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In order to address the excessive stringency of the remediation target values derived from human health risk assessments based on total concentrations of PAHs, the bioaccessibility of benzo [b] fluoranthene (BBF), benzo [k] fluoranthene (BKF), benzo [a] pyrene (BAP), indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (IPY) and dibenzo [a,h] anthracene (DBA) in the soils of a coking plant in Shijiazhuang, were tested using the German Standards Institute (Deutsches Institut für Normung, DIN) method. The results showed that: (1) the concentrations of BBF, BAP, IPY and DBA in the soils of the investigated area exceeded the screening values of the first type of land-use in GB36600--2018; (2) the bioaccessibility of the five PAHs in the soils of the coking plant ranged from 14.71% to 56.42%; (3) the health risks of BBF, BKF, BAP, IPY and DBA were reduced after taking into account the bioaccessibility, of which the risk of BBF was reduced to an acceptable level; (4) the target values (95% UCL) of BAP, IPY and DBA increased by 2.6, 3.4 and 1.5 times with taking bioaccessibility into account, which were 2.83, 34.63 and 1.95 mg⋅kg-1, respectively. Carrying out refined health risk assessments of PAHs in the soils of coking sites can resolve the problems of overly stringent remediation targets resulted from the conservative risk assessment in the current technical guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) are economically important agricultural pests with several compelling biological phenomena including paternal genome elimination (PGE). However, limited high‐quality genome assemblies of mealybugs hinder a full understanding of this striking and unusual biological phenomenon. Here, we generated a chromosome‐level genome assembly of cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis, by combining Illumina short reads, PacBio long reads and Hi‐C scaffolding. The assembled genome was 292.54 Mb with a contig N50 of 489.8 kb and a scaffold N50 of 49.0 Mb. Hi‐C scaffolding assigned 84.42% of the bases to five chromosomes. A total of 110.75 Mb (37.9%) repeat sequences and 11,880 protein‐coding genes were predicted. The completeness of the genome assembly was estimated to be 95.5% based on BUSCO genes. In addition, 27,086 (95.3%) full‐length PacBio transcripts were uniquely mapped to the assembled scaffolds, suggesting the high quality of the genome assembly. We showed that cotton mealybugs lack differentiated sex chromosomes by analysing genome resequencing data of males and females. DAPI staining confirmed that one chromosome set in males becomes heterochromatin at an early embryo stage. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays with sequencing analysis demonstrated that the epigenetic modifications H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 are distributed across the whole genome in males, suggesting that these two modifications might be involved in maintaining heterochromatin status. Both markers were more likely to be distributed in repeat regions, while H3K27me3 had higher overall enrichment. Our results provide a valuable genomic resource and shed new light on the genomic and epigenetic basis of PGE in cotton mealybugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing demands of livestock production, grasslands are under pressure from over‐intensified grazing. Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) fertilization is widely employed to meet the nutrient demands of heavy grazing. Although soil ammonia‐oxidizers play a critical role in determining N dynamics after fertilizer application, their responses to fertilization are still not well understood in steppe grassland systems. Here, the individual and combined effects of N (0, 7.5 and 15 g N m−2 year−1) and P (0, 3.27, 6.55 and 13.09 g P m−2 year−1) applications on soil ammonia‐oxidizers were explored in the Tibetan alpine steppe. Ammonia‐oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) abundance and community composition were examined using qPCR, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and clone libraries. Results showed that AOB diversity was significantly increased by N fertilization and decreased by P fertilization. The abundance of AOB was significantly increased by N fertilization and its interactive effects with P application. In contrast, AOA community diversity and abundance remained unaffected by either N or P application. The AOB abundance and diversity were affected by the direct effects of N fertilization, as well as its indirect effects of N application through available N and ammonium (NH4+), and further analysis showed that NH4+ and pH were the main factors. The changes to the ammonia‐oxidizing community altered the total N content of plants and the N:P ratio of Gramineae. Plant P properties were influenced by P addition, which also interacted with soil pH and available N to indirectly affect AOB. Overall, AOB exhibited stronger responses to N and P fertilization of alpine steppe grassland than AOA, and appear to play a critical role in plant nutrient absorption under fertilization management. Highlights: Effects of N and P application on AOA and AOB communities were evaluated.AOB, not AOA, responded to N or P, and their interaction, and NH4+ and pH were regulators of AOB.N application affected AOB community, resulting in changes to plant nutrient absorption.P addition affected plant tissue stoichiometry, and thus affected AOB community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, there are problems such as low level of drug inventory management in major hospitals, which directly lead to the stagnation of the drug supply chain and the high cost of hospital management. In order to improve the efficiency of hospital drug inventory management, based on genetic algorithm and BP neural network, this study combined the actual situation of hospital drug inventory forecast to build a system model based on hospital drug management mode. At the same time, in order to verify the validity of the model, this paper collected experimental data through data collection, inputted data for model simulation analysis, and established a three-layer network simulation model. In addition, this paper analyzed the accuracy and sensitivity of model prediction based on actual conditions and compared the research results with actual data. Studies have shown that the model proposed in this study has certain effects and can be applied to hospital drug inventory management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amorphous calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) undergoes contact-hardening property, i.e. the powder can be hardened by compression. A compression calorimeter was designed to determine the temperature evolution during the compaction of the powder. A platinum sensor (Pt100) was used as the temperature sensor and was positioned in the powder as well as in the compression die. A resolution of 0.01 °C with a sampling time of every second was used to monitor the temperature. Both theoretical calculation and simulations by COMSOL multiphysics showed that the device reliably evaluated the temperature during the compaction of CSH powders. The measurement was taken under semi-adiabatic conditions. The temperature profiles obtained from the measurement revealed the compression process and bonding development during the compaction of the powders. Finally, a linear relationship was observed between the compressive strength and the maximum temperature increase. This provides insight into the contact-hardening mechanism during the compaction of CSH powders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil moisture (SM) is a key factor in the exchanging process of the hydrological cycle, which is rather difficult to be directly observed. In situ measurements on SM, however, are subjected to the point scales. Use of land surface models has been a promising way to explore SM variations, especially for poorly gauged high mountain regions such as the Yarlung Zangbo River (YZR) basin located in Southeast Tibetan Plateau. This study made an attempt to investigate the spatiotemporal variations of SM and discuss hydro‐meteorological factors impacting SM evolution based on the Global Land Data Assimilation Systems (GLDAS) outputs during the period 1970–2009. Results show that (a) GLDAS data sets have high agreement and low bias with in situ measurements and consistent spatial distribution with ERA reanalysis data sets; (b) an abrupt change of SM is detected in 1992 and a significantly decreasing trend happens during 1970–2009 and 1993–2009; (c) precipitation is the dominant climatic factor controlling SM during the period 1970–2009, whereas surface air temperature is the critical factor for the significant change of SM. Owing to the significant increasing of surface air temperature since 1992, its impact on SM increased by ∼91% than that before 1992. Evapotranspiration (ET) and snow water equivalent (SWE) are also taken into consideration, showing relatively weak influence on SM, which may be due to the dynamic process of coupled SM‐ET or low snow cover area fraction across the YZR basin. Findings in this study have important implications for SM variations in poorly gauged high mountain regions which may largely influences downstream water availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high cost of cancer treatment exposes patients to financial toxicity during treatment; however, no study has comprehensively analyzed the incidence of financial toxicity using a validated assessment tool. In this study, the objective was to ascertain the incidence of financial toxicity in cancer patients and the factors influencing it. Nine electronic databases were retrieved to collect cross-sectional studies reporting financial toxicity in cancer patients. A random effects meta-analysis was applied to yield the overall prevalence of financial toxicity. Subgroup analyses were conducted depending on the factors affecting financial toxicity. In total, 30 studies met our inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of financial toxicity in cancer patients was 48% (95% CI :38%–58%, I 2 = 99.4%, p < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis, a higher prevalence of financial toxicity in patients aged <67 years (47%, 95% CI : 28%–66%, I 2 = 97.5%, p < 0.001), female (46%, 95% CI :39%–53%, I 2 = 94.9%, p < 0.001), lung cancer(57%, 95% CI :38%–75%, I 2 = 96.9%, p < 0.001), developing countries (64%, 95% CI :55%–72%, I 2 = 98.1%, p < 0.001), time of investigation following COVID-19 (53%, 95% CI :37%–69%, I 2 = 99.4%, p < 0.001). Financial toxicity is prevalent in cancer patients and is increasingly evident after COVID-19. Furthermore, the odds of financial toxicity are higher in patients who are female, younger, whose cancer type is lung cancer, and from developing countries. These findings emphasize the significance of evaluating financial toxicity in cancer patients after COVID-19, especially in developing countries. This may play a pivotal role in helping patients cope with financial toxicity. • Nearly half of patients with cancer are experiencing financial toxicity. • Gender, age, cancer type, region, and the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affect the financial toxicity in cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective design of organic fertilizer subsidy policies requires a precise understanding of their socio-economic and environmental impacts under uncertainty. However, previous methods face challenges in accurately simulating policy impacts due to the lack of a calibration process for observations and their inability to handle the dual uncertainty, where intervals and fuzziness coexist within a parameter. To fill such gap, a fuzzy-boundary interval positive mathematical programming (FIPMP) model was proposed. FIPMP improves upon previous positive mathematical programming (PMP) by handling dual uncertainties expressed as fuzzy-boundary intervals in both the objective function and constraints. FIPMP can also calibrate to observed values and address constraint-violation issues. This study further integrated the inventory analysis (IA) method into the FIPMP framework (IA-FIPMP), which enabled the impact analysis of organic fertilizer subsidy policies on TN and TP loads. Applied to a case study in Chengde City, Northern China, IA-FIPMP simulated the effects of various subsidy policies, prioritizing profit maximization and considering water resources and environmental constraints. The recommended optimal subsidy levels ranged from 300 to 600 yuan/ton, depending on the water availability and pollution discharge permits. The recommended subsidy levels could lead to a maximum reduction of 140,000 kg in TN loads and 9000 kg in TP loads, as well as a maximum increase of 3.3 times in the organic fertilizer use area. The study further reveals that quality-based subsidy policies outperform area-based subsidy policies in promoting organic fertilizer utilization and increasing farmer income. Compared to interval PMP and interval credibility-constrained PMP, FIPMP expands the capability of uncertainty treatment by handling dual uncertainties and enhances model robustness by balancing system benefits and violation risks. FIPMP can be used to simulate the impacts of other types of policies. [Display omitted] • A FIPMP method was proposed to analyze the water and fertilizer policies under dual uncertainties. • FIPMP can handle dual uncertainties expressed as fuzzy-boundary intervals and realize self-calibration. • FIPMP was coupled with the inventory analysis method to analyze the policy triggered changes in nutrient discharges. • Desirable organic fertilizer subsidy policies were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Coupling morphology with eDNA to investigate fish diversity. • Stochastic processes dominate fish assembly in Taizi River Basin. • Main environmental filtration factors to fish are total phosphorus, biological oxygen demand and temperature. The loss of freshwater biodiversity has drawn greater attention to fish diversity and community assembly patterns. However, traditional survey methods, such as ground cages and electrofishing, may cause damage to fish communities and have become increasingly unsuitable for frequent and large-scale fish diversity surveys. In this study, environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding and morphological data were both used to investigate the distribution and diversity of fish communities in the Taizi River basin, a temperate river in Northeast China, and the fish diversity and assembly patterns were investigated by using the null model. The results showed that a total of 7 orders, 17 families, 49 genera and 56 species were detected by the eDNA metabarcoding (6 orders, 15 families, 40 genera and 45 species) and morphological method (6 orders, 10 families, 31 genera and 34 species), and the eDNA method had a higher detection probability. Cypriniformes was detected most frequently, followed by Perciformes. Principal coordinate analysis revealed that fish communities in the Taizi River exhibited different spatial structures between the upper and lower reaches, with fish sensitive to environmental changes mostly found in the upper reaches and higher fish richness in the same area. The beta diversity in the upper reaches was higher than that in the lower reaches. The null model results showed the main factor that affected the distribution of fish in the Taizi River is the stochastic processes. Among the deterministic processes, the main environmental filter factors affecting fish community structure include total phosphorus, biochemical oxygen demand and temperature. We also confirm that eDNA metabarcoding has a higher detection rate compared to traditional survey methods, so it is feasible for freshwater ecosystem and fish resource monitoring. Therefore, the utilization of eDNA metabarcoding can effectively enhance monitoring efficiency and minimize interference with water bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]