Two new species and one new combination of Helina Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Diptera: Muscidae) from China

Two new species of the genus Helina Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 from Sichuan, China are described and illustrated, i.e. Helina fulvibasicosta Ming-Fu Wang sp. n. and Helina flavipes Ming-Fu Wang&Chen Sun sp. n. After re-examining the holotype, Helina occidentalisinica Feng, Shi & Li, 2005 is transferred to the genus Hebecnema Schnabl

Hamilton paths in Z-transformation graphs of perfect matchings of hexagonal systems

AbstractLet H be a hexagonal system. The Z-transformation graph Z(H) is the graph where the vertices are the perfect matchings of H and where two perfect matchings are joined by an edge provided their symmetric difference is a hexagon of H (Z. Fu-ji et al., 1988). In this paper we prove that Z(H) has a Hamilton path if H is a catacondensed hexagonal system

Different Implications of Paternal and Maternal Atopy for Perinatal IgE Production and Asthma Development

Asthma is a hereditary disease associated with IgE-mediated reaction. Whether maternal atopy and paternal atopy have different impacts on perinatal IgE production and asthma development remains unclear. This paper reviews and summarizes the effects of maternal and paternal atopy on the developmental aspects of IgE production and asthma. Maternal atopy affects both pre- and postnatal IgE production, whereas paternal atopy mainly affects the latter. Maternally transmitted genes GSTP1 and FceRI-beta are associated with lung function and allergic sensitization, respectively. In IgE production and asthma development, the maternal influence on gene-environment interaction is greater than paternal influence. Maternal, paternal, and/or postnatal environmental modulation of allergic responses have been linked to epigenetic mechanisms, which may be good targets for early prevention of asthma

A sustainable biogas model in China: The case study of Beijing Deqingyuan biogas project

According to the Paris Agreement, China has the ambition to develop non-fossil energy which will account for 20% of the total energy consumption in 2030. China has abundant biomass potential implying the bioenergy should be an important option of non-fossil energy. In this analysis, we present an representative biogas project (the Deqingyuan project, DQY) in Beijing and conduct a cost-benefit analysis for the whole value chain. DQY is the first large-scale biogas project in China that utilizes 100% chicken manure as a feedstock and integrates biogas production with ecological agriculture using advanced technologies. DQY uses 80,000 t of chicken manure and 100,000 t of sewage each year to produce biogas, which generates 14 million KWh of power annually, and obtains an additional revenue of RMB 8 million yuan each year through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Operating as an example of a sustainable bioenergy model, DQY accomplishes the full use of a recycled resource while showing consideration for animal welfare during the entire production, which is a fundamental component of the new rural energy strategy. The circular economy model of DQY plays a prominent role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, mitigating pollution, and increasing employment, among other benefits. This paper aims to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the typical demonstration model (DQY) in utilization of agricultural waste in China, and further proposes a general development model of Chinese biogas in the future

Perinatal Gene-Gene and Gene-Environment Interactions on IgE Production and Asthma Development

Atopic asthma is a complex disease associated with IgE-mediated immune reactions. Numerous genome-wide studies identified more than 100 genes in 22 chromosomes associated with atopic asthma, and different genetic backgrounds in different environments could modulate susceptibility to atopic asthma. Current knowledge emphasizes the effect of tobacco smoke on the development of childhood asthma. This suggests that asthma, although heritable, is significantly affected by gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. Evidence has recently shown that molecular mechanism of a complex disease may be limited to not only DNA sequence differences, but also gene-environmental interactions for epigenetic difference. This paper reviews and summarizes how gene-gene and gene-environment interactions affect IgE production and the development of atopic asthma in prenatal and childhood stages. Based on the mechanisms responsible for perinatal gene-environment interactions on IgE production and development of asthma, we formulate several potential strategies to prevent the development of asthma in the perinatal stage

Scanning phase imaging without accurate positioning system

Ptychography, a high-resolution phase imaging technique using precise in-plane translation information, has been widely applied in modern synchrotron radiation sources across the globe. A key requirement for successful ptychographic reconstruction is the precise knowledge of the scanning positions, which are typically obtained by a physical interferometric positioning system. Whereas high-throughput positioning poses a challenge in engineering, especially in nano or even smaller scale. In this work, we propose a novel scanning imaging framework that does not require any prior position information from the positioning system. Specifically, our scheme utilizes the wavefront modulation mechanism to reconstruct the object functions at each scan position and the shared illumination function, simultaneously. The scanning trajectory information is extracted by our subpixel image registration algorithm from the overlap region of reconstructed object functions. Then, a completed object function can be obtained by assembling each part of the reconstructed sample functions. High-quality imaging of biological sample and position recovery with sub-pixel accuracy are demonstrated in proof-of-concept experiment. Based on current results, we find it may have great potential applications in high-resolution and high throughput phase imaging.Comment: 9 pages,4 figure