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Aims Assessing the role of ramRsl, a gene absent in a lincomycin over-producing strain, in the regulation of morphological development and lincomycin biosynthesis in Streptomyces lincolnensis. Methods and Results The gene ramRsl was deleted from the wild-type strain NRRL 2936 and the ΔramR mutant strain was characterized by a slower growth rate and a delayed morphological differentiation compared to the original strain NRRL 2936. Furthermore, the ΔramR produced 2.6-fold more lincomycin than the original strain, and consistently the level of expression of all lincomycin cluster located genes was enhanced at 48 and 96 h in the ΔramR. Complementation of ΔramR with an intact copy of ramRsl restored all wild-type features, whereas the over-expression of ramRsl led to a reduction of 33% of the lincomycin yield. Furthermore, the level of expression of glnR, bldA and SLCG_2919, three of known lincomycin biosynthesis regulators, was lower in the ΔramR than in the original strain at the early stage of fermentation and we demonstrated, using electrophoretic mobility shift assay and XylE reporter assay, that glnR is a novel direct target of RamR. Conclusions Altogether, these results indicated that, beyond promoting the morphological development, RamR regulates negatively lincomycin biosynthesis and positively the expression of the nitrogen regulator GlnR. Significance and Impact of the Study We demonstrated that RamR plays a negative role in the regulation of lincomycin biosynthesis in S. lincolnensis. Interestingly, the deletion of this gene in other antibiotic-producing Streptomyces strains might also increase their antibiotic-producing abilities.

Assessing the role of ramRThe gene ramRAltogether, these results indicated that, beyond promoting the morphological development, RamR regulates negatively lincomycin biosynthesis and positively the expression of the nitrogen regulator GlnR.We demonstrated that RamR plays a negative role in the regulation of lincomycin biosynthesis in S. lincolnensis. Interestingly, the deletion of this gene in other antibiotic-producing Streptomyces strains might also increase their antibiotic-producing abilities.

Objective: Angina pectoris (AP), affecting over 523 million people, can be alleviated by corydalis rhizome (CR), usually combined with chuanxiong rhizome (CXR), angelica dahuricae radix (ADR), or astragali radix (AR) to enhance the effect. This study aims to distinguish the different mechanisms among 3 drug pairs to treat AP. Methods: The drug pair-disease intersection targets, compound targets, protein–protein interaction (PPI), and herb-compound-target-pathway network were obtained by Cytoscape, STRING, Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses ( http://www.kegg.jp/ or http://www.genome.jp/kegg/ ). Importantly, with principal component analysis (PCA), the key point of KEGG and GO were explored and supported, while by meta-analysis, the different mechanisms of the drug pairs on AP were discovered. Results: JUN, SRC, PIK3CA, and MAPK1 as PPI core network of CR-AP, (CR-CXR)-AP, (CR-ADR)-AP, and (CR-AR)-AP. (highest confidence > 0.9). 10, 45, 35, and 21 key compounds, and 68, 123, 117, and 97 core targets were obtained from CR-AP, (CR-CXR)-AP, (CR-ADR)-AP, and (CR-AR)-AP based on more than 2-fold median value for degree and betweenness centrality, more than the median of closeness centrality. The core pathways of (CR-CXR)-AP and (CR-AR)-AP cover “fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis” and the “pathways in cancer”, while (CR-ADR)-AP was found as the “pathways in cancer” by PCA and KEGG ( P < .01). The core biological processes of (BP) (CR-CXR)-AP, (CR-ADR)-AP, and (CR-AR)-AP were all enriched in the “circulatory system process” by PCA and GO ( P < .01). Moreover, meta-analysis indicated the significant differences ( P < .05) of the 3 drug pairs. Conclusion: CR-CXR, CR-ADR, or CR-AR outperformed CR-AP in AP mitigation. Furthermore, meta-analysis revealed, CR-CXR was superior to alleviating AP by affecting “circulatory system process” and “fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis”, particularly the targets PTGS1, PTGS2, ADRB2, ADRA2C, and NOS, when compared with the drug pair of CR-ADR and the CR-AR.

Human health is adversely affected by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the topsoil, entering the bodies via inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact. To visualize human health risks, we investigated five PTEs (Cd, As, Pb, Hg, and Cr) in 72 farmland topsoil samples from a town in Chongqing City, southwest China. Based on the human health risk assessment model, sequential indicator simulation (SIS) and the positive matrix factorization model (PMF) were used to construct the spatial health risks and to analyze the sources of PTEs; finally, health risks were combined with the source by ArcGIS. Based on our results, the use of SIS is feasible for the prediction of the spatial distribution of PTEs. Among the risks, the non-cancer risk of As for children most likely exceeded the accepted level in some areas, making As a priority pollutant. Although the health risks of soil Cd were acceptable in the region, the spatial probability distribution of Cd> 0.3 mg/kg represents a threat as Cd enters the human food chain. Even if the industrial discharge was the lowest individual contributor (29.33%), due to the impact of industrial discharge, the total non-cancer risk with a high probability (>0.85) for children still exceeded the accepted level in the northwestern area, which should be regarded as the priority pollution source. The combined method was useful to reduce efforts in environmental management, thus providing a basis for soil remediation and pollution source control.

Students borrow books in university libraries with diverse motivations that associated with individual demographic characterists and therefore group into communities of students. In this paper, we analyze the relationship between demographic characterists and network communities of student borrowing behaviors using CDM. Taking the library system of Jilin University as a case study, we construct network with students as nodes and the connections between them as edges weighted by the number of shared borrowing books. The communities identify the group of students with borrowing similar books. The communities identify the group of students with borrowing similar books. Demographic characterists are mapped into nodes in the network and serve as independent variables to classify the community categories of students.

Since 2008, we have been studying a saline lake, Dalangtan (DLT) Playa, and its surroundings in a hyperarid region of the Qaidam Basin on the Tibetan Plateau as a potential Mars analog site. We describe the evolution of saline deposits in the Qaidam Basin (including DLT), based on investigative findings accumulated over the course of 60 years of geological surveys. In addition, we report regional meteorological patterns recorded for the past 32 years along with meteorological station recorded data at DLT since 2012. Overall, the DLT area on the Tibetan Plateau has low atmospheric pressure, high ultraviolet radiation, low annual mean temperatures (T) but large seasonal and diurnal T cycles, and extremely low relative humidity, all of which bear some similarities with the equatorial region on Mars. In addition, salt types similar to those found on Mars, such as magnesium-sulfates, chlorides, and perchlorates, are found at the surface and subsurface in the DLT area (and the other two playas in the Qaidam Basin), thus supporting DLT as a Mars analog in terms of mineralogy and geochemistry.

We report the first multiscale, systematic field-based testing of correlations between orbital scale advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer visible near-infrared (VNIR)/shortwave infrared (SWIR) reflectance and thermal infrared relative emissivity and outcrop scale Raman spectroscopy, VNIR reflectance, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) mineralogy and chemistry in a saline dry lakebed. This article is one of three reports describing the evolution of salt deposits, meteorological record, and surface and subsurface salt mineralogy in Dalangtan, Qaidam Basin, a hyperarid region of the Tibet Plateau, China, as potential environmental, mineralogical, and biogeochemical analogs to Mars. We have successfully bridged remote sensing data to fine scale mineralogy and chemistry data. We have defined spectral end-members in the northwestern Qaidam Basin and classified areas within the study area on the basis of their spectral similarity to the spectral end-members. Results of VNIR/SWIR classification reveal zonation of spectral units within three large anticlinal domes in the study area that can be correlated between the three structures. Laboratory Raman, VNIR reflectance, XRD, and LIBS data of surface mineral samples collected along a traverse over Xiaoliangshan (XLS) indicate that the surface is dominated by gypsum, Mg sulfates, Na sulfates, halite, and carbonates, with minor concentrations of illite present in most samples as well. Our results can be used as a first step toward better characterizing the potential of orbital reflectance spectroscopy as a method for mineral detection and quantification in salt-rich planetary environments, with the benefit that this technique can be validated on the ground using instruments onboard rovers.

In Populus, the transcripts of fasciclin-like arabinogalactan proteins (FLAs) are accumulated in tension wood (TW) xylem, however their biological functions in TW formation are largely unknown. In this work, we demonstrated that PtFLA6, one of poplar TW-associated PtFLAs, was abundantly expressed in TW, and mainly localized in differentiating G-fibers. The bended stems of PtFLA6 antisense transgenic poplar showed decreased transcripts of PtFLAs, including PtFLA6, and reduced PtFLA6 like proteins, leading to inhibited TW differentiation and formation. We also showed that gibberellin A3 (GA3) was enriched in the xylem of TW side, accompanied with a lowered level of PtRGA1, a poplar DELLA protein. When GA3 biosynthesis was restrained in the bended poplar stems by a GA biosynthesis inhibitor (daminozide), TW formation was obviously repressed, as a result of restricted PtRGA1 degradation, and reduced PtFLA6 like proteins and PtFLA expression. Further studies indicated that PtFLAs were negatively regulated by PtRGA1. This study suggests that PtFLAs play important roles in the poplar TW formation, possibly regulated by GA signaling.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs)-9 expression was reported to be upregulated in the follicular fluid of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, whether miR-9 affects ovarian dysfunction of PCOS and the related mechanisms are still unclear. Here we detected miR-9 and vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression in women with PCOS and controls, and investigated whether miR-9 affects ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) proliferation and apoptosis by targeting VDR. We found increased miR-9 and decreased VDR in the blood and isolated ovarian GCs of women with PCOS compared with the controls. MiR-9 promoted GCs proliferation and inhibited GCs apoptosis in vitro, and these effects were attenuated by its target VDR. High concentrations of insulin upregulated miR-9 expression in GCs. In conclusion this study firstly proved miR-9 affects ovarian GCs proliferation and apoptosis through targeting VDR. MiR-9 might be a potential molecular target for improving the dysfunction of GCs in PCOS.

Based on a field expedition to the Dalangtan (DLT) saline playa located in a hyperarid region (Qaidam Basin) on the Tibet Plateau and follow-up investigations, we report the mineralogy and geochemistry of the salt layers in two vertical stratigraphic cross sections in the DLT playa. Na-, Ca-, Mg-, KCaMg-sulfates; Na-, K-, KMg-chlorides; mixed (K, Mg)-chloride-sulfate; and chlorate and perchlorate were identified in the collected samples. This mineral assemblage represents the last-stage precipitation products from Na-K-Mg-Ca-Cl-SO4 brine and the oxychlorine formation from photochemistry reaction similar to other hyperarid regions on Earth. The spatial distributions of these salts in both stratigraphic cross sections suggest very limited brine volumes during the precipitation episodes in the Holocene era. More importantly, sulfates and chlorides with a high degree of hydrations were found preserved within the subsurface salt-rich layers of DLT saline playa, where the environmental conditions at the surface are controlled by the hyperaridity in the Qaidam Basin on the Tibet Plateau. Our findings suggest a very different temperature and relative humidity environment maintained by the hydrous salts in a subsurface salty layer, where the climatic conditions at surface have very little or no influence. This observation bears some similarities with four observations on Mars, which implies not only a large humidity reservoir in midlatitude and equatorial regions on Mars but also habitability potential that warrants further investigation.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) concentrations, measured at the first prenatal visit, are associated with risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: From July 2015 to June 2016, consecutive women who admitted to the obstetrics center of our hospital were included. At the first prenatal visit (the median gestational age was 6 [interquartile range 4–10] weeks) in the hospital, involved subjects were tested for fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and RBP4 using venous plasma samples collected after at least 8 h of fasting in the morning. Data for FPG and RBP4 concentrations at the first prenatal visit and one-step GDM screening with 75-g oral glucose tolerance test performed between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation were collected and analyzed. Results: Blood at first prenatal visit was available for 827 women, among whom GDM developed in 101 (12.2%). In multivariate models comparing the second (Q2), third, and fourth quartiles against the first quartile of RBP4, concentrations of RBP4 in Q2, Q3, and Q4 were associated with GDM later developed, and increased risk of GDM by 54, 205, and 536%. There was a significant statistical difference in the area under the curve between the established risk factors alone and the addition of RBP4 concentrations (difference, 0.039 [95% CI 0.030–0.052]; p = 0.03). In the subgroup of women combined with obesity and FABP4 ≥median, the measured OR was 9.83 (95% CI [4.76–16.13]; p < 0.001) for GDM compared to those without obesity and FABP4 Conclusions: There is evidence of a positive association of early pregnancy elevated RBP4 concentration with increased GDM risk, particularly among women with advanced age and obesity.

This paper presents a study of edaphic characteristics and their relationship with plant distribution in the Qaidam Basin, Tibetan Plateau, and establishes a distribution model for plants in sandy gravel Gobi to dry salt lake areas. All of the communities in the study area were dominated by plants with strong saline-alkaline tolerance. In this area, salts appeared to migrate to the surface; the surface soil was striped, and the salt distribution varied from sandy gravel Gobi to dry salt lake areas. The salt composition mainly consisted of NaCl in the surface crust. In the subsurface layers, the salt composition was dominated by Ca2+, Cl− and SO42−. The type of vegetation at the study site can be divided into two categories: salt-tolerant vegetation and weakly salt-tolerant vegetation. The salt-tolerant vegetation is influenced by Na+, Cl−, and the salinity. The soil of these vegetation communities had a higher salt and Na+ concentration and a lower Ca2+ and K+ concentration. The weakly salt-tolerant vegetation is mainly affected by the Ca2+/Na+ and K+/Na+ ratios. Based on the above results, a vegetation distribution model for saline lakes on the inland plateau was established.

The imbalance between supply and demand of Artemia cysts in China and around the world is increasing now. Salt lakes in Tibet may contribute to the solution of the problem. In Northern Tibet there are 26 saline lakes whose salinity and temperature may support Artemia survival at an altitude of 4 000–5 100 m. We found Artemia in 15 of these lakes. The saline lakes with Artemia populations mainly belong to the shallow basin lakes, and the majority of these lakes are small in area. The total area of lakes without Artemia is more than 1 000 km2. Lake Dangxiong Co (Co means lake in Tibet) was chosen for the intentional introduction of Artemia sinica. In 2004, 850 g of A. sinica cysts, originating from Qinghai, were introduced in the lake. Surveys in 2006–2014 showed that the average abundance of Artemia adults in the lake gradually increased from 20 ind./m3 in 2006 to 1950 ind./m3 in 2013. We assume that two subpopulations of A. sinica, separated by depth, may exist in the lake. The new Artemia population caused an increase in the number of species of phytoplankton and heterotrophic protozoa with a decrease of their total abundance. Water transparency also increased. Dominance in phytoplankton passed from cyanobacteria to diatoms. Changes occurred not only in the lake ecosystem; the number of water birds using the lakes also dramatically increased. Preliminary calculations showed that is it possible to harvest at least about 150 t cysts per year from the lake as well as 3.2 thousand tons of frozen or 350 t of dried biomass of adult Artemia.

It is well established that small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) play an important role in thermotolerance in various organisms due to their abundance and diversity. In the present study, a chloroplast small heat shock protein gene (LeHSP21) from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cv PKM-1) was constitutively expressed in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Wisconsin 38) plants via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. When compared to wild-type control plants, transgenic tobacco plants constitutively expressing LeHSP21, driven by the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter, exhibited improved tolerance to both high temperature and oxidative stress. Furthermore, when the seedlings were subjected to high temperature treatment, the activities of anti-oxidative enzymes and the content of proline were significantly higher in transgenic plants than those in the wild-type plants. Our results presented here demonstrate the feasibility of improving high temperature and oxidative stress tolerance in plants through the expression of LeHSP21 gene.

A rapid quantitative evaluation method for Siraitia grosvenorii cells was successfully developed based on plant cells' capacitance value detected by a viable cell mass monitor and the cryopreservation of S. grosvenorii suspension cells was optimized. The survival rate of S. grosvenorii cells was quantitatively measured by viable cell mass monitor and 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC). An optimum cryoprotectant recipe is that the growth medium contained 10% sucrose and 10% DMSO. The experimental results also showed higher cell survival rates and cell viabilities were achieved when suspension cells were treated with pretreatment of 0.2 mol/L sucrose. With the increase of concentration of sucrose, however, the cell survival rate was decreased. And the cell survival rate represented a bell shape with the increase of pretreatment time. The highest cell survival rate and cell viability were obtained with the 9 h' s pretreatment. In addition, there was a good correlation between the cell survival rate measured by cell recovery test and that measured by viable cell mass monitor, while there were no significant differences in the cell morphology and the ability of mogrosides V production by S. grosvenorii cells cultured in suspension after cryopreservation. Therefore, the evaluation method developed based on the viable cell mass monitor has good feasibility and reliability.建立了一种基于活细胞电容值定量测定的植物细胞超低温保藏的快速评价方法，优化了罗汉果细胞超低温保藏方法。通过采用活细胞传感仪测定冻存后细胞的存活率并结合细胞生活力(细胞线粒体活性/TTC)对罗汉果细胞的低温保藏过程进行优化，确定了罗汉果细胞较为适宜的冷冻保护剂组分为基本培养基中添加10%的蔗糖和10%的DMSO。预处理剂的考察实验表明，采用0.2 mol/L 蔗糖的预处理剂处理细胞时冻存后细胞存活率和细胞活力较高；采用0.2 mol/L蔗糖预处理剂处理细胞时，随着预处理时间的增加，细胞存活率先增加后降低，预处理时间为9 h时，细胞存活率和细胞活力最高。保藏后的细胞复苏实验结果表明：细胞存活率与采用活细胞电容值得到的细胞存活率具有很好的一致性，同时经过冻存的细胞复苏培养后，仍保留了原始细胞的形态和合成甜苷V的特性，说明该冻存方法适用于罗汉果细胞的超低温保藏。因此基于活细胞传感仪测得的电容值进行细胞冻存过程细胞活性的快速评价方法具有较好的可行性和可靠性。.

The study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficiency of ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (USgHIFU) combined with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa)-ablating symptomatic uterine leiomyoma with homogeneous hyperintensity on TA total of 34 patients with 42 symptomatic uterine leiomyomas with homogeneous hyperintensity on TThe treatment time and sonication time of the combination group were 102.0 min (55.8-152.2 min) and 25.4 min (12.2-34.1 min); however, they were 149.0 min (87.0-210.0 min) and 38.9 min (14.0-46.7 min) in the simple USgHIFU group. The treatment and sonication time for the combination group was significantly shorter than that for the simple USgHIFU group. Treatment efficiency, NPV ratio and energy effect ratio were 46.7 mmOur data suggest that USgHIFU combined with GnRHa may be performed to ablate symptomatic uterine leiomyoma with homogeneous hyperintensity on T

The expression levels of estrogen receptor (ER α) are closely associated with estrogen-dependent growth, invasion and response to endocrine therapy in ERα-positive ovarian cancer. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain to be fully understood. Previous studies have demonstrated that ERα is a direct target of microRNA (miR)-206. miR-206 has been found to be an important tumor suppressor in several cancer types, including ovarian, gastric and laryngeal cancer. However, the specific role of miR-206 in ovarian cancer remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of miR-206 in ER-a positive ovarian cancer in vitro. The present study demonstrated that miR-206 is significantly downregulated in ERα-positive but not ERα‑negative ovarian cancer tissues, compared with normal ovarian epithelium tissue. It was also found that the expression of miR-206 was decreased in ERα-positive ovarian cancer cell lines, CAOV-3 and BG-1, compared with normal ovarian epithelium tissues. This suggests that miR-206 may play a role in ERα-positive ovarian cancer cells via an estrogen-dependent mechanism. Further analysis revealed that 17β-E2 treatment significantly promoted cellular proliferation and invasion of estrogen-dependent CAOV-3 and BG-1 cells, which could be reversed by the introduction of miR-206 mimics. In conclusion, the present study suggests that miR-206 has an inhibitory role in estrogen-dependent ovarian cancer cells. Thus, miR-206 may be a promising candidate for the endocrine therapy of ERα-positive ovarian cancer.

Based on the vertically interval sampling in 25 sampling sites in Dangxiong Co salt lake in 2011, a preliminary investigation on population spatial distribution and cysts resources of Artemia in the lake has been conducted. The study achieves four new progresses. First, the average density of Artemia and Artemia cysts in the lake is 4.157 × 103 ind. m−2 and 8.069 × 104 ind. m−2, respectively. Among Artemia, the adults account for 60.31%; Second, different from other salt lakes in horizontal distribution, the Artemia population mainly distributes in the open water, only a little in the shallow water, and there is no distribution in the longshore area in the north part and the estuary region; Third, in vertical distribution, 44.24% of individuals intensively distribute in the upper water layer within 2.0 m, especially 0–0.2 m, where the average density of Artemia and cysts are maximum (129.488 ind. L−1 and 5.728 ind. L−1, respectively). A decrease of distribution density is accompanied by an increase of water depth basically, the percentage of Artemia and cysts decrease to 0.68% and 4.60%, respectively; Fourth, the cysts resources of 14.96 t in the lake are assessed using contour map. 66.35% of them distributed in 0.0–2.0 m water layer and 49.06% concentrate in the 18.21% areas of the central water; Fifth, quantity of cysts suitable for development in the lake is 2.399 ± 0.320 t, with an upper limit of 0.879 t. The study can provide a reference for the sustainable development and exploitation of Artemia in Dangxiong Co salt lake.

Summary Brassinosteroids (BRs) are essential hormones that play crucial roles in plant growth, reproduction and response to abiotic and biotic stress. In Arabidopsis, AtCYP85A2 works as a bifunctional cytochrome P450 monooxygenase to catalyse the conversion of castasterone to brassinolide, a final rate‐limiting step in the BR‐biosynthetic pathway. Here, we report the functional characterizations of PtCYP85A3, one of the three AtCYP85A2 homologous genes from Populus trichocarpa. PtCYP85A3 shares the highest similarity with AtCYP85A2 and can rescue the retarded‐growth phenotype of the Arabidopsis cyp85a2‐2 and tomato d x mutants. Constitutive expression of PtCYP85A3, driven by the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter, increased the endogenous BR levels and significantly promoted the growth and biomass production in both transgenic tomato and poplar. Compared to the wild type, plant height, shoot fresh weight and fruit yield increased 50%, 56% and 43%, respectively, in transgenic tomato plants. Similarly, plant height and stem diameter increased 15% and 25%, respectively, in transgenic poplar plants. Further study revealed that overexpression of PtCYP85A3 enhanced xylem formation without affecting the composition of cellulose and lignin, as well as the cell wall thickness in transgenic poplar. Our finding suggests that PtCYP85A3 could be used as a potential candidate gene for engineering fast‐growing trees with improved wood production.

Background In the biological experiments of soybean species, molecular markers are widely used to verify the soybean genome or construct its genetic map. Among a variety of molecular markers, insertions and deletions (InDels) are preferred with the advantages of wide distribution and high density at the whole-genome level. Hence, the problem of detecting InDels based on next-generation sequencing data is of great importance for the design of InDel markers. To tackle it, this paper integrated machine learning techniques with existing software and developed two algorithms for InDel detection, one is the best F-score method (BF-M) and the other is the Support Vector Machine (SVM) method (SVM-M), which is based on the classical SVM model. Results The experimental results show that the performance of BF-M was promising as indicated by the high precision and recall scores, whereas SVM-M yielded the best performance in terms of recall and F-score. Moreover, based on the InDel markers detected by SVM-M from soybeans that were collected from 56 different regions, highly polymorphic loci were selected to construct an InDel marker database for soybean. Conclusions Compared to existing software tools, the two algorithms proposed in this work produced substantially higher precision and recall scores, and remained stable in various types of genomic regions. Moreover, based on SVM-M, we have constructed a database for soybean InDel markers and published it for academic research.

The effects of temperature on population characteristics of Artemia parthenogenetica Gahai from the Gahai Salt Lake, Qinghai Province, China, were studied in the laboratory at a salinity of 60‰. The major conclusions are as follows: (1) It was found that the adaptive temperature for the development of brine shrimp ranged from 10°C to 39°C. The threshold temperature of development (TD) and the effective accumulative temperature (TA) for hatching were 9.94°C·d and (22.91±2.08)°C·d, respectively. The TD and TA for the larva were 10.33°C·d and (261.26±24.1)°C·d, respectively, and for the whole generation were 10.28°C and (458.68±57.60)°C·d, respectively. (2) It showed that the population’s net reproduction rate (Ro), the intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm), the mean generation time (T), the finite rate of increase (λ), and the days for population to double (t) of the brine shrimp were determined over temperatures ranging from 19°C to 34°C by analyzing the life table and numerical model. In the temperature range of 14.3°C to 37.3°C for Ro>1, the optimum temperature (°C) for Ro, rm, λ, and t were 25.8°C, 29.8°C, 30.5°C, and 29.02°C, respectively. The maximum values of Ro, rm and λ were 54.86 ind., 0.106138/d, and 1.1070/d, respectively. The minimum value of t was 4.73 d. The value of T was in a range of 96.77 to 16.10 d. (3) Based on the 1993–1994 and 1997 data of the water temperature in the Gahai Salt Lake, Qinghai Province, it was estimated that the number of generation of A. parthenogenetica Gahai and the number of the reproductive peak value were 2.67±0.34 and 4.69±0.43 in a year, respectively. The peak of nauplii of the first generation was on April 20 to 28. The last whole generation began on August 10. The first reproductive peak was on June 18 to 25. The last reproductive peak was on September 12 to 17. The nauplii that hatched after September 1 cannot complete the development from nauplii to adults because of insufficient habitat effective accumulative temperature. During the period from July 11 to September 20, there was a relatively high productivity of the population. In this case, doubling the population would take less than 30 d, and the intrinsic rate of natural increase was over 0.02/d. Therefore, the value of resource exploitation would be maximal during that period annually.

The herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) is one of the most important sexually transmitted pathogens, and can facilitate the spread of human immunodeficiency virus. The currently available antiviral drugs have certain limitations. Nanosilver has received increasing attention recently with respect to its antibacterial and antiviral properties. The purpose of this study was to determine the inhibiting effect and mechanism of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) on HSV-2. The cytotoxicity of Vero cells induced by different Ag-NP concentrations was investigated by using the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The inhibiting effect of Ag-NPs on HSV-2 at various times was also evaluated by using a plaque assay. The toxicity of 100 μg/mL Ag-NPs on Vero cells was very low. The mixture of Ag-NP suspension and HSV-2 prior to infecting cells could significantly inhibit the production of progeny viruses. Ag-NPs also inhibited the replication of HSV-2 for 24 h before infecting cells with HSV-2. Therefore, 100 μg/mL Ag-NPs could completely inhibit HSV-2 replication. Ag-NPs at nontoxic concentrations were capable of inhibiting HSV-2 replication when administered prior to viral infection or soon after initial virus exposure. This suggests that the mode of action of Ag-Nps occurs during the early phases of viral replication.

Cai-Hong Hua, Hui-Min Guo, Xin-Lei Guan, Fan-Jing Kong, Rui-Jie Hou, Xue-Ying Zhang, Shao-Ru Li Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Weihui City, Henan Province, People’s Republic of China Purpose: The aim of our study was to assess, for the first time, the validity, reliability, and acceptability of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality Of Life questionnaire (QLQ) cervical cancer module (CX24) in Chinese cervical cancer patients. Patients and methods: One hundred fifteen outpatients with cervical cancer in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University from May 2013 to July 2013 were included in this study. All participants self-administered the EORTC QLQ-CX24 and the core questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), and the Karnofsky Performance Scale was performed to evaluate scores. Data were analyzed with Cronbach’s α coefficient, Pearson correlation test, multitrait scaling analysis, and Mann–Whitney U test. Results: Scale reliability was confirmed by Cronbach’s α coefficients for internal consistency, which ranged from 0.71 to 0.82. Convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed by multitrait scaling analysis, which revealed three (3.4%) scaling errors for symptom experience scales and zero (0%) for body image as well as sexual/vaginal functioning scales. Higher missing value rate occurred in sexuality-related items. The clinical validity of the Chinese version of the EORTC QLQ-CX24 was demonstrated by the ability to discriminate among patients in different International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stages. Conclusion: The EORTC QLQ-CX24 was proved to be a reliable and valid instrument with which to measure the quality of life in cervical cancer patients in the People’s Republic of China. Keywords: cervical cancer, quality of life, EORTC QLQ-CX24, People’s Republic of China

To get knowledge about bacterial diversity in Zabuye salt lake with the culture-independent approaches.Total DNA was extracted from sediments sample of Zabuye salt lake, Tibet. The 16S rRNA gene was amplified by PCR with bacterial primer f530/r1492. Then the plasmid library of 16S rRNA genes was constructed. The positive clones were screened on plates with IPTG/X-gal/Ap. Amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) was carried out with restriction enzymes Hae III, Hha I. With the help of culture-independent approaches, DNA was directly extracted from the sediment samples of Zabuye salt lake. After construction of 16S rRNA gene library, ARDRA (amplified rDNA restriction analysis) analysis was carried out. Some clones were selected to be sequenced according to the ARDRA patterns. These partial sequences of 16S rRNA gene were used for construction of the phylogenetic tree.The phylogenetic tree showed that some clones (57.14% of total clones) belonged to 23 genera in gamma-proteobacteria, alpha-proteobacteria, delta-proteobacteria, bacteroidetes, firmicutes, and verrucomicrobia. The rest clones were quite different and were most related with uncultured sequences, forming special division in the tree.These finding showed much prolific bacteria diversity in Zabuye salt lake.

In this paper, we investigated a new feature set, called the histograms of multi-scale orientations (H-MSO), for vehicle representation and detection. The multi-scale orientations on image pixels are calculated using Gabor filters of different scale and orientation parameters. Firstly, we divide the image into cells, and calculate the histograms of multi-scale orientations in each cell by statistics. Then, the values of histogram bins are normalized in each four adjacent cells and are assembled to form the feature set. Finally, the feature set is used to train an SVM classifier for on-road vehicle detection. Experiments validate the proposed feature set and the detection algorithm.

Dagenoer Soda Lake is located on the Xilinhaote plateau in Inner Mongolia at an elevation of 1289 m. Blooms of one predominant kind of picoplankton algae were found in the lake throughout the year. A strain of this picoplankton alga, designated DGN-Z1, was isolated in axenic culture. Its cells are spherical or oval, 2-3 in diameter; it grows optimally at 0.5-1 M NaCl, and tolerates pH values from 7 to 12. Phylogenetic analysis based on sequence similarity of the 18S rRNA gene suggested that it belongs to the green algal species Picocystis salinarum.

The accumulation of cesium by the bacterium Thermus sp. TibetanG6 was examined under different K+ growth conditions. The effects of external pH and Na+ on the accumulation of cesium were also studied, and the mechanism involved was discussed. K+ regimes played an important role in the accumulation of cesium by the strain TibetanG6. The quantity of cesium accumulated (24 h) was much higher in K+-deficient regime than that in K+-sufficient regime. The pH and Na+ had different effects on the accumulation of cesium in the two K+ regimes. IR spectra analyses indicated that the biosorption is a process of homeostasis with cesium initially accumulated on the cell wall.

The effects of environmental factors, such as pH, sodium and calcium on the uptake and accumulation of ore-forming element cesium by bacteria were studied under K+-sufficient and K+-deficient culturing conditions in terms of quantity of uptake and accumulation (QUA), respectively. The mechanism of the uptake and accumulation and kinetics of the high-affinity Cs+ in K+-deficient cells were also studied. Culturing conditions with and without K+ played a significant role in the uptake and accumulation of cesium. The QUA of cesium was much higher in K+-deficient cells than that in K+-sufficient cells. The uptake and accumulation of cesium were subjected to external H+, Na+ and Ca2+: The QUA decreased at both higher (9.0) and lower (3.0) pH values in K+-deficient cells, whereas the K+-sufficient cells experienced less differences at various pH values, though the highest QUA remained at pH 7.5 the same as in the K+-deficient cells. Na+ showed greater inhibition to the uptake and accumulation of cesium at higher concentration in both K+ regimes but less so in K+-sufficient cells (30%) than in K+-deficient cells (45%). Ca2+, however, revealed much more complicated effects. Bacteria showed the highest capacity of uptake and accumulation at Ca2+concentration of 700 µmol/L, 10 times higher than that of Cs+, in K+-deficient cells. However, in K+-sufficient cells, the higher QUA appeared at Ca2+ concentrations of 70 and 7 µmol/L, with a little higher at 7 µmol/L.