Pt-Se Hybrid Nanozymes with Potent Catalytic Activities to Scavenge ROS/RONS and Regulate Macrophage Polarization for Osteoarthritis Therapy.

The activation of pro-inflammatory M1-type macrophages by overexpression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RONS) in synovial membranes contributes to osteoarthritis (OA) progression and cartilage matrix degradation. Here, combing Pt and Se with potent catalytic activities, we developed a hybrid Pt-Se nanozymes as ROS and RONS scavengers to exert synergistic effects for OA therapy. As a result, Pt-Se nanozymes exhibited efficient scavenging effect on ROS and RONS levels, leading to repolarization of M1-type macrophages. Furthermore, the polarization of synovial macrophages to the M2 phenotype inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory factors and salvaged mitochondrial function in arthritic chondrocytes. In vivo results also suggest that Pt-Se nanozymes effectively suppress the early progression of OA with an Osteoarthritis Research International Association score reduction of 68.21% and 82.66% for 4 and 8 weeks, respectively. In conclusion, this study provides a promising strategy to regulate inflammatory responses by macrophage repolarization processes for OA therapeutic.

Trophic relationships between protists and bacteria and fungi drive the biogeography of rhizosphere soil microbial community and impact plant physiological and ecological functions.

Rhizosphere microorganisms play a vital role in enhancing plant health, productivity, and the accumulation of secondary metabolites. Currently, there is a limited understanding of the ecological processes that control the assembly of community. To address the role of microbial interactions in assembly and for functioning of the rhizosphere soil microbiota, we collected rhizosphere soil samples from Anisodus tanguticus on the Tibetan Plateau spanning 1500 kilometers, and sequenced the bacteria, fungi, archaea, and protist communities. We observed a significant but weak distance-decay relationship in the microbial communities of rhizosphere soil. Our comprehensive analysis of spatial, abiotic, and biotic factors showed that trophic relationships between protists and bacteria and fungi predominantly influenced the alpha and beta diversity of bacterial, fungal, and protistan communities, while abiotic factors had a greater impact on archaeal communities, including soil pH, available phosphorus, total phosphorus and mean annual temperature. Importantly, microbial interactions had a more significant influence on Anisodus tanguticus physiological and ecological functions compared to individual microorganisms. Network analyses revealed that bacteria occupy a central position of the co-occurrence network and play a crucial role of connector within this community. The addition of protists increased the stability of bacterial, fungal, and archaeal networks. Overall, our findings indicate that trophic relationships play an important role in assembly and for functioning of the rhizosphere soil microbiota. Bacterial communities serve as a crucial link between different kingdoms of microorganisms in the rhizosphere community. These findings help us to fully harness the beneficial functions of rhizosphere microorganisms for plants and achieve sustainable use of biological resources.

Geographically associated endophytic fungi contribute to the tropane alkaloids accumulation of Anisodus tanguticus.

Anisodus tanguticus is a valuable plant for extracting tropane alkaloids. However, the mechanisms by which plant microbiome mediate the accumulation of tropane alkaloids in Anisodus tanguticus are still not well understood. In this study, we collected 55 wild Anisodus tanguticus populations on the Tibetan Plateau and the tropane alkaloids content, and root-related bacteria and fungi diversity were analyzed using HPLC and 16 s rDNA and ITS sequencing. The results showed that tropane alkaloids content has obvious geographical distribution characteristics. Anisodine content had a significant positive correlation with latitude, while anisodamine and atropine content had a significant negative correlation with latitude. Variation partition analysis (VPA) showed that root endophytes play a significant role in promoting tropane alkaloid production in Anisodus tanguticus roots. The root endophytes alone explained 14% of the variation, which was the largest contributor. Soil properties variables could independently explain 5% of the variation, and climate variables could explain 1% of the variation. Of these, endophytic fungi alone accounted for 11%, while bacteria explained only 5%. Random forests and Mantel test showed that different regionally enriched endophytic fungi have a greater impact on the accumulation of tropane alkaloids than the whole endophytic fungi. Richness and relative abundance of enriched endophytic fungi in Hengduan-Qilian Mountains (HQ) group has a significant positive correlation with anisodine content, while richness and relative abundance of enriched endophytic fungi in Himalayas-Hengduan Mountains (HH) group has a significant positive correlation with anisodamine and atropine content. And, these enriched endophytic fungi have high network connectivity and distributed in separate network modules. This study further confirmed that endophytes were closely related to tropane alkaloids accumulation in Anisodus tanguticus and contribute to promote sustainable development, cultivation, and precision medicine of Anisodus tanguticus.

A core root bacteria contribute to plant growth and anisodine accumulation of Anisodus tanguticus.

BACKGROUND: Although it is well recognized that core root microorganisms contribute to plant health and productivity, little is known about their role to the accumulation of secondary metabolites. The roots of Anisodus tanguticus, a traditional herbal medication utilized by Tibetan medicine, are rich in tropane alkaloids. We collected wild A. tanguticus populations throughout a 1500 km transect on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. RESULTS: Our results showed that despite sampling at a distance of 1500 km, the root of A. tanguticus selectively recruits core root bacteria. We obtained 102 root bacterial core OTUs, and although their number only accounted for 2.99% of the total, their relative abundance accounted for 73% of the total. Spearman correlation and random forest analyses revealed that the composition of core root microbiomes was related to anisodine contents, aboveground biomass and nitrogen contents of Anisodus tanguticus. Among them, the main role is played by Rhizobacter, Variovorax, Polaromonas, and Mycobacterium genus that are significantly enriched in roots. Functional prediction by FAPROTAX showed that nitrogen-cycling microorganisms and pathogenic bacteria are strongly associated with anisodine contents, aboveground biomass and nitrogen contents of Anisodus tanguticus. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that the root selectively recruits core root bacteria and revealed that the core microbiomes and microbial functions potentially contributed to the anisodine contents, aboveground biomass and nitrogen contents of the plant. This work may increase our understanding of the interactions between microorganisms and plants and improve our ability to manage root microbiota to promote sustainable production of herbal medicines.

Temperature thresholds drive the biogeographic pattern of root endophytic fungal diversity in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Studying the diversity and distribution of host-associated fungi along the temperature gradient can help us detect the potential impact of global warming on host-microbe interactions. By investigating 55 samples along the temperature gradient, our results demonstrated that temperature thresholds controlled the biogeographic pattern of fungal diversity in the root endosphere. When the mean annual temperature crossed ∼1.40 °C, or the mean temperature of the coldest quarter was over ∼-8.26 °C, the root endophytic fungal OTU richness abruptly decreased. Shared OTU richness between the root endosphere and rhizosphere soil showed similar temperature thresholds. However, the OTU richness of the fungi in the rhizosphere soil had a nonsignificant positive linear relationship with temperature. The asynchrony of alpha diversity in the rhizosphere soil and root endosphere in response to increasing temperature indicated that temperature might regulate the microbial colonization process from the rhizoplane to interior tissue. When the temperature crosses the threshold, the rapid decrease in OTU richness from soil entry to root tissue colonization may lead to a rapid decrease in root OTU richness. We further found that root endophytic fungal OTU richness was more sensitive to temperature increases under drought than non-drought conditions. We also found similar temperature thresholds influencing the root endophytic fungal beta diversity. When the temperature difference between two sampling points crossed an ∼2.2 °C temperature threshold, species replacement sharply decreased, and the species richness difference sharply increased. This investigation highlights that temperature thresholds are very important in shaping variation in the diversity of root endophytic fungi, especially in alpine ecosystems. Furthermore, it provides a preliminary framework for studying host-microbe interactions under global warming.

Early Bolting, Yield, and Quality of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels Responses to Intercropping Patterns.

Intercropping is a sustainable method for cultivating medicinal herbs since it requires lower dependence on chemical fertilizers than a sole cropping system. In this study, we compared the effects of sole cropping and intercropping on early bolting, yield, and the chemical composition of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels. Field experiments were conducted, in 2018 and in 2019, using different cropping systems including sole cropping of A. sinensis (AS), sole cropping of Vicia faba (VF), and intercropping (without fertilization) at three ratios: one row of A. sinensis + three rows of V. faba, AS/VF (1:3), two rows of A. sinensis + two rows V. faba, AS/VF (2:2), three rows of A. sinensis + one row V. faba, AS/VF (3:1). The effect of each cropping system was evaluated by measuring the dry biomass of V. faba and the dry biomass, ferulic acid content, and essential oil content and composition of A. sinensis. The early bolting rate of A. sinensis was significantly lower in the intercropping system as compared with that in a sole cropping system. The AS/VF (3:1) intercropping pattern resulted in an optimal yield and the highest ferulic acid content of A. sinensis, highest dry biomass of V. faba, and highest land equivalent ratio (LER). Additionally, the A. sinensis was more aggressive (the aggressivity value of A. sinensis was positive, and its competitive ratio was >1) under AS/VF (3:1) intercropping pattern, and it dominated over V. faba (which had negative aggressivity values and a competitive ratio of <1) under AS/VF (3:1) intercropping pattern. Ligustilide was the most dominant component of the essential oil of A. sinensis, regardless of the cropping system; however, the chemical component of essential oil was not influenced by intercropping patterns. Overall, the AS/VF (3:1) intercropping pattern without fertilization was the most productive, with the highest LER and ferulic acid content. These data indicate that intercropping can serve as an alternative for reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and intercropping also decreases the early bolting rate of A. sinensis, thus, enabling its sustainable production.

Nitrogen addition, rather than altered precipitation, stimulates nitrous oxide emissions in an alpine steppe.

Anthropogenic-driven global change, including changes in atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition and precipitation patterns, is dramatically altering N cycling in soil. How long-term N deposition, precipitation changes, and their interaction influence nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions remains unknown, especially in the alpine steppes of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). To fill this knowledge gap, a platform of N addition (10 g m-2 year-1) and altered precipitation (±50% precipitation) experiments was established in an alpine steppe of the QTP in 2013. Long-term N addition significantly increased N2O emissions. However, neither long-term alterations in precipitation nor the co-occurrence of N addition and altered precipitation significantly affected N2O emissions. These unexpected findings indicate that N2O emissions are particularly susceptible to N deposition in the alpine steppes. Our results further indicated that both biotic and abiotic properties had significant effects on N2O emissions. N2O emissions occurred mainly due to nitrification, which was dominated by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, rather than ammonia-oxidizing archaea. Furthermore, the alterations in belowground biomass and soil temperature induced by N addition modulated N2O emissions. Overall, this study provides pivotal insights to aid the prediction of future responses of N2O emissions to long-term N deposition and precipitation changes in alpine ecosystems. The underlying microbial pathway and key predictors of N2O emissions identified in this study may also be used for future global-scale model studies.

The association of carotid artery atherosclerosis with the estimated excretion levels of urinary sodium and potassium and their ratio in Chinese adults.

BACKGROUND: Arterial stiffness is an independent cardiovascular risk factor. However, the association between sodium/potassium intake and vascular stiffness was inconsistent. Therefore, a large community-based cross-sectional study was performed to try and achieve more definitive conclusion. METHODS: Urinary sodium, potassium, and creatinine levels were tested in spot urine samples during physical examinations of each recruited participant. The 24-h estimated urinary sodium excretion (eUNaE) and estimated urinary potassium excretion (eUKE) levels were determined using the Kawasaki formula (used as a surrogate for intake). Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaques were measured using ultrasound. RESULTS: In 13,523 subjects aged 18-80 years, the relationships between carotid plaques and IMT with eUNaE, eUKE and their ratios were analyzed. Overall, 30.2% of participants were diagnosed with carotid artery plaques. The ratio of estimated sodium vs. potassium excretion (Na/K ratio) of the individuals with carotid artery plaques was significantly higher than that of participants without plaque (2.14 ± 0.73 vs. 2.09 ± 0.61, P < 0.01). After adjusting for age, gender, and other lifestyle covariates, a significant positive relation was found between carotid plaque and Na/K ratios (OR = 1.06, P < 0.05). In participants without plaque, a similar positive association was observed between Na/K ratios and increased bifurcation carotid IMT (ß = 0.008, P < 0.01), especially in the females (Pinteraction < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, in which sodium intake was estimated on the basis of measured urinary excretion, high estimated excretion levels of urinary sodium and/or low estimated excretion levels of urinary potassium might be associated with an increased presence of carotid atherosclerosis in Chinese individuals.

Differential Responses of Plant Primary Productivity to Nutrient Addition in Natural and Restored Alpine Grasslands in the Qinghai Lake Basin.

Climate, land-use changes, and nitrogen (N) deposition strongly impact plant primary productivity, particularly in alpine grassland ecosystems. In this study, the differential responses of plant community primary productivity to N and phosphorus (P) nutrient application were investigated in the natural (NG) and "Grain for Green" restored (RG) alpine grasslands by a continuous 3-year experiment in the Qinghai Lake Basin. N addition only significantly promoted plant aboveground biomass (AGB) by 42% and had no significant effect on belowground biomass (BGB) and total biomass (TB) in NG. In comparison with NG, N addition elevated AGB and BGB concurrently in RG by 138% and 24%, respectively, which further significantly increased TB by 41% in RG. Meanwhile, N addition significantly decreased BGB and the AGB ratio (R/S) both in NG and RG. Compared with N addition, P addition did not perform an evident effect on plant biomass parameters. Additionally, AGB was merely negatively influenced by growing season temperatures (GST) under the N addition treatment in NG. AGB was negatively associated with GST but positively related to growing season precipitation (GSP) in RG. By contrast, changes in the R/S ratio in RG were positively correlated with GST and negatively related to GSP. In sum, the results revealed that plant community biomass exhibited convergent (AGB and R/S) and divergent (BGB and TB) responses to N addition between NG and RG. In addition, the outcomes suggested that climate warming would enhance plant biomass allocation to belowground under ongoing N deposition, and indicated the significance of precipitation for plant growth and AGB accumulation in this restored alpine grassland ecosystem.

A Seasonal Change of Active Ingredients and Mineral Elements in Root of Astragalus membranaceus in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Astragalus membranaceus is an important traditional Chinese herb whose roots have been used for medicinal purposes for more than 2000 years. Because of excessive exploitation, the wild resources are currently almost exhausted, and therefore, artificial planting of Astragalus membranaceus has been increasingly important. But to date, few studies have focused on the active ingredients and mineral element of Astragalus membranaceus in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.In this study, five density gradients (M1: 10 cm × 25 cm, M2: 15 cm × 25 cm, M3: 20 cm × 25 cm, M4: 25 cm × 25 cm and M5: 30 cm × 25 cm) were assessed to evaluate the effects of various planting densities on the mineral element and secondary metabolite content of Astragalus membranaceus roots in different months. It was found that the content of calycosin-7-O-ß-D-glucoside and astragaloside IV reached its highest in October. Ononin content increased month by month, while formononetin content decreased during months. Calycosin content did not show significant changes during seasons. Taken together, these results suggest that the optimal planting density is 15 cm × 25 cm (D2) and the optimal harvest period is October. According to the results, the Cu content in all samples did not exceed the limit (20 mg/kg). Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that Na, P, K Al, Ba, Ca, Fe, Li, and Mn were selected as characteristic elements of Astragalus membranaceus. The results also showed a high correlation between elements and active ingredients. Ba and Co had extremely significant associations with astragaloside IV.

The complete chloroplast genome of Tibetan medicine Gentianopsis paludosa.

Gentianopsis paludosa (Mum.) Ma is an important species in Tibetan folk medicine, but its wild populations are shrinking roughly due to the increasing demand for it. Gentianopsis paludosa is presently at risk of over-exploitation, so it needs urgent conservation. Here, we report the complete sequence of the chloroplast genome of G. paludosa. The genome was 51,121 bp in length with 129 genes comprising 84 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. The overall GC content of G. paludosa chloroplast genome was is 36.67%. The phylogenomic analysis suggested that G. paludosa forms a clade with species in Halenia and Swertia, indicating that the G. paludosa is more closely related to Halenia and Swertia than that of Gentiana.

The complete chloroplast genome of Bupleurum longicaule var. strictum, an annual herb endemic to China.

Bupleurum species are well-known for their antipyretic, analgesic, gallbladder and other functions so that they are very popular in traditional Chinese medicine. However, to our knowledge, there is no completed chloroplast genome of Bupleurum genus in China. In the present study, we determined the complete chloroplast genome sequences for Bupleurum longicaule var. strictum using IIumina sequencing. Bupleurum longicaule var. strictum is 155,578 bp which is composed of two inverted repeats (IR: 26,257bp), a large single copy region (LSC: 86,977 bp), and a small single-copy region (SSC: 16,087 bp). The overall AT content is 65.32%. The chloroplast genome includes a total of 51 functional genes including 15 protein-coding genes and 36 tRNA. A total of 10 genes were duplicated in the IR regions including seven tRNA and three protein-coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that B. longicaule var. strictum formed a monophyletic clade.

Soil Fungal Community Composition, Not Assembly Process, Was Altered by Nitrogen Addition and Precipitation Changes at an Alpine Steppe.

Global climate change and nitrogen deposition have been having broad impacts on microorganisms. On the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), the responses of soil microbial community assemblage and diversity to nitrogen deposition and changes in precipitation are poorly understood, especially in the alpine steppe. In this study, we conducted a field manipulative experiment of nitrogen deposition and precipitation amount in an alpine steppe on the northeastern QTP and investigated the responses of community composition, diversity, and community assemblage of soil fungi. Soil fungal community compositions were significantly altered under nitrogen addition, precipitation change, and their interaction, and positively related with soil moisture, soil pH, and plant species richness. However, they were negatively related to soil mineralizable N and soil available P content. Operational taxonomic units (OTU) richness and Chao 1 index decreased under nitrogen addition combined with precipitation reduction treatment, whereas the Shannon-Wiener index declined only under precipitation increment treatment. Convergent fungal community assembly processes were not acutely altered by both nitrogen addition and precipitation changes, indicating that environmental filtering was a dominant ecological process controlling fungal community assemblage. By elucidating the above questions, the study enhanced our ability to predict the responses of soil fungal communities to nitrogen deposition and precipitation changes at alpine steppes on the QTP in the future.

Examining differences in phylogenetic composition enhances understanding of the phylogenetic structure of the shrub community in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Periodic climatic oscillations and species dispersal during the postglacial period are two important causes of plant assemblage and distribution on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). To improve our understanding of the bio-geological histories of shrub communities on the QTP, we tested two hypotheses. First, the intensity of climatic oscillations played a filtering role during community structuring. Second, species dispersal during the postglacial period contributed to the recovery of species and phylogenetic diversity and the emergence of phylogenetic overdispersion. To test these hypotheses, we investigated and compared the shrub communities in the alpine and desert habitats of the northeastern QTP. Notably, we observed higher levels of species and phylogenetic diversity in the alpine habitat than in the desert habitat, leading to phylogenetic overdispersion in the alpine shrub communities versus phylogenetic clustering in the desert shrub communities. This phylogenetic overdispersion increased with greater climate anomalies. These results suggest that (a) although climate anomalies strongly affect shrub communities, these phenomena do not act as a filter for shrub community structuring, and (b) species dispersal increases phylogenetic diversity and overdispersion in a community. Moreover, our investigation of the phylogenetic community composition revealed a larger number of plant clades in the alpine shrub communities than in the desert shrub communities, which provided insights into plant clade-level differences in the phylogenetic structures of alpine and desert shrub communities in the northeastern QTP.

Nitrogen Fertilizer Levels Affect the Growth and Quality Parameters of Astragalus mongolica.

Owing to overexploitation, wild resources of Astragalus mongolica, a Chinese herbal plant that is widely distributed in the arid and semi-arid areas of Northern China, have gradually become exhausted, and therefore, commercial cultivation is increasingly important to meet the growing demand for astragalus and reduce the pressure on wild populations. Nitrogen level is an important factor that affects the yield and quality of A. mongolica. However, uniform standards for fertilization among production areas have not yet been determined. In this study, the effect of nitrogen fertilizer treatment on the yield and quality of A. mongolica in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was explored using a control treatment (no added nitrogen, N0) and five different nutrient levels: 37.5 kg/ha (N1), 75 kg/ha (N2), 112.5 kg/ha (N3), 150 kg/ha (N4), and 187.5 kg/ha (N5). According to grey relational analysis, the optimal nitrogen fertilizer treatment was the N4 level followed by the N5 and N2 levels. Nitrogen fertilizer significantly increased the root biomass, plant height, root length, and root diameter. However, nitrogen fertilization had no significant effect on the content of Astragaloside IV and mullein isoflavone glucoside. The content of ononin and calycosin continually accumulated throughout the growing period. The results showed that the ononin and calycosin content under N4 and N2 is higher than other levels and there is not significantly different between different nitrogen fertilizer levels about them. The content of formononetin decreased gradually with the progression of the growing season. The optimal nitrogen fertilizer treatment for A. mongolica is recommended to be 150 kg/ha and the content of active compounds and yield were observed to reach the maximum in October.

Precipitation and nitrogen addition enhance biomass allocation to aboveground in an alpine steppe.

There are two important allocation hypotheses in plant biomass allocation: allometric and isometric. We tested these two hypotheses in an alpine steppe using plant biomass allocation under nitrogen (N) addition and precipitation (Precip) changes at a community level. An in situ field manipulation experiment was conducted to examine the two hypotheses and the responses of the biomass to N addition (10 g N m-2 y-1) and altered Precip (±50% precipitation) in an alpine steppe on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau from 2013 to 2016. We found that the plant community biomass differed in its response to N addition and reduced Precip such that N addition significantly increased aboveground biomass (AGB), while reduced Precip significantly decreased AGB from 2014 to 2016. Moreover, reduced Precip enhanced deep soil belowground biomass (BGB). In the natural alpine steppe, the allocation between AGB and BGB was consistent with the isometric hypotheses. In contrast, N addition or altered Precip enhanced biomass allocation to aboveground, thus leading to allometric growth. More importantly, reduced Precip enhanced biomass allocation into deep soil. Our study provides insight into the responses of alpine steppes to global climate change by linking AGB and BGB allocation.

The complete chloroplast genome of Swertia tetraptera and phylogenetic analysis.

Swertia tetraptera, native to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, is an important traditional Chinese medicine. Although researchers have done a lot of work on it, the phylogenetic position of S. tetraptera within Swertia has still not been solved. Chloroplast genome sequences play a significant role in the development of molecular markers in plant phylogenetic and population genetic studies. In present study, we determined the complete chloroplast genome sequences for S. tetraptera using IIumina sequencing. The total length of the complete chloroplast genome of S. tetraptera is 152,840 bp, of which the GC content is 37.95%. The genome encodes 130 functional genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA, and 8 rRNA. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that S. tetraptera forms monophyletic group with Halenia corniculata which shows closed relationship with the Halenia.

Differential responses of heterotrophic and autotrophic respiration to nitrogen addition and precipitation changes in a Tibetan alpine steppe.

Soil respiration (Rs) is an important source of atmospheric CO2 flux and is sensitive to changes in soil nutrient and water contents. Despite extensive studies on the effects of enhanced atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition and changes in precipitation (P) on Rs, few studies have taken into account the effects of interactions between these factors on Rs of alpine grasslands. To address these questions, we investigated the effects of N addition (10 g N m-2 yr-1), changes in precipitation (±50% precipitation), and their interaction on soil respiration and its components, including heterotrophic respiration (Rh) and autotrophic respiration (Ra),in a Tibetan alpine steppe during three consecutive growing seasons. We found that Rs differed in its response to N addition and precipitation regimes. Specifically, decreased precipitation led to a significant reduction in Rs during the last two years, whereas N addition minimally impacted Rs. Another important finding was that soil respiration components differed in their response to N addition and precipitation regimes. Nitrogen addition significantly enhanced Ra, whereas Rh was not altered in response to N addition. By contrast, the precipitation regime led to marked changes in Rh, but exhibited marginally significant effects on Ra. Therefore, our findings highlighted that soil respiration differed in its response to N addition and precipitation regimes mainly due to the different responses of soil respiration components to these factors. Therefore, carbon dynamics should take soil respiration components into account under global change scenarios.

Automated breast volume scanner (ABVS) in breast cancer - a review.

The early detection of breast cancer is essential for its timely diagnosis and treatment. Many imaging modalities are continually being developed to screen and diagnose breast cancer at an early stage. Especially, ultrasound (US) is one of useful diagnostic tools to dis- tinguish benign from malignant masses of the breast. However, the US image has some limitations, such as low resolution and low con- trast, speckle noise, and blurry edges between various organs. Recent technological advancements in the area resulted in development of automated breast volume scanner (ABVS) that could increase the diagnostic confidence for a physician and provide a possible solution to improve the positive predictive value of breast biopsy. The purpose of the present review article was to explore the advantages and technical advancements of ABVS for diagnosing breast cancer patients.