Study on the differential gene expression of elm leaves fed on by Tetraneura akinire Sasaki

Hai‑bo Lu,Ling‑pin Jin,Dong Wei,Zhi‑hong Huang 한국유전학회 2019 Genes & Genomics Vol.41 No.12

Background To study the essential molecular mechanism of gall formation is very important. Objective To investigate the differential gene expression in leaves fed on by Tetraneura akinire Sasaki and to provide a basis for the better understanding of the essential molecular mechanism of gall formation. Methods The infected leaves of the elm were divided into three periods: initial formation period (T2), growth and differentiation period (T3), and cracking period (T4). The untouched leaves were used as the control (T1). RNA-Seq was performed, and the high-quality sequences were mapped to the reference genome and the elm gene database to obtain the gene expression profiles. The expression level of each gene was calculated by the RPKM method. A combination of FDR ≤ 0.01 and the absolute value of |log2 ratio (T/CK)| ≥ 2 was used as the threshold to determine the significance of gene expression. Finally, GO and pathway enrichment analyses were used to identify the significantly enriched functional classification and metabolic pathways in DEGs. Results The results revealed that approximately 244 mRNAs were detected between T1 and T2, including 192 up-regulated and 52 down-regulated mRNAs; approximately 175 mRNAs were detected between T1 and T3, including 145 up-regulated and 30 down-regulated mRNAs; and approximately 372 mRNAs were detected between T1 and T4, including 360 up-regulated and 12 down-regulated mRNAs. Approximately 34 differentially expressed genes were identified by Venn analysis. Comparing the three infection periods to the control, there were 28 up-regulated and six down-regulated mRNAs. Additionally, 562 genes were used for cluster analysis, which revealed that the gene expression in T2 and T3 changed greatly. Genes related to cell proliferation and respiration, such as microtubulin and 6-phosphoric acid fructose kinase were mainly up-regulated during the T2 period. Genes encoding lipoxygenase, glutathione-S-transferase, superoxide dismutase and protease inhibitor were up-regulated during T2 and T3. Genes encoding lignocellulose synthase were up-regulated during T4, which suggests the reinforcement of the cell wall to improve the resistance to the damage of the Tetraneura akinire Sasaki. Conclusions The results showed that the feeding of Tetraneura akinire Sasaki caused the differential expression of elm genes and influenced cellular energy metabolism. These changes in physiological response and gene expression of the elm compose the physiological and molecular basis of the gall formation and may improve the resistance of elm to Tetraneura akinire Sasaki.

Cold thinking about “civil servant fever” phenomenon -The civil service system reform in the transformation of the Chinese government

( Zhi Hai Zhang ),( Heng Ping Liu ) 한국정책학회 2013 한국정책학회 학술대회 Vol.2013 No.2

Associations of hypoxia inducible factor-1a gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to digestive tract cancers: a case–control study and meta-analysis

Zhi-Hai Ni,Xian-Jun Liang,Jing-Gang Mo,Yi Zhang,Jian-Hua Liang,Yu-Sha Yang,Yong Zhou,Zhao-Hua Li,Jian-Liang Zhang,Yin-Lu Ding,Peng Zhang,Jin-Qing Wang 한국유전학회 2015 Genes & Genomics Vol.37 No.11

We aim to investigate the correlations of hypoxia inducible factor-1a (HIF-1a) C1772T (rs11549465) and G1790A (rs11549467) gene polymorphisms with digestive tract cancers. A sum of 267 digestive tract cancers patients were hospitalized in Taizhou Central Hospital of Zhejiang Province as case group between December 2012 and December 2014. Additionally, 275 healthy people who had a physical examination in our hospital at the same time were selected as control group. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was utilized for detecting allele and genotype frequency of different locus in case and control group. Meta-analysis was performed using Comprehensive Metaanalysis 2.0 (Biostat Inc., Englewood, New Jersey, USA). Our result showed statistical significance only exists in family history of cancer between case and control group (P\0.05). Both C1772T (rs11549465) and G1790A (rs11549467) polymorphisms showed positive correlations with an increasing risk of digestive tract cancers. The frequencies of TT genotype of C1772T (rs11549465) and GA, AA genotypes of G1790A (rs11549467) polymorphisms in case group were evidently higher compared with the controls (all P\0.05). Besides, the comparison of allele and dominant models of HIF-1a C1772T (rs11549465) and G1790A (rs11549467) between two groups showed a significant difference (all P\0.05). Meta-analysis results further confirmed that the onset risk of digestive tract cancers may be improved under allele and dominant models of HIF-1a C1772T (rs11549465) and G1790A (rs11549467) (all P\0.05). Single nucleotide polymorphisms of HIF-1a C1772T (rs11549465) and G1790A (rs11549467) may play a role in development of digestive tract cancers.

Association of Helicobacter pylori with Elevated Blood Ammonia Levels in Cirrhotic Patients: A Meta-Analysis

Hai-Xing Jiang,Shan-Yu Qin,Zhi-gang Min,Ming-Zhi Xie,Tao Lin,Bang-Li Hu,Xiao-Yun Guo 연세대학교의과대학 2013 Yonsei medical journal Vol.54 No.4

Purpose: The association between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and blood ammonia levels in cirrhotic patients is controversial. We aimed to clarify this controvercy by performing a meta-analysis of published studies. Materials and Methods:We searched PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane library for studies which explored the association between H. pylori and blood ammonia levels in cirrhotic patients before May 2012. Six cohort studies involved in 632 H. pylori positive and 396 H. pylori negative cirrhotic patients were eligible for our analysis. The summary estimates were presented as standard means differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) from individual studies. Results: Overall, there was significant association between H. pylori infection and the elevated blood ammonia levels in cirrhotic patients (SMD=0.34, 95% CI=0.21-0.47, I2=42.1%). Sensitivity analysis further confirmed this association. Subgroup analysis showed that the association was found only in Asian ethnicity, but not in Caucasian ethnicity. Conclusion:H. pylori infection is associated with elevated blood ammonia levels in cirrhotic patients, and more large scale studies and stratify analysis are warranted in order to further evaluate this association.

A Kalman filter based algorithm for wind load estimation on high-rise buildings

Lun-hai Zhi,Pan Yu,Jian-wei Tu,Bo Chen,Yong-gui Li 국제구조공학회 2017 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.64 No.4

High-rise buildings are generally sensitive to strong winds. The evaluation of wind loads for the structural design, structural health monitoring (SHM), and vibration control of high-rise buildings is of primary importance. Nevertheless, it is difficult or even infeasible to measure the wind loads on an existing building directly. In this regard, a new inverse method for evaluating wind loads on high-rise buildings is developed in this study based on a discrete-time Kalman filter. The unknown structural responses are identified in conjunction with the wind loads on the basis of limited structural response measurements. The algorithm is applicable for estimating wind loads using different types of wind-induced response. The performance of the method is comprehensively investigated based on wind tunnel testing results of two high-rise buildings with typical external shapes. The stability of the proposed algorithm is evaluated. Furthermore, the effects of crucial factors such as cross-section shapes of building, the wind-induced response type, errors of structural modal parameters, covariance matrix of noise, noise levels in the response measurements and number of vibration modes on the identification accuracy are examined through a detailed parametric study. The research outputs of the proposed study will provide valuable information to enhance our understanding of the effects of wind on high-rise buildings and improve codes of practice.

Waste glass powder and its effect on the fresh and mechanical properties of concrete: A state of the art review

He, Zhi-hai,Yang, Ying,Zeng, Hao,Chang, Jing-yu,Shi, Jin-yan,Liu, Bao-ju Techno-Press 2020 Advances in concrete construction Vol.10 No.5

Waste glass is a global solid waste with huge reserves. The discarded waste glass has caused a series of problems such as resource waste and environmental pollution, so it is urgent to recycle waste glass with high replacement level. Glass powder (GP), as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM), used in cement-based materials has already become one of the important ways to recycle waste glass mainly attributed to its pozzolanic reaction and filling effect, especially to the suppressed ASR expansion. This paper demonstrates an overview of the properties of GP and its effect on the fresh and mechanical properties of cement-based materials. The study found that the influence of GP on the performance of cement-based materials mainly depends on its content, particle size, color and type, curing conditions, and other SCMs. Finally, based on the problems involved in the investigation of concrete containing GP, some corresponding suggestions and efforts are given to further guide the utilization of GP in cement-based materials.

Wind load estimation of super-tall buildings based on response data

Lun-hai Zhi,Bo Chen,Ming-xin Fang 국제구조공학회 2015 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.56 No.4

Modern super-tall buildings are more sensitive to strong winds. The evaluation of wind loads for the design of these buildings is of primary importance. A direct monitoring of wind forces acting on super-tall structures is quite difficult to be realized. Indirect measurements interpreted by inverse techniques are therefore favourable since dynamic response measurements are easier to be carried out. To this end, a Kalman filtering based inverse approach is developed in this study so as to estimate the wind loads on super-tall buildings based on limited structural responses. The optimum solution of Kalman filter gain by solving the Riccati equation is used to update the identification accuracy of external loads. The feasibility of the developed estimation method is investigated through the wind tunnel test of a typical super-tall building by using a Synchronous Multi-Pressure Scanning System. The effects of crucial factors such as the type of wind-induced response, the covariance matrix of noise, errors of structural modal parameters and levels of noise involved in the measurements on the wind load estimations are examined through detailed parametric study. The effects of the number of vibration modes on the identification quality are studied and discussed in detail. The made observations indicate that the proposed inverse approach is an effective tool for predicting the wind loads on super-tall buildings.

Modal parameter estimation of civil structures based on improved variational mode decomposition

Lun-hai Zhi,Feng Hu,Chunfeng Zhao,Jingfeng Wang 국제구조공학회 2021 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.79 No.6

This paper proposes an improved variational mode decomposition (IVMD) algorithm for structural modal parameter estimation based on non-stationary responses. In this improved VMD, the mean envelope entropy (MEE) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) are first employed to determine the optimal decomposition parameters for the subsequent VMD analysis. Then the VMD algorithm is used to decompose the non-stationary data into a number of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). After obtaining the IMFs based on the IVMD, structural modal parameters such as natural frequencies and damping ratios of civil structures can be determined by using Natural Excitation Technique (NExT) and Direct Interpolating approach (DI). The feasibility and accuracy of the proposed procedure are evaluated by both numerical and full-scale examples. The natural frequencies and damping ratios are successfully identified from the vibration responses with high noise and nonstationary characteristics. The results of this study illustrate that the proposed procedure provides a powerful approach to identify the modal parameters of civil structures using non-stationary responses.

Effects of Supplementary Composts on Microbial Communities and Rice Productivity in Cold Water Paddy Fields

( Kai Zhi Xie ),( Pei Zhi Xu ),( Shao Hai Yang ),( Yu Sheng Lu ),( Rui Ping Jiang ),( Wen Jie Gu ),( Wen Ying Li ),( Li Li Sun ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2015 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.25 No.5

Cold water paddy field soils are relatively unproductive, but can be ameliorated by supplementing with inorganic fertilizer from animal waste-based composts. The yield of two rice cultivars was significantly raised by providing either chicken manure or cow dung-based compost. The application of these composts raised the soil pH as well as both the total nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen content, which improved the soil’s fertility and raised its nitrification potential. The composts had a measurable effect on the abundance of nitrogencycling- related soil microbes, as measured by estimating the copy number of various bacterial and archaeal genes using quantitative real-time PCR. The abundance of ammonia oxidizing archaea and bacteria was markedly encouraged by the application of chicken manure-based compost. Supplementation with the composts helped promote the availability of soil nitrogen in the cold water paddy field, thereby improving the soil’s productivity and increasing the yield of the rice crop.

Effects of different modification techniques on molecular structure and bioactivity of Bombyx mori pupa protein

Zhi-Feng Zhou,Zi-Xu Ren,Hai-Yan Yu,Jun-Qiang Jia,Zhong-Zheng Gui 한국응용곤충학회 2017 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.20 No.1

To improve the properties of silkworm (Bombyx mori) pupa protein (SPP), the effects of different modification techniques included enzymolysis, ultrasound, and micronization on the molecular structure and bioactivity of SPP has been evaluated in this study. The results showed that enzymolysis modification led to the most substantial change in the area and shape of the infrared (IR) absorption peaks, decreased in size with an increased number of cracks of modified protein by scanning electron microscopy images, followed by ultrasound and micronization modification. After modification by enzymolysis, ultrasound, and micronization, the sulfhydryl concentrations of SPPwere increased by 48.56%, 34.82%, and 12.46%, respectively; disulfide bond concentrations were reduced by 40.47%, 10.79%, and 11.72%, respectively. Furthermore, the ratios of essential amino acids among total amino acids increased by 13.85%, 2.22%, and 6.93%, respectively. Antioxidant activity and ACE-inhibitory activity of SPP also increased notably after modifications.