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To explore the short-term impact of uranium pollution on the microecology of farmland soil, this study investigated the activities of four enzymes involved in key soil processes (β-glucosidase, urease, phosphatase, and arylsulfatase) and analyzed the changes in microbial metabolic activity, carbon utilization capacity, and diversity using Biolog EcoPlate under short-term (3 d, 13 d, and 20 d) uranium treatments (0 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, and 500 mg/kg). The results showed that the activities of the three soil enzymes, except that of urease, were inhibited by uranium pollution, especially phosphatase activity, which was reduced by 75.9% in the 20-day U500 treatment group. In addition, microbial metabolic activity was inhibited by uranium pollution. However, the inhibition effect showed a downward trend with the extension of the treatment time. The carbon metabolism capacity of microorganisms was inhibited. By contrast, the ability of microorganisms to utilize amino acids, carbohydrates, and polymer carbon sources was positively correlated with time in the U50 treatment group. The results of diversity indices analysis and sho principal component analysis wed little effect on the microbial diversity of uranium contamination. Therefore, uranium pollution inhibited the metabolic activities of farmland soil microorganisms, especially the carbon, phosphorus, and sulfur cycles. This study provides a direction for the ecological restoration of farmland soil uranium pollution.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ranks the first in incidence and mortality among malignant tumors in China. Molecular targeted therapies such as gefitinib, an oral inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase, have shown significant benefits in patients with advanced NSCLC. However, most patients have unsatisfactory outcomes due to the development of drug resistance, and there is an urgent need to better understand the pathways involved in the resistance mechanisms. In this study, we found that HMGB1 is highly expressed in drug-resistant cells and confers to gefitinib resistance in NSCLC cells via activating autophagy process. Gefitinib upregulates HMGB1 expression in time-dependent and dose-dependent manners in human NSCLC cells. RNA interference-mediated knockdown of HMGB1 reduces PC9GR cell viability, induces apoptosis, and partially restores gefitinib sensitivity. Mechanistic analyses indicate that elevated HMGB1 expression contributes to gefitinib resistance by inducing autophagy. Thus, our results suggest that HMGB1 is an autophagy regulator and plays a key role in gefitinib resistance of NSCLC.

Based on the daily precipitation data of 117 stations in southwest five provinces(Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Chongqing) from 1960 to 2016 (57 a), this paper establishesthe time series (LCDD) of annual and seasonal non effective precipitation days by the noneffective precipitation days index, and analyzes the temporal and spatial change rules of noneffective precipitation days by the methods of Mann Kendall trend analysis and inverse distanceweight. The results show that the number of days without effective precipitation and the number ofdroughts in Southwest China have a trend of fluctuating growth. The number of days withouteffective precipitation is mainly in summer and autumn, while the occurrence of drought is mainlyin spring and winter. In spring and winter, Yunnan and Sichuan are in serious drought, while insummer and autumn, Guangxi, Guizhou and Chongqing are in serious drought. Yunnan and southwestSichuan are the areas with the maximum number of days without effective precipitation. The annualchange of the longest consecutive days without effective precipitation in Southwest China shows aslow upward trend, with accelerating rise since 2010.

The conch ceramics bodies with different ratios were prepared by compression moulding technology using shell, kaolin, and calcium oxide etc. as the raw materials, and then calcined at the high temperature to obtain the conch ceramics. The effects of raw material ratios and calcination temperatures on the performance of conch ceramics were investigated by rotational viscometer, vernier caliper, digital display whiteness meter, thermal analyzer, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer(FT-IR). The results indicated that the viscosity, line shrinkage rate, and whiteness of the conch ceramics were 1.29 Pa·s, 17.9%, and 54.1%, respectively, when the content of the shell powder was 20 wt% and kaolin was 65 wt%. The density of the conch ceramics was the largest (3.8 g/cm3) when calcination temperature was 1200 °C. The results of FT-IR spectrum showed that the addition of the shell powders changed the structure of the ceramic body, which improved the performance of the conch ceramics.

Research on the role of teacher agency has been growing significantly during the last decade. Agentic teachers act purposefully and constructively to direct their professional development and contribute to the quality of education, especially in rural areas. Professional development is mutually constituted between teachers and socio-cultural conditions (e.g., circumstances, physical artifacts, power relations, and school cultures) that constrain or enable their agency. This study explored teacher professional agency, and its relationship to teacher perceived social structure, using two newly developed scales: (1) the Teacher Professional Agency (TPA) and (2) the Teacher-Perceived Social Structure (TPSS). A total number of 592 teachers working at rural schools in western China completed the questionnaire. The findings revealed that the two scales were valid and reliable instruments for measuring teacher professional agency, and teacher perceived social structure. Findings show a modestly-moderately correlation between teachers' professional identity and their perceived social identity. Collegial relationships, followed by school climate and social identity, have the strongest impact on teachers' professional agency.

Pre-service teachers play a crucial role in fostering critical thinking among students to enhance their effectiveness in the 21st century. This systematic review examines 43 empirical studies to gain deeper insights into the concept of critical thinking in teacher education. We identified two primary definitions of critical thinking: the logical sense and value sense, both rooted in a discipline-oriented framework. The findings indicate that the logical sense, particularly the philosophical approach, predominantly informs research conducted on pre-service teachers. However, when it comes to critical thinking disposition, research results often fall short in demonstrating significant development, underscoring the contextual nature of critical thinking. Critical thinking is a sociological research method used to logically evaluate a problem by creating awareness of problematic knowledge and social situations. After analysing the influence of the relationship between critical thinking and research on critical thinking development in pre-service teachers, our findings suggest that there are limitations to cultivating critical thinking; further verification is needed regarding pre-service teachers' ability to transfer critical thinking among various contexts or situations. This review emphasises the significance of embracing the multifaceted and context-bound aspects of critical thinking and good judgment for thinking quality in pre-service teacher education research.

Author(s): Jiali Huang [sup.1] , Xiaohui Li [sup.2] , Jiaqi Zhao [sup.1] , Yuanyuan An [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.260474.3, 0000 0001 0089 5711, School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, [...], The current study aims to explore the long-time effect of resilience on academic self-concept and the mediating effect of different emotion regulation strategies in the relationship between resilience and academic self-concept. A total of 524 migrant children (fourth grade to sixth grade; 53.3% were boys) participated in the baseline study (T1). 419 participants completed the second assessment (T2, 3 months after T1), which were used for data analysis for this study. The results showed that resilience at T1 significantly and positively predicted academic self-concept at T2 ([beta] = 0.201, p = 0.002). Reappraisal at T2 mediated the relationship between resilience at T1 and academic self-concept at T2 ([beta] = 0.144, p < 0.001), whereas suppression at T2 did not ([beta] = -0.011, p = 0.083). The study enriches the empirical research on academic self-concept of migrant children, and advises educational scholar and psychologist to improve students&apos; academic self-concept by promoting their resilience and reappraisal ability.