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Background: Iva xanthiifolia, native to North America, is now widely distributed in northeastern China and has become a vicious invasive plant. This article aims to probe the role of leaf extract in the invasion of I. xanthiifolia. Methods: We collected the rhizosphere soil of Amaranthus tricolor and Setaria viridis in the invasive zone, the noninvasive zone and the noninvasive zone treated with extract from I. xanthiifolia leaf, and obtained I. xanthiifolia rhizosphere soil in the invasive zone. All wild plants were identified by Xu Yongqing. I. xanthiifolia (collection number: RQSB04100), A. tricolor (collection number: 831,030) and S. viridis (collection number: CF-0002-034) are all included in Chinese Virtual Herbarium (https://www.cvh.ac.cn/index.php). The soil bacterial diversity was analyzed based on the Illumina HiSeq sequencing platform. Subsequently, taxonomic analysis and Faprotax functional prediction were performed. Results: The results showed that the leaf extract significantly reduced the diversity of indigenous plant rhizosphere bacteria. A. tricolor and S. viridis rhizobacterial phylum and genus abundances were significantly reduced under the influence of I. xanthiifolia or its leaf extract. The results of functional prediction showed that bacterial abundance changes induced by leaf extracts could potentially hinder nutrient cycling in native plants and increased bacterial abundance in the A. tricolor rhizosphere related to aromatic compound degradation. In addition, the greatest number of sensitive Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) appeared in the rhizosphere when S. viridis was in response to the invasion of I. xanthiifolia. It can be seen that A. tricolor and S. viridis have different mechanisms in response to the invasion of I. xanthiifolia. Conclusion: I. xanthiifolia leaves material has potential role in invasion by altering indigenous plant rhizosphere bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In ESP, few studies have explored the range of genres that university faculty write, faculty experiences writing them, or ways of familiarizing potential faculty – including non-native English speakers (NNESs) – with these genres. Studies of writing in academe and related teaching applications have focused heavily on research genres, and there has been little investigation of writing in other areas of faculty work, such as teaching and service. Through a study of faculty writing at one university, our research aims to shed light on some of the genres NNESs may write in some North American university contexts, as well as the different challenges these texts may pose to faculty. Data for the study come from a survey of 106 full-time faculty at a mid-size comprehensive state university in California. The survey findings illuminate the relative time respondents spend writing genres in three areas of their work – teaching, research, and service – as well as different features they are conscious of when writing these texts. In addition, the results highlight genres that may be particularly difficult for faculty at this university and the degree to which graduate school prepared them for writing different texts. Based on our analysis, we make recommendations for how graduate EAP curricula and faculty seminars might help prepare future faculty writers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An insertional (460-461InsA) mutation in the ferritin light polypeptide (FTL) gene was recently reported in some patients with a familial form of basal ganglia degeneration with varying extrapyramidal manifestations. Some of the affected family members presented with a phenotype indistinguishable from typical Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, 253 patients with a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic PD were screened for the insertion in the FTL gene by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The results showed that none of them had the mutation, indicating that genetic defects in the FTL gene are unlikely to be a common cause of typical PD, at least in a North America population.