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Abstract Mechanoluminescence (ML) sensing technologies open up new opportunities for intelligent sensors, self-powered displays and wearable devices. However, the emission efficiency of ML materials reported so far still fails to meet the growing application requirements due to the insufficiently understood mechano-to-photon conversion mechanism. Herein, we propose to quantify the ability of different phases to gain or lose electrons under friction (defined as triboelectric series), and reveal that the inorganic-organic interfacial triboelectricity is a key factor in determining the ML in inorganic-organic composites. A positive correlation between the difference in triboelectric series and the ML intensity is established in a series of composites, and a 20-fold increase in ML intensity is finally obtained by selecting an appropriate inorganic-organic combination. The interfacial triboelectricity-regulated ML is further demonstrated in multi-interface systems that include an inorganic phosphor-organic matrix and organic matrix-force applicator interfaces, and again confirmed by self-oxidization and reduction of emission centers under continuous mechanical stimulus. This work not only gives direct experimental evidences for the underlying mechanism of ML, but also provides guidelines for rationally designing high-efficiency ML materials.

Monitoring soil salinity is essential for agricultural development and ecological systems in the coastal saline area. The global navigation satellite system (GNSS) interferometry reflectometry (GNSS-IR) can provide new opportunities to retrieve long-term soil salinity at the point-scale theoretically, because the utilized L-band of GNSS-IR is sensitive to soil dielectric permittivity, while the soil salinity can affect its imaginary part. However, the method of soil salinity retrieval has not been researched currently. This study, taking the GNSS-IR data from the station located in the coastal saline area, gives the first evaluation of using this data source for soil salinity retrievals. First, the three interferogram metrics (i.e., phase, amplitude, and reflector height) and their corresponding statistics are extended to include the contributions from the environmental conditions. Then, the model for semi-empirically retrieving soil salinity from these parameters is constructed through the gradient boosting regression tree (GBRT) machine learning (ML) technique. The results show that the phase and height and their corresponding statistics have a relatively strong relationship with the soil salinity as independent variables. Meanwhile, the soil salinity retrieved from the global positioning system and BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS) agree and correlate well with the in-situ measurements derived from the 5TE sensor (R varies from 0.670 to 0.808, RMSE varies from 1.350 to 1.895 mS/cm, and MAE ranges from 1.049 to 1.749 mS/cm). The work shows the capability of GNSS-IR in retrieving soil salinity and considerably increases the service available from the geodetic-grade GNSS receivers.

A chemical co-precipitation strategy was employed to synthesize a series of (Gd0.95−xLuxEu0.05)3Al5O12 (x = 0.1−0.95) powder phosphors, followed by vacuum sintering to achieve transparent garnet ceramic phosphors. The density functional theory indicated Lu3Al5O12 was formed in priority compared with Gd3Al5O12 during solid-phase reaction. Upon high-temperature sintering, the Lu3+ substitution for Gd3+ suppressed point mass diffusion leading to a smaller grain size. The in-line transmittances of bulk specimens with x = 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.95 nm were ~83.5%, 80.1%, 68.8%, 73.7%, and 82.2% at 710 nm (Eu3+ emission center), respectively, among which the sample of x = 0.1 exhibited the optical grade with near-zero optical loss in agreement with the defect-free single crystal (~100% of the theoretical transmittance). The resulting particle and ceramic materials both presented characteristic Eu3+ emission arising from 5D0→7FJ (J = 1−4) transition, where the dominant far-red emission at ~710 nm arising from 5D0→7F4 transition overlapped with the absorption of phytochrome (PFR). The photoluminescence excitation and photoluminescence intensities of (Gd0.95−xLuxEu0.05)3Al5O12 powders and ceramics generally increased at a higher Gd3+/Lu3+ ratio. Lu3+ dopants delayed the fluorescence lifetime while the bulk samples had shorter lifetime compared to the particle counterparts. The transparent (Gd0.85Lu0.1Eu0.05)3Al5O12 ceramic phosphor exhibited good thermal stability with a high thermal quenching temperature above 533 K. The designed ceramic phosphor-converted light-emitting diode had a saturation injection current of 435 mA and a current-dependent color rendering index. More importantly, our report marked the developmental stage of transparent ceramic materials towards zero optical loss.

Protein hydrolysates have attracted much attention for their high biological activity and are a crucial product form for the utilization of foxtail millet bran by-products. In this study, changes in the structure, functionality, activity and peptide profile of foxtail millet bran protein hydrolysates (FMBPHs) at different ultrasound powers (0 – 600 W) were investigated. The results showed that ultrasound promoted the transformation of α-helix and β-sheet to random coils and β-turn, and the exposure of hydrophobic groups and sulfhydryl groups in FMBPHs. The average particle size of the samples decreased, and the absolute value of the ζ-potential increased significantly. Simultaneously, smaller porous particles and loose fragments appeared on the surface of FMBPHs when the ultrasonic power was increased to 450 W. Additionally, 450 W ultrasound treatment improved solubility, foaming properties, emulsifying properties, thermal stability of FMBPHs. The DPPH, ABTS and hydroxyl radical scavenging ability (IC50, 2.65, 1.06 and 3.02 mg/mL), Fe2+ chelating activity (IC50, 2.62 mg/mL), and reducing power of the samples were also enhanced. The peptidomics results demonstrated that ultrasonication increased the number of active peptides in the hydrolysate, and the relative abundance of 17 active peptides was obviously elevated at 450 W. Peptide map analysis showed that ultrasound-induced structural modifications affected the peptide profiles of Ubiquitin-like domain-containing protein, Cupin type-1 domain-containing protein, 40S ribosomal protein S19, and Oleosin 1, showing changes in the abundance of certain peptides, which may be related to changes in the characterization of FMBPHs.

In building a sustainable food system, the management of livestock production should avoid nitrogen (N) surplus and ensure animal-sourced food self-sufficiency. Reducing livestock quantities in regions producing excess of animal-sourced food and livestock manure is an effective approach for mitigating manure N surplus. In this study, we considered the eastern regions of China as a case study to quantitatively analyze whether meat self-sufficiency could be met when reducing the livestock quantity to avoid manure N surplus. In addition to considering the baseline scenario, considering the current livestock quantity (scenario C), we defined three strategies corresponding to livestock reduction scenarios: taking meat self-sufficiency as a priority regardless of the manure balance (scenario TB); taking manure N surplus avoidance as a priority regardless of the meat balance (scenario MNB); and considering the most limiting conditions between satisfying meat self-sufficiency and avoiding manure N surplus (scenario LF). A balance index was used to describe the excess (i.e., positive value) or deficiency (i.e., negative value) of meat and manure N. Concerning the whole of eastern China, in scenario LF, the meat balance index (TBI) and manure N balance index (MNBI) were 0.25 and −0.39, respectively, which could satisfy meat demand while avoid manure N surplus (for scenarios C, TB, and MNB, the TBIs were 1.95, 0, and 1.09, and the MNBIs were 0.56, −0.48, and 0, respectively). At the regional level, the regions with meat self-sufficiency accounted for more than 70% in the LF scenario, and manure N surplus could be avoided in all regions. However, southwestern China should adopt further measures, such as trading among adjacent regions and increasing manure fertilizer application, to satisfy the meat demand while avoiding surplus manure N.

In order to estimate the effective storage capacity of carbon dioxide in geological storage, it makes great significance to understand the seepage mechanism of flowing carbon dioxide fluid and its influence on the occurrence state in micropore. In this paper, the molecular simulation method was used to obtain the optimal configuration of kaolinite micropore and carbon dioxide molecules. The molecular dynamics method was used to simulate the flow characteristics of carbon dioxide fluid in kaolinite pores in differential depth of burial under constant pressure drop. The results show that the adsorption capacity of carbon dioxide fluid on the wall of kaolinite decreases with the increase of burial depth, the fluid density in the center of the micropore increases with the increase of burial depth, the diffusion capacity of the fluid changes significantly when the burial depth is greater than 2 km; when a constant differential pressure is applied, the flow of carbon dioxide fluid in the pore conforms to the classical poiseulle flow, the diffusion ability of the fluid increases with the increase of burial depth, nearly doubling, and the slip length also increases with the increase of burial depth; the flow behavior significantly reduces the total amount of carbon dioxide in kaolinite micropore, where the density of the first adsorption layer near the wall decreases by at least 20%, and its effect on fluid is greater than that caused by the increase of burial depth. Therefore, when estimating the effective storage capacity of carbon dioxide in geological storage, the influence of pressure drop and burial depth on the total reduction of geological sequestration should be considered at the same time. The purpose is to provide more detailed theoretical basis for carbon dioxide geological sequestration.

Abstract Background Endostar is a strong angiogenesis inhibitor that is effective in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the effect of Endostar in the treatment of patients with EGFR-TKI-resistant NSCLC remains unclear. We evaluated the clinical efficacy and safety of Endostar in EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients resistant to EGFR inhibition treatment. Methods From January 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018, 68 patients were selected from the 4 institutions for the study. Patients with NSCLC received Endostar plus chemotherapy every 21-day cycle. Chemotherapy types included platinum-containing dual drugs and platinum-free single drugs. Endostar was administered by intermittent intravenous infusion or continuous microinfusion pump infusion. The overall response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR) and adverse events were analyzed. Survival of patients was also evaluated. Results For all patients, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 2.8 months, and the median overall survival (OS) was 14.2 months. PFS and OS in the Endostar pump continuous group were better than those in the Endostar intravenous infusion group. The disease control rate (DCR) was 79.4%. A total of 28 (41.2%) patients experienced varying grades of adverse events during treatment. No treatment-associated deaths were observed. The grade 3 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were myelosuppression, weakness, and nausea/vomiting. Conclusions Endostar was effective and well tolerated in advanced NSCLC patients. Endostar treatment showed promising survival results in EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients.

Abstract Background High-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) is a disease that is closely related to the development of cervical cancer. In clinical work, cold knife conization and a loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) are often selected for diagnosis and treatment. Objective In this paper, we aimed to discuss additional cuts, a common practice in cervical conization, and determine whether the doctor’s choice to use additional cuts in conization can reduce the occurrence of a positive cone margin. Methods From January 2018 to October 2019, 965 patients underwent cervical conization at the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University (Dalian, China). Of these, 174 were in the positive cone margin group, and 791 were in the negative cone margin group. Age, preoperative pathology, pathological results of conization, additional cuts, cone depth, and cone volume were studied. Additionally, the additional cut rate and the efficiency of doctors with a habit of additional cuts were analyzed. Results Of the 965 patients included in the study, the median age was 41 years (range 35–50). Multivariable logistic regression analysis suggested that additional cuts (OR, 2.480; 95% CI 1.608 to 3.826; p = 0.01) and smaller cone depth (OR, 0.591; 95% CI, 0.362 to 0.965, p = 0.036) were independent risk factors for positive margins. Six of the 64 doctors who performed conizations had a habit of making additional cuts, and there was no positive correlation between their additional cut rate and their effective additional cut rate. Conclusion This study showed that a certain proportion of additional cuts can be effectively excised from the positive margin that cannot be removed in the initial conization. The practice of additional cuts in conization tends to be the personal habit of a small number of doctors. Graphical Abstract

The endothelial barrier plays a critical role in immune defense against bacterial infection. Efficient interactions between neutrophils and endothelial cells facilitate the activation of both cell types. However, neutrophil activation can have dual effects, promoting bacterial clearance on one hand while triggering inflammation on the other. In this review, we provide a detailed overview of the cellular defense progression when neutrophils encounter bacteria, focusing specifically on neutrophil–endothelial interactions and endothelial activation or dysfunction. By elucidating the underlying mechanisms of inflammatory pathways, potential therapeutic targets for inflammation caused by endothelial dysfunction may be identified. Overall, our comprehensive understanding of neutrophil–endothelial interactions in modulating innate immunity provides deeper insights into therapeutic strategies for infectious diseases and further promotes the development of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs.

The silicon carbide fiber-reinforced silicon carbide matrix (SiC/SiC), ceramic matrix composite (CMC) and nickel-based superalloy GH4169 can be utilized in high-temperature applications due to their high-temperature performance. The SiC/SiC composites are commonly used in turbine outer rings, where they encounter friction and wear against the turbine blades. This high-speed rubbing occurs frequently in aircraft engines and steam turbines. To investigate the tribological behavior of these materials, rubbing experiments were conducted between the SiC/SiC and the GH4169 superalloy. The experiments involved varying the blade tip speeds ranging from 100 m/s to 350 m/s and incursion rates from 5 μm/s to 50 μm/s at room temperature. Additionally, experiments were conducted at high temperatures to compare the tribological behavior under ambient conditions. The results indicated that the GH4169 superalloy exhibited abrasive furrow wear during rubbing at both room temperature and high temperature. Furthermore, at elevated temperatures, some of the GH4169 superalloy adhered to the surface of the SiC/SiC. The analysis of the experiments conducted at ambient temperatures revealed that the friction coefficient increased with higher blade tip velocities (100~350 m/s). However, the coefficient was lower at high temperatures compared to room temperature. Furthermore, significant temperature increases were observed during rubbing at room temperature, whereas minimal temperature changes were detected on the rubbing surface at high temperatures.

The present study was aimed to investigate the volatile flavor characteristics and changes on volatile flavors of key process points in the processing of soft canned braised pork balls in gravy, as well as verify the formation mechanism of Warmed-over flavor (WOF). There was a significant difference in the flavor profile between the samples after high-pressure steam sterilization and other groups (P

Understanding the interactions between plants and microbes in terms of core and/or keystone taxa is of great importance for promoting salt tolerant of plants and comprehensive utilisation of saline–alkali lands. However, our knowledge about the dominant microbial categories and their response to plant growth is limited. Here, we distinguished the categories of core and keystone taxa by classifying the prokaryotic categories and conducting network analysis in saline–alkali lands. Moreover, we explored how these important taxa varied between the plant rhizosphere and bulk soils. Overall, six categories of prokaryotes were identified. Approximately one–tenth of the species with high–abundance attributes accounted for two–thirds of total prokaryotes. Moreover, network analysis showed that nearly all links among the nodes were positive; and the identified keystone taxa mainly belonged to categories with high–abundance attributes. Furthermore, in the rhizosphere, a decreasing trend in the correlations of microbial diversity indices and community compositions with the soil properties was observed compared with those in the bulk soil. However, more keystone taxa and complex modules were strongly correlated with changes in the soil properties. These results suggest that the plant rhizosphere can recruit keystone prokaryotes with high–abundance attributes by establishing a syntrophic association between the plant and keystone taxa, which subsequently construct a complex microbial network structure. Although the ecological functions of the targeted keystone taxa need to be confirmed, our findings provide a potential method for constructing a core artificial microbiome with multiple approaches, further helping to develop microbial strategies to ameliorate salt stress in plants in saline–alkali lands.

A non-destructive, convenient, and low-cost yield estimation at the field scale is vital for precision farming. Significant progress has been made in using UAV-based canopy features to predict crop yield during the mid-growth stages. However, there has been limited effort to explore yield estimation specifically after crop maturity. Researching the effectiveness of artificial intelligence for estimating wheat yield utilizing phenotypic features extracted from UAV images, this study applied a deep learning algorithm (Mask R-CNN) to extract three wheat ear phenotypic features at ripening stage, including ear count, ear size, and ear anomaly index. Subsequently, machine learning algorithms (i.e., multiple linear regression, support vector regression, and random forest regression) driven by ear features were intercompared to obtain the optimal grain yield estimation. Based on the findings, (1) field observed ear count which was linearly associated with grain yield (R2 = 0.93), can be largely detected by UAV images (81 %); (2) Mask R-CNN demonstrated satisfactory performance in ear segmentation, achieving an F1 score of 0.87; (3) random forest regression resulted in the most accurate yield estimation (R2 = 0.86 and rRMSE = 17.53 %), when all three ear phenotypic features were combined. Overall, this study demonstrates that utilizing ear phenotypic features is an alternative approach for estimating wheat grain yield at ripening stage, showing potential as a viable substitute to tedious field sampling methods.

Abstract. Background:. With functionally heterogeneous cells, tumors comprise a complex ecosystem to promote tumor adaptability and evolution under strong selective pressure from the given microenvironment. Diversifying tumor cells or intra-tumor heterogeneity is essential for tumor growth, invasion, and immune evasion. However, no reliable method to classify tumor cell subtypes is yet available. In this study, we introduced the single-cell sequencing combined with copy number characteristics to identify the types of tumor cells in microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods:. To characterize the somatic copy number alteration (SCNA) of MSS CRC in a single cell profile, we analyzed 26 tissue samples from 19 Korean patients (GSE132465, the Samsung Medical Center [SMC] dataset) and then verified our findings with 15 tissue samples from five Belgian patients (GSE144735, the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven 3 [KUL3] dataset). The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort, GSE39582 cohort, and National Cancer Center (NCC) cohort (24 MSS CRC patients were enrolled in this study between March 2017 and October 2017) were used to validate the clinical features of prognostic signatures. Results:. We employed single cell RNA-sequencing data to identify three types of tumor cells in MSS CRC by their SCNA characteristics. Among these three types of tumor cells, C1 and C3 had a higher SCNA burden; C1 had significant chromosome 13 and 20 amplification, whereas C3 was the polar opposite of C1, which exhibited deletion in chromosome 13 and 20. The three types of tumor cells exhibited various functions in the tumor microenvironment and harbored different mutations. C1 and C2 were linked to the immune response and hypoxia, respectively, while C3 was critical for cell adhesion activity and tumor angiogenesis. Additionally, one gene (OLFM4) was identified as epithelium-specific biomarker of better prognosis of CRC (TCGA cohort: P = 0.0110; GSE39582 cohort: P = 0.0098; NCC cohort: P = 0.0360). Conclusions:. On the basis of copy number characteristics, we illustrated tumor heterogeneity in MSS CRC and identified three types of tumor cells with distinct roles in tumor microenvironment. By understanding heterogeneity in the intricate tumor microenvironment, we gained an insight into the mechanisms of tumor evolution, which may support the development of therapeutic strategies.

Optical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing is widely prevalent to estimate crop aboveground biomass (AGB). Nevertheless, limited knowledge of the UAV flight height (mainly characterized by different image numbers and spatial resolutions) influences the crop AGB estimation accuracy across diverse sensing datasets and machine-/deep-learning models. This article assessed the impacts of flight height and integration of multiscale sensing information on wheat AGB estimation. The multispectral UAV flight missions with 30, 60, 90, and 120 m heights were conducted at the wheat grain filling phase in 2018 and 2019. To estimate AGB, we used the UAV-based crop surface model (CSM), spectral, texture indices, and their combinations along with a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN with AlexNet architecture), random forest, and support vector machine models. Results showed the CSM and textures exhibit sensitivity to flight height, with estimation accuracy declining by 48% and 41%, respectively, as the flight height increased from 30 to 120 m. Spectral indices displayed lesser sensitivity with accuracy decrease of 25%. Integrating data from different heights exhibited better performances in texture and spectral indices while reducing performance when CSM was input. The DCNN performed best particularly at high spatial image scales, whereas more sensitive to flight height, as the AGB estimation accuracy decreased by 30% and 47% from 30 to 120 m for machine learning and DCNN, respectively. Integrating texture and spectral information derived from images with moderate spatial resolutions (4–6 cm), and the integration of multiscale textures, are optimal for grain-filling wheat AGB estimation.

The change of in situ viscosity in micro-scale of tight oil reservoir has great influence on the seepage process. Due to the imperfection of in situ viscosity model and measuring method, the prediction of development effect and scientific guidance is affected. Here, an in situ viscosity model of seepage fluid in tight reservoirs is established, and the main influencing factors are studied. The in situ viscosity changes linearly with the bulk viscosity; When the average pore radius less than 500 nm, the in situ viscosity increased sharply. The approximate properties of boundary fluid and heavy oil are verified by experiments, and a method for measuring boundary fluid viscosity based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is found. According to the viscosity property of boundary fluid, the experiment is designed to verify the measurement method of boundary fluid viscosity by NMR.

Currently, as a promising alternative protein source, the interest of edible insect protein has been continuously increased. However, the extraction processing had distinct effects on the physicochemical properties and functionalities of this novel and sustainable protein. In this study, Tenebrio molitor larvae protein (TMLP) was extracted via ultrasound (US)-assisted alkaline extraction. The changes of extraction kinetics, physicochemical characteristics, and functional properties of TMLP as a function of US time (10, 20, 30, 40, 50 min) were investigated. The results showed that 30 min US treatment rendered the maximum protein yield (60.04 %) (P

BackgroundIn high altitude areas, like Tibet, most fetuses in breech presentation at term are delivered vaginally owing to a variety of reasons, but this has not been published.ObjectiveThis study aimed to provide references and evidence for the delivery of breach presentation term fetuses in high altitude areas, through comparing and analyzing the data of full-term singleton fetuses with breech or cephalic presentation in Naqu People’s Hospital, Tibet.Study designWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 451 breech presentation fetuses mentioned above over a period of 5 years (2016–2020). A total of 526 cephalic presentation fetuses’ data within 3 months (1 June to 1 September 2020) of the same period were collected too. Statistics were compared and assembled on fetal mortality, Apgar scores, and severe neonatal complications for both planned cesarean section (CS) and vaginal delivery. In addition, we also analyzed the types of breech presentation, the second stage of labor, and damage to the maternal perineum during vaginal delivery.ResultsAmong the 451 cases of breech presentation fetuses, 22 cases (4.9%) elected for CS and 429 cases (95.1%) elected for vaginal delivery. Of the women who chose vaginal trial labor, 17 cases underwent emergency CSs. The perinatal and neonatal mortality rate was 4.2% in the planned vaginal delivery group and the incidence of severe neonatal complications was 11.7% in the transvaginal group, no deaths were detected in the CS group. Among the 526 cephalic control groups with planned vaginal delivery, the perinatal and neonatal mortality was 1.5% (p = 0.012), and the incidence of severe neonatal complications was 1.9%. Among vaginal breech deliveries, most of them were complete breech presentation (61.17%). Among the 364 cases, the proportion of intact perinea was 45.1%, and first degree lacerations accounted for 40.7%.ConclusionIn the Tibetan Plateau region, vaginal delivery was less safe than cephalic presentation fetuses for full-term breech presentation fetuses delivered in the lithotomy position. However, if dystocia or fetal distress can be identified in time and then encouraged to convert to cesarean, its safety will be greatly improved.

Transparent ceramics (Gd0.975−xLuxDy0.025)3Al5O12 (x = 0.2, 0.5, 0.975) are fabricated by vacuum sintering with the transmittance of ~60% at 583 nm. The doping of Lu3+ was beneficial to stabilize the garnet phase, and the best doping concentration was 20 at.%. All three (Gd, Lu)3Al5O12:Dy ceramics display typical Dy3+ emission, originating from 4F9/2 → 6HJ (J = 15/2, 13/2, 11/2) transition. Temperature-dependent luminescence spectra from 303.15 K to 603.15 K prove that the (Gd, Lu)3Al5O12:Dy ceramics had good thermal stability and could be an ideal yellow-emitting candidate in light-emitting diodes. The luminous efficiency of the encapsulated white LED lamp was found to be ~87.9 lm/W when the injection current was 600 mA. The transparent (Gd, Lu)3Al5O12:Dy ceramics show great application potential in various optical systems especially in the fields of luminescence and display.

Extensive drainage ditches are constructed to reduce soil salinity in reclaimed saline–alkali farmland, consequently forming plant growth hotspots and impacting soil carbon stocks therein. However, the investigation into changes in soil carbon stocks remains limited in these ditches. To address this, soil samples were collected from drainage ditches, which originated from the reclamation of saline–alkali farmland, at different reclamation years (the first, seventh, and fifteenth year). Moreover, fractions were separated from soil samples; a particle size separation method (particulate organic matter, POM; mineral–associated organic matter, MAOM) and a spatio–temporal substitution method were conducted to analyze the variations in soil carbon components and the underlying mechanisms. The results indicate that there were no significant variations in the contents and stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil inorganic carbon (SIC) following the increase in reclamation time. However, in the POM fraction, the SOC content (SOCPOM) and stock significantly decreased from 2.24 to 1.12 g kg−1 and from 19.02 to 12.71 Mg ha−1, respectively. Conversely, in the MAOM fraction, the SOC content (SOCMAOM) and stock significantly increased from 0.65 to 1.70 g kg−1 and from 5.30 to 12.27 Mg ha−1, respectively. The different changes in SOCPOM and SOCMAOM, as well as the result of the structural equation model, showed a possible transformation process from SOCPOM to SOCMAOM in the soil carbon pool under the driving force of reclamation time. The results in terms of the changes in soil carbon components demonstrate the stability rather than the stock of the soil carbon pool increase in coastal saline–alkali ditches following the excavation formation time. Although more long time series and direct evidence are needed, our findings further provide a case study for new knowledge about changes in the soil carbon pool within saline–alkali ditches and reveal the potential processes involved in the transformation of soil carbon components.

The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS), a publicly accessible spaceborne Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) data, provides a new alternative opportunity for large-scale soil moisture (SM) retrieval, but with interference from complex environmental conditions (i.e., vegetation cover and ground roughness). This study aims to develop a high-accuracy model for CYGNSS SM retrieval. The normalized surface reflectivity calculated by CYGNSS is fused with variables that are highly related to the SM obtained from optical/microwave remote sensing to solve the problem of the influence of complicated environmental conditions. The Gradient Boost Regression Tree (GBRT) model aided by land-type data is then used to construct a multi-variables SM retrieval model with six different land types of multiple models. The methodology is tested in southeastern China, and the results correlate very well with the existing satellite remote sensing products and in situ SM data (R = 0.765, ubRMSE = 0.054 m3m−3 vs. SMAP; R = 0.653, ubRMSE = 0.057 m3 m−3 vs. ERA5 SM; R = 0.691, ubRMSE = 0.057 m3m−3 vs. in situ SM). This study makes contributions from two aspects: (1) improves the accuracy of the CYGNSS retrieval of SM based on fusion with other auxiliary data; (2) constructs the SM retrieval model with multi-layer multiple models, which is suitable for different land properties.

In this study, the differences in effects of (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and proanthocyanidins (PC) on the functionality and allergenicity of soybean protein isolate (SPI) were studied. SDS-PAGE demonstrated that SPI-PC conjugates exhibited more high-molecular-weight polymers (>180 kDa) than SPI-EGCG conjugates. Structural analysis showed that SPI-PC conjugates exhibited more disordered structures and protein-unfolding, improving the accessibility of PC to modify SPI, compared to SPI-EGCG conjugates. LC/MS-MS demonstrated that PC caused more modification of SPI and major soybean allergens than EGCG, resulting in a lower abundance of epitopes. The successful attachment of EGCG and PC to SPI significantly increased antioxidant capacity in conjugates. Furthermore, SPI-PC conjugates exhibited greater emulsifying activity and lower immunoglobulin E (IgE) binding capacity than SPI-EGCG conjugates, which was attributed to more disordered structure and protein-unfolding in SPI-PC conjugates. It is implied that proanthocyanidins may be promising compounds to interact with soybean proteins to produce functional and hypoallergenic foods.

In order to investigate the effects of plasticizers on the binding energy, solubility parameter and mechanical properties of pBAMO-b-GAP copolymer (the copolymer of 3,3′-bis(azidomethy) oxetane and glycidyl azide polymer), the related copolymer/plasticizer mixed systems were established by molecular dynamics simulations. Besides, the mechanical properties of the formulas based on pBAMO-b-GAP containing the three energetic plasticizers were also studied experimentally. The results showed that all involved energetic plasticizers could be miscible with the pBAMO-b-GAP. The order of binding energy was theoretically found to be pBAMO-b-GAP / BuNENA > pBAMO-b-GAP/ TMETN > pBAMO-b-GAP/ DIANP which was consistent with the trends of the experimental tensile strength values of three mixed materials. Excitedly, the DIANP showed strongest effects among the three plasticizers on improving the toughness of the copolymer according to the calculation of Cauchy pressure and experimental value of elongation. For the pBAMO-b-GAP copolymer, the DIANP could be a promising plasticizer and compolymer/plasticizer mixed system was suitable used as binder in azido polyether-based propellants.

Salt patches (SPs) with surface salt accumulation pose a serious threat to agriculture in coastal saline lands. However, the migration and distribution of soil water and salt in SPs remain unclear due to complex water–salt transport dynamics. In this study, we focused on typical SPs in the Yellow River Delta region and selected center site (Site 1), transition site (Site 2), edge site (Site 3), and outer site (Site 4) with varying levels of salinization. Field sampling and the HYDRUS-1D model were employed to investigate the migration process and distribution of soil water and salt in SPs, as well as the influencing factors. The results indicated significantly higher salt contents in the central sites (Site 1 and Site 2) compared to the edge sites (Site 3 and Site 4), while no significant differences were observed in soil water content. The bottom soil exhibited greater stability in terms of water and salt content compared to the surface soil. Additionally, soil water content increased with soil depth, whereas salt content decreased from Site 1 to Site 3. Interestingly, Site 4 exhibited the opposite salt distribution pattern in the whole soil depth. We observed that SPs displayed a salt aggregation structure radiating from the center to the periphery, gradually weakening in intensity. Our correlation analysis indicated that the formation of SPs may be influenced by soil particle size distribution, precipitation, and evaporation. Specifically, fine soil structure can impede the upward transport of highly mineralized groundwater, while precipitation and evaporation directly affect the leaching and upward movement of surface soil salt, resulting in uneven salt distribution in the field and the formation of SPs. These findings provide valuable theoretical and technical insights for the prevention and improvement of saline farmlands in the Yellow River Delta.

Background: Spontaneous perforation of pyometra is a rare clinical emergency with high mortality. As pyometra perforation is difficult to recognize pre-operatively, many cases are mis-diagnosed as gastrointestinal (GI) rupture. This study aimed to develop a strategy to improve diagnostic accuracy of spontaneous uterine perforation in female patients with acute abdomen. Methods: Twenty-two women with spontaneous rupture of the uterus (twenty cases previously reported in the literature plus two cases from the authors’ hospital) were included in the study group, another 22 menopausal patients with GI perforation were selected as the control group. Radiologists carefully reviewed the CT images and reports and summarized some common signs in patients with spontaneous perforation of pyometra. GI patients’ CT images were also scrutinized for these characteristic signs. The occurrence of these features was calculated in both groups. All patients underwent abdominal surgical exploration and most of patients diagnosed with spontaneous perforation of pyometra received hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy. Results: Five characteristics were specifically detected in patients with uterine spontaneous perforation: (1) Fluid collected in the cul-de-sac, incidence 95.5%; (2) Fluid in the uterine cavity, incidence 100%; (3) Intra-uterine free air, incidence 90.9%; (4) Free air around the uterus, incidence 77.2%; (5) Defects on the uterine wall, incidence 72.7%. However, these five signs were rarely observed in control patients with GI perforation. A dignostic strategy combined clinical findings with raidiological features were developed to help identify these patients. Conclusions: The above five CT characteristics and the developed dignostic algorithm could be used as a tool to facilitate the preoperative diagnosis of spontaneous perforation of pyometra, although more tests are needed in large samples of cases.

BackgroundCervical cancer has become a worldwide concern owing to its high incidence and mortality rates. To date, high-altitude areas of Tibet have not benefited from any large-scale cervical cancer screening programs. Therefore, we initiated a screening program to investigate the prevalence of human papilloma virus (HPV) and HPV genotype distribution to reveal cervical cancer and its precursor which lead to morbidity among women in the city of Nagqu in northern Tib3et.MethodsA total of 25,173 women were recruited to undergo HPV genotype tests between June and December 2019. Women infected with HPV 16 and/or 18 underwent colposcopy and histological examination. Women with other high-risk HPV type (hr-HPV) underwent cytological tests to determine whether to conduct further colposcopy and histological examination for diagnosis. HPV prevalence was calculated in the total population and further stratified according to various parameters, such as age group, area location (altitude level), and single or mixed infection status. The HPV genotype distribution was also investigated accordingly. Cervical lesions revealed by further colposcopic findings were also analyzed; high-grade and malignant lesion morbidities were calculated in total and in each county. Most data were collected and analyzed using descriptive and consistency check statistical methods, and a risk factor investigation for HPV infection was performed using logistic regression models.ResultsThe total HPV infection rate among women in Nagqu was 13.42%. Of the 25,173 women in the study, 999 (3.97%) were HPV 16/18 positive, 2,379 (9.45%) were other hr-HPV-positive, and 21,795 (86.58%) were HPV-negative. The five most common HPV genotypes, accounting for more than 60% of all HPV infections in Nagqu people, were HPV 16, 58, 31, 18, and 52. Tibetan women younger than 20 years and older than 60 years were the two age groups with the highest rates of HPV infection, 26.7% and 19.8%, respectively. Among the HPV-positive women, 2,656 (78.33%) were infected with a single strain and 732 (21.67%) were infected with multiple strains (more than two genotypes). HPV prevalence increased in high-altitude areas (positive rate highest in Nyima with an altitude of 5,000 m, 23.9%) and decreased in relatively low-altitude areas (positive rate lowest in Lhari with an altitude of 4,000 m, 6.6%). Multiple analyses showed that age, parity, age at first delivery, and altitude of residence were independent factors facilitating HPV infection in Tibetan women. High-grade and malignant cervical lesions revealed by histological findings were different among living locations, with the highest rates in Xainza, Baingoin, and Nyainrong, these being 2.019%, 1.820%, and 1.116%, respectively, among women in these areas.ConclusionOur survey provides an overall perspective on HPV genotype infection and cervical lesions in women in northern Tibet. The data not only provide useful information for the treatment of cervical lesions but also has great value in terms of the primary and secondary prevention measures that can be taken for women living in these regions.Clinical Trial Registrationwww.chictr.org.cn, indentifier ChiCTR2000035061.

In order to effectively address the issue of severe soil salinization in the coastal area of the Yellow River Delta, which has led to a significant number of medium and low-yield fields in this region, and to satisfy the rising demand for feed grain in China in recent years, a highly effective solution is to replace conventional crops by cultivating a specialized type of forage grass that can withstand high salinity levels and is well adapted to the local climate. This study proposed a spatial layout scheme for planting salt-tolerant forages, with the aim of providing a foundation for enhancing saline-alkali land and increasing resource utilization efficiency. The results showed that the climate conditions in the Yellow River Delta were suitable for planting sweet sorghum. With respect to soil salt content, the suitable planting regions for sweet sorghum can be classified into four categories: Suitable, moderately suitable, less suitable, and unsuitable, with soil salt concentrations of 2.62–5.25‰, 5.25–7.88‰, respectively. Concerning economic benefits, sweet sorghum’s input-output ratio (74.4%) surpasses that of cotton in high saline-alkali zones, providing a significant advantage in comparison with traditional crops. In non-saline-alkali and light saline-alkali areas, the traditional winter wheat-summer maize planting system offers higher economic benefits and nitrogen use efficiency, so it is recommended to maintain this system as the dominant agricultural model. In moderately and severe saline-alkali zones, although one-season maize exhibits greater nitrogen efficiency, its economic benefits are lower than those of sweet sorghum. Hence, it is advisable to promote one-season maize in suitable regions and introduce salt-tolerant forage, such as sweet sorghum in other areas. This approach offers novel ideas and methods for crop spatial layout planning and addresses potential feed grain shortages in the region.

For the existing visual–inertial SLAM algorithm, when the robot is moving at a constant speed or purely rotating and encounters scenes with insufficient visual features, problems of low accuracy and poor robustness arise. Aiming to solve the problems of low accuracy and robustness of the visual inertial SLAM algorithm, a tightly coupled vision-IMU-2D lidar odometry (VILO) algorithm is proposed. Firstly, low-cost 2D lidar observations and visual–inertial observations are fused in a tightly coupled manner. Secondly, the low-cost 2D lidar odometry model is used to derive the Jacobian matrix of the lidar residual with respect to the state variable to be estimated, and the residual constraint equation of the vision-IMU-2D lidar is constructed. Thirdly, the nonlinear solution method is used to obtain the optimal robot pose, which solves the problem of how to fuse 2D lidar observations with visual–inertial information in a tightly coupled manner. The results show that the algorithm still has reliable pose-estimation accuracy and robustness in many special environments, and the position error and yaw angle error are greatly reduced. Our research improves the accuracy and robustness of the multi-sensor fusion SLAM algorithm.

Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. The countryside is an important carrier of these assets, and rural revitalization is a national strategy to meet the needs of the people. This study constructs the framework system for improving the efficiency of resource utilization, refining the effect of urban–rural integration, and optimizing the efficiency of industrial development for increasing farmers’ income. The challenges facing rural revitalization are clarified, especially including limited space for the growth of cultivated land quantity and significant challenges for quality improvement, insufficient effective supply of labor resources, uneven spatial distribution of water resources, low utilization efficiency of agricultural water resources, and so on. Finally, it puts forward the possible direction of future policies for rural revitalization, which is mainly reflected in the transformation of resource utilization efficiency improvement from single element to multi-element, the development of an urban–rural integration effect from extensive to lean, and the optimization of the industrial enrichment efficiency from management to comprehensive service. The analytical framework of resource utilization, urban–rural integration development, and industrial enrichment will provide regulatory policies and theoretical support for the flow of urban–rural factors.

As the starting point of addressing the issue of “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” for a new era, a rural revitalization strategy is necessary and suits the realistic demand for high-quality development. At present, agro-pastoral ecotone in China is facing a series of ecological degradation and environmental pollution problems. The measurement and analysis of ecological efficiency play an important role in promoting the sustainable development of the agro-pastoral ecotone. Based on the theoretical discussion and empirical calculation, this study took Tongliao as a case area to explore the ecological efficiency issue. Firstly, the ecological efficiency of grass-based livestock husbandry in Tongliao from 2000 to 2019 was calculated by the DEA method, then the dynamic change of efficiency was dissected by the Malmquist index, and finally, multiple factors affecting the ecological efficiency of grass-based livestock husbandry were evaluated by Tobit model. The results showed that the ecological efficiency of grass-based livestock husbandry in the counties of Tongliao showed a growing trend from 2000 to 2019, and the average ecological efficiency increased from 0.88 to 1.17. The total factor ecological efficiency of the counties in Tongliao had increased year by year from 2000 to 2019, and it mainly depended on technological progress. The implementation of the national ecological protection policy and the increase of the output value and number of persons employed in grass-based livestock husbandry has significantly improved the ecological efficiency. However, the increase in the number of livestock, especially in the case of exceeding the carrying capacity of the grassland, was not conducive to the protection of grassland ecology. The key to realizing the revitalization of grass-based livestock husbandry in the future is to promote the coordinated development of economy and ecology through the improvement of management level and large-scale and standardized livestock breeding.

Gas explosions and outbursts were the leading types of gas accidents in mining in China with gas concentration exceeding the threshold limit value (TLV) as the leading cause. Current research is focused mainly on using machine learning approaches for avoiding exceeding the TLV of the gas concentration. no published reports were found in the literature of attempts to uncover the correlation between gas data and other data to predict gas concentration. This research aimed to fill this gap and develop an innovative gas warning system for increasing coal mining safety. A mixed qualitative and quantitative research methodology was adopted, including a case study and correlational research. This research found that strong correlations exist between gas, temperature, and wind. It suggests that integrating correlation analysis of data on temperature and wind into gas would improve warning systems' sensitivity and reduce the incidence of explosions and other adverse events. A Unified Modeling Language (UML) model was developed by integrating the Correlation Analysis Theoretical Framework to the existing gas monitoring system for demonstrating an innovative gas warning system. Feasibility verification studies were conducted to verify the proposed method. This informed the development of an Innovative Integrated Gas Warning System which was deployed for user acceptance testing in 2020.

Soil salinisation has been considered a substantial ecosystem issue with negative effects on sustainable agricultural practices. Practices of vegetation restoration are widely conducted for coping with saline soil degradation, especially in saline-alkali abandoned farmland. Compared with bulk soils, the rhizosphere soils of plants have different microbial community structures. However, how associations and functions of microbes vary in the rhizosphere and bulk soils of salt-tolerant plants remains unclear, limiting the successful implementation and efficacy of vegetation in restoring saline-alkali lands. Here, we analysed the fungal community composition, functional guilds, and co-occurrence networks in both rhizosphere and bulk soils of typical plant species in the abandoned farmland of the Yellow River Delta, China. Not all plant species had significantly different fungal community compositions and relative functional guild abundances between the rhizosphere and bulk soil. Soil nutrient concentrations explained more variance in the soil fungal community. Network analyses indicated that the rhizosphere fungal network had more nodes and links, more negative links, and higher modularity; however, fewer species were involved in the meta-module than those in the bulk soil network, indicating a more complex topology and niche differentiation therein. More generalist species and indicator taxa essential for carbon and nitrogen cycling (e.g., Sordariomycetes and Dothideomycetes) were identified in the salt-tolerant plant rhizosphere network. Overall, the salt-tolerant plants’ rhizosphere had a more stable fungal co-occurrence network and recruited more keystone species compared to the bulk soil, which could benefit soil nutrient cycling and soil restoration in abandoned farmlands.

The formation of soil inorganic carbon in saline–alkali lands is of great significance for enhancing soil carbon sequestration. As for the formation mechanisms, in addition to the discovered abiotic mechanisms, the microbial mechanisms remain unclear. To address this, soil microbes were isolated from the saline–alkali farmland of the Yellow River Delta in north China. Then, their capacity for carbonate precipitation formation was determined. Ten microbial strains were obtained from the soil. Of these, seven strains (four bacterial strains and three fungal strains), belonging to Rhodococcus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Bacillus sp., Streptomyces sp., Aspergillus sp., Cladosporium sp., and Trichoderma sp., formed carbonate precipitates in the range of 89.77~383.37 mg. Moreover, the formation of carbonate precipitates was related to specific metabolisms by which microbes can raise the pH (from 7.20 to >8.00), suggesting that soil microbes that can enhance pH values by specific metabolisms containing the function of carbonate formation. Although an in situ experiment is needed to confirm such capacity, these results showed that soil bacteria and fungi existing in the saline–alkali farmland soil can form carbonate precipitates. The present study provided a microbial perspective for the mechanism of soil inorganic carbon formation, further implying a microbial potential of soil carbon sequestration in saline–alkali farmlands.

Since flood inundation hampers human life and the economy, flood inundation retrieval with high temporal resolution and accuracy is essential for the projection of the environmental impact. In this study, a novel cyclone global navigation satellite system (CYGNSS)-based index, named the annual threshold flood inundation index (ATFII) for flood inundation retrieval, is proposed, and the grades of flood inundation are quantified. First, the CYGNSS surface reflectivity with land surface properties (i.e., vegetation and surface roughness) calibration is derived based on the zeroth-order radiative transfer model. Then, an index named ATFII is proposed to achieve inundation retrieval, and the inundation grades are classified. The results are validated with the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) flood product and GPM precipitation data. The validation results between ATFII and GPM precipitation indicate that the ATFII enables flood inundation retrieval at rapid timescales and quantifies the inundation variation grades. Likewise, for monthly results, the R value between the VIIRS flood product and ATFII varies from 0.51 to 0.64, with an acceptable significance level (p < 0.05). The study makes contributions in two aspects: (1) it provides an index-based method for mapping daily flood inundation on a large scale, with the advantages of fast speed and convenience, and (2) it provides a new way to derive inundation grade variations, which can help in studying the behavior of inundation in response to environmental impacts directly.

Daily spatial complete soil moisture (SM) mapping is important for climatic, hydrological, and agricultural applications. The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) is the first constellation that utilizes the L band signal transmitted by the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites to measure SM. Since the CYGNSS points are discontinuously distributed with a relativity low density, limiting it to map continuous SM distributions with high accuracy. The Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) product (i.e., vegetation index [VI] and land surface temperature [LST]) provides more surface SM information than other optical remote sensing data with a relatively high spatial resolution. This study proposes a point-surface fusion method to fuse the CYGNSS and MODIS data for daily spatial complete SM retrieval. First, for CYGNSS data, the surface reflectivity (SR) is proposed as a proxy to evaluate its ability to estimate daily SM. Second, the LST output from the China Meteorological Administration Land Data Assimilation System (CLDAS, 0.0625° × 0.0625°) and MODIS LST (1 × 1 km) are fused to generate spatial complete and temporally continuous LST maps. An Enhanced Normalized Vegetation Supply Water Index (E-NVSWI) model is proposed to estimate SM derived from MODIS data at high spatial resolution. Finally, the final SM estimation model is constructed from the back-propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) fusing the CYGNSS point, E-NWSVI data, and ancillary data, and applied to get the daily continuous SM result over southeast China. The results show that the estimation SM are comparable and promising (R = 0.723, root mean squared error [RMSE] = 0.062 m3 m−3, and MAE = 0.040 m3 m−3 vs. in situ, R = 0.714, RMSE = 0.057 m3 m−3, and MAE = 0.039 m3 m−3 vs. CLDAS). The proposed algorithm contributes from two aspects: (1) validates the CYGNSS derived SM by taking advantage of the dense in situ networks over Southeast China; (2) provides a point-surface fusion model to combine the usage of CYGNSS and MODIS to generate the temporal and spatial complete SM. The proposed approach reveals significant potential to map daily spatial complete SM using CYGNSS and MODIS data at a regional scale.

Diffuser’s aerodynamic performance is crucial for the centrifugal compressors, while at present the universal principles for the optimization design of the vaned diffusers are still not available. In this paper, three vaned diffusers with different inlet Mach numbers were numerically studied in order to explore new design principles for the centrifugal compressor vaned diffusers. It proved that there are practical and effective design principles for the vaned diffuser optimizations, the performance of the vaned diffuser can be improved by carefully control of two aerodynamic parameter distributions: Tangential velocity (Vt) and Meridional velocity (Vm). The vaned diffusers with subsonic, transonic and supersonic inlet conditions were optimized with the new design principles, and the peak efficiencies were increased by 4.23%, 2.15% and 2.59%, respectively. The stage pressure ratios were increased by 3.36%, 1.39% and 6.49%, respectively, and their surge margins were also improved substantially. Finally, since the Vt and Vm could affect each other during the optimization process, an interactive optimization design procedure was also presented in this paper in order to accelerate the optimization process.

The geometric phase effect associated with a conical intersection between the ground and first excited electronic state has been predicted in the H3 system below the conical intersection energy. The authors, by a crossed molecular beam technique and quantum dynamic calculations, provide experimental evidence and insight into its origin.

Abstract N6-methyl-adenosine(m6A) modification emerges as an abundant and dynamic regulation throughout the Eukaryotic transcriptome. Dysregulation of the m6A regulators has increasingly been found in many neoplasms. It is reasonable to believe that m6A changes the fate of cancer cells and subsequently affected all aspects of cancer progression. In view of the context-dependent role of m6A modification, we emphasize a dual effect of m6A in a particular tumor model, that is, m6A plays a promoting role or a suppressing role in different stages of cancer. This novel sight is compared to the older view that a particular m6A regulator acts as a consistent role in cancer progression.

Abstract Background Contrast-induced encephalopathy (CIE) is a rare complication of cardiac catheterization; clinical manifestations include cortical blindness, seizures and focal neurological deficits. In general, recurrent epileptic seizures following cardiac catheterization with iodixanol occur more rarely than do other complications. Case presentation Here, we report a case of a 76-year-old male patient who experienced unstable angina for nearly 10 months and was admitted to our hospital. Repeat cardiac catheterization was performed using iodixanol. At approximately 20 h after the first cardiac catheterization, his upper limbs began to exhibit slight trembling; the patient was conscious and could not control these movements. A total of 6 episodes occurred before the second cardiac catheterization was performed, with each episode lasting approximately 2 s. These symptoms were not treated. At approximately 2 h after the second cardiac catheterization, the symptoms became more severe, and the frequency of the episodes increased significantly; the symptoms had fully subsided at 6 h after the second operation. An electroencephalogram (EEG) demonstrated diffuse slowing with epileptiform abnormalities. Paroxysmal spike-wave and slow wave discharges were observed in the bilateral areas, and the abnormalities were marked in the frontal areas. These observations led us to conclude that the patient was experiencing epileptic seizures. During 6 months of monthly clinical follow-up visits after discharge, no abnormalities of the nervous system were found by cardiologists or neurologists, and the patient’s EEG was normal. No antiepileptic drugs were administered throughout this process. Conclusions CIE, especially recurrent epileptic seizures, is a rare but often reversible complication of cardiac catheterization with iodixanol. Its symptoms can be mild and therefore are easily ignored by physicians. Early CIE detection may be achieved by EEG. Repeated exposure to contrast agents carries the risk of recurrent epileptic seizures.

Abstract Besides cumulative temperature and precipitation, the phase synchronization of temperature and precipitation also helps to regulate vegetation distribution and productivity across global lands. However, the phase synchronization has been rarely considered in previous studies related to climate and biogeography due to a lack of a robust and quantitative approach. In this study, we proposed a synchronization index of temperature and precipitation (SI‐TaP) and then investigated its global spatial distribution, interannual fluctuation, and long‐term trend derived from a global 60‐year dataset of meteorological forcings. Further investigation was conducted to understand the relationship between SI‐TaP and the annually summed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which could be a proxy of terrestrial vegetation productivity. Results show differences in both spatial patterns and temporal variations between SI‐TaP and air temperature and precipitation, but SI‐TaP may help to explain the distribution and productivity of terrestrial vegetation. About 60% of regions where annually summed NDVI is greater than half of its maximum value overlap regions where SI‐TaP is greater than half of its maximum value. By using SI‐TaP to explain vegetation productivity along with temperature and precipitation, the maximum increase in the coefficient of determination is 0.66 across global lands. Results from this study suggest that the proposed SI‐TaP index is helpful to better understand climate change and its relation to the biota.

Study Region: Yangpota Mountain in Zhuanglang County, Loess Plateau Hilly Area. Study Focus: In dry and degraded ecosystems, water scarcity remains the most significant restriction to vegetation restoration and ecosystem rehabilitation. Plants cannot directly absorb groundwater in the Loess Plateau, so soil moisture is very important for the growth of plants. Through the soil moisture observation system of Yangpota Mountain terraces, we explore the influence mechanism of terrace construction on soil moisture. New Hydrological Insights for the Region: The results show that the soil moisture of terraces is higher than that of slope farmland and natural vegetation surfaces. In the 0-1 m soil depth range, soil moisture was found to be 4.39 % to 4.89 % higher compared with slope farmland. In different slope directions of the loess plateau, the soil moisture on the northern slopes was higher than that on the southern slopes. The soil moisture of abandoned terraces is higher than that of terraces in use. Also crop types and evaporation different were found to play an important role due to differences in root systems and water requirements.

Plant density is a significant variable in crop growth. Plant density estimation by combining unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and deep learning algorithms is a well-established procedure. However, flight companies for wheat density estimation are typically executed at early development stages. Further exploration is required to estimate the wheat plant density after the tillering stage, which is crucial to the following growth stages. This study proposed a plant density estimation model, DeNet, for highly accurate wheat plant density estimation after tillering. The validation results presented that (1) the DeNet with global-scale attention is superior in plant density estimation, outperforming the typical deep learning models of SegNet and U-Net; (2) the sigma value at 16 is optimal to generate heatmaps for the plant density estimation model; (3) the normalized inverse distance weighted technique is robust to assembling heatmaps. The model test on field-sampled datasets revealed that the model was feasible to estimate the plant density in the field, wherein a higher density level or lower zenith angle would degrade the model performance. This study demonstrates the potential of deep learning algorithms to capture plant density from high-resolution UAV imageries for wheat plants including tillers.

The authors would like to update the affiliations for Umair Umer and Syed Kazim Usman in the published publication [...]

In view of the limited number of extracted sound features, the lack of in-depth analysis of applicable sound features, and the lack of in-depth study of the selection basis and optimization process of classification models in the existing broiler sound classification or recognition research, the author proposes a recognition method for broiler sound signals based on multi-domain sound features and classification models. The implementation process is divided into the training stage and the testing stage. In the training stage, the experimental area is built, and multiple segments of broiler sound signals are collected and filtered. Through sub-frame processing and endpoint detection, the combinations of start frames and end frames of multiple sound types in broiler sound signals are obtained. A total of sixty sound features from four aspects of time domain, frequency domain, Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC), and sparse representation are extracted from each frame signal to form multiple feature vectors. These feature vectors are labeled manually to build the data set. The min-max standardization method is used to process the data set, and the random forest is used to calculate the importance of sound features. Then, thirty sound features that contribute more to the classification effect of the classification model are retained. On this basis, the classification models based on seven classification algorithms are trained, the best-performing classification model based on k-Nearest Neighbor (kNN) is obtained, and its inherent parameters are optimized. Then, the optimal classification model is obtained. The test results show that the average classification accuracy achieved by the decision-tree-based classifier (abbreviated as DT classifier) on the data set before and after min–max standardization processing is improved by 0.6%, the average classification accuracy achieved by the DT classifier on the data set before and after feature selection is improved by 3.1%, the average classification accuracy achieved by the kNN-based classification model before and after parameter optimization is improved by 1.2%, and the highest classification accuracy is 94.16%. In the testing stage, for a segment of the broiler sound signal collected in the broiler captivity area, the combinations of the start frames and end frames of multiple sound types in the broiler sound signal are obtained through signal filtering, sub-frame processing, endpoint detection, and other steps. Thirty sound features are extracted from each frame signal to form the data set to be predicted. The optimal classification model is used to predict the labels of each piece of data in the data set to be predicted. By performing majority voting processing on the predicted labels of the data combination corresponding to each sound type, the common labels are obtained; that is, the predicted types are obtained. On this basis, the definition of recognition accuracy for broiler sound signals is proposed. The test results show that the classification accuracy achieved by the optimal classification model on the data set to be predicted is 93.57%, and the recognition accuracy achieved on the multiple segments of the broiler sound signals is 99.12%.

Abstract Achieving food and feed self‐sufficiency is important for both China and the world. While China's food self‐sufficiency has been examined at the national and provincial levels, few studies consider lower administrative levels or different food and feed items. This study quantifies self‐sufficiency in the eastern regions of China and examines correlations with agronomic (arable area, yield, fertilizer input, and machinery power) and socioeconomic (population density, gross domestic product [GDP]) variables at the local level, which are related to the interactions of the Sustainable Development Goals. We calculated food and feed balances, and checked correlations across and within regions grouped by population density levels between production, balance indices, and other agronomic and socioeconomic variables. The results showed that most regions can achieve self‐sufficiency in cereals, vegetables, and meat. Regarding eggs and maize, there was self‐sufficiency in the north but deficiency in the south. Nearly all regions demonstrated extreme shortages of milk and soybeans. The results also showed a positive correlation between the production of some food commodities and the population in eastern regions of China, demonstrating that the aim of achieving food self‐sufficiency at the local level is pursued. For cereals, vegetables, and maize, the yield and arable land per capita were positive factors for self‐sufficiency, while GDP per capita was a negative factor for cereals, meat, and maize. Various factors have different impacts on the food and feed self‐sufficiency of regions based on population density. Protecting arable land by rural revitalization and mitigating urban sprawl can retain food and feed self‐sufficiency in large cities. This study outlines important implications for policymakers seeking to achieve food and feed self‐sufficiency in China.

Abstract Background Long non-coding RNA PTENP1, the pseudogene of PTEN tumor suppressor, has been reported to exert its tumor suppressive function via modulation of PTEN expression in many malignancies, including breast cancer (BC). However, whether the PTENP1/miR-20a/PTEN axis exists and how it functions in BC progression remains elusive. Methods The levels of PTENP1, PTEN and miR-20a were measured by qRT-PCR. Furthermore, the breast cancer cells proliferation was further measured by CCK8 assay, colony formation assays, EDU and Ki67 staining. The migratory and invasive ability was determined by transwell assay. Flow cytometry, JC-1 and TUNEL assays were conducted to show the occurrence of apoptosis. Xenograft model was used to show the tumorigenesis of breast cancer cells. Results We analyzed PTENP1 and PTEN levels in clinical BC samples and cell lines, and found that PTENP1 and PTEN were confirmed and closely correlated with the malignancy of BC cell lines and poor clinical prognosis. Moreover, alteration of PTENP1 affects BC cell proliferation, invasion, tumorigenesis and chemoresistance to adriamycin (ADR). Bioinformatic analysis and dual-luciferase reporter gene assay predicted that PTENP1 was a direct target of miR-20a, which was clarified an alternative effect on BC aggressiveness phenotype. In addition, PTENP1 functioned as an endogenous sponge of miR-20a to regulate PTEN expression, which mediated BC cells proliferation, invasion and drug resistance via activation the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway. PI3K inhibitor LY294002 or siAkt also prevented BC cells progression. Conclusion Collectively, these data indicated that PTENP1/miR-20a/PTEN axis involved in the malignant behaviors of BC cells, illuminating the possible mechanism mediated by PTEN via PI3K/Akt pathway. Targeting PTENP1/miR-20a/PTEN may provide a potential diagnosis and treatment strategy for BC.

Background This study prospectively investigated the efficacy and radiation dose of ultralow dose computed tomography (CT)‐guided hook‐wire localization (HWL) at 100 kV with tin filtration (100Sn kV) for small solitary pulmonary nodules. Methods All HWL procedures were performed on a third generation dual‐source CT system. Eighty‐eight consecutive patients undergoing CT‐guided HWL were randomly assigned to standard dose CT (Group A: n = 44; reference 110 kV and 50 mA) or ultralow dose CT (Group B: n =44; 100Sn kV and 96 mA) protocols. The technical success rate, complications, subjective image quality, and radiation dose were compared between the groups. Results The mean volume CT dose index and total dose‐length product were significantly lower in Group B compared to Group A (0.32 mGy vs. 3.2 ± 1.1 mGy and 12.1 ± 0.97 mGy‐cm vs. 120 ± 40.6 mGy‐cm; P < 0.001). The effective dose in Group B was significantly lower than in Group A (0.17 ± 0.01 mSv vs. 1.68 ± 0.57 mSv, ‐89.8%; P < 0.001). The technical success rates were 100% for both groups. There were no significant differences in complication rates between the protocols (P > 0.05). The image quality of ultralow dose CT met the requirements for HWL procedure. Conclusion Ultralow dose CT‐guided HWL of solitary pulmonary nodules performed at 100Sn kVp spectral shaping significantly reduced the radiation dose compared to standard dose CT, with high technical success and acceptable patient safety.