Deciphering the impact of cascade reservoirs on nitrogen transport and nitrate transformation: Insights from multiple isotope analysis and machine learning.

Construction of cascade reservoirs has altered nutrient dynamics and biogeochemical cycles, thereby influencing the composition and productivity of river ecosystems. The Lancang River (LCR), characterized by its cascade reservoir system, presents uncertainties in nitrogen transport and nitrate transformation mechanisms. Herein, we conducted monthly monitoring of hydrochemistry and multiple stable isotopes (δN-NO, δO-NO, δO-HO, δD-HO) throughout 2019 in both the natural river reach (NRR) and cascade reservoirs reach (CRR) of the LCR.

Mesenchymal stromal cell-based therapy in lung diseases; from research to clinic.

Recent studies demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are important for the cell-based therapy of diseased or injured lung due to their immunomodulatory and regenerative properties as well as limited side effects in experimental animal models. Preclinical studies have shown that MSCs have also a remarkable effect on the immune cells, which play major roles in the pathogenesis of multiple lung diseases, by modulating their activity, proliferation, and functions. In addition, MSCs can inhibit both the infiltrated immune cells and detrimental immune responses in the lung and can be used in treating lung diseases caused by a virus infection such as Tuberculosis and SARS-COV-2.

Nitrate transformation and source tracking of Yarlung Tsangpo River using a multi-tracer approach combined with Bayesian stable isotope mixing model.

Excessive levels of nitrate nitrogen (NO-N) could lead to ecological issues, particularly in the Yarlung Tsangpo River (YTR) region located on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the fate and sources of nitrogen to facilitate pollution mitigation efforts. Herein, multiple isotopes and source resolution models were applied to analyze key transformation processes and quantify the sources of NO.

Enhancing precursor supply and modulating metabolism to achieve high-level production of β-farnesene in Yarrowia lipolytica.

β-Farnesene is a sesquiterpene commonly found in essential oils of plants, with applications spanning from agricultural pest control and biofuels to industrial chemicals. The use of renewable substrates in microbial cell factories offers a sustainable approach to β-farnesene biosynthesis. In this study, malic enzyme from Mucor circinelloides was examined for NADPH regeneration, concomitant with the augmentation of cytosolic acetyl-CoA supply by expressing ATP-citrate lyase from Mus musculus and manipulating the citrate pathway via AMP deaminase and isocitrate dehydrogenase.

Community composition and abundance of complete ammonia oxidation (comammox) bacteria in the Lancang River cascade reservoir.

The construction of the reservoir has changed the nitrogen migration and transformation processes in the river, and a large amount of sediment deposition in the reservoir may also lead to the spatial differentiation of complete ammonia oxidation (comammox) bacteria. The study investigated the abundance and diversity of comammox bacteria in the sediments of three cascade reservoirs, namely, Xiaowan, Manwan, and Nuozhadu on the Lancang River in China. In these reservoirs, the average amoA gene abundance of clade A and clade B of comammox bacteria, ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) was 4.

Nitrogen fixation of Cyndon dactylon: A possible strategy coping with long-term flooding in the Three Gorges Reservoir.

The Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) is one of the largest hydropower projects around the world which greatly alters the ecological function of the original ecosystem. The riparian zone of TGR is subject to a frequent fluctuation of water level, leading to severe nitrogen loss by leaching. Cyndon dactylon, a perennial stress tolerant plant, is one of the dominant plant species in the riparian zone of TGR.

Niche differentiation of comammox Nitrospira in sediments of the Three Gorges Reservoir typical tributaries, China.

Complete ammonia oxidizer (Comammox) can complete the whole nitrification process independently, whose niche differentiation is important guarantee for its survival and ecological function. This study investigated the niche differentiation of comammox Nitrospira in the sediments of three typical tributaries of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR). Clade A and clade B of comammox Nitrospira coexisted in all sampling sites simultaneously.

CRISPR gene editing of major domestication traits accelerating breeding for Solanaceae crops improvement.

Domestication traits particularly fruit size and plant architecture and flowering are critical in transforming a progenitor's wild stature into a super improved plant. The latest advancements in the CRISPR system, as well as its rapid adoption, are speeding up plant breeding. Solanaceae has a varied range of important crops, with a few model crops, such as tomato and, more recently, groundcherry, serving as a foundation for developing molecular techniques, genome editing tools, and establishing standards for other crops.

Core-shell structured PtRu nanoparticles@FeP promoter with an efficient nanointerface for alcohol fuel electrooxidation.

In this study, a bottleneck was overcome for direct alcohol fuel cells using state-of-the-art PtRu catalysts for alcohol fuel oxidation. Herein, a core-shell structured PtRu catalyst system based on the emerging promoter FeP was developed that showed excellent catalytic performance for the oxidation of alcohol fuels. The surface spectrometric analysis and morphology observation confirmed the formation of a nanointerface of the PtRu shell and FeP core hybrid catalyst (PtRu@FeP), and efficient ligand effects and electronic effects were found to result from the noble metal active sites and adjacent promoter in the core-shell structure.

An Fe-doped NiTe bulk crystal as a robust catalyst for the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction.

An Fe doped NiTe bulk crystal was demonstrated as a robust catalyst for the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction. The promotion effect at least can be correlated with the significant electronic effect and the formation of lattice oxygen via bimetallic synergy by Fe doping.

Tracing the sources of nitrate in the rivers and lakes of the southern areas of the Tibetan Plateau using dual nitrate isotopes.

Based on a quantitative analysis of nitrate concentrations, the nitrate sources and temporal variability of the rivers, lakes, and wetlands of Tibet were assessed for the first time using dual isotope technology. Water samples were collected once in July 2017 for analysis of nitrate concentration and isotopic composition. The overall values of δN-NO and δO-NO ranged from +1.

Research on the synthesis and scale inhibition performance of a new terpolymer scale inhibitor.

A new terpolymer named β-CD-MA-SSS was produced using free-radical polymerization of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), maleic-anhydride (MA) and sodium-styrene-sulfonate (SSS) as monomers, with potassium persulfate (KPS) as initiator. Its performance as a scale inhibitor to prevent deposition of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) has been investigated. Experimental results demonstrated that β-CD-MA-SSS performed excellent scale inhibition and exhibited a high conversion rate under the following conditions: initiator consisting of 6%, molar ratio of reaction monomers SSS:MA = 0.