Effects of grazing on plant species diversity and carbon partitioning in semiarid rangelands of northeastern China

Grasslands are one of the most widespread landscapes worldwide, covering approximately one-fifth of the world’s land surface, where grazing is a common practice. How carbon storage responds to grazing in steppes remains poorly understood. We quantified the effects of grazing on community composition and species diversity, and carbon storage in two typical grasslands of northeastern China, one in Horqin and the other one in Hulunbeier. In both grasslands, grazing did not influence plant species diversity. However, it substantially decreased aboveground carbon by 31% and 54% in Horqin and Hulunbeier, respectively. Fenced and grazing treatments showed a similar belowground carbon at both locations. The predominant carbon pool in the study grassland ecosystem was found in the upper 100 cm soil depth, from 98.2 to 99.1% of the total carbon storage. There were no significant effects of grazing on soil carbon neither in the whole profile nor in the uppermost 20 cm soil depth in the two study grasslands. Studies on the effects of varying rangeland management, such as region disparity and grazing systems, may have important consequences on species diversity and carbon partitioning, and thus on rangeland stability and ecosystem functioning.     

Seed characteristics and fatty acid composition of castor (<i>Ricinus communis</i> L.) varieties in Northeast China

Oil content and fatty acid composition were investigated on 12 castor varieties and strains by using the soxhlet extraction method and capillary gas chromatography. This was made to provide a reference and theoretical basis for castorbean breeding with high oil content, determine variability of seed compounds for breeding purposes, and broaden chemical material choices. Results revealed that crude fat percentage in seeds ranged from 18.91 to 35.84% with an average of 25.91%; the absolute content of ricinoleic acid varied between 171.65 g/kg and 314.03 g/kg with an average of 222.43 g/kg, and kernel crude fat percentage was between 24.28 and 46.97% with an average of 34.30%. All these study variables were highest in the 2129 strain. The percentage of ricinoleic acid in crude fat was between 83.85 to 87.62%, and the highest value was found in the zhebi4 accession. The other fatty acids appeared in small concentrations, and showed small amplitude: 1.12 to 1.61%, 1.21 to 1.61%, 3.53 to 4.80%, 5.35 to 6.38%, 0.52 to 0.79%, 0.05 to 0.08% and 0.43 to 0.55%, for palmitic, stearic, oleic, linolic, linolenic, arachidic, and arachidonic acids, respectively. One hundred seed weight was determined for each accession. One hundred seed weight ranged from 25.7 g to 34.0 g with an average of 29.9 g. There was a significant correlation between seed weight and oil content, but the correlation value was low (r=0.51). Cluster analysis by SSPS based on the content of fatty acid composition revealed that the accessions were divided into three independent clusters. These findings will clearly provide useful information for further research in breeding and utilization of castor oil.     

A logistic model for the detection of circulating tumour cells in human metastatic colorectal cancer

The accuracy in the diagnosis of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) represents one of the challenges in the clinical management of patients. The detection of circulating tumour cells (CTC) is becoming a promising alternative to current detection techniques, as it focuses on one of the players of the metastatic disease and it should provide with more specific and sensitive detection rates. Here, we describe an improved method of detection of CTC from mCRC patients by combining immune-enrichment, optimal purification of RNA from very low cell numbers, and the selection of accurate PCR probes. As a result, we obtained a logistic model that combines GAPDH and VIL1 normalized to CD45 rendering powerful results in the detection of CTC from mCRC patients (AUROC value 0.8599). We further demonstrated the utility of this model at the clinical setting, as a reliable prognosis tool to determine progression-free survival in mCRC patients. Overall, we developed a strategy that ameliorates the specificity and sensitivity in the detection of CTC, resulting in a robust and promising logistic model for the clinical management of metastatic colorectal cancer patients.     

WPA guidance on how to combat stigmatization of psychiatry and psychiatrists

In 2009 the WPA President established a Task Force that was to examine available evidence about the stigmatization of psychiatry and psychiatrists and to make recommendations about action that national psychiatric societies and psychiatrists as professionals could do to reduce or prevent the stigmatization of their discipline as well as to prevent its nefarious consequences. This paper presents a summary of the Task Force’s findings and recommendations. The Task Force reviewed the literature concerning the image of psychiatry and psychiatrists in the media and the opinions about psychiatry and psychiatrists of the general public, of students of medicine, of health professionals other than psychiatrists and of persons with mental illness and their families. It also reviewed the evidence about the interventions that have been undertaken to combat stigma and consequent discrimination and made a series of recommendations to the national psychiatric societies and to individual psychiatrists. The Task Force laid emphasis on the formulation of best practices of psychiatry and their application in health services and on the revision of curricula for the training of health personnel. It also recommended that national psychiatric societies establish links with other professional associations, with organizations of patients and their relatives and with the media in order to approach the problems of stigma on a broad front. The Task Force also underlined the role that psychiatrists can play in the prevention of stigmatization of psychiatry, stressing the need to develop a respectful relationship with patients, to strictly observe ethical rules in the practice of psychiatry and to maintain professional competence.     

Structure of the Pseudorabies Virus Capsid: Comparison with Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 and Differential Binding of Essential Minor Proteins

The structure of pseudorabies virus (PRV) capsids isolated from the nucleus of infected cells and from PRV virions was determined by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and compared to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) capsids. PRV capsid structures closely resemble those of HSV-1, including distribution of the capsid vertex specific component (CVSC) of HSV-1, which is a heterodimer of the pUL17 and pUL25 proteins. Occupancy of CVSC on all PRV capsids is near 100%, compared to ~ 50% reported for HSV-1 C-capsids and 25% or less that we measure for HSV-1 A- and B-capsids. A PRV mutant lacking pUL25 does not produce C-capsids and lacks visible CVSC density in the cryo-EM-based reconstruction. A reconstruction of PRV capsids in which green fluorescent protein was fused within the N-terminus of pUL25 confirmed previous studies with a similar HSV-1 capsid mutant localizing pUL25 to the CVSC density region that is distal to the penton. However, comparison of the CVSC density in a 9-Å-resolution PRV C-capsid map with the available crystal structure of HSV-1 pUL25 failed to find a satisfactory fit, suggesting either a different fold for PRV pUL25 or a capsid-bound conformation for pUL25 that does not match the X-ray model determined from protein crystallized in solution. The PRV capsid imaged within virions closely resembles C-capsids with the addition of weak but significant density shrouding the pentons that we attribute to tegument proteins. Our results demonstrate significant structure conservation between the PRV and HSV capsids.     

Short-term variations of mycosporine-like amino acids in the carrageenan-producing red macroalga Mazzaella laminarioides (Gigartinales,Rhodophyta) are related to nitrate availability

Journal of Applied Phycology - The effect of solar UV radiation exposure and NO3– supply on mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) accumulation in the carrageenan-producing red macroalga...