Chinese Silver Research Articles

Secondary contact zone and genetic introgression in closely related haplodiploid social spider mites.

How frequently hybridisation and gene flow occur in the contact zones of diverging taxa is important for understanding the speciation process. Stigmaeopsis sabelisi and Stigmaeopsis miscanthi high-aggression form (hereafter, S. miscanthi HG) are haplodiploid, social spider mites that infest the Chinese silver grass, Miscanthus sinensis. These two species are closely related and parapatrically distributed in Japan. In mountainous areas, S. sabelisi and S. miscanthi HG are often found in the highlands and lowlands, respectively, suggesting that they are in contact at intermediate altitudes. It is estimated that they diverged from their common ancestors distributed in subtropical regions (south of Japan) during the last glacial period, expanded their distribution into the Japanese Archipelago, and came to have such a parapatric distribution (secondary contact). As their reproductive isolation is strong but incomplete, hybridisation and genetic introgression are expected at their distributional boundaries. In this study, we investigated their spatial distribution patterns along the elevation on Mt. Amagi using male morphological differences, and investigated their hybridisation status using single-nucleotide polymorphisms by MIG-seq. We found their contact zone at altitudes of 150-430 m, suggesting that their contact zone is prevalent in the parapatric area, which is in line with a previous study. Interspecific mating was predicted based on the sex ratio in the contact zone. No obvious hybrids were found, but genetic introgression was detected although it was extremely low.

Effect of Composted Organic Waste on Miscanthus sinensis Andersson Energy Value

At the time of rising urbanization and population growth, the search for renewable energy sources to ensure sustainable development is of extreme importance. The aim of this research was to determine the effects of different proportions of composted organic materials, i.e., mushroom substrate and municipal waste, on Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis Andersson) energy value. A three-year field experiment was established on experimental plots in the east-central part of Poland. Various treatment combinations, each introducing 170 kg N·ha−1 to the soil, had a positive effect on the energy parameters of Chinese silver grass biomass. The highest calorific value (17,964 kJ·kg−1) was noted for plants treated with mushroom compost on its own (MSC100%).

Leveraging the sugarcane CRISPR/Cas9 technique for genetic improvement of non-cultivated grasses.

Under changing climatic scenarios, grassland conservation and development have become imperative to impart functional sustainability to their ecosystem services. These goals could be effectively and efficiently achieved with targeted genetic improvement of native grass species. To the best of our literature search, very scant research findings are available pertaining to gene editing of non-cultivated grass species (switch grass, wild sugarcane, Prairie cordgrass, Bermuda grass, Chinese silver grass, etc.) prevalent in natural and semi-natural grasslands. Thus, to explore this novel research aspect, this study purposes that gene editing techniques employed for improvement of cultivated grasses especially sugarcane might be used for non-cultivated grasses as well. Our hypothesis behind suggesting sugarcane as a model crop for genetic improvement of non-cultivated grasses is the intricacy of gene editing owing to polyploidy and aneuploidy compared to other cultivated grasses (rice, wheat, barley, maize, etc.). Another reason is that genome editing protocols in sugarcane (x = 10-13) have been developed and optimized, taking into consideration the high level of genetic redundancy. Thus, as per our knowledge, this review is the first study that objectively evaluates the concept and functioning of the CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas9 technique in sugarcane regarding high versatility, target specificity, efficiency, design simplicity, and multiplexing capacity in order to explore novel research perspectives for gene editing of non-cultivated grasses against biotic and abiotic stresses. Additionally, pronounced challenges confronting sugarcane gene editing have resulted in the development of different variants (Cas9, Cas12a, Cas12b, and SpRY) of the CRISPR tool, whose technicalities have also been critically assessed. Moreover, different limitations of this technique that could emerge during gene editing of non-cultivated grass species have also been highlighted.

Physiological Response of Miscanthus sinensis (Anderss.) to Biostimulants

Soil salinity stress is a serious problem in plant cultivation. The effect of this stress is to disrupt the photosynthetic process, which can cause growth restrictions and a decrease in plant productivity. The use of biostimulants can be one of the stress mitigation strategies in plant cultivation. Biostimulants increase the tolerance of plants to abiotic stresses, thus mitigating their adverse effects. In the present study, based on a pot experiment, the effect of foliar application of biostimulants differentiated in terms of chemical composition (Bombardino (B1), Quantis® (B2), Biofol Plex (B3) and Megafol (B4)) on the physiological properties of Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis (Anderss.)) plants growing under salt stress conditions was determined. Salt stress was induced by soil application of NaCl at concentrations of 200 and 400 mM. The application of salt solutions was followed by spraying Miscanthus plants with biostimulants using a hand-held sprayer. Physiological investigations (chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence and gas exchange) have been carried out twice: on the 1st (Term I) and 7th (Term II) day after spraying with biostimulants. It was shown that salt stress causes a decrease in the values of most of the physiological indicators tested (except Ci). On both measurement dates, the application of biostimulants, especially B2, caused an improvement in the values of the physiological indices studied, both for plants growing under optimal conditions and under salt stress. Term II showed an upward trend in most of the analyzed parameters compared to Term I, indicating plant acclimatization to stress conditions. Conducted studies have shown that using biostimulants contributes to the alleviation of the effects of soil salinity stress. The implementation of these practices can contribute to the advancement of sustainable farming.

Making plant methane formation visible-Insights from application of 13C-labeled dimethyl sulfoxide.

Methane (CH4) formation by vegetation has been studied intensively over the last 15 years. However, reported CH4 emissions vary by several orders of magnitude, thus making global estimates difficult. Moreover, the mechanism(s) for CH4 formation by plants is (are) largely unknown.Here, we introduce a new approach for making CH4 formation by plants clearly visible. By application of 13C-labeled dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) onto the leaves of tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum) and Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis) the effect of light and dark conditions on CH4 formation of this pathway was examined by monitoring stable carbon isotope ratios of headspace CH4 (δ13C-CH4 values).Both plant species showed increasing headspace δ13C-CH4 values while exposed to light. Higher light intensities increased CH4 formation rates in N. tabacum but decreased rates for M. sinensis. In the dark no formation of CH4 could be detected for N. tabacum, while M. sinensis still produced ~50% of CH4 compared to that during light exposure.Our findings suggest that CH4 formation is clearly dependent on light conditions and plant species and thus indicate that DMSO is a potential precursor of vegetative CH4. The novel isotope approach has great potential to investigate, at high temporal resolution, physiological, and environmental factors that control pathway-specific CH4 emissions from plants.

The Efficiency of the Chinese Silver Standard, 1920–1933

We test for integration of financial markets in China during 1920-1933 using a new dataset of domestic exchange rates. Our data concerns tael-denominated telegraphic transfers between Shanghai and nine other cities. We find that Chinese financial markets, as measured by the efficiency of silver-point arbitrage, were highly integrated among major commercial hubs in north and central China, but there was a lower level of integration for more remote cities in the south. Our paper presents the first comprehensive assessment of the efficiency of the Chinese silver standard and contributes to a revaluation of market performance during pre-communist China.

The impact of US macroeconomic news announcements on Chinese commodity futures

Using intraday data from 2013 to 2016, we examine the instantaneous response of eight Chinese commodity futures to 19 different types of scheduled US macroeconomic news announcements after the introduction of night trading in China. We provide robust evidence that the surprise components of a number of news announcements exhibit a significant effect on returns, trading volume, and volatility of a majority of Chinese futures contracts, with gold and silver futures being the most sensitive. Moreover, we observe an asymmetric effect between positive and negative surprise components. A further examination of the responses to the US macroeconomic news announcements using US gold and silver futures over the same sample period provides qualitatively similar results with larger magnitudes. This evidence suggests a possible channel through which the impact of macroeconomic news announcements transmits from the US to the Chinese commodity futures market.

A report on the courtship behaviour and captive breeding via artificial incubation of Chinese Silver Pheasant (Lophura nycthemera)

A report on the courtship behaviour and captive breeding via artificial incubation of Chinese Silver Pheasant (Lophura nycthemera)

A silver transformation: Chinese monetary integration in times of political disintegration, 1898–1933†

AbstractThis article provides the first systematic econometric study on the evolution of Chinese silver exchange and monetary regimes during the period 1898–1933. Using high‐quality datasets of monthly and daily prices of silver dollars, we apply the threshold autoregressive models to estimate the silver points between Shanghai and 18 other cities in northern and central China. We find a noticeable improvement in monetary integration between Shanghai and Tianjin from the 1910s, which then spread to other cities in our sample throughout the 1920s and 1930s. We supplement our analysis with new datasets on volumes and costs of silver flows and with an in‐depth historical narrative. This article re‐evaluates the efficiency of the silver regime and China's economic performance in the Republican era.

Volatile components of American silver carp analyzed by electronic nose and MMSE-GC-MS-O.

We evaluated the characteristic odor substances in Asian carp meat, which are prevalent in the Great Lakes, to provide a foundation for resource utilization and removing its fishy smell. Three Mono Trap RCC18 adsorbents were used to extract samples. Volatile components were analyzed by gas phase-olfaction-mass spectrometry. The main odor-active substances were identified by aroma extraction dilution analysis. The overall odor profile was analyzed by electronic nose. Overall sensory evaluation showed that metallic and grassy in Chinese carp were heavier than those in American. Trimethylamine, ketones, aldehydes, and alcohols were the main odor components in the two species. Flavor dilution factors indicated that hexanal (grassy), 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom-like), and 2,3-pentanedione (milky) were important. Trimethylamine, 1-pentene-3-ol, 2,3-pentanedione, pentanal, 3-methyl-1-butanol, hexanal, 1-Hexanol, heptanal, 1-heptanol, 1-octen-3-ol, octanal, 2,3-pentanedione. D-limonene, nonanal, decanal, and naphthalene were the main flavor substances. The contents and intensities of volatile substances are generally higher in American than in Chinese silver carp. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The large numbers of American silver carp are problematic in the Great Lakes. Pollution of the water environment may cause contamination in the fish body and the smell of freshwater fish is heavy and unacceptable. This study focuses on the odor of American silver carp to provide a foundation for later deodorization to increase utilization of the American silver carp.

GLOBAL QUANTIFICATION AND INVENTORY DEMAND FOR SILVER IN CHINA

ABSTRACTThis article provides an initial (partial) estimate of silver quantities held within China around mid-18thcentury, utilising archival evidence related to wealth confiscations. Better future estimates for overall Chinese silver holdings could also facilitate more accurate estimation of Chinese silver (legal plus illegal) imports. Similar analyses for other world regions could eventually yield estimates for global silver stock holdings, useful in turn for improving global silver mining and trade flow estimates. Extensive contraband silver mining and silver trade are known to have escaped official recordation, by definition. If methodologies suggested herein prove successful, then parallel non-silver-trade-good estimates could follow. Current exclusive focus upon production and trade flows should be reevaluated in the context of linkages with accumulations of goods (wealth components). Economic history could someday provide a prominent stage for the historical study of wealth holdings, thereby furnishing context for increasing wealth concentrations observable worldwide today.

Texts and Technologies in Chinese Silver Metallurgy, Twelfth to Nineteenth Centuries

The silver metallurgy of late imperial China has rarely been the subject of specific studies because silver exploitation has long been considered of minor importance and traditional sources are scarce. This article is an attempt at filling the research gap of the period from the Song to the late Qing. With a focus on the silver mines of the Southwest and the adjoining borderlands and employing an approach that combines textual analysis with the study of remains and oral histories, it presents a systematic discussion of process steps and traces technological transformations.

Chinese silver grass Miscanthus sinensis (Poaceae): new alien species in the flora of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Chinese silver grass Miscanthus sinensis Andersson is native in southeastern Asia. It has been recorded as new to the vascular flora of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at two localities near the town of Zavidovići. The paper presents a short morphological description, photographs of the new alien species for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the distribution of the taxon.

Three members of Opisthomonorcheides Parukhin, 1966 (Digenea: Monorchiidae) from carangid fishes (Perciformes) from Indonesia, with a review of the genus

Three species of Opisthomonorcheides Parukhin, 1966 are reported for the first time from Indonesian waters: O. pampi (Wang, 1982) Liu, Peng, Gao, Fu, Wu, Lu, Gao & Xiao, 2010 and O. ovacutus (Mamaev, 1970) Machida, 2011 from Parastromateus niger (Bloch), and O. decapteri Parukhin, 1966 from Atule mate (Cuvier). Both O. pampi and O. ovacutus can now be considered widespread in the Indo-Pacific region, with earlier records of these species being from Fujian Province, China and Penang, Malaysia, respectively. We redescribe O. decapteri from one of its original hosts, Atule mate, off New Caledonia, and report this species from Jakarta Bay, Indonesia, extending its range throughout the Indian Ocean into the south-western Pacific. All three species possess a genital atrium that is long, sometimes very long, and a genital pore that is located in the forebody. This validates the interpretation that the original description was erroneous in reporting the genital pore in the hindbody, well posterior to the ventral sucker. These observations verify the synonymy of Retractomonorchis Madhavi, 1977 with Opisthomonorcheides. A major discrepancy between the species of Opisthomonorcheides is that some are described with the uterus entering the terminal organ laterally and some with it entering terminally; this feature needs further analysis. Based on the length of the genital atrium and the posterior extent of the vitellarium, the 27 species of Opisthomonorcheides considered valid can be divided into four groups. Among the 53 host records analysed, the families Carangidae (53% of records), Stromateidae (17%) and Serranidae (5.7%) are the most common; the reports are overwhelmingly from members of the Perciformes (91%), with further records in the Clupeiformes (5.7%), Gadiformes (1.9%) and Pleuronectiformes (1.9%). Two fish genera (Parastromateus Bleeker and Pampus Bonaparte) dominate the recorded hosts, with the black pomfret Parastromateus niger harbouring six species, the silver pomfret Pampus argenteus (Euphrasen) harbouring six, and the Chinese silver pomfret P. chinensis (Euphrasen) two. A host-parasite checklist is presented. We discuss the host-specificity of members of the genus, questioning some records such as that of O. decapteri in a deep-sea macrourid. We also comment on the morphological similarity, but phylogenetic distance, between the various Pomfret species, advancing the possibility that a series of host misidentifications has occurred. Sequences of the ITS2 rDNA gene generated for O. pampi and O. ovacutus are briefly discussed and molecular data are lodged in the GenBank database.

How the user can influence particulate emissions from residential wood and pellet stoves: Emission factors for different fuels and burning conditions

For a common household wood stove and a pellet stove we investigated the dependence of emission factors for various gaseous and particulate pollutants on burning phase, burning condition, and fuel. Ideal and non-ideal burning conditions (dried wood, under- and overload, small logs, logs with bark, excess air) were used. We tested 11 hardwood species (apple, ash, bangkirai, birch, beech, cherry, hickory, oak, olive, plum, sugar maple), 4 softwood species (Douglas fir, pine, spruce, spruce/fir), treated softwood, beech and oak wood briquettes, paper briquettes, brown coal, wood chips, and herbaceous species (miscanthus, Chinese silver grass) as fuel. Particle composition (black carbon, non-refractory, and some semi-refractory species) was measured continuously. Repeatability was shown to be better for the pellet stove than for the wood stove. It was shown that the user has a strong influence on wood stove emission behavior both by selection of the fuel and of the burning conditions: Combustion efficiency was found to be low at both very low and very high burn rates, and influenced particle properties such as particle number, mass, and organic content in a complex way. No marked differences were found for the emissions from different wood species. For non-woody fuels, much higher emission factors could be observed (up to five-fold increase). Strongest enhancement of emission factors was found for burning of small or dried logs (up to six-fold), and usage of excess air (two- to three-fold). Real world pellet stove emissions can be expected to be much closer to laboratory-derived emission factors than wood stove emissions, due to lower dependence on user operation.

Heritability and genetic trends for growth and fur quality traits in silver blue mink

The present study was performed to estimate genetic parameters for growth and fur quality traits in Chinese silver blue mink. Recordings of body weight (BW), body length (BL), guard hair length (GL), underwool length (UL) and the rate of guard hair and underwool length from 1678 silver blue minks (280 male and 1398 female) spanning six generations were obtained from Dalian Ming Wei Marten Industry Company. Genetic parameters were estimated using a multi-trait animal model with year and sex as fixed effects. The heritability estimates for BW, BL, GL, UL and RATE were 0.41, 0.53, 0.53, 0.52 and 0.52, respectively. The genetic trends were estimated by regressing breeding value on year. The genetic trends for body weight and body length were close to zero, and positive. The genetic changes for GL, UL and nap were negative and parallel. Our results herein form a practical basis for designing optimal breeding schemes in silver blue mink.

The fast and effective isolation of nanocellulose from selected cellulosic feedstocks

A new process for the production of nanocellulose from selected cellulose-containing natural materials has been developed. The liquefaction reaction, using glycols and mild acid catalysis (methane sulphonic acid), was applied to four model materials, namely cotton linters, spruce wood, eucalyptus wood and Chinese silver grass. The process contains only four steps, the milling, the glycolysis reaction, centrifugation and final rinsing with an organic solvent. The nanocrystalline cellulose recovery was between 56% and 75%. The crystallinity index was greater than that of the starting materials due to the liquefaction of lignin, hemicelluloses and amorphous cellulose. The final product was a stable, highly concentrated nanocrystalline cellulose suspension in the organic medium. The liquid residue, after the liquefaction of the cotton linters contained significant quantities of levulinic acid. Different sugars were identified in the liquid residues that were derived from cellulose and hemicelluloses during the liquefaction reaction.

Theoretical Approach to the Emerging World Economy in the 16th and 17th Centuries

This article wishes to grasp the nature of the emerging world economy in the 16th and 17th centuries in terms of theories of integration and connection. Generally speaking, the combination of the enormous silver demand of China and the spontaneous discoveries of large silver mining in Spanish Americas and Japan prompted the world silver trade in that time. Above all, the pressures of Chinese silver demand triggered the commercial activities for the sake of profit across the world, and was the prime mover in the making of the world silver trading networks as well as the world economy. The world economy mainly owing to the world silver trade had emerged connecting the all around world via overland and sea routes. It connected all the heavy populated landmasses by linking Americas with AfroEurasia, and prompted the complicated interactions of economies, cultures, and intelligences between them.BR However, it seems the fallacy to equate the emergence of the world economy with the ‘birth of globalization

Clinical characteristics and imprinting analysis of Chinese Silver Russell Syndrome

Results There were 32 boys and 17 girls whose ages ranged from 3 m to 12 y. The main clinical characteristics of these SRS were: i) SGA and postnatal growth retardation (mean height standard deviation score (HT SDS) was 2.25; ii) Skeletal malformation including triangular-shaped face, small chin, irregular/crowded teeth, limbs asymmetry and fifth finger clinodactyly. Genetic analysis showed that ICR1 hypomethylation were 22/36 (61.1%) which were following: Ten had hypomethylation in chromosome 11p15 imprinting control region 1 (ICR1) of the paternal allele; seven had both hypomethylation in ICR1 and ICR2; five had hypomethylation in ICR1 and hypermethylation in ICR2. And UPD7 (mat) positive is 1/21 (4.8%). Six patients had been treated with growth hormone (GH) for 3 to 24 months. Growth rates ranged from 4 to 10.8 cm/year.

Kraft delignification of energy crops in view of pulp production and lignin valorization

The hardwoods Acacia dealbata (mimosa), Salix spp. (willow), and the perennial plants Arundo donax (giant reed) and Miscanthus giganteus (giant Chinese silver grass) are important energy crops, with low requirements and high productivity. The polysaccharide content of these species has drawn attention as source of sugars for biobased products. In this work, biomasses were deconstructed by kraft pulping, evaluating final pulp yields as well as residual lignin (kappa number, KN) as indicators of the pulp quality for conversion to sugars. The black liquors and lignin in the isolated materials were evaluated concerning composition and structural characterization parameters with relevance to further valorizations routes, such as production of vanillin and syringaldehyde. The best trade-off between pulp yield and KN were achieved for 160°C and pulping time 210min, with active alkali (AA) 22% for mimosa and willow and AA 18% for giant reed; these three biomasses presented similar pulp yields (45–47%) and KN (13–15). For silver grass a lower AA (16%) and the combination of higher temperature/lower pulping time (170°C/180min) were selected. Among the four, silver grass presented the highest pulp yield (51.5%) and the lowest KN (10), which is the first advantage identified for this species. Another advantage is the higher production of lignin by isolation from black liquor (128g/kg of biomass), compared to the other materials (88–119g/kg), with the additional benefit of low contamination with inorganic compounds. The isolation of lignins is favorable for the valorization route involving oxidative depolymerization. The structural analysis of lignins and the comparison between the frequency of the main interlinkages and functional groups allowed drawing remarks about their suitability for some applications. The data presented are a tool for decision about the best exploitation route for lignin, contributing for the valorization of the streams generated in biorefining processes of energy crops.