Bacterial communities in fermentative high-temperature Daqu play an important role in the Chinese roasted sesame-like flavour liquor brewing process. A culture-independent method of 16S rDNA clone library was applied to investigate the changes in bacterial diversity during the process of a Daqu fermentation. The results indicated that the types of bacteria species gradually increased with prolonged fermentation time. The first dominant bacterium, Pantoea sp. (73.68%), in the raw material was only detected at the beginning of the fermentation stage (8 days) in small quantities. The second dominant bacterium, Weissella sp. (16.99%) and the third, Lactobacillus sp. (4.57%), were both detected in the beginning fermentation sample (3.22, 11.29%), in the ripening fermentation sample (24 days; 6.89, 25.11%) and in the drying stage (49 days; 3.74, 7.47%). In the beginning fermentation, Thermoactinomyces sp. (47.57%) was detected as the first predominant bacterium, and it was also detected in the ripening fermentation stage (4.93%) and in the drying stage (15.68%). The bacterial communities in the Daqu fermentation process affected the physicochemical index of Daqu. A molecular analysis of the bacterial community from the Daqu fermentation process will benefit studies on the aroma production mechanisms from these bacteria.

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A series of (R)-3,4-dihydroxyphenyllactic acid Danshensu (DSS) derivatives were synthesized, and their cardioprotective effects were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Among the new derivatives, compound 14 showed significant protective effects in cultured myocardial cells and in the rat model of myocardial ischemia. The therapeutic efficacy of compound 14 was significantly higher than that of its parent compound DSS, and amlodipine, a first-line treatment for angina pain. Compound 14 potently scavenged free radicals, significantly decreased the levels of LDH and MDA, and inhibited the leakage of CK in animal model of ischemia. We had previously found that compound 14 activated PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β and Nrf2//Keap1/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling pathways in H9c2 cells. These results suggest that compound 14 has a unique mechanism of action, that is, multifunctional. Compound 14 may be a new potential therapy for ischemic heart diseases.

Aim Although the influence on species richness of landscape attributes representing landscape composition and spatial configuration has been well documented at landscape scales, its effects remain little understood at macroecological scales. We aim to assess the role of landscape attributes, and their relative importance compared with climate, habitat heterogeneity and human influence (CHH) in particular, in shaping broad-scale richness patterns. Location Mainland China.Methods Species richness data for mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians were derived from the China Species Information Service. Together with the richness data, CHH variables and class-and landscape-level landscape metrics were calculated using grain sizes of 50 km × 50 km, 100 km × 100 km and 200 km × 200 km. At these multiple scales, the species richness of each taxonomic group was correlated with CHH and landscape variables using both ordinary least square (OLS) and simultaneous autoregressive (SAR) models; variation partitioning was used to assess the relative strength of landscape attributes versus CHH variables. ResultsIn general, climate is the most influential factor shaping richness patterns. Landscape attributes, especially class-level attributes, can also explain considerable variation in richness. Variation partitioning showed largely overlapped fractions of explained variation between landscape attributes and CHH variables. The pure explanatory power of landscape attributes was small for mammals, reptiles and amphibians, showing R 2 of 1-3%, while it was considerably larger for birds, showing R 2 of 5-10%. The environment-richness correlations showed scale dependency, but the pure explanatory power of landscape attributes appeared to show small changes across the scale range used in this study.Main conclusions In addition to CHH variables, landscape attributes can explain some broad-scale richness patterns, especially for birds. The incorporation of landscape attributes will be conducive to better understanding the drivers of richness patterns and modelling species richness at macroecological scales.

Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) via electrocatalysis using cost-efficient bimetallic phosphide as electrocatalyst holds a great promise for environmentally friendly energy technologies.