Polymorphisms in Dopaminergic Genes in Schizophrenia and Their Implications in Motor Deficits and Antipsychotic Treatment

Dopaminergic system dysfunction is involved in schizophrenia (SCZ) pathogenesis and can mediate SCZ-related motor disorders. Recent studies have gradually revealed that SCZ susceptibility and the associated motor symptoms can be mediated by genetic factors, including dopaminergic genes. More importantly, polymorphisms in these genes are associated with both antipsychotic drug sensitivity and adverse effects. The study of genetic polymorphisms in the dopaminergic system may help to optimize individualized drug strategies for SCZ patients. This review summarizes the current progress about the involvement of the dopamine system in SCZ-associated motor disorders and the motor-related adverse effects after antipsychotic treatment, with a special focus on polymorphisms in dopaminergic genes. We hypothesize that the genetic profile of the dopaminergic system mediates both SCZ-associated motor deficits associated and antipsychotic drug-related adverse effects. The study of dopaminergic gene polymorphisms may help to predict drug efficacy and decrease adverse effects, thereby optimizing treatment strategies

Exogenous Nitrogen Addition Reduced the Temperature Sensitivity of Microbial Respiration without Altering the Microbial Community Composition

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is changing in both load quantity and chemical composition. The load effects have been studied extensively, whereas the composition effects remain poorly understood. We conducted a microcosm experiment to study how N chemistry affected the soil microbial community composition characterized by phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and activity indicated by microbial CO2 release. Surface and subsurface soils collected from an old-growth subtropical forest were supplemented with three N-containing materials (ammonium, nitrate, and urea) at the current regional deposition load (50 kg ha-1 yr-1) and incubated at three temperatures (10, 20, and 30°C) to detect the interactive effects of N deposition and temperature. The results showed that the additions of N, regardless of form, did not alter the microbial PLFAs at any of the three temperatures. However, the addition of urea significantly stimulated soil CO2 release in the early incubation stage. Compared with the control, N addition consistently reduced the temperature dependency of microbial respiration, implying that N deposition could potentially weaken the positive feedback of the warming-stimulated soil CO2 release to the atmosphere. The consistent N effects for the surface and subsurface soils suggest that the effects of N on soil microbial communities may be independent of soil chemical contents and stoichiometry

Research Progress on Soil Seed Bank: A Bibliometrics Analysis

The soil seed bank (SSB) is a natural bank of viable seeds in the soil or on its surface. Researches on SSB have accumulated extensively worldwide, but have seldom been visualized and quantitatively analyzed. In this paper, publications related to SSB from 1900 to 2019 were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection database, and reviewed and analyzed using CiteSpace. Annual publications distribution, co-occurrence analysis, collaboration network analysis, co-citation analysis and burst detection were all conducted. The results showed that (1) the number of SSB publications had increased rapidly and is still a hotspot; (2) SSB study is an interdisciplinary field mainly concentrated in ecology, environmental science, and plant science; (3) close research cooperation occurred among European countries which were more influential, whereas the USA was the most active country; (4) soil seed genetic diversity, seed persistence, seed trait, restoration potential and restoration projects, and spatial and temporal variation were the main research areas. (5) R language and linear mixed effects models are currently popular in SSB research. Invasive species, weed control, restoration potential and restoration projects, seed traits (especially seed longevity and dormancy), and SSB responses to environment changes (especially climate change and fire) are newly emerging trends in the research

Nitrogen and Sulfur Additions Improved the Diversity of nirK- and nirS-Type Denitrifying Bacterial Communities of Farmland Soil

Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) deposition can change above- and belowground biodiversity, including soil microbial diversity. The diversity of denitrifying microorganisms is of great significance to the calculation of the global nitrogen cycle and nitrogen flux. For a long time, nirK and nirS have been used as the functional genes to study denitrifying microorganisms, and have gradually become molecular markers for studying the composition and diversity of denitrifying bacteria. Here, three-time exposures to N and S applications (7, 30, and 60 days), were independently established. Additionally, the abundance, diversity, and structure of nirK- and nirS-type denitrifying communities were examined by sequencing analyses in response to three treatments, namely, N and S (TN/S), sodium chloride (TNaCl) and deionized water (pH = 7.0) (CK). Our results suggest that TN/S led to higher electrical conductivity (EC), total nitrogen (TN), total organic carbon (TOC), nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), and lower pH compared with TNaCl and CK, which affected the diversity of nirK- and nirS-type denitrifying bacterial communities. We also observed that the nirK-type denitrifying community demonstrated a higher sensitivity to N and S additions. Overall, our results are important for the understanding of nitrogen in soil and N2O emissions

Data Integration Analysis Indicates That Soil Texture and pH Greatly Influence the Acid Buffering Capacity of Global Surface Soils

Soil acidification is a global environmental issue that decreases soil functions, and it has been significantly accelerated by anthropogenic activities in recent decades. Soils can resist acidification upon receiving acid inputs due to the resistance or/and resilience capacity of soils, which is termed the acid buffering capacity of soils, and it is often indicated by the soil pH buffering capacity (pHBC). An increasing number of studies have been conducted to quantify soil pHBC at various sites, but to date, integration of global data is lacking; therefore, the variations in large-scale soil pHBC and the factors that influence these variations are still unclear. In this study, we collected previously published data on soil pHBC to analyze its variations on a large scale, as well as investigate the underlying factors influencing these variations. The results showed that soil pHBC varied substantially from site to site, with a mean of 51.07 ± 50.11 mmol kg−1 pH−1. Soil texture and pH, separately or collectively, explained a considerable proportion of the total variation of global soil pHBC. It is well-established that a series of processes contribute to the soil acid buffering capacity in different pH ranges, and the global data analyses showed that pH 5.5 could be a key threshold value; different buffering systems may be active at pH > 5.5 and pH < 5.5. Moreover, tropical soils were more acid-sensitive than temperate and subtropical soils, and forest soils had significantly lower soil pHBCs than grassland and cropland soils. This could be attributed in part to the different soil properties, such as soil texture or pH, among the different climatic zones and ecosystems

Data Integration Analysis Indicates That Soil Texture and pH Greatly Influence the Acid Buffering Capacity of Global Surface Soils

Soil acidification is a global environmental issue that decreases soil functions, and it has been significantly accelerated by anthropogenic activities in recent decades. Soils can resist acidification upon receiving acid inputs due to the resistance or/and resilience capacity of soils, which is termed the acid buffering capacity of soils, and it is often indicated by the soil pH buffering capacity (pHBC). An increasing number of studies have been conducted to quantify soil pHBC at various sites, but to date, integration of global data is lacking; therefore, the variations in large-scale soil pHBC and the factors that influence these variations are still unclear. In this study, we collected previously published data on soil pHBC to analyze its variations on a large scale, as well as investigate the underlying factors influencing these variations. The results showed that soil pHBC varied substantially from site to site, with a mean of 51.07 ± 50.11 mmol kg−1 pH−1. Soil texture and pH, separately or collectively, explained a considerable proportion of the total variation of global soil pHBC. It is well-established that a series of processes contribute to the soil acid buffering capacity in different pH ranges, and the global data analyses showed that pH 5.5 could be a key threshold value; different buffering systems may be active at pH > 5.5 and pH < 5.5. Moreover, tropical soils were more acid-sensitive than temperate and subtropical soils, and forest soils had significantly lower soil pHBCs than grassland and cropland soils. This could be attributed in part to the different soil properties, such as soil texture or pH, among the different climatic zones and ecosystems

Lighting in Dark Periods Reduced the Fecundity of <i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i> and Limited Its Population Growth

Light is a crucial environmental factor implicated in the temporal regulation of important biological events of insects, and some insects are usually sexually active in dark periods. However, the effects of light during dark periods on the growth, development, and fecundity of Spodoptera frugiperda, an important agricultural pest, remain unknown. In this study, we evaluated the effects of lighting in dark periods on the biological parameters of S. frugiperda in laboratory conditions. Our results showed that lighting in dark periods significantly prolonged the pre-adult stage and reduced the pupal survival and emergence rate. Moreover, the results indicated that the adult stage is the photoperiod-sensitive stage of S. frugiperda, and the fecundity and longevity of adults significantly reduced under lighting in dark periods, and the number of eggs per female moth decreased by 99% compared with the control. The mean generation time (T) of S. frugiperda population was the longest, and the intrinsic rate of natural increase (r) and finite rate of increase (λ) were the smallest under lighting in dark periods, and the population growth of S. frugiperda was significantly limited. Our findings may provide valuable insights to develop effective integrated pest management strategies to control S. frugiperda

Polyethylene microplastics alter soil microbial community assembly and ecosystem multifunctionality

Although pervasive microplastics (MPs) pollution in terrestrial ecosystems invites increasing global concern, impact of MPs on soil microbial community assembly and ecosystem multifunctionality received relatively little attention. Here, we manipulated a mesocosm experiment to investigate how polyethylene MPs (PE MPs; 0, 1%, and 5%, w/w) influence ecosystem functions including plant production, soil quality, microbial community diversity and assembly, enzyme activities in carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling, and multifunctionality in the maize–soil continuum. Results showed that PE MPs exerted negligible effect on plant biomass (dry weight). The treatment of 5% PE MPs caused declines in the availability of soil water, C and P, whereas enhanced soil pH and C storage. The activity of C-cycling enzymes (α/β-1, 4-glucosidase and β-D-cellobiohydrolase) was promoted by 1% PE MPs, while that of β-1, 4-glucosidase was inhibited by 5% PE MPs. The 5% PE MPs reduced the activity of N-cycling enzymes (protease and urease), whereas increased that of the P-cycling enzyme (alkaline phosphatase). The 5% PE MPs shifted soil microbial community composition, and increased the number of specialist species, microbial community stability and networks resistance. Moreover, PE MPs altered microbial community assembly, with 5% treatment decreasing dispersal limitation proportion (from 13.66% to 9.96%). Overall, ecosystem multifunctionality was improved by 1% concentration, while reduced by 5% concentration of PE MPs. The activity of α/β-1, 4-glucosidase, urease and protease, and ammonium-N content were the most important predictors of ecosystem multifunctionality. These results underscore that PE MPs can alter soil microbial community assembly and ecosystem multifunctionality, and thus development and implementation of practicable solutions to control soil MPs pollution become increasingly imperative in sustainable agricultural production

Peroxymonosulfate activation for efficient sulfamethoxazole degradation by Fe\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3eO\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e/Β-FeOOH nanocomposites:Coexistence of radical and non-radical reactions

\u3cp\u3eEnvironmental friendly magnetic Fe\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3eO\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e/β-FeOOH nanocomposites with low cost were prepared via a simple one pot method and their physiochemical properties were investigated. The Fe\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3eO\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e/β-FeOOH nanocomposites efficiently catalyzed the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for sulfamethoxazole (SMX) degradation and can be easily recovered through magnetic separation. The effects of catalyst dosage, PMS dosage, temperature and pH were evaluated. The catalyst showed great stability and reusability based on the successive degradation cycles. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) including sulfate radical (SO\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e \u3csup\u3e−[rad]\u3c/sup\u3e), hydroxyl radical ([rad]OH) and singlet oxygen (\u3csup\u3e1\u3c/sup\u3eO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e) were generated in the Fe\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3eO\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e/β-FeOOH/PMS system, while both of SO\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e \u3csup\u3e−[rad]\u3c/sup\u3e and \u3csup\u3e1\u3c/sup\u3eO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e were dominantly attributed to the SMX degradation. The special tunnel-type structure and surface oxygen vacancies of β-FeOOH may be responsible for the high catalytic activity towards PMS to degrade SMX. At last, the catalytic mechanism of PMS on the surface of catalysts were proposed.\u3c/p\u3