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[Objective] This study was aimed to estimate the amount of water conservation in Shaanxi Province. [Methods] The InVEST model and PLUS model were coupled to calculate the water conservation amount in Shaanxi Province from 2000 to 2020 and predict the water conservation amount under land use changes in the future in 2030. [Results] The average water conservation amount in Shaanxi Province from 2000 to 2020 was 132.25 mm, with a spatial distribution characteristic of gradually increasing water conservation from north to south. From the perspective of vegetation types, forest land was the main body of water conservation in Shaanxi Province. The average annual water conservation amount was 199.55×108 m3. From the administrative region, Ankang City had the largest water conservation amount(308.96 mm). The total amount of water source conservation in 2030 will be 285.16×108 m3 and 8.68×108 m3 less than that in 2020. [Conclusion] The water conservation amount of Shaanxi Province will show a slight downward trend from 2020 to 2030 in the future.

BackgroundProstate stem/progenitor cells function in glandular development and maintenance. They may be targets for tumor initiation, so characterization of these cells may have therapeutic implications. Cells from dissociated tissues that form spheres in vitro often represent stem/progenitor cells. A subset of human prostate cells that form prostaspheres were evaluated for self-renewal and tissue regeneration capability in the present study.MethodsProstaspheres were generated from 59 prostatectomy specimens. Lineage marker expression and TMPRSS-ERG status was determined via immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Subpopulations of prostate epithelial cells were isolated by cell sorting and interrogated for sphere-forming activity. Tissue regeneration potential was assessed by combining sphere-forming cells with rat urogenital sinus mesenchyme (rUGSM) subcutaneously in immunocompromised mice.ResultsProstate tissue specimens were heterogeneous, containing both benign and malignant (Gleason 3-5) glands. TMPRSS-ERG fusion was found in approximately 70% of cancers examined. Prostaspheres developed from single cells at a variable rate (0.5-4%) and could be serially passaged. A basal phenotype (CD44+CD49f+CK5+p63+CK8-AR-PSA-) was observed among sphere-forming cells. Subpopulations of prostate cells expressing tumor-associated calcium signal transducer 2 (Trop2), CD44, and CD49f preferentially formed spheres. In vivo implantation of sphere-forming cells and rUGSM regenerated tubular structures containing discreet basal and luminal layers. The TMPRSS-ERG fusion was absent in prostaspheres derived from fusion-positive tumor tissue, suggesting a survival/growth advantage of benign prostate epithelial cells.ConclusionHuman prostate sphere-forming cells self-renew, have tissue regeneration capability, and represent a subpopulation of basal cells.

Surface water bodies exhibit dynamic characteristics, undergoing variations in size, shape, and flow patterns over time due to numerous natural and human factors. The monitoring of spatial-temporal changes in surface water bodies is crucial for the sustainable development and efficient utilization of water resources. In this study, Landsat series images on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, along with the HydroLAKES and China Reservoir datasets, were utilized to establish an extraction process for surface water bodies from 1986 to 2021 in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). The study aims to investigate the dynamics of surface water bodies and the driving factors within the YRB. The findings reveal an overall expansion tendency of surface water bodies in the YRB between 1986 and 2021. In the YRB, the total area of surface water bodies, natural lakes, and artificial reservoirs increased by 2983.8 km2 (40.4%), 281.1 km2 (11.5%), and 1017.6 km2 (101.7%), respectively. A total of 102 natural lakes expanded, while 23 shrank. Regarding artificial reservoirs, 204 expanded, and 77 shrank. The factors that contributed most to the increase in the surface water bodies were increasing precipitation and reservoir construction, whose contribution rates could reach 47% and 32.6%, respectively. Additionally, the rising temperatures melted permafrost, ice, and snow, positively correlating with water expansion in the upper reaches of the YRB, particularly natural lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the implications of financial hedging for corporate cash policy and the value of cash holdings. Using a web crawler program to collect data on the use of financial derivatives between 1993 and 2016, we find that US public firms with financial hedging programs have smaller cash reserves but a higher value of cash than firms without hedging contracts in place. Our empirical results are robust when controlling for potential endogeneity issues, corporate governance, cash regimes and alternative measures of cash holdings. Further, we find that financial hedging not only increases the investment sensitivity to internal cash, but also has a positive effect on investment efficiency. The positive effect of financial hedging on the value of cash is more pronounced for firms with more financial constraints, higher information asymmetry and weaker corporate governance. Collectively, our paper highlights the importance of corporate cash policy as a channel through which financial risk management increases firm value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil erosion is a major threat to soil resources, causing environmental degradation and contributing to poverty in many parts of the world. Many field experiments have been performed over the past century to study spatio-temporal patterns of soil erosion caused by surface runoff under different environmental conditions. However, these data have never been integrated together in a way that can inform efforts to understand and model soil erosion at different spatial and temporal scales. Here, we designed a database titled AWESOME: Archive for Water Erosion and Sediment Outflow Measurements (Jian et al., 2022). The AWESOME database compiles field measurements of annual soil erosion and sediment yield caused by surface runoff, with data derived from sites around the globe. It includes four soil erosion-related indicators (surface runoff, annual erosion, annual sediment yield, and soil nutrient loss) and more than sixty variables for meta-data that describe the location, climate, soil properties, experimental design (e.g., soil erosion measurement method, field scale, replication), and bibliographic information (e.g., author name and year of publication). Currently, measurements from 1985 geographic sites with unique combinations of longitude and latitude, representing 75 countries, have been compiled into AWESOME. We provide an example of linking AWESOME with an external climate dataset, and identify correlations between soil erosion and several environmental variables. Annual soil erosion rates were most influenced by vegetation type and soil texture group. Annual soil erosion rates exhibited significant negative relationships with plant coverage, soil clay content, soil pH, and soil organic carbon content, and significant positive relationships with annual precipitation and soil bulk density. AWESOME aims to be a freely available, and global framework for compiling field soil erosion and subsequent sediment yield measurements, and to provide data sources to support statistical evaluations, model validation and applications, as well as a better understanding of spatial and temporal patterns of soil erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]