Metabolome integrated with transcriptome reveals the mechanism of three different color formations in Taxus mairei arils.

Maire yew (Taxus mairei), an evergreen conifer, has high ornamental and medicinal value. The arils of this species has three different colors. However, the variation mechanisms of arils color formation remains unclear. Here, the gene expression and metabolite concentration were profiled for red (RTM), yellow (YTM), and purple (PTM) arils in different developmental stages. A total of 266 flavonoids and 35 carotenoids were identified. The predominant pigments identified in YTM were epiafzelechin, lutein, and ß-Cryptoxanthin, while malvidin-3,5-di-O-glucoside and apigenin played crucial roles in PTM. And significant differential expression was observed among the HCT, DFR, LAR, ANS, crtB, NCED, and CCoAOMT genes across different color arils. During the maturation of yellow arils, the upregulation of HCT was strongly correlated with the accumulation of epiafzelechin. The diminished expression of DFR, LAR, and ANS seemed to inhibit the production of delphinidin-3-O-rutinoside. The decrease in crtB expression and concurrent increase in NCED expression potentially regulate the heightened accumulation of lutein. Meanwhile, the accumulation of ß-cryptoxanthin appeared seemed to be positively influenced by NCED. As aril turning purple, the decreased expression of CCoAOMT seemed to facilitate the synthesis of apigenin. The substantial upregulation of DFR promoted the production of malvidin-3,5-di-O-glucoside. Additionally, the overexpression of MYBs may plays the important role in regulating the formation of different colored arils. In total, 14 genes were selected for qRT-PCR validation, the results indicated the reliability of the transcriptome sequences data. Our findings could provide valuable insight into the molecular breeding, development, and application of Maire yew resources.

What motivates food workers to adhere with WHO guidelines to combat the COVID-19? A social cognitive theory perspective.

Background: COVID-19 has become a public health emergency and pandemic of global concern, and the hundreds of millions of foodborne illnesses that occur each year also wreak havoc on human lives, society and the economy. Promoting workers in food service establishments to adhere to the hygiene practices in the WHO guidelines is a two-birds-one-stone strategy in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and limiting the occurrence of foodborne illness. The aim of this study was to determine the drivers that motivate workers to adhere to hygiene practices based on social cognitive theory. Methods: The cross-sectional survey targeting food workers using face-to-face interviews was conducted from July to September 2022. Stratified random sampling and convenience sampling were employed to locate survey sites and respondents, respectively. The survey uses a credible questionnaire evaluated by multiple reliability and validity measures. Binary logistic regression was employed to identify significant determinants of adherence to WHO-initiated hygiene practices. Results: A total of 900 workers were interviewed and 609 valid questionnaires were received. The study showed that the average correct rate of knowledge about hygiene practices was only 51.09%, that perceived non-adherence to hygiene practices was most likely to result in lower customer satisfaction and the spread of COVID-19, and that only about 11.7% of the workers always adhered to hygiene practices. Three of the cognitive dimensions in the personal factors, self-efficacy, risk perception, and knowledge, had significant positive effects on adherence practices. Among the demographic variables, there were significant differences in adherence practices differing by income level and place of residence. Conclusion: It was found that workers' knowledge of the WHO-initiated hygiene practices is insufficient and that the frequency of adherence to hygiene practices is poor and require improvement. The significant drivers and effects of demographic variables provide evidence-based guidance to identify priority intervention information and populations to improve worker hygiene practices.

Social Media Communication about HPV Vaccine in China: A Study Using Topic Modeling and Survey.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is relatively novel to people in China. Social media is becoming an important channel for learning new health information. However, limited is known about what HPV vaccine information has been disseminated on social media, and how such online information is associated with health-related behaviors in China. Based on Longo et al.'s model of patient use of healthcare information for healthcare decision, and Longo's model of health information seeking behaviors, this study examined HPV vaccine-related information type and information acquisition pattern. Following the mixed-methods approach, we first crawled 67,773 postings about HPV vaccine on Weibo, the largest microblogging website in China, and performed topic modeling to identify HPV vaccine-related topics that are prevalent on Weibo. The results showed six major topics about HPV vaccine, namely policy, guidance information, advertising, scandals, personal experience sharing, and HPV risks. Second, we conducted an online survey (n = 1,982) to investigate how scanning, seeking, and discussing the six HPV vaccine topics identified from big data analytics can affect HPV vaccine knowledge, safety concern, and vaccination intention. We documented significant impacts of social media health communication on users' health knowledge, attitude and behavioral intention.

Analysis of carbon emission drivers of secondary industries in Energy "Golden Triangle" area based on LMDI and two-dimensional decoupling model.

As an essential energy and chemical base in China, carbon reduction in the Energy "Golden Triangle" (EGT) area is significant. This paper used the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method to analyze the drivers of carbon emissions from secondary industry energy consumption (CESEC) in EGT from 2005 to 2019 and then used the GM (1,1) method to simulate carbon emissions in 2030. Meanwhile, the decoupling relationship between carbon emissions and economic development was also analyzed using the two-dimensional decoupling model to test the effectiveness of carbon reduction by the region's government. This paper showed the following: (1) CESEC in the EGT area increased from 1.89×108t to 2.617×108 t; (2) the economic output effect is the main factor influencing carbon emissions in the EGT area, followed by population effect and energy structure effect, while energy intensity effect mitigates carbon emissions; and (3) CESEC will peak at 12.362×108t in 2030, leaving an arduous task on carbon reduction. The two-dimensional decoupling condition between carbon emissions and economic growth in the EGT area is low level-weak decoupling (WD-LE) for 2005-2019. The decoupling condition in Yulin and Ningdong is concentrated in low level-expansion connection (EC-LE) and low level-weak decoupling (WD-LE). Furthermore, Erdos reached high level-expansion negative decoupling (END-HE) condition during 2015-2019. Based on the above findings, a low-carbon development strategy for EGT should consider improving emission reduction technologies for high-carbon energy sources like coal, adjusting the energy consumption structure and seeking government policy support for carbon reduction.

Response of distribution patterns of two closely related species in Taxus genus to climate change since last inter-glacial.

Climate change affects the species spatio-temporal distribution deeply. However, how climate affects the spatio-temporal distribution pattern of related species on the large scale remains largely unclear. Here, we selected two closely related species in Taxus genus Taxus chinensis and Taxus mairei to explore their distribution pattern. Four environmental variables were employed to simulate the distribution patterns using the optimized Maxent model. The results showed that the highly suitable area of T. chinensis and T. mairei in current period was 1.616 × 105 km2 and 3.093 × 105 km2, respectively. The distribution area of T. chinensis was smaller than that of T. mairei in different periods. Comparison of different periods shown that the distribution area of the two species was almost in stasis from LIG to the future periods. Temperature and precipitation were the main climate factors that determined the potential distribution of the two species. The centroids of T. chinensis and T. mairei were in Sichuan and Hunan provinces in current period, respectively. In the future, the centroid migration direction of the two species would shift towards northeast. Our results revealed that the average elevation distribution of T. chinensis was higher than that of T. mairei. This study sheds new insights into the habitat preference and limiting environment factors of the two related species and provides a valuable reference for the conservation of these two threatened species.

Effects of Underground Coal Mining on Soil Spatial Water Content Distribution and Plant Growth Type in Northwest China.

The impact of coal mining subsidence on surface ecology involves the influence of several ecological elements such as water, soil, and vegetation, which is systematic and complex. Given the unclear understanding of the synergistic change patterns of the water-soil-vegetation ecological elements in the influence of coal mining in the west, this paper investigates the impact of coal mining on the surface ecology, especially the distribution of soil water content (SWC). In 2020, this study collected 3000 soil samples from 60 sampling points (at depth of 0-10 m) and tested the SWC. All samples come from three different temporal and spatial areas of coal mining subsidence in the desert mining area of Northwest China where soil types are mainly aridisols. At the same time, the interactions among deep SWC and surface soil physical and chemical properties, surface SWC and soil fertility, and pH were analyzed. The spatial variability of soil moisture is reflected by kriging interpolation, and SWC values at different depths are predicted as a basis for monitoring the environmental impact of different coal mining subsidence years. The research has shown that the ground subsidence leads to a decrease in SWC value and changes in surface soil pH, physical and chemical properties, and covering vegetation, which have occurred from the beginning of coal mining. The impact of coal mining on the SWC of the unsaturated zone is mainly at the depth of 0-6 m, where SWC is not directly related to the nutrient content of the surface soil. The overall settlement of the ground will stir up simultaneous decline in the quality of deep SWC and topsoil. The findings of this investigation suggest that changes in the soil structure caused by coal mining subsidence are the key factor in SWC loss. Timely monitoring and repairing 0-6 m ground fissures, as well as selecting shrubs on the surface is the best choice for the restoration of the ecological environment and prevention of soil erosion in this area.

Normal Variants in Magnetoencephalography.

Normal variants, although not occurring frequently, may appear similar to epileptic activity. Misinterpretation may lead to false diagnoses. In the context of presurgical evaluation, normal variants may lead to mislocalizations with severe impact on the viability and success of surgical therapy. While the different variants are well known in EEG, little has been published in regard to their appearance in magnetoencephalography. Furthermore, there are some magnetoencephalography normal variants that have no counterparts in EEG. This article reviews benign epileptiform variants and provides examples in EEG and magnetoencephalography. In addition, the potential of oscillatory configurations in different frequency bands to appear as epileptic activity is discussed.

Sampling-based box-covering algorithm for renormalization of networks.

Covering a network with minimum number of boxes is critical for using the renormalization technique to explore the network configuration space in a multiscale fashion. Here, we propose a versatile methodology composed of flexible representation and sampling of boxes, which have so far received scant attention, and the strategy of selecting boxes to cover the network. It is exemplified via random box sampling strategies and greedy methods to select boxes. We show that the key to substantially reduce the number of boxes is to give the selection priority to those boxes containing nodes that are not included in boxes bigger than themselves. Our algorithm achieves the improvement of diminishing the number of boxes amounting to nearly 25% compared with these well known algorithms.

Development of chloroplast microsatellite markers for Glyptostrobus pensilis (Cupressaceae).

PREMISE: Glyptostrobus pensilis (Cupressaceae) is a critically endangered conifer native to China, Laos, and Vietnam, with only a few populations remaining in the wild. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using a complete chloroplast genome sequence, we designed 70 cpSSR loci and tested them for amplification success and polymorphism in 16 samples. Ten loci were found to be polymorphic and their genetic diversity was characterized using a total of 83 individuals from three populations in China. A total of 43 haplotypes were present, the effective number of haplotypes varied from 4.55 to 13.36, and the haplotypic richness ranged from 8.04 to 16.00. Gene diversity ranged from 0.81 to 0.97 (average 0.89). The number of alleles per locus and population ranged from one to eight, and the effective number of alleles ranged from 1.00 to 3.90. All polymorphic loci were successfully amplified in the related species Cryptomeria japonica var. sinensis, Taxodium distichum, T. ascendens, and Cunninghamia lanceolata. CONCLUSIONS: These newly developed chloroplast microsatellites will be useful for population genetic and phylogeographic analyses of G. pensilis and related species.

A potato STRUBBELIG-RECEPTOR FAMILY member, StLRPK1, associates with StSERK3A/BAK1 and activates immunity.

Plant STRUBBELIG (SUB)-RECEPTOR FAMILY (SRF) genes encode putative leucine-rich repeat transmembrane receptor-like kinases. SRFs have been reported to play essential roles in tissue morphogenesis in many plant organs. Here, we show that a potato SRF family gene, StLRPK1, is involved in plant immunity. StLRPK1 is located at the cell plasma membrane and is strongly induced by culture filtrate from in vitro growth of the late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans. Overexpression of StLRPK1 in stable transgenic potato or ectopic expression in Nicotiana benthamiana plants enhances P. infestans disease resistance, whereas RNA interference (RNAi) of StLRPK1 in potato decreases disease resistance. We found that StLRPK1 constitutively interacts with a pivotal co-receptor, SERK3A/BAK1, which plays a central role in plant immunity. Virus-induced gene silencing of SERK3A/BAK1 in N. benthamiana lines expressing StLRPK1 attenuated P. infestans resistance, indicating that SERK3A/BAK1 is required for StLRPK1-mediated immunity. Finally, we show that StLRPK1-triggered late blight resistance depends on the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase MEK2 and mitogen-activated protein kinase WIPK. We propose a model in which StLRPK1 associates with SERK3A/BAK1 to positively regulate plant immunity to P. infestans through a MAPK cascade. These data provide new insights into our understanding of SRF function in plant immunity.

Effects of Boron Supplementation on Expression of Hsp70 in the Spleen of African Ostrich.

Increased synthesis of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) occurs in prokaryotes and eukaryotes in response to physiological, environmental, and chemical exposures, thus allowing the cell survival from fatal conditions. Hsp70 cytoprotective properties may be clarified by its anti-apoptotic function. Boron has been reported to play an essential role in various organ developments and metabolisms. However, it is not known if boron is also able to modulate the Hsp70. In the present study, the actions of boron on ostrich spleen and expression level of Hsp70 were investigated. Thirty healthy ostrich chicks were randomly assigned to six groups: groups I, II, III, IV, V, and VI and fed the basal diet spiked with 0-, 40-, 80-, 160-, 320-, and 640-mg boric acid (BA)/L, respectively, in drinking water. The histomorphological examination in the spleen was done by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. The expression level of Hsp70 was analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blotting, and mRNA expression of Hsp70 was investigated by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). In order to investigate apoptosis, TUNEL assay reaction in all treatment groups was analyzed. Our results showed that the histological structure of spleen up to 160 mg/L BA supplementation groups well developed. The Hsp70 expression level first induced at low-dose groups (up to group IV) and then inhibited dramatically in high-dose groups (V and VI) while comparing with the group I (0 mg BA). The TUNEL assay reaction revealed that the cell apoptosis amount was decreased in group IV, but in group V and especially in group VI, it was significantly increased (P < 0.01). Taken altogether, proper dietary boron treatment might stimulate ostrich chick spleen development by promoting the Hsp70 expression level and inhibiting apoptosis, while a high amount of boron supplementation would impair the ostrich spleen structure by inhibiting Hsp70 expression level and promoting cell apoptosis.

Invasive intracranial aspergillosis in an immunocompetent patient after dental extraction.

Invasive intracranial aspergillosis in immunocompetent patients remains a rarity. We report such a case in a male who developed symptoms after a dental extraction. Attention should be paid to atypical central nervous system symptoms after dental procedures; early diagnosis and management are of great importance to improve outcomes.