Transcriptome And Expression Profiling Analysis Link Patterns Of Gene Expression To Antennal Responses In Spodoptera Litura

Background: The study of olfaction is key to understanding the interaction of insects with their environment and provides opportunities to develop novel tactics for control of pest species. Recent developments in transcriptomic approaches enable the molecular basis of olfaction to be studied even in species with limited genomic information. Here we use transcriptome and expression profiling analysis to characterize the antennal transcriptome of the noctuid moth and polyphagous pest Spodoptera litura. Results: We identify 74 candidate genes involved in odor detection and recognition, encoding 26 ORs, 21 OBPs, 18 CSPs and 9 IRs. We examine their expression levels in both sexes and seek evidence for their function by relating their expression with levels of EAG response in male and female antennae to 58 host and non-host plant volatiles and sex pheromone components. The majority of olfactory genes showed sex-biased expression, usually male-biased in ORs. A link between OR gene expression and antennal responses to odors was evident, a third of the compounds tested evoking a sex-biased response, in every case also male-biased. Two candidate pheromone receptors, OR14 and OR23 were especially strongly expressed and male-biased and we suggest that these may respond to the two female sex pheromone components of S. litura, Z9E11-14:OAc and Z9E12-14:OAc, which evoked strongly male-biased EAG responses. Conclusions: Our results provide the molecular basis for elucidating the olfactory profile of moths and the sexual divergence of their behavior and could enable the targeting of particular genes, and behaviors for pest management

Constructing an Efficient <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> Spore Display by Using Cohesin−Dockerin Interactions

Bacillus subtilis spore display has become a field of increasing interest in the past two decades. To improve the efficiency of B. subtilis spore display, its directed modification was performed based on the cellulosome architecture by introducing onto them divergent cohesin (Coh) modules that can specifically bind to the target enzyme bearing the matching dockerins (Doc). In this study, five different pairs of cohesins and dockerins, selected from four cellulolytic microbes, were examined for their capabilities in displaying a tetrameric enzyme β-galactosidase from Bacillus stearothermophilus IAM11001 on the surface of B. subtilis WB600 spores. Immunofluorescence microscopy, western blotting, dot blotting, and enzyme assay was applied to confirm its surface expression. All the resultant five Coh–Doc based spore display can hydrolyze o-nitrophenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside. Further, the optimized Coh–Doc based spore display exhibited the highest display efficiency. Overall, the results of current study may open new perspectives on the use of Coh–Doc interaction, which will find application in improving the efficiency of B. subtilis spore display

Observation of flux jump in (MgB2)0.96Ni0.04 superconductor doped with milled Ni powders

Bulk (MgB 2) 0.96Ni 0.04 samples doping with premilled Ni powders were sintered at 750∈°C for 30 min. During sintering, liquid Mg-Ni phase prompts solid-solid reaction between Mg and B and the size of milled Ni powder determines the final distribution of the secondary MgNi 2.5B 2 phase in the sintered samples. A flux jump was observed in the (MgB 2) 0.96Ni 0.04 samples doping with Ni powders. Recognized from the measured superconductive properties, smaller-sized Ni powders can provide more effective flux pinning centers and thus improve the performance of the critical current density. 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

Mechanism analysis for the enhanced electromagnetic properties in nano-SiC-doped MgB2 based on the discussion of the sintering process

Combined with the thermal analysis and phase identification, the sintering process of nano-SiC-doped MgB2 samples was systemically investigated. Accordingly, a new consideration for the mechanism of enhanced electromagnetic properties of nano-SiC-doped MgB2 is proposed, which is more consistent with the observed experimental results of nano-SiC-doped MgB 2 samples sintered at different temperatures and has many advantages over the previous model in explaining the experimental observations. 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd

A novel approach for efficient Ni nanoparticle doping of MgB2 by liquid-assisted sintering

Ni nanoparticles were successfully introduced for preparing polycrystalline MgB2 samples by a novel reduction method. According to transmission electron microscopy, the obtained Ni nanoparticles with average grain size of 5 nm are distributed in the B matrix without agglomeration. The missing shift in X-ray diffraction peaks indicates that Ni nanoparticles could not substitute Mg sites in the lattice, but rather form the ternary compound MgNi 2.5B2 above 600 C. The low-melting eutectic liquid formed by MgNi at 506 C is responsible for the formation of plate-like MgB2 grains and the fast fabrication of MgB2 at low temperature. The sample doped with nano-Ni has better grain connectivity and the critical current density (Jc) with respect to the commercial Ni-doped sample, but there is no improvement compare with the pure MgB2 sample. A sintering model was accounted for understanding the reaction between Mg and B with the assistance of Ni nanoparticles. 2006 IEEE

The improved superconductive properties of MgB2 bulks with minor Cu addition through reducing the MgO impurity

The minor Cu (\u3c3 \u3eat%) addition could significantly reduce the amount of MgO impurity in the in situ sintered MgB2 samples and thus improve the critical current density (Jc) at low field and the critical transition temperature (Tc). The formation of local Mg-Cu liquid at about 485 °C could wrap the neighboring Mg particles and thus protect them from the oxidation during the sintering process. Our results provide a possible route to further improve the superconductive properties of pure or doped MgB2 samples through decreasing the amount of MgO impurity with minor Cu addition. 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The chloroplast genome of Fallopia aubertii (Polygonaceae) from Xining, China

Fallopia aubertii (L.Henry) Holub (Polygonaceae), a woody plant with a voluble stem, is used as a folk herbal medicines for the treatment of gout, fever and pneumonia. To better understand the molecular genetics of F. aubertii, its complete chloroplast genome was sequenced and annotated. The assembled chloroplast genome is a circular 160,951 bp sequence consisting of large single copy (87,279 bp) and small single copy (13,394 bp) regions, separated by two inverted repeat regions (30,860 bp each). The genome contains 131 genes including 86 protein-coding, 37 tRNA and 8 tRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on the complete chloroplast genome showed that F. aubertii is more closely related to M. australis than to F. sachalinensis, which exhibited a polyphyletic relationship with respect to F. aubertii. These results require further analyses. This study provides additional data for reconstructing species relationships in Fallopia

Tunable Magnetocaloric Properties of Gd-Based Alloys by Adding Tb and Doping Fe Elements

In this paper, the magnetocaloric properties of Gd1&minus;xTbx alloys were studied and the optimum composition was determined to be Gd0.73Tb0.27. On the basis of Gd0.73Tb0.27, the influence of different Fe-doping content was discussed and the effect of heat treatment was also investigated. The adiabatic temperature change (&Delta;Tad) obtained by the direct measurement method (under a low magnetic field of 1.2 T) and specific heat capacity calculation method (indirect measurement) was used to characterize the magnetocaloric properties of Gd1&minus;xTbx (x = 0~0.4) and (Gd0.73Tb0.27)1&minus;yFey (y = 0~0.15), and the isothermal magnetic entropy (&Delta;SM) was also used as a reference parameter for evaluating the magnetocaloric properties of samples together with &Delta;Tad. In Gd1&minus;xTbx alloys, the Curie temperature (Tc) decreased from 293 K (x = 0) to 257 K (x = 0.4) with increasing Tb content, and the Gd0.73Tb0.27 alloy obtained the best adiabatic temperature change, which was ~3.5 K in a magnetic field up to 1.2 T (Tc = 276 K). When the doping content of Fe increased from y = 0 to y = 0.15, the Tc of (Gd0.73Tb0.27)1&minus;yFey (y = 0~0.15) alloys increased significantly from 276 K (y = 0) to 281 K (y = 0.15), and a good magnetocaloric effect was maintained. The annealing of alloys (Gd0.73Tb0.27)1&minus;yFey (y = 0~0.15) at 1073 K for 10 h resulted in an average increase of 0.3 K in the maximum adiabatic temperature change and a slight increase in Tc. This study is of great significance for the study of magnetic refrigeration materials with adjustable Curie temperature in a low magnetic field

Effects of ball milling on the sintering process and superconducting properties of (MgB2)0.96Ni0.04 bulks

Samples of (MgB 2) 0.96Ni 0.04 prepared by mechanical alloying were sintered at 750 °C for 30 min. The reactive process and generating temperature of the second phase were investigated by employing differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electronic microscopy. Corresponding microstructures and superconducting properties have also been analyzed. It is found that two-step milling is effective in refining the structure and in eliminating flux jumps, although the corresponding J c is slightly lowered due to the existence of excessive MgO. This observation indicates that the bulk samples prepared by two-step milling possess stable properties of magnetism and heat compared with the sample prepared by manual milling. 2012 IEEE