Search

Cortinarius species are widely distributed in the world and constitute a diverse group of ectomycorrhizal fungi that are associated with a broad range of plant hosts. The species diversity of this genus has been investigated in China, but it remains poorly understood, especially in the subtropical region. In this study, one new section, six novel species, one new combination, one new name, and one new record of Cortinarius are reported from subtropical China based on the morphological and molecular evidences. Cortinarius lilacinicarpus, C. sinocalaisopus, C. sinosalor, C. vividus spp. nov., C. orientisalor nom. nov., and C. illibatus are typical species of the section Delibuti. Cortinarius macroflavicapus sp. nov. belongs to Macroflavicapi sect. nov., a new section in the subgenus Dermocybe. Cortinarius tianbaoyanensis sp. nov. and C. dryadicola comb. nov. belong to the section Spilomei. Detailed descriptions, basidiocarps, and microscopic photographs are provided for these species. In addition, C. leptospermorum comb. nov. in the section Pauperae and subgenus Dermocybe is proposed.

Two new Cortinarius species in subgenus Leprocybe, Cortinarius hengduanensis and C. yadingensis, are proposed based on a combination of morphological and molecular evidence. Cortinarius hengduanensis has distinct olive tinged basidiomata, a squamulose pileus, and small, subglobose to broadly ellipsoid basidiospores, the ITS sequence differs from that of C. flavifolium by at least 28 substitutions and independent positions. Cortinarius yadingensis has a squamulose pileus and subglobose to broadly ellipsoid coarsely verrucose basidiospores, the ITS sequence has at least 11 substitutions and index position deviations from the other members of the Leprocybe section. Both new species were found in mixed forests of southwest China.

Owing to the global consumption of high-grade ores, large amounts of low-grade and complex ores are being processed nowadays. The entrainment of gangue minerals in the ores, especially silicate gangue minerals, has become a nonignorable issue that can significantly influence mineral flotation performance. Amorphous silica has been reported to exist widely in various ore deposits, but how it affects mineral flotation remains poorly understood. This study investigated the rheological properties and entrainment behaviors of quartz/amorphous silica gangue in copper flotation through batch flotation tests, rheology measurements, cryo-SEM analysis, and particle settlement tests. Results indicate an exponential increase in the pulp viscosity as the amorphous silica content in the gangue increased. These also led to distinct recoveries of chalcopyrite and gangue minerals in flotation: the chalcopyrite recovery kept decreasing, whereas the entrainment recovery of gangue minerals increased initially and then decreased. The change in the entrained gangue recovery was found to be a consequence of the reduced water recovery and the increased degree of entrainment for the gangue. In a range wherein the viscosity growth was low, the increased degree of entrainment for the gangue prevailed over the decreased water recovery, ultimately leading to an increase in the gangue recovery. However, when the pulp viscosity drastically increased, the decreased water recovery was found to be dominant in changing the gangue recovery, and thus the gangue recovery decreased. Further, the effect of amorphous silica on the degree of entrainment for the gangue was investigated on a size-by-size basis. A great difference was found in the degree of entrainment for the gangue mineral particles of the same size fraction. However, fine gangue mineral particles experienced the greatest increase in their entrainment degree. Therefore, the degree of entrainment for the gangue was size-dependent and subject to the presence of amorphous silica. The results of cryo-SEM and settling tests indicate that quartz/amorphous silica particle aggregates were formed when amorphous silica particles were present in the flotation system, and these aggregates had a relatively low sedimentation rate. It was inferred that formed gangue aggregates increased the pulp viscosity, which reduced the water drainage in the froth and the sedimentation rate of gangue particles, subsequently increasing the mass of the gangue in a unit mass of water and, thus, the degree of entrainment.

The innate immune response serves as the first line of defense and is initiated through the sensing of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are ancient innate immune receptors involved in pathogen-related molecular pattern recognition, which is essential for immune homeostasis and the prevention of infection. As a member of the TLR11 family, TLR13 has been identified in several teleost fishes, including Larimichthys crocea, Oreochromis niloticus, and Epinephelus coioides. These studies have mainly focused on the function of TLR13 in protecting the body from bacterial or viral invasion. To further investigate the immune function of TLR13, the gene of open reading frame (ORF) sequence of TLR13 (ToTLR13) from golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) was cloned and characterized in this study. The expression pattern of ToTLR13 was determined in healthy tissues and infected immune-related tissues in golden pompano by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Moreover, subcellular localization of ToTLR13 in A549 cells was determined. The results showed that the ORF sequence of ToTLR13 was 1 269 bp, encoding 422 amino acids with an isoelectric point of 8.13. ToTLR13 was classified as a hydrophilic protein by hydrophilic prediction. In addition, ToTLR13 contains a 15-amino-acid-coded signal peptide. Conservative structure domain analysis showed that ToTLR13 contains a transmembrane (TM) domain, a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain involved in ligand recognition and binding, and a conserved Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain involved in signal transduction, which is in line with the typical characteristics of the TLR family. The TIR domain exists in almost all transmembrane TLRs and its sequence is highly conserved. By establishing the tertiary structure of the conserved domain of TLR13, ToTLR13 has a high spatial structure that overlaps with the LRR and TIR domains of Mus musculus and L. crocea TLR13, which shows that the TLR13 structure and function in different species have a certain similarity. Multiple sequence alignment showed that ToTLR13 had a high similarity with other teleost fish TLR13 (82.52%~84.58%), while with other classes of species, sequence similarity was low (33.30%~46.11%). Furthermore, according to the phylogenetic tree analysis, we found that the relationship between ToTLR13 and other teleost fish TLR13 is relatively close, among which Epinephelus lanceolatus is the closest evolutionary position. While it is distant from other species, mammals are grouped into one branch; Xenopus tropicalis and Cyclina sinensis are in another branch. RT-qPCR results revealed that ToTLR13 was constitutively expressed, with the highest expression level in the gill and spleen, followed by the brain, liver, and kidney, and expression was lower in the heart, head kidney, and muscle. The mRNA expression of TLR13 is slightly different in different fish, which indicates that TLR13 has species specificity and tissue specificity in normal fish tissues. Moreover, TLR13 is generally highly expressed in fish immune-related tissues, suggesting that TLR13 may play different roles in different fish species and plays an important immunomodulatory role. When stimulated by pathogens or viruses, the mRNA expression of TLR13 in immune-related tissues of different fish varies. In this study, after infection with Streptococcus agalactiae and Vibrio alginolyticus, there were significant changes in the mRNA expression of ToTLR13 in different tissues. The ToTLR13 mRNA expression level in the gill suddenly reached a peak at 72 h after infection with S. agalactiae, but showed significant differences at 12 h and 96 h in the V. alginolyticus experimental group. In the spleen, the mRNA expression of ToTLR13 increased in a time-dependent manner after infection with S. agalactiae and V. alginolyticus, peaking at 24 h and 96 h, respectively. The mRNA expression level of ToTLR13 in the liver showed a regular trend of increasing and then decreasing from 0 h to 48 h after S. agalactiae infection and reached a peak at 72 h. In the V. alginolyticus experimental group, the mRNA expression level of ToTLR13 in the liver decreased to below the original level at first and then increased, reaching a peak at 48 h. In the kidney, the ToTLR13 mRNA expression level in the S. agalactiae group reached a double peak at 12 h and 72 h after infection, respectively. ToTLR13 mRNA expression level reached a peak at 6 h after V. alginolyticus infection, and then decreased to the level before challenge. These results suggest that ToTLR13 plays an important role in the immune response against pathogenic bacteria. According to their intracellular localization, TLRs can be divided into two categories: Those expressed on the surface of the cell membrane and those localized in the cytoplasm. In this study, subcellular localization showed that ToTLR13 was localized in the cytoplasm of A549 cells, and this phenomenon was also found in other teleost fish TLR13. The results of this study showed that ToTLR13 might be involved in the innate immunity of golden pompano against pathogenic bacteria, which lays a foundation for studies on the function of TLR13 in teleost.

Three new phlegmaciod species of Thaxterogaster, T. borealicremeolinus, T. rufopurpureus, and T. sinopurpurascens spp. nov., from subtropical China were described based on their morphological characteristics and molecular data. Thaxterogaster borealicremeolinus belongs to the sect. Cremeolinae and differs from the other species in this section in its larger basidiospores and its habitat in the Northern Hemisphere associated with Quercus sp. trees. Thaxterogaster rufopurpureus and T. sinopurpurascens belong to sect. Purpurascentes, in which T. rufopurpureus is characterized by a pileus with a reddish-brown coloration when mature and a clavate stipe, while T. sinopurpurascens is characterized by a violet basidiomata, except for a greyish orange to brown pileus, the distinctly marginate bulb of its stipe, and its distribution in subtropical China. The phylogenetic analyses were performed based on nrITS, and detailed descriptions of the new species are provided herein.

Objective: Using data from our evaluation of the Frontline fast-track social work training program, introduced by the Government in England, we compare the performance of the first cohort of Frontline trainees with students from regular social work programs using simulated practice. Method: Forty-nine Frontline trainees were compared with 36 postgraduate students in high-tariff universities and 30 students from a range of other regular programs. Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare the performance of the three groups in interviews and written reflections. Results: Frontline trainees were rated significantly higher than comparison groups for the quality of their interviewing and written reflection. Despite these higher ratings for practice quality, the Frontline trainees' rating of their own confidence in their abilities was lower than their counterparts on regular programs. Conclusions: The practice quality of Frontline graduates is promising. Longitudinal research is needed in real practice settings.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of artificially intelligent CT metrics combined with tumor markers and 7-TAABs in predicting the infiltrative nature of mixed ground-glass nodules in the lungs to provide a basis for rational clinical decision-making. Materials and Methods: The clinical data of patients admitted to Changshu Hospital affiliated with Soochow University (Hospital 1) and the Eighth People's Hospital of Tongzhou District, Nantong City (Hospital 2) from January 2022 to June 2023 were retrospectively analyzed, and a total of 427 cases were included in the study based on the nadir criteria. Three hundred twenty cases from Hospital 1 were randomly grouped into a training set (n = 2 2 4) and an internal validation set (n = 9 6), and 107 cases from Hospital 2 were used for the external validation set. The correlations between patients' clinicoradiological characteristics, tumor markers, and seven tumor autoantibodies (7-TAABs) were analyzed by the Mantel test and further by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to screen the risk factors for the development of infiltrative tumors in the ground-glass nodes and to establish a joint model, which was combined with the clinicoradiological model and the model of the serological indexes in the internal and external validation sets were performed to compare the subject work characteristics (ROC) curves, clinical calibration curves, and clinical decision curves to evaluate their predictive efficacy and clinical utility. Results: Of the 427 cases included, 174 were in the noninfiltrating group, and 253 were in the infiltrating group. There was a significant relationship between tumor markers, seven tumor autoantibodies, and lung cancer infiltrability, and after multifactorial logistic regression analysis, a bronchial air sign, probability of malignancy, nodule diameter, percentage of solidity, VEGF, proGRP, GAGE7, and 7-TAABs were the risk factors for determining the development of infiltrative lesions in early-stage lung nodules. The clinicoradiological model was superior to the serological index model on both internal and external validation sets (AUC values were: 0.926 versus 0.839, P = 0. 0 7 2 0 3 ; 0.895 versus 0.751, P = 0. 0 0 8 0 4 9), and the combined model was slightly superior to the clinicoradiological model on both internal and external validation sets (AUC values were: 0.928 versus 0.926, P = 0. 9 1 5 7 ; 0.914 versus 0.895, P = 0. 3 3 2 7). The combined model performed optimally in terms of calibration accuracy and net clinical benefit, suggesting that a model constructed based on AI CT metrics combined with tumor markers and 7-TAABs would be beneficial to clinicians in predicting the infiltrative nature of early-stage lung cancer. Conclusion: The column-line diagram model built based on CT indexes improved by artificial intelligence technology combined with tumor markers and 7-TAAB can better predict the infiltration of lung tumors, which has specific clinical application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have explored the relationship between socially constructed neighbourhood boundaries (henceforth social boundaries) and ethnic tensions. To measure these relationships, studies have used area-level demographic data to predict the location of social boundaries and their characteristics. The most common approach uses areal wombling to locate neighbouring areas with large differences in residential characteristics. Areas with large differences (or higher boundary values) are used as a proxy for well-defined social boundaries. However, to date, the results of these predictions have never been empirically validated. This article presents results from a simple discrete choice experiment designed to test whether the areal wombling approach to boundary detection produces social boundaries that are recognisable to local residents and experts as such. We conducted a small feasibility trial with residents and experts in Rotherham, England. Our results shows that participants were more likely to recognise boundaries with higher boundary values as local community borders. We end with a discussion on the scalability of the design and suggest future improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stress-induced chaperone protein Hsp70 enables the initiation and progression of many cancers, making it an appealing therapeutic target for development. Here, we show that cancer cells resistant to Hsp70 inhibitors in vitro remain sensitive to them in vivo, revealing the pathogenic significance of Hsp70 in tumor stromal cells rather than tumor cells as widely presumed. Using transgenic mouse models of cancer, we found that expression of Hsp70 in host stromal cells was essential to support tumor growth. Furthermore, genetic ablation or pharmacologic inhibition of Hsp70 suppressed tumor infiltration by macrophages needed to enable tumor growth. Overall, our results illustrate how Hsp70 inhibitors mediate the anticancer effects by targeting both tumor cells and tumor stromal cells, with implications for the broad use of these inhibitors as tools to ablate tumor-associated macrophages that enable malignant progression. Cancer Res; 76(20); 5926-32. ©2016 AACR.

Cortinarius is an important ectomycorrhizal genus that forms a symbiotic relationship with certain trees, shrubs and herbs. Recently, we began studying Cortinarius in China and here we describe three new species of Cortinarius subg. Telamonia based on morphological and ecological characteristics, together with phylogenetic analyses. Cortinarius laccariphyllus sp. nov. (section Colymbadini) is associated with broadleaf trees, with strongly hygrophanous basidiomata, special Laccaria-like lamellae and white and extremely sparse universal veil. Cortinarius neotorvus sp. nov. (section Telamonia) is associated with broadleaf trees and is easily confused with C. torvus, but can be distinguished by the colour of the fresh basidiomes and the stipe usually somewhat tapering towards the base. Cortinarius subfuscoperonatus sp. nov. (section Fuscoperonati) is associated with coniferous trees, with subglobose to broadly ellipsoid spores and is closely related to C. fuscoperonatus. A key to the new species and similar species in sections Colymbadini, Telamonia and Fuscoperonati is provided.

A healthy plant microbiome is diverse, taxonomically-structured, and gives its plant host moderate advantages in growth, development, stress tolerance, and disease resistance. The plant microbiome varies with ecological niches and is influenced by variables that are complex and difficult to separate from each other, such as the plant species, soil, and environmental factors. To explore the composition, diversity, and functions of the bacterial community of Korean pine forests, we used high-throughput sequencing to study five areas with different forest ages from June to October 2017 in northeast China. We obtained 3,247 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing via an Illumina Hi-seq platform. A total of 36 phyla and 159 known genera were classified. The Shannon index of the bacterial community from the rhizospheric soil was significantly higher (p 1%) in the rhizospheric soil, but there were six dominant phyla in the root tips. Proteobacteria was the core flora in the root tips with a relative abundance of more than 50%. It is known that the formation of bacterial communities in the rhizospheric soil or the root is mainly caused by the processes of selection, and we found a relatively high abundance of a few dominant species. We further analyzed the correlations between the bacterial community from the rhizospheric soil with that of the root tips, as well as the correlations of the bacterial community with soil physicochemical properties and climate factors. We used Functional Annotation of the Prokaryotic Tax (FAPROTAX) to predict the functions of the bacterial community in the rhizospheric soil and root tips. Five related phototrophic functions, nine nitrogen cycle functions, two related chemoheterotrophic functions, and two others were predicted. The abundance of the bacteria phyla performing relevant functions was different in the rhizospheric soil than in the root tips. These functions were significantly influenced by the contents of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the soil habitat. The bacterial composition and functions in the rhizospheric soil and root tips of Korean pine were analyzed, and the results demonstrated the importance of soil and plant species on the bacterial community in the below ground plant microbiome.

Street-level crime maps are publicly available online in England and Wales. However, there was initial resistance to the publication of such fine-grained crime statistics, which can lower house prices and increase insurance premiums in high crime neighbourhoods. Identifying the causal effect of public crime statistics is difficult since crime statistics generally mirror actual crime. To address this question empirically, we would ideally experiment and introduce a source of random variation in the crime statistics. For instance, we could randomly increase or decrease the number of offences displayed in crime statistics and measure their effects on local house prices. For obvious reasons, we cannot pursue this research design. However, street-level crime maps contain intentional errors, which are the product of a geomasking algorithm designed to mask the location of crimes and protect the identity of victims. This project leverages features associated with the geomasking algorithm to estimate the effect of public crime statistics on house prices.

Cortinarius subsalor and C. tibeticisalor, belonging to the section Delibuti, are described from China as new to science. Cortinarius subsalor has been found to be associated with Lithocarpus trees in subtropical China and resembling C. salor, but it differs from the later by having slender basidiomata and the narrower basidiospores. Cortinarius tibeticisalor was collected from eastern Tibetan Plateau, associated with Abies. It differs from other species within sect. Delibuti by having olive tinge of mature or dried basidiomata and bigger basidiospores. The molecular data also support C. subsalor and C. tibeticisalor as new species. The phylogenetic analyses and biogeography of sect. Delibuti are discussed and a key to the species of this section currently known in the world is provided.

Roller wear is an important cause of pilverizer failure.Roller wear is affected by many factors.In this paper, combined with the research on the abrasion of grinding roller, the wear mechanism of the soft roller caused by the soft particles of wheat was reviewed.The paper points out the influencing factors of the grinding roller wear from the characteristics of abrasive and grinding roller as well as the working conditions,and expounds the antifriction technology, which provides a reference for the study of the grinding and wear reduction technology of the grinding machine.

Two new Cortinarius species in subgenus Leprocybe, Cortinarius hengduanensis and C. yadingensis, are proposed based on a combination of morphological and molecular evidence. Cortinarius hengduanensis has distinct olive tinged basidiomata, a squamulose pileus, and small, subglobose to broadly ellipsoid basidiospores, the ITS sequence differs from that of C. flavifolium by at least 28 substitutions and independent positions. Cortinarius yadingensis has a squamulose pileus and subglobose to broadly ellipsoid coarsely verrucose basidiospores, the ITS sequence has at least 11 substitutions and index position deviations from the other members of the Leprocybe section. Both new species were found in mixed forests of southwest China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil origin, mycorrhizal plant partners and environmental factors affect the growth and development of SongRong (Tricholoma matsutake). In order to clarify the relationships of fungi–bacteria networks and various influence factors in the habitat of SongRong, we chose three collection sites with a Quercus mongolica pure forest (plot A without SongRong was used as the control sample site), Q. mongolica mixed Rhododendron dauricum (plot B) and Q. mongolica mixed with R. dauricum and Pinus densiflora (plot C). By using high-throughput sequencing, we obtained a total of 4930 fungal and 55501 bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) based on internally transcribed spacer ribosomal RNA (ITS rRNA) and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) sequencing via the Illumina NovaSeq platform. In the habitat soil of SongRong (plot B and plot C), alpha or beta diversity and species compositions of fungi and bacteria were different from plot A. The fungal–bacterial networks follow the selection rule that few dominant genera account for the greater relative abundance. Forest types, but not the host itself, drove the fungal–bacterial networks of the forest soil, and soil physicochemical characteristics and texture affected their abundance. The abundance of Tricholoma was affected by the fungal and bacterial abundance in the habitat.

Five new Cortinarius species, C. neobalaustinus, C. pseudocamphoratus, C. subnymphatus, C. wuliangshanensis and C. yanjiensis spp. nov., are proposed based on a combination of morphological and molecular evidence. Cortinarius neobalaustinus is characterized by a very weakly hygrophanous and yellowish-brown to brown pileus and small and weakly verrucose basidiospores. Cortinarius pseudocamphoratus can be characterized by a viscid pileus, a strongly unpleasant smell, amygdaloid to somewhat ellipsoid basidiospores and lageniform to subfusiform cheilocystidia. Cortinarius subnymphatus is identified by a strongly hygrophanous pileus that is reddish-brown with a black-brown umbo, a yellowish universal veil and ellipsoid to subamygdaloid basidiospores. Cortinarius wuliangshanensis is characterized by a moderately to strongly hygrophanous, translucently striated and yellowish to reddish-brown pileus and rather weakly and moderately verrucose basidiospores. Cortinarius yanjiensis is distinguished by a weakly to moderately hygrophanous and yellowish to brown pileus and moderately to rather strongly verrucose basidiospores. The phylogenetic analyses were performed with maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods based on the data set of nuc rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS), D1–D2 domains of nuc 28S rDNA (28S) and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2), and the results show that C. neobalaustinus, C. wulianghsanensis and C. yanjiensis cluster in sect. Illumini, C. pseudocamporatus belongs to sect. Camphorati and C. subnymphatus belongs to sect. Laeti. In addition, a study of basidiospores under field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was conducted. An identification key for the five new species and related species from China is also provided.

Embedded within quantitative longitudinal panel or cohort studies is narrative potential that is arguably untapped but might enrich our understanding of individual and social lives across time. This paper discusses a methodology to assemble the life history narratives of families using social work by drawing on quantitative data from the British Household Panel Survey. It explores whether this person-centred approach helps us to understand the counter-intuitive results of a parallel multivariate analyses, which suggest that families using social work fare worse than similar others over time. Our findings are tentative, due to the experimental use of this narrative method and the limits of social work information in the data-set. Nonetheless, the life histories presented bring to light complexities, diversity and the non-linear pathways between families' needs, support and outcomes that the aggregates obscure. We conclude that reconstructing families' lives in this way, especially in the absence of complementary longitudinal qualitative data, affords the wider opportunity to interrogate and better understand the findings of quantitative longitudinal studies.

Background: Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) is an autoimmune disease and the leading cause of adult nephritic syndrome. HLA-DQA1 had been identified to be associated with IMN in Europeans and the result was replicated in Chinese Han population. In this study, six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter of HLA-DQA1 and other two SNPs with IgA nephropathy were included for the association analysis. Methods: The SNPs were genotyped in 509 patients and 601 controls by the MassArray iPLEX. The quantification of anti-phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) antibodies in sera of IMN patients was performed by anti-PLA2R ELISA (IgG) kit. Results: After analysis, four SNPs were significantly associated with IMN, with rs2187668 and rs28383345 as the top two signals (P = 8.42×10-5 and 2.48×10-5, respectively). Even under dominant model, the two SNPs were still significantly associated with IMN (P = 3.50×10-3 for rs28383345 and P = 6.55×10-5 for rs2187668). After conditional study with rs2187668, rs28383345 was the only variant significantly correlated with IMN after Bonferroni correction (P = 0.016). The minor alleles of the two SNPs were also mutually exclusive in our cohort. This indicated that the two SNPs were independently associated with IMN in Chinese Han population. Levels of anti-PLA2R autoantibodies were correlated with the genotypes of the two SNPs, but not significantly (P>0.05). Conclusions: Our results revealed that a novel independent variant in the promoter of HLA-DQA1 was associated with IMN in Chinese Han population. The locus possessed regulatory role according to the data of RegulomeDB. The exact role of the SNPs on the expression of HLA-DQA1 needs further investigation.