Advancements in functional adsorbents for sustainable recovery of rare earth elements from wastewater: A comprehensive review of performance, mechanisms, and applications.

Rare earth elements (REEs) are crucial metallic resources that play an essential role in national economies and industrial production. The reclaimation of REEs from wastewater stands as a significant supplementary strategy to bolster the REEs supply. Adsorption techniques are widely recognized as environmentally friendly and sustainable methods for the separation of REEs from wastewater.

Life History Strategies of the Winter Annual Plant (Asteraceae) in a Cold Desert Population.

Turcz. is a winter annual species of the Asteraceae family, distributed in sandy areas of northern China, and is crucial for wind avoidance and sand fixation. To understand the inter- and intra-annual population dynamics of in its cold desert habitats, we conducted long- and short-term demographic studies to investigate the timing of germination, seedling survival, soil seed bank and seed longevity of natural populations on the fringe of the Tengger Desert.

Exploring the Potential of Selenium-Containing Amine (Se-AMA) to Enhance Photosynthesis and Leaf Water Content: New Avenues for Carbonic Anhydrase Modulation in .

Global changes and growing demands have led to the development of new molecular approaches to improve crop physiological performances. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) enzymes, ubiquitous across various life kingdoms, stand out for their critical roles in plant photosynthesis and water relations. We hypothesize that the modulators of human CAs could affect plant physiology.

Effect of Speciation Transformation of Cadmium (Cd) on P-Wave Velocity Under Moisture Regulation in Soils.

This study aims to investigate the influence of cadmium (Cd) speciation transformation on P-wave velocity under different soil moisture conditions, providing critical insights into the subsurface characteristics of contaminated soils. Taking Cd-contaminated soil as the research subject, P-wave velocity and the speciation distribution of Cd in soils with different moisture contents and Cd adsorption levels were measured. The results reveal that when the soil is contaminated by Cd, the porosity is altered and it eventually lead to change P-wave velocity.

Bioremediation of Heavy Metal-Contaminated Solution and Aged Refuse by Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation: Further Insights into .

Recently, the ability of microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) to remediate heavy metals has been widely explored. was selected to remediate heavy metal-contaminated solution and aged refuse, exploring the feasibility of bioremediation of heavy metals and analyzing the changes in heavy metal forms before and after bioremediation, as well as the mechanism of remediation. The results showed that achieved remediation rates of 95%, 84%, 97%, and 98% for Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cr (III) in contaminated solution, respectively.

Identification and Functional Analysis of Candidate Genes Influencing Citrus Leaf Size Through Transcriptome and Coexpression Network Approaches.

Background: Leaves are the main organs involved in photosynthesis. They capture light energy and promote gas exchange, and their size and shape affect yield. Identifying the regulatory networks and key genes that control citrus leaf size is essential for increasing citrus crop yield.

Structural Characterization of Foxtail Millet () Polysaccharides and Evaluation of Its Antioxidant and Immunostimulatory Activities.

A water-soluble polysaccharide from foxtail millet (FM-D1) was isolated and purified through gradient ethanol precipitation and column chromatography. Size-Exclusion Chromatography-Multi-Angle Light Scattering-Refractive Index (SEC-MALLS-RI) and high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC) analyses revealed that FM-D1 constitutes a highly purified neutral polysaccharide exclusively composed of glucose as the sugar unit, with a molecular weight of 14.823 kDa.

Comparing the Structural and Physicochemical Properties of Highland Barley -Glucan from Different Sources: A Focus on Color.

Herein, -glucan (BG) was extracted from different colored varieties of highland barley (HB, ), defined as BBG, WBG, and LBG depending on the colors of black, white, and blue and their molecular structure and physicochemical properties were investigated through a series of technical methods. The high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC) results indicated the extracted BBG, LBG, and WBG mainly comprised glucose regardless of color. The molecular weight (M) of BBG, LBG, and WBG were 55.

Population genetic structure of Phaedranassa cinerea Ravenna (Amaryllidaceae) and conservation implications.

Background: Andean orography has shaped the endemism of plant species in montane forests, creating a mosaic of habitats in small and isolated areas. Understanding these endemic species' genetic diversity patterns is crucial for their conservation. Phaedranassa cinerea (Amaryllidaceae), a species restricted to the western Andes of Ecuador, is listed as "vulnerable" according to the IUCN criteria.

The cell colony development is connected with the accumulation of embryogenesis-related proteins and dynamic distribution of cell wall components in in vitro cultures of Fagopyrum tataricum and Fagopyrum esculentum.

Background: Due to the totipotency of plant cells, which allows them to reprogram from a differentiated to a dedifferentiated state, plants exhibit a remarkable regenerative capacity, including under in vitro culture conditions. When exposed to plant hormones, primarily auxins and cytokinins, explant cells cultured in vitro can undergo differentiation through callus formation. Protoplast culture serves as a valuable research model for studying these processes in detail.

Evaluating the effect of biochar rate and combination with fertilizer on the dynamics of soil nitrogen supply in tea plantation.

Tea plantations commonly receive substantial quantities of nitrogen (N) fertilizer, with potential for considerable N loss to occur. This study assessed N retention in acidic tea plantation soil and examined how different biochar application rates and fertilizer combinations affect N dynamics, highlighting the importance of innovative technologies to monitor and enhance N supply management. This research adopted a modified 2-week aerobic incubation and ion-exchange membrane (IEM) techniques to evaluate the soil N supply in tea plantations following early-summer top-dressing as influenced by various biochar rates and fertilizer combinations.

Preparation of efficient and reusable lanthanum and iron co-modified soda residue for selective phosphate removal from domestic sewage.

The selection of suitable raw materials as adsorbents is a key factor in effectively removing phosphorus from water. As an industrial by-product, soda residue exhibits high porosity and surface area, which can effectively adsorb pollutants. Magnetic lanthanum-iron soda residue (La-Fe-CSR) was synthesized using the co-precipitation method, and its characterization and mechanism for removing phosphate were thoroughly investigated.

Realist evaluation of the AKU-SONAM mentorship program.

Background & Objectives: The context, mechanism, and outcome (CMO) framework is meant to identify specific contextual factors (C) related to organizational and program structure that trigger certain mechanisms (M) involving the unique characteristics of a program, leading to specific outcomes (O). The purpose of this study was to explore the contextual underpinnings, operational processes, and resultant effects of the faculty mentorship program at AKU-SONAM. This exploration involved the context in terms of organizational culture, mechanisms examining processes such as communication between mentors and mentees, quality of relationships, the challenges encountered, and the program's adaptability to cope up while, outcomes encompassed improvements in interpersonal relationships, career advancement, and skill development.

Host Manipulations Within Mutualisms: Role of Plant Hormones in Selective Resource Allocation.

In some mutualisms involving host plants, photoassimilates are provided as rewards to symbionts. Endophagous organisms often manipulate host plants to increase access to photoassimilates. Host manipulations by endophagous organisms that are also mutualists are poorly understood.

Membrane Treatment to Improve Water Recycling in an Italian Textile District.

The textile district of Prato (Italy) has developed a wastewater recycling system of considerable scale. The reclaimed wastewater is characterized by high levels of hardness (32 °F on average), which precludes its direct reuse in numerous wet textile processes (e.g.

Crisscross Moss Growth Optimization: An Enhanced Bio-Inspired Algorithm for Global Production and Optimization.

Global optimization problems, prevalent across scientific and engineering disciplines, necessitate efficient algorithms for navigating complex, high-dimensional search spaces. Drawing inspiration from the resilient and adaptive growth strategies of moss colonies, the moss growth optimization (MGO) algorithm presents a promising biomimetic approach to these challenges. However, the original MGO can experience premature convergence and limited exploration capabilities.

Preparation of Highly Stable Wood with Fast Curing, Ultraviolet, and Mildew Resistance through Copper-Montmorillonite Nanoparticles Hybridized with Tung Oil.

Wood has a number of undesirable inherent properties that limit its ability to be used in a wider range of applications. For this reason, in this study, copper-montmorillonite nanoparticles were prepared from natural biomass tung oil and the natural mineral montmorillonite by the ion exchange method. Modified wood with tung oil intercalated with copper-montmorillonite was prepared by a simple and environmentally friendly impregnation and natural curing process.

Transnational learning and teaching activities: Smart Healthcare Engineering.

The new maintenance engineers become self-taught and learn from daily dedication, from solving repetitive problems, from exchanging experiences with a colleague, from reading a recommended book and little else. Their own experience has been the main reference for maintenance professionals who have not given up and have become experts. And within the maintenance activities, sanitary engineering plays a very important role.

Iterative optimization annotation pipeline and ALSS-YOLO-Seg for efficient banana plantation segmentation in UAV imagery.

Precise segmentation of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-captured images plays a vital role in tasks such as crop yield estimation and plant health assessment in banana plantations. By identifying and classifying planted areas, crop areas can be calculated, which is indispensable for accurate yield predictions. However, segmenting banana plantation scenes requires a substantial amount of annotated data, and manual labeling of these images is both timeconsuming and labor-intensive, limiting the development of large-scale datasets.

Consolidated Newborn Bloodspot Screening Efforts in Developing Countries in the Asia Pacific-2024.

Approximately half of all births globally occur in the Asia Pacific Region. Concerted efforts to support local activities aimed at developing national newborn screening (NBS) have been ongoing for almost 30 years, first by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and then through volunteer efforts. Sustainable newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) continues to be initiated and develop in many of the countries with developing economies in the region.

Impact of peer interaction on maternal health service utilization in rural northwest China.

Background: Effective use of health services by pregnant and postpartum woman (PPWs) is crucial to maternal and child health. Most maternal deaths are attributed to inadequate maternal health services, especially in rural areas. As a vulnerable group, rural PPWs can effectively prevent and reduce maternal and infant health risk factors through whole-process health management and ensure the health and safety of mothers and infants.

Comprehensive prediction of potential spatiotemporal distribution patterns, priority planting regions, and introduction adaptability of in the Chinese region.

The natural grassland in China is facing increasingly serious degradation. L., as an important native alpine grass, is widely used in the restoration and improvement of natural grassland.

Fine-root and leaf acquisitive traits decoupled from chloride accumulation in reflecting the differential salinity tolerance among hybrids.

Improving crop salinity management requires enhanced understanding of salinity responses of leaf and fine-root traits governing resource acquisition, ideally in relation to ion accumulation at intra- or inter-specific levels. We hypothesized that these responses are coupled towards integrated resource conservation for plants under prolonged salt treatment. We tested the hypothesis with a glasshouse experiment on saplings of six contrasting hybrids, subjected to either control or salt treatment (reverse osmosis water versus 3.

The active layer soils of Greenlandic permafrost areas can function as important sinks for volatile organic compounds.

Permafrost is a considerable carbon reservoir harboring up to 1700 petagrams of carbon accumulated over millennia, which can be mobilized as permafrost thaws under global warming. Recent studies have highlighted that a fraction of this carbon can be transformed to atmospheric volatile organic compounds, which can affect the atmospheric oxidizing capacity and contribute to the formation of secondary organic aerosols. In this study, active layer soils from the seasonally unfrozen layer above the permafrost were collected from two distinct locations of the Greenlandic permafrost and incubated to explore their roles in the soil-atmosphere exchange of volatile organic compounds.

Optimizing nitrogen fertilization rate to achieve high yield and high soil quality in paddy ecosystems with straw incorporation.

Plastic film mulching is a potentially water-saving cultivation strategy, while straw return coupled with nitrogen (N) fertilization can ensure sustainable soil productivity and increased soil organic matter (SOM) sequestration. Nevertheless, a comprehensive understanding of how soil quality and agronomic productivity respond to long-term N fertilization and straw incorporation practices under non-flooded conditions with plastic film mulching remains elusive. Herein, a 15-year field experiment with straw incorporation practices (straw return and no straw return) under various N fertilization rates (N0, N1, N2, N3, and N4: 0, 45, 90, 135, and 180 kg N ha, respectively) was conducted to explore their long-term effects.