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Studies on optimizing the best composting conditions using microorganisms producing enzymes have a long history, yet few studies have emphasized the similarities and differences in the decomposition mechanisms of different fungi during the same conditions in non-soil environments. The degradation and transformation of corn straw treated with three different fungi (Trichoderma reesei, Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Trichoderma harzianum) under 25-day solid-state aerobic composting was investigated, including total organic carbon (TOC) and C/N ratios, lignocellulose, enzyme activities and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation. The present study illustrated that under the same non-soil environment, T. reesei had the best general degradation and utilization ability among the three fungi, with a cumulative TOC consumption of 58.5 g·kg-1 in 25 days and a cumulative decrease of 5.8 in C/N. T. reesei and P. chrysosporium were more suitable for further exploration of the mechanism of corn straw degradation and transformation in soil environment than T. harzianum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Athetis lepigone (Möschler) is a new agronomic pest which has caused serious damages to summer maize in China. In order to effectively monitor it, it is necessary to carry-out a worldwide investigation on its potential geographical distribution. In this study, we give two ecological niche models, Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Production and Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt), to predict the potential geographical distribution of A. lepigone. The results indicate that the suitable areas for A. lepigone are mainly in China (Beijing, Tianjin, central and southern Hebei, northern Jiangsu, Shandong, most of Henan, northern Anhui, central and southern Shanxi, central and southern Shaanxi, small parts of north-west in Hubei, eastern Gansu, parts of Ningxia, western of Xinjiang and Dandong, and Liaoning) and other Asian countries (South Korea, North Korea and Japan). Parts of Europe (south-western Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, parts of Austria, western Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, northern Italy, Denmark, western Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, southern Finland and Sweden) are also highly suitable for A. lepigone. In addition, in the states of the USA including Michigan, New York, Chicago, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana are also favourable for its occurrence although till now no reports about of this species has been recorded. A jackknife test in MaxEnt showed that the mean temperature of the driest quarter was the most important environmental variable affecting the distribution of this pest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper mine tailing should be reused for environmental and economical benefits. A copper mine tailing from Liaoning province was studied by AAS, XRD, and SEM-EDS. It was shown that chalcopyrite and pyrite were the main valuable minerals in the tailing. Chalcopyrite was embedded closely in the pyrite mineral as revealed in SEMEDS. By regrinding, the chalcopyrite was liberated from pyrite. Besides, ammonium humate is a good organic surfactant. With ammonium humate as the selective depressor, chalcopyrite can be separated from pyrite by flotation in a relative low pulp pH of 10.6. Comprehensive flotation tests conducted on the copper mine tailing indicated that Cu concentrate with Cu grade of 20.16% and S concentrate with S grade of 48.02% were obtained, achieving a good recovery result from the tailing. The mechanism of ammonium humate was proved by IR spectrum and XPS spectrum, showing that there was a chemical adsorption between ammonium humate and pyrite, thus depressing pyrite from flotation. The research can offer a way to treat similar copper tailing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article, "Preliminary Study on Aberrant Enteromorpha: A Preliminary Analysis of "Green Tide'' in Yellow Sea Area," by J. H. Ma and colleagues, is presented.

A CoO glass-ceramic was coated on 200 stainless steel and its thermal shock resistance and anti-oxidation effect were detected at 600-1250 °C in ambient air. This coating was prepared by a slurry method and it exhibited fairly good adhesion, oxidation resistance and stability at elevated temperature. Specifically, its thermal shock resistance and anti-oxidation effect were detected. The coating optimized was prepared by a slurry-thermal reaction. Metalloscope, SEM-EDX, and XRD revealed that a stable glass-ceramic layer was formed during the coating process which acted as a perfect film with the thermal cycles and prevented the 200 stainless steel from being oxidized. In the thermal cycle process, the glass-ceramic film was non-stripping with good CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) match between coating and the steel. This low-cost and facile operating method can be used widely in stainless steel protection at high temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To systemically review the therapeutic effect of probitics on allergic rhinitis（AR). Method: Literatures about the effect of probitics on AR were searched in PubMed. The Cochrane Library, Web of Science and CNKI, WanFang Data and VIP inception to April 2016,and 2 reviewers independently screened literatures according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then meta-analysis was performed using RevMan5.2 software. Result: A total of 16RCTs involving1374 patients were included in the meta-analysis, including 809 cases in the probitic group and 568 cases in the placebo group. The results of meta-analysis showed that the efficacy of probitic group was superior to the placebo group in total RQLQ,nasal RQLQ,eye RQLQ and the serum eosinophil count,the difference was statistically significant ［MD=-4.43,95% CI （-8.65~-0.20）;MD=-1.08，95% CI （-1.89~0.27）;MD=-0.95,95% CI （-1.46~-1.44）;MD=-28.40,95% CI （-43.53~-13.26）］.There was no significant difference in Serum IgE between the probitic group and the placebo group( P >0.05).There was no significant difference in the NTSS value between the lactobacillus group and the bifidobacterium group( P >0.05). Conclusion: Compared to the placebo, probitics can effectively reduce symptom scores of patients with AR;and different strains of probitics indicated no significant differences in improving nasal symptoms., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Nonfunctioning pancreatic endocrine tumor (NFPET) is a kind of tumor with high malignancy but bland in morphological features. It is impossible to predict the malignancy solely by gross and light microscopic pictures of the tumor. For the purpose of assessing the value of flow cytometry and morphometry in predicting the prognosis of NFPET, the DNA content and several morphological parameters of 26 NFPETs were determined by appropriate techniques. The results show that abnormal DNA content has no practical value in discriminating benign from malignant NFPETs; whereas the "score" obtained by combining the morphological measurements of the number of nuclei/mm2 and N/C, is of certain referential significance in predicting the malignancy of NFPET.

Twenty-six patients with non-functioning pancreatic endocrine tumor (NFPET) were operated on during a 22-year period (1968-1990) at PUMC Hospital, Beijing. Of these, 19 were female and 7 were male with a mean age of 33 years. All these tumors, including 12 malignant and 14 benign, were solitary, and most of them were well-encapsulated. Immunohistochemical staining showed 23 (88.5%) containing 1-4 kinds of peptide hormone and 18 (69.2%) being multihormonal. In 7 of the 9 tumors subjected to electron microscopic study, various amounts of neurosecretory granules were found. Tumors of this series were clinically silent, but they contained some immunoreactive peptides, although the amount of the peptides varied from tumor to tumor.

Two human pancreatic carcinoma cell lines, PC-1 and PC-2, were established from nude mice xenografts derived from metastatic pancreatic carcinomas of two patients. The two cell lines propagated continuously in vitro over 19 and 19.5 months. The cells grow in a monolayered sheet with doubling times of 47 hours for PC-1 and 58 hours for PC-2. The cells exhibited epithelial morphology and were confirmed to be malignant epithelial cell lines by morphological study, CEA and cytokeratin immunocytochemistry, flow cytometry and Con A test. The tumors caused by inoculation of cultured PC-1 and PC-2 into nude mice retained the histological and ultrastructural features of the original tumors. The findings proved that the two cell lines were human exocrine pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines. Chromosomal analysis together with flow cytometry data revealed that the two cell lines had the human aneuploid karyotypic features with model chromosome numbers of 48 and 66.

Carbamyl phosphate synthetase I (CPS1) is an initial enzyme of urea synthetase system. It exists exclusively in liver cells and epithelial cells of the small intestine. By immunocytochemistry, 70.5% of 88 surgically resected gastric carcinomas (42 advanced and 46 early gastric carcinomas) was found to be CPS1 immunoreaction positive, whereas all other carcinomas (of the esophagus, colon, pancreas, lung, breast, ovary, kidney, prostate and urinary bladder) tested were negative. CPS1 expression in gastric carcinoma was closely related to the types of mucin secreted by the carcinoma cells. Most carcinomas secreting sialomucin were CPS1 positive, yet those secreting sulfomucin or neutral mucin did not express CPS1. The types of intestinal metaplasia adjacent to the carcinoma correlated neither with CPS1 expression nor with the histological types of carcinoma. Owing to the fact that gastric carcinomas with CPS1 expression possess the characteristics of small intestinal epithelium, it is very likely that CPS1 can be used as a novel marker for gastric carcinoma originating from complete type intestinal metaplasia.

The numbers of immunoreactive gastrin and somatostatin cells in gastric and duodenal mucosal biopsy specimens from dyspeptic patients with duodenal ulcers and dyspeptic controls without ulcers were calculated using a morphometric method. The levels of gastrin and somatostatin in the tissue were also measured by the radioimmunoassay. The results showed no significant difference in the number of G cells and the level of gastrin in the tissue between the ulcer and non-ulcer groups. However, the number of D cells and the level of somatostatin in the tissue in ulcer patients were remarkably reduced in comparison with those in non-ulcer patients (P less than 0.01 and P less than 0.05, respectively). The G:D cells and gastrin:somatostatin ratios in ulcer patients were much higher than those in the non-ulcer control group. It is considered that the reduction of D cells and the relative lack of somatostatin in duodenal ulcer patients might have a role in the mechanism of the duodenal ulceration.