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To prepare bioactive peptides from rapeseed cake directly, the superfine grinding technology was used，and the resulting rapeseed cake superfine powder was used as the material. Single-factor experiments and response surface analysis were used to optimize the preparation extraction. The active peptides were purified by membrane separation and Sephadex G-15 membrane separation, and their antioxidant activity and structure were evaluated. The results showed that the optimal preparation conditions were as follows: grinding time 30 min, solid-to-liquid ratio 1:20(g/mL), pH2.94, enzyme dosage 6300 U/g, temperature 55 ℃, and enzymatic hydrolysis time 2.25 h. Under these conditions, the yield of peptides could reach 83.28%. The F-2 fraction from hydrolysates with molecular mass less than 1000 Da showed good antioxidant activity, with an ABTS+ free radical eliminating rate of 71.62% at a concentration of 1 mg/mL. Furthermore, five peptides were identified, namely PF, SF, TF, IAIPF, and PLDLL which were predicted to have much higher activity. Overall, the results of this study can provide a theoretical basis for the exploration of bioactive peptides directly from rapeseed cakes.

In order to explore the effects of grinding strength on the physicochemical properties and protein extraction of rapeseed meal powder, cryogenic superfine milling was used to prepare six kinds of rapeseed meal powders according to the grinding time (5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, and 60 min), namely SGR-5, SGR-10, SGR-15, SGR-20, SGR-30, SGR-40, SGR-60, and conventional crushing one was used as a control, named GR. The results showed that the structure of the rapeseed meal powder was easily destroyed by a moderate superfine grinding compared with the conventional crushing, which was followed by a reduction in their particle size distribution, insoluble dietary fiber content, and water/oil holding capacity, thereby increasing the protein extraction rate. While the grinding process had almost no effect on their total dietary fiber content. Specially, a minimum particle size of the powder would be gotten when grinding for 40 min, about 16 μm (D50), and further grinding would cause the aggregation of powder particles. Moreover, 30 min of superfine grinding was the optimal condition for the extraction of rapeseed meal protein by alkali-extraction. In addition, the alkali pH was another important parameter for the extraction of rapeseed meal protein.

In order to investigate the functional effects of superfine grinding technology on Zanthoxylum bungeanum seed, in this study, superfine grinding technology was used to prepare Zanthoxylum bungeanum superfine powder. The basic components, particle size, color, surface morphology, and the water/oil holding capacity, expansion force, compaction density were investigated and recorded using particle size analyzer, spectrophotometer, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the soluble dietary fiber content of Zanthoxylum bungeanum seed powder gradually increased with the decrease of particle size. In comparison with the conventionally produced powder, the size of superfine powder could decrease to 7.69 μm, along with a larger specific surface area and stronger powder uniformity. As the particle size decreased, the color of the superfine powder gradually increased in L*, a*, and b* values. After superfine grinding, the water-holing capacity, oil-holding capacity, and swelling capacity would increase to 1.65 g/g, 1.16 g/g, and 2.35 mL/g, respectively. In addition, angles of repose and slide increased butthe tap density exhibited the opposite tendency. SEM images revealed that fiber bundle could be more thoroughly crushed with grinding time. In summary, the uniform Zanthoxylum bungeanum seed powder with a smaller particle size, higher powder uniformity, more soluble dietary fiber and better hydration capacity can be prepared through superfine grinding. However, to some extent, superfine grinding will also decrease the density and fluidity of Zanthoxylum bungeanum seed powder.

To keep pace with the demands of modern photonic integration technology, the electro-optic modulator should feature multi-parameter tunable components and a compact size. Here, we propose a hybrid structure that can modulate the multi-parameters of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) simultaneously with a compact size by controlling the electron concentration of indium tin oxide (ITO) in the near-infrared spectrum. The length, width and height of the device are only 15 μm, 5 μm and 9 μm, respectively. The numerical results show that when the electron concentration in ITO changes from 7.5 × 1026 m−3 to 9.5 × 1026 m−3, the variation in amplitude, wavelength and phase are 49%, 300 nm and 347°, respectively. The demonstrated structure paves a new way for multi-parameter modulation and the realization of ultracompact modulators.

Abstract Multi-parameter control of light is a key functionality to modulate optical signals in photonic integrated circuits for various applications. However, the traditional optical modulators can only control one or two properties of light at the same time. Herein, we propose a hybrid structure which can modulate the amplitude, wavelength and phase of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) simultaneously to overcome these limitations. The numerical results show that when the Fermi level of graphene changes from 0.3 to 0.9 eV, the variation of optical transmission, wavelength and phase are 32.7 dB, 428 nm and 306°, respectively. The demonstrated structure triggers an approach for the realization of ultracompact modulation and has potential applications in the fields of optical switches, communications and photo-detection.

To solve the problems of environmental pollution and resource waste caused by the rapid development of cold chain logistics of fresh agricultural products and improve the competitiveness of logistics enterprises in the market, a performance evaluation method of cold chain logistics enterprises based on the combined empowerment-TOPSIS was proposed. Firstly, from the five dimensions of cold supply chain capacity, service quality, economic efficiency, informatization degree and development ability, a comprehensive evaluation system of logistics enterprises’ sustainable development is constructed, which consists of 16 indicators, such as storage and preservation capacity, distribution accuracy, and equipment input rate. Then, G1 method and entropy weight method are used to calculate the subjective and objective weights of the evaluation indicators, and the combined weights are calculated with the objective of minimizing the deviation of the subjective and objective weighted attributes. Finally, the TOPSIS method is used to calculate the comprehensive evaluation indicators. The results show that the established performance evaluation model can effectively evaluate the performance of fresh agricultural products logistics enterprises and provide theoretical basis for enterprise logistics management.

Adsorption process was simulated in this study for removal of Hg and Ni from water using nanocomposite materials. The used nanostructured material for the adsorption study was a combined MOF and layered double hydroxide, which is considered as MOF-LDH in this work. The data were obtained from resources and different machine learning models were trained. We selected three different regression models, including elastic net, decision tree, and Gradient boosting, to make regression on the small data set with two inputs and two outputs. Inputs are Ion type (Hg or Ni) and initial ion concentration in the feed solution (C0), and outputs are equilibrium concentration (Ce) and equilibrium capacity of the adsorbent (Qe) in this dataset. After tuning their hyper-parameters, final models were implemented and assessed using different metrics. In terms of the R2-score metric, all models have more than 0.97 for Ce and more than 0.88 for Qe. The Gradient Boosting has an R2-score of 0.994 for Qe. Also, considering RMSE and MAE, Gradient Boosting shows acceptable errors and best models. Finally, the optimal values with the GB model are identical to dataset optimal: (Ion = Ni, C0 = 250, Ce = 206.0). However, for Qe, it is different and is equal to (Ion = Hg, C0 = 121.12, Ce = 606.15). The results revealed that the developed methods of simulation are of high capacity in prediction of adsorption for removal of heavy metals using nanostructure materials.

Spontaneous fluctuations in MRI signals from gray matter (GM) in the brain are interpreted as originating from variations in neural activity, and their inter-regional correlations may be analyzed to reveal functional connectivity. However, most studies of intrinsic neuronal activity have ignored the spontaneous fluctuations that also arise in white matter (WM). In this work, we explore spontaneous fluctuations in resting state MRI signals in WM based on spatial independent component analyses (ICA), a data-driven approach that separates signals into independent sources without making specific modeling assumptions. ICA has become widely accepted as a valuable approach for identifying functional connectivity within cortex but has been rarely applied to derive equivalent structures within WM. Here, BOLD signal changes in WM of a group of subjects performing motor tasks were first detected using ICA, and a spatial component whose time course was consistent with the task was found, demonstrating the analysis is sensitive to evoked BOLD signals in WM. Secondly, multiple spatial components were derived by applying ICA to identify those voxels in WM whose MRI signals showed similar temporal behaviors in a resting state. These functionally-related structures are grossly symmetric and coincide with corresponding tracts identified from diffusion MRI. Finally, functional connectivity was quantified by calculating correlations between pairs of structures to explore the synchronicity of resting state BOLD signals across WM regions, and the experimental results revealed that there exist two distinct groupings of functional correlations in WM tracts at rest. Our study provides further insights into the nature of activation patterns, functional responses and connectivity in WM, and support previous suggestions that BOLD signals in WM show similarities with cortical activations and are characterized by distinct underlying structures in tasks and at rest.

Nowadays, the Fabry–Perot etalon (F–P) has been widely utilized in the optical parametric oscillator (OPO) to improve the filtering performance. In this paper, we reported an F–P etalon composed of two ultra-thin silicon wafers spaced with the air. The linewidth of the signal laser and the threshold are 0.03 nm and 0.6 W, respectively when the proposed etalon is employed to a OPO system based on the MgO-doped LiNbO3 (MgO: PPLN). A stabilized output at 1492.4 nm is obtained, and a tunable, high-precision filtering performance can be achieved by varying the gap distance of the F–P etalon arbitrarily due to its ultra-thin thickness. In addition, the F–P etalon can work on a very wide bandwidth due to its weak absorption during the infrared and terahertz waveband. The high-precision tuning capability and wide-band function of proposed etalon may benefit many applications, including spectroscopy, filtering, and optical communication.

Proanthocyanidins (PA) is a type of prominent flavonoid compound deposited in seed coats which controls the pigmentation in all Brassica species. Annotation of B. juncea genome survey sequences showed 72 PA genes; however, a functional description of these genes, especially how their interactions regulate seed pigmentation, remains elusive. In the present study, we designed 19 primer pairs to screen a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library of B. juncea. A total of 284 BAC clones were identified and sequenced. Alignment of the sequences confirmed that 55 genes were cloned, with every Arabidopsis PA gene having 2-7 homologs in B. juncea. BLAST analysis using the recently released B. rapa or B. napus genome database identified 31 and 58 homologous genes, respectively. Mapping and phylogenetic analysis indicated that 30 B. juncea PA genes are located in the A-genome chromosomes except chromosome A04, whereas the other 25 genes are mapped to the B-genome chromosomes except B05 and B07. RNA-seq data and Fragments Per Kilobase of a transcript per Million mapped reads (FPKM) analysis showed that most of the PA genes were expressed in the seed coat of B. juncea and B. napus, and that BjuTT3, BjuTT18, BjuANR, BjuTT4-2, BjuTT4-3, BjuTT19-1, and BjuTT19-3 are transcriptionally regulated, and not expressed or downregulated in yellow-seeded testa. Importantly, our study facilitates better understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying Brassica PA profiles and accumulation, as well as in further characterization of PA genes.

Abstract Background In China, decline disease with unknown etiology appeared as an epidemic among bayberry trees in the southern area of the Yangtze River. Furthermore, the use of beneficial microbes has been reported to be able to reduce the incidence of this disease, emphasizing the association of this disease with microorganisms. Therefore, it has become critical to uncover the microbiome’s function and related metabolites in remodeling the immunity of bayberry trees under biotic or abiotic stresses. Results The amplicon sequencing data revealed that decline disease significantly altered bacterial and fungal communities, and their metabolites in the four distinct niches, especially in the rhizosphere soils and roots. Furthermore, the microbial communities in the four niches correlated with the metabolites of the corresponding niches of bayberry plants, and the fungal and bacterial networks of healthy trees were shown to be more complex than those of diseased trees. In addition, the role of microbiome in the resistance of bayberry trees to the occurrence of decline disease was justified by the isolation, identification, and characterization of important microorganisms such as significantly enriched Bacillus ASV804, Pseudomonas ASV815 in healthy plants, and significantly enriched Stenotrophomonas ASV719 in diseased plants. Conclusion Overall, our study revealed that the occurrence of decline disease altered the microbiome and its metabolites in four ecological niches in particular rhizosphere soils and roots of bayberry, which provides new insight into the control of bayberry decline disease.

Abstract Background This study explored the relationship between attention, negative emotions, empathy, mindfulness, and psychological trauma in catastrophic events to reduce psychological trauma in the public. Methods A total of 526 adults in Guangxi Province, China, were investigated using self-rating scales for post-traumatic stress disorder, emotion, and empathy, as well as a five-factor self-rating mindfulness scale and a catastrophic incident concern questionnaire. Results The results revealed the following: (1) Emotion significantly mediated attention and psychological trauma. (2) Empathy had a significant mediating effect on attention and psychological trauma. (3) Mindfulness moderated the relationship between negative emotions and psychological trauma, amplifying the impact of emotions on trauma rather than buffering it. Conclusions When people pay attention to catastrophic events, they should remain sensible and restrained, and avoid excessive emotional involvement to reduce the excessive psychological trauma caused by the event.

Abstract Background Being subjected to bullying is a significant risk factor for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents. Parental support, peer support, and social connectedness play protective roles in mitigating NSSI in this population. However, the precise impact of the combined effects of parental and peer support on bullying and NSSI requires further investigation. Methods This study employed the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale, Delaware Bullying Victimisation Scale, Social Connectedness Scale, and the Ottawa Self-Injury Inventory to survey 1277 Chinese adolescents. Polynomial regression analysis and response surface analysis were applied to examine the mediating role of bullying and social connectedness in the relationship between parental and peer support matching and NSSI. Results The results indicate that parental support (r = 0.287, P

Abstract Background Primary caregivers of hemodialysis patients suffer from varying degrees of stress from their patients. Caring for hemodialysis patients can expose caregivers to many problems, leading to an increased burden of care and even impacting the quality of care. The purpose of our study was to examine whether family resilience could be a mediating variable moderating the relationship between patient coping styles and caregiver burden. Methods The study was a cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study that interviewed 173 pairs of hemodialysis patients and their caregivers at a blood purification center in a public hospital in China. The Brief Coping Styles Scale (Chinese version) was used to assess individuals’ coping styles for disease and treatment. From the caregiver’s perspective, the Family Resilience Assessment Scale (Chinese version) was used to understand the resilience of families, and the Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale was used to capture the caregiver’s subjective experience of burden. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 23 and Amos version 26 to analyze the relationships between variables to examine for correlation and construct mediated effects models. Results Coping styles showed a significant positive correlation with family resilience (r = 0.347, P

Purpose: The limited understanding of long-term estradiol (E2) suppression poses challenges to the effectiveness of adjuvant therapy with aromatase inhibitors (AI), necessitating comprehensive serum E2 monitoring to address this issue. Therefore, our objective was to investigate serum E2 levels in women undergoing adjuvant AI treatment and evaluate the significance of such monitoring. Patients and methods: In this prospective cohort study, we recruited women who had received adjuvant AI treatment, including those who underwent ovarian function suppression (OFS). Serum E2 levels were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The primary endpoint was the proportion of women with E2 levels exceeding 2.72 pg/mL, indicating inadequate suppression achieved with AI therapy. Results: A total of 706 patients were enrolled, including 482 women with OFS in combination with AI. Among them, 116 women (16.4 %) exhibited E2 levels exceeding 2.72 pg/mL. The majority of serum E2 elevations (77.6 %) occurred within the first two years of initiating endocrine therapy. Younger age, no prior chemotherapy, shorter duration of the current treatment regimen, and lower follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were associated with inadequate E2 suppression. Serum E2 concentrations demonstrated dynamic variations and occasional rebound following adjuvant AI therapy. Conclusions: Despite receiving adjuvant AI treatment for nearly two years, a certain proportion of patients failed to achieve the adequate threshold of E2 suppression. Our findings emphasize the significance of monitoring serum E2 levels during adjuvant AI therapy, particularly within the first two years. Further research is imperative to facilitate a more comprehensive comprehension of E2 monitoring.

The region along the Great Wall is a typical dryland agricultural zone, serving as both a potential area for staple grain production and a key region for specialty crops like coarse grains and cool-climate vegetables. Studying the characteristics of drought during the spring sowing period is crucial for developing diversified planting strategies and ensuring food security. This study analyzes the drought conditions along the Great Wall from 1960 to 2023, revealing the spatial and temporal distribution of drought in the region and quantifying the impact of climate change on drought frequency and intensity. By doing so, it fills a gap in the existing drought research, which often lacks the long-term, multi-dimensional analysis of spring sowing drought characteristics. Using daily meteorological data from April 20 to May 20 during the spring sowing period between 1960 and 2023, the study employs the Meteorological Composite Drought Index (MCI) to quantitatively identify drought conditions and examine the spatial and temporal evolution of drought in the region. The results show that, on a daily scale, the frequency of mild and moderate droughts is 60.45% and 25.19%, respectively, with no occurrences of severe or extreme drought. On an annual scale, the intensity of drought and the ratio of affected stations show an increasing trend, with a decrease in mild drought frequency and an increase in moderate and severe drought occurrences. Additionally, the spatial distribution of drought frequency follows a pattern of “higher in the east than in the west” and “higher in the north than in the south”. The study also finds that the migration of drought frequency centers shows a clear temporal evolution, with the center shifting southwestward from the 1960s to the 2000s, and then moving northeastward from the 2000s to 2023. These findings provide critical data support for optimizing agricultural drought resistance strategies and offer new insights for future research on the relationship between drought and climate change. It is suggested that agricultural practices and water resource management policies should be adjusted according to the spatial migration of drought centers, with a particular focus on optimizing drought mitigation measures during the spring sowing period.

Screening for identification indicators and establishing a drought-resistance evaluation system can provide a basis for the selection and layout of drought-resistant foxtail millet cultivars. Twenty-one main foxtail millet cultivars in China were evaluated for drought resistance by measuring their main agronomic traits and photosynthetic indicators under the condition of drought stress and normal irrigation. Identifying the drought resistance is difficult when using a single index. The order of drought resistance of tested foxtail millet cultivars based on drought resistance comprehensive evaluation values (D value) and drought resistance index (DRI value) differed to an extent; therefore, a comprehensive evaluation method combining D and DRI values was appropriate and accurate. Gray correlation analysis showed that the grain weight per ear, yield, ear weight, and ear length could be used as indicators for drought-resistance evaluation of foxtail millet cultivars at the mature stage. According to the clustering analysis based on D and DRI values, the tested cultivars were divided into three grades of drought resistance and six foxtail millet cultivars with strong drought resistance were identified. The photosynthetic indicators showed that the net photosynthetic and transpiration rates and D and DRI values had correlation coefficients greater than 0.320. HIGHLIGHTS Evaluation of drought resistance of foxtail millet based on D and DRI values was reliable.; Pn and Tr could be used as reference indicators to evaluate the drought resistance.; Drought seriously affected the most agronomic indices and several photosynthetic parameters.; Using rainproof shed method with artificial water control can better predict the drought resistance of crop.;

BackgroundGlycemic disorder is closely related to the risk of pancreatic cancer, but previous studies focused on the influence of diabetes. The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the influence of prediabetes, an intermediate state between normoglycemia and diabetes, on the risk of pancreatic cancer.MethodsRelevant longitudinal observational studies were identified through a search of Medline, Embase, and Web of Science databases. To minimize the influence of between-study heterogeneity, a randomized-effects model was used to pool the results.ResultsNine cohort studies including 26,444,624 subjects were available for the meta-analysis. Among them, 2,052,986 (7.8%) had prediabetes at baseline, and the participants were followed for a mean duration of 5.9 years. It was found that, compared to people with normoglycemia, those with prediabetes had a higher incidence of pancreatic cancer (risk ratio [RR]: 1.42, 95% confidence interval: 1.36 to 1.49, p0.05).ConclusionsPrediabetes may be associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer compared to normoglycemia.

Exploring crop yield stability and the relationship between the water–fertilizer effect and annual precipitation type in a broomcorn millet–potato–spring corn rotation system under long-term fertilization on chestnut cinnamon soil in loess tableland can provide a scientific basis for rational fertilization in the northwest Shanxi region in years with different precipitation. This study was based on a 33-year long-term fertilizer experiment, using four fertilizer treatments: no fertilizer as control (CT), single fertilizer nitrogen (N), single organic fertilizer (M), and nitrogen fertilizer with organic fertilizer (NM). The results showed that broomcorn millet and maize had the highest yield in wet years, while potatoes had the highest yield in normal years and the yield under NM treatment was the highest. The sustainable yield index (SYI) values for potato and maize were higher than the SYI for the broomcorn millet during years with different precipitation and the SYI for the NM treatment was the highest. The water use efficiency of NM treatment was the highest. The yield of broomcorn millet and maize was affected by nitrogen fertilizer, organic fertilizer, and precipitation during the growth period, while the potato yield was mainly affected by nitrogen fertilizer and organic fertilizer. Therefore, the rotation of potato–maize and the rational allocation of organic and inorganic fertilizer (NM) is the best planting system in this region.

Abstract This study analyzed the factors influencing adolescents' non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behavior and their interrelationships, and established a total influencing factor model. Through a literature analysis and semi-structured interviews with 87 adolescents and 27 experts in Guangxi Province, China, 13 influencing factors were identified from six aspects: physiological factors, cognitive factors, emotional factors, social support factors, social environment, and NSSI behavior. A system of factors influencing adolescents' NSSI behavior and a model of the factors influencing the comprehensive antagonism multilevel explanatory structure were obtained using a combination of Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory technique and Total Adversarial Interpretive Structural Model. In descending order, NSSI, emotional state, self-efficacy, and self-cognition influenced adolescents' NSSI behavior. Social environment, exercise, and recreation had a greater impact on other factors, while NSSI, emotional regulation ability, and emotional state were greatly affected by other factors. Emotion regulation ability, self-cognition, self-efficacy, family support, school support, social support, and sleep were found to be the core factors influencing NSSI behavior of adolescents. These factors could be used to directly intervene in adolescent NSSI behavior. Timely treatment of adolescents' negative emotional states is directly conducive to preventing NSSI behavior and alleviating its severity.

Rice bacterial leaf blight (BLB) is the most destructive bacterial diseases caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). Phages have been proposed as a green and efficient strategy to kill bacterial pathogens in crops, however, the mechanism of action of phages in the control of phyllosphere bacterial diseases remain unclear. Here, the glasshouse pot experiment results showed that phage combination could reduce the disease index by up to 64.3%. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to analyze the characteristics of phyllosphere microbiome changes and the results showed that phage combinations restored the impact of pathogen invasion on phyllosphere communities to a certain extent, and increased the diversity of bacterial communities. In addition, the phage combination reduced the relative abundance of epiphytic and endophytic Xoo by 58.9% and 33.9%, respectively. In particular, Sphingomonas and Stenotrophomonas were more abundant. According to structural equation modeling, phage combination directly and indirectly affected the disease index by affecting pathogen Xoo biomass and phage resistance. In summary, phage combination could better decrease the disease index. These findings provide new insights into phage biological control of phyllosphere bacterial diseases, theoretical data support, and new ideas for agricultural green prevention and control of phyllosphere diseases.

Abstract Background The triglyceride glucose index combined with body mass index is a new index that reflects the degree of insulin resistance. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to explore the predictive value of the triglyceride glucose-body mass index (TyG-BMI) in relation to the occurrence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the Chinese population with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods We selected 826 patients with T2D who were hospitalized at the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism of Karamay People’s Hospital from September 2016 to October 2018 for this research. The height, weight, fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, and lipid profiles of the subjects were collected. The liver ultrasound showed any degree of echogenic enhancement of liver tissue and the liver appeared brighter than the renal cortex on ultrasound were considered to be NAFLD. The logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate associations between the triglyceride glucose index (TyG), TyG-BMI index, insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) and the ratio of the triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol with a diagnosis of NAFLD. The receiver operating characteristic curve method was used to analyze its predictive value for NAFLD. Results Results of the logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratios of NAFLD were 6.535 (3.70–11.53) and 4.868 (2.576–9.200) for the TyG-BMI before and after correction,respectively(P

Continuous tillage cultivation positioning trials can provide the basis for maintaining soil health, improving resource utilization efficiency and crop productivity, and achieving sustainable agricultural development. In this study, changes in soil stability and water-holding capacity characteristics were measured under different tillage cultivations from a multi-year microscopic perspective and analyzed to evaluate selected key indicators. Continuous monitoring of rainfall utilization efficiency and yield was carried out for five years. Here, we discuss the role of conservation tillage in buffering and stabilizing rainfall precipitation pattern on the fluctuation and uncertainty of soil water retention and water supply capacity and soil quality. The study was carried out on dryland areas of the Loess Plateau in northern China with eight tillage systems established in 2016: no-tillage (NT); no-tillage and straw (NTS); subsoiling (SU); subsoiling and straw (SUS); rotary tillage (RT); rotary tillage and straw (RTS); conventional tillage (CT); and conventional tillage and straw (CTS). All treatments were applied in conjunction with continuous cropping for five years. The evaluated soil parameters were mean weight diameter (MWD), geometric mean diameter (GMD), >0.25 mm aggregate content (R0.25) of water-stable aggregates (WSAs), soil moisture characteristic curve (SMCC), specific soil water capacity (Cθ), soil organic matter (SOM), rainfall utilization efficiency (RUE), and maize yields for five consecutive years. The MWD, GMD, and R0.25 of SUS were 27.38%, 17.57%, and 7.68% more than CTS (control), respectively. Overall, SOM, average annual RUE, and average annual yields increased by 14.64%, 11.89%, and 9.59%, respectively, compared with 2016. Our results strongly suggest that conservation tillage can considerably improve these characterization indicators. SUS was more effective than CTS in the 0-40 cm soil layer at hedging against drought in the area, stabilizing crop production, and achieving sustainable agricultural development.

Adolescence is the peak period of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviour, and it is also a period when the prevention and intervention in NSSI are frequently required. To explore the relationship between catastrophising and NSSI and its mechanism, the mediating effects of parental support and negative emotions on catastrophising and NSSI were analysed. A questionnaire was administered to 401 middle school students with a history of NSSI behaviour from 12 schools in Guangxi. (1) Adolescents’ catastrophising tendencies positively predicted their NSSI status through negative emotions (B = 0.274, P < 0.001). The more severe the adolescents’ catastrophising tendency, the more likely they were to have stronger negative emotions and thus show an increased NSSI level. (2) Parental support played a positive moderating role between the tendency to catastrophise and negative emotions (B = −0.101, t = −2.694, P < 0.01), and it had a protective effect on adolescents’ NSSI. Catastrophising was less likely to induce the NSSI behaviour by reducing adolescents’ negative emotions (B = −0.104, t = −2.313, P < 0.05); however, it should be noted that only parental affective support, informative support, and instrumental support played a significant mediating role. Parental support of adolescents has positive effects on the tendency to catastrophise, negative emotions, and NSSI, and it has some implications for the prevention and intervention of adolescents’ NSSI.

This paper focuses on the effect of malondialdehyde-induced oxidative modification (MiOM) on the gel properties of duck myofibrillar proteins (DMPs). DMPs were first prepared and treated with oxidative modification at different concentrations of malondialdehyde (0, 0.5, 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 mmol/L). The physicochemical changes (carbonyl content and free thiol content) and gel properties (gel whiteness, gel strength, water holding capacity, rheological properties, and microstructural properties) were then investigated. The results showed that the content of protein carbonyl content increased with increasing MDA oxidation (p < 0.05), while the free thiol content decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, there was a significant decrease in gel whiteness; the gel strength and water-holding capacity of protein gels increased significantly under a low oxidation concentration of MDA (0–5 mmol/L); however, the gel strength decreased under a high oxidation concentration (10 mmol/L) compared with other groups (0.5–5 mmol/L). The storage modulus and loss modulus of oxidized DMPs also increased with increasing concentrations at a low concentration of MDA (0–5 mmol/L); moreover, microstructural analysis confirmed that the gels oxidized at low concentrations (0.5–5 mmol/L) were more compact and homogeneous in terms of pore size compared to the high concentration or blank group. In conclusion, moderate oxidation of malondialdehyde was beneficial to improve the gel properties of duck; however, excessive oxidation was detrimental to the formation of dense structured gels.

Y2O3:Eu red-emitting phosphor was prepared by solid-state reaction from Y2O3Eu2O3 mixed oxide using BaB4O7 and SrF2 Concurrent double flux followed by washing treatment. The evolution of fluoride flux added during firing and washing treatment was monitored by the fluoride selective electrode method. The determination of fluoride in the presence of large quantities of rare-earth (RE) elements in matrix was explored. The analysis results using the addition-recovery method showed that the addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid could mask the RE elements, making fluoride determination reasonably accurate. The measurement results revealed that, depending on the concentration of fluoride flux added in the blended mixture and firing temperature, ranging from 20 to 80% of fluoride added, was lost by evaporation during the firing process. About 15% of the residual fluoride in the fired phosphor was washed Out when using cold water, while 25 to 70% of fluoride in the fired phosphors was washed out by hot water. Depending on the firing temperature and concentration of fluoride added in the blended mixture, about 13-35% of the added fluoride still remained in the final phosphors after being fired and washed with water two times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of organic fertilizer affects soil microbes and enzyme activities. In this study, we explored the effects of various long-term different fertilization treatments (manure, M; chemical fertilizer, NP; manure + chemical fertilizer, MNP; and no fertilizer, CK) on bacterial community structure and soil sucrase, urease, and alkaline phosphatase activities in Shaping, Hequ, China. High-throughput sequencing was used to amplify the third to the fourth hypervariable region of the 16S ribosomal RNA for analysis of the bacterial community structure. Enzyme activities were determined by colorimetry. Soil treated with MNP had the highest bacterial Abundance-based Coverage Estimator index and enzyme activities. The principal coordinates analysis results showed significant differences among the various fertilization treatments (p < 0.001). Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, and Chloroflexi were consistently dominant in all soil samples. The redundancy analysis and Monte Carlo permutation tests showed that the soil bacterial communities were significantly correlated with alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, organic matter, urease, and alkaline phosphatase. Our results reveal the fundamentally different effects that organic and inorganic fertilizers have on soil bacterial communities and their functions.