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Abstract The watershed system has a complex game relationship between the benign operation and coordinated development of various elements of flood-sediment transportation, eco-environment, and socio-economy (FES). With the increasing breadth, depth, and intensity of human activities in watersheds, it is urgent to coordinate the FES. The relationship of water–sediment in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is complex, with a prominent contradiction in water supply and a fragile ecosystem. This research tries to build a comprehensive evaluation model for FES and explore the complex interaction between FES in the YRB from 2000 to 2020. The results demonstrated that (1) the comprehensive flood-sediment transportation index (CFTI) and comprehensive eco-environment index (CEI) presented fluctuating growth. In contrast, the comprehensive socio-economy index (CSI) revealed a linear growth trend. The CFTI of Sanmenxia, CEI of Toudaokuan, and CSI of Ningxia had the highest growth rates, with 36.03%, 6.48%, and 107.5%, respectively. (2) FES's positive and negative effects were alternating, with heterogeneity in both time and space. (3) The coupling coordination degree (CCD) in the YRB indicated an increasing trend, ranging from 0.53 to 0.87, from reluctantly coordinated development to good coordinated development. The lagging subsystem was CFTI (2000–2001 and 2008–2020) and CSI (2002–2007), and the CEI was not lagging. (4) Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) demonstrated significant differences in the CCD of the YRB, and areas with similar CCD within the basin tend to be centrally distributed in space. At the same time, there was negative spatial autocorrelation in coordination. The results provide a scientific theoretical and methodological framework for strategic research on the YRB system's governance, protection, and management.

Since the the dawn of the 21st century, water security has occupied a pivotal position in fostering sustainable development. However, frequency of extreme weather events due to climate change and higher intensity of anthropogenic events, water security problems in Northwest China are becoming increasingly prominent. This paper elucidates water security levels and predicts future trends of Northwest China. Firstly, the Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) conceptual framework served as the foundation for the establishment of the water security evaluation index system. Then used the entropy weight method to calculate the weight of indicators and the five-element connection degree method was used to assess the water security levels. The period for the data used in the study was from 2010 to 2019. Finally, a grey prediction model was employed to forecast the water security levels from 2023 to 2030. The findings showed that: (1) From 2010 to 2019, the water security situation gradually developed to a very high level in Northwest China: Shaanxi Province mostly attained a high level, and the water security grades of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were mostly at a very low level. (2) Generally, from 2023 to 2030, the water security level will continue to improve. The water security grades of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Qinghai will mostly be at the medium level, while that of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region will be at the low level. (3) The five dimensions of water security in Northwest China demonstrated a fluctuating yet consistently upward trend. (4) Based on the results, suggestions were put forward regarding water security and sustainable development in Northwest China.

Fully understanding the interrelationship and the coordinated development level of water resources (WR), eco-environment (EE) and socio-economy (SE) is an essential precondition for regional sustainable development. We constructed a complex analytical framework consisting of WR, EE and SE subsystems in the water-receiving area of the Lower Yellow River, and quantitatively investigated the coupling coordination relationship among them. An improved obstacle degree model was developed to analyze the level and the major obstacles of coordinated development from 2001 to 2020, together with the coupling coordination degree model. A prediction model combined by the autoregressive integrated moving average model, the gray model and the artificial neural network model was built to explore the development trend from 2021 to 2025. It was found that (1) the coordinated development level showed a continuous growth from reluctant coordination in 2001–2002 to high coordination in 2015–2020. Spatially, Shandong province was slightly more coordinated than that of Henan province on the whole. (2) With sustained rapid SE development and growing pressure on water supply and environmental capacity, the major obstacles for coordinated development changed from SE factors to WR and EE factors before and after 2010. (3) The coordinated development level will continue to increase in 2021–2025, especially in the “promote WR and EE protection” scenario. In the future, water scarcity will become the key problems for coordinated development. Taking account of the available water diversion from the Yellow River, local government should put more effort into water use efficiency improvement. These results offer an important reference for decision-making and management of regional sustainable development.

Abstract Sudden channel shifting of wandering rivers poses significant challenges for river engineering, flood control strategies, and the security of water resources. This study proposes a novel analytical model to quantitatively assess such channel shifts based on the cusp catastrophe theory. Utilizing bathymetric data from 93 river sections collected biannually between 2015 and 2019, a comprehensive investigation of channel instability in the wandering reach of the Lower Yellow River was conducted. The results show that both lateral and longitudinal stabilities in the Huayuankou-Gaocun section were generally favorable. For the most part of the selected sections demonstrated a propensity for gradual change. Out of the 93 sections, totally 45 were identified as being susceptible to sudden channel shifts. These vulnerable sections were predominantly located in two highly active reaches—Xiaodabin-Jinglonggong and Huayuankou-Zhaolanzhuang—during the period from 2015 to 2017, excluding the 2018–2019 non-flood season. In the latter non-flood period, nearly half of the sections in the downstream reach from Jinglonggong displayed instability. Our findings are consistent closely with empirical observations from the Lower Yellow River. Additionally, the changed flow and sediment conditions in the 2015–2019 and the efficiency of guide works have significant effects on the stability of river channels.

Abstract The Xiaolangdi Reservoir has been operated for 23 consecutive years, greatly altering the flow and sediment processes of the Lower Yellow River. Many research have separately analyzed the changes of siltation in reservoirs and river channels, discharge capacity of the lower river channel, river regime stability, or ecological environmental benefits under water and sediment regulation. However, the multiple changes of flow and sediment transport, ecological environment, and social economy were seldom considered. We systematically and holistically explored the changes of river system in the Lower Yellow River since 2000, based on the channel erosion and siltation, channel morphology, ecosystem patterns and habitat quality, irrigation water scale, and crop production index. The results show that the discharge capacity of the main channel has been recovered significantly at a bankfull discharge of over 4700 m3/s. The ecological pattern in the Lower Yellow River and the delta has been optimized. The wetland and water ecosystem area has been remarkably increased by 125.82% and 318.54% respectively, and the saline‐alkali land area has been sharply reduced by 89.65%. The habitat quality has been raised to the highest level in nearly 40 years. The irrigation water volume in the irrigation area of the Lower Yellow River has been increased by 31%, and the grain production has maintained a continuous growth for 16 years. Overall, the coordinated development level of flow and sediment transport, ecological environment and crop production in the Lower Yellow River has been continuously improved from the reluctantly coordinated level (before water and sediment regulation) to the highly coordinated level.

Considering the mass reservoirs construction, it is important to study the cascade reservoir construction sequence, which directly affects the water and sediment resource allocation, ecological environment restoration, and socioeconomic development of the basin. Thus, we constructed an evaluation index system by comprehensively considering the basin water and sediment discharge index, basin ecological and environmental maintenance index, and basin social and economic development index. The evaluation model was established to assess the impact of the cascade reservoir construction sequence on basin multifunctional synergy development index. The model was applied to evaluate the cascade reservoir construction sequence in the Yangtze and Yellow River Basin of China. The results revealed that: (1) The basin water and sediment discharge index, basin social and economic development index, and basin multifunctional synergy development index benefits gradually increased, the basin ecological and environmental maintenance index benefits progressively decreased in the Yangtze and Yellow River Basin. (2) The basin water and sediment discharge index, and basin ecological and environmental maintenance index of the planned cascade reservoir construction sequence ranked top in the Yellow River Basin; the basin water and sediment discharge index, and basin social and economic development index of the planned cascade reservoir construction sequence ranked top in the Yangtze River Basin. (3) The cascade reservoir construction sequence focused more on basin social and economic development index benefits when the level of national economic development was low, and more on basin water and sediment discharge index benefits when it was high. (4) Reservoir capacity and installed capacity were the main factors influencing the cascade reservoir construction sequence in the Yangtze and Yellow River Basin, respectively. These findings provide useful information regarding the cascade reservoir construction sequence.

Reasonable payments of Ecosystem Services (PES) standards are crucial to provide eco-environment management countermeasures. However, existing research on the unified coordination of future PES from the overall perspective is insufficient. This paper proposes a framework derived from the patch-generating land-use simulation (PLUS) model and the ecosystem services value (ESV) assessment method for allocation PES funds. The Yellow River Basin (YRB) was taken as a case study, which is a highly integrated and interconnected entity. The PLUS model was used to analyze various land-use situations from 2010 to 2020, and predict future land-use status under different development scenarios including natural development (ND), cropland conservation (CC) and ecological conservation (EC). The ESV approach was applied to calculate the ESV in nine provinces of the YRB, and propose optimized fund distribution schemes. The results showed that (1) The most significant land-use changes during 2010–2020 were impervious, forests, grasslands, and croplands, where the impervious increased by 22.47 % (4642 km2) and the forest increased by 9 % (7623 km2). (2) The total ESV in the YRB will be highest under EC scenario in 2030, at 729.16 billion CNY, and Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu and Shandong will have the highest ESV under EC scenario. (3) The funds will reach lowest under EC scenario, at 13.35 billion CNY, while reach highest under CC scenario, at 13.58 billion CNY. (4) In any scenario, Qinghai and Gansu province will get the highest PES funds among nine provinces, and financial investment in the Qinghai Province needs to be increased. Based on our results, it is recommended to foster the exploration of horizontal compensation between the downstream provinces of Henan and Shandong, and the upstream provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, and Gansu, in order to enhance the protection of the eco-environment. The findings can provide scientific guidance for improvement of the PES funds allocation in the YRB, and methodological references for other river basins.

Graphitic carbon nitride has long been considered a poor oxygen evolution catalyst. Here, the authors report a simple fluorination strategy to prevent the accumulation of inert C=O on carbon nitride to break through this bottleneck.

Water resources are crucial for the development of ecosystems and humanity. The Yellow River Basin (YRB), as an important ecological area in China, is facing significant challenges in ecological protection and high-quality development due to global climate change and intense human activities. In order to alleviate the water resources crisis in the YRB, it is necessary to calculate the resilience of the water resources system and identify the main influencing factors. This paper considered the factors of water resources, social economy, and ecological environment, then constructed an evaluation framework of the water resources system resilience (WRSR) from three aspects: resistance, restoration, and adaptability. Taking nine provinces along the YRB as a case study, the WRSR was measured by using the entropy weight TOPSIS model, and its driving factors were analyzed with Geographical Detectors (GD). The results showed that: (1) From 2010 to 2022, the WRSR in the Yellow River Basin and various provinces was showing a fluctuating increasing trend, in which Ningxia had the highest average WRSR (0.646), while Shanxi had the lowest (0.168). (2) From three dimensions, the development trends of resistance, restoration, and adaptability in the YRB and various provinces from 2010 to 2022 were relatively stable. Shandong’s resistance level far exceeded that of other provinces, having the highest average resistance value (0.692), and Ningxia had the highest average value of restoration (0.827) and adaptability (0.711). However, Gansu had the lowest average value of resistance (0.119), Sichuan had the lowest average value of restoration (0.097), and Shandong had the lowest average value of adaptability (0.110). (3) In terms of impact factors, the development and utilization rate of water resources (C13) and the development and utilization rate of surface water resources (C14) in the restoration subsystem consistently ranked in the top two of influencing factors. Similarly, the water consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP (C26) in the adaptability subsystem consistently ranked within the top ten. On the other hand, the natural population growth rate (C6) in the resistance subsystem, as well as the impact of ammonia nitrogen emissions (C9) and total precipitation (C2) in wastewater, exhibited an upward trend. Based on these, this paper provides relevant suggestions for improving the WRSR in the YRB.

As influenced by human activities, including high dam construction, soil and water conservation, and sand mining in the upper reaches of rivers, the amount of sediment entering the lower reaches of the river decreases significantly. Human activities disturb the natural balance between river evolution and water as well as sediment movement and induce new characteristics of river evolution. After the construction and operation of the Danjiangkou Reservoir and the Three Gorges Reservoir of the Yangtze River (China), different degrees of bend bypassing and shoal cutting in the bends downstream of the dams are observed. The reason for this interrelation has not been explained sufficiently. Based on the analysis of prototype observation data and physical model experiments, we have investigated the evolution mechanism of different topographic types of meandering rivers under the condition of decreasing sediment inflow. The data generated by our model experiment document that the sediment concentration of the convex bank flow with a large degree of curvature of the bend is lower than that of the concave bank flow for a reduction of the sediment concentration from 100% to 0%. Moreover, the convex bank of the bend gradually collapses and retreats, whereas the main channel of the river gradually swings, with a swing range of 0–800 m, toward the convex bank. This phenomenon becomes more significant with progressive reduction of the sediment inflow. Combined with theoretical analysis, we interpret that the drastic reduction in the amount of sand that has destroyed the relative natural balance of sediment transport in the riverbanks and river channels in the meandering river section is the main reason for the occurrence of bypassing and shoal cutting in the meandering river section of plain alluvial rivers. Especially during the mid-to high-water period, the capacity of sediment transport in the mainstream belt exceeds the sediment concentration in the water body significantly and is coupled with the change of the runoff process caused by the regulation of the reservoir operation. As a consequence, the river beach is constantly scouring and developing. The evolution is generally characterized by bend bypassing and shoal cutting. The results of our study can be transposed to other alluvial plain rivers and may constitute valuable reference data.

The combining of the heterostructure construction and active sites modification to remodel the traditional wide-band-gap semiconductor SrTiO3 for improving visible light absorption capacity and enhancing photocatalytic performance is greatly desired. Herein, we research a novel GO/Rh-SrTiO3 nanocomposite via a facile hydrothermal method. The champion GO/Rh-SrTiO3 nanocomposite exhibits the superior photocatalytic overall water splitting performance with an H2 evolution rate of 55.83 μmol∙g−1∙h−1 and O2 production rate of 23.26 μmol∙g−1∙h−1, realizing a breakthrough from zero with respect to the single-phased STO under visible light (λ ≥ 420 nm). More importantly, a series of characterizations results showed that significantly improving photocatalytic performance originated mainly from the construction of heterostructure and more active sites rooted in Rh metal. In addition, the possible photocatalytic reaction mechanisms and the transport behavior of photogenerated carriers have been revealed in deeper detail. This work provides an effective strategy for heterostructure construction to improve solar utilization through vastly expanding visible light response ranges from traditional UV photocatalysts.

Although many circular RNAs (circRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been discovered in adipocytes, their precise functions and molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Based on existing circRNA and lncRNA sequencing data of bovine adipocytes, we screened for the differential expression of circFLT1 and lncCCPG1 in preadipocytes and adipocytes and further analyzed their function and regulation during adipogenesis. The overexpression of circFLT1 and lncCCPG1 together facilitated adipocyte differentiation and suppressed proliferation. Computationally, the RNA hybrid showed that circFLT1 and lncCCPG1 had multiple potential binding sites with miR-93. Additionally, luciferase reporting experiments verified that circFLT1 and lncCCPG1 may interact with miR-93. We also demonstrated that overexpressed miR-93 effectively suppresses the expression of lncSLC30A9. Signaling pathway enrichment analysis, luciferase activity assay, and expression analysis revealed that lncSLC30A9 inhibits proliferation by inhibiting the expression of AKT protein and promotes differentiation by recruiting the FOS protein to the promoter of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG). In sum, our results elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of circFLT1 and lncCCPG1 as miR-93 sponges in bovine adipocytes.

Global classification of bovine genes is important for studies of biology and tissue-specific gene editing. Herein, we classified the tissue-specific expressed genes and uncovered an important variation in the promoter region of an adipose tissue-specific lncRNA gene. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the number of genes specifically expressed in the brain was the highest, while it was lowest in the adipose tissues. A total of 1,575 genes were found to be significantly higher expressed in adipose tissues. Bioinformatic analysis and qRT-PCR were used to uncover the expression profiles of the 23 adipose tissue-specific and highly expressed genes in 8 tissues. The results showed that most of the 23 genes have higher expression level in adipose tissue. Besides, we detected a 12 bp insertion/deletion (indel) variation (rs720343880) in the promoter region of an adipose tissue-specific lncRNA gene (LOC100847835). The different genotypes of this variation were associated with carcass traits of cattle. Therefore, the outcomes of the present study can be used as a starting point to explore the development of cattle organs and tissues, as well as to improve the quality of cattle products.

Establishment of a watershed ecological compensation mechanism between multiple subjects is an effective means to realize the collaborative governance of water pollution and maintain the security of water ecology. This paper breaks through the conventional upstream and downstream perspectives of watershed ecological compensation design research and combines them with uncertainty factors. The watershed ecological compensation mechanism for the mainstream and branches was established based on the evolutionary game and the random process. Then, taking the midstream of the Yellow River as an example, some constraint conditions and influencing factors were explored. Results show that: (1) The branch government (i.e., the Shanxi provincial government) is the key to establishing an ecological compensation mechanism between the river mainstream and branches. (2) The proportion of pollution transferred by other branches, the initial probability and the random factors are the main factors affecting the decision-making of branch governments (Shanxi and Shaanxi provincial governments). (3) The compensation and reward of the mainstream government to the branch government and the compensation of the branch government to the mainstream government are the main factors affecting the decision-making of mainstream and branch governments (Shanxi–Henan provincial governments, Shaanxi–Henan provincial governments). The study may provide scientific guidance for the construction of a watershed ecological compensation mechanism between mainstream and multiple branches.

Desert terminal lakes are important signals to discern ecological degradation crises, particularly in arid areas where an artificial project of ecological water diversion has designated a quota of river water to prevent lake body shrinkage and protect the ecosystem. Knowledge of the minimum ecological water demand (EWD) is thus necessary to ensure the basic health of lake ecosystems. This study analyzed the spatiotemporal evolution of water boundaries using Landsat satellites data via remote sensing technology from 2002 to 2017 in East Juyan Lake, an inland desert terminal lake of the Heihe River in northwest China. The minimum lake water demand was determined using two estimation methods: the lake-evaporation-oriented EWD method and the minimum water level method. In the latter method, both lake topography (using water-level area curves) and biological survival demands (using bighead carps as indicators) were considered to derive the minimum lake EWD. Water diversion to the lake over the past 15 years has increased the lake’s area, but there are still marked intra-annual seasonal variations. The annual minimum lake water demand was suggested to be 54 × 106 m3/year by comparing the different methods; however, it was not satisfied, and the lake survival was endangered when the occurrence frequency of the annual runoff in the Zhengyixia hydrological station exceeded 65%. This study offered promising directions for inland lake water resource management.

This paper performs a numerical investigation on the kinetic behaviors of dry granular flows generated by the collapse of granular columns with different fractal particle size distributions (FPSDs) using the discrete element method. The FPSD has a remarkable impact on the regime and mobility of a granular flow. As the fractal dimension of a granular assembly increases, the translational velocities of the particles increase in the horizontal direction, whereas the rotational velocities decrease. The number of particles involved in the horizontal spreading increases due to the decreasing intensity of the contact shearing particle behavior. These increased translational velocities in the horizontal direction effectively facilitate particle spreading. A boundary layer is formed at the front bottom of the granular body in which the clockwise rotational velocities of particles are significantly increased, thereby benefiting particle spreading. The whole front of the granular flow obtains an immense spreading velocity. Moreover, the translational and rotational characteristics are dependent on the particle size. Smaller particles tend to translate and rotate faster than larger particles because of the greater particle contact forces of the former. As the fractal dimension increases, medium- and large-size particles obtain less kinetic energy than do small-size particles. Therefore, small-size particles play a crucial role in the mobility of granular flows in a granular assembly with a high fractal dimension.

As an important part of the circadian rhythm, the circadian regulation factor 2 of cryptochrome (CRY2), regulates many physiological functions. Previous studies have reported that CRY2 is involved in growth and development. However, the relationship between CRY2 gene polymorphism and cattle carcass traits remains unclear. The aim of this study was to detect the possible variations of the CRY2 gene and elucidate the association between the CRY2 gene and carcass traits in the Shandong Black Cattle Genetic Resource (SDBCGR) population (n = 705). We identified a 24-bp deletion variation (CRY2-P6) and a 6-bp insertion variation (CRY2-P7) in the bovine CRY2 gene. The frequency of the homozygous II genotype is higher than the heterozygous ID genotype in both two loci. In addition, CRY2-P6 was consistent with HWE (p > 0.05). Importantly, the CRY2-P6 variant was significantly associated with 12 carcass traits, including gross weight, ribeye, high rib, thick flank, etc. and the II was the dominant genotype. The CRY2-P7 site was also significantly correlated with five traits (gross weight, beef-tongue, etc.). Collectively, these outcomes indicated that the two Indel loci in the CRY2 gene could be used for marker-assisted selection of cattle carcass traits.

The construction of a river regulation project has changed the cross-sectional shape of a river and significantly impacted the evolution of the river regime. In this paper, an asymmetry index was proposed to characterize the changes in the shape of the river cross-section and the distribution of water and sediment factors. According to the transverse distribution formula of the river section and water and sediment factors, the asymmetry of the cross-sectional shape as well as water and sediment factors along with the transverse distribution in the wandering reach of the lower Yellow River before and after the construction project was calculated, respectively. The results showed that the cross-sectional shape of the river channel before and after the building was asymmetric, and the cross-sectional shape of the river channel after the construction was more asymmetric than that of the free development channel without engineering constraints; at the same time, under the action of a limited control boundary, the asymmetry of cross-section flow velocity and sediment concentration and other water and sediment factors along the transverse distribution were more prominent, the flow velocity and sediment concentration along the transverse distribution increased, the river flow was more concentrated, and the sediment transport capacity of the channel improved significantly under a large flow (5000 m3/s). This study revealed the positive effect of river regulation projects on the river regime evolution of the wandering river and provided new ideas for the study of river regime evolution.

The change of water and sediment conditions in wandering channels has a great impact on the stability of river regime. The quantitative relationship between them is still unclear. The qualitative influence of water and sediment conditions on the river regime stability was analyzed by a model test. The response relationship between the upward or downward moving distance of the main stream zone and water and sediment conditions was quantitatively studied by using the measured water and sediment data and large-section data over the years. The results showed that when the upstream water and sediment inflow conditions change, the stability of a wandering channel with relatively stable river regime under the control of finite boundary will still change. When the river channel is at 1000 m3/s under the action of long-term small water, or silting thickness is about 0.53 m, the main stream next to the project moves upwards about 1170 m along the way. In the case of a large flood, such as 8000 m3/s, or scouring depth is about 0.39 m, the main stream next to the project moves downwards about 870 m along the way. The study provides a certain scientific basis for river regime stability and river flood control early warning, and provides a certain method reference for quantitative study of river regime evolution of other rivers at home and abroad.

Flooding in a sediment-laden floodplain is affected by riverine beach vegetation and the shape of a meandering compound channel. The laws of water and sediment exchange and the deposition distribution in beach troughs are very complex. These factors play a significant role in the formation and development of secondary suspended rivers, in the adjustment of the beach horizontal gradient, and even in the evolution of the flood control situation. In this study, we used a combination of experimental simulation and theoretical research to carry out a generalized model test of floodplain flooding evolution, analyzed the lateral distribution characteristics of sediment-laden flow and sediment factors in a meandering compound channel under the conditions of beach vegetation, and revealed the pros and cons of beach vegetation on the adjustment of the beach and channel siltation. The model test results of the flooding in the floodplain in the compound channel with meandering vegetation showed that the main stream was not only concentrated in the main channel but also appeared near the foot of the left and right bank levees and formed flood discharges along the embankment. As the riverine beach siltation was mainly concentrated at the riverine beach lip, the vegetation on the riverine beach had a significant effect on slowing down the flow velocity. Whether it was a row or full vegetation on both sides of the bank, this played an important role in the stability of the main channel. When there was no vegetation on the riverine beach, the main channel was easy to move. The arrangement of full vegetation on the riverine beach had a uniform effect on the velocity distribution of the riverine beach, which reduced the phenomenon of excessive velocity at the foot of the riverine beach and increased the velocity effect in the main channel. These results will provide a theoretical basis for the utilization of riverine beach areas and river management in the lower Yellow River and have a great significance for enriching the basic theory of water and sediment movement and promoting the integration of hydraulics, river dynamics, and ecology.

Most 2D (two-dimensional) models either take vertical velocity profiles as uniform, or consider secondary flow in momentum equations with presupposed velocity profiles, which weakly reflect the spatio-temporal characteristics of meander flow. To tackle meander flow in a more accurate 3D (three-dimensional) way while avoiding low computational efficiency, a new 3D model based on spectral methods is established and verified in this paper. In the present model, the vertical water flow field is expanded into polynomials. Governing equations are transformed by the Galerkin method and then advection terms are tackled with a semi-Lagrangian method. The simulated flow structures of an open channel bend are then compared with experimental results. Although a zero-equation turbulence model is used in this new 3D model, it shows reasonable flow structures, and calculation efficiency is comparable to a depth-averaged 2D model.

The precise functions and molecular mechanisms of microRNAs (miRNAs) in adipocytes are primarily unknown. Studies have demonstrated that miR-193b plays a pivotal role in the differentiation of preadipocytes. Herein, we evaluated the effects of bta-miR-193b on the growth and development of adipocytes, using the EdU cell proliferation method, flow cytometry analysis, CCK-8 assay, RT-qPCR, Western blotting, and oil red O staining. We observed that the overexpression of bta-miR-193b significantly affected the differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis of adipocytes. The results of the dual-fluorescent reporter vector experiments demonstrated that bta-miR-193b directly targeted Acyl-CoA synthetase short-chain family member 2 (ACSS2). Additionally, the effects of ACSS2 overexpression on the proliferation and apoptosis in adipose cells were the opposite of those induced by bta-miR-193b. We also demonstrated that ACSS2 can significantly promote the expression of AKT and pAKT proteins. Therefore, this study presents a novel mechanism by which bta-miR-193b regulates adipocyte development by targeting ACSS2.

The focus of this paper is on studying novel approaches to estimate sediment exchange between suspended-load and bed material in an unsteady sediment-laden flow with fine-grained sand. The erosion-deposition characteristics of the channel have close relation with the variation of size compositions of both suspended-load and bed material. These aims are addressed by deducing the sediment exchange equations from the mass conservation perspective and establishing a river-sediment mathematical model based on the theory. The model is applied in the middle and lower Yellow River, China, and calibrated and verified under both deposition and erosion conditions using a generalized channel and a large quantity of measured data in the Yellow River basin. The results indicate that the grading curves of suspended-load and bed material calculated by the mathematical model are close to those of the measured data. The temporal and spatial variations in the mean sizes of suspended-load and bed material, flow rate, sediment concentration and erosion or deposition volume estimates during the entire flood process can be accurately predicted. The model performance is considered acceptable for determining the sediment exchange process and the change in channel morphology for unsteady sediment-laden flow.

Sperm-associated antigen 17 (SPAG17) gene encodes a multifunctional cytoplasmic protein, which influences not only reproduction but also skeletal development related body measurement traits, especially body height. Thus, this study aimed to identify crucial insertion-deletion (indel) variations, which influence the body measurement traits of goats in large goat populations (n = 1725). As a result, two intronic indels (14 bp and 17 bp indel) were identified by sequencing. For the two indel loci, the distributions of genotypes and alleles were significantly different between the Shaanbei white cashmere goat (SBWC) and the Hainan black goat (HNBG). In SBWC goats, the different genotypes of the 14 bp indel were markedly associated with goat body height, chest width, body length and chest depth. The genotypes of the 17 bp indel were significantly related to body height and chest width. At the two loci, for all seven analyzed traits of SBWC goat, the growth data of DD homozygotes were the worst, which means that the 14 bp insertion and the 17 bp deletion were beneficial and detrimental variations, respectively. Moreover, the combined genotypes were significantly related to body height and chest width of SBWC goats and ten traits of HNBG. These results suggested that the 14 and 17 bp indels within SPAG17 can be used in goat growth related traits marker-assisted selection breeding, especially body height.

In recent years, the distorted river bends occurs frequently in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and the critical catastrophe occurs of natural cut-off under the action of flood scouring during flood season, which directly affects the plane shape of the river channel and the flood control safety of local reach. By collecting a large number of literature and combining existing research results, the causes of the deformed rivers and the natural cutting phenomenon are reviewed. The formation of the distorted river bends is mainly related to the incompatibility of the upstream water and sediment inflow conditions with the river boundary conditions, the formation of local anti-scour nodes (such as clay mouth) and the emergence or control engineering, and the different anti-scour properties of the riverbed leading to the main stream swing. In the development and evolution process of river bays, natural cutting curve occupies an important position, and there are three typical forms, such as erosion ditch type, bank collapsing type and die cutting type, and its cutting ratio is 1.6-6.9. In the future, we should study the composition of the river bed, study the causes and mechanism of the abnormal river regime in the lower Yellow River more deeply, predict the trend of the abnormal river regime scientifically, and evaluate the damage.