Bird specimen number linked with species trait and climate niche breadth

Biological specimens are fundamental for taxonomy and flora/fauna research.More importantly,they also play crucial roles in recording environmental impacts on morphology and behavior,which is vital for biodiversity research and conservation.However,there are few systematic studies on the patterns and drivers of bird specimen number at regional scales.This study is the first attempt to examine the relationships between bird specimen number and species traits as well as climate niche breadth in China,aiming to answer two questions:1)how do species’temperature niche breadth and precipitation niche breadth influence specimen number?2)which trait is most associated with bird specimen number?The associations between bird specimen number and explanatory variables were examined using ordinary least squares,generalized linear models,phylogenetic generalized linear mixed models,and multiple comparisons.The results showed that Muscicapidae was the family with the highest specimen number,and Passeriformes was the order with the highest specimen number.Bird specimen number significantly increased with larger temperature niche breadth and precipitation niche breadth.Specimen number was also positively associated with geographic range size,habitat specificity,hunting vulnerability and clutch size,but negatively associated with body size.These findings suggest that future bird specimen collection should pay more attention to birds with limited ecological niches,large body sizes,and small clutch sizes.This research enhances the use of bird specimen data to study and preserve biodiversity.

GIPC1 promotes tumor growth and migration in gastric cancer via activating PDGFR/PI3K/AKT signaling

The high mortality rate associated with gastric cancer(GC)has resulted in an urgent need to identify novel therapeutic targets for GC.This study aimed to investigate whether GAIP interacting protein,C terminus 1(GIPC1)represents a therapeutic target and its regulating mechanism in GC.GIPC1 expression was elevated in GC tissues,liver metastasis tissues,and lymph node metastases.GIPC1 knockdown or GIPC1 blocking peptide blocked the platelet-derived growth factor receptor(PDGFR)/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway,and inhibited the proliferation and migration of GC cells.Conversely,GIPC1 overexpression markedly activated the PDGFR/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway,and promoted GC cell proliferation and migration.Furthermore,platelet-derived growth factor subunit BB(PDGF-BB)cytokines and the AKT inhibitor attenuated the effect of differential GIPC1 expression.Moreover,GIPC1 silencing decreased tumor growth and migration in BALB/c nude mice,while GIPC1 overexpression had contrasting effects.Taken together,our findings suggest that GIPC1 functions as an oncogene in GC and plays a central role in regulating cell proliferation and migration via the PDGFR/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Evolutionary relationships of mitogenomes in a recently radiated Old World avian family

Environmentally heterogeneous mountains provide opportunities for rapid diversification and speciation.The family Prunellidae(accentors)is a group of birds comprising primarily mountain specialists that have recently radiated across the Palearctic region.This rapid diversification poses challenges to resolving their phylogeny.Herein we sequenced the complete mitogenomes and estimated the phylogeny using all 12(including 28 individuals)currently recognized species of Prunellidae.We reconstructed the mitochondrial genome phylogeny using 13 protein-coding genes of 12 species and 2 Eurasian Tree Sparrows(Passer montanus).Phylogenetic relationships were estimated using a suite of analyses:maximum likelihood,maximum parsimony and the coalescent-based SVDquartets.Divergence times were estimated by implementing a Bayesian relaxed clock model in BEAST2.Based on the BEAST time-calibrated tree,we implemented an ancestral area reconstruction using RASP v.4.3.Our phylogenies based on the maximum likelihood,maximum parsimony and SVDquartets approaches support a clade of large-sized accentors(subgenus Laiscopus)to be sister to all other accentors with small size(subgenus Prunella).In addition,the trees also support the sister relationship of P.immaculata and P.rubeculoides+P.atrogularis with 100%bootstrap support,but the relationships among the remaining eight species in the Prunella clade are poorly resolved.These species cluster in different positions in the three phylogenetic trees and the nodes are often poorly supported.The five nodes separating the seven species diverged simultaneously within less than half million years(i.e.,between 2.71 and 3.15 million years ago),suggesting that the recent radiation is likely responsible for rampant incomplete lineage sorting and gene tree conflicts.Ancestral area reconstruction indicates a central Palearctic region origin for Prunellidae.Our study highlights that whole mitochondrial genome phylogeny can resolve major lineages within Prunellidae but is not sufficient to fully resolve the relationship among the species in the Prunella clade that almost simultaneously diversify during a short time period.Our results emphasize the challenge to reconstruct reliable phylogenetic relationship in a group of recently radiated species.

Identification of key genes and biological pathways in lung adenocarcinoma by integrated bioinformatics analysis

BACKGROUND The objectives of this study were to identify hub genes and biological pathways involved in lung adenocarcinoma(LUAD)via bioinformatics analysis,and investigate potential therapeutic targets.AIM To determine reliable prognostic biomarkers for early diagnosis and treatment of LUAD.METHODS To identify potential therapeutic targets for LUAD,two microarray datasets derived from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database were analyzed,GSE3116959 and GSE118370.Differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in LUAD and normal tissues were identified using the GEO2R tool.The Hiplot database was then used to generate a volcanic map of the DEGs.Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was conducted to cluster the genes in GSE116959 and GSE-118370 into different modules,and identify immune genes shared between them.A protein-protein interaction network was established using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes database,then the CytoNCA and CytoHubba components of Cytoscape software were used to visualize the genes.Hub genes with high scores and co-expression were identified,and the Database for Annotation,Visualization and Integrated Discovery was used to perform enrichment analysis of these genes.The diagnostic and prognostic values of the hub genes were calculated using receiver operating characteristic curves and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis,and gene-set enrichment analysis was conducted.The University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer data analysis portal was used to analyze relationships between the hub genes and normal specimens,as well as their expression during tumor progression.Lastly,validation of protein expression was conducted on the identified hub genes via the Human Protein Atlas database.RESULTS Three hub genes with high connectivity were identified;cellular retinoic acid binding protein 2(CRABP2),matrix metallopeptidase 12(MMP12),and DNA topoisomerase II alpha(TOP2A).High expression of these genes was associated with a poor LUAD prognosis,and the genes exhibited high diagnostic value.CONCLUSION Expression levels of CRABP2,MMP12,and TOP2A in LUAD were higher than those in normal lung tissue.This observation has diagnostic value,and is linked to poor LUAD prognosis.These genes may be biomarkers and therapeutic targets in LUAD,but further research is warranted to investigate their usefulness in these respects.

Gastric molecular classification and practice in immunotherapy

Gastric cancer(GC) is a highly heterogeneous malignancy with a high incidence worldwide; the prevalence of GC is relatively higher in China than in other countries. Treatment of advanced GC has been slow to develop due to lack of a proper classification system to guide clinical practice. With the development of molecular biology techniques, the molecular classification of GC has been established and may have applications in guiding precise and personalized therapy. To date, three or four molecular classifications for GC have been recognized; these include Singapore, the Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA) Research Network, and Asian Cancer Research Group(ACRG) classifications. Here, we review the development of molecular classifications and characteristics of different subtypes, and discuss the applications of molecular classifications in clinical practice, with a focus on immunotherapy.

Recanalization of extracranial internal carotid artery occlusion A 12-year retrospective study

This study aimed to summarize therapy experience of carotid endarterectomy, carotid endarterec- tomy combined with Fogarty catheter embolectomy, and hybrid surgery for the treatment of extrac- ranial internal carotid artery occlusion. The study included 65 patients with extracranial internal ca- rotid artery occlusion who underwent carotid endarterectomy, carotid endarterectomy combined with Fogarty catheter embotectomy, or hybrid surgery in the Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, China between January 2006 and December 2012. Prior to surgery, all patients underwent perfusion CT or xenon CT to evaluate the occlusion. The procedure for each patient was chosen according to digital subtraction angiography data. The carotid artery was successfully recanalized in 46 of 51 patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy, 9 of 10 patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy combined with Fogarty catheter embolectomy, and 3 of 4 patients who underwent hybrid surgery. In patients with symptomatic carotid artery occlusion, the carotid artery can be recanalized by choosing a treatment procedure based on imaging ex- amination findings.

The second natural gas hydrate production test in the South China Sea

Clayey silt reservoirs bearing natural gas hydrates(NGH)are considered to be the hydrate-bearing reservoirs that boast the highest reserves but tend to be the most difficult to exploit.They are proved to be exploitable by the first NGH production test conducted in the South China Sea in 2017.Based on the understanding of the first production test,the China Geological Survey determined the optimal target NGH reservoirs for production test and conducted a detailed assessment,numerical and experimental simulation,and onshore testing of the reservoirs.After that,it conducted the second offshore NGH production test in 1225 m deep Shenhu Area,South China Sea(also referred to as the second production test)from October 2019 to April 2020.During the second production test,a series of technical challenges of drilling horizontal wells in shallow soft strata in deep sea were met,including wellhead stability,directional drilling of a horizontal well,reservoir stimulation and sand control,and accurate depressurization.As a result,30 days of continuous gas production was achieved,with a cumulative gas production of 86.14×104 m3.Thus,the average daily gas production is 2.87×10^4 m^3,which is 5.57 times as much as that obtained in the first production test.Therefore,both the cumulative gas production and the daily gas production were highly improved compared to the first production test.As indicated by the monitoring results of the second production test,there was no anomaly in methane content in the seafloor,seawater,and atmosphere throughout the whole production test.This successful production test further indicates that safe and effective NGH exploitation is feasible in clayey silt NGH reservoirs.The industrialization of hydrates consists of five stages in general,namely theoretical research and simulation experiments,exploratory production test,experimental production test,productive production test,and commercial production.The second production test serves as an important step from the exploratory production test to experimental production test.

The role of climate factors in geographic variation in body mass and wing length in a passerine bird

Background: Geographic variation in body size is assumed to reflect adaptation to local environmental conditions. Although Bergmann's rule is usually sufficient to explain such variation in homeotherms, some exceptions have been documented. The relationship between altitude, latitude and body size, has been well documented for some vertebrate taxa during the past decades. However, relatively little information is available on the effects of climate variables on body size in birds.Methods: We collected the data of 267 adult Eurasian Tree Sparrow(Passer montanus) specimens sampled at 48 localities in China's mainland, and further investigated the relationships between two response variables, body mass and wing length, as well as a suit of explanatory variables, i.e. altitude, latitude, mean annual temperature(MAT), annual precipitation(PRC), annual sunshine hours(SUN), average annual wind speed(WS), air pressure(AP) and relative humidity(RH).Results: Our study showed that(1) although the sexes did not differ significantly in body mass, males had longer wings than females;(2) body mass and wing length were positively correlated with altitude but not with latitude;(3) body mass and wing length were negatively correlated with AP and RH, but not significantly correlated with WS. Body mass was positively correlated with SUN and inversely correlated with MAT. Wing length was not correlated with MAT in either sex, but was positively correlated with SUN and negatively correlated with PRC in male sparrows;(4) variation in body mass could be best explained by AP and SUN, whereas variation in wing length could be explained by RH and AP in both sexes. In addition, variation in male sparrows can be explained by SUN, WS and PRC but not in females.Conclusions: Two different proxies of body size, body mass and wing length, correlated with same geographic factors and different climate factors. These differences may reflect selection for heat conservation in the case of body mass, and for efficient flight in the case of wing length.

Integrative taxonomy of the Russet Bush Warbler Locustella mandelli complex reveals a new species from central China

Background: The Russet Bush Warbler Locustella(previously Bradypterus) mandelli complex occurs in mountains in the eastern Himalayas, southern China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The taxonomy has been debated,with one(L. seebohmi) to four(L. seebohmi, L. mandelli, L. montis and L. timorensis) species having been recognised.Methods: We used an integrative approach, incorporating analyses of morphology, vocalizations and a molecular marker, to re-evaluate species limits in the L. mandelli complex.Results: We found that central Chinese L. mandelli differed from those from India through northern Southeast Asia to southeast China in plumage, morphometrics and song. All were easily classified by song, and(wing + culmen)/tail ratio overlapped only marginally. Both groups were reciprocally monophyletic in a mitochondrial cytochrome b(cytb) gene tree, with a mean divergence of 1.0 ± 0.2%. They were sympatric and mostly altitudinally segregated in the breeding season in southern Sichuan province. We found that the Mt Victoria(western Myanmar) population differed vocally from other L. mandelli, but no specimens are available. Taiwan Bush Warbler L. alishanensis was sister to the L. mandelli complex, with the most divergent song. Plumage, vocal and cytb evidence supported the distinctness of the south Vietnamese L. mandelli idonea. The Timor Bush Warbler L. timorensis, Javan Bush Warbler L.montis and Benguet Bush Warbler L. seebohmi differed distinctly in plumage, but among-population song variation in L. montis exceeded the differences between some populations of these taxa, and mean pairwise cytb divergences were only 0.5–0.9%. We also found that some L. montis populations differed morphologically.Conclusions: We conclude that the central Chinese population of Russet Bush Warbler represents a new species,which we describe herein, breeding at mid elevations in Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan and Guizhou provinces.The taxonomic status of the other allopatric populations is less clear. However, as they differ to a degree comparable with that of the sympatric L. mandelli and the new species, we elevate L. idonea to species status, and retain L. seebohmi and L. montis as separate species, the latter with timorensis as a subspecies. Further research should focus on different populations of L. montis and the Mt Victoria population of L. mandelli.

Ecological constraints on elevational gradients of bird species richness in Tajikistan

The avifauna in Tajikistan has been widely studied for the last century,but specific work on species richness pattern along elevation gradients in Tajikistan is rarely investigated.Here,we reported the first study of bird species richness(BSR)in the high-altitude mountain systems(Tien Shan and Pamir-Alay)of Tajikistan which are very sensitive to the recent climate changes.We aim to explore the relationship of BSR pattern with elevation gradient and to determine the potential drivers underlying the patterns.We collected occurrence data from field surveys,published articles,and open access websites to compile a list of bird species along elevational gradients across the whole country.The BSR was counted by 100 m elevational bands ranging from 294 m to 5146 m.The patterns of BSR were calculated separately for five groups:all breeding birds,Passeriformes,Non-Passeriformes,large elevational range species,and small elevational range species.We calculated ecological and climatic factors of planimetric area,mid-domain effect(MDE),habitat heterogeneity(HH),mean annual temperature(MAT),temperature annual range(TAR),annual precipitation(AP),normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI),human influence index(HII),and human disturbance(HD)in each elevational band.A combination of polynomial regression,Pearson’s correlation,and general least squares model analyses were used to test the effects of these factors on the BSR.A unimodal distribution pattern with a peak at 750-1950 m was observed for all breeding birds.The similar pattern was explored for Passeriformes and Non-Passeriformes,while species with different elevational range sizes had different shapes and peak elevations.For all the breeding birds and Passeriformes,BSR was significantly related to spatial,climate and human influence factors,while BSR of Non-Passeriformes positively correlated with all the given factors.First,second and fourth range classes of birds were significantly correlated with human influence factors.Moreover,large-ranged species had positive correlations with the middomain effect and weakly with habitat heterogeneity.We found that area,MAT and AP were the main factors to explain the richness pattern of birds,and the species richness increases with these three factors increasing.Multiple factors such as area and climate explain 84%of the variation in richness.Bivariate and multiple regression analyses revealed a consistent influence of spatial and climate factors in shaping the richness pattern for nearly all bird groups.

The evolution of courtship displays in Galliformes

Species in Galliformes have elaborate ritual courtship displays,often including strutting,fluffing of tail or head feathers,and vocal sounds that serve as excellent examples of sexual selection.According to the male orientation to the female while either posturing or moving,these courtship displays of gallinaceous species can be classified into three categories:1)‘frontal displays’,2)‘lateral displays’,and 3)‘both frontal and lateral displays’.Questions regarding which category of displays is the ancestral state and the evolutionary history of courtship displays in Galliformes remain unanswered.We collected and classified 131 species in terms of their courtship displays into the three categories listed above and carried out a large-scale comparative analysis to reveal the evolutionary trajectory of this trait.We found that the ancestral state of courtship displays of Galliformes involves both relatively short and straightforward frontal and lateral elements(i.e.,the category of‘both frontal and lateral displays’).Furthermore,ancestral trait reconstructions suggest that transitions from‘lateral displays’to‘frontal displays’occurred more frequently than the other way around(i.e.,from‘frontal displays’to‘lateral displays’).In addition,some transitions occurred from‘both frontal and lateral displays’to‘lateral displays’but not from‘both frontal and lateral displays’to‘frontal displays’.Ancestral state reconstruction of courtship displays at the root of the Galliformes phylogeny supports the‘both frontal and lateral displays’first scenario.This original state then evolved towards two extremes,either‘frontal displays’or‘lateral displays’,with more complicated and elaborate display components.Moreover,subsequent transitions occurred from‘lateral displays’to‘frontal displays’much more frequently than the other way around during the evolutionary history,indicating positive selection of‘frontal displays’.

Distribution pattern and driving factors of genetic diversity of passerine birds in the Mountains of Southwest China

Genetic diversity is one of the three dimensions of biodiversity and fundamental to various life forms on the Earth.Understanding the distribution pattern of genetic diversity and its driving forces has been an important topic in ecology,biogeography and conservation biology since the last decade.We investigated the genetic diversity pattern of passerine birds in the Mountains of Southwest China,a global biodiversity hotspot with the highest species richness of birds in the entire Eurasia,and explored the influencing forces of environmental variables on genetic diversity.We compiled 1189 Cytochrome b sequences of 27 passerine species from 152 geographic sites,covering the range of Mountains of Southwest China and its adjoining areas.We generated genetic diversity distribution maps using a grid-cell method based on nucleotide diversity and haplotype diversity indices.We further analyzed the variation pattern of the two indices along latitudinal,longitudinal,and elevational gradients.The correlations between the two indices and environmental variables were also evaluated.The nucleotide diversity hotspots were mostly located in the southern Hengduan Mountains,while for haplotype diversity,three hotspots were detected:the southeast edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,the southern Hengduan Mountains and the Qinling Mountains.There was no monotonic increasing or decreasing pattern in nucleotide diversity or haplotype diversity along latitudinal,longitudinal or elevational gradients except for altitudinal range.Correlation and model selection analyses detected multiple environmental variables in driving genetic diversity patterns,including temperature,precipitation,vegetation,human influence,longitude and altitude range.Similar to the pattern of species richness,the nucleotide diversity pattern of passerine birds in the Mountains of Southwest China presents a decreasing trend from southwest to northeast,while the haplotype diversity pattern is more likely decreased from west to east.Our results indicate that the distribution pattern of genetic diversity may be derived from the complex topography and diverse microclimates in the Mountains of Southwest China.

Establishment of Kinetics Models for Batch Fermentation Process of β-mannase with Bacillus licheniformis HDYM-04

In order to improve the yield of β-mannase and to investigate the rules of fermentation production, a high-yield β-mannase producing strain, Bacillus licheniformis HDYM-04, was used to investigate the kinetics models based on the optimal fermentation conditions: HDYM-04 strain was fermented at 37℃ for 30 h with agitation speed at 300 r/min and aeration rate at 3 L/min in a 5 L fermenter, the initial addition amount of konjac flour was 2%(w/v), the initial pH of medium was 8.0, and the inoculum concentration was 6.7%(v/v). Three batch fermentation kinetic models were established(cell growth kinetic model, substrate consumption kinetic model,product formation kinetic model) bases on Logistic and Luedeking-Piret equations.To be specific, cell growth kinetic model wasdX dt=0.431X(1-X15.522), substrate consumption kinetic model was-dS dt=1.11dX dt+0.000 2dP dt+0.000 8X, and product formation kinetic model wasdP dt=133.1dX dt+222.87X. The correlation coefficients R2of the three equations were 0.990 21, 0.989 08 and 0.988 12, respectively, which indicated a good correlation between experimental values and models. Therefore,the three equations could be used to describe the processes of cell growth, enzyme synthesis and substrate consumption during batch fermentation using B. licheniformis strain HDYM-04. The establishment of batch fermentation kinetic models(cell growth kinetic model, substrate depletion kinetic model, product formation kinetic model)could lay the theoretical foundation and provide practical reference for the application of HDYM-04 in fermentation industry.

Strong Exciton-Plasmon Coupling and Hybridization of Organic-Inorganic Exciton-Polaritons in Plasmonic Nanocavity

We investigate strong exciton-plasmon coupling and plasmon-mediated hybridization between the Frenkel(F)and Wannier–Mott(WM)excitons of an organic-inorganic hybrid system consisting of a silver ring separated from a monolayer WS2 by J-aggregates.The extinction spectra of the hybrid system calculated by employing the coupled oscillator model are consistent with the results simulated by the finite-difference time-domain method.The calculation results show that strong couplings among F excitons,WM excitons,and localized surface plasmon resonances(LSPRs)lead to the appearance of three plexciton branches in the extinction spectra.The weighting efficiencies of the F exciton,WM exciton and LSPR modes in three plexciton branches are used to analyze the exciton-polaritons in the system.Furthermore,the strong coupling between two different excitons and LSPRs is manipulated by tuning F or WM exciton resonances.

Strong coupling in silver-molecular J-aggregates-silver structure sandwiched between two dielectric media

We theoretically investigate the strong coupling in silver-molecular J-aggregates-silver structure sandwiched between two dielectric media by using classical methods. Fresnel equations are employed to solve our proposed structure. The results show that both the reflection and transmission spectra show a Rabi splitting-like line shape, revealing the strong coupling phenomenon. Furthermore, the radiative angle versus incident wavelength exhibits a Fano line shape. The strong coupling phenomenon can be well tuned by controlling the surface plasmon excitation, such as the incident angle and the thickness of the silver films. Our structure has potential applications in quantum networks, optical switches, and so on.

Bergmann’s rule and Allen’s rule in two passerine birds in China

Background:Animals that live at higher latitudes/elevations would have a larger body size(Bergmann’s rule)and a smaller appendage size(Allen’s rule)for thermoregulatory reasons.According to the heat conservation hypoth-esis,large body size and small appendage size help animals retain heat in the cold,while small body size and large appendage size help them dissipate heat in the warm.For animals living in seasonal climates,the need for conserving heat in the winter may tradeoff with the need for dissipating heat in the summer.In this study,we tested Bergmann’s rule and Allen’s rule in two widely-distributed passerine birds,the Oriental Magpie(Pica serica)and the Oriental Tit(Parus minor),across geographic and climatic gradients in China.Methods:We measured body size(body mass and wing length)and appendage size(bill length and tarsus length)of 165 Oriental Magpie and 410 Oriental Tit individuals collected from Chinese mainland.We used linear mixed-effect models to assess variation patterns of body size and appendage size along geographic and climatic gradients.Results:Oriental Magpies have a larger appendage size and Oriental Tits have a smaller body size in warmer environ-ments.Appendage size in Oriental Magpies and body size in Oriental Tits of both sexes were more closely related to the climates in winter than in summer.Minimum temperature of coldest month is the most important factor related to bill length and tarsus length of male Oriental Magpies,and wing length of male and female Oriental Tits.Bill length and tarsus length in female Oriental Magpies were related to the annual mean temperature and mean temperature of coldest quarter,respectively.Conclusions:In this study,Oriental Magpies and Oriental Tits followed Allen’s rule and Bergmann’rule respectively.Temperatures in the winter,rather than temperatures in the summer,drove morphological measurements in Oriental Magpies and Oriental Tits in Chinese mainland,demonstrating that the morphological measurements reflect selec-tion for heat conservation rather than for heat dissipation.

Natural Radioactivity in Miscanthus floridulu Plant from the Uranium Tailing Pile at Guangdong, South China

Large amounts of uranium waste rocks and tailings resulting from the exploitation and treatment of uranium ore at the Northern Guangdong mine (South China) have been accumulated in dams (tailing ponds). To reduce the dispersion of natural radionuclides into the environment, some dams were revegetated with arbor, bush and sward. Besides these plants, Miscanthus floridulu is the dominant plant growing in some of the dams. The uptake and distribution of naturally occurring uranium (238U), thorium (232Th), radium (226Ra) and potassium (40K) by Miscanthus floridulu plant from different sample sites of uranium mine were studied under native conditions. The bioconcentration factors (BCFs) of soil to Miscanthus floridulu above-ground and root were calculated and observed to be in the range of 0.14 to 7.74 and 2.71 to 17.83 for 238U, 0 to 3.02 and 0 to 3.29 for 232Th, 0.15 to 79.76 and 1.01 to 50.22 for 226Ra and 3.00 to 8.41 and 2.69 to 11.22 for 40K, respectively. The transfer factors (TFs) of Miscanthus floridulu root to aboveground were also calculated and observed to be in the range of 0.01 to 0.73 for 238U, 0 to 0.99 for 232Th, 0.08 to 1.50 for 226Ra and 0.57 to 1.94 for 40K, respectively. The results showed that, Miscanthus floridulu is 238U and 226Ra-accumulating plant with significant absorption and accumulation characteristics.

Metabolic and microbial changes in light-vented bulbul during recent northward range expansion

Endotherms recently expanding to cold environments generally exhibit strong physiological acclimation to sustain high body temperature.During this process,gut microbes likely play a considerable role in host physiological functions,including digestion and thermogenesis.The light-vented bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis represents one such species.It used to be restricted to the Oriental realm but expanded its distribution range north to the Palearctic areas during the past few decades.Here,we explored the seasonal dynamics of the resting metabolic rate(RMR)and microbiota for local and newly colonized populations of the species.Our results showed that the mass-adjusted RMR and body mass were pos-itively correlated with latitude variations in both seasons.Consistently,the gut microbiota showed a corresponding variation to the northern cold environments.In the two northern populations,the alpha diversity decreased compared with those of the two southern populations.Significant differences were detected in dominant phyla,such as Firmicutes,Bacteroidetes,Proteobacteria,and Desulfobacterota in both seasons.The core microbiota showed geographic differences in the winter,including the elevated relative abundance of 5 species in northern populations.Finally,to explore the link between microbial communities and host metabolic thermogenesis,we conducted a correlation analysis between microbiota and mass-adjusted RMR.We found that more genera were significantly correlated with mass-adjusted RMR in the wintering season compared to the breeding season(71 vs.23).These results suggest that microbiota of the lighted-vented bulbul linked with thermogenesis in diversity and abundance under northward expansion.

Comparative transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis reveals pectoralis highland adaptation across altitudinal songbirds

Pectoralis phenotypic variation plays a fundamental role in locomotion and thermogenesis in highland birds.How-ever,its regulatory and metabolic mechanisms remain enigmatic to date.Here,we integrated phenomic,tran-scriptomic,and metabolomic approaches to determine muscle variation and its underpinning mechanisms across altitudinal songbirds.Phenomics confirmed that all highland birds had considerable increases in muscle oxidative capacity,capillarity,and mitochondrial abundance in our study.Correspondingly,transcriptomic analyses found that differentially expressed genes in phenotype-associated modules enriched for blood vessel,muscle structure development,and mitochondrial organization.Despite similar traits and functional enrichments across highland birds,different mechanisms drove their occurrence in high-altitude tree sparrow and 2 snowfinches.Importantly,a metabolic feature shared by all the 3 highland birds is the improvement in insulin sensitivity and glucose utilization through activating insulin signaling pathway,which is vital to increase muscle oxidative capacity and maintain metabolic homeostasis.Nevertheless,fatty acid biosynthesis and oxidation are enhanced in only 2 snowfinches which had a long evolutionary history on the high plateau,also differing from ketone body metabolism in recently introduced colonizer of the tree sparrow of the high plateau.Our study represents a vital contribution to reveal the regulatory and metabolic basis of pectoralis variation across altitudinal songbirds.

Clinical practice guideline on bladder cancer(Part Ⅰ)

Bladder cancer represents one of the most prevalent malignant tumors affecting the urinary system.As per data disclosed by the National Cancer Registration Center of China in 2019,the incidence of bladder cancer was 5.80 per 100,000 in 2015,placing it as the thirteenth most common systemic malignancy.Bladder cancer poses a substantial threat to public health in China,underlining the critical importance of standardizing diagnosis and treatment to enhance clinical outcomes.This clinical practice guideline for bladder cancer centers on the etiologies,clinical presentations,and diagnostic procedures for suspected bladder cancer,in addition to the histopathology and staging of urothelial bladder cancer.