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To promote sustainable development, the Chinese government launched a new municipal solid waste (MSW) classification strategy in 2017. Shanghai was selected as one of the first pilot cities for MSW classification. The Shanghai municipal government first established the new MSW classification policy in 2017. The Shanghai Municipal Solid Waste Management Regulation was published in 2019 and came into effect on 1 July 2019. This short communication reports on Shanghai’s new MSW classification policy and its implementation. The main content and measures adopted by Shanghai’s government to ensure the effective implementation of the new MSW classification policy are introduced. Besides, a SWOT (i.e., strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis on the present policy and measures is conducted, and based on the results, some discussions and suggestions regarding the implementation of MSW classification in Shanghai and the whole of China are presented.

Background Anthurium andraeanum , an important ornamental flower, has to go through a growth-delaying period after transfer from tissue culture to soil, which requires time and extra costs. Furthermore, during this period, the plantlets are highly susceptible to bacterial infections, which results in impaired development and severe losses. Here, we aimed to address whether application of the endophytic fungus, Piriformospora indica protects the A. andraeanum root system during the critical propagation period, and whether P. indica reduce the mortality rate by stimulating the host’s resistance against diseases. Results We demonstrate that P. indica shortens the recovery period of Anthurium , promotes growth and confers disease resistance. The beneficial effect of P. indica results in faster elongation of Anthurium roots early in the interaction. P. indica -colonized plants absorb more phosphorus and exhibit higher photosynthesis rates than uncolonized control plants. Moreover, higher activities of stress-related enzymes, of jasmonic acid levels and mRNA levels of jasmonic acid-responsive genes suggest that the fungus prepares the plant to respond more efficiently to potentially upcoming threats, including bacterial wilt. Conclusion These results suggest that P. indica is a helpful symbiont for promoting Anthurium rooting and development. All our evidences are sufficient to support the disease resistance conferred by P. indica through the plant-fungal symbiosis. Furthermore, it implicates that P. indica has strong potential as bio-fertilizer for utilization in ornamental plant cultivation.

PoDPBT, an O‐benzoyltransferase belonging to the BAHD family, can catalyze the benzoylation of 8‐debenzoylpaeoniflorin to paeoniflorin. PoDPBT is the first enzyme demonstrated to be involved in the modification stage of paeoniflorin biosynthesis. DFGGG, a new DFGWG‐like motif, was revealed in the BAHD family. The transcriptome database provides a resource for further investigation of other enzyme genes involved in paeoniflorin biosynthesis.

The main by-product of the wheat germ oil extraction process is a defatted wheat germ meal, which has a relatively high protein content, making it an attractive and promising source of vegetable proteins. Four protein fractions (albumin, globulin, prolamine, and glutelin) and protein isolate from defatted wheat germ flour (DWGF) were fractionated and then characterized by amino acid analysis, SDS-PAGE, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Albumin was the major fraction (34.5%) extracted, followed by globulin (15.6%), glutelin (10.6%), and prolamine (4.6%). Protein isolate was mainly composed of albumin and globulin. These protein fractions and protein isolate showed an excellent balance of all essential amino acids, with a relatively high level of glutamic acid, arginine, leucine, and glycine, whereas cystine was lacking. All the estimated nutritional quality parameters based on amino acids composition showed that defatted wheat germ proteins had good nutritional quality. Nonreduced and reduced SDS-PAGE analyses showed that S-S bonds were deficient in the structure of wheat germ proteins. The albumin fraction consisted of 19 major polypeptide bands with M(r) 14,000-84,000. The globulin fraction showed four distinct polypeptides or polypeptide group bands with M(r) 55,000, 37,000-43,000, 24,000, and 12,000-20,000, which may be the components of the 8S-type and 11S-like proteins. The prolamine fraction showed a predominant doublet-like band at M(r) 17,000-16,000, while the glutelin fraction showed five major polypeptide bands with M(r) 39,000, 20,000, 18,000, 17,000, and 14,000. Protein isolate and DWGF showed very similar SDS-PAGE patterns. Except for prolamine and glutelin fractions without detectable calorimetric response, the globulin fraction possessed the highest thermal stability (T(d) = 83.80 degrees C, deltaH =1.36 J/g), followed by protein isolate (T(d) = 80.05 degrees C, deltaH = 0.76 J/g), while the albumin fraction was lowest (T(d) = 69.72 degrees C, deltaH = 0.53 J/g). The findings on defatted wheat germ proteins are important for their potential application as functional food ingredients.

Incorporating green tea powder (GTP) into dried noodles enriched the functional characteristics of noodles. To achieve the maximum benefits from GTP, the water cooking stability of dried green tea noodles (DGTN) should be investigated. Indeed, antioxidant activities and phenolic compounds of DGTN after water cooking markedly decreased. The results showed that large GTP particles caused the increased cooking loss of DGTN, but the phenolic compound loss of DGTN prepared with them was low after cooking. Analysis of texture properties and microstructure showed that DGTN with a 2% concentration of large GTP particles formed some holes in the noodles’ network, and its breaking strength decreased. However, we observed that many GTP particles adhered to the surface of DGTN prepared with small GTP particles, and they were easier to lose after water cooking. Comprehensive analysis concluded that cooking loss, functional compounds retention and textural properties of DGTN were related to GTP particle size and concentration via the microstructure.

Whole wheat flour contains many nutrients which is mainly located in wheat bran, but it has a poor bioavailability because of the massive presence of antinutritional factor phytate. To improve the bioavailability, steam flash explosion (SFE) was first employed to phytate degradation in wheat bran. Five levels of steam pressure (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 MPa) and six levels of residence time (30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 s) were used to investigate the phytate and color changes of wheat bran treated by SFE. The optimum process was determined at steam pressure of 2.5 MPa and residence time of 60 s. Under this process, the satisfactory phytate degradation (around 87 %) could be obtained, whereas the degree of color deepening of treated wheat bran is proportional to the phytate degradation. Observation of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the structure of wheat bran was completely destroyed by SFE. This destruction causes the phytate to be exposed to high temperature and high pressure and consequently degraded. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) results indicated that SFE could effectively change phytate into low inositol phosphate salts. As shown in the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy analysis, this change was attributed to the decomposition of phytate by interrupting the P–O–C group. Overall, phytate degradation in wheat bran during SFE attributed to the interaction of high pressure, high temperature, and acid hydrolysis.

Background Without targets, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the worst prognosis in all subtypes of breast cancer (BC). Recently, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 m (eIF3m) has been declared to be involved in the malignant progression of various neoplasms. The aim of this study is to explore biological functions of eIF3m in TNBC. Methods Multiple databases, including Oncomine, KM-plotter and so on, were performed to analyze prognosis and function of eIF3m in TNBC. After transfection of eIF3m-shRNA lentivirus, CCK-8, colony formation assay, cell cycle analysis, wound healing assay, transwell assays, mitochondrial membrane potential assay and cell apoptosis analysis were performed to explore the roles of eIF3m in TNBC cell bio-behaviors. In addition, western blotting was conducted to analyze the potential molecular mechanisms of eIF3m. Results In multiple databases, up-regulated eIF3m had lower overall survival, relapse-free survival and post progression survival in BC. EIF3m expression in TNBC was obviously higher than in non-TNBC or normal breast tissues. Its expression in TNBC was positively related to differentiation, lymph node invasion and distant metastasis. After knockdown of eIF3m, cell proliferation, migration, invasion and levels of mitochondrial membrane potential of MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-436 were all significantly suppressed, while apoptosis rates of them were obviously increased. In addition, eIF3m could regulate cell-cycle, epithelial–mesenchymal transition and apoptosis-related proteins. Combined with public databases and RT-qPCR, 14 genes were identified to be modulated by eIF3m in the development of TNBC. Conclusions eIF3m is an unfavorable indicator of TNBC, and plays a vital role in the process of TNBC tumorigenesis.

BackgroundThere is epidemiological evidence which suggests an association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and bone and muscle function; however, it is unclear whether vitamin D supplementation has an added benefit beyond bone health. Here, we investigated the effects of vitamin D3 supplementation (1 month) on physical performance in Chinese university students in winter.MethodsOne hundred and seventeen eligible subjects with 25(OH)D (19.2 ± 7.8 ng/mL) were randomly assigned to either vitamin D3 supplement (N = 56; 1000 IU/day) or the control (N = 61) group for 1 month. Pre- and post-measurements included: 1) serum levels of 25(OH)D; 2) musculoskeletal and pulmonary function [vertical jump height (VJH) and right handgrip strength (RHS), forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced expiratory volume at 1s (FEV1)]; 3) bone turnover markers [parathyroid hormone (PTH), n-terminal osteocalcin (N-MID), and calcium]; 4) hemoglobin-related parameters [hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (HCT), red blood cells (RBC), and red cell distribution width (RDW)]; 5) lipid parameters [total triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)]; 6) Fatigue-related indicators [serum creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and total testosterone (T)]. In addition, aerobic capacity was assessed by measuring maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) at baseline.ResultsDuring wintertime, supplementation with 1000 IU/d of vitamin D3 significantly increased serum 25(OH)D levels (from 18.85 ± 7.04 to 26.98 ± 5.88 ng/mL, p < 0.05), accompanied by a decrease of PTH (p < 0.05). However, vitamin D3 supplementation did not significantly impact the physical performance, serum lipid parameters, and bone turnover markers of students. Furthermore, 25(OH)D was found to be positively correlated with VJH and negatively correlated with PTH and TC at the beginning and end of the study (p < 0.05). In addition, the multiple linear regression analysis showed that 25(OH)D combined with athletic, gender, height, weight, Hb, and FVC could account for 84.0% of the VO2max value.ConclusionsThe study demonstrated that one-month of 1000 IU/d of vitamin D3 supplementation during the winter had beneficial effects on 25(OH)D status and PTH. However, vitamin D3 intervention was not sufficient to improve physical performance. Furthermore, 25(OH)D levels combined with athletic, Hb and FVC could be a predictor of VO2max.

Eukaryotic initiation factor 3 subunit M (EIF3M) is required for key steps in the initiation of protein synthesis, and dysregulation of EIF3M is associated with tumorigenesis. This study aimed to explore the clinicopathological and prognostic role of EIF3M in patients with colon adenocarcinoma. A total of 82 pathology specimens, 20 freeze-thawed tumors and 80 healthy controls were used to investigate the expression of EIF3M in colon adenocarcinoma through immunohistochemistry, western blotting, RT-qPCR and ELISA. In addition, Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analysis were used to analyze overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Furthermore, the Oncomine database was used for analyzing EIF3M expression. The positive rate of EIF3M in colon adenocarcinoma was higher compared with that in normal colon tissues (62.20% vs. 29.27%; P<0.001). The mean score of EIF3M was also higher in colon adenocarcinoma compared with normal colon tissue (17.28±10.05 vs. 6.53±4.87; P<0.001). The levels of EIF3M expression in freeze-thawed tumors and serum from 20 patients with colon adenocarcinoma were higher than those in normal tissues and serum from healthy controls, respectively (P<0.001). In addition, positive expression of EIF3M was associated with tumor size (P=0.002) and Dukes' stage (P<0.001). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, EIF3M expression was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P=0.003) and DFS (P=0.001). Oncomine database analysis showed a higher expression of EIF3M expression in colon adenocarcinoma compared with normal colon tissues, colon squamous cell carcinomas or gastrointestinal stromal tumors. In conclusion, EIF3M expression was associated with tumor size and Dukes' stage in colon adenocarcinoma. Hence, EIF3M is a potential prognostic indicator for colon adenocarcinoma.

Enrichment of gluten-free bread (GFB) with mushroom polysaccharide and prebiotic is necessary to enhance its organoleptic and health attributes. This work investigated the enrichment effect of the GFB with Agaricus bisporus polysaccharide (ABP) flour and inulin. Volatile compounds, as well as the antioxidant and structural properties of the fortified GFB were evaluated. Sweet potato-glutinous rice flour was fortified with ABP flour and the same with inulin at different levels (3, 6 and 9%), besides a constant percentage of xanthan gum (0.5%) was added to all the blends. Addition of ABP flour resulted in higher levels of volatile compounds compared to inulin addition and the control. ABP flour formulation (F 3 ) had the highest total phenolic content (19.05 mg GAE/g), reducing power (5.31 mg/mL, EC 50 value), DPPH (6.85 mg/mL, EC 50 value), ABTS (8.86 mg/mL, EC 50 value) radical-scavenging activities, and β-carotene bleaching (13.22 mg/mL, EC 50 value). Conversely, the control and inulin formulation (F 1 ) showed the lowest levels of these activities. The micrographs of the ABP flour formulations showed polyhedral, aggregated, and some spherical granules, whereas inulin formulations revealed spherical granules bound together with deformed granules. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the presence of the amide I band and both α- and β-glycosidic linkages. The current findings exhibited that ABP flour and inulin had good attributes to improve the antioxidant activity of GFB and modify its structural characteristics.