Accelerated organic matter decomposition in thermokarst lakes upon carbon and phosphorus inputs

Mineralization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in thermokarst lakes plays a non-negligible role in the permafrost carbon (C) cycle, but remains poorly understood due to its complex interactions with external C and nutrient inputs (i.e., aquatic priming and nutrient effects). Based on large-scale lake sampling and laboratory incubations, in combination with ¹³C-stable-isotope labeling, optical spectroscopy, and high-throughput sequencing, we examined large-scale patterns and dominant drivers of priming and nutrient effects of DOM biodegradation across 30 thermokarst lakes along a 1100-km transect on the Tibetan Plateau. We observed that labile C and phosphorus (P) rather than nitrogen (N) inputs stimulated DOM biodegradation, with the priming and P effects being 172% and 451% over unamended control, respectively. We also detected significant interactive effects of labile C and nutrient supply on DOM biodegradation, with the combined labile C and nutrient additions inducing stronger microbial mineralization than C or nutrient treatment alone, illustrating that microbial activity in alpine thermokarst lakes is co-limited by both C and nutrients. We further found that the aquatic priming was mainly driven by DOM quality, with the priming intensity increasing with DOM recalcitrance, reflecting the limitation of external C as energy sources for microbial activity. Greater priming intensity was also associated with higher community-level ribosomal RNA gene operon (rrn) copy number and bacterial diversity as well as increased background soluble reactive P concentration. In contrast, the P effect decreased with DOM recalcitrance as well as with background soluble reactive P and ammonium concentrations, revealing the declining importance of P availability in mediating DOM biodegradation with enhanced C limitation but reduced nutrient limitation. Overall, the stimulation of external C and P inputs on DOM biodegradation in thermokarst lakes would amplify C-climate feedback in this alpine permafrost region.     

Proteomics and Phosphoproteomic Analysis to Identify Spleen of Takifugu rubripes Infected Cryptocaryon irritans

Marine Biotechnology - Takifugu rubripes is important commercially fish species in China and it is under serious threat from white spot disease (cyptocaryoniasis), which leads to heavy economic...     

广西、云南的PSEUDOSCHWAGERINA化石及其地层意义

该文记述了广西宜山马脑山剖面及云南八宝小独山剖面Pseudoschwaserina属34种(亚种),分析了两剖面Pseudoschwagerina动物群的面貌,讨论了Pseudoschwagerina的地层意义。研究表明,两剖面Pseudoschwagerina动物群具有地方性种稀少的共同特点,大多数种皆为广相型分子。从动物群的组成上看,广西、云南Pseudoschwagerina动物群与我国贵州、北美及俄罗斯等地的Pseudoschwagerina动物群有较大的相似性。但是,目前归入 Pseudoschwagerina名下的各种在形态上有着较大的差异,造成不同地区合Pseudoschwagerina地层带化石难以直接对比。根据对两剖面Pseudoschwagerina地层分布规律的研究以及国内、外Pseudochwagerina地理分布的资料,笔者建议选用 Pseudoschwagerina uddeni,P.beedei,P.robusta等 Pseudoschwagerina的典型分子做为含Pseudoschwagerina地层划分、对比的首要标准类群,选用P.uddeni和P.robusta分别做为确定Pseudoschwagerina带底、顶界线的首要标准种,以便于含Pseudoschwagerina地层的全球性的对比。     

Estimating tree-based dynamic treatment regimes using observational data with restricted treatment sequences

A dynamic treatment regime (DTR) is a sequence of decision rules that provide guidance on how to treat individuals based on their static and time-varying status. Existing observational data are often used to generate hypotheses about effective DTRs. A common challenge with observational data, however, is the need for analysts to consider “restrictions” on the treatment sequences. Such restrictions may be necessary for settings where (1) one or more treatment sequences that were offered to individuals when the data were collected are no longer considered viable in practice, (2) specific treatment sequences are no longer available, or (3) the scientific focus of the analysis concerns a specific type of treatment sequences (eg, “stepped-up” treatments). To address this challenge, we propose a restricted tree–based reinforcement learning (RT-RL) method that searches for an interpretable DTR with the maximum expected outcome, given a (set of) user-specified restriction(s), which specifies treatment options (at each stage) that ought not to be considered as part of the estimated tree-based DTR. In simulations, we evaluate the performance of RT-RL versus the standard approach of ignoring the partial data for individuals not following the (set of) restriction(s). The method is illustrated using an observational data set to estimate a two-stage stepped-up DTR for guiding the level of care placement for adolescents with substance use disorder.     

Sub-Cellular Distribution of Zinc in Different Vegetative Organs and Their Contribution to Grains Zinc Accumulation in Rice Under Different Nitrogen and Zinc Supply

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation - Zinc is an important micronutrient for the growth and development of human body and plants. Proper use of nitrogen fertilizer and foliar application of Zn have...     

LDL的氧化修饰和氧化修饰LDL的组成和结构变化

与低密度脂蛋白(LDL)相比,氧化修饰LDL(O-LDL)的组成、结构和生物学特性发生了深刻的变化,而组成和结构的改变是生物学特性改变的基础.本文根据最近文献资料.结合我们实验室的工作.对LDL的氧化修饰、O-LDL的组成、结构改变,以及它们的机理作一简要综述.     

玻璃体内注射清栓酶治疗实验性玻璃体积血

清栓酶可促进玻璃体内纤维蛋白凝血块溶解,我们制作新鲜及陈旧性兔眼玻璃体积血模型,将清栓酶、尿激酶及注射用水分别注入玻璃体腔内,观察眼底、测定玻璃体出血指数、FDP含量、进行3P 试验,结果发现清栓酶有治疗效果,同对照组相比统计学上有显著差异,同尿激酶相比无差异,且未发现有毒副作用。     

First chromosome scale genomes of ithomiine butterflies (Nymphalidae: Ithomiini): Comparative models for mimicry genetic studies

The ithomiine butterflies (Nymphalidae: Danainae) represent the largest known radiation of Müllerian mimetic butterflies. They dominate by number the mimetic butterfly communities, which include species such as the iconic neotropical Heliconius genus. Recent studies on the ecology and genetics of speciation in Ithomiini have suggested that sexual pheromones, colour pattern and perhaps hostplant could drive reproductive isolation. However, no reference genome was available for Ithomiini, which has hindered further exploration on the genetic architecture of these candidate traits, and more generally on the genomic patterns of divergence. Here, we generated high-quality, chromosome-scale genome assemblies for two Melinaea species, M. marsaeus and M. menophilus, and a draft genome of the species Ithomia salapia. We obtained genomes with a size ranging from 396 to 503 Mb across the three species and scaffold N50 of 40.5 and 23.2 Mb for the two chromosome-scale assemblies. Using collinearity analyses we identified massive rearrangements between the two closely related Melinaea species. An annotation of transposable elements and gene content was performed, as well as a specialist annotation to target chemosensory genes, which is crucial for host plant detection and mate recognition in mimetic species. A comparative genomic approach revealed independent gene expansions in ithomiines and particularly in gustatory receptor genes. These first three genomes of ithomiine mimetic butterflies constitute a valuable addition and a welcome comparison to existing biological models such as Heliconius, and will enable further understanding of the mechanisms of adaptation in butterflies.     

Total chemical synthesis and NMR characterization of the glycopeptide tx5a, a heavily post-translationally modified conotoxin, reveals that the glycan structure is alpha-D-Gal-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalNAc.

The 13-amino acid glycopeptide tx5a (Gla-Cys-Cys-Gla-Asp-Gly-Trp*-Cys-Cys-Thr*-Ala-Ala-Hyp-OH, where Trp* = 6-bromotryptophan and Thr* = Gal-GalNAc-threonine), isolated from Conus textile, causes hyperactivity and spasticity when injected intracerebral ventricularly into mice. It contains nine post-translationally modified residues: four cysteine residues, two gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues, and one residue each of 6-bromotryptophan, 4-trans-hydroxyproline and glycosylated threonine. The chemical nature of each of these has been determined with the exception of the glycan linkage pattern on threonine and the stereochemistry of the 6-bromotryptophan residue. Previous investigations have demonstrated that tx5a contains a disaccharide composed of N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) and galactose (Gal), but the interresidue linkage was not characterized. We hypothesized that tx5a contained the T-antigen, beta-D-Gal-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalNAc, one of the most common O-linked glycan structures, identified previously in another Conus glycopeptide, contalukin-G. We therefore utilized the peracetylated form of this glycan attached to Fmoc-threonine in an attempted synthesis. While the result-ing synthetic peptide (Gla-Cys-Cys-Gla-Asp-Gly-Trp*-Cys-Cys-Thr*-Ala-Ala-Hyp-OH, where Trp* =6-bromotryptophan and Thr* = beta-D-Gal-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalNAc-threonine) and the native peptide had almost identical mass spectra, a comparison of their RP-HPLC chromatograms suggested that the two forms were not identical. Two-dimensional 1H homonuclear and 13C-1H heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy of native tx5a isolated from Conus textile was then used to determine that the glycan present on tx5a indeed is not the aforementioned T-antigen, but rather alpha-D-Gal-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalNAc.     

尿素氮-葡萄糖双功能分析仪的研究

由固定化脲酶、谷氨酸脱氢酶、谷氨酸氧化酶、葡萄糖氧化酶的复合酶膜组成的双电极系统,可以同时测定尿素氮和葡萄糖的含量,每次进样量为25μl,20s即可测定出尿素氮和葡萄糖的含量。在0～60mg/dl尿素氮、0～500mg/dl葡萄糖范围内具有良好的线性关系。连续测定20次的变异系数分别为1.02％和1.05％。酶膜使用寿命为两星期以上。此仪器可广泛应用于临床检验和体育训练中。