Fast Determination of Eleven Food Additives in River Water Using C18 Functionalized Magnetic Organic Polymer Nanocomposite Followed by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography.

A novel magnetic nanomaterial with Fe3O4 as the core, PS-DVB as the shell layer, and the surface modified with C18 (C18-PS-DVB-Fe3O4) had been synthesized by seeded emulsion polymerization. C18-PS-DVB-Fe3O4 retains the advantages of the chemical stability, large porosity, and uniform morphology of organic polymers and has the magnetic properties of Fe3O4. A simple, flexible, and efficient magnetic dispersive solid phase extraction (Mag-dSPE) method for the extraction of preservatives, sweeteners, and colorants in river water was established. C18-PS-DVB-Fe3O4 was used as an adsorbent for Mag-dSPE and was coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to detect 11 food additives: acesulfame, amaranth, benzoic acid, tartrazine, saccharin sodium, sorbic acid, dehydroacetic acid, sunset yellow, allura red, brilliant blue, and erythrosine. Under the optimum extraction conditions, combined with ChromCoreTMAQC18 (5 µm, 4.6 × 250 mm), 20 mmol/L ammonium acetate aqueous solution and methanol were used as mobile phases, and the detection wavelengths were 240 nm and 410 nm. The limits of detection (LODs) of 11 food additives were 0.6-3.1 µg/L with satisfactory recoveries ranging from 86.53% to 106.32%. And the material could be reused for five cycles without much sacrifice of extraction efficiency. The proposed method has been used to determine food additives in river water samples, and results demonstrate the applicability of the proposed C18-PS-DVB-Fe3O4 Mag-dSPE coupled with the HPLC method to environment monitoring analysis.

Will structural adjustment and financial support affect low-carbon agricultural production in the Yellow River Basin?

Based on the panel data of 75 cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2020, this manuscript measures the agricultural low-carbon production efficiency scientifically through the Super-SBM model. In addition, the deviation degree of agricultural industry is used as the index of structural adjustment. Finally, the spatial Durbin model is used to analyze the effect direction and degree of structural adjustment, financial support, and their synergistic effect on agricultural low-carbon production efficiency. The results show that ① the agricultural low-carbon production efficiency in the Yellow River Basin shows a trend of fluctuating downward and a spatial distribution pattern of "high in the east and low in the west". ② Structural adjustment in local region and adjacent areas has a significantly negative impact on agricultural low-carbon production, and the inhibitory effect in adjacent areas is more obvious, and the negative spatial spillover effect is strong. Financial support has a significantly positive impact on agricultural low-carbon production, but the spatial spillover effect of adjacent areas is not obvious. ③ By region, structural adjustment has a significantly negative impact on low-carbon agricultural production in the midstream and downstream regions, while financial support has a significantly positive impact on low-carbon agricultural production in the upstream region. The impact of control variables on agricultural low-carbon production varies from region to region. ④ The synergistic effect of structural adjustment and financial support in the whole and midstream region shows a significantly positive impact on agricultural low-carbon production, indicating that financial support has a certain correction effect on structural adjustment. The coefficient between the upstream and downstream regions is positive but not significant. The conclusions have important reference significance for promoting the ecological protection and high-quality development and agricultural low-carbon development in the Yellow River Basin.

Highly sensitive and selective electrochemical biosensor using odorant-binding protein to detect aldehydes.

Recently, various biosensors based on odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) were developed for the detection of odorants and pheromones. However, important data gaps exist regarding the sensitive and selective detection of aldehydes with various carbon numbers. In this work, an OBP2a-based electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) biosensor was developed by immobilizing OBP2a on a gold interdigital electrode, and was characterized by EIS and atomic force microscopy. EIS responses showed the OBP2a-based biosensor was highly sensitive to citronellal, lily aldehyde, octanal, and decanal (detection limit of 10-11 mol/L), and was selective towards aldehydes compared with interfering odorants such as small-molecule alcohols and fatty acids (selectivity coefficients lower than 0.15). Moreover, the OBP2a-based biosensor exhibited high repeatability (relative standard deviation: 1.6%-9.1 %, n = 3 for each odorant), stability (NIC declined by 3.6 % on 6th day), and recovery (91.2%-96.6 % on three real samples). More specifically, the sensitivity of the biosensor to aldehydes was positively correlated to the molecular weight and the heterocyclic molecule structure of the odorants. These results proved the availability and the potential usage of the OBP2a-based EIS biosensor for the rapid and sensitive detection of aldehydes in aspects such as medical diagnostics, food and favor analysis, and environmental monitoring.

Obesity-associated outcomes after ACL reconstruction: a propensity-score-matched analysis of the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2005-2018.

BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common among physically active individuals, and obesity may increase the risk of such injuries due to factors like biomechanical stress on the knee. We aimed to determine if obesity affects postoperative outcomes after ACL reconstruction. METHODS: Data from adults aged 20 years and older with ACL injuries who underwent inpatient reconstruction from 2005 to 2018 were extracted from the United States (US) Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. Patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of co-existing obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2. Propensity-score matching (PSM) was employed to balance between-group differences. Associations between obesity and concomitant meniscus injury, length of stay (LOS), post-procedural complications, and non-routine discharge were examined using univariate and multivariable logistic and linear regressions. RESULTS: After PSM, data from 1323 patients (representing 6396 individuals in the US) were analyzed. Of these, 441 (33%) were classified as obese, while 882 (67%) were not obese. After adjustment, obesity was significantly associated with a longer LOS (adjusted beta (aBeta) = 0.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.31-0.321) and an increased likelihood of non-routine discharge (adjusted OR (aOR) = 2.18, 95% CI 1.47-3.22). There were no significant associations between obesity and concomitant meniscus injury (aOR = 1.04, 95% CI 0.81-1.32) or post-procedural complications (aOR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.74-1.27). CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing ACL reconstruction in the US, obesity is independently associated with a longer LOS and a higher risk of non-routine discharge. Nevertheless, obesity does not appear to be associated with concomitant meniscus injury or post-procedural complications.

Transcriptome-wide m6A methylation profile reveals its potential role underlying drought response in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

MAIN CONCLUSION: This study revealed the transcriptome-wide m6A methylation profile under drought stress and found that TaETC9 might regulate drought tolerance through mediating RNA methylation in wheat. Drought is one of the most destructive environmental constraints limiting crop growth and development. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is a prevalent and important post-transcriptional modification in various eukaryotic RNA molecules, playing the crucial role in regulating drought response in plants. However, the significance of m6A in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), particularly its involvment in drought response, remains underexplored. In this study, we investigated the transcriptome-wide m6A profile under drought stress using parallel m6A immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-seq). Totally, 4221 m6A peaks in 3733 m6A-modified genes were obtained, of which 373 methylated peaks exhibited differential expression between the control (CK) and drought-stressed treatments. These m6A loci were significantly enriched in proximity to stop codons and within the 3'-untranslated region. Integration of MeRIP-seq and RNA-seq revealed a positive correlation between m6A methylation and mRNA abundance and the genes displaying both differential methylation and expression were obtained. Finally, qRT-PCR analyses were further performed and the results found that the m6A-binding protein (TaETC9) showed significant up-regulation, while the m6A demethylase (TaALKBH10B) was significantly down-regulated under drought stress, contributing to increased m6A levels. Furthermore, the loss-of-function mutant of TaECT9 displayed significantly higher drought sensitivity compared to the wild type, highlighting its role in regulating drought tolerance. This study reported the first wheat m6A profile associated with drought stress, laying the groundwork for unraveling the potential role of RNA methylation in drought responses and enhancing stress tolerance in wheat through epigenetic approaches.

Does carbon reduction and sequestration conflict with food security in rural China?-What, why and how?

Based on panel data of 31 provinces in rural China from 1997 to 2020, this manuscript first applies a carbon reduction and sequestration (CRS) model from the perspective of agricultural carbon emissions and agricultural carbon sinks. We then construct a food security evaluation system to examine the four dimensions of quantity, quality, ecological and economic security. Finally, the study uses a spatial Durbin model to empirically analyze the impact of CRS on food security and the moderating effect of fiscal decentralization. The relevant results: First, from 1997 to 2020, carbon emissions rose from 221.9794 million tons (1997) to 251.1368 million tons (2020), representing an increase of 13.14 %. The total amount of carbon sinks increased from 518.259 million tons (1997) to 758.887 million tons (2020); an increase of 46.43 %. CRS exhibited a fluctuating downward trend, falling from 0.98 (1997) to 0.90 (2020). However, food security showed an increasing trend, rising 0.12 (1997) to 0.32 (2020), with an average annual growth rate of 6.94 %. Second, in the short term, national CRS has had a significantly negative impact on food security, whereas the long term the result is exactly the opposite. In terms of control variables, planting structure, openness to the world, and economic development have significantly positive impact on food security, and urbanization, technological progress, and environmental regulation have significantly negative impact on food security. Regional heterogeneity is evident in the three functional attribute areas. Third, fiscal decentralization can enhance the negative impact of CRS on food security in the short term and weaken the positive impact of CRS on food security in the long term. Similarly, some regional heterogeneity is found among different regions.

Vitamin B6 alleviates osteoarthritis by suppressing inflammation and apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: Although various anti-inflammatory medicines are widely recommended for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment, no significantly clinical effect has been observed. This study aims to examine the effects of vitamin B6, a component that has been reported to be capable of alleviating inflammation and cell death in various diseases, on cartilage degeneration in OA. METHODS: Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice model were established and the severity of OA in cartilage was determined using the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) scoring system. The mRNA and protein levels of indicators associated with extracellular matrix (ECM) metabolism, apoptosis and inflammation were detected. The effect of vitamin B6 (VB6) on the mice were assessed using HE staining and masson staining. The apoptosis rate of cells was assessed using TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling. RESULTS: Our results showed a trend of improved OARSI score in mice treated with VB6, which remarkably inhibited the hyaline cartilage thickness, chondrocyte disordering, and knees hypertrophy. Moreover, the VB6 supplementation reduced the protein expression of pro-apoptosis indicators, including Bax and cleaved caspase-3 and raised the expression level of anti-apoptosis marker Bcl-2. Importantly, VB6 improved ECM metabolism in both in vivo and in vitro experiments. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that VB6 alleviates OA through regulating ECM metabolism, inflammation and apoptosis in chondrocytes and CIA mice. The findings in this study provide a theoretical basis for targeted therapy of OA, and further lay the theoretical foundation for studies of mechanisms of VB6 in treating OA.

Steam Explosion-Assisted Extraction of Ergosterol and Polysaccharides from Flammulina velutipes (Golden Needle Mushroom) Root Waste.

In this work, steam explosion (SE) was applied to prompt the rapid extraction of ergosterol and polysaccharides from Flammulina velutipes root (FVR) waste. Ultrasound-assisted saponification extraction (UASE) followed by water extraction was used to prepare ergosterol and polysaccharides. The results indicated that SE destroyed the complicated structure of FVR and increased its internal porosity and surface roughness. SE caused the thermal degradation of FVR's structural components and increased the polysaccharide content 0.97-fold. As a result, the extraction yield and efficiency of ergosterol and polysaccharides were improved. The theoretical maximum extraction concentration (C∞) and diffusion coefficient (D) were increased by 34.10% and 78.04% (ergosterol) and 27.69% and 48.67% (polysaccharides), respectively. The extraction yields obtained within 20-30 min of extraction time exceeded those of untreated samples extracted after several hours. For polysaccharides, SE led to a significant reduction in the average molecular weight, increased the percentage of uronic acids and decreased the neutral sugar percentage. The monosaccharide composition was changed by SE, with an increase in the molar ratio of glucose of 64.06% and some reductions in those of other monosaccharides. This work provides an effective method for the processing of fungi waste and adds to its economic value, supporting its high-value utilization in healthcare products.

Effect of Altitude Gradients on the Spatial Distribution Mechanism of Soil Bacteria in Temperate Deciduous Broad-Leaved Forests.

Soil bacteria are an important part of the forest ecosystem, and they play a crucial role in driving energy flow and material circulation. Currently, many uncertainties remain about how the composition and distribution patterns of bacterial communities change along altitude gradients, especially in forest ecosystems with strong altitude gradients in climate, vegetation, and soil properties. Based on dynamic site monitoring of the Baiyun Mountain Forest National Park (33°38'-33°42' N, 111°47'-111°51' E), this study used Illumina technology to sequence 120 soil samples at the site and explored the spatial distribution mechanisms and ecological processes of soil bacteria under different altitude gradients. Our results showed that the composition of soil bacterial communities varied significantly between different altitude gradients, affecting soil bacterial community building by influencing the balance between deterministic and stochastic processes; in addition, bacterial communities exhibited broader ecological niche widths and a greater degree of stochasticity under low-altitude conditions, implying that, at lower altitudes, community assembly is predominantly influenced by stochastic processes. Light was the dominant environmental factor that influenced variation in the entire bacterial community as well as other taxa across different altitude gradients. Moreover, changes in the altitude gradient could cause significant differences in the diversity and community composition of bacterial taxa. Our study revealed significant differences in bacterial community composition in the soil under different altitude gradients. The bacterial communities at low elevation gradients were mainly controlled by stochasticity processes, and bacterial community assembly was strongly influenced by deterministic processes at middle altitudes. Furthermore, light was an important environmental factor that affects differences. This study revealed that the change of altitude gradient had an important effect on the development of the soil bacterial community and provided a theoretical basis for the sustainable development and management of soil bacteria.

Cervical cancer-specific long non-coding RNA landscape reveals the favorable prognosis predictive performance of an ion-channel-related signature model.

BACKGROUND: Ion channels play an important role in tumorigenesis and progression of cervical cancer. Multiple long non-coding RNA genes are widely involved in ion channel-related signaling regulation. However, the association and potential clinical application of lncRNAs in the prognosis of cervical cancer are still poorly explored. METHODS: Thirteen patients with cervical cancer were enrolled in current study. Whole transcriptome (involving both mRNAs and lncRNAs) sequencing was performed on fresh tumor and adjacent normal tissues that were surgically resected from patients. A comprehensive cervical cancer-specific lncRNA landscape was obtained by our custom pipeline. Then, a prognostic scoring model of ion-channel-related lncRNAs was established by regression algorithms. The performance of the predictive model as well as its association with the clinical characteristics and tumor microenvironment (TME) status were further evaluated. RESULTS: To comprehensively identify cervical cancer-specific lncRNAs, we sequenced 26 samples of cervical cancer patients and integrated the transcriptomic results. We built a custom analysis pipeline to improve the accuracy of lncRNA identification and functional annotation and obtained 18,482 novel lncRNAs in cervical cancer. Then, 159 ion channel- and tumorigenesis-related (ICTR-) lncRNAs were identified. Based on nine ICTR-lncRNAs, we also established a prognostic scoring model and validated its accuracy and robustness in assessing the prognosis of patients with cervical cancer. Besides, the TME was characterized, and we found that B cells, activated CD8+ T, and tertiary lymphoid structures were significantly associated with ICTR-lncRNAs signature scores. CONCLUSION: We provided a thorough landscape of cervical cancer-specific lncRNAs. Through integrative analyses, we identified ion-channel-related lncRNAs and established a predictive model for assessing the prognosis of patients with cervical cancer. Meanwhile, we characterized its association with TME status. This study improved our knowledge of the prominent roles of lncRNAs in regulating ion channel in cervical cancer.

Current advances in black phosphorus-based antibacterial nanoplatform for infection therpy.

Black phosphorus (BP) has attracted much attention due to its excellent physiochemical properties. However, due to its biodegradability and simple antibacterial mechanism, using only BP nanomaterials to combat bacterial infections caused by drug-resistant pathogens remains a significant challenge. In order to improve the antibacterial efficiency and avoid the emergence of drug resistance, BP nanomaterials have been combined with other functional materials to form black phosphorus-based antibacterial nanoplatform (BPANP), which provides unprecedented opportunities for the treatment of drug-resistant infections. This article reviews the performance of BPANP and its multiple antibacterial mechanisms while emphatically introducing its design direction and latest application progress in antibacterial fields. Moreover, this paper additionally summarizes and discusses the current challenges and inadequacies of BPANP that need to be improved in future research. We believe that this review will provide researchers with an up-to-date and multifaceted reference, and provide new ideas for designing effective strategies against drug-resistant bacteria.

Copper Resistance Mechanism and Copper Response Genes in Corynebacterium crenatum.

Heavy metal resistance mechanisms and heavy metal response genes are crucial for microbial utilization in heavy metal remediation. Here, Corynebacterium crenatum was proven to possess good tolerance in resistance to copper. Then, the transcriptomic responses to copper stress were investigated, and the vital pathways and genes involved in copper resistance of C. crenatum were determined. Based on transcriptome analysis results, a total of nine significantly upregulated DEGs related to metal ion transport were selected for further study. Among them, GY20_RS0100790 and GY20_RS0110535 belong to transcription factors, and GY20_RS0110270, GY20_RS0100790, and GY20_RS0110545 belong to copper-binding peptides. The two transcription factors were studied for the function of regulatory gene expression. The three copper-binding peptides were displayed on the C. crenatum surface for a copper adsorption test. Furthermore, the nine related metal ion transport genes were deleted to investigate the effect on growth in copper stress. This investigation provided the basis for utilizing C. crenatum in copper bioremediation.

Predicting treatment failure in stage III colon cancer patients after radical surgery.

Purpose: The aim to assess treatment failure in patients with stage III colon cancer who underwent radical surgery and was analyzed using the nomogram. Methods: Clinical factors and survival outcomes for stage III colon cancer patients registered in the SEER database from 2018 to 2019 were analyzed, with patients split into training and testing cohorts (7:3 ratio). A total of 360 patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Longyan served as an external validation cohort. Independent predictors of treatment failure were identified using logistic regression analyses. The nomograms was evaluated by concordance index (C-index), calibration curves, and the area under the curve (AUC), decision curve analysis (DCA) and clinical impact curves (CIC) assessed the clinical utility of nomograms versus TNM staging. Results: The study included 4,115 patients with stage III colon cancer. Multivariate logistic analysis age, tumor site, pT stage, pN stage, chemotherapy, pretreatment CEA levels, number of harvested lymph nodes, perineural invasion and marital status were identified as independent risk factors for treatment failure. The C-indices for the training and testing sets were 0.853 and 0.841. Validation by ROC and calibration curves confirmed the stability and reliability of the model. DCA showed that the net clinical effect of the histogram was superior to that of the TNM staging system, while CIC highlighted the potentially large clinical impact of the model. Conclusions: The developed Nomogram provides a powerful and accurate tool for clinicians to assess the risk of treatment failure after radical surgery in patients with stage III colon cancer.

Quantifying the impact of anthropogenic emissions and aquatic environmental impacts on sedimentary mercury variations in a typical urban river.

In urban and industrial regions, sedimentary mercury (Hg) serves as the crucial indicator for Hg pollution, posing potential risks to ecology and human health. The physicochemical processes of Hg in aquatic environments are influenced by various factors such as anthropogenic emissions and aquatic environmental impacts, making it challenging to quantify the drivers of total mercury (THg) variations. Here, we analyzed the spatiotemporal variations, quantified driving factors, and assessed accumulation risks of sedimentary THg from the mainstream of a typical urban river (Haihe River). THg in the urban region (37-3237 ng g-1) was significantly higher (t-test, p < 0.01) than in suburban (71-2317 ng g-1) and developing regions (156-916 ng g-1). The sedimentary THg in suburban and developing regions increased from 2003 to 2018, indicating the elevated atmospheric deposition of Hg. Together with the temperature, grain size of sediments, total organic carbon (TOC), the pH and salinity of water, 40 components of parent and substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were first introduced to quantify the driver of sedimentary THg based on generalized additive model. Results showed that anthropogenic emissions, including three PAHs components (31%) and TOC (63%), accounted for 94% of sedimentary THg variations. The aquatic environmental impacts accounted for 5% of sedimentary THg variations. The geo-accumulation index of THg indicated moderate to heavy accumulation in the urban region. This study demonstrates that homologous pollutants such as PAHs can be used to trace sources and variations of Hg pollution, supporting their co-regulation as international conventions regulate pollutants.

Analysis of spatial patterns and influencing factors of farmland transfer in China based on ESDA-GeoDetector.

Farmland transfer is a critical component in facilitating agricultural scale management and improving agricultural production efficiency. This study examines the spatial distribution of farmland transfer in China and identifies the factors influencing it, offering valuable guidance for advancing China's farmland transfer practices. Through the application of mathematical statistics and GIS spatial analysis, the study investigates changes in spatial patterns related to the scale, rate, mode, and recipients of farmland transfer across China's 30 provinces from 2015 to 2020. Geographical detectors are also employed to identify the key factors influencing the extent and pace of farmland transfer. The study reveals that between 2015 and 2020, China's farmland transfer area increased from 29,789 to 37,638 million hectares. Provinces with abundant farmland resources generally experienced larger farmland transfers, while economically developed regions and major grain-producing areas saw higher rates of farmland transfers. The predominant mode of farmland transfer in China was leasing (subcontracting), accounting for over 80% of the total transferred area. Large-scale grain growers and family farms were significant participants in farmland transfers, acquiring approximately 60.1% of the transferred lands, followed by professional cooperatives (21.5%), enterprises (10.4%), and other entities (7.9%). Key factors influencing the farmland transfer area include the "regional farmland area", the "proportion of family farms supported by loans", and the "proportion of non-agricultural population", with explanatory powers of 0.663, 0.319, and 0.225, respectively. Notably, there is a substantial interaction between the "regional farmland area" and factors such as the "proportion of family farms supported by loans" and the "grain yield per unit area", with explanatory powers reaching 0.957 and 0.901, respectively. These findings offer valuable insights for promoting farmland transfer in agriculturally rich regions. Factors affecting the farmland transfer rate include "grain yield per unit area", "GDP per capita", and the "proportion of non-agricultural population", each with an explanatory power above 0.500. Moreover, their interactive explanatory powers with other indicators exceed 0.600, indicating that provinces with high agricultural productivity or economic development levels are more likely to undergo farmland transfer. The paper concludes by proposing strategies and recommendations to promote farmland transfer in both "large agricultural areas" and "metropolitan suburbs."

A comprehensive evaluation of influencing factors of neonicotinoid insecticides (NEOs) in farmland soils across China: First focus on film mulching.

Neonicotinoid insecticide (NEO) residues in agricultural soils have concerning and adverse effects on agroecosystems. Previous studies on the effects of farmland type on NEOs are limited to comparing greenhouses with open fields. On the other hand, both NEOs and microplastics (MPs) are commonly found in agricultural fields, but their co-occurrence characteristics under realistic fields have not been reported. This study grouped farmlands into three types according to the covering degree of the film, collected 391 soil samples in mainland China, and found significant differences in NEO residues in the soils of the three different farmlands, with greenhouse having the highest NEO residue, followed by farmland with film mulching and farmland without film mulching (both open fields). Furthermore, this study found that MPs were significantly and positively correlated with NEOs. As far as we know this is the first report to disclose the association of film mulching and MPs with NEOs under realistic fields. Moreover, multiple linear regression and random forest models were used to comprehensively evaluate the factors influencing NEOs (including climatic, soil, and agricultural indicators). The results indicated that the random forest model was more reliable, with MPs, farmland type, and total nitrogen having higher relative contributions.

Characterization of Key Odorants in Lushan Yunwu Tea in Response to Intercropping with Flowering Cherry.

Lushan Yunwu tea (LSYWT) is a famous green tea in China. However, the effects of intercropping tea with flowering cherry on the overall aroma of tea have not been well understood. In this study, headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for analysis. A total of 54 volatile compounds from eight chemical classes were identified in tea samples from both the intercropping and pure-tea-plantation groups. Principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and odor activity value (OAV) methods combined with sensory evaluation identified cis-jasmone, nonanal, and linalool as the key aroma compounds in the intercropping group. Benzaldehyde, α-farnesene, and methyl benzene were identified as the main volatile compounds in the flowering cherry using headspace solid-phase microextraction/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS). These findings will enrich the research on tea aroma chemistry and offer new insights into the product development and quality improvement of LSYWT.

Spatial distribution, compositional characteristics, and source apportionment of legacy and novel per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in farmland soil: A nationwide study in mainland China.

China, as one of the largest global producers and consumers of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), faces concerning levels of PFAS pollution in soil. However, knowledge of their occurrence in agricultural soils of China on the national scale remains unknown. Herein, the first nationwide survey was done by collecting 352 soil samples from 31 provinces in mainland China. The results indicated that the Σ24PFASs concentrations were 74.3 - 24880.0 pg/g, with mean concentrations of PFASs in decreasing order of legacy PFASs > emerging PFASs > PFAS precursors (640.2 pg/g, 340.7 pg/g, and 154.9 pg/g, respectively). The concentrations in coastal eastern China were distinctly higher than those in inland regions. Tianjin was the most severely PFASs-contaminated province because of rapid urban industrialization. This study further compared the PFAS content in monoculture and multiple cropping farmland soils, finding the concentrations of PFASs were high in soils planted with vegetable and fruit monocultures. Moreover, a positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was employed to identify different sources of PFASs. Fluoropolymer industries and aqueous film-forming foams were the primary contributors. The contributions from different emission sources varied across the seven geographical regions. This study provides new baseline data for prevention and control policies for reducing pollution.

Meta-Quantitative Trait Loci Analysis and Candidate Gene Mining for Drought Tolerance-Associated Traits in Maize (Zea mays L.).

Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses with a severe negative impact on maize production globally. Understanding the genetic architecture of drought tolerance in maize is a crucial step towards the breeding of drought-tolerant varieties and a targeted exploitation of genetic resources. In this study, 511 quantitative trait loci (QTL) related to grain yield components, flowering time, and plant morphology under drought conditions, as well as drought tolerance index were collected from 27 published studies and then projected on the IBM2 2008 Neighbors reference map for meta-analysis. In total, 83 meta-QTL (MQTL) associated with drought tolerance in maize were identified, of which 20 were determined as core MQTL. The average confidence interval of MQTL was strongly reduced compared to that of the previously published QTL. Nearly half of the MQTL were confirmed by co-localized marker-trait associations from genome-wide association studies. Based on the alignment of rice proteins related to drought tolerance, 63 orthologous genes were identified near the maize MQTL. Furthermore, 583 candidate genes were identified within the 20 core MQTL regions and maize-rice homologous genes. Based on KEGG analysis of candidate genes, plant hormone signaling pathways were found to be significantly enriched. The signaling pathways can have direct or indirect effects on drought tolerance and also interact with other pathways. In conclusion, this study provides novel insights into the genetic and molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance in maize towards a more targeted improvement of this important trait in breeding.