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Vermicompost is a commonly used organic fertilizer that can effectively improve the fertility and structure of saline soil. However, the effect of vermicompost on the growth of halophytes in coastal saline soil, especially under flooding conditions, is obscure. We conducted two greenhouse experiments in which seeds and seedlings, respectively, of the Suaeda salsa were subjected to no flooding, episodic flooding, or continuous flooding, crossed with or without vermicompost addition, in a factorial design. Continuous flooding decreased seed germination and seedling biomass of S. salsa. Under no flooding or episodic flooding, vermicompost addition significantly increased seed germination and seedling growth in S. salsa, but vermicompost addition had no significant effects under continuous flooding. Vermicompost addition increased the stability of soil aggregates and decreased soil electrical conductivity, thereby improving the soil quality. Our results suggest that vermicompost addition could be an effective strategy for enhancing the population growth of S. salsa in saline soil and benefit the restoration of the S. salsa community in the Yellow River Delta, China.

Globalization of social and economic activities has led to the large-scale redistribution of plant species. The issue of whether alien species are invasive and thus pose a threat to local ecosystems has attracted attention in recent years. The characteristics of invasive alien species and the mechanism of successful invasion are still unclear. Here, we downloaded plant trait data on TRY-Plant Trait Database and classified alien species into four groups: high, medium, noteworthy, and harmless according to their distribution and degree of harm to local plant communities. We clarified the relationship between plant functional traits and invasion level, and established a prediction model based on plant functional traits and taxonomy. Our study found that species with smaller seeds, smaller individuals, lower special leaf area and longer seed bank longevity are more likely to be an invasive species after introduction to foreign ecosystems. In addition, seed longevity and seed mass are important for plants’ invasion. In summary, exotic species with longer seedbank longevity and lower seed dry mass are more likely to be invasive in China. We also trained two predictive models based on the recursive split tree method to check if we can predict a species’ invasion. Combining the two model together, statistically, we could predict if a species is invasive from its traits and taxonomy with a 91.84% accuracy. This model could help local governments, managers and stakeholders to evaluate shall we introduce some plant species in China.

Ting Yang,1 Fang He,1 Mingxiang Zhang,2 Li Ai,1 Meng He,3 Xin Liu,3 Yongxia Li1 1Department of Respiratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan, 650000, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Children’s Hospital affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Yunnan, 650000, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan, 650000, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yongxia Li, Department of Respiratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan, 650000, People’s Republic of China, Email liyongxia@kmmu.edu.cnPurpose: The aim was to explore the correlation between Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and Lung adenocarcinoma malignant prognosis and evaluate the miR-142-3p was used as an OSA severity indicator to predict the prognosis of Lung adenocarcinoma patients.Methods: This study comprised of 21 diagnosed lung adenocarcinoma patients with or without OSA. The sleep-related variables and tumor pathology were recorded. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α) and ki67 expression were analyzed by immunohistochemistry in tumor samples. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to assess the level of miR-142-3p.Results: Lung adenocarcinoma with OSA showed higher apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), oxygen desaturation index (ODI), and the lower lowest pulse oxygen saturation (LSPO2) compared to Lung adenocarcinoma without OSA (P< 0.05), and patients with severer OSA have an advanced TNM stage (P=0.004) and metastasis rate (p=0.032). In addition, OSA may down-regulate the miR-142-3p expression in patients with Lung adenocarcinoma, and the patients with low miR-142-3p expression exhibited severe OSA. MiR-142-3p levels significantly decreased in the advanced TNM stage (p=0.015), and the expression of miR-142-3p was negatively associated with AHI (r= − 0.505, p=0.020), ODI (r= − 0.513, p=0.017).Conclusion: OSA severity may increase Lung adenocarcinoma malignant prognosis. OSA may down-regulate the expression of miR-42-3p. The expression of miR-142-3p was inversely correlated with AHI and ODI as a surrogate of OSA severity. Additionally, the low miR-142-3p expression level was significantly associated with advanced TNM stage in Lung adenocarcinoma patients.Keywords: obstructive sleep apnea, lung adenocarcinoma, miR-142-3p, HIF1α, prognosis

Background and Aims Root system is the main organ for absorbing water and nutrients, and the first contact to sense soil and environmental stresses. Plant root morphology and internal physiological characteristics are affected by soil moisture content, leading to differences in the rate of plant water uptake. Methods The common reeds (Phragmites australis) were treated for 45 days at four different soil moisture content. Harvesting starts after 30 days of the treatment and the morphological characteristics, anatomical characteristics and hydraulic conductivity of the common reed root system are measured using pressure chambers and paraffin sections And common reed root transcriptomic profiles were assessed using next-generation RNA sequencing. Results The root system shrinks morphologically and anatomically during a drought. Decrease in soil moisture significantly reduced hydraulic conductivity of both the whole and single root of the common reed. RNA-seq results implicated abscisic acid (ABA) related genes in the regulation of hydraulic conductivity, with the expression profiles of ABA1, 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED), ABA2, and abscisic-aldehyde oxidase 3(AAO3) showing an overall decreasing trend as drought conditions intensified. Plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs) contents varied under different soil water treatments with up-regulated expression under 60% field capacity treatment indicating that PIP genes were regulated by drought stress to some extent. Conclusion Soil moisture contents significantly influenced root morphological, anatomical characteristics, and induced the expression of root-sourced ABA and aquaporins in common reed, which in turn altered root hydraulic conductivity.

SummaryAs threats to biodiversity proliferate, establishment and expansion of protected areas have increasingly been advocated in recent decades. In establishing a network of protected areas, recurrent assessments of the biodiversity conservation actually afforded by these areas is required. Gap analysis has been useful to evaluate the sufficiency and performance of protected areas. We surveyed Reeves’s PheasantSyrmaticus reevesiipopulations in 2018–2019 across its distribution range in central China to quantify the distribution of habitat suitable for this species. Our goal was to ascertain the current distribution of Reeves’s Pheasant and then identify the gaps in protecting Reeves’s Pheasant of the existing national nature reserve (NNR) network to provide suggestions for improving the conservation of this important species. The existing NNR network encompassed only 17.0% of the habitat suitable for Reeves’s Pheasant. Based on the current distributions of both suitable habitat and NNRs for Reeves’s Pheasant, we suggest most currently unprotected areas comprised moderately suitable habitat for species and should be prioritized in the future. A multiple species approach using Reeves’s Pheasant as a flagship species should be considered to understand the extent of mismatch between the distributions of protected areas and suitable habitat to improve the management effectiveness of NNRs. This case study provides an example of how the development of a conservation reserve network may be based on species distribution and habitat assessments and is useful to conservation efforts in other regions and for other species.

Tidal marsh wetlands in the Yellow River Delta provide valuable eco-services to the local population and global ecology. However, this area is suffering from serious degradation under the stresses of social development and climate change. Hydrological connectivity, a new framework in hydrology and ecology, has been proposed as the main factor affecting the ecological processes in coastal wetlands; however, its role in hydrology–soil–vegetation interactions remains unclear. In this study, the researchers parametrically quantified the hydrological connectivity in the tidal marsh wetlands and analyzed its relationship with Phragmites australis, one of the dominant species in this area. Our results showed threshold-like effects on the interaction between hydrological connectivity and P. australis on the plot scale. When biomass is lower than 2.2 kg/m2, the population density and structure size were found to increase with hydrological connectivity. When the biomass is higher than the threshold, the plots disconnected hydrologically because of high water consumption. Compared with soil chemistry, salinity, and water soil content, hydrological connectivity in the surface soil layer is more strongly linked to the plant traits and spatial structure in the tidal marsh wetlands due to the narrow ranges of other variables. Based on the authors’ analysis, the researchers do not recommend dense plantation of P. australis, especially near the freshwater sources in the tidal marsh, because of its high reproduction ability and competitive nature, which may cut the freshwater connectivity off, lowering the richness of plant species and habitat diversity.

Background Serum hepatitis B virus RNA (HBV RNA) has been reported to be a surrogate marker of intrahepatic cccDNA during nucleos(t)ide analogs therapy. However, in HBeAg-positive patients treated with peg-interferon (peg-IFN), whether HBV RNA is superior to other HBV markers in reflecting cccDNA profile is still unclear. Methods Serum HBV RNA, HBcrAg, HBV DNA, and HBsAg were longitudinally assessed among 30 HBeAg-positive patients during 48-week peg-IFN treatment. Besides, intrahepatic cccDNA was detected at baseline and week 48 respectively. Then, the individual correlations between HBV RNA, HBcrAg, HBV DNA, HBsAg, and cccDNA were statistically analyzed. Results HBV RNA levels decreased more rapidly in patients with HBeAg seroconversion than those without HBeAg seroconversion. Among all patients, cccDNA correlated better with HBV RNA than with HBcrAg, HBV DNA, and HBsAg at baseline. After 48 weeks peg-IFN treatment, cccDNA still correlated more strongly with HBV RNA than other HBV markers. Further analysis indicated that in patients with HBeAg seroconversion cccDNA strongly correlated with HBV RNA and HBcrAg, whereas not correlate with HBV DNA and HBsAg. While in patients without HBeAg seroconversion, cccDNA highly correlated with HBV RNA and HBV DNA, moderately correlated with HBcrAg, and not correlated with HBsAg. Conclusion Compared to HBcrAg, HBV DNA, and HBsAg, serum HBV RNA correlated more strongly with intrahepatic cccDNA levels before and after 48-week peg-IFN treatment. The level of serum HBV RNA may be a superior surrogate marker in reflecting the intrahepatic cccDNA profile in HBeAg-positive patients during peg-IFN treatment. Trial registration ClinicalTrials, NCT03546530. Registered 1 January 2015. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=&term=NCT03546530.

In order to explore the effects of bacteria on the decomposition processes and water environmental conditions, we used litter bag method and compare reed litter decomposition rates under different Bacillus subtilis addition treatments. Neither mesh size nor bacterial treatment have significant effects on the decomposition rates in the earlier phase. But in last three retrieves, the decomposition rates of litter bags with Bacillus subtilis addition were significantly (p = 0.012) higher than that without Bacillus subtilis addition treatment. As for bacterial influence water parameters, aquatic environmental markers ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved oxygen (DO), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) didn't show significant difference between different Bacillus subtilis addition treatments. The decomposition rates were affected by litter quality and water parameters. Furthermore, the N/P and C/P ratios of litter were good predictors for litter decomposition. Our findings suggested that the bacterial inoculation could be an excellent approach to facilitate the decomposition processes and nutrient cycles in the wetland ecosystems, but it might require more than 45 days to see the positive effects.

In order to discover the plankton distribution patterns and its relationship with environment gradients and hydrological connectivity in wetlands, samples from Yellow River Delta that span gradients in salinity and hydrological connectivity were analyzed in this study. Plankton community composition, abundance and biomass were determined and correlated with water variables and hydrological connectivity indexes to gain information about the forces that structure the plankton community in this dynamic environment. Phytoplankton with a total of 88 species and zooplankton with a total of 49 species were observed at an average abundance of 4.11 × 107 cells/L and 951.27 ind./L, respectively. Predominant species were Merismopedia minima G.Beck/Merismopedia elegans A. Braun ex Kutzing (Cyanobacteria) and Trichocerca pusilla (Jennings) (Rotifera), accounting for over 10% of the total abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton, respectively. The dominant species of phytoplankton communities were shifted from freshwater Chlorophyta (e.g., Oocystis sp.) to brackish Cyanobacteria (e.g., Merismopedia minima and Merismopedia elegans) and then to marine cyanobacterium (e.g., Oscillatoria sp. and Pseudoanabaena sp.); That shift in zooplankton community was from freshwater rotifers Trichocerca pusilla and Polyarthra trigla (Ehrenberg) to brackish rotifer Brachionus urceus (Linnaeus) and copepod Thermocyclops spp. and then to marine copepods Sinocalanus spp. and Microsetella spp. toward the river mouth. However, abundance, biomass and community similarity of plankton decreased with increasing water salinity and decreasing hydrological connectivity from upper reaches to river mouth. Salinity gradient could be major force for the shift of plankton community while the increasing hydrological connectivity between freshwater and saline habitats promoted the similarity of plankton distribution patterns within the wetland network.

Hydrological connectivity is important for the long-term persistence of water-dependent organism inhabiting floodplain and coastal wetlands, as surface-water patches not only create temporary habitats for them, but also provide dispersal opportunities. Improving understanding of how hydrological connectivity varies with respect to surface-water dynamics is an important step to maintain biodiversity in dynamic coastal environments. Using a series of available remote sensing images, we extracted surface-water patches across a 12-year (2006–2017) and assessed the corresponding hydrological connectivity using the landscape connectivity metrics. Furthermore, we identified important surface-water patches serve as connectivity providers in surface-water networks. Particularly, the threshold distance, needed for analysis of hydrological connectivity, was determined by “Distance- Landscape Connectivity Metrics” curves. We focused on China's Yellow River Delta (YRD), a globally significant floodplain and coastal wetland. Results showed that hydrological connectivity, fluctuating in a range of 0.0726 to 0.0908 during 2006-2017, varied with the number and spatial distribution of water patches. Our study highlight that water patches in Dawenliu Restoration (DR) could serve as ideal high-priority targets for specific management aimed at maintaining or improving hydrological connectivity. We also found that the suitable threshold distance for analyzing hydrological connectivity of the Yellow River Delta National Natural Reserve (YRDNR) is 500 m.

Based on the Hamilton’s principle, a nonlinear mathematical model of the cantilever-type piezoelectric energy harvester with a tip mass is systematically derived under parametric and external excitations. The proposed model accounts for geometric and electro-mechanical coupling nonlinearities, damping nonlinearity and the inextensibility condition of beam. Using the Galerkin approach, the proposed model is converted into the electro-mechanical coupling Mathieu–Duffing equations. Analytical solutions of the frequency–response curves are presented by the multiple scales method. Nonlinear characteristics of the energy harvesters are explored under parametric excitation and hybrid parametric and external excitations. Analytical results provided new insights into the effects of tip mass and nonlinear damping on the performance of the energy harvester. The results show that with the tip mass increasing, the frequency–response curves of the energy harvester change from the nonlinear hardening type to the nonlinear softening type and the operating bandwidth and the output voltages of the energy harvester enlarge. For parametrical excitation, variation of the quadratic damping does not alter the initial threshold of the harvesters and the position of two transcritical bifurcation points of the frequency–response curves. The initiation threshold decreases with the tip mass increasing. Hybrid parametric and external excitations enhance the bandwidth and output voltage of the energy harvester, which will probably be used as an ideal way to improve the performance of the energy harvesting system.

To examine how two dominant species coexist within a tidal wetland in the Yellow River Delta, we studied the spatial distribution patterns and ecological relationships of Tamarix chinensis and Suaeda salsa. We also analyzed the relationship between these two plant species and soil chemical properties. Nine quadrats were established, and aerial photography was carried out in July 2018 in the study area to investigate plants and soil. Results showed that T. chinensis showed an aggregation distribution at scales of 0-10 m, 0-30 m, and 0-50 m from the sea to inland. Unlike T. chinensis, S. salsa showed an aggregation distribution at approximately 0-50 m in the study area, which meant the aggregation distributions of T. chinensis and S. salsa were found at different scales and S. salsa tended to aggregate distribution compared with T. chinensis. Meanwhile, T. chinensis and S. salsa had negative correlations far from the sea at a scale of 0-20 m and at the offshore area at a scale of 0-30 m. However, in the intermediate area, S. salsa and T. chinensis showed a positive correlation at a scale of 0-30 m. In general, the relationship between the two groups tends to be negatively correlated in a small range. Given that the tidal action decreased from the sea to inland, the driving factors of population aggregation gradually changed from tidal flooding to an interspecific relationship. The different characteristics of the different species may also have had an effect. And the aggregation of adult plant species had a beneficial impact on the establishment and growth of seedlings and plants. Furthermore, soil properties comprised complex actions including environmental conditions and ecological processes. The soil chemical properties such as soil salinity and nutrients were also influenced by the species' canopy.

Culture degeneration usually results in great commercial losses in the economically important filamentous fungi, but the genetic causes of the degeneration remain elusive. In the fungus Metarhizium robertsii, we found that deletion of the vacuolar arginine exporter gene Vae caused culture degeneration. Compared to the WT strain, the mutant showed increased apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and mitochondrial membrane potential collapse, reduced conidial yield and abnormal lipid droplet formation. The extent of the degeneration in the mutant gradually increased over the successive subculturing, which eventually became irreversible; compared to the third subculture of the mutant, the seventh subculture showed a lower conidial yield and pathogenicity to insects, stronger apoptosis, higher ROS level and a smaller number of conidial lipid droplets. Incorporation of the genomic clone of Vae could not restore the WT phenotypes in the seventh subculture, but could in the third one. Loss-of-function in Vae resulted in vacuolar arginine accumulation and reduction in the cytosolic arginine. This downregulated the expression of the regulator CAG9 of G protein signalling pathway, which accounted for most of the phenotypic changes associated with the degeneration of the mutant. We identified a deleterious mutation that causes culture degeneration in a filamentous fugus.

Background & Aims: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) can cause liver fibrosis and lead to cirrhosis even cancer, antiviral therapy can reverse liver fibrosis with limited effect, thus we aimed to evaluate the effect of An-Luo-Hua-Xian pill (ALHX) on fibrosis regression in CHB patients treated with ETV.Methods: Treatment naïve patients with CHB from Oct 1st, 2013 to Dec 31st, 2020 were randomly treated with ETV alone or combined with ALHX (ETV+ALHX). Patients’ demographic, laboratory and liver histology data before and after 78 weeks of treatment were collected. Ishak fibrosis score (F) was used and fibrosis regression means F decreased ≥1 after treatment.Results: In total, 394 patients with a second liver biopsy after treatment were included in per-protocol population: 132 patients in ETV group and 262 patients in ETV+ALHX group. After 78 weeks of treatment, the fibrosis regression rate in the ETV+ALHX group were significantly higher than ETV group in baseline F≥3 patients: 124/211 (58.8%) verse 45/98 (45.9%), p=0.035. The degradation rate of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) is also consistent with it: 154/262 (73.0%) in ETV+ALHX group and 60/132 (61.2%) in ETV group, p=0.037. Logistic regression analysis showed that combined with ALHX was related to fibrosis regression (OR=1.94, p=0.018), and family history of hepatocellular carcinoma was on the contrary (OR=0.41, p=0.031).Conclusions: ETV combined with ALHX can significantly increase liver fibrosis regression in CHB patients.

The Yellow River Delta wetlands in the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve are facing serious degradation due to water scarcity and soil salinization. This study aims to investigate the mechanism of wetland degradation by analyzing the small-scale distribution of soil nutrients and preferential flow transport patterns in the Robinia Pseudoacacia community, which is a typical vegetation community in degraded wetlands. Soil physical and chemical properties based on field staining experiments were analyzed, and indoor solute penetration experiments were conducted to investigate the distribution of soil nutrients and hydrological characteristics. The results showed that the contents of soil organic carbon, organic matter, total nitrogen, and available phosphorus decreased with increasing soil depth, with higher contents in the preferential flow area than in the matrix flow area. Soil organic carbon, organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and available phosphorus showed positive correlations with each other, while soil pH and conductivity exhibited negative correlations with the above nutrients. The efflux rate of the Acacia community exhibited a gradual decline as soil depth increased, and the relative concentration of the solution exhibited a non-monotonic pattern of decrease, increase, and subsequent decrease with increasing soil depth. The findings could provide valuable guidance for the restoration and management of degraded wetlands in the Yellow River Delta.

Understanding the relationship between root systems, soil macropore networks, and soil hydraulic properties is important to better assess ecosystem health. In this study, treatments were performed in forested wetland soils with different vegetation densities, i.e., large (LWa) and small communities (LWb) of reed (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.). At each plot, three undisturbed PVC cylinders (10 cm in diameter and 50 cm in height) were obtained, and X-ray microtomography (μCT) scanning was used to determine the root and macropore architectures. Results showed that the values of total root length and total root volume at LWa were significantly larger than those at LWb (p < 0.05). Imaged macroporosity, macropore volume, macropore length density, macropore node density, macropore branch density, mean macropore surface area, mean macropore diameter, and mean macropore volume at LWa were significantly larger than those at LWb (p < 0.05), whereas mean macropore length, mean macropore branch length, and mean macropore tortuosity at LWb were larger than those at LWa. Total root length and total root volume were positively correlated with soil saturated hydraulic conductivity. Imaged macroporosity, macropore volume, macropore length density, macropore node density, macropore branch density, mean macropore surface area, mean macropore diameter, and mean macropore volume were positively correlated with soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, whereas mean macropore length, mean macropore branch length, and mean macropore tortuosity were negatively correlated with soil saturated hydraulic conductivity. In conclusion, root systems and soil macropore networks constitute a complex synthesis inside soil environments, and together affect soil hydrological responses.

In this study, an innovative method was used to assess the spatial and temporal patterns of the hydrological connectivity in soil profiles in the Yellow River Delta wetland. In this method, field dye-tracing experiments conducted in the study area (i.e., large [LWa] and small communities [LWb] of Phragmites australis and Suaeda glauca [JP]) were considered, and the root-soil interface in the region and the status of the wetland degradation were analyzed. The results revealed that the index of hydrological connectivity (IHC) significantly changed both spatially and temporally. The high IHC values reaching a 0.392 ± 0.209 gradient were concentrated in the middle and western parts of the study areas. The spatial distribution of the high hydrological connectivity has been extremely fragmented since 2010. The LWb (severely degraded wetland) and JP (extremely degraded wetland) were found to be more seriously degraded than the LWa (moderately degraded wetland) in the study area. The changes in the IHC were positively correlated with the principal component (PC) values of the wetland degradation. The IHC is a novel indicator of the status of wetland degradation. Furthermore, the soil holding capacity, soil non-capacity porosity, and soil ventilation were relatively important for the changes in the IHC. Compared with the soil properties, the hydrological responses of the roots systems can be neglected at the root-soil interface. Based on our results, we propose an alternative wetland restoration solution for the Yellow River Delta wetland: 1) a seepage layer in the surface soils (0–10 cm), shallow ploughing treatment, and litter or straw return to the soil surface should be conducted to increase the hydrological connectivity of the soil surface; 2) reeds should not be reaped every year to remove the nutrients from this area; and 3) appropriate freshwater inputs should be strengthened.

Legume plants are pioneer species in desert ecosystem that can be used to reestablish degraded ecosystem functions and soil properties, and reshape underground microbial communities. However, the distribution in soil nutrients and bacterial communities after introducing leguminous shrubs have not been well described. Here, we quantified the variations in soil nutrients and bacterial communities in soil profiles (0–100 cm) across stand ages (5-year, 8-year, 15-year) and severe desertification (SD), and further investigated the bacterial contributions to soil nutrients during stand development. The total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN) and organic carbon (OC) contents significantly increased, whereas the available nitrogen (AN) and available phosphorus (AP) contents showed a downward trend across stand ages. Bacterial diversity increased after introducing leguminous shrubs. Vertical spatial variation of bacterial communities attenuated during stand development. Bacterial beta-diversity, specific microbial phyla (i.e., Proteobacteria and Firmicutes) and nitrification process were strongly associated with vertical spatial variation in soil nutrients. Combined analyses revealed that leguminous shrubs can ameliorate soil OC, TN and TP with increasing legumes growth time, but could still exhibit no facilitating effect on the improvement of soil available N and P even for legumes aged 15 years. Improving the bioavailability of nutrient elements and microbial function diversity could be targeted for further studies in arid barren sandy.

The invasion of Spartina alterniflora (S. alterniflora) has caused serious damage to coastal wetland ecosystems in China, especially the mangrove wetlands in South China. This study aimed to validate the effect of imazapyr on S. alterniflora and soil. The controlled experiment was conducted in May 2021 at the Zhangjiangkou Mangrove Wetland Reserve. In the experiment, 25% (W) imazapyr was used, and six treatments were set up: 3035, 6070, and 9105 mL/acre 25% imazapyr and 1299, 2604, and 5202 mL/acre of AGE 809 + 6070 mL/acre 25% imazapyr. The results showed no side effects on mangrove plants in the spraying area. The highest control efficiency (95.9%) was given by 2604 mL/acre of AGE 809 + 6070 mL/acre 25% imazapyr. The residues of imazapyr in different soils were reduced to 0.10–0.59 mg/kg. The sequencing results showed no significant difference in the overall bacterial communities under different treatments (p &gt, 0.05). The soil bacterial diversity in the samples with adjuvant was higher than that in the samples without adjuvant, while the abundance values were the opposite. There were 10 main communities (&gt, 0.3%) at phylum level in all soil samples, among which Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, Chloflexi, and Actinobacteria were the dominant communities, and the latter four’s abundance changed significantly (p &lt, 0.05). There were significant abundance differences between the groups of oligotrophic and eutrophic bacteria. The redundancy analysis and Monte Carlo tests showed that the total organic carbon (TOC), total phosphorus (TP), available phosphorus (AP), ammonia nitrogen, and total nitrogen were the main factors affecting soil bacterial diversity. At the same time, TOC, AP, and TP were the most critical factors affecting the overall characteristics of soil bacterial communities in different treatments, while soil residues had no significant effect on bacteria. This might be due to the addition and degradation of imazapyr and the coverage of S. alterniflora. The best recommendation is 2604 mL/acre of AGE 809 + 6070 mL/acre 25% imazapyr to be applied in China’s mangrove wetland reserves and coastal wetlands.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship of dyslipidemia and interleukin-enhancer binding factor 3 (ILF3) in gastric cancer, and provide insights into the potential application of statins as an agent to prevent and treat gastric cancer.The expression levels of ILF3 in gastric cancer were examined with publicly available datasets such as TCGA, and western blotting and immunohistochemistry were performed to determine the expression of ILF3 in clinical specimens. The effects of ox-LDL on expression of ILF3 were further verified with western blot analyses. RNA sequencing, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Gene Ontology (GO), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) pathway analyses were performed to reveal the potential downstream signaling pathway targets of ILF3. The effects of statins and ILF3 on PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, cell proliferation, cell cycle, migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells were investigated with Edu assay, flow cytometry and transwell assay.Immunohistochemistry and western blot demonstrated that the positive expression rates of ILF3 in gastric cancer tissues were higher than adjacent mucosa tissues. The ox-LDL promoted the expression of ILF3 in a time-concentration-dependent manner. ILF3 promoted the proliferation, cell cycle, migration and invasion by activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Statins inhibited the proliferation, cell cycle, migration and invasion of gastric cancer by inhibiting the expression of ILF3.These findings demonstrate that ox-LDL promotes ILF3 overexpression to regulate gastric cancer progression by activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Statins inhibits the expression of ILF3, which might be a new targeted therapy for gastric cancer.

Low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) is the primary pathway for removal of cholesterol from the circulation, pro-protein convertase subtilisin-like kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a secreted protease that binds to and promotes degradation of the LDLR protein. The goal of this case-control study was to investigate the role of soluble LDLR (sLDLR) and PCSK9 in coronary artery disease (CAD) and investigate the relationship between these two indices and CAD.In a sample of 144 Chinese patients recruited between January 2018 and August 2018, 81 cases with mild and severe stenosis characterized by coronary angiograph (CAG) and 63 healthy controls were selected using the propensity score matching (PSM) based on demographics and medical history. sLDLR and PCSK9 concentrations were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Immuno-precipitation (IP) and western blotting. Multivariable logistic models were used to assess the associations between the degree of coronary artery stenosis and the biomarkers of interest.Higher PCSK9 was found to be a significant predictor of coronary artery stenosis when comparing cases who had severe stenosis vs. controls (OR=1.016, 95%CI: 1.009, 1.024), and cases who had mild stenosis vs. controls (OR=1.009, 95%CI: 1.003, 1.015). sLDLR was positively corrected with PCSK9, which confounded the association between CAD and PCSK9. Compared to patients with mild-stenosis, patients with severe-stenosis also showed a higher level of PCSK9 (OR=1.007, 95%CI: 1.001, 1.013).These findings suggest that elevated PSCK9 may contribute to the odds of developing CAD, with a higher degree of coronary artery stenosis.

Asphalt aging holds responsibility for fatigue damage of asphalt pavement. Incorporation of nano-zinc oxide (nano-ZnO) as modifier into asphalt can effectively improve anti-aging property of asphalt. In this work, different dosage of nano-ZnO was added to original asphalt to prepare modified asphalt, and physical properties of nano-ZnO modified asphalt, including storage stability, penetration (25 °C), softening point and ductility (5 °C) were tested. Effect of nano-ZnO on the rheological properties of asphalt was studied by testing rheological properties of modified asphalt before and after aging. In addition, fatigue properties of asphalt with different nano-ZnO dosage were analyzed by linear amplitude sweep (LAS) test. Furthermore, anti-aging characteristics of nano-ZnO modified asphalt were characterized by thin film oven test (TFOT) and ultraviolet aging (UV-aging) test and mechanism was interpreted by UV–visible-infrared absorption test. The results show that nano-ZnO can influence penetration (25 °C), softening point, ductility (5 °C) and storage stability of asphalt. Nano-ZnO can improve complex shear modulus (G*), phase angle (δ) and fatigue performance. Addition of nano-ZnO can evidently improve anti-UV aging ability of asphalt and make asphalt show certain viscosity recovery during aging process. In addition, nano-ZnO has strong absorption characteristics to ultraviolet light with more than 95% absorption rate, which reflects its superiority as anti-UV aging modifier for asphalt. UV absorption of nano-ZnO modified asphalt is enhanced several times than that of original asphalt. Asphalt modified with reasonable nano-ZnO dosage possesses significant and evident anti-aging characteristics.

Highly porous GaN submicron rods have been synthesized successfully by a facile hydrothermal method and heat treatment under controlled atmosphere. The morphology and size of the hydrothermal products are tailorable by adjusting the concentration of precursor solutions. Upon calcination in air, the nanorod-assembled GaOOH submicron rods are converted into bundlelike Ga2O3 and into porous GaN submicron rods under an ammonia flow. Gas-sensing characterization demonstrates that the sensors based on porous GaN exhibit high sensitivity and fast response to ethanol vapor, as well as excellent stability and reliability at high temperature. The highly porous GaN submicron rods with a large specific surface area, small grain size, and high length-to-diameter ratio show better response to ethanol. A possible sensing enhancement mechanism is also proposed. This study provides a promising route for the novel synthesis of GaN submicron rods for high-performance gas sensors.

Photosynthetic carbon is an integral part of carbon cycle in plant-soil system, also is an important source of soil organic carbon. In this study, 13C labeling was used for exploring allocation of photosynthate-13C in Phragmites australis -soil system undergoing the salt marsh restoration project by freshwater pumping in Yellow River Estuary (YRE), China. Samples were collected from T0 (before labeling) to 90 days after labeling (T4), in natural salt marsh, 5-, 10- and 15-year freshwater pumping areas, respectively. The photosynthate-13C contents of soil were gradually decreased to 0 mg/g at T4 in most areas, while it was 2.21 mg/g in 15-year pumping area, higher than other areas at the last sampling time (T4). And the allocation of photosynthate-13C in soil was increased from 3.58% at T2 to 44.46% at T3 in natural salt marsh, while no significant change was found in other areas from T2 to T3, followed by the significantly higher photosynthate-13C proportion in soils of 15-year pumping area at T4. EC (R2 = 0.5972) and small macro-aggregates proportion of soil (R2 = 0.4829) had positive correlations with Δ photosynthate-13C (the value of photosynthate-13C in underground part minus that in soil); silt and clay fractions proportion of soil (R2 = 0.7044) had negative correlation with Δ photosynthate-13C. Distribution and transportation of photosynthetic carbon in the underground were affected by soil physical and chemical properties.

The performance of bimorph cantilever energy harvester subjected to horizontal and vertical excitations is investigated. The energy harvester is simulated as an inextensible piezoelectric beam with the Euler–Bernoulli assumptions. A horizontal base excitation along the axis of the beam is converted into the parametric excitation. The governing equations include geometric, inertia and electromechanical coupling nonlinearities. Using the Galerkin method, the electromechanical coupling Mathieu–Duffing equation is developed. Analytical solutions of the frequency response curves are presented by using the method of multiple scales. Some analytical results are obtained, which reveal the influence of different parameters such as the damping, load resistance and excitation amplitude on the output power of the energy harvester. In the case of parametric excitation, the effect of mechanical damping and load resistance on the initiation excitation threshold is studied. In the case of combination of parametric and direct excitations, the dynamic characteristics and performance of the nonlinear piezoelectric energy harvesters are studied. Our studies revealed that the bending deformation generated by direct excitation pushes the system out of axial deformation and overcomes the limitation of initial threshold of parametric excitation system. The combination of parametric and direct excitations, which compensates and complements each other, can be served as a better solution which enhances performance of energy harvesters.

A reasonable predicting model for spatial variation of soil carbon would be a useful tool in monitoring and restoration of salt marshes. In this study, radial basis function neural networks model (RBFNN) and back propagation neural networks model (BPNN) were built to predict total carbon (TC), total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) contents in salt marsh of the Yellow River Delta. Both models contained thirteen input parameters, i.e., nine topographic factors selected from ASTER GDEM Version2 and Geographical Information System (GIS), one vegetation index – MODIS 16-day composite Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), and three soil physicochemical properties. For prediction of TC, the MAE, MSE and RMSE values of RBFNN were smaller than those of BPNN by 61.87%, 81.36% and 56.82%; for TOC, the MAE, MSE and RMSE values of RBFNN were smaller than those of BPNN by 37.13%, 58.06% and 35.23%; both models had no significant difference in accuracy for DOC prediction, but the MAE, MSE and RMSE values of RBFNN were smaller. All ME values of RBFNN rather than BPNN were closer to zero. RBFNN integrating environmental factors had a higher accuracy than BPNN in predicting soil carbon content at a relatively small regional scale.

The soil column samples were collected for indoor simulated freeze-thaw experiments to monitor the soil hydrothermal dynamics and measure the basic physicochemical properties to research the effects of freeze-thaw on the hydrothermal process of peat bog soil and its relationship with physicochemical properties. The results indicate that in the initial phase of freezing-thawing, soil water content decreases and soil temperature changes, respectively. Unfrozen water content in soil in the stable freezing period decreases sharply. Compared with the freezing period, the fluctuation of soil moisture rate during thawing is more moderate with the temperature change. Soil ammonium nitrogen content decreases with decreasing soil temperature and is significantly positively correlated with soil water content after freeze-thaw, while total phosphorus, fast-acting phosphorus, total nitrogen and nitrate have no significant correlation with soil temperature and soil moisture content after freeze-thaw.

Growing populations and industrialization have led to raised wetland ecosystems nitrogen(N) loads. A micro constructed wetland planted with Lythrum salicaria L treating an artificial wastewater was used to investigate the short-term variations in the plant biomass and the removal efficiency of N. Our results showed that the biomass of Lythrum salicaria L. increased rapidly during the experiment due to their extensive root system and vigorous spread, and waterlogged conditions had little effect on the relationship between biomass and the concentration of TN in soil and effluent. Under different waterlogged conditions, the removal rates of TN in the water were all more than 60%, providing a reference for waterlogged conditions used in wetland eutrophication restoration.

The existing data synchronization scheme can satisfy the data synchronization between homogeneous table databases. Still, it restricts the table structures that can be synchronized and cannot solve the table heterogeneous database synchronization problem. In this paper, based on the existing data synchronization tools, we analyze the key problems in data synchronization, such as data type differences, data storage differences, data expression differences, etc. To design a synchronization model for these problems, this paper investigates the implementation of Flink CDC and the design idea of the Binlog model and designs a highly available and easily scalable heterogeneous database synchronization model by combining the actual data synchronization scenarios and traditional synchronization ideas.

In recent years, scholars have paid increased attention to the ecological role of crab burrows, particularly their impact on the hydrological processes of saltmarsh wetlands. This study aims to investigate the influence of crab burrows on soil water and salt transport and to understand the ecological significance of crab burrows in coastal wetlands from the perspective of ecohydrological processes. We combined a field sample survey and an indoor soil column infiltration experiment to analyze the differences in infiltration time, soil water content, and soil electrical conductivity (EC) between different experimental groups. Consequently, the results showed that the size of crab burrow diameter varies significantly in different areas of the coastal wetland, influenced by tidal creek and sea-land distances, with larger burrow diameters in areas around 5 m from the tidal creek. Large-diameter burrows (2.5 cm × 6) are more conducive to salt transport due to their preferential water conductivity to the underlying soil vertically, small-diameter burrows (0.5 cm × 6) could promote water infiltration uniformly and maintain good soil water retention capacity. This study's results provide insights into the hydrological connectivity and spatial distribution of salinity in coastal wetlands. Additionally, the positive impact of burrows on the water-salt environment of coastal wetland sediments may also provide new ideas for coastal wetland restoration.

ZNFO is a Kruppel-associated box (KRAB) containing zinc finger transcription factor, which is exclusively expressed in bovine oocytes. Previous studies have demonstrated that ZNFO possesses an intrinsic transcriptional repressive activity and is essential for early embryonic development in cattle. However, the mechanisms regulating ZNFO transcription remain elusive. In the present study, the core promoter that controls the ZNFO basal transcription was identified. A 1.7 kb 5′ regulatory region of the ZNFO gene was cloned and its promoter activity was confirmed by a luciferase reporter assay. A series of 5′ deletion in the ZNFO promoter followed by luciferase reporter assays indicated that the core promoter region has to include the sequence located within 57 bp to 31 bp upstream of the transcription start site. Sequence analysis revealed that a putative USF1/USF2 binding site (GGTCACGTGACC) containing an E-box motif (CACGTG) is located within the essential region. Depletion of USF1/USF2 by RNAi and E-box mutation analysis demonstrated that the USF1/USF2 binding site is required for the ZNFO basal transcription. Furthermore, EMSA and super-shift assays indicated that the observed effects are dependent on the specific interactions between USF proteins and the ZNFO core promoter. From these results, it is concluded that USF1 and USF2 are essential for the basal transcription of the ZNFO gene.

Piezoelectric material-based catalysis that relies on an external stress-induced piezopotential has been demonstrated to be an effective strategy toward various chemical reactions. In this work, non-noble metal Ni-decorated ultralong monocrystal GaN nanowires (NWs) were prepared through a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique, followed by a photodeposition method. The piezocatalytic activity of the GaN NWs was enhanced by ∼9 times after depositing the Ni cocatalyst, generating hydrogen gas of ∼88.3 μmol·g-1·h-1 under ultrasonic vibration (110 W and 40 kHz), which is comparable to that of Pt-loaded GaN NWs. Moreover, Ni/GaN NWs with smaller diameters (∼100 nm) demonstrated superior piezocatalytic efficiency, which can be attributed to the large piezoelectric potential evidenced by both finite-element analysis and piezoresponse force microscopy measurements. These results demonstrate the promising application potential of non-noble metal loaded GaN nanostructures in hydrogen generation driven by weak mechanical energy from the surrounding environment.

Management intensity was considered an important factor in evaluating and regulating the anthropogenic restoration measures for a degraded ecosystem. By comparing selected conventional soil physicochemical, microbial and incorporating aggregate-associated indices between wetland plot with high-intensity freshwater replenishment (HI wetlands) and wetland plot with low-intensity freshwater replenishment (LI wetlands), edaphic responses of degraded estuarine wetlands to freshwater replenishment at different intensity were assessed in the present study. The results showed that high-intensity freshwater replenishment exerted better soil salinization and alkalization alleviation effects on degraded estuarine wetlands, which caused lower EC and pH values in HI wetlands than those in LI wetlands. And soil microbial biomass was promoted, with freshwater replenishment intensity increased, as indicated by MBC and total PLFAs. Minor alternation of soil microbial community composition was observed with an elevated abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in HI wetlands. On the other hand, freshwater replenishment at low intensity was found to contribute to organic matter accumulation, as indicated by both higher SOC concentrations and carbon stocks in LI wetlands than those in HI wetlands. And soil aggregate-associated indicators provided more scientific clues that freshwater replenishment at low intensity favored the formation of large macroaggregates, and thus supported higher soil aggregate stability. Moreover, a transfer of allocations of aggregate-associated carbon and nitrogen stocks from microaggregates to large macroaggregates was induced as the freshwater replenishment intensity decreased, and the principle governing factors were the proportion of large macroaggregates in soils, soil salinity and microbial decomposition rates based on multivariate statistical analysis. The findings of this study could provide basic data regarding soil physicochemical properties, microbial characteristics and soil structure stability in restored wetlands of the Yellow River Delta with freshwater replenishment at different intensity and guiding adaptive management strategies of freshwater replenishment to enhance the ecological functions of estuarine wetlands.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely accepted and prescribed in China alongside Nucleoside analogs (NAs). In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multi-center trial, we evaluated whether entecavir (ETV) plus TCM formulas Tiao-Gan-Yi-Pi granule (TGYP) and Tiao-Gan-Jian-Pi-Jie-Du granule (TGJPJD) increase the rate of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) loss in Chinese patients. 596 eligible participants were randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, to two study groups in this 108-week trial: The experiment group was assigned ETV plus the TCM formula. The control group was assigned ETV plus a TCM placebo. We compared the rate of HBeAg loss by the end of week 108 between the two arms as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) level, proportion of undetectable HBV-DNA, and liver enzymes (ALT, AST, GGT) at week 108. The combination therapy achieved superior HBeAg loss at 108 weeks, without additional adverse events. The rate of HBeAg loss at week 108 was 37.54% (95% CI 31.9–43.2%) in the experiment group and 27.21% (95% CI 22.0–32.4%) in the control group. There was a statistically significant difference between the two arms of 10.33% (95% CI 8.4–12.3%, p = 0.008). The DNA loss rate, serum HBsAg level, and liver enzymes were similar between the groups by the end of 108th week. Combining the Chinese herbal formula with ETV therapy demonstrated superior HBeAg clearance compared with ETV monotherapy. This finding indicates that this combined therapy could produce an improved therapeutic effect and safety profile. ChiCTR-TRC-12002784 (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry).

Coastal wetlands are ecologically and economically important; however, they are currently faced with fragmentation and loss. Plants are a fundamental element of wetlands and previous researches have focused on wetland plant connectivity; however, these researches have been conducted at the landscape but not species level. Here, given that tidal flats are important areas in coastal wetlands, we investigated the connectivity characteristics of typical plant species and environmental factors in different wetland regions influenced by various tidal conditions to reveal vegetation connectivity and its relationship with environmental factors on a small-patch scale. We found that tides negatively affect plant connectivity because both the Tamarix chinensis and Suaeda salsa have the highest connectivity on river banks, which are not influenced by tides. Of two tidal regions, different tides conditions have different influence on two plant species. T. chinensis had higher connectivity in the supratidal zone, whereas S. salsa had higher connectivity in the intertidal zone. Besides, the soil water content and soil salinity were significantly different in the three regions, but the soil total nitrogen and phosphorous were not. Soil water content and soil salinity were two factors that significantly affected plant connectivity. Specifically, soil water content positively affected the connectivity of T. chinensis and S. salsa, whereas soil salinity negatively affected the connectivity of T. chinensis. Taken together, these results indicate that tidal conditions affect plant connectivity on a small-patch scale. River banks and supratidal zone are beneficial for the recovery and growth of T. chinensis, intertidal zone and river banks are more conducive to the recovery and growth of S. salsa. Based on the above research, this study provides insights that could be applied to vegetation restoration in coastal wetlands.