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Abstract The existing numerical models generally employ sulfate instead of nitrate to simulate the scattering properties of aerosol, the corresponding radiative deviation needs to be evaluated urgently. Moreover, the sophisticated mixture of nitrate, sulfate, and mineral particles is formed through a series of chemical reactions, which makes it extremely challenging to understand the scattering properties of atmospheric aerosols. In this study, the core–shell ellipsoid model is used to flexibly characterize the morphology and mixed structures of nitrate, sulfate, and mineral in the fine mode radius range. The T-matrix method is used to compare the scattering properties of nitrate, sulfate, and mineral within different morphologies and mixing states at four selected wavelengths (0.44, 0.675, 0.87, and 1.02 μm). The results show that the difference of mean extinction efficiency factor () and mean single scattering albedo () between nitrate and sulfate-containing particles is very small, mainly within 2%. However, their mean scattering phase function P11(θ) is quite different. The difference of forward scattering phase function P11(0) is up to 7%, while the difference of backward scattering phase function P11(π) can reach more than 25%. Overall, particle morphology and incident wavelength regulate the value of the optical parameters, whereas the coatings on the mineral play a more important role in drifting, but the differences between nitrate- and sulfate-containing particles are still very pronounced.

The occurrence, distribution, and rapid molecular detection technology of Heterodera zeae Koshy et al. 1971, have been reported in China. We explored the biological characteristics of H. zeae sampled in Henan Province, China to understand its interaction with plants. Cysts and second-stage juveniles (J2s) were identified under an optical and scanning electron microscope, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) phylogenetic tree, and sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR)-PCR analyses. The optimum hatching temperatures of H. zeae were 30°C and 28°C, with cumulative hatching rates of 16.5 and 16.1%, respectively, at 30 days post-hatching (dph). The hatching rate of H. zeae eggs was improved by 20- and 50-time maize soil leachate and root juice, and 10-time root exudates. The hatching rate in 10-time root exudates was the highest (25.9%). The 10-time root exudates of maize and millet produced the highest hatching rate at 30 dph (25.9 and 22.9%, respectively), followed by wheat (19.9%), barley (18.3%), and rice (17.6%). Heterodera zeae developed faster in maize than in other crops. Fourth-stage juveniles (J4s) were detected in maize roots 8 days post-inoculation (dpi) at 28°C but not in other crops. Combined with hatching tests, the Huang–Huai–Hai summer maize region and the south and central-southwest mountainous maize areas are highly suitable for H. zeae in China. This is the first systematically study of the hatching and infection characteristics on different plant hosts of corn cyst nematode H. zeae in temperate regions. This study laid a theoretical foundation for the rapid spread and high environmental adaptability of corn cyst nematode.

Abstract BackgroundInfectious disease–specific health literacy (IDSHL) is a crucial factor in the development of infectious diseases. It plays a significant role not only in mitigating the resurgence of infectious diseases but also in effectively averting the emergence of novel infections such as COVID-19. During the 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, China primarily adopted nonpharmaceutical interventions, advocating for people to avoid crowded places and wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Consequently, there has been a dearth of research concerning IDSHL and its corresponding focal points for health education. ObjectiveThis study aimed to (1) evaluate the changes in IDSHL scores between 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic) and 2022 (the postepidemic period of COVID-19) and (2) explore the risk factors affecting IDSHL using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. MethodsThis study used 2-round cross-sectional surveys, conducted in 2019 and 2022, respectively, in 30 counties in Zhejiang Province, China. Multiple-stage stratified random sampling was used to select households, and a Kish grid was used to identify participants. An identical standardized questionnaire consisting of 12 closed-ended questions was used to measure IDSHL scores before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (2019 and 2022). Standard descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, t ResultsThe 2-round cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2019 and 2022 yielded, out of 19,366 and 19,221 total questionnaires, 19,257 (99.44% response rate) and 18,857 (98.11% response rate) valid questionnaires, respectively. The correct response rate for the respiratory infectious diseases question “When coughing or sneezing, which of the following is correct?” increased from 29.10% in 2019 to 37.92% in 2022 (χ1Pχ1Pt1Pt1Pt1Pt1PPP ConclusionsWhen conducting health education, it is imperative to enhance efforts in nonrespiratory infectious disease health education, as well as respiratory infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Health education interventions should prioritize ethnic minority populations with a poor self-health status and low education.

ObjectiveTo examine the coverage and influencing factors of influenza and pneumococcal vaccines among urban and rural residents aged ≥ 50 years in Zhejiang province for promoting the vaccination of the two vaccines in the population. MethodsA face-to-face interview with a self-designed questionnaire was conducted during June of 2022 among 2 200 residents aged 50 years above recruited in 35 communities/villages of 7 districts/counties, Zhejiang province. The coverage of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination were statistically described and unconditional multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze main influencing factors of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination. ResultsOf the 2100 residents ultimately included in the analysis, 776 (36.95%) and 116 (5.52%) reported having influenza vaccination in past one year and pneumococcal vaccination in past five years, respectively. The results of unconditional multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the residents having the education of high school and above, with influenza vaccine-related awareness, being able to have free of charge vaccination, and ever receiving doctor’s relevant recommendation were more likely to have influenza vaccination and that the residents being able to have pneumococcal vaccination free of charge and ever receiving doctor’s relevant recommendation were more likely to have pneumococcal vaccination. The vaccinees of influenza and pneumococcal vaccine reported following similar vaccination motivations: receiving vaccination notification from community health centers (reported by 590 [76.03%] and 85 [73.28%] of the vaccinees), being promoted by suggestions of family members (400 [51.55%] and 67 [57.76%]), and self-intention to prevent the diseases (350 [45.49%] and 51 [43.97%]); while, the non-vaccinees of influenza and pneumococcal vaccine also reported similar reasons for not having the vaccinations, including without knowledge about influenza or pneumococcal vaccine (reported by 816 [61.63%] and 1 334 [63.52%] of the non-vaccinees), being worried about side effects of the vaccine (321 [24.24%] and 442 [22.28%]), and not perceiving vaccination necessity (296 [22.36%] and 472 [22.48%]). ConclusionThe vaccination rate of influenza and pneumococcal vaccine are relatively low and mainly influenced by the accessibility of vaccinations free of charge and recommendation on the vaccinations from medical professionals among residents aged ≥ 50 in Zhejiang province.

Background: In 2020, the WHO proposed the global strategic goal of accelerating the elimination of cervical cancer (CC). One of the key strategies is that, by 2030, 90% of girls will complete HPV vaccination by age 15. In 2017, HPV vaccines were first marketed in China. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the changes in parents’ knowledge about CC, HPV, HPV vaccines, and acceptance of HPV vaccination 5 years after the introduction of HPV vaccines into China. Associated factors and reasons for refusal by parents were also explored. Methods: A school-based follow-up study was conducted among parents in China from May 2018 to May 2023. Comparison using Chi-square tests was performed to measure the changes. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to explore factors associated with HPV vaccination among teenage girls. Results: The overall cognitive level in terms of CC- and HPV-related knowledge among parents increased, and they expressed more willingness to vaccinate their daughter (35.4% in 2018 vs. 56.6% in 2023). The HPV vaccination rate among teenage girls remained at a low level (4.4% in 2018, 9.8% in 2023). The main obstacles reported by parents were limited knowledge (42.0%), scarcity of the HPV vaccine (29.2%), waiting until their daughter was older (27.5%), safety concerns (14.7%), high cost (9.0%), and effectiveness concerns (4.6%). Parents who are elderly, local residents, have received HPV vaccines themselves, have had experience of vaccinating their children with influenza vaccines, and have a higher knowledge level of CC, HPV and HPV vaccines are more likely to vaccinate their children with HPV vaccines. Conclusions: Although we observed an increment in parents’ knowledge level in terms of CC, HPV, HPV vaccines, and HPV vaccine uptake over the past 5 years, the HPV vaccine coverage among girls still falls short of the WHO’s 2030 target. Comprehensive intervention strategies, including tailored health education among adolescents and their parents, doctor recommendations, and providing financial subsidies or free HPV vaccines are needed in China.

Abstract The rigid hull encasing Tartary buckwheat seeds necessitates a laborious dehulling process before flour milling, resulting in considerable nutrient loss. Investigation of lignin composition is pivotal in understanding the structural properties of tartary buckwheat seeds hulls, as lignin is key determinant of rigidity in plant cell walls, thus directly impacting the dehulling process. Here, the lignin composition of seed hulls from 274 Tartary buckwheat accessions is analyzed, unveiling a unique lignin chemotype primarily consisting of G lignin, a common feature in gymnosperms. Furthermore, the hardness of the seed hull showed a strong negative correlation with the S lignin content. Genome‐wide detection of selective sweeps uncovered that genes governing the biosynthesis of S lignin, specifically two caffeic acid O‐methyltransferases (COMTs) and one ferulate 5‐hydroxylases, are selected during domestication. This likely contributed to the increased S lignin content and decreased hardness of seed hulls from more domesticated varieties. Genome‐wide association studies identified robust associations between FtCOMT1 and the accumulation of S lignin in seed hull. Transgenic Arabidopsis comt1 plants expressing FtCOMT1 successfully reinstated S lignin content, confirming its conserved function across plant species. These findings provide valuable metabolic and genetic insights for the potential redesign of Tartary buckwheat seed hulls.

Abstract Background The chlorophyll content (CC) is a key factor affecting maize photosynthetic efficiency and the final yield. However, its genetic basis remains unclear. The development of statistical methods has enabled researchers to design and apply various GWAS models, including MLM, MLMM, SUPER, FarmCPU, BLINK and 3VmrMLM. Comparative analysis of their results can lead to more effective mining of key genes. Results The heritability of CC was 0.86. Six statistical models (MLM, BLINK, MLMM, FarmCPU, SUPER, and 3VmrMLM) and 1.25 million SNPs were used for the GWAS. A total of 140 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) were detected, with 3VmrMLM and MLM detecting the most (118) and fewest (3) QTNs, respectively. The QTNs were associated with 481 genes and explained 0.29-10.28% of the phenotypic variation. Additionally, 10 co-located QTNs were detected by at least two different models or methods, three co-located QTNs were identified in at least two different environments, and six co-located QTNs were detected by different models or methods in different environments. Moreover, 69 candidate genes within or near these stable QTNs were screened based on the B73 (RefGen_v2) genome. GRMZM2G110408 (ZmCCS3) was identified by multiple models and in multiple environments. The functional characterization of this gene indicated the encoded protein likely contributes to chlorophyll biosynthesis. In addition, the CC differed significantly between the haplotypes of the significant QTN in this gene, and CC was higher for haplotype 1. Conclusion This study’s results broaden our understanding of the genetic basis of CC, mining key genes related to CC and may be relevant for the ideotype-based breeding of new maize varieties with high photosynthetic efficiency.

ObjectivesThe worldwide popularity of electronic cigarettes (ECIG) is becoming a public health concern. Compared to conventional cigarettes (CIG), the harm caused by ECIG is more insidious. Studies have shown that lower health literacy (HL) is associated with CIG use; however, the relationship between HL and ECIG use remains controversial. Because ECIG emerged more recently than CIG, there are fewer relevant studies, and the sample populations and evaluation methods of HL in existing studies differ. This study conducted a large-sample survey to examine the relationship between HL and ECIG use.MethodsAs part of the 2022 China Health Literacy Survey, a total of 60,998 valid questionnaires were collected from September to November in 2022 using a stratified multistage probability proportional to the population size sampling frame. Chi-square tests and multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between HL and ECIG use. Some demographic variables were included as covariates in the analysis.ResultsThe study showed that the average HL score and the HL level of Zhejiang residents in 2022 were 42.8 and 30.8%, respectively. The prevalence of CIG and ECIG was 19.7 and 1.0%, respectively; 19% of participants exclusively used CIG, while only 0.3% of participants used ECIG exclusively; dual users accounted for 0.6%. After adjusting for covariates, adequate HL was associated with lower odds of ECIG-exclusive use (odds ratio [OR] = 0.452, p

Abstract Background Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) and GPI-anchored proteins (GAPs) are important for cell wall formation and reproductive development in Arabidopsis. However, monocot counterparts that function in kernel endosperm development have yet to be discovered. Here, we performed a multi-omic analysis to explore the function of GPI related genes on kernel development in maize. Results In maize, 48 counterparts of human GPI synthesis and lipid remodeling genes were identified, in which null mutation of the glucosaminyl-phosphatidylinositol O-acyltransferase1 gene, ZmGWT1, caused a kernel mutant (named gwt1) with defects in the basal endosperm transport layer (BETL). We performed plasma membrane (PM) proteomics to characterize the potential GAPs involved in kernel development. In total, 4,981 proteins were successfully identified in 10-DAP gwt1 kernels of mutant and wild-type (WT), including 1,638 membrane-anchored proteins with different posttranslational modifications. Forty-seven of the 256 predicted GAPs were differentially accumulated between gwt1 and WT. Two predicted BETL-specific GAPs (Zm00001d018837 and Zm00001d049834), which kept similar abundance at general proteome but with significantly decreased abundance at membrane proteome in gwt1 were highlighted. Conclusions Our results show the importance of GPI and GAPs for endosperm development and provide candidate genes for further investigation of the regulatory network in which ZmGWT1 participates.

Objective: To examine COVID-19 vaccine uptake and its determinants among teenagers and their parents in Zhejiang, China. Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted among parents of teenagers in Zhejiang, China from May 1 to 31, 2022. Data were interpreted via univariate and multivariate analyses using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) program. Results: A total of 11115 (96.11%) participants and 11449 (99.00%) of their children in Zhejiang, China had been vaccinated against COVID-19. Children whose parents did not receive COVID-19 vaccination were 19 times (aOR 18.96, 95%CI 12.36-29.08) more likely to be unvaccinated than their counterparts. In addition, children with no previous influenza vaccination, those whose parents doubted the COVID-19 vaccine’s safety or effectiveness, were 6.11 times (aOR 6.11, 95%CI 2.80-13.34), 8.27 times (aOR 8.27, 95%CI 5.33-12.83), and 2.69 times (aOR 2.69, 95%CI 1.11-6.50) more likely to be unvaccinated than their counterparts, respectively. COVID-19 vaccine uptake varied between different sociodemographic groups. However, the odds of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine decreased as age and education level increased. The main refusal reasons claimed by participants were that they had medical conditions that may not qualify them for vaccination (53.78%), followed by safety concerns about the vaccine (13.56%), not knowing where to get vaccinated (6.44%), and concerns about fertility issues (5.56%). Conclusions: Despite a highly encouraging level of COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Zhejiang, China, the elderly and highly educated people had lower COVID-19 vaccine uptake. It is suggested that tailored health education strategies should be taken to increase the COVID-19 vaccine uptake in such groups. Furthermore, with vaccination rates at such a high level, the pandemic is still ongoing, and public confidence in vaccines may decline. Thus, sufficient evidence-based information regarding COVID-19 vaccines should be provided to the public.

BackgroundInfectious disease–specific health literacy (IDSHL) has become an important determinant of infectious disease incidence. It can not only reduce the incidence of re-emerging infectious diseases, but also effectively prevent the emergence of new infectious diseases such as COVID-19. WeChat, as a new media, has been proven to greatly reduce the chance of infectious diseases spreading from person to person, especially in case of respiratory infections. However, there is currently no concrete health education invention program to improve IDSHL using a WeChat public account. ObjectiveThe aims of this study were as follows: (1) to determine the IDSHL of the population in Zhejiang, China; (2) to develop a health education program for the improvement of IDSHL using a WeChat public account; and (3) to evaluate the effectiveness of the health education program that was implemented in the prevention of infectious disease outbreaks. MethodsWe used a standardized questionnaire, which consisted of 28 closed-ended questions, to measure the level and score of IDSHL before and after intervention. A multiple-stage stratified random sampling technique was used to select study participants from Zhejiang province in China, who were further divided randomly into 2 groups: the intervention and control groups. From July 2014 to January 2015, a WeChat-based health education intervention program was carried out on the intervention group. Standard descriptive statistics and chi-square and t tests were conducted to analyze the data. ResultsA total of 3001 residents participated in the baseline survey of this study. At baseline, participant IDSHL rates were 73.29% and 72.12% for the intervention and control groups, respectively (Χ21=0.5; P=.50). After 7 months of intervention, 9.90% (297/3001) of participants dropped out of the study. Of the lost participants, 119 were from the intervention group and 178 were from the control group. There were significant differences between follow-up and lost participants with respect to age (P=.04), marital status (P=.02) and occupations (P=.002). After intervention, the intervention group scores in the different domains were higher than those in the control group (infectious disease–related knowledge, prevention, management, or treatment, identification of pathogens and infection sources, and cognitive ability). There were significant improvements in the IDSHL of participants in both the intervention and control groups (Χ21=135.9; P

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have emerged as a powerful tool for unraveling intricate genotype–phenotype association across various species. Maize (Zea mays L.), renowned for its extensive genetic diversity and rapid linkage disequilibrium (LD), stands as an exemplary candidate for GWAS. In maize, GWAS has made significant advancements by pinpointing numerous genetic loci and potential genes associated with complex traits, including responses to both abiotic and biotic stress. These discoveries hold the promise of enhancing adaptability and yield through effective breeding strategies. Nevertheless, the impact of environmental stress on crop growth and yield is evident in various agronomic traits. Therefore, understanding the complex genetic basis of these traits becomes paramount. This review delves into current and future prospectives aimed at yield, quality, and environmental stress resilience in maize and also addresses the challenges encountered during genomic selection and molecular breeding, all facilitated by the utilization of GWAS. Furthermore, the integration of omics, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, and phenomics has enriched our understanding of intricate traits in maize, thereby enhancing environmental stress tolerance and boosting maize production. Collectively, these insights not only advance our understanding of the genetic mechanism regulating complex traits but also propel the utilization of marker-assisted selection in maize molecular breeding programs, where GWAS plays a pivotal role. Therefore, GWAS provides robust support for delving into the genetic mechanism underlying complex traits in maize and enhancing breeding strategies.

Face swapping is an intriguing and intricate task in the field of computer vision. Currently, most mainstream face swapping methods employ face recognition models to extract identity features and inject them into the generation process. Nonetheless, such methods often struggle to effectively transfer identity information, which leads to generated results failing to achieve a high identity similarity to the source face. Furthermore, if we can accurately disentangle identity information, we can achieve controllable face swapping, thereby providing more choices to users. In pursuit of this goal, we propose a new face swapping framework (ControlFace) based on the disentanglement of identity information. We disentangle the structure and texture of the source face, encoding and characterizing them in the form of feature embeddings separately. According to the semantic level of each feature representation, we inject them into the corresponding feature mapper and fuse them adequately in the latent space of StyleGAN. Owing to such disentanglement of structure and texture, we are able to controllably transfer parts of the identity features. Extensive experiments and comparisons with state-of-the-art face swapping methods demonstrate the superiority of our face swapping framework in terms of transferring identity information, producing high-quality face images, and controllable face swapping.

Abstract Factories swiftly and precisely grasp the real-time data of the production instrumentation, which is the foundation for the development and progress of industrial intelligence in industrial production. Weather, light, angle, and other unknown circumstances, on the other hand, impair the image quality of meter dials in natural environments, resulting in poor dial image quality. The remote meter reading system has trouble recognizing dial pictures in extreme settings, challenging it to meet industrial production demands. This paper provides multiple attention and encoder–decoder-based gas meter recognition networks (MAEDR) for this problem. First, from the acquired dial photos, the dial images with extreme conditions such as overexposure, artifacts, blurring, incomplete display of characters, and occlusion are chosen to generate the gas meter dataset. Then, a new character recognition network is proposed utilizing multiple attention and an encoder–decoder structure. Convolutional neural networks (CNN) extract visual features from dial images, encode visual features employing multi-head self-attention and position information, and facilitate feature alignment using the connectionist temporal classification (CTC) method. A novel two-step attention decoder is presented to improve the accuracy of recognition results. convolutional block attention module (CBAM) reweights the visual features from the CNN and the semantic features computed by the encoder to improve model performance; long short-term memory attention (LSTM attention) focuses on the relationship between feature sequences. According to experimental data, our system can effectively and efficiently identify industrial gas meter picture digits with 91.1% identification accuracy, faster inference speed, and higher accuracy than standard algorithms. The accuracy and practicality of the recognition can fulfill the needs of instrument data detection and recognition in industrial production, and it has a wide range of applications.

Abstract Background Heterosis has been extensively utilized in plant breeding, however, the underlying molecular mechanism remains largely elusive. Maize (Zea mays), which exhibits strong heterosis, is an ideal material for studying heterosis. Results In this study, there is faster imbibition and development in reciprocal crossing Zhengdan958 hybrids than in their parent lines during seed germination. To investigate the mechanism of heterosis of maize germination, comparative transcriptomic analyses were conducted. The gene expression patterns showed that 1324 (47.27%) and 1592 (66.44%) of the differential expression genes between hybrids and either parental line display parental dominance up or higher levels in the reciprocal cross of Zhengdan958, respectively. Notably, these genes were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways, including carbon metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, etc. Conclusion Our results provide evidence for the higher expression level genes in hybrid involved in metabolic pathways acting as main contributors to maize seed germinating heterosis. These findings provide new insights into the gene expression variation of maize embryos and improve the understanding of maize seed germination heterosis.

Leaf angle (LA) is a key component of maize plant architecture that can simultaneously govern planting density and improve final yield. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying LA have not been fully addressed. To broaden our understanding of its genetic basis, we scored three LA-related traits on upper, middle, and low leaves of 492 maize inbred lines in five environments. Phenotypic data revealed that the three LA-related traits were normally distributed, and significant variation was observed among environments and genotypes. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was then performed to dissect the genetic factors that control natural variation in maize LA. In total, 85 significant SNPs (involving 32 non-redundant QTLs) were detected (p ≤ 2.04 × 10–6), and individual QTL explained 4.80%–24.09% of the phenotypic variation. Five co-located QTL were detected in at least two environments, and two QTLs were co-located with multiple LA-related traits. Forty-seven meta-QTLs were identified based on meta-analysis combing 294 LA-related QTLs extracted from 18 previously published studies, 816 genes were identified within these meta-QTLs, and seven co-located QTLs were jointly identified by both GWAS and meta-analysis. ZmULA1 was located in one of the co-located QTLs, qLA7, and its haplotypes, hap1 and hap2, differed significantly in LA-related traits. Interestingly, the temperate materials with hap2 had smallest LA. Finally, we also performed haplotype analysis using the reported genes that regulate LA, and identified a lot of maize germplasms that aggregated favorable haplotypes. These results will be helpful for elucidating the genetic basis of LA and breeding new maize varieties with ideal plant architecture.

Objective The current study aimed to assess the level of nicotine dependence and its influencing factors among daily smokers in Zhejiang, China.Setting The 2020 Global Adult Tobacco Survey was conducted in Zhejiang, China.Participants 1244 daily smokers aged ≥15 years.Measures Respondents were asked questions regarding their age, sex, residence, education level, occupation, household income, age of starting daily smoking and nicotine dependence.Results The findings revealed that 17.4% of daily smokers were highly dependent on nicotine, and the mean Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence score of daily smokers was (3.1±2.4). Age, educational level, occupation and age of starting daily smoking had significant effects on high nicotine dependence, whereas residence, sex and yearly household income were not significant factors. Compared with the age group ≥60 years, the proportion of respondents with a higher nicotine dependence level was lower in the age group of 15–39 years (OR=0.45). Daily smokers with a higher education level had a lower nicotine dependence level than those with a lower education level: primary or less (OR=3.07) and secondary (OR=2.62). Government institution staff (OR=4.02), unemployed persons (OR=3.08) and industrial workers (OR=2.46) had significantly higher nicotine dependence levels than did workers in the other occupation categories. People who started daily smoking at ≤18 years of age had a higher nicotine dependence level (OR=2.25) than those who started later.Conclusions This study elucidated that nearly one-fifth of daily smokers in Zhejiang, China, have high nicotine dependence levels. Improved health information on tobacco smoking is needed to encourage daily smokers to quit smoking, particularly among young males, unemployed persons and those with lower education levels.

Maize is one of the most important food and feed crops in China due to the high demand for its use by both humans and animals. The Huang-Huai-Hai region is a major maize cultivation area in China, and the special cropping rotation system of wheat and maize requires a suitable reproductive period for maize. The AUX/IAA and ARF transcription factors are two key genes that regulate auxin signals in plants, which play an important role during the process of auxin regulation in plant growth and development. In this study, we obtained two overexpressed lines of ZmIAA29 belonging to the AUX/IAA transcription factor family. Compared with the Wide type, the overexpressed strains of ZmIAA29 were significantly regulated in maize during the flowering time and had increased ear weight. Moreover, ZmIAA29 was assayed via the yeast two-hybrid and BiLUC systems for interaction, and the results showed that ZmIAA29 interacted with several ZmARF transcription factors. Furthermore, RNA-seq and DAP-seq analysis revealed that ZmIAA29 regulates maize growth and development by influencing pathways such as those for plant signal transduction and the key genes related to maize flowering. Taken together, our results suggest that ZmIAA29 plays a key role in the development of maize flowering. This study provides new insight for better understanding the combined regulation of the AUX/IAA and ARF transcription factors during flowering time in maize.

BackgroundHealth literacy (HL) is considered a crucial determinant of disease prevention and control. However, the role of HL in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has not been studied using provincial representative data among Chinese residents. This study aimed to assess the association between HL and COVID-19 awareness among Zhejiang residents based on the 2020 China Health Literacy Survey (CHLS).MethodsThe study was conducted among 5,596 residents aged 15–69 in Zhejiang using multistage, stratified, and probability proportional to size sampling. COVID-19 awareness and HL were assessed using the “Chinese Citizen Health Literacy Questionnaire (2020)” in Zhejiang. The covariates were divided into predisposing factors, enabling factors, and need factors according to Anderson's model. Data were analyzed by the chi-square test and logistic regression.ResultsThe study showed that HL and COVID-19 awareness levels of residents were 24.84% and 8.06%, respectively, in Zhejiang in 2020. After adjusting for covariates, residents with adequate HL were more likely to have better COVID-19 awareness (odds ratio [OR] = 5.22, 95% CI = 4.13–6.59, p < 0.001). Three dimensions of HL (knowledge and attitudes, behavior and lifestyle, and health-related skills) were associated with COVID-19 awareness. Additionally, COVID-19 awareness was associated with age, occupation, family size, annual household income, and chronic conditions.ConclusionCOVID-19 awareness is significantly associated with HL, suggesting that promoting HL is an important component of health education, disease prevention, and health promotion in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and even possible public health emergencies in the future.

Foliar application of nitrogen to enhance crop productivity has been widely used. Melatonin is an effective regulator in promoting plant growth. However, the effects of melatonin and the combination of melatonin and nitrogen on soybeans yields production remain largely unknown. In this study, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects and mechanisms of spraying leaves with melatonin and urea on soybeans. Foliar application of urea significantly increased soybean yields and melatonin did not affect the yields, while combination of melatonin and urea significantly reduced the yields compared to the application of urea alone. A leaf transcriptional profile was then carried out to reveal the underlying mechanism and found that foliar spraying of urea specifically induced the expression of genes related to amino acid transport and nitrogen metabolism. However, foliar application of melatonin significantly changed the transcriptional pattern established by urea application and increased the expression of genes related to abiotic stress signaling pathways. The effects of melatonin and urea treatment on soil microbiome were also investigated. Neither melatonin nor urea application altered the soil microbial alpha diversity, but melatonin application changed rhizosphere microbial community structure, whereas the combination of melatonin and urea did not. Melatonin or urea application altered the abundance of certain taxa. The number of taxa changed by melatonin treatment was higher than urea treatment. Collectively, our results provide new and valuable insights into the effects of foliar application of melatonin to urea and further show that melatonin exerts strong antagonistic effects on urea-induced soybean yields, gene expression and certain soil microorganisms.

Abstract Background Maize (Zea mays) ear length, which is an important yield component, exhibits strong heterosis. Understanding the potential molecular mechanisms of ear-length heterosis is critical for efficient yield-related breeding. Results Here, a joint netted pattern, including six parent-hybrid triplets, was designed on the basis of two maize lines harboring long (T121 line) and short (T126 line) ears. Global transcriptional profiling of young ears (containing meristem) was performed. Multiple comparative analyses revealed that 874 differentially expressed genes are mainly responsible for the ear-length variation between T121 and T126 lines. Among them, four key genes, Zm00001d049958, Zm00001d027359, Zm00001d048502 and Zm00001d052138, were identified as being related to meristem development, which corroborated their roles in the superior additive genetic effects on ear length in T121 line. Non-additive expression patterns were used to identify candidate genes related to ear-length heterosis. A non-additively expressed gene (Zm00001d050649) was associated with the timing of meristematic phase transition and was determined to be the homolog of tomato SELF PRUNING, which assists SINGLE FLOWER TRUSS in driving yield-related heterosis, indicating that Zm00001d050649 is a potential contributor to drive heterotic effect on ear length. Conclusion Our results suggest that inbred parents provide genetic and heterotic effects on the ear lengths of their corresponding F1 hybrids through two independent pathways. These findings provide comprehensive insights into the transcriptional regulation of ear length and improve the understanding of ear-length heterosis in maize.

BackgroundThe novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 is likely to spread from person to person in close-contact settings. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a handbook on COVID-19, which introduced health information to the public, specifically related to wearing masks correctly and adopting preventive measures to avoid COVID-19 infection. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the level of mask knowledge, behavior related to mask usage, and major information channels used for obtaining mask- and COVID-19–related information in China. MethodsAn internet-based survey was conducted primarily using DingXiang Doctor WeChat public accounts. The data about mask knowledge and behavior were collected and analyzed. In addition to descriptive statistics, logistic regression was used to analyze significant risk factors contributing to protective mask behavior. ResultsData were collected from a total of 10,304 respondents to the survey. More than half of the respondents were under 30 years old and nearly three-quarters were women. Over 80% of participants had a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the largest proportion of respondents (n=4204, 40.80%) were employed as business/service workers. Over half of the study participants were married (n=5302, 51.46%). The findings revealed that 67.49% (6954/10,304) of the participants practiced protective mask behavior; 97.93% (10,091/10,304) believed that wearing masks is an effective protective measure against COVID-19; 96.85% (9979/10,304) chose a mask that has two or more layers of washable, breathable fabric; and 70.57% (7272/10,304) wore the masks correctly. Gender, age, occupation, and education level had significant effects on behavior, whereas marital status and the infection status of family members were not significantly related to mask-wearing behavior. In addition, WeChat public accounts (9227/10,304, 89.55%) were the most prominent source of obtaining health information for Chinese netizens after the outbreak of COVID-19. ConclusionsThis study elucidated that Chinese netizens’ protective mask behavior is far lower than their mask-related knowledge. Improved information channels and adequate information on wearing masks are necessary to improve the public’s protective mask behavior, particularly among men, the elderly, and people with less education.

Serine/threonine protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) dephosphorylates proteins and plays crucial roles in plant growth, development, and stress response. In this study, we characterized a clade B member of maize PP2C family, i.e., ZmPP2C26, that negatively regulated drought tolerance by dephosphorylating ZmMAPK3 and ZmMAPK7 in maize. The ZmPP2C26 gene generated ZmPP2C26L and ZmPP2C26S isoforms through untypical alternative splicing. ZmPP2C26S lost 71 amino acids including an MAPK interaction motif and showed higher phosphatase activity than ZmPP2C26L. ZmPP2C26L directly interacted with, dephosphorylated ZmMAPK3 and ZmMAPK7, and localized in chloroplast and nucleus, but ZmPP2C26S only dephosphorylated ZmMAPK3 and localized in cytosol and nucleus. The expression of ZmPP2C26L and ZmPP2C26 was significantly inhibited by drought stress. Meanwhile, the maize zmpp2c26 mutant exhibited enhancement of drought tolerance with higher root length, root weight, chlorophyll content, and photosynthetic rate compared with wild type. However, overexpression of ZmPP2C26L and ZmPP2C26S significantly decreased drought tolerance in Arabidopsis and rice with lower root length, chlorophyll content, and photosynthetic rate. Phosphoproteomic analysis revealed that the ZmPP2C26 protein also altered phosphorylation level of proteins involved in photosynthesis. This study provides insights into understanding the mechanism of PP2C in response to abiotic stress.

Maize is an important cereal crop worldwide and is sensitive to abiotic stresses in fluctuant environments that seriously affect its growth, yield, and quality. The small heat shock protein (HSP20) plays a crucial role in protecting plants from abiotic stress. However, little is known about HSP20 in maize (ZmHSP20). In this study, 44 ZmHSP20s were identified, which were unequally distributed over 10 chromosomes, and 6 pairs of ZmHSP20s were tandemly presented. The gene structure of ZmHSP20s was highly conserved, with 95% (42) of the genes having no more than one intron. The analysis of the cis-element in ZmHSP20s promoter demonstrated large amounts of elements related to hormonal and abiotic stress responses, including abscisic acid (ABA), high temperature, and hypoxia. The ZmHSP20s protein had more than two conserved motifs that were predictably localized in the cytoplasm, nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, peroxisome, mitochondria, and plasma. Phylogenetic analysis using HSP20s in Arabidopsis, rice, maize, and Solanum tuberosum indicated that ZmHSP20s were classified into 11 categories, of which each category had unique subcellular localization. Approximately 80% (35) of ZmHSP20 were upregulated under heat stress at the maize seedling stage, whereas the opposite expression profiling of 10 genes under 37 and 48 °C was detected. A total of 20 genes were randomly selected to investigate their expression under treatments of ABA, gibberellin (GA), ethylene, low temperature, drought, and waterlogging, and the results displayed that more than half of these genes were downregulated while ZmHSP20-3, ZmHSP20-7, ZmHSP20-24, and ZmHSP20-44 were upregulated under 1 h treatment of ethylene. A yeast-one-hybrid experiment was conducted to analyze the binding of four heat stress transcription factors (ZmHSFs) with eight of the ZmHSP20s promoter sequences, in which ZmHSF3, ZmHSF13, and ZmHSF17 can bind to most of these selected ZmHSP20s promoters. Our results provided a valuable resource for studying HSP20s function and offering candidates for genetic improvement under abiotic stress.

The main characteristic of glioma is recurrence, even after intensive multidisciplinary treatment. Studies show that enhanced invasive ability will increase the ability of tumor cells to escape from the primary tumor mass, which is a key factor contributing to tumor relapse and recurrence. In this study, we assessed the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, two important matrix metallopeptidases that increase the invasive ability of glioma, and their suppressors, TIMP-1, TIMP-2 in glioma tissues from primary and recurrent glioma patients by immunohistochemistry. Glioma cells and nude mice were used for in vitro and in vivo studies. Results showed that the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in recurrent gliomas were significantly higher than those in primary gliomas (P = 3.075 × 10−11, P = 1.510 × 10−5, respectively). We also found that radiotherapy increased the expression of MMP-9, but had no effect on MMP-2 and TIMP-1/2. With glioma cell line U251, we found that irradiation increased the expression of MMP-9 in vitro. Tumor tissues from an orthotopic xenograft model showed that after irradiation treatment, the expression of MMP-9 increased significantly in vivo. We also found that knocking down MMP-9 decreased irradiation-induced invasion obviously. Above all, we concluded that higher expressions of MMP-2/-9 indicate poor prognosis in glioma recurrence. The increased expression of MMP-9 after radiotherapy suggests that MMP-9 might be an important target in the radiosensitization of glioma.

Link duration between two vehicles is considered an important quality of service metric in designing a network protocol for vehicular networks. There exist many works that study the probability density functions of link duration in a vehicular network given various vehicle mobility models, for example, the random waypoint model. None of them, however, provides a practical solution to estimating the link duration between two vehicles on the road. This is in part because link duration between vehicles is affected by many factors including the distance between vehicles, their turning directions at intersections, and the impact of traffic lights. Considering these factors, we propose the extended link duration prediction (ELDP) model which allows a vehicle to accurately estimate how long it will be connected to another vehicle. The ELDP model does not assume that vehicles follow certain mobility models; instead, it assumes that a vehicle's velocity follows the Normal distribution. We validate the ELDP model in both highway and city scenarios in simulations. Our detailed simulations illustrate that relative speed between vehicles plays a vital role in accurately predicting link duration in a vehicular network. On the other hand, we find that the turning directions of a vehicle at intersections have subtle impact on the prediction results.