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IntroductionIn the pursuit of agricultural sustainability and food security, the stability of livestock production under large-scale operations plays a pivotal role.MethodsBased on panel data from 26 provinces in China spanning the years 2007 to 2020, this study employs a two-way panel fixed effects model to examine the stabilizing effect of scale breeding on swine production volatility in China. Additionally, it utilizes the moderating effect model to examine the moderating effect of epidemic risk and policy intervention, and uses the threshold effect model to test the threshold effect of marketization level.ResultsEmpirical evidence indicates that moderate-scale breeding exerts a stabilizing effect on swine production volatility, with this effect displaying regional disparities. From the external situation, the higher the risk of epidemic disease, the stronger the stable effect of scale breeding on the fluctuation of swine production, while the enhancement of policy intervention cannot promote the stability of scale breeding on swine production volatility. There is a single threshold effect on the impact of scale breeding on swine production volatility. When the degree of marketization reaches a certain level, the stabilizing effect of scale breeding on swine production volatility is enhanced.DiscussionTherefore, it is recommended to promote the moderately scaled swine breeding, enhance epidemic monitoring and information disclosure systems, reduce excessive policy intervention, and fully leverage the self-regulating role of the market.

Hot compression tests were conducted on 7055 aluminum alloy under different strain rates, temperatures, and reduction ratios. The influence of deformation parameters on microstructure evolution and hot deformation behavior was studied through EBSD and TEM characterization. An Arrhenius constitutive model was established and the recovery and recrystallization characteristics of the alloy under different conditions were analyzed. Results showed that the softening mechanism during the hot compression process of 7055 aluminum alloy was mainly attributed to recovery and partial recrystallization. The Zener-Holloman (Z) parameter was utilized to reveal the combined effects of strain rate and temperature on recrystallization behavior. Under conditions of high LnZ values (20

Abstract Among the notable complications of direct hemodynamic reconstruction for moyamoya disease (MMD) is cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome (CHS). In this study, we evaluated hemodynamic changes in small regional microvasculature (SRMV) around the anastomosis site by using indocyanine green (ICG)-FLOW800 video angiography and verified that it better predicted the onset of CHS. Intraoperative ICG-FLOW800 analysis was performed on 31 patients (36 cerebral hemispheres) with MMD who underwent superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass grafting at our institution. The regions of interest were established in the SRMV and thicker MCA around the anastomosis. Calculations were made for half-peak to time (TTP1/2), cerebral blood volume (CBV), and cerebral blood flow (CBF). According to the presence or absence of CHS after surgery, CHS and non-CHS groups of patients were separated. The results showed that ΔCBV and ΔCBF were substantially greater in SRMV than in MCA (p

This study investigated the effects of ultrasound-assisted soybean lecithin (SL) on the rehydration behavior and physical properties of egg white protein powder (EWPP) and its ability to enhance the efficacy of EWPP instant solubility. The results of rehydration, including wettability and dispersibility, indicated that ultrasound (200 W)-assisted SL (5 g/L) addition had the shortest wetting time and dispersion time, which were 307.14 ± 7.00 s and 20.95 ± 2.27 s, respectively. In terms of powder properties, the EWPP with added SL had lower lightness, moisture content and bulk density. In addition, the increase in average particle size, net negative charge, free sulfhydryl group content and surface hydrophobicity indicated that ultrasound treatment facilitated the protein structures unfolding and promoted the formation of SL-EWP complexes. Overall, our study provided a new perspective for the food industry regarding using ultrasound technology to produce instant EWPP with higher biological activity and more complete nutritional value.

Improving the total factor productivity (TFP) of animal husbandry enterprises is the key to promoting the sustainable development of animal husbandry. Technological progress is an important driving force for improving the TFP of animal husbandry enterprises, and research and development (R&D) investment determines the speed of technological progress. Based on the data of Chinese animal husbandry enterprises listed on Shanghai and Shenzhen A-shares in China between 2009 and 2022, this article empirically analyzes the impact of R&D investment on the TFP of animal husbandry enterprises and the moderating role of executive incentives in it and discusses the heterogeneity of this impact, using the fixed-effects model. It is found that R&D investment has a significant positive impact on the TFP of animal husbandry enterprises, and the TFP of animal husbandry enterprises increased by 0.00105 for every 1% increase in R&D investment. Equity incentives for executives positively moderated the relationship between R&D investment and the TFP of animal husbandry enterprises, while executive compensation incentives negatively moderated the relationship. Heterogeneity analysis shows that R&D investment has a significant effect on the TFP of non-state-owned animal husbandry enterprises, but has no significant impact on the TFP of state-owned animal husbandry enterprises. The impact of R&D investment on TFP showed a significant promotion in the livestock and poultry breeding and meat product processing industries, but not in the feed production, dairy product processing and animal health industries. R&D investment has a significant effect on the TFP of animal husbandry enterprises in Eastern China and Central China, but has no significant impact on the TFP of animal husbandry enterprises in Western China.

China’s African swine fever (ASF) outbreak, which started in 2018, has had a huge and far-reaching impact on China’s hog industry, and it has not been completely eliminated so far. This article analyzes the impact of the ASF epidemic on the costs and technical efficiency of hog production in China based on data from the China Agricultural Product Cost–Benefit Compilation (2012–2021) using a stochastic frontier trans-log production function model. The results show that, after the outbreak of the ASF epidemic in China, feed costs, medical and epidemic prevention costs, and other costs of hog production in China increased significantly; the technical efficiency of China’s hog production decreased significantly; large-scale hog farms were the most responsive to and greatly affected by the ASF epidemic; and there are regional differences in the impact of the ASF epidemic on technical efficiency of hog production. Future policies should focus on strengthening the R&D investment and technology promotion capacity of hog production, developing moderate-scale farming, and enhancing regional cooperation to improve technical efficiency of hog production.

Abstract Background Myopia is one of the most common eye diseases in children and adolescents worldwide, and scleral remodeling plays a role in myopia progression. However, the identity of the initiating factors and signaling pathways that induce myopia-associated scleral remodeling is still unclear. This study aimed to identify biomarkers of scleral remodeling to elucidate the pathogenesis of myopia. Methods The gene expression omnibus (GEO) and comparative toxicogenomics database (CTD) mining were used to identify the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network related to scleral remodeling in myopia. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), Western blot, immunofluorescence, H&E staining, Masson staining, and flow cytometry were used to detect the changes in the FOXO signaling pathway, fibrosis, apoptosis, cell cycle, and other related factors in scleral remodeling. Results miR-15b-5p/miR-379-3p can regulate the FOXO signaling pathway. Confirmatory studies confirmed that the axial length of the eye was significantly increased, the scleral thickness was thinner, the levels of miR-15b-5p, miR-379-3p, PTEN, p-PTEN, FOXO3a, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor 1B (CDKN1B) were increased, and the levels of IGF1R were decreased in Len-induced myopia (LIM) group. CDK2, cyclin D1 (CCND1), and cell cycle block assessed by flow cytometry indicated G1/S cell cycle arrest in myopic sclera. The increase in BAX level and the decrease in BCL-2 level indicated enhanced apoptosis of the myopic sclera. In addition, we found that the levels of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), collagen type 1 (COL-1), and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were decreased, suggesting scleral remodeling occurred in myopia. Conclusions miR-15b-5p/miR-379-3p can regulate the scleral cell cycle and apoptosis through the IGF1R/PTEN/FOXO signaling pathway, thereby promoting scleral remodeling in myopia progression. Graphical Abstract

Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli serotypes are associated with various clinical syndromes, yet the precise correlation between serotype and pathotype remains unclear. A major barrier to such studies is the reliance on antisera-based serotyping, which is culture-dependent, low-throughput, and cost-ineffective. We have established a highly multiplex PCR-based serotyping assay, termed the MeltArray E. coli serotyping (EST) assay, capable of identifying 163 O-antigen-encoding genes and 53 H-antigen-encoding genes of E. coli. The assay successfully identified serotypes directly from both simulated and real fecal samples, as demonstrated through spike-in validation experiments and a retrospective study. In a multi-province study involving 637 E. coli strains, it revealed that the five major diarrheagenic pathotypes have distinct serotype compositions. Notably, it differentiated 257 Shigella isolates into four major Shigella species, distinguishing them from enteroinvasive E. coli based on their distinct serotype profiles. The assay’s universality was further corroborated by in silico analysis of whole-genome sequences from the EnteroBase. We conclude that the MeltArray EST assay represents a paradigm-shifting tool for molecular serotyping of E. coli, with potential routine applications for comprehensive serotype analysis, disease diagnosis, and outbreak detection.

Abstract Background Myopia is one of the eye diseases that can damage the vision of young people. This study aimed to explore the protective role of miR-92b-3p against DNA damage and apoptosis in retinal tissues of negative lens-induced myopic (LIM) guinea pigs by targeting BTG2. Methods Biometric measurements of ocular parameters, flash electroretinogram (FERG), and retinal thickness (RT) were performed after miR-92b-3p intravitreal injection in LIM guinea pigs. The apoptotic rate was detected by Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining, and the change in mitochondrial membrane potential was measured by JC-1 staining. Retinal apoptosis and expression of p53, BTG2, and CDK2 were explored by TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick labeling (TUNEL) and immunofluorescence staining assays, respectively. BTG2 and its upstream and downstream molecules at gene and protein levels in retinal tissues were measured by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Western blotting. Results Compared with normal controls (NC), the ocular axial length of LIM guinea pig significantly increased, whereas refraction decreased. Meanwhile, dMax-a and -b wave amplitudes of ERG declined, retinal thickness was decreased, the number of apoptotic cells and apoptotic rate in LIM eyes was exaggerated, and the mitochondrial membrane potential significantly decreased. In addition, results of qPCR and Western blot assays showed that the expression levels of p53, BTG2, CDK2, and BAX in LIM guinea pigs were higher than the levels of the NC group, whereas the BCL-2 expression level was decreased. By contrast, the miR-92b-3p intravitreal injection in LIM guinea pigs could significantly inhibit axial elongation, alleviate DNA damage and apoptosis, and thus protect guinea pigs against myopia. Conclusion In conclusion, p53 and BTG2 were activated in the retinal tissue of myopic guinea pigs, and the activated BTG2 could elevate the expression of CDK2 and BAX, and attenuate the expression of BCL-2, which in turn promote apoptosis and eventually lead to retinal thinning and impaired visual function in myopic guinea pigs. The miR-92b-3p intravitreal injection can attenuate the elongation of ocular length and retinal thickness, and inhibit the CDK2, BAX, and p53 expression by targeting BTG2, thereby ameliorating DNA damage and apoptosis in LIM guinea pigs and protecting ocular tissues. Graphical Abstract

Abstract The rapid advancement of modern communication technologies necessitates the development of generalized multi-access frameworks and the continuous implementation of rate splitting, augmented with semantic awareness. This trend, coupled with the mounting pressure on wireless services, underscores the need for intelligent approaches to radio signal propagation. In response to these challenges, intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRS) have garnered significant attention for their ability to control data transmission systems in a goal-oriented and dynamic manner. This innovation is largely attributed to equitable resource allocation and the dynamic enhancement of network performance. However, the integration of rate-splitting multi-access (RSMA) architecture with semantic considerations imposes stringent requirements on IRS platforms to ensure seamless connectivity and broad coverage for a diverse user base without interference. Semantic communications hinge on a knowledge base-a centralized repository of integrated information related to the transmitted data-which becomes critically important in multi-antenna scenarios. This article proposes a novel set of design strategies for RSMA-IRS systems, enabled by reconfigurable intelligent surface synergizing with semantic communication principles. An experimental analysis is presented, demonstrating the effectiveness of these design guidelines in the context of Beyond 5G/6G communication systems. The RSMA-IRS model, infused with semantic communication, offers a promising solution for future wireless networks. Performance evaluations of the proposed approach reveal that, despite an increase in the number of users, the delay in the RSMA-IRS framework incorporating semantics is 2.94% less than that of a RSMA-IRS system without semantic integration.

Abstract Natural polymer‐derived nanofibrils have gained significant interest in diverse fields. However, production of bio‐nanofibrils with the hierarchical structures such as fibrillar structures and crystalline features remains a great challenge. Herein, an all‐natural strategy for simple, green, and scalable top‐down exfoliation silk nanofibrils (SNFs) in novel renewable deep eutectic solvent (DES) composed by amino acids and D‐sorbitol is innovatively developed. The DES‐exfoliated SNFs with a controllable fibrillar structures and intact crystalline features, novelty preserving the hierarchical structure of natural silk fibers. Owing to the amphiphilic nature, the DES‐exfoliated SNFs show excellent capacity of assisting the exfoliation of several 2D‐layered materials, i.e., h‐BN, MoS2, and WS2. More importantly, the SNFs‐assisted dispersion of BNNSs with a concentration of 59.3% can be employed to construct SNFs/BNNSs nanocomposite membranes with excellent mechanical properties (tensile strength of 416.7 MPa, tensile modulus of 3.86 GPa and toughness of 1295.4 KJ·m−3) and thermal conductivity (in‐plane thermal conductivity coefficient of 3.84 W·m−1·K−1), enabling it to possess superior cooling efficiency compared with the commercial silicone pad.

Abstract High‐entropy oxides (HEOs) have garnered significant attention within the realm of rechargeable batteries owing to their distinctive advantages, which encompass diverse structural attributes, customizable compositions, entropy‐driven stabilization effects, and remarkable superionic conductivity. Despite the brilliance of HEOs in energy conversion and storage applications, there is still lacking a comprehensive review for both entry‐level and experienced researchers, which succinctly encapsulates the present status and the challenges inherent to HEOs, spanning structural features, intrinsic properties, prevalent synthetic methodologies, and diversified applications in rechargeable batteries. Within this review, the endeavor is to distill the structural characteristics, ionic conductivity, and entropy stabilization effects, explore the practical applications of HEOs in the realm of rechargeable batteries (lithium‐ion, sodium‐ion, and lithium‐sulfur batteries), including anode and cathode materials, electrolytes, and electrocatalysts. The review seeks to furnish an overview of the evolving landscape of HEOs‐based cell component materials, shedding light on the progress made and the hurdles encountered, as well as serving as the guidance for HEOs compositions design and optimization strategy to enhance the reversible structural stability, electrical properties, and electrochemical performance of rechargeable batteries in the realm of energy storage and conversion.

The integration of high-temperature resistant geopolymer concrete, reinforced with basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP), addresses several challenges encountered by conventional reinforced concrete structures, such as elevated energy consumption, substantial carbon emissions, and susceptibility to steel corrosion. To investigate the impact of geopolymer concrete cover on the mechanical performance of BFRP bars after high temperature treatment, this study conducted mechanical tests on a total 406 tensile specimens and 406 transverse shear specimens, spanning a temperature range from ambient temperature to 700 °C. The BFRP bars with diameters of 6 mm, 12 mm, and 16 mm underwent heat treatment durations of 0 h, 1 h, 2 h, and 3 h. Subsequently, they were examined for mass loss rat, residual tensile properties, and residual shear strength following natural cooling. Notably, this study also compared the impact of different geopolymer concrete cover thickness (30 mm, 40 mm, and 50 mm) on these performance parameters. The test results revealed that with an increase in heating temperature, the resin of BFRP experienced decomposition, leading to alterations in surface morphology, as well as changes in tensile and shear failure modes. In the temperature range of 400 °C to 700 °C, bare BFRP bars exhibited a significant decrease in both tensile and transverse shear strengths, with strength loss rates ranging from 50% to 90%. Moreover, the degradation in shear strength was comparatively slower than that in tensile strength. The presence of geopolymer concrete cover effectively mitigated the strength degradation of BFRP bars following high temperature treatment, and this protective effect improved with an increase in the concrete cover thickness. Additionally, scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis was employed to elucidate the damage mechanisms for both bare and geopolymer concrete-covered BFRP bars. SEM results indicated that the deterioration induced by high temperature treatment gradually propagated radially from the edge to the core area of the bar. Finally, a simplified calculation model was adopted to evaluate the residual tensile strengths of BFRP bars wrapped in geopolymer concrete after high temperature treatment.

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as an aerial base station or relay device is a promising technology to rapidly provide wireless connectivity to ground device. Given UAV’s agility and mobility, ground user’s mobility, a key question is how to analyze and value the performance of UAV-based wireless channel in the terahertz (THz) band. In this paper, a three-dimensional (3D) time-varying channel model is proposed for UAV-based dual-mobility wireless channels based on geometric channel model theory in THz band. In this proposed channel model, the small-scale fading (e.g., scattering fading and reflection fading) on rough surfaces of communication environment and the atmospheric molecule absorption attenuations are considered in THz band. Moreover, the statistical properties of the proposed channel model, including path loss, time autocorrelation function (T-ACF) and Doppler power spectrum density (DPSD), have been derived and the impact of several important UAV-related and vehicle-related parameters have been investigated and compared to millimeter wave (mm-wave) band. Furthermore, the correctness of the proposed channel model has been verified via simulation, and some useful observations are provided for the system design of THz UAV-based dual-mobility wireless communication systems.

In recent years, the prevalence of myopia has gradually increased, and it has become a significant global public health problem in the 21st century, posing a serious challenge to human eye health. Currently, it is confirmed that the development of myopia is attributed to the combined action of genes and environmental factors. Thus, elucidating the risk factors and pathogenesis of myopia is of great significance for the prevention and control of myopia. To elucidate the impact of gene-environment interaction on myopia, we used the Pubmed database to search for literature related to myopia. Search terms are as follows: myopia, genes, environmental factors, gene-environment interaction, and treatment. This paper reviews the effects of gene and environmental interaction on myopia.

Highlights A non-corrosive and air-stable hydrated eutectic electrolyte is developed. The electrolyte is composed of aluminum perchlorate nonahydrate and methylurea. The unique solvation structure enables reversible deposition/stripping of Al. The Al-ion battery in this electrolyte shows good charge/discharge performance.

For people with lower limb muscle weakness, effective and timely rehabilitation intervention is essential for assisting in daily walking and facilitating recovery. Numerous studies have been conducted on rehabilitation robots; however, some critical issues in the field of human-following remain unaddressed. These include potential challenges related to the loss of sensory signals for intention recognition and the complexities associated with maintaining the relative pose of robots during the following process. A human-following surveillance robot is introduced as the basis of the research. To address potential interruptions in motion signals, such as data transmission blockages or body occlusion, we propose a human walking intention estimation algorithm based on set-membership filtering with incomplete observation. To ensure uninterrupted user walking and maintain an effective aid and detection range, we propose a human-following control algorithm based on prescribed performance. The experiment verifies the effectiveness of the proposed methods. The proposed intention estimation algorithm achieves continuous and accurate intention recognition under incomplete observation. The control algorithm presented in this paper achieves constrained robot following with respect to the relative pose.

Abstract The unbalanced magnetic thrust caused by the mover eccentricity for the linear motor drive motion system is analytically represented. Firstly, the relative complex magnetic permeability function is introduced to represent the effects of the mechanical installation errors and vibrations on the mover eccentricity. Then, the distortion of the magnetic field caused by the mover eccentricity is represented based on the Maxwell equation. The spectrum characteristics of the unbalanced magnetic thrust force is analytically calculated taking into account the harmonics in the drive circuit. Finally, the validity of the theoretically analysis is verified by the experiments. The results show that the static eccentricity caused by the mechanical installation error will produce the unbalanced magnetic thrust, affecting the thrust characteristics of the linear motor. In particular, the dynamic mover eccentricity caused by the mechanical vibration will produce paired unbalanced magnetic thrust harmonics on both sides of the original thrust harmonics, deteriorating the dynamic precision and efficiency of the direct drive motion system.

In the sixth generation (6G) era, intelligent machine network (IMN) applications, such as intelligent transportation, require collaborative machines with communication, sensing, and computation (CSC) capabilities. This article proposes an integrated communication, sensing, and computation (ICSAC) framework for 6G to achieve the reciprocity among CSC functions to enhance the reliability and latency of communication, accuracy and timeliness of sensing information acquisition, and privacy and security of computing to realize the IMN applications. Specifically, the sensing and communication functions can merge into unified platforms using the same transmit signals, and the acquired real-time sensing information can be exploited as prior information for intelligent algorithms to enhance the performance of communication networks. This is called the computing-empowered integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) reciprocity. Such reciprocity can further improve the performance of distributed computation with the assistance of networked sensing capability, which is named the sensing-empowered integrated communications and computation (ICAC) reciprocity. The above ISAC and ICAC reciprocities can enhance each other iteratively and finally lead to the ICSAC reciprocity. To achieve these reciprocities, we explore the potential enabling technologies for the ICSAC framework. Finally, we present the evaluation results of crucial enabling technologies to show the feasibility of the ICSAC framework.

In this paper, the problem of joint transmission and computation resource allocation for a multi-user probabilistic semantic communication (PSC) network is investigated. In the considered model, users employ semantic information extraction techniques to compress their large-sized data before transmitting them to a multi-antenna base station (BS). Our model represents large-sized data through substantial knowledge graphs, utilizing shared probability graphs between the users and the BS for efficient semantic compression. The resource allocation problem is formulated as an optimization problem with the objective of maximizing the sum of the equivalent rate of all users, considering the total power budget and semantic resource limit constraints. The computation load considered in the PSC network is formulated as a non-smooth piecewise function with respect to the semantic compression ratio. To tackle this non-convex non-smooth optimization challenge, a three-stage algorithm is proposed, where the solutions for the received beamforming matrix of the BS, the transmit power of each user, and the semantic compression ratio of each user are obtained stage by stage. The numerical results validate the effectiveness of our proposed scheme.

As an important ecological-economic development area in China, scientific understanding of the spatial and temporal changes in eco-environment quality (EEQ) and its drivers in the Yangtze River Basin (YRB) is crucial for the effective implementation of ecological protection projects in the YRB. To address the lack of large-scale EEQ assessment in the YRB, this paper uses the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform and the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) to investigate the spatial and temporal characteristics of EEQ in the YRB from 2000 to 2020, and to analyze the impact of various factors on the EEQ of the YRB. This study showed that: (1) The overall EEQ of YRB was at the ‘good’ grade over the past 20 years, showing an increasing trend, with the value changing from 0.70 to 0.77. (2) The YRB's EEQ has positive spatial aggregation characteristics, with the northern part of the Jialing River basin and the Han River basin exhibiting a high-high aggregation type and the upper reaches exhibiting a low-low aggregation type. (3) In the past 20 years, the human activities had a greater impact on the EEQ of the YRB; moreover, all factors had a greater impact on the EEQ than a single factor. The interaction between the biological abundance index and population density had the most effect, with a q-value of 0.737 in 2020.

The construction of virtual transportation networks requires massive data to be transmitted from edge devices to Virtual Service Providers (VSP) to facilitate circulations between the physical and virtual domains in Metaverse. Leveraging semantic communication for reducing information redundancy, VSPs can receive semantic data from edge devices to provide varied services through advanced techniques, e.g., AI-Generated Content (AIGC), for users to explore digital worlds. But the use of semantic communication raises a security issue because attackers could send malicious semantic data with similar semantic information but different desired content to break Metaverse services and cause wrong output of AIGC. Therefore, in this paper, we first propose a blockchain-aided semantic communication framework for AIGC services in virtual transportation networks to facilitate interactions of the physical and virtual domains among VSPs and edge devices. We illustrate a training-based targeted semantic attack scheme to generate adversarial semantic data by various loss functions. We also design a semantic defense scheme that uses the blockchain and zero-knowledge proofs to tell the difference between the semantic similarities of adversarial and authentic semantic data and to check the authenticity of semantic data transformations. Simulation results show that the proposed defense method can reduce the semantic similarity of the adversarial semantic data and the authentic ones by up to 30% compared with the attack scheme.

Taiwan is a subtropic-tropic island with densely populated in the coastal plains surrounding its mountains. In recent years, due to global warming and the urban heat island effect, the surface temperature has continued to rise, and the seasonal temperature changes are also very different. Increased surface temperatures, particularly in cities, are a major environmental issue that intensifies urban heat islands (UHIs). Decadal time-series analysis has historically relied on meteorological data. Due to the limited availability of remote sensing technology, decadal analysis of land surface temperature has been a serious concern. However, according to advanced technologies in remote sensing methods and sophisticated GIS software, Land Surface Temperature (LST) now can be estimated using thermal bands. The objective of this study is to monitor the spatiotemporal changes of the land surface temperature using Landsat 5 and Landsat 8. Tainan city, which is a highly developed city in southern Taiwan, is selected as the research area. The changes in the land surface temperature are assessed between the years 2007 and 2021. It simply requires applying a set of equations through a raster image calculator using ArcGIS. The LST of any Landsat satellite image can be retrieved by following steps: 1) Top of Atmospheric Spectral Radiance; 2) Conversion of Radiance to At-Sensor Temperature; 3) Calculating NDVI; 4) Calculating the Proportion of Vegetation; 5) Determination of ground emissivity, and 6) Calculating Land Surface Temperature. Near Infra-red are used to obtain Normalized Different Vegetation Index (NDVI). The results show that the average surface temperature of Tainan City increased slightly by 1.1 0C. The most significant increase in temperature was in the northern region of Tainan City which was the agricultural area that was in the post-harvest period. Keywords: Land Surface Temperature (LST), Landsat 5, Landsat 8, Tainan City, GIS

Summary: Tibetans are the ideal population to study genetic adaptation in extreme environments. Here, we performed systematic phenotyping of 11,880 highlanders, covering 133 quantitative traits of 13 organ systems. We provided a comprehensive phenotypic atlas by comparing altitude adaptation and altitude acclimatization. We found the differences between adaptation and acclimatization are quantitative rather than qualitative, with a whole-system “blunted effect” seen in the adapted Tibetans. We characterized twelve different functional changes between adaptation and acclimatization. More importantly, we established a landscape of adaptive phenotypes of indigenous Tibetans, including 45 newly identified Tibetan adaptation-nominated traits, involving specific changes of Tibetans in internal organ state, metabolism, eye morphology, and skin pigmentation. In addition, we observed a sex-biased pattern between altitude acclimatization and adaptation. The generated atlas of phenotypic landscape provides new insights into understanding of human adaptation to high-altitude environments, and it serves as a valuable blueprint for future medical and physiological studies.

Accurate assessments of the historical and current status of eco-environmental quality (EEQ) are essential for governments to have a comprehensive understanding of regional ecological conditions, formulate scientific policies, and achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While various approaches to EEQ monitoring exist, they each have limitations and cannot be used universally. Moreover, previous studies lack detailed examinations of EEQ dynamics and its driving factors at national and local levels. Therefore, this study utilized a remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) to assess the EEQ of China from 2001 to 2021. Additionally, an emerging hot-spot analysis was conducted to study the spatial and temporal dynamics of the EEQ of China. The degree of influence of eight major drivers affecting EEQ was evaluated by a GeoDetector model. The results show that from 2001 to 2021, the mean RSEI values in China showed a fluctuating upward trend; the EEQ varied significantly in different regions of China, with a lower EEQ in the north and west and a higher EEQ in the northeast, east, and south in general. The spatio-temporal patterns of hot/cold spots in China were dominated by intensifying hot spots, persistent cold spots, and diminishing cold spots, with an area coverage of over 90%. The hot spots were concentrated to the east of the Hu Huanyong Line, while the cold spots were concentrated to its west. The oscillating hot/cold spots were located in the ecologically fragile agro-pastoral zone, next to the upper part of the Hu Huanyong Line. Natural forces have become the main driving force for changes in China’s EEQ, and precipitation and soil sand content were key variables affecting the EEQ. The interaction between these factors had a greater impact on the EEQ than individual factors.