Effects of Chemical Activation on the Parthenogenetic Development of Porcine in vitro Maturation Oocytes

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of ionomycin combined with cytochalasin B (CB), cycloheximide (CHX), or 6-dimethylaminopurine (6-DMAP) on the activation of porcine oocytes. In Experiment 1, in vitro matured oocytes were activated with 15,20,25 or 30 mmol L-1 ionomycin separately. Activation rates of 20,25 mmol L-1 and 30 mmol L-1 treatments were higher (P<0.05) than that of 15 mmol L-1 treatment. In Experiment 2, in vitro matured oocytes were activated with 20 mmol L-1 ionomycin for 10,20,30,40 or 50 min and then incubated with 2 mmol L-1 6-DMAP for 6 h.Cleavage and blastocyst rates [(72.40±13.02)％, (25.37±11.43)％] after treatments for 40 min were higher (P>0.05) thanthose of the other treatments. In Experiment 3, matured oocytes were activated with ionomycin and then incubated with 7.5 mgmL-1 CB, 10 mg mL-1 CHX, 2 mmol L-16-DMAP, 7.5 mg mL-1 CB + 10 mg mL-1 CHX or 7.5 mg mL-1 CB + 2 mmol L-1 6-DMAP for6 h. The rates of activation, cleavage and blastocyst of 2 mmol L-1 6-DMAP treatment [(86.05±4.29)％, (61.77±8.10)％ and(21.62±3.31)％] were higher (P<0.05) than those of 7.5 mg mL-1 CB treatment. In Experiment 4, matured oocytes wereactivated with ionomycin and then incubated with 2 mmol L-1 6-DMAP for 3.5, 5.5 or 7.5 h. Cleavage rates and blastocyst rates of 5.5 h treatment [(66.59±14.36)％ and (25.40±10.16)％] were higher (P>0.05) than those of other treatments. In conclusion, activation of porcine oocytes appears to be most successful using the combination of ionomycin (20 mmol L-1,40 min) followed by 6-DMAP (2 mmol L-1, 5.5 h).     

Comment on "Disentangling the drivers of β diversity along latitudinal and elevational gradients"

Kraft et al. (Report, 23 September 2011, p. 1755) analyzed two data sets and concluded that "there is no need to invoke differences in the mechanisms of community assembly in temperate versus tropical systems to explain these global-scale patterns of β diversity." We show that their conclusion is based on inappropriate data and inadequate methods of analysis.     

Comment on "Does the hydrated electron occupy a cavity?"

Larsen et al. (Reports, 2 July 2010, p. 65) challenged the long-standing model of the solvent geometry surrounding a free electron in water using molecular dynamics simulations based on a newly derived electron-water pseudopotential. We illustrate that, in contrast to the model they used, the true electron-water interaction is repulsive in the region relevant to the reported extended electron distribution, consistent with the cavity model.     

The Comment on the Generating Factors of Jian＇an Prose

建安文学产生于汉末的分裂、动荡时期,这一时期特殊的社会政治、思想文化、独特的士风与士人心态催生了建安文学创作的繁荣。考察这些因素,有助于我们更好地理解文学与社会各因素之间错综复杂的关系。     

Uterine Expression of WNT7A and β-catenin After Induction of Oestrus in Sheep

WNT7A and β-catenin localisations and roles in regulating periimplantation ovine conceptus development under natural estrous conditions have been elaborated.However,their locations and expression patterns have not been reported under induction of oestrus.The localisation,expression and function of WNT7A and β-catenin in the uterine tissues of the early pregnant and non-pregnant sheep on days 10,12,14,16 and 18 following artificial induction of oestrus were investigated by means of in situ hybridisation,real-time RT-PCR,immuno-histochemistry and western blotting methods.WNT7A and β-catenin mRNA and protein were both restricted to the apical surfaces of the uterine luminal epithelium (LE) and glandular epithelium (GE).In pregnant sheep,protein localisation of WNT7A and β-catenin was observed both in the endometrial LE and GE.Their staining presented on day 10,increased between day 12 and day 16,and decreased on day 18.WNT7A and β-catenin mRNA and protein expression increased initially and then decreased from day 10 to day 18,peaking on day 16,and β-catenin reaching a peak on day 18 in the uterine tissues of pregnant sheep (p0.05).By contrast,no significant changes in WNT7A and β-catenin mRNA and protein expression levels were observed from day 10 to day 18 of the oestrus cycle in the uterine tissues of non-pregnant sheep (p0.05).Additionally,WNT7A and β-catenin mRNA and protein expression levels in the uterine tissues of the early pregnant sheep were significantly higher than those of non-pregnant sheep (p0.05).Treatment of endometrial epithelial cells with WNT7A increased the mRNA expressions of β-catenin,c-myc and Cyclin D1.These results provided an underlying mechanism of periimplantation ovine conceptus development under induction of oestrus.     

Comment on "Why are there so many species of herbivorous insects in tropical rainforests?"

Novotny et al. (Reports, 25 August 2006, p. 1115) argued that higher herbivore diversity in tropical forests results from greater phylogenetic diversity of host plants, not from higher host specificity. However, if host specificity is related to host abundance, differences in relative host abundance between tropical and temperate regions may limit any general conclusion that herbivore diversity scales directly with host-plant diversity.     

Comment on "Atmospheric PCO₂ perturbations associated with the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province"

Schaller et al. (Research Article, 18 March 2011, p. 1404) proposed that carbon dioxide (CO(2)) released by the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province eruptions over periods of about 20,000 years led to substantial increases of up to 2000 parts per million (ppm) in the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (PCO(2)) near the Triassic-Jurassic boundary. Use of an atmosphere-ocean model coupled to a carbon-cycle model predicts PCO(2) increases of less than 400 ppm from magmatic volatiles, with only a small climatic impact.     

Characterization of dual enzyme resulted from bicistronic expression of two β-glucanases in porcine cells

Many animal feed grains contain high β-glucan in the cell wall. Pigs do not secret β-glucanase to degrade the β-glucan in their feed. The indigestible β-glucan not only blocks the release of nutrients from the grain cell wall, but also increases the digesta viscosity in the gastrointestinal tract of pigs. Therefore, dietary β-glucan significantly inhibits nutrient digestion and absorption in pigs. Transgenic expression of β-glucanase in the digestive tract of pigs may offer a solution to solve this problem. In the current study, four artificial codon-optimized β-glucanases genes was prepared and expressed in porcine cells. Only p Bg A and p Egx showed high activity in transfected pig kidney cells. To improve the p H range and p H stability of β-glucanase, the two β-glucanases, p Bg A and p Egx, were co-expressed in pig kidney cells and salivary gland cells by Linker A3 or 2A peptide. The resulting dual enzymes of p Bg A3 p Eg and p Bg2 Ap Eg showed significantly enlarged p H range and significantly increased p H stability, as compared to parental enzymes. These results provide useful data for future study on increasing the feed digestibility of pigs by transgenic expression of β-glucanase in their salivary glands.     

Investigation on the Effect of Potassium in Retarding the Senescence of Hybrid Rice

Field and pot experiments were carried out to study the effect of potas-sium in retarding the senescence of hybrid rice. There were three treatments:check(K_0), 112.5 kg (K_1), and 225.0 kg (K_2) potassium chloride/ha in fieldexperiment; 5 ppm(K_0), 15 ppm(K_1), 40 ppm(K_2) KCl in pot experiment. The     

Effects of 105 traditional Chinese medicines on the detection of β-agonists in medicine extracts and swine urine based on colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay

Colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay(CGIA) is commonly used for the on-site detection of β-agonists that are sometimes used illegally as feed additives in swine diets. However, few studies have evaluated the causes of false-positive results that sometimes occur when applying CGIA in agricultural settings. In this study, we investigated if this false-positive phenomenon is related to the addition of certain traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs) to swine feed. We established and verified an extraction method for TCMs, and then applied CGIA to detect β-agonists in the extracts of 105 TCMs and in the urine of swine dosed with TCMs, respectively. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to validate the results of the urine samples tested positive for β-agonists using CGIA. The results were also verified using TCMs and colloidal gold test strips produced by different manufacturers. The extracts of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex, Chaenomelis Fructus, and Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix Et Rhizoma were tested positive for β-agonists. Meanwhile, the addition of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium to swine feed resulted in false-positive results for β-agonists in swine urine. The results provide a new way to explain false-positive CGIA results and provide valuable information for livestock feeding programs.     

Development on the Calculation Software Package of the Contribution Rate of Mechanization in Agriculture

This paper introduces a software specially in calculating the contribution rate of machaniztion in agriculture by usng economy math method,computer technology and Visual Basic 6.0 version.The software package has friendly interface,simple operating way and accurate,feasible calculating method.It greatly changes the condition in the past which had considerable lots of data and miscellaneous and trivial methods,which were even hard to seek answer,So it has very high practicl value.     

Effect of Rice Cultivation in the South of China on Hunan Civilization

Ancient cultivated rice: important archaeological findings Rice, a crop cultivated by man with long history, is the staple food on which half of the world population lives. When and where did rice farming originate? Is rice in China an indigenous plant or the one introduced from abroad? Different opinions have been held for over one hundred years. People once thought that rice was firstly cultivated in India, afterwards introduced into China and Southeast Asia from South Asia.     

A Study on the Tryptic Hydrolysis of Proteins in Skim Milk and the Characteristics of the Hydrolysate

Limited enzymatic hydrolysis of skim milk by trypsin was investigated in this paper,and it was found that the degree of hydrolysis (DH) of milk proteins had a relationship of DH^-1=a bt^-1 with the time(t) of hydrolysis at low enzyme concentrations some properties of the protein such as NSI in PI or TCA were changed obviously,It was suggested that mosk milk proteins would be degraded into peptides by trypsin.     

Influences of Feeding Lactobacillus on Colonization of the Lactobacillus in Chicks''Digestible Tracts

It was carried out with culture solution of Lactobacillus fed to the newborn chicks to observe the influences on colonization of the Lactobacillus in chicks′ digestible tracts. The results showed that after the chicks were fed Lactobacillus, the amount of the Lactobacillus in chicks′ digestible tracts significantly increased (P＜0.01) and the Lactobacillus colonized 36h ahead of schedule     

Advances of Researches on the Mechanism of Transgene Silencing in Transgenic Plants

转基因沉默是导致外源基因不能在转化植株中正常表达的重要原因。在此,从转录水平和转录后水平两个方面,综述了转基因植物中外源基因沉默的机制。DNA甲基化是引起外源基因沉默的主要原因。人们目前用以下几种模型来解释转录后水平基因沉默的机制,如RNA阈值模型、异常RNA和异位配对模型及双链RNA模型。对外源基因沉默机制的探讨是顺利开展植物基因工程的迫切要求,也将促进植物功能基因组学研究的进一步深入。     

Influences of Natural Colloid in Seawater on the Growth of a Microalga

Cooloid concentrates were obtained by employing a cross-flow filtration system to ultrafiltrate seawater(which was pre-filtrated by 0.45 μm acetate cellulose membrane)sucessively with three membranes.The retentions(colloid concentrates)and control sample(in which colloid was removed)were then inoculated with a microalga and cultivated in vitro.After continuously monitoring cell content during cultivation,it was found that colloid had an obvious beneficial effect on the growth of microalga.Although colloids with different sizes influenced microalga‘s growth in different extent and ways,a brief conclusion could be draw from experiments that colloid might be a potential nutrition source for microalga‘s growth.