Search

Straw return is a recognized agricultural practice that improves soil quality, reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers, and supports sustainable agriculture. Its effectiveness is influenced by microbial changes under varying soil properties and fertilization practices. In a wheat–maize rotation system, field experiments were conducted over 2 years in loam and clay loam soils with five fertilizer (N) application treatments (i.e., no N fertilizer (N0) and N fertilizer basal-to-top-dressing ratios of 3:7 (N3:7), 4:6 (N4:6), 5:5 (N5:5), and 6:4 (N6:4)) to investigate the dynamics of maize straw decomposition, changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations, soil bacterial diversity and abundance, and their interactions. Our results showed that the optimization of N fertilizer basal-to-top-dressing ratios enhanced SOC and TN by accelerating maize straw decomposition and nutrient release, as well as increasing plant carbon and nitrogen inputs. At the wheat maturity stage, the decomposition rate of maize straw reached 69.48–75.04%. The N4:6 and N5:5 ratios exhibited higher decomposition rates and C and N release rates in both soil textures. Compared to N0, N application treatments increased SOC and TN concentrations by 7.90–14.17% and 7.94–33.60%, respectively. The effects were most pronounced with the N4:6 ratio in loam and the N5:5 ratio in clay loam. Both soil textures had the same dominant bacterial phyla, but species abundance differed significantly. Loam had a significantly higher relative abundance of Proteobacteria and lower relative abundances of Gemmatimonadetes, Actinobacteria, and Chloroflexi than clay loam. N application significantly influenced bacterial diversity, with higher diversity observed with the N4:6 ratio in loam and the N5:5 ratio in clay loam. Structural equation modeling indicated that different N application treatments in loam influenced maize straw decomposition by altering the soil C/N ratio and bacterial community diversity, while in clay loam, N application treatments influenced maize straw decomposition mainly by altering the soil C/N ratio. Overall, the N4:6 treatment in loam and the N5:5 treatment in clay loam accelerated the decomposition and nutrient release of maize straw, enhanced SOC, TN, and bacterial community abundance, and provided a scientific basis for efficient straw utilization and sustainable agricultural development in the North China Plain region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a method for realizing the nonreciprocal unconventional photon blockade (NUPB) effect in a spinning microwave magnomechanical system. We determine the optimal parameter conditions for achieving this effect and observe that the numerical solutions are in excellent agreement with the analytical results. Under these optimal conditions, driving the system from the right induces photon antibunching, while driving from the left with identical amplitude leads to photon bunching. This pronounced asymmetry gives rise to NUPB, which arises from the combined effects of destructive quantum interference in two-photon excitation pathways and the Sagnac effect. Furthermore, NUPB can be tuned by adjusting the angular velocity of the microwave resonator. This work provides significant theoretical support for the realization of nonreciprocal single-photon sources and opens new avenues for the design and application of nonreciprocal quantum devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a prototype of the Beijing subway tunnel, this research conducts large-scale model experiments to systematically investigate the vibration response patterns of tunnels with different damage levels under the influence of measured train loads. Initially, the polynomial fitting modal identification method (Levy) and the model test preparation process are introduced. Then, using time-domain peak acceleration, frequency response function, frequency-domain modal frequency, and modal shape indicators, a detailed analysis of the tunnel's dynamic response is conducted. The results indicate that damage significantly amplifies vibration acceleration, with the amplification increasing with the severity of the damage. When the crack lengths are 2 cm, 4 cm, and 6 cm, the peak acceleration increases by 25.12%, 36.35%, and 50.29%, respectively, while adjacent segments show increases of 13%, 29%, and 45%. Damage decreases the tunnel structure's modal frequency, with the first two modal frequencies showing the most significant reductions of 9.87% and 7.34%, respectively. The adjacent segments show reductions of 7.7% and 4.2%. As the severity of the damage increases, the amplitude of the modal shape at the damaged location also increases, with the first modal shape rising by 43.37% for 4 cm damage compared to 2 cm damage and by 72.21% for 6 cm damage. The second modal shape increases by 9.04% and 26.51%, respectively. Additionally, the effectiveness of the polynomial fitting modal identification method (Levy) for tunnel structural damage detection was validated. Finally, based on the methods outlined above, the tunnel responses measured on-site in the Beijing metro were also analyzed. The findings of this study provide important theoretical support for the assessment and routine maintenance of metro tunnels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (CI/R) injury is a severe neurological condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Edaravone-dexborneol is a promising neuroprotective agent for alleviating CI/R injury, which composed of edaravone and (+)-borneol. Several studies have confirmed that combining edaravone with (+)-borneol can exert synergistic effects when compared to using edaravone alone. However, whether the synergistic effect is achieved through the enhanced cerebral delivery of edaravone facilitated by (+)-borneol remains unclear, and the potential binding targets need to be further explored., Methods: Middle cerebral artery obstruction reperfusion (MCAO/R) rats and an oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) treated bEnd.3 cells were used to evaluate the synergistic effects between edaravone and (+)-borneol. The cerebral exposure of edaravone was detected using a rapid HPLC-MS/MS method. Then, we examined whether the mechanism by which (+)-borneol increases the cerebral concentration of edaravone occurs via paracellular or transcellular pathways, and we explored potential binding targets., Results: The combined administration of edaravone and (+)-borneol significantly attenuating CI/R injury both in vivo and in vitro. What captured our interest was that the co-administration of (+)-borneol increased the exposure of edaravone in cerebral infarction area. We found that the combination of (+)-borneol contributed to the maintenance of BBB integrity. The increased expressions of tight junction proteins indicated that paracellular pathway plays a limited role in the elevated cerebral edaravone concentrations. Furthermore, we found that the co-administration of (+)-borneol up-regulated the expressions of influx transporters (OAT1 and OAT3) and down-regulated the expressions of efflux transporters (P-gp and MRP1). Inhibitor experiments further confirmed that the involvement of P-gp and OAT1/3 in the transcellular transport of edaravone across BBB. Finally, we verified that (+)-borneol could directly bind to P-gp and OAT3, facilitating the entry of edaravone into brain and reducing its efflux., Conclusion: This study demonstrated for the first time that (+)-borneol could enhance the concentration of edaravone in the infarcted region under conditions of CI/R. The underlying mechanisms may involve the enhancement of trans-BBB delivery of edaravone by (+)-borneol through OAT3/P-gp-mediated transcellular transport., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors disclosed no relevant relationships., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Small molecules that can bind to specific cells have broad application in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Screening large chemical libraries against live cells is an effective strategy for discovering cell-targeting ligands. The DNA-encoded chemical library (DEL or DECL) technology has emerged as a robust tool in drug discovery and has been successfully utilized in identifying ligands for biological targets. However, nearly all DEL selections have predefined targets, while target-agnostic DEL selections interrogating the entire cell surface remain underexplored. Herein, we systematically optimized a cell-based DEL selection method against cancer cells without predefined targets. A 104.96-million-member DEL was selected against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells, representing high and low metastatic properties, respectively, which led to the identification of cell-specific small molecules. We further demonstrated cell-targeting applications of these ligands in cancer photodynamic therapy and targeted drug delivery. Finally, leveraging the DNA tag of DEL compounds, we identified α-enolase (ENO1) as the cell surface receptor of one of the ligands targeting the more aggressive MDA-MB-231 cells. Overall, this work offers an efficient approach for discovering cell-targeting small molecule ligands by using DELs and demonstrates that DELs can be a useful tool to identify specific surface receptors on cancer cells., (© 2025 The Author(s). Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Straw incorporation can improve soil fertility and soil structure. While numerous studies have explored the immediate impacts of straw return on soil properties and crop production, the legacy effects of long-term straw return remain less understood. In this study, the straw returning soil of a continuous 15 years （SS） and non-straw returning soil （NS） were collected from Dahe Experimental Station of Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences in China. The simulation experiments of subsequent straw return were carried out in pots by adding straw to the two types of soil （SS and NS）, in which the degradation rate of straw was determined using the sandbag method, the number of culturable microorganisms was counted through a dilution coating plate, and microbial communities were characterized using high-throughput sequencing. The findings revealed that compared with that in NS, SS significantly increased the degradation rate of 15 d and 30 d straw by 14.16% and 26.57%； the number of soil culturable fungi in 0-60 days by 43.10%-185.92%； and the number of cellulose-degrading bacteria by 55.12%-92.04% at 0 d, 42 d, and 56 d. Additionally, after straw returning for seven days, the bacterial ACE index, fungal ACE index, and Chao1 index in SS were lower than those in NS, indicating that the microbial community richness in SS was significantly reduced. At the phylum level of bacteria, the relative abundances of Acidobacteria, Rokubacteria, and Planctomycetes in SS increased observably, with an increase of 25.92%-45.17%. The relative abundances of the phyla of fungi such as Olpidiomycota, Zoopagomycota, and Glomeromycota increased markedly, with an increase of 12.09%-176.00%. At the genus level of bacteria, the relative abundances of uncultured_bacterium_c_ Subgroup_6 and uncultured_bacterium_o_ Rokubacteriales in SS increased significantly, with an increase of 28.91%-31.26%, and at the genus level of fungi, the relative abundances of Paecilomyces , Penicillium, and Moesziomyces were significantly increased by 2.98%-8.79%. Network analysis showed the SS bacterial network had a higher interaction degree and network connection, and the fungal network structure was more complex and stable than that of the NS. RDA results showed that soil microbial community composition was significantly correlated with straw degradation rate. SS showed obvious legacy effects on straw degradation, the number of soil culturable microorganisms, and population structure in a certain period, and the microbial flora of SS was more conducive to the degradation of the straws.