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Various miRNAs have been shown to participate in the tumor progression and development of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the role of miR-3913-5p in CRC are yet to be clearly defined. In the present study, we determine that miR-3913-5p is downregulated in CRC cell lines and CRC tissues. Exogenous miR-3913-5p expression weakens the CRC cells growth, migration and invasion. Mechanistically, miR-3913-5p directly targets the 3'UTR of CREB5. Overexpression of CREB5 reverses the suppression of CRC cells proliferation, migration and invasion induced by miR-3913-5p. Furthermore, ATF2 negatively regulates the transcription of miR-3913-5p by binding to its promoter. CREB5 can cooperate with ATF2. CREB5 is required for ATF2 in regulating miR-3913-5p. Finally, inverse correlations can be found between the expressions of miR-3913-5p and CREB5 or ATF2 in CRC tissues. Thus, a plausible mechanism of ATF2/miR-3913-5p/CREB5 axis regulating CRC progression is elucidated. Our findings suggest that miR-3913-5p functions as a tumor suppressor in CRC. ATF2/miR-3913-5p/CREB5 axis might be a potential therapeutic target against CRC progression. The miRNA miR-3913-5p inhibits colorectal cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion, in concert with its regulation of and by CREB5 and ATF2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use/land cover changes are occurring at an unprecedented rate and scale because of the economic development that has jeopardized the ecosystem's health. Ecosystem health should be studied and monitored at spatiotemporal scale to promote sustainable development and ecological civilization. The goal of this study was to assess the spatial ecosystem health of Langfang at the city and administrative levels using city's regional characteristics. Remote sensing-based pressure-state-response (PSR) framework, analytical hierarchy process (AHP), and principal component analysis (PCA) were utilized for spatial ecosystem health index (SEHI) formulation, indicator weighting, and indicator selection in several epochs (1990, 2003, 2013, and 2021), respectively. SEHI was formulated by combining subindices of pressure, state and response. The spatial ecosystem pressure index (SEIP) identified that the pressure was increasing on the ecosystem. In contrast, the spatial ecosystem state index (SEIS) pointed out an improvement in the state of the ecosystem since 1990. The worst state of the ecosystem was observed for the year 2013. The spatial ecosystem response index (SEIR) indicated that the response of the ecosystem towards the exerted pressures and states remained variable; however, it was reasonably good in 1990. All the administrative units of Langfang were associated with a healthy score for the spatial ecosystem health index (SEHI) for 1990 (pre-industrialization epoch), while the SEHI significantly reduced in 2013 (industrialization epoch) however improved for the later epochs (circular economy and ecological civilization epoch). The SEHI was moderately healthy for Dachang, Dacheng, Guan, Guangyang, and Yongqing while relatively healthy for the remaining administrative units in 2021. SEHI identified that spatial health has been improving since 2003 though not reaching the 1990's level for Langfang. Therefore, efforts should be focused on minimizing pressure and stabilizing the state to improve the spatial ecosystem health of Langfang. The developed SEHI can assist policymakers in analyzing regional health, identifying development strategies, driving environmental restoration, and quantifying needed changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Electrospinning combined with structural engineering to construct 0D@2D@1D hierarchical heterogeneous interfaces. A "mechanical response" model was constructed to explain the stress transfer mechanism of fibrous membranes with 2D@1D structures. The "One for All" fibrous membrane combines excellent flexibility, mechanical properties, waterproof, and electromagnetic protection. The development of wearable multifunctional electromagnetic protective fabrics with multifunctional, low cost, and high efficiency remains a challenge. Here, inspired by the unique flower branch shape of "Thunberg's meadowsweet" in nature, a nanofibrous composite membrane with hierarchical structure was constructed. Integrating sophisticated 0D@2D@1D hierarchical structures with multiple heterointerfaces can fully unleash the multifunctional application potential of composite membrane. The targeted induction method was used to precisely regulate the formation site and morphology of the metal–organic framework precursor, and intelligently integrate multiple heterostructures to enhance dielectric polarization, which improves the impedance matching and loss mechanisms of the electromagnetic wave absorbing materials. Due to the synergistic enhancement of electrospinning-derived carbon nanofiber "stems", MOF-derived carbon nanosheet "petals" and transition metal selenide nano-particle "stamens", the CoxSey/NiSe@CNSs@CNFs (CNCC) composite membrane obtains a minimum reflection loss value (RLmin) of -68.40 dB at 2.6 mm and a maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 8.88 GHz at a thin thickness of 2.0 mm with a filling amount of only 5 wt%. In addition, the multi-component and hierarchical heterostructure endow the fibrous membrane with excellent flexibility, water resistance, thermal management, and other multifunctional properties. This work provides unique perspectives for the precise design and rational application of multifunctional fabrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The halotolerant green alga Dunaliella salina is widely cultivated in the industrial-scale production of natural β-carotene (containing 9-cis and all-trans isomers) due to its high carotenoid content. The management of environmental factors such as nitrogen deficiency is an efficient way to induce the production of β-carotene. However, it is not clear how changes in nitrogen concentration and the resulting changes in the carbon–nitrogen (C/N) ratio affect the β-carotene isomer configuration ratio and content. In this study, D. salina HG01 was cultured under different C/N ratios, growth parameters, β-carotene content and the ratio of two isomers, intracellular substance content, and antioxidant enzyme activity were determined. The results showed that although a large amount of β-carotene was accumulated in algae cells under a high C/N ratio, the high C/N ratio was not conducive to the increase of β-carotene content in unit culture volume and the proportion of 9-cis-β-carotene. However, the β-carotene content in per unit of culture volume (14.70 μg mL−1) under a medium C/N ratio and the proportion of 9-cis-β-carotene (39.31%) under a low C/N ratio were relatively higher. In addition, transcriptome sequencing revealed changes in the expression of genes related to photosynthesis, carbon and nitrogen. This study integrates the physiological and transcriptomics data related with β-carotene configuration changes in D. salina under different C/N ratios, which has practical implications for the industrial production of β-carotene. By optimizing the C/N ratio during cultivation, it is possible to enhance β-carotene content and improve the desired 9-cis isomer proportion. These findings can contribute to the development of more efficient and cost-effective production methods for natural β-carotene, thereby benefiting D. salina-based β-carotene industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Located in the north segment of the North-South seismic belt where the Alxa block (AB) and the Ordos block (OB) contact, the Helan Mountains-Yinchuan Basin (HLM-YCB) constitutes a typical normal faulting basin-mountain structure on the Chinese mainland. The 1739 M8.0 Pingluo earthquake occurred in the Yinchuan fault depression basin with such a basin-mountain structure. Data on five magnetotelluric profiles encompassing distinct segments of the HLM-YCB were utilized for three-dimensional (3D) joint inversion in order to collect fine 3D electrical structure information at a crustal and upper mantle scale across the entire region. The electrical structure between the main blocks in the HLM-YCB and adjacent areas is characterized by east-west horizontal blocks OB, YCB, and HLM, which are divided by the Yellow River fault (F5) with the HLM eastern piedmont fault (F2) as electrical boundary zones on the east and west sides. The two main block units, AB and OB, exhibit an obvious layered resistivity structure. Besides, the HLM-YCB is characterized by a typical basin-mountain structure with the mountains as a high-resistivity body and the basin as a low-resistivity body, and in the northern YCB a large-scale low-resistivity structure exists, extending to the upper mantle, probably derived from the upwelling of mantle-derived materials. It is speculated from a combination of recent 3D crustal movement field information and other data that the HLM-YCB is an active tectonic zone formed via regional tensile action. The formation of the HLM-YCB lies in the interaction of the Tibetan Plateau (TP), AB, and OB and abnormal mantle activities beneath the YCB. The HLM-YCB reflects the joint action of upwelling and diffluence caused by the underplating of hot materials from the deep mantle with gravity and the redistribution of regional tectonic stress on the earth's surface, which may be the main dynamic reason for the 1739 M8.0 Pingluo earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) is an environmental indicator species whose activity patterns may be highly impacted by habitat changes. We monitored the monthly and daily activity patterns of black bears in the moist temperate forests of Machiara National Park. We used infrared camera traps and local ecological knowledge for data collection from April 2019 to April 2021. Camera traps recorded 109 [inside forest = 107, outside forest (near crop fields and human settlements) = 2] independent registrations (IR) in 5541 (692.63 ± 36.72, mean ± SD) camera days. We found (i) spring and autumn to be the lowest activity seasons for black bears inside the forest. (ii) The highest activity was recorded in summer, with a peak in August followed closely by July. (iii) The activity level sharply declined after August and halted from December to March, indicative of the bears' hibernation period. Local knowledge revealed that (i) bears remained active from May to November and hibernated the rest of the period. (ii) Bear activity was at its peak inside the forest in summer and outside the forest in autumn when bears sought to raid the widely cultivated maize crop (Zea mays) planted along forest edges. This increased activity outside of the forest is likely driven by decreased food availability inside the forest area and maize crop being a preferred anthropogenic food type for bears. Based on the daily activity pattern, bears exhibited cathemeral behavior (i.e., active throughout the day) with maximum overlap between camera trap and local ecological knowledge data. Human activity may be impacting the daily activity patterns of bears via disturbance and interference. The data collected in this study can help mitigate conflicts between humans and black bears and consequently assist in future conservation of black bears in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a facile method is developed for preparing porous microspheres of lithium titanate (Li4Ti5O12 [LTO]) nanocrystals for use as anode materials of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Spray drying combined with solid-state calcination have been applied for the preparation. A sol of TiO2 nanoparticles of several nanometers has been obtained through the quaternary-ammonium-hydroxide-assisted sol–gel process. TiO2 sol is used as a precursor for LTO to ensure a stable mixture of a TiO2 sol with the LiOH aqueous solution, which is crucial for spray drying. Microspheres of 0.5 and 3 μm consisting of LTO nanocrystals of approximately 200 nm are obtained by calcining the spray drying samples. The phase, composition, microstructure, porosity, and electrochemical properties of the obtained samples are investigated. When used as an anode material for LIBs, LTO microspheres exhibit a reversible capacity of 174.7 mAhg−1 at 0.1 C and an excellent cycling stability with capacity retention of 98.6% after 100 cycles at 1 C rate. Furthermore, a remarkable rate capacity of 57.8% is retained at 20 C (vs 0.1 C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise in global temperature is one of the main threats of extinction to many vulnerable species by the twenty-first century. The negative impacts of climate change on the northern highlands of Pakistan (NHP) could change the species composition. Range shifts and range reduction in the forested landscapes will dramatically affect the distribution of forest-dwelling species, including the Galliformes (ground birds). Three Galliformes (e.g., Lophophorus impejanus, Pucrasia macrolopha, and Tragopan melanocephalus) are indicator species of the environment and currently distributed in NHP. For this study, we used Maximum Entropy Model (MaxEnt) to simulate the current (average for 1960–1990) and future (in 2050 and 2070) distributions of the species using three General Circulation Models (GCMs) and two climate change scenarios, i.e., RCP4.5 (moderate carbon emission scenario) and RCP8.5 (peak carbon emission scenario). Our results indicated that (i) under all three climate scenarios, species distribution was predicted to both reduce and shift towards higher altitudes. (ii) Across the provinces in the NHP, the species were predicted to average lose around one-third (35%) in 2050 and one-half (47%) by 2070 of the current suitable habitat. (iii) The maximum area of climate refugia was projected between the altitudinal range of 2000 to 4000 m and predicted to shift towards higher altitudes primarily > 3000 m in the future. Our results help inform management plans and conservation strategies for mitigating the impacts of climate change on three indicator Galliforms species in the NHP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Changbaishan reserve and the forests around it are one of the priority areas for Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) recovery in northeastern China. Previous habitat suitability analyses only took the ecological requirements of tigers into consideration, so this study aims to determine habitat suitability for a tiger-prey community in the region, by analysing ungulate prey availability and habitat suitability for both predator and prey. Three prey species were found, using the snow tacking method: red deer (Cervus canadensis xanthopygus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), and roe deer (Capreolus pygargus). Habitat suitability was evaluated for tigers, red deer, and wild boar, using a multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) process. MCE results showed that (1) habitat suitability is generally low outside the reserve for all three species; (2) suitability values were the lowest for tigers due to high intensity of human impact in the area, with suitable habitat restricted to the centre of the reserve; and (3) red deer and wild boar would find pockets of suitable habitat outside the reserve. A combination of low forest quality and high human impact intensity imposes significant environmental pressure to those ungulates. To recover tiger population in Changbaishan, forest quality and human impacts should be properly managed, which should increase prey availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composition of animal species and interactions among them are widely known to shape ecological communities and fine-scale (e.g., < 1 km) monitoring of animal communities is essential for understanding the relationships among animals and plants. Although the co-existence of large- and medium-sized species has been studied across different scales, research on fine-scale interactions of herbivores in deciduous broadleaf forests is limited. Camera trapping of large- and medium-sized mammals was carried out over a 1 year period within a 25 ha deciduous broadleaf forest dynamics plot in the Qinling Mountains, China. Fourteen species of large- and medium-sized mammals, including six carnivores, six ungulates, one primate and one rodent species were found. Kernel density estimations were used to analyse the diel or 24 h activity patterns of all species with more than 40 independent detections and general linear models were developed to explore the spatial relationships among the species. The combination of overlapping diel activity patterns and spatial associations showed obvious niche separation among six species: giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca David), takin (Budorcas taxicolor Hodgson), Reeves's muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi Ogilby), tufted deer (Elaphodus cephalophus Milne-Edwards), Chinese serow (Capricornis milneedwardsii David) and wild boar (Sus scrofa Linnaeus). Long-term fine-scale monitoring is useful for providing information about the co-existence of species and their interactions. The results demonstrate the importance for fine-scale monitoring of animals and plants for improving understanding of species interactions and community dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of activity patterns is important for understanding the capacity of animals for adapting their behavior based on their habitat conditions. Among bears, daily activity patterns are considered to be strongly influenced by regional climate conditions. We monitored the activity patterns (active vs. inactive) of the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) using infrared camera traps (from May 2013 to November 2016) in the Qinling Mountains, China. We used 125 photos, with 19,132 camera days from 55 camera locations. Based on relative independent capture (RIC), bears were found to be intensively active during June (5.86 ± 1.05 SE), July (8.45 ± 2.74), September (14.83 ± 6.13), and October (8.70 ± 3.43), with activity levels gradually decreasing beyond October. After this decline, activities eventually come to a halt when the bears enter in hibernation. We found that their hibernation period was shorter in the Qinling bears, with only 3 months of denning from January to March. Based on their daily patterns, bears were predominantly active during the daytime both in spring (70.83 ± 35.41%) and summer (52.09 ± 28.89%), but more active at twilight during autumn (51.12 ± 42.88%). We assumed that food preferences and food availability (due to warmer regional climatic conditions) might be responsible for such deviations in daily and monthly activity patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disruption of the intestinal epithelial barrier following spinal cord injury (SCI) seriously affect long-term quality of life. Oxidative stress-induced epithelial cells' injury contributes to the epithelial barrier dysfunction. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment has been proved to alleviate SCI. However, it is unclear whether or not HBO treatment affects intestinal barrier function following SCI. In this study, our purpose was to explore the impact of HBO treatment on intestinal epithelial barrier function and underlying mechanisms following SCI. An SCI model was established in rats, and the rats received HBO treatment. Intestinal injury, mucosal permeability, intercellular junction proteins, and oxidative stress indicators were evaluated in our study. We found that HBO treatment significantly alleviated intestinal histological damage, reduced mucosal permeability, and markedly prevented bacterial translocation. Furthermore, HBO treatment significantly increased the expression of Claudin-1 and E-cadherin, inhibited intestinal tissue oxidative stress as demonstrated by upregulation of superoxide dismutase and glutathione, and HBO downregulated malondialdehyde. Mechanically, we demonstrated that HBO treatment ameliorated intestinal oxidative stress possibly through upregulating nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and its downstream targets, Heme oxygenase-1(HO-1), NADH-quinone oxidoreductase-1(NQO-1), and glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC). These results suggested that HBO treatment triggered antioxidative effects against intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction by promoting Nrf2 signaling pathway after SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: NiCo-LDHs successfully grow in situ on rod-like ZnO with unique structures. The interface of NiCo@C and rod-like ZnO result in interfacial polarization. The RLmin of NiCo@C/ZnO reaches − 60.97 dB with the EABmax of 6.08 GHz. The excellent performance comes from the effect of dielectric loss and magnetic loss.Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have a special structure and atom composition, which are expected to be an excellent electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorber. However, it is still a problem that obtaining excellent EMW-absorbing materials from LDHs. Herein, we designed heterostructure NiCo-LDHs@ZnO nanorod and then subsequent heat treating to derive NiCo@C/ZnO composites. Finally, with the synergy of excellent dielectric loss and magnetic loss, an outstanding absorption performance could be achieved with the reflection loss of − 60.97 dB at the matching thickness of 2.3 mm, and the widest absorption bandwidth of 6.08 GHz was realized at 2.0 mm. Moreover, this research work provides a reference for the development and utilization of LDHs materials in the field of microwave absorption materials and can also provide ideas for the design of layered structural absorbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous microspheres composing of carbon-modified LiFePO4 (C/LFP) nanoparticles have been prepared successfully by a spray-drying process combined with a calcination step using cellulose as carbon source. LiOH plays duple roles as agency for dissolving cellulose with aqueous solution and source of lithium for LiFePO4. The synthesized C/LFP composite microspheres are rich in porosity, and all the C/LFP microspheres consist of numerous LiFePO4 grains with a diameter of about 200 nm. In addition, the individual LiFePO4 grains are encapsulated by the carbon matrix derived from cellulose. The carbon cladding enhances the electronic conductivity of LiFePO4, while the porous structure shortens the Li+ diffusion distance and facilitates the penetration of electrolyte when the C/LFP composites are used as cathode material for the battery. Hence, the unique composites delivered an initial specific discharge capacity of 165 mAh g−1 and showed good rate performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composites of graphene-encapsulated ZnO particles (ZnO/rGO) have been produced through a simple yet effective spray drying method followed by a heating treatment in inert atmosphere. The graphene-coated structure can guarantee good structural stability and rapid ionic transport of the composites. The influences of drying methods, graphene contents, and precursors of ZnO on the morphology, particles size, and electrochemical properties of the resulted composites have been investigated. When they are used as anode materials for lithium ion batteries, the optimized ZnO/rGO composite achieves a high initial Coulombic efficiency of 69.8%, and it maintains a reversible specific discharge capacity of 793 mA h g−1 after 200 cycles at 100 mA g−1, 608 mA h g−1 after 250 cycles at 200 mA g−1, and 327 mA h g−1 after 450 cycles at 500 mA g−1, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High concentrations of heavy metals in the environment threaten the quality of ecosystems and the health of human beings and animals. Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), which is endemic to China and a global conservation icon, has the largest density in the Qinling Mountains. This paper investigated the spatiotemporal variation of heavy metal concentrations in soil (N = 44) at the regional scale with three zones of urban areas, mountain edges, and central mountains, the temporal variation of heavy metal concentrations in three bamboo species (N = 19) and two types of feces (N = 10), and assessed the ecological risk and health risk for giant pandas and their habitat in the Qinling Mountains. The results showed that the median concentrations of studied eight heavy metals mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) in soil exceeded the background values of Shaanxi Province except Pb. The median concentrations of Hg, Zn, Cr, Pb, and Cd in bamboo surpassed the reference standard (RS) of national food safety limits in vegetables for human intake, but the concentration of Zn was within the nutrient range in the bamboo plants. Heavy metals were enriched more in feces of captive than the wild giant pandas, which illustrated either higher ingestion or lower digestibility for captive giant panda. Ecological risk assessment of soil by the geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and risk index (RI) showed strong pollution by Hg and moderate pollution by Cd. Health risk assessment by the hazard index (HI) showed a potential to strong risk for giant pandas exposed to Pb, As, and Hg. In addition, the concentrations of heavy metals in feces showed a higher exposure risk for captive giant pandas than wild giant pandas. We suggest that attention should be paid to and all effective measurements should be taken for reducing the emission of Hg, As, Pb, and Cd in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The accuracy in estimating forest ecosystem carbon storage has drawn extensive attention of researchers in the field of global climate change. However, incomparable data sources and various estimation methods have led to significant differences in the estimation of forest carbon storage at large scales. Methods: In this study, we reviewed fundamental types of forest carbon storage estimation methods and their applications in China. Results: Results showed that the major forest carbon storage estimation methods were classified into 3 major categories and 15 subcategories focusing on vegetation carbon storage estimation, soil carbon storage estimation, and litter carbon storage estimation, respectively. The application in China showed that there have been 3 development stages of research in China since the 1990s. Studies of forest carbon storage estimation in province scales were conducted more frequently in the northeastern, eastern and southwestern provinces such as Zhejiang, Heilongjiang and Sichuan with high forest coverage or large forest area. Inventory-based methods, soil type method, and biomass model were the main forest estimation methods used in China, focusing on vegetation, soil and litter carbon storage estimation respectively. Total forest carbon storage of China was approximate 28.90 Pg C, and the average vegetation carbon density (42.04 ± 5.39 Mg·ha− 1) was much lower than that of the whole world (71.60 Mg·ha− 1). Vegetation carbon density from average biomass method was the highest (57.07 Mg·ha− 1) through comparing nine types of vegetation carbon storage estimation methods applied during 1989 to 1993. Conclusions: Many studies on forest carbon storages have been carried out in China at patch scales or regional scales. These efforts enabled the research of forest carbon storage to reach a relatively advanced stage. Meanwhile, the accumulation of massive research data provides the basis for subsequent research work. Some challenges are also existing. This review could provide a reference for more accurate estimation of forest carbon storage in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal ion contamination, in particular that associated with Pb2+, Cd2+, and Cu2+, poses a considerable threat to aquatic environments and human health. To obtain a highly efficient adsorbent, in this work, a facile hydrothermal method was applied to prepare acrylic acid grafted onto cellulose nanocrystal (AA-g-CNC) hydro/aerogel as an adsorbent for Pb2+, Cd2+, and Cu2+ removal. The obtained AA-g-CNC hydrogels withstood up to 0.821 MPa of compression and showed good reciprocating performance when the deformation reached 40%. The as-formed AA-g-CNC aerogels had highly porous honeycomb structure, with many functional groups and a high zeta potential, all of which are essential features for an effective adsorbent. The maximum Pb2+, Cd2+, and Cu2+ removal capacities of AA-g-CNC aerogels reached 1026, 898.8, and 872.4 mg/g respectively. Their adsorption followed the Freundlich isotherm model and fitted well with pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The adsorption mechanism mainly attributed to electrostatic chelation between metal ions with sulfonate and carboxylate groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1970s and 1990s, Guanyinshan Nature Reserve (GNR), a giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca) distribution area historically, had experienced periodic commercial logging. After officially logging stopping in 1998 and converting to a giant panda nature reserve in 2002, GNR got the chance on forest restoration. It is very necessary to monitor the spatiotemporal change of its forest habitat. It is also widely known that it is difficult to make accurate mapping the mountainous area based on images through traditional classification algorithm. So, this study aims to monitor the spatiotemporal change of mountainous habitat in GNR in order to provide proper suggestions for giant panda conservation. The research applied a multilayer perceptron model, a high learning-sensitive algorithm, to classify the land cover types and monitor habitat change in GNR by using Landsat images acquired in 1978, 1988, 1997 and 2007, respectively. Our results showed that: (1) three types of forests composed the main landscape of the GNR, and an increase of 7.7% forest coverage occurred within 30 years. (2) Due to logging, there were many forest clearing-cutting areas in 1997 and swaths of shrub-grass in 1978 and 1988. However, these two types of landscape were strongly reduced by 2007 due to more attention and protection. (3) A decrease in the number of patches, an increase in the mean patch size, and an over-time decreasing in the mean nearest neighbor distance all revealed a decreasing on habitat fragmentation. Therefore, reduction in detrimental human activities has helped enhance and expand giant panda habitat toward a healthier and more stable ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental heterogeneity contributes to various habitats and may influence the diversity and activity patterns of wildlife among habitats. We used camera traps to assess wildlife habitat use in Guanyinshan Nature Reserve from 2009 to 2012. We focused on four types of habitat including open areas with gentle slope (<15°) (Type1), low elevation areas (about 1500-1700 m) with high bamboo coverage (Type2), high elevation areas (about 2100-2300 m) with high canopy coverage (Type3), and wildlife migration passages (Type4). We analyzed the differences in species richness, relative abundance index (RAI), species diversity, and animals' activity pattern among habitats. Total six species were analyzed on activity pattern, which are Takin ( Budorcas taxicolor), tufted deer ( Elaphodus cephalophus), Himalayan goral ( Naemorhedus goral), wild boar ( Sus scrofa), golden pheasant ( Chrysolophus pictus), and porcupine ( Hystrix hodgsoni). The results are (1) that there were significant differences in richness and RAI among habitats; (2) Type4 habitat had the highest richness and RAI while Type2 had the highest species diversity; giant pandas were found in these two habitats; (3) there were significant differences in species' activity during daytime and nighttime; and (4) differences appeared in habitat preference of the most abundant species. Takin and tufted deer preferred Type1, Himalayan goral preferred Type2, and golden pheasant preferred Type3. Type4 habitat was used by most animals. All these revealed that habitat heterogeneity plays an important role in species diversity and the importance for conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Poyang Lake is the largest freshwater lake in China and possesses unique wetland and plentiful biological resources. Because of the dual influence of the Five Rivers and Yangtze River, the water level of Poyang Lake changes seasonally, which has important influence on the local ecosystem. A better knowledge of the spatiotemporal pattern of water body and bird habitats is important for bird diversity conservation and wetland management. In this study, we collected six Landsat images in both winter and summer seasons from 1995 to 2009. These images were processed in both ERDAS Imagine 9.1 and ArcGIS 9.3 by image registration, geometric rectification and classification based on image characteristics and field survey data. The bird habitats in Poyang Lake wetland were classified into six types as shoal water, middle-depth water, deep water, grassland, sand land and mudflat. The results showed: (1) In winter seasons, grassland, mudflat and shoal water were the three main bird habitats in winter (totally around 70 %); water body area increased 13.6 % from 1995 to 1999 and then decreased 11.8 % from 1999 to 2007, and the mudflat decreased all the time from 1995 to 2007. (2) In summer seasons, water area occupied more than 60 % of the whole area; due to high water level, most plants were submerged and not suitable for bird feeding; shoal water area and grasslands were the two main bird habitats in summer. Compared with changes in summer seasons, all bird habitats changed obviously in winter seasons. Based on our research, we suggests that it is important to monitor the change in water level, area of water body, area of grassland and mudflat in future research by incorporating related precipitation data, water station record, multispectral and multi-temporal remote sensing images in the Poyang Lake since these habitats are key for migrating birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormal localization of immature precursors (ALIP) aggregating and clustering in bone marrow biopsy appears earlier than that of bone marrow smears in detection of the relapse of acute myelocytic leukemia (AML). But traditional manual ALIP recognition has many shortcomings such as prone to false alarms, neglect of distribution law before three immature precursor cells gathered, and qualitative analysis instead of quantitative one. So, it is very important to develop a novel automatic method to identify and localize immature precursor cells for computer-aided diagnosis, to disclose their patterns before ALIP with the development of AML. The contributions of this paper are as follows. (1) After preprocessing the image with Otsu method, we identify both precursor cells and trabecular bone by multiple morphological operations and thresholds. (2) We localize the precursors in different regions according to their distances with the nearest trabecular bone based on chamfer distance transform, followed by discussion for the presumptions and limitations of our method. The accuracy of recognition and localization is evaluated based on a comparison with visual evaluation by two blinded observers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial separation of the Qinling Mountains from the western mountains has caused morphological and genetic distinctions of giant pandas. Could this separation also cause the pandas' behavior change? In this research, we focused on the pandas' movement pattern and selected two wild panda groups in Foping and Wolong Nature Reserves (NR) to represent the populations in the Qinling and Qionglai Mountains, respectively. We hypothesized that the Qinling pandas have developed a different seasonal movement pattern compared with the pandas in the western mountains. We analyzed the radio tracking data from two NRs by using GIS. Our results showed the following significant differences: (1) The Foping pandas live most of the year in the low elevation areas and move higher during June and remain through August while the Wolong pandas live most of the year in the high elevation areas and move lower in April and stay through June; (2) Comparing their low and high elevational areas shows the distinct spatial patterns between reserves, forming two obviously separated clusters in Foping but a single-compact cluster in Wolong; (3) Foping pandas move an average of 425 m ± 147 s.d. daily, while Wolong pandas move an average of 550 m ± 343 s.d. daily; and (4) Three habitat factors (i.e., terrain, temperature, and bamboo nutrient) were taken as the driving forces and analyzed, and they showed a strong support explanation to these different movement behaviors of pandas in two NRs. Our findings have important implications for management, for instance, it needs to be careful considering the behavior difference of the pandas when reintroducing them to the wild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P) is a vital nutrient for sustaining natural water productivity. Both particulate and dissolved forms of organic and inorganic P are potentially important sources of bioavailable P for primary and secondary producers. A microcosm system to imitate the bacterial community in Plym river sediment and pore water is described and bacterial uptake rates for inorganic and organic phosphorus are presented in this paper. The aim of this study was to investigate the uptake of two organic phosphorus compounds (phytic acid and D-glucose-6-phosphate) by freshwater bacteria. The bioreactors comprise glass columns packed with two types of small glass beads on which bacterial biofilm can develop. The glass beads with different porosity were introduced to simulate River SPM. The selected P compounds spiked into the inflow of the microcosm, and measured the step change of P concentration in the outflow to investigate the behavior of bacterial uptake of nutrients. The results showed that organic phosphorus was converted into inorganic phosphorus but the conversion rate depended on the type of phosphorus species. One experiment suggested that phytic acid (refractory) could displace phosphate from the biofilm surface; the other experiment showed that D-glucose-6-phosphate (labile) could be hydrolysed and utilized easily by the bacteria. The results also suggested that bacteria might break down the C-P bonds to utilize the carbon. Further experiments should investigate the effect of varying the C:N:P ratio in the microcosm system to determine which nutrient limits bacteria uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper and zinc interaction on clearance from water and distribution in different tissues was investigated for the freshwater mussel, Cristaria plicata, under laboratory conditions. Clearance rate of Cu or Zn from water was highly dependent on exposure concentration. Interaction effect was most evident at 300 μg·L Cu exposure and depressed the Zn clearance rate significantly ( p<0.05). However, the presence of 100 μg·L and 300 μg·L Zn hardly affected the Cu clearance rate. The 300 μg·L Cu presence enhanced Cu accumulation in each tissue most significantly ( p<0.01), but caused Zn content to decrease in the gills by 62% ( p<0.05), viscera by 49% ( p<0.05) and foot by 31% ( p<0.05), and increase in the mantle by 97% ( p<0.05) and the muscles by 243% ( p<0.05) for different Zn exposure treatments. The response of metal accumulation in various tissues of the test mussels indicated that Zn transferred from the gills, viscera and foot to the mantle and muscles might be one of the important characteristics of the Zn regulatory mechanism by leading to a narrow range of Zn concentration in the different tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetland assessment has been a popular field of research worldwide. However, various indicators have been used in wetland assessment for different purposes and backgrounds and also because of the research limitations. Therefore, a more comprehensive, sound, and efficient indicator system is needed for researchers’ referencing to evaluate wetlands. After an extensive review of wetland assessment literatures, the reported indicators were evaluated using the developed assessment system, based on the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) with three main goals: nature protection, function utilization, and sustainable development. Each indicator was evaluated using two methods. The first method was to study the percentage of the indicator application, and the second was to assess the weighted ratios assigned to the indicators according to principles of comparability, typicality, sensibility, and availability. The results of these two methods were compared to study the commonalities and specialties of the indicators. They also showed that some indicators were widely used, including biodiversity, weather and climate, hydrological change, and the output of wetland. On the other hand, other sustainable indicators were easily ignored, such as environmental carrying capacity and wetland planning. Furthermore, an indicator system for wetland assessment was structured and strategized to discuss how to choose indicators for wetland assessment under different conditions. The proposed approach can be used to guide the process of wetland assessments in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem health assessment is one of the most important issues in regional ecological quality and safety studies. It also has a great significance to ecological conservation and regional development. This study focused on assessing the health status of forest, agriculture and urban ecosystems in the southwestern Beijing, China, including the Fangshan and Fengtai Districts. Based on field surveys and data collection, an assessment index system containing the vigor, organization and resilience factors was developed to measure the ecosystem health. Each index was scored from 1 to 5, representing five levels that contribute to the whole ecosystem health. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was used to measure the weights of each index and three factors, and thus an overall score for a certain ecosystem was calculated. The results show that the forest ecosystem in the Fangshan District had higher health value than the Fengtai District, while the urban ecosystem had a slightly lower value in the Fangshan District than the Fengtai District. Both districts show lower resilience values in forest and urban ecosystems. Maintaining the ecosystem health will definitely benefit the long-term development of two districts. This study suggested that an approach for assessing the regional ecosystem health could be further developed to address spatial and synergy relationships between ecosystems and the three health factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focused on the water quality of the Guanting Reservoir, a possible auxiliary drinking water source for Beijing. Through a remote sensing (RS) approach and using Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) data, water quality retrieval models were established and analyzed for eight common water quality variables, including algae content, turbidity, and concentrations of chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, total phosphorus, and dissolved phosphorus. The results show that there exists a statistically significant correlation between each water quality variable and remote sensing data in a slightly-polluted inland water body with fairly weak spectral radiation. With an appropriate method of sampling pixel digital numbers and multiple regression algorithms, retrieval of the algae content, turbidity, and nitrate nitrogen concentration was achieved within 10% mean relative error, concentrations of total nitrogen and dissolved phosphorus within 20%, and concentrations of ammonia nitrogen and total phosphorus within 30%. On the other hand, no effective retrieval method for chemical oxygen demand was found. These accuracies were acceptable for the practical application of routine monitoring and early warning on water quality safety with the support of precise traditional monitoring. The results show that performing the most traditional routine monitoring of water quality by RS in relatively clean inland water bodies is possible and effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying drivers behind biodiversity recovery is critical to promote efficient ecological restoration. Yet to date, for secondary forests in China there is a considerable uncertainty concerning the ecological drivers that affect plant diversity recovery. Following up on a previous published meta-analysis on the patterns of species recovery across the country, here we further incorporate data on the logging history, climate, forest landscape and forest attribute to conduct a nationwide analysis of the main drivers influencing the recovery of woody plant species richness in secondary forests. Results showed that regional species pool exerted a positive effect on the recovery ratio of species richness and this effect was stronger in selective cutting forests than that in clear cutting forests. We also found that temperature had a negative effect, and the shape complexity of forest patches as well as the percentage of forest cover in the landscape had positive effects on the recovery ratio of species richness. Our study provides basic information on recovery and resilience analyses of secondary forests in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To locate the proximal and distal cut ends of the canaliculus following trauma is the most difficult part of canalicular repair, especially in patients with complex acute canalicular lacerations and late presenting canalicular lacerations. Previously, irrigation and air-injection technique are reported and widely used to locate the cut ends of lacerated canaliculus. However, we have developed a novel technique in which with a 23 Ga fiber optic light pipe is used to identify the cut ends of the canaliculus allowing silicone tube intubation of the lacrimal system. The mean time from initiation of the identification of the cut ends of the canaliculus to insertion of the silicone tube was 5 minutes. In this study, the cut ends were successfully identified by using this novel method in 33 cases of acute and late presenting canalicular laceration for canalicular reconstruction without any complications. This light-guided technique may represent an improvement in the surgical repair of canalicular lacerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]