Phylogenetic and molecular characterization of coxsackievirus A24 variant isolates from a 2010 acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis outbreak in Guangdong, China

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis is a common disease in China. As a notifiable disease, cases are registered by ophthalmologists on the AHC surveillance system. An AHC outbreak caused by CA24v was observed in Guangdong Province in 2007 by the National Disease Supervision Information Management System. Three years later, a larger outbreak occurred in Guangdong during the August-October period (2010). To characterize the outbreak and compare the genetic diversity of CA24v, which was determined to be the cause of the outbreak, the epidemiology and the molecular characterization of CA24v were analyzed in this study.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 69,635 cases were reported in the outbreak. 73.5% of index cases originated from students, children in kindergarten and factory workers, with the ≦ 9 age group at the highest risk. The male to female ratio was 1.84:1 among 0-19 years. 56 conjunctival swabs were collected to identify the causative agent from five cities with the AHC outbreak. 30 virus strains were isolated, and two of the genomes had the highest identity values (95.8%) with CA24v genomes. Four CA24v genotypes were identified by phylogenetic analysis for the VP1 and 3C regions. CA24v which caused the outbreak belonged to genotype IV. Furthermore, full nucleotide sequences for four representative isolates in 2010 and 2007 were determined and compared. 20 aa mutations, two nt insertions and one nt deletion were observed in the open reading frame, with 5'- and 3'- UTR respectively between them.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>CA24v was determined to be the pathogen causing the outbreak and belongs to genotype IV. VP1 is more informative than 3C^Profor describing molecular epidemiology and we hypothesize that accumulative mutations may have promoted the outbreak.</p

Experimental evidence for Berry curvature multipoles in antiferromagnets

Berry curvature multipoles appearing in topological quantum materials have recently attracted much attention. Their presence can manifest in novel phenomena, such as nonlinear anomalous Hall effects (NLAHE). The notion of Berry curvature multipoles extends our understanding of Berry curvature effects on the material properties. Hence, research on this subject is of fundamental importance and may also enable future applications in energy harvesting and high-frequency technology. It was shown that a Berry curvature dipole can give rise to a 2nd order NLAHE in materials of low crystalline symmetry. Here, we demonstrate a fundamentally new mechanism for Berry curvature multipoles in antiferromagnets that are supported by the underlying magnetic symmetries. Carrying out electric transport measurements on the kagome antiferromagnet FeSn, we observe a 3rd order NLAHE, which appears as a transverse voltage response at the 3rd harmonic frequency when a longitudinal a.c. current drive is applied. Interestingly, this NLAHE is strongest at and above room temperature. We combine these measurements with a scaling law analysis, a symmetry analysis, model calculations, first-principle calculations, and magnetic Monte-Carlo simulations to show that the observed NLAHE is induced by a Berry curvature quadrupole appearing in the spin-canted state of FeSn. At a practical level, our study establishes NLAHE as a sensitive probe of antiferromagnetic phase transitions in other materials, such as moir\'e superlattices, two-dimensional van der Waal magnets, and quantum spin liquid candidates, that remain poorly understood to date. More broadly, Berry curvature multipole effects are predicted to exist for 90 magnetic point groups. Hence, our work opens a new research area to study a variety of topological magnetic materials through nonlinear measurement protocols

Malectin Domain Protein Kinase (MDPK) Promotes Rice Resistance to Sheath Blight via IDD12, IDD13, and IDD14

Sheath blight (ShB) caused by Rhizoctonia solani is a major disease of rice, seriously affecting yield; however, the molecular defense mechanism against ShB remains unclear. A previous transcriptome analysis of rice identified that R. solani inoculation significantly induced MDPK. Genetic studies using MDPK RNAi and overexpressing plants identified that MDPK positively regulates ShB resistance. This MDPK protein was found localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi apparatus. Yeast one-hybrid assay, electrophoresis mobility shift assay (EMSA), and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) showed that the intermediate domain proteins IDD12, IDD13, and IDD14 bind to the MDPK promoter. Moreover, IDD14 was found to interact with IDD12 and IDD13 to form a transcription complex to activate MDPK expression. The three IDDs demonstrated an additive effect on MDPK activation. Further genetic studies showed that the IDD13 and IDD14 single mutants were more susceptible to ShB but not IDD12, while IDD12, IDD13, and IDD14 overexpressing plants were less susceptible than the wild-type plants. The IDD12, IDD13, and IDD14 mutants also proved the additive effect of the three IDDs on MDPK expression, which regulates ShB resistance in rice. Notably, MDPK overexpression maintained normal yield levels in rice. Thus, our study proves that IDD12, IDD13, and IDD14 activate MDPK to enhance ShB resistance in rice. These results improve our knowledge of rice defense mechanisms and provide a valuable marker for resistance breeding

A Nonlinear Robust Controller Design for Ship Dynamic Positioning Based on L2-Gain Disturbance Rejection

In ship motion control process, it is difficult to design ship controller due to the effects of environmental disturbances such as wind, waves, current, and unmodelled dynamics. In order to solve these problems, a nonlinear robust controller based on L2-gain disturbance rejection is proposed in this paper. To steer ships to the desired position, an error feedback control law on account of Lyapunov functions is designed. Then, to satisfy the L2-gain disturbance rejection, proper parameters are chosen based on the system dissipative property. In order to verify the performance of the proposed controller, the MATLAB simulation results in two situations which are without and with the effects of environmental disturbances are demonstrated

The plastid genome and its implications in barcoding specific-chemotypes of the medicinal herb Pogostemon cablin in China

Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. (Patchouli) is not only an important essential oil plant, but also a valuable medicinal plant in China. P. cablin in China can be divided into three cultivars (Shipai, Gaoyao, and Hainan) and two chemotypes (pogostone-type and patchoulol-type). The pogostone-type and patchoulol-type are, respectively, used for medicinals and perfumes. In this study, we sequenced and characterized the plastid genomes for all three Chinese cultivars and aimed to develop a chemotype-specific barcode for future quality control. The plastid genomes of P. cablin cultivars ranged from 152,461 to 152,462 bp in length and comprise 114 genes including 80 protein coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analyses suggested that P. cablin cultivars clustered with the other two Pogostemon species with strong support. Although extremely conserved in P. cablin plastid genomes, 58 cpSSRs were filtered out among the three cultivars. One single variable locus, cpSSR, was discovered. The cpSSR genotypes successfully matched the chemotypes of Chinese patchouli, which was further supported by PCR-based Sanger sequences in more Chinese patchouli samples. The barcode developed in this study is thought to be a simple and reliable quality control method for Chinese P. cablin on the market

Elsinochrome phytotoxin production and pathogenicity of Elsinoë arachidis isolates in China.

Peanut scab caused by Elsinoë arachidis is found throughout China's peanut-growing areas. Elsinochrome produced by E. arachidis is a perylenequinone photosensitive mycotoxin vital to the pathogenic process of the pathogen. In this study, the complex mechanism underlying the regulation of elsinochrome biosynthesis by E. arachidis was investigated based on various nutritional and environmental factors. The initiation of elsinochrome biosynthesis depends on light. E. arachidis produced substantially more quantities of elsinochrome when grown on a semi-synthetic medium (PDA) than when grown on synthetic media with defined ingredients in the presence of light. Elsinochrome accumulation decreased when adjusted with either citrate or phosphate buffers and changing pH suppressed the radical growth. At temperatures ranging from 10°C to 25°C, the production of elsinochrome increased, peaking at 28°C, and it decreased slightly at 30°C. 63 field-collected isolates from China were assessed for the level of elsinochrome production, and pathogenicity analysis was conducted by selecting 12 strains from each 3 of the 4 groups with different levels of elsinochrome production. A direct correlation was observed between elsinochrome production and pathogenicity among the isolates. The results showed elsinochrome biosynthesis to be controlled by E. arachidis and showed elsinochrome to be a vital virulence factor of E. arachidis, required for disease severity

Seasonal and inter-annual changes in the surface chlorophyll of the South China Sea

NASA; NSF; NSFC [90711006, 2011CB403500]The Hilbert-Huang Transform was applied to the satellite-derived monthly surface chlorophyll-a data and monthly blended satellite wind products from September 1997 to April 2010 to examine temporal trends in these time series. Using this new approach, we found an overall increasing trend in both the surface chlorophyll-a concentration and surface wind speed averaged over the entire South China Sea. Chlorophyll-a concentration increased by 12% between September 1997 and September 2003, and then decreased by 3% by April 2010. Wind speed increased by 21% between September 1997 and December 2005, but then decreased by 11%. The increasing trends followed by a period of decrease in both chlorophyll-a and wind speed time series are likely driven by the El Nino Southern Oscillation signal. The biggest change occurred in the deep basin region where the area averaged chlorophyll-a concentration increased by 20% between 1997 and 2010. This trend was primarily attributed to a 19% increase of the surface area of waters with monthly averaged chlorophyll-a concentration greater than 0.2 mg m(-3), called the high chlorophyll waters. The most pronounced change occurred in winter with the high chlorophyll surface area expanding from 56 to 64% of the South China Sea. Strong correlation between chlorophyll-a and wind speed in this region suggested that it is the enhanced wind-induced mixing in the winter that stimulates phytoplankton growth via increased vertical supply of nutrients. The obtained 13-year trends indicate that the physical-biological interactions also take place on inter-annual time scales in the South China Sea

<i>Phellinus baumii</i> Polyphenol: A Potential Therapeutic Candidate against Lung Cancer Cells

Phellinus baumii, a fungus that grows on mulberry trees and is used in traditional Chinese medicine, exerts therapeutic effects against various diseases, including cancer. Polyphenols, generally considered to be antioxidants, have antitumor and proapoptotic effects. In this study, we identified the composition of Phellinus baumii polyphenol (PBP) and characterized its 17 chemical components by UPLC–ESI–QTOF–MS. Furthermore, to clarify the potential mechanism of PBP against Lung Cancer Cells, network pharmacology and experimental verification were combined. Molecular docking elucidated the binding conformation and mechanism of the primary active components (Osmundacetone and hispidin) to the core targets CASP3, PARP1 and TP53. In addition, potential molecular mechanisms of PBP predicted by network pharmacology analysis were validated in vitro. PBP significantly inhibited the human lung cancer A549 cells and showed typical apoptotic characteristics, without significant cytotoxicity to normal human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells. Analysis using flow cytometry and western blot indicated that PBP caused apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) depression in A549 cells to exercise its antitumor effects. These results reveal that PBP has great potential for use as an active ingredient for antitumor therapy

Mixed Fermentation of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Bacillus licheniformis Changed the Chemical Composition, Bacterial Community, and Rumen Degradation Rate of Tea Residue

Tea residue, as a byproduct in tea processing, is highly nutritious and can be used as a good raw material for ruminant feed. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) and Bacillus licheniformis (B. licheniformis) mixed fermentation of tea residue mixture (tea residue:wheat bran, 7:3) on chemical composition, bacterial community, and rumen degradation rate. Changes in chemical composition and bacterial community were evaluated after 0 (F0), 1 (F1), 3 (F3), and 5 (F5) days of fermentation. The rumen degradation rate was studied by the in situ nylon bag method. Compared with group F0, acid soluble protein in other groups increased while pH and neutral detergent fiber decreased (p &lt; 0.05). The group F5 was the best. The diversity of bacterial communities in group F0 was significantly lower than those in the other groups (p &lt; 0.05). The relative abundance of phylum Firmicutes and the genus Lactobacillus increased with increasing fermentation time. The rumen degradation rates of dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber were increased after fermentation. In conclusion, mixed fermentation of tea residue by L. plantarum and B. licheniformis can ameliorate chemical composition, reduce bacterial community diversity, and improve the rumen degradation rate

Mixed Fermentation of <i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> and <i>Bacillus licheniformis</i> Changed the Chemical Composition, Bacterial Community, and Rumen Degradation Rate of Tea Residue

Tea residue, as a byproduct in tea processing, is highly nutritious and can be used as a good raw material for ruminant feed. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) and Bacillus licheniformis (B. licheniformis) mixed fermentation of tea residue mixture (tea residue:wheat bran, 7:3) on chemical composition, bacterial community, and rumen degradation rate. Changes in chemical composition and bacterial community were evaluated after 0 (F0), 1 (F1), 3 (F3), and 5 (F5) days of fermentation. The rumen degradation rate was studied by the in situ nylon bag method. Compared with group F0, acid soluble protein in other groups increased while pH and neutral detergent fiber decreased (p 0.05). The group F5 was the best. The diversity of bacterial communities in group F0 was significantly lower than those in the other groups (p 0.05). The relative abundance of phylum Firmicutes and the genus Lactobacillus increased with increasing fermentation time. The rumen degradation rates of dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber were increased after fermentation. In conclusion, mixed fermentation of tea residue by L. plantarum and B. licheniformis can ameliorate chemical composition, reduce bacterial community diversity, and improve the rumen degradation rate