Competitive and synergic evolution of the water-food-ecology system: A case study of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, China.

A vital approach to attaining sustainable development lies in the in-depth examination of both competition and synergy between these subsystems from a water-food-ecology (WFE) system perspective, while previous or existing studies have limitations in to quantitative characterize and evaluation the cooperative and competitive relationships between different systems. In this study, an evaluation indicator system is constructed from the two dimensions of resources and efficiency, and the WFE synergic development capacity (WFE-SDC) is proposed by integrating the order degree of the coupled system, enables a multidimensional and comprehensive quantitative assessment of the sustainable development of the WFE system. Then a synergic evolution model is constructed to explore the competitive and synergic evolution of the WFE system in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Genome-wide association mapping for yield-related traits in soybean (Glycine max) under well-watered and drought-stressed conditions.

Soybean () productivity is significantly reduced by drought stress. Breeders are aiming to improve soybean grain yields both under well-watered (WW) and drought-stressed (DS) conditions, however, little is known about the genetic architecture of yield-related traits. Here, a panel of 188 soybean germplasm was used in a genome wide association study (GWAS) to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers linked to yield-related traits including pod number per plant (PN), biomass per plant (BM) and seed weight per plant (SW).

Dry deposition effect of urban green spaces on ambient particulate matter pollution in China.

Particulate matter (PM) is a major source of urban air pollution that poses a serious threat to the environment and human health. This study quantified the dry deposition effect of PM and PM on vegetation using a mathematical model to overcome the limitations of traditional site-scale research. Additionally, multi-source satellite remote sensing products were combined to form a raster dataset to estimate the effect of dry deposition on PM and PM in China's urban green spaces from 2000 to 2020.

Reversible cross-linking of gelatin by a disulphide-containing bis-succinimide for tunable degradation and release.

Generally, gelatin was irreversibly cross-linked by chemical reagents to improve its water-resistance. However, few chemical reagents meet both the requirements of high cross-inking efficiency and tunable degradation. Here a reversible cross-linker, disulphide-containing bis-succinimide, was synthesized and used to control the cross-linking and degradation of edible gelatin film.

Bridge-DNA synthesis triggered by an allosteric aptamer for the colorimetric detection of pathogenic bacteria.

Rapid and sensitive quantification of pathogenic bacteria is highly desired for environmental health supervision and food safety control. Yet, the amplification and detection of bacteria with a concentration lower than 10 cfu mL remains a great challenge. Here, we combined an allosteric aptamer (AAP) with a gold nanoparticle (AuNP) for assembling a bridge-DNA synthesis system (named as AuNP-BDS) to amplify the bacterial signals.

The synergism between self-activated and impurity-related emissions of LiCaZnVO: lattice distortion, energy transfer and temperature sensing effect.

Some of the metal vanadates have special self-activated luminescence. In order to further enrich its luminous color, luminescent impurity ions can be introduced into its lattice. The interaction between the self-activated emission and the impurity-related emission remains to be studied.

An anti-bacterial porous shape memory self-adaptive stiffened polymer for alveolar bone regeneration after tooth extraction.

The regeneration of alveolar bone after tooth extraction is critical for the placement of dental implants. Developing a rigid porous scaffold with defect shape adaptability is of great importance but challenging for alveolar bone regeneration. Herein, we design and synthesize a biocompatible poly(l-glutamic acid)--poly(-caprolactone) (PLGA--PCL) porous shape memory (SM) polymer.

On-bead DNA synthesis triggered by allosteric probe for detection of carcinoembryonic antigen.

Sensitive quantification of protein biomarkers is highly desired for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Yet, unlike DNA/RNA which can be greatly amplified by PCR/RT-PCR, the amplification and detection of trace amount of proteins remain a great challenge. Here, we combined allosteric probe (AP) with magnetic bead (MB) for assembling an on-bead DNA synthesis system (named as APMB) to amplify protein signals.

A novel ecohydrological model by capturing variations in climate change and vegetation coverage in a semi-arid region of China.

Variations in vegetation are influenced by regional climate regimes and, in turn, control the water balance behavior in water-limited regions. Owing to its role in ecohydrological processes, vegetation is an essential link in modeling the relationships among climate conditions, vegetation patterns, and dynamic water balance behavior. However, previous ecohydrological models have been empirical and complex, without physically significant parameters.

Ultrahigh Charge Separation Achieved by Selective Growth of BiOI Nanoplates on Electron-Accumulating Facets of BiOI Nanobelts.

Ultrahigh charge separation was observed in BiOI/BiOI two-dimensional (2D)/one-dimensional (1D) hierarchical structures (HSs) constructed by selective growth of 2D monocrystalline BiOI nanoplates on the electron-accumulating (100) facet of 1D monocrystalline BiOI nanobelts. In addition to the presence of type-II heterojunction between BiOI and BiOI elementary entities in 2D/1D HSs, the type-II (100)/(001) surface heterojunction in BiOI nanobelt substrates was also confirmed by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and selective photoreduction/oxidation deposition experiments. The synergistic effect of two kinds of heterojunctions in BiOI/BiOI 2D/1D HSs endowed them with ultrahigh charge carrier separation and transfer characteristics.

HDAC5 promotes intestinal sepsis via the Ghrelin/E2F1/NF-κB axis.

In the current study, we sought to determine the roles of histone deacetylase 5 (HDAC5) on the promotion of intestinal sepsis in a mouse model. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay was used to determine the binding relationship between HDAC5 and Ghrelin. Cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) was used as an animal model of intestinal sepsis.

Ghrelin Alleviates Intestinal Dysfunction in Sepsis Through the KLF4/MMP2 Regulatory Axis by Activating SIRT1.

Intestinal barrier dysfunction is an important contributor to morbidity caused by sepsis. This study investigates the molecular mechanism by which Ghrelin affects intestinal dysfunction in rat model of sepsis. A rat model of sepsis was established by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), revealing that Ghrelin was downregulated when sepsis occurs.

Engineering Resistance to Bacterial Blight and Bacterial Leaf Streak in Rice.

Background: Xanthomonas oryzae (Xo) is one of the important pathogenic bacterial groups affecting rice production. Its pathovars Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) and Xanthomonas oryzae pv.

Using a safe and effective fixative to improve the immunofluorescence staining of bacteria.

The emerging and development of green chemistry has once again drawn the researchers' attention to eliminating the use and generation of hazardous materials. Here we report the use of a safe and effective fixative, chlorine dioxide (ClO), instead of traditional hazardous fixatives for the cross-linking of cellular proteins to improve immunofluorescence staining of bacteria. The concentration of ClOneeded for 100% fixation is 50g ml, which is much lower than that of traditional fixatives (1000-10000g ml).

Effect of chemical aging of Alternanthera philoxeroides-derived biochar on the adsorption of Pb(II).

In this study, biochar was prepared from Alternanthera philoxeroides (AP) under O-limited condition at 350 °C (LB) and 650 °C (HB) and treated with aging by HNO/HSO oxidation. Structural changes of the biochar after aging treatment and the treatment's effect on Pb(II) absorption were explored. The results showed that oxygen-containing functional groups, aromatic structure and surface area of the biochar increased after the aging treatment.

Cu and Fe Sensor Based on CdTe QD@ZIF-8 Composites.

TGA capped CdTe QDs have been encapsulated in miroporous ZIF-8, with no obvious deterioration of their photoluminescence property. The resulted CdTe QD@ZIF-8 composites show a higher luminescent stability in various buffer solution. The material has successfully been used as a luminescent indicator for the detection of Cu and Fe ions.

Antioxidant status and gut microbiota change in an aging mouse model as influenced by exopolysaccharide produced by Lactobacillus plantarum YW11 isolated from Tibetan kefir.

This study investigated the effect of exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by Lactobacillus plantarum YW11 on the oxidative status and gut microbiota in an aging mouse model induced with d-galactose. The in vitro assay of the antioxidant activity of the EPS showed concentration-dependent (0.25-3.

Controllable Synthesis of Polyhedral Fe₃O₄ Hollow Spheres Using Hexamethylenetetramine as Structure-Directing Agent.

Polyhedral Fe₃O₄ hollow spheres were synthesized using hexamethylenetetramine as structure-directing agent and the effect of hexamethylenetetramine on the morphology was investigated in detailed. The comparison for samples prepared with and without hexamethylenetetramine indicated that hexamethylenetetramine played a vital role in the formation process of the hollow polyhedral structure. The formation process and growth mechanism of Fe₃O₄ spheres with hollow polyhedral morphology were preliminarily explored according to a detailed time-dependent morphology and structure evolution.

Physicochemical characteristics and bioactivities of the exopolysaccharide and its sulphated polymer from Streptococcus thermophilus GST-6.

Exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by Streptococcus thermophilus GST-6 in skim milk was extracted and purified. The EPS was composed of glucose and galactose in a molar ratio of 1.80:1.

Photoluminescence Quenching of CdTe Quantum Dots Generated via Glutathione-Capped Au Nanocrystals.

The photoluminescence (PL) quenching of thioglycolic acid (TGA)-capped CdTe quantum dots (QDs) by glutathione (GSH)-capped Au nanocrystals (NCs) were investigated via PL degradated measurement. It was found that the PL of the QDs with several sizes can be effectively quenched by GSH-Au NCs. The size and PL peak wavelengths of QDs have no significant impact on the quenching processing.

Ultrasound-assisted heating extraction of pectin from grapefruit peel: optimization and comparison with the conventional method.

The extraction of pectin from grapefruit peel by ultrasound-assisted heating extraction (UAHE) was investigated using response surface methodology and compared with the conventional heating extraction (CHE). The optimized conditions were power intensity of 12.56 W/cm(2), extraction temperature of 66.

How the venetian blind percept emerges from the laminar cortical dynamics of 3D vision.

The 3D LAMINART model of 3D vision and figure-ground perception is used to explain and simulate a key example of the Venetian blind effect and to show how it is related to other well-known perceptual phenomena such as Panum's limiting case. The model proposes how lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and hierarchically organized laminar circuits in cortical areas V1, V2, and V4 interact to control processes of 3D boundary formation and surface filling-in that simulate many properties of 3D vision percepts, notably consciously seen surface percepts, which are predicted to arise when filled-in surface representations are integrated into surface-shroud resonances between visual and parietal cortex. Interactions between layers 4, 3B, and 2/3 in V1 and V2 carry out stereopsis and 3D boundary formation.

Where's Waldo? How perceptual, cognitive, and emotional brain processes cooperate during learning to categorize and find desired objects in a cluttered scene.

The Where's Waldo problem concerns how individuals can rapidly learn to search a scene to detect, attend, recognize, and look at a valued target object in it. This article develops the ARTSCAN Search neural model to clarify how brain mechanisms across the What and Where cortical streams are coordinated to solve the Where's Waldo problem. The What stream learns positionally-invariant object representations, whereas the Where stream controls positionally-selective spatial and action representations.