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Excessive use of N fertilizers (driven by high-yield goals) and its consequent environmental problems are becoming increasingly acute in agricultural systems. A 2-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of three N application methods (application of solid granular urea once (OF) or twice (TF), application of solid granular urea mixed with controlled-release urea once (MF)), and six N rates (0, 60, 120, 180, 240, and 300 kg N ha−1) on maize yield, economic benefits, N use efficiency, and soil N balance in the maize (Zea mays L.) film mulching system on the Loess Plateau, China. The grain yield and economic return of maize were significantly affected by the N rate and application method. Compared with the OF treatment, the MF treatment not only increased the maize yield (increased by 9.0–16.7%) but also improved the economic return (increased by 10.9–25.8%). The agronomic N use efficiency (NAE), N partial factor productivity (NPFP) and recovery N efficiency (NRE) were significantly improved by 19.3–66.7, 9.0–16.7 and 40.2–71.5%, respectively, compared with the OF treatment. The economic optimal N rate (EONR) of the OF, TF, and MF was 145.6, 147.2, and 144.9 kg ha−1 in 2019, and 206.4, 186.4, and 146.0 kg ha−1 in 2020, respectively. The apparent soil N loss at EONR of the OF, TF, and MF were 97.1–100.5, 78.5–79.3, and 50.5–68.1 kg ha−1, respectively. These results support MF as a one-time N application method for delivering high yields and economic benefits, with low N input requirements within film mulching spring maize system on the Loess Plateau.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is critical for soil fertility, crop growth, and plays an important role in the global carbon cycle and climate change. Therefore, spatial prediction of SOM is important to rational soil resource utilization, agricultural production, and ecological environment management. However, large-area SOM mapping research heavily relies on legacy soil data, and large-scale recent SOM mapping may not be possible or have lower accuracy due to limited or less recent data availability. In this study, we aimed to improve SOM prediction and mapping accuracy by combining legacy data with limited recent data. Three models, namely, partial least squares regression (PLSR), random forest (RF), and one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN), were applied and compared. The results showed that combining legacy and recent data effectively improved SOM prediction accuracy compared to using only recent data. Among the three modeling methods, 1D-CNN exhibited superior performance, with an averaged determination coefficient of the prediction (R2) of 0.58, a root mean square error (RMSE) of 4.56 g/kg, and a ratio of performance to interquartile distance (RPIQ) of 2.05. The predicted SOM content for both legacy (1980 s) and recent (2010 s) periods showed similar spatial distribution patterns throughout the Huanghuaihai Plain. Generally, there was a noticeable trend of increasing SOM content from northwest to southeast, with higher values observed in Jiangsu and lower values concentrated in Henan, Hebei, and Shandong regions within the study area. Over time, SOM contents in the Huanghuaihai Plain showed an increasing trend, with an average increase of 5.90 g/kg from legacy to recent period. This study provides a promising approach for improving SOM prediction and mapping accuracy at large scales, particularly when recent data availability is limited.

Over the past decade, the attrition rate of Chinese medical graduates has remained high, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this situation. Medicine specialty students are the main force of the future healthcare industry. The career choices and career confidence of those entering the healthcare industry will have a huge influence on the quality of future healthcare provision. Considering the possible emergence of public health emergencies such as COVID-19 in the future, helping students develop good career adaptability will contribute to their future career development. However, the relationship between career adaptability, career coping styles and career decision-making self-efficacy remains unclear during the COVID-19. This study aims to examine the interconnections amongst career coping styles, career adaptability and career decision-making self-efficacy among Chinese medicine specialty students and the mediating role of career decision-making self-efficacy. Questionnaire survey was conducted on 747 medicine specialty students from China. The results showed that positive coping style has a significant positive correlation with career decision-making self-efficacy, career adaptability, and their sub-dimensions. There was a partial mediating effect of career decision self-efficacy between the predictor variable positive coping style and the outcome variable career adaptability. By promoting the level of positive coping style or career decision-making self-efficacy among medicine specialty students, the career adaptability can be directly or indirectly enhanced. This survey will help to guide future medical education decisions during a similar pandemic to prevent further loss of healthcare professionals in the medical service.

Water stress is the most important factor limiting crop production in arid and semiarid regions. Cultivating crops using a plastic film mulch can significantly increase crop yields by optimizing soil hydrothermal conditions in semiarid agroecosystems. Therefore, clarifying root adaptability to plastic film mulch cultivation is crucial when attempting to produce stable and high maize yields. A two-year experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of two treatments, no mulching (NM) and plastic film mulching (FM), on the yield, water productivity (WP), and root morphology of spring maize on the Loess Plateau. The results showed that the FM yield (14.31–15.02 t ha–1) significantly increased by 18.6–29.7 % compared to NM (11.03–12.66 t ha–1). The FM treatment also significantly increased dry matter (51.0–61.6 %), leaf area (19.7–25.7 %), and WP (28.8–46.3 %), but decreased ET (8.6–12.8 %). In addition, soil water storage in the FM surface soil layer significantly increased compared to that of NM. Film mulching also produced more robust roots and promoted the convergence of roots towards the surface of the soil, whereas NM roots tended to grow downwards to obtain water from the lower soil layers. The regression analyses indicated that root length (R2 = 0.725, P < 0.01) and biomass (R2 = 0.736, P < 0.01) were positively correlated with grain yield. The results suggested that maize adapts to changes in root morphological behavior under FM. These changes contribute to soil water and nutrient capture and shoot development, which subsequently support the high yields produced under plastic film mulching. Therefore, film mulching is a promising strategy for improving yield and WP and for optimizing root morphology in dryland agriculture.

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) pose significant environmental threats in China's large, shallow, and turbid lakes. Current satellite remote sensing methods for monitoring CyanoHABs in turbid water are limited in accuracy and frequency. The commonly used spectral index approaches often misidentify CyanoHABs by highly turbid water, and the segmentation threshold algorithms are not robust enough. Additionally, the dynamic nature of CyanoHABs requires high temporal resolution, which commonly used remote sensing data fail to provide. This study proposed a novel monitoring method utilizing a new spectral index, Anti-Turbid Algal Bloom Index (ATBI), specifically designed to minimize the impact of highly turbid water, coupled with an iterative triangle algorithm for automated ATBI threshold determination. We applied this approach to MODIS data from both Terra and Aqua satellites, achieving a temporal resolution of 0.5 days. The validation results show that the new method has a high accuracy with an F1-score of 0.85, which is higher than the commonly used algorithms with an F1-score of approximately 0.60. Utilizing this approach, we analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution of CyanoHABs in China's large lakes from 2000 to 2022, including Lakes Hulunhu, Chaohu and Taihu. Notably, Lake Hulunhu exhibited an increase in frequency and duration of CyanoHABs, while Lakes Chaohu and Taihu showed a rise in duration but a decline in frequency post 2018 and 2017, respectively. Air temperature and wind speed are critical factors influencing CyanoHABs variations in these lakes. Comparative analysis using data from Terra, Aqua, and both satellites combined demonstrated that the integrated data captures more accurate CyanoHABs information. These findings showed that our method can enhance CyanoHABs monitoring capabilities and offer insights for future research.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Lyophyllum decastes β-glucan (LDBG) in preventing high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity in male C57BL/6 mice, focusing on fecal gut microbiota (GM) and plasma metabolomics. LDBG treatment led to a reduction in body weight and an improvement in dyslipidemia in the HFD-fed mice. Additionally, LDBG decreased pro-inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) in liver and abdominal adipose tissue and lowered lipopolysaccharide and leptin levels in plasma. LDBG also up-regulated mRNA levels of intestinal epithelial tight junction proteins, such as Occludin, Claudin-1, and zonula occludens-1 in colon tissue. Furthermore, 16S rRNA gene sequencing data suggested that LDBG reduced the relative abundance of Faecalibaculum and Ileibacterium while increasing that of Bifidobacterium and Oscillospiraceae. Untargeted metabolomics showed that LDBG significantly promoted Tryptophan metabolism, Glycerophospholipid metabolism, and the Citrate cycle, closely correlating with GM changes, particularly in Oscillospiraceae genera. This study demonstrates the potential of LDBG as a prebiotic in obesity prevention by regulating metabolite pathways.

The impact of water and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIm]Ac) drops on [EMIm]Ac ionic liquid film was studied. The hydrodynamics of the impact of drops on a water liquid film were compared. A higher Weber number contribute to a larger crown rim diameter and height. The variation trend of the crown rim diameter and height with the liquid film thickness differs much according to the drop and film properties. The crown rim diameter and height have an opposite variation trend with the increasing liquid film temperature. The crown rim diameters with different droplet and liquid film properties were almost the same at the early stage of impact of approximately 4 ms, and then the difference became larger at a later stage. The shape of the generated liquid crown was more regular for drops impact on ionic liquid film. The water droplet impact on a water film has the largest liquid crown rim diameter and height, while the ionic liquid droplet impact on the ionic liquid film has the lowest.

Mechanical properties of internal curing concrete are greatly affected by its physical properties such as water content, cementing material content, porosity, and saturation. At the micro- level, such impact is finally reflected in the surface texture of its materials. In this study, the image recognition technology was used to find that the internal curing concrete samples have significant micromorphology and texture features. A texture parameter–strength model was established based on the relationship between Tamura texture parameters, gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) texture parameters, and the mechanical strength. Due to the sensitivity of material properties and parameters, in terms of Tamura texture characteristics, coarseness, regularity and directionality are effective parameters for predicting the compressive strength of internally curing concrete. In terms of the GLCM texture, energy, correlation, entropy, and contrast are effective parameters to predict the compressive strength of the internal curing concrete. Correlations between each texture parameter and compressive strength follow different laws.

The effects of cinnamaldehyde microcapsules on the concentration of cinnamaldehyde and its metabolites in plasma, urine, and feces, the antioxidant capacity, and the intestinal flora in male C57/BL6 mice were evaluated by oral administration for 7 weeks. Microencapsulation significantly increased the contents of cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl alcohol, and methyl cinnamate in plasma and decreased those in urine and feces excretion (p

In this paper, based on the heat transfer characteristics of deep borehole heat exchanger (DBHE), the superposition dimension reduction algorithm was used to solve the heat transfer model of multiple DBHE (MDBHE). Compared with the monitoring field data, the simulation results calculated by using the superposition dimension reduction algorithm are accurate and reliable. Meanwhile, its computation speed is 4 orders of magnitude faster than that of commercial software. This algorithm was also used to simulate the influences of borehole spacing on long-term heating performance of a DBHE composed of four boreholes, and the results were compared with a single-borehole DBHE, which indicate that increasing borehole spacing can effectively reduce the thermal disturbance among boreholes and enhance heat extraction capacity. When the borehole spacing among MDBHE increases to 50–60 m, the differences of inlet fluid temperature, soil temperature and borehole wall temperature between multiple and single DBHE are obviously reduced. Therefore, the superposition dimension reduction algorithm can quickly and efficiently solve the underground heat transfer problem of MDBHE, which can provide a fast calculation method and theoretical basis for engineering design of borehole spacing. It is recommended that borehole spacing to be 50–60 m if ground area is enough.

Study region: Qinghai Lake, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China Study focus: Water color has been recognized as an essential climate variable for lakes and oceans. Forel-Ule index (FUI), as one representative water color quantization parameter, is a useful indicator that shows water turbidity variations in lakes. In this study, the time series of FUI images were constructed for Qinghai Lake, the largest salt water lake in China, from 1986 to 2020 based on Landsat and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. The multi-source satellite data were first evaluated and compared with regard to the derivation of FUI; then, the spatial and temporal variations of water color in Qinghai Lake and its driving forces were analyzed. New hydrological insights for the region: The results revealed that the FUI showed a significant decreasing trend in Qinghai Lake from 1986 to 2004 and a significant increasing trend from 2004 to 2020, which temporally coincided with the water level variations in Qinghai Lake. The water level, water temperature, precipitation, and runoff were strongly correlated with the changes of FUI (correlation coefficients of 0.65–0.78). The substantial increases in precipitation and water temperature after 2004 can be the major causes for the transitional increase of water color in Qinghai Lake. This reflects one response mode of water quality in lakes to climate change.

The Henan section of the middle and lower Yellow River (HMLYR) is a crucial economic zone and ecological barrier in the Central Plains. Rapid urbanization in these areas has greatly exacerbated land use change (LUC), which is now seriously threatening the ecosystem. However, the existing research lacks any spatio-temporal analyses method of the LUC impact on ecosystem service value (ESV), which is not conducive to precise regulation and sustainable development of land resources. We attempted to make up for this shortcoming by superimposing the ESV change hot spots map onto the land use change Tupu and by constructing an evaluation model to show the effect of LUC on ESV from a spatial dimension. Our results showed that (1) cultivated land was the main land type in the HMLYR. The transformation of cultivated land to construction land had the widest range and the largest area. (2) Between 2000 and 2018, the ESV decreased by 9.774 billion CNY and the ESV spatial distribution was consistent with the topography. Forestland was the major ecological land type, while the ecosystem services types were mainly support services and regulation services in the HMLYR. (3) Construction and cultivated land changes had the greatest impact on ESV. Conversion of land types into water bodies and forestland formed ESV hot spot areas around the Yellow River, while the transition of other land types to construction land and the transition of grassland, forest land, water bodies to cultivated land formed ESV cold spots in the main urban areas. (4) The sensitivity index of all land use types was less than 1, indicating that ecological value coefficient (VC) had little influence on ESV. Decision-makers should recognize the important impact of LUC on ESV and take measures to restructure land use, especially to develop ecological lands. This will advance the multifaceted sustainable development in the Yellow River basin.

Assessment of the electrophysiological properties of cardiomyocytes is necessary for phenotyping cardiac disorders and for drug screening. Optical action potential imaging using a genetically encoded voltage-sensing fluorescent protein (VSFP) allows for high-throughput functional characterization of cardiomyocytes, which offers an advantage over the traditional patch-clamp technique. Here, we knocked VSFP into the AAVS1 safe harbor locus of human iPSCs, generating two stable voltage indicator lines - one heterozygous (MRIi003-A-5) and the other homozygous (MRI003-A-6). Both lines can be used for optical membrane potential recordings and provide a powerful platform for a wide range of applications in cardiovascular biomedicine.

Phosphopantothenoylcysteine synthetase (PPCS) catalyzes the second step of the de novo coenzyme A (CoA) synthesis starting from pantothenate. Mutations in PPCS cause autosomal-recessive dilated cardiomyopathy, often fatal, without apparent neurodegeneration, whereas pathogenic variants in PANK2 and COASY, two other genes involved in the CoA synthesis, cause Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation (NBIA). PPCS-deficiency is a relatively new disease with unclear pathogenesis and no targeted therapy. Here, we report the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from fibroblasts of two PPCS-deficient patients. These cellular models could represent a platform for pathophysiological studies and testing of therapeutic compounds for PPCS-deficiency.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM), which is generally expressed in terms of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), is a key indicator used to monitor the short-term dynamics of soil quality. However, its content and molecular composition are strongly influenced by agricultural practices, and the determination of DOC content is cumbersome and expensive. A field experiment with three treatments, including (i) no mulching (CK), (ii) gravel mulching (GM) and (iii) film mulching (FM), was selected to study the content and composition characteristics of DOC under different agricultural practices using ultraviolet visible (UV–Vis) technology. The results showed that the GM and FM treatments significantly decreased the DOC contents in topsoil (0–20 cm) by 6.15% and 12.18%, respectively, in comparison with the control. The FM treatment significantly decreased the values of specific UV absorbance at 254 nm (SUVA254), 260 nm (SUVA260) and Chromophoric DOM (CDOM) in each soil layer, indicating the aromaticity, hydrophobicity and CDOM content in the FM treatment were significantly decreased in each soil layer. To establish an accurate model for rapid determination of soil DOC, Spearman correlation analysis was performed on normally and non-normally distributed datasets, and linear regression analysis was utilized for modeling with normalized data. The results of linear regression analysis showed that the regression models established among CDOM/DOC, CDOM, SUVA254, SUVA260, and specific UV absorbance at 280 nm (SUVA280) had a high degree of fit, with coefficients of determination (R2) all exceeding 0.95. The model validation results showed that the regression model established between CDOM/DOC and CDOM had the highest accuracy with the lowest root mean squared error (RMSE) (3.58 mg kg−1) and the lowest relative error (RE) (2.74%), which was DOC = 58.065 + 184.355 × A(355) mg kg−1. The results showed that the estimation of soil DOC can be achieved with good prediction using UV–Vis technology. This study highlights the potential of UV–Vis spectroscopic technology to rapidly estimate soil DOM in agriculture.

TRPM4 is a Ca2+-activated channel mediating the transport of monovalent cations across the cell membrane. Mutations in the TRPM4 gene have been associated with cardiac arrhythmias in humans. Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, we established two TRPM4 knockout human iPSC lines – one heterozygous (MRli003-A-3) and one homozygous (MRli003-A-4) – by inserting a frameshift mutation in exon 2 of the TRPM4 gene. Both lines maintained pluripotency, a normal karyotype, parental cell morphology, and the ability to differentiate into the three germ layers.

Myosin-10, also known as non-muscle myosin IIB, is a cytoskeletal protein implicated in cardiac development and disease. In humans, it is encoded by the MYH10 gene. Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, we generated two MYH10 knockout human iPSC lines – one heterozygous (MRli003-A-1) and one homozygous (MRli003-A-2) – by introducing a frameshift deletion in exon 2. We then verified that both lines had maintained pluripotency, parental cell morphology, trilineage differentiation potential and a normal karyotype.

Summary: Pancreatic cancer is characterized by bi-directional interactions between pancreatic cancer cells and stromal cells including neural cells. The absence of neural cells in pancreatic organoids limits the investigation of cell- cell interaction and tumor innervation. This protocol describes how to generate innervated wild type (WT) and Kras+/LSLG12D Trp53fl/f lp48+/Cre (KPC) murine pancreatic organoids. To specifically investigate neurogenesis, organoids are co-cultured with iPSCs-derived neural crest cells, while co-culture with dorsal root ganglia explants is used for comparing organoids with mature neurons.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Huch et al. (2013), Boj et al. (2015), and Demir et al. (2014).

The water quality in Lake Taihu, which is located in the middle of the largest group of cities on the Yangtze River delta of China, has changed greatly with rapid economic and social development since the reform and opening up of China in the 1980s. Here, Landsat-5 TM and Landsat-8 OLI satellites launched in 1984 and 2013 were used to track 36-year changes in Secchi disk depth (Zsd), which is a key water quality and lake health indicator. First, the quasi-analytical algorithm (QAA)-based Zsd estimation model and commonly used empirical models were calibrated using in situ measured Zsd and TM/OLI band-simulated remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) obtained from 299 sampling points in 12 field cruises in Lake Taihu. Afterward, another 69 pairs of in situ measured Zsd data synchronized with TM images and 40 pairs of in situ measured Zsd data synchronized with OLI images were used to validate the calibrated Zsd estimation models. For the QAA-based method, which has been successfully applied to OLI data, we developed an approach for modeling the Rrs in the missing 443-nm band in TM using a virtual-band estimator algorithm; this enables the application of the method to TM data. By comparing with other calibrated empirical models, the accuracy of the QAA-based model was determined to be high for both OLI and TM, with an average unbiased relative error of

The increasing incidence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae has become a challenge for clinical therapy. In our study, we analysed the molecular characteristics of imipenem-hydrolyzing β-lactamase (IMI) in Enterobacteriaceae isolates. Two reported clinical isolates, the IMI-3-producing Raoultella ornithinolytica RJ46C and the IMI-2-producing Escherichia coli RJ18 were identified in our retrospective review of isolates collected from June 2010 to June 2013, both isolates were resistant to carbapenem but sensitive to expanded-spectrum cephalosporins. The blaIMI gene was located on different â¼170-kb plasmids in both isolates. The blaIMI-3 gene was carried by the plasmid pRJ46C, which was extracted from the transconjugant and identified to be a 166,620-bp conjugative IncFIIY plasmid that contained 193 open reading frames, including replication-, plasmid conjugal transfer-, partitioning-, and mobilization-associated structures. The blaIMI-3 gene was located on a 15-kb region with a completely inverted sequence relative to that of plasmid pGA45, two ISEcl1-like elements containing two 33-bp complete inverted repeats were in an inverted orientation on both sides of the 15-kb region. We identified this typical structure as a novel composite transposon named Tn6306, indicating the occurrence of transposition. In addition, the blaIMI-2-carrying pRJ18 was an IncFIB plasmid, and a similar ISEcl1-like element was identified in an inverted direction upstream of IMI-2 in pRJ18. The identification of blaIMI in R. ornithinolytica and E. coli highlights the diversity of spreading carbapenemases in Enterobacteriaceae between hospitals and the environment in China. The novel transposon Tn6306, and other insert sequences, may play important roles in blaIMI mobilization. Keywords: blaIMI in Enterobacteriaceae, Genetic environment, Plasmids, Novel transposon structure Tn6306, ISEcl1-like element