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Abstract Topological pumps enable robust transports of topological states when the system parameters are varied in a cyclic process. The reported topological pumps are protected by the bulk topology. However, the exploration of topological pump protected by other mechanism remains elusive. Here we report our prediction and observation of higher-order topological pumps linked to the boundary topology, i.e., boundary Chern number. Based on such topological pump, the higher-order transports between the topological states of different dimensions (e.g., corner-edge-corner) are directly observed by spatial scanning of the sound field, and their topological robustness is observed in the paths with defects. Furthermore, modulated by the fundamental corner-edge-corner topological transport, topological splitting effects are unambiguously observed in our acoustic experiments. Our findings not only advance the research of the higher-order topological transports, but also offer good platforms to design unconventional devices.

Microcirculatory dysfunction has been observed in the dermal white adipose tissue (dWAT) and subcutaneous white adipose tissue (scWAT) of obese humans and has been proposed as an early prediction marker for cardio-metabolic disease progression. In-vivo visualization and longitudinal monitoring of microvascular remodeling in these tissues remains challenging. We compare the performance of two optoacoustic imaging methods, i.e. multi-spectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) and raster-scanning optoacoustic mesoscopy (RSOM) in visualizing lipid and hemoglobin contrast in scWAT and dWAT in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity (DIO) undergoing voluntary wheel running intervention for 32 weeks. MSOT visualized lipid and hemoglobin contrast in murine fat depots in a quantitative manner even at early stages of DIO. We show for the first time to our knowledge that RSOM allows precise visualization of the dWAT microvasculature and provides quantitative readouts of skin layer thickness and vascular density in dWAT and dermis. Combination of MSOT and RSOM resolved exercise-induced morphological changes in microvasculature density, tissue oxygen saturation, lipid and blood volume content in dWAT and scWAT. The combination of MSOT and RSOM may allow precise monitoring of microcirculatory dysfunction and intervention response in dWAT and scWAT in a mouse model for DIO. Our findings have laid out the foundation for future clinical studies using optoacoustic-derived vascular readouts from adipose tissues as a biomarker for monitoring microcirculatory function in metabolic disease.

Soil thermal conductivity (λ) is required to investigate coupled heat and water transport in disciplines such as agriculture, hydrology and engineering. Parameterization schemes or models of λ are also the critical input parameter for various numerical simulation programs like the widely used HYDRUS, one of the most commonly used models for mimicking water, heat, and solute transport. However, λ has not received enough attention in HYDRUS, and it remains unclear how different λ schemes affect the simulated soil water and thermal regimes. Thus, we programmed 24 λ schemes (including two built-in schemes) used in mainstream land surface, hydrological, and soil–vegetation–atmosphere transfer models into HYDRUS-1D (freezing module) to assess the effects of different λ schemes on soil temperature and water content simulations under freezing–thawing. The results showed that the 24 λ schemes performed differently in the simulation of soil temperature within 1 m below ground, with eight λ schemes, i.e., de Vries 1963 scheme/DV1963 (R=0.99), Camillo and Schmugge 1981/CS1981 scheme (R=0.98), Desborough and Pitman 1998/DP1998 scheme (R=0.97), Cass et al. 1984/CS1984 scheme (R=0.96), Shmakin 1998/SA1998 scheme (R=0.95), Dharssi et al. 2009/DI2009 scheme (R=0.95), Becker et al. 1992/BB1992 scheme (R=0.95), Hubrechts 1998/HL1998 scheme (R=0.94), performing superiorly to the built-in λ schemes. This study highlights the importance of choosing appropriate λ schemes in soil water and heat simulations.

Salinity is an important environmental factor that affects the health of aquatic animals, when salinity level above the tolerance threshold can pose a significant threat to the survival of aquatic animals. As a trace element necessary for animal growth, selenium participates in the body’s antioxidant reaction, and protect aquatic animals from oxidative stress damage. Biological methods for synthesizing selenium nanoparticles (bio-Se-NPs) from bacteria are safe, inexpensive, and accessible. Therefore, we synthesized selenium nanoparticles using Lactobacillus plantarum (probiotic) to study the growth, immune, antioxidant, and inflammatory responses of selenium-rich Lactobacillus plantarum (SL, a type of bio-Se-NPs) fed Cyprinus carpio under low-salinity (5 g/L salinity) and high-salinity (10 g/L salinity) stresses. Analyses revealed that the addition of SL at a concentration of 1 mg/kg significantly alleviated the growth inhibition caused by high-salinity stress. SL significantly alleviated salinity-induced liver tissue injury (numerous cytoplasmic vacuolations the accumulation, inflammatory cell infiltration, nuclear lysis, and some blood congestion). SL significantly alleviated the abnormal levels of serum ALT, AST, GGT and LDH caused by salinity stress, and improved lipid metabolism (TG, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C). SL can also regulates cytokines and antioxidant genes (TNF-α, iL-1β, iL-10, TGFβ-1, SOD, CAT, GPx1, and HO-1) through the NF-κB and Nrf-2 signaling pathways and thereby reduce the inflammatory response and increase the antioxidant level, and these effects attenuate salinity-mediated oxidative damage. In conclusion, our findings indicate that SL can significantly promote the growth and development of fish and alleviate the adverse effects of high-salinity stress and thus, SL can be a potential feed additive for alleviating oxidative stress and inflammatory responses.

The measurement of thermal properties in partially frozen soil is crucial for global climate models. As the primary method for soil thermal property measurement, the Dual-Probe Heat-Pulse (DPHP) sensor experiences significant errors when used in partially frozen soils. The application of heat pulses leads to ice melting, and the existing DPHP theory, which does not consider phase changes, fails to accurately determine thermal conductivity (k) and heat capacity (C) in the temperature range of − 5 °C to 0 °C. There is a lack of DPHP theory specifically designed for use in partially frozen soils. The existing DPHP theory employs the Infinite Linear Source (ILS) approximation, which does not account for the melting process and the moving ice-liquid interface in transient heat conduction theory. Currently, there is no effective and reliable method to assess DPHP errors associated with measuring the thermal properties of partially frozen soil. To accurately determine k and C in frozen soil, it is essential to perform an error analysis regarding ice melting caused by a DPHP heat pulse input. In this study, (1) we considered the latent heat of ice melting and a moving ice-liquid interface in finite element simulations and compared the results with an analytical solution presented by Paterson (1952); (2) we performed simulations of DPHP measurements based on the temperature-dependent ice content, liquid water content, and melting latent heat of three frozen soils used by Watanabe and Wake (2009); (3) based on COMSOL simulation results for the three frozen soils, we determined the optimal heating parameter combinations (heating duration, t0, and accumulated heating energy, ΔQ) to minimize DPHP measurement errors in frozen soil. The results showed that (1) Simulations that included the melting phase changes were in agreement with the analytical solution by Paterson (1952). (2) Including the ice-liquid moving interface significantly altered the spatial distribution characteristics of temperature, which were not captured by the ILS model in terms of the temperature distribution near the interface. (3) Below a temperature of − 5.5 °C, the simulations that included phase changes were consistent with measured results; (4) For partially frozen soils with initial temperatures ranging from − 0.5 °C to 0 °C, the relative errors in thermal conductivity fitted by the ILS model exceeded 100 %. To mitigate the influence of ice melting, we recommend using 200

Optoacoustic (photoacoustic) mesoscopy bridges the gap between optoacoustic microscopy and macroscopy and enables high-resolution visualization deeper than optical microscopy. Nevertheless, as images may be affected by motion and noise, it is critical to develop methodologies that offer standardization and quality control to ensure that high-quality datasets are reproducibly obtained from patient scans. Such development is particularly important for ensuring reliability in applying machine learning methods or for reliably measuring disease biomarkers. We propose herein a quality control scheme to assess the quality of data collected. A reference scan of a suture phantom is performed to characterize the system noise level before each raster-scan optoacoustic mesoscopy (RSOM) measurement. Using the recorded RSOM data, we develop a method that estimates the amount of motion in the raw data. These motion metrics are employed to classify the quality of raw data collected and derive a quality assessment index (QASIN) for each raw measurement. Using simulations, we propose a selection criterion of images with sufficient QASIN, leading to the compilation of RSOM datasets with consistent quality. Using 160 RSOM measurements from healthy volunteers, we show that RSOM images that were selected using QASIN were of higher quality and fidelity compared to non-selected images. We discuss how this quality control scheme can enable the standardization of RSOM images for clinical and biomedical applications.

Abstract Being the largest and most accessible organ of the human body, the skin could offer a window to diabetes-related complications on the microvasculature. However, skin microvasculature is typically assessed by histological analysis, which is not suited for applications to large populations or longitudinal studies. We introduce ultra-wideband raster-scan optoacoustic mesoscopy (RSOM) for precise, non-invasive assessment of diabetes-related changes in the dermal microvasculature and skin micro-anatomy, resolved with unprecedented sensitivity and detail without the need for contrast agents. Providing unique imaging contrast, we explored a possible role for RSOM as an investigational tool in diabetes healthcare and offer the first comprehensive study investigating the relationship between different diabetes complications and microvascular features in vivo. We applied RSOM to scan the pretibial area of 95 participants with diabetes mellitus and 48 age-matched volunteers without diabetes, grouped according to disease complications, and extracted six label-free optoacoustic biomarkers of human skin, including dermal microvasculature density and epidermal parameters, based on a novel image-processing pipeline. We then correlated these biomarkers to disease severity and found statistically significant effects on microvasculature parameters as a function of diabetes complications. We discuss how label-free RSOM biomarkers can lead to a quantitative assessment of the systemic effects of diabetes and its complications, complementing the qualitative assessment allowed by current clinical metrics, possibly leading to a precise scoring system that captures the gradual evolution of the disease.

Abstract Background Cancer patients can achieve dramatic responses to chemotherapy yet retain resistant tumor cells, which ultimately results in relapse. Although xenograft model studies have identified several cellular and molecular features that are associated with chemoresistance in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), to what extent AML patients exhibit these properties remains largely unknown. Results We apply single-cell RNA sequencing to paired pre- and post-chemotherapy whole bone marrow samples obtained from 13 pediatric AML patients who had achieved disease remission, and distinguish AML clusters from normal cells based on their unique transcriptomic profiles. Approximately 50% of leukemic stem and progenitor populations actively express leukemia stem cell (LSC) and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) signatures, respectively. These clusters have a higher chance of tolerating therapy and exhibit an enhanced metabolic program in response to treatment. Interestingly, the transmembrane receptor CD69 is highly expressed in chemoresistant hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-like populations (named the CD69 + HSC-like subpopulation). Furthermore, overexpression of CD69 results in suppression of the mTOR signaling pathway and promotion of cell quiescence and adhesion in vitro. Finally, the presence of CD69 + HSC-like cells is associated with unfavorable genetic mutations, the persistence of residual tumor cells in chemotherapy, and poor outcomes in independent pediatric and adult public AML cohorts. Conclusions Our analysis reveals leukemia stem cell and OXPHOS as two major chemoresistant features in human AML patients. CD69 may serve as a potential biomarker in defining a subpopulation of chemoresistant leukemia stem cells. These findings have important implications for targeting residual chemo-surviving AML cells.

Abstract One of the characteristics of leukemia is that it contains multiple rearrangements of signal transduction genes and overexpression of non-mutant genes, such as transcription factors. As an important regulator of hematopoietic stem cell development and erythropoiesis, LMO2 is considered an effective carcinogenic driver in T cell lines and a marker of poor prognosis in patients with AML with normal karyotype. LDB1 is a key factor in the transformation of thymocytes into T-ALL induced by LMO2, and enhances the stability of carcinogenic related proteins in leukemia. However, the function and mechanism of LMO2 and LDB1 in AML remains unclear. Herein, the LMO2 gene was knocked down to observe its effects on proliferation, survival, and colony formation of NB4, Kasumi-1 and K562 cell lines. Using mass spectrometry and IP experiments, our results showed the presence of LMO2/LDB1 protein complex in AML cell lines, which is consistent with previous studies. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that LDB1 is essential for the proliferation and survival of AML cell lines. Analysis of RNA-seq and ChIP-Seq results showed that LDB1 could regulate apoptosis-related genes, including LMO2. In LDB1-deficient AML cell lines, the overexpression of LMO2 partially compensates for the proliferation inhibition. In summary, our findings revealed that LDB1 played an important role in AML as an oncogene, and emphasize the potential importance of the LMO2/LDB1 complex in clinical treatment of patients with AML.

Machine learning can handle an ever-increasing amount of data with the ability to learn models from the data. It has been widely used in a variety of disciplines and is gaining increasingly more attention nowadays. As it is challenging to map soil and hydrological information that are characterised with high spatial and temporal variability, applications of machine learning in soil science and hydrology (AMLSH) have become popularised. To better understand the current state of AMLSH research, a scientific and quantitative approach was performed to statistically analyse publication information from 1973 to 2021 archived in the Scopus database using scientometric analysis tools, including VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the open-source R package "bibliometrix". The results show a significant increase in the number of publications on AMLSH since 2006. The major contributions were identified based on country origins (China, the USA, and India), institutions (Hohai University, Islamic Azad University, and Wuhan University), and journals (Journal of Hydrology, Remote Sensing, and Geoderma). The keywords analysis of the AMLSH research demonstrates four research hotspots: neural network, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and soil. The most frequently utilised machine learning (ML) methods are neural networks, decision trees, random forests and other methods for image processing and predictive analysis. McBratney et al. 2003 is the most highly cited article. Our research sheds light on the research process on AMLSH and concludes with future research perspectives.

Major losses of agricultural production and soils are caused by erosion, which is especially pronounced on hillslopes due to specific hydrological processes and heterogeneity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the impact of agricultural management on the compaction, infiltration, and seasonal water content dynamics of the hillslope. Measurements were made at the hilltop and footslope, i.e., soil water content and potential were measured using sensors, wick lysimeters were used to quantify water flux, while a mini-disk infiltrometer was used to measure the infiltration rate and calculate the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (K_unsat). Soil texture showed differences between hillslope positions, i.e., at the hilltop after 50 cm depth, the soil is classified as silty clay loam, and from 75 cm onward, the soil is silty clay, while at the footslope, the soil is silt loam even at the deeper depths. The results show a higher K_unsat at the footslope as well as higher average water volumes collected in wick lysimeters compared to the hilltop. Average water volumes showed a statistically significant difference at p < 0.01 between the hilltop and the footslope. The soil water content and water potential sensors showed higher values at the footslope at all depths, i.e., 8.0% at 15 cm, 8.4% at 30 cm, and 27.3% at 45 cm. The results show that, even though the vineyard is located in a relatively small area, soil heterogeneity is present, affecting the water flow along the hillslope. This suggests the importance of observing water movement in the soil, especially today when facing extreme weather (e.g., short-term high-intensity rainfall events) in order to protect soil and water resources.

As one of the basic disciplines of agricultural, natural resource, and environmental science, soil science has played a critical role in global food security and socio-economic and ecological sustainability. The number of soil science journals and publications has increased remarkably with the development of soil science. However, there is a lack of systematic and comprehensive studies on the developmental trends of soil science based on journals and publications. In this study, 39 journals included under the soil science category in the 2022 Journal Citation Reports, and 112,911 publications in these journals from 1992 to 2022 were subjected to scientometric/bibliometric analysis to determine trends in publication, journal metrics, co-authorship, and research topics, in addition to general journal information. The results show that soil science ushered in a renaissance period with the number of publications, citations, impact factors, and CiteScore demonstrating an increasing trend. America and the Chinese Academy of Sciences had the most publications and citations. The most productive author published more than 400 articles. Soil science research focused mostly on its fundamental impact on the ecological environment based on the strongest citation bursts analysis of keywords. The analysis indicated that open access has increased in popularity. Current soil science journals still face a few common challenges, including an urgent need for a fairer evaluation mechanism on journal quality compared to the traditional use of single metrics as well as equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the whole editorial process. Artificial intelligence may bring new tools and more changes to the development of soil science. This study will help soil science researchers to better understand the development status and future trends of soil science. It will also guide authors in journal selection.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of a short course of blinatumomab in children with refractory or relapsed precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R-BCP-ALL).MethodsThe clinical data of 33 R/R BCP-ALL children aged 0–18 years who underwent a short course of blinatumomab (14 days) between August 2021 and November 2022 were retrospectively collected and analyzed.ResultsAmong 33 patients with BCP-ALL, 26 achieved complete remission (CR), with a total remission rate of 78.8% (26/33). The duration of remission was approximately 14 days. Of the 7 children without CR, 5 were still in remission at 28 days. In 11 patients with refractory disease and 22 with recurrence, the remission rates were 90.9% (10/11) and 72.7% (16/22), respectively. The overall survival (OS) rates of the 26 patients with CR and seven patients without CR were 96.1% and 57.1% (p = 0.002), respectively, and the disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 96.1% and 42.9% (p

Objective To determine the therapeutic efficacy of cladribine combined with BuCy conditioning regimen for childhood acute leukemia, and compare it with fludarabine. Methods The clinical data of 70 children with acute leukemias who underwent all-HSCT from August 2018 to June 2020 were collected. The data of pretreatment-related toxicity, hematopoietic reconstitution, graft-versus-host disease, virus infection, relapsed and survival between CLAG and FLAG group were statistically analyzed. Results EBV infection in CLAG group was significantly more than that in FLAG group(P0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the effect of conditioning regimen on relapsed and survival. Among other risk factors, types of diseases were significantly correlated with OS (P

The extensive use of greenhouses has brought soared economic benefits for farming practitioners in China and an overview of the spatio-temporal distribution of greenhouses is of great interest to agricultural practitioners and decision-makers. In this study, Landsat image based greenhouse maps in Guanzhong Plain, Shaanxi, China were made using random forest classification algorithm through visual interpretation on the Google Earth Engine. The 7-year's changes in greenhouse areas were investigated (i.e. 2000, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2019) with yearly overall accuracy more than 90%. The results showed that the total area of greenhouses in Guanzhong Plain demonstrated an increasing trend, from 5.92 km2 in 2000 to 194.42 km2 in 2019 with a considerable growth between 2010 and 2015. The dominant drivers for the increase are largely attributed to the government policy as well as economic profitability. The distribution of greenhouse shifts to central and eastern regions of Guanzhong Plain. Greenhouses preferentially expand to the area near to rural roads, main rivers, and high elevation, with more than 45% greenhouses distributed within 1 km of the county rural road. The principal component analysis based suitability evaluation showed that a total of 38.44% of the area was suitable for greenhouse.

Astragaloside (AS) has an anti-osteoporotic effect, but its poor water solubility and low bioavailability limit its application. In this study, a novel nano-carrier with bone targeting was prepared by modifying mPEG-PLGA with alendronate (AL) before incorporation into astragaloside nano-micelles (AS-AL-mPEG-PLGA) to enhance the oral bioavailability, bone targeting and anti-osteoporosis effect of AS. The release behavior of AS-AL-mPEG-PLGA in vitro was investigated via dialysis. The pharmacokinetics of AS-AL-mPEG-PLGA was studied in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The cytotoxicity of AS-AL-mPEG-PLGA in vitro (via MTT method), coupled with bone targeting ability in vitro and in vivo were evaluated. The therapeutic effects of free AS and AS-AL-mPEG-PLGA (ELISA, micro-CT, H&E staining) were compared in osteoporotic rats. AS-AL-mPEG-PLGA with smaller particle size (45.3 ± 3.8 nm) and high absolute zeta potential (−23.02 ± 0.51 mV) were successfully prepared, wherein it demonstrated higher entrapment efficiency (96.16 ± 0.18%), a significant sustained-release effect for 96 h and acceptable safety within 10–200 μg/mL. AS-AL-mPEG-PLGA could enhance the hydroxyapatite affinity and bone tissue concentration of AS. The relative bioavailability of AS-AL-mPEG-PLGA was 233.90% compared with free AS. In addition, the effect of AS in reducing serum levels of bone metabolism-related indicators, restoring the bone microarchitecture and improving bone injury could be enhanced by AS-AL-mPEG-PLGA. AS-AL-mPEG-PLGA with small particle size, good stability, remarkable sustained-release effect, safety and bone targeting was successfully constructed in this experiment to potentially improve the oral bioavailability and anti-osteoporosis effect of AS. Thus, AS-AL-mPEG-PLGA may be a promising strategy to prevent and treat osteoporosis.

Greenhouses used for agricultural production have been expanding around the world because it significantly increases crop yield. Meanwhile, it brings a series of environmental problems that should be considered in agricultural planning and management. The advent of the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud platform makes remote sensing image processing more convenient and efficient. It has been widely applied in multiple disciplines, but few studies have investigated the detection of greenhouses. In this research, four different classification methods were applied for comparing their performance in monitoring greenhouses in the Guanzhong Plain, Shaanxi, China using GEE: the Minimum Distance Classifier (MDC), the Support Vector Machine with three kernel functions (linear, SVM-L, polynomial, SVM-P, and radial basis function variations, SVM-R), the Classification and Regression Trees (CART), and the Random Forest (RF). Our results illustrate that these classification techniques’ overall accuracy is >84%. The most accurate classification results were obtained by the SVM-R classifier, with an overall accuracy of 94%, followed by the RF and CART classifier, while the MDC performed worst among these four classifiers. These results would be useful for greenhouse extraction in long time series and large-scale areas, which provides solid information for decision-makers and practitioners for agriculture planning and management.

Scientometrics is a quantitative and statistical approach that analyzes research on certain themes. It originated from information/library science but has been applied in various disciplines, including information science, library science, natural science, technology, engineering, medical sciences, and social sciences and humanities. Numerous scientometric studies have been carried out, but no study has attempted to investigate the overall research status of scientometrics. The objective of this study was to investigate the research status of scientometrics based on 16,225 publications archived in the Web of Science Core Collection between 1992 and 2020. The results show that there has been a marked increase in publications on scientometric studies over the past decades, with “Information Science Library Science” being the predominant discipline publishing scientometric studies, but scientometrics has been widely adopted in a variety of other disciplines (240 of 254 Web of Science categories). It was found that Web of Science, Vosviewer, and Scientometrics are the most utilized database, software, and journal for scientometric studies, respectively. The most productive author (Lutz Bornmann from the Max Planck Society, Germany), organization (University of Granada, Spain), and country (USA) are also identified. In addition, high-impact scientometric studies and the research landscape are analyzed through citation networks and the co-occurrence of keywords method.

As a powerful statistical method, meta-analysis has been applied increasingly in agricultural science with remarkable progress. However, meta-analysis research reports in the agricultural discipline still need to be systematically combed. Scientometrics is often used to quantitatively analyze research on certain themes. In this study, the literature from a 30-year period (1992–2021) was retrieved based on the Web of Science database, and a quantitative analysis was performed using the VOSviewer and CiteSpace visual analysis software packages. The objective of this study was to investigate the current application of meta-analysis in agricultural sciences, the latest research hotspots, and trends, and to identify influential authors, research institutions, countries, articles, and journal sources. Over the past 30 years, the volume of the meta-analysis literature in agriculture has increased rapidly. We identified the top three authors (Sauvant D, Kebreab E, and Huhtanen P), the top three contributing organizations (Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Institute for Agricultural Research, and Northwest A&F University), and top three productive countries (the USA, China, and France). Keyword cluster analysis shows that the meta-analysis research in agricultural sciences falls into four categories: climate change, crop yield, soil, and animal husbandry. Jeffrey (2011) is the most influential and cited research paper, with the highest utilization rate for the Journal of Dairy Science. This paper objectively evaluates the development of meta-analysis in the agricultural sciences using bibliometrics analysis, grasps the development frontier of agricultural research, and provides insights into the future of related research in the agricultural sciences.

Raster-Scanning-Optoacoustic Mesoscopy can be used to image the vasculature in skin cancer lesions but is limited by a long exposure time. Here; the authors increase the speed of the imaging using co-axial illumination and a high-sensitivity ultrasound detector path.

Background and aimsHow to select the treatment is a challenge for the management of acquired patients with infections. This study aimed at comparing the outcomes of SAA with infections who had an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT)with that of patients who had an infection and received non-HSCT therapy.MethodsWe retrospectively compared the outcomes of patients with acquired SAA and infections who had an allo-HSCT (n = 141) with that of patients who had an infection and received non-HSCT therapy (n = 186) between July 2004 and January 2020.ResultsThe treatment-related mortality (TRM) of grade 1-2 infections in the HSCT and non-HSCT groups was 24.99% and 13.68%, respectively (P = 0.206), while the TRM of grade 3-4 infections was lower in the HSCT group than that observed in the non-HSCT group (18.54% vs. 33.33%, P = 0.036). At 6 months post-treatment, 91.30% patients in the HSCT group and 8.78% patients in the non-HSCT group had achieved a normal blood profile (P < 0.0001). The time required to discontinue transfusions of red blood cells and platelets in the non-HSCT group was longer than in the HSCT group (P < 0.0001). Estimated overall survival (OS) at 6 years was similar in the two groups (75.5% ± 3.9% vs. 76.3% ± 3.1%, P = 0.996), while the estimated failure-free survival (FFS) at 6 years was 75.2% ± 3.8% in the HSCT group and 48.9% ± 3.7% in the non-HSCT group (P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed that younger age, lower grade of infection (grade 1-2), and SAA (vs. very SAA) were favorable factors for OS (P < 0.05), and that the choice of HSCT and younger age were favorable factors for FFS (P < 0.0001).ConclusionThese results suggest that allo-HSCT has a better chance of a successful outcome than non-HSCT in SAA patients with an infection.

In order to enhance food security and promote sustainable agricultural development, there is extensive utilization of sloping land in China. However, soil and water loss are severe in sloping lands. Understanding the spatiotemporal variability of soil water content (θ) is therefore important for determining suitable soil and water conservation strategies. Nevertheless, there exists a dearth of current research that focuses on the spatiotemporal variability of θ in microscale sloping lands. This study used statistical and temporal stability (TS) analyses to explore the characteristics of the spatiotemporal variability of θ on slopes. Furthermore, this study aimed to quantify the impacts of soil depth, slope position, air temperature, and hydrological conditions on the TS of θ. The average θ increases with depth, and it follows a logarithmic increase above 1.3 m and a linear increase below 1.3 m. The spatial variability of θ is higher in shallow soils and wet seasons compared with deep soils and dry seasons. The temporal stability of θ is higher on the upper and lower slopes compared with the middle slope. Day-MRD is more effective at capturing the temporal stability of θ than all-MRD. The diurnal variation of the TS of θ on slopes is primarily influenced by soil depth, slope position, air temperature, and hydrological conditions. We found that soil depth had a greater impact on the TS of θ than the slope position and that air temperature has a greater influence than the hydrological conditions. This study accurately describes the spatiotemporal variability of θ at the microscale slope, which helps solve the problems of soil and water conservation and water resource management on slopes.

Processes in hillslope soils present a particular challenge for agricultural production and soil management due to their hydropedological specifics and high soil erosion risk. Soil heterogeneities can cause preferential and/or lateral flow on the entire hillslope resulting in the off-site movement of water, fertilizers and chemicals used in crop production. A study was conducted under controlled conditions in a laboratory with undisturbed soil cores (250 cm3), which were used to estimate the soil hydraulic properties (SHP) using HYPROP and WP4C devices, while undisturbed soil columns (diameter = 16 cm, length = 25 cm) were used for the evaluation of preferential flow pathways using potassium bromide and Brilliant Blue. Samples were excavated in triplicate from the hilltop, backslope and footslope regions within the inter-rows of a vineyard from a critical zone observatory, SUPREHILL, in Croatia in Dystric Luvic Stagnosol. The aim of this study was to determine if the erosion-affected hillslope position affected the physical, chemical and hydraulic properties of soil and to identify water flow and possible preferential flow using dye and bromide tracers. The results of the sensor measurements and estimated SHPs were in agreement, showing a faster leaching of the irrigated rainwater in the footslope column. The tracer experiments showed variability even in the columns taken from the same position on the hillslope, which can be linked to plant roots and soil fauna activity. Altogether, the results showed a deeper loose layer at the footslope as a consequence of the soil erosion, which then resulted in higher hydraulic conductivity and the leached mass of the bromide due to better soil structure and pore connectivity. Thus, due to significant differences in the leached mass of bromide, this research should be later expanded in field experiments to reveal the impact of surface runoff, subsurface preferential and lateral flow on a larger scale.

Nutrient leaching from agricultural soils presents an economic loss for farmers and can degrade the quality of the surrounding environment. Thus, leachates from 18 in situ wick lysimeters, installed at 40 cm soil depth at the vineyard hilltop, backslope, and footslope intra- and inter-row area (SUPREHILL Critical Zone Observatory, Croatia) were collected monthly over two years and analyzed for major plant nutrient ions. Our objectives were to quantify nutrient losses via leaching from the hilltop towards the backslope and to the footslope, and to compare leaching from vine plant rows (intra-row) with grassed areas between vine rows (inter-row). We found that the concentrations of nitrate, orthophosphate, and potassium were significantly higher in leachates collected at the footslope as compared to the hilltop and backslope only at intra- and not at inter-row positions, while ammonium was independent of the slope and row positions. The vineyard intra-row is identified as the probable spatial origin of nutrient leaching along the slope, thus confirming spatially different contributions of overall hillslope to major plant nutrients leaching. The experimental field scheme used in this study, which separately analyses vineyard intra- and inter-row, was confirmed to be an adequate approach for optimizing vineyard management practices.

The solubility and mobility of copper (Cu) in soil is strongly influenced by the presence of dissolved organic carbon (DOC); however, the interactions between Cu and DOC are complex and not yet fully understood. In this study, Cu and DOC concentrations were measured monthly for two years in leachates from self-constructed lysimeters installed at inter- and intra-row vineyard hilltop, backslope, and footslope areas at the SUPREHILL Critical Zone Observatory, Croatia. The aim was to quantify Cu and DOC leaching from the hilltop towards the backslope and the footslope. The assumed strong relationship between Cu and DOC in the leachates was statistically analyzed and explained using chemical equilibrium software. Leachates were analyzed for pH, EC, DOC, Cu, and major ion concentrations. The highest Cu concentrations found in leachates from the intra-row footslope suggested Cu downhill transport. Although not strong, a significant positive correlation between Cu and DOC in footslope leachates confirmed the relevance of Cu complexation by DOC. Speciation confirmed that more than 99.9% of total Cu in leachates was found as a Cu-DOC complex. Data implied the role of soil water flow pathways in explaining Cu downhill transport. Critical timing for applying Cu fungicides at sloped vineyards was highlighted.

A characteristic of frozen ground is a tendency to form banded sequences of particle-free ice lenses separated by layers of ice-infiltrated soil, which produce frost heave. In permafrost, the deformation of the ground surface caused by segregated ice harms engineering facilities and has considerable influences on regional hydrology, ecology, and climate changes. For predicting the impacts of permafrost degradation under global warming and segregated ice transformation on engineering and environmental, establishing appropriate mathematical models to describe water migration and ice behavior in frozen soil is necessary. This requires an essential understanding of water migration and segregated ice formation in frozen ground. This article reviewed mechanisms of water migration and ice formation in frozen soils and their model construction and introduced the effects of segregated ice on the permafrost environment included landforms, regional hydrological patterns, and ecosystems. Currently, the soil water potential has been widely accepted to characterize the energy state of liquid water, to further study the direction and water flux of water moisture migration. Models aimed to describe the dynamics of ice formation have successfully predicted the macroscopic processes of segregated ice, such as the rigid ice model and segregation potential model, which has been widely used and further developed. However, some difficulties to describe their theoretical basis of microscope physics still need further study. Besides, how to describe the ice lens in the landscape models is another interesting challenge that helps to understand the interaction between soil ice segregation and the permafrost environment. In the final of this review, some concerns overlooked by current research have been summarized which should be the central focus in future study.

Abstract Background Transcobalamin (TC) transports vitamin B12 from blood into cells. TC II deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. It is characterized by failure to thrive, diarrhoea, pallor, anaemia, pancytopenia or agammaglobulinemia. It is usually confirmed by molecular analysis of the TCN2 gene. We report a 2-month-old girl with two novel mutations, which were first reported in humans. Case presentation We present a 2-month-old Chinese girl with pancytopenia, severe combined immunodeficiency disease, and megaloblastic anaemia. Targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed, which detected compound heterozygous variants in exon 7 of the TCN2 gene (Mutation 1: c.1033 C > T; Mutation 2: c.1017-1031delinsGTAACAGAGATGGTT). These mutations result in stop codons in TCN2. The c.1033C > T mutation causes a stop at codon 345 (p.Gln345Ter), and the c.1017-1031delinsGTAACAGAGATGGTT mutation causes a stop at codon 340 (p.Leu340Ter). After being diagnosed, she was treated with intramuscular 1 mg hydroxycobalamin (OH-Cbl) every day for 2 months. The CBC value returned to normal after half a month. The peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets and immunoglobulin recovered after 2 months. Then, the dosage of OH-Cbl was gradually reduced. Conclusions TC II deficiency is a serious complication that requires lifelong treatment. Its diagnosis is difficult due to the lack of clearly identifiable symptoms. Genetic testing should be performed as early as possible if this disease is suspected. The specific observations of this case report make a considerable contribution to the literature and provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of future cases.

Novel topological quasiparticles have attracted many interests recently. Here, He et al. observe quadratic Weyl points and identify double-helicoid surface arcs in sound waves traveling in a three-dimensional chiral metacrystal.

Abstract Background Septicemia is an important cause of treatment‐related mortality and treatment failure in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in developing countries. A multicenter CCCG‐ALL‐2015 study was conducted in China and factors associated with septicemia and mortality were studied. Methods Patients participated in CCCG‐ALL‐2015 study from January 2015 to December 2017 were included. Patients with documented septicemia were identified from the Data Center and additional data were collected. Results A total of 4080 patients were recruited in the study and 527 patients with septicemia were identified (12.9%, 95% CI 11.9%‐13.9%). The intermediate risk (IR)/high risk (HR) group had significantly higher incidence of septicemia as compared with low risk (LR) group, 17.1% vs 9.1% (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.71‐2.49, P

Herein, electrospun zinc oxide nanoparticle/poly (vinylidene fluoride) (ZnONP/PVDF) composite fiber membranes were designed, fabricated, and tested for improved orthopedic applications. A single factor screening study was conducted to determine the optimal ZnONP/PVDF formulation based on osteoblast (bone forming cells) proliferation and antibacterial properties. Further, ZnONP/PVDF materials were characterized for their morphology, crystallinity, roughness, piezoelectric properties, and chemistry to understand such cell results. The optimal concentration of high molecular weight PVDF (18%, w/v) and a low concentration of ZnONPs (1 mg/ml) were identified for electrospinning at room temperature in order to inhibit bacterial colonization (without resorting to antibiotic use) and promote osteoblast proliferation. Compared to no ZnO/PVDF scaffold without Piezo-excited group,the study showed that on the 1 mg/ml ZnO/PVDF scaffolds with piezo-excitation, the density of SA and E.coli decreased by 68% and 56%.The density of osteoblasts doubled within three days(compared to the control). In summary, ZnONP/PVDF composite fiber membranes were formulated by electrospinning showing an exceptional ability to eliminate bacteria colonization while at the same time promote osteoblast functions and, thus, they should be further studied for a wide range of orthopedic applications.

Dairy cows undergo dynamic physiological changes from late gestation to early lactation, including metabolic changes and immune dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between immune function and metabolic changes in peripartum dairy cows. Fifteen healthy Holstein dairy cows were enrolled 14 days prior to parturition, and plasma was collected on day −7, 0, 7, and 21 relative to calving. Plasma non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs), glucose, β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-2 levels were measured, and metabolic profiles were determined using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The data were analyzed using Tukey–Kramer adjustment for multiple comparisons, and multivariate and univariate statistical analyses were performed to screen for differential metabolites. The results showed that the concentrations of NEFAs, glucose, BHBA, and TNF-α in the plasma significantly increased and concentrations of IgG and interleukin-2 in plasma significantly decreased from −7 d to the calving day (p < 0.05). Additionally, the concentrations of glucose, IgG, and TNF-α significantly decreased from 0 to +7 d, and concentrations of NEFAs decreased significantly from +7 to +21 d (p < 0.05). The following six primary metabolic pathways were identified in all time point comparisons, and L-glutamate, linoleic acid, taurine, and L-tryptophan were involved in these major metabolic pathways. Correlation and pathway analyses indicated that a negative energy balance during the transition period adversely affects immune responses in cows, and L-tryptophan exerts immunomodulatory effects through the Trp-Kyn pathway, resulting in depletion of Trp and elevation of Kyn.

Determining the effects of fertilization regimes on soil aggregates, carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) distribution, and pH is essential for improving soil structure and soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation to help in proper soil fertility management. Based on a 41-year field fertilization experiment conducted on dark brown soil in northeast China, we examined the soil aggregate size distribution and associated C, N, and pH to provide a scientific basis for elucidation of the mechanisms underlying the effects of fertilization treatments on soil structure and fertility. Six different fertilization treatments included no fertilizer (CK), low-dose chemical fertilizer (NP), moderate-dose chemical fertilizer (2NP), high-dose chemical fertilizer (4NP), normal-dose organic fertilizer (M), and normal-dose organic fertilizer plus moderate-dose chemical fertilizer (M+2NP). Our findings showed that compared to CK, M and M+2NP significantly increased the proportion of macroaggregates by 40% and 28%, respectively, whereas 4NP significantly decreased it by 19%. The mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) under M and M+2NP were significantly higher than that under CK, at 12–21% and 24–36%, respectively. The fractal dimension (D) value of M+2NP was significantly lower than those of 2NP and 4NP by 4% and 5%, respectively. Soil pH under the M treatment was highest, followed by M+2NP. Soil pH under 2NP and 4NP more significantly decreased, by 0.1 and 0.2 units, than under M treatment. Soil pH values were correlated with the proportion of soil macroaggregates, MWD, and GWD, respectively (p < 0.05). Relative to CK, M and M+2NP increased the contents and stocks of SOC (by 40–49% and 89–93%, respectively) and total N (59–68% and 119–123%, respectively). Furthermore, the contents and stocks of aggregate-associated SOC and total N decreased following the order: NP > 2NP > 4NP. Overall, the long-term application of organic fertilization regimes (M and M+2NP) effectively improved soil aggregation as well as SOC accumulation and decreased soil acidification in dark brown soil in northeast China.

Abstract Background To compare the clinical performance of bifocal and trifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) in cataract surgery, a meta-analysis on randomized controlled trials was conducted. Methods A comprehensive literature retrieval of PubMed, Science Direct and EMBASE was performed in this systematic review. Clinical outcomes included visual acuity (VA), contrast sensitivity (CS), spectacle independence, postoperative refraction and surgical satisfaction. Results There were 8 RCTs included in this study. The difference of uncorrected near VA (UNVA) between the bifocal IOLs and trifocal IOLs had no significance [MD = 0.02, 95%CI: (− 0.03,0.06)]. There was no significant difference in the distant-corrected near VA (DCNVA) with MD of 0.04 [95%CI (− 0.02, 0.10)]. Compared with trifocal group, the uncorrected intermediate visual acuity (UIVA) [MD = 0.09,95%CI:(0.01,0.17)] was significantly worse in the bifocal group. No difference was found in distance-corrected intermediate VA (DCIVA) [MD = 0.09, 95%CI: (− 0.04, 0.23)] between two groups. Analysis on AT LISA subgroup indicated the bifocal group had worse intermediate VA than trifocal group (AT LISA tri 839 M) [MD = 0.18, 95%CI: (0.12, 0.24) for UIVA and MD = 0.19, 95%CI: (0.13, 0.25) for DCIVA]. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the uncorrected distance VA (UDVA) and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) [MD = 0.01, 95%CI: (− 0.01,0.04) for UDVA; MD = 0.00, 95%CI: (− 0.01,0.01) for CDVA]. The postoperative refraction of bifocal group was similar to that of trifocal group [MD = -0.08, 95% CI: (− 0.19, 0.03) for spherical equivalent; MD = -0.09, 95%CI: (− 0.21, 0.03) for cylinder; MD = -0.09, 95% CI: (− 0.27, 0.08) for sphere]. No difference was found for spectacle independence, posterior capsular opacification (PCO) incidence and patient satisfaction between bifocal IOLs and trifocal IOLs. [RR = 0.89, 95% CI: (0.71, 1.12) for spectacle independence; RR = 1.81, 95% CI: (0.50, 6.54) for PCO incidence; RR = 0.98, 5% CI: (0.86, 1.12) for patient satisfaction]. Conclusion Patients receiving trifocal IOLs, especially AT LISA tri 839 M, have a better intermediate VA than those receiving bifocal IOLs. Near and distance visual performance, spectacle independence, postoperative refraction and surgical satisfaction of bifocal IOLs were similar to those of trifocal IOLs.

BackgroundAberrant expression of CD123 (IL-3Rα) was observed in various hematological malignancies including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which is the most common malignancy in childhood. Although widely used for minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring, the prognostic value of CD123 has not been fully characterized in pediatric B-ALL. This retrospective study aims to evaluate the association between the CD123 expression of leukemic blasts and the outcomes of the pediatric B-ALL patients.MethodsA total of 976 pediatric B-ALL, including 328 treated with CCLG-ALL-2008 protocol and 648 treated with CCCG-ALL-2015 protocol, were recruited in this retrospective study. CD123 expression was evaluated by flow cytometry. Patients with >50, 20–50, or

Traditional strategies of bone repair include autografts, allografts and surgical reconstructions, but they may bring about potential hazard of donor site morbidity, rejection, risk of disease transmission and repetitive surgery. Bone tissue engineering (BTE) is a multidisciplinary field that offers promising substitutes in biopharmaceutical applications, and chitosan (CS)-based bone reconstructions can be a potential candidate in regenerative tissue fields owing to its low immunogenicity, biodegradability, bioresorbable features, low-cost and economic nature. Formulations of CS-based injectable hydrogels with thermo/pH-response are advantageous in terms of their high-water imbibing capability, minimal invasiveness, porous networks, and ability to mold perfectly into an irregular defect. Additionally, CS combined with other naturally-derived or synthetic polymers and bioactive agents has proven to be an effective alternative to autologous bone and dental grafts. In this review, we will highlight the current progress in the development of preparation methods, physicochemical properties and applications of CS-based injectable hydrogels and their perspectives in bone and dental regeneration. We believe this review is intended as starting point and inspiration for future research effort to develop the next generation of tissue-engineering scaffold materials.

Abstract Enantioselective bromolactonization using an amino-carbamate­ catalyst to generate brominated isochroman-1,4-diones is described. Excellent yields and moderate enantioselectivities were achieved.

Erosion has been reported as one of the top degradation processes that negatively affect agricultural soils. The study objective was to identify hydropedological factors controlling soil water dynamics in erosion-affected hillslope vineyard soils. The hydropedological study was conducted at identically-managed Jastrebarsko (location I), and Jazbina (II) and (III) sites with Stagnosol soils. Soil Hydraulic Properties (SHP) were estimated on intact soil cores using Evaporation and WP4C methods; soil hydraulic functions were fitted using HYPROP-FIT software. For Apg and Bg/Btg horizons, uni- and bimodal soil hydraulic models could be well fitted to data; although, the bimodal model performed better in particular cases where data indicated non-uniform pore size distribution. With these SHP estimations, a one-year (2020) water flow scenario was simulated using HYDRUS-1D to compare water balance results obtained with uni- and bimodal hydraulic functions. Simulation results revealed relatively similar flux distribution at each hillslope position between the water balance components infiltration, surface runoff, and drainage. However, at the bottom profile at Jastrebarsko, bimodality of the hydraulic functions led to increased drainage. Soil water storage was reduced, and the vertical movement increased due to modified soil water retention curve shapes. Adequate parameterization of SHP is required to capture the hydropedological response of heterogenous erosion-affected soil systems.

Phytoremediation is an effective and low-cost method for the remediation of soil contaminated by potentially toxic elements (metals and metalloids) with hyperaccumulating plants. This study analyzed hyperaccumulator publications using data from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) (1992–2020). We explored the research status on this topic by creating a series of scientific maps using VOSviewer, HistCite Pro, and CiteSpace. The results showed that the total number of publications in this field shows an upward trend. Dr. Xiaoe Yang is the most productive researcher on hyperaccumulators and has the broadest international collaboration network. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (China), Zhejiang University (China), and the University of Florida (USA) are the top three most productive institutions in the field. China, the USA, and India are the top three most productive countries. The most widely used journals were the International Journal of Phytoremediation, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, and Chemosphere. Co-occurrence and citation analysis were used to identify the most influential publications in this field. In addition, possible knowledge gaps and perspectives for future studies are also presented.

Background/Aims: Cytokines IL-2 and IL-8 both participate in immune regulation. However, the relationship between polymorphisms in these two cytokines and the risk of acquired aplastic anemia (acquired AA) has not been explored. Methods: We selected five SNPs including rs11575812, rs2069772 and rs2069762 of IL-2, rs2227306 and rs2227543 of IL-8. SNaPshot genotyping was used to test the genotypes of IL-2 and IL-8 polymorphisms in a population of 101 acquired AA patients and 165 healthy controls. Results: The rs2069762 G allele appeared to be a protective mutation, but no significant differences were found in other four SNPs. We also found that rs2069762 had an impact on the transcriptional regulation. Conclusions: It could be assumed that the rs2069762 polymorphism might reduce the risk of acquired aplastic anemia, while the remaining four SNPs might not contribute to susceptibility to acquired AA in a Chinese population.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-osteoporotic activity of Baohuoside I, an active component of Herba Epimedii. Effects of Baohuoside I on the differentiation of BMSCs and the formation of adipocytes were evaluated using alkaline phosphatase staining and methylene blue staining method, respectively. Osteoporosis model was established in ovariectomized rats prior to the measurement of the serum SOD and MDA levels as well as the expression of inflammatory cytokines protein in the rats’ tissues after treatment with Baohuoside I using ELISA assay kits. The estrogen-like effect of Baohuoside I was also measured on HeLa cells. The positive rates of ALP staining in Baohuoside I groups were significantly higher (p

Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (LRP5) plays a vital role in bone formation and regeneration. In this study, we developed an injectable and sustained-release composite loading LRP5 which could gelatinize in situ. The sustained release of the composite and its efficacy in bone regeneration were evaluated. Sodium alginate, collagen, hydroxyapatite, and LRP5 formed the composite LRP5-Alg/Col/HA. It was found that the initial setting time and final setting time of LRP5-Alg/Col/HA containing 4% alginate were suitable for surgical operation. When the composite was loaded with 40 μg/mL LRP5, LRP5-Alg/Col/HA did not exhibit a burst-release behavior and could sustainably release LRP5 up to 21 days. Up to 18 days, LRP5 released from LRP5-Alg/Col/HA still present the binding activity with DKK1 (Wnt signaling pathway antagonist) and could increase the downstream β-catenin mRNA in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Moreover, LRP5-Alg/Col/HA was found to significantly increase bone mineral density in the defect area after 6 weeks’ implantation of LRP5-Alg/Col/HA into the rats’ calvarial defect area. H&E staining detection demonstrated that LRP5-Alg/Col/HA could mediate the formation of a new bone tissue. Therefore, we concluded that Alg/Col/HA was a suitable sustained-release carrier for LRP5 and LRP5-Alg/Col/HA had a significant effect on repairing bone defects and could be a good bone regeneration material.

Unfrozen soil water affects the physical, chemical, hydrological, and mechanical properties of frozen soils, and climate change makes these relationships more complicated. The objective of this study was to investigate the research status of unfrozen soil water using scientometrics. Publications on unfrozen water in frozen soil (UWFS) retrieved from the Web of Science were analyzed with scientometric software tools including VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and HistCite Pro. The annual publication trend, co-authorship of authors, organizations, and countries, and the co-occurrence of keywords were analyzed. The most utilized journals and high-impact publications were identified. The results showed that 2007 (the year the “Bali Road Map” was released) represents a turning point (from slow to rapid) in the development of research on unfrozen water in frozen soil. Researchers and organizations from China and the United States are the major contributors, while Cold Regions Science and Technology is the most utilized journal for publishing research pertaining to UWFS. Currently, there is still a lack of reliable and user-friendly methods and techniques for measuring unfrozen water content. Future efforts are required to understand the mechanisms governing the magnitude of unfrozen water content and to develop new approaches to accurately and rapidly measure unfrozen water content in both laboratory and in situ.

Soil nutrient balance is related to the interaction mechanism between soil fertilizer, soil water, climate change, and plant capability. This paper provides a perspective from bibliometric analysis based on data from the Web of Science core collection with software tools, including Vosviewer, HistCite Pro, and Citespace, in order to reveal the evolution of research trends in soil nutrients. The results show that publication outputs have increased exponentially from 1992 to 2020. The synthetic parameter of the sum of normalized data (SND), calculated from the default indicators of the bibliometric software tools, was used to rank the overall contribution of journal/authors/institutions/countries. The results demonstrate that Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, Soil Biology & Biochemistry and Science of the Total Environment are the leading journals in the soil nutrient field. The Chinese Academy of Sciences had the highest total citations and collaborated most closely with other organizations, followed by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Agr& Agri Food Canada. In addition, USA, China, and UK are the top three research centers for this topic. Moreover, Ken E Giller, Qirong Shen, and Rattan Lal were the top three authors, while Andrew Sharpley ranked the first depending on citations per publication. In terms of co-occurrence of keyword analysis, the results indicate that nitrogen fertilizer, green manure, and soil population have gained close attention from scholars, while soil amendment of biochar have evolved as a hot topic in recent years. Perspectives on future studies are also given.

Heat pulse method is a transient method that estimates soil thermal properties by characterizing the radial transport of short-duration line-source heat applied to soils. It has been widely used to measure a wide range of soil physical properties including soil thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, heat capacity, water content, ice content, bulk density, water flux and evaporation in laboratory and field environments. Previous studies generally focus on the scientific aspects of heat pulse method based on selected publications, and there is a lack of study investigating the heat pulse publication as a whole. The objective of this study was to give an overall view of the use of heat pulse method for soil physical measurements from the bibliometric perspectives. The analyses were based on the Web of Science Core Collection data between 1992 and 2019 using HistCite Pro and VOSviewer. The results showed an increasing trend in the volume of publications on this field and Dr. Robert Horton was the most productive researcher coauthoring papers on the heat pulse method. The co-authorship analysis revealed that researchers from soil science are closely collaborated, but this is not true for researchers in other fields. There is a lack of new young scientists committing to this field while the older generation of researchers are retiring. The United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Servics (USDA-ARS), the China Agriculture University and the Chinese Academy of Science were the top three organizations applying the heat pulse method, while the USA, China and Canada were the top three countries. The Soil Science Society of America Journal, Water Resources Research and Agricultural and Forestry Meteorology were the most widely used journals. The con-occurrence and citation analysis could be used to map the development of the field and identify the most influential publications. The study showed that the bibliometric analysis is a useful tool to visualize research status as well as to provide the general information of novices and experts alike on the heat pulse method for soil physical measurements.

The effective thermal conductivity (λeff) of sands is a critical parameter required by applications in geothermal energy resources, geo-technique and geo-environment and in science disciplines. However, the availability of the reliable λeff data is not sufficient and predictive models are usually used in practice to estimate λeff. These predictive models may vary in complexity, flexibility, accuracy and applications. There is no universal model that can be applied to all soil types and full water content range. The choice of different models may result in distinctive estimates of λeff. The objectives of this study were to conduct an extensive review of the thermal conductivity models of sands and evaluate their performance with a large dataset consisting of various sand types from dry to saturation. A total of 14 models to predict λeff of sands were evaluated with a large compiled dataset consisting of 1025 measurements on 62 sands from 20 studies. The results show that the models of Chen 2008 (CS2008) and Zhang et al. 2016 (ZN2016) give the best estimates of thermal conductivity of sands, with Nash−Sutcliffe efficiency = 0.9 and RMSE = 0.3 W m−1 °C−1. These two models are potentially applied to accurately estimate thermal conductivity of sands of different types.

Groundwater recharge (GR) is a key component of regional and global water cycles and is a critical flux for water resource management. However, recharge estimates are difficult to obtain at regional scales due to the lack of an accurate measurement method. Here, we estimate GR using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) data. The regional-scale GR rate is calculated based on the groundwater storage fluctuation, which is, in turn, calculated from the difference between GRACE and root zone soil water storage from GLDAS data. We estimated GR in the Ordos Basin of the Chinese Loess Plateau from 2002 to 2012. There was no obvious long-term trend in GR, but the annual recharge varies greatly from 30.8 to 66.5 mm year−1, 42% of which can be explained by the variability in the annual precipitation. The average GR rate over the 11-year period from GRACE data was 48.3 mm year−1, which did not differ significantly from the long-term average recharge estimate of 39.9 mm year−1 from the environmental tracer methods and one-dimensional models. Moreover, the standard deviation of the 11-year average GR is 16.0 mm year−1, with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 33.1%, which is, in most cases, comparable to or smaller than estimates from other GR methods. The improved method could provide critically needed, regional-scale GR estimates for groundwater management and may eventually lead to a sustainable use of groundwater resources.

Accurate simulation of soil water and heat transfer is critical to understand surface hydrology under cold conditions. Using an extended freezing code in HYDRUS-1D (freezing module), this study was conducted: (1) to evaluate the freezing module using field data collected in a grazed steppe of Inner Mongolia; and (2) to further simulate grazing effects on frozen soil hydrological processes. The experimental data consisted of soil water and temperature profiles measured during freeze-thaw cycles from 2005 to 2006 in two plots (ungrazed since 1979 (UG79) and winter grazing (WG)). To check the sensitivity of the freezing module, a model without a freezing scheme (normal module) was used for comparison. We found that while the normal module can only simulate soil water and heat transfer under unfrozen conditions, the freezing module can simulate well under both frozen and unfrozen conditions. The freezing module can reasonably compute water phase change and, therefore, substantially improved the simulation of the evolution of liquid water and temperature in frozen soil. It overestimated liquid water content during spring snowmelt and, thus, underestimated surface runoff from underlying frozen soil layers. Furthermore, the weak prediction of soil moisture at the WG site, compared with the UG79 site, might relate to the less than ideal parameterization of soil hydraulic properties. Our results confirmed that the freezing module was able to accurately predict behaviors of soil freezing and thawing, as well as the effects of land management. We suggest that detailed knowledge of the soil-atmosphere processes is needed to improve the surface runoff algorithm in the frozen soil module.