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The porous carbons derived from biomass as electrode materials for supercapacitors have attracted widespread attention. Rice husks are abundant in Guangxi for rice is widely planted, and herein this paper presented the effects of the mass ratio of KOH/rice husks and activation temperature on the morphology, structure and electrochemical properties of the resultant carbons. The rice husks-derived porous carbon was produced by carbonization and KOH activation, and the porous carbon PAC-850-1:1 prepared at the activation temperature of 850 °C with the KOH/rice husks mass ratio of 1:1, displayed the high specific area of 2056.5 m2/g, much larger than the specific surface area of 17.9 m2/g for the carbon derived from direct pyrolysis without KOH activation. Such a high specific surface area improved the electrochemical performance of the obtained PAC-850-1:1 as the electrode material for supercapacitors, expressing the specific capacitance of 277.8 F/g at the current density of 0.5 A/g and good cyclic stability with remaining 82% at 10 A/g after 2000 cycles. The above capacitive performance, including the enhanced specific capacitance and good cycle stability, which benefited from the porous structure and good conductivity, as well as the simple fabrication strategy of the porous carbon obtained from low-cost rice husks, make it a potential candidate as electrode materials for supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climatic warming is promoting change of a very diverse nature in the biological events of an array of insect species, including alterations in phenology. Based on collected historical data, the potential impacts of climate warming on the phenology of Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera Tephritidae) in Fujian and Guangxi, China were investigated by analysing the four phenological parameters including the date of first occurrence, end occurrence, population initial growth and population peak. Results showed that, during a period of last three decades (1990-2020), the annual and seasonal mean temperatures of Guangxi and Fujian have shown increasing trends at different levels. During these studied periods, the end occurrence date and population peak of B. dorsalis in Fujian significantly advanced, and first occurrence of B. dorsalis in Guangxi also significantly moved earlier. Pearson correlation analysis suggested that the mean temperature in winter and spring were the key temperature variables affecting the occurrence and population growth of B. dorsalis in Fujian and Guangxi, respectively. This research provides valuable implications for understanding the effects of climate warming on insect pests and theoretical guidance for prediction and control of fruit fly pests in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To understand the factors influencing clinical outcomes of severe hand, foot, and mouth diseases (HFMD), and to provide scientific evidence for reducing the mortality risk of severe HFMD. Methods: From 2014 to 2018, children diagnosed with severe HFMD cases in Guangxi, China, were enrolled in this hospital-based study. The epidemiological data obtained through face-to-face interviews with the parents and guardians. Univariate and multivariate logistics regression models were used to analyze the factors influencing the clinical outcomes of severe HFMD. The impact of the EV-A71 vaccination on inpatient mortality was analyzed by a comparison approach. Results: A total of 1565 severe HFMD cases were enrolled in this survey, including 1474 (94.19%) survival cases and 91 (5.81%) death cases. The multivariate logistic analysis demonstrated that HFMD history of playmates in the last three months, first visit to the village hospital, time from the first visit to admission less than two days, no correct diagnosis for HFMD at the first visit, and having no rash symptoms were the independent risk factors for severe HFMD cases (all p < 0.05). While EV-A71 vaccination was a protective factor (p < 0.05). The EV-A71 vaccination group versus the non-vaccination group showed 2.23% of death in the vaccination group and 7.24% of death in the non-vaccination group. The EV-A71 vaccination protected 70.80% of the death of severe HFMD cases, with an effective index of 4.79. Conclusions: The mortality risk of severe HFMD in Guangxi was related to playmates had HFMD history in last 3 months, hospital grade, EV-A71 vaccination, patients visit hospital previously, and rash symptom. EV-A71 vaccination can significantly reduce mortality among severe HFMD. The findings are of great significance for the effective prevention and control of HFMD in Guangxi, southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, all seven species of Manocoreini are reviewed, and a new species Manocoreus hsiaoi sp. nov. is described from Guangxi, China. Photographs of habitus of all species, and detailed structures of the new species and type species of Manocoreus Hsiao, 1964 are provided. All species of Manocoreini of the world are keyed. A distribution map of all species is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Talaromycosis is a serious regional disease endemic in Southeast Asia. In China, Talaromyces marneffei (T. marneffei) infections is mainly concentrated in the southern region, especially in Guangxi, and cause considerable in-hospital mortality in HIV-infected individuals. Currently, the factors that influence in-hospital death of HIV/AIDS patients with T. marneffei infection are not completely clear. Existing machine learning techniques can be used to develop a predictive model to identify relevant prognostic factors to predict death and appears to be essential to reducing in-hospital mortality. Methods: We prospectively enrolled HIV/AIDS patients with talaromycosis in the Fourth People's Hospital of Nanning, Guangxi, from January 2012 to June 2019. Clinical features were selected and used to train four different machine learning models (logistic regression, XGBoost, KNN, and SVM) to predict the treatment outcome of hospitalized patients, and 30% internal validation was used to evaluate the performance of models. Machine learning model performance was assessed according to a range of learning metrics, including area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) tool was used to explain the model. Results: A total of 1927 HIV/AIDS patients with T. marneffei infection were included. The average in-hospital mortality rate was 13.3% (256/1927) from 2012 to 2019. The most common complications/coinfections were pneumonia (68.9%), followed by oral candida (47.5%), and tuberculosis (40.6%). Deceased patients showed higher CD4/CD8 ratios, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, creatinine levels, urea levels, uric acid (UA) levels, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, total bilirubin levels, creatine kinase levels, white blood-cell counts (WBC) counts, neutrophil counts, procaicltonin levels and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and lower CD3+ T-cell count, CD8+ T-cell count, and lymphocyte counts, platelet (PLT), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), hemoglobin (Hb) levels than those of surviving patients. The predictive XGBoost model exhibited 0.71 sensitivity, 0.99 specificity, and 0.97 AUC in the training dataset, and our outcome prediction model provided robust discrimination in the testing dataset, showing an AUC of 0.90 with 0.69 sensitivity and 0.96 specificity. The other three models were ruled out due to poor performance. Septic shock and respiratory failure were the most important predictive features, followed by uric acid, urea, platelets, and the AST/ALT ratios. Conclusion: The XGBoost machine learning model is a good predictor in the hospitalization outcome of HIV/AIDS patients with T. marneffei infection. The model may have potential application in mortality prediction and high-risk factor identification in the talaromycosis population. Author summary: Talaromyces marneffei can cause a fatal deeply disseminated fungal infection- talaromycosis. It is widely distributed in Southeast Asia and spreading globally, the disease is insidious and responsible for significant deaths. Clinicians need easy-to-use tools to make decisions on which patients are at a higher risk of dying after infecting T. marneffei. In this study, conducted in Southern China, we have evolved XGBoost machine learning model. 15 clinical indicators and laboratory measures were used to estimate a patient's risk of dying in the hospital due to the T. marneffei infection. The study showed that the machine learning model has good predictive ability when tested in an internal testing population of patients. We expect that the model could help clinicians assess a patient's risk of death in just the time of admission to help decide on early treatment timing of high-risk patients who are likely to die. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendrobium officinale (Orchidaceae) is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant. Its growth is slow, however many dark septate endophytic fungi (DSEs) are considered useful to plant growth and as biocontrol agents against plant pathogens. The goals of this study were to identify a new DSE and evaluate its plant-growth promotion characteristics. Based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic evidence, a DSE fungal strain TK815 isolated from Dashiwei Tiankengs in Leye county Guangxi Province, China, was classified as a novel genus in the order Cheatothyriales , namely Tiankengomelania gen. nov. typified with T. guangxiense sp. nov. Tiankengomelania guangxiense TK815 can significantly promote the growth of D. officinale in stem length (11.25%), seedling height (16.97%), root length (10.34%), and dry weight (41.05%). This study discovered, described, and illustrated a new DSE fungus, and evaluated its biological function in contributing to the growth and production of the Chinese medicinal plant D. officinale. • A new genus in the fungal order Cheatothyriales is described. • The new fungus has been proved to be a type of dark septate endophyte (DSE). • The new fungus has been found to promote the growth of Dendrobium officinale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blastocystis hominis and Cystoisospora belli are considered to be common opportunistic intestinal protozoa in HIV/AIDS patients. In order to investigate the prevalence and genetic characteristics of B. hominis and C. belli in HIV/AIDS patients, a total of 285 faecal samples were individually collected from HIV/AIDS patients in Guangxi, China. B. hominis and C. belli were investigated by amplifying the barcode region of the SSU rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS-1) region of the rRNA gene, respectively. Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test were conducted to assess the risk factors related to B. hominis and C. belli infection. The prevalence of B. hominis and C. belli was 6.0% (17/285) and 1.1% (3/285) respectively. Four genotypes of B. hominis were detected, with ST3 (n = 8) and ST1 (n = 6) being predominant, followed by ST6 (n = 2) and ST7 (n = 1). Females had a statistically higher prevalence of B. hominis (11.6%) than males (4.2%). The statistical analysis also showed that the prevalence of B. hominis was significantly associated with age group and educational level. Our study provides convincing evidence for the genetic diversity of B. hominis, which indicates its potential zoonotic transmission and is the first report on the molecular characteristics of C. belli in HIV/AIDS patients in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ochroconis guangxiensis isolated from sugarcane and banana rhizosphere, was described as a new species based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis using sequence data of the nuclear small subunit rRNA gene (SSU), internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene. Taxonomic and phylogenetic remarks are also provided for O. minima and O. ramosa. The latter two species are newly recorded for China. These three Ochroconis species, as dark septate endophytes, inhabit rhizosphere and can form a symbiosis with sugarcane and banana. • Ochroconis guangxiensis is described based on molecular biology and morphology. • Ochroconis minima and O. ramosa are newly recorded for China. • These Ochroconis species were isolated from rhizosphere of sugarcane or banana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of multidisciplinary field and laboratory projects focused on paleoanthropological sites from different areas of Asia are resulting in the discovery of many important findings. One such key area is southern China, particularly in the karst limestone caves of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, as a number of important hominin fossils have been discovered in recent years. In order to more intensively investigate the vast karst deposits of southern Guangxi, beginning in 2016 we initiated a systematic survey and excavation research program in Chongzuo City, southwest Guangxi. To date, this new field research initiative resulted in the discovery of eight new vertebrate fossil localities. One of these sites is the Yanlidong ("YLD") cave, which in addition to yielding a rich collection of vertebrate fossils, also included the discovery of three hominin fossil teeth. Based on morphological and metric comparisons, we tentatively assigned these three teeth to modern Homo sapiens. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of fossiliferous sediment indicate that age of these human teeth can be constrained between 30 and 65 ka. The implications of this new evidence from YLD and other nearby caves for the origin of modern humans in eastern Asia debate are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cryptosporidium is a genus of common intestinal protozoa, members of which cause diarrhea in a wide variety of hosts. Previous studies on Cryptosporidium in China have mainly focused on diarrhea sufferers, children, and immunodeficient individuals such as HIV/AIDS patients. However, the epidemiological characteristics of Cryptosporidium in the population in rural areas remain unclear. Herein, we investigated the prevalence of, and risk factors for, Cryptosporidium in rural areas of Binyang County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, and genetically characterized the Cryptosporidium isolates we obtained.Methods: From August to December 2016, two villages in Binyang County, Guangxi, were sampled using a random cluster sampling method. Fresh fecal samples were collected from all eligible residents (residence time > 6 months). Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium was carried out based on its SSU rRNA, gp60, actin and hsp70 gene sequences. Fisher's exact test were conducted to assess the risk factors for Cryptosporidium infection.Results: A total of 400 fecal samples were collected from 195 males (48.8%) and 205 females (51.2%). Two samples (0.5%) were positive for Cryptosporidium and were identified as C. viatorum and C. occultus respectively. Moreover, a new C. viatorum subtype XVaA3h was identified based on the sequence of the gp 60 gene.Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. viatorum and C. occultus infections in humans in China and of C. viatorum subtype XVaA3h. The findings provide important information on the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in the Chinese population, and expand the range of Cryptosporidium species known to infect people in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objectives] This study was conducted to choose a selenium-rich foliar fertilizer suitable for the selenium-rich fruit and vegetable industry in Guangxi. [Methods] With "Lingfeng" wine grapes as test materials, such four kinds of selenium fertilizers as "Jufu Selenium"(JF), "Taishan Weed Fertilizer"(TS), "Zhongnong No. 6"(ZN) and "Kangxibao"(KX) were used as exogenous selenium for the experiment of selenium-enriched grapes. [Results] The selenium contents in the grape fruit applied with the selenium fertilizers increased by 1.2-16.8 times compared with the control(CK), and JF and ZN had a better selenium-enriching effect and produced the fruit having the selenium contents reaching 75.85 and 45.79 μg/kg, respectively. Spraying selenium fertilizers can improve some quality indexes of grapes in that spraying JF on the leaves can significantly increase the total sugar content of the grapes while reducing the total acid content and spraying ZN significantly improved the vitamin C content of the fruit. With the delay of harvesting, the selenium content, total sugar content and total acid content of the "Lingfeng" grape fruit decreased, while the grapes sprayed with ZN showed the total sugar content increased slightly and the total acid decreased greatly. [Conclusions] It is suggested that if you plan to harvest at the right time, you can use "Jufu Selenium" as the exogenous fertilizer for selenium-enriched grapes; and if you want to postpone harvesting, you can use "Zhongnong No.6" as the selenium fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China, Quaternary mammalian assemblages, commonly known as " Stegodon - Ailuropoda fauna", are well documented in the central and southwest parts of the region. Unfortunately, our knowledge of Quaternary biogeographic variation in other areas of Guangxi is poor due to limited systematic investigations. Here, we report the faunal remains from the newly discovered Diaozhongyan ("DZY") cave site in northeast Guangxi. Our initial excavation in autumn 2016 resulted in the removal of 10 square meters of sediment and the discovery of 304 pieces of large mammal teeth. Biostratigraphic correlations indicate a late Middle Pleistocene age and in situ fossil teeth and calcites were Uranium-series dated to ~210 ka. The DZY faunal assemblage consists of many typical components of the traditional " Ailuropoda - Stegodon " fauna representative of southern China. Interestingly, giant pandas, identified as Ailuropoda melanoleuca baconi , are one of the dominant components of the DZY fauna (15% of the entire assemblage). However, giant pandas rarely dominate Quaternary faunal assemblages in southern China. In addition, fossil orangutan (Pongo weidenreichi), one of the most common species in central and south Guangxi during the Middle Pleistocene, is absent in DZY in northeast Guangxi. Further, fossil orangutans have not been reported from other sites in Hunan or Hubei province. We hypothesize that the Nanling Mountains served as a geographic barrier for this species. Fossil orangutans are present southwest of this biogeographic line, but are absent northeast of the line. This biogeographic boundary needs to be further evaluated with additional studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pongo fossils with precise absolute age brackets are rare, limiting our understanding of their taxonomy and spatiotemporal distribution in southern China during the Late Pleistocene. Twenty-four isolated teeth of fossil orangutans were recently discovered during excavations at Yicun Cave in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China. Here, we dated the fossil-bearing layer using Uranium-series dating of the associated flowstone and soda straw stalactites. Our results date the Yicun orangutan fossils to between 66 ± 0.32 ka and 57 ± 0.26 ka; thus, these fossils currently represent the last appearance datum of Pongo in southern China. We further conducted a detailed morphological comparison of the Yicun fossil teeth with large samples of fossil (n = 2454) and extant (n = 441) orangutans from mainland and island Southeast Asia to determine their taxonomic position. Compared to other fossil and extant orangutan samples, the Yicun Pongo assemblage has larger teeth and displays greater variation in occlusal structure. Based on the high frequency of cingular remnants and light to moderate enamel wrinkling of the molars, we assigned the Yicun fossils to Pongo weidenreichi , a species that was widespread in southern China throughout the Pleistocene. Lastly, we used published stable carbon isotope data of Early to Late Pleistocene mammalian fossil teeth from mainland Southeast Asia to reconstruct changes in the paleoenvironment and to interpret dental size variation of Pongo assemblages in a broader temporal and environmental context. The carbon isotope data show that dental size reduction in Pongo is associated with environmental changes. These morphological changes in Pongo appear to coincide with the expansion of savannah biomes and the contraction of forest habitats from the Middle Pleistocene onward. The variation in dental size of forest-dwelling Pongo in mainland Southeast Asia may have resulted from habitat differentiation during the Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The community structures of bacteria, the relationships between selected ecological factors and these communities in seawater were investigated in an underground in situ pipe eco-farming system including the underground pipes, the natural mangrove environment and the reservoir in mangroves of the Beilunhe Estuary, Guangxi, China. The seawater samples were collected on August, 1 (high tide), 8 (low tide), 15 (high tide), 2012 in turn. The profiles of Polymerase Chain Reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR–DGGE) revealed an insignificantly horizontal variation in the bacterial community indices among the aforementioned areas (p >0.05). However, the diversity indices were significantly higher at the first sampling than the two later ones (p <0.05), and the numbers of DGGE bands were significantly lower at the third sampling (p <0.05). Most bacterial community indices decreased in response to the process of eco-farming, indicating that the bacterial community became simplified over one cycle (15 days). The dominant taxa were always actinobacteria and proteobacteria. The relationships between the bacterial communities and selected ecological factors indicated that sulfide (S2−) content was considered to be a potential key ecological factor influencing the transformation of bacterial communities. These results imply that the effects of this eco-farming system on the bacterial communities are negligible and this system can be performed normally. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

As one of the most pronounced climatic episodes during the Holocene, the impact of the 8.2 ka BP cooling event was felt throughout the Northern Hemisphere. However, human behavioral responses to this climatic episode has only recently begun to be documented in different areas of the world. Southern China is one region where these human behavioral responses have yet to be clearly identified. Here, we present a recent discovery of stone artifacts from the Zhongshandong (ZSD) Cave Site, which is located in Bubing Basin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China. The cultural deposits within ZSD have been tentatively dated to the 8.2 ka BP cooling event. The ZSD Cave is a narrow, low ceiling cave about 60 m in length. Sixty-one stone artifacts were surface collected in the extremely dark terminal chamber in the back of the cave. One stone artifact was found in situ in the same area of the cave. The overlying stalagmite was U-series dated to 8130 ± 430 years BP and charcoal found below the artifact was AMS dated to 8242 ± 54 years BP. The stone artifact assemblage is comprised of cores, flakes, choppers, and scrapers produced on locally available river cobbles, an artifact collection normally assigned to the eastern Asian Early Paleolithic. Charcoal fragments are abundant in the cultural layer, implying that fire was possibly used for lighting and/or warmth. Interestingly, given the dimensions of the inner chamber and the fact that the cultural deposits sit about 60 m inside the cave, this would not be considered a typical area that would be suitable for long term human occupation. Although other possibilities may exist, one possible explanation may be that, due to the cold winter and/or harsh environment during the 8.2 ka BP climatic event, these hunter-gatherers were forced deeper inside the cave to set up their temporary campsite. This is a hypothesis that needs further testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]