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Arable soil continues to be the dominant anthropogenic source of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions owing to application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers and manures across the world. Using laboratory and in situ studies to elucidate the key factors controlling soil N2O emissions remains challenging due to the potential importance of multiple complex processes. We examined soil surface N2O fluxes in an arable soil, combined with in situ high‐frequency measurements of soil matrix oxygen (O2) and N2O concentrations, in situ 15N labeling, and N2O 15N site preference (SP). The in situ O2 concentration and further microcosm visualized spatiotemporal distribution of O2 both suggested that O2 dynamics were the proximal determining factor to matrix N2O concentration and fluxes due to quick O2 depletion after N fertilization. Further SP analysis and in situ 15N labeling experiment revealed that the main source for N2O emissions was bacterial denitrification during the hot‐wet summer with lower soil O2 concentration, while nitrification or fungal denitrification contributed about 50.0% to total emissions during the cold‐dry winter with higher soil O2 concentration. The robust positive correlation between O2 concentration and SP values underpinned that the O2 dynamics were the key factor to differentiate the composite processes of N2O production in in situ structured soil. Our findings deciphered the complexity of N2O production processes in real field conditions, and suggest that O2 dynamics rather than stimulation of functional gene abundances play a key role in controlling soil N2O production processes in undisturbed structure soils. Our results help to develop targeted N2O mitigation measures and to improve process models for constraining global N2O budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare and endangered plant species (REPs) are important in biodiversity conservation, and some REPs with narrow habitats are facing serious challenges from climate change. Encalypta buxbaumioidea T. Cao, C, Gao & X, L. Bai is an endangered bryophyte species that is endemic to China. To explore the consequences of climate change on the geographic distribution of this endangered species, we used maximum entropy to predict the potential distribution of this species in China under current and three future scenarios (RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5) of two time periods (2050 and 2070) in China and assessed its conservation gaps. Twelve species occurrence sites and nine environmental variables were used in the modeling process. The results show that E. buxbaumioidea distribution is affected mainly by the annual mean temperature, isothermality, precipitation of the coldest quarter, and NDVI. According to species response curves, this species preferred habitats with annual mean temperature from −3 to 6 °C, precipitation of the coldest quarter from 14 to 77 mm, isothermality of more than 70%, and NDVI in the second quarter from 0.15 to 0.68. Currently, the most suitable habitat for this species is mainly distributed in the Qinghai–Tibet plateau, which is about 1.97 × 105 km2. The range would sharply reduce to 0.13–0.56% under future climate change. Nature reserves overlap with only 7.32% of the current distribution and would cover a much less portion of the area occupied by the species in the future scenarios, which means the current protected areas network is insufficient. Our results show that endangered bryophyte species are susceptible to environmental stress, especially climate change; therefore, the habitats of bryophytes should be taken into account when it comes to setting up protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fertilization regimes of combining manure with synthetic fertilizer are benefits for crop yields and soil fertility in cropping systems as compared to sole synthetic fertilization, but the responses of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions to these practices are inconsistent in the literatures. We hypothesized that it is caused by different proportions of nitrogen (N) applied as manure and various soil properties. Here, we conducted a microcosm experiment, and measured the N 2 O emissions from control (no N) and five manure substitution treatments (supplied 100 mg N kg−1 using the combination of urea with manure) with a range of proportions of N applied as manure (0, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) in three different soil types (fluvo-aquic soil, black soil, and latosol) under aerobic condition. The stimulated effect on N 2 O emissions was more pronounced after manure application in an alkaline soil with high nitrification rate, due to relatively rapid soil DOC depletion and N mineralization of manure. N 2 O emissions from partial substitution of urea with manure were significantly higher than manure-only addition under high soil pH due to abundant labile C from manure. However, there was no difference between manure substitution treatments under acid soils. Nitrification inhibitor substantially decreased N 2 O emissions with increasing soil pH, but it was less effective in mitigating N 2 O emissions with larger proportion of manure. This is likely due to the slow nitrification under low soil pH, and denitrification derived N 2 O increased with increasing manure application rate. Collectively, our study shows that the application of manure substitution to alkaline soils requires careful consideration, which might have rapid nitrification potential and hence trigger significant N 2 O emissions. The knowledge gained in this work will help the decision-makers in optimizing a sound N fertilization regime interacted with soil properties for sustainable crop production and N 2 O mitigation. [Display omitted] • Partial manure substitution triggered significant N 2 O emission under high soil pH. • Manure substitution did not enhance substantial N 2 O emissions under low soil pH. • The availability of N and DOC mediated the response of N 2 O emissions to manure substitution. • Nitrification inhibitor was less effective in mitigating N 2 O emissions with larger proportion of manure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prokaryotic expression systems are widely used to produce many types of biologics because of their extreme conveniences and unmatchable cost. However, production of recombinant human ferritin light chain (rhFTL) protein is largely restrained because its expression in Escherichia coli tends to form inclusion bodies (IBs). In this study, a prokaryotic expression vector (FTL‐pBV220) harboring the rhFTL gene was constructed using a pBV220 plasmid. The tag‐free rhFTL was highly expressed and almost entirely converted to soluble form, and thus the rhFTL was successfully self‐assembled into uniform nanoparticles in E. coli. To establish a simplified downstream process, a precipitation procedure based on the optimized incubation temperature, pH condition, and ionic strength was developed to remove impurities from the crude lysate supernatant. The rhFTL retained in the clarified supernatant was subsequently purified in a single step using Capto Butyl column resulting in a considerable recovery and high purity. The purified rhFTL was characterized and verified by mass spectrometry and spectral and morphological analyses. The results revealed that rhFTL exhibited highly ordered and fairly compact structures and the spherical structures were preserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With unstoppable rise of digital economy globally, digital transformation has become an inevitable choice for enterprises to survive and develop; both the public and the government are paying increasing attention to digital transformation. At the same time, the Chinese government takes more serious attitude towards systemic financial risks, emphasizing the importance of controlling systemic risks such as abnormal stock price in many public occasions. In this context, enterprise digital transformation and stock price crash risk have gained unprecedented attention. It is of great value for both industry and the government to analyze the influence and mechanism of enterprise digital transformation (EDT) on stock price crash risks. This study measures the degree/level of EDT of Chinese A-share publicly owned enterprises through document study and crawler technology, examining the influence and mechanism of digital transformation on companies' stock price crash risk. Conclusions of this paper may provide a theoretical and empirical basis for understanding digital transformation's consequences in capital market and provide a reference for the government and regulatory authorities to formulate support and disclosure policies for digital transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Immunotherapy is a promising breast cancer treatment. Nonetheless, tumor heterogeneity and the interaction between immune cells in the tumor microenvironment limit its effectiveness. Formononetin—extracted from the Chinese medicinal plant Astragalus membranaceus—can inhibit tumor growth, induce apoptosis and angiogenesis, and reverse multidrug resistance. However, its efficacy and mechanism of action on the immune cells in breast cancer remain unclear. Here, we screened immune-related genes of breast cancer to determine the potential of formononetin as a therapeutic. Methods. GSE103512 and GSE139038 breast cancer microarray data and immune-related gene data were obtained from the GEO and ImmPort databases, respectively, to analyze the differentially expressed immune-related genes (IRGs) in breast cancer tissues compared with normal breast tissues. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis was performed using the STRING database to screen differentially expressed IRGs based on the topological parameters. The Kaplan–Meier test was applied to detect differentially expressed IRGs associated with breast cancer survival, and the interaction of formononetin with differentially expressed IRGs was analyzed using molecular docking. Finally, the relationship between differentially expressed IRGs and breast cancer immune cell infiltration was analyzed using the TIMER2.0 database. Results. A total of 29 differentially expressed IRGs of breast cancer were screened through GEO and ImmPort databases and 10 key differentially expressed IRGs based on the topological parameters from the PPI network. Among these, CXCL12, ESR1, IGF1, and FOS were associated with breast cancer survival. Furthermore, IGF1, ESR1, and CXCL12 were found to have stable binding sites for formononetin. These genes were associated with substantial immune cell infiltration in breast cancer tissues. Conclusion. In conclusion, formononetin may exert antitumor effects by acting on CXCL12, ESR1, and IGF1 and may have a potential synergistic effect with immune checkpoint inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Inflammatory markers are associated with tumor genesis and progression, but their prognostic significance in osteosarcoma remains unclear. Therefore, we discussed the prognostic value of related inflammatory markers in osteosarcoma through a meta-analysis and systematic review. These inflammatory markers include C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and Glasgow prognostic score (GPS). Methods. The Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, Chinese Scientific Journals (VIP), PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane libraries were searched. The design of meta-analysis was made based on the PICOS (population, intervention/exposure, control, outcomes, and study design) principles, and STATA 15.1 was used to analyze the data. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of included studies. Hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DPS) were extracted for the investigation of the prognostic value of inflammatory markers. Results. Twelve researches with 2162 osteosarcoma patients were included in total. The pooled results showed that elevated NLR, CRP, and GPS are all greatly related to shortening of OS among patients with osteosarcoma (HR = 1.68 , P = 0.007 , 95% CI: 1.15-2.45; HR = 1.96 , P = 0.002 , 95% CI: 1.28-3.00; HR = 2.54 , P < 0.0001 , 95% CI: 1.95-3.31, respectively), and CRP level is significantly associated with shortening of DPS among patients with osteosarcoma (HR = 2.76 , 95% CI:2.01-3.80, P < 0.0001), additionally. However, the correlation between LMR or PLR and the prognosis of osteosarcoma is not statistically significant (HR = 0.60 , 95% CI: 0.30-1.18, P = 0.138 ; HR = 1.13 , 95% CI: 0.85-1.49, P = 0.405 , respectively). The outcomes of subgroup analysis to NLR and CRP suggested that histology, ethnicity, metastasis, and sample size all have an impact on its prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma. Conclusion. Worsened prognosis may be related to high levels of NLR, CRP, and GPS before treatment rather than LMR or PLR, which can provide the basis for clinicians to judge the outcomes of prognosis. Trial Registration. PROSPERO (CRD42021249954), https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=249954. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The recombinant human ferritin heavy chain (rhFTH) was expressed and self-assembled in E. coli. • Non-chromatographic procedure with optimized pH, temperature and NaCl was critical to the purity of rhFTH. • rhFTH with intact nanoparticle structure was obtained with high recovery. Recombinant human ferritin heavy chain (rhFTH) was highly expressed and self-assembled in E. coli bacteria. To establish a robust purification scheme, we developed a non-chromatographic precipitation procedure as a key step for extracting rhFTH from the disrupted supernatant. Three factors including heating temperature, pH value and sodium chloride concentration were systematically investigated and optimized for this precipitation procedure. Almost all of the unrelated proteins could be efficiently removed by the optimized precipitation procedure. Combining with hydrophobic interaction chromatography of Capto Butyl, the rhFTH was efficiently purified from the post-precipitated supernatant, the purity of the finally obtained rhFTH was above 98 % and the target protein recovery was around 66 % roughly estimated by optical density. ESI-MS analysis showed a molecular weight of 21086.0 Da that was almost identical with the theoretical value. Circular dichroism analysis revealed alpha-helix structure as major structure content and fluorescence analysis demonstrated that aromatic amino acids residues were highly buried inside. HP-SEC analysis showed a geometrically symmetrical peak, indicating rhFTH exists as homogeneous structure with a relatively large size, and further being validated by DLS and TEM. DSC analysis revealed that the extreme stability against temperature contributed mainly to the feasibility of the developed precipitation treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digestate is considered as an option for recycling resources and a part of the substitution for chemical fertilizers to reduce environmental impacts. However, its application may lead to significant nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions because of its high concentration of ammonium and degradable carbon. The research objectives are to evaluate how N 2 O emissions respond to digestate as compared to urea application and whether this depends on soil properties and moisture. Either digestate or urea (100 mg N kg−1) was applied with and without a nitrification inhibitor of 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) to three soil types (fluvo-aquic soil, black soil, and latosol) under three different soil moisture conditions (45, 65, and 85% water-filled pore space (WFPS)) through microcosm incubations. Results showed that digestate- and urea-induced N 2 O emissions increased exponentially with soil moisture in the three studied soils, and the magnitude of the increase was much greater in the alkaline fluvo-aquic soil, coinciding with high net nitrification rate and transient nitrite accumulation. Compared with urea-amended soils, digestate led to significantly higher peaks in N 2 O and carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions, which might be due to stimulated rapid oxygen consumption and mineralized N supply. Digestate-induced N 2 O emissions were all more than one time higher than those induced by urea at the three moisture levels in the three studied soils, except at 85% WFPS in the fluvo-aquic soil. DMPP was more effective at mitigating N 2 O emissions (inhibitory efficacy: 73%–99%) in wetter digestate-fertilized soils. Overall, our study shows the contrasting effect of digestate to urea on N 2 O emissions under different soil properties and moisture levels. This is of particular value for determining the optimum of applying digestate under varying soil moisture conditions to minimize stimulated N 2 O emissions in specific soil properties. [Display omitted] • N 2 O emission ratios of digestate to urea were all more than 1 except at 85% WFPS in alkaline soil. • High soil moisture triggered an exponential increase in N 2 O emissions from digestate amendment. • The greater increase in alkaline soil was due to high net nitrification rate and transient nitrite accumulation. • Nitrification inhibitor significantly reduced digestate-induced N 2 O emissions under high soil moisture conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The properties of agricultural soils in various regions of the world are variable and can have a significant but poorly understood impact on soil nitrogen (N) transformations and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions. For this reason, we undertook a study of gross N transformations and related N 2 O emissions in contrasting agricultural soils from China and the UK. Seven Chinese and three UK agricultural soils were collected for study using a 15N tracing approach. The soil pH ranged from 5.4 to 8.7, with three acidic soils collected from Jinjing, Lishu and Boghall; one neutral soil collected from Changshu, and the other six alkaline soils collected from Quzhou, Zhangye, Changwu, Jinzhong, Boxworth and Stetchworth. Our results showed that the main N transformation processes were oxidation of ammonium (NH 4 +) to nitrate (NO 3 −) (O NH4), and mineralization of organic N to NH 4 +. The gross autotrophic nitrification rates calculated in the three acidic soils were between 0.25 and 4.15 mg N kg−1 d−1, which were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than those in the remaining neutral and alkaline soils ranging from 6.94 to 14.43 mg N kg−1 d−1. Generally, soil pH was positively correlated (p < 0.001) with gross autotrophic nitrification rate and cumulative N 2 O emissions, indicating that soil pH was an important factor regulating autotrophic nitrification and N 2 O emissions. There was also a significant positive correlation between the gross autotrophic nitrification rate and cumulative N 2 O emissions, highlighting the importance of this process for producing N 2 O emissions in these agricultural soils under aerobic conditions. Gross NH 4 + immobilization rates were very low in most soils except for the Jinjing soil with the lowest pH. In conclusion, the gross autotrophic nitrification rates and related N 2 O emissions were controlled by soil pH irrespectively of the soil's origin in these agricultural soils. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • We examined gross N transformations in Chinese and UK agricultural soils. • Autotrophic nitrification and mineralization were the key N transformation processes. • Autotrophic nitrification was important for N 2 O emission under aerobic conditions. • pH was the primary factor controlling autotrophic nitrification and N 2 O emissions. • Gross N transformation rates were not related to the origin of soil sampling sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the high heterogeneity and complexity of cancers, patients with different cancer subtypes often have distinct groups of genomic and clinical characteristics. Therefore, the discovery and identification of cancer subtypes are crucial to cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Recent technological advances have accelerated the increasing availability of multi-omics data for cancer subtyping. To take advantage of the complementary information from multi-omics data, it is necessary to develop computational models that can represent and integrate different layers of data into a single framework. Here, we propose a decoupled contrastive clustering method (Subtype-DCC) based on multi-omics data integration for clustering to identify cancer subtypes. The idea of contrastive learning is introduced into deep clustering based on deep neural networks to learn clustering-friendly representations. Experimental results demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed Subtype-DCC model in identifying cancer subtypes over the currently available state-of-the-art clustering methods. The strength of Subtype-DCC is also supported by the survival and clinical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimizing crop rotations is one of the proposed sustainable management strategies for increasing carbon sequestration. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model for estimating soil parameters (temperature, moisture and exchangeable NO3− and NH4+), crop yield and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions for long-term multi-cropping systems in Hebei, China. The model was validated using five years of data of soil parameters, crop yields and N2O emissions. The DNDC model effectively simulated daily soil temperature, cumulative soil nitrogen and crop yields of all crops. It predicted the trends of observed daily N2O emissions and their cumulative values well but overestimated the magnitude of some peaks. However, the model underestimated daily water filled pore space, especially in dry seasons, and had difficulties in correctly estimating daily exchangeable NO3− and NH4+. Both observed and simulated cumulative N2O results showed that optimized and alternative cropping systems used less nitrogen fertiliser, increased grain yield and decreased N2O emissions compared to the conventional cropping system. Our study shows that although the DNDC model (v. 9.5) is not perfect in estimating daily N2O emissions for these long-term multi-cropping systems, it could still be an effective tool for predicting cumulative emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islanded AC–DC hybrid microgrids composed of new energy sources, constant power loads and energy storage system are typical non‐linear systems, and guaranteeing large signal stability is a key issue. In this paper, the non‐linear model of islanded AC–DC hybrid microgrids is established, and large signal stability criteria are obtained. Considering reference current limitation of the energy DC–AC converter, the derived large signal stability criterion gives important constraints on the constant power loads power, the power of energy storage unit, DC bus voltage, the inductor and equivalent resistance of the AC filter, DC capacitor, the proportional parameter of the inner current controller and the maximum instantaneous power of the DC–AC converter. The paper is summarized as follows. Firstly, the equivalent model of the AC–DC hybrid microgrids in DQ rotating frame is established. Then based on mixed potential theory, the mixed potential model is constructed, and large signal stability criterion is derived and optimized considering the reference current limitation of the DC–AC converter. Finally, the presented criterion is verified by simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contributions to the quark flavor and spin observables from the intrinsic charm in the proton are discussed in the SU(4) quark meson fluctuation model. Our results suggest that the probability of finding the intrinsic charm in the proton is less than 1%. The intrinsic charm helicity is small and negative, Δc ≃ -(0.003 ∼ 0.015). The fraction of the total quark helicity carried by the intrinsic charm is less than 2%. A brief comparison of the quark flavor and spin observables with data and other models or analyses is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analytical and numerical results, for the orbital and spin content carried by different quark flavors in the baryons, are given in the chiral quark model with symmetry breaking. The reduction of the quark spin, due to the spin dilution in the chiral splitting processes, is transferred into the orbital motion of quarks and antiquarks. The orbital angular momentum for each quark flavor in the proton as a function of the partition factor κ and the chiral splitting probability a is shown. The cancellation between the spin and orbital contributions in the spin sum rule and in the baryon magnetic moments is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potential mechanisms of Baoyuan Jiedu decoction to improve pre-metastatic niche. Baoyuan Jiedu decoction inhibits the accumulation of MDSC in pre-metastatic niche of lung via TGF-β/CCL9 pathway. • Baoyuan Jiedu decoction reverses the pre-metastatic niche of lung. • Baoyuan Jiedu decoction inhibits the accumulation of MDSC in pre-metastatic niche of lung. • Baoyuan Jiedu decoction downregulates TGF-β/CCL9 pathway activation. Baoyuan Jiedu (BYJD for short) decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine formula, is composed of Astragalus, Ginseng, Aconite root, Honeysuckle, Angelica, Licorice, which has the functions of nourishing qi and blood, enhancing immune function, improving quality of life and prolonging survival time of tumor patients. The present study aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of BYJD decoction on reversing the pre-metastatic niche. We showed that BYJD decoction could prolong the survival time of 4T1 tumor-bearing mice. Moreover, we found that the BYJD decoction inhibited the formation of lung pre-metastatic niche and inhibited recruitment of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the lung. Mechanistically, we showed that the proteins and genes expression of TGF-β, Smad2, Smad3, p-Smad2/3, Smad4, CCL9 in the TGF-β/CCL9 signaling pathway were suppressed by BYJD decoction. In line with the above findings, our results confirm that BYJD decoction inhibits the accumulation of MDSC in pre-metastatic niche of lung via TGF-β/CCL9 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural soils are a major source of anthropogenic N 2 O, but their N 2 O emission estimates are highly uncertain, mainly due to the complexity of nitrogen (N) processes. Most soil N models include only primary N processes such as nitrification and denitrification, which limits their ability to realistically simulate N transformations in soils and accurately estimate N 2 O emissions from soils. This study introduces a Microbial-Explicit Model incorporating Comprehensive Nitrogen processes (MEMCN) to evaluate and quantify the influences of various N processes on the production of N 2 O as well as NO and N 2 , including nitrification, denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX), dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), mineralization, and microbial assimilation (i.e., growth) and death. The MEMCN was evaluated in laboratory experiments using agricultural soils with different levels of N additions under anaerobic and aerobic conditions, and reproduced well the dynamics of NH 4 +, NO 3 −, NO 2 −, NO, N 2 O, and N 2. After nitrification and denitrification, ANAMMOX and assimilation were found to be most important in controlling N transformations in agricultural soils. ANAMMOX directly increased N 2 emissions by 139% at the beginning of the simulations (i.e., 48 h) under anaerobic conditions, while microbial assimilation indirectly reduced NO, N 2 O, and N 2 emissions by 88%, 54%, and 58%, respectively, at the end of the simulations (i.e., 336 h) under aerobic conditions. Correspondingly, the biomass of ANAMMOX bacteria increased significantly at the beginning of the simulations under anaerobic conditions, while the biomass of nitrite oxidizing bacteria increased substantially under aerobic conditions. In contrast, DNRA, mineralization and microbial death had minor effect on soil N transformations, and the biomass of DNRA bacteria and heterotrophs did not change significantly during the simulations. Our study shows that it is necessary to include ANAMMOX and microbial assimilation in soil N models, while explicit simulation of microbial biomass dynamics may only be necessary if microbial biomass pools change significantly. • Develope a Microbial-Explicit Model incorporating Comprehensive N processes. • Quantify contributions of individual N processes to gaseous N production. • ANAMMOX increased N 2 produciton under aerobic and anaerobic condtions. • Assimilation reduced NO, N 2 O, and N 2 emissions under aerobic condtions. • Micoribal biomass should be explicitly expressed as they change substantially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrification, a key step in soil nitrogen cycling, is a biologically mediated process crucial to the ecological environment. However, how nitrifiers drive nitrification under different soil properties and climatic factors at large spatial scales is poorly understood. Here, using metagenomic sequencing and network‐based approaches, we identified key nitrifying species of upland agricultural soils in northern China, which spans a wide range of climates and geographic distances. We found that potential nitrification rates (PNRs) varied in different soils and were positively correlated with soil pH (5.42–8.46) and mean annual temperature (MAT) and negatively correlated with the C/N ratio. Network analysis revealed that one module (module 3) was significantly correlated with PNR. In this module, 16 dominant nodes were associated with AOB Nitrosomonas and most nodes were significantly correlated with environmental factors, suggesting that abiotic conditions are important for determining the assembly of these key nitrifiers. Our study advanced the understanding of the key nitrifying populations and their environmental drivers in upland agricultural soil across different soil and climate types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inappropriate activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is an important factor in the development of hypertension. Excessive aldosterone can lead to myocardial extracellular matrix collagen proliferation, fibrosis, and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and aggravate maladaptive remodeling. The results of our previous clinical and animal experiments suggested that Zi Shen Huo Luo Formula (ZSHLF) combined with perindopril can effectively control the process of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether ZSHLF-treated serum inhibits the membrane localization of the striatin-mediated mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and affects MR-mediated nongenomic effects and the downstream epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathways, thereby improving aldosterone-induced myocardial remodeling. Serum containing ZSHLF was prepared and used to treat rat cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts in vitro after aldosterone induction and striatin knockdown by small interfering RNA (siRNA). Cell-based assays were carried out to determine the cardiomyocyte surface area and assess the proliferation rate and hydroxyproline secretion of cardiac fibroblasts. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), immunoprecipitation (IP), and Western blotting were performed to evaluate the striatin-mediated MR/EGFR/ERK signaling pathway. In the present study, ZSHLF attenuated the aldosterone-induced hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes and inhibited the proliferation and collagen synthesis of cardiac fibroblasts. ZSHLF also reduced striatin mRNA expression and inhibited striatin and MR binding, membrane MR protein expression, and EGFR and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Furthermore, after striatin silencing with siRNA, some of the effects of ZSHLF were not changed significantly. In conclusion, ZSHLF inhibits the downstream EGFR/ERK signaling pathway by blocking the striatin-mediated membrane localization of MR, which may be an important molecular mechanism by which ZSHLF improves aldosterone-induced myocardial remodeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Morphological traits of bryophytes in arid and semi-arid areas of Tibet were studied. • Morphological traits of bryophytes were closely related to environmental changes. • Hair-point length and plant height showed high CV and phenotypic plasticity. • Effects of environmental factors were different on terricolous and saxicolous moss. As the main part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Tibet has a large range of elevations. Its complex topography and diverse vegetation types constitute various micro-habitat conditions, which may exert great influence on ecosystems. The bryophytes are higher plant with simple structure, and widely distributed, and extremely sensitive to environmental variation as well. As one of the important indicator plants, its response to environmental variation is important to explore. In this study, to better understand the response of bryophytes to environmental variation, we explored the relationship between the morphological traits of Bryum argenteum and its surrounding climate, topography, soil, and other environmental factors in the arid and semi-arid regions of Tibet. The Bryum argenteum specimens collected in the arid and semi-arid regions of Tibet from 2007 to 2015 were taken for 8 samples each specimen, and slides of plants and leaves were made. The slides were photo graphed and we measured the plant height, leaf length, leaf width, costa length, costa width and hair-point length, and measured the correlations between them and the environmental factors. Our results showed that the morphological characteristics of bryophytes are closely related to environmental variation, among which the hair-point length and plant height showed high coefficient of variation and phenotypic plasticity. The effects of environmental variation on bryophytes are largely different in different substrates. The morphological traits of terricolous Bryum argenteum are largely influenced by growing season precipitation, soil pH, and soil texture, while the morphological traits of saxicolous Bryum argenteum are largely influenced by elevation, growing season temperature, annual precipitation, and total nitrogen, available phosphorus and organic matter in soil. Our study showed the various functional traits of bryophytes are closely related and the combination of these traits collaboratively responds to environmental variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of 6-hydroxyaurones and their analogues have been synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory and glucose consumption-promoting activity. These compounds exhibited varying degrees of α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, 11 of them showing higher potency than that of the control standard acarbose (IC 50 = 50.30 μM). Surprisingly, analogues devoid of a substituent at C-2 but having an aryl group at C-5 were found to be highly active (e.g., 7f , IC 50 = 9.88 μM). Docking analysis substantiated these findings. The kinetic analysis of compound 7f , the most potent α-glucosidase inhibitor of this study, revealed that it inhibited α-glucosidase in an irreversible and mixed competitive mode. In addition, compounds 7f and 10c exhibited significant glucose consumption promoting activity at 1 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Changes in the physicochemical properties of shrimp meat treated with two‐stage heating were investigated. Currently, shrimp products in the processing process are susceptible to uneven dehydration, shrimp meat shrinkage, which results in rough and hard texture, poor chewiness, and seriously affects the edible quality as well as economic benefits. Improving the utilization value of shrimp resources, expanding its market shares, optimizing the tenderness of shrimp is the key to developing new types of fresh and ready‐to‐eat shrimp products. RESULTS: The results indicated that preheating at 30 °C could not affect the quality of shrimp meat significantly (P > 0.05). As the preheating temperature increased from 40 °C to 50 °C, the hardness and shear force of shrimp meat decreased due to the exposure of protein hydrophobic groups, protein aggregation and degradation, muscle fraction broken, and weight loss increase. Further increase in preheating temperature would lead to further aggregation and gelation of proteins, causing hardness and shear force increase. Besides, the results of microstructure showed that preheating at 40 °C and 50 °C could cause the shrimp muscles to become loose. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the preheating temperature ranging from 40 °C to 50 °C could effectively improve the tenderness of shrimp meat. This study might be useful for developing tenderized shrimp products in the future. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous cropping of Fenghua taro leads to poor quality. In this research, two pollution tolerant algae, Spirulina platensis and Chlorella vulgaris , were selected as conditioners for continuous cropping obstacles of taro production. The composition, abundance, and biodiversity of the bacteria and fungi communities in soil rhizosphere of continuous cropping were compared to non-continuous cropping, and studied in-depth. These results showed that the growth of taro during continuous cropping, when irrigated with Chlorella vulgaris and Spirulina platensis, was significantly better than the control group without algal cell irrigation. Accordingly, the plant height, leaf length, leaf area, moisture, carbohydrate, and protein in continuous cropping were 128 cm, 69 cm, 56 cm, 72 g/100 g, 10.8 g/100 g and 2.4 g/100 g, respectively, when watered with Chlorella vulgaris. Furthermore, compared with continuous cropping, the abundance of plant pathogens in the taro rhizosphere, fertilized with Spirulina platensis, were significantly reduced, while the corresponding abundance of soil beneficial bacteria was significantly increased. Specifically, the abundance of beneficial bacteria Ceratobasidium and Pulveroboletus increased, and the pathogens such as Curvularia , Erysiphe , and Clonostachys decreased, during continuous cropping when irrigated with Spirulina platensis. Live microalgae, after wastewater treatment, could be used as potential conditioners to avoid obstacles during continuous cropping of taro production. [Display omitted] • Chlorella vulgaris and Spirulina platensis grew well in swine wastewater. • Spirulina platensis improved the growth of taro with continuous cropping. • Soil microbial community may be the important factor affecting taro growth. • Algae alleviate taro growth obstacles by optimizing the abundance of microbes. • Live microalgae could be used as potential conditioners to taro production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhanced efficiency nitrogen fertilizers (EENFs) have provided opportunities for the simultaneous mitigation of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions and increases in crop productions. However, the practice of combining EENFs with optimal fertilization under conditions of misaligned water and fertilizer inputs in rain-fed spring maize systems remains inadequately understood. This study aims to determine the factors controlling N 2 O emissions under the soil climatic conditions in rain-fed plastic mulching cropping systems treated with different nitrogen (N) fertilization rates and EENFs, and to determine the most effective N fertilization measure to reduce N 2 O emissions while maintaining crop yields. A 3-year field experiment was conducted in a spring maize system located in the semiarid rain-fed region of the Loess Plateau, applying two types of EENFs: a nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) and a slow-release fertilizer (SRF). It comprised five fertilization treatments: unfertilized (CK), conventional N rate (CON, 200 kg N ha−1), optimal N rate (OPT, 160 kg N ha−1), OPT with the addition of DCD (OPT+DCD), and OPT using SRF (OPT-SRF). The average annual cumulative N 2 O emissions over the 3-year experimental period ranged from 0.74 to 1.87 kg N 2 O-N ha–1. Fertilizer N contributed 26−60% to annual N 2 O emissions. The highest N 2 O fluxes (50–161 μg N 2 O-N m–2 h–1) typically occurred within the initial 10 days following fertilization, likely induced by strong nitrification processes, constituting 12–19% of the annual N 2 O emissions during this brief period. In comparison to the CON treatment, the OPT, OPT+DCD, and OPT-SRF treatments resulted in significant reductions in annual N 2 O emissions of 24%, 46%, and 34%, respectively, without causing any significant decrease in maize grain yields. The application of DCD led to increased ammonium (NH 4 +-N) concentrations while reducing nitrate (NO 3 –-N). Conversely, using SRF resulted in a decrease in both NH 4 +-N and NO 3 –-N concentrations. Using EENFs at the ideal fertilization rate significantly curtailed yearly N 2 O emissions without adversely affecting maize yields in a rain-fed plastic mulching spring maize system prevalent in the Loess Plateau. Most N 2 O emissions occurred post-fertilization, with rainfall events further influencing these emissions. Our findings recommend the incorporation of nitrification inhibitors, such as DCD, as the most effective fertilizer measure for reducing N 2 O emissions in the rain-fed region of the Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying the gross rates of individual nitrogen (N) processes is critical for understanding the availability, retention and loss of N and its eco-environmental impacts in agricultural ecosystems. Here, we carried out a 15N tracing study to quantify the influence of soil moisture on the gross rates of ten different N processes in two intensively managed fluvo-aquic soils. Results showed that the gross N mineralization rates were insensitive to changes in soil moisture, ranging from 40 to 120% water-filled pore space (WFPS). Contrarily, the gross ammonium (NH4+) immobilization rates increased exponentially with elevated soil moisture. Specifically, under high soil moisture conditions (i.e., 90–120%WFPS), the gross NH4+ immobilization rates (4.04 ± 0.83 and 0.88 ± 0.28 mg N kg− 1d− 1 for the two soils, respectively) were nearly four times higher than those under medium or low moisture conditions (i.e., 40–80%WFPS). Meanwhile, the high WFPS reduced the gross autotrophic nitrification rates (5.92 ± 2.15 and 12.31 ± 3.83 mg-N kg− 1d− 1 for the two soils, respectively) to only one-third to one-half of those that were observed under medium or low WFPS. By contrast, the rates of nitrate (NO3−) immobilization increased in one soil whereas they decreased in another under high moisture conditions, and the other N processes (including heterotrophic nitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA)) were negligible throughout the different WFPS. Overall, our results suggest that under highly saturated conditions, the increase in microbial NH4+ immobilization and decrease in autotrophic nitrification are critical for N retention in the fluvo-aquic soils. These findings provide valuable insights into potential alterations in soil N retention or loss under future climate change scenarios, where more intensive irrigation and extreme rainfall events are anticipated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Renewable energy and electric vehicles are connected to the microgrid. • Reliability evaluation and economic analysis of microgrid. • Provide a reference for the capacity planning of the microgrid. The integration of renewable energy (RE) and electric vehicles (EVs) into microgrids enhances energy sustainability, but their variability complicates capacity planning. Therefore, a capacity planning method is proposed from the perspective of reliability evaluation and economic analysis. Firstly, an EVs model with load characteristics is developed. Then, the reliability evaluation process and economic model are presented. Finally, the capacity planning schemes are compared and selected in the modified RBTS BUS6 F4 system. The results show that the probability indices will be optimized by increasing RE capacity with a certain energy storage system (ESS) configuration, but the system average interruption frequency index (SAIFI) shows non-monotonic change. Taking Microgrid A as an example, the peak of SAIFI can be reduced by 63.17 % when ESS configuration change from 1.0 MW·h/0.1 MW to 3.0 MW·h/1.5 MW, which indicates that reasonable ESS configuration can effectively reduce the impact of SAIFI on microgrid. Comparing the reliability and economy of Microgrid B and Microgrid C, when the microgrid is connected at a lower load level, Microgrid C can reduce the total cost by 1,764,999 CNY while maintaining the same reliability as Microgrid B. The research results can provide reference for microgrid planning. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil nitrous oxide (N2O) is an important greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. Many processes produce N2O in soil and the production rate of each process is affected by climatic-edaphic factors, making the soil-to-atmosphere N2O flux extremely dynamic. Experimental approaches, including natural and enriched isotopic methods, have been developed to separate and quantify the N2O production from different processes. However, these methods are often costly and tedious, hampering their wide application. This study aimed to develop a mechanistic model quantifying the soil N2O production from nitrifier nitrification (NN), nitrifier denitrification (ND), and heterotrophic denitrification (HD), which are considered as the most important biological processes, and to investigate how climatic-edaphic factors affect N2O production from individual process as well as total N2O production. The developed model demonstrated its robustness and capability by reliably reproducing the N2O production from NN, ND, and HD in different types of soils under various moisture contents or oxygen concentrations. The model simulations unraveled how environmental conditions and soil properties control the total N2O production rate by variably regulating individual processes. Therefore, the mechanistic model can potentially elucidate the large spatiotemporal variances of in-situ soil N2O flux and improve the assessment of soil N2O emission at regional and global scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recombinant human interleukin-2 (rhIL-2) represents one of the most difficult-to-produce cytokines in E. coli due to its extreme hydrophobicity and high tendency to formation of inclusion bodies. Refolding of rhIL-2 inclusion bodies always represents cumbersome downstream processes and low production efficiency. Herein, we disclosed a fusion strategy for efficiently soluble expression and facile production of rhIL-2 in E. coli Origami B (DE3) host. A two-tandem SUMO fusion partner (His-2SUMO) with a unique SUMO protease cleavage site at C-terminus was devised to fuse with the N-terminus of rhIL-2 and the fusion protein (His-2SUMO-rhIL-2) was almost completely expressed in a soluble from. The fusion partner could be efficiently removed by Ulp1 cleavage and the rhIL-2 was simply produced by a two-step Ni-NTA affinity chromatography with a considerable purity and whole recovery. The eventually obtained rhIL-2 was well-characterized and the results showed that the purified rhIL-2 exhibits a compact and ordered structure. Although the finally obtained rhIL-2 exists in a soluble aggregates form and the aggregation probably has been occurred during expression stage, the soluble rhIL-2 aggregates remain exhibit comparable bioactivity with the commercially available rhIL-2 drug formulation. • rhIL-2 is a difficult-to-express cytokine because it highly inclines to forming IBs in E. coli. • Soluble expression of rhIL-2 was achieved in E. coli by fusion with a two-tandem SUMO fusion partner. • A two-step Ni-NTA affinity chromatography was established to efficiently purify the rhIL-2. • The resulted rhIL-2 existed as biologically active soluble aggregates with ordered structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Didymodon rigidulus flexibly adapts to the cold and dry environment in Tibet. • 12 morphological traits of plant height, leaves and cells were investigated. • Greater variations were observed in plant height and leaf size than in cell traits. • MAT and PET but not precipitation drive the variations of moss traits. Plant traits reflect the response and adaptation of plants to environmental changes and play important roles in the prediction of the effects of different environmental conditions on plants and plant-mediated processes. However, few studies have focused on the traits of nonvascular plants, such as bryophytes, although such plants are important participants in the primary productivity and biogeochemistry in harsh environments. In this study, the adaptive morphological traits and their interactions in the moss species that adapt to harsh and acute changeable environment were determined. Environmental factors that drive the changes in these traits were also evaluated. A total of 43 specimens of Didymodon rigidulus were collected from 38 sampling sites in arid and semi-arid regions in Tibet. Twelve morphological traits were investigated by microscope measurement, and then their interrelations and relations to environmental variables were quantified by employing Spearman's correlation analysis, hierarchical partitioning analysis, and partial least squares path modeling. Results showed that along with the environmental gradient, the plant height, leaves, and cells of D. rigidulus had changed significantly, and these parameters were largely interpretable in functional and adaptive terms. The lower the mean annual temperature (MAT) was, the thicker was the surface cell wall and the wider was the cell cavity of D. rigidulus. The higher potential evapotranspiration (PET) was, the thicker was the surface cell wall but the smaller were the leaves. MAT and PET were the main driving forces for the development of such traits of D. rigidulus. These results provide important insight into the adaptive syndrome of nonvascular plants associated with stress tolerance in the varied and harsh environment in Tibet. This study indicated the importance of considering the effects of climate change, especially the warming temperature on species adaption and community assemblage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many studies on long chain non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are published in recent years. But the roles of lncRNAs in aortic dissection (AD) are still unclear and should be further examined. The present work focused on determining the molecular mechanisms underlying lncRNAs regulation in aortic dissection on the basis of the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. Methods: This study collected the lncRNAs (GSE52093), mRNAs (GSE52093) and miRNAs (GSE92427) expression data within human tissue samples with aortic dissection group and normal group based on Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Results: This study identified three differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs), 19 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRs) and 1046 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEGs) identified regarding aortic dissection. Furthermore, we constructed a lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network through three lncRNAs (including two with up-regulation and one with down-regulation), five miRNAs (five with up-regulation), as well as 211 mRNAs (including 103 with up-regulation and 108 with down-regulation). Simultaneously, we conducted functional enrichment and pathway analyses on genes within the as-constructed ceRNA network. According to our PPI/ceRNA network and functional enrichment analysis results, four critical genes were found (E2F2, IGF1R, BDNF and PPP2R1B). In addition, E2F2 level was possibly modulated via lncRNA FAM87A-hsa-miR-31-5p/hsa-miR-7-5p or lncRNA C9orf106-hsa-miR-7-5p. The expression of IGF1R may be regulated by lncRNA FAM87A-hsa-miR-16-5p/hsa-miR-7-5p or lncRNA C9orf106-hsa-miR-7-5p. Conclusion: In conclusion, the ceRNA interaction axis we identified is a potentially critical target for treating AD. Our results shed more lights on the possible pathogenic mechanism in AD using a lncRNA-associated ceRNA network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI), together with its applications, has received world-wide attentions and is expected to exert force on the development of global economy and society in the future. By means of bibliometric method, the study aims at providing an overview on the research tendency and the most concerned topics of AI during the past decade. The database of Web of Science was chosen and the articles published in AI journals were retrieved. Top 10% of the yearly high-citation articles (12,301 articles) published since the year of 2008 were selected as sampling articles for the analysis. The bibliographic records were used for the overall analysis, and the core keywords were studied and classified into three categories (algorithm, general technology and application technology) for topics analysis. As results, number of articles in AI by year and country, the country collaboration and well-known institutes and researchers in AI were presented. Also we proposed and concluded the five most concerned topics, which are perception intelligence (1st), human mind simulated intelligence (2nd), classical model based machine learning (3rd), bio-inspired intelligence (4th), and big-data based intelligence (5th). It is the authors' wish that the study were helpful for researchers to have an overall grasp of the recent status of AI development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Celiac disease affects approximately 1% of the population and is a major public health problem worldwide. It is trigged by gluten-derived peptides, which have unusually high proline-glutamine motif content and are highly resistant to proteolysis by digestive enzymes of the gastrointestinal tract. The only treatment for celiac disease is strict, lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet, which is effective but costly and difficult to maintain. Therefore, novel non-dietary therapies for celiac disease are urgently needed. Gluten-degrading enzymes are promising non-dietary treatments, and some enzymes have been investigated in preclinical or clinical studies. A combination of prolyl endopeptidase from Sphingomonas capsulata (SC PEP) and a glutamine-specific endoprotease (EP-B2 from barley) known as latiglutenase showed insufficient benefits in phase II clinical trials, likely because of its low enzyme activity in the gastric environment. Therefore, improving enzyme activity is essential for the clinical application of SC PEP. Enzyme activity can be enhanced using computer-aided rational protein design tools. In this study, we combined molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation to rationally design SC PEP mutants and experimentally evaluated their activities. We identified mutants with up to 90–103% increases in specific activity and up to 80–202% increases in the catalytic rate. We have investigated the mechanism underlying the enhanced activity of these mutants, and found that a conformational transition of the β-propeller domain and catalytic domain of SC PEP was important for enzyme activity, and this transition was affected by residues in the catalytic domain and at the domain interface; a shorter distance between the substrate Pro and the oxyanion holes was also crucial for improving SC PEP catalytic activity. Our results provide useful information for the rational design of highly active SC PEPs to accelerate the development of enzyme therapeutics candidates for Celiac disease. Image 1 • SC PEP mutants with increases in specific activity and catalytic rate were identified using rational enzyme engineering. • The mechanism underlying the enhanced activity of SC PEP mutants was investigated based on the molecular dynamics simulation. • Computer-aided rational enzyme design parameters, such as interdomain angle, were set for designing SC PEP. • Our findings are beneficial for the development of enzyme therapeutics candidates for Celiac disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α-Glucosidase inhibitors are known to prevent the digestion of carbohydrates and reduce the impact of carbohydrates on blood glucose. Three series of tetracyclic oxindole derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in vitro . Compound 6t exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity with IC 50 0.7 μM and was about 170 times as active as acarbose (IC 50 = 115.8 μM). The kinetic analysis of compound 6t revealed it inhibited α-glucosidase in an irreversible and mixed manner. Fluorescence spectra indicated that 6t directly bound to α-glucosidase. Docking simulation showed the existence of potential H-bonding, van der Waals, Pi and Sigma-Pi interactions between 6t and α-glucosidase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three series of prenylated and/or geranylated flavonoids were synthesized and evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The 3′,5′-digeranylated chalcone ( 16 ) was identified as a new α-glucosidase inhibitor whose activity (IC 50 = 0.90 μM) was 50-fold more than that of acarbose (IC 50 = 51.32 μM). Molecular docking studies revealed the existence of strong hydrophobic interaction and H-bonding between compound 16 and α-glucosidase’s active site. The inhibitory mode analysis showed that 16 exhibited a competitive inhibitory mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]