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Background: Rice is one of the most important food crops in the world, and with the development of direct seeding methods for rice, exposure to anaerobic stress has become a major factor limiting its growth. Results: In this experiment, we tested the tolerance to anaerobic germination of rice varieties NIP and HD84, and they were used as parents to construct a DH (doubled-haploid) population. The transcriptomes of NIP (highly tolerant) and HD86 (intolerant), and their progeny HR (highly tolerant) and NHR (intolerant) were sequenced from normal and anaerobic environments. The differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) were subjected to GO (Gene ontology), KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes), and WGCNA analyses. QTL mapping of the DH population identified tolerance to anaerobic germination-related chromosomal segments. The transcriptome results from 24 samples were combined with the anaerobic stress QTL results for 159 DH population lines to construct a metabolic network to identify key pathways and a gene interaction network to study the key genes. Essential genes were initially subjected to rigorous functional validation, followed by a comprehensive analysis aimed at elucidating their potential utility in domestication and breeding practices, particularly focusing on the exploitation of dominant haplotypes. Conclusion: The results show that pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) are the starting signals of energy metabolism for coleoptile length growth, the auxin transporter EXPA is the determining signal for coleoptile length growth. The pivotal genes Os05g0498700 and Os01g0866100 exert a negative regulatory influence on coleoptile length, ultimately enhancing tolerance to anaerobic germination in rice. Analyses of breeding potential underscore the additional value of Os05g0498700-hyp2 and Os01g0866100-hyp2, highlighting their potential utility in further improving rice through breeding programs. The results of our study will provide a theoretical basis for breeding anaerobic-tolerant rice varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In direct seeding, hypoxia is a major stress faced by rice plants. Therefore, dissecting the response mechanism of rice to hypoxia stress and the molecular regulatory network is critical to the development of hypoxia-tolerant rice varieties and direct seeding of rice. This review summarizes the morphological, physiological, and ecological changes in rice under hypoxia stress, the discovery of hypoxia-tolerant and germination-related genes/QTLs, and the latest research on candidate genes, and explores the linkage of hypoxia tolerance genes and their distribution in indica and japonica rice through population variance analysis and haplotype network analysis. Among the candidate genes, OsMAP1 is a typical gene located on the MAPK cascade reaction for indica–japonica divergence; MHZ6 is involved in both the MAPK signaling and phytohormone transduction pathway. MHZ6 has three major haplotypes and one rare haplotype, with Hap3 being dominated by indica rice varieties, and promotes internode elongation in deep-water rice by activating the SD1 gene. OsAmy3D and Adh1 have similar indica–japonica varietal differentiation, and are mainly present in indica varieties. There are three high-frequency haplotypes of OsTPP7, namely Hap1 (n = 1109), Hap2 (n = 1349), and Hap3 (n = 217); Hap2 is more frequent in japonica, and the genetic background of OsTPP7 was derived from the japonica rice subpopulation. Further artificial selection, natural domestication, and other means to identify more resistance mechanisms of this gene may facilitate future research to breed superior rice cultivars. Finally, this study discusses the application of rice hypoxia-tolerant germplasm in future breeding research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep breathing disorder. Therefore, the purpose of our research is to construct and verify an objective and easy‐to‐use nomogram that can accurately predict a patient's risk of obstructive sleep apnea. In this study, we retrospectively collected the data of patients undergoing polysomnography at the Sleep Medicine Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. Participants were randomly assigned to a training cohort (50%) and a validation cohort (50%). Logistic regression and Lasso regression models were used to reduce data dimensions, select factors and construct the nomogram. C‐index, calibration curve, decision curve analysis and clinical impact curve analysis were used to evaluate the identification, calibration and clinical effectiveness of the nomogram. Nomograph validation was performed in the validation cohort. The study included 1035 people in the training cohort and 1078 people in the validation cohort. Logistic and Lasso regression analysis identified age, gender, diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, neck circumference and Epworth Sleepiness Scale as the predictive factors included in the nomogram. The training cohort (C‐index = 0.741) and validation cohort (C‐index = 0.745) had better identification and calibration effects. The areas under the curve of the nomogram and STOP‐Bang were 0.741 (0.713–0.767) and 0.728 (0.700–0.755), respectively. Decision curve analysis and clinical impact curve analysis showed that the nomogram is clinically useful. We have established a concise and practical nomogram that will help doctors better determine the priority of patients referred to the sleep centre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a kind of respiratory disease that occurs apnea repeatedly during sleep. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of sex on anthropometric methods and four scales for screening OSA.Methods: The basic data and PSG data of 2108 patients who underwent PSG examination at the Sleep Medicine Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from July 2017 to December 2020 were continuously included. Then the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, AUC and DOR of the anthropometric method and the four scales were calculated.Results: 2108 OSA patients were enrolled from the Sleep Medicine Center, including 1644 males (78.0%). The average neck circumference and waist circumference of male and female patients were respectively (39.4±3.4) cm and (96.7±13.8) cm,(34.6±3.5) cm and (90.1±11.6) cm. In female patients. the AUC of NoSAS was the largest. When AHI was 5, 15, and 30 evens/h as the cut-off point, in male patients, the sensitivity of NHR was the highest,in female patients, the sensitivity of WHR was the highest.Conclusions: NHR and WHR are good tools for screening OSA in male and female patients respectively. They are worthy of promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the homoclinic breather limit method, we obtain the homoclinic breather wave and rational wave of a nonlinear evolution differential equation. The n-soliton wave solutions are derived by utilizing the Hirota method. In addition, the graphs of these solutions are shown by selecting the appropriate parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Droughts increased CH 4 uptake in a wet year in the semiarid grassland. • Magnitude and pathways of drought effects on CH 4 uptake depend on seasonal timing. • Positive effects of early drought on CH 4 uptake were the least. • Plant composition regulated CH 4 uptake in response to droughts. Increasingly frequent and severe droughts are occurring in multiple seasons of a year in many dryland ecosystems, with unknown impacts on the role of drylands in cycling of methane (CH 4), a potent greenhouse gas. In particular, there is limited understanding of how drought occurring at different times within the growing season regulates biological CH 4 uptake, and how these responses are mediated by plant community composition. Here, we quantify how drought timing and plant community composition regulate CH 4 uptake in a semiarid grassland. We employ a field experiment in which droughts were imposed in early, middle, or late growing season in three different communities (two graminoids, two shrubs and their mixture), respectively. All three droughts increased CH 4 uptake, but the effect size and pathway varied with seasonal timing. Early and middle drought increased CH 4 uptake through increasing both soil pomA abundance and diffusivity resulting from reduced soil water content (SWC), while late drought increased CH 4 uptake only by reducing SWC. Overall, early drought had the least positive effects on CH 4 uptake because it excluded the least precipitation and therefore had smaller impacts on SWC. Besides, plant composition did not affect CH 4 uptake under normal environment but regulated CH 4 uptake in response to droughts due to different response of plant composition to droughts. Early and middle drought had larger positive effects on CH 4 uptake in shrub communities than the other two communities, consistent with larger reductions in SWC and larger increases in pomA abundance, respectively. In contrast, late drought had consistent effects on CH 4 uptake across three communities. Our results suggest that the magnitude and pathways of extreme drought effects on CH 4 uptake are strongly co-regulated by seasonal timing and plant composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Droughts and heat waves are increasing in magnitude and frequency, altering the carbon cycle. However, understanding of the underlying response mechanisms remains poor, especially for the combination (hot drought). We conducted a 4‐year field experiment to examine both individual and interactive effects of drought and heat wave on carbon cycling of a semiarid grassland across individual, functional group, community and ecosystem levels. Drought did not change below‐ground biomass (BGB) or above‐ground biomass (AGB) due to compensation effects between grass and non‐grass functional groups. However, consistently decreased BGB under heat waves limited such compensation effects, resulting in reduced AGB. Ecosystem CO2 fluxes were suppressed by droughts, attributed to stomatal closure‐induced reductions in leaf photosynthesis and decreased AGB of grasses, while CO2 fluxes were little affected by heat waves. Overall the hot drought produced the lowest leaf photosynthesis, AGB and ecosystem CO2 fluxes although the interactions between heat wave and drought were usually not significant. Our results highlight that the functional group compensatory effects that maintain community‐level AGB rely on feedback of root system responses, and that plant adjustments at the individual level, together with shifts in composition at the functional group level, co‐regulate ecosystem carbon sink strength under climate extremes. • It is indispensable to explore the mechanisms and impacts of climate extremes on the carbon cycle given they are increasing in magnitude and frequency.• Aboveground biomass responses to climate extremes rely on the functional group compensatory effects and feedbacks of root system responses.• Plant physiological adjustments and shifts in community composition co‐regulate ecosystem CO2 fluxes under climate extremes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soil contribute to global warming and are in turn substantially affected by climate change. However, climate change impacts on N2O production across terrestrial ecosystems remain poorly understood. Here, we synthesized 46 published studies of N2O fluxes and relevant soil functional genes (SFGs, that is, archaeal amoA, bacterial amoA, nosZ, narG, nirK and nirS) to assess their responses to increased temperature, increased or decreased precipitation amounts, and prolonged drought (no change in total precipitation but increase in precipitation intervals) in terrestrial ecosystem (i.e. grasslands, forests, shrublands, tundra and croplands). Across the data set, temperature increased N2O emissions by 33%. However, the effects were highly variable across biomes, with strongest temperature responses in shrublands, variable responses in forests and negative responses in tundra. The warming methods employed also influenced the effects of temperature on N2O emissions (most effectively induced by open‐top chambers). Whole‐day or whole‐year warming treatment significantly enhanced N2O emissions, but daytime, nighttime or short‐season warming did not have significant effects. Regardless of biome, treatment method and season, increased precipitation promoted N2O emission by an average of 55%, while decreased precipitation suppressed N2O emission by 31%, predominantly driven by changes in soil moisture. The effect size of precipitation changes on nirS and nosZ showed a U‐shape relationship with soil moisture; further insight into biotic mechanisms underlying N2O emission response to climate change remain limited by data availability, underlying a need for studies that report SFG. Our findings indicate that climate change substantially affects N2O emission and highlights the urgent need to incorporate this strong feedback into most climate models for convincing projection of future climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Heavy rainfall events are expected to increase in frequency and severity in the future. However, their effects on natural ecosystems are largely unknown, in particular with different seasonal timing of the events and recurrence over multiple years.We conducted a 4 yr manipulative experiment to explore grassland response to heavy rainfall imposed in either the middle of, or late in, the growing season in Inner Mongolia, China. We measured hierarchical responses at individual, community and ecosystem levels.Surprisingly, above‐ground biomass remained stable in the face of heavy rainfall, regardless of seasonal timing, whereas heavy rainfall late in the growing season had consistent negative impacts on below‐ground and total biomass. However, such negative biomass effects were not significant for heavy rainfall in the middle of the growing season. By contrast, heavy rainfall in the middle of the growing season had greater positive effects on ecosystem CO2 exchanges, mainly reflected in the latter 2 yr of the 4 yr experiment. This two‐stage response of CO2 fluxes was regulated by increased community‐level leaf area and leaf‐level photosynthesis and interannual variability of natural precipitation.Overall, our study demonstrates that ecosystem impacts of heavy rainfall events crucially depend on the seasonal timing and multiannual recurrence. Plant physiological and morphological adjustment appeared to improve the capacity of the ecosystem to respond positively to heavy rainfall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This commentary reviews low fertility in China and suggests a macro-micro approach to analyse reproductive behaviour and determinants. As there are more discouraging factors to childbirth in concurrent Chinese society then encouraging ones, the low fertility is more likely to stay, unless there are more specific and effective strategies to support couples fulfilling their childbearing desire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using survey data collected from Shanghai and Shenzhen, two popular destinations for rural-to-urban migration in China, this study found a significantly higher level of psychological distress among rural migrants in Shenzhen compared to those in Shanghai, which are partly attributable to the lower earnings and longer work hours among rural migrants in Shenzhen. In addition, a range of structural (e.g., socioeconomic status and work hours), social (i.e., frequency of home visits, perceived social support, and neighbourhood social cohesion), and personality (i.e., optimism) factors were found to be important correlates of psychological distress. Compared to those in Shanghai, rural migrants in Shenzhen were socioeconomically disadvantaged but psychosocially advantaged. A significant and negative interaction effect between optimism and long work hours was also found. Without the presence of the observed psychosocial advantages among rural migrants in Shenzhen, the Shenzhen-Shanghai gap in rural migrant’s mental health would have been even greater. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To determine the prevalence of depression, to identify correlated factors for depression, and to explore the impact on the progression or survival of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by depression in a Chinese population. A total of 166 ALS patients were recruited. Diagnosis of depression disorders and the severity of depression were established by using the fourth diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-24 items (HDRS-24) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Major depression was found in 15 patients (9.6 %). The multiple regression analysis showed that a lower ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) score was correlated with increasing HDRS scores and BDI scores (P = 0.018 and P = 0.012). No significant difference in the median survival time between ALS patients with and without depression was revealed by Kaplan-Meier analysis (log-rank P = 0.282). Cox hazard model showed that the presence of depression in ALS was unrelated to the survival, while the severity of depression in ALS was correlated with the survival. The presence and severity of depression in ALS did not correlate with the progression of ALS. Major depression in ALS is uncommon. Depression evaluation should be given to ALS patients, especially those with lower ALSFRS-R score. The severity of depression may be associated with the survival; however, depression does not worse the progression of ALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An optimization method is proposed to perform high-accuracy terrain reconstruction of the landing area of Chang'e III. First, feature matching is conducted using geometric model constraints. Then, the initial terrain is obtained and the initial normal vector of each point is solved on the basis of the initial terrain. By changing the vector around the initial normal vector in small steps a set of new vectors is obtained. By combining these vectors with the direction of light and camera, the functions are set up on the basis of a surface reflection model. Then, a series of gray values is derived by solving the equations. The new optimized vector is recorded when the obtained gray value is closest to the corresponding pixel. Finally, the optimized terrain is obtained after iteration of the vector field. Experiments were conducted using the laboratory images and descent images of Chang'e III. The results showed that the performance of the proposed method was better than that of the classical feature matching method. It can provide a reference for terrain reconstruction of the landing area in subsequent moon exploration missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Precapillary Pulmonary Hypertension. Topics discussed include the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increased in stable PH patients: 48 of 71 precapillary PH patients developed OSA (68%), which is very high; and the presence of OSA was not associated with daytime symptoms of SDB or cardiac dysfunction measures.

The effects of increasing concentrations of lead (Pb) on malondialdehyde (MDA) content, soluble protein, Pb accumulation, nutrients, polyamines (PAs) and proline metabolism were investigated in sterilized seedlings of Potamogeton crispus L. after 5 d exposure. Significant oxidative stress was not caused, indicated by a little induction of MDA content and soluble proteins. Pb accumulation increased in a concentration-dependent manner and most of Pb was stored in the cell wall. Total P, Mg, Na and Zn rose and total Fe fell; total Ca increased at 25 μM Pb but then declined. The nutrients in cell wall fraction changed in the same pattern as total nutrients, whereas those in soluble and organelle fraction declined. Total putrescine (Put) decreased markedly, while total spermidine (Spd), spermine (Spm) and (Spd + Spm)/Put ratio increased progressively but then declined. The trends for free, perchloric acid soluble conjugated (PS-conjugated) and perchloric acid insoluble bound (PIS-bound) PAs were similar to those on total PAs, except that PIS-bound Spm increased significantly. Arginine decarboxylase (ADC) and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activities rose gradually, while diamine oxidase (DAO) initially increased but then declined. Proline content increased initially only to decline later, due to the increase of r -glutamyl kinase (GK) activity. Meanwhile, ornithine-d-aminotransferase (OAT) activity gradually reduced, while no significant change was observed in proline dehydrogenase (PDH) activity. Our results indicated that the tolerance of P . crispus to Pb stress was based on cell wall compartmentalization combined with increase of nutrients, alterations of PAs, and induction of proline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Serum uric acid (UA) has anti-oxidative effect. To clarify the associations between UA and sporadic ALS (SALS) in Chinese population. A total of 512 SALS patients and 501 age- and gender- matched healthy controls were included, with fasting serum UA evaluated. The ALS functional rating scale-Revised was used to assess disease severity, and the mean change of ALSFRS-R per month (△ALS-FRS-R/m) to assess its progression. Four hundred forty-five patients were followed up. Survival and progression were estimated according to quartiles and gender-specific quartiles of UA. The mean age of SALS patients was 53.3 ± 11.7 years. UA level of SALS was significantly lower than controls ( p = 0.001). Male SALS had higher UA than female ( p = 0.001). The occurrence of SALS was increased in the lowest, second and third quartiles compared with the highest quartile ( p = 0.001). In the gender-specific analysis, increased occurrence was found in the lowest and second quartiles compared with third and fourth quartiles in both males and females SALS ( p = 0.001 and p < 0.05). No correlation was found between △ALS-FRS-R/m and UA ( p > 0.05), nor between SALS survival and UA. SALS patients have low level of serum UA than controls. Low level of uric acid may be associated with increased occurrence of SALS in Chinese population. Uric acid level may not contribute to the survival or progression of SALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to determine the correlation of thyroid hormones (THs) and survival in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A total of 278 patients with ALS were enrolled and followed up prospectively every 3 months by face-to-face interviews or phone calls. Level of fasting serum TH was determined at the time of enrollment. Clinical data including age, onset age, onset body region, ALS Functional Rating Scale- Revised (ALS-FRS-R), and survival were collected. Patients were separated into four subgroups according to the quartile distribution of TH, and survival was compared among them. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics, including onset age, gender, onset form as well as treatment with riluzole among different levels of TH subgroups. Chi-square test indicated that the lowest quartile of FT3 (<4.26 mg/L) might correlate with higher incidences of death (OR 0.374, 95 % CI 0.173-0.813), while second and third quartiles of FT4 (range 14.25-18.0 mg/L) with lower incidences of death in ALS. However, after correction for onset age and onset form using logistic regression analysis, no statistical difference was revealed in survival among patients with different TH levels. TH does not correlate with survival and is not a prognostic factor for ALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the association between statins and the incidence and progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: Several electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, and EBSCO) and Chinese databases (CBM, Wanfang, and VIP) were searched for original articles on April 1st, 2012. Case-control and cohort studies that provide information on the association between statins and ALS were considered eligible for inclusion. A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the association of statins and the incidence and progression of ALS. Results: Two case-control studies and one cohort study that relate the risk of ALS to statins satisfied the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The pooled rate ratio of statin use was 0.89 [95% CI, 0.55 to 1.42] for ALS patients versus non-ALS patients. Three cohort studies on the association between statins and the progression of ALS were identified; these suggested that no strong evidence for the statin-ALS progression relationship exists. No cohort studies favor the use of statins on ALS patients. Conclusions: No definite association between statin use and ALS incidence and progression has been found. Existing results are currently inconclusive to make scientifically supported conclusions. Further prospective cohort studies are still needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Recent voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies have found gray matter (GM) abnormalities in primary focal dystonia (PFD) and yielded inconsistent results. Aim: Our aim is to investigate consistent GM changes in PFD and to identify whether different subtypes of PFD share a common pathophysiological basis revealed by structural abnormalities. Methods: A systematic search of VBM studies of patients with PFD and healthy control (HC) subjects published in PubMed, Embase, and Medline databases from January 1998 to April 2011 was conducted. We performed a voxel-wise meta-analysis of VBM studies comparing PFD to HC using the anatomic likelihood estimation (ALE) method. Results: A total of 9 articles, which reported 11 PFD-HC comparisons including 199 PFD patients and 247 HC subjects, met the inclusion criteria. GM volume (GMV) was found to be greater in the caudate, postcentral cortex (BA2, 3, 40) and primary motor cortex, and smaller in the thalamus and putamen. Conclusion: Our findings provide evidence for structural abnormalities within the sensorimotor network involved in the pathophysiology of PFD. However, our work could not distinguish whether the brain structural changes are primary or secondary to PFD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Platform movement during exposure of imaging system severely degrades image quality. In the case of Time delay and integration (TDI) camera, abnormal movements cause not only image blur but also distortion, for image Point Spread Function (PSF) is space-variant. In this paper, we present a motion degradation model of TDI image, and provide a method to restore such degraded image. While a TDI camera is imaging, it outputs images row by row (or line by line) along the scanning axis, and our method processes in the same track. We firstly calculate the space-invariant PSF of each row using the movement information of the TDI camera. Then, we substitute pixels of the row and the ones of their neighbor rows together with the PSF into standard Richardson–Lucy algorithm. By deconvoluting we get the restored pixels of the row. The same operations are executed for all rows of the degraded TDI image. Finally, a restored image can be reconstructed from those restored rows. Both simulated and experimental results prove the effectiveness of our method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper provides an analysis of school enrollment and graduation rates in China using the 1990 Chinese Census. Five education milestones: (1) entering primary school, (2) graduating from primary school, (3) entering middle school, (4) graduating from middle school and (5) entering high school, are analyzed. Location of residence and sex are shown to be highly correlated with enrollment and graduation, with rural girls being especially disadvantaged in terms of both enrollment and graduation rates. Parental education, the presence of siblings, county level income and village level in-school rates also have consistent effects on enrollment and graduation milestones. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a fatal disease featured by high morbidity and mortality. Although Cordycepin is known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immune-enhancing effects, its role in PAH treatment and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The therapeutic effects of Cordycepin on rats with PAH were investigated using a monocrotaline (MCT)-induced rat model. The metabolic effects of Cordycepin were assessed based on the plasma metabolome. The potential mechanisms of Cordycepin in PAH treatment were investigated through transcriptome sequencing and validated in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC). Evaluations included hematoxylin and eosin staining for pulmonary vascular remodeling, CCK-8 assay, EDU, and TUNEL kits for cell viability, proliferation, and apoptosis, respectively, and western blot for protein expression. Cordycepin significantly reduced right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) and right ventricular hypertrophy index (RVHI) in PAH rats, and mitigated pulmonary vascular remodeling. Plasma metabolomics showed that Cordycepin could reverse the metabolic disorders in the lungs of MCT-induced PAH rats, particularly impacting linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid metabolism pathways. Transcriptomics revealed that the P53 pathway might be the primary pathway involved, and western blot results showed that Cordycepin significantly increased P53 and P21 protein levels in lung tissues. Integrated analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics suggested that these pathways were mainly enriched in linoleic acid metabolism and alpha-linolenic acid metabolism pathway. In vitro experiments demonstrated that Cordycepin significantly inhibited the PDGFBB (PD)-induced abnormal proliferation and migration of PASMC and promoted PD-induced apoptosis. Meanwhile, Cordycepin enhanced the expression levels of P53 and P21 proteins in PD-insulted PASMC. However, inhibitors of P53 and P21 eliminated these effects of Cordycepin. Cordycepin may activate the P53–P21 pathway to inhibit abnormal proliferation and migration of PASMC and promote apoptosis, offering a potential approach for PAH treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grazing is expected to exert a substantial influence on antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in grassland ecosystems. However, the precise effects of grazing on the composition of ARGs in grassland soils remain unclear. This is especially the case for grassland soils subject to long-term grazing. Here, we investigated ARGs and bacterial community composition in soils subject to long-term historic grazing (13–39 years) and corresponding ungrazed samples. Using a combination of shotgun metagenomics, amplicon analyses and associated soil physicochemical data, we provide novel insights regarding the structure of ARGs in grassland soils. Interestingly, our analysis revealed that long-term historic grazing had no impacts on the composition of ARGs in grassland soils. An average of 378 ARGs, conferring resistance to 14 major categories of antibiotics (80%), were identified in both grazing and ungrazed sites. Actinobacteria , Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria were the most prevalent predicted hosts in these soils and were also shown to harbour genetic capacity for multiple-resistant ARGs. Our results suggested that positive effects of bacterial community composition on ARGs could potentially be controlled by affecting MGEs. Soil properties had direct effects on the composition of ARGs through affecting the frequency of horizontal gene transfer among bacteria. Twelve novel ARGs were found in S. grandis steppe grasslands, indicating that different vegetation types might induce shifts in soil ARGs. Collectively, these findings suggest that soil properties, plants and microorganisms play critical roles in shaping ARG patterns in grasslands. Together, these data establish a solid baseline for understanding environmental antibiotic resistance in grasslands. Unlabelled Image • ARGs related with resistance to cephalosporin and tetracycline were dominant. • ARGs driven by factors affecting the distribution of soil microorganisms in grasslands. • Long-term historic grazing had no effect on ARGs in grassland soils. • ARGs shaped by the initial plant, soil environmental parameters and microbiomes in grassland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) is an important member of the innate immune response receptor toll-like receptors (TLRs) family, which plays a vital role in regulating immune response, promoting the maturation and differentiation of immune cells, and participating in the response of pro-inflammatory factors. TLR3 is activated by pathogen-associated molecular patterns and damage-associated molecular patterns, which support the pathophysiology of many diseases related to inflammation. An increasing number of studies have confirmed that TLR3, as a crucial medium of innate immunity, participates in the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) by regulating the transcription and translation of various cytokines, thus affecting the structure and physiological function of resident cells in the cardiovascular system, including vascular endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, cardiomyocytes, fibroblasts and macrophages. The dysfunction and structural damage of vascular endothelial cells and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells are the key factors in the occurrence of vascular diseases such as pulmonary arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, myocardial hypertrophy, myocardial infarction, ischaemia/reperfusion injury, and heart failure. Meanwhile, cardiomyocytes, fibroblasts, and macrophages are involved in the development of CVDs. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to explore the latest research published on TLR3 in CVDs and discuss current understanding of potential mechanisms by which TLR3 contributes to CVDs. Even though TLR3 is a developing area, it has strong treatment potential as an immunomodulator and deserves further study for clinical translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By introducing two sets of Lenard recursion relations, we derive a hierarchy of modified shallow wave equations associated with a 3 × 3 matrix spectral problem with three potentials from the zero-curvature equation. The Baker–Akhiezer function and two meromorphic functions are defined on the trigonal curve which is introduced by utilizing the characteristic polynomial of the Lax matrix. Analyzing the asymptotic properties of the Baker–Akhiezer function and two meromorphic functions at two infinite points, we arrive at the explicit algebro-geometric solutions for the entire hierarchy in terms of the Riemann theta function by showing the explicit forms of the normalized Abelian differentials of the third kind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disease or pathophysiological syndrome which has a low survival rate with abnormally elevated pulmonary artery pressure caused by known or unknown reasons. In addition, the pathogenesis of PAH is not fully understood. Therefore, it has become an urgent matter to search for clinical molecular markers of PAH, study the pathogenesis of PAH, and contribute to the development of new science-based PAH diagnosis and targeted treatment methods. Methods. In this study, the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was used to downloaded a microarray dataset about PAH, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between PAH and normal control were screened out. Moreover, we performed the functional enrichment analyses and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analyses of the DEGs. In addition, the prediction of miRNA and transcriptional factor (TF) of hub genes and construction miRNA-TF-hub gene network were performed. Besides, the ROC curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of hub genes. Finally, the potential drug targets for the 5 identified hub genes were screened out. Results. 69 DEGs were identified between PAH samples and normal samples. GO and KEGG pathway analyses revealed that these DEGs were mostly enriched in the inflammatory response and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, respectively. The miRNA-hub genes network was conducted subsequently with 131 miRNAs, 7 TFs, and 5 hub genes (CCL5, CXCL12, VCAM1, CXCR1, and SPP1) which screened out via constructing the PPI network. 17 drugs interacted with 5 hub genes were identified. Conclusions. Through bioinformatic analysis of microarray data sets, 5 hub genes (CCL5, CXCL12, VCAM1, CXCR1, and SPP1) were identified from DEGs between control samples and PAH samples. Studies showed that the five hub genes might play an important role in the development of PAH. These 5 hub genes might be potential biomarkers for diagnosis or targets for the treatment of PAH. In addition, our work also indicated that paying more attention on studies based on these 5 hub genes might help to understand the molecular mechanism of the development of PAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is an important factor limiting the growth and development of rice and thereby seriously affects rice yield. The problem may be effectively solved by dissecting the drought-resistance mechanism of rice, creating excellent drought-resistant germplasm, and mining new drought-resistant genes. In this study, 305 accessions (189 Xian, 104 Geng, 5 Aus, and 7 Basmati) were used to identify drought-related phenotypes such as grain yield per plant (GYP), grain number per panicle (GNP), panicle number per plant (PNP), and plant height (PH) under two-year drought stress. The 2017 GYP and 2018 GNP were Xian max, 2018 GYP, 2017 GNP, 2017 and 2018 PNP, and 2018 PH were Basmati max, and only the 2017 PH was Geng max. The population genetic diversity and population structure were analyzed by combining 404,388 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers distributed on 12 chromosomes. A total of 42 QTLs with significant correlations was identified, among which 10 were adjacent to the loci reported to be associated with drought resistance. Four candidate genes, LOC_Os03g48890, LOC_Os04g35114, LOC_Os11g45924, and LOC_Os06g38950, were identified by functional annotation and haplotype analysis. The R2 of qGYP3.1 was 11.53%, the R2 of qGNP4.2 was 12.09%, the R2 of qPNP11.1 was 10.01%, and the R2 of qPH6.1 was 13.06%. The results have an important theoretical significance and practical application value for the improvement of drought resistance in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods: The aetiological composition and clinical characteristics of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) hospitalised in the respiratory department were retrospectively analysed, as well as the correlation between transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and right heart catheterization (RHC) for evaluating pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) and mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP). Results: Of 731 patients, 544 (74.42%) were diagnosed with PH by RHC. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) was the most common type of PH, accounting for 30.10%; PH due to lung disease and/or hypoxia accounted for 20.79%, and PH due to pulmonary artery obstructions accounted for 19.29%. TTE has the highest specificity for diagnosing PH due to pulmonary artery obstructions. The specificity was 0.9375, the sensitivity was 0.7361 and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.836. PASP, and mPAP estimated by TTE were different for various types of PH. In terms of PASP, TTE overestimated PASP in PH due to lung disease and/or hypoxia, but there was no significant difference compared with RHC (P > 0.05). TTE underestimates PAH patients' PASP compared with RHC. In terms of mPAP, TTE underestimated the mPAP of all types of PH, as there was a significant difference in the TTE‐estimated mPAP of patients with PAH compared with RHC but not on other types of PH. Pearson correlation analysis of TTE and RHC showed a moderate overall correlation (rPASP 0.598, P < 0.001; rmPAP 0.588, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Among the patients with PH in the respiratory department, patients with PAH accounted for the majority. TTE has high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of PH due to pulmonary artery obstructions in the respiratory department. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When China’s decades-long one-child policy was replaced by a two-child policy, the circumstances under which women intend to have a second child become of great concern. This study examines the determinants of women’s second birth intention, as well as how the intention changes over time alongside changes in other life circumstances. Using panel data from the Jiangsu Fertility Intention and Behaviour Study (JFIBS, 2007, 2010), we find that women with more economic and familial/social resources are more likely to want a second child, while women who work in non-agriculture sectors and have higher decision-making power in the family are less inclined to have a second child. We also find that a sizeable increase of family income encourages women to upwardly revise their intention towards a desire for two children. The role of policy change on Chinese women’s second birth intention is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a hybrid system for time delay and integration (TDI) image restoration. Images are degraded by residual motion, which distorts and blurs the TDI images during exposures and excludes the along-track scanning motion. The motion trajectory is estimated from the image sequence captured by an auxiliary high-speed camera. In order to make the estimated results less sensitive to the imaging conditions and noise, a new method based on cross-correlation is introduced for motion estimation. Then geometric distortion of the TDI image is removed by choosing the correct blurred block according to the central of the corresponding motion trajectory and the final image is restored row by row with the Richardson-Lucy algorithm. Simulated and experimental results are given to prove the effectiveness of our system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: By comparing the predictive value of the NoSAS (Neck circumference, Obesity, Snoring, Age and Sex) score combined with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), STOP-Bang Questionnaire (STOP-Bang), STOP Questionnaire (STOP) and Berlin Questionnaire (Berlin), the application value of the NoSAS score combined with ESS in screening Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) in the population is evaluated.Method: 2560 suspected OSAHS patients visited the Sleep Medical Center of the First Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University between September 1, 2016 and October 31, 2020, and were monitored with a polysomnogram (PSG) after completing the NoSAS score, ESS, STOP-Bang, STOP and Berlin. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of each scale were calculated, and the accuracy in predicting OSAHS of the NoSAS score combined with ESS and each scale was analyzed.Results: The areas under the ROC curve scored by Berlin were higher than those of the other four questionnaires with Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) cutoffs of ≥5 and ≥ 10 events/h, while the area under the ROC curve scored by the NoSAS score was the highest with AHI cutoffs of ≥15, ≥20, ≥25 and ≥ 30 events/h. Among the five scales, the diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of the NoSAS score was the highest. When a NoSAS score of ≥7 was used as the cutoff point for diagnostic NoSAS, it had higher sensitivity and specificity with a NoSAS score of ≥8 as the cutoff point for diagnostic NoSAS. A NoSAS score of ≥7 combined with ESS significantly improved its specificity for predicted OSAHS patients.Conclusion: The NoSAS score is a simple and effective new tool for screening patients for OSAHS, while a NoSAS score of ≥7 combined with ESS can further improve its specificity. Thus, we suggest further screening with ESS after a NoSAS score of ≥7 in suspected populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our objective was to profile clinical features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); we performed a large sample, cross-sectional study based on a hospital registry of ALS in south-west China. Patients were coded in our tertiary referral centre from May 2006 to September 2014. Demographic data and disease-related parameters were collected. A total of 1131 patients were included. Mean age of onset was 54.3 ± 11.6 years and the highest proportion of onset age (30.6%) was between 51 and 60 years. Male:female ratio was 1.45:1. Nearly 30% of the patients were young onset, and 20.3% of the patients were bulbar onset; only 35% received riluzole treatment. The young-onset patients had a higher educational level with a higher proportion performing manual labour and living in rural areas, and a lower proportion with bulbar onset than those who were older at onset. The bulbar-onset patients were older at age of onset, with a lower proportion of males than spinal-onset patients. In conclusion, Chinese ALS patients may be younger at age of onset than Caucasian patients. Environmental and geographical factors are related to the occurrence of ALS. The large treatment gap indicated a pressing need for medical and financial support for Chinese ALS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease, so it is important to explore the survival factors for ALS. Our aim was to evaluate the predictors of survival in Chinese ALS patients. A total of 1049 sporadic ALS patients were enrolled. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to compare survival time. Cox proportional hazards function and the hazard ratio were used to identify adjusted prognostic predictors. Results showed that the mean age of onset was 52.6 ± 12.0 years. During follow-up, 155 patients (14.8%) were lost and 378 patients were deceased. Median survival was 33 months for the deceased patients. In the adjusted Cox proportional hazard model, age of onset, diagnosis delay, rate of disease progression, and non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) treatment had an effect on survival in ALS. In conclusion, our study provides information on survival factors for Chinese ALS patients. Although the onset age of Chinese ALS patients is earlier than that of Caucasian patients, survival factors, including the age of onset, diagnostic delay, rate of disease progression, and NIPPV treatment, are similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Introduction: Depression and anxiety are common in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and caregivers. Methods: In this study we investigated 93 ALS patients and their 93 caregivers. Depression and anxiety were quantified by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, respectively. Results: Very strong correlations between depression and anxiety were found among patients and their caregivers. The severity of depression and anxiety of patients correlated moderately with that of their caregivers. No correlations were found between the severity of depression and anxiety and ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) score or for disease duration among patients and caregivers. However, severity of depression and anxiety in caregivers correlated with their age. Conclusions: Depression and anxiety in ALS patients and their caregivers were associated closely with each other but not with physical disability or disease duration in our Chinese population. Muscle Nerve 51: 353-357, 2015 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite growing interest in cognitive impairment of ALS patients, there are only limited studies available that characterize cognitive deficits in the Chinese ALS population through highly sensitive and specific screening tools. The Chinese version of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-revised (ACE-R) and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) were applied to evaluate cognitive function in 145 sporadic ALS patients and 50 healthy controls. The mean onset age was 50.72 ± 12.38 years. Results showed that the prevalence of cognitive deficits was 14.48% and 30.34% based on the MMSE and ACE-R, respectively. Patients had a broad range of cognitive impairment domains, including language (26.21%), orientation/attention (24.13%), visuospatial ability (24.13%), memory (23.45%) and verbal fluency (22.76%). Logistic regression indicated that older age of onset, female gender and lower educational levels were potential determinants of cognitive deficits in ALS. Multiple regression analyses showed that the cognitive deficit during the baseline visit was not associated with the progression rate of ALS. In conclusion, cognitive impairment is common in Chinese ALS patients, but does not necessarily worsen the progression of ALS. ACE-R is superior to MMSE in detecting deficits in patients. Cognitive impairment in ALS patients may relate to age of onset, female gender and lower education level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite growing interest, the frequency and characteristics of frontal lobe functional and behavioral deficits in Chinese people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), as well as their impact on the survival of ALS patients, remain unknown. The Chinese version of the frontal assessment battery (FAB) and frontal behavioral inventory (FBI) were used to evaluate 126 sporadic ALS patients and 50 healthy controls. The prevalence of frontal lobe dysfunction was 32.5 %. The most notable impairment domain of the FAB was lexical fluency (30.7 %). The binary logistic regression model revealed that an onset age older than 45 years (OR 5.976, P = 0.002) and a lower educational level (OR 0.858, P = 0.002) were potential determinants of an abnormal FAB. Based on the FBI score, 46.0 % of patients showed varied degrees of frontal behavioral changes. The most common impaired neurobehavioral domains were irritability (25.4 %), logopenia (20.6 %) and apathy (19.0 %). The binary logistic regression model revealed that the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised scale score (OR 0.127, P = 0.001) was a potential determinant of an abnormal FBI. Frontal functional impairment and the severity of frontal behavioral changes were not associated with the survival status or the progression of ALS by the cox proportional hazard model and multivariate regression analyses, respectively. Frontal lobe dysfunction and frontal behavioral changes are common in Chinese ALS patients. Frontal lobe dysfunction may be related to the onset age and educational level. The severity of frontal behavioral changes may be associated with the ALSFRS-R. However, the frontal functional impairment and the frontal behavioral changes do not worsen the progression or survival of ALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing heavy rainfalls can strongly affect ecosystem nitrogen (N) cycling processes and thereby alter soil N fluxes and pools. However, the effects of heavy rainfalls on soil N fluxes and pools are poorly understood, particularly with regards to high rainfall timing under field conditions. We conducted a 3-year (2014–2016) manipulative experiment in which heavy rainfall was imposed in middle (plant peak growing stage) or late (plant senescent growth stage) growing season in a semiarid grassland of Inner Mongolia, China to explore the responses of N 2 O fluxes and soil total N contents and the underlying microbial mechanisms. Mid-season heavy rainfall promoted soil N 2 O emissions by 65% on average across the three years, attributable mainly to increases in denitrifying nirK and nirS abundances induced large denitrification at higher soil water contents. However, archaeal and bacterial amoA and narG genes did not change significantly due probably to counteracting effects of increased soil water content (positive) and soil pH (negative). Mid-season heavy rainfall led to 17% reduction in soil total N by the end of the last year of the study (2016), partly due to the enhanced accumulated N 2 O emissions over the three years. In contrast, late-season heavy rainfall did not change N 2 O emissions and soil total N contents even though soil water content, soil pH and nirK and nirS abundance were significantly increased, perhaps due to limitation by low temperature. Timing of the heavy rainfall events during the plant growing season strongly influenced their impacts on soil N fluxes and pools and heavy rainfalls in the peak stage of plant growth may potentially cause a positive feedback to global warming and exacerbate N limitation in terrestrial ecosystems. • N 2 O flux and soil total N responses to heavy rainfall depended on seasonal timing. • Mid-season heavy rainfall increased N 2 O flux by 65% due to higher denitrification. • Enhanced N 2 O emissions coincided with 17% of reduction in soil total N. • Late-season heavy rainfall did not change N 2 O emissions and soil total N contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: T-shaped uterus is a Müllerian malformation with unapparent clinical manifestations. Intrauterine adhesion and tuberculosis may lead to T-shaped uterus, too. Hysteroscopic metroplasty is a treatment option for T-shaped uterus, while the postoperative reproductive outcomes have not been thoroughly investigated. The aim of this study was to determine the reproductive outcome in Chinese women with T-shaped uterus who had hysteroscopic metroplasty with cold scissors. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in the reproductive surgery unit of a university-affiliated hospital. One hundred and eleven patients with T-shaped uterus who underwent hysteroscopic metroplasty from Jan. 2017 to Sept. 2019 were followed-up by telephone in Apr. 2021. All patients received hysteroscopic metroplasty using microcissors, followed by estrogen-progesterone sequential treatment, with or without intrauterine device (IUD) implantation. According to whether they had had history of intrauterine operation, patients were divided into congenital group and acquired group. The main outcome measure was postoperative live birth rate. χ2 test and t test were used for comparison between groups. Cochran-Mantel–Haenszel test were used for stratified analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: One hundred and eleven patients were included in total, with 46 in congenital group and 65 in acquired group. After hysteroscopic metroplasty, in the congenital group, the pregnancy rate increased from 28.3% to 87.0% (P < 0.001) and the live birth rate increased from 23.1% to 79.5% (P = 0.001); in the acquired group, the pregnancy rate slightly dropped from 98.5% to 72.3% (P < 0.001) while the live birth rate increased from 20.8% to 74.5% (P < 0.001). No statistically significant difference was observed in postoperative reproductive outcome indicators between the two subgroups except mode of conception. Conclusions: For both groups, hysteroscopic metroplasty may improve reproductive outcomes for patients with T-shaped uterus. Plain language summary: As a Müllerian malformation, T-shaped uterus is named for the shape of the uterine cavity. According to cause of the disease and patients' intrauterine operation history, T-shaped uterus can be divided into congenital and acquired types. This study was conducted in the reproductive surgery unit in a university-affiliated hospital. Data were collected from medical records, and patients were followed up via telephone. One hundred and eleven patients were included in this study, with 46 in congenital group and 65 in acquired group. Whether infertility/subfertility patients had had intrauterine operation history or not, their rates of giving live birth increased after the hysteroscopic metroplasty. In conclusion, hysteroscopic metroplasty is an effective intervention for T-shaped uterus patients with fertility intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artemisia frigida is a temperate grassland species that has the largest natural range among its genus, with occurrences across the temperate grassland biomes of Eurasia and North America. Despite its wide geographic range, we know little about the species' distribution history. Hence, we conducted a phylogeographical study to test the hypothesis that the species' distribution pattern is related to a potential historical migration over the 'Bering land bridge'. We applied two molecular approaches: genotyping‐by‐sequencing (GBS) and Sanger sequencing of the plastid intergenic spacer region (rpl32 – trnL) to investigate genetic differentiation and relatedness among 21 populations from North America, Middle Asia, Central Asia and the Russian Far East. Furthermore, we identified the ploidy level of individuals based on GBS data. Our results indicate that A. frigida originated in Asia, spread northwards to the Far East and then to North America across the Bering Strait. We found a pronounced genetic structuring between Middle and Central Asian populations with mixed ploidy levels, tetraploids in the Far East, and nearly exclusively diploids in North America except for one individual. According to phylogenetic analysis, two populations of Kazakhstan (KZ2 and KZ3) represent the most likely ancestral diploids that constitute the basally branching lineages, and subsequent polyploidization has occurred on several occasions independently. Mantel tests revealed weak correlations between genetic distance and geographical distance and climatic conditions, which indicates that paleoclimatic fluctuations may have more profoundly influenced A. frigida's spatial genetic structure and distribution than the current environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the role that children play in the migration decisions of Chinese women. The presence of children of various ages is hypothesized to affect the timing of migration, the length of migration, and the nature of migration in terms of who goes along. In addition, we also investigate whether the sex of the children affects migration decisions. Results indicate that whether one's husband ever migrated has a positive effect on migrating before childbirth. Return timing is strongly linked to the age of the child. Many mothers return to rural areas around the time that the child begins formal schooling. We also find that women who have given birth to a boy are significantly less likely to migrate after childbirth but more likely to take the boy with her if she does migrate. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examines the impact of migration on women's positions in Chinese rural households. A number of studies have found that rural Chinese migrant women experience more autonomy and freedom in urban areas than they would at home. But do these experiences carry over into marriage when they return to rural areas? Using a survey of more than 3,000 married, rural women in Anhui and Sichuan provinces and controlling for potential endogeneity of migration and return, this paper explores four main categories of women's status: women's views on male/female relationships, women's roles in household decision making, women's relationships with their husbands, and women's views concerning parents and children. It concludes that for women from Anhui and Sichuan, migration has some statistically significant lasting effects on a woman's position in the household, though the effects are not always positive, nor are they universal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterotrophic prokaryotes have the capacity to uptake inorganic nitrogen (N) substrates. However, it remains unclear what the potential competition is between heterotrophic prokaryotes and autotrophic plankton for N in the ocean, which would shunt the flow of N supporting primary production. To date, it has been difficult to distinguish heterotrophic prokaryotic N uptake from that of autotrophic picoplankton, especially in oligotrophic oceans dominated by cyanobacteria. We carried out field‐based DNA stable isotope probing incubation experiments in the South China Sea combining measurements of uptake rates of ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, and urea to estimate the taxon‐specific potential N assimilation. The results indicate that phylogenetically diverse heterotrophic prokaryotes significantly incorporated multiple N sources, contributing approximately 17–41% and 19–55% of total N uptake potential in the euphotic zone of the South China Sea continental shelf and open ocean, respectively, potentially competing with cyanobacteria (mainly Prochlorococcus). Notably, heterotrophic prokaryotes made a higher contribution to bulk uptake of nitrate in the incubation systems of the open ocean relative to regenerated N, and thus there was a tendency to overestimate the f‐ratio. Extrapolating our results to the oligotrophic, low‐latitude ocean via a global model suggests the f‐ratio would decrease ~ 18%. This suggests a more complicated biogeochemical role of heterotrophic prokaryotes in the biological carbon pump than hitherto assumed, with important implications for N and carbon cycling in the vast open ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semi-enclosed bay provides favorable conditions for mariculture, however, mariculture activities can disrupt hydrological connectivity of river-coastal continuum and create a bioreactor for particulate organic matter (POM). The impacts of increasing mariculture activities on POM dynamics, including sources, transportation, and transformation, associated dissolved oxygen and nutrients in semi-enclosed bays remain unclear. This study investigated carbon and nitrogen contents, as well as the stable isotopic compositions of POM (δ13C POC and δ15N PN) in a semi-enclosed bay, Sansha Bay, which is the largest mariculture bay for large yellow croaker in China and is influenced by riverine input and nearshore coastal waters. Our findings revealed that, spatially, riverine POM dominated along main channel that connects river inlet and bay outlet under the influence of water mixing (C:N ratios ∼ 5.7–15.8, δ13C POC ∼ −21‰--24‰, and δ15N PN ∼ 13‰-17‰). On top of water mixing, autochthonous POM dominates in off-main channel (C:N ratio 5–9, δ13C POC -21‰--17‰, and δ15N PN 7.0‰-8.5‰). Using a three end-member isotopic mixing model, our data shows that the POM in main channel comprises ∼ 90% of riverine POM and ∼ 10% of phytoplankton production, while in off-main channel, ∼ 59% of POM was contributed by autochthonous phytoplankton production and the rest ∼ 41% was sourced from main channel. Furthermore, riverine POM degradation consumes oxygen along main channel, forming consistent with the classic Redfield stoichiometry of aerobic respiration (N:O 2 , ∼ 0.13 ± 0.02). In contrast, in off-main channel where water exchange is slower, the degradation of fish feed regenerates dissolved inorganic nitrogen, which subsequently stimulates phytoplankton production, leading to oxygen production following the canonical Redfield stoichiometry of phytoplankton photosynthesis (N:O 2 , ∼ 0.10 ± 0.01). Our results highlight the influence of hydrological connectivity, superimposed by mariculture activity, in shaping POM biogeochemistry and dissolved oxygen dynamics in semi-enclosed bays. These findings provide important insights for the remediation of risks of hypoxia and harmful algal blooms in coastal mariculture ecosystems. [Display omitted] • The spatial biogeochemical features revealed the importance of hydrological connectivity in semi-enclosed mariculture bay. • Sources of POC and PN were successfully identified by using a three end-member isotopic mixing model. • Riverine POM dominated along the main channel while autochthonous POM dominated in off-main channel region. • POM degraded along the main channel to consume oxygen following the Redfield respiration stoichiometry. • Regenerated DIN from feed food and riverine POM stimulated phytoplankton production to complement oxygen stoichiometrically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Precipitation was repackaged to simulate 4-level of precipitation variability. • Extra-extreme precipitation variability scenario potentially reduced N 2 O emissions. • Effects of precipitation variability on N 2 O fluxes had high interannual variations. • Soil, microbes, functional genes, and plants explained 61% variation in N 2 O fluxes. High temporal precipitation variability, characterized by less frequent but larger-magnitude precipitation events, is increasing. However, how precipitation variability affects N 2 O emissions and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, especially at multiple-year scales. We conducted a 3-year manipulative experiment in which the same long-term mean growing season precipitation total was repackaged into events of inversely varying magnitude and frequency to simulate four levels of precipitation variability (extra-extreme, extreme, medium, and normal) in a semiarid grassland. Cumulative N 2 O emissions was the smallest under the extra-extreme precipitation variability scenario (6 very large rainfall events), 26% less than emission under the other three treatments (10, 16, and 24 rainfall events) over the three growing seasons. However, this difference was almost entirely due to three sampling events in the third year. Plant community (biomass and biodiversity), soil abiotic properties (water, dissolved organic carbon and pH), soil microbial biomass (carbon, nitrogen and the ratio), and soil functional genes (archaeal and bacterial amoA, nirS, nirK, narG , and nosZ) explained 61% of the variation in N 2 O emissions in response to the precipitation variability. Structural equation modelling indicated that the precipitation variability had direct positive effects, and indirect negative effects via soil abiotic properties, on soil functional genes that ultimately had positive effects on N 2 O emissions. The reduction in N 2 O emission in the extra-extreme precipitation variability scenario in the third year was due to low levels of soil water content, soil pH, aboveground biomass, and microbial biomass carbon simultaneously. Our results suggest that at the multi-year timescale, semiarid grasslands may have negative feedbacks to future precipitation regimes with higher variability. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]