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The Jiangshan‐Shaoxing‐Pingxiang Fault (JSP Fault) is traditionally considered as the boundary between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks in South China. Whether the previously defined Shenshan and Kuli formations located along the JSP fault and near the Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province, are continuous strata or parts of a tectonic mélange is important for understanding the geological history of South China. A carbonaceous phyllite from the area, previously considered as part of the Neoproterozoic Shenshan and Kuli formations, is analyzed palynologically in this study. The Asteridium‐Comasphaeridium acritarch assemblage found in the slate can be correlated with the basal Cambrian Asteridium‐Heliosphaeridium‐Comasphaeridium (AHC) acritarch assemblage in Tarim and the Yangtze Block. The early Cambrian biostratigraphical age assignment for the carbonaceous phyllite indicates the presence of both Neoproterozoic and Cambrian rocks in the sedimentary package, and supports that the package is a part of tectonic mélange rather than a continuous Neoproterozoic strata. The Cambrian slate is the youngest known lithology in the mélange at present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacillus cereus is a major foodborne pathogen that can cause a type of diarrhea. Diarrheal syndrome results from the ingestion of food products contaminated with enterotoxin-producing B. cereus . This study investigated the presence of four enterotoxins genes in 130 B. cereus isolated from various food products from Jiangxi, China. The expression levels of the enterotoxin genes in three B. cereus strains of different origins were subsequently analyzed. All of the B. cereus strains harbor at least 1 enterotoxin gene, whereas 34 strains harbor 2 enterotoxin genes, 44 strains harbor 3 enterotoxin genes, and 47 strains carry all of the four enterotoxin genes. The detection rates of the cytK , hblD , nheA , and entFM enterotoxin genes in all B. cereus isolates were 71%, 43%, 92%, and 99%, respectively. Moreover, the food matrix significantly affected the expression of these enterotoxin genes. The majority of the enterotoxin genes were also downregulated in four food matrices, indicating that the relative expression of certain enterotoxin genes, especially the entFM gene, was lower in a real food matrix than in laboratory broths. Hence, these data revealed that B. cereus is a serious health hazard and that the food matrix may influence the virulence expression of B. cereus . Our results provide better insights into the physiology of the microorganism grown in food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]