Imaging performance prediction of a hypersonic target in a geosynchronous orbit based on multi-dimensional information correlation of radiation, multi-spectral, and polarization.

Hypersonic target detection based on infrared intensity characteristics is easily disturbed by sea surface and cloud flares when detected by space-based optical systems, which results in a low detection rate, high false alarm, and difficulty in stable detection. This paper explores a method to improve target detection performance based on the correlation of infrared radiation, multi-spectral and polarization. Firstly, the comprehensive factors that influence complex ambient illumination, atmospheric transmission, and clutter background on spectral-polarization characteristics of hypersonic targets are analyzed. Based on the global radiation scattering theory, the temperature distribution model of the hypersonic target is established by using FLUENT. The polarization emission and pBRDF model of the target is established, and the radiation polarization transfer model is generated. Secondly, the sea surface temperature distribution is obtained by inversion of Landsat8 remote sensing data. The radiation polarization transfer model of the sea surface is established based on the Cox-Munk model combined with pBRDF and the polarization emission model. Thirdly, the polarization scattering effect of atmospheric particles on the upward radiation of the interaction of the target with the sunlight is considered comprehensively, and the 6SV radiative transfer model is used to calculate the polarization effect of atmospheric particles on the upward radiation transmission of the target and the background. Then, combined with the point diffusion of the optical system and the photoelectric conversion of the detector, the multi-dimensional full-chain imaging prediction model of the hypersonic target-sea background-ambient atmosphere-optical system-detector is established. The imaging characteristics and detection performance of the target in different imaging dimensions are simulated and analyzed with the signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR). The research shows that in the direction of reflected sunlight from the sea surface, the sea surface glare is suppressed and the target is highlighted through a target detection method of multi-dimensional information. This method has better detection results than the infrared multi-spectral detection method.

Specialized ovipositor sensilla of Cretaceous wasps (Insecta: Hymenoptera) possibly reveal a unique way of host detection.

Insects have evolved complex sensory systems that are important for feeding, defence and reproduction. Parasitoid wasps often spend much time and effort in searching for concealed hosts with the help of specialized sensilla. However, the early evolution of such behaviour and sensilla is poorly known. We describe two fossil female wasps, †Tichostephanus kachinensis sp. nov. and †Tichostephanus longus sp. nov., from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber. Phylogenetic analyses based on morphological data retrieved †Tichostephanus as deeply nested within Evanioidea and closely related to extant Gasteruptiidae and Evaniidae. Both of these Cretaceous wasps possess features, e.g. coronal tubercles and flexible ovipositor sheaths, that indicate that they might have laid eggs in wood where their larvae possibly parasitized insect larvae. They have a peculiar and unique 'bottle brush' of sensilla close to the apex of their ovipositor sheaths, which has not been observed in any extant parasitoid wasps. These sensilla comprise many regularly arranged plate-shaped setae, attached in relatively large sockets and with rows of longitudinal ridges. Such specialized sensilla perhaps served to enhance the ability to detect hosts inside wood.

Single-cell transcriptional profiling in osteosarcoma and the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on the tumor microenvironment.

Osteosarcoma (OS), a malignant tumor, originates from the bone marrow. Currently, treatment for OS remains limited, making it urgent to understand the immune response in the tumor microenvironment of patients with OS. A comprehensive bioinformatics analysis was performed, including cell clustering subgroups, differential expression genes screening, proposed temporal order, and genomic variant analysis on single-cell RNA-sequencing data, from ten pre-chemotherapy patients and eleven post-chemotherapy patients. Subsequently, we analyzed the differentiation trajectories of osteoblasts, osteoclasts, fibroblasts, myeloid cells, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in detail to compare the changes in cell proportions and differential genes pre- and post-chemotherapy. The nine cell types were identified, including fibroblasts, myeloid cells, osteoblasts, TILs, osteoclasts, proliferative osteoblasts, pericytes, endothelial cells, and B cells. Post-chemotherapy treatment, the proportions of myeloid cells and TILs in OS were declined, while the number of osteoblasts was elevated. Besides, a decrease was observed in CD74, FTL, FTH1, MT1X and MT2A, and an increase in PTN, COL3A1, COL1A1, IGFBP7 and FN1. Meanwhile, EMT, DNA repair, G2M checkpoint, and E2F targets were highly enriched post-chemotherapy. Furthermore, there was a down-regulation in the proportions of CD14 monocytes, Tregs, NK cells and CD1C-/CD141-DCs, while an up-regulation was observed in the proportions of SELENOP macrophages, IL7R macrophages, COL1A1 macrophages, CD1C DCs, CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells. Overall, these findings revealed changes in the tumor microenvironment of OS post-chemotherapy treatment, providing a new direction for investigating OS treatment.

The Role of Astrocytes in Migraine with Cortical Spreading Depression: Protagonists or Bystanders? A Narrative Review.

Cortical spreading depression (CSD) is a slow wave of cortical depolarization closely associated with migraines with an aura. Previously, it was thought that CSD depolarization was mainly driven by neurons, with characteristic changes in neuronal swelling and increased extracellular potassium (K+) and glutamate. However, the role of astrocytes, a member of the neurovascular unit, in migraine with CSD has recently received increasing attention. In the early stages of CSD, astrocytes provide neurons with energy support and clear K+ and glutamate from synaptic gaps. However, in the late stages of CSD, astrocytes release large amounts of lactic acid to exacerbate hypoxia when the energy demand exceeds the astrocytes' compensatory capacity. Astrocyte endfoot swelling is a characteristic of CSD, and neurons are not similarly altered. It is primarily due to K+ influx and abnormally active calcium (Ca2+) signaling. Aquaporin 4 (AQP-4) only mediates K+ influx and has little role as an aquaporin. Astrocytes endfoot swelling causes perivascular space closure, slowing the glymphatic system flow and exacerbating neuroinflammation, leading to persistent CSD. Astrocytes are double-edged swords in migraine with CSD and may be potential targets for CSD interventions.

A New Genus of Praeaulacidae (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea) from Mid-Cretaceous Kachin Amber: Insights into a Putative New Praeaulacinae Subclade.

A new praeaulacid genus and species, Azygdellitha nova gen. et sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on a male specimen from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber from Hukawng Valley, Myanmar. This newly discovered taxon increased the diversity of praeaulacid wasps during the Cretaceous period. While this new taxon shares similarities of wing venation with most species of the subfamily Praeaulacinae, it strongly differs from that of three genera previously described from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber: Mesevania, Paleosyncrasis, and Praegastrinus. We explore the possibility that these genera constitute a distinct tribe within the Praeaulacinae, distinguished by their wing venation. We provide illustrations and emphasize the potentially diagnostic traits supporting this classification.

Chemical constituents with antioxidant activity from the branches and leaves of Hultholia mimosoides.

Four undescribed homoisoflavanoids (1-4), one homoflavonoid (5), ten dibenzoxocin derivatives (6a-10a and 6b-10b), one dibenzoxocin-derived phenolic compound (11), one diterpenoid (13), three aliphatic dicarboxylic acid derivatives (14-16), together with the known diterpenoid 12-O-ethylneocaesalpin B (12) were obtained from the branches and leaves of Hultholia mimosoides. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic techniques. Notably, each of the dibenzoxocins 6-10 existed as a pair of interconvertible atropisomers and the conformation for these compounds was clarified by NMR and ECD analyses. Protosappanin F (11) was a previously undescribed dibenzoxocin-derived compound in which one of the benzene rings was hydrogenated to a polyoxygenated cyclohexane ring and an ether linkage was established between C-6 and C-12a. The isolated polyphenols were tested for induction of quinone reductase and compounds 3 and 8 showed potent QR-inducing activity in Hepa-1c1c7 cells.

Molecular mechanism of the influence of related genes expression in synovium tissue around shoulder joint of secondary frozen shoulder model rats on angiogenesis.

The study aimed to explore the pathogenesis of secondary frozen shoulder and its influence on synovium tissue and angiogenesis by constructing a rat secondary frozen shoulder model along with transforming growth factor. 40 healthy male rats aged 8 weeks were divided into Sham group (n=10, no modeling treatment), Control group (n=10, modeling treatment), Low group (n=10, modeling treatment, and 10 mL/d transforming growth factor), and High group (n=10, modeling treatment, and 20 mL/d transforming growth factor). Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE) method was used for histological detection, and Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical staining method were adopted to detect the expression of Matrix metalloproteinase-14 (MMP-14), mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK), and Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Compared with Sham group, the range of abduction and external rotation of rat glenohumeral joint in Control group, Low group, and High group was significantly reduced, and High group had the smallest range. Compared with the Sham group, the synovium in the Control group, the Low group, and the High group had obvious hyperplasia, and the blood vessels were significantly increased. Immunohistochemical staining and RT-PCR results showed that compared with Sham group, MMP-14, p38 MAPK, and VEGF in Control group, Low group, and High group all increased significantly, among which High group increased most. The secondary frozen shoulder is mainly manifested as synovial hyperplasia and increased blood vessels, which are related to the induction of MMP-14, p38 MAPK, and VEGF by transforming growth factor, which reveals the pathogenesis of secondary frozen shoulder to a certain extent, and lays a foundation for subsequent clinical treatment of secondary frozen shoulder.

One New Genus and Four New Species of Beaded Lacewings (Neuroptera: Berothidae) from Upper Cretaceous Myanmar Amber.

In recent years, as more and more fossil species of berothids from Myanmar have been reported, the species and morphological diversity of Berothidae continues to increase. Herein, one new species of Berothidae, Aggregataberotha paucipunctata sp. nov., and one new genus, Sejunctaberotha gen. nov., with three new species (Sejunctaberotha sphaerica gen. et sp. nov., Sejunctaberotha tenuis gen. et sp. nov. and Sejunctaberotha transversa gen. et sp. nov.) are described from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber. A. paucipunctata sp. nov. is assigned to Aggregataberotha Wang, Huang & Wang, 2022, based on the characteristics of the similar female terminalia and wing venation, but can be different from A. punctate regarding the pale pterostigma and a few detailed features of wing venation. Additionally, representatives of Sejunctaberotha gen. nov. are remarkably different from the representatives of the other genera within Berothidae in the configuration of wing venation. For example, Sejunctaberotha gen. nov. has simple subcostal veinlets, obviously free Sc and RA at the apex present both in fore- and hindwings, a single ra-rp crossvein connecting the RA with RP3, a single rp-m crossvein locating before the origin of the MP, a simple CuP and no gradate veins. Interestingly, in one of the specimens of Sejunctaberotha gen. nov., a pair of spherical bulges was found at the end of the antennae. The new genus Sejunctaberotha gen. nov. suggests that Berothidae had a higher potential diversification during the Mesozoic Era.

A Retrospective Study of Biological Risk Factors Associated with Primary Knee Osteoarthritis and the Development of a Nomogram Model.

Aim: A high percentage of the elderly suffer from knee osteoarthritis (KOA), which imposes a certain economic burden on them and on society as a whole. The purpose of this study is to examine the risk of KOA and to develop a KOA nomogram model that can timely intervene in this disease to decrease patient psychological burdens. Methods: Data was collected from patients with KOA and without KOA at our hospital from February 2021 to February 2023. Initially, a comparison was conducted between the variables, identifying statistical differences between the two groups. Subsequently, the risk of KOA was evaluated using the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator method and multivariate logistic regression to determine the most effective predictive index and develop a prediction model. The examination of the disease risk prediction model in KOA includes the corresponding nomogram, which encompasses various potential predictors. The assessment of disease risk entails the application of various metrics, including the consistency index (C index), the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve, the calibration chart, the GiViTi calibration band, and the model for predicting KOA. Furthermore, the potential clinical significance of the model is explored through decision curve analysis (DCA) and clinical influence curve analysis. Results: The study included a total of 582 patients, consisting of 392 patients with KOA and 190 patients without KOA. The nomogram utilized age, haematocrit, platelet count, apolipoprotein a1, potassium, magnesium, hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, and estimated glomerular filtration rate as predictors. The C index, AUC, calibration plot, Giviti calibration band, DCA and clinical influence KOA indicated the ability of nomogram model to differentiate KOA. Conclusion: Using nomogram based on disease risk, high-risk KOA can be identified directly without imaging.

HECTD2/TNFAIP1 Axis Regulating the p38/JNK Pathway to Promote an Inflammatory Response in Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The underlying processes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), one of the deadliest malignancies of the urinary system, are still poorly understood. HECT domain E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 2 (HECTD2) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase implicated in the pulmonary inflammatory response. This study investigated the impact of HECTD2 on regulating inflammation in RCC cells and its potential mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HECTD2 expression in RCC tissues was examined. Immunoprecipitation and western blot (WB) analysis confirmed that HECTD2 up-regulated euchromatic histone lysine methyltransferase 2 (EHMT2) protein degradation. ChIP experiments validated tumor necrosis factor α Inducing protein 1 (TNFAIP1) as a direct target of EHMT2. qRT-PCR determined HECTD2 and TNFAIP1 expression in RCC cells. Cell viability was assayed via CCK-8. ELISA was employed to measure the expression of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-8, and IL-1ß. WB analysis was conducted to test p38/JNK pathway-related protein (p38, p-p38, JNK, and p-JNK) expression. RESULTS: HECTD2 and TNFAIP1 were significantly up-regulated in RCC patient tissues and cells. Subsequent investigations revealed that HECTD2 promoted an inflammatory response in RCC cells. Additionally, HECTD2 up-regulated TNFAIP1 expression, and high TNFAIP1 expression could reverse the repressive impact of low HECTD2 expression on the inflammatory response in RCC cells. Rescue experiments demonstrated that the addition of p38/JNK pathway inhibitors attenuated the impact of TNFAIP1 overexpression on the RCC inflammatory response. CONCLUSION: Our findings establish a new mechanism by which HECTD2 exerts a pro-inflammatory role in RCC cells and present a prospective method for an anti-inflammatory intervention targeting the HECTD2/TNFAIP1 axis in malignancies.

Link between mutations in ACVRL1 and PLA2G4A genes and chronic intestinal ulcers: A case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Genetic factors of chronic intestinal ulcers are increasingly garnering attention. We present a case of chronic intestinal ulcers and bleeding associated with mutations of the activin A receptor type II-like 1 (ACVRL1) and phospholipase A2 group IVA (PLA2G4A) genes and review the available relevant literature. CASE SUMMARY: A 20-year-old man was admitted to our center with a 6-year history of recurrent abdominal pain, diarrhea, and dark stools. At the onset 6 years ago, the patient had received treatment at a local hospital for abdominal pain persisting for 7 d, under the diagnosis of diffuse peritonitis, acute gangrenous appendicitis with perforation, adhesive intestinal obstruction, and pelvic abscess. The surgical treatment included exploratory laparotomy, appendectomy, intestinal adhesiolysis, and pelvic abscess removal. The patient's condition improved and he was discharged. However, the recurrent episodes of abdominal pain and passage of black stools started again one year after discharge. On the basis of these features and results of subsequent colonoscopy, the clinical diagnosis was established as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Accordingly, aminosalicylic acid, immunotherapy, and related symptomatic treatment were administered, but the symptoms of the patient did not improve significantly. Further investigations revealed mutations in the ACVRL1 and PLA2G4A genes. ACVRL1 and PLA2G4A are involved in angiogenesis and coagulation, respectively. This suggests that the chronic intestinal ulcers and bleeding in this case may be linked to mutations in the ACVRL1 and PLA2G4A genes. Oral Kangfuxin liquid was administered to promote healing of the intestinal mucosa and effectively manage clinical symptoms. CONCLUSION: Mutations in the ACVRL1 and PLA2G4A genes may be one of the causes of chronic intestinal ulcers and bleeding in IBD. Orally administered Kangfuxin liquid may have therapeutic potential.

New findings of dipteromantispids (Insecta: Neuroptera) from Upper Cretaceous Myanmar amber.

A new genus and two new species, Tholimantispa zuoae gen. et sp. nov. and Mantispidipterella curvis sp. nov. are described from the Upper Cretaceous of northern Myanmar amber collected in 2015. Tholimantispa zuoae gen. et sp. nov. is characterized by its distinct pterostigma, broad costal space, bifurcate humeral veinlets, and so forth, and Mantispidipterella curvis sp. nov. is different from Mantispidipterella longissima Liu, Lu et Zhang, 2017 in its ScP (subcosta posterior) distinctly curved at fusing point with RA (radius anterior), RP (radius posterior) abruptly and angularly curved at ra-rp (crossvein between RA and RP), AA3 (third branches of the anterior anal vein) present. The new fossil species enrich the diversity of Dipteromantispidae in the Cretaceous.

Unsupervised Bidirectional Contrastive Reconstruction and Adaptive Fine-Grained Channel Attention Networks for image dehazing.

Recently, Unsupervised algorithms has achieved remarkable performance in image dehazing. However, the CycleGAN framework can lead to confusion in generator learning due to inconsistent data distributions, and the DisentGAN framework lacks effective constraints on generated images, resulting in the loss of image content details and color distortion. Moreover, Squeeze and Excitation channel attention employs only fully connected layers to capture global information, lacking interaction with local information, resulting in inaccurate feature weight allocation for image dehazing. To solve the above problems, in this paper, we propose an Unsupervised Bidirectional Contrastive Reconstruction and Adaptive Fine-Grained Channel Attention Networks (UBRFC-Net). Specifically, an Unsupervised Bidirectional Contrastive Reconstruction Framework (BCRF) is proposed, aiming to establish bidirectional contrastive reconstruction constraints, not only to avoid the generator learning confusion in CycleGAN but also to enhance the constraint capability for clear images and the reconstruction ability of the unsupervised dehazing network. Furthermore, an Adaptive Fine-Grained Channel Attention (FCA) is developed to utilize the correlation matrix to capture the correlation between global and local information at various granularities promotes interaction between them, achieving more efficient feature weight assignment. Experimental results on challenging benchmark datasets demonstrate the superiority of our UBRFC-Net over state-of-the-art unsupervised image dehazing methods. This study successfully introduces an enhanced unsupervised image dehazing approach, addressing limitations of existing methods and achieving superior dehazing results. The source code is available at https://github.com/Lose-Code/UBRFC-Net.

Primitive new termites (Blattodea, Termitoidae) in Cretaceous amber from Myanmar.

Mastotermitidae, the first-diverging extant family of termites, has only one relic extant species; however, this family had greater richness during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras. Fossil termites from the Cretaceous provide information on the early evolution of termites and the transition between extinct families. Herein, two new Mastotermitidae species found in upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Kachin amber are reported. One is a female imago described as Angustitermesreflexusgen. et sp. nov. and assigned to the subfamily Mastotermitinae. The other is Mastotermesreticulatussp. nov., which is described from an isolated forewing. With the comparison especially of the antenna and venation, these new mastotermitids further increase our knowledge of the diversity and morphology of Mastotermitidae during the Mesozoic.

New stenurothripid thrips from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (Thysanoptera, Stenurothripidae).

Hitherto, only two species of the thysanopteran suborder Terebrantia have been reported from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (Myanmar). This is here expanded through the discovery of two new genera and species, described and figured as Parallelothripsseparatusgen. et sp. nov. and Didymothripsabdominalisgen. et sp. nov., both of the family Stenurothripidae. Both taxa have key apomorphies of the Stenurothripidae, allowing for a confident assignment as to family. Both species have characteristic comb-like anteromarginal setae, which are discussed along with structural differences between the two sexes. Cycad pollen was found on the thrips' bodies, providing further evidence that Thysanoptera were pollinators of gymnosperms during the mid-Cretaceous.

Primary Adenosquamous Carcinoma of the Prostate.

Prostate cancer accounts for 29% of malignant diagnoses among men in the United States and is the second leading cause of death from cancer. Effective screening methods and improved treatment have decreased the mortality rate significantly. This decreased mortality rate, however, does not apply to all histologic variants. Adenosquamous carcinoma of the prostate is an extremely aggressive neoplasm with no current known curative therapy. It is often diagnosed after chemotherapy, radiation, or androgen deprivation therapy for traditional prostatic adenocarcinomas. Primary carcinomas of the prostate with squamous features include, but are not limited to, pure squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma mixed with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Important distinguishable clinical features of adenosquamous carcinoma include normal prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, even with advanced disease and osteolytic versus osteoblastic metastatic lesions in adenocarcinoma. Additional entities to consider in the differential diagnosis are squamous metaplasia of the prostate, secondary involvement of pure SCC, and urothelial carcinoma with squamous differentiation. Here, we present a de novo case of adenosquamous carcinoma in a 48-year-old man who rapidly developed extensive metastatic disease.

Identification of gene variation feature for targeted therapy of non-small cell lung cancer through combined method of DNA and RNA sequencing.

Next generation sequencing (NGS) is typically used to reveal tumor gene variation feature for targeted therapy of various types of human cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here, we report the role and potential applicable value of combining DNA and RNA sequencing in gene variation detection in NSCLC. 386 NSCLC patients with stage II-IV were enrolled and detected using NGS sequencing of DNA and RNA panels that covered all well-documented target driver genes from the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO). The rate of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) single nucleotide variation (SNV)/indel, mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (MET) copy number variation (CNV) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion were 52.1%, 4.1% and 6.0% in the NSCLC cohort. The landscapes of SNV/indel, CNV and gene fusion in the cohort were depicted as well. Meanwhile, we assessed detection efficacy of DNA and RNA sequencing in gene fusion. Detected number and types of gene fusion using the RNA sequencing were better than those using the DNA sequencing. Gene fusion with intergenic region was only detected by DNA sequencing and MET exon 14 skipping (METΔex14) was more easily identified by RNA sequencing. Finally, we investigated clinical correlations of SNV/indel/CNV/fusion with clinicopathologic features in the NSCLC cohort. Taken together, RNA sequencing significantly complements deficiency of DNA sequencing for gene fusion, which cooperatively presents comprehensive and reliable gene variation features and facilitate the identification of potential drug targets for NSCLC patients.

A winged relative of ice-crawlers in amber bridges the cryptic extant Xenonomia and a rich fossil record.

Until the advent of phylogenomics, the atypical morphology of extant representatives of the insect orders Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) and Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) had confounding effects on efforts to resolve their placement within Polyneoptera. This recent research has unequivocally shown that these species-poor groups are closely related and form the clade Xenonomia. Nonetheless, divergence dates of these groups remain poorly constrained, and their evolutionary history debated, as the few well-identified fossils, characterized by a suite of morphological features similar to that of extant forms, are comparatively young. Notably, the extant forms of both groups are wingless, whereas most of the pre-Cretaceous insect fossil record is composed of winged insects, which represents a major shortcoming of the taxonomy. Here, we present new specimens embedded in mid-Cretaceous amber from Myanmar and belonging to the recently described species Aristovia daniili. The abundant material and pristine preservation allowed a detailed documentation of the morphology of the species, including critical head features. Combined with a morphological data set encompassing all Polyneoptera, these new data unequivocally demonstrate that A. daniili is a winged stem Grylloblattodea. This discovery demonstrates that winglessness was acquired independently in Grylloblattodea and Mantophasmatodea. Concurrently, wing apomorphic traits shared by the new fossil and earlier fossils demonstrate that a large subset of the former "Protorthoptera" assemblage, representing a third of all known insect species in some Permian localities, are genuine representatives of Xenonomia. Data from the fossil record depict a distinctive evolutionary trajectory, with the group being both highly diverse and abundant during the Permian but experiencing a severe decline from the Triassic onwards.

Interaction of reed litter and biochar presences on performances of constructed wetlands.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are frequently used for effective biological treatment of nitrogen-rich wastewater with external carbon source addition; however, these approaches often neglect the interaction between plant litter and biochar in biochar-amended CW environments. To address this, we conducted a comprehensive study to assess the impacts of single or combined addition of common reed litter and reed biochar (pyrolyzed at 300 and 500 °C) on nitrogen removal, greenhouse gas emission, dissolved organic matter (DOM) dynamics, and microbial activity. The results showed that combined addition of reed litter and biochar to CWs significantly improved nitrate and total nitrogen removal compared with biochar addition alone. Compared to those without reed litter addition, CWs with reed litter addition had more low-molecular-weight and less aromatic DOM and more protein-like fluorescent DOM, which favored the enrichment of bacteria associated with denitrification. The improved nitrogen removal could be attributed to increases in denitrifying microbes and the relative abundance of functional denitrification genes with litter addition. Moreover, the combined addition of reed litter and 300 °C-heated biochar significantly decreased nitrous oxide (30.7 %) and methane (43.9 %) compared to reed litter addition alone, while the combined addition of reed litter and 500 °C-heated biochar did not. This study demonstrated that the presences of reed litter and biochar in CWs could achieve both high microbial nitrogen removal and relatively low greenhouse gas emissions.