Effects of "audience effects"on animal mate choice: A review.

The information tranfered among individual animals can be shared by a network, which is consisted of the sender, the receiver, and the extra bystander of the communication signals. The bystanders can read and use the signal that is not sent directly to them and make use of it to interfere with the sender and the receiver, which is known as "audience effects" in the research area of animal behaviors. The processes of mate choice and mating of animals occur mainly in the network that is composed of the particular species. Increasing evidence show that the audience effects play an important role in regulating mating preference and mating strategy, resulting in changes in species evolution. Here, we review the role of audience effects on animal mate choice and evolution by clarifying the definition and functional explanations of audience effects, the factors contributing to audience effects, as well as the different impacts of audience effects on males and females. It would provide novel ideas to study the impacts of audience effects on mate choice and species evolution in the future.

Evolution and phylogenetic diversity of the aquaporin gene family in arachnids.

Water flux across cells predominantly occurs through the pore formed by the aquaporin channels. Since water balance is one of the most important challenges to terrestrial animals, aquaporin evolution and diversity is known to play roles in animal terrestrialisation. Arachnids (Arthropoda: Chelicerata: Arachnida) are the second most diverse group and represent the pioneer land colonists in animals; however, there remains no thorough investigation on aquaporin evolution and diversity in this evolutionarily important lineage. Here we reported a phylogenetic study of aquaporin evolution and diversity using genomic data from 116 arachnid species covering almost all (15/16) extant orders. A previously unrecognised subfamily related to aquaporin-4 (i.e. Aqp4-like subfamily) via phylogenetic analysis was identified, suggesting certain underestimate of the arachnid aquaporin diversity in earlier studies probably due to limited taxonomic sampling. Further analysis indicates that this subfamily emerged deep within the life tree of arthropods. Gene tree of another Aqp4-like subfamily (PripL) shows an unexpected basal split between acariform mites (Acariformes) and other arachnids. A closer inspection demonstrated that the PripL evolved quickly and has been under differential selection pressure in acariform mites. Evidence is provided that the evolutionarily ancient Glp subfamily (i.e. aquaglyceroporin) is significantly expanded in terrestrial arachnids compared with their marine relatives. Finally, in spite of the phylogenetic diversity, there exists conservation of some exons in size, functional domain, and intron-insertion phase: an 81-bp and a 218-bp exon, respectively, in apq4-like and glp genes across Eumetazoa lineages including arachnids and human beings. Both exons encode the carboxyl-terminal NPA motif, implying the coding and splicing pressure during hundreds of million years of animal evolution. Hypotheses were tested to explore the possible link between these findings and arachnid terrestrialisation.

Prioritization of cancer driver gene with prize-collecting steiner tree by introducing an edge weighted strategy in the personalized gene interaction network.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is a heterogeneous disease in which tumor genes cooperate as well as adapt and evolve to the changing conditions for individual patients. It is a meaningful task to discover the personalized cancer driver genes that can provide diagnosis and target drug for individual patients. However, most of existing methods mainly ranks potential personalized cancer driver genes by considering the patient-specific nodes information on the gene/protein interaction network. These methods ignore the personalized edge weight information in gene interaction network, leading to false positive results. RESULTS: In this work, we presented a novel algorithm (called PDGPCS) to predict the Personalized cancer Driver Genes based on the Prize-Collecting Steiner tree model by considering the personalized edge weight information. PDGPCS first constructs the personalized weighted gene interaction network by integrating the personalized gene expression data and prior known gene/protein interaction network knowledge. Then the gene mutation data and pathway data are integrated to quantify the impact of each mutant gene on every dysregulated pathway with the prize-collecting Steiner tree model. Finally, according to the mutant gene's aggregated impact score on all dysregulated pathways, the mutant genes are ranked for prioritizing the personalized cancer driver genes. Experimental results on four TCGA cancer datasets show that PDGPCS has better performance than other personalized driver gene prediction methods. In addition, we verified that the personalized edge weight of gene interaction network can improve the prediction performance. CONCLUSIONS: PDGPCS can more accurately identify the personalized driver genes and takes a step further toward personalized medicine and treatment. The source code of PDGPCS can be freely downloaded from https://github.com/NWPU-903PR/PDGPCS .

Selenium Attenuates S. aureus-Induced Inflammation by Regulation TLR2 Signaling Pathway and NLRP3 Inflammasome in RAW 264.7 Macrophages.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of selenium (Se) on the expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and pyrin domain-containing protein (NLRP)3 inflammasome in macrophages infected by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). RAW 264.7 macrophages were treated with 2 µmol/L Na2SeO3 for 12 h before infection with S. aureus for 2 h. Through Western blot, qRT-PCR, and ELISA analysis, the core molecules of TLR2 signaling pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome in RAW 264.7 macrophages were detected. Results showed that Se significantly reduced the elevated mRNA expression of TLR2, myeloid differentiation factor-88 (Myd88), NLRP3, Caspase-recruitment domain (ASC), and Caspase-1 induced by S. aureus. Furthermore, compared with I group, the protein expression of TLR2, Myd88, NLRP3, ASC, and Caspase-1 were suppressed in T group. In addition, the mRNA and protein expression of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) induced by S. aureus were also decreased after Se treatment. In conclusion, Se inhibits S. aureus-induced inflammation by suppressing the activation of the TLR2 signaling pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome in RAW 264.7 macrophages.

Sesquiterpenoids and furan derivatives from the Orychophragmus violaceus (L.) O.E. Schulz endophytic fungus Irpex lacteus OV38.

Nine undescribed compounds, including six tremulane-type sesquiterpenoids, irpexolaceus A-F, one phenolic bisabolane-type sesquiterpenoid, irpexolaceus G, and two furan derivatives, irpexonjust A-B, as well as eight known analogs, were isolated from an endophytic fungus (Irpex lacteus OV38) of Orychophragmus violaceus (L.) O.E. Schulz, a Chinese medicinal and edible plant. The structures of these natural compounds were elucidated based on NMR, HRESIMS, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and ECD spectroscopic data. Among the tested isolates (50 µg/mL), the inhibitory effects of irpexolaceus A, C, D, F, and G, irpexonjust B, and irpexlacte B against NO release from LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells were higher than 45%, while irpexlacte C (42.6%), irpexolaceus B (39.6%), irpexonjust A (43.7%), and irpexolaceus E (33.6%) exhibited weaker inhibitory effects on the release of NO.

Short Communication: Effects of Dietary Selenium Supplementation on Selenium Deposition and Antioxidant Status in Postpartum Mice.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary selenium during pregnancy on the selenium deposition and antioxidant enzymes in postpartum mouse serum, liver, and mammary gland. Eighty BALB/c pregnant mice were randomly divided into four groups: CG (Se-deficient basal diet, n = 20), LG (0.05 mg/kg Se-supplemented diet, n = 20), MG (0.1 mg/kg Se-supplemented diet, n = 20), and HG (0.2 mg/kg Se-supplemented diet, n = 20). Four days after parturition, all mice were euthanized. The selenium deposition and antioxidants enzymes in serum, liver, and mammary gland were detected. Results show that with increasing selenium supplementation, the selenium deposition and activation of T-AOC, T-SOD, and GSH-Px increased, meanwhile the concentration of MDA decreased in serum, liver, and mammary gland. Therefore, this study suggested selenium was mainly deposited in the liver, and dietary selenium during pregnancy might improve the antioxidant status in postpartum animals.

Attenuation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm by hordenine: a combinatorial study with aminoglycoside antibiotics.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous pathogen that is the leading cause of chronic infections. Bacterial biofilm formation facilitates CF development and restricts the anti-bacterial potential of many current antibiotics. The capacity of P. aeruginosa to form biofilms and resist antibiotics is closely correlated with quorum sensing (QS). Disrupting QS by QS inhibitors is a promising strategy for treating chronic infections. Here, we evaluated the effect of hordenine, a recently characterized QS inhibitor, on the susceptibility of aminoglycoside antibiotics against P. aeruginosa biofilms. Hordenine significantly enhanced the susceptibility of aminoglycoside antibiotics tobramycin, gentamycin, and amikacin against P. aeruginosa PAO1 biofilm formation. Combinations of hordenine and aminoglycoside antibiotics showed potent efficiency in disrupting the preformed biofilms of P. aeruginosa. Microscopic observations showed flat, scattered, and unstructured biofilm architecture after treatment with hordenine. Mechanistic study further revealed that hordenine treatment led to the downregulation of genes involved in QS and biofilm formation. Thus, our results suggest that hordenine has the potential to function as an antibiotic accelerant in treating P. aeruginosa infections.

[Raman Signal Enhancement for Gas Detection Using a Near Concentric Cavity].

The detection of dissolved gases in seawater plays an important role in ocean observation and exploration. Raman spectroscopy has a great advantage in simultaneous multiple species detection and is thus regarded as a favorable choice for ocean application. However, its sensitivity remains insufficient, and a demand in enhancements is called! for before putting Raman spectroscopy to actual use in marine studies In this work, we developed a near-concentric cavity, in which laser beam could be trapped and reflected back and forth, for the purpose of intensifying Raman signals. The factors that would influence Raman signals were taken into account. The result show that the smaller angle between collection direction and optical axis of reflection mirror, the stronger the signal and signal to noise ratio (SNR) is. With a collection angle of 30 degrees, our Near-concentric Cavity System managed to raise the SNR to a figure about 16 times larger than that of common methods applying 90 degrees. Moreover, the alignment pattern in our system made it possible to excel concentric cavity with a 3 times larger SNR. Compared with the single-pass Raman signal, the signal intensity of our near-concentric cavity was up to 70 times enhanced. According to the obtained results of CO2 measurement, it can be seen that the new system provides a limit of detection(LOD) for CO2 about 0.19 mg x L(-1) using 3-σ criterion standard, and the LOD of 11.5 µg x L(-1) for CH4 was evaluated with the theoretical cross section values of CO2 and CH4.

[Study of cuttings identification using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy].

Cutting identification is one of the most important links in the course of cutting logging which is very significant in the process of oil drilling. In the present paper, LIBS was used for identification of four kinds of cutting samples coming from logging field, and then multivariate analysis was used in data processing. The whole spectra model and the feature model were built for cuttings identification using PLS-DA method. The accuracy of the whole spectra model was 88.3%, a little more than the feature model with an accuracy of 86.7%. While in the aspect of data size, the variables were decreased from 24,041 to 27 by feature extraction, which increased the efficiency of data processing observably. The obtained results demonstrate that LIBS combined with chemometrics method could be developed as a rapid and valid approach to cutting identification and has great potential to be used in logging field.

[Effects of laser wavelength on detection of metal elements in water solution by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy].

In the present paper, aiming at the problem of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) applyication in ocean detection, the effects of laser wavelength on the detection of Ca in water solution were investigated. The evolvement characteriza tion of electron density was studied by analyzing the time resolved spectra of the plasma. The experimental results show that the lifetime of plasma is about 1 200 and 600 ns respectively induced by 1 064 and 532 nm laser. Based on the optical transmission characteristic and the LIBS experimental results, the dependence of needed laser energy before incidence into water E(iopt)(r) for optimal detection effect on the detection distance in water was found, and the dependence was simulated by applying to the in situ detection in water solution. The simulated results suggest that the needed laser energy of 1 064 nm laser before incidence into water is about 100 mJ when the detection distance is no larger than 5 cm. When the detection distance increases to 10 cm, the needed laser energy of 532 nm before incidence into water is only about 30 mJ. So it should be considered to choose 532 nm laser as the ablation source with the increase in the in situ detection distance.

[Experimental investigation of quantitatively analysing trace Mo in complex metallic alloys by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy].

The quantitative analysis using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), lack of appropriate interior label element, is described and applied to trace element molybdenum (Mo) detection in complex metallic alloys. A Q-switched Nd : YAG laser operating at 532 nm was utilized to generate plasma and the emission was recorded by a grating spectrometer equipped with CCD, boxcar and PMT. The three peak heights of Mo I , 550.649, 553.305 and 557.045 nm, changing with Mo mass fraction in metallic alloys were measured to produce calibration curves respectively, and double blind method was used to analyse a test sample. Based on Mo I 550.649 nm line, the Mo mass fraction in the test sample was determined to be 2.229% with relative error of 5.57% in comparison with the given value of 2.111%. On using Mo I 557.045 nm line, the relative error was found to be doubled due to the overlap with Fe emission lines. While taking the total height of three atomic lines into account in analysis, the resulted error dropped to 7.58%, even better than the average of predicted concentrations based on the above three lines. The obtained results demonstrate that satisfactory precision could be obtained under a consistent experiment condition with the above scheme, even without appropriate interior label element. The methods of maintaining stable laser ablation efficiency on sample are also discussed.

[Time-resolved evaluation of self-absorption in laser induced plasma from nickel sample].

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been shown to be a promising technique for element analysis. However, self-absorption effect deeply influences the LIBS measurements. In the present paper, a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser operated at 1 064 nm was used to generate nickel plasmas in air. Four atomic lines Ni I 341.476/351.034/351.505/352.454 nm which belong to the same electronic configuration (3d9 (2D)4p-3d9 (2D)4s) of Ni were chosen for self-absorption investigation. Self-absorption of Ni I 351. 034 nm corresponding to the highest energy level 3D1 of 3d(9) (2D)4s was not observed in the plasma emission investigated. While for the other three lines, a strong self-absorption appeared at the prophase of the plasma and tended to weaken. The self-absorption at Ni I 352.454 nm was the most serious and still visible at the delay of 1100 ns, compared with the lines of Ni I 341.476/351.505 nm whose self-absorption duration is 900 and 500 ns respectively. It was also found that the self-absorption effect had power dependence and decreased with the increase in laser pulse energy. The obtained results suggest that the self-absorption effect could be alleviated by suitable atomic line selection, operating at a higher pulse energy and detecting with a longer delay. The possible reasons for the self-absorption duration difference for different lines were also discussed.

Influence of Shenqing Recipe on morphology and quantity of colonic interstitial cells of Cajal in trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid induced rat colitis.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the influence of Shenqing Recipe (SQR), a kind of Traditional Chinese Medicine, on the morphology and quantity of colonic interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced rat colitis, and to investigate the possible mechanism of SQR in regulating intestinal dynamics. METHODS: Sixty rats were randomly divided into normal control, model 1, model 2, mesalazine, and high-dose, and low-dose SQR groups with 10 rats in each group. TNBS (10 mg) dissolved in 50% ethanol was instilled into the lumen of the rat colon of the latter five groups to induce colitis. On the 4th day after administration of TNBS, each treatment group was administered one of the following formulations by enteroclysis gavage once a day for 7 days: 600 mg•kg⁻¹â€¢d⁻¹ mesalazine, 2.4 g•kg⁻¹â€¢d⁻¹ SQR, and 1.2 g•kg⁻¹â€¢d⁻¹ SQR. Model 2 rats received normal saline solution. After 7 days colonic samples were collected. While the colonic samples of model 1 group were collected on the 3rd day after TNBS administered. Ultrastructure of ICC in the damaged colonic tissues was observed with transmission electron microscope. Expression of c-kit protein in colonic tissue was determined by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot. RESULTS: The ultrastructure of colonic ICC in the rat model of TNBS-induced colitis showed a severe injury, and administration of SQR or mesalazine reduced the severity of injury. Similarly, the expression of c-kit protein of TNBS-induced colitis rat model was significantly decreased compared with the normal control group (P < 0.05). Treatment with SQR or mesalazine significantly increased the expression of c-kit protein compared with the administration of control formulations (P < 0.05), especially the high-dose SQR group. CONCLUSION: SQR could alleviate and repair the injured ICC, and improve its quantity, which might be involved in regulating intestinal motility.

[Efficacy of concurrent radio-chemotherapy and chemotherapy alone in the treatment of locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect and acute toxicity of concurrent radio-chemotherapy, by NVB and DDP, plus concurrent radiotherapy in comparison with chemotherapy alone in the treatment of inoperable locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (LANSCLC). METHODS: Sixty-four patients with inoperable LANSCLC were randomly divided by envelope method into two groups: concurrent radio-chemotherapy group (n = 33) and conventional chemotherapy group (n = 31). The patients in conventional chemotherapy group were treated by NP regimen (NVB + DDP): NVB 25 mg/m(2), d1, 8 and DDP 25-30 mg/m(2) d1-3. In the radio-chemotherapy group by NP regimen plus conventional radiotherapy by (60)Co: 64-68 Gy/2 Gy x 5/w x 6-7w. RESULTS: All patients completed the treatment schedule. The overall response rate (CR + PR) in the radio-chemotherapy group was significantly higher than that in the conventional chemotherapy group: 81.8% vs 45.2%, (P < 0.01) with 1- and 2-year survival rates of 69.7% vs 38.7% (P < 0.05) and 39.4% vs 16.1% (P < 0.05). without any significant difference in the acute toxicity between two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with conventional chemotherapy (NVP and DDP), concurrent radio-chemotherapy (NVP and DDP plus concurrent radiotherapy) is more effective and tolerable for the inoperable locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.