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Abstract Venous thromboembolism, which includes deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism, is the third most common vascular disease in the world and seriously threatens the lives of patients. Currently, the effect of conventional treatments on DVT is limited. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play an important role in the resolution and recanalization of DVT, but an unfavorable microenvironment reduces EPC function. Non-coding RNAs, especially long non-coding RNAs and microRNAs, play a crucial role in improving the biological function of EPCs. Non-coding RNAs have become clinical biomarkers of diseases and are expected to serve as new targets for disease intervention. A theoretical and experimental basis for the development of new methods for preventing and treating DVT in the clinic will be provided by studies on the role and molecular mechanism of non-coding RNAs regulating EPC function in the occurrence and development of DVT. To summarize, the characteristics of venous thrombosis, the regulatory role of EPCs in venous thrombosis, and the effect of non-coding RNAs regulating EPCs on venous thrombosis are reviewed. This summary serves as a useful reference and theoretical basis for research into the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and prognosis of venous thrombosis.

Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) can result in severe losses to crop production and economies. Virgibacillus dokdonensis MCCC 1A00493, a deep-sea bacterium, has demonstrated potent antagonistic effects against Meloidogyne incognita in vitro. However, the control efficacy under greenhouse and field conditions remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the nematicidal effect of MCCC 1A00493 fermentation liquid and its synergism with black soldier fly (BSF) larval frass organic fertilizer both in greenhouse and field experiments. MCCC 1A00493 fermentation liquid demonstrated a significant control efficacy on RKNs both in greenhouse and field experiments, with the highest control efficacy reaching 68.97 % and 74.87 %, respectively. Meanwhile, the synergistic effects of MCCC 1A00493 and BSF larvae frass organic fertilizer was investigated by adding 10 % suspension (1 × 109 CFU/mL) of MCCC 1A00493 into 71.51 kg of chicken manure organic fertilizer produced by co-conversion of BSF larvae and Bacillus subtilis BSF-CL. It was noted that MCCC 1A00493 microbial organic fertilizer reduced disease incidence of RKNs significantly both in greenhouse and field experiments, with the root gall index decreasing by 51.75 % and 63.22 %, respectively. MCCC 1A00493 fermentation liquid and microbial organic fertilizer demonstrated a control efficacy on RKNs exceeded commercial nematicide avermectin and commercial bio-organic fertilizer, respectively. In addition, MCCC 1A00493 fermentation liquid and microbial organic fertilizer had positive effects on the growth of tomato plants. These findings confirmed that V.dokdonensis MCCC 1A00493 as a biological control agent and microbial organic fertilizer have significant effect on RKNs and can be used as potential biocontrol preparations.

Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) cause huge yield losses to agricultural crops worldwide. Meanwhile, livestock manure is often improperly managed by farmers, which leads to serious environmental pollution. To resolve these two problems, this study developed a procedure for the conversion of chicken manure to organic fertilizer by larvae of Hermetia illucens L. and Bacillus subtilis BSF-CL. Chicken manure organic fertilizer was then mixed thoroughly with Paenibacillus polymyxa KM2501-1 to a final concentration of 1.5×108 CFU g−1. The efficacy of KM2501-1 microbial organic fertilizer in controlling root-knot nematodes was evaluated in pot and field experiments. In pot experiments, applying KM2501-1 microbial organic fertilizer either as a base fertilizer or as a fumigant at the dose of 40 g/pot suppressed root-knot disease by 61.76 and 69.05% compared to the corresponding control treatments, respectively. When applied as a fumigant at the dose of 1 kg m−2 in field experiments, KM2501-1 microbial organic fertilizer enhanced the growth of tomato plants, suppressed root-knot disease by 49.97%, and reduced second stage juveniles of RKN in soil by 88.68%. KM2501-1 microbial organic fertilizer controlled RKNs better than commercial bio-organic fertilizer in both pot and field experiments. These results demonstrate that this co-conversion process efficiently transforms chicken manure into high value-added larvae biomass and KM2501-1 microbial organic fertilizer with potential application as a novel nematode control agent.

ABSTRACT Nematodes feed mainly on bacteria and sense volatile signals through their chemosensory system to distinguish food from pathogens. Although nematodes recognizing bacteria by volatile metabolites are ubiquitous, little is known of the associated molecular mechanism. Here, we show that the antinematode bacterium Paenibacillus polymyxa KM2501-1 exhibits an attractive effect on Caenorhabditis elegans via volatile metabolites, of which furfural acetone (FAc) acts as a broad-spectrum nematode attractant. We show that the attractive response toward FAc requires both the G-protein-coupled receptors STR-2 in AWC neurons and SRA-13 in AWA and AWC neurons. In the downstream olfactory signaling cascades, both the transient receptor potential vanilloid channel and the cyclic nucleotide-gated channel are necessary for FAc sensation. These results indicate that multiple receptors and subsequent signaling cascades contribute to the attractive response of C. elegans to FAc, and FAc is the first reported ligand of SRA-13. Our current work discovers that P. polymyxa KM2501-1 exhibits an attractive effect on nematodes by secreting volatile metabolites, especially FAc and 2-heptanone, broadening our understanding of the interactions between bacterial pathogens and nematodes. IMPORTANCE Nematodes feed on nontoxic bacteria as a food resource and avoid toxic bacteria; they distinguish them through their volatile metabolites. However, the mechanism of how nematodes recognize bacteria by volatile metabolites is not fully understood. Here, the antinematode bacterium Paenibacillus polymyxa KM2501-1 is found to exhibit an attractive effect on Caenorhabditis elegans via volatile metabolites, including FAc. We further reveal that the attractive response of C. elegans toward FAc requires multiple G-protein-coupled receptors and downstream olfactory signaling cascades in AWA and AWC neurons. This study highlights the important role of volatile metabolites in the interaction between nematodes and bacteria and confirms that multiple G-protein-coupled receptors on different olfactory neurons of C. elegans can jointly sense bacterial volatile signals.

Microseismic event back-azimuth is an indispensable parameter for source localization in downhole microseismic monitoring, and the accurate orientation of horizontal components of downhole seismic receivers is vital for reliably determining the event back-azimuth. Variation in the monitoring data quality may jeopardize the accuracy of receiver orientation which will further affect the event back-azimuth estimation. To mitigate this issue, we proposed a new probabilistic method based on P-wave polarization analysis for receiver orientation and event back-azimuth estimation. The algorithm constructs the von Mises distribution function using the polarization angle and corresponding rectilinearity of the P-wave, then determines the target angle using the maximum of the probability function. The receiver having the highest rectilinearity from the active-source event is used to quantify a reliable absolute orientation angle, and the relative orientation angles are calculated by the probability distributions based on the measurement angle differences and the associated averages of rectilinearity from all events. After receiver orientation, the P-wave polarization angles with different rectilinearity values are applied to construct the probability distribution functions to estimate the event back-azimuths. By using high-quality events and multi-receiver recordings, our methodology can greatly reduce the unintentional error in receiver orientation and increase event back-azimuth accuracy. We investigate the feasibility and reliability of the proposed method using both synthetic and field data. The synthetic data results demonstrate that, compared to the conventional methods, the proposed method can minimize the variance of the receiver orientation angle and back-azimuth estimation. The weighted standard deviation analysis demonstrates that the proposed method can reduce the orientation error and improve the event back-azimuth accuracy in the field dataset.

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of smart phone speech training combined with scalp acupuncture in patients with non-fluent aphasia after stroke, in order to explore a suitable combination of traditional Chinese and western medicine therapy for aphasia.Methods:A total of 40 patients with non-fluent aphasia after stroke were randomly divided into treatment group and control group, with 20 cases in each group. The control group received acupuncture therapy and conventional speech training, and the treatment group received smart phone speech training on the basis of the control group. All treatments were given once a day, five times a week, for a total of 4 weeks. The language ability was evaluated by the Western Aphasia Battery(WAB), Boston diagnostic aphasia examination(BDAE)severity classification and the Communication Activities of Daily Living Test(CADL-T).Results:Before treatment, there were no significant differences in spontaneous speech comprehension, retelling, naming, Aphasia quotient(AQ), BDAE severity classification and CADL-T scores between the two groups. In the observation group, spontaneous speech(Z=-3.934, P=0.001), comprehension(Z=-3.922, P=0.001), retelling(Z=-3.642, P=0.001), naming(Z=-3.922, P=0.001), AQ(Z=-3.922, P=0.001)and CADL-T scores(Z=-3.922, P=0.001)were significantly improved before and after treatment, and the differences were statistically significant. In the control group, there were significant improvements in retelling(Z=-3.921, P=0.001), naming(Z=-3.922, P=0.001)and AQ(Z=-3.922, P=0.001)before and after treatment, but there were no significant improvements in spontaneous speech(Z=-2.255, P=0.061), comprehension(Z=-1.756, P=0.079)and CADL-T(Z=-1.403, P=0.161), and the differences were not statistically significant. After treatment, the scores of the observation group were higher than the control group, including spontaneous speech(Z=-3.034, P=0.002), comprehension(Z=-1.286, P=0.018), retelling(Z=-2.133, P=0.033), naming(Z=-2.857, P=0.004), AQ(Z=-2.911, P=0.003), BDAE severity classification(Z=-2.030, P=0.042)and CADL-T scores(Z=-4.099, P=0.001), and the differences were statistically significant.Conclusion:Smart phone speech training combined with scalp acupuncture therapy can significantly improve the language function of patients with non-fluency aphasia after stroke, which is embodied in spontaneous speech, comprehension, retelling, naming, AQ, aphasia severity classification and practical communication ability. The clinical efficacy is better than scalp acupuncture therapy alone, and it is worthy of clinical promotion.

Vegetation is essential for maintaining urban ecosystems, climate regulation, and resident health. To explore the variations in city-level vegetation greening (VG) and its relationship to urban expansion, VG in 439 Chinese cities was extracted using the Theil–Sen and Mann–Kendall algorithms based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer EVI (enhanced vegetation index) data from 2001 to 2020. The spatial variations in VG and its patterns, as well as its relationship with urban expansion, were then analyzed. The following results were obtained: (1) cities with larger greening areas were primarily located in the central and eastern provinces of China, followed by the southeastern, southwestern, and western provinces. The 48 cities with the largest greening areas accounted for 60.47% of the total greening area. (2) VG patches in northern China exhibited better integrity. (3) The centralization trend of VG was evident; the location of VG patterns was influenced by the form of urban expansion. (4) The intensity of artificial impervious area expansion had a weak negative correlation with the VG. Therefore, we must enhance vegetation in new urban areas to improve the spatial balance of VG. The present results of this study can provide a foundation for developing effective policies for the construction and management of urban greenery projects.

Urban development has dramatically increased in recent decades. Analyzing 841 large cities throughout the world for the period from 2001 to 2018, the authors disclosed uneven features of global urbanization in terms of urban expansion, population growth, and greening at different economic levels.

Abstract Background Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) constitutes a major global disease burden. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been described in association with recanalization of venous thrombus. Furthermore, emerging evidence suggests microRNAs are involved in this progression. The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of miR-150 on the behavior of EPCs and its potential contribution in venous thrombosis resolution. Methods We isolated and cultured EPCs from healthy adults. Next, early EPCs or endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs or late EPCs) were transfected with miR-150 agomir and antagomir. Gene expression profiles, proliferation, cytokine secretion, and angiogenic capacity of early EPCs and ECFCs were examined. The effects of miR-150 on c-Myb expression and Akt/FOXO1 signaling were also evaluated. Furthermore, a rat model of venous thrombosis was constructed to determine the in vivo function of EPCs. Results Our results showed that miR-150 overexpression in early EPCs significantly promoted differentiation to ECFCs and contributed to proliferation and tube formation. However, suppression of miR-150 in late EPCs inhibited proliferation and tube formation. Moreover, we identified that this progression is regulated by inhibition of c-Myb and activation of the Akt/FOXO1 pathway. Our findings also showed that miR-150 led to the enhanced resolution ability of EPCs in a rat venous thrombosis model. Conclusions In this study, we present a novel mechanism of miRNA-mediated regulation of EPCs and Akt activation in thrombus resolution.

Various populations of cells are recruited to the heart after cardiac injury, but little is known about whether cardiomyocytes directly regulate heart repair. Using a murine model of ischemic cardiac injury, we demonstrate that cardiomyocytes play a pivotal role in heart repair by regulating nucleotide metabolism and fates of nonmyocytes. Cardiac injury induced the expression of the ectonucleotidase ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1), which hydrolyzes extracellular ATP to form AMP. In response to AMP, cardiomyocytes released adenine and specific ribonucleosides that disrupted pyrimidine biosynthesis at the orotidine monophosphate (OMP) synthesis step and induced genotoxic stress and p53-mediated cell death of cycling nonmyocytes. As nonmyocytes are critical for heart repair, we showed that rescue of pyrimidine biosynthesis by administration of uridine or by genetic targeting of the ENPP1/AMP pathway enhanced repair after cardiac injury. We identified ENPP1 inhibitors using small molecule screening and showed that systemic administration of an ENPP1 inhibitor after heart injury rescued pyrimidine biosynthesis in nonmyocyte cells and augmented cardiac repair and postinfarct heart function. These observations demonstrate that the cardiac muscle cell regulates pyrimidine metabolism in nonmuscle cells by releasing adenine and specific nucleosides after heart injury and provide insight into how intercellular regulation of pyrimidine biosynthesis can be targeted and monitored for augmenting tissue repair.

To overcome the problems of long production cycle and high cost in the product manufacturing process, a P2P (platform to platform) cloud manufacturing method based on a personalized custom business model has been proposed in this paper by integrating different technologies such as deep learning and additive manufacturing (AM). This paper focuses on the manufacturing process from a photo containing an entity to the production of that entity. Essentially, this is an object-to-object fabrication. Moreover, based on the YOLOv4 algorithm and DVR technology, an object detection extractor and a 3D data generator are constructed, and a case study is carried out for a 3D printing service scenario. The case study selects online sofa photos and real car photos. The recognition rates of sofa and car were 59% and 100%, respectively. Retrograde conversion from 2D data to 3D data takes approximately 60 s. We also carry out personalized transformation design on the generated sofa digital 3D model. The results show that the proposed method has been validated, and three unindividualized models and one individualized design model have been manufactured, and the original shape is basically maintained.

China’s urbanization process is accompanied by land use and cover change (LUCC), influencing variations of air pollutants at multiple spatial scales. Monitoring the spatiotemporal variations of air pollutants and their relationship with land cover (LC) is vital for understanding the mechanisms of land-air interaction and guiding environmental management. In this study, both statistical and geo-statistical analysis is used to investigate the relationship between spatiotemporal variations of air pollutants and LC composition in the vicinity of China’s three major urban agglomerations (UAs), including Jing-Jin-Ji (JJJ), Yangtze River Delta Region (YRD), and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA). Results show that the spatial variations of six criteria air pollutants intra-region are large, even greater than inter-region and inter-season differences. Partial correlation analysis shows that although the impervious surface is the main driving force in elevating air pollution on a local scale, cropland is more important in elevating air pollutant levels at a regional scale. Besides that, the relationship between air pollutant levels and LC demonstrates varied seasonal and regional characteristics for different air pollutants. Our analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between air pollutant levels and LC composition, emphasizing the impact of LC at different spatial scales.

Abstract Accurate prediction of tropical cyclone (TC) induced rainfall is of great importance to disaster prevention but quite challenging to operational forecasters. This study quantifies the spatial characteristics of the hourly rainfall caused by TCs at several individual weather stations over the south China coast. We use the historical TC datasets from 2004 to 2018 and the hourly rainfall data from six weather stations to investigate the stations' rainfall distribution characteristics induced by TCs within a distance of 700 km to the weather stations. The hourly rainfall data during the study period from six coastal stations: Zhuzilin (ZZL), Shekou Ferry Terminal (SFT), and Wutong Village (WTV) in Shenzhen, and Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), Sha Tin (SHA), and Tai Mo Shan (TMS) in Hong Kong are used to investigate the statistical relationship. Results show that the most hazardous areas for TC‐induced rainfall are TCs within a distance of 200 km relative to the stations. High intensity TCs in the southwest quadrant may bring torrential rainfall to stations within 500 km distance, and low intensity TCs are likely to induce torrential rainfall to stations within 300 km distance when they are in the northeast and northwest quadrants. If TCs are over the region with the azimuth of 60–150° and distance out of 200 km to the six stations, there is almost no rainfall influence on those stations. The findings of this study are valuable to provide information for the local operational forecasters when predicting the potential rainfall along the south China coast due to future TCs.

Abstract Background Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) is a risk factor for exacerbating the outcome of critically ill patients. Dysbiosis induced by the exposure to antibiotics reveals the potential therapeutic role of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in these patients. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the safety and potential benefit of rescue FMT for AAD in critically ill patients. Methods A series of critically ill patients with AAD received rescue FMT from Chinese fmtBank, from September 2015 to February 2019. Adverse events (AEs) and rescue FMT success which focused on the improvement of abdominal symptoms and post-ICU survival rate during a minimum of 12 weeks follow-up were assessed. Results Twenty critically ill patients with AAD underwent rescue FMT, and 18 of them were included for analysis. The mean of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores at intensive care unit (ICU) admission was 21.7 ± 8.3 (range 11–37). Thirteen patients received FMT through nasojejunal tube, four through gastroscopy, and one through enema. Patients were treated with four (4.2 ± 2.1, range 2–9) types of antibiotics before and during the onset of AAD. 38.9% (7/18) of patients had FMT-related AEs during follow-up, including increased diarrhea frequency, abdominal pain, increased serum amylase, and fever. Eight deaths unrelated to FMT occurred during follow-up. One hundred percent (2/2) of abdominal pain, 86.7% (13/15) of diarrhea, 69.2% (9/13) of abdominal distention, and 50% (1/2) of hematochezia were improved after FMT. 44.4% (8/18) of patients recovered from abdominal symptoms without recurrence and survived for a minimum of 12 weeks after being discharged from ICU. Conclusion In this case series studying the use of FMT in critically ill patients with AAD, good clinical outcomes without infectious complications were observed. These findings could potentially encourage researchers to set up new clinical trials that will provide more insight into the potential benefit and safety of the procedure in the ICU. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, Number NCT03895593. Registered 29 March 2019 (retrospectively registered).

Black soldier fly (BSF; Hermetia illucens L.) larvae can convert fresh pig manure into protein and fat-rich biomass, which can then be used as aquafeed for select species. Currently, BSF is the only approved insect for such purposes in Canada, USA, and the European Union. Pig manure could serve as a feed substrate for BSF; however, it is contaminated with zoonotic pathogens (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp.). Fortunately, BSF larvae inhibit many of these zoonotic pathogens; however, the mechanisms employed are unclear. We employed RNAi, qRT-PCR, and Illumina MiSeq 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing to examine the interaction between two immune genes (Duox in Duox-reactive oxygen species [ROS] immune system and TLR3 in the Toll signaling pathway) and select pathogens common in pig manure to decipher the mechanisms resulting in pathogen suppression. Results indicate Bsf Duox-TLR3 RNAi increased bacterial load but decreased relative abundance of Providencia and Dysgonomonas, which are thought to be commensals in the BSF larval gut. Bsf Duox-TLR3 RNAi also inactivated the NF-κB signaling pathway, downregulated the expression of antimicrobial peptides, and diminished inhibitory effects on zoonotic pathogen. The resulting dysbiosis stimulated an immune response by activating BsfDuox and promoting ROS, which regulated the composition and structure of the gut bacterial community. Thus, BsfDuox and BsfTLR3 are important factors in regulating these key gut microbes, while inhibiting target zoonotic pathogens.

Furfural acetone (FAc) is a promising alternative to currently available nematicides, and it exhibits equivalent control efficiency on root-knot nematodes with avermectin in fields. However, its effect on the reproduction of root-knot nematode is poorly understood. In this study, the natural metabolite FAc was found to exhibit reproductive toxicity on Meloidogyne incognita and Caenorhabditis elegans. The number of germ cells of C. elegans was observed to decrease after exposure to FAc, with a reduction of 59.9% at a dose of 200 mg/L. FAc in various concentrations induced the germ-cell apoptosis of C. elegans, with an increase over six-fold in the number of apoptotic germ cells at 200 mg/L. These findings suggested that FAc decreased the brood size of nematode by inducing germ-cell apoptosis. Moreover, FAc-induced germ-cell apoptosis was suppressed by the mutation of gene hus-1, clk-2, cep-1, egl-1, ced-3, ced-4, or ced-9. The expression of genes spo-11, cep-1, and egl-1 in C. elegans was increased significantly after FAc treatment. Taken together, these results indicate that nematode exposure to FAc might inflict DNA damage through protein SPO-11, activate CEP-1 and EGL-1, and induce the core apoptosis pathway to cause germ-cell apoptosis, resulting in decreased brood size of C. elegans.

Plant-parasitic nematodes cause severe losses to crop production and economies all over the world. Bacillus aryabhattai MCCC 1K02966, a deep-sea bacterium, was obtained from the Southwest Indian Ocean and showed nematicidal and fumigant activities against Meloidogyne incognita in vitro. The nematicidal volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the fermentation broth of B. aryabhattai MCCC 1K02966 were investigated further using solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Four VOCs, namely, pentane, 1-butanol, methyl thioacetate, and dimethyl disulfide, were identified in the fermentation broth. Among these VOCs, methyl thioacetate exhibited multiple nematicidal activities, including contact nematicidal, fumigant, and repellent activities against M. incognita. Methyl thioacetate showed a significant contact nematicidal activity with 87.90% mortality at 0.01 mg/mL by 72 h, fumigant activity in mortality 91.10% at 1 mg/mL by 48 h, and repellent activity at 0.01–10 mg/mL. In addition, methyl thioacetate exhibited 80–100% egg-hatching inhibition on the 7th day over the range of 0.5 mg/mL to 5 mg/mL. These results showed that methyl thioacetate from MCCC 1K02966 control M. incognita with multiple nematicidal modes and can be used as a potential biological control agent.

Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) seriously endanger agricultural development and cause great economic losses worldwide. Natural product furfural acetone (FAc) is a promising nematicide with strong attractant and nematicidal activities, but baseline information about the impact of FAc on the reproduction, egg hatching, feeding, and growth of nematodes and its pest control efficiency in field are lacking. Here, the inhibition effects of FAc on nematodes in vitro and its RKN control efficiency in pot and field were investigated. FAc inhibited the egg hatching of Meloidogyne incognita by 91.7% at 200 mg/L after 2 days and suppressed the reproduction, feeding, and growth of Caenorhabditis elegans in vitro. In pot experiments, FAc in various dosages reduced the disease index of plant root significantly. In field experiments, FAc exhibited control effect on RKNs equivalent to commercial nematicides avermectin and metam sodium, with a reduction in disease index by 36.9% at a dose of 50 mg/plant. FAc also reduced the population density of RKNs in soil, with a reduction rate of 75.3% at the dose of 750 mg/m2. No adverse effect was detected on plant growth after FAc application. These results provide compelling evidence for development of FAc as an appropriate alternative for current nematicides.

Root-knot nematode diseases cause severe yield and economic losses each year in global agricultural production. Virgibacillus dokdonensis MCCC 1A00493, a deep-sea bacterium, shows a significant nematicidal activity against Meloidogyne incognita in vitro. However, information about the active substances of V. dokdonensis MCCC 1A00493 is limited. In this study, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from V. dokdonensis MCCC 1A00493 were isolated and analyzed through solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography−mass spectrometry. Four VOCs, namely, acetaldehyde, dimethyl disulfide, ethylbenzene, and 2-butanone, were identified, and their nematicidal activities were evaluated. The four VOCs had a variety of active modes on M. incognita juveniles. Acetaldehyde had direct contact killing, fumigation, and attraction activities; dimethyl disulfide had direct contact killing and attraction activities; ethylbenzene had an attraction activity; and 2-butanone had a repellent activity. Only acetaldehyde had a fumigant activity to inhibit egg hatching. Combining this fumigant activity against eggs and juveniles could be an effective strategy to control the different developmental stages of M. incognita. The combination of direct contact and attraction activities could also establish trapping and killing strategies against root-knot nematodes. Considering all nematicidal modes or strategies, we could use V. dokdonensis MCCC 1A00493 to set up an integrated strategy to control root-knot nematodes.

Pseudomonas putida 1A00316 isolated from Antarctic soil showed nematicidal potential for biological control of Meloidogyne incognita; however, little was known about whether strain 1A00316 could produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and if they had potential for use in biological control against M. incognita. In this study, VOCs produced by a culture filtrate of P. putida 1A00316 were evaluated by in vitro experiments in three-compartment Petri dishes and 96-well culture plates. Our results showed that M. incognita juveniles gradually reduced their movement within 24–48 h of incubation with mortality ranging from 6.49 to 86.19%, and mostly stopped action after 72 h. Moreover, egg hatching in culture filtrates of strain 1A00316 was much reduced compared to that in sterile distilled water or culture medium. Volatiles from P. putida 1A00316 analysis carried out by solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS) included dimethyl-disulfide, 1-undecene, 2-nonanone, 2-octanone, (Z)-hexen-1-ol acetate, 2-undecanone, and 1-(ethenyloxy)-octadecane. Of these, dimethyl-disulfide, 2-nonanone, 2-octanone, (Z)-hexen-1-ol acetate, and 2-undecanone had strong nematicidal activity against M. incognita J2 larvae by direct-contact in 96-well culture plates, and only 2-undecanone acted as a fumigant. In addition, the seven VOCs inhibited egg hatching of M. incognita both by direct-contact and by fumigation. All of the seven VOCs repelled M. incognita J2 juveniles in 2% water agar Petri plates. These results show that VOCs from strain 1A00316 act on different stages in the development of M. incognita via nematicidal, fumigant, and repellent activities and have potential for development as agents with multiple modes of control of root-knot nematodes.

Polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase) is an essential mitochondria-localized exoribonuclease implicated in multiple biological processes and human disorders. To reveal role(s) for PNPase in mitochondria, we established PNPase knockout (PKO) systems by first shifting culture conditions to enable cell growth with defective respiration. Interestingly, PKO established in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) resulted in the loss of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The transcriptional profile of PKO cells was similar to rho0 mtDNA deleted cells, with perturbations in cholesterol (FDR = 6.35 x 10-13), lipid (FDR = 3.21 x 10-11), and secondary alcohol (FDR = 1.04x10-12) metabolic pathway gene expression compared to wild type parental (TM6) MEFs. Transcriptome analysis indicates processes related to axonogenesis (FDR = 4.49 x 10-3), axon development (FDR = 4.74 x 10-3), and axonal guidance (FDR = 4.74 x 10-3) were overrepresented in PKO cells, consistent with previous studies detailing causative PNPase mutations in delayed myelination, hearing loss, encephalomyopathy, and chorioretinal defects in humans. Overrepresentation analysis revealed alterations in metabolic pathways in both PKO and rho0 cells. Therefore, we assessed the correlation of genes implicated in cell cycle progression and total metabolism and observed a strong positive correlation between PKO cells and rho0 MEFs compared to TM6 MEFs. We quantified the normalized biomass accumulation rate of PKO clones at 1.7% (SD ± 2.0%) and 2.4% (SD ± 1.6%) per hour, which was lower than TM6 cells at 3.3% (SD ± 3.5%) per hour. Furthermore, PKO in mouse inner ear hair cells caused progressive hearing loss that parallels human familial hearing loss previously linked to mutations in PNPase. Combined, our study reports that knockout of a mitochondrial nuclease results in mtDNA loss and suggests that mtDNA maintenance could provide a unifying connection for the large number of biological activities reported for PNPase.

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, which causes rice bacterial blight, is one of the most destructive pathogenic bacteria. Biological control against plant pathogens has recently received increasing interest. 1-Deoxy-N-acetylglucosamine (1-DGlcNAc) was extracted from the supernatant of Virgibacillus dokdonensis MCCC 1A00493 fermentation through antibacterial bioassay-guided isolation. Its structure was elucidated by LC/MS, NMR, chemical synthesis and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations. 1-DGlcNAc specifically suppressed X. oryzae pv. oryzae PXO99A (MIC was 23.90 μg/mL), but not other common pathogens including Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris str.8004 and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola RS105. However, its diastereomer (2-acetamido-1,5-anhydro-2-deoxy-d-mannitol) also has no activity to X. oryzae pv. oryzae. This result suggested that activity of 1-DGlcNAc was related to the difference in the spatial conformation of the 2-acetamido moiety, which might be attributed to their different interactions with a receptor. Eighty-four unique proteins were found in X. oryzae pv. oryzae PXO99A compared with the genome of strains8004 and RS105 by blastp. There may be unique interactions between 1-DGlcNAc and one or more of these unique proteins in X. oryzae pv. oryzae. Quantitative real-time PCR and the pharmMapper server indicated that proteins involved in cell division could be the targets in PXO99A. This research suggested that specificity of active substance was based on the active group and spatial conformation selection, and these unique proteins could help to reveal the specific mechanism of action of 1-DGlcNAc against PXO99A.

China has been experiencing rapid urbanization in parallel with its economic boom over the past three decades. To date, the organic carbon storage in China's urban areas has not been quantified. Here, using data compiled from literature review and statistical yearbooks, we estimated that total carbon storage in China's urban areas was 577 ± 60 Tg C (1 Tg = 10(12) g) in 2006. Soil was the largest contributor to total carbon storage (56%), followed by buildings (36%), and vegetation (7%), while carbon storage in humans was relatively small (1%). The carbon density in China's urban areas was 17.1 ± 1.8 kg C m(-2), about two times the national average of all lands. The most sensitive variable in estimating urban carbon storage was urban area. Examining urban carbon storages over a wide range of spatial extents in China and in the United States, we found a strong linear relationship between total urban carbon storage and total urban area, with a specific urban carbon storage of 16 Tg C for every 1,000 km(2) urban area. This value might be useful for estimating urban carbon storage at regional to global scales. Our results also showed that the fraction of carbon storage in urban green spaces was still much lower in China relative to western countries, suggesting a great potential to mitigate climate change through urban greening and green spaces management in China.

Remotely sensed surface urban heat islands (UHIs) have gained considerable interest in recent decades due to the easy access and the wall-to-wall coverage of satellite products. The magnitude or intensity of surface UHIs have been well documented at regional and global scales, yet a systematic evaluation of the temporal variability over large areas is still lacking. In this study, the diurnal and seasonal cycles of surface UHI intensities (SUHIIs) in China are examined using Aqua/Terra MODIS data from 2008 to 2012. Results show that the mean annual SUHIIs varied greatly in a diurnal cycle, characterized by a positive day-night difference (DND) in Southeast China and the opposite in Northeast and Northwest China. Also, the SUHIIs differed dramatically in a seasonal cycle, indicated by a positive summer-winter difference (SWD) in the day and a negative SWD at night, accompanied by the highly diverse DNDs across seasons and geographic regions. Northwest and Northeast China overall showed the largest DND and SWD (>3 °C), respectively. These diurnal and seasonal variations depend strongly on local climate-vegetation regimes, as indicated by a strong positive correlation between DND and precipitation (and air temperature) and a negative relationship between DND and vegetation activity across cities and seasons. In particular, SHUIIs were quadratically correlated with the mean annual precipitation across space, suggesting that there might be a threshold in terms of the effects induced by local background climate. Our findings highlight the importance of considering the temporal variability of UHIs for more accurate characterization of the associated ecological and social-economic consequences.

Identifying flow patterns from massive trajectories of car tourists is considered a promising way to improve the management of tourism traffic. Previous researches have mainly focused on tourist movements at the macro-scale, such as inbound, domestic, and urban tourism using flow maps. Compared with modeling the flow patterns of tourists at the macro-scale, modeling tourist flow at the microscale is more complicated. This paper takes Dapeng Island located in Shenzhen as the study area and uses the car recognition devices to collect traffic flow. Firstly, car tourists are separated from the mixed traffic flow after analyzing the spatialtemporal characteristics of tourists and residents. Next, daily graphs of tourist movements between road segments and tourist attractions are constructed. Finally, a frequent subgraph mining algorithm is used to extract the flow patterns of car tourists. The experimental results show that (1) car tourists have obvious preferences in the selection of trip time and tourist attractions; (2) the intercity tourists tend to take multidestination trips rather than a single destination trip in the same type of attractions; (3) car tourists are inclined to park their cars in an easy-to-access place, even if the attractions visited are changed. The main contribution of this paper is to present a new method for discovering the flow patterns of car tourists hidden in massive amounts of license plate data., 1. Introduction Due to the flexibility and convenience of road transportation, car-based tourism (travel in owned or rented cars, also named driving tours [1], car tourism [2], and self-driving tours [...]