Genome-wide association study for cashmere traits in Inner Mongolia cashmere goat population reveals new candidate genes and haplotypes.

BACKGROUND: The cashmere goat industry is one of the main pillars of animal husbandry in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and plays an irreplaceable role in local economic development. With the change in feeding methods and environment, the cashmere produced by Inner Mongolia cashmere goats shows a tendency of coarser, and the cashmere yield can not meet the consumption demand of people. However, the genetic basis behind these changes is not fully understood. We measured cashmere traits, including cashmere yield (CY), cashmere diameter (CD), cashmere thickness (CT), and fleece length (FL) traits for four consecutive years, and utilized Genome-wide association study of four cashmere traits in Inner Mongolia cashmere goats was carried out using new genomics tools to infer genomic regions and functional loci associated with cashmere traits and to construct haplotypes that significantly affect cashmere traits. RESULTS: We estimated the genetic parameters of cashmere traits in Inner Mongolia cashmere goats. The heritability of cashmere yield, cashmere diameter, and fleece length traits of Inner Mongolia cashmere goats were 0.229, 0.359, and 0.250, which belonged to the medium heritability traits (0.2 ~ 0.4). The cashmere thickness trait has a low heritability of 0.053. We detected 151 genome-wide significantly associated SNPs with four cashmere traits on different chromosomes, which were very close to the chromosomes of 392 genes (located within the gene or within ± 500 kb). Notch3, BMPR1B, and CCNA2 have direct functional associations with fibroblasts and follicle stem cells, which play important roles in hair follicle growth and development. Based on GO functional annotation and KEGG enrichment analysis, potential candidate genes were associated with pathways of hair follicle genesis and development (Notch, P13K-Akt, TGF-beta, Cell cycle, Wnt, MAPK). We calculated the effective allele number of the Inner Mongolia cashmere goat population to be 1.109-1.998, the dominant genotypes of most SNPs were wild-type, the polymorphic information content of 57 SNPs were low polymorphism (0 < PIC < 0.25), and the polymorphic information content of 79 SNPs were moderate polymorphism (0.25 < PIC < 0.50). We analyzed the association of SNPs with phenotypes and found that the homozygous mutant type of SNP1 and SNP3 was associated with the highest cashmere yield, the heterozygous mutant type of SNP30 was associated with the lowest cashmere thickness, the wild type of SNP76, SNP77, SNP78, SNP80, and SNP81 was associated with the highest cashmere thickness, and the wild type type of SNP137 was associated with the highest fleece length. 21 haplotype blocks and 68 haplotype combinations were constructed. Haplotypes A2A2, B2B2, C2C2, and D4D4 were associated with increased cashmere yield, haplotypes E2E2, F1F1, G5G5, and G1G5 were associated with decreased cashmere fineness, haplotypes H2H2 was associated with increased cashmere thickness, haplotypes I1I1, I1I2, J1J4, L5L3, N3N2, N3N3, O2O1, P2P2, and Q3Q3 were associated with increased cashmere length. We verified the polymorphism of 8 SNPs by KASP, and found that chr7_g.102631194A > G, chr10_g.82715068 T > C, chr1_g.124483769C > T, chr24_g.12811352C > T, chr6_g.114111249A > G, and chr6_g.115606026 T > C were significantly genotyped in verified populations (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the genetic effect of single SNP on phenotypes is small, and SNPs are more inclined to be inherited as a whole. By constructing haplotypes from SNPs that are significantly associated with cashmere traits, it will help to reveal the complex and potential causal variations in cashmere traits of Inner Mongolia cashmere goats. This will be a valuable resource for genomics and breeding of the cashmere goat.

Genetic diversity analysis of Inner Mongolia cashmere goats (Erlangshan subtype) based on whole genome re-sequencing.

BACKGROUND: Inner Mongolia cashmere goat (IMCG), renowned for its superior cashmere quality, is a Chinese indigenous goat breed that has been developed through natural and artificial selection over a long period. However, recently, the genetic resources of IMCGs have been significantly threatened by the introduction of cosmopolitan goat breeds and the absence of adequate breed protection systems. RESULTS: In order to assess the conservation effectiveness of IMCGs and efficiently preserve and utilize the purebred germplasm resources, this study analyzed the genetic diversity, kinship, family structure, and inbreeding of IMCGs utilizing resequencing data from 225 randomly selected individuals analyzed using the Plink (v.1.90), GCTA (v.1.94.1), and R (v.4.2.1) software. A total of 12,700,178 high-quality SNPs were selected through quality control from 34,248,064 SNP sites obtained from 225 individuals. The average minor allele frequency (MAF), polymorphic information content (PIC), and Shannon information index (SHI) were 0.253, 0.284, and 0.530, respectively. The average observed heterozygosity (Ho) and the average expected heterozygosity (He) were 0.355 and 0.351, respectively. The analysis of the identity by state distance matrix and genomic relationship matrix has shown that most individuals' genetic distance and genetic relationship are far away, and the inbreeding coefficient is low. The family structure analysis identified 10 families among the 23 rams. A total of 14,109 runs of homozygosity (ROH) were identified in the 225 individuals, with an average ROH length of 1014.547 kb. The average inbreeding coefficient, calculated from ROH, was 0.026 for the overall population and 0.027 specifically among the 23 rams, indicating a low level of inbreeding within the conserved population. CONCLUSIONS: The IMCGs exhibited moderate polymorphism and a low level of kinship with inbreeding occurring among a limited number of individuals. Simultaneously, it is necessary to prevent the loss of bloodline to guarantee the perpetuation of the IMCGs' germplasm resources.

Low-loss silicon waveguide and an ultrahigh-Q silicon microring resonator in the 2†µm wave band.

Silicon photonic-integrated circuits (PICs) operating in the 2 µm wave band are of great interest for spectroscopic sensing, nonlinear optics, and optical communication applications. However, the performance of silicon PICs in this wave band lags far behind the conventional optical communication band (1310/1550 nm). Here we report the realization of a low-loss waveguide and an ultrahigh-Q microring resonator in the 2 µm wave band on a standard 200 mm silicon photonic platform. The single-mode strip waveguide fabricated on a 220 nm-thick silicon device layer has a record-low propagation loss ∼0.2 dB/cm. Based on the low-loss waveguide, we demonstrate an ultrahigh-Q microring resonator with a measured loaded Q-factor as high as 1.1 × 106 and intrinsic Q-factor of 2 × 106, one order of magnitude higher than prior silicon resonators operating in the same wave band. The extinction ratio of the resonator is higher than 22 dB. These high-performance silicon photonic components pave the way for on-chip sensing applications and nonlinear optics in the 2 µm wave band.

Comparison of genomic prediction methods for early growth traits of Inner Mongolia cashmere goats based on multi trait models.

Inner Mongolia cashmere goat is an excellent livestock breed formed through long-term natural selection and artificial breeding, and is currently a world-class dual-purpose breed producing cashmere and meat. Multi trait animal model is considered to significantly improve the accuracy of genetic evaluation in livestock and poultry, enabling indirect selection between traits. In this study, the pedigree, genotype, environment, and phenotypic records of early growth traits of Inner Mongolia cashmere goats were used to build multi trait animal model., Then three methods including ABLUP, GBLUP, and ssGBLUP wereused to estimate the genetic parameters and genomic breeding values of early growth traits (birth weight, weaning weight, average daily weight gain before weaning, and yearling weight). The accuracy and reliability of genomic estimated breeding value are further evaluated using the five fold cross validation method. The results showed that the heritability of birth weight estimated by three methods was 0.13-0.15, the heritability of weaning weight was 0.13-0.20, heritability of daily weight gain before weaning was 0.11-0.14, and the heritability of yearling weight was 0.09-0.14, all of which belonged to moderate to low heritability. There is a strong positive genetic correlation between weaning weight and daily weight gain before weaning, daily weight gain before weaning and yearling weight, with correlation coefficients of 0.77-0.79 and 0.56-0.67, respectively. The same pattern was found in phenotype correlation among traits. The accuracy of the estimated breeding values by ABLUP, GBLUP, and ssGBLUP methods for birth weight is 0.5047, 0.6694, and 0.7156, respectively; the weaning weight is 0.6207, 0.6456, and 0.7254, respectively; the daily weight gain before weaning was 0.6110, 0.6855, and 0.7357 respectively; and the yearling weight was 0.6209, 0.7155, and 0.7756, respectively. In summary, the early growth traits of Inner Mongolia cashmere goats belong to moderate to low heritability, and the speed of genetic improvement is relatively slow. The genetic improvement of other growth traits can be achieved through the selection of weaning weight. The ssGBLUP method has the highest accuracy and reliability in estimating genomic breeding value of early growth traits in Inner Mongolia cashmere goats, and is significantly higher than that from ABLUP method, indicating that it is the best method for genomic breeding of early growth weight in Inner Mongolia cashmere goats.

The outcomes of endoscopic orbital decompression combined with fat decompression for thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy.

PURPOSE: To present the clinical features of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) with different CT types, and to report the outcomes of endoscopic orbital decompression combined with fat decompression (EOD-FD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-four patients with TAO who underwent EOD-FD between December 2020 and March 2022 in the Ophthalmology Department of Li Huili Hospital Affiliated with Ningbo University, were included in this retrospective interventional case series. Patients were categorized into two groups based on the results of computerized tomography (CT) scans: muscle expansion type and fat hyperplasia type. RESULTS: Thirty-four TAO patients (55 eyes) were included in this study, and the mean age was 38.62 years (range 22-60 years). The average eye protrusion (EP) reduced from preoperative 23.20 mm to postoperative 19.66 mm (p < 0.0001). Mean intraocular pressure (IOP) decreased from 20.11 mmHg at baseline to 17.29 mmHg postoperatively (p < 0.0001), with a reduction of 2.84 mmHg (14.12%). Twenty cases of muscle expansion and fourteen cases of fat hyperplasia were definite by CT imaging. The mean IOP in the muscle expansion group was higher than that in the fat hyperplasia group (p < 0.05). Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) occurred in 23 eyes (36.11%), and it was associated with extraocular muscle involvement, gender, and EP. In 3 cases of impaired vision, the mean best corrected visual acuity (VA) improved from 0.4 preoperatively to 0.84 postoperatively (p < 0.01). There were 8 cases with visual field (VF) damage and/or corneal epithelium damage, and all these damages were reversible. CONCLUSION: In this study, we describe the clinical features and experience of EOD-FD in patients with TAO. EOD-FD is an effective technique in reducing IOP and proptosis, with a low incidence of postoperative diplopia.

Screening of microRNA and mRNA related to secondary hair follicle morphogenesis and development and functional analysis in cashmere goats.

microRNA (miRNA) is a type of endogenous short-chain non-coding RNA with regulatory function found in eukaryotes, which is involved in the regulation of a variety of cellular and biological processes. However, the research on the development of cashmere goat secondary hair follicles is still relatively scarce. In this study, small RNA libraries and mRNA libraries of 45 days, 55 days, 65 days, and 75 days of fetal skin of cashmere goats were constructed, and the constructed libraries were sequenced using Illumina Hiseq4000, and the expression profiles of miRNA and mRNA in cashmere goat fetal skin were obtained. The differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs in six control groups were identified and the qRT-PCR experiment shows that the sequencing results are accurate. Sixty-six miRNAs related to secondary hair follicle development were screened, and used TargetScan and miRanda to predict 33 highly expressed miRNA target genes. At the same time, 664 mRNAs related to the development of secondary hair follicles were screened, and GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analysis were performed. It was found that some miRNA target genes were consistent with the screening results of mRNAs related to secondary hair follicle development and were enriched in Notch signaling pathway, TGF-ß signaling pathway. Therefore, miR-145-5p-DLL4, miR-27b-3p-DLL4, miR-30e-5p-DLL4, miR-193b-3p-TGF-ß1, miR-181b-5p-NOTCH2, and miR-103-3p-NOTCH2 regulatory network related to the development of secondary hair follicles were constructed and the results of dual-luciferase reporter gene assay indicated that there is a targeted relationship between chi-miR-30e-5p and DLL4, which will provide a basis for molecular mechanism of miRNA-mRNA in the development of the hair follicles in cashmere goats.

Widely tunable O-band lithium niobite/III-V transmitter.

The ever-increasing traffic has been driving the demand for compact, high-speed, and low-power-consumption optical transmitters. Thin-film lithium niobite (TFLN) platforms have emerged as promising photonic integrated solutions for next-generation optical transmitters. In this study, we demonstrated the first widely tunable optical transmitter based on a butt-coupling a TFLN modulator with an electrically pumped tunable laser. The tunable laser exhibited a side-mode suppression ratio of > 60 dB, linewidth of 475 kHz, and wavelength-tuning range of over 40 nm. The TFLN modulator presented a voltage-length product of 2.9 V·cm and an electro-optic response of 1.5 dB roll-off at 50 GHz. The optical transmitter support data rate was as high as 160 Gb/s.

Heterogeneously integrated III-V-on-lithium niobate broadband light sources and photodetectors.

Heterogeneous integration of III-V active devices on lithium niobate-on-insulator (LNOI) photonic circuits enable fully integrated transceivers. Here we present the co-integration of InP-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and photodetectors on an LNOI photonics platform. Both devices are realized based on the same III-V epitaxial layers stack adhesively bonded on an LNOI waveguide circuit. The light is evanescently coupled between the LNOI and III-V waveguide via a multiple-section adiabatic taper. The waveguide-coupled LEDs have a 3-dB bandwidth of 40 nm. The photodetector features a responsivity of 0.38 A/W in the 1550-nm wavelength range and a dark current of 9 nA at -0.5 V at room temperature.

Algoriphagus algorifonticola sp. nov., a marine bacterium isolated from cold spring area of South China Sea.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, short-rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain hg1T, was isolated from marine sediment within the cold spring area of South China Sea and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic investigation. Colonies were circular and 1.0-2.0 mm in diameter, coral in colour, convex and smooth after growth on marine agar at 28 °C for 3 days. Strain hg1T was found to grow at 4-40 °C (optimum, 35-37 °C), at pH 6.5-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.5) and with 0-8 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1.5-2 %). Chemotaxonomic analysis showed the sole respiratory quinone was MK-7, and the principal fatty acids are iso-C15 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c), and iso-C16 : 0. The major polar lipids are phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified phospholipid and five unidentified glycolipids. The DNA G+C content of strain hg1T was 39.6 mol% based on the genome sequence. The comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities showed that hg1T was closely related to Algoriphagus ornithinivorans DSM 15282T (98.6 % sequence similarity), Algoriphagus zhangzhouensis MCCC 1F01099T (97.9 %) and Algoriphagus vanfongensis DSM 17529T (97.2 %); it exhibited 97.0 % or less sequence similarity to the type strains of other species of the genus Algoriphagus with validly published names. Phylogenetic trees reconstructed with the neighbour-joining, maximum-parsimony and maximum-likelihood methods based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain hg1T constituted a separate branch with A. ornithinivorans, A. zhangzhouensis, A. vanfongensis in a clade of the genus Algoriphagus. OrthoANI values between strain hg1T and A. ornithinivorans, A. zhangzhouensis and A. vanfongensis were 94.3, 74.1, 73.2 %, respectively, and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values were 56.2, 18.5 and 18.3 %, respectively. Differential phenotypic properties, together with phylogenetic distinctiveness, demonstrated that strain hg1T is clearly distinct from recognized species of genus Algoriphagus. On the basis of these features, we propose that strain hg1T (=MCCC 1K03570T=KCTC 72111T) represents a novel species of the genus Algoriphagus with the name Algoriphagus algorifonticola sp. nov.

Electrically pumped widely tunable O-band hybrid lithium niobite/III-V laser.

Significant improvements in the lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) platform are pushing LNOI-based laser sources to the forefront of integrated photonics. Here, we report the first, to the best of our knowledge, electrically pumped hybrid lithium niobate/III-V laser by butt coupling an InP-based optical gain chip with a LNOI photonic integrated circuit (PIC). In the PIC, a Vernier filter consisting of two LNOI microring resonators is employed to select the lasing wavelength. A wavelength tuning range of more than 36 nm is achieved in the O band. The hybrid laser has a maximum on-chip optical power of 2.5 mW and threshold current density of 2.5kA/cm2. A side mode suppression ratio better than 60 dB is achieved.

Nesterenkonia ebinurensis sp. nov., a Novel Actinobacterium Isolated From Populus euphratica.

During our studies focused on the microorganism diversity and community structure of Populus euphratica at Ebinur lake wetland nature reserve in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, PR China, a Gram-positive, aerobic, short rod-shaped bacterium without flagellum, designated as MD2T, was isolated from a piece of resina on Populus euphratica. The isolate grew at temperature of 10-45 °C (optimum 37 °C), pH of 7.0-12.0 (optimum pH 8.0) and NaCl concentration of 1-18% (optimum 3%, w/v). Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences and the phylogenetic analysis, the strain shared the highest sequence similarities to Nesterenkonia alkaliphila JCM 19766T (96.3%), Nesterenkonia populi KCTC 29119T (95.9%), Nesterenkonia alba CCTCC AB 207011T (95.5%), and was placed within the radiation of Nesterenkonia species in the phylogenetic trees. The draft genome of the isolate was sequenced, which comprised 3,739,891 bp with G + C content of 63 mol%, and was annotated to contain 3614 protein-coding genes, 44 tRNA genes and 5 rRNA genes. Chemotaxonomic analysis indicated that the main respiratory quinones were MK-8 and MK-9, the predominant cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C17:0, anteiso-C15:0 and iso-C16:0, the major polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol andphosphatidylinositol. According to the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic features, strain MD2T is considered to represent a novel species, for which the name Nesterenkonia ebinurensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MD2T (= KCTC 52999T = MCCC 1K03343T).

Marinobacter caseinilyticus sp. nov., Isolated from Saline Soil.

A Gram-stain-negative, motile, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterium with flagella, designated M3-13T, was isolated from a saline soil in Zhoushan, China. According to phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, strain M3-13T was assigned to the genus Marinobacter with highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 97.7% to Marinobacter maroccanus LMG 30466T, followed by Marinobacter sediminum R65 T (97.5%) and M. salsuginis SD-14BT (97.2%). Digital DNA-DNA hybridization (DDH) and average nucleotide identity (ANI) were determined to evaluate the genomic relationship between strain M3-13T and M. maroccanus LMG 30466T. Digital DDH estimation (19.8%) as well as ANI (72.98%) proved the dissimilarity of strain M3-13T. Optimal growth of the strain M3-13T was at 28-30 °C and at pH 8.0-8.5, in the presence of 3-6% (w/v) NaCl. The major fatty acids detected in strain M3-13T were C16:1 ω7c/C16:1 ω6c, C16:0, C18:1ω7c/C18:1 ω6c and C12:03-OH, and the predominant respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-9. The major polar lipids included diphosphatidyglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, one unidentified aminophosphoglycolipid and one unidentified phosphoglycolipid. The DNA G+C content was 56.6%. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain M3-13T belongs to the genus Marinobacter. Based on the polyphasic taxonomic characterization, strain M3-13T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Marinobacter, for which the name Marinobacter caseinlyticus sp. nov. is proposed (type strain M3-13T = MCCC 1K04560T = KCTC 72043T).

Comparative study on seasonal hair follicle cycling by analysis of the transcriptomes from cashmere and milk goats.

Guard hair and cashmere undercoat are developed from primary and secondary hair follicle, respectively. Little is known about the gene expression differences between primary and secondary hair follicle cycling. In this study, we obtained RNA-seq data from cashmere and milk goats grown at four different seasons. We studied the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during the yearly hair follicle cycling, and between cashmere and milk goats. WNT, NOTCH, MAPK, BMP, TGFß and Hedgehog signaling pathways were involved in hair follicle cycling in both cashmere and milk goat. However, Milk goat DEGs between different months were significantly more than cashmere goat DEGs, with the largest difference being identified in December. Some expression dynamics were confirmed by quantitative PCR and western blot, and immunohistochemistry. This study offers new information sources related to hair follicle cycling in milk and cashmere goats, which could be applicable to improve the wool production and quality.

Biological Response Profiling Reveals the Functional Differences of Main Alkaloids in Rhizoma Coptidis.

Rhizoma Coptidis (RC) is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine. Although modern research has found that some alkaloids from RC are the pharmacologically active constituents, the differences in their biological effects are not completely clear. This study analyzed the differences in the typical alkaloids in RC at a systematic level and provided comprehensive information on the pharmaceutical mechanisms of the different alkaloids. The ethanol RC extract (RCE) was characterized using HPLC assay. HepG2, 3T3-L1, and RAW264.7 cells were used to detect the cytotoxicity of alkaloids. Transcriptome analyses were performed to elucidate the cellular pathways affected by RCE and alkaloids. HPLC analysis revealed that the typical alkaloids of RCE were berberine, coptisine, and palmatine. Coptisine and berberine displayed a stronger inhibitory effect on cell proliferation than palmatine. The overlapping ratios of differentially expressed genes between RCE and berberine, coptisine, and palmatine were 70.8%, 52.6%, and 42.1%, respectively. Pathway clustering analysis indicated that berberine and coptisine possessed a certain similarity to RCE, and both compounds affected the cell cycle pathway; moreover, some pathways were uniquely enriched by berberine or coptisine. Berberine and coptisine had different regulatory effects on genes involved in lipid metabolism. These results provide comprehensive information on the pharmaceutical mechanisms of the different RC alkaloids and insights into their better combinatory use for the treatment of diseases.

Mid-infrared quantum cascade laser frequency combs based on multi-section waveguides.

We present quantum cascade laser (QCL) frequency comb devices with engineered waveguides for managing the dispersion. The QCL waveguide consists of multiple sections with different waveguide widths. The narrow and wide sections of the waveguide are designed in a way to compensate the group velocity dispersion (GVD) of each other and thereby produce a flat and slightly negative GVD for the QCL. The QCL exhibits continuous comb operation over a large part of the dynamic range of the laser. Strong and narrow-linewidth intermode beatnotes are achieved in a more than 300 mA wide operation current range. The comb device also features considerably high output power (>380mW) and wide optical bandwidth (>55cm-1).

Agromyces kandeliae sp. nov., isolated from rhizosphere soil of Kandelia candel in a mangrove.

A novel, Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, non-spore-forming, non-motile and irregular rod-shaped bacterium designated Q22T was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of mangrove plant, Kandelia candel collected in Zhangzhou, Fujian province, China. Strain Q22T was able to grow at 10-40 °C (optimum 30 °C), pH 5.5-9.0 (optimum 7.0-8.0) and with 0-5.0% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 1.0 %). The genomic DNA G+C content was 71.9%. The average nucleotide identity, and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain Q22T and the reference strains were 79.7-88.9% and 22.6-37.4%, respectively. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was MK-12 and the major fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0, iso-C16:0 and anteiso-C17:0. The major polar lipids of strain Q22T were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, one glycolipid and three unidentified lipids. The strain Q22T contained 2,4-diaminobutyric acid, alanine acid, glutamic acid and glycine in the peptidoglycans. The phylogenetic analysis and genotypic features, along with the phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, indicate that strain Q22T represents a novel species of the genus Agromyces, for which the name Agromyces kandeliae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Q22T (=MCCC 1K03340T= KCTC 39961T).

Nesterenkonia muleiensis sp. nov., a novel actinobacterium isolated from sap of Populus euphratica.

A novel, Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, non-endospore-forming, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium designated RB2T was isolated from sap of Populus euphratica collected in Mulei county, Xinjiang province, PR China. RB2T was able to grow at 10-45 °C (optimum 35 °C), pH 6.0-12.0 (optimum 8.0) and with 0-12 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 1 %). The genomic DNA G+C content was 63.5 % (from the genome sequence). The results of the chemotaxonomic analysis indicated that the predominant isoprenoid quinones were MK-8 and MK-9. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0. The major polar lipids of RB2T were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and two glycolipids. The peptidoglycan type of RB2T was A4α, l-Lys-Gly-l-Glu. The results of the phylogenetic analysis, along with the phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, indicate that strain RB2T represents a novel species of the genus Nesterenkonia, for which the name Nesterenkonia muleiensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is RB2T (=MCCC 1K03528T=KCTC 49017T).

Correction to: Description of Wenzhouxiangella salilacus sp. nov., a moderate halophilic bacterium isolated from a salt lake in Xinjiang Province, China.

In the original publication of the article, the deposit accession numbers of strain 15181T in the acknowledgment section were incorrectly provided as "KCTC 62172T and MCCC 1K03442T".

The effectiveness of the Internet-based self-management program for cancer-related fatigue patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically investigate how fatigue, depression, anxiety, sleep quality, and life quality are influenced by the Internet-based self-management program (IBSMP) among cancer patients. DATA SOURCES: Eight databases (Cochrane Library, Ovid, Web of Science, Medline, Embase, Chinese biomedical database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang) were systematically searched from inception to January 2019. METHODS: The aim of this study is to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) associated with the IBSMP among cancer-related fatigue (CRF) patients. Two reviewers independently screened 1128 records and selected 13 articles, including 1603 patients for inclusion. The quality of the evidence was assessed at the study level and at the outcome level. RESULTS: The meta-analysis showed that the IBSMP was effective for ameliorating fatigue and related symptoms among cancer survivors (the Brief Fatigue Index, relative risk = 0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI; 0.69, 0.79), P < 0.01; the Cancer Fatigue Scale or the Multidimension Fatigue Scale, weighted mean difference = -10.15, 95% CI (-11.42, -8.89), P < 0.01; the Self-rating Anxiety scale, relative risk = 1.07, 95% CI (0.55, 2.05), P < 0.01; the Self-rating Depression scale, relative risk = 0.70, 95% CI (0.60, 0.81), P < 0.01; the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, relative risk = 0.46, 95% CI (0.33, 0.62), P < 0.01; and the Function Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General scale or the Function Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast, weighted mean difference = 13.76, 95% CI (3.38, 24.14), P < 0.01.). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis demonstrates that the IBSMP, as one of the rehabilitation forms, can reduce the incidence of fatigue, depression, and anxiety and improve sleep quality and life quality among CRF patients.

27 dB gain III-V-on-silicon semiconductor optical amplifier with > 17 dBm output power.

Hybrid III-V-on-silicon semiconductor optical amplifiers with high-gain and high-output-power are important in many applications such as transceivers, integrated microwave photonics and photonic beamforming. In this work we present the design, fabrication and characterization of high-gain, high-output-power III-V-on-silicon semiconductor optical amplifiers. The amplifiers support a hybrid III-V/Si optical mode to reduce confinement in the active region and increase the saturation power. A small-signal gain of 27 dB, a saturation power of 17.24 dBm and an on-chip output power of 17.5 dBm is measured for a current density of 4.9 kA/cm2 (power consumption of 540 mW) at room temperature for an amplifier with a total length of 1.45 mm. The amplifiers were realized using a 6 quantum well InGaAsP active region, which was previously used to fabricate high-speed directly modulated DFB lasers, enabling their co-integration.