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Improving the green efficiency of agricultural water use is a key way to promote the sustainable utilization of agricultural water resources and sustainable development of economy and society. This work calculated and analyzed the evolution trend, regional differences and driving factors of the green efficiency of agricultural water use in China from the perspective of the water footprint. The results show that the green efficiency of agricultural water use in China shows a fluctuation trend of first declining and then rising from 1997 to 2020, after which the average efficiency dropped from 0.538 in 1997 to 0.406 in 2009, and then rose rapidly to 0.989 in 2020, with an average annual growth rate of about 3.6%. From a regional perspective, the green efficiency of agricultural water use in the eastern region was the highest (0.594), above the national average (0.538), followed by the western region (0.522), with the central region in last (0.491), with significant regional differences. The spatial differences in the green efficiency of available agricultural water in China shows a fluctuating downward trend. The Gini coefficient fluctuated from 0.271 in 1997 to 0.182 in 2020, with an average annual growth rate of about −1.4%. The main source of this regional difference was super-variable density, followed by the difference between the eastern and the central regions. The influence of urbanization level, water-saving level and agricultural trade on the green efficiency of agricultural water use was always positive and the influence of industrialization level was always negative; among them, the urbanization level, water-saving level and industrialization level had a greater impact on Northeast China, and agricultural trade had a greater impact on Southeast China. Therefore, this work puts forward relevant policy recommendations.

The Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease, which is caused by the aggregation of beta-amyloid peptide (Aβ) in the patient’s brain and the disorder of Ca2+ homeostasis in neurons. Caluwé and Dupont [1] proposed a deterministic AD model to explore the effect of Ca2+ on AD. They demonstrated the positive feedback loop between Aβ and Ca2+ and the occurrence of bistability. Based on their results, we further discuss the bistable behaviors. We present two periodically feasible drug strategies to alleviate the AD and screen out more effective one. In this paper, we also formulate a stochastic AD model, analyze the existence and uniqueness of global positive solutions and establish sufficient conditions for the existence of ergodic stationary distribution. Furthermore, the confidence ellipses describing the configurational arrangement of stochastic coexistence equilibria are constructed by stochastic sensitivity function technique, and tipping threshold is estimated as well. Noise-induced stochastic switching between two coexistence equilibria is observed in bistability region. Our results provide a new idea to control noise to alleviate AD through physical therapy and drug therapy.

Happiness is the ultimate goal of everyone working and earning wealth. At present, in the vast rural areas of China, the excessive and unscientific application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is raising serious concerns for environmental protection. The Chinese government has strongly promoted agricultural green production as an alternative to the previous agricultural paradigm that sacrificed the environment. A shift towards agricultural green production has become imperative. However, will it bring “happiness” to farmers who partake in this shift? Using data from 1138 farmers in Shanxi, Northwest China, throughout 2022, this article examines the relationship between the adoption of agricultural green production and farmers’ happiness. The empirical findings indicate that the adoption of agricultural green production can considerably increase farmers’ happiness and that the more types of agricultural green technologies that are implemented, the greater the happiness of farmers. Further mediating effect analysis suggests that this mechanism occurs through raising the absolute and relative income, mitigating agricultural pollution, and elevating the social status. The findings shed new light on the effect of farmers’ economic behavior on their happiness and underline the necessity of implementing relevant policies.

Unsafe use of pesticides and fertilizers is a concern in rural areas of China, resulting in serious threats to environment and the quality of agricultural products. Many works have studied the factors influencing the adoption of green agricultural technology by farmers. However, few studies have explored the factors that lead to a farmer’s sustainable use of green agricultural technology. Based on a survey of 1,138 kiwi growers in Shaanxi province of China, this paper builds a theoretical model to look at this issue and conducts a series of empirical exercises to gain insight into the effects of perceived value, government support and their interaction on kiwi growers' sustainable application of green agricultural technology. We find that (1) Perceived monetary and non-monetary benefits positively affect the sustainable application of green agricultural technology by farmers while perceived monetary and non-monetary risks affect it negatively. In addition, such influence would be enhanced with an increase in the intensity of perceived value and vary with the type of green agricultural technology. (2) Both agricultural extension service and ecological subsidy, as two main forms of government support, have a positive and significant effect on the sustainable application of green agricultural technology. (3) There is also a role for the interaction effects between the influence of perceived value and government support on the sustainable application of green agricultural technology. Therefore, it has been proposed in this paper that the government should expand relevant publicity, education, training, and guidance, offer compensatory incentives for producers, and adopt guiding methods corresponding to different green agricultural technology, so as to promote the sustainable application of green production modes by farmers.

In this study, the complete mitogenome sequence of the Indonesian tiger fish Datnioides microlepis (Bleeker 1854) (Perciformes: Datnioididae) has been sequencedby next-generation sequencing method. The assembled mitogenome consisting of 16,439 bp, includes 13 protein coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs and 2 ribosomal RNAs genes. The overall base composition of Indonesian tiger fish is 27.36% for A, 30.89% for C, 17.00% for G, 24.75% for T and show 91% identities to Mekong tiger fish Datnioides undecimradiatus (GenBank: KU870663). The complete mitogenome of the Indonesian tiger fish, provides essential and important DNA molecular data for further phylogeography and evolutionary analysis for Datnioididae.

In this study, the complete mitogenome sequence of the broad-nosed pipefish Syngnathus typhle (Linnaeus, 1758) (Syngnathiformes: Syngnathidae) has been sequenced by next-generation sequencing method. The assembled mitogenome consisting of 16,488bp, includes 13 protein coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs and 2 ribosomal RNAs genes. The overall base composition\ of \the broad-nosed pipefish is 27.72% for A, 27.81% for C, 16.53% for G, 27.94% for T and show 87% identities to Syngnathus schlegeli (GenBank: AP012318). The complete mitogenome of the broad-nosed pipefish, provides essential and important DNA molecular data for further phylogeography and evolutionary analysis for seahorse family.

In this study, the mitochondrial genome of Melanotaenia australis Castelnau, 1875 (Atheriniformes:Melanotaeniidae) was sequenced for the first time. The assembled mitogenome consisting of 16,530 bp, includes 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, two ribosomal RNAs genes and one putative control region. The overall base composition of M. australis is 27.79% for A, 29.66% for C, 15.90% for G, 26.66% for T and shows 92% identities to Lake Kutubu Rainbowfish, Melanotaenia lacustris. These data would provide useful molecular information for phylogenetic relationships within the family Melanotaeniidae species.

In this study, the complete mitogenome sequence of the Mekong tiger fish Datnioides undecimradiatus (Perciformes: Datnioididae) has been sequenced by next-generation sequencing method. The assembled mitogenome consisting of 16,534 bp, includes 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs and 2 ribosomal RNAs genes. The overall base composition of the Mekong tiger fish is 27.9% for A, 30.69% for C, 16.51% for G, 24.91% for T and show 77% identities to Anoplocapros lenticularis(GenBank accession no. NC011319.1). The complete mitogenome of the Mekong tiger fish provides essential and important DNA molecular data for further phylogeography and evolutionary analysis for Datnioididae family.

In this study, the mitochondrial genome of Melanotaenia praecox Weber and de Beaufort, 1922(Atheriniformes: Melanotaeniidae) was sequenced for the first time. The assembled mitogenome consisting of 16,536 bp, includes 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, 2 ribosomal RNAs genes and 1 putative control region. The overall base composition of M. praecox is 27.51% for A, 29.97% for C, 16.18% for G, 26.34% for T and shows 89% identities to Lake Kutubu Rainbowfish, Melanotaenia lacustris. These data would provide useful molecular information for phylogenetic relationships within the family Melanotaeniidae species.

Using a sample of cotton farmers in Xinjiang, China, this study analyses the impact of outsourcing agricultural services on three aspects of household welfare: family income, consumption expenditure and ease of labour. It separately examines the impact of outsourcing each stage of agricultural production. The three main results are as follows. (1) Overall, the outsourcing of agricultural production improves the welfare of small farmers by increasing family income, increasing consumer spending and improving ease of labour. (2) There are differences in the welfare effects of outsourcing in different production links of farmers. The outsourcing of field management link and field preparation link has a significant impact on improving the welfare of farmers. Their average treatment effects on household income, consumption expenditure and ease of labour are [1.60, 1.75], [0.39, 0.28] and [1.20, 1.02], respectively. The outsourcing of harvesting only has a significant impact on household income, the average treatment effect is 2.09, but it has no significant effect on consumer spending and ease of labour. (3) The differences in the resource endowments of peasant households means that there are differences in the scale and nature of the welfare benefits of outsourcing different stages of production. Furthermore, the differences in the resource endowments of southern and northern Xinjiang result in significant regional differences in the welfare effects of outsourcing rural household production.

Chromosome 8q24 locus contains regulatory variants that modulate genetic risk to various cancers including prostate cancer (PC). However, the biological mechanism underlying this regulation is not well understood. Here, we developed a chromosome conformation capture (3C)-based multi-target sequencing technology and systematically examined three PC risk regions at the 8q24 locus and their potential regulatory targets across human genome in six cell lines. We observed frequent physical contacts of this risk locus with multiple genomic regions, in particular, inter-chromosomal interaction with CD96 at 3q13 and intra-chromosomal interaction with MYC at 8q24. We identified at least five interaction hot spots within the predicted functional regulatory elements at the 8q24 risk locus. We also found intra-chromosomal interaction genes PVT1, FAM84B and GSDMC and inter-chromosomal interaction gene CXorf36 in most of the six cell lines. Other gene regions appeared to be cell line-specific, such as RRP12 in LNCaP, USP14 in DU-145 and SMIN3 in lymphoblastoid cell line. We further found that the 8q24 functional domains more likely interacted with genomic regions containing genes enriched in critical pathways such as Wnt signaling and promoter motifs such as E2F1 and TCF3. This result suggests that the risk locus may function as a regulatory hub by physical interactions with multiple genes important for prostate carcinogenesis. Further understanding genetic effect and biological mechanism of these chromatin interactions will shed light on the newly discovered regulatory role of the risk locus in PC etiology and progression.

Organizations are among the preferred outlets women use both to voice societal prejudices against them and to showcase their potential for rural/community development. There is an increasing advocacy for gender equality, women’s empowerment and the integration of women folks into the socio-economic, political and cultural fabrics of society. Girl-child education and women-based capacity building programs such as micro-finance, entrepreneurship, political activism, etc. have surfaced prominently on these women’s empowerment efforts. In this study, a questionnaire-driven survey is conducted in two districts in southern Sierra Leone. The survey covers 36 influential women in 36 town-level communities in the country. The study analyzes the personal and organization characteristics of the women in relation to social perceptions and rural/community development. A large percent of the women surveyed are educated, married and belong to social organizations. In addition to other social/development organizations, women’s organizations are also present in each of the surveyed communities. Most of the women organizations are local in nature and operate entirely on funds raised from within the local communities. This display of organizational ability of the surveyed rural women shows a significant perceptional shift towards recognizing women folks as productive counterparts in our societies. This trend also psychologically strengthens the women community to take on tangible responsibilities that were ones meant for men only. The analysis also shows that rural women hold managerial and other administrative positions in the organizations which are strongly oriented towards various forms of rural/community development. This is a significant positive deviation from the traditional perception which has unduly confined the women folks to the backyard for centuries now. This trend not only has the potential of benefiting the millions more women languishing in the developing world, but will also help affected countries to realize full national potentials of their God-given human resources

Genome-wide association studies have identified more than 100 common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with prostate cancer risk. However, the vast majority of these SNPs lie in noncoding regions of the genome. To test whether these risk SNPs regulate their target genes through long-range chromatin interactions, we applied capture-based 3C sequencing technology to investigate possible cis-interactions at ten prostate cancer risk loci in six cell lines. We identified significant physical interactions between risk regions and their potential target genes including CAPG at 2p11.2, C2orf43 at 2p24.1, RFX6 at 6q22.1, NFASC at 1q32.1, MYC at 8q24.1 and AGAP7P at 10q11.23. Most of the interaction peaks were co-localized to regions of active histone modification and transcription factor binding sites. Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analysis showed suggestive eQTL signals at rs1446669, rs699664 and rs1078004 for CAPG (p C2orf43 (p = 2.25E-27), rs10993994 and rs4631830 for AGAP7P (p

In order to continuously monitor liquid level in petroleum and chemical industries, a fibre optical sensor based on a microbend effect was designed and manufactured. The sensor is composed of a sensing diaphragm with a hard center, a microbend modulator (a pair of tooth plates), sensing and reference fibres, adjusting bolts, a stainless steel housing, emitting/detecting devices and signal processing circuits. To reduce the effect of temperature, the diaphragm is directly machined instead of welded onto the housing. To eliminate the fluctuation of light source, a reference fibre configured in parallel with the sensing fibre is introduced. Also, the cost was lowered by using standard communication optical fibres. Test results show that this sensor is suited for applications of liquid level measurement especially in fields where electrical isolation and/or electro magnetic interference (EMI) resistance are strictly required.

In this study, the complete mitogenome sequence of the Indonesian tiger fish Datnioides microlepis (Bleeker 1854) (Perciformes: Datnioididae) has been sequencedby next-generation sequencing method. The assembled mitogenome consisting of 16,439 bp, includes 13 protein coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs and 2 ribosomal RNAs genes. The overall base composition of Indonesian tiger fish is 27.36% for A, 30.89% for C, 17.00% for G, 24.75% for T and show 91% identities to Mekong tiger fish Datnioides undecimradiatus (GenBank: KU870663). The complete mitogenome of the Indonesian tiger fish, provides essential and important DNA molecular data for further phylogeography and evolutionary analysis for Datnioididae.

In this study, the mitochondrial genome of Melanotaenia praecox Weber and de Beaufort, 1922(Atheriniformes: Melanotaeniidae) was sequenced for the first time. The assembled mitogenome consisting of 16,536 bp, includes 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, 2 ribosomal RNAs genes and 1 putative control region. The overall base composition of M. praecox is 27.51% for A, 29.97% for C, 16.18% for G, 26.34% for T and shows 89% identities to Lake Kutubu Rainbowfish, Melanotaenia lacustris. These data would provide useful molecular information for phylogenetic relationships within the family Melanotaeniidae species.

In this study, the complete mitogenome sequence of the Mekong tiger fish Datnioides undecimradiatus (Perciformes: Datnioididae) has been sequenced by next-generation sequencing method. The assembled mitogenome consisting of 16,534 bp, includes 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs and 2 ribosomal RNAs genes. The overall base composition of the Mekong tiger fish is 27.9% for A, 30.69% for C, 16.51% for G, 24.91% for T and show 77% identities to Anoplocapros lenticularis(GenBank accession no. NC011319.1). The complete mitogenome of the Mekong tiger fish provides essential and important DNA molecular data for further phylogeography and evolutionary analysis for Datnioididae family.

In this study, the mitochondrial genome of Melanotaenia australis Castelnau, 1875 (Atheriniformes:Melanotaeniidae) was sequenced for the first time. The assembled mitogenome consisting of 16,530 bp, includes 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, two ribosomal RNAs genes and one putative control region. The overall base composition of M. australis is 27.79% for A, 29.66% for C, 15.90% for G, 26.66% for T and shows 92% identities to Lake Kutubu Rainbowfish, Melanotaenia lacustris. These data would provide useful molecular information for phylogenetic relationships within the family Melanotaeniidae species.

A method has been developed for the determination of selenomethionine in selenium-enriched yeast by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Three extraction methods were compared for extraction efficiency of selenomethionine from the samples. Selenomethionine in the samples was extracted for 24 h with proteinase in Tris buffer. The selenomethionine was derivatized with butanol and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). The derivatization was accomplished in two steps, starting with the esterification of the carboxyl group of the selenoamino acid using butanol, followed by the acylation of the amino group with trifluoroacetic acid anhydride. The selected ion for monitoring selenomethionine was at m/z 349. The instrument operating conditions were optimized. The samples were analyzed by GC-MS with external standard method. Standard GC-MS chromatograms and mass spectra for selenomethionine were also obtained. The method was proved to be accurate and reliable. The recoveries of 98.5%-103.7% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 0.9%-2.4% (n = 6) and the correlation coefficient of 0.9978 were obtained. The detection limit of selenomethionine for the method was 0.5 mg/L (S/N = 3) and the selenomethionine contents of real sample was given.