Metagenomics analysis of the gut microbiome in healthy and bacterial pneumonia forest musk deer

Wei Zhao,Ziwei Ren,Yan Luo,Jianguo Cheng,Jie Wang,Yin Wang,Zexiao Yang,Xueping Yao,Zhijun Zhong,Wei Yang,Xi Wu 한국유전학회 2021 Genes & Genomics Vol.43 No.1

Background The forest musk deer (FMD, Moschus berezovskii) is an threatened species in China. Bacterial pneumonia was found to seriously restrict the development of FMD captive breeding. Historical evidence has demonstrated the relationship between immune system and intestinal Lactobacillus in FMD. Objective We sought to elucidate the diferences in the gut microbiota of healthy and bacterial pneumonia FMD. Methods The bacterial pneumonia FMD was demonstrated by bacterial and pathological diagnosis, and the gut microbiome of healthy and bacterial pneumonia FMD was sequenced and analysed. Results There are three pathogens (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus equinus and Trueperella pyogenes) isolated from the bacterial pneumonia FMD individuals. Compared with the healthy group, the abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria in the pneumonia group was changed, and a high level of Proteobacteria was found in the pneumonia group. In addition, a higher abundance of Acinetobacter (p=0.01) was observed in the population of the pneumonia group compared with the healthy group. Several potentially harmful bacteria and disease-related KEGG subsystems were only found in the gut of the bacterial pneumonia group. Analysis of KEGG revealed that many genes related to type IV secretion system, type IV pilus, lipopolysaccharide export system, HTH-type transcriptional regulator/antitoxin MqsA, and ArsR family transcriptional regulator were signifcantly enriched in the metagenome of the bacterial pneumonia FMD. Conclusion Our results demonstrated that the gut microbiome was signifcantly altered in the bacterial pneumonia group. Overall, our research improves the understanding of the potential role of the gut microbiota in the FMD bacterial pneumonia.

Novel Ceramides from Aerial Parts of Saussurea involucrata Kar. et. Kir.

Wei Wu,Yang Qu,Huiyuan Gao,Jingyu Yang,Jianguo Xu,Lijun Wu 대한약학회 2009 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.32 No.9

Novel ceramides, together with nine known compounds were isolated from aerial parts of the Saussurea involucrata Kar. et. Kir. The novel structures were determined by spectroscopic methods and microscale chemical degradation. The ceramides showed appreciable cytotoxicity against three human tumor cell lines including human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60), human melanoma (A375-S2) and human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cell lines. The results suggested that this class of ceramides may have potential as an antitumor agent.

Correlation between in vitro fertilization and artificial insemination in Holstein bulls

Sun Wei,Li Yunxia,Su Jie,Bao Xiangnan,Ding Rui,Zhao Gaoping,Cao Guifang,Hu Shuxiang,Wang Jianguo,Sun Qingyuan,Yu Haiquan,Li Xihe 아세아·태평양축산학회 2021 Animal Bioscience Vol.34 No.12

Objective: Owing to the lack of a breeding index for efficient and quick fertility evaluations of Holstein bulls when using traditional or genome-wide detection methods, this study aimed to determine whether in vitro fertilization (IVF) could be used as an indicator of conception rate of artificial insemination (AI).Methods: Conventional and sexed frozen semen from nine bulls were used for IVF and AI.Results: The IVF and AI conception rates of each bull were confirmed to be positively correlated between the conventional frozen and sexed frozen semen. The correlation coefficient R values of nine bulls between IVF and AI methods were 0.73 and 0.97 for the conventional frozen and sexed frozen semen, respectively. The average conception rate of three bulls undergoing AI was 69.5% and 64.2%, 61.8% and 58.8%, and 48.2% and 46.2% in first-, second-, and third-born cows when conventional frozen and sexed frozen semen were used, respectively, which showed a positive correlation with the fertilization rate in the same parity. We propose an evaluation standard to assess the fertilization ability of bulls based on their IVF test results, which is categorized into three grades: grade one, normal fertility bull with an AI conception rate of 40%±5% and IVF rate of 45% to 60%; grade two, higher fertility bull with an AI conception rate of 50%±5% and IVF rate of 61% to 80%; and grade three, highest fertility bull with an AI conception rate of 60%±5% and IVF rate of >80%.Conclusion: These findings reveal that IVF results can be used as a breeding index for bulls to evaluate their AI conception ability, which may shorten the time required to select bulls for breeding. Objective: Owing to the lack of a breeding index for efficient and quick fertility evaluations of Holstein bulls when using traditional or genome-wide detection methods, this study aimed to determine whether in vitro fertilization (IVF) could be used as an indicator of conception rate of artificial insemination (AI). Methods: Conventional and sexed frozen semen from nine bulls were used for IVF and AI. Results: The IVF and AI conception rates of each bull were confirmed to be positively correlated between the conventional frozen and sexed frozen semen. The correlation coefficient R values of nine bulls between IVF and AI methods were 0.73 and 0.97 for the conventional frozen and sexed frozen semen, respectively. The average conception rate of three bulls undergoing AI was 69.5% and 64.2%, 61.8% and 58.8%, and 48.2% and 46.2% in first-, second-, and third-born cows when conventional frozen and sexed frozen semen were used, respectively, which showed a positive correlation with the fertilization rate in the same parity. We propose an evaluation standard to assess the fertilization ability of bulls based on their IVF test results, which is categorized into three grades: grade one, normal fertility bull with an AI conception rate of 40%±5% and IVF rate of 45% to 60%; grade two, higher fertility bull with an AI conception rate of 50%±5% and IVF rate of 61% to 80%; and grade three, highest fertility bull with an AI conception rate of 60%±5% and IVF rate of >80%. Conclusion: These findings reveal that IVF results can be used as a breeding index for bulls to evaluate their AI conception ability, which may shorten the time required to select bulls for breeding.

Facile synthesis of Nafion-supported Pt nanoparticles with ultra-low loading as a high-performance electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction

Yu, Jianguo,Wei, Dan,Zheng, Zhe,Yu, Wenjie,Shen, Honghui,Qu, Yuning,Wen, Shuya,Kwon, Young-Uk,Zhao, Yongnan Elsevier 2020 JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE - Vol.566 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>x%Pt-Naf-CV (Pt-Nafion-Cyclic Voltammetry) catalysts with homogeneously distributed platinum nanoparticles and ultra-low Pt loading are successfully synthesized by using a facile potential cycling approach. The as-synthesized 0.8%Pt-Naf-CV catalyst exhibits an enhanced electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 0.5 M H<SUB>2</SUB>SO<SUB>4</SUB> solution, which obtains a low overpotential of 34 mV at 10 mA cm<SUP>−2</SUP>. The linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) curve of 0.8%Pt-Naf-CV catalyst is almost consistent with that of commercial Pt/C. However, the 0.8%Pt-Naf-CV catalyst displays a more excellent stability and durability in comparison with commercial Pt/C. Besides, the Pt loading of Pt/C (Pt–10 wt%) is about 10 times that of 0.8%Pt-Naf-CV catalyst. The improved electrocatalytic performances are derived from the synergistic effects of Pt and Nafion. The Nafion plays a significant role as a dispersant, carrier and structure directing agent on the morphology and size of the Pt catalyst. This result contributes a promising method to enhance the catalytic activity and reduce the amount of Pt.</P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Nexus between Remittance and Household Consumption: Fresh Evidence from Symmetric or Asymmetric Investigation

Md. Qamruzzaman,Wei Jianguo 중앙대학교 경제연구소 2020 Journal of Economic Development Vol.45 No.3

There is no conclusive evidence available in empirical literature regarding the patter of relationship, like symmetry or asymmetry, between remittances and household consumption at the aggregate level. With this study, we empirically investigated the nexus between Remittance and Household consumption under the assumption of both symmetric and asymmetric from 1993 to 2017 of a panel of 105 countries. Symmetry investigation performed with Panel ARDL proposed by Pesaran et al. (1999) and asymmetry test executed with the idea of nonlinear ARDL proposed by Shin et al. (2014). For establishing directional causality, we also performed a Panel Granger-causality test under the error correction term. Study findings unveiled an asymmetric relationship between remittance flows and household consumption both in the long run and in the short run, however, the coefficients elasticity explained greater magnitude in the short-run than the long run. Study findings exposed unidirectional causality from remittance to household consumption in the short-run. The effect of remittance inflows on household consumption at the aggregate level is evident. Therefore, the government should persuade integrated economic policy for the effective deployment of remittance flows in productive investment for increasing aggregate production and economic welfare at large.

Effect of Surface Waviness on the Performances of an Aerostatic Thrust Bearing with Orifice-Type Restrictor

Hui Zhuang,Jianguo Ding,Peng Chen,Yu Chang,Xiaoyun Zeng,Hong Yang,Xingbao Liu,Wei Wei 한국정밀공학회 2021 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.22 No.10

In this paper, four waviness types are presented to investigate the effect of surface waviness on the static performance, dynamic performance and stability of an aerostatic thrust bearing with orifice-type restrictor. The influences of wave amplitude and rotational speed on the bearing performances are studied. The Reynolds equation is first solved through small perturbation method to obtain the static and dynamic characteristics. Subsequently, by adopting an iterative method based on the acquired dynamic coefficients, a numerical method is proposed to analyze the bearing stability. The calculated critical supply pressure is compared with that obtained by the traditional orbit method and it indicates that the proposed method has higher computational efficiency. The results show that the surface waviness has great influence on the bearing performances and the effect becomes increasingly pronounced with the growth of wave amplitude. The performances are more sensitive to the waviness arranged in bearing radial direction than circumferential direction. The enhancement of certain performance is always accompanied by the decline of another performance for the bearing with wave pattern on the surface, which leads to the fact that the bearing performances cannot be comprehensively improved in static characteristic, dynamic characteristic and stability. Besides, high rotational speed will cause pneumatic instability more readily. Finally, a stiff ness measuring experiment and a modal test are performed to verify the accuracy of computational analysis and results.

Genome sequence of lung pathogenic Escherichia coli O78, a chimeric strain isolated from pneumonia forest musk deer

Qing Tian,Xin Zhou,Jianguo Cheng,Yan Luo,Lei Dai,Wei Zhao,Wuyou Wang 한국유전학회 2017 Genes & Genomics Vol.39 No.7

Pneumonia is one of the major diseases of forest musk deer (FMD) that affects the survival of musk deer breeding farms. Lung pathogenic Escherichia coli (LPEC) strains were found to be one of the principal bacterial pathogens, and O78 was found to be the dominant serotype and the most poisonous, thus it was selected as further study. Here we have finished the LPEC O78 genome sequence, genomic comparative analysis and genome annotation. In the genome of LPEC O78, genes encoded major virulence factors (VFs) of urinary tract infection (UTI) and neonatal meningitis-causing E. coli (NMEC) were detected. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that LPEC O78 belongs to the D group of E. coli and clustered with human uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) UMNO26. Orthologous analysis showed that LPEC O78 was close to UMNO26 in evolutionary relationships, the results were consistent with phylogenetic analysis. Additionally, analysis of the specific genes using COG, GO and Swiss-Prot databases revealed specific functions in the LPEC O78, some of these differences might reflect the pathogenicity of LPEC O78. It was the first time that LPEC from FMD was sequenced, through the virulence gene analysis, an example of a genome of chimeric pathogenic properties was found. The results were in favor of the possibility that strain of animal origin LPEC O78 was dangerous for public health and consequently constitute a zoonotic risk. Moreover, the functions study of specific genes will facilitate understand the pathogenicity of LPEC O78, and aid in the development of control measures.

Does Asymmetric Relation Exist between Exchange Rate and Foreign Direct Investment in Bangladesh? Evidence from Nonlinear ARDL Analysis

Md. QAMRUZZAMAN,Salma KARIM,Jianguo WEI 한국유통과학회 2019 The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Busine Vol.6 No.4

The study aims to investigate the pattern of relationships such as symmetric or asymmetric, between exchange rate and foreign direct investment in Bangladesh by applying Autoregressive Distributed Lagged (ARDL) and nonlinear ARDL. In this study, we employed quarterly data for the period of 1974Q1 to 2016Q4. Data were collected and aggregated from various sources namely, Bangladesh Economic Review published by Ministry of Finance and statistical yearbook published by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and an annual report published by Bangladesh Bank. The relationship between exchange rate and FDI inflows attract immense interest in the recent periods, especially for developing countries’ perspective. The results of the study ascertain the long run relationship between FDI, exchange rate, monetary policy, and fiscal policy. Considering the asymmetric assumption, the findings from NARDL confirm the existence of a long-run asymmetric relationship in the empirical equation. In the long run, it is observed that positive change that is the appreciation of exchange rate against USD decrease FDI inflows and negative shocks results in grater inflows of FDI, however, the positive shocks produce higher intensity that negative shocks in Exchange rate. For directional causality, the coefficients of error correction term confirm long-run causality, in particular, bidirectional causality unveiled between FDI and exchange rate.

Facile Synthesis, Morphology Evolution and Tunable Luminescence of NaGdF4:Yb,Er Nanorods with Various Aspect Ratios

Shasha Gai,Jiqing Jiao,Wei Wei,Yao Li,Lihua Liu,Yi Liu,Baize Lv,Yao Wang,Laurence A. Bel¯ore,Jianguo Tang 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2018 NANO Vol.13 No.08

The well-defined NaGdF4:Yb,Er nanorods (NRs) with various aspect ratios were synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method. The morphology and crystal phase of NRs could be controlled by reaction conditions. NaGdF4:Yb,Er NRs with various aspect ratios could be synthesized and their upconversion (UC) luminescence was tuned. It is displayed that the NRs with aspect ratios about 5 exhibited the strongest UC luminescence among samples. The growth mechanism and morphology transition of NRs had been deduced by schematic diagram. And UC mechanism had been determined by energy level diagrams. Compared with previous reports, the work provided a facial method for UCNRs with various aspect ratios at lower temperature.

Asymmetry of Cloud Vertical Structures and Associated Radiative Effects in Typhoon over the Northwest Pacific Based on CloudSat Tropical Cyclone Dataset

Yan Yafei,Tan Jianguo,Cui Linli,Yu Wei,Hu Yan 한국기상학회 2020 Asia-Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences Vol.56 No.4

The clouds’ macro-, microphysical vertical structures and radiative effects in 4 shear-relative quadrants of typhoon over the northwest Pacific during development, maturity and extinction stages are studied based on CloudSat Tropical Cyclone dataset and China Meteorological Administration tropical cyclone dataset from 2nd June 2006 to 31th December 2015. The typhoon cloud is in an asymmetric “mushroom” shape, with the downshear quadrants (in particular of the downshear left quadrant (DL)) have denser clouds than the upshear quadrants. Cloud ice water content mainly distributes near typhoon center with wide vertical range (6–17 km). A large number of ice particles with small sizes are gathering in high levels, while small amount of ice particles with large sizes are gathering in low levels. As typhoon matures, the number concentration and size of cloud ice particles in inner ring increases, especially in the DL quadrant; while in the upshear left (UL) quadrant, a larger amount of ice particles with bigger sizes are transport to high levels (above 16 km) by deeper convection near storm center. The shortwave (longwave) cloud radiative effects (CRE) is mainly heating (cooling) upper layer atmosphere between 10 km and 17 km (between 14 km and 17 km), and the net CRE on atmosphere is heating almost at any levels in typhoon. The strongest heating of shortwave CRE and net CRE, as well as the strongest cooling of longwave CRE are in the DL quadrant at development stage and in the UL quadrant at maturity stage in inner core of storms. The existences of typhoon clouds mainly decrease solar radiation penetrating to the earth surface and increase longwave radiation absorbed by the whole atmosphere in typhoon’s inner core, and they are generally stronger in downshear (especially in DL) quadrants, except the maturity stage when the UL quadrant performs the strongest shortwave CRE on the surface and longwave CRE on the atmosphere in typhoon’s inner core.