Interference of Dihydrocoumarin with Hormone Transduction and Phenylpropanoid Biosynthesis Inhibits Barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) Root Growth

Botanical compounds with herbicidal activity exhibit safety, low toxicity, and low chances of herbicide resistance development in plants. They have widespread applications in green agricultural production and the development of organic agriculture. In the present study, dihydrocoumarin showed potential as a botanical herbicide, and its phenotypic characteristics and mechanism of action were studied in barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P.Beauv.] seedlings. The results indicated that dihydrocoumarin inhibited the growth of barnyardgrass without causing significant inhibition of rice seedling growth at concentrations ranging between 0.5 and 1.0 g/L. Additionally, dihydrocoumarin treatment could cause oxidative stress in barnyardgrass, disrupt the cell membrane, and reduce the root cell activity, resulting in root cell death. Transcriptomic analyses revealed that dihydrocoumarin could inhibit barnyardgrass normal growth by affecting the signal transduction of plant hormones. The results showed significant differential expression of plant hormone signal transduction genes in barnyardgrass. Additionally, dihydrocoumarin interfered with the expression of numerous phenylpropanoid biosynthesis genes in barnyardgrass that affect the production of various vital metabolites. We speculate that the barnyardgrass growth was suppressed by the interaction among hormones and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis genes, indicating that dihydrocoumarin can be applied as a bioherbicide to control barnyardgrass growth in rice transplanting fields

The toxicity of microplastics and their leachates to embryonic development of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

Microplastic pollution has been widely detected across the global ocean, posing a major threat to a wide variety of marine biota. To date, the deleterious impacts of microplastics have predominantly been linked to their direct exposure, while the potential risks posed by the leachates emanating from microplastics have received comparatively less attention. Here, the toxicity of virgin plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microspheres and their leachates were evaluated on the embryo-larval development of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus using an in-vitro assay. Results showed that a significant toxic effect of both PVC microspheres and their leachates on the embryo development and larval growth of sea cucumbers follows a dose-dependent and time-dependent pattern. Nonetheless, the toxicity of PVC leachates surpasses that of the microspheres themselves. Abnormal developmental phenotypes, such as aberrant gastrulation, misaligned mesenchymal cells, and delayed arm development, were also observed in embryos and larvae treated with PVC. Further chemical analyses of PVC microspheres and leachates revealed the existence of five distinct phthalate esters (PAEs), with DIBP (diisobutyl phthalate) and DBP (dibutyl phthalate) exhibiting higher concentrations in the PVC leachates. This finding suggests that the elevated toxicity of plastic leachate may be attributed to the leaching of phthalate additives from the plastic particles

Research on the Influence Mechanism of Street Vitality in Mountainous Cities Based on a Bayesian Network: A Case Study of the Main Urban Area of Chongqing

As the main spatial carrier for people’s social activities, street space occupies an important position in the urban space. However, under the direction of traffic-driven urban planning, the social function of street space has been neglected, resulting in the gradual loss of vitality. In mountainous cities with rugged terrain, the factors influencing the vitality of streets may be different compared to those in plain areas. In order to explore the influence mechanism of street vitality in mountainous cities, a new quantitative research method based on the new data environment and a Bayesian network is proposed. In this study, Python and GIS are used to obtain spatial data of streets, and Bayesian networks are used to construct street vitality models to identify important influencing factors and causal relationships between influencing factors. The results demonstrate strong causal dependencies between the factors influencing street vitality in mountainous cities. The mechanism of influence of street vitality revolves around functionality and street texture in terms of its own environment and external environment, respectively. The combination of factor group with functional density as the root node achieved the maximum probability of high vitality of the street. The results of this study have implications for community or urban planners with respect to urban regeneration and street vitality promotion

Coloration of aramid fabric via in-situ biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles with enhanced antibacterial effect

This work has found innovative multicolored and antibacterial effects on aramid fabrics through an in-situ synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) without using any toxic reagents. Chitosan was only used as a renewable reducing and stabilizing agent. As-synthesized products were studied in terms of surface plasmon resonance (SPR), morphology, elemental mapping, metal composition, as well as the chemical interaction between compositing constituents. Results revealed that the particles are mostly in spherical shapes, uniformly dispersed and tightly attached to the aramid surface by molecular force or double network developed by chitosan. The treated fabrics also revealed improved thermal resistivity and sustainable color properties in terms of color uniformity, strength (K/S), and fastness ratings. They also have demonstrated excellent antibacterial action with more than 99% bacterial reduction efficiency against both Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) even after 10 washing cycles. Overall, this technique of aramid treatment could be a benchmark for sustainable multicolored and durable antibacterial performances in a more sustainable way

Effects of Salinity-Stress on Seed Germination and Growth Physiology of Quinclorac-Resistant <i>Echinochloa crus-galli</i> (L.) Beauv

With the expansion of saline-alkaline tolerant rice in China, the effects of salinity stress (NaCl) on quinclorac-resistant Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv (E. crus-galli) is unclear. In this study, the growth chamber experiment was conducted to test the germination and growth physiology of seven populations of E. crus-galli with quinclorac-different resistance levels which were collected from Hunan province. The results showed that a significant decrease of the germination rate and fresh weight of the plants, as well as the length of the roots and young shoots appeared, along with the increased resistance while treated with NaCl. However, no significant differences were detected between quinclorac-resistant and -susceptible E. crus-galli populations while without NaCl treatment. A further study with spectrophotometer showed that the salinity treatment resulted in the increase of the GST activity in all E. crus-galli populations, which are more obvious in those resistant biotypes, and transcriptomics revealed that salt stress reduces the adaptability of quinclorac-resistant E. crus-galli by reducing the biosynthesis, activities of antioxidant enzymes and metabolic enzyme. This study demonstrated that salinity stress (NaCl) may reduce the adaptability of quinclorac-resistant E. crus-galli

Effects of Salinity-Stress on Seed Germination and Growth Physiology of Quinclorac-Resistant Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv

With the expansion of saline-alkaline tolerant rice in China, the effects of salinity stress (NaCl) on quinclorac-resistant Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv (E. crus-galli) is unclear. In this study, the growth chamber experiment was conducted to test the germination and growth physiology of seven populations of E. crus-galli with quinclorac-different resistance levels which were collected from Hunan province. The results showed that a significant decrease of the germination rate and fresh weight of the plants, as well as the length of the roots and young shoots appeared, along with the increased resistance while treated with NaCl. However, no significant differences were detected between quinclorac-resistant and -susceptible E. crus-galli populations while without NaCl treatment. A further study with spectrophotometer showed that the salinity treatment resulted in the increase of the GST activity in all E. crus-galli populations, which are more obvious in those resistant biotypes, and transcriptomics revealed that salt stress reduces the adaptability of quinclorac-resistant E. crus-galli by reducing the biosynthesis, activities of antioxidant enzymes and metabolic enzyme. This study demonstrated that salinity stress (NaCl) may reduce the adaptability of quinclorac-resistant E. crus-galli

Proteomic Analysis Comparison on the Ecological Adaptability of Quinclorac-Resistant Echinochloa crus-galli

Barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli L.) is the most serious weed threatening rice production, and its effects are aggravated by resistance to the quinclorac herbicide in the Chinese rice fields. This study conducted a comparative proteomic characterization of the quinclorac-treated and non-treated resistant and susceptible E. crus-galli using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ). The results indicated that the quinclorac-resistant E. crus-galli had weaker photosynthesis and a weaker capacity to mitigate abiotic stress, which suggested its lower environmental adaptability. Quinclorac treatment significantly increased the number and expression of the photosynthesis-related proteins in the resistant E. crus-galli and elevated its photosynthetic parameters, indicating a higher photosynthetic rate compared to those of the susceptible E. crus-galli. The improved adaptability of the resistant E. crus-galli to quinclorac stress could be attributed to the observed up-regulated expression of eight herbicide resistance-related proteins and the down-regulation of two proteins associated with abscisic acid biosynthesis. In addition, high photosynthetic parameters and low glutathione thiotransferase (GST) activity were observed in the quinclorac-resistant E. crus-galli compared with the susceptible biotype, which was consistent with the proteomic sequencing results. Overall, this study demonstrated that the resistant E. crus-galli enhanced its adaptability to quinclorac by improving the photosynthetic efficiency and GST activity

Effects of Project Manager Competency on Green Construction Performance: The Chinese Context

Project manager competency is a key factor determining the success of a project. With the deterioration of the environment, green buildings have come into being. Compared to traditional buildings, green buildings encounter more complex problems during the construction process, and project managers are faced with greater challenges. Existing research on the evaluation of project manager competency based on green building construction (GBC) is scarce. Thus, the aim of this paper is to evaluate project manager competency for green construction. By means of a literature review and a focus group meeting, the key success factors of green buildings and project manager competency were determined. Thereafter, a questionnaire survey was used to investigate people&rsquo;s understanding of the importance of project manager skills. Structural equation modeling was selected to test the hypotheses. The results demonstrate that China is in the infancy of GBC development. Leadership and organization, target management, and emotional intelligence of project managers are considered to be important factors that affect green construction performance. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the selection of excellent project managers for GBC

Proteomic Analysis Comparison on the Ecological Adaptability of Quinclorac-Resistant <i>Echinochloa crus-galli</i>

Barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli L.) is the most serious weed threatening rice production, and its effects are aggravated by resistance to the quinclorac herbicide in the Chinese rice fields. This study conducted a comparative proteomic characterization of the quinclorac-treated and non-treated resistant and susceptible E. crus-galli using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ). The results indicated that the quinclorac-resistant E. crus-galli had weaker photosynthesis and a weaker capacity to mitigate abiotic stress, which suggested its lower environmental adaptability. Quinclorac treatment significantly increased the number and expression of the photosynthesis-related proteins in the resistant E. crus-galli and elevated its photosynthetic parameters, indicating a higher photosynthetic rate compared to those of the susceptible E. crus-galli. The improved adaptability of the resistant E. crus-galli to quinclorac stress could be attributed to the observed up-regulated expression of eight herbicide resistance-related proteins and the down-regulation of two proteins associated with abscisic acid biosynthesis. In addition, high photosynthetic parameters and low glutathione thiotransferase (GST) activity were observed in the quinclorac-resistant E. crus-galli compared with the susceptible biotype, which was consistent with the proteomic sequencing results. Overall, this study demonstrated that the resistant E. crus-galli enhanced its adaptability to quinclorac by improving the photosynthetic efficiency and GST activity

sj-docx-1-ijl-10.1177_15347346241227001 - Supplemental material for Efficacy and Safety of Platelet-Rich Plasma for Pressure Ulcers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-ijl-10.1177_15347346241227001 for Efficacy and Safety of Platelet-Rich Plasma for Pressure Ulcers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials by Zhonglin Hu, Haona Xv, Aiping Feng, Senmao Wang and Xuefeng Han in The International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds</p