Search

Background Alternaria solani is a typical necrotrophic pathogen that can cause severe early blight on Solanaceae crops and cause ring disease on plant leaves. Phytopathogens produce secretory effectors that regulate the host immune response and promote pathogenic infection. Effector proteins, as specialized secretions of host-infecting pathogens, play important roles in disrupting host defense systems. At present, the role of the effector secreted by A. solani during infection remains unclear. We report the identification and characterization of AsCEP112, an effector required for A. solani virulence. Result The AsCEP112 gene was screened from the transcriptome and genome of A. solani on the basis of typical effector signatures. Fluorescence quantification and transient expression analysis showed that the expression level of AsCEP112 continued to increase during infection. The protein localized to the cell membrane of Nicotiana benthamiana and regulated senescence-related genes, resulting in the chlorosis of N. benthamiana and tomato leaves. Moreover, comparative analysis of AsCEP112 mutant obtained by homologous recombination with wild-type and revertant strains indicated that AsCEP112 gene played an active role in regulating melanin formation and penetration in the pathogen. Deletion of AsCEP112 also reduced the pathogenicity of HWC-168. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that AsCEP112 was an important effector protein that targeted host cell membranes. AsCEP112 regulateed host senescence-related genes to control host leaf senescence and chlorosis, and contribute to pathogen virulence.

Hypertension induced by hypoxia at high altitude is one of the typical symptoms of high-altitude reactions (HARs). Emerging evidence indicates that endothelial abnormalities, including increases in angiotensin-2 (Ang-2) and endothelin-1 (ET-1), are closely associated with hypertension. Thus, low blood oxygen-induced endothelial dysfunction through acceleration of Ang-2 and ET-1 synthesis may alleviate HARs. In this study, we investigated the effects of hypoxia on rat blood pressure (BP) and endothelial injury. We found that BP increased by 10 mmHg after treatment with 10% O2 (~5500 m above sea level) for 24 h. Consistently, serum Ang-2 and ET-1 levels were increased along with decreases in NO levels. In endothelial cells, angiotensin-1-converting enzyme (ACE) and ET-1 expression levels were upregulated. Interestingly, nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) levels were also upregulated, consistent with the changes in ACE and ET-1 levels. We further demonstrated that NRF1 transcriptionally activated ACE and ET-1 by directly binding to their promoter regions, suggesting that the endothelial cell dysfunction induced by hypoxia was due to NRF1-dependent upregulation of ACE and ET-1. Surprisingly, testosterone supplementation showed significant protective effects on BP, while castration induced even higher BPs in rats exposed to hypoxia. We further showed that physiological testosterone repressed NRF1 expression in vivo and in vitro and thereby reduced Ang-2 and ET-1 levels, which was dependent on hypoxia. In summary, we have identified that physiological testosterone protects against hypoxia-induced hypertension through inhibition of NRF1, which transcriptionally regulates ACE and ET-1 expression.

The effectome of the necrotrophic fungal pathogen, Alternaria solani, was determined using multiomics. In total, 238 effector candidates were predicted from the A. solani genome, and apoplastic effectors constitute most of the total candidate effector proteins (AsCEPs). Comparative genomics revealed two main groups of AsCEPs: lineage-specific and conserved effectors. RNA-Seq analysis revealed that the most highly expressed genes encoding AsCEPs were enriched with lineage-specific forms. Two lineage-specific effector genes, AsCEP19 and AsCEP20, were found to form a ‘head-to-head’ gene pair located near an AT-rich region on the chromosome. To date, AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 have been found only in a few fungal species. Phylogenetic inference revealed that AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 were likely acquired by the common ancestor of A. solani and A. tomatophila via horizontal gene transfer, probably mediated by long terminal repeat retrotransposon. RT-qPCR analysis showed that AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 are tightly coexpressed in a host-specific manner and that they are upregulated at advanced stages of A. solani infection only in solanaceous hosts. Transient expression of AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 in Nicotiana benthamiana plants showed that these effectors could promote Phytophthora infestans infection. AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 were required for the full virulence of A. solani on host potato, because deletion of this gene pair significantly reduced the size of necrotic lesions on potato leaves. Transient expression of AsCEP20 could elicit plant cell death depending on the presence of its signal peptide, indicating that AsCEP20 is a necrosis-inducing apoplastic effector with the mature form localized specifically in chloroplasts. Our work provides a better understanding of the function and evolution of necrotrophic fungal effectors, and helps explain the high aggressiveness of A. solani against solanaceous crops.

Background The inflammatory bowel disease, containing Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, was rare in the population, especially in the complication of kidney disease. A few studies had found proteinuria played a potential indicator of inflammatory bowel disease occurrence and activity. This study aimed to better define the histopathologic spectrum and study the outcome of renal disease in Crohn’s disease. Methods A retrospective study of 3557 Crohn's disease from January 1st, 2016 to July 1st, 2021 in the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University identified 20 (0.56% [20/3557]) patients who underwent kidney biopsy. All biopsy specimens were examined by standard procedures containing light microscopy, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy. Results Twenty cases were shown in this review study. Subnephrotic proteinuria (30% [6 of 20]), persistent hematuria and proteinuria (25% [5 of 20]), and isolated hematuria with acanthocytes (25% [5 of 20]) were the main indications for kidney biopsy. The most common diagnosis was IgA nephropathy (70% [14/20]), followed by minimal change disease (10% [2/20]), acute interstitial nephritis (5% [1/20]), granulomatous interstitial nephritis (5% [1/20]), non-IgA mesangial proliferative nephritis (5% [1/20]) and thin basement membrane nephropathy (5% [1/20]). The Lee classification of IgA nephropathy was mostly II or III level. Glomerular mesangial hyperplasia was the most common pathologic manifestation according to the MEST-C Sore. After twelve-month treatment, the majority of patients turned to complete remission of renal disease by measuring proteinuria, while 3 patients still stayed in the relapse stage and 6 patients turned to partial remission by measuring hematuria. Conclusions IgA nephropathy is the most common kidney biopsy diagnosis in Crohn's disease. Renal damage in Crohn's disease mainly involves the glomerulus, especially the mesangial matrix. After the treatment, proteinuria might be in remission, but hematuria remains.

Connection to nature is positively associated with happiness among adults. However, whether and how connection to nature is associated with children’s happiness remains unknown. The current study aims to examine the association between connection to nature and children’s happiness and the moderating effect of temperament (negative affectivity and effortful control) on this association. Four hundred fifty-eight children aged 7–12 years and one of their parents participated in this study. Our study found that connection to nature is positively associated with both children’s self- and parent-reported happiness. Children’s negative affectivity moderates the association between connection to nature and self-reported happiness, and the moderating effect differs by gender. Specifically, the negative affectivity of girls strengthens the association between connection to nature and happiness. These findings highlight the positive impact of connection to nature on children’s happiness and the importance of considering children’s negative affectivity and gender when exploring the association between connection to nature and positive development.

Setting off fireworks during the Spring Festival are a popular traditional custom and recreational activity in China. Intensity of firecracker burning can quickly deteriorate air quality. Airborne bacteria are also important constituents of atmospheric particulate matter and contain many pathogens. However, few studies have reported variations in the bacterial community structure in PM2.5 during firecracker burning. In this study, PM2.5 samples were collected at four different sites in the city of Guilin during Spring Festival from February 4 to 8, 2019 and a high-throughput sequencing technology was used to investigate the variations of bacterial diversity and community structure in PM2.5. The results revealed that Proteobacteria was the predominant bacterial phylum comprising 94.3% of the total sequences, followed by Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Deinococcus-Thermus. At the genus level, the top five abundant genera accounted for 81.8% of the total sequences. The proportions of major genera (Cupriavidus, Sphingobium, Brevundimonas, Sphingomonas, and Pseudomonas) were apparently affected by firecracker burning. In particular, the relative abundance of Brevundimonas genus increased dramatically from 3.2 to 60.1% at the Huaqiaonongchang (HQ) sampling site during intense firework burning, while those of other major genera and potential pathogens detected including Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and Serratia decreased. In addition, compared with the normal condition, the number of operational taxonomic units and the diversity and richness of microorganisms in PM2.5 samples decreased apparently. Pearson correlation results also revealed that they were negatively correlated with the NO2, SO2, and PM2.5 concentrations.

Background Suicidal ideation in cancer patients is a critical challenge. At present, few studies focus on factors associated with suicidal ideation, and predictive models are still lacking. This study aimed at investigating the risk factors for suicidal ideation among cancer patients, and developed a predictive nomogram to screen high risk cancer patients for early prevention and intervention. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among cancer patients between May 2021 and January 2022. The factors associated with suicidal ideation were used to construct a multivariate logistic regression model, which was visualized as a predictive nomogram to evaluate the risk of suicidal ideation. Areas under the curve, calibration plot, decision curve analysis, and internal and external validation were used to validate the discrimination, calibration and clinical usefulness of the model. Results A total of 820 patients with cancer were recruited for this study and 213 (25.98%) developed suicidal ideation. Levels of demoralization, depression and cancer staging, marital status, residence, medical financial burden, and living condition were influence factors for suicidal ideation. Comparing nomogram with Self-rating Idea of Suicide Scale (SIOSS), the nomogram had a satisfactory discrimination ability with an AUC of 0.859 (95% CI: 0.827–0.890) and 0.818 (95% CI: 0.764–0.873) in the training and validation sets, respectively. The calibration plot and decision curve analysis revealed that this nomogram was in good fitness and could be beneficial in clinical applications. Conclusions Suicidal ideation is common in cancer patients. Levels of demoralization, depression and cancer staging were independent predictors of suicidal ideation. The nomogram is an effective and simple tool for predictive suicidal ideation in cancer patients.

The MIL-53(Al)-NH2 was designed to remove fluoride with hierarchical hollow morphology. It was used as an adsorbent for fluoride removal at a wide pH range (1-12) due to the positive zeta potential of MIL-53(Al)-NH2. The pH did not significantly influence the fluoride adsorption into MIL-53(Al)-NH2. However, the adsorbent indicated good adsorption capacity with maximum adsorption of 1070.6 mg g-1. Different adsorption kinetic and thermodynamic models were investigated for MIL-53(Al)-NH2. The adsorption of fluoride into MIL-53(Al)-NH2 followed the pseudo-second-order model and a well-fitted Langmuir model indicating chemical and monolayer adsorption process. When mass transfer model was used at initial concentrations of 100 ppm and 1000 ppm, the rates of conversion were 8.4 × 10-8 and 4.7 × 10-8 m s-1. Moreover, anions such as [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], Cl-, and Br- also had less effect on the adsorption of fluoride. Also, experimental and theoretical calculations on adsorption mechanism of MIL-53(Al)-NH2 revealed that the material had good stability and regenerative capacity using alum as regenerant. In a nutshell, the dominant crystal face (1 0 1) and adsorption sites Al, O, and N combined well with F-, HF, and HF2- through density functional theory. It opens a good way of designing hollow MOFs for adsorbing contaminants in wastewater.

Heavy metal–contaminated sediment is a common environmental problem. In situ stabilization is an effective and low-cost method to remediate heavy metal–contaminated sediment. In this study, a red mud-based low-cost composite (RMM) was used to stabilize heavy metal–contaminated sediment. RMM was mixed with heavy metal–contaminated sediment at the doses of 0%, 1%, 3% and 5%. The CaCl2-extractable, DTPA-extractable, leachability (TCLP) and heavy metal fractions were analysed to evaluate the stabilization efficiency of RMM for heavy metals. The selected properties and microbial activities of the sediment were analysed to verify the safety of RMM to sediment. The results showed that RMM reduced the DTPA-, CaCl2- and TCLP-extractable heavy metals in sediment. At an RMM dose of 5%, DTPA-, CaCl2- and TCLP- extractable heavy metals were reduced by 7.60%, 72.34% and 69.24% for Pb; 18.20%, 76.7% and 23.57% for Cd; 32.7%, 96.50% and 49.64% for Zn; and 35.0%, 61.20% and 55.27% for Ni, respectively. TCLP- and DTPA-extractable Cu was reduced by 71.15% and 12.90%, respectively. In contrast, CaCl2-extractable Cu increased obviously after the application of RMM. RMM reduced the acid-soluble fraction of Zn by 6.99% and increased the residual fraction of Ni by 4.28%. However, the influence of RMM on the fractions of Pb, Cd and Cu was nonsignificant. In addition, the application of RMM increased the pH values of the sediment, and the microbial activity in the sediment was also obviously enhanced. These results indicated that RMM has great potential in the remediation of heavy metal–contaminated sediment.

Guilin, a famous tourist city, is located in northeast Guangxi Province of Southwest China. However, recently, abnormal haze events occurred frequently in the winter. To characterize inorganic elements in PM2.5 and associated sources during a winter haze episode, 30 samples were collected from 6 sites in Guilin from December 16 to 20, 2016, and 24 inorganic elements were measured using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The results showed that the sum of 24 inorganic elements varied from 5.47 ± 0.45 to 9.26 ± 0.73 μg m−3, and accounting for 6.81% ± 13.35% to 8.63% ± 15.05% of PM2.5 at all sites. Among them, crustal elements, including K, Ca, Na, Mg, Al, Fe, and Ti contributed approximately 82% ± 6%–90% ± 3%. Cluster results combined the coefficient of divergence and hierarchical cluster for inorganic elements and the sites showed that YS designated as the background site had obvious spatial heterogeneity, specially, mass concentration, and Igeo (index of geoaccumulation) values of Ni, Cr, Mo, and Ba were higher than those at the other five sites, which indicating that PM2.5 in Guilin was significantly affected by interregional transport. The results of source apportionment showed that Al, Ti, B, Fe, Ca, Mg, and Cr were derived from road and building dust, whereas Sb, As, and Hg originated from coal combustion, Co and V from vehicle emission (such as diesel and gasoline combustion), and other metals (Zn, Pb, Mn, Ba, Cu, Ni, Se, Cd, Mo, Tl, K, and Na) from coal combustion and industrial processes.

A 5-day PM2.5 sampling campaign was conducted during a typical haze episode from December 16 to 20, 2016, at five urban sites and one background site in Guilin, a famous tourist city in Southern China. A total of 30 PM2.5 samples were collected, and water-soluble inorganic ions (WSII) (SO42−, NO3−, NH4+, Ca2+, K+, Cl−, Na+, and Mg2+) were determined using ion chromatography. Correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and coefficient of divergence were applied to identify the formation mechanisms of secondary inorganic ions, potential sources, and spatial distribution of WSII. The average mass concentrations of PM2.5 at each sampling site were 71.6–127.85 μg m−3, which were more than the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (GB3095-2012, GradeII (35 μg m−3)) in China. SO42− NO3−, and NH4+ were the major WSII, accounting for 34.43–40.59% of PM2.5 mass. NO3−/SO42− ratio revealed that stationary sources-induced PM2.5 was still remarkable. Cl−/Na+ ratio and their strong correlation (r = 0.824) indicated that atmospheric transport from outside urban region played an effective role during the haze episode. Spatial variations of WSII are not pronounced at five urban sites except the background site. High relative humidity and O3 contributed to evidently influence the transformation of SO2 to SO42− but not obvious to NOx oxidation. Finally, the major sources of WSII are identified as the mixture of sea salt, coal combustion, biomass burning, vehicle exhaust and agricultural emissions (66.892%), and fugitive sources (19.7%).

Based on Chinese General Social Survey(CGSS) data, this paper selects ten variables, including height, gender, household registration, and age. Through the statistical analysis of 57,574 survey samples, this study finds that the average height of China’s population has increased by more than 10 cm in the past 100 years. Among the findings, the data indicate the average height of men born after the 1990s is 11 cm taller than that of men born after the 1920s, which has now reached 173 cm, and that the height of women is 10.93 cm taller, averaging 163 cm. The average height of the Chinese population reflects significant differences in gender, region or province, urbanity and rurality, and nationality, among other variables. The average height of men and women gradually increases with the increase of geographical latitude. Some economically developed southern provinces approach the average height of the North. This paper predicts that the average height of the newborn population will continue to have inertial growth in the next 20 years, and the newborn male population will reach the World Health Organization’s ideal height standard of 176.5 cm by 2030. The analysis suggests that geographic latitude and heredity are the determinants of body development. Geographical latitude difference is a super-variable for human mitochondria to regulate the proportion of heat outflow and ATP transformation. Historically, the population living in high-latitude areas of China migrates to economically developed low-latitude provinces such as Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong, which is the main reason why the per capita height in these areas is significantly taller than that in other southern provinces.

A superb adsorbent for Cr(VI) removal with a high adsorption capacity and acidic resistance was facilely synthesized via in situ hydrothermal cross-linking and reduction reaction of poly-Schiff base using m-phenylenediamine and glutaraldehyde as feedstock. The hydrothermal process effectively facilitated the condensation between aldehyde and amine group to strengthen the chemical structure by cross-linking the polymeric chains. Morphological evolution of the polymer via disaggregation and reassembly to finally form regular core–shell configuration was observed. The produced nanoparticles possess the excellent adsorption performance (833.3 mg g−1), far beyond most of the reported adsorbents, and exhibit fine reusability. The possible adsorption mechanism can be attributed to Cr(VI) electrostatic adsorption followed by redox reaction and chelation.

Traditional 3D printing materials are not suitable for tissue engineering due to their toxicity, low degradability and poor biocompatibility. In this study, a new amphiphilic biodegradable waterborne polyurethane (WBPU) was developed by a green and sustainable process without any organic solvents, catalysts or cross-linkers. The soft segments of this kind of WBPU were formed by replacing hydrophobic poly(e-caprolactone) diol with hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Different block lengths of PEG were used for this purpose. The combination of ester and ether groups endowed WBPU with amphiphilic characteristics, which is important for regeneration and maintenance of tissue. The effects of composition and content of soft segments on the phase separation, thermal properties, mechanical properties, water absorption, biodegradability and cytotoxicity of WBPU were investigated. The results showed that the desired properties of WBPU could be achieved by tuning the block length of PEG and content of soft segments. The present work provided a new approach to prepare WBPUs with amphiphilic and biodegradable characteristics, which are promising candidates for 3D printing materials for tissue engineering scaffolds.

In order to optimize conditions for bioleaching of the high-fluorine and low-sulfur uranium ore by the test acidophilic consortiums, the central composite design method and response surface method were applied to study the relationships between pyrite addition, pulp density, temperature and uranium recovery rate, respectively. The results showed that the pulp density, pyrite addition and temperature had a significant impact on the uranium recovery rate. The predicted optimum uranium leaching conditions were 2.20% of pyrite addition, 7.69% of pulp density and 31.90 °C of temperature, respectively. The actual uranium leaching rate under the optimal conditions was 94.84%, which was consistent with the predicted values with the model (95.21%). The results were of great significance for a large-scaled bioleaching practice of the high-fluorine and low-sulfur uranium or low-grade uranium ore.

8-oxoguanine (GO) is a major lesion found in DNA that arises from guanine oxidation. The hyperthermophilic and radioresistant euryarchaeon Thermococcus gammatolerans encodes an archaeal GO DNA glycosylase (Tg-AGOG). Here, we characterized biochemically Tg-AGOG and probed its GO removal mechanism by mutational studies. Tg-AGOG can remove GO from DNA at high temperature through a β-elimination reaction. The enzyme displays an optimal temperature, ca.85–95 °C, and an optimal pH, ca.7.0–8.5. In addition, Tg-AGOG activity is independent on a divalent metal ion. However, both Co2+ and Cu2+ inhibit its activity. The enzyme activity is also inhibited by NaCl. Furthermore, Tg-AGOG specifically cleaves GO-containing dsDNA in the order: GO:C, GO:T, GO:A, and GO:G. Moreover, the temperature dependence of cleavage rates of the enzyme was determined, and from this, the activation energy for GO removal from DNA was first estimated to be 16.9 ± 0.9 kcal/mol. In comparison with the wild-type Tg-AGOG, the R197A mutant has a reduced cleavage activity for GO-containing DNA, whereas both the P193A and F167A mutants exhibit similar cleavage activities for GO-containing DNA. While the mutations of P193 and F167 to Ala lead to increased binding, the mutation of R197 to Ala had no significant effect on binding. These observations suggest that residue R197 is involved in catalysis, and residues P193 and F167 are flexible for conformational change.

Inbreeding often causes a decline in biological fitness, known as inbreeding depression. In genetics study, inbreeding coefficient f gives the proportion by which the heterozygosity of an individual is reduced by inbreeding. With the development of high-throughput sequencing, researchers were able to perform deep approaches to investigate which genes are affected by inbreeding and reveal some molecular underpinnings of inbreeding depression. As one commercially important species, Yesso scallop Patinopecten yessoensis confront the same dilemma of inbreeding depression. To examine how inbreeding affects gene expression, we compared the transcriptome of two experimentally selfing families with inbreeding coefficient f reached 0.5 as well as one natural population (f ≈ 0) of P. yessoensis. A total of 24 RNA-Seq libraries were constructed using scallop adductor muscle, and eventually 676.56 M (96.85%) HQ reads were acquired. Based on differential gene analysis, we were able to identify nine common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across the top-ranked 30 DEGs in both selfing families in comparation with the natural population. Remarkable, through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), five common DEGs were found enriched in the most significant inbreeding related functional module M14 (FDR = 1.64E-156), including SREBP1, G3BP2, SBK1, KIAA1161, and AATs-Glupro. These five genes showed significantly higher expression in self-bred progeny. Suggested by the genetic functional analysis, up-regulated SREBP1, G3BP2, and KIAA1161 may suggest a perturbing lipid metabolism, a severe inframammary reaction or immune response, and a stress-responsive behavior. Besides, the significant higher SBK1 and AATs-Glupro may reflect the abnormal cellular physiological situation. Together, these genetic aberrant transcriptomic performances may contribute to inbreeding depression in P. yessoensis, deteriorating the stress tolerance and survival phenotype in self-bred progeny. Our results would lay a foundation for further comprehensive understanding of bivalve inbreeding depression, which may potentially benefit the genetic breeding for scallop aquaculture.

The high level of fluorine and low sulfur in the ore could significantly undermine the bioleaching effectiveness. Here, a strategy to improve the bioleaching efficiency by introducing fluoride-resistant mesophilic eosinophils coupled with pyrite supplement was investigated in a bioleaching system with such ore. The results of column and heap bioleaching showed that 89.25% and 90.40% of uranium were recovered with the consortium and pyrite addition, which increased the uranium leaching rates by 13.22% and 8.96% as compared with the sulfuric acid leaching. Hence, it provides a method to improve uranium bioleaching efficiency of the high-fluorine and low-sulfur uranium ore by the consortium adding pyrite.

To reveal seasonal and spatial variations of heavy metals and metalloids (HMMs) in sediment of the Xiangjiang River, a total of 24 water and 649 sediment samples were collected from six sampling stations in the Songbai section of the river which had been polluted by HMMs for 100 years. Their contamination statuses and ecological risk were determined by enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), pollution load index (PLI), and mean probable effect concentration quotients (mPECQs) analyses. The results revealed a unique seasonal distribution of metals in the sampling stations: The highest concentrations were revealed in the dry seasons (autumn and winter) and the lowest during the wet seasons (spring and summer). It exhibited a greater seasonal variation in the estuary sediment cores (sites ME and MW) than in the cores of other sites. Moreover, the highest concentrations of the tested metals were also found in the estuary sediment cores in the dry seasons (autumn and winter). The highest vertical concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, As, Fe, and Mn were observed at the depths of 16–36 cm in all of the sampled sediment cores. The EF, Igeo, PLI, and mPECQs values of all samples in autumn were higher than in summer. Cd posed the highest ecological risk in all seasons, although its concentrations were lower compared to other studied elements. Our results will benefit to develop feasible sediment quality guidelines for government monitor and remediate the local sediments in the Xiangjiang River.

This study applied an optimized one-step 2b-RAD library construction strategy and performed simplified genome sequencing of 539 individuals from three continuously selected Chlamys farreri populations. SNP screening was performed using RAD typing software and population genetic parameters for the continuously selected populations from three generations (G1, G2, G3) were determined. The results showed that the optimized one-step 2b-RAD library construction strategy greatly simplified the experimental process, making it suitable for efficiently constructing a large number of libraries. A total of 18450 SNP markers were identified, which evenly distributed throughout the genome. Population genetic analysis of these three generations showed that the mean value of observed heterozygosity was 0.275 ± 0.177, 0.272 ± 0.181 and 0.275 ± 0.166, respectively. Meanwhile, the mean value of expected heterozygosity was 0.275 ± 0.141, 0.274 ± 0.145 and 0.280 ± 0.133, respectively. The Wright’s fixation index (F) was 0.04291, 0.04976 and 0.06685, respectively. Markers deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium accounted for 10.34%, 12.64%, and 23.11%, and the Shannon diversity index was 0.0999 ± 0.0404, 0.0921 ± 0.0388 and 0.0733 ± 0.0308. FIS (also known as the inbreeding coefficient) of the three populations was 0.0256, 0.0323 and 0.0468, respectively. We suggested that the 2b-RAD method is well suited to population genetic studies of aquacultured organisms. Moreover, our results indicated that the continuous selection affected the population genetic structure of the cultured Penglai-Red scallop, but the change was not significant; therefore, population selection should continue.

Red mud (RM) was used to remediate heavy metal-contaminated soils. Experiments with two different dosages of RM added to soils were carried out in this study. It was found that soil pH increased 0.3 and 0.5 unit with the dosage of 3 and 5% (wt%), respectively. At the dosage of 5%, the highest stabilization efficiencies for Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn reached 67.95, 64.21, 43.73 and 63.73%, respectively. The addition of RM obviously transferred Cd from the exchangeable fraction to the residual fraction. Meanwhile, in comparison with the control (no RM added), it reduced 24.38, 49.20, 19.42 and 8.89% of Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn in wheat grains at the RM addition dosage of 5%, respectively. At the same time, the yield of wheat grains increased 17.81 and 24.66% at the RM addition dosage of 3 and 5%, respectively. Finally, the addition of RM did not change the soil bacterial community. These results indicate that RM has a great potential in stabilizing heavy metals in calcareous agricultural soils.

Self-aggregation of bulk nano-hydroxyapatites (n-HAPs) undermines their immobilization efficiencies of heavy metals in the contaminated soils. Here, the low-cost, easily obtained, and environment-friendly filamentous fungi have been introduced for the bio-matrices of the hybrid bio-nanocomposites to potentially solve such problem of n-HAPs. According to SEM, TEM, XRD, and FT-IR analyses, n-HAPs were successfully coated onto the fungal hyphae and their self-aggregation was improved. The immobilization efficiencies of diethylene-triamine-pentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable Cd and Pb in the contaminated soils by the bio-nanocomposites were individually one to four times of that by n-HAPs or the fungal hyphae. Moreover, the Aspergillus niger-based bio-nanocomposite (ANHP) was superior to the Penicillium Chrysogenum F1-based bio-nanocomposite (PCHP) in immobilization of Cd and Pb in the contaminated soils. In addition, the results of XRD showed that one of the potential mechanisms of metal immobilization by the hybrid bio-nanocomposites was dissolution of n-HAPs followed by precipitation of new metal phosphate minerals. Our results suggest that the hybrid bio-nanocomposite (ANHP) can be recognized as a promising soil amendment candidate for effective remediation on the soils simultaneously contaminated by Cd and Pb.

Queries with threshold are common when dealing with unstructured data such as text corpus. It often requires several exploring attempts for users to achieve final results. In this work, we propose an automatic sampling method for threshold determination without any interaction with users, in which two optimizing algorithms are introduced to reach the lower-bound time complexity in each sampling trial. We evaluate our methods using several experiments and demonstrate the effectiveness of it, which can be an enormously powerful tool for ordinary users.

Pectobacterium atroseptica is known as a rod-shaped gram-negative bacterial pathogen associated with the blackleg of potato. P. atroseptica has been widely identified as the predominant agent causing tuber rot in temperate regions, a disease that leads to severe economic losses to potato industry. In this study, we provide the complete genome sequence of P. atroseptica JG10-08, which revealed that P. atroseptica strain JG10-08 carries a single 5,004,926 bp chromosome with 51.15% G+C content and harbors 4252 predicted coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on the genome sequences showed a close evolutionary relationship between P. atroseptica and Pectobacterium wasabiae. We discovered total 168 genes were potentially related to pathogenesis including 9 strain-specific genes encoding toxins on the genome of JG10-08. Further comparison with other species in Pectobacterium revealed a better understanding of pathogenic factors, especially secretion systems in P. atroseptica JG10-08. Collectively, the results of this research provide a solid foundation for discovering the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of P. atroseptica and offer the information to develop more effective strategies against blackleg of potatoes.

Recent years have witnessed the rapid growth of text data, and thus the increasing importance of in-depth analysis of text data for various applications. Text data are often organized in a database with documents labeled by attributes like time and location. Different documents manifest different topics. The topics of the documents may change along the attributes of the documents, and such changes have been the subject of research in the past. However, previous analyses techniques, such as topic detection and tracking, topic lifetime, and burstiness, all focus on the topic behavior of the documents in a given attribute range without contrasting to the documents in the overall range. This paper introduces the concept of u n i q u e t o p i c s, referring to those topics that only appear frequently within a small range of documents but not in the whole range. These unique topics may reflect some unique characteristics of documents in this small range not found outside of the range. The paper aims at an efficient pruning-based algorithm that, for a user-given set of keywords and a user-given attribute, finds the maximal ranges along the given attribute and their unique topics that are highly related to the given keyword set. Thorough experiments show that the algorithm is effective in various scenarios.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes injured brain cells to release brain-specific proteins, which may trigger an autoantibody response. In this review, we will discuss how autoimmunity is triggered after TBI and summarize the identified brain antigens to which an autoimmune response has been observed as well as their clinical implications. TBI leads injured brain cells to release brain proteins, in their intact or proteolytic fragment form, into extracellular fluids and eventually into circulating blood. These brain proteins treated by the immune system as foreign antigens can evoke the systemic production of both IgM and IgG isoforms. Increasing evidence shows that in a subset of TBI patients, there are circulating autoantibodies recognizing a range of brain proteins, including glial proteins like S100B, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and peroxirerdoxin; neuroreceptors such as glutamate receipt subunits NR1; and oligodendrocyte-originated myelin basic protein. Autoimmunity is triggered in TBI, targeting a range of brain-specific antigens in a subset of TBI patients. Such autoantibodies might be useful for biofluid-based diagnosis in order to identify patients who might benefit from immunotherapy.

Here, we aim to determine the distribution, ecological risk and sources of heavy metals and metalloids in the surface sediments of the Xiangjiang River, Hunan Province, China. Sixty-four surface sediment samples were collected in 16 sites of the Xiangjiang River, and the concentrations of ten heavy metals and metalloids (Mn, Zn, Cr, V, Pb, Cu, As, Ni, Co, and Cd) in the sediment samples were investigated using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) and an atomic fluorescence spectrophotometer (AFS), respectively. The results showed that the mean concentrations of the ten heavy metals and metalloids in the sediment samples followed the order Mn > Zn > Cr > V > Pb > Cu > As ≈ Ni >Co > Cd. The geoaccumulation index (I geo), enrichment factor (EF), modified degree of contamination (mCd), and potential ecological risk index (RI) revealed that Cd, followed by Pb, Zn, and Cu, caused severely contaminated and posed very highly potential ecological risk in the Xiangjiang River, especially in Shuikoushan of Hengyang, Xiawan of Zhuzhou, and Yijiawan of Xiangtan. The Pearson's correlation coefficient (PCC) analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) indicated that the ten heavy metals and metalloids in the sampling sediments of the Xiangjiang River were classified into three groups: (1) Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu which possibly originated from Shuikoushan, Xiawan, and Yijiawan clustering Pb-Zn mining and smelting industries; (2) Co, V, Ni, Cr, and Al from natural resources; and (3) Mn and As. Therefore, our results suggest that anthropogenic activities, especially mining and smelting, have caused severe contamination of Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu and posed very high potential ecological risk in the Xiangjiang River.

Combined contamination of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As) in soils especially wastewater-irrigated soil causes environmental concern. The aim of this study is to develop a soil amendment for simultaneous immobilization of Pb, Cd, and As in combinative contaminated soil. A soil amendment of iron hydroxyl phosphate (FeHP) was prepared and characterized, and its potential application in simultaneous immobilization of Pb, Cd, and As in combined contaminated soil from wastewater-irrigated area was evaluated. The effects of FeHP dosage, reaction time, and soil moisture on Pb, Cd, and As immobilization in the soil were examined. The immobilization efficiencies of Pb, Cd, and As generally increased with the increasing of FeHP dosage. With FeHP dosage of 10 %, the immobilization percentages of NaHCO3-extractable As and DTPA-extractable Pb and Cd reached 69, 59, and 44 %, respectively. The equilibrium time required for immobilization of these contaminants was in the following order: NaHCO3-extractable As (0.25 days)

A greenhouse culture experiment was used to quantify effects of arsenic (As) stress on the growth and photochemical efficiency of Ficus tikoua (F. tikoua). Results showed growth of F. tikoua leaves was significantly inhibited at As concentrations higher than 80 μmol/L in solution. Root arsenic concentration was significantly higher than that in stem and leaf. The 320 and 480 μmol/L As concentrations in solution resulted in significant decreases in maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) (Fv/Fm), variable to initial chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fo), and quantum yield of PSII electron transport (Y(II)) of F. tikoua leaves, whereas significantly higher non-photochemical quenching of fluorescence and photochemical quenching of fluorescence values were found at 160, 320 and 480 μmol/L As concentrations in solution, implying that PSII reaction centers were damaged at high As concentrations and that F. tikoua eliminates excess energy stress on the photochemical apparatus to adapt to As stress.

A land use- and geographical information system-based framework was presented for potential human health risk analysis using soil sampling data obtained in Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, China. The results show that heavy metal content in soil significantly differs among different land use types. In total, 8.3% of the study area has a hazard index (HI) above the threshold of 1.0. High HIs are recorded mainly for industrial areas. Arsenic (>87%) and the soil ingestion pathway (about 76%) contribute most to the HI. The mean standardized error and root-mean-square standardized error data indicate that the land use-based simulation method provides more accurate estimates than the classic method, which applies only geostatistical analysis to entire study area and disregards land use information. The findings not only highlight the significance of industrial land use, arsenic and the soil ingestion exposure pathway, but also indicate that evaluating different land use-types can spatially identify areas of greater concern for human health and better identify health risks.

Purpose Soil contamination with arsenic (As) is an increasingly worldwide concern. Immobilization is a potentially reliable, cost-effective technique for the reclamation of As-contaminated soils. The aim of this study is to develop new soil amendments with high As immobilization efficiency, cost-effective, environmental-friendly, and without soil acidification for As-contaminated soil remediation.

An increasing number of organic compounds are manufactured, consumed, and discarded every year. Incomplete destruction of these compounds in wastewater treatment plants leads to pollution of natural waters, posing great health and ecological concerns. Ultrasound, as an emerging advanced oxidation technology, can quickly and effectively degrade organic pollutants in waters. To improve removal efficiency of organic pollutants in an ultrasonic system, operational parameters, especially pH, have been frequently evaluated and optimized. This review show that pH-induced changes in volatility, hydrophobicity and Coulombic force between the target compound and cavitation bubbles leads to higher degradation at acidic pH for most compounds. In addition, pH also changes free radical formation and reactivity in water during sonication, thereby altering degradation kinetics of target compounds. However, the influence of pH is not always consistent for various organic pollutants covering a broad range of physicochemical properties and reactivities. A systematic investigation on the pH effect is necessary to elucidate how pH alters cavitation bubble dynamics and collapse, radical yield and reactivity, distribution of target compounds in the vicinity of cavitation bubbles, water matrices transformation, and ultimately the degradation kinetics of organic pollutants. This first systematic review provides valuable insight into the pH effects on organic pollutant sonolysis, helps to improve our mechanistic understanding of the sonochemical system, and sheds light on future application of ultrasound in water engineering.

Serious arsenic (As)-contaminated soils have the potential to cause contamination of ground water and surface water, being toxic to plant, animals, and human. The aim of study was to characterize As contamination in the soils from Shimen realgar mine area, the largest realgar deposit in Asia. Total As concentrations, As chemical fractionation, and As potential solubility both at various land use types (smelting and processing plants (SPP), mining site (MS), and agriculture land (AL)) and soil depths (0–100 cm) were investigated. As speciation in soil was examined using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) analysis, and risk assessment was also carried out to evaluate potential ecological risk of As contamination. As concentrations in the studied area were extremely high, and the total As concentration reached up to 5240.8 mg kg−1. Moreover, total As and NaHCO3-extractable As concentrations in all soil layers for various land use were far beyond the range of the non-contaminated soil. The potential ecological risk level of As posed higher to serious risk to the environment based on ecological risk index values. Sequential extraction confirmed that As is mostly bonded with amorphous and poorly crystalline hydrous iron and aluminum oxides (65 ∼ 70 %), and only a small proportion (about 11 %) is partitioned in residual fraction, suggesting high risk of As mobilization. According to XAFS analysis, As was predominantly present in the form of arsenate, and arsenite was also found in the samples from SPP, MS, and AL. The results indicate that the extra high concentrations of As were caused by both natural geochemical enrichment and long-lasting ore mining, smelting, and processing, and land use can greatly influence As contents in surface soil. These findings can be important for risk assessment and for the development and implementation of suitable management and remediation strategies.

Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.) is the oldest cash fiber crop in China and is widely grown in antimony (Sb) mining areas. To evaluate the extent of Sb resistance and tolerance, the growth, tolerance index (TI), Sb content in plant parts and in Hoagland solution, bioaccumulation factor (BF), photosynthesis, and physiological changes in Sb-contaminated B. nivea (20, 40, 80, and 200 mg L−1 Sb) grown hydroponically were investigated. The Sb tolerance and resistance of ramie were clearly revealed by growth inhibition, a TI between 13 and 99 %, non-significant changes in the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem (F v /F m ), energy-harvesting efficiency (photosystem II (PSII)) and single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) value, a significant increase in Sb in plant parts, BF >1, and an increase in catalase (CAT) and malondialdehyde (MDA) at 200 mg L−1 Sb. Under increasing Sb stress, nearly the same non-significant decline in the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem (F v /F m ), energy-harvesting efficiency (PSII), relative quantum yield of photosystem II (φPSII), and photochemical quenching (qP), except for F v /F m at 20 mg L−1 Sb, were recorded. SPAD values for chlorophyll under Sb stress showed an increasing trend, except for a slight decrease, i.e.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake in the authorgroup section. Author Zhenmin Bao's given name was incorrectly spelled as "Zhemin Bao".