The genome of Lespedeza potaninii reveals biased subgenome evolution and drought adaptation.

Lespedeza potaninii, a xerophytic subshrub belonging to the legume family, is native to the Tengger Desert and is highly adapted to drought. It has important ecological value due to its drought adaptability, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we report a 1.24 Gb chromosome-scale assembly of the L. potaninii genome (contig N50 = 15.75 Mb). Our results indicate that L. potaninii underwent an allopolyploid event with 2 subgenomes, A and B, presenting asymmetric evolution and B subgenome dominance. We estimate that the 2 diploid progenitors of L. potaninii diverged around 3.6 million years ago (MYA) and merged around 1.0 MYA. We revealed that the expansion of hub genes associated with drought responses, such as the binding partner 1 of accelerated cell death 11 (ACD11) (BPA1), facilitated environmental adaptations of L. potaninii to desert habitats. We found a novel function of the BPA1 family in abiotic stress tolerance in addition to the known role in regulating the plant immune response, which could improve drought tolerance by positively regulating reactive oxygen species homeostasis in plants. We revealed that bZIP transcription factors could bind to the BPA1 promoter and activate its transcription. Our work fills the genomic data gap in the Lespedeza genus and the tribe Desmodieae, which should provide theoretical support both in the study of drought tolerance and in the molecular breeding of legume crops.

Rescue of cardiac dysfunction during chemotherapy in acute myeloid leukaemia by blocking IL-1α.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) suffer from severe myocardial injury during daunorubicin (DNR)-based chemotherapy and are at high risk of cardiac mortality. The crosstalk between tumour cells and cardiomyocytes might play an important role in chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity, but this has yet to be demonstrated. This study aimed to identify its underlying mechanism and explore potential therapeutic targets. METHODS: Cardiac tissues were harvested from an AML patient after DNR-based chemotherapy and were subjected to single-nucleus RNA sequencing. Cardiac metabolism and function were evaluated in AML mice after DNR treatment by using positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and stable-isotope tracing metabolomics. Plasma cytokines were screened in AML mice after DNR treatment. Genetically modified mice and cell lines were used to validate the central role of the identified cytokine and explore its downstream effectors. RESULTS: In the AML patient, disruption of cardiac metabolic homeostasis was associated with heart dysfunction after DNR-based chemotherapy. In AML mice, cardiac fatty acid utilization was attenuated, resulting in cardiac dysfunction after DNR treatment, but these phenotypes were not observed in similarly treated tumour-free mice. Furthermore, tumour cell-derived interleukin (IL)-1α was identified as a primary factor leading to DNR-induced cardiac dysfunction and administration of an anti-IL-1α neutralizing antibody could improve cardiac functions in AML mice after DNR treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that crosstalk between tumour cells and cardiomyocytes during chemotherapy could disturb cardiac energy metabolism and impair heart function. IL-1α neutralizing antibody treatment is a promising strategy for alleviating chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity in AML patients.

DSBSO-Based XL-MS Analysis of Breast Cancer PDX Tissues to Delineate Protein Interaction Network in Clinical Samples.

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are fundamental to understanding biological systems as protein complexes are the active molecular modules critical for carrying out cellular functions. Dysfunctional PPIs have been associated with various diseases including cancer. Systems-wide PPI analysis not only sheds light on pathological mechanisms, but also represents a paradigm in identifying potential therapeutic targets. In recent years, cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) has emerged as a powerful tool for defining endogenous PPIs of cellular networks. While proteome-wide studies have been performed in cell lysates, intact cells and tissues, applications of XL-MS in clinical samples have not been reported. In this study, we adopted a DSBSO-based in vivo XL-MS platform to map interaction landscapes from two breast cancer patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. As a result, we have generated a PDX interaction network comprising 2,557 human proteins and identified interactions unique to breast cancer subtypes. Interestingly, most of the observed differences in PPIs correlated well with protein abundance changes determined by TMT-based proteome quantitation. Collectively, this work has demonstrated the feasibility of XL-MS analysis in clinical samples, and established an analytical workflow for tissue cross-linking that can be generalized for mapping PPIs from patient samples in the future to dissect disease-relevant cellular networks.

Identification and functionalization of thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRAb) with different antigenic epitopes.

CONTEXT: One of the sensitive markers for autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) clinical identification is TRAb. To quickly distinguish TRAb with distinct antigenic epitopes, a straightforward and uncomplicated technique has not yet been created. OBJECTIVE: To search for molecular diagnostic targets for different types of AITD (Graves' disease (GD), Graves' orbitopathy (GO), GD with III degree goiter (GD(3)), Hypothyroidism combined with positive TRAb (HT(TRAb+))) as molecular diagnostic targets. METHODS: Following action on thyroid cells, differential genes (DEGs) generated by TRAb with distinct antigenic epitopes were detected and identified by RNA-seq, bioinformatics analysis, and RT-qPCR in the serum of AITD patients. Using the EdU assay, the effect of co-culturing thyroid cells with different antigenic TRAb epitopes on the cells' capacity to proliferate was investigated. RESULTS: Bioinformatics analysis and RT-qPCR validation identified one GD key gene (AHSG), two GO key genes (ADRA1D and H2BC18), two GD(3) key genes (SOCS1 and CYBB), and one HT (TRAb+) key gene (MASP2). Correlation analysis and ROC curves showed that the above genes could be used as molecular diagnostic targets for different types of AITD. Finally, EdU results showed that TRAb inhibited thyroid cell proliferation in the HT (TRAb+) group compared with the normal control group, while the remaining three groups promoted thyroid cell proliferation, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We identified six key genes for different types of AITD, which have diagnostic value for different types of AITD. Meanwhile, we found that TRAb of different antigenic epitopes in AITD have different biological functions.

Development of an Interpretable Deep Learning Model for Pathological Tumor Response Assessment After Neoadjuvant Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant therapy followed by surgery has become the standard of care for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and accurate pathological response assessment is critical to assess the therapeutic efficacy. However, it can be laborious and inconsistency between different observers may occur. Hence, we aim to develop an interpretable deep-learning model for efficient pathological response assessment following neoadjuvant therapy in ESCC. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed 337 ESCC resection specimens from 2020-2021 at the Pudong-Branch (Cohort 1) and 114 from 2021-2022 at the Puxi-Branch (External Cohort 2) of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. Whole slide images (WSIs) from these two cohorts were generated using different scanning machines to test the ability of the model in handling color variations. Four pathologists independently assessed the pathological response. The senior pathologists annotated tumor beds and residual tumor percentages on WSIs to determine consensus labels. Furthermore, 1850 image patches were randomly extracted from Cohort 1 WSIs and binarily classified for tumor viability. A deep-learning model employing knowledge distillation was developed to automatically classify positive patches for each WSI and estimate the viable residual tumor percentages. Spatial heatmaps were output for model explanations and visualizations. RESULTS: The approach achieved high concordance with pathologist consensus, with an R^2 of 0.8437, a RAcc_0.1 of 0.7586, a RAcc_0.3 of 0.9885, which were comparable to two senior pathologists (R^2 of 0.9202/0.9619, RAcc_0.1 of 8506/0.9425, RAcc_0.3 of 1.000/1.000) and surpassing two junior pathologists (R^2 of 0.5592/0.5474, RAcc_0.1 of 0.5287/0.5287, RAcc_0.3 of 0.9080/0.9310). Visualizations enabled the localization of residual viable tumor to augment microscopic assessment. CONCLUSION: This work illustrates deep learning's potential for assisting pathological response assessment. Spatial heatmaps and patch examples provide intuitive explanations of model predictions, engendering clinical trust and adoption (Code and data will be available at https://github.com/WinnieLaugh/ESCC_Percentage once the paper has been conditionally accepted). Integrating interpretable computational pathology could help enhance the efficiency and consistency of tumor response assessment and empower precise oncology treatment decisions.

Frozen tissue coring and layered histological analysis improves cell type-specific proteogenomic characterization of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Omics characterization of pancreatic adenocarcinoma tissue is complicated by the highly heterogeneous and mixed populations of cells. We evaluate the feasibility and potential benefit of using a coring method to enrich specific regions from bulk tissue and then perform proteogenomic analyses. METHODS: We used the Biopsy Trifecta Extraction (BioTExt) technique to isolate cores of epithelial-enriched and stroma-enriched tissue from pancreatic tumor and adjacent tissue blocks. Histology was assessed at multiple depths throughout each core. DNA sequencing, RNA sequencing, and proteomics were performed on the cored and bulk tissue samples. Supervised and unsupervised analyses were performed based on integrated molecular and histology data. RESULTS: Tissue cores had mixed cell composition at varying depths throughout. Average cell type percentages assessed by histology throughout the core were better associated with KRAS variant allele frequencies than standard histology assessment of the cut surface. Clustering based on serial histology data separated the cores into three groups with enrichment of neoplastic epithelium, stroma, and acinar cells, respectively. Using this classification, tumor overexpressed proteins identified in bulk tissue analysis were assigned into epithelial- or stroma-specific categories, which revealed novel epithelial-specific tumor overexpressed proteins. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates the feasibility of multi-omics data generation from tissue cores, the necessity of interval H&E stains in serial histology sections, and the utility of coring to improve analysis over bulk tissue data.

Circular RNA circPHF16 enhances IL-17A expression and secretion by sequestering miR-378a-3p to activate the IL6ST axis in Graves' disease.

Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of Graves' disease (GD), an autoimmune disorder affecting thyroid function, but the detailed regulatory mechanisms remain elusive. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as key regulators of IL-17A expression and secretion in autoimmune diseases, yet their specific role in GD, especially within CD4 + T lymphocytes, are not well understood. In this study, a circRNA, circPHF16 (hsa_circ_0090364) was found to be highly expressed in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and serum of GD patients. In vitro experiments in Jurkat T cells revealed that silencing of circPHF16 suppressed IL-17A expression and secretion, while overexpression of circPHF16 had the opposite effect. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis demonstrated a circPHF16/miR-378a-3p/IL6ST pathway, in which circPHF16 regulates IL6ST expression, which, in turn, influences IL-17A expression and secretion by interacting with miR-378a-3p. In vivo studies in a mouse model of GD showed similar trends in molecular expression levels, consistent with competitive endogenous RNA interactions. Together the results of the study identify circPHF16 as a potential target in the development of new strategies for GD diagnosis and treatment, and thus, offer a theoretical foundation for clinical therapeutic approaches in GD.

Role of HIF-1α in hypercoagulable state of COPD in rats.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of HIF-1α in hypercoagulable state of COPD induced by lipopolysaccharide plus smoking in rats. It also has to explore the regulatory mechanism of HIF-1α-EPO/EDN-1/VEGF pathway by using its activator and inhibitor. METHODS: 60 Sprague-Dawley rats (SD rats) were randomly divided into healthy control group, COPD hypercoagulable control group, activator group, and inhibitor group with 15 rats in each group. The healthy control group was fed freely. The other groups were given smoke and lipopolysaccharide by tracheal instillation to establish the experimental animal model of COPD hypercoagulability. After successful modeling, each experimental group was given 0.9 % sodium chloride solution and corresponding drugs by intraperitoneal injection for 7 days. Lung function was detected after drug administration. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the pathological changes of lung tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect serum D-D,F (1 + 2),IL-6,TNF-α. The mRNA expressions of HIF-1α, EPO, EDN-1, and VEGF were detected by RT-PCR. Western-Blot and IHC were used to detect the expression of HIF-1α, EPO, EDN-1, and VEGF in lung tissue of rats. RESULTS: Compared with the healthy control group, rats in COPD hypercoagulable control group had COPD symptoms/signs, decreased lung function, increased the expression of serum D-D and F (1 + 2), increased the expression of inflammatory factors IL-6,TNF-α, and increased the expression of proteins HIF-1α, EPO, EDN-1 and VEGF. Compared with COPD hypercoagulable control group, lung function in activator group and inhibitor group had no obvious changes. The expressions of serum D-D,F (1 + 2),IL-6,TNF-α in activator group have increased noticeably. The expressions of proteins HIF-1α, EPO, EDN-1, and VEGF have further increased. Compared with COPD hypercoagulable control group, the expression of serum D-D, F (1 + 2), HIF-1α, EPO, EDN-1, and VEGF in the inhibitor group decreased. CONCLUSION: HIF-1α-EPO/EDN-1/VEGF pathway plays an important role in the hypercoagulable state of COPD. HIF-1α inhibitor can improve airway inflammation and reduce hypercoagulability in COPD model rats.

Assessment of right ventricular diastolic function in pediatric patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot by cardiovascular magnetic resonance and echocardiography.

OBJECTIVES: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is routinely performed for assessing right ventricular (RV) systolic but not diastolic function. We aimed to investigate CMR-based assessment of RV diastolic function in pediatric patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF), compared to transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) measurements. METHODS: A total of 130 consecutive pediatric patients with rTOF who underwent clinically indicated CMR and same-day TTE were included. Forty-three controls were recruited. Phase-contrast images were used to measure trans-tricuspid valve flow velocities during early (E) and late diastolic (A) phases (measured in cm/s). Feature tracking of the tricuspid annulus was performed to derive early (e') and late diastolic (a') myocardial velocities (measured in cm/s). RV diastolic function was evaluated by E/A ratio, E/e' ratio, and E-wave deceleration time (measured in milliseconds). Regression analyses were utilized to identify potential variables associated with RV diastolic dysfunction (DD). The performance of CMR-derived parameters in diagnosing RV DD was assessed using receiver-operating characteristic analyses. RESULTS: Good agreement was found between CMR and TTE measurements (ICC 0.70-0.89). Patients with RV DD (n = 67) showed significantly different CMR-derived parameters including E and e' velocities, and E/A and E/e' ratio, compared to patients without DD (n = 63) (all p < 0.05). CMR-derived E and e' velocities and E/e' ratio were independent predictors of RV DD. E/e' of 5.8 demonstrated the highest discrimination of RV DD (AUC 0.76, sensitivity 70%, specificity 86%). CONCLUSIONS: CMR-derived parameters showed good agreement with TTE parameters in determining RV DD. CMR-derived E/e' was proved to be the most effective in identifying RV DD. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: This study demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of CMR in assessing diastolic function in pediatric patients. RV DD was presented in over half of patients according to current TTE guidelines, highlighting the need for assessing RV diastolic function during follow-up. KEY POINTS: • Routinely acquired cine and phase-contrast cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) images yielded right ventricular (RV) diastolic parameters which demonstrated good agreement with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) measurements. • There was a high prevalence of RV diastolic function impairment in pediatric patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF). • CMR is a reliable complementary modality of TTE for RV diastolic function evaluation.

Trace amounts of palladium catalysed the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction of deactivated and hindered aryl chlorides.

Electron-rich and hindered aryl chlorides are the most challenging substrates in Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling (SMC) reactions. Herein, we report a highly efficient catalytic system for the SMC reaction using trace amounts of commercially available catalysts [Pd(PPh3)4/(t-Bu)PCy2; Pd loading as low as 9.5 × 10-5 mol%]. This catalytic system can efficiently couple deactivated and sterically hindered aryl chlorides with various substituted phenylboronic acids, even in one-pot multiple coupling reactions (yield of products up to 92%). The impact of solvents on SMC reactions and the mechanisms of by-product formation in aryl boronic acid couplings are analyzed using density functional theory (DFT). Utilizing trace amounts of commercially available catalysts avoids complex synthesis, reduces costs, and minimizes metal residues.

Maternal factor Trim75 contributes to zygotic genome activation program in mouse early embryos.

BACKGROUND: Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) is an important event in the early embryo development, and human embryo developmental arrest has been highly correlated with ZGA failure in clinical studies. Although a few studies have linked maternal factors to mammalian ZGA, more studies are needed to fully elucidate the maternal factors that are involved in ZGA. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, we utilized published single-cell RNA sequencing data from a Dux-mediated mouse embryonic stem cell to induce a 2-cell-like transition state and selected potential drivers for the transition according to an RNA velocity analysis. CONCLUSIONS: An overlap of potential candidate markers of 2-cell-like-cells identified in this research with markers generated by various data sets suggests that Trim75 is a potential driver of minor ZGA and may recruit EP300 and establish H3K27ac in the gene body of minor ZGA genes, thereby contributing to mammalian preimplantation embryo development.

Impact of high temperature and drought stress on the microbial community in wolf spiders.

High temperatures and drought present significant abiotic challenges that can limit the survival of many arthropods, including wolf spiders, which are ectothermic and play a crucial role in controlling pest populations. However, the impact of these stress factors on the microbiota of spiders remains poorly understood. In this study, we utilized 16 S rRNA gene sequencing to explore the diversity and composition of bacterial communities within Pardosa pseudoannulata under conditions of high temperature and drought stress. We found that Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria were the predominant bacterial phyla present. Analyses of alpha diversity indicated an increase in bacterial diversity under combined stress conditions, as reflected by various diversity indices such as Ace, Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson. Furthermore, co-occurrence network analysis highlighted intricate interactions among the microbial taxa (e.g., Enterobacter, Chitinophaga, and Eubacterium), revealing the adaptive complexity of the spider's microbiome to environmental stress. Functional prediction analysis suggested that combined stress conditions might enhance key metabolic pathways, particularly those related to oxidative phosphorylation and amino acid metabolism. Using Random Forest analysis, we determined that changes in three heat shock proteins were largely attributed to variations in bacterial communities, with Firmicutes being notably influential. Collectively, this in-depth analysis offers novel insights into the responses of microbial communities within spider microbiomes to combined abiotic stresses, providing valuable information for understanding extreme climate impacts and informing ecological management strategies.

Achieving sustainable trichloroethylene removal from nitrate-containing groundwater: Effects of particle size and dosage of microscale zero-valent iron on its synergistic action with anaerobic bacteria.

The coupling of microscale zero-valent iron (mZVI) and anaerobic bacteria (AB) has gained increasing attention due to its ability to enhance dechlorination efficiency by combining the advantages of chemical and microbial reduction. However, the implementation of these coupling technologies at the field scale is challenging in terms of sustainability goals due to the coexistence of various natural electron acceptors in groundwater, which leads to limited electron selectivity and increased secondary risk. Therefore, this study used trichloroethylene (TCE) as a probe contaminant and nitrate (NO3-) as a typical co-occurring natural electron acceptor to optimize the overall sustainable remediation performance of an mZVI/AB coupled system by adjusting the mZVI particle size and dosage. Results revealed that mZVI particles of different sizes exhibit different microorganism activation capabilities. In contrast to its 2 µm and 7 µm counterparts, the 30 µm mZVI/AB system demonstrated a strong dosage-dependency in TCE removal and its product selectivity. Finally, multi-criteria analysis (MCA) methods were established to comprehensively rank the alternatives, and 30 µm mZVI (15 g/L dosage) was determined to be the best remediation strategy with the highest total sustainability score under all studied hydro-chemical conditions when equal weights were applied to technical, environmental, and economic indicators. Our work provides a paradigm for comprehensively assessing the sustainable remediation performance of chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons polluted groundwater in practical applications.

Research Progress on Benzimidazole Fungicides: A Review.

Benzimidazole fungicides are a class of highly effective, low-toxicity, systemic broad-spectrum fungicides developed in the 1960s and 1970s, based on the fungicidal activity of the benzimidazole ring structure. They exhibit biological activities including anticancer, antibacterial, and antiparasitic effects. Due to their particularly outstanding antibacterial properties, they are widely used in agriculture to prevent and control various plant diseases caused by fungi. The main products of benzimidazole fungicides include benomyl, carbendazim, thiabendazole, albendazole, thiophanate, thiophanate-methyl, fuberidazole, methyl (1-{[(5-cyanopentyl)amino]carbonyl}-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl) carbamate, and carbendazim salicylate. This article mainly reviews the physicochemical properties, toxicological properties, disease control efficacy, and pesticide residue and detection technologies of the aforementioned nine benzimidazole fungicides and their main metabolite (2-aminobenzimidazole). On this basis, a brief outlook on the future research directions of benzimidazole fungicides is presented.

Total Synthesis of Pallamolides A-E.

We have achieved the first total synthesis of pallamolides A-E. Of these compounds, pallamolides B-E possess intriguing tetracyclic skeletons with novel intramolecular transesterifications. Key transformations include highly diastereoselective sequential Michael addition reactions to construct the bicyclo[2.2.2]octane core with the simultaneous generation of two quaternary carbon centers, a one-pot SmI2-mediated intramolecular ketyl-enoate cyclization/ketone reduction to generate the key oxabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane moiety, and an acid-mediated deprotection/oxa-Michael addition/ß-hydroxy elimination cascade sequence to assemble the tetracyclic pallamolide skeleton. Kinetic resolution of ketone 14 through Corey-Bakshi-Shibata reduction enabled the asymmetric synthesis of pallamolides A-E.

Metabolome analysis reveals the toxic effects of cadmium exposure on the egg sac of spider Pardosa pseudoannulata.

The investigation of the toxic effects of cadmium (Cd) on rice field invertebrates has attracted accumulating attention. Spider grants a novel insight into the impacts of Cd stress on invertebrates, but the effects of Cd-induced toxicity and molecular response mechanism of related metabolites in spider's egg sacs remain elusive. This investigation found that Cd stress distinctively decreased vitellogenin (Vg) content and hatched spiderlings numbers in the egg sac of Pardosa pseudoannulata. In addition, Cd stress exerted oxidative stress in the egg sac, manifested as the increase of superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde levels. Further results showed that Cd exposure could affect egg sacs' energy metabolism, including protein and lipid contents. Metabolome analysis generated 73 up-regulated and 63 down-regulated differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs), mainly affecting phenylalanine metabolism, alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, pentose phosphate pathway, and biosynthesis of amino acids. Specifically, pathway analysis showed that Cd exposure down-regulated several key factors, including tyrosine, L-phenylalanine, O-phospho-L-serine, and L-cystathionine, and inhibited the metabolism of amino acids in the egg sacs. The subsequent correlation analysis found that three metabolite indicators, 9-Oxo-ODE, PG (17:0/18:2), and PE (17:0/20:5), were the dominant contributors to the egg sec's properties (i.e., Vg content and gained spiderlings). Collectively, this study hopes to provide valuable data for the protection of rice field spiders and offer novel perspectives for Cd pollution assessment and management.

Effects of perfluorinated compounds homologues on chemical property, microbial composition, richness and diversity of urban forest soil.

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), as an important class of new persistent organic pollutants, are widely distributed in the environment. Yet the effects of different types and concentrations of PFCs on soil microbial community in urban forest ecosystems are remain uncertain. Here, two typical PFCs, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), were selected to carry out a pot experiment in greenhouse with singly and joint treatment at different concentrations, to examine their effects on composition and diversity of soil microorganisms and availability of soil macronutrients by using high-throughput Illumina sequencing approach. The results showed both PFOA and PFOS application significantly increased soil NO3--N and NH4+-N content, but did not alter total phosphorus content, compared to the control check (CK) treatments. Total potassium content was reduced in PFOA treatments but increased in PFOS and PFOA×PFOS treatments. The most dominant bacterial phylum was Chloroflexi in low and medium PFCs concentrations and the CK treatments, but it was switched to Acidobacteria in high concentrations. No obvious change was detected for the composition of the dominant fungi community in PFCs treatments compared to the CK treatments. With the increase of PFCs concentrations, soil bacterial richness decreased but its diversity increased, whereas the richness and diversity of fungal community usually decreased. Redundancy analyses revealed that soil fungal community was more sensitive to PFCs pollutants than soil bacterial communities. Further data analysis revealed by structural equation model (SEM) that the PFCs exposed for 60 days indirectly affects the diversity and richness of soil bacteria and fungi by directly affecting NO3--N and NH4+-N content. The results suggested the concentration of PFCs pollutants played a primary role in determining the composition, richness and diversity of forest soil microbial communities.

How Does Public Service Motivation Affect the Proactive Service Behaviors of Grid Workers? A Study of Survey Evidence from Eastern China.

In China, grid workers have increasingly become an indispensable and important force in basic social governance. They not only undertake several tasks, such as gaining publicity, collecting information, resolving conflicts, and assisting in management, but they also actively serve the grid residents enthusiastically and engage in proactive service behaviors. In order to better cultivate this important force, we hope to have a better understanding of the factors contributing to the behavioral performance of grid workers, especially the impact of organizational and personal factors. In this study, we sought to establish what factors influence the proactive service behaviors of grid workers. Based on a theoretical consideration of factors such as public service motivation, occupational identity, and organizational climate, a multi-factor influence hypothesis model was constructed to explain the proactive service behaviors of these workers. By analyzing data based on 348 paired survey samples received in two stages in eastern China, these hypotheses were then tested. The results reflect that grid workers' public service motivation can stimulate proactive service behaviors. Furthermore, occupational identity plays a mediating role, while organizational support and organizational service climate play a positive moderating role between public service motivation and occupational identity. This finding clarifies the important influencing factors of proactive service behaviors among grassroots workers, such as grid workers, and has important implications for how to effectively motivate these groups to provide more proactive services, promoting their sustainable development and improve the effectiveness of grassroots governance.

Shaolinia: A Fossil Link between Conifers and Angiosperms.

The flowering plants (angiosperms) are the dominant and defining group of the Earth ecosystems today. However, from which group and by what way flowers, especially their gynoecia (the key characteristic organs of angiosperms), are derived have been key questions in botany, and have remained unanswered despite botanists' efforts over centuries. Such an embarrassing situation can be attributed to the lack of plants with partially enclosed ovules, which are supposed fill a position between gymnosperms and angiosperms. Here, we report a fossil plant that has apparent coniferous vegetative and reproductive characters but has a single seed partially wrapped by the subtending bract. Such a morphology suggests that a carpel of some angiosperms is equivalent to a lateral appendage (a bract plus its axillary seed) of this fossil. Such a non-traditional interpretation of the homology of angiosperm carpels is compatible with various new progresses made in botany and is in line with Tomlinson's recent hypothesis. Together with other fossil evidence reported recently, it appears that gynoecia in angiosperms are derived in multiple ways.

[Development and clinical application of lateral segmental positioning plates of the body surface spine].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of body-surface guide plates for lateral segmental positioning in the thoracolumbar spine. METHODS: From March 2018 to March 2021, 768 gerontal patientss underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty with balloon dilatation due to thoracolumbar compression fracturess, 356 males and 412 females. aged from 64 to 92 years old with an average of (77.9±13.5) years old. All patients were treated in hospital within 1 week after injury. All patients underwent preoperative localization, and were divided into localization plate group and locator group according to different localization methods. There were 390 patients in the localization plate group, 180 males and 210 females, aged from 64 to 92 years old, with an average age of (78.4±14.3) years old. There were 378 patients in the locator group, 176 males and 202 females, aged from 64 to 90 years old, with an average age of (77.5±13.4) years old. After preliminary positioning with the above two methods, skin markers were made, cloth was routinely disinfected, and the spinal lateral position was fluoroscopically examined after the fine needle was inserted into the marked point and the vertical body at the near tail end. The accuracy of the original positioning method was evaluated. The number of times, time and accuracy of positioning of the two groups of patients were compared and analyzed. RESULTS: The specific data of patient positioning in the two groups were collected for statistical analysis. The number of times of fluoroscopy in the positioning plate group and the locator group was(3.3±0.5) times and (5.0±1.2) times, and the positioning time was (60.4±9.4) s and (105.0±30.9) s, respectively. The accuracy of fluoroscopy was 97.5% (380/390) and 85.7% (324/378), respectively, with statistical significance (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The lateral segmental positioning plate of the body surface spine has the advantages of simple operation, accurate positioning, and reducing X-ray radiation for patients, which is worthy of clinical application.