A chromosome-level genome assembly provides insights into Cornus wilsoniana evolution, oil biosynthesis, and floral bud development.

Cornus wilsoniana W. is a woody oil plant with high oil content and strong hypolipidemic effects, making it a valuable species for medicinal, landscaping, and ecological purposes in China. To advance genetic research on this species, we employed PacBio together with Hi-C data to create a draft genome assembly for C. wilsoniana. Based on an 11-chromosome anchored chromosome-level assembly, the estimated genome size was determined to be 843.51 Mb. The N50 contig size and N50 scaffold size were calculated to be 4.49 and 78.00 Mb, respectively. Furthermore, 30 474 protein-coding genes were annotated. Comparative genomics analysis revealed that C. wilsoniana diverged from its closest species ~12.46 million years ago (Mya). Furthermore, the divergence between Cornaceae and Nyssaceae occurred >62.22 Mya. We also found evidence of whole-genome duplication events and whole-genome triplication γ, occurring at ~44.90 and 115.86 Mya. We further inferred the origins of chromosomes, which sheds light on the complex evolutionary history of the karyotype of C. wilsoniana. Through transcriptional and metabolic analysis, we identified two FAD2 homologous genes that may play a crucial role in controlling the oleic to linoleic acid ratio. We further investigated the correlation between metabolites and genes and identified 33 MADS-TF homologous genes that may affect flower morphology in C. wilsoniana. Overall, this study lays the groundwork for future research aimed at identifying the genetic basis of crucial traits in C. wilsoniana.

Activation of persulfate by heterogeneous nano zero-valent iron/halloysite nanotubes: reaction behavior, mechanism, and implication for tetracycline hydrochloride degradation.

A novel composite (nZVI/HNTs) was prepared via incorporating nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) on halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) for degrading tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) with existence of persulfate (PS). The adsorption process of nZVI/HNTs to TCH conformed to the Freundlich isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and its maximum adsorption capacity was 76.62 mg·g-1. Furthermore, the nZVI/HNTs + PS system exhibited satisfactory degradation efficiency (84.21%) for TCH, and stable nZVI/HNTs (Fe leaching < 0.001 mg·L-1) could be reused. When nZVI/HNTs dosage, PS dosage and temperature increased, TCH degradation could be enhanced. After four cycling, nZVI/HNTs + PS system had still 65.8% degradation for TCH. The quenching tests and EPR analysis evidenced that SO4•- was predominant instead of •OH in such system. Three possible pathways of TCH degradation were provided through the liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer (LC-MS) determination. Meanwhile, the biological toxicity prediction analysis indicated that the nZVI/HNTs + PS system would be an environment friendly treatment method toward TCH pollution.

Does platform type matter? A semantic analysis of user attitude formation on online platforms.

An online platform is a setting where users may express their attitude in text or visual content. The doctrine thinking in consumer psychology is that greater perceived product value (e.g., more product features or lower price) gives more positive consumer attitude. Because of different types of platforms, however, online users might form their product/brand attitudes in different ways. We gathered 7,264 lines of online reviews about two famous brands on two types of social media platforms: online text-based forums and live-streaming platforms. The data were collected through a web crawler, and semantic analysis was employed to process the data before hypothesis testing. The findings of this study indicate that users' perception of product features, price levels and brand culture significantly influence user attitude. The more product characteristics communicated on online platforms, the more difficult to formulate a positive user attitude, and users tend to have more positive attitude with higher perceived price. Compared with traditional text-based platforms, contents in live-streaming platforms (e.g., Tik Tok) with less product features, wider culture distance and lower perceived price are favored among users.

The impact of COVID-19 on the employment status and psychological expectations of college graduates: Empirical evidence from the survey data of Chinese recruitment websites.

Based on the big data and survey data of online recruitment platform, this paper empirically tests the impact of COVID-19 on the employment status and psychological expectations of college graduates. The results show that: under the impact of COVID-19 epidemic, both supply and demand sides of college graduates' employment market are affected, such as the decline of recruitment demand, the rise of the employment supply, and the obvious decrease of employment market prosperity. The impacts of COVID-19 epidemic on college graduates' employment status and psychological expectation in different cities are heterogeneous. In the short term, the epidemic has a negative impact on the employment of graduates, but the employment situation is gradually improving with the support of national policies. Under the influence of COVID-19 epidemic, graduates will change their employment location and expected salary, and they tend to choose "temporary non-employment," and their proportions of getting offers and signing contracts are significantly reduced. This paper suggests: Firstly, we should continue to push forward the action plan of "expanding jobs in graduation season to promote employment," and strengthen the persistence and permanence of employment promotion policies for college graduates; Secondly, encourage college students to change their employment concept and rationally adjust their employment expectations; Thirdly, to promote the development of flexible employment of college graduates, it is necessary to strengthen the propaganda of flexible employment, so that students can understand relevant policies; Fourthly, strengthen employment guidance services for graduates from poor families to ensure the continuity and stability of employment assistance policies.

The Relationship between Mustard Import and COVID-19 Deaths: A Workflow with Cross-Country Text Mining.

We developed a workflow for the search and screening of natural products by drawing from worldwide experiences shared by online platform users, illustrated how to cope with COVID-19 with a text-mining approach, and statistically tested the natural product identified. We built a knowledge base, which consists of three ontologies pertaining to 7653 narratives. Mustard emerged from texting mining and knowledge engineering as an important candidate relating to COVID-19 outcomes. The findings indicate that, after controlling for the containment index, the net import of mustard is related with reduced total and new deaths of COVID-19 for the non-vaccination time period, with considerable effect size (>0.2).

Fabrication of Ni-Cu-W Graded Coatings by Plasma Spray Deposition and Laser Remelting.

In this study, Ni-Cu-W graded coatings are produced by atmospheric plasma spraying and subsequently remelted by laser. The surface morphology, hardness, compositional fluctuations and corrosion resistance of the Ni-Cu-W coating are investigated. The coatings after laser remelting are densified and become more homogenous with an excellent corrosion resistance and high hardness, which can be used to explore the new materials.

The health risk assessment of Heavy Metals (HMs) in road dust based on Monte Carlo simulation and bio-toxicity: a case study in Zhengzhou, China.

Heavy metals (HMs) in road dust pose a significant threat to human health. The analysis of human health risks of HMs is an important theoretical basis for risk screening and management. The chemical forms and characteristics of HMs in road dust were analyzed. Based on the bio-toxicity of the different fractions of the HMs and Monte Carlo, three assessment models, including the health risk assessment based on bio-toxicity, the health risk assessment based on the Monte Carlo simulation, and the health risk assessment based on the Monte Carlo simulation and bio-toxicity, were established. Under the Traditional Model, the non-carcinogenic risks were only harmful to children, while the carcinogenic risks were not harmful to adults and children. Under the M-Traditional Model, the probability of non-carcinogenic risks being harmful to children's health was 83.17%. The probability that carcinogenic risks pose a threat to children's health was 28.61%. Considering the bio-toxicity of HMs in different chemical forms, non-carcinogenic risks and carcinogenic risks under the B-Traditional Model were all less than the corresponding critical values, indicating that the HMs in the road dust did no harm to both the adults and children. Based on the MB-Traditional Model, the chance of non-carcinogenic risks being harmful to children's health is 15.43%. Among different HMs, the non-carcinogenic risks of As are highest and the carcinogenic risks of Cr were the highest, so As and Cr should be listed as priority control contamination. MB-Traditional Model established in this study simultaneously considered bio-toxicity and random simulation and obtained more accurate results, which could provide a theoretical basis for risk analysis and management.

Frictional Wear and Corrosion Behavior of AlCoCrFeNi High-Entropy Alloy Coatings Synthesized by Atmospheric Plasma Spraying.

High-entropy alloy coatings (HEAC) exhibit good frictional wear and corrosion resistances, which are of importance for structure materials. In this study, the microstructure, surface morphology, hardness, frictional wear and corrosion resistance of an AlCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy coating synthesized by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) were investigated. The frictional wear and corrosion resistance of the coating are simultaneously improved with an increase of the power of APS. The influence of the APS process on the microstructure and mechanical behavior is elucidated. The mechanisms of frictional wear and corrosion behavior of the AlCoCrFeNi HEAC are discussed in detail.

Do Brand Competence and Warmth Always Influence Purchase Intention? The Moderating Role of Gender.

Consumers' perceptions of a brand (e.g., competence or warmth) may directly affect their brand trust, purchase intention, and ability to achieving corporate goals of sustainability. However, gender acts as a moderator in the influence of brand perception on purchase intention. This study examined the main effects of brand perception on purchase intention, the moderating effect of gender, and the mediating effect of brand trust by conducting two experiments and a path analysis. Findings from experiment 1 show that perceived warmth and perceived competence exert significant positive effects on purchase intention with brand trust as a mediator. Findings from experiment 2 indicate that perceived warmth is influential only for female customers, not for male customers, that is, gender moderates the relationship between perceived warmth and purchase intention. However, gender does not moderate the influence of perceived competence on purchase intention. The results of the path analysis are consistent with the experimental results, indicating that the conclusions of the study are robust and reliable. Finally, theoretical contributions and managerial implications are discussed.

Rapid Determination of the Oil and Moisture Contents in Camellia gauchowensis Chang and Camellia semiserrata Chi Seeds Kernels by Near-infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy.

A fast and effective determination method of different species of vegetable seeds oil is vital in the plant oil industry. The near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) method was developed in this study to analyze the oil and moisture contents of Camelliagauchowensis Chang and C.semiserrata Chi seeds kernels. Calibration and validation models were established using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) regression methods. In the prediction models of NIRS, the levels of accuracy obtained were sufficient for C.gauchowensis Chang and C.semiserrata Chi, the correlation coefficients of which for oil were 0.98 and 0.95, respectively, and those for moisture were 0.92 and 0.89, respectively. The near infrared spectrum of crush seeds kernels was more precise compared to intact kernels. Based on the calibration models of the two Camellia species, the NIRS predictive oil contents of C.gauchowensis Chang and C.semiserrata Chi seeds kernels were 48.71 ± 8.94% and 58.37 ± 7.39%, and the NIRS predictive moisture contents were 4.39 ± 1.08% and 3.49 ± 0.71%, respectively. The NIRS technique could determine successfully the oil and moisture contents of C.gauchowensis Chang and C.semiserrata Chi seeds kernels.

Pyrosequencing reveals bacterial community differences in composting and vermicomposting on the stabilization of mixed sewage sludge and cattle dung.

This study aimed to compare the microbial community structures and compositions in composting and vermicomposting processes. We applied 454 high-throughput pyrosequencing to analyze the 16S rRNA gene of bacteria obtained from bio-stabilization of sewage sludge and cattle dung. Results demonstrated that vermicomposting process presented higher operational taxonomic units and bacterial diversity than the composting. Analysis using weighted UniFrac indicated that composting exhibited higher effects on shaping microbial community structure than the vermicomposting. The succession of dominant bacteria was also detected during composting. Firmicutes was the dominant bacteria in the thermophilic phase of composting and shifted to Actinomycetes in the maturing stage. By contrast, Proteobacteria accounted for the highest proportions in the whole process of the vermicomposting. Furthermore, vermicomposting contained more uncultured and unidentified bacteria at the taxonomy level of genus than the composting. In summary, the bacterial community during composting significantly differed from that during vermicomposting. These two techniques played different roles in changing the diversity and composition of microbial communities.

Identification and expression profiles of the WRKY transcription factor family in Ricinus communis.

In plants, WRKY proteins constitute a large family of transcription factors. They are involved in many biological processes, such as plant development, metabolism, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. A large number of WRKY transcription factors have been reported from Arabidopsis, rice, and other higher plants. The recent publication of the draft genome sequence of castor bean (Ricinus communis) has allowed a genome-wide search for R. communis WRKY (RcWRKY) transcription factors and the comparison of these positively identified proteins with their homologs in model plants. A total of 47 WRKY genes were identified in the castor bean genome. According to the structural features of the WRKY domain, the RcWRKY are classified into seven main phylogenetic groups. Furthermore, putative orthologs of RcWRKY proteins in Arabidopsis and rice could now be assigned. An analysis of expression profiles of RcWRKY genes indicates that 47 WRKY genes display differential expressions either in their transcript abundance or expression patterns under normal growth conditions.

Spatial distributions of biofilm properties and flow pattern in NiiMi process.

A pilot-scale NiiMi system for river landscape water treatment has been steadily operated for more than one year. The aim of the study was to investigate the spatial distributions of biofilm properties and water flow pattern in NiiMi system. Results showed that spatial distributions regularities of volatile suspended solid (VSS), respiration intensity, protein, polysaccharide, viable cell number and dehydrogenase activity were consistent with the aqueous rate. In addition, the viable cell, protein and polysaccharide specific dehydrogenase decreased with depth. Moreover, the protein: polysaccharide ratio increased with depth. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy indicated that protein was one of the components of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). Gel filtration chromatography (GFC) analysis indicated that EPS had a broader MW distribution than that in the effluent water. Trace studies indicated that the occurrence of a dead zone volume of 18.7%, the top left section was the dead zone of the NiiMi system.