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Main conclusion: AtbZIP69 overexpression in wheat significantly enhanced drought and low nitrogen tolerance by modulating ABA synthesis, antioxidant activity, nitrogen allocation, and transporter gene expression, boosting yield. In this study, we generated wheat plants with improved low nitrogen (LN) and drought tolerance by introducing AtbZIP69, a gene encoding a basic leucine zipper domain transcription factor, into the wheat cultivar Shi 4056. AtbZIP69 localized to the nucleus and activated transcription. A greenhouse study further revealed that, compared to wild type (WT) wheat, AtbZIP69 transgenic wheat exhibited significantly increased drought and LN stress tolerance. Under drought stress, the H2O2 concentration in transgenic lines decreased, whereas SOD activity and proline content increased, resulting in remarkably enhanced drought resistance. Furthermore, drought stress boosted the expression of critical abscisic acid (ABA) synthesis enzymes as well as the ABA content of transgenic plants, implying that this gene may improve wheat’s drought resistance by promoting ABA production. Additionally, during a two-year field test, the yield and the number of spikes of transgenic wheat were significantly higher than those of WT wheat under LN conditions. Mechanistically, the overexpression of AtbZIP69 altered nitrogen distribution by allocating more nitrogen to grains under LN conditions. In addition, the expression of genes encoding nitrogen transporter proteins was higher in AtbZIP69 transgenic wheat than in WT wheat under LN conditions. These findings suggest that the insertion of AtbZIP69 opens up new opportunities for wheat stress resistance breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate heavy metal enrichment in different tea plant varieties and their distribution within different plant parts and to clarify the behavioral characteristics of heavy metals in the tea tree-soil system and their influencing factors. In this study, soil samples were collected from the root zones of 13 tea tree varieties in Guizhou, which had been planted for 10 years. The aim was to compare the physicochemical properties of tea plantation soils under soil-forming matrixes and consistent management. Additionally, the study investigated the enrichment and transportation patterns of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Ni in the tea tree-soil systems of different tea tree varieties. The results showed that the planting of tea trees decreased the soil pH by 0.5; soil nutrients decreased; soil Pb, Cr, Ni, Cu, and Zn contents in the root zone increased; and Cd content decreased. Heavy metals were mainly enriched in the roots, and Zn, Cu, Ni, and other elements related to the protein and enzyme synthesis of tea trees could be mostly transported to the stems and leaves. There were significant differences in the enrichment and transportation of heavy metals among the different tea tree varieties. Under consistent soil-forming parent material, soil pH, organic matter, nutrients, and other indices only had a significant effect on heavy metal enrichment in the tea tree roots. Therefore, in areas with high background soil heavy metal contents, the construction of tea plantations should be based on regional soil environmental conditions to choose tea tree varieties with low heavy metal enrichment capacities to avoid the risk of high background soil heavy metals on the safe production of tea for consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence shows a continuing increase in the frequency and severity of global heatwaves1,2, raising concerns about the future impacts of climate change and the associated socioeconomic costs3,4. Here we develop a disaster footprint analytical framework by integrating climate, epidemiological and hybrid input–output and computable general equilibrium global trade models to estimate the midcentury socioeconomic impacts of heat stress. We consider health costs related to heat exposure, the value of heat-induced labour productivity loss and indirect losses due to economic disruptions cascading through supply chains. Here we show that the global annual incremental gross domestic product loss increases exponentially from 0.03 ± 0.01 (SSP 245)–0.05 ± 0.03 (SSP 585) percentage points during 2030–2040 to 0.05 ± 0.01–0.15 ± 0.04 percentage points during 2050–2060. By 2060, the expected global economic losses reach a total of 0.6–4.6% with losses attributed to health loss (37–45%), labour productivity loss (18–37%) and indirect loss (12–43%) under different shared socioeconomic pathways. Small- and medium-sized developing countries suffer disproportionately from higher health loss in South-Central Africa (2.1 to 4.0 times above global average) and labour productivity loss in West Africa and Southeast Asia (2.0–3.3 times above global average). The supply-chain disruption effects are much more widespread with strong hit to those manufacturing-heavy countries such as China and the USA, leading to soaring economic losses of 2.7 ± 0.7% and 1.8 ± 0.5%, respectively.A global high-resolution disaster footprint analytical model is developed to show substantial socioeconomic impacts from climatic change-driven heat stress through the global supply chain by 2060 due to direct and indirect effects on health and labour productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 lockdowns have transitioned to a new normal and triggered commodity supply disruption and trade uncertainty, yet little is known about the seafood trade resilience of developing and developed countries amid pandemic-related shocks. Here, employing a newly developed geographical transition-net model, we simulate a set of idealized lockdown scenarios in a real-world seafood network. The results show that (1) even if restrictions from regions with high strictness policies were eventually lifted globally at the end of 2022, the pandemic-induced disruption will continue to affect global seafood trade until 2030, and the annual growth rate of the global seafood market would be around 1% lower than that during 2006–2019; (2) Due to the continued high level of stringency in China in 2022 and the soaring demand of seafood in the developed countries in the post-COVID-19 era, developed countries are increasingly reliant on their intra-regional trade until 2030; (3) The global seafood supply chains will magnify export losses beyond the direct effects of COVID-19, and there would be 17 to 57 million people in the developing countries in 2030 facing seafood supply shortage. The new long-term challenge is to call for the multilateral cooperation of major exporters for global seafood trade recovery. Our study provides a new perspective to evaluate the economic impact of COVID-19 as well as the cascading effect caused by the supply-chain linkages in the global seafood system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper is a novel attempt in response to the growing interest in the internationalization of SMEs and their potential impacts on the economic well-being of the countries in which they operate. The purpose of this study is to identify the main deterring and determinant factors of SMEs' GVC participation in a developing country, Cameroon. Rooted in the network and cluster theories of internationalization, and drawing from survey data of 209,482 enterprises contained in the 2018 General Registry of Enterprises, collected by the Cameroon National Institute of Statistics, this study conducted hierarchical regression analysis and found that obstacles related to the business environment constitute the most deterring factors to the GVC participation of Cameroonian SMEs. The findings further established coopetition and government support to be key determinant factors in fostering SMEs' GVC participation. Inspired by these findings, a network construct is proposed, within a quadruple innovation helix setting, to drive the international expansion of SMEs, putting coopetition at the frontline of the expansion strategy. The findings and propositions provide information necessary to empower the managerial strategies of entrepreneurs, and the policy actions of public powers, which will significantly define the future of developing country SMEs in GVCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The highly energy-intensive iron and steel industry contributed about 25% (ref. 1) of global industrial CO2 emissions in 2019 and is therefore critical for climate-change mitigation. Despite discussions of decarbonization potentials at national and global levels2–6, plant-specific mitigation potentials and technologically driven pathways remain unclear, which cumulatively determines the progress of net-zero transition of the global iron and steel sector. Here we develop a CO2 emissions inventory of 4,883 individual iron and steel plants along with their technical characteristics, including processing routes and operating details (status, age, operation-years etc.). We identify and match appropriate emission-removal or zero-emission technologies to specific possessing routes, or what we define thereafter as a techno-specific decarbonization road map for every plant. We find that 57% of global plants have 8–24 operational years, which is the retrofitting window for low-carbon technologies. Low-carbon retrofitting following the operational characteristics of plants is key for limiting warming to 2 °C, whereas advanced retrofitting may help limit warming to 1.5 °C. If each plant were retrofitted 5 years earlier than the planned retrofitting schedule, this could lead to cumulative global emissions reductions of 69.6 (±52%) gigatonnes (Gt) CO2 from 2020 to 2050, almost double that of global CO2 emissions in 2021. Our results provide a detailed picture of CO2 emission patterns associated with production processing of iron and steel plants, illustrating the decarbonization pathway to the net-zero-emissions target with the efforts from each plant.A CO2 emissions inventory of 4,883 individual iron and steel plants along with their technical characteristics is described, allowing the identification and guidance of the most appropriate emissions mitigation and decarbonization pathways for each plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the influence of consumer cooperation, eco-design, and green marketing on the adoption of green supply chain management in developing countries. The mediating role of innovation in this relationship is also examined. A survey method was employed, using a questionnaire adapted from previous studies. The sample comprised 250 respondents who were employees of small and medium size and multinational manufacturing industries in Bangladesh. Smart partial least squares (PLS) are currently being used for data analysis, while PLS-structural equation modeling is being employed to assess measurement and structural models. The findings reveal that consumer cooperation, eco-design, and green marketing significantly affect innovation. Furthermore, innovation acts as a mediator between these variables and the adoption of green supply chain management. This study identifies green supply chain management practices that have the potential to enhance organizational performance and motivate companies to implement strategic and operational changes, leading to significant economic, social, and environmental impacts. The research holds significant importance for emerging economies and green supply chain adoption considering the constraints at both organizational and government levels. It provides a framework for a synergistic combination of asset-based elements, innovation, and green supply chain management, benefiting small and medium size organization, multinational corporations, and the supply chain sector in achieving sustainable development goals. The implications of this study extend to supervisors and managers in the corporate world, assisting them in making informed decisions. By expanding the existing literature on the consumer cooperation, eco-design, and green marketing model to include green supply chain management, this study contributes to the field. However, it should be noted that the findings and recommendations may be influenced by contextual factors, and therefore, future research should explore other countries to identify regional and specific sectors, enabling a broader perspective and comparisons as well as green related aspects and performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice–rape rotation is a widely practiced cropping system in China. However, changes in soil properties and management could change the bioavailability of Cd, In order to explore the occurrence state, transportation and transformation characteristics of heavy metals Cd and Zn in rice-rape rotation system in Guizhou karst area with high background value of Cd. In the karst rice–rape rotation area, the physical and chemical properties of soil, chemical specifications and activities of Cd and Zn at different soil depths and during various crop growth stages, and the bioaccumulation of Cd and Zn in different tissues of rice and rape were studied by field experiment and laboratory analysis. The bioaccumulation of Cd and Zn and the effects of physical and chemical soil properties on the activities and bioavailabilities of Cd and Zn during rice–rape rotation were explored. The findings revealed that soil particle size, composition, pH, redox potential, soil organic matter, and Cd and Zn contents varied dramatically, especially in deep soils. The physical and chemical properties of the deep and surface soils were significantly related to the bioaccumulation of Cd and Zn. Cd and Zn are activated during crop rotation. Cd was easier to be enriched in rice, while Zn was easier to be enriched in rape. The correlation between Cd and Zn contents in Brassica campestris L and their enrichment abilities were not significant, but that in Oryza sativa L were significant. During rice-rape rotation, the chemical speciations and activities of Cd and Zn changed with the changes of soil properties and waterlogging environment. This study had important basic guiding significance for the evaluation, prevention and control of heavy metal pollution, and improving soil quality in different rotation systems in karst areas, and was conducive to promoting the safe production of rape and rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring a more equitable distribution of vaccines worldwide is an effective strategy to control global pandemics and support economic recovery. We analyze the socioeconomic effects - defined as health gains, lockdown-easing effect, and supply-chain rebuilding benefit - of a set of idealized COVID-19 vaccine distribution scenarios. We find that an equitable vaccine distribution across the world would increase global economic benefits by 11.7% ($950 billion per year), compared to a scenario focusing on vaccinating the entire population within vaccine-producing countries first and then distributing vaccines to non-vaccine-producing countries. With limited doses among low-income countries, prioritizing the elderly who are at high risk of dying, together with the key front-line workforce who are at high risk of exposure is projected to be economically beneficial (e.g., 0.9%~3.4% annual GDP in India). Our results reveal how equitable distributions would cascade more protection of vaccines to people and ways to improve vaccine equity and accessibility globally through international collaboration. A more equitable global distribution of vaccines can benefit the world, while a multilateral benefit-sharing instrument needs to be developed to remove some of the disincentives for early equitable vaccines distribution globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pricing-decision analysis is a critical aspect of supply chain management since it directly affects manufacturers' and retailers' profits. The members of a supply chain all want to be treated properly during the pricing process, which means that they pay attention to the fairness of the profit distribution. Additionally, consumers are increasingly gravitating to green products as their awareness of green consumption grows. Thus, incorporating consumers' green preferences into a supply chain, this paper investigates pricing decisions with two competitive manufacturers under horizontal and vertical fairness concerns and seeks the optimal degrees of product greenness, prices, profits, and utilities. The game-theoretical models with and without bidirectional fairness concerns are constructed and analyzed to identify the implications on pricing, profits, and utilities of competing manufacturers' bidirectional fairness concerns and consumers' green preferences. Then, we determine the decisional differences between the two designs using comparative analysis and numerical simulation. Finally, propositions, corollaries, and policy implications are derived. The results indicate that consumers' green preferences and competition between manufacturers contribute to increasing the optimal pricing and retailer's profit while harming manufacturers' utilities and the supply chain's profits under some conditions. The findings also demonstrate that horizontal and vertical fairness concerns generate different impacts on the product's greenness degree and pricing. Still, they are detrimental to manufacturers' utilities and supply chain profit while possessing negligible effects on retailer's profit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cremastra appendiculata (D. Don) Makino is a valuable species in the ornamental field and pharmaceutical industry, while inefficient propagation limits the utilization of C. appendiculata. Here, we reported an improved and efficient method for large-scale micropropagation including seed germination, initiation, and proliferation of protocorm-like bodies (PLBs), "shoot cluster" induction, rooting, and acclimatization. Factually, the highest shoot multiplication coefficient 3.16 was achieved on 1/4 MS medium supplemented with 1.5 mg L−1 thidiazuron (TDZ), along with 0.4 mg L−1 indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), 3% sucrose, and additives. Likewise, the best medium for protocorm proliferation was 1.0 mg L−1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), 1.0 mg L−1 6-benzyladenine (6-BA), and 0.2 mg L−1 adenylate cyclase (AC) with proliferation of 170.07%, followed by root induction on 1/4MS with 0.5 mg L−1 α naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 0.5 mg L−1 AC, and 3% sucrose. Besides, the achieved micropropagation plants grew vigorously and were steady with a survival rate of 85.3% in vermiculite: humus (1:2). Assessment of the chemical component by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC–ESI–MS) displayed that the composition of dried pseudobulbs from in vitro–raised and field-raised plants were similar, containing colchicine, quercetin, rutin, adenosine, oleanolic acid, myristate, rhein, and emodin. Furthermore, the hypoglycemic activity in vitro indicated that the hypoglycemic effect of micropropagation plants pseudobulbs was better than that of field-raised pseudobulb cultivation. Consequently, the described protocol could be used for the large-scale propagation and conservation of this endangered plant, which might be a natural resource for diabetes patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential impact of climate change on agriculture has been one of the most discussed topics in the literature on climate change. Although the possible impacts of climate change on crop yields have been widely studied, there remains little quantitative understanding of the heterogeneous economic responses to climate-induced crop yield changes in different economies, particularly at higher levels of warming. This study assesses the economic impacts of eight scenarios of warming, from 1.5 to 4 °C, on rice and wheat yields in China, India, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana and Ethiopia. The role of both natural and social factors in crop production is considered by coupling a statistical crop model (ClimaCrop) and a global economic model (GTAP). Changes in economic outputs, consumer and producer prices and national economic welfare are presented. The study shows marginal benefits of crop yield changes on GDP and welfare in China up to 3.5 and 3.0 °C, respectively. This is due to projected increases in rice yields which lower domestic consumer rice prices. Although at higher warming levels these trends begin to reverse. The other countries are negatively impacted due to declining crop yields, with increasing consumer prices of domestic and imported rice and wheat. GDP and welfare declines, with more severe reductions associated with the higher warming levels, particularly in India and Ethiopia. The method is beneficial as the economic outputs reflect a more in-depth picture of the response of global markets and ultimately regional consequences of agricultural impacts that will be of importance to decision makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the economy enters the new normal in China, more and more intellectuals are concerned about the energy consumption in the economic green transformation and development process; this article computes the energy consumption embodied in various final demand types by the utilization of the environmentally extended input-output (EEIO) model during 2000–2014. Then, the structural decomposition analysis is adopted for exploring energy consumption changes' driving factors considering various final demand categories. Furthermore, the decoupling between economic growth and energy consumption embodied in various final demand categories is revealed by the application of the Tapio model in China. The results indicate as below: (1) the energy consumption embodied in various final demand categories increased significantly during the study period; (2) the gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) was most conducive to the growth of energy consumption, while the construction department emerged as the greatest energy user in GFCF; (3) coal and oil were two main energy sources consumed regardless of any final demand categories; (4) in the three drivers, the scale effect had a primary contribution to increasing energy consumption. The intensity effect made a crucial contribution to mitigating energy consumption. The structural effect had a mild contribution to the energy consumption changes; (5) the five final demand categories were roughly characterized by the weak decoupling over the period 2000–2014. GFCF determined the decoupling index between economy growth and energy consumption largely. Finally, this article put forward implied policies concerning the reduction of energy utilization in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-022-04619-1.Correction to: Annals of Operations Research https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-022-04619-1Author Daoping Wang's affiliation should be read as School of Economics and Management, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.Original article has been corrected.Publisher's NoteSpringer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.By Chao Zhao; Daoping Wang; Amjad Younas and Boqing ZhangReported by Author; Author; Author; Author [Extracted from the article]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "After the pandemic: the global seafood trade market forecasts in 2030" published in Humanities & Social Sciences Communications. The correction addresses two errors in the original paper. The first error pertains to the affiliations of Yong Ge, which have been corrected to include the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory in Zhuhai, China. The second error is related to the acknowledgements, which have been updated to include additional funding sources. The correction notice is authored by Chunzhu Wei, Mo Zhang, Wei Chen, Yong Ge, Daoping Wang, Die Zhang, Desheng Xue, Qiuming Cheng, Changxiu Cheng, and Wenguang Zhang. [Extracted from the article]

The original article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37075-x. Correction to: I Nature Communications i https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37075-x, published online 21 March 2023 In the Acknowledgements section of this article, the grant number relating to the National Natural Science Foundation of China given for Dabo Guan was incorrectly given as 7224100119 and should have been 72242105. [Extracted from the article]

The growth and evolution of the knowledge network in supply chain can be characterized by dynamic growth clustering and non-homogeneous degree distribution. The networks with the above characteristics are also known as scale-free networks. In this paper, the knowledge network model in supply chain is established, in which the preferential attachment mechanism based on the node strength is adopted to simulate the growth and evolution of the network. The nodes in the network have a certain preference in the choice of a knowledge partner. On the basis of the network model, the robustness of the three network models based on different preferential attachment strategies is investigated. The robustness is also referred to as tolerances when the nodes are subjected to random destruction and malicious damage. The simulation results of this study show that the improved network has higher connectivity and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is found coliquefaction of coal and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) using boron trifluoride etherate as catalyst and adding a small quantity of sodium lignosulfonate at 380°C enhance coal depolymerization. Coal residue has been characterized by fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) to obtain confirmatory evidence. The product analyses using 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1H-NMR), 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance ( 13C-NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) techniques are also presented. 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR calculate results suggest that the products contain a significant amount of the desirable hexane soluble fraction. GPC studies indicate using boron trifluoride etherate as catalyst, the weight-averaged molecular weight for the overall liquid product is lower than obtained using ammonium molybdate as catalyst. Coal and LDPE are almost completely converted and total conversion achieves 94.83%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The closed-loop supply chain has been receiving increasing attention in recent years. Supply chain coordination and remanufactured products quality control are two fundamental factors for the closed-loop supply chain to obtain a competitive advantage. Besides, fierce competition brings more uncertainty to the market demand. Supply chain members tend to show the characteristics of loss aversion, which could affect them in making quality decisions. Therefore, this paper attempts to coordinate the closed-loop supply chain under remanufactured products quality control with a loss-averse manufacturer and a loss-averse retailer. Under remanufactured product quality control, expected utility function of manufacturers and retailers are established under centralized decision and decentralized decision respectively. According to the principle of utility maximization, the optimal choices of manufacturers and retailers are obtained. Further, by analyzing and comparing the optimal decisions in decentralized and centralized cases, it is found that the closed-loop supply chain cannot achieve coordination. Therefore, the wholesale price and the quality cost-sharing contract are introduced which is proved to be able to harmonize the supply chain. Finally, the impacts of the parameters change on the optimal quality level and remanufactured product price under two typical decision structures are presented through the sensitivity analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the physical effects of air pollution on humans are well documented, there may be even greater impacts on the emotional state and health. Surveys have traditionally been used to explore the impact of air pollution on people's subjective well-being (SWB). However, the survey techniques usually take long periods to properly match the air pollution characteristics from monitoring stations to each respondent's SWB at both disaggregated spatial and temporal levels. Here, we used air pollution data to simulate fixed-scene images and psychophysical process to examine the impact from only air pollution on SWB. Findings suggest that under the atmospheric conditions in Beijing, negative emotions occur when PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 µm) increases to approximately 150 AQI (air quality index). The British observers have a stronger negative response under severe air pollution compared with Chinese observers. People from different social groups appear to have different sensitivities to SWB when air quality index exceeds approximately 200 AQI. Air pollution can affect people's emotional status and well-being. Here, the authors simulate fixed-scene images to show that under the atmospheric conditions in Beijing, negative emotions occur when air quality index of PM2.5 increases to approximately 150. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]