The Nitraria roborowskii Kom. (NRK) berries, as fruits of the genus Nitraria of the Zygophyllceae family, have been widely used as folk medicine. Modern pharmacological research has demonstrated that ...Nitraria berries had hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, and immunomodulatory effects. However, more research needs to be reported on the chemical composition and biological activity of NRK. Hence, the phenolic compounds in the NRK berries were comprehensively analyzed and characterized by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography‐Quadruple‐Orbitrap MS system (UPLC‐Q‐Orbitrap MS) in this study. In total, 52 phenolics were identified, and all were reported for the first time. In addition, the hypolipidemic efficacy of NRK berries extract was studied in the hyperlipidemic mouse model. After treatment, the high dose group of NRK substantially reversed total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Through lipidomics technology, 27 potential biomarkers were characterized. And there was a significant callback at 25 of them after NRK treatment by using statistical analysis methods. Pathway analysis results demonstrated that NRK might exert therapeutic effects by regulating glycerophospholipid and glycerolipid metabolism pathways. This study could provide firsthand information on NRK berries for their phenolic compounds and potential application in preventing and treating hyperlipidemia.
In order to determine the possibility of whole-tree wood utilization of a native tree species in Northeast China (P. ussuriensis), this study investigated the air-dried wood density and fiber ...dimensions for each ring in the branch, stem, and root wood of the tree species. The results showed significant differences in wood densities and fiber dimensions among tree positions (p <0.05). The root had the highest average density (0.596 g/cm3), and branch had the lowest average density (0.506 g/cm3). The root and branch wood exhibited larger fibers than that of the stem wood. The root wood had the highest average fiber wall (6.038 µm). The fiber wall of branch wood appeared thinner than the stem wood, although the difference was not statistically significant. The radial pattern of wood density and fiber dimensions indicated that branches and roots did not have juvenile wood such as was found in the stems. The study concludes that the use of branch or root wood of P. ussuriensis would be favorable for papermaking or wood-based panels.
BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) was the first human polyomavirus to be isolated from an immunosuppressed kidney transplant recipient in 1971. BKPyV reactivation causes BKPyV‐associated nephropathy and ...hemorrhagic cystitis. However, the mechanisms underlying BKPyV replication remain unclear. In the present study, we performed the long‐term cultivation of COS‐7 cells transfected with archetype KOM‐5 DNA, which were designated as COS‐BK cells. BKPyV derived from COS‐BK cells was characterized by analyzing the amount of the virus based on hemagglutination, viral replication, and the production of viral protein 1 (VP1). Immunostaining showed that VP1‐positive cells accounted for a small percentage of COS‐BK cells. The nucleotide sequences encompassing the origin of the DNA replication of BKPyV derived from COS‐BK cells were generated from KOM‐5 by the deletion of an 8‐bp sequence, which did not involve T antigen binding sites. BKPyV replicated most efficiently in COS‐BK cells in DMEM containing 2% fetal bovine serum. These results indicate that COS‐BK cells are a suitable culture system for studying the persistent infection of archetype BKPyV.
KEY MESSAGE : Spring temperature is a major limiting factor at the beginning of the growing season, the timing of growth initiation can increase by about 7 days/°C. During the growing season, impacts ...of climate variables on radial growth are similar along an altitudinal gradient. Altitude is considered as an important factor affecting tree growth in mountain forest ecosystems. In this paper, the results of a 2-year field study along an altitudinal gradient in the cold and arid central Qilian Mountains, northwestern China, are reported. Twelve Qilian juniper trees (Sabina przewalskii Kom.) were monitored with high-resolution dendrometers at three altitudes ranging from 2,865 to 3,550 m. At each altitude, a local weather station was installed close to the studied trees. We identified correlations between intra-annual growth patterns derived from the Gompertz equation with local air temperature and precipitation data. The timing of growth initiation became earlier and the growing season duration increased with decreasing altitude. The onset of radial growth occurred between early May and early June, and the growing season terminated between mid-July and late August, resulting in a growing season duration that decreased from 107 to 41 days as elevation increased. June is the most important growth period at each altitude. Spring temperature, which is strongly associated with elevation, is a critical factor determining the initiation of radial growth. The timing of growth initiation was delayed by 3–4 days per 100 m elevation. When associated with the modeled altitudinal spring temperature lapse rate of −0.48 °C/100 m, the onset of the growing season increased by about 7 days/°C. However, during the growing season, daily stem radial increments showed a positive correlation with precipitation and a negative correlation with daily maximum air temperature at all altitudes. Our study provides new data revealing the basic growth processes of Qilian juniper trees and provides significant information to quantify the responses of tree growth to future global warming.
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•26 oligosaccharides in total were purified from Cimicifuga heracleifolia Kom.•13 of these oligosaccharides are sucrose- and inulin-type FOS with DP 3–14.•13 of these oligosaccharides ...are inulo-n-ose-type FOS with DP 2–14.•Inulo-n-ose-type FOS with DP 6–14 were purified from plants for the first time.
Even though Cimicifuga sp. is widely used in functional foods around the world, the content and structure of its oligosaccharides remain unclear. Here, we isolated a mixture of oligosaccharides from Cimicifuga heracleifolia Kom. rhizomes with a yield of 9.5% w/w. Twenty-six oligosaccharide monomers from the mixture were purified using optimized SEC and HILIC techniques. The oligosaccharides were identified as belonging to two groups by using HPAEC-PAD, MALDI-TOF-MS, NMR and GC–MS methylation analyses. One group belongs to sucrose and inulin type fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) {β-d-Fruf-(2 → 1)-β-d-Fruf-(2 ↔ 1)n=1-12-α-d-Glcp} with a 3–14 degree of polymerization (DP). Oligosaccharides in the other group belong to the inulo-n-ose type FOS {β-d-Fruf-(2 → 1)-β-d-Fruf-(2 → 1)m=0-12-β-d-Frup} with a DP of 2–14. This appears to be the first time that these oligosaccharides have been purified from Cimicifuga heracleifolia Kom., thus providing useful information concerning the utilization of Cimicifuga heracleifolia Kom. in functional foods.
SUMMARY
This study aims to present a 3-D stripping inversion over the Hodein Basin area in the Southeastern Desert based on the Fourier approach and evaluate the method based on the availability of ...data constraints. Before submitting the data sets for inversion, the gravity and magnetic data were subjected to process corrections, which enhanced the geological signal, thereby improving the inversion outputs. The Kharit-1 well was drilled in the central part of the basin area by Repsol in 1998. The interpreted seismic profiles revealed cumulative stratigraphic sequences in the study area, including basement complex, Kom Ombo Equivalent and Six Hills formation. Based on these constraints, the 3-D model was constructed and produced good fit statistics with an error of approximately 1.4 per cent for the gravity data and 9.7 per cent for the magnetic data. The basement layer becomes deeper in the middle of the basin, reaching a value of −2687 m around Wadi Kharit and Wadi Timsah. The basement layer is exposed and shallow in the NE and SW flanks of the main basin. The top of Kom Ombo Equivalent formation matches well with the basement relief. It reaches at the middle of basin area −1968.5 m, the greatest thickness at Wadi Timsah, up to −1200 m, while it decreases to the northwest, where it reaches −185 m. The top of the Six Hills formation reveals a shallow depth of 430 m asl along the basin area, except for the middle part, which reaches −1200 m. Based on four seismic depth profiles, an uncertainty investigation of the inversion results was performed, showing an error of approximately 10 per cent. In conclusion, the resultant basement and two stripping sedimentary layers reveal that the study area is characterized by a broad basin directed in the NW direction and dissected by normal faults, forming small subbasins.
•An efficient method for separation of Aristolochic acids (AAs) was developed.•Six AAs with similar structures were obtained by PZRCCC in a single run.•The relationship of structure and elution order ...of AAs was discussed.
Aristolochic acids (AAs), the major components in Aristolochia manshuriensis Kom stems (AMK), may cause Chinese herb nephropathy during clinical application. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish AMK from other herbs and Chinese medicines using AAs with high purity as standards. So, an efficient method for separation and purification of AAs is required because of their similar structures. In this study, six AAs with purities of >98% were obtained by pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography (PZRCCC) in a single run. The optimum two-phase solvent system was petroleum ether–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (3:7:3:7, v/v). Triethylamine (10 mM) was added to the aqueous mobile phase and trifluoroacetic acid (10 mM) to the organic stationary phase. As a result, 9.7 mg aristolochic acid IIIa, 12.0 mg aristolochic acid IVa, 32.2 mg aristolochic acid II, 103.7 mg aristolochic acid I, 24.6 mg aristolic acid II, and 26.1 mg aristolic acid I were obtained from 800 mg AAs crude extract. The elution order of AAs during PZRCCC separation corresponded with the pKa values and hydrophobicities of the target compounds. PZRCCC is an efficient method for isolation of AAs with similar structures.
Tree transpiration is an important water movement process in forest ecosystems, and it plays a decisive role in the coupling feedback of hydrological and ecological processes. Therefore, identifying ...the impact of different factors on sap flow can promote efficient water management and improve assessment of the climate change impacts. However, the interaction between sap flow and control factors is not clear, and there is no accurate model to predict sap flow change of Picea crassifolia Kom. This study explored the correlation between sap flow and environmental factors and compared the performances of the back‐propagation neural network (BPANN) and multiple regression (MLR) models, and the importance of the time‐lag effect and different soil moisture conditions in the response mechanism of sap flow was also explained. A higher fitting performance was found in the BPANN model (R2 > 0.90) based on the relationships between air temperature (Ta), air relative humidity (RH), solar radiation (Rn) and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) and sap flux density (Q) than that MLR (R2 = 0.8915). The correlation was improved due to the consideration of time‐lag effect. Other variables, such as maximum temperature (Tmax), wind speed (WS) and precipitation (P), explained smaller portions of the variance in sap flow, while minimum temperature (Tmin) and leaf area index (LAI) had almost no effect. Moreover, the R2 of the water stress condition (REW <0.38) was lower than that of the non‐water stress condition (REW ≥0.38), and even lower than the R2 of the whole experimental period. Therefore, the sap flow prediction model based on BPANN could more reasonably explain the nonlinear relationship between transpiration and control factors, which provided a basis for the estimation of plant water‐use and the construction and management of ecological vegetation in alpine arid and semi‐arid areas, especially in response to the continuous enhancement of aridification and climate warming.
Evaluate the importance of the time‐lag effect and soil moisture.
BPANN can improve the accuracy of predicting transpiration.
Provide better plant water‐use strategies in alpine arid and semi‐arid areas.
Mountain ecosystems are significantly affected by climate change. However, due to slow vegetation growth in mountain ecosystems, climate-induced vegetation shifts are difficult to detect with ...low-definition remote sensing images. We used high-definition remote sensing data to identify responses to climate change in a typical Picea crassifolia Kom. forest in the Qilian Mountains, China, from 1968 to 2017. We found that: (1) Picea crassifolia Kom. forests were distributed in small patches or strips on shaded and partly shaded slopes at altitudes of 2700–3250 m, (2) the number, area, and concentration of forest patches have been increasing from 1968 to 2017 in relatively flat and partly sunny areas, but the rate of area increase and ascend of the tree line slowed after 2008, and (3) the establishment of plantation forests may be one of the reasons for the changes. The scale of detected change in Picea crassifolia Kom.forest was about or slightly below 30 m, indicating that monitoring with high-resolution remote sensing data will improve detectability and accuracy.
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