Protocol to study the photosynthetic response of maize to the CO2-temperature coupling effect at ear stage using a specialized designed gradient.

Global warming will change the photosynthesis and transpiration of plants greatly and ultimately affect water use efficiency (WUE). Here, we present a protocol to investigate the response of maize WUE to the coupling effect of CO2 and temperature at ear stage using a specialized designed gradient. We describe steps for plant culture, parameter measurements, model fitting, and statistical analysis. This protocol holds potential for studying the response of WUE and CO2 adaptation across various plant species. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Sun et al.1.

Revealing the mechanism of citral induced entry of Vibrio vulnificus into viable but not culturable (VBNC) state based on transcriptomics.

Citral has attracted much attention as a safe and effective plant-derived bacteriostatic agent. However, the ability of citral to induce the formation of VBNC state in Vibrio vulnificus has not been evaluated. In the present study, V. vulnificus was shown to be induced to form the VBNC state at 4.5 h and 3 h of citral treatment at 4MIC and 6MIC. Moreover, the citral-induced VBNC state of V. vulnificus maintained some respiratory chain activity and was able to recover well in both APW media, APW media supplemented with 5 % (v/v) Tween 80 and 2 mg/mL sodium pyruvate. Field emission and transmission electron microscopy showed that the external structure of the citral-induced VBNC V. vulnificus cells was shortened to short rods, with folded cell membrane, rough cell surface, and dense cytoplasm and loose nuclear material in the internal cell structure. In addition, the possible molecular mechanisms of citral-induced formation and recovery of V. vulnificus in the VBNC state were explored by transcriptomics. Transcriptome analyses revealed that 1118 genes were significantly altered upon entry into the VBNC state, and 1052 genes were changed after resuscitation. Most of the physiological activities related to energy production were inhibited in the citral-induced VBNC state of V. vulnificus; however, the bacteria retained its pathogenicity. The citral-induced resuscitation of V. vulnificus in the VBNC state selectively restored the activity of some genes related to bacterial growth and reproduction. Meanwhile, the expression levels of other genes may have been influenced by citral-induced resuscitation after the formation of the VBNC state. In conclusion, this study evaluated and analyzed the ability and possible mechanism of citral on the formation of VBNC state and the recovery of VBNC state of V. vulnificus, and made a comprehensive assessment for the safety of citral application in food production.

Response of WUE of maize at ear stage to the coupling effect of CO2 and temperature.

In the face of global warming, the photosynthesis and transpiration of plants will change greatly, which will ultimately affect the water use efficiency (WUE) of plants. In order to study the coupling effects of CO2 and temperature on WUE of maize at ear stage, 'Zhengdan 958' was taken as the research object, and 5 temperatures (20 °C, 25 °C, 30 °C, 35 °C and 40 °C) and 11 CO2 concentration (400, 300, 200, 150, 100, 50, 400, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 µmol mol-1) were set to measure the parameters such as net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), stomatal conductance (Gs) and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) of single leaves. The response of WUE (Pn/Tr) to CO2 and temperature was evaluated by a CO2 response model. The results show that at the same temperature, Pn and WUE increased with CO2 level, while Tr decreased as CO2 level increases; at the same CO2 concentration, Pn and Tr were both positively correlated with temperature, while WUE decreased with the increase of temperature. The maximum value of WUE was obtained when the CO2 concentration was 1000 µmol mol-1 and the temperature was 20.0 °C. The results suggest that global warming will not improve WUE of maize, which will bring more severe challenges to water-saving agriculture and food security.

History of pediatric TBI hospitalization and current child-parent relationship quality in China.

BACKGROUND: Long-term child-parent relationship quality following hospitalization for pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: We tested whether current child-parent conflict and closeness were related to the children's history of TBI-related experiences and contemporary child/family characteristics. METHODS: The sample included 202 Chinese children (Boys: 60.4%) with a history of hospitalization for TBI. On average, the children were 11.2 years old (SD = 1.59) and sustained TBI at 8.5 years old (SD = 1.6). TBI-related data were obtained from hospital medical records. Parents provided data on child-parent closeness, child-parent conflict, and parental efficacy 2-4 years (M = 2.7, SD = 0.7) after discharge. RESULTS: Forty-nine children (24.3%) had mild TBI, 139 (68.8%) had moderate TBI, and 14 (6.9%) had severe TBI. Surgical intervention occurred among 128 (63.4%) of the 202 children. Contemporaneous child and family characteristics explained 19% of the variance, history of surgery, length of hospitalization, and recovery status explained another 7%, and the interaction between length of hospitalization and parental efficacy explained another 4% in child-parent conflict. Contemporaneous child and family characteristics explained 29% of the variance, and TBI-related variables explained another 2% in child-parent closeness. CONCLUSION: Post-TBI child-parent relationship was more associated with child/family characteristics than with TBI variables. Practitioners and families should be aware of the long-term challenges to child-parent relationship following hospitalization for pediatric TBI.

Constraint Mechanism of Power Device Design Based on Perovskite Quantum Dots Pumped by an Electron Beam.

This paper studied the constraint mechanism for power device design based on perovskite quantum dots pumped by an electron beam. Combined with device designing, an experimental system of self-saturation luminescence and aging failure was designed for CsPbBr3 films. On this basis, we further completed the self-saturation luminescence and aging failure experiment and constructed a model of self-saturation luminescence and aging failure for CsPbBr3 device designing. Three constraints were proposed after analyzing and discussing the experimental data. Firstly, too high of a pumping current density makes it difficult to effectively promote the enhancement of luminescence efficiency. Secondly, radiation decomposition and aging failure of CsPbBr3 films are mainly related to the polarized degree of CsPbBr3 nanocrystals. Thirdly, by increasing the pumping electric field, the pumping energy can be effectively and widely delivered to the three-dimensional quantum dots film layer space, and there is a nonlinear relationship between the attenuation of the pumping energy density and the increment of the pumping electric field, which will effectively avoid the local high-energy density of instantaneous optical pumping.

Negative correlation between early recovery and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 levels after intravenous thrombolysis.

OBJECTIVE: Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is considered a biomarker for systemic inflammation and the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. However, little is known about the effect of acute vascular events on marker levels. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential association of early recovery with Lp-PLA2 levels in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) after intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). METHODS: Forty-three consecutive AIS patients who had their first stroke and were hospitalized within 5 hours of the onset of stroke were enrolled. All patients were treated with IVT using alteplase or urokinase. Plasma Lp-PLA2 levels were measured within 24 hours after IVT. Variables that showed a significant association with Lp-PLA2 in univariate analysis were included in the multivariate ordered logistic regression model. RESULTS: Early recovery was associated with Lp-PLA2 levels after IVT, and Lp-PLA2 levels tended to decrease with increased probability of early recovery. This study is the first to report a negative correlation between early recovery and Lp-PLA2 levels after IVT. CONCLUSION: Early recovery after IVT was negatively correlated with Lp-PLA2 A2 levels.

Case study of the in-situ restoration of black-odorous water by combined process of forced aeration and biological contact oxidation.

Black and odorous water bodies are an extreme phenomenon that impair ecological integrity, adversely affect the lives of residents and the town's image, and cause unpleasant sensory experiences. Herein, we consider a black and smelly river in Heshan City, Guangdong Province, as a case study. The proposed comprehensive governance process combines the use of pollution control and interception, sediment remediation, aeration oxygenation, a high-efficiency biological contact oxidation/denitrification pond, and ecosystem construction. The project operation results showed that the combined process can effectively improve water quality. The water quality of the river improved to the Class V standard. All indicators met the requirements of the 'China Surface Water Environmental Quality Standard' (GB3838-2002). River water quality indicators, monitored for four months, revealed that water transparency and dissolved oxygen increased by 5.9 times and 24.5 times, respectively. Dichromate index (CODcr), total phosphorus (TP), and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) were reduced by 5.8, 4.17, and 5.17 times when compared to the values observed before treatment. The black-odor and eutrophication of the river were successfully eliminated, and the water quality improved significantly. In general, the combined process exhibits a high technical feasibility for implementation, providing a specific reference value for the treatment of black and odorous water bodies in urban settings.

Inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and academic competence: Findings from three cohorts.

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a risk for learning. Because ADHD commonly includes behaviours of inattention and behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity, how the two types of behaviours independently affect children's academic competence remains poorly understood. AIMS: To investigate the impact of behaviours of inattention and behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity on Chinese students' academic competence. SAMPLES: Parents of 167 preschoolers (Cohort 1), parents of 313 first graders (Cohort 2), and 1,003 high school students (Cohort 3). METHODS: The ADHD-RS-IV Preschool version (Cohort 1), ADHD-RS-IV Home version (Cohort 2), and BASC-SRP (Cohort 3) were used to measure behaviours of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Academic competence was operationalized as school readiness (Cohort 1), math and language arts scores at two time points provided by school (Cohort 2), and self-reported academic performance (Cohort 3). Multiple regressions were performed to investigate the relationship between academic performance and behaviours of inattention alone (Step 1), and behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity alone (Step 2), and behaviours of inattention together with behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity (Step 3). RESULTS: For each cohort, both types of behaviours were negatively correlated with academic competence. However, regression analyses showed that in Step 3, behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity either failed to predict academic competence or predicted better academic competence. Overall, behaviours of inattention alone accounted for a similar amount of variance in academic competence as did behaviours of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity combined. CONCLUSIONS: Behaviours of inattention presented a risk for academic competence but the effect of behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity varied. Implications for instructional strategies for behaviours of inattention were discussed.

Preparation and application of embedded and immobilized Achromobacter sp. agent for effective removal of ammonia nitrogen from water.

A novel wastewater-quality-improver, Sodium Alginate Embedded Microbe-treated Zeolite (SAEMZ), was proposed. The strains used are screened from black-odorous water and have high-efficiency NH4+-N degradation performance. The Gram-positive bacteria, belonging to Achromobacter sp., was determined through the screening and identification for this strain, whose removal rate of NH4+-N can reach 88.06%, to decrease the NH4+-N concentration from 61.83 mg/L to 7.80 mg/L, and its optimal growth conditions are pH 7-8, rotation speed 150-210 r/min, temperature 25-35 °C. The SAEMZ's removal effect on NH4+-N was considered in this research from aspects of reusability, storage stability, and the effects of dosage, coexisting ions, and wastewater's concentration. The increase of the SAEMZ's dosage effectively improved the NH4+-N removal rate; Ca2+ in the solution promoted the NH4+-N removal rate, while Mg2+ and Mn2+ inhibited it. Also, the NH4+-N removal rate improved slightly with Fe2+ concentration's increase and then decreased significantly; with the increase of the wastewater dilution factor, the NH4+-N removal rate showed an upward trend and with the increase of the SAEMZ's reuse times, it decreased. Therefore, recycle times should be controlled to less than 3 times in practical application; the SAEMZ still maintains its physiological stability, high mechanical strength, and good storage stability after being stored at 4 °C for 120 days.

Cornel Iridoid Glycoside Ameliorated Alzheimer's Disease-Like Pathologies and Necroptosis through RIPK1/MLKL Pathway in Young and Aged SAMP8 Mice.

BACKGROUND: Aging is an important risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Senescence-accelerated mouse-prone 8 (SAMP8) is used as an animal model for brain aging and sporadic AD research studies. The aim of the current study was to investigate the pharmacological effects of cornel iridoid glycoside (CIG), an active ingredient of Cornus officinalis, on AD-type pathological changes in young and aged SAMP8 mice. METHODS: Locomotor activity test was used to detect the aging process of SAMP8 mice. Nissl staining and immunohistochemical staining were applied to detect neurons and myelin basic protein-labelled myelin sheath. Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of related proteins of synapse, APP processing, and necroptosis. RESULTS: The results showed that SAMP8 mice at the age of 6 and 14 months exhibited lower locomotor activity, age-related neuronal loss, demyelination, synaptic damage, and APP amyloidogenic processing. In addition, the increased levels of receptor-interacting protein kinase-1 (RIPK1), mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL), and p-MLKL indicating necroptosis were found in the brain of SAMP8 mice. Intragastric administration of CIG for 2 months improved locomotor activity; alleviated neuronal loss and demyelination; increased the expression of synaptophysin, postsynaptic density protein 95, and AMPA receptor subunit 1; elevated the levels of soluble APPα fragment and disintegrin and metalloproteinase 10 (ADAM10); and decreased the levels of RIPK1, p-MLKL, and MLKL in the brain of young and aged SAMP8 mice. CONCLUSION: This study denoted that CIG might be a potential drug for aging-related neurodegenerative diseases such as AD.

Female adopted Chinese-American youth's sense of exclusion and short-and long-term adjustment.

In this article, we tested if female adopted Chinese youth's sense of exclusion predicted their behavioral adjustment and mental disorder diagnoses concurrently (Study 1) and longitudinally 5 years later (Study 2). In Study 1, 224 adoptees (M = 13.6 years, SD = 2.1) provided survey data on sense of exclusion (as indexed by ethnic marginality, ethnic identity search, and negative feelings toward adoption) and Internalizing Problems (i.e., anxiety, withdrawal, and somatic complaints), measured with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)-Youth Self-Report. In Study 1, the adoptive parents additionally completed the CBCL parent-report on the adopted children's Internalizing Problems and reported if the adopted children had any mental disorder diagnoses. In Study 2, 60 youth from Study 1 (M = 18.6 years, SD = 2.1) completed the 3rd edition of the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-Self Report of Personality (BASC-3-SRP) that measures School Problems (i.e., negative attitudes toward teacher, negative attitudes toward school, and sensation seeking), Internalizing Problems (i.e., atypicality, locus of control, social stress, anxiety, depression, sense of inadequacy, and somatization), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; i.e., inattention and hyperactivity), and Personal Adjustment (i.e., relations with parents, peer relations, self-esteem, and self-reliance). They also responded to questions on receiving mental disorder diagnoses and treatments. We found that in Study 1, 33.2% of the youth had at least one diagnosis, with Anxiety Disorder (21.4%), ADD/ADHD (16.7%), and Attachment Disorder (7.5%) being the top three disorders. In Study 2, 40.3% had at least one diagnosis, with Anxiety Disorder (25.0%), Depression (21.7%), and ADD/ADHD (16.7%) being the top three disorders. Path analyses showed that in Study 1, ethnic marginality and negative feelings about adoption, but not ethnic identity search, significantly predicted parent-reported and self-reported Internalizing Problems; in Study 2, none of the three indicators of sense of exclusion predicted the adopted youth's adjustment. Implications for clinical practice and future research were discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Beneficial effects of cornel iridoid glycoside on behavioral impairment and senescence status in SAMP8 mice at different ages.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of cornel iridoid glycoside (CIG) on behavioral changes and senescent status in senescence-accelerated mouse-prone 8 (SAMP8) mice at different ages (6, 10, and 14 months old). The learning and memory ability, the motor function and the aging conditions of SAMP8 mice were evaluated after CIG treatment in this study. Results showed that intragastrical administration of CIG (100 and 200mg/kg) for two months obviously improved the impaired cognitive ability of SAMP8 mice at the age of 6 months and 10 months, respectively. The treatment with CIG significantly increased the motor function of SAMP8 mice at 10 months and 14 months of age, respectively. CIG also evidently decreased the high grading score of senescence and increased the low surviving rate of SAMP8 mice at the age of 14 months. In addition, CIG treatment inhibited tau hyperphosphorylation in the hippocampus and striatum of SAMP8 mice at different ages. Together, these results indicate that CIG represent a potentially useful treatment for ameliorating the impaired cognitive ability, the motor dysfunction, aging conditions and hyperphosphorylation of tau in aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.