Animal-SNPAtlas: a comprehensive SNP database for multiple animals.

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as the most important type of genetic variation are widely used in describing population characteristics and play vital roles in animal genetics and breeding. Large amounts of population genetic variation resources and tools have been developed in human, which provided solid support for human genetic studies. However, compared with human, the development of animal genetic variation databases was relatively slow, which limits the genetic researches in these animals. To fill this gap, we systematically identified ∼ 499 million high-quality SNPs from 4784 samples of 20 types of animals. On that basis, we annotated the functions of SNPs, constructed high-density reference panels and calculated genome-wide linkage disequilibrium (LD) matrixes. We further developed Animal-SNPAtlas, a user-friendly database (http://gong_lab.hzau.edu.cn/Animal_SNPAtlas/) which includes high-quality SNP datasets and several support tools for multiple animals. In Animal-SNPAtlas, users can search the functional annotation of SNPs, perform online genotype imputation, explore and visualize LD information, browse variant information using the genome browser and download SNP datasets for each species. With the massive SNP datasets and useful tools, Animal-SNPAtlas will be an important fundamental resource for the animal genomics, genetics and breeding community.

Animal-eRNAdb: a comprehensive animal enhancer RNA database.

Enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs transcribed from enhancers. As the markers of active enhancers, eRNAs play important roles in gene regulation and are associated with various complex traits and characteristics. With increasing attention to eRNAs, numerous eRNAs have been identified in different human tissues. However, the expression landscape, regulatory network and potential functions of eRNAs in animals have not been fully elucidated. Here, we systematically characterized 185 177 eRNAs from 5085 samples across 10 species by mapping the RNA sequencing data to the regions of known enhancers. To explore their potential functions based on evolutionary conservation, we investigated the sequence similarity of eRNAs among multiple species. In addition, we identified the possible associations between eRNAs and transcription factors (TFs) or nearby genes to decipher their possible regulators and target genes, as well as characterized trait-related eRNAs to explore their potential functions in biological processes. Based on these findings, we further developed Animal-eRNAdb (http://gong_lab.hzau.edu.cn/Animal-eRNAdb/), a user-friendly database for data searching, browsing and downloading. With the comprehensive characterization of eRNAs in various tissues of different species, Animal-eRNAdb may greatly facilitate the exploration of functions and mechanisms of eRNAs.

Exploring trade-offs between residential and industrial functions in rural areas and their ecological impacts across transitioning agricultural systems: Evidence from the metropolitan suburbs of China.

The rapid transition of agricultural systems substantially affects residential and industrial land use systems in rural areas, often generating spatiotemporal trade-offs between residential and industrial functions and producing considerable ecological impacts, which has thus far not been well understood. We conduct an indicator-based assessment of transitioning agriculture systems, and then links the transitioning agricultural systems to trade-offs between residential and industrial functions from 2005 to 2020 by using a case study-the metropolitan suburbs of Beijing, China. Also, the associated ecological impacts of the trade-offs are characterized based on the calculation of the ecological quality index (EQI) and ecological contribution rate. The results show that trade-offs between residential and industrial functions in the metropolitan suburbs have gradually adapted to the different agricultural systems in transition, which can be characterized by increasing industrial function as well as declining residential function, together with the diversification of land use into a mixed pattern. Additionally, along with the transitioning process comes a U shape of the ecological quality curve, which indicates that relentless industrial sprawl into regions where the agricultural system has a low capacity for technology, as well as decay in rural areas attributed to a rural exodus and industrial decline in semi-subsistence agricultural areas, even cause ecological degradation. In general, trade-offs between residential and industrial functions (especially for the non-agricultural production function) in rural areas could partially and temporally generate unfavorable ecological impacts, but it seems to be a favorable phenomenon to promote ecological quality in the long term. Therefore, to achieve rural sustainable planning, it is necessary for land use management to observe the trade-offs between residential and industrial functions while avoiding negative impacts, such as low-density land use patterns, disordered land use functions, and eco-environmental deterioration. Such effective strategies can contribute to the feasible implementation of policies aiming to achieve the compatible development of liveable residences, highly efficient industrial production, and eco-friendly operations in rural areas.

How to balance protection and development? A comprehensive analysis framework for territorial space utilization scale, function and pattern.

The harmonious coexistence of man and nature is a universally recognized standard to test the rational utilization of multifunctional territorial space, and the planning of territorial space adapted to nature is a scientific guide to balance ecological protection and human development. This study focuses on the inevitable relationship between the scale, function and pattern of territorial space utilization (TSU), and puts forward a process research framework of "background evaluation-advantage comparison-optimization conduction". Based on the evaluation of resource and environment suitability, this paper determines the scale of multifunctional territorial space through the potential conflict identification model of TSU. The location entropy method is used to identify the advantageous functions of the county level, and the matching characteristics of the research results and the current situation are obtained by comparing them with the current plan. Finally, from the county functional zoning to the regional TSU pattern, the corresponding optimization conduction path is designed to form a new development and protection pattern. The empirical results of research area show that: (1) The study area is suitable for urban construction and agricultural production as a whole. The ecological protection is mainly at the general important level, and there is a moderate potential conflict between the development and protection of territorial space. The space scale of urban construction, agricultural production and ecological protection are accounted for 8.77%, 78.71% and 12.52%, respectively. (2) The advantageous function of TSU in county-level administrative units is dominated by single advantageous function, and the number of composite advantageous functions is generally small. The advantageous functional types determined by this research have a high matching with the current plan. (3) Based on the analysis of the scale structure and functional use of territorial space, this paper defines the ecological space that should be strictly protected and the agricultural and urban space that should be moderately developed for production and construction, and sets up elastic development areas. Finally, a strategic pattern of "one corridor, two screens, three circles and four zones" is conducive to the realization of the beautiful vision of the unification of protection and development.

Toward the efficient direct regeneration of spent cathode materials through the effect of residual sodium ions analysis.

Recycling spent lithium-ion batteries is an important means for promoting sustainability within the energy industry. In this study, the effects of residual sodium on the regeneration process and the performance of spent LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 were explored. An appropriate amount of residual sodium was found to improve the properties of the regenerated material, with the best cycle performance and rate performance at a residual sodium of 3 mol %. The first-cycle and 100-cycle discharge capacities were 136.4 mA h g-1 and 120 mA h g-1, respectively, with a capacity retention rate of 87.98% after 100 cycles at a rate of 1 C. The electrochemical performance of the regenerated cathode materials was improved because sodium occupied the lithium sites in the crystal structure, providing a channel for lithium deintercalation. These results indicate that the residual sodium ions should be monitored in appropriate quantities to improve the efficiency of recycling spent lithium-ion batteries.

Understanding the nonpoint source pollution loads' spatiotemporal dynamic response to intensive land use in rural China.

The extensive use of land resources and environmental pollution in rural areas are two major problems prevalent in China and even the world. It is unknown whether improving the degree of intensive use of rural land can reduce environmental pollution; whether environmental pollution will be promoted or inhibited still lacks in-depth discussion. This paper first provides a theoretical analysis of the generation process of nonpoint source pollution loads (NPSP) in rural land use (RLU) and the mechanism and path of intensive rural land use (IRLU) to reduce agricultural nonpoint source pollution loads (ANPSP). Then, it takes 31 provinces in China from 1978 to 2019 as the research object to examine the temporal and spatial evolution features of IRLU and ANPSP. Furthermore, the paper uses the decoupling model and the Environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) model to test the linear and nonlinear relationship between the two. The research shows that the degree of IRLU in China decreased from 0.54 in 1978 to 0.27 in 2006, and then continuously increased to 0.56 in 2019. Moreover, the ANPSP continued to increase from 1955.14 t in 1978-3622.74 t in 2019. The decoupling relationship between the degree of IRLU and environmental pollution experienced the evolution process of "negative decoupling-decoupling", and the EKC had an "inverted N-shaped" characteristic. Overall, China shows that the IRLU helps to reduce ANPSP. At the same time, it was also found that there is obvious heterogeneity among the 31 provinces used in this research in China. Among them, the degree of intensive land use (ILU) in the principal grain-producing regions tends to be better and stable, while other areas show fluctuating changes. The ANPSP in economically developed areas gradually decreases, while that in underdeveloped areas continues to increase. More than 80% of the provinces in China show a trend of IRLU to advance the reduction of ANPSP, but there has also been an increase in the over-intensification of RLU in some major grain-producing areas. The research concludes that there is an inevitable relationship between RLU and ANPSP. Appropriately increasing ILU has a positive effect on decreasing ANPSP.

Multifunctionality assessment of the land use system in rural residential areas: Confronting land use supply with rural sustainability demand.

By applying an integrated framework, we developed a new way to quantify the multifunctionality of rural residential land: analyzing the reciprocal relationships between the structure and function of land use, as well as identifying the demand of rural sustainability for residential land functions. In the assessment of the rural residential land functions from the supply and demand perspectives by establishing an indicators system, the results show that there are five substantial functions of rural residential land, i.e., residential, public service, industrial, commercial and ecological function, and a potential function. Unbalanced development patterns between function supply and demand are clearly observed at multilevel: at the regional level, demand exceeding supply refers to the public service, commercial, and ecological function, especially for ecological function; at the town level, the spatial pattern of the difference is closely linked with topographic features; the inferior and complex topographic condition always is associated with inadequate function supply. Strategies based on the arrangements of rural residential land use structure, including function conversion and function enhancement, have been adopted to balance the supply and demand of land functions. Together, alternative strategies (e.g., industrial allocation, population introduction, and location choices) also need to be recognized by policymakers to achieve rural sustainable development.

Application of the Risk-Based Early Warning Method in a Fracture-Karst Water Source, North China.

The paper proposes a risk-based early warning considering characteristics of fracture-karst aquifer in North China and applied it in a super-large fracture-karst water source. Groundwater vulnerability, types of land use, water abundance, transmissivity and spatial temporal variation of groundwater quality were chosen as indexes of the method. Weights of factors were obtained by using AHP method based on relative importance of factors, maps of factors were zoned by GIS, early warning map was conducted based on extension theory with the help of GIS, ENVI+IDL. The early warning map fused five factors very well, serious and tremendous warning areas are mainly located in northwest and east with high or relatively high transmissivity and groundwater pollutant loading, and obviously deteriorated or deteriorated trend of petroleum. The early warning map warns people where more attention should be paid, and the paper guides decision making to take appropriate protection actions in different warning levels areas.

Resilience of Groundwater Impacted by Land Use and Climate Change in a Karst Aquifer, South China.

Changes of groundwater flow and quality were investigated in a subtropical karst aquifer to determine the driving mechanism. Decreases in groundwater flow are more distinct in discharge zones than those in recharge and runoff zones. Long-term measurement of the represented regional groundwater outlet reveals that groundwater discharge decrease by nearly 50% during the dry season. The hydrochemistry of groundwater in the runoff and discharge zones is of poorer quality than in the recharge zone. Indications of intensive land resource exploitation and changes in land use patterns were attributed to changes in groundwater conditions since 1990, but the influence of climate change was likely from 2001, because the water temperature exhibited increasing trends at a mean rate of 0.02 °C/yr even though groundwater depth was high in the aquifer. These conclusions imply the need for further groundwater monitoring and reevaluation to understand the resilience of aquifer during urbanization and development.

Water quality and microecosystem of water tanks in karst mountainous area, Southwest China.

Karst mountainous areas in Southwest China, the world's largest bare karst area, are faced with growing water shortages. Rainwater harvesting plays an important role in alleviating water shortage. However, there remains a substantial gap in the research regarding the water quality of tanks. Water samples were seasonally collected from ten tanks to investigate the physicochemical properties, microbial communities, and their key influencing factors. The result showed that pH, turbidity, chroma, DOC, and CODMn exceeded drinking water guidelines. The alkaline pH value and the deterioration of sensory properties was the main feature of tank water, from which the over-standard rate of the uncleaned water tanks was higher. Moreover, principal component analyses suggested that tank water quality was influenced by human activities, catchment areas, and material cycling processes within the tanks, of which in-tank microbial activities were the most important driving factors in water quality variation. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, and Verrucomicrobia were the predominant bacterial phyla in water tanks. Acinetobacter, Cyanobium-PCC-6307, CL500-29-marine-group, Candidatus-Aquiluna, and Exiguobacterium were the most abundant genera. The bacterial communities were significantly affected by the management practices. Higher relative abundance of Cyanobacteria and lower relative abundance of Proteobacteria was detected in the uncleaned tanks, which was a sign of tank water quality deterioration. The microbial community structure was closely related to the environmental factors. There was evidence that the water quality was affected by the existence of a microecosystem dominated by photosynthetic microorganisms in the water tanks. In addition, Acinetobacter, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, and Legionella identified as the potential opportunistic pathogenic genera were frequently detected but the relative abundances except Acinetobacter were low in the tanks. Overall, our findings indicated that management style influences water quality and bacterial communities of tank water.