Different wildfire types promoted two-step terrestrial plant community change across the Triassic-Jurassic transition

Frequent wildfires associated with emplacement of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) are thought to have been important drivers of two significant changes in terrestrial plant communities and diversity during the Triassic-Jurassic Mass Extinction (TJME, ca. 201.51 Ma). ​However, it remains to be investigated whether these two changes are potentially related to different wildfire types. To better understand this relationship, we used a new method to reanalyze fossil pollen and spores across the Triassic-Jurassic transition in the Jiyuan Basin from the North China Plate. Results show that two peaks in wildfire frequency experienced different types of wildfires, with each linked to significant changes in plant communities and diversity losses. In the first wildfire peak, canopy fires dominated and are accompanied by significant losses of canopy forming plants, while in the second wildfire peak, ground cover fires dominated accompanied by significant losses of ground cover plants. ​Changes in atmospheric humidity conditions were an important control on the two different wildfire peaks. Relatively humid climatic conditions corresponded to the prevalence of canopy fires and hindered the spread and development of ground cover fires in wet surface conditions. Conversely, relatively arid climatic conditions corresponded with the prevalence of ground cover fires in dry surface environments. Our results provide a potential relationship between terrestrial plant communities and wildfire types, which is important to further understanding of terrestrial environmental and floral changes driven by Large Igneous Provinces

Different wildfire types promoted two-step terrestrial plant community change across the Triassic-Jurassic transition

Frequent wildfires associated with emplacement of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) are thought to have been important drivers of two significant changes in terrestrial plant communities and diversity during the Triassic-Jurassic Mass Extinction (TJME, ca. 201.51 Ma). ​However, it remains to be investigated whether these two changes are potentially related to different wildfire types. To better understand this relationship, we used a new method to reanalyze fossil pollen and spores across the Triassic-Jurassic transition in the Jiyuan Basin from the North China Plate. Results show that two peaks in wildfire frequency experienced different types of wildfires, with each linked to significant changes in plant communities and diversity losses. In the first wildfire peak, canopy fires dominated and are accompanied by significant losses of canopy forming plants, while in the second wildfire peak, ground cover fires dominated accompanied by significant losses of ground cover plants. ​Changes in atmospheric humidity conditions were an important control on the two different wildfire peaks. Relatively humid climatic conditions corresponded to the prevalence of canopy fires and hindered the spread and development of ground cover fires in wet surface conditions. Conversely, relatively arid climatic conditions corresponded with the prevalence of ground cover fires in dry surface environments. Our results provide a potential relationship between terrestrial plant communities and wildfire types, which is important to further understanding of terrestrial environmental and floral changes driven by Large Igneous Provinces

Constraints on the spacetime metric around seven "bare" AGNs using X-ray reflection spectroscopy

We present the study of a sample of seven "bare" active galactic nuclei (AGN) observed with Suzaku. We interpret the spectrum of these sources with a relativistic reflection component and we employ our model RELXILL_NK to test the Kerr nature of their supermassive black holes. We constrain the Johannsen deformation parameters $\alpha_{13}$ and $\alpha_{22}$, in which the Kerr metric is recovered when $\alpha_{13} = \alpha_{22} = 0$. All our measurements are consistent with the hypothesis that the spacetime geometry around these supermassive objects is described by the Kerr solution. For some sources, we obtain quite strong constraints on $\alpha_{13}$ and $\alpha_{22}$ when compared to those found in our previous studies. We discuss the systematic uncertainties in our tests and the implications of our results.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures. v2: refereed versio

Identification of disulfidptosis related subtypes, characterization of tumor microenvironment infiltration, and development of DRG prognostic prediction model in RCC, in which MSH3 is a key gene during disulfidptosis

Disulfidptosis is a newly discovered mode of cell death induced by disulfide stress. However, the prognostic value of disulfidptosis-related genes (DRGs) in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains to be further elucidated. In this study, consistent cluster analysis was used to classify 571 RCC samples into three DRG-related subtypes based on changes in DRGs expression. Through univariate regression analysis and LASSO-Cox regression analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among three subtypes, we constructed and validated a DRG risk score to predict the prognosis of patients with RCC, while also identifying three gene subtypes. Analysis of DRG risk score, clinical characteristics, tumor microenvironment (TME), somatic cell mutations, and immunotherapy sensitivity revealed significant correlations between them. A series of studies have shown that MSH3 can be a potential biomarker of RCC, and its low expression is associated with poor prognosis in patients with RCC. Last but not least, overexpression of MSH3 promotes cell death in two RCC cell lines under glucose starvation conditions, indicating that MSH3 is a key gene in the process of cell disulfidptosis. In summary, we identify potential mechanism of RCC progression through DRGs -related tumor microenvironment remodeling. In addition, this study has successfully established a new disulfidptosis-related genes prediction model and discovered a key gene MSH3. They may be new prognostic biomarkers for RCC patients, provide new insights for the treatment of RCC patients, and may inspire new methods for the diagnosis and treatment of RCC patients

Pseudonocardians A–C, New Diazaanthraquinone Derivatives from a Deap-Sea Actinomycete Pseudonocardia sp. SCSIO 01299

Pseudonocardians A–C (2–4), three new diazaanthraquinone derivatives, along with a previously synthesized compound deoxynyboquinone (1), were produced by the strain SCSIO 01299, a marine actinomycete member of the genus Pseudonocardia, isolated from deep-sea sediment of the South China Sea. The structures of compounds 1–4 were determined by mass spectrometry and NMR experiments (1H, 13C, HSQC, and HMBC). The structure of compound 1, which was obtained for the first time from a natural source, was confirmed by X-ray analysis. Compounds 1–3 exhibited potent cytotoxic activities against three tumor cell lines of SF-268, MCF-7 and NCI-H460 with IC50 values between 0.01 and 0.21 μm, and also showed antibacterial activities on Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 and Bacillus thuringensis SCSIO BT01, with MIC values of 1–4 μg mL−1

Health Consequences Among COVID-19 Convalescent Patients 30 Months Post-Infection in China

The health consequences among COVID-19 convalescent patients 30 months post-infection were described and the potential risk factors were determined. In August 2022 we recruited 217 COVID-19 convalescent patients who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 in February 2020. These convalescent patients were residents of multiple districts in Wuhan, China. All convalescent patients completed a detailed questionnaire, laboratory testing, a 6-min walk test, a Borg dyspnea scale assessment, lung function testing, and had a chest CT. The potential risk factors for health consequences among COVID-19 convalescent patients 30 months post-infection were identified using a multivariate logistic regression model. The majority of convalescent patients were in good overall health and returned to work 30 months post-infection; however, 62.2% of the convalescent patients had long COVID symptoms. The most common symptoms were chest pain, fatigue, and dizziness or headaches. The convalescent patients with severe symptoms had a significantly higher proportion of depression disorder ( P = 0.044) and lower health-related quality of life ( P = 0.034) compared to the convalescent patients with mild symptoms. Compared to convalescent patients who were not vaccinated, convalescent patients who received three vaccines had significantly less fatigue, lower anxiety and depression scores, and had a better health-related quality of life (all P < 0.05). Older age was associated with a higher risk of long COVID (OR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.16–2.02) and chest CT abnormalities (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.33–2.36). Female gender was associated with a higher risk of anxiety (OR = 3.20, 95% CI = 1.24–9.16) and depression disorders (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.11–5.92). Exercise was associated with a lower risk of anxiety (OR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.18–0.93). Notably, vaccination protected convalescent patients from developing long COVID symptoms (OR = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.06–0.50), anxiety disorders (OR = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.07–0.71), and depression disorders (OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.12–0.92). The majority of COVID-19 convalescent patients were in good overall health 30 months post-infection and returned to work. More attention should be paid to convalescent patients who are older, female, physically inactive, and not vaccinated

Tracing astrophysical black hole seeds and primordial black holes with LISA-Taiji network

In this work, we discuss the improvement that the joint network of LISA and Taiji could provide on exploring two kinds of black hole formation mechanisms. For astrophysical origin, we consider light seed and heavy seed scenarios, and generate populations accordingly. We find that the joint network has the potential to observe growing light seeds in the range 15 20 and detection rates of LISA and the joint network. The joint network expands LISA's horizon towards lower mass end, where the event rate is high, so we have better chance observing primordial black holes with the joint network. We also estimate the parameters using Fisher matrices of LISA and the joint network, and find that the joint network significantly improves the estimation

Screening Probiotics for Anti-<i>Helicobacter pylori</i> and Investigating the Effect of Probiotics on Patients with <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Infection

Probiotics are natural microbial agents with beneficial properties such as bacteriostatic and anti-infective properties. Lactobacillus plantarum Q21, Q25 and QA85, were isolated from the Chinese specialty fermented food “Jiangshui” and proved to be highly resistant to Helicobacter pylori (p H. pylori and could specifically co-aggregate H. pylori in vitro (more than 56%). Strains have the potential to adhere to cells and hinder H. pylori colonization (p H. pylori efficacy of strains in vivo, volunteers were recruited and a self-controlled study of probiotic intervention was conducted. Compared to pre-probiotics, volunteers who took Q21, Q25 and QA85 for 1 month showed significant improvement in discomfort, a significant reduction in GSRS scores (p p H. pylori load in volunteers (454.30 ± 327.00 vs. 328.35 ± 237.19, p = 0.06). However, the strains were not significantly effective in modulating the imbalance of the gut microbiota caused by H. pylori infection. In addition, strains affect metabolic pathways by increasing the levels of O-Phosphoethanolamine and other related metabolites, which may ameliorate associated symptoms. Therefore, Lactobacillus plantarum Q21, Q25 and QA85 can be regarded as a candidate probiotic preparation that exerts direct or indirect anti-H. pylori effects by inhibiting H. pylori activity and colonization, reducing inflammation and discomfort, maintaining homeostasis in the internal environment, affecting the metabolic pathways and repairing the body barrier. They can play a role in relieving H. pylori infection