Local knowledge of homegarden plants in Miao ethnic communities in Laershan region, Xiangxi area, China.

BACKGROUND: Homegardens are small-scale land use systems with significant implications for local livelihoods, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development due to their diverse flora and fauna. Conducting homegarden surveys enables researchers to gain insights into the traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous communities, preserve homegarden biodiversity, and promote sustainable livelihoods. This study has two objectives: first, to collect, record, and organize data on homegarden plants and related traditional knowledge from three communities in the Laershan Plateau, and second, to analyze the species and functional diversity of homegarden plants in the region while exploring the factors that contribute to the heterogeneous distribution of these plants among the communities of three townships. METHODS: This research employed field surveys in the Laershan Miao Autonomous Region in Xiangxi, China, from September 2021 to August 2023. Data were collected through observation and semi-structured interviews. The study utilized descriptive statistics and quantitative analysis, including the Relative Importance Value (RI), Use Value Index (UV), Jaccard Index (JI), and Comprehensive Index of Land Use Degree (La), to examine the diversity of local homegarden plants and related traditional knowledge, as well as community heterogeneity. RESULTS: The study area exhibited rich biodiversity, with 152 plant species recorded belonging to 62 families and 124 genera. These findings highlight the importance of homegarden plants in maintaining ecological balance and enhancing system resilience against disturbances. Homegarden plants serve multiple functions such as food, ornamental, medicinal, and fodder purposes, with edible and trade plants having the most abundant knowledge. Furthermore, this research revealed that communities with similar forest resource compositions may have similar homegarden plant compositions, demonstrating the connection between cultural exchange among different communities and patterns of plant species distribution. CONCLUSIONS: The Laershan region boasts diverse homegarden plant species crucial for ecological balance and resilience. Their multifunctionality reflects human impact. Plant diversity varies with residents' lifestyles, needs, and cultural exchanges. The close connection between plants and local life is clear. Factors like resource distribution, cultural exchange, and lifestyle influence plant distribution. Further research is needed for conservation and sustainable development. Future research should focus on culturally valuable plant species and traditional knowledge applications.

A Study on Parents' Attitudes towards Middle School Students' Online Learning Based on Statistical Analysis.

Based on the role separation scenario in which students need parental support, this paper explores the effect of parents' attitude on secondary school students' online learning. Through structural equation model analysis and regression analysis of 745 valid responses to a questionnaire, the data results show that parents' subjective dimension includes perceived gain and perceived loss, and social factor dimension includes teachers' influence and online comments. Perceived value is the key influencing factor of parents' attitude towards secondary school students in online learning platform. Perceived usefulness and platform information influence parents' attitude positively and significantly, while perceived risk influences parents' attitude negatively and significantly. In the dimension of social factors, teachers' influence positively influences parents' attitude, and online comments modulate the influence of perceived value on parents' attitude.

Halomonas faecis sp. nov., a halophilic bacterium isolated from human faeces.

A novel moderately halophilic, Gram-stain-negative, catalase- and oxidase-positive, strictly aerobic, non-sporulating, non-motile rod, designated strain JSM 104105 T, was isolated from human faeces. Strain JSM 104105 T was able to grow with 0.5-18% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 4-9%), at pH 6-10.5 (optimum pH 7-8) and at 10-40 °C (optimum 30 °C) in complex media. The major cellular fatty acids were C18:1ω7c, C16:0, C16:1ω7c and/or C16:1ω6c, C19:0 cyclo ω8c and C12:0 3-OH. The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified aminophospholipid, an unidentified glycolipid and three unidentified phospholipids. The predominant respiratory quinone was Q-9 and the genomic DNA G + C content was 64.5 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain JSM 104105 T should be assigned to the genus Halomonas, and was most closely related to Halomonas gudaonensis SL014B-69 T (99.0% sequence similarity), followed by Halomonas azerbaijanica TBZ202T (98.6%) and Halomonas lysinitropha 3(2)T (97.3%). The whole genomic analysis showed that strain JSM 104105 T constituted a different taxon separated from the recognized Halomonas species. Combined data from phenotypic and genotypic studies demonstrated that strain JSM 104105 T represents a new species of the genus Halomonas, for which the name Halomonas faecis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JSM 104105 T (= CCTCC AB 2014160 T = CGMCC 1.12945 T = KCTC 42146 T).

A synergistic hydrothermal-deep eutectic solvents (DES) pretreatment for acquiring xylooligosaccharides and lignin nanoparticles from Eucommia ulmoides wood.

To achieve an effective deconstruction for preparation of xylooligosaccharides (XOS) and lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) from Eucommia ulmoides, a synergistic pretreatment was successfully developed. Herein, the hemicelluloses were preferentially dissociated in acetic acid-catalyzed hydrothermal pretreatment (HTP) for preparation of XOS, and the hydrothermally-pretreated substrate was then subjected to deep eutectic solvents (DES) delignification for fabrication of LNPs. Results showed that the optimal yield (33.88% based on xylan) of XOS is obtained under the given HTP condition (170 °C, 0.5 h). NMR characterization showed that the linkages of lignin were mainly composed of ß-O-4, ß-ß, ß-5, etc. Besides, GPC analysis showed that the molecular weight of DES lignin fractions was lower (1130-1200 g/mol) than those of corresponding parent lignin fractions (8500-9620 g/mol). Further TEM characterization indicated that the optimal LNPs fraction has a narrow size distribution and the corresponding size is ranged from 60 to 110 nm. In short, the synergistic pretreatment could be used as a green and cost-effective approach for the development of bio-based chemicals and biomaterials from Eucommia ulmoides biomass.

Current progress on plastic/microplastic degradation: Fact influences and mechanism.

Plastic pollution, particularly non-degradable residual plastic films and microplastics (MPs), is a serious environmental problem that continues to worsen each year. Numerous studies have characterized the degradation of plastic fragments; however, there is known a lack of about the state of current physicochemical biodegradation methods used for plastics treatment and their degradation efficiency. Therefore, this review explores the effects of different physicochemical factors on plastics/MPs degradation, including mechanical comminution, ultraviolet radiation, high temperature, and pH value. Further, this review discusses different mechanisms of physicochemical degradation and summarizes the degradation efficiency of these factors under various conditions. Additionally, the important role of enzymes in the biodegradation mechanism of plastics/MPs is also discussed. Collectively, the topics discussed in this review provide a solid basis for future research on plastics/MPs degradation methods and their effects.

Traditional knowledge of edible plants used as flavoring for fish-grilling in Southeast Guizhou, China.

BACKGROUND: The local Dong people in Qiandongnan Prefecture, Guizhou Province, China, with rich biocultural diversity, have developed the traditional rice-duckweed-fish-duck agroecosystem (RDFDA) to support biodiversity conservation and to meet food and cultural needs. However, there is still not much research on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) in this area. In particular, there is a lack of traditional knowledge of edible plants used by the Dong people as flavoring to grill fish (Cyprinus carpio) collected from RDFDA, which is extremely valuable in their traditional culture. The study focused on documenting plant species used in grilling fish and analyzing the status of its TEK. METHODS: Twenty-one sampling points of three Dong minority villages in Qiandongnan were selected for the research. The local TEK associated with plant resources for fish-grilling was recorded through free listing and semi-structured interviews. Fidelity level (FL) and ethnoecological importance value (EIV) indicators were designed to determine the socioeconomic influence of TEK. The non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) method was used to evaluate the differentiation of edible plant species distribution in dissimilar accessibility types. RESULTS: A total of 430 people were interviewed about grilled fish, of whom 75% were men and 85% were farmers. Thirty-four edible plants were documented for fish-grilling in three Dong villages. They belong to 16 plant families, such as Apiaceae, and Asteraceae. The life forms included herbaceous (76%), shrubs (18%) and trees (6%). Leaves are the most commonly used part of for grilling fish, followed by aerial parts, and whole plants. Among these edible plants, Allium hookeri, A. macrostemon and Houttuynia cordata with the highest fidelity level (100%) were cited as edible plants for grilling fish by all informants. The NMDS showed different accessibility types of collection sites, with different importance values. Paddy rice field edge (2.03) has the highest value, followed by forest-farming ecotone (1.74), streamsides (1.71) and woodland (0.48). CONCLUSION: The purpose of this study was to investigate the traditional knowledge of edible plant materials used by the Dong people for grilling fish. The results demonstrate the strong connection between local people, the bio-environment and agroecosystem services. The survey and comparative analysis revealed that plant species with high FL values may be potential sources of natural flavors.

Tricresyl phosphate inhibits fertilization in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes): Emphasizing metabolic toxicity.

As tricresyl phosphate (TCrP) is commonly found in global water sources, its potential reproductive toxicity to fish is of increasing concern. Japanese medaka larvae were exposed to TCrP at 657.9, 1,511, and 4042 ng/L for 100 days. We identified significant fertilization inhibition (6.9%-12.8%) in all exposure groups. Intersex was significantly induced at 4042 ng/L, with an incidence of 22.0%. TCrP exposure also caused dilation of the efferent duct in the testes with maximum duct widths of 83.3, 93.2, and 149.7 µm in the 657.9, 1,511, and 4042 ng/L exposure groups, respectively. These widths were all significantly larger than that observed in the control group (37.7 µm) and likely contributed substantially to fertilization inhibition. The TCrP metabolites 4-OH-MDTP and 3-OH-MDTP, were detected at high concentrations in the liver and elicited 5.8-fold and 5.3-fold greater androgen receptor antagonistic activity than that elicited by TCrP (39.8 µM), which may explain the intersex observed in low exposure groups. 4-OH-MDTP and 3-OH-MDTP elicited anti-estrogenic activities by blocking the estrogen receptor, and the concentrations at which its responses were equal to the IC20 of tamoxifen were 16.1 µM and 18.9 µM, respectively, as detected using the yeast two-hybrid assay. Such anti-estrogenic activities were likely the main driver of dilation of the efferent duct. Observed adverse outcomes after exposure to TCrP all occurred under environmentally relevant concentrations, suggesting considerable ecological risk to wild fish.

2-Ethylhexyl Diphenyl Phosphate and Its Hydroxylated Metabolites are Anti-androgenic and Cause Adverse Reproductive Outcomes in Male Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes).

Although high concentrations of 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDPP) have been detected in wild fish, its reproductive toxicity in fish remains unclear. In this study, we for the first time observed that EHDPP elicited androgen receptor (AR) antagonistic activity with a 50% inhibitory concentration of 37.5 µM. 2-Ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl diphenyl phosphate was proved to be the dominant metabolite of EHDPP in Japanese medaka and elicited 3.1-fold stronger AR antagonistic activity than that of EHDPP. Medaka larvae (0-day post hatching) were exposed to EHDPP for 100 days, and intersex was observed in males from all exposure groups with significantly increased incidence (13.5-48.6%). 17ß-E2 was promoted at 104 ng/L, and androgens were suppressed at 434 ng/L, which account for the intersex incidence in the high-exposure groups but do not explain the significant incidence of intersex in the 29.9 ng/L exposure group. The AR antagonistic activity of EHDPP and its metabolites must therefore play a key role in intersex incidence. EHDPP also significantly (p < 0.05) repressed reproductive behaviors of males in the 434 ng/L group and decreased fertility in high-exposure groups compared with the control. All the adverse outcomes were observed under environmentally relevant concentrations, implying that EHDPP poses an ecological risk for wild fish populations.

Sediminibacillus terrae sp. nov., a moderate halophile isolated from non-saline farm soil.

A Gram-stain-positive, moderately halophilic, strictly aerobic, endospore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium, strain JSM 102062T, was isolated from a non-saline farm soil sample collected from Dehang Canyon in Hunan, PR China. Growth occurred with 0.5-20 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 4-7 %) at pH 5.5-11.0 (optimum pH 8.0) and at 20-50 °C (optimum 30-35 °C). Contained cell-wall peptidoglycan based on meso-diaminopimelic acid and possessed menaquinone-7 (MK-7) as the major respiratory isoprenoid quinone. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The polar lipid pattern consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, five unidentified phospholipids and an unidentified glycolipid. The DNA G+C content was 44.1 mol%. Phylogeny based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain JSM 102062T belonged to the genus Sediminibacillus, sharing high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to Sediminibacillus halophilus EN8dT (99.4 %) and Sediminibacillus albus NHBX5T (98.3 %). The whole genomic analysis showed that strain JSM 102062T constituted a different taxon separated from the recognized Sediminibacillus species. Combined data from phenotypic and genotypic studies demonstrated that strain JSM 102062T represents a noval species of the genus Sediminibacillus, for which the name Sediminibacillus terrae sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is JSM 102062T (=CCTCC AB 2014166T = CGMCC 1.12957T=DSM 28949T=KCTC 33541T).

Discovery and study on potential effect of herbal pair of Uncariae Ramulus cum Uncis-Eucommiae Cortex on pregnancy hypertension based on network pharmacology and molecular docking / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to explore the optimal indications and mechanism of Uncariae Ramulus cum Uncis(UR)-Eucommiae Cortex(EC) in lowering blood pressure based on network pharmacology and molecular docking. Chemical constituents were collected and screened by TCMSP database. Swiss Target Prediction platform was used to predict the related targets of the drug. OMIM, TCMIP and GeneCards databases were used to collect hypertension-related genes, and the intersections were taken to obtain potential targets for anti-hypertensive treatment of UR-EC. FunRich software was used to enrich the clinical phenotype and expression site of potential target of lowering blood pressure to analyze and predict the optimal indications of UR-EC. STRING database was used for KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, and Cytoscape 3.7.2 was used to construct the network of "composition-target-pathway". The key targets and their corresponding components in the network were analyzed and obtained, and then molecular docking was applied for preliminary verification. Twenty potential active components of UR and 24 potential active components of EC were respectively collected, and 92 anti-hypertensive potential targets of UR-EC were obtained. According to FunRich enrichment results, the optimal indication of UR-EC was pregnancy hypertension, which involved calcium signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, neuroactive ligand receptor interaction, renin vascular tightening, VEGF signaling pathway, etc. In addition, AKT1, NOS2, ADRB2, F2, NOS3, SCN5 A, HTR2 A and JAK2 were considered as the key targets in the network. The molecular docking results showed that the screened potential active components had high binding activity with the key targets. This study preliminarily revealed that UR-EC may have therapeutic effects on pregnancy hypertension in terms of sedation, anti-hypertension, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, improvement of vascular endothelial function and so on.

Triphenyl Phosphate at Environmental Levels Retarded Ovary Development and Reduced Egg Production in Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes).

Since triphenyl phosphate (TPhP) elicits both antiestrogenic activities via blocking the estrogen receptor (ER) and estrogenic activity by elevating 17ß-estradiol (17ß-E2) synthesis, its adverse effect on female reproduction is uncertain. In this study, we exposed Japanese medaka to TPhP at 131, 363, and 1773 ng/L for 100 days following hatching. TPhP significantly induced ovary retardation in all exposure groups (incidence: from 11.9 to 37.8%) and reduced egg production by 38.9 and 50.9% in the 363 and 1773 ng/L exposure groups, respectively. Vitellogenin (vtg) transcription was significantly downregulated by 35.4-57.4% after TPhP exposure, explaining the ovary retardation. Considering that 17ß-E2 was only significantly decreased in the 1773 ng/L exposure group, ER antagonism could be the dominant contributor to the inhibition of vtg transcription and female reproductive toxicity of TPhP. As 4-hydroxyphenyl diphenyl phosphate, a metabolite of TPhP, was detected in livers with similar concentration [68.4-1237 ng/g lipid weight (lw)] to that of TPhP (485-1594 ng/g lw) and elicited medaka ER antagonistic activity (50% inhibitory concentration = 78.1 µM), TPhP and its metabolite should both contribute to the reproductive inhibition. We demonstrate that TPhP at environmentally relevant concentrations is toxic to female reproduction, which poses an ecological risk to wild fish at the population level.

Diversity, knowledge, and valuation of plants used as fermentation starters for traditional glutinous rice wine by Dong communities in Southeast Guizhou, China.

BACKGROUND: Beverages prepared by fermenting plants have a long history of use for medicinal, social, and ritualistic purposes around the world. Socio-linguistic groups throughout China have traditionally used plants as fermentation starters (or koji) for brewing traditional rice wine. The objective of this study was to evaluate traditional knowledge, diversity, and values regarding plants used as starters for brewing glutinous rice wine in the Dong communities in the Guizhou Province of China, an area of rich biological and cultural diversity. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were administered for collecting ethnobotanical data on plants used as starters for brewing glutinous rice wine in Dong communities. Field work was carried out in three communities in Guizhou Province from September 2017 to July 2018. A total of 217 informants were interviewed from the villages. RESULTS: A total of 60 plant species were identified to be used as starters for brewing glutinous rice wine, belonging to 58 genera in 36 families. Asteraceae and Rosaceae are the most represented botanical families for use as a fermentation starter for rice wine with 6 species respectively, followed by Lamiaceae (4 species); Asparagaceae, Menispermaceae, and Polygonaceae (3 species respectively); and Lardizabalaceae, Leguminosae, Moraceae, Poaceae, and Rubiaceae (2 species, respectively). The other botanical families were represented by one species each. The species used for fermentation starters consist of herbs (60.0%), shrubs (23.3%), climbers (10.0%), and trees (6.7%). The parts used include the root (21.7%), leaf (20.0%), and the whole plant (16.7%). Findings indicate a significant relationship between knowledge of plants used as fermentation starters with age (P value < 0.001) and educational status (P value = 0.004) but not with gender (P value = 0.179) and occupation (P value = 0.059). The species that are most used by informants include Pueraria lobata var. montana (Lour.) van der Maesen (UV = 1.74; Leguminosae), Actinidia eriantha Benth. (UV = 1.51; Actinidiaceae), Oryza sativa L. var. glutinosa Matsum (UV = 1.5; Poaceae). CONCLUSION: This study highlights that while most of the Dong informants continue to use a diverse range of plants as a fermentation starter for brewing glutinous rice wine, knowledge of these plants is being lost by the younger generations. Documentation of traditional ethnobotanical knowledge and outreach is thus needed to conserve biocultural diversity in the rural Dong communities in southern China.

Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Properties of Eucommia ulmoides: A Review.

Eucommia ulmoides Oliver, a single species of Eucommia genus belonging to the Eucommiaceae family, is an endemic in China and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for nearly two thousand years. Records from different historical periods highlight E. ulmoides and its officinal botanical parts, usefulness in adaptation to disease and its central role in Chinese medicine theory. There are also historical collection documents for minorities in China. Tearing the leaves, bark and fruit produces strands of latex; a description of E. ulmoides's morphological features is recorded in this paper. This review summarizes 204 natural compounds isolated from this plant, which are divided into seven categories: lignans, iridoids, flavonoids, phenols, steroids, terpenes and others. These components possess wide-ranging pharmacological efficacies, such as antihypertensive, antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemia, anti-oxidative, anti-osteoporosis, antitumor, immunomodulatory and neuroprotective activities. This review aims to provide a reference for extensive researches of E. ulmoides crude drugs, especially for quality control, biosynthesis and structure modification of active ingredients and pharmacological mechanism.

Dynamic Economic Resilience and Economic Recovery from Disasters: A Quantitative Assessment.

This article analyzes the role of dynamic economic resilience in relation to recovery from disasters in general and illustrates its potential to reduce disaster losses in a case study of the Wenchuan earthquake of 2008. We first offer operational definitions of the concept linked to policies to promote increased levels and speed of investment in repair and reconstruction to implement this resilience. We then develop a dynamic computable general equilibrium (CGE) model that incorporates major features of investment and traces the time-path of the economy as it recovers with and without dynamic economic resilience. The results indicate that resilience strategies could have significantly reduced GDP losses from the Wenchuan earthquake by 47.4% during 2008-2011 by accelerating the pace of recovery and could have further reduced losses slightly by shortening the recovery by one year. The results can be generalized to conclude that shortening the recovery period is not nearly as effective as increasing reconstruction investment levels and steepening the time-path of recovery. This is an important distinction that should be made in the typically vague and singular reference to increasing the speed of recovery in many definitions of dynamic resilience.

Two new guaiane-type sesquiterpenes from Curcuma kwangsiensis and their inhibitory activity of nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages.

Two new guaiane-type sesquiterpenes, kwangsiensis A and B (1-2) were isolated from the roots of Curcuma kwangsiensis. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods, including NMR, circular dichroism (CD) and high-resolution mass-spectrometry. The anti-inflammatory activity of the two compounds was evaluated on the basis of their inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages. Compounds 1 and 2 showed moderate inhibitory activities with IC50 values of 27.4 and 35.1 µM, respectively.

Transcriptomic responses of the freshwater snail (Parafossarulus striatulus) following dietary exposure to cyanobacteria.

Freshwater snails are promising bioindicators that can be used in ecotoxicological testing and ecological risk assessments. To screen molecular responses following mollusk exposure to algal blooms, whole transcriptome sequencing was performed with the freshwater snail (Parafossarulus striatulus) fed with blue algae (Microcystis aeruginosa). A total of 86,848 unigenes were assembled, and 10,413 unigenes were annotated in the TrEMBL, Pfam, KEGG, and SwissProt databases. In snails fed with both green and blue algae, a total of 276 differentially expressed unigenes were identified, though there were limited differences in snails fed with only green algae. In addition, ten randomly selected differentially expressed unigenes were analyzed in snails collected from Taihu Lake, China. The expression of four unigenes exhibited a trend consistent with that observed in transcriptome profiling of laboratory snails. The results of this study provide an invaluable resource for enhancing our understanding of ecotoxicology following the occurrence of algal blooms in lakes.

The new steroidal glycosides from the aerial parts of Lepidogrammitis drymoglossoides.

Two new steroidal glycosides ponasteroside C (1) and ponasteroside D (2) were isolated from the aerial parts of Lepidogrammitis drymoglossoides. Their structures were elucidated by various spectroscopic techniques (IR, HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR). All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against HeLa and HCT-8 cell lines, and compounds 1 and 2 showed mild activity against all the test cell lines.

[Effects of Climatic Factors on Contents of Major Medical Components in Smilax china from Different Regions in Western Hunan].

OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of climatic factors on the major medical component in Smilax china, and to supply a scientific and standard operation protocol on the introduction and cultivation. METHODS: Detect the content of major medical components, such as baicalin and astibin, in Smilax china from eight counties of Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture. And establish their relationship with annual average temperature, Jan average temp, Jul average temp, valid accumulative temp (≥ 10 degress C), annual maximum temp, annual minimum temp, annual precipitation, annual sunshine amount, non-frost period and relative humidity by using the methods of partial least squares regression analysis (PLS). RESULTS: Relative humidity, annual minimum temp and annual precipitation are the dominant factors. Annual minimum temp, annual average temp and valid accumulative temp were significantly correlated to the content of major medical components, thus, relative humidity, annual precipitation and non-frost period were negatively related to them. CONCLUSION: This study provides a scientific basis for resources protection,introduction and cultivation of Smilax china.

Bacillus hemicentroti sp. nov., a moderate halophile isolated from a sea urchin.

A novel Gram-staining-positive, moderately halophilic, facultatively alkaliphilic, non-motile, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative, endospore-forming, facultatively anaerobic rod, designated JSM 076093(T), was isolated from a sea urchin (Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus) collected from Naozhou Island in the South China Sea. Growth occurred with 0.5-25% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 5-8%) and at pH 6.0-10.5 (optimum pH 8.0) and 5-40 °C (optimum 30-35 °C). meso-Diaminopimelic acid was present in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. The predominant respiratory quinone was menaquinone 7 and the polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and one unidentified phospholipid. The major cellular fatty acids (>10% of the total) were anteiso-C(15:0), anteiso-C(17:0), iso-C(16:0) and iso-C(14:0). The genomic DNA G+C content was 38.8 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain JSM 076093(T) belonged to the genus Bacillus and was related most closely to Bacillus hwajinpoensis SW-72(T) (99.1% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) and Bacillus algicola KMM 3737(T) (97.3%). The combination of results from the phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA hybridization and phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characterization supported the conclusion that strain JSM 076093(T) represents a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus hemicentroti sp. nov. is proposed, with JSM 076093(T) (=DSM 23007(T)=KCTC 13710(T)) as the type strain.

Jeotgalicoccus nanhaiensis sp. nov., isolated from intertidal sediment, and emended description of the genus Jeotgalicoccus.

A novel non-sporulating, non-motile, catalase- and oxidase-positive, strictly aerobic, Gram-positive-staining coccus, strain JSM 077023(T), was isolated from an intertidal sediment sample collected from Naozhou Island in the South China Sea, China. Growth occurred in the presence of 0.5-25 % (w/v) NaCl [optimum, 2-5 % (w/v) NaCl] and at pH 5.5-10.5 (optimum, pH 7.0-8.0) and at 4-45 °C (optimum, 30-35 °C). The major amino acid constituents of the cell wall were alanine, glycine and lysine. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0 and iso-C15:0. The strain contained MK-7 and MK-6 as the predominant respiratory quinones and diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified phospholipid as the polar lipids. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain JSM 077023(T) was 41.3 mol%. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons revealed that strain JSM 077023(T) should be assigned to the genus Jeotgalicoccus and was most closely related to the type strains of Jeotgalicoccus halotolerans (sequence similarity 99.0 %) and Jeotgalicoccus aerolatus (99.0 %), followed by Jeotgalicoccus coquinae (98.6 %) and Jeotgalicoccus psychrophilus (97.4 %). 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of less than 97 % were observed with other species of the genus Jeotgalicoccus. Levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain JSM 077023(T) and the type strains of J. halotolerans, J. aerolatus, J. coquinae and J. psychrophilus ranged from 36.8 to 22.7 %. The combination of phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA relatedness values, phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic data supported the suggestion that strain JSM 077023(T) represents a novel species of the genus Jeotgalicoccus, for which the name Jeotgalicoccus nanhaiensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JSM 077023(T) ( = DSM 23006(T) = KCTC 13714(T)). An emended description of the genus Jeotgalicoccus is also presented.