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Background: Exploring and identifying novel alleles of noncombined DNA Index System (CODIS) short tandem repeat (STR) loci in different ethnic groups is important for the establishment of forensic reference databases and study of population genetics. AIM: This study is aimed to explore the genetic polymorphism of 22 non-CODIS autosomal STR loci (D6S477, D18S535, D19S253, D15S659, D11S2368, D20S470, D1S1656, D22-GATA198B05, D8S1132, D4S2366, D21S1270, D13S325, D9S925, D3S3045, D14S608, D10S1435, D12S391, D7S3048, D17S1290, D5S2500, D2S1338, and D16S539) in Sierra Leone population and analyze the population genetic relationships in comparison with other populations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The samples of a total of 495 unrelated individuals (274 females and 221 males) from Sierra Leone were examined by the Microreader™ 23SP ID System, and their genetic polymorphisms and associated forensic parameters were calculated. The genetic relationships between Sierra Leone population and other populations were evaluated as well. Results: A total of 287 alleles were observed with allelic frequencies ranging from 0.001 to 0.399. The cumulative power of discrimination (CPD) of the 22 autosomal STR loci was 0.999999999999999 99999999999999538. The cumulative probability of exclusion (CPE) of the 22 autosomal STR loci was 0.9999998514 (CPEdous) and 0.999999 9999826 (CPEtrios). All of the STR loci reached the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni correction. The population genetics analysis results demonstrated that Sierra Leone population exhibited distinctive genetic characteristics compared to those of East Asian populations and it had relatively close genetic distances to the Uygur population. Conclusion: The results of this study could enrich the forensic databases with Sierra Leone population. The 22 STR loci are highly polymorphic and could be used for forensic practice and population genetics studies.

Hydrogen production by proton exchange membrane electrolysis has good fluctuation adaptability, making it suitable for hydrogen production by electrolysis in fluctuating power sources such as wind power. However, current research on the durability of proton exchange membrane electrolyzers is insufficient. Studying the typical operating conditions of wind power electrolysis for hydrogen production can provide boundary conditions for performance and degradation tests of electrolysis stacks. In this study, the operating condition spectrum of an electrolysis stack degradation test cycle was proposed. Based on the rate of change of the wind farm output power and the time-averaged peak-valley difference, a fluctuation output power sample set was formed. The characteristic quantities that played an important role in the degradation of the electrolysis stack were selected. Dimensionality reduction of the operating data was performed using principal component analysis. Clustering analysis of the data segments was completed using an improved Gaussian mixture clustering algorithm. Taking the annual output power data of wind farms in Northwest China with a sampling rate of 1 min as an example, the cyclic operating condition spectrum of the proton-exchange membrane electrolysis stack degradation test was constructed. After preliminary simulation analysis, the typical operating condition proposed in this paper effectively reflects the impact of the original curve on the performance degradation of the electrolysis stack. This study provides a method for evaluating the degradation characteristics and system efficiency of an electrolysis stack due to fluctuations in renewable energy.

Heavy metals (HMs) pollution is a globally emerging concern. It is difficult to cost-effectively combat such HMs polluted soil environments. The efficient remediation of HMs polluted soil is crucial to protect human health and ecological security that could be carried out by several methods. Amidst, biological remediation is the most affordable and ecological. This review focused on the principles, mechanisms, performances, and influential factors in bioremediation of HMs polluted soil. In microbial remediation, microbes can alter metallic compounds in soils. They transform these compounds into their metabolism through biosorption and bioprecipitation. The secreted microbial enzymes act as transformers and assist in HMs immobilization. The synergistic microbial effect can further improve HMs removal. In bioleaching, the microbial activity can simultaneously produce H2SO4 or organic acids and leach HMs. The production of acids and the metabolism of bacteria and fungi transform metallic compounds to soluble and extractable form. The key bioleaching mechanisms are acidolysis, complexolysis, redoxolysis and bioaccumulation. In phytoremediation, hyperaccumulator plants and their rhizospheric microbes absorb HMs by roots through absorption, cation exchange, filtration, and chemical changes. Then they exert different detoxification mechanisms. The detoxified HMs are then transferred and accumulated in their harvestable tissues. Plant growth-promoting bacteria can promote phytoremediation efficiency; however, use of chelants have adverse effects. There are some other biological methods for the remediation of HMs polluted soil environment that are not extensively practiced. Finally, the findings of this review will assist the practitioners and researchers to select the appropriate bioremediation approach for a specific soil environment.

ABSTRACTGlycine max L. (soybean) is an important leguminous staple crop. In this study, nutritional value, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant properties of soybean milled fractions (MF) were determined. Protein contents in different milled fractions ranged from 4.6% to 47.2%, and fat contents ranged from 1.9% to 22.1%. MF amino acid contents ranged from 6.8% to 37.9 g/100 g. Glycitein and genistin were the most concentrated isoflavones in the cotyledon and germ fractions. Although MF phenolics of protocatechuic, chlorogenic, hydroxybenzoic, vanillic, caffeic, and sinapic acids were abundant in bound and free phenolic extracts. In addition, MF total phenolic indexes ranged from 65 to 270.1 GAE/100 g and total flavonoid 7.5 to 92.3 mg GAE/100 g, which were found to be the most active of FRAP (80.2–197.1) and ABTS (28.2–125.6 µmol TEAC/100 g), respectively. The overall results provided useful information and encouraged the effective utilization of soybean-milled fractions as functional food ingredients for health requirements.

Potential transfer is an essential link in equipotential live-line work (EPLW), which has a potential safety hazard. To ensure the safety of the linemen, this paper conducted experimental research on this process. First, to investigate the discharge characteristics of the potential transfer gap in EPLW, this paper developed a simplified experimental platform to examine the relationship between the transfer voltage and gap distance, as well as the electrode structure, during the potential transfer process. Second, to explore the discharge development process of potential transfer, this paper built a discharge observation experimental platform to observe the discharge process and explore the effects of gap distance and type of the floating electrode on the discharge development process and potential transfer current. The research results are valuable for practical projects and linemen safety.

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the effects of the alveolar ridge split (ARS) technique on gained horizontal width of the alveolar ridge and implant survival rate. Materials and methods Electronic searching was performed in six electronic databases (Pubmed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and SIGLE) from January 1, 2010, to November 1, 2023. Two authors performed study selection, data extraction, and study qualities (ROBINS-I and RoB 2.0) independently. Meta-analysis was performed by Comprehensive meta-analysis 3.0. Results 24 included studies were observational, and 1 study was a randomized controlled trial (RCT). 14 studies investigated the gained width of the horizontal alveolar ridge, and 17 examined the implants’ survival rate. For assessment of risk of bias, nine studies were high risk of bias and 16 studies were moderate risk of bias. Meta-analysis demonstrated that the pooled gained alveolar ridge width was 3.348 mm (95%CI: 4.163 mm, 2.533 mm), and the implant survival rate was 98.1% (95%CI: 98.9%, 96.9%). Seven studies showed seven different complications including exposure, infection, bad split, dehiscence, fracture, paresthesia and soft tissue retraction. Conclusion Recent ARS technique seems to be an effective method of bone augmentation with enough gained width and a high implant survival rate. Further long-term and RCTs research remains needed to enhance the study quality. Clinical relevance The ARS technique could generate sufficient bone volume, and implants had a high-level survival rate. Therefore, ARS has been proposed to be a reliable horizontal bone augmentation technique that creates good conditions for the implantation of narrow alveolar crests.

Plant community succession can impact greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the soil by altering the soil carbon and nitrogen cycles. However, the effects of community landscape diversity on soil GHG emissions have rarely been fully understood. Therefore, this study investigated how plant landscape diversity, structure type, and species composition, affect soil GHG emissions in a riparian zone. Soil GHG emissions were assessed by measuring the air samples collected from four study sites, which have different plant community structure types and species compositions (natural sites with complex plants, landscaped sites with fruit trees and grasses, untended sites with ruderals, and farmland sites), using the static chamber method. Significant differences were observed in soil carbon dioxide (CO2; p < 0.001), nitrous oxide (N2O; p < 0.001), and methane (CH4; p = 0.005) emissions. The untended site with ruderals exhibited the highest CO2 emissions, while N2O emissions increased as plant community diversity decreased. All sites acted as sinks for CH4 emissions, with decreased CH4 uptake efficiency in more diverse plant communities. The Mantel test and variance partitioning analysis revealed soil microbial biomass as an indirect influencer of GHG emissions. This study could help predict soil GHG emissions and their global warming potential under future changes in the island riparian zones.

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) were the first modality to pioneer targeted gene knockdown in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) caused by mutant superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). RNA interference (RNAi) is another mechanism of gene silencing in which short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) effectively degrade complementary transcripts. However, delivery to extrahepatic tissues like the CNS has been a bottleneck in the clinical development of RNAi. Herein, we identify potent siRNA duplexes for the knockdown of human SOD1 in which medicinal chemistry and conjugation to an accessory oligonucleotide (ACO) enable activity in CNS tissues. Local delivery via intracerebroventricular or intrathecal injection into SOD1G93A mice delayed disease progression and extended animal survival with superior efficacy compared with an ASO resembling tofersen in sequence and chemistry. Treatment also prevented disease-related declines in motor function, including improvements in animal mobility, muscle strength, and coordination. The ACO itself does not target any specific complementary nucleic acid sequence; rather, it imparts benefits conducive to bioavailability and delivery through its chemistry. The complete conjugate (i.e., siRNA-ACO) represents a novel modality for delivery of duplex RNA (e.g., siRNA) to the CNS that is currently being tested in the clinic for treatment of ALS.

The prevalence of offensive content on online communication and social media platforms is growing more and more common, which makes its detection difficult, especially in multilingual settings. The term “Offensive Language” encompasses a wide range of expressions, including various forms of hate speech and aggressive content. Therefore, exploring multilingual offensive content, that goes beyond a single language, focus and represents more linguistic diversities and cultural factors. By exploring multilingual offensive content, we can broaden our understanding and effectively combat the widespread global impact of offensive language. This survey examines the existing state of multilingual offensive language detection, including a comprehensive analysis on previous multilingual approaches, and existing datasets, as well as provides resources in the field. We also explore the related community challenges on this task, which include technical, cultural, and linguistic ones, as well as their limitations. Furthermore, in this survey we propose several potential future directions toward more efficient solutions for multilingual offensive language detection, enabling safer digital communication environment worldwide.

Microplastics and antibiotics are emerging as ubiquitous contaminants in farmland soil, harming crop quality and yield, and thus threatening global food security and human health. However, few studies have examined the individual and joint effects of degradable and/or non-degradable microplastics and antibiotics on crop plants. This study examined the individual and joint effects of polyethylene (PE) and polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics and the antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) on pak choi by measuring its growth, photosynthesis, antioxidant enzyme activity, and metabolite levels. Microplastics and/or oxytetracycline adversely affected root weight, photosynthesis, and antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase) activities. The levels of leaf metabolites were significantly altered, causing physiological changes. Biosynthesis of plant secondary metabolites and amino acids was altered, and plant hormones pathways were disrupted. Separately and together, OTC, PE, and PLA exerted phytotoxic and antagonistic effects on pak choi. Separately and together with OTC, degradable microplastics altered the soil properties, thus causing more severe impacts on plant performance than non-degradable microplastics. This study elucidates the effects on crop plants of toxicity caused by co-exposure to degradable or non-degradable microplastic and antibiotics contamination and suggests mechanisms.

The substantial influence of microbes on crop growth, stress resilience, and ecological restoration has generated considerable interest due to the complex interplay between these microorganisms and plants. This review comprehensively examines the diverse mechanisms through which microorganisms contribute to plant well-being, mitigate stress, and facilitate phytoremediation processes. Microorganisms encompassing bacteria, fungi, archaea, and viruses, have demonstrated their knack for stirring up growth-enabling hormones, activating pathways tuned to stress, and ameliorating the availability of nutrients by means of fixation and solubilization Furthermore, such microorganisms also display immense potential in phytoremediation strategies by aiding plants in the extraction, alteration, and detoxification of contaminants found in both soil and water. Complementing this, these microbes enable phytoextraction, rhizofiltration, phytostabilization, and rhizodegradation, owing to their harmonious interaction with plants for the purification of tainted environments. However, it is critical to address legal issues, moral dilemmas, and potential unintended consequences as microorganisms are increasingly incorporated into ecological restoration and sustainable agriculture methods. Optimizing microbial therapies and ensuring their appropriate use offers promising insights when leveraging cutting-edge technologies like omics and genetic engineering. In addition, coordination among academics, practitioners, and policymakers is still crucial in the quest for a more robust and peaceful coexistence between microbes, plants, and ecosystems. In a nutshell, this work highlights the pivotal role that microorganisms are poised to assume, guiding the trajectory of agriculture, alleviating stress, and fostering environmental sustainability with far-reaching implications.

Detecting the underlying human values within arguments is essential across various domains, ranging from social sciences to recent computational approaches. Identifying these values remains a significant challenge due to their vast numbers and implicit usage in discourse. This study explores the potential of emotion analysis as a key feature in improving the detection of human values and information extraction from this field. It aims to gain insights into human behavior by applying intensive analyses of different levels of human values. Additionally, we conduct experiments that integrate extracted emotion features to improve human value detection tasks. This approach holds the potential to provide fresh insights into the complex interactions between emotions and values within discussions, offering a deeper understanding of human behavior and decision making. Uncovering these emotions is crucial for comprehending the characteristics that underlie various values through data-driven analyses. Our experiment results show improvement in the performance of human value detection tasks in many categories.

BackgroundProlonged awkward postures during occupational activities can lead to excessive musculoskeletal load on the wrist of workers and symptoms such as wrist pain or discomfort.ObjectiveTo survey the prevalence of wrist pain among workers in 10 key industries and analyze its correlation with wrist working postures.MethodsBy using stratified cluster sampling method, workers from 10 key industries, such as footwear manufacturing industry, shipbuilding manufacturing industry, and automobile manufacturing industry, were selected from seven regions in North China, East China, Central China, South China, Southwest China, Northwest China, and Northeast China. The demographic information, wrist working postures, pain in wrist of the workers were collected through a cross-sectional survey. Pearson χ2 test was used to compare prevalence by selected factors, trend χ2 test for between group comparison, and unconditional logistic regression models for the association of wrist working postures with wrist pain.ResultsThere were 64052 workers enrolled in this survey, and 56286 provided valid questionnaires (the effective rate was 87.8%). According to the survey, the prevalence of wrist pain was 23.3% (13112/56286), and the industries with higher prevalences were footwear manufacturing (27.1%, 1927/7106), automobile manufacturing (24.9%, 5378/21560), and shipbuilding and related equipment manufacturing (24.4%, 850/3488) industries. Finger pinching (OR=2.09, 95%CI: 1.95-2.24), frequent wrist bending (OR=2.03, 95%CI: 1.92-2.15), fixed wrist bending (OR=1.77, 95%CI: 1.69-1.85), wrist on hard edge (OR=1.34, 95%CI: 1.28-1.40), and arms over shoulders (OR=1.11, 95%CI: 1.05-1.17) increased the risk of reporting wrist pain.ConclusionAwkward postures are related to wrist pain among workers in selected 10 key industries. The related factors are wrist on hard edge, frequent wrist bending, finger pinching, fixed wrist bending, and arms over shoulders.

Abstract Oxidative stress damage to renal epithelial cells is the main pathological factor of calcium oxalate calculi formation. The development of medicine that could alleviate oxidative damage has become the key to the prevention and treatment of urolithiasis. Herein, porous nanorods CeO2 nanoparticles (CNPs) were selected from CeO2 with different morphologies as an antioxidant reagent to suppress kidney calcium oxalate crystal depositions with excellent oxidation resistance due to its larger specific surface area. The reversible transformation from Ce3+ to Ce4+ could catalyze the decomposition of excess free radicals and act as a biological antioxidant enzyme basing on its strong ability to scavenge free radicals. The protection capability of CNPS against oxalate-induced damage and the effect of CNPS on calcium oxalate crystallization were studied. CNPS could effectively reduce reactive oxygen species production, restore mitochondrial membrane potential polarity, recover cell cycle progression, reduce cell death, and inhibit the formation of calcium oxalate crystals on the cell surface in vitro. The results of high-throughput sequencing of mRNA showed that CNPs could protect renal epithelial cells from oxidative stress damage caused by high oxalate by suppressing the expression gene of cell surface adhesion proteins. In addition, CNPS can significantly reduce the pathological damage of renal tubules and inhibit the deposition of calcium oxalate crystals in rat kidneys while having no significant side effect on other organs and physiological indicators in vivo. Our results provide a new strategy for CNPS as a potential for clinical prevention of crystalline kidney injury and crystal deposition.

Abstract Background Invasive species can threaten native diversity and alter ecosystem processes while interacting with other components of global environmental change. Invasive plants are becoming increasingly problematic and this can be stimulated by changes in the environment. However, existing studies have primarily investigated the effects of environmental change on a specific stage of plant invasion rather than the continuous invasion process. Methods A space-for-time substitution experiment was performed to investigate how warming and nitrogen deposition affects the invasion process of a plant. Specifically, different ratios of invasive Solidago canadensis L. to native Artemisia argyi Levl. et Van were employed as a proxy to represent successive levels of invasion. A total of seven treatments were applied in the experiment: ambient (CK), N addition (+ 5, + 12 g m−2 year−1), warming (+ 1.15, + 1.86 °C) and their interaction (5 g N m−2 year−1 + 1.15 °C, 12 g N m−2 year−1 + 1.86 °C). The growth performance and competitiveness of S. canadensis were investigated. Results The competitiveness of Solidago canadensis decreased linearly with its invasion degree (p

Abstract Purpose Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) continues to be a poorly understood disease. Although there were multiple researches on the identification of POAG biomarkers, few studies systematically revealed the immune-related cells and immune infiltration of POAG. Bioinformatics analyses of optic nerve (ON) and trabecular meshwork (TM) gene expression data were performed to further elucidate the immune-related genes of POAG and identify candidate target genes for treatment. Methods We performed a gene analysis of publicly available microarray data, namely, the GSE27276-GPL2507, GSE2378-GPL8300, GSE9944-GPL8300, and GSE9944-GPL571 datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The obtained datasets were used as input for parallel pathway analyses. Based on random forest and support vector machine (SVM) analysis to screen the key genes, significantly changed pathways were clustered into functional categories, and the results were further investigated. CIBERSORT was used to evaluate the infiltration of immune cells in POAG tissues. A network visualizing the differences between the data in the POAG and normal groups was created. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed using the Metascape database. We divided the differentially expressed mRNAs into upregulated and downregulated groups and predicted the drug targets of the differentially expressed genes through the Connectivity Map (CMap) database. Results A total of 49 differentially expressed genes, including 19 downregulated genes and 30 upregulated genes, were detected. Five genes ((Keratin 14) KRT14, (Hemoglobin subunit beta) HBB, (Acyl-CoA Oxidase 2) ACOX2, (Hephaestin) HEPH and Keratin 13 (KRT13)) were significantly changed. The results showed that the expression profiles of drug disturbances, including those for avrainvillamide-analysis-3, cytochalasin-D, NPI-2358, oxymethylone and vinorelbine, were negatively correlated with the expression profiles of disease disturbances. This finding indicated that these drugs may reduce or even reverse the POAG disease state. Conclusion This study provides an overview of the processes involved in the molecular pathogenesis of POAG in the ON and TM. The findings provide a new understanding of the molecular mechanism of POAG from the perspective of immunology.

Ground potential live-line work (GPLW) is an irreplaceable means for the maintenance and elimination of overhead transmission lines. In order to put forward safety protection suggestions for GPLW, the dielectric strength of the GPLW gaps in cup towers and double circuit towers were studied based on a prediction method. The results showed that in both cup towers and double circuit towers, as the gap distance increases, the dielectric strength will also increase. In cup towers, when the lineman is on the side of the window, standing inside the window will increase the dielectric strength of GPLW gaps. When the lineman is at the bottom of the tower window, raising hands will reduce the dielectric strength of GPLW gaps, but this will not happen on the side or top of the tower window. In double circuit towers, the position and posture of the lineman have little effect on the dielectric strength of GPLW air gaps. The results of the study could provide guidance for the live-line work engineering.

Drought stress can significantly affect plant growth and development. Biochar (BC) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have been found to increase plant fertility and development under drought conditions. The single effects of BC and PGPR in different plant species have been widely reported under abiotic stress. However, there have been relatively few studies on the positive role of PGPR, BC, and their combination in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Therefore, the current study investigated the effects of BC from Parthenium hysterophorus, drought tolerant PGPR (Serratia odorifera), and the combination of BC + PGPR on the growth, physiology, and biochemical traits of barley plants under drought stress for two weeks. A total of 15 pots were used under five treatments. Each pot of 4 kg soil comprised the control (T0, 90% water), drought stress alone (T1, 30% water), 35 mL PGPR/kg soil (T2, 30% water), 2.5%/kg soil BC (T3, 30% water), and a combination of BC and PGPR (T4, 30% water). Combined PGPR and BC strongly mitigated the negative effects of drought by improving the shoot length (37.03%), fresh biomass (52%), dry biomass (62.5%), and seed germination (40%) compared to the control. The PGPR + BC amendment treatment enhanced physiological traits, such as chlorophyll a (27.9%), chlorophyll b (35.3%), and total chlorophyll (31.1%), compared to the control. Similarly, the synergistic role of PGPR and BC significantly (p< 0.05) enhanced the antioxidant enzyme activity including peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) to alleviate the toxicity of ROS. The physicochemical properties (N, K, P, and EL) of the soils were also enhanced by (85%, 33%, 52%, and 58%) respectively, under the BC + PGPR treatment compared to the control and drought stress alone. The findings of this study have suggested that the addition of BC, PGPR, and a combination of both will improve the soil fertility, productivity, and antioxidant defense systems of barley under drought stress. Therefore, BC from the invasive plant P. hysterophorus and PGPR can be applied to water-deficient areas to improve barley crop production.

Invasive alien plants pose severe threats to agroecosystems. Microplastic (MP) contamination in farmland soil is also concerning, as it causes crop stress and reduces productivity. However, the effects of the interactions between invasive alien plants and MP in the soil impact crops remain unclear. Herein, belowground plant characteristics associated with stress responses were examined in a pot experiment using root scan analyzes of rice plants exposed to Solidago canadensis L. invasion, polyethylene MP contamination, and a combined treatment. The observed changes in root growth traits under Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis L.) invasion were the least adverse, whereas S. canadensis invasion combined with soil MP contamination had the most adverse effects on root growth. Solidago canadensis L. invasion increased all belowground indices except root height and mean root diameter, which was upregulated in the soil MP contamination treatment. The combined treatment (S. canadensis invasion and soil MP contamination) reduced the belowground root growth traits more than the other treatments. The root growth traits may have been affected by changes in the antioxidant enzyme activity of the roots caused by the treatments. The combined effects of S. canadensis invasion and MP toxicity on rice root growth traits raise concerns regarding potential yields, financial damage, and consequences related to a potential move into the food web.

IntroductionBiochar (BC) and nitrogen (N) application have the potential to increase grain yield and resource use efficiency in intercropping systems. However, the effects of different levels of BC and N application in these systems remain unclear. To address this gap, the study is intended to ascertain the impact of various combinations of BC and N fertilizer on the performance of maize-soybean intercropping and determine the optimum application of BC and N for maximizing the effect of the intercropping system.MethodsA two-year (2021-2022) field experiment was conducted in Northeast China to assess the impact of BC (0, 15, and 30 t ha-1) and N application (135, 180, and 225 kg ha-1) on plant growth, yield, water use efficiency (WUE), N recovery efficiency (NRE) and quality in an intercropping system. Maize and soybean were selected as materials in the experiment, where every 2 rows of maize were intercropped with 2 rows of soybean.Results and discussionThe results showed that the combination of BC and N significantly affected the yield, WUE, NRE and quality of intercropped maize and soybean. The treatment of 15 t ha-1 BC and 180 kg ha-1 N increased grain yield and WUE, while that of 15 t ha-1 BC and 135 kg ha-1 N enhanced NRE in both years. Nitrogen promoted the protein and oil content of intercropped maize, but decreased the protein and oil content of intercropped soybean. BC did not enhance the protein and oil content of intercropped maize, especially in the first year, but increased maize starch content. BC was found to have no positive impact on soybean protein, but it unexpectedly increased soybean oil content. The TOPSIS method revealed that the comprehensive assessment value first increased and then declined with increasing BC and N application. BC improved the performance of maize-soybean intercropping system in terms of yield, WUE, NRE, and quality while N fertilizer input was reduced. The highest grain yield in two years was achieved for BC of 17.1-23.0 t ha-1 and N of 156-213 kg ha-1 in 2021, and 12.0-18.8 t ha-1 BC and 161-202 kg ha-1 N in 2022. These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the growth of maize-soybean intercropping system and its potential to enhance the production in northeast China.

Inflammation is the key driver of liver fibrosis progression in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Unfortunately, it is often challenging to assess inflammation in NAFLD due to its dynamic nature and poor correlation with liver biochemical markers. Liver histology keeps its role as the standard tool, yet it is well-known for substantial sampling, intraobserver, and interobserver variability. Serum proinflammatory cytokines and apoptotic markers, namely cytokeratin-18, are well-studied with reasonable accuracy, whereas serum metabolomics and lipidomics have been adopted in some commercially available diagnostic models. Ultrasound and computed tomography imaging techniques are attractive due to their wide availability; yet their accuracies may not be comparable with magnetic resonance imaging-based tools. Machine learning and deep learning models, be they supervised or unsupervised learning, are promising tools to identify various subtypes of NAFLD, including those with dominating liver inflammation, contributing to sustainable care pathways for NAFLD.

Abstract. For the detection of steatosis, quantitative ultrasound imaging techniques have achieved great progress in past years. Magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction is currently the most accurate test to detect hepatic steatosis. Some blood biomarkers correlate with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, but the accuracy is modest. Regarding liver fibrosis, liver stiffness measurement by transient elastography (TE) has high accuracy and is widely used across the world. Magnetic resonance elastography is marginally better than TE but is limited by its cost and availability. Several blood biomarkers of fibrosis have been used in clinical trials and hold promise for selecting patients for treatment and monitoring treatment response. This article reviews new developments in the non-invasive assessment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Accumulating evidence suggests that various non-invasive tests can be used to diagnose NAFLD, assess its severity, and predict the prognosis. Further studies are needed to determine the role of the tests as monitoring tools. We cannot overemphasize the importance of context in selecting appropriate tests.

Abstract Background Preeclampsia (PE), a placenta-associated pregnancy complication, is the leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Met/Erk signaling is inhibited in the placentas of patients with early-onset preeclampsia (E-PE), but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, the expression modes of Met and endocytic vesicles in normal and preeclamptic placentas were compared. Biotinylation internalization/recycling assays were used to measure the endocytosis of Met under hypoxia and normoxia in HTR8/SVneo cells. In addition, the expression level of Cbl, a specific E3 ligase of Met, was measured under hypoxia and normoxia, and the endocytosis of Met was studied by using confocal microscopy. Results We found considerable intracellular accumulation of Met, which was colocalized with caveolin-1 (CAV-1), in trophoblasts from E-PE placentas. Prolonged hypoxic stimulation led to the remarkable augmentation of CAV-1-mediated Met endocytosis in HTR8/SVneo cells. In addition, the expression of Cbl was substantially repressed by sustained hypoxia, disrupting ubiquitin degradation and the subsequent intracellular accumulation of Met in HTR8/SVneo cells. The abnormal degradation of Met hampered the ability of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) to promote trophoblast cell invasion. In E-PE placentas, aberrant upregulation of CAV-1 and downregulation of Cbl were observed in parallel to the intracellular accumulation of Met. Conclusions These findings reveal that prolonged hypoxic stress induces the augmentation of endocytosis and repression of ubiquitin-mediated Met degradation, which leads to the impaired regulation of trophoblast invasion by HGF/Met signaling. These data provide novel evidence for elucidating the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, especially of the early-onset subtype.