Dynamic foraging strategy adaptation to heterogeneous environments contributes to social aggregation in snub-nosed monkeys

The dynamics of animal social structures are heavily influenced by environmental patterns of competition and cooperation.In folivorous colobine primates,prevailing theories suggest that larger group sizes should be favored in rainforests with a year-round abundance of food,thereby reducing feeding competition.Yet,paradoxically,larger groups are frequently found in high-altitude or high-latitude montane ecosystems characterized by a seasonal scarcity of leaves.This contradiction is posited to arise from cooperative benefits in heterogeneous environments.To investigate this hypothesis,we carried out a six-year field study on two neighboring groups of golden snub-nosed monkey(Rhinopithecus roxellana),a species representing the northernmost distribution of colobine primates.Results showed that the groups adjusted their movement and habitat selection in response to fluctuating climates and spatiotemporal variability of resources,indicative of a dynamic foraging strategy.Notably,during the cold,resource-scarce conditions in winter,the large group occupied food-rich habitats but did not exhibit significantly longer daily travel distances than the smaller neighboring group.Subsequently,we compiled an eco-behavioral dataset of 52 colobine species to explore their evolutionary trajectories.Analysis of this dataset suggested that the increase in group size may have evolved via home range expansion in response to the cold and heterogeneous climates found at higher altitudes or latitudes.Hence,we developed a multi-benefits framework to interpret the formation of larger groups by integrating environmental heterogeneity.In cold and diverse environments,even smaller groups require larger home ranges to meet their dynamic survival needs.The spatiotemporal distribution of high-quality resources within these expanded home ranges facilitates more frequent interactions between groups,thereby encouraging social aggregation into larger groups.This process enhances the benefits of collaborative actions and reproductive opportunities,while simultaneously optimizing travel costs through a dynamic foraging strategy.

Intravascular lithotripsy successfully open recurrent in-stent chronic occlusion lesion combined with circular calcification

Coronary artery calcification is common in elderly,diabetic,and dialysis-dependent patients,poses a great challenge to interventional therapy and significantly increases the risk of complications and poor prognosis.[1]Traditional rotational atherectomy and excimer laser coronary atherectomy are both special treatment techniques for severely calcified lesions,but they are difficult to use in clinical practice due to complicated operations.Intravascular lithotripsy(IVL)is a new way of treating calcified lesion.

Low concentration of sodium hyaluronate temporarily elevates the tear film lipid layer thickness in dry eye patients with lipid deficiency

AIM： To investigate the effects of different concentrations of artificial tears on lipid layer thickness （LLT） and blink rate （BR） in dry eye patients. METHODS： This study included 106 eyes of 58 patients with dry eye. The lipid deficiency type was defined as the LLT baseline 〈75 nm. The LLT and BR were measured at baseline and 1, 5 and 15min after the instillation of 0.1% or 0.3% sodium hyaluronate （SH） eye drops by using the LipiView ocular surface interferometer. RESULTS： In the lipid deficiency group, the LLT increased from baseline at 1rain post instillation. The LLT after the instillation of 0.1% SH was significantly higher than that after the instillation of 0.3% SH （P〈0.001）. The LLT returned to baseline at 15min post instillation of 0.1% SH and at 5min post instillation of 0.3% SH. In the non-lipid deficiency group, the LLT decreased from baseline at lmin and returned to baseline at 5rain for both treatments. The BRs were not significantly different at different time points for both treatments. CONCLUSION： SH eye drops induce a short-term increase in LLT of patients with lipid deficiency. A low concentration of artificial tears have a stronger effect than a high concentration of artificial tears on the increase in LLT. in comparison, SH eye drops induce a transient and slight decrease in LLT of patients without lipid deficiency. A low concentration of artificial tears might be better for patients with lipid deficiency.

Lipid layer thickness and tear meniscus height measurements for the differential diagnosis of evaporative dry eye subtypes

AIM： To explore a new diagnostic index for differentiating the evaporative dry eye（EDE） subtypes by analysis of their respective clinical characteristics. METHODS： A cross-sectional study of 139 patients（139 eyes） with EDE who were enrolled and classified as obstructive meibomian gland dysfunction（MGD）（n=81） and non-obstructive MGD（n=58） EDE. All patients completed a Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness（SPEED） questionnaire and were evaluated for average lipid layer thickness（LLT）, tear meniscus height measurements（TMH）, tear break-up time（TBUT）, ocular surface staining score, Schirmer I test（SIT）, lid margin abnormalities, and meibomian gland function and morphology. RESULTS： Age, average LLT, TMH, scores of lid margin abnormalities, meibum quality, meibomian gland loss（MGL）（all P≤0.001）, and TBUT（P=0.03） were all significantly different between obstructive MGD EDE patients and nonobstructive MGD EDE patients. Average LLT in obstructive MGD EDE was correlated with meibomian expressibility（r=-0.541, P≤0.001）, lid margin abnormalities were marginally not significant（r=0.197, P=0.077）, and TMH was correlated with MGL（total MGL： r=0.552, P≤0.001; upper MGL： r=0.438, P≤0.001; lower MGL： r=0.407, P≤0.001）. Average LLT in non-obstructive MGD EDE, was correlated with meibomian expressibility and Oxford staining（r=-0.396, P=0.002; r=-0.461, P≤0.001）. The efficiency of combining average LLT and TMH was optimal, with a sensitivity of 80.2% and a specificity of 74.1%. Obstructive MGD EDE patients had an average LLT≥69 nm and TMH≥0.25 mm, while non-obstructive MGD EDE patients had an average LLT〈69 nm and TMH〈0.25 mm.CONCLUSION： Obstructive MGD EDE and nonobstructive MGD EDE have significantly different clinical characteristics. Combining average LLT and TMH measurements enhanced their reliability for differentiating these two subtypes and provided guidance for offering more precise treatments for EDE subtypes.

A new loach species of Troglonectes(Teleostei:Nemacheilidae)from Guangxi,China

A new species of the genus Troglonectes is described from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,China.Troglonectes hechiensis sp.nov.can be easily distinguished from its congeners based on the following characters:eyes normal;whole body covered by scales except head,throat,and abdomen;lateral line incomplete;caudal fin concave;and color pattern present on body.

Fe_3O_4@C nanoparticles as high-performance Fenton-like catalyst for dye decoloration

Water pollution has become serious environmental problem nowadays. Advanced oxidation processes(AOP) have been widely applied in water treatment.However, traditional Fenton reaction based on Fe2﹢-H2O2 system has obvious drawbacks, which limit its applications In this study, magnetic Fe3O4core-C shell nanoparticles(Fe3O4@C NPs) were prepared for the decoloration of methylene blue(MB) via the co-precipitation followed by the hydrothermal dehydrogenation of glucose. Fe3O4@C NPs showed high catalytic activity of the decoloration of MB through the decomposition of H2O2 in Fenton-like reactions. Fe3O4@C NPs had much higher activity than bare Fe3O4 cores, suggesting the coating of carbon enhanced the catalytic activity. The performance of Fe3O4@C NPs was better at lower pH and higher temperature, but was significantly inhibited in the presence of radical scavenger tertiary butanol. Fe3O4@C NPs could be magnetic separated and regenerated, and maintained with very good catalytic activity. The implication for the applications of Fe3O4@C NP-catalyzed Fenton-like reactions in water treatment was discussed.

氧化石墨烯对红细胞功能的影响

纳米材料的生物相容性是人们关注的热点。氧化石墨烯是一种被广泛应用于生物医学的纳米材料,但其毒性不容忽视。本文从溶血率、红细胞脆性、乙酰胆碱酯酶活性三方面研究了氧化石墨烯对血液系统的毒性。结果表明,红细胞的溶血率在氧化石墨烯浓度低于100μg/mL时均低于8%(P<0.01);低浓度氧化石墨烯(<5μg/mL)对红细胞的脆性没有显著影响,高浓度氧化石墨烯(如10μg/mL)会提高红细胞的脆性(P=0.01);氧化石墨烯能增加红细胞上乙酰胆碱酯酶的活性,浓度为20μg/mL的直径>5μm的氧化石墨烯(LGO)可将乙酰胆碱酯酶的活性提高42.67%(P<0.05)。之后利用分子动力学模拟研究氧化石墨烯与乙酰胆碱酯酶相互作用并提高其活性的机理,推测氧化石墨烯会附着在细胞膜上并提供一个电负性环境,帮助水解产物更快地从活性位点脱离,从而提高乙酰胆碱酯酶的活性。

Bachelor groups in primate multilevel society facilitate gene flow across fragmented habitats

In the face of ongoing habitat fragmentation,many primate species have experienced reduced gene flow resulting in a reduction of genetic diversity,population bottlenecks,and inbreeding depression,including golden snub-nosed monkeys Rhinopithecus roxellana.Golden snub-nosed monkeys live in a multilevel society composed of several 1 male harem units that aggregate to form a cohesive breeding band,which is followed by one or more bachelor groups composed of juvenile,subadult,and adult male members.In this research,we examine the continuous landscape resistance surface,the genetic diversity and patterns of gene flow among 4 isolated breeding bands and 1 all-male band in the Qinling Mountains,China.Landscape surface modeling suggested that human activities and ecological factors severely limit the movement of individuals among breeding bands.Although these conditions are expected to result in reduced gene flow,reduced genetic diversity,and an increased opportunity for a genetic bottleneck,based on population genetic analyses of 13 microsatellite loci from 188 individuals inhabiting 4 isolated breeding bands and 1 all-male band,we found high levels of genetic diversity but low levels of genetic divergence,as well as high rates of gene flow between males residing in the all-male band and each of the 4 breeding bands.Our results indicate that the movement of bachelor males across the landscape,along with their association with several different breeding bands,appears to provide a mechanism for promoting gene flows and maintaining genetic diversity that may counteract the otherwise isolating effects of habitat fragmentation.

Interaction of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and zinc ions enhances cytotoxicity of zinc ions

More and more nanomaterials enter the environment along with their production, application and deposal. They may alter the biological effect of pollutants already existing in the real environment by different interactions. Therefore efforts should also be paid to investigate the combined toxicity of nanomaterials and pollutants. Herein, we studied the combined toxicity of oxi- dized multi-walled carbon nanotubes （O-MWCNTs） and zinc ions on ceils. It is found that cytotoxicity of the combined O-MWCNTs and zinc ions elevates significantly, compared with O-MWCNTs or zinc ions alone. This result comes from the assays of cell morphology, cell viability and proliferation, cell membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential and cell apoptosis. Mechanism studies indicate that O-MWCNTs absorb zinc ions and form slight aggregation. These enhance remark- ably the cellular uptake of O-MWCNTs, and thus induce the death of cells by bringing in more zinc ions into cells. Our study indicates that the existence of nanomaterials could change the bioconsequence of other pollutants and emphasizes the im- portance of the combined toxicity research in the presence of nanomaterials.

To gel or not to gel：A prior prediction of gelation in solvent mixtures

The gelation behaviours of low molecular weight gelators 1,3：2,5：4.6-tris（3,4-dichlorobenzylidene）-Dmannitol（G1） and 2,4-（3.4-dichlorobenzylidene）-N-（3-aminopropyl）-D-gluconamide（G2） in 34 solvents have been studied.We found that sample dissolved at low concentrations may become a gel or precipitate at higher concentrations.The Hansen solubility parameters（HSPs） and a Teas plot were employed to correlate the gelation behaviours with solvent properties,but with no success if the concentration of the tests was not maintained constant.Instead,on the basis of the gelation results obtained for the G1 and G2 in single solvents,we studied the gelation behaviours of G1 and G2 in23 solvent mixtures and found that the tendency of a gelator to form a gel in mixed solvents is strongly correlated with its gelation behaviours in good solvents.If the gelation occurs in a good solvent at higher concentrations,it will take place as well in a mixed solvent（the good solvent plus a poor solvent） at a certain volume ratio.In contrast,if the gelator forms a precipitate in a good solvent at higher concentrations,no gelation is to be observed in the mixed solvents.A gelation rule for mixed solvents is thus proposed,which may facilitate decision making with regard to solvent selection for gel formation in the solvent mixtures in practical applications.

Pheromones emitted by both female and male moths regulate coordination between the sexes for Agriphila aeneociliella (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

The complex and efficient sex pheromone communication system in insects is essential for reproduction and for reproductive isolation of species.In moths,sex pheromone communication starts with male attraction to compounds emitted by females;only a few species act in the reverse.However,how the pheromones that are emitted by both sexes co-regulate and coordinate mate finding and mating remains unknown.Here,we identified both the male and female pheromones of Eastern Grass Veneer moth,Agriphila aeneociliella(Lepidoptera:Crambidae),and demonstrated their efficiency in manipulating behavioral responses of the opposite sex.Combining data from analysis of gas chromatography-electroantennogram detection,gas chromatography-mass spectrometry,and olfactory behavior assays,the female pheromone of A.aeneociliella was identified as(Z,Z,Z)-9,12,15-octadecatrienal and(Z)-9-hexadecenyl acetate,while the male pheromone was determined to be 1-nonanal.Both the 2 individual components of the female pheromone and their binary mixture were significantly attractive to males,and the 1-nonanal male pheromone induced strong electrophysiological responses in females and induced attraction of females in a Y-tube olfactory test.Depending on the concentration of 1-nonanal,its addition to the binary mixture of the female pheromone either enhanced(10^(−3) or 10^(−2)μg/μL)or reduced(1μg/μL)the aphrodisiac effect of the mixture on males.In wind-tunnel bioassays,different concentrations of pheromones,including the binary mixture of female pheromone and the mixture of male and female pheromones,had significant effects on male behavior.Our findings suggested that the blend of both female and male pheromones plays a significant role in the sexual communication system in some moths.

A cytoprotective graphene oxide-polyelectrolytes nanoshell for single-cell encapsulation

Graphene oxide(GO)has been increasingly utilized in the fields of food,biomedicine,environment and other fields because of its benign biocompatible.We encapsulated two kinds of GO with different sizes on yeast cells with the assistance of polyelectrolytes poly(styrene sulfonic acid)sodium salt(PSS)and polyglutamic acid(PGA)(termed as Y@GO).The result does not show a significant difference between the properties of the two types of Y@GO(namely Y@GO1 and Y@GO2).The encapsulation layers are optimized as Yeast/PGA/PSS/PGA/GO/PGA/PSS based on the morphology,dispersity,colony-forming unit,and zeta potential.The encapsulation of GO increases the roughness of the yeast.It is proved that the Y@GO increases the survival time and enhance the activity of yeast cells.The GO shell improves the resistance of yeast cells against pH and salt stresses and extends the storage time of yeast cells.

Element-Free Modelling of Topological Gels with Peculiar Multiaxial Large Deformation Behavior

With slidable cross-links along the polymer strands,topological gels can adjust their network topology in response to the imposed loads.As reported in experimental studies from the literature,the unique cross-linking strategy and the distinct deformation mechanism result in a peculiar multiaxial behavior with minimal strain-coupling between different principal directions at relatively low cross-linking concentrations.This paper presents an element-free modelling of the topological gels focusing on their nonlinear stress–strain behavior under general biaxial extension.Specifically,conditions of uniaxial stretching and the three types of biaxial deformation,i.e.,equibiaxial stretching,pure shear deformation,and“two-step”biaxial deformation are investigated.The numerical stress–strain curves for these conditions are compared against those from the literature.

Bioinspired polyimide film with fire retardant and gas barrier properties by gravity-induced deposition of montmorillonite

Flame retardants play a crucial role in improving theflame retardant properties of polymer materials.In recent years,environmental problems caused byflame retar-dants have attracted widespread attention.It is urgent to use green and effective methods to prepareflame retardant polymers.Bioinspired nanocomposites with lay-ered structures seem to provide effective ideas,but in general,their hydrophilic raw materials limit their applications in certainfields.Here,we prepared biomimetic composites with a layered“brick-and-mortar”structure by gravity-induced depo-sition using polyimide as the polymer matrix and montmorillonite(MMT)as thefiller.The well-arranged structures of the composite material could isolate oxygen and prevent combustible gases from escaping.The gas barrier performance has been greatly improved,in which the water vapor transmission rate and the oxygen trans-mission rate decreased by 99.18%and three orders of magnitude,respectively.Theflame retardant performance has also been improved,and its limiting oxygen index can reach 67.9%.The polyimide matrix can be converted to water-insoluble by ther-mal imidization of water-soluble poly(amic acid)salt precursors,which endows the composites with low hygroscopicity.The coating containing MMT can protect against polyurethane(PU)foam fromfire.During the conical calorimetric test,the coated sample self-extinguished,and the peak heat release rate,total heat release,and total smoke production are significantly decreased by 53.39%,40.69%,and 53.03%,respectively.Taking advantage of these properties,this work utilizes a facile method to prepare biomimetic composites with low moisture absorption,excellent gas barrier properties,andflame retardancy,which have great application potential.

EncyCatalogRec: catalog recommendation for encyclopedia article completion

Online encyclopedias such as Wikipedia provide a large and growing number of articles on many topics.However,the content of many articles is still far from complete.In this paper,we propose Ency Catalog Rec,a system to help generate a more comprehensive article by recommending catalogs.First,we represent articles and catalog items as embedding vectors,and obtain similar articles via the locality sensitive hashing technology,where the items of these articles are considered as the candidate items.Then a relation graph is built from the articles and the candidate items.This is further transformed into a product graph.So,the recommendation problem is changed to a transductive learning problem in the product graph.Finally,the recommended items are sorted by the learning-to-rank technology.Experimental results demonstrate that our approach achieves state-of-the-art performance on catalog recommendation in both warm-and cold-start scenarios.We have validated our approach by a case study.

The gelation rule of the polyol acetal derivatives in binary solvent mixtures

The gelation properties of polyol acetal derivatives including 2,4-（3,4-dichlorobenzylidene）-D-sorbitol（DCBS）, 1,3：2,4-di（3,4-dichlorobenzylidene）-D-sorbitol（DDCBS） and 1,3：2,5：4,6-tris（3,4-dichlorobenzylidene）-D-mannitol（TDCBM） in 35 single solvents and 39 binary solvent mixtures have been studied. FTIR and XRD results suggest that the self-assembly patterns of the gelator will not change in either the single solvent component or the corresponding solvent mixtures, but the critical gelation concentration（CGC）will be influenced. The results of SEM and rheology showed that the formation of true gels at saturated concentrations. Improving the heating temperature may promote the dissolving of gelators which are even insoluble at the temperature of the solvent boiling point and change the gelation behaviors. FloryHuggins parameter（x） was used to predict the gelation behavior of DCBS in the mixed solvents, and it is shown that the x values for the mixed solvents that can be gelled by DCBS are either greater or smaller than those for the selected good solvents.