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The evaluation of sustainable water resources' utilization capacity in the Huangshui Basin is essential for effective management and development in the water-scarce regions of northwest China. This research provides valuable insights into the basin's potential capacity for sustainable water resource use by developing a comprehensive evaluation index that addresses the following three critical aspects: climate factors, water resource systems, and socio-economic conditions. The evaluation is conducted using a dual method, as follows: the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model and the ELECTRE III evaluation method. The results indicate that the Huangshui Basin's water resources, as a whole, exhibit a medium sustainable utilization capacity. Climatic factors and socio-economic characteristics are the main factors affecting the sustainable utilization of water resources in the Huangshui Basin. Remarkably, both methods yield consistent results, indicating that the overall sustainable utilization capacity of the Huangshui Basin's water resources is medium. Climatic factors and socio-economic characteristics are identified as the primary aspects influencing the sustainable utilization of water resources in the basin. Based on these findings, recommendations such as enhancing the introduction of external water resources, improving water resources' management, and implementing comprehensive remediation efforts can help to elevate the level of sustainable water use. This research not only contributes to a deeper understanding of the basin's water resources' dynamics, but also serves as an important reference for informed decision making regarding sustainable utilization in the Huangshui Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the ecohydrological regime and ecological water demand of the Huangshui River Basin under changing environmental conditions, seeking to safeguard its ecosystem. Based on monthly data spanning from 1956 to 2016, the ecohydrological regimes of the Huangshui River and the Datong River were evaluated using methods such as the Pettitt mutation test, the Tennant method, and ecological deficit and surplus analyses. The data were mainly obtained from Xiangtang Station of the Datong River and Minhe Station of the Huangshui River. The results showed the following. (1) The most abrupt increase in measured runoff at Xiangtang Station occurred in 1993, while the point of abrupt change in measured runoff at Minhe Station occurred in 1990. (2) Following an increase in human activities, changes in the ecological surplus at Xiangtang Station were negative in January, April to May, July, and from September to November, while the changes in the ecological deficit were positive from January to April, July to August, and October to December. Changes in the ecological surplus at Minhe Station were negative from March to July and from September to December, while changes in the ecological deficit were positive from January to April and from July to December. (3) The annual average ecological flow of the Datong River, Xiangtang section, was 28.42 m3/s, and the annual average ecological water demand was 896 million m3. The annual average ecological flow of the Minhe section was 19.98 m3/s, and the annual average ecological water demand was 631 million m3. According to a calculation of the degree of ecological water demand and ecological flow satisfaction, prior to the implementation of the Water Diversion Project from the Datong River to Huangshui River, the water volumes in both rivers were generally sufficient to meet the ecological water demand. However, high water consumption during the irrigation period led to an ecological deficit. To address these issues, it is crucial to evaluate the potential impacts of human activities, such as water diversion projects, on river ecological flow. Recommendations include expediting the Water Diversion Project from the Yellow River to Xining to secure sufficient water flow in the Huangshui River and enhancing water conservation efforts in agricultural irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed 61 years of hydrological data from the Minhe and Xiangtang Hydrological Stations (1956–2016) to examine hydrological changes and ecological flow assurance rates in the Huangshui River Basin, China. Using the Mann–Kendall trend test, IHA/RVA method, and ecological flow calculation methods, the study revealed the following results: (1) After 1994, increased human activity in the Datong River led to a measured runoff decrease compared to natural runoff. Although human activities in the Huangshui River's main stream were present before 1972, after 1972, these activities intensified, resulting in a more pronounced decrease in the measured runoff. (2) Ecological flow analysis indicated that the main stream of the Huangshui River and the Datong River have ecological flow assurance rates of 100% for all but a few months, where the rates are 98%. The water volume is sufficiently abundant to meet ecological water demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iris laevigata Fisch. is an excellent ornamental plant in cold regions due to its unique ornamental ability and strong cold resistance. However, the flowering period of the population is only about 20 days, greatly limiting its potential uses in landscaping and the cutting flower industry. In addition, I. laevigata is often challenged with various abiotic stresses including high salinity and drought in its native habitats. Thus, breeding novel cultivars with delayed flowering time and higher resistance to abiotic stress is of high importance. In this study, we utilized sequencing data from the I. laevigata transcriptome to identify WRKYs and characterized IlWRKY22, a key transcription factor that modulates flowering time and abiotic stress responses. IlWRKY22 is induced by salt and drought stress. We cloned IlWRKY22 and found that it is a Group IIe WRKY localized in the nucleus. Overexpressing IlWRKY22 in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. and Nicotiana tabacum L. resulted in a delayed flowering time in the transgenic plants. We created transgenic N. tabacum overexpressing IlWRKY22, which showed significantly improved resistance to both salt and drought compared to the control plants. Thus, our study revealed a unique dual function of IlWRKY22, an excellent candidate gene for breeding novel Iris cultivars of desirable traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development and promotion of deep learning technology in the field of remote sensing, building change detection (BCD) has made great progress. Some recent approaches have improved detailed information about buildings by introducing high-frequency information. However, there are currently few methods considering the effect of other frequencies in the frequency domain for enhancing feature representation. To overcome this problem, we propose a multi-scale discrete cosine transform (DCT) network (MDNet) with U-shaped architecture, which is composed of two novel DCT-based modules, i.e., the dual-dimension DCT attention module (D 3 AM) and multi-scale DCT pyramid (MDP). The D 3 AM aims to employ the DCT to obtain frequency information from both spatial and channel dimensions for refining building feature representation. Furthermore, the proposed MDP can excavate multi-scale frequency information and construct a feature pyramid through multi-scale DCT, which can elevate multi-scale feature extraction of ground targets with various scales. The proposed MDNet was evaluated with three widely used BCD datasets (WHU-CD, LEVIR-CD, and Google), demonstrating that our approach can achieve more convincing results compared to other comparative methods. Moreover, extensive ablation experiments also present the effectiveness of our proposed D 3 AM and MDP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil erosion and water loss are serious problems on the rocky desertification slopes in the karst dynamic system of southwest China. The lack of soil and shortage of water restrict the ecological restoration of the regional slopes and utility of water resources. Therefore, a new slab trench capable of storing soil and water in layers on rocky desertification slopes is introduced in this paper to promote vegetation restoration. To explore the water-storing and -holding capacity of the new type of vegetated slab trench, five groups of model experiments were carried out on the vegetated slab trench under different rainfall intensities and different numbers of plants. Under rainfall and then following dry conditions, the effects of rainfall intensity and the number of plants on the water-storing and -holding capacity of vegetated slab trench models were compared and analyzed. Water-storing and -holding capacity was further explored in three groups of models with single planting or combinations of plants including water stored only in succulent root plant, only in succulent stem plant, or in mixed plants. The test results show that the new type of vegetated slab trench can effectively help to store and hold water. In the rainfall period, due to the runoff of the rainfall not being considered, the greater the rainfall intensity, the higher the water storage efficiency; the more vegetation implanted, the greater the blocking effect of the plant canopy during falling rainwater, and the more reduction is induced on the water storage efficiency of the vegetated slab trench. In the following dry period, both the succulent root plant and succulent stem plant have strong water storage capacity, but the succulent root plant has a stronger capacity for water storage. The growth status of the mixed plants was better than that of single planting, which may be due to the water complementarities between the succulent root plant and succulent stem plant in a mixed planting manner. This study is important for solving the problem of soil erosion and water loss in rocky desertification slopes, and it helps to restore the ecological environment of the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, E.C.4.3.1.5) catalyzes the benzene propane metabolism and is the most extensively studied enzyme of the phenylpropanoid pathway. However, the role of PAL genes in Astragalus membranaceus, a non-model plant showing high capability toward abiotic stress, is less studied. Here, we cloned AmPAL and found that it encodes a protein that resides in the cytoplasmic membrane. The mRNA of AmPAL was strongly induced by NaCl or NaHCO3 treatment, especially in the root. Overexpressing AmPAL in Nicotiana tabacum resulted in higher PAL enzyme activities, lower levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), and better root elongation in the seedlings under stress treatment compared to the control plants. The protective role of AmPAL under saline-alkali stress was also observed in 30-day soil-grown plants, which showed higher levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), proline, and chlorophyll compared to wild-type N. Tabacum. Collectively, we provide evidence that AmPAL is responsive to multiple abiotic stresses and that manipulating the expression of AmPAL can be used to increase the tolerance to adverse environmental factors in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kiwifruit (Actinidia arguta var. purpurea) produces oval shaped fruits containing a slightly green or mauve outer exocarp and a purple-flesh endocarp with rows of tiny black seeds. The flesh color of the fruit results from a range of anthocyanin compounds, and is an important trait for kiwifruit consumers. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis of the sarcocarp during A. arguta fruit development, de novo assembly and transcriptomic profile analyses were performed. Based on significant Gene Ontology (GO) biological terms, differentially expressed genes were identified in flavonoid biosynthetic and metabolic processes, pigment biosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolic processes, and amino acid metabolic processes. The genes closely related to anthocyanin biosynthesis, such as phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), chalcone synthase (CHS), and anthocyanidin synthase (ANS), displayed significant up-regulation during fruit development according to the transcriptomic data, which was further confirmed by qRT-PCR. Meanwhile, a series of transcription factor genes were identified among the DEGs. Through a correlation analysis. AaMYB1 was found to be significantly correlated with key genes of anthocyanin biosynthesis, especially with CHS. Through a transient expression assay, AaMYB1 induced anthocyanin accumulation in tobacco leaves. These data provide an important basis for exploring the related mechanisms of sarcocarp anthocyanin biosynthesis in A. arguta. This study will provide a strong foundation for functional studies on A. arguta and will facilitate improved breeding of A. arguta fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iris laevigata is ideal for gardening and landscaping in northeast China because of its beautiful flowers and strong cold resistance. However, the short length of flowering time (2 days for individual flowers) greatly limits its applications. Molecular breeding and engineering hold high potential for producing I. laevigata of desirable flowering properties. A prerequisite is to identify and characterize key flowering control genes, the identity of which remains largely unknown in I. laevigata due to the lack of genome information. To fill this knowledge gap, we used sequencing data of the I. laevigata transcriptome to identify MADS-box gene-encoding transcription factors that have been shown to play key roles in developmental processes, including flowering. Our data revealed 41 putative MADS-box genes, which consisted of 8 type I (5 Mα and 3 Mβ, respectively) and 33 type II members (2 MIKC* and 31 MIKCC, respectively). We then selected IlSEP3 and IlSVP for functional studies and found that both are localized to the nucleus and that they interact physically in vitro. Ectopic expression of IlSEP3 in Arabidopsis resulted in early flowering (32 days) compared to that of control plants (36 days), which could be mediated by modulating the expression of FT, SOC1, AP1, SVP, SPL3, VRN1, and GA20OX. By contrast, plants overexpressing IlSVP were phenotypically similar to that of wild type. Our functional validation of IlSEP3 was consistent with the notion that SEP3 promotes flowering in multiple plant species and indicated that IlSEP3 regulates flowering in I. laevigata. Taken together, this work provided a systematic identification of MADS-box genes in I. laevigata and demonstrated that the flowering time of I. laevigata can be genetically controlled by altering the expression of key MADS-box genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elastic metagratings enabling independent and complete control of both reflection and transmission of bulk longitudinal and transverse waves are highly desired in application scenarios such as non-destructive assessment and structural health monitoring. In this work, we propose a kind of simply structured metagrating composed only of elliptical hollow cylinders carved periodically in a steel background. By utilizing the grating diffraction theory and genetic algorithm, we endow these metagratings with the attractive functionality of simultaneous and high-efficiency modulation of every reflection and transmission channel of both longitudinal and transverse waves. Interesting wave-front manipulation effects including pure mode conversion and anomalous deflection along the desired direction are clearly demonstrated through full-wave numerical simulations. Due to its subwavelength thickness and high manipulation efficiency, the proposed metagrating is expected to be useful in the design of multifunctional elastic planar devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Most studies on dietary fiber mainly focus on the digestibility of feed nutrients and microbial flora, etc. However, insufficient attention has been paid to the regulation of immune and oxidative stress of the intestinal tract by dietary fiber. This study investigated the effects of varying levels of defatted rice bran replacing corn on physiological, intestinal barrier, and oxidative stress parameters in finishing pigs. Based on the current findings, a high diet of rice bran will not only reduce the level of inflammatory factors in the peripheral blood of finishing pigs, but also enhance the healthy level of the colon through mucin2 and keap1-Nrf2 pathways. Our results can be used as reference for dietary rice bran to improve intestinal health in finishing pigs. Rice bran is a waste product with low cost and high fiber content, giving it an added advantage over corn and soybean meal, which have to be purchased and always at a relatively higher cost. Under the background of increased attention to sustainable agriculture, it is significant to find alternative uses for this byproduct. A total of 35 finishing pigs were allotted to five dietary treatments: a control group with basal diet and four experimental diets where corn was equivalently substituted by 7%, 14%, 21%, and 28% defatted rice bran (DFRB), respectively. With increasing levels of DFRB, the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) linearly decreased (p < 0.05). In the jejunum, the mRNA level of nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor-2 (Nrf2) exhibited a quadratic response (p < 0.01) with incremental levels of DFRB. In the colon, the mRNA levels of mucin 2 (MUC2), Nrf2, and NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) were upregulated (linear, p < 0.05) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) was upregulated (linear, p < 0.01). Overall, using DFRB to replace corn decreased the inflammatory biomarkers of serum and showed potential function in modulating the intestinal barrier by upregulating the mRNA expression levels of MUC2 and downregulating that of Nrf2, NQO1, and HO-1 in the colon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In China, the largest pig-raising country in the world, feed resources are gradually scarce, and the imports of grain crops including corn are increasing. Therefore, it is an urgent problem to find alternatives to grain feed materials. Defatted rice bran (DFRB), an abundant and underutilized agricultural coproduct of brown rice refining process, is rich in energy and dietary fiber (DF). The aims of this study were to assess the effects of increasing levels of DFRB (0%, 7%, 14%, 21%, and 28% DFRB) as a replacement for corns on intestinal physical barrier function and numbers of specific bacteria, and determine the optimal substitution level of DFRB in finishing pigs. We found that 7% DFRB as a replacement for corns had a beneficial effect on intestinal wall thickness, Bifidobacterium and Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens), and had no adverse effect on intestinal permeability and Escherichia coli. The aims of this study were to assess the effects of increasing levels of DFRB as a replacement for corns on intestinal physical barrier function and bacteria of finishing pigs. A total of 35 castrated finishing pigs (age: 158.5 ± 2.0 d, initial body weight: 62.9 ± 0.8 kg) were randomly divided into five dietary treatments (seven replicates/treatment) for a 28-day experimental period, i.e., a control diet with basal diet, and four experimental diets in which maize was replaced by 7%, 14%, 21%, and 28% DFRB, respectively. The results showed that serum endotoxins concentration and diamine oxidase (DAO) activity were both increased (linear, p = 0.0004, 0.001, respectively) with DFRB level. However, compared with control group, serum endotoxins concentration and DAO activity were not different in pigs fed with 7% DFRB in the diet. There was a quadratic response in serum D-lactate concentration to the increased DFRB (quadratic, p = 0.021). In the cecum, thickness of the intestinal wall significantly increased with increasing levels of DFRB in the diets (linear, p = 0.033), while crypt depth/thickness of the intestinal wall ratio significantly decreased with increasing level of DFRB in the diets (linear, p = 0.043). In the jejunum, total bacteria, Escherichia coli, and Bifidobacterium all responded quadratically to increasing levels of DFRB in the diets (quadratic, p = 0.003, 0.001, 0.006, respectively). Additionally, there was no difference in Escherichia coli in pigs fed 0%, 7%, and 14% DFRB diets. In the colon, there were quadratic responses in C. perfringens to the increased DFRB (quadratic, p = 0.023). C. perfringens reduced as the DFRB concentration increased from 0% to 14% and then increased. When D-lactate, total bacteria, Escherichia coli, Bifidobacterium, and C. perfringens were considered, the optimal substitution level of DFRB were 12.00%, 11.84%, 7.50%, 8.92%, and 15.92%, respectively. In conclusion, 7% DFRB had a beneficial effect on intestinal wall thickness, Bifidobacterium and C. perfringens, and had no adverse effect on intestinal permeability and Escherichia coli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovate Family Protein1 (OFP1) is a regulator, and it is suspected to be involved in plant growth and development. Meanwhile, Arabidopsis Thaliana Homeobox (ATH1), a BEL1-like homeodomain (HD) transcription factor, is known to be involved in regulating stem growth, flowering time and flower basal boundary development in Arabidopsis. Previous large-scale yeast two-hybrid studies suggest that ATH1 possibly interact with OFP1, but this interaction is yet unverified. In our study, the interaction of OFP1 with ATH1 was verified using a directional yeast two-hybrid system and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC). Our results also demonstrated that the OFP1-ATH1 interaction is mainly controlled by the HD domain of ATH1. Meanwhile, we found that ATH1 plays the role of transcriptional repressor to regulate plant development and that OFP1 can enhance ATH1 repression function. Regardless of the mechanism, a putative functional role of ATH1-OFP1 may be to regulate the expression of the both the GA20ox1 gene, which is involved in gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis and control of stem elongation, and the Flowering Locus C (FLC) gene, which inhibits transition to flowering. Ultimately, the regulatory functional mechanism of OFP1-ATH1 may be complicated and diverse according to our results, and this work lays groundwork for further understanding of a unique and important protein–protein interaction that influences flowering time, stem development, and flower basal boundary development in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary fiber plays an important role in porcine gut health and welfare. Fiber is degraded by microbial fermentation in the intestine, and most gut microbiota related to fiber digestibility in pigs are worth pursuing. The aim of this study was to identify gut microbiota associated with the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and of acid detergent fiber (ADF) in pigs. Large phenotypic variations in the ATTD of NDF and of ADF were separately found among 274 Suhuai pigs. Microbial community structures were significantly different between high and low fiber digestibility groups. Fourteen genera separately dominated the communities found in the high ATTD (H-AD) of NDF and ADF samples and were in very low abundance in the low ATTD (L-AD) of NDF and ADF samples. In conclusion, norank&#95;f&#95;&#95;Bacteroidales&#95;S24-7&#95;group (p < 0.05), Ruminococcaceae&#95;UCG-005 (p < 0.05), unclassified&#95;f&#95;&#95;Lachnospiraceae (p < 0.05), Treponema&#95;2 (p < 0.01), and Ruminococcaceae&#95;NK4A214&#95;group (p < 0.01) were the main genera of gut microbiota affecting the ATTD of NDF in pigs. Christensenellaceae&#95;R-7&#95;group (p < 0.01), Treponema&#95;2 (p < 0.05), Ruminococcaceae&#95;NK4A214&#95;group (p < 0.05), Ruminococcaceae&#95;UCG-002 (p < 0.05), and [Eubacterium]&#95;coprostanoligenes&#95;group (p < 0.05) were the main genera of gut microbiota affecting the ATTD of ADF in pigs. The most important functions of the above different potential biomarkers were: carbohydrate transport and metabolism, general function prediction only, amino acid transport and metabolism, cell wall/membrane/envelope biogenesis, translation, transcription, replication, energy production and conversion, signal transduction mechanisms, and inorganic ion transport and metabolism. The most important metabolic pathways of the above different potential biomarkers were: membrane transport, carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, replication and repair, translation, cell motility, energy metabolism, poorly characterized, nucleotide metabolism, metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, and cellular processes and signaling.