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This study investigates the decision process of own-brand intrusion by contract manufacturers and their selection of invasion sales modes under the consideration of service quality disparities between brand manufacturers and contract manufacturers. Specifically, the study constructs a three-tier supply chain system comprising a brand manufacturer, a contract manufacturer, and an e-commerce platform. The equilibrium profits under different sales mode combinations are determined by using reverse induction methodology, and the optimal sales mode combinations are analyzed and compared. The study reveals that the decision process of contract manufacturers' own-brand invasion depends on the potential market demand. Furthermore, when brand manufacturers adopt the reselling mode, the service quality level does not affect the decision process of invasion sales modes. However, when brand manufacturers adopt the agency mode, contract manufacturers with low service quality levels are more suitable for invasion through the agency mode, whereas contract manufacturers with high service quality levels are better suited for invasion through the reselling mode. Additionally, for the equilibrium sales mode combination among members of the supply chain, it is observed that with lower commission rates, both brand manufacturers and contract manufacturers choose the agency mode, while with higher commission rates, both choose the reselling mode. When commission rates are moderate, brand manufacturers prefer the agency mode, whereas contract manufacturers prefer the reselling mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seedlings are a crucial part of the plant community and the basis of vegetation restoration and regeneration. Grazing and climate change are two main factors contributing to vegetation changes in semiarid grasslands. However, the effects of grazing on seedling emergence with rainfall variation are not clearly understood. This study aimed to address how seedling abundance and the emergence dynamics of annuals respond to grazing with rainfall changes in different years. We conducted a seedling investigation experiment in a grassland along a grazing intensity gradient (light grazing—LG; moderate grazing—MG; heavy grazing—HG) in contrasting wet and dry years. The results showed that MG increased the seedling richness of grasses and forbs in the wet year, but increasing grazing resulted in a decline in forb richness in the dry year. Seedling abundance of grasses was enhanced under MG, while seedling abundance of forbs was higher under HG. The monthly emergence dynamics were generally in a single peak pattern, but the peak time of seedling emergence for forbs advanced under HG. Seedling abundance of whole annuals increased with grazing in the wet year but was much higher under MG in the dry year. Our results suggest that more judicious grazing management based on rainfall variation and functional composition of the plant community should be undertaken to facilitate grassland restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Eicosanoid lipids play important roles in cellular signaling as second messengers in inflammation, immune response, vascular tone, and the CNS. Biosynthesis of eicosanoid lipids proceeds via hydrolysis of esterified arachidonic acid from phospholipids followed by oxidation of the released arachidonic acid by a variety of enzymes including cyclooxygenases (COX). Herein, we demonstrate the remarkable ability of COX-2, but not COX-1, to directly oxidize 2-arachidonoyl-lysolipids, resulting in the generation of previously unknown classes of eicosanoid-lysolipids, and provide evidence that intracellular lipases can release eicosanoids from their eicosanoid-lysolipid precursors. Importantly, genetic ablation of a phospholipase, iPLA 2 γ, significantly reduced the amounts of these eicosanoid-lysolipids in murine hepatic tissue and fibroblasts. Furthermore, calcium stimulation of wild-type murine lung fibroblasts produced robust increases in these eicosanoid-lysolipids, which were markedly attenuated in iPLA 2 γ −/− fibroblasts. Collectively, these results identify an iPLA 2 γ-initiated pathway generating new classes of lipid metabolites with potential signaling functions resulting from the direct COX-2 catalyzed oxidation of 2-arachidonoyl-lysolipids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ion-molecule reactions and energy-resolved mass spectrometry have been used to determine the structures of the products formed in the reaction of diacetylene radical cation with ethylene in a flowing afterglow-triple quadrupole instrument. The structure of the adduct ion, C6H6·+, has been determined to be that of singly ionized benzene. The reaction thus presents a first example of the ability of diacetylene radical cation to undergo an aromatic ring forming reaction. The other products formed in the reaction are m/z 52, C4H4·+, and m/z 39, C3H3+. Isotopic labeling studies show that C4H4·+ and C3H3+ are formed with nearly statistical hydrogen incorporation, indicating a complex mechanism that scrambles all protons. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Heating extraction steam (HEXTR) flow rate is the key parameter to determine the heat load of a combined heat and power (CHP) plant and the safe operation area of the steam turbine of CHP plant. Due to the difficulty of direct measurement, a soft measurement method of this flow rate is proposed. First, three calculation methods based on different principles are given: the Flügel formula of the steam turbine method, the butterfly valve flow characteristics method, and the improvement of heat balance characteristic of the turbine method. Then, a soft-sensing method through frequency complementary information fusion is proposed to combine the advantages of the three methods. The specific fusion algorithm uses Flügel formula of the turbine as a static model, the heat balance characteristic of the turbine to correct the coefficient in the model, and the butterfly valve characteristic to realize dynamic compensation. Finally, the proposed soft sensor is applied in the monitoring system of a typical 330 MW CHP plant. The actual operating data shows that the relative static measurement error of the soft sensor is less than 1% and the dynamic response is as fast as power load change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a laccase LAC-Yang1 was successfully purified from a white-rot fungus strain Pleurotus ostreatus strain yang1 with high laccase activity. The enzymatic properties of LAC-Yang1 and its ability to degrade and detoxify chlorophenols such as 2,6-dichlorophenol and 2,3,6-trichlorophenol were systematically studied. LAC-Yang1 showed a strong tolerance to extremely acidic conditions and strong stability under strong alkaline conditions (pH 9–12). LAC-Yang1 also exhibited a strong tolerance to different inhibitors (EDTA, SDS), metal ions (Mn2+, Cu2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Zn2+, Al3+, Co2+, and metal ion mixtures), and organic solvents (glycerol, propylene glycol). LAC-Yang1 showed good stability in the presence of Mg2+, Mn2+, glycerol, and ethylene glycol. Our results reveal the strong degradation ability of this laccase for high concentrations of chlorophenols (especially 2,6-dichlorophenol) and chlorophenol mixtures (2,6-dichlorophenol + 2,3,6-trichlorophenol). LAC-Yang1 displayed a strong tolerance toward a variety of metal ions (Na2+, Zn2+, Mn2+, Mg2+, K+ and metal ion mixtures) and organic solvents (glycerol, ethylene glycol) in its degradation of 2,6-dichlorophenol and 2,3,6-trichlorophenol. The phytotoxicity of 2,6-dichlorophenol treated by LAC-Yang1 was significantly reduced or eliminated. LAC-Yang1 demonstrated a good detoxification effect on 2,6-dichlorophenol while degrading this compound. In conclusion, LAC-Yang1 purified from Pleurotus ostreatus has great application value and potential in environmental biotechnology, especially the efficient degradation and detoxification of chlorophenols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor-activatable ultrasmall nanozyme generation is an unprecedented strategy to overcome intrinsically fatal defects of traditional reactive oxygen species (ROS)-based nanoagents for deep tumor penetration, including limited tissue-penetrating depth of external energy, heavy reliance on oxygen and nonspecific toxicity of therapeutic agents. Here, based on the cascade reaction between glucose oxidase (GOx) and ultrasmall peroxidase nanozyme embedded into acid-dissociable zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), such a tumor-activatable ultrasmall nanozyme generator is designed for enhanced penetration and deep catalytic therapy. With the aid of mildly acidic tumor microenvironment, the produced gluconic acid from intratumoral glucose can gradually induce the dissociation of ZIF-8 to release ultrasmall peroxidase nanozyme with significant intratumoral penetration. On the other hand, the generated hydrogen peroxide with relatively long-life can be subsequently catalyzed by penetrated peroxidase nanozyme into toxic hydroxyl radicals for deep catalytic therapy. In this way, the well-designed nanoplatform not only can greatly enhance tumor penetration but also directly induce exogenous ROS without oxygen participation and external energy input, thereby thoroughly avoiding the inactivation of traditional ROS-based nanoagents in the extremely hypoxic tumor center and finally resulting in remarkable deep catalytic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using biodegradable blending materials is one of the most effective ways to address plastic pollution but it is hindered by its poor interfacial interaction along with high costs. Herein, an envirionmentally friendly filler, camellia seed powder (CSP)−a byproduct of camellia seed after defatting, is reported, which is first served as a compatibilizer in polylactic acid (PLA)/polybutylene succinate (PBS) blends without any other aids or complicated pretreatment, effectively toughening the PLA/PBS blends due to a better interfacial interaction. The results show that the toughness of composites increases with CSP content. With the addition of 30 phr CSP, its impact strength and elongation at break increase by 44.31% and 148.42%, respectively, as compared with the blend without CSP. The combined effects of improved interfacial bonding, reduced particle size of PBS and efficient stress transfer are responsible for the toughness enhancement. The compatibilization mechanism is proposed that ─COOH groups in PLA and PBS react with ─NH2 in CSP. The above finding of CSP as a compatibilizer provides a facile and inexpensive strategy in the fabrication of high‐performance biodegradable materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial infections are a serious threat to human health, and the rapid emergence of bacterial resistance caused by the abuse of antibiotics exacerbates the seriousness of this problem. Effectively utilizing natural products to construct new antimicrobial strategies is regarded as a promising way to suppress the rapid development of bacterial resistance. In this paper, we fabricated a new type of natural antibacterial patch by using a natural active substance (allicin) as an antibacterial agent and the porous structure of the white pulp of pomelo peel as a scaffold. The antibacterial activity and mechanisms were systematically investigated by using various technologies, including the bacteriostatic circle, plate counting, fluorescence staining, and a scanning electron microscope. Both gram-positive and negative bacteria can be effectively killed by this patch. Moreover, this natural antibacterial patch also showed significant anti-skin infection activity. This study provides a green approach for constructing efficient antibacterial patches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fast recombination of photo-generated conduction band electrons ( e ) and valance band holes ( h ) of TiO results in an unsatisfactory photocatalytic performance for organic degradation. To increase the efficiency of charge separation, TiO was modified by Cu-Ce co-doping considering the better redox properties of copper-ceria oxide with respect to the single oxide, i.e., an easier electron capturing ability. An optimal Cu-Ce co-doped TiO with the initial molar ratio of Cu/Ce at 3:1 was prepared by a hydrothermal method with the aim to greatly promote the charge separation, and characterized by XRD, BET, DRS, PL, HR-TEM, and XPS techniques. Upon ultraviolet light irradiation, it exhibits significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity, about 5.8 times that of Ti-HF. The presence of Cu and Ce/Ce benefits electrons captured by molecular oxygen, while an increased hydroxyl groups upon Cu-Ce co-doping consume more holes, resulting in prolonged lifetime of photo-generated carriers. Moreover, it is proved that electron transfers preferably from conduction band (CB) of TiO to CB of CuO and then to nearby CeO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) disintegration occurs during long-term operation, decreasing particle settling performance and deteriorating the pollutant removal effect. Therefore, this experiment proposes an electric field synergistic AGS construction to improve the strength of particles and the efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus removal. The study revealed that under the influence of an electric field, iron ions dissolved from the iron electrode and phosphate formed mineral nuclei inside the particles, which effectively increased the average size of the particles and increased the protein content of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). The experimental results demonstrated that including Fe–C electrodes in the electric field group increased the TN removal rate to 86.65%, surpassing the rates observed in the blank without an electric field and C–C electrode electric field groups by factors of 1.13 and 1.11, respectively. Under the electric field, AGS enriched some functional microorganisms for denitrogenation, thus improving total nitrogen removal efficiency. Furthermore, the phosphorus removal efficiency in the electric field group featuring Fe–C electrodes exhibited a notable enhancement, reaching 90.16%. This improvement was 1.71 and 1.62 times that of blank without an electric field and C–C electrode electric field groups, respectively. The phosphorus removal efficacy of electrode-released iron is distinct from that of exogenous ferrous sulfate, with the former demonstrating superior activity and pronounced phosphorus removal capabilities. Therefore, this study comprehensively revealed AGS construction mechanism and pollutant removal efficacy under the electric field's synergistic effect. [Display omitted] • Dissolved iron ions from the iron electrode form Ca 2 Fe 2 O 5 with phosphorus increasing the strength of AGS. • The electric field stimulated the secretion of EPS and accelerated the AGS granulation process. • The electric field enhances the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus by AGS. • The electric field enriched some bacteria with synchronous nitrification denitrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) with a low melting point and a similar performance to polyethylene is employed as a printing material; talc is introduced into the matrix to enhance the melt strength of pure PBS during printing. The PBS/talc composite 3D printing filament is prepared by melt extrusion, and the thermal, mechanical, morphological, and rheological properties of the composites are investigated. The results show that the addition of talc to PBS leads to an increase in crystallization temperature. In addition, the tensile and flexural strengths of the injection‐molded specimens increase when the talc concentration increases. However, the mechanical properties of the printed specimens exhibit an opposite variation trend due to their distinct forming process. The printing temperature is 135 °C, which is far lower than those of commercial grade polylactic acid (PLA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) printing filaments. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show that increasing the talc concentration creates better printed formability and well‐organized fracture surface structures. By comparing printed fishbones, the results suggest that the presence of talc leads to a good printing performance with the composite. Furthermore, the rheological results reveal that η*, G′, and G″ are enhanced by the addition of talc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water scarcity threatens the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in semi-arid regions, and ridge-furrow planting systems (RFPS) can be a prospective rainwater harvesting approach. In this study, we aimed to develop a promising water-saving strategy to boost maize productivity and water use efficiency (WUE). In 2017, we carried out a field experiment to study the effects of various RFPS with multiple irrigation levels on the yield-water relationship of maize (Zea mays L.). Eleven treatments were set up: RFPS with film mulching on both ridges and furrows and without water supply after seed emergence, abbreviated as QF; RFPS with film mulching on continuous ridges, abbreviated as MD, including SMD, MMD, and LMD (S, M, and L—three water supply (irrigation plus precipitation) levels of 650 mm, 500 mm, and 350 mm during the whole growing season); RFPS without film mulching, abbreviated as DD, including SDD, MDD, and LDD; conventional flat planting with no film mulching, abbreviated as GG, including SGG, MGG, and LGG; localized full irrigation (actual amount of irrigation excessively exceeding the quantity needed), abbreviated as NM. A positive linear relationship (R2 = 0.95–1), a quadratic curve, and a negative linear relationship were observed between the irrigation water level and actual crop evapotranspiration (ETc), grain yield, and WUE, respectively. The ETc of QF (292 mm) was substantially lower than that of the other treatments (p < 0.01), saving 649 mm of irrigation water and increasing the yield by 2.24% compared with those of NM. Meanwhile, the WUE and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) of QF reached maximums of 6.3 and 47.36 kg m−3, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of other treatments (p < 0.001). The results showed that planting in an RFPS with film mulching on both ridges and furrows (a ridge-to-furrow ratio of 50:30, with a 38 mm irrigation level) is suitable for maize to obtain high yield and reduce irrigation water use significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small, novel wheat drying oven was designed, and tested in order to validate the possibility of recovering diesel engine waste heat as thermal energy. Prior to experiments, the theoretical probability was conducted, and it was confirmed that the thermal energy required for drying wheat could be satisfied by reusing the diesel engine waste heat. Three different experiment parameters, including air temperature, baffle angle, and drying time, were controlled to optimize the results. Based on the experiment data, the optimum temperature for drying wheat was 55°C, and the optimum baffle angle was 23.25°. The drying efficiency decreased as the drying temperature and drying time increased. The moisture content of wheat decreased from 26.0% to 20.0% with 55°C hot air when the proposed wheat drying oven was used. The test results demonstrated that the proposed oven could be made to work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sr 1.36 Sb 2 O 6 nano-octahedrons were successfully prepared via a facile hydrothermal method from Sb 2 O 5 . The as-prepared Sr 1.36 Sb 2 O 6 was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). Acidity of the precursor mixture had a positive effect on crystallization of Sr 1.36 Sb 2 O 6 . RuO 2 -loaded Sr 1.36 Sb 2 O 6 showed photocatalytic activity for overall water splitting without adding hole scavengers to produce H 2 and O 2 under Xenon lamp irradiation. Sr 1.36 Sb 2 O 6 prepared at low pH exhibited superior photocatalytic activity possibly due to its high degree of crystallization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

O -Linked N -acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT) was identified as an Nrf1-interacting protein. Herein, we show that Nrf1 enables interaction with OGT and their co-immunoprecipitates are O -GlcNAcylated by the enzyme. The putative O -GlcNAcylation negatively regulates Nrf1/TCF11 to reduce both its protein stability and transactivation activity of target gene expression. The turnover of Nrf1 is enhanced upon overexpression of OGT, which promotes ubiquitination of the CNC-bZIP protein. Furthermore, the serine/theorine-rich sequence of PEST2 degron within Nrf1 is identified to be involved in the protein O -GlcNAcylation by OGT. Overall, Nrf1 is negatively regulated by its O -GlcNAcylation status that depends on the glucose concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Soil microbial community compositions were affected by fertilizers. • Fertilizer had greater impact on soil bacterial than on fungal community. • The fungal community was more stable than the bacterial community. • Main driving indicator of microbiota was soil pH. • Chemical fertilizer plus manure was best in structuring bacterial communities. Soil microorganisms play an important role in the energy flow and nutrient cycling between soil and plants, but the impact of fertilizers on soil bacterial and fungal communities in sandy agroecosystems remains uncertain. We hypothesized that fertilizers affect soil microbial communities through soil properties and plant leaf C:N:P stoichiometry. To test this hypothesis in a sandy farmland ecosystem on the Mongolian Plateau, soil microbial diversity and composition, soil properties and plant leaf C:N:P stoichiometry were examined following 4 years of one of six fertilizer treatments (no fertilizer; returning straw; chemical fertilizer; manure; half quantity of chemical fertilizer and manure; and half quantity of chemical fertilizer). The soil bacterial Shannon index was lowest with chemical fertilizer and half quantity of chemical fertilizer, while fungal Chao richness and phylogenetic diversity (PD) index were lowest with chemical fertilizer. However, chemical fertilizer combined with manure increased the soil bacterial Shannon and PD indices, while manure alone improved fungal Chao richness and the PD index. Fertilizers had a greater impact on the soil bacterial community than on the fungal community and the fungal community was more stable than the bacterial community. Based on redundancy analysis (RDA), total soil carbon, soil nitrogen, leaf carbon, leaf N:P, pH and 16S rRNA gene copy numbers affected the soil microbial community. Structural equation models (SEM) demonstrated that soil pH was a strong driving indicator of soil microbial community under fertilization in a sandy farmland ecosystem. Chemical fertilizer combined with manure out-performed other fertilizers in structuring soil bacterial communities, while chemical fertilizer alone was the worst in maintaining soil microbial communities. Results from this study provide a basis for fertilization management strategies in maintaining below-ground microbial diversity and in ensuring sustainable land development of sandy agroecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Porous nanocrystalline Ln2Ti2O7 (Ln=Nd, Gd, Er) was prepared by a facile self-propagating combustion method using metal nitrates (Ln(NO3)3 (Ln=Nd, Gd, Er), TiO(NO3)2) and glycine. The photocatalytic activity of Ln2Ti2O7 (Ln=Nd, Gd, Er) was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO). The results showed that the photocatalytic activity of Ln2Ti2O7 (Ln=Gd, Er) with cubic pyrochlore structure was higher than that of Nd2Ti2O7 with monoclinic perovskite structure and Gd2Ti2O7 showed the best photocatalytic activity. The different photocatalytic activities observed for Ln2Ti2O7 (Ln=Nd, Gd, Er) could be related to its different crystal structures and Ln 4f shells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Three D–A′–π–A structural triphenylamine dyes (Dye 1, Dye 2, and Dye 3) with cyanoacetic acid or malononitrile as an electron acceptor (A) and fluorenone or 9-(dicyanomethylene)fluorene as an additional acceptor (A′) have been designed and synthesized. Results revealed that both A and A′ have great influence on the optical, electrochemical and photovoltaic properties. In comparison with Dye 3, the photovoltaic performance of Dye 1 is remarkably improved by replacing 9-(dicyanomethylene)fluorene with fluorenone as the additional acceptor. The power conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cell based on the Dye 1 (5.33%) is four times higher than that of Dye 3 (1.25%). The low efficiency of cell based on Dye 3 is mainly because the delocalization of the excited state is broken between the strong electron-withdrawing additional acceptor (9-(dicyanomethylene)fluorene) unit and cyanoacetic acid, which affects the efficient electron injection from Dye 3 to the conduction band of TiO2. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Plant litter derived from the living biomass is the primary source of soil carbon (C). However, the contribution and the mechanism of plant litter production to soil C remains uncertain in aeolian regions. In this study, the relationship between plant biomass, litter mass, and soil C content was analyzed after a spatial field investigation in Horqin sandy land, northeast China. Long-term monitoring of wind speed and plant litter production was also conducted in three habitats (mobile dune, semi-fixed dune, and fenced grassland). The soil C content was significantly affected by belowground biomass and belowground litter mass but not aboveground biomass and aboveground litter. The litter production in the desertified habitat (mobile dune and semi-fixed dune) significantly differed with that of the undesertified habitat (fixed dune and fenced grassland). In mobile dune, 38% of the aboveground primary production was lost, while there was a distinct enrichment of plant litter in semi-fixed dune and fenced grassland. Wind events (wind speeds of 7 and 8 m s−1) at the end of the growing season significantly affected litter production rate, and wind was a major driver for litter transportation between habitats. In summary, plant litter production can be affected by wind events, and this influence differs among habitats in degraded grassland, leading to spatial heterogeneity of soil C accumulation. These results can strengthen the understanding of the relationship between soil properties and plant litter production in aeolian regions and furthermore, can provide information for ecological restoration of different types of desertified land, especially for the soil C accumulation. Plant litter is the major source for soil organic matter accumulation. In degraded sandy grasslands in semi-arid regions, wind is a visible factor which transported the aboveground litter from regions with lower vegetation coverage (e.g. mobile dune or semi-fixed dune) to regions with higher vegetation coverage (e.g. fixed dune or fenced grassland), which means that, wind is the driving force for the source-sink relationships of plant litters. There remains no clear description of the influence of wind events on litter production and litter distribution. The contribution of plant litter production to soil C remains uncertain in aeolian regions. The schematic diagram strengthened the understanding of the relationship between soil properties and plant litter production, and providing important information for ecological restoration in semi-arid sandy grasslands. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Horqin Sandy Land is a seriously desertified and an ecologically fragile region of China. Soil degradation and desertification in this region are the result of several decades of overgrazing, non-manure cropping with short fallow, and arbitrary land use and management. We investigated whether the afforestation of active sand dunes with Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv.) enhances the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storages and the overall soil quality. We compared soil physico-chemical properties, and C and N storages in the total and light fraction soil organic matter of active sand dunes, and of 25- and 35-year-old plantations. Soil water holding capacity, fine particle content and nutrients were significantly higher in plantations than in active sand dunes, with greater improvements occurring in the top 5cm than in the 5–15cm layer of the soil profile. Soil C and total N storages were 6.1 and 3.7 folds in 25-year-old, and 10.2 and 5.3 folds in 35-year-old plantations compared to active sand dunes, respectively. Carbon and N storages in the light fraction were 20.9 and 15.8 folds in 25-year-old, and 36.1 and 25.0 folds in 35-year-old plantations, respectively, relative to active sand dunes. The light fraction played an important role in soil C sequestration and its amount is an indicator of the effects of afforestation on C storage in sandy soil. The upper 15cm of the soil profile in the 35-year-old plantations of Mongolian pine has the capacity to sequester significant amount of C in the region, potentially offsetting part of the carbon that has been lost due to desertification over the past century in the Horqin Sandy Land. Our results conclude that afforestation with Mongolian pine has had positive impacts on soil quality and has increased the capacity for soil C sequestration in semi-arid degraded areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (ndrg1) is up-regulated in N-Myc knockout mouse embryos. The human NDRG family consists of 4 highly homologous members and human Ndrg1 exhibits approximately 94% homology with mouse ndrg1. However, the regulatory mechanism of NDRG1 via Myc repression is as yet unknown. We previously identified human NDRG2 and demonstrated that this gene is transcriptionally down-regulated by Myc via Miz-1-dependent interaction with the core promoter region of NDRG2. Here, we provide evidence that human NDRG1 is regulated by Myc in a manner similar to NDRG2. We found that Ndrg1 expression levels were enhanced as Myc expression declined in differentiated cells, but were down-regulated following Myc induction. The data revealed that both N-Myc and c-Myc can repress human NDRG1 at the transcriptional level. We further determined that the core promoter region of human NDRG1 is required for Myc repression, and verified the interaction of Myc with the core promoter region. However, the presence of the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide could reverse the repression of Myc, indicating the indirect repression of human NDRG1 by Myc. Moreover, we found that c-Myc-mediated repression can be inhibited by TSA, an HDACs inhibitor, which suggests the involvement of HDACs in the repression process. Taken together, our results demonstrate that, in common with NDRG2, human NDRG1 can be indirectly transcriptionally down-regulated by Myc via interaction with the NDRG1 core promoter. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Our previous study documented the expression of Mta1 during spermatogenesis. Here, we present evidence for a possible involvement of Mta1 in the regulation of testicular function, possibly by interacting with p53. A notable decrease of Mta1 expression was revealed at postsurgical day 6, consistent with the previously reported upregualtion of p53 in mouse cryptorchidism. Furthermore, in vitro over-expression of Mta1 could remarkably elevate the resistance capability of spermatogenic tumor cells against heat-induced apoptosis with a marked impairment of p53 expression. These findings indicate that Mta1 may operate as a negative modifier of apoptosis by interacting with p53 during gametogenesis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

With the advance of China's power system reform, combined heat and power (CHP) units can participate in multi-energy market. In order to maximize CHP profit in a multi-energy market, a bidding strategy for deep peak regulation auxiliary service of a CHP based on a two-stage stochastic programming risk-averse model and district heating network (DHN) energy storage was proposed. The quotation set of competitors and load uncertainty was modeled with a Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) method. A dynamic queuing method was used to clear the market for the deep peak regulation auxiliary service to determine the bidding capacities of CHPs in the electricity market and the deep peak regulation auxiliary service market, respectively. Finally, the conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) indicator is used to measure the risk brought by the system uncertainty to the CHP, and the quotation coefficient is determined after considering the expected profit and risk profit comprehensively. The results of the example show that the profits produced by simultaneous participation in both electricity market and the deep peak regulation auxiliary service market are increased by approximately 9.5% compared with the profits produced by only participation in a single market. In addition, the use of DHN energy storage led to a profit increase of approximately 4.6%. As the risk aversion coefficient increases, the expected profit will be further reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]