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Doublesex and mab-3-related transcription factor 1 (Dmrt1) is a Z-linked gene that putatively determines the phenotype of gonads in birds. The sex differential expression of Dmrt1 was examined using wholemount in situ hybridization (WISH) in the urogenital systems during embryogenesis. The results revealed that Dmrt1 showed dimorphic expression in chicken gonads, which increased from day 6.5 to day 10.5. The expression of Dmrt1 in male (ZZ) gonads was not twice as much as in female (ZW) gonads, suggesting the existence of other regulatory mechanisms in addition to Z chromosome dosage effect.

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New technologies in gene transfer combined with experimental embryology make the chicken embryo an excellent model system for gene function studies. The techniques of in ovo electroporation, in vitro culture for ex ovo electroporation and retrovirus-mediated gene transfer have already been fully developed in chicken. Yet to our knowledge, there are no definite descriptions on the features and application scopes of these techniques. The survival rates of different in vitro culture methods were compared and the EGFP expression areas of different gene transfer techniques were explored. It was that the optimal timings of removing embryo for EC culture and Petri dish system was at E1.5 and E2.5, respectively; and optimal timing of injecting retrovirus is at E0. Results indicated that the EC culture, in ovo electroporation, the Petri dish system and retrovirus-mediated method are, respectively, suitable for the very early, early, late and whole embryonic stages in chicken. Comparison of different gene transfer methods and establishment of optimal timings are expected to provide a better choice of the efficient method for a particular experiment.

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A two-year field experiment with a split-split plot design was conducted to investigate the effects of soil N(0, 120 and 240 kg N·ha−1) and foliar Zn applications at different growth stages (jointing, flowering, early grain filling, and late grain filling) on Zn translocation and utilization efficiency in winter wheat grown on potentially Zn-deficient soil. Our results showed that foliar Zn application at the early grain filling stage significantly increased the Zn concentration in the grain (by 82.9% compared to control) and the Zn utilization efficiency (by 49% compared to jointing). The Zn concentration in the straw consistently increased with the timing of the foliar Zn application and was highest at late grain filling. However, the timing of the Zn application had little effect on Zn uptake in the grain and straw. A high N supply significantly increased the Zn concentration in and uptake by grain and straw, but it had little effect on the efficiency of Zn utilization. Consequently, a foliar Zn application at early grain filling causes Zn to re-translocate into grain from vegetative tissues, resulting in highly nutritional wheat grain. Finally, these practices improved the efficiency of Zn utilization in winter wheat and led to Zn-enriched straw, which may contribute to Zn recycling if it is returned to the field. The results also indicated that N nutrition is a critical factor in both the concentration and translocation of Zn in wheat.

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An improved ion-pairing reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method coupled with evaporative light scattering detection (HPLC-ELSD) was developed to determine spectinomycin and its related substances in commercial samples. The method was validated in accordance with International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The specificity of the HPLC-ELSD method was similar to that of the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) method, and repeatability and robustness were markedly improved relative to other reported methods due to our empirical evaluation of separation columns. Indeed, it is a more specific assay of spectinomycin than traditional microbiological techniques. The HPLC-ELSD method was used to evaluate the impurity profiles of eight compounds in seven spectinomycin batches from five different companies. Liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) was employed to characterize the structures of these compounds. Though the HPLC-ELSD method was not as sensitive as the Ph. Eur. method, its limit of quantitation (LOQ) (0.16%) was lower than the disregard limit (0.3%) described by the Ph. Eur. 7.0. This suggests that the HPLC-ELSD method is appropriate for routine analysis of spectinomycin and its related substances.

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Abstract  

Positron annihilation lifetime measurement and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry were applied to the study of temperature dependencies of free volume parameters and hydrogen bonds in segmented polyurethane, specially fabricated as a shape memory polymer. The variation of free volumes in amorphous region were correlated to that of hydrogen bonding and the shape memory mechanism of polyurethane is elucidated from a microscopic point of view. The relationship between free volume contents and the formation of hydrogen bonds significantly suggests that the shape memory occurs due to the configurational recovery of the microscopic regulation around urethane bundles of hard segment and consequent restoration of soft-segment in polyurethane.

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The power–time curves of a biological oscillation system were determined for different temperatures, acidities and carbon sources, by using a 2277 thermal activity monitor. The apparent activation energy and order of the oscillation reaction were calculated from the induction period (t in) and the first oscillation period (t p). The regularity of the biological oscillation system is discussed.

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Microcalorimetric measurements of the polymerization of actin in the presence of 100 mM KCl and 2 mM MgCl2were carried out with a Calvet MS-80 microcalorimeter at temperatures from 293.15 to 310.15 K. It was observed that the polymerization of actin was endothermic and the enthalpy change for actin polymerization was temperature-dependent. The enthalpy change ΔHowas fitted to ΔHo(kJ mol-1)=434.0-1.16 (T/K) and the change in heat capacity ΔCp ocalculated from ΔHowas -1.16 kJ (mol K)-1in the above range of temperatures. The direct calorimetry results showed that the enthalpy and entropy change for actin polymerization could not be obtained from measurements of the critical concentration and the only way to assess the enthalpy change for the polymerization of actin and similar reactions lies in the use of calorimetry.

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The inclusion complex of benzaldehyde (BA) with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was prepared and was studied by thermal analysis and X-ray diffractometry. The composition of the complex was identified by TG and elemental analysis as β-CDBA9H2O. TG and DSC studies showed that the thermal dissociation of β-CDBA9H2O took place in three stages: dehydration in the range 70-120C; dissociation of β-CDBA in the range 235-270C; and decomposition of β-CD above 280C. The kinetics of dissociation of β-CDBA in flowing dry nitrogen was studied by means of TG both at constant temperature and at linearly increasing temperature. The results showed that the dissociation of β-CDBA was dominated by a one-dimensional random nucleation and subsequent growth process (A2). The activation energy E was 124. 8 kJ mol-1, and the pre-exponential factor A 5.041011 min-1.

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