Two jasmonic acid carboxyl methyltransferases in Gossypium hirsutum involved in MeJA biosynthesis may contribute to plant defense

Jasmonic acid (JA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA), the crucial plant hormones, can induce the emission of plant volatiles and regulate the behavioral responses of insect pests or their natural enemies. In this study, two jasmonic acid carboxyl methyltransferases (JMTs), GhJMT1 and GhJMT2, involved in MeJA biosynthesis in Gossypium. hirsutum were identified and further functionally confirmed. In vitro, recombinant GhJMT1 and GhJMT2 were both responsible for the conversion of JA to MeJA. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) measurement indicated that GhJMT1 and GhJMT2 were obviously up-regulated in leaves and stems of G. hirsutum after being treated with MeJA. In gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, MeJA treatment significantly induced plant volatiles emission such as (E)-β-ocimene, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, linalool and (3E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene (DMNT), which play vital roles in direct and indirect plant defenses. Moreover, antennae of parasitoid wasps Microplitis mediator showed electrophysiological responses to MeJA, β-ocimene, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate and linalool at a dose dependent manner, while our previous research revealed that DMNT excites electrophysiological responses and behavioral tendencies. These findings provide a better understanding of MeJA biosynthesis and defense regulation in upland cotton, which lay a foundation to JA and MeJA employment in agricultural pest control

Asthma prevalence based on the Baidu index and China's Health Statistical Yearbook from 2011 to 2020 in China

BackgroundDue to environmental pollution, changes in lifestyle, and advancements in diagnostic technology, the prevalence of asthma has been increasing over the years. Although China has made early efforts in asthma epidemiology and prevention, there is still a lack of unified and comprehensive epidemiological research within the country. The objective of the study is to determine the nationwide prevalence distribution of asthma using the Baidu Index and China's Health Statistical Yearbook.MethodsBased on China's Health Statistical Yearbook, we analyzed the gender and age distribution of asthma in China from 2011 to 2020, as well as the length of hospitalization and associated costs. By utilizing the Baidu Index and setting the covering all 31 provinces and autonomous regions in China, we obtained the Baidu Index for the keyword 'asthma'. Heatmaps and growth ratios described the prevalence and growth of asthma in mainland China.ResultsThe average expenditure for discharged asthma (standard deviation) patients was ¥5,870 (808). The average length of stay (standard deviation) was 7.9 (0.38) days. During the period of 2011 to 2020, hospitalization expenses for asthma increased while the length of hospital stay decreased. The proportion of discharged patients who were children under the age of 5 were 25.3% (2011), 19.4% (2012), 16% (2013), 17.9% (2014), 13.9% (2015), 11.3% (2016), 10.2% (2017), 9.4% (2018), 8.1% (2019), and 7.2% (2020), respectively. The prevalence of asthma among boys was higher than girls before the age of 14. In contrast, the proportion of women with asthma was larger than men after the age of 14. During the period from 2011 to 2020, the median [The first quartile (Q1)-the third quartile (Q3)] daily asthma Baidu index in Guangdong, Beijing, Jiangsu, Sichuan, and Zhejiang were 419 (279–476), 328 (258–376), 315 (227–365), 272 (166–313), and 312 (233–362) respectively. Coastal regions showed higher levels of attention toward asthma, indicating a higher incidence rate. Since 2014, there has been a rapid increase in the level of attention toward asthma, with the provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, and Guangdong experiencing the fastest growth.ConclusionThere are regional variations in the prevalence of asthma among different provinces in China, and the overall prevalence of asthma is increasing

The complete chloroplast genome of Ficus pumila, a functional plant in East Asia

Ficus pumila L. is a climbing fig commonly used as an ornamental plant. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast genome of F. pumila. The complete chloroplast genome of F. pumila is 160,248 bp in length which includes a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,871 bp separated by a large single-copy (LSC) region of 88,405 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 20,101 bp. The overall guanine–cytosine (GC) content of F. pumila cp genome is 35.98%, while the corresponding values of LSC, SSC, and IR sequences are 33.65, 29.05, and 42.65%, respectively. The phylogenetic tree was shown to be consistent with the traditional morphology-based taxonomy of Moraceae. Five plants from the genus Ficus formed a well-supported monophyletic clade with 100% bootstrap value, and F. pumila is closely related to F. hirta, F. carica, and F. racemosa, with a support value of 97%. The complete chloroplast of F. pumila contributes to the growing number of chloroplast genomes for phylogenetic and evolutionary studies in Moraceae

Can Land Transfer Promote Agricultural Green Transformation? The Empirical Evidence from China

As an important means of farmland policy, whether land transfer can promote agricultural green transformation is worthy of further study; however, related research is relatively rare. Based on the inter-provincial panel data from 2005 to 2020, this paper examines the influence of land transfer on agricultural green transformation and its underlying mechanism by using a two-way fixed effect model and an intermediary effect model. This study reveals significant findings as follows: (1) Land transfer substantially promotes agricultural green transformation. (2) Energy consumption is a major contributor to the growth of agricultural carbon emissions; however, land transfer can mitigate this by reducing energy consumption. (3) Land transfer can promote agricultural green transformation by fostering agricultural technology progress. (4) Further analysis reveals that land transfer in economically developed areas and the southeastern side of the “Hu-Huanyong Line” significantly enhances agricultural green transformation. Based on these findings, this paper suggests promoting land transfer while considering regional differences. Additionally, attention should be directed towards reducing energy consumption and encouraging agricultural technology’s progress

Environmental Regulation, Urban-Rural Income Gap and Agricultural Green Total Factor Productivity

Environmental regulation is the basis for achieving green agricultural development, and urban-rural integration is the key to optimizing the allocation of agricultural elements and achieving sustainable agricultural development. This paper aims to investigate the spatial spillover effect of environmental regulation on China’s agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP) and examine the mediating effect of the urban-rural income gap. Both the Super-SBM-DEA model and the Global Malmquist–Luenberger productivity index are used to account for the AGTFP of China’s 30 provinces, and the spatial Durbin model and the mediating effect model are used to analyze the impact of environmental regulation. We found that firstly, during the sample period, China’s AGTFP has increased with an average annual growth rate of 3.27%, which is mainly promoted by agricultural green technology progress (AGTC). Secondly, both the direct and spatial effects of environmental regulation on AGTFP show a significant “U”-shaped feature and have regional heterogeneity based on differences in economic development levels and factor endowments. Thirdly, there is an “inverted U”-shaped relationship between environmental regulation and the urban-rural income gap, and the urban-rural income gap negatively affects AGTFP. Based on the empirical results, we propose that the Chinese government should pay attention to green technology innovation, break the market segmentation, promote urban-rural integration, and then promote the AGTFP

Investigation of benzoic acid and sorbic acid in snack foods in Jilin province, China

A high-performance liquid chromatography method was applied for the determination of the levels of benzoic acid and sorbic acid in 221 snack food samples, including fruit wine, noodle products, pickled products, baking products, cooked meat products, and bean products. Only two cooked food samples in all food samples have a preservative content exceeding the maximum permitted levels (MPL) laid down by the Standardization Administration of China. Among the food samples from which preservatives were detected, 69.6% of the samples contained one type of preservative and 30.4% of the samples detected two preservatives. Among the geometric mean values of preservatives in different types of foods, the highest is benzoic acid in pickled products (136.6 mg/kg) and sorbic acid in baking products (150.0 mg/kg). No preservatives were detected in bean products. Preservatives in packaged foods (21 of 121 samples, 17.4%) have a higher detection rate than bulk foods (2 of 100 samples, 2%), but each has only one piece that exceeds MPL. On the surface of our research, the amount of preservative added to snack foods in Jilin Province of China is relatively safe

Value Stream Analysis and Emergy Evaluation of the Water Resource Eco-Economic System in the Yellow River Basin

Value accounting of water in the Yellow River Basin is a key issue in managing local water resources in an efficient, equitable, and sustainable way. In view of the dubious current theories of water resource value, the value transfer of water resources, based on energy flow, is discussed from the perspective of eco-economics. An emergy analysis method is introduced to quantify both the sediment transportation value and social value, and a quantitative system of eco-economic value indicators is constructed. The water resource values of 66 cities in the Basin were calculated, and the GIS atlas was used to describe their spatial distribution. Eight typical cities were selected for the key analysis. The results show that: (1) Among the sub-items, the social value of water per unit is the largest, reaching 30.67 Chinese Yuan/m³, and the difference between the maximum and minimum is only 0.04%, which reflects the social equity of water resources. (2) The eco-environmental value inside the river is generally higher than that of industry, and it is verified that industrial water should not intrude the eco-environmental water in the river. (3) The unit agricultural value of water is the lowest among the sub-items, and the construction of water-saving agriculture should be carried out

Application of single Hall chip in short circuit current detection of DC system

For the short circuit current test requirement of copper platoon at the entrance of a hybrid current-limiting fuse, the magnetic field distribution simulation model of copper platoon in both steady and transient current state were built. The influence of external magnetic field of copper platoon on the sensor measurement accuracy were analyzed in steady and transient state current. COMSOL simulation software was used to find the intersection point of magnetic induction intensity corresponding to steady-state and transient-state current with amplitude of 10 kA to determine the installation position of Hall element. In order to ensure the measurement accuracy, the installation position of Hall element was optimized by adding ferromagnetic materials, and the method of the final installation position of Hall element was obtained and verified by experiments. It was indicated that the simulation results was well consistent with the experiment results, which verified the correctness of the finite element model and the feasibility of the design. This design reduces the error of hall current sensor from 37% to 3.5%, which can be used as a reference for the research and development of small DC hybrid fuse

The Complex Structure of Protein AaLpxC from <i>Aquifex aeolicus</i> with ACHN-975 Molecule Suggests an Inhibitory Mechanism at Atomic-Level against Gram-Negative Bacteria

New drugs with novel antibacterial targets for Gram-negative bacterial pathogens are desperately needed. The protein LpxC is a vital enzyme for the biosynthesis of lipid A, an outer membrane component of Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. The ACHN-975 molecule has high enzymatic inhibitory capacity against the infectious diseases, which are caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria, but clinical research was halted because of its inflammatory response in previous studies. In this work, the structure of the recombinant UDP-3-O-(R-3-hydroxymyristol)-N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase from Aquifex aeolicus in complex with ACHN-975 was determined to a resolution at 1.21 Å. According to the solved complex structure, ACHN-975 was docked into the AaLpxC’s active site, which occupied the site of AaLpxC substrate. Hydroxamate group of ACHN-975 forms five-valenced coordination with resides His74, His226, Asp230, and the long chain part of ACHN-975 containing the rigid alkynyl groups docked in further to interact with the hydrophobic area of AaLpxC. We employed isothermal titration calorimetry for the measurement of affinity between AaLpxC mutants and ACHN-975, and the results manifest the key residues (His74, Thr179, Tyr212, His226, Asp230 and His253) for interaction. The determined AaLpxC crystal structure in complex with ACHN-975 is expected to serve as a guidance and basis for the design and optimization of molecular structures of ACHN-975 analogues to develop novel drug candidates against Gram-negative bacteria

The Complex Structure of Protein AaLpxC from Aquifex aeolicus with ACHN-975 Molecule Suggests an Inhibitory Mechanism at Atomic-Level against Gram-Negative Bacteria

New drugs with novel antibacterial targets for Gram-negative bacterial pathogens are desperately needed. The protein LpxC is a vital enzyme for the biosynthesis of lipid A, an outer membrane component of Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. The ACHN-975 molecule has high enzymatic inhibitory capacity against the infectious diseases, which are caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria, but clinical research was halted because of its inflammatory response in previous studies. In this work, the structure of the recombinant UDP-3-O-(R-3-hydroxymyristol)-N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase from Aquifex aeolicus in complex with ACHN-975 was determined to a resolution at 1.21 Å. According to the solved complex structure, ACHN-975 was docked into the AaLpxC’s active site, which occupied the site of AaLpxC substrate. Hydroxamate group of ACHN-975 forms five-valenced coordination with resides His74, His226, Asp230, and the long chain part of ACHN-975 containing the rigid alkynyl groups docked in further to interact with the hydrophobic area of AaLpxC. We employed isothermal titration calorimetry for the measurement of affinity between AaLpxC mutants and ACHN-975, and the results manifest the key residues (His74, Thr179, Tyr212, His226, Asp230 and His253) for interaction. The determined AaLpxC crystal structure in complex with ACHN-975 is expected to serve as a guidance and basis for the design and optimization of molecular structures of ACHN-975 analogues to develop novel drug candidates against Gram-negative bacteria