Reproduction of a fossil rhinoceros from 18 mya and origin of litter size in perissodactyls.

Reproductive strategy is among the most important characteristics of organism. Here, we report reproductive strategy of singleton pregnancy of a fossil rhinoceros, Plesiaceratherium gracile, from 18 mya of the Shanwang Basin, China. Dental and body development data revealed that after birth, the calf of P. gracile is breastfed for 2-3 years; at approximately 5 years of age, when the M2 tooth is slightly worn, the female has already reached sexual maturity and attained a size close to that of an adult and could give birth to the first calf. Furthermore, given litter size is phylogenetically conservative and closely correlates with body size, we conclude that the litter size of perissodactyls is determined by the singleton pregnancy since the Eocene. By contrast, other reproductive traits are highly variable and have a different pace of evolution, and traits observed in living rhinoceroses have been evolving at least since 18 mya.

Responsive photonic hydrogel for colorimetric detection of formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde (FA) can damage DNA, cause liver and kidney dysfunction, and ultimately lead to malignant tumors. Therefore, it is essential to develop a method that can conveniently detect FA with high detection sensitivity. Here, a responsive photonic hydrogel was prepared by embedding three-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) into amino-functionalized hydrogel to construct a colorimetric sensing film for FA. The amino groups on the polymer chains of the photonic hydrogel reacts with FA to increase the crosslinking density of the hydrogel, resulting in its volume shrinkage and a decrease in microsphere spacing of the PC. That causes the reflectance spectra blue-shift of more than 160 nm and color change from red to cyan for the optimized photonic hydrogel, achieving the sensitive, selective and colorimetric detection of FA. The constructed photonic hydrogel shows good accuracy and reliability for practical determination of FA in air and aquatic products, providing a new strategy for designing other target analytes responsive photonic hydrogels.

First report on rhinoceros from the late Neogene Qin Basin of Shanxi, China.

Dihoplus is a rhinoceros distributed across East Asia and Europe from the Late Miocene to Pliocene. This study describes a new skull from the Qin Basin in Shanxi Province, China, referred to as Dihoplus ringstroemi, which has long been debated in taxonomic identity. This skull confirms that D. ringstroemi is an independent species and reveals the presence of the upper incisor and variations in the degree of constriction of the two lingual cusps of upper cheek teeth. In addition, the new skull indicates that the Qin Basin has a late Neogene sediment and fauna comparable to that of the Yushe Basin.

An Oligocene giant rhino provides insights into Paraceratherium evolution.

As one of the largest land mammals, the origin and evolution of the giant rhino Paraceratherium bugtiense in Pakistan have been unclear. We report a new species Paraceratherium linxiaense sp. nov. from northwestern China with an age of 26.5 Ma. Morphology and phylogeny reveal that P. linxiaense is the highly derived species of the genus Paraceratherium, and its clade with P. lepidum has a tight relationship to P. bugtiense. Based on the paleogeographical literature, P. bugtiense represents a range expansion of Paraceratherium from Central Asia via the Tibetan region. By the late Oligocene, P. lepidum and P. linxiaense were found in the north side of the Tibetan Plateau. The Tibetan region likely hosted some areas with low elevation, possibly under 2000 m during Oligocene, and the lineage of giant rhinos could have dispersed freely along the eastern coast of the Tethys Ocean and perhaps through some lowlands of this region.

Fluorescence Sensing of Formaldehyde and Acetaldehyde Based on Responsive Inverse Opal Photonic Crystals: A Multiple-Application Detection Platform.

Formaldehyde (FA) and acetaldehyde (AcH) used as common chemicals in many fields are carcinogenic. The presently reported detection methods usually need expensive instruments, professional technicians, and time-consuming processes, and the detection sensitivity still needs further improvement. Herein, we report a highly effective fluorescence (FL) sensing film for FA and AcH based on naphthalimide derivative-infiltrated responsive SiO2 inverse opal photonic crystals (PCs), establishing a practically multiple-application detection platform for FA and AcH in air, aquatic products, and living cells. Nucleophilic addition products between the amine group of the naphthalimide derivative and aldehydes emit strong FL at ∼550 nm, realizing selective FL detection for FA and AcH. The emitted FL can be enhanced remarkably because of the slow photon effect of PCs, in which the FL wavelength is located at the stopband edge of PCs. A highly sensitive detection for FA and AcH with limits of detection of 10.6 and 7.3 nM, respectively, is achieved, increasing 3 orders of magnitude compared with that in the solution system. Additionally, the interconnected three-dimensional microporous inverse opal structure endows the sensor with a rapid response within 1 min. Furthermore, the as-prepared PC sensor can be reused by simple washing in an acidic aqueous solution. The sensing system can be used as a FL multi-detection platform for FA and AcH in air, aqueous solution, and living cells. This FL sensing approach based on small organic molecule-functionalized PCs is universally available to develop various sensors for target analytes by designing new functional organic compounds.

[Soil Respiration in Response to Different Ridge/Furrow Ratios and Its Relationship with Soil Moisture and Temperature Under Ridge-Furrow Planting Patterns].

This study aimed to explore soil respiration in response to soil moisture and soil temperature subjected to different ridge/furrow ratios under various planting patterns. Traditional flat planting and three different ridge-furrow plantings with altering ridge/furrow ratios, i. e. 20:40 cm (P40); 30:30 cm (P30); 40:20 cm (P20), were performed in the present study. Soil respirations among different planting patterns were compared. Their relationships with soil moisture and soil temperature were also analyzed. The results showed that soil respiration flux of four planting patterns reached its minimum value during the wintering stage, started to rise during the returning green stage until it reached a peak value at the flowering stage, and decreased gradually when reaching the maturity stage. The magnitude of soil respiration flux in three ridge-furrow planting patterns followed this order: P40 > P30 > P20, which implied that increasing ridge width could improve soil respiration by 1.2%-18.4%. In addition, soil respiration fluxes of three ridge-furrow plantings patterns were significantly higher than those under conditional patterns during the seedling stage (P<0.05). The soil temperature of ridge-furrow planting patterns was higher than that of the conditional flat pattern from the seeding stage to the wintering stage, but was converse from the jointing stage to the maturity stage. Moreover, three ridge-furrow planting patterns have shown significant effect on preserving soil water storage in comparison with the conditional flat pattern. In general, increasing the width of the ridge increased soil water storage due to less rainfall from the seedling stage to the jointing stage. The correlation analysis indicated a positive and significant correlation coefficient between soil respiration and soil temperature (P<0.01). Correlation coefficients in case of P40 and P30 were higher than those in P20 and the conditional flat pattern. The quadratic model of two-factor soil moisture and soil temperature could explain 61.7%-74.1% of variations in soil respiration. The single factor of the soil temperature model could explain 50.3%-68.2% of variations in soil respiration. Those results could provide a theory basis for further evaluation of ecological effect on the ridge-furrow planting patterns.

Extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) is induced upon monocyte differentiation and is expressed in human atheroma.

OBJECTIVE: Because extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN), a tumor cell-derived protein, induces matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in fibroblasts and because MMPs are important in atheroma formation, we investigated if EMMPRIN was expressed in granulocyte/macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-differentiated human peripheral blood monocytes (HPBM) and macrophage foam cells. In addition, EMMPRIN was studied for its expression in human atheroma. METHODS AND RESULTS: After 10 days of GM-CSF-induced monocyte differentiation, EMMPRIN mRNA increased 5- to 8-fold relative to undifferentiated monocytes. GM-CSF treatment of HPBM revealed that both EMMPRIN mRNA and protein were upregulated by day 2 over undifferentiated monocytes. GM-CSF-differentiated HPBM showed characteristic macrophage phenotype by showing increases in pancake-like morphology and increases in biochemical markers such as apolipoprotein E, MMP-9, and cholesterol ester (CE). While acetylated LDL treatment of the 10-day GM-CSF-differentiated HPBM increased CE mass 13- to 321-fold, EMMPRIN expression was unchanged relative to nonlipid-loaded macrophages. In human coronary atherosclerotic samples, EMMPRIN was observed in CD68(+) macrophage-rich areas as well as areas of MMP-9 expressions. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these data, we conclude that monocyte differentiation induces EMMPRIN expression, CE enrichment of foam cells has no further effect on EMMPRIN expression, and EMMPRIN is present in human atheroma. Therefore, EMMPRIN may play a role in atherosclerosis development.