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Background: Gut microbiota plays a significant role in host survival, health, and diseases; however, compared to other livestock, research on the gut microbiome of donkeys is limited. Results: In this study, a total of 30 donkey samples of rectal contents from six regions, including Shigatse, Changdu, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Dezhou, were collected for metagenomic sequencing. The results of the species annotation revealed that the dominant phyla were Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, and the dominant genera were Bacteroides, unclassified_o_Clostridiales (short for Clostridiales) and unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae (short for Lachnospiraceae). The dominant phyla, genera and key discriminators were Bacteroidetes, Clostridiales and Bacteroidetes in Tibet donkeys (Shigatse); Firmicutes, Clostridiales and Clostridiales in Tibet donkeys (Changdu); Firmicutes, Fibrobacter and Tenericutes in Qinghai donkeys; Firmicutes, Clostridiales and Negativicutes in Yunnan donkeys; Firmicutes, Fibrobacter and Fibrobacteres in Xinjiang donkeys; Firmicutes, Clostridiales and Firmicutes in Dezhou donkeys. In the functional annotation, it was mainly enriched in the glycolysis and gluconeogenesis of carbohydrate metabolism, and the abundance was the highest in Dezhou donkeys. These results combined with altitude correlation analysis demonstrated that donkeys in the Dezhou region exhibited strong glucose-conversion ability, those in the Shigatse region exhibited strong glucose metabolism and utilization ability, those in the Changdu region exhibited a strong microbial metabolic function, and those in the Xinjiang region exhibited the strongest ability to decompose cellulose and hemicellulose. Conclusion: According to published literature, this is the first study to construct a dataset with multi-regional donkey breeds. Our study revealed the differences in the composition and function of gut microbes in donkeys from different geographic regions and environmental settings and is valuable for donkey gut microbiome research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the study of the relationship between the thermal configuration of the Bay of Bengal (BOB)-Tibetan Plateau (TP) region and the precipitation anomaly in Yunnan, a province in China, in May using ERA-Interim data and precipitation data for May from 125 meteorological stations across Yunnan for 1979-2014. Results from the analysis indicate that the interannual variability of May precipitation in Yunnan is significantly modulated by the BOB-TP thermal configuration. Model runs with a linear baroclinic model suggest physical consistency. The thermal conditions over the BOB mainly impact the May precipitation anomaly in Yunnan via changes in water vapor transport from the eastern BOB northeastward to southwestern Yunnan. The second factor influencing precipitation anomalies relates to the characteristics and variability of cold air transport from the TP to northeastern Yunnan. When the BOB (the TP) is occupied by positive (negative) diabatic heating, a thermal gradient with a warmer (colder) center over the BOB and a colder (warmer) center over the TP is established, and more-than-normal (less than normal) precipitation in Yunnan will occur in May. This relationship can persist from April to the following May to some extent; therefore, the BOB-TP thermal configuration in April could be used to forecast May precipitation in Yunnan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qianhu Mountain, situated southeast of the Tibetan Plateau, is a key location for testing the role of tectonic uplift in controlling the response of mountain glaciations to climate change in western China. The mountain has distinctive glacial landforms and deposits, including cirques, peaks, arêtes, lateral moraines and terminal moraines above 3500 m a.s.l., and these morphologic features suggest a clear sequence of landscape-forming events during one or more glacial cycles. Optically stimulated luminescence dating reveals that the glacial deposits record events from the last glacial maximum ( LGM, ∼22.2 ± 1.9 ka), the middle stage of the last glacial cycle ( marine isotope stage 3 ( MIS3), 37.3 ± 3.7 - 45.6 ± 4.3 ka) and possibly an earlier stage of the last glacial cycle. The glacial extent in the middle stage of the last glacial cycle is larger than that in the LGM. This may reflect a larger increase in South Asia summer monsoon precipitation during MIS3 than during the LGM. The glacial sequences preserved on Qianhu Mountain indicate a briefer history of glaciation here compared with mountains to the northwest, which experienced more and earlier uplift in association with uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. This suggests that climatic and tectonic factors both play a part in controlling the number and extent of glaciations in western China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the installed capacity of wind power has rapidly increased. And the wind power prediction is the foundation for ensuring large-scale wind power grid connection. The current short-term prediction methods of wind farm cluster (WFC) are difficult to sufficiently extract spatiotemporal features to achieve high-precision prediction. The article proposes a short-term power prediction method for WFC based on deep attention embedded graph clustering-TimesNet (DAEGC-TimesNet). Firstly, the directed power curves of WFC are proposed to analyze wind data. Then, a graph attention network is constructed based on geographic location and numerical weather prediction (NWP) information to guide clustering algorithms to achieve effective cluster partitioning. Finally, the input of model is constructed based on the feature information from various sub-clusters of WFC and the prediction result is obtained through the TimesNet. The method is applied to WFCs in Inner Mongolia, Jilin province and Yunnan province of China. The result shows that the RMSE reduces 0.0155 and the MAE reduces 0.0156 as well as the coefficient of determination and accuracy rate are highest comparing with comparative algorithms averagely based on above three WFCs. The simulation results are superior to the comparison algorithms, which makes greater contributions to ensure regional power supply. [Display omitted] • Propose a directed power curves of wind farm cluster. • Propose a new short-term power prediction method for wind farm cluster. • Propose a short-term prediction method based on multi-source spatiotemporal feature. • It provides new ideas for short-term wind power prediction for wind farm cluster. • Proposed power prediction idea reduces the RMSE and MAE 0.0155 and 0.0156 on average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baoshan pigs (BS) are a local breed in Yunnan Province that may face inbreeding owing to its limited population size. To accurately evaluate the inbreeding level of the BS pig population, we used whole-genome resequencing to identify runs of homozygosity (ROH) regions in BS pigs, calculated the inbreeding coefficient based on pedigree and ROH, and screened candidate genes with important economic traits from ROH islands. A total of 22,633,391 SNPS were obtained from the whole genome of BS pigs, and 201 ROHs were detected from 532,450 SNPS after quality control. The number of medium-length ROH (1–5 Mb) was the highest (98.43%), the number of long ROH (>5 Mb) was the lowest (1.57%), and the inbreeding of BS pigs mainly occurred in distant generations. The inbreeding coefficient FROH, calculated based on ROH, was 0.018 ± 0.016, and the FPED, calculated based on the pedigree, was 0.027 ± 0.028, which were positively correlated. Forty ROH islands were identified, containing 507 genes and 891 QTLs. Several genes were associated with growth and development (IGFALS, PTN, DLX5, DKK1, WNT2), meat quality traits (MC3R, ACSM3, ECI1, CD36, ROCK1, CACNA2D1), and reproductive traits (NPW, TSHR, BMP7). This study provides a reference for the protection and utilization of BS pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of Christisonia (Orobanchaceae), Christisonia hekouensis Gui L.Zhang, J.D.Ya & W.B.Yu and Christisonia dentosa J.D.Ya, Gui L.Zhang & W.B.Yu, found during botanical surveys in Southeast Yunnan, China, are described and illustrated. The two new species are similar to C. kwangtungensis bearing rose-red flowers and conspicuously inflated corolla tubes, and phylogenetic analyses strongly support the three species as monophyletic. However, C. hekouensis can be distinguished from C. kwangtungensis and C. dentosa by having externally puberulent calyces and corollas, corolla lobes with serrulate margins, styles that are pink and glabrous or sparsely capitate-glandular pubescent above, and with anthers less than 2 mm below the stigma. Christisonia dentosa differs from C. kwangtungensis and C. hekouensis by having dentate corolla lobe margins, internally capitate-glandular pubescent corollas, styles distinctly capitate-glandular pubescent above, and more than six anthers which are up to 10 mm below the stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mosquito-based arbovirus surveillance can serve as an early warning in evaluating the status of mosquito-borne virus prevalence and thus prevent local outbreaks. Although Tengchong County in Yunnan Province—which borders Myanmar—is abundant and diverse in mosquitoes, very few mosquito-based arbovirus investigations have been conducted in the recent decade. Herein, this study aims to evaluate the presence and the diffusion of mosquito-borne pathogens, currently prevalent in this region. Methods: We collected 9486 mosquitoes, representing eight species, with Culex tritaeniorhynchus and Anopheles sinensis as the dominant species, during high mosquito activity seasons (July–October) in Tengchong, in 2018. Samples collected from 342 pools were tested using reverse-transcription PCR to determine the species, distribution, and infection rates of virus and parasite, and further analyze their genotypes, phylogenetic relationships, infection rate, and potential pathogenicity. Results: Fifteen Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) strains from Cx. tritaeniorhynchus pools were detected. Seven strains of insect-specific flaviviruses (ISFVs), including two Aedes flavivirus (AeFV) and Yunnan Culex flavivirus strains each, one Culex theileri flavivirus, Yamadai flavivirus (YDFV) and Anopheles-associated flavivirus (AAFV) strains each were detected in Aedes albopictus, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. vagans, Cx. pseudovihnui, and An. sinensis pools, respectively. The whole-genome was successfully amplified in one strain of JEV and AeFV each. Phylogenetic analysis using the E gene placed all the newly detected JEV strains into the GI-b genotype. They showed highly nucleotide identities, and were most closely related to the strain detected in Tengchong in 2010. The comparison of the E protein of JEV strains and vaccine-derived strain, showed six amino residue differences. The bias-corrected maximum likelihood estimation values (and 95% confidence interval) for JEV in Cx. tritaeniorhynchus collected in Tengchong in 2018 were 2.4 (1.4–3.9). Conclusions: A potential Japanese encephalitis epidemic focus with the abundance of host mosquitoes and high JEV infection rate was observed in Tengchong. In addition, at least five species of ISFVs co-circulate in this area. This study highlights the importance of widespread and sustained mosquito-based arbovirus surveillance in local areas to prevent the transmission of JEV, and other emerging/re-emerging mosquito-borne pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potentially toxic metals in farmland soil have recently become a significant environmental concern in China. In this study, the occurrence and distribution of eight (8) heavy metals (HMs) were investigated from 54 topsoil samples obtained across 18 provinces. Human health and ecological hazards associated with HMs were assessed through different risk characterization indices and their sources predicted. The statistically mean concentrations of HMs ranged from 0.08 to 70.05 mg kg−1, which were below the determined threshold values for agricultural lands according to the Chinese National Standard (GB 15618–2018). The respective ecological risk index ( E r i) of HMs revealed that they posed a lower risk ( E r i < 40) but their potential cumulative ecological risk (RI) was determined as a considerable risk (300 ≤ RI < 600). Spatial distribution and heterogeneities of HMs were found to be highly concentrated in the southern parts (e.g., Yunnan, Guangdong) of China, particularly for Arsenic (As), Zinc (Zn), and Chromium (Cr). PMF model was found capable of efficiently elucidating respective sources of HMs across the studied provinces as most were impacted by geological/pedogenic and anthropogenic activities (e.g., agricultural, industrial discharge fallouts). Probabilistic health risk assessment indicated that the non-carcinogenic risk (NCR) and total carcinogenic risk (TCR) of HMs in both adults and children were low and acceptable. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the slope of the open pit of Dahongshan iron ore mine in Yunnan is taken as the research object, the safety coefficient and settlement values of the slope under natural and rainfall conditions are derived by the finite element software Midas/GTS, and the surface settlement versus time is produced by fusing the InSAR monitoring results of the study area for a whole year to judge the stability of the open pit slope. The results show that the settlement and deformation areas shown by numerical simulation and InSAR monitoring results are consistent; the comparison between InSAR monitoring results and rainfall intensity shows that the cumulative value of slope settlement has a high correlation with heavy rainfall. The safety coefficients of the slopes of the open pit under natural conditions and rainfall conditions are 1.50 and 1.21, the cumulative value of settlement in InSAR monitoring data for one year is 18.4 mm, and no obvious large deformation area is found. The use of numerical simulation combined with InSAR monitoring can realize the analysis of the stability of the slope of the open pit mine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare earth elements and yttrium (REY) in coal, fly ash as well as coal preparation products have attracted much attention due to the increasing demand worldwide. In this paper, the distribution of REY in different size and density fractions, their mode of occurrence, and the insight they provide on the sediment source region of the Reshuihe coal in southern China are studied. The results show that the physical separation method caused light-REY (LREY) to be enriched in the low-density and large-sized coal particles, whereas medium-REY (MREY) and heavy-REY (HREY) are enriched in small-sized and high-density fractions. In addition, LREY are more closely associated with organic matter, while MREY and HREY occur more often in aluminosilicate minerals. Moreover, the sediment source of the Reshuihe coal was mainly derived from the felsic–intermediate rocks at the top of the Emeishan basalt sequence. Further, REY in the feed coal are generally not enriched, though REY are enriched in density fractions of 1.4 kg/L. The combustion products of coal with a density of 1.4 kg/L obtained by gravity separation have a potential economic value as promising raw materials for REY. • LREY (MREY and HREY) are enriched in the larger (smaller) size fractions with low (high) density grades. • LREY are more closely associated with organic matter, while MREY and HREY tend to occur in aluminosilicate minerals. • The combustion products of coals with a density of 1.4 kg/L have a potential economic value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mengzi locates in the south 20 km away from the outlet of Nandong subsurface river, and has been suffering from water deficiency in recent years. It is necessary to find out the water resources underground according to the geological characteristics such as the positions and buried depths of the underground river to improve the civil and industrial environments. Due to the adverse factors such as topographic relief, bare rocks in karst terrains, the geophysical approaches, such as Controlled Source Audio Magnetotellurics and Seismic Refraction Tomography, were used to roughly identify faults and fracture zones by the geophysical features of low resistivity and low velocity, and then used the mise-a-la-masse method to judge which faults and fracture zones should be the potential channels of the subsurface river. Five anomalies were recognized along the profile of 2.4 km long and showed that the northeast river system has several branches. Drilling data have proved that the first borehole indicated a water bearing channel by a characteristics of rock core of river sands and gravels deposition, the second one encountered water-filled fracture zone with abundant water, and the third one exposed mud-filled fracture zone without sustainable water. The results from this case study show that the combination of Controlled Source Audio Magnetotellurics, Seismic Refraction Tomography and mise-a-la-Masse is one of the effective methods to detect water-filled channels or fracture zones in karst terrains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The species-rich genus Impatiens is mainly distributed throughout much of tropical Africa, India, southwest Asia, southern China and Japan. There are more than 270 species recorded in China, most of which are restricted to the southwest. An unknown species of Impatiens was collected from Yunnan, southwest China. Results: Impatiens pandurata Y. H. Tan & S. X. Yu, a new species of Balsaminaceae from Jinping County and Malipo County, Yunnan, China is similar to I. apalophylla and I. clavigera in having racemose inflorescences, 4 lateral sepals, hammer-shaped capsules and ellipsoid seeds, but differs in having leaves with oblanceolate blades aggregated at the top of the stem, 3-5-flowered racemes, a yellow lower sepal without reddish patches, yellowish flowers, and a dorsal petal with stalks at the base. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of sequences from both nuclear ribosomal and plastid genes confirm that this new species is distinct from morphologically similar species previously recorded. Conclusion: With the support of careful morphological studies and phylogenetic analysis, I. pandurata is a species new to science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats have been identified as natural reservoirs of a variety of coronaviruses. They harbor at least 19 of the 33 defined species of alpha- and betacoronaviruses. Previously, the bat coronavirus HKU10 was found in two bat species of different suborders, Rousettus leschenaultia and Hipposideros pomona, in south China. However, its geographic distribution and evolution history are not fully investigated. Here, we screened this viral species by a nested reverse transcriptase PCR in our archived samples collected over 10 years from 25 provinces of China and one province of Laos. From 8004 bat fecal samples, 26 were found to be positive for bat coronavirus HKU10 (BtCoV HKU10). New habitats of BtCoV HKU10 were found in the Yunnan, Guangxi, and Hainan Provinces of China, and Louang Namtha Province in Laos. In addition to H. pomona, BtCoV HKU10 variants were found circulating in Aselliscus stoliczkanus and Hipposideros larvatus. We sequenced full-length genomes of 17 newly discovered BtCoV HKU10 strains and compared them with previously published sequences. Our results revealed a much higher genetic diversity of BtCoV HKU10, particularly in spike genes and accessory genes. Besides the two previously reported lineages, we found six novel lineages in their new habitats, three of which were located in Yunnan province. The genotypes of these viruses are closely related to sampling locations based on polyproteins, and correlated to bat species based on spike genes. Combining phylogenetic analysis, selective pressure, and molecular-clock calculation, we demonstrated that Yunnan bats harbor a gene pool of BtCoV HKU10, with H. pomona as a natural reservoir. The cell tropism test using spike-pseudotyped lentivirus system showed that BtCoV HKU10 could enter cells from human and bat, suggesting a potential interspecies spillover. Continuous studies on these bat coronaviruses will expand our understanding of the evolution and genetic diversity of coronaviruses, and provide a prewarning of potential zoonotic diseases from bats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which investigates the chemical composition and bioactivities of Euonymus acanthocarpus collected from Xishuangbanna, in Yunnan Province, China in August 2010. The study involves the extraction of 95% ethanol from the stems and leaves of E. acanthocarpus. Four terpenes, four aryl glycosides, seven flavones, and twenty aromatic compounds were isolated from the said plant.

• The determination of element contents of Thelephora ganbajun by ICP-MS. • Chemometric approach have benn carried out, the LDA achieved high accuracy rate of 100 %. • Successfully discrimination of the samples by geographic origin. Geographical traceability is essential to the highly valued wild edible mushroom Thelephora ganbajun (T. ganbajun). This work examined the possibility of using the combination of multielement together with multivariate statistics methods, to identify the origins of 40 T. ganbajun from four sites of Yunnan province, China. Multielement analysis of thirteen elements (Mg, K, Ca, Al, Cr, Zn, As, Se, Cd, Pb, Fe, Mn, and P) were investigated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Pearson correlation analysis was performed to check for the potential relationship between elements. Concentrations were used as chemical indicators to determine the geographical origins of T. ganbajun samples by utilizing multivariate data analysis, including principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Thirteen elements in T. ganbajun from different regions showed significant differences (p < 0.05), which proved that the elemental composition was an effective tool for distinguishing different origins of T. ganbajun. Classification of T. ganbajun using PCA gave satisfactory results, which permitted the reduction of 13 variables to three principal components explaining 92.84 % of the total variance. The HCA showed four clusters corresponding to the four origins of T. ganbajun. The LDA gave an overall correct classification rate of 100 % with an independent external sample set. These results revealed that multielement analysis combined with chemometrics is a useful tool for distinguishing T. ganbajun geographical origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There is no standard for the ratio of SS:SA of the i n situ nylon bag technique(ISNBT) for the evaluation of ruminant feed and there are varying approaches used in China and around the world. • Increasing the ratio of sample size to nylon bag area (SS:SA) lowered the effective dry matter degradability of rye straw at SS:SA ratios of 29.17 and 37.5 mg/cm2. There was a trend for higher effective degradability (ED) at the lower SS:SA ratios for soybean meal crude protein. • These results show that with a standard nylon bag with external dimensions of 6 × 10 cm, increasing the amount of sample, thus raising the ratio of sample size to bag surface area (SS:SA ratio) reduces feed degradation. • Our recommendation is to operate at a SS:SA ratio of about 25 mg/cm2 for concentrate feed and a lower ratio (20 mg/cm2) for roughage. We thought that our work can accelerate the development of the standard of ISNBT. The in situ nylon bag technique (ISNBT) is traditional and necessary for the evaluation of ruminant feed, but there are exists some disunity operation schemes. Therefor, we select one way that varying SS:SA to determine the effects of it on feed degradation in the rumen. Eight Yunnan semi-fine wool sheep fitted with permanent ruminal cannul as were used and the nylon bags containing different sample size with fixed surface area. The results demonstrated that increasing the ratio of sample size to nylon bag area (SS:SA) lowered the effective dry matter (DM) degradability of rye straw. There was no difference in degradability with SS:SA ratios of 12.5 and 20.85 mg/cm2 but DM degradability was reduced (P < 0.05) at SS:SA ratios of 29.17 and 37.5 mg/cm2. At these higher SS:SA ratios DM degradability was also reduced (P < 0.05), at incubation durations of less than 36 h. A similar picture was obtained for rye straw crude protein (CP) degradability, although the effects of sample size and incubation time were less marked. In the case of the concentrated feedstuff, soybean meal, ruminal degradation was almost complete at 36 h and there was a trend for higher effective degradability (ED) at the lower SS:SA ratios. These results show that with a standard nylon bag with external dimensions of 6 × 10 cm, increasing the amount of sample, thus raising the ratio of sample size to bag surface area (SS:SA ratio) reduces feed degradation. It is recommended that sample size influenced feed degradation in the nylon bag technique and a sample weight of 2.5 g (SS:SA about 20 mg/cm2) should be used for evaluation of roughage and 3 g (SS:SA about 25 mg/cm2) for evaluation of concentrated diets for sheep using this technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examined the chemical composition of the perennial herb Inula hookeri collected from Weixi county, Yunnan Province, China in August 2010. The compounds from the herbs which were extracted, isolated and purified using silica gel, column chromatography (CC) yielded colorless and yellow oils, gums, amorphous powder and crystals.

• Two kinds of magnetite are identified at porphyry-related deposits in the Zhongdian region. • Some magnetite grains had undergone dissolution-reprecipitation processes. • The compositions of magnetite are affected by temperature, oxygen fugacity and hydrothermal alteration. The Zhongdian region in northwestern Yunnan (SW China) hosts a number of important porphyry and skarn deposits. In this study, we integrate petrographic observations, SEM-EDS elemental mapping, EPMA and LA-ICP-MS geochemical analyses on magnetite from several key deposits in the region. Magnetite grains from the Pulang porphyry Cu-Au, Lannitang porphyry Au-Cu, Langdu Cu skarn, Disuga porphyry, and andesite of Tumugou Formation were analyzed to unravel the magnetite formation mechanism, and the relative oxygen fugacity of the porphyry/skarn ore-related hydrothermal fluids in this region. Two types of magnetites (Magnetite I and II) have been identified. Magnetite I is commonly distributed in the chlorite and/or sericite alteration zone(s). Magnetite I grains are characterized by being textually inhomogeneous. The Magnetite I core (with local ilmenite exsolution lamellae) is Ti-Cr rich, indicative of a dominantly igneous origin. The Magnetite I core and its surrounding primary igneous minerals (biotite, amphibole and plagioclase) underwent late alteration. Magnetite I grains are characterized by core-rim texture, sharp core-rim contact, and irregular grain boundaries. These textural features indicate that Magnetite I may have undergone dissolution-reprecipitation processes, during which the Magnetite I core was chemically purified via losing Ti and gaining Fe. Magnetite II (in potassic and sericite alteration zones) is textually homogeneous with relatively low contents of Ti, Mg, Al, V, Ni, and Mn. We suggest that Magnetite II was formed by hydrothermal alteration. Compared to Magnetite II grains from the Pulang and Langdu deposits, those from the Lannitang deposit have lower Mn and V but higher Sn contents, indicative of higher oxygen fugacity of the hydrothermal fluids. We propose that binary plots such as Ti vs. Sc, V vs. Sn and Ga vs. Sn can distinguish the different origins of magnetites. From an exploration perspective, Magnetite II from the altered Disuga porphyries has similar texture and composition to its counterpart from the potassic-altered Pulang porphyries. This, together with the presence of Cu-sulfide inclusions in the Disuga Magnetite I, suggests significant mineralization potential in these porphyries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]