Breeding Ecology of Cinereous Vulture in Tien-Shan Mountains, China

During 2016 and 2017, we observed 4 nests of the Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) in the middle of the Tien Shan Mountains, the west of China, and tried to follow them by the GPS/GSM dataloggers. We continuously observed nesting birds and recorded their behavior. The duration of the field works was about 40 days that makes in total more than 500 hours. The results showed that all nests of the vultures were located on the eastern slope of cliffs on the altitude of 2 300 – 2 900 meters, with the distance between nests is 1–3 km. Nests were built on the open and steep ledges with the outer diameter of the nest is 1.1–1.6 m. All clutches consists of only one egg (n=4), the incubation period was 52–56 days, and the nestlings hatched in the middle of April; the medium weight of newly hatched nestlings was 160 g. In May 17th, their weight increased to 1.50 kg, in June 14th – to 5.65kg, and in July 14th the weight of young birds was about 8.56kg (close to the adult’s weight). The brooding period in this species is very long – nestlings stayed for 90–105 days in the nest, and continued to be fed by adult birds till October. Lack of food is one of the main reasons for low reproductive success in this species

Does green innovation reduce environmental degradation? A panel threshold analysis for BRICS countries

In this present age, innovation has become inextricably tied to both long-term economic growth and environmentally sound development. In this context, the impact that environmentally focused technological advancements or innovations have on environmental quality is of the utmost importance. Therefore, the main goal of the present study is to determine how Green innovation (GI) affects environmental degradation in the BRICS countries from 1992 to 2021. The ecological footprint (EFT) is an indicator used in the study to measure environmental degradation. The study divides the components that contribute to the explanation into two categories: the GI threshold variable and the independent variables RE, GDP, and population (POP). Additionally, this study investigates the indirect impact of RE, GDP, and POP through the threshold effect of GI. The stochastic impacts of the explanatory factors are explored using sophisticated panel data estimation methods and a panel threshold model. According to the findings of the study, an improvement in environmental quality occurs when the threshold level of GI is achieved, which indicates that innovation in the form of a lower EFT is responsible for the improvement. In light of the findings, recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders in BRICS countries are to promote RE and drive GI

Time Budget and Diet of the Booted Eagles in the Breeding Season in Xinjiang, China

During the breeding seasons of 2010-2016, we have found seven nests of the Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) in Xinjiang, the west of China. We used a method of focal sampling and infrared cameras to continually observe behaviors and nestlings’ growth. Nestling behaviors were different between nestling period and post-nestling period. Attendance at the nests by both adults decreased as the nestling aged. The female brooded significantly more than the male did during daylight hours (P=0.016, F= 8.38, df =1). The daily mean number of food items delivered to the nests by adults was 3.2 times/day in nestling period, and 0.96/day in post-nestling period. Seven orders of wild birds, three orders of mammals and domestic poultry were documented as prey

Identification of the γ-glutamyl cycle as a novel therapeutic target and 5-oxoproline as a new biomarker for diagnosing pancreatic cancer

AbstractBackground Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal malignant solid tumours, and abnormal metabolic reprogramming in the tumour microenvironment is regarded as an important contributor to its pathogenesis.Objectives As there is an urgency to identify new targets based on the metabolic features that are highly refractory to PDAC treatment, this study aimed to identify suitable therapeutic targets for PDAC.Methods In this study, gene set enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses were performed on 163 PDAC tissue samples and 165 normal pancreatic tissue samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression databases to identify alterations in critical metabolites that may contribute to PDAC pathogenesis. Furthermore, ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was performed to identify significant metabolic pathways between 24 pairs of tumour and adjacent non-tumour tissues and between serum samples from PDAC patients and healthy donors.Results Fifty-one tissue metabolites and 26 serum metabolites were altered in PDAC. Among them, those in the γ-glutamyl cycle were the most substantially changed, and 5-oxoproline was the biomarker of PDAC with the most significantly decreased levels.Conclusions The γ-glutamyl cycle and 5-oxoproline might be potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets to improve the diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis of PDAC

Association between Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of <i>PRKD1</i> and <i>KCNQ3</i> Gene and Milk Quality Traits in Gannan Yak (<i>Bos grunniens</i>)

Protein kinase D1 (PRKD1) functions primarily in normal mammary cells, and the potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily Q member 3 (KCNQ3) gene plays an important role in controlling membrane potential and neuronal excitability, it has been found that this particular gene is linked to the percentage of milk fat in dairy cows. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of PRKD1 and KCNQ3 genes and the milk quality of Gannan yak and to find molecular marker sites that may be used for milk quality breeding of Gannan yak. Three new SNPs were detected in the PRKD1 (g.283,619T>C, g.283,659C>A) and KCNQ3 gene (g.133,741T>C) of 172 Gannan lactating female yaks by Illumina yak cGPS 7K liquid-phase microarray technology. Milk composition was analyzed using a MilkoScanTM milk composition analyzer. We found that the mutations of these three loci significantly improved the lactose, milk fat, casein, protein, non-fat milk solid (SNF) content and acidity of Gannan yaks. The lactose content of the TC heterozygous genotype population at g.283,619T>C locus was significantly higher than that of the TT wild-type population (p A locus was significantly higher than that of the CC wild-type and AA mutant populations (p C locus were significantly higher than those of the wild type (p p PRKD1 and KCNQ3 genes could be used as candidate genes affecting the milk traits of Gannan yak