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Rapid development of urbanization and intense human activities had a profound influence on the ecosystem service functions. As an integrated monetary index for the evaluation of final ecosystem services, the gross ecosystem product (GEP) is widely used in the quantification of ecosystem service value (ESV). This study initially assessed and analyzed the spatial distribution of the GEP at the county-level scale using multisource data spanning 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. Then, the spatial transfer characteristics of the GEP were measured. Finally, the study employed spatial panel econometric models and the geographically weighted regression (GWR) model to investigate the spatial effect of urbanization and ecological construction on the GEP. The results indicated that: (1) In 2020, the GEP in the Yangtze River Delta Region was RMB 15.24 trillion, and the GEP per unit area was RMB 42.58 million per square kilometer. It exhibited a cumulative decrease of RMB 298.72 billion from 2000 to 2020. (2) The spatial transfer efficiency of the GEP in urban agglomerations showed a clear decline trend. During the period of 2000–2020, over 96% of county-level units exhibited a decline with RMB 90,076,103.17/km2, indicating a consistent downward trend from the central regions towards the periphery. (3) Based on the decomposition effects of the spatial Durbin mode, urbanization and the ecological construction indicator showed spatial spillover effects on the GEP, but their impact mechanisms varied substantially. Among them, the urbanization rate (UR), population density (PD), and the proportion of impervious land (ILP) had the largest negative effect on the GEP, and a 1% rise in ILP locally resulted in a 0.044% decline in the local GEP and a 0.078% rise in the GEP of neighboring units. And the area of ecological land had a positive effect on the GEP of both local and neighboring areas. Those conclusions can offer evidence in favor of encouraging ecologically responsible building practices and sustainable growth in urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is a common and fatal tumor with a bleak prognosis, posing a significant threat to human health. N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) modification regulates tumor progression by modulating gene expression post‐transcriptionally. Nevertheless, the specific function of m6A‐modified tumor drivers in HNSC remains largely uncharted. In this study, we revealed the pro‐oncogenic role of m6A‐regulated NTMT1 in HNSC through comprehensive pan‐cancer analysis and experimental validation. By scrutinizing the prognostic and expression profiles of NTMT1 across over 30 cancer types, we observed a significant association between NTMT1 and patient overall survival in ACC, HNSC, LAML, LGG, KIRC, and STAD. Moreover, we find a close correlation between NTMT1 and disease‐free survival in ACC, HNSC, LUSC, UVM, KIRC, and STAD. NTMT1 exhibited dysregulation in 15 cancers, including CESC, CHOL, COAD, DLBC, GBM, HNSC, LGG, LIHC, PAAD, READ, SKCM, THYM, UCS, LAML, and TGCT. Integrated data underscored the critical involvement of NTMT1 in HNSC. Furthermore, the expression of NTMT1 was closely associated with tumor stage and immune infiltration in HNSC. Functionally, NTMT1 deficiency was demonstrated to significantly impede cell proliferation and cell‐cycle progression in HNSC. Mechanistically, METTL3 was elucidated to mediate the epigenetic upregulation of NTMT1 in HNSC in an m6A‐dependent manner, and the overexpression of METTL3 was shown to alleviate the inhibitory impact of downregulated NTMT1 on HNSC proliferation. In conclusion, our findings enhance our understanding of NTMT1's role across various cancer types and offer a rationale for clinically targeting NTMT1 as a therapeutic approach for HNSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Music listening can be easily implemented as a safe, low‐cost, and non‐invasive intervention. Aims: We assessed the effectiveness of music listening on sleep quality, psychological outcomes, and physiological outcomes for critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs). Study design: It is a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Twelve electronic databases were searched from inception to February 2022. Inclusion criteria were randomized and quasi‐experimental trials that assessed the effect of music listening during ICUs, excluding those receiving music therapy. The outcome indicators were sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and physiological outcomes. We assessed the quality of the included studies using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and performed a meta‐analysis using RevMan 5.3 software. Standardized mean difference (SMD) or mean difference (MD) were used as measures of effect and the results were presented as SMD or MD with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A total of 1585 titles and abstracts were identified, in which 29 studies were included in the systematic review, which evaluated 2198 subjects, including 1106 in control groups and 1092 in intervention groups. Compared with control groups, music listening improved sleep quality (SMD: 0.93 [95% CI: 0.49–1.38]), anxiety (SMD: −1.12 [−1.55 to −0.69]), depression (SMD: −1.08 [−1.62 to −0.55]), and physiological parameters. Subgroup analysis revealed that music listening produced better results in improving sleep quality in studies of non‐surgical patients, in studies in which researchers selected the type of music, in studies with longer intervention duration (>45 to ≤60 min), and in studies that used the Richards‐Campbell sleep questionnaire. Bias risk was moderate in all of the included studies. Conclusions: Music listening can improve sleep quality, anxiety, and depression in critically ill patients. However, high‐quality trials are still needed to determine the role of music listening in critical care in more depth. Relevance to clinical practice: Music listening is an inexpensive and easy‐to‐administer intervention that is unlikely to have adverse effects, in contrast to many sedative and analgestic drugs. It deserves widespread use in critically ill patients. Registration: The present study is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42019147202. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil microbial biomass and microbial stoichiometric ratios are important for understanding carbon and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we compiled data from 12245 observations of soil microbial biomass from 1626 published studies to map global patterns of microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), microbial biomass phosphorus (MBP), and their stoichiometry using a random forest model. Concentrations of MBC, MBN, and MBP were most closely linked to soil organic carbon, while climatic factors were most important for stoichiometry in microbial biomass ratios. Modeled seasonal MBC concentrations peaked in summer in tundra and in boreal forests, but in autumn in subtropical and in tropical biomes. The global mean MBC/MBN, MBC/MBP, and MBN/MBP ratios were estimated to be 10, 48, and 6.7, respectively, at 0–30 cm soil depth. The highest concentrations, stocks, and microbial C/N/P ratios were found at high latitudes in tundra and boreal forests, probably due to the higher soil organic matter content, greater fungal abundance, and lower nutrient availability in colder than in warmer biomes. At 30–100 cm soil depth, concentrations of MBC, MBN, and MBP were highest in temperate forests. The MBC/MBP ratio showed greater flexibility at the global scale than did the MBC/MBN ratio, possibly reflecting physiological adaptations and microbial community shifts with latitude. The results of this study are important for understanding C, N, and P cycling at the global scale, as well as for developing soil C‐cycling models including soil microbial C, N, and P as important parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate urban boundary data can directly reflect the expansion of urban space, help us accurately grasp the scale and form of urban space, and play a vital role in urban land development and policy-making. However, the lack of reliable multiscale and high-precision urban boundary data products and relevant training datasets has become one of the major factors hindering their application. The purpose of this study is to combine Sentinel-2 remote-sensing images and supplementary geographic data to generate a reliable high-precision urban boundary dataset for Henan Province (called HNUB2018). First, this study puts forward a clear definition of "urban boundary". Using this concept as its basis, it proposes a set of operable urban boundary delimitation rules and technical processes. Then, based on Sentinel-2 remote-sensing images and supplementary geographic data, the urban boundaries of Henan Province are delimited by a visual interpretation method. Finally, the applicability of the dataset is verified by using a classical semantic segmentation deep learning model. The results show that (1) HNUB2018 has clear and rich detailed features as well as a detailed spatial structure of urban boundaries. The overall accuracy of HNUB2018 is 92.82% and the kappa coefficient reaches 0.8553, which is better than GUB (Henan) in overall accuracy. (2) HNUB2018 is well suited for deep learning, with excellent reliability and scientific validity. The research results of this paper can provide data support for studies of urban sprawl monitoring and territorial spatial planning, and will support the development of reliable datasets for fields such as intelligent mapping of urban boundaries, showing prospects and possibilities for wide application in urban research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Above and belowground compartments in ecosystems are closely coupled on daily to annual timescales. In mature forests, this interlinkage and how it is impacted by drought is still poorly understood. Here, we pulse‐labelled 100‐year‐old trees with 13CO2 within a 15‐year‐long irrigation experiment in a naturally dry pine forest to quantify how drought regime affects the transfer and use of assimilates from trees to the rhizosphere and associated microbial communities. It took 4 days until new 13C‐labelled assimilates were allocated to the rhizosphere. One year later, the 13C signal of the 3‐h long pulse labelling was still detectable in stem and soil respiration, which provides evidence that parts of the assimilates are stored in trees before they are used for metabolic processes in the rhizosphere. Irrigation removing the natural water stress reduced the mean C residence time from canopy uptake until soil respiration from 89 to 40 days. Moreover, irrigation increased the amount of assimilates transferred to and respired in the soil within the first 10 days by 370%. A small precipitation event rewetting surface soils altered this pattern rapidly and reduced the effect size to +35%. Microbial biomass incorporated 46 ± 5% and 31 ± 7% of the C used in the rhizosphere in the dry control and irrigation treatment respectively. Mapping the spatial distribution of soil‐respired 13CO2 around the 10 pulse‐labelled trees showed that tree rhizospheres extended laterally 2.8 times beyond tree canopies, implying that there is a strong overlap of the rhizosphere among adjacent trees. Irrigation increased the rhizosphere area by 60%, which gives evidence of a long‐term acclimation of trees and their rhizosphere to the drought regime. The moisture‐sensitive transfer and use of C in the rhizosphere has consequences for C allocation within trees, soil microbial communities and soil carbon storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is responsible for hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation and the accumulation of collagen that occurs in hepatic fibrogenesis. Carvedilol has been widely used for the complication of hepatic cirrhosis in the clinic. Furthermore, it has powerful antioxidant properties. We assessed the potential antifibrotic effects of carvedilol and the underlying mechanisms that may further enhance its clinical benefits. Methods. Using a bile duct ligation rat model of hepatic fibrosis, we studied the effects of carvedilol on the fibrosis, collagen deposition, and oxidative stress based on histology, immunohistochemistry, western blot, and RT-PCR analyses. Results. Carvedilol attenuated liver fibrosis, as evidenced by reduced hydroxyproline content and the accumulation of collagen, downregulated TIMP-1 and TIMP-2, and upregulated MMP-13. MMP-2 was an exception, which was decreased after carvedilol treatment for 2 weeks and upregulated after carvedilol treatment for 4 weeks. Carvedilol reduced the activation of HSCs, decreased the induction of collagen, transforming growth factor-β1, and MDA content, and strengthened the SOD activity. The antifibrotic effects were augmented as dosages increased. Conclusions. The study indicates that carvedilol attenuated hepatic fibrosis in a dose-dependent manner. It can decrease collagen accumulation and HSCs activation by the amelioration of oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulated rainfall experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of Astragalus adsurgens roots and canopy on water erosion yield, erosion processes and soil resistance to erosion. Experiments were conducted on grass, root and bare slopes, with sandy soil from a water-wind crisscrossed erosion region of the Loess Plateau, China. A. adsurgens coverage on grass slopes was approximately 40%. There were three rainfall intensities of 30, 60 and 90 mm h-1 and four slope gradients of 3, 6, 9 and 12°. A. adsurgens had a significant effect on soil erosion control; soil loss was reduced by ~70% on slopes with the grass compared with bare slopes. The grass roots reduced soil loss more than its canopy, particularly in high-intensity rainfall, which reduced soil loss by 82%. The presence of the grass and its roots changed the soil erosion process, reducing soil erodibility ( Kr) and increasing the critical shear stress ( τc). The soil erosion rate on the bare slope increased steadily over time; on the grass and root slopes, its rate initially increased, then decreased and then finally stabilized. Kr on the grass and root slopes was reduced by 96% and 89%, respectively, compared with the bare slope, while the corresponding τc increased by 92% and 195% respectively. These results provide insights into the mechanisms of grass on soil and water conservation and may help to improve vegetation construction in water-wind crisscrossed erosion regions of the Loess Plateau. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic evolution is considered as being driven by innovation of research and development (R&D) even if regional characteristics usually have critical impacts on various culture-oriented living styles that change in a social transformation dynamically. In documented Chinese history, climate changes and geographic conditions are constraints of the economic evolution in ecologically fragile regions. Lots of unpublished indigenous knowledge of environmental adaptation as a part of culture have been excluded from innovative records. In this research, we review research records of several key factors closely associated with economic evolution in the history of study regions, including climate change, cultural transition, economic base, resource endowment and transportation accessibility. By surveying previous research records and contents, we examine the paths of economic evolution mixed with adaptive cultures response to climate change in each region and draw conclusions that (1) the economic evolution with regional climate changes interactively experience three stages of culture-hindered, culture-mixed, and culture-impelled adaptation diversely; (2) regions that have higher economic performance with less innovative records highly likely have a relatively large number of indigenous knowledge unpublished throughout cultural evolution; and (3) English world has research preference to the regions that have lower economic performance with a distinctive culture in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation plays an important role in soil erosion control, but few studies have been performed to quantify the effects of vegetation stems on hydraulics of overland flow. Laboratory flume experiments were conducted to investigate the potential effects of vegetation stems on Reynolds number, Froude number, flow velocity and hydraulic resistance of silt-laden overland flow. Cylinders with diameter D of 2·0, 3·2 and 4·0 × 10−2 m were glued onto the flume bed to simulate the vegetation stems, and a bare slope was used as control. The flow discharge varied from 0·5 to 1·5 × 10−3 m3 s−1 and slope gradient was 9°. Results showed that Reynolds number on vegetated slope was significantly higher than that on bare slope because of the effect of vegetation stems on effective flow width. All the flows were supercritical flow, but Froude number decreased as D increased, implying a decrease in runoff ability to carry sediment. The mean flow velocity also decreased with D, while the velocity profile became steeper, and no significant differences were found in surface flow velocities among longitudinal sections on all slopes. Darcy-Weisbach friction coefficient increased with D, implying that the energy consumption of overland flow on hydraulic resistance increased. Reynolds number was not a unique predictor of hydraulic roughness on vegetated slopes. The total resistance on vegetated slopes was partitioned into grain resistance and vegetation resistance, and vegetation resistance accounted for almost 80% of the total resistance and was the dominant roughness element. Further studies are needed to extend and apply the insights obtained under controlled conditions to actual overland flow conditions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In ecologically fragile areas with arid climate, such as the Heihe River Basin in northwestern China, sustainable social and economic development depends largely on the availability and sustainable uses of water resource. However, there is more and more serious water resource shortage and decrease of water productivity in Heihe River Basin under the influence of climate change and human activities. This paper attempts to identify the severe water scarcity under climate change and presents possible solutions for sustainable development in Heihe River Basin. Three problems that intervened land use changes, water resource, the relevant policies and institutions in Heihe River basin were identified, including (1) water scarcity along with serious contradiction between water supply and demand, (2) irrational water consumption structure along with low efficiency, and (3) deficient systems and institutions of water resource management along with unreasonable water allocation scheme. In this sense, we focused on reviewing the state of knowledge, institutions, and successful practices to cope with water scarcity at a regional extent. Possible solutions for dealing with water scarcity are explored and presented from three perspectives: (1) scientific researches needed by scientists, (2) management and institution formulation needed by governments, and (3) water resource optimal allocation by the manager at all administrative levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]