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In Myanmar, the advancement of the integrated rice-fish farming system legs behind rice monoculture farming, and there exists limited awareness of its advantages. Ecosystem services (ES) valuation plays a crucial role in integrated environmental decision-making, promoting sustainable agriculture practices, facilitating land-use planning, and ensuring food security in rural areas. Assessing the ES value in Delta region of Myanmar where rice-fish coculture is extensively practiced is essential for understanding the level of ES benefits derived from this farming system. The objective of this study is to promote the development of the rice-fish coculture system in delta region by estimating its ES value. We conducted a comprehensive examination of the Direct, Indirect, Option and Existence ES value of the rice-fish and rice monoculture in Maubin District, an area where rice-fish development research is being actively carried out within the delta region. The results revealed that the ES value of rice-fish coculture ecosystems in the study area was amounted to 28,588 US$/hm2/year. This value was 2.82% higher than rice monoculture system. Additionally, the rice-fish coculture system yielded product provisional values averaging 1,275 US$/hm2/year, representing a significant increase of 40.3% compared to rice monoculture farming. Our study shows that the adoption of rice-fish coculture farming system not only improves the ES value of the delta region, but also supports food security and socio-economic well-being. Furthermore, it provides valuable insights for policymakers on effective management policies for future development of the rice-fish coculture ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) and concentrated brine are widely present in the coastal area due to accelerated human activities. However, the changes in the adsorption behavior of microplastics for different pollutants under high salinity conditions and their effects on the single/complex behavior of aquatic organisms are not yet clear.. In this work, polystyrene (PS) and polyamide (PA) microplastics were selected to study their effect on the adsorption behavior of three typical water pollutants (Pb2+, 4-chlorophenol, and levofloxacin) at high salinity. Furthermore, the individual and combined toxic effects of MPs and high salinity on Synechococcus were primarily explored. Activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, concentrations of reduced glutathione and chlorophyll-a were employed as toxic indicators. Our results showed that salinity significantly changes the adsorption behavior of the three pollutants onto MPs and alters the toxic effect of MPs. Under the condition of 6% salinity and 10 mg/L MPs, PS-MPs did not significantly affect the cellular metabolism and photosynthetic efficiency of Synechococcus, while PA-MPs showed an evident synergistic effect with the high salinity. Copresence of high salinity with MPs reduced the individual toxic effect of PS-MPs and PA-MPs. This study shows that high salinity seawater can significantly alter the adsorption behavior of microplastics to other pollutants and their toxic effects on organisms. The impact of high-salinity brine on the marine ecology should be considered before construction of desalination projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability of microstructure and performance after long-term service are crucial for the engineering application of ASME SA335-P92 steel. In this present work, a series of isothermal aging tests for P92 steel were performed at 680 °C as long as 21,000 h. Microstructure at different stages of evolution was characterized using scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscopy. Strength and plasticity measurements under the static mechanical tensile condition were also carried out at room temperature. Results showed that Laves phases precipitated rapidly at the early aging stage and coarsened with a relatively high rate in the followed aging period, while M23C6 carbides were precipitated continuously during the aging process. The tensile strength and plasticity of P92 steel at room temperature declined rapidly at the early stage of aging. During the afterward aging process, strength overall presented a slowly falling tendency but plasticity remained a sustainable stability. Micro-mechanism of variation on mechanical tensile properties for P92 steel aged for a long-term time would be further revealed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the optimal stocking density of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) larvae (0.0134 ± 0.001 g) by using biofloc technology, five stocking densities (50, 100, 200, 400, 600 larva/m2) in BFT (BFT50, BFT100, BFT200, BFT400, BFT600) were arranged. After 45 days of farming, the BFT50, BFT100, and BFT200 groups had higher final body weight, weight gain rate, specific growth rate, and lower residual limb rate. No significant difference was found in survival rate among all the experimental groups. Moreover, the activities of lipase and pepsin in the BFT50 group were significantly higher than those of the other four groups. The amylase activity in the BFT200 group was relatively high. The cellulase activity tended to increase with the increase of the stocking density. Furthermore, the total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, and catalase activities in BFT600 group were significantly lower than those of BFT50, BFT100, and BFT200 groups. The acid phosphatase activities of BFT200 and BFT400 were significantly higher than that of BFT600 group. In addition, concentrations of ammonia nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen in the BFT50, BFT100, and BFT200 groups were significantly lower than those in the BFT600 group. Considering that increasing stocking density can improve the economic benefits, but too high density may lead to the decline of growth performance, increase of residual limb rate, and decline of antioxidant capacity, it is suggested that the stocking density of crayfish larvae should be controlled about 200 larvae/m2 by biofloc technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring novel photoconductance switch crystalline materials with color indication is of the utmost importance. Herein, we reported a photochromic and photoconductive zinc organic framework, [Zn2(TDC)2(TPT)]·H2O, composed of electron-rich sulfur-containing compounds, 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid (TDC), as electron donor, and electron-deficient 2,4,6-tri-(4-pyridyl)-s-triazine (TPT) as the electron acceptor, which exhibited an uncommon electron transfer pathway. Upon photo-stimuli and subsequently storing in dark, the crystalline materials show reversible color changes from pale-yellow to green accompanied by the conductance switching from 4.3 × 10–9 to 1.9 × 10–9 S cm−1. The mechanism and electron transfer pathway of the stimuli-responsive materials have been explained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron spin-resonance spectroscopy (ESR), and single X-ray diffraction data. Upon light exposure, the electron could hop from both thienyl-S/carboxyl-O to s-triazine-N. This work not only offers a new approach to the modification of visible photoconducting switch by the crystal engineering strategy but also sheds light on a new electron transfer system. A single crystalline photoconductance switch with color indication has been constructed based on the thienyl-containing photosensitive zinc organic framework. It shows reversible color changes from yellow to green accompanied by conductance switching from 4.3 × 10–9 to 1.9 × 10–9 S·cm−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dempster–Shafer (D–S) evidence theory is effective for uncertain reasoning; it does not require advanced information. The theory has been widely used in multi-sensor data fusion. However, the time complexity of fusing r pieces of evidence for n possible events using Dempster's combination rule is r - 1 × 2 2 n + 1 , which is considerable. In addition, none of the existing implementations of Dempster's rule directly utilize the parallel performance of GPUs. In this study, an efficient parallelization method for implementing the D–S evidence theory, based on event-based binary encoding and kernel functions on GPUs, was developed. Theoretical analysis and simulation experiments show that the proposed method achieves a speedup of (r - 1) 2 n ⌈ l o g 2 r ⌉ , thereby reducing the time complexity of Dempster's rule effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classifier ensemble is an important research content of ensemble learning, which combines several base classifiers to achieve better performance. However, the ensemble strategy always brings difficulties to integrate multiple classifiers. To address this issue, this paper proposes a multi-classifier ensemble algorithm based on D-S evidence theory. The principle of the proposed algorithm adheres to two primary aspects. (a) Four probability classifiers are developed to provide redundant and complementary decision information, which is regarded as independent evidence. (b) The distinguishing fusion strategy based on D-S evidence theory is proposed to combine the evidence of multiple classifiers to avoid the mis-classification caused by conflicting evidence. The performance of the proposed algorithm has been tested on eight different public datasets, and the results show higher performance than other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most populated agricultural habitats in the world, Southeast Asia has been highly exposed to extremes of weather and climate, posing great importance to figure out the trend and variability characteristics of extremes over there. The annual extreme precipitation and temperature over Southeast Asia during 1981–2017 are analyzed in this study using datasets based on daily observations derived from thousands of meteorological stations. Results show that the wet extremes decrease over the areas surrounding the South China Sea and increase over the south of the Philippines and Indonesia with the most significant trends detected over the east of Indochina and New Guinea. Extreme high temperatures decrease significantly over the middle of New Guinea and increase over Indochina, Sumatra, Java, and Kalimantan. Moreover, empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analyses show that the first principal components for most precipitation extremes are characterized by significant decadal changes relevant to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and the second principal components exhibit significant interannual variability associated with oceanic systems such as El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). As for temperature extremes, the leading EOF modes show non-significant trends or decadal variations, but significant interannual variations related to ENSO and the Indian Ocean Dipole are detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kvass is a popular low-alcohol beverage produced by the natural fermentation of dark rye bread or malt with complex microbial flora. However, few pieces of research focus on the microflora of traditional bread kvass, and the industrial kvass based on malt concentrate has some disadvantages, including the lack of viable probiotics and containing multiple artificial additives. Therefore, in the present study, based on the different homemade traditional bread kvass, the predominant species including Lacticaseibacillus paracasei, Acetobacter pasteurianus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were screened and identified. In addition, barley malt was used instead of bread for kvass production, and the co-fermentation conditions with three different strains were optimized as wort concentration of 7.4°Brix, cell ratio of 2/2/1 (S. cerevisiae/L. paracasei/A. pasteurianus), inoculum amount of 8%, fermentation temperature of 29.5 °C and fermentation time of 24.6 h. Moreover, the physicochemical (pH, total soluble solids, color, and alcohol content) and probiotic (microorganisms counting and antioxidant activity) properties of the barley malt kvass prepared at optimal conditions were symmetrically evaluated. Besides, compared with the commercial kvass products, the produced barley malt kvass exhibited better taste and more desirable antioxidant activity, and also maintained around 6–7 log CFU/mL of viable probiotic microorganisms during a week of storage. The present study not only enriched the biological resource of the traditional kvass, but also promoted the development of the kvass as a live-bacteria beverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfide-containing mine waste was oxidized to produce acid mine drainage, which lead to acidification of surrounding soil and downstream rivers and posed a threat to the surrounding environment. Quartz often coexists with sulfide minerals and affects the oxidation of sulfide minerals. In order to explore the role of quartz in the bio-oxidation of sulfide minerals in mine solid waste, the mixed minerals of quartz and sulfide minerals were bio-oxidized by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. The results showed that quartz could improve the microbial activity and increase the acid production of sulfide minerals. The larger the proportion of quartz in bio-oxidation of sulfide minerals, the less the production of secondary minerals such as jarosite, and the larger the leaching amount of iron and sulfate. This research provides new ideas for speeding up the bio-oxidation of sulfide mineral to remove iron and sulfate. It provides a new way to solve acid pollution caused by oxidation of sulfide minerals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Venomous snakebites cause clinical manifestations that range from local to systemic and are considered a significant global health challenge. Persistent or refractory thrombocytopenia has been frequently reported in snakebite patients, especially in cases caused by viperidae snakes. Viper envenomation-induced thrombocytopenia may persist in the absence of significant consumption coagulopathy even after the antivenom treatment, yet the mechanism remains largely unknown. Our study aims to investigate the mechanism and discover novel therapeutic targets for coagulopathy-independent thrombocytopenia caused by viper envenomation. Here we found that patients bitten by Protobothrops mucrosquamatus and Trimeresurus stejnegeri, rather than Naja. atra may develop antivenom-resistant and coagulopathy-independent thrombocytopenia. Crude venoms and the derived C-type lectin-like proteins from these vipers significantly increased platelet surface expression of neuraminidase and platelet desialylation, therefore led to platelet ingestion by both macrophages and hepatocytes in vitro, and drastically decreased peripheral platelet counts in vivo. Our study is the first to demonstrate that desialylation-mediated platelet clearance is a novel mechanism of viper envenomation-induced refractory thrombocytopenia and C-type lectin-like proteins derived from the viper venoms contribute to snake venom-induced thrombocytopenia. The results of this study suggest the inhibition of platelet desialylation as a novel therapeutic strategy against viper venom-induced refractory thrombocytopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish culture in paddy fields is a traditional aquaculture mode, which has a long history in East Asia. Large-scale loach (Paramisgurnus dabryanus) fast growth is suitable for paddy fields aquaculture in China. The objective of this study was to identify differential expression genes (DEGs) in the brain, liver and muscle tissues between large (LG, top 5% of maximum total length) and small (SG, top 5% of minimum total length) groups using RNA-seq. In total, 150 fish were collected each week and 450 fish were collected at twelfth week from three paddy fields for all the experimental. Histological observation found that the muscle fibre diameter of LG loaches was greater than that of SG loaches. Transcriptome results revealed that the high expression genes (HEGs) in LG loaches (fold change ≥ 2, p < 0.05) were mainly concentrated in metabolic pathways, such as "Thyroid hormone signalling pathway", "Citrate cycle (TCA cycle)", "Carbon metabolism", "Fatty acid metabolism", and "Cholesterol metabolism", and the HEGs in SG loaches were enriched in the pathways related to environmental information processing such as "Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs)", "ECM− receptor interaction" and "Rap1 signalling pathway"; cellular processes such as "Tight junction", "Focal adhesion", "Phagosome" and "Adherens junction". Furthermore, IGFs gene family may play an important role in loach growth for their different expression pattern between the two groups. These findings can enhance our understanding about the molecular mechanism of different growth and development levels of loaches in paddy fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral antiretroviral agents provide life-saving treatments for millions of people living with HIV, and can prevent new infections via pre-exposure prophylaxis1–5. However, some people living with HIV who are heavily treatment-experienced have limited or no treatment options, owing to multidrug resistance6. In addition, suboptimal adherence to oral daily regimens can negatively affect the outcome of treatment—which contributes to virologic failure, resistance generation and viral transmission—as well as of pre-exposure prophylaxis, leading to new infections1,2,4,7–9. Long-acting agents from new antiretroviral classes can provide much-needed treatment options for people living with HIV who are heavily treatment-experienced, and additionally can improve adherence10. Here we describe GS-6207, a small molecule that disrupts the functions of HIV capsid protein and is amenable to long-acting therapy owing to its high potency, low in vivo systemic clearance and slow release kinetics from the subcutaneous injection site. Drawing on X-ray crystallographic information, we designed GS-6207 to bind tightly at a conserved interface between capsid protein monomers, where it interferes with capsid-protein-mediated interactions between proteins that are essential for multiple phases of the viral replication cycle. GS-6207 exhibits antiviral activity at picomolar concentrations against all subtypes of HIV-1 that we tested, and shows high synergy and no cross-resistance with approved antiretroviral drugs. In phase-1 clinical studies, monotherapy with a single subcutaneous dose of GS-6207 (450 mg) resulted in a mean log10-transformed reduction of plasma viral load of 2.2 after 9 days, and showed sustained plasma exposure at antivirally active concentrations for more than 6 months. These results provide clinical validation for therapies that target the functions of HIV capsid protein, and demonstrate the potential of GS-6207 as a long-acting agent to treat or prevent infection with HIV. The small molecule GS-6207, which disrupts the function of the HIV capsid protein, shows potential as a long-acting therapeutic agent for the treatment and prevention of HIV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactions with mycorrhizal fungi have been increasingly recognized as one of the most important ecological factors determining the distribution and local abundance of orchids. While some orchid species may interact with a variety of fungal associates, others are more specific in their choice of mycorrhizal partners. Moreover, orchids that co-occur at a given site, often associate with different partners, possibly to avoid competition and to allow stable coexistence. However, whether differences in mycorrhizal partners directly affect seed germination and subsequent protocorm formation remains largely unknown. In this research, we used in vitro germination experiments to investigate to what extent seed germination and protocorm formation of Gymnadenia conopsea was affected by the origin and identity of fungal associates. Fungi were isolated from G. conopsea and three other co-occurring orchid species (Dactylorhiza viridis (Coeloglossum viride), Herminium monorchis, and Platanthera chlorantha). In total, eight fungal associates, belonging to Tulasnellaceae, Ceratobasidiaceae, and Serendipitaceae, were successfully isolated and cultured. While all eight fungal strains were able to promote early germination of G. conopsea seeds, only fungal strain GS2, a member of the Ceratobasidiaceae isolated from G. conopsea itself, was able to promote protocorm formation and subsequent growth to a seedling. Two other fungal strains isolated from G. conopsea only supported seed germination until the protocorm formation stage. The other five fungal strains isolated from the co-occurring orchid species did not support seed germination beyond the protocorm stage. We conclude that, although G. conopsea is considered a mycorrhizal generalist that associates with a wide range of fungi during its adult life, it requires specific fungi to promote protocorm formation and growth to a seedling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most advanced play forms in childhood, pretend play often demonstrates positive associations with children's development. However, results from research that examines the association between social skills and pretend play are mixed, especially when the complexity of pretend play is taken into account. Moreover, few studies on pretend play are conducted in outdoor environments; a setting which affords many opportunities for engagement in pretend play and unstructured social interactions. By observing children's outdoor pretend play, the primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between different types of pretend play and children's social skills. Twenty-eight children from high quality childcare centers in a southeast suburban area were observed during outdoor free play time. Using a reliable time sampling protocol, each child's play was observed and recorded for a total of 45 min to an hour over a 2-week time period. Lead teachers rated children's social skills in the areas of cooperation, self-control, and assertiveness. Results showed high amounts of pretend play behavior overall, and differential relationships between the type of pretend play children engaged in and children's social skills. Surprisingly, these relationships were not associated with gender. Findings are discussed in light of the value of pretend play to promote social skill development and the potential for outdoor contexts specifically to encourage these play behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HER2-targeted therapy has yielded a significant clinical benefit in patients with HER2+ breast cancer, yet disease relapse due to intrinsic or acquired resistance remains a significant challenge in the clinic. Here, we show that the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) regulatory subunit PPP2R2B is a crucial determinant of anti-HER2 response. PPP2R2B is downregulated in a substantial subset of HER2+ breast cancers, which correlates with poor clinical outcome and resistance to HER2-targeted therapies. EZH2-mediated histone modification accounts for the PPP2R2B downregulation, resulting in sustained phosphorylation of PP2A targets p70S6K and 4EBP1 which leads to resistance to inhibition by anti-HER2 treatments. Genetic depletion or inhibition of EZH2 by a clinically-available EZH2 inhibitor restores PPP2R2B expression, abolishes the residual phosphorylation of p70S6K and 4EBP1, and resensitizes HER2+ breast cancer cells to anti-HER2 treatments both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the same epigenetic mechanism also contributes to the development of acquired resistance through clonal selection. These findings identify EZH2-dependent PPP2R2B suppression as an epigenetic control of anti-HER2 resistance, potentially providing an opportunity to mitigate anti-HER2 resistance with EZH2 inhibitors. Resistance to anti-HER2 therapies in breast cancer remains a significant clinical challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate that EZH2 regulates response to HER2-targeting therapies in breast cancer, in part, by modulating the expression of PPP2R2B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]