Efficient polymer-mediated delivery system for thiocyclam: Nanometerization remarkably improves the bioactivity toward green peach aphids

The unscientific application of synthetic pesticides has brought various negative effects on the environment, hindering the sustainable development of agriculture. Nanoparticles can be applied as carriers to improve pesticide delivery, showing great potential in the development of pesticide formulation in recent years. Herein, a star polymer (SPc) was constructed as an efficient pesticide nanocarrier/adjuvant that could spontaneously assemble with thiocyclam or monosultap into a complex, through hydrophobic association and hydrogen bonding, respectively, with the pesticide-loading contents of 42.54% and 19.3%. This complexation reduced the particle sizes of thiocyclam from 543.54 to 52.74 nm for pure thiocyclam, and 3 814.16 to 1 185.89 nm for commercial preparation (cp) of thiocyclam. Interestingly, the introduction of SPc decreased the contact angles of both pure and cp thiocyclam on plant leaves, and increased the plant uptake of cp thiocyclam to 2.4–1.9 times of that without SPc. Meanwhile, the SPc could promote the bioactivity of pure/cp thiocyclam against green peach aphids through leaf dipping method and root application. For leaf dipping method, the 50% lethal concentration decreased from 0.532 to 0.221 g/L after the complexation of pure thiocyclam with SPc, and that decreased from 0.390 to 0.251 g/L for cp thiocyclam. SPc seems a promising adjuvant for nanometerization of both pure and cp insecticides, which is beneficial for improving the delivery efficiency and utilization rate of pesticides.     

Peptide MSI-1 inhibited MCR-1 and regulated outer membrane vesicles to combat immune evasion of Escherichia coli

Polymyxin resistance is conferred by MCR-1 (mobile colistin resistance 1)-induced lipopolysaccharide (LPS) modification of G⁻ bacteria. However, the peptide MSI-1 exerts potent antimicrobial activity against mcr-1-carrying bacteria. To further investigate the potential role of MCR-1 in improving bacterial virulence and facilitating immune evasion, and the immunomodulatory effect of peptide MSI-1, we first explored outer membrane vesicle (OMV) alterations of mcr-1-carrying bacteria in the presence and absence of sub-MIC MSI-1, and host immune activation during bacterial infection and OMV stimulation. Our results demonstrated that LPS remodelling induced by MCR-1 negatively affected OMV formation and protein cargo by E. coli. In addition, MCR-1 diminished LPS-stimulated pyroptosis but facilitated mitochondrial dysfunction, further aggravating apoptosis in macrophages induced by OMVs of E. coli. Similarly, TLR4-mediated NF-κB activation was markedly alleviated once LPS was modified by MCR-1. However, peptide MSI-1 at the sub-MIC level inhibited the expression of MCR-1, further partly rescuing OMV alteration and attenuation of immune responses in the presence of MCR-1 during both infection and OMV stimulation, which can be exploited for anti-infective therapy.     

Solid-phase microextraction and cuticular hydrocarbon differences related to reproductive activity in juniper bark borer Semanotus bifasciatus Motschulsky

Cuticular hydrocarbons of Cerambycidae species can function as signals for sex recognition. Little is known about the copulatory signals of the juniper bark borer Semanotus bifasciatus, a major economic threat to Platycladus orientalis Franco in China. Here, we investigated the cuticular hydrocarbons of both sexes of S. bifasciatus to determine the chemically mediated mating signals using the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technique with carbowax/divinylbenzene fibers (CAR/DVB) and then analyzed by coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A series of aliphatic saturated straight-chain n-alkanes (n-C₂₃ to n-C₂₈), internally branched monomethylalkanes at carbons 3, 11, or 13, and dimethylalkanes were identified, which showed no qualitative differences in either sex and were similar in the samples with SPME fiber extraction and those with hexane extraction. The bioassay showed that 11-methylpentacosane (11-MeC₂₅), 11-methylhexacosane (11-MeC₂₆), and 11-methylheptacosane (11-MeC₂₇) have sex-specific recognition functions that triggered more mating attempts at a female-specific ratio of 100:4:60 than at a male-specific ratio of 100:85:50. In addition, the female-specific ratio of 11-methylalkanes can elicit about 70% of male mating attempts within about 60 s, whereas live females elicit about 98% of male mating attempts within 25 s. The discrepancy in the initiation of mating attempts by synthetic mixtures and live females suggests that the methyl isomers 3-MeC₂₅, 3-MeC₂₇, and/or 11,15-diMeC₂₇ may also be involved in the mating behavior of S. bifasciatus. These results suggest that 11-MeC₂₅, 11-MeC₂₆, and 11-MeC₂₇ constitute the contact sex pheromone of S. bifasciatus, with the presence or absence of 11-MeC₂₆ in particular playing an important role in mate recognition by males.     

黄土高原部分地区180－73万年间孢粉植物群和环境演变初探

根据黄土高原３个剖面的孢粉资料及测年数据,恢复了本区１８０－７３万年期间的植被面貌。在此基础上,结合中国和全球其它地区的孢粉、构造、地层、水系演化和火山活动等特征。将此期间植被、气候和环境的演化划分为３个主旋回,６个主要演化阶段,１０个亚阶段和５个事件。初步认识到,该时间段的气候环境演化有较大波动,且这些变化不限于局部地区,而是区域性的,是多种因素（内外动力）作用的结果,且有规律可循。     

中国大鲵乳酸脱氨酶同工酶研究I组织分布

采用垂直板聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳和紫外分光光度法分析大鲵１５种组织的乳酸脱氢酶（ＬＤＨ）同工酶后发现：在正常生理条件下,大鲵体内只有Ｈ４和Ｍ４两种同工酶,红细胞只有Ｍ４一种同工酶;大鲵体内ＬＤＨ同工酶中,以Ｍ４占绝对优势;除生殖腺及脑外,在幼体至成体的发育过程中,ＬＤＨ同工酶未见变化;大鲵体内各组织ＬＤＨ含量及前述两种同工酶相对含量不同。     

桃儿七分布格局与生态适应的初步研究

以云南产桃儿七Ｓｉｎｏｐｏｄｏｐｈｙｌｌｕｍ ｈｅｘａｎｄｒｕｍ（Ｒｏｙｌｅ）Ｙｉｎｇ为研究材料,分析了它的分布格局及生态适应。指出桃儿七是一个分布范围较广、生态适应幅度大的物种;在分布区内它主要出现在具有次生植被的山谷中,个体在居群内的分布格局,由于受到放牧活动的影响而呈聚群式分布,植株常出现在灌木丛下和树根附近。它适应夏秋湿润凉爽,冬季及早春寒冷干燥的气候条件,并具有相应的生长与发育节律。人类