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Highlights • Root pruning improved wheat grain yield, HI and WUE by 6–11%. • Root pruning in spring performed better than that in winter. • Root pruning was more effective at high seeding rate in low-yielding conditions. • Root pruning improved apparent translocation of water soluble carbohydrates. Abstract Improved management practices are necessary to increase grain yield and water-use efficiency of rainfed winter wheat in semiarid environments. Yield and its components, evapotranspiration, and accumulation and apparent remobilisation of stem water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) were measured to understand the effects of root pruning and its interactions with seeding rate, water and nitrogen supply. Two factorial studies under straw mulching with continuous wheat were established in the Loess Plateau of China. Study 1 was repeated over four seasons and included six treatments from the combination of three root treatments, i.e. root pruning in winter before dormancy (RPw), root pruning at the re-green stage in spring (RPs) and untreated control (CK), and two seeding rates. Study 2 was repeated over three seasons and included twelve treatments from the combination of two root treatments (RPs and CK), two nitrogen rates and three pre-sowing soil water levels. Yield ranged from 2571 to 7722 kg ha−1, harvest index from 0.28 to 0.56, and water-use efficiency from 5 to 20 kg ha−1 mm−1. Root pruning improved grain yield, harvest index and water-use efficiency by 6–11% across environmental conditions. Grain yield increased more (i) by pruning roots in spring than in winter, (ii) in high plant density than in low plant density crops, and (iii) in low-yielding conditions. It is concluded that spring root pruning is a viable option to improve wheat yield and water use efficiency under straw mulching in semiarid environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improved crop yield and water use efficiency (yield per unit evapotranspiration) is important for food security in semiarid areas including the Loess Plateau of China, the focus of this study. We investigated the responses of winter wheat yield, evapotranspiration and water use efficiency to management practices aimed at modulating water use. Six treatments resulted from the factorial combination of practices, i.e. root pruning, defoliation and untreated control, and two seeding rates (15–19, 19–23 g m −2 ). Crops were grown under straw mulching over two seasons; the drier season had 341 mm in-fallow rain and 160 mm in-season rain compared with the wetter season which had 392 and 252 mm, respectively. Yield ranged from 2748 to 6669 kg ha −1 and responded to both management and the interaction between management and seeding rate. Relative to controls, root pruning increased grain yield by 28% in the dry season and by 8% in the wet season at high seeding rate; root pruning did not affect yield at low seeding rate. Seasonal evapotranspiration did not respond to any of the experimental sources of variation. Higher yield thus lead to increased water use efficiency of root-pruned crops in the dry season at high seeding rate. Defoliation did not affect yield in the dry season, but decreased biomass and grain yield in the wet season compared to the control. Water use efficiency was lower under defoliation at high seeding rate in the wet year. It is concluded that that root pruning could improve wheat yield and water use efficiency in dry conditions of winter wheat under stubble mulching. Considering forage from defoliation, the dual-purpose use of winter wheat may be possible without effect on grain yield in dry seasons but would reduce grain yield under the prevalent conditions of the Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Splitting N in 3–4 applications improved wheat yield by 7 % and grain protein content by 5 %. • The effect of split N on yield was larger for winter wheat than for spring wheat. • Split N mitigated the negative relationship between yield and grain protein content. Management of nitrogen (N) fertilizer is critical to avoid the environmental consequences of both over-fertilization and excess reactive N in the system, and chronic under-fertilization and soil mining. Split N application seeks to improve nitrogen use efficiency in both small-holdings and large-scale mechanized farms, but lack of conclusive evidence on its benefits restricts the adoption of this practice. Here we report a global meta-analysis of split N application in wheat using 129 studies with 2661 comparisons. Split N in 3–4 applications improved yield by 7.0 % and grain protein by 5.2 % in relation to single application. The effect of split N on yield was larger for winter wheat than for spring wheat, while split N improved grain protein in both winter and spring wheat. Its effects on both yield and grain protein were larger under conventional tillage, in humid climate especially for winter wheat, in coarse textured soils, on less fertile soils, and at high N rate. Splitting N in 3–4 applications would increase annual production of winter wheat by 12.9 M t grain and 1.3 M t protein globally. By identifying the conditions where split N application is more likely to deliver agronomic benefits, our study would contribute to the targeted adoption of this practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Defoliation was largely neutral for grain yield and WUE. • Defoliation improved harvest index and net income by 7–15%. • Defoliation improved translocation of WSC to grain. • Dual-purpose wheat was more profitable at low seeding rate and high initial soil water. Dual-purpose wheat has been adopted in many farming systems, but interactions between management, supply of resources, and seasonal conditions are still not clearly elucidated. Two experiments were established in the Loess Plateau of China to measure yield and its components, evapotranspiration, water-use efficiency (yield per unit evapotranspiration), accumulation and apparent remobilisation of stem water soluble carbohydrates (WSC), and economic benefit of dual-purpose winter wheat. Experiment 1 combined factorially three defoliation treatments, i.e. winter defoliation (DC23), spring defoliation (DC29) and untreated control, two seeding rates (currently recommended, and 125% recommended), and over four seasons. Experiment 2 combined factorially two defoliation treatments (spring defoliation and control), two nitrogen rates (low: 120–150 kg N ha−1, high: 180–200 kg N ha−1), three levels of soil water at sowing (low: rainfed; medium: rain +67 mm; high: rain +133 mm), and over three seasons. Defoliation was largely neutral for grain yield and water-use efficiency, and improved translocation of WSC to grain by 8%, harvest index by 7% and net income by 15% across conditions. Grain yield was unaffected by the interaction between defoliation and seeding rate, but significantly impacted by interactions of defoliation × initial soil water level and defoliation × nitrogen rate. Defoliated wheat yield was greater at high than at medium and low initial soil water content, and at low than at high nitrogen rate. Spring defoliation produced similar yield as winter defoliation but the former increased forage income. Increasing seeding rate or nitrogen rate increased forage income but reduced net income due to lower grain income and higher cost. Thus, dual-purpose winter wheat was more profitable (i) when defoliated in spring, (ii) at the lower seeding density, (iii) under the lower nitrogen rate, and (iv) with higher soil water content at sowing. Apparent translocation of stem WSC partially mediated the effect of defoliation on grain yield. It is concluded that dual-purpose winter wheat is feasible under straw mulching in semiarid environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adding CDK4/6 inhibitor dalpiciclib to fulvestrant significantly prolonged progression-free survival in patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer progressing after endocrine therapy. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of dalpiciclib plus letrozole or anastrozole in patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer who had no previous systemic therapy in the advanced setting. DAWNA-2 is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial done at 42 hospitals in China. Eligible patients were aged 18–75 years, of any menopausal status, had an ECOG performance status of 0–1, and had pathologically confirmed hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative untreated advanced breast cancer. Patients were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive oral dalpiciclib (150 mg per day for 3 weeks, followed by 1 week off) or matching placebo. Both groups also received endocrine therapy: either 2·5 mg letrozole or 1 mg anastrozole orally once daily continuously. Randomisation was using an interactive web response system (block size of six) and stratified according to visceral metastasis, previous endocrine therapy in the adjuvant or neoadjuvant setting, and endocrine therapy partner. All investigators, patients, and the funders of the study were masked to group allocation. We present the results of the preplanned interim analyses for the primary endpoint of investigator-assessed progression-free survival, which was assessed in all randomly assigned patients who met the eligibility criteria by intention-to treat. Safety was analysed in all randomly assigned patients who received at least one dose of study treatment. The superiority boundary was calculated as a one-sided p value of 0·0076 or less. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT03966898 , and is ongoing but closed to recruitment. Between July 19, 2019, and Dec 25, 2020, 580 patients were screened and 456 were eligible and randomly assigned to the dalpiciclib group (n=303) or placebo group (n=153). At data cutoff (June 1, 2022), median follow-up was 21·6 months (IQR 18·3–25·9), and 103 (34%) of 303 patients in the dalpiciclib group and 83 (54%) of 153 patients in the placebo group had disease progression or died. Median progression-free survival was significantly longer in the dalpiciclib group than in the placebo group (30·6 months [95% CI 30·6–not reached] vs 18·2 months [16·5–22·5]; stratified hazard ratio 0·51 [95% CI 0·38–0·69]; one-sided log-rank p<0·0001). Adverse events of grade 3 or 4 were reported in 271 (90%) of 302 patients in the dalpiciclib group and 18 (12%) of 153 patients in the placebo group. The most common adverse events of grade 3 or 4 were neutropenia (259 [86%] in the dalpiciclib group vs none in the placebo group) and leukopenia (201 [67%] vs none). Serious adverse events were reported for 36 (12%) patients in the dalpiciclib group and ten (7%) patients in the placebo group. Two treatment-related deaths occurred, both in the dalpiciclib group (deaths from unknown causes). Our findings suggest that dalpiciclib plus letrozole or anastrozole could be a novel standard first-line treatment for patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer, and is an alternative option to the current treatment landscape. Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences. For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Iruplinalkib (WX-0593) is an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)/c-ros oncogene 1 (ROS1) tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Here we reported the single-arm, phase II study (INTELLECT) results of the efficacy and safety of iruplinalkib for ALK-positive crizotinib-resistant advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods: ALK-positive crizotinib-resistant advanced NSCLC patients aged ≥18 years, with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0–2 were eligible. Patients received iruplinalkib 180 mg orally once daily for a 21-day cycle with a 7-day lead-in phase at 60 mg orally once daily. The primary endpoint was the independent review committee (IRC)-assessed objective response rate (ORR). Results: From August 7, 2019, to October 30, 2020, 146 patients were included. As of the data cut-off date on November 30, 2021, the median follow-up time was 18.2 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 16.8–18.8). IRC-assessed ORR and disease control rate (DCR) were 69.9% (95% CI 61.7–77.2%) and 96.6% (95% CI 92.2–98.9%), respectively. Investigator-assessed ORR and DCR were 63.0% (95% CI 54.6–70.8%) and 94.5% (95% CI 89.5–97.6%), respectively. Investigator-assessed median duration of response and progression-free survival (the same as median time to progression) were 13.2 months (95% CI 10.4–17.7) and 14.5 months (95% CI 11.7–20.0), respectively. Corresponding IRC-assessed results were 14.4 months (95% CI 13.1–not evaluable [NE]), 19.8 months (95% CI 14.5–NE), and NE (95% CI 14.5–NE), respectively. Investigator-assessed intracranial ORRs were 46% (41/90, 95% CI 35–56%) in patients with central nervous system metastases and 64% (27/42, 95% CI 48–78%) in patients with measurable intracranial lesions. Overall survival data were immature. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 136/146 (93.2%) patients. The most common TRAEs were aspartate aminotransferase increased (63 [43.2%]), alanine aminotransferase increased (54 [37.0%]), and blood creatine phosphokinase increased (51 [34.9%]). Dose interruption, reduction, and discontinuation due to TRAEs occurred in 21 (14.4%), 16 (11.0%), and four (2.7%) patients, respectively. Conclusions: In this study, iruplinalkib (WX-0593) demonstrated favorable efficacy and manageable safety profiles in patients with ALK-positive crizotinib-resistant advanced NSCLC. Iruplinalkib could be a new treatment option for this patient population. Trial registration: Center for Drug Evaluation of National Medical Products Administration of China: CTR20190789, registered on April 28, 2019; ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04641754, registered on November 24, 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic film mulching often increases the yield of winter wheat in the Loess Plateau of China, but the physiological mechanisms are unclear, especially in response to the interaction between mulch and water supply. In this study, we investigated the interactive effects of initial soil water (dry, moderate, and wet), soil cover (plastic mulch, bare soil), and seasonal conditions on the dynamics of dry matter partitioning, water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), and flag leaf senescence, and their relations with yield and its components. Plastic mulch increased dry matter accumulation at anthesis and maturity relative to bare soil, with no interaction with season or initial soil water. Allocation of dry matter to leaf, stem, and spike did not change with soil cover. Compared with bare soil, mulch increased WSC accumulation by 14% at anthesis and its translocation by 16%. Soil cover did not influence the senescence of flag leaf after anthesis as indicated by similar dynamics of the C:N ratio. Grain yield was higher under plastic mulch than bare soil in two out of three seasons, and was associated with a higher translocation amount of WSC and post-anthesis dry matter that linked grain weight, grain number, and harvest index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MRG002 is a novel HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate being investigated in the MRG002–006 trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety in HER2-positive urothelial carcinoma patients. This is an open-label, single-arm, multicenter phase II study. Eligibility criteria included: histologically confirmed HER2 IHC 2 + or 3 + UC, prior received ≥ 1 standard treatment. Patients in this study received MRG002 every 3 weeks until progressive disease or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was confirmed ORR per RECIST 1.1. As of February 24, 2023, a total of 43 patients were enrolled. The median age was 60. 9 patients were dosed at 2.6 mg/kg and 34 patients were dosed at 2.2 mg/kg. At baseline, most patients (29/43) received ≥ 2 lines of treatment and 35 (81.4%) patients had prior ICI therapy. FISH test was performed in 41 patients and 9 (22.0%) were positive. By the cut-off date, 41 patients were evaluable and the ORR was 53% (95%CI：38.9%−67.5%), with 6.9% CR, and the DCR was 83.7% (95%CI：70.0%−91.9%). The median PFS and OS for the 43 patients were 7.0 months (95%CI：5.4-NE) and 14.9 months (95%CI：11.9-NE), respectively. The ORR was 77.8% in 9 patients with positive HER2 FISH results. Most common treatment-related AEs were anemia (51.2%), alopecia (44.2%) and neutropenia (39.5%); most were grade 1 or 2. Preliminary results of MRG002 demonstrated a clinically meaningful response in pretreated HER-2 positive unresectable locally advanced or metastatic UC patients. MRG002 at 2.2 mg/kg was well tolerated with a manageable toxicity. • MRG002 is a novel HER2-targeted ADC. • MRG002 monotherapy in the later-line showed an ORR of 53% in HER2 2/3 + UC pts. • MRG002 at 2.2 mg/kg was well tolerated and most AE were grade 1 or 2. • MRG002 could be another promising ADC in HER-2 positive UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the long-term responses of crop yield and soil organic carbon to fertilization is necessary to sustain food supply in a context of global change. The time-course of winter wheat yield and soil organic carbon were established in a 31-year long experiment with four fertilization regimes: unfertilized control; fertilized with mineral nitrogen and phosphorus, NP; fertilized with mineral N, P and K, NPK; and fertilized with manure and mineral NPK, MNPK. Over the time series, mean temperature increased at 0.054 ℃ year−1 (i.e. 1.67 degrees over the course of the experiment) and annual precipitation increased at 8.9 mm year−1. Yield did not show trends in unfertilized controls, increased at 210 kg ha−1 year−1 in the first 20 years and decreased slightly afterwards in the NP and NPK treatments, and increased at 310 kg ha−1 in the MNPK treatment until 2006, and leveled off afterwards. Soil organic carbon increased linearly with rates from 0.05 g kg−1 year−1 in unfertilized controls to 0.24 g kg−1 year−1 in MNPK. In fertilized crops, yield correlated nonlinearly with annual precipitation, and linearly with average temperature during the growing season. Across fertilizer treatments, yield correlated nonlinearly with soil organic carbon and the thresholds of soil organic carbon for peak yield increased with water supply. It is concluded that the combination of organic and inorganic fertilizers contributed to yield and soil organic carbon against the background of a warmer and wetter climate. • Application of mineral fertilizer alone cannot sustain high wheat yield over time. • Applying both organic and inorganic fertilizers maintained high wheat yield. • There was a quadratic-linear relationship between wheat yield and SOC content. • Organic manure input could be beneficial to mitigate climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manure replacing synthetic fertilizer is a viable practice to ensure crop yield and increase soil organic carbon (SOC), but its impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is inconsistent, thus remains its effect on CF unclear. In this study, a 7-year field experiment was conducted to assess the impact of replacing synthetic fertilizer with manure on crop productivity, SOC sequestration, GHG emissions and crop CF under winter wheat–summer maize cropping system. Five treatments were involved: synthetic nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer (NPK) and 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of manure replacing synthetic N (25%M, 50%M, 75%M, and 100%M). Compared with NPK treatment, 25%M and 50%M treatments maintained annual yield (winter wheat plus summer maize) and sustainable yield index (SYI), but 75%M and 100%M treatments significantly decreased annual yield, and 100%M treatment also significantly reduced annual SYI. The SOC content exhibited a significant increasing trend over years in all treatments. After 7 years, SOC storage in manure treatments increased by 3.06–11.82 Mg ha−1 relative to NPK treatment. Manure treatments reduced annual GHG emissions by 14%–60% over NPK treatment. The CF of the cropping system ranged from 0.16 to 0.39 kg CO 2 eq kg−1 of grain without considering SOC sequestration, in which the CF of manure treatments lowered by 18%–58% relative to NPK treatment. When SOC sequestration was involved in, the CF varied from −0.39 to 0.37 kg CO 2 eq kg−1 of grain, manure treatments significantly reduced the CF by 22%–208% over NPK treatment. It was concluded that replacing 50% of synthetic fertilizer with manure was a sound option for achieving high crop yield and SYI but low CF under the tested cropping system. • Manure replacing ≤50% fertilizer maintained annul crop yield and its sustainability. • Manure substitution increased the soil organic carbon storage. • Manure substitution reduced greenhouse gases emissions. • Manure substitution reduced the crop carbon footprint due to the soil organic carbon increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immunoscore from tumor tissues was initially established to evaluate the prognosis of solid tumor patients. However, the feasibility of circulating immune score (cIS) for the prognosis of advanced gastrointestinal cancers (AGC) has not been reported. Material and methods: Peripheral venous blood was collected from 64 untreated AGC patients. We utilized flow cytometry to determine several immune cell subpopulations, including CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, NK cells, and CD4 + CD25 + CD127low Tregs. The circulating immune score 1 (cIS1) was assessed according to the proportions of CD4+, CD8+ T cells, and NK cell, whereas circulating immune score 2 (cIS2) was derived from the proportions of CD4+, CD8+ T cell, and CD4 + CD25 + CD127low Tregs. The prognostic role of cIS for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was analyzed using Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox multivariate models. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were depicted to compare the prognostic values of cIS1 and cIS2. Results: AGC patients with high cIS1(≥ 2) and cIS2(≥ 2) had significantly longer PFS (cIS1: median PFS, 11 vs. 6.7 months, P = 0.001; cIS2: 12 vs. 5.8 months, P < 0.0001) and OS (cIS1: median OS, 12 vs. 7.9 months, P = 0.0004; cIS2: 12.8 vs. 7.4 months, P < 0.0001) than those with low cIS1 and low cIS2. The areas under ROC curves (AUROCs) of cIS1 and cIS2 for OS were 0.526 (95% confidence interval; 95% CI 0.326–0.726) and 0.603 (95% CI 0.427–0.779, P = 0.332), whereas AUROC of cIS2 for PFS was larger than that of cIS1 0.735 (95% CI 0.609–0.837) vs 0.625 (95% CI 0.495–0.743) (P = 0.04)). Conclusion: The cIS can be applied to predict the prognosis of untreated AGC patients. Compared with cIS1, cIS2 displayed superior prognostic value for PFS prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Plastic film mulch is widely used to improve crop yield and water use efficiency (WUE, yield per unit evapotranspiration) in semi‐arid regions. It is commonly applied as partial‐film mulch (PM: at least 50% soil cover) or full‐film mulch (FM: complete soil cover). The PM has lower economic and environmental cost; hence it would be a superior technology provided it delivers similar gains in yield and WUE in relation to FM. RESULTS: To solve contradictory results from individual studies, we compared FM and PM in a meta‐analysis of 100 studies with 1881 comparisons (685 for wheat; 1196 for maize). Compared with bare ground, FM and PM both increased yield of wheat (20–26%) and maize (37–52%), and WUE of wheat (16–20%) and maize (38–48%), with statistically undistinguishable differences between PM and FM. The increases in crop yield and WUE were stronger at elevation > 1000 m, with annual precipitation<400 mm, and on loess soil, especially for maize. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that partial‐film mulch could replace full‐film mulch to return similar yield and WUE improvement, with reduced cost and environmental pollution. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel zeolite-type reforming catalysts Pt/MY (M = Mg, Ba or Ce) were prepared. • Pt/MY is chlorine-free and avoids corrosion problems of conventional alumina catalysts. • Pt grains on the catalysts are distributed in nanometer state. • Strong acid and aromatization activity are increased by ion exchange from NaY to MY. • Aromatization performance of Pt/CeY is higher than the commercial alumina catalyst. To solve the problems of chlorine loss and equipment corrosion caused by the conventional alumina-type catalytic reforming catalyst, a series of modified Zeolite Y catalysts supported with 0.3 w% Pt were obtained by the ion exchange of Mg2+, Ba2+ or Ce3+ and then by the impregnation of Pt(NH 3) 4 (NO 3) 2 solution. Characterizations of the prepared zeolites and catalysts were performed using XRD, SEM, TEM, N 2 adsorption-desorption, NH 3 -TPD, UV–vis DRS and Laser Raman. Catalytic aromatization performance of all the catalysts was investigated in a continuous-flow fixed-bed micro-reaction evaluation unit adopting industrial hydrofining naphtha as the feedstock with sulfur of 0.50 μg/mL. Results of the characterizations showed that Pt grains on the catalysts were distributed in nanometer state. It also showed that the framework of Zeolite Y was only damaged slightly and different acidic properties were generated after ion exchange. Results of the evaluation showed that ion exchange obviously increased aromatization activity of all the catalysts. The aromatization performance of Ce3+ modified catalyst Pt/CeY was the best, which had a reasonable selectivity and a higher activity than commercial alumina-type reforming catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we show that by following molecular engineering of the inter-site distance between the two functionalities in porous organic materials, it is possible to enable them to work in a concerted manner. Specifically, the activity can be amplified by the placement of the hydroxyl group in the meta position of the phosphonium salts in the representative cycloaddition of epoxides and CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic film mulch (FM) can significantly improve crop yield and water use efficiency (WUE), but the interaction between water supply (pre-sowing soil water, season) and FM has not been clearly elucidated. In this study, a four-year field experiment was conducted on the Loess Plateau of China to investigate the interactive effects of pre-sowing soil water, season, and mulch (FM and bare ground, CK) on winter wheat yield, water use, and WUE. The yield of wheat ranged from 1646 to 7955 kg ha−1, evapotranspiration (ET) was from 193 and 405 mm, and WUE varied from 8.5 to 19.9 kg ha−1 mm−1. In relation to bare ground, plastic mulch increased yield by 19% and WUE by 26%. The interaction between water supply and FM significantly affected ET, but not yield and WUE. Besides conserving more water, increases in yield and WUE under FM were ascribed to the increase in soil temperatures at 10–50 cm soil layers by 0.28–0.53 °C, on average, during the wheat-growing period, which promoted root growth, enhanced the use of soil water at deep layers, increased post-anthesis ET, and total ET, especially in average and dry seasons. Biodegradable films are needed to avoid the environmental impact of residual plastic mulch with current materials. • Film mulch and the environment had a significant interactive effect on soil temperatures. • Film mulch tended to increase root growth at deeper soil layers relative to the control. • The interaction of FM and environment affected the post-anthesis ET and total ET. • Film mulch increased yield and WUE and had no marked interaction with the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• LncRNA MCM3AP-AS1 and CENPF were upregulated in breast cancer. • LncRNA MCM3AP-AS1 functioned as a sponge of miR-28-5p. • CENPF was targeted by miR-28-5p. • MCM3AP-AS1/miR-28-5p/CENPF axis contributed to cell proliferation, migration, invasion and tumor growth in BC. Breast cancer is one of the commonly occurred cancers among women and poses a huge threat against female health. Abnormal expression of lncRNA has been confirmed to be an important inducer of cancer. By searching GEO and TCGA database, we found that CENPF was upregulated in breast cancer tissues. Through RT-qPCR, CENPF was found to be upregulated in breast cancer cells. Functional experiments revealed that CENPF had positive effect on the cellular functions, including proliferation, migration and invasion. Subsequently, CENPF was confirmed to combine with miR-28-5p, and its expression was suppressed by miR-28-5p. Furthermore, it was found that miR-28-5p bound to MCM3AP-AS1, and MCM3AP-AS1 expressed at a high level in breast cancer cells. Besides, MCM3AP-AS1 was confirmed as a cytoplasmic RNA. In addition, there was a positive expression correlation between MCM3AP-AS1 and CENPF. Therefore, MCM3AP-AS1 was confirmed to regulate CENPF via competitively binding to miR-28-5p. At last, rescue assays demonstrated that knockdown of CENPF restored miR-28-5p repression-induced cellular processes in MCM3AP-AS1-silenced cells. In vivo assay revealed that MCM3AP-AS1 could hasten tumor growth in breast cancer by targeting CENPF. All results indicated that MCM3AP-AS1/miR-28-5p/CENPF axis accelerates breast cancer progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]