Search

The conversion of coal-fired power plants to nuclear power stations is a potential method for decarbonizing coal power and offers a pathway for low-carbon development in China's power industry. This paper focuses on retrofitting China's coastal coal-fired power stations and compares the potential nuclear reactor technologies for the retrofit: China's mainstream pressurized water reactor and the commercially operated fourth-generation high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR). The analysis compares the degree of matching between the two technologies and coal-fired power stations in terms of unit capacity, thermal system parameters, unit speed, structural dimensions, and weight, which significantly impact the retrofit scheme. The results indicate that HTGR is more compatible with coal-fired power plants and is recommended as the type of nuclear reactor technology to be retrofitted. The study selected the 210 MWe High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Pebble-Bed Module (HTR-PM) as the reactor technology for retrofitting a typical 300 MW class subcritical coal-fired unit. Based on the concept of subcritical parameters upgrading, the potential analysis and strategy study of retrofit is carried out in terms of the turbine, the main heat exchange equipment, the main pumps, and the main thermal system pipelines in the conventional island. The results indicate that the conventional island of the HTR-PM nuclear power plant has significant potential for retrofitting, which can be a crucial research direction for nuclear retrofitting of coal-fired power plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Afforestation is an effective approach for restoring degraded ecological functions in the dry-hot valleys of southwest China. Afforestation can affect soil carbon and nitrogen storage; however, how it affects soil P fractions, and their driving factors. is poorly understood in this region. To address these questions, we conducted a field study of Leucaena leucocephala plantations at three different stand age sites (3, 10, and 20 years) and an adjacent natural shrub-grass community control site to investigate changes in soil total phosphorus (Pt), Pi (inorganic phosphorus), Po (organic phosphorus), and phosphorus (P) fractions and their driving factors. Soil Pt, Po, labile P, and moderately labile P significantly increased in the Leucaena leucocephala plantation compared with the natural shrub grass site, and the Leucaena leucocephala plantation increased soil Pt content by significantly increasing soil Po. Soil Pt, Po, Pi, labile P, moderately labile P and non-labile P were not significantly different among the different stages of the Leucaena leucocephala plantation, and soil Pt and its fractions were all significantly higher in the middle-age forest stage of the Leucaena leucocephala plantation. These results indicate that Leucaena leucocephala plantations increased the soil P transformation ability, and soil Po played a critical role in sustaining soil P availability. The middle-age forest stage of Leucaena leucocephala plantations had the best conditions for P stocks and P conversion capacity. The abundance of actinomycetes and fungi showed significant positive relationships with soil Pi fractions (NaHCO3-Pi, NaOH-Pi, and NaOHu.s.-Pi); soil Pt and moderately labile P were significantly and directly influenced by fungal abundance. Soil organic carbon (SOC), NH4+-N, and NO3−-N showed significant and positive relationships with the soil Pi fractions (NaHCO3-Pi, NaHCO3-Po, and HCl-Po). SOC and NO3−-N were the key drivers of soil Pt, labile P, moderately labile P and non-labile fractions. These results indicate that abiotic and biotic factors differently affected the soil P fractions and Pt in Leucaena leucocephala plantations in the dry-hot valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the association among management fees, ESG scores, and investment performance of ESG funds in China. It explores the significance of comprehending the cost–benefit analysis and long-term yields associated with sustainable investing. The investigation specifically concentrates on China's open-end equity funds and uncovers some noteworthy discoveries. Initially, funds with higher management fees tend to yield greater returns, suggesting a potential validation for these fees. Nevertheless, when taking risk-adjusted metrics into account, these funds do not exhibit superior performance, indicating that the elevated fees may not necessarily result in enhanced performance after factoring in risk. Furthermore, the analysis discloses an adverse influence of ESG factors on fund performance. In general, the findings indicate that ESG funds in China do not impose higher management fees and do not ensure better returns but often produce superior risk-adjusted investment performance if their ESG scores are moderately higher. Exceptionally high ESG scores can end up with the worst risk-adjusted investment performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Winter wheat is a significant global food crop, and it is crucial to monitor its distribution for better agricultural management, land planning, and environmental sustainability. However, the distribution style of winter wheat planting fields is not consistent due to different terrain conditions. In mountainous areas, winter wheat planting units are smaller in size and fragmented in distribution compared to plain areas. Unfortunately, most crop-mapping research based on deep learning ignores the impact of topographic relief on crop distribution and struggles to handle hilly areas effectively. In this paper, we propose a cross-modal segmentation network for winter wheat mapping in complex terrain using remote-sensing multi-temporal images and DEM data. First, we propose a diverse receptive fusion (DRF) module, which applies a deformable receptive field to optical images during the feature fusion process, allowing it to match winter wheat plots of varying scales and a fixed receptive field to the DEM to extract evaluation features at a consistent scale. Second, we developed a distributed weight attention (DWA) module, which can enhance the feature intensity of winter wheat, thereby reducing the omission rate of planting areas, especially for the small-sized regions in hilly terrain. Furthermore, to demonstrate the performance of our model, we conducted extensive experiments and ablation studies on a large-scale dataset in Lanling county, Shandong province, China. Our results show that our proposed CM-Net is effective in mapping winter wheat in complex terrain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Shouyang Block was selected as the research subject. Comprehensive analysis was conducted using coalbed methane (CBM) well production data, geochemical test data on water produced from the coalbed methane well, and fundamental geological information. The findings reveal the water dynamics in the Shouyang Block are characterized by weak groundwater runoff or retention in most areas. The groundwater head height exhibits a gradual decrease from the north to south, which is closely associated with the monoclinic structure of the Shouyang Block. Overall, water production is relatively high. As the average water production increases, the average gas production gradually decreases. A concentration of high water production wells is observed in the northern part of the Shouyang Block, which gradually increases towards the southeast direction. A comprehensive analysis was conducted on the factors influencing water production, including total water content of coal seams, coal seam porosity, groundwater stability index, groundwater sealing coefficient, D value of the fracture fractal dimension, fault fractal dimension, and sand–mud ratio. The correlation degree was calculated and ranked in order of magnitude through grey correlation analysis. The order of factors that influence water production, from strongest to weakest, is as follows: sand–mud ratio > porosity > fractal dimension of fault > fracture fractal dimension D value > groundwater sealing coefficient > groundwater stability index > total water content of coal seams. The dissolution amounts of carbonate and sulfate are both small, and the water source may mainly come from the sandstone aquifer. Attention should be paid to the distribution and lithological combination of sandstone aquifers in coal-bearing strata in the future exploration and development process of the Shouyang Block. This will help to avoid the potential influence of fault structures and enable the identification of favorable areas for low water and high gas production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ozone pollution in chemical industrial parks is severe and complicated and is significantly influenced by pollutant emissions and meteorological parameters. In this study, we innovatively investigated the formation rules of ozone by using observation-based analyses and a gradient-boosting decision tree (GBDT) model, focusing on a typical chemical industrial park located in the Yangtze River Delta of China. The results revealed that ozone concentration was positively correlated with temperature while negatively correlated with NO2 concentration and relative humidity (RH). Ozone pollution was predominantly observed from April to October (M4–10). The optimized GBDT model was subsequently utilized to establish a specific and quantifiable relationship between each single dominant impact factor (RH, NO2, temperature, and PM2.5) and ozone within a complex and uncertain multi-factor context during M4–10. Detailed discussions were conducted on the reaction rate of ozone-related to different levels of RH and temperature. The accumulation of ozone was favored by high temperature and low RH, with the maximum ozone concentration observed at the RH of 50% and the temperature of 35 °C. The NO2-O3 change curve exhibited distinct phases, including a period of stability, gradual increase, rapid increase, and equilibrium. During the second and third periods, the ratio of ozone production to NO2 consumption was 0.10 and 2.73, respectively. Furthermore, there was a non-monotonic relationship between variations in ozone concentration and PM2.5 concentration. Hence, it is imperative to implement fine control strategies in the park, such as adopting seasonal production strategies, implementing targeted measures for controlling NOx and active VOCs, and employing special control methods during periods of high temperature. This study provides aid in achieving effective management of localized ozone pollution and ensuring compliance with air quality standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecosystem service value (ESV) is an important basis for measuring an ecological environment's quality and the efficient management of ecosystems. It is particularly necessary to explore a proven methodology for assessing and predicting ESV dynamics coupled with policy-oriented scenarios that can provide a theoretical groundwork for macro decision, particularly in the context of implementing ecological protection and restoration projects. This study selected the land cover (LC) of Sichuan Province at five periods and the spatiotemporal dynamic equivalent factor method to assess the ESVs from 2000 to 2020. Additionally, the study coupled the Markov chain and GeoSOS-FLUS model, and predicted the future pattern of ESVs under four future development scenarios. The results show that (a) the areas of forests, shrubs, waters, wastelands, wetlands, and impervious areas showed a continuous increase from 2000 to 2020, with the most frequent interchanges occurring among croplands, forests, and grasslands. (b) The implementation of ecological protection and restoration projects led to a 13,083.32 × 108 yuan increase in ESV, and barycenter of the ESVs is located in the northeastern part of Ya'an and exhibits a tendency to move towards the northeast. (c) The ESV aggregation pattern of each city has remained unchanged, with Ganzi being the only city with a high aggregation. Overall, there are more conflict cities than coordination cities between economic development and the ecological environment. (d) The total ESV in 2025 will continue to increase under all development scenarios, reaching a maximum of 50,903.37 × 108 yuan under the EP scenario. This study can provide insights for ecological planning decisions and sustainable regional socio-economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global demand for underground gas storage (UGS) is steadily increasing, with the limestone-based UGS system situated in the Sichuan Basin of China gathering considerable interest in recent years. However, studies focusing on the fundamental mechanisms of the injection-production process in these systems are limited. Moreover, existing studies utilizing physical experimental methods frequently fall short in effectively visualizing micro-flow or incorporating real core samples from the reservoir. To address these gaps, we performed a coreflood experiment, integrating micro-Computed Tomography (CT) scanning to investigate mechanisms of fluid flow and storage capacity during the injection and production cycles in limestone reservoirs. Our approach involved utilizing core plugs with artificially engraved fracture-vuggy structures, which mimic the characteristics of the reservoir. Micro-CT scans were performed to visualize the microscopic changes in fractured-vuggy structures and the distribution of irreducible water during each cycle. This study reveals that increased cycles correspondingly affect gas storage capacity, particularly by expanding it in relative larger vuggy structures while reducing it in finer fissure network structures. The amount of irreducible water decreases after injection-production cycles, likely being expelled alongside the extracted dry gas. This plays a critical role in expanding the storage capacity in larger vuggy systems. Conversely, there is a decrease in storage capacity within fissure network systems, as the irreducible water is replaced by gas. This leads to a reduction in the opening force of the fine conduit. The dense matrix has a very limited effect on the flow mechanism and its influence on storage capacity. Overall, these findings offer practical insights for optimizing injection and production strategies in limestone UGS systems within the Sichuan Basin, contributing to a deeper understanding and efficient utilization of this vital infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate is the most important environmental factor influencing yield during rice growth and development. To investigate the relationships between climate and yield under different crop rotation patterns and planting methods, three typical rotation patterns (vegetable–rice (V), rape–rice (R), and wheat–rice (W)) and two mechanical planting methods (mechanical transplanting (T1) and mechanical direct seeding (T2)) were established. The results showed that compared to the V rotation pattern, the average daily temperature (ADT) during the sowing to heading stage increased under both R and W rotation patterns, which significantly shortened the growth period. Thus, the effective accumulated temperature (EAT), photosynthetic capacity, effective panicle (EP), and spikelet per panicle (SP) under R and W rotation patterns significantly decreased, leading to reductions in grain yield (GY). VT2 had a higher ratio of productive tillers (RPT), relative chlorophyll content (SPAD), leaf area index (LAI), and net photosynthetic rate (Pn) than those of VT1, which significantly increased panicle dry matter accumulation (DMA), resulting in an increase in GY. Although RT2 and WT2 had a higher RPT than those of RT1 and WT1, the GY of RT1 and WT1 decreased due to the significant reductions in EAT and photosynthetic capacity. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the comprehensive score for different rotation patterns followed the order of V > R > T with VT2 ranking first. The structural equation model (SEM) showed that EAT and ADT were the most important climate factors affecting yield, with total effects of 0.520 and −0.446, respectively. In conclusion, mechanical direct seeding under vegetable–rice rotation pattern and mechanical transplanting under rape–rice or wheat–rice rotation pattern were the rice-planting methods that optimized the climate resources in southwest China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The Asian yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica) is widely traded in China, and its artificial breeding has now become a major industry. However, the insufficient offspring supply and reproductive decline of farmed turtles make wild turtles more vulnerable. The present study was mainly designed to quantify the fecundity of M. mutica and attempt to screen for good reproductive performance in females. The parent–offspring relationships of all offspring in four consecutive years were confirmed using sixteen microsatellite loci. We also summarised the reproductive results of all females and counted the annual number of offspring and the variation in the number of offspring. The females were then divided into three types (stable, undulating and levelling off) according to the continuity. This study can provide the basis and materials for the creation of a good reproductive group and the study of the reproductive biology of turtles in M. mutica aquaculture. The Asian yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica) is widely traded in China, and its artificial breeding has now become a major industry. However, the insufficient offspring supply and reproductive decline of farmed turtles make the wild turtles more vulnerable. The present study was mainly designed to quantify the fecundity of M. mutica and attempt to screen for good reproductive performance in females. The genetic variability of the population and its genetic structure were also analysed. The parent–offspring relationships of all offspring in four consecutive years were confirmed using sixteen microsatellite loci. The genetic variability between the parents and offspring was low, and offspring of different years also showed little variability. We summarised the reproductive results of all females and counted the annual number of offspring and the variation in the number of offspring. The females were then divided into three types (stable, undulating and levelling off) according to the continuity. We selected seven females with good reproductive ability, which provided 16.94% of the annual contributions, while there were two females that had no offspring in four years. We also analysed the possible reasons for this difference and the importance of carrying out a family survey. This research can provide the basis and materials for the creation of a good reproductive group and the study of the reproductive biology of turtles in M. mutica aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulolytic microorganisms play a crucial role in agricultural waste disposal. Strain QXD-8T was isolated from soil in northern China. Similarity analyses of the 16S rRNA gene, as well as the 120 conserved genes in the whole-genome sequence, indicate that it represents a novel species within the genus Microbacterium. The Microbacterium sp. QXD-8T was able to grow on the CAM plate with sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as a carbon source at 15 °C, forming a transparent hydrolysis circle after Congo red staining, even though the optimal temperature for the growth and cellulose degradation of strain QXD-8T was 28 °C. In the liquid medium, it effectively degraded cellulose and produced reducing sugars. Functional annotation revealed the presence of encoding genes for the GH5, GH6, and GH10 enzyme families with endoglucanase activity, as well as the GH1, GH3, GH39, and GH116 enzyme families with β-glucosidase activity. Additionally, two proteins in the GH6 family, one in the GH10, and two of nine proteins in the GH3 were predicted to contain a signal peptide and transmembrane region, suggesting their potential for extracellularly degrade cellulose. Based on the physiological features of the type strain QXD-8T, we propose the name Microbacterium psychrotolerans for this novel species. This study expands the diversity of psychrotolerant cellulolytic bacteria and provides a potential microbial resource for straw returning in high-latitude areas at low temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Since 2010, the highly pathogenic variants of PEDV have spread widely around the world, posing a huge threat to the pig industry. The lack of an efficient vaccine at present makes it challenging to prevent PEDV from spreading throughout China. In this review, we outline the etiology, epidemiology, and antigenicity of PEDV and propose control strategies. We hope to provide basic information for an understanding of PEDV etiology and the formulation of effective control measures. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a porcine enteric coronavirus, which is one of the main causative agents of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED), with 100% morbidity and 80–100% mortality in neonatal piglets. Since 2010, large-scale PED caused by highly pathogenic variants of PEDV has occurred successively in China and other countries in the world, posing a great threat to the global pig industry. It has been demonstrated in many investigations that the classic attenuated vaccine strain, PEDV CV777, is insufficient to fully protect against the PEDV variants. Moreover, the maternally derived antibodies elicited by inactivated vaccines also cannot completely protect piglets from infection. In addition, feedback feeding poses a risk of periodic PEDV recurrence in pig farms, making it challenging to successfully limit the spread of PEDV in China. This review focuses on the etiology, epidemiology, antigenicity, and control strategies of PEDV in China and provides information for the formulation of effective control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands are ecologically and socioeconomically crucial areas. The application of economic valuation methods could ensure the sustainable utilization of wetlands. Utilizing wetland survey data from Jilin Province, China, representative of the years 2013 and 2017, we assessed the market value of water obtained from wetlands. Simultaneously, we employed the PLUS model to predict changes in wetland areas of different types over the next decade and analyzed their impact on the value of freshwater resource supplies. The results indicate the following points: (1) the area of wetlands decreased from 10,852.84 km2 in 2013 to 10,794.46 km2 in 2017 and that, in 2027, this was projected to further decrease to 10,614.37 km2, with river wetlands experiencing the most substantial decline; (2) the freshwater volumes in 2013 and 2017 were 20.81 × 108 and 20.09 × 108 m3, respectively, representing a 3.58% decrease. The volume for 2027 was projected to further reduce to 19.74 × 108 m3, with lake wetlands contributing the most to water resources and marsh wetlands contributing the least; and (3) the obtained total value of freshwater continuously increased, rising from CNY 8.384 billion in 2013 to CNY 8.642 billion in 2017, and this was projected to further increase to CNY 9.101 billion in 2027. There was regional variation in the value of wetland freshwater resource supplies, with differences in the per unit area and per capita value among administrative units. These findings can facilitate the optimal allocation of freshwater resources in Jilin Province, promoting its sustainable development while ensuring wetland conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hymenochaetales, belonging to Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota, comprises most polypores and corticioid fungi and, also, a few agarics. The latest taxonomic framework accepts 14 families in this order. When further exploring species diversity of Hymenochaetales, two corticioid specimens collected from China producing cystidia with large umbrella-shaped crystalline heads attracted our attention. This kind of cystidia was reported only in three unsequenced species, viz. Tubulicrinis corneri, T. hamatus and T. umbraculus, which were accepted in Tubulicrinaceae, Hymenochaetales. The current multilocus-based phylogeny supports that the two Chinese specimens formed an independent lineage from Tubulicrinaceae as well as the additional 13 families and all sampled genera in Hymenochaetales. Therefore, a monotypic family, Umbellaceae, is newly described with the new genus Umbellus as the type genus to represent this lineage. The two Chinese specimens are newly described as U. sinensis, which differs from T. corneri, T. hamatus, and T. umbraculus in a combination of a smooth to grandinioid hymenophoral surface, not flattened, broadly ellipsoid basidiospores with a tiny apiculus, and growth on angiosperm wood. Due to the presence of the unique cystidia, the three species of Tubulicrinis, even though they lack available molecular sequences, are transferred to Umbellus as U. corneri, U. hamatus, and U. umbraculus. Hereafter, all known species with large umbrella-shaped crystalline-headed cystidia are in a single genus. In summary, the current study provides a supplement to the latest taxonomic framework of Hymenochaetales and will help to further explore species diversity and the evolution of this fungal order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most reported members of Microascaceae that have been reported originate from the terrestrial environment, where they act as saprobes or plant pathogens. However, our understanding of their species diversity and distribution in the marine environment remains vastly limited, with only 22 species in nine genera having been reported so far. A survey of the fungal diversity in intertidal areas of China's mainland has revealed the discovery of several Microascaceae strains from 14 marine algae and 15 sediment samples. Based on morphological characteristics and LSU-ITS-tef1-tub2 multilocus phylogeny using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods, 48 strains were identified as 18 species belonging to six genera. Among these, six new species were discovered: Gamsia sedimenticola, Microascus algicola, M. gennadii, Scedosporium ellipsosporium, S. shenzhenensis, and S. sphaerospermum. Additionally, the worldwide distribution of the species within this family across various marine habitats was briefly reviewed and discussed. Our study expands the knowledge of species diversity and distribution of Microascaceae in the marine environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In order to investigate the effects of low oxygen stress on the survival rate, antioxidant, anaerobic metabolic enzymes, and related genes of crayfish during aquaculture. This experiment conducted a 24-h low oxygen stress experiment on juvenile and subadult crayfish, and the results showed that the higher the degree of low oxygen stress, the higher the antioxidant and anaerobic metabolic enzyme activity and gene expression levels of juvenile crayfish and subadult crayfish. Compared with subadult crayfish, the antioxidant system of crayfish larvae is more sensitive to hypoxic environments. The red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii is the most reared shrimp in China, but it is often affected by hypoxia stress in the process of seedling culture and adult crayfish culture. The oxygen consumption rate and asphyxiation point of juvenile crayfish (1.17 ± 0.03 g) and subadult crayfish (11.68 ± 0.11 g) at different temperatures (20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 °C) were studied. The survival, glycolysis, and expression of antioxidant genes were compared under 24 h acute hypoxia stress (1, 2, and 3 mg/L) and normal dissolved oxygen (7.5 mg/L). The results showed that the oxygen consumption rate and asphyxiation point of juvenile and subadult crayfish increased with increasing temperatures (20–28 °C). At the same temperature, the oxygen consumption rate and asphyxiation point of juvenile crayfish were significantly higher than those of subadult crayfish (p < 0.05). Within 24 h, the three hypoxia stress environments did not lead to the death of crayfish, indicating that P. clarkii has a strong ability to adapt to hypoxia. Hypoxia stress significantly affected the activities of antioxidant and anaerobic metabolic enzymes and gene expression in juvenile and subadult crayfish. The activities of the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and the content of lactic acid (LD) in the hepatopancreas of juvenile and subadult crayfish in the hypoxia stress groups increased significantly. The expression levels of SOD mRNA, CAT mRNA, Hsp70 mRNA, and crustin 4 mRNA in the hepatopancreas of juvenile and subadult crayfish in the hypoxia stress groups were significantly higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05), and the higher the degree of hypoxia stress, the higher the expression of each gene. The results showed that the antioxidant system of juvenile crayfish was more sensitive to hypoxia environments, and hypoxia stress resulted in increased stress levels in juvenile crayfish and subadult crayfish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Butylphthalide, a prescription medicine recognized for its efficacy in treating ischemic strokes approved by the State Food and Drug Administration of China in 2005, is sourced from the traditional botanical remedy Ligusticum chuanxiong. While chemical synthesis offers a viable route, limitations in the production of isomeric variants with compromised bioactivity necessitate alternative strategies. Addressing this issue, biosynthesis offers a promising solution. However, the intricate in vivo pathway for butylphthalide biosynthesis remains elusive. In this study, we examined the distribution of butylphthalide across various tissues of L. chuanxiong and found a significant accumulation in the rhizome. By searching transcriptome data from different tissues of L. chuanxiong, we identified four rhizome-specific genes annotated as 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase (2-OGDs) that emerged as promising candidates involved in butylphthalide biosynthesis. Among them, LcSAO1 demonstrates the ability to catalyze the desaturation of senkyunolide A at the C-4 and C-5 positions, yielding the production of butylphthalide. Experimental validation through transient expression assays in Nicotiana benthamiana corroborates this transformative enzymatic activity. Notably, phylogenetic analysis of LcSAO1 revealed that it belongs to the DOXB clade, which typically encompasses genes with hydroxylation activity, rather than desaturation. Further structure modelling and site-directed mutagenesis highlighted the critical roles of three amino acid residues, T98, S176, and T178, in substrate binding and enzyme activity. By unraveling the intricacies of the senkyunolide A desaturase, the penultimate step in the butylphthalide biosynthesis cascade, our findings illuminate novel avenues for advancing synthetic biology research in the realm of medicinal natural products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lalu wetland is the world's largest plateau urban wetland. It was designated as a national-level nature reserve in China in 2004 and is often called "the lung of Lhasa". It serves as a vital recreational area for urban residents. Concerns have arisen about the potential harm to human health due to heavy metals (HMs) in the wetland soil. This study assessed the ecological risk of HMs in Lalu wetland soil by using the potential ecological risk index and geo-accumulation index techniques. The findings showed that the Lalu wetland's overall risk level is low risk. with Cd being the primary pollutant. Through the absolute principal component scores–multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) model and Pearson correlation analysis, three sources of HMs were identified, including traffic sources, soil parent material sources, and geothermal sources, contributing 51.13%, 32.35%, and 16.52%, respectively. The results of the probabilistic health risk assessment based on Monte Carlo simulation indicate that non-carcinogenic risks are absent for both adults and children. However, acceptable carcinogenic risks are present. For adults, the main exposure mode is through dermal contact, while children are primarily exposed through ingestion. Children manifest a heightened vulnerability to these risks compared to adults, with As being the primary contributing element. The source-oriented health risk assessment (HRA) highlights geothermal sources as the primary contributors to health risks. The research results provide insights into the current status of HMs in Lalu wetland soil, offering a scientific basis for restricting and managing contamination by HMs in wetlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To calibrate airborne gravity gradiometers currently in development in China, it is urgent to build an airborne gravity gradiometer test site. The site's selection depends on the preknowledge of high-resolution gravity and gradient structures. The residual terrain modelling (RTM) technique is generally applied to recover the short-scale gravity field signals. However, due to limitations in the quality and resolution of density models, RTM terrain generally assumes a constant density. This assumption can introduce significant errors in areas with substantial density anomalies and of reggued terrain, such as volcano areas. In this study, we promote a method to determine a high-resolution gravity field by integrating long-wavelength signals generated by EGM2008 with short-wavelength signals from terrain relief and shallow density anomalies. These short wavelength signals are recovered using the RTM technique with both constant density and density anomalies obtained through the equivalent source layer (ESL) method, utilizing sparse terrestrial gravity measurements. Compared to the recovery rate of 54.62 % using the classical RTM method, the recovery rate increases to 86.22 % after involving density anomalies. With this method, we investigate the gravity field signals over the Wudalianchi Volcano Field (WVF) both on the Earth's surface and at a flight height of 100 m above the terrain. The contribution of each part and their attenuation characters are studied. In particular, the 5 km × 5 km area surrounding Bijiashan (BJS) and Wohushan (WHS) volcanos shows a strong gravity signature, making it a good candidate for the test site location. This study gives the location of the airborne gravity gradiometer test site which is an essential step in the instruments' development. Furthermore, the method presented in this study offers a foundational framework for future data processing within the test site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of urbanization, the demand for bricks continues to increase. However, traditional brick production methods result in significant energy consumption and environmental pollution. In Hebei Province, China, historical mineral extraction activities have left behind substantial iron ore tailings (IOT). With the objective of recycling IOT resources and promoting ecological restoration and sustainable development, the feasibility of producing alkali-activated bricks using iron ore tailings was explored. This study primarily utilized IOT supplemented with ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) to successfully synthesize sustainable eco-friendly alkali-activated high-content IOT bricks. Experimental investigations were conducted to explore the effects of the raw material mixing ratio, content, and modulus of the alkaline activator, molding pressure, and grain size distribution on the strength. The research demonstrated that the IOT: GGBS ratio of 85:15 met the requirements of the Chinese JC/T422-2007 MU25 standard, resulting in compressive and flexural strengths of 31.72 MPa and 2.83 MPa, respectively. Increasing the alkali activator content enhanced the brick strength, with an optimal alkali activator modulus of 1 M. Moreover, the molding pressure significantly improved brick strength and also enhanced the particle-to-particle contact density. Bricks prepared using finer particle size IOT exhibited higher compressive strength, whereas flexural strength remained relatively unaffected by particle size distribution. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis of the microstructure and alkali activation mechanism of IOT-GGBS bricks was performed using XRD, SEM, FTIR, and AFM techniques. The results indicated that IOT primarily acted as an aggregate and partially participated in the reaction, whereas GGBS reacted extensively, generating C-S-H gel and C-A-H, providing robust bonding strength. Additionally, the increase in GGBS content led to the partial disintegration of some IOT particles, forming more stable aggregates under the influence of the C-S-H gel. This study offers theoretical guidance for the efficient utilization of IOT in construction materials, thereby contributing to the promotion of sustainable development and environmental conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important aspect of plant water consumption, nocturnal water use (En) behavior provides reliable information on the effect of plantation carbon and water budgets at stand and regional scales. Therefore, quantifying En and its environmental and stomatal controlling mechanisms is urgent to establish adaptation strategies for plantation management in semiarid regions. With the help of the sap flow technique, our study investigated the seasonal variations in canopy transpiration and canopy conductance in a Caragana korshinskii Kom plantation. Environmental variables were measured concurrently during the growing seasons of 2020 and 2021. The results indicated that the average En values were 0.10 mm d−1 and 0.09 mm d−1, which accounted for 14% and 13% of daily water use, respectively, over two years. The proportions of nocturnal transpiration (Tn) to En were approximately 49.76% and 54.44%, while stem refilling (Re) accounted for 50.24% and 45.56% of En in 2020 and 2021, respectively, indicating that C. korshinskii was able to draw on stored stem water to support transpiration. En was predominantly affected by nocturnal canopy conductance (Gc–n), air temperature (Ta–n) and wind speed (u2-n). In contrast, Gc–n and Ta–n explained the highest variation in Tn and nocturnal vapor pressure (VPDn), and u2-n explained the highest variation in Re. Total effects of the five environmental and stomatal variables explained 50%, 36% and 32% of En, Tn and Re variation, respectively. These findings could enable a better understanding of nocturnal water use dynamics and their allocation patterns in C. korshinskii plantations on the Bashang Plateau. Moreover, our results reveal the water use strategies of artificial shrubs and highlight the importance of incorporating nocturnal water use processes into large-scale ecohydrological models in semiarid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zizania latifolia is usually infected by the obligate parasitic fungus Ustilago esculenta to form an edible fleshy stem which is an aquatic vegetable called Jiaobai in China. The infection by the teliospore (T) strain of U. esculenta induces Z. latifolia forming gray fleshy stems, while the mycelia-teliospore (MT) strain of U. esculenta induces white fleshy stems which are more suitable for edibility than gray fleshy stems. The mechanism of this phenomenon is still largely unknown. One of the possible causes is the diversity of endophytic microbial communities between these two fleshy stems. Therefore, we utilized fungal ITS1 and bacterial 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing to investigate the diversity of endophytic microbial communities in the two different fleshy stems of Z. latifolia. The results revealed that the α diversity and richness of endophytic fungi in white Z. latifolia were significantly greater than in gray Z. latifolia. The dominant fungal genus in both fleshy stems was U. esculenta, which accounted for over 90% of the endophytic fungi. The community composition of endophytic fungi in gray and white Z. latifolia was different except for U. esculenta, and a negative correlation was observed between U. esculenta and other endophytic fungi. In addition, the dominant bacterial genus in gray Z. latifolia was Alcaligenaceae which is also negatively correlated with other bacterium communities. Additionally, the co-occurrence network of white Z. latifolia was found to have a stronger scale, connectivity, and complexity compared to that of gray Z. latifolia. And the detected beneficial bacteria and pathogens in the stems of Z. latifolia potentially compete for resources. Furthermore, the function of endophytic bacteria is more abundant than endophytic fungi in Z. latifolia. This research investigated the correlation between the development of Z. latifolia fleshy stems and endophytic microbial communities. Our findings indicate that the composition of endophytic microbial communities is closely related to the type of Z. latifolia fleshy stems. This research also suggests the potential utilization of specific microbial communities to enhance the growth and development of Z. latifolia, thereby contributing to the breeding of Z. latifolia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study observed the characteristics and influencing factors of the carbon fluxes of the Momoge salt marsh ecosystem over four years, which behaves as a CO2 sink. The daily, seasonal, and interannual variations in CO2 fluxes in the Momoge salt marshes were observed using the eddy covariance method and were compared with various environmental factors. An overall daily "U"-shaped distribution was observed, with uptake during the day (negative values) and release at night (positive values). Annually, the carbon fluxes in the study area roughly exhibited a "V" shape. The carbon fluxes during the non-growing season predominantly showed positive values, indicating the release of CO2 into the atmosphere. Photosynthetically active radiation was the primary influencing factor affecting the hourly and daytime variations in net ecosystem exchange (NEE) during the growing season, while temperature was the main factor influencing nighttime NEE dynamics. The air temperature, soil temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, precipitation, and water level all had significant impacts on the daily net CO2 exchange. At the monthly scale, larger values of soil temperature, air temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, and aboveground biomass corresponded to a stronger carbon absorption capacity of the ecosystem. Overall, temperature remains the primary factor for carbon fluxes in the Momoge wetlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intertidal zones comprise diverse habitats and directly suffer from the influences of human activities. Nevertheless, the seasonal fluctuations in fungal diversity and community structure in these areas are not well comprehended. To address this gap, samples of seawater and sediment were collected seasonally from the estuary and swimming beaches of Qingdao's intertidal areas in China and were analyzed using a metabarcoding approach targeting ITS2 rDNA regions. Compared to the seawater community dominated by Ciliophora and Agaricomycetes, the sediment community was rather dominated by Dothideomycetes and Eurotiomycetes. Furthermore, the seawater community shifted with the seasons but not with the locations, while the sediment community shifted seasonally and spatially, with a specific trend showing that Cladosporium, Alternaria, and Aureobasidium occurred predominantly in the estuarine habitats during winter and in the beach habitats during spring. These spatiotemporal shifts in fungal communities' composition were supported by the PERMANOVA test and could be explained partially by the environmental variables checked, including temperature, salinity, and total organic carbon. Unexpectedly, the lowest fungal richness was observed in the summer sediments from two swimming beaches which were attracting a high influx of tourists during summer, leading to a significant anthropogenic influence. Predicted trophic modes of fungal taxa exhibited a seasonal pattern with an abundance of saprotrophic fungi in the summer sediments, positively correlating to the temperature, while the taxa affiliated with symbiotroph and pathotroph-saprotroph occurred abundantly in the winter and spring sediments, respectively. Our results demonstrate the space–time shifts in terms of the fungal community, as well as the trophic modes in the intertidal region, providing in-depth insights into the potential influence of environmental factors and human activity on intertidal mycobiomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of multi-phase extension and pre-existing fault reactivation results in a complex fault pattern within hydrocarbon-bearing basins, affecting hydrocarbon exploration at different stages. We used high-resolution 3D seismic data and well data to reveal the impact of multi-phase extension and pre-existing fault reactivation on Cenozoic fault pattern changes over time in the Jiyang Depression of eastern China. The results show that during the Paleocene, a portion of NW-striking pre-existing faults reactivated under NS extension and controlled the basin structure (type 1). Other parts of the NW-striking pre-existing faults stopped activity and served as weak surfaces, and a series of NNE-striking faults were distributed in an en-echelon pattern along the NW direction at shallow depths (type 2). In areas unaffected by pre-existing faults, NE-striking faults formed perpendicular to regional stresses. During the Eocene, the regional stresses shifted clockwise to near-NS extension, and many EW-striking faults developed within the basin. The NE-striking faults and the EW-striking faults were hard-linked, forming the ENE-striking curved faults that controlled the structure in the basin (type 3). The NNE-striking faults were distinctly strike-slip at this time, with the ENE-striking faults forming a horsetail pattern at their tails. Many ENE-striking faults perpendicular to the extension direction were formed in areas where the basement was more stable and pre-existing faults were not developed (type 4). There were also developing NS-striking faults that were small in scale and appeared in positions overlapping different main faults (type 5). Additionally, different fault patterns can guide different phases of hydrocarbon exploration. Type 1, type 2, and type 3 faults are particularly suitable for early-stage exploration. In contrast, type 4 and type 5 faults are more appropriate for mature exploration areas, where they may reveal smaller hydrocarbon reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pingbei area is the main accumulation area of oil and gas in the Xihu Sag. The phase characteristics of oil and gas in this area are complex, and the understanding of their genesis is still unclear. In this paper, based upon discussions of crude oil and natural gas geochemical data, integrated with local geological features, we discuss the sources, migration, and phase state characteristics of oil and gas in the Pingbei area of the Xihu Sag. The study results show that the crude oil and natural gas in the Pingbei area are coal-derived and the oil and gas produced by the humic organic matter during the mature stage. The oil and gas source correlation showed that crude oil and natural gas have good affinity with the Eocene Pinghu Formation (PH) coal-bearing source rocks. Crude oil has the characteristics of near-source accumulation and short-distance migration while natural gas is supplied from a dual source: the coal-derived hydrocarbon rocks of PH in the deep part of the study area, supplemented by the coal-derived hydrocarbon rocks of PH on the bottom of the slope, and adjacent hydrocarbon-bearing sub sag. The distribution characteristics and geochemical migration indices of hydrocarbon show that the oil generated from the hydrocarbon source rocks of PH in the deep Pingbei area mainly migrates vertically along the fault connecting the reservoir and the source rocks to the trap, where it accumulates, while the natural gas exhibits deep and large faults that mainly migrate vertically, supplemented by its lateral migration along the composite transport system composed of faults and sandstone layers in the slope zone. The whole area presents the phase characteristics of "upper oil and lower gas, west oil and east gas". The mechanisms of produced-exhausted and geochromatographic effects (PGE), as well as evaporative fractionation (EF) and phase-controlled migration fractionation (PMF), result in the obvious discrepancy of hydrocarbon's properties on the vertical profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the combined effects of sowing patterns and nitrogen (N) management strategies on crop productivity, environmental costs, and economic benefits is important to ensuring the sustainable development of dryland agriculture. Thus, we conducted a three-year field experiment to explore two spring maize sowing patterns (FS, flat sowing; RFPM, ridge and furrow plastic film mulching) and four N management strategies (N0, no N fertilizer; N1, normal urea as base fertilizer; N2, split application of normal urea at sowing and a large flare period at a ratio of 3:2; N3, all controlled-release urea as base fertilizer) on growth, the grain yield, the N uptake and utilization efficiency, N2O emissions, and economic benefits in the Loess Plateau region of China. Our results showed that compared to FS, RFPM promoted growth of the spring maize canopy and increased the grain yield, cumulative N uptake, and N use efficiency. RFPM promoted N2O emissions by improving the soil's hydrothermal environment, but it reduced the environmental cost (yield-scaled N2O emission). RFPM increased the production cost, but it increased the net income by improving the total output. Compared to traditional N management strategies (N1), N2 and N3 treatments improved the spring maize productivity and net income, and they reduced the environmental costs by improving the synchronization of the nitrogen supply. However, due to the decreasing rural labor force available in China, N3 is more beneficial in terms of reducing labor inputs. Therefore, we suggest that RFPM and N3 can be combined to form an efficient management strategy for spring maize production in the Loess Plateau that balances crop productivity, N2O emissions, and economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of reserve resources of cultivated land (RRCL) is a vital way of supplementing cultivated land in the northern arid and semi-arid regions of China. This study developed a suitability evaluation system for reserve resources of cultivated land from the nature–function–environment perspective. The evaluation considered the construction of water conservancy projects, establishing two scenarios of rain-fed and irrigated agriculture. The evaluation results for unused land were divided into four levels, including highly suitable, relatively suitable, moderately suitable and unsuitable, using the three-dimensional Rubik's cube spatial classification method. The results show that: (1) Under the rain-fed agriculture scenario, the developable quantity and quality of unused land were poor. The potential area of reserve resources of cultivated land only accounted for 5% of the total area. (2) Under the irrigated agriculture scenario, the potential area of reserve resources of cultivated land increased to 21% of the total unused land. The areas were mainly distributed in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Gansu. The research considered the impact of water conservancy projects on the development and utilization of reserve resources of cultivated land. It can provide references for the development of arable land resources and territorial spatial planning in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Palbociclib is one of the preferred treatments for hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer in women; its effectiveness and safety in the Chinese real-world population require further investigation. Our study aimed to identify the clinical outcomes of patients who received palbociclib in combination with endocrine therapy (ET) in China. The effectiveness of palbociclib plus ET in treating metastatic breast cancer was confirmed in 397 Chinese patients across eight clinical sites. The regimens were well tolerated by both the general and elderly groups. However, some factors were identified as potential hindrances to the therapy's benefits, including higher Ki-67 expression, primary resistance to ETs, liver metastases, more metastatic sites, later line of therapy, and the use of fulvestrant instead of aromatase inhibitors. Palbociclib is useful for treatment of metastasis breast cancer, and our study may provide a basis for further research. Background: Palbociclib has been approved for marketing in China. However, its effectiveness, safety, and latent variables in the Chinese population require further investigation. Methods: Information was retrieved from 397 patients with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) who received at least two cycles of palbociclib plus endocrine therapy (PAL plus ET) at eight clinical sites in China. The patients' demographic characteristics, treatment patterns, and adverse events (AEs) were analyzed. Results: The objective response rate (ORR) and clinical benefit rate (CBR) for PAL plus ET were 28.97% and 66.25%, respectively. The median PFS was 14.2 months in the whole population. In addition to protein Ki-67 status and sensitivity to ETs, no liver metastases, fewer metastatic sites, an earlier line of therapy, and treatment combined with AI instead of FUL were also considered as independent prognostic factors for PAL treatment. Administration of PAL was generally well tolerated in patients with hormone-receptor-positive and human-epidermal-growth-factor-receptor-2-negative (HR+/HER2−) advanced breast cancer (ABC). The therapy was safe in the elderly population, which is consistent with the outcomes of the whole population and previous reports. Conclusions: In this most widely distributed study in China to date, palbociclib combined with ET proved its effectiveness for HR+/HER2− ABC treatment, and adverse events were manageable. Here, we identified some independent prognosis factors, but the mechanism by which these factors influence effectiveness requires further verification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is now a global health problem and has been attracting extensive attention from both academic and public society in China. This review aimed to present the current status of the prevalence, disease burden, clinical features, diagnosis, and management of AD in China. The prevalence of AD has been increasing rapidly in China during the past decades, partially due to the increased recognition of the disease; there are still substantial amounts of over-diagnosed eczema and under-diagnosed AD. Chinese dermatologists see many AD patients with atypical manifestation, which poses a challenge to the diagnosis. The Chinese diagnostic criteria for adults and pediatric patients with AD have been proposed respectively and validated with high sensitivity and specificity. International and Chinese guidelines for management of AD have been popularized; however, there are still many practices that need verification through randomized case-control study. Dupilumab and JAK inhibitors have demonstrated favorable efficacy for AD patients in China, and a multidimensional approach is needed for selection of the patients and evaluation of the efficacy and safety. Patient education and long-term management for AD are just beginning in China, and need to be strengthened in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The Asian giant soft-shelled turtle (Pelochelys cantorii), belonging to the order Testudines (family Trionychidae, genus Pelochelys), is one of the largest inland aquatic turtle species. However, due to excessive economic development, Pc. cantorii is critically endangered and rarely seen in the wild. As early as 1989, China listed the turtle as a key aquatic wildlife protection animal at the national level, but the conservation biology of Pc. cantorii has not been fully elucidated due to a lack of reference genomes. Here, based on a high-quality chromosome-level genome for Pc. cantorii, acquired by a combination of Illumina short-read, PacBio long-read and Hi-C scaffolding technologies in a previous study, we analyzed the evolutionary state of Pc. cantorii. Moreover, we found that several candidate genes associated with tumor suppression, growth and age were expanded, implicating their potential roles in the exceptional longevity of turtles. These findings will be an enabling resource for genetic and genomic studies to support fundamental insights into Pc. cantorii conservation. The Asian giant soft-shelled turtle, Pelochelys cantorii (Trionychidae), is one of the largest aquatic turtles in China and was designated as a First-Grade Protected Animal in China in 1989. Previous investigation based on a combination of Illumina short-read, PacBio long-read and Hi-C scaffolding technologies acquired a high-quality chromosome-level genome of Pc. cantorii. In this study, comparative genomic analysis between Pc. cantorii and 16 other vertebrate genomes indicated that turtles separated from the ancestor of archosaurians approximately 256.6 (95% highest posterior density interval, 263.6–251.9) million years ago (Mya) (Upper Permian to Triassic) and that Pc. cantorii separated from the ancestor of Pd. sinensis and R. swinhoei approximately 59.3 (95% highest posterior density interval, 64.3–54.3) Mya. Moreover, several candidate genes, such as VWA5A, ABCG2, A2M and IGSF1, associated with tumor suppression, growth and age were expanded, implicating their potential roles in the exceptional longevity of turtles. This new chromosome-level assembly has important scientific value in the study of conservation of Pc. cantorii and also enriches the evolutionary investigation of turtle species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exchange of energy between the land surface and atmosphere is dependent upon crucial parameters, including surface roughness, emissivity, bulk transfer coefficients for momentum (CD) and heat (CH). These parameters are calculated through site observation data and remote sensing data. The following conclusions are drawn: (1) the aerodynamic roughness of the Gurbantunggut Desert measures 1.1 × 10−2 m, which is influenced by the varying conditions of the underlying surface. The roughness decreases as wind speed increases and is seen to be directly proportional to the growth of vegetation. From April to June, the aerodynamic roughness increases with increasing vegetation cover, but begins to gradually decrease after July. Spatially, the middle regions show higher roughness values than the eastern and western areas. In the central part of the desert, the roughness is between 2.37 × 10−2 m and 2.46 × 10−2 m from April to November. The northwest and northeast regions measure 1.41 × 10−2 m–2.04 × 10−2 m and 1.53 × 10−2 m–2.39 × 10−2 m, respectively. (2) The surface emissivity is 0.93, and it varies depending on the snow and vegetation present in the underlying area. (3) CD and CH exhibit an inverse relationship with wind speed. When wind speed falls below 6 m/s, the CD declines rapidly as wind speed increases. In contrast, once wind speed surpasses 6 m/s, the propensity for the CD to decrease with increasing wind speed slows down and approaches stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shading stress caused by plum rain season, which overlapped with grain filling process of fresh waxy maize in Southern China, significantly affected crop productivity. In order to investigate the effects of shading at different stages after pollination on the yield, accumulation, and remobilization of dry matter and nitrogen (N) in fresh waxy maize, field experiments were conducted, including shading at 1–7 (Z1), 8–14 (Z2), 15–21 (Z3), and 1–21 (Z4) days after pollination in 2020 and 2021. The results showed that shading reduced the fresh ear and grain yield and increased moisture content in Suyunuo5 (SYN5) and Jingkenuo2000 (JKN2000) compared to natural lighting treatment (CK). The ear yield decrease was more severe in Z4 (43.5%), followed by Z1 (29.7%). Post-silking dry matter and N accumulation and remobilization were decreased under shading stress, and those were lowest in Z4, followed by Z1. The remobilization of pre-silking dry matter and N were increased by shading stress, and the increase was highest in Z4, followed by Z1. The harvest index of dry matter and N was lowest in Z4 and second-lowest in Z1. In conclusion, shading decreased yield by affecting accumulation and remobilization of post-silking dry matter and N, and the impact was more serious when it introduced early during grain filling stage in fresh waxy maize production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptomeria japonica D. Don is a coniferous tree species widely grown in southern China for its high ornamental value. Recently, during disease surveys in China, a symptom of dieback occurred on C. japonica in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. A total of 130 trees were surveyed and more than 90% showed the same symptom. The crowns of affected trees were brown when viewing from a distance, and the bark showed no difference from the healthy ones. In this study, 157 isolates were isolated from the 3 affected plants of C. japonica, and based on the living culture on PDA, the fungal isolates were preliminarily divided into 6 groups. Thirteen representative isolates were selected for the pathogenicity test, and seven of them showed obvious pathogenicity on C. japonica, causing stem basal canker. These isolates were identified based on comparisons of the DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS), partial translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1), β-tubulin (tub2), and DNA-directed RNA polymerase II subunit (rpb2) and combined with their morphological characteristics. Results showed that these seven isolates belong to two taxa in Neofusicoccum, including a species new to science. The new species, Neofusicoccum cryptomeriae, was hereby described and illustrated. The other species was N. parvum. Both species were pathogens of stem basal canker of Cryptomeria japonica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of brassica yellow virus (BrYV) has increasingly damaged crucifer crops in China in recent years. In 2020, a large number of oilseed rape in Jiangsu showed aberrant leaf color. A combined RNA-seq and RT-PCR analysis identified BrYV as the major viral pathogen. A subsequent field survey showed that the average incidence of BrYV was 32.04%. In addition to BrYV, turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) was also frequently detected. As a result, two near full-length BrYV isolates, BrYV-814NJLH and BrYV-NJ13, were cloned. Based on the newly obtained sequences and the reported BrYV and turnip yellow virus (TuYV) isolates, a phylogenetic analysis was performed, and it was found that all BrYV isolates share a common root with TuYV. Pairwise amino acid identity analysis revealed that both P2 and P3 were conserved in BrYV. Additionally, recombination analysis revealed seven recombinant events in BrYV as TuYV. We also attempted to determine BrYV infection by quantitative leaf color index, but no significant correlation was found between the two. Systemic observations indicated that BrYV-infected plants had different symptoms, such as no symptom, purple stem base and red old leaves. Overall, our work proves that BrYV is closely related to TuYV and could be considered as an epidemic strain for oilseed rape in Jiangsu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air-quality monitoring and forecasting are crucial for atmosphere pollution control and management. We propose an innovative data-driven framework for air quality index (AQI) prediction by integrating GNSS radio occultation (GNSS-RO) observation and weather modeling. Empowered by the state-of-the-art machine learning approach, our method can effectively predict regional AQI with a comparable accuracy much more quickly than the traditional numerical modeling and simulation approach. In a real case study using a representative region of China, our data-driven approach achieves a 2000 times speedup; meanwhile, the prediction error measured by rRMSE is only 2.4%. We investigate further the effects of different models, hyperparameters, and meteorological factors on the performance of our AQI prediction framework, and reveal that wind field and atmospheric boundary-layer height are important influencing factors of AQI. This paper showcases a direct application of GNSS-RO observation in assisting in forecasting regional AQI. From a machine learning point of view, it provides a new way to leverage the unique merits of GNSS atmospheric remote sensing technology with the help of the more traditional weather forecasting modeling approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is difficult to accurately identify the winter wheat acreage in the Jianghuai region of China, and the fusion of high-resolution images and medium-resolution image data can improve the image quality and facilitate the identification and acreage extraction of winter wheat. Therefore, the objective of this study is to improve the accuracy of China's medium-spatial resolution image data (environment and disaster monitoring and forecasting satellite data, HJ-1/CCD) in extracting the large area of winter wheat planted. The fusion and object-oriented classification of the 30 m × 30 m HJ-1/CCD multispectral image and 2 m × 2 m GF-1 panchromatic image (GF-1/PMS) of winter wheat at the jointing stage in the study area were studied. The GF-1/PMS panchromatic images were resampled at 8 m, 16 m and 24 m to produce panchromatic images with four spatial resolutions, including 2 m. They were fused with HJ-1/CCD multispectral images by Gram Schmidt (GS). The quality of the fused images was evaluated to pick adequate scale images for the field pattern of winter wheat cultivation in the study area. The HJ-1/CCD multispectral image was resampled to obtain an image with the same scale as the suitable scale fused image. In the two images, the training samples SFI (samples of fused image) and SRI (samples of resampled image) containing spectral and texture information were selected. The fused image (FI) and resampled image (RI) were used for winter wheat acreage extraction using an object-oriented classification method. The results indicated that the fusion effect of 16 m × 16 m fused image was better than 2 m × 2 m, 8 m × 8 m and 24 m × 24 m fused images, with mean, standard deviation, average gradient and correlation coefficient values of 161.15, 83.01, 4.55 and 0.97, respectively. After object-oriented classification, the overall accuracy of SFI for the classification of resampled image RI16m was 92.22%, and the Kappa coefficient was 0.90. The overall accuracy of SFI for the classification of fused image FI16m was 94.44%, and the Kappa coefficient was 0.93. The overall accuracy of SRI for the classification of resampled image RI16m was 84.44%, and the Kappa coefficient was 0.80. The classification effect of SFI for the fused image FI16m was the best, indicating that the object-oriented classification method combined with the fused image and the extraction samples of the fused image (SFI) could extract the winter wheat planting area with precision. In addition, the object-oriented classification method combining resampled images and the extraction samples of fused images (SFI) could extract the winter wheat planting area more effectively. These results indicated that the combination of medium spatial resolution HJ-1/CCD images and high spatial resolution GF-1 satellite images could effectively extract the planting area information of winter wheat in large regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Although multiple actionable genes have been identified in melanoma, 38–42% of patients are still not druggable based on current research. In our study, DNA-NGS and RNA-NGS were utilized to construct molecular profiles of a Chinese cohort of 469 melanoma patients. Up to 11.7% (7/60) of patients in the undruggable group could be recognized as actionable by DNA and RNA sequential sequencing. Additionally, the use of RNA-NGS enhanced the proportion of druggable fusions from 2.56% to 17.27%. In total, the use of RNA-NGS increased the druggable proportion from 75% to 78%. Our study systemically analyzed the genetic landscape of Asian melanoma and demonstrated how DNA and RNA sequential sequencing is essential in bringing clinical benefits to more melanoma patients. Background: In contrast to Caucasian melanoma, which has been extensively studied, there are few studies on melanoma in Asian populations. Sporadic studies reported that only 40% of Asian melanoma patients could be druggable, which was much lower than that in Caucasians. More studies are required to refine this conclusion. Methods: Chinese melanoma patients (n = 469) were sequentially sequenced by DNA-NGS and RNA-NGS. The genomic alterations were determined, and potentially actionable targets were investigated. Results: Patients with potential druggable targets were identified in 75% of Chinese melanoma patients by DNA-NGS based on OncoKB, which was much higher than in a previous Asian study. NRG1 fusions were first identified in melanoma. In addition, up to 11.7% (7/60) of patients in the undruggable group could be recognized as actionable by including RNA-NGS analysis. By comparing the fusion detection rate between DNA-NGS and RNA-NGS, all available samples after DNA-NGS detection were further verified by RNA-NGS. The use of RNA-NGS enhanced the proportion of druggable fusions from 2.56% to 17.27%. In total, the use of RNA-NGS increased the druggable proportion from 75% to 78%. Conclusions: In this study, we systemically analyzed the actionable landscape of melanoma in the largest Asian cohort. In addition, we first demonstrated how DNA and RNA sequential sequencing is essential in bringing clinical benefits to more patients with melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jinzhuping and Changkeng granites are related to the Helong W–Sn ore field in southern Jiangxi Province, China. Three different phases can be found in the Jinzhuping pluton, and their LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb ages are 155.2 ± 0.68 Ma, 154.0 ± 0.56 Ma, and 153.4 ± 0.99 Ma, respectively, indicating two types of granitic rocks. All granites in the Helong ore field have similar geochemical characteristics, they have high contents of SiO2 (73.99 wt.%–77.68 wt.%), and total alkali (7.56 wt.%–8.76 wt.%) and are weakly to strongly peraluminous. They are slightly enriched in HREE and depleted in Eu, Ba, Sr, P, and Ti. Zircon εHf(t) values of the Jinzhuping three granites are from −14.4 to −10.4, from −15.3 to −11.4, and from −18.1 to −10.5, and the Hf TDM model ages range from 1.83 to 2.06 Ga, from 1.89 to 2.14 Ga, and from 1.83 to 2.31 Ga, respectively. Whole-rock geochemistry and Hf isotope analysis indicate that the Helong granites experienced a high degree of differentiation and evolution derived by partial melting of the Late Paleoproterozoic crustal materials, and they formed in a backarc caused by low-angle subduction of the Paleopacific plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leaves of Ligustrum robustum have been consumed as Ku-Ding-Cha for clearing heat and removing toxins, and they have been used as a folk medicine for curing hypertension, diabetes, and obesity in China. The phytochemical research on the leaves of L. robustum led to the isolation and identification of two new hexenol glycosides, two new butenol glycosides, and five new sugar esters, named ligurobustosides X (1a), X1 (1b), Y (2a), and Y1 (2b) and ligurobustates A (3a), B (3b), C (4b), D (5a), and E (5b), along with seven known compounds (4a and 6–10). Compounds 1–10 were tested for their inhibitory effects on fatty acid synthase (FAS), α-glucosidase, and α-amylase, as well as their antioxidant activities. Compound 2 showed strong FAS inhibitory activity (IC50 4.10 ± 0.12 μM) close to that of the positive control orlistat (IC50 4.46 ± 0.13 μM); compounds 7 and 9 revealed moderate α-glucosidase inhibitory activities; compounds 1–10 showed moderate α-amylase inhibitory activities; and compounds 1 and 10 displayed stronger 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) ammonium salt (ABTS) radical scavenging effects (IC50 3.41 ± 0.08~5.65 ± 0.19 μM) than the positive control l-(+)-ascorbic acid (IC50 10.06 ± 0.19 μM). This study provides a theoretical foundation for the leaves of L. robustum as a functional tea to prevent diabetes and its complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Pelochelys cantorii is critically endangered and rarely seen in the wild, and only 13 adults are being kept in captivity in China. For the purpose of reinforcing the conservation and management of P. cantorii, the Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute (Chinese Fishery Academy of Sciences) successfully bred more than 800 turtles from 2015 to 2020. In this study, we developed and characterized 10 simple sequence repeat markers from the RNA transcriptome of P. cantorii, established two multiplex PCR systems, and obtained the genetic structure and genetic diversity of the artificially conserved population. The aim was to obtain viable second-generation P. cantorii with the highest genetic diversity to implement population recovery plans for this species. To understand the genetic structure of the protected turtle species Pelochelys cantorii we used transcriptome data to design more than 30,000 tri- and tetranucleotide repeat microsatellite primer pairs, of which 230 pairs were used for laboratory experiments. After two screenings, only 10 microsatellite markers with good specificity, high amplification efficiency, and polymorphisms were obtained. Using the selected primers, two multiplex PCR systems were established to compare and analyze the genetic diversity of artificially assisted breeding generations from four parents (two females and two males) continuously bred over two years. A total of 25 alleles were detected among the 10 microsatellite loci of the offspring. The polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.313–0.674, with an average of 0.401, among which two loci were highly polymorphic (PIC ≥ 0.5). The number of alleles was 2–5 and the number of effective alleles was 1.635–3.614. The observed heterozygosity was 0.341–0.813, with an average of 0.582, whereas the average expected heterozygosity was 0.389–0.725, with an average of 0.493. Moreover, on the basis of Nei's genetic distance and the Bayesian clustering algorithm, the 182 offspring were divided into two subgroups, and the results corresponded to the two maternal lines. This is the first study to investigate the molecular markers of P. cantorii, and the results obtained can be used to protect genetic resources and provide a genetic basis for the design of population recovery plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of urbanization, rural hollowing out, and aging, it is increasingly urgent to solve the problem of "who will farm the land" to stabilize the foundation of national food security. The socialized agricultural machinery service undoubtedly provides a feasible solution. From the perspective of land productivity, and based on field survey data from 597 farmers in four major wheat-producing provinces in China, this study applied an endogenous switching regression model. By constructing a "counterfactual" analysis framework, this paper's empirical analysis showed that the socialized agricultural machinery service had a positive impact on the land productivity of wheat production. At the same time, the impact of socialized agricultural machinery services on land productivity was heterogeneous due to the differences in planting scale, terrain, and concurrent business. It can give full play to the positive influence of socialized agricultural machinery services on stable grain yields and increases. It is necessary to guide and support the effective supply of socialized agricultural machinery services in the key links of food production, and to reasonably guide the main providers of socialized agricultural machinery service to provide high-quality services that meet the production needs of small farmers according to local conditions, so as to promote the organic connection between small farmers and the development of modern agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought hinders economic and social growth in many areas of China, especially in livestock-dominated Xilin Gol League in Inner Mongolia. Most studies exclusively utilize rainfall to measure drought. To clarify the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics and evolution rules of meteorological drought, monthly observation data from nine meteorological stations in Xilin Gol were used to calculate the (effective drought index, EDI). We studied the spatiotemporal pattern of drought and its influence on vegetation in Xilin Gol using the Mann–Kendall test, (empirical orthogonal function, EOF) decomposition, and quantitative representation. (1) The annual average EDI declined by 0.029/10a, and Xilin Gol experienced an average of 0.5 drought occurrences every year. (2) A normal incidence in Xilin Gol is 67.17–72.65%, and that of severe drought is 0.02–0.99%. (3) Xilin Gol's drought intensity is mostly concentrated in the central, northeast, and southwest regions, especially southwest and central. (4) The first two principal feature vectors in Xilin Gol contributed 52.75% and 14.38% to the variance. (5) The average (normalized differential vegetation index, NDVI)of desert, typical, and meadow steppe increased, especially in typical steppe (0.034/10a). (6) In Xilin Gol, the NDVI–EDI correlation coefficient ranges from −0.642 to 0.888, with an average of 0.392. Only 1.7% of the areas are adversely linked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale monitoring of water quality parameters (WQPs) is one of the most critical issues for protecting and managing water resources. However, monitoring optically inactive WQPs, such as total nitrogen (TN), ammoniacal nitrogen (AN), and total phosphorus (TP) in inland waters, is still challenging. This study constructed retrieval models to explore the spatiotemporal evolution of TN, AN, and TP by Landsat 8 images, water quality sampling, and five machine learning algorithms (support vector regression, SVR; random forest regression, RFR; artificial neural networks, ANN; regression tree, RT; and gradient boosting machine, GBM) in the Nandu River downstream (NRD), a tropical river in China. The results indicated that these models can effectively monitor TN, AN, and TP concentrations at in situ sites. In particular, TN by RFR as well as AN and TP by ANN had better accuracy, in which the R2 value ranged between 0.44 and 0.67, and the RMSE was 0.03–0.33 mg/L in the testing dataset. The spatial distribution of TN, AN, and TP was seasonal in NRD from 2013–2022. TN and AN should be paid more attention to in normal wet seasons of urban and agricultural zones, respectively. TP, however, should be focus on in the normal season of agricultural zones. Temporally, AN decreased significantly in the normal and wet seasons while the others showed little change. These results could provide a large-scale spatial overview of the water quality, find the sensitive areas and periods of water pollution, and assist in identifying and controlling the non-point source pollution in the NRD. This study demonstrated that multispectral remote sensing and machine learning algorithms have great potential for monitoring optically inactive WQPs in tropical large-scale inland rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The publications on elbow pain (EP) in overhead sports are increasing. The results of previous studies mostly focus on the influence of EP in the ball game and throwing sports. Thus, a bibliometric analysis of these publications may show the direction of hot topics and future research trends. The purpose of this study is to identify the research trends on EP in overhead sports. For the methods, the first step is to use the main keywords of 'Elbow pain' and 'Overhead sport' merging auxiliary vocabulary to reach the relevant global publications between 1970 and 2022 in the Web of Science (WoS) database. The literature data set is imported into EndNote literature manager software to remove duplication. Secondly, the duplication-reduced articles are imported to an Excel sheet according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria of this study. In the third step, VOSviewer software is applied as the main analysis tool in extracting data for analysis from the articles. Then, the main research results for three aspects are obtained by VOSviewer software which extracted and analyzed the parameters of author name, article title, publication journal, keywords, organization, publication country/region, and the sum of times cited from 455 qualified papers. The study found that the United States of America made the most outstanding contribution to this theme study. The research on EP in overhead sports in China requires more attention from scholars. EP in swimming is a new research direction worthy of attention. In conclusion, the research results prove the growth trend of EP in overhead sports. The EP problem not only exists in the ball game and throwing sports but also swimming. Sport commercialization and the involvement of related professional sports organizations determine the degree of EP's attention in a specific sport and the development of solutions. The development of a region or country also affects the depth and scope of EP study. Clinical research development and in-depth exploration are one of the bases to solve EP problems. Non-clinical action is beneficial to EP patients, but it still needs to be explored and studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the world. Statistics revealed the number of breast cancer patients less than 40 years of age increased over time. Clinical studies found there is a trend of yearly illness happening in younger patients, whose needs related to the illness are different from older patients. The purpose of this study was to explore the uncertainty and needs of patients in different age groups who were newly diagnosed with breast cancer. A descriptive cross-sectional survey study was adopted to recruit 128 patients. The Mishel's Uncertainty in Illness Scale (MUIS, Chinese version) and the Cancer Needs Questionnaire (short-form, CNQ-SF) were used to collect data. The results revealed that a patient's age and religion negatively correlated with illness uncertainty. A patient's age, educational level, work or not, and children's age correlated with needs for care. Age, illness uncertainty, and educational level were important predictors of the needs of care, with an explanatory power of 29.0%. In Conclusion, patients ≤40 years of age had greater illness uncertainty and needs for care than those who were >40 years of age. For younger patients newly diagnosed with cancer, medical professionals should take the initiative to provide detailed and complete information on breast cancer treatment plans, prognosis, and home self-care, which helps clarify the possible future treatments and results and further enables patients to acquire self-care skills and knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the vaccine hesitancy of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) in a low-resource setting in China and to identify associated factors, a face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted in the city of Guilin, China, from December 2021 to March 2022, which comprised sociodemographic information, attitudes toward vaccines and pneumonia, and PCV13 vaccination willingness and willingness to pay (WTP). Stepwise logistic regression and Tobit regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with PCV13 vaccination willingness and WTP, respectively. In total, 1254 questionnaires were included, of which 899, 254, and 101 participants showed acceptance, hesitancy, and refusal to vaccinate their children with PCV13, respectively. Only 39.07% of participants knew about PCV13 before this survey. A total of 558 (48.40%) participants accepted the full payment of vaccination, and 477 (41.37%) other participants accepted the partial payment, with a median cost of CNY 920.00. Demographics, social and psychological context, and attitudes toward vaccines were all associated with PCV13 vaccination but varied for hesitators and refusers. There is a substantial local demand for vaccinating children with PCV13 and partial payment is widely accepted. More publicity and educational efforts and a socially supportive environment are required to alleviate vaccine hesitancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) was introduced into China as a kind of turfgrass and has invaded wheat fields of the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, causing great losses to grain yield. The acetyl–CoA carboxylase (ACCase) inhibitor clodinafop-propargyl and the acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor mesosulfuron-methyl are highly efficient herbicides that have been widely used for control of this species, which has also resulted in its resistance evolution. However, the resistance status of L. multiflorum in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China remains unclear, which hinders the integrated management of this weed in winter wheat production systems. In the current study, a total of 37 L. multiflorum populations were collected from the wheat fields across the region, and their susceptibility to clodinafop-propargyl and mesosulfuron-methyl was assessed. Of these, 13 populations were resistant or evolving resistance to clodinafop-propargyl (R?, RR, and RRR) with resistance index (RI) ranging from 2.62 to 830.05, and 8 populations were resistant or evolving resistance to mesosulfuron-methyl (R? and RR) with RI ranging from 3.89 to 16.68. Seven populations showed multiple-resistance to both clodinafop-propargyl and mesosulfuron-methyl. Three ACCase (I1781L, I2041N, and D2078G) and four ALS (P197T, P197S, P197A, and W574L) resistance mutations were identified in the herbicide-resistant populations, and I1781L and P197T were predominant ACCase and ALS mutations, respectively. Real-time quantitative PCR assays showed that compared with the susceptible population, the ACCase expression was slightly upregulated in some of the clodinafop-propargyl-resistant populations (AH-01 and AH-05) following clodinafop-propargyl treatment, while the ALS expression in the mesosulfuron-methyl-resistant populations showed no significant change following mesosulfuron-methyl treatment. Whole-plant dose-response testing showed that the AH-01 population carrying an ACCase gene I2041N mutation exhibited cross-resistance to all the ACCase inhibitors tested and multiple-resistance to the ALS inhibitor bispyribac-sodium, the AH-05 population carrying an ACCase gene I1781L mutation and an ALS gene P197T mutation showed cross-resistance to all the ACCase and ALS inhibitors tested, and the HN-07 population carrying an ACCase gene D2078G mutation showed cross-resistance to all the ACCase inhibitors tested and multiple-resistance to some ALS inhibitors. All the resistant populations remained susceptible to the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate inhibitor glyphosate and the photosystem II inhibitor isoproturon. This study has clarified the distributions of clodinafop-propargyl- and/or mesosulfuron-methyl-resistant L. multiflorum in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China, and target gene mutation was one of the most common mechanisms responsible for the resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome viruses (PRRSVs) pose a serious threat to the swine industry in China, which has caused great difficulties for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) immune prevention and control, due to its easily mutable and recombinant nature. In this study, two novel PRRSV strains, which were named GD-H1 and GD-F1, were isolated and fully sequenced from pig farms in Guangdong province, China. The phylogenetic analysis and recombination analysis revealed that the GD-H1 and GD-F1 were generated by the recombination of NADC30-like and NADC34-like strains which were different from the previously prevalent strain. Further pathogenic studies on piglets and sows found that the recombinant strains could cause piglets high fever, loss of appetite and lung lesions, but no piglets died. However, the recombinant strains could cause acute death and abortion in pregnant sow infection models together with average survival rates of 62.5% and 37.5% abortion rates, respectively. These findings indicated that the recombinant strains were extremely pathogenic to sows. Therefore, we report two clinical novel recombinant strains of PRRSV that are different from the traditional epidemic strains in China, which may provide early warning and support for PRRS immune prevention and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is one of the most important food fishes in global aquaculture. The optimal rearing temperature for Nile tilapia is 27–30 °C; however, in some Asian breeding areas, such as south China, water temperatures in summer frequently exceed 35 °C for several days. Potential effects of long-term exposure to high temperatures on the survival and metabolism of tilapia are unclear. In this study, genetically improved farmed tilapia, age six weeks, were exposed to water temperatures of 28, 32, and 36 °C for 15 weeks. Mean survival rates and tolerance to hypoxia were significantly reduced, and respiratory rates were increased in fish reared at 36 °C, compared to the 28 and 32 °C treatments (p < 0.05). Partial temperature compensation for routine metabolic rates was observed after 15 weeks at 36 °C. Gill morphology changes in the 36 °C treatment included curling of the lamellae and hyperplasia of the filament end, which became more pronounced after acute hypoxia (0.2 mg/L O2). Transcriptomics demonstrated that expression of numerous genes related to aerobic metabolism was altered in the 36 °C treatment, including down-regulation of nine genes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. In summary, high temperature affected tilapia gill morphology, reduced hypoxia tolerance, and inhibited aerobic metabolism, thus ultimately threatening tilapia viability and survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]