Job Search Activity of Unemployed Married Men and Women in Canada

Yaping Zhou(Yaping Zhou),Yixuan Wang(Yixuan Wang) 한국캐나다학회 2011 Asia-Pacific Journal of Canadian Studies (APJCS) Vol.17 No.1

Cyclical bust and boom and the resulting economic restructuring result in some workers being forced out of work. Based on the controversy over the presence or absence of gender differences in coping responses to unemployment that differ in unequal expectations of sex roles and sexual division of labor among the unemployed married individuals, this paper, using the 2008 Labor Force Survey conducted by Statistics Canada, explores whether there are gender-based differences in job seeking, one of the most important strategies for coping responses to unemployment. The finding shows that women value their employment as much as men and make similar efforts to re-enter the labor market when unemployed.

Convergence or Divergence

Yaping Zhou 한국사회학회 2016 한국사회학회 사회학대회 논문집 Vol.2016 No.6

During the historical period of economic reform initiated in the late 1970s, China has achieved rapid economic growth with the process of marketization and there has been a whole segment of the population in China. This paper, based on the distinction of five levels of economic class, examines trends in people’s preferences for redistribution, which takes the form of taxation policy that aims to tax the rich more to help the poor in urban China between 2003 and 2006 by analyzing CGSS 2003 and 2006 data, emphasizing regional variations in change of tax attitudes and income inequality. We find that consistent with existing literatures; individual-level factors play a key role in influencing Chinese demand for redistribution in the year of 2003 and 2006. As far as the level of marketization, one of the situational-level factors, is concerned, it is reported that the higher it is, the greater probability of people’s averseness to redistribution is. Moreover, people of different levels of economic class vary in their preferences for redistribution with the intensity of income inequality. Specifically, the bottom-level people are sensitive to the intensified income inequality, and have very strong reqeust for government’s redistribution. People from the middle level tend to be more moderate towards the government’s redistribution policies, and they lack the motivation to urge the Chinese government to transfer the wealth from the rich to the poor through taxation policy. Their top-level counterparts express very indifferent attitudes upon this issue. The divergence of difference in preferences for redistribution between people from the top and the bottom can be seen as a signal of polarization in Chinese society, in particular with the respect to the redistribution of income.

High-level Expression of an Acidic and Thermostable Chitosanase in Pichia pastoris Using Multi-copy Expression Strains and High-celldensity Cultivation

Zhou Ronghua,Liao Xianqing,Liu Fang,Dong Qing,Chen Wei,Wang YaPing,Rao Ben 한국생물공학회 2020 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.25 No.4

Chitin is a linear homopolymer of acetylated β- (1,4)-linked glucosamine residues and among the most abundant polysaccharides in the world. Here, we identified and purified a novel chitosanase (CCHA) from Aspergillus oryzae NKY2017 obtained from Hu’bei province in China. Construction of a cDNA library from this strain revealed the gene sequence subsequently expressed in Pichia pastoris and subsequent construction of multi-copy expression plasmids (CCHA1/2/3/4). The results demonstrated elevated levels of CCHA expression in multi-copy strains, with strain CCHA4 chosen for high-density fermentation and enzyme-activity experiments. High-density fermentation achieved a CCHA yield of 22,500 U/mL, and temperature and pH optimization resulted in the highest CCHA activity at 40°C and 4.0, respectively. We used this enzyme for a large-scale preparation of oligosaccharides: 4 g enzyme could convert 150 kg chitosan into oligosaccharides in 24 h at 40°C. These results demonstrated abundant CCHA expression in P. pastoris and suggested the efficacy of CCHA for use in industrial applications.

Efficient Surface Display of L-glutamate Oxidase and L-amino Acid Oxidase on Pichia pastoris Using Multi-copy Expression Strains

Rao Ben,Zhou Ronghua,Dong Qing,Liao Xianqing,Liu Fang,Chen Wei,Liu Xiaoyan,Min Yong,Wang YaPing 한국생물공학회 2020 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.25 No.4

L-glutamate oxidase (GLOD) and L-amino acid oxidase (AAO) were reported to be capable of convert L-glutamic acid to α-aketoglutaric acid (α-KG). These two enzymes gene have been successfully expressed by using pHBM905BDM in Pichia pastoris to produce α-aketoglutaric acid from L-glutamic acid in our previous studies. Here these two enzymes were displayed on P. pastoris to achieve the conversion. We constructed multi-copy expression plasmids using plasmid pHBM905BDM. By using this plasmid, multi-copy strains were constructed and named as PGLOD(1-3)-AGα1 and PAAO(1-3)-AGα1, respectively. The following results showed that expression of GLOD(1-3)- AGα1 and AAO(1-3)-AGα1 in multi-copy strains increased as designed and strain PGLOD3-AGα1 and PAAO3-AGα1 was chosen for high-density fermentation and enzyme activity experiments. By using a multi-copy expression approach and high-density fermentation, we achieved a GLOD expression yield of 688.5 U/g dry cell weight and AAO expression yield of 626.7 U/g dry cell weight. By using displayed GLOD, the average production rate of L-glutamic acid to α-KG was 6.22 g/L/h and the highest α-KG titer (124.5 g/L) was converted from 135 g/L L-glutamic acid. By using displayed AAO, the average production rate of L-glutamic acid to α-KG was 5.78 g/L/h and the highest α-KG titer (115.6 g/L) was converted from 135 g/L L-glutamic acid. It showed that displaying enzymes on P. pastoris are suitable for use in industrial applications.

Omp16, a conserved peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein, is involved in Brucella virulence in vitro

Feijie Zhi,Dong Zhou,Junmei Li,Lulu Tian,Guangdong Zhang,Yaping Jin,Aihua Wang 한국미생물학회 2020 The journal of microbiology Vol.58 No.9

Brucella, the bacterial agent of common zoonotic brucellosis, primarily infects specific animal species. The Brucella outer membrane proteins (Omps) are particularly attractive for developing vaccine and improving diagnostic tests and are associated with the virulence of smooth Brucella strains. Omp16 is a homologue to peptidoglycan-associated lipoproteins (Pals), and an omp16 mutant has not been generated in any Brucella strain until now. Very little is known about the functions and pathogenic mechanisms of Omp16 in Brucella. Here, we confirmed that Omp16 has a conserved Pal domain and is highly conserved in Brucella. We attempted to delete omp16 in Brucella suis vaccine strain 2 (B. suis S2) without success, which shows that Omp16 is vital for Brucella survival. We acquired a B. suis S2 Omp16 mutant via conditional complementation. Omp16 deficiency impaired Brucella outer membrane integrity and activity in vitro. Moreover, inactivation of Omp16 decreased bacterial intracellular survival in macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. B. suis S2 and its derivatives induced marked expression of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α mRNA in Raw 264.7 cells. Whereas inactivation of Omp16 in Brucella enhanced IL-1β and IL-6 expression in Raw 264.7 cells. Altogether, these findings show that the Brucella Omp16 mutant was obtained via conditional complementation and confirmed that Omp16 can maintain outer membrane integrity and be involved in bacterial virulence in Brucella in vitro and in vivo. These results will be important in uncovering the pathogenic mechanisms of Brucella.

Upregulated lncRNA Gm2044 inhibits male germ cell development by acting as miR-202 host gene

Meng Liang,Ke Hu,Chaofan He,Jinzhao Zhou,Yaping Liao 한국통합생물학회 2019 Animal cells and systems Vol.23 No.2

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to participate in the regulation of human spermatogenic cell development. However, little is known about the abnormal expression of lncRNAs associated with spermatogenic failure and their molecular mechanisms. Using lncRNA microarray of testicular tissue for male infertility and bioinformatics methods, we identified the relatively conserved lncRNA Gm2044 which may play important roles in non-obstructive azoospermia. The UCSC Genome Browser showed that lncRNA Gm2044 is the miR-202 host gene. This study revealed that lncRNA Gm2044 and miR-202 were significantly increased in nonobstructive azoospermia of spermatogonial arrest. The mRNA and protein levels of Rbfox2, a known direct target gene of miR-202, were regulated by lncRNA Gm2044. Furthermore, the miR- 202-Rbfox2 signalling pathway was shown to mediate the suppressive effects of lncRNA Gm2044 on the proliferation of human testicular embryonic carcinoma cells. Understanding of the molecular signalling pathways for lncRNA-regulated spermatogenesis will provide new clues into the pathogenesis and treatment of patients with male infertility.

A Brucella Omp16 Conditional Deletion Strain Is Attenuated in BALB/c Mice

( Feijie Zhi ),( Jiaoyang Fang ),( Weifang Zheng ),( Junmei Li ),( Guangdong Zhang ),( Dong Zhou ),( Yaping Jin ),( Aihua Wang ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2022 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.32 No.1

Brucella spp. are facultative intracellular pathogens that invade, survive and proliferate in numerous phagocytic and non-phagocytic cell types, thereby leading to human and animal brucellosis. Outer membrane proteins (Omps) are major immunogenic and protective antigens that are implicated in Brucella virulence. A strain deleted of the omp16 gene has not been obtained which suggests that the Omp16 protein is vital for Brucella survival. Nevertheless, we previously constructed an omp16 conditional deletion strain of Brucella, ΔOmp16. Here, the virulence and immune response elicted by this strain were assessed in a mouse model of infection. Splenomegaly was significantly reduced at two weeks post-infection in ΔOmp16-infected mice compared to infection with the parental strain. The bacterial load in the spleen also was significantly decreased at this post-infection time point in ΔOmp16-infected mice. Histopathological changes in the spleen were observed via hematoxylineosin staining and microscopic examination which showed that infection with the ΔOmp16 strain alleviated spleen histopathological alterations compared to mice infected with the parental strain. Moreover, the levels of humoral and cellular immunity were similar in both ΔOmp16-infected mice and parental strain-infected mice. The results overall show that the virulence of ΔOmp16 is attenuated markedly, but that the immune responses mediated by the deletion and parental strains in mice are indistinguishable. The data provide important insights that illuminate the pathogenic strategies adopted by Brucella.

Expression and Characterization of a New L-amino Acid Oxidase AAO Producing α-ketoglutaric Acid from L-glutamic Acid

Rao Ben,Liao Xianqing,Liu Fang,Chen Wei,Zhou Ronghua,Ma Lixin,Wang YaPing 한국생물공학회 2019 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.24 No.6

L-amino acid oxidase (AAO) was reported to be capable of converting L-glutamic acid to α-aketoglutaric acid (α-KG). The sequence of AAO from Kitasatospora cheerisanensis was synthesized based on Pichia pastoris codon-usage preferences. AAO gene was cloned into plasmid pPICZα which was transformed into P. pastoris. Next, multi-copy expression plasmids were constructed by using plasmid pHBM905BDM. High-density fermentation was performed and the recombinant enzyme was characterized. The conversion conditions were optimized. By using Escherichia coli expression system, no soluble or active AAO was obtained from two strains after fermentation and induction. We can’t obtain high-level expression of recombinant strains by using plasmid pPICZα. Therefore, we constructed multi-copy expression plasmids using plasmid pHBM905BDM. By using this plasmid, multi-copy strains were constructed and named as PAAO1, PAAO2, PAAO3, PAAO4, and PAAO5, respectively. The following results showed that expression of AAO in multicopy strains increased as designed and strain PAAO5 was chosen for high-density fermentation and enzyme activity experiments. After high-density fermentation, we achieved an AAO-expression yield of 120.8 U/mL. After temperature and pH optimization, the highest AAO activity was observed at a temperature and pH of 20°C and 6, respectively. After optimization of the conversion conditions, the average production rate of L-glutamic acid to α-KG was 3.46 g/L/h and the highest α-KG titer (103 g/L) was converted from 120 g/L L-glutamic acid. In this study, AAO was abundantly expressed by using P. pastoris expression system. The following experiments indicated that AAO is suitable for use in industrial applications.