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Plant biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) possess ecological functions in antimicrobial benefits and air purification. The objectives of the study were to determine the differences in antimicrobial capacity of bamboo forests at different sampling sites. Three common bamboo species—Phyllostachys edulis, Bambusa emeiensis, and Phyllostachys violascens—were selected to determinate the antimicrobial activity of bamboo forests as well as under ex vivo conditions. Natural sedimentation method was used to determine the microbe counts in bamboo forests, and the microbe counts in grassland in the same area was measured as control treatment. The results showed that except for the P. violascens in Ya’an, the airborne microbial content of the sampling sites in bamboo forests was significantly lower relative to that of grassland in the same area, and inhibition rate reached 74.14% in the P. violascens forest in Dujiangyan. P. edulis forest and P. violascens forest in Ya'an had significantly lower inhibition rates than the other sampling sites, and there was no significant difference in the inhibition rates among the rest of the bamboo forest. The bacterial inhibition rate of bamboo leaves under ex vivo conditions varied with bamboo species and bacterial strains, with higher antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria overall. Escherichia coli was sensitive to B. emeiensis leaves, while Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis were sensitive to P. violascens leaves. Moreover, Candida albicans, S. cremoris, and Shigella Castellani were sensitive to P. edulis leaves. An analysis of the BVOCs composition from P. edulis collected in Changning by SPME-GC/MS revealed that the relative content of ocimene was obviously higher than other components. This study showed that P. edulis BVOCs have strong inhibitory ability to the tested microorganisms, and its main constituent, ocimene, has health benefit. P. edulis has the potential to become a forest recreation bamboo species.

Naturally synthesized secondary metabolites in plants are considered an important source of drugs, food additives, etc. Among them, research on natural plant medicinal components and their synthesis mechanisms has always been of high concern. We identified a novel medicinal floral crop, Plumbago auriculata L., that can be treated with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) for the rapid or sustainable production of natural bioactives from hairy roots. In the study, we globally analyzed the changes in the accumulation of plumbagin and others in the hairy roots of Plumbago auriculata L. hairy roots (PAHR) 15834 in P. auriculata L. based on 100 μmol/L of MeJA treatment by RNA-seq profiling, and we found that there was a significant increase in the accumulation of plumbagin and saponin before 24 h. To explain the principle of co-accumulation, it showed that MeJA induced JA signaling and the shikimic acid pathway, and the methylvaleric acid (MVA) pathway was activated downstream subsequently by the Mfuzz and weighted gene co-expression analysis. Under the shared metabolic pathway, the high expression of PAL3 and HMGR promoted the activity of the “gateway enzymes” phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGR), which respectively induced the high expression of key reaction enzyme genes, including chalcone synthase (CHS), isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP), and farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPS), that led to the synthesis of plumbagin and saponin. We speculated that large amounts of ketones and/or aldehydes were formed under the action of these characteristic enzymes, ultimately achieving their co-accumulation through polyketone and high-level sugar and amino acid metabolism. The study results provided a theoretical basis for carrying out the factory refinement and biosynthesis of plumbagin and saponins and also provided new ideas for fully exploiting multifunctional agricultural crops and plants and developing new agricultural by-products.

To enhance the nitrogen utilization efficiency of fertilizers, we developed a novel slow-release fertilizer hydrogel through free radical polymerization, incorporating lignin-containing cellulose nanofiber (LCNF), clinoptilolite (CL), urea, and acrylic acid (AA)-co-acrylamide (AAm) polymer. Various analytical techniques were utilized to examine the structure, swelling, and release behaviors of the fabricated hydrogels with varying LCNF concentrations. The results indicated that the addition of 10% LCNF led to a decrease in water absorption from 72.44 g g−1 to 24.04 g g−1. However, re-swelling was significantly enhanced, with a reduction in re-swelling capacity loss from 32.91% to 23.52%. Concurrently, water retention capacity notably increased from 18.03% to 39.20%. The hydrogel containing 10% LCNF exhibited a slower urea release over 30 days. The kinetic studies revealed that the swelling and urea release behaviors align well with the second-order kinetics model and the Peppas-Sahlin model, respectively. In summary, the developed LCNF/CL/(AA-co-AAm)/urea hydrogel nanocomposites present a novel strategy for the future production and utilization of slow-release fertilizers in agricultural and horticultural fields.

With the acceleration of urbanization, there has been a growing focus on health concerns, particularly mental health. Multiple prior studies have shown a correlation between urban green space, architecture, green plants, and human health. Living plant architecture, which integrates architectural elements with green plants, possesses the defining features of both and represents a burgeoning manifestation of urban green spaces. It has the characteristics of improving the regional environment, reducing building energy consumption, and achieving sustainable development. Currently, few studies focus on the connection between living plant architecture and human emotional regulation. This research investigated the impact of three distinct architectural environments on emotional regulation: traditional architectural spaces, traditional buildings covered by plants, and living plant architectural spaces. All experimental sites were located in Wenjiang District, Chengdu, China. A total of 90 participants were randomly allocated into three groups, each consisting of 30 individuals (15 males and 15 females). Each subject was required to complete the spatial experience of a single site independently, and the duration of the experience was 15 min. The length of the spatial experience was the same for each group. During this period, the subjects were permitted to ambulate within the area and enjoy the scenery, but they were prohibited from engaging in strenuous physical activity. The subjects completed the Profile of Mood States questionnaire before and after the experiment, and the results were used as an indicator of the subjects’ emotional state. The results revealed that the living plant architectural space had the strongest effect on emotional regulation, with the order of living plant architectural space > plant-covered traditional architectural space > traditional architectural space. With a larger sample size, the results of this experiment would be more scientific, rigorous and objective.

Indocalamus plants are low-growing shrubby bamboos with growth advantages, such as high biomass and strong resistance, and they are rich in germplasm resources in southern China. This study conducted soil lead (Pb) stress experiments on Indocalamus latifolius (Keng) McClure (LA), Indocalamus hunanensis B.M. Yang (HU), Indocalamus chishuiensis Y.L. Yang and Hsueh (CH) and Indocalamus lacunosus Wen (LC). Five Pb treatments (0, 500, 1000, 1500 mg·kg−1 Pb, and 1000 mg·kg−1 Pb + 1000 mg·kg−1 ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)) were established. EDTA was applied to explore the tolerance mechanism of different Indocalamus species after absorbing large amounts of heavy metals. The results were as follows: (1) under Pb treatment, the total relative biomass of LA, HU and LC was 100%; (2) after applying EDTA, the bioconcentration coefficient, translocation factor, and free proline content of the four Indocalamus species increased; and (3) the Pb mobility and distribution rates of the underground parts of the four Indocalamus species were consistently greater than those of the aboveground parts. The Pb mobility and distribution rates in the stems increased after applying EDTA, while those in the leaves decreased, as the plants tended to transfer Pb to their stems, which have lower physiological activity than their leaves.

Phytoremediation is an effective way to remediate metal-contaminated soils. During phytoremediation, plants immobilize heavy metals through the roots to reduce the mobility, toxicity and dispersal of the metals, and the changes in the activity of the roots are often accompanied by changes in the rhizosphere ecosystems, in which rhizobacteria are essential components and interact with roots to maintain the stability of the rhizosphere ecosystem and improve soil health. In this study, the phytoremediation potential of Sasa argenteostriata (Regel) E.G. Camu and the response of rhizobacteria were revealed with different levels of lead-zinc tailing contamination (Pb, Zn, and Cd concentrations of 1197.53, 3243.40, and 185.44 mg/kg for M1 and 2301.71, 6087.95, and 364.00 mg/kg for M2, respectively). The BCF of Sasa argenteostriata increased with increasing soil pollution, and the BCFPb, BCFZn, and BCFCd were 0.19, 0.27, and 0.08, respectively, under the M2 treatment; in contrast, the TF decreased with increasing soil pollution, and the TFPb, TFZn, and TFCd were 0.39, 0.85, and 0.07, respectively, under the M1 treatment. The mobility of Pb in the rhizosphere was higher than that of Zn and Cd, and the percentage of residual (Res) Zn and Cd in the rhizosphere increased, while the acid-soluble (Aci) Pb was significantly higher, leading to obvious uptake of Pb by the roots. Correlation analysis showed that Sasa argenteostriata affected the rhizobacterial community by changing the rhizosphere soil pH, the contents of organic matter and NRFM, and bacteria such as Proteobacteria and MND1, which are highly resistant to heavy metals (HMs), became the dominant species in the community. Further PICRUSt2 analysis showed that reducing metal transport across the membranes and increasing the efficiency of cellular reproduction were the main metabolic mechanisms of bacterial tolerance to HMs. Overall, the roots of Sasa argenteostriata were able to immobilize more heavy metals in PbZn tailing-contaminated soil, reducing the toxicity of HMs in the soil, and then influencing the rhizobacteria to change the community structure and metabolism mechanism to adapt to the HM-contaminated environment, and the soil fertility was increased, which together promoted the health and stability of the soil. This study is the first to illustrate the phytoremediation potential and response of the rhizobacterial community of Sasa argenteostriata under multimetal contamination of PbZn tailings. The results of the study provide some guidance for the practice of lead-zinc tailing-phytoremediation and soil health.

The degradation of urban ecology, particularly in metropolitan areas distinguished by dense populations and impervious surfaces, presents a worldwide challenge linked to swift urban expansion. Despite extensive documentation of urbanization’s impact on broad regions or specific urban ecosystems over defined time periods, there remains a scarcity of studies investigating the spatiotemporal dynamics of landscape pattern (LP) changes in specific ecosystems at small-to-medium scales within inland megacities as a response to urbanization. Therefore, this work focused on the Bailuwan Wetland Park (BWP) in Chengdu, an inland megacity in southwestern China. Employing satellite imagery data from selected years spanning the previous decade (2010–2021, encompassing 2010, 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2021), this investigation delved into the influences of urbanization on the LP over various time-frames and across different land use/land cover (LULC) types. Our study revealed that urbanization has a significant impact on the patch-/landscape-level characteristics, including the class area (CA), number of patches (NP), patch density (PD), percentage of landscape (PLAND), aggregation index (AI), contagion index (CONTAG), largest patch index (LPI), landscape shape index (LSI), fractal dimension index (FRAC_MN), Shannon’s diversity (SHDI), and evenness index (SHEI). Over the period from 2010 to 2021, NP and PD experienced notable increases, while landscape shape (LSI/FRAC_MN) exhibited greater complexity and fragmentation (PLAND) intensified. Further, landscape heterogeneity (AI/CONTAG) and diversity (SHDI/SHEI) decreased. Particularly significant was the conversion of 52 ha of agricultural land to vegetation, resulting in heightened complexity and fragmentation in vegetation patterns. Additionally, the CA of lakes and rivers decreased following the establishment of the park, while the CA and NP of bare land presented significant increases. These findings suggest that rapid urbanization significantly influences the spatial–temporal dynamics of wetland landscape patterns. Consequently, it is imperative for society to prioritize the restoration and protection of urban constructed wetlands.

BackgroundPrevious studies have examined the impact of greenway interventions on physical activity (PA); however, the results have been inconclusive. In order to address this issue, our study conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis to thoroughly evaluate the evidence and determine the effectiveness of greenway interventions in promoting PA.MethodsWe conducted a comprehensive search of literature databases, such as Web of Science, EMBASE, PubMed (via Medline), Cochrane Library, and Scopus, up to June 15, 2023. To synthesize the available evidence, we performed a meta-analysis using a random effects model. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the criteria developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.ResultsA total of 9 publications were identified, involving 6, 589 individuals. The overall quality of most included studies was rated as moderate to high. Our study found that the greenway was effective in promoting PA among participants. Specifically, active travel (AT) showed a standard mean difference (SMD) of 0.10 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.04 to 0.17], moderate-to-vigorous PA had an SMD of 0.11 (95% CI: 0.02 to 0.20), and total PA had an SMD of 0.14 (95% CI: 0.06 to 0.21). We also observed significant differences in AT levels among participants based on greenway characteristics, exposure distance, exposure duration, and male-to-female ratio.DiscussionNewly developed or upgraded greenways have been shown to effectively promote PA. Additionally, research suggests that the longer a greenway has been in existence, the greater the benefits it provides for PA. As a result, the construction of greenways should be recognized as an effective public health intervention.

IntroductionAs global urbanization intensifies, the physical and mental stressors of modern life have led to the growing prevalence of suboptimal health conditions. Spending time in a forest benefits human health and well-being. In this context, based on the forest spatial types (forest interior and forest edge spaces), landscape elements (architecture, water and roads) and forest stands (coniferous, broadleaf and bamboo forests), this study investigated the effects of different forest spatial landscape characteristics on the restorative potential for college students, aesthetic preference and eye movement behavior (total fixation duration and fixation count).MethodsIn this study, a total of 60 subjects were exposed to 42 photographs depicting typical forest landscapes acquired through field studies. The Short-version Revised Restoration and Preference Scale and eye-tracking technology, were employed to study the recovery efficiency and visual attraction of forest spatial of different forest spatial types, element compositions and forest stands.Results(1) The restorative potential and aesthetic preference score of forest edge spaces were significantly higher than those of forest interior spaces. (2) The restorative potential of bamboo forests was significantly higher than those of coniferous and broadleaf forests. (3) In terms of forest interior space, the restorative potential of “forest + 1 element” composition and “forest + 2 elements” composition was significantly higher than that of pure forest, and the restorative potential of interior space of bamboo forest was significantly higher than those of coniferous and broadleaf forests. (4) In terms of forest edge space, the restorative potential of “forest + 2 elements” composition was significantly higher than that of pure forest, and the restorative potential of pure forests was significantly higher than that of the “forest + 1 element” composition. (5) The restorative potential of forest spatial landscape characteristics positively correlated with aesthetic preference and negatively correlated with total fixation duration and fixation count. These results can provide a reference for future forest landscape research, construction and management.

Objectives: We investigated the effects of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) knockdown or overexpression combined with ultraviolet radiation B (UVB) irradiation on cell proliferation and apoptosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods: MIF expression in OSCC and adjacent tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. MIF expression in human immortalized oral epithelial cells (HIOEC) and OSCC cells was detected by western blotting. MIF was knocked down or overexpressed in OSCC cell lines (SCC-25 and CAL-27). OSCC cells were set up into control (CON), MIF overexpression/knockdown (oeMIF/shMIF), CON + UVB, and oeMIF + UVB/shMIF + UVB groups based on their exposure to UVB irradiation. Cell line proliferation was studied using a cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays. Flow cytometry was applied for determination of apoptosis, cell cycle, reactive oxygen species (ROS) abundance, and mitochondrial membrane potential. Apoptosis-related proteins were assayed by western blotting. Results: The expression of MIF was significantly higher in OSCC tissues and cell lines than in adjacent tissues and HIOEC. MIF knockdown accompanied by UVB irradiation significantly hampered cell viability and proliferation compared to MIF knockdown or UVB irradiation alone. Western blotting and flow cytometry showed that MIF knockdown combined with UVB irradiation not only induced apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway but also mediated the cell cycle. Flow cytometry showed that ROS and mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization were increased in the combination treatment groups compared with the mono-treatment groups. Additionally, the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine significantly attenuated MIF knockdown combined with UVB irradiation-induced apoptosis and reversed MIF knockdown combined with UVB irradiation-induced MAPK activation. Conclusion: MIF knockdown combined with UVB irradiation significantly inhibited the proliferation of OSCC cells. MIF was involved in UVB-induced ROS generation and enhanced UVB irradiation-induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis of OSCC cells by activating the MAPK pathway. This suggests that MIF-targeted therapy combined with UVB irradiation may be a novel approach for treating OSCC.

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is one of the most effective chelating agents for enhancing lead (Pb) accumulation in various plant organs. However, it has a higher risk of causing secondary pollution than other chelating agents. To reduce such environmental risks and increase remediation efficiency, EDTA can be combined with degradable chelating agents for use in phytoremediation, but there are few reports on the combination of EDTA and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA). This study evaluated the effects of combined EDTA and NTA application at different concentrations (900, 1200, or 1500 mg/kg) and with different methods (1 application or 3 applications) on dwarf bamboo (Sasa argenteostriata (Regel) E.G. Camus) growth and phytoremediation efficiency and on the soil environment in pot experiments with Pb-contaminated soil. Applying EDTA and NTA together resulted in lower soil water-soluble Pb concentrations than applying EDTA alone and therefore resulted in lower environmental risk. The increased availability of soil Pb produced a stress response in the dwarf bamboo plants, which increased their biomass significantly. Moreover, under the chelating treatments, the soil Pb availability increased, which promoted Pb translocation in plants. The Pb content in the aerial parts of the dwarf bamboo increased significantly in all treatments (translocation factors increased by 300~1500% compared with that in CK). The Pb content increase in the aerial parts caused high proline accumulation in dwarf bamboo leaves, to alleviate Pb toxicity. Maximum Pb accumulation was observed in the EN1500 treatment, which was significantly higher than that in the other treatments except the EN900 treatment. This study elucidates the choice of remediation techniques and the physiological characteristics of the plants used in such studies. In conclusion, the EN900 treatment resulted in the lowest environmental risk, greatest biomass production, and highest phytoremediation efficiency of all treatments, indicating that it has great potential for application in phytoremediation with dwarf bamboo in Pb-contaminated soil.

The ecological environments of urban rivers are greatly affected by human activities, leading to serious water quality deterioration. We thus investigated urban aquatic environment and water pollution factors by collecting water samples over one year upstream, midstream and downstream of the Funan River in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Measured water quality indicators included total N/P ratio, ammonia N, chemical oxygen demand, chlorophyll a, biochemical oxygen demand, transparency, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and pH, as well as the heavy metal concentrations and algal communities in the river sediments. Additionally, a water pollution index (WPI) and trophic level index (TLI) were calculated and a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed. The WPI analysis indicated serious pollution in this river during the sampling year. Moreover, moderate eutrophication with high pollution was found in summer (TLI = 64.7), while mild eutrophication occurred in the other seasons. The number of Cyanobacteria species sharply increased from 6 to 23 in summer, indicating a high risk of blooms. Furthermore, the PCA also revealed that two metals, chromium and cadmium, affected the water quality, which may be because of the interaction of nutrients and metals due to the land use types, industrial activities and hydrodynamic conditions. In general, we have systematically discussed the influences of various factors on the water environment and the mechanisms of their interactions in urbanized rivers, which is very important for the protection and restoration of river ecology as China and the world become more urbanized.

China is entering a stage of rapid development. To ensure strategic development, more regions have begun to integrate and reconstruct regional spaces by strengthening their regional cooperation and focusing on top-level design. The scenic line is a physical space that integrates ecological landscape resources, cultural carriers, and industrial foundations into regional spaces. Its construction is of considerable importance for aggregating functions and supporting regional integration. Sichuan, China, has some of the most abundant bamboo resources worldwide, and the bamboo scenic line has Chinese characteristics. This study takes 12 areas suitable for bamboo growth in Sichuan Province as research objects using GIS technology combined with methods such as suitability evaluation. An ecological base layer, landscape pattern layer, facility foundation layer, and industrial development layer were developed as the four element layers, along with their influencing factors. The weights of the factors were assigned using the entropy method, and the cost path was analyzed for the resistance side, branch point, and context. A suitability evaluation system was constructed for the scenic line, and a provincial organic development pattern of “one point, two axes and three belts” was formed for the bamboo scenic line, which can provide guidance for planning and design.

Soundscape perception (SP) plays an important role in promoting tourist-place interaction and enhancing tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior (ERB). In this study, we defined SP as a second-order factor and investigated its relationships with place attachment (PA) and tourists’ ERB using structural equation modeling (SEM). Our aim was to identify how a soundscape could be improved to enhance the ERB of forest park tourists. Our results confirm the multidimensionality of SP, i.e., the three subdimensions of physical soundscape perception (PSP), psychological soundscape perception (SSP), and regional soundscape perception (RSP). Furthermore, our SEM results show that PA mediates the effect of the three subdimensions of SP on high-effort ERB (HERB). Our empirical results also reveal that the enhancement of tourists’ SSP will foster their ERB. This study therefore extends the multisensory landscape literature by offering insights into the relationship between SP, PA, and tourists’ ERB. Our findings provide empirical evidence for understanding the influence of SP on tourists’ ERB in forest parks and demonstrate that PA should be considered an important context for soundscape design.

Research shows that stress, a common problem in densely populated cities, can be relieved by exposure to the natural environment. As great significance has been attached to the relationship between the urban environment and public health, this paper aims to study the relationship and interaction between the perceived sensory dimensions of urban park green space, attention restoration, and state empathy. Therefore, we conducted an on-site questionnaire (PSD Scale) survey in four typical parks in Chengdu and recorded age, sex, daily stress, frequency of visits to parks, and other basic information from the respondents. In the survey and visit, we found that the group structure in the recreation area comprises chiefly of a few transient unfamiliar travelers and most long-haul neighborhood sightseers. Among long-haul vacationers, the greater part of them are moderately aged and older individuals in the encompassing local locations, whose lives are, for the most part, quick and proficient. Hence, to mirror the populace attributes of high-thickness metropolitan parks and to feature the agent bunches that have lived in the parks from here onward, indefinitely quite a while, the chosen bunches are somewhere in the range of 35 and 65 years old (half male and half female), so make sure there are no ailments, no drinking, and no late evenings in the earlier days, so a specific actual fundamental belief is kept up with. The main part of the exercise focused on the perceived dimension, state empathy, and attention restoration. The software SPSS24.0 was applied to the test of the validity and reliability of the perceived sensory dimension (PSD) Scale, and then the important correlation between the perceived sensory dimensions in the parks and visitors’ attention restoration was analyzed through multiple linear regression. Finally, the moderating effect of state empathy was tested by PROCESS. The findings show that (1) only seven dimensions in the PSD Scale are effective; (2) Serene and Refuge in the perceived sensory dimensions have a significant effect on the restorative components of attention. (3) Except for the dimensions of Rich in Species and Refuge, empathy enhanced the moderation effect in the interaction between the other five dimensions of the Perceived Restorative Scale (PRS), especially in the interaction between the Social and PRS dimensions. However, this topic needs to be further explored to provide a scientific basis and design strategy for research on the restoration potential of urban park green space in high-density urban areas.

The rapid expansion of urbanization has promoted the prosperity of the economy and society but has also caused rural ecological problems. This study takes the Dujiangyan Irrigation District as an example, to construct ecological and recreation patterns, and it breaks through the pattern construction mode of using a single ecological factor that has been used in previous studies. We analyzed the impact of landscape connectivity and area thresholds at different scales on the selection of source areas, and integrated urban construction and human disturbance factors into resistance surface construction. Finally, a comprehensive landscape network combining “ecology and recreation” was determined through the minimum cumulative resistance model. Multiscale landscape connectivity analysis and area threshold setting greatly promoted the results of source identification. After optimization, we identified four ecological corridors and twenty-seven recreational corridors, and the regional landscape security pattern was significantly improved compared with the previous upper planning content. Therefore, this study provides a reference for regional long-term planning and has reference significance for the spatial protection and utilization of rapidly urbanizing areas.

Urbanization increases the scales of urban spaces and the sizes of their populations, causing the functions in cities and towns to be in short supply. This study carries out functional space identification on the Dujiangyan elite irrigation area based on remote sensing data and point of interest (POI) data from Open Street Map (OSM), enabling the use of POI data to analyze rural functional spaces. Research and development and big data can greatly improve the accuracy of spatial function recognition, but research on rural spaces has limitations regarding the amount of available data. The Dujiangyan Irrigation District has low spatial aggregation levels for functions, scattered functions and linear distributions along roads. The mixing degrees of regional functions are low, the connections between functional elements are insufficient, and the comprehensive functional quality is low. The features of various functional elements in the region are significant, mostly in the discrete distribution mode, and functional compounding has become a trend. Therefore, it is necessary to integrate spatial resources and improve the centrality of cities and towns to realize the optimal allocation of resources and enable the development of surrounding cities and towns.

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials for basic infrastructure worldwide, especially in developing areas undergoing rapid urbanization. However, concrete inhibits energy exchange between soil and other ecosystem components. To enhance the fluxion of information between ecosystems, surface vegetation, and basement soil, this paper aims to explore the tolerance of plants growing on PC. Therefore, we investigated two different PC sample groups with aggregate particle diameters of 5–10 and 15–20 mm. After curing, the samples were used to plant three ground cover plants (Cynodon dactylon(L.) Pers, Agrostis stolonifera, and Sasa argenteostriatus, e.g., Camus), and the results were compared with those from normal soil without PC underneath as a reference. During an observational period of 12 weeks, the growth and height of the plants were documented and analysed. The physiological indexes of free proline (Pro), malondialdehyde (MDA), chlorophyll (Chl), relative electrical conductivity (REC), and soluble protein (SP) were investigated. The correlations and significant differences between these indexes based on the treatments were analysed. Then, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine the main variables affecting plant growth. The results showed that there were significant differences between the PC groups and the natural growth group. The growth and height of the three plant species under near-natural (nonconcrete) conditions were better than those of the plants in the PC treatments. The plants in the large-particle concrete (LC) treatment group showed better adaptability than those in the small-particle concrete (SC) treatment group in terms of growth, although both PC treatments resulted in various degrees of damage. PCA showed that SP, REC, and MDA were the most influential factors on plant growth in this study.

City green space can promote people’s health and aesthetic satisfaction; however, most extant research focuses on suburban forests and urban parks. Urban landscape forests have important ecological and aesthetic value for urban environments. This study conducted a visual stimulation to examine the impact of four common spatial element combinations in urban landscape forests on teenagers’ recovery potential and preference. The results indicate that urban landscape forests had positive physiological and psychological effects on adolescents, including decreased blood pressure, improved heart rate, reduced anxiety, and improved recovery ability. Diastolic blood pressure relief performance was better among males than females. In addition, a stepwise linear regression analysis was performed to explore the quantitative relationship between spatial elements and recovery and preference values. The results demonstrate that water elements were a significant predictor in the quantitative relationship between spatial elements in landscape forests and restoration and preference values. Terrain, flower, and shrub elements did not have a significant effect on overall restoration and preference values. This study highlights the intervention value of urban landscape forests in promoting the health and well-being of adolescents, with implications for future planning and design of urban landscape forests.

Abstract Fargesia Franchet emend. Yi is closely allied with Thamnocalamus Munro but differs in many major morphological characteristics. Based on traditional morphological characters, it is difficult to differentiate these two genera. The current study measured 19 species in these two genera to determine whether variations in 12 categories of major characters are continuous. In addition, a self-organizing map (SOM) and cluster analysis were used together to reveal whether the known species of Fargesia represent discontinuous sampling of Thamnocalamus. The results show that 46 morphological characteristics exhibited high variation at the generic and species levels. In addition, the cluster analysis showed that 32 morphological characteristics of Thamnocalamus and Fargesia were divided between two species and well separated from the outgroup. Additionally, significant differences (P

Naturally synthesized secondarymetabolites in plants are considered an important source of drugs, food additives, etc. Among them, research on natural plant medicinal components and their synthesis mechanisms has always been of high concern. We identified a novel medicinal floral crop, Plumbago auriculata L., that can be treated with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) for the rapid or sustainable production of natural bioactives from hairy roots. In the study, we globally analyzed the changes in the accumulation of plumbagin and others in the hairy roots of Plumbago auriculata L. hairy roots (PAHR) 15834 in P. auriculata L. based on 100 mmol/L of MeJA treatment by RNA-seq profiling, and we found that there was a significant increase in the accumulation of plumbagin and saponin before 24 h. To explain the principle of co-accumulation, it showed thatMeJA induced JA signaling and the shikimic acid pathway, and the methylvaleric acid (MVA) pathway was activated downstream subsequently by the Mfuzz and weighted gene coexpression analysis. Under the shared metabolic pathway, the high expression of PAL3 and HMGR promoted the activity of the "gateway enzymes" phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGR), which respectively induced the high expression of key reaction enzyme genes, including chalcone synthase (CHS), isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP), and farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPS), that led to the synthesis of plumbagin and saponin. We speculated that large amounts of ketones and/or aldehydes were formed under the action of these characteristic enzymes, ultimately achieving their coaccumulation through polyketone and high-level sugar and amino acid metabolism. The study results provided a theoretical basis for carrying out the factory refinement and biosynthesis of plumbagin and saponins and also provided new ideas for fully exploiting multifunctional agricultural crops and plants and developing new agricultural by-products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]