Linking ecosystem services and circuit theory to identify ecological security patterns

The rapid process of urbanization, accompanied by the sharp increase of urban population and expansion of artificial surface, has resulted in the loss of natural ecosystems and the degradation of ecosystem services. Identifying and protecting key places that have high importance for ecological sustainability are great challenges. Ecological security patterns are such an integrated approach to protecting regional ecological sustainability. In this study, taking Yunnan Province, China as a case study area, ecological sources were identified through ecosystem services, and circuit theory was used to model ecosystem processes in heterogeneous landscapes via calculating the ‘resistance’ or ‘current’, and thus to identify ecological corridors and key ecological nodes. The results showed that, ecological security patterns included 66 ecological sources, 186 ecological corridors, 24 pinch-points and 10 barriers. In details, the ecological sources were mainly distributed in the southwest and northwest of Yunnan Province, with the ecological corridors locating along the high mountains, and both ecological sources and corridors were mostly covered with forest land. Pinch-points covered by forest land and cultivated land, were distributed in the middle of Yunnan Province along the rivers. Approximately 75.9% nature reserves were located in the identified ecological sources, and the remainings were mainly distributed in eastern Yunnan Province with small area, showing the effectiveness in identifying ecological security patterns. Among 81 projects of low–slope hill development carried out in Yunnan Province, 46.9% showed potential human stress on regional ecological security. Based on ecosystem services and circuit theory, this study provides a new approach to identifying the spatial range of ecological corridors and the specific location of key nodes for effective ecological conservation and restoration

Evaluation of oral Lanzhou lamb rotavirus vaccine via passive transfusion with CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocytes

AbstractLanzhou Lamb derived Rotavirus (RV) Vaccine (namely LLR) for children is only used in China. Since there were no reports on evaluation of LLR, even the data of phase IV clinical trial, we proceed the evaluation of LLR through focusing on T-cell to investigate whether LLR could induce the potential function involving in protection as a vaccine. Four groups of nude mice were transfused with CD4+/CD8+ T-cells isolated from LLR-immunized (primed) and LLR-unimmunized (naïve) mice via intraperitonea (i.p.) respectively. Consequently, the adoption mice were challenged with mice-origin wild rotavirus EDIM (Epizootic Diarrhea of Infant Mice) by intragastric administration. Series of fecal/serum samples were collected and viral shedding, then serum IgA/IgG and secreted IgA were assayed. Compared to the mice transfused with T lymphocytes from naïve mice, the nude mice transfused with CD4+ T lymphocytes from primed mice induce fecal and serum IgA increasing more rapidly, and have a shorter duration of virus shedding too. Whereas, no significant difference in virus clearance was found between the mice transfused with CD8+ T lymphocytes isolated from primed and naïve mice. Therefore, we cleared the distinct roles of transfused CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocytes for rotavirus clearance in nude mice, that the viral clearance conducted by CD4+ T lymphocytes. Meanwhile, it has ability to help induction of LLR specific immunogenicity. Comparing with the transfusion of cell from primed and naïve mice, LLR can induce CD4+ T lymphocytes memory which is a potential index to reflect the immunogenicity and protection, while CD8+ T lymphocytes remove rotavirus by CTL with little memory ability

How can virtual water trade reshape water stress pattern? A global evaluation based on the metacoupling perspective

With water scarcity increasingly becoming a growing global risk, it is prevalent to explore water supply-demand interaction within and beyond national borders driven by global virtual water trade and its effects on water sustainability. However, there is little study on system integration of differential environmental impacts of various types of trade. Based on metacoupling framework highlighting human-nature interactions across space- within a place (intracoupling), between adjacent places (pericoupling), and between distant places (telecoupling), this study quantified the linkages and intensities of three kinds of coupling processes during global virtual water trade for the first time. Correspondingly, water stress changes under a set of trade scenarios were evaluated based on the indicator of UN SDG 6.4.2 to distinguish the influence of trade taking place on different spatial scales. Results show that during 2005–2015, local water resources supported 80% of global water consumption. Distant virtual water import was about 5 times in volume as large as adjacent virtual water import, alleviating 99.8% of global average water stress. Virtual water trade reduced water stress in 86% of developed countries and increased that in 71% of developing countries in 2005. Owing to trade, water stress in many countries with poor water resources endowment declined while that of many with relatively good endowment went up from 2005 to 2015. Our findings can help to systematically understand the influence of virtual water trade on water stress change and provide scientific guidance for sustainable water management and regional regulations

The complete mitochondrial genome of Meloe proscarabaeus (Coleoptera, Meloidae): genome descriptions and phylogenetic inferences

Oil beetles are meloids, which are characterised for their cleptoparasitic habits in bee nests and oily fluid of cantharidin that causes blistering and swelling of the skin. The complete mitochondrial genome of Meloe proscarabaeus is determined using the next-generation sequencing technology and its genomic characteristics are described. The 15,653-bp long genome is a circular molecule consisting of 13 protein-coding genes (PCG), 22 transport RNA, two ribosomal RNA, and a control region. The A + T bias of the mitochondrial genome is manifested in the complete sequence and the codon usage of protein-coding genes. The genetic distance within and between genera is calculated to confirm the taxonomic status of M. proscarabaeus. The phylogenetic relationships among 15 available meloid taxa are inferred by the maximum likelihood (ML) method based on 13 mitochondrial PCGs. The ML trees resulting from nucleotide and amino acid datasets recover both the monophyly of Meloe and Epicauta and the polyphyly comprising Hycleus and Mylabris. This study provides the first description of a mitochondrial genome belonging to the genus Meloe. The mitochondrial genome sequence and its characteristics are expected to be conducive to future studies on taxonomy, systematics, and molecular phylogenetics of the family Meloidae

Mapping Development Pattern in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Urban Agglomeration Using DMSP/OLS Nighttime Light Data

Spatial inequality of urban development may cause problems like inequality of living conditions and the lack of sustainability, drawing increasing academic interests and societal concerns. Previous studies based on statistical data can hardly reveal the interior mechanism of spatial inequality due to the limitation of statistical units, while the application of remote sensing data, such as nighttime light (NTL) data, provides an effective solution. In this study, based on the DMSP/OLS NTL data, the urbanization type of all towns in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration was analyzed from the aspects of development level and speed. Meanwhile, spatial cluster analysis of development level by local Moran’s I was used to explore spatial inequality, and the trend was discussed by comparing the development characteristics on both sides of the transition line of different development levels (inequality boundary). The results showed that the development level of the whole region increased dramatically as the mean DN value increased by 65.99%, and 83.72% of the towns showed a positive development during 2000–2012. The spatial distribution of urbanization types showed that Beijing and Tianjin were at a high urbanization level with rapid speed of development, with the southern region having a medium development level and the northwestern region lagging behind. The spatial cluster analysis also revealed a gradually intensifying trend of inequality as the number of towns with balanced development reduced by 319 during 2000–2012, while the towns in the high-high areas increased by 99 and those in the low-low areas increased by 229. Moreover, the development speed inside the inequality boundary was obviously higher than that outside, indicating an increasingly serious situation for spatial inequality of urban development in the whole region

Curvature of Buckybowl Corannulene Enhances Its Binding to Proteins

Corannulene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, has garnered much attention on account of its promising applications in high-performance electronics. Investigations of its potential biological applications have, however, remained hitherto scarce. In the present contribution, to explain the distinctive interaction of the geodesic corannulene with proteins, the adducts formed by lysozyme (LSZ) and two carbon materials, namely, corannulene:LSZ and perylene:LSZ, were prepared and investigated using a variety of experimental and computational approaches. We find that LSZ binds the two ligands at its active site, forming stable complexes. Interestingly, although corannulene and perylene have very similar structures, standard binding free-energy calculations demonstrate that the former possesses a much greater binding affinity for LSZ compared with the latter, which can be ascribed to its three-dimensional π-bowl curvature and unique charge distribution, enhancing its electrostatic interaction with LSZ. Corannulene is found to be more effective than perylene in inhibiting the protein activity. In addition, corannulene hardly affects the fluorescence of LSZ. The present work indicates that endowed with a curved π-surface and large dipole moment, corannulene is a promising ligand, capable of binding a broad range of proteins through a variety of intermolecular interactions, modulating their biological or catalytic activity, yet not affecting their fluorescent properties