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With global climate change, the agricultural light-temperature potential productivity in the agro-pastoral ecotone has increased. This offers a good opportunity to develop agriculture in the agro-pastoral ecotone. However, the agro-pastoral ecotone is also an ecologically fragile area in which land degradation challenges agricultural development. As population grows and the need for food increases, the land carrying capacity of the agro-pastoral ecotone becomes insufficient, and the human–land relationship is not harmonious. Such conditions have limited the agricultural and rural development in the ecotone. The paper demonstrates how land engineering may improve land quality and support agricultural development in the ecotone based on studies at a research station established in 2015 in Yulin, Shaanxi Province, China. The studies target three factors: soil improvement, crop selection, and field management. The results show that: (1) The highest yield of crops planted on improved land is close to or even higher than that achieved under previous crop growth conditions. For instance, the corn yields can exceed 25%. (2) The potatoes grown on the improved land yield the highest gross income, reaching 67,200 yuan/ha. By way of land engineering, input costs can be balanced in 3–5 years. (3) As a result of land engineering, some villages in Yulin City have realized sustainable agricultural and even rural development, and promotion of this model will support the sustainable development of agriculture in the agro-pastoral ecotone.

Accurate implantation of pedicle screw in spinal deformity correction surgeries is always challenging. We have developed a method of pedicle screw placement in severe and rigid scoliosis with a multi-level 3D printing drill guide template. From November 2011 to March 2015, ten patients (4 males and 6 females) with severe and rigid scoliosis (Cobb angle >70° and flexibility

Soil water overconsumption is threatening the sustainability of regional vegetation rehabilitation in the Loess Plateau of China. In this study, two typical natural and artificial grasslands under different precipitation regimes were selected and the spatial variations in and the factors that impact the soil water content were investigated to provide support for vegetation restoration and sustainability management in the Loess Plateau. Soil samples were collected in May and September. Medicago sativa L. and Stipa bungeana Trin. were selected as representatives of natural and artificial grasslands, respectively. Soil measurements were conducted at the beginning and end of the rainy seasons at soil depths of 0 to 3 m in 0.2-m increments, and 147 undisturbed and 2205 disturbed soil samples were collected at 27 sampling sites with different precipitation gradients across the Loess Plateau. The plant height, the field capacity, the saturated hydraulic conductivity, the bulk density, and the slope gradient were considered as impact factors. Statistic methods included one-way ANOVA, correlation tests, significance tests, and redundancy analyses. Spatial variation trends indicated that the mean soil water content increased as the multi-year mean precipitation increased, and the soil water content was higher in the natural grassland of Stipa bungeana Trin. than in the artificial grassland of Medicago sativa L. in the same precipitation gradient zone. Vertical spatial variation trends indicated that the soil water content was higher in most surface layers than in the deep layer and lower at the end of the rainy season than at the beginning of the rainy season, when the mean annual precipitation was less than 510 mm. The soil water content of the Stipa bungeana Trin. grassland was significantly correlated with precipitation and plant height, whereas the soil water content of the Medicago sativa L. grassland only exhibited a significant correlation with precipitation. Thus, grasses with fine palatability, good adaptability, and low water consumption should be cultivated in the Loess Plateau. The decreased soil water content is more obvious in the soil layers with active vegetation roots. In the areas with multi-year precipitation at 370–440 mm, natural grasslands are more suitable for restoration and these areas should be treated as key areas for vegetation restoration. With regard to the spatial distribution of vegetation restoration, the economic and ecological benefits must be balanced so that the ratio of artificial vegetation and natural restoration can be optimized to realize the continued sustainability of vegetation restorations.

High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) facilitates neural stem cells (NSCs) proliferation and differentiation into neuronal linage. However, the effect of HMGB1 on NSCs migration is still elusive. The present study is to investigate the corelation between HMGB1 and NSCs migration and the potential mechanism. The results indicated that 1 ng/ml HMGB1 promoted NSCs proliferation using CCK8 assays. Moreover, data showed that 1 ng/ml HMGB1 facilitated NSCs migration via filopodia formation using phase-contrast and transwell assays. Furthermore, 1 ng/ml HMGB1 upregulated the expression of RAGE, one of the HMGB1 receptor, using western blotting assays and immunofluorescence staining. In addition, 1 ng/ml HMGB1 increased the percentage of filopodia formation using phalloidin staining. Meanwhile, the enhanced migration effect could be abrogated by 50 nM FPS-ZM1, one of the RAGE antagonist, and RAGE-specific siRNA through immunofluorescence and phalloidin staining. Together, our data demonstrate that HMGB1/RAGE axis facilitates NSCs migration via promoting filopodia formation, which might serve as a candidate for central nervous system (CNS) injury treatment and/or a preconditioning method for NSCs implantation.