Assessment of Wet Season Precipitation in the Central United States by the Regional Climate Simulation of the WRFG Member in NARCCAP and Its Relationship with Large-Scale Circulation Biases

Assessment of past-climate simulations of regional climate models(RCMs)is important for understanding the reliability of RCMs when used to project future regional climate.Here,we assess the performance and discuss possible causes of biases in a WRF-based RCM with a grid spacing of 50 km,named WRFG,from the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program(NARCCAP)in simulating wet season precipitation over the Central United States for a period when observational data are available.The RCM reproduces key features of the precipitation distribution characteristics during late spring to early summer,although it tends to underestimate the magnitude of precipitation.This dry bias is partially due to the model’s lack of skill in simulating nocturnal precipitation related to the lack of eastward propagating convective systems in the simulation.Inaccuracy in reproducing large-scale circulation and environmental conditions is another contributing factor.The too weak simulated pressure gradient between the Rocky Mountains and the Gulf of Mexico results in weaker southerly winds in between,leading to a reduction of warm moist air transport from the Gulf to the Central Great Plains.The simulated low-level horizontal convergence fields are less favorable for upward motion than in the NARR and hence,for the development of moist convection as well.Therefore,a careful examination of an RCM’s deficiencies and the identification of the source of errors are important when using the RCM to project precipitation changes in future climate scenarios.

Epidemic Characteristics and Spatio-Temporal Patterns of HFRS in Qingdao City,China,2010-2022

Objective This study investigated the epidemic characteristics and spatio-temporal dynamics of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(HFRS)in Qingdao City,China.Methods Information was collected on HFRS cases in Qingdao City from 2010 to 2022.Descriptive epidemiologic,seasonal decomposition,spatial autocorrelation,and spatio-temporal cluster analyses were performed.Results A total of 2,220 patients with HFRS were reported over the study period,with an average annual incidence of 1.89/100,000 and a case fatality rate of 2.52%.The male:female ratio was 2.8:1.75.3%of patients were aged between 16 and 60 years old,75.3%of patients were farmers,and 11.6%had both“three red”and“three pain”symptoms.The HFRS epidemic showed two-peak seasonality:the primary fall-winter peak and the minor spring peak.The HFRS epidemic presented highly spatially heterogeneous,street/township-level hot spots that were mostly distributed in Huangdao,Pingdu,and Jiaozhou.The spatio-temporal cluster analysis revealed three cluster areas in Qingdao City that were located in the south of Huangdao District during the fall-winter peak.Conclusion The distribution of HFRS in Qingdao exhibited periodic,seasonal,and regional characteristics,with high spatial clustering heterogeneity.The typical symptoms of“three red”and“three pain”in patients with HFRS were not obvious.

The relationships between maize(Zea mays L.)lodging resistance and yield formation depend on dry matter allocation to ear and stem

Lodging is a critical constraint to yield increase.There appear to be tradeoffs between yield formation and lodging resistance in maize.Hypothetically,it is feasible to reduce lodging risk as well as increase grain yield by optimizing dry-matter allocation to different organs under different environments.A three-year field experiment was conducted using four maize cultivars with differing lodging resistances and five growing environments in 2018–2020.Lodging-susceptible(LS)cultivars on average yielded more than lodging-resistant(LR)cultivars when lodging was not present.The yield components kernel number per ear(KN)and thousand-kernel weight(TKW)were both negatively correlated with lodging resistance traits(stalk bending strength,rind penetration strength,and dry matter weight per internode length).Before silking,the LR cultivar Lishou 1(LS1)transported more assimilates to the basal stem,resulting in a thicker basal stem,which reduced dry matter allocation to the ear and in turn KN.The lower KN of LS1 was also due partly to the lower plant height(PH),which increased lodging resistance but limited plant dry matter production.In contrast,the LS cultivars Xianyu 335(XY335)and Xundan 20(XD20)produced and allocated more photoassimilates to ears,but limited dry matter allocation to stems.After silking,LS cultivars showed higher TKW than LR cultivars as a function of high photoassimilate productivity and high assimilate allocation to the ear.The higher lodging resistance of LS1 was due mainly to the greater assimilate allocation to stem after silking and lower PH and ear height(EH).High-yielding and high-LR traits of Fumin(FM985)were related to optimized EH and stem anatomical structure,higher leaf productivity,low assimilate demand for kernel formation,and assimilate partitioning to ear.A high presilking temperature accelerated stem extension but reduced stem dry matter accumulation and basal stem strength.Post-silking temperature influences lodging resistance and yield more than other environmental factors.These results will be useful in understanding the tradeoffs between KN,KW,and LR in maize and environmental influences on these tradeoffs.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase 14-mediated phosphorylation of MaMYB4 negatively regulates banana fruit ripening

Mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK/MPK)cascades play crucial parts in plant growth,development processes,immune ability,and stress responses;however,the regulatory mechanism by which MAPK affects fruit ripening remains largely unexplored.Here,we reported that MaMPK14 cooperated with MaMYB4 to mediate postharvest banana fruit ripening.Transient overexpression of individual MaMPK14 and MaMYB4 in banana fruit delayed fruit ripening,confirming the negative roles in the ripening.The ripening negative regulator MaMYB4 could repress the transcription of genes associated with ethylene biosynthesis and fruit softening,such as MaACS1,MaXTH5,MaPG3,and MaEXPA15.Furthermore,MaMPK14 phosphorylated MaMYB4 at Ser160 via a direct interaction.Mutation at Ser160 of MaMYB4 reduced its interaction with MaMPK14 but did not affect its subcellular localization.Importantly,phosphorylation of MaMYB4 by MaMPK14 enhanced the MaMYB4-mediated transcriptional inhibition,binding strength,protein stability,and the repression of fruit ripening.Taken together,our results delineated the regulation pathway of MAPK module during banana fruit ripening,which involved the phosphorylation modification of MaMYB4 mediated by MaMPK14.

微纳米塑料在典型日用塑料制品使用过程中的释放规律及机制

塑料制品由于低廉和便利性,在生活中被广泛的应用.然而,塑料制品在日常使用过程中会产生并释放微纳米塑料(MNPs),可通过呼吸、无意摄入等方式进入人体,带来潜在的健康风险.因此,明确塑料制品在使用过程中MNPs的释放情况具有重要的现实意义.本文详细总结了“食品包装及容器”“母婴用品”“医疗及防护用品”“衣服与织物”以及“其他日用品”等5类典型日用塑料制品在各自主要使用场景下MNPs的释放情况.其中,“食品包装及容器”类塑料制品的研究最丰富,主要释放出聚丙烯材质的、颗粒状的MNPs,且约70%的MNPs粒径分布在0~100μm.进一步归纳了塑料制品在机械破碎、热降解和其他作用下(光/生物降解)的释放机制.其中,机械应力(如磨损、搅拌、洗涤等)导致塑料制品发生的机械破碎,以及温度的变化(高温或冷冻)是引发塑料制品释放MNPs的主要机制.此外,深入分析了影响塑料降解和释放的关键因素,发现机械应力强度的增强、温度的升高和降低、光照(紫外光)时间的延长、微波时间和强度的增加、使用时长和次数的增多以及接触物质的成分等均会促进MNPs的释放;同时,塑料的种类和结构也是影响MNPs释放的重要原因之一.随后,探讨了其他有机化合物(如,酚类、酯类、芳香族化合物)、重金属离子(如,砷、铬、铅离子)、金属纳米颗粒(如,铜纳米颗粒)等添加剂在MNPs产生过程中的释放情况.最后,对塑料制品的未来研究方向进行了建议和展望,为探明塑料制品对人体健康的影响提供了理论支持.

辽东湾海水中金属基纳米颗粒的赋存水平与环境风险

纳米科技的迅速发展使得纳米材料,特别是金属基纳米颗粒(NPs)的环境污染问题备受关注.海洋(特别是近海海湾)是金属基NPs重要的“汇”,然而环境浓度的缺失阻碍了金属基NPs在海洋环境中的风险评估.本文采用单粒子电感耦合等离子体质谱法(sp-ICP-MS)探究了辽东湾海水中Ag、Ti、Cu和Zn基NPs的赋存水平及空间分布,并基于金属基NPs对海洋生物的预测无效应浓度(PNECs),使用风险表征比(RCR)对4种金属基NPs在辽东湾的环境风险进行了评估.结果表明,使用sp-ICP-MS以稀释法(Ti、Cu和Zn基NPs)和浊点萃取法(Ag基NPs)可以实现对4种金属基NPs的准确定量,回收率分别为97.1%、96.4%、95.3%和96.7%.空间分布表明,辽东湾中Ti基NPs的平均浓度最高(3.98×10^(8)个/L),其次为Ag、Cu和Zn基NPs;Ag基NPs在辽东湾西部沿岸浓度最高(6.81×10^(7)个/L),其他3种NPs则在北部沿岸大凌河口浓度最高,分别为1.87×10^(9)(Ti基NPs)、5.86×10^(7)(Ag基NPs)和2.12×10^(7)个/L(Zn基NPs).4种金属基NPs中,Ag基NPs的环境风险最高,在所有调查的16个站位中,有15个站位为“中风险”;4种NPs的总体环境风险(RCRtotal)在所有调查站位均处于“中风险”,且Ag基NPs对总体环境风险的贡献最大(>50%).本研究将有助于科学认识辽东湾海域金属基NPs的赋存水平和客观评估其环境风险.

Microencapsulated Lactobacillus plantarum promotes intestinal development through gut colonization of layer chicks

The effects of Lactobacillus plantarum in microencapsulation(LPM)on intestinal development in layer chicks were investigated in this study,as well as the colonization of L.plantarum in the gut.A total of 480 healthy Hy-Line Brown layer chicks at 0 d old were randomly divided into 4 groups(8 replicates each treatment),and the diets of these birds were supplemented with nothing(control),L.plantarum(0.02 g/kg feed;10^(9) CFU/kg feed),LPM(1.0 g/kg feed;109 CFU/kg feed)and wall material of LPM(WM;0.98 g/kg feed),respectively.Compared to control,LPM improved growth performance and intestinal development of layer chicks,evidenced by significantly increased body weight,average daily gain,average daily feed intake,villus height,villus height/crypt depth,as well as weight and length of the duodenum,jejunum and ileum(P<0.05).These results could be attributed to the increased colonization of L.plantarum in the gut,which was verified by significant increases in lactic acid content,viable counts in chyme and mucosa(P<0.05),as well as a visible rise in number of strains labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate.Meanwhile,the relative abundances of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium significantly increased in response to microencapsulated L.plantarum supplementation(P<0.05),accompanied by the significant up-regulation of colonization related genes(P<0.05),encoding solute carrier family,monocarboxylate transporter,activin A receptor,succinate receptor and secretogranin II.To sum up,microencapsulated L.plantarum supplementation promoted intestinal development,which could be attributed to the enhancement of L.plantarum colonization in the intestine through the mutual assistance of Bifidobacterium and interactions with colonization related transmembrane proteins.

Optimal Dispatch and Pricing of Industrial Parks Considering CHP Mode Switching and Demand Response

Industrial parks(IPs)play a crucial role in facilitating economic efficiency and comprehensive energy utilization in the industrial age.At the same time,multi-energy coupling and management of various types of energy in IP have become serious challenges.In this paper,combined heat and power unit(CHP)model considering operation mode switching characteristics is formulated by exploring its internal composition to improve output flexibility of the energy supply side.Then,heat and electricity integrated energy system(HE-IES)optimal dispatch and pricing model are established,taking electricity and heat demand response strategy and steam thermal inertia property into account.Based on the above models,a mixed-integer bilinear programming framework is designed to coordinate the day-ahead operation and pricing strategy of the HE-IES in the IP.The scenario study is carried out on a practical industrial park in Southern China.Numerical results indicate the proposed mechanism can effectively improve IP’s energy utilization and economic efficiency.

The association of HpDof1.7 and HpDof5.4 with soluble sugar accumulation in pitaya fruit by transcriptionally activating sugar metabolic genes

Soluble sugar is one of the most important factors affecting fruit flavor and quality.Here,we report the identification of two Dof(DNA-binding with one finger)transcription factors termed HpDof1.7 and HpDof5.4 and their roles in influencing sugar accumulation in pitayas.HpDof1.7 and HpDof5.4 share a similar expression pattern with sugar metabolism-related genes HpSuSy1 and HpINV2,and sugar transporter genes HpTMT2 and HpSWEET14 during pitayas maturation,and their expression pattern was also consistent with the accumulation of glucose and fructose,which were the predominant sugars in pitayas.HpDof1.7 and HpDof5.4 were both typical nucleus-localized proteins with trans-activation ability.Gel mobility shift assay revealed that HpDof1.7 and HpDof5.4 were bound to promoters of HpSuSy1,HpINV2,HpTMT2 and HpSWEET14.Finally,transient expression assays in tobacco leaves showed that HpDof1.7 and HpDof5.4 increased the activities of HpSuSy1,HpINV2,HpTMT2 and HpSWEET14 promoters,thus facilitating sugar accumulation by transcriptionally enhancing sugar metabolic pathway genes.Our findings provide a new perspective on the regulatory mechanisms of Dof transcription factors in sugar accumulation and pitaya fruit quality formation.

Regioselective synthesis of α-bromo-α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds via photocatalytic α-bromination reactions

A visible light-mediated approach for the preparation of α-bromo-α,β-unsaturated ketones and aldehydes was developed. In comparison to traditional methods that generally take two steps to afford the above compounds, this protocol was highlighted by its operational simplicity, avoiding using hazardous bromine and mild reaction conditions.