This study analyzed the distribution characteristics and sources of pollutants in the coastal estuaries of Zhanjiang Bay (ZJB) to provide theoretical and data support for the scientific prevention ...and control of bay pollution. Monitoring data from eight rivers and flood drains flowing into ZJB in March 2021 were used to analyze the composition and spatial distribution characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phthalate esters (PAEs) in the water bodies of the bay. The dominant components in the eight rivers and flood drains were 3–4-ring PAHs, with Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), and Dibutyl-O-phthalate (DBP) being the main PAE compounds. Higher pollutant levels were observed in residential areas, aquaculture zones, and industrial areas. Eigen-ratio analysis and principal component analysis were used to identify pollution sources, including atmospheric inputs (coal, petroleum products, biomass combustion products), offshore petroleum pollution, and plastic pollution sources. The assessment showed that atmospheric inputs contributed to 89.75% of the total PAHs in the bay, with coal and biomass combustion accounting for 62.12% and petroleum fuel combustion accounting for 27.63%. The content of ΣPAEs ranged from 588.43 to 1427.26 ng·L−1, with a mean value of 906.59 ng·L−1, which is at a low to medium level compared to other regions of China and abroad, indicating a medium-low level of pollution risk. The results of this study have important implications for guiding urban development, adjusting energy consumption structures, and planning pollution prevention and control measures in ZJB.
Graphene oxide hydrosol was added dropwise to the surface of chitosan (CS) to successfully obtain graphene oxide/chitosan composite (GC). The composite material was characterized by scanning electron ...microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The prepared adsorbent was used to simulate the static adsorption of copper, lead, and cadmium ions from 100 mL of 50 mg/L simulated wastewater samples. When the pH of the simulated wastewater is 6, initial dosage is 70 mg, adsorption time is 90 min, and temperature is 20°C; the adsorption capacities for copper, lead, and cadmium are 60.7, 48.7, and 32.3 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption and desorption cycle experiments show that the adsorption capacity of GC for copper ions can reach 86% of the initial adsorption capacity after ten cycles. The adsorption of lead ions on the composite conforms to the Freundlich adsorption isotherm model.
•Poor palatability allows eco-grass to accumulate litter in grassland community.•Eco-grass reduces soil loss by increasing rainfall interception and water infiltration.•Eco-grass has ecological ...benefits and soil and water conservation benefits.
Ecological grasses (eco-grass) have poor palatability and are less popular than forage grasses, receiving little attention for many years, despite their increased survival regarding livestock on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Eco-grass restoration has the functions of increasing vegetation coverage, preventing soil and water loss, conserving water sources, and preventing pika and insect pests. However, the effects of the eco-grass on soil and water conservation are still unclear. Here, a field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of an eco-grass species (Elymus tangutorum) on the processes of soil and water loss in alpine hillslopes grasslands on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that the soil loss rate decreased with the increase of litter biomass in the presence of the selected eco-grass. The presence of eco-grass reduced the soil loss rate by 65% and this was mainly associated with the increase of the rainfall infiltration rate and litter interception rate. Our findings showed that eco-grass could take into account both soil and water conservation and ecological benefits in alpine hillslope grasslands. Therefore, eco-grass should be considered and extensive application to maintain the multifunctions and stability of artificial hillslopes grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
Microwave sensitization nanoplatform, integrating multiple functional units for improving tumor selectivity, is of great significance for clinical tumor microwave treatment. Lanthanide europium metal ...organic framework (EuMOF) is expected to be a theranostic nanoplatform owing to its unique luminescent and microwave sensitization properties. However, it is difficult to be applied to complicated biological systems for EuMOF due to its rapid degradation induced by the solvent molecular and ionic environment. In this work, a luminescent EuMOF nanocomposite (EuMOF@ZIF/AP-PEG, named EZAP) was designed, which brought the multifunctional characteristics of microwave sensitization, fluorescence imaging and drug loading.
Lamellar EuMOF was synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Through the charge adsorption mechanism, the zeolite imidazole framework (ZIF) structure was intensively assembled on the surface of EuMOF to realize the protection. Then, through in-situ Apatinib drug loading and PEG modification, EZAP nanocomposite was finally obtained. Apatinib (AP) was a kind of chemotherapy drug approved by Food and Drug Administration for targeted therapy of tumors. PEG modification increased long-term circulation of EZAP nanocomposite. The physical and chemical structure and properties of EuMOF@ZIF (EZ) were systematically represented, indicating the successful synthesis of the nanocomposite. The toxic and side effects were negligible at a safe dose. The growth of human liver cancer cells and murine liver cancer cells in vitro was significantly inhibited, and the combined microwave-thermal therapy and chemotherapy in vivo achieved high anti-cancer efficacy. Moreover, EZAP nanocomposite possessed bright red fluorescence, which can be applied for tumor imaging in tumor-bearing mice in vivo.
Therefore, EZAP nanocomposite showed high microwave sensitization, excellent fluorescence properties and outstanding drug loading capacity, establishing a promising theranostic nanoplatform for tumor therapy and fluorescence imaging. This work proposes a unique strategy to design for the first time a multifunctional nanoplatform with lanthanide metal organic frameworks for biological applications in tumor therapy and diagnosis.
Auxin response factors (ARFs) are critical components of the auxin signaling pathway, and are involved in diverse plant biological processes. However,
genes have not been investigated in flax (
L.), ...an important oilseed and fiber crop. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the
gene family and identified 33
genes unevenly distributed on the 13 chromosomes of Longya-10, an oil-use flax variety. Detailed analysis revealed wide variation among the ARF family members and predicted nuclear localization for all proteins. Nineteen LuARFs contained a complete ARF structure, including DBD, MR, and CTD, whereas the other fourteen lacked the CTD. Phylogenetic analysis grouped the LuARFs into four (I-V) clades. Combined with sequence analysis, the LuARFs from the same clade showed structural conservation, implying functional redundancy. Duplication analysis identified twenty-seven whole-genome-duplicated
genes and four tandem-duplicated
genes. These duplicated gene pairs' K
/K
ratios suggested a strong purifying selection pressure on the
genes. Collinearity analysis revealed that about half of the
genes had homologs in other species, indicating a relatively conserved nature of the
. The promoter analysis identified numerous hormone- and stress-related elements, and the qRT-PCR experiment revealed that all
genes were responsive to phytohormone (IAA, GA3, and NAA) and stress (PEG, NaCl, cold, and heat) treatments. Finally, expression profiling of
genes in different tissues by qRT-PCR indicated their specific functions in stem or capsule growth. Thus, our findings suggest the potential functions of
in flax growth and response to an exogenous stimulus, providing a basis for further functional studies on these genes.
Extensive studies have been carried out on chloroplast gene expression and chloroplast development; however, the regulatory mechanism is still largely unknown. Here, we characterized ...Pigment-Defective Mutant4 (PDM4), a P-type PPR protein localized in chloroplast. The
pdm4
mutant showed seedling-lethal and albino phenotype under heterotrophic growth conditions. Transmission electron microscopic analysis revealed that thylakoid structure was totally disrupted in
pdm4
mutant and eventually led to the breakdown of chloroplasts. The levels of several chloroplast- and nuclear-encoded proteins are strongly reduced in
pdm4
mutant. Besides, transcript profile analysis detected that, in
pdm4
mutant, the expression of plastid-encoded RNA polymerase-dependent genes was markedly affected, and deviant chloroplast rRNA processing was also observed. In addition, we found that PDM4 functions in the splicing of group II introns and may also be involved in the assembly of the 50S ribosomal particle. Our results demonstrate that PDM4 plays an important role in chloroplast gene expression and chloroplast development in Arabidopsis.
Abstract Background The experiences and perceptions of geriatric specialist nurses are pivotal to understanding the complexities of managing delirium and to developing effective nursing ...interventions. This qualitative study aims to explore these experiences and perceptions to inform the enhancement of clinical geriatric nursing and care practices. Methods Utilizing a qualitative exploratory design, this research engaged a convenience sample of geriatric specialist nurses at a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China through focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Data were rigorously analyzed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological method, which facilitated the identification of themes that emerged from the narratives of the geriatric specialist nurses. Results The thematic analysis yielded three major themes that encapsulate the nurses’ experiences and perceptions. Theme 1: Understanding of Delirium, highlighted the nurses’ awareness of the condition’s significance, yet it was often deprioritized due to the pressing demands of managing more acute and immediately life-threatening conditions. Theme 2: Barriers in Application, brought to light the multifaceted challenges faced by nurses, including language barriers, the frequency and consistency of delirium assessments, the social determinants of health, and the nurses’ own competencies in assessment. Theme 3: Evolution of Nursing Approaches, detailed the adaptive strategies employed by nurses, such as managing nursing adverse events, improving communication with patients’ families, and adopting a proactive stance towards long-term patient outcomes. Conclusions The findings suggest that while geriatric specialist nurses recognize the importance of delirium assessment, there are several barriers to effective application. The study underscores the imperative for the advancement of more refined delirium assessment and care protocols, tailored to address the unique requirements of geriatric nursing care.
Plant pH is an emerging functional trait that plays important roles in physiological processes and nutrient cycling. However, how root pH varies among plant functional groups (PFGs) and the ...regulatory factors on a large scale remain unclear. Therefore, we quantified root pH variation of herbaceous plants in four PFGs from 20 sites on the Tibetan Plateau along a 1600 km transect and explored the correlations between root pH and different PFGs, climate and soil conditions. The results showed that the root pH of herbaceous plants was slightly acidic (6.46 ± 0.05). Grasses had the highest root pH (6.91 ± 0.10) across all functional groups (p < .05), whereas legumes had the lowest (5.90 ± 0.08; p < .05). The root pH decreased with mean annual precipitation, aridity index, soil water content and soil stress coefficient, whereas the significant positive correlation with soil pH. PFGs, climate and soil explained 5.39, 11.15 and 24.94% of the root pH variance, respectively. This study provided a comprehensive analysis of root pH patterns in herbaceous plants over a large spatial scale. Root pH was controlled by the combined influence of PFGs, climate and soil properties, with moisture status being the main influential factor. In contrast to the leaf pH, the root pH of herbaceous plants is strongly affected by the soil pH along environmental gradients. Our findings provide new insights into root functional traits and survival strategies of herbaceous plants in alpine ecosystems.
In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of herbaceous root pH patterns on a large‐scale space. The main ecosystem types included alpine meadows, alpine grasslands, and alpine deserts with a total of 25 plant species, of which the main species were Kobresia pygmaea, Kobresia littledalei, Stipa purpurea, Carex moorcroftii, Stipa glareosa and Ceratoides compacta.
The study investigated the composition and content of Σ15PAH in the surface and core sediments from Dachan Bay (DCB) in Shenzhen city and discussed the effects of urban development and regional ...energy structure on the marine environment through the spatial distribution, vertical profile, and sources of Σ15PAH. The results indicated that the concentrations of Σ15PAH in the sediments of DCB ranged between 299 ng/g and 2336 ng/g in the surface sediments and between 65 ng/g and 994 ng/g in the core sediments. The horizontal spatial distribution of PAHs content with decreasing concentrations from the coastal to central areas implied the land-based input of PAHs. The vertical profile of high PAHs concentration in 0 cm–60 cm suggested that the PAHs pollution is attributed to the urban development of Shenzhen since 1950, especially after the 1980s. According to features of the low molecular weight (LMW)/high molecular weight (HMW), PAHs diagnostic ratios and their relationships with total organic carbon (TOC) and oil, the pyrogenic PAHs were mainly from the combustion of petroleum and byproducts in the surface and 0 cm–60 cm sediments but from the combustion of biomass in 60 cm–190 cm sediments, which corresponded with the variation of energy structure in surrounding areas. This study suggested that urban development and regional energy structure have a great impact on PAHs distribution in DCB and further controls of land-based pollutant emissions are still needed.
Flax is a dual-purpose crop that is important for oil and fiber production. The growth habit is one of the crucial targets of selection during flax domestication. Wild hybridization between ...cultivated flax and wild flax can produce superior germplasms for flax breeding and facilitate the study of the genetic mechanism underlying agronomically important traits. In this study, we used pale flax,
, and
to pollinate Longya-10. Only pale flax interspecific hybrids were obtained, and the trait analysis of the F
and F
generations showed that the traits analyzed in this study exhibited disparate genetic characteristics. In the F
generation, only one trait, i.e., the number of capsules per plant (140) showed significant heterosis, while the characteristics of other traits were closely associated with those of the parents or a decline in hybrid phenotypes. The traits of the F
generation were widely separated, and the variation coefficient ranged from 9.96% to 146.15%. The quantitative trait locus underlying growth habit was preliminarily found to be situated on chromosome 2 through Bulked-segregant analysis sequencing. Then linkage mapping analysis was performed to fine-map
to a 23.5-kb interval containing 4 genes. Among them,
and
contained nonsynonymous SNPs with Δindex=1. Combined with the qRT-PCR results, the two genes might be possible candidate genes for
. This study will contribute to the development of important germplasms for flax breeding, which would facilitate the elucidation of the genetic mechanisms regulating the growth habit and development of an ideal architecture for the flax plant.
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