Browsing by Author "Wang B"

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    Author Correction: Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics.
    (2021-04) Feng S; Stiller J; Deng Y; Armstrong J; Fang Q; Reeve AH; Xie D; Chen G; Guo C; Faircloth BC; Petersen B; Wang Z; Zhou Q; Diekhans M; Chen W; Andreu-Sánchez S; Margaryan A; Howard JT; Parent C; Pacheco G; Sinding M-HS; Puetz L; Cavill E; Ribeiro ÂM; Eckhart L; Fjeldså J; Hosner PA; Brumfield RT; Christidis L; Bertelsen MF; Sicheritz-Ponten T; Tietze DT; Robertson BC; Song G; Borgia G; Claramunt S; Lovette IJ; Cowen SJ; Njoroge P; Dumbacher JP; Ryder OA; Fuchs J; Bunce M; Burt DW; Cracraft J; Meng G; Hackett SJ; Ryan PG; Jønsson KA; Jamieson IG; da Fonseca RR; Braun EL; Houde P; Mirarab S; Suh A; Hansson B; Ponnikas S; Sigeman H; Stervander M; Frandsen PB; van der Zwan H; van der Sluis R; Visser C; Balakrishnan CN; Clark AG; Fitzpatrick JW; Bowman R; Chen N; Cloutier A; Sackton TB; Edwards SV; Foote DJ; Shakya SB; Sheldon FH; Vignal A; Soares AER; Shapiro B; González-Solís J; Ferrer-Obiol J; Rozas J; Riutort M; Tigano A; Friesen V; Dalén L; Urrutia AO; Székely T; Liu Y; Campana MG; Corvelo A; Fleischer RC; Rutherford KM; Gemmell NJ; Dussex N; Mouritsen H; Thiele N; Delmore K; Liedvogel M; Franke A; Hoeppner MP; Krone O; Fudickar AM; Milá B; Ketterson ED; Fidler AE; Friis G; Parody-Merino ÁM; Battley PF; Cox MP; Lima NCB; Prosdocimi F; Parchman TL; Schlinger BA; Loiselle BA; Blake JG; Lim HC; Day LB; Fuxjager MJ; Baldwin MW; Braun MJ; Wirthlin M; Dikow RB; Ryder TB; Camenisch G; Keller LF; DaCosta JM; Hauber ME; Louder MIM; Witt CC; McGuire JA; Mudge J; Megna LC; Carling MD; Wang B; Taylor SA; Del-Rio G; Aleixo A; Vasconcelos ATR; Mello CV; Weir JT; Haussler D; Li Q; Yang H; Wang J; Lei F; Rahbek C; Gilbert MTP; Graves GR; Jarvis ED; Paten B; Zhang G
    In Supplementary Table 1 of this Article, 23 samples (B10K-DU-029-32, B10K-DU-029-33, B10K-DU-029-36 to B10K-DU-029-44, B10K-DU- 029-46, B10K-DU-029-47, B10K-DU-029-49 to B10K-DU-029-53, B10K-DU- 029-75 to B10K-DU-029-77, B10K-DU-029-80, and B10K-DU-030-03; styled in boldface in the revised table) were assigned to the incorrect institution. Supplementary Table 1 has been amended to reflect the correct source institution for these samples, and associated data (tissue, museum ID/source specimen ID, site, state/province, latitude, longitude, date collected and sex) have been updated accordingly. The original table is provided as Supplementary Information to this Amendment, and the original Article has been corrected online.
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    CHANGES IN THE LEVELS OF THEILERIA ORIENTALIS IKEDA TYPE INFECTION IN HAEMAPHYSALIS LONGICORNIS NYMPHS OVER A SIX-MONTH PERIOD.
    (1/09/2021) Zhao Y; Lawrence KE; Minor M; Gedye K; Wang B; Pomroy W; Potter M
    This study aimed to investigate whether the infection intensity of Theileria orientalis Ikeda type organisms within Haemaphysalis longicornis larvae and nymph stages fluctuated over 6 mo after feeding as larvae on infected calves in the field. Naïve larvae, hatched from eggs, were fed on infected calves for 5 days while contained within cotton socks glued over the calves' ears. Larvae were first sampled immediately post-feeding and then sampled every 3 wk for 23 wk in total, after molting to nymphs. All larvae and nymphs were tested for T. orientalis Ikeda organisms using quantitative PCR. The qPCR results showed that the infection intensity of Haemaphysalis longicornis larvae and nymphs was not constant over the sampling period, and after initially dropping after molting to nymphs, it then rose with fasting to a maximum at 17 and 23 wk post-feeding. The significant rise in T. orientalis Ikeda organisms observed at 23 wk postfeeding may explain why more severe clinical cases of bovine theileriosis in New Zealand are seen in the spring when nymphs are the predominant instar questing.
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    Kombucha: Production and Microbiological Research
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-10-31) Wang B; Rutherfurd-Markwick K; Zhang X-X; Mutukumira AN
    Kombucha is a sparkling sugared tea commonly prepared using a sugared tea infusion and fermented at ambient temperature for several days using a cellulose pellicle also called tea fungus that is comprised of acetic acid bacteria and yeast. Consumption of Kombucha has been reported as early as 220 B.C. with various reported potential health benefits and appealing sensory properties. During Kombucha fermentation, sucrose is hydrolysed by yeast cells into fructose and glucose, which are then metabolised to ethanol. The ethanol is then oxidised by acetic acid bacteria (AAB) to produce acetic acid which is responsible for the reduction of the pH and also contributes to the sour taste of Kombucha. Characterisation of the AAB and yeast in the Kombucha starter culture can provide a better understanding of the fermentation process. This knowledge can potentially aid in the production of higher quality products as these microorganisms affect the production of metabolites such as organic acids which are associated with potential health benefits, as well as sensory properties. This review presents recent advances in the isolation, enumeration, biochemical characteristics, conventional phenotypic identification system, and modern genetic identification techniques of AAB and yeast present in Kombucha to gain a better understanding of the microbial diversity of the beverage.
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    Obligate mutualism within a host drives the extreme specialization of a fig wasp genome
    (BioMed Central Ltd, 20/12/2013) Xiao J-H; Yue Z; Jia L-Y; Yang X-H; Niu L-H; Wang Z; Zhang P; Sun B-F; He S-M; Li Z; Xiong T-L; Xin W; Gu H-F; Wang B; Werren JH; Murphy RW; Wheeler D; Niu L-M; Ma G-C; Tang T; Bian S-N; Wang N-X; Yang C-Y; Wang N; Fu Y-G; Li W-Z; Yi SV; Yang X-Y; Zhou Q; Lu C-X; Xu C-Y; He L-J; Yu L-L; Chen M; Zheng Y; Wang S-W; Zhao S; Li Y-H; Yu Y-Y; Qian X-J; Cai Y; Bian L-L; Zhang S; Wang J-Y; Yin Y; Xiao H; Wang G-H; Yu H; Wu W-S; Cook JM; Wang J; Huang D-W
    Background: Fig pollinating wasps form obligate symbioses with their fig hosts. This mutualism arose approximately 75 million years ago. Unlike many other intimate symbioses, which involve vertical transmission of symbionts to host offspring, female fig wasps fly great distances to transfer horizontally between hosts. In contrast, male wasps are wingless and cannot disperse. Symbionts that keep intimate contact with their hosts often show genome reduction, but it is not clear if the wide dispersal of female fig wasps will counteract this general tendency. We sequenced the genome of the fig wasp Ceratosolen solmsi to address this question. Results: The genome size of the fig wasp C. solmsi is typical of insects, but has undergone dramatic reductions of gene families involved in environmental sensing and detoxification. The streamlined chemosensory ability reflects the overwhelming importance of females finding trees of their only host species, Ficus hispida, during their fleeting adult lives. Despite long-distance dispersal, little need exists for detoxification or environmental protection because fig wasps spend nearly all of their lives inside a largely benign host. Analyses of transcriptomes in females and males at four key life stages reveal that the extreme anatomical sexual dimorphism of fig wasps may result from a strong bias in sex-differential gene expression. Conclusions: Our comparison of the C. solmsi genome with other insects provides new insights into the evolution of obligate mutualism. The draft genome of the fig wasp, and transcriptomic comparisons between both sexes at four different life stages, provide insights into the molecular basis for the extreme anatomical sexual dimorphism of this species. © 2013 Xiao et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
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    Spatiotemporal evolution of air cargo networks and its impact on economic development - An analysis of China's domestic market before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2024-05) He H; Wu H; Tsui KWH; Wang B; Fu X
    China's domestic air cargo network plays a crucial role in economic development by enabling the efficient and reliable transportation of goods, ensuring regional competitiveness, and supporting sustained economic growth. This study aimed to examine and analyse the spatiotemporal evolution of China's domestic air cargo network and structural configuration and its relationship with local economic development before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby enhancing a better understanding of the mechanisms linking air cargo networks/operations and economic development. By applying the complex network theory and the seemingly unrelated regression framework, this study revealed a significant expansion of China's domestic air cargo network, even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed the substantial growth of smaller airports in the western region that were involved in air cargo operations and the enhanced connectivity of major hub airports in coastal cities in the east. Moreover, this study established a causal relationship between the development of the air cargo network and economic growth. These findings have significant implications for various stakeholders, including policymakers at both the central and local levels, as well as airports and airlines, strengthening the development of air cargo networks.
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    Theileria orientalis Ikeda infection detected in red deer but not dogs or horses in New Zealand.
    (2024-09-02) Lawrence KE; Gedye K; Carvalho L; Wang B; Fermin LM; Pomroy WE
    AIMS: To determine whether evidence for infection with Theileria orientalis (Ikeda) could be identified in samples of commercial red deer (Cervus elaphus), horses, and working farm dogs in New Zealand. METHODS: Blood samples were collected during October and November 2019 from a convenience sample of red deer (n = 57) at slaughter. Equine blood samples (n = 50) were convenience-sampled from those submitted to a veterinary pathology laboratory for routine testing in January 2020. Blood samples, collected for a previous study from a convenience sample of Huntaway dogs (n = 115) from rural regions throughout the North and South Islands of New Zealand between August 2018 and December 2020, were also tested. DNA was extracted and quantitative PCR was used to detect the T. orientalis Ikeda major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) gene. A standard curve of five serial 10-fold dilutions of a plasmid carrying a fragment of the T. orientalis MPSP gene was used to quantify the number of T. orientalis organisms in the samples. MPSP amplicons obtained by end-point PCR on positive samples were isolated and subjected to DNA sequencing. The resulting sequences were compared to previously published T. orientalis sequences. RESULTS: There were 6/57 (10%) samples positive for T. orientalis Ikeda from the deer and no samples positive for T. orientalis Ikeda from the working dogs or horses. The mean infection intensity for the six PCR-positive deer was 5.1 (min 2.2, max 12.4) T. orientalis Ikeda organisms/µL. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Red deer can potentially sustain low infection intensities of T. orientalis Ikeda and could act as reservoirs of infected ticks. Further studies are needed to determine whether naïve ticks feeding on infected red deer can themselves become infected. ABBREVIATIONS: Cq: Quantification cycle; LOQ: Limits of quantification; MPSP: Major piroplasm surface protein; qPCR: Quantitative polymerase chain reaction.