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Background Cerebral infarction is a disorder of blood supply to the local brain tissue area caused by various causes. Tongnao Decoction is approved and used in Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine for the treatment of cerebral infarction. However, the specific mechanisms underlying its action remain unclear. Objective To explain the mechanism of Tongnao Decoction in the treatment of cerebral infarction through network pharmacology and clinical trails. Methods From January 2019 to June 2020, a total of 199 patients with cerebral infarction admitted to Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine were included in the clinical study. and divided into the control group (97 cases) and experimental group (102 cases) according to the method of random number table. Both groups received standardized treatment for stable cerebral infarction, and the experimental group was treated with Tongnao Decoction. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was used to assess the degree of functional impairment caused by stroke, and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was used to assess the recovery of neurological function for both groups before treatment and at 2 weeks of treatment. The chemical compounds of Tongnao Decoction were screened from TCMSP and literature, and those with bioavailability (OB) ≥30% and drug-like properties (DL) ≥0.18 requirements were selected to find the active ingredient of the prescription. OMIM and GeneCards databases were used to analyze the molecular targets of Tongnao Decoction for the treatment of cerebral infarction. After screening the common targets, Cytoscape software, String database were used to plot the network of compounds and target proteins, construct protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, gene ontology (GO) function, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) signaling pathway enrichment analysis, respectively. Molecular docking experiments were finally performed to identify the main active ingredients of Tongnao Decoction for the treatment of cerebral infarction. Results After treatment, the scores of NIHSS and mRS in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group (P

Sunflower is one of the pioneer crops cultivated in salt-affected arid areas. The influences of sowing density on the growth performance of this crop under fertigation conditions have not been well studied. This study arranged four sowing density treatments, 41,667, 35,714, 31,250, and 27,778 plants ha−1, marked as D30, D35, D40, and D45, respectively, to reveal the relationships between soil salinity, growth performance, and sowing density under drip fertigation conditions. The results showed that the electrical conductivity of saturated paste extracts (ECe) decreased during the growing seasons but increased on the topsoil during the non-growing seasons in all of the treatments. The sowing densities had remarkable influences on the ECe in the 0–40 cm soil layer (ECe-40). The average ECe-40 during the two seasons for treatments D30–D45 correspondingly decreased by 7.0%, 33.9%, 11.1%, and 15.8% when compared to the original value. The soil pH in the 0–40 cm soil layer during the two seasons for treatments D30–D45 correspondingly decreased by −0.03, 0.20, 0.20, and 0.27 when compared to the original value. Increasing the spacing in the rows could promote the stem diameter, plant biomass, and proportion of biomass allocated underground. The yield and related yield components in this experiment under fertigation were significantly higher than those under surface irrigation. A sowing density between 31,250 and 35,714 plants ha−1 could ensure both the high yield and high morphological quality of the seeds, which could be recommended for sunflower cultivation under drip fertigation conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt stress and nutrient deficiency strongly limited the productivity of coastal saline-alkali land in the Yellow River Delta. Biochar has been widely used to improve soil health and promote crop yield, and the positive effects of nitrification inhibitors on fertilizer use efficiency, especially nitrogen, were also verified. However, there were few types of research on the combined application of biochar and nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) on saline-alkali soil of the Yellow River Delta, China. In this study, five treatments, including no nitrogen (CK), normal NPK (N), NPK + 1%biochar (B), NPK + 2%DCD (D), and NPK + 1%biochar + 2%DCD (BD) were set to investigate the single and combined effect of biochar and DCD on nitrogen transform, soil properties, bacterial community structure, and soybean production. Results showed that BD application inhibited nitrification and increased the soil's nitrate supply at the flowering stage, which reduced nitrogen waste and met the nitrogen demand for soybean growth. Biochar addition increased the soil's pH and decreased the soil's electrical conductivities and accelerated the soil's macroaggregates formation, with the soil's average mass diameter and geometric average diameter increasing by 78.69% and 30% in B, and 71.29% and 29.34% in BD relative to CK. Positive effects of inhibitors on soybean production were found in increasing soybean yield, hundred-grain weight, aboveground biomass, etc. Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum in the bacterial communities detected, and bacterial community diversity was significantly explained by nitrate content and soil aggregates (p < 0.05). Soil pH and DCD addition mainly influenced the abundance of the bacterial community, especially Actinobacteria. Biochar with DCD could be a feasible fertilization scheme for the coastal saline-alkali land in the Yellow River Delta, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score is recommended for stratifying chest pain. However, there are six formulas used to calculate the GRACE score for different outcomes of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), including death (Dth) or composite of death and myocardial infarction (MI), while in hospital (IH), within 6 months after discharge (OH6m) or from admission to 6 months later (IH6m). We aimed to perform the first comprehensive evaluation and comparison of six GRACE models to predict 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in patients with acute chest pain in the emergency department (ED).Methods: Patients with acute chest pain were consecutively recruited from August 24, 2015 to September 30, 2017 from the EDs of two public hospitals in China. The 30-day MACEs included death, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), emergency revascularization, cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock. The correlation, calibration, discrimination, reclassification and diagnostic accuracy at certain cutoff values of six GRACE models were evaluated. Comparisons with the History, ECG, Age, Risk Factors, and Troponin (HEART) and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) scores were conducted.Results: A total of 2886 patients were analyzed, with 590 (20.4%) patients experiencing outcomes. The GRACE (IHDthMI), GRACE (IH6mDthMI), GRACE (IHDth), GRACE (IH6mDth), GRACE (OH6mDth) and GRACE (OH6mDthMI) showed positive linear correlations with the actual MACE rates (r ≥ 0.568, P < 0.001). All these models had good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow test, P ≥ 0.073) except GRACE (IHDthMI) (P < 0.001). The corresponding C-statistics were 0.83(0.81,0.84), 0.82(0.81,0.83), 0.75(0.73,0.76), 0.73(0.72,0.75), 0.72(0.70,0.73) and 0.70(0.68,0.71), respectively, first two of which were comparable to HEART (0.82, 0.80-0.83) and superior to TIMI (0.71, 0.69-0.73). With a sensitivity ≥95%, GRACE (IHDthMI) ≤81 and GRACE (IH6mDthMI) ≤79 identified 868(30%) and 821(28%) patients as low risk, respectively, which were significantly better than other GRACEs and HEART ≤3(22%). With a specificity ≥95%, GRACE (IHDthMI) > 186 and GRACE (IH6mDthMI) > 161 could recognize 12% and 11% patients as high risk, which were greater than other GRACEs, HEART ≥8(9%) and TIMI ≥5(8%).Conclusions: In this Chinese setting, certain strengths of GRACE models beyond HEART and TIMI scores were still noteworthy for stratifying chest pain patients. The validation and reasonable application of appropriate GRACE models in the evaluation of undifferentiated chest pain should be recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AlF 3 is a strong Lewis acid and several hydrates of it are known, namely the monohydrate, the trihydrate (of which two polymorphs have been described) and the nonohydrate, which forms in the abundance of water, as well as a more complex fluoride of composition Al 0.82 □ 0.18 F 2.46 (H 2 O) 0.54 whose structure has been related to the ReO 3 type. The monohydrate features edge connected [AlF 6 ] octahedra, in the tri- and nonahydrate mixed F/O coordination of aluminum is observed. Here we report on a new aluminium fluoride hydrate, AlF 3 ·6H 2 O, which could be obtained via ionothermal synthesis in the ionic liquid n-hexyl-pyridinium tetrafluoroborate. The ionic liquid serves in the synthesis of AlF 3 ·6H 2 O as the reaction partner (fluoride source) and solvent. Overmore it controls the water activity allowing access to the missing AlF 3 ·6H 2 O. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of AlF 3 ·6H 2 O shows that it crystallizes in the anti-Li 3 Bi-type of structure according to F 3 [Al(H 2 O) 6 ] ( Fm-3m , a = 893.1(2) pm, Z = 4) featuring hexaaqua aluminium(III) cations and isolated fluoride anions. The compound was further characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, TG/DTA, IR analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) and its receptor, CXCR4, play an important role in tumor progression. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process is linked to disease pathophysiology. This study aimed to investigate the roles and underlying mechanisms of SDF-1/CXCR4 axis in EMT process of glioblastoma. In the present study, CXCR4 activation and inhibition in U87 were induced with exogenous SDF-1 and with CXCR4 small interfering RNA (siRNA), respectively. CXCR4 downstream signal molecules AKT, ERK, and EMT biomarkers (vementin, snail, N-cadherin, and E-cadherin) were tested using the Western blot. Our results showed that SDF-1 can induce AKT and ERK phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner, and endogenous CXCR4 can be blocked thoroughly by CXCR4 siRNA in U87. Notably SDF-1 alone treatment can induce the upregulation of vementin, snail, and N-cadherin of U87; besides, the downregulation of E-cadherin also occurred. On the contrary, CXCR4 siRNA significantly prohibited SDF-1-induced AKT and ERK phosphorylation, at the same time, EMT biomarker changes were not observed. Function analysis revealed that CXCR4 siRNA obviously interfered with U87 cell migration and proliferation, according to wound healing assay. In conclusion, this study suggested that EMT process can be triggered by the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis in glioblastoma, and then involved in the tumor cell invasion and proliferation via activation of PI3K/AKT and ERK pathway. Our study lays a new foundation for the treatment of glioblastoma through antagonizing CXCR4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations of plant C: N: P stoichiometry could be affected by both some environmental fluctuations and plant physiological processes. However, the trade-off mechanism between them and their influencial factors were not understood completely. In this study, C, N, P contents and their stoichiometry of S. salsa’s plant organs (leaves, stems, and roots), together with their environmental factors including salinity, pH, soil N and soil P, were examined in the intertidal and supratidal habitats of coastal wetlands during the different sampling times (May, July, September, November). The results showed that both plant organ and sampling times affected C, N, and P and stoichiometry of S. salsa in the intertidal and supratidal habitats, however, their influencial conditions and mechanisms were different. In the intertidal habitat, the different slopes of C-P and N-P within interspecific organs suggested that plant P, C:P and N:P of S. salsa were modulated by P concentrations that allocated in the specific organs. However, the slopes of C-N were found to be not significant within interspecific organs, but during the sampling times. These differences of plant N and C:N were related with the physiological demand for N in the specific life history stage. In the supratidal habitat, no significant differences were found in the slopes of C-N, C-P, and N-P within interspecific organs. However, different slopes of C-N among the sampling times also indicated a self-regulation strategy for plant N and C:N of S. salsa in different ontogenetic stages. In contrast to the intertidal habitat, seasonal variations of P, C:P and N:P ratios within interspecific organs reflected the soil P characteristics in the supratidal habitat. Our results showed that the stoichiometric constraint strategy of plant S. salsa in this region was strongly correlated with the local soil nutrient conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The tidal flat is one of the important components of coastal wetland systems in the Yellow River Delta (YRD). It can stabilize shorelines and protect coastal biodiversity. The erosion risk in tidal flats in coastal wetlands was seldom been studied. Characterizing changes of soil particle size distribution (PSD) is an important way to quantity soil erosion in tidal flats. Method/Principal findings: Based on the fractal scale theory and network analysis, we determined the fractal characterizations (singular fractal dimension and multifractal dimension) soil PSD in a successional series of tidal flats in a coastal wetland in the YRD in eastern China. The results showed that the major soil texture was from silt loam to sandy loam. The values of fractal dimensions, ranging from 2.35 to 2.55, decreased from the low tidal flat to the high tidal flat. We also found that the percent of particles with size ranging between 0.4 and 126 μm was related with fractal dimensions. Tide played a great effort on soil PSD than vegetation by increasing soil organic matter (SOM) content and salinity in the coastal wetland in the YRD. Conclusions/Significance: Tidal flats in coastal wetlands in the YRD, especially low tidal flats, are facing the risk of soil erosion. This study will be essential to provide a firm basis for the coast erosion control and assessment, as well as wetland ecosystem restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four open-framework transition-metal phosphates; (NH4)2Co3(HPO4)2F4 (1), (NH4)Co3(HPO4)2(H2PO4)F2 (2), KCo3(HPO4)2(H2PO4)F2 (3), and KFe3(HPO4)2(H2PO4)F2 (4); are prepared by ionothermal synthesis using pyridinium hexafluorophosphate as the ionic liquid. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that the four compounds contain cobalt/iron–oxygen/fluoride layers with Kagomé topology composed of interlinked face-sharing MO3F3/MO4F2 octahedra. PO3OH pseudo-tetrahedral groups augment the [M3O6F4] (1)/[M3O8F2] layers on both sides to give M3(HPO4)2F4 (1) and M3(HPO4)2F2 (2–4) layers. These layers are stacked along the a axis in a sequence AA…, resulting in the formation of a layer structure for (NH4)2Co3(HPO4)2F4(1). In NH4Co3(HPO4)2(H2PO4)F2 and KM3(HPO4)2(H2PO4)F2, the M3(HPO4)2F2 layers are stacked along the a axis in a sequence AAi… and are connected by [PO3(OH)] tetrahedra, giving rise to a 3-D open framework structure with 10-ring channels along the [001] direction. The negative charges of the inorganic framework are balanced by K+/NH4+ ions located within the channels. The magnetic transition metal cations themselves form layers with stair-case Kagomé topology. Magnetic susceptibility and magnetization measurements reveal that all four compounds exhibit a canted anti-ferromagnetic ground state (Tc = 10 or 13 K for Co and Tc = 27 K for Fe) with different canting angles. The full orbital moment is observed for both Co2+ and Fe2+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the Eddy Covariance (EC) technique, we analyzed temporal variation in net ecosystem CO exchange (NEE) and determined the effects of environmental factors on the balance between ecosystem photosynthesis and respiration in a reed ( Phragmites australis) wetland in the Yellow River Delta, China. Our results indicated that diurnal and seasonal patterns of NEE and its components (ecosystem respiration ( R), gross primary production (GPP)) varied markedly among months for the growing season (May to October). The cumulative CO emission was 1,657 g CO m, while 2,612 g CO m was approximately accumulated as GPP, which resulted in the reed wetland being a net sink of 956 g CO m. The ratio of R to GPP in reed wetland was 0.68, which was close to other temperate wetlands. Soil temperature and soil moisture exerted the primary controls on R during the growing season. Daytime NEE values during the growing season were strongly correlated with photosynthetically active radiation. Aboveground biomass showed significant linear relationships with 24-h average NEE, daytime GPP, and R, respectively. Thus, we conclude that the coastal wetland acted as a carbon sink during the growing season despite the variations in environmental conditions, and long-term flux measurements over these ecosystems are undoubtedly necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new open-framework manganese borophosphate, KMnBP2O7(OH)2, has been prepared under ionothermal conditions in the ionic liquid 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bromide. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis showed that KMnBP2O7(OH)2 [monoclinic, P21/ c, a = 6.659(1), b = 12.049(2), c = 9.790(2) Å, β = 109.12(3)°, V = 742.2(3) Å3, and Z = 4] has an unprecedented open-framework structure. {MnO5(OH)} octahedra and {BO3(OH)} and {PO3(OH)}/{PO4} tetrahedra link to form a 3D framework with distorted eight-membered-ring channels along the crystallographic [001] direction. The negative charges of the inorganic framework are balanced by K+ ions located in the channels. At room temperature, KMnBP2O7(OH)2 shows a bright orange-red luminescence that redshifts with decreasing temperature. The luminescence lifetimes were determined to be 0.17 ms at room temperature and 3.49 ms at 77 K. Below 3 K, d5 Mn2+ of two neighboring, edge-sharing {MnO5OH}2 units couple antiferromagnetically, and the magnetic state can be best described as a singlet spin system. These singlets continuously turn into triplets when increasing the magnetic field up to 7 T at 2 K due to relatively weak spin-spin coupling through two identical 98.92(6)° Mn-O-Mn superexchange paths, turning the system into a metastable ferromagnetic state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant metabolomics has been well established and applied across multiple fields including medicine, biotechnology, and environmental sciences in the post-genomic era. The Chenopodiaceae C3 halophyte Suaeda salsa is the most important plant species in the vegetation of saline soil and even intertidal zone in the Yellow River Delta, which is economically consumed as food, widely used as a bioindicator of environmental stresses (salinity, drought, and pollution) and typically applied for the phyto-remediation of degraded wetland. However, no global studies have been focused on the metabolic profile of this halophyte which is widely applied in environment related research areas. In metabolomics, the first crucial step is the preparation of plant samples. In this work, several strategies of metabolite extraction from this C3 halophytes S. salsa were evaluated and the metabolic profile was characterized by NMR-based metabolomics. Multiple replicates of plant tissues (approx. 250 mg whole fresh weight of leaves and stems) were homogenized by a high throughput automated Precellys 24 bead-based homogenizer and then extracted using the following solvent systems of varying polarities: methanol, water, methanol/water, methanol/chloroform/water, and acetonitrile. The hydrophilic metabolites were analyzed using one-dimensional proton NMR spectroscopy, and the subsequent NMR spectra were evaluated by principal components analysis (PCA). Each extraction protocol revealed unique metabolic profile from S. salsa. Overall, the quality of each extraction protocol was assessed based on the yield, reproducibility, ease, and speed, and we concluded that the solvent of methanol/water was preferable for the metabolite extraction due to its highest reproducibility, ease, and speed, and considerably high yield. Validation of methanol/water (1:1) solvent also showed a high degree of reproducibility with technical variation being considerably lower than biological variation in S. salsa samples. This demonstrated the quality and robustness of the methanol/water extraction method for NMR-based metabolomics studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The drip-irrigation scheduled by different soil matric potential (SMP) thresholds at different stages according to soil water and salt management purposes was usually adopted for revegetation in saline-alkali land. To reveal the desalinization mechanism of this multi-stage drip-irrigation scheduling, a 3-year field trial, adopting this method for revegetation, was conducted in an arid saline area. The trial consisted of 5 irrigation treatments marked S1-S5, with their SMP that monitored directly under drip emitter at 0.2 m depth correspondingly controlled higher than − 5, − 10, − 15, − 20 and − 25 kPa. Results showed the SMP threshold of − 5 kPa during the unified irrigation stage induced a leaching fraction (LF) of 42.6% and a minimum recharge amount (MRA) from groundwater of zero, thus resulting the relative desalinization rate (RDR) of 91.8% in 0–120 cm soil layer. When treatment applied, the average electrical conductivity of the saturated soil extracts (ECe) in 0–40 cm among three growing seasons in S1-S5 treatments linearly increased from 0.90 to 1.73 dS/m as SMP threshold decreased from − 5 to − 25 kPa, resulting from the LF correspondingly decreasing from 18.4% to 2.5% and the MRA increasing from 0 to 21.4 mm. The inter-annual salt dynamic indicated a salt equilibrium state was formed in 80–120 cm soil layer when the SMP threshold was set higher than − 10 kPa and that was formed in 40–80 cm soil layer if the SMP threshold was set between − 20 and − 15 kPa. This study found the SMP threshold controlled the LF and MRA, and eventually determined the dynamics of soil salinity, which explained the efficient desalinization mechanism under the multi-stage drip-irrigation scheduling. A key SMP threshold of − 5 kPa for rapid soil leaching stage and that of − 20 kPa for precise salt regulating stage were recommended for vegetation construction in the low-lying saline area. • Salt leaching fraction (LF) was correlated to the setting soil matric potential (SMP). • The LF induced by setting SMP was responsible for the soil salt dynamics. • SMP between − 20 and − 15 kPa was important to maintain LF, leach salt and meet ET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhus typhina, an alien species introduced from North America, was identified as a main afforestation species in Beijing municipality. However, its invasiveness is still at odds. To clarify this problem, we applied the North American Screening System and the Australian Screening System to preliminarily predict its invasion possibility. Both screening systems gave the same recommendation to “reject”. The geographical distribution was surveyed, with the population features of R. typhina against the native plant communities being assessed. With anthropogenic assistance, R. typhina has been scattered on almost all habitats from downtown to mountains, including roadsides, farmlands and protected areas. As a clonal shrub, R. typhina possessed a high spreading rate, varying from 6.3 m/3 years at sterile habitats to 6.7 m/3 years at fertile ones. Significantly lower species richness, individual density and diversity were observed in the R. typhina community than those of the native Vitex negundo Linn.var. heterophylla (Franch.) Rehd. community at both sterile and fertile habitats. Continual wide plantation of R. typhina may further foster its population expansion, which helps the species to overcome spatial isolation. The fact that each root fragment can develop into a new individual makes R. typhina very difficult to be eradicated once established. From a biological point of view, we believe that R. typhina is a plant invader in Beijing. We therefore suggest the government should remove the name of R. typhina from the main tree species list in afforesting Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new microporous sodium cerium silicate Na2.4CeSi6O15 ·2.6H2O containing mixed valence of CeIII/CeIV (denoted CeSiO-CJ2) was successfully synthesized under mild hydrothermal conditions. Its structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and characterized by SEM, powder XRD, ICP, TGA, and XPS analyses. CeSiO-CJ2 crystallizes in orthorhombic space group Cmm2 (No. 35) with a =7.4165(15)Å, b =30.966(6)Å, and c =7.1539(14)Å, and Z =4. It consists of flexuous silicate layers that are connected by seven-coordinated Ce polyhedra to form a three dimensional (3D) open framework. There exist two different types of irregular 8-ring channels along [100] and 6-ring channels along [001] in which Na+ ions and water molecules reside. Magnetic measurement shows that CeSiO-CJ2 exhibits a Curie–Weiss behavior over the temperature range of 2–300K with a Weiss constant θ of −5.34(1)K, and a Curie constant C of 0.12(7)K. The data of susceptibility show that there exists at least 31.2% trivalent Ce in CeSiO-CJ2 which is consistent with the XPS analysis. CeSiO-CJ2 exhibits a strong broad emission band containing two overlapped peaks centered at about 384 and 420nm, respectively. Ion-exchange capacity of CeSiO-CJ2 was investigated by measuring the exchange amount of Na+ ions with various cations. Studies indicate that the Na+ ions can be nearly completely (97.2%) exchanged with ions. The Na+ ionic conductivity measurement shows that its conductivity activation energy is 0.25eV and that the conductivity at 573K is 2.7×10−5 (Ωcm)−1. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Single crystals of the title compound are prepared by ionothermal reaction of Al(O-iPr)3, H3PO4, and 1,3-diaminopropane in the ionic liquid n-hexyl-pyridinium tetrafluoroborate in the molar ratio of 1:6:7.7:36.9 (autoclave, 180 °C, 10 d). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The delivery and distribution of nutrients in coastal wetland ecosystems is much related to the land use. The spatial variations of TOC, TN, NH4+-N, NO3−-N and TP and associated soil salinity with depth in 9 kinds land uses in coastal zone of the modern Yellow River Delta (YRD) was evaluated based on monitoring data in field from 2009 to 2015. The results showed that the average contents of soil TOC, TN, NO3−-N, NH4+-N and TP were 4.21 ± 2.40 g kg−1, 375.91 ± 213.44, 5.36 ± 9.59 and 7.20 ± 5.58 and 591.27 ± 91.16 mg kg−1, respectively. The high N and C contents were found in cropland in southern part and low values in natural wetland, while TP was relatively stable both in profiles and in different land uses. The land use, land formation age and salinity were important factors influencing distributions of TOC and N. Higher contents of TOC and N were observed in older formation age lands in whole study region, while the opposite regulation were found in new-born natural wetland, indicating that the anthropogenic activities could greatly alter the original distribution regulations of nutrients in coastal natural wetlands by changing the regional land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal ecosystems play significant ecological and economic roles but are threatened and facing decline. Microbes drive various biogeochemical processes in coastal ecosystems. Tidal flats are critical components of coastal ecosystems; however, the structure and function of microbial communities in tidal flats are poorly understood. Here we investigated the seasonal variations of bacterial communities along a tidal flat series (subtidal, intertidal and supratidal flats) and the factors affecting the variations. Bacterial community composition and diversity were analyzed over four seasons by 16S rRNA genes using the Ion Torrent PGM platform. Bacterial community composition differed significantly along the tidal flat series. Bacterial phylogenetic diversity increased while phylogenetic turnover decreased from subtidal to supratidal flats. Moreover, the bacterial community structure differed seasonally. Canonical correspondence analysis identified salinity as a major environmental factor structuring the microbial community in the sediment along the successional series. Meanwhile, temperature and nitrite concentration were major drivers of seasonal microbial changes. Despite major compositional shifts, nitrogen, methane and energy metabolisms predicted by PICRUSt were inhibited in the winter. Taken together, this study indicates that bacterial community structure changed along the successional tidal flat series and provides new insights on the characteristics of bacterial communities in coastal ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title compound is prepared by reaction of Co(O-Ac)2 and 85% H3PO4 in the ionic liquid 1-butyl-4-methyl-pyridinium hexafluorophosphate (autoclave, 200 °C, 7 d). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 26 sample sites in 7 study plots adjacent to asphalt road and earth road in coastal wetland in the Yellow River Delta were selected to quantify plant diversity using quadrat sampling method in plant bloom phase of July and August 2012. The indice of β T and Jaccard's coefficient were applied to evaluate the species diversity. The results showed that the plant diversities and alien plants were high in the range of 0-20 m to the road verge. There were more exotics and halophytes in plots of asphalt roadside than that of earth roadside. However, proportion of halophytes in habitats of asphalt roadsides was lower than that of earth roadside. By comparing β-diversity, there were more common species in the asphalt roadsides than that in the earth roadsides. The similarity of plant communities in studied plots of asphalt roadsides and earth roadsides increased with increasing the distance to road verge. The effect range of roads for plant diversity in study region was about 20 m to road verge. Our results indicate that the construction and maintenance of roads in wetland could increase the plant species diversities of communities and risk of alien species invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reclaimed water irrigation has emerged as a critical alternative in agricultural regions facing water scarcity. However, soil pollution with microplastics (MPs) greatly increases the exposure risk and toxic effects of reclaimed water contaminations, such as phthalate esters (PAEs). A field experiment consisting of soil column pots evaluated the feasibility of using PAEs-contaminated water to irrigate oats (Avena sativa L.) in drought seasons. Three irrigation regimens based on soil matric potential thresholds (−10 kPa, −30 kPa, −50 kPa) explored the impact of PAE-contaminated water on oat physiology and environmental pollution in soil with and without MPs contamination. The results showed that treating oats at the SMP of −30 kPa boosted shoot biomass by 3.1%–14.0% compared to the drought condition at −50 kPa, and the root biomass of oats was significantly increased. The physiological metrics of oats indicated that irrigation at −50 kPa induced drought stress and oxidative damage in oats, particularly during the milk stage. Different irrigation treatments influenced the accumulation of PAEs in plants, soil, and leachate. The ratios of leachate to irrigation water in −10 kPa treatment with and without MPs addition were 1.18% and 4.48%, respectively, which aggravated the accumulation of pollutants in deep soil layers and may cause groundwater pollution. MPs pollution in soil increased the content of PAEs in the harvested oats and reduced the transport and accumulation of PAEs in deep soil layers (20–50 cm) and leachate. The coupling of PAEs in irrigation water with soil MPs pollution may exacerbate plant damage. However, the damage can be minimized under the scheduled irrigation at −30 kPa which could balance crop yield and potential risks. [Display omitted] • Soil MPs increase uptake of PAEs from reclaimed water by oats during later stage. • MPs modulate the migration and distribution of PAEs within soil. • Scheduled reclaimed water irrigation mitigates the risks of environment pollution. • Reclaimed water irrigation at −30 kPa optimizes yield and reduces risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A family of microporous lanthanide silicates, K8Ln3Si12O32NO3·H2O (denoted LnSiO-CJ3, Ln=Eu, Tb, Gd, Sm), was synthesized under mild hydrothermal conditions at 503K. The X-ray powder diffraction patterns of these compounds reveal that they are isostructural. The structure of EuSiO-CJ3 was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. It crystallizes in triclinic space group P-1 (No. 2) with a =11.599(2)Å, b =12.225(2)Å, c =13.829(3)Å, α =112.99(3)°, β =92.05(3)°, γ =90.57(3)°. The structure is based on [Si3O8] n 4n− layers with 6-, 8-, 12-rings that are connected by EuO6 octahedra to form a 3-D framework with 8-ring channels along the [001] direction. Charge neutrality is achieved by the K+ and NO3 − ions located in the channels. The framework of EuSiO-CJ3 shows good thermal stability, which can be stable up to 1273K. Ion-exchange capacity of EuSiO-CJ3 was investigated by the exchange of NO3 − ions with halide ions (F−, Cl−, Br−). The peaks in the emission spectra of LnSiO-CJ3 (Ln=Eu, Tb) belong to the characteristic transitions of Ln3+ (Ln=Eu, Tb) respectively. The lifetime measurements of LnSiO-CJ3 (Ln=Eu, Tb) suggest the presence of three Ln3+ (Ln=Eu, Tb) environments, which are consistent with the crystallographic results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]