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Adventitious root (AR) formation is a bottleneck for vegetative proliferation. In this study, 13 AHP genes (MdAHPs) were identified in the apple genome. Phylogenetic analysis grouped them into 3 clusters (I, II, III), with 4, 4, and 5 genes respectively. The 13 MdAHPs family members were named MdAHP1 to MdAHP13 by chromosome positions. The physicochemical properties, phylogenetic relationship, motifs, and elements of their proteins were also analyzed. The amino acid quantity varied from 60~189 aa, isoelectric point lay between 4.10 and 8.93, and there were 3~7 protein-conserving motifs. Excluding MdAHP6, other members’ promoter sequences behaved 2-4 CTK response elements. Additionally, the expression characteristics of MdAHPs family members at key stages of AR formation and in different tissues were also examined with exogenous 6-BA and Lov treatments. The results showed that MdAHP3 might be a key member in AR formation. GUS staining indicated that the activity of the MdAHP3 promoter was also significantly enhanced by CTK treatment. The protein interactions of MdAHP3/MdAHP1 and MdAHP3/MdAHP6 were verified. Compared with WT, 35S::MdAHP3 transgenic poplars inhibited AR formation. The above experimental results suggested that MdAHP3, as a key family member, interacts with MdAHP1 and MdAHP6 proteins to jointly mediate AR formation in apple rootstocks.

IntroductionUlcerative colitis (UC), a form of inflammatory irritable bowel disease, is characterized by a recurrent and persistent nonspecific inflammatory response. Polydatin (PD), a natural stilbenoid polyphenol with potent properties, exhibits unexpected beneficial effects beyond its well-documented anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. In this study, we presented evidence that PD confers protection against dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis.MethodsThe protective effect of PD on colitis was examined in cultured caco-2 cells and DSS-induced colitis mouse model. Bulk RNA sequencing and differential gene expression analysis were used to investigate the protective mechanism of PD on DSS-induced colitis. Ferroptosis was determined by MDA levels, SOD levels, mitochondrial iron accumulation and ROS production. Ferroptosis-related proteins Slc7a11, Nrf2 and Gpx4 levels were measured by western blot, immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence staining.ResultsPD mitigated the DSS-induced increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β), alleviated colon length shortening, reduced morphological damage to the intestinal mucosa, and preserved tight junction proteins (TJ) occludin and Zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) in both caco-2 cells and murine models of colitis. Mechanistically, PD reversed the reduction of Nrf2, Slc7a11 and Gpx4, the degree of nuclear translocation of Nrf2 induced by DSS in vitro and in vivo significantly. Moreover, the protective effect of PD is attenuated by erastin and resembled that of Fer-1 in caco-2 cells model.DiscussionOur study suggested that PD protects against DSS-induced ulcerative colitis via Nrf2/Slc7a11/Gpx4-dependent inhibition of ferroptosis signalling activation. Further investigation into the precise mechanisms underlying this phenomenon is warranted. The findings presented herein indicated that PD may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for patients with UC.

The study aimed to assess the oxidative modification behavior of bovine myofibrillar proteins (MPs) cysteines (Cys) by hydroxyl radical (·OH) through the construction of an in vitr Fenton reaction system. The ·OH generated by the Fenton reaction induced large-scale oxidative modification of Cys, and redox proteomics identified a total of 1192 differential oxidation sites (Dos), 59 Dos were located in the MPs structure. The Cys of actin (17 Dos), myosin/myomesin (16 Dos), tenascin (12 Dos) and sarcomere (10 Dos) in the MPs structure showed active oxidative modification behavior towards ·OH, especially with the “-C-X-X-X-X-W-” structure amino acid sequence showed high sensitivity. Notably, the oxidative modification of Cys by ·OH was an irreversible process, as evidenced mainly by a significant decrease (p

Mining will destroy and occupy a large amount of land resources and cause lasting negative impact on ecological environment, so it is urgent to evaluate the change of ecological environment quality in mining area. In order to accurately monitor the ecological environment quality of the mining area, this study took 24 annual Landsat images of the Zhangjiamao Mining area from 2000 to 2023 as the basic data, and calculated four ecological indicators of NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI), WET (Humidity Index, WET), LST (Land Surface Temperature, LST) and NDBSI (Normalized Differential Build-up and bare Soil Index, NDBSI). In addition, four population intelligent optimization algorithms including the Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm-Projection Pursuit Clustering (FOA–PPC), the Particle Swarm Optimization-Projection Pursuit Clustering (PSO–PPC), the Grey Wolf Optimizer-Projection Pursuit Clustering (GWO–PPC) and the Dung Beetle Optimizer-Projection Pursuit Clustering (DBO–PPC) were used to derive the ecological environment quality evaluation method in the mining area, and the average correlation was used to verify the accuracy. The results showed that: ① The average correlation and intra class aggregation of the DBO–PPC model are higher than those of the PSO–PPC model, FOA–PPC model, and GWO–PPC model, and are closer to the EI index, indicating that the DBO–PPC model can better evaluate the ecological environment of the study area; ② Based on the DBO–PPC model, the average ecological and environmental quality of the Zhangjiamao mining area from 2000 to 2023 is about 0.4, and the ecological and environmental quality is mainly poor or relatively poor, accounting for about 55.94% of the total area. In terms of space, the ecological environment of the Changjiagou Reservoir is superior during the study period. The ecological environment in the northeastern and central areas of the mining area is better, with more vegetation coverage. ③ The proportion of subsidence area in the mining area is 81.28%, and the maximum subsidence is –0.15 m. Subsidence in the coal extraction area is significantly higher than that in the whole mining area, accounting for 89.56% of the coal extraction area, and the ecological environment quality decreases at a rate of –0.000 4, indicating that mining activities cause surface subsidence in the study area, which further affects the ecological environment. To sum up, the DBO–PPC model has a strong rationality in monitoring and evaluating the ecological environment quality in the mining areas, so as to provide technical means for the sustainable development of ecological environment in the mining areas.

Coal mining in Shendong Mining area has an important impact on the local ecological environment, especially the growth of vegetation. In order to describe this effect quantitatively, this study uses a regional evapotranspiration model to calculate the Potential Net Primary Productivity (PNP,p) of the Shendong mining area. MODIS17A3 dataset (2001—2022) was used to characterize the Actual Net Primary Productivity (PNP,a), and combined with the monthly net primary productivity raster dataset of terrestrial ecosystems in China (PNP,al, 1988—2015), using GWR model construction correction method to correct PNP,al to obtain 1988—2000 PNP,a data, and using the difference between the two PNP,h to characterize the impact of coal mining. The effect of coal mining on vegetation PNP in Shendong mining area was evaluated. The results show that: ① the accuracy of PNP,al data corrected by GWR model is about 0.76, and the corrected PNP,al data has a strong spatial correlation with the MODIS17A3 dataset, which indicates the reliability of the accuracy of the corrected model; ② The overall PNP,a and PNP,h of Shendong mining area showed a trend of decreasing first and then recovering gradually, but the PNP of vegetation did not recover to the pre-mining level. The mean values of PNP,h before mining and PNP,h after mining are 21.50 g/m2 and −60.20 g/m2, respectively. PNP,h

AimsMesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are key components in promoting glioblastoma (GBM) progression. This study aimed to explore new therapeutic targets and related pathogenic mechanisms based on different MSCs infiltration levels in GBM patients.MethodsWe estimated the relationship between cell infiltration and prognosis of GBM. Subsequently, key risk genes were identified and prognostic models were constructed by LASSO-Cox analysis. The risk genes were validated by five independent external cohorts, single-cell RNA analysis, and immunohistochemistry of human GBM tissues. TIDE analysis predicted responsiveness to immune checkpoint inhibitors in different risk groups.ResultsThe MSCs infiltration level was negatively associated with survival in GBM patients. LOXL1, LOXL4, and GUCA1A are key risk genes that promote GBM progression and may act through complex intercellular communication.ConclusionThis research has provided a comprehensive study for exploring the MSCs infiltration environment on GBM progression, which could shed light on novel biomarkers and mechanisms involved in GBM progression.

Shale oil has become the focus of the exploration and development of unconventional oil and gas resources in the world, but its development faces many challenges. Aiming at the complex pore space, the unclear percolation mechanism, and the urgent need to explore research methods of shale oil, this paper systematically expounded the research status of microscopic percolation mechanism of shale oil in experimental methods and computational simulation, and discussed the existing problems and the development trend of future research from the perspective of pore-scale and core-scale. The results show that the combination of various experimental methods can well characterize the pore structure of shale, but the characterization of micro-scale and core-scale flow is still insufficient. The direct method represented by Lattice Boltzmann Method and the indirect method represented by pore network simulation are the main methods to study pore-scale flow mechanism, but the consideration of micro-scale effect needs to be improved. The study of core-scale flow mechanism is mainly to establish a percolation model considering boundary layer effect based on capillary bundle model and fractal theory. It is pointed out that the main future research direction is to fully consider the factors such as boundary adsorption/slip, density/viscosity heterogeneity, stress sensitivity, start-up pressure gradient of shale oil in micro-nano pores, realize multi-scale percolation mechanism coupling, and establish a mathematical model that can accurately characterize the multi-phase and multi-scale flow of shale oil.

Monitoring the extra-high-voltage transmission line corridor (EHVTLC) in mountains is critical for safe smart-grid operation. However, the transmission lines are so narrow that they are difficult to recognize using multispectral satellite images with a spatial resolution of 10 m. In this study, we developed a new method using the red band–shadow-eliminated vegetation index (SEVI)–blue band (RSB) composite image to enhance the EHVTLC in green mountains (named RSB-enhancement method). Using this method, the EHVTLC becomes evident in the false-color synthesis of the RSB composite of the Sentinel-2 image. Then, we recognized and extracted approximately 342.45 km of the EHVTLC in a mountainous region of Fuzhou City, China, including a 46.73 km three-parallel-lane segment of 1000 kV and a 295.72 km two-parallel-lane segment of 500 kV. Spatial analysis shows that the SEVI mean difference between the EHVTLC and the buffer zone reaches approximately 10%, and three landslides and 2.66 km2 soil erosion reside in the buffer zone which area is approximately 73.67 km2. Finally, the RSB-enhancement method can be used in other satellite images with spatial resolutions of greater than 10 m for enhancement and recognition the transmission line corridors in green mountains.

Evaluation ecosystem service value (ESV) is critical, as “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”. To assess the incremental effects of ecological assets on soil and water conservation in subtropical mountains, we developed a remote-sensing-driven mountainous equivalent factor (RS-MEF) method to estimate the ESV of Changting County, China. This method is a hybrid of a conventional equivalent factor framework and remote sensing techniques for mountains, achieving several advancements, including spatial adjustment using vegetation activity merged with productivity, improved spatial resolution, and the removal of topographic effects. Using the RS-MEF method, we estimated that the ESV of Changting County was approximately CNY 15.80 billion in 2010 and CNY 34.83 billion in 2022. Specifically, the ESV per unit area of the major soil erosion area (MSEA) in the county was less than that of the non-major soil erosion area (n-MSEA); however, the ESV growth rate of the MSEA from 2010 to 2022 was faster than that of the n-MSEA. Therefore, the ESV gap between the two areas was reduced from 28.99% in 2010 to 15.83% in 2022. Topographic gradient analysis illustrates that areas with elevations of 385 to 658 m and steep slopes achieved a high ESV, while high-elevation areas with gentle slopes will be a focus of control in the next phase. Our study demonstrates that significant achievements have been made in ecological restoration from an ESV perspective, with a notable reduction in low-ESV areas in the MSEA; the insights gained into ESV growth and its underlying factors are valuable and instructive for future soil and water conservation efforts.

In-depth understanding of the diurnal variation of soil respiration and its influencing factors at different depths under different land use patterns in desertified open-pit mines is crucial to assessing the carbon cycle of ecosystems in ecologically fragile open-pit mines. Taking the Hongshaquan open-pit mine as the research object, the EGM-5 portable infrared gas observation system was used to monitor and obtain the diurnal respiration rate of soil at different depths under different land use types and obtain related influencing factors. Also, the variation law and characteristics, as well as their main influencing factors of soil respiration under different land use types were got. The results showed that: ① There are significant differences in diurnal soil respiration among the five representative types of land features. The daily average soil respiration rates at 10 and 30 cm depths are ordered as artificial forest > Hongshaquan > reclamation area of dump > tamarisk forest > southern line, at 10 cm depth are 5.72, 0.98, 0.34, 0.08 and −0.08 μmol/(m2·s), respectively, and at 30 cm depth are 5.14, 2.18, 0.77, 0.40 and −0.05 μmol/(m2·s), respectively. The southern line is carbon sink, and the other four types of land features are carbon sources. ② The diurnal variation of soil respiration rate is obvious. The diurnal variation of soil respiration in different soil layers and Hongshaquan at 10 cm depth in the reclamation area of the dump site shows a “double peak” trend. The diurnal variation of soil respiration at 10 and 30 cm depths in tamarisk forest shows a “multi-peak” trend. ③ On the diurnal scale, the soil respiration rate at 10 cm depth in the dump reclamation area, the artificial forest and Hongshaquan is significantly positively correlated with soil temperature (P < 0.05) and soil water content (P < 0.01). The diurnal respiration of soil in the forest and the southern line is weak, and the daytime soil temperature in the tamarisk forest and the southern line limits soil respiration, while the nighttime and early morning soil temperature promotes soil respiration. Soil temperature and soil water content can better explain the variation of soil respiration rate of 50.5%−97.3% for the five feature types in the mine area, while only 11.3% for 10 cm in the southern line. ④ There are differences in the relationship between soil respiration and soil carbon content in tamarisk forest and southern line, and the relationship between the soil respiration and soil carbon content of the other three types of land features. The tamarisk forest and southern line soil respiration have a significant negative correlation with inorganic carbon (SIC) (r=0.69, P < 0.01), the soil respiration rate is negative due to inorganic processes, and SIC is the key factor of soil carbon sink. However, the soil respiration in dump reclamation area, artificial forest and Hongshaquan all have a strong negative correlation with dissolved active organic carbon (DOC). The soil respiration in southern line and tamarisk forest also has a strong positive correlation with soil organic carbon (SOC). SOC and DOC are important factors of soil carbon sources. To sum up, the soil respiration rates of different types of land features and different depths in the Hongshaquan mining area are significantly different, and the responses of soil respiration to soil temperature and other environmental factors are different at different depths. It is preliminarily clarified that SIC is an important factor for soil carbon sinks, while SOC and DOC are important factors for soil carbon sources. The results can provide basic data for carbon emissions and carbon cycle in the mining area.

The study aimed to assess differences in proteomic and metabolite profiles in ageing (1, 2, 4, and 6 days at 4 °C) beef exudates and determine their relationship with beef muscle iron metabolism and oxidation. Proteomic and metabolomic analyses identified 877 metabolites and 1957 proteins. The joint analysis identified 24 differential metabolites (DMs) and 56 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) involved in 15 shared pathways. Ferroptosis was identified as the only iron metabolic pathway, and 4 DMs (l-glutamic acid, arachidonic acid, glutathione and gamma-glutamylcysteine) and 5 DEPs (ferritin, phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase, heme oxygenase 1, major prion protein, and acyl-CoA synthetase long chain family member 4) were involved in iron metabolism by regulating heme and ferritin degradation, Fe2+ and Fe3+ conversion, arachidonic acid oxidation and inactivation of glutathione peroxidase (GPX) 4, leading to increased levels of free iron, ROS, protein and lipid oxidation (P

Abstract Background Hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) are considered as a promising cell type in the stem cell transplantation treatment of neurological diseases because of their rich sources, easy access, and the same ectoderm source as the nervous system. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a pleiotropic cytokine that shows neuroprotective function in ischemic stroke. Here we assessed the therapeutic effects of HFSCs on ischemic stroke injury and the synthetic effect of HGF along with HFSCs. Methods Rat HFSCs were intravenously transplanted into a middle cerebral artery ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) rat model. Neurological scoring and TTC staining were performed to assess the benefits of HFSC transplantation. Inflammatory cytokines, blood–brain barrier integrity and angiogenesis within penumbra were estimated by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. The differentiation of HFSCs was detected by immunofluorescence method 2 weeks after transplantation. Results HFSC transplantation could significantly inhibit the activation of microglia, improve the integrity of blood–brain barrier and reduce brain edema. Moreover, the number of surviving neurons and microvessels density in the penumbra were upregulated by HFSC transplantation, leading to better neurological score. The combination of HFSCs and HGF could significantly improve the therapeutic benefit. Conclusion Our results indicate for the first time that HGF modified HFSCs can reduce I/R injury and promote the neurological recovery by inhibiting inflammatory response, protecting blood–brain barrier and promoting angiogenesis.

[Objective] The method for building a society having robust and effective responses to natural disasters was determined in order to provide a scientific reference for preventing and reducing risks from major natural disasters in the red soil area of South China. [Methods] Changting County, Fujian Province was used as a typical disaster area in the red soil area of South China. An index system was constructed from three dimensions that included rigid resistance, elastic control, and resilient recovery. The entropy weight TOPSIS model and the coupling coordination model were used to quantitatively evaluate the comprehensive level and the coupling and coordination between the first level of rigid-elastic-resilient society responses to natural disasters in Changting County from 2006 to 2019. An obstacle factor analysis was conducted. [Results] ① The level of rigid-elastic-resilient society responses to natural disasters in Changting County evolved from a slow decline to a significant increase, with an increase of 0.4616 from 2006 to 2019, showing a significant growth trend overall. ② The rigid resistance level, elastic control level, and resilience recovery level of the rigid-elastic-resilient society responses to natural disasters in Changting County generally showed a significant growth trend. Only the resilience recovery index significantly decreased from 0.402 0 to 0.280 9 from 2006 to 2010. ③ Among various evaluation indicators, the decline of disaster monitoring capability, public security management level, proportion of tertiary industry, carbon storage capability, and water conservation function were the key factors restricting the development of the rigid-elastic-resilience society responses to natural disasters in Changting County. [Conclusion] The red soil area of South China was evaluated from three dimensions including rigid resistance, elastic control, and resilient recovery. These three dimensions effectively and accurately reflected the comprehensive level of rigid, elastic, and resilient society responses to natural disasters in the region. At the same time, the weak links in development should be strengthened to avoid the decline of rigid-elastic-resilient society responses to natural disasters.

Nanodendrite particles (NDs) with densely branched structures and biomimetic architectures have exhibited great promise in tumor therapy owing to their prolonged in vivo circulation time and exceptional photothermal efficiency. Nevertheless, traditional NDs are deficient in terms of specific surface modification and targeting tumors, which restrict their potential for broader clinical applications. Here, we developed coronavirus-like gold NDs through a seed-mediated approach and using silk fibroin (SF) as a capping agent. Our results demonstrate that these NDs have a favorable drug-loading capacity (∼65.25%) and light-triggered release characteristics of doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX). Additionally, NDs functionalized with specific probes exhibited exceptional surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) characteristics, enabling high-sensitivity Raman imaging of unstained single cells. Moreover, these NDs allowed for real-time monitoring of endocytic NDs for over 24 ​h. Furthermore, ND@DOX conjugated with tumor-targeting peptides exhibited mild hyperthermia, minimal cytotoxicity, and effective targeting towards cancer cells in vitro, as well as responsiveness to the tumor microenvironment (TME) in vivo. These unique properties led to the highest level of synergistic tumor-killing efficiency when stimulated by a near-infrared (NIR) laser at 808 ​nm. Therefore, our virus-like ND functionalized with SF presents a novel type of nanocarrier that exhibits significant potential for synergistic applications in precision medicine.

As a basic place for human daily life, the safety performance of architectural structure in practical application directly determines the future trend of social economy and urban construction development. By understanding the relationship between the internal and external environment of the structure and using advanced theoretical knowledge to evaluate the effectiveness of the structure, we can find effective countermeasures to solve the problem. Therefore, on the basis of defining the stochastic process model of resistance, this paper uses the reliability period analysis method to compare the structural effectiveness indicators of the proposed structure and the existing structure, and thus makes clear the differences between the traditional reliability calculation method and the time period analysis method, and analyzes the particularity of different structures.

The southern red soil region (SRSR) of China, a region that is environmentally sensitive, suffers severe soil erosion (SE) as a result of climate change and human activity. The factors driving SE changes in the SRSR of China under changing settings have, however, only been the subject of a small number of research. Changting County is a typical SE area in the SRSR of China. The spatiotemporal variation characteristics of SE in Changting County from 2000 to 2020 were investigated using the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE), while the dominant factors influencing the spatiotemporal dynamic change of SE were analyzed using the optimal parametric geographical detector (OPGD) and logarithmic mean Divisia Index (LMDI). The results showed that the average annual soil erosion modulus in Changting County shows a decreasing trend, with the SE modulus decreased from 10.00 t·hm−2·a−1 in 2000 to 3.38 t·hm−2·a−1 in 2020. Slight SE intensity was the dominant SE class, accounting for more than 75% of the total area, and the proportion is trending upwards. Natural and anthropogenic factors showed significant effects on the spatial variation of SE, of which land use and vegetation cover were the main factors influencing the spatial distribution of SE. Furthermore, the interaction between these two dominant factors explained greatly the spatial variation of SE. The mitigation of SE was mainly attributed to the increase in vegetation cover following the implementation of various ecological projects, contributing to the reduction of SE by 68.7%. In addition, the changes in land use types and rainfall amounts also played positive roles in reducing SE, showing contributions of 20.2% and 11.1%, respectively.

There are many complex and uncertain factors in the process of building rectification and reinforcement that can easily lead to construction quality failures. This study develops a novel hybrid risk analysis approach to perceive the construction quality risk under uncertainty by integrating the extension theory (ET), the cloud model (CM), the Dempster–Shafer (D-S) evidence theory and the dynamic Bayesian network (DBN). The extended cloud model (ECM) combining the ET and the CM is not only effective in avoiding information loss, but is also capable of dealing with the ambiguity and randomness in risk assessment. The ECM is employed to construct the basic probability assignments (BPA) of risk factors across different risk states. The improved D-S evidence theory considering the expert importance coefficient is used for the fusion of expert judgments. A DBN model integrating monitoring indicators is established to predict the dynamics of overall quality risk during rectification and reinforcement. Then, the measured data of settlement difference and settlement rate are fed back to the DBN model to update the risk assessment results in real time. Finally, a case study of the rectification and reinforcement in a high-rise building is taken to verify the feasibility and validity of the developed risk analysis approach. The risk assessment results better reflect the unexpected risk events in actual construction. The proposed approach provides a research paradigm for quality risk assessment of similar rectification and reinforcement projects.

A high-fat diet plays a key role in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer, and this effect on the gut can also occur in the offspring of mothers with a high-fat diet. In this review, we discuss the role of a high-fat diet in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer and summarize the effects of a maternal high-fat diet on the activation of inflammation and development of colorectal cancer in offspring. Studies have found that a maternal high-fat diet primarily induces an inflammatory response in the colorectal tissue of both the mother herself and the offspring during pregnancy. This leads to the accumulation of inflammatory cells in the colorectal tissue and the release of inflammatory cytokines, which further activate the NF-κb and related inflammatory signaling pathways. Research suggests that high levels of lipids and inflammatory factors from mothers with a high-fat diet are passed to the offspring through the transplacental route, which induces colorectal inflammation, impairs the intestinal microecological structure and the intestinal barrier, and interferes with intestinal development in the offspring. This in turn activates the NF-κb and related signaling pathways, which further aggravates intestinal inflammation. This process of continuous inflammatory stimulation and repair may promote the uncontrolled proliferation of colorectal mucosal cells in the offspring, thus increasing their susceptibility to colorectal cancer.

Accurate prediction of crop yield before harvest is critical to food security and importation. The calculated ten explanatory factors and autumn crop yield data were used as data sources in this research. Firstly, a Redundancy Analysis (RDA) was employed to carry out explanatory factors and feature selection. The simple effects of RDA were used to evaluate the interpretation rates of the explanatory factors. The conditional effects of RDA were adopted to select the features of the explanatory factors. Then, the autumn crop yield was divided into the training set and testing set with an 80/20 ratio, using Support Vector Regression (SVR), Random Forest Regression (RFR), and deep neural network (DNN) for the model, respectively. Finally, the coefficient of determination (R2), the root mean square error (RMSE), the mean absolute error (MAE), and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) were used to evaluate the performance of the model comprehensively. The results showed that the interpretation rates of the explanatory factors ranged from 54.3% to 85.0% (p = 0.002), which could reflect the autumn crop yields well. When a small number of sample training data (e.g., 80 samples) was used, the DNN model performed better than both SVR and RF models.

Dental pulp stem cells are dental pulp-derived mesenchymal stem cells that originate from the neural crest. They exhibit greater potential for the treatment of nervous system diseases than other types of stem cells because of their neurogenic differentiation capability and their ability to secrete multiple neurotrophic factors. Few studies have reported Alzheimer’s disease treatment using dental pulp stem cells. Rat models of Alzheimer’s disease were established by injecting amyloid-β1–42 into the hippocampus. Fourteen days later, 5 × 106 dental pulp stem cells were injected into the hippocampus. Immunohistochemistry and western blot assays showed that dental pulp stem cell transplantation increased the expression of neuron-related doublecortin, NeuN, and neurofilament 200 in the hippocampus, while the expression of amyloid-β was decreased. Moreover, cognitive and behavioral abilities were improved. These findings indicate that dental pulp stem cell transplantation in rats can improve cognitive function by regulating the secretion of neuron-related proteins, which indicates a potential therapeutic effect for Alzheimer’s disease. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Harbin Medical University, China (approval No. KY2017-132) on February 21, 2017.

This article aims to explore the applicability of SMMI (soil moisture monitoring index), MSMMI (modified soil moisture monitoring index), PDI (perpendicular drought index), and MPDI (modified perpendicular drought index) in estimating soil moisture (SM) in farmland. The random forest classifier was used to obtain two-stage land cover types maps. The sensitivity of Sentinel-2 spectral bands to the measured SM at a depth of 0–5 cm was optimized by random forest regression. According to the sensitive bands, SMMI and PDI from different feature spaces were constructed to explore their feasibility for monitoring SM under different land cover types. Second, fractional vegetation cover (FVC) in the study area was estimated by nine kinds of FVC estimation models and compared with the measured FVC. The effects of different FVC methods on estimating SM by MSMMI and MPDI were evaluated. The results show that red edge and short-wave infrared (SWIR) bands of Sentinel-2 had irreplaceable effects on the land cover classification. In terms of monitoring SM in bare soil areas, the SM indices with SWIR bands had high correlations with measured SM. For vegetation-covered areas, MSMMI from the FVCgr model (dimidiate pixel model with red edge bands) and the Short wave infrared1–Short wave infrared2 feature space had the highest correlation with the measured 0–5 cm depth SM. Whether vegetation-covered areas or bare soil areas, the combination of red edge and SWIR bands can effectively improve the estimation accuracy of SM. MSMMI can be used as the best SMMI in the study area. Sentinel-2 images, with great potential, can effectively estimate SM at a depth of 0–5 cm in farmland with complex environments.

In this article, seven filter algorithms were compared. The Lee sigma method was more suitable for estimating soil moisture (SM) than the other filtering methods under different land cover types. First, we used a combination of roughness and the dual-polarized Sentinel-1A backscattering coefficients (VV and VH) to estimate SM in bare soil areas. Second, we employed water cloud model (WCM) to remove the influence of vegetation signals on the land surface backscattering and estimate SM in vegetation-covered areas. SM was also retrieved by modified soil moisture monitoring index (MSMMI) and modified perpendicular drought index (MPDI) of Sentinel-2A images. The results show that MSMMI can more accurately monitor SM in bare soil areas, which was slightly better than synthetic aperture radar (SAR) results. The SAR backscattering coefficients after the removal of vegetation influence by WCM can more precisely estimate SM in vegetation-covered areas, which is significantly better than MSMMI and MPDI, especially in high vegetation-covered areas. Optics and SAR differ in their abilities to estimate SM under different land cover, but the powerful fitting ability of machine learning can make full use of their advantages. We employed the generalized regression neural network (GRNN), support vector regression (SVR), random forest regression (RFR), and deep neural network (DNN) algorithms to estimate SM combining Sentinel-1A with Sentinel-2A images. The estimation accuracies of SM by regression algorithms were higher than those by the semiempirical SAR and optical models. The accuracy of estimated SM by DNN was higher than that of GRNN and RFR, which were better than SVR.

Dental pulp stem cells are a type of adult stem cells with strong proliferative ability and multi-differentiation potential. There are no studies on treatment of vascular dementia with dental pulp stem cells. In the present study, rat models of vascular dementia were established by two-vessel occlusion, and 30 days later, rats were injected with 2 × 107 dental pulp stem cells via the tail vein. At 70 days after vascular dementia induction, dental pulp stem cells had migrated to the brain tissue of rat vascular dementia models and differentiated into neuron-like cells. At the same time, doublecortin, neurofilament 200, and NeuN mRNA and protein expression levels in the brain tissue were increased, and glial fibrillary acidic protein mRNA and protein expression levels were decreased. Behavioral testing also revealed that dental pulp stem cell transplantation improved the cognitive function of rat vascular dementia models. These findings suggest that dental pulp stem cell transplantation is effective in treating vascular dementia possibly through a paracrine mechanism. The study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Harbin Medical University (approval No. KY2017-132) in 2017.

Abstract Background Ischaemic stroke has become the main cause of death and severe neurological disorders, for which effective restorative treatments are currently limited. While stem cell transplantation offers therapeutic potential through neural regeneration, this approach is associated with the challenges of limited applicable sources. Hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) are multipotential cells that can differentiate into ectodermal and mesodermal lineages and proliferate for long periods. The therapeutic potentials of HFSCs have not been investigated in ischaemic stroke models, and therefore, in this study, we aimed to determine whether they could survive and migrate to ischaemic areas after a stroke attack. Methods A rat model of middle cerebral artery ischaemia/reperfusion was established and intravenously administered HFSCs. The potential of HFSCs to migrate and differentiate into neuron-like cells as well as their ability to reduce the infarct size was evaluated. Rat brain tissue samples were collected 2 weeks after cell transplantation and analysed via TTC staining, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry methods. The data were statistically analysed and presented as the means ± standard deviations. Results Intravenously administrated rat HFSCs were able to migrate to the penumbra where they expressed neuron-specific markers, reduced the infarct volume and promoted neurological recovery. Conclusion HFSC transplantation has therapeutic potential for ischaemic stroke and is, therefore, worthy of further investigation toward possible clinical development for treating stroke patients.

Abstract Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are specific antagonists against bacteria. T7 phage has drawn massive attention in precision medicine owing to its distinctive advantages, such as short replication cycle, ease in displaying peptides and proteins, high stability and cloning efficiency, facile manipulation, and convenient storage. By introducing foreign gene into phage DNA, T7 phage can present foreign peptides or proteins site‐specifically on its capsid, enabling it to become a nanoparticle that can be genetically engineered to screen and display a peptide or protein capable of recognizing a specific target with high affinity. This review critically introduces the biomedical use of T7 phage, ranging from the detection of serological biomarkers and bacterial pathogens, recognition of cells or tissues with high affinity, design of gene vectors or vaccines, to targeted therapy of different challenging diseases (e.g., bacterial infection, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, inflammatory disease, and foot–mouth disease). It also discusses perspectives and challenges in exploring T7 phage, including the understanding of its interactions with human body, assembly into scaffolds for tissue regeneration, integration with genome editing, and theranostic use in clinics. As a genetically modifiable biological nanoparticle, T7 phage holds promise as biomedical imaging probes, therapeutic agents, drug and gene carriers, and detection tools.

Abstract Background This systematic review aimed to investigate whether non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) can reduce systemic inflammatory levels and improve metabolism in patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD) and/or peritoneal dialysis (PD). Methods Electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CNKI, and WFPD) were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) performed through July 2019. The risk of bias within studies was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk assessment tool. The systemic inflammatory and metabolic outcomes included the highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), the albumin (Alb), and lipid metabolite levels. Meta-analyses (MAs) were performed to calculate the overall effect size where appropriate. Results Five RCTs were included in this study. Compared with untreated periodontitis groups, the dialysis patients after NSPT significantly showed decreased hs-CRP levels at less than or equal to 2 months (standardized mean difference: − 1.53, 95% confidence interval − 2.95 to − 0.11). No significant difference was found in IL-6 and Alb levels following NSPT at either the 3- or 6- month follow-ups. No MAs could be performed on the TNF-a level and the lipid metabolic markers. Conclusions NSPT can moderately reduce serum hs-CRP levels in HD and/or PD patients, but did not significantly change IL-6 or Alb levels. For TNF-a and lipid metabolism markers, no sufficient evidence supports that these levels are changed after NSPT. Additional scientific research is necessary to assess the effects of NSPT on systemic inflammation and metabolic parameters in dialysis patients.

There are many promising renewable energy (RE) technologies that could help increase the contribution of RE in energy supply but which are not yet commercially available. The development rate of new RE technologies depends on many factors, such as Research and Development (R&D) efforts and policies. This study focuses on comparing China’s efforts regarding the development of new RE technologies (e.g., wave and tidal, binary geothermal power, floating solar, micro hydro, osmotic energy, floating offshore wind and vertical axis wind turbines) with those of the European Union (EU). For this purpose, we collected data from publications and databases and analysed several indicators: e.g., the development of renewable electricity generation and capacity, demonstration projects, investments in R&D and patent applications. The results show that China has become a big player globally for mainstream renewable electricity (hydropower, wind and solar PV). This development is due to China’s industrial policy and prioritization of effectiveness over cost efficiency. The main developments in China occurred in the 2010s, while the EU was a frontrunner in the 2000s. For the newer or less mainstream technologies, the application in China is still low, compared to the EU, except for floating solar, where China is a lead player. Regarding patent applications, China has shown a higher application amount compared to the EU since 2006. However, only a small share of China’s patents are valid internationally. We conclude that China has emerged as a big player in mainstream renewable energy technologies over the last decade. In regard to new renewable energy technologies, China is predominantly involved in solar energy and, in comparison to the EU, less in other new technologies (e.g., binary geothermal systems and ocean energy).

The ecological conditions in urban area are greatly changed during the process of industrialization and urbanization of China. The pressure-state-response (PSR) framework is the most popular method to evaluate the ecological quality by integrating a set of remote sensing and statistical indicators into one index through a weighting method. However, a completely remote-sensed ecological index (RSEI), integrating normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), Wet, land surface temperature (LST), and the normalized differential build-up and bare soil index (NDBSI) through principal components analysis (PCA) method, has been proposed to assess the regional ecological quality. The publications about urban ecological evaluation by RSEI often focus on only one city or a certain area and there are few types of research on the ecological quality assessment by RSEI of 35 major cities in China. In this paper, we employed RSEI to monitor the changes in the ecological quality in China' 35 major cities. The results of RSEI were compared to that of PSR and stepwise regression method was applied to establish the quantitative relationship among RSEI, NDVI, Wet, NDBSI, and LST. The results show that there are 18 cities with ecological quality deteriorated, mainly located in the east and southwest of China (Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hongkong, Macao, Nanjing, Haikou, Shijiazhuang, and Xi'an), and 17 cities with better ecological quality, mainly located in the north and central area of China (Beijing, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Taipei, Fuzhou, Chongqing, and Jinan), from 1990 to 2015. The 3D-scatter plots of RSEI, NDVI, Wet, NDBSI, and LST demonstrate that the levels of very bad and bad mainly situate in where with a high density of built-up and low vegetation cover and soil water content. The PSR map, acquired from integrating 17 indicators, is quite similar to that of RSEI generated by merging only four remote-sensed indicators. This indicates that RSEI can be adopted to characterize regional ecological quality. Take the quantitative equation of Shanghai in 2015 as an example, every 1.46 decrement in NDBSI or each 3.72 increments in NDVI value can result in one increment in RSEI value and the ecological quality can be improved. Specifically, the expansion of the built-up area can lead to ecological degradation, and vegetation construction can promote eco-environmental quality.

Underground mining would cause ground subsidence damage and large amounts of cracks, which would result a loss of surface moisture and nutrient and intensifying drought. There are a few reports about damage to plant roots caused by coal mining. The irregular distribution of plant roots in soil and the different forces generated in process of surface subsidence are difficult to study comprehensively. The technologies to repair damaged plant roots have not been completely perfected yet. Based on quantitative simulation of alfalfa root cut-repair experiment, this paper discusses the influences of inoculated Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Fungi on alfalfa root and the mitigation effects of an inoculation on the growth of alfalfa. Root injured alfalfa were investigated by soil pot experiments. The result indicated that at the same cut degree, the growth situation of inoculated alfalfa is better than the contrast. Compared with the Olsen-P content, at cut level of 0 and 1/3, the sand of inoculated alfalfa has less Olsen-P than contrast, at cut degree of 1/2 and 2/3, the sand of inoculated alfalfa has more Olsen-P than contrast, at degree of 3/4, the sand of inoculated alfalfa has less Olsen-P than contrast, the change trend of Olsen-P content is concerned with the relative strength size of absorb Olsen-P by alfalfa root and dissolve Olsen-P by root exudates and hyphae interstate.

Aims. The over-the-scope clip (OTSC) has recently emerged as a new endoscopic device for treating gastrointestinal bleeding, perforations, fistulas, and leaks. A modified OTSC device (full-thickness resection device, FTRD) has been widely used for endoscopic full-thickness resection. However, there is less experience regarding the indications and methods for OTSC removal. We aimed to summarize the existing methods and indications for OTSC removal. Methods. We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov to identify relevant publications on OTSC removal. The details of OTSC removal, including the methods, indications, success rates, adverse events, and failure causes, were extracted and summarized. A meta-analysis of pooled success rates was conducted using STATA 15.0. Results. Eighteen articles were included. The reported methods for OTSC removal included (1) grasping forceps, (2) the Nd : YAG laser, (3) argon plasma coagulation, (4) the remOVE system, (5) endoscopic mucosal resection/endoscopic submucosal dissection, and (6) ice-cold saline solution. Indications for OTSC removal were (1) poor healing, (2) OTSC misplacement, (3) repeat biopsy/therapy or further treatment, (4) adverse events after OTSC implantation, (5) removal after recovery, and (6) patient wishes. The pooled success rate of OTSC removal was 89% in patients treated with the remOVE system. Minor bleeding, superficial thermal damage, and superficial mucosal tears were common adverse events. Mucosal overgrowth was the main cause of OTSC removal failure. Conclusions. The remOVE system is the best investigated method, with sufficient efficacy and safety for OTSC removal. This is the first systematic review of OTSC removal and provides significant guidance for clinical practice.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravitreal bevacizumab(Avastin)for choroidal neovascularization(CNV)in pathologic myopia(PM)by including optical coherence tomography(OCT), fluorescein angiography(FFA)and best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA). METHODS: Totally 42 eyes in 41 patients with PM CNV were divided into 2 groups randomly, experimental group(n=22)were assigned to receive intravitreal bevacizumab injections and take fufangxueshuantong capsule; control group(n=20)just took fufangxueshuantong capsule. Subjects were followed up every month after treatment. The efficacy and safety of two group were compared by ophthalmic evaluations including OCT, FFA, and BCVA. RESULTS: BCVA: BCVA in two groups was improved after 12 months. The mean number of treatments per eye, experimental group was 4.23±2.02 and control group was 1.95±1.90. There was significant difference(P

AIM:To investigate the changes of the positive relative accommodation in adolescent pseudomyopia with visual training.METHODS: A total of 42 cases(84 eyes)were randomly divided into the visual training group and the control group. Visual acuity, average refraction of two groups 4wk after the training were measured, as well as positive relative accommodation(5m)were checked before the training and repeated 1, 2, 4wk after the training. Correlation analysis were given.RESULTS: There was statistically significant difference in visual acuity 4wk after the training between the two groups(PP>0.05). There was statistically significant difference in positive relative accommodation(5m)1, 2, 4wk after the training between the two groups(PPCONCLUSION: Visual training has significant effect on the positive relative accommodation on adolescent pseudomyopia.

Traditional NDVI-Ts space is triangular or trapezoidal, but Liu et al. (2015) discovered that the NDVI-Ts space was bi-parabolic when the study area was covered with low biomass vegetation. Moreover, the numerical value of the indicator was considered in most of the study when the drought conditions in the space domain were evaluated. In addition, quantitatively assessing the spatial-temporal changes of the drought was not enough. In this study, first, we used MODIS NDVI and Ts data to reexamine if the NDVI-Ts space with “time” and a single pixel domain is bi-parabolic in the Shaanxi province of China, which is vegetated with low biomass to high biomass. This is compared with the triangular NDVI-Ts space and one of the well-known drought indexes called the temperature-vegetation index (TVX). The results demonstrated that dry and wet edges exhibited a parabolic shape again in scatter plots of Ts and NDVI in the Shaanxi province, which was linear in the triangular NDVI-Ts space. The Temperature Vegetation Dryness Index (TVDIc) was obtained from bi-parabolic NDVI-Ts andTVDIt was obtained from the triangular NDVI-Ts space and TVX were compared with 10-cm depth relative soil moisture. By estimating the 10-cm depth soil moisture, TVDIc was better than TVDIt, which were all apparently better than TVX. Second, combined with MODIS data, the drought conditions of the study area were assessed by TVDIc between 2000 to 2016. Spatially, the drought in the Shaanxi Province between 2000 to 2016 were mainly distributed in the northwest, North Shaanxi, and the North and East Guanzhong plain. The drought area of the Shaanxi province accounted for 31.95% in 2000 and 27.65% in 2016, respectively. Third, we quantitatively evaluated the variation of the drought status by using Gradient-based Structural Similarity (GSSIM) methods. The area of the drought conditions significantly changed and moderately changed at 5.34% and 40.22%, respectively, between 2000 and 2016. Finally, the possible reasons for drought change were discussed. The change of precipitation, temperature, irrigation, destruction or betterment of vegetation, and the enlargement of opening mining, etc., can lead to the variations of drought.

Environmental degradation and poverty are linked, and must be tackled together. Doing so requires a win-win strategy that both restores the environment and ensures a sustainable livelihood for those who are affected by the restoration project. To understand the importance of combining ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation objectives with a consideration of the livelihoods of residents, we examined a successful project in ecologically fragile Changting County, Fujian Province, China. We attribute the project’s success to the development of a win-win strategy that sustainably improved resident livelihoods, in contrast with traditional strategies that focus exclusively on establishing forests and grassland. To develop this win-win strategy, we performed long-term monitoring (since 1984) under a program designed to permit ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation in the county. For our analysis, we chose a range of natural and socioeconomic indicators that could affect the ecological restoration; we then used a contribution model to identify the relative influence of each social, economic, or environmental factor on the dependent variables (vegetation cover, soil erosion, number of plant species). The results showed that by improving livelihoods and mitigating poverty in the long term, the project also reduced damage to the environment by local residents. Our calculations suggest that accounting for socioeconomic factors played a key role in the successful ecological conservation. This win-win path to escaping the poverty trap during ecological restoration provides an example that can be followed by restoration projects elsewhere in the world with suitable modifications to account for unique local conditions.

AIM: To observe the clinical efficacy of Artisan iris-clip intraocular lens(IOL)implantation on cataract with a wide range of lens dislocation.METHODS: Twenty-four hospital patients(28 eyes)of cataract with lens subluxation by trauma(20 patients, 20 eyes)and Marfan's syndrome(4 patients, 8 eyes)during May 2007 to December 2011 were selected. All of them underwent phacoemulsification or an anterior vitrectomy and Artisan iris-clip IOL implantation at stage Ⅰ. Postoperative visual acuity, corneal endothelial cell count, intraocular lens position and postoperative complications were observed. Follow-up time was 6mo.RESULTS:Compared with the preoperative, postoperative best corrected visual acuity improved to varying degrees, visual acuity of 0.1-0.5 was in 20 eyes, 0.5-1.0 in 8 eyes. After followed up 1-6mo, no artificial lens shift, iris inflammation, iris atrophy and corneal decompensation and other complications were observed.CONCLUSION: Cataract surgery with a wide range of lens dislocation is difficult, but as long as surgeons who have a wealth of clinical experience and superb skills, still can carry out phacoemulsification surgery or anterior vitrectomy and Artisan iris-clip IOL implantation and obtain a better outcome.