Effect of fenpropathrin on the viability and homing ability of worker bees Apis mellifera

Chun-hua Liao,Jie Wu,Zi-long Wang,Zhi Jiang Zeng,Xiaobo Wu 한국응용곤충학회 2017 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.20 No.4

To explore the effect of fenpropathrin on survival and homing ability of honeybees Apis mellifera L., the newly emerged honeybee workers (< 12 h old) were randomly divided into 4 groups with 3 replicates in each group. Fenpropathrin (1/2 LD50, 1/4 LD50, 1/8 LD50 and 0% LD50) was added on the thorax of the bees. The viability of worker bees and their homing rate at 1 km distance away from colonies were analyzed, and the expression levels of two memory related genes (GluRA and Nmdar 1) in 20-day–old worker bees were also quantified. Overall, the lifespan and homing rates were significantly decreased with the increase of fenpropathrin dose (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference between the least group (1/8 LD50) and the control group (0% LD50) (P > 0.05). The relative expression of Nmdar1 was decreased significantly with the increasing doses of fenpropathrin and the lower expression level of Nmdar 1 was found in the fenpropathrin-treaded groups. The expression level of GluRA of workers in 1/8 LD50 group and the control group were significantly higher than that in 1/2 LD50 group and 1/4 LD50 group (P < 0.05), whereas the expression level of GluRA of workers in 1/4 LD50 group was significantly higher than that in 1/2 LD50 group (P < 0.05), and there is no significant difference between 1/8 LD50 group and the control group (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the use of fenpropathrin for agricultural crops may show negative influence on the viability and homing ability of worker bees Apis mellifera L.

A back-drivable linear force actuator for adaptive grasping

Hongliang Hua,Zhenqiang Liao,Xiaofeng Wu,YongJiang Chen,Chun Feng 대한기계학회 2022 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.36 No.8

Robotic gripper is a fundamental component of robot to achieve grasping operations. Grasping force control is an essential requirement for the robotic gripper to achieve adaptive grasping and safety. This paper presents a linear series elastic actuator (LSEA) for robotic grasping applications. The proposed LSEA is characterized as miniature, back-drivable, compact and modular, which could effectively reduce the integrating difficulty of the robotic gripper system. A novel blocking control strategy for actuating force control is proposed to enhance the control stability of the LSEA. Model identification experiments are performed to identify the control models for the actuating force control and self-sensing. Actuating force control experiments are then performed to verify the effectiveness of the established control models. Experimental results reveal that the LSEA could achieve stable actuating force control when interacting with the objects with variable stiffness. An underactuated finger mechanism is utilized to experimentally verify the effectiveness of the proposed LSEA in robotic grasping applications. Results reveal that the grasping adaptability and strength could be controlled by the LSEA in a feedforward approach without the requirement of fingertip force sensor.

High Expression of Forkhead Box Protein C2 is Related to Poor Prognosis in Human Gliomas

Wang, Yao-Wu,Yin, Chun-Li,Zhang, Hong-Yi,Hao, Jin-Min,Yang, Yue-Ye,Liao, Heng,Jiao, Bao-Hua Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.24

Background: Increasing evidence has indicated that high Forkhead box protein C2 (FOXC2) level is closely associated with the development, progression, and poor prognosis of a variety of tumors. However, the relationship between FOXC2 and the progression of human gliomas remains to be clarified. The aim of present study was to assess FOXC2 expression and to explore its contribution in human gliomas. Materials and Methods: Realtime quantitative PCR was performed to examine FOXC2 expression in 85 pairs of fresh frozen glioma tissues and corresponding non-neoplastic brain tissues. Associations of FOXC2 expression with clinicopathological factors and prognosis of glioma patients were statistically analyzed. Results: The relative mRNA expression of FOXC2 was significantly higher in glioma tissues than the corresponding non-neoplastic brain tissues (p<0.001). In addition, high FOXC2 expression was significantly associated with advanced pathological grade (P=0.005) and the low Karnofsky performance score (KPS) (p=0.003), correlating with poor survival (p<0.001). Furthermore, multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that high FOXC2 expression was an independent predictor of overall survival (p=0.006). Conclusions: FOXC2 may act as an oncogenic gene and represent a potential regulator of aggressive development and a candidate prognostic marker in human gliomas.

Effect of royal jelly on longevity and memory-related traits of Apis mellifera workers

Jing-liang Shi,Chun-hua Liao,Zi-long Wang,Xiaobo Wu 한국응용곤충학회 2018 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.21 No.4

Royal jelly (RJ) is a key factor for honey bee caste determination. The queen bee is fed with RJ by worker bees throughout her life, while the worker bees eat bee bread themselves. This study was designed to explore the effect of nutrient-rich RJ on longevity and learning and memory abilities of workers of the western honey bee Apis mellifera. The newly emerged worker bees were randomly divided into three groups and were fed 50% sucrose solution containing 0%, 10%, and 20% RJ. We found that worker bees fed with 10% and 20% RJ showed significantly improved longevity and higher proboscis extension response success rate compared to bees fed with 50% sucrose containing 0% RJ. Additionally, bees fed with 20% RJ showed significantly higher level of expression of memory related genes (GluRA and Nmdar1) compared to the control group. Furthermore, expression of the Nmdar1 gene of worker bees fed with 10% RJ was also significantly higher than in the control group. These results indicate that RJ has potential effects on the longevity and learning and memory abilities of A. mellifera.

Recombinant-attenuated Salmonella Pullorum strain expressing the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase protein of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) protects chickens against NDV and Salmonella Pullorum challenge

Ke Ding,Ke Shang,Zu-Hua Yu,Chuan Yu,Yan-Yan Jia,Lei He,Cheng-Shui Liao,Jing Li,Chun-Jie Zhang,Yin-Ju Li,Ting-Cai Wu,Xiang-chao Cheng 대한수의학회 2018 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.19 No.2

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and Salmonella Pullorum have significant damaging effects on the poultry industry, but no previous vaccinecan protect poultry effectively. In this study, a recombinant-attenuated S. Pullorum strain secreting the NDV hemagglutinin-neuraminidase(HN) protein, C79-13ΔcrpΔasd (pYA-HN), was constructed by using the suicide plasmid pREasd-mediated bacteria homologousrecombination method to form a new bivalent vaccine candidate against Newcastle disease (ND) and S. Pullorum disease (PD). The effectof this vaccine candidate was compared with those of the NDV LaSota and C79-13ΔcrpΔasd (pYA) strains. The serum hemagglutinationinhibition antibody titers, serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies, secretory IgA, and stimulation index in lymphocyte proliferation wereincreased significantly more (p < 0.01) in chickens inoculated with C79-13ΔcrpΔasd (pYA-HN) than with C79-13ΔcrpΔasd (pYA) but werenot significantly increased compared with the chickens immunized with the LaSota live vaccine (p > 0.05). Moreover, the novel strain provides60% and 80% protective efficacy against the NDV virulent strain F48E9 and the S. Pullorum virulent strain C79-13. In summary, in this study,a recombinant-attenuated S. Pullorum strain secreting NDV HN protein was constructed. The generation of the S. Pullorum C79-13ΔcrpΔasd(pYA-HN) strain provides a foundation for the development of an effective living-vector double vaccine against ND and PD.

Cis-3-O-p-hydroxycinnamoyl Ursolic Acid Induced ROS-Dependent p53-Mediated Mitochondrial Apoptosis in Oral Cancer Cells

Ching-Ying Wang,Chen-Sheng Lin,Chun-Hung Hua,Yu-Jen Jou,Chi-Ren Liao,Yuan-Shiun Chang,Lei Wan,Su-Hua Huang,Mann-Jen Hour,Cheng-Wen Lin 한국응용약물학회 2019 Biomolecules & Therapeutics(구 응용약물학회지) Vol.27 No.1

Cis-3-O-p-hydroxycinnamoyl ursolic acid (HCUA), a triterpenoid compound, was purified from Elaeagnus oldhamii Maxim. This traditional medicinal plant has been used for treating rheumatoid arthritis and lung disorders as well as for its anti-inflammation and anticancer activities. This study aimed to investigate the anti-proliferative and apoptotic-inducing activities of HCUA in oral cancer cells. HCUA exhibited anti-proliferative activity in oral cancer cell lines (Ca9-22 and SAS cells), but not in normal oral fibroblasts. The inhibitory concentration of HCUA that resulted in 50% viability was 24.0 μM and 17.8 μM for Ca9-22 and SAS cells, respectively. Moreover, HCUA increased the number of cells in the sub-G1 arrest phase and apoptosis in a concentrationdependent manner in both oral cancer cell lines, but not in normal oral fibroblasts. Importantly, HCUA induced p53-mediated transcriptional regulation of pro-apoptotic proteins (Bax, Bak, Bim, Noxa, and PUMA), which are associated with mitochondrial apoptosis in oral cancer cells via the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. HCUA triggered the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) that was ascertained to be involved in HCUA-induced apoptosis by the ROS inhibitors YCG063 and N-acetyl-L-cysteine. As a result, HCUA had potential antitumor activity to oral cancer cells through eliciting ROS-dependent and p53-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis. Overall, HCUA could be applicable for the development of anticancer agents against human oral cancer.