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Chinese narcissus (Narcissus tazetta var. chinensis cv. 'Jinzhanyintai') is one of the 10 most famous traditional flowers of China, having a beautiful and highly ornamental flower with a rich fragrance. However, the flower longevity affects its commercial appeal. While petal senescence in Narcissus is ethylene-independent and abscisic acid-dependent, the regulatory mechanism has yet to be determined. In this study, we identified a R2R3-MYB gene (NtMYB1) from Narcissus tazetta and generated oeNtMYB1 and Ntmyb1 RNA interference mutants in Narcissus as well as an oeNtMYB1 construct in Arabidopsis. Overexpressing NtMYB1 in Narcissus or Arabidopsis led to premature leaf yellowing, an elevated level of total carotenoid, a reduced level of chlorophyll b , and a decrease in photosystem II fluorescence (F v/ F m). A dual-luciferase assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation–quantitative PCR revealed that NtMYB1 directly binds to the promoter of NtNCED1 or NtNCED2 and activates NtNCED1/2 gene expression both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, overexpressing NtMYB1 accelerated abscisic acid biosynthesis, up-regulated the content of zeatin and abscisic acid, and down-regulated the level of β-carotene and gibberellin A1, leading to petal senescence and leaf yellowing in Narcissus. This study revealed a regulatory process that is fundamentally different between non-photosynthetic organs and leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Apostichopus japonicus is a temperate marine invertebrate and an economically important aquatic echinoderm species in China. As a benthic organism, sea cucumbers feed on small benthic particulate matter and are easily affected by pollutants. Therefore, for conservation purposes, it is important to elucidate the effects of specific pollutants on these animals. Bisphenol A (BPA) has been identified as an endocrine disruptor that functions as an estrogen analog and typically causes reproductive toxicity by interfering with the endocrine system. We identified the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 in A. japonicus and found that both BPA and estradiol could activate the estrogen-receptor-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. Using biological approaches, we have confirmed the estrogen-analog bioactivity of BPA on sea cucumbers by direct interaction with the estrogen receptor. We also determined that BPA affects the reproduction of sea cucumbers by metabolic disruption in ovary tissue. The sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus, is a marine benthic organism that feeds on small benthic particulate matter and is easily affected by pollutants. Bisphenol A (BPA, 4,4′-isopropylidenediphenol) has been identified as an endocrine disruptor. It is ubiquitously detectable in oceans and affects a variety of marine animals. It functions as an estrogen analog and typically causes reproductive toxicity by interfering with the endocrine system. To comparatively analyze the reproductive effects of estradiol (E2) and BPA on sea cucumbers, we identified a G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1) in A. japonicus and investigated its effects on reproduction. The results showed that BPA and E2 exposure activated A. japonicus AjGPER1, thereby mediating the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. High-level expression of AjGPER1 in the ovarian tissue was confirmed by qPCR. Furthermore, metabolic changes were induced by 100 nM (22.83 μg/L) BPA exposure in the ovarian tissue, leading to a notable increase in the activities of trehalase and phosphofructokinase. Overall, our findings suggest that AjGPER1 is directly activated by BPA and affects sea cucumber reproduction by disrupting ovarian tissue metabolism, suggesting that marine pollutants pose a threat to the conservation of sea cucumber resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toll-gates are crucial points of management and key congestion bottleneck for the freeway. In order to avoid traffic deterioration and alleviate traffic congestion in advance, it is necessary to predict and evaluate the congestion in toll-gates scattering in large-scale region of freeway network. In this paper, traffic volume and operational delay time are selected from various traffic indicators to evaluate congestion considering the particular characteristics of the traffic flow within the toll-gate area. The congestion prediction method is designed including two modules: a deep learning (DL) prediction and a fuzzy evaluation. We propose a modified deep learning method based on graph convolutional network (GCN) structure in the fusion of dilated causal mechanism and optimize the method for spatial feature extraction by constructing a new adjacency matrix. This new AI network could process spatiotemporal information of traffic volume and operational delay time, that extracted from large-scaled toll-gates spontaneously, and predict key indicators in 15/30/60 min future time. The evaluation module is proposed based on these predicted results. Then, fuzzy C-means algorithm (FCM) is further modified by determining coupling weight for these two key indicators to detect congestion state. Original traffic data are obtained from the current 186 toll-gates served on the freeway network in Shaanxi Province, China. Experimental tests are carried out based on historical data of four months after preprogressing. The comparative tests show the proposed CPT-DF (congestion prediction on toll-gates using deep learning and fuzzy evaluation) outperforms the current-used other models by 6-15%. The successful prediction could extend to the real-time prediction and early warning of traffic congestion in the toll system to improve the intelligent level of traffic emergency management and guidance on the key road of disasters to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote the coordinated and healthy development of ecology and economy of Huaihe River Economic Belt, the paper tries to make an exploration of the path of industrial eco-efficiency improvement. This study chooses 25 prefecture-level cities in Huaihe River Economic Belt of China as the case studies, then selects Slacks-Based Measure with Undesirable (SBM-Undesirable) model, Malmquist-Luenberger (ML) index and Kernel Density Estimation and analyses the characteristics of industrial eco-efficiency from 2010 to 2019. Then, the spatial distribution characteristics of industrial eco-efficiency were investigated based on Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA). The results of the above situation indicate that: (1) The overall efficiency level of industrial eco-efficiency of the Huaihe River Economic Belt has been relatively low from 2009 to 2018. The efficiency growth of regional industrial eco-efficiency showed a distribution pattern that the Eastern Sea-River–Lake Linkage Zone was greater than that in the Northern Huaihai Economic Zone and that in the Midwestern Inland Rising Zone. (2) The kernel density curve of industrial eco-efficiency shifts to the right, the efficiency increases but the internal difference was great. The Technical Change (TC) index decomposed from ML index is the key factor affecting the industrial eco-efficiency. (3) The industrial eco-efficiency of the Huaihe River Economic Belt shows a decreasing trend from the northeast to the southwest, and the efficiency changes greatly in the north–south direction, with obvious spatial agglomeration, strong spatial stability and dependence. Therefore, this study estimated the ratio of the economic and ecological output to the input required for industrial production and focused on the identification of differences of efficiency. It was conducive to transforming the mode of industrial development and promoting the harmonious development of industrial ecology, and taking the road of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses how the incorporation of high-resolution ground coverage dataset ESA WorldCover into a wind flow field and wake simulation calculation, as well as the use of the coupled wake model for wind farm output simulation, can improve the accuracy of wind resource assessment using engineering examples. In the actual case of grid-connected wind farms in central China, SCADA wind speed data is reconstructed to the free flow wind speed in front of the wind turbine impeller using the transfer function of the nacelle, and the wind farm is modeled using OpenWind software, simulating the wind speed at the height of each wind turbine hub and each wind turbine output. The results show that when other initial data are consistent, using ESA's high-precision land cover dataset WorldCover 10 m to make roughness lengths which improves the wind farm output simulation accuracy by 8.91%, showing that it is worth trying to apply WorldCover 10 m to the wind farm simulation design. At the same time, this case is used to compare and analyze the application of the Eddy-Viscosity wake model and the two coupled wake models based on the Eddy-Viscosity wake model. The results show that the coupled wake model will have higher accuracy than the Deep Array Eddy Viscosity wake model and it is 1.24% more accurate than the Eddy Viscosity wake model, and the ASM Eddy Viscosity wake model is 5.21% more accurate than the Eddy Viscosity wake model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of all forest biomes, boreal forests are experiencing the most significant warming. Drought caused by warming has a dramatic impact on species in boreal forests. However, little is known about whether the growth of trees and shrubs in boreal forests responds consistently to warming and drought. We obtained the tree-ring width data of 308 trees (Larix gmelinii and Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) and 133 shrubs (Pinus pumila) from 26 sites in northeastern China. According to the climate data from 1950 to 2014, we determined three extreme drought years (1954, 1967, and 2008). The response difference of radial growth of trees and shrubs in boreal forests to drought was compared using resilience index, moving correlation and response analysis. The results showed that high temperature (mean and maximum temperature) in previous and current growing seasons promoted the growth of P. pumila , but inhibited the growth of trees. On the contrary, wetter conditions (higher PDSI) promoted tree growth but were not conducive to P. pumila growth in high latitudes. Moving correlation analysis showed similar results. In addition, water deficit was more likely to inhibit P. pumila growth in low latitudes. The drought resistance of P. pumila was stronger than that of L. gmelinii and P. sylvestris var. mongolica. Therefore, the growth loss and recovery time of P. pumila during drought was less than those of trees. We concluded that L. gmelinii and P. sylvestris var. mongolica are more prone to growth decline than P. pumila after the drought caused by climate warming. In the future climate warming, shrub growth may benefit more than trees. Our findings are of great significance in predicting the future changes in ecosystem composition and species distribution dynamics in extreme climate susceptible areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent temperature rise caused by human activities has led to profound changes in the forest ecosystem. Shrubs play an important role in the boreal forest. However, it is not clear how shrub growth responds to climate change, especially whether there is a difference in the response of shrub at different altitudes to climate change. Here, we developed three ring-width chronologies of Pinus pumila along an altitudinal gradient in the Aokelidui Mountains, northeast China, then analyzed the relationship between the growth of P. pumila and climate at different altitudes. The results showed that the radial growth of P. pumila at low altitude had more prominent climate signals than those at medium and high altitude and was more sensitive to climate change. The chronological similarity was the highest in low and middle altitudes (72.5%, p < 0.01). Summer temperature had a significant negative effect on the growth of shrubs, and summer precipitation was conducive to the formation of wider rings at medium altitude. The warmer winter of the previous year favored P. pumila growth at low and medium altitudes but just the opposite at high altitudes. After rapid warming, the negative correlation between temperature and P. pumila growth in the growing season changed to a positive correlation at high altitude. On the contrary, the relationship between precipitation and P. pumila growth in the growing season changed from a positive to a negative correlation. We also found that the sensitivity of the growth of P. pumila to the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) has gradually increased at medium-altitude since the 1980s. Therefore, in recent decades, the effect of moisture on the radial growth of shrub has become more and more important at medium altitudes. At the same time, the temperature rise was beneficial to the growth of P. pumila at low altitude. Our results suggest that the treeline advancement in this area is unlikely to occur in the near future since the shrub at high altitudes is not sensitive to climate warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid rescue response has the highest priority in case of emergency randomly happening on the freeway network, which allows rescue vehicles to have many trajectory options. Searching for the fastest way is not easy within a short time after traffic accident happens especially for the mountainous area with special characteristics such as limited traffic capacity, enclosed internal space and so on. Here, road segment model is proposed to determine smallest road segment covering possible rescue ways. Other than traditional optimal search methods, modified reinforcement‐leaning is introduced to find the optimal road trajectory. The proposed methods are tested in the freeway of Qinling Tunnel group, Xihan Freeway of Shaanxi province, China as a case study. Compared with traditional shortest path method, the rescue vehicle arrival time to the accident location is shortened from 22.9 to 6.5 min and dissipation time is also shortened from 52.4 to 25.6 min. Both of them show the proposed road trajectory could improve the rescue effectiveness and reduce the influence to road network. Successful application of these case study shows they could probably extend to use to other scenarios and contribute to improve the intelligence transportation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus is an economically important marine species in China, and understanding the mechanisms underlying its gonad development is crucial for successful reproduction and breeding. In this study, we performed transcriptome comparisons and analyses of A. japonicus gonadal and non-gonadal tissues to identify genes and molecular pathways associated with gonadal development. We also supplemented the annotation of the A. japonicus genome. Collectively, results revealed a total of 941 ovary-specific genes and 2499 testis-specific genes through different expression analysis and WGCNA analysis. The most enriched pathways in ovary and testis were "DNA replication" and "purine metabolism", respectively. Additionally, we identified key candidate gene modules that control gonad development and germ cell maturation, with CDT1 and DYNC2LI1 serving as hub genes. Our findings provide important insights into the gonadal development system of A. japonicus and offer valuable references for further research on reproductive biology in this marine invertebrate species. [Display omitted] • Comparative analyses of gene expression in sea cucumber gonadal and non-gonadal tissues • Key candidate gene modules specifically expressed by females and males gonad were screened. • The ovarian module with CDT1 as the core gene may affect ovarian development through the pre-replication complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe air pollution remains a problem in developing countries such as India and China owing to unfavourable winter climate conditions that encourage the diffusion of air pollutants. Although city lockdowns can alleviate serious air pollution, they incur significant social costs. This study explored the effect of China's COVID-19 lockdown on air pollution. Machine learning was utilised to eliminate weather-related fluctuations in air pollutant concentrations, and two difference-in-difference models were employed to estimate the effects of general epidemic prevention and enhancement measures on air pollution and evaluate the total impact of city lockdown on air pollutant concentrations. By carefully examining the proportion of these effects in the overall impact, this study analysed the cost-effectiveness of city-level lockdown measures on air pollution. Results indicate that city lockdowns significantly reduced the concentrations of five air pollutants: NO2 (−28.3 %), PM10 (−21.41 %), PM2.5 (−15.83 %), CO (−8.66 %), and SO2 (−4.2 %). The contributions of the enhancement measures are 41.82 % for PM2.5, 42.66 % for PM10, −4.04 % for CO, and 31.83 % for NO2. This suggests that city lockdowns may not be cost-effective compared to general epidemic prevention measures. Thus, this study recommends limited city lockdown measures for severe air pollution, similar to the general epidemic prevention measures. • Machine learning can correct the bias generated by directly applying DID models in situations of high data fluctuations. • City-lockdown may not be cost-effective compared to general epidemic prevention measures. • City-lockdown can reduce NO2, PM10, and PM2.5 pollution, however, we must be vigilant against the rise of ozone O3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to meet the demand of salmon market, Chinese scientists and entrepreneurs are working on salmon mariculture far offshore in the Yellow Sea, China. Rainbow, steelhead trout and Atlantic salmon were selected as the main culture species. The aims of the present study were as follows: (a) investigate the effect of the salinity acclimation method on the growth, osmoregulation and energy budget in two forms of Oncorhynchus mykiss, rainbow and steelhead trout and (b) explore the optimal size of steelhead trout for the seawater entry. In trial I, rainbow (mean = 99.44 g) and steelhead trout (mean = 99.01 g) were reared for 40 days after undergoing salinity acclimation at three rates: an abrupt increase in salinity from 0 to 30 g/L (T30); an abrupt increase in salinity to 14 g/L, followed by a daily increase of 2 g/L (T2) or 6 g/L (T6) until reaching 30 g/L; and no salinity exposure (control treatment) (T0). In trial II, steelhead trout with body weights of approximately 100 and 400 g were cultured for 60 days with two treatments, T0 and T2, and the specific growth rate (SGR) was calculated every 10 days. In trial I, in both kinds of fish, the optimal growth performance, survival rate, osmoregulation and energy budget were observed in the T0 treatment, followed by the T2 treatment. These results indicate that O. mykiss with a body weight of approximately 100 g can adapt to sea water with a gradual transition (T2), but they are still not suitable for the seawater entry because of low growth. Based on the recorded SGRs in trial II, our formulated regression formula revealed that approximately 200 g is the optimal size of steelhead trout for the transition to sea water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrological management of the Three Gorges Dam has resulted in the interception of heavy metals in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR). However, the exposure to heavy metals and health risks among local residents remained poorly understood. Here we collected 208 biomarker samples (hair) and 20 food species from typical regions in the TGR to assess the exposure levels of three toxic metals (Cr, Pb and As) in residents of the TGR, and subsequently investigated their health risk via dietary intake. Results indicated that hair Cr and As levels were below the reference value for normal people and threshold of skin lesions, respectively, whereas about 22% hair Pb exceeded the reference for clinical medicine, indicating a potential Pb exposure of local residents. Smoking habit and fish consumption were found to be predictors for hair Pb. In addition, the concentrations of heavy metals in all investigated food samples were below the limits of contaminants in food in China, except for Pb in the sweet potato and fish. The estimated daily intake of metals (DIMs) revealed that the intakes of Cr and As from studied food were under the recommended thresholds of Cr and As. However, the intake of Pb via diet exceeded the limit of the prevalence of chronic kidney disease and closed to the threshold for cardiovascular, which was probably associated with the high Pb concentrations of fish and sweet potato. Overall, residents around the TGR were at low exposure to Cr and As, but Pb exposure may need more attention. [Display omitted] • Residents in the TGR area were at low Cr and As exposures. • Residents in the TGR area might be at a potential Pb exposure. • The daily intakes of Cr and As were low, while Pb needed more attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family Nassariidae includes a number of species that are distributed throughout the world. Each species has a characteristic shell shape, tooth shape, and behavior. However, the classification of species in this family of the Rhachiglossa is controversial. We describe the radulae of 22 species from China in detail using optical and scanning electron microscopy. These species are considered to be representatives of two subfamilies, two genera, and 10 subgenera. Our results suggest that the morphology of the central tooth and the pair of lateral teeth and the presence or absence of a pair of intermediate accessory lateral teeth could be used to distinguish among species. We found no support for the subgeneric differentiation of the species. However, the presence or absence of the intermediate lateral accessory plate was characteristic of species divisions. We noted sexual dimorphism in the shape of the teeth in some species, and considerable variability of the shape of teeth within a single species. Based on our results, the genus Nassarius cannot be split into subgenera using radula morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Upper gastrointestinal tract cancers are the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in Northwest China and they share many similarities in terms of histological type, risk factors, and genetic variants. We hypothesized that shared common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the p53 pathway exist between patients with gastric and esophageal cancer (EC) patients. Materials and Methods: A case–control study to examine genetic variants in the p53 pathway was conducted with subjects from a high-incidence area for upper gastrointestinal cancers of China. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the association of genotypes with gastric cancer and EC risks. Median survival was estimated by using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by using the log-rank test. Results: Compared with the rs1042522 Pro allele, the rs1042522 Arg allele was associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer (1.810×) and an increased risk of EC (2.285×). The rs1042522 Arg allele carriers who also smoked or consumed alcohol had a further increased risk for gastric cancer odds ratios (ORsmoking = 2.422, ORdrinking = 5.152) and EC (ORsmoking = 5.310, ORdrinking = 8.359). No association was found between the rs1042522 genotypes and survival (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The p53 rs1042522 arg allele together with tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking, was associated with an increased risk, for gastric cancer and EC, but not the survival among northwestern Chinese patients. These associations warrant confirmatory studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This bioequivalence study was conducted to determine the pharmacokinetics and safety profiles of an originator and a generic avanafil formulation in Chinese male subjects under fed and fasting conditions. Each eligible subject was initially randomly given avanafil (200 mg) in a test-reference or reference-test order, before being switched to another study drug sequence after 7 drug-free days. The bioequivalence of test and reference avanafil were determined if the 90%CIs of the geometric mean ratio (GMR) for the area under plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) from time 0 to infinity (AUC 0-∞ ), AUC from time 0 to the last detectable concentration (AUC 0-t ), and the maximum plasma concentration (C max ) fell within the range 80%-125%. Under fasting/fed conditions, the 90%CIs of GMR for AUC 0-∞ , AUC 0-t , and C max were 98.9% to 109.5%/96.0% to 101.2%, 99.6% to 110.3%/96.6% to 102.4%, and 99.3% to 116.8%/94.3% to 106.7%, respectively, which were all within the 80%-125% range. Adverse events (AEs) occurred in 20.8% of subjects under fasting conditions and 20.7% of subjects under fed conditions, with a severity of grade 1. No significant difference was found in the rate of occurrence of AEs and drug-related AEs in the test and reference-avanafil groups (all P > .05). We concluded that the test and reference avanafil were bioequivalent in healthy Chinese male subjects under fasting and fed conditions., (© 2021 The Authors. Clinical Pharmacology in Drug Development published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Clinical Pharmacology.)

Quality, safety and potability of repeatedly-boiled water (RBW) and prolonged-boil water (PBW) lead to concern and even misgivings in the public from time to time, especially in China, and other societies have a habit of drinking boiled water, with improvements of living standards and owing to increasing concerns for human health. This phenomenon is mainly attributed to the fact that the conclusions drawn from existing scientific experiments could not respond well to the concerns. In order to make up for this deficiency, tap water was selected to carry out RBW and PBW experiments independently. The quality changes of RBW and PBW show very similar trends that are not as great as might be imagined, and both are impacted by the tap water quality and the physiochemical effects. The dominating physiochemical effects are the water evaporation and the resulting concentration of unreactive components (most dissolved components), which can be easily explained by the existing evaporation-concentration theory. The results show that tap water will be still safe and potable after being frequently boiled or after having undergone prolonged boiling, as long as it satisfies the sanitary standards of drinking water prior to heating. Therefore, there is no need to worry about drinking RBW or PBW in daily life.