Effects of biodiversity,stand factors and functional identity on biomass and productivity during the restoration of subtropical forests in Central China

恢复梯度上华中亚热带森林生物多样性、林分因子及功能特性对生物量、生产力的影响 草地群落上进行的控制实验大都发现生物多样性对生态系统功能有显著促进作用。然而,在天然林中,多样性与林分因子、群落功能特性的相对作用大小仍存在争议。本文在森林恢复梯度上,研究这3类因素对生物量和生产力的相对影响。我们在湖北神农架设置了处于不同恢复阶段的24块(600 m²)亚热 带森林样地,计算了林分生物量和生产力。选择5个关键的植物功能性状,并计算了群落的功能多样性(功能丰富度、功能均匀度和功能离散度)和性状的加权平均值(CWM)。使用一般线性模型(GLMs)、变异分离等方法探究林分因子(密度、林龄、群落最大树高等)、功能特性、物种和功能多样性对生物量和生产力的相对重要性。研究结果表明,随着森林恢复,林分生物量和生产力显著增加,群落物种丰富度显著增加,而功能离散度显著降低。变异分离结果表明,多样性对生物量和生产力的单独效应不显著,但可能通过与林分因子和功能特性的协同效应来影响生物量和生产力。总体而言,我们发现林分因子对亚热带森林生物量和生产力的影响最大,功能特性显著影响生产力,但不影响生物量。这些结果说明,在森林经营中,调整林分结构和群落物种特性是提高森林碳储量和固碳潜力的有效途径。     

The appendage role of insect disco genes and possible implications on the evolution of the maggot larval form

Though initially identified as necessary for neural migration, Disconnected and its partially redundant paralog, Disco-related, are required for proper head segment identity during Drosophila embryogenesis. Here, we present evidence that these genes are also required for proper ventral appendage development during development of the adult fly, where they specify medial to distal appendage development. Cells lacking the disco genes cannot contribute to the medial and distal portions of ventral appendages. Further, ectopic disco transforms dorsal appendages toward ventral fates; in wing discs, the medial and distal leg development pathways are activated. Interestingly, this appendage role is conserved in the red flour beetle, Tribolium (where legs develop during embryogenesis), yet in the beetle we found no evidence for a head segmentation role. The lack of an embryonic head specification role in Tribolium could be interpreted as a loss of the head segmentation function in Tribolium or gain of this function during evolution of flies. However, we suggest an alternative explanation. We propose that the disco genes always function as appendage factors, but their appendage nature is masked during Drosophila embryogenesis due to the reduction of limb fields in the maggot style Drosophila larva.     

Direct interaction between Teashirt and Sex combs reduced proteins, via Tsh's acidic domain, is essential for specifying the identity of the prothorax in Drosophila

teashirt (tsh) encodes a zinc-finger protein that is thought to be part of a network that contributes to regionalization of the Drosophila embryo and establishes the domains of Hox protein function. tsh and the Hox gene Sex combs reduced (Scr) are essential to establish the identity of the first thoracic segment. We used the development of the first thoracic segment as a paradigm for Scr dependent regional morphological distinctions. In this specific context, we asked whether Tsh protein could have a direct influence on Scr activity. Here we present evidence that Tsh interacts directly with Scr and this interaction depends in part on the presence of a short domain located in the N-terminal half of Teashirt called "acidic domain". In vivo, expression of full length Tsh can rescue the tsh null phenotype throughout the trunk whereas Tsh lacking the Scr interacting domain rescues all the trunk defects except in the prothorax. We suggest this provides insights into the mechanism by which Tsh, in concert with Scr, specifies the prothoracic identity.     

Alcoholism is associated with GALR3 but not two other galanin receptor genes

The neuropeptide galanin is widely expressed in the periphery and the central nervous system and mediates diverse physiological processes and behaviors including alcohol abuse, depression and anxiety. Four genes encoding galanin and its receptors have been identified (GAL, GALR1, GALR2 and GALR3). Recently we found that GAL haplotypes were associated with alcoholism, raising the possibility that genetic variation in GALR1, GALR2 and GALR3 might also alter alcoholism risk. Tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified by genotyping SNP panels in controls from five populations. For the association study with alcoholism, six GALR1, four GALR2 and four GALR3 SNPs were genotyped in a large cohort of Finnish alcoholics and non-alcoholics. GALR3 showed a significant association with alcoholism that was driven by one SNP (rs3,091,367). Moreover, the combination of the GALR3 rs3,091,367 risk allele and GAL risk haplotypes led to a modestly increased odds ratio (OR) for alcoholism (2.4) as compared with the effect of either GAL (1.9) or GALR3 alone (1.4). Likewise, the combination of the GALR3 and GAL risk diplotypes led to an increased OR for alcoholism (4.6) as compared with the effect of either GAL (2.0) or GALR3 alone (1.6). There was no effect of GALR1 or GALR2 on alcoholism risk. This evidence suggests that GALR3 mediates the alcoholism-related actions of galanin.     

Is it God Speaking? Agency of Deities in the Western Himalaya

ABSTRACT

In many ethnographies, deities reflect social structures, represent power relations, or serve as a resource for individuals. However, believers usually do not doubt the existence of deities and their agency: that is, their ability to act and initiate change. The gap between these points of view narrows in the religious experiences in the Indian Himalayas. There, the local population, who communicate with local deities via mediums, face an epistemological problem: how to be certain that they are, indeed, talking with their gods. Furthermore, the believers are aware that they play a role in the decisions of the gods. These two aspects of the religious experience are expressed in the gradual transition of the gods from a Pahā?ī to a pan-Hindu identity, an indication of the way in which the agency of the gods is being challenged and is subject to negotiation by the locals.     

Increased runs of homozygosity in the autosomal genome of Brazilian individuals with neurodevelopmental delay/intellectual disability and/or multiple congenital anomalies investigated by chromosomal microarray analysis

Runs of homozygosity (ROH) in the human genome may be clinically relevant. The aim of this study was to report the frequency of increased ROH of the autosomal genome in individuals with neurodevelopmental delay/intellectual disability and/or multiple congenital anomalies, and to compare these data with a control group. Data consisted of calls of homozygosity from 265 patients and 289 controls. In total, 7.2% (19/265) of the patients showed multiple ROH exceeding 1% of autosomal genome, compared to 1.4% (4/289) in the control group (p=0.0006). Homozygosity ranged from 1.38% to 22.12% among patients, and from 1.53 to 2.40% in the control group. In turn, 1.9% (5/265) of patients presented ROH ≥10Mb in a single chromosome, compared to 0.3% (1/289) of individuals from the control group (p=0.0801). By excluding cases with reported consanguineous parents (15/24), the frequency of increased ROH was 3.4% (9/250) among patients and 1.7% (5/289) in the control group, considering multiple ROH exceeding 1% of the autosome genome and ROH ≥10Mb in a single chromosome together, although not statistically significant (p=0.1873). These results reinforce the importance of investigating ROH, which with complementary diagnostic tests can improve the diagnostic yield for patients with such conditions.     

Emergence,evolution, and vaccine production approaches of SARS-CoV-2 virus: Benefits of getting vaccinated and common questions

The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Wuhan city, China at the end of 2019 made it urgent to identify the origin of the causal pathogen and its molecular evolution, to appropriately design an effective vaccine. This study analyzes the evolutionary background of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or SARS-2) in accordance with its close relative SARS-CoV (SARS-1), which was emerged in 2002. A comparative genomic and proteomic study was conducted on SARS-2, SARS-1, and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), which was emerged in 2012. In silico analysis inferred the genetic variability among the tested viruses. The SARS-1 genome harbored 11 genes encoding 12 proteins, while SARS-2 genome contained only 10 genes encoding for 10 proteins. MERS genome contained 11 genes encoding 11 proteins. The analysis also revealed a slight variation in the whole genome size of SARS-2 comparing to its siblings resulting from sequential insertions and deletions (indels) throughout the viral genome particularly ORF1AB, spike, ORF10 and ORF8. The effective indels were observed in the gene encoding the spike protein that is responsible for viral attachment to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) cell receptor and initiating infection. These indels are responsible for the newly emerging COVID-19 variants αCoV, βCoV, γCoV and δCoV. Nowadays, few effective COVID-19 vaccines developed based on spike (S) glycoprotein were approved and become available worldwide. Currently available vaccines can relatively prevent the spread of COVID-19 and suppress the disease. The traditional (killed or attenuated virus vaccine and antibody-based vaccine) and innovated vaccine production technologies (RNA- and DNA-based vaccines and viral vectors) are summarized in this review. We finally highlight the most common questions related to COVID-19 disease and the benefits of getting vaccinated.