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Electromobility is now widely recognized as a remedy for the growing level of greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. The result of this approach is the agreement of the European Commission with the member states regarding the achievement of CO2-free emission of the new fleet of passenger cars by 2035 through the use of battery electric vehicles. However, it should be emphasized that currently, not every country in the European Union has electricity sources with low CO2 emission (Proposal for a REGULATION... (EU) 2019/631), which in fact can contribute to a lower environmental effect than expected. The amount of environmental impact of a battery electric vehicle depends mainly on the type of energy mix of the country in which it is used. In view of the above, the first scientific objective of the article is a comparative assessment of environmental impact, using the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), the phase of use of passenger cars with conventional drive in relation to battery electric vehicles consuming electricity from the power grid in Poland and in Italy. The results of the LCA analysis, phases of BEV use in Poland indicate a higher level of environmental impact in relation to ICE due to the generation of electricity, for the most part from hard coal. Nevertheless, in Poland, as in other EU countries, an electromobility support system is being implemented. The successful implementation of electromobility depends on the environmental awareness of BEV users. The scientific cognitive aspect of the BEV purchase decisions of the Polish society is carried out using a survey questionnaire with the use of a non-random selection of the research sample (convenient selection). The aim of this cross-sectional survey was to confront the results of the environmental impact of the BEV use phase with the knowledge of the Polish society, as well as to learn about purchasing factors (future and current users). The results of the survey questionnaire demonstrate the low level of knowledge of the Polish society on the impact of the BEV use phase in Poland. This can be the result of media coverage in which BEV is presented as ecological transport. The aim of the article is not to depreciate the environmental performance of BEVs, but to draw attention to the fact that, to a large extent, the environmental impact of the BEV use phase depends on the place of use (country), and precisely the type of energy mix of a particular country. The literature on the subject lacks the confrontation of the results of scientific research in the field of environmental impact assessment of the BEV use phase with the knowledge of the public on this subject. The research results can be used by decision makers to properly target the support for the development of electromobility in Poland, consisting primarily in increasing the availability of infrastructure for charging BEV and changing the energy mix to energy sources with a lower environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulating wind turbine blade icing quickly is important for wind farms to issue early warnings and effectively deal with the adverse effects of cold weather. However, current numerical simulation methods suffer from high computational costs and lack straightforward acceleration techniques for practical ice prediction. Here, we developed a fast and simple blade icing simulation method via an integrated physical simulation and statistical analysis method. This method consists of two steps: firstly, numerical simulation with CFD, and secondly, table look-up calculations. Over 10,000 sets of wind turbine blade icing simulations based on FENSAP-ICE and an NACA64-A17 wing were conducted to develop this method and analyze the influences of environmental factors on blade icing. The results show that ice thickness generally increases with an increase in wind speed, a decrease in temperature, and an increase in liquid water content (LWC), but there is a nonlinear relationship between them. For example, ice thickness has a linear relationship with the LWC within a certain range but hardly changes with a LWC beyond that range. The validation results show that the fast simulation method established in this paper has good consistency with the original numerical simulation method. It can greatly improve the computational efficiency of icing simulations while retaining the accuracy of numerical simulations. It takes less than 1 s to complete over 1000 sets of icing simulations, which offers potential for the fast prediction of wind turbine blade icing in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND RESULTS CONCLUSION Oat (Avena sativa L.) is a valuable crop due to its strong adaptability to marginal environments, making it an important component of agricultural systems in regions where other cereals may not thrive. The application of chemical fertilizer can influence oat hay and grain yield significantly. However, large‐scale meta‐analytical studies of the size and variability of oat hay and grain yields in response to fertilizer addition are still lacking. Based on 83 studies worldwide, this meta‐analysis quantifies the impact of the addition of fertilizer on oat hay and grain yields under varying environmental conditions (e.g., soil nutrient levels, texture, and climate).The results confirmed that the fertilizer application increased oat hay yield by 48.9% and grain yield by 36.2%. This study demonstrated that balanced fertilization with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium generally enhances oat hay and grain yield despite large temporal and spatial variations. Boosted regression tree (BRT) models suggest that changes in hay and grain yield were primarily dominated by soil pH and nitrogen fertilizer. The response ratio (the natural logarithm of the mean values of hay yield or grain yield with and without fertilization, respectively) of hay yield declined linearly with soil pH. Elevation was the second most important factor affecting the change in response ratio of hay yield and the third most important factor affecting the change in response ratio of grain yield but climatic conditions were not the dominant factors affecting changes in oat hay or grain yield.Overall, these results will benefit producers considering site‐specific fertilization management of oat. They could increase yields and save investment in fertilizer, and help to facilitate the genetic breeding of oat varieties with high nutrient use efficiency. © 2024 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A river-lake system plays an important role in water management by providing long-term and frequent water diversions. However, hydrological connectivity in the system can have a profound effect on sediment microbial communities through pH, nutrient concentrations, and benthos invertebrates. Consequently, identifying the key environmental factors and their driving mechanisms is vital for microbial adaptation strategies to extreme environments. In this study, we analyzed the significant difference in sediment bacterial and fungal community structures and diversity indices among Dongting Lake and its tributary rivers, which worked as a typical river-connected lake ecosystem. There were significant differences in biotic and abiotic environments in the sediment habitats of Dongting Lake and its tributary rivers. Random forest analysis revealed that pH and Mollusca were found to be the most important abiotic and biotic variables for predicting both bacterial and fungal community structures, respectively. The beta diversity decomposition analyses showed that the bacterial and fungal community compositional dissimilarities among different sections were dominated by species replacement processes, with more than half of the OTUs in each section being unique. Notably, both biotic and abiotic factors affected the number and the relative abundance of these bacterial and fungal unique OTUs, leading to changes in community composition. Mollusca, pH, TP, NO3-N, and NH4-N were negatively related to the relative abundance of Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Planctomycetes, and Ascomycota, while Annelida and ORP were positively related to the relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Gemmatimonadetes. Additionally, PICRUSt analysis revealed that the functional dissimilarity among lakes and rivers was strengthened in unique species compared to all species in bacterial and fungal communities, and the changes of functional types helped to improve the habitat environment in the main Dongting Lake and promote the process of microbial growth. From our results, the role of macrozoobenthos and physicochemical characteristics in driving the sediment microbial community spatial variations became clear, which contributed to further understanding of the river-lake ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The largehead hairtail (Trichiurus japonicus) is the most productive fish caught in China. In order to understand the seasonal distribution of T. japonicus in the East China Sea and the central and southern parts of the Yellow Sea, three species distribution models were used in this study, namely the random-forest model, K-nearest-neighbor algorithm, and gradient-ascending decision-tree model, based on the data of trawling surveys in the East China Sea and central and southern parts of the Yellow Sea from 2008 to 2009. Combined with a variance inflation factor and cross-check, a distribution model of T. japonicus was screened and constructed to analyze the influence of environmental factors on the distribution of T. japonicus in the East China Sea and central and southern parts of the Yellow Sea. The results showed that the random-forest model had the advantages of fitting effect and prediction ability among the three models. The analysis of this model showed that the water depth, bottom water temperature, and surface salinity had a great influence on the habitat distribution of T. japonicus. The relative resources of T. japonicus increased with the increase of bottom water temperature, reached the maximum at 23.8 °C, and first increased and then decreased with the increase of water depth and surface salinity, reaching the maximum when water depth is 72 m and surface salinity is 31.2%. This study also used the random-forest model to predict the spatial distribution of T. japonicus in the central and southern waters of the East China Sea and south-central Yellow Sea from 2008 to 2009, and the results showed that the predicted results were close to the actual situation. The research results can provide a reference for the exploitation and protection of T. japonicus resources in the East China Sea and the south-central Yellow Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coupled effects of biochar and antibiotic degrading bacterial strain on remediating contaminated soils with both heavy metals and antibiotics are poorly understood. A novel bio-based material combing an antibiotic degrading bacterial strain Herbaspirillum huttiense (HHS1) with biochar derived from spent mushroom substrate (BSMS) was developed, and an orthogonal test was conducted on soil contaminated with heavy metals and veterinary antibiotics. The stabilization of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) and the removal of oxytetracycline (OTC) and enrofloxacin (ENR) by the novel material at different temperatures were determined. Results indicated that the combination of BSMS and HHS1, along with temperature, was vital for pollutant treatments. The immobilized HHS1 (2 wt%)-BSMS (10 wt%) pellets achieved great stabilization efficiencies of Cu (69.2%) and Zn (59.72%), whereas higher removal of OTC (41.87%) and ENR (42.91%) was observed using HHS1 liquid and BSMS without entrapment at 35 ℃. The degradation of OTC and ENR by HHS1 accounted for 44.7% and 50.0% of their total removal, respectively. Oxytetracycline and ENR could be broken into small molecule products under low pH and high temperature through mechanisms including carbonylation, dihydroxylation, and piperazine ring-opening etc. When considering Cu and Zn stabilization, together with OTC and ENR removal in soils simultaneously, immobilized HHS1 (2 wt%)-BSMS (10 wt%) pellets are suitable for animal farms, even at low temperature (15 ℃), acting as an important bioresource for effectively stabilizing Cu and Zn and removing OTC and ENR in soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Earthen sites are essential cultural relic resources, and site museums are a fundamental component of China’s cultural heritage protection. The mausoleum of the Qin Shi Huang Emperor is one of the largest, most peculiar, and richest imperial tombs in the world. The exhibition hall of the burial pit No. 1 of the Terra Cotta Warriors is the earliest exhibition hall built and opened to the public. However, after years of excavation and open exhibitions, the earthen site of the Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum has deteriorated to varying degrees due to changes in the modern environment. There is an urgent need to control microbial diseases and protect the earthen site. Methods: We analyzed the physical and chemical properties and bioindicators of the collected soil samples. We also established a metagenomic library and conducted a correlation analysis between microbial community composition and environmental factors. Cultivable fungi obtained from air and soil samples were identified, and allicin volatile gas fungistasis test was conducted. Result: Research has found that four different areas of the exhibition hall have different types of microbial diseases owing to their different environments. The main pathogenic fungi in earthen site may lead to potential microbial diseases that affect important cultural relics such as the Terra Cotta Warriors. Penicillium, Aspergillus and Talaromyces showed relatively specific growth in relation to environmental factors and showed a better raw growth advantage.Allicin gas had a inhibitory effect on 12 types of fungi, therefore allicin gas had a potent inhibitory effect on the growth of the most culturable fungal hyphae. Discussion: This study provides basic data for the study of microbial diversity in the exhibition hall of Pit No. 1 at the Terracotta Warriors Museum in Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum. It provides a reference for future protection work, which is of great significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Parashorea chinensis is a rare monodominant species in southwest China known for its production of high-quality timber, is facing decline due to its narrow distribution, human interference and habitat destruction. However, there are no reports on genetic diversity and geographical variation of phenotypic traits of P. chinensis. Methods: In this study, phenotypic characters and genetic diversity of 15 germplasms resources from five provenances in southwest China were investigated, and their relationships with geographical and environmental factors was discussed. Results: Our results revealed a rich phenotypic diversity among the germplasms, with variation coefficients ranging from 3.63% to 45.49%. Among the studied germplasms, NP03 from Napo and ML02 from Mengla region exhibited superior phenotypic traits. Notably, NP03 also demonstrated the highest genetic diversity. Genetic differentiation analyses including genetic differentiation coefficient (0.6264) and gene flow (0.3736) illustrated that genetic variation was most prevalent among populations. Furthermore, redundancy analysis showed that temperature related factors (maximum air temperature, annual mean temperature and minimum air temperature) significantly affected phenotypic variation. Similarly, altitude, longitude, latitude, annual mean precipitation and the minimum air temperature significantly impacted the level of genetic diversity. The molecular variation of the natural population of P. chinensis followed a certain geographical pattern. Discussion: Our finding indicated abundant phenotypic variation among P. chinensis germplasms. However, populations exhibited low levels of genetic diversity alongside high genetic differentiation, potentially contributing to the species' rarity. Based on our results, NP03 and ML02 germplasm could be used as the parents for breeding superior germplasm of P. chinensis. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into germplasm diversity and conservation, genetic improvement, and utilization of P. chinensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing awareness on the importance of gut microbiomes, understanding marine mammal gut microbiomes remains limited due to difficulties in sampling. Spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata) are widely spread oceanic cetaceans, and there is a gap in knowledge regarding their gut microbiology. In this study, we opportunistically collected samples from both wild and human-cared spotted dolphins in the southern waters of Hainan Island, China. This provided the opportunity to examine the composition and diversity of the gut microbial communities of this cetacean species. Since these dolphins inhabit a similar water environment, different food sources might be the primary factor distinguishing the gut microbiomes of wild and human-cared populations, offering valuable experimental material to investigate potential differences in gut microbial community structure among marine mammals in similar environments but with varying food sources. We found that the gastrointestinal microbial community structure of wild and human-cared dolphins demonstrated significant differences, both overall and at specific locations. However, no significant difference was observed in the microbial diversity of their gastrointestinal tracts, indicating that the disparities primarily lie in microbiota composition. Additionally, we detected numerous potentially pathogenic bacteria, suggesting a comprehensive future study of marine mammal gut microbiology. Such a study might involve determining health indicator factors associated with these microbiomes. Our study not only supplements information on the gut microbiology of spotted dolphins but also delves into the similarities and differences in gastrointestinal microbial communities within the same marine mammal species when food source variations play a significant role in their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meta-heuristic algorithms, due to their high search speed and strong generalization ability, are frequently applied in programs mainly to discover the corresponding optimal strategy for any problem in view of their defined rules. After years of collision evolution, they have been continuously used to solve the complex, unordered and diverse optimization problems and improve efficiency. Aiming at the problems of low convergence accuracy and easy to fall into local optima of the traditional Harris hawks optimization algorithm, a compound improved Harris Hawks Optimization algorithm (CIHHO) is proposed. Firstly, the early circling exploration and later attack exploitation phase of the dynamic adjustment algorithm for environmental factors is introduced to regulate the energy of Harris hawks; Secondly, the concept of Versoria function is introduced to modify the random jump strength and raise the data grabbing ability of local space; Introducing the Levy flight function to adjust the factor and reduce the disturbance impact of Levy flight is beneficial for getting rid of the local space after entering the exploitation phase, and introducing random white noise to reduce step size and improve algorithm accuracy. Taking CEC 2017 test function suite set as the core, the performance of CIHHO algorithm is analyzed. Firstly, the performance of CIHHO algorithm is compared with HHO, HHO_JOS, LHHO, LMHHO and NCHHO. Secondly, the performance of unimodal function, multimodal function, mixed function and compound function is compared with other 7 improved algorithms. Finally, ablation experiments are carried out. The convergence value of the iterative curve obtained is more quantitative than the improved algorithm, The generality of the improved CIHHO algorithm in solving multiple optimization problems with different dimensions is verified. Further applying the CIHHO algorithm to three different engineering experiments, the minimum cost calculation results directly demonstrate that the CIHHO algorithm obtained has certain advantages in dealing with search space problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of South China Fisheries Science is the property of South China Fisheries Science Editorial Department 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.)

Continuously rising sea levels pose severe threats to the diversity and stability of coastal ecosystems. However, the responses of endospheric and rhizospheric arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal communities to accelerated seawater intrusion and changing vegetation types unfortunately remains unknown. Such insights will assist in revealing the structure of AM fungi across different tidal zones, enabling the development of effective measures to conserve biodiversity. Here, we investigated changes in endospheric and rhizospheric AM fungal communities associated with four types of coastal vegetation in Dafeng City, Jiangsu Province, China, in response to sea level variations by analyzing their characteristics and connections to selected environmental factors. It was found that the AM fungal communities of coastal vegetation differed significantly in their compositions, diversity, and stability (the resilience or resistance of a community). Despite the responses of endospheric and rhizospheric AM fungi to soil environmental factors, the soil electrical conductivity, cation exchange content, and inorganic carbon were identified as core elements that influenced the characteristics of AM fungal communities between different coastal vegetation species. Lastly, the major endospheric and rhizospheric species of AM fungi were important predictors that explained much of the variation in the soil environment. Consequently, the dynamics of AM fungal communities were correlated with the plant–soil system under different conditions. Apart from the coastal vegetation species, the characteristics of AM fungal communities can also be driven by high salinity and the inorganic carbon content induced by the intrusion of seawater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine ranching is a fishery model that can improve the ecological environment of sea areas, increase and conserve fishery resources, and realize the sustainable utilization of fishery resources. It is widely used worldwide. In Shandong Province, marine ranching is divided into the following types: Reef casting, game fishing, bottom seeding, pastoral, and equipment, based on the production mode. Among them, pastoral marine ranching refers to marine ranching dominated by three-dimensional ecological aspects such as raft culture facilities.Raft culture facilities are a culture framework that must be constructed for the culture of bivalves such as oysters, scallops, and mussels in China's coastal waters. These facilities include six parts: a wooden pile, pursed rope, float, suspended cage, suspended rope, and floating rope. In the process of bivalve culture, the construction of a raft culture facility provides a good adhesion substrate for other organisms in the ocean, and a large number of fouling organisms will inhabit and survive on the culture facility. The activity of these fouling organisms will soften the raft culture facility and shorten the service life of the raft culture facility. Furthermore, the fouling organisms can plug the mesh, leading to the death of the farmed shellfish due to lack of oxygen, causing economic losses. However, relevant studies have also shown that the presence of fouling organisms can accelerate the rate of nutrient salt exchange between suspended organisms and aquaculture waters, which can promote the growth of phytoplankton, improve primary productivity, provide more bait for bivalve culture, and increase the fertility of bivalve culture, which is beneficial to bivalve culture. There are differences in the relationship between the fouling organisms' species number and biomass and environmental factors across different raft aquaculture areas. Therefore, basic research must be conducted on fouling organisms in raft culture areas to provide reference for healthy bivalve culture and further provide basic data for exploring the impact of fouling organisms on the ecological environment in raft culture facilities.To explore the seasonal changes of fouling organisms in raft culture facilities of pastoral marine ranching and their relationship with environmental factors, a 4-quarter survey was performed in the pastoral marine ranching area of Rushan Huaxin Foodstuffs Co., Ltd., from July 2022 to April 2023. A total of four fixed stations were set up in the raft culture area of oysters for each survey. The fouling organisms were investigated at each station. An area of 10 cm × 10 cm in the float, a length of 30 cm of the floating rope, and an area of 20 cm × 20 cm in the suspended cage were sampled. The collected samples were bottled and numbered; then, the sample was fixed and stored in 5% formaldehyde solution, and returned to the laboratory for species identification and counting. The species, biomass, diversity, dominant species, and community structure of the fouling organisms at three different sampling sites were analyzed, and the relationship between environmental factors and dominant species was determined by redundancy analysis (RDA) and Spearman analysis.The results showed that 35 species of fouling organisms were found in eight categories, including 13 species of Crustacea, 8 species of Mollusca, 4 species of Polychaeta, 3 species of Chordate, 2 species of Cnidaria and Phaeophyta, and 1 species each of Rhodophyta, Chlorophycophyta, and Echinodermata. There were significant seasonal variations in the community structure of fouling organisms. Furthermore, there were significant differences in the community structures of fouling organisms in suspended cages, floating ropes, and floats, and the biomass varied in the ranges of 31.48~1 645.82 g/m2, 23.22~580.76 g/m2, and 5.76~30.12 g/m2, respectively. The maximum biomass of fouling organisms appeared in summer. The richness index, evenness index, and diversity index of the fouling organisms ranged from 1.38 to 3.61, 0.33 to 0.92, and 0.88 to 2.58, respectively. The lowest richness index was observed on the summer float, the lowest evenness index and diversity index were observed on the summer suspended cage, and the three indexes reached the highest values on the spring suspended cage. The dominant species of fouling organisms belonged to the phyla Crustacea and Mollusca. Mytilus edulis was the dominant species on the floating ropes and suspended cages, and Caprella aino was the dominant species on the floats. The dominant species of fouling organisms in the float showed obvious seasonal changes. The dominant species on the float in summer was Perinereis aibuhitensis, and that in autumn was Crassostrea gigas. Gracilaria vermiculophylla was the dominant species on the float in winter and spring. The RDA results of dominant species and environmental factors showed that transparency, temperature, silicate levels, and chlorophyll were the main environmental factors affecting the community structure of fouling organisms, and the correlation between different species and environmental factors was also different. In this study, the seasonal variation of fouling organisms and their relationship with environmental factors were investigated in the Rushan oyster raft culture facility, and our results can provide reference for healthy oyster culture in this area.

Background: Pulmonary TB is included in the ten highest disease categories yearly in almost all health centers in Ternate City, North Maluku. In certain age groups, pulmonary TB can be a cause of death. Environmental factors, especially the physical environment of the house, can be determinants of pulmonary TB disease. Purpose: This study aimed to determine the incidence of pulmonary TB if exposed to the physical environment of the house and the home environment. Methods: This research is observational with a case-control study design. She was held in the Coastal Area of ​​Kalumata Village, Ternate City. The number of samples in this study were all pulmonary TB sufferers. Data were collected from observations, interviews, and measurements to determine exposure to the physical environment of the house and the incidence of pulmonary TB. The chi-square test is used to determine the relationship between the variables studied. Results: The study's statistical results showed that all the variables did not significantly relate to the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis associated with the physical condition of the house (p-value = 1.00 (> ɑ = 0.05). Conclusion: There is no relationship between the incidence of pulmonary TB and the house's physical condition.

As climatic and geographical conditions change in the future, species' habitats will also change. Phoebe zhennan is a national second-level key protected wild plant in China with extremely high economic value and landscape value. In order to better protect the resources of P. zhennan and achieve the goal of the sustainable development of P. zhennan resources, we predict potential suitable areas for P. zhennan under different scenarios in the future. We collect the current distribution data of P. zhennan, and in combination with nine climate factors and three geographical factors, use the MaxEnt ecological niche model and ArcGIS geographic information system software to predict and analyze potential suitable areas for P. zhennan in different climate scenarios in the future. The result shows that more accurate prediction results can be obtained by using China's climatic and geographical data before clipping as environmental variables. The precipitation of the warmest quarter and the slope are the main influencing factors in the prediction of potential suitable areas for P. zhennan. The future potential suitable areas for P. zhennan are mainly distributed in the central–southern and southern regions of China, with a tendency to expand towards the Tibet Autonomous Region and the northeast. The suitable habitat area will increase significantly, and the highly suitable habitat area will be more concentrated. These research results can provide valuable references for the effective protection of existing P. zhennan populations, the cultivation of P. zhennan within suitable habitats in the future, the establishment of a P. zhennan reserve, and the promotion of the sustainable utilization of P. zhennan resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary TB is included in the ten highest disease categories yearly in almost all health centers in Ternate City, North Maluku. In certain age groups, pulmonary TB can be a cause of death. Environmental factors, especially the physical environment of the house, can be determinants of pulmonary TB disease. Purpose: This study aimed to determine the incidence of pulmonary TB if exposed to the physical environment of the house and the home environment. Methods: This research is observational with a casecontrol study design. She was held in the Coastal Area of Kalumata Village, Ternate City. The number of samples in this study were all pulmonary TB sufferers. Data were collected from observations, interviews, and measurements to determine exposure to the physical environment of the house and the incidence of pulmonary TB. The chi-square test is used to determine the relationship between the variables studied. Results: The study's statistical results showed that all the variables did not significantly relate to the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis associated with the physical condition of the house (p-value = 1.00 (> α = 0.05). Conclusion: There is no relationship between the incidence of pulmonary TB and the house's physical condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microeukaryotes play a vital role in shaping marine ecosystems, especially in marine productivity, the microbial food web, and carbon cycle. The Indian Ocean is one of the largest oligotrophic areas in the world, but little is known about the biodiversity of microeukaryotes in the area. The community composition and geographical distribution of microeukaryotes collected from the surface (SUR) and deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) layers in the southwestern Indian Ocean were studied using high-throughput sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene. The metagenomic data helped quantify the impact of environmental factors on microeukaryotic communities. The relative abundance of different taxa groups exhibited distinct patterns between SUR and DCM layers, except for the most dominant Dinoflagellata that accounted for more than 40.6% abundance in each sample. Radiolaria was much more abundant in the nutrient-rich DCM layer than the SUR layer. The community similarity of microeukaryotes decreased with increasing of geographic distance, whereas the temperature and inorganic nitrogen were the most important environmental parameters to community structure. Abundant communities were more influenced by dispersal limitations and rare communities were more responsive to environmental factors. Correlation network analyses revealed strong biotic interactions indicative of parasitism, predation and competition, and their contribution to microeukaryotic population in diverse environments. Overall, this study provided insights into the biodiversity of microeukaryotes by characterizing the differences between water layers and identifying the driving factors in the ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Xiao Jiang River, as a crucial element of ecological restoration in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, plays an indispensable role in agricultural water utilization and water ecology within its watersheds. The water quality status of the Xiao Jiang River not only impacts local water-ecological equilibrium and economic benefits but also holds paramount importance for sustaining ecosystem health in the Yangtze River basin. Plankton surveys and environmental physicochemical detection were conducted in the major channel region of the Xiao Jiang River in dry and wet periods in 2022 to better understand the diversity of eukaryotic plankton and its community structure characteristics. Environmental DNA is an emerging method that combines traditional ecology with second-generation sequencing technology. It can detect species from a single sample that are difficult to find by traditional microscopy, making the results of plankton diversity studies more comprehensive. For the first time, environmental DNA was used to investigate eukaryotic plankton in the Xiao Jiang River. The results showed that a total of 881 species of plankton from 592 genera in 17 phyla were observed. During the dry period, 480 species belonging to 384 genera within17 phyla were detected, while, during the wet period, a total of 805 species belonging to 463 genera within 17 phyla were recorded. The phylum Ciliophora dominated the zooplankton, while the phylum Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta dominated the phytoplankton. The presence of these dominant species indicate that the water quality conditions in the study area are oligotrophic and mesotrophic. Principal coordinate analysis and difference test showed that the number of plankton ASVs, abundance, species richness, dominating species, and diversity indices differed between the dry and wet periods. Spearman correlation analysis and redundancy analysis (RDA) of relative abundance data with environmental physicochemical factors revealed that water temperature (WT), dissolved oxygen (DO), potential of hydrogenacidity (pH), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), total nitrogen (TN), electrical conductivity (EC) and the determination of redox potential (ORP) were the main environmental physicochemical factors impacting the plankton community structure. The results of this study can serve as a provide data reference at the plankton level for water pollution management in the Xiao Jiang River, and they are extremely important for river ecological restoration and biodiversity recovery in the Yangtze River basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study delves into biodiesel synthesis from non-edible oils and algae oil sources using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model to optimize biodiesel yield. Blend of C. vulgaris and Karanja oils is utilized, aiming to reduce free fatty acid content to 1% through single-step transesterification. Optimization reveals peak biodiesel yield conditions: 1% catalyst quantity, 91.47 min reaction time, 56.86°C reaction temperature, and 8.46:1 methanol to oil molar ratio. The ANN model outperforms RSM in yield prediction accuracy. Environmental impact assessment yields an E-factor of 0.0251 at maximum yield, indicating responsible production with minimal waste. Economic analysis reveals significant cost savings: 30%–50% reduction in raw material costs by using non-edible oils, 10%–15% increase in production efficiency, 20% reduction in catalyst costs, and 15%–20% savings in energy consumption. The optimized process reduces waste disposal costs by 10%–15%, enhancing overall economic viability. Overall, the widespread adoption of biodiesel offers economic, environmental, and social benefits to a diverse range of stakeholders, including farmers, producers, consumers, governments, environmental organizations, and the transportation industry. Collaboration among these stakeholders is essential for realizing the full potential of biodiesel as a sustainable energy solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences is the property of Editorial Board of Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences 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.)

Ecosystem stability arises from the interplay of species diversity, environmental conditions, and external disturbances. Understanding the structure of plant communities, interspecific relationships, and community stability in urban ecosystems is fundamental to ecological restoration and community development. This study utilized the karst city of Guiyang as a case study and employed the α diversity index, variance ratio method (VR), χ2‐test, Pearson correlation test, Spearman rank correlation test, M. Godron stability, and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The research focused on analyzing the species diversity, interspecific associations, community stability, and environmental factors of lithophytic moss at various elevations (989–1398 m). The findings revealed the presence of 58 species belonging to 27 genera and 13 families of lithophytic moss in the study area. Notably, the Brachytheciaceae and Pottiaceae emerged as dominant, exhibiting a broad ecological range and adaptation mechanisms, thereby playing a crucial role in the ecological environment of rocky desertification. The study observed that the highest species richness and dominance values of lithophytic moss were recorded at the N4 (1296–1398 m) elevation gradient, while the highest species diversity and uniformity values were observed at the N3 (1194–1295 m) elevation gradient, indicating a significant impact of altitude on lithobryophyte species diversity, particularly at middle and high altitudes. The analysis of interspecific associations and stability indicated a predominantly negative overall association within the lithophytic moss community, suggesting an early stage of succession, with weak interspecific associations and correlations among dominant pairs, tending towards relative independence. Only the communities at N2 (1092–1193 m) elevation exhibited stability, while the other communities were in an unstable stage, showing no significant correlation with species diversity. Furthermore, light intensity (182–129300 lux) exerted the greatest influence on community stability. Additionally, air humidity (36.5–52.3%) and altitude (998–1327 m) emerged as the primary environmental factors influencing community distribution, with a close and positive correlation between the two. These results hold significant reference value for promoting the succession and steady development of vegetation in rocky desertification areas and enhancing the conservation and restoration of vegetation community diversity in karst urban ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine roots and absorptive roots play key roles in acquiring resources throughout soil profiles and determining plant functions along environmental gradients. Yet, the geographical pattern of carbon allocation in fine roots, particularly in absorptive roots, and their relations with plant sizes and evironment are less understood. We sampled 243 xerophytic shrubs from 63 species distributed along the latitudinal gradient (23°N to 32°N) in dry valleys of southwest China and synthetically measured biomass fractions of plant organs, especially fine roots and absorptive roots (1st to 3rd root order). We identified latitudinal patterns of biomass allocation fractions of organs and their relationships with plant sizes and environmental factors. The latitudinal patterns of both absorptive root and fine‐root fractions followed weak unimodal distributions; stem biomass fraction increased with the latitude, while the leaf biomass fraction decreased. The fraction of fine‐root biomass had negative relationships with plant height and root depth. The fractions of root, fine root, and absorptive root biomass were largely explained by soil moisture. Furthermore, fraction of fine‐root biomass increased in a relatively humid environment. Overall, soil moisture was the most important factor in driving latitudinal patterns of biomass fraction. Our study highlighted that functional redistribution of root system biomass was the critical adaptive strategy along a latitudinal gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides are widespread geomorphological phenomena with complex mechanisms that have caused extensive causalities and property damage worldwide. The scale and frequency of landslides are presently increasing owing to the warming effects of climate change, which further increases the associated safety risks. In this study, the relationship between historical landslides and environmental variables in the Hanjiang River Basin was determined and an optimized model was used to constrain the relative contribution of variables and best spatial response curve. The optimal MaxEnt model was used to predict the current distribution of landslides and influence of future rainfall changes on the landslide susceptibility. The results indicate that environmental variables in the study area statistically correlate with landslide events over the past 20 years. The MaxEnt model evaluation was applied to landslide hazards in the Hanjiang River Basin based on current climate change scenarios. The results indicate that 25.9% of the study area is classified as a high-risk area. The main environmental variables that affect the distribution of landslides include altitude, slope, normalized difference vegetation index, annual precipitation, distance from rivers, and distance from roads, with a cumulative contribution rate of approximately 90%. The annual rainfall in the Hanjiang River Basin will continue to increase under future climate warming scenarios. Increased rainfall will further increase the extent of high- and medium-risk areas in the basin, especially when following the RCP8.5 climate prediction, which is expected to increase the high-risk area by 10.7% by 2070. Furthermore, high landslide risk areas in the basin will migrate to high-altitude areas in the future, which poses new challenges for the prevention and control of landslide risks. This study demonstrates the usefulness of the MaxEnt model as a tool for landslide susceptibility prediction in the Hanjiang River Basin caused by global warming and yields robust prediction results. This approach therefore provides an important reference for river basin management and disaster reduction and prevention. The study on landslide risks also supports the hypothesis that global climate change will further enhance the frequency and intensity of landslide activity throughout the course of the 21st Century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Studying the behavior of animals is very important for their survival and protection. The Mangshan pit viper, a rare and endangered snake species from China, needs urgent conservation due to its very low population in the wild. To help with its conservation, we studied the behavior of 15 Mangshan pit vipers observed at different sites in Hunan Province during the summer and autumn of 2021. We looked at how environmental factors like temperature, humidity, and light affect the snakes' activity during the day and night. We found that the snakes had specific behaviors like resting, sunbathing, moving, and others. The species exhibits three daily activity peaks, with the highest activity observed at 5:00–7:00, 9:00–11:00, and 18:00–20:00, which might be related to finding food and sunbathing. In addition, our research has found that the Mangshan pit viper is not a completely terrestrial or arboreal species, and in our study, this species is classified as semi-arboreal. We also found that humidity was a key factor influencing the snakes' activity. There were small differences in behavior between the 15 snakes, but snakes from different habitats behaved differently. Our study helps us understand the Mangshan pit viper's behavior better and provides information for developing effective conservation measures for this rare species. This study focuses on understanding the behavior and activity patterns of the critically endangered Protobothrops mangshanensis in China in order to better provide scientific data for upcoming artificial breeding and propagation efforts. We conducted a long-term observation of 15 Mangshan pit vipers at different sites in Hunan Province during the summer and autumn of 2021. Our methods involved analyzing the influence of environmental factors such as temperature, relative humidity, and light condition on the snakes' day and night activity and behaviors. The results revealed that the wild behaviors of Protobothrops mangshanensis include resting, sunbathing, crawling, and exploring, with distinct rhythms in their diel behavior. The snakes' diel activity exhibits three peak periods which may be related to food activity and sunbathing. This study also highlights the complex interplay of environmental factors on the activity of Protobothrops mangshanensis. Relative humidity was identified as a critical factor accounting for the difference in activity between observation groups. There was little inter-individual variation among the 15 Protobothrops mangshanensis, even though these snakes used terrestrial and arboreal habitats under different environmental conditions. These findings enhance our understanding of Protobothrops mangshanensis behavior and provide a basis for effective conservation measures for this rare and critically endangered species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental and design factors determine the stormwater management capacity of green roofs; however, the design and environmental factors that impact their hydrological performance in subtropical humid regions are poorly understood. In particular, meteorological factors have received little attention. Meteorological factors vary greatly at different stages of a rainfall event (e.g., during the rainfall and outflow). Therefore, the impact of meteorological factors at different stages on hydrological performance should be considered separately to obtain a more accurate picture of their effects on hydrological performance. In this study, experimental green roofs were established based on four substrate types and two depths. For the first time, this study systematically explored the effects of design factors for the substrate (type and depth) and multi-stage environmental factors on the hydrological performance of green roofs. Environmental factors, including meteorological factors, from three critical stages (before and during a rainfall event and during the outflow), and rainfall characteristics (e.g., rainfall depth and rainfall duration) were incorporated to determine the variation in hydrological performance. The effects of multi-stage environmental factors on retention and peak reduction were analyzed, with a ranking of each factor's relative importance. Environmental factors played a leading role in determining hydrological performance. However, the impact of multi-stage environmental factors was not as important as that of rainfall depth and antecedent volumetric water content. Differences in hydrological performance were compared across combinations of design factors. No significant differences were observed across substrate types and depths. However, potential interactive effects might exist, though these were not significant compared to environmental factors (e.g., rainfall depth and rainfall duration). These results confirmed that the meteorological factors in the different event-related stages significantly impacted the hydrological performance. Quantifying the effects of design and environmental factors is critical for hydrological performance evaluation. The results provided a broader perspective on understanding influence mechanisms of hydrological performance and highlighted the impact of microclimates on hydrological performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the environment, the class of chemicals known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) behave somewhat differently. This review covers situations where PAHs can be 'labile' and where they can be persistent. The in-silico prediction of toxicity and the properties of selected 29 PAHs were estimated using programs developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), such as the Estimation Programs Interface (E.P.I.) and the Toxicity Estimation Software Tool (version 5.1.2) (TEST), with online software such as SwissADME and SwissDock. TEST was used to estimate the LC50 of the fathead minnow (with a range of 14.53 mg/L for 1-indanone and 2.14 × 10−2 mg/L for cyclopenta[c,d]pyrene), the LC50 of Daphnia magna (with a range of 14.95 mg/L for 1-indanone and 7.53 × 10−2 mg/L for coronene), the IGC50 of Tetrahymena pyriformis (with a range of 66.14 mg/L for 1-indanone and 0.36 mg/L for coronene), the bioconcentration factor (8.36 for 1,2-acenaphthylenedione and 910.1 for coronene), the developmental toxicity (0.30 (−) for 1,2-acenaphthylenedione and 0.82 (+) for 4-hydroxy-9-fluorenone), and the mutagenicity (0.25 (−) for 2-methyl-9-fluorenone and 1.09 (+) for coronene). The carbon chain and molecular weight have a significant effect on the properties of PAHs. Overall, it was found that PAHs with a lower molecular weight (LMW) have a higher water solubility and LC50 value and a smaller LogKow value, whereas the opposite is true for heavier PAHs, with TEST predicting that PAHs with an MW of over 168.2 g/mol, with a few exceptions, are mutagenic. Hence, LMW PAHs have a higher potential to be in the environment but are less toxic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the largest carbon reservoir within terrestrial ecosystems, forest ecosystems play a major role as carbon sinks in the global carbon cycle. There are still some uncertainties regarding the responses of different carbon fluxes to environmental changes in cold temperate climate forest ecosystems. Here, 14 cold temperate forest flux sites for at least ten years were investigated, including carbon fluxes and environmental variables such as temperature, precipitation, shortwave radiation, and vapor pressure deficit. By calculating the Spearman correlation coefficient, there was a congruence between photosynthetic productivity (i.e., gross primary productivity, GPP) and carbon sequestration (i.e., net ecosystem productivity, NEP) at thirteen forest sites, and at one forest site, GPP and NEP were decoupled. Annual GPP and NEP displayed a consistent trend when temperature and precipitation had significantly opposite trends and when temperature had a significantly positive correlation with VPD. But when VPD was significantly negatively correlated with both temperature and SW in spring and when temperature was negatively correlated with both SW and VPD in summer, a decoupling of GPP and NEP occurred. The impacts of various environmental factors on the annual carbon fluxes were calculated for each year and season using the path analysis method. At forest sites with consistent trends in GPP and NEP, annual, spring, and summer temperatures had significant positive correlations with GPP and ecosystem respiration (RE). While at the decoupled forest site, environmental factors had a stronger effect on RE, which then contributed to the observed decoupling of GPP and NEP. Finally, the Partial Least Squares method was used to analyze the relative contribution of each environmental factor to annual carbon fluxes. The results revealed that temperature and summer precipitation were the key environmental factors affecting forest ecosystems. This study provides important insights into the different responses of carbon fluxes in forest ecosystems undergoing environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the impact of P. crispus harvesting on phosphorus components in water, this study compared and analyzed the dynamic changes of phosphorus content and environmental factors in P. crispus harvesting area and P. crispus growing area of Yimeng lake during the three-year period from 2017 to 2019, and discussed the impact of harvesting on phosphorus components in water. The results showed that P. crispus harvesting could significantly improve water quality and reduce phosphorus content in water, especially in the decomposition period of P. crispus. The harvest of P. crispus could significantly reduce the content of all forms of phosphorus in water, especially the content of dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP). Sediment analysis showed that P. crispus harvesting could effectively reduce the contents of total phosphorus (TP) and organic phosphorus in sediments, and had relatively little effect on inorganic phosphorus. The monitoring results of environmental factors showed that the harvesting of P. crispus had no significant effect on pH and dissolved oxygen, but the water temperature, alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) and chlorophyll a (Chl a) were increased slightly. Correlation analysis showed that there was a weak correlation between TP and DOP in harvesting area. Harvesting treatment reduced the correlation between APA and all forms of phosphorus, DOP and Chl a. In conclusion, the selective harvesting of P. crispus in Yimeng lake at the end of April and early May each year can not only play the function of P. crispus in purifying water quality, but also avoid the secondary pollution to the water body after the decline of P. crispus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Two monozygotic twins with genetically confirmed myotonic dystrophy type-1. • Voxel-based morphometry has been used to assess grey and white matter atrophy. • Genetic and environmental factors impact differently on brain volumes. • Different social cognition deficits observed in twins. • Cognitive reserve hypothesis has been provided. We report on genetic and environmental modulation of social cognition abilities and brain volume correlates in two monozygotic twins (Twin1 and Twin2) with genetically confirmed myotonic dystrophy-type1 who grew up in different environmental settings. They both underwent neuropsychological assessment (i.e., Intelligent Quotient [IQ], theory of mind, emotion recognition tests), and MRI scanning to evaluate regional brain volumetrics compared to 10 gender and sex-matched healthy controls. Against a normal IQ level in both patients, Twin1 was more impaired in emotional processing and Twin2 in cognitive aspects of social cognition. Both patients showed grey matter (GM) atrophy in Brodmann Areas 23/31 (BA23/31) and BA7 bilaterally, while Twin2 showed additional GM loss in right BA46. Both patients showed a similar pattern of white matter atrophy involving the thalamus, basal ganglia, and uncinate fasciculus. White matter atrophy appeared to be mostly driven by genetics, while grey matter volumes appeared associated with different impairments in social cognition and possibly modulated by environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought presents a significant abiotic stress that threatens crop productivity worldwide. Rhizosphere bacteria play pivotal roles in modulating plant growth and resilience to environmental stresses. Despite this, the extent to which rhizosphere bacteria are instrumental in plant responses to drought, and whether distinct cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) varieties harbor specific rhizosphere bacterial assemblages, remains unclear. In this study, we measured the growth and physiological characteristics, as well as the physical and chemical properties of the rhizosphere soil of drought-tolerant (SC124) and drought-sensitive (SC8) cassava varieties under conditions of both well-watered and drought stress. Employing 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing, we analyzed the composition and dynamics of the rhizosphere bacterial community. Under drought stress, biomass, plant height, stem diameter, quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), and soluble sugar of cassava decreased for both SC8 and SC124. The two varieties' rhizosphere bacterial communities' overall taxonomic structure was highly similar, but there were slight differences in relative abundance. SC124 mainly relied on Gamma-proteobacteria and Acidobacteriae in response to drought stress, and the abundance of this class was positively correlated with soil acid phosphatase. SC8 mainly relied on Actinobacteria in response to drought stress, and the abundance of this class was positively correlated with soil urease and soil saccharase. Overall, this study confirmed the key role of drought-induced rhizosphere bacteria in improving the adaptation of cassava to drought stress and clarified that this process is significantly related to variety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To effectively remove n-propylbenzene (n-PBZ) and isopropylbenzene (i-PBZ) leaked into seawater using Rhinomonas reticulata S6A (a newly isolated marine microalga), the effects of three inorganic nutrients and four environmental factors on their degradation were determined after 7 d of inoculation. Results show that NaNO3 at 300 mg/L caused a higher removal efficiency of both n-PBZ and i-PBZ (44.79% and 39.26%), while for NaH2PO4H2O, greater removal rates of two PBZs (47.30% and 42.23%) were achieved at 30 and 20 mg/L, respectively. NaHCO3 supplementation (500–750 mg/L) resulted in a large reduction (43.67%–45.04%) in i-PBZ concentration. The change in seawater pH (from 6 to 9) did not affect the elimination of n-PBZ and i-PBZ. The most suitable salinity and temperature were 30 and 25–30 °C, respectively, leading to the PBZs removal of ~40%. Light intensity exhibited significant influence on elimination of PBZs, and the maximum removal efficiencies of 56.07% (n-PBZ) and 55.00% (i-PBZ) were recorded under 200 and 600 µmol/(m2·s), respectively. In addition, the microalga could still remove PBZs when it failed to grow well due to darkness, strong light, low temperature, or low salinity, which might mean that good growth of alga is not always a necessary condition for PBZs removal. Therefore, attention should be paid to the suitability of nutrient levels and environmental conditions (excluding pH) in seawater when using microalgae for bioremediating PBZs-contaminated seawater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, improving flood resilience has grown to be a significant and comprehensive area in flood risk management. The present study aims to analyze the urban settlements resilience against floods in the Qazvin city. The data collection instrument is a questionnaire, and the data analysis is done using the Confirmatory Factor Analysis method. In this study, indicators were first identified and hypotheses were developed based on these indicators, and finally, all the hypotheses were confirmed using statistical techniques. Here, four hypotheses were defined: 1) Social factors affect the resilience of urban settlements against floods in Qazvin city, 2) Environmental factors affect the resilience of urban settlements against floods in Qazvin city, 3) Technical factors affect the resilience of urban settlements against floods in Qazvin city, 4) Managerial factors affect the resilience of urban settlements against floods in Qazvin city. The effect of all the indicators in the dimensions of social factors, technical factors, managerial factors, and environmental factors was confirmed. The results show that social, technical, environmental, and managerial factors affect the urban settlements resilience against floods in the Qazvin city. Social factors have the most influence with an importance value of 0.8. The influence of social factors on the resilience of urban settlements against floods in Qazvin city has been investigated using T-statistics. The estimated value is equal to 5.640. Considering that all considered factors are significant, they have been identified as relevant and influential in resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Brewing is the property of China Brewing Editorial Office 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 Journal of Xinyang Normal University Natural Science Edition is the property of Journal of Xinyang Normal University Editorial Office 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 operational environment of software differs from the debugging environment. Therefore, the study explores the impact of irregular consumption by diverse users on the development cost of software, reliability of software, and release decisions. To accomplish this, a release model has been formulated considering logistic testing coverage-based reliability growth model built as a stochastic process including the error generation. The stochastic nature has been captured by considering the noise factor due to irregular fluctuations occurring during testing while usage uncertainty has been captured by introducing a constant parameter in the cost function of the operational phase. It is assumed that the testing phase cost is affected by the noise and the operation phase cost is affected by the severity of noise which is the result of uncertain usage by users. The model was evaluated against a real failure dataset. The release model creates a trade-off between software development cost, release timing, and reliability aspirations. This study contributes to software reliability literature and provides insights to practitioners to make software release decisions. The sensitivity analysis results give information about various aspects during the operational phase that affect the overall development cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estimation of energy consumption under real-world driving conditions is a prerequisite for optimizing bus scheduling and meeting the requirements of route operation, thereby promoting the large-scale application of battery electric buses. However, the limitation of data accuracy and the uncertainty of many factors, such as weather conditions, traffic conditions, and driving styles, etc. make accurate energy consumption estimation complicated. In response to these challenges, a new method for estimating the energy consumption of battery electric buses (BEBs) is proposed in this research. This method estimates the speed profiles of different driving styles and the energy consumption extremes using real-world driving data. First, this research provides the constraints on speed formed by environmental factors including weather conditions, route characteristics, and traffic characteristics. On this basis, there are two levels of estimation for energy consumption. The first level classifies different driving styles and constructs the corresponding speed profiles with the time interval (10 s), the same as real-world driving data. The second level further constructs the speed profiles with the time interval of 1 s by filling in the first-level speed profiles and estimating the energy consumption extremes. Finally, the estimated maximum and minimum value of energy consumption were compared with the true value and the results showed that the real energy consumption did not exceed the extremes we estimated, which proves the method we proposed is reasonable and useful. Therefore, this research can provide a theoretical foundation for the deployment of battery electric buses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salicornia europaea L. is a well-known model plant for studying the mechanism of salt tolerance. A substantial decline in the S. europaea population has been observed in the semi-arid steppe of the Mongolian Plateau. The relationship between environmental factors and its population dynamics in the grassland ecosystem remains inadequately investigated. Rhizosphere microbial communities, representing the most direct and influential biological factors affecting plant populations, have received limited research attention in the context of halophytes. Four density treatments of S. europaea (bare land—SEB, low density—SEL, medium density—SEM, and high density—SEH) in a single-factor randomized-block design with five replications were established to evaluate the relationship between rhizosphere soil bacterial communities and environmental factors. The results showed that as the density of S. europaea increased, the soil pH decreased, while available phosphorus increased. Rhizosphere soil bacterial communities associated with S. europaea populations in the saline-alkali wetland were dominated by Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Actinobacteria, Gemmatimonadota, and Halobacterota. Notably, the genera Antarcticibacterium, Wenzhouxiangella, BD2-11_terrestrial_groupBD2-11, Halomonas, and Natronorubrum were found to be particularly abundant. The Simpson index of the rhizosphere soil bacterial community in the S. europaea treatments was significantly higher than that in bare land. Soil pH and nitrate nitrogen were the primary environmental drivers of the rhizosphere bacterial community. Overall, the rhizosphere soil's bacterial diversity in saline wetlands under a high-salt environment was not affected by the decrease in the S. europaea population. S. europaea plays an important role in shaping soil bacterial community structure through its influence on the surrounding soil environment. The cultivation of S. europaea is a phytoremediation strategy to improve soil salinization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When consumers shop in luxury boutiques, high-end shopping malls, and even online, they increasingly encounter luxury products alongside immersive art displays. Exploring this novel phenomenon with both field studies and lab experiments, the current research shows that experiencing art reduces consumer desire for luxury goods. Three boundary conditions have been identified. The effect does not materialize in contexts in which the work of art is not experienced as art per se , such as when the work of art appears as decoration on the product or packaging or is processed analytically rather than naturally, and when luxury goods are not seen as status goods. We propose that experiencing art induces a mental state of self-transcendence, which undermines consumers' status-seeking motive and consequently decreases their desire for luxury goods. This research contributes to the literature on consumer esthetics and has important practical applications for luxury businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Erwinia amylovora is a gram-negative plant pathogen that causes fire blight in apple and pear trees, resulting in significant damage worldwide. In this study, we monitored the emergence of fire blight from 2019 to 2023 to determine the emergence patterns and the factors affecting the outbreak of the disease. As a result of the 5-year survey on the emergence of fire blight, a total of 2,029 cases have emerged, mostly in apple trees of 1,378 cases (67.9%) followed by 645 cases (31.8%) in pear trees, and from quince, hawthorn, and mountain ash trees. Fire blight appeared in specific areas of Gyeonggi, Chungnam, Gangwon, and Chungbuk provinces in 2019, but spread to Andong and Yesan in 2021, Muju and Bonghwa in 2023. In 2020 and 2021, there were 744 and 618 cases of fire blight outbreaks, respectively, compared to other years (188–245 cases/year). Notably, 914 of these cases were observed in apple trees from May to July, with 667 cases reported in Chungju and Jecheon. The incidence of fire blight was positively correlated with the daily maximum temperatures and rainy days in January and February, as well as the rainy days in May and June. The average age of the diseased pear trees was 25 years, higher than the 10-year average age of the apple trees. This study provides fundamental information to understand the status and factors affecting the fire blight emergence in Korea. Prevention measures should be established through continuous analysis of the status of fire blight.

Abstract Background Mixed forests are better than monoculture forests in biodiversity, stand structure and productivity stability. However, a more comprehensive assessment of the ecosystem functions of monoculture and mixed plantations is lacking. We compared the single functions and ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) in Fraxinus mandshurica and Larix olgensis mixed plantations with monoculture plantations in Northeast China and discussed the influences of biodiversity and environmental factors on EMF. Results The mixed plantations had higher biodiversity and ecological functions. Biodiversity was significantly higher in mixed plantations (such as CWMMH, Shrub.Shannon, Shrub.Richness, Herb.Shannon, Herb.Richness), but environmental factors differed less among the three forest types, and belowground diversity differed significantly only in the Bacterial.Shannon and Fungal.Shannon. Mixed plantations showed significant differences in single ecological functions relative to monoculture plantations, with more pronounced differences between mixed plantations and Larix olgensis monoculture plantations. Weighted ecosystem multifunctionality was significantly higher in mixed plantations than in monoculture plantations. EMF was mainly driven by tree diversity, environmental factors, shrub and herb species diversity, and soil microbial alpha diversity, which explained 25.35%, 8.94%, 8.83%, and 7.65% of the variation, respectively. Conclusions The establishment of mixed plantations can increase the biodiversity of forest stands and improve the ecosystem functions. These results highlight the advantages of multi-species plantations and the necessity of planting them. They are important for the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable management of plantations.

Microbial communities play crucial roles in pollutant removal and system stability in biological systems for coking wastewater (CWW) treatment, but a comprehensive understanding of their structure and functions is still lacking. A five month survey of four sequential bioreactors, anoxic 1/oxic 1/anoxic 2/oxic 2 (A1/O1/A2/O2), was carried out in a full-scale CWW treatment system in China to elucidate operational performance and microbial ecology. The results showed that A1/O1/A2/O2 had excellent and stable performance for nitrogen removal. Both total nitrogen (TN; (17.38 ± 6.89) mg·L−1) and ammonium–nitrogen (NH4+-N; (2.10 ± 1.34) mg·L−1) in the final biological effluent satisfied the Chinese national standards for CWW. Integrated analysis of 16S ribosome RNA (rRNA) sequencing and metagenomic sequencing showed that the bacterial communities and metagenomic function profiles of A1 and O1 shared similar functional structures, while those of A2 significantly varied from those of other bioreactors (p

Andrographolide is the main active ingredient of Andrographis paniculata, which has the functions of clearing heat and detoxifying, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, protecting liver and improving gallbladder. It is clinically used to treat pneumonia in children and upper respiratory tract infection. In recent years, because of the influence of environmental factors for a long time, not high purity and good varieties of selective breeding work lag and so on reasons, greatly restricted the quality improvement of andrographolide. In the quality evaluation of A. paniculata, the content of andrographolide is a very important index. Analyzing the molecular mechanism and accumulation rule of andrographolide biosynthesis is helpful to improve the quality of A. paniculata. In this review, the biosynthetic pathways and regulatory molecular mechanisms of andrographolide are comprehensively discussed. The biosynthesis of andrographolide is mainly divided into two stages, including the synthesis stage of andrographolide precursor and the modification stage of andrographolide synthesis. The synthesis of precursor has been relatively clear, but the mining of the pathways and key enzymes in the modification stage of andrographolide synthesis is still at a blank, and further research is needed. Through the excavation of the key factors affecting the synthesis and accumulation of andrographolide from the two levels of environmental factors and cropping systems, it is conducive to the establishment of a perfect and high-quality A. paniculata cultivation system. In addition, the research progress on the regulation of andrographolide biosynthesis was summarized and prospected, in order to provide research reference for the improvement of A. paniculata quality.

In order to evaluate the corrosion state of power grid galvanized steel components in the atmospheric environment of Anhui Province, galvanized steel samples, which were naturally exposed for 1 and 3 a, respectively, were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDX) and X-ray diffractometer(XRD) to investigate the compositions and morphologies of the corrosion products, thereby revealing their atmospheric corrosion mechanisms. Meanwhile, the corrosion rates of the galvanized steel samples were determined using the weight-loss method, combined with grey correlation analysis, to ascertain the influence law of major environmental factors on the atmospheric corrosion rate of the galvanized steel samples. Results showed that the atmospheric corrosion products of the galvanized steel samples consisted of ZnO and minor amounts of Zn5(OH)6(CO3)2 and Zn4(OH)6SO4. The surface of the corrosion layer featured cellular protrusions composed of flaky Zn5(OH)6(CO3)2 and Zn4(OH)6SO4, forming chrysanthemum-like patterns. The structure of the corrosion layer was dense and closely bonded to the galvanized layer, providing effective protection, and thus, the corrosion degree of the galvanized steel was low. The major environmental factors affecting the atmospheric corrosion rate of the galvanized steel samples in Anhui Province were ranked as follows: temperature > relative humidity > O3 > NO2 > PM2.5 > PM10 > SO2. Temperature and atmospheric relative humidity had a more significant impact, whereas the influence of SO2 was minimal.

Abstract Background Variations in hydraulic conductivity may arise from species-specific differences in the anatomical structure and function of the xylem, reflecting a spectrum of plant strategies along a slow-fast resource economy continuum. Spruce (Picea spp.), a widely distributed and highly adaptable tree species, is crucial in preventing soil erosion and enabling climate regulation. However, a comprehensive understanding of the variability in anatomical traits of stems and their underlying drivers in the Picea genus is currently lacking especially in a common garden. Results We assessed 19 stem economic properties and hydraulic characteristics of 17 Picea species grown in a common garden in Tianshui, Gansu Province, China. Significant interspecific differences in growth and anatomical characteristics were observed among the species. Specifically, xylem hydraulic conductivity (K s) and hydraulic diameter exhibited a significant negative correlation with the thickness to span ratio (TSR), cell wall ratio, and tracheid density and a significant positive correlation with fiber length, and size of the radial tracheid. PCA revealed that the first two axes accounted for 64.40% of the variance, with PC1 reflecting the trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and mechanical support and PC2 representing the trade-off between high embolism resistance and strong pit flexibility. Regression analysis and structural equation modelling further confirmed that tracheid size positively influenced K s, whereas the traits DWT, D_r, and TSR have influenced K s indirectly. All traits failed to show significant phylogenetic associations. Pearson’s correlation analysis demonstrated strong correlations between most traits and longitude, with the notable influence of the mean temperature during the driest quarter, annual precipitation, precipitation during the wettest quarter, and aridity index. Conclusions Our results showed that xylem anatomical traits demonstrated considerable variability across phylogenies, consistent with the pattern of parallel sympatric radiation evolution and global diversity in spruce. By integrating the anatomical structure of the stem xylem as well as environmental factors of origin and evolutionary relationships, our findings provide novel insights into the ecological adaptations of the Picea genus.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex condition resulting from environmental, microbial, immunologic, and genetic factors. With the advancement of Mendelian randomization research in IBD, we have gained new insights into the relationship between these factors and IBD. Many animal models of IBD have been developed using different methods, but few studies have attempted to model IBD by combining environmental factors and microbial factors. In this review, we examine how environmental factors and microbial factors affect the development and progression of IBD, and how they interact with each other and with the intestinal microbiota. We also summarize the current methods for creating animal models of IBD and compare their advantages and disadvantages. Based on the latest findings from Mendelian randomization studies on the role of environmental factors in IBD, we discuss which environmental and microbial factors could be used to construct a more realistic and reliable IBD experimental model. We propose that animal models of IBD should consider both environmental and microbial factors to better mimic human IBD pathogenesis and to reveal the underlying mechanisms of IBD at the immune and genetic levels. We highlight the importance of environmental and microbial factors in IBD pathogenesis and offer new perspectives and suggestions for improving experimental animal modeling. Our goal is to create a model that closely resembles the clinical picture of IBD.