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Bone homeostasis is maintained with the balance between bone formation and bone resorption, which is involved in the functional performance of osteoblast and osteoclast. Disruption of this equilibrium usually causes bone disorders including osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and osteosclerosis. In addition, aberrant activity of bone also contributes to the bone metastasis that frequently occurs in the late stage of aggressive cancers. Orphan nuclear receptor estrogen-related receptor (ERRα) has been demonstrated to control the bone cell fate and the progression of tumor cells in bone through crosstalk with various molecules and signaling pathways. However, the defined function of this receptor in bone is inconsistent and controversial. Therefore, we summarized the latest research and conducted an overview to reveal the regulatory effect of ERRα on bone homeostasis and bone metastasis, this review may broaden the present understanding of the cellular and molecular model of ERRα and highlight its potential implication in clinical therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ball-milled biochar (BMBC) is a typical engineering material that has promising application prospects in remediating contaminated soil and water. It is fundamental to rate the transport behaviors of BMBC in the underground environment before extensive use. In this study, the effects of the ubiquitous cations (Na+, Mg2+, and Al3+) and model organic matter (humic acid) on the transport of BMBC were investigated using laboratory column experiments. The results demonstrated the facilitated effect of HA on the transport of BMBC due to the negatively charged surface and steric effect under neutral conditions. HA and ionic strength manifested an antagonistic effect on the transport of BMBC, where the presence of one could weaken the effect from the other. We also found the charge reversal of the BMBC surface in the presence of Mg2+, thus enhancing the deposition of BMBC onto the medium surface. On the other hand, the charge reversal from Al3+-coupled acid conditions led to the restabilization and transport of BMBC in porous media. Therefore, the rational usage of BMBC is indispensable and more attention should be paid to the composition and change in underground water that might facilitate the transport of BMBC and thus lead to negative environmental implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensiling has been widely applied to cope with agricultural solid waste to achieve organic waste valorization and relieve environmental pressure and feedstuff shortage. In this study, co-ensiling of cabbage leaf byproduct and rice straw was performed with inoculation of Lactiplantibacillusplantarum (LP) to investigate the effects of inoculation on ensiling performance and microflora profiles. Compared to the control, LP inoculation preserved more dry matter (DM) content (283.4 versus 270.9 g·kg−1 fresh matter (FM) on day 30), increased lactic acid (LA) content (52.1 versus 35.8 g·kg−1 dry matter on day 15), decreased pH (3.55 versus 3.79 on day 15), and caused accumulation of acetic acid (AA), butyric acid (BA), and ammonia. The investigation showed that LP inoculation modified microflora composition, especially resisting potential pathogens and enriching more lactic acid bacteria (LAB) (p < 0.05). Moreover, Lactiplantibacillus and Lacticaseibacillus were identified as the keystone taxa that influenced physicochemical properties and interactions in microflora. They were also the main functional species that directly restrained undesirable microorganisms (p < 0.05), rather than indirectly working via metabolite inhibition and substrate competition (p > 0.05). The results of this present study improve the understanding of the underlying effect of LP inoculation on improving silage quality and facilitate the bio-transformation of cabbage byproduct and rice straw as animal feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aimed to provide a scientific basis for an appropriate tillage management of wheat-maize rotation system, which is beneficial to the sustainable development of agriculture in the fluvo-aquic soil areas in China. Four tillage treatments were investigated after maize harvest, including rotary tillage with straw returning (RT), deep ploughing with straw returning (DP), subsoiling with straw returning (SS), and no tillage with straw mulching (NT). We evaluated soil organic carbon (SOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and particulate organic carbon (POC) in bulk soil and soil aggregates with five particle sizes (>5 mm, 5–2 mm, 2–1 mm, 1–0.25 mm, and <0.25 mm) under different tillage managements. Results showed that compared with RT treatment, NT treatment not only increased soil aggregate stability, but also enhanced SOC, DOC, and POC contents, especially those in large size macroaggregates. DP treatment also showed positive effects on soil aggregate stability and labile carbon fractions (DOC and POXC). Consequently, we suggest that no tillage or deep ploughing, rather than rotary tillage, could be better tillage management considering carbon storage. Meanwhile, we implied that mass fractal dimension (Dm) and POXC could be effective indicators of soil quality, as affected by tillage managements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marangoni condensation is formed due to the surface tension gradient caused by the local temperature or concentration gradient on the condensate surface; thus, the investigation of the surface temperature distribution characteristics is crucial to reveal the condensation mechanism and heat transfer characteristics. Few studies have been conducted on the temperature distribution of the condensate surface. In this study, thermal infrared images were used to measure the temperature distributions of the condensate surface during Marangoni condensation for ethanol–water mixture vapor. The results showed that the surface temperature distribution of the single droplet was uneven, and a large temperature gradient, approximately 15.6 °C/mm, existed at the edge of the condensate droplets. The maximum temperature difference on the droplet surface reached up to 8 °C. During the condensation process, the average surface temperature of a single droplet firstly increased rapidly and then slowly until it approached a certain temperature, whereas that of the condensate surface increased rapidly at the beginning and then changed periodically in a cosine-like curve. The present results will be used to obtain local heat flux and heat transfer coefficients on the condensing surface, and to further establish the relationship between heat transfer and temperature distribution characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to its characteristics, biochar originating originating from biomass is accepted as a multifunctional carbon material that supports a wide range of applications. With the successfully used in reducing nitrate and adsorbing ammonium, the mechanism of biochar for nitrogen fixation in long-term brought increasing attention. However, there is a lack of analysis of the NH4+-N adsorption capacity of biochar after aging treatments. In this study, four kinds of acid and oxidation treatments were used to simulate biochar aging conditions to determine the adsorption of NH4+-N by biochar under acidic aging conditions. According to the results, acid-aged biochar demonstrated an enhanced maximum NH4+-N adsorption capacity of peanut shell biochar (PBC) from 24.58 to 123.28 mg·g−1 after a H2O2 modification. After the characteristic analysis, the acid aging treatments, unlike normal chemical modification methods, did not significantly change the chemical properties of the biochar, and the functional groups and chemical bonds on the biochar surface were quite similar before and after the acid aging process. The increased NH4+-N sorption ability was mainly related to physical property changes, such as increasing surface area and porosity. During the NH4+ sorption process, the N-containing functional groups on the biochar surface changed from pyrrolic nitrogen to pyridinic nitrogen, which showed that the adsorption on the surface of the aged biochar was mainly chemical adsorption due to the combination of π-π bonds in the sp2 hybrid orbital and a hydrogen bonding effect. Therefore, this research establishes a theoretical basis for the agricultural use of aged biochar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]