Analysis of dynamic properties on forest restoration-population pressure model.

On the basis of logistic models of forest restoration, we consider the influence of population pressure on forest restoration and establish a reaction diffusion model with Holling II functional responses. We study this reaction diffusion model under Dirichlet boundary conditions and obtain a positive equilibrium. In the square region, we analyze the existence of Turing instability and Hopf bifurcation near this point. The square patterns and mixed patterns are obtained when steady-state bifurcation occurs, the hyperhexagonal patterns appears in Hopf bifurcation.

[Changes in peripheral blood T helper 9 cells and interleukin-9 in children in the acute stage of Kawasaki disease].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes in the expression levels of peripheral blood T helper 9 (Th9) cells and cytokine interleukin-9 (IL-9) in children in the acute stage of Kawasaki disease (KD) and their clinical significance. METHODS: A total of 45 children in the acute stage of KD who were treated from April 2014 to July 2015 were enrolled, and the children were followed up in the recovery stage. Another 45 healthy children who underwent physical examination were enrolled as the control group. Flow cytometry was used to measure the percentage of peripheral blood Th9 cells, and ELISA was used to measure the serum level of IL-9. RESULTS: The children in the acute stage of KD showed a significantly higher percentage of Th9 cells and a significantly higher serum level of IL-9 compared with those in the recovery stage and the control group (P<0.05). The percentage of Th9 cells and serum level of IL-9 showed no significant differences between the children in the recovery stage and those in the control group (P>0.05). In the acute stage, the percentage of Th9 cells was positively correlated with the levels of IL-9, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), platelet count (PLT), and globulin (r=0.624, 0.324, 0.402, 0.382, 0.467, and 0.386 respectively, all P<0.05), but negatively correlated with serum albumin (r=-0.306, P<0.05). The serum level of IL-9 was positively correlated with the levels of CRP, PCT, ESR, PLT, and globulin (r=0.365, 0.456, 0.403, 0.423, and 0.453 respectively, all P<0.05), but negatively correlated with serum albumin (r=-0.343, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The children in the acute stage of KD show significant increases in the percentage of peripheral Th9 cells and serum cytokine IL-9 level, which return to normal in the recovery stage. In the acute stage of KD, the expression levels of Th9 and IL-9 are closely correlated with laboratory markers. The results suggest that Th9 cells and IL-9 play important roles in the pathogenesis and outcome of KD.

Comparative transcriptome analyses between a spontaneous late-ripening sweet orange mutant and its wild type suggest the functions of ABA, sucrose and JA during citrus fruit ripening.

A spontaneous late-ripening mutant of 'Jincheng' (C. sinensis L. Osbeck) sweet orange exhibited a delay of fruit pigmentation and harvesting. In this work, we studied the processes of orange fruit ripening through the comparative analysis between the Jincheng mutant and its wild type. This study revealed that the fruit quality began to differ on 166th days after anthesis. At this stage, fruits were subjected to transcriptome analysis by RNA sequencing. 13,412 differentially expressed unigenes (DEGs) were found. Of these unigenes, 75.8% were down-regulated in the wild type, suggesting that the transcription level of wild type was lower than that of the mutant during this stage. These DEGs were mainly clustered into five pathways: metabolic pathways, plant-pathogen interaction, spliceosome, biosynthesis of plant hormones and biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids. Therefore, the expression profiles of the genes that are involved in abscisic acid, sucrose, and jasmonic acid metabolism and signal transduction pathways were analyzed during the six fruit ripening stages. The results revealed the regulation mechanism of sweet orange fruit ripening metabolism in the following four aspects: First, the more mature orange fruits were, the lower the transcription levels were. Second, the expression level of PME boosted with the maturity of the citrus fruit. Therefore, the expression level of PME might represent the degree of the orange fruit ripeness. Third, the interaction of PP2C, PYR/PYL, and SnRK2 was peculiar to the orange fruit ripening process. Fourth, abscisic acid, sucrose, and jasmonic acid all took part in orange fruit ripening process and might interact with each other. These findings provide an insight into the intricate process of sweet orange fruit ripening.

New species and records of Trypetinae (Diptera: Tephritidae) from China.

Eight new species of Trypetinae (Diptera: Tephritidae) from China are described and illustrated. The new species are Cornutrypeta chishuiensis Chen sp. nov., C. motuonia Chen sp. nov., Hoplandromyia hubeiensis Chen sp. nov., H. motuonica Chen sp. nov., Magnimyiolia disrupta Chen sp. nov., M tengchongnica Chen sp. nov., M tibetana Chen et Wang sp. nov. and M. yunnanica Chen et Wang sp. nov. Keys to the known species of the genera Cornutrypeta Han et Wang and Hoplandromyia Bezzi from the World, and the genera Magnimyiolia Shiraki from East Asia are updated and provided. C. spinifrons (Schroeder) is newly recorded from China, and the female of C. hunanica Chen et Wang is recorded, described and illustrated for the first time. Illustrations of the type of M huanana Wang and a new distribution of C. hunanica Chen et Wang are provided.

Spectral shift of the n → π* transition for acetone and formic acid with an explicit solvent model.

In our recent work, a new form of the electrostatic solvation energy for the nonequilibrium polarization has been derived by introducing the method of constrained equilibrium state in the framework of continuous medium theory. Up until now, the idea of the constrained equilibrium state method has not been introduced into the explicit solvent model by others; therefore this nonequilibrium energy form was further equivalently extended to the explicit solvent model in this work based on the discrete representation of the solvent permanent charges and induced dipoles. Making use of this expression in explicit solvent model, we modified the nonequilibrium module in the averaged solvent electrostatic potential/molecular dynamics program to implement numerical calculations. Subsequently, the new codes were applied to study the solvatochromic shifts of the n → π* absorption spectra for acetone and trans-formic acid in aqueous solution. The calculation results show a good agreement with the experimental observations. When our results of spectral shift are compared with those achieved directly from the continuum model, it can be seen that both the explicit solvent model and continuum model derived based on the constrained equilibrium approach can give reasonable predictions. The hydrogen bond effect was also discussed and deemed to be a dominant contribution to the spectral shift by calculating the n → π* absorption spectra of acetone-water complexes.

Vertical detachment energy of hydrated electron based on a modified form of solvent reorganization energy.

In this work, the constrained equilibrium principle is introduced and applied to the derivations of the nonequilibrium solvation free energy and solvent reorganization energy in the process of removing the hydrated electron. Within the framework of the continuum model, a modified expression of the vertical detachment energy (VDE) of a hydrated electron in water is formulated. Making use of the approximation of spherical cavity and point charge, the variation tendency of VDE accompanying the size increase of the water cluster has been inspected. Discussions comparing the present form of the VDE and the traditional one and the influence of the cavity radius in either the fixed pattern or the varying pattern on the VDE have been made.