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Abstract: The Rümker region (41–45°N, 49–69°W) is located in northern Oceanus Procellarum of the Moon. Mons Rümker is the most distinctive geological feature in the area. The region is characterized by prolonged lunar volcanism (Late Imbrian Period to Eratosthenian Period), forming multiple geologic units in the area, including very low‐Ti to low‐Ti mare basalts, high‐Ti mare basalts, and volcanic complexes. Each geologic unit has distinct element composition and mineral assemblages. The Rümker region, overlying the Procellarum KREEP Terrain, was selected as the landing region for China's Chang'E‐5 lunar sample return mission. Prelanding analyses of the geologic context and scientific potential are reported in this contribution. We conducted detailed geological mapping using image, spectral, and altimetry data. Fourteen geological units were defined, a geologic map was constructed, and the geologic history was outlined. The western mare units (Im1, Im2, and Im3) are Imbrian‐aged (~3.4–3.5 Ga) representing the major stage of lunar mare eruptive volcanism. The eastern young mare units (Em3 and Em4; <2 Ga) are among the youngest mare basalts on the Moon. They have never been explored in situ or studied in the laboratory. We suggest that samples returned from the eastern mare unit (Em4) could answer many fundamental questions and that this unit should be listed as the top priority landing site for Chang'E‐5 sample return mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Soil microbes and enzymes play vital roles in the decomposition and transformation of soil material, nutrient cycling, energy flow and physicochemical properties. However, the responses of soil microbes and enzymes to warming remains poorly understood, which limits our ability to predict the consequences of future climate warming. To understand better how climate warming will alter the activity of soil microbes and enzymes, we established a field experiment to manipulate temperature in an alpine meadow in northwestern Sichuan, China. After 5 years of experimental warming, soil bacterial communities were assessed by MiSeq sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. The results showed that the experimental warming treatments increased the soil acid phosphatase, invertase and urease activity, and available nutrients, but decreased the catalase activity and soil organic matter (SOM) at the 0–10‐cm soil depth. However, the warming treatment increased catalase activity, SOM, available nitrogen (AN) and available potassium (AK), but decreased invertase activity at the 10–20‐cm soil depth. Warming significantly increased the relative abundance of Chloroflexi at the 0–10‐cm depth, whereas it significantly increased the relative abundance of Cyanobacteria and decreased the relative abundance of Firmicutes at the 10–20‐cm depth. Similarly, warming altered the relative abundance of bacterial genera, for example Candidatus Solibacter increased, whereas Pseudomonas and Janthinobacterium decreased. Warming did not significantly affect diversity or structure of the soil bacterial community. The soil acid phosphatase and urease activity, and SOM, total potassium (TK), AK and total phosphorus (TP) contents were strongly correlated with the soil bacterial community. Overall, despite the pronounced changes in soil enzyme activity and plant nutrient contents under warming, composition and diversity of the soil bacterial community were not changed. This study helps to elucidate soil responses in grasslands to climate warming. Highlights: Warming promoted nutrient mineralization and altered soil enzyme activity. Warming decreased diversity of the soil bacterial community. Specific taxa responded differentially to experimental warming. Soil microorganisms regulated plant nutrient cycling under continuous climate warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sanguinarine (SA), with antimicrobial and antiparasitic activities against fish pathogens, exhibits great potential commercial use in aquaculture. However, little information on pharmacokinetics of SA restricts further application in aquaculture. In this study, pharmacokinetics of SA in common carp ( Cyprinus carpio) following a single intraperitoneal administration [10 mg kg−1 BW (body weight)] was evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The peak concentration ( Cmax) of SA in kidney was 11.8 μg g−1, which was higher than in other tissues and plasma. The terminal half-life in fish tissue and plasma was as follows: 42.3 h (kidney) > 37.2 h (liver) > 20.1 h (gill) > 18.8 h (muscle) > 10.9 h (spleen) > 10.0 h (plasma). Additionally, we determined the bacterial loads in tissues of common carp infected with Aeromonas hydrophila after i.p. administration of SA at 0, 5, 10 and 20 mg kg−1 BW. The results showed that i.p. administration of SA at 10 mg kg−1 BW significantly enhanced antibacterial efficacy against A. hydrophila, where the antibacterial ratio in the gill, kidney, spleen and liver on day 5 was 95.13%, 93.33%, 90.09% and 92.82%, respectively. Overall, these results suggested the potential of SA to treat A. hydrophila infection in common carp farming industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To examine the association between depression and impaired glucose regulation, newly diagnosed diabetes and previously diagnosed diabetes in middle-aged and elderly Chinese people, and whether depression was associated with different treatment regimens or durations of diabetes. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed among 229 047 adults living in the community aged ≥ 40 years from 25 centres in China. The self-reported depression rating scale Patient Health Questionnaire 9 ( PHQ-9) was used to diagnose probable and sub-threshold depression. Glucose metabolism status was determined according to World Health Organization 1999 diagnostic criteria. Results The numbers of participants with normal glucose regulation, impaired glucose regulation, newly diagnosed diabetes and previously diagnosed diabetes were 120 458, 59 512, 24 826 and 24 251, respectively. The prevalence of sub-threshold depression in the total sample of participants was 4.8% (4.8%, 4.8%, 4.4% and 5.6% from normal glucose regulation to previously diagnosed diabetes, respectively), and the prevalence of probable depression was 1.1% (1.1%, 1.0%, 0.9% and 1.8% from normal glucose regulation to previously diagnosed diabetes, respectively). Compared with participants with normal glucose regulation, those with previously diagnosed diabetes had increased odds of probable depression [odds ratio ( OR) = 1.61, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.39-1.87] and sub-threshold depression ( OR = 1.14, 95% CI 1.06-1.24), after adjustment for multiple confounding factors. Newly diagnosed diabetes or impaired glucose regulation was not associated with depression. Among those with previously diagnosed diabetes, insulin treatment was associated with greater odds of depression compared with no treatment or oral anti-diabetic medicine. Conclusion Previously diagnosed diabetes, but not newly diagnosed diabetes or impaired glucose regulation, was associated with a higher prevalence of depression. Patients receiving insulin were more likely to have depression than those not receiving treatment or being treated with oral anti-diabetic medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-stent restenosis and subsequent thrombosis remain a significant complication following the implantation of coronary stents. Different approaches have been used in developing novel coronary stents to protect against thrombosis and minimize restenosis. In the present study, we designed a biomacromolecular layer-by-layer coating with heparin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and fibronectin onto nickel-free titanium surface to improve blood compatibility and endothelial cell proliferation. The multilayer assembling process was monitored by water contact angle and surface plasmon resonance, respectively. With increasing the number of layers, the deposition of polyelectrolyte as self-assembled ultrathin multilayer films showed linear growth of absorbance. In vitro blood compatibility results revealed that the fabricated layers prolonged activated partial thrombin time and prothrombin time, reduced platelets activation and aggregation, and reduced blood hemolysis rate. Cell adhesion and growth results showed that the assembled multilayer films significantly promoted cell attachment and growth, and the endothelialization property of the multilayer films was preferable compared with the untreated titanium disk. In conclusion, these results suggest that titanium surface modification using biofunctional multilayer films composed of heparin, VEGF, and fibronectin may serve as a potential approach to inhibit thrombosis and promote re-endothelialization of cardiovascular stents. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations in foliar stable carbon isotope signatures (δ13C) of different plant functional groups (PFGs) and their relationships with environmental factors in China were investigated in this meta-analysis. There were some significant, but small differences in δ13C among PFGs categorised by life form (<1‰). Trees (−26.78‰) and shrubs (−26.89‰) had similar mean δ13C that were significantly higher than those of herbs (−27.49‰). Evergreen shrubs (−25.82‰) had significantly higher mean δ13C than deciduous shrubs (−26.92‰). Perennial herbs (−26.83‰) had significantly higher mean δ13C than annual herbs (−27.10‰). Grasses (−26.46‰) had significantly higher mean δ13C than forbs (−26.96‰). For pooled data, δ13C was significantly and negatively correlated with mean annual precipitation (MAP) and mean annual temperature (MAT), while it was significantly and positively correlated with latitude and altitude. There was a threshold value of MAP along the gradients, and δ13C did not change significantly with higher rainfall. The δ13C of PFGs changed with altitude, suggesting that increases in δ13C with altitude cannot be generalised. Differences in δ13C between PFGs were generally much <1‰ and therefore insignificant. In contrast, MAP and MAT had relatively large effects on δ13C (more than 4‰ between extremes). The δ13C of some PFGs responded to environmental gradients in the same manner, while their 'rates' of change were significantly different in some cases. This information could help predict potential changes in the distribution of PFGs in response to future climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Trichoepithelioma is a benign cutaneous tumour that originates from hair follicles and occurs either as a sporadic non-familial or a multiple-familial type. Recently, several mutations in the cylindromatosis (CYLD) gene have been reported in multiple familial trichoepithelioma (MFT). Objectives To report a Chinese family of MFT and to explore the genetic mutation. Methods A Chinese pedigree of typical MFT was subjected to mutation detection in CYLD. Direct sequencing of all PCR products of the whole coding regions of CYLD gene was performed to identify the mutation. Results The c.1178-1179delCA (p.T393fs) mutation was found in CYLD gene in the affected members, but not in the healthy individuals in the family. Conclusion Our study found a novel mutation in exon 10 of CYLD gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaporation is one of the most important processes in the soil-plant-atmosphere-continuum water cycle. The objectives of the present study were to (1) test the feasibility of different methods for quantifying evapotranspiration (ET) and its components and (2) investigate and quantify ET and its components in a subalpine watershed from April to October, 2009. Our research site was in the Gongga Mountains, located on the southeastern fringe of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The components of ET could be observed using the interception, sap-flow and stable isotope techniques. The summation of these components, referred to as the summed components method, was thought to be the ET. Similar estimates of ET from April to October were obtained using the summed components (736 mm) and Eddy covariance (598 mm) methods. The mean of two ET estimates (667 mm) accounted for 50% of the total water input. ET was composed of 6% soil evaporation, 19% vegetation transpiration and 75% interception evaporation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was undertaken to isolate active secondary metabolites from immunostimulatory Alcaligenes faecalis FY-3 and evaluate their activities using grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella kidney (CIK) cells. By applying chromatography techniques and successive recrystallization, three purified metabolites were obtained and identified by spectral data (mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance) as: (1) phenylacetic acid, (2) p-hydroxyphenylacetylamide and (3) cyclo-(Gly-L-Pro). CIK cells were stimulated by different concentrations (1, 10 and 100 μg/ml) of the isolated compounds, and expression of MyD88, IL-1β, TNF-α, type I-IFN and IL-8 genes at different time points (2, 8 and 24 h) post-stimulation was quantified by real-time PCR. The known immunostimulatory agent lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used as a positive control. To analyse whether these compounds are toxic to the cells, the methyl tetrazolium assay was employed to measure changes in cell viability. The obtained results revealed that transcribing level of MyD88, an important adaptor molecule in toll-like receptor signalling pathway, was augmented remarkably by all the three isolated compounds and LPS as early as 2-h exposure. These compounds also induced gene expression of cytokines such as IL-1β, TNF-α and type I-IFN. Under the experimental conditions, none of the test compounds is toxic to the CIK cells. These findings demonstrate that the immunostimulatory properties of the three metabolites [phenylacetic acid, p-hydroxyphenylacetylamide and cyclo-(Gly-L-Pro)] from A. faecalis FY-3 in CIK cells and highlight the potential of using these metabolites as immunostimulants in fish aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

H uang Q-Q, W ang G-X, H ou Y-P & P eng S-L (2011). Distribution of invasive plants in China in relation to geographical origin and life cycle. Weed Research 51, 534-542. Summary At a continental scale, research on which areas are more likely to be invaded has often found that human socio-economic factors and biogeographic factors are important. This general pattern also holds for China, where invasive plant species richness at a provincial scale has often been found to be significantly correlated with both socio-economic (e.g. human population size and total GDP) and biogeographic factors (e.g. latitude and native plant species richness). However, these patterns are based on studies that considered invasive plants collectively rather than examining patterns within major subgroups. Here, we examine the potential role of species differences in mediating these distribution patterns in Chinese provinces. We show that distribution of invaders from Central and South America, especially perennials, is mainly determined by biogeographic factors, whereas distribution of invaders from North America and Eurasia, especially annuals, is mainly determined by socio-economic factors. The predictive power of biogeographic factors for invaders from Central and South America is stronger than socio-economic factors for invaders from North America and Eurasia. The role of socio-economic and biogeographic factors is not entangled; instead, their relative importance is dependent on species characters, such as their geographical origin and life cycle. Management and prevention policies at a national scale should consider the interactions between species characters and socio-economic and biogeographic conditions of the environment. Our results indicate that by examining the role of species differences, we may get a more realistic understanding of the cause of distribution patterns of biological invaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strain was isolated from a soil sample collected from Weihe river in Shaanxi province (108°03′E 34°14′N), which was identified as Alcaligenes faecalis by 16S rRNA analysis. A compound M showing potent immune activity was isolated from secondary metabolites of the strain through bioassay-guided isolation techniques. The structure of the compound M was elucidated using FT-IR, EI-MS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra and identified as cyclo-(-Pro-Gly)5 which was first time reported as a natural product. We evaluated the immune effects of the cyclo-(-Pro-Gly)5 on the basis of serum lysozyme activity, bacterial agglutination titre assay, superoxide anion production and phagocytic activity assay, and they were found to be significantly increased by cyclo-(-Pro-Gly)5. The effects of cyclo-(-Pro-Gly)5 on immune-related gene expression were further investigated. The outcomes of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) proved that the transcribing level of interleukin 6β (IL-6β) and inducible nitric oxide synthase 1β (iNOS-1β) mRNA in the blood leucocytes have been augmented by cyclo-(-Pro-Gly)5. The challenge experiment showed that crucian carp injected the cyclo-(-Pro-Gly)5 had significantly ( P < 0.05) lower cumulative mortality (13.0%) compared with the control (45.4%) after infection with live Aeromonas hydrophila. These results suggested that cyclo-(-Pro-Gly)5 is a possible immunostimulant and may strengthen the immune response and protect the heath status of crucian carp against A. hydrophila. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to construct a biocompatible coating of a drug-eluting stent through the incorporation of chitosan with monoclonal antibody (mAb) to a platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIIa receptor, by electrostatic layer-by-layer (LBL) adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes and proteins. The platelet maximum aggregation rate and aggregation inhibition rate tests confirm the bioactivity of mAb in different pH assembly environments. The fluorescence spectra test and confocal laser scanning microscopy observation were used to monitor the LBL assembly process of the mAb/chitosan multilayer on the surface of the aminolyzed Poly- L-lactic acid (PLLA) membrane, when using Rhodamine B isothiocyanate-labeled mAb and Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled chitosan. The in vitro platelet adhesion experiment demonstrated the amicable blood compatibility of the mAb/chitosan multilayer. The endothelial cell adhesion and migration test revealed that the multilayer could improve the cytocompatibility of the PLLA matrix in terms of cell attachment, proliferation, and migration. An in vitro perfusion circuit was designed to evaluate the release rates measured by a radioisotope technique with 125I-labeled GP IIIa mAb. The different eluting curves of the mAb/chitosan-assembled stent and mAb physically absorbed stent showed the improvement of mAb's release character when using LBL self-assembly technology. Our method to prepare a biocompatible stent surface with mAb/chitosan multilayers has proved to be favorable and effective in vitro, thus justifying further evaluation to improve the biocompatibility in an animal model test. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 2011. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An 8-week feeding experiment was conducted to determine the effect of dietary methionine supplementation on intestinal microflora and humoral immune of juvenile Jian carp (initial weight of 9.9 ± 0.0 g) reared in indoor flow-through and aerated aquaria. Eight amino acid test diets (350 g kg−1 crude protein, CP), using fish meal, soybean-condensed protein and gelatin as intact protein sources supplemented with crystalline amino acids, were formulated to contain graded levels of methionine (0.6–22.0%) at a constant dietary cystine level of 3 g kg−1. Each diet was randomly assigned to three aquaria. Growth performance and feed utilization were significantly influenced by the dietary methionine levels ( P < 0.05). Maximum weight gain, feed intake occurred at 12 g kg−1 dietary methionine ( P < 0.05). Methionine supplementation improved hepatopancreas and intestine weight, hepatosomatic and intestine index, intestinal γ-glutamyltransferase and creatine kinase activity, Lactobacillus count, Bacillus count, lysozyme activities, lectin potency, sim-immunoglobulin M content, addiment C3,C4 contents and serum total iron-binding capacity and declined Escherichia coli and Aeromonas counts. Quadratic regression analysis of weight gain against dietary methionine levels indicated that the optimal dietary methionine requirement for maximum growth of juvenile Jian carp is 12 g kg−1 of the dry diet in the presence of 3 g kg−1 cystine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inheritance of sulfonylurea (SU) resistance in Monochoria vaginalis was investigated based on the bensulfuron-methyl response phenotypes of F1 plants between SU-resistant (R) and -susceptible (S) and segregation analysis in F2 progenies. Differences of SU resistance between SU-R biotypes and F1 plants at the recommended field dose were also investigated by comparing shoot dry weight. All F1 plants survived the treatment with 25 g a.i. ha−1 bensulfuron-methyl, one-third of the recommended field dose, and showed similar responses to SU-R plants. Conversely, all F1 plants died or showed extreme necrosis at 225 g a.i. ha−1, three times the recommended field dose, as SU-S plants. F2 plants were classified as either R or S phenotype. Segregation for resistance to bensulfuron-methyl in F2 families did not differ from the expected 3:1 (R:S) ratio at 25 g a.i. ha−1. At 225 g a.i. ha−1, the F2 families segregated in a 1:3 (R:S) ratio. These results suggest that SU resistance in M. vaginalis is controlled by a single nuclear allele with resistance being dominant at low dose and susceptibility dominant at high dose. Moreover, F1 plants died or were extremely injured after application of bensulfuron-methyl at the recommended field dose, although SU-R biotypes grew normally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monochoria vaginalis is one of the most serious weeds of rice fields in Asia. The species is predominantly selfing. To reveal the potential for multiple mutational events, outcrossing and gene flow in the sulfonylurea-resistant (SU-R) M. vaginalis populations, we investigated (i) if each SU-R population was a single SU-R biotype or a mixture of several SU-R biotypes using restriction analysis or direct sequencing of acetolacatate synthase (ALS) genes and (ii) genetic diversity of SU-R and -susceptible (S) populations using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis. Nineteen or 20 individuals were sampled from four SU-R and five SU-S populations respectively. Amino acid substitutions conferring resistance in the SU-R populations were Pro197Ser in the ALS1 or ALS3, or Asp376Glu in the ALS1 and each SU-R population was composed of a single SU-R biotype. In cluster analysis each SU-R individual formed a cluster, whereas the individuals from a SU-S population belonged to different clusters. Some SU-R populations showed polymorphic AFLP loci. The results indicated that these SU-R biotypes emerged from a single mutational event and any gene flow of SU-R genes from adjacent populations did not occur. A low level of outcrossing and recombinations of SU-R genes occurred within some SU-R populations of M. vaginalis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article details a study which investigated the kinetics of binary gas displacement and Darcy flow in coal using Maxwell-Stefan (MS) diffusion theory. The study was conducted to understand the carbon dioxide (CO2)-sequestration enhanced coalbed methane (ECBM) recovery process. The bulk of coal used in the study was taken from a Bowen Basin coal mine located in Queensland. The study concluded that MS diffusion theory is best for describing diffusion of mixed gases in coals. Findings of the study are said to be of significance to modeling ternary gas mixtures in ECBM production.

Herbicide resistance in Lolium rigidum is widespread across much of the agricultural land in Australia. As the incidence of herbicide resistance has increased, so has the incidence of multiple herbicide resistance. This reduces the herbicide options available for control of this weed. This study reports on the successful amplification and sequencing of the acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene of L. rigidum using primers designed from sequence information of related taxa. This enables, for the first time, the successful determination of a mutation in the ALS gene of this species that provides resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides. This mutation causes amino acid substitution at Trp574 (numbering standardised to Arabidopsis thaliana) to Leu which had been reported to confer a high level of resistance against all classes of ALS inhibitor herbicides. In addition, multiple resistance to ALS-inhibiting and acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase-inhibiting herbicides is acquired through the independent accumulation of mutant alleles for the target sites. This may thus explain some of the irregular, mosaic resistance patterns that occur in this predominantly outcrossing species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Areas infested with Solanum carolinense, an introduced perennial weed, have increased quickly in Japan. The genetic structure of a S. carolinense population along the Takano River in Kyoto, Japan was investigated using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis to reveal how introductions and local spread have contributed to the development of this population. Along a terrace beside the river and an adjacent roadside, we defined a cluster of above-ground shoots in the population as a subpopulation and 60 subpopulations were identified. Seventeen of these were selected and 165 shoots were analyzed by AFLP analysis using three primer pairs. The AFLP profiles revealed 69 genotypes and the presence of several clones, i.e. genotypes that were present in more than one individual. In total, 19 clones, comprising 2–34 identical genotypes, could be identified in the population. Each of these clones, except one, was allocated within each of the subpopulations. Clustering of the subpopulations was supported by high bootstrap values in all cases. Therefore, introductions from distant regions have mainly contributed to the development of this population, and local spread by seed or vegetative reproduction has rarely been important. The most likely introduction route of S. carolinense to this population was via planting associated with construction works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the degradation behavior of biodegradable poly(butylene adipate terephthalate) (PBAT) and its composites containing starch (PBAT–starch) and calcium carbonate (PBAT–CaCO3). The test splines were immersed in six different water bodies with various microbial compositions and salt concentrations for a 56 week period to obtain consistent experimental data. The results show that the pure PBAT degraded very slowly in the six water bodies, with a maximum weight loss of only 4.7% over the 56 week study period. Strips of the PBAT–starch composite showed a significantly accelerated biodegradation in microbe‐containing water; the degree of degradation depended largely on the type and abundance of microorganisms in the water bodies. Conversely, compared with the pure PBAT strips, PBAT–CaCO3 showed less degradation in the various water bodies. A comparison of degradability between the strips immersed in sterilized distilled water and sterilized seawater indicated that inorganic salts did not significantly affect the degradation of PBAT. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 46916. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]