[Characteristics of soil carbon, nitrogen, and water of plantation along different vegetation restoration years in alpine sandy region].

As the most effective way to remedy and reconstruct the degraded ecosystems, vegetation restoration could affect soil carbon and nitrogen cycles and water balance. We examined the responses of carbon, nitrogen, and water in 0-200 cm soil layer to vegetation restoration years by analyzing their distribution characteristics across a restoration chronosequence of plantation (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years) in alpine sandy region of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that the content and storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) increased significantly, while that of soil inorganic carbon (SIC) decreased significantly with restoration years.

Nodule-in-nodule architecture of hepatocellular carcinomas: enhancement patterns in the hepatobiliary phase and pathological features.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the enhancement patterns in the hepatobiliary phase (HBP) and pathological features of nodule-in-nodule-type hepatocellular carcinoma (NIN-HCC) patients.

Methods: In this single-institution retrospective study, 27 consecutive cirrhosis patients with 29 histologically confirmed NIN-HCCs who underwent preoperative examination via Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI were enrolled from January 2016 to September 2023. Two blinded radiologists assessed the imaging features of both the inner and outer nodules in NIN-HCCs to reach a consensus on the Liver Imaging Reporting & Data System (LI-RADS) categories of the lesions.

[Characteristics of soil moisture limitation and non-limitation in the response of sap flow to transpiration driving factors].

Transpiration is a significant part of water cycle in forest ecosystems, influenced by meteorological factors and potentially constrained by soil moisture. We used Granier-type thermal dissipation probes to monitor xylem sap flow dynamics of three tree species (, , and ) in a semi-arid loess hilly region, and to continuously monitor the key meteorological factors and soil water content (SWC). We established the SWC thresholds delineating soil moisture-limited and -unlimited sap flow responses to transpiration drivers.

Effects of Rainfall Exclusion Treatment on Photosynthetic Characteristics of Black Locust in the Sub-Humid Region of the Loess Plateau, China.

The mesic-origin species L. (black locust) is widely planted in the semiarid and sub-humid areas of the Loess Plateau for the reforestation of vegetation-degraded land. Under the scenario of changing precipitation patterns, exploring the response of photosynthesis to drought allows us to assess the risk to sustainable development of these plantations.

A scientometrics and visualization analysis of oxidative stress modulator Nrf2 in cancer profiles its characteristics and reveals its association with immune response.

Background: Nrf2, an essential and fascinating transcription factor, enjoys a dual property in the occurrence and development of inflammation and cancer. For over two decades, numerous studies regarding Nrf2 in cancer have been reported, whereas there is still a lack of a scientometrics and visualization analysis of Nrf2 in cancer. Hence, a scientometric study regarding the oxidative stress modulator Nrf2 was implemented.

Prediction of university fund revenue and expenditure based on fuzzy time series with a periodic factor.

Financial management and decision-making of universities play an essential role in their development. Predicting fund revenue and expenditure of universities can provide a necessary basis for funds risk prevention. For the lack of solid data reference for financial management and funds risk prevention in colleges and universities, this paper presents a prediction model of University fund revenue and expenditure based on fuzzy time series with a periodic factor.

Analysis of and Reduction in Noise in Current Measurement of XCP under the Laboratory Condition.

Expendable current profiler (XCP) is one of the most vital devices detecting ocean currents. Compared with other methods, the expendable feature makes trials with XCP much faster and more hidden, while the accuracy of XCP is considerably influenced by electromagnetic noise all around. Aiming at researching the influence and reducing the noise, this study carried out laboratory simulation experiments.

Using pre-operative radiomics to predict microvascular invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma based on Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the value of performing gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics for preoperative prediction of microvascular invasion (MVI) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on multiple sequences.

Methods: We randomly allocated 165 patients with HCC who underwent partial hepatectomy to training and validation sets. Stepwise regression and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm were used to select significant variables.

Tree species richness as an important biotic factor regulates the soil phosphorus density in China's mature natural forests.

Tree species richness has been recognized as an underlying driving factor for regulating soil phosphorus (P) status in many site-specific studies. However, it remains poorly understood whether this is true at broad scales where soil P strongly rely on climate, soil type and vegetation type. Here, based on the data of 946 mature natural forest sites from a nationwide field survey in China, we analyzed the impact of tree species richness on soil P density of China's mature natural forests (deciduous coniferous forest, DCF; evergreen coniferous forest, ECF; deciduous broad-leaved forest, DBF; evergreen broad-leaved forest, EBF; and mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest, MF).

Dynamic changes of pulmonary diffusion capacity in survivors of non-critical COVID-19 during the first six months.

Background: The dynamic trends of pulmonary function in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors since discharge have been rarely described. We aimed to describe the changes of lung function and identify risk factors for impaired diffusion capacity.

Methods: Non-critical COVID-19 patients admitted to the Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, China, were enrolled from March to June 2020.

[Dynamics and influencing factors of stem diameter micro-variations during the growing season in two typical forestation species in the loess hilly region, China.].

Using DC3 high-resolution dendrometer and Granier-type thermal dissipation probes, we measured stem diameter micro-variations and xylem sap flow of two typical forestation species, and , for a growing season in the loess hilly region of China. The main environmental factors (soil water content, solar radiation, air temperature and relative humidity) were monitored. The linkage between diameter micro-variations and transpiration water use were analyzed with respect to their responses to environmental factors.

Operating Performance Improvement Based on Prediction and Grade Assessment for Sintering Process.

Sintering is the preproduction process of ironmaking, whose products are the basis of ironmaking. How to improve the operating performance of the iron ore sintering process has always been a problem that operators are committed to solve. An operating performance improvement method based on prediction and grade assessment is presented in this article.

Correlation of radiomic features on dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance with microvessel density in hepatocellular carcinoma based on different models.

Objective: To explore the correlations of radiomic features of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) with microvessel density (MVD) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), based on single-input and dual-input two-compartment extended Tofts (SITET and DITET) models.

Methods: We compared the quantitative parameters of SITET and DITET models for DCE-MRI in 30 patients with HCC using paired sample -tests. The correlations of SITET and DITET model parameters with CD31-MVD and CD34-MVD were analyzed using Pearson's correlation analysis.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Community in Roots and Nitrogen Uptake Patterns of Understory Trees Beneath Ectomycorrhizal and Non-ectomycorrhizal Overstory Trees.

Nitrogen (N) is an essential plant nutrient, and plants can take up N from several sources, including via mycorrhizal fungal associations. The N uptake patterns of understory plants may vary beneath different types of overstory trees, especially through the difference in their type of mycorrhizal association (arbuscular mycorrhizal, AM; or ectomycorrhizal, ECM), because soil mycorrhizal community and N availability differ beneath AM (non-ECM) and ECM overstory trees (e.g.

Mapping forest type and age in China's plantations.

Forest age serves as an essential factor in determining the accuracy of historical and future carbon (C) uptake quantifications, which is especially critical for China since the forest C stock dynamics are sensitive to the fast-growing, young-age plantations. However, a spatially explicit forest age maps with specific focus on forest plantations is not available yet. In this study, we developed a 1-km resolution age and type maps of forest plantations, and quantified their uncertainties spatially using field-measured data, national forest inventory data, digitalized forest maps, and remote sensing-based forest height maps.

Combined application of silicon and nitric oxide jointly alleviated cadmium accumulation and toxicity in maize.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination is a serious threat to plants and humans. Application of silicon (Si) or nitric oxide (NO) could alleviate Cd accumulation and toxicity in plants, but whether they have joint effects on alleviating of Cd accumulation and toxicity are not known. Therefore, the combined effect of Si and NO application on maize growth, Cd uptake, Cd transports and Cd accumulation were investigated in a pot experiment.

Evaluation of liver function using the hepatocyte enhancement fraction based on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using the hepatocyte enhancement fraction (HEF) based on gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessing the liver function in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Methods: Sixty patients with Child-Pugh grade A (CP-A), 18 with Child-Pugh grade B (CP-B), 2 with Child-Pugh grade C (CP-C), and 20 with normal liver function (NLF) were enrolled. Gadolinium ethoxybenzyldiethy-lenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced MRI was conducted.

Inhibition of NMDA Receptors Downregulates Astrocytic AQP4 to Suppress Seizures.

Aquaporin 4 (AQP4), a water-specific channel protein locating on the astrocyte membrane, has been found to be antagonist, agonist and undergone closely related to epilepsy. Our previous study showed that inhibition of an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) subunit NR2A can suppress epileptic seizures, suggesting that AQP4 is potentially involved in NR2A-mediated epilepsy treatment. In this study, we aimed to explore the relevance of AQP4 in NR2A-mediated seizures treatment in pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced rat models.

Soil nitrogen cycling is determined by the competition between mycorrhiza and ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes.

Mycorrhizal fungi have considerable effects on soil carbon (C) storage, as they control the decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM), by modifying the amount of soil nitrogen (N) available for free-living microbes. Through their access to organic N, ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi compete with free-living soil microbes; this competition is thought to slow down SOM decomposition. However, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi cannot decompose SOM, and therefore must wait for N to first be processed by free-living microbes.

[Time lag of stem sap flow and its relationships with transpiration characteristics in Quercus liaotungensis and Robina pseudoacacia in the loess hilly region, China].

Using Granier-type thermal dissipation probes (TDP), we measured stem xylem sap flow of the natural dominant species Quercus liaotungensis and a reforestation species Robinia pseudoacacia from July to September in 2016 in the semiarid loess hilly region. Meteorological factors and soil water content were simultaneously monitored during the study period. Using cross-correlation analysis, time lag between diurnal patterns of sap flux density and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was quantitatively estimated.

Climate and litter C/N ratio constrain soil organic carbon accumulation.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays critical roles in stabilizing atmospheric CO concentration, but the mechanistic controls on the amount and distribution of SOC on global scales are not well understood. In turn, this has hampered the ability to model global C budgets and to find measures to mitigate climate change. Here, based on the data from a large field survey campaign with 2600 plots across China's forest ecosystems and a global collection of published data from forested land, we find that a low litter carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N) and high wetness index (P/PET, precipitation-to-potential-evapotranspiration ratio) are the two factors that promote SOC accumulation, with only minor contributions of litter quantity and soil texture.

Predicting the influence of future climate change on the suitable distribution areas of Elaeagnus angustifolia.

Climate change significantly affects geographic distribution of plants worldwide. Understanding the influence of climate change on the suitable areas of afforestation tree species in China and taking timely countermeasures are crucial for improving the effectiveness of afforestation. Elaeagnus angustifolia is a good species for ecological restoration of degraded lands and control of desertification.

Allocation pattern and accumulation potential of carbon stock in natural spruce forests in northwest China.

Background: The spruce forests are dominant communities in northwest China, and play a key role in national carbon budgets. However, the patterns of carbon stock distribution and accumulation potential across stand ages are poorly documented.

Methods: We investigated the carbon stocks in biomass and soil in the natural spruce forests in the region by surveys on 39 plots.

[Carbon storage and sequestration potential of five typical plantation ecosystems in Gansu Province, China].

Based on the data of the field investigation and laboratory and the database of the 8 national forestry inventory, ecosystem carbon density, storage amount, and sequestration potential of tree layer were estimated for five typical plantation ecosystems (Robinia pseudoacacia, Populus spp., Pinus tabuliformis Pinus armandii, which were grouped as one kind of ecosystems, Larix principis-rupprechtii, and Picea asperata) in Gansu Province. The results showed that the average carbon density and total carbon storage of the five typical plantation ecosystems were 139.

[Sap flow characteristics of Quercus liaotungensis in response to sapwood area and soil moisture in the loess hilly region, China].

To examine the characteristics of sap flow in Quercus liaotungensis and their response to environmental factors under different soil moisture conditions, Granier-type thermal dissipation probes were used to measure xylem sap flow of trees with different sapwood area in a natural Q. liaotungensis forest in the loess hilly region. Solar radiation, air temperature, relative air humidity, precipitation, and soil moisture were monitored during the study period.