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Microplastics (MPs) are widely found in the environment and can act as carriers for various toxic substances, promoting their diffusion and bioenrichment. Accordingly, it is necessary to investigate the transfer of MPs between the environment and organisms. This study investigated the adsorption potential of four types of MPs, namely polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), polyamide (PA), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), for bisphenol (BP) A, B, F, and S (BPA, BPB, BPF, and BPS, respectively). The results showed that all four types of MP could act as environmental carriers of BP. PA had the highest BPA adsorption capability, with a value of 109.0 ± 39.93 μg·g-1, followed by PS (89.24 ± 26.12 μg·g-1), PVC (53.08 ± 15.32 μg·g-1), and PP (41.83 ± 11.51 μg·g-1).Thepolymer type, SSA, and surface functional groups were the main factors affecting the BP adsorption capacity of MPs. The concentration, hydrophobicity, and dissociation ability of BPs also substantially affected their adsorption behavior. The adsorption efficiency of different BPs on the same MPs ranged from 37.4 ± 3.7% to 59.1 ± 2.8%. The adsorption capacity of BPs on MPs decreased with increasing temperature. Salt ions in the solution significantly enhanced BP partitioning in the solid phase owing to the salting-out effect. Additionally, the adsorption of BPs on MPs was pH dependent. Higher pH values increased electrostatic repulsion, which decreased the adsorption capacity. These results demonstrate that MPs can serve as BP carriers in the environment and their potential BP loads might be considerably greater than that of BP additives used during plastic production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations with homogeneous founding teams have strong motivation to reach out to diverse network resources by occupying a structural hole position to overcome the lack of heterogeneity within their teams. However, whether those organizations can occupy such a network position is contingent on environmental and organizational factors. We find that a firm's founding team homogeneity is positively related to the occupancy of a structural hole position. However, this relationship is weakened when this firm operates in a community with strong localism or when the firm's founding team has a higher proportion of immigrant members, whereas the relationship is strengthened by local partnership experience of the firm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the primary consumers in aquatic organisms, zooplankton play an important role in aquatic ecosystems. It is valuable for management and researchers to have an insight into the responses of zooplankton community patterns to environmental factors. In this study, RDA and variation partitioning analysis were adopted to determine the important environmental factors affecting zooplankton abundance and biomass, as well as the relative importance of different environmental factors. The findings reveal that TN (total nitrogen), WD (water depth), pH, and SAL (salinity) were all important abiotic factors shaping the zooplankton community pattern in the study area. TN affected protozoa by influencing Stentor amethystinus, while the effects of WD on copepods may have been mainly induced by the responses of Calanus sinicus and Paracyclopina nana. By inhibiting Stentor amethystinus and Vorticella lutea, pH significantly affected protozoa. In addition, Rotifera and copepods were affected by SAL mainly through the responses of Brachionus calyciflorus, Calanus sinicus, and Ectocyclops phaleratus. Importantly, fundamental alternations in the variation trends of zooplankton abundance and biomass along the salinity gradient were found when the salinity was approximately 4–5. By combining these results with the findings on phytoplankton responses to salinity in previous studies, it can be concluded that salinity may influence the river ecosystem by influencing zooplankton abundance and biomass rather than phytoplankton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the need to use pumped storage power plants (PSPP) to increase the reliability, stability, maneuverability and energy-economic efficiency of the electric power system (EPS) with power plants based on renewable energy sources (RES), which make it possible to cover the minimum and maximum daily load schedules, and also regulating the capacities of solar-wind power plants, for which the tasks of equalizing power fluctuations and energy storage are especially important. For a technical and economic assessment and determination of the optimal parameters of a PSPP, a mathematical model is proposed under the conditions of its construction with existing structures, taking into account its water-use purpose - low-pressure, daily and seasonal operating modes, with the criterion of minimum investment, payback period, annual costs for PSPP and environmental factors with the maximum generated peak power and fuel savings. On the basis of the proposed mathematical model, a methodology and program have been developed to determine the optimal energy and economic indicators of a PSPP.The schemes of using pumped storage power plants at four energy and water facilities, that is, the Tuyamuyun hydroelectric complex, Arnasai, Talimarjan and Khodjikent reservoirs, were considered, and for these facilities, on the basis of the developed methodology and program, their energy and economic parameters of the PSPP were determined.

Introduction: Workers face pressure that comes from the work environment, one of which is heat pressure. Exposure to heat, workload, rehydration, and rest period are several factors that can cause heat stress to workers. People who are uncovered to heat are much more likely to experience heat stress. Related to this, current research was carried out aiming to analyze environmental factors that are at risk of heat stress exposure to fishermen in Indonesia. Methods: This study was conducted through a cross sectional design in the coastal regions in Surabaya. Accidental sampling technique was applied, obtaining 42 respondents. In this case, the variables included are humidity, temperature, access to clean water, risk of heat stress, and dehydration, while the data analysis techniques used are the logistic regression and pearson correlation. Results: The results showed that the significant environmental factor is access to clean water, with a value of 0.009 so that the p-value is less than 0.05. Furthermore, the relationship between heat stress and dehydration is 27.1%. Conclusion: Therefore, this study concludes that only access to clean water is significantly related to the risk of heat stress. In addition, the relationship between heat stress and the incidence of dehydration is weak.

High-voltage insulators are essential components in overhead transmission and distribution lines. Various environmental factors and probable mounting inclines may influence the performance of insulators. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously and simultaneously investigate these influences using an internet-based data-logging system. Here, the test samples were vertical, thirty-degree, sixty-degree, and horizontal mounting inclinations on 7.5 kV-subjected pin-type silicone rubber (SiR) insulators. The recorded data included 7,917 measurements acquired every five minutes for a month and then analyzed using statistical tools. At midday, the surrounding environmental temperature, illuminance, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation reached their peak values, whereas the humidity reached its lowest value. The air pollution concentration reached its highest levels in the morning, and rain rarely occurred. The insulator leakage currents reached their top values before dawn and their lowest values at midday. Originally, the typical highest leakage current was the vertical mounting insulator, which reached 1.36 up to 2.36 times that of the remaining insulators; the maximum and maximum typical values were $24.27~\mu \text{A}$ and $4.9~\mu \text{A}$ , respectively. Increasing illuminance, UV radiation, and temperature influenced the leakage currents to decrease, but the corresponding leakage currents rose as the humidity, air pollution concentration, and rainfall increased. Based on extrapolations of the data, the vertical mounting insulator is the most vulnerable installation for severe air pollution concentrations, reaching a predicted warning condition of $287.2~\mu \text{g}/\text{m}^{3}$ . However, the horizontal mounting insulator is the least suitable for rainfall above 16.86 mm. The typical shortest forecasted warning condition is 10.3 years on the thirty-degree mounting insulator.

AbstractThere are few studies on denitrification related to the nitrogen cycle in Ebinur Lake wetland. This study aimed to explore the response of the diversity and composition of denitrifying bacteria to the environmental factors in wetland, so as to obtain more information about the community structure of denitrifying bacteria driven by environmental factors. Using the genes encoding nitrite reductase (nirS and nirK) as molecular markers, we analysed the seasonal changes in the diversity of denitrifying bacteria in halophyte soils by high-throughput sequencing technology. The results showed that the diversity of denitrifying bacteria was higher in July and lower in April, showing seasonal changes. The diversity index of denitrifying bacteria in rhizosphere soil was higher than that in non-rhizosphere soil. The diversity of denitrifying bacteria in the Phragmites australis rhizosphere soil was the highest. The diversity of nirK denitrifying bacteria was higher than that of nirS denitrifying bacteria, but the relative abundance was lower than that of nirS denitrifying bacteria. Three-way ANOVA showed that soil types, vegetation types and season had significant effects on the diversity of denitrifying bacteria. Furthermore, redundancy analysis indicated that nitrate was the environmental factor that significantly affected the community structure of nirS denitrifying bacteria in wetland, and electric conductivity, total nitrogen, ammonium and nitrate were the environmental factors that significantly affected the community structure of nirK denitrifying bacteria. These results provide data basis and theoretical support for the dynamic change of diversity of denitrifying bacteria in wetland.

The article is devoted to the issue of taking into account the environmental factor in the evaluation and selection of infrastructure projects that are financed with the involvement of funds from the Russian National Wealth Fund. The purpose of the study is to improve the scientific and methodological base for the assessment and selection of infrastructure projects in the face of modern environmental challenges and threats. The work used universal and general scientific methods, methods of empirical and theoretical scientific knowledge, as well as special methods, due to the essence of the object and subject of research. The developed scientific and methodological foundations and proposals for the legal regulation of the assessment and selection of infrastructure projects, taking into account the environmental factor, are presented.

Background: Helicobacter pylori (Hp) persists after colonizing the gut in childhood, and potentially regulates host immune system through this process. Earlier studies have shown that Hp infection in childhood, may protect against MS in later life. Such an association was not seen with AQP4-IgG positive NMOSD, while the association with MOGAD is unclear. Objective: To evaluate frequency of Hp IgG among patients with MOGAD, MS, NMOSD and matched controls and its effect on disease course. To ascertain whether childhood socio economic factors were linked to prevalence of Hp infection. Methods: In all, 99 patients diagnosed to have MOGAD, 99 AQP4 IgG+ NMOSD, 254MS and 243 matched controls were included. Patient demographics, diagnosis, age at disease onset, duration and the last recorded expanded disability status scale (EDSS) were obtained from our records. Socioeconomic and educational status was queried using a previously validated questionnaire. Serum HpIgG was detected using ELISA kits (Vircell, Spain). Result: Frequency of Hp IgG was significantly lower among MOGAD (28.3% vs 44%, p-0.007) and MS (21.2% vs 44%, p-0.0001) but not AQP4-IgG+ NMOSD patients (42.4% vs 44%, p-0.78) when compared to controls. Frequency of Hp IgG in MOGAD & MS patients combined (MOGAD-MS) was significantly lower than those with NMOSD (23.2% vs 42.4%, p-0.0001). Seropositive patients with MOGAD-MS were older (p-0.001. OR -1.04, 95% CI- 1.01- 1.06) and had longer disease duration (p- 0.04, OR- 1.04, 95% CI- 1.002- 1.08) at time of testing. Educational status was lower among parents/caregivers of this study cohort (p- 0.001, OR -2.34, 95% CI- 1.48-3.69) who were Hp IgG+. Conclusions: In developing countries Hp infection may be a significant environmental factor related to autoimmune demyelinating CNS disease. Our preliminary data suggests that Hp may exert a differential influence - a largely protective role for MS-MOGAD but not NMOSD and may influence disease onset and course. This differential response maybe related to immuno-pathological similarities between MOGAD and MS in contrast to NMOSD. Our study further underscores the role of Hp as a surrogate marker for poor gut hygiene in childhood and its association with later onset of autoimmune diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neonatal maternal separation is a widely used method to construct an early-life stress model in rodents. In this method, pups are separated from their mothers for several hours every day during the first 2 weeks of life, which results in adverse early-life events. It is a known fact that maternal separation can exert a significant impact on the behavior and psychological health, such as anxiety and depression, in adolescent offspring. However, environmental conditions during maternal separation can differ such as the presence of other animals or by placing pups in a different dam. To investigate the differential effects of various conditions ofmaternal separation on the behavior of adolescentmice, we created the following groups: (1) iMS group: pups were moved to an isolated room with no other adult mice in a nearby cage, (2) eDam group: the pups randomly exchanged their dams, (3) OF group: pups were shifted to another cage with the bedding material containing maternal odor (olfactory stimulation), and (4) MS group: pups were shifted to another vivarium. Frompostnatal day (PND) 2-20 (i.e., 19 consecutive days), pups were separated fromthe dam daily for 4 h and exposed to various environments (MS, iMS, eDam, and OF) or were left undisturbed [control (CON) group]. A series of behavioral assessments were conducted to evaluate locomotion, anxiety, recognition, learning, and memory in adolescent offspring. The results showed that neonatal maternal separation led to impaired recognition memory, motor coordination, andmotor skill learning across all groups. However, the iMS group exhibited anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze test and enhanced the extinction of fear memory in the auditory fear conditioning test. The OF and eDam groups displayed partially recovered short-term working memory in the Y-maze test but exhibited opposite exploratory behaviors. The OF group spent more time in the center, while the eDam group spent less time. These findings demonstrated that exposure to different environmental conditions during maternal separation causes behavioral alterations in adolescent offspring, providing a potential explanation for the variation in behavioral phenotypes observed in the early-life stress models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microorganisms play an essential role in ecosystem functions. An increasingly used method for conducting functional analyses of a soil microbial community is based on the physiological profile at the community level. This method allows the metabolic capacity of microorganisms to be assessed based on patterns of carbon consumption and derived indices. In the present study, the functional diversity of microbial communities was assessed in soils from seasonally floodedforest (FOR) and -traditional farming systems (TFS) in Amazonian floodplains flooded with black, clear, and white water. The soils of the Amazon floodplains showed differences in the metabolic activity of their microbial communities, with a general trend in activity level of clear water floodplain > black water floodplain > white water floodplain. The redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that soil moisture (flood pulse) was the most important environmental parameter in determining the metabolic activity of the soil microbial communities in the black, clear, and white floodplains. In addition, the variance partitioning analysis (VPA) indicated that the microbial metabolic activity of the soil was more influenced by water type (41.72%) than by seasonality (19.55%) and land use type (15.28%). The soil microbiota of the white water floodplain was different from that of the clear water and black water floodplains in terms of metabolic richness, as the white water floodplain was mainly influenced by the low substrate use during the non-flooded period. Taken together, the results show the importance of considering soils under the influence of flood pulses, water types, and land use as environmental factors when recognizing functional diversity and ecosystem functioning in Amazonian floodplains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract—The microbial diversity and community structure of activated sludge in the biological treatment units of five municipal WWTPs and two industrial WWTPs were studied. The results showed that industrial WWTPs had the lowest diversity and abundance of activated sludge microbial communities, indicating that industrial wastewater inhibited the growth of microbial communities. In the correlation analysis between environmental factors and microbial diversity indices, pH and COD showed a significant negative correlation with the number of OTUs and microbial diversity. The main dominant microbial genus were Hyphomicrobium, Acinetobacter, Novosphingobium, Acinetobacter, and Meiothermus. Both principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and phylogenetic analysis showed large differences in the structure of municipal and industrial microbial community structure, indicating the uniqueness of the activated sludge community structure in industrial WWTPs. Gene function predictions indicated that LJ had higher metabolic function associated with inorganic salt and lipid metabolism. Further co-occurrence network analysis showed that many of the key industrial WWTPs belonged in the same module, suggesting that they had strong interspecific interactions but were relatively independent from other microorganisms in the municipal WWTPs. This study broadens our understanding of microbial community differences between municipal WWTPs and industrial WWTPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Anammox bacteria can remove ammonium directly, which is different from what was previously believed. This is an important process for the global nitrogen cycle. Anammox bacteria were first identified in sewage treatment systems and were later proven to exist widely in natural ecosystems. To better understand the relationship between the anammox reaction and different systems, and to maintain the stability of the nitrogen cycle, anammox functional microorganisms found in different natural environments were summarized. In addition, anammox nitrogen production rate and the contribution of anammox to nitrogen were discussed under different ecological environments. A literature analysis showed that the contribution rate of nitrogen removal of anammox was the highest in the Terrestrial ecosystem, up to 87.5%. The Terrestrial ecosystem is more likely to form an anoxic or even anaerobic environment conducive to anaerobic ammoxidation. Therefore, the control of DO is an important factor in the activity of anaerobic ammoxidation. Other environmental factors affecting the contribution of anammox to nitrogen removal include temperature, pH, organic matter content, inorganic nitrogen concentration, and salinity. However, the dominant influencing factors of anammox reactions in different ecosystems are evidently different. Therefore, the mechanism of the impact of different environmental factors on the anaerobic ammonia oxidation process is necessary to discuss. This provides a scientific basis for the global nitrogen cycle and is of great significance to improve nitrogen's biogeochemical cycle in the ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbes play an important role in circulating material and regulating energy flow and water quality control in aquaculture systems. To reveal the dynamics of microbial community in polyculture pond and the environmental factors affecting this change, one hundred water samples were collected from 4 polyculture ponds containing Penaeus japonicus, Portunus trituberculatus, and different stocking densities of Sinonovacula constricta (SC, 0 kg/ha; SCC1, 37.5 kg/ha; SCC2, 75 kg/ha; and SCC3, 112.5 kg/ha), and the species composition of the microbial community and its association with environmental factors were analyzed. The α diversity of the microbial community was significantly different among SC, SCC1, SCC2, and SCC3. The main dominant phyla in polyculture ponds were Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, and Bacteroidetes. However, the relative abundances of these dominant phyla in the four ponds varied among months. Additionally, the four ponds had different biomarkers in different months. Bacteroidetes were biomarkers in SC in July and SCC1 in August, and Gemmatimonadetes were biomarkers in SC, SCC1, and SCC3 in November. Cyanobacteria were biomarkers in SC, SCC1, SCC2, and SCC3 in December. Significant differences in the β diversity of the microbial community were observed among the four ponds (P < 0.05). Based on these results, coculture of S. constricta in shrimp and crab polyculture ponds may alter the species composition of the microbial community, resulting in changes in material cycle. The pH and NH4+ concentration seemed to be the important environmental factors responsible for the differences. The results of this study might be helpful for understanding the microecological environment of polyculture ponds and provide a reference for environmental optimization based on the regulation of the microbial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of plant branches is crucial to plant morphology, and the shape of side branches directly affects its yield. The development of side branches is formed by the continuous division and differentiation of stem cells at the growth point, including lateral meristem specialization, lateral meristem initiation and lateral meristem outgrowth. It is jointly regulated by internal growth factors and external environmental signals. This article systematically sums up the basic issues of the origin, formation and dormancy of lateral growth point stem cells during the development of side branching, then also summarizes the mechanism of the formation and development of lateral meristems determined by co-action of transcription factors, hormones, epigenetics, and external environment that determine, providing a reference for exploring the formation mechanism of plant side branches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quantitative research on the effect of coal mining on the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool at regional scale is beneficial to the scientific management of SOC pools in coal mining areas and the realization of coal low-carbon mining. Moreover, the spatial prediction model of SOC content suitable for coal mining subsidence area is a scientific problem that must be solved. Taking the Changhe River Basin of Jincheng City, Shanxi Province, China, as the study area, this paper proposed a radial basis function neural network model combined with the ordinary kriging method. The model includes topography and vegetation factors, which have large influence on soil properties in mining areas, as input parameters to predict the spatial distribution of SOC in the 0–20 and 2040 cm soil layers of the study area. And comparing the prediction effect with the direct kriging method, the results show that the mean error, the mean absolute error and the root mean square error between the predicted and measured values of SOC content predicted by the radial basis function neural network are lower than those obtained by the direct kriging method. Based on the fitting effect of the predicted and measured values, the R2 obtained by the radial basis artificial neural network are 0.81, 0.70, respectively, higher than the value of 0.44 and 0.36 obtained by the direct kriging method. Therefore, the model combining the artificial neural network and kriging, and considering environmental factors can improve the prediction accuracy of the SOC content in mining areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few autistic adolescents and adults manage to integrate a home that enables them to fully exercise their independence, even if that is a desire shared by many of them. Creating residential environments that are favorable to their independence at home is a promising, yet poorly explored, avenue. The aim of this study conducted in Québec (Canada) is to identify the main environmental factors influencing their independence at home from the perspectives of autistic people and their parents. The walking interview method was used to collect the perspectives of 10 dyads composed of an autistic person and at least one of their parents. Participants identified several factors, including: (a) support from parents, (b) support from extended social network, (c) a physical environment that meets one's needs, (d) clear time indicators, (e) opportunities to perform life habits in other settings, and (f) support from professionals. They also gave many examples of concrete ways to implement these factors at home and suggested elements to consider when modifying the home environment. The results emphasize the need to involve both autistic people and their parents during the evaluation and implementation of these factors to optimize their benefits. Modifying the residential environments of autistic people is a promising way to foster their independence at home. The environmental factors of supportive home environments identified in this study can be used as a starting point when designing home environments for autistic people. As the needs and preferences of autistic people vary, they must be involved in the selection and the implementation of modifications in their home environments. Parents have a key role to play to support the development of their youth's independence at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C57BL/6 mice are one of the most widely used inbred strains in biomedical research. Early separation of the breeding colony has led to the development of several sub-strains. Colony separation led to genetic variation development driving numerous phenotypic discrepancies. The reported phenotypic behavior differences between the sub-strains were, however; not consistent in the literature, suggesting the involvement of factors other than host genes. Here, we characterized the cognitive and affective behavior of C57BL/6J and C57BL/ 6N mice in correlation with the immune cell profile in the brain. Furthermore, faecal microbiota transfer and mice co-housing techniques were used to dissect microbial and environmental factors' contribution, respectively, to cognitive and affective behavior patterns. We first noted a unique profile of locomotor activity, immobility pattern, and spatial and non-spatial learning and memory abilities between the two sub-strains. The phenotypic behavior profile was associated with a distinct difference in the dynamics of type 2 cytokines in the meninges and brain parenchyma. Analysing the contribution of microbiome and environmental factors to the noted behavioral profile, our data indicated that while immobility pattern was genetically driven, locomotor activity and cognitive abilities were highly sensitive to alterations in the gut microbiome and environmental factors. Changes in the phenotypic behavior in response to these factors were associated with changes in immune cell profile. While microglia were highly sensitive to alteration in gut microbiome, immune cells in meninges were more resilient. Collectively, our findings demonstrated a direct impact of environmental conditions on gut microbiota which subsequently impacts the brain immune cell profile that could modulate cognitive and affective behavior. Our data further highlight the importance of characterizing the laboratory available strain/sub-strain to select the most appropriate one that fits best the study purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water, frost, and road salt are important environmental factors that affect the durability of the entire pavement structure e.g. during the winter season or in regions located above sea zones. A proprietary experimental method was used to investigate the influence of these factors on mineral asphalt mixtures. Four road mix types of asphalt concrete (AC22) were analysed in the experiment. They differed in production technology, type, and content of the binder used. Based on the experimental approach and test data, changes in the value of the initial stiffness modulus (4-PB-PR test) were analysed. Based on the obtained results, it was established that both interactions caused a significant decrease in the module's value, which reached over a dozen percent. The article also evidenced that lower binder content in mixtures increases the negative environmental impact on the material, whereas its type may accelerate or reduce material degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic carbon (SOC) responds significantly to the surface layer, but also shows different responses with depth. Jianghan Plain plays an important role in the agroecosystem of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, but its SOC baseline remains unclear. In this study, 66 profiles were collected from 2009 to 2012 in Jianghan Plain, and SOC content prediction models were constructed based on nine environmental factors as covariates using the random forest method for three depths：0–30, >30–60 cm, and >60–100 cm. We constructed a baseline map of SOC at 30 m resolution and estimated the SOC stock. The results showed that SOC contents decreased with increasing soil depth, and were generally high in the east-central part and low in the west. The model had the highest prediction accuracy (R² =0.45, RMSE= 3.28 g·kg−1 ) for the topsoil (0– 30 cm) . Temperature, clay content, and precipitation were the three most important covariables for the model. The soil organic carbon storage at 1 m depth in Jianghan Plain was 183.75 Tg, and >30–100 cm accounted for approximately 59% of the total storage at 1 m depth. We conclude that it is necessary to focus on deep soils when evaluating the soil carbon pool and sequestration potential. Our new estimate can serve as a base for both horizontal and vertical variation of SOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The root microbiome accompanies plants throughout their growth cycle, helping plants absorb nutrients, resist disease and adapt to stressful environments. It is important to reveal the interaction and assembly of the forest root microbiome and the mechanism of its response to spatial variation. Methods: We investigated the diversity, community assembly, and network associations of microbial communities in the endosphere and rhizosphere of Robinia pseudoacacia in three counties in the forest distribution area of the Loess Plateau using 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing technology. Results: Environmental factors affected the recruitment of root-associated microorganisms, and less mean annual precipitation (MAP) increased the difference between the rhizosphere and endosphere microorganisms. As MAP decreased, the co-occurrence network stability of the root fungal community was disrupted, while network instability of bacteria was not manifested. At the same time, MAP reduction reduced the external connectivity of different compartments of root-associated bacteria and fungi. Moreover, the assembly of the rhizosphere soil bacterial and endosphere fungal communities was dominated by stochastic processes, while the assembly of the endosphere bacterial and rhizosphere fungal communities was dominated by deterministic processes. As MAP decreases, the randomness of the assembly process of rhizosphere soil bacteria was significantly reduced. Conclusions: The root -associated microbial communities of Robinia pseudoacacia have different sensitivities and assembly mechanisms to spatial variation. MAP is the main factor driving the stability, connectivity and assembly of root microbial communities of Robinia pseudoacacia in the Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective measurement methods using accelerometers have become the mainstream approach for evaluating physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB). However, several problems face the objective evaluation of PA and SB in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). For example, indicators of PA differ depending on whether the accelerometer detects the kind of activity on the one hand, or its intensity on the other. Measured data are also strongly influenced by environmental factors (weather, season, employment status, etc.) and methodological factors (days with uncommon activities, non-wearing time, minimum required wearing time per day, minimum number of valid days required, etc.). Therefore, adjusting for these factors is required when evaluating PA or SB, especially when evaluating the effects of intervention. The exclusion of sleeping time, unification of total measurement time, and minimization of the required wearing time per day might be more important for the evaluation of ST than for evaluating PA. The lying-down-time-to-sitting-time ratio was shown to be larger in COPD patients than in healthy subjects. In this review, we clarified the problems encountered during objective evaluations of PA and SB in patients with COPD and encouraged investigators to recognize the presence of these problems and the importance of adjusting for them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Batrachospermaceae is an important group of freshwater red algae. Available data of the latitude, longitude, and environmental factors on Batrachospermaceae distribution in Asia were analyzed to understand the geographical distribution of Batrachospermaceae genera in Asia. Statistical analyses, including one-way ANOVA, correlation analysis, stepwise regression analysis, principal component analysis, and linear discriminant analysis were conducted to characterize variation in geographical distribution and growth environment. Results reveal high variation in geographical distribution and growth environment among different Batrachospermaceae genera in Asia. Specifically, correlations between latitude and all environmental factors exclusive of altitude are significant, and longitude is significantly correlated with all environmental factors except for average relative humidity. The geographical distribution and growth environment of different Batrachospermaceae genera significantly differed. Altitude, maximum temperature, average temperature, minimum temperature, average relative humidity, average wind speed, maximum wind speed, and atmospheric pressure all contributed to explaining differences in the geographical distribution of Batrachospermaceae genera. Combining the results of correlation analysis, stepwise regression analysis, and principal component analysis, all environmental factors contributed to the different geographical distribution of Batrachospermum, Paludicola, Sheathia, Sirodotia, and Remainder (the rest), all environmental factors but atmospheric pressure contributed to the different geographical distribution of Kumanoa, and all environmental factors but average wind speed and maximum wind speed contributed to the different geographical distribution of Virescentia. However, the correlation between these significantly related environmental factors and taxa is not necessarily causative, and many other environmental factors, such as temperature, pH, conductivity, shading, current velocity, dissolved oxygen, hardness, substrata types, and nutrients etc., are likely to have an important impact on the geographical distribution of taxa, which is an important topic for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reveal the potential distribution characteristics of Phoebe zhennan in Guizhou Province and its response mode to environmental factors. Based on the geographical distribution points of P. zhennan in Guizhou Province, this study used MaxEnt and ArcGIS methods combining with 30 environmental factors such as climate, soil and topography to predict the potential habitat of P. zhennan in Guizhou Province and analyze the main environmental factors affecting the growth of P. zhennan. The results were as follows: (1) The AUC of MaxEnt model had an average value of 0.843, which indicated that it could well predict the geographical distribution of P. zhennan in Guizhou Province. The northeast of Guizhou Province was the key area of it’s potential habitat, with a decreasing trend from north to south and from east to west. The high suitable areas were mainly located in Tongren City, northeastern Guizhou Province and mid-eastern Zunyi City, northern Guizhou Province. The middle suitable and low suitable areas were concentrated in northern Tongren City, north-central Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture in southeastern Guizhou Province, Guiyang, northeastern Bijie City and northeastern Buyi and Miao autonomous prefecture in southern Guizhou Province. Other areas were not suitable for P. zhennan to grow. (2) The potential distribution area of P. zhennan in Guizhou Province was 80 013.47 km², which accounted for 45.4% of the whole province’s land area. The high suitable area covered 30 565.66 km², and the share of high suitable area was 17.4%. (3) Environmental factors including isothermality (Bio3), precipitation of the warmest quarte (Bio18), precipitation of the wettest month (Bio13), precipitation of the driest month (Bio14), min temperature of the coldest month (Bio6) and temperature seasonality (Bio4) were the main environmental factors affecting the potential distribution of P. zhennan in Guizhou Province. In conclusion, the results elucidate that the geographical distribution of P. zhennan in Guizhou Province and the main environmental factors affecting its distribution are of great significance. The results of this study will provide a scientific basis for seedling expansion, afforestation promotion, development and utilization of P. zhennan in Guizhou Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Understanding the considerable variability and drivers of global leaf photosynthetic capacity [indicated by the maximum carboxylation rate standardized to 25°C (Vc,max25)] is an essential step for accurate modelling of terrestrial plant photosynthesis and carbon uptake under climate change. Although current environmental conditions have often been connected with empirical and theoretical models to explain global Vc,max25 variability through acclimatization and adaptation, long‐term evolutionary history has largely been neglected, but might also explicitly play a role in shaping the Vc,max25 variability. Location: Global. Time period: Contemporary. Major taxa studied: Terrestrial plants. Methods: We compiled a geographically comprehensive global dataset of Vc,max25 for C3 plants (n = 6917 observations from 2157 species and 425 sites covering all major biomes world‐wide), explored the biogeographical and phylogenetic patterns of Vc,max25, and quantified the relative importance of current environmental factors and evolutionary history in driving global Vc,max25 variability. Results: We found that Vc,max25 differed across different biomes, with higher mean values in relatively drier regions, and across different life‐forms, with higher mean values in non‐woody relative to woody plants and in legumes relative to non‐leguminous plants. The values of Vc,max25 displayed a significant phylogenetic signal and diverged in a contrasting manner across phylogenetic groups, with a significant trend along the evolutionary axis towards a higher Vc,max25 in more modern clades. A Bayesian phylogenetic linear mixed model revealed that evolutionary history (indicated by phylogeny and species) explained nearly 3‐fold more of the variation in global Vc,max25 than present‐day environment (53 vs. 18%). Main conclusions: These findings contribute to a comprehensive assessment of the patterns and drivers of global Vc,max25 variability, highlighting the importance of evolutionary history in driving global Vc,max25 variability, hence terrestrial plant photosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology / Yingyong Shengtai Xuebao is the property of Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology / Yingyong Shengtai Xuebao is the property of Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The effects of temperature, salinity, and illumination on the nitrite uptake rate of the microalgae–bacteria consortia of Oocystis borgei and Rhodopseudomonas palustris were investigated. The absorption rates of nitrite and the contribution rate of each component in the consortia under different temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30, 35 °C), illuminations (0, 15, 25, 35, 45 μmol·m−2·s−1), and salinities (0, 5, 15, 25, 35‰) were determined by stable isotope labeling technique. The single and combined effects of three environmental factors on nitrite uptake by the microalgae–bacteria consortia were analyzed using single-factor and orthogonal experiments. The single-factor experiment showed that the microalgae–bacteria consortia could absorb nitrite efficiently when the temperature, salinity, and illumination were 20~30 °C, 0~15‰, and 25~45 μmol·m−2·s−1, respectively, with the highest absorption rates were 2.086, 3.058, and 2.319 μg∙g−1∙h−1, respectively. The orthogonal experiment showed that the most efficient environmental conditions for nitrite uptake were 30 °C, 5‰ salinity, 35 μmol·m−2·s−1 illumination, and the rate of nitrite uptake by the microalgae–bacteria consortia was 3.204 μg∙g−1∙h−1. The results showed that the nitrite uptake rate of the O. borgei–R. palustris consortia was most affected by temperature, followed by salinity, and least by illumination. Under the same conditions, the nitrite absorption capacity of the microalgae–bacteria consortia was greater than that of single bacteria or algae, and R. palustris played a major role in the nitrite absorption of the consortia. The O. borgei and R. palustris consortia still maintain high nitrite absorption efficiency when the environment changes greatly, which has broad application prospects in the regulation and improvement of water quality in shrimp culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotics have been identified as emerging pollutants, and they increasingly threaten the safety of mariculture; thus, effective treatment methods are urgently needed. In this study, Fe(II)-peroxymonosulfate-modified clay (Fe-PMS-MC), an effective mineral complex for harmful algal bloom control, was tested for sulfamethoxazole (SMX) removal from seawater. The results showed that SMX removal efficiency increased gradually from 42.3% to 100% in seawater in 6 h as the Fe-PMS-MC dose increased from 0.1 g/L to 1.0 g/L; this removal was more efficient than that in freshwater. Both an increase in temperature and the addition of inorganic anions such as Cl−, HCO3−, and SO42− improved the SMX removal efficiency; in contrast, there was no noticeable influence of a pH change from 3.0 to 9.0 or of Heterosigma akashiwo biomass addition from 103 cells/mL to 105 cells/mL. Oxidation was the main mechanism for the removal of SMX by Fe-PMS-MC treatment, and the mechanisms included radical oxidation and non-radical oxidation. PMS was the key component in Fe-PMS-MC for the production of radicals, which increased with temperature. Similarly, both radical oxidation and non-radical oxidation increased when PMS was attacked by Cl−, HCO3−, and SO42− in seawater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Animal models of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been used to study and understand the behavioral, neural, and physiological mechanisms underlying ADHD. These models allow researchers to conduct controlled experiments and manipulate specific brain regions or neurotransmitter systems to investigate the underlying causes of ADHD and test potential drug targets or treatments. However, it is essential to note that while these models can provide valuable insights, they do not ideally mimic the complex and heterogeneous nature of ADHD and should be interpreted cautiously. Additionally, since ADHD is a multifactorial disorder, environmental and epigenetic factors should be considered simultaneously. In this review, the animal models of ADHD reported thus far are classified into genetic, pharmacological, and environmental models, and the limitations of the representative models are discussed. Furthermore, we provide insights into a more reliable alternative model for the comprehensive study of ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work examines the temporal evolution of dune number density in desert barchan dune fields and the effects of wind velocity, particle diameter and sand supply thickness using the Comprehensive Scale‐Coupled Model of dune field considering turbulence. Results show that the dune number density exhibits a temporal evolution trend of "increase—decrease—tend to be stable," which is similar to the "overshoot" phenomenon of the per unit width sand transport rate evolving with time. The larger the wind velocity and the smaller the particle diameter are, the enhanced surface sand transport by wind causes the dune number density peak to be larger and appear earlier, but the more active dune interactions result in a higher decay rate during the decline stage. In addition, a small sand supply thickness slows sand accumulation and thus delays the initial development of barchans. With an increase in the sand supply thickness, more small‐scale barchans are formed earlier in dune fields due to gradually sufficient sand amounts, which promotes dune interactions and thus accelerates the decay of dune number density. Nevertheless, as the sand supply thickness continuously increases, the barchans link together to form dune chains, resulting in a slowed migration velocity and a reduced spatial density of interactions. The present work makes up for the lack of understanding of the initial evolution stage of barchan dune fields and the dune interactions in existing studies, and thus may be helpful for gaining insight into the dynamic evolution process of aeolian dune systems. Plain Language Summary: The temporal evolution of dune number density reflects changes in dune distribution patterns and dune interaction characteristics and thus is crucial to study the formation and evolution of dune fields. The present work analyzes the temporal evolution of barchan dune number density and the influence of environmental factors on the evolution. We found that the dune number density shows a temporal evolution trend similar to the "overshoot" phenomenon of the per unit width sand transport rate. Wind velocity, sand particle diameter, and sand supply thickness have significant effects on the peak value and its occurrence time of dune number density in the early evolution stage and the density decay rate in the decline stage, but they do not affect the qualitative trend of dune number density temporal evolution. In the early evolution stage, the increase in dune number density exhibits a similar dynamic mechanism to that of per unit width sand transport rate, while they are different during the decline stage. With an increasing evolution time, the dune number density and the sand transport rate gradually approach a stable state because the interactions within a system tend to be in equilibrium. The present work may help to enrich the understanding of aeolian dune systems. Key Points: By a trans‐scale simulation, the dune number density is found to exhibit a temporal evolution trend of "increase—decrease—tend to be stable"The earlier the dune number density peak value appears, the larger the peak value is, and the greater the density decay rate during the decline stage becomesThe underlying dynamic mechanisms of the temporal evolution processes of dune number density and per unit width sand transport rate are partly similar [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Agro-Environment Science is the property of Journal of Agro-Environment Science Editorial Board and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Pregnant women are widely exposed to phthalic acid esters (PAEs) that are commonly used in most aspects of modern life. However, few studies have examined the cumulative exposure of pregnant women to a variety of PAEs derived from the living environmental conditions in China. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the urinary concentrations of nine PAE metabolites in pregnant women, examine the relationship between urinary concentrations and residential characteristics, and conduct a risk assessment analysis. We included 1,888 women who were in their third trimester of pregnancy, and we determined their urinary concentrations of nine PAE metabolites using high-performance gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The risk assessment of exposure to PAEs was calculated based on the estimated daily intake. A linear regression model was used to analyze the relationship between creatinine-adjusted PAE metabolite concentrations and residential characteristics. The detection rate of five PAE metabolites in the study population was > 90%. Among the PAE metabolites adjusted by creatinine, the urinary metabolite concentration of monobutyl phthalate was found to be the highest. Residential factors, such as housing type, proximity to streets, recent decorations, lack of ventilation in the kitchen, less than equal to three rooms, and the use of coal/kerosene/wood/wheat straw fuels, were all significantly associated with high PAE metabolite concentrations. Due to PAE exposure, ~ 42% (n = 793) of the participants faced potential health risks, particularly attributed to dibutyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, and di(2-ethyl)hexyl phthalate exposure. Living in buildings and using coal/kerosene/wood/wheat straw as domestic fuel can further increase the risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite previous studies have recently shown Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) as having a strong genetics background, over a minimum environmental background, no study up to date has investigated the interplay between genetics and environment. Methods: We have collected data regarding Family History (FH) and Environmental Factors (EF) from 2,141 individuals with ASD and their caretakers throughout Brazil, based on an online questionnaire. Most of the ASD individuals were males (81%) and the average age was 02 years minimum for males and females, and the maximum age was 41 years for males and 54 for females. People from all states in Brazil have answered the questionnaire. Genetic inheritance was obtained based on the declared FH of Psychiatric and Neurological diagnosis. As for EF, exposure to risk factors during pregnancy was considered, like infections, diabetes, drugs/chemicals exposure, socioeconomic, and psychological factors. Respondents were invited to answer the questionnaire in lectures given throughout Brazil, and by the social networks of the NGO "The Tooth Fairy Project". A Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) was conducted to search vulnerability dimensions, and a Cluster Analysis was conducted to classify and identify the subgroups. Results: Regarding EF, social and psychological exposures contributed to the first two dimensions. Concerning FH, the first dimension represented psychiatric FH, while the second represented neurological FH. When analyzed together, EF and FH contributed to two new dimensions: 1. psychiatric FH, and 2. a psychosocial component. Using Cluster Analysis, it was not possible to isolate subgroups by genetic vulnerability or environmental exposure. Instead, a gradient of psychiatric FH with similar contributions of EF was observed. Conclusion: In this study, it was not possible to isolate groups of patients that correspond to only one component, but rather a continuum with different compositions of genetic and environmental interplay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alligator gar Atractosteus spatula originates from North America but has been introduced into China recently. Considered an invasive fish, it may cause losses in the diversity and number of local species and in fish catch due to its predation on numerous aquatic animals in non-native habitats. A comprehensive study of this alien invasive species' existing spatial patterns in relation to climatic variables is critical to understanding the conditions amenable to its distribution and controlling its further spread into potential range areas. We used MaxEnt and QGIS species distribution modeling to estimate the likely biogeographical range of A. spatula in China based on 36 validated distribution records and seven selected environmental variables. The highly suitable area was found primarily in a series of provinces extending from inland to coastal regions, covering southwest to south, central and east China. The model identified the minimum temperature of the coldest month (Bio6) and mean temperature of the warmest quarter (Bio10) as the strongest predictors of A. spatula distribution. The findings could offer scientific guidance for managing and preventing the spread of this invasive fish and hint at controlling invasive aquatic fauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the degradation rule of anthocyanin subjected with different environmental factors and food matrices, the effects of different temperatures (4~100 °C), illumination conditions (avoiding light, sunlight, and ultraviolet), freeze-thaw cycles (5 times), sucrose additions (0 ~ 20%) and NaCl additions (0 ~ 5. 0%) on the anthocyanin retention were investigated, and their degradation kinetic models were further established. Results showed that, with the temperature increasing from 4 °C to 100 °C, anthocyanin retention of 10 h decreased significantly from 88. 19% to 28. 10%, and their half-life time (t1/ 2) decreased from 55. 0 h to 5. 9 h(P<0. 05). Com- pared with avoiding light, both anthocyanin retention of 10 h and t1/ 2 under ultraviolet were the lowest (84. 41% and 43. 0 h). After five freeze-thaw cycles, anthocyanin retention of 120 h was reduced to 85. 21% with the corresponding t1/ 2 of 612. 6 h. During 80 °C of stability acceleration experiment, both anthocyanin retention of 10 h and their t1/ 2 reached the highest value (60. 17% and 13. 7 h) with sucrose addition of 10%, and the above values also reached the highest value (54. 63% and 11. 3 h) with NaCl addition of 5%. The storage and processing of anthocyanins should avoid high temperature, ultraviolet and freeze-thaw cycles as much as possible, and appropriate amount of sucrose and NaCl could be added to enhance the stability of antholyanins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the dynamic driving process, classification of mental workload for drivers is a complex task due to multiple factors, including human, vehicle, road, and the environment. Many current studies focus on the impacts of a single factor, such as physiological signal, lane changing, and so on, but these results are usually unsatisfactory due to the incapacity to account for other factors. In response, this work proposes a multi-factor quantification and analysis method to classify the driver's mental workload by incorporating physiological signal, traffic flow, and environment. For physiological signals, we use sensors to gather the driver's Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Electrodermal Activity (EDA). In order to quantify the traffic flow and environment, such as traffic volume, space headway, and weather. We use detection algorithms in images from the car's front and rear driving recorders in the real-world driving experiment on the expressway. Furthermore, we can estimate the distance between surrounding vehicles and the experimental vehicle using the detected car coordinates and camera parameters. This work then applies deep learning algorithms to classify the front driving recorder images into several weather classifications. Finally, the quantified multi-factor data can be utilized to classify the driver's mental workload. Drivers, on the other hand, annotate the data using the NASA Task Load Index Scale's results (NASA-TLX). In our experiments, we compare the classification results of single-factor and multi-factor data with three machine learning algorithms: neural networks (NN), support vector machines (SVM), and random forests (RF). The results demonstrate that for traffic volume and space headway from drive recorders, the detection performance of traffic volume in a monocular camera can reach up to 87.3%. Within sight distance, the accuracy of space headway can reach up to 87.1%. The RF algorithm achieves an outstanding classification result with strong stability by incorporating ECG, EDA, traffic flow, and environmental factors, and its classification accuracy achieves 97.8%. These findings further demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed multi-factor quantification and analysis method. • To ensure the validity of measurement results, a real environmental experiment is conducted on the expressway. • The number of vehicles and the distance between vehicles can be calculated by images from drive recorders. • A driver's mental workload classification method is established under the random forest (RF) algorithm to improve the accuracy of results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gill is an important organ in fish that is involved in various physiological functions, including respiration, filter-feeding, ammonia nitrogen excretion, and osmoregulation. The physiological functions of gills are closely related to their structure, external feeding conditions, and environmental factors. Herein, we first briefly summarize the basic structure and functions of the gills of teleosts, then explain the structure and function of the gill barrier (as a microbial barrier, a chemical barrier, a physical barrier, and an immune barrier) in detail. Finally, we introduce the regulation of fish gill barrier health by ubiquitous feeding factors and environmental factors, and provide an outlook on the prospects of gill barrier health. We found that improving health through modulating feed factors is more convenient than improving environmental factors. This review increases our understanding of how nutrient composition and level in fish diet influences gill health and overall growth performance of fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sorbicillinoids are a class of hexaketide metabolites produced by Ustilaginoidea virens (teleomorph: Villosiclava virens), an important fungal pathogen that causes a devastating rice disease. In this study, we investigated the effects of environmental factors, including carbon and nitrogen sources, ambient pH and light exposure, on mycelial growth, sporulation, as well as the accumulation of sorbicillinoids, and the expression of related genes involved in sorbicillinoid biosynthesis. It was found that the environmental factors had great influences on mycelial growth and sporulation of U. virens. Fructose and glucose, complex nitrogen sources, acidic conditions and light exposure were favorable for sorbicillinoid production. The relative transcript levels of sorbicillinoid biosynthesis genes were up-regulated when U. virens was separately treated with those environmental factors that favored sorbicillinoid production, indicating that sorbicillinoid biosynthesis was mainly regulated at the transcriptional level by different environmental factors. Two pathway-specific transcription factor genes, UvSorR1 and UvSorR2, were found to participate in the regulation of sorbicillinoid biosynthesis. These results will provide useful information to better understand the regulation mechanisms of sorbicillinoid biosynthesis, and be conducive to develop effective means for controlling sorbicillinoid production in U. virens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the influence of outdoor microclimate on the cooling effect of constant temperature community bin, the temperature prediction model was predicted. The temperature and microclimate data sets of the community bin were collected in summer from May 2021 to September 2021. The climatic characteristics included cloudy and sunny conditions, and the environmental factors included outdoor temperature, air speed, air relative humidity, and solar radiation intensity. Stepwise regression method was used to test the significance of environmental factors, and the corresponding regression equation was obtained. BP neural network was used to establish temperature prediction models under cloudy and sunny conditions, respectively. The results showed that the coefficient of determination (R2) of the two models was above 0.8, and the environmental factors with significant influence were screened out. The root mean square error (RMSE) between the training value and the actual value established by BP neural network was 0.83 °C, and the determination coefficient (R2) was 0.968. Under sunny conditions, the root mean square error (RMSE) of predicted value and measured value was 0.65 °C, and the determination coefficient (R2) was 0.982. According to the analysis of the sample data, it showed that the BP neural network was more accurate than stepwise regression, and could be used to predict the temperature of community bin, which provided model basis for the practical application of intelligent temperature control community bin in summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research sought to examine the prevalence of elite youth athletes' mental health and its relationship with talent development environments (TDEs). A sample of 248 Chinese elite youth athletes completed a self-report survey measuring demographic variables, TDE factors, and mental health outcomes including generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), depression, and athlete burnout. The results revealed moderate levels of burnout, with 19% of the participants meeting the diagnostic cut-off of GAD, and similar numbers for depression. The multiple regression analysis revealed alignment of expectations was the only TDE factor to significantly predict GAD and depression. Holistic quality preparation was the only significant TDE predictor of burnout. The results of cluster analysis suggested a three-cluster solution: cluster 1—"slightly below average TDE", cluster 2—"high TDE", and cluster 3—"very low TDE". Among the three clusters, cluster 2 had the lowest levels of GAD, depression, and burnout. Cluster 3 reported a higher burnout level than cluster 1, and the two clusters showed no differences in other two mental health outcomes. These findings suggest a need to manage mental health symptoms of elite youth athletes, and the roles of TDE could be considered in the management of mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental factors work together to affect active ingredient biosynthesis via hormone signal–transcription regulatory networks in medical plants. Transcriptional regulation is the first step in controlling gene expression and, therefore, directly affects active ingredient biosynthesis. Numerous experimental data have been used to identify transcription factors, their binding sites, and interacting proteins. The development of high-throughput sequencing technology promotes deeper research into the molecular mechanisms underlying transcriptional regulation of active ingredient biosynthesis. Transcriptional regulatory networks controlling active ingredients reveal the molecular mechanisms by which biotic and abiotic factors influence active ingredient biosynthesis. Transcriptional regulatory networks can be altered to generate medical plants with high active ingredient contents. High-value active ingredients in medicinal plants have attracted research attention because of their benefits for human health, such as the antimalarial artemisinin, anticardiovascular disease tanshinones, and anticancer Taxol and vinblastine. Here, we review how hormones and environmental factors promote the accumulation of active ingredients, thereby providing a strategy to produce high-value drugs at a low cost. Focusing on major hormone signaling events and environmental factors, we review the transcriptional regulatory network mediating biosynthesis of representative active ingredients. In this network, many transcription factors (TFs) simultaneously control multiple synthase genes; thus, understanding the molecular mechanisms affecting transcriptional regulation of active ingredients will be crucial to developing new breeding possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultivation of high-quality upland rice, which is known to be drought tolerant and widely adaptable, can help solve the challenges of food and water shortages for the world's rising populations, so it is of great significance to sustainable agricultural development. Certain microbial agents can further enhance plant drought resistance, such as the endophytic bacteria that live in plant seeds without causing infection, making them a vital resource that can improve upland rice cultivation and yield. In this study, high-throughput sequencing technology based on the Illumina MiSeq platform was used to investigate the structure and diversity of endophytic bacterial communities in the seeds of 12 upland rice varieties from different areas in Yunnan Province, China. The results showed that 39 endophytic operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were found to coexist in all samples. At the phylum level, the dominant phyla in the 12 seed samples were Proteobacteria (66.92–99.98%). At the genus level, Pantoea (9.75–99.24%), Pseudomonas (0.11–37.24%), Curtobacterium (0.01–19.90%), Microbacterium (0.01–14.95%), Methylobacterium (0.40–5.86%), Agrobacterium (0.01–4.53%), Sphingomonas (0.04–1.56%), Aurantimonas (0.01–1.45%) and Rhodococcus (0.11–1.09%) were found to be the dominant genera coexisting in all the tested upland rice seeds tested, representing the core microbiota in upland rice seeds. Furthermore, correlation analysis showed that upland rice habitat environmental factors, such as climate, precipitation and altitude, exert significant effects on the composition and diversity of the endophytic bacterial communities in the upland rice seeds. The findings of this study contribute significantly to understanding the relationship between upland rice and its endophytic bacteria, which can be developed to enhance drought tolerance and yield in this important crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Non-structural carbohydrates are distributed and stored in various organs, enabling plants to make a trade-off between "growth" and "resistance", with temperature variation as the main driver. Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) are important physiological indicators of carbon balance in plants and play a crucial ecological function in determining how plants respond to environmental changes. However, less is known about the mechanisms by which NSC change along the montane vertical climate belt gradient. In order to address this question, we investigated changes in NSC of 12 major tree species along the elevational gradients in the Sygera Mountains, southern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. During the growing period (July–August) and dormant period (November–December) of the same phenological period, 64 woody plants were sampled for leaves, branches, trunks, and root organs. The contents of NSC, C, N, P, and K, and the main climatic factors were measured to detect the spatial and temporal characteristics of NSC content in woody plants in different elevations as well as their linkages. The results were as follows. (1) Plants seasonally allocate soluble sugars and starch. During the growing period, plants tend to store fewer non-structural carbohydrates to meet other carbon-demanding processes, such as growth or fruiting. During the dormant period, plants are committed to resisting stress and surviving winter through cooperative relationships (conversion of starch to soluble sugars). The physiological process of starch conversion to sugar may depend on whether starch concentration exceeds 5%. (2) The increasing NSC content of numerous tree species from the montane warm temperate belt to the alpine belt supports the "growth limitation" hypothesis, while the roots and leaf organs of woody plants have the most abundant carbon storage. (3) Plant nutrients (N, P, and K) promote the synthesis of NSC and regulate the quantity of soluble sugars and starch to establish a dynamic carbon balance in plants. (4) Plants accumulate NSC carbon pools in response to environmental stress (drought or low temperatures). "Low-temperature" stress is the primary factor limiting the growth of woody plants. Thus, temperature drives changes of NSC in woody plants across different elevations, while the physiological process of converting starch into soluble sugars (when starch content exceeds 5%, starch can be converted into soluble sugars) is an important mechanism that increases the tolerance of plants to abiotic stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in protein glycosylation are clinically used as biomarkers. In the present study, we employed a twin cohort to investigate the contributions of genetic and environmental factors to glycan modifications of glycoproteins. Mac-2 binding protein (Mac-2 bp), haptoglobin (Hp), and their glycosylated forms are liver fibrosis and cancer biomarkers. Sera from 107 twin pairs without clinical information were used as a training cohort for the Mac-2 bp and Mac-2 bp glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi) assay. As a validation cohort, 22 twin pairs were enrolled in the study. For each twin pair, one twin was diagnosed with liver or pancreatic disease. For the training cohort, the correlation ratios of serum Mac-2 bp and M2BPGi levels in twin sera with random sequences were 0.30 and 0.018, respectively. The correlation ratios between twin pairs in the validation cohort for serum Mac-2 bp and M2BPGi levels were 0.75 and 0.35, respectively. In contrast, correlation ratios of serum Hp and fucosylated haptoglobin (Fuc-Hp) levels between twin sera with liver and pancreatic disease were 0.49 and 0.16, respectively. Although serum protein levels of glycoproteins are susceptible to genetic factors, characteristic glycan changes of these glycoproteins are more susceptible to environmental factors, including liver and pancreatic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]