A new diatom genus Spargeria gen.nov.(Bacillariophyceae)from Xizang,China,and the description of two new species

During our investigation of diatom biodiversity in Xizang,two species exhibited unique morphological features discriminative from all previously known genera.Herein we describe these two species and describe as new the genus,Spargeria gen.nov.The new genus features narrow to wide rectangular valves,narrow valve mantles,filiform raphe branches that occur on the valve face only,terminal raphe fissures straight or slightly deflected to same side,bow-tie shaped central areas,chambered striae present on the valve face only,being absent from the mantle,wider striae near the axial area and very narrow near the margin,multiseriate striae with small and round areolae that are occluded externally.Comparatively,Spargeria zhuii sp.nov.has larger and robust valves,radiate striae,with one divergent stria near the apices,while Spargeria chenia sp.nov.is smaller,with narrow valves,striae slightly radiate in the middle,becoming convergent or parallel near apices.This new genus belongs to the family Pinnulariaceae,and it was compared and contrasted with other genera of this family.Our work suggests the need for continued studies to document the biodiversity of diatoms in Xizang.

Pharmacognostic Identification of Hedyotis auricularia and Mitracarpus villosus

[Objectives]To conduct the pharmacognostic identification of Hedyotis auricularia and Mitracarpus villosus in Guangxi and provide a scientific basis for their identification.[Methods]The characteristics of original plants were studied by origin identification method;the properties and characteristics were studied by character identification method;and the microscopic features of the roots,stems,leaves and medicinal powder of H.auricularia and M.villosus in Guangxi were studied by paraffin method and powder slicing method.[Results](i)Origin identification.H.auricularia:Leaves leathery,apex acuminate,base cuneate;petiole shorter;cyme axillary;corolla hairy at throat;fruit indehiscent at maturity;testa black after drying.M.villosus:Leaf apex short pointed,base attenuate,blade sessile;flowers small,clustered in axillary;fruits dehiscent by lid at or below middle at maturity,seeds dark brown.(ii)Character identification.Fracture surface of H.auricularia uneven,white in outer layer and sepia in inner layer.Fracture surface of M.villosus hollow,uneven and white.(iii)Microscopic identification.H.auricularia:Root phloem thick,cambium visible,duct cells quasi-polygonal,large;rays obvious.Stem transection quasi-circular square,often with non-glandular hairs on epidermis;calcium oxalate raphides present in leaf parenchymal cells.Power grayish brown,starch granules single-grained;calcium oxalate raphides frequent,calcium oxalate clustered crystals occasional;catheter spiral,rarely annular,stomata infinitive.M.villosus:Root parenchyma cells with scattered calcium oxalate raphides,calcium oxalate clustered crystals and brownish red substances visible.Stem transection quasi-square,edge angle with 4 short narrow wings.Powder brown,simple starch granules numerous,compound starch granules also present;calcium oxalate raphides numerous,calcium oxalate clustered crystals and calcium oxalate square cubic crystals also present;catheter spiral,stomata paracytic.[Conclusions]The above transaction microscopic characteristics of the roots,stems and leaves and powder characteristics can be used as the identification features of H.auricularia and M.villosus.

An Emotion Analysis Method Using Multi-Channel Convolution Neural Network in Social Networks

As an interdisciplinary comprehensive subject involving multidisciplinary knowledge,emotional analysis has become a hot topic in psychology,health medicine and computer science.It has a high comprehensive and practical application value.Emotion research based on the social network is a relatively new topic in the field of psychology and medical health research.The text emotion analysis of college students also has an important research significance for the emotional state of students at a certain time or a certain period,so as to understand their normal state,abnormal state and the reason of state change from the information they wrote.In view of the fact that convolutional neural network cannot make full use of the unique emotional information in sentences,and the need to label a large number of highquality training sets for emotional analysis to improve the accuracy of the model,an emotional analysismodel using the emotional dictionary andmultichannel convolutional neural network is proposed in this paper.Firstly,the input matrix of emotion dictionary is constructed according to the emotion information,and the different feature information of sentences is combined to form different network input channels,so that the model can learn the emotion information of input sentences from various feature representations in the training process.Then,the loss function is reconstructed to realize the semi supervised learning of the network.Finally,experiments are carried on COAE 2014 and self-built data sets.The proposed model can not only extract more semantic information in emotional text,but also learn the hidden emotional information in emotional text.The experimental results show that the proposed emotion analysis model can achieve a better classification performance.Compared with the best benchmark model gram-CNN,the F1 value can be increased by 0.026 in the self-built data set,and it can be increased by 0.032 in the COAE 2014 data set.

Qinia gen.nov.(Bacillariophyceae:Cymbellales)from Yunnan Province,China

An interesting group of cymbelloid diatoms was collected from lakes in Yunnan Province,China,and observations on their valve morphology made using light and scanning electron microscopy.These cymbelloid species all have apical pore fields,slit-like areolae,and areolar occlusions,and they all lack of stigmata.In this paper we propose the new genus Qinia gen.nov.for these taxa and describe them as new:Q.lashii sp.nov.,Q.aequalis sp.nov.,and Q.daliensis sp.nov.The genus Qinia gen.nov.has lanceolate valves asymmetrical about their apical axes,raphe located in the middle of valve,distal raphe ends bent to the dorsal margin that bisects the apical pore fields(APFs),no stigmata,areolae with slit-like external openings and projections occluding the areolar openings internally.This genus resembles the genus Cymbella in the presence of APFs,but differs from Cymbella by a lack of stigmata,and by having external distal raphe ends that bisect the apical pore fields.Like Reimeria,the external distal raphe ends bisect the lobes of the APF,but Qinia species differ from Reimeria in that they have no stigmata and the distal raphe ends are deflected dorsally,not ventrally.Comparisons were made between Qinia and other cymbelloid genera whose members possess apical pore fields.Features that distinguish each species of the new genus are also discussed.

Pharmacognostic Identification of Borreriae Strictae Herba and Borreriae Latifoliae Herba

[Objectives]This study was conducted to identify and compare Borreria stricta(Linn.f.)G.Mey.and Borreria latifolia(Aubl.)K.Schum.,so as to provide a basis for their pharmacognostic identification.[Methods]The identification of B.stricta and B.latifolia was carried out by identification of origin,character identification,microscopic identification.[Results](i)Identification of origin:①B.stricta:B.stricta is an annual erect slender herb.The stem is quadrangular,rarely branched.The leaves are leathery,nearly sessile,fusiform or lanceolate bar-shaped,tapered at the top,narrowed at the base,and rough on both sides.When fresh,they are dark green.The stipules are nearly glabrous,and there are spines longer than the inflorescence at the top.②B.latifoli:B.latifoli is an annual loose stout herb,covered with hair.The stem is quadrangular,and has narrow wings on the edges.The leaves are elliptic or oval and oblong,yellow green when fresh.The stipules are membranous and covered with coarse bristles,and they have bristles longer than the sheath on the top.(ii)Character identification:①B.stricta:The roots of B.stricta has a rough,dense and hard texture with many transverse folds on the surface and many fiber thorns and cracks on the fracture surface.B.stricta tastes bitter.②B.latifoli:The roots of B.latifoli is slightly fleshy,flexible and hard to be broken.The stem is obviously quadrangular,hairy.B.latifoli tastes bitter and irritative.(iii)Microscopic identification:①B.stricta:The false annual rings are obvious in the cross section of the roots of B.stricta.The cross section of the stem looks like a round square with four short wings at the corners.Calcium oxalate needle crystal bundles can be seen in the leaf cross section.②B.latifoli:Calcium oxalate needle crystal bundles can be seen in the root and stem cross sections of B.latifoli.The cross section of the stem is unrepresentative square,with wide and long wings at the corners.In the cross section of leaves,non-glandular hairs can be seen in the upper and lower epidermis cells.[Conclusions]The above three identification methods can effectively identify B.stricta and B.latifolia.

Seasonal shifts in assembly dynamics of phytoplankton communities in a humans-affected river in NE China

Identifying seasonal shift in phytoplankton community is essential for understanding the significance of eutrophication and finding biological indicators of ecological health of a lotic system.Phytoplankton communities,as well as the seasonal changes in the Ashi River Basin(ASRB)of Heilongjiang Province were investigated from April 2018 to January 2019.A survey in April(spring),July(summer),October(autumn),and January(winter)at 16 sampling sites was conducted.The composition,abundance,and biodiversity indices of phytoplankton were studied and 127 taxa of phytoplankton were identified.Among them,Bacillariophyta dominated the phytoplankton communities in the whole year.There were significant spatio-temporal changes in the structures of the phytoplankton communities during the study period.Trophic state index(TSI)show that the nutritional status of the ASRB was at mesotrophic-middle eutrophic levels.Redundancy analysis(RDA)revealed that total nitrogen(TN),water temperature(WT),oxidation reduction potential(ORP),pH,and dissolved oxygen(DO)were the critical factors in the dynamic phytoplankton community structure.The multivariate regression tree(MRT)analysis showed that Chlamydomonas microsphaerella Pascher et Jahoda,Melosira granulata(Ehrenberg)Ralfs,Merismopedia tenuissima Lemmermann,and Asterionella formosa Hassall were valuable indicators in the determination of water quality in ASRB.Our findings provide a scientific basis for water quality protection and management at basin scale.

The impact of Cinobufacini injection on proliferation and apoptosis of human hepatoma HepG-2 cells

Objective： The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of Cinobufacini injection on the proliferat（on and apoptosis of human hepatocarcinoma HepG-2 cells. Methods： Cells proliferation was assessed by MTT assay, cells morphologic was observed by the inverted microscopy, Annexin V/PI stain was used to detect the apoptosis and necrosis of the tumor ceils. The expression of TOPOI mRNA and TOPO Ⅱ mRNAwere examined by RT-PCR. Results： Cinobufacini injection significantly inhibited HepG-2 cells proliferation in dose- and time-dependent ways. After Cinobufacini injection intervention, HepG-2 cells showed typical morphological changes： cells changed from polygon into round, chromatin looseness and karyolysis were observed. The percentages of apoptosis were 88.49%, 76.02%, 61.73% corresponding to the 48 h interference of 0.42 μg/mL, 0.21 μg/mL, 0.105 μg/mL Cinobufacini injection, perspectively. RT-PCR assay showed that Cinobufacini injection down-regulated TOPOI and TOPO Ⅱ expression at mRNA level. Conclusion： Cinobufacini can inhibit human hepatocarcinoma HepG-2 cells growth and induce tumor cells apoptosis, the mechanism of which might partly relate to the down-regulation of TOPOI mRNA and TOPO Ⅰ mRNA induced by Cinobufacini injection.

Characteristics and time resolutions of two CeBr_(3) gamma-ray spectrometers

Purpose The purpose of this work is to study the pulse shape,energy resolution,non-proportionality of energy response for gamma-rays,and time characteristics of CeBr_(3) detector.Method The time and energy responses of two CeBr_(3) detectors were characterized by an analog method and a digital method using a set of standardγ-ray sources.The pulse shape,energy resolution and non-proportionality(nPR)of energy response forγ-rays were characterized using the analog method.For the analog method,the high voltage applied to PMTs,parameters of walk and external delay of constant fraction discriminator were optimized.For the digital method,a CEAN 1729A digitizer with sampling frequency of 2 GS/s and resolution of 11 bit,and a digital constant fraction discrimination technique were used to study the time performance of the two CeBr_(3) detectors.Then,the coincidence time resolutions of the CeBr_(3) detectors for the gamma peaks of ^(22)Na and ^(60)Co were measured using the two methods.Results The t_(rise),lifetimeτ,t_(fall) for CeBr_(3)21^(#)and 22^(#)are 11.2 ns,23.8 ns,50.2 ns,and 10.4 ns,26.5 ns,58.6 ns,respectively.The measured non-proportionality of CeBr_(3)21^(#)and 22^(#)are 1.08%and 2.22%,respectively.The time resolutions of the two CeBr_(3) detectors are 244±2 ps and 248±3 ps at the energy peaks of ^(60)Co source,and 336±2 ps and 335±3 ps at 511 keV for the analog and the digital methods.Conclusions The time resolutions obtained by the analog method and the digital method are almost identical.The CeBr_(3) detector is a good option in the applications such as half-life measurements,ToF-PET and high counting rate conditions.Furthermore,it is a goodγ-ray spectrometer owing to the preferable energy resolution and non-internal activity.

Measurement of^(169)Tm(n,2n)^(168)Tm reaction cross sections from 12 to 19.8 MeV

The cross sections of the^(169)Tm(n,2n)^(168)Tm reaction have been measured at incident energies of 12 to 19.8 MeV using the activation technique,relative to the^(93)Nb(n,2n)^(92)mNb reaction.Thulium(Tm)samples were irradiated on the surface of a two-ring orientation assembly with neutrons produced from the^(3)H(d,n)^(4)He reaction at the 5SDH-21.7-MV Tandem accelerator in China.Theoretical model calculations were performed.The present data were then compared with previous experimental data and available evaluated data.This study provides more precise nuclear data for improvement of future evaluations.

Distribution and contamination of metals and biogenic elements in sediments from Zhifu Bay of the Yellow Sea,China

Metals and biogenic elements were analyzed from surface sediments of sixteen stations and a 32 cm core collected from Zhifu Bay in July 2009.High concentrations of biogenic silica（BSi）reflected the high diatom productivity in the Bay.Meanwhile,total organic carbon（TOC）in Zhifu Bay was mainly from terrestrial sources.All metals were lower than the marine sediment quality guidelines.Based on the vertical profiles of biogenic elements,there was a clear increase of TOC,total nitrogen（TN）,and total phosphate（TP）between1985 and 2000.TN concentrations decreased after the start of the operation of the sewage treatment plant in 1998;however TOC and BSi remained at high levels.Metal concentrations showed a general increase from the bottom to the top of the core.Most anthropogenic metals reached a maximum during 1996 and 2000,and decreased after the startup of the sewage plant;however,they have increased again recently.The results from correlation analysis and principal component analysis show that industrial pollution is the main source of Cd,Cr,Cu,Ni,Pb and Zn contamination in Zhifu Bay,and Yantai Port and ship transportation also contribute a lot to Cd,Cu,Hg,and Pb pollution.

Molecular characteristics of the omp A gene of serotype B Chlamydia trachomatis in Qinghai Tibetan primary school students

To study the molecular characteristics of Chlamydia trachomatis, the major outer membrane protein gene(omp A) of C. trachomatis from primary school students with trachoma residing in the Qinghai Tibetan area was sequenced and compared with the same serotype in Gen Bank. In Jianshetang Primary School and Galeng Central Primary School in the Galeng Tibetan Township of Qinghai Haidong Sala Autonomous County, scraped samples were collected from the upper tarsal conjunctiva and lower conjunctival sac of both eyes of 45 students with trachoma, stored at 4°C, and transported to Beijing Tongren Hospital by air within 24 h. The samples were screened for C. trachomatis by real-time PCR. The omp A gene from the C. trachomatis-positive samples was amplified by nested PCR. The serotype was confirmed by National Center for Biotechnology Information(NCBI) BLAST search and homology analysis. The entire omp A gene sequence was compared with the corresponding gene sequences of serotype B strains available in Gen Bank. Of the 45 students aged 6–13 years with trachoma, 26 C. trachomatis-positive students were identified by the initial real-time PCR screening(average age,(9.09±1.63) years; sex ratio, 1.0), accounting for 57.78%(26/45). The cycle threshold values for real-time PCR were 16.79–37.77. Half(13/26) of C. trachomatis-positive students had a bacterial copy number of >105. The compliance rate of the omp A gene sequences with the C. trachomatis serotype B strains in Gen Bank was up to 99%. Two novel genetic mutations were found when the omp A gene was compared with those of the 11 serotype B strains in Gen Bank. The two non-synonymous mutations were located at(i) position 271 in the second constant domain, an adenine(A) to guanine(G) substitution(ACT?GCT), changing the amino acid at position 91 from threonine to alanine(Thr?Ala) in all 26 strains; and(ii) position 887 in the fourth variable domain, a cytosine(C) to thymine(T) substitution(GCA?GTA), changing the amino acid at residue 296 from alanine to valine(Ala?Val) in four of the 26 strains. Six mutations were identified relative to ATCC VR-573. The strains could be divided into two gene clusters according to the mutation at nucleotide position 887: CQZ-1(China Qinghai Tibetan-1) and CQZ-2(China Qinghai Tibetan-2). We thus detected two novel serotype B mutant strains of C. trachomatis among study subjects with trachoma.

Etiological characteristics of chlamydia trachoma conjunctivitis of Primary Boarding School students in the Qinghai Tibetan area

The aim of this study was to investigate the etiological characteristics of Chlamydia trachomatis conjunctivitis among resident students at primary schools in the Qinghai Tibetan area in order to understand the distribution of C. trachomatis and other pathogenic microorganisms, to detect the isolation rate of infectious pathogens, and to provide an evidence for further targeted efforts in the prevent of sporadic trachoma efforts. From two primary schools in Qinghai Province, ocular samples from 35 students who were clinically diagnosed as trachoma cases and 60 normal controls were obtained by swabbing their upper eyelids and lower conjunctival sacs. Samples were preserved at 4°C and airlifted to Beijing Tongren Hospital within 24 h. Real-time polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was used to screen for C. trachomatis, and nested PCR was used to amplify a fragment of the omp A gene for serotype confirmation. Bacterial cultivation and sensitivity tests were conducted based on the 2015 version of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Adenovirus, herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus, and Epstein-Barr virus were screened by RT-PCR. Among the 35 students with trachoma, 8 came from the Jianshetang Primary School and 27 came from the Central Primary School. Two novel C. trachomatis B serotypes(Gen Bank accession numbers KU737520 and KU737521) were detected based on a sequence analysis of the omp A gene. Single C. trachomatis infections accounted for 42.86%(9/21) of the cases, and infections with multiple bacteria, particularly Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, accounted for the remaining 57.14%(12/21). Of the 14 C. trachomatis-negative samples, one was positive for adenoviral infection(serotype D) and 13 were positive for bacterial infections(H. influenzae, M. catarrhalis, S. pneumoniae, S. aureus, streptococci other than S. pneumoniae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Corynebacterium, and Arthrobacterium). In addition to C. trachomatis, the other bacteria and virus that were detected in the boarding students of primary schools in the Qinghai Tibetan area should be emphasized in trachoma prevention and control.

Study of infectious conjunctivitis among children in rural areas of Qinghai province

Infectious conjunctivitis is no longer a common eye disease in cities and developed areas, but in remote mountainous regions of China where living conditions are relatively under-developed, the occurrence of infectious conjunctivitis remains a public health issue. Here, we evaluate the ratio of infectious conjunctivitis among primary school students in the rural areas of Xunhua, Huangyuan, and Huzhu Counties in the Qinghai province of China, and report the microorganisms involved in causing infection. Of the 765 eligible primary school students, 694 participated to this study(a response rateof 90.7%), 381 boys and 313 girls, with a mean age of 7.52 years(range 7–9 years). A clinical diagnosis of infectious conjunctivitis was returned for 238 of the 694 children examined. The ratio of infectious conjunctivitis in Xunhua County(46.64%) was higher compared to that in Huangyuan(26.67%; P=0.03) and Huzhu Counties(23.61%; P=0.02). The leading cause of conjunctivitis was bacterial, followed by chlamydial and viral. Our results show that there is a high ratio of infectious conjunctivitis among rural primary school students in Qinghai province.

A comparison of n-γ discrimination by the rise-time and zero-crossing methods

The n-γ discrimination performance of two experimental arrangements based on the rise-time method and the zero-crossing method was compared for a 50.8 mm-diametered and 50.8 mm-high BC501A liquid scintillator coupled to a 50.8 mm-diametered 9807B photomultiplier in this work. The low energy limitation of the detected neutron with different detector high voltages and the figure of merit of the n-γ discrimination in four neutron energy regions (1–2 MeV, 0.75–1 MeV, 0.5–0.75 MeV and below 0.5 MeV) were studied by using the Am-Be neutron source. Under a time statistical model of the photoelectron emission process in scintillation counters, the intrinsic capability of the n-γ discrimination performance under the optimal condition was evaluated. The experimental results of the zero-crossing method demonstrate a better n-γ. discrimination performance than those of the rise-time method, which is consistent with the calculated results.

Metagenomes of polyamine-transforming bacterioplankton along a nearshore-open ocean transect

Short-chained aliphatic polyamines (PAs) have recently been recognized as an important carbon, nitrogen, and/or energy source for marine bacterioplankton. To study the genes and taxa involved in the transformations of different PA compounds and their potential variations among marine systems, we collected surface bacterioplankton from nearshore, offshore, and open ocean stations in the Gulf of Mexico and examined their metagenomic responses to additions of single PA model compounds (putrescine, spermidine, or spermine). Genes affiliated with PA uptake and all three known PA degradation pathways, i.e., transamination, γ-glutamylation, and spermidine cleavage, were significantly enriched in most PA-treated metagenomes. In addition, identified PA-transforming taxa were mostly the alpha and gamma classes of Proteobacteria, with less important contributions from members of Betaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, and Planctomycetes. These findings suggest that PA transformations are ubiquitous, have diverse pathways, and are carried out by a broad range of the bacterioplankton taxa in the Gulf of Mexico. Identified PA-transforming bacterial genes and taxa were different among nearshore, offshore, and open ocean sites, but were little different among individual compound-amended metagenomes at any specific site. These observations further indicate that PA-transforming taxa and genes are site-specific and with high similarities among PA compounds.