Unraveling the influence of biogenic volatile organic compounds and their constituents on ozone and SOA formation within the Yellow River Basin, China.

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) assume a pivotal role during the formation stages of ozone (O3) and secondary organic aerosols (SOA), serving as their primary precursors. We used the latest MEGAN3.1 model, updated vegetation data and emission factors, combined with MODIS data analysis to simulate and estimate the integrated emissions of BVOC from nine provinces in China's Yellow River Basin in 2018. Following an extensive evaluation of the WRF-CMAQ model utilizing diverse parameters, the simulated and observed values had correlation coefficients between them that ranged from 0.94 to 0.99, implying a favorable outcome in terms of simulation efficacy. The findings from the simulation analysis reveal that the combined BVOC emissions from the nine provinces in the Yellow River Basin reached a total of 6.51 Tg in 2018. Among these provinces, Sichuan, Henan, and Shaanxi ranked highest, with emissions of 1.28 Tg, 1.04 Tg, and 0.96 Tg, respectively. BVOC emissions led to concentrations of 36.72 µg/m³ in the daily maximum 8-h ozone and 0.59 µg/m³ in the average SOA in nine provinces of the Yellow River Basin in July. Isoprene contributed the most to the O3 production with 6.31 µg/m3, and monoterpenes contributed the most to SOA production with 0.45 µg/m3. ΔSOA and ΔOzone are mainly distributed in the belts of central Sichuan Province, southern Shaanxi Province, western Henan Province, northern Qinghai Province, central Inner Mongolia, and southern Shanxi Province, and most of these areas are located 50 km around the Yellow River. O3 and SOA in Taiyuan, Xi'an, Chengdu, and Zhengzhou cities are strongly influenced by the generation of BVOCs. This study provides a reliable scientific basis for the prevention and control of air pollution in the Yellow River Basin.

Analysis of Dynamic Evolution and Spatial-Temporal Heterogeneity of Carbon Emissions at County Level along "The Belt and Road"-A Case Study of Northwest China.

Northwest region is the main energy supply and consumption area in China. Scientifically estimating carbon emissions (CE) at the county level and analyzing the spatial-temporal characteristics and influencing factors of CE in a long time series are of great significance for formulating targeted CE reduction plans. In this paper, Landscan data are used to assist NPP-VIIRS-like data to simulate the CE from 2001 to 2019. Spatial-temporal heterogeneity of CE was analyzed by using a two-stage nested Theil index and geographically and temporally weighted regression model (GTWR). The CE in northwest China at the county increases yearly while the growth rate slows down from 2001 to 2019. The spatial pattern forms a circle expansion centered on the high-value areas represented by the provincial capital, which is also obvious at the border between Shaanxi and Ningxia. Axial expansion along the Hexi Corridor is conspicuous. The spatial pattern of CE conforms to the Pareto principle; the spatial correlation of CE in northwest counties is increasing year by year, and the high-high agglomeration areas are expanding continuously. It is an obvious high carbon spillover effect. Restricted by the ecological environment, the southwest of Qinghai and the Qinling-Daba Mountain area are stable low-low agglomeration areas. The spatial pattern of CE in northwest China shows remarkable spatial heterogeneity. The difference within regions is greater than that between regions. The "convergence within groups and divergence between groups" changing trend is obvious. According to the five-year socioeconomic indicators, the economic scale (GDP), population scale (POP), and urbanization level (UR) are the main influencing factors. The direction and intensity of the effect have changed in time and space. The same factor shows different action intensities in different regions.

Insecticide Susceptibility and Mechanism of Spodoptera frugiperda on Different Host Plants.

Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) is a worldwide economically important crop pest. Although the individuals of S. frugiperda that invaded China have been characterized as the corn strain, they also have the ability to damage other crops in China. The physiological and behavioral responses of S. frugiperda to different host plants are poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the host plant preference, fitness costs, and differences in detoxification gene expression and microbiome composition between two S. frugiperda strains that fed on different crop plant diets. The results showed that S. frugiperda larvae exhibited no obvious preference for corn or rice, but significant suppression of development was observed in the rice-fed strain. In addition, the corn-fed strain showed higher insecticide tolerance and detoxification enzyme activities than the rice-fed strain. Moreover, multiple detoxification genes were upregulated in the corn-fed strain, and microbiome composition variation was observed between the two strains. Together, the results suggest that population-specific plasticity is related to host plant diets in S. frugiperda. These results provide a theoretical basis for the evolution of resistance differences in S. frugiperda and are helpful for designing resistance management strategies for S. frugiperda aimed at different crops.

Multiple resistance mechanisms to penoxsulam in Echinochloa crus-galli from China.

Penoxsulam is an important herbicide for the control of Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. Two resistant populations 17GA (R1) and 16NXB (R2) showed 17- and 3-fold resistance to penoxsulam, respectively. A known resistance mutation of Trp-574-Leu in ALS gene and enhanced rates of penoxsulam metabolism likely involving GST contribute to penoxsulam resistance in R1 population. This population had resistance to the ALS-inhibitors pyribenzoxim and bispyribac­sodium and the auxin herbicide quinclorac, but was susceptible to ACCase-inhibitors quizalofop-p-ethyl and cyhalofop-butyl. No known mutations in the ALS gene conferring target site resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides were presented in R2 population. However, penoxsulam metabolism in R2 plants was about 4-fold greater than in susceptible population 14YC (S0) plants. The enzyme inhibitors piperonyl butoxide, malathion and 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzoxadiazole reversed penoxsulam resistance in this population. GST and P450 enzyme activities and the genes of GST1-1, GST1-2, GST1-3, CYP81A18, CYP81A12, CYP81A21 were increased significantly in R2 population. These results indicate that multiple resistance mechanisms had occurred in E. crus-galli populations in central China and resistance needs to be managed effectively by diverse chemical and non-chemical methods.

Outcomes of Ischemic Stroke and Associated Factors Among Elderly Patients With Large-Artery Atherosclerosis: A Hospital-Based Follow-Up Study in China.

Large-artery atherosclerotic (LAA) stroke is the most common subtype of ischemic stroke. However, risk factors for long-term outcomes of LAA stroke in the elderly Chinese population have not been well-described. Therefore, we aimed to assess outcomes and risk factors at 3, 12, and 36 months after LAA stroke onset among stroke patients aged 60 years and older. All consecutive LAA patients aged ≥ 60 years were prospectively recruited from Dongying People's Hospital between January 2016 and December 2018. The clinical features and outcome data at 3, 12, and 36 months after stroke were collected. Differences in outcomes and relationship between outcomes and risk factors were assessed. A total of 1,772 patients were included in our study (61.7% male, 38.3% female). The rates of mortality, recurrence, and dependency were 6.6, 12.6, and 12.6%, respectively, at 3 months after stroke onset. The corresponding rate rose rapidly at 36 months (23.2, 78.7, and 79.7%, respectively). We found the positive predictors associated outcomes at 3, 12, and 36 months after stroke onset. The relative risk (RR) with 95% confidential interval (CI) is 1.06 (1.02-1.10, P = 0.006) at 3 months, 1.06 (1.02-1.10, P = 0.003) at12 months, and 1.10 (1.05-1.15, P < 0.001) at 36 months after stroke onset for age; 1.09 (1.01-1.19, P = 0.029) at 12 months for fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level; 4.25 (2.14-8.43, P < 0.001) at 3 months, 4.95 (2.70-9.10, P < 0.001) at 12 months, and 4.82 (2.25-10.32, P < 0.001) at 36 months for moderate stroke; 7.56 (3.42-16.72, P < 0.001) at 3 months, 11.08 (5.26-23.34, P < 0.001) at 12 months, and 14.30 (4.85-42.11, P < 0.001) at 36 months for severe stroke, compared to mild stroke. Hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level was an independent risk factor for mortality at different follow-up times, with the RR (95%) of 1.02 (1.01-1.02, P < 0.001) at 3 months, 1.01 (1.00-1.02, P = 0.002) at 12 months. White blood cell count (WBC) level was associated with both stroke recurrence (RR = 1.09, 95%CI: 1.01-1.18, P = 0.023) and dependency (RR = 1.10, 95%CI: 1.02-1.19, P = 0.018) at 3 months. In contrast, a higher level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) within the normal range was a protective factor for recurrence and dependency at shorter follow-up times, with the RR (95%) of 0.67 (0.51-0.89, P = 0.005) and 0.67 (0.50-0.88, P = 0.005), respectively. These findings suggest that it is necessary to control the risk factors of LAA to reduce the burden of LAA stroke. Especially, this study provides a new challenge to explore the possibility of lowering LDL-C level for improved stroke prognosis.

Association of alcohol consumption with prognosis of ischemic stroke by subtype in different follow-up periods: a hospital-based study in China.

OBJECTIVES: Alcohol consumption is a risk factor for stroke. However, there are no available data on the effect of alcohol consumption on the long-term outcome of ischemic stroke in China. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the association of alcohol consumption with the prognosis of ischemic stroke by subtype in different follow-up periods after stroke. METHODS: This 12-month follow-up study recruited 3830 acute ischemic stroke patients from Tianjin, China, between 2016 and 2018. Patients were categorized into two groups according to their consumption of alcohol. Differences in mortality, recurrence, and dependency rates at 3 and 12 months after stroke were compared between both groups. RESULTS: The mortality, recurrence, and dependency rates at 12 months after stroke were significantly higher in patients who previously consumed alcohol than in those without previous alcohol consumption (all P < 0.005). A similar trend was observed for mortality rate at 3 months after stroke (P < 0.001). The risk of death at 3 months after an atherothrombotic stroke decreased by 63.4% (relative risk [RR], 0.366; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.144-0.935) among patients who previously consumed alcohol compared with those who never consumed alcohol. Moreover, for patients with small artery disease classified according to the Trial of ORG 10,172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST), the recurrence and dependency rates at 12 months after stroke decreased by 49.2% (RR, 0.508; 95% CI, 0.259-0.996) and 49.5% (RR, 0.505; 95% CI, 0.258-0.990), respectively, among patients who consumed alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: Previous alcohol consumption decreased the risk of death at 3 months after stroke among patients with atherothrombotic stroke according to the TOAST classification. Furthermore, for patients with small artery disease (according to TOAST classification), alcohol consumption significantly decreased the risk of recurrence and dependency at 12 months after stroke. This study highlights an urgent need to quantify the association of alcohol consumption with outcomes after stroke in China to improve stroke prognosis.