Cocconeiscrisscrossis sp. nov., a new monoraphid diatom (Bacillariophyta) from southern China.

A novel monoraphid diatom species, Cocconeiscrisscrossis You, Yu, Kociolek & Wang, sp. nov. is examined and described from the Qingyi River and Maolan Nature Reserve of southern China. The morphological description is based on light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy observations and the new species is compared with similar taxa in this genus. The characteristics unique to Cocconeiscrisscrossissp. nov. include its central area extending irregularly to both sides, it having closed valvocopulae with heavily silicified fimbriate margins and poles of the valvocopulae have 'sword-shaped' siliceous extensions. These features differentiate this new species from others in the genus. This new species was found in alkaline waterbodies, including streams, waterfall and ponds. It was usually found as an epiphyte on the stones; however, it was present on other substrates such as mosses.

Comparative study of the plasma pharmacokinetics and tissue residues of trimethoprim in silky fowls and 817 broilers after single oral administration.

A comparative study was performed to investigate the differences in plasma pharmacokinetics (PKs) and tissue residues of trimethoprim (TMP) between silky fowls and 817 broilers. The 2 breeds of chickens received compound sulfadiazine suspension by gavage at 20 mg/kg (measured as TMP). Blood and tissue samples were collected at predetermined time points. The concentrations of TMP in plasma and tissue samples were determined by a validated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The plasma concentration-time data were subjected to noncompartment analysis by WinNonlin program (Pharsight Co., Mountain View, CA). The mean plasma concentrations of TMP in silky fowls were significantly lower than those in 817 broilers at all time-points. Significant differences were also observed between silky fowls and 817 broilers in maximum concentration (Cmax), area under the curve from time 0 to 24 h (AUC0 â†’ 24 h), apparent volume of distribution (Vd), and total body clearance (ClB). Silky fowls had significantly higher muscle TMP concentrations and longer tissue residual time than 817 broilers. The tissue concentration of TMP followed the order of leg muscle > breast muscle > liver, which was obviously different from that of 817 broilers. The half-lives of TMP in the leg muscle, breast muscle, and liver of silky fowls were 31.42, 10.78, and 0.38 d, respectively. The current withdrawal time (WDT) was not sufficient to prevent violative residues of TMP in the edible tissues of silky fowls, and a WDT much longer than 8 d might be required.

Dynamic simulation and analysis of land use competition patterns to support sustainable territorial spatial management: a case study of Shenyang City, Northeast China.

Under the context of territorial spatial planning in the new era, it is of great significance to analyze the future land use competition pattern to construct a sustainable and adaptive management strategy for territorial spatial development and utilization protection. Taking Shenyang, a megacity in Northeast China, as the case study area, and the geographic information system technologies and the patch-generation land use simulation (PLUS) model was used to simulate the land use competition pattern in 2030 under four scenarios. Meanwhile, the dynamic evolution of territorial spatial structure competition was monitored based on the perspective of agricultural, ecological, and construction land space. The results show that land use competition was driven by food security, economic growth, and ecological protection. The results showed that (1) the most frequent changes in cultivated land and construction land were found in 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020, and their competitive advantage among land use types was obvious. As for the driving mechanism, the influencing effect of socioeconomic factors on land use type competition was more significant than that of natural factors. (2) The competitive dominance scenario of cultivated land protection and the synergistic dominance scenario of cultivated land, ecological, and construction could help optimize and control the land use competition pattern. (3) The information entropy and equilibrium index of the territorial spatial structure increase in both scenarios; the dominance index decreases, and the proportion of agricultural, ecological, and construction space is more coordinated. The results may assist a holistic understanding of land use change to coordinate the competition among agricultural, ecological, and construction space and facilitate the realization of high-quality territorial spatial development goals.

Efficient Adsorption Removal of Phosphate from Rural Domestic Sewage by Waste Eggshell-Modified Peanut Shell Biochar Adsorbent Materials.

In order to promote the improvement of the rural living environment, the treatment of rural domestic sewage has attracted much attention in China. Meanwhile, the rural regions' sewage discharge standards are becoming increasingly stringent. However, the standard compliance rate of total phosphorus (TP) is very low, and TP has become the main limiting pollutant for the water pollutants discharge standards of rural domestic sewage treatment facilities. In this study, waste eggshell (E) was employed as a calcium source, and waste peanut shell (C) was employed as a carbon source to prepare calcium-modified biochar adsorbent materials (E-C). The resulting E-C adsorbent materials demonstrated efficient phosphate (P) adsorption from aqueous solutions over the initial pH range of 6-9 and had adsorption selectivity. At an eggshell and peanut shell mass ratio of 1:1 and a pyrolysis temperature of 800 °C, the experimental maximum adsorption capacity was 191.1 mg/g. The pseudo second-order model and Langmuir model were best at describing the adsorption process. The dominant sorption mechanism for P is that Ca(OH)2 is loaded on biochar with P to form Ca5(PO4)3OH precipitate. E-C was found to be very effective for the treatment of rural domestic sewage. The removal rate of TP in rural domestic sewage was 91-95.9%. After adsorption treatment, the discharge of TP in rural sewage met the second-grade (TP < 3 mg/L) and even first-grade (TP < 2 mg/L). This study provides an experimental basis for efficient P removal by E-C adsorbent materials and suggests possible applications in rural domestic sewage.

Elucidating Flavonoid and Antioxidant Activity in Edible and Medicinal Herbs Woodwardia japonica (L.f.) Sm. Based on HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS and Artificial Neural Network Model: Response to Climatic Factors.

Woodwardia japonica is a kind of great potential edible and medicinal fern. In a previous study, it was found that flavonoid and antioxidant activity of W. japonica from different sites were different. However, the cause of the differences has still been unclear, which has restricted the utilization of W. japonica. In this paper, flavonoid and antioxidant activity of W. japonica from nine different regions were determined with the method of a colorimetric assay with UV-VIS spectrophotometry and HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS, and the effects of climate factors on flavonoids and antioxidant activities were evaluated by mathematical modeling and statistical methods. The results showed: (1) total flavonoid content (TFC) of W. japonica from Wuyi Mountain (Jiangxi) was the highest, which might be related to the low temperature; (2) the differences of antioxidant activities of W. japonica might be related to precipitation; (3) five flavonols, two flavones and one isoflavone were tentatively identified in W. japonica; (4) flavonol and isoflavone might be affected by sunshine duration, and flavones were probably related to temperature. In conclusion, the effects of climate factors on flavonoids and antioxidants are significant, which would provide an important basis for further exploring the mechanism of climate affecting secondary metabolites.

City Health Examination and Evaluation of Territory Spatial Planning for SDG11 in China: A Case Study of Xining City in Qinghai Province.

City health examination and evaluation of territorial spatial planning is a new policy tool in China. However, research on city health examination and evaluation of territorial spatial planning is still in the exploratory stage in China. Guided by sustainable cities and communities (SDG11), a reasonable city health examination and evaluation index system for Xining City in Qinghai Province is constructed in this paper. The improved technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) was used to quantify the evaluation results, and the city health index was visualized using the city health examination signals and warning panel. The results show that the city health index of Xining City continuously rose from 35.76 in 2018 to 69.76 in 2020. However, it is still necessary to address the shortcomings in innovation, coordination, openness and sharing and to improve the level of city space governance in a holistic way. This study is an exploration of the methodology used in city health examination and the evaluation of territorial spatial planning in China, which can provide a foundation for the sustainable development of Xining City and also provide a case reference for other cities seeking to carry out city health examinations and evaluations of territorial spatial planning in China.

Fowl adenovirus serotype 4 52/55k protein triggers PKR degradation by ubiquitin-proteasome system to evade effective innate immunity.

The pro- and inflammatory cytokines fail to effectively inhibit FAdV-4, which has always puzzled us. In the current study, the data determined that the mRNA levels of interferons were significantly enhanced in the livers and LMH cells from 24 h to 72 h post FAdV-4 infection. But the viral load of FAdV-4 was still significantly increased, which meant that FAdV-4 evaded innate immune response. We additionally revealed that the protein levels not mRNA levels of PKR were degraded in host cell at 48 h post FAdV-4 infection. Moreover, the results of over expression and silent expression of PKR revealed that PKR could inhibit FAdV-4 proliferation. These results indicated that FAdV-4 degraded the protein levels of PKR to evade innate immune response. We also found that the protein degradation levels of PKR induced by FAdV-4 were recovery in LHM cells after treatment with proteasome inhibitor MG132, and ubiquitin-specific proteases inhibitor DUB-IN-1. Furthermore, our current data presented that FAdV-4 52/55 K protein directly interacted with PKR and degraded it determined by Co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence. We also determined that 52/55 K protein triggered PKR degradation, and the degradation of PKR could be recovery in LHM cells after treatment with MG132, or DUB-IN-1, respectively. Finally, our data demonstrated that 52/55 K protein was a ubiquitylase that could directly degrade PKR protein in host cells via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Therefore, the current study firstly revealed that FAdV-4 52/55 K protein played the key role in triggering PKR degradation by ubiquitin-proteasome system pathway to escape from innate immunity response.

Spatiotemporal variation of cultivated land ecosystem stability in typical regions of Lower Liaohe Plain China based on stress - buffer - response.

The stability of cultivated land ecosystem is crucial to the green and high-quality development of agriculture. Revealing its spatio-temporal differentiation is an important scientific issue to improve the resilience of cultivated land and ensure food security. In this paper, Shenyang, a typical region of Lower Liaohe Plain, is the study area. Starting from the stress buffer response process of cultivated land ecosystem stability, USLE, RWEQ, SDI, RSEI and grey relational model are used to clarify the relationship between the three, and depict the temporal and spatial differentiation pattern of cultivated land ecosystem stability. The results showed that the external stress intensity of cultivated land in Shenyang decreased as a whole, but the stress intensity of cultivated land distributed in the northern and southeast hilly areas increased. Most of the endogenous buffer strength has been improved, and the buffer capacity of cultivated land in the northern hilly region has declined on a large scale. More than half of the response intensity to the effect has been improved, while the response intensity of cultivated land in the west and north has generally declined. The stability of cultivated land ecosystem in Shenyang has been improved for the most part, but in the hilly areas in the north and southeast, the stability in the lower reaches of Liaohe River plain in the south has declined. Terrain conditions and high-intensity cultivation patterns are the important reasons for the temporal and spatial differentiation of cultivated land ecosystem stability in the study area. The study clarified the dynamic process of cultivated land ecosystem stability and provided an important way to grasp the scientific law of stability change.

Using an affinity analysis to identify phytoplankton associations.

Phytoplankton functional traits can represent particular environmental conditions in complex aquatic ecosystems. Categorizing phytoplankton species into functional groups is challenging and time-consuming, and requires high-level expertise in species autecology. In this study, we introduced an affinity analysis to aid the identification of candidate associations of phytoplankton from two data sets comprised of phytoplankton and environmental information. In the Huaihe River Basin with a drainage area of 270,000 km2 in China, samples were collected from 217 selected sites during the low-water period in May 2013; monthly samples were collected during 2006-2011 in a man-made pond, Dishui Lake. Our results indicated that the affinity analysis can be used to define some meaningful functional groups. The identified phytoplankton associations reflect the ecological preferences of phytoplankton in terms of light and nutrient acquisition. Advantages and disadvantages of applying the affinity analysis to identify phytoplankton associations are discussed with perspectives on their utility in ecological assessment.

Spatial-Temporal Correlations between Soil pH and NPP of Grassland Ecosystems in the Yellow River Source Area, China.

In recent years, ecological concerns such as vegetation destruction, permafrost deterioration, and river drying have been paid much more attention to on the Yellow River Basin in China. Soil pH is regarded to be the fundamental variable among soil properties for vegetation growth, while net primary productivity (NPP) is also an essential indicator to reflect the healthy growth of vegetation. Due to the limitation of on-site samples, the spatial−temporal variations in soil pH and NPP, as well as their intrinsic mechanisms, remain unknown, especially in the Yellow River source area, China. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate the coupling relationship between soil pH and NPP of the area. The study coupled MODIS reflectance data (MOD09A1) with on-site soil pH to estimate spatial−temporal variations in soil pH, explore the response of NPP to soil pH, and assess the extent to which they contribute to grassland ecosystems, thus helping to fill knowledge gaps. Results indicated that the surface spectral reflectance for seven bands could express the geographic pattern of soil pH by applying a multiple linear regression equation; NPP exhibited an increasing trend while soil pH was the contrary in summer from 2000 to 2021. In summer, NPP was negatively correlated with soil pH and there was a lag effect in the response of NPP to soil pH, revealing a correlation between temperate steppes > montane meadows > alpine meadows > swamps in different grassland ecosystems. In addition, contribution indices for temperate steppes and montane meadows were positive whereas they were negative for swamps and alpine meadows, which are apparent findings. The contribution index of montane and alpine meadows was greater than that of temperate steppes and swamps. The approach of the study can enable managers to easily identify and rehabilitate alkaline soil and provides an important reference and practical value for ecological restoration and sustainable development of grassland ecosystems in alpine regions.

Arginine regulates inflammation response-induced by Fowl Adenovirus serotype 4 via JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

BACKGROUND: Fowl Adenovirus serotype 4 (FAdV-4) infection causes severe inflammatory response leading to hepatitis-hydropericardium syndrome (HHS) in poultry. As an essential functional amino acid of poultry, arginine plays a critical role in anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress. RESULTS: In this study, the differential expression genes (DEGs) were screened by transcriptomic techniques, and the DEGs in gene networks of inflammatory response-induced by FAdV-4 in broiler's liver were analyzed by Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment. The results showed that the cytokines pathway and JAK/STAT pathway were significantly enriched, in which the DEGs levels of IL-6, IL-1ß, IFN-α, JAK and STAT were significantly up-regulated after FAdV-4 infection. It was further verified with real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time qPCR) and Western blotting (WB) in vitro and in vivo. The findings demonstrated that FAdV-4 induced inflammatory response and activated JAK2/STAT3 pathway. Furthermore, we investigated whether arginine could alleviate the liver inflammation induced by FAdV-4. After treatment with 1.92% arginine level diet to broilers or 300 µg/mL arginine culture medium to LMH cell line with FAdV-4 infection at the same time, we found that the mRNA levels of IL-6, IL-1ß, IFN-α and the protein levels of p-JAK2, p-STAT3 were down-regulated, compared with FAdV-4 infection group. Furthermore, we confirmed that the inflammation induced by FAdV-4 was ameliorated by pre-treatment with JAK inhibitor AG490 in LMH cells, and it was further alleviated in LMH cells treatment with AG490 and ARG. CONCLUSIONS: These above results provide new insight that arginine protects hepatocytes against inflammation induced by FAdV-4 through JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Two new freshwater species of the genus Achnanthidium (Bacillariophyta, Achnanthidiaceae) from Qingxi River, China.

We describe two new Achnanthidium species, A.anhuense sp. nov. and A.qingxiense sp. nov., from Qingxi River, Anhui Province, China, based on light and scanning electron microscopy. Both species belong to the "A.pyrenaicum complex" of the Achnanthidium genus, based on their possession of transapically-elongated areolae and deflected external distal raphe fissures. A.anhuense sp. nov. has a slightly irregular linear-lanceolate valve with rounded or weakly protracted apices and a transapically rectangular or bow tie central area on the raphe valve. A.qingxiense sp. nov. has a linear-lanceolate valve with rounded apices and the axial area distinct expanded apices on the rapheless valve. Both species differ sufficiently from other similar species, based on valve outline, shape of the axial and central areas and striae density. These new species were all collected from stone substratum.

Importin alpha 1 is required for the nucleus entry of Fowl Adenovirus serotype 4 Fiber-1 protein.

Fiber-1 protein (F1) is the structural protein of Fowl Adenovirus serotype 4 (FAdV-4), which could recondite the receptors of host cytomembrane. In this study, we firstly determined that F1 protein located in nucleus of LMH cells after infection with FAdV-4. We additionally revealed that F1 protein had a classic NLS, and the NLS was required for F1 nucleus entry, which was intently associated to the 26th Pro in NLS. The time rule result indicated that some F1 proteins firstly positioned in the nucleus 6 h posttranfection, and it entirely located in the nucleus 12 h posttranfection, then it ordinarily placed in cytoplasm 18 h posttranfection by means of microscopic fluorescence observation and Western Blotting. Then after transfection with pCI-neo-flag-F1 or infection with FAdV-4, the importin alpha 1 was once investigated whether or not it was required for F1 protein nucleus entry through immunofluorescence and/or Co-IP, results demonstrated that the F1 protein and importin alpha 1 co-located in the nucleus 6 h and 12 h posttranfection. The tiers of F1 protein vicinity in nucleus have been additionally investigated after knockdown expression or overexpression of importin alpha 1, and the results further revealed that importin alpha 1 used to be required for F1 protein nucleus entry. Finally, the function of F1 protein nucleus entry was investigated by qPCR, RT-PCR and Western Blotting, and the results revealed that F1 protein nucleus location was conducive to the proliferation of FAdV-4. In summary, we firstly reveal that the F1 protein of FAdV-4 locates in nucleus infected with FAdV-4, and confirm that importin alpha 1 binds to the NLS of F1 protein to nucleus localization, which promotes the proliferation of FAdV-4.

Recurrent chromosome reshuffling and the evolution of neo-sex chromosomes in parrots.

The karyotype of most birds has remained considerably stable during more than 100 million years' evolution, except for some groups, such as parrots. The evolutionary processes and underlying genetic mechanism of chromosomal rearrangements in parrots, however, are poorly understood. Here, using chromosome-level assemblies of four parrot genomes, we uncover frequent chromosome fusions and fissions, with most of them occurring independently among lineages. The increased activities of chromosomal rearrangements in parrots are likely associated with parrot-specific loss of two genes, ALC1 and PARP3, that have known functions in the repair of double-strand breaks and maintenance of genome stability. We further find that the fusion of the ZW sex chromosomes and chromosome 11 has created a pair of neo-sex chromosomes in the ancestor of parrots, and the chromosome 25 has been further added to the sex chromosomes in monk parakeet. Together, the combination of our genomic and cytogenetic analyses characterizes the complex evolutionary history of chromosomal rearrangements and sex chromosomes in parrots.

A new freshwater species Achnanthidiumkangdingnese (Bacillariophyta, Achnanthidiaceae) from Sichuan Province, China.

A new freshwater diatom species, Achnanthidiumkangdingnese Yu, You & Wang, sp. nov. from Sichuan Province, China, is described. The morphology of this species was analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy (LM). A.kangdingnese belongs to the A.initium-like subgroup, which has external distal raphe ends curved in opposite directions of the valve. The main characteristics of A.kangdingnese are its linear shape, rounded apices and transpically-elongated areolae on the both valves. The central area is well defined with one or two spaced striae of the raphe valve. And on the internal valve, areolae are occluded by hymens perforated by delicate slits, and each hymen is closely joined with the adjacent hymen. We compared the new species with other similar species of Achnanthidium, A.kangdingnese is considered to be sufficiently different from other similar species based on valve outline, shape of the axial and center areas, and striae density. The new species is known only from its type locality, a mountain lake in Kangding County.

Genomic analyses provide insights into spinach domestication and the genetic basis of agronomic traits.

Spinach is a nutritious leafy vegetable belonging to the family Chenopodiaceae. Here we report a high-quality chromosome-scale reference genome assembly of spinach and genome resequencing of 305 cultivated and wild spinach accessions. Reconstruction of ancestral Chenopodiaceae karyotype indicates substantial genome rearrangements in spinach after its divergence from ancestral Chenopodiaceae, coinciding with high repeat content in the spinach genome. Population genomic analyses provide insights into spinach genetic diversity and population differentiation. Genome-wide association studies of 20 agronomical traits identify numerous significantly associated regions and candidate genes for these traits. Domestication sweeps in the spinach genome are identified, some of which are associated with important traits (e.g., leaf phenotype, bolting and flowering), demonstrating the role of artificial selection in shaping spinach phenotypic evolution. This study provides not only insights into the spinach evolution and domestication but also valuable resources for facilitating spinach breeding.

Influence of cyanobacterial blooms and environmental variation on zooplankton and eukaryotic phytoplankton in a large, shallow, eutrophic lake in China.

Harmful cyanobacterial blooms are a widespread destruction to the processes and function of aquatic ecosystems. To study effects of cyanobacterial blooms on plankton diversity and composition, we analyzed data of cyanobacterial, eukaryotic phytoplankton, metazoan zooplankton, and physicochemical samples collected from 24 sites for four seasons in 2017 and 2018 from the large, shallow Lake Taihu. We found that cyanobacterial abundance significantly correlated with phytoplankton biomass, species richness, functional richness and evenness, and zooplankton biomass, Shannon's diversity, Simpson's evenness, and functional evenness and richness. High cyanobacterial abundance during summer did not result in low species and functional diversities for both phytoplankton and zooplankton compared with other seasons. Species and functional diversities of sites with high cyanobacteria abundance were not significantly lower than other sites with relatively low cyanobacteria abundance. Structure equation modeling indicated that cyanobacteria had direct influence on phytoplankton and zooplankton compositions. Physicochemical and temporal-spatial factors had direct influence on phytoplankton and zooplankton, and had indirect influence on phytoplankton and zooplankton through direct influence on cyanobacteria. Variance partitioning analysis quantified that cyanobacteria alone and interactions with physicochemical and spatial-temporal factors explained about 10% of phytoplankton variation and 26% of zooplankton variation. Our results indicate that cyanobacteria have substantial effects on phytoplankton and zooplankton biodiversity and community composition. Physicochemical and spatial-temporal factors could potentially obscure the detection of cyanobacterial effects on plankton in Lake Taihu that has cyanobacterial blooms in all seasons. Our findings may improve the understanding of dynamics and responses of plankton communities to environmental changes and cyanobacterial bloom disturbance and enhance the capability of assessing the effectiveness of eutrophication management and restoration of aquatic ecosystems.

Effects of Hericium erinaceus polysaccharide on immunity and apoptosis of the main immune organs in Muscovy duck reovirus-infected ducklings.

To investigate the effects of Hericium erinaceus polysaccharide (HEP) on immunity in Muscovy duck reovirus (MDRV)-infected ducklings and explore its mechanism of action, an MDRV contact-infection model was established. Then, we investigated the influence of HEP on morphology of main immune organs in MDRV-infected ducklings by HE staining, while antioxidant capacity (T-AOC, MDA), serum protein levels (TP, ALB, GLO), complement levels (C3, C4) and antibody levels (IgA, IgM, IgG) were detected. Apoptotic indexes (apoptosisi rate and FAS-L) were also quantified by TUNEL method and immunohistochemical staining. Meanwhile, FADD and CytC (apoptosis-related genes), were tested by quantitative RT-PCR. Results showed that HEP could reduce the injuries of immune organs caused by MDRV. Additionally, HEP markedly diminished MDA (p < 0.01), while significantly increased T-AOC, TP, ALB, GLO, C3, C4, IgA, IgM and IgG (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05). Then, HEP shifted apoptosis time to an early MDRV-infected stage and reduced apoptosis at later MDRV-infected stage. This was associated with changes of FADD and CytC. Collectively, our data suggested that HEP could reduce the immunesuppression by many ways, such as decreasing organs' injuries, improving antioxidant capacity, serum proteins levels, antibody levels and complement levels, while diminish the apoptosis by lowering the FADD and CytC.