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Animal-derived biological products, such as fetal bovine serum (FBS) and trypsin, are important supplements for scientific, pharmaceutical, and medical use. Although preventive guidelines and tests are implemented to reduce potential viral contamination in these biologicals, they do not target unusual or emerging viruses, leading to safety concerns. Using unbiased metagenomics, we investigated the presence of viruses in recently collected commercial FBS and trypsin samples from different geographic regions. In total, we detected viral sequences belonging to动物源性的生物制品，如胎牛血清（FBS）和胰蛋白酶（Trypsin），是科学、制药和医疗等领域的重要添加成分。尽管采取了预防性的指南和措施来减少这些生物制品中潜在的病毒污染，但是这些措施并未针对罕见的或新发的病毒，因此可能会导致潜在的安全问题。我们使用无偏的宏基因组方法，对来自不同区域的商业FBS和Trypsin样本中携带的病毒进行了分析。我们检测到了

Abstract Sexual selection echoed by the sex ratio is a critical issue in evolution and reproductive biology studies, and the second sex ratio (sex ratio at birth, SRB) is an important evaluation indicator for sex regulation. However, broad debates on sex ratio at birth exist due to the lack of a clear spatiotemporal genealogical database. This study explicitly tests the Trivers and Willard’s hypothesis stating that parents with good social conditions tend to show a male-biased SRB. Using a database of Chinese imperial families from 211BC to 1912 (2142 years) which avoids the spatiotemporal confusion of data thanks to its clear boundaries and long timespan, we found that a proportion of males at birth was 0.54. In particular, the results indicate that the empresses generated a significantly higher male-biased SRB than the concubines within the imperial harems (0.61 vs 0.53), while the SRB of concubines was not higher than ordinary people (0.53 vs 0.52). A significant difference of SRB before and after empress coronation (0.48 vs 0.65) was detected, indicating that the change to a higher social status is the leading cause of a biased SRB. These findings suggest that mothers with privileged instant social conditions tend to generate more boys than girls. In other words, a higher maternal social rank during the conception period, instead of rich resources, forms the primary mechanism regulating the SRB. Significance statement Adaptive sex ratio has been a debatable topic difficult to clearly verify since the publication of Trivers and Willard Hypothesis in 1973, which proposes that parents who have good conditions should produce more male offspring. The one reason is that the validity and sample size of the databases used contained unavoidable confounding noise, both genealogically and genetically. To overcome these issues, we specifically compiled a historical database of Chinese imperial families, which are characterized by a confined mating harem and unique eunuch system, guaranteeing biological and genetic purity with precise genealogical relationships and genetic linkages between the parents and the offspring. Thus, this is an extraordinary effort to clarify the hypotheses proposed by TWH and other hypotheses.

Sleep benefit (SB) is a well-known phenomenon in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD); however, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate whether the SB phenomenon in PD patients is associated with dopamine transporter (DAT) expression levels in the striatum.The data of 125 PD patients were collected and divided into SB (n=61) and non-SB (nSB) groups (n=54) depending on whether they had SB or not. DAT expression on both sides of the striatum in PD patients was measured using 2b-carbomethoxy-3b-(4-trimethylstannylphenyl) tropane (11C-CFT) positron emission tomography imaging. The clinical variables, sleep scores, and striatum 11C-CFT uptake index of PD patients between the SB and nSB groups were compared. The associations of clinical variables, sleep scores, and striatum 11C-CFT uptake index with the SB variable were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of the striatum 11C-CFT uptake index in distinguishing SB patients from nSB patients. Results The tremor subtype ratio (P = 0.011), levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD) (P0.001), sleep efficiency score (P = 0.025), habitual sleep efficiency (P = 0.012), and night sleep duration (P = 0.005) in the SB group were significantly different from those in the nSB group. The 11C-CFT uptake index in both the contralateral and ipsilateral striata in the SB group was significantly higher than that in the nSB group (P0.05). The binary logistic regression showed that SB variables were significantly and independently associated with tremor subtype (P = 0.048), LEDD (P = 0.021), sleep duration at night (P = 0.035), 11C-CFT uptake index in the contralateral (P = 0.013) and ipsilateral (P = 0.019) putamen in PD patients after correction for important clinical confounders. ROC analysis showed that the 11C-CFT uptake index on the onset side of the putamen had a high capacity (AUC: 0.916) to distinguish SB patients from nSB patients with high sensitivity (83.33%) and specificity (88.89%). Conclusion DAT expression in the putamen was associated with the SB phenomenon in PD patients, and the putamen DAT expression level could predict the SB phenomenon in PD patients.

Understanding dietary selection and feeding strategies is important for the conservation and management of endangered primate species. Here, we conducted a preliminary study on the diet and feeding behavior of endangered Shortridge’s langurs (Trachypithecus shortridgei) within the Drung River Valley (Dulongjiang) in southwestern China. The study site lies at a high latitude (N27°47.5′) and elevation (1 900 m a.s.l.) and is characterized by substantial annual rainfall (2 745.1 mm). From August 2012 to September 2013, we observed five groups of langurs and analyzed their overall food composition and dietary variation in spring and autumn. To understand their dietary adaptations to the distinctive habitat of the Drung River Valley, we also compared the diet of Shortridge’s langurs to that of other Trachypithecus species inhabiting different environments. Results indicated that T. shortridgei fed on 52 plant species, 23 of which each accounted for ≥1% of their annual feeding time. Their primary dietary components included leaves (46.2%, young, mature, and petioles), fruits (28.7%, unripe 17.6%, ripe 11.1%), and mosses (10.2%). The langurs mainly consumed mature (34.2%) and young leaves (27.5%) in spring and ripe fruits (39.4%) and mature leaves (24.7%) in autumn. Two species of moss (Macrothamnium macrocarpum and Scapania verrucosa, 21.2% of annual feeding time), which are usually found growing together on cliffs, played a relatively important role in the diet of T. shortridgei. The langurs mainly consumed ripe fruits of Saurauia napaulensis (7.1%) and Dendropanax burmanicus (7.1%), which were abundant at lower elevations. Trachypithecus species in temperate forests consumed more fruits and seeds but fewer leaves (similar mature leaves but fewer young leaves) than those species in tropical forests, which may be related to their availability and abundance. Compared to Trachypithecus species in temperate forests, the higher proportion of mosses and mature leaves but fewer young leaves in the annual diet of T. shortridgei are likely a response to the distinctive Drung River Valley habitat. Therefore, conservation of the main food plants of this threatened species could be vital for its survival and conservation management.

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), as a main component of plastics of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), shows high potential for recycling, which is restricted by the absence of an efficient separation method. Herein, a novel surface treatment method, microwave treatment combined with a wetting agent, was proposed to selectively change the hydrophilicity of the mixed waste plastics, which efficiently separated ABS from the WEEE plastics by flotation. The results of this approach provided the following optimal conditions, i.e., microwave power 700 W, microwave irradiation time 3 min, concentration of wetting agent carboxymethylcellulose sodium (CMC) 25 mg/L, treatment time with CMC 5 min, stirring rate 1800 rpm, frother concentration 40 mg/L, and flotation time 4 min. Under these optimal conditions, the recovery and the purity of ABS reached 97.70% and 99.86%, respectively. The mechanism of the surface treatment was examined by means of contact angle, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and adsorption kinetics. The results showed that the selective wetting mechanism can be attributed to the physisorption of CMC on the surface of plastics. In conclusion, this surface treatment method is expected to provide technological insights for the separation and recovery of waste ABS from WEEE plastics.

The working environment for tubing in oil and gas fields is becoming more and more serious due to the exploration of unconventional oil and gas resources, leading to the increasing need for a protective internal coating to be used in tubing. Therefore, a new mica-graphene/epoxy composite coating with different graphene contents (0.0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0 wt.%) was prepared to improve the tubing resistance to a corrosive medium, an autoclave was used to simulate the working environment, and an electrochemical workstation assisted by three-electrodes was used to study the electrochemical characteristics of the coating. The results showed that the addition of a certain amount of graphene into the mica/epoxy coating significantly improved the corrosion resistance of the composite coating, and when the graphene content increased, the corrosion resistance of the mica/epoxy coating first increased and then decreased when the corrosion current density of a 35 wt.% 800

Five new norneolignans sinkianlignans G-K (1-5), one phenolic compound ferulagenol A (6) and seven known compounds (7-13) were isolated from Ferula sinkiangensis. All the norneolignans were racemic mixtures, and chiral HPLC was used to further separate them. Their structures were assigned, including absolute configurations, using spectroscopic and computational methods. Biological evaluation showed that compounds 1-9 had significant COX-2 inhibitory activity with IC

Biogeography research is flawed by the poor understanding of microbial distributions due to the lack of a systematic research framework, especially regarding appropriate study units. By combining pure culture and molecular methods, we studied the biogeographic patterns of nematode-trapping fungi by collecting and analysing 2,250 specimens from 228 sites in Yunnan Province, China. We found typical watershed patterns at the species and genetic levels of nematode-trapping fungi. The results showed that microbial biogeography could be better understood by 1) using watersheds as research units, 2) removing the coverup of widespread species, and 3) applying good sampling efforts and strategies. We suggest that watersheds could help unify the understanding of the biogeographic patterns of animals, plants, and microbes and may also help account for the historical and contemporary factors driving species distributions.

A novel Gram-stain-negative strain, WQ 117T, isolated from the faeces of Rhinopithecus bieti collected at Yunnan Snub-nosed Monkey National Park, Yunnan province, PR China, was subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. The results of phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the isolate represented a member of the genus Faecalibacter , sharing 97.64 % sequence similarity with the type strain Faecalibacter macacae YIM 102668T. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of WQ117T was 30.5 mol%. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was MK-6. The major cellular fatty acids was iso-C15 : 0. The whole genome average nucleotide identity (gANI) values and the digital DNA–DNA hybridization values between WQ 117T and YIM 102668T were 79.66 % and 22.20 %, respectively. Growth occurred at 0–50 °C (optimally at 28–35 °C), pH 7.0–9.0 (optimally at pH 8.0) and with 0–2 % (w/v) NaCl (optimally without NaCl). On the basis of the taxonomic evidence, a novel species, Faecalibacter rhinopitheci sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is WQ 117T (=KCTC 82394T=CCTCC AA 2020027T).

(±)-Lucidumone (1), an enantiomeric meroterpenoid possessing an unprecedented skeleton comprising a fused 6/5/6/6/5 polycyclic system, was isolated from Ganoderma lucidum and structurally identified. The absolute configuration of (-)-1 was assigned by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. A plausible biosynthetic pathway for 1 is proposed. A chemical biology approach reveals that (-)-1 selectively inhibits COX-2 by directly binding with an amino acid residue of Tyr385, representing a new structure scaffold of COX-2 inhibitors.

Walkaway VSP cannot obtain accurate velocity field, as it asymmetrically reflects ray path and provides uneven coverage to underground target, thereby presenting issues related to imaging quality. In this study, we propose combining traveltime tomography and prestack depth migration for VSP of an angle-domain walkaway, in a bid to establish accurate two-dimensional and three-dimensional (3D) velocity models. First, residual curvature was defined to update velocity, and an accurate velocity field was established. To establish a high-precision velocity model, we deduced the relationship between the residual depth and traveltime of common imaging gathers (CIGs) in walkaway VSP. Solving renewal velocity using the least squares method, a four-parameter tomographic inversion equation was derived comprising formation dip angle, incidence angle, residual depth, and sensitivity matrix. In the angle domain, the reflected wave was divided into up- and down-transmitted waves and their traveltimes were calculated. The systematic cumulative method was employed in prestack depth migration of a complex surface. Through prestack depth migration, the offset-domain CIGs were obtained, and dip angle was established by defining the stack section horizon. Runge—Kutta ray tracing was employed to calculate the ray path from the reflection point to the detection point, to determine the incident angle, and to subsequently calculate the ray path from the reflection point to the irregular surface. The offset-domain residual depths were mapped to the angle domain, and a new tomographic equation was established and solved. Application in the double complex area of the Tarim Basin showed the four-parameter tomographic inversion equation derived in this paper to be both correct and practical and that the migration algorithm was able to adapt to the complex surface.

Plant pathogens employ diverse secreted effector proteins to manipulate host physiology and defense in order to foster diseases. The destructive Phytophthora pathogens encode hundreds of cytoplasmic effectors, which are believed to function inside the plant cells. Many of these cytoplasmic effectors contain the conserved N-terminal RXLR motif. Understanding the virulence function of RXLR effectors will provide important knowledge of Phytophthora pathogenesis. Here, we report the characterization of RXLR effector PcAvh1 from the broad–host range pathogen Phytophthora capsici. Only expressed during infection, PcAvh1 is quickly induced at the early infection stages. CRISPR/Cas9-knockout of PcAvh1 in P. capsici severely impairs virulence while overexpression enhances disease development in Nicotiana benthamiana and bell pepper, demonstrating that PcAvh1 is an essential virulence factor. Ectopic expression of PcAvh1 induces cell death in N. benthamiana, tomato, and bell pepper. Using yeast two-hybrid screening, we found that PcAvh1 interacts with the scaffolding subunit of the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2Aa) in plant cells. Virus-induced gene silencing of PP2Aa in N. benthamiana attenuates resistance to P. capsici and results in dwarfism, suggesting that PP2Aa regulates plant immunity and growth. Collectively, these results suggest that PcAvh1 contributes to P. capsici infection, probably through its interaction with host PP2Aa.

Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a diffuse brain dysfunction caused by sepsis, characterized by no central nervous system infection. The main clinical manifestations are the changes of mental state and consciousness level, which were associated with sepsis. The early clinical manifestations of SAE are not specific and can not be diagnosed in time, resulting in prolonged hospitalization, increased disability rate, higher mortality, and cognitive dysfunction after discharge. Currently, the commonly used auxiliary diagnostic methods of SAE include assessment of the conscious state, biochemical examination, electrophysiological examination and neuroimaging studies. This paper reviews the diagnostic methods and treatments of SAE, so as to deepen the understanding of SAE and improve the level of clinical diagnosis and treatments of SAE. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2019.08.15

Chrysin is a natural product of a flavonoid compound. Chemically, chrysin consists of two phenyl rings (A and B) and a heterocyclic ring (C). Biologically, chrysin exerts many different physiological activities. In recent years, with the in-depth development for more active drugs, the synthesis and biological activities of chrysin derivatives have been well studied. Besides, structure-activity relationship of chrysin revealed that the chemical construction meets the critical chemical structural necessities of flavonoids for numerous pharmacological activities. It is generally believed that modified chrysin could be more potent than unmodified chrysin. Different modification in the rings of chrysin could possess various degrees of biological activities. This review aims to summarize the mechanism for the activities of chrysin and its derivatives in different rings. We also explored the relationship between biological function and structure-activity of substituted chrysin derivatives with different functional groups. The influence of chrysin derivatives on the proliferation and apoptosis of cancer cells is also investigated. Development of novel drugs based on the biological functions of chrysin could better improve clinical outcomes of affected population, especially for tumor patients and diabetic patients.

To explore the bioaerosol composition characteristics and sources in urban areas and mountains, three sample sites were selected in urban (urban, suburban) and southern mountainous areas in Xi'an, and air, soil, and leaf samples were simultaneously collected. The fungi and bacteria community structures at different sampling sites were analyzed through a high-throughput sequencing method, and their spatio-temporal variations were also examined. Moreover, a source track technique was used to identify the source of microorganisms in the air. The results showed that the fungi and bacteria at different sampling sites were significantly different, indicating that the geographical location has a significant influence on the community structure of microorganisms in the air. In winter, more potential fungal pathogens and bacterial pathogens were detected in urban areas with high relative abundance and diversity. In addition, the results showed that the main local source of fungi and bacteria was the leaf surface, of which the contribution rate of bacteria in the air fine particles was up to (55±30)%. This study can provide a scientific basis for understanding the characteristics of microbial pollution in the atmosphere, and for air environment quality evaluation and disease prevention in China.

Objective To investigate the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), interleukin (IL)-1β, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in elderly patients with refractory depression. Methods A total of 58 elderly patients diagnosed with refractory depression between January 2015 and December 2016 were divided randomly into two groups: 29 patients who received rTMS and 29 controls without rTMS. Thirty healthy individuals were also enrolled and all received rTMS. Serum levels of BDNF, IL-1β, and TNF-α were measured before the study (0 days), and at 48 hours and 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after the first TMS treatment. Results BDNF levels gradually increased with treatment duration in the rTMS group and were significantly higher compared with the control group. In contrast, IL-1β and TNF-α levels gradually decreased and were significantly lower than in the control group. None of the serum factors were affected by rTMS in the healthy individuals. BDNF levels were negatively correlated and IL-1β and TNF-α levels were positively correlated with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-24 scores. Conclusion These results suggest that rTMS may increase BDNF and decrease IL-1β and TNF-α serum levels in elderly patients with refractory depression.

Objective To design and synthesize a series of chrysin derivatives and evaluate the antitumor activities with MTT assay, so as to investigate molecular structure-activity relationship with molecular docking. Methods Target products were synthesized with high yield by substitution reaction, hydrolysis reaction, esterification reaction, and saponification reaction in sequence, and activities of all compounds were evaluated with human gastric carcinoma cell lines MGC-803 and human breast carcinoma cell lines MCF-7 through standard MTT assay. Molecular docking results were calculated with Surflex Geom X programme of Sybyl X-2.0 version workstation. Results 7-O-amino acids chrysin derivatives 6a–6l were synthesized and their inhibitory effects were evaluated by comparing the material chrysin with positive control drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Among these derivatives, compound 5b (IC50 = 24.50 ± 2.26 µmol/L), 5k (IC50 = 24.30 ± 2.19 µmol/L), and 6f (IC50 = 24.61 ± 2.01 µmol/L) showed better inhibitory activities against MGC-803 cell lines, and compound 5g (IC50 = 13.15 ± 1.73 µmol/L) and 5j (IC50 = 12.34 ± 1.25 µmol/L) showed better inhibitory activities against MCF-7 cell lines than chrysin and 5-FU. Molecular docking scores showed a credible consistency compared with MTT results. Conclusion Compounds 5b, 5d, 5g, 5j, 5k, and 6f showed good antiproliferative effects on specific tumor cells, and compound 5g should be researched further when according to molecular docking.

In this paper, on the basis of gramians, $H_{2}$-optimal model order reduction of discrete-time bilinear dynamic systems is investigated. First, based on the reachability gramian and the observability gramian, the $H_{2}$-optimal necessary conditions of the discrete-time bilinear system are derived and the corresponding algorithm is proposed. When the algorithm is convergent, the resulting reduced system satisfies the necessary conditions. Then, for the single-input and single-output system, the $H_2$-optimal necessary conditions based on the generalized cross gramian are presented and the related algorithm is accordingly generated. Similarly, the convergent algorithm can make the reduced system satisfy the necessary conditions. Finally, two numerical examples are employed to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Rapid global deforestation has forced many of the world's primates to live in fragmented habitats, making the understanding of their behavioral responses to degraded and fragmented habitats a key challenge for their future protection and management. The black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) is an endangered species endemic to southwest China. The forest habitat ranges from near-continuous to fragmented. In this study, we investigated the activity budget and diet of a R. bieti population that live in an isolated and degraded habitat patch at Mt. Lasha in Yunnan Province, near the current southern limit of the species. We used our data along with data from six other sites in more-continuous habitats across its range to model factors that predict stress, including feeding effort and time feeding on lichens against potential predictive parameters. Models showed feeding effort across all sites increased with increasing altitude and latitude, and with decreasing food species diversity. There was also a strong positive relationship between feeding effort and time feeding lichens. The Mt. Lasha R. bieti population exploited a total of 36 food species, spending 80.2% of feeding time feeding on lichens, Bryoria spp. and Usnea longissima. These figures are more comparable to those living in the north than those living in the mid- and southern part of the species' range. Given the models for feeding effort and time feeding on lichens, the unexpectedly high time spend feeding on lichens and feeding effort relative to latitude and elevation are suggestive of a stressed population at Mt. Lasha.

(±)-Lucidumone (

Plant pathogens employ diverse secreted effector proteins to manipulate host physiology and defense in order to foster diseases. The destructive

Five new meroterpenoids, gancochlearols E − I (1, 3–6), and one compound ganomycin K (2) were isolated from the fruiting bodies of G. cochlear. Their structures were assigned by 1D and 2D NMR, MS, and CD analysis. Rh2(OCOCF3)4-induced ECD method was used to clarify the absolute configuration of secondary alcohol in 1 and 2. Biochemical evaluation showed that all the isolates significantly inhibit COX-2 enzyme in vitro with the IC50 values range from 1.03 μM to 2.71 μM. Further cellular assay revealed that (+)-3 and (−)-6 could suppress metastatic phenotype of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells via impeding the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

This study aimed to trace sources and quantitatively analyze the specnuezhenide content of circular Fructus Ligustri Lucidi for clinical use. Different specifications of Fructus Ligustri Lucidi were identified using DNA barcoding technology and the specnuezhenide content was analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The ITS sequence of circular Fructus Ligustri Lucidi was identical to that of standard privet, which was determined through botanical identification. ITS sequence similarity between circular Fructus Ligustri Lucidi and Fructus Ligustri Lucidi which was registered in NCBI ranged from 99.5% to 100%. The sequences of circular and other Fructus Ligustri Lucidi were clustered in a Neighbor-Joining tree with bootstrap value of 95, and these sequences could be distinguished from adulterants. Conforming to pharmacopoeia standard, the average specnuezhenide content of circular Fructus Ligustri Lucidi was higher than that of chicken waist Fructus Ligustri Lucidi. Circular Fructus Ligustri Lucidi derived from Ligustrum lucidum Ait. and the specnuezhenide content was higher in circular Fructus Ligustri Lucidi than that in chicken waist Fructus Ligustri Lucidi.

Birth attendance, or midwifery service, is an important characteristic in human evolution, and has been argued to separate our lineage from other taxa in the animal kingdom. Recent studies, however, indicate that similar or analogous behaviors also may occur in a small number of nonhuman primate species. Here, we report the first case of both male and female attendance and female birth assistance in a wild species of nonhuman primate, the black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti). At our field site in Yunnan, China we observed a diurnal birth event in which the leader male of a one-male unit (OMU) remained in close- proximity (0-2 m) to the parturient, groomed her, and remained vigilant over a five hour pre- and postpartum period. In addition, a multiparous female member of the OMU also remained in close proximity to the soon-to-be mother, helped to pull the neonate from the birth canal, took the neonate from the new mother within 15 s of the birth, held the infant for 20 min, and then severed the umbilical cord. For the next several days the leader male traveled in close-proximity to the new mother and four days after the birth event, we observed him to share food with her. Given that diurnal births are extremely rare in this primate species; it remains unclear the degree to which the events we observed commonly occur during nighttime births. We argue that adult male and female black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys are highly attracted to young infants, and birth attendance and birth assistance in this, and certain other primate species, may play a critical role in maternal and infant survivorship.

Seven new compounds including three pairs of enantiomeric xanthine analogues (1–3), a pair of enantiomeric hypoxanthine analogue (4), and three pairs of enantiomeric N-acetyldopamine dimers (6–8), together with a known one (5) were isolated from the insect Cyclopelta parva. Their structures including absolute configurations were assigned by using spectroscopic and computational methods. Chiral HPLC was used to separate racemic 1–8. Biological evaluation found that 6b and 7a are potent COX-2 inhibitory agents with IC50 values at 385.2 nM and 868.8 nM respectively.