Surface display and bioactivity of Bombyx mori acetylcholinesterase on Pichia pastoris

Science.gov (United States)

To construct the Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris) cell surface display system of Bombyx mori acetylcholinesterase (BmAChE), the gene for the anchor protein (AGa1) was obtained from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and was fused with the modified Bombyx mori acetylcholinesterase gene (bmace) and transformed int...

Bioadsorción de iones de plomo y cromo procedentes de aguas residuales utilizando la cáscara de la mandarina (Citrus Reticuata Var. Clementina)

OpenAIRE

Verdugo Vergara, José Francisco

2017-01-01

El presente trabajo tiene el objetivo de evaluar la capacidad de bioadsorción de plomo y cromo mediante la cáscara de la mandarina, la cual es considerada un residuo, con esta investigación lo que se desea es aprovechar este residuo, empleándolo como bioadsorbente en el tratamiento de las aguas residuales contaminadas con metales pesados. En los procesos de bioadsorción se variaron algunos parámetros. The objective of this work assignment is to evaluate the bioadsorption capacity of lead a...

Quantitative phosphoproteome on the silkworm (Bombyx mori) cells infected with baculovirus.

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Shobahah, Jauharotus; Xue, Shengjie; Hu, Dongbing; Zhao, Cui; Wei, Ming; Quan, Yanping; Yu, Wei

2017-06-19

Bombyx mori has become an important model organism for many fundamental studies. Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a significant pathogen to Bombyx mori, yet also an efficient vector for recombinant protein production. A previous study indicated that acetylation plays many vital roles in several cellular processes of Bombyx mori while global phosphorylation pattern upon BmNPV infection remains elusive. Employing tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling and phosphorylation affinity enrichment followed by high-resolution LC-MS/MS analysis and intensive bioinformatics analysis, the quantitative phosphoproteome in Bombyx mori cells infected by BmNPV at 24 hpi with an MOI of 10 was extensively examined. Totally, 6480 phosphorylation sites in 2112 protein groups were identified, among which 4764 sites in 1717 proteins were quantified. Among the quantified proteins, 81 up-regulated and 25 down-regulated sites were identified with significant criteria (the quantitative ratio above 1.3 was considered as up-regulation and below 0.77 was considered as down-regulation) and with significant p-value (p < 0.05). Some proteins of BmNPV were also hyperphosphorylated during infection, such as P6.9, 39 K, LEF-6, Ac58-like protein, Ac82-like protein and BRO-D. The phosphorylated proteins were primary involved in several specific functions, out of which, we focused on the binding activity, protein synthesis, viral replication and apoptosis through kinase activity.

Traditional Uses, Origins, Chemistry and Pharmacology of Bombyx batryticatus: A Review

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Meibian Hu

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Bombyx batryticatus (B. batryticatus, a well-known traditional animal Chinese medicine, has been commonly used in China for thousands of years. The present paper reviewed advances in traditional uses, origin, chemical constituents, pharmacology and toxicity studies of B. batryticatus. The aim of the paper is to provide more comprehensive references for modern B. batryticatus study and application. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM culture, drugs containing B. batryticatus have been used to treat convulsions, headaches, skin prurigo, scrofula, tonsillitis and fever. Many studies indicate B. batryticatus contains various compounds, including protein and peptides, fatty acids, flavonoids, nucleosides, steroids, coumarin, polysaccharide and others. Numerous investigations also have shown that extracts and compounds from B. batryticatus exert a wide spectrum of pharmacological effects both in vivo and in vitro, including effects on the nervous system, anticoagulant effects, antitumor effects, antibacterial and antifungal effects, antioxidant effects, hypoglycemic effects, as well as other effects. However, further studies should be undertaken to investigate bioactive compounds (especially proteins and peptides, toxic constituents, using forms and the quality evaluation and control of B. batryticatus. Furthermore, it will be interesting to study the mechanism of biological activities and structure-function relationships of bioactive constituents in B. batryticatus.

Identification of Sumoylated Proteins in the Silkworm Bombyx mori

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Tang, Xudong; Fu, Xuliang; Hao, Bifang; Zhu, Feng; Xiao, Shengyan; Xu, Li; Shen, Zhongyuan

2014-01-01

Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) modification (SUMOylation) is an important and widely used reversible modification system in eukaryotic cells. It regulates various cell processes, including protein targeting, transcriptional regulation, signal transduction, and cell division. To understand its role in the model lepidoptera insect Bombyx mori, a recombinant baculovirus was constructed to express an enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP)-SUMO fusion protein along with ubiquitin carrier protein 9 of Bombyx mori (BmUBC9). SUMOylation substrates from Bombyx mori cells infected with this baculovirus were isolated by immunoprecipitation and identified by LC–ESI-MS/MS. A total of 68 candidate SUMOylated proteins were identified, of which 59 proteins were functionally categorized to gene ontology (GO) terms. Analysis of kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathways showed that 46 of the identified proteins were involved in 76 pathways that mainly play a role in metabolism, spliceosome and ribosome functions, and in RNA transport. Furthermore, SUMOylation of four candidates (polyubiquitin-C-like isoform X1, 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase, cyclin-related protein FAM58A-like and GTP-binding nuclear protein Ran) were verified by co-immunoprecipitation in Drosophila schneide 2 cells. In addition, 74% of the identified proteins were predicted to have at least one SUMOylation site. The data presented here shed light on the crucial process of protein sumoylation in Bombyx mori. PMID:25470021

Balance hídrico e influencia del estrés hídrico en la inducción y desarrollo floral de la mandarina ‘Arrayana’ en el piedemonte llanero de Colombia

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Orduz Rodríguez Javier Orlando

2007-12-01

Full Text Available

Con el objetivo de determinar los requerimientos hídricos de los cítricos en el piedemonte del Meta, cuantificar la duración e intensidad del estrés hídrico y la influencia sobre la inducción y el desarrollo de floración mandarina ‘Arrayana’ (Citrus reticulata Blanco, primero se revisó la información climática de dos décadas suministrada por el Centro de Investigación La Libertad (Villavicencio. Segundo, se realizó un estudio de caso en la época seca entre noviembre de 2002 a marzo de 2003 en un cultivo de mandarina ‘Arrayana’ (injertado sobre mandarina Cleopatra de 6 años de edad; en el cual se llevaron los registros climáticos y quincenalmente el contenido de humedad del suelo a dos profundidades (0 a 10 y 10 a 20 cm, y la duración de los procesos fenológicos relacionados con la floración. En el piedemonte del Meta, los cítricos requieren 1.046 mm de agua al año que es el 77% de la evaporación total anual. Durante nueve meses al año la precipitación supera la evapotranspiración de las plantas y durante tres meses hay déficit hídrico. Una precipitación de 29 mm inició el crecimiento de las plantas. La brotación se inicia dos semanas después de la lluvia, la floración en la tercera semana y la caída de pétalos y del estigma en la cuarta (final de la antesis. La humedad del suelo de 0 a 20 cm disminuye por debajo del punto de marchitez permanente durante dos meses. La floración entre antesis y caída de pétalos tiene una duración de nueve días.

The genomic underpinnings of apoptosis in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

Background Apoptosis is regulated in an orderly fashion by a series of genes, and has a crucial role in important physiological processes such as growth development, immunological response and so on. Recently, substantial studies have been undertaken on apoptosis in model animals including humans, fruit flies, and the nematode. However, the lack of genomic data for silkworms limits their usefulness in apoptosis studies, despite the advantages of silkworm as a representative of Lepidoptera and an effective model system. Herein we have identified apoptosis-related genes in the silkworm Bombyx mori and compared them to those from insects, mammals, and nematodes. Results From the newly assembled genome databases, a genome-wide analysis of apoptosis-related genes in Bombyx mori was performed using both nucleotide and protein Blast searches. Fifty-two apoptosis-related candidate genes were identified, including five caspase family members, two tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily members, one Bcl-2 family member, four baculovirus IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis) repeat (BIR) domain family members and 1 RHG (Reaper, Hid, Grim, and Sickle; Drosophila cell death activators) family member. Moreover, we identified a new caspase family member, BmCaspase-New, two splice variants of BmDronc, and Bm3585, a mammalian TNF superfamily member homolog. Twenty-three of these apoptosis-related genes were cloned and sequenced using cDNA templates isolated from BmE-SWU1 cells. Sequence analyses revealed that these genes could have key roles in apoptosis. Conclusions Bombyx mori possesses potential apoptosis-related genes. We hypothesized that the classic intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways potentially are active in Bombyx mori. These results lay the foundation for further apoptosis-related study in Bombyx mori. PMID:21040523

Comparative study on the mechanical property of silk thread from cocoons of Bombyx mori L.

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Iizuka, E; Hachimori, A; Abe, K; Sunohara, M; Hiraide, Y; Ueyama, A; Kamo, K; Fujiwara, T; Nakamura, F; Uno, T

1983-01-01

Specimens of bave (undegummed silk thread) were collected from cocoons of various origins of parent silkworm races, such as Japanese, Chinese, European, Korean and tropical origins, and from as many races as possible. An apparatus was set up to measure the dynamic elastic modulus of these specimens. In all the categories of the races tested, the elastic modulus was linearly related to the size of bave, regardless of the portion of cocoon layer from which the specimens were taken. This correlation was concluded to be universal to the silk thread of Bombyx mori L. species; however, values of the regression coefficient and of the elastic modulus were susceptible to the origin of silkworm races, depending on whether they were native or improved.

Thymosin From Bombyx mori Is Down-Regulated in Expression by BmNPV Exhibiting Antiviral Activity.

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Zhang, Chen; Wang, Yongdi; Fang, Qiang; Xu, Minlin; Lv, Mengyuan; Liao, Jinxu; Li, Si; Nie, Zuoming; Zhang, Wenping

2016-01-01

Thymosins have been highly conserved during evolution. These hormones exist in many animal species and play an essential role in many biological events. However, little is known regarding the physiological function of silkworm Bombyx mori thymosin (BmTHY). In this study, we investigated the expression pattern of BmTHY in a Bombyx mori larval ovarian cell line (BmN) challenged with Bombyx mori nuclear polyhydrosis virus (BmNPV) and the antiviral effect of recombinant BmTHY (rBmTHY) for Bombyx mori against BmNPV. Western-blot assay and qRT-PCR analysis revealed that the level of BmTHY protein expression and transcription decreased over time when BmN cells were infected by BmNPV. Treatment with endotoxin-free rBmTHY led to a significant reduction in viral titer in the supernatant of BmN cells challenged with BmNPV. The results from antiviral tests performed in vitro and in vivo showed that endotoxin-free rBmTHY improved the survival rate of Bombyx mori infected with BmNPV. These findings suggest that BmTHY exerts immunomodulatory effects on Bombyx mori, rendering them resistant to viral infection. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America.

Biotransformation effect of Bombyx Mori L. may play an important role in treating diabetic nephropathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lei; Zhang, La; Li, Yin; Guo, Xin-Feng; Liu, Xu-Sheng

2016-11-01

Compared with herbal drugs, medicine processed from animals (animal medicine) was thought to have more bioactive substances and higher activities. Biotransformation effect often plays an important role in their effect. However, researches about effect of animal medicine on diabetic nephropathy and applying animal medicine as natural bio-transformer were seldom reported. The purpose of this paper was to reveal the use of Bombyx Mori L. on diabetic nephropathy from ancient to modern times. The classical literature indicated that Saosi Decoction (), which contains Bombyx Mori L. or silkworm cocoon, was applied to treat disorders congruent with modern disease diabetic nephropathy from the Ming to Qing Dynasty in ancient China. Modern studies showed that Bombyx Mori L. contains four main active constituents. Among these, 1-deoxynojirimycin (1-DNJ) and quercetin showed promising potential to be new agents in diabetic nephropathy treatment. The concentrations of 1-DNJ and the activities of quercetin in Bombyx Mori L. are higher than in mulberry leaves, because of the biotransformation in the Bombyx Mori L. body. However, these specifific components need further human and mechanistic studies to determine their therapeutic potential for this challenging condition.

The origin and dispersal of the domesticated Chinese oak silkworm, Antheraea pernyi, in China: a reconstruction based on ancient texts.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yanqun; Li, Yuping; Li, Xisheng; Qin, Li

2010-01-01

Sericulture is one of the great inventions of the ancient Chinese. Besides the mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori), Chinese farmers developed rearing of the Chinese oak silkworm (Antheraea pernyi) about 400 years ago. In this paper, the historic records of the origins and dispersal of the domesticated Chinese oak silkworm in China are summarized. The first document with clearly recorded oak silkworm artificial rearing appeared in 1651, although Chinese oak silkworm was documented in about 270 AD. All of the evidence in the available historic records suggests that the domesticated Chinese oak silkworm originated in central and southern areas of Shandong Province in China around the 16th century, and then was introduced directly and indirectly by human commerce into the present habitations in China after the late 17th century. The results strongly support the hypothesis that only one geographically distinct event occurred in domestication of the modern Chinese oak silkworm.

Genetic diversity, molecular phylogeny and selection evidence of the silkworm mitochondria implicated by complete resequencing of 41 genomes

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Tellier Laurent C

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Mitochondria are a valuable resource for studying the evolutionary process and deducing phylogeny. A few mitochondria genomes have been sequenced, but a comprehensive picture of the domestication event for silkworm mitochondria remains to be established. In this study, we integrate the extant data, and perform a whole genome resequencing of Japanese wild silkworm to obtain breakthrough results in silkworm mitochondrial (mt population, and finally use these to deduce a more comprehensive phylogeny of the Bombycidae. Results We identified 347 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in the mt genome, but found no past recombination event to have occurred in the silkworm progenitor. A phylogeny inferred from these whole genome SNPs resulted in a well-classified tree, confirming that the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori, most recently diverged from the Chinese wild silkworm, rather than from the Japanese wild silkworm. We showed that the population sizes of the domesticated and Chinese wild silkworms both experience neither expansion nor contraction. We also discovered that one mt gene, named cytochrome b, shows a strong signal of positive selection in the domesticated clade. This gene is related to energy metabolism, and may have played an important role during silkworm domestication. Conclusions We present a comparative analysis on 41 mt genomes of B. mori and B. mandarina from China and Japan. With these, we obtain a much clearer picture of the evolution history of the silkworm. The data and analyses presented here aid our understanding of the silkworm in general, and provide a crucial insight into silkworm phylogeny.

Respiratory allergy to moth: the importance of sensitization to Bombyx mori in children with asthma and rhinitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Araujo, Laura M L; Rosário Filho, Nelson A; Riedi, Carlos A

2014-01-01

this study aimed to prepare a silkworm moth (Bombyx mori) antigenic extract and to perform skin prick tests with this extract in patients with allergic respiratory diseases; to evaluate serum specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) to Bombyx mori using ImmunoCAP® system and to report the frequency of positivity between the two methods and with clinical data. this was a cross-sectional study with 99 children and adolescents diagnosed with asthma and/or allergic rhinitis, who had skin reactivity to at least one of the six aeroallergens tested. Clinical data were evaluated: skin prick tests with Bombyx mori in-house extract, and total and specific IgE analysis using ImmunoCAP® were performed. the frequency of Bombyx mori specific IgE was found to be 52.5% and 60% using the skin prick test and ImmunoCAP®, respectively. An association between a positive skin test for Bombyx mori and the presence of allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and urticaria was observed, but the same was not true for asthma or allergic conjunctivitis. There was no relation with the severity of asthma or rhinitis symptoms. a high frequency of sensitization to Bombyx mori was observed in a selected population of patients with respiratory allergic diseases in the city of Curitiba, state of Paraná, Brazil. The extract prepared from the wings of this moth species is effective in demonstrating this sensitivity. Copyright © 2013 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Structural study of Bombyx mori silk fibroin during processing for regeneration

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, Sung-Won

Bombyx mori silk fibroin has excellent mechanical properties combined with flexibility, tissue compatibility, and high oxygen permeability in the wet condition. This important material should be dissolved and regenerated to be utilized as useful forms such as gel, film, fiber, powder, or non-woven. However, it has long been a problem that the regenerated fibroin materials show poor mechanical properties and brittleness. These problems were technically solved by improving a fiber processing method reported here. The regenerated fibroin fibers showed much better mechanical properties compared to the original silk fibers. This improved technique for the fiber processing of Bombyx mori silk fibroin may be used as a model system for other semi-crystalline fiber forming proteins, becoming available through biotechnology. The physical and chemical properties of the regenerated fibers were characterized by SinTechRTM tensile testing, X-ray diffraction, solid state 13C NMR spectroscopy, and SEM. Unlike synthetic polymers, the molecular weight distribution of Bombyx mori silk fibroin is mono-disperse because silk fibroin is synthesized from DNA template. Genetic studies have revealed the entire amino acid sequence of Bombyx mori silk fibroin. It is known that the crystalline silk II structure is composed of hexa-amino acid sequences, GAGAGS. However, in the amino acid sequence of Bombyx mori silk fibroin heavy chain, there are present 11 chemically irregular but evolutionarily conserved sequences with about 31 amino acid residues (irregular GT˜GT sequences). The structure and role of these irregular sequences have remained unknown. One of the most frequently appearing irregular sequences was synthesized by a peptide synthesizer. The three-dimensional structure of this irregular silk peptide was studied by the high resolution two-dimensional NMR technique. The three-dimensional structure of this peptide shows that it makes a turn or loop structure (distorted O shape), which

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles relieve silk gland damage and increase cocooning of Bombyx mori under phoxim-induced toxicity.

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Li, Bing; Yu, Xiaohong; Gui, Suxin; Xie, Yi; Hong, Jie; Zhao, Xiaoyang; Sheng, Lei; Sang, Xuezi; Sun, Qingqing; Wang, Ling; Shen, Weide; Hong, Fashui

2013-12-18

Organophosphate pesticides are applied widely in the world for agricultural purposes, and their exposures often resulted in non-cocooning of Bombyx mori in China. TiO2 nanoparticles have been demonstrated to increase pesticide resistance of Bombyx mori. While the toxicity of phoxim is well-documented, very limited information exists on the mechanisms of TiO2 nanoparticles improving the cocooning function of Bombyx mori following exposure to phoxim. The present study was, therefore, undertaken to determine whether TiO2 nanoparticles attenuate silk gland injury and elevate cocooning of B. mori following exposure to phoxim. The findings suggested that phoxim exposure resulted in severe damages of the silk gland structure and significantly decreased the cocooning in the silk gland of Bombyx mori. Furthermore, phoxim exposure significantly resulted in reductions of total protein concentrations and suppressed expressions of silk protein synthesis-related genes, including Fib-L, Fib-H, P25, Ser-2, and Ser-3, in the silk gland. TiO2 nanoparticle pretreatment, however, could significantly relieve silk gland injury of Bombyx mori. Importantly, TiO2 nanoparticles could remarkably elevate cocooning and total protein contents and promote expressions of Fib-L, Fib-H, P25, Ser-2, and Ser-3 in the silk gland following exposure to phoxim.

Cinética de degradación y persistencia de clorpirifós en mandarinas y naranjas del Noreste argentino (NEA

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KULCZYCKI, C.1

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Las normativas legales sobre residuos de plaguicidas son cada vez más exigentes. Con frecuencia, hay una reducción significativa en el Límite Máximo de Residuos (LMR y en casos severos una prohibición de su uso. La estrategia de control fitosanitario debe tener en cuenta los niveles de residuos que quedan en la fruta y la cinética de disipación que disminuye los riesgos toxicológicos y comerciales. El clorpirifós es un insecticida utilizado en cítricos para el control de diversas plagas. La legislación argentina establece un LMR de 0,3 mg/kg para fruta entera y un Período de Carencia (PC de 21 días. Este valor coincide con el exigido por la Unión Europea (UE, excepto en mandarinas, y por la Federación de Rusia. En el presente trabajo se estudió la cinética de degradación y persistencia del clorpirifós en dos variedades de naranjas y tres de mandarinas.Los ensayos se realizaron con clorpirifós 48% (concentrado emulsionable en la preparación de un caldo con 120 cm3 cada 100 L de agua. Se utilizó una pulverizadora de turbina y un volumen de 2000-2500 l/ha. La degradación de residuos en frutas se estudió durante 120 días con toma de muestras periódicas. Los datos experimentales se utilizaron para establecer un modelo matemático de degradación en función del tiempo. En todos los casos, los residuos iniciales superaron el LMR y la disipación siguió un modelo logarítmico. Hasta el PC la eliminación fue rápida, con una reducción del 69 al 82% de los residuos. Luego continuó una fase de eliminación más lenta con niveles al final del ensayo entre 0,03 mg/kg y 0,01 mg/kg. En el PC se cumple con el LMR fijado por la legislación nacional y de los países compradores. La aparición de residuos en el final delensayo indica una gran persistencia del clorpirifós.

Radiosensitivity of Bombyx mori embryos and its modification by thermal shock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agaev, F.A.; Zakrzhevskaya, D.T.; Yusifov, N.I.; Gaziev, A.I.; AN Azerbajdzhanskoj SSR, Baku

1991-01-01

Radiosensitivity of Bombyx mori embryos on days 3-4 of their development is more than 10 times higher than that of 7-9 day embryos. The rate of DNA synthesis in the embryos correlates with their radiosensitivity. Heat treatment (40 deg C, 60 min) of embryos just before γ-irradiation increases their radioresistance (DMF=+1.6), whereas such a treatment immediately after irradiation reduces the survival rate of embryos as compared to the controls irradiated without heat treatment (DMA=-1.5). The radiomodifying effect of the thermal shock on the Bombyx mori embryos is the same with exposure at both the radioresistant and the radiosensitive stage of their development. However, it is more pronounced at the radiosensitive stage

Genome engineering and parthenocloning in the silkworm, Bombyx ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Genetic engineering of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, opens door to the production of new kinds of silk and to the use of silkworms as proteosynthetic bioreactors. The insertion of foreign genes into silkworm genome and the control of their expression by diverse promoters have become possible but are not yet efficient enough ...

Zinc finger protein rotund deficiency affects development of the thoracic leg in Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Chun-Yan; Zha, Xing-Fu; Liu, Hua-Wei; Xia, Qing-You

2017-06-01

The insect limb develops from the imaginal disc or larval leg during metamorphosis. The molecular mechanisms involved in the development from the larval to the adult leg are poorly understood. Herein, we cloned the full length of a zinc finger gene rotund from Bombyx mori (Bmrn), which contained a 1419 bp open reading frame, and encoded a 473 amino acid protein. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses demonstrated that Bmrn was expressed at higher levels in the epidermis than in other tissues tested, and it showed a very high expression level during metamorphosis. Knock-down of Bmrn produced defects in the tarsus and pretarsus, including the fusion and reduction of tarsomeres, and the developmental arrest of pretarsus. Our data showed that Bmrn is involved in the formation of the tarsus and pretarsus, whereas its homologous gene in Drosophila has been shown to affect three tarsal segments (t2-t4), suggesting that the remodeling of the leg has involved changes in the patterning of gene regulation during evolution. © 2016 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Bombyx neuropeptide G protein-coupled receptor A7 is the third cognate receptor for short neuropeptide F from silkworm.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Qiang; Cao, Zheng; Yu, Yena; Yan, Lili; Zhang, Wenjuan; Shi, Ying; Zhou, Naiming; Huang, Haishan

2017-12-15

The short neuropeptide F (sNPF) neuropeptides, closely related to vertebrate neuropeptide Y (NPY), have been suggested to exert pleiotropic effects on many physiological processes in insects. In the silkworm ( Bombyx mori ) two orphan G protein-coupled receptors, Bombyx neuropeptide G protein-coupled receptor (BNGR) A10 and A11, have been identified as cognate receptors for sNPFs, but other sNPF receptors and their signaling mechanisms in B. mori remain unknown. Here, we cloned the full-length cDNA of the orphan receptor BNGR-A7 from the brain of B. mori larvae and identified it as a receptor for Bombyx sNPFs. Further characterization of signaling and internalization indicated that BNGR-A7, -A10, and -A11 are activated by direct interaction with synthetic Bombyx sNPF-1 and -3 peptides. This activation inhibited forskolin or adipokinetic hormone-induced adenylyl cyclase activity and intracellular Ca 2+ mobilization via a G i/o -dependent pathway. Upon activation by sNPFs, BNGR-A7, -A10, and -A11 evoked ERK1/2 phosphorylation and underwent internalization. On the basis of these findings, we designated the receptors BNGR-A7, -A10, and -A11 as Bommo -sNPFR-1, -2, and -3, respectively. Moreover, the results obtained with quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that the three Bombyx sNPF receptor subtypes exhibit differential spatial and temporal expression patterns, suggesting possible roles of sNPF signaling in the regulation of a wide range of biological processes. Our findings provide the first in-depth information on sNPF signaling for further elucidation of the roles of the Bombyx sNPF/sNPFR system in the regulation of physiological activities. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of the giant silkworm moth, Eriogyna pyretorum (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Shao-Tong; Hong, Gui-Yun; Yu, Miao; Li, Na; Yang, Ying; Liu, Yan-Qun; Wei, Zhao-Jun

2009-05-22

The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Eriogyna pyretorum (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) was determined as being composed of 15,327 base pairs (bp), including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and a control region. The arrangement of the PCGs is the same as that found in the other sequenced lepidopteran. The AT skewness for the E. pyretorum mitogenome is slightly negative (-0.031), indicating the occurrence of more Ts than As. The nucleotide composition of the E. pyretorum mitogenome is also biased toward A + T nucleotides (80.82%). All PCGs are initiated by ATN codons, except for cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and 2 (cox1 and cox2). Two of the 13 PCGs harbor the incomplete termination codon by T. All tRNA genes have a typical clover-leaf structure of mitochondrial tRNA, with the exception of trnS1(AGN) and trnS2(UCN). Phylogenetic analysis among the available lepidopteran species supports the current morphology-based hypothesis that Bombycoidea, Geometroidea, Notodontidea, Papilionoidea and Pyraloidea are monophyletic. As has been previously suggested, Bombycidae (Bombyx mori and Bombyx mandarina), Sphingoidae (Manduca sexta) and Saturniidae (Antheraea pernyi, Antheraea yamamai, E. pyretorum and Caligula boisduvalii) formed a group.

Efficient TALEN construction for Bombyx mori gene targeting

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Takasu, Y.; Sajwan, Suresh; Daimon, T.; Osanai-Futahashi, M.; Uchino, K.; Sezutsu, H.; Tamura, T.; Žurovec, Michal

2013-01-01

Roč. 8, č. 9 (2013), e73458 E-ISSN 1932-6203 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP305/10/2406 Grant - others:Japan Society for the Promotion of Science(JP) 23580083 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Bombyx mori Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 3.534, year: 2013 http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0073458

Identification and characterization of an arginine kinase as a major allergen from silkworm (Bombyx mori) larvae.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhigang; Xia, Lixin; Wu, Yulan; Xia, Qingyou; Chen, Jiajie; Roux, Kenneth H

2009-01-01

The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is an important insect in the textile industry and its pupa are used in Chinese cuisine and traditional Chinese medicine. The silk, urine and dander of silkworms is often the cause of allergies in sericulture workers and the pupa has been found to be a food allergen in China. Recent studies have focused on reporting cases of silkworm allergies, but only a few studies have addressed the specific allergens present in the B. mori silkworm. We collected sera from 10 patients with a positive skin prick test to silkworm crude extract (SCE) and analyzed these samples by Western blot and ELISA. The cDNA of arginine kinase from the B. mori silkworm was also cloned and expressed in high yield in Escherichia coli. Allergenicity and cross-allergenicity of the recombinant B. mori arginine kinase (rBmAK) were investigated by ELISA inhibition assay. Collected sera all reacted to a 42-kDa protein in a Western blot with SCE as the antigen. Preincubation of sera with rBmAK eliminated the reactivity of the patients' sera to this 42-kDa band. All patient sera also exhibited positive reactivity to SCE in an ELISA assay. BmAK also demonstrated cross-reactivity with a recombinant AK from cockroach. Arginine kinase from the B. mori silkworm is a major allergen and crossreacts with cockroach AK. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Protective Effect of Bombyx mori L Cocoon (Abresham) and its ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

HP

Protective Effect of Bombyx mori L Cocoon (Abresham) and its ... agonist, at high doses, has been reported to produce ... 12:12 h. Standard pellet diet and tap water were ... induction of myocardial injury on the scheduled ... Total protein in of B. mori cocoon (Abresham) ..... The authors thank Professor SK Maulik, Head,.

Antifungal mechanism of antibacterial peptide, ABP-CM4, from Bombyx mori against Aspergillus niger.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jie; Wu, Xi; Zhang, Shuang-Quan

2008-12-01

Antibacterial peptide, CM4 (ABP-CM4), a 35 amino acid peptide from Chinese silkworm-Bombyx mori, displayed a strong antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma viride and Gibberella saubinetii. Scanning electron microcopy showed that the morphology of conidia became more irregular and swelled when treated with ABP-CM4 at its minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 8 muM. A cell wall regeneration assay indicated that the plasma membrane was the prime target of ABP-CM4 action. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that the cytoskeleton of A. niger was destroyed when treated with ABP-CM4 at 8 muM. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy showed that the membrane and the cellular organelles of fungus were disrupted and there were many vacuoles in the fungal cellular space after the treatment with ABP-CM4. A gel-retardation assay showed that ABP-CM4 bound the DNA of A. niger. Our results suggest that ABP-CM4 exerts its antifungal activity by disrupting the structure of cell membranes and the cytoskeleton and interacts with the organelles, such as the mitochondrion and with the DNA in the fungal cell, subsequently resulting in cell death.

Effect of Wheat Flour Noodles with Bombyx mori Powder on Glycemic Response in Healthy Subjects

Science.gov (United States)

Suk, Wanhee; Kim, JiEun; Kim, Do-Yeon; Lim, Hyunjung; Choue, Ryowon

2016-01-01

Recent trial results suggest that the consumption of a low glycemic index (GI) diet is beneficial in the prevention of high blood glucose levels. Identifying active hypoglycemic substances in ordinary foods could be a significant benefit to the management of blood glucose. It has been hypothesized that noodles with Bombyx mori powder are a low GI food. We evaluated GI and changes in postprandial glucose levels following consumption of those noodles and compared them with those following consumption of plain wheat flour noodles (control) and glucose (reference) in healthy subjects. Thirteen males (age: 34.2±4.5 years, body mass index: 23.2±1.1 kg/m2) consumed 75 g carbohydrate portions of glucose and the 2 kinds of noodle after an overnight fast. Capillary blood was measured at time 0 (fasting), 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 180 min from the start of each food intake. The GI values were calculated by taking the ratio of the incremental area under the blood glucose response curve (IAUC) for the noodles and glucose. There was a significant difference in postprandial glucose concentrations at 30 and 45 min between the control noodles and the noodles with Bombyx mori powder: the IAUC and GI for the noodles with Bombyx mori powder were significantly lower than those for glucose and plain wheat flour noodles. The wheat flour noodles with Bombyx mori powder could help prevent an increase in postprandial glucose response and possibly provide an alternative to other carbohydrate staple foods for glycemic management. PMID:27752491

The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene family of Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Hai-Yan; Mita, Kazuei; Zhao, Xia; Tanaka, Yoshikazu; Moriyama, Minoru; Wang, Huabin; Iwanaga, Masashi; Kawasaki, Hideki

2017-04-15

We previously reported regarding an ecdysone-inducible angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene. We found another four ACE genes in the Bombyx genome. The present study was undertaken to clarify the evolutionally changed function of the ACE of Bombyx mori. Core regions of deduced amino acid sequences of ACE genes were compared with those of other insect ACE genes. Five Bombyx genes have the conserved Zn 2+ -binding-site motif (HEXXH); however, BmAcer4 has only one and BmAcer3 has no catalytic ligand. BmAcer1 and BmAcer2 were expressed in several organs. BmAcer3 was expressed in testes, and BmAcer4 and BmAcer5 were expressed in compound eyes; however, the transcription levels of these three genes were very low. Quantitative RT-PCR and Western analysis were conducted to determine the tissue distribution and developmental expression of BmAcer1and BmAcer2. Transcripts of BmAcer1 and BmAcer2 were found in the reproductive organs during the larval and pupal stages. BmAcer1 was dominant in fat bodies during the feeding stage and showed high expression in the epidermis, wing discs, and pupal wing tissues after the wandering stage. Its expression patterns in epidermis, wing discs, and wing tissues resembled the hemolymph ecdysteroid titer in the larval and pupal stages. Acer1 was observed in the hemolymph at all stages, appearing to be the source of it are fat bodies, wings, and epidermis, and functioning after being secreted into the hemolymph. BmAcer2 was abundant in the midgut during the feeding stage and after the wandering stage and in silk glands after the pupal stage. We conclude that the evolution of BmAcer occurred through duplication, and, thereafter, functional diversification developed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Discerning Silk Produced by Bombyx mori from Those Produced by Wild Species Using an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Combined with Conventional Methods.

Science.gov (United States)

You, Qiushi; Li, Qingqing; Zheng, Hailing; Hu, Zhiwen; Zhou, Yang; Wang, Bing

2017-09-06

Recently, much interest has been paid to the separation of silk produced by Bombyx mori from silk produced by other species and tracing the beginnings of silk cultivation from wild silk exploitation. In this paper, significant differences between silks from Bombyx mori and other species were found by microscopy and spectroscopy, such as morphology, secondary structure, and amino acid composition. For further accurate identification, a diagnostic antibody was designed by comparing the peptide sequences of silks produced by Bombyx mori and other species. The results of the noncompetitive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) indicated that the antibody that showed good sensitivity and high specificity can definitely discern silk produced by Bombyx mori from silk produced by wild species. Thus, the antibody-based immunoassay has the potential to be a powerful tool for tracing the beginnings of silk cultivation. In addition, combining the sensitive, specific, and convenient ELISA technology with other conventional methods can provide more in-depth and accurate information for species identification.

The differential expression of BmGlcNAcase2 in strains of Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) with different susceptibility to Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) nucleopolyhedrovirus infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Zhu; Quanbing, Ma; Xiaoyong, Liu

2015-01-01

GlcNAcase is a glycosyl hydrolase located in the lysosomes of numerous organisms. Levels of the protein, β-N-acetylglucosaminidase 2 (GlcNAcase2), which is a member of the GlcNAcase family, are different in two strains of the silkworm Bombyx mori that have different resistance to Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedroviruses (BmNPVs). We identified six single-nucleotide differences in the GlcNAcase2 coding sequence between the 306 and NB strains. Five are silent changes, but one is a nonsynonymous mutation. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that GlcNAcase2 mRNA levels in the NB strain were nearly 2.57 times higher compared with those in the 306 strain. In addition, GlcNAcase2 enzyme activity was much higher in the NB strain compared with that in the 306 strain. Together, these results indicate that GlcNAcase2 may be involved in variable BmNPV resistance in B. mori. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America.

In silico Identification of Novel Chitinase-Like Proteins in the Silkworm, Bombyx mori, Genome

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Ye; Lü, Peng; Wang, Yong; Yin, Lijing; Ma, Hexiang; Ma, Guohong; Chen, Keping; He, Yuanqing

2012-01-01

In insects, chitinases participate in the periodic shedding of old exoskeletons and the turnover of peritrophic membranes. Chitinase family members have been identified in dozens of species, including Tribolium castaneum, Drosophila melanogaster, and Anopheles gambiae. In this study, nine chitinases and three hypothetical chitinases have been identified in Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) through genome-wide searching. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that seven of them belong to the seven chitinase groups, respectively. BmCht25 and BmCht26 could not be grouped into the known chitinase groups, and might belong to two new groups of the chitinase family. BmCht10, BmCht25, and BmIDGF have glutamate amino acid substitutions in the active catalytic domain. Only BmCht5 and BmCht10 contain CBD domain and PEST sequences (rich in proline, glutamic acid, serine, and threonine). BmCht5 and BmCht26 are located on chromosome 7, and others (BmCht6, BmCht7, BmCht10, BmCht11, BmCht20, BmIDGF) are located on separate chromosomes of Bombyx mori, respectively. The present study provides important background information for future studies using Bombyx mori as a model organism for insect development and virus and host interaction. PMID:23461297

Cloning and homologic analysis of Tpn I gene in silkworm Bombyx ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

GREGO

2007-03-19

Mar 19, 2007 ... 1Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China. ... Key words: Tpn I, Bombyx mori, troponin, homology. ... cycles (94ºC for 30 s, 58ºC for 30 s, 72ºC for 3 min) in a Gene Amp.

The recent history and population structure of five Mandarina snail species from subtropical Ogasawara (Bonin Islands, Japan).

Science.gov (United States)

Davison, Angus; Chiba, Satoshi

2006-09-01

The effect of Pleistocene climate change on the organisms of tropical and subtropical regions is rather poorly understood. We therefore studied the land snail genus Mandarina (Bradybaenidae) of oceanic Ogasawara (Bonin Islands, Japan), with the aim of using population genetic data to understand their recent history. Our analysis of a mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA region from more than 600 snails in five ground-living species suggests that populations on the small islands of Mukoujima, Anejima, Imotojima and Meijima, as well as on the low-lying southern and central parts of Hahajima, have probably undergone recent bottlenecks followed by subsequent expansions. Except between the main island of Hahajima and Mukouijima, there is almost no evidence for gene flow among islands even though the islands were connected repeatedly by land bridges through the Pleistocene. Within islands the population structure is severe, suggestive of a long-term, low level of gene flow (F(ST) is frequently greater than 0.5 among geographically close populations). Finally, there is a marked genetic patchiness, meaning that genetically close populations are sometimes separated by genetically distant populations. These patterns could be a consequence of expansion from bottlenecks, low active dispersal and founder effects caused by rare long-distance migrants. Unfortunately, the exact nature of the refugia and bottlenecks remains unknown because the palaeoclimate of this region is poorly understood. Dating the population size changes is also challenging because the molecular clock is uncertain. We suggest, however, that arid conditions or deforestation induced by decreased atmospheric CO(2) may have been the main factor in determining population size.

STUDY OF PHENOTYPIC CHARACTERS VARIABILITY OF THE SILKMOTH COCOON FROM THE NATIVE GENETIC STOCK OF BOMBYX MORI L. SP.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ALEXANDRA MATEI

2008-10-01

Full Text Available This study had aims the analysis of phenotypic characters variability of silkmoth cocoon within the native genetic stock of Bombyx mori L. sp. The biological material was represented by 72 races consisting of the gene stock of Bombyx mori sp., grouped by their origin. The main phenotypical ad quantitative parameters of the races that represent the gene stock of Bombyx mori sp., present the following values: raw cocoon weight (1.445-2.361 g, cocoon shell weight (0.240-0.520 g, fiber length (746-1356 m, metric number of fiber (2917-3764 m/g. Depending on the quantitative parameters value, the silkworm races are being used differently, entire genetic stock being destined for various technological levels, as follows: 4 active races (parents of hybrids, 4 candidate races for parents of hybrids, 64 races in preservation.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of cecropin B from Bombyx mori

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Zhongyuan; Zhou, Qiangjun; Mao, Xinfang; Zheng, Xiangdong; Guo, Jiubiao; Zhang, Fuchun; Wen, Tingyi; Pang, Hai

2010-01-01

Cecropin B derived from the hemolymph of Bombyx mori has been crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystal diffracted to 1.43 Å resolution using X-ray radiation. Cecropin B is a 37-residue cationic antimicrobial peptide derived from the haemolymph of Bombyx mori. The precise mechanism by which cecropins exert their antimicrobial and cytolytic activities is not well understood. Crystals of cecropin B were obtained by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method using polyethylene glycol as a precipitant at 289 K. The crystal diffracted to 1.43 Å resolution using X-ray radiation and belonged to the orthorhombic space group P1, with unit-cell parameters a = 15.08, b = 22.75, c = 30.20 Å, α = 96.9, β = 103.1, γ = 96.5°. The asymmetric unit contained only one molecule of cecropin B, with a calculated Matthews coefficient of 2.48 Å 3 Da −1 and a solvent content of 50.4%

Fate mapping of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, using localized UV irradiation of the egg at fertilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myohara, Maroko

1994-01-01

Bombyx eggs at the fertilization stage (0-2 hours after oviposition) were irradiated with a scanning UV-laser microbeam (355 nm) over an area of about 1% of the total egg surface. In spite of absence of nuclei or cells at the irradiated sites, larvae from treated eggs showed localized cuticle defects in the integument. The location and frequency of the defects within the cuticular pattern correlated closely to the site of irradiation both in the anteroposterior and the dorsoventral direction. Based on the correlation, presumptive regions for each larval segment were located and a fate map of the Bombyx egg was established. (author)

BAC-FISH mapping of synteny between chromosomes of Bombyx mori and Manducta sexta

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Sahara, K.; Yoshido, A.; Marec, František; Vrbová, Iva; Kamimura, M.; Yasukochi, Y.

2007-01-01

Roč. 15, suppl. 2 (2007), s. 32-32 ISSN 0967-3849. [International Chromosome Conference /16./. 25.08.2007-29.08.2007, Amsterdam] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50070508 Keywords : Bombyx mori Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology

Cloning and homologic analysis of Tpn I gene in silkworm Bombyx ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Cloning and homologic analysis of Tpn I gene in silkworm Bombyx mori. Y Zhao, Yao Q, X Tang, Q Wang, H Yin, Z Hu, J Lu, K Chen. Abstract. The troponin complex is composed of three subunits, Troponin C (the calcium sensor component) and Troponin T and I (structural proteins). Tpn C is encoded by multiple genes in ...

Genome-based identification of spliceosomal proteins in the silk moth Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Somarelli, Jason A; Mesa, Annia; Fuller, Myron E; Torres, Jacqueline O; Rodriguez, Carol E; Ferrer, Christina M; Herrera, Rene J

2010-12-01

Pre-messenger RNA splicing is a highly conserved eukaryotic cellular function that takes place by way of a large, RNA-protein assembly known as the spliceosome. In the mammalian system, nearly 300 proteins associate with uridine-rich small nuclear (sn)RNAs to form this complex. Some of these splicing factors are ubiquitously present in the spliceosome, whereas others are involved only in the processing of specific transcripts. Several proteomics analyses have delineated the proteins of the spliceosome in several species. In this study, we mine multiple sequence data sets of the silk moth Bombyx mori in an attempt to identify the entire set of known spliceosomal proteins. Five data sets were utilized, including the 3X, 6X, and Build 2.0 genomic contigs as well as the expressed sequence tag and protein libraries. While homologs for 88% of vertebrate splicing factors were delineated in the Bombyx mori genome, there appear to be several spliceosomal polypeptides absent in Bombyx mori and seven additional insect species. This apparent increase in spliceosomal complexity in vertebrates may reflect the tissue-specific and developmental stage-specific alternative pre-mRNA splicing requirements in vertebrates. Phylogenetic analyses of 15 eukaryotic taxa using the core splicing factors suggest that the essential functional units of the pre-mRNA processing machinery have remained highly conserved from yeast to humans. The Sm and LSm proteins are the most conserved, whereas proteins of the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle are the most divergent. These data highlight both the differential conservation and relative phylogenetic signals of the essential spliceosomal components throughout evolution. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Combined Effect of Cameo2 and CBP on the Cellular Uptake of Lutein in the Silkworm, Bombyx mori

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Xiao-Long; Chai, Chun-Li; Pan, Cai-Xia; Tang, Hui; Chen, Yan-Hong; Dai, Fang-Yin; Pan, Min-Hui; Lu, Cheng

2014-01-01

Formation of yellow-red color cocoons in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, occurs as the result of the selective delivery of carotenoids from the midgut to the silk gland via the hemolymph. This process of pigment transport is thought to be mediated by specific cellular carotenoids carrier proteins. Previous studies indicated that two proteins, Cameo2 and CBP, are associated with the selective transport of lutein from the midgut into the silk gland in Bombyx mori. However, the exact roles of Cameo2 and CBP during the uptake and transport of carotenoids are still unknown. In this study, we investigated the respective contributions of these two proteins to lutein and β-carotene transport in Bombyx mori as well as commercial cell-line. We found that tissues, expressed both Cameo2 and CBP, accumulate lutein. Cells, co-expressed Cameo2 and CBP, absorb 2 fold more lutein (PBombyx mori. Cameo2 and CBP, as the membrane protein and the cytosol protein, respectively, have the combined effect to facilitate the cellular uptake of lutein. PMID:24475153

Diapause prevention effect of Bombyx mori by dimethyl sulfoxide.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takayuki Yamamoto

Full Text Available HCl treatment has been, for about 80 years, the primary method for the prevention of entry into embryonic diapauses of Bombyx mori. This is because no method is as effective as the HCl treatment. In this study, we discovered that dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO prevented entry into the diapause of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The effect of diapause prevention was 78% as a result of treatment with 100% DMSO concentration, and the effect was comparable to that of the HCl treatment. In contrast, in the case of non-diapause eggs, hatchability was decreased by DMSO in a concentration-dependent manner. The effect of DMSO was restricted within 24 hours after oviposition of diapause eggs, and the critical period was slightly shorter than the effective period of the HCl treatment. DMSO analogs, such as dimethyl formamide (DMF and dimethyl sulfide (DMS, did little preventive effect against the diapause. Furthermore, we also investigated the permeation effects of chemical compounds by DMSO. When treated with an inhibitor of protein kinase CK2 (CK2 dissolved in DMSO, the prevention rate of the diapause was less than 40%. This means that the inhibition effect by the CK2 inhibitor was the inhibition of embryonic development after diapause prevention by DMSO. These data suggest that DMSO has the effects of preventing from entering into the diapause and permeation of chemicals into diapause eggs.

Transposable-element associated small RNAs in Bombyx mori genome.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yimei Cai

Full Text Available Small RNAs are a group of regulatory RNA molecules that control gene expression at transcriptional or post-transcriptional levels among eukaryotes. The silkworm, Bombyx mori L., genome harbors abundant repetitive sequences derived from families of retrotransposons and transposons, which together constitute almost half of the genome space and provide ample resource for biogenesis of the three major small RNA families. We systematically discovered transposable-element (TE-associated small RNAs in B. mori genome based on a deep RNA-sequencing strategy and the effort yielded 182, 788 and 4,990 TE-associated small RNAs in the miRNA, siRNA and piRNA species, respectively. Our analysis suggested that the three small RNA species preferentially associate with different TEs to create sequence and functional diversity, and we also show evidence that a Bombyx non-LTR retrotransposon, bm1645, alone contributes to the generation of TE-associated small RNAs in a very significant way. The fact that bm1645-associated small RNAs partially overlap with each other implies a possibility that this element may be modulated by different mechanisms to generate different products with diverse functions. Taken together, these discoveries expand the small RNA pool in B. mori genome and lead to new knowledge on the diversity and functional significance of TE-associated small RNAs.

Characterization of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus Bm17.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Hongxing; Wang, Rudu; Han, Qinggong; Zhang, Wen; Nin, Bin; Zhou, Yang; Shao, Shihe; Yao, Qin; Chen, Keping; Liu, Xiaoyong

2013-10-01

Open reading frame17 (Bm17) of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus is a highly conserved gene in lepidopteran nucleopolyhedroviruses, suggesting that it performs an important role in the virus life cycle whose function is unknown. In this report, we describe the characterization of Bm17. Reversed transcriptive-PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blot analysis demonstrated that Bm17 was expressed as a late gen. Immunofluorescence analysis by confocal microscopy showed that BM17 protein was localized on cytoplasm and nucleus of infected cells. These results show that BM17 was a late protein localized in cytoplasm and nucleus. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Timeless is a critical gene in the diapause of silkworm, Bombyx mori ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Timeless is a critical gene in the diapause of silkworm, Bombyx mori. L Xu, H Liang, LP Gan, WD Wang, YH Sima, SQ Xu. Abstract. The diapause is a specific physiological phenomenon induced by circadian zeitgebers of temperature and photoperiod at the stage of maternal embryonic development. In this research, the ...

Subcellular localization of Bombyx mori ribosomal protein S3a and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

USER

2010-04-05

Apr 5, 2010 ... In the present study, using a BV/PH-Bms3a-EGFP, we found that Bombyx mori ribosomal protein S3a. (BmS3a) with EGFP fused to its C-terminal, was predominantly localized in the cytoplasm of B. mori cells. Subsequently, to investigate the effect of BmS3a over-expression on BmNPV infection both at the.

Caspase-1 from the silkworm, Bombyx mori, is involved in Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qiang; Ju, Xiaoli; Chen, Liang; Chen, Keping

2017-03-01

Caspase-1 is one of the effector caspases in mammals that plays a central role in apoptosis. However, the lepidopteran caspase-1, especially the Bombyx mori caspase-1 (Bm-caspase-1), has not been investigated in detail. In this study, Bm-caspase-1 was identified from an expressed sequence tag database in B. mori by BLAST search. The open reading frame of Bm-caspase-1 contained 879 nucleotides and encoded 293 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 33 kDa. Bm-caspase-1 contained two consensus amino acid motifs of caspase cleavage sites, DEGDA and TETDG. Caspase activity assays revealed significant proteolytic activity of the Ac-DEVD-pNA substrate. Bm-caspase-1 can be detected in all tissues and developmental stages by a semi quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay. More importantly, the expression level of Bm-caspase-1 is increased upon baculovirus infection and up-regulated in BmNPV-resistant silkworms. Taken together, these results indicate that Bm-caspase-1 plays an important role during baculovirus infection.

Biological and molecular characterization of silkworm strains from the Brazilian germplasm bank of Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Pereira, N C; Munhoz, R E F; Bignotto, T S; Bespalhuk, R; Garay, L B; Saez, C R N; Fassina, V A; Nembri, A; Fernandez, M A

2013-06-28

Brazil has only one public genetic pool of Bombyx mori strains, which was established in 2005 at Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná State. This genetic bank has been maintained, and the strains have been characterized using genetic and morphological tools. The quantitative and qualitative traits, directly or indirectly related to productivity, were evaluated in 14 silkworm strains. In addition to biological and productivity analyses, DNA markers related to susceptibility to the B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) were analyzed. BmNPV is a major cause of production loss and is a serious problem for Paraná sericulture. The silkworm strains from diverse geographic origins were found to have different characteristics, including body weight, larval stage duration, cocoon weight, and other biological traits. In terms of productivity, the raw silk percentages were almost uniform, with an overall average of 16.28%. Overall, the Chinese strain C37 gave the best performance in many of the quantitative traits, and it surpassed the other strains in productivity traits. Therefore, it can be used as one of the strains that compose the elite germplasm for silkworm breeding programs. Additionally, genetic molecular markers were efficient in discriminating between B. mori strains that had been identified based on their geographical origin. We found that all Japanese strains produced a 400-bp molecular marker that has been associated with susceptibility to BmNPV.

Development of a standard acute dietary toxicity test for the silkworm (Bombyx mori L.)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sun, X.; Valk, H.; Jiang, H.; Wang, X.; Yuan, S.; Zhang, Y.; Roessink, I.; Gao, X.

2012-01-01

Larvae of the silkworm (Bombyx mod L.) may be exposed to pesticide residues on the leaves of their food plant, the mulberry tree (Morus spp.), which can lead to adverse effects on silk production. A new acute dietary toxicity test method was evaluated as the basis for pesticide risk assessment. A

Molecular characterization of DnaJ 5 homologs in silkworm Bombyx mori and its expression during egg diapause.

Science.gov (United States)

Sirigineedi, Sasibhushan; Vijayagowri, Esvaran; Murthy, Geetha N; Rao, Guruprasada; Ponnuvel, Kangayam M

2014-12-01

A comparison of the cDNA sequences (1 056 bp) of Bombyx mori DnaJ 5 homolog with B. mori genome revealed that unlike in other Hsps, it has an intron of 234 bp. The DnaJ 5 homolog contains 351 amino acids, of which 70 contain the conserved DnaJ domain at the N-terminal end. This homolog of B. mori has all desirable functional domains similar to other insects, and the 13 different DnaJ homologs identified in B. mori genome were distributed on different chromosomes. The expressed sequence tag database analysis of Hsp40 gene expression revealed higher expression in wing disc followed by diapause-induced eggs. Microarray analysis revealed higher expression of DnaJ 5 homolog at 18th h after oviposition in diapause-induced eggs. Further validation of DnaJ 5 expression through qPCR in diapause-induced and nondiapause eggs at different time intervals revealed higher expression in diapause eggs at 18 and 24 h after oviposition, which coincided with the expression of Hsp70 as the Hsp 40 is its co-chaperone. This study thus provides an outline of the genome organization of Hsp40 gene, and its role in egg diapause induction in B. mori. © 2013 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Characterization of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus with a knockout of Bm17

OpenAIRE

Shen, Hongxing; Zhou, Yang; Zhang, Wen; Nin, Bin; Wang, Hua; Wang, Xiaochun; Shao, Shihe; Chen, Huiqing; Guo, Zhongjian; Liu, Xiaoyong; Yao, Qin; Chen, Keping

2012-01-01

Open reading frame 17 (Bm17) gene of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus is a highly conserved gene in lepidopteran nucleopolyhedroviruses, but its function remains unknown. In this report, transient-expression and superinfection assays indicated that BM17 localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm of infected BmN cells. To determine the role of Bm17 in baculovirus life cycle, we constructed a Bm17 knockout virus and characterized its properties in cells. Analysis of the production and infection of ...

Nutrigenetic Screening Strains of the Mulberry Silkworm, Bombyx mori, for Nutritional Efficiency

OpenAIRE

Ramesha, Chinnaswamy; Lakshmi, Hothur; Kumari, Savarapu Sugnana; Anuradha, Chevva M.; Kumar, Chitta Suresh

2012-01-01

The activity of sericulture is declining due the reduction of mulberry production area in sericulture practicing countries lead to adverse effects on silkworm rearing and cocoon production. Screening for nutrigenetic traits in silkworm, Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) is an essential prerequisite for better understanding and development of nutritionally efficient breeds/hybrids, which show less food consumption with higher efficiency conversion. The aim of this study was to identify ...

Study of recombinant proteins derived from Ser-2 gene of Bombyx mori

OpenAIRE

STAŠKOVÁ, Tereza

2012-01-01

Four different variants of recombinant proteins derived from Bombyx mori Ser-2 gene were expressed in bacteria. The ability of these proteins to coat hydrofobic surfaces and to support growth of various types of adherent cells in vitro were examined. It was shown that these proteins support cell adhesion and proliferation, and could be used as coating agents to realize surfaces suitable for growth of vertebrate and insect cells.

Overview of research on Bombyx mori microRNA

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xin; Tang, Shun-ming; Shen, Xing-jia

2014-01-01

Abstract MicroRNAs (miRNAs) constitute some of the most significant regulatory factors involved at the post-transcriptional level after gene expression, contributing to the modulation of a large number of physiological processes such as development, metabolism, and disease occurrence. This review comprehensively and retrospectively explores the literature investigating silkworm, Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombicidae), miRNAs published to date, including discovery, identification, expression profiling analysis, target gene prediction, and the functional analysis of both miRNAs and their targets. It may provide experimental considerations and approaches for future study of miRNAs and benefit elucidation of the mechanisms of miRNAs involved in silkworm developmental processes and intracellular activities of other unknown non-coding RNAs. PMID:25368077

Direct and indirect effects of RNA interference against pyridoxal kinase and pyridoxine 5'-phosphate oxidase genes in Bombyx mori.

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Huang, ShuoHao; Yao, LiLi; Zhang, JianYun; Huang, LongQuan

2016-08-01

Vitamin B6 comprises six interconvertible pyridine compounds (vitamers), among which pyridoxal 5'-phosphate is a coenzyme involved in a high diversity of biochemical reactions. Humans and animals obtain B6 vitamers from diet, and synthesize pyridoxal 5'-phosphate by pyridoxal kinase and pyridoxine 5'-phosphate oxidase. Currently, little is known on how pyridoxal 5'-phosphate biosynthesis is regulated, and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate is supplied to meet their requirement in terms of cofactor. Bombyx mori is a large silk-secreting insect, in which protein metabolism is most active, and the vitamin B6 demand is high. In this study, we successfully down-regulated the gene expression of pyridoxal kinase and pyridoxine 5'-phosphate oxidase by body cavity injection of synthesized double-stranded small interfering RNA to 5th instar larvae of Bombyx mori, and analyzed the gene transcription levels of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate dependent enzymes, phosphoserine aminotransferase and glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase. Results show that the gene expression of pyridoxal kinase and pyridoxine 5'-phosphate oxidase has a greater impact on the gene transcription of enzymes using pyridoxal 5'-phosphate as a cofactor in Bombyx mori. Our study suggests that pyridoxal 5'-phosphate biosynthesis and dynamic balance may be regulated by genetic networks. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of polyamines on mechanical and structural properties of Bombyx mori silk.

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Yerra, Aparna; Mysarla, Danti Kumari; Siripurapu, Prasanthi; Jha, Anjali; Valluri, Satyavathi V; Mamillapalli, Anitha

2017-01-01

Silkworm, Bombyx mori (B. mori) belongs to the Lepidoptera family. The silk produced from this insect, mulberry silk, gained lot of importance as a fabric. Silk is being exploited as a biomaterial due to its surprising strength and biocompatibility. Polyamines (PA) are important cell growth regulators. In the present work the effect of treatment of polyamines, putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd), and spermine (Spm) on the quantity and quality of silk produced was assessed. Results showed that exogenous feeding of Spd at a concentration of 50 µM increased fiber length significantly. Analysis by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) on the properties of silk obtained from Spd treated silkworms revealed an increase in percentage of absorption with no difference in peak positions of amide I and amide III groups. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed an increase in diameter of silk. Further, analysis at molecular level showed an increase in fibroin expression in Spd treated silk glands. However, the Spd treatment showed no significant difference with respect to fibroin to sericin ratio per unit weight of cocoon, silk tenacity, and percent elongation. Thus, the present results show that polyamine treatment would influence silk quality at structural, mechanical, and molecular level in the Bombyx mori, which can be exploited in silk biomaterial production. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Identification and Analysis of the SET-Domain Family in Silkworm, Bombyx mori

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Hailong Zhao

2015-01-01

Full Text Available As an important economic insect, Bombyx mori is also a useful model organism for lepidopteran insect. SET-domain-containing proteins belong to a group of enzymes named after a common domain that utilizes the cofactor S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM to achieve methylation of its substrates. Many SET-domain-containing proteins have been shown to display catalytic activity towards particular lysine residues on histones, but emerging evidence also indicates that various nonhistone proteins are specifically targeted by this clade of enzymes. To explore their diverse functions of SET-domain superfamily in insect, we identified, cloned, and analyzed the SET-domains proteins in silkworm, Bombyx mori. Firstly, 24 genes containing SET domain from silkworm genome were characterized and 17 of them belonged to six subfamilies of SUV39, SET1, SET2, SUV4-20, EZ, and SMYD. Secondly, SET domains of silkworm SET-domain family were intraspecifically and interspecifically conserved, especially for the catalytic core “NHSC” motif, substrate binding site, and catalytic site in the SET domain. Lastly, further analyses indicated that silkworm SET-domain gene BmSu(var3-9 owned different characterization and expression profiles compared to other invertebrates. Overall, our results provide a new insight into the functional and evolutionary features of SET-domain family.

Heritable genome editing with CRISPR/Cas9 in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

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Wei Wei

Full Text Available We report the establishment of an efficient and heritable gene mutagenesis method in the silkworm Bombyx mori using modified type II clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR with an associated protein (Cas9 system. Using four loci Bm-ok, BmKMO, BmTH, and Bmtan as candidates, we proved that genome alterations at specific sites could be induced by direct microinjection of specific guide RNA and Cas9-mRNA into silkworm embryos. Mutation frequencies of 16.7-35.0% were observed in the injected generation, and DNA fragments deletions were also noted. Bm-ok mosaic mutants were used to test for mutant heritability due to the easily determined translucent epidermal phenotype of Bm-ok-disrupted cells. Two crossing strategies were used. In the first, injected Bm-ok moths were crossed with wild-type moths, and a 28.6% frequency of germline mutation transmission was observed. In the second strategy, two Bm-ok mosaic mutant moths were crossed with each other, and 93.6% of the offsprings appeared mutations in both alleles of Bm-ok gene (compound heterozygous. In summary, the CRISPR/Cas9 system can act as a highly specific and heritable gene-editing tool in Bombyx mori.

Identifying potential maternal genes of Bombyx mori using digital gene expression profiling

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Xu, Pingzhen

2018-01-01

Maternal genes present in mature oocytes play a crucial role in the early development of silkworm. Although maternal genes have been widely studied in many other species, there has been limited research in Bombyx mori. High-throughput next generation sequencing provides a practical method for gene discovery on a genome-wide level. Herein, a transcriptome study was used to identify maternal-related genes from silkworm eggs. Unfertilized eggs from five different stages of early development were used to detect the changing situation of gene expression. The expressed genes showed different patterns over time. Seventy-six maternal genes were annotated according to homology analysis with Drosophila melanogaster. More than half of the differentially expressed maternal genes fell into four expression patterns, while the expression patterns showed a downward trend over time. The functional annotation of these material genes was mainly related to transcription factor activity, growth factor activity, nucleic acid binding, RNA binding, ATP binding, and ion binding. Additionally, twenty-two gene clusters including maternal genes were identified from 18 scaffolds. Altogether, we plotted a profile for the maternal genes of Bombyx mori using a digital gene expression profiling method. This will provide the basis for maternal-specific signature research and improve the understanding of the early development of silkworm. PMID:29462160

The Effect of Bovine Milk on the Growth of Bombyx mori

OpenAIRE

Konala, Niharika; Abburi, Praveena; Bovilla, Venugopal Reddy; Mamillapalli, Anitha

2013-01-01

Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) is a well-studied Lepidopteran model system because of its morphology, life cycle, and economic importance. Many scientists have placed importance on enhancing the economic traits of B. mori because it's larvae, silkworms, are vital in the production of silk. In this study, the effect of bovine milk on B. mori growth was tested. Bovine milk contains several components that aid in healthy growth. The treatment was given to fifth instar B. mori larvae be...

Silkworm (Bombyx mori) hemocytes do not produce reactive oxygen metabolites as a part of defense mechanisms

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hyršl, P.; Číž, Milan; Kubala, Lukáš; Lojek, Antonín

2004-01-01

Roč. 49, č. 3 (2004), s. 315-319 ISSN 0015-5632 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IBS5004009 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z5004920 Keywords : hemocytes * Bombyx mori * reactive oxygen species Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 1.034, year: 2004

A novel immune-related gene HDD1 of silkworm Bombyx mori is involved in bacterial response.

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Zhang, Kui; Pan, Guangzhao; Zhao, Yuzu; Hao, Xiangwei; Li, Chongyang; Shen, Li; Zhang, Rui; Su, Jingjing; Cui, Hongjuan

2017-08-01

Insects have evolved an effective immune system to respond to various challenges. In this study, a novel immune-related gene, called BmHDD1, was first charactered in silkworm, Bombyx mori. BmHDD1 contained an ORF of 837bp and encoding a deduced protein of 278 amino acids. BmHDD1 was specifically expressed in hemocytes, and highly expressed at the molting and metamorphosis stages under normal physiological conditions. Our results suggested that BmHDD1 was mainly generated by hemocytes and secreted into hemolymph. Our results also showed that the expression level of BmHDD1 was significantly increased after 20E injection, which indicated that BmHDD1 might be regulated by ecdysone. More importantly, BmHDD1 was dramatically induced after injected with different types of PAMPs or bacteria, either in hemocytes or fat body. Those results suggested that BmHDD1 plays a role in developing and immunity system in silkworm, Bombyx mori. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Modulation of gene expression by nutritional state and hormones in Bombyx larvae in relation to its growth period.

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Thounaojam, Bembem; Keshan, Bela

2017-11-01

Insect growth and development are mainly regulated via synchronization of many extrinsic and intrinsic factors such as nutrition and hormones. Previously we have demonstrated that larval growth period influences the effect of insulin on the accumulation of glycogen in the fat body of Bombyx larvae. In the present study we demonstrate that Bombyx larvae at the terminal growth period (TGP, after critical weight) had a significantly greater increase in the expression level of Akt in the fat body than at the active growth period (AGP, before critical weight). The larvae at TGP also showed an increase in the expression level of ecdysone receptors (EcRB1 and USP1) and ecdysone-induced early genes (E75A and broad). The treatment of bovine insulin and methoprene to larvae at AGP induced the transcript levels of Akt, irrespective of the nutritional status of the larvae. However, in larvae at TGP, insulin repressed the transcript level of Akt. On contrary, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) induced the expression level of Akt in TGP larvae, but at feeding only. Insulin and 20E thus showed an antagonistic action on the Akt expression level in TGP larvae under feeding. The studies thus showed that larval growth period influences the expression level of Akt and ecdysone receptors in Bombyx. Further, the growth period and nutrition modulate the effect of exogenous hormones on Akt expression. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Identification and analysis of YELLOW protein family genes in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

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Yi Yong-Zhu

2006-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The major royal jelly proteins/yellow (MRJP/YELLOW family possesses several physiological and chemical functions in the development of Apis mellifera and Drosophila melanogaster. Each protein of the family has a conserved domain named MRJP. However, there is no report of MRJP/YELLOW family proteins in the Lepidoptera. Results Using the YELLOW protein sequence in Drosophila melanogaster to BLAST silkworm EST database, we found a gene family composed of seven members with a conserved MRJP domain each and named it YELLOW protein family of Bombyx mori. We completed the cDNA sequences with RACE method. The protein of each member possesses a MRJP domain and a putative cleavable signal peptide consisting of a hydrophobic sequence. In view of genetic evolution, the whole Bm YELLOW protein family composes a monophyletic group, which is distinctly separate from Drosophila melanogaster and Apis mellifera. We then showed the tissue expression profiles of Bm YELLOW protein family genes by RT-PCR. Conclusion A Bombyx mori YELLOW protein family is found to be composed of at least seven members. The low homogeneity and unique pattern of gene expression by each member among the family ensure us to prophesy that the members of Bm YELLOW protein family would play some important physiological functions in silkworm development.

Radiosurgery using heavy ion microbeams for biological study: Fate mapping of the cellular blastoderm-stage egg of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiguchi, Kenji; Shirai, Koji; Kanekatsu, Rensuke; Kobayashi, Yasuhiko; Tu, Z.-L.; Funayama, Tomoo; Watanabe, Hiroshi

2003-01-01

We investigated the effects of heavy ions on embryogenesis of the silkworm, Bombyx mori using a collimated heavy ion microbeam from the vertical beam line of an AVF-cyclotron. Eggs were exposed to carbon ions at the cellular blastoderm stage. Microbeams were found to be extremely useful for radio-microsurgical inactivation of nuclei or cells in the target site. Spot irradiation caused abnormal embryos, which showed localized defects such as deletion, duplication and fusion, depending on dose, beam size and site of irradiation. The location and frequency of defects on the resultant embryos were closely correlated to the irradiation site. Based on this correlation, a fate map was established for the Bombyx egg at the cellular blastoderm stage

Radiosurgery using heavy ion microbeams for biological study: Fate mapping of the cellular blastoderm-stage egg of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

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Kiguchi, Kenji E-mail: kkiguch@giptc.shinshu-u.ac.jp; Shirai, Koji; Kanekatsu, Rensuke; Kobayashi, Yasuhiko; Tu, Z.-L.; Funayama, Tomoo; Watanabe, Hiroshi

2003-09-01

We investigated the effects of heavy ions on embryogenesis of the silkworm, Bombyx mori using a collimated heavy ion microbeam from the vertical beam line of an AVF-cyclotron. Eggs were exposed to carbon ions at the cellular blastoderm stage. Microbeams were found to be extremely useful for radio-microsurgical inactivation of nuclei or cells in the target site. Spot irradiation caused abnormal embryos, which showed localized defects such as deletion, duplication and fusion, depending on dose, beam size and site of irradiation. The location and frequency of defects on the resultant embryos were closely correlated to the irradiation site. Based on this correlation, a fate map was established for the Bombyx egg at the cellular blastoderm stage.

Two Dimensional Electrophoresis of Galactosidase Relating to the Disappearance of Bombyx Lectin Activity

OpenAIRE

カトウ, ヤスオ; Yasuo, Kato

2004-01-01

"Two dimensional polyacrylamide gel electroporesis (2 D-PAGE) analysis on the haemolymph of Bombyx mori was performed using the Mini-PROTEAN mini tube gel two dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.). The result on various electrophoretical conditions using the haemolymph-protein showed the possibility that the haemolymph-protein was separated actually by means of this method. Moreover, the result of 2 D-PAGE analysis on Fraction II obtained by gel fi...

20-Hydroxyecdysone stimulates nuclear accumulation of BmNep1, a nuclear ribosome biogenesis-related protein in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, M-M; Liu, A-Q; Sima, Y-H; Xu, S-Q

2016-10-01

The pathway of communication between endocrine hormones and ribosome biogenesis critical for physiological adaptation is largely unknown. Nucleolar essential protein 1 (Nep1) is an essential gene for ribosome biogenesis and is functionally conserved in many in vertebrate and invertebrate species. In this study, we cloned Bombyx mori Nep1 (BmNep1) due to its high expression in silk glands of silkworms on day 3 of the fifth instar. We found that BmNep1 mRNA and protein levels were upregulated in silk glands during fourth-instar ecdysis and larval-pupal metamorphosis. By immunoprecipitation with the anti-BmNep1 antibody and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses, it was shown that BmNep1 probably interacts with proteins related to ribosome structure formation. Immunohistochemistry, biochemical fractionation and immunocytochemistry revealed that BmNep1 is localized to the nuclei in Bombyx cells. Using BmN cells originally derived from ovaries, we demonstrated that 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) induced BmNep1 expression and stimulated nuclear accumulation of BmNep1. Under physiological conditions, BmNep1 was also upregulated in ovaries during larval-pupal metamorphosis. Overall, our results indicate that the endocrine hormone 20E facilitates nuclear accumulation of BmNep1, which is involved in nuclear ribosome biogenesis in Bombyx. © 2016 The Royal Entomological Society.

Hygroscopics and yield characteristics of cocoon in races of Bombyx mori L.

OpenAIRE

Antonio José Porto; José Eduardo de Almeida

2012-01-01

Cocoons, cocoon shells and chrysalis of four races of Bombyx mori L., two from China (C202 and C212) and two from Japan (B104 and M11-2), were analyzed in function of determinant factors as weight (dry mater and moisture) and by hygroscopic capacity after cooking. It was used a complete randomized design, with four treatments and ten replications. Although the cocoon shell has a higher hygroscopic capacity, the percentage of water in the chrysalis is the main factor to determine the weight of...

The influence of low level γ-radiation on the development of bombyx Mori L

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yusifov, N.I.; Kuzin, A.M.; Agaev, F.A.; Mozgovoj, E.G.; AN Azerbajdzhanskoj SSR, Baku. Sektor Radiatsionnykh Issledovanij)

1988-01-01

Chronic γ-irradiation of a grain at a dose-rate 100, 1000 and 4000 times as high as that of the natural radiation background significantly accelerates the development of Bombyx moti L. The caterpillar development may also be stimulated by a single exposure of the grain to 2 Gy radiation. The acceleration of the caterpillar growth promotes the increase in the cocoon weight and the raw-silk mass

MicroRNA expression profiling during the life cycle of the silkworm (Bombyx mori)

OpenAIRE

Liu, Shiping; Zhang, Liang; Li, Qibin; Zhao, Ping; Duan, Jun; Cheng, Daojun; Xiang, Zhonghuai; Xia, Qingyou

2009-01-01

Abstract Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are expressed by a wide range of eukaryotic organisms, and function in diverse biological processes. Numerous miRNAs have been identified in Bombyx mori, but the temporal expression profiles of miRNAs corresponding to each stage transition over the entire life cycle of the silkworm remain to be established. To obtain a comprehensive overview of the correlation between miRNA expression and stage transitions, we performed a whole-life test and subsequent s...

Comparative Studies of Two-Dimensional Electrophoresis on Galactosidase Relating to Bombyx Lectin Activity

OpenAIRE

加藤, 靖夫; カトウ, ヤスオ; Yasuo, Kato

2005-01-01

"Comparative two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) analysis on the haemolymph of the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori and Fraction II obtained by gel filtration from the haemolymph of B. mori was performed using the 2-D mini-slab system (Atto Co.) (the first method of 2-D PAGE) and the Mini-PROTEAN mini tube gel 2-D PAGE system (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.) (the second method). Moreover, two-dimensionnal electrophoresis analysis on standard β-galactosidase, grade III ...

Genomic diversity of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus strains.

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Xu, Yi-Peng; Cheng, Ruo-Lin; Xi, Yu; Zhang, Chuan-Xi

2013-07-01

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a baculovirus that selectively infects the domestic silkworm. In this study, six BmNPV strains were compared at the whole genome level. We found that the number of bro genes and the composition of the homologous regions (hrs) are the two primary areas of divergence within these genomes. When we compared the ORFs of these BmNPV variants, we noticed a high degree of sequence divergence in the ORFs that are not baculovirus core genes. This result is consistent with the results derived from phylogenetic trees and evolutionary pressure analyses of these ORFs, indicating that ORFs that are not core genes likely play important roles in the evolution of BmNPV strains. The evolutionary relationships of these BmNPV strains might be explained by their geographic origins or those of their hosts. In addition, the total number of hr palindromes seems to affect viral DNA replication in Bm5 cells. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Induction of thermal shock proteins and changes in radiosensitivity after heat treatment of Bombyx mori L. embryos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agaev, F.A.

1993-01-01

The method of gel-electrophoresis was used to study thermal shock protein synthesis in Bombyx mori embryos exposed to a mixture of heat and gamma-radiation. Induction of thermal shock protein synthesis was not inhibited by gamma-radiation. It is suggested that thermal shock proteins are involved embryo radiosensitivity modification

Resistance to BmNPV via overexpression of an exogenous gene controlled by an inducible promoter and enhancer in transgenic silkworm, Bombyx mori.

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Liang Jiang

Full Text Available The hycu-ep32 gene of Hyphantria cunea NPV can inhibit Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV multiplication in co-infected cells, but it is not known whether the overexpression of the hycu-ep32 gene has an antiviral effect in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Thus, we constructed four transgenic vectors, which were under the control of the 39 K promoter of BmNPV (39 KP, Bombyx mori A4 promoter (A4P, hr3 enhancer of BmNPV combined with 39 KP, and hr3 combined with A4P. Transgenic lines were created via embryo microinjection using practical diapause silkworm. qPCR revealed that the expression level of hycu-ep32 could be induced effectively after BmNPV infection in transgenic lines where hycu-ep32 was controlled by hr3 combined with 39 KP (i.e., HEKG. After oral inoculation of BmNPV with 3 × 10(5 occlusion bodies per third instar, the mortality with HEKG-B was approximately 30% lower compared with the non-transgenic line. The economic characteristics of the transgenic lines remained unchanged. These results suggest that overexpression of an exogenous antiviral gene controlled by an inducible promoter and enhancer is a feasible method for breeding silkworms with a high antiviral capacity.

20-hydroxyecdysone upregulates Atg genes to induce autophagy in the Bombyx fat body

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Ling; Ma, Li; Guo, Enen; Deng, Xiaojuan; Ma, Sanyuan; Xia, Qingyou; Cao, Yang; Li, Sheng

2013-01-01

Autophagy is finely regulated at multiple levels and plays crucial roles in development and disease. In the fat body of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, autophagy occurs and Atg gene expression peaks during the nonfeeding molting and pupation stages when the steroid hormone (20-hydroxyecdysone; 20E) is high. Injection of 20E into the feeding larvae upregulated Atg genes and reduced TORC1 activity resulting in autophagy induction in the fat body. Conversely, RNAi knockdown of the 20E receptor partner (USP) or targeted overexpression of a dominant negative mutant of the 20E receptor (EcRDN) in the larval fat body reduced autophagy and downregulated the Atg genes, confirming the importance of 20E-induction of Atg gene expression during pupation. Moreover, in vitro treatments of the larval fat body with 20E upregulated the Atg genes. Five Atg genes were potentially 20E primary-responsive, and a 20E response element was identified in the Atg1 (ortholog of human ULK1) promoter region. Furthermore, RNAi knockdown of 4 key genes (namely Br-C, E74, HR3 and βftz-F1) in the 20E-triggered transcriptional cascade reduced autophagy and downregulated Atg genes to different levels. Taken together, we conclude that in addition to blocking TORC1 activity for autophagosome initiation, 20E upregulates Atg genes to induce autophagy in the Bombyx fat body. PMID:23674061

Protective effects of Bombyx mori, quercetin and benazepril against doxorubicin induced cardiotoxicity and nephrotoxicity

OpenAIRE

Abdul S. Nazmi; Shibli J. Ahmad; Krishna K. Pillai; Mohammad Akhtar; Aftab Ahmad; Abul K. Najmi

2016-01-01

The present study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the protective effects of Bombyx mori, quercetin and benazepril on doxorubicin (DXR) induced cardiotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in rats. B. mori, quercetin and benazepril were administered for 7 days, and a single intravenous injection of 10 mg/kg body weight of DXR on day five. The animals were sacrificed 48 h after DXR administration. DXR produced a significant elevation in the malondialdehyde (MDA) level and significantly inhibited ...

People’s Republic of China Scientific Abstracts, Number 197

Science.gov (United States)

1978-08-10

Chinese Academy of Sciences TITLE: "Characteristics of the DNA from Pupal Gonads of Bombyx Mori L.1*» SOURCE: Peking K’UN-CH’UNG HSUEH-PAO [ACTA...some fundamental properties of the DNA from the pupal gonada of Bombyx mori L. The results are as follows: The peak of u.v. absorption of the testicular...pest populations, especially by means of using their natural enemies and changing the spatial structures of their habitats ; (4) use of descrip

Characterization of Bombyx mori mitochondrial transcription factor A, a conserved regulator of mitochondrial DNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Sumitani, Megumi; Kondo, Mari; Kasashima, Katsumi; Endo, Hitoshi; Nakamura, Kaoru; Misawa, Toshihiko; Tanaka, Hiromitsu; Sezutsu, Hideki

2017-04-15

In the present study, we initially cloned and characterized a mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam) homologue in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Bombyx mori TFAM (BmTFAM) localized to mitochondria in cultured silkworm and human cells, and co-localized with mtDNA nucleoids in human HeLa cells. In an immunoprecipitation analysis, BmTFAM was found to associate with human mtDNA in mitochondria, indicating its feature as a non-specific DNA-binding protein. In spite of the low identity between BmTFAM and human TFAM (26.5%), the expression of BmTFAM rescued mtDNA copy number reductions and enlarged mtDNA nucleoids in HeLa cells, which were induced by human Tfam knockdown. Thus, BmTFAM compensates for the function of human TFAM in HeLa cells, demonstrating that the mitochondrial function of TFAM is highly conserved between silkworms and humans. BmTfam mRNA was strongly expressed in early embryos. Through double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-based RNA interference (RNAi) in silkworm embryos, we found that the knockdown of BmTFAM reduced the amount of mtDNA and induced growth retardation at the larval stage. Collectively, these results demonstrate that BmTFAM is a highly conserved mtDNA regulator and may be a good candidate for investigating and modulating mtDNA metabolism in this model organism. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of the Bm61 of the Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Hongxing; Chen, Keping; Yao, Qin; Zhou, Yang

2009-07-01

orf61 (bm61) of Bombyx mori Nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a highly conserved baculovirus gene, suggesting that it performs an important role in the virus life cycle whose function is unknown. In this study, we describe the characterization of bm61. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot analysis demonstrated that bm61 was expressed as a late gene. Immunofluorescence analysis by confocal microscopy showed that BM61 protein was localized on nuclear membrane and in intranuclear ring zone of infected cells. Structure localization of the BM61 in BV and ODV by western analysis demonstrated that BM61 was the protein of both BV and ODV. In addition, our data indicated that BM61 was a late structure protein localized in nucleus.

Structural and thermal properties of γ – irradiated Bombyx mori silk fibroin films

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Madhukumar, R.; Asha, S.; Rao, B. Lakshmeesha; Shivananda, C. S.; Harish, K. V.; Sangappa, E-mail: syhalabhavi@yahoo.co.in [Department of Studies in Physics, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri, Mangalore - 574199 (India); Sarojini, B. K. [Department of Studies in Chemistry, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri, Mangalore - 574199 (India); Somashekar, R. [Department of Studies in Physics, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore - 570006 (India)

2015-06-24

The gamma radiation-induced change in structural and thermal properties of Bombyx mori silk fibroin films were investigated and have been correlated with the applied radiation doses. Irradiation of samples were carried out in dry air at room temperature using Co-60 source, and radiation doses are in the range of 0 - 300 kGy. Structural and thermal properties of the irradiated silk films were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and compared with unirradiated sample. Interesting results are discussed in this report.

Pheromone discrimination by a pH-tuned polymorphism of the Bombyx mori pheromone-binding protein

OpenAIRE

Damberger, Fred F.; Michel, Erich; Ishida, Yuko; Leal, Walter S.; Wüthrich, Kurt

2013-01-01

Pheromone recognition by insect olfactory organs is critical for the ability of insects to locate mates. The silkworm moth Bombyx mori has long served as a model organism for studies of this process. Key components in the sensory organs have been identified, including the pheromone bombykol, pheromone-binding protein (BmorPBP), ligand-degrading enzymes, and the pheromone receptor, but many details of the mechanism allowing highly sensitive and selective pheromone detection are still elusive. ...

MicroRNA-281 regulates the expression of ecdysone receptor (EcR) isoform B in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Science.gov (United States)

Hundreds of Bombyx mori miRNAs had been identified in recent years, but their function in vivo remains poorly understood. The silkworm EcR gene (BmEcR) has three transcriptional isoforms, A, B1 and B2. Isoform sequences are different in the 3’UTR region of the gene, which is the case only in insects...

New insights into the catalytic mechanism of Bombyx mori prostaglandin E synthase gained from structure–function analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamamoto, Kohji, E-mail: yamamok@agr.kyushu-u.ac.jp [Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University Graduate School, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581 (Japan); Suzuki, Mamoru; Higashiura, Akifumi [Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871 (Japan); Aritake, Kosuke; Urade, Yoshihiro; Uodome, Nobuko [Department of Molecular Behavioral Biology, Osaka Bioscience Institute, 6-2-4 Furuedai, Suita, Osaka 565-0874 (Japan); Hossain, MD. Tofazzal [Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University Graduate School, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581 (Japan); Nakagawa, Atsushi [Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871 (Japan)

2013-11-01

Highlights: •Structure of Bombyx mori prostaglandin E synthase is determined. •Bound glutathione sulfonic acid is located at the glutathione-binding site. •Electron-sharing network is present in this protein. •This network includes Asn95, Asp96, and Arg98. •Site-directed mutagenesis reveals that the residues contribute to the catalytic activity. -- Abstract: Prostaglandin E synthase (PGES) catalyzes the isomerization of PGH{sub 2} to PGE{sub 2}. We previously reported the identification and structural characterization of Bombyx mori PGES (bmPGES), which belongs to Sigma-class glutathione transferase. Here, we extend these studies by determining the structure of bmPGES in complex with glutathione sulfonic acid (GTS) at a resolution of 1.37 Å using X-ray crystallography. GTS localized to the glutathione-binding site. We found that electron-sharing network of bmPGES includes Asn95, Asp96, and Arg98. Site-directed mutagenesis of these residues to create mutant forms of bmPGES mutants indicate that they contribute to catalytic activity. These results are, to our knowledge, the first to reveal the presence of an electron-sharing network in bmPGES.

Injury-induced rapid activation of MAPK signaling in dechorionated eggs and larvae of the silkworm Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Shi-Hong; Chen, Chien-Hung

2017-04-01

Previous study showed that diapause in Bombyx mori eggs can be terminated by dechorionation and that activation in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in dechorionated cultured eggs is involved in diapause termination. In the present study, the possible mechanism underlying activation of ERK upon dechorionation was further investigated. Results showed that mechanical injury of diapause eggs without medium incubation also resulted in rapid increase in the phospho-ERK levels and that injury increased the phospho-ERK levels at different stages of both diapause eggs and eggs in which diapause initiation was prevented by HCl. Effects of anaerobiosis on dechorionation-stimulated phospho-ERK levels showed that the mechanical injury itself but not the dramatic increase in oxygen uptake upon injury is involved in a rapid activation of ERK. Chemical anaerobiosis on dechorionation-stimulated phospho-ERK levels and the in vivo effect of anaerobiosis showed that the supply of oxygen also plays a role in ERK signaling. In addition, injury induced the phosphorylation of c-jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) and p38 kinase, components of two parallel MAPK pathways. A kinase assay showed a dramatic increase in JNK kinase activity in egg lysates upon injury. When newly hatched first instar larvae were injured, an increase in the phospho-ERK levels similar to that in dechorionated eggs was observed. From the results, we hypothesize that the injury-induced rapid activation of MAPK signaling, which serves as a natural signal for embryonic development, is related to diapause termination in dechorionated eggs. © 2015 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Structure of autophagy-related protein Atg8 from the silkworm Bombyx mori

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Chen; Zhang, Xuan; Teng, Yan-Bin; Hu, Hai-Xi; Li, Wei-Fang

2010-01-01

The crystal structure of autophagy-related protein Atg8 from the silkworm B. mori has two additional helices at the N-terminus before the expected ubiquitin fold. Autophagy-related protein Atg8 is ubiquitous in all eukaryotes. It is involved in the Atg8–PE ubiquitin-like conjugation system, which is essential for autophagosome formation. The structures of Atg8 from different species are very similar and share a ubiquitin-fold domain at the C-terminus. In the 2.40 Å crystal structure of Atg8 from the silkworm Bombyx mori reported here, the ubiquitin fold at the C-terminus is preceded by two additional helices at the N-terminus

Identification and quantification and antioxidant activity of flavonoids in different strains of silk cocoon, Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Napavichayanun, Supamas; Lutz, Oliver; Fischnaller, Martin; Jakschitz, Thomas; Bonn, Günther; Aramwit, Pornanong

2017-10-01

Silk cocoon is produced from silkworm (Bombyx mori) to protect itself from outer environment. Various strains of cocoon contain different forms and amounts of flavonoids, which may affect on their antioxidant activity. Moreover, the extraction method would influence the amount of flavonoids extracted. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to identify and quantify the flavonoids in 3 strains of bivoltine Bombyx mori silk cocoon (Chul 1/1; white cocoon, Chul 3/2; greenish cocoon, and Chul 4/2; yellow cocoon) extracted by 6 different solvents including acetone, ethyl acetate, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), ethanol, methanol, and purified water. The flavonoids extracted were identified and quantified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The antioxidant activity of flavonoids extracted was also investigated by visible spectroscopy at 517 nm. The results showed that Chul 3/2 silk cocoon contained the highest amount of flavonoids. Purified water seemed to be the best solvent that preserved most antioxidant activity of the flavonoids extracted. Flavonoids in Chul 1/1 and Chul 4/2 silk cocoon were rarely found, however they contained some antioxidant activities. The data from this study can provide basic information for flavonoid extraction from silk cocoon which can also apply for other flavonoid-containing natural biomaterials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sublethal dose of phoxim and Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus interact to elevate silkworm mortality.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, ZhiYa; Li, FanChi; Hu, JingSheng; Ding, Chao; Wang, Chaoqian; Tian, JiangHai; Xue, Bin; Xu, KaiZun; Shen, WeiDe; Li, Bing

2017-03-01

Silkworm (Bombyx mori) is an economically important insect. It is relatively less resistant to certain chemicals and environment exposures such as pesticides and pathogens. After pesticide exposures, the silkworms are more susceptible to microbial infections. The mechanism underlying the susceptibility might be related to immune response and oxidative stress. A sublethal dose of phoxim combined with Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) elevated the silkworm mortality at 96 h. We found a higher content of H 2 O 2 and increased levels of genes related to oxidative stress and immune response after treatment with a sublethal dose of phoxim for 24 h or 48 h. However, such response decreased with longer pesticide treatment. Mortality increased by 44% when B. mori was exposed to combined treatment with BmNPV and phoxim rather than BmNPV alone. The level of examined immune-related and oxidative-stress-related genes significantly decreased in the combined treatment group compared with the BmNPV group. Our results indicated that, with long-term exposure to pesticides such as OPs, even at sublethal dose, the oxidative stress response and immune responses in silkworm were inhibited, which may lead to further immune impairment and accumulation of oxidative stress, resulting in susceptibility to the virus and harm to the silkworm. Our study provided insights for understanding the susceptibility to pathogen after pesticide exposures, which may promote the development of better pesticide controls to avoid significant economic losses. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Identification and characterization of vp7 gene in Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Lei; Hu, Xiaolong; Zhu, Min; Liang, Zi; Chen, Fei; Zhu, Liyuan; Kuang, Sulan; Cao, Guangli; Xue, Renyu; Gong, Chengliang

2017-09-05

The genome of Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV) contains 10 double stranded RNA segments (S1-S10). The segment 7 (S7) encodes 50kDa protein which is considered as a structural protein. The expression pattern and function of p50 in the virus life cycle are still unclear. In this study, the viral structural protein 7 (VP7) polyclonal antibody was prepared with immunized mouse to explore the presence of small VP7 gene-encoded proteins in Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus. The expression pattern of vp7 gene was investigated by its overexpression in BmN cells. In addition to VP7, supplementary band was identified with western blotting technique. The virion, BmCPV infected cells and midguts were also examined using western blotting technique. 4, 2 and 5 bands were detected in the corresponding samples, respectively. The replication of BmCPV genome in the cultured cells and midgut of silkworm was decreased by reducing the expression level of vp7 gene using RNA interference. In immunoprecipitation experiments, using a polyclonal antiserum directed against the VP7, one additional shorter band in BmCPV infected midguts was detected, and then the band was analyzed with mass spectrum (MS), the MS results showed thatone candidate interacted protein (VP7 voltage-dependent anion-selective channel-like isoform, VDAC) was identified from silkworm. We concluded that the novel viral product was generated with a leaky scanning mechanism and the VDAC may be an interacted protein with VP7. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inter- and intra-population genetic variability of introduced silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) strains raised in Bulgaria

OpenAIRE

Teodora Staykova

2013-01-01

The genetic variability of four populations belonging to two introduced silkworm strains (Bombyx mori L.) of various origins has been studied using isoenzymic analysis of six enzyme systems. Nonspecific esterases, phosphoglucomutase, malate dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase and hexokinase from different tissue of larvae 5th instar have been analysed using PAGE. Polymorphism in six from a total of nine loci has been found. Inter- and intra-population differences have been a...

Vitellogenin from the silkworm, Bombyx mori: an effective anti-bacterial agent.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Nitin Kumar; Pakkianathan, Britto Cathrin; Kumar, Manish; Prasad, Tulika; Kannan, Mani; König, Simone; Krishnan, Muthukalingan

2013-01-01

Silkworm, Bombyx mori, vitellogenin (Vg) was isolated from perivisceral fat body of day 3 of pupa. Both Vg subunits were co-purified as verified by mass spectrometry and immunoblot. Purified Vg responded to specific tests for major posttranslational modifications on native gels indicating its nature as lipo-glyco-phosphoprotein. The Vg fraction had strong antibacterial activity against Gram negative bacterium Escherichia coli and Gram positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Microscopic images showed binding of Vg to bacterial cells and their destruction. When infected silkworm larvae were treated with purified Vg they survived the full life cycle in contrast to untreated animals. This result showed that Vg has the ability to inhibit the proliferation of bacteria in the silkworm fluid system without disturbing the regular metabolism of the host.

Characterization of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus with a knockout of Bm17.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Hongxing; Zhou, Yang; Zhang, Wen; Nin, Bin; Wang, Hua; Wang, Xiaochun; Shao, Shihe; Chen, Huiqing; Guo, Zhongjian; Liu, Xiaoyong; Yao, Qin; Chen, Keping

2012-12-01

Open reading frame 17 (Bm17) gene of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus is a highly conserved gene in lepidopteran nucleopolyhedroviruses, but its function remains unknown. In this report, transient-expression and superinfection assays indicated that BM17 localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm of infected BmN cells. To determine the role of Bm17 in baculovirus life cycle, we constructed a Bm17 knockout virus and characterized its properties in cells. Analysis of the production and infection of budded virions, the level of viral DNA replication revealed showed that there was no significant difference among the mutant, the control, and the Bm17 repaired virus strains. These results suggest that BM17 is not essential for virus replication in cultured cells.

Development and reproduction of Podisus distinctus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) fed on larva of Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae)

OpenAIRE

Lacerda, M. C.; Ferreira, A. M. R. M.; Zanuncio, T. V.; Zanuncio, J. C.; Bernardino, A. S.; Espindula, M. C.

2004-01-01

Biological control has been reducing the use of chemical products against insect pests, specially predatory Pentatomidae. Species of this group can present high variations in their life cycle as a result of their diet. Thus, the objective of this research was to study nymph development and reproduction of Podisus distinctus (Stäl, 1860) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) fed on Bombyx mori L., 1758 (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) larvae (T1), compared to those fed on Tenebrio molitor L., 1758 (Coleoptera:...

Identification of specific sites in the third intracellular loop and carboxyl terminus of the Bombyx mori PBAN receptor crucial for ligand-induced internalization

Science.gov (United States)

Sex pheromone production in most moths is mediated by the pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide receptor (PBANR). Similar to other rhodopsin-like G protein-coupled receptors, the silkmoth Bombyx mori PBANR (BmPBANR) undergoes agonist-induced internalization. Despite interest in developing...

A Single Sex Pheromone Receptor Determines Chemical Response Specificity of Sexual Behavior in the Silkmoth Bombyx mori

OpenAIRE

Sakurai, Takeshi; Mitsuno, Hidefumi; Haupt, Stephan Shuichi; Uchino, Keiro; Yokohari, Fumio; Nishioka, Takaaki; Kobayashi, Isao; Sezutsu, Hideki; Tamura, Toshiki; Kanzaki, Ryohei

2011-01-01

In insects and other animals, intraspecific communication between individuals of the opposite sex is mediated in part by chemical signals called sex pheromones. In most moth species, male moths rely heavily on species-specific sex pheromones emitted by female moths to identify and orient towards an appropriate mating partner among a large number of sympatric insect species. The silkmoth, Bombyx mori, utilizes the simplest possible pheromone system, in which a single pheromone component, (E, Z...

Viral Small-RNA Analysis of Bombyx mori Larval Midgut during Persistent and Pathogenic Cytoplasmic Polyhedrosis Virus Infection

OpenAIRE

Zografidis, Aris; Van Nieuwerburgh, Filip; Kolliopoulou, Anna; Apostolou-Karampelis, Konstantinos; Head, Steven R.; Deforce, Dieter; Smagghe, Guy; Swevers, Luc

2015-01-01

The lepidopteran innate immune response against RNA viruses remains poorly understood, while in other insects several studies have highlighted an essential role for the exo-RNAi pathway in combating viral infection. Here, by using deep-sequencing technology for viral small-RNA (vsRNA) assessment, we provide evidence that exo-RNAi is operative in the silkworm Bombyx mori against both persistent and pathogenic infection of B. mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV) which is characterized by...

Chitin in the Silk Gland Ducts of the Spider Nephila edulis and the Silkworm Bombyx mori

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, Gwilym J. G.; Knight, David P.; Vollrath, Fritz

2013-01-01

Here we report the detection and localisation of chitin in the cuticle of the spinning ducts of both the spider Nephila edulis and the silkworm Bombyx mori. Our observations demonstrate that the duct walls of both animals contain chitin notwithstanding totally independent evolutionary pathways of the systems. We conclude that chitin may well be an essential component for the construction of spinning ducts; we further conclude that in both species chitin may indicate the evolutionary origin of the spinning ducts. PMID:24015298

Vitellogenin from the silkworm, Bombyx mori: an effective anti-bacterial agent.

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Nitin Kumar Singh

Full Text Available Silkworm, Bombyx mori, vitellogenin (Vg was isolated from perivisceral fat body of day 3 of pupa. Both Vg subunits were co-purified as verified by mass spectrometry and immunoblot. Purified Vg responded to specific tests for major posttranslational modifications on native gels indicating its nature as lipo-glyco-phosphoprotein. The Vg fraction had strong antibacterial activity against Gram negative bacterium Escherichia coli and Gram positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Microscopic images showed binding of Vg to bacterial cells and their destruction. When infected silkworm larvae were treated with purified Vg they survived the full life cycle in contrast to untreated animals. This result showed that Vg has the ability to inhibit the proliferation of bacteria in the silkworm fluid system without disturbing the regular metabolism of the host.

The Expression, Purification, and Characterization of a Ras Oncogene (Bras2) in Silkworm (Bombyx mori)

OpenAIRE

Lv, Zhengbing; Wang, Tao; Zhuang, Wenhua; Wang, Dan; Chen, Jian; Nie, Zuoming; Liu, Lili; Zhang, Wenping; Wang, Lisha; Wang, Deming; Wu, Xiangfu; Li, Jun; Qian, Lian; Zhang, Yaozhou

2013-01-01

The Ras oncogene of silkworm pupae (Bras2) may belong to the Ras superfamily. It shares 77% of its amino acid identity with teratocarcinoma oncogene 21 (TC21) related ras viral oncogene homolog-2 (R-Ras2) and possesses an identical core effector region. The mRNA of Bombyx mori Bras2 has 1412 bp. The open reading frame contains 603 bp, which encodes 200 amino acid residues. This recombinant BmBras2 protein was subsequently used as an antigen to raise a rabbit polyclonal antibody. Western blott...

Identification of plasmalogen in the gut of silkworm (Bombyx mori).

Science.gov (United States)

Aboshi, Takako; Nishida, Ritsuo; Mori, Naoki

2012-08-01

Herbivorous insect species are constantly challenged with endogenous and exogenous oxidative stress. Consequently, they possess an array of antioxidant enzymes and small molecular weight antioxidants. Lipid-soluble small molecular antioxidants, such as tocopherols, have not been well studied in insects but may play important antioxidant roles. In this study, we identified plasmalogen phosphatidylethanolamines (pPEs) as well as α-, β/γ-, δ-tocopherol in the larvae of the silkworm Bombyx mori by LCMS analyses and examined their distribution. Plasmalogen are reported to inhibit the metal ion induced oxidation. The composition of tocopherols was the same among gut contents, gut tissues, and the other tissues. However, plasmalogens, a unique class of glycerophospholipids rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and containing a vinyl ether bond at the sn-1 position, were mainly distributed in gut tissues. Plasmalogens might protect gut tissues from oxidation stress. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The molecular mobility of water in natural polymers : Silk Bombyx mori with a low water content as studied by H-1 DQF NMR

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rodin, VV; Knight, DP

2004-01-01

The molecular mobility of water in fibres of natural silk (Bombyx mori) was studied by the double-quantum-filtered (DQF) and single-pulse H-1 NMR techniques. The results obtained showed a slow motion of water molecules and their strong interaction with silk macromolecules. At different model

Feeding response of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, to UV irradiation of mulberry leaves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yazawa, M.; Shimizu, T.; Hirao, T.

1992-01-01

Ultraviolet irradiation of mulberry leaves caused a reduced feeding response in Bombyx mori larvae (ca. 22% reduction in consumption as compared with control). Sucrose content of the foliage decreased after exposure to UV irradiation (0.5 mW/cm 2 ) for 1 hr. Electrophysiological responses of the sensilla styloconica-I to sucrose concentration (ca. 0-80 mg/g) showed a reduced response to UV-irradiated foliage when compared with the control. From feeding, gustatory, and electrophysiological responses, as well as the measurement of sucrose contents of the leaves, we concluded that the reduced feeding response to UV-irradiated leaves is due to the reduced sucrose content of the mulberry leaves, thus reducing pleogostimulatory levels

Characterisation of a desmosterol reductase involved in phytosterol dealkylation in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonora F Ciufo

Full Text Available Most species of invertebrate animals cannot synthesise sterols de novo and many that feed on plants dealkylate phytosterols (mostly C(29 and C(28 yielding cholesterol (C(27. The final step of this dealkylation pathway involves desmosterol reductase (DHCR24-catalysed reduction of desmosterol to cholesterol. We now report the molecular characterisation in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, of such a desmosterol reductase involved in production of cholesterol from phytosterol, rather than in de novo synthesis of cholesterol. Phylogenomic analysis of putative desmosterol reductases revealed the occurrence of various clades that allowed for the identification of a strong reductase candidate gene in Bombyx mori (BGIBMGA 005735. Following PCR-based cloning of the cDNA (1.6 kb and its heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisae, the recombinant protein catalysed reduction of desmosterol to cholesterol in an NADH- and FAD-dependent reaction.Conceptual translation of the cDNA, that encodes a 58.9 kDa protein, and database searching, revealed that the enzyme belongs to an FAD-dependent oxidoreductase family. Western blotting revealed reductase protein expression exclusively in the microsomal subcellular fraction and primarily in the gut. The protein is peripherally associated with microsomal membranes. 2D-native gel and PAGE analysis revealed that the reductase is part of a large complex with molecular weight approximately 250 kDa. The protein occurs in midgut microsomes at a fairly constant level throughout development in the last two instars, but is drastically reduced during the wandering stage in preparation for metamorphosis. Putative Broad Complex transcription factor-binding sites detectable upstream of the DHCR24 gene may play a role in this down-regulation.

Characterisation of a Desmosterol Reductase Involved in Phytosterol Dealkylation in the Silkworm, Bombyx mori

Science.gov (United States)

Ciufo, Leonora F.; Murray, Patricia A.; Thompson, Anu; Rigden, Daniel J.; Rees, Huw H.

2011-01-01

Most species of invertebrate animals cannot synthesise sterols de novo and many that feed on plants dealkylate phytosterols (mostly C29 and C28) yielding cholesterol (C27). The final step of this dealkylation pathway involves desmosterol reductase (DHCR24)-catalysed reduction of desmosterol to cholesterol. We now report the molecular characterisation in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, of such a desmosterol reductase involved in production of cholesterol from phytosterol, rather than in de novo synthesis of cholesterol. Phylogenomic analysis of putative desmosterol reductases revealed the occurrence of various clades that allowed for the identification of a strong reductase candidate gene in Bombyx mori (BGIBMGA 005735). Following PCR-based cloning of the cDNA (1.6 kb) and its heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisae, the recombinant protein catalysed reduction of desmosterol to cholesterol in an NADH- and FAD- dependent reaction. Conceptual translation of the cDNA, that encodes a 58.9 kDa protein, and database searching, revealed that the enzyme belongs to an FAD-dependent oxidoreductase family. Western blotting revealed reductase protein expression exclusively in the microsomal subcellular fraction and primarily in the gut. The protein is peripherally associated with microsomal membranes. 2D-native gel and PAGE analysis revealed that the reductase is part of a large complex with molecular weight approximately 250kDa. The protein occurs in midgut microsomes at a fairly constant level throughout development in the last two instars, but is drastically reduced during the wandering stage in preparation for metamorphosis. Putative Broad Complex transcription factor-binding sites detectable upstream of the DHCR24 gene may play a role in this down-regulation. PMID:21738635

A Review of the Implications of Heterozygosity and Inbreeding on Germplasm Biodiversity and Its Conservation in the Silkworm, Bombyx mori

Science.gov (United States)

Jingade, A.H.; Vijayan, K.; Somasundaram, P.; Srivasababu, G.K.; Kamble, C.K.

2011-01-01

Silkworm genebanks assume paramount importance as the reservoirs of biodiversity and source of alleles that can be easily retrieved for genetic enhancement of popular breeds. More than 4000 Bombyx mori L (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) strains are currently available and these strains are maintained through continuous sibling mating. This repeated sibling mating makes the populations of each strain more homozygous, but leads to loss of unique and valuable genes through the process of inbreeding depression. Hence, it is essential to maintain a minimal degree of heterozygosity within the population of each silkworm strain, especially in the traditional geographic strains, to avoid such loss. As a result, accurate estimation of genetic diversity is becoming more important in silkworm genetic resources conservation. Application of molecular markers help estimate genetic diversity much more accurately than that of morphological traits. Since a minimal amount of heterozygosity in each silkworm strain is essential for better conservation by avoiding inbreeding depression, this article overviews both theoretical and practical importance of heterozygosity together with impacts of inbreeding depression and the merits and demerits of neutral molecular markers for measurements of both heterozygosity and inbreeding depression in the silkworm Bombyx mori. PMID:21521139

Regulation of Silk Genes by Hox and Homeodomain Proteins in the Terminal Differentiated Silk Gland of the Silkworm Bombyx mori

Science.gov (United States)

Takiya, Shigeharu; Tsubota, Takuya; Kimoto, Mai

2016-01-01

The silk gland of the silkworm Bombyx mori is a long tubular organ that is divided into several subparts along its anteroposterior (AP) axis. As a trait of terminal differentiation of the silk gland, several silk protein genes are expressed with unique regional specificities. Most of the Hox and some of the homeobox genes are also expressed in the differentiated silk gland with regional specificities. The expression patterns of Hox genes in the silk gland roughly correspond to those in embryogenesis showing “colinearity”. The central Hox class protein Antennapedia (Antp) directly regulates the expression of several middle silk gland–specific silk genes, whereas the Lin-1/Isl-1/Mec3 (LIM)-homeodomain transcriptional factor Arrowhead (Awh) regulates the expression of posterior silk gland–specific genes for silk fiber proteins. We summarize our results and discuss the usefulness of the silk gland of Bombyx mori for analyzing the function of Hox genes. Further analyses of the regulatory mechanisms underlying the region-specific expression of silk genes will provide novel insights into the molecular bases for target-gene selection and regulation by Hox and homeodomain proteins. PMID:29615585

Regulation of Silk Genes by Hox and Homeodomain Proteins in the Terminal Differentiated Silk Gland of the Silkworm Bombyx mori

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shigeharu Takiya

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The silk gland of the silkworm Bombyx mori is a long tubular organ that is divided into several subparts along its anteroposterior (AP axis. As a trait of terminal differentiation of the silk gland, several silk protein genes are expressed with unique regional specificities. Most of the Hox and some of the homeobox genes are also expressed in the differentiated silk gland with regional specificities. The expression patterns of Hox genes in the silk gland roughly correspond to those in embryogenesis showing “colinearity”. The central Hox class protein Antennapedia (Antp directly regulates the expression of several middle silk gland–specific silk genes, whereas the Lin-1/Isl-1/Mec3 (LIM-homeodomain transcriptional factor Arrowhead (Awh regulates the expression of posterior silk gland–specific genes for silk fiber proteins. We summarize our results and discuss the usefulness of the silk gland of Bombyx mori for analyzing the function of Hox genes. Further analyses of the regulatory mechanisms underlying the region-specific expression of silk genes will provide novel insights into the molecular bases for target-gene selection and regulation by Hox and homeodomain proteins.

Bombyx mori E26 transformation-specific 2 (BmEts2), an Ets family protein, represses Bombyx mori Rels (BmRels)-mediated promoter activation of antimicrobial peptide genes in the silkworm Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, H; Sagisaka, A; Suzuki, N; Yamakawa, M

2016-10-01

E26 transformation-specific (Ets) family transcription factors are known to play roles in various biological phenomena, including immunity, in vertebrates. However, the mechanisms by which Ets proteins contribute to immunity in invertebrates remain poorly understood. In this study, we identified a cDNA encoding BmEts2, which is a putative orthologue of Drosophila Yan and human translocation-ets-leukemia/Ets-variant gene 6, from the silkworm Bombyx mori. Expression of the BmEts2 gene was significantly increased in the fat bodies of silkworm larvae in response to injection with Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. BmEts2 overexpression dramatically repressed B. mori Rels (BmRels)-mediated promoter activation of antimicrobial peptide genes in silkworm cells. Conversely, gene knockdown of BmEts2 significantly enhanced BmRels activity. In addition, two κB sites located on the 5' upstream region of cecropin B1 were found to be involved in the repression of BmRels-mediated promoter activation. Protein-competition analysis further demonstrated that BmEts2 competitively inhibited binding of BmRels to κB sites. Overall, BmEts2 acts as a repressor of BmRels-mediated transactivation of antimicrobial protein genes by inhibiting the binding of BmRels to κB sites. © 2016 The Royal Entomological Society.

Genome-Wide Identification of Polycomb Target Genes Reveals a Functional Association of Pho with Scm in Bombyx mori

OpenAIRE

Li, Zhiqing; Cheng, Daojun; Mon, Hiroaki; Tatsuke, Tsuneyuki; Zhu, Li; Xu, Jian; Lee, Jae Man; Xia, Qingyou; Kusakabe, Takahiro

2012-01-01

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are evolutionarily conserved chromatin modifiers and act together in three multimeric complexes, Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1), Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), and Pleiohomeotic repressive complex (PhoRC), to repress transcription of the target genes. Here, we identified Polycomb target genes in Bombyx mori with holocentric centromere using genome-wide expression screening based on the knockdown of BmSCE, BmESC, BmPHO, or BmSCM gene, which represent ...

Complete nucleotide sequence and organization of the mitogenome of the silk moth Caligula boisduvalii (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) and comparison with other lepidopteran insects.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Mee Yeon; Lee, Eun Mee; Jo, Yong Hun; Park, Hae Chul; Kim, Seong Ryul; Hwang, Jae Sam; Jin, Byung Rae; Kang, Pil Don; Kim, Ki-Gyoung; Han, Yeon Soo; Kim, Iksoo

2008-04-30

The 15,360-bp long complete mitogenome of Caligula boisduvalii possesses a gene arrangement and content identical to other completely sequenced lepidopteran mitogenomes, but different from the common arrangement found in most insect order, as the result of the movement of tRNA(Met) to a position 5'-upstream of tRNA Ile. The 330-bp A+T-rich region is apparently capable of forming a stem-and-loop structure, which harbors the conserved flanking sequences at both ends. Dissimilar to what has been seen in other sequenced lepidopteran insects, the initiation codon for C. boisduvalii COI appears to be TTG, which is a rare, but apparently possible initiation codon. The ATP8, ATP6, ND4L, and ND6 genes, which neighbor another PCG at their 3' end, all harbored potential sequences for the formation of a hairpin structure. This is suggestive of the importance of such structures for the precise cleavage of the mRNA of mature PCGs. Phylogenetic analyses of available sequenced species of Bombycoidea, Pyraloidea, and Tortricidea supported the morphology-based current hypothesis that Bombycoidea and Pyraloidea are monophyletic (Obtectomera). As previously suggested, Bombycidae (Bombyx mori and B. mandarina) and Saturniidae (Antheraea pernyi and C. boisduvalii) formed a reciprocal monophyletic group.

Binding specificity of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Aa for purified, native Bombyx mori aminopeptidase N and cadherin-like receptors

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Jenkins Jeremy L

2001-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To better understand the molecular interactions of Bt toxins with non-target insects, we have examined the real-time binding specificity and affinity of Cry1 toxins to native silkworm (Bombyx mori midgut receptors. Previous studies on B. mori receptors utilized brush border membrane vesicles or purifed receptors in blot-type assays. Results The Bombyx mori (silkworm aminopeptidase N (APN and cadherin-like receptors for Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal Cry1Aa toxin were purified and their real-time binding affinities for Cry toxins were examined by surface plasmon resonance. Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac toxins did not bind to the immobilized native receptors, correlating with their low toxicities. Cry1Aa displayed moderate affinity for B. mori APN (75 nM, and unusually tight binding to the cadherin-like receptor (2.6 nM, which results from slow dissociation rates. The binding of a hybrid toxin (Aa/Aa/Ac was identical to Cry1Aa. Conclusions These results indicate domain II of Cry1Aa is essential for binding to native B. mori receptors and for toxicity. Moreover, the high-affinity binding of Cry1Aa to native cadherin-like receptor emphasizes the importance of this receptor class for Bt toxin research.

Binding specificity of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Aa for purified, native Bombyx mori aminopeptidase N and cadherin-like receptors

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Jenkins, Jeremy L; Dean, Donald H

2001-01-01

Background To better understand the molecular interactions of Bt toxins with non-target insects, we have examined the real-time binding specificity and affinity of Cry1 toxins to native silkworm (Bombyx mori) midgut receptors. Previous studies on B. mori receptors utilized brush border membrane vesicles or purifed receptors in blot-type assays. Results The Bombyx mori (silkworm) aminopeptidase N (APN) and cadherin-like receptors for Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal Cry1Aa toxin were purified and their real-time binding affinities for Cry toxins were examined by surface plasmon resonance. Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac toxins did not bind to the immobilized native receptors, correlating with their low toxicities. Cry1Aa displayed moderate affinity for B. mori APN (75 nM), and unusually tight binding to the cadherin-like receptor (2.6 nM), which results from slow dissociation rates. The binding of a hybrid toxin (Aa/Aa/Ac) was identical to Cry1Aa. Conclusions These results indicate domain II of Cry1Aa is essential for binding to native B. mori receptors and for toxicity. Moreover, the high-affinity binding of Cry1Aa to native cadherin-like receptor emphasizes the importance of this receptor class for Bt toxin research. PMID:11722800

Cloning and characterization of carboxyl terminus of heat shock cognate 70-interacting protein gene from the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

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Ohsawa, Takeshi; Fujimoto, Shota; Tsunakawa, Akane; Shibano, Yuka; Kawasaki, Hideki; Iwanaga, Masashi

2016-11-01

Carboxyl terminus of heat shock cognate 70-interacting protein (CHIP) is an evolutionarily conserved E3 ubiquitin ligase across different eukaryotic species and is known to play a key role in protein quality control. CHIP has two distinct functional domains, an N-terminal tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) and a C-terminal U-box domain, which are required for the ubiquitination of numerous labile client proteins that are chaperoned by heat shock proteins (HSPs) and heat shock cognate proteins (HSCs). During our screen for CHIP-like proteins in the Bombyx mori databases, we found a novel silkworm gene, Bombyx mori CHIP. Phylogenetic analysis showed that BmCHIP belongs to Lepidopteran lineages. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR analysis indicated that BmCHIP was relatively highly expressed in the gonad and fat body. A pull-down experiment and auto-ubiquitination assay showed that BmCHIP interacted with BmHSC70 and had E3 ligase activity. Additionally, immunohistochemical analysis revealed that BmCHIP was partially co-localized with ubiquitin in BmN4 cells. These data support that BmCHIP plays an important role in the ubiquitin proteasome system as an E3 ubiquitin ligase in B. mori. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Standard method for detecting Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus disease-resistant silkworm varieties

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Yang Qiong

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV disease is one of the most serious silkworm diseases, and it has caused great economic losses to the sericulture industry. So far, the disease has not been controlled effectively by therapeutic agents. Breeding resistant silkworm varieties breeding may be an effective way to improve resistance to BmNPV and reduce economic losses. A precise resistance-detection method will help to accelerate the breeding process. For this purpose, here we described the individual inoculation method (IIM. Details of the IIM include pathogen BmNPV preparation, mulberry leaf size, pathogen volume, rearing conditions, course of infection, and breeding conditions. Finally, a resistance comparison experiment was performed using the IIM and the traditional group inoculation method (GIM. The incidence of BmNPV infection and the within-group variance results showed that the IIM was more precise and reliable than the GIM.

Characterization of an entomopathogenic fungi target integument protein, Bombyx mori single domain von Willebrand factor type C, in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

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Han, F; Lu, A; Yuan, Y; Huang, W; Beerntsen, B T; Huang, J; Ling, E

2017-06-01

The insect cuticle works as the first line of defence to protect insects from pathogenic infections and water evaporation. However, the old cuticle must be shed in order to enter the next developmental stage. During each ecdysis, moulting fluids are produced and secreted into the area among the old and new cuticles. In a previous study, the protein Bombyx mori single domain von Willebrand factor type C (BmSVWC; BGIBMGA011399) was identified in the moulting fluids of Bo. mori and demonstrated to regulate ecdysis. In this study we show that in Bo. mori larvae, BmSVWC primarily locates to the integument (epidermal cells and cuticle), wing discs and head. During the moulting stage, BmSVWC is released into the moulting fluids, and is then produced again by epidermal cells after ecdysis. Fungal infection was shown to decrease the amount of BmSVWC in the cuticle, which indicates that BmSVWC is a target protein of entomopathogenic fungi. Thus, BmSVWC is mainly involved in maintaining the integrity of the integument structure, which serves to protect insects from physical damage and pathogenic infection. © 2017 The Royal Entomological Society.

Localization and functional analysis of the insect-specific RabX4 in the brain of Bombyx mori.

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Uno, Tomohide; Furutani, Masayuki; Sakamoto, Katsuhiko; Uno, Yuichi; Kanamaru, Kengo; Mizoguchi, Akira; Hiragaki, Susumu; Takeda, Makio

2017-09-01

Rab proteins are small monomeric GTPases/GTP-binding proteins, which form the largest branch of the Ras superfamily. The different Rab GTPases are localized to the cytosolic face of specific intracellular membranes, where they function as regulators of distinct steps in membrane trafficking. RabX4 is an insect-specific Rab protein that has no close homolog in vertebrates. There is little information about insect-specific Rab proteins. RabX4 was expressed in Escherichia coli and subsequently purified. Antibodies against Bombyx mori RabX4 were produced in rabbits for western immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. Western blotting of neural tissues revealed a single band, at approximately 26 kD. RabX4-like immunohistochemical reactivity was restricted to neurons of the pars intercerebralis and dorsolateral protocerebrum in the brain. Further immunohistochemical analysis revealed that RabX4 colocalized with Rab6 and bombyxin in the corpus allatum, a neuronal organ that secretes neuropeptides synthesized in the brain into the hemolymph. RabX4 expression in the frontal ganglion, part of the insect stomatogastric nervous system that is found in most insect orders, was restricted to two neurons on the outer region and did not colocalize with allatotropin or Rab6. Furthermore, RNA interference of RabX4 decreased bombyxin expression levels in the brain. These findings suggest that RabX4 is involved in the neurosecretion of a secretory organ in Bombyx mori. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Yorkie Facilitates Organ Growth and Metamorphosis in Bombyx.

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Liu, Shumin; Zhang, Panli; Song, Hong-Sheng; Qi, Hai-Sheng; Wei, Zhao-Jun; Zhang, Guozheng; Zhan, Shuai; Liu, Zhihong; Li, Sheng

2016-01-01

The Hippo pathway, which was identified from genetic screens in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has a major size-control function in animals. All key components of the Hippo pathway, including the transcriptional coactivator Yorkie that is the most critical substrate and downstream effector of the Hippo kinase cassette, are found in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. As revealed by microarray and quantitative real-time PCR, expression of Hippo pathway genes is particularly enriched in several mitotic tissues, including the ovary, testis, and wing disc. Developmental profiles of Hippo pathway genes are generally similar (with the exception of Yorkie) within each organ, but vary greatly in different tissues showing nearly opposing expression patterns in the wing disc and the posterior silk gland (PSG) on day 2 of the prepupal stage. Importantly, the reduction of Yorkie expression by RNAi downregulated Yorkie target genes in the ovary, decreased egg number, and delayed larval-pupal-adult metamorphosis. In contrast, baculovirus-mediated Yorkie(CA) overexpression upregulated Yorkie target genes in the PSG, increased PSG size, and accelerated larval-pupal metamorphosis. Together the results show that Yorkie potentially facilitates organ growth and metamorphosis, and suggest that the evolutionarily conserved Hippo pathway is critical for size control, particularly for PSG growth, in the silkworm.

Effects of irradiation to larvae of Bombyx mori in relation to nutritional conditions and to moulting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coulon, M.

1976-01-01

Silkworms (Bombyx mori) were exposed to irradiation in the 1st and 2nd larval instars. The effects, as indicated by mortality or by failure to moult, were studied in relation to a period of starvation (24 hours at 22deg). Before the initiation of feeding, in either instar, the larvae were very resistant to irradiation and fasting did not modify this resistance. Probably this was due to physiological quiescence. After the initiation of feeding, the interposition of a fast either augmented or decreased radiation tolerance, probably according to the phase of the physiological cycle involving feeding and moulting

Genome Sequence of Enterococcus mundtii EM01, Isolated from Bombyx mori Midgut and Responsible for Flacherie Disease in Silkworms Reared on an Artificial Diet

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de Diego-Diaz, Beatriz; Treu, Laura; Campanaro, Stefano

2018-01-01

The whole genome sequence of Enterococcus mundtii strain EM01 is reported here. The isolate proved to be the cause of flacherie in Bombyx mori To date, the genomes of 11 other E. mundtii strains have been sequenced. EM01 is the only strain that displayed active pathological effects on its...

Bm65 is essential for the propagation of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus.

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Tang, Qi; Li, Guohui; Yao, Qin; Chen, Liang; Feng, Fan; Yuan, Yi; Chen, Keping

2013-01-01

Orf65 (Bm65) of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a highly conserved gene that encodes an unknown 104-amino acid protein. In the present study, we have shown the role of Bm65 in the baculovirus life cycle. 5'-RACE analysis showed that the transcription start site of Bm65 was 14 nucleotides upstream of the start codon ATG. The transcription profile of Bm65 was detected from 6 to 72 h postinfection (p. i.) by RT-PCR. A Bm65-knockout bacmid was constructed by homologous recombination to characterize the role of Bm65 in viral life cycle. Fluorescence microscopy showed that Bm65-knockout virus was unable to generate infectious budded virus in BmN cells. Furthermore, quantitative real-time PCR analysis demonstrated that Bm65 deletion did not affect the viral DNA replication. To conclude, Bm65 is essential for the propagation of BmNPV, but is unnecessary for the replication of viral DNA.

Application of Toxic Chinese Medicine in Chinese Pharmacopoeia

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Zhao, Hui; Feng, Yu; Mao, Mingsan

2018-01-01

Objective: Explore the application characteristics of proprietary Chinese medicine prescriptions containing toxic herbs in pharmacopoeia. Methods: In this paper, according to the clinical application of pharmacopoeia proprietary Chinese medicine is divided into table agent, Qushu agent, diarrhea agent, heat agent, Wen Li agent, cough and asthma agents, resuscitation agent, Gutian agent, Fuzheng agent, Anshen agent, hemostatic agent, The traditional Chinese medicine prescription and the clinical application of the Chinese herbal medicine containing the toxic Chinese medicine were analyzed and sorted out., Summed up the compatibility of toxic herbs and application characteristics. Results: Toxic Chinese herbal medicine in the cure of traditional Chinese medicine to play a long-standing role, through the overall thinking, dialectical thinking, and thinking of toxic Chinese medicine in the analysis of Chinese medicine that [2], toxic Chinese medicine in the application of proprietary Chinese medicine can not lack. Conclusion: Pharmacopoeia included proprietary Chinese medicine not only in the clinical treatment of good, but also the application of its toxic traditional Chinese medicine and its understanding of the enrichment of the toxic characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine and treatment-related disease pathology between the points of contact for patients with clinical applications Based on and theoretical guidance of Chinese medicine [3].

Horizontal gene transfer in silkworm, Bombyx mori

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background The domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori, is the model insect for the order Lepidoptera, has economically important values, and has gained some representative behavioral characteristics compared to its wild ancestor. The genome of B. mori has been fully sequenced while function analysis of BmChi-h and BmSuc1 genes revealed that horizontal gene transfer (HGT) maybe bestow a clear selective advantage to B. mori. However, the role of HGT in the evolutionary history of B. mori is largely unexplored. In this study, we compare the whole genome of B. mori with those of 382 prokaryotic and eukaryotic species to investigate the potential HGTs. Results Ten candidate HGT events were defined in B. mori by comprehensive sequence analysis using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian method combining with EST checking. Phylogenetic analysis of the candidate HGT genes suggested that one HGT was plant-to- B. mori transfer while nine were bacteria-to- B. mori transfer. Furthermore, functional analysis based on expression, coexpression and related literature searching revealed that several HGT candidate genes have added important characters, such as resistance to pathogen, to B. mori. Conclusions Results from this study clearly demonstrated that HGTs play an important role in the evolution of B. mori although the number of HGT events in B. mori is in general smaller than those of microbes and other insects. In particular, interdomain HGTs in B. mori may give rise to functional, persistent, and possibly evolutionarily significant new genes. PMID:21595916

Microscopic structural analysis of fractured silk fibers from Bombyx mori and Samia cynthia ricini using 13C CP/MAS NMR with a 1 mm microcoil MAS NMR probehead

KAUST Repository

Yamauchi, Kazuo; Yamasaki, Shizuo; Takahashi, Rui; Asakura, Tetsuo

2010-01-01

Conformational changes have been studied in silk fibers from the domestic silkworm Bombyx mori and a wild silkworm Samia cynthia ricini as a result of fractured by stretching. About 300 samples consisting of only the fractured regions of [1-13C

Microstructural, thermal and antibacterial properties of electron beam irradiated Bombyx mori silk fibroin films

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Asha, S.; Sanjeev, Ganesh, E-mail: ganeshsanjeev@rediffmail.com [Microtron Center, Department of Studies in Physics, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri - 574199 (India); Sangappa [Department of Studies in Physics, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri - 574199 (India); Naik, Prashantha; Chandra, K. Sharat [Department of Biosciences, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri - 574199 (India)

2014-04-24

The Bombyx mori silk fibroin (SF) films were prepared by solution casting method and the effects of electron beam on structural, thermal and antibacterial responses of the prepared films were studied. The electron irradiation for different doses was carried out using 8 MeV Microtron facility at Mangalore University. The changes in microstructural parameters and thermal stability of the films were investigated using Wide Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) respectively. Both microstructuralline parameters (crystallite size and lattice strain (g in %)) and thermal stability of the irradiated films have increased with radiation dosage. Agar diffusion method demonstrated the antibacterial activity of SF film which was increased after irradiation on both Gram-positive and Gram-negative species.

A novel role for the Bombyx Slbo homologue, BmC/EBP, in insect choriogenesis.

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Sourmeli, S; Papantonis, A; Lecanidou, R

2005-11-18

One previously unidentified cDNA clone coding for a C/EBP factor, BmC/EBP, was isolated from Bombyx mori follicular cells. This is the first time that a C/EBP factor has been isolated and characterized in Lepidoptera. We provide information concerning structural features and developmental specificity, as well as in vitro interaction properties with chorion gene promoter modules. BmC/EBP was capable of effectively recognizing homologous binding sites from chorion gene promoters derived from flies and other moths, despite significant diversity of chorion structure, gene organization, and gene expression profiles. We propose that the relative concentration of BmC/EBP, in relation to its differential binding affinity for promoter cis-elements, results in activation or repression of silkmoth chorion gene expression.

Identification of HSP90 gene from the Chinese oak silkworm ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ajl user 1

2012-06-28

Jun 28, 2012 ... College of Life Science, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang West Road 230036, Peoples ... program consisted of 5 min at 94°C followed by 35 cycles of 94°C ... HSP90 and 73.1% identity with Bombyx mori HSP90.

Inter- and intra-population genetic variability of introduced silkworm (Bombyx mori L. strains raised in Bulgaria

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Teodora Staykova

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The genetic variability of four populations belonging to two introduced silkworm strains (Bombyx mori L. of various origins has been studied using isoenzymic analysis of six enzyme systems. Nonspecific esterases, phosphoglucomutase, malate dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase and hexokinase from different tissue of larvae 5th instar have been analysed using PAGE. Polymorphism in six from a total of nine loci has been found. Inter- and intra-population differences have been ascertained expressed in different allele composition of the gene pool and different frequencies of alleles. A higher degree of inter-population variability has been reported on the acid phosphatase and a lower one – on the phosphoglucomutase.

iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis of midgut in silkworm infected with Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus.

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Gao, Kun; Deng, Xiang-Yuan; Shang, Meng-Ke; Qin, Guang-Xing; Hou, Cheng-Xiang; Guo, Xi-Jie

2017-01-30

Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV) specifically infects the epithelial cells in the midgut of silkworm and causes them to death, which negatively affects the sericulture industry. In order to determine the midgut response at the protein levels to the virus infection, differential proteomes of the silkworm midgut responsive to BmCPV infection were identified with isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) labeling followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). 193, 408, 189 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were reliably quantified by iTRAQ analysis in the midgut of BmCPV-infected and control larvae at 24, 48, 72h post infection (hpi) respectively. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that Oxidative phosphorylation, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, steroid hormone biosynthesis were the significant pathways (Q value≤0.05) both at 24 and 48hpi. qRT-PCR was used to further verify gene transcription of 30 DEPs from iTRAQ, showing that the regulations of 24 genes at the transcript level were consistent with those at the proteomic level. Moreover, the cluster analysis of the three time groups showed that there were seven co-regulated DEPs including BGIBMGA002620-PA, which was a putative p62/sequestosome-1 protein in silkworm. It was upregulated at both the mRNA level and the proteomic level and may play an important role in regulating the autophagy and apoptosis (especially apoptosis) induced by BmCPV infection. This was the first report using an iTRAQ approach to analyze proteomes of the silkworm midgut against BmCPV infection, which contributes to understanding the defense mechanisms of silkworm midgut to virus infection. The domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori, is renowned for silk production as well as being a traditional lepidopteron model insect served as a subject for morphological, genetic, physiological, and developmental studies. Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis

Cell Cycle-Dependent Recruitment of Polycomb Proteins to the ASNS Promoter Counteracts C/ebp-Mediated Transcriptional Activation in Bombyx mori

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Li, Zhiqing; Cheng, Daojun; Mon, Hiroaki; Zhu, Li; Xu, Jian; Tatsuke, Tsuneyuki; Lee, Jae Man; Xia, Qingyou; Kusakabe, Takahiro

2013-01-01

Epigenetic modifiers and transcription factors contribute to developmentally programmed gene expression. Here, we establish a functional link between epigenetic regulation by Polycomb group (PcG) proteins and transcriptional regulation by C/ebp that orchestrates the correct expression of Bombyx mori asparagine synthetase (BmASNS), a gene involved in the biosynthesis of asparagine. We show that the cis-regulatory elements of YY1-binding motifs and the CpG island present on the BmASNS promoter are required for the recruitment of PcG proteins and the subsequent deposition of the epigenetic repression mark H3K27me3. RNAi-mediated knockdown of PcG genes leads to derepression of the BmASNS gene via the recruitment of activators, including BmC/ebp, to the promoter. Intriguingly, we find that PcG proteins and BmC/ebp can dynamically modulate the transcriptional output of the BmASNS target in a cell cycle-dependent manner. It will be essential to suppress BmASNS expression by PcG proteins at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle in the presence of BmC/ebp activator. Thus, our results provide a novel insight into the molecular mechanism underlying the recruitment and regulation of the PcG system at a discrete gene locus in Bombyx mori. PMID:23382816

Analysis of tissue-specific region in sericin 1 gene promoter of Bombyx mori

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Yan, Liu [College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031 (China); Lian, Yu [College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029 (China); Xiuyang, Guo [Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031 (China); Tingqing, Guo [Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031 (China); Shengpeng, Wang [Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031 (China); Changde, Lu [Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031 (China)

2006-03-31

The gene encoding sericin 1 (Ser1) of silkworm (Bombyx mori) is specifically expressed in the middle silk gland cells. To identify element involved in this transcription-dependent spatial restriction, truncation of the 5' terminal from the sericin 1 (Ser1) promoter is studied in vivo. A 209 bp DNA sequence upstream of the transcriptional start site (-586 to -378) is found to be responsible for promoting tissue-specific transcription. Analysis of this 209 bp region by overlapping deletion studies showed that a 25 bp region (-500 to -476) suppresses the ectopic expression of the Ser1 promoter. An unknown factor abundant in fat body nuclear extracts is shown to bind to this 25 bp fragment. These results suggest that this 25 bp region and the unknown factor are necessary for determining the tissue-specificity of the Ser1 promoter.

Chinese nuclear insurance and Chinese nuclear insurance pool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gong Zhiqi

2000-01-01

Chinese Nuclear Insurance Started with Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station, PICC issued the insurance policy. Nuclear insurance cooperation between Chinese and international pool's organizations was set up in 1989. In 1996, the Chinese Nuclear Insurance Pool was prepared. The Chinese Nuclear Insurance Pool was approved by The Chinese Insurance Regulatory Committee in May of 1999. The principal aim is to centralize maximum the insurance capacity for nuclear insurance from local individual insurers and to strengthen the reinsurance relations with international insurance pools so as to provide the high quality insurance service for Chinese nuclear industry. The Member Company of Chinese Nuclear Pool and its roles are introduced in this article

BNGR-A25L and -A27 are two functional G protein-coupled receptors for CAPA periviscerokinin neuropeptides in the silkworm Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Zhangfei; Chen, Yu; Hong, Lingjuan; Cui, Zhenteng; Yang, Huipeng; He, Xiaobai; Shi, Ying; Shi, Liangen; Han, Feng; Zhou, Naiming

2017-10-06

CAPA peptides, such as periviscerokinin (PVK), are insect neuropeptides involved in many signaling pathways controlling, for example, metabolism, behavior, and reproduction. They are present in a large number of insects and, together with their cognate receptors, are important for research into approaches for improving insect control. However, the CAPA receptors in the silkworm ( Bombyx mori ) insect model are unknown. Here, we cloned cDNAs of two putative CAPA peptide receptor genes, BNGR-A27 and -A25, from the brain of B. mori larvae. We found that the predicted BNGR-A27 ORF encodes 450 amino acids and that one BNGR-A25 splice variant encodes a full-length isoform (BNGR-A25L) of 418 amino acid residues and another a short isoform (BNGR-A25S) of 341 amino acids with a truncated C-terminal tail. Functional assays indicated that both BNGR-A25L and -A27 are activated by the PVK neuropeptides Bom -CAPA-PVK-1 and -PVK-2, leading to a significant increase in cAMP-response element-controlled luciferase activity and Ca 2+ mobilization in a G q inhibitor-sensitive manner. In contrast, BNGR-A25S was not significantly activated in response to the PVK peptides. Moreover, Bom -CAPA-PVK-1 directly bound to BNGR-A25L and -A27, but not BNGR-A25S. Of note, CAPA-PVK-mediated ERK1/2 phosphorylation and receptor internalization confirmed that BNGR-A25L and -A27 are two canonical receptors for Bombyx CAPA-PVKs. However, BNGR-A25S alone is a nonfunctional receptor but serves as a dominant-negative protein for BNGR-A25L. These results provide evidence that BNGR-A25L and -A27 are two functional G q -coupled receptors for Bombyx CAPA-PVKs, enabling the further elucidation of the endocrinological roles of Bom -CAPA-PVKs and their receptors in insect biology. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Cloning, expression and characterization of alcohol dehydrogenases in the silkworm Bombyx mori

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Nan Wang

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH are a class of enzymes that catalyze the reversible oxidation of alcohols to corresponding aldehydes or ketones, by using either nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP, as coenzymes. In this study, a short-chain ADH gene was identified in Bombyx mori by 5'-RACE PCR. This is the first time the coding region of BmADH has been cloned, expressed, purified and then characterized. The cDNA fragment encoding the BmADH protein was amplified from a pool of silkworm cDNAs by PCR, and then cloned into E. coli expression vector pET-30a(+. The recombinant His-tagged BmADH protein was expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3, and then purified by metal chelating affinity chromatography. The soluble recombinant BmADH, produced at low-growth temperature, was instrumental in catalyzing the ethanol-dependent reduction of NAD+, thereby indicating ethanol as one of the substrates of BmADH.

A discovery of novel microRNAs in the silkworm (Bombyx mori) genome.

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Yu, Xiaomin; Zhou, Qing; Cai, Yimei; Luo, Qibin; Lin, Hongbin; Hu, Songnian; Yu, Jun

2009-12-01

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are pivotal regulators involved in various physiological and pathological processes via their post-transcriptional regulation of gene expressions. We sequenced 14 libraries of small RNAs constructed from samples spanning the life cycle of silkworms, and discovered 50 novel miRNAs previously not known in animals and verified 43 of them using stem-loop RT-PCR. Our genome-wide analyses of 27 species-specific miRNAs suggest they arise from transposable elements, protein-coding genes duplication/transposition and random foldback sequences; which is consistent with the idea that novel animal miRNAs may evolve from incomplete self-complementary transcripts and become fixed in the process of co-adaptation with their targets. Computational prediction suggests that the silkworm-specific miRNAs may have a preference of regulating genes that are related to life-cycle-associated traits, and these genes can serve as potential targets for subsequent studies of the modulating networks in the development of Bombyx mori.

Serial analysis of gene expression in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jianhua; Miao, Xuexia; Jin, Weirong; Couble, Pierre; Mita, Kasuei; Zhang, Yong; Liu, Wenbin; Zhuang, Leijun; Shen, Yan; Keime, Celine; Gandrillon, Olivier; Brouilly, Patrick; Briolay, Jerome; Zhao, Guoping; Huang, Yongping

2005-08-01

The silkworm Bombyx mori is one of the most economically important insects and serves as a model for Lepidoptera insects. We used serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) to derive profiles of expressed genes during the developmental life cycle of the silkworm and to create a reference for understanding silkworm metamorphosis. We generated four SAGE libraries, one from each of the four developmental stages of the silkworm. In total we obtained 257,964 SAGE tags, of which 39,485 were unique tags. Sorted by copy number, 14.1% of the unique tags were detected at a median to high level (five or more copies), 24.2% at lower levels (two to four copies), and 61.7% as single copies. Using a basic local alignment search tool on the EST database, 35% of the tags matched known silkworm expressed sequence tags. SAGE demonstrated that a number of the genes were up- or down-regulated during the four developmental phases of the egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Furthermore, we found that the generation of longer cDNA fragments from SAGE tags constituted the most efficient method of gene identification, which facilitated the analysis of a large number of unknown genes.

Oxidative stress and cytotoxicity elicited lipid peroxidation in hemocytes of Bombyx mori larva infested with dipteran parasitoid, Exorista bombycis.

Science.gov (United States)

Pooja, Makwana; Pradeep, Appukuttan Nair R; Hungund, Shambhavi P; Sagar, Chandrashekhar; Ponnuvel, Kangayam M; Awasthi, Arvind K; Trivedy, Kanika

2017-12-20

Parasitization of silkworm, Bombyx mori by invasive larva of dipteran parasitoid Exorista bombycis caused upto 20% revenue loss in sericulture. The parasitism was successful by suppressing host immune system however mechanism of immune suppression induced by E. bombycis is unknown which is unravelled here. The infestation induced cytotoxic symptoms in host hemocytes, such as vacuolated cytoplasm, porous plasma membrane, indented nuclei with condensed chromatin and dilated RER. One of the markers of necrosis is cell permeabilization, which can be measured as released lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). LDH level showed significantly (Pmori.

Functional characterization of the vitellogenin promoter in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

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Xu, J; Wang, Y Q; Li, Z Q; Ling, L; Zeng, B S; You, L; Chen, Y Z; Aslam, A F M; Huang, Y P; Tan, A J

2014-10-01

Genetic transformation and genome editing technologies have been successfully established in the lepidopteran insect model, the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori, providing great potential for functional genomics and practical applications. However, the current lack of cis-regulatory elements in B. mori gene manipulation research limits further exploitation in functional gene analysis. In the present study, we characterized a B. mori endogenous promoter, Bmvgp, which is a 798-bp DNA sequence adjacent to the 5'-end of the vitellogenin gene (Bmvg). PiggyBac-based transgenic analysis shows that Bmvgp precisely directs expression of a reporter gene, enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), in a sex-, tissue- and stage-specific manner. In transgenic animals, EGFP expression can be detected in the female fat body from larval-pupal ecdysis to the following pupal and adult stage. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that EGFP expression can be activated by 20-hydroxyecdysone, which is consistent with endogenous Bmvg expression. These data indicate that Bmvgp is an effective endogenous cis-regulatory element in B. mori. © 2014 The Royal Entomological Society.

MicroRNA expression profiling during the life cycle of the silkworm (Bombyx mori

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Cheng Daojun

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs are expressed by a wide range of eukaryotic organisms, and function in diverse biological processes. Numerous miRNAs have been identified in Bombyx mori, but the temporal expression profiles of miRNAs corresponding to each stage transition over the entire life cycle of the silkworm remain to be established. To obtain a comprehensive overview of the correlation between miRNA expression and stage transitions, we performed a whole-life test and subsequent stage-by-stage examinations on nearly one hundred miRNAs in the silkworm. Results Our results show that miRNAs display a wide variety of expression profiles over the whole life of the silkworm, including continuous expression from embryo to adult (miR-184, up-regulation over the entire life cycle (let-7 and miR-100, down-regulation over the entire life cycle (miR-124, expression associated with embryogenesis (miR-29 and miR-92, up-regulation from early 3rd instar to pupa (miR-275, and complementary pulses in expression between miR-34b and miR-275. Stage-by-stage examinations revealed further expression patterns, such as emergence at specific time-points during embryogenesis and up-regulation of miRNA groups in late embryos (miR-1 and bantam, expression associated with stage transition between instar and molt larval stages (miR-34b, expression associated with silk gland growth and spinning activity (miR-274, continuous high expression from the spinning larval to pupal and adult stages (miR-252 and miR-31a, a coordinate expression trough in day 3 pupae of both sexes (miR-10b and miR-281, up-regulation in pupal metamorphosis of both sexes (miR-29b, and down-regulation in pupal metamorphosis of both sexes (miR-275. Conclusion We present the full-scale expression profiles of miRNAs throughout the life cycle of Bombyx mori. The whole-life expression profile was further investigated via stage-by-stage analysis. Our data provide an important resource for more detailed

MicroRNA expression profiling during the life cycle of the silkworm (Bombyx mori).

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Liu, Shiping; Zhang, Liang; Li, Qibin; Zhao, Ping; Duan, Jun; Cheng, Daojun; Xiang, Zhonghuai; Xia, Qingyou

2009-09-28

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are expressed by a wide range of eukaryotic organisms, and function in diverse biological processes. Numerous miRNAs have been identified in Bombyx mori, but the temporal expression profiles of miRNAs corresponding to each stage transition over the entire life cycle of the silkworm remain to be established. To obtain a comprehensive overview of the correlation between miRNA expression and stage transitions, we performed a whole-life test and subsequent stage-by-stage examinations on nearly one hundred miRNAs in the silkworm. Our results show that miRNAs display a wide variety of expression profiles over the whole life of the silkworm, including continuous expression from embryo to adult (miR-184), up-regulation over the entire life cycle (let-7 and miR-100), down-regulation over the entire life cycle (miR-124), expression associated with embryogenesis (miR-29 and miR-92), up-regulation from early 3rd instar to pupa (miR-275), and complementary pulses in expression between miR-34b and miR-275. Stage-by-stage examinations revealed further expression patterns, such as emergence at specific time-points during embryogenesis and up-regulation of miRNA groups in late embryos (miR-1 and bantam), expression associated with stage transition between instar and molt larval stages (miR-34b), expression associated with silk gland growth and spinning activity (miR-274), continuous high expression from the spinning larval to pupal and adult stages (miR-252 and miR-31a), a coordinate expression trough in day 3 pupae of both sexes (miR-10b and miR-281), up-regulation in pupal metamorphosis of both sexes (miR-29b), and down-regulation in pupal metamorphosis of both sexes (miR-275). We present the full-scale expression profiles of miRNAs throughout the life cycle of Bombyx mori. The whole-life expression profile was further investigated via stage-by-stage analysis. Our data provide an important resource for more detailed functional analysis of miRNAs in this animal.

A Baculovirus immediate-early gene, ie1, promoter drives efficient expression of a transgene in both Drosophila melanogaster and Bombyx mori.

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Mika Masumoto

Full Text Available Many promoters have been used to drive expression of heterologous transgenes in insects. One major obstacle in the study of non-model insects is the dearth of useful promoters for analysis of gene function. Here, we investigated whether the promoter of the immediate-early gene, ie1, from the Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV could be used to drive efficient transgene expression in a wide variety of insects. We used a piggyBac-based vector with a 3xP3-DsRed transformation marker to generate a reporter construct; this construct was used to determine the expression patterns driven by the BmNPV ie1 promoter; we performed a detailed investigation of the promoter in transgene expression pattern in Drosophila melanogaster and in B. mori. Drosophila and Bombyx belong to different insect orders (Diptera and Lepidoptera, respectively; however, and to our surprise, ie1 promoter-driven expression was evident in several tissues (e.g., prothoracic gland, midgut, and tracheole in both insects. Furthermore, in both species, the ie1 promoter drove expression of the reporter gene from a relatively early embryonic stage, and strong ubiquitous ie1 promoter-driven expression continued throughout the larval, pupal, and adult stages by surface observation. Therefore, we suggest that the ie1 promoter can be used as an efficient expression driver in a diverse range of insect species.

Reproductive performance of Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare and LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) with previously refrigerated pupae of Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae)

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Pereira, FF.; Zanuncio, JC.; Serrão, JE.; Pastori, PL.; Ramalho, F.S.

2009-01-01

The mass rearing of parasitoids represents a fundamental stage for programmes of biological control. The progeny of the parasitoid Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare and LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) were evaluated on previously refrigerated pupae of Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae). Forty-eight to 72 hours-old pupae of B. mori were stored at 10 ºC for five, 10, 15 or 20 days and then exposed to parasitism by P. elaeisis females. This parasitoid showed shorter duration of the life cycl...

RIP-seq of BmAgo2-associated small RNAs reveal various types of small non-coding RNAs in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

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2013-01-01

Background Small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression in eukaryotes. Previously, only microRNAs (miRNAs) and piRNAs have been identified in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Furthermore, only ncRNAs (50-500nt) of intermediate size have been systematically identified in the silkworm. Results Here, we performed a systematic identification and analysis of small RNAs (18-50nt) associated with the Bombyx mori argonaute2 (BmAgo2) protein. Using RIP-seq, we identified various types of small ncRNAs associated with BmAGO2. These ncRNAs showed a multimodal length distribution, with three peaks at ~20nt, ~27nt and ~33nt, which included tRNA-, transposable element (TE)-, rRNA-, snoRNA- and snRNA-derived small RNAs as well as miRNAs and piRNAs. The tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) were found at an extremely high abundance and accounted for 69.90% of the BmAgo2-associated small RNAs. Northern blotting confirmed that many tRFs were expressed or up-regulated only in the BmNPV-infected cells, implying that the tRFs play a prominent role by binding to BmAgo2 during BmNPV infection. Additional evidence suggested that there are potential cleavage sites on the D, anti-codon and TψC loops of the tRNAs. TE-derived small RNAs and piRNAs also accounted for a significant proportion of the BmAgo2-associated small RNAs, suggesting that BmAgo2 could be involved in the maintenance of genome stability by suppressing the activities of transposons guided by these small RNAs. Finally, Northern blotting was also used to confirm the Bombyx 5.8 s rRNA-derived small RNAs, demonstrating that various novel small RNAs exist in the silkworm. Conclusions Using an RIP-seq method in combination with Northern blotting, we identified various types of small RNAs associated with the BmAgo2 protein, including tRNA-, TE-, rRNA-, snoRNA- and snRNA-derived small RNAs as well as miRNAs and piRNAs. Our findings provide new clues for future functional studies of the role of small RNAs in insect

Creation of Indian–Chinese cuisine: Chinese food in an Indian city

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Amal Sankar

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses two aspects of Chinese food served in India, based on data collected from fieldwork in Dharavi, Mumbai along with the data gathered from online restaurant reviews, food ordering portals, and blogs. First it discusses different forms of Indianizations in Chinese food served in India. Second part discusses how Chineseness is created through exhibits in and out of the restaurants, and how it communicates ‘Chinese’ in the menu through these symbols. One Major observation was that Indian Chinese restaurants mostly use Indian spices, flavors, and materials to make Chinese food, in which the main flavors are spicy, and pungent. The cooked food is served in a bowl, and eaten with spoon, and fork. Some symbolic elements are frequently exhibited in Chinese restaurants. Predominant use of red color, random Chinese scripts, images of Chinese temples, paintings or statues of Buddha, symbols of wok, picture of fat Chinese chef, picture of dragon, symbols of bowl and chopsticks are such representations. The study concludes that the Chinese food served in India is intrinsically Indianized Chinese food, and there are certain Indian expectations of what Chinese foods are, and a Chineseness is created in Chinese restaurants to give Chinese feel during the eat out. The author argues that the Indian imagination of Chinese food creates a new cuisine category Indian-Chinese cuisine which is neither Indian, nor Chinese.

BmRobo2/3 is required for axon guidance in the silkworm Bombyx mori.

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Li, Xiao-Tong; Yu, Qi; Zhou, Qi-Sheng; Zhao, Xiao; Liu, Zhao-Yang; Cui, Wei-Zheng; Liu, Qing-Xin

2016-02-15

Axon guidance is critical for proper wiring of the nervous system. During the neural development, the axon guidance molecules play a key role and direct axons to choose the correct way to reach the target. Robo, as the receptor of axon guidance molecule Slit, is evolutionarily conserved from planarians to humans. However, the function of Robo in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, remained unknown. In this study, we cloned robo2/3 from B. mori (Bmrobo2/3), a homologue of robo2/3 in Tribolium castaneum. Moreover, BmRobo2/3 was localized in the neuropil, and RNAi-mediated knockdown of Bmrobo2/3 resulted in the longitudinal connectives forming closer to the midline. These data demonstrate that BmRobo2/3 is required for axon guidance in the silkworm. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

20-Hydroxyecdysone (20E) Primary Response Gene E93 Modulates 20E Signaling to Promote Bombyx Larval-Pupal Metamorphosis.

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Liu, Xi; Dai, Fangyin; Guo, Enen; Li, Kang; Ma, Li; Tian, Ling; Cao, Yang; Zhang, Guozheng; Palli, Subba R; Li, Sheng

2015-11-06

As revealed in a previous microarray study to identify genes regulated by 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) and juvenile hormone (JH) in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, E93 expression in the fat body was markedly low prior to the wandering stage but abundant during larval-pupal metamorphosis. Induced by 20E and suppressed by JH, E93 expression follows this developmental profile in multiple silkworm alleles. The reduction of E93 expression by RNAi disrupted 20E signaling and the 20E-induced autophagy, caspase activity, and cell dissociation in the fat body. Reducing E93 expression also decreased the expression of the 20E-induced pupal-specific cuticle protein genes and prevented growth and differentiation of the wing discs. Importantly, the two HTH domains in E93 are critical for inducing the expression of a subset of 20E response genes, including EcR, USP, E74, Br-C, and Atg1. By contrast, the LLQHLL and PLDLSAK motifs in E93 inhibit its transcriptional activity. E93 binds to the EcR-USP complex via a physical association with USP through its LLQHLL motif; and this association is enhanced by 20E-induced EcR-USP interaction, which attenuates the transcriptional activity of E93. E93 acts through the two HTH domains to bind to GAGA-containing motifs present in the Atg1 promoter region for inducing gene expression. In conclusion, E93 transcriptionally modulates 20E signaling to promote Bombyx larval-pupal metamorphosis. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

20-Hydroxyecdysone (20E) Primary Response Gene E93 Modulates 20E Signaling to Promote Bombyx Larval-Pupal Metamorphosis*

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Liu, Xi; Dai, Fangyin; Guo, Enen; Li, Kang; Ma, Li; Tian, Ling; Cao, Yang; Zhang, Guozheng; Palli, Subba R.; Li, Sheng

2015-01-01

As revealed in a previous microarray study to identify genes regulated by 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) and juvenile hormone (JH) in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, E93 expression in the fat body was markedly low prior to the wandering stage but abundant during larval-pupal metamorphosis. Induced by 20E and suppressed by JH, E93 expression follows this developmental profile in multiple silkworm alleles. The reduction of E93 expression by RNAi disrupted 20E signaling and the 20E-induced autophagy, caspase activity, and cell dissociation in the fat body. Reducing E93 expression also decreased the expression of the 20E-induced pupal-specific cuticle protein genes and prevented growth and differentiation of the wing discs. Importantly, the two HTH domains in E93 are critical for inducing the expression of a subset of 20E response genes, including EcR, USP, E74, Br-C, and Atg1. By contrast, the LLQHLL and PLDLSAK motifs in E93 inhibit its transcriptional activity. E93 binds to the EcR-USP complex via a physical association with USP through its LLQHLL motif; and this association is enhanced by 20E-induced EcR-USP interaction, which attenuates the transcriptional activity of E93. E93 acts through the two HTH domains to bind to GAGA-containing motifs present in the Atg1 promoter region for inducing gene expression. In conclusion, E93 transcriptionally modulates 20E signaling to promote Bombyx larval-pupal metamorphosis. PMID:26378227

Targeted heavy-ion microbeam irradiation of the embryo but not yolk in the diapause-terminated egg of the silkworm, bombyx mori, induces the somatic mutation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furusawa, Toshiharu; Fukamoto, Kana; Sakashita, Tetsuya; Funayama, Tomoo; Kobayashi, Yasuhiko; Kakizaki, Takehiko; Wada, Seiichi; Hamada, Nobuyuki; Suzuki, Hiromi; Ishioka, Noriaki; Nagaoka, Shunji

2009-01-01

Using heavy-ion microbeam, we report target irradiation of selected compartments within the diapause-terminated egg and its mutational consequences in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. On one hand, carbon-ion exposure of embryo to 0.5-6 Gy increased the somatic mutation frequency, suggesting targeted radiation effects. On the other, such increases were not observed when yolk was targeted, suggesting a lack of nontargeted bystander effect. (author)

Analysis of expression and chitin-binding activity of the wing disc cuticle protein BmWCP4 in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

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Deng, Hui-Min; Li, Yong; Zhang, Jia-Ling; Liu, Lin; Feng, Qi-Li

2016-12-01

The insect exoskeleton is mainly composed of chitin filaments linked by cuticle proteins. When insects molt, the cuticle of the exoskeleton is renewed by degrading the old chitin and cuticle proteins and synthesizing new ones. In this study, chitin-binding activity of the wing disc cuticle protein BmWCP4 in Bombyx mori was studied. Sequence analysis showed that the protein had a conservative hydrophilic "R&R" chitin-binding domain (CBD). Western blotting showed that BmWCP4 was predominately expressed in the wing disc-containing epidermis during the late wandering and early pupal stages. The immunohistochemistry result showed that the BmWCP4 was mainly present in the wing disc tissues containing wing bud and trachea blast during day 2 of wandering stage. Recombinant full-length BmWCP4 protein, "R&R" CBD peptide (CBD), non-CBD peptide (BmWCP4-CBD - ), four single site-directed mutated peptides (M 1 , M 2 , M 3 and M 4 ) and four-sites-mutated peptide (M F ) were generated and purified, respectively, for in vitro chitin-binding assay. The results indicated that both the full-length protein and the "R&R" CBD peptide could bind with chitin, whereas the BmWCP4-CBD - could not bind with chitin. The single residue mutants M 1 , M 2 , M 3 and M 4 reduced but did not completely abolish the chitin-binding activity, while four-sites-mutated protein M F completely lost the chitin-binding activity. These data indicate that BmWCP4 protein plays a critical role by binding to the chitin filaments in the wing during larva-to-pupa transformation. The conserved aromatic amino acids are critical in the interaction between chitin and the cuticle protein. © 2015 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Lipidation of BmAtg8 is required for autophagic degradation of p62 bodies containing ubiquitinated proteins in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

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Ji, Ming-Ming; Lee, Jae Man; Mon, Hiroaki; Iiyama, Kazuhiro; Tatsuke, Tsuneyuki; Morokuma, Daisuke; Hino, Masato; Yamashita, Mami; Hirata, Kazuma; Kusakabe, Takahiro

2017-10-01

p62/Sequestosome-1 (p62/SQSTM1, hereafter referred to as p62) is a major adaptor that allows ubiquitinated proteins to be degraded by autophagy, and Atg8 homologs are required for p62-mediated autophagic degradation, but their relationship is still not understood in Lepidopteran insects. Here it is clearly demonstrated that the silkworm homolog of mammalian p62, Bombyx mori p62 (Bmp62), forms p62 bodies depending on its Phox and Bem1p (PB1) and ubiquitin-associated (UBA) domains. These two domains are associated with Bmp62 binding to ubiquitinated proteins to form the p62 bodies, and the UBA domain is essential for the binding, but Bmp62 still self-associates without the PB1 or UBA domain. The p62 bodies in Bombyx cells are enclosed by BmAtg9-containing membranes and degraded via autophagy. It is revealed that the interaction between the Bmp62 AIM motif and BmAtg8 is critical for the autophagic degradation of the p62 bodies. Intriguingly, we further demonstrate that lipidation of BmAtg8 is required for the Bmp62-mediated complete degradation of p62 bodies by autophagy. Our results should be useful in future studies of the autophagic mechanism in Lepidopteran insects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antiviral activity and specific modes of action of bacterial prodigiosin against Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus in vitro.

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Zhou, Wei; Zeng, Cheng; Liu, RenHua; Chen, Jie; Li, Ru; Wang, XinYan; Bai, WenWen; Liu, XiaoYuan; Xiang, TingTing; Zhang, Lin; Wan, YongJi

2016-05-01

Prodigiosin, the tripyrrole red pigment, is a bacterial secondary metabolite with multiple bioactivities; however, the antiviral activity has not been reported yet. In the present study, we found the antiviral activity of bacterial prodigiosin on Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV)-infected cells in vitro, with specific modes of action. Prodigiosin at nontoxic concentrations selectively killed virus-infected cells, inhibited viral gene transcription, especially viral early gene ie-1, and prevented virus-mediated membrane fusion. Under prodigiosin treatment, both progeny virus production and viral DNA replication were significantly inhibited. Fluorescent assays showed that prodigiosin predominantly located in cytoplasm which suggested it might interact with cytoplasm factors to inhibit virus replication. In conclusion, the present study clearly indicates that prodigiosin possesses significant antiviral activity against BmNPV.

A Crude 1-DNJ Extract from Home Made Bombyx Batryticatus Inhibits Diabetic Cardiomyopathy-Associated Fibrosis in db/db Mice and Reduces Protein N-Glycosylation Levels

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Qing Zhao

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The traditional Chinese drug Bombyx Batryticatus (BB, which is also named the white stiff silkworm, has been widely used in Chinese clinics for thousands of years. It is famous for its antispasmodic and blood circulation-promoting effects. Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, interstitial cell hyperplasia, and myocardial fibrosis are closely related to the N-glycosylation of key proteins. To examine the alterations of N-glycosylation that occur in diabetic myocardium during the early stage of the disease, and to clarify the therapeutic effect of 1-Deoxynojirimycin (1-DNJ extracted from BB, we used the db/db (diabetic mouse model and an approach based on hydrophilic chromatography solid-phase extraction integrated with an liquid Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (LC-MS identification strategy to perform a site-specific N-glycosylation analysis of left ventricular cardiomyocyte proteins. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs, hydroxyproline, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF, and other serum biochemical indicators were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA. In addition, the α-1,6-fucosylation of N-glycans was profiled with lens culinaris agglutinin (LCA lectin blots and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC-labelled lectin affinity histochemistry. The results indicated that 1-DNJ administration obviously downregulated myocardium protein N-glycosylation in db/db mice. The expression levels of serum indicators and fibrosis-related cytokines were reduced significantly by 1-DNJ in a dose-dependent manner. The glycan α-1,6-fucosylation level of the db/db mouse myocardium was elevated, and the intervention effect of 1-DNJ administration on N-glycan α-1,6-fucosylation was significant. To verify this result, the well-known transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β/Smad2/3 pathway was selected, and core α-1,6-fucosylated TGF-β receptor II (TGFR-βII was analysed semi-quantitatively with western blotting. The result supported the conclusions obtained

Conserved synteny of genes between chromosome 15 of Bombyx mori and a chromosome of Manduca sexta shown by five-color BAC-FISH

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Sahara, K.; Yoshido, A.; Marec, František; Vrbová, Iva; Zhang, H. B.; Wu, Ch. C.; Goldsmith, M. R.; Yasukochi, Y.

2007-01-01

Roč. 50, č. 11 (2007), s. 1061-1065 ISSN 0831-2796 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/06/1860 Grant - others:Japan Society for the Promotion of Science(JP) 18380037; US National Science Foundation(US) IBN0208388 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50070508 Source of funding: O - operačné programy ; O - operačné programy Keywords : BAC-FISH * Bombyx mori * chromosome Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 1.785, year: 2007

Differentially expressed microRNAs in diapausing versus HCl-treated Bombyx embryos.

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Wentao Fan

Full Text Available Differentially expressed microRNAs were detected to explore the molecular mechanisms of diapause termination. The total small RNA of diapause-destined silkworm eggs and HCl-treated eggs was extracted and then sequenced using HiSeq high-throughput method. 44 novel miRNAs were discovered. Compared to those in the diapause-destined eggs, 61 miRNAs showed significant changes in the acid-treated eggs, with 23 being up-regulated and 38 being down-regulated. The potential target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted by miRanda. Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of these potential target genes revealed that they were mainly located within cells and organelles, involved in cellular and metabolic processes, and participated in protein production, processing and transportation. Two differentially expressed genes, Bombyx mori SDH and Bmo-miR-2761-3p, were further analyzed with qRT-PCR. BmSDH was significantly up-regulated in the HCl-treated eggs, while Bmo-miR-2761-3p was down-regulated. These results suggested that these two genes were well coordinated in silkworm eggs. Dual luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that Bmo-miR-2761-3p inhibited the expression of BmSDH.

Analysis of four achaete-scute homologs in Bombyx mori reveals new viewpoints of the evolution and functions of this gene family.

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Zhou, Qingxiang; Zhang, Tianyi; Xu, Weihua; Yu, Linlin; Yi, Yongzhu; Zhang, Zhifang

2008-03-06

achaete-scute complexe (AS-C) has been widely studied at genetic, developmental and evolutional levels. Genes of this family encode proteins containing a highly conserved bHLH domain, which take part in the regulation of the development of central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. Many AS-C homologs have been isolated from various vertebrates and invertebrates. Also, AS-C genes are duplicated during the evolution of Diptera. Functions besides neural development controlling have also been found in Drosophila AS-C genes. We cloned four achaete-scute homologs (ASH) from the lepidopteran model organism Bombyx mori, including three proneural genes and one neural precursor gene. Proteins encoded by them contained the characteristic bHLH domain and the three proneural ones were also found to have the C-terminal conserved motif. These genes regulated promoter activity through the Class A E-boxes in vitro. Though both Bm-ASH and Drosophila AS-C have four members, they are not in one by one corresponding relationships. Results of RT-PCR and real-time PCR showed that Bm-ASH genes were expressed in different larval tissues, and had well-regulated expressional profiles during the development of embryo and wing/wing disc. There are four achaete-scute homologs in Bombyx mori, the second insect having four AS-C genes so far, and these genes have multiple functions in silkworm life cycle. AS-C gene duplication in insects occurs after or parallel to, but not before the taxonomic order formation during evolution.

Translation: an example from ancient Chinese to modern Chinese

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liu, X; Hoede, C.

2002-01-01

In this paper, we gave an idea of translation by means of knowledge graph theory from ancient Chinese to modern Chinese, by using an example story. Actually, we give the details of the method of translation from ancient Chinese to modern Chinese step by step as carried out by hand. From the example,

Produção de casulos de Bombyx mori L. alimentados com dietas artificiais e folhas “in natura” de Morus aba L. Production of cocoon of Bombyx mori L. fed on leaves of Morus aba L. and on artificial diets

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Adriana Evangelista Rodrigues

2001-05-01

Full Text Available A utilização de dietas artificiais no Japão já é uma realidade, e no Brasil iniciam-se os estudos buscando encontrar um balanceamento que satisfaça as necessidades das larvas do bicho-da-seda, Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera. Desta forma, foram testados dois cultivares de amoreira como ingredientes das dietas, avaliando-se a qualidade do alimento, através do peso médio dos casulos e teor líquido de seda. As larvas foram separadas em parcelas, no início do 1º ínstar, onde já começaram a receber as dietas artificiais e as folhas “in natura”. Quando as larvas receberam folhas “in natura”, ao longo dos ínstares, apresentaram valores superiores para peso dos casulos. Por outro lado, quando receberam dietas artificiais, nos dois ínstares iniciais, não apresentaram diferença significativa para teor líquido de seda, quando comparadas com folhas “in natura”. Por fim, observou-se que a variedade Miura é melhor tanto como folha “in natura”, quanto como dieta artificial para peso de casulos.The utilization of artificial diets in Japan is fact and in Brazil the work is beginning to search meeting a balance form to satisfy the silkworm necessity, Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera. In such case, was tested two cultivars of mulberry in diets, to evaluate the quality of food trough mean cocoon weight and liquid silk. The larvae were separated in portion in the first instar begin and were to feed with diets and leaves “in nature”. When the silkworms were fed with leaves during five instars, showed cocoon weight high. When were fed diets in two inicial instars, showed that the silk liquid was good. The Miura variety is better in diets and leaves “in nature” for coccon weight.

Older Chinese-Australian and Chinese community music engagement

OpenAIRE

Li, Sicong

2017-01-01

This research study will investigate community music engagement by both Chinese-Australians and Chinese older people at two different older people’s organizations with the aim of exploring the affects of music engagement on older people. The study seeks to explore cultural differences between Chinese-Australian older people and Chinese older people as they relate to their music engagement. The research contentions were that (1) active music engagement can enhance the quality of the life of ol...

Culture, ethnicity, and children's facial expressions: a study of European American, Mainland Chinese, Chinese American, and adopted Chinese girls.

Science.gov (United States)

Camras, Linda A; Bakeman, Roger; Chen, Yinghe; Norris, Katherine; Cain, Thomas R

2006-02-01

This investigation extends previous research documenting differences in Chinese and European American infants' facial expressivity. Chinese girls adopted by European American families, nonadopted Mainland Chinese girls, nonadopted Chinese American girls, and nonadopted European American girls responded to emotionally evocative slides and an odor stimulus. European American girls smiled more than Mainland Chinese and Chinese American girls and scored higher than Mainland Chinese girls for disgust-related expressions and overall expressivity. Adopted Chinese girls produced more disgust-related expressions than Mainland Chinese girls. Self-reported maternal strictness, aggravation, positive expressiveness, and cultural identification correlated with children's facial responses, as did number of siblings and adults in the home. Results suggest that culture and family environment influences facial expressivity, creating differences among children of the same ethnicity.

Expression profiling of Bombyx mori gloverin2 gene and its synergistic antifungal effect with cecropin A against Beauveria bassiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Lü, Dingding; Geng, Tao; Hou, Chengxiang; Qin, Guangxing; Gao, Kun; Guo, Xijie

2017-02-05

Gloverin2 is a cationic and glycine-rich antimicrobial peptide whose expression can be induced in fat body of silkworm (Bombyx mori) larvae exposed to bacteria. The purpose of this study is to identify the roles of Bombyx mori gloverin2 (Bmgloverin2) during entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana infection. Fluorescent quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that the relative expression level of Bmgloverin2 gene was up-regulated in the silkworm larvae infected by B. bassiana. The cDNA of Bmgloverin2 was cloned from the silkworm by RT-PCR and the DNA segment of the Bmgloverin2 peptide (without signal peptide sequence) was inserted into pCzn1 expression plasmid and expressed in E. coli ArcticExpress (DE3). SDS-PAGE results revealed that soluble recombinant Bmgloverin2 was successfully expressed and purified. Polyclonal antibody against the Bmgloverin2 was successfully produced with the expressed recombinant protein. Western blot analysis indicated that Bmgloverin2 could be detected in the fat body of silkworm larvae infected with B. bassiana, suggesting that the expression of Bmgloverin2 could be induced by B. bassiana infection in silkworm. Antifungal assays indicated that the Bmgloverin2 had a synergistic antifungal activity with B. mori cecropin A (BmCecA) to entomopathogenic fungus B. bassiana both in vitro and in vivo in the silkworm larvae. This is the first report that Bmgloverin2 exhibits synergistic effect with BmCecA in antifungal activity against B. bassiana. The study demonstrates that Bmgloverin2 is an antifungal protein which plays an important role in synergistic antifungal activity with other antimicrobial peptide in silkworm. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transgenic Expression of the piRNA-Resistant Masculinizer Gene Induces Female-Specific Lethality and Partial Female-to-Male Sex Reversal in the Silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakai, Hiroki; Sumitani, Megumi; Chikami, Yasuhiko; Yahata, Kensuke; Uchino, Keiro; Kiuchi, Takashi; Katsuma, Susumu; Aoki, Fugaku; Sezutsu, Hideki; Suzuki, Masataka G

2016-08-01

In Bombyx mori (B. mori), Fem piRNA originates from the W chromosome and is responsible for femaleness. The Fem piRNA-PIWI complex targets and cleaves mRNAs transcribed from the Masc gene. Masc encodes a novel CCCH type zinc-finger protein and is required for male-specific splicing of B. mori doublesex (Bmdsx) transcripts. In the present study, several silkworm strains carrying a transgene, which encodes a Fem piRNA-resistant Masc mRNA (Masc-R), were generated. Forced expression of the Masc-R transgene caused female-specific lethality during the larval stages. One of the Masc-R strains weakly expressed Masc-R in various tissues. Females heterozygous for the transgene expressed male-specific isoform of the Bombyx homolog of insulin-like growth factor II mRNA-binding protein (ImpM) and Bmdsx. All examined females showed a lower inducibility of vitellogenin synthesis and exhibited abnormalities in the ovaries. Testis-like tissues were observed in abnormal ovaries and, notably, the tissues contained considerable numbers of sperm bundles. Homozygous expression of the transgene resulted in formation of the male-specific abdominal segment in adult females and caused partial male differentiation in female genitalia. These results strongly suggest that Masc is an important regulatory gene of maleness in B. mori.

Comparative Study of Biological Characteristics of Larvae, Crude and Dried Cocoon in 7 Races of Silkworm Bombyx mori L., Raised in Transylvania Area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emilia Maria Furdui

2010-05-01

Full Text Available 7 monovoltine races of Romanian silkworm Bombyx mori L. were breeded in specific Transylvania conditions, assuring the same microclimate conditions, being fed with the same mulberry leaves (Ukraina 107. The results obtained showed a high homogeneity, the differences were due to the variability and genotype characteristic for each individual of every race. Results and standard deviations are within the race standard. The study permitted a ierarchy of the races, following the biological characteristics, microclimate conditions, quantity, quality and breeding technology.

Medieval Chinese syntax

OpenAIRE

Anderl, Christoph

2017-01-01

“Medieval Chinese Syntax” aims to provide a sketch of the development of function words and syntactic structures during the Chinese Medieval period, including Early Medieval Chinese (ca. 0-700 A.D.) and Late Medieval Chinese (ca. 700-1100).

Silkworm Gut Fiber of Bombyx mori as an Implantable and Biocompatible Light-Diffusing Fiber

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Jose Luis Cenis

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This work describes a new approach to the delivery of light in deeper tissues, through a silk filament that is implantable, biocompatible, and biodegradable. In the present work, silkworm gut fibers (SGFs of Bombyx mori L., are made by stretching the silk glands. Morphological, structural, and optical properties of the fibers have been characterized and the stimulatory effect of red laser light diffused from the fiber was assayed in fibroblast cultures. SGFs are formed by silk fibroin (SF mainly in a β-sheet conformation, a stable and non-soluble state in water or biological fluids. The fibers showed a high degree of transparency to visible and infrared radiation. Using a red laser (λ = 650 nm as source, the light was efficiently diffused along the fiber wall, promoting a significant increment in the cell metabolism 5 h after the irradiation. SGFs have shown their excellent properties as light-diffusing optical fibers with a stimulatory effect on cells.

The Effect of Zinc Supplementation on the Production Parameters of Bombyx mori L. species

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Mihai Benţea

2012-05-01

Full Text Available This research aimed to evaluate the influence of Zinc, administered as food supplement for silkworm (Bombyx moriL. on the larvae weight, the weight of the serigene gland, cocoon weight, cocoon shell. The research has been carried out on 5 groups of silkworms one control group (Gr.1 and 4 experimental groups (4 groups receiving zinc, consisting of 50 larvae/group. Zinc was administered in doses of 17, 34, 68 and 136 mg kg-1 larvae - Gr.2-Gr.5. The use of Zinc determined a very significant increase of the larvae weight, to group Gr.5 followed by groups Gr.4, Gr.3 and Gr.2 compared to the control group. The use of Zinc positively influenced the mass of the serigene glands, the cocoon weight, cocoon shell. The Zn content of the pupae from the experimental groups was higher compared to the one recorded in the control group.

Effect of Venom from the Jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai on the Silkworm Bombyx mori L.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Huahua; Li, Rongfeng; Chen, Xiaolin; Yue, Yang; Xing, Ronge; Liu, Song; Li, Pengcheng

2015-09-24

The silkworm Bombyx mori L. (B. mori) has a significant impact on the economy by producing more than 80% of the globally produced raw silk. The exposure of silkworm to pesticides may cause adverse effects on B. mori, such as a reduction in the production and quality of silk. This study aims to assay the effect of venom from the jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai on growth, cuticle and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity of the silkworm B. mori by the leaf dipping method. The experimental results revealed that the four samples caused neither antifeeding nor a lethal effect on B. mori. The sample SFV inhibited B. mori growth after 6 days of treatment in a dose-dependent manner. The samples SFV, DSFV and Fr-1 inhibited the precipitation and synthesis of chitin in the cuticle after 12 and 14 days of treatment. In the case of the four samples, the AChE was significantly improved after 14 days of treatment.

Characterization of early follicular cDNA library suggests evidence for genetic polymorphisms in the inbred strain C108 of Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Mills, D R; Goldsmith, M R

2000-04-01

Recent work towards the completion of a saturated molecular genetic linkage map for the lepidopteran silkworm, Bombyx mori (n = 28), has provided evidence for existing polymorphisms in the inbred strain C108. Two inbred parental strains, p50 and C108, were crossed to produce the F1 (P/C) hybrid offspring. The populations used in this project were comprised of a combination of 29 F2 (F1 x F1) and 31 reciprocal backcross (P/C x C/C, P/C x P/P) progeny. All restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) for the initial analysis were hybridized with anonymous probes derived from a random early follicular cDNA (Rcf) library from Bombyx. A total of 19 Rcf probes were selected as showing scorable codominant polymorphic patterns when screened against F2 and backcross DNAs digested with the restriction enzymes EcoRI, HindIII, or PstI, and Southern blotted to nylon membranes for hybridization. Of the newly reported Rcf probes, 7 (37%) were characterized as producing 'simple' polymorphic patterns, while 12 (63%) were characterized as producing 'complex' polymorphic patterns. Further characterization of the complex patterns subdivided this group into two general classes: polymorphisms that contained an additional allele, and multiple bands that contained an easily scored two banded polymorphism. Because the extra allele class was limited to the (P/C x C/C) backcross progeny, it is suggested that the inbred parental strain C108 harbors polymorphic loci that are inherited in a simple Mendelian fashion. A genetic analysis discussing plausible origins and maintenance of these polymorphisms is presented.

Analysis of four achaete-scute homologs in Bombyx mori reveals new viewpoints of the evolution and functions of this gene family

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Yi Yongzhu

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background achaete-scute complexe (AS-C has been widely studied at genetic, developmental and evolutional levels. Genes of this family encode proteins containing a highly conserved bHLH domain, which take part in the regulation of the development of central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. Many AS-C homologs have been isolated from various vertebrates and invertebrates. Also, AS-C genes are duplicated during the evolution of Diptera. Functions besides neural development controlling have also been found in Drosophila AS-C genes. Results We cloned four achaete-scute homologs (ASH from the lepidopteran model organism Bombyx mori, including three proneural genes and one neural precursor gene. Proteins encoded by them contained the characteristic bHLH domain and the three proneural ones were also found to have the C-terminal conserved motif. These genes regulated promoter activity through the Class A E-boxes in vitro. Though both Bm-ASH and Drosophila AS-C have four members, they are not in one by one corresponding relationships. Results of RT-PCR and real-time PCR showed that Bm-ASH genes were expressed in different larval tissues, and had well-regulated expressional profiles during the development of embryo and wing/wing disc. Conclusion There are four achaete-scute homologs in Bombyx mori, the second insect having four AS-C genes so far, and these genes have multiple functions in silkworm life cycle. AS-C gene duplication in insects occurs after or parallel to, but not before the taxonomic order formation during evolution.

Disruption of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus ORF71 (Bm71) results in inefficient budded virus production and decreased virulence in host larvae.

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Zhang, Min-Juan; Cheng, Ruo-Lin; Lou, Yi-Han; Ye, Wan-Lu; Zhang, Tao; Fan, Xiao-Ying; Fan, Hai-Wei; Zhang, Chuan-Xi

2012-08-01

The Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a baculovirus that selectively infects domestic silkworm. BmNPV ORF71 (Bm71) is not a core set gene in baculovirus and shares 92 % amino acid sequence identity with Autographa californica multinucleocapsid NPV ORF88 (Ac88/cg30). Previously, it has been reported that virus lacking Ac88 had no striking phenotypes in cell lines or host larvae. However, the exact role of Bm71 during BmNPV life cycle remains unknown. In the present study, we constructed a Bm71-disrupted (Bm71-D) virus and assessed the effect of the Bm71 disruption on viral replication and viral phenotype throughout the viral life cycle. Results showed that the Bm71-D bacmid could successfully transfect Bm5 cell lines and produce infectious budded virus (BV). But the BV titer was 10- to 100-fold lower than that of the wild-type (WT) virus during infection, and the decreased BV titer was rescued by Bm71 gene repair virus (Bm71-R). A larval bioassay showed that Bm71-D virus took 7.5 h longer than the WT to kill Bombyx mori larvae. Transmission electron microscopy analysis indicated that the Bm71-D virus-infected cells had typical virogenic stroma, bundles of nucleocapsids and polyhedra. Taken together, these results suggest that Bm71 has important implications for determining BV yield and virulence in viral life cycle even though it is not an essential gene for replication of BmNPV.

Genetic diversity among silkworm (Bombyx mori L., Lep., Bombycidae) germplasms revealed by microsatellites.

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Li, Muwang; Shen, Li; Xu, Anying; Miao, Xuexia; Hou, Chengxiang; Sun, Pingjiang; Zhang, Yuehua; Huang, Yongping

2005-10-01

To determine genetic relationships among strains of silkworm, Bombyx mori L., 31 strains with different origins, number of generations per year, number of molts per generation, and morphological characters were studied using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Twenty-six primer pairs flanking microsatellite sequences in the silkworm genome were assayed. All were polymorphic and unambiguously separated silkworm strains from each other. A total of 188 alleles were detected with a mean value of 7.2 alleles/locus (range 2-17). The average heterozygosity value for each SSR locus ranged from 0 to 0.60, and the highest one was 0.96 (Fl0516 in 4013). The mean polymorphism index content (PIC) was 0.66 (range 0.12-0.89). Unweighted pair group method with arithmetic means (UPGMA) cluster analysis of Nei's genetic distance grouped silkworm strains based on their origin. Seven major ecotypic silkworm groups were analyzed. Principal components analysis (PCA) for SSR data support their UPGMA clustering. The results indicated that SSR markers are an efficient tool for fingerprinting cultivars and conducting genetic-diversity studies in the silkworm.

Bombyx mori Serpin6 regulates prophenoloxidase activity and the expression of antimicrobial proteins.

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Li, Bing; Yu, Hai-Zhong; Ye, Chong-Jun; Ma, Yan; Li, Xing; Fan, Tao; Chen, Fu-Sheng; Xu, Jia-Ping

2017-04-30

Serpins are a family of serine protease inhibitors that are found widely in insects. They play an important role in insect physiological responses, such as innate immunity and development. In this study, we obtained the Bombyx mori serpin6 (BmSerpin6) sequence from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and the silkworm genome database (SilkDB). Reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) results showed that BmSerpin6 was expressed highly in hemocytes, the midgut, and the fat body. After challenging with Micrococcus luteus (Mi) and Serratia marcescens (Sm), the BmSerpin6 expression level was induced significantly. Transcript levels of gloverin2 and prophenoloxidase (PPO) activity were reduced significantly in the fat body and hemocytes after injecting the recombinant BmSerpin6 protein into silkworm larvae. A BmSerpin6 recombinant plasmid (BmSerpin6-pAC 5.1) was constructed successfully and transfected into Drosophila S2 cells, which resulted in significantly reduced expression of the drosomycin protein. These results indicated that BmSerpin6 might regulate silkworm immune responses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Soaking RNAi in Bombyx mori BmN4-SID1 Cells Arrests Cell Cycle Progression

Science.gov (United States)

Mon, Hiroaki; Li, Zhiqing; Kobayashi, Isao; Tomita, Shuichiro; Lee, JaeMan; Sezutsu, Hideki; Tamura, Toshiki; Kusakabe, Takahiro

2013-01-01

RNA interference (RNAi) is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism for sequence-specific gene silencing. Previously, the BmN4-SID1 cell expressing Caenorhabditis ele gans SID-1 was established, in which soaking RNAi could induce effective gene silencing. To establish its utility, 6 cell cycle progression related cDNAs, CDK1, MYC, MYB, RNRS, CDT1, and GEMININ, were isolated from the silkworm, Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae), and their expressions were further silenced by soaking RNAi in the BmN4-SID1 cells. The cell cycle progression analysis using flow cytometer demonstrated that the small amount of double stranded RNA was enough to arrest cell cycle progression at the specific cell phases. These data suggest that RNAi in the BmN4-SID1 cells can be used as a powerful tool for loss-of-function analysis of B. mori genes. PMID:24773378

Writing Chinese and mathematics achievement: A study with Chinese-American undergraduates

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chieh; Nuttall, Ronald

2001-04-01

Two recent studies indicated that writing Chinese is correlated to Chinese-American (CA) students' spatial skills. The current study investigated whether writing Chinese would have the same relationship to mathematics skills. The Scholastic Assessment Test—Mathematics (SAT-Math) scores were analysed for 150 CA undergraduates: 42 writers of Chinese and 108 non-writers of Chinese. The results suggested a strong correlation between writing Chinese and success on SAT-Math. An underlying mechanism may be the common cognitive components that encompass writing Chinese, spatial tasks, and SAT-Math. Contrary to previous findings with other populations in the USA, CA females scored slightly higher on SAT-Math than males. The finding supports the cultural relativity theory of gender difference on SAT-Math.

Control of protein synthesis in the female pupa of Bombyx mori

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamao, Masami; Koga, Katsumi

1975-01-01

For the purpose of understanding the mechanisms of insect metamorphosis, protein synthesis by silkmoth pupae has been studied. Synthetic rate and contents of total RNA and protein changed markedly in the female pupae of Bombyx mori. Attempt was made to find what the limiting step for the synthesis of the bulk of proteins during the adult development of female pupae is. Several female pupae of hydridstrain were homogenized at each of stated periods in buffer. The ribosomal fraction prepared from the homogenates was incubated in the buffer containing 3 H-leucine or 3 H-phenylalanine. The incorporation of leucine depending on endogenous mRNA and that of phenylalanine directed by added poly U were the largest in 9--10 days and 7th day, respectively. From the results, the synthesis of protein during the late adult development of female silkworms is controlled at the level of mRNA. The increase of ribosomes, which were active to bind mRNA, preceded the appearance of available endogenous mRNA, and it may be attributed to neogenesis and ''run-off'' of previous ribosomes. It is conceivable that such neogenesis or run-off serves as less direct control for the protein synthesis during the metamorphosis of Bombix mori. (Kobatake, H.)

Molecular Characterization of Bombyx mori Cytoplasmic Polyhedrosis Virus Genome Segment 4

Science.gov (United States)

Ikeda, Keiko; Nagaoka, Sumiharu; Winkler, Stefan; Kotani, Kumiko; Yagi, Hiroaki; Nakanishi, Kae; Miyajima, Shigetoshi; Kobayashi, Jun; Mori, Hajime

2001-01-01

The complete nucleotide sequence of the genome segment 4 (S4) of Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV) was determined. The 3,259-nucleotide sequence contains a single long open reading frame which spans nucleotides 14 to 3187 and which is predicted to encode a protein with a molecular mass of about 130 kDa. Western blot analysis showed that S4 encodes BmCPV protein VP3, which is one of the outer components of the BmCPV virion. Sequence analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of BmCPV VP3 revealed possible sequence homology with proteins from rice ragged stunt virus (RRSV) S2, Nilaparvata lugens reovirus S4, and Fiji disease fijivirus S4. This may suggest that plant reoviruses originated from insect viruses and that RRSV emerged more recently than other plant reoviruses. A chimeric protein consisting of BmCPV VP3 and green fluorescent protein (GFP) was constructed and expressed with BmCPV polyhedrin using a baculovirus expression vector. The VP3-GFP chimera was incorporated into BmCPV polyhedra and released under alkaline conditions. The results indicate that specific interactions occur between BmCPV polyhedrin and VP3 which might facilitate BmCPV virion occlusion into the polyhedra. PMID:11134312

Developmental Changes for the Hemolymph Metabolome of Silkworm (Bombyx moriL.)

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Zhou, Lihong; Li, Huihui; Hao, Fuhua; Li, Ning; Liu, Xin; Wang, Guoliang; Wang, Yulan; Tang, Huiru

2015-01-01

Silkworm (Bombyx mori) is a lepidopteran-holometabolic model organism. To understand its developmental biochemistry, we characterized the larval hemolymph metabonome from the third instar to prepupa stage using 1H NMR spectroscopy whilst hemolymph fatty acid composition using GC-FID/MS. We unambiguously assigned more than 60 metabolites, among which tyrosine-o-β-glucuronide, mesaconate, homocarnosine, and picolinate were reported for the first time from the silkworm hemolymph. Phosphorylcholine was the most abundant metabolite in all developmental stages with exception for the periods before the third and fourth molting. We also found obvious developmental dependence for the hemolymph metabonome involving multiple pathways including protein biosyntheses, glycolysis, TCA cycle, the metabolisms of choline amino acids, fatty acids, purines, and pyrimidines. Most hemolymph amino acids had two elevations during the feeding period of the fourth instar and prepupa stage. Trehalose was the major blood sugar before day 8 of the fifth instar, whereas glucose became the major blood sugar after spinning. C16:0, C18:0 and its unsaturated forms were dominant fatty acids in hemolymph. The developmental changes of hemolymph metabonome were associated with dietary nutrient intakes, biosyntheses of cell membrane, pigments, proteins, and energy metabolism. These findings offered essential biochemistry information in terms of the dynamic metabolic changes during silkworm development. PMID:25825269

Progênie de Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare & LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) parasitando pupas de Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) de diferentes idades

OpenAIRE

Pereira, Fabricio F; Zanuncio, José C; Serrão, José E; Oliveira, Harley N; Fávero, Kellen; Grance, Elizangela L V

2009-01-01

Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare & LaSalle é um parasitóide pupal natural de pupas de lepidópteros desfolhadores de eucalipto e é considerado um promissor agente de controle biológico. No entanto, o desenvolvimento de técnicas de criação eficientes desse inimigo natural é inicialmente necessário para que ele possa ser utilizado em programas de controle biológico. Pupas de Bombyx mori L. são hospedeiras alternativas em potencial para criação massal de P. elaeisis. Por isto, nós avaliamos a idade ...

Expression of RYamide in the nervous and endocrine system of Bombyx mori.

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Roller, Ladislav; Čižmár, Daniel; Bednár, Branislav; Žitňan, Dušan

2016-06-01

RYamides are neuropeptides encoded by a gene whose precise expression and function have not yet been determined. We identified the RYamide gene transcript (fmgV1g15f, SilkBase database) and predicted two candidates for G-protein coupled RYamide receptors (A19-BAG68418 and A22-BAG68421) in the silkworm Bombyx mori. We cloned the RYamide transcript and described its spatial expression using in situ hybridisation. In the larval central nervous system (CNS) expression of RYamide was restricted to 12-14 small neurons in the brain and two posterior neurons in the terminal abdominal ganglion. During metamorphosis their number decreased to eight protocerebral neurons in the adults. Multiple staining, using various insect neuropeptide antibodies, revealed that neurons expressing RYamide are different from other peptidergic cells in the CNS. We also found RYamide expression in the enteroendocrine cells (EC) of the anterior midgut of larvae, pupae and adults. Two minor subpopulations of these EC were also immunoreactive to antibodies against tachykinin and myosupressin. This expression pattern suggests RYamides may play a role in the regulation of feeding and digestion. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sexually dimorphic traits in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, are regulated by doublesex.

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Xu, Jun; Zhan, Shuai; Chen, Shuqing; Zeng, Baosheng; Li, Zhiqian; James, Anthony A; Tan, Anjiang; Huang, Yongping

2017-01-01

The DM domain genes, doublesex (dsx) in insects, or their structural homologs, male abnormal 3 (mab-3) in nematodes and Dmrt1 (doublesex and mab-3-related transcription factor 1) in mammals, are downstream regulators of the sex determination pathway that control sexually dimorphic development. Despite the functional importance of dsx and its potential applications in sterile insect technologies (SITs), the mechanisms by which it controls sexually dimorphic traits and the subsequent developmental gene networks in insects are poorly understood. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that insect dsx genes have sex-specific alternative splicing isoforms, whereas other taxa do not. We exploited genome editing and transgenesis technologies to induce mutations in either the male-specific isoform (dsx M ) or common region (dsx C ) of dsx in the somatic tissues of the lepidopteran model insect Bombyx mori. Disruptions of gene function produced either male-specific sexually-dimorphic defects or intersexual phenotypes; these results differ from those observed in other insects, including Drosophila melanogaster. Our data provide insights into the divergence of the insect sex determination pathways related to the most conserved downstream component dsx. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of proteome dynamics inside the silk gland lumen of Bombyx mori

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Zhaoming; Zhao, Ping; Zhang, Yan; Song, Qianru; Zhang, Xiaolu; Guo, Pengchao; Wang, Dandan; Xia, Qingyou

2016-01-01

The silk gland is the only organ where silk proteins are synthesized and secreted in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Silk proteins are stored in the lumen of the silk gland for around eight days during the fifth instar. Determining their dynamic changes is helpful for clarifying the secretion mechanism of silk proteins. Here, we identified the proteome in the silk gland lumen using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, and demonstrated its changes during two key stages. From day 5 of the fifth instar to day 1 of wandering, the abundances of fibroins, sericins, seroins, and proteins of unknown functions increased significantly in different compartments of the silk gland lumen. As a result, these accumulated proteins constituted the major cocoon components. In contrast, the abundances of enzymes and extracellular matrix proteins decreased in the silk gland lumen, suggesting that they were not the structural constituents of silk. Twenty-five enzymes may be involved in the regulation of hormone metabolism for proper silk gland function. In addition, the metabolism of other non-proteinous components such as chitin and pigment were also discussed in this study. PMID:27102218

Can the silkworm (Bombyx mori) be used as a human disease model?

Science.gov (United States)

Tabunoki, Hiroko; Bono, Hidemasa; Ito, Katsuhiko; Yokoyama, Takeshi

2016-02-01

Bombyx mori (silkworm) is the most famous lepidopteran in Japan. B. mori has long been used in the silk industry and also as a model insect for agricultural research. In recent years, B. mori has attracted interest in its potential for use in pathological analysis of model animals. For example, the human macular carotenoid transporter was discovered using information of B. mori carotenoid transporter derived from yellow-cocoon strain. The B. mori carotenoid transport system is useful in human studies. To develop a human disease model, we characterized the human homologs of B. mori, and by constructing KAIKO functional annotation pipeline, and to analyze gene expression profile of a unique B. mori mutant strain using microarray analysis. As a result, we identified a novel molecular network involved in Parkinson's disease. Here we describe the potential use of a spontaneous mutant silkworm strain as a human disease model. We also summarize recent progress in the application of genomic information for annotation of human homologs in B. mori. The B. mori mutant will provide a clue to pathological mechanisms, and the findings will be helpful for the development of therapies and for medical drug discovery.

Molecular characterization of a peritrophic membrane protein from the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xiaolong; Chen, Lin; Yang, Rui; Xiang, Xingwei; Wu, Xiaofeng

2013-02-01

The peritrophic membrane lines the gut of most insects at one or more stages of their life cycles. It facilitates the digestive processes in the guts and protects from invasion by pathogens or food particles. In the current study, a novel PM protein, designated as BmMtch, was identified from the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The open reading frame of BmMtch is 888 bp in length, encoding 295 amino acid residues consisting of two domains (Mito_carr domains) and three transmembrane regions. They are localized on the 11th chromosome as single copy with one exon only. Quantitative real time PCR analysis (qRT-PCR) revealed that BmMtch was mainly expressed in larval fat bodies, Malpighian tubules, testis and ovaries, and could be detected through all stages of the life cycle of silkworm. Immuno-fluorescence analysis indicated that BmMtch was localized within the goblet cell of larval midgut. Western blotting analysis showed that BmMtch were detected in total proteins of PM and larval midgut. The characteristics of BmMtch indicated that BmMtch represents a novel member of insect PM proteins, without chitin-binding domains.

Efisiensi Konsumsi Pakan Dan Laju Respirasi Ulat Sutera Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombicidae) Yang Diberi Daun Murbei (Morus sp.) Yang Mengandung Vitamin B1 (TIAMIN)

OpenAIRE

Hayani, Rizma

2014-01-01

The Effect of Mulberry (Morus sp.) Leave that Contain Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) on the Efficiency of Feed Consumption and Respiration Rate of Silkworm Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombicidae)” has been carried out in the Laboratory of Genetics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Sumatra Utara, Medan. This study used Complete Random Design (CRD) with 5 treatments and 3 replications each replication consisted of 10 silkworm. The treatmants that vitamin B1 concentration of mg...

The complete mitogenome sequence of the Japanese oak silkmoth, Antheraea yamamai (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Seong Ryeol; Kim, Man Il; Hong, Mee Yeon; Kim, Kee Young; Kang, Pil Don; Hwang, Jae Sam; Han, Yeon Soo; Jin, Byung Rae; Kim, Iksoo

2009-09-01

The 15,338-bp long complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the Japanese oak silkmoth, Antheraea yamamai (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) was determined. This genome has a gene arrangement identical to those of all other sequenced lepidopteran insects, but differs from the most common type, as the result of the movement of tRNA(Met) to a position 5'-upstream of tRNA(Ile). No typical start codon of the A. yamamai COI gene is available. Instead, a tetranucleotide, TTAG, which is found at the beginning context of all sequenced lepidopteran insects was tentatively designated as the start codon for A. yamamai COI gene. Three of the 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) harbor the incomplete termination codon, T or TA. All tRNAs formed stable stem-and-loop structures, with the exception of tRNA(Ser)(AGN), the DHU arm of which formed a simple loop as has been observed in many other metazoan mt tRNA(Ser)(AGN). The 334-bp long A + T-rich region is noteworthy in that it harbors tRNA-like structures, as has also been seen in the A + T-rich regions of other insect mitogenomes. Phylogenetic analyses of the available species of Bombycoidea, Pyraloidea, and Tortricidea bolstered the current morphology-based hypothesis that Bombycoidea and Pyraloidea are monophyletic (Obtectomera). As has been previously suggested, Bombycidae (Bombyx mori and B. mandarina) and Saturniidae (A. yamamai and Caligula boisduvalii) formed a reciprocal monophyletic group.

Effect of cocoon fluorescence, silkworm hybrid and gender on sericin content of Bombyx mori L. silk thread

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M. Panayotov

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract. The goal of the present study was to determine the influence of the ultraviolet fluorescence of cocoons, the hybrid, the sex and the interaction among them on the sericin content in silk threads. The study was performed with 3 di- and 2 tetra-cross silkmoth (Bombyx mori L. hybrids, differentiated in three groups – with violet, intermediate and yellow fluorescence of the cocoons. The examined factors had a significant effect (p≤0.001 on the sericin content. The highest sericin content was detected in the silk threads of the violet-fluorescent and the lowest – in the yellow-fluorescent group. The analysed di-hybrids were distinguished by better characteristics in terms of sericin content, compared to the tetra-hybrids, most obvious for the yellow-fluorescent fraction.

[Development and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine processing discipline and Chinese herbal pieces industry].

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Yong-Qing; Li, Li; Liu, Ying; Ma, Yin-Lian; Yu, Ding-Rong

2016-01-01

To elucidate the key issues in the development and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine processing discipline and Chinese herbal pieces industry Chinese herbal pieces industry. According to the author's accumulated experience over years and demand of the development of the Chinese herbal pieces industry, the key issues in the development and innovation on the Chinese herbal pieces industry were summarized. According to the author, the traditional Chinese medicine processing discipline shall focus on a application basis research. The development of this discipline should be closely related to the development of Chinese herbal pieces. The traditional Chinese medicine processing discipline can be improved and its results can be transformed only if this discipline were correlated with the Chinese herbal pieces industry, matched with the development of the Chinese herbal pieces industry, and solved the problems in the development on the Chinese herbal pieces industry. The development of traditional Chinese medicine processing discipline and the Chinese herbal pieces industry also requires scientific researchers to make constant innovations, realize the specialty of the researches, and innovate based on inheritance. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Templates of "Chineseness" and Trajectories of Cambodian Chinese Entrepreneurship in Phnom Penh

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Michiel Verver

2012-09-01

Full Text Available In the 1960s, William Willmott described Cambodia as a plural society in which different ethnic groups occupy different places in the economic structure. The Chinese made up the economic class, active in trade and commerce, and formed a definable ethnic community, both socioculturally and politically. Since Willmott’s seminal studies, Cambodia’s ethnic Chinese have endured the destruction and repression of both private enterprise and Chinese sociocultural life (1970–1990, followed by a revitalization of Chinese business. Through ethnographic case studies, this paper explores the relationship between “Chineseness” and business life in trajectories of Cambodian Chinese entrepreneurship in Phnom Penh. How do entrepreneurs deploy notions of Chinese business? The author argues that Chinese family businesses, trust-based networks, patronage arrangements, and cultural representations have indeed been greatly revitalized over the last few decades, but that they also remain challenged in certain contexts. Moreover, such revitalization has taken a fundamentally different form from Willmott’s description. Practices of Chinese business can no longer be ascribed to an ethnic Chinese “community” in Phnom Penh. Rather, as the latter has become increasingly multiform, Chinese business has developed into a template at the deployment (or neglect of a broader category of Cambodian Chinese entrepreneurs.

Juvenile Hormone Analogues, Methoprene and Fenoxycarb Dose-Dependently Enhance Certain Enzyme Activities in the Silkworm Bombyx Mori (L

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M. Rajeswara Rao

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Use of Juvenile Hormone Analogues (JHA in sericulture practices has been shown to boost good cocoon yield; their effect has been determined to be dose-dependent. We studied the impact of low doses of JHA compounds such as methoprene and fenoxycarb on selected key enzymatic activities of the silkworm Bombyx mori. Methoprene and fenoxycarb at doses of 1.0 μg and 3.0fg/larvae/48 hours showed enhancement of the 5th instar B. mori larval muscle and silkgland protease, aspartate aminotransaminase (AAT and alanine aminotransaminase (ALAT, adenosine triphosphate synthase (ATPase and cytochrome-c-oxidase (CCO activity levels, indicating an upsurge in the overall oxidative metabolism of the B.mori larval tissues.

JPRS Report, Science & Technology, USSR: Science & Technology Policy

Science.gov (United States)

1988-04-28

of Sciences. He is known for his very precise, unique research conducted on the Chinese silkworm [ Bombyx mori L.\\. He is indisputable one of the most... Origin and Role in Evolution of Natural Parthenogenesis in Higher Vertebrates." The research of the author showed for the first time that unisexual...populations. These data indicate their origin from one or several females. The high fixed heterozygosity of parthenospecies, which was established

Efficient silkworm expression of human GPCR (nociceptin receptor) by a Bombyx mori bacmid DNA system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kajikawa, Mizuho; Sasaki, Kaori; Wakimoto, Yoshitaro; Toyooka, Masaru; Motohashi, Tomoko; Shimojima, Tsukasa; Takeda, Shigeki; Park, Enoch Y.; Maenaka, Katsumi

2009-01-01

Guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein) coupled receptors (GPCRs) are frequently expressed by a baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS). We recently established a novel BEVS using the bacmid system of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV), which is directly applicable for protein expression in silkworms. Here, we report the first example of GPCR expression in silkworms by the simple injection of BmNPV bacmid DNA. Human nociceptin receptor, an inhibitory GPCR, and its fusion protein with inhibitory G protein alpha subunit (G i α) were both successfully expressed in the fat bodies of silkworm larvae as well as in the BmNPV viral fraction. Its yield was much higher than that from Sf9 cells. The microsomal fractions including the nociceptin receptor fusion, which are easily prepared by only centrifugation steps, exhibited [ 35 S]GTPγS-binding activity upon specific stimulation by nociceptin. Therefore, this rapid method is easy-to-use and has a high expression level, and thus will be an important tool for human GPCR production.

Genome-wide identification, characterization of sugar transporter genes in the silkworm Bombyx mori and role in Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) infection.

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Govindaraj, Lekha; Gupta, Tania; Esvaran, Vijaya Gowri; Awasthi, Arvind Kumar; Ponnuvel, Kangayam M

2016-04-01

Sugar transporters play an essential role in controlling carbohydrate transport and are responsible for mediating the movement of sugars into cells. These genes exist as large multigene families within the insect genome. In insects, sugar transporters not only have a role in sugar transport, but may also act as receptors for virus entry. Genome-wide annotation of silkworm Bombyx mori (B. mori) revealed 100 putative sugar transporter (BmST) genes exists as a large multigene family and were classified into 11 sub families, through phylogenetic analysis. Chromosomes 27, 26 and 20 were found to possess the highest number of BmST paralogous genes, harboring 22, 7 and 6 genes, respectively. These genes occurred in clusters exhibiting the phenomenon of tandem gene duplication. The ovary, silk gland, hemocytes, midgut and malphigian tubules were the different tissues/cells enriched with BmST gene expression. The BmST gene BGIBMGA001498 had maximum EST transcripts of 134 and expressed exclusively in the malphigian tubule. The expression of EST transcripts of the BmST clustered genes on chromosome 27 was distributed in various tissues like testis, ovary, silk gland, malphigian tubule, maxillary galea, prothoracic gland, epidermis, fat body and midgut. Three sugar transporter genes (BmST) were constitutively expressed in the susceptible race and were down regulated upon BmNPV infection at 12h post infection (hpi). The expression pattern of these three genes was validated through real-time PCR in the midgut tissues at different time intervals from 0 to 30hpi. In the susceptible B. mori race, expression of sugar transporter genes was constitutively expressed making the host succumb to viral infection. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Development of Chinese Education in Malaysia, 1952-1975: Political Collaboration between the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Chinese Educationists

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Tan, Yao Sua; Teoh, Hooi See

2015-01-01

This paper examines the development of Chinese education in Malaysia from 1952 to 1975, focusing on the political collaboration between the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and the Chinese educationists to advance the cause of Chinese education instead of the usual macro policy analysis. This collaboration was compounded by the different stand…

Identification of circular RNA in the Bombyx mori silk gland.

Science.gov (United States)

Gan, Huaiyan; Feng, Tieshan; Wu, Yuqian; Liu, Chun; Xia, Qingyou; Cheng, Tingcai

2017-10-01

Bombyx mori is an economically important holometabolous lepidopteran insect. In B. mori endogenous noncoding RNAs such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and Piwi-interacting RNAs play crucial biological functions in metamorphosis and sex determination. In addition, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been recently identified as noncoding RNAs in most common model organisms and show potential as gene regulators. However, to date, there have been few studies on the circRNAs present in the B. mori genome conducted to date. Here, we identified 3916 circRNAs by deep circular transcriptome sequencing using the silk gland of B. mori. 3155 circRNAs were found to be derived from 1727 parental genes. The circRNAs displayed tissue-specific expression between the middle silk gland (MSG) and posterior silk gland (PSG), with 2532 and 880 being upregulated circRNAs in the MSG and PSG, respectively. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses showed that the parental genes from the MSG and PSG were generally annotated to similar categories and pathways. The interaction network of circRNAs and miRNAs showed that circRNAs might act as miRNA sponges or interact with miRNAs in some other way. Overall, the results revealed the complicated patterns of circRNAs in the B. mori silk gland providing a new angle from which to explore the mechanisms of complex gene regulation and efficient silk protein synthesis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

FLP recombinase-mediated site-specific recombination in silkworm, Bombyx mori.

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Ding-Pei Long

Full Text Available A comprehensive understanding of gene function and the production of site-specific genetically modified mutants are two major goals of genetic engineering in the post-genomic era. Although site-specific recombination systems have been powerful tools for genome manipulation of many organisms, they have not yet been established for use in the manipulation of the silkworm Bombyx mori genome. In this study, we achieved site-specific excision of a target gene at predefined chromosomal sites in the silkworm using a FLP/FRT site-specific recombination system. We first constructed two stable transgenic target silkworm strains that both contain a single copy of the transgene construct comprising a target gene expression cassette flanked by FRT sites. Using pre-blastoderm microinjection of a FLP recombinase helper expression vector, 32 G3 site-specific recombinant transgenic individuals were isolated from five of 143 broods. The average frequency of FLP recombinase-mediated site-specific excision in the two target strains genome was approximately 3.5%. This study shows that it is feasible to achieve site-specific recombination in silkworms using the FLP/FRT system. We conclude that the FLP/FRT system is a useful tool for genome manipulation in the silkworm. Furthermore, this is the first reported use of the FLP/FRT system for the genetic manipulation of a lepidopteran genome and thus provides a useful reference for the establishment of genome manipulation technologies in other lepidopteran species.

Translation Strategy of Chinese Culture-loaded Lexes and the Dissemina-tion of Chinese Culture

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

WU Li-li

2016-01-01

Lexes are the most important and basic element of a language. Chinese culture-loaded lexes are those words or expres-sions that are greatly rich in Chinese culture. They can reflect the characteristics of Chinese culture and Chinese nation. There-fore, it is of great significance to pay attention to the translation of Chinese culture-loaded lexes as they play a decisive role in disseminating Chinese culture. It can help promote Chinese culture worldwide, improve China’s cultural exchanges and commu-nication with other nations and strengthen China’s status in the world. This paper focuses on the Chinese culture-loaded words and proposes some possible means of translation with the purpose of spreading Chinese culture.

BM61 of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus: its involvement in the egress of nucleocapsids from the nucleus.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Hongxing; Chen, Keping

2012-04-05

All lepidopteran baculovirus genomes sequenced encode a homolog of the Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus orf61 gene (Bm61). To determine the role of Bm61 in the baculoviral life cycle, we constructed a Bm61 knockout virus and characterized it in cells. We observed that the Bm61 deletion bacmid led to a defect in production of infectious budded virus (BV). Quantitative PCR analysis of BV in the media culturing the transfected cell indicated that BV was not produced due to Bm61 deletion. Electron microscope analysis showed that in the knockout of Bm61, nucleocapsids were not transported from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. From these results we concluded that BM61 is required in the BV pathway for the egress of nucleocapsids from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. Copyright © 2012 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chinese restaurant syndrome

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Chinese restaurant syndrome is a set of symptoms that some people have after eating Chinese food. A food additive ... Chinese restaurant syndrome is most often diagnosed based on the symptoms. The health care provider may ask the following ...

CHINESE INDONESIANS: CHINESE MUSLIMS AND THE COLLAPSE OF THE BUSINESS REPUBLIC JAKARTA: REPUBLIKA

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Teguh Setiawan

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This book written by Teguh Setiawan and published by Republika is very interesting to read because from it the reader will get a lot of information about the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia, among them: the greatness of the Chinese Muslim leaders and bad luck of Chinese Muslim community during the Dutch colonial period and the heyday of the Muslim ethnic Chinese in Indonesia, and portrait of the Chinese Muslims from the past. In addition, readers will be interested in doing research on other ethnic Chinese, perhaps even you would like to know the ethnic Chinese in the rural areas recounted in the book.

Combinatory annotation of cell membrane receptors and signalling pathways of Bombyx mori prothoracic glands

Science.gov (United States)

Moulos, Panagiotis; Samiotaki, Martina; Panayotou, George; Dedos, Skarlatos G.

2016-01-01

The cells of prothoracic glands (PG) are the main site of synthesis and secretion of ecdysteroids, the biochemical products of cholesterol conversion to steroids that shape the morphogenic development of insects. Despite the availability of genome sequences from several insect species and the extensive knowledge of certain signalling pathways that underpin ecdysteroidogenesis, the spectrum of signalling molecules and ecdysteroidogenic cascades is still not fully comprehensive. To fill this gap and obtain the complete list of cell membrane receptors expressed in PG cells, we used combinatory bioinformatic, proteomic and transcriptomic analysis and quantitative PCR to annotate and determine the expression profiles of genes identified as putative cell membrane receptors of the model insect species, Bombyx mori, and subsequently enrich the repertoire of signalling pathways that are present in its PG cells. The genome annotation dataset we report here highlights modules and pathways that may be directly involved in ecdysteroidogenesis and aims to disseminate data and assist other researchers in the discovery of the role of such receptors and their ligands. PMID:27576083

Changes in polyamine levels in various organs of Bombyx mori during its life cycle.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamana, K; Matsuzaki, S; Inoue, K

1984-06-01

Polyamines in various organs of larval, pupal, and moth stages of Bombyx mori, were assayed by high-performance ion-exchange chromatography and paper and thin-layer chromatography. Putrescine and spermidine were especially abundant in the silk gland, gonads, mucous gland, and sucking stomach; spermine was also present in them, but at much lower concentrations. Both norspermidine and norspermine were detected in almost all organs examined, while their precursor 1,3-diaminopropane was found only in a limited number of organs. Low concentrations of sym-homospermidine were observed in the silk gland and ovary. Cadaverine content was particularly high in the mucous gland which contained diapause eggs and the sucking stomach. Diapause eggs contained much higher levels of cadaverine than non-diapause eggs. The concentrations of most polyamines in the silk glands remained rather constant during the larval stage, and decreased markedly at the pupal stage. Polyamines in gonads, in contrast, did not decrease at the pupal stage, but putrescine, diaminopropane, and norspermidine rather increased during the pupal and moth stages.

Chinese Translation Errors in English/Chinese Bilingual Children's Picture Books

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Qiaoya; Chen, Xiaoning

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to review the Chinese translation errors in 31 English/Chinese bilingual children's picture books. While bilingual children's books make definite contributions to language acquisition, few studies have examined the quality of these books, and even fewer have specifically focused on English/Chinese bilingual books.…

Corpora and Collocations in Chinese-English Dictionaries for Chinese Users

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Lixin

2015-01-01

The paper identifies the major problems of the Chinese-English dictionary in representing collocational information after an extensive survey of nine dictionaries popular among Chinese users. It is found that the Chinese-English dictionary only provides the collocation types of "v+n" and "v+n," but completely ignores those of…

Sem study on the invasion of Nomuraea rileyi (Farlow) on silkworm, Bombyx mori Linn. causing green muscardine.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, V; Singh, G P; Kumar, V; Babu, A M; Datta, R K

1997-01-01

The mature conidia of Nomuraea rileyi (Farlow) germinate on the larval integument of Bombyx mori within 24 h and penetrate the cuticle within 36 h after inoculation at 24.0 +/- 1.0 degrees C temperature and 80.0 +/- 5.0% relative humidity. The penetrating hyphae multiply by budding and septa formation in the hemocoel, and the larva succumbs to the infection 6-7 days post-treatment. The hyphal bodies elongate and become interwoven with other hyphae forming a mycelial complex across different tissues. The ramification of hyphae along the epidermal tissue results in larval mummification in 7-8 days. Numerous conidiophores emerge, producing a confluent white fungal mat over the entire surface of the host larva by 9-10 days. Pale green conidia develop, making the larval body green. Life cycle of the fungus on B. mori is completed in 10-11 days.

Microscopy based studies on the interaction of bio-based silver nanoparticles with Bombyx mori Nuclear Polyhedrosis virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Tamilselvan, Selvaraj; Ashokkumar, Thirunavukkarasu; Govindaraju, Kasivelu

2017-04-01

In the present investigation, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) interactions with Bombyx mori Nuclear Polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) were characterized using High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (HR-SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDAX), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Atomic Force Microcopy (AFM) and Confocal Microscope (CM). HR-SEM study reveals that the biosynthesized AgNPs have interacted with BmNPV and were found on the surface. TEM micrographs of normal and viral polyhedra treated with AgNPs showed that the nanoparticles were accumulated in the membrane and it was noted that some of the AgNPs successfully penetrated the membrane by reaching the capsid of BmNPV. AFM and confocal microscopy studies reveal that the disruption in the shell membrane tends to lose its stability due to exposure of AgNPs to BmNPV. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rab proteins in the brain and corpus allatum of Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Uno, Tomohide; Furutani, Masayuki; Watanabe, Chihiro; Sakamoto, Katsuhiko; Uno, Yuichi; Kanamaru, Kengo; Yamagata, Hiroshi; Mizoguchi, Akira; Takeda, Makio

2016-07-01

In eukaryotic cells, Rab guanosine triphosphate-ases serve as key regulators of membrane-trafficking events, such as exocytosis and endocytosis. Rab3, Rab6, and Rab27 control the regulatory secretory pathway of neuropeptides and neurotransmitters. The cDNAs of Rab3, Rab6, and Rab27 from B. mori were inserted into a plasmid, transformed into Escherichia coli, and then subsequently purified. We then produced antibodies against Rab3, Rab6, and Rab27 of Bombyx mori in rabbits and rats for use in western immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. Western immunoblotting of brain tissue revealed a single band at approximately 26 kDa. Immunohistochemistry results revealed that Rab3, Rab6, and Rab27 expression was restricted to neurons in the pars intercerebralis and dorsolateral protocerebrum of the brain. Rab3 and Rab6 co-localized with bombyxin, an insect neuropeptide. However, there was no Rab that co-localized with prothoracicotropic hormone. The corpus allatum secretes neuropeptides synthesized in the brain into the hemolymph. Results showed that Rab3 and Rab6 co-localized with bombyxin in the corpus allatum. These findings suggest that Rab3 and Rab6 are involved in neurosecretion in B. mori. This study is the first to report a possible relationship between Rab and neurosecretion in the insect corpus allatum.

Look before You Leap: Underestimating Chinese Student History, Chinese University Setting and Chinese University Steering in Sino-British HE Joint Ventures?

Science.gov (United States)

Dow, Ewan G.

2010-01-01

This article makes the case--in three parts--that many Anglo-Chinese university collaborations (joint ventures) to date have seriously underestimated Chinese (student) history, the Chinese university setting and Chinese national governmental steering as part of the process of "glocalisation". Recent turbulence in this particular HE…

MICROSTRUCTURAL PARAMETERS IN 8 MeV ELECTRON‐IRRADIATED BOMBYX MORI SILK FIBERS BY Wide‐ANGLE X‐RAY SCATTERING STUDIES (WAXS)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sangappa,, E-mail: sangappa@mangaloreuniversity.ac.in; Asha, S, E-mail: sangappa@mangaloreuniversity.ac.in [Department of Studies in Physics, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri‐574 199 (India); Sanjeev, Ganesh, E-mail: sangappa@mangaloreuniversity.ac.in [Microtron Center, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri‐574 199 (India); Subramanya, G, E-mail: sangappa@mangaloreuniversity.ac.in [Department of Studies in Sericulture, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore‐570 006 (India); Parameswara, P, E-mail: sangappa@mangaloreuniversity.ac.in; Somashekar, R, E-mail: sangappa@mangaloreuniversity.ac.in [Department of Studies in Physics, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore‐570 006 (India)

2010-01-05

The present work looks into the microstructural modification in electron irradiated Bombyx mori P31 silk fibers. The irradiation process was performed in air at room temperature using 8 MeV electron accelerator at different doses: 0, 25, 50 and 100 kGy. Irradiation of polymer is used to cross‐link or degrade the desired component or to fix the polymer morphology. The changes in microstructural parameters in these natural polymer fibers have been computed using wide angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS) data and employing line profile analysis (LPA) using Fourier transform technique of Warren. Exponential, Lognormal and Reinhold functions for the column length distributions have been used for the determination of crystal size, lattice strain and enthalpy parameters.

Microstructural Parameters in 8 MeV Electron-Irradiated BOMBYX MORI Silk Fibers by Wide-ANGLE X-Ray Scattering Studies (waxs)

Science.gov (United States)

Sangappa, Asha, S.; Sanjeev, Ganesh; Subramanya, G.; Parameswara, P.; Somashekar, R.

2010-01-01

The present work looks into the microstructural modification in electron irradiated Bombyx mori P31 silk fibers. The irradiation process was performed in air at room temperature using 8 MeV electron accelerator at different doses: 0, 25, 50 and 100 kGy. Irradiation of polymer is used to cross-link or degrade the desired component or to fix the polymer morphology. The changes in microstructural parameters in these natural polymer fibers have been computed using wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) data and employing line profile analysis (LPA) using Fourier transform technique of Warren. Exponential, Lognormal and Reinhold functions for the column length distributions have been used for the determination of crystal size, lattice strain and enthalpy parameters.

MICROSTRUCTURAL PARAMETERS IN 8 MeV ELECTRON‐IRRADIATED BOMBYX MORI SILK FIBERS BY Wide‐ANGLE X‐RAY SCATTERING STUDIES (WAXS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sangappa,; Asha, S; Sanjeev, Ganesh; Subramanya, G; Parameswara, P; Somashekar, R

2010-01-01

The present work looks into the microstructural modification in electron irradiated Bombyx mori P31 silk fibers. The irradiation process was performed in air at room temperature using 8 MeV electron accelerator at different doses: 0, 25, 50 and 100 kGy. Irradiation of polymer is used to cross‐link or degrade the desired component or to fix the polymer morphology. The changes in microstructural parameters in these natural polymer fibers have been computed using wide angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS) data and employing line profile analysis (LPA) using Fourier transform technique of Warren. Exponential, Lognormal and Reinhold functions for the column length distributions have been used for the determination of crystal size, lattice strain and enthalpy parameters.

A histochemical study of the posterior silk glands of Bombyx mori during metamorphosis from larvae to pupae using frozen sections.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawamoto, K; Kawamoto, T; Shiba, H; Hosono, K

2014-02-01

The fine structures of the whole bodies and the posterior silk glands of Bombyx mori during metamorphosis from larvae to pupae in the cocoon were preserved virtually without damage when frozen sections were prepared using an adhesive plastic film. We used frozen sections for histochemical and enzyme histochemistry to characterize the metamorphosis of the posterior silk glands. Frozen sections were stained with DAPI to observe nuclear changes, examined using the TUNEL method to detect DNA fragments, and investigated using in situ hybridization to detect B. mori caspase expression. Both DNA fragments and expression of B. mori caspase increased with progressing metamorphosis. The degeneration of the posterior silk gland during metamorphosis appears to be an apoptotic event.

Surface modification and properties of Bombyx mori silk fibroin films by antimicrobial peptide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bai Liqiang; Zhu Liangjun; Min Sijia; Liu Lin; Cai Yurong; Yao Juming

2008-01-01

The Bombyx mori silk fibroin films (SFFs) were modified by a Cecropin B (CB) antimicrobial peptide, (NH 2 )-NGIVKAGPAIAVLGEAAL-CONH 2 , using the carbodiimide chemistry method. In order to avoid the dissolution of films during the modification procedure, the SFFs were first treated with 60% (v/v) ethanol aqueous solution, resulting a structural transition from unstable silk I to silk II. The investigation of modification conditions showed that the surface-modified SFFs had the satisfied antimicrobial activity and durability when they were activated by EDC.HCl/NHS solution followed by a treatment in CB peptide/PBS buffer (pH 6.5 or 8) solution at ambient temperature for 2 h. Moreover, the surface-modified SFFs showed the smaller contact angle due to the hydrophilic antimicrobial peptides coupled on the film surface, which is essential for the cell adhesion and proliferation. AFM results indicated that the surface roughness of SFFs was considerably increased after the modification by the peptides. The elemental composition analysis results also suggested that the peptides were tightly coupled to the surface of SFFs. This approach may provide a new option to engineer the surface-modified implanted materials preventing the biomaterial-centered infection (BCI)

Surface modification and properties of Bombyx mori silk fibroin films by antimicrobial peptide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bai Liqiang [Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Materials and Manufacturing Technology of Ministry of Education, College of Materials and Textile, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Xiasha Higher Education Park, Hangzhou 310018 (China); Zhu Liangjun; Min Sijia [College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029 (China); Liu Lin; Cai Yurong [Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Materials and Manufacturing Technology of Ministry of Education, College of Materials and Textile, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Xiasha Higher Education Park, Hangzhou 310018 (China); Yao Juming [Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Materials and Manufacturing Technology of Ministry of Education, College of Materials and Textile, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Xiasha Higher Education Park, Hangzhou 310018 (China)], E-mail: yaoj@zstu.edu.cn

2008-03-15

The Bombyx mori silk fibroin films (SFFs) were modified by a Cecropin B (CB) antimicrobial peptide, (NH{sub 2})-NGIVKAGPAIAVLGEAAL-CONH{sub 2}, using the carbodiimide chemistry method. In order to avoid the dissolution of films during the modification procedure, the SFFs were first treated with 60% (v/v) ethanol aqueous solution, resulting a structural transition from unstable silk I to silk II. The investigation of modification conditions showed that the surface-modified SFFs had the satisfied antimicrobial activity and durability when they were activated by EDC.HCl/NHS solution followed by a treatment in CB peptide/PBS buffer (pH 6.5 or 8) solution at ambient temperature for 2 h. Moreover, the surface-modified SFFs showed the smaller contact angle due to the hydrophilic antimicrobial peptides coupled on the film surface, which is essential for the cell adhesion and proliferation. AFM results indicated that the surface roughness of SFFs was considerably increased after the modification by the peptides. The elemental composition analysis results also suggested that the peptides were tightly coupled to the surface of SFFs. This approach may provide a new option to engineer the surface-modified implanted materials preventing the biomaterial-centered infection (BCI)

Timing of autophagy and apoptosis during posterior silk gland degeneration in Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Montali, Aurora; Romanelli, Davide; Cappellozza, Silvia; Grimaldi, Annalisa; de Eguileor, Magda; Tettamanti, Gianluca

2017-07-01

Over the years, the silkworm, Bombyx mori, has been manipulated by means of chemical and genetic approaches to improve silk production both quantitatively and qualitatively. The silk is produced by the silk gland, which degenerates quickly once the larva has finished spinning the cocoon. Thus, interfering with this degeneration process could help develop new technologies aimed at ameliorating silk yield. To this end, in this work we studied the cell death processes that lead to the demise of the posterior silk gland of B. mori, directing in particular our attention to autophagy and apoptosis. We focused on this portion of the gland because it produces fibroin, the main component of the silk thread. By using multiple markers, we provide a morphological, biochemical and molecular characterization of the apoptotic and autophagic processes and define their timing in this biological setting. Our data demonstrate that the activation of both autophagy and apoptosis is preceded by a transcriptional rise in key regulatory genes. Moreover, while autophagy is maintained active for several days and progressively digests silk gland cells, apoptosis is only switched on at a very late stage of silk gland demise. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetic analysis of γ-ray induced W-translocation strain on Bombyx nori

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onuma, Akio; Murakami, Akio

1976-01-01

In the process of analyzing a γ-ray induced mutant of Bombyx nori oo cyte, new type translocation strains of W chromosomes and No.5 chromosomes were detected. The constitution of their translocated chromosomes was assumed to be Z/(W-V) + sup(pe)-V + sup(oc)/v. Owing to such chromosome constitution, it was considered that non-disjunction was induced at meiosis, and Z/(W-V) + sup(pe)/V, Z/(W-V) + sup(pe), V/V were produced besides Z/(W-V) + sup(pe)-V + sup(oc)/V in the female chromosomes (gene) of the next progeny, while V/V and Z/Z, V + sup(oc)/V were produced besides Z/Z, V/V in male. Death of some male eggs in this translocation strain was also observed. No dissociated individual of translocated chromosomes was segregated in the next progeny of the female moth with Z/(W-V) + sup(pe), V/V chromosome constitution and the marker stock male moth, while a few dissociated individuals appeared in the next progeny of Z/(W-V) + sup(pe)-V + sup(oc)/V female moth group. This fact seemed to be resulted from the complicated translocated chromosome constitution of the translocation strain. (Kobatake, H.)

Chinese letterkunde. Een inleiding

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Idema, Wilt; Haft, Lloyd

2005-01-01

De Chinese cultuur mag zich verheugen in een groeiende belangstelling. Chinese films bereiken in Nederland een steeds omvangrijker publiek en ook de moderne Chinese literatuur, die sinds de jaren tachtig een grote bloei doormaakt, wordt door veel liefhebbers op de voet gevolgd. Chinese Letterkunde

Management of Chinese restaurant

OpenAIRE

Cui , Longbo

2009-01-01

With Chinese economy developing rapidly, the Chinese restaurant is under the spotlight, but the management of Chinese restaurant is weak at the moment, especially on the service management, which is an important part of service management in the Chinese restaurant. On the other hand, the managers of Chinese restaurant should pay more attention on the service management for instance brand, service innovation. Service management is core and essential concept for every service company recently, ...

Insulin and 20-hydroxyecdysone action in Bombyx mori: Glycogen content and expression pattern of insulin and ecdysone receptors in fat body.

Science.gov (United States)

Keshan, Bela; Thounaojam, Bembem; Kh, Sanathoibi D

2017-01-15

Insulin and ecdysone signaling play a critical role on the growth and development of insects including Bombyx mori. Our previous study showed that Bombyx larvae reached critical weight for metamorphosis between day 3.5 and 4 of the fifth larval instar. The present study showed that the effect of insulin on the accumulation of glycogen in fat body of Bombyx larvae depends on the critical growth period. When larvae are in active growth period (before reaching critical weight), insulin caused increased accumulation of glycogen, while its treatment in larvae at terminal growth period (after critical period) resulted in an increased mobilization of glycogen. During terminal growth period, insulin and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) showed an antagonistic effect on the accumulation of fat body glycogen in fed, food deprived and decapitated larvae as well as in isolated abdomens. Insulin treatment decreased the glycogen content, whereas, 20E increased it. Food deprivation and decapitation caused an increase in the transcript levels of insulin receptor (InR) and this increase in InR expression might be attributed to a decrease in synthesis/secretion of insulin-like peptides, as insulin treatment in these larvae showed a down-regulation in InR expression. However, insulin showed an up-regulation in InR in isolated abdomens and it suggests that in food deprived and decapitated larvae, the exogenous insulin may interact with some head and/or thoracic factors in modulating the expression of InR. Moreover, in fed larvae, insulin-mediated increase in InR expression indicates that its regulation by insulin-like peptides also depends on the nutritional status of the larvae. The treatment of 20E in fed larvae showed an antagonistic effect on the transcript levels since a down-regulation in InR expression was observed. 20E treatment also led to a decreased expression of InR in food deprived and decapitated larvae as well as in isolated abdomens. Insulin and 20E also modulated the

Is Chinese Special? Four Aspects of Chinese Literacy Acquisition That Might Distinguish Learning Chinese from Learning Alphabetic Orthographies

Science.gov (United States)

McBride, Catherine Alexandra

2016-01-01

Some aspects of Chinese literacy development do not conform to patterns of literacy development in alphabetic orthographies. Four are highlighted here. First, semantic radicals are one aspect of Chinese characters that have no analogy to alphabetic orthographies. Second, the unreliability of phonological cues in Chinese along with the fact that…

Comparison of White and Chinese perception of esthetic Chinese lip position.

Science.gov (United States)

Chong, Hui Theng; Thea, Kim Wei; Descallar, Joseph; Chen, Yong; Dalci, Oyku; Wong, Ricky; Darendeliler, M Ali

2014-03-01

To compare the esthetic preference of White and Chinese judges with regard to Chinese lip position. The profile images of a dental and skeletal Class I Chinese adult male and female were digitally adjusted to Chinese mean values. The lip profile was adjusted with the upper and lower lip at the mean distance from the Ricketts' E-line. These images were used as baseline images and were further digitally manipulated to generate six additional images with the upper and lower lip such that they lay 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 standard deviations (SDs) in front of or behind the E-line. An additional image was modified based on a White mean value. The images were viewed and ranked by 251 White and Chinese judges (dentists and laypersons) in Australia and China. Significantly more Chinese judges ranked the retrusive profiles higher than the White judges. The White judges also ranked the profile image adjusted to -0.5 SD as the most esthetic for both the female and male, while the Chinese judges ranked the -1.0 SD profile as the most esthetic. The ethnicity of the judges is a significant factor influencing the perception of esthetic lip position. The Chinese judges prefer a more retrusive profile and are more likely to rate a protrusive profile as unacceptable, compared with the White judges.

[Research progress of Chinese herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine resulting in liver injury].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jingli; Zhou, Chaofan

2011-12-01

The adverse reactions caused by Chinese herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine are reported increased in recent years, among which the acute liver injury caused by Chinese herbal medicine accounts for 21.5% of total liver injuries. Despite the misuse of traditional Chinese medicine not in accordance with differentiation of symptoms and signs, the adverse reaction of Chinese herbal medicine itself can't be little to these adverse events. The paper summarizes the most common categories of traditional Chinese medicine resulting in liver injury, the mechanism, pathological characteristics, clinical symptom of liver injury, the reasons of the reaction and how to prevent. The research aims to enhance the clinical physician recognition of liver injury caused by Chinese herbal medicine, in order to ensure the safe and rational usage of traditional Chinese medicine.

Antiviral activity of a serine protease from the digestive juice of Bombyx mori larvae against nucleopolyhedrovirus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakazawa, Hiroshi; Tsuneishi, Eiko; Ponnuvel, Kangayam M.; Furukawa, Seiichi; Asaoka, Ai; Tanaka, Hiromitsu; Ishibashi, Jun; Yamakawa, Minoru

2004-01-01

A protein showing strong antiviral activity against Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) was purified from the digestive juice of B. mori larvae. The molecular mass of this protein was 24 271 Da. Partial N-terminal amino acid sequence of the protein was determined and cDNA was cloned based on the amino acid sequence. A homology search of the deduced amino acid sequence of the cDNA showed 94% identity with B. mori serine protease so the protein was designated B. mori serine protease-2 (BmSP-2). Analysis of BmSP-2 gene expression showed that this gene is expressed in the midgut but not in other tissues. In addition, BmSP-2 gene was shown to not be expressed in the molting and wandering stages, indicating that the gene is hormonally regulated. Our results suggest that BmSP-2, an insect digestive enzyme, can be a potential antiviral factor against BmNPV at the initial site of viral infection

Crystal structure of Bombyx mori arylphorins reveals a 3:3 heterohexamer with multiple papain cleavage sites

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Yong; Li, Jianwei; Li, Yi; Dong, Zhaoming; Xia, Qingyou; Yuan, Y Adam

2014-01-01

In holometabolous insects, the accumulation and utilization of storage proteins (SPs), including arylphorins and methionine-rich proteins, are critical for the insect metamorphosis. SPs function as amino acids reserves, which are synthesized in fat body, secreted into the larval hemolymph and taken up by fat body shortly before pupation. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms of digestion and utilization of SPs during development are largely unknown. Here, we report the crystal structure of Bombyx mori arylphorins at 2.8 Å, which displays a heterohexameric structural arrangement formed by trimerization of dimers comprising two structural similar arylphorins. Our limited proteolysis assay and microarray data strongly suggest that papain-like proteases are the major players for B. mori arylphorins digestion in vitro and in vivo. Consistent with the biochemical data, dozens of papain cleavage sites are mapped on the surface of the heterohexameric structure of B. mori arylphorins. Hence, our results provide the insightful information to understand the metamorphosis of holometabolous insects at molecular level. PMID:24639361

20-hydroxyecdysone enhances the expression of the chitinase 5 via Broad-Complex Zinc-Finger 4 during metamorphosis in silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, X; Zheng, S

2017-04-01

Insect chitinases are hydrolytic enzymes required for the degradation of chitin. They are essential for insect moulting and metamorphosis. In this study, the regulation mechanism of a chitinase gene, Bombyx mori chitinase 5 (BmCHT5), was studied. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that BmCHT5 was up-regulated during the larval-larval and larval-pupa transitions and notably induced by 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). Analysis of the BmCHT5 promoter revealed the presence of one Bombyx mori Broad-Complex Zinc-Finger Isoform 4 (BR-C Z4), two BR-C Z2 and two ecdysone-induced protein 74A (E74A) cis-regulatory elements (CREs) that are related to 20E. qRT-PCR showed that the expression of both BmBR-C Z4 and BmBR-C Z2 during metamorphosis, and when induced by 20E, was anastomotic with the variations in BmCHT5 mRNA level. In contrast, BmE74A did not follow this trend. An electrophoretic mobility shift assay did not retrieve a binding partner for the two BR-C Z2 CREs in the BmN cell line nuclear extract, whereas BR-C Z4 CRE specifically bound to BmBR-C Z4. Besides, luciferase activity analysis confirmed that BmBR-C Z4 could enhance the activity of the BmCHT5 promoter with BR-C Z4 CRE and could not enhance the promoter activity by mutating BR-C Z4 CRE. Taken together, these data suggest that the transcription factor BmBR-C Z4 enhances the expression of BmCHT5 during metamorphosis. © 2016 The Royal Entomological Society.

Being Chinese or Being Different: Exploring Chinese Foreign Language (CFL) Teachers Use of Chineseness in Identity Construction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Chun

2015-01-01

that no matter which way they use ‘Chinese-ness’, the participants are able to reflect on their experiences and manifest a willingness to adapt to another culture, in which their identity as CFL teachers are constructed. By the end of study, the combination of teaching culture of Chinese and Danish, in which...... participants are forging new identities for them are discussed. Key words: CFL teacher, Danish university, teaching culture, Chinese-ness 中国式的汉语教师 探讨新汉语教师在构建其职业身份中对于中国特色的诠释和理解 中文摘要 在对外汉语教学中......Abstract This study reports on a qualitative research that explores how three beginning native CFL teachers in a Danish university use ‘Chinese-ness’ and how these serve in explaining their own narratives, either through identifying with, or distancing themselves from. Early results show...

Involvement in Preschools: Comparing Chinese Immigrant and Non-Chinese Parents in New Zealand

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qilong; Keown, Louise; Farruggia, Susan

2014-01-01

This study compared 120 Chinese immigrant parents and 127 non-Chinese parents from New Zealand preschools on their level of involvement in preschool-based activities, as well as key predictors of parental involvement. Results showed that Chinese immigrant parents had a lower level of involvement than non-Chinese parents across three forms of…

Comparison of Journal Self-Citation Rates between Some Chinese and Non-Chinese International Journals

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Zu-Guo; Gao, Feng; Zhang, Chun-Ting

2012-01-01

Background The past 3 decades have witnessed a boost in science development in China; in parallel, more and more Chinese scientific journals are indexed by the Journal Citation Reports issued by Thomson Reuters (SCI). Evaluation of the performance of these Chinese SCI journals is necessary and helpful to improve their quality. This study aimed to evaluate these journals by calculating various journal self-citation rates, which are important parameters influencing a journal impact factor. Methodology/Principal Findings We defined three journal self-citation rates, and studied these rates for 99 Chinese scientific journals, almost exhausting all Chinese SCI journals currently available. Likewise, we selected 99 non-Chinese international (abbreviated as ‘world’) journals, with each being in the same JCR subject category and having similar impact factors as their Chinese counterparts. Generally, Chinese journals tended to be higher in all the three self-citation rates than world journal counterparts. Particularly, a few Chinese scientific journals had much higher self-citation rates. Conclusions/Significance Our results show that generally Chinese scientific journals have higher self-citation rates than those of world journals. Consequently, Chinese scientific journals tend to have lower visibility and are more isolated in the relevant fields. Considering the fact that sciences are rapidly developing in China and so are Chinese scientific journals, we expect that the differences of journal self-citation rates between Chinese and world scientific journals will gradually disappear in the future. Some suggestions to solve the problems are presented. PMID:23173041

[Application of traditional Chinese medicine reference standards in quality control of Chinese herbal pieces].

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Tu-Lin; Li, Jin-Ci; Yu, Jiang-Yong; Cai, Bao-Chang; Mao, Chun-Qin; Yin, Fang-Zhou

2014-01-01

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) reference standards plays an important role in the quality control of Chinese herbal pieces. This paper overviewed the development of TCM reference standards. By analyzing the 2010 edition of Chinese pharmacopoeia, the application of TCM reference standards in the quality control of Chinese herbal pieces was summarized, and the problems exiting in the system were put forward. In the process of improving the quality control level of Chinese herbal pieces, various kinds of advanced methods and technology should be used to research the characteristic reference standards of Chinese herbal pieces, more and more reasonable reference standards should be introduced in the quality control system of Chinese herbal pieces. This article discussed the solutions in the aspect of TCM reference standards, and future development of quality control on Chinese herbal pieces is prospected.

Chinese student mobility, local engagement and transformation of Chinese communities in England: an empirical study

OpenAIRE

Wu, Bin

2016-01-01

Unprecedented growth and circulation of Chinese international students cannot be fully understood unless the roles of host societies including diaspora Chinese communities are taken into account. This chapter draws attention to a phenomenon of local engagement, a process of interconnections and interactions between Chinese students and local communities, leading to a co-development of both Chinese students and diaspora Chinese communities in host countries. The links and impacts of Chinese st...

MANDARIN CHINESE DICTIONARY.

Science.gov (United States)

WANG, FRED FANGYU

IN RESPONSE TO THE NEEDS OF THE GROWING NUMBER OF AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS LEARNING CHINESE, SETON HALL UNIVERSITY UNDERTOOK A CONTRACT WITH THE U.S. OFFICE OF EDUCATION TO COMPILE A BILINGUAL POCKET-SIZE DICTIONARY FOR BEGINNING STUDENTS OF SPOKEN MANDARIN CHINESE. THE PRESENT WORK IS THE CHINESE TO ENGLISH SECTION IN PRELIMINARY…

Chinese restaurant syndrome

OpenAIRE

Balachandran C; Srinivas C; Shenoy S

1991-01-01

A 24-year-old Chinese student with history of recurrent attacks of flushing with burning and dryness of face of 4 years duration showed exacerbation of the symptoms after oral provocation with 1 mg of Chinese salt. Patient was treated with 50 mg pyridoxine daily and restriction of the Chinese salt in diet with moderate improvement.

Chinese restaurant syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Balachandran C

1991-01-01

Full Text Available A 24-year-old Chinese student with history of recurrent attacks of flushing with burning and dryness of face of 4 years duration showed exacerbation of the symptoms after oral provocation with 1 mg of Chinese salt. Patient was treated with 50 mg pyridoxine daily and restriction of the Chinese salt in diet with moderate improvement.

Great progress in the domesticated silkworm (Bombyx mori L.)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

akpobome

2013-03-13

Mar 13, 2013 ... 2College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China. ... biosynthesis and metabolism (Gilbert et al., 2000; Li et ... feeding Kang-20 to the 4th instar larvae and could spin ... was 800 m, the neatness defect was 95 points, and the ..... Chinese Forest Press, Beijing, China.

Efficient silkworm expression of human GPCR (nociceptin receptor) by a Bombyx mori bacmid DNA system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kajikawa, Mizuho; Sasaki, Kaori [Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582 (Japan); Wakimoto, Yoshitaro; Toyooka, Masaru [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Graduate School of Engineering, Gunma University, 1-5-1 Tenjin-cho, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515 (Japan); Motohashi, Tomoko; Shimojima, Tsukasa [National Institute of Genetics, 1111 Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540 (Japan); Takeda, Shigeki [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Graduate School of Engineering, Gunma University, 1-5-1 Tenjin-cho, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515 (Japan); Park, Enoch Y. [Laboratory of Biotechnology, Integrated Bioscience Section, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 836 Oya, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka 422-8529 (Japan); Maenaka, Katsumi, E-mail: kmaenaka-umin@umin.net [Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582 (Japan)

2009-07-31

Guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein) coupled receptors (GPCRs) are frequently expressed by a baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS). We recently established a novel BEVS using the bacmid system of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV), which is directly applicable for protein expression in silkworms. Here, we report the first example of GPCR expression in silkworms by the simple injection of BmNPV bacmid DNA. Human nociceptin receptor, an inhibitory GPCR, and its fusion protein with inhibitory G protein alpha subunit (G{sub i}{alpha}) were both successfully expressed in the fat bodies of silkworm larvae as well as in the BmNPV viral fraction. Its yield was much higher than that from Sf9 cells. The microsomal fractions including the nociceptin receptor fusion, which are easily prepared by only centrifugation steps, exhibited [{sup 35}S]GTP{gamma}S-binding activity upon specific stimulation by nociceptin. Therefore, this rapid method is easy-to-use and has a high expression level, and thus will be an important tool for human GPCR production.

FISH analysis of the W chromosome in Bombyx mandarina and several other species of Lepidoptera by means of B. mori W-BAC probes

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Yoshido, A.; Yasukochi, Y.; Marec, František; Abe, H.; Sahara, K.

2007-01-01

Roč. 76, č. 1 (2007), s. 1-7 ISSN 1346-8073 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/06/1860; GA AV ČR IAA6007307 Grant - others:Japan Society for the Promotion of Science(JP) 15380227; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science(JP) 18380037; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science(JP) 15658020; Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Japan(JP) 2102(Y.Y.); Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Japan(JP) 2013(K.S.) Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50070508 Keywords : BAC-FISH * fluorescence in situ hybridization * GISH Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology

Effects of cetyltriethylammonium bromide on the replication of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yajing; Zhang, Zhifang; He, Jialu; Zhang, Yuanxing

2002-05-01

An experimental study was undertaken to quantify the effects of cetyltriethylammonium bromide (CTAB) on the replication of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) and the transcriptionalactivity of BmNPV ie-1 promoter. The results demonstrated that the budded virus (BV) titer rose about 3.7-fold by adding CTAB to the culture media up to 0.1 mu g ml(-1) in infected Bm-N cells with a wild-type BmNPV. The transient expression level of luciferase driven by BmNPV ie-1 promoter was enhanced by more than 3-fold in the presence of 0.1 mu g ml(-1) of CTAB in uninfected insect cells via a transient expression system. Contrary to the rise in BV titer, the polyhedra inside the nucleus of infected cells dropped linearly from 4.0 x 10(6) ml(-1) down to 2.1 x 10(6) ml(-1) with in a range of CTAB concentrations from 0 to 0.25 mu g ml(-1). The same trend in expression level of beta -galactosidase or phytase was given when the Bm-N cells or fifth-instar silkworm larvae infected with a recombinant BmNPV containing the beta -galactosidase or phytase reporter gene driven by the polyhedrin promoter. We deduced that CTAB appeared to affect the virus bi-phasic life cycle stages and production pathways, resulting in an enhancement in BV production and a suppression of occluded virus (OV) production and expression of foreign genes controlled by the polyhedrin promoter.

Gamma radiation effects of {sup 60} Co on Bombyx mori (Lep., Bombycidae) modifying the silk fiber production; Influencia da radiacao gama ({sup 60} Co) na producao de fios de seda em Bombyx mori(Lep.,Bombycidae)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carneiro Junior, Francisco [Universidade Metodista de Piracicaba (UNIMEP), SP (Brazil); Bendassolli, Jose A. [Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA), Piracicaba, SP (Brazil)

1997-12-01

The present work aimed to verify the biological effects of the application of different doses of gamma radiation during the fifth instar of the silkworm catepillar. Sevently eight silkworm caterpillars (Bombyx mori) were irradiated with {gamma}{sup 60} Co radiation at the initial period of the fifth instar. The caterpillars were divided and classified in six batches of thirteen individuals each. Treatments 1 through 5 received 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 Gy, respectively, and the control, also consisted of thirteen caterpillars, was not irradiated. The results showed a general increase in the silk fiber content in the irradiated batches compared to the control. The weight of the silk cocoons was higher with increasing doses of irradiation, from 20 to 80 Gy, respectively, followed by a decrease in weight in the treatment irradiated with 100 Gy. the results obtained in this experiment enable the conclusion that the radiation applied to the caterpillars significantly influenced the production of silk fiber in this species. (author). 4 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs.

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-like peptide and 20-hydroxyecdysone regulate the growth and development of the male genital disk through different mechanisms in the silkmoth, Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujinaga, Daiki; Kohmura, Yusuke; Okamoto, Naoki; Kataoka, Hiroshi; Mizoguchi, Akira

2017-08-01

It is well established that ecdysteroids play pivotal roles in the regulation of insect molting and metamorphosis. However, the mechanisms by which ecdysteroids regulate the growth and development of adult organs after pupation are poorly understood. Recently, we have identified insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-like peptides (IGFLPs), which are secreted after pupation under the control of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). In the silkmoth, Bombyx mori, massive amounts of Bombyx-IGFLP (BIGFLP) are present in the hemolymph during pupal-adult development, suggesting its importance in the regulation of adult tissue growth. Thus, we hypothesized that the growth and development of adult tissues including imaginal disks are regulated by the combined effects of BIGFLP and 20E. In this study, we investigated the growth-promoting effects of BIGFLP and 20E using the male genital disks of B. mori cultured ex vivo, and further analyzed the cell signaling pathways mediating hormone actions. We demonstrate that 20E induces the elongation of genital disks, that both hormones stimulate protein synthesis in an additive manner, and that BIGFLP and 20E exert their effects through the insulin/IGF signaling pathway and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, respectively. These results show that the growth and development of the genital disk are coordinately regulated by both BIGFLP and 20E. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Physicochemical Properties of Meat Batter Added with Edible Silkworm Pupae (Bombyx mori) and Transglutaminase

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Yun-Sang

2017-01-01

This study was conducted to investigate the physicochemical properties of meat batters prepared with fresh pork meat, back fat, water, and salt and formulated with three different amounts (5%, 10%, and 15%) of silkworm pupae (Bombyx mori) powder and transglutaminase (TG). Meat batters formulated with silkworm pupae powder showed significantly higher contents of protein and ash than control batter. Addition of silkworm pupae to batter also showed significantly lower cooking loss than the control. Moreover, meat batter containing 15% silkworm pupae showed no significant difference in redness value compared to the control. In addition, pH, viscosity, hardness, gumminess, and chewiness were improved after the addition of silkworm pupae. Furthermore, meat batter formulated with TG and silkworm pupae showed improved hardness, gumminess, chewiness and viscosity compared to control batter. Addition of 1% TG with 15% silkworm pupae to meat batter resulted in significantly higher pH, textures, and viscosity. Our data suggest that both silkworm pupae and TG can be added to meat batter to improve its physicochemical properties. Therefore, combination of silkworm pupae and TG could be a new nutritional and functional source for meat products. PMID:28747820

Dietary TiO2 particles modulate expression of hormone-related genes in Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Guofang; Zhan, Pengfei; Jin, Weiming; Fei, JianMing; Zhao, Lihua

2017-08-01

Silkworm (Bombyx mori) is an economically beneficial insect. Its growth and development are regulated by endogenous hormones. In the present study, we found that feeding titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 NP) caused a significant increase of body size. TiO 2 NP stimulated the transcription of several genes, including the insulin-related hormone bombyxin, PI3K/Akt/TOR (where PI3K is phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and TOR is target of rapamycin), and the adenosine 5'-monophosphateactivated protein kinase (AMPK)/target of rapamycin (TOR) pathways. Differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis documented 26 developmental hormone signaling related genes that were differentially expressed following dietary TiO 2 NP treatment. qPCR analysis confirmed the upregulation of insulin/ecdysteroid signaling genes, such as bombyxin B-1, bombyxin B-4, bombyxin B-7, MAPK, P70S6K, PI3k, eIF4E, E75, ecdysteroid receptor (EcR), and insulin-related peptide binding protein precursor 2 (IBP2). We infer from the upregulated expression of bombyxins and the signaling network that they act in bombyxin-stimulated ecdysteroidogenesis. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effects of Ag Nanoparticles on Growth and Fat Body Proteins in Silkworms (Bombyx mori).

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Xu; Abdlli, Nouara; Wang, Niannian; Lü, Peng; Nie, Zhichao; Dong, Xin; Lu, Shuang; Chen, Keping

2017-12-01

Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs), a widely used non-antibiotic, antibacterial material, have shown toxic and other potentially harmful effects in mammals. However, the deleterious effects of AgNPs on insects are still unknown. Here, we studied the effects of AgNPs on the model invertebrate organism Bombyx mori. After feeding silkworm larvae different concentrations of AgNPs, we evaluated the changes of B. mori body weights, survival rates, and proteomic differences. The results showed that low concentrations (mori. Although high concentrations (≥800 mg/L) of AgNPs also improved B. mori growth, they resulted in silkworm death. An analysis of fat body proteomic differences revealed 13 significant differences in fat body protein spots, nine of which exhibited significantly downregulated expression, while four showed significantly upregulated expression. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results showed that at an AgNP concentration of 1600 mg/L, the expression levels of seven proteins were similar to the transcription levels of their corresponding genes. Our results suggest that AgNPs lowered the resistance to oxidative stress, affected cell apoptosis, and induced cell necrosis by regulating related protein metabolism and metabolic pathways in B. mori.

Identification and functional characterization of a sex pheromone receptor in the silkmoth Bombyx mori

Science.gov (United States)

Sakurai, Takeshi; Nakagawa, Takao; Mitsuno, Hidefumi; Mori, Hajime; Endo, Yasuhisa; Tanoue, Shintarou; Yasukochi, Yuji; Touhara, Kazushige; Nishioka, Takaaki

2004-01-01

Sex pheromones released by female moths are detected with high specificity and sensitivity in the olfactory sensilla of antennae of conspecific males. Bombykol in the silkmoth Bombyx mori was the first sex pheromone to be identified. Here we identify a male-specific G protein-coupled olfactory receptor gene, B. mori olfactory receptor 1 (BmOR-1), that appears to encode a bombykol receptor. The BmOR-1 gene is located on the Z sex chromosome, has an eight-exon/seven-intron structure, and exhibits male-specific expression in the pheromone receptor neurons of male moth antenna during late pupal and adult stages. Bombykol stimulation of Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing BmOR-1 and BmGαq elicited robust dose-dependent inward currents on two-electrode voltage clamp recordings, demonstrating that the binding of bombykol to BmOR-1 leads to the activation of a BmGαq-mediated signaling cascade. Antennae of female moths infected with BmOR-1-recombinant baculovirus showed electrophysiological responses to bombykol but not to bombykal. These results provide evidence that BmOR-1 is a G protein-coupled sex pheromone receptor that recognizes bombykol. PMID:15545611

Physicochemical Properties of Meat Batter Added with Edible Silkworm Pupae (Bombyx mori) and Transglutaminase.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Yoo-Sun; Choi, Yun-Sang; Hwang, Ko-Eun; Kim, Tae-Kyung; Lee, Cheol-Won; Shin, Dong-Min; Han, Sung Gu

2017-01-01

This study was conducted to investigate the physicochemical properties of meat batters prepared with fresh pork meat, back fat, water, and salt and formulated with three different amounts (5%, 10%, and 15%) of silkworm pupae ( Bombyx mori ) powder and transglutaminase (TG). Meat batters formulated with silkworm pupae powder showed significantly higher contents of protein and ash than control batter. Addition of silkworm pupae to batter also showed significantly lower cooking loss than the control. Moreover, meat batter containing 15% silkworm pupae showed no significant difference in redness value compared to the control. In addition, pH, viscosity, hardness, gumminess, and chewiness were improved after the addition of silkworm pupae. Furthermore, meat batter formulated with TG and silkworm pupae showed improved hardness, gumminess, chewiness and viscosity compared to control batter. Addition of 1% TG with 15% silkworm pupae to meat batter resulted in significantly higher pH, textures, and viscosity. Our data suggest that both silkworm pupae and TG can be added to meat batter to improve its physicochemical properties. Therefore, combination of silkworm pupae and TG could be a new nutritional and functional source for meat products.

Enhancing Effect of Glycerol on the Tensile Properties of Bombyx mori Cocoon Sericin Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liangjun Zhu

2011-05-01

Full Text Available An environmental physical method described herein was developed to improve the tensile properties of Bombyx mori cocoon sericin films, by using the plasticizer of glycerol, which has a nontoxic effect compared with other chemical crosslinkers. The changes in the tensile characteristics and the structure of glycerolated (0–40 wt% of glycerol sericin films were investigated. Sericin films, both in dry and wet states, showed enhanced tensile properties, which might be regulated by the addition of different concentrations of glycerol. The introduction of glycerol results in the higher amorphous structure in sericin films as evidenced by analysis of attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR spectra, thermogravimetry (TGA and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC curves. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM observation revealed that glycerol was homogeneously blended with sericin molecules when its content was 10 wt%, while a small amount of redundant glycerol emerged on the surface of sericin films when its content was increased to 20 wt% or higher. Our results suggest that the introduction of glycerol is a novel nontoxic strategy which can improve the mechanical features of sericin-based materials and subsequently promote the feasibility of its application in tissue engineering.

Advanced technologies for genetically manipulating the silkworm Bombyx mori, a model Lepidopteran insect

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Hanfu; O'Brochta, David A.

2015-01-01

Genetic technologies based on transposon-mediated transgenesis along with several recently developed genome-editing technologies have become the preferred methods of choice for genetically manipulating many organisms. The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is a Lepidopteran insect of great economic importance because of its use in silk production and because it is a valuable model insect that has greatly enhanced our understanding of the biology of insects, including many agricultural pests. In the past 10 years, great advances have been achieved in the development of genetic technologies in B. mori, including transposon-based technologies that rely on piggyBac-mediated transgenesis and genome-editing technologies that rely on protein- or RNA-guided modification of chromosomes. The successful development and application of these technologies has not only facilitated a better understanding of B. mori and its use as a silk production system, but also provided valuable experiences that have contributed to the development of similar technologies in non-model insects. This review summarizes the technologies currently available for use in B. mori, their application to the study of gene function and their use in genetically modifying B. mori for biotechnology applications. The challenges, solutions and future prospects associated with the development and application of genetic technologies in B. mori are also discussed. PMID:26108630

Functional Loss of Bmsei Causes Thermosensitive Epilepsy in Contractile Mutant Silkworm, Bombyx mori

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Hongyi; Cheng, Tingcai; Huang, Xiaofeng; Zhou, Mengting; Zhang, Yinxia; Dai, Fangyin; Mita, Kazuei; Xia, Qingyou; Liu, Chun

2015-07-01

The thermoprotective mechanisms of insects remain largely unknown. We reported the Bombyx mori contractile (cot) behavioral mutant with thermo-sensitive seizures phenotype. At elevated temperatures, the cot mutant exhibit seizures associated with strong contractions, rolling, vomiting, and a temporary lack of movement. We narrowed a region containing cot to ~268 kb by positional cloning and identified the mutant gene as Bmsei which encoded a potassium channel protein. Bmsei was present in both the cell membrane and cytoplasm in wild-type ganglia but faint in cot. Furthermore, Bmsei was markedly decreased upon high temperature treatment in cot mutant. With the RNAi method and injecting potassium channel blockers, the wild type silkworm was induced the cot phenotype. These results demonstrated that Bmsei was responsible for the cot mutant phenotype and played an important role in thermoprotection in silkworm. Meanwhile, comparative proteomic approach was used to investigate the proteomic differences. The results showed that the protein of Hsp-1 and Tn1 were significantly decreased and increased on protein level in cot mutant after thermo-stimulus, respectively. Our data provide insights into the mechanism of thermoprotection in insect. As cot phenotype closely resembles human epilepsy, cot might be a potential model for the mechanism of epilepsy in future.

Mothers' Self-Reported Emotional Expression in Mainland Chinese, Chinese American and European American Families

Science.gov (United States)

Camras, Linda; Kolmodin, Karen; Chen, Yinghe

2008-01-01

This study compared Mainland Chinese, Chinese American and European American mothers' self-reported emotional expression within the family. Mothers of 3-year-old European American (n = 40), Chinese American (n = 39) and Mainland Chinese (n = 36) children (n = 20 girls per group) completed the Self-Expressiveness in the Family Questionnaire (SEFQ),…

Chop Suey as Imagined Authentic Chinese Food: The Culinary Identity of Chinese Restaurants in the United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haiming Liu

2009-02-01

Full Text Available At least until the 1960s, chop suey was synonymous with Chinese food in the United States, where most Chinese restaurants were called chop suey houses. By uncovering the history of chop suey, this article analyzes the development of Chinese cuisine in the U.S. as an example of transnational cultural exchange. The authenticity and culinary identity of Chinese food in America often rested on its real or imagined Chinese roots while its popularity depended on how well Chinese restaurant proprietors adapted the flavors, ingredients, and cooking methods of Chinese cuisine to the tastes and markets of local American communities. The dynamic interaction between Chinese food and American customers functioned as a complex cultural negotiation. While Chinese restaurants helped shape the American diet, Chinese food was at the same time being shaped and transformed by American popular taste. By appealing to a wide range of American diners, chop suey eventually evolved into a popular American ethnic food and a central component in the culinary identity of Chinese restaurants. Chop suey generated numerous jobs for Chinese immigrants and established a culinary bond between Chinese food and American customers. Also, as an imagined authentic Chinese dish, it represented a type of affordable exoticism in the eyes of American consumers, meeting not only American tastes but also their social expectations of Chinese culture.

Chop Suey as Imagined Authentic Chinese Food: The Culinary Identity of Chinese Restaurants in the United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haiming Liu

2009-02-01

Full Text Available

At least until the 1960s, chop suey was synonymous with Chinese food in the United States, where most Chinese restaurants were called chop suey houses. By uncovering the history of chop suey, this article analyzes the development of Chinese cuisine in the U.S. as an example of transnational cultural exchange. The authenticity and culinary identity of Chinese food in America often rested on its real or imagined Chinese roots while its popularity depended on how well Chinese restaurant proprietors adapted the flavors, ingredients, and cooking methods of Chinese cuisine to the tastes and markets of local American communities. The dynamic interaction between Chinese food and American customers functioned as a complex cultural negotiation. While Chinese restaurants helped shape the American diet, Chinese food was at the same time being shaped and transformed by American popular taste. By appealing to a wide range of American diners, chop suey eventually evolved into a popular American ethnic food and a central component in the culinary identity of Chinese restaurants. Chop suey generated numerous jobs for Chinese immigrants and established a culinary bond between Chinese food and American customers. Also, as an imagined authentic Chinese dish, it represented a type of affordable exoticism in the eyes of American consumers, meeting not only American tastes but also their social expectations of Chinese culture.

Adult Chinese as a Second Language Learners' Willingness to Communicate in Chinese: Effects of Cultural, Affective, and Linguistic Variables.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Meihua

2017-06-01

The present research explored the effects of cultural, affective, and linguistic variables on adult Chinese as a second language learners' willingness to communicate in Chinese. One hundred and sixty-two Chinese as a second language learners from a Chinese university answered the Willingness to Communicate in Chinese Scale, the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale, Chinese Speaking Anxiety Scale, Chinese Learning Motivation Scale, Use of Chinese Profile, as well as the Background Questionnaire. The major findings were as follows: (1) the Willingness to Communicate in Chinese Scales were significantly negatively correlated with Chinese Speaking Anxiety Scale but positively correlated with length of stay in China and (2) Chinese Speaking Anxiety Scale was a powerful negative predictor for the overall willingness to communicate in Chinese and the Willingness to Communicate in Chinese Scales, followed by length of stay in China, Chinese Learning Motivation Scale, interaction attentiveness, and Chinese proficiency level. Apparently, students' willingness to communicate in Chinese is largely determined by their Chinese Speaking Anxiety Scale level and length of stay in China, mediated by other variables such as Chinese proficiency level and intercultural communication sensitivity level.

TRADITIONAL CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE

NARCIS (Netherlands)

ZHU, YP; WOERDENBAG, HJ

1995-01-01

Herbal medicine, acupuncture and moxibustion, and massage and the three major constituent parts of traditional Chinese medicine. Although acupuncture is well known in many Western countries, Chinese herbal medicine, the mos important part of traditional Chinese medicine, is less well known in the

Preparation of Porous Scaffolds from Silk Fibroin Extracted from the Silk Gland of Bombyx mori (B. mori

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liangjun Zhu

2012-06-01

Full Text Available In order to use a simple and ecofriendly method to prepare porous silk scaffolds, aqueous silk fibroin solution (ASF was extracted from silk gland of 7-day-old fifth instar larvae of Bombyx mori (B. mori. SDS-page analysis indicated that the obtained fibroin had a molecular weight higher than 200 kDa. The fabrication of porous scaffolds from ASF was achieved by using the freeze-drying method. The pore of porous scaffolds is homogenous and tends to become smaller with an increase in the concentration of ASF. Conversely, the porosity is decreased. The porous scaffolds show impressive compressive strength which can be as high as 6.9 ± 0.4 MPa. Furthermore, ASF has high cell adhesion and growth activity. It also exhibits high ALP activity. This implies that porous scaffolds prepared from ASF have biocompatibility. Therefore, the porous scaffolds prepared in this study have potential application in tissue engineering due to the impressive compressive strength and biocompatibility.

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus ORF54, a viral desmoplakin gene, is associated with the infectivity of budded virions.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Min-Juan; Tian, Cai-Hong; Fan, Xiao-Ying; Lou, Yi-Han; Cheng, Ruo-Lin; Zhang, Chuan-Xi

2012-07-01

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) ORF54 (Bm54), a member of the viral desmoplakin N-terminus superfamily, is homologous to Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) ORF66, which is required for the efficient egress of nucleocapsids from the nucleus and occlusion body formation. In this paper, we generated a bacmid with the Bm54 gene deleted via homologous recombination in Escherichia coli and characterized the mutant virus using a transfection-infection assay and transmission electron microscopy analysis. Our results demonstrated that the cells transfected with viral DNA lacking Bm54 produced non-infectious budded viruses (BVs). Electron microscopy showed that although the deletion of Bm54 did not affect assembly and release of nucleocapsids, it severely affected polyhedron formation. In conclusion, deletion of Bm54 resulted in non-infectious BV and defective polyhedra. Although the sequences of Bm54 and Ac66 are very similar, the two genes function quite differently in the regulation of viral life cycle.

The Danger of Chinese Exceptionalism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Xin

2016-01-01

In the movement of Chinese indigenous management research, a sort of ‘Chinese exceptionalism’ (as critiqued by Peng, 2005: 133) seems to have been emerging, namely, some Chinese scholars see Chinese culture, philosophy, and way of thinking are unique and cannot be accounted for by some...

Communication and relationship satisfaction in Chinese, Western, and intercultural Chinese-Western couples.

Science.gov (United States)

Hiew, Danika N; Halford, W Kim; van de Vijver, Fons J R; Liu, Shuang

2016-03-01

The current study compared Chinese, Western, and intercultural Chinese-Western couples' communication and examined how culture moderates the association of communication with relationship satisfaction. We coded the communication of 33 Western couples, 36 Chinese couples, and 54 intercultural Chinese-Western couples when discussing a relationship problem and when reminiscing about positive relationship events. Couples with Chinese female partners showed fewer positive behaviors and more negative behaviors (as classified in existing Western coding systems) than couples with Western female partners. The male partner's culture had few associations with couples' rates of communication behavior. Relationship satisfaction was associated with low rates of negative behaviors and high rates of most of the positive behaviors across cultural groups, and these associations were more evident in problem discussions than positive reminiscences. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Expression in Escherichia coli and purification of bioactive antibacterial peptide ABP-CM4 from the Chinese silk worm, Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Bao-Cun; Zhang, Shuang-Quan; Dan, Wen-Bing; Chen, Yu-Qing; Cao, Peng

2007-07-01

The antibacterial peptide CM4 (ABP-CM4), isolated from Chinese Bombys mori, is a 35-residue cationic, amphipathic alpha-helical peptide that exhibits a broad range of antimicrobial activity. To explore a new approach for the expression of ABP-CM4 in E. coli, the gene ABP-CM4, obtained by recursive PCR (rPCR), was cloned into the vector pET32a to construct a fusion expression plasmid. The fusion protein Trx-CM4 was expressed in soluble form, purified by Ni(2+)-chelating chromatography, and cleaved by formic acid to release recombinant CM4. Purification of rCM4 was achieved by affinity chromatography and reverse-phase HPLC. The purified of recombinant peptide showed antimicrobial activities against E. coli K(12)D(31), Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus niger and Gibberella saubinetii. According to the antimicrobial peptide database (http://aps.unmc.edu/AP/main.html), 116 peptides contain a Met residue, but only 5 peptides contain the AspPro site, indicating a broader application of formic acid than CNBr in cleaving fusion protein. The successful application to the expression of the ABP-CM4 indicates that the system is a low-cost, efficient way of producting milligram quantities of ABP-CM4 that is biologically active.

[Moderation-integrated-balance presupposition of Chinese medicine compound and pharmacological problems in traditional Chinese drug research].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Jun-Ning

2017-03-01

The moderation-integrated-balance presupposition (MIBP) of Chinese medicine compound was first proposed in this paper based on the review of function characteristics and action principles of Chinese medicine compound. Furthermore, the pharmacological problems of traditional Chinese drug research were discussed in details. The results were of important value in accelerating the transformation of traditional Chinese medicine compound, and constructing the new drug innovation and review system for traditional Chinese medicine. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

The dipteran parasitoid Exorista bombycis induces pro- and anti-oxidative reactions in the silkworm Bombyx mori: Enzymatic and genetic analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Makwana, Pooja; Pradeep, Appukuttan Nair R; Hungund, Shambhavi P; Ponnuvel, Kangayam M; Trivedy, Kanika

2017-02-01

Hymenopteran parasitoids inject various factors including polydnaviruses along with their eggs into their host insects that suppress host immunity reactions to the eggs and larvae. Less is known about the mechanisms evolved in dipteran parasitoids that suppress host immunity. Here we report that the dipteran, Exorista bombycis, parasitization leads to pro-oxidative reactions and activation of anti-oxidative enzymes in the silkworm Bombyx mori larva. We recorded increased activity of oxidase, superoxide dismutase, thioredoxin peroxidase, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and peroxidases in the hemolymph plasma, hemocytes, and fat body collected from B. mori after E. bombycis parasitization. Microarray and qPCR showed differential expression of genes encoding pro- and anti-oxidant enzymes in the hemocytes. The significance of this work lies in increased understanding of dipteran parasitoid biology. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Sicomines agreement revisited: prudent Chinese banks and risk-taking Chinese companies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jansson, Johanna

2013-01-01

The Sicomines ‘minerals-for-infrastructure' agreement struck between the Congolese government and a consortium of Chinese companies in 2007 is one of the most well-known embodiments of the Chinese presence in Africa. This briefing analyses recent developments in the implementation of the agreement....... With important expenses incurred in the DRC, the Chinese parties to the agreement are still negotiating for a financing arrangement in China. This illustrates that China is no monolith in its overseas activities. While China’s banks are cautious, the real risk-takers in the context of the Sicomines agreement...... are the Chinese companies....

Gamma radiation effects of 60 Co on Bombyx mori (Lep., Bombycidae) modifying the silk fiber production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carneiro Junior, Francisco; Bendassolli, Jose A.

1997-01-01

The present work aimed to verify the biological effects of the application of different doses of gamma radiation during the fifth instar of the silkworm catepillar. Sevently eight silkworm caterpillars (Bombyx mori) were irradiated with γ 60 Co radiation at the initial period of the fifth instar. The caterpillars were divided and classified in six batches of thirteen individuals each. Treatments 1 through 5 received 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 Gy, respectively, and the control, also consisted of thirteen caterpillars, was not irradiated. The results showed a general increase in the silk fiber content in the irradiated batches compared to the control. The weight of the silk cocoons was higher with increasing doses of irradiation, from 20 to 80 Gy, respectively, followed by a decrease in weight in the treatment irradiated with 100 Gy. the results obtained in this experiment enable the conclusion that the radiation applied to the caterpillars significantly influenced the production of silk fiber in this species. (author). 4 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs

Repair and regeneration of heavy ion beam locally irradiated embryonic hemopoietic organs of silkworm, Bombyx mori

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Shiqing; Tu Zhenli

2003-01-01

Eggs of silkworm, Bombyx mori were irradiated by 12 C 5+ ions, at the embryonic wings, where the hemopoietic organs attached. Changes in the development of the silkworm larvae and pupae, especially in the repair and regeneration of the hemopoietic organs represented by their morphological and functional characteristics, were observed. The results showed that the silkworm larvae and pupae developed from the irradiated eggs grew with the physiological obstruction due to exsanguinations, such as difficulty in their metamorphosis and their marked lower survival rates. After 100 Gy irradiation, some of the larvae and pupae died during the periods of larval molting stages, pupation stage and eclosion stage. With increased doses, the deficiencies in the silkworm development became more significant. After 200 Gy irradiation, the average hemocyte density for the 5 th larvae decreased markedly, but the hemocyte density for some individuals were comparable to the control, and regenerated hemopoietic organs was found in these larvae. The results suggested that the silkworm larvae might be capable of self-repair and self-regeneration of the hemopoietic organs after the heave ion irradiation

Creation of Indian–Chinese cuisine: Chinese food in an Indian city

OpenAIRE

Amal Sankar

2017-01-01

This paper discusses two aspects of Chinese food served in India, based on data collected from fieldwork in Dharavi, Mumbai along with the data gathered from online restaurant reviews, food ordering portals, and blogs. First it discusses different forms of Indianizations in Chinese food served in India. Second part discusses how Chineseness is created through exhibits in and out of the restaurants, and how it communicates ‘Chinese’ in the menu through these symbols. One Major observation was ...

Depletion of juvenile hormone esterase extends larval growth in Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhongjie; Liu, Xiaojing; Shiotsuki, Takahiro; Wang, Zhisheng; Xu, Xia; Huang, Yongping; Li, Muwang; Li, Kai; Tan, Anjiang

2017-02-01

Two major hormones, juvenile hormone (JH) and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), regulate insect growth and development according to their precisely coordinated titres, which are controlled by both biosynthesis and degradation pathways. Juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) is the primary JH-specific degradation enzyme that plays a key role in regulating JH titers, along with JH epoxide hydrolase (JHEH) and JH diol kinase (JHDK). In the current study, a loss-of-function analysis of JHE in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, was performed by targeted gene disruption using the transgenic CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/RNA-guided Cas9 nucleases) system. Depletion of B. mori JHE (BmJHE) resulted in the extension of larval stages, especially the penultimate and ultimate larval stages, without deleterious effects to silkworm physiology. The expression of JHEH and JHDK was upregulated in mutant animals, indicating the existence of complementary routes in the JH metabolism pathway in which inactivation of one enzyme will activate other enzymes. RNA-Seq analysis of mutant animals revealed that genes involved in protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum and in amino acid metabolism were affected by BmJHE depletion. Depletion of JHE and subsequent delayed JH metabolism activated genes in the TOR pathway, which are ultimately responsible for extending larval growth. The transgenic Cas9 system used in the current study provides a promising approach for analysing the actions of JH, especially in nondrosophilid insects. Furthermore, prolonging larval stages produced larger larvae and cocoons, which is greatly beneficial to silk production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Traditional Chinese Biotechnology

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yan; Wang, Dong; Fan, Wen Lai; Mu, Xiao Qing; Chen, Jian

The earliest industrial biotechnology originated in ancient China and developed into a vibrant industry in traditional Chinese liquor, rice wine, soy sauce, and vinegar. It is now a significant component of the Chinese economy valued annually at about 150 billion RMB. Although the production methods had existed and remained basically unchanged for centuries, modern developments in biotechnology and related fields in the last decades have greatly impacted on these industries and led to numerous technological innovations. In this chapter, the main biochemical processes and related technological innovations in traditional Chinese biotechnology are illustrated with recent advances in functional microbiology, microbial ecology, solid-state fermentation, enzymology, chemistry of impact flavor compounds, and improvements made to relevant traditional industrial facilities. Recent biotechnological advances in making Chinese liquor, rice wine, soy sauce, and vinegar are reviewed.

[Development and validation of the Chinese version of modified body imgae scale in Chinese population].

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, X X; Zhu, L; Yu, S J; Xu, T

2018-02-25

Objective: To develop the Chinese version of modified body image scale (MBIS) questionnaires, and to validate them in Chinese population. Methods: The original English MBIS questionnaire was translated into Chinese, following the WHO cross-cultural adaptation of health-related quality of life measures. The reliability and validity of the Chinese version of MBIS questionnaires were evaluated in Chinese population, MRKH syndrome patients. Results: Totally 50 patients with MRKH syndrome completed the MBIS and short-form 12-item health survey (SF-12) questionnaires. The Cronbach's alpha of MBIS was 0.741, intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.472-0.815 ( PChinese version of MBIS has high reliability and validity in Chinese population, therefore is suitable for clinic and research.

[Verruca planae Chinese medicine treatment].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hai-Ming

2008-08-01

Flat wart on the effectiveness of TCM treatment. Outpatients will be by the "People's Republic of China Chinese medicine industry standards, TCM diagnosis of dermatological diseases efficacy standards, Chen Hou State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine 1994-06-28 approved, 1995-01-01 implementation". Randomly divided into two groups. Treatment and control groups. Treatment groups treated with Chinese herbs. The control group were treated with WM. Since the preparation of the unification formula ointment, cuboiling method. Chinese herbal medicine preparation by my hospital room Producer. 5 g pre pack, after treatment for 30 days, clinical observation. The group of Chinese medicine is better than western medicine (86.7% vs 71.7% , P < 0.05). Chinese medicine has some effect flat wart.

Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in Indonesia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gammeltoft, Peter; Tarmidi, Lepi T.

2013-01-01

In Indonesia, no systematic study of Chinese FDI has been undertaken to date. This paper contributes to filling this research gap and analyses the current composition as well as the historical evolution of Chinese FDI in Indonesia, relying on a survey conducted in 2008 among Chinese invested...... enterprises supplemented with key informant interviews, available official statistics and secondary data. Considering the evolution of Chinese investments in Indonesia over time, investments have evolved from being individual and isolated projects to acquiring more systemic properties. Chinese companies have...... acquired a broader sectoral presence in Indonesia and Chinese invested companies in, e.g., extractive or manufacturing activities can increasingly rely on complementary Chinese investments in logistics, travel, finance, etc. Where the local development effects are concerned, a picture emerges where Chinese...

Leaf Surface Scanning Electron Microscopy of 16 Mulberry Genotypes (Morus spp. with Respect to their Feeding Value in Silkworm (Bombyx mori L. Rearing Microscopía Electrónica de Barrido de la Superficie Foliar de 16 Genotipos de Morus spp. en Relación a su Valor Alimenticio para Crianza del Gusano de la Seda (Bombyx mori L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B.K Singhal

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Mulberry (Morus spp. is the only silkworm (Bombyx mori L. food plant. In Indian sub tropics, S-146 is the only popular and ruling mulberry genotype for silkworm rearing. As a result, mulberry leaf availability is always the limiting factor, and therefore, sub tropics are contributing less than 1% of the country’s total silk production compared with more than 60% under tropical conditions. Besides climatic conditions, this is due to a very limited number of mulberry genotypes available in this region for silkworm rearing. However, in the mean time, 15 mulberry genotypes viz. ‘Tr-10’,‘Chinese White’,‘K-2’,‘Sujanpur Local’,‘BC2-59’,‘S-1635’,‘C-1730’,‘Mandalaya’,‘S-30’‘(Vishala,‘RFS-175’,‘Anantha’,‘C-2016’,‘C-2017’,‘S-41’ and‘V-1’ were also introduced in the sub tropics, but remained unexplored. In sericulture, leaf surface is also an important parameter for, both, the silkworm’s acceptability of not having any feeding impediment and the mulberry improvement programs. The objective of this study was to explore the possibilities of using these 16 mulberry genotypes for their leaf surface characteristics by scanning electron microscopy and using them for sericulture. Based on leaf yield, stomatal size, stomatal number per unit of area and trichomes and idioblasts length, these genotypes were grouped into different categories. The mulberry genotype ‘Mandalaya’, in addition to the ruling genotype ‘S-146’ excelled because of their higher leaf yield and desired leaf surface characteristics. Furthermore, the genotypes ‘K-2’, ‘S-41’ and ‘Sujanpur Local’ are also suggested to develop high yield mulberry genotypes in the Indian sub tropics.La morera (Morus spp. es la única planta de alimento para el gusano de la seda (Bombyx mori L.. En los sub-trópicos de la India, ‘S-146’ es el único genotipo popular y predominante de morera para criarlo. Como resultado, la

Induced Hyperproteinemia and Its Effects on the Remodeling of Fat Bodies in Silkworm, Bombyx mori

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xue-Dong; Wang, Yong-Feng; Wang, Yu-Long; Li, Qiu-Ying; Ma, Huan-Yu; Wang, Lu; Sima, Yang-Hu; Xu, Shi-Qing

2018-01-01

Hyperproteinemia, which is characterized by an abnormally elevated plasma protein concentration (PPC), is a high-mortality, metabolic complication associated with severe liver and kidney disease. It is difficult to clinically distinguish the difference between the impacts of primary diseases and hyperproteinemia on tissues and organs, and there are no available animal models of hyperproteinemia. Here, we constructed an animal model of hyperproteinemia with a controllable PPC and no primary disease effects in the silkworm Bombyx mori that has attracted interest owing to its potential use in the pathological analysis of model animals. Silkworm have an open circulatory system in which each organ is directly immersed in hemolymph. The fat body (FB) of a silkworm, as a major organ for nutrient storage and energy metabolism, can effectively reflect hyperproteinemia-induced metabolic abnormalities in damaged visceral tissues. A pathogenesis study showed that hyperproteinemia attenuated cell autophagy and apoptosis by attenuating an endocrine hormone, thereby preventing FB remodeling during metamorphosis. Meanwhile, hyperproteinemia increased oxidative stress in the FB and resulted in a dysfunction of amino acid conversion. Supplementation with exogenous 20-hydroxyecdysone effectively mitigated the hyperproteinemia-mediated inhibition of FB remodeling. PMID:29651251

Induced Hyperproteinemia and Its Effects on the Remodeling of Fat Bodies in Silkworm, Bombyx mori

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xue-Dong Chen

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Hyperproteinemia, which is characterized by an abnormally elevated plasma protein concentration (PPC, is a high-mortality, metabolic complication associated with severe liver and kidney disease. It is difficult to clinically distinguish the difference between the impacts of primary diseases and hyperproteinemia on tissues and organs, and there are no available animal models of hyperproteinemia. Here, we constructed an animal model of hyperproteinemia with a controllable PPC and no primary disease effects in the silkworm Bombyx mori that has attracted interest owing to its potential use in the pathological analysis of model animals. Silkworm have an open circulatory system in which each organ is directly immersed in hemolymph. The fat body (FB of a silkworm, as a major organ for nutrient storage and energy metabolism, can effectively reflect hyperproteinemia-induced metabolic abnormalities in damaged visceral tissues. A pathogenesis study showed that hyperproteinemia attenuated cell autophagy and apoptosis by attenuating an endocrine hormone, thereby preventing FB remodeling during metamorphosis. Meanwhile, hyperproteinemia increased oxidative stress in the FB and resulted in a dysfunction of amino acid conversion. Supplementation with exogenous 20-hydroxyecdysone effectively mitigated the hyperproteinemia-mediated inhibition of FB remodeling.

Impact of microsporidian infection on growth and development of silkworm Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sunil Kumar Gupta

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Several species and strains of microsporidia have been isolated from infected silkworms among which pebrine caused by Nosema bombycis Nageli is the most important. Infection from this disease causes severe economic loss in sericulture. Reduction of larval and pupal development and reduced weights in silkworms due to infection has been reported. In the present study, five microsporidian (Nosema isolates from mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori L. collected from different locations in West Bengal, India were sampled to study the impact of their infection on the growth and development of B. mori. The study revealed significant differences among the isolates in their ability to cause a reduction in the larval and pupal development of silkworm. Healthy larvae showed better body and tissue weights which were significantly higher than in infected lots. Among the isolates, M5 registered the maximum reduction in relative growth rate, larval silk gland tissue somatic index, larval male and female gonad tissue somatic index (GTSI and pupal female GTSI compared to the healthy control. Male and female pupa treated with M5 spores died before emergence, suggesting that the M5 isolate was the most virulent.

Vertebrate estrogen regulates the development of female characteristics in silkworm, Bombyx mori.

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Shen, Guanwang; Lin, Ying; Yang, Congwen; Xing, Runmiao; Zhang, Haiyan; Chen, Enxiang; Han, Chaoshan; Liu, Hongling; Zhang, Weiwei; Xia, Qingyou

2015-01-01

The vertebrate estrogens include 17-β-estradiol (E2), which has an analog in silkworm ovaries. In this study, the Bombyx mori vitellogenin gene (BmVg) was used as a biomarker to analyze the function of the E2 in silkworm. In most oviparous animals, Vg has female-specific expression. However, BmVg expression was also detected in B. mori males. Stage specific fluctuation of BmVg expression was similar in males and females, but expression levels in males were lower than in females. E2 treatment by injection or feeding of male larvae in the final instar stage induced and stimulated male BmVg transcription and protein synthesis. When silkworm ovary primordia were transplanted into males, BmVg was induced in male fat bodies. Transplanted ovaries primordia were also able to develop into ovaries and produce mature eggs. When females were treated with E2 promoted BmVg/BmVn protein accumulation in hemolymph, ovaries and eggs. However, BmVg transcription was decreased in female fat bodies. An E2 analog was identified in the hemolymph of day 3 wandering silkworms using high-performance liquid chromatography. Estradiol titers from fifth late-instar larvae to pupal stage were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results suggested that silkworms synthesized a vertebrate E2 analog. This study found that E2 promoted the synthesis of BmVg, a female typical protein in silkworms. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

V-ATPase Is Involved in Silkworm Defense Response against Bombyx mori Nucleopolyhedrovirus.

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Peng Lü

Full Text Available Silkworms are usually susceptible to the infection of Bombyx mori (B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV, which can cause significant economic loss. However, some silkworm strains are identified to be highly resistant to BmNPV. To explore the silkworm genes involved in this resistance in the present study, we performed comparative real-time PCR, ATPase assay, over-expression and sub-cellular localization experiments. We found that when inoculated with BmNPV both the expression and activity of V-ATPase were significantly up-regulated in the midgut column cells (not the goblet cells of BmNPV-resistant strains (NB and BC8, the main sites for the first step of BmNPV invasion, but not in those of a BmNPV-susceptible strain 306. Furthermore, this up-regulation mainly took place during the first 24 hours post inoculation (hpi, the essential period required for establishment of virus infection, and then was down-regulated to normal levels. Amazingly, transient over-expression of V-ATPase c subunit in BmNPV-infected silkworm cells could significantly inhibit BmNPV proliferation. To our knowledge this is the first report demonstrating clearly that V-ATPase is indeed involved in the defense response against BmNPV. Our data further suggests that prompt and potent regulation of V-ATPase may be essential for execution of this response, which may enable fast acidification of endosomes and/or lysosomes to render them competent for degradation of invading viruses.

Phylogenetic relationships of three new microsporidian isolates from the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Nageswara Rao, S; Muthulakshmi, M; Kanginakudru, S; Nagaraju, J

2004-07-01

The pathogenicity, mode of transmission, tissue specificity of infection and the small subunit rRNA (SSU-rRNA) gene sequences of the three new microsporidian isolates from the silkworm Bombyx mori were studied. Out of the three, NIK-2r revealed life cycle features and SSU-rRNA gene sequence similar to Nosema bombycis, suggesting that it is N. bombycis. The other two, NIK-4m and NIK-3h, differed from each other as well as from N. bombycis. NIK-4m was highly pathogenic and did not show any vertical transmission, in accordance with the apparent lack of gonadal infection, whereas NIK-3h was less pathogenic and vertical transmission was not detected but could not be excluded. Phylogenetic analysis based on SSU-rRNA gene sequence placed NIK-3h and NIK-4m in a distinct clade that included almost all the Vairimorpha species and Nosema species that infect lepidopteran and non-lepidopteran hosts, while NIK-2r was included in a clade containing almost all the Nosema isolates that infect only lepidopteran hosts. Thus, we have presented molecular evidence that one of the three isolates is in fact the type species N. bombycis, while the other two isolates are Vairimorpha spp. There was distinct separation of microsporidian isolates infecting only lepidopteran hosts and those infecting lepidopteran and non-lepidopteran hosts, reflecting possible co-evolution of hosts and microsporidian isolates.

Chop Suey as Imagined Authentic Chinese Food: The Culinary Identity of Chinese Restaurants in the United States

OpenAIRE

Haiming Liu

2009-01-01

At least until the 1960s, chop suey was synonymous with Chinese food in the United States, where most Chinese restaurants were called chop suey houses. By uncovering the history of chop suey, this article analyzes the development of Chinese cuisine in the U.S. as an example of transnational cultural exchange. The authenticity and culinary identity of Chinese food in America often rested on its real or imagined Chinese roots while its popularity depended on how well Chinese restaurant...

Molecular tracing of white muscardine in the silkworm, Bombyx mori (Linn.) II. Silkworm white muscardine is not caused by artificial release or natural epizootic of Beauveria bassiana in China.

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Chen, Xue; Huang, Cui; He, Lingmin; Zhang, Shengli; Li, Zengzhi

2015-02-01

The fungal pathogen Beauveria bassiana causes serious economic losses in sericulture. Its origin is usually attributed to the release of B. bassiana insecticides against pine caterpillars (Dendrolimus punctuatus). In the present study, 488 B. bassiana isolates obtained from silkworm (Bombyx mori) collected from 13 Chinese provinces, and 327 B. bassiana isolates obtained from D. punctatus collected from 9 provinces, were analyzed for population genetic structure using the ISSR technique based on genetic distance. A UPGMA dendrogram clustered them into three independent clades: two B. mori clades and one D. punctatus clade. A 3-D principal component analysis further divided them into two completely independent host groups, revealing high host-specificity. This suggested that white muscardine occurring in B. mori populations throughout southern China was not caused by any B. bassiana strain either naturally prevailing in D. punctatus populations or by any strain artificially released as a fungal insecticide against D. punctatus. We further investigated the genetic differentiation coefficient Gst and gene flow between B. mori-pathogenic and D. punctatus-pathogenic B. bassiana isolates from across China and from five provinces inhabited by both B. mori and D. punctatus. The Gst value across China was computed as 0.410, while the values of the five provinces ranged from 0.508 to 0.689; all above 0.25, which is the threshold for significant genetic differentiation. This suggests that B. bassiana strains isolated from the two different hosts maintained their respective heredity without a convergent homogenization trend, and reduces the possibility that the host range of the caterpillar isolates could expand and enhance their virulence in B. mori. These findings indicate that the use of B. bassiana does not threaten the safety of sericulture. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The ABCs of Chinese Pop: Wang Leehom and the Marketing of a Global Chinese Celebrity

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Grace Wang

2012-06-01

Full Text Available How did singer Wang Leehom, a Chinese American raised in the suburbs of New York, end up becoming one of the industry heavyweights of Mandopop (Mandarin-language pop music? This essay uses Wang as a case study to investigate how discourses of race, market, and belonging are reworked in global contexts. Drawing on Sau-ling Wong’s theoretical insights on transnational processes of race, citizenship, and belonging, it argues that Wang capitalizes on a fluid dynamic of sameness and difference to appeal to a heterogeneous Chinese-speaking audience that stretches across China to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and the greater Chinese diaspora. Through an examination of the racial and national contexts that frame Wang’s participation in Mandopop, this essay analyzes the particular calibrations of Chineseness that emerge from the singer’s music and public image and the imperfect translation of identities such as Chinese American, Chinese diasporic, and Chinese across diverse linguistic and national communities.

Buddhist Activism and Chinese Modernity

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Hung-yok Ip

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The history of modern Chinese Buddhism has begun to attract attention in recent years. Some scholars have done inspiring research as they unravel the integration of Buddhism into the highly secularized process of Chinese modernity by drawing on the repository of knowledge on modern China. While this special issue joins this exciting endeavor, it also uses Buddhism as a window to reflect on scholarship on Chinese modernity. Conceptually, this special issue presses scholars in the field of modern China to rethink the place of tradition in the course of modernity. Thematically we show the expansionist impulse of Chinese Buddhism: In addition to envisioning the geographical expansion of their religion, Chinese Buddhists have endeavored to enhance the significance of Buddhism in various dimensions of Chinese society in particular and human life in general.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a short peptidoglycan recognition protein from silkworm Bombyx mori.

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Yang, P-J; Zhan, M-Y; Ye, C; Yu, X-Q; Rao, X-J

2017-12-01

Peptidoglycan is the major bacterial component recognized by the insect immune system. Peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs) are a family of pattern-recognition receptors that recognize peptidoglycans and modulate innate immune responses. Some PGRPs retain N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase (Enzyme Commission number: 3.5.1.28) activity to hydrolyse bacterial peptidoglycans. Others have lost the enzymatic activity and work only as immune receptors. They are all important modulators for innate immunity. Here, we report the cloning and functional analysis of PGRP-S4, a short-form PGRP from the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori. The PGRP-S4 gene encodes a protein of 199 amino acids with a signal peptide and a PGRP domain. PGRP-S4 was expressed in the fat body, haemocytes and midgut. Its expression level was significantly induced by bacterial challenges in the midgut. The recombinant PGRP-S4 bound bacteria and different peptidoglycans. In addition, it inhibited bacterial growth and hydrolysed an Escherichia coli peptidoglycan in the presence of Zn 2+ . Scanning electron microscopy showed that PGRP-S4 disrupted the bacterial cell surface. PGRP-S4 further increased prophenoloxidase activation caused by peptidoglycans. Taken together, our data suggest that B. mori PGRP-S4 has multiple functions in immunity. © 2017 The Royal Entomological Society.

Vibration receptive sensilla on the wing margins of the silkworm moth Bombyx mori.

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Ai, Hiroyuki; Yoshida, Akihiro; Yokohari, Fumio

2010-03-01

Bristles along the wing margins (wm-bristles) of the silkworm moth, Bombyx mori, were studied morphologically and electrophysiologically. The male moth has ca. 50 wm-bristles on each forewing and hindwing. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that these wm-bristles are typical mechanosensilla. Leuco-methylene blue staining demonstrated that each wm-bristle has a single receptor neuron, which is also characteristic of the mechanosensillum. The receptor neuron responded to vibrating air currents but did not respond to a constant air current. The wm-bristles showed clear directional sensitivity to vibrating air currents. The wm-bristles were classified into two types, type I and type II, by their response patterns to sinusoidal movements of the bristle. The neuron in type I discharged bursting spikes immediately following stimulation onset and also discharged a single spike for each sinusoidal cycle for frequencies less than ca. 60 Hz. The neuron in type II only responded to vibrations over 40 Hz and, specifically at 75 Hz, discharged a single spike for each sinusoidal cycle throughout the stimulation period. These results suggest that the two types of wm-bristles are highly tuned in different ways to detect vibrations due to the wing beat. The roles of the wm-bristles in the wing beat are discussed. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The dynamic landscape of gene regulation during Bombyx mori oogenesis.

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Zhang, Qiang; Sun, Wei; Sun, Bang-Yong; Xiao, Yang; Zhang, Ze

2017-09-11

Oogenesis in the domestic silkworm (Bombyx mori) is a complex process involving previtellogenesis, vitellogenesis and choriogenesis. During this process, follicles show drastic morphological and physiological changes. However, the genome-wide regulatory profiles of gene expression during oogenesis remain to be determined. In this study, we obtained time-series transcriptome data and used these data to reveal the dynamic landscape of gene regulation during oogenesis. A total of 1932 genes were identified to be differentially expressed among different stages, most of which occurred during the transition from late vitellogenesis to early choriogenesis. Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, we identified six stage-specific gene modules that correspond to multiple regulatory pathways. Strikingly, the biosynthesis pathway of the molting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) was enriched in one of the modules. Further analysis showed that the ecdysteroid 20-hydroxylase gene (CYP314A1) of steroidgenesis genes was mainly expressed in previtellogenesis and early vitellogenesis. However, the 20E-inactivated genes, particularly the ecdysteroid 26-hydroxylase encoding gene (Cyp18a1), were highly expressed in late vitellogenesis. These distinct expression patterns between 20E synthesis and catabolism-related genes might ensure the rapid decline of the hormone titer at the transition point from vitellogenesis to choriogenesis. In addition, we compared landscapes of gene regulation between silkworm (Lepidoptera) and fruit fly (Diptera) oogeneses. Our results show that there is some consensus in the modules of gene co-expression during oogenesis in these insects. The data presented in this study provide new insights into the regulatory mechanisms underlying oogenesis in insects with polytrophic meroistic ovaries. The results also provide clues for further investigating the roles of epigenetic reconfiguration and circadian rhythm in insect oogenesis.

Efficient large-scale protein production of larvae and pupae of silkworm by Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus bacmid system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Motohashi, Tomoko; Shimojima, Tsukasa; Fukagawa, Tatsuo; Maenaka, Katsumi; Park, Enoch Y.

2005-01-01

Silkworm is one of the most attractive hosts for large-scale production of eukaryotic proteins as well as recombinant baculoviruses for gene transfer to mammalian cells. The bacmid system of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) has already been established and widely used. However, the AcNPV does not have a potential to infect silkworm. We developed the first practical Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus bacmid system directly applicable for the protein expression of silkworm. By using this system, the green fluorescence protein was successfully expressed in silkworm larvae and pupae not only by infection of its recombinant virus but also by direct injection of its bacmid DNA. This method provides the rapid protein production in silkworm as long as 10 days, is free from biohazard, thus will be a powerful tool for the future production factory of recombinant eukaryotic proteins and baculoviruses

教材としてのカイコガ(Bombyx mori) の有用性について

OpenAIRE

花園, 誠; 島田, 聡; 片平, 由紀; 花園, 美樹

2016-01-01

カイコガ(Bombyx mori) は, チョウ目・カイコガ科に属する完全変態の昆虫である. 最近になり「完全人工飼料とカイコ幼虫」のセット購入が年間を通じて可能となり, カイコの飼育は通年化されかつ簡略化された. 本報告では,「４齢・５齢のカイコ」と「完全人工飼料」の教材としての可能性を, 学年縦断的な学習指導案により示す.

Chinese values, health and nursing.

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Chen, Y C

2001-10-01

To describe the roots of Chinese values, beliefs and the concept of health, and to illustrate how these ways have influenced the development of health care and nursing among Chinese in the Republic of China (ROC) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). Scope. Based on the literature and direct observation in the PRC and ROC, this is an introduction to Chinese philosophies, religion, basic beliefs, and values with a special meaning for health and nursing. Chinese philosophies and religion include Confucian principles, Taoism, theory of "Yin" and "Yang", and Buddhism. Beliefs and values include the way of education, practice of acupuncture, herbal treatments and diet therapy. How people value traditional Chinese medicine in combination with western science, and the future direction of nursing and nursing inquiry are also briefly addressed. Chinese philosophies and religions strongly influence the Chinese way of living and thinking about health and health care. Nurses must combine information about culture with clinical assessment of the patient to provide cultural sensitive care. A better way may be to combine both western and Chinese values into the Chinese health care system by negotiating between the traditional values while at the same time, respecting an individual's choice. The foundation of China's philosophical and aesthetic tradition, in combination with western science is important to the future advancement of nursing research that will be beneficial to the Republics, Asia, and the world.

Thinking Chinese Translation A Course in Translation Method; Chinese to English

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Valerie, Pellatt

2010-01-01

Suitable for advanced undergraduates and postgraduate students of Chinese. "Thinking Chinese Translation", this book explores the ways in which memory, general knowledge, and creativity (summed up as 'schema') contribute to the linguistic ability necessary to create a good translation

[Key points of poverty alleviation of Chinese herbal medicine industry and classification of recommended Chinese herbal medicines].

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Lu-Qi; Su, Gang-Qiang; Zhang, Xiao-Bo; Sun, Xiao-Ming; Wu, Xiao-Jun; Guo, Lan-Ping; Li, Meng; Wang, Hui; Jing, Zhi-Xian

2017-11-01

To build a well-off society in an all-round way, eliminate poverty, improve people's livelihood and improve the level of social and economic development in poverty-stricken areas is the frontier issues of the government and science and technology workers at all levels. Chinese herbal medicine is the strategic resource of the people's livelihood, Chinese herbal medicine cultivation is an important part of China's rural poor population income. As most of the production of Chinese herbal medicine by the biological characteristics of their own and the interaction of natural ecological environment factors, showing a strong regional character.the Ministry of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the State Council Poverty Alleviation Office and other five departments jointly issued the "China Herbal Industry Poverty Alleviation Action Plan (2017-2020)", according to local conditions of guidance and planning of Chinese herbal medicine production practice, promote Chinese herbal medicine industry poverty alleviation related work In this paper, based on the relevant data of poverty-stricken areas, this paper divides the areas with priority to the poverty alleviation conditions of Chinese herbal medicine industry, and analyzes and catalogs the list of Chinese herbal medicines grown in poverty-stricken areas at the macro level. The results show that there are at least 10% of the poor counties in the counties where the poverty-stricken counties and the concentrated areas are concentrated in the poverty-stricken areas. There is already a good base of Chinese herbal medicine industry, which is the key priority area for poverty alleviation of Chinese herbal medicine industry. Poverty-stricken counties, with a certain degree of development of Chinese medicine industry poverty alleviation conditions, the need to strengthen the relevant work to expand the foundation and capacity of Chinese herbal medicine industry poverty alleviation; 37% of poor counties to develop Chinese medicine

[Four properties law of nature data of Chinese materia medica in "Chinese herbal medicine (CHM)"].

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xue-Mei; Lin, Duan-Yi; Lai, Xin-Mei; Chen, Mei-Mei; Huang, Lu-Qi

2013-05-01

In order to provide theoretical clues and data support for the use of Chinese medicine clinical drug, experimental study of Chinese materia medica and development of new resources of Chinese materia medica, the four properties as the core, the relationships of property, flavor, channel tropism and toxicity in nature data of Chinese materia medica were analyzed. The spearman rank correlation method was employed to analyze 8 356 Chinese drugs with characteristic of four properties from " Chinese Herbal Medicine" based on data level coding. It was discovered that four properties showed significant positive correlations with tastes of "pungent and sweet" , channels of "spleen" , "stomach" , "kidney" and "toxicity" , but also showed significant negative correlations with tastes of "bitter" and "light" and six channels such as "large intestine" , "heart", "bladder" , "gallbladder" , "small intestine" and "lung" (in descending order of correlation ) (P <0. 01). It was indicated that the more hot the Chinese medicine nature, the more possible it contained "toxicity" , tastes of "pungent" and "sweet" , and the more possible it was belong to channels of "spleen" , "stomach" and "kidney". As well, the more cold the Chinese medicine nature, the more possible it contained tastes of "bitter" and "light", and the more possible it was belong to six channels such as "large intestine", etc.

Lexical-semantic Mapping between Chinese and English Controlled Vocabularies in the Domain of Chinese Art

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Shu-Jiun Chen

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This study conducts a lexical-semantic mapping between the Chinese controlled vocabulary developed by the National Palace Museum (NPM-CV in Taiwan and an English controlled vocabulary, the Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT developed by the Getty Research Institute in the U.S. that is primarily based on Western art. The research question is: In mapping a Chinese controlled vocabulary in Chinese art to a Western-centered art thesaurus, what types of relationships can be identified and what are the issues in mapping? The study’s main findings reveal that only one-third of the NPM-CV terms can be mapped as “exact equivalence” to AAT terms and three-fifths of the NPMCV terms have hierarchical relationships (narrower to broader with some AAT terms. Clearly, using AAT alone to index Chinese art collections will lead to insufficient indexing specificity. The study then proposes solutions to improve Chinese-English semantic interoperability for multilingual knowledge organization systems in the domain of Chinese art. [Article content in Chinese

Assessment of Problem Gambling in a Chinese Context: The Chinese G-MAP

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Daniel T. L. Shek

2009-01-01

Full Text Available There is a severe lack of instruments to assess problem gambling in Chinese people. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Maroondah Assessment Profile for Problem Gambling (Chinese G-MAP, based on the responses of eight problem gamblers and 125 pathological gamblers seeking help from a problem gambling treatment center. Reliability analyses showed that the G-MAP and its related domains and scales were generally internally consistent. There are also several lines of evidence suggesting that the Chinese G-MAP and the various domains are valid: (a the various G-MAP domain and scale measures were significantly correlated among themselves, (b the G-MAP measures were significantly correlated with pathological gambling behavior assessed by the 4th Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV, and (c the G-MAP total scale and domain measures were able to discriminate problem gamblers and pathological gamblers. The present study suggests that the Chinese G-MAP possesses acceptable psychometric properties that can be used in research and practice settings.

Chinese Companies in Switzerland

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Esther Kessler

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In recent years, some of China’s leading firms have made headlines with their European expansion, by either opening new facilities or by acquiring or merging with significant enterprises in Europe. The goal of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature by examining Chinese enterprises expanding into Switzerland. The study also allows some conclusions for Chinese companies entering Central and Eastern Europe. We analyze via interviews the motivations of Chinese companies to expand into Switzerland as well as their behavior and the impediments in their internationalization process. Our findings show that Chinese companies fail to take advantage of certain benefits of western economies (such as open information and stable rule of law. To move forward efficiently, they should develop competence in dealing systematically with readily available market information, building professional networks that recognize a separation between business life and personal life, and managing their Chinese and foreign employees in the foreign cultural environment.

The integration of Chinese and European renewable energy markets: The role of Chinese foreign direct investments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lv, Ping; Spigarelli, Francesca

2015-01-01

In the renewable energy (RE) sectors, foreign direct investments are becoming an important mean of regional integration between China and Europe, as a result of the combined effect of Europe–China dialog on energy issues; Chinese energy policy; and Chinese Go Global policy. Using a firm level data set from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, we perform an analysis on location choice by Chinese RE firms from 2004 to 2013, within Europe. We depict a map of “where to where” (home province vs. host country) and “who to where” (firm level characteristics vs. host country), to find out how characteristics of home and host regions affecting the integration of Chinese and European RE markets. Main results are the following. Investment pairs in RE sectors reflect a duality: firms tend to seek countries with similar institutional environment, compared with their origin regions. Countries with weak and immature institutions are attractive for immature and inexperienced Chinese firms. Main features of Chinese investors are the following: private, non-listed firms, entering through greenfield, focusing on sales. Market-seeking investors tend to enter countries with both well-developed institutional environment and industry development base. R&D-oriented investments are more likely to flow to countries with well-developed institutional environment. -- Highlights: •A map of Where to Where of Chinese investments in Europe is depicted. •Characteristics of home and host regions affect Chinese integration in Europe. •Investment pairs in renewable energy sectors reflect a duality. •Chinese firms localize in EU countries with similar institutional environment. •Through a Who to Where analysis, key features of Chinese investors are outlined

The Chinese nuclear program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prenez, J.C.; Bettoun, G.

2009-01-01

This series of slides presents the organization of the Chinese nuclear industry and its perspectives for the 2 next decades. The presentation is divided into 5 parts. Part one: the energy sector in China. Due to the economic development of the country this sector is flourishing and reaches an average growth rate of 9% per year. More than fifty per cent of the power plants being built in the world, are located in China. The electricity production stems by far from fossil energies (>80%) but this part is expected to decrease to reach 70% in 2020. Part 2: the Chinese nuclear program. This program is dual: the massive deployment of chinese improved reactors of second generation (the construction of 6 CPR1000 reactors will be launched each year) and the import and assimilation of reactors of the third generation: 4 AP1000 and 2 EPR are being built. Part 3: the organization of the Chinese nuclear sector. The main actors are CNNC (China National Nuclear Corporation), CGNPC (China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation), CPI (China Power Investment Corporation), SNPTC (State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation). The main 5 Chinese suppliers are also presented. Part 4: The role of EDF. Today's EDF role is multiple: to be active in the Chinese nuclear program, to go beyond technical assistance to reach partnership, to invest in Chinese power plants, to promote cooperation between French and Chinese actors of the nuclear industry. A lot of joint ventures have been created. Part 5: the Taishan project. Taishan is a coastal site near Macao in the Guangdong province in which 2 EPR are being built, the first concrete was cast in october 2009, 52 months of construction are scheduled and the first unit will be commissioned in end 2013 while the second commissioning is planned for end 2014. (A.C.)

KAIKObase: An integrated silkworm genome database and data mining tool

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Nagaraju Javaregowda

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is one of the most economically important insects in many developing countries owing to its large-scale cultivation for silk production. With the development of genomic and biotechnological tools, B. mori has also become an important bioreactor for production of various recombinant proteins of biomedical interest. In 2004, two genome sequencing projects for B. mori were reported independently by Chinese and Japanese teams; however, the datasets were insufficient for building long genomic scaffolds which are essential for unambiguous annotation of the genome. Now, both the datasets have been merged and assembled through a joint collaboration between the two groups. Description Integration of the two data sets of silkworm whole-genome-shotgun sequencing by the Japanese and Chinese groups together with newly obtained fosmid- and BAC-end sequences produced the best continuity (~3.7 Mb in N50 scaffold size among the sequenced insect genomes and provided a high degree of nucleotide coverage (88% of all 28 chromosomes. In addition, a physical map of BAC contigs constructed by fingerprinting BAC clones and a SNP linkage map constructed using BAC-end sequences were available. In parallel, proteomic data from two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in various tissues and developmental stages were compiled into a silkworm proteome database. Finally, a Bombyx trap database was constructed for documenting insertion positions and expression data of transposon insertion lines. Conclusion For efficient usage of genome information for functional studies, genomic sequences, physical and genetic map information and EST data were compiled into KAIKObase, an integrated silkworm genome database which consists of 4 map viewers, a gene viewer, and sequence, keyword and position search systems to display results and data at the level of nucleotide sequence, gene, scaffold and chromosome. Integration of the

Respective Functions of Two Distinct Siwi Complexes Assembled during PIWI-Interacting RNA Biogenesis in Bombyx Germ Cells

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Kazumichi M. Nishida

2015-01-01

Full Text Available PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA biogenesis consists of two sequential steps: primary piRNA processing and the ping-pong cycle that depends on reciprocal Slicer-mediated RNA cleavage by PIWI proteins. However, the molecular functions of the factors involved remain elusive. Here, we show that RNAs cleaved by a Bombyx mori PIWI, Siwi, remain bound to the protein upon cleavage but are released by a DEAD box protein BmVasa. BmVasa copurifies with Siwi but not another PIWI BmAgo3. A lack of BmVasa does not affect primary piRNA processing but abolishes the ping-pong cycle. Siwi also forms a complex with BmSpn-E and BmQin. This complex is physically separable from the Siwi/BmVasa complex. BmSpn-E, unlike BmVasa, is necessary for primary piRNA production. We propose a model for piRNA biogenesis, where the BmSpn-E/BmQin dimer binds Siwi to function in primary piRNA processing, whereas BmVasa, by associating with Siwi, ensures target RNA release upon cleavage to facilitate the ping-pong cycle.

Chinese implicit leadership theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Ling, W; Chia, R C; Fang, L

2000-12-01

In a 1st attempt to identify an implicit theory of leadership among Chinese people, the authors developed the Chinese Implicit Leadership Scale (CILS) in Study 1. In Study 2, they administered the CILS to 622 Chinese participants from 5 occupation groups, to explore differences in perceptions of leadership. Factor analysis yielded 4 factors of leadership: Personal Morality, Goal Efficiency, Interpersonal Competence, and Versatility. Social groups differing in age, gender, education level, and occupation rated these factors. Results showed no significant gender differences, and the underlying cause for social group differences was education level. All groups gave the highest ratings to Interpersonal Competence, reflecting the enormous importance of this factor, which is consistent with Chinese collectivist values.

Developmental Eye Movement (DEM Test Norms for Mandarin Chinese-Speaking Chinese Children.

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Yachun Xie

Full Text Available The Developmental Eye Movement (DEM test is commonly used as a clinical visual-verbal ocular motor assessment tool to screen and diagnose reading problems at the onset. No established norm exists for using the DEM test with Mandarin Chinese-speaking Chinese children. This study aims to establish the normative values of the DEM test for the Mandarin Chinese-speaking population in China; it also aims to compare the values with three other published norms for English-, Spanish-, and Cantonese-speaking Chinese children. A random stratified sampling method was used to recruit children from eight kindergartens and eight primary schools in the main urban and suburban areas of Nanjing. A total of 1,425 Mandarin Chinese-speaking children aged 5 to 12 years took the DEM test in Mandarin Chinese. A digital recorder was used to record the process. All of the subjects completed a symptomatology survey, and their DEM scores were determined by a trained tester. The scores were computed using the formula in the DEM manual, except that the "vertical scores" were adjusted by taking the vertical errors into consideration. The results were compared with the three other published norms. In our subjects, a general decrease with age was observed for the four eye movement indexes: vertical score, adjusted horizontal score, ratio, and total error. For both the vertical and adjusted horizontal scores, the Mandarin Chinese-speaking children completed the tests much more quickly than the norms for English- and Spanish-speaking children. However, the same group completed the test slightly more slowly than the norms for Cantonese-speaking children. The differences in the means were significant (P0.05; compared with Spanish-speaking children, the scores were statistically significant (P0.05. DEM norms may be affected by differences in language, cultural, and educational systems among various ethnicities. The norms of the DEM test are proposed for use with Mandarin Chinese

Danish-accented Chinese

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Lei; Sloos, Marjoleine 莱娜; Zhang, Chun

In search for a linguistic basis for the education of Chinese as a foreign language CFL in Denmark, we set up a new line of investigation into CFL. This research focuses on the phonetics and phonology of Mandarin Chinese as compared to Danish. Considering the sound systems of both languages, we......-ba /pha pa/ ta-da /tha ta/ ka-ga / kha-ka/ For L2 acquisition it is held that same and new phonemes are (relatively) easy acquired, whereas similar but not identical sounds are difficult to learn. New sounds are initially mapped onto the L1 phoneme inventory (Kuhl 1991). For Danish, this would predict...... instruction, which pitch contours do the Danish learners of Chinese use on neutral tones and to what extent does their production match that of native speakers? Future research may include Norwegian and Swedish-accented Chinese and a comparison between the different Germanic accents of CFL. Reference Kuhl, P...

The effect of bovine milk on the growth of Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Konala, Niharika; Abburi, Praveena; Bovilla, Venugopal Reddy; Mamillapalli, Anitha

2013-01-01

Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) is a well-studied Lepidopteran model system because of its morphology, life cycle, and economic importance. Many scientists have placed importance on enhancing the economic traits of B. mori because it's larvae, silkworms, are vital in the production of silk. In this study, the effect of bovine milk on B. mori growth was tested. Bovine milk contains several components that aid in healthy growth. The treatment was given to fifth instar B. mori larvae because the fifth instar period is when B. mori eats voraciously and shows maximum growth among all its larval stages. The larvae were treated with fresh mulberry, Morus L. (Rosales: Moraceae), leaves and mulberry leaves dipped in milk from the first day of the fifth instar. Treatments were given on alternate days, and the silkworms were weighed every day to determine whether milk had any role in enhancing the weight of the larvae. Cocoon weights were measured, as the weight indicates the approximate amount of silk that can be reeled. The results showed that larvae gained 82.5% more weight by the end of fifth instar larval when fed with mulberry leaves dipped in milk than when fed with fresh mulberry leaves without milk. The larvae fed with milk-treated leaves gained 310% weight from day 1 to day 7 of the fifth instar, while the larvae fed with fresh leaves gained 153% weight in the same timespan. In addition, cocoon weight increased by 8% when milk was added compared to when it was not. These results suggest that B. mori larvae can be fed mulberry leaves treated with bovine milk for better growth rate and increased silk production.

Social Anxiety among Chinese People.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Qianqian; Chang, Weining C

2015-01-01

The experience of social anxiety has largely been investigated among Western populations; much less is known about social anxiety in other cultures. Unlike the Western culture, the Chinese emphasize interdependence and harmony with social others. In addition, it is unclear if Western constructed instruments adequately capture culturally conditioned conceptualizations and manifestations of social anxiety that might be specific to the Chinese. The present study employed a sequence of qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine the assessment of social anxiety among the Chinese people. Interviews and focus group discussions with Chinese participants revealed that some items containing the experience of social anxiety among the Chinese are not present in existing Western measures. Factor analysis was employed to examine the factor structure of the more comprehensive scale. This approach revealed an "other concerned anxiety" factor that appears to be specific to the Chinese. Subsequent analysis found that the new factor-other concerned anxiety-functioned the same as other social anxiety factors in their association with risk factors of social anxiety, such as attachment, parenting, behavioral inhibition/activation, and attitude toward group. The implications of these findings for a more culturally sensitive assessment tool of social anxiety among the Chinese were discussed.

The angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, captopril disrupts the motility activation of sperm from the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagaoka, Sumiharu; Kawasaki, Saori; Kawasaki, Hideki; Kamei, Kaeko

2017-11-01

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (also known as peptidyl dicarboxypeptidase A, ACE, and EC 3.4.15.1), which is found in a wide range of organisms, cleaves C-terminal dipeptides from relatively short oligopeptides. Mammalian ACE plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure. However, the precise physiological functions of insect ACE homologs have not been understood. As part of our effort to elucidate new physiological roles of insect ACE, we herein report a soluble ACE protein in male reproductive secretions from the silkmoth, Bombyx mori. Seminal vesicle sperm are quiescent in vitro, but vigorous motility is activated by treatment with either a glandula (g.) prostatica homogenate or trypsin in vitro. When seminal vesicle sperm were pre-incubated with captopril, a strong and specific inhibitor of mammalian ACE, and then stimulated to initiate motility by the addition of the g. prostatica homogenate or trypsin, the overall level of acquired motility was reduced in an inhibitor-concentration-dependent manner. In the course of this project, we detected ACE-related carboxypeptidase activity that was inhibited by captopril in both the vesicular (v.) seminalis of the noncopulative male reproductive tract and in the spermatophore that forms in the female bursa copulatrix at the time of mating, just as in an earlier report on the tomato moth, Lacanobia oleracea, which belongs to a different lepidopteran species (Ekbote et al., 2003a). Two distinct genes encoding ACE-like proteins were identified by analysis of B. mori cDNA, and were named BmAcer and BmAcer2, respectively [the former was previously reported by Quan et al. (2001) and the latter was first isolated in this paper]. RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses indicated that the BmAcer2 was predominantly produced in v. seminalis and transferred to the spermatophore during copulation, while the BmAcer was not detected in the adult male reproductive organs. A recombinant protein of BmAcer2 (devoid of a signal

The Chinese in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mérove Gijsberts; Willem Huijnk; Ria Vogels

2011-01-01

Original title: Chinese Nederlanders This report presents the first national picture of the position of the Chinese community in the Netherlands. A large-scale survey was conducted among persons of Chinese origin living in the Netherlands, with the aim of answering questions on a wide range of

Chinese Function Manager of 2006 Partenariat Comments on the Selection Principle for Chinese Enterprises

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2006-01-01

@@ Fang Lei, EU-China Partenariat 2006Function Manager for Chinese Host Companies, worked together with Mr. Richard Morgan, EU Project Expert,Mr. Han Meiqing, Chinese Project Expert in the primary selection of Chinese enterprises.In reply to the strong request of the relevant governmental institutions, CCPIT and enterprises, he gave the following introductions about the details of selection.

Chinese-American foods : Geography, culture and tourism

OpenAIRE

Lew, Alan A.

2016-01-01

Food is a major way that Chinese, and other ethnic groups, engage with their cultural heritage. Behavioral perspectives from tourism studies give insight into the range of food neophyllics (love of new foods) and food neophobics (fear of new foods), as well as the role of authenticity in food experiences. Three general types of Chinese food are identified in the US: Chinese American (restaurant) Food, Real Chinese (restaurant) Food, and American Born Chinese (home) Food. Traditional Chinese A...

Effects of F virus in Bombyx mori L., 1758 (Lep., bombycidae) and site determination of the viral RNA synthesis by auto-radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almeida, I.M.G. de.

1980-01-01

Some aspects of the pathological process of the infectious flacherie virus in the midgut epithelial cells of the silkworm (Bombyx mori L., 1758 (Lep., Bombycidae)) as well as the site of the viral RNA synthesis were investigated. Electron microscope observation of these inclusion bodies showed that they were surrounded by a single membrane and containing many vesicles and virus particles. The nucleus of the cells infected with the virus exhibited higher electron dense masses than the healthy ones. The site of the viral RNA synthesis. Actinomycin D, at the used concentration, selectively blocked the cell RNA synthesis without affecting the virus RNA synthesis. The inhibition found was about 60%. The data obtained indicated that the viral RNA synthesis occurs in the nucleus of the midgut epithelial cells of the silkworm larvae. (author)

Concepts of Chinese Folk Happiness

Science.gov (United States)

Ip, Po Keung

2011-01-01

Discourses on Chinese folk happiness are often based on anecdotal narratives or qualitative analysis. Two traditional concepts of happiness popular in Chinese culture are introduced. The paper constructs a concept of Chinese folk happiness on basis of the findings of a scientific survey on the Taiwanese people regarding their concepts of…

Motivation, Motivation Intensity, Use of Chinese and Self-Rated Chinese Competence

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Meihua

2017-01-01

This paper reports on the results of an investigation of the relationships between motivation, motivation intensity, use of Chinese outside of class and self-rated competence in Chinese. Analyses of 162 questionnaires and 17 semi-structured interviews revealed the following findings: (1) the participants reported having high integrative…

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus ORF79 is a per os infectivity factor associated with the PIF complex.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Zhan-Qi; Zhang, Jun; Chen, Xue-Mei; He, Qian; Cao, Ming-Ya; Wang, La; Li, Hai-Qing; Xiao, Wen-Fu; Pan, Cai-Xia; Lu, Cheng; Pan, Min-Hui

2014-05-12

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) ORF79 (Bm79) encodes an occlusion-derived virus (ODV)-specific envelope protein, which is a homologue of the per os infectivity factor 4 (PIF4) of Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV). To investigate the role of ORF79 in the BmNPV life cycle, a Bm79 knockout virus (vBm(Bm79KO)) was constructed through homologous recombination in Escherichia coli. Viral DNA replication, budded virus (BV) production and polyhedra formation were unaffected by the absence of BM79. However, results of the larval bioassay demonstrated that the Bm79 deletion resulted in a complete loss of per os infection. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that BM79 localized at the innernuclear membrane of infected cells through its N-terminal sorting motif (SM). Further bimolecular fluorescence protein complementation and co-immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated the interaction of BM79 with PIF1, PIF2, PIF3 and ODV-E66. Thus, BM79 plays an important role in per os infection and is associated with the viral PIF complex of BmNPV. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

COCOON PRODUCTION OF THE SILKWORM, Bombyx mori L. (LEPIDOPTERA: BOMBYCIDAE, FED ON LEAVES OF MULBERRY HYBRIDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GERBSON AZEVEDO DE MENDONÇA

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Brazil is the fourth cocoon producer in the world. In São Paulo State there are mulberry some hybrids whose productivity are higher than the commonly cultivated varieties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of mulberry hybrids (Morus spp. on the cocoon production of silkworm (Bombyx mori L.. The experiment was conducted at the Unidade Regional de Pesquisa de Gália do Instituto de Zootecnia, SP. The caterpillars were fed on leaves of the hybrids IZ-3/2, IZ-13/6, IZ-15/7, IZ-19/13, IZ-56/4, IZ-57/2, IZ- 40, IZ-64, in a rearing hut at 25 oC ± 3 oC and 75% ± 5% relative humidity. 'Korin' was used as standard. The hybrids affected the duration of the larval period and the weight of the caterpillars, prepupaes and the silk glands as well. There was a reduction in the duration of larval development when the caterpillars had been fed with hybrid IZ-56/4 and the 'Korin' variety. Hybrids IZ-57/2, IZ-56/4 and IZ-15/7 presented the highest cocoon production.

Chinese Function Manager of 2006 Partenariat Comments on the Selection Principle for Chinese Enterprises

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2006-01-01

　　Fang Lei, EU-China Partenariat 2006Function Manager for Chinese Host Companies, worked together with Mr. Richard Morgan, EU Project Expert,Mr. Han Meiqing, Chinese Project Expert in the primary selection of Chinese enterprises.In reply to the strong request of the relevant governmental institutions, CCPIT and enterprises, he gave the following introductions about the details of selection.……

EST Table: NM_001111334 [KAIKOcDNA[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available NM_001111334 Br-c 10/09/29 81 %/420 aa ref|NP_001104804.1| broad-complex isoform Z1... [Bombyx mori] dbj|BAD23978.1| broad-complex Z1-isoform [Bombyx mori] dbj|BAD23983.1| broad-complex Z1-isofo...rm [Bombyx mori] dbj|BAD24045.1| Broad-Complex isoform Z1 [Bombyx mori] dbj|BAD24046.1| Broad-Complex isofor...m Z1 [Bombyx mori] dbj|BAD46732.1| broad-complex A-Z1 isoform [Bombyx mori] dbj|BAD46739.1| broad...-complex B-Z1 isoform [Bombyx mori] dbj|BAF43564.1| Broad-Complex isoform Z1 [Bombyx mori] 1

Social Anxiety among Chinese People

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qianqian Fan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The experience of social anxiety has largely been investigated among Western populations; much less is known about social anxiety in other cultures. Unlike the Western culture, the Chinese emphasize interdependence and harmony with social others. In addition, it is unclear if Western constructed instruments adequately capture culturally conditioned conceptualizations and manifestations of social anxiety that might be specific to the Chinese. The present study employed a sequence of qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine the assessment of social anxiety among the Chinese people. Interviews and focus group discussions with Chinese participants revealed that some items containing the experience of social anxiety among the Chinese are not present in existing Western measures. Factor analysis was employed to examine the factor structure of the more comprehensive scale. This approach revealed an “other concerned anxiety” factor that appears to be specific to the Chinese. Subsequent analysis found that the new factor—other concerned anxiety—functioned the same as other social anxiety factors in their association with risk factors of social anxiety, such as attachment, parenting, behavioral inhibition/activation, and attitude toward group. The implications of these findings for a more culturally sensitive assessment tool of social anxiety among the Chinese were discussed.

Social Anxiety among Chinese People

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Qianqian; Chang, Weining C.

2015-01-01

The experience of social anxiety has largely been investigated among Western populations; much less is known about social anxiety in other cultures. Unlike the Western culture, the Chinese emphasize interdependence and harmony with social others. In addition, it is unclear if Western constructed instruments adequately capture culturally conditioned conceptualizations and manifestations of social anxiety that might be specific to the Chinese. The present study employed a sequence of qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine the assessment of social anxiety among the Chinese people. Interviews and focus group discussions with Chinese participants revealed that some items containing the experience of social anxiety among the Chinese are not present in existing Western measures. Factor analysis was employed to examine the factor structure of the more comprehensive scale. This approach revealed an “other concerned anxiety” factor that appears to be specific to the Chinese. Subsequent analysis found that the new factor—other concerned anxiety—functioned the same as other social anxiety factors in their association with risk factors of social anxiety, such as attachment, parenting, behavioral inhibition/activation, and attitude toward group. The implications of these findings for a more culturally sensitive assessment tool of social anxiety among the Chinese were discussed. PMID:26380367

Traditional Chinese Masks Reveal Customs

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

1996-01-01

CHINESE masks are undoubtedly an important component in the worldwide mask culture. Minority nationality masks are a major component of China’s mask culture. Traditional Chinese masks, or nuo, represent a cultural component which originated from religious rites in prehistoric times. Various types of nuo are highly valuable for studies of Chinese customs.

[Common household traditional Chinese medicines].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shu-Yuan; Li, Mei; Fu, Dan; Liu, Yang; Wang, Hui; Tan, Wei

2016-02-01

With the enhancement in the awareness of self-diagnosis among residents, it's very common for each family to prepare common medicines for unexpected needs. Meanwhile, with the popularization of the traditional Chinese medicine knowledge, the proportion of common traditional Chinese medicines prepared at residents' families is increasingly higher than western medicines year by year. To make it clear, both pre-research and closed questionnaire research were adopted for residents in Chaoyang District, Beijing, excluding residents with a medical background. Based on the results of data, a analysis was made to define the role and influence on the quality of life of residents and give suggestions for relevant departments to improve the traditional Chinese medicine popularization and promote the traditional Chinese medicine market. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

On Chinese Culture Curriculum Planning

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Catherine

2006-01-01

The importance of cultural elements in foreign language teaching has been widely accepted in recent years. This applies particularly to the teaching of Chinese as a foreign language (TCFL) to non-native Chinese speakers at tertiary level in mainland China. However, there is no commonly accepted blueprint that defines the parts of Chinese culture…

Increasing imputation and prediction accuracy for Chinese Holsteins using joint Chinese-Nordic reference population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ma, Peipei; Lund, Mogens Sandø; Ding, X

2015-01-01

This study investigated the effect of including Nordic Holsteins in the reference population on the imputation accuracy and prediction accuracy for Chinese Holsteins. The data used in this study include 85 Chinese Holstein bulls genotyped with both 54K chip and 777K (HD) chip, 2862 Chinese cows...... was improved slightly when using the marker data imputed based on the combined HD reference data, compared with using the marker data imputed based on the Chinese HD reference data only. On the other hand, when using the combined reference population including 4398 Nordic Holstein bulls, the accuracy...... to increase reference population rather than increasing marker density...

Effects of transient high temperature treatment on the intestinal flora of the silkworm Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Zhenli; Kumar, Dhiraj; Cao, Guangli; Zhu, Liyuan; Liu, Bo; Zhu, Min; Liang, Zi; Kuang, Sulan; Chen, Fei; Feng, Yongjie; Hu, Xiaolong; Xue, Renyu; Gong, Chengliang

2017-06-13

The silkworm Bombyx mori is a poikilotherm and is therefore sensitive to various climatic conditions. The influence of temperature on the intestinal flora and the relationship between the intestinal flora and gene expression in the silkworm remain unknown. In the present study, changes of the intestinal flora at 48, 96 and 144 h following transient high temperature treatment (THTT) of 37 °C for 8 h were investigated. According to principal component analysis, the abundances of Enterococcus and Staphylococcus showed a negative correlation with other dominant genera. After THTT, the gene expression levels of spatzle-1 and dicer-2 were increased and decreased, respectively, which suggested that the Toll and RNAi pathways were activated and suppressed, respectively. The species-gene expression matrix confirmed that the spatzle-1 and dicer-2 gene expression levels were negatively and positively correlated, respectively, with the abundance of Enterococcus and Staphylococcus in the control. The abundance of Variovorax post-THTT was positively correlated with the spatzle-1 gene expression level, whereas the community richness of Enterococcus was negatively correlated with the spatzle-1 gene expression level and positively correlated with the dicer-2. The results of the present investigation provide new evidence for understanding the relationships among THTT, intestinal flora and host gene expression.

Combined toxicity of chlorantraniliprole, lambda-cyhalothrin, and imidacloprid to the silkworm Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yanmei; Zhang, Hui; He, Fengmei; Li, Xuesheng; Tan, Huihua; Zeng, Dongqiang

2018-05-29

Insecticides with different modes of action may act in combination, in ways such as drifting, spray equipment residual, or utilizing concurrently in mulberry orchards or nearby agricultural fields. Silkworms may suffer from a diverse impact on the survival. In this study, the toxicity of chlorantraniliprole, lambda-cyhalothrin, and imidacloprid and their combinations to the second instar of silkworms (Bombyx mori (L.)(Lepidoptera: Bombycidae)) were evaluated after 48 and 72 h treatment by the leaf-dipping method and the combination index (CI)-isobologram equation. After 48 h treatment, results indicated that (1) the increasing order of toxicity was imidacloprid lambda-cyhalothrin, and that (2) synergism was predominated in most combinations excepted for the lambda-cyhalothrin + imidacloprid combination which displayed an additive effect at f a value 0.5. Then, after 72 h treatment, results exhibited that (1) the increasing order of toxicity was imidacloprid lambda-cyhalothrin < chlorantraniliprole, and that (2) only the chlorantraniliprole + imidacloprid mixture yielded antagonism at f a value 0.5; the other combinations performed an additive effect at least. Consequently, combined toxicity of mixtures may pose a worse effect on silkworm than single toxicity of insecticides. Therefore, we suggest that insecticide mixtures should be added into ecotoxicological risk assessment.

Fine Mapping of a Degenerated Abdominal Legs Mutant (Edl in Silkworm, Bombyx mori.

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Honglei Wang

Full Text Available In insects, abdominal appendages, also called prolegs, vary due to adaptive evolution. Mutations on prolegs within species provide insights to better understand the mechanisms underlying appendage development and diversity. In silkworm Bombyx mori, extra-crescents and degenerated abdominal legs (Edl mutant, belonging to the E pseudoallele group, is a spontaneous mutation that adds crescents and degenerates prolegs on the third abdominal segment (A3. This mutation may be a homeotic transformation of A3 to A2. In this study, the Edl locus was mapped within approximately a 211 Kb region that is 10 Kb upstream of Bmabdominal-A (Bmabd-A. RT-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis of Bmabd-A expression showed a slight but significant decrease, while the expression of BmUltrabithorax (BmUbx was up-regulated in the Edl mutant compared to wildtype (Dazao. Moreover, we also found that BmDistal-less (BmDll, which regulated the development of distal proleg structures, was missing at the tips of the A3 prolegs in the Edl mutant compared to BmDll expression in normally developed prolegs in both the wildtype and mutant. Collectively, we identified approximately a 211 Kb region in the Edl locus that regulates BmUbx and Bmabd-A expression and found that changes in BmUbx and Bmabd-A expression may lead to the loss of distal proleg structures in B. mori.

The Roles of Pinyin Skill in English-Chinese Biliteracy Learning: Evidence from Chinese Immersion Learners

Science.gov (United States)

Lü, Chan

2017-01-01

Pinyin is a sound-annotating system for Chinese characters using Roman letters. Teaching and learning Pinyin has been an important educational practice in Mainland China for native Chinese children, and it is also typically taught to beginning learners of Chinese as a foreign/second language in tertiary-level classrooms. However, whether it should…

The Perennial Problem: The Chinese Minority in Indonesia.

Science.gov (United States)

1986-06-28

peranakan , ethnic Chinese, local Chinese, foreign-born Chinese, Indonesian Chinese, alien Chinese, citizen Chinese, and so forth.) For the purposes of this...study, only four terms are im- -" portant: pribumi, peranakan , totok, and cina. ’Pribumi’ is * an Indonesian term which literally means ’indigenous...pribumi population consists of hundreds of different ethnic and linguistic groups. ’ Peranakan ’ is the term used to refer to the Indonesia-born Chinese

Learning across Borders--Chinese Migrant Literature and Intercultural Chinese Language Education

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yongyang

2014-01-01

Chinese migrants have been a rich source of influential international literature, represented by key works such as "Eat a Bowl of Tea" by Louis Chu in 1961 and "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan in 1989. Cultural differences and conflicts, stereotypes and other complex issues regarding the diasporic lives of the Chinese sojourners…

Chinese culture and fertility decline.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, C; Jia, S

1992-01-01

Coale has suggested that cultural factors exert a significant influence on fertility reduction; countries in the "Chinese cultural circle" would be the first to show fertility decline. In China, the view was that traditional Chinese culture contributed to increased population. This paper examines the nature of the relationship between Chinese culture and fertility. Attention was directed to a comparison of fertility rates of developing countries with strong Chinese cultural influence and of fertility within different regions of China. Discussion was followed by an explanation of the theoretical impact of Chinese culture on fertility and direct and indirect beliefs and practices that might either enhance or hinder fertility decline. Emigration to neighboring countries occurred after the Qing dynasty. Fertility after the 1950s declined markedly in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and mainland China: all countries within the Chinese cultural circle. Other countries within the Chinese circle which have higher fertility, yet lower fertility than other non-Chinese cultural countries, are Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Within China, regions with similar fertility patterns are identified as coastal regions, central plains, and mountainous and plateau regions. The Han ethnic group has lower fertility than that of ethnic minorities; regions with large Han populations have lower fertility. Overseas Chinese in East Asian countries also tend to have lower fertility than their host populations. Chinese culture consisted of the assimilation of other cultures over 5000 years. Fertility decline was dependent on the population's desire to limit reproduction, favorable social mechanisms, and availability of contraception: all factors related to economic development. Chinese culture affects fertility reduction by affecting reproductive views and social mechanisms directly, and indirectly through economics. Confucianism emphasizes collectivism, self

Chinese Debates on the Democratization Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peer Møller Christensen

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The new economic importance of the Chinese economy has created Chinese expectations that the country will be able to regain a political and cultural position in the world in accordance with this economic status. But for China to become a respected member of world society, one of the most severe obstacles is its, from a western perspective, undemocratic political system. The article describes the lively debate going on among Chinese intellectuals of diverse political-ideological convictions about what kind of democracy should be the model for China’s future political system. The liberally oriented intellectuals want a political system very much like American liberal constitutional democracy, while intellectuals on the left side of the political spectrum want a democracy with a clear socialist basis. Although Chinese intellectuals form a minority in society, these intellectual debates are sure to have influence on both public opinion and opinions and attitudes among political decision makers inside the Chinese Communist Party. Further investigations will have to establish to what degree the perceptions of China's political future and democratization are reflected in the political attitudes among the Chinese in general, and how they are perceived inside the confines of political decision making in the Chinese Communist Party. Only then will it be possible to answer the questions: "What kind of democracy do the Chinese want?" and "What kind of democracy are the Chinese going to get?"

Chinese outward foreign direct investments to Europe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blomkvist, Katarina; Drogendijk, Rian

This paper addresses Chinese outward foreign direct investments (OFDI) in Europe. We aim to provide more knowledge on the ongoing research discussion about Chinese OFDI, more specifically, we answer questions about what is driving Chinese firms to invest in Europe, and whether Chinese investment

Effects of BmCPV Infection on Silkworm Bombyx mori Intestinal Bacteria.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhenli Sun

Full Text Available The gut microbiota has a crucial role in the growth, development and environmental adaptation in the host insect. The objective of our work was to investigate the microbiota of the healthy silkworm Bombyx mori gut and changes after the infection of B. mori cypovirus (BmCPV. Intestinal contents of the infected and healthy larvae of B. mori of fifth instar were collected at 24, 72 and 144 h post infection with BmCPV. The gut bacteria were analyzed by pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. 147(135 and 113(103 genera were found in the gut content of the healthy control female (male larvae and BmCPV-infected female (male larvae, respectively. In general, the microbial communities in the gut content of healthy larvae were dominated by Enterococcus, Delftia, Pelomonas, Ralstonia and Staphylococcus, however the abundance change of each genus was depended on the developmental stage and gender. Microbial diversity reached minimum at 144 h of fifth instar larvae. The abundance of Enterococcus in the females was substantially lower and the abundance of Delftia, Aurantimonas and Staphylococcus was substantially higher compared to the males. Bacterial diversity in the intestinal contents decreased after post infection with BmCPV, whereas the abundance of both Enterococcus and Staphylococcus which belongs to Gram-positive were increased. Therefore, our findings suggested that observed changes in relative abundance was related to the immune response of silkworm to BmCPV infection. Relevance analysis of plenty of the predominant genera showed the abundance of the Enterococcus genus was in negative correlation with the abundance of the most predominant genera. These results provided insight into the relationship between the gut microbiota and development of the BmCPV-infected silkworm.

The Ties That Bind. The Chinese American Family in Transnational Chinese Cinema

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Han, Q.

2014-01-01

The primary research question raised in the thesis is how have films been able to construct the identity of ethnic Chinese in the United States? This question is addressed through three sub-questions. First, why is the family narrative so characteristic of films about Chinese Americans in

Chinese investments in the EU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haico EBBERS

2010-12-01

Full Text Available China’s investments in the European Union are much lower than what you may expect given the economic size of both entities. These relatively low investments in Europe are a combination of priority and obstacles. The priority for investments is clearly in Asia, Africa and Latin America. This regional pattern is heavily influenced by the need to solve the resource shortage in the medium and long term. The investments in Europe and the United States are mostly market seeking investments. Research specifically focused on Chinese M&A abroad comes to the same conclusion. The success rate of Chinese M&A abroad is much lower than what we see with respect to American or European investments abroad. In this paper, we examine why Chinese firms are facing more difficulties in the European Union than in other regions. The paper focuses on Chinese M&A as proxy for total foreign direct investments abroad. By looking at the factors that have been documented as influencing the level of M&A abroad, it becomes clear that Chinese firms in Europe are hindered by many factors. For example, the trade between China and the EU is relatively low, the institutional quality is lower compared to the United States, there is less experience with respect to Europe and relatively many deals relate to State Owned Enterprises (SOE which makes the deal sensitive. So it is logical that Chinese investments are not very high in Europe. However, the research makes clear that the obstacles for Chinese investments in Europe are disappearing step by step. In that sense, we expect a strong increase of Chinese investments in Europe in the future.

Chinese – Dutch cooperation on the Chinese Solar Greenhouse experiment in Shouguang

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zwart, de H.F.

2016-01-01

The Chinese Solar Greenhouse is simple but has a low productivity. To improve this, the inner greenhouse climate will have to become more controllable. To contribute to this, but keeping the passive character of the greenhouse, meaning that it doesn’t need additional heating, the Chinese Academy of

[Substance basis research on Chinese materia medica is one of key scientific problems of inheriting, development and innovation of Chinese materia medica].

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiu-wei

2015-09-01

The compound Chinese materia medica is the medication pattern of the traditional Chinese medicine for the disease prevention and treatment. The single Chinese materia medica (mostly in decoction pieces) is the prescription composition of the compound Chinese materia medica. The study of the effective substance basis of Chinese materia medica should be based on the chemical compositions of the compound Chinese materia medica as an entry point considering the different status of "Monarch, Minister, Assistant, and Guide" for a certain single Chinese materia medica in the different compound Chinese materia medica while substance basis research of a certain single Chinese materia medica should be a full component analysis as well as both stable and controllable quality. Substance basis research on Chinese materia medica is one of key scientific problems of inheriting, development and innovation of Chinese materia medica.

Students’ oral involvement in the Chinese university classroom: A comparison between classes of Chinese and international students

OpenAIRE

Muhammad Abid Malik; Guoyuan Sang

2017-01-01

The current research investigates the notion that Chinese students are orally less involved in the classroom as compared to international students. Most of the previous research on this topic focuses on the Chinese students in English language classes or those studying in other countries where the language barrier and foreign culture might influence such behaviour. Using observations, this research compares two Chinese and two international classes in a Chinese university to investigate this ...

The BRO proteins of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus are nucleocytoplasmic shuttling proteins that utilize the CRM1-mediated nuclear export pathway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Won Kyung; Kurihara, Masaaki; Matsumoto, Shogo

2006-01-01

The BRO proteins of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) display a biphasic pattern of intracellular localization during infection. At early times, they reside in the nucleus but then show both cytoplasmic and nuclear localization as the infection proceeds. Therefore, we examined the possibility of nuclear export. Using inhibitors, we reveal that BmNPV BRO proteins shuttle between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Mutations on the leucine-rich region of BRO proteins resulted in nuclear accumulation of transiently expressed proteins, suggesting that this region functions as a CRM1-dependent nuclear export signal (NES). On the contrary, mutant BRO-D with an altered NES did not show nuclear accumulation in infected cells, although protein production seemed to be reduced. RT-PCR analysis showed that the lower level of protein production was due to a reduction in RNA synthesis. Taken together, our results suggest that BRO proteins are nucleocytoplasmic shuttling proteins that utilize the CRM1-mediated nuclear export pathway

Northern Chinese dental ages estimated from southern Chinese reference datasets closely correlate with chronological age

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hai Ming Wong

2016-12-01

Full Text Available While northern and southern Chinese are genetically correlated, there exists notable environmental differences in their living conditions. This study aimed to evaluate validity of the southern Chinese reference dataset for dental age estimation applied to northern Chinese. Dental panoramic tomographs of 437 northern Chinese aged 3 to 21 years were analysed. All the left maxillary and mandibular permanent teeth plus the 2 third molars on the right side were scored based on Demirjian’s classification of tooth development stages. Mean and standard error of dental age were obtained for each tooth development stage, followed by random effect meta-analysis for mean dental age estimation. Validity of the method was examined through measures of agreement (95% limits of agreement, standard error of measurement, and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient and measure of reliability (Intraclass correlation coefficient. On average, the estimated dental age overestimated chronological age by only around 1 month in both females and males. The Intraclass correlation coefficient values were 0.99 for both sexes, suggesting excellent reliability of the method. Reference dataset for dental age estimation developed on the basis of southern Chinese was applicable for use among the northern Chinese.

Annotation and expression of carboxylesterases in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Wen-Le

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Carboxylesterase is a multifunctional superfamily and ubiquitous in all living organisms, including animals, plants, insects, and microbes. It plays important roles in xenobiotic detoxification, and pheromone degradation, neurogenesis and regulating development. Previous studies mainly used Dipteran Drosophila and mosquitoes as model organisms to investigate the roles of the insect COEs in insecticide resistance. However, genome-wide characterization of COEs in phytophagous insects and comparative analysis remain to be performed. Results Based on the newly assembled genome sequence, 76 putative COEs were identified in Bombyx mori. Relative to other Dipteran and Hymenopteran insects, alpha-esterases were significantly expanded in the silkworm. Genomics analysis suggested that BmCOEs showed chromosome preferable distribution and 55% of which were tandem arranged. Sixty-one BmCOEs were transcribed based on cDNA/ESTs and microarray data. Generally, most of the COEs showed tissue specific expressions and expression level between male and female did not display obvious differences. Three main patterns could be classified, i.e. midgut-, head and integument-, and silk gland-specific expressions. Midgut is the first barrier of xenobiotics peroral toxicity, in which COEs may be involved in eliminating secondary metabolites of mulberry leaves and contaminants of insecticides in diet. For head and integument-class, most of the members were homologous to odorant-degrading enzyme (ODE and antennal esterase. RT-PCR verified that the ODE-like esterases were also highly expressed in larvae antenna and maxilla, and thus they may play important roles in degradation of plant volatiles or other xenobiotics. Conclusion B. mori has the largest number of insect COE genes characterized to date. Comparative genomic analysis suggested that the gene expansion mainly occurred in silkworm alpha-esterases. Expression evidence indicated that the expanded

Chinese climate policy - Institutions and intent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsay, William C.; Lesourne, Jacques

2011-06-01

Until the late 1990's, the balance of Chinese energy production and consumption was treated by the rest of the world as a net figure. No one knew what was going on inside the Chinese economy - it was a black box. As far as anyone was concerned, the Chinese would not soon be a major factor in world energy markets. Energy policy-makers realized how totally blind they were in 2004 when Chinese electricity production could not keep up with internal demand and the world experienced a surge in liquids demand as Chinese entrepreneurs fired up generator sets across the economy. No country has confronted the need to collect data and formulate coherent policy for nearly a billion and a half consumers. A number of institutional arrangements have succeeded each other until now, when stronger energy policy and administrative functions of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) are gaining traction. NDRC vice-chairman Zhang Guobao has maintained a steady hand on Chinese energy-policy evolution for several years - overseeing the increasing coherence of Chinese domestic and international energy policy - but the tension with powerful state enterprises and other vested interests still effectively defies efforts to truly centralize Chinese national-level energy policy and program authority. This study identifies the nature of the forces that drive or constrain change within China's energy sector, and explores the Chinese approach to climate change. Contents: 1. The Institutions of Energy Governance in china. 2. China's Foreign Energy Policy. 3. China's position and policy on climate change

Development of a Dietary Index to Assess Overall Diet Quality for Chinese School-Aged Children: The Chinese Children Dietary Index.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Guo; Duan, Ruonan; Kranz, Sibylle; Libuda, Lars; Zhang, Lishi

2016-04-01

A composite measure of diet quality is preferable to an index of nutrients, food groups, or health-promoting behaviors in dietary assessment. However, to date, such a tool for Chinese children is lacking. Based on the current Chinese Dietary Guidelines and Dietary Reference Intakes, a dietary index for Chinese school-aged children, the Chinese Children Dietary Index was developed to assess overall diet quality among children in South China. Dietary data were recorded using 24-hour recalls among 1,719 children aged 7 to 15 years between March and June 2013. Inactivity data and sociodemographic information were also collected. The Chinese Children Dietary Index included 16 components, which incorporated nutrients, foods/food groups, and health-promoting behaviors. The range of possible Chinese Children Dietary Index scores was 0 to 160, with a higher score indicating better diet quality. Pearson/Spearman correlation was used to assess relative validity using correlations between total Chinese Children Dietary Index score and age, body mass index (BMI; calculated as kg/m(2)), inactivity, whole-grain intake, frequency of fried-foods intake, nutrient adequacy ratios for energy intake and 12 nutrients not included in the Chinese Children Dietary Index, and the mean adequacy ratio. Finally, a stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to indicate the factors correlated with Chinese Children Dietary Index. Mean Chinese Children Dietary Index score of this sample was 88.1 points (range=34.2 to 137.8), the Chinese Children Dietary Index score of girls was higher than that of boys and decreased with higher age. Children with higher Chinese Children Dietary Index had lower body mass index and spent less time being inactive. Positive associations were observed between Chinese Children Dietary Index and the majority of nutrient adequacy ratios and the mean adequacy ratio. Age, paternal educational level, and family size were correlated with Chinese Children Dietary

An Analysis of the Impact of Traditional Chinese Culture on Chinese Education

Science.gov (United States)

Mingyuan, Gu

2006-01-01

The educational tradition of China has developed from traditional Chinese culture. Without an understanding of the cultural impact on traditional education, it is impossible to comprehend the educational tradition of China and to change its traditional educational ideas. There are fine traditions and feudal remains in Chinese culture which ought…

Production Efficiency of Cocoon Shell of Silkworm, Bombyx mori L. (Bombycidae: Lepidoptera, as an Index for Evaluating the Nutritive Value of Mulberry, Morus sp. (Moraceae, Varieties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jalaja Suresh Kumar

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The nutritional efficiency of mulberry leaves consumed by silkworms, Bombyx mori L., is usually evaluated in terms of the proportion of cocoon shell weight to the amount of food ingested. The production efficiency of cocoon shell is generally used to identify the superiority of a mulberry variety for silkworm rearing. In this study the production efficiency of cocoon shell was used as an index for evaluating the nutritive value of different mulberry varieties of India. Among the varieties, V-1, having highest production efficiency of cocoon shell with less amount of food ingested and highest digestibility, is regarded as the best suitable variety with nutritive values ideal for silkworm rearing.

Performing "Chinese-ness" in Singkawang

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ong, C.E.; Ormond, M.E.; Sulianti, Dian

2017-01-01

Through an examination of two festivals – Qing Ming and Cap Go Meh – in the town of Singkawang in Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan), we show how Singkawang-bound Chinese Indonesian tourists and their Singkawang-based relatives produce a diasporic heritage network through ‘moorings’ generated by both

Somatic mutation in larvae of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, induced by heavy ion irradiation to diapause eggs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kotani, Eiji; Furusawa, Toshiharu [Kyoto Inst. of Tech. (Japan). Faculty of Textile Science; Nagaoka, Shunji [Fujita Health Univ., Toyoake, Aichi (Japan). School of Health Sciences] [and others

2002-12-01

In order to investigate whether eggs of the black-striped strain (P{sup S}) of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, represent an appropriate model for estimating the biological effect of cosmic radiation, radiosensitivity of the eggs against X-rays and heavy ion particles was examined as ground-based experiments. The exposure of diapause eggs to X-rays or heavy ion particles resulted in somatic mutations appearing as a white spot on the black integument during larval stage. Irradiation of non-diapause eggs with X-rays demonstrated a significant difference in frequency of the mutation between fractionated and single administration doses, but no difference was observed in diapause eggs. Incidence of the mutation as induced by carbon ion beams for 15-day old eggs was higher for eggs that had been kept at 15 deg C than those kept at 25 deg C. Neon beam irradiation of diapause eggs displayed dose- and linear energy transfer (LET)-dependent effects, causing a maximal rate of the mutation at 150 keV/{mu}m. These results confirm that B. mori eggs represent valid models for estimating the biological effects of cosmic radiation. (author)

BmRobo1a and BmRobo1b control axon repulsion in the silkworm Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiao-Tong; Yu, Qi; Zhou, Qi-Sheng; Zhao, Xiao; Liu, Zhao-Yang; Cui, Wei-Zheng; Liu, Qing-Xin

2016-02-15

The development of the nervous system is based on the growth and connection of axons, and axon guidance molecules are the dominant regulators during this course. Robo, as the receptor of axon guidance molecule Slit, plays a key role as a conserved repellent cue for axon guidance during the development of the central nervous system. However, the function of Robo in the silkworm Bombyx mori is unknown. In this study, we cloned two novel robo genes in B. mori (Bmrobo1a and Bmrobo1b). BmRobo1a and BmRobo1b lack an Ig and a FNIII domain in the extracellular region and the CC0 and CC2 motifs in the intracellular region. BmRobo1a and BmRobo1b were colocalized with BmSlit in the neuropil. Knock-down of Bmrobo1a and Bmrobo1b by RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in abnormal development of axons. Our results suggest that BmRobo1a and BmRobo1b have repulsive function in axon guidance, even though their structures are different from Robo1 of other species. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Functional expression of a Bombyx mori cocoonase: potential application for silk degumming.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodbumrer, Prangprapai; Arthan, Dumrongkiet; Uyen, Utai; Yuvaniyama, Jirundon; Svasti, Jisnuson; Wongsaengchantra, Pramvadee Y

2012-12-01

Cocoon, a shelter for larva development to silk moth, contains the fibrous protein fibroin, which is coated by the globular protein sericin. Emergence of the silk moth requires the action of cocoonase, a protease secreted by the pupa. The full-length prococoonase cDNA, with 780 bp open reading frame encoding 260 amino acids, was cloned by reverse transcription from total RNA of the head of 6-day-old Thai-silk Bombyx mori pupa. Only the gene fragment lacking the propeptide encoding sequence was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris, yielding an extracellularly active cocoonase. The recombinant cocoonase was purified to homogeneity by 80% ammonium-sulfate fractionation and CM-Sepharose chromatography, and its internal peptide sequences were analyzed by nano liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry. This monomeric protein has native molecular weight of 26 kDa by gel exclusion analysis and 25 kDa subunit size by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme hydrolyses sericin but does not hydrolyse fibroin, as shown by radial diffusion on thin-layer enzyme assay (RD-TEA). Scanning electron microscopy showed that purified recombinant cocoonase could remove sericin from natural silk completely in 24 h, without damaging fibroin, using only 1 immobilized sericin unit (ISU) of enzyme as determined by RD-TEA. Natural cocoonase isolated from B. mori pupa could also digest sericin effectively, but required more enzymes (2 ISU) and longer time (48 h). In comparison, a commercial enzyme, alcalase, with the same activity not only showed less complete digestion of sericin but also caused damage of fibroin. These results suggest that recombinant B. mori cocoonase is potentially useful for silk degumming.

Chinese Climate Policy - Institutions and Intent

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramsay, William C.; Lesourne, Jacques [Institut Francais des Relations Internationales - Ifri, 27 rue de la Procession, 75740 Paris Cedex 15 (France); Andrews-Speed, Philip [Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy, University of Dundee, Scotland (United Kingdom); Yishan, Xia; Dezhao, Chen [China Institute of International Studies (China)

2011-06-15

Until the late 1990's, the balance of Chinese energy production and consumption was treated by the rest of the world as a net figure. No-one knew what was going on inside the Chinese economy - it was a black box. As far as anyone was concerned, the Chinese would not soon be a major factor in world energy markets. Energy policy makers realized how totally blind they were in 2004 when Chinese electricity production could not keep up with internal demand and the world experienced a surge in liquids demand as Chinese entrepreneurs fired up generator sets across the economy. The incremental Chinese demand was a factor in the price surge that year that had been building since the OPEC accord in 1999. It was probably the catalyst for the spike but we didn't have the data to know. Times are certainly changing, but it is still only twilight in that black box. No country has confronted the need to collect data and formulate coherent policy for nearly a billion and a half consumers. State enterprises were set up to manage key energy sector activities, but coordinating among them proved difficult. A number of institutional arrangements have succeeded each other until now, when stronger energy policy and administrative functions of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) are gaining traction. NDRC vice-chairman Zhang Guobao has maintained a steady hand on Chinese energy-policy evolution for several years - overseeing the increasing coherence of Chinese domestic and international energy policy - but the tension with powerful state enterprises and other vested interests still effectively defies efforts to truly centralize and co-ordinate Chinese national-level energy policy and program authority. The first of the three studies looks back into the nature of Chinese institutions and governance for insights into how they function and to identify some of their limits, so as to pinpoint the nature of the forces that drive or constrain change within China

Chinese Climate Policy - Institutions and Intent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsay, William C.; Lesourne, Jacques; Andrews-Speed, Philip; Yishan, Xia; Dezhao, Chen

2011-06-01

Until the late 1990's, the balance of Chinese energy production and consumption was treated by the rest of the world as a net figure. No-one knew what was going on inside the Chinese economy - it was a black box. As far as anyone was concerned, the Chinese would not soon be a major factor in world energy markets. Energy policy makers realized how totally blind they were in 2004 when Chinese electricity production could not keep up with internal demand and the world experienced a surge in liquids demand as Chinese entrepreneurs fired up generator sets across the economy. The incremental Chinese demand was a factor in the price surge that year that had been building since the OPEC accord in 1999. It was probably the catalyst for the spike but we didn't have the data to know. Times are certainly changing, but it is still only twilight in that black box. No country has confronted the need to collect data and formulate coherent policy for nearly a billion and a half consumers. State enterprises were set up to manage key energy sector activities, but coordinating among them proved difficult. A number of institutional arrangements have succeeded each other until now, when stronger energy policy and administrative functions of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) are gaining traction. NDRC vice-chairman Zhang Guobao has maintained a steady hand on Chinese energy-policy evolution for several years - overseeing the increasing coherence of Chinese domestic and international energy policy - but the tension with powerful state enterprises and other vested interests still effectively defies efforts to truly centralize and co-ordinate Chinese national-level energy policy and program authority. The first of the three studies looks back into the nature of Chinese institutions and governance for insights into how they function and to identify some of their limits, so as to pinpoint the nature of the forces that drive or constrain change within China's energy sector

Understanding "Tiger Parenting" Through the Perceptions of Chinese Immigrant Mothers: Can Chinese and U.S. Parenting Coexist?

Science.gov (United States)

Cheah, Charissa S L; Leung, Christy Y Y; Zhou, Nan

2013-03-01

How Chinese immigrant mothers perceive "Chinese" and "U.S." parenting and changes in their parenting postmigration remains unclear, despite recent interest in Chinese parenting particularly in response to A. Chua's (2011) controversial book on "Tiger Mothers". The present study addressed this issue by examining the parenting beliefs and practices of Chinese immigrant mothers through qualitative interviews. Participants included 50 first-generation Chinese immigrant mothers (mean age = 38.39 years; SD = 5.19) with a 3- to 6-year-old child. Mothers had been in the U.S. for an average of 10.20 years and were interviewed regarding their perceptions of the contrasts between typical Chinese and U.S. parenting, the strengths of Chinese and U.S. parenting, and what changes (if any) occurred in their own parenting after they migrated to the U.S. Mothers identified key differences between the parenting in the 2 cultures across 4 themes. Importantly, mothers endorsed different aspects of parenting from both cultures and attempted to achieve a balance between supporting their child's development of autonomy and individuality versus maintaining a sense of relatedness and familism in their parenting, contrary to Chua's (2011) portrayal of rigid "Chinese parenting." With regard to their parenting acculturation, mothers discussed having to be flexible across different areas of their parenting in order to accommodate the cultural values of the larger societal context and promote their child's development in the U.S. These complex dynamics highlighted the challenges that Chinese immigrant mothers face as they adapt and adjust to the new cultural context, and how their parenting beliefs and practices acculturate.

Traditional Chinese food technology and cuisine.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jian-rong; Hsieh, Yun-Hwa P

2004-01-01

From ancient wisdom to modern science and technology, Chinese cuisine has been established from a long history of the country and gained a global reputation of its sophistication. Traditional Chinese foods and cuisine that exhibit Chinese culture, art and reality play an essential role in Chinese people's everyday lives. Recently, traditional Chinese foods have drawn a great degree of attention from food scientists and technologists, the food industry, and health promotion institutions worldwide due to the extensive values they offer beyond being merely another ethnic food. These traditional foods comprise a wide variety of products, such as pickled vegetables, salted fish and jellyfish, tofu and tofu derived products, rice and rice snack foods, fermented sauces, fish balls and thousand-year-old eggs. An overview of selected popular traditional Chinese foods and their processing techniques are included in this paper. Further development of the traditional techniques for formulation and production of these foods is expected to produce economic, social and health benefits.

The Influence of Chinese Character Handwriting Diagnosis and Remedial Instruction System on Learners of Chinese as a Foreign Language

Science.gov (United States)

Hsiao, Hsien-Sheng; Chang, Cheng-Sian; Chen, Chiao-Jia; Wu, Chia-Hou; Lin, Chien-Yu

2015-01-01

This study designed and developed a Chinese character handwriting diagnosis and remedial instruction (CHDRI) system to improve Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) learners' ability to write Chinese characters. The CFL learners were given two tests based on the CHDRI system. One test focused on Chinese character handwriting to diagnose the CFL…

Chinese Learners of English See Chinese Words When Reading English Words.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Fengyang; Ai, Haiyang

2018-06-01

The present study examines when second language (L2) learners read words in the L2, whether the orthography and/or phonology of the translation words in the first language (L1) is activated and whether the patterns would be modulated by the proficiency in the L2. In two experiments, two groups of Chinese learners of English immersed in the L1 environment, one less proficient and the other more proficient in English, performed a translation recognition task. In this task, participants judged whether pairs of words, with an L2 word preceding an L1 word, were translation words or not. The critical conditions compared the performance of learners to reject distractors that were related to the translation word (e.g., , pronounced as /bei 1/) of an L2 word (e.g., cup) in orthography (e.g., , bad in Chinese, pronounced as /huai 4/) or phonology (e.g., , sad in Chinese, pronounced as /bei 1/). Results of Experiment 1 showed less proficient learners were slower and less accurate to reject translation orthography distractors, as compared to unrelated controls, demonstrating a robust translation orthography interference effect. In contrast, their performance was not significantly different when rejecting translation phonology distractors, relative to unrelated controls, showing no translation phonology interference. The same patterns were observed in more proficient learners in Experiment 2. Together, these results suggest that when Chinese learners of English read English words, the orthographic information, but not the phonological information of the Chinese translation words is activated. In addition, this activation is not modulated by L2 proficiency.

Progeny of Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare and LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) parasitising pupae of Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) of different ages; Progenie de Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare e LaSalle (Hymenoptera:Eulophidae) parasitando pupas de Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera:Bombycidae) de diferentes idades

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pereira, Fabricio F.; Favero, Kellen; Grance, Elizangela L.V. [Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, MS (Brazil). Fac. de Ciencias Biologicas e Ambientais], e-mail: fabriciofagundes@ufgd.edu.br, e-mail: kellenfavero@yahoo.com.br, e-mail: eli_vargasgrance@yahoo.com.br; Zanuncio, Jose C. [Universidade Federal de Vicosa (UFV), MG (Brazil). Dept. de Biologia Animal], e-mail: zanuncio@ufv.br; Serrao, Jose E. [Universidade Federal de Vicosa (UFV), MG (Brazil), Dept. de Biologia Geral], e-mail: jeserrao@ufv.br; Oliveira, Harley N. [Embrapa Agropecuaria Oeste, Dourados, MS (Brazil)], e-mail: harley@cpao.embrapa.br

2009-09-15

Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare and LaSalle is a natural pupal parasitoid of eucalyptus defoliator lepidopterans and is considered a promising biocontrol agent. However, the development of efficient rearing techniques for this natural enemy are fi rst required before it can be used in biocontrol programs. Bombyx mori L. pupae are potential alternative hosts for this parasitoid mass rearing, and they are easy to rear. Therefore, we investigated the most suitable host age and the effects of parasitoid age on progeny production of P. elaeisis. B. mori pupae, 24 h-, 48 h-, 72 h- or 96 h-old were exposed to P. elaeisis females of similar age. The duration of the life cycle (egg-adult) of P. elaeisis was not affected by the age of the parasitizing female; however, the host age affected parasitoid development. The best parasitization was obtained for 72h- to 96h-old parasitoid females when offered to 48h- to 72h-old host pupae, allowing the synchronized rearing of a large number of P. elaeisis offspring. (author)

Ethnic Chinese Remigration from Southeast Asian Countries since 1960s: A Case Study of Malaysian Chinese Outflows

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kang Xiaoli

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Total outflows of Chinese from Southeast Asian countries since the Second World War reached around 3 million. They headed to the developed countries such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, France and Singapore. As for the case of Malaysia, large number of Malaysian Chinese remigrated to Singapore, United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia for new residence since the end of the Second World War. They left Malaysia because of political discrimination, economic restrictions, and unequal educational and cultural treatment. According to Malaysia census data and natural population growth rate, this paper made estimation that by 201 0 a total of 1.13 million ethnic Chinese had migrated out of Malaysia. After deducting the number of ethnic Chinese moving to Malaysia, the Malaysian Chinese migrating abroad reached 1.05 million. Malaysian Chinese left Malaysia in the manner of permanent residents and short-term migrants. Permanent residents include those in the skill stream, family stream and those with special eligibility. Short-term migrants refer to visiting scholars, foreign students, guest labor, business expatriates and expatriate professionals. As a matter of fact, there has been a serious brain drain through Chinese remigration from Malaysia.

Workplace Influences on Chinese TEFL Academics' Development as Researchers: A Study of Two Chinese Higher Education Institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Li; Millwater, Jan; Hudson, Peter

2013-01-01

Workplace influences on Chinese Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) academics' development as researchers were examined in two Chinese higher education institutions in this qualitative collective case study. Data sources included research documentation and interviews with 12 Chinese TEFL academics. Both institutions were keen on research…

A Comparison of Child-Rearing Practices among Chinese, Immigrant Chinese, and Caucasian-American Parents.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chin-Yau Cindy; Fu, Victoria R.

1990-01-01

Investigated differences and similarities in child-rearing practices among three groups of parents. Chinese and immigrant Chinese parents rated higher than Caucasian-American parents on parental control, encouragement of independence, and emphasis on achievement. (PCB)

Saving Chinese-Language Education in Singapore

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Cher Leng

2012-01-01

Three-quarters of Singapore's population consists of ethnic Chinese, and yet, learning Chinese (Mandarin) has been a headache for many Singapore students. Recently, many scholars have argued that the rhetoric of language planning for Mandarin Chinese should be shifted from emphasizing its cultural value to stressing its economic value since…

Critical Discourse Analysis on Chinese Racial Pride Underlying the Malaysian National Identity in "Proud to Be Born a Chinese"

Science.gov (United States)

Cyn, Khoo Wei; Ganapathy, Malini

2016-01-01

The ideology of Chinese racial pride in an online essay "Proud to be born a Chinese" by Dr. Chan-Lui Lee is described and analysed by using the sociocognitive approach to critical discourse analysis (CDA). The research design is based on the notion that Chinese racial pride is a tool to persuade Chinese Malaysians to prioritise their…

Preparation and characterization of regenerated fiber from the aqueous solution of Bombyx mori cocoon silk fibroin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu Zhenghua [Department of Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588 (Japan); Department of Application Engineering, ZheJiang Vocational College of Economic and Trade, HangZhou, ZheJiang 310018 (China); Imada, Takuzo [Department of Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588 (Japan); Asakura, Tetsuo, E-mail: asakura@cc.tuat.ac.jp [Department of Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588 (Japan)

2009-10-15

The regenerated silk fibers with high strength and high biodegradability were prepared from the aqueous solution of Bombyx mori silk fibroin from cocoons with wet spinning method. Although the tensile strength of the regenerated silk fibroin fiber, 210 MPa is still half of the strength of native silk fiber, the diameter of the fiber is about 100 {mu}m which is suitable for monofilament of suture together with high biodegradability. The high concentration (30%, w/v) of the aqueous solution of the silk fibroin which corresponds to the high concentration in the middle silkgland of silkworm was obtained. This was performed by adjusting the pH of the aqueous solution to 10.4 which corresponds to pK{sub a} value of the OH group of Tyr residues in the silk fibroin. The mixed solvent, methanol/acetic acid (7:3 in volume ratio) was used as coagulant solvent for preparing the regenerated fiber. The structural change of silk fibroin fiber by stretching was monitored with both {sup 13}C solid state NMR and X-ray diffraction methods, indicating that the high strength of the fiber is related with the long-range orientation of the silk fibroin chain with {beta}-sheet structure.

Identification and Characterization of a Novel Microvitellogenin from the Chinese Oak Silkworm Antheraea pernyi.

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Yanqun Liu

Full Text Available Microvitellogenin (mVg is a relatively small vitellogenic protein only characterized in the eggs of the lepidopteran insects Manduca sexta and Bombyx mori. In the present study, we report a novel mVg (ApmVg isolated from the Chinese oak silkworm Antheraea pernyi. The obtained ApmVg cDNA sequence contains an open reading frame of 783 bp encoding a protein of 260 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 29.96 kDa. This gene does not contain introns. Structural analysis revealed that this protein shares putative conserved domains with the lepidopteran low-molecular weight lipoprotein, which belongs to the lipoprotein_11 superfamily. The protein sequence of ApmVg exhibits 48% sequence identity with mVg from M. sexta and 40-47% sequence identity with the 30K lipoproteins from B. mori. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that ApmVg is a novel member of the lepidopteran low-molecular weight lipoproteins. Transcriptional analysis indicated that ApmVg mRNA is mainly expressed in the fat body (both female and male during post-diapause development of the pupal stage, and it was also detected in ovaries and spermaries in smaller amounts. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses revealed that ApmVg is synthesized by the fat body and secreted into hemolymph and ultimately accumulates in eggs. The ApmVg transcript can be detected in the fat bodies of female pupae four days after treatment with 20-hydroxyecdysone and shows an expression pattern distinct from that of vitellogenin (Vg, which is detectable throughout diapausing and in post-diapause development. ApmVg decreased dramatically during embryonic development. These results represent the first study of mVg outside M. sexta and B. mori and provide insight into the physiological role and evolution of mVgs.

Looking Chinese and Learning Chinese as a Heritage Language: The Role of Habitus

Science.gov (United States)

Mu, Guanglun Michael

2016-01-01

The identity-language link has been widely recognised. In Heritage Language research, the complex entanglement between Chinese ethnic identity and Chinese Heritage Language has gained increasing attention in recent decades. Both social psychological and poststructural schools have offered meaningful insights into this field, but have also received…

Precedent Names of Chinese National Culture

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Валентина Алексеевна Ленинцева

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The article presents an analysis of precedent names as symbols of precedent phenomena in the material and spiritual culture of the Chinese. An evaluation of daily events and the attitude of the Chinese towards the world are reflected in the vocabulary of their language. The symbols of precedent phenomena can be proper names (anthroponomy, names of places, the date, as well as figurative and expressive means of language (idioms, sayings. Precedent names as symbols of precedent phenomena vividly and accurately capture the above-mentioned points, and encompass almost all spheres of life, history and spiritual development. The subject of our study are national precedent phenomena that define the ethno-cultural specificity, reflecting the history and culture of the Chinese people and their national character. Representatives of different cultures have different perceptions of the same precedent phenomena. Inadequate understanding of national invariants of precedent phenomena is often the source of communication failures. The aim of this paper is to highlight precedent names as a symbol of precedent phenomena in the discourse of the Chinese linguocultural community. For this purpose a classification of precedent names in Chinese was carried out. Precedent names which play an important role in shaping the Chinese national consciousness were taken from the Chinese-Russian Dictionary.

[Research and development on efficacy of Chinese herbal compound].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jian-Xun; Ren, Jian-Xun; Lin, Cheng-Ren

2016-03-01

The efficacy not only is summarized by clinical effect of Chinese herbal compound on theory of traditional Chinese medicine, but also is manifested to clinical effect by interaction of many intricate chemical substances. The efficacy of Chinese herbal compound is current research focus in field of traditional Chinese medicine. By currently knowing in different aspects which included the progression in efficacy of Chinese herbal compound, symptomatic efficacy of Chinese herbal compound, the relationship between the efficacy and pharmacologic effect of Chinese herbal compound, the efficacy related pharmacodynamic substance and the evaluation of efficacy, it had been summarized mainly problems and methods in research and development process of the efficacy of Chinese herbal compound in this paper. Paper also elucidated problems that need to pay attention in research of efficacy in order to provide references for clinical and experimental studies of efficacy in Chinese herbal compound, boost research and development level of new traditional Chinese drug and facilitate modernization of traditional Chinese medicines. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Understanding “Tiger Parenting” Through the Perceptions of Chinese Immigrant Mothers: Can Chinese and U.S. Parenting Coexist?

OpenAIRE

Cheah, Charissa S. L.; Leung, Christy Y. Y.; Zhou, Nan

2013-01-01

How Chinese immigrant mothers perceive “Chinese” and “U.S.” parenting and changes in their parenting postmigration remains unclear, despite recent interest in Chinese parenting particularly in response to A. Chua's (2011) controversial book on “Tiger Mothers”. The present study addressed this issue by examining the parenting beliefs and practices of Chinese immigrant mothers through qualitative interviews. Participants included 50 first-generation Chinese immigrant mothers (mean age = 38.39 y...

Genetic characterization of Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) breeding and hybrid lines with different geographic origins.

Science.gov (United States)

Furdui, Emilia M; Mărghitaş, Liviu A; Dezmirean, Daniel S; Paşca, Ioan; Pop, Iulia F; Erler, Silvio; Schlüns, Ellen A

2014-01-01

The domesticated silkworm Bombyx mori L. comprises a large number of geographical breeds and hybrid lines. Knowing the genetic structure of those may provide information to improve the conservation of commercial lines by estimating inbreeding over generations and the consequences of excessive use of those lineages. Here, we analyzed the genetic diversity of seven breeds and eight hybrid lines from Eastern Europe and Asia using highly polymorphic microsatellites markers to determine its genetical impact on their use in global breeding programs. No consistent pattern of deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was found for most breed and hybrids; and the absence of a linkage disequilibrium also suggests that the strains are in equilibrium. A principal coordinate analysis revealed a clear separation of two silkworm breeds from the rest: one (IBV) originated from India and the other one (RG90) from Romania/Japan. The tendency of the other breeds from different geographic origins to cluster together in a general mix might be due to similar selection pressures (climate and anthropogenic factors) in different geographic locations. Phylogenetic analyses grouped the different silkworm breeds but not the hybrids according to their geographic origin and confirmed the pattern found in the principal coordinate analysis. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America.

The Expression, Purification, and Characterization of a Ras Oncogene (Bras2 in Silkworm (Bombyx mori

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Zhengbing Lv

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The Ras oncogene of silkworm pupae (Bras2 may belong to the Ras superfamily. It shares 77% of its amino acid identity with teratocarcinoma oncogene 21 (TC21 related ras viral oncogene homolog-2 (R-Ras2 and possesses an identical core effector region. The mRNA of Bombyx mori Bras2 has 1412 bp. The open reading frame contains 603 bp, which encodes 200 amino acid residues. This recombinant BmBras2 protein was subsequently used as an antigen to raise a rabbit polyclonal antibody. Western blotting and real-time PCR analyses showed that BmBras2 was expressed during four developmental stages. The BmBras2 expression level was the highest in the pupae and was low in other life cycle stages. BmBras2 was expressed in all eight tested tissues, and it was highly expressed in the head, intestine, and epidermis. Subcellular localization studies indicated that BmBras2 was predominantly localized in the nuclei of Bm5 cells, although cytoplasmic staining was also observed to a lesser extent. A cell proliferation assay showed that rBmBras2 could stimulate the proliferation of hepatoma cells. The higher BmBras2 expression levels in the pupal stage, tissue expression patterns, and a cell proliferation assay indicated that BmBras2 promotes cell division and proliferation, most likely by influencing cell signal transduction.

An integrated CRISPR Bombyx mori genome editing system with improved efficiency and expanded target sites.

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Ma, Sanyuan; Liu, Yue; Liu, Yuanyuan; Chang, Jiasong; Zhang, Tong; Wang, Xiaogang; Shi, Run; Lu, Wei; Xia, Xiaojuan; Zhao, Ping; Xia, Qingyou

2017-04-01

Genome editing enabled unprecedented new opportunities for targeted genomic engineering of a wide variety of organisms ranging from microbes, plants, animals and even human embryos. The serial establishing and rapid applications of genome editing tools significantly accelerated Bombyx mori (B. mori) research during the past years. However, the only CRISPR system in B. mori was the commonly used SpCas9, which only recognize target sites containing NGG PAM sequence. In the present study, we first improve the efficiency of our previous established SpCas9 system by 3.5 folds. The improved high efficiency was also observed at several loci in both BmNs cells and B. mori embryos. Then to expand the target sites, we showed that two newly discovered CRISPR system, SaCas9 and AsCpf1, could also induce highly efficient site-specific genome editing in BmNs cells, and constructed an integrated CRISPR system. Genome-wide analysis of targetable sites was further conducted and showed that the integrated system cover 69,144,399 sites in B. mori genome, and one site could be found in every 6.5 bp. The efficiency and resolution of this CRISPR platform will probably accelerate both fundamental researches and applicable studies in B. mori, and perhaps other insects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Expression, Purification, and Characterization of a Ras Oncogene (Bras2) in Silkworm (Bombyx mori).

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Zhengbing; Wang, Tao; Zhuang, Wenhua; Wang, Dan; Chen, Jian; Nie, Zuoming; Liu, Lili; Zhang, Wenping; Wang, Lisha; Wang, Deming; Wu, Xiangfu; Li, Jun; Qian, Lian; Zhang, Yaozhou

2013-01-01

The Ras oncogene of silkworm pupae (Bras2) may belong to the Ras superfamily. It shares 77% of its amino acid identity with teratocarcinoma oncogene 21 (TC21) related ras viral oncogene homolog-2 (R-Ras2) and possesses an identical core effector region. The mRNA of Bombyx mori Bras2 has 1412 bp. The open reading frame contains 603 bp, which encodes 200 amino acid residues. This recombinant BmBras2 protein was subsequently used as an antigen to raise a rabbit polyclonal antibody. Western blotting and real-time PCR analyses showed that BmBras2 was expressed during four developmental stages. The BmBras2 expression level was the highest in the pupae and was low in other life cycle stages. BmBras2 was expressed in all eight tested tissues, and it was highly expressed in the head, intestine, and epidermis. Subcellular localization studies indicated that BmBras2 was predominantly localized in the nuclei of Bm5 cells, although cytoplasmic staining was also observed to a lesser extent. A cell proliferation assay showed that rBmBras2 could stimulate the proliferation of hepatoma cells. The higher BmBras2 expression levels in the pupal stage, tissue expression patterns, and a cell proliferation assay indicated that BmBras2 promotes cell division and proliferation, most likely by influencing cell signal transduction.

Appearance of differentiated cells derived from polar body nuclei in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

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Hiroki eSakai

2013-09-01

Full Text Available AbstractIn Bombyx mori, polar body nuclei are observed until 9h after egg lying, however, the fate of polar body nuclei remains unclear. To examine the fate of polar body nuclei, we employed a mutation of serosal cell pigmentation, pink-eyed white egg (pe. The heterozygous pe/+pe females produced black serosal cells in white eggs, while pe/pe females did not produce black serosal cells in white eggs. These results suggest that the appearance of black serosal cells in white eggs depends on the genotype (pe/ +pe of the mother. Because the polar body nuclei had +pe genes in the white eggs laid by a pe/ +pe female, polar body nuclei participate in development and differentiate into functional cell (serosal cells. Analyses of serosal cells pigmentation indicated that approximately 30% of the eggs contained polar-body-nucleus-derived cells. These results demonstrate that polar-body-nucleus-derived cells appeared at a high frequency under natural conditions. Approximately 80% of polar-body-nucleus-derived cells appeared near the anterior pole and the dorsal side, which is opposite to where embryogenesis occurs. The number of cells derived from the polar body nuclei was very low. Approximately 26 % of these eggs contained only one black serosal cell. PCR-based analysis revealed that the polar-body-nucleus-derived cells disappeared in late embryonic stages (stage 25. Overall, polar-body-nuclei-derived cells were unlikely to contribute to embryos.

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus BM5 protein regulates progeny virus production and viral gene expression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kokusho, Ryuhei; Koh, Yoshikazu; Fujimoto, Masaru; Shimada, Toru; Katsuma, Susumu

2016-01-01

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) orf5 (Bm5) is a core gene of lepidopteran baculoviruses and encodes the protein with the conserved amino acid residues (DUF3627) in its C-terminus. Here, we found that Bm5 disruption resulted in lower titers of budded viruses and fewer numbers of occlusion bodies (OBs) in B. mori cultured cells and larvae, although viral genome replication was not affected. Bm5 disruption also caused aberrant expression of various viral genes at the very late stage of infection. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that BM5 localized to the nuclear membrane. We also found that DUF3627 is important for OB production, transcriptional regulation of viral genes, and subcellular localization of BM5. Compared with wild-type BmNPV infection, larval death was delayed when B. mori larvae were infected with Bm5 mutants. These results suggest that BM5 is involved in progeny virus production and regulation of viral gene expression at the very late stage of infection. -- Highlights: •The role of BmNPV BM5 protein was examined in B. mori cultured cells and larvae. •BM5 contributes to efficient production of budded viruses and occlusion bodies. •BM5 regulates viral gene expression at the very late stage of infection. •BM5 dominantly localizes to the nuclear membrane. •Bm5 mutant showed v-cath down-regulation and resulting delay of larval death.

Protective effects of Bombyx mori, quercetin and benazepril against doxorubicin induced cardiotoxicity and nephrotoxicity

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Abdul S. Nazmi

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The present study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the protective effects of Bombyx mori, quercetin and benazepril on doxorubicin (DXR induced cardiotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in rats. B. mori, quercetin and benazepril were administered for 7 days, and a single intravenous injection of 10 mg/kg body weight of DXR on day five. The animals were sacrificed 48 h after DXR administration. DXR produced a significant elevation in the malondialdehyde (MDA level and significantly inhibited the activity of glutathione (GSH in the heart and the kidney followed by the activity of catalase (CAT in the heart tissue with a significant rise in the serum levels of aspartate transaminase (AST, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, blood urea nitrogen (BUN, creatinine and a reduction in serum GSH levels indicating acute cardiac toxicity. B. mori, quercetin and benazepril pretreatment significantly reduced the MDA concentration and ameliorated the inhibition of cardiac GSH and CAT activity. B. mori, quercetin and benazepril also significantly improved the serum levels of AST, LDH, BUN, creatinine and GSH in DXR-treated rats. Furthermore, histological examination of the heart sections confirmed the myocardial injury with DXR administration, and the near normal pattern with B. mori, quercetin and benazepril pretreatment. The results provide clear evidence that the B. mori, quercetin and benazepril pretreatments offer significant protection against DXR-induced enzymatic changes in serum, cardiac and renal tissue damage.

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus BM5 protein regulates progeny virus production and viral gene expression

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kokusho, Ryuhei, E-mail: kokusho@ss.ab.a.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Koh, Yoshikazu; Fujimoto, Masaru; Shimada, Toru; Katsuma, Susumu, E-mail: katsuma@ss.ab.a.u-tokyo.ac.jp

2016-11-15

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) orf5 (Bm5) is a core gene of lepidopteran baculoviruses and encodes the protein with the conserved amino acid residues (DUF3627) in its C-terminus. Here, we found that Bm5 disruption resulted in lower titers of budded viruses and fewer numbers of occlusion bodies (OBs) in B. mori cultured cells and larvae, although viral genome replication was not affected. Bm5 disruption also caused aberrant expression of various viral genes at the very late stage of infection. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that BM5 localized to the nuclear membrane. We also found that DUF3627 is important for OB production, transcriptional regulation of viral genes, and subcellular localization of BM5. Compared with wild-type BmNPV infection, larval death was delayed when B. mori larvae were infected with Bm5 mutants. These results suggest that BM5 is involved in progeny virus production and regulation of viral gene expression at the very late stage of infection. -- Highlights: •The role of BmNPV BM5 protein was examined in B. mori cultured cells and larvae. •BM5 contributes to efficient production of budded viruses and occlusion bodies. •BM5 regulates viral gene expression at the very late stage of infection. •BM5 dominantly localizes to the nuclear membrane. •Bm5 mutant showed v-cath down-regulation and resulting delay of larval death.

Parental Beliefs on Children's Play: Comparison among Mainland Chinese, Chinese Immigrants in the USA, and European-Americans

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Shan; Han, Myae

2016-01-01

The current study surveyed parental play beliefs among the three groups of parents: the mainland Chinese, Chinese immigrants in the USA, and European-Americans. Limited comparison studies on parental play beliefs were previously reported for these three populations in the literature. Two measures, the Chinese child-rearing ideology and parental…

Assessing shyness in Chinese older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, Kee-Lee

2005-09-01

The Shyness Scale (SS) is a brief instrument for assessing shyness as a personality trait. The psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the SS were investigated in a random sample of 192 Macau Chinese older adults. The Chinese version of the SS possesses high internal consistency and exhibited satisfactory short-term test-retest reliability. The Chinese version of the SS exhibited acceptable convergent validity with other negative measures of psychological well-being including negative emotional states (assessed by the Negative Affect Scale), loneliness (assessed by the UCLA Loneliness Scale), and state anxiety and trait anxiety (assessed by STAI). The divergent validity of the Chinese version of the SS was demonstrated by the negative but significant association between the SS and self esteem (assessed by Rosenberg Self Esteem Inventory).

Chinese Foods; Teacher's Handbook.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Joe, Ed.

Different styles of Chinese cooking, traditional food items, cooking utensils, serving techniques, and the nutritional value of Chinese cooking are described in this teaching guide. Lesson plans for the preparation of simple dishes are presented. Recipes, a shopping guide to San Francisco's Chinatown, a guide to sources of supplies, and a…

Abortive replication of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus in Sf9 and High Five cells: Defective nuclear transport of the virions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katou, Yasuhiro; Ikeda, Motoko; Kobayashi, Michihiro

2006-01-01

Despite close genetic relationship, Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) and Autographa californica multicapsid NPV (AcMNPV) display a distinct host range property. Here, BmNPV replication was examined in Sf9 and High Five cells that were nonproductive for BmNPV infection but supported high titers of AcMNPV replication. Recombinant BmNPV, vBm/gfp/lac, containing bm-ie1 promoter-driven egfp showed that few Sf9 and High Five cells infected with vBm/gfp/lac expressed EGFP, while large proportion of EGFP-expressing cells was observed when transfected with vBm/gfp/lac DNA. Immunocytochemical analysis showed that BmNPV was not imported into the nucleus of these two cell lines, while recombinant BmNPV, vBmΔ64/ac-gp64 possessing AcMNPV gp64 was imported into the nucleus, yielding progeny virions in High Five cells, but not Sf9 cells. These results indicate that the defective nuclear import of infected virions due to insufficient BmNPV GP64 function is involved in the restricted BmNPV replication in Sf9 and High Five cells

Bombyx mori ABC transporter C2 structures responsible for the receptor function of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Aa toxin.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Shiho; Endo, Haruka; Adegawa, Satomi; Iizuka, Ami; Imamura, Kazuhiro; Kikuta, Shingo; Sato, Ryoichi

2017-12-01

Because Bombyx mori ABC transporter C2 (BmABCC2) has 1000-fold higher potential than B. mori cadherin-like protein as a receptor for Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Aa toxin (Tanaka et al., 2013), the gate-opening ability of the latent pore under six extracellular loops (ECLs) of BmABCC2 was expected to be the reason for its higher potential (Heckel, 2012). In this study, cell swelling assays in Sf9 cells showed that BmABCC2 mutants lacking substrate-excreting activity retained receptor activity, indicating that the gate-opening activity of BmABCC2 is not responsible for Cry1Aa toxicity. The analysis of 29 BmABCC2 mutants demonstrated that 770 DYWL 773 of ECL 4 comprise a putative binding site to Cry1Aa. This suggests that specific toxicity of Cry1Aa toxin to a restricted range of lepidopteran insects is dependent on conservation and variation in the amino acid residues around 770 DYWL 773 of ECL 4 in the ABCC2. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lack of Connection Between Midgut Cell Autophagy Gene Expression and BmCPV Infection in the Midgut of Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaobing; Wu, Suli; Wu, Yongpeng; Liu, Yang; Qian, Yonghua; Jiao, Feng

2015-01-01

Autophagy is associated with multiple biological processes and has protective and defensive functions with respect to immunity, inflammation, and resistance to microbial infection. In this experiment, we wished to investigate whether autophagy is a factor in the midgut cell response of Bombyx mori to infection by the B. mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV). Our results indicated that the expression of three autophagy-related genes (BmAtg8, BmAtg5, and BmAtg7) in the midgut did not change greatly after BmCPV infection in B. mori. Basal ATG8/ATG8PE protein expression was detected in different B. mori tissues by using western blot analysis. Immunohistochemistry showed that the ATG8/ATG8PE proteins were located mainly in the cytoplasm. ATG8/ATG8PE protein levels decreased at 12 and 16 h after BmCPV infection. Our results indicate that autophagy responded slightly to BmCPV infection, but could not prevent the invasion and replication of the virus. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America.

BmCyclin B and BmCyclin B3 are required for cell cycle progression in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Minhui; Hong, Kaili; Chen, Xiangyun; Pan, Chun; Chen, Xuemei; Kuang, Xiuxiu; Lu, Cheng

2013-04-01

Cyclin B is an important regulator of the cell cycle G2 to M phase transition. The silkworm genomic database shows that there are two Cyclin B genes in the silkworm (Bombyx mori), BmCyclin B and BmCyclin B3. Using silkworm EST data, the cyclin B3 (EU074796) gene was cloned. Its complete cDNA was 1665 bp with an ORF of 1536 bp derived from seven exons and six introns. The BmCyclin B3 gene encodes 511 amino acids, and the predicted molecular weight is 57.8 kD with an isoelectric point of 9.18. The protein contains one protein damage box and two cyclin boxes. RNA interference-mediated reduction of BmCyclin B and BmCyclin B3 expression induced cell cycle arrest in G2 or M phase in BmN-SWU1 cells, thus inhibiting cell proliferation. These results suggest that BmCyclin B and BmCyclin B3 are necessary for completing the cell cycle in silkworm cells.

Chinese Typography Transfer

OpenAIRE

Chang, Jie; Gu, Yujun

2017-01-01

In this paper, we propose a new network architecture for Chinese typography transformation based on deep learning. The architecture consists of two sub-networks: (1)a fully convolutional network(FCN) aiming at transferring specified typography style to another in condition of preserving structure information; (2)an adversarial network aiming at generating more realistic strokes in some details. Unlike models proposed before 2012 relying on the complex segmentation of Chinese components or str...

Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in Indonesia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gammeltoft, Peter; Tarmidi, Lepi T.

China‟s increasing integration with the world economy is met with much anticipation and much anxiety in the Southeast Asian region. In Indonesia, there is intense interest in Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI), not only among academics but also among policy makers, industrialists and the gen......China‟s increasing integration with the world economy is met with much anticipation and much anxiety in the Southeast Asian region. In Indonesia, there is intense interest in Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI), not only among academics but also among policy makers, industrialists...... conducted in 2008 among Chinese invested enterprises supplemented with available official statistics and secondary data, the study finds that Chinese FDI in Indonesia is performed by mixed entities: some are owned by central government, some by regional government and some are private firms. In the case...... of joint ventures, their local partners are mostly local Chinese, except in the infrastructure, mining and energy sector where their local partners are Indonesian state-owned enterprises. Where the local developmental effects are concerned, a picture emerges where Chinese investments, at this early period...

How Chinese learn mathematics perspectives from insiders

CERN Document Server

Ngai-Ying, Wong; Lianghuo, Fan; Shiqi, Li

2004-01-01

The book has been written by an international group of very active researchers and scholars who have a passion for the study of Chinese mathematics education. It aims to provide readers with a comprehensive and updated picture of the teaching and learning of mathematics involving Chinese students from various perspectives, including the ways in which Chinese students learn mathematics in classrooms, schools and homes, the influence of the cultural and social environment on Chinese students' mathematics learning, and the strengths and weaknesses of the ways in which Chinese learn mathematics. Furthermore, based on the relevant research findings, the book explores the implications for mathematics education and offers sound suggestions for reform and improvement. This book is a must for anyone who is interested in the teaching and learning of mathematics concerning Chinese learners.

A classification of chinese culture

OpenAIRE

Fan, Y

2000-01-01

This paper presents a classification of Chinese Cultural Values (CCVs). Although there exist great differences between the Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, it is still possible to identify certain core cultural values that are shared by the Chinese people no matter where they live. Based on the original list by the Chinese Cultural Connection (1987), the paper creates a new list that contains 71 core values against 40 in the old. The implications and limitations of the classification are...

Chinese herbal medicines for hyperthyroidism.

Science.gov (United States)

Zen, X X; Yuan, Y; Liu, Y; Wu, T X; Han, S

2007-04-18

Hyperthyroidism is a disease in which excessive amounts of thyroid hormones circulate in the blood. Patients, among other things suffer from tachycardia, warm moist skin and raised body temperature. The treatment of hyperthyroidism includes symptom relief and therapy with antithyroid medications, radioiodine and thyroidectomy. Medicinal herbs are used alone or in combination with antithyroid agents to treat hyperthyroidism in China and some other countries. To assess the effects of Chinese herbal medicines for treating hyperthyroidism. Studies were obtained from computerised searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, the Chinese Biomedical Database. Randomised controlled trials comparing the effects of Chinese herbal medicines alone with Chinese herbal medicines combined with antithyroid drugs, radioiodine or both. Three authors interviewed authors of all potentially relevant studies by telephone to verify randomisation procedures. One author entered data into a data extraction form and another author verified the results of this procedure. Thirteen relevant trials with 1770 participants were included. All of them were of low quality. Fifty-two studies still need to be assessed because the original authors could not be interviewed. None of these trials analysed mortality, health related quality of life, economic outcomes or compliance. Compared to antithyroid drugs alone the results showed that Chinese herbal medicines combined with antithyroid drugs may offer benefits in lowering relapse rates, reducing the incidence of adverse effects, relieving symptoms, improving thyroid antibody status and thyroid function. Two trials investigated Chinese herbal medicine versus radioiodine and reported improvements in anxiety, tachycardia and heat intolerance. However, thyroid function - with the exception of restored thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) - was not significantly altered. The results suggest that traditional Chinese herbal medicines added to other routine

The Outcomes of Chinese Visiting Scholars' Experiences at Canadian Universities: Implications for Faculty Development at Chinese Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Qin; Jiang, Yumei

2015-01-01

This article examines the outcomes of the overseas experiences of Chinese visiting scholars and the implications of visiting scholar programs for faculty development at Chinese universities. On the basis of semi-structured interviews with 17 returned Chinese visiting scholars who spent six to 12 months in a faculty of education at one of five…

A Glimpse of Chinese-Malay Literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cendrawaty Tjong

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Chinese-Malay literature begans in the end of 19th century. The beginning of this period was known from the works depicted Classical-Malay literature. In the development, due to the booming of publication houses and newspaper agencies, this school of literature flourished. The origin of this period was closely related to Chinese-descendants, background and history. The long history, the big numbers of works and the miscellaneous contents of the works were the characteristics of this period. Chinese-Malay literature period was the period highlighted with typical Chinese-Indonesian society.  

Chinese Counterspace Intentions

Science.gov (United States)

2008-12-01

overly prideful country with “no ethical principles”151 seeking to “rule the world”152 while “spiritually polluting”153 China. The Chinese believe that...long term relationships through less direct means. The U.S. directness could also be seen as selfish and proud rather than as self-assertive, thereby...into a “ benign competition.”420 Lieutenant Colonel Troy L. Dixon described a U.S. approach to achieving increased cooperation with the Chinese.421

Destination Attributes and Chinese Outbound Tourism to Europe

OpenAIRE

Andreu, Rosario; Claver-Cortés, Enrique; Quer, Diego

2014-01-01

China is one of the fastest growing outbound tourism markets. Europe is an attractive destination for Chinese tourists. However, Europe still accounts for a small percentage of Chinese outbound tourism. If European countries want to benefit from this market, they should pay attention to Chinese tourists’ preferences. This article contributes to the understanding of Chinese outbound tourism by analyzing those destination attributes that can influence the number of Chinese tourists received. Fr...

Auspicious birth dates among Chinese in California.

Science.gov (United States)

Almond, Douglas; Chee, Christine Pal; Sviatschi, Maria Micaela; Zhong, Nan

2015-07-01

The number eight is considered lucky in Chinese culture, e.g. the Beijing Olympics began at 8:08 pm on 8/8/2008. Given the potential for discretion in selecting particular dates of labor induction or scheduled Cesarean section (C-section), we consider whether Chinese-American births in California occur disproportionately on the 8th, 18th, or 28th day of the month. We find 2.3% "too many" Chinese births on these auspicious birth dates, whereas Whites show no corresponding increase. The increase in Chinese births is driven by higher parity C-sections: the number of repeat C-sections is 6% "too high" on auspicious birth dates. Sons born to Chinese parents account for the entire increase; daughter deliveries do not seem to be timed to achieve "lucky" birth dates. We also find avoidance of repeat C-section deliveries on the 4th, 14th, and 24th of the month, considered unlucky in Chinese culture. Finally, we replicate earlier work finding that Friday the 13th delivery dates are avoided and document a particularly large decrease among Chinese. For Whites and Chinese in California, mothers with higher levels of education are particularly likely to avoid delivering on the 13th. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chinese herbal formulas for treating hypertension in traditional Chinese medicine: perspective of modern science.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiong, Xingjiang; Yang, Xiaochen; Liu, Yongmei; Zhang, Yun; Wang, Pengqian; Wang, Jie

2013-07-01

Hypertension, which directly threatens quality of life, is a major contributor to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Over the past two decades, domestic and foreign scholars have agreed upon various standards in the treatment of hypertension, and considerable progress has been made in the field of antihypertensive drugs. Oral antihypertensive drugs represent a milestone in hypertension therapy. However, the blood pressure standard for patients with hypertension is far from satisfactory. The study of Chinese herbal formulas for treating hypertension has received much research attention. These studies seek to integrate traditional and Western medicine in China. Currently, Chinese herbal formulas are known to have an outstanding advantage with regard to bodily regulation. Research shows that Chinese medicine has many protective mechanisms. This paper addresses the process of the antihypertensive mechanisms in Chinese herbal formulas for treating hypertension. These mechanisms are to be discussed in future research.

Understanding Informal and Formal Mathematical Abilities in Mainland Chinese and Chinese-American Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Zheng; Cheng, Christine; Mottram, Lisa; Rosenblum, Stacey

Informal and formal mathematical abilities were studied in the preschool, kindergarten, and first grade children in Beijing, China and Chinese-American children in New York City. Test of Early Mathematical Abilities-2nd Edition (TEMA-2) was administered to the three groups of children (children from Beijing, Chinese-American from lower-class, and…

Transcriptome analysis of the brain of the silkworm Bombyx mori infected with Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus: A new insight into the molecular mechanism of enhanced locomotor activity induced by viral infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Guobao; Zhang, Jianjia; Shen, Yunwang; Zheng, Qin; Feng, Min; Xiang, Xingwei; Wu, Xiaofeng

2015-06-01

Baculoviruses have been known to induce hyperactive behavior in their lepidopteran hosts for over a century. As a typical lepidopteran insect, the silkworm Bombyx mori displays enhanced locomotor activity (ELA) following infection with B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV). Some investigations have focused on the molecular mechanisms underlying this abnormal hyperactive wandering behavior due to the virus; however, there are currently no reports about B. mori. Based on previous studies that have revealed that behavior is controlled by the central nervous system, the transcriptome profiles of the brains of BmNPV-infected and non-infected silkworm larvae were analyzed with the RNA-Seq technique to reveal the changes in the BmNPV-infected brain on the transcriptional level and to provide new clues regarding the molecular mechanisms that underlies BmNPV-induced ELA. Compared with the controls, a total of 742 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 218 up-regulated and 524 down-regulated candidates, were identified, of which 499, 117 and 144 DEGs could be classified into GO categories, KEGG pathways and COG annotations by GO, KEGG and COG analyses, respectively. We focused our attention on the DEGs that are involved in circadian rhythms, synaptic transmission and the serotonin receptor signaling pathway of B. mori. Our analyses suggested that these genes were related to the locomotor activity of B. mori via their essential roles in the regulations of a variety of behaviors and the down-regulation of their expressions following BmNPV infection. These results provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms of BmNPV-induced ELA. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Towards an Ancient Chinese-Inspired Theory of Music Education

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Leonard

2016-01-01

In this philosophical paper, I propose a theory of music education inspired by ancient Chinese philosophy. In particular, I draw on five classical Chinese philosophical texts: the Analects (lunyu [Chinese characters omitted]), the Mencius (Mengzi [Chinese characters omitted]), the Zhuangzi ([Chinese characters omitted]), the Xunzi ([Chinese…

[Standardization of names in prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicines].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chao-Feng; Zhang, Yu-Jun; Fan, Dong-He; Zhang, Meng-Jie; Bai, Xue; Yang, Wen-Hua; Qi, Shu-Ya; Zhang, Zhi-Jie; Xue, Chun-Miao; Mao, Liu-Ying; Cao, Jun-Ling

2017-01-01

Chinese medicine prescriptions are a type of medical documents written by doctors after they understand the patients' conditions for syndrome differentiation. Chinese medicine prescriptions are also the basis for pharmacy personnel to dispense medicines and guide patients to use drugs. It has the legal, technical and economic significances. Chinese medicine prescriptions contain such information of names, quantity and usage. Whether the names of drugs in Chinese medicine prescriptions are standardized or not is directly related to the safety and efficacy of the drugs. At present, nonstandard clinical prescriptions are frequently seen. With "Chinese medicine prescription", "names of drug in Chinese medicine prescription" and "standards of Chinese medicine prescription" as key words, the author searched CNKI, Wanfang and other databases, and consulted nearly 100 literatures, so as to summarize current names of drugs in traditional Chinese medicine prescription, analyze the reasons, and give suggestions, in the expectation of standardizing the names of drugs used in traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

[Inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicinal authentication].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Zhong-zhen; Chen, Hu-biao; Xiao, Pei-gen; Guo, Ping; Liang, Zhi-tao; Hung, Fanny; Wong, Lai-lai; Brand, Eric; Liu, Jing

2015-09-01

Chinese medicinal authentication is fundamental for the standardization and globalization of Chinese medicine. The discipline of authentication addresses difficult issues that have remained unresolved for thousands of years, and is essential for preserving safety. Chinese medicinal authentication has both scientific and traditional cultural connotations; the use of scientific methods to elucidate traditional experience-based differentiation carries the legacy of Chinese medicine forward, and offers immediate practical significance and long-term scientific value. In this paper, a path of inheritance and innovation is explored through the scientific exposition of Chinese medicinal authentication, featuring a review of specialized publications, the establishment of a Chinese medicine specimen center and Chinese medicinal image databases, the expansion of authentication technologies, and the formation of a cultural project dedicated to the Compedium of Materia Medica.

The Traditional Chinese Philosophies in Inter-cultural Leadership

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lin, Li; Li, Peter Ping; Roelfsema, Hein

2018-01-01

cultural distance. To fill the gap in the literature concerning the leadership challenges for expatriate managers in an inter-cultural context, the purpose of this paper is to elucidate the leadership styles of Chinese expatriate managers from the perspectives of three traditional Chinese philosophies (i...... that the leadership style of Chinese expatriate managers is deeply rooted in the three traditional Chinese philosophies of Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism, even in an inter-cultural context. Specifically, the study reveals two salient aspects of how Chinese expatriate managers frame and interact with a foreign...... managers also reported that their interactions with the Dutch culture are best described as a balance between partial conflict and partial complementarity (thus, a duality). In this sense, the leadership style of Chinese expatriate managers is influenced jointly by the three traditional Chinese...

Associations between Chinese/Asian versus Western mass media influences and body image disturbances of young Chinese women.

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Todd; Jiang, Chengcheng; Chen, Hong

2016-06-01

In this study, we evaluated associations of experiences with mass media imported from Western nations such as the United States versus mass media from China and other Asian countries with eating and body image disturbances of young Chinese women. Participating women (N=456) completed self-report measures of disordered eating, specific sources of appearance dissatisfaction (fatness, facial features, stature), and Western versus Chinese/Asian mass media influences. The sample was significantly more likely to report perceived pressure from, comparisons with, and preferences for physical appearance depictions in Chinese/Asian mass media than Western media. Chinese/Asian media influences also combined for more unique variance in prediction models for all disturbances except stature concerns. While experiences with Western media were related to disturbances as well, the overall impact of Chinese/Asian media influences was more prominent. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Burmese Attitude toward Chinese: Portrayal of the Chinese in Contemporary Cultural and Media Works

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min Zin

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper argues that since at least the mid 1980s, there has been an observable negative attitude among the people of Burma against the Chinese. Such sentiment is not just transient public opinion, but an attitude. The author measures it by studying contemporary cultural and media works as found in legally published expressions, so as to exclude any material rejected by the regime’s censors. The causes of such sentiment are various: massive Chinese migration and purchases of real estate (especially in Upper Burma, Chinese money that is inflating the cost of everything, and cultural “intrusion.” The sentiment extends to the military, as well: the article examines a dozen memoirs of former military generals and finds that Burma’s generals do not trust the Chinese, a legacy of China’s interference in Burma’s civil war until the 1980s. The public outcry over the Myitsone dam issue, however, was the most significant expression of such sentiment since 1969, when anti-Chinese riots broke out in Burma. The relaxation of media restrictions under the new government has allowed this expression to gather steam and spread throughout the country, especially in private weekly journals that are becoming more outspoken and daring in pushing the boundaries of the state’s restrictions.

Nutrigenetic screening strains of the mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori, for nutritional efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Chinnaswamy, Ramesha; Lakshmi, Hothur; Kumari, Savarapu S; Anuradha, Chebba M; Kumar, Chitta S

2012-01-01

The activity of sericulture is declining due the reduction of mulberry production area in sericulture practicing countries lead to adverse effects on silkworm rearing and cocoon production. Screening for nutrigenetic traits in silkworm, Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) is an essential prerequisite for better understanding and development of nutritionally efficient breeds/hybrids, which show less food consumption with higher efficiency conversion. The aim of this study was to identify nutritionally efficient polyvoltine silkworm strains using the germplasm breeds RMW(2), RMW(3), RMW(4), RMG(3), RMG(1), RMG(4), RMG(5), RMG(6) and APM(1) as the control. The 1(st) day of 5(th) stage silkworm larvae of polyvoltine strains were subjected to standard gravimetric analysis until spinning for three consecutive generations covering three different seasons on 19 nutrigenetic traits. Highly significant (p ≤ 0.001) differences were found among all nutrigenetic traits of polyvoltine silkworm strains in the experimental groups. The nutritionally efficient polvoltine silkworm strains were resulted by utilizing nutrition consumption index and efficiency of conversion of ingesta/cocoon traits as the index. Higher nutritional efficiency conversions were found in the polyvoltine silkworm strains on efficiency of conversion of ingesta to cocoon and shell than control. Comparatively smaller consumption index, respiration, metabolic rate with superior relative growth rate, and quantum of food ingesta and digesta requisite per gram of cocoon and shell were shown; the lowest amount was in new polyvoltine strains compared to the control. Furthermore, based on the overall nutrigenetic traits utilized as index or 'biomarkers', three polyvoltine silkworm strains (RMG(4), RMW(2), and RMW(3)) were identified as having the potential for nutrition efficiency conversion. The data from the present study advances our knowledge for the development of nutritionally efficient silkworm breeds

Functional characterization of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus mutant lacking late expression factor 9.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Y; Shi, Y; Yu, H; Li, J; Quan, Y; Shu, T; Nie, Z; Zhang, Y; Yu, W

Baculoviridae is a family of invertebrate viruses with large double-stranded DNA genomes. Proteins encoded by some late expression factor (lef ) genes are involved in the regulation of viral gene expression. Lef-9 is one of four transcription-specific Lefs, which are components of the virus-encoded RNA polymerase, and can initiate and transcribe late and very late genes. As a multifunctional protein encoded by the Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV), Lef-9 may be involved in the regulation of viral propagation. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. To determine the role of lef-9 in baculovirus infection, lef-9-knockout virus (lef-9-KO-Bacmid virus) was constructed using the Red recombination system, and the Bac-to-Bac system was used to prepare lef-9-repaired virus (lef-9-Re-Bacmid virus). The lef-9-KO virus did not produce infectious viruses or show infection activity, while the lef-9-repaired virus recovered both. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis of the transcription levels in wild-type-Bacmid, lef-9-KO-Bacmid, and lef-9-Re-Bacmid viruses showed that the lef-9-KO bacmid had little effect on viral genome replication. However, the transcription levels of the early and late viral genes, lef-3, ie-1, vp39, and p10, were significantly lower in BmN cells transfected with lef-9-KO-Bacmids than in the controls. Electron microscopy showed no visible enveloped virions in cells transfected with lef-9-KO-Bacmids, while many mature virions in cells transfected with lef-9-Re-Bacmid and wt-Bacmid were present. Thus, lef-9 was not essential for viral genome replication, but significantly affected viral gene transcription and expression in all periods of cell life cycle.

Proteomic analysis of Bombyx mori molting fluid: Insights into the molting process.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hua-Wei; Wang, Luo-Ling; Tang, Xin; Dong, Zhao-Ming; Guo, Peng-Chao; Zhao, Dong-Chao; Xia, Qing-You; Zhao, Ping

2018-02-20

Molting is an essential biological process occurring multiple times throughout the life cycle of most Ecdysozoa. Molting fluids accumulate and function in the exuvial space during the molting process. In this study, we used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to investigate the molting fluids to analyze the molecular mechanisms of molting in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. In total, 375 proteins were identified in molting fluids from the silkworm at 14-16h before pupation and eclosion, including 12 chitin metabolism-related enzymes, 35 serine proteases, 15 peptidases, and 38 protease inhibitors. Gene ontology analysis indicated that "catalytic" constitutes the most enriched function in the molting fluid. Gene expression patterns and bioinformatic analyses suggested that numerous enzymes are involved in the degradation of cuticle proteins and chitin. Protein-protein interaction network and activity analyses showed that protease inhibitors are involved in the regulation of multiple pathways in molting fluid. Additionally, many immune-related proteins may be involved in the immune defense during molting. These results provide a comprehensive proteomic insight into proteolytic enzymes and protease inhibitors in molting fluid, and will likely improve the current understanding of physiological processes in insect molting. Insect molting constitutes a dynamic physiological process. To better understand this process, we used LC-MS/MS to investigate the proteome of silkworm molting fluids and identified key proteins involved in silkworm molting. The biological processes of the old cuticle degradation pathway and immune defense response were analyzed in the proteome of silkworm molting fluid. We report that protease inhibitors serve as key factors in the regulation of the molting process. The proteomic results provide new insight into biological molting processes in insects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chinese culture and dental behaviour: some observations from Wellington.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, W

2009-03-01

Chinese migrants bring their Chinese culture and Chinese beliefs to New Zealand. The acculturation process can be long and may affect their access to dental services. Analysis of recent research suggests a pattern whereby the greater the acculturation, the greater the use of dental services. Four aspects of Chinese culture are highlighted: wrong perception of the cause of caries as 'Qi'; intention to seek self-treatment; a preference for keeping teeth against dentists' advice; and complex attitudes towards New Zealand dentists. These issues require dentists to be culturally aware when dealing with Chinese patients. Because existing models fail to capture the complexities of Chinese culture, a dynamic model is proposed to help dental practitioners to understand Chinese migrants' dental behaviours. Chinese culture also has implications for researchers who want to carry out research with the Chinese community.

Bm59 is an early gene, but is unessential for the propagation and assembly of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xiaolong; Shen, Yunwang; Zheng, Qin; Wang, Guobao; Wu, Xiaofeng; Gong, Chengliang

2016-02-01

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a major pathogen that specifically infects the domestic silkworm and causes serious economic loss to sericulture around the world. The function of BmNPV Bm59 gene in the viral life cycle is inconclusive. To investigate the role of Bm59 during viral infection, the transcription initiation site and temporal expression of Bm59 were analyzed, and Bm59-knockout virus was generated through homologous recombination in Escherichia coli. The results showed that Bm59 is an early transcription gene with an atypia early transcriptional start motif. Budded virion (BV) production and DNA replication in the BmN cells transfected with the Bm59-knockout virus bacmid were similar to those in the cells transfected with the wild-type virus. Electron microscopy revealed that the occlusion-derived virus can be produced in cells infected with the Bm59-knockout virus. These results indicated that Bm59 is an early gene and is not essential for viral replication or assembly of BmNPV. These findings suggested that non-essential gene (Bm59) remained in the viral genome, which may interact with other viral/host genes in a certain situation.

Identification of Bombyx mori bidensovirus VD1-ORF4 reveals a novel protein associated with viral structural component.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Guohui; Hu, Zhaoyang; Guo, Xuli; Li, Guangtian; Tang, Qi; Wang, Peng; Chen, Keping; Yao, Qin

2013-06-01

Bombyx mori bidensovirus (BmBDV) VD1-ORF4 (open reading frame 4, ORF4) consists of 3,318 nucleotides, which codes for a predicted 1,105-amino acid protein containing a conserved DNA polymerase motif. However, its functions in viral propagation remain unknown. In the current study, the transcription of VD1-ORF4 was examined from 6 to 96 h postinfection (p.i.) by RT-PCR, 5'-RACE revealed the transcription initiation site of BmBDV ORF4 to be -16 nucleotides upstream from the start codon, and 3'-RACE revealed the transcription termination site of VD1-ORF4 to be +7 nucleotides downstream from termination codon. Three different proteins were examined in the extracts of BmBDV-infected silkworms midguts by Western blot using raised antibodies against VD1-ORF4 deduced amino acid, and a specific protein band about 53 kDa was further detected in purified virions using the same antibodies. Taken together, BmBDV VD1-ORF4 codes for three or more proteins during the viral life cycle, one of which is a 53 kDa protein and confirmed to be a component of BmBDV virion.

The Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) ODV-E56 envelope protein is also a per os infectivity factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang, Xingwei; Chen, Lin; Guo, Aiqin; Yu, Shaofang; Yang, Rui; Wu, Xiaofeng

2011-01-01

The Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) odv-e56 gene is a late gene and encodes an occlusion-derived virus (ODV)-specific envelope protein, ODV-E56. To determine its role in the BmNPV life cycle, an odv-e56 null virus, BmE56D, was constructed through homologous recombination. A repaired virus was also constructed, named BmE56DR. The production of budded virion (BV) and polyhedra, the replication of viral DNA, and the morphological of infected BmN cells were analyzed, revealing no significant difference among the BmE56D, the wild-type (WT), and the BmE56DR virus. Larval bioassays demonstrated that injection of BmE56D BV into the hemocoel could kill B. mori larvae as efficiently as repaired and WT viruses, however BmE56D was unable to infect the B. mori larvae when inoculated per os. Thus, these results indicated that ODV-E56 envelope protein of BmNPV is also a per os infectivity factor (PIF), but is not essential for virus replication. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Oscar Montelius and Chinese Archaeology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xingcan Chen

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This paper demonstrates that Oscar Montelius (1843–1921, the world-famous Swedish archaeologist, had a key role in the development of modern scientific Chinese archaeology and the discovery of China’s prehistory. We know that one of his major works, Die Methode, the first volume of his Älteren kulturperioden im Orient und in Europa, translated into Chinese in the 1930s, had considerable influence on generations of Chinese archaeologists and art historians. What has previously remained unknown, is that Montelius personally promoted the research undertaken in China by Johan Gunnar Andersson (1874–1960, whose discoveries of Neolithic cultures in the 1920s constituted the breakthrough and starting point for the development of prehistoric archaeology in China. In this paper, we reproduce, translate and discuss a long forgotten memorandum written by Montelius in 1920 in support of Andersson’s research. In this Montelius indicated his belief in the potential of prehistoric Chinese archaeology as well as his predictions regarding the discoveries about to be made. It is therefore an important document for the study of the history of Chinese archaeology as a whole.

Chinese culture approached through touch

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Li; Champion, Erik

2012-01-01

Can recent technology help bridge cultures through playful interaction appropriate to traditional tacit means of acquiring knowledge? In order to help answer this question, we designed four Adobe Flash-based based game prototypes and evaluated them via a touch-screen PC. The goal was to offer non......, fun, and cultural authenticity. While this form of tangible computing proved engaging, it raises technical issues of how to convey appropriately the interactive elements without the help of the evaluator, and how to evaluate user satisfaction. We also briefly discuss more embodied and spatial......Chinese participants a playful way of experiencing aspects of traditional Chinese culture. The four single-player games were based on the four arts of China (music, calligraphy, painting and the game of Go!). In the evaluation we asked non-Chinese and the Chinese participants to evaluate the games in terms of learning...

Interactions microsporidies-insectes in vivo : dissémination de Nosema bombycis (Microsporidia) dans son hôte Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera) et caractérisation de protéines structurales majeures de N. bombycis impliquées dans l'invasion

OpenAIRE

Wang, Jian-Yang

2007-01-01

Nosema bombycis is a spore-forming obligate intracellular parasite which belongs to the fungi-related Microsporidia phylum. It is the causative agent of the silkworm Bombyx mori pebrine disease which inflicts severe worldwide economical losses in sericulture. Little is known about N. bombycis in vivo dissemination mechanism and its interactions with its natural host B. mori at the cellular or molecular level, despite the ongoing genome sequencing projects of both organisms. In this study, we ...

Greenland and Chinese outbound investments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mouyal, Lone Wandahl; Mortensen, Bent Ole Gram; Su, Jingjing

2017-01-01

-Government seeks to develop new business sectors and to attract foreign investment, including investments from China, to develop especially its mineral resources. China now is the second largest economy in the world and the outbound investments by Chinese companies presents unprecedented opportunities for both...... Chinese companies and their global partners. However, Chinese outbound investment faces many hurdles both at home and outside. This article analyzes some of the main aspects in relation to regulatory hurdles, political obstacles as well as environmental, labor and financial challenges primarily focusing...... on investments in the mining industry....

Topic prominence in Chinese EFL learners’ interlanguage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaopeng Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The present study aims to investigate the general characteristics of topicprominent typological interlanguage development of Chinese learners of English in terms of acquiring subject-prominent English structures from a discourse perspective. Topic structures mainly appear in Chinese discourse in the form of topic chains (Wang, 2002; 2004. The research target are the topic chain, which is the main topic-prominent structure in Chinese discourse, and zero anaphora, which is the most common topic anaphora in the topic chain. Two important findings emerged from the present study. First, the characteristics of Chinese topic chains are transferrable to the interlanguage of Chinese EFL learners, thus resulting in overgeneralization of the zero anaphora. Second, the interlanguage discourse of Chinese EFL learners reflects a change of the second language acquisition process from topic-prominence to subject-prominence, thus lending support to the discourse transfer hypothesis.

Whither Chinese involvement in the Canadian oil industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schulz, B.

2006-01-01

Chinese oil companies have become increasingly focused on securing Canadian oil. However, most of the oil sands leases with good geological and economic prospects are owned by Canadian or Canadian subsidiary companies that have proven unwilling to sell future revenue and reserves bases to the Chinese. The opportunity for a trade of Canadian oil assets for improved Chinese market entry has been limited to Husky, which has existing Chinese connections, as well as to global companies such as Exxon, Shell and BP. In May 2005, the Chinese company Sinopec completed a $105 million deal with Calgary-based Synenco and formed a joint venture for oil sands production and an upgrader. Chinese interests are also involved in the Calgary-based Value Creation Group of Companies as well as in BA Energy. Enbridge has recently invested $25 million in the Heartland upgrader project, presumably with the aim of building pipelines to move new products to Asia. The most significant problem for Canadian oil sands companies and the greatest opportunity for Chinese companies involves the utilization of trained Chinese workers for the $100 billion in oil sands construction planned for the next decade. Significant immigration barriers exist for Chinese workers in Canada, and there is a legitimate concern that Chinese workers may want to stay in Canada. It was concluded that while there may be mutual opportunities for collaboration between Chinese and Canadian energy companies, the Alberta government currently faces challenges in work shortages, immigration, and pressures from unions and environmental lobbyists. 1 fig

Whither Chinese involvement in the Canadian oil industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schulz, B. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Haskayne School of Business

2006-09-15

Chinese oil companies have become increasingly focused on securing Canadian oil. However, most of the oil sands leases with good geological and economic prospects are owned by Canadian or Canadian subsidiary companies that have proven unwilling to sell future revenue and reserves bases to the Chinese. The opportunity for a trade of Canadian oil assets for improved Chinese market entry has been limited to Husky, which has existing Chinese connections, as well as to global companies such as Exxon, Shell and BP. In May 2005, the Chinese company Sinopec completed a $105 million deal with Calgary-based Synenco and formed a joint venture for oil sands production and an upgrader. Chinese interests are also involved in the Calgary-based Value Creation Group of Companies as well as in BA Energy. Enbridge has recently invested $25 million in the Heartland upgrader project, presumably with the aim of building pipelines to move new products to Asia. The most significant problem for Canadian oil sands companies and the greatest opportunity for Chinese companies involves the utilization of trained Chinese workers for the $100 billion in oil sands construction planned for the next decade. Significant immigration barriers exist for Chinese workers in Canada, and there is a legitimate concern that Chinese workers may want to stay in Canada. It was concluded that while there may be mutual opportunities for collaboration between Chinese and Canadian energy companies, the Alberta government currently faces challenges in work shortages, immigration, and pressures from unions and environmental lobbyists. 1 fig.

A Brief Introduction to Chinese Biological Biological

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2005-01-01

Chinese Biological Abstracts sponsored by the Library, the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, the Biological Documentation and Information Network, all of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, commenced publication in 1987 and was initiated to provide access to the Chinese information in the field of biology.

A Brief Introduction to Chinese Biological Abstracts

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2005-01-01

Chinese Biological Abstracts sponsored by the Library, the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, the Biological Documentation and Information Network, all of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, commenced publication in 1987 and was initiated to provide access to the Chinese information in the field of biology.

Application and Characteristics of Chinese Herbal Medicine Containing Schisandra

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Hui; Mao, Mingsan

2018-01-01

Schisandra is the dried and ripe fruit of Chinese magnoliavine, which has the functions of protecting the liver and gallbladder, lowering blood sugar, antibacterial and antiaging. Schisandra contains biological activity is very high. As a commonly used blind Chinese herbal medicine, Schisandra often appear in the treatment of vertigo, palpitations, insomnia in the proprietary Chinese medicine, play a nourishing liver and kidney, nourishing the nerves and so on. Chinese Pharmacopoeia contains a total of 102 kinds of Chinese medicine containing Schisandra, according to the dosage form will contain Schisandra proprietary Chinese medicine is divided into pills, tablets, granules and other 8 categories, according to the compatibility of Schisandra application, will contain Schisandra proprietary Chinese medicine functional Class 9. In this paper, the main clinical application of proprietary Chinese medicines containing Schisandra chinensis was analyzed by analyzing the classification and functional treatment of Chinese medicinal constituents containing Schisandra in pharmacopoeia, and then providing the basis for the analysis of Schisandra in proprietary Chinese medicine and The study is conducted to give guidance.

A Comparison of Child-Rearing Practices among Chinese, Immigrant-Chinese and Caucasian-American Parents.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chin-Yau Cindy; Fu, Victoria R.

Differences and similarities in child rearing practices among Chinese, immigrant Chinese, and Caucasian American parents were investigated. Subjects were mothers and fathers of 138 kindergarteners and first and second graders in Taiwan and the U.S. The child rearing variables of parental control, encouragement of independence, expression of…

Exploring Mobile Technologies for Learning Chinese

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Wang

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The present study aimed to reveal how learners of Chinese as a foreign language use mobile technology to study Chinese outside the classroom. Researchers used sociocultural perspectives to frame the study and grounded theory to analyze data. Eleven English-speaking students who had learned Chinese for different years at a midwestern university participated in the study. They answered 23 major questions by submitting journal entries and participating in an interview. Compared with computer assisted language learning, mobile devices bring changes to tutorial functions, social computing, and gaming. Participants heavily explored tutorial functions, used mobile devices differently from computers for social computing, and showed interest in gaming. Although participants were enthusiastic about using mobile devices to learn Chinese, the number of applications they used and the variety of activities they engaged in were limited. Findings suggest that the effective incorporation of mobile devices to learn Chinese depends on collaboration and scaffolding

The chinese health care system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hougaard, Jens Leth; Østerdal, Lars Peter Raahave; Yu, Yi

2011-01-01

We describe the structure and present situation of the Chinese healthcare system and discuss its primary problems and challenges. We discuss problems with inefficient burden sharing, adverse provider incentives and huge inequities, and seek explanations in the structural features of the Chinese...

Photoacoustic Spectroscopy Analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Lu; Zhao, Bin-xing; Xiao, Hong-tao; Tong, Rong-sheng; Gao, Chun-ming

2013-09-01

Chinese medicine is a historic cultural legacy of China. It has made a significant contribution to medicine and healthcare for generations. The development of Chinese herbal medicine analysis is emphasized by the Chinese pharmaceutical industry. This study has carried out the experimental analysis of ten kinds of Chinese herbal powder including Fritillaria powder, etc., based on the photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) method. First, a photoacoustic spectroscopy system was designed and constructed, especially a highly sensitive solid photoacoustic cell was established. Second, the experimental setup was verified through the characteristic emission spectrum of the light source, obtained by using carbon as a sample in the photoacoustic cell. Finally, as the photoacoustic spectroscopy analysis of Fritillaria, etc., was completed, the specificity of the Chinese herb medicine analysis was verified. This study shows that the PAS can provide a valid, highly sensitive analytical method for the specificity of Chinese herb medicine without preparing and damaging samples.

Chinese dietary composition and element ingestion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Hongda

1990-01-01

Based on the dietary composition and results of some nutrients obtained from the second Nationwide Nutrition Survey in 1982, as well as recently published element contents in various Chinese food, the resultant dietary intake of 19 kinds of elements and 17 radionuclides for Chinese public (mainly for male adults) were estimated. This estimation might be used as basis for development of Chinese Reference Man and estimation of the public background exposure

Critical Reflections on »Chinese Capitalism« as Paradigm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arif Dirlik

2014-12-01

Full Text Available A culturally shaped Chinese capitalism has received much attention over the last decade, accompanied by a renewed interest in Confucianism as the marker for Chinese culture. This translation of Arif Dirlik's essay argues against culturalist explanations of the successful economic development of Chinese (and more generally, East Asian societies. The flourishing of capitalism in these societies, it argues, is instead best understood with reference to developments within capitalism globally. Rather than a source of capitalist development, a Chinese culture conceived homogeneously provides an ideological alibi to new developments within capitalism, as well as a means to check the disruptive effects of capitalist development in Chinese societies. An insistence on Chineseness conceived culturally disguises, and seeks to contain, the social and cultural dispersal of Chinese populations, the so-called Chinese diaspora.

Building a bridge for integrating Chinese medicine into conventional healthcare: observations drawn from the development of the Chinese quality of life instrument.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Li; Chan, Kelvin

2005-01-01

This paper describes the methods and theories of patient-reported outcomes, in particular to the health-related quality of life recently applied in Chinese medicine research. It begins with an investigation of the reasons for a patient-reported outcomes measure for Chinese medicine and the development of a new health-related quality of life instrument based on Chinese culture and Chinese medicine. Discussions on the importance and application of patient-reported outcomes as well as the relationship between quality of life and Chinese medicine are at the focus of this paper. Through a description of the Chinese Quality of Life Instrument and its development, the present work demonstrates an evidence-based approach using patient-reported outcomes or health-related quality of life measures to evaluate treatment efficacy of Chinese medicine, and thereby build a bridge for the integration of Chinese medicine into mainstream health care.

BmICE-2 is a novel pro-apoptotic caspase involved in apoptosis in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Hua-Shan; Pan, Cai-Xia; Pan, Chun; Song, Juan; Hu, Yan-Fen; Wang, La; Pan, Min-Hui; Lu, Cheng

2014-02-28

In this study we identified a potential pro-apoptotic caspase gene, Bombyx mori(B. mori)ICE-2 (BmICE-2) which encoded a polypeptide of 284 amino acid residues, including a (169)QACRG(173) sequence which surrounded the catalytic site and contained a p20 and a p10 domain. BmICE-2 expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) exhibited high proteolytic activity for the synthetic human initiator caspase-9 substrates Ac-LEHD-pNA, but little activity towards the effector caspase-3 substrates Ac-DEVD-pNA. When BmICE-2 was transiently expressed in BmN-SWU1 silkworm B. mori cells, we found that the high proteolytic activity for Ac-LEHD-pNA triggered caspase-3-like protease activity resulting in spontaneous cleavage and apoptosis in these cells. This effect was not replicated in Spodoptera frugiperda 9 cells. In addition, spontaneous cleavage of endogenous BmICE-2 in BmN-SWU1 cells could be induced by actinomycin D. These results suggest that BmICE-2 may be a novel pro-apoptotic gene with caspase-9 activity which is involved apoptotic processes in BmN-SWU1 silkworm B. mori cells. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chinese Geography through Chinese Cuisine

Science.gov (United States)

Lipman, Jonathan

2010-01-01

China has the world's largest population, now over 1.3 billion, but its land area (much of it high mountains or desert) is about the same as that of the United States, which has less than one-fourth as many people. So Chinese farmers have learned to use every inch of their fertile land intensively. Pressure on the land has required extremely…

Prognostic value of Chinese race in nasopharyngeal cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su, Catherine K.; Wang, C.C.

2002-01-01

Purpose: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is rare in the United States and common in southern China. Evaluating American patients treated using a uniform technique and staged with CT scanning, we determined whether Chinese and non-Chinese patients differ in presentation and outcome. Methods and Materials: Between 1979 and 1996, 172 patients treated at Massachusetts General Hospital received primary radiotherapy with curative intent for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Forty-one patients (24%) were of Chinese descent, and 41% of cancers were classified as having lymphoepithelioma histologic features. Most patients received twice-daily radiotherapy and a brachytherapy boost, receiving a median dose of 72 Gy to the nasopharynx. Results: At the initial presentation, the Chinese patients were significantly younger, less likely to smoke, more likely to have Stage IV disease, and more likely to have cancer with lymphoepithelioma histologic features. After controlling for stage, age, histologic type, and treatment variables, Chinese patients were significantly more likely to develop distant metastases (p<0.05). Although Chinese race does not predict for local control or overall survival, a younger age, continued tobacco use, total radiation dose, and lymphoepithelioma histologic features do. Conclusion: In a large retrospective analysis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Chinese and non-Chinese patients differed significantly in presentation--age, stage, and histologic features--and outcome. We suggest as an explanation differences in intrinsic tumor biology rather than differences in treatment techniques or staging systems. Additional trials in endemic countries are needed to confirm the optimal treatment of Chinese and Chinese-American patients

[A accurate identification method for Chinese materia medica--systematic identification of Chinese materia medica].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xue-Yong; Liao, Cai-Li; Liu, Si-Qi; Liu, Chun-Sheng; Shao, Ai-Juan; Huang, Lu-Qi

2013-05-01

This paper put forward a more accurate identification method for identification of Chinese materia medica (CMM), the systematic identification of Chinese materia medica (SICMM) , which might solve difficulties in CMM identification used the ordinary traditional ways. Concepts, mechanisms and methods of SICMM were systematically introduced and possibility was proved by experiments. The establishment of SICMM will solve problems in identification of Chinese materia medica not only in phenotypic characters like the mnorphous, microstructure, chemical constituents, but also further discovery evolution and classification of species, subspecies and population in medical plants. The establishment of SICMM will improve the development of identification of CMM and create a more extensive study space.

Microstructural parameters in 8 MeV Electron irradiated Bombyx mori silk fibers by wide-angle X-ray scattering studies (WAXS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halabhavi, Sangappa

2009-01-01

The present work looks into the microstructural modification in Bombyx mori silk fibers, induced by electron irradiation. The irradiation process was performed in air at room temperature by use of 8 MeV electron accelerators at different doses: 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 kGy respectively. Irradiation of polymer can be used to crosslink or degrade the desired component or to fixate the polymer morphology. The changes in microstructural parameters in these natural polymer fibers have been studied using wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) method. The crystal imperfection parameters such as crystallite size , lattice strain (g in %) and enthalpy (a * ) have been determined by line profile analysis (LPA) using Fourier method of Warren. Exponential, Lognormal and Reinhold functions for the column length distributions have been used for the determination of these parameters. The goodness of the fit and the consistency of these results suggest that the exponential distribution gives much better results, even though lognormal distribution has been widely used to estimate the similar stacking faults in metal oxide compounds. (author)

[Progeny of Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare & LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) parasitising pupae of Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) of different ages].

Science.gov (United States)

Pereira, Fabricio F; Zanuncio, José C; Serrão, José E; Oliveira, Harley N; Fávero, Kellen; Grance, Elizangela L V

2009-01-01

Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare & LaSalle is a natural pupal parasitoid of eucalyptus defoliator lepidopterans and is considered a promising biocontrol agent. However, the development of efficient rearing techniques for this natural enemy are first required before it can be used in biocontrol programs. Bombyx mori L. pupae are potential alternative hosts for this parasitoid mass rearing, and they are easy to rear. Therefore, we investigated the most suitable host age and the effects of parasitoid age on progeny production of P. elaeisis. B. mori pupae, 24 h-, 48 h-, 72 h- or 96 h-old were exposed to P. elaeisis females of similar age. The duration of the life cycle (egg-adult) of P. elaeisis was not affected by the age of the parasitizing female; however, the host age affected parasitoid development. The best parasitization was obtained for 72 h- to 96 h-old parasitoid females when offered to 48 h- to 72 h-old host pupae, allowing the synchronized rearing of a large number of P. elaeisis offspring.

Chinese Islam: A Complete Concert

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zvi Ben-Dor Benite

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Matthew S. Erie, China and Islam: The Prophet, the Party, and Law. Cambridge University Press, 2016. 472 pp. $140 (cloth/e-book. Jonathan Lipman, ed., Islamic Thought in China: Sino-Muslim Intellectual Evolution from the 17th to the 20th Century. Edinburgh University Press, 2016. 288 pp. £70 (cloth; e-book. Roberta Tontini, Muslim Sanzijing: Shifts and Continuities in the Definition of Islam in China. Brill, 2016. 238 pp. $125 (cloth. Why study a Chinese “minority” and its history? The task of scholars of Chinese Islam since the 1990s has been twofold: on the one hand, we have wanted to study Islam in China in its Chinese social and cultural context, as opposed to imagining it as a single separate entity, and to show that its history is relevant and meaningful for Chinese history in general. One could almost say that this goal was achieved a while ago. The next task has been to make the study of Chinese Islam and its history meaningful and useful for the greater community of scholars of Islam in general. It seems to me that with the books reviewed here, and with others in the making, we are getting close to reaching this target. In 1910, Marshall Broomhall’s Islam in China declared that Chinese Islam was a “neglected problem.” These books show that it is no longer neglected, and no longer a “problem”; rather, it is an exciting topic. Indeed, a complete, even if not harmonious, concert.

Chinese Number Words, Culture, and Mathematics Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Sharon Sui Ngan; Rao, Nirmala

2010-01-01

This review evaluates the role of language--specifically, the Chinese-based system of number words and the simplicity of Chinese mathematical terms--in explaining the relatively superior performance of Chinese and other East Asian students in cross-national studies of mathematics achievement. Relevant research is critically reviewed focusing on…

Mechanical removal of Chinese privet

Science.gov (United States)

John Klepac; Robert B. Rummer; James L. Hanula; Scott Horn

2007-01-01

Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense Lour.), a highly invasive nonnative plant, is prevalent in the Southern United States. Chinese privet infestations can hinder regeneration of desirable species, reduce stand productivity, and have other undesirable consequences. A combined mechanical (mulching) and chemical (triclopyr) treatment was applied to...

Criminaliteit en traditionele Chinese medicijnen

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Uhm, Daan

2014-01-01

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is deeply rooted in the Chinese culture. Although thousands of animal and plant species are used for medicines legally, some medications contain more sinister elements; illegal animal or plant ingredients of protected species. What is the origin of this demand for

Holistic Processing of Chinese Characters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan Chun-Nang Wong

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Enhanced holistic processing (obligatory attention to all parts of an object has been associated with different types of perceptual expertise involving faces, cars, fingerprints, musical notes, English words, etc. Curiously Chinese characters are regarded as an exception, as indicated by the lack of holistic processing found for experts (Hsiao and Cottrell, 2009. The ceiling performance of experts, however, may have caused this null effect. We revisit this issue by adopting the often-used face-composite sequential-matching task to two-part Chinese characters. Participants matched the target halves (left or right of two characters while ignoring the irrelevant halves. Both Chinese readers (experts and non-Chinese readers (novices showed holistic processing. Follow-up experiments suggested different origins of the effects for the two groups. For experts, holistic processing was sensitive to the amount of experience with the characters, as it was larger for words than non-words (formed by swapping the two parts of a valid character. Novices, however, showed similar degree of holistic processing to words and non-words, suggesting that their effects were more related to their inefficient decomposition of a complex, character-like pattern into parts. Overall these findings suggest that holistic processing may be a marker of expertise with Chinese characters, contrary to previous claims.

Chinese students' great expectations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thøgersen, Stig

2013-01-01

The article focuses on Chinese students' hopes and expectations before leaving to study abroad. The national political environment for their decision to go abroad is shaped by an official narrative of China's transition to a more creative and innovative economy. Students draw on this narrative to...... system, they think of themselves as having a role in the transformation of Chinese attitudes to education and parent-child relations....

L2 Chinese: Grammatical Development and Processing

Science.gov (United States)

Mai, Ziyin

2016-01-01

Two recent books (Jiang, 2014, "Advances in Chinese as a second language"; Wang, 2013, "Grammatical development of Chinese among non-native speakers") provide new resources for exploring the role of processing in acquiring Chinese as a second language (L2). This review article summarizes, assesses and compares some of the…

Identification of a microsporidian isolate from Cnaphalocrocis Medinalis and its pathogenicity to Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Xuhua; Qi, Guangjun; Pan, Zhixin; Zhu, Fangrong; Huang, Yuanjiao; Wu, Yonghu

2014-11-01

A microsporidian, CmM2, was isolated from Cnaphalocrocis medinalis. The biological characters, molecular analysis and pathogenicity of CmM2 were studied. The spore of CmM2 is long oval in shape and 3.45 ± 0.25 × 1.68 ± 0.18 µm in size, the life cycle includes meronts, sporonts, sporoblasts, and spores, with typical diplokaryon in each stage, propagated in binary fission. There is positive coagulation reaction between CmM2 and the polyclonal antibody of Nosema bombycis (N.b.). CmM2 spores is binuclear, and has 10-12 polar filament coils. The small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene sequence of CmM2 was obtained by PCR amplification and sequencing, the phylogenetic tree based on SSU rRNA sequences had been constructed, and the similarity and genetic distance of SSU rRNA sequences were analyzed, showed that CmM2 was grouped in the Nosema clade. The 50% infectious concentration of CmM2 to Bombyx mori is 4.72 × 10(4)  spores ml(-1) , and the germinative infection rate is 12.33%. The results showed that CmM2 is classified into genus Nosema, as Nosema sp. CmM2, and has a heavy infectivity to B. mori. The result indicated as well that it is valuable taxonomic determination for microsporidian isolates based on both biological characters and molecular evidence. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Development and reproduction of Podisus distinctus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) fed on larva of Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Lacerda, M C; Ferreira, A M R M; Zanuncio, T V; Zanuncio, J C; Bernardino, A S; Espindula, M C

2004-05-01

Biological control has been reducing the use of chemical products against insect pests, especially predatory Pentatomidae. Species of this group can present high variations in their life cycle as a result of their diet. Thus, the objective of this research was to study nymph development and reproduction of Podisus distinctus (Stäl, 1860) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) fed on Bombyx mori L., 1758 (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) larvae (T1), compared to those fed on Tenebrio molitor L., 1758 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) (T2) and Musca domestica L., 1758 (Diptera: Muscidae) larvae (T3) at a temperature of 25 +/- 0.5 degrees C, relative humidity of 70 +/- 2%, and photophase of 12 h. Predators fed on B. mori showed duration of the nymph phase (18.68 +/- 1.02) similar to those fed on T. molitor (18.32 +/- 1.49). Pre-oviposition and oviposition periods and number of egg masses, besides eggs and nymphs per female, were higher with B. mori (5.83 +/- 2.02; 15.00 +/- 7.40; 8.42 +/- 1.84; 296.69 +/- 154.75; and 228.55 +/- 141.04, respectively) while longevity of males and females of P. distinctus was 25.76 +/- 16.15 and 35.00 +/- 16.15 days with T. molitor, and 20.57 +/- 13.60 and 23.46 +/- 12.35 days with B. mori, respectively.

Educating Teachers of "Chinese as a Local/Global Language": Teaching "Chinese with Australian Characteristics"

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Michael; Han, Jinghe

2014-01-01

How can the education of teacher-researchers from China be framed in ways so that they might make Chinese learnable for primary and secondary school learners for whom English is their everyday language of instruction and communication. The concept "making Chinese learnable" and the characters of the language learners are explained in the…

Reading Comprehension Difficulties in Chinese-English Bilingual Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Xiuhong; McBride, Catherine; Shu, Hua; Ho, Connie Suk-Han

2018-02-01

The co-occurrence of reading comprehension difficulties for first language (L1) Chinese and second language (L2) English and associated longitudinal cognitive-linguistic correlates in each language were investigated. Sixteen poor comprehenders in English and 16 poor comprehenders in Chinese, 18 poor readers in both, and 18 children with normal performance in both were identified at age 10. The prevalence rate for being poor in both was 52.94%, suggesting that approximately half of children who are at risk for Chinese reading comprehension difficulty are also at risk for English reading comprehension difficulty. Chinese word reading, phonological, and morphological awareness were longitudinal correlates of poor comprehension in Chinese. English word reading and vocabulary were longitudinal correlates of poor comprehension in English. Chinese phonological awareness was an additional correlate of poor comprehension in English. Moreover, poor comprehenders in both Chinese and English showed slower rapid automatized naming scores than the other groups. Findings highlight some factors that might be critical for reading comprehension in L1 Chinese and L2 English; fluency is likely to be a critical part of reading comprehension across languages. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Internationalization of Chinese Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Linhan; Huang, Danyan

2013-01-01

This paper probes into the development of internationalization of higher education in China from ancient times to modern times, including the emergence of international connections in Chinese higher education and the subsequent development of such connections, the further development of internationalization of Chinese higher education, and the…

Chinese Companies in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hong, T.M.; Pieke, F.N.; Stam, T.

2017-01-01

The rapid growth of Chinese investment in the Netherlands has been cause for both excitement and anxiety. Many of the companies and other investors are still unknown and the background and objectives of their investment often remain unclear. This research takes a close look at fourteen Chinese

Transnational Learning and Chinese Sayings

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Haedy

2017-01-01

Chinese sayings within the context of transnational education have not been extensively explored within higher education. In this qualitative study, which utilized semi-structured interviews, data were collected from 24 participants to explore their transnational study experience. Chinese sayings, framed within a rich Confucian history, provide a…

Bilingual/Multilingual Learners' Willingness to Communicate in and Anxiety on Speaking Chinese and Their Associations with Self-Rated Proficiency in Chinese

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Meihua

2018-01-01

The present research explored bilingual/multilingual students' willingness to communicate in Chinese (WTCC) and foreign language anxiety (FLA) when speaking Chinese and their associations with self-rated proficiency in Chinese in a university in Beijing. The study recruited 167 bilingual and multilingual learners of Chinese to fill in a battery of…

THE INFLUENCE OF CHINESE CORE CULTURAL VALUES ON THE COMMUNICATION BEHAVIOUR OF OVERSEAS CHINESE STUDENTS LEARNING ENGLISH

OpenAIRE

ABDUSALAM ABUBAKER

2008-01-01

This study is based on three dimensions of Hofstede’s framework, which are power distance, masculinity versus femininity, and uncertainty avoidance. Hofstede (1980) considers the Chinese culture to be characterized by high power distance, medium masculinity and weak uncertainty avoidance. For this reason, this study explores the impact of Chinese core cultural values on the communication behaviour of Chinese students learning English. A questionnaire was used as a technique to collect data ab...

CHANT (CHinese ANcient Texts): a comprehensive database of all ancient Chinese texts up to 600 AD

OpenAIRE

Ho, Che Wah

2006-01-01

The CHinese ANcient Texts (CHANT) database is a long-term project which began in 1988 to build up a comprehensive database of all ancient Chinese texts up to the sixth century AD. The project is near completion and the entire database, which includes both traditional and excavated materials, will be released on the CHANT Web site (www.chant.org) in mid-2002. With more than a decade of experience in establishing an electronic Chinese literary database, we have gained much insight useful to the...

The Translation of Chinese Dish Names

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

龚佳文

2015-01-01

The traditional food of a nation reflects its historical and cultural characteristics This thesis begins with an introduction to the translation situation of Chinese dish names and its existing problem nowadays, and proceeds to the translation principles and tactics for English translation of the names of Chinese dishes, based on Eugene A. Nida’ s Functional Equivalence, with an aim to improve translation efficiency and promote cross-cultural communication, and promoting Chinese food culture throughout the globe.

Understanding “Tiger Parenting” Through the Perceptions of Chinese Immigrant Mothers: Can Chinese and U.S. Parenting Coexist?

Science.gov (United States)

Cheah, Charissa S. L.; Leung, Christy Y. Y.; Zhou, Nan

2013-01-01

How Chinese immigrant mothers perceive “Chinese” and “U.S.” parenting and changes in their parenting postmigration remains unclear, despite recent interest in Chinese parenting particularly in response to A. Chua's (2011) controversial book on “Tiger Mothers”. The present study addressed this issue by examining the parenting beliefs and practices of Chinese immigrant mothers through qualitative interviews. Participants included 50 first-generation Chinese immigrant mothers (mean age = 38.39 years; SD = 5.19) with a 3- to 6-year-old child. Mothers had been in the U.S. for an average of 10.20 years and were interviewed regarding their perceptions of the contrasts between typical Chinese and U.S. parenting, the strengths of Chinese and U.S. parenting, and what changes (if any) occurred in their own parenting after they migrated to the U.S. Mothers identified key differences between the parenting in the 2 cultures across 4 themes. Importantly, mothers endorsed different aspects of parenting from both cultures and attempted to achieve a balance between supporting their child's development of autonomy and individuality versus maintaining a sense of relatedness and familism in their parenting, contrary to Chua's (2011) portrayal of rigid “Chinese parenting.” With regard to their parenting acculturation, mothers discussed having to be flexible across different areas of their parenting in order to accommodate the cultural values of the larger societal context and promote their child's development in the U.S. These complex dynamics highlighted the challenges that Chinese immigrant mothers face as they adapt and adjust to the new cultural context, and how their parenting beliefs and practices acculturate. PMID:23914284

Partitioning of TRU elements from Chinese HLLW

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song Chongli; Zhu Yongjun

1994-04-01

The partitioning of TRU elements from the Chinese HLLW is feasible. The required D.F. values for producing a waste suitable for land disposal are given. The TRPO process developed in China could be used for this purpose. The research and development of the TRPO process is summarized and the general flowsheet is given. The Chinese HLLW has very high salt concentration. It causes the formation of third phase when contacted with TRPO extractant. The third phase would disappear by diluting the Chinese HLLW to 2∼3 times before extraction. The preliminary experiment shows very attractive results. The separation of Sr and Cs from the Chinese HLLW is also possible. The process is being studied. The partitioning of TRU elements and long lived ratio-nuclides from the Chinese HLLW provides an alternative method for its disposal. The partitioning of the Chinese HLLW could greatly reduce the waste volume, that is needed to be vitrified and to be disposed in to the deep repository, and then would drastically save the overall waste disposal cost

Negotiating biomedical and traditional Chinese medicine treatments among elderly Chinese Singaporean women.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Leanne; Basnyat, Iccha

2015-02-01

In this article we examine how elderly Chinese Singaporean women navigated between biomedicine and traditional Chinese medicine in their practices of maintaining well-being. We interviewed 36 elderly women to understand their negotiation of medical choices in the interplay of structure, culture, and personal agency. Our findings show that participants made situational decisions under structural and cultural influences, such as family members' changing expectations and interpretations of medical practices, institutional preferences for biomedicine, and the patients' negotiating position between biomedicine and traditional Chinese medicine. Participants demonstrated their capacity to enact agency through their examination of the effects and side effects of each medical system and through their integrative use of different medical treatments, depending on the purpose. Through our findings, we unveil contextual meanings of health among elderly women and the unique coexistence of traditional and modern medical practices within the context of Singapore. © The Author(s) 2014.

An L319F mutation in transmembrane region 3 (TM3) selectively reduces sensitivity to okaramine B of the Bombyx mori l-glutamate-gated chloride channel.

Science.gov (United States)

Furutani, Shogo; Okuhara, Daiki; Hashimoto, Anju; Ihara, Makoto; Kai, Kenji; Hayashi, Hideo; Sattelle, David B; Matsuda, Kazuhiko

2017-10-01

Okaramines produced by Penicillium simplicissimum AK-40 activate l-glutamate-gated chloride channels (GluCls) and thus paralyze insects. However, the okaramine binding site on insect GluCls is poorly understood. Sequence alignment shows that the equivalent of residue Leucine319 of the okaramine B sensitive Bombyx mori (B. mori) GluCl is a phenylalanine in the okaramine B insensitive B. mori γ-aminobutyric acid-gated chloride channel of the same species. This residue is located in the third transmembrane (TM3) region, a location which in a nematode GluCl is close to the ivermectin binding site. The B. mori GluCl containing the L319F mutation retained its sensitivity to l-glutamate, but responses to ivermectin were reduced and those to okaramine B were completely blocked.

[Advancements of computer chemistry in separation of Chinese medicine].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Lingjuan; Hong, Hong; Xu, Xuesong; Guo, Liwei

2011-12-01

Separating technique of Chinese medicine is not only a key technique in the field of Chinese medicine' s research and development, but also a significant step in the modernization of Chinese medicinal preparation. Computer chemistry can build model and look for the regulations from Chinese medicine system which is full of complicated data. This paper analyzed the applicability, key technology, basic mode and common algorithm of computer chemistry applied in the separation of Chinese medicine, introduced the mathematic mode and the setting methods of Extraction kinetics, investigated several problems which based on traditional Chinese medicine membrane procession, and forecasted the application prospect.

Zhou Enlai and Chinese Grand Strategy

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Latham, Richard J

1990-01-01

...." Contemporary Chinese writers actually write very little about modern Chinese strategy. When they do investigate the subject, they tend to begin with the late Qing dynasty and focus on events before 1949...

Couple Relationship Standards and Migration: Comparing Hong Kong Chinese with Australian Chinese.

Science.gov (United States)

Halford, W Kim; Leung, Patrick; Hung-Cheung, Chan; Chau-Wan, Lau; Hiew, Danika; van de Vijver, Fons J R

2017-12-14

Rates of international migration are increasing, which raises the question of how migration might influence couple relationship standards and impact on the standards of migrants forming intercultural relationships. We compared relationship standards in n = 286 Chinese living in Hong Kong, China, with standards in n = 401 Chinese migrants to a Western country (Australia) by administering the Chinese-Western Intercultural Couple Standards Scale (CWICSS). We also compared these two groups to n = 312 Westerners living in Australia. We first tested the structural invariance of the CWICSS across the three samples with a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. There was marginal but acceptable fit of a model of two positively correlated latent factors: Couple Bond (with four indicators, such as demonstration of love and caring) and Family Responsibility (also with four indicators, such as extended family relations and preserving face). Within the limitations of the study, results suggest migration is associated predominantly with differences in women's, but not men's, relationship standards. Migrant Chinese women show alignment of Couple Bond standards with Western standards, and divergence of Family Responsibility standards from Western standards. Discussion focused on how migration and intercultural relationship experiences might differentially influence various domains of relationship standards, gender differences in migration effects on standards, and the implications for working with culturally diverse couples. © 2017 Family Process Institute.

Was acupuncture developed by Han Dynasty Chinese anatomists?

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Vivien; Mclennan, Amy K

2016-05-01

Anatomical dissection has begun to reveal striking similarities between gross anatomical structures and the system of nomenclature used in traditional Chinese acupuncture. This paper argues that acupuncture point nomenclature is rooted in systematic anatomical investigation of cadaveric specimens, and that acupuncture points and meridians are purposefully named to reflect observable physical form. Two types of evidence are compared: observations of physical structures based on anatomical dissection, and translation and analysis of original Chinese texts. Evidence is contextualized through in-depth practical understanding of acupuncture. Points designated as [Chinese character] tian (heavenly/superior), [Chinese character] xia (below/inferior), [Chinese character] liao (bone-hole), [Chinese character] fei (flying), [Chinese character] wei (bend), and [Chinese character] xi (mountain stream/ravine) are investigated. These acupuncture point names: (a) specify position; (b) reflect function and/or form; (c) indicate homologous structures; (d) mark unusual structures; and/or (e) describe the physical appearance of a deep (dissected) structure by likening it to a homologous everyday object. Results raise intriguing possibilities for developing an understanding of acupuncture points and meridians firmly based in the material and functional anatomy of the human body. Such an understanding has the potential to open new fields of thought about functional anatomy. It also has implications for future investigations into the mechanisms of acupuncture, and gives some insights into the possible origins of this iconic area of Chinese medicine. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Chinese Entrepreneurs Go Global

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Zhou

2012-02-01

Full Text Available China may be on the tipping point of explosive global growth. In response to changes in the global economy and an economic slowdown domestically, hundreds of thousands of Chinese SMEs are being encouraged to “go global” by their central and local governments. To a Chinese company, going global requires the expansion of its existing business in other countries or the development of new ventures with partners operating in other countries. Explosive growth in China may be possible, but it will depend on an appropriate strategy for going global. For a country that has firmly established itself as an international manufacturing hub, going global requires a shift in its entrepreneurial capacity, which is the focus of this article. We first assess the current situation in China to understand its current entrepreneurial focus and capacity, as well as the impetus for change. Next, we contrast the Kirznerian and Schumpeterian views of entrepreneurship to illustrate that – to go global – Chinese entrepreneurs must shift from an emphasis on exploiting pricing inefficiencies (i.e., Kirznerian entrepreneurship to an emphasis on innovation (i.e., Schumpeterian entrepreneurship. Finally, we examine unique characteristics of the business environment and culture in China, which are likely to impact the ability of Chinese entrepreneurs to go global.

SYNCRETIZATION OF CHINESE RELIGION IN SINGKAWANG WEST KALIMANTAN

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Samsul Hidayat

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This paper attempts to shed light on the context of religiosity which is very pluralistic and dynamic in Indonesia. It is based on the field research conducted in Singkawang focusing on the Chinese religion. Some important conclusions could be drawn here such as the syncretization of the Chinese religion concerning the understanding of the existence of God and the gods which often has overlapping hierarchy including syncretic perspectives on understanding cosmology, mythology, symbols associated with mystical tales and supernatural beings. In the process, many Chinese Indonesians in Singkawang who are demographically Buddhists, Christians, or Muslims, still perform a pattern of worship of Confucianism or Taoism in their daily lives. The procedure of worship has also been modified so that its format differs from that found outside Indonesia. Meanwhile, during the celebration of the Chinese lunar new year and Cap Go Meh (the fifteenth night, Chinese Indonesians in Singkawang perform a ritual to get rid of bad luck. It is a unique, syncretic ‘collaboration’ between Chinese traditions and local culture. Keywords: Syncretization, Religion, Chinese, Singkawang.

[Investigation methodology and application on scientific and technological personnel of traditional Chinese medical resources based on data from Chinese scientific research paper].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hai-yan; Li, Yuan-hai; Yang, Yang; Liu, Fang-zhou; Wang, Jing; Tian, Ye; Yang, Ce; Liu, Yang; Li, Meng; Sun Li-ying

2015-12-01

The aim of this study is to identify the present status of the scientific and technological personnel in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) resource science. Based on the data from Chinese scientific research paper, an investigation regarding the number of the personnel, the distribution, their output of paper, their scientific research teams, high-yield authors and high-cited authors was conducted. The study covers seven subfields of traditional Chinese medicine identification, quality standard, Chinese medicine cultivation, harvest processing of TCM, market development and resource protection and resource management, as well as 82 widely used Chinese medicine species, such as Ginseng and Radix Astragali. One hundred and fifteen domain authority experts were selected based on the data of high-yield authors and high-cited authors. The database system platform "Skilled Scientific and Technological Personnel in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine Resource Science-Chinese papers" was established. This platform successfully provided the retrieval result of the personnel, output of paper, and their core research team by input the study field, year, and Chinese medicine species. The investigation provides basic data of scientific and technological personnel in the field of traditional Chinese medicine resource science for administrative agencies and also evidence for the selection of scientific and technological personnel and construction of scientific research teams.

Chinese Scientists | Women in Science | Initiatives | Indian Academy ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Initiatives; Women in Science; Chinese Scientists. Chinese Scientists. One third Chinese scientists are women [What about India?] ... scientists, at a young age of 52, after a valiant battle with cancer, today on 29th March 2016 in Delhi.

Chinese coal supply and future production outlooks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Jianliang; Feng, Lianyong; Davidsson, Simon; Höök, Mikael

2013-01-01

China's energy supply is dominated by coal, making projections of future coal production in China important. Recent forecasts suggest that Chinese coal production may reach a peak in 2010–2039 but with widely differing peak production levels. The estimated URR (ultimately recoverable resources) influence these projections significantly, however, widely different URR-values were used due to poor understanding of the various Chinese coal classification schemes. To mitigate these shortcomings, a comprehensive investigation of this system and an analysis of the historical evaluation of resources and reporting issues are performed. A more plausible URR is derived, which indicates that many analysts underestimate volumes available for exploitation. Projections based on the updated URR using a modified curve-fitting model indicate that Chinese coal production could peak as early as 2024 at a maximum annual production of 4.1 Gt. By considering other potential constraints, it can be concluded that peak coal in China appears inevitable and immediate. This event can be expected to have significant impact on the Chinese economy, energy strategies and GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions reduction strategies. - Highlights: • Review of Chinese coal geology and resources/reserves. • Presentation of the Chinese coal classification system. • Forecasting future Chinese coal production using Hubbert curves. • Critical comparison with other forecasts. • Discussions transportation, environmental impact, water consumption, etc

Constructing a chinese international relations theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, P.M.; Nielsen, R.T.

2013-01-01

Chinese scholars are debating whether, and how, to innovate a Chinese theory of International Relations (IR). This article examines the driving forces behind this theoretical debate. It challenges the commonsensical link between external events in the subject matter (i.r.) and theorizing (IR......), which suggests that the innovation of a Chinese IR theory is a natural product of China's geopolitical rise, its growing political ambitions, and discontent with Western hegemony. We propose instead a sociological approach to intellectual innovation which opens the black box of knowledge production...... attention from their peers-theorizing a Chinese IR theory being one important way of doing this. The external layer-which ranges from power politics to sociopolitical developments-affects this process indirectly by providing more research funds and autonomy to the more immediate institutional environment...

Misrepresenting Chinese Folk Happiness: A Critique of a Study

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Ip, Po-Keung

2013-01-01

Discourses on Chinese folk happiness are often based on anecdotal narratives or qualitative analysis. A recent study on Chinese folk happiness using qualitative method seems to provide some empirical findings beyond anecdotal evidence on Chinese folk happiness. This paper critically examines the study's constructed image of Chinese folk happiness,…

A Brief Introduction to Chinese Biological Abstracts

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2005-01-01

Chinese Biological Abstracts (CBA), a state-level indexing and abstracting journal published monthly, is jointly sponsored by the Library of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences as well as the Biological Information Network of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, published and distributed by the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, and approved by the State Scientific and Technological Commission.

[Dichotic perception of Mandarin third tone by Mexican Chinese learners].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hongbin

2014-05-01

To investigate the relationship between the advantage ear (cerebral hemisphere) of Spanish-speaking Mexican learners and the third Chinese tone. Third tone Chinese vowel syllables were used as experimental materials with dichotic listening technology to test the Spanish-speaking Mexican Chinese learners (20-32 years old) who studied Chinese about 20 h. In terms of error rates to identify the third Chinese tone, the Spanish-speaking Mexican Chinese learners's reaction to the third tone suggested that their left ears were the advantageous ear (the right cerebral hemisphere) (Z=-2.091, P=0.036). The verbal information of tones influenced the perception of Mexican Chinese learners' mandarin tones. In the process of learning mandarin tones, Mexican Chinese learners gradually formed the category of tones.

Chinese life cycle impact assessment factors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Jianxin; Nielsen, Per Henning

2001-01-01

The methodological basis and procedures for determination of Chinese normalization references and weighting factors according to the EDIP-method is described. According to Chinese industrial development intensity and population density, China was divided into three regions and the normalization...... was determined as the normalization reference (ER ( j)90) divided by society's target contribution in the year 2000 abased on Chinese political reduction plans, ER ( j)(T2000). This paper presents and discuss results obtained for eight different environmental impact categories relevant for China: global warming...

Research on Difficulty in Indonesia Students Learning Chinese Language

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Lydia Anggreani

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Chinese has become the world’s second language. Each language has its own law, as is the Chinese. Indonesian students have difficulty in learning Chinese which are are not surprising. Every language has various characteristics, so do Chinese and Bahasa Indonesia. Article analyzes difficulties to learn Chinese, especially for Indonesian students, those are tone, grammar, sounds of “er hua” such as Alice retroflex. The respondents are 100 Indonesian students who are randomly selected for testing samples analyzed. Since there is no tone in Bahasa Indonesia, it makes a lot of Indonesian students in the learning process often appear in Chinese foreign accent phenomenon. This article expects to explore the problem by studying the formation of the causes and solutions. Indonesian students learning Chinese was designed to provide some teaching and learning strategies.

The traditional Chinese philosophies in inter-cultural leadership

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lin, Li; Li, Peter Ping; Roelfsema, Hein

2018-01-01

Purpose: As the global presence of Chinese firms grows, increasing numbers of Chinese managers are working abroad as expatriates. However, little attention has been paid to such Chinese expatriate managers and their leadership challenges in an inter-cultural context, especially across a large

WHY CHINESE TOURISTS CHOOSE FINLAND AS TRAVEL DESTINATION

OpenAIRE

Zheng, Qiaoyin

2016-01-01

The purpose of this thesis is to find out the reasons why Chinese tourists choose Finland as travel destination. In this study, the author gives general view of Chinese outbound tourism and comes up with some reasonable recommendations for attracting more Chinese tourists to travel to Finland. Also the aim is to help readers to make improvements for increasing the competitiveness of Finland in the Chinese tourism market. The theoretical framework consist of the theory based on consumer b...

Progeny of Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare and LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) parasitising pupae of Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) of different ages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereira, Fabricio F.; Favero, Kellen; Grance, Elizangela L.V.

2009-01-01

Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare and LaSalle is a natural pupal parasitoid of eucalyptus defoliator lepidopterans and is considered a promising biocontrol agent. However, the development of efficient rearing techniques for this natural enemy are fi rst required before it can be used in biocontrol programs. Bombyx mori L. pupae are potential alternative hosts for this parasitoid mass rearing, and they are easy to rear. Therefore, we investigated the most suitable host age and the effects of parasitoid age on progeny production of P. elaeisis. B. mori pupae, 24 h-, 48 h-, 72 h- or 96 h-old were exposed to P. elaeisis females of similar age. The duration of the life cycle (egg-adult) of P. elaeisis was not affected by the age of the parasitizing female; however, the host age affected parasitoid development. The best parasitization was obtained for 72h- to 96h-old parasitoid females when offered to 48h- to 72h-old host pupae, allowing the synchronized rearing of a large number of P. elaeisis offspring. (author)

Reproductive performance of Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare and LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae with previously refrigerated pupae of Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae

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FF. Pereira

Full Text Available The mass rearing of parasitoids represents a fundamental stage for programmes of biological control. The progeny of the parasitoid Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare and LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae were evaluated on previously refrigerated pupae of Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae. Forty-eight to 72 hours-old pupae of B. mori were stored at 10 ºC for five, 10, 15 or 20 days and then exposed to parasitism by P. elaeisis females. This parasitoid showed shorter duration of the life cycle when reared on pupae of B. mori which were previously stored at 10 ºC during 15 days. P. elaeisis parasitized 100% of the pupae of B. mori after storage at 10 ºC during all periods with emergence of this parasitoid from 78 to 100% of these pupae. P. elaeisis had a higher number of progeny per pupa of B. mori stored for 15 days at 10 ºC. Pupae of B. mori can be stored for 15 days at 10 ºC before being used to rear P. elaeisis.

Reproductive performance of Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare and LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) with previously refrigerated pupae of Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Pereira, F F; Zanuncio, J C; Serrão, J E; Pastori, P L; Ramalho, F S

2009-08-01

The mass rearing of parasitoids represents a fundamental stage for programmes of biological control. The progeny of the parasitoid Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare and LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) were evaluated on previously refrigerated pupae of Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae). Forty-eight to 72 hours-old pupae of B. mori were stored at 10 degrees C for five, 10, 15 or 20 days and then exposed to parasitism by P. elaeisis females. This parasitoid showed shorter duration of the life cycle when reared on pupae of B. mori which were previously stored at 10 degrees C during 15 days. P. elaeisis parasitized 100% of the pupae of B. mori after storage at 10 degrees C during all periods with emergence of this parasitoid from 78 to 100% of these pupae. P. elaeisis had a higher number of progeny per pupa of B. mori stored for 15 days at 10 degrees C. Pupae of B. mori can be stored for 15 days at 10 degrees C before being used to rear P. elaeisis.

The Learning of Chinese Idioms through Multimedia Storytelling Prototype

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Li, Ee Hui; Hew, Soon Hin; Choo, Siew Hwa

2016-01-01

In recent years, the growth of China has successfully boosted the Chinese language to be studied by people from different language-speaking societies. The Chinese language has become the most preferred second or third language among non-Chinese native novices due to the great development of China and global economic change. The Chinese idiom is…

Precocious metamorphosis in the juvenile hormone-deficient mutant of the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

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Takaaki Daimon

Full Text Available Insect molting and metamorphosis are intricately governed by two hormones, ecdysteroids and juvenile hormones (JHs. JHs prevent precocious metamorphosis and allow the larva to undergo multiple rounds of molting until it attains the proper size for metamorphosis. In the silkworm, Bombyx mori, several "moltinism" mutations have been identified that exhibit variations in the number of larval molts; however, none of them have been characterized molecularly. Here we report the identification and characterization of the gene responsible for the dimolting (mod mutant that undergoes precocious metamorphosis with fewer larval-larval molts. We show that the mod mutation results in complete loss of JHs in the larval hemolymph and that the mutant phenotype can be rescued by topical application of a JH analog. We performed positional cloning of mod and found a null mutation in the cytochrome P450 gene CYP15C1 in the mod allele. We also demonstrated that CYP15C1 is specifically expressed in the corpus allatum, an endocrine organ that synthesizes and secretes JHs. Furthermore, a biochemical experiment showed that CYP15C1 epoxidizes farnesoic acid to JH acid in a highly stereospecific manner. Precocious metamorphosis of mod larvae was rescued when the wild-type allele of CYP15C1 was expressed in transgenic mod larvae using the GAL4/UAS system. Our data therefore reveal that CYP15C1 is the gene responsible for the mod mutation and is essential for JH biosynthesis. Remarkably, precocious larval-pupal transition in mod larvae does not occur in the first or second instar, suggesting that authentic epoxidized JHs are not essential in very young larvae of B. mori. Our identification of a JH-deficient mutant in this model insect will lead to a greater understanding of the molecular basis of the hormonal control of development and metamorphosis.

Selection of reference genes for tissue/organ samples on day 3 fifth-instar larvae in silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Genhong; Chen, Yanfei; Zhang, Xiaoying; Bai, Bingchuan; Yan, Hao; Qin, Daoyuan; Xia, Qingyou

2018-06-01

The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is one of the world's most economically important insect. Surveying variations in gene expression among multiple tissue/organ samples will provide clues for gene function assignments and will be helpful for identifying genes related to economic traits or specific cellular processes. To ensure their accuracy, commonly used gene expression quantification methods require a set of stable reference genes for data normalization. In this study, 24 candidate reference genes were assessed in 10 tissue/organ samples of day 3 fifth-instar B. mori larvae using geNorm and NormFinder. The results revealed that, using the combination of the expression of BGIBMGA003186 and BGIBMGA008209 was the optimum choice for normalizing the expression data of the B. mori tissue/organ samples. The most stable gene, BGIBMGA003186, is recommended if just one reference gene is used. Moreover, the commonly used reference gene encoding cytoplasmic actin was the least appropriate reference gene of the samples investigated. The reliability of the selected reference genes was further confirmed by evaluating the expression profiles of two cathepsin genes. Our results may be useful for future studies involving the quantification of relative gene expression levels of different tissue/organ samples in B. mori. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Nitric oxide synthase during early embryonic development in silkworm Bombyx mori: Gene expression, enzyme activity, and tissue distribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Kitta, Ryo; Kuwamoto, Marina; Yamahama, Yumi; Mase, Keisuke; Sawada, Hiroshi

2016-12-01

To elucidate the mechanism for embryonic diapause or the breakdown of diapause in Bombyx mori, we biochemically analyzed nitric oxide synthase (NOS) during the embryogenesis of B. mori. The gene expression and enzyme activity of B. mori NOS (BmNOS) were examined in diapause, non-diapause, and HCl-treated diapause eggs. In the case of HCl-treated diapause eggs, the gene expression and enzyme activity of BmNOS were induced by HCl treatment. However, in the case of diapause and non-diapause eggs during embryogenesis, changes in the BmNOS activity and gene expressions did not coincide except 48-60 h after oviposition in diapause eggs. The results imply that changes in BmNOS activity during the embryogenesis of diapause and non-diapause eggs are regulated not only at the level of transcription but also post-transcription. The distribution and localization of BmNOS were also investigated with an immunohistochemical technique using antibodies against the universal NOS; the localization of BmNOS was observed mainly in the cytoplasm of yolk cells in diapause eggs and HCl-treated diapause eggs. These data suggest that BmNOS has an important role in the early embryonic development of the B. mori. © 2016 Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists.

Genome-Wide Identification, Characterization and Expression Analysis of the Solute Carrier 6 Gene Family in Silkworm (Bombyx mori).

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Xin; Liu, Huawei; Chen, Quanmei; Wang, Xin; Xiong, Ying; Zhao, Ping

2016-10-03

The solute carrier 6 (SLC6) gene family, initially known as the neurotransmitter transporters, plays vital roles in the regulation of neurotransmitter signaling, nutrient absorption and motor behavior. In this study, a total of 16 candidate genes were identified as SLC6 family gene homologs in the silkworm (Bombyx mori) genome. Spatio-temporal expression patterns of silkworm SLC6 gene transcripts indicated that these genes were highly and specifically expressed in midgut, brain and gonads; moreover, these genes were expressed primarily at the feeding stage or adult stage. Levels of expression for most midgut-specific and midgut-enriched gene transcripts were down-regulated after starvation but up-regulated after re-feeding. In addition, we observed that expression levels of these genes except for BmSLC6-15 and BmGT1 were markedly up-regulated by a juvenile hormone analog. Moreover, brain-enriched genes showed differential expression patterns during wandering and mating processes, suggesting that these genes may be involved in modulating wandering and mating behaviors. Our results improve our understanding of the expression patterns and potential physiological functions of the SLC6 gene family, and provide valuable information for the comprehensive functional analysis of the SLC6 gene family.

Developmental and sex-specific differences in expression of neuropeptides derived from allatotropin gene in the silkmoth Bombyx mori.

Science.gov (United States)

Bednár, Branislav; Roller, Ladislav; Čižmár, Daniel; Mitrová, Diana; Žitňan, Dušan

2017-05-01

Allatotropin (AT) and related neuropeptides are widespread bioactive molecules that regulate development, food intake and muscle contractions in insects and other invertebrates. In moths, alternative splicing of the at gene generates three mRNA precursors encoding AT with different combinations of three structurally similar AT-like peptides (ATLI-III). We used in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry to map the differential expression of these transcripts during the postembryonic development of Bombyx mori. Transcript encoding AT alone was expressed in numerous neurons of the central nervous system and frontal ganglion, whereas transcripts encoding AT with ATLs were produced by smaller specific subgroups of neurons in larval stages. Metamorphosis was associated with considerable developmental changes and sex-specific differences in the expression of all transcripts. The most notable was the appearance of AT/ATL transcripts (1) in the brain lateral neurosecretory cells producing prothoracicotropic hormone; (2) in the male-specific cluster of about 20 neurons in the posterior region of the terminal abdominal ganglion; (3) in the female-specific medial neurons in the abdominal ganglia AG2-7. Immunohistochemical staining showed that these neurons produced a mixture of various neuropeptides and innervated diverse peripheral organs. Our data suggest that AT/ATL neuropeptides are involved in multiple stage- and sex-specific functions during the development of B. mori.

[Comments on "A practical dictionary of Chinese medicine" by Wiseman].

Science.gov (United States)

Lan, Feng-li

2006-02-01

At least 24 Chinese-English dictionaries of Chinese Medicine have been published in China during the recent 24 years (1984-2003). This thesis comments on "A Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine" by Wiseman, agreeing on its establishing principles, sources and formation methods of the English system of Chinese medical terminology, and pointing out the defect. The author holds that study on the origin and development of TCM terms, standardization of Chinese medical terms in different layers, i.e. Chinese medical in classic, in commonly used modern TCM terms, and integrative medical texts, are prerequisites to the standardization of English translation of Chinese medical terms.

Chinese Academic Assessment and Incentive System.

Science.gov (United States)

Suo, Qinghui

2016-02-01

The Chinese academic assessment and incentive system drew mixed responses from academia. In the essay the author tried to explain why the current assessment system is appropriate in China and an opportunistic behavior in Chinese academia is exposed.

Chinese Immigrant Wealth: Heterogeneity in Adaptation

Science.gov (United States)

Agius Vallejo, Jody; Aronson, Brian

2016-01-01

Chinese immigrants are a diverse and growing group whose members provide a unique opportunity to examine within-immigrant group differences in adaptation. In this paper, we move beyond thinking of national-origin groups as homogenous and study variation among Chinese immigrants in wealth ownership, a critical indicator of adaptation that attracts relatively little attention in the immigration literature. We develop an analytical approach that considers national origin, tenure in the U.S., and age to examine heterogeneity in economic adaptation among the immigrant generation. Our results show that variations among Chinese immigrants explain within-group differences in net worth, asset ownership, and debt. These differences also account for important variation between Chinese immigrants, natives, and other immigrant groups and provide important, new insight into the processes that lead to immigrant adaptation and long-term class stability. PMID:27977737

Chinese Immigrant Wealth: Heterogeneity in Adaptation.

Science.gov (United States)

Keister, Lisa A; Agius Vallejo, Jody; Aronson, Brian

2016-01-01

Chinese immigrants are a diverse and growing group whose members provide a unique opportunity to examine within-immigrant group differences in adaptation. In this paper, we move beyond thinking of national-origin groups as homogenous and study variation among Chinese immigrants in wealth ownership, a critical indicator of adaptation that attracts relatively little attention in the immigration literature. We develop an analytical approach that considers national origin, tenure in the U.S., and age to examine heterogeneity in economic adaptation among the immigrant generation. Our results show that variations among Chinese immigrants explain within-group differences in net worth, asset ownership, and debt. These differences also account for important variation between Chinese immigrants, natives, and other immigrant groups and provide important, new insight into the processes that lead to immigrant adaptation and long-term class stability.

Chinese Immigrant Wealth: Heterogeneity in Adaptation.

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Lisa A Keister

Full Text Available Chinese immigrants are a diverse and growing group whose members provide a unique opportunity to examine within-immigrant group differences in adaptation. In this paper, we move beyond thinking of national-origin groups as homogenous and study variation among Chinese immigrants in wealth ownership, a critical indicator of adaptation that attracts relatively little attention in the immigration literature. We develop an analytical approach that considers national origin, tenure in the U.S., and age to examine heterogeneity in economic adaptation among the immigrant generation. Our results show that variations among Chinese immigrants explain within-group differences in net worth, asset ownership, and debt. These differences also account for important variation between Chinese immigrants, natives, and other immigrant groups and provide important, new insight into the processes that lead to immigrant adaptation and long-term class stability.

Chinese nurse stress in Taiwan, Republic of China.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, S L

1993-01-01

An exploratory study was conducted to understand the Chinese nurses' perceptions of their work stress in Taiwan, Republic of China (ROC). Data were based on the written answers to two open-ended questions from the randomly selected Chinese nurses working at 3 of the 10 first-ranked teaching hospitals that had 900-2,000 hospital beds. The findings showed that stressors in work situations for Chinese nurses were similar to those of their Western colleagues in four categories: nursing care related to patient condition, interpersonal relationships, workload, and opportunity for promotion. In addition, the Chinese respondents especially identified pressure in the role of a unit educator as stressful. Any troubled interpersonal relationship of the Chinese nurse may have been experienced as a greater source of pressure than nurses in other cultures. It is suggested that there might be some similar stressors in the nurse work situation when comparing the Chinese nurse working in the modern hospital in Taiwan to the nurses in large hospitals in the Western culture. Yet the difference between these nurses was the greater emphasis the Chinese nurses placed on the value of advanced study and interpersonal harmony.

Comparing the Chinese Dream with the American Dream

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

David S.Pena

2015-01-01

Comparison of the Chinese Dream with the American Dream reveals that the Chinese Dream has four main themes:national rejuvenation,common prosperity,democracy,and the people's happiness;whereas,the American Dream emphasizes personal liberty,individual success,and upward social and economic mobility.Investigation of the historical origins and development of the two dreams,conjoined with an account of their aims and purposes,shows that full realization of the Chinese Dream is achieved by successfully building socialism with Chinese characteristics;the American Dream,by contrast,serves as an ideological prop for a particularly aggressive,predatory,and imperialistic form of capitalism.Furthermore,a comparison of each dream in actual practice shows that the Chinese Dream of fully developed socialism has been more successful at promoting common prosperity and peaceful,sustainable development,while the American Dream of unbridled capitalism encourages unsustainable development,growing poverty and inequality,and imperialist wars.Finally,an enumeration of the fundamental differences between the Chinese and American Dreams concludes that the Chinese Dream is fundamentally benign,whereas the American Dream is basically malignant.In order for the American Dream to shed its harmful characteristics,it must reject its capitalist underpinnings and adopt socialism as its ultimate goal.

Chinese Economic Development in the Next 20 Years

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Liang-Xin Li

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper, Chinese economic development is discussed in detail. The 5 major strategies are investigated thoroughly: 1 Speed-maintaining strategies. In this strategies, China must hold a suitable high speed economic growth rate in order to fully use Chinese manpower and world economic opportunities; 2Healthy economy strategy. By designing and making all effective policies, China must strive to keep Chinese economy in a healthy and controllable status. 3 Competiveness strategy. For this strategy to be effective, China have to push up the RD mechanism to pave the way for technology innovation and encourage companies to use and invent new skills and products to develop a higher level living conditions for Chinese people. 4 People’s quality enhancement. To make Chinese economy a high speed and competitive for a long run, it is vital to enhance Chinese people’s scientific knowledge and skills, especially the modern information technology skills, in this way, Chinese population will be a huge pool for the innovation not the obstacles. 5 Balanced development strategy. All economic related factors must be balanced for a sustainable growth. In the context, the detail procedures and methods are outlined and discussed.

Chinese legal texts – Quantitative Description

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Ľuboš GAJDOŠ

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to provide a quantitative description of legal Chinese. This study adopts the approach of corpus-based analyses and it shows basic statistical parameters of legal texts in Chinese, namely the length of a sentence, the proportion of part of speech etc. The research is conducted on the Chinese monolingual corpus Hanku. The paper also discusses the issues of statistical data processing from various corpora, e.g. the tokenisation and part of speech tagging and their relevance to study of registers variation.

Analysis of Chinese porcelains and ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gihwala, D.; Vos, H.N.

1985-01-01

Trace and minor components in fragments of northern Chinese porselains and the poorly-known southern Chinese porcellaneous ware from excavations in the south-western Cape were determined non-destructively by PIXE in the glazes and in the body material. Correspondence analysis of the analytical data showed that the Chinese glazes, though different from that of English specimens, could not be differentiated. The analysis of the body material enabled the northern porcelains and some of the southern ceramics to be distinguished, but some southern porcellaneous ware could not be grouped separately

Chinese librarianship in the digital era

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Fang, Conghui

2013-01-01

The library in China has been transformed by rapid socioeconomic development, and the proliferation of the Internet. The issues faced by Chinese libraries andlibrarians are those faced by library practitioners more globally, however, China also has its own unique set of issues in the digital era, including developmental imbalance between East and West, urban and rural areas, and availability of skilled practitioners. Chinese Librarianship in the Digital Era is the first book on Chinese libraries responding to these issues, and more.The first part of the book places discussion in historical con

Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to Explain Use of Traditional Chinese Medicine among Hong Kong Chinese in Britain

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Tina L. Rochelle

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The UK Chinese are known for their underutilisation of western healthcare services. Reasons for this underutilisation are complex. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB is a widely used model of social cognition, which in the present study is being applied to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM utilisation and satisfaction with TCM services. Two hundred and seventy-two UK Chinese aged between 15 and 91 years (M=46.55; SD = 18.53 enrolled in the study. TCM utilisation was associated with gender, age, cultural attachment, and subjective norms. TCM users were more likely to be female and older and have a strong attachment to Chinese culture, and be influenced by the views of important others. Findings highlight the potential of the TPB in exploring TCM utilisation, whilst also throwing light on other factors influential in the use of TCM and satisfaction with TCM service provision among Chinese in the UK.