Metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis of flavonoids biosynthesis mechanisms in mulberry fruit (Hongguo 2) under exogenous hormone treatments.

The mulberry fruit is prized for its superior nutrition value and abundant color due to its high flavone content. To enhance comprehension of flavone biogenesis induced by external hormones, we sprayed exogenous ethylene (ETH), indoleacetic acid (IAA) and spermine (SPM) on mulberry fruit (Hongguo 2) during its color-changed period. The levels of anthocyanin, titratable acid, soluble sugar and endogenous hormones were determined after hormone treatment, integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis were performed for mechanism exploration. Our results indicated that exogenous ETH, SPM, and IAA play important roles in mulberry ripening, including acid reduction, sugar increase and flavonoid synthesis.

Facile Fabrication of Hollow Nanoporous Carbon Architectures by Controlling MOF Crystalline Inhomogeneity for Ultra-Stable Na-Ion Storage.

Hollow nanoporous carbon architectures (HNCs) present significant utilitarian value for a wide variety of applications. Facile and efficient preparation of HNCs has long been pursued but still remains challenging. Herein, we for the first time demonstrate that single-component metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) crystals, rather than the widely reported hybrid ones which necessitate tedious operations for preparation, could enable the facile and versatile syntheses of functional HNCs. By controlling the growth kinetics, the MOFs crystals (STU-1) are readily engineered into different shapes with designated styles of crystalline inhomogeneity. A subsequent one-step pyrolysis of these MOFs with intraparticle difference can induce a simultaneous self-hollowing and carbonization process, thereby producing various functional HNCs including yolk-shell polyhedrons, hollow microspheres, mesoporous architectures, and superstructures. Superior to the existing methods, this synthetic strategy relies only on the complex nature of single-component MOFs crystals without involving tedious operations like coating, etching, or ligand exchange, making it convenient, efficient, and easy to scale up. An ultra-stable Na-ion battery anode is demonstrated by the HNCs with extraordinary cyclability (93 % capacity retention over 8000 cycles), highlighting a high level of functionality of the HNCs.

Microbial diversity and potential health risks of household municipal solid waste in China: A case study in winter during outbreak of COVID-19.

Microbial (bacteria and fungi) community structures and their distributions in urban household municipal solid waste (HMSW) were characterized in a sampling campaign in 38 cities of China covering 5 climatic zones. All samples were collected from garbage containers in residential communities during the Winter of 2022, from January 11 to 26. A total of 247 bacterial genera belonging to 22 phyla were identified among the samples. Firmicutes (44.3 %), Bacteroidetes (33.77 %) and Proteobacteria (21.54 %) were the top 3 dominant phyla, and Arcicella (33.11 %) and Leuconostoc (21.87 %) were the dominant genera. Meanwhile, 124 fungal genera from 7 fungal phyla were detected. Ascomycota was the most dominant phylum, with an average relative abundance of 77.31 %. Hanseniaspora (24.03 %), Debaryomyces (13.47 %), Candida (12.18) were the top 3 dominant fungal genera. Alpha-diversity analysis showed that the species richness and diversity of bacterial and fungal communities of HMSW samples belonging to different climatic zones did not differ significantly. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis confirmed that climatic had an effect on microbial communities but did not show a significant correlation. In addition, the distribution of microbial community in different samples from the same climate zone varied considerably, suggesting the HMSW source play important role in shaping microbial community composition. Considering that residential HMSW is relatively fresh, we speculates that the original microorganisms residing in different components of HMSW are key influencing factor for the community, while the reshaping force driven by environmental conditions are relatively weak. In addition, the study identified 13 bacterial and 16 fungal pathogens with Pseudomonas putida (0.25 %) and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (2.12 %) as the most abundant potential pathogenic bacteria and fungi, respectively. These findings provide valuable information for characterizing microbial features and potential risks of HMSW in its management system.

Ultrafast Photocatalytic Detoxification of Mustard Gas Simulants by a Mesoporous Metal-Organic Framework with Dangling Porphyrin Molecules.

Developing effective catalysts to degrade chemical warfare agents is of great significance. Herein, a mesoporous MIL-101(Cr) composite material dangled with porphyrin molecules (denote as TCPP@MIL-101(Cr), TCPP = tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin) is reported, which can be used as a heterogeneous photocatalyst for detoxification of mustard gas simulants 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES) to 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfoxide (CEESO) with a half-life of 1 min. The catalytic performance of TCPP@MIL-101(Cr) is comparable to that of homogeneous molecular porphyrin. Mechanistic studies reveal that both 1 O2 and O2 •- are efficiently generated and play vital roles in the oxidation reaction. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are attached to the TCPP@MIL-101(Cr) to further enhance the catalytic activity with a benchmark half-life of 45 s, which is the fastest record so far. A medical mask loaded TCPP@MIL-101(Cr) is fabricated for practical applications, which can selectively photoxidize CEES to CEESO under sunlight and air atmosphere, exhibiting the best degradation performance among the reported fabric-like composite materials.

Multiple Accessible Redox-Active Sites in a Robust Covalent Organic Framework for High-Performance Potassium Storage.

Covalent organic framework (COF) materials with porous character and robust structure have significant applied implications for K-ion battery (KIB) anodes, but they are limited by the low reversible capacity and inferior rate capability. Here, based on theoretical calculations, we identified that a porous bulk COF featuring numerous pyrazines and carbonyls in the π-conjugated periodic skeleton could provide multiple accessible redox-active sites for high-performance potassium storage. Its porous structure with a surface-dominated storage mechanism enabled the fast and stable storage of K-ions. Its insolubility in organic electrolytes and small volumetric change after potassiation ensured a robust electrode for stable cycling. As a KIB anode, this bulk COF demonstrated an unprecedentedly outstanding combination of reversible capacity (423 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C), rate capability (185 mAh g-1 at 10 C), and cyclability. The theoretical simulation and comprehensive characterizations confirmed the active sites are contributed by C═O, C═N, and the cation-π effect.

Engineering Microstructure of a Robust Polymer Anode by Moderate Pyrolysis for High-Performance Sodium Storage.

Polymer anodes have inspired considerable research interest for Na-ion batteries (NIBs) owing to their high structural flexibility and resource sustainability but are limited by the sluggish electrode kinetics, insufficient cyclability, and inferior electronic conductivity which usually made a large fraction (20-50 wt %) of conductive carbon additive necessitated. Herein, using a polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) anode as an example, we demonstrated that a moderate pyrolysis of the polymer anode could not only reduce its optical bandgap to enhance its electronic conductivity but also tune its microstructures to facilitate Na+ transfer/storage and sustain the repeated sodiation/desodiation. When used as NIBs anode with 10 wt % conductive carbon adding for preparing the electrode film, the moderate-pyrolysis PCN can promise high specific capacity (351 mAh g-1 at 0.1C), superb rate capability (151 and 95 mAh g-1 at 10C and 20C, respectively), and ultrastable cyclability (88.5% capacity retention after 6500 cycles at 2C). This comprehensive battery performance is much better than that of the previously reported organic counterparts. Our finding opened a new avenue in designing high-performance polymer anode for Na-ion batteries.

Integrated Transcriptomic and Un-Targeted Metabolomics Analysis Reveals Mulberry Fruit (Morus atropurpurea) in Response to Sclerotiniose Pathogen Ciboria shiraiana Infection.

Mulberry sclerotiniose caused by Ciboria shiraiana is a devastating disease of mulberry (Morus alba L.) fruit in Northwest China. At present, no disease-resistant varieties are used in production, as the molecular mechanisms of this disease are not well understood. In this study, to explore new prevention methods and provide direction for molecular breeding, transcriptomic sequencing and un-targeted metabolomics were performed on healthy (CK), early-stage diseased (HB1), and middle-stage diseased (HB2) mulberry fruits. Functional annotation, gene ontology, a Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis, and a Mapman analysis of the differentially expressed genes revealed differential regulation of genes related to plant hormone signal transduction, transcription factors, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. A correspondence between the transcript pattern and metabolite profile was observed in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway. It should be noted that the log2 ratio of eugenol (isoeugenol) in HB1 and HB2 are 85 times and 23 times higher than CK, respectively. Our study shows that phenylpropanoid biosynthesis may play an essential role in response to sclerotiniose pathogen infection and eugenol(isoeugenol) enrichment in mulberry fruit, which may provide a novel method for mulberry sclerotiniose control.

Bioaccessibility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in central air conditioner filter dust and its occupational exposure to shopping mall employees.

The assessment of the human health risk of dust exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been hampered by a lack of data on the bioaccessibility. The purpose of this study was to apply in vitro methods using simulated lungs with artificial lysosomal fluid (ALF) and Gamble's solution and digestive fluid to assess the bioaccessibility of 8 high molecular weight PAH (PAH8) in central air conditioner (AC) filter dust from a shopping mall in northeast China. Overall, the bioaccessible PAH8 concentration (µg/g) in AC filter dust samples after ALF and Gamble's solution extraction for 24 h were notable, with a mean of 1.71 ±â€¯0.6 and 1.92 ±â€¯0.5 in the sales areas, and a mean of 1.61 ±â€¯0.2 and 1.85 ±â€¯0.2 in the office areas. AC filter dust exposed to simulated digestive fluid had a mean bioaccessible PAH8 concentration (µg/g) of 1.60 ±â€¯0.4 in the sales areas and 1.15 ±â€¯0.2 in the office areas. Benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF) made the most significant contribution to the total and bioaccessible PAH8 concentrations in all of the AC filter dust after simulated digestive fluid extraction, while the bioaccessibility was driven by chrysene (Chr, sales areas) and indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene (Ind, office areas). Both the bioaccessibility and concentration of PAH8 in simulated lung fluid were mainly driven by benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). This study highlights the need to conduct bioaccessibility experiments for an adequate exposure assessment of health risk.

Ingestion bioaccessibility of indoor dust-bound PAHs: Inclusion of a sorption sink to simulate passive transfer across the small intestine.

In this study, we investigated the levels of 12 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH12) pollutants, bioaccessible PAH12, and sorption sink for PAH12 by a silicone sheet of indoor dust samples, which were collected from teachers' offices (n = 17), students' offices (n = 17), laboratory (n = 11), and experimental center (n = 9), using an in vitro digestive model. In PAH12, bioaccessible PAH12, and sorption sink PAH12, benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), phenanthrenes (Phe), and fluoranthene (FLA) were labeled respectively the most significant PAHs (6.61 ±â€¯4.42 µg/g, 0.16 ±â€¯0.11 µg/g, and 0.08 ±â€¯0.06 µg/g) after indoor dust ingestion, whereas the proportions of anthracene (Ant), benzo(g,h,i)perylene (BghiP), and BghiP (0.34 ±â€¯0.17, 0.03 ±â€¯0.03 and 0.01 ±â€¯0.01 µg/g) were low. Based on benzo[a]pyrene- equivalent carcinogenic concentrations, the mean daily exposure of bioaccessible PAH12 and sorption sink for PAH12 by indoor dust ingestion was 4.07 × 10-3 ±â€¯1.73 × 10-3 and 3.23 × 10-3 ±â€¯1.36 × 10-3 µg/day in the experimental center; 4.01 × 10-3 ±â€¯2.05 × 10-3 and 1.46 × 10-3 ±â€¯6.72 × 10-4 µg/day in students' offices; 8.25 × 10-4 ±â€¯2.33 × 10-4 and 5.15 × 10-4 ±â€¯1.37 × 10-4 µg/day in laboratory; and 7.05 × 10-4 ±â€¯4.12 × 10-5 and 2.82 × 10-4 ±â€¯4.36 × 10-5 µg/day in teachers' offices, respectively. Our results indicated that the passive transfer fraction of PAH12 (44.07%-67.36% in this case) is therefore large and needs to be considered in exposure and risk assessments.

Distribution, inhalation and health risk of PM2.5 related PAHs in indoor environments.

To investigate the potential cancer risk resulting from exposure to air pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) bound to airborne particles (PM2.5) were assessed in one outdoor environment and four indoor environments before and during the Spring Festival of 2015. The average total PAH concentration was site-dependent, and the concentration decreased before and during the Spring Festival. Fluoranthene (Flt) was the most commonly occurring among the 16 priority PAHs, and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) accounted for the largest portion of the total carcinogenic potency of PAHs in PM2.5. The average BaP levels, in both indoor and outdoor environments, considerably exceeded the maximum permissible risk level of 1 ng/m3. Hazard quotients were found to be much less than 1, indicating little risk in terms of non-carcinogenic effects. Carcinogenic health risks resulting from possible carcinogens were determined to be much less than 1.00E-06. According to the California and WHO reference protocol, using empty room data to estimate the carcinogenic health risk produced values that were 10% lower than those calculated using outdoor environmental data.