence of the LATS1 gene in 65 sporadic schwannomas, 12 neurofibroma/schwannoma hybrid tumors, and 4 cases of schwannomatosis. We only found a single base deletion at codon 827 (exon 5) in a spinal schwannoma, leading to a stop at codon 835 (c.2480delG; p.*R827Kfs*8). Mutational loss of LATS1 function may thus play a role in some inherited schwannomas, but only exceptionally in sporadic schwannomas. This is the first study reporting a germline MSH4 mutation. Since it was present in all patients, it may have contributed to the subsequent acquisition of TP53 and LATS1 germline mutations.