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Host‐associated microbiota can significantly impact host fitness. Therefore, naturally occurring variations in microbiota may influence the health and persistence of their hosts. This finding is particularly important in reintroduced animals, as they typically experience habitat changes during translocations. However, little is known about how microbiomes are altered in response to conservation translocation. Here, we accessed the gut microbiome of Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii) populations in China from three nature reserves (i.e. Xinjiang Kalamaili Nature Reserve, KNR; Dunhuang Xihu National Nature Reserve, DXNNR; and Anxi Extreme‐arid Desert Nature Reserve, AENR) using 16s rRNA gene and metagenome sequencing. The results showed that the microbial composition and function differed significantly across locations, while a subset of core taxa was consistently present in most of the samples. The abundance of genes encoding microbe‐produced enzymes involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, especially for glycoside hydrolases, was significantly higher in open‐spaced KNR populations than in more confined AENR individuals. This study offers detailed and significant differential characters related to the microbial community and metabolic pathways in various reintroduced sites of Przewalski's horse, which might provide a basis for future microecological and conservation research on endangered reintroduced animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the dual influence of climate change and land-use change, different protection policies in Qinling Mountains lead to different hydrological responses. On the basis of land-use and climatic changes in the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi province, we constructed a response model among land use, climate, and runoff in the Qinling Mountains through the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The Patch-generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model was used to predict and simulate land-use types of the Qinling Mountains in 2025 and 2030. On the basis of the current ecological protection policy in China, two scenarios of land use were set up to find the best method for forestland protection. The results show the following. The SWAT model is applicable to the Weihe River and Hanjiang River basins of the Qinling Mountains, the simulation results were verified, and the Nash coefficient was above 0.6. Under future climate change and land-use patterns, runoff in the Qinling Mountains watershed shows an upward trend, and the runoff in the Hanjiang River basin increased by more than that in the Weihe River basin, with change rates of 47.471 and 33.356 m3/10a, respectively. According to the future trend of the two different scenarios, the increase degree of runoff in the natural scenario of Weihe River basin was 16.567 m3/10a higher than that in the woodland scenario, and the increase degree of runoff in the Hanjiang River basin was 17.692 m3/10a higher than that in the woodland scenario. Therefore, blindly increasing the forestland area in Qinling Mountains cannot achieve a better hydrological effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the fragility of the habitats in mountain nature reserves, the vegetation is extremely sensitive to climate change, and its phenological changes are more specific. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the effects of topography and climate on the vegetation phenology in mountain nature reserves. Based on the vegetation phenology data retrieved from MODIS EVI2 during 2000 to 2017, combined with temperature data, spatial trend analysis and correlation analysis methods were used to study the effects of topographic and climatic factors on vegetation phenology in the Niubeiliang Nature Reserve of the Qinling Mountains. The results showed that the GSS (growing season start) was advanced with a rate of 4.24 days/10a, and the rates in the northern and southern slopes were almost the same; the GSE (growing season end) was delayed with a rate of 3.29 days/10a, and the rate in the northern slope was faster; and the GSL (growing season length) was prolonged. There were seasonal differences and north–south differences in the effects of topography on the phenophase. The phenophase changed regularly with the increase in altitude. The higher the altitude, the more significant the effect. The steeper the slope, the later the GSS, the earlier the GSE, and the more significant its effect on the GSE. The aspect had little effect on GSS but a more significant effect on GSE, which was the latest on the sunny slope and the earliest on the zero slope. Temperature affected both the GSS advance and the GSE delay, and both had a time-lag effect of approximately 2–3 months. Its effect was more significant in the GSE, in the southern slopes, and in the high-altitude areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gut microbiome offers important ecological benefits to the host; however, our understanding of the functional microbiome in relation to wildlife adaptation, especially for translocated endangered species, is lagging. In this study, we adopted a comparative metagenomics approach to test whether the microbiome diverges for translocated and resident species with different adaptive potentials. The composition and function of the microbiome of sympatric Przewalski's horses and Asiatic wild asses in desert steppe were compared for the first time using the metagenomic shotgun sequencing approach. We identified a significant difference in microbiome composition regarding the microbes present and their relative abundances, while the diversity of microbe species was similar. Furthermore, the functional profile seemed to converge between the two hosts, with genes related to core metabolism function tending to be more abundant in wild asses. Our results indicate that sympatric wild equids differ in their microbial composition while harboring a stable microbial functional core, which may enable them to survive in challenging habitats. A higher abundance of beneficial taxa, such as Akkermansia, and genes related to metabolism pathways and enzymes, such as lignin degradation, may contribute to more diverse diet choices and larger home ranges of wild asses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the current background of carbon neutrality, the quantification of carbon neutrality in Qinling Mountains, the calculation of the spatial service scope, and the estimation of economic value are of great significance for the improvement of carbon neutrality spatial planning and the carbon trading market. The Intelligent Urban Ecosystem Management System (IUEMS) was used to calculate the carbon sequestration of the Qinling Mountains. The carbon emission of Qinling Mountains was spatialized through model fitting, using the night light data and energy consumption data of various cities. The static carbon content of the Qinling Mountains was obtained. Combined with the common gas diffusion coefficient, under normal temperature and pressure, the service range of the Qinling Mountains' carbon neutralization to the surrounding area was calculated. The spatial distribution of carbon sequestration in 2030 and 2050 was simulated using Patch generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model and Net Present Value (NPV) model. Under two discount rates, the model could calculate the carbon value in 2012, 2016, 2020, 2030, and 2050, respectively. The results proved that the value of carbon in the Qinling Mountains is gradually increasing. Since 2012, the service range of carbon neutralization in the Qinling Mountains was 175–262.63 km, and the service range has been gradually expanded. The discount rate is inversely proportional to the carbon value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The level of CHB virus (HBV) core antibody (HBcAb) is different in four stages of chronic HBV infection and may be used for differential diagnosis of the natural history of chronic HBV infection. To address this question, we examined multiple blood biomarkers and assessed the efficacy to diagnose different stages of chronic HBV infection. The quantitative detection of HBcAb, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), HBV DNA, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and platelet count (PLT) were determined in the serum of 73 cases of low-replicative phase (LR), 46 cases of immune-tolerant phase (IT), 44 cases of immune clearance phase (IC), and 57 cases of HBeAg-negative hepatitis (ENH). Differentiating performance of these serum protein levels was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Our results showed that the levels of HBcAb, ALT, and AST levels were significantly higher in IC and ENH than those in LR and IT (both P ≤ 0.001). The levels of HBV DNA and HBsAg were higher in IC and IT than those in LR and ENH (both P ≤ 0.001). Logistic regression models showed that HBcAb, HBsAg, HBV DNA, ALT, and AST were the independent variables, respectively, and when combined, they provided high diagnostic accuracy for the staging of CHB. To sum up, HBcAb quantification is a new index, which can reflect whether the liver is in the immune activation state of HBV infection, and is related to the inflammatory state of the host liver. The combined detection of HBcAb quantification and other indicators has showed promising efficiency for staging of IC and ENH and can assist the diagnosis and treatment of CHB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are considered as promising antimicrobial agents due to their potent bioactivity. Palustrin-2 peptides were previously found to exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity with low haemolytic activity. Therefore, GL-29 was used as a template for further modification and study. Firstly, the truncated analogue, GL-22, was designed to examine the function of the 'Rana box', which was confirmed to have no impact on antimicrobial activity. The results of antimicrobial activity assessment against seven microorganisms demonstrated GL-22 to have a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, but weak potency against Candida albicans (C. albicans). These data were similar to those of GL-29, but GL-22 showed much lower haemolysis and lower cytotoxicity against HaCaT cells. Moreover, GL-22 exhibited potent in vivo activity at 4 × MIC against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)-infected larvae. Several short analogues, from the C-terminus and N-terminus of GL-22, were modified to identify the shortest functional motif. However, the results demonstrated that the shorter peptides did not exhibit potent antimicrobial activity, and the factors that affect the bioactive potency of these short analogues need to be further studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sight distance is an important criterion in highway geometric design for traffic safety to ensure that the driver can see any possible road hazard insufficient time to take action and avoid an accident. Many Albanian roads have been designed and constructed before 1991 based on standards in place as of the construction time. More recently, investments have been made for upgrading and expanding the transport infrastructure in the country. The importance of providing adequate sight distance for safe and efficient traffic is well recognized by researchers and included in most design manuals. Horizontal curves, crest vertical curves, and rural intersections are the common sight restrictions considered in highway design. Stopping sight distance (SSD) is the most important of the sightdistance considerations since sufficient SSD is required at any point along the roadway. Technical road standards used in Albania before 1991 were based upon outdated standards. Currently, road design standards have been changed receiving considerable European standards. This paper analyses the sight distance estimation criterion using the upgraded manual. For this purpose, road design examples have been studied based on sight design requirements and geometric data. The results obtained through calculation were compared according to upgraded standards to investigate road safety associated with highway geometric design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bowman–Birk protease inhibitor (BBI) family is a prototype group found mainly in plants, particularly grasses and legumes, which have been subjected to decades of study. Recently, the discovery of attenuated peptides containing the canonical Bowman–Birk protease inhibitory motif has been detected in the skin secretions of amphibians, mainly from Ranidae family members. The roles of these peptides in amphibian defense have been proposed to work cooperatively with antimicrobial peptides and reduce peptide degradation. A novel trypsin inhibitory peptide, named livisin, was found in the skin secretion of the green cascade frog, Odorrana livida. The cDNA encoding the precursor of livisin was cloned, and the predicted mature peptide was characterized. The mature peptide was found to act as a potent inhibitor against several serine proteases. A comparative activity study among the native peptide and its engineered analogs was performed, and the influence of the P1 and P2′ positions, as well as the C-terminal amidation on the structure–activity relationship for livisin, was illustrated. The findings demonstrated that livisin might serve as a potential drug discovery/development tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

REFERENCE 1 Q. Liu, Y. Duan, H. Ma, X. Long, and Y. Han, "Review on the exploration of condensed carbon formation mechanism in detonation products", AIP Adv. 10, 050701 (2020).10.1063/1.5142521 The email address of one of the corresponding authors in this article[1] was mistaken and has been corrected in the footnote. [Extracted from the article]

Amphibian skin-derived antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have attracted increasing attention from scientists because of their excellent bioactivity and low drug resistance. In addition to being the alternative choice of antibiotics or anticancer agents, natural AMPs can also be modified as templates to optimise their bioactivities further. Here, a novel dermaseptin peptide, t-DPH1, with extensive antimicrobial activity and antiproliferative activity, was isolated from the skin secretion of Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis through 'shotgun' cloning. A series of cationicity-enhanced analogues of t-DPH1 were designed to further improve its bioactivities and explore the charge threshold of enhancing the bioactivity of t-DPH1. The present data suggest that improving the net charge can enhance the bioactivities to some extent. However, when the charge exceeds a specific limit, the bioactivities decrease or remain the same. When the net charge achieves the limit, improving the hydrophobicity makes no sense to enhance bioactivity. For t-DPH1, the upper limit of the net charge was +7. All the designed cationicity-enhanced analogues produced no drug resistance in the Gram-negative bacterium, Escherichia coli. These findings provide creative insights into the role of natural drug discovery in providing templates for structural modification for activity enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]