Effects of gravel on the evaluation of soil organic carbon density in plantations.

Gravel (>2 mm) is one of the main parameters for estimating soil carbon pool. To assess the effects of gravel on soil bulk density (BD) and organic carbon density (SOCD) in plantations, we estimated the BD and SOCD at the 0-10, 10-20 and 20-40 cm soil depths of 131 plots under two different conditions, with and without removing gravel. The BD of each soil layer after removing gravel was 0.

[Effects of nitrogen addition on soil microbial biomass and enzyme activities of - mixed plantations in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area].

We examined the effects of nitrogen addition (0, 30, 60, and 90 kg N·hm·a) to soil microbial biomass, enzyme activities, and nutrient contents of the mixed plantations in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, with the aim to provide a theoretical basis for predicting soil carbon dynamics under the background of continuously increasing atmospheric nitrogen deposition in this area. The results showed that nitrogen addition at all levels led to a significant increase of the contents of organic carbon, total nitrogen, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), and microbial biomass phosphorus (MBP) in the forest soil, while a decrease of soil pH-value, and no significant effect on the total phosphorus content. Nitrogen addition increased the activities of β-1-4 glucosidase (BG), cellobiose hydrolase (CB), acid phosphatase (AP), N-acetylglucosaminosidase (NAG) and peroxidase (POD), while inhibited that of polyphenol oxidase (PPO).

LncRNA TINCR improves cardiac hypertrophy by regulating the miR-211-3p-VEGFB-SDF-1α-CXCR4 pathway.

Cardiac hypertrophy is a common cardiovascular disease that is found worldwide and is characterized by heart enlargement, eventually resulting in heart failure. Exploring the regulatory mechanism of cardiac hypertrophy is beneficial for understanding its pathogenesis and treatment. In our study, we have showed TINCR was downregulated and miR-211-3p was upregulated in TAC- or Ang II-induced models of cardiac hypertrophy.

Catheter-Based Radiofrequency Renal Sympathetic Denervation Decreases Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Hypertensive Dogs.

This study explored the effects of renal sympathetic denervation (RDN) on hyperlipidity-induced cardiac hypertrophy in beagle dogs. Sixty beagles were randomly assigned to the control group, RDN group, or sham-operated group. The control group was fed with a basal diet, while the other two groups were given a high-fat diet to induce model hypertension.

Parity and carotid atherosclerosis in elderly Chinese women.

Background: The relationship between parity and atherosclerosis has been reported in some ethnic populations. However, results regarding Chinese women are still lacking. This study aimed to investigate the association of parity and carotid atherosclerosis, which has a predictive value of subsequent atherosclerotic events in elderly Chinese women.

[Effects of Fertilization on the Nitrogen Residual Amounts and Leaching from Citrus Orchard Soil in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area].

This experiment has the citrus orchard soil in the basin of the Zigui County Ecological Station in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area as its research object. Leaching tests of an undisturbed soil column at 0-20, 0-40, and 0-60 cm depth were performed in a citrus orchard. The effects of nitrogen leaching and residual amounts in the soil were studied.

[Characteristics of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Output in Runoff and Rainfall Runoff in Lanlingxi Watershed, Three Gorges Reservoir Area].

The small watershed of an agroforestry system in the Lanlingxi watershed in the Three Gorges Reservoir area was studied by performing continuous monitoring of nitrogen and phosphorus output and concentrations and analyzing the changes in the output of nitrogen and phosphorus in runoff and its response to different rainfall conditions. The results showed that:①The total runoff loss was 50.92×10 m in this watershed during the rainy season, with 52.

[Long-term changes of land use/cover in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of the Yangtze River, China.].

Understanding the temporal and spatial dynamics of land use/cover (LUC) can contri-bute to reveal the impacts of climate change and human activities on ecosystems and thus be an important prerequisite for ecosystem management. As an ecologically vulnerable area in China, the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA) of the Yangtze River presented significant complexity in the response to environmental changes. However, there is a general lack of understanding in the underlying mechanism.

[Land Use Structure Change and Its Control Effect of Nitrogen Output in a Small Watershed of Three Gorges Reservoir Area: A Case Study of Lanlingxi Watershed].

The nitrogen (N) output in Lanlingxi watershed of Three Gorges Reservoir Area in 2015 was monitored and the current land use map was investigated. Cluster analysis and correlation analysis were used to identify the major sources of pollutants and to discriminate the source and the sink land use types. The effects of land use on N exports were quantitatively analyzed by stepwise regression analysis.

[Control of Soil Nutrient Loss of Typical Reforestation Patterns Along the Three Gorges Reservoir Area].

Annual soil nutrient loss characteristics on typical reforestation patterns in watershed along the Three Gorges Reservoir Area were studied based on runoff plot experiment. Runoff and sediment nutrition content from May to October 2014 of typical reforestation patterns including garden plot (tea garden), forest land (Chinese chestnut) and the original slope farmland were determined and then analyzed. The results showed that: (1) After the Returning Farmland to Forest Project the quantity of annual soil nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus, the sum of them in sediment and runoff) loss decreased.

[Research progress on remote sensing of ecological and environmental changes in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China].

The Three Gorges Reservoir area (TGR area) , one of the most sensitive ecological zones in China, has dramatically changes in ecosystem configurations and services driven by the Three Gorges Engineering Project and its related human activities. Thus, understanding the dynamics of ecosystem configurations, ecological processes and ecosystem services is an attractive and critical issue to promote regional ecological security of the TGR area. The remote sensing of environment is a promising approach to the target and is thus increasingly applied to and ecosystem dynamics of the TGR area on mid- and macro-scales.

The effects of catheter-based radiofrequency renal denervation on renal function and renal artery structure in patients with resistant hypertension.

There are no clinical studies on the effects of catheter-based radiofrequency renal denervation (RDN) on renal artery structure using 64-detector computed tomography (CT). A total of 39 patients with resistant hypertension received RDN and 38 patients received drug treatment. Mean systolic pressure and diastolic pressure in the RDN group decreased after 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of procedure (P<.

[Effects of land use and landscape pattern on nitrogen and phosphorus exports in Lanlingxi Watershed of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China].

The temporal and spatial characteristics of N, P exports and effects of land use and landscape pattern on N, P exports were analyzed in the Lanlingxi Watershed of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area. The results showed that the TN, TP and NO3(-) -N were mainly generated by non-wood forest, the N, P exports in flood period (June to September) were significantly higher than the non-flood period (January to May). The NH4(+) -N export was derived from the residential area in the non-flood period, while from non-wood forest in the flood period.

[Characteristics of nutrient loss of Lanlingxi watershed in the Three Gorges Reservoir area].

The water flow velocity of part of the tributaries in the Three Gorges Reservoir area has become slower after the water storage period, and agricultural non-point source pollution (AGNPS) is an urgent problem to be solved. Based on a closed catchment of Lanlingxi watershed, the process and the load of nitrogen and phosphorus loss were monitored, and the different ways of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loss under typical rainfall conditions in watershed scale were compared. The results showed that: (1) The concentration of total nitrogen (TN) gradually decreased with the increasing runoff, and slowly increased after the rain stopped, while the total phosphorus (TP) was contrary to that of TN; (2) The TN loss process had a close relation with rainfall, as TP loss was influenced by the rainfall intensity.

[Effects of litterfall and root input on soil physical and chemical properties in Pinus massoniana plantations in Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China].

An investigation was made on the soil physical and chemical properties in different-aged Pinus massoniana plantations in Three Gorges Reservoir Area under effects of litterfall and roots. The annual litter production in mature stand was 19.4% and 65.

[Nitrogen and phosphorus loss in different land use types and its response to environmental factors in the Three Gorges Reservoir area].

The control of agricultural non-point source pollution (AGNPS) is an urgent problem to be solved for the ecological environment construction in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area. We analyzed the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loss and its response to environmental factors through monitoring the nutrient loss in different land use types after returning farmland to forest. The results showed that: 1) The variability of nutrient concentration loss was strong in different land use types under different rainfall conditions, and the variability in the concentration of available nutrient was much higher than that of total nutrient; 2) Compared to farmland, the annual phosphorus loss of different land use types was reduced by 84.

[Relationships between soil nutrient contents and soil enzyme activities in Pinus massoniana stands with different ages in Three Gorges Reservoir Area].

Based on the measurements of soil nutrient contents and enzyme activities and the canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), this paper studied the relationships between soil nutrient contents and soil enzyme activities in different age Pinus massoniana stands in Three Gorges Reservoir Area. Among the test stands, mature stand had the highest contents of organic matter, total nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, and available phosphorus in 0-20 cm soil layer, followed by middle-aged stand, and nearly-mature stand. With the increase of the stand age, soil invertase activity increased after an initial decrease, cellulase and polyphenoloxidase activities decreased gradually, while urease and peroxidase activities decreased after an initial increase.

[Nonpoint source pollution model, AnnAGNPS, assessment for a mixed forested watershed in Three Gorges Reservoir area].

Watershed models provide a cost-effective and efficient means of estimating the pollutant loadings entering surface waters, especially when combined with traditional water quality sampling and analyses. But there have often been questions about the accuracy or certainty of models and their predictions. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of AnnAGNPS (Annualized AGricultural NonPoint Source)Pollution Model, in simulating runoff, sediment loading and nutrient loadings under Three Gorges Reservoir area.