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Sex pheromones serve a critical role in Lepidopterans finding mates. Male moths perceive and react to sex pheromones emitted by conspecific females through a delicate pheromone communication system. Pheromone receptors (PRs) are the key sensory elements at the beginning of that process. The codling moth (Cydia pomnonella) is an important pome fruit pest globally and a serious invasive species in China. Pheromone‐based techniques have been used successfully in monitoring and controlling this species. We conducted ribonucleic acid sequencing analysis of the codling moth antennal transcriptome and identified 66 odorant receptors (ORs) in a population from Xinjiang province, China, of which 14 were PRs, including two novel PRs (CpomOR2e and CpomOR73). Four PRs that contain full‐length open reading frames (CpomOR1, OR2a, OR5, OR7) and four PRs with ligands that have not been reported previously (CpomOR1, OR2a, OR5, OR7) were selected to deorphanize in the heterologous Xenopus oocyte expression system. Specifically, we found that CpomOR2a and CpomOR5 responded to (E,E)‐8, 10‐dodecadien‐1‐yl acetate (codlemone acetate). Furthermore, CpomOR5 (EC50 = 1.379 × 10−8 mol/L) was much more sensitive to codlemone acetate than CpomOR2a (EC50 = 1.663 × 10−6 mol/L). Since codlemone acetate is an important component of C. pomonella sex pheromone, our results improve the current understanding of pheromone communication in codling moths and will be helpful for the development of pest management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional temperature-humidity index (THI) based on observation stations has been widely used to evaluate regional climate comfort, but it is impossible to obtain the spatiotemporal characteristics of larger-scale regional comfort. This study uses MODIS remote sensing data combined with a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model to improve the classic THI model, and the results are compared with traditional interpolation methods to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of annual and monthly average climate comfort in China from 2005 to 2018. The GWR model uses the land surface temperature (LST), the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and a digital elevation model (DEM) as independent variables to fit the air temperature and accurately express the surface air temperature. According to the average annual THI change from 2005 to 2018, the cooler-more comfortable area increased to 136.11 km2, and the annual average comfort level in China changed from cold to comfortable. The Yunnan Province has the most comfortable months, and the central provinces have more comfortable periods than the southeastern coastal provinces. Except for Xinjiang, Tibet, and parts of Northeast China, the spatial distribution of the annual comfort level in China tends to change from comfortable to cold with increasing latitude. Compared with the traditional interpolation method, the THI model based on remote sensing data can more accurately express the spatial distribution characteristics of climate comfort in areas with sparse stations (e.g., northern Qinghai, western Xinjiang, and Hengduan Mountains), especially in mountainous areas in the southwest. This model can also reduce the influence of terrain, elevation, and other factors on the spatial distribution characteristics of comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: HPV has been found repeatedly in esophageal carcinoma tissues. However, reported detection rates of HPV DNA in these tumors have varied markedly. Differences in detection methods, sample types, and geographic regions of sample origin have been suggested as potential causes of this discrepancy. Methods: HPV L1 DNA and HPV genotypes were evaluated in 435 esophageal carcinoma specimens collected from four geographic regions with different ethnicities including Anyang in north China, Shantou in south China, Xinjiang in west China, and the United States. The HPV L1 fragment was detected using SPF1/GP6+ primers. HPV genotyping was performed using genotype specific PCR. Results: Two hundred and forty four of 435 samples (56.1%) tested positive for HPV L1. Significant differences in detection rate were observed neither among the three areas of China nor between China and the US. HPV6, 16, 18, 26, 45, 56, 57, and 58 were identified in L1 positive samples. HPV16 and 57 were the most common types in all regions, followed by HPV26 and HPV18. Conclusions: HPV infection is common in esophageal carcinoma independent of region and ethnic group of origin. Findings in this study raise the possibility that HPV is involved in esophageal carcinogenesis. Further investigation with a larger sample size over broader geographic areas may be warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]