Enhanced daytime secondary aerosol formation driven by gas-particle partitioning in downwind urban plumes

Anthropogenic emissions from city clusters can significantly enhance secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation in the downwind regions, while the mechanism is poorly understood. To investigate the effect of pollutants within urban plumes on organic aerosol (OA) evolution, a field campaign was conducted at a downwind site of the Pearl River Delta region of China in the fall of 2019. A time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer coupled with a Filter Inlet for Gases and Aerosol (FIGAERO-CIMS) was used to probe the gas- and particle-phase molecular composition and thermograms of organic compounds. For air masses influenced by urban pollution, strong daytime SOA formation through gas-particle partitioning was observed, resulting in higher OA volatility. The obvious SOA enhancement was mainly attributed to the equilibrium partitioning of non-condensable (C * ≥ 100.5 μg m-3) organic vapors. We speculated that the elevated NOx concentration could suppress the formation of highly oxidized products, resulting in a smooth increase of condensable (C * < 100.5 μg m-3) organic vapors. Evidence showed that urban pollutants (NOx and VOCs) could enhance the oxidizing capacity, while the elevated VOCs was mainly responsible for promoting daytime SOA formation by increasing the RO2 production rate. Our results highlight the important role of urban anthropogenic pollutants in SOA control in the suburban region

The effects of awe on interpersonal forgiveness: the mediating role of small-self

Awe could increase prosocial behavior, but little is known about its effects on interpersonal forgiveness. This study aims to explore the potential impact of awe on interpersonal forgiveness and the underlying mechanism of this process, using a combination of questionnaires, economic game and computational modeling. In Study 1, we utilized Trait Awe Scale (TAS) and Forgiveness Trait Scale (FTS) to examine the association between trait awe and trait forgiveness. In Study 2, we employed pre-screened video to induce awe, happy and neutral emotions, then evaluated the effects of induced awe on small-self and interpersonal forgiveness in hypothetical interpersonal offensive situations (Study 2a) and two economic interaction situations (Study 2b). Results from Study 1 indicate that there is a positive correlation between trait awe and trait forgiveness. Study 2 reveal that awe can enhance interpersonal forgiveness in both interpersonal conflict situations and economic interaction situations, and this effect is mediated by the sense of small-self elicited by awe. Overall, these findings contribute to our understanding of the potential impact of awe on interpersonal forgiveness and provide valuable insights into the mechanisms through which awe may influence forgiveness. Further research in this area could help to elucidate the potential applications of awe-based interventions in promoting forgiveness and positive social interactions

Identification of Reliable Reference Genes for the Expression of <i>Hydrangea macrophylla</i> ‘Bailmer’ and ‘Duro’ Sepal Color

Hydrangea spp. is renowned for its variety of color changes in its developmental stage and before and after aluminum treatment. We analyzed gene expression in hydrangeas sepals to study the causes of color change. The accuracy of quantitative RT-qPCR analysis depends on the reliability of reference genes. We selected reference genes for hydrangea of varying cultivars, at different developmental stages, and in aluminum treatment groups. We chose ‘Bailmer’ and ‘Duro’ as subject species. We selected eight candidate genes, all of which were ranked by geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and RefFinder. CCR, NHX1, and LODX were used to verify the exactitude of reference genes. According to the ranking result of RefFinder, the top-ranked reference genes in each group were different; the top four candidate reference genes in each group mostly included EF1-β, RPL34, GADPH, and RPL10. EF1-β and RPL34 ranked top in the ‘all materials’ group, and their expression trends, obtained from the analysis of CCR, NHX1, and LODX, were consistent. From the results, we gather that EF1-β and RPL34 can be used as reference genes to quantify target gene expression. In this study, we screened for reference genes in hydrangeas to provide a technical basis for hydrangea sepal formation and transformation for further experiments

Identification of Seven Key Structural Genes in the Anthocyanin Biosynthesis Pathway in Sepals of <em>Hydrangea macrophylla</em>

Under specific cultivation conditions, the sepal color of Hydrangea macrophylla (H. macrophylla) changes from red to blue due to the complexation of aluminum ions (Al3+), delphinidin 3-glucoside, and copigments. However, this phenomenon cannot occur in all cultivars despite the presence of sufficient Al3+ and copigments. To explore the mechanism of sepal bluing in H. macrophylla, there is an urgent need to study the molecular regulation of the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway. However, the key structural genes, other than CHS, regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis in the sepals of H. macrophylla have not been identified. In this study, based on full-length transcriptome data from H.macrophylla ‘Bailmer’, the key structural genes regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis in the sepals of H. macrophylla were isolated and investigated. Ultimately, seven key structural genes, HmCHS1, HmCHI, HmF3H1, HmF3′H1, HmF3′5′H, HmDFR2, and HmANS3, were demonstrated to show high expression levels in colored sepals. The expression levels of these seven genes increased gradually with the development of sepals and were highest in the full-bloom stage. The trend of gene expression was consistent with the trend of anthocyanin contents. It was concluded that the seven selected genes were involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis in the sepals of H. macrophylla. The full-length sequence data have been deposited into the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (SRA) with accession number PRJNA849710. This study lays a good foundation for the further elucidation of the molecular mechanism of sepal coloration in H. macrophylla

Transcriptome Analysis Identifies Key Candidate Genes Mediating Purple Ovary Coloration in Asiatic Hybrid Lilies

Lily tepals have a short lifespan. Once the tepals senesce, the ornamental value of the flower is lost. Some cultivars have attractive purple ovaries and fruits which greatly enhance the ornamental value of Asiatic hybrid lilies. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Asiatic hybrid lily ovaries. To investigate the transcriptional network that governs purple ovary coloration in Asiatic hybrid lilies, we obtained transcriptome data from green ovaries (S1) and purple ovaries (S2) of Asiatic “Tiny Padhye”. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed 4228 differentially expressed genes. Differential expression analysis revealed that ten unigenes including four CHS genes, one CHI gene, one F3H gene, one F3′H gene, one DFR gene, one UFGT gene, and one 3RT gene were significantly up-regulated in purple ovaries. One MYB gene, LhMYB12-Lat, was identified as a key transcription factor determining the distribution of anthocyanins in Asiatic hybrid lily ovaries. Further qPCR results showed unigenes related to anthocyanin biosynthesis were highly expressed in purple ovaries of three purple-ovaried Asiatic hybrid lilies at stages 2 and 3, while they showed an extremely low level of expression in ovaries of three green-ovaried Asiatic hybrid lilies during all developmental stages. In addition, shading treatment significantly decreased pigment accumulation by suppressing the expression of several unigenes related to anthocyanin biosynthesis in ovaries of Asiatic “Tiny Padhye”. Lastly, a total of 15,048 Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) were identified in 13,710 sequences, and primer pairs for SSRs were designed. The results could further our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Asiatic hybrid lily ovaries

Prognostic impact of examined lymph-node count for patients with esophageal cancer: development and validation prediction model

Abstract Esophageal cancer (EC) is a malignant tumor with high mortality. We aimed to find the optimal examined lymph node (ELN) count threshold and develop a model to predict survival of patients after radical esophagectomy. Two cohorts were analyzed: the training cohort which included 734 EC patients from the Chinese registry and the external testing cohort which included 3208 EC patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to determine the prognostic value of ELNs. The cut-off point of the ELNs count was determined using R-statistical software. The prediction model was developed using random survival forest (RSF) algorithm. Higher ELNs count was significantly associated with better survival in both cohorts (training cohort: HR = 0.98, CI = 0.97–0.99, P < 0.01; testing cohort: HR = 0.98, CI = 0.98–0.99, P < 0.01) and the cut-off point was 18 (training cohort: P < 0.01; testing cohort: P < 0.01). We developed the RSF model with high prediction accuracy (AUC: training cohort: 87.5; testing cohort: 79.3) and low Brier Score (training cohort: 0.122; testing cohort: 0.152). The ELNs count beyond 18 is associated with better overall survival. The RSF model has preferable clinical capability in terms of individual prognosis assessment in patients after radical esophagectomy

Tobacco rattle virus-induced PHYTOENE DESATURASE (PDS) and Mg-chelatase H subunit (ChlH) gene silencing in Solanum pseudocapsicum L.

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is an attractive tool for determining gene function in plants. The present study constitutes the first application of VIGS in S. pseudocapsicum, which has great ornamental and pharmaceutical value, using tobacco rattle virus (TRV) vectors. Two marker genes, PHYTOENE DESATURASE (PDS) and Mg-chelatase H subunit (ChlH), were used to test the VIGS system in S. pseudocapsicum. The photobleaching and yellow-leaf phenotypes of the silenced plants were shown to significantly correlate with the down-regulation of endogenous SpPDS and SpChlH, respectively (P ≤ 0.05). Moreover, the parameters potentially affecting the efficiency of VIGS in S. pseudocapsicum, including the Agrobacterium strain and the inoculation method (leaf syringe-infiltration, sprout vacuum-infiltration and seed vacuum-infiltration), were compared. The optimized VIGS parameters were the leaf syringe-infiltration method, the Agrobacterium strain GV3101 and the growth of agro-inoculated plants at 25°. With these parameters, the silencing efficiency of SpPDS and SpChlH could reach approximately 50% in S. pseudocapsicum. Additionally, the suitability of various reference genes was screened by RT-qPCR using three candidate genes, and the results demonstrated that glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) can serve as a suitable reference for assessing the gene expression levels of VIGS systems in S. pseudocapsicum. The proven application of VIGS in S. pseudocapsicum and the characterization of a suitable reference gene in the present work will expedite the functional characterization of novel genes in S. pseudocapsicum

Enhancement of micropollutant biotransformation by adding manganese sand in constructed wetlands

Recent investigations have shown that the addition of manganese (Mn) sand to constructed wetlands (i.e., Mn-amended CWs) can improve the performance of organic micropollutants (MPs) removal. In addition to the direct oxidation and adsorption of Mn oxides, the indirect role of Mn oxides in MP biotransformation is crucial to the removal of MPs but has seldom been referred to. Herein, we constructed lab-scale CWs with or without the addition of natural Mn sand (∼35% Mn oxides) to decipher the influence of Mn oxides on the biotransformation of the six selected MPs which commonly existed in the wastewater. The experimental results showed that the addition of Mn sand to CWs can improve the removal of MPs (8.48% atrazine, 13.16% atenolol, and 6.27% sulfamethoxazole [pairwise Wilcoxon test p < 0.05]). Combining the detection of transformation products and metagenomic sequencing, we found that the enhanced removal of atrazine in the Mn-amended CWs was mainly due to the bioaugmented hydroxylation process. The enrichment of biotransformation-related genes and associated microbes of atenolol and sulfamethoxazole in Mn-amended CWs indicated that the addition of Mn sand to CWs can strengthen the biotransformation of MPs. Furthermore, we found that these MP-biodegrading microbes were widely present in the full-scale CWs. Overall, our research provides fundamental information and insights for further application of Mn-amended CWs in MP removal

Validation of Reference Genes for Quantitative Real-Time PCR during Bicolor Tepal Development in Asiatic Hybrid Lilies (Lilium spp.)

Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) is a reliable and high-throughput technique for gene expression studies, but its accuracy depends on the expression stability of reference genes. To date, several reliable reference gene identifications have been reported in Lilium spp., but none has been obtained for lily tepals at different developmental stages. In this study, ten candidate reference genes were selected and evaluated for their expression stability in Lilium ‘Tiny Padhye’ during the process of bicolor tepal development. The expression stability of these candidates was evaluated by three software programs (geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper) and the comparative ΔCt method, and comprehensive stability rankings were generated by RefFinder. As a result, TIP41-like family gene (TIP41) and actin (ACT) were the best combination of reference genes for tepals at different developmental stages; TIP41 and F-box family gene (F-box) for tepals under shading treatment; ACT, actin11 (ACT11), and elongation factor 1-α (EF1-α) for different tissues; and ACT, TIP41, and ACT11 for all samples. The selected optimal reference genes were further verified by analyzing the expression levels of flavonoid 3′-hydroxylase (LhF3′H) and anthocyanidin 3-O-glucosyltransfersae (LhUFGT) in tepals at different developmental stages. This study provides useful information for gene expression characterization in lilies under different experimental conditions, and can serve as a basis for similar research in other closely related species