Comparative analysis of chloroplast genomes of Pulsatilla species reveals evolutionary and taxonomic status of newly discovered endangered species Pulsatilla saxatilis.

BACKGROUND: Pulsatilla saxatilis, a new species of the genus Pulsatilla has been discovered. The morphological information of this species has been well described, but its chloroplast genome characteristics and comparison with species of the same genus remain to be reported. RESULTS: Our results showed that the total length of chloroplast (cp.) genome of P. saxatilis is 162,659 bp, with a GC content of 37.5%. The cp. genome contains 134 genes, including 90 known protein-coding genes, 36 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. P. saxatilis demonstrated similar characteristics to other species of genus Pulsatilla. Herein, we compared cp. genomes of 10 species, including P. saxatilis, and found that the cp. genomes of the genus Pulsatilla are extremely similar, with a length of 162,322-163,851 bp. Furthermore, The SSRs of Pulsatilla ranged from 10 to 22 bp in length. Among the four structural regions of the cp. genome, most long repeats and SSRs were detected in the LSC region, followed by that in the SSC region, and least in IRA/ IRB regions. The most common types of long repeats were forward and palindromic repeats, followed by reverse repeats, and only a few complementary repeats were found in 10 cp. genomes. We also analyzed nucleotide diversity and identified ccsA_ndhD, rps16_trnK-UUU, ccsA, and rbcL, which could be used as potential molecular markers for identification of Pulsatilla species. The results of the phylogenetic tree constructed by connecting the sequences of high variation regions were consistent with those of the cp. gene phylogenetic tree, and the species more closely related to P. saxatilis was identified as the P. campanella. CONCLUSION: It was determined that the closest species to P. saxatilis is P. campanella, which is the same as the conclusion based on pollen grain characteristics, but different from the P. chinensis determined based on morphological characteristics. By revealing information on the chloroplast characteristics, development, and evolution of the cp. genome and the potential molecular markers, this study provides effective molecular data regarding the evolution, genetic diversity, and species identification of the genus Pulsatilla.

Starting a Romantic Relationship, Breakups, and Sleep: A Longitudinal Study of Chinese Adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological data on the association between romantic experiences and sleep in adolescents are limited. This study examined the associations of starting a romantic relationship (SRR) and romantic breakups with insomnia symptoms and sleep duration in adolescents. METHODS: A total of 7,072 Chinese adolescents were surveyed in November-December 2015 and 1 year later. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess SRR, romantic breakups, sleep duration, insomnia symptoms, depressive symptoms, substance use, and demographics. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 14.58 (SD = 1.46) years and half were female. SRR only, breakups only, and both (SRR + breakups) in the past year were reported by 7.0%, 8.4%, and 15.4% of the sample, respectively. At the baseline and 1-year follow-up, 15.2% and 14.7% of the sample had insomnia symptoms and 47.7% and 42.1% reported short sleep duration (<7 h/night), respectively. After adjusting for depressive symptoms, substance use, and demographics, SRR and breakups were significantly associated with 35-45% increased odds of insomnia symptoms at baseline. SRR + breakups were significantly associated with short sleep duration (OR = 1.28, 95%CI = 1.05-1.56). SRR (OR = 1.61, 95%CI = 1.16-2.23) and breakups (OR = 1.43, 95%CI = 1.04-1.96) were significantly associated with increased odds of incident insomnia symptoms at 1-year follow-up. These associations were stronger in younger adolescents (<15 years) than in older adolescents (≥15 years), especially in girls. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that SRR and breakups are associated with insomnia symptoms and short sleep duration, underscoring the importance of romantic relationships education and management of romantic stress for healthy sleep especially in early adolescent girls.

Individual and contextual-level predictors of progression in the bystander intervention model.

The situational model of bystander behavior is a validated 5-step process for understanding intervention in bullying and sexual harassment, yet the individual-level and contextual-level factors that facilitate the progression from one step to the next are not well understood. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether individual characteristics (social-emotional skills, affective empathy, cognitive empathy, and personal attitudes toward bullying and sexual harassment) and contextual-level factors (school climate and perceived peer attitudes toward bullying and sexual harassment) explained the association between subsequent steps of the bystander intervention model. A sample of 788 high school students completed several validated measures of these constructs. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that each step significantly and positively predicted the next step, and the addition of a direct path from accepting responsibility to helping improved model fit. The mediational model indicated that individual-level characteristics had significant direct effects on interpreting bullying and sexual harassment as problems, accepting responsibility, and helping, and indirect effects from noticing the bullying and sexual harassment to all subsequent steps except knowing. In contrast, contextual-level effects contributed to accepting responsibility in an inverse direction.

The burdock database: a multi-omic database for Arctium lappa, a food and medicinal plant.

BACKGROUND: Burdock is a biennial herb of Asteraceae found in Northern Europe, Eurasia, Siberia, and China. Its mature dry fruits, called Niu Bang Zi, are recorded in various traditional Chinese medicine books. With the development of sequencing technology, the mitochondrial, chloroplast, and nuclear genomes, transcriptome, and sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) fingerprints of burdock have all been reported. To make better use of this data for further research and analysis, a burdock database was constructed. RESULTS: This burdock multi-omics database contains two burdock genome datasets, two transcriptome datasets, eight burdock chloroplast genomes, one burdock mitochondrial genome, one A. tomentosum chloroplast genome, one A. tomentosum mitochondrial genome, 26 phenotypes of burdock varieties, burdock rhizosphere-associated microorganisms, and chemical constituents of burdock fruit, pericarp, and kernel at different growth stages (using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The wild and cultivation distribution of burdock in China was summarized, and the main active components and pharmacological effects of burdock currently reported were concluded. The database contains ten central functional modules: Home, Genome, Transcriptome, Jbrowse, Search, Tools, SRAP fingerprints, Associated microorganisms, Chemical, and Publications. Among these, the "Tools" module can be used to perform sequence homology alignment (Blast), multiple sequence alignment analysis (Muscle), homologous protein prediction (Genewise), primer design (Primer), large-scale genome analysis (Lastz), and GO and KEGG enrichment analyses (GO Enrichment and KEGG Enrichment). CONCLUSIONS: The database URL is http://210.22.121.250:41352/ . This burdock database integrates molecular and chemical data to provide a comprehensive information and analysis platform for interested researchers and can be of immense help to the cultivation, breeding, and molecular pharmacognosy research of burdock.

The effect of plant compartment and geographical location on shaping microbiome of Pulsatilla chinensis.

The plant-associated microbiome has an effect on plant growth. Pulsatilla chinensis (Bge.) Regel is an important Chinese medicinal plant. Currently, there is little understanding of the P. chinensis-associated microbiome and its diversity and composition. Here, the core microbiome associated with the root, leaf, and rhizospheric soil compartments of P. chinensis from five geographical locations was analyzed by the metagenomics approach. The alpha and beta diversity analysis showed that the microbiome associated with P. chinensis was shaped by the compartment, especially in the bacterial community. The geographical location had little influence on microbial community diversity associated with root and leaf. Hierarchical clustering distinguished the microbial communities of rhizospheric soil based on their geographical location and among the soil properties, pH was showed the more stronger effect on the diversity of rhizospheric soil microbial communities. Proteobacteria was the most dominant bacterial phylum in the root, leaf, and rhizospheric soil. Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the most dominant fungal phyla in different compartments. Rhizobacter, Anoxybacillus, and IMCC26256 were the most important marker bacterial species for root, leaf, and rhizospheric soil screened by random forest, respectively. The fungal marker species for root, leaf, and rhizospheric soil were not only different across the compartments but also the geographical locations. Functional analysis showed that P. chinensis-associated microbiome had the similar function which had no obvious relationship with geographical location and compartment. The associated microbiome indicated in this study can be used for identifying microorganisms related to the quality and growth of P. chinensis. KEY POINTS: • Microbiome associated with P. chinensis was shaped by the compartment • Microbiome composition and abundance associated with rhizospheric soil were affected by the geographical location • Compared with fungi, bacterial associated with P. chinensis composition and diversity were more stable in different geographical locations and compartments.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Premenstrual Syndrome in Chinese Adolescent Girls.

Epidemiological data on premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in Chinese adolescents are limited. This study reported the prevalence and associated factors of PMS in a large sample of Chinese adolescents. A total of 5099 adolescent girls who had menarche participated in the baseline survey of Shandong Adolescent Behavior and Health Cohort study in Shandong, China. A self-administered questionnaire was used to ask about PMS, age at menarche, menstrual cycle interval, menstrual flow length, menstrual regularity, period pain, body weight and height, trait anger, stressful life events, and demographics. The mean age of the sample was 15.19 years (SD = 1.32). The overall prevalence of PMS was 24.6%. The prevalence rates of PMS-anxiety, PMS-water retention, PMS-craving, and PMS-depression were 18.9%, 4.0%, 7.9%, and 11.5%, respectively. The most common symptoms were premenstrual irritability (54%) and fatigue (52.5%). Stepwise logistic regression showed that high levels of life stress (OR 2.26), high levels of trait anger (OR 4.65), alcohol consumption (OR 1.28), menstrual cycle interval ≤ 24 days (OR 1.45), and mild (OR 1.50), moderate (OR 2.57) or severe period pain (OR 4.84) were all significantly associated with increased likelihood of PMS. In conclusion, approximately 1 in 4 Chinese adolescent girls suffered from PMS. Multiple psychosocial and menstrual factors were associated with PMS. Further research is needed to understand developmental changes of PMS and its long-term impacts on psychosocial wellbeing in Chinese adolescent girls.

Sensitive sensing of alkaline phosphatase and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase activity for tumor imaging.

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) are regarded as two important biomarkers in several human cancers. There are many probes for ALP or GGT detection but no probe was reported to sense the activity of both ALP and GGT in vitro or in vivo. Herein, a bioluminescent probe P-Bz-Luc was designed for realizing sensitive and specific tumor imaging via the co-cleavage of ALP and GGT. In solution experiments showed that an excellent linear relationship was found between the bioluminescence signal of the P-Bz-Luc solution and the enzyme concentration at limits of detection of 0.172 for ALP and 0.634 U L-1 for GGT. Eventually, the BL probe P-Bz-Luc was successfully applied for sensitive imaging of the ALP and GGT co-overexpressed fLuc-231 breast cancer cells and tumors, with the help of the coordination cleavage of P-Bz-Luc by ALP and GGT.

A Longitudinal Study of Insomnia, Daytime Sleepiness, and Academic Performance in Chinese Adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Longitudinal data on the associations between sleep disturbances, daytime sleepiness, and daily functioning are limited in the general adolescent population. This study examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), and subject-specific academic performance in a large sample of Chinese adolescents. METHOD: Data were derived from the Shandong Adolescent Behavior and Health Cohort (n = 7,072) study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess insomnia, EDS, academic performance (overall, Chinese, mathematics, and English), behavioral and emotional problems, and family demographics. The cross-sectional analysis was conducted with baseline data while the longitudinal analysis was conducted with both baseline and 1-year follow-up data. Logistic regression analyses and mediation models were performed to examine the associations between insomnia, EDS, and academic performance. RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses revealed that insomnia and EDS had significant cross-sectional associations with overall performance and mathematics performance after controlling for age, gender, ever smoking, ever alcohol drinking, frequent snore, sleep duration, chronic disease, anxious/depressive symptoms, parents' education, parents' occupation, and family economic status. Both insomnia (OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.00-1.45) and EDS (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.03-1.45) at baseline were significantly associated with poor mathematics performance 1 year later. The effect of insomnia at baseline on poor academic performance 1 year later was mediated by EDS except for the Chinese subject after controlling for the covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Insomnia and daytime sleepiness are significantly associated with poor academic performance, particularly in mathematics. EDS mediates the association between insomnia and poor academic performance. Further research is warranted to investigate the effects of sleep disturbance and daytime sleepiness on the learning process and performance across academic subjects.

A near-infrared fluorescent probe for ratiometric sensing of SO2 in cells and zebrafish.

Developing suitable molecular tools for monitoring SO2 and its derivatives in living organisms is attractive due to their importance for human health. Herein, the first near-infrared fluorescent probe Mito-HN with aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) characteristics for ratiometric sensing of SO2 derivatives in vitro, in cells, and in zebrafish was designed and synthesized. By connecting the electron-donating naphthopyran and electron-withdrawing hemicyanine via the alkenyl group, this probe displays a near-infrared fluorescence emission and notable solid-state luminescence with AIEE features. Based on the specific 1,4-addition reaction of HSO3-/SO32- with the C[double bond, length as m-dash]C double bond of Mito-HN, this probe can specifically sense HSO3- in real time with an excellent near-infrared ratiometric fluorescence effect, a low detection limit of 0.17 µM, and a fast response time of less than 30 s. Cell imaging and zebrafish imaging results demonstrate that Mito-HN can ratiometrically not only sense endogenous SO2 derivatives in mitochondria but also monitor SO2 in living organisms. We anticipate that Mito-HN could be applied for the diagnosis of SO2-related diseases in the future.

The Diversity of Associated Microorganisms in Different Organs and Rhizospheric Soil of Arctium lappa L.

Arctium lappa L. is widely used for medicinal purposes across China, and significant effort has been directed toward enhancing its quality. Association with microorganisms has been shown to influence both plant growth and metabolites, providing a possible avenue for its quality improvement. In this study, we investigated the microorganism compositions of the root, stem, leaf, fruit and rhizospheric soil of A. lappa through high-throughput Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and ITS regions. A total of 796,891 16S rRNA and 626,270 ITS reads were obtained from the samples. Analysis of the sequencing data revealed that bacterial and fungal communities were more diverse in the rhizospheric soil sample compared with other samples. Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes phyla were found in all samples. Cyanobacteria was particularly enriched in the root, stem, leaf and fruit at 88.59%, 86.15%, 98.31% and 93.57%, respectively; Actinobacteria was the highest in rhizospheric soil, at 37.53%. Ascomycota was the most dominant fungal phylum, representing 69.17%, 58.18%, 87.93%, 90.18% and 80.21% in the root, stem, leaf, fruit, and rhizospheric soil, respectively. Several novel unclassifiable bacterial and fungal species were also detected. In total, we detected about 922 bacterial and 334 fungal species, which include a number of unclassifiable species. Additionally, the root, stem, leaf, fruit and rhizospheric soil of A. lappa were sources for screening new bioactive metabolites.

College students' attitudes, stigma, and intentions toward seeking online and face-to-face counseling.

OBJECTIVE(S): To investigate differences in public stigma, self-stigma, attitudes (value and discomfort), and intentions to seek help between online and face-to-face counseling. To identify a difference in the relationship between these variables and both counseling modalities. METHOD: An online survey completed by 538 college students from one university in the Southeastern United States. The sample included 412 females and 126 males with a mean age of 20.21 years (standard deviation [SD] = 1.26). RESULTS: Significantly higher levels of self-stigma and discomfort toward online counseling were reported. Significantly higher value and intentions were reported toward face-to-face counseling. Self-stigma was positively related to public stigma, value was negatively related to self-stigma, and intentions toward seeking help was positively related to value. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest face-to-face counseling is seen as a more favorable method of service delivery compared to online counseling. Value toward online counseling is an important predictor for seeking this type of help.

Impact of violations of measurement invariance in cross-lagged panel mediation models.

When fitting cross-lagged panel mediation models, the assumption of longitudinal measurement invariance should be made. This simulation study investigated the impact of violations of measurement invariance on cross-lagged panel mediation analysis using the latent cross-lagged panel mediation model (L-CLPM). Results showed that estimates of direct and mediated effects tended to be less accurate and the type I error rate of testing mediated effects can be inflated under non-invariance conditions. On the other hand, power for detecting model misspecifications due to longitudinal non-invariance was high across all investigated conditions. Fit indices were not sensitive to violations of measurement invariance in the L-CLPM under the manipulated conditions. We end the article with suggestions, limitations, and future directions.

Cathepsin B Turning Bioluminescence "On" for Tumor Imaging.

Cathepsin B (CTSB) is a lysosomal protease, and several human cancers are reported highly expressing CTSB. Many optical methods have been developed for CTSB detection but not a bioluminescence (BL) probe. Herein, a CTSB-specific bioluminescence probe Val-Cit-AL was rationally designed for selectively sensing CTSB activity in vitro with a 67-fold "Turn-On" of BL intensity and an excellent limit of detection. Inhibitory experiments indicated that Val-Cit-AL is capable of sensing CTSB activity in living cells and tumors. We anticipate that Val-Cit-AL might be applied to diagnose CTSB-related diseases in rodent models or evaluate CTSB roles in more biological processes in the near future.

RMSEA, CFI, and TLI in structural equation modeling with ordered categorical data: The story they tell depends on the estimation methods.

In structural equation modeling, application of the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), comparative fit index (CFI), and Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) highly relies on the conventional cutoff values developed under normal-theory maximum likelihood (ML) with continuous data. For ordered categorical data, unweighted least squares (ULS) and diagonally weighted least squares (DWLS) based on polychoric correlation matrices have been recommended in previous studies. Although no clear suggestions exist regarding the application of these fit indices when analyzing ordered categorical variables, practitioners are still tempted to adopt the conventional cutoff rules. The purpose of our research was to answer the question: Given a population polychoric correlation matrix and a hypothesized model, if ML results in a specific RMSEA value (e.g., .08), what is the RMSEA value when ULS or DWLS is applied? CFI and TLI were investigated in the same fashion. Both simulated and empirical polychoric correlation matrices with various degrees of model misspecification were employed to address the above question. The results showed that DWLS and ULS lead to smaller RMSEA and larger CFI and TLI values than does ML for all manipulated conditions, regardless of whether or not the indices are scaled. Applying the conventional cutoffs to DWLS and ULS, therefore, has a pronounced tendency not to discover model-data misfit. Discussions regarding the use of RMSEA, CFI, and TLI for ordered categorical data are given.

The Influence of Number of Categories and Threshold Values on Fit Indices in Structural Equation Modeling with Ordered Categorical Data.

This study examines the unscaled and scaled root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), comparative fit index (CFI), and Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) of diagonally weighted least squares (DWLS) and unweighted least squares (ULS) estimators in structural equation modeling with ordered categorical data. We show that the number of categories and threshold values for categorization can unappealingly impact the DWLS unscaled and scaled fit indices, as well as the ULS scaled fit indices in the population, given that analysis models are misspecified and that the threshold structure is saturated. Consequently, a severely misspecified model may be considered acceptable, depending on how the underlying continuous variables are categorized. The corresponding CFI and TLI are less dependent on the categorization than RMSEA but are less sensitive to model misspecification in general. In contrast, the number of categories and threshold values do not impact the ULS unscaled fit indices in the population.

[Lignans from flower buds of Magnolia biondii].

The present study aims to investigate the lignans from the flower buds of Magnolia biondii. The isolation and purification of the compounds were performed by column chromatographies on Diaion HP-20, silica gel, and Sephadex LH-20, combined with semi-preparative HPLC. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral data and physiochemical properties. Eighteen compounds were isolated and identified as magnolin (1), epimagnolin (2), eudesmin (3), kobusin (4), aschantin (5), lirioresinol B dimethyl ether (6), pinoresinol monomethy ether (7), (+)-de-O-methylmagnolin (8), isoeucommin A (9), syringaresinol 4-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (10), phillygenin (11), lariciresinol-4'-O-ß-1-D-glucoside (12), conicaoside (13), (7'S, 8'R)-dihydrodehydrodiconiferylalcohol (14), 7R*, 8S*-dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol 4-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (15), 7S, 8R-erythro-7, 9, 9'-trihydroxy-3, 3'-dimethoxy-8-O-4'-neolignan 4-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (16), 7S, 8R-erythro-4, 9, 9'-trihydroxy-3, 3'-dimethoxy-8-O-4'-neolignan-7-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (17), and (+)-isolariciresinol (18). Compounds 7-18 are isolated from this plant for the first time.

[Identification of Ranae Oviductus original animal based on COI sequences].

Ranae Oviductus has a high economic and social value, but its adulterants are more numerous, which causes a great confusion to the market. Using DNA bar code technology based on COI sequence for PCR amplification and sequencing of the identified Rana dybowskii, R. chensinensis, R. huanrensis and R. amurensiss, the COI gene database of four species of Rana was established, and comparing the measured sequence with the sequence of GenBank, four kinds of Rana were identified. The MEGA (molecular evolutionary genetics analysis) 7 .0 software was used to calculate the genetic distance of K2P and construct the NJ (neighbor-joining) system cluster tree. The sequence of the four species of Rana measured were clustered into one group with the sequence of the four kinds of Rana downloaded from GenBank, but separated from the two outer groups downloaded from GenBank. The COI gene of the R. dybowskii was likely to have regional differences, however this technique failed to distinguish male and female Rana. The results showed that DNA bar code technology could accurately identify the base of original animal of R. oviductus. It indicates that DNA bar code COI provides a new method for the identification of R. oviductus.

[A new phenylacetamide from the seeds of Lepidium apetalum Willd].

The chemical constituents of the seeds of Lepidium apetalum Willd. were investigated using chromatographic methods, including Diaion HP-20, Toyopearl HW-40, MCI Gel CHP-20, ODS, silica gel chromatography and semi-preparative-HPLC. Three compounds were isolated and their structures were elucidated by spectral data and physicochemical properties, which were identified as lepidiumamide A (1), cis-desulfoglucotropaeolin(2), trans-desulfoglucotropaeolin (3). Among those, compound 1 is a new phenylacetamide, compound 2 and 3 were isolated from this plant for the first time, and their configurations were also identified for the first time.

Further discussion on reliability: the art of reliability estimation.

Sijtsma and van der Ark (2015) focused in their lead article on three frameworks for reliability estimation in nursing research: classical test theory (CTT), factor analysis (FA), and generalizability theory. We extend their presentation with particular attention to CTT and FA methods. We first consider the potential of yielding an overly negative or an overly positive assessment of reliability based on coefficient alpha. Next, we discuss other CTT methods for estimating reliability and how the choice of methods affects the interpretation of the reliability coefficient. Finally, we describe FA methods, which not only permit an understanding of a measure's underlying structure but also yield a variety of reliability coefficients with different interpretations. On a more general note, we discourage reporting reliability as a two-choice outcome--unsatisfactory or satisfactory; rather, we recommend that nursing researchers make a conceptual and empirical argument about when a measure might be more or less reliable, depending on its use.