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Simple Summary: Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) is a serious threat to the fruit industry. Implementing monitoring procedures is essential for effective pest control. The monitoring of B. dorsalis is predominantly conducted through the use of yellow sticky traps and baited traps, followed by manual counting. However, this approach is both time consuming and labor intensive. In this study, we employed automated identification and counting devices for monitoring the adult population dynamics of B. dorsalis in four counties with disparate climatic types in Yunnan. The differing climatic types and temperature fluctuations resulted in disparate population dynamics of B. dorsalis in the four counties, yet there were two peaks of adult emergence in each year. Furthermore, the population of B. dorsalis was correlated with temperature. The automated monitoring system employed in the study permitted the daily monitoring of adult B. dorsalis populations, thereby facilitating the tracking of the daily dynamics of B. dorsalis by farmers and researchers alike. Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a global economic pest that poses a serious threat to the fruit industry. In the southwest of China, Yunnan Province sustains a severe infestation of B. dorsalis. An automated monitoring system designed for B. dorsalis was employed in this study to elucidate the annual population dynamics of B. dorsalis in four counties: Yuanjiang, Huaping, Guangnan, and Ludian in Yunnan. The system utilizes sex parapheromone and image recognition technology. The data uploaded by the device are used to analyze the annual population dynamics of B. dorsalis in different regions. The results showed that the populations of adult B. dorsalis in all four counties peaked twice annually, with Yuanjiang experiencing the earliest peak periods, followed by Huaping, Guangnan, and Ludian. Adult B. dorsalis occurred in Yuanjiang throughout the year, and Yuanjiang had the highest number of B. dorsalis monitored. In Huaping, adult B. dorsalis occurred in March–December and was highly active, with a high population density in 2019. Bactrocera dorsalis did not occur in December in Guangnan but only in May–October in Ludian. Bactrocera dorsalis abundance was correlated with temperature in all four areas. The outcomes of this experiment provide a practical foundation for developing control strategies targeting B. dorsalis in various orchards across each county. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is one of the hallmarks of advanced Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Platelet (PLT) function parameters and CD8+T cells (CD8+Ts) play an important role in HCC progression and metastasis. This study is committed to establishing an efficient prognosis prediction model and exploring the combined effect of PLT and CD8+Ts on PVTT prognosis. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study collected 932 HCC patients with PVTT from 2007 to 2017 and randomly divided them into a training cohort (n = 656) and a validation cohort (n = 276). We performed multivariable Cox and Elastic-net regression analysis, constructed a nomogram and used Kaplan–Meier survival curves to compare overall survival and progression-free survival rates in different substrata. Relationships between indicators involved were also analyzed. Results: We found tumor number, size, treatment, PLT, γ-glutamyl transferase, alpha-fetoprotein, mean platelet volume, and CD8+Ts were related to the 5-year OS of patients with PVTT, and established a nomogram. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) for predicting the 1-year OS rates were 0.767 and 0.794 in training and validation cohorts. The calibration curve and decision curve indicated its predictive consistency and strong clinical utility. We also found those with low PLT (< 100*10^9/L) and high CD8+Ts (> 320 cells/μL) had a better prognosis. Conclusion: We established a well-performing prognostic model for PVTT based on platelet functional parameters and CD8+Ts, and found that PT-8 formed by PLT and CD8+Ts was an excellent predictor of the prognosis of PVTT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a novel guaranteed cost control (GCC) approach under the event-triggered mechanism for completely unknown systems using integral reinforcement learning (IRL) algorithm. First, based on the adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) method, the GCC problem is addressed by transforming it into the optimal control problem. Second, without using the accurate information of system dynamics, a model-free data-based GCC approach is designed via IRL algorithm. Moreover, for the purpose of reducing the waste of communication resources, a GCC algorithm is presented under the event-triggered mechanism for completely unknown system by utilizing the explorized IRL algorithm. The critic–actor–disturbance neural networks (NNs) are applied to approximate near optimal solution. In addition, the weight estimations of NNs are tuned synchronously according to the designed novel triggering condition. Furthermore, the stability analysis of the controlled system is given by utilizing the Lyapunov principle. Finally, the simulation results are presented to verify the feasibility of the designed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The injudicious and excessive use of synthetic pesticides has deleterious effects on humans, ecosystems, and biodiversity. As an alternative to traditional crop-protection methods, botanical pesticides are gaining importance. In this research endeavor, we examined the contact toxicity, knockdown time, lethal time, and toxicity horizontal transmission of three natural pesticides from plants (azadirachtin, celangulin, and veratramine) on red imported fire ants (RIFA; Solenopsis invicta). Our research findings indicated that azadirachtin and celangulin exhibited relatively high toxicity, with median lethal dose (LD50) values of 0.200 and 0.046 ng/ant, respectively, whereas veratramine exhibited an LD50 value of 544.610 ng/ant for large workers of S. invicta at 24 h post-treatment. Upon treatment with 0.125 mg/L, the (median lethal time) LT50 values of azadirachtin and celangulin were determined to be 60.410 and 9.905 h, respectively. For veratramine, an LT50 value of 46.967 h was achieved after being tested with 200 mg/L. Remarkably, azadirachtin and celangulin were found to exhibit high horizontal transfer among RIFA, with high secondary mortality (100%) and tertiary mortalities (>61%) after 48 h of treatment with 250 mg/L, as well as with their dust formulations for 72 h. However, veratramine did not exhibit significant toxicity or horizontal transfer effects on RIFA, even at high concentrations. These findings suggest that azadirachtin and celangulin are likely to have a highly prominent potential in the management of S. invicta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Averaged over 4000 m in elevation, Tibetan Plateau (TP) functions as an important ecological security barrier in China. Alpine ecosystems present a trend of overall improvement under the influence of climate change and human activities, yet there are localized deteriorations. To improve the ecological function of the TP, large‐scale ecological restoration projects (ERPs) have been carried out over the past 30 years, which could be classified into three stages, that is, Exploration (1989–2003), Rapid Growth (2004–2014), and Comprehensive Development Stage (2015−present). With a total area of 850,000 km2, the ERPs include forest protection and construction, grassland protection and construction, water and soil erosion control, and desertification land management. The positive effect at the local scale has been widely verified, but the responses of productivity and species diversity were inconsistent. The positive effect at the regional scale gradually emerges, yet the spatial heterogeneity is significant, and the quantification of driving forces is an important prerequisite. There is a significant increase of rare wild animals in natural reserves, though it failed to curb the loss of animal and plant diversity in artificially planted areas. The long‐term effects of various ERPs on biodiversity should be taken into account so as to optimize the ecological measures and build a sustainable management model after project restoration. By summarizing the above achievements and problems of ERPs, we proposed a stepwise ecological restoration and adaptive management scheme by different restoration goals and reference modes, that is, "Environmental treatment—Ecological restoration projects—Adaptive management." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cover image is based on the Review Article Effectiveness of three decadal large‐scale Ecological Restoration Projects across the Tibetan Plateau by Hui Zhao et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.4928..By Hui Zhao; Da Wei; Xiaodan Wang; Jiangtao Hong; Jianbo Wu; Donghong Xiong; Yuling Liang; Zhengrong Yuan; Yahui Qi and Lin HuangReported by Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: Portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is one of the hallmarks of advanced Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Platelet (PLT) function parameters and CD8 + T cells (CD8 + Ts) play an important role in HCC progression and metastasis. This study is committed to establishing an efficient prognosis prediction model and exploring the combined effect of PLT and CD8 + Ts on PVTT prognosis., Patients and Methods: This retrospective study collected 932 HCC patients with PVTT from 2007 to 2017 and randomly divided them into a training cohort (n = 656) and a validation cohort (n = 276). We performed multivariable Cox and Elastic-net regression analysis, constructed a nomogram and used Kaplan-Meier survival curves to compare overall survival and progression-free survival rates in different substrata. Relationships between indicators involved were also analyzed., Results: We found tumor number, size, treatment, PLT, γ-glutamyl transferase, alpha-fetoprotein, mean platelet volume, and CD8 + Ts were related to the 5-year OS of patients with PVTT, and established a nomogram. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) for predicting the 1-year OS rates were 0.767 and 0.794 in training and validation cohorts. The calibration curve and decision curve indicated its predictive consistency and strong clinical utility. We also found those with low PLT (<100*10^9/L) and high CD8 + Ts (>320 cells/μL) had a better prognosis., Conclusion: We established a well-performing prognostic model for PVTT based on platelet functional parameters and CD8 + Ts, and found that PT-8 formed by PLT and CD8 + Ts was an excellent predictor of the prognosis of PVTT., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2024 Shi et al.)