Search

Abstract The global expansion of domesticated plant and animal species has profoundly impacted biodiversity and ecosystem functions. However, the spillover effect of non-native honey bees from mass-flowering crops into adjacent natural vegetation on pollination function within plant communities remains unclear. To address this, we conduct field experiments to investigate the ecological impacts of honey bees (Apis mellifera) and a mass-flowering crop (Brassica rapa var. oleifera) on pollinator communities, plant-pollinator interactions, and reproductive performance of wild plants in 48 pollinator-limited alpine grasslands. Our findings indicate that the transition of dominant pollinators from flies to honey bees enhances visitation fidelity of pollinator species and reconfigures pollination interactions due to an increase in competition between honey bees and native pollinator species. Additionally, honey bees increase, decrease or do not alter plant reproductive success, depending on the plant species. Here, we report the mixed effects of honey bees on pollination function in pollinator-limited alpine grasslands.

Abstract Soil extractable nitrate, ammonium, and organic nitrogen (N) are essential N sources supporting primary productivity and regulating species composition of terrestrial plants. However, it remains unclear how plants utilize these N sources and how surface-earth environments regulate plant N utilization. Here, we establish a framework to analyze observational data of natural N isotopes in plants and soils globally, we quantify fractional contributions of soil nitrate (f NO3-), ammonium (f NH4+), and organic N (f EON) to plant-used N in soils. We find that mean annual temperature (MAT), not mean annual precipitation or atmospheric N deposition, regulates global variations of f NO3-, f NH4+, and f EON. The f NO3- increases with MAT, reaching 46% at 28.5 °C. The f NH4+ also increases with MAT, achieving a maximum of 46% at 14.4 °C, showing a decline as temperatures further increase. Meanwhile, the f EON gradually decreases with MAT, stabilizing at about 20% when the MAT exceeds 15 °C. These results clarify global plant N-use patterns and reveal temperature rather than human N loading as a key regulator, which should be considered in evaluating influences of global changes on terrestrial ecosystems.

Abstract Background Declining physical activity and increasing screen time (ST) among Chinese adolescents have become major concerns shared by scholars, while mental health issues are also on the rise. Previous studies have confirmed the association between physical activity and screen time and psychological symptoms, but it is unclear how their psychological symptoms, especially for Chinese university students who have a high proportion of psychological symptoms, and no research evidence has been found. Methods This study investigated physical activity, screen time, and psychological symptoms in 11,173 university students aged 19–22 years in six regions of China. A binary logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and screen time and psychological symptoms. And the generalize linear model (GLM) analysis was used to further analyze the association between MVPA and screen time and psychological symptoms. Results The detection rate of psychological symptoms among Chinese university students was 16.3%, with a higher percentage of female students (17.5%) than male students (14.7%). The proportion of male students (8.2%) with MVPA > 60 min/d was higher than that of female students (2.3%), and the proportion of male students (33.8%) and female students (34.5%) with screen time > 2 h/d was basically the same. The generalize linear model (GLM) analysis showed that university students with MVPA 2 h/d (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.10–2.31) had the highest risk of psychological symptoms (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.10–2.31) compared to university students with MVPA > 60 min/d and screen time 2 h/d (OR = 1.59,95% CI: 1.10–2.31). In addition, university students with MVPA > 60 min/d and a screen time of 1–2 h/d (OR = 0.09, 95% CI: 0.03–0.25) had the lowest risk of psychological symptoms (P

Abstract Noise impairs the performance of inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) motion compensation, which induces severe defocusing under low signal‐to‐noise ratio environments. To overcome this issue, a novel similarity‐oriented (SO) method with a two‐domain denoising strategy is proposed. A PIxEl similarity‐oriented (PIE‐SO) denoising method designed for range‐Doppler (RD) domain and a modified RAnge Profile Similarity‐Oriented (RAP‐SO) denoising method designed for high‐resolution range profile (HRRP) matrix are included in the presented framework. Firstly, the PIE‐SO method directly performs a two‐dimensional fast Fourier transform on dechirp processed echo data to form a coarsely focusing ISAR image in the RD domain. Then the focusing image is separated from the noise background by virtue of pixel similarity, after which the noise is preliminarily removed. Subsequently, the coarsely denoised image is transformed into the HRRP matrix. Considering the range profile similarity impaired by noise is restored by the PIE‐SO denoising, a Laplacian regularised‐weighted nuclear norm proximal (LR‐WNNP) operator is proposed. The proposed modified RAP‐SO method, that is, the LR‐WNNP operator, exploits the low‐rank property of the HRRP matrix and the local similarity of adjacent HRRPs to reduce the residual noise. As a result, ISAR imaging quality is significantly improved. Comprehensive experiments illustrate the effectiveness and superiority of the presented method.

Abstract Background According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), drugs supplementing the vital energy, Qi, can eliminate tumors by restoring host immunity. The objective of this study is to investigate the underlying immune mechanisms of anti‐tumor activity associated with Qi‐supplementing herbs, specifically the paired use of Huangqi and Danggui. Methods Analysis of compatibility regularity was conducted to screen the combination of Qi‐supplementing TCMs. Using the MTT assay and a transplanted tumor mice model, the anti‐tumor effects of combination TCMs were investigated in vitro and in vivo. High content analysis and flow cytometry were then used to evaluate cellular immunity, followed by network pharmacology and molecular docking to dissect the significant active compounds and potential mechanisms. Finally, the anti‐tumor activity and the mechanism of the active ingredients were verified by molecular experiments. Results There is an optimal combination of Huangqi and Danggui that, administered as an aqueous extract, can activate immunity to suppress tumor and is more effective than each drug on its own in vitro and in vivo. Based on network pharmacology analysis, PIK3R1 is the core target for the anti‐tumor immunity activity of combined Huangqi and Danggui. Molecular docking analysis shows 6 components of the combined Danggui and Huangqi extract (quercetin, jaranol, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, calycosin, and suchilactone) that bind to PIK3R1. Jaranol is the most important component against breast cancer. The suchilactone/jaranol combination and, especially, the suchilactone/kaempferol combination are key for immunity enhancement and the anti‐tumor effects of the extract. Conclusions The combination of Huangqi and Danggui can activate immunity to suppress breast cancer and is more effective than the individual drugs alone.

Abstract Background Salt sensitivity of blood pressure (SSBP) is an intermediate phenotype of hypertension and is a predictor of long-term cardiovascular events and death. However, the genetic structures of SSBP are uncertain, and it is difficult to precisely diagnose SSBP in population. So, we aimed to identify genes related to susceptibility to the SSBP, construct a risk evaluation model, and explore the potential functions of these genes. Methods and results A genome-wide association study of the systemic epidemiology of salt sensitivity (EpiSS) cohort was performed to obtain summary statistics for SSBP. Then, we conducted a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) of 12 tissues using FUSION software to predict the genes associated with SSBP and verified the genes with an mRNA microarray. The potential roles of the genes were explored. Risk evaluation models of SSBP were constructed based on the serial P value thresholds of polygenetic risk scores (PRSs), polygenic transcriptome risk scores (PTRSs) and their combinations of the identified genes and genetic variants from the TWAS. The TWAS revealed that 2605 genes were significantly associated with SSBP. Among these genes, 69 were differentially expressed according to the microarray analysis. The functional analysis showed that the genes identified in the TWAS were enriched in metabolic process pathways. The PRSs were correlated with PTRSs in the heart atrial appendage, adrenal gland, EBV-transformed lymphocytes, pituitary, artery coronary, artery tibial and whole blood. Multiple logistic regression models revealed that a PRS of P

Abstract Background The Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) has caused significant economic losses in the global swine industry. As a potential drug for treating diarrhea, the antiviral properties of attapulgite deserve further study. Methods In this study, various methods such as RT-qPCR, Western blot, viral titer assay, Cytopathic Effect, immunofluorescence analysis and transmission electron microscopy were used to detect the antiviral activity of attapulgite and to assess its inhibitory effect on PEDV. Results When exposed to the same amount of virus, there was a significant decrease in the expression of the S protein, resulting in a viral titer reduction from 10-5.613 TCID50/mL to 10-2.90 TCID50/mL, which represents a decrease of approximately 102.6 folds. Results of cytopathic effect and indirect immunofluorescence also indicate a notable decrease in viral infectivity after attapulgite treatment. Additionally, it was observed that modified materials after acidification had weaker antiviral efficacy compared to powdered samples that underwent ultrasonic disintegration, which showed the strongest antiviral effects. Conclusion As a result, Attapulgite powders can trap and adsorb viruses to inhibit PEDV in vitro, leading to loss of viral infectivity. This study provides new materials for the development of novel disinfectants and antiviral additives.

Abstract Plant cellulose synthase is one of the important glycosyltransferases, which catalyzes the synthesis of the paracrystalline of H-bonded-β-(1,4)-glucose chains. This study isolated the cellulose synthase 3 (Ces3) sequence from sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) leaves. SoCes3 (GenBank accession No. MG324347) has a full-length cDNA sequence of 3625 bp. It contains an open reading frame (3225 bp), encoding 1074 amino acids with a molecular weight of about 120.89 kDa and isoelectric point of 6.26. SoCes3 protein showed high activity with other plant cellulose synthases. The recombinant protein contains plant cellulose synthase (Ces) protein conservative domains. In subcellular localization experiments, the fusion protein of SoCes3 with green fluorescent protein (GFP) was specifically localized in the cell membrane. The gene expression of SoCes3 was found in the leaf, leaf sheath, and internodes of the sugarcane stem. The highest expression level was found in the internode, especially with the highest expression level in the 5th internode and lowest in the leaves, and the gene expression level of SoCes3 was upregulated by PP333 and not in gibberellic acid-treated plants. It was conducted in tobacco plants to understand the biotechnological potential of SoCes3. The contents of cellulose and lignin were increased in SoCes3-overexpressing tobacco. Transcriptomic analysis showed that the transgenic tobacco induced different genes associated with different biological regulatory processes. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) mediated plant hormone signal transduction, starch and sucrose metabolism signaling pathways were widely induced and mostly upregulated. The transcription levels in SoCes3-overexpressing transgenic lines were higher than wild-type. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Background The effect of elevated preoperative liver enzyme levels on postoperative outcomes is a topic of concern to clinicians. This study explored the association between elevated preoperative liver enzyme levels and surgical outcomes in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. Methods Using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, we obtained data on adult patients who received nonemergency orthopedic surgery under general anesthesia between 2011 and 2021. Results We evaluated the data of 477,524 patients, of whom 6.1% (24 197 patients) had elevated preoperative serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) levels. An elevated SGOT level was significantly associated with 30-day postoperative mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.39 to 1.90). We determined that the mortality rate rose with SGOT levels. The results remained unchanged after propensity score matching. Conclusion Elevated preoperative SGOT levels constitute an independent risk factor for 30-day postoperative mortality and are proportionately associated with the risk of 30-day postoperative mortality.

BackgroundThe relationship between vegetarianism and mental well-being remains a debated topic in traditional observational studies. Recent studies have revealed the genetic factors in vegetarianism. We aimed to use genetic variations to explore the potential causal relationships between vegetarianism and mental well-being, offering insights from a new perspective.MethodsWe conducted the inverse variance weighted approach as the primary analysis to explore the bidirectional genetic associations between vegetarianism (N = 442,589) and depressive symptoms (N = 180,866), neuroticism (N = 170,910), and subjective well-being (N = 298,420). The analysis used the summary data from the largest genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We also performed sensitivity analyses to ensure the robustness of the findings, accounting for potential heterogeneity and pleiotropy.ResultsGenetically predicted vegetarianism showed positive causal relationships with depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 3.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–10.31; p = 0.044) and neuroticism (OR, 6.72; 95% CI, 2.29–19.74; p = 5.31 × 10−4), as well as a negative causal relationship with subjective well-being (OR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.05–0.77; p = 0.019). Additionally, depressive symptoms were found to have a causal influence on vegetarianism (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00–1.02; p = 6.87 × 10−3). No significant heterogeneity or pleiotropy was detected.ConclusionVegetarianism is causally correlated with negative mental well-being, reflected in an increased risk of depressive symptoms and neuroticism, as well as lower subjective well-being. Further research should explore the underlying mechanisms in broader populations.

Background/purpose: Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) have the potential for regenerating periodontal tissue. The study aims to investigate the impact of demographics (ages, gender, disease) and culture techniques (shipping storage time and culture method) on the success of primary culture. Materials and methods: PDLSCs were collected from 51 teeth of 26 patients and cultured via outgrowth (OG) and enzymatic digestion (ED) methods. Cells characteristics were confirmed by flow cytometry, MTT, and ARS. The primary culture success rate was evaluated with a serial chi-square test to determine the relationship with culture technique (ED/OG and ≤4 h/prolonged culture) and patient demographics (Young/Old, Female/Male, and Health/Periodontitis). Results: The overall success rate of Health group (69.7%) was higher than Periodontitis (38.9%). Culturing within 4 h possessed a higher success rate (71.8%) than prolonged group (16.7%) regardless of patient demographics, and using OG method (81.5%) revealed more promising. Subgroup analysis of 39 cases (culture within 4 h) found that the success rate of OG was higher than ED in the Old group (87.5%–25.0%) and in the Periodontitis group (83.3%–25.0%). Conclusion: Primary culturing of PDLSCs within 4 h and using the outgrowth method led to higher success rates regardless of patient demographics. It can achieve successful PDLSCs culture of older patients or patients with periodontal disease by appropriate culture technique.

Simulators for aortic dissection diagnosis are limited by complex anatomy influencing the accuracy of point-of-care ultrasound for diagnosing aortic dissection. Therefore, this study aimed to create a healthy ascending aorta and class DeBakey, type II aortic dissection simulator as a potential point-of-care ultrasound training model.

This study takes a nearby foundation pit project of a high-speed railway in Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province as an example to investigate the impact of deep foundation pit projects on groundwater and the surrounding environment. Through on-site monitoring, in-situ testing, and numerical simulation, we conducted a comprehensive study of the impact of foundation pit projects on groundwater and the surrounding environment. The evolution of groundwater levels and surface displacement during the excavation of foundation pits was analyzed, and a method for measuring the permeability of target soil layers in situ was studied. The simulation of recharge under various soil conditions was performed, and the outcomes demonstrated the effective isolation of hydraulic connections between the interior and exterior of the foundation pit by the water-resistant curtain. Precipitation head and constant head recharging tests were employed to ascertain the actual permeability. The characteristic time method calculation exhibited remarkable efficiency and accuracy in determining the permeability coefficient of the recharging soil layer. Recharging phreatic and confined water layers has differing degrees of influence on surface deformation, with the impact of confined water layers requiring more time to stabilize. These findings contribute significantly to a more comprehensive understanding of the environmental repercussions associated with deep excavation projects, thereby enhancing safety and environmental protection measures in excavation construction practices.