丹江口库区宋湾旧石器地点发掘简报

丹江口库区宋湾旧石器地点位于河南省淅川县盛湾镇宋湾村三组,埋藏于丹江右岸第三级基座阶地的红色黏土层中.2009年3～4月对该地点进行抢救性发掘,揭露面积800m2,出土石制品353件.石制品包括石器、石核、石片类和断块等.古人类选择阶地底部河卵石为原料进行剥片和加工石器:硬锤锤击法为剥片的主要技术;石制品总体以小型和中型居多;石器主要以石片为毛坯,刮削器是主要类型;石器多由古人类在石片的两侧采用锤击法加工而成.石制品特点显示中国南方砾石工业的面貌,同时石制品组合中出现了小型刮削器和石片等北方石片工业的元素.地貌和地层对比显示该地点形成于中更新世.     

洛南盆地的大型石刀

以大型石片为毛坯加工而成的修背石刀是非洲大陆旧石器时代早期阿舍利石器工业中较为常见的器物之一,在中国旧石器时代早期遗址中未见报道。1995年春夏之交至2004年2月,在位于陕西省秦岭山地东部的洛南盆地南洛河上游干流及其支流两侧阶地共发现旷野类型旧石器地点268处,获得各类石制品13 581件,从中甄别出大型石刀24件,本文对这类器物的涵义进行了界定,探讨了其加工制作的方式,比较了大型石刀与薄刃斧以及重型刮削器之间的异同,并以此为基础对洛南盆地19处旷野类型旧石器地点中所发现的大型石刀进行了系统研究。     

陕西洛南盆地夜塬地点发现的石制品

2010~2012年在陕西洛南盆地旧石器遗址调查中新发现夜塬地点,采集石核、石片、断块、碎片及工具等石制品617件。工具包含砍砸器、手斧、薄刃斧、大型石刀、刮削器、尖状器、雕刻器等。石制品原料为第二级阶地附近砾石层及河漫滩上的砾石,以颜色不同的石英岩及石英为主,石英砂岩及细砂岩偶有使用。石制品尺寸多为小型及中型,但工具中修理精致的手斧、薄刃斧和石刀等大型工具尺寸较大。剥片主要采用锤击法,砸击法与碰砧法也少量应用,石核剥片率较高。工具毛坯主要为石片,刃缘多两面修理。根据以往在洛南盆地的相关研究推测,该地点石制品的年代大致为中更新世晚期到晚更新世早期。夜塬地点新发现的石制品丰富了洛南地区的旧石器材料,有益于进一步探讨莫维斯线以东含阿舍利技术遗址的文化属性。     

广西百色百峰遗址发现的石制品

百峰遗址位于广西百色市田阳县境内,地处百色盆地右江南岸第四级阶地,地理坐标为23°45.399′N,106.43.636′E,是右江民族博物馆在2009年文物普查时新发现的一处旧石器时代遗址.共采集石制品27件.类型有石核、石片、手镐、砍砸器和刮削器,其中手镐数量最多;原料来源于遗址附近第4级阶地的砾石层,类别有石英岩...     

2004年丹江口库区调查发现的石制品

2004年在丹江口库区发现并复查了43处旧石器旷野地点,共采集石制品367件.石制品包括石核、石片和石器,石器类型主要有刮削器、砍砸器、石球、手镐、手斧等.这些旷野地点分布在沿江两岸的第2、第3和第4级阶地上,时代从旧石器早期延续到晚期.各阶地的石器工业面貌较为一致,表现出以砾石及大中型石片加工而成的重型工具为主的特点.手镐、手斧等具有阿舍利技术特征的重型工具的发现,促使我们重新思考东、西方早期文化之间的异同,并为进一步探讨早期人类的迁徙、扩散和区域间的文化交流提供了重要材料.     

汉中盆地龙岗寺遗址第3地点出土的石制品

汉中盆地梁山龙岗寺遗址地处秦岭南麓汉水上游,是我国发现较早的一处旧石器地点群。龙岗寺遗址第3地点位于汉江右岸第四级阶地之上。2014年2～6月,为了配合国家大遗址保护和龙岗寺考古遗址公园建设项目,从根本上廓清龙岗寺旧石器遗存的石器工业面貌,我们对该地点进行了正式发掘,发掘面积36m2,出土不同类型的石制品4441件。龙岗寺第3地点石制品原料为来自于遗址附近河流阶地及河漫滩中的砾石,以石英为主,火成岩次之,石英岩、细砂岩和燧石等偶有使用。锤击法为主要剥片方法,存在少量砸击技术产品。石制品尺寸以小型为主。工具类型主要是以石片为毛坯加工而成的刮削器,有少量的尖状器和雕刻器。石器加工方向多为正向或反向。从出土石制品的情形看,龙岗寺第3地点石制品的面貌更接近于更新世期间华北地区常见的小型石片和修理小石片工具为主体的石器工业类型,这与以往对汉中盆地旧石器工业面貌为华南砾石石器传统的认识有较大的差距。遗址相关的地层年代学研究工作表明,龙岗寺第3地点埋藏石制品的地层堆积形成于距今120～70万年间,属早更新世晚期至中更新世早期阶段。龙岗寺遗址第3地点及其出土的石制品为我们更加全面地了解汉中盆地旧石器遗址群的地层埋藏状况、遗址年代和石器工业内涵提供了比较丰富的材料。     

湖北郧县肖沟旧石器时代遗址发掘简报

肖沟遗址位于湖北省郧阳区安阳镇钟家河村,埋藏于丹江口库区汉江左岸第二级堆积阶地,遗址所在地三面环水,北靠低山。2010年10月-12月对该地点进行抢救性发掘,揭露面积近1500 m~2,出土石制品413件。石制品类型包括石器、石核、石片、断块断片和碎块碎片等。古人类利用河流砾石,就地取材加工石制品;硬锤锤击是主要剥片方法;石制品总体以小型居多,石器主要以石片为毛坯,边刮器为主要类型。石制品特点显示石片工业特点。石制品类型以石片类和断块类为主体,石制品拼合率近10%,是一处原地埋藏的古人类遗址。通过与丹江口库区相关旧石器遗址的比较,结合地貌地层特点,推测该遗址形成于旧石器时代晚期。     

丹江口库区贾湾1号地点发现的石制品

丹江口库区贾湾1号旧石器地点位于河南省淅川县盛湾镇贾湾村,埋藏于丹江右岸第三级基座阶地前缘的红色黏土层中。2011年4-5月对该地点进行抢救性发掘,揭露面积1000m2,共获得750件石制品(发掘527件,采集223件)。石制品组合包括石核类、修理类、废片类和石锤等,以废片类为主体。石制品以阶地底部砾石为原料,以小型和中型者居多;剥片主要采用硬锤锤击法;石器主要以石片为毛坯,采用锤击法多在石片远端或两侧进行单向加工,刮削器是主要类型。石器工业面貌属于以石核和石片为主体的技术类型(模式1)。地貌、地层及石制品组合特征显示该地点可能形成于晚更新世早期。     

怀来盆地2014年度旧石器考古调查简报

2014年7-8月在河北怀来盆地开展的旧石器考古调查工作新发现确认10处旧石器地点,获得20余件石制品及动物化石。石制品类型包括石核、石片、工具以及断块,总体来看包含了石片石器技术和细石叶技术两套技术组合。石制品原料以火山岩为主,应为就地取材;石核剥片与工具修理均主要采用锤击法。永定河两岸第二、三级阶地是文化遗物埋藏的主要地貌部位,依相关地貌、地层资料以及石制品的类型特征,初步推测新地点的时代主要为中、晚更新世。     

黄河中游晋陕峡谷延安段新发现的石制品

2018年6月,我们在黄河中游晋陕峡谷陕西一侧延安段新发现5处旷野石器地点,采集石制品556件,部分石制品暴露于黄土地层的剖面上。古人类加工石制品的原料来自于黄河河床和阶地的砾石层,岩性以石英岩为主,其次为石英。除上述两种原料之外,燧石、硅质岩、硅质灰岩、石英砂岩、细砂岩、蛋白石、玛瑙、火成岩等也有少量使用。石制品类型包括石锤、石核、石片、工具、断块和碎片屑,尺寸以小型为主。石核和石片以自然砾石台面者居多。剥片主要采用锤击法直接剥片,少量使用砸击法,可能偶而使用碰砧法和锐棱砸击法。工具多为以石片为毛坯加工而成的中小型刮削器,有少量以砾石为毛坯加工而成的砍砸器。伏羲村、苏亚河、高家畔、延水关4个地点发现的石制品原生埋藏地层为黄河第二级阶地上覆的马兰黄土堆积,该套地层形成于晚更新世晚期,石制品属简单的石核-石片工业,可能属于旧石器时代晚期。衣锦滩地点的石制品分别埋藏于黄河第二级阶地上覆的马兰黄土堆积和黄河第一级阶地上覆的土状堆积中,时代分属于旧石器时代晚期和新石器时代。本次新发现的旧石器地点进一步扩大了黄河晋陕峡谷地区旧石器遗存的分布范围,丰富了该地区旧石器文化的内涵,为未来的研究工作提供了新线索。     

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.