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Abstract Background Discrepancies have been found between preoperative colposcopic biopsy results and histology results of loop electrical excision procedure (LEEP) specimens. GynTect® is a six-methylation-marker assay that has demonstrated its potential as a triage tool for cervical lesion detection and prediction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of GynTect® in predicting the histology outcomes of post-LEEP specimens. Method A retrospective analysis was conducted to evaluate the clinical profiles, GynTect® results, and histology outcomes of postoperative specimens from 78 patients diagnosed with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) who underwent LEEP. The GynTect® assay is a six-marker (ASTN1, DLX1, ITGA4, RXFP3, SOX17, and ZNF671) methylation detection assay for cervical prep cell samples. Preoperative cervical cytology, high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) detection, and methylation analysis were obtained from each participant. Preoperative colposcopic impression and biopsy results were recorded. Statistical analysis and multivariate logistic regression were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. Results Among the negative-GynTect® patients, 19 cases (57.6%) showed histology downgrading post-LEEP, while 14 cases (42.4%) showed sustained or upgrading histology results. In the positive-GynTect® patients, 8 cases (17.8%) showed downgrading histology results post-LEEP and 37 cases (82.2%) showed sustained or upgrading histology. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0.001). Multivariate regression analysis identified positive GynTect® outcomes and colposcopic impressions indicating HSIL on the day of surgery as independent predictors of pathological sustained or upgrading after LEEP. Conclusions This study underscores the potential of GynTect® in predicting histology outcomes of post-LEEP specimens, thereby showcasing its promising ability to assist clinicians in selecting appropriate therapeutic regimens for patients with HSIL.

Abstract Objective Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammatory complex, erythropoietin (EPO) levels, and ocular hemodynamics in patients diagnosed with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods This is a prospective observational study. Patients diagnosed with POAG at The Sixth Hospital of Wuhan hospital between November 2022 and February 2023were enrolled.The patients were categorized into three groups based on the average visual field defect (mean deviation, MD) value: severe injury group (MD > 12 dB, 93 cases), moderate injury group (7 ≤ MD ≤ 12 dB, 89 cases), and mild injury group (MD 0.05). The levels of NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, and EPO in the severe and moderate injury groups were higher than those in the mild injury group, whereas the VEGF levels were lower in the severe and moderate groups compared to the mild group, showing significant differences (P

Background: Minimally-invasive 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) is used for treating cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL/CIN2). The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors affecting the efficacy of ALA-PDT in the treatment of cervical HSIL/CIN2 in order to guide physicians in making appropriate treatment decisions. Methods: A retrospective study including 69 female patients with pathologically diagnosed HSIL/CIN2 was conducted. Patients were given six doses of 20% ALA-PDT at 7–14-day intervals. Cytology, HPV testing, colposcopy, and pathology were performed before treatment and at 6-month follow-up after treatment to assess efficacy. The main outcome of this study was the regression of HSIL/CIN2 and the clearance of high-risk HPV (hrHPV) infection after ALA-PDT treatment. Clinicopathological characteristics were collected to analyze the factors affecting the effectiveness of ALA-PDT treatment for HSIL/CIN2. Results: Between the successful and failed lesion regression group, there was a significant difference in sleeping disorders (p < 0.05). Between the successful and failed hrHPV clearance group, no statistically significant factors were found. With sensitivity values of 0.556 and 0.778, respectively, multivariate analysis showed that current smoking and sleeping disorders were independent prognostics of failure in lesion regression after ALA-PDT treatment. Conclusions: Smoking and sleep disorders were independent risk factors for failure in HSIL/CIN2 regression following ALA-PDT, suggesting the need for careful consideration of ALA-PDT for patients with these conditions.

Abstract Background Cervical cancer the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women, with an estimated 604,000 new cases and 342,000 deaths worldwide in 2020 for high rates of recurrence and metastasis. Identification of novel targets could aid in the prediction and treatment of cervical cancer. NADPH oxidase 1 (NOX1) gene-mediated production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) could induce migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play important roles in cervical cancer. Tumor cell-derived exosomes mediate signal transduction between the tumor and tumor microenvironment. Elucidation of the mechanisms of NOX1-carrying exosomes involved in the regulation of TAMs may provide valuable insights into the progression of cervical cancer. Methods Uniformly standardized mRNA data of pan-carcinoma from the UCSC database were downloaded. Expression of NOX1 in tumor and adjacent normal tissues for each tumor type was calculated using R language software and significant differences were analyzed. SNP data set were downloaded for all TCGA samples processed using MuTect2 software from GDC. Cell experiment and animal tumor formation experiment were used to evaluate whether exosomal NOX1 stimulating ROS production to promote M2 polarization of TAM in cervical cancer. Results NOX1 is highly expressed with a low mutational frequency in pan-carcinoma. Upregulation of NOX1 may be associated with infiltration of M2-type macrophages in cervical cancer tissues, and NOX1 promotes malignant features of cervical cancer cells by stimulating ROS production. Exosomal NOX1 promotes M2 polarization of by stimulating ROS production. Exosomal NOX1 enhances progression of cervical cancer and M2 polarization in vivo by stimulating ROS production. Conclusion Exosomal NOX1 promotes TAM M2 polarization-mediated cancer progression through stimulating ROS production in cervical cancer.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to identify the clinical characteristics of patients with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) with abnormal endocervical curettage (ECC) and to evaluate the efficacy of abnormal preoperative ECC in predicting recurrence after a loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP). Methods We retrospectively analyzed a total of 210 cases of histological HSIL in female patients diagnosed using cervical biopsy and/or indiscriminating ECC, and these included 137 cases with normal ECC and 63 cases with abnormal ECC. We also collected preoperative information and data on postoperative human papillomavirus (HPV) and histological outcomes within 2 years. Results The additional detection rate of HSIL using indiscriminating ECC was 5%. Patients with abnormal ECC were older (P

ObjectiveTo evaluate and elucidate the effects and mechanism of 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) on the local immune response of women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN2).Materials and methodsImmunofluorescence staining was used to compare immune cells infiltration before and after ALA-PDT in 23 patients with CIN2. The infiltration of immune cells into the cervical tissues of patients with different outcomes was also compared at the 6-month follow-up period. Immune cell counts in samples collected before and after treatment were compared.ResultsWe found an increased number of CD8+ T cell infiltration, an increased proportion of CD8+ T cells expressing Granzyme B (GrB), Chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3), and CD8+ tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells, and a decreased proportion of CD8+ T cells expressing PD-1 in patients with CIN2 compared to that before ALA-PDT. Moreover, at the 6-month follow-up, there was higher infiltration of CD8+ T and CD8+ TRM cells, higher expression of GrB and CXCR3, and lower expression of PD-1 on CD8+ T cells in the HPV clearance and CIN2 disappearance groups than in the HPV-positive and CIN2 regression groups. However, no significant difference was observed in the number of CD8+ TSCM following ALA-PDT.ConclusionALA-PDT could activate CD8+ T cell responses by modulating the expression of CXCR3 and PD-1 in CD8+ T cells and increasing the infiltration of CD8+ TRM cells. And the infiltration of CD8+ T cells is correlated with the prognosis of CIN2.

Abstract Background In this study, the association between high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infection and the vaginal microbiome in pregnant women was evaluated in Chinese cohorts. Methods The vaginal bacterial composition of four groups, 38 hrHPV-infected pregnant women (PHR, n = 38), pregnant women without HPV infection (PN, n = 48), nonpregnant women with hrHPV infection (NPHR, n = 19) and nonpregnant women without HPV infection (NPN, n = 30), was characterized by deep sequencing of barcoded 16S rRNA gene fragments (V3–4) using Illumina MiSeq. Results The results revealed that both pregnancy and HPV infection can increase vaginal bacterial microbial richness and diversity, with the bacterial composition being most influenced by pregnancy. Lactobacillus was the most dominant genus among all samples. NPN samples were dominated by CST (community state type) III, mainly composed of Lactobacillus iners. Both pregnancy and hrHPV infection were accompanied by an increased proportion of CST I (dominated by Lactobacillus crispatus), as opposed to CST III. Bifidobacterium, Bacillus, Megasphaera, Sneathia, Prevotella, Gardnerella, Fastidiosipila and Dialister were found to be biomarkers for hrHPV-infected women, though different genera (Bifidobacterium, Megasphaera, Bacillus, Acidovorax, Oceanobacillus and Lactococcus) were associated with hrHPV-infected pregnant women. Conclusions This work uncovered a probable synergistic effect of hrHPV infection and pregnancy on the vaginal microbial composition. HPV infection in pregnant women was associated with a more complex and diverse microbial environment.

The aim of this current study was to investigate the expression of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) and its receptor fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14) in human malignant ovarian tumors, and test TWEAK's potential role on tumor progression in cell models in-vitro. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC), we found that TWEAK and its receptor Fn14 were expressed in human malignant ovarian tumors, but not in normal ovarian tissues or in borderline/benign epithelial ovarian tumors. High levels of TWEAK expression was detected in the majority of malignant tumors (36 out of 41, 87.80%). Similarly, 35 out of 41 (85.37%) malignant ovarian tumors were Fn14 positive. In these malignant ovarian tumors, however, TWEAK/Fn14 expression was not corrected with patients' clinical subtype/stages or pathological features. In vitro, we demonstrated that TWEAK only inhibited ovarian cancer HO-8910PM cell proliferation in combination with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), whereas either TWEAK or TNF-α alone didn't affect HO-8910PM cell growth. TWEAK promoted TNF-α production in cultured THP-1 macrophages. Meanwhile, conditioned media from TWEAK-activated macrophages inhibited cultured HO-8910PM cell proliferation and invasion. Further, TWEAK increased monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) production in cultured HO-8910PM cells to possibly recruit macrophages. Our results suggest that TWEAK/Fn14, by activating macrophages, could be ovarian tumor suppressors. The unique expression of TWEAK/Fn14 in malignant tumors indicates that it might be detected as a malignant ovarian tumor marker.

Abstract Rice yield could be increased by apply higher level of nitrogen fertilizer, but excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer will cause plant lodging. This study aimed to investigate the effect of nitrogen application rate on lodging resistance of rice stems. Four japonica rice varieties with different lodging resistance were used, and six nitrogen fertilizer levels were set up to analyze the morphological structure, mechanical properties, and chemical components of rice stems under such treatments. The dynamic changes of lodging resistance of rice stems under different nitrogen fertilizer application rates were exanimated. The study provide valuable insights for improving lodging resistance and subsequently increasing rice yield. The results indicated that WYD4 exhibited the highest yield under the N1 treatment, whereas JYJ, JJ 525, and JND 667 achieved the highest yield under the N2 treatment. The lodging index of rice varieties fluctuated at the filling stage, peaking 30 days after heading. Moreover, the lodging index increased progressively with higher nitrogen fertilizer application rates, reaching its maximum under the N5 treatment, which corresponded to an increased lodging risk. Specifically, the lodging index under the N5 treatment increased by 0.63–1.21 times compared to the optimal nitrogen fertilizer level. Concurrently, the fracture bending point (s) and lodging resistance of the rice stem exhibited a gradual decline. Additionally, plant height, internode length, and barycenter height significantly increased with rising nitrogen application rates and were positively correlated with the lodging index. Conversely, the wall thickness of the second basal node decreased and showed a negative correlation with the lodging index. Furthermore, the contents of lignin, cellulose, soluble sugar, and starch in the second internode diminished with increasing nitrogen rates, and were positively correlated with the breaking moment.

Sugarcane is a significant crop in terms of annual biomass in the world. Timely and accurate mapping of sugarcane planting is important for food security and sustainability. However, accurately remote-sensing-based mapping sugarcane remains challenging due to two reasons: 1) the scarcity of sugarcane training samples, and 2) the diverse sugarcane fields planting dates. This article proposed a novel transfer learning algorithm for accurate sugarcane planting mapping through space and temporary in the U.S. This algorithm only depended on one place's training data to mapping other places’ growing sugarcane. We distilled burning sugarcane fields as training labels from Sentinel-2 in Palm Beach County and neighboring area in 2021. The time-invariant phenology features were calculated from composite Sentinel-2 normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) series using linear cosine regression (LCR). They integrated as training samples to construct a one-class support vector machine (OCSVM) classifier, generating Jun.–Nov. growing sugarcane maps in Plam Beach County and Lafourche County 2022. Meanwhile, a postprocess method was used to improve mapping quality. These sugarcane maps were validated using surveyed and observed field dataset and compared against the cropland data layer (CDL). As a result, the sugarcane maps achieved the best accuracy in its mature stage (Sep. 2022), which exhibited nearly complete phenological characteristics. The maps show low misclassification rates and higher accuracy compared to the CDL 2022. Moreover, the LCR-OCSVM method was confirmed to have superior transfer learning capability for sugarcane classification across different regions and periods compared to the Harmonic-OCSVM method.

Background: Germline RUNX1 haplodeficiency (RHD) is associated with thrombocytopenia, platelet dysfunction, and predisposition to myeloid malignancies. Platelet expression profiling of an RHD patient showed decreased F13A1, encoding for the A subunit of factor (F)XIII, a transglutaminase that cross-links fibrin and induces clot stabilization. FXIII-A is synthesized by hematopoietic cells, megakaryocytes, and monocytes. Objectives: To understand RUNX1 regulation of F13A1 expression in platelets/megakaryocytes and the mechanisms and consequences of decreased F13A1 in RHD. Methods: We performed studies in platelets, human erythroleukemia (HEL) cells, and human CD34+ cell-derived megakaryocytes including on clot contraction in cells following small inhibitor RNA knockdown (KD) of RUNX1 or F13A1. Results: Platelet F13A1 mRNA and protein were decreased in our index patient and in 2 siblings from an unrelated family with RHD. Platelet-driven clot contraction was decreased in the patient and affected daughter. Promoter studies in HEL cells showed that RUNX1 regulates F13A1 transcription; RUNX1 overexpression increased, and small inhibitor RNA RUNX1 KD reduced F13A1 promoter activity and protein. Following RUNX1 or F13A1 KD, clot contraction by HEL cells was decreased, as were FXIII-A surface expression, myosin light chain phosphorylation, and PAC1 antibody binding upon activation. F13A1 expression and clot contraction were impaired in RUNX1 downregulation in human megakaryocytes. Conclusion: RUNX1 regulates platelet-megakaryocyte F13A1 expression, which is decreased in RHD, reflecting regulation of a coagulation protein by a hematopoietic transcription factor. Platelet and megakaryocyte clot contraction is decreased in RHD, related to multiple impaired mechanisms including F13A1 expression, myosin phosphorylation, and αIIbβ3 activation.

Abstract Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases. NAFLD leads to liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, and it also has systemic effects associated with metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, and malignant tumors. Therefore, it is important to diagnose NAFLD early to prevent these adverse effects. Methods The GSE89632 dataset was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and then the optimal genes were screened from the data cohort using lasso and Support Vector Machine Recursive Feature Elimination (SVM-RFE). The ROC values of the optimal genes for the diagnosis of NAFLD were calculated. The relationship between optimal genes and immune cells was determined using the DECONVOLUTION algorithm CIBERSORT. Finally, the specificity and sensitivity of the diagnostic genes were verified by detecting the expression of the diagnostic genes in blood samples from 320 NAFLD patients and liver samples from 12 mice. Results Through machine learning we identified FOSB, GPAT3, RGCC and RNF43 were the key diagnostic genes for NAFLD, and they were further demonstrated by a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. We found that the combined diagnosis of the four genes identified NAFLD samples well from normal samples (AUC = 0.997). FOSB, GPAT3, RGCC and RNF43 were strongly associated with immune cell infiltration. We also experimentally examined the expression of these genes in NAFLD patients and NAFLD mice, and the results showed that these genes are highly specific and sensitive. Conclusions Data from both clinical and animal studies demonstrate the high sensitivity, specificity and safety of FOSB, GPAT3, RGCC and RNF43 for the diagnosis of NAFLD. The relationship between diagnostic key genes and immune cell infiltration may help to understand the development of NAFLD. The study was reviewed and approved by Ethics Committee of Tianjin Second People’s Hospital in 2021 (ChiCTR1900024415).

Abstract Saline-sodic stress restricts the absorption of zinc by rice, consequently impacting the photosynthesis process of rice plants. In this experiment, Landrace 9 was selected as the test material and the potting method was employed to investigate the influence of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) on zinc absorption and chlorophyll fluorescence in rice grown in saline-sodic land. The research findings demonstrate that the application of ZnO NPs proves to be more advantageous for the growth of rice in saline-sodic soil. Notably, the application of ZnO NPs significantly decreases the levels of Na+ and MDA in rice leaves in saline-sodic soil, while increasing the levels of K+ and Zn2+. Additionally, ZnO NPs enhances the content of chloroplast pigments, specific energy flux, quantum yield, and the performance of active PSII reaction center (PI ABS) in rice leaves under saline-sodic stress. Furthermore, the relative variable fluorescence (W K and V J) and quantum energy dissipation rate (φ Do) of rice are also reduced. Therefore, the addition of ZnO NPs enhances the transfer of electrons and energy within the rice photosystem when subjected to saline-sodic stress. This promotes photosynthesis in rice plants growing in saline-sodic land, increasing their resistance to saline-sodic stress and ultimately facilitating their growth and development.

Accurate mapping and timely monitoring of urban redevelopment are pivotal for urban studies and decision-makers to foster sustainable urban development. Traditional mapping methods heavily depend on field surveys and subjective questionnaires, yielding less objective, reliable, and timely data. Recent advancements in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote-sensing technologies have improved the identification and mapping of urban redevelopment through quantitative analysis using satellite-based observations. Nonetheless, challenges persist, particularly concerning accuracy and significant temporal delays. This study introduces a novel approach to modeling urban redevelopment, leveraging machine learning algorithms and remote-sensing data. This methodology can facilitate the accurate and timely identification of urban redevelopment activities. The study’s machine learning model can analyze time-series remote-sensing data to identify spatio-temporal and spectral patterns related to urban redevelopment. The model is thoroughly evaluated, and the results indicate that it can accurately capture the time-series patterns of urban redevelopment. This research’s findings are useful for evaluating urban demographic and economic changes, informing policymaking and urban planning, and contributing to sustainable urban development. The model can also serve as a foundation for future research on early-stage urban redevelopment detection and evaluation of the causes and impacts of urban redevelopment.

Abstract Saline-sodic stress can limit the absorption of available zinc in rice, subsequently impacting the normal photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism of rice plants. To investigate the impact of exogenous zinc application on photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism in rice grown in saline-sodic soil, this study simulated saline-sodic stress conditions using two rice varieties, 'Changbai 9' and 'Tonghe 899', as experimental materials. Rice seedlings at 4 weeks of age underwent various treatments including control (CT), 2 μmol·L−1 zinc treatment alone (Z), 50 mmol·L−1 saline-sodic treatment (S), and 50 mmol·L−1 saline-sodic treatment with 2 μmol·L−1 zinc (Z + S). We utilized JIP-test to analyze the variations in excitation fluorescence and MR820 signal in rice leaves resulting from zinc supplementation under saline-sodic stress, and examined the impact of zinc supplementation on carbohydrate metabolism in both rice leaves and roots under saline-sodic stress. Research shows that zinc increased the chloroplast pigment content, specific energy flow, quantum yield, and performance of active PSII reaction centers (PI ABS), as well as the oxidation (V OX) and reduction rate (V red) of PSI in rice leaves under saline-sodic stress. Additionally, it decreased the relative variable fluorescence (W K and V J) and quantum energy dissipation yield (φ DO) of the rice. Meanwhile, zinc application can reduce the content of soluble sugars and starch in rice leaves and increasing the starch content in the roots. Therefore, the addition of zinc promotes electron and energy transfer in the rice photosystem under saline-sodic stress. It enhances rice carbohydrate metabolism, improving the rice plants’ ability to withstand saline-sodic stress and ultimately promoting rice growth and development.

Changes in land surface temperature (LST) affect human society and the natural environment, especially for agricultural activities. In recent decades, satellite remote sensing has been used as an alternative approach to ground observation sites for monitoring LST. Prior research has offered broad insights into global and continental-level LST changes, yet these studies have utilized coarse resolutions and have not delved into the intricate spatial and temporal fluctuations. Simultaneously, recognizing the vital significance of LST changes is essential for advancing climate-smart and sustainable agricultural practices. This study utilizes the MODIS product from 2003 to 2021 on the Google Earth Engine to assess the LST change for the entire Earth's land surface. The study quantified the LST changes for the past 19 years at 1-km spatial resolution. We found that the global mean LST has increased by 0.38 °C from 2003 to 2021, and is mainly concentrated on high latitude regions, potentially boosting agriculture activities in these regions. The result also shows that the urban areas are experiencing a rapid LST increase, at a rate of 18% faster than the global average. The outcomes of this study offer invaluable insights, serving as a crucial compass for informed farming decision-making and climate-smart agro-geoinformation studies.

This article presents a streamlined, automated classification method to map land-cover-type local climate zones (LCZs). Using a two-phase hybrid approach, we first generated training samples through universal decision rules and subsequently, a machine learning (ML) algorithm was trained on the generated samples to classify LCZs. The proposed model harnesses plant height data, combined with spectral bands and remote sensing indices, to accurately classify various land-cover types, such as dense forest, scattered trees, bush/scrub, low plant/agricultural land, bare rocks/paved surface and bare soil/sands. Targeting global applicability, we tested our method across six diverse locations spanning four continents: Fresno (California), Central Michigan, Western Phoenix (Arizona), Khulna (Bangladesh), Lagos (Nigeria), and Western Sydney. In each location, after generating training samples with the decision rules, a random forest algorithm was employed for LCZ classification. Results showcase that data from sentinels 1 and 2, night-time light, and global ecosystem dynamics investigation relative height are effective in characterizing land-cover-type LCZs and decision-rules can be established. The decision-rules consistently auto-generate training samples, undeterred by varying geographical and climatic conditions. This automated system has achieved promising accuracy across all tested sites, suggesting its potential to map land-cover-type LCZs and vegetation globally with higher accuracy.

Straw return plays a vital role in crop yield and sustainable agriculture. Extensive research has focused on the potential to enhance soil fertility and crop yield through straw return. However, the potential impacts of straw return on saline–sodic soils have been relatively neglected due to the unfavorable characteristics of saline–sodic soils, such as high salinity, poor structure, and low nutrient contents, which are not conducive to crop growth. Therefore, a two-year field experiment was conducted to assess the effects of straw management (retention or removal) with nitrogen fertilizers (0, 90, 180, 270, and 360 kg N ha−1) on soil aggregates, soil chemical properties, and rice yields in saline–sodic soil. The results showed that straw return with nitrogen fertilization significantly decreased the soil exchange sodium percentage (ESP) and the percentage and organic carbon contribution of silty clay particles and also significantly increased the soil aggregate stability, organic matter (SOM), and percentage and organic carbon contribution of macroaggregates. However, there was no significant difference between 270 kg N ha−1 and 360 kg N ha−1 for all soil indicators under straw return. Straw return significantly increased rice grain yield by 5.77% (two-year average) compared to straw removal. The highest grain yield of 8.01 t ha−1 (two-year average) was obtained from straw return combined with 270 kg N ha−1. However, since this experiment was conducted for only two years, the positive effects of long-term straw return on soil and rice yield could have been greater. Therefore, the application of 270 kg N ha−1 in the early stages of straw return is a promising management practice for improving saline–sodic soils and increasing rice yields.

Aiming at the problem of insufficient slope stability in deep foundation pit engineering, this paper takes the integrated urban and rural water supply project in Lingao County as the research object, simulates and analyzes the landslide process of the slope by using the strength discount method, and explores the mechanical response characteristics of the anti-slip piles in depth. It is found that the traditional anti-slip pile is prone to early failure due to bending and tensile damage in the middle of the pile back, which leads to the decline of slope stability. For this reason, this paper designs and studies the high-toughness anti-slip pile material and carries out numerical simulation analyses on C30 concrete anti-slip piles and high-toughness concrete anti-slip piles, respectively, for 9 working conditions, for a total of 18 working conditions. The results show that the bending and tensile toughness and strength of the anti-slip piles are significantly improved by using high-toughness material, which effectively avoids bending and tensile damage, and the slope safety coefficient is increased by 32.10%. Furthermore, the optimized design of anti-slip piles in terms of material, pile length, and pile position can effectively improve the stability of slopes and prolong the service life of the anti-slip piles, which provides a new way of thinking and methodology for the safety design of the deep foundation pit project. Thus, this study has important theoretical significance and engineering application value.

Straw return is an effective management practice for improving physical and chemical properties of saline–sodic soil in Northeast China. Straw decomposition and nutrient release are deeply influenced by soil and climatic factors. In Northeast China, straw decomposes slowly due to the long winter with low temperatures. Therefore, the season of straw return may be a key issue affecting rice. However, the impact of returning straw in different seasons on rice is disregarded and not commonly researched. We conducted a 2-year field experiment, including two residue management treatments: spring straw return treatment (SR) and autumn straw return treatment (AR), each containing five different N rates (0, 90, 180, 270, and 360 kg ha−1) as sub-treatments. The results reveal that, compared with the spring straw returning treatment, the autumn straw returning treatment significantly improved root morphology and root vigor and increased the number of spikes per unit area, which directly increased rice yield by 4.76% (2020) and 6.62% (2021). In addition, rice yield showed an increasing and then decreasing trend with the increase in N fertilizer application, and it was at its maximum when the N application rate was 270 kg ha−1. Compared to the spring straw return treatment, the autumn straw return treatment was able to reduce 31.46% (2020) and 38.48% (2021) of N fertilizer application without decreasing rice yield. Our findings demonstrate that straw return combined with nitrogen fertilization may be a promising management practice for improving rice root systems and yield in saline–sodic soils, and under the conditions of the autumn straw returning treatment, the best nitrogen fertilizer application rate was 270 kg ha−1.

Abstract Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the most important food crop worldwide, and its sustainable development is essential to ensure global food security. Panicle morphological and physiological characteristics plays an important role in rice yield formation. However, under different nitrogen (N) fertilization strategies, it is not clear whether the morphological and physiological state of panicles at panicle development stage affects the formation of yield. To understand how the panicle differentiation and development, and grain yield are affected by the N fertilization strategies, and clarify the relationship between related traits and yield in the process of panicle development in different cultivars. In this study consisted of no N fertilizer and four N fertilization strategies, a panicle weight type (PWT) rice cultivar, Dongfu 114 (DF114) and a panicle number type (PNT) rice cultivar, Longdao 11 (LD11) were grown in the field. The results showed that N fertilization strategies could improve the nitrogen use efficiency and yield of rice, but the response of different rice varieties to N fertilizer strategies was different. Different from the DF114, the further increase of panicle N fertilizer ratio could not further improve the yield of LD11, and the highest grain yield of DF114 and LD11 was obtained under N4 and N3 conditions, respectively. In addition, this study found that N fertilizer strategies can affect the content of phytohormones in rice at the panicle differentiation stage, and then regulate the differentiation and development of rice panicles to affect yield. It is of great significance to optimize the application mode of N fertilizer according to the characteristics of varieties to improve rice yield and ensure food security.

The theory of social-ecological systems (SESs) provides an ideal tool for understanding complex human-nature systems in protected areas. We adopt Ostrom’s SESs framework to analyze the complex interactions within Qilian Mountain National Park (QMNP), an essential ecological security barrier in China. Through qualitative and quantitative analyses of action situations, we identify the interactions among the resource system, resource units, governance system, and actors. The results show that applying the SESF in protected areas is feasible and operable; the development level of ecosystems in QMNP is better than that of the social systems; and the coupling coordination among the four subsystems is at primary coordination (0.6–0.7), indicating that the interaction between four subsystems needs to be strengthened. Moreover, the comprehensive evaluation index and the interactions between subsystems differ among townships, indicating the necessity for tailored management strategies. We emphasize integrating social components into protected areas management to achieve sustainable development and resilience in SESs.

The objectives of this study were to explore the mechanism of stem mechanical strength in direct-seeded rice (DSR) as affected by paclobutrazol, especially its related endogenous hormone and cell wall component changes in culm tissue and response to the application of paclobutrazol. Field experiments were conducted in Changchun County, Jilin Province, China, by using two japonica rice varieties, Jiyujing and Jijing305, with soaking seeds in paclobutrazol at concentrations of (0 mg L−1, S0; 50 mg L−1; S1; 100 mg L−1; S2; 150 mg L−1, S3; 200 mg L−1, S4) in 2021 and 2022. The results suggest that the application of paclobutrazol increased the grain yield and reduced the lodging rate of DSR. Compared with the S0 treatments, soaking the seeds in paclobutrazol treatments rapidly shortened the length of the basal internode by decreasing the endogenous indole acetic acid (IAA) and gibberellin A3 (GA3) contents in culm tissue. The larger breaking strength (M) was attributed to a higher section modulus (SM) and bending stress (BS). The higher mechanical tissue thickness in culm tissue under paclobutrazol treatments, which was raised by higher endogenous zeatin and zeatin riboside (Z+ZR) content in culm tissue, increased the culm diameter, culm wall thickness, and section modulus (SM) of the internode. Compared with the S0 treatments, soaking the seeds in paclobutrazol treatments increased the cellulose content, lignin content, activities of lignin-related enzymes, and expression of key genes in lignin biosynthesis, as well as resulted in a higher bending stress (BS) to enhance the culm breaking strength (M).

Mapping rice area is a critical resource planning task in many South Asia countries where rice is the primary crop. Remote-sensing-based methods typically rely on domain knowledge, such as crop calendar and crop phenology, and supervised classification with ground truth samples. Applying such methods on Google Earth engine (GEE) has been proven effective, especially at large scale owing to the comprehensive and up-to-date data catalog and massive server-side processing power. However, writing scripts through the code editor requires users to program in JavaScript and understand GEE application programming interface (API), which can be challenging for many researchers. Thus, this article presents a GEE-based web application that aims to eliminate the programming requirements for data selection, preprocessing, and visualizations so that users can easily produce rice maps and refine ground truth collections through intuitive graphical user interfaces (GUI). This software includes three submodule apps, namely the ground truth collection app, threshold-based rice mapping app, and classification-based rice mapping app. Users can customize data processing flow using GUI designed with Bootstrap, and the backend server uses GEE Python API, and a Google service account for authentication to execute the workflow on Google cloud servers. The experiment shows that both the overall accuracy and Kappa scores of the mapping result are higher than 0.9, which suggests that RiceMapEngine can significantly reduce the complexity and time costs it takes to produce the accurate rice area maps and meet the demands of real-world stakeholders.

Saline-sodic stress induces iron deficiency in rice, reduces leaf photosynthetic performance, and inhibits yield enhancement. In this study, we investigated the effects of exogenous Fe on the photosynthetic performance and transcriptomics of two different tolerant rice cultivars CB9 (Changbai9: saline tolerant cultivar) and TH899 (Tonghe899: saline sensitive cultivar) with 4-week-old Fe-deficient rice seedlings under saline stress, Fe deficiency stress, and both co-stresses. The results showed that under saline and alkaline stress, spraying exogenous iron favored the growth of the two cultivars of rice, with a 32.68% and 39.82 increase in fresh weight, a 2.20-fold and 2.16-fold increase in pigment, respectively, and an 80.28% and 100.00% increase in net photosynthetic rate, respectively, as compared with the iron-deficiency treatment. Transcriptome analysis showed that we found a higher number of differentially expressed genes (7785 differentially expressed genes) in response to exogenous Fe spraying in the soda-salt sensitive variety TH899. The differentially expressed genes that are common to the two cultivars are primarily enriched in metabolic pathways, including plant hormone signal transduction (map04075) and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (map00940). Specifically, among these genes, 14 are differentially expressed in the carotenoid biosynthetic metabolic pathway. The differentially expressed genes specific to the salinity-tolerant variety CB9 were mainly enriched in the metabolic pathways of glyoxylate and dicarboxylic acid methyl metabolism (map00630), and carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms (map00710), among which 20 genes were significantly expressed in the pathway for carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms (map00710). The research results offer specific theoretical support for enhancing the salt tolerance of rice.