Mitochondrial genomes of Nemourinae species (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) and the phylogenetic implications.

Currently, the classification system of 2 subfamilies within Nemouridae has been widely accepted. However, monophyly of 2 subfamilies has not been well supported by molecular evidence. To date, only mitogenomes from genus Nemoura of the subfamily Nemourinae were used in previous phylogenetic studies and produced conflicting results with morphological studies. Herein, we analyzed mitogenomes of 3 Nemourinae species to reveal their mitogenomic characteristics and to examine genus-level classification among Nemouridae. In this study, the genome organization of 3 mitogenomes is highly conserved in gene order, nucleotide composition, codon usage, and amino acid composition. In 3 Nemourinae species, there is a high variation in nucleotide diversity among the 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs). The Ka/Ks values for all PCGs were far lower than 1, indicating that these genes were evolving under purifying selection. The phylogenetic analyses highly support Nemurella as the sister group to Ostrocerca. Meanwhile, Nemoura is recovered as the sister group of Malenka; they are grouped with other Amphinemurinae and emerged from a paraphyletic Nemourinae. More molecular data from different taxonomic groups are needed to understand stoneflies phylogeny and evolution.

A Holocene lacustrine record of variations in chemical weathering intensity in the Mu Us Desert, China.

The Mu Us Desert is an ideal location to study environmental changes during the Late Quaternary, because of its unique characteristics. The Abaoyan (ABY) profile, a typical aeolian-lacustrine profile located at the eastern edge of the desert, was investigated in this study. A basic chronological framework was established based on a combination of radiocarbon dating by accelerator mass spectrometry and in situ sedimentary phase identification. Furthermore, changes in regional chemical weathering intensity since the Holocene were evaluated through comprehensive analysis of the collected samples in terms of grain size, loss on ignition (LOI), chromaticity, geochemical element contents, and soil micromorphology. The results showed that the ABY profile was under the influence of primary and moderate chemical weathering. Regional paleoclimatic environmental changes could be divided into four stages. During Stage I (before 12.6 ka BP; pre-Holocene), the ABY profile was dominated by aeolian sand, showing a coarse average grain size, low LOI, and high chromaticity values, which may have indicated a dry and cold period. During Stage II (12.6-10.3 ka BP; early Holocene), the ABY profile was dominated by lacustrine sediments, indicating a shallow lake water environment with strong chemical weathering and a warm and humid climate. During Stage III (10.3-4.2 ka BP), the profile was dominated by sandy peat deposits with a relatively large proportion of clay particles suggesting that the intensity of chemical weathering was relatively strong in the region during this period and the climate was mainly warm and humid. During Stage IV (after 4.2 ka BP), the sediment was dominated by aeolian sand and secondary loess, the chromaticity increased, the LOI reduced, and the regional chemical weathering intensity was weaker. The change in chemical weathering intensity in this region was inferred to be a positive response to the Holocene East Asian monsoon circulation.

Reaction-based turn-on electrochemiluminescent sensor with a ruthenium(II) complex for selective detection of extracellular hydrogen sulfide in rat brain.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been drawing increasing attention because it plays an important role in the nervous system and has been deemed as a third endogenous gas signal molecule besides nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO). In this study, using a ruthenium complex, [Ru(bpy)2(bpy-DPA)Cu](4+) (where bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine and bpy-DPA = 4-methyl-4'-[N,N-bis(2-picolyl)aminomethylene]-2,2'-bipyridine) as recognition unit, we report a new reaction-based turn-on electrochemiluminescent (ECL) sensor to selectively detect extracellular H2S in rat brain, coupled with in vivo microdialysis for dialysate sampling. To prepare the sensor for sensing endogenous H2S, [Ru(bpy)2(bpy-DPA)](2+) is first designed and synthesized, showing high ECL efficiency with tri-n-propylamine (TPA) as a coreactant and quenching after reaction with Cu(2+) (forming [Ru(bpy)2(bpy-DPA)Cu](4+)). Then a Nafion membrane is coated on the surface of glassy carbon (GC) electrode and [Ru(bpy)2(bpy-DPA)Cu](4+) is confined onto the Nafion membrane through ion exchange. The resulting [Ru(bpy)2(bpy-DPA)Cu](4+)/Nafion/GC sensor exhibits a low ECL signal. The [Ru(bpy)2(bpy-DPA)Cu](4+)/Nafion/GC sensor demonstrates enhanced ECL signal after reacting with volatile H2S due to the high-affinity binding between sulfur and Cu(2+), returning to [Ru(bpy)2(bpy-DPA)](2+)/Nafion/GC. The changes of ECL signal at the sensor depend linearly on the concentration of Na2S in the range from 0.5 to 10 µM, with a detection limit of 0.25 µM. Moreover, the sensor demonstrates high selectivity, free from interference especially by other nonvolatile thiol-containing species, such as cysteine and glutathione. The basal dialysate level of H2S in the microdialysate from the cortex of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats is determined to be 2.3 ± 0.9 µM (n = 4). This method is reliable and is envisaged to help understand the regulation of H2S in physiological and pathological events.

Regeneration of high-quality silk fibroin fiber by wet spinning from CaCl2-formic acid solvent.

Silks spun by silkworms and spiders feature outstanding mechanical properties despite being spun under benign conditions. The superior physical properties of silk are closely related to its complicated hierarchical structures constructed from nanoscale building blocks, such as nanocrystals and nanofibrils. Here, we report a novel silk dissolution behavior, which preserved nanofibrils in CaCl2-formic acid solution, that enables spinning of high-quality fibers with a hierarchical structure. This process is characterized by simplicity, high efficiency, low cost, environmental compatibility and large-scale industrialization potential, as well as having utility and potential for the recycling of silk waste and the production of silk-based functional materials.