Habitat Suitability and Distribution Pattern Response to Global Climate Change in a Widespread Species,the Asiatic Toad(Bufo gargarizans)

The distribution and diversity of the species are closely related to the global climate.As the most widely distributed species of Bufonidae in China,the study of the distribution pattern and habitat suitability of the Asiatic toad under climate change can help us understand the reply pattern of Bufonidae habitat to climate change.Here,combined with the Maxent model and GIS technology,the effects of climate change on the distribution pattern and habitat suitability of the Asiatic toad were comprehensively analyzed.The results show that the rainfall during the wettest season(Bio16)and the mean temperature of the driest season(Bio9)have a considerable impact on the distribution of the Asiatic toad.In the next 30 to 50 years,across the overall spacial scale of the Chinese mainland,the habitat of the Asiatic toad will be primarily in the eastern part of China and less in south part,while its distribution area will expand to the midwest and northwest parts of China.Overall,the area in which it can be distributed will be reduced and suitable habitat will shift to some regions of higher latitude and elevation.In a word,we systematically analyzed the changes of the distribution pattern and habitat suitability of the Asiatic toad with climate change,and we aim to provide data on how climatic variation may impact amphibians.

半强制分红政策与权益资本成本

本文利用国内出台半强制分红政策这一独特背景,研究了半强制分红政策对权益资本成本的影响。研究发现:总体上半强制分红政策实施后公司权益资本成本显著降低;具有“门槛股利”支付行为的公司相对于没有该行为的公司,在政策实施后权益资本成本显著更高;自由现金流多的公司相对于自由现金流少的公司,在政策实施后权益资本成本显著更低。这些发现表明,资本市场对融资动机具有一定的识别能力。进一步的研究发现,不同产权性质、不同机构投资者持股比例和不同盈利状况的公司,“门槛股利”支付行为下的权益资本成本不同。本文有助于监管方改进政策,避免未来出台“一刀切”政策所带来的问题。

Mesona chinensis Benth polysaccharides alleviates liver injury by beneficial regulation of gut microbiota in cyclophosphamide-induced mice

There are a number of health benefits of Mesona chinensis Benth polysaccharide(MP),but little is known about its hepatoprotective effect and effect on gut microbiota composition in mice with liver damage induced by cyclophosphamide(CTX).This study indicated that MP supplementation effectively inhibited the production of serum aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and alanine aminotransferase(ALT),enhanced liver antioxidant capacity and repaired liver damage in mice caused by CTX.The release of inflammatory cytokines in liver and the concentration of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)in serum were decreased,and the level of short chain fatty acids(SCFAs)in colon was increased after MP administration.Those effects may be correlated with the regulation of the gut microbiota.Importantly,MP restrained liver inflammatory responses induced by CTX may via increasing the SCFAs-producing bacteria family Ruminococcaceae and reduced LPS-producing bacteria genus Bacteroides.In short,the prevention of CTX-induced liver injury by supplementing MP is achieved at least in part by regulating the community structure of the gut microbiota,and MP is expected to be a potential prebiotic to treat and prevent liver diseases.

Boundary element analysis for elastic and elastoplastic problems of 2D orthotropic media with stress concentration

Both the orthotropy and the stress concentration are common issues in modem structural engineering. This paper introduces the boundary element method （BEM） into the elastic and elastoplastic analyses for 2D orthotropic media with stress concentration. The discretized boundary element formulations are established, and the stress formulae as well as the fundamental solutions are derived in matrix notations. The numerical procedures are proposed to analyze both elastic and elastoplastic problems of 2D orthotropic me- dia with stress concentration. To obtain more precise stress values with fewer elements, the quadratic isoparametric element formulation is adopted in the boundary discretization and numerical procedures. Numerical examples show that there are significant stress concentrations and different elastoplastic behaviors in some orthotropic media, and some of the computational results are compared with other solutions. Good agreements are also observed, which demonstrates the efficiency and reliability of the present BEM in the stress concentration analysis for orthotropic media.

Inhibitory effect of a Chinese quince seed peptide on protein glycation:A mechanism study

Non-enzymatic glycation can cause the formation and accumulation of advanced glycation end products(AGEs),and it poses great threats to human health.It is urgent to search for safe and efficient inhibitors to prevent reducing sugar induced protein glycation.In this study,we inves-tigated the anti-glycation activity and mechanism of an identified peptide,Asparagine-Tyrosine-Arginine-Arginine-Glutamic acid(NYRRE)from Chinese quince seed protein hydrolysate,by mul-tispectroscopy,confocal imaging,and computational molecular simulation.Firstly,it was found that NYRRE could scavenge hydroxyl radicals and chelate Fe 2+.Besides,the NYRRE was effective in every stage of fructose induced bovine serum albumin(BSA)glycation.The NYRRE could re-duce the formation of fructosamine,carbonyl compounds,glycoxidation products and𝛽-amyloid structure.Meanwhile,NYRRE could protect thiol groups and stabilize the spatial conformation of BSA.The NYRRE presented strong inhibition in fluorescent AGEs,and 68.19%of total AGEs formation was prevented with NYRRE at 15 mmol/L.The results of molecular simulation indi-cated that NYRRE could insert into the hydrophobic pocket of BSA and interact with hot spots,including arginine and lysine residues.The mechanism of NYRRE inhibiting protein glycation could be due to its antioxidant activity,BSA structure stabilizing ability,and specific bond with glycation sites of BSA.These results provided a valuable reference for developing NYRRE as an efficient antiglycation agent in preventing glycation-mediated diseases.

Effect of different combinations of emulsifier and wall materials on physical properties of spray-dried microencapsulated swida wilsoniana oil

Spray drying was used to produce microencapsulated Wilson’s dogwood(Swida wilsoniana)oil.The influences of the emulsifier and wall materials on the encapsulation were studied in order to produce high quality encapsulated S.wilsoniana oil.The emulsions were prepared by using lecithin(L)and Tween 80(T)with different hydrophilic-lipophilic balance.Results indicated that the stable emulsion was obtained using T and L as the compound emulsifier at a ratio of 4/6(w/w).By virtue of the compound emulsifier(T/L 4/6),the microencapsulation efficiency(MEE)reached 91%,and the oil loading up to 35%was achieved.We also examined the influence of the wall materials on the microencapsulation of S.wilsoniana oil.All the three wall materials exhibited high MEE(>85%),and the highest MEE(95.20%)was obtained with sodium caseinate/lactose.All the S.wilsoniana oil encapsulated with the three wall materials exhibited nearly spherical microcapsules without pores or cracks,thus protecting the oil from oxygen.

Physicochemical and Functional Properties of Water Soluble Gum from Wrinkle Floweringquince(Chaenomeles Speciosa)Seeds

Wrinkle Floweringquince(Chaenomeles speciose(Sweet)Nakai)seed,as an unexploited forestry residue,contains considerable amount of bioactive carbohydrates with potential functionality,which was not widely concerned.The aim of this study is to determine the basic characterizations(molecular weight and functional group),specificcomponents(carbohydrate,protein and uronic acid contents),and functional properties of Chaenomeles speciosa seedgum(CSG).Results indicated that carbohydrate(63.80%),protein(13.69%)and uronic acid(10.30%)contents wereachieved.The CSG(average molecular weight,9.85×106 u)consists rhamnose,arabinose,xylose and glucose in a molarpercentage of 29.77꞉10.54꞉18.55꞉15.84,respectively.The Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR)analysis revealed hydroxyl,carboxyl and methyl groups andα-glycosidic linkages are founded in the CSG.The CSG was surface active and its abilityto decrease surface tension was comparable to commercial gums.Moreover,the CSG solutions showed pseudoplasticflow behavior under dynamic shear rate at high concentrations.The GSC also presented good emulsifying and foamingproperties,indicating the potential of the GSC as bioresource stabilizer and thickener in industry.