辽宁海城小孤山遗址发掘简报

从小孤山晚更新世洞穴遗址出土了38种哺乳动物化石、上万件石制品以及一批制作精美的骨角制品和装饰品。石器工业在技术与类型上和华北旧石器关系密切。大致相同的骨针和穿孔兽牙于三十年代曾在周口店山顶洞遗址发现过,但是与欧洲马格德林鱼叉相似的角制鱼叉在中国旧石器文化中是头一次发现。     

辽东半岛的旧石器文化

辽东半岛旧石器研究可追溯至20世纪30年代, 但较大的进展则在70年代以后所取得。迄今为止, 包括以庙后山石器工业和营口金牛山人类化石为代表的旧石器早期、以海城小孤山下层石器工业为代表的旧石器中期和以海城小孤山中层石器工业、骨角制品和前阳人类化石为代表的旧石器晚期组成的辽东旧石器文化发展序列已经初步建立起来。从古生态环境和石器技术、类型学而言, 辽东半岛旧石器文化和华北同期文化存在密切的联系。     

内蒙古哈民忙哈遗址出土骨、角、牙制品的初步研究

哈民忙哈遗址位于内蒙古自治区通辽市科左中旗,根据碳十四测年结果,其年代为距今5500—5000年前,共出骨、角、牙制品近百件,种类包括骨柄石刃刀、骨鱼镖、骨镞、骨针筒、骨针、骨匕、骨锥、骨簪、号角、角锥、角钻、牙饰等,还发现20余件骨角料。本次研究将从几种骨、角、牙制品的选料取材、加工工艺流程等方面进行,并对具有代表性的骨、角、牙制品进行详细研究,分析其痕迹来源、制作工艺。通过以上研究,了解原始居民所使用骨、角、牙制品的特点,推测原始居民的工具加工水平,加深对当地生产生活状况的认识。     

陕西镇巴早寒武世海绵骨针化石

作者对采自陕西省镇巴县下寒武统西蒿坪段和水井沱组下部碳酸盐岩地层的海绵骨针化石进行了研究。三叶虫及小壳化石的生物地层学资料表明西蒿坪段和水井沱组下段属于筇竹寺阶。化石经室内醋酸浸泡处理后获得,骨针化石保存较好、类型多样,其中属于六射海绵纲的骨针3类,普通海绵纲的骨针6类,分类未定的骨针1类(Nabaviellasp.);并详细地对各类骨针化石进行了描述。虽然普通海绵骨针类型多样,但六射海绵的骨针丰度远高于普通海绵。简要地探讨了海绵骨针的保存方式,对比和分析了西蒿坪段和水井沱组海绵骨针化石组成的差异。结合同时代产自皖南荷塘组和云南澄江动物群中特异保存的海绵软躯体化石资料,认为虽然海绵动物起源于新元古代末期,但躯体海绵化石和骨针化石都显示海绵动物的大辐射事件发生在早寒武世筇竹寺期。     

江苏南京淡水海绵新发现

本文报道了2种发现于江苏南京珍珠泉的淡水海绵新种,包括Eunapius rarus Zhao et Ma sp. nov和E.nanjingensis Zhao et Ma sp. nov.其中,E.rarus首次显示Eunapius存在小骨针,为双尖带刺型(microsclere acanthoxeas)。另外,E.nanjingensis的鉴别特征为,芽球骨针多样,双尖为主,部分钝头,表面光滑或有刺,中部膨大。此外,我们对已报道的中国淡水海绵的生物地理分布进行了分析与讨论。     

吉林大阳岔寒武系-奥陶系界线剖面冶里组海绿石化海绵骨针化石

大阳岔寒武系-奥陶系界线剖面的界线附近地层（冶里组下部）中富含海绵骨针化石,其中部分骨针化石以次生海绿石化方式保存。海绵骨针的海绿石化与骨针的原始成分蛋白石有关,蛋白石不稳定,常脱水后在成岩过程中转变为石英;在寒武纪-奥陶纪过渡时期,此地的沉积速率较小,沉积了一套海绿石凝缩层,在局部弱碱性环境中,蛋白石质的海绵骨针易于溶解,且被海绿石所替代,蛋白石的溶解与海绿石的晶出替代近为同步,致使骨针形态完好保存。海绿石化海绵骨针共有4种类型：单轴骨针,四射二轴骨针（或十字骨针）,五射三轴骨针及六射三轴骨针;其中四射二轴骨针丰度相对较高。单轴骨针可能为普通海绵纲的骨针,其余骨针都为六射海绵纲的特征骨针。     

北京云水洞的脊椎动物化石

标本包括鸟类一新种Phasianus yanshansis sp.nov.、啮齿类一种、奇蹄类一种、偶蹄类两种。地质时代为更新世晚期,碳~(14)测定是18,540±250年,与周口店山顶洞相当。     

基于土地利用/覆被变化的流域景观格局与水沙响应关系研究

以黄河流域的2个典型流域为研究对象,借助GIS和Fragstats平台与长系列水沙数据,分析流域景观格局和水沙变化特征,并探讨景观指数与径流输沙的关系。结果表明:(1)两个流域优势景观类型为草地,1985—2010年间变化最大的景观类型分别为未利用土地(25a变幅为453.94 km~2)和耕地(25a变幅为52.85 km~2);(2)秃尾河流域景观均向规则、高连通和高度聚集的方向发展。孤山川控制流域内景观多样性和聚集度逐渐增加,整体向好。秃尾河流域景观稳定性指数高于孤山川流域,两流域草地和未利用土地地稳定性均呈增加趋势,而城乡工矿用地则相反。(3)流域年径流量和泥沙量均呈现逐年同步减小的趋势。秃尾河年径流量明显高于孤山川,但孤山川流域泥沙量与秃尾河流域相近。两流域径流泥沙相关关系显著,秃尾河流域相关系数(0.48)明显低于孤山川流域(0.85)。(4)景观指数与径流量、泥沙量呈显著线性相关,其中景观多样性相关的指数SHDI、SIDI、SHEI和SIEI均与径流呈极显著正相关,而泥沙仅与CONTAG、COHESION呈显著负相关。     

中国的骨针及其对晚更新世人类扩散的指示意义

在最近的一篇文章中,由d’Errico教授率领的来自中国、法国、德国研究者的工作表明,世界上最早的骨针出现于西伯利亚和中国北方地区,且这两个地区的骨针可能是独立起源。中国考古学的纪录为这一观点提供了更多的新证据。本文将这一工具类型与石器技术和环境背景结合考察,探讨更新世晚期后半段发生的人群的扩散。我们通过材料的梳理证明,中国北方地区的骨针,是出现于距今31000年前的一次技术创新,这一技术创新以石核-石片技术为代表的中国旧石器晚期的到来为背景。距今25000年,一种新形制的骨针出现。这些骨针形制扁平,与细石叶技术同时出现。这可能反映了欧亚大陆西方人群的东迁,这些人群带来了细石叶技术。更新世末,骨针更加多样化,这意味着他们可能有多种用途。在晚冰期末段,中国北方地区的骨针不仅与细石叶技术共出,同时也与石核、石片和陶器共出。在中国南方地区,在距今12000年前,骨针的出现与石核-石片技术同时出现。南方地区的骨针或是本地的的发明,或由末次冰期前北方人群的南迁带来的。长江以南地区,骨针与石核、石片和陶器在更新世晚期同时出现。更新世晚期中国南北方地区同时出现的这一工具组合,即石核、石片、陶器和骨针,预示着南北方地区在更新世晚期和全新世早期可能存在着长距离的人群的移动和文化的交流。     

周口店田园洞大中型哺乳动物记述

田园洞古人类化石地点含不少动物化石,其中主要为大中型哺乳动物,并以鹿类为主。除一枚残破鬣狗牙齿以外,目前在此所发现的材料全可归入现生种。该地点主体堆积的地质时代可能与周口店山顶洞动物群同期。本化石组合中有几个种现在已经离开本地区,如貂、黑熊、香麝、梅花鹿、马鹿、牛及鬣羚等,它们可能代表了这些动物在北京地区的最晚记录。但有些动物却是北京地区的首次发现,例如猪獾和鬣羚。     

A Unique Protease Cleavage Site Predicted in the Spike Protein of the Novel Pneumonia Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Potentially Related to Viral Transmissibility

正Dear Editor,In December 2019, a novel human coronavirus caused an epidemic of severe pneumonia(Coronavirus Disease 2019,COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei, China(Wu et al. 2020; Zhu et al. 2020). So far, this virus has spread to all areas of China and even to other countries. The epidemic has caused 67,102 confirmed infections with 1526 fatal cases     

Curcuminoids as inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase: A receptor based pharmacophore study with distance mapping of the active site

Curcumin is the yellow pigment of turmeric that interacts irreversibly forming an adduct with thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), an enzyme responsible for redox control of cell and defence against oxidative stress. Docking at both the active sites of TrxR was performed to compare the potency of three naturally occurring curcuminoids, namely curcumin, demethoxy curcumin and bis-demethoxy curcumin. Results show that active sites of TrxR occur at the junction of E and F chains. Volume and area of both cavities is predicted. It has been concluded by distance mapping of the most active conformations that Se atom of catalytic residue SeCYS498, is at a distance of 3.56 from C13 of demethoxy curcumin at the E chain active site, whereas C13 carbon atom forms adduct with Se atom of SeCys 498. We report that at least one methoxy group in curcuminoids is necessary for interation with catalytic residues of thioredoxin. Pharmacophore of both active sites of the TrxR receptor for curcumin and demethoxy curcumin molecules has been drawn and proposed for design and synthesis of most probable potent antiproliferative synthetic drugs.     

Comparative morphology of the carpel in the Liliaceae: Hewardieae, Petrosavieae, and Tricyrteae

The young pistils in the melanthioid tribes, Hewardieae, Petrosavieae and Tricyrteae, are uniformly tricarpellate and syncarpous. They lack raphide idioblasts. All are multiovulate, with bitegmic ovules. The Petrosavieae are marked by the presence of septal glands and incomplete syncarpy. Tepals and stamens adhere to the ovary in the Hewardieae and the Petrosavieae but not in the Tricyrteae. Two vascular bundles occur in the stamens of the Hewartlieae and Tricyrtis latifolia. Ventral bundles in the upper part of the ovary of the Hewardieae are continuous with compound septal bundles and placental bundles in the lower part. Putative ventral bundles occur in the alternate position in the Tricyrteae and putative placental bundles in the opposite. position in the Petrosavieae. The dichtomously branched stigma in each carpel of the Tricyrteae is supplied by a bifurcated dorsal bundle.     

Enterovirus 71 3C proteolytically processes the histone H3 N-terminal tail during infection

Highlights
1. The N-terminal tail of histone H3 is specifically cleaved during EV71 infection.
2. Viral protease 3C is identified as a protease responsible for proteolytically processing the N-terminal H3 tail.
3. Our finding reveals a new epigenetic regulatory mechanism for Enterovirus 71 in virus-host interactions.     

Detection of EBV and HHV6 in the Brain Tissue of Patients with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis

Rasmussen’s encephalitis (RE) is a rare pediatric neurological disorder, and the exact etiology is not clear. Viral infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of RE, but conflicting results have reported. In this study, we evaluated the expression of both Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpes virus (HHV) 6 antigens in brain sections from 30 patients with RE and 16 control individuals by immunohistochemistry. In the RE group, EBV and HHV6 antigens were detected in 56.7% (17/30) and 50% (15/30) of individuals, respectively. In contrast, no detectable EBV and HHV6 antigen expression was found in brain tissues of the control group. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in 20.0% (6/30) of individuals. In particular, a 4-year-old boy had a typical clinical course, including a medical history of viral encephalitis, intractable epilepsy, and hemispheric atrophy. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in neurons and astrocytes in the brain tissue, accompanied by a high frequency of CD8⁺ T cells. Our results suggest that EBV and HHV6 infection and the activation of CD8⁺ T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of RE.     

Perinatal Vertical Transmission of Chikungunya Virus in Ruili,a Town on the Border between China and Myanmar

正Dear Editor,Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus in the family of Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus, is transmitted by the A.aegyptii or A. albopictus mosquito, and causes disease in humans characterized by fever, rash, and arthralgia (Silva and Dermody 2017; Suhrbier 2019). It was first reported in 1953 in Tanzania, and caused only a few outbreaks and sporadic cases in Africa and Asia in last century. However, in the epidemic in 2004, CHIKV acquired mutations that conferred enhanced transmission by the A. albopictus mosquito(Schuffenecker et al. 2006). Since then, it has successively caused outbreaks in Africa, the Indian Ocean, South East Asia, the South America, and Europe (Zeller et al. 2016).     

Development of a Novel Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

In conclusion, the novel visual RT-LAMP assay is a simple, rapid, and sensitive approach for detection of SARS-CoV-2, and it is ready for application in primary care and community hospitals or health care centers, and even patients' own houses in response to the current SARS-CoV-2 epidemic because the assay does not require sophisticated equipment and skilled personnel. Furthermore, it is also ready to be used in fields for screening samples from wild animals and environments to facilitate the identification of potential intermediate hosts that mediate the cross-species transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from bats to humans.