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Over the centuries, communities have developed a close and unique connection with the lands and environments in which they live. They have established distinct systems of knowledge, innovations and practices relating to the uses and management of biological diversity on these lands and environment. Much of this knowledge forms an important contribution to research and development, particularly in the areas such as pharmaceuticals, agricultural and cosmetic products. This increasing economic importance of biological resources and related knowledge to these resources has made the allocation of property rights as one of the most contentious issues in the discussions concerning biodiversity management. But this new allocation does not recognize any property rights of holders over their knowledge. As far India is concerned one of the mega biodiversity countries of the world and also concentrated with indigenous people too. But existing legal framework does not confer positive protection, to the rights of traditional knowledge holders in the protection of traditional knowledge. In this context, the paper is going to look into the potential challenges faced by the State in the formulation of a law for protection of TK in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angelica sinensis polysaccharides are important active ingredients and biological resources in traditional Chinese medicine. Properly changing the fermentation conditions of microorganisms may alter the yield of fermentation products. Based on single factor test results, three factors with great influence on the yield of Angelica sinensis polysaccharides produced by Aspergillus niger were optimized: initial pH value, fermentation time, and culture temperature. According to the box Behnken central combination principle, a response surface analysis scheme with three factors and three levels was designed, and the yields of active polysaccharide of Angelica sinensis were taken as the response value to optimize the fermentation process. The results of response surface analysis showed that under the optimized fermentation temperature of 30 °C, cultivation time of 8 days, and initial pH value of 5, the predicted yield of active polysaccharides from Angelica sinensis was 15.5%, while the actual value was 15.35%, which was 0.11% lower than the predicted value. This indicated that using response surface analysis to optimize the fermentation conditions of Angelica sinensis polysaccharides was reasonable and feasible. This method can effectively improve the biological resource utilization rate of Angelica sinensis polysaccharides.

Microorganisms, microbiomes, and their products (e.g., enzymes, metabolites, antibiotics, etc.) are key players in the functioning of both natural and anthropized Earth ecosystems; they can be exploited for both research purposes and biotechnological applications, including fighting the big challenges of our era, such as climate change. Culture collections (CCs) and microbial Biological Resource Centres (mBRCs) are repositories of microorganisms that investigate and safeguard biodiversity and facilitate the scientific and industrial communities' access to microbial strains and related know-how by providing external users with skills and services. Considering this, CCs and mBRCs are pivotal institutions for the valorisation of microorganisms, the safeguarding of life, and the fostering of excellent bioscience. The aim of this review is to present the state-of-the-art of Italian CCs and mBRCs, highlighting strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities. Italy is, indeed, a hotspot of microbial biodiversity with a high rate of endemism and incredible potential, not only for the food and beverage sector (i.e., "Made in Italy" products), where microorganisms can have a beneficial or a spoiling function, but also to guarantee environmental sustainability and foster the bioeconomy through the design of new bioprocesses and products. However, weaknesses, such as the lack of management rules in accordance with international quality standards, are also analysed and ways of overcoming them are discussed. In this context, an overview is given of the Joint Research Unit MIRRI-IT and the European-funded SUS-MIRRI.IT project, which aims to improve the management and sustainability of Italian microbial collections, and serves as a starting point for an innovative revolution in the context of CCs and mBRCs worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity is a fundamental part of sustainable development, but it is threatened by numerous factors related to population growth. The rapid urbanization of the world has a profound impact on global biodiversity, and urbanization is considered one of the processes contributing to the homogenization of the world's biota. Currently, there is an increase in the anthropogenic load on the biodiversity of the urban environment in the arid conditions of the Kazakh part of the Aral Sea region. This contributes to the development of a number of negative processes (transformation of components of the natural environment, violation of the ecological, socio-economic situation). As a result, there is a need to study the response of biological resources to anthropogenic impact, as well as to climate changes observed in the region. There is an urgent need to conduct comprehensive research aimed at studying and evaluating the pace of changes in species richness and diversity in the structure of the fauna and flora of the region. One of the indicators of environmental transformation is considered to be the bird fauna, due to its sensitivity to any changes in nature. Quantitative accounting of avifauna can serve as a reliable method for analyzing the sometimes subtle shades of changes in the composition of the bird fauna. Currently, there is a rapid increase in the horizontal area and the number of floors of buildings in the vertical direction in Kyzylorda. This makes an adjustment to the comfortable existence of the avifauna. There are no data on monitoring the avifauna of the city of Kyzylorda in the available literature. Taking into account the above, the authors of the project have attempted to conduct year-round bird counts within Kyzylorda since 2019. This scientific research was initiated for the purpose of an interim analysis of the results of scientific work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present review paper focuses on recent developments in edible films and coatings made of base compounds from biological sources, namely plants, animals, algae, and microorganisms. These sources include by-products, residues, and wastes from agro-food industries and sea products that contribute to sustainability concerns. Chitosan, derived from animal biological sources, such as crustacean exoskeletons, has been the most studied base compound over the past three years. Polysaccharides typically constitute no more than 3–5% of the film/coating base solution, with some exceptions, like Arabic gum. Proteins and lipids may be present in higher concentrations, such as zein and beeswax. This review also discusses the enrichment of these bio-based films and coatings with various functional and/or bioactive compounds to confer or enhance their functionalities, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-enzymatic properties, as well as physical properties. Whenever possible, a comparative analysis among different formulations was performed. The results of the applications of these edible films and coatings to fruit and vegetable products are also described, including shelf life extension, inhibition of microbial growth, and prevention of oxidation. This review also explores novel types of packaging, such as active and intelligent packaging. The potential health benefits of edible films and coatings, as well as the biodegradability of films, are also discussed. Finally, this review addresses recent innovations in the edible films and coatings industry, including the use of nanotechnologies, aerogels, and probiotics, and provides future perspectives and the challenges that the sector is facing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern worldwide, necessitating the exploration of alternative antimicrobial agents. Platymiscium pinnatum (Jacq), a tree belonging to the Fabaceae family, has traditionally held medicinal value, particularly in the form of leaf infusions for treating skin and eye infections. This study delves into the antibacterial potential of the ethanolic extract obtained from the bark of P. pinnatum. Employing the renowned Kirby-Bauer agar diffusion method, the antibacterial activity of the extract against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was assessed. The results indicated inhibition zones in several Gram-positive strains, with Staphylococcus aureus showing the highest susceptibility. This points to the potential of the extract as a therapeutic agent against infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria. In contrast, the bioactivity of the extract was comparatively limited against prominent Gram-negative strains, such as E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The differential activity between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria may be due to the mode of action or specific compounds within the extract. The distinctive antibacterial properties of the P. pinnatum bark extract suggests its potential as a source for the development of new antimicrobial agents. These findings are crucial in charting the course for future phytochemical analyses and studies to understand the specific bioactive components responsible for the observed effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's freshwater biological resources are threatened by multiple stressors and ongoing conservation efforts are insufficient to tackle these challenges. We therefore propose 14 recommendations to halt India's freshwater biodiversity loss. i) Set up a separate ministry on biodiversity to develop and monitor policies. ii) Collection of comprehensive ecological data and sharing with the global scientific community for better assessment. iii) Assessment of data reliability and relevance towards conservation and sustainable management. iv) Integrating terrestrial-freshwater ecosystem management to effectively conserve freshwater biota. v) Implementation of environmental flow regulations for maintaining hydrological connectivity. vi) Augmentation of Protected Areas to protect freshwater biota. vii) Implementation of regulatory frameworks for trade in exotic species to reduce invasiveness. viii) Avoiding fish seed ranching programs in rivers to evade contamination of natural stocks and disease outbreaks from aquaculture. ix) Increasing collaboration between neighboring states and countries on shared freshwater ecosystem for global and regional sustainability. x) Inclusion of compulsory curriculum on biodiversity at different educational stages for developing responsibility towards protecting biodiversity. xi) Building trust among all stakeholders for better management plans through their active participation. xii) Providing alternative livelihood options to improve the socio-economic status of local people to reduce their direct dependency on freshwater ecosystems. xiii) Promotion of citizen science approach on remuneration basis in conserving freshwater biodiversity. xiv) Enabling better use of digital technologies for freshwater biodiversity monitoring. Inclusion of these timely science-based and policy-backed aquatic ecosystems protection guidelines will therefore help to achieve freshwater biodiversity conservation goals successfully in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silkworm pupae are a major by-product of the silkworm mulberry industry, and the high content of tri-alpha-linolenin (glyceryl tri-alpha-linolenate, LnLnLn) in silkworm pupae oil makes it an excellent essential fatty acid supplement. However, the complex triglyceride composition of silkworm pupae oil limits its absorption and utilization by the human body. In this study, a sequential simulated moving bed (SSMB) approach for continuous separation was presented to recover the high-value tri-alpha-linolenin monomer from silkworm pupae oil. C18 particles were used as the stationary phase. Acetonitrile and isopropanol were used as the elution mobile phases. Under optimal SSMB conditions, the purity and yield of the extracted products were 95.15±2.06% and 2.14±0.06 mg/mL, respectively. In comparison to the conventional extraction approach, the yield of tri-alpha-linolenin separated by SSMB was 26.7 times greater, the dose of eluent was lowered by 2 times, and the eluent could be recycled. To validate the experimental parameters, a mass transfer diffusion model was used. The molecular diffusion coefficient of tri-alpha-linolenin was 2.61×10−6 cm2/s, the axial diffusion coefficient was 2.61×10−6+7.56×10−3μ, and the mass transfer diffusion coefficient was 0.87 s−1. The correlation coefficient between the model and the actual measured values was 0.9688. Consequently, the separation of tri-alpha-linolenin monomer in silkworm pupae oil by sequential simulated moving bed chromatography column can be reasonably described and predicted by this model. In conclusion, a novel approach to the commercialization of insect oils was developed by the extraction and purification of tri-alpha-linolenin from silkworm pupae oil using the SSMB approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroelectric power belongs to renewable energy sources and contributes a considerable percentage of the electrical energy generated in the world. Its advantages include no carbon dioxide emission, excellent maneuverability, and high energy effectiveness. However, disadvantages do also exist caused by the influence of hydropower facilities on the bioenvironment. This paper presents a review of the most characteristic effects of elements of the flow path of hydroturbines during their operation on biofauna (fish and plankton). The most popular design solutions are examined, which are aimed at reducing the risk of negative impact of the elements of the flow path of hydraulic turbines on the bioenvironment. Obviously, the implementation of these solutions will deteriorate the performance of hydraulic turbines. However, we should bear in mind that the main purpose of these solutions is to ensure the biological safety of facilities, while their energy characteristics do not receive proper attention. The paper presents in some detail an option for rendering environmental safety, which is the modernization of the runner hub by eliminating the gaps between the blades and the hub. Numerical simulation has revealed that the application of a runner with the modified hub increases the hydraulic resistance, decreases the flowrate, and, as a result, reduces the generated power. An analysis of the simulation results has suggested that, despite some decrease in the energy characteristics, it seems worthwhile to develop biologically safer flow path design versions. In addition, a conclusion has been made that the flow path can be further modified to compensate for power losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The state regulation of nature conservation was closely connected with the formation of the first states and was the logical conclusion of the traditionalreligious level of human ecological consciousness. However, with the development of technology and globalization, the speed of resource development has also increased. New challenges have emerged that need to be addressed by improving the state apparatus and improving the effectiveness of environmental measures. Prospects for progress are based in the field of scientific substantiation of state environmental acts, the involvement of public organizations and the interaction of individual states with each other. Therefore, government regulation should be considered in the complex of the multi-level "religionscience-society-state-international law" environmental protection system. The purpose of this study is to develop a theoretical model of urban development of the territory of on the principles of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to alleviate the contradiction between human and land, and expand the city living space, the sea reclamation activities have been developed rapidly in a short time. However, while the reclamation projects have brought remarkable economic benefits, they have caused a lot of negative effects on marine environment and biological resources in the coastal areas.In this paper,the threats of sea reclamation activities on marine hydrological dynamic conditions, water quality, disaster prevention and mitigation were analyzed, and the damages to biodiversity, habitat protection and ecosystem service function value were discussed. The practical countermeasures were put forward, such as improving the management system of national policies and regulations on sea reclamation, strengthening research on ecological restoration planning, and establishing a system for assessing the impact of land reclamation on the ecological environment.

Piperlongumine, an alkaloid containing a dihydropyridine moiety and derived from long pepper, has been extensively investigated for its observable therapeutic properties, particularly its anti-inflammatory action. Multiple in-vitro experimental models simulating inflammatory diseases have shown its anti-inflammatory efficacy. Piperlongumine, displayed a strong inhibitory effect on the major inflammatory signaling cascades, including MAPK, NF-κB, and JAK/STAT, which was followed by a gradual decrease in the gene-protein expression of cyclooxygenase-inducible nitric oxide synthase and other inflammatory proteins. Moreover, Piperlongumine, efficiently deteriorates the protein activity of neutrophil elastase by regulating the endogenous ANXA1 gene expression, lowering the inflammation in the lungs and other bodily organs. This review examines the anti-inflammatory mechanism and origin of Piperlongumine, as well as its toxicity and biological resources as a therapeutic molecule with additional pharmacological benefits. In addition, the different chemical variants of Piperlongumine, that have been discovered in recent years, as well as its structural orientation in the context of its anti-inflammatory effect, have been used in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mycosystema is the property of Mycosystema Editorial Board and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present review paper focuses on recent developments in edible films and coatings made of base compounds from biological sources, namely plants, animals, algae, and microorganisms. These sources include by-products, residues, and wastes from agro-food industries and sea products that contribute to sustainability concerns. Chitosan, derived from animal biological sources, such as crustacean exoskeletons, has been the most studied base compound over the past three years. Polysaccharides typically constitute no more than 3–5% of the film/coating base solution, with some exceptions, like Arabic gum. Proteins and lipids may be present in higher concentrations, such as zein and beeswax. This review also discusses the enrichment of these bio-based films and coatings with various functional and/or bioactive compounds to confer or enhance their functionalities, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-enzymatic properties, as well as physical properties. Whenever possible, a comparative analysis among different formulations was performed. The results of the applications of these edible films and coatings to fruit and vegetable products are also described, including shelf life extension, inhibition of microbial growth, and prevention of oxidation. This review also explores novel types of packaging, such as active and intelligent packaging. The potential health benefits of edible films and coatings, as well as the biodegradability of films, are also discussed. Finally, this review addresses recent innovations in the edible films and coatings industry, including the use of nanotechnologies, aerogels, and probiotics, and provides future perspectives and the challenges that the sector is facing.

Copyright of Studia Iuridica Toruniensia is the property of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Faculty of Law & Administration and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

IntroductionAs one of the megadiverse countries, the effectiveness of wildlife protection in China is of great significance to global biodiversity conservation. With continued evolution and revisions, China’s Wildlife Protection Law has listed over 140 marine species; however, it is still inclined toward terrestrial animals.MethodsTo narrow the gap between compliance and enforcement, we collected 1,309 effective responses from various coastal cities of China through an anonymous online questionnaire survey, to investigate their exposure, understanding and attitudes toward Wildlife Protection Law for marine species (mWPL).ResultsMost respondents demonstrated an overall good understanding about the context, necessity and effectiveness of mWPL. The fisher communities were found to be more aware of the dissemination and implementation of mWPL. However, they understood less of the penal system, and exhibited negative attitudes toward the necessity and punishment of the legislation, probably due to the conflicts between resource utilizations and legislative interventions. The participants also indicated that seahorses, horseshoe crabs and corals were commonly subjected to illegal exploitations.DiscussionWhile most respondents suggested greater fines, tighter laws and better public enforcement, we advocate the exploration of bottom-up options such as community engagement and environmental education to improve compliance and implementation of mWPL for the benefit of marine wildlife conservation in China.

According to the guidelines of the Nagoya Protocol, species are now recognized as 'resources' and owned by each country, thereby emphasizing the significance of biological resources and the importance of the continuous efforts made to systematically manage them. Despite these efforts, climate change, which influences climatic factors such as temperature and precipitation, is expected to negatively impact the struggle for conservation of biological resources by affecting species' habitats. We aimed to devise methodologies that could be utilized for the management of biological resources, especially valuable tree species, that are experiencing difficulties due to climate change. First, changes in habitat of the northern-region plant Needle fir (Abies holophylla) due to of climate change were estimated using the BIOMOD2 package in R under the RCP8.5 scenario. Second, the time period of management was estimated based on the change in habitat area over time. It is expected that 30% of the current habitat of A. holophylla will be lost by 2030 and 50% will be lost by 2042. Third, four management zones (maintenance, reduction, dispersal, and non-habitat areas) were derived by comparing habitats according to the period of management required. In this case, we compared the present and the time point at which 30% habitat loss (2030) is expected to occur. After that, the management steps that can be taken for each management zone were suggested. Our results show the impact of climate change, especially change in Bio1 (annual mean temperature) and Bio13 (precipitation of wettest month), on species distribution patterns and have potential applicability in biological resource management. We have specified the suitable point of time, area, and direction of management in this study, which will contribute to climate change management planning and policy-making. By doing so, we hope that when a management policy on biological resources is applied, by dividing the four management zones, policymakers will be able to apply a cost-efficient policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous varieties of life forms have filled the earth throughout evolution. Evolution consists of two processes: self-replication and interaction with the physical environment and other living things around it. Initiated by von Neumann et al. studies on self-replication in cellular automata have attracted much attention, which aim to explore the logical mechanism underlying the replication of living things. In nature, competition is a common and spontaneous resource to drive selfreplications, whereasmost cellular-automaton-basedmodelsmerely focus on some self-protectionmechanisms thatmay deprive the rights of other artificial life (loops) to live. Especially, Huang et al. designed a self-adaptive, self-replicating model using a greedy selection mechanism, which can increase the ability of loops to survive through an occasionally abandoning part of their own structural information, for the sake of adapting to the restricted environment. Though this passive adaptation can improve diversity, it is always limited by the loop's original structure and is unable to evolve or mutate new genes in a way that is consistent with the adaptive evolution of natural life. Furthermore, it is essential to implement more complex self-adaptive evolutionary mechanisms not at the cost of increasing the complexity of cellular automata. To this end, this article proposes new self-adaptivemechanisms, which can change the information of structural genes and actively adapt to the environment when the arm of a self-replicating loop encounters obstacles, thereby increasing the chance of replication. Meanwhile, our mechanisms can also actively add a proper orientation to the current construction arm for the sake of breaking through the deadlock situation. Our new mechanisms enable active self-adaptations in comparison with the passive mechanism in the work of Huang et al. which is achieved by including a few rules without increasing the number of cell states as compared to the latter. Experiments demonstrate that this active self-adaptability can bring more diversity than the previous mechanism, whereby it may facilitate the emergence of various levels in self-replicating structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gujarat is one of India’s most bio-diverse states and is very rich in biological diversity with regards to Asiatic lion, indigenous cow breeds (Gir), indigenous Kesar mango, microbes, insects, and bryophytes etc. Access and benefit sharing (ABS) clause through an additional CBD protocol known as the Nagoya Protocol for the Utilisation of Biological Resources and shared between users and providers for the protection of biological resources. In India, in line with this notion, the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and Rules, 2004 were enacted by the Parliament of India. For this paper, data related to Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs), People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs), and the status of applications for access and benefit sharing in states was gathered and analysed for the status of the implementation of access and benefit sharing (ABS) from biological resources in Gujarat. Moreover, the level of awareness among the prominent users (industries) of biological resources related to access and benefit sharing (ABS) was assessed through the generation of a telephonic questionnaire survey of different sets of questions. The research discusses an outlook on access and benefit sharing (ABS) of biological resources in Gujarat State. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine Recreational Fishing (MRF) is a highly attended complex activity, extremely evident along the coastlines, and mainly practiced among riparian communities. For that reason, this activity plays an important role to effectively contribute to the collective well-being, both from the social and economic points of view. However, it may negatively affect the fish stocks and the marine environment in general, mainly due to the removal of biological resources. The growing need to evaluate the magnitude of marine recreational fishing is recognized worldwide, especially in the last decade, when inclusive fishing programs began to focus their attention on this fishing activity. Based on its unexpected evidence and its wider repercussion on social behavior, the COVID-19 pandemic is considered by the scientific community as one of the most unique opportunities to better understand the social phenomenon and their repercussion on the environment. In this work will be reported very preliminary results on the consistency of marine recreational fishing in the case study of the Marche region (Italy). Number of recreational fishers and fishing effort were estimated through a telephone survey conducted in the Italian side of the Northern Adriatic Sea (FAO GFCM Geographical Sub Area 17) by interviewing 580 households. The sampling strategy also included a recall survey, which was carried out every month on a list of recruited fishers. In this manner, additional information was collected, such as detailed fishing effort, catches, and expenditures. In addition, biological data of catches were estimated through several on-site surveys. The information collected from January and December 2020 was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of social restrictions and access to marine places, inevitably impacting on marine recreational fishing features, including the biological resources and the related economic aspects.

As a new research focus in the field of biological resources, crayfish shells have great potential for development and utilization. In this review, the typical methods and research progress of separating the primary components such as chitosan, protein, and astaxanthin from crayfish shells and converting crayfish shells into functional carbon-based materials are introduced in detail. Then, the application of crayfish shell and typically modified crayfish-shell biochar in adsorption, antibacterial, electrochemical, etc. is reviewed. Finally, the future research outlook is proposed. This review can provide some perspectives on the development of the application of crayfish shells and crayfish-shell derivatives.

Abstract Laboratory studies are often criticized for not being representative of processes occurring in natural populations. One reason for this is the fact that laboratory populations generally do not capture enough of the genetic variation of natural populations. This can be mitigated by mixing the genetic background of several field populations when creating laboratory populations. From these outbred populations, it is possible to generate inbred lines, thereby freezing and partitioning part of their variability, allowing each genotype to be characterized independently. Many studies addressing adaptation of organisms to their environment, such as those involving quantitative genetics or experimental evolution, rely on inbred or outbred populations, but the methodology underlying the generation of such biological resources is usually not explicitly documented. Here, we developed different procedures to circumvent common pitfalls of laboratory studies, and illustrate their application using two haplodiploid species, the spider mites Tetranychus urticae and Tetranychus evansi. First, we present a method that increases the chance of capturing high amounts of variability when creating outbred populations, by performing controlled crosses between individuals from different field‐collected populations. Second, we depict the creation of inbred lines derived from such outbred populations, by performing several generations of sib‐mating. Third, we outline an experimental evolution protocol that allows the maintenance of a constant population size at the beginning of each generation, thereby preventing bottlenecks and diminishing extinction risks. Finally, we discuss the advantages of these procedures and emphasize that sharing such biological resources and combining them with available genetic tools will allow consistent and comparable studies that greatly contribute to our understanding of ecological and evolutionary processes.

Subject and purpose of work: This paper presents bioeconomy as a solution to sustainable development challenges in Africa. It identifies the current state of bioeconomy and its production determinants in African countries and regions, and the potential that bioeconomy has in these jurisdictions. This paper also highlights possible policy inputs for a sustainable bioeconomy on the continent.

Abstract Background Annotation of cell identity is an essential process in neuroscience that allows comparison of cells, including that of neural activities across different animals. In Caenorhabditis elegans, although unique identities have been assigned to all neurons, the number of annotatable neurons in an intact animal has been limited due to the lack of quantitative information on the location and identity of neurons. Results Here, we present a dataset that facilitates the annotation of neuronal identities, and demonstrate its application in a comprehensive analysis of whole-brain imaging. We systematically identified neurons in the head region of 311 adult worms using 35 cell-specific promoters and created a dataset of the expression patterns and the positions of the neurons. We found large positional variations that illustrated the difficulty of the annotation task. We investigated multiple combinations of cell-specific promoters driving distinct fluorescence and generated optimal strains for the annotation of most head neurons in an animal. We also developed an automatic annotation method with human interaction functionality that facilitates annotations needed for whole-brain imaging. Conclusion Our neuron ID dataset and optimal fluorescent strains enable the annotation of most neurons in the head region of adult C. elegans, both in full-automated fashion and a semi-automated version that includes human interaction functionalities. Our method can potentially be applied to model species used in research other than C. elegans, where the number of available cell-type-specific promoters and their variety will be an important consideration.

According to the guidelines of the Nagoya Protocol, species are now recognized as ‘resources’ and owned by each country, thereby emphasizing the significance of biological resources and the importance of the continuous efforts made to systematically manage them. Despite these efforts, climate change, which influences climatic factors such as temperature and precipitation, is expected to negatively impact the struggle for conservation of biological resources by affecting species’ habitats. We aimed to devise methodologies that could be utilized for the management of biological resources, especially valuable tree species, that are experiencing difficulties due to climate change. First, changes in habitat of the northern-region plant Needle fir (Abies holophylla) due to of climate change were estimated using the BIOMOD2 package in R under the RCP8.5 scenario. Second, the time period of management was estimated based on the change in habitat area over time. It is expected that 30% of the current habitat of A. holophylla will be lost by 2030 and 50% will be lost by 2042. Third, four management zones (maintenance, reduction, dispersal, and non-habitat areas) were derived by comparing habitats according to the period of management required. In this case, we compared the present and the time point at which 30% habitat loss (2030) is expected to occur. After that, the management steps that can be taken for each management zone were suggested. Our results show the impact of climate change, especially change in Bio1 (annual mean temperature) and Bio13 (precipitation of wettest month), on species distribution patterns and have potential applicability in biological resource management. We have specified the suitable point of time, area, and direction of management in this study, which will contribute to climate change management planning and policy-making. By doing so, we hope that when a management policy on biological resources is applied, by dividing the four management zones, policymakers will be able to apply a cost-efficient policy.

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Bioprocess Engineering is the property of Chinese Journal of Bioprocess Engineering Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article is concerned with an analysis of the influence of economic and production factors on the development of bio-oriented economy in Ukraine. It is defined that the modern development of science and biotechnology has become the basis for the formation and development of the conception of bio-oriented economy, which includes agriculture, food industry, forestry, fish farming and aquaculture, fuel production based on recoverable biological resources (biofuels), pharmaceuticals and selected spheres of the chemical industry. In order to analyze the development of the bio-oriented economy in Ukraine, it is proposed to explore the following economic and production factors, which together influence the resulting indicator: gross agricultural products; gross food industry products; investments in agriculture; the number of agricultural enterprises; gross added value of agriculture; employment in agriculture. It is defined that gross agricultural products, gross food production, investments in agriculture, the number of agricultural enterprises are the factors that demonstrate positive dynamics and their quantitative expressions increase over time. Other factors, as included within this study to the economic and production, are characterized by negative dynamics, that is, a fall, which in general will negatively impact the development of sectors of the bio-oriented economy.

Aim. The aim of the study is to analyze the species composition of commercial fish catches in water bodies of the Stavropol Territory for two periods from 1986 to the present.Methods. The first period from 1986 to 2003 is conventionally highlighted and the second period from 2009 to 2017. Data on linear and area characteristics of the territorial objects was obtained using Landsat 8 satellite imagery.Results. In 2017, in the fish industry of the Stavropol Territory, 10.8 thousand tons of marketable fish were produced, which was about 70% of the best production level in 1990. The share of common carp production was 58%, silver carp – 34%, white Amur – 5% , other carp fish species – 3%, trout and sturgeon – 1%. In 2017, 1415 tons of fish seeds were produced bringing the total to 19 million units, which is 4 times less than in 1990. The importance of fish catching in providing the population of the region with fish is not so great in comparison with fish farming. In different periods of the last thirty years, the total annual catch in regional state water bodies (reservoirs) ranged from a maximum of 1065 tons (1990) to a minimum of 82 tons (2016). The average annual catch in all state water bodies for the period 1986 – 2003 amounted to 357 tons; fish productivity was 32 kg, with fluctuations from 2 to 113 kg/ha in eleven water bodies. Over the past 9 years, since 2009, the average annual catch in all state water bodies has decreased and amounted to 285 tons.Conclusion. For the period of 1986-2003, the average annual catch of common carp and silver crucian carp was 94 tons each and 79 tons of silver carp; the total share of these three species in catches was 85%. Over the past 9 years (2009-2017), the total share of these fish in the catches has decreased to 66%. The average annual catch of common carp and silver carps was almost halved, while the catch of less valuable silver crucian carp increased and reached 103 tons.

Biological diversity is the foundation for the survival and development of human beings. Biodiversity conservation in China has been of great concern to the central government, which has implemented a series of policies and action plans to promote the conservation of biodiversity and species restoration. However, the crisis of biodiversity loss at the global level remains serious due to human activities. Region-wide cooperations are required to strengthen the protection of global biodiversity. The paper systematically reviews the actions and achievements of biodiversity protection in China in recent years, as well as the work of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the field of biodiversity research, and puts forward suggestions for the future work of biodiversity conservation in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The legal connotation of biological resources has a potential bearing on conservation and scientific research. The Supreme Court, High Courts, and National Green Tribunal (NGT) in India called up on to the interpretation of biological resources, normally traded commodities (NTCs), and value-added products (VAPs). The conflicting judicial opinions often dampen the spirit of innovation and put a genuine scientist on trial for their sobering discoveries. The complex biodiversity disputes must resolve to an amicable resolution so that the faith of researchers, commercial entities, and indigenous communities can remain intact in the intellection and innovation. The research notes dwells on the ripple effect of a sanctioning regime of biodiversity laws which led many scientists supportive of biodiversity jurisprudence to slip in despair in India and abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the volume of biological resources of beekeeping, the possibility and feasibility of developing beekeeping in Russia on the basis of the available melliferous resources. An assessment of the economic effect of trophic connections between melliferous bees and entomophilous plants is provided. Beekeeping is an important branch of agriculture since pollination of entomophilous plants with the help of bees is a natural and most effective agricultural technique, which leads to a significant increase in the volume and quality of the yield of entomophilous plants. The development of beekeeping on a national scale is possible only with serious state support. For such participation of the state, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the state of the industry, biological resources of beekeeping and the development prospects. In this regard, it becomes necessary to analyse the fodder base of beekeeping in the Russian Federation, to determine the potential reserves of honey and the prospects for the development of beekeeping in the Russian Federation. The volume and structure of honey resources are given, potential honey reserves, the number of bee colonies that can be kept on the basis of the available melliferous resources in Russia are provided. The melliferous resources of entomophilous plants in Russia make it possible to increase the number of bee colonies and the volume of commercial honey production by 8-9-fold, that is, to productively contain from 26 to 30 million bee colonies and produce from 386 to 452 thousand tones of commercial honey annually, which can satisfy scientifically supported honey consumption norms on a national scale. In conclusion, an assessment of the economic effect of trophic connections between honey bees and entomophilous plants is given. It is shown that with proper pollination of entomophilous cultivated and wild plants in Russia, the total economic benefit will equate to an impressive amount: about 1 trillion rubbles annually, which is equivalent to 15 billion US dollars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method of objectively assessing the significance of regions from the point of view of beekeeping is proposed by introducing criterion coefficients, the calculation of which takes into account: the area of the region, honey productivity, ambient temperature in summer and winter period. When assessing the significance of the region for beekeeping, we change the relative degree of influence of the area of the region and its honey productivity in order to take into account the different influence of the area of the honey-bearing region and its honey productivity. Instead of the traditional criterion of the significance of the region - the volume of potential honey reserves, which are calculated as the production of the region's area by its average honey productivity, we use a criterion coefficient equal to the product of the region's area and honey productivity in a cube. This made it possible to increase the relative contribution of honey productivity in comparison with the area of honey lands when assessing the importance of the region for beekeeping, which led to a more realistic result. The result of the work is a table in which the constituent entities of the Russian Federation are sequentially placed in order of their importance for beekeeping, taking into account biological resources - potential honey reserves and climatic conditions: the duration of the nectar collection period and the duration of the wintering period of bees. For comparison, the same table shows the results of assessing the importance of regions for beekeeping, based on the volume of potential honey reserves in the regions. The proposed method of digital objective analysis in determining the importance of regions from the point of view of beekeeping can be extended to account for other physical, chemical, biological factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mushroom residues are organic waste with a porous structure, containing abundant organic matter and nutrients. Mushroom residues have many advantages of bio-organic fertilizers due to the fermentation processes with fungi. There is lack of studies on the effects of applying mushroom residues as organic fertilizers on crop yield and yield stability. This was investigated in the current study with a long-term (7-year) plot experiment,which was located at the Fengqiu Agroecological Experimental Station, Henan province, China. The experiment was conducted under a rotation of winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) and summer maize ( Zea mays L.) with four fertilization regimes: mineral fertilizers (F), mushroom residues combined with mineral fertilizers ( MRF), composted manure combined with mineral fertilizers (CMF) and the Control without fertilization. After continuous fertilization for 6 years, the F treatment showed a 3. 09-fold and 2. 56-fold increase of maize and wheat yield,the CMF treatment showed a 3. 00-fold and 3. 59-fold increase,and the MRF treatment showed a 4. 53-fold and 4. 32-fold,as compared with Control. All fertilization treatments had a trend to improve yield stability; especially the yield stability of wheat was significantly higher in the MRF treatment than in the Control. It was also found that crop yield was positively correlated with soil organic carbon ( SOC) content when SOC ranged between 4. 5 and 8. 0 g/kg. Crop yield did not significantly increase when SOC content was over 8.0 g/kg. Our results suggest that mushroom residues combined with mineral fertilizers highly improved crop yield and yield stability. The yield increase of mushroom residues was greater than the composted manure. When SOC content was over the critical value,the application of organic amendments can be reduced or stopped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological resources are multifarious encompassing organisms, genetic materials, populations, or any other biotic components of ecosystems, and fine-grained data management and processing of these diverse types of resources proposes a tremendous challenge for both researchers and practitioners. Before the conceptualization of data lakes, former big data management platforms in the research fields of computational biology and biomedicine could not deal with many practical data management tasks very well. As an effective complement to those previous systems, data lakes were devised to store voluminous, varied, and diversely structured or unstructured data in their native formats, for the sake of various analyses like reporting, modeling, data exploration, knowledge discovery, data visualization, advanced analysis, and machine learning. Due to their intrinsic traits, data lakes are thought to be ideal technologies for processing of hybrid biological resources in the format of text, image, audio, video, and structured tabular data. This paper proposes a method for constructing a practical data lake system for processing multimodal biological data using a prototype system named ProtoDLS, especially from the explainability point of view, which is indispensable to the rigor, transparency, persuasiveness, and trustworthiness of the applications in the field. ProtoDLS adopts a horizontal pipeline to ensure the intra-component explainability factors from data acquisition to data presentation, and a vertical pipeline to ensure the inner-component explainability factors including mathematics, algorithm, execution time, memory consumption, network latency, security, and sampling size. The dual mechanism can ensure the explainability guarantees on the entirety of the data lake system. ProtoDLS proves that a single point of explainability cannot thoroughly expound the cause and effect of the matter from an overall perspective, and adopting a systematic, dynamic, and multisided way of thinking and a system-oriented analysis method is critical when designing a data processing system for biological resources.

BackgroundGlobal challenges related to access and benefit sharing (ABS) of biological resources have become a key concern in the area of research on herbal medicines, ethnopharmacology, drug discovery, and the development of other high value products for which Intellectual Property protection can be secured. While the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, Rio 1992) has been recognized as a huge step forward, the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol (NP) and of new forms of collaboration often remain unresolved, especially in the context of “the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources” (Convention on Biological Diversity, 2011). The vision and the specific implementation of this international treaty vary from country to country, which poses additional challenges.AimsUsing a case study approach, in this analysis we aim at understanding the specific opportunities and challenges for implementing international collaborations regarding ABS in six Latin American countries—Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, México, Panama, and Peru. Based on that analysis, we provide recommendations for the path ahead regarding international collaborations under ABS agreements in ethnopharmacological research.Results and DiscussionsThe implementation of the NP varies in the six countries; and while they are all rich in biodiversity, access and benefit sharing mechanisms differ considerably. There is a need to engage in a consultation process with stakeholders, but this has often come to a halt. Institutional infrastructures to implement national policies are weak, and the level of knowledge about the NP and the CBD within countries remains limited.ConclusionsDifferent policies in the six countries result in very diverse strategies and opportunities relating to the equitable use of biodiversity. A long-term strategy is required to facilitate a better understanding of the treaties and the resulting opportunities for a fairer development and implementation of transparent national polices, which currently differ in the six countries. So far, the benefits envisioned by the CBD and the NP remain unfulfilled for all stakeholders involved including local communities.

CRYOSTEM was initiated in 2010 to create a multicenter biobank in the field of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT). After initially concentrating on Graft-versus-Host Disease, CRYOSTEM has broadened its focus to all HSCT complications. Thanks to a network of 33 transplant units and 23 Biological Resources Centers, CRYOSTEM has established a standardized collection of high-quality biological samples associated with well-annotated clinical data from donors and patients pre- and post-HSCT. Plasma, dried pellets and viable cells in DMSO are isolated and cryopreserved from blood samples. Currently, the collection has reached almost 200,000 available samples coming from nearly 5,800 patients. Since 2015, CRYOSTEM has provided the national and international scientific community with these samples for large-scale research to improve the knowledge of HSCT complications. Funding statement: CRYOSTEM has been funded by the French government’s “National Investment Program” (call for proposals “COHORTES”, agreement ANR-10-COHO-008) and has also received financial support from INCa (call for proposals “BCB”, agreement 2013-192) and patient associations.

The species richness and composition of macro- and microfungi on vine species in the parks of Ekaterinburg City (the Ural macroregion, Russia) located in the southern boreal vegetation subzone in a continental climate was studied. The average annual air temperature has increased by 3.1 °C since the beginning of the 20th century; therefore, the conditions for the growth of vines have improved. These conditions include warmer winters and, consequently, less frost damage to perennial plants. Due to the warmer climate, the area of vines grown in the city has increased five times over half a century, and the yield of grapes has grown 3.7 times. The alien East Asian vines are the most dominate vine species cultivated, while European, North American, and native plant species, including archaeophytes, together only represent a handful of the species cultivated. At the same time, 65% of the area of woody vines in the city is covered by a North American species, namely Parthenocissus quinquefolia. An increase in the number of vine species, their biomass, and covered areas contributes to an increase in the number of fungal species growing on these vine species. In total, 81 species of phytopathogenic and 87 species of saprobic macro- and microfungi have been recorded during the century-long history of mycological research in Ekaterinburg City. Mycobiota of vines in Ekaterinburg City is biogeographically heterogeneous and 1.1–3.2 times richer in comparison with ones of the regions located on the northern limit of natural ranges of the vines. Recorded macrofungi (Basidiomycota) are predominantly present on native boreal species; however, some exotic tropical and subtropical East Asian fungal species (that have not ever been recorded on other substrates in the natural forests of the Urals and Siberia) are found here too. Recorded microfungi are highly specialized vine-associated species (mainly Ascomycota) that are widespread within the natural ranges of the vines and absent in the boreal zone of Eurasia: there are 63 vine-associated species (15 macro- and 48 microfungi) in Ekaterinburg that are not found in the Urals on other substrates. Many of these species have been recorded for the first time in this study, so we consider that they invaded Ekaterinburg City in the last 20 years, likely due to the warming climate observed over the last decades in the region. There are 19 and 32 species of phytopathogenic fungi collected in the families Cucurbitaceae and Vitaceae, respectively. During the past 40 years, the recorded fungal species richness has increased by 16% on Cucurbitaceae, as well as 37% on grapes. In this study, the distribution of vine-associated fungi, including phytopathogenic fungal species, from the nearest regions of ancient vine culture (Southern European Russia and the Caucasus, Central Asia, the south of the Russian Far East) to the boreal regions of the Urals were investigated. The increase in the range of these phytopathogenic fungal species can lead to significant economic losses to the regional agricultural sector.

Five surveys were carried out in the Wuliangshan area, Yunnan Province, P.R. China, based on a combination of morphological features and molecular evidence. Around 2454 specimens of wood-decaying fungi were collected. The paper summarizes the obtained results on the wood-decaying fungi of this area, consisting in 95 species distributed in 59 genera, 23 families and 9 orders. Their hosts and substrates were also identified. A checklist of wood-decaying fungi is given. Sequences of the ITS nrRNA gene region of the studied specimens were generated and phylogenetic analysis was performed with maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference methods. The present list of wood-decaying fungi enriches the knowledge of fungal diversity worldwide and supplies the basic data for future applications.