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Three common floating bed plants, Eichhornia crassipes, Pistia stratiotes, and Ipomoea aquatica, were selected in the present study to investigate their inhibitory effects on toxic Microcystis aeruginosa. The results showed that all three types of floating-bed plants could considerably inhibit the growth of M. aeruginosa and effectively remove the microcystins (MCs) from water systems, among which, E. crassipes and P. stratiotes were more effective in resisting M. aeruginosa, and the removal rate of the intracellular MCs could be up to 100%. In addition, the roots and leaves of the three plants were enriched with a large number of MCs and demonstrated significant antioxidant responses, as evidenced by the increase in the content of catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the roots, stems, and leaves of the plants. Furthermore, this study also showed that Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Myxococcota, Verrucomicrobiota, and Actinobacteriota dominated the root microorganisms of the three plants. Moreover, a variety of MC-degrading bacteria, including Sphingomonas, Acinetobacter, Novosphingobium, and Pseudomonas, were found at the genus level, which further provides important basic data for the regulation of eutrophic water bodies and the removal of MCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization has increased the areas of urban forests that store considerable soil carbon (C). Different soil C fractions may show distinctive contents and spatial patterns in view of their contrasting sensitivities to various drivers. However, current studies on soil C fractions are mostly limited to natural ecosystems and little is known about the large‐scale patterns and drivers of soil C fractions in urban forests. Based on a field survey of urban forests across a north–south transect in eastern China, we analysed the spatial variations and main drivers of topsoil (surface layer, 0–10 cm; subsurface layer, 10–20 cm) C fractions (i.e., soil organic C, SOC; soil inorganic C, SIC; particulate organic C, POC; mineral‐associated organic C, MAOC). Our results showed that topsoil contents of POC, MAOC and SOC changed non‐linearly with latitude, with lowest values occurring in the cities in the warm temperate region. In contrast, SIC content showed the highest values in the warm temperate region. POC instead of MAOC was found to be a major fraction of SOC in urban forests. The spatial variation in topsoil POC content was mainly explained by mean annual temperature, soil clay and silt content, and park age. The spatial variation in MAOC content was mainly explained by soil clay and silt content, mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature and park age. In contrast, the spatial variation in SIC content was mainly explained by mean annual precipitation and soil pH. These findings demonstrate distinct features of different soil C fractions in urban forests and provide useful implications for urban soil carbon management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs), produced by reverse splicing, act as important players in human cancers. We aimed to assess the biological functions of circRNA pituitary homeobox 1 (circ‐PITX1) in non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: qRT‐PCR was employed to determine RNA expression. Biological behaviors of NSCLC cells were assessed by CCK‐8, colony formation, EdU assay, flow cytometry, wound healing, and transwell assays. Glutamine catabolism was examined via the measurement of glutamine consumption, α‐ketoglutarate levels, as well as ATP levels. Protein levels were detected by western blot assays. Dual‐luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were performed to reveal the mechanism responsible for circ‐PITX1 regulating NSCLC cell malignancy. The murine xenograft model was established to investigate circ‐PITX1's effect on tumor formation. Results: Circ‐PITX1 was overexpressed in NSCLC tissue samples and cells. Its low expression repressed NSCLC cell proliferation and motility. Moreover, our data revealed its downregulation inhibited glutamine catabolism and tumor formation and promoted cell apoptosis. In addition, circ‐PITX1 bound to miR‐615‐5p, and its inhibitory effect on tumor cellular behaviors could be reversed after decreasing miR‐615‐5p expression. The miRNA targeted E26 transformation specific‐1 (ETS1), whose upregulation abolished miR‐615‐5p overexpression‐induced effects in NSCLC cells. Furthermore, circ‐PITX1 positively modulated ETS1 production through interaction with miR‐615‐5p. Conclusion: Circ‐PITX1 facilitated NSCLC progression via modulating miR‐615‐5p/ETS1 pathway.Circ‐PITX1 deficiency inhibited malignant growth of NSCLC cells by decreasing ETS1 expression through miR‐615‐5p. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human activities have resulted in the eutrophication of rivers, leading to heightened concerns regarding the occurrence of filamentous algal blooms. With the increasing utilization of rivers by humans, the occurrence of these nuisance filamentous algae is expected to increase in frequency in the future. Blooms primarily occur due to energy congestion at the trophic level of primary producers, resulting from inefficient energy flow in both the bottom-up and top-down pathways. To investigate the mechanism underlying the outbreak of filamentous algae, two streams in the southern Taihang catchment with different nutrient conditions were selected for this study. The objective of this study was to understand the effects of nutrient levels and other potential factors on the distribution and succession of filamentous algae. Our findings revealed a positive correlation between nutrient conditions and the biomass of filamentous algae. Cladophora and Spirogyra were identified as the dominant species among filamentous algae, each exhibiting unique distribution patterns in the two streams. Spirogyra thrived predominantly in the Baligou stream, where lower nutrient levels and warmer temperatures prevailed. In contrast, Cladophora flourished in the nutrient-rich Nanping stream at colder temperatures. Results from the generalized linear model indicated that the biomass of Cladophora was influenced by nutrient concentration, water depth, water temperature, and macrobenthic biomass. The biomass of Spirogyra, on the other hand, was primarily determined by water temperature, nutrient concentrations, water depth, and velocity. The positive correlation between Cladophora and macrobenthos revealed a possible mutually beneficial relationship, suggesting that macrobenthos may promote the growth of Cladophora by inhibiting periphytic diatoms. In return, the macrobenthos benefit from a secure refuge and an environment conducive to foraging and reproduction. This study suggested that to alleviate energy flow congestion in the benthic food chain, it is advisable to address this issue by either reducing nutrient loadings in rivers or enhancing the presence of benthivorous fishes in streams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perovskite LaCoO3 is a subject of extensive and ongoing investigation due to the delicate competition between high‐spin (HS) and low‐spin (LS) states of Co3+. On the other hand, their indistinct free energy boundary poses a significant challenge to annihilate the magnetically/electrically inert LS Co3+ for yielding fully HS state. Here, electronic transformation from the conventional isovalent mixed HS/LS state (La[CoHS3+,CoLS3+]O3${\mathrm{La}}[ {{\mathrm{Co}}_{HS}^{3 + },{\mathrm{Co}}_{LS}^{3 + }} ]{{{\mathrm{O}}}_3}$) into an unprecedented aliovalent fully HS state (La[CoHS3+,CoHS2+]O3${\mathrm{La}}[{\mathrm{Co}}_{HS}^{3 + },{\mathrm{Co}}_{HS}^{2 + }]{{{\mathrm{O}}}_3}$) is demonstrated in monolayer LaCoO3 confined by 5d SrIrO3 slabs via atomically constructing SrIrO3/LaCoO3 superlattices. Excitingly, this emergent fully HS La[CoHS3+,CoHS2+]O3${\mathrm{La}}[ {{\mathrm{Co}}_{HS}^{3 + },{\mathrm{Co}}_{HS}^{2 + }} ]{{{\mathrm{O}}}_3}$ monolayer exhibits not only remarkable 2D ferromagnetism beyond the Mermin–Wagner restriction, but also larger magnetization (≈1.8µB/Co) and higher Curie temperature (above 100 K) than that of conventional La[CoHS3+,CoLS3+]O3${\mathrm{La}}[ {{\mathrm{Co}}_{HS}^{3 + },{\mathrm{Co}}_{LS}^{3 + }} ]{{{\mathrm{O}}}_3}$ thick film and any previously reported oxide‐based monolayer ferromagnets. Furthermore, Ir/Co hybridization driven orbital reconstruction with polarization beyond standard crystal field expectations is observed, which is supported by DFT calculations. The findings not only expand the electronic phase domains of LCO into fully HS state, but also provide a fresh platform for investigating the 2D magnetic physics under strongly spin‐orbit coupled regime and developing new 2D spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Background] Soil-water characteristic curves(SWCC) is an important input parameter in water and solute transport modeling of unsaturated zone. The VG (van Genuchten) model is a good method to simulate the SWCC. Direct measurements of hydraulic parameters are so tedious and time-consuming that many methods were explored to acquire the VG model parameters in past several decades. But these methods also need sufficient data. [Objective] The objective of this research is to develop a simple method using limited data to obtain the parameters of the VG model. [Method] Five regional soils were selected for the experiment, including black soil, cinnamon soil, loessial soil, red earth, and purple soil. Their saturated soil moisture (θs), soil moisture under 0.33 bar pressure (θ0.33 bar), hygroscopicity at 97% relative humidity of air (θ97%RH) and 43% relative humidity of air (θ43%RH) were measured. Then, the parameters of the VG model were derived from θs, θ0.33 bar, θ97%RH and by using the θ43%RH as residual moisture (θr). The derived parameters were taken into the VG model, and the newly obtained SWCC was compared with the measured soil moisture. [Result] It was found that this method could simulate the SWCC of cinnamon soil well, the residual between the simulated and measured values is generally within 0.01 cm³/cm³; It could also simulate the soil moisture of loessial soil and red earth at 0.33-15 bar well, with residuals generally within ±0.01 cm³/cm³. However, the simulation results of black soil are relatively poor, the residual is negative, within -0.03 cm³/cm³ in low suction (<0.33 bar) section, while at 0.33-15 bar section, the residual is positive, reaching 0.04 cm³/cm³. The simulation results of purple soil are the worst, with a negative residual -0.07 cm³/cm³ in low suction (<0.33 bar); But at 0.33-15 bar, the situation improved and the residual was within 0.03 cm³/cm³. Overall, there is no significant difference between the simulated and measured value through paired t-test, and the correlation coefficient between them is 0.990. The poor results in purple soil could be derived from a low density and large pores in the soil sample, while in black soil may be derived from a strong water holding capacity due to its high organic matter content and good soil structure. [Conclusion] The VG model parameters derived by using θs, θ0.33 bar, θ97%RH and θ43%RH, can effectively predict SWCC. However, for soils with low soil density and large pores, or soils with high organic matter content or good soil structure, it may lead to significant differences in some simulated values. The former may affect the simulation results of the low suction section (<0.33 bar), while the latter may affect the simulation results of the available soil moisture section (0.33-15 bar). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]