Effects of rice potassium level on the fecundity and expression of the vitellogenin gene of Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae)

Jing-Lan Liu,Hong-Mei Zhang,Xiao Chen,Xia Yang,Jin-Cai Wu 한국응용곤충학회 2013 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.16 No.4

Potassium (K) is a key component of plant nutrition, significantly influencing crop growth. Levels of this nutrient in plants can also influence a number of pest infestations. The brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), is an important pest of rice in Asia. In this study, we examined K contents in rice grown in hydroponic solution, and its relationship to the fecundity and expression of the vitellogenin (Nlvg) gene of N. lugens which was reared on the rice. Our findings indicated that K contents in rice increased with the increasing K concentration within the hydroponic solution, but reduced at the highest K concentration (160 mg/L). The number of eggs laid by N. lugens which was reared on the rice varied significantly with K concentration, and increased by 0.12 and 0.22 fold under 20 mg/L and 160 mg/L K level compared to that of the control (40 mg/L), decreasing by 0.57 fold under 0 mg/L K. Nlvg mRNA expression increased 1.17 and 1.94 fold in individuals which were reared on rice grown in 20 mg/L and 160 mg/L K level, compared to that of the control before mating; and by 3.36 and 2.97 after mating, respectively. However, Nlvg mRNA expression fold decreased by 0.99 under 0 mg/L K level before mating and 0.91 after mating. The variation of eggs may be attributed to the change of Nlvg mRNA expression, because there was a positive correlation between the eggs and Nlvg mRNA expression. These results demonstrated low (20 mg/L) and highest K levels (160 mg/L) in hydroponic solution showed the lower K level in plants than the control, which facilitated the fecundity of N. lugens. The study of the effects of K levels on the fecundity should have significance for insect control. © 2013 Korean Society of Applied Entomology, Taiwan Entomological Society and Malaysian Plant Protection

Comparative study of the sublethal effects of indoxacarb on juvenile hormone titer and juvenile hormone esterase mRNA expression of Nilaparvata lugens and Chilo suppressalis in rice

Jing-Lan Liu,Zhenghui Li,Hong-Mei Zhang,Haitao Du,Xu Ding,Yaodong Zhou,Jin-Cai Wu,AndrewWong 한국응용곤충학회 2017 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.20 No.2

Both the rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis, and the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens are important rice pests. The study is a comparative analysis on the effects of indoxacarb on the pest's juvenile hormone (JH) titer and juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) mRNA expression. RT-PCR and RACE were used to amplify the full length Csjhe (JHE of C. suppressalis) cDNA fromC. suppressalis. The full length cDNA is 1841 bp in length and contains a 1734 bp open reading encoding 577 amino acid residues. An amino acid sequence alignment shows that Csjhe shares high identity with other three other lepidopterans homologues including Manduca sexta, Bombyx mori, and Choristoneura fumiferana. JH III titer in 4th instar larvae of C. suppressalis was significantly reduced with 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 g/L indoxacarb, which were decreased by 11.0%, 22.3%, 32.0% and 37.7% respectively, the expression levels of Csjhe mRNA were 1.38, 1.92 and 5.25 times the control levels in 4th instar larvae with 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 g/L indoxacarb. Similarly, all of the tested concentrations of indoxacarb caused a significant decrease in JH III titer of N. lugens adult females after indoxacarb treatments, Nljhe (JHE of N. lugens)mRNAaverage expression levels were 4.8, 5.0 and 4.4 times before mating and 6.5, 7.6 and 5.3 times after mating compared to the control at 1, 3 and 5 days, respectively. The comparative studies of the effects of indoxacarb on JH III titer and JHE mRNA further have a significance to a guided integrated pest management.

Voice Activity Detection Algorithm based on Improved Radial Basis Function Neural Network

Bao-yuan Chen,Ya-qiong Lan,Jing-yang Liu,Zi-he Li,Xiao-yang Yu 보안공학연구지원센터 2014 International Journal of Signal Processing, Image Vol.7 No.5

Voice activity detection (VAD) is the key of voice recognition, voice synthesis and speech-sound enhancement.For the sake of improve the accuracy and robustness of speech endpoint detection system. Combining the advantages of adaptive genetic algorithm (AGA) and improved radial basis function network (RBF) defects in existing learning methods. This paper presents a comprehensive detection method-- Adaptive genetic algorithm radial basis function network. This method uses adaptive genetic algorithm to simultaneously optimize the center, the width and the structure of RBF network. The method using wavelet analysis to extract the characteristics of the speech signal, use them as an input amount to the radial basis function networks. Establish voice detection system model, this method enhance the accuracy of the detection system and has better robustness.

A method of X-ray source spectrum estimation from transmission measurements based on compressed sensing

Liu Bin,Yang Hongrun,Lv Huanwen,Li Lan,Gao Xilong,Zhu Jianping,Jing Futing 한국원자력학회 2020 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.52 No.7

A new method of X-ray source spectrum estimation based on compressed sensing is proposed in this paper. The algorithm K-SVD is applied for sparse representation. Nonnegative constraints are added by modifying the L1 reconstruction algorithm proposed by Rosset and Zhu. The estimation method is demonstrated on simulated spectra typical of mammography and CT. X-ray spectra are simulated with the Monte Carlo code Geant4. The proposed method is successfully applied to highly ill conditioned and under determined estimation problems with a good performance of suppressing noises. Results with acceptable accuracies (MSE < 5%) can be obtained with 10% Gaussian white noises added to the simulated experimental data. The biggest difference between the proposed method and the existing methods is that multiple prior knowledge of X-ray spectra can be included in one dictionary, which is meaningful for obtaining the true X-ray spectrum from the measurements.

Effect of Eu2O3 Concentration on the Properties of Red-Light-Emitting Sr1.5Ca0.5SiO4 Fluorescent Materials

Jing Liu,Chia-Ching Wu,Cheng-Fu Yang,Lan-Sin Liou 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2019 NANO Vol.14 No.9

Red-light-emitting phosphors based on Sr1.5Ca0.5SiO4 activated by trivalent europium ions (Eu3+) were successfully synthesized using a solid-state reaction method, and their luminescence properties were investigated. The photoluminescence spectra of Sr1.5Ca0.5SiO4:x Eu3+ phosphors synthesized at different temperatures and times and with different Eu3+ concentrations revealed emission peaks at 591 nm, 612 nm and 655 nm, which can probably be attributed to the transition of Eu3+ ions from 5D0 to 7FJ (J = 1, 2 and 3). The emission intensities of the transitions from 5D0 to 7FJ (J = 1, 2 and 3) increased as the synthesizing temperature rose for 2 h. Comparison with the relevant International Commission on Illumination diagram showed that Sr1.5Ca0.5SiO4:x Eu3+ phosphors synthesized at different temperatures and times and with different Eu3+ concentrations all emitted red light, with phosphors synthesized at 1300 ℃ and with concentrations of 1.5 at.% yielding the maximum emission intensity. These results show Sr1.5Ca0.5SiO4:1.5% Eu3+ to be a noteworthy red-light-emitting phosphor candidate for white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs).

CD44v3 and VEGF-C Expression and its Relationship with Lymph Node Metastasis in Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Uterine Cervix

Liu, Ye-Qing,Li, Hai-Feng,Han, Jing-Jing,Tang, Qiong-Lan,Sun, Qing,Huang, Zhi-Quan,Li, Hai-Gang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.12

Background: To investigate the expression of CD44v3 and vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and their relationship with lymph node metastasis in squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the uterine cervix. Materials and Methods: Expression of CD44v3 and VEGF-C was analyzed in 109 cases of cervical SCC by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The relationship was analyzed between expression and the patient age, histological differentiation, formation of tumor emboli in lymphoid vessels, lymph node metastasis, FIGO staging, and TNM classification. Results: Expression rates for both CD44v3 and VEGF-C were 43.1% in cervical SCC. The cells with positive immunohistochemical staining of CD44v3 were distributed mainly around the keratin pearls in well differentiated carcinomas, but distributed diffusely in the moderately and poorly differentiated lesions. VEGF-C was found stained positively in most of the tumor cells. There were differences in expression between normal epithelium and atypical hyperplasia as well as carcinoma. Both CD44v3 and VEGF-C were found to be associated positively with lymph node metastasis and TNM classification (both p=0.000). Neither CD44v3 nor VEGF-C was found to be associated with patient age, histological differentiation, formation of tumor emboli in lymphoid vessels and FIGO staging. CD44v3 was found to be associated with VEGF-C positively (p=0.000). Conclusions: Abnormal expression of CD44v3 and VEGF-C is associated closely with the lymph node metastasis in cervical SCC, and these agents may cooperate in carcinogenesis and development of metastatic lesions.

Diagnostic Accuracy of 18F-FDG-PET in Patients with Testicular Cancer: a Meta-analysis

Zhao, Jing-Yi,Ma, Xue-Lei,Li, Yan-Yan,Zhang, Bing-Lan,Li, Min-Min,Ma, Xue-Lei,Liu, Lei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.8

Objective: Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) is a new technique for identifying different malignant tumors using different uptake values between tumor cells and normal tissues. Here we assessed the diagnostic accuracy of 18F-FDG-PET in patients with testicular cancer by pooling data of existing trials in a meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Central Trials databases were searched and studies published in English relating to the diagnostic value of FDG-PET for testicular cancer were collected. The summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve was used to examine the FDG-PET accuracy. Results: A total of 16 studies which included 957 examinations in 807 patients (median age, 31.1 years) were analyzed. A meta-analysis was performed to combine the sensitivity and specificity and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs), from diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), positive likelihood ratios (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR). SROC were derived to demonstrate the diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET for testicular cancer. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.75 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.70-0.80) and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.84-0.89), respectively. The pooled DOR was 35.6 (95% CI, 12.9-98.3). The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.88. The pooled PLR and pooled NLR were 7.80 (95% CI, 3.73-16.3) and 0.31 (95% CI, 0.23-0.43), respectively. Conclusion: In patients with testicular cancer, 18F-FDG-PET demonstrated a high SROC area, and could be a potentially useful tool if combined with other imaging methods such as MRI and CT. Nevertheless, the literature focusing on the use of 18F-FDG-PET in this setting still remains limited.

Dammarane-type saponins from heat-processed Gynostemma pentaphyllum show fortified activity against A549 cells

Xiang-Lan Piao,Qian Wu,박서영,Dao-Jin Chen,Huimin Liu,Jing Yang 대한약학회 2013 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.36 No.7

An ethanol extract from heat-processedGynostemma pentaphyllum showed more potent cytotoxicactivity against human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cellsthan that of raw G. pentaphyllum. Four constituents wereisolated from heat-processed G. pentaphyllum using resinHP-20, silica gel and reversed ODS column chromatography. They were identified by mass and NMR spectra asdamulin A and damulin B, gypenoside L and gypenosideLI, respectively. To evaluate the efficacy of these fourconstituents, the MTT cytotoxicity assay was performedusing A549 cells. Based on the structure of these fourconstituents, the results indicate that the hydroxyl group inC-2 and double bond in C20(21) and C20(22) positions areof importance in inhibition of A549 cell proliferation.

Structural and functional analyses of the lipase CinB from <i>Enterobacter asburiae</i>

Shang, Fei,Lan, Jing,Liu, Wei,Chen, Yuanyuan,Wang, Lulu,Zhao, Jing,Chen, Jinli,Gao, Peng,Ha, Nam-Chul,Quan, Chunshan,Nam, Ki Hyun,Xu, Yongbin Elsevier 2019 Biochemical and biophysical research communication Vol.519 No.2

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Lipases are widely present in various plants, animals and microorganisms, constituting a large category of enzymes. They have the ability to catalyze the cleavage of ester bonds. The lipase CinB from <I>Enterobacter asburiae</I> (<I>E. asburiae</I>) is an acetyl esterase. The primary amino acid sequence suggests that the EaCinB protein belongs to the α/β-hydrolase (ABH) superfamily of the esterase/lipase superfamily. However, its molecular functions have not yet been determined. Here, we report the crystal structure of <I>E. asburiae</I> CinB at a 1.45 Å resolution. EaCinB contains a signal peptide, cap domain and catalytic domain. The active site of EaCinB contains the catalytic triad (Ser180-His307-Asp277) on the catalytic domain. The oxyanion hole is composed of Gly106 and Gly107 within the conserved sequence motif HGGG (amino acid residues 106–109). The substrate is accessible between the α1 and α2 helices or the α1 helix and catalytic domain. Narrow substrate pockets are formed by the α2 helix of the cap domain. Site-directed mutagenesis showed that EaCinB-W208H exhibits a higher catalytic ability than EaCinB-WT by approximately nine times. Our results provide insight into the molecular function of EaCinB.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> EaCinB structure contains a signal peptide, cap domain and catalytic domain. </LI> <LI> The active site of EaCinB contains the catalytic triad (Ser180-His307-Asp277). </LI> <LI> The oxyanion hole is composed of Gly106 and Gly107. </LI> <LI> Substrate-binding mode of EaCinB are proposed. </LI> <LI> Site-directed mutagenesis showed that EaCinB-W208H exhibits a higher catalytic ability than EaCinB-WT. </LI> </UL> </P>

Enhanced Nitrogen Photo Fixation Performance of Transition Metal-Doped Urchin-Like W18O49 Under Visible-Light Irradiation

Jianhua Ge,Jing Xu,Yujie Liu,Long Zhang,Lan Wang,Dehan Wu 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2019 NANO Vol.14 No.11

Nitrogen photo fixation mediated by various photocatalysts has received extensive concerns in recent years. In this work, a general strategy is proposed to enhance nitrogen photo fixation performance with some W18O49-based photocatalysts under visible-light irradiation. A series of photocatalysts were successfully synthesized in the presence of some noble-metal-free transition metals (Fe, Co and Ni) to modify the urchin-like W18O49. The resulting photocatalysts were systematically characterized using XRD, SEM, EDS, XPS, PL, N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, and DRS. Structural characterization of the photocatalysts revealed that the crystal morphology features were preserved, optional harvesting properties were enhanced, BET specific surface area was extended, and migration efficiency of the photo-induced charge carriers was significantly improved in the modified-W18O49 materials. Therefore, a progressed nitrogen photo fixation performance was observed. The maximum production of NH4 + was approximately reached to 2752 μg · g -1 catal. under the optimum reaction conditions. Furthermore, a plausible nitrogen photo fixation mechanism in the presence of the synthesized composites is also proposed.