Photosynthetic Acclimation of Larch to the Coupled Effects of Light Intensity and Water Deficit in Regions with Changing Water Availability.

The impact of frequent water deficits on dominant tree species in boreal forests has received increased attention, particularly towards addressing the global climate change scenarios. However, the impacts of coupled light intensity and water deficit in the regeneration and growth of Larix gmelinii seedlings, a dominant species in China's boreal forests, are still unclear. We conducted a dual-factor controlled experiment with four light intensities (natural sunlight, 50% shading, 75% shading, and 90% shading) and three soil water conditions (80%, 60%, and 40% soil saturated water content). The results showed that the coupling of light and water has a significant effect on the growth and development of Larix gmelinii seedlings. In 40% of the saturated soil moisture content, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, chlorophyll a, and total phenol-leaf were significantly lower than the same light conditions under 80% soil saturated water content. Under the coupling treatment of 60% soil saturated water content and 50% shading treatment, the plant height increment, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, chlorophyll a, and phenolic compound content were significantly higher than those of other coupling treatments; however, more than 75% shading inhibited photosynthetic parameters, chlorophyll a, total flavonoid-leaf, and total flavonoid-branch. Our results have important implications for forest management practices; they provide a scientific reference for the early growth of Larix gmelinii seedlings under the coupling of light and water and promote the survival and growth of seedlings.

Urea reduces the sustainability of soil Cd immobilization by upregulating the expression of AmSTOP1 and AmMATE genes in edible amaranth roots.

After cadmium (Cd) immobilization remediation in contaminated farmland soil, which forms of nitrogen fertilizer should be implemented to keep its sustainability? Urea and nitrate were used to compare for their effects on the remobilization of stabilized Cd in the rhizosphere soil of edible amaranth at nitrogen concentrations of 60, 95, and 130 mg kg-1. The results showed that compared to nitrate nitrogen, the Cd content in shoots increased by 76.2%, 65.6%, and 148% after applying three different concentrations of urea, and the total remobilization amount of Cd also increased by 16.0%, 24.9%, and 14.0% respectively. Urea application promotes root secretion of citric acid, malic acid, pyruvate, and γ-aminobutyric acid, crucial in remobilizing stable Cd. The application of urea promoted the expression of genes involved in sucrose transport, glycolysis, the TCA cycle, amino acid secretion, citric acid efflux, and proton efflux. Arabidopsis heterologous expression and yeast one-hybrid assays identify critical roles of AmMATE42 and AmMATE43 in citric acid and fumaric acid efflux, with AmSTOP1 activating their transcription. Inhibition of SIZ1 expression in urea treatment reduce AmSTOP1 SUMOylation, leading to increased expression of AmMATE42 and AmMATE43 and enhanced organic acids efflux. Using edible amaranth as a model vegetable, we discovered that urea is not beneficial to preserving the sustainability of stabilized Cd during the reuse of remediated farmlands contaminated with Cd.

Effectiveness of social media with or without wearable devices to improve physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior: A randomized controlled trial of Chinese postgraduates.

The present study was aimed to verify whether an integrating of wearable activity tracker device and a social media intervention strategy would be better than a standalone social media intervention for improving physical activity (PA) and reducing sedentary time for Chinese postgraduate population. A total of 42 full-time postgraduate students participated in this study, which were randomized to receive a 4-week social media intervention through WeChat either with (Wearable Device group) or without (control group) a wearable activity tracker device. Energy expenditure, step counts, moderate to vigorous physical activity time (MVPA) and sedentary time were assessed before and after the intervention. Besides, anthropometric parameters of body weight, body mass index, body fat rate, waist-to-hip ratio, as well as self-reported quality of life were also evaluated. It was found that both energy expenditure and step counts were significantly increased, while sedentary time was significantly reduced during the post-intervention test compared to the baseline test for Wearable Device group. No significant difference of PA was found for the control group. The results demonstrated that the integrating of wearable activity tracker device and a social media intervention was effective in promoting PA, while a standalone social media intervention may have no effect on the influence of PA for Chinese postgraduates.

Post-evaluation analysis on urban coal, oil and gas resources comprehensive utilization governance project: A case study in Fuxian, China.

China's energy and chemical enterprises in the resource-based urban cities face challenges of climate change targets. Coal, Oil and Gas Resources Comprehensive Utilization (COGRCU) project can address the carbon and hydrogen imbalance between conventional methanol from coal and natural gas. Moreover, it can improve energy conversion rates and carbon resource recovery. Therefore, it is a better way for energy and chemical enterprises to transition to sustainable development and advocated by enterprises in resource-based cities. In practice, the actual benefits of the COGRCU project are often different from those expected from prior assessments, and the main factors contributing to the differences need to be identified. Therefore, it is necessary to propose a post-evaluation methodology for the COGRCU project to assist energy and chemical enterprises in identifying these constraints and optimize project management. This study considers energy and monetary flows, combines emergy-based energy return on investment (EmEROI) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA), and proposes a post-evaluation methodology of the COGRCU project based on the case study of YC Group's Fuxian COGRCU project in Fuxian County. In addition, the emergy per unit money, emergy per unit labor, and bio-resources emergy per unit area of Yan'an City are measured. Results showed that indirect energy and labor input emergy are the primary contributors to improving the projects' energy efficiency. Operating costs reduction are the key factors for improving economic benefits. The indirect energy has the highest impact on the project's EmEROI, followed by labor, direct energy, and environmental governance. Several policy recommendations are raised, including strengthening policy support, such as advancing the formulation and revision of fiscal and tax policies, improving project assets and human resource management, and increasing environmental governance efforts.

Enlarged Perivascular Spaces and Age-Related Clinical Diseases.

Perivascular spaces are the fluid-filled areas surrounding small blood vessels in the brain, and they may play a role similar to lymphatic vessels in clearing metabolic waste. When their diameters exceed 1 mm, as measured by structural magnetic resonance imaging, they are classified as enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS). Previously, EPVS were considered to be benign, but increasing evidence suggests that their existence may be associated with various clinical diseases. Here, we review recent clinical studies to understand the potential clinical implications of EPVS. We also review the anatomy and imaging characteristics of EPVS and discuss four causal hypotheses for their formation and associated risk factors. Due to differences in research methods and concerns across studies, unified conclusions are difficult to achieve. Overall, more basic high-quality research is needed to clarify the subject and provide more concrete theoretical support.

Effects of Carbon Tax on Urban Carbon Emission Reduction: Evidence in China Environmental Governance.

Carbon tax is an important economic instrument in achieving the goal of carbon emission reduction and sustainable development. This paper investigates the effects of carbon tax on carbon emission reduction in China. First, a non-competitive input-output table for Carbon Emissions of 28 sectors in China after Carbon Tax was established, based on the "2018 China Non-competitive Input-Output Table (42 Sectors)" and the carbon emission data of sectors provided by China Carbon Emission Accounts and Datasets (CEADs). Then, an input-output price model was established to study the changes on product price, GDP, employment, and carbon dioxide emissions of 28 sectors after carbon taxing ranged from 10 to 200. When the carbon tax rate reaches 200 yuan/ton, the inflation rate will be 5.907%, the total GDP will be decreased to 1.910%, the total labor force will be decreased to 1.744%, and the total carbon emission reduction rate will be increased to 8.171%. Results showed that with the increases in carbon tax, the inflation rate was increased, the rate of carbon emission reduction was increased, and the negative effects on GDP and employment were also increased. Suggestions on policy making, such as combination of carbon taxing and carbon trading, dynamic adjustment mechanism, tax neutrality, and forcing active carbon reduction, were proposed to minimize the adverse effect of levying carbon tax. The results from this paper would provide a reference for the policy making on carbon management.

Are the antagonist muscle fatigued during a prolonged isometric fatiguing elbow flexion at very low forces for young adults?

The aim of this study was to examine whether antagonist muscles may be fatigued during a prolonged isometric fatiguing elbow flexion at very low forces. Twelve healthy male subjects sustained an isometric elbow flexion at 10% maximal voluntary contraction torque until exhaustion while multichannel electromyographic signals were collected from the biceps brachii (BB) and triceps brachii (TB). Muscle fiber conduction velocity (CV) and fractal dimension (FD) of both muscles were calculated to reflect peripheral and central fatigue. CV and FD of TB as well as FD of BB decreased progressively during the sustained fatiguing contraction, while the CV of BB declined at the beginning of the contraction and then increased progressively until the end of the contraction. The result may indicate that during the sustained low-force isometric fatiguing contraction, antagonist muscle may be peripherally fatigued, and changes in coactivation activities were modulated not only by central neuronal mechanisms of common drive but also by peripheral metabolic factors.

Physical Activity Level and Social-Ecological Influence Factors in Chinese Information Technology Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: Information technology (IT) population in China has expanded rapidly in recent decades, which has suffered severe health problems due to a lack of physical activity (PA). However, little is known about the influence and solutions of PA deficiency. The current research was designed to explore the associations between the amount of PA and potential influenced factors based on the social-ecological model (SEM) and thus to provide rationales for PA promotion. Method: Six hundred and five IT professionals from five cities of China were surveyed in terms of PA in daily life as well as the potential PA influence factors based on SEM models that consisted of individual, interpersonal, environmental, and political levels in the current study. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the association of the potential PA influence factors and PA amount. Result: About 54.7% of the sample did not fulfill the PA recommendation of 600 MET per week, and there are significant gender differences in PA participation. Factors related to the individual (self-efficacy and value recognition), interpersonal (social support), environmental (workplace and community environment), and polity-level factors (policy advocacy) were found to be significantly associated with Chinese IT professionals' participation in PA. Conclusion: Numerous correlates from individual-level to political-level factors are all important predictors of PA. Exercise value recognition and self-efficacy accounted for much of the association. Environmental variables may further influence exercise behavior. Therefore, conducting intervention efforts for individual, interpersonal, environmental, and political change of Chinese IT professionals is recommended.

A comparison of muscle activation and concomitant intermuscular coupling of antagonist muscles among bench presses with different instability degrees in untrained men.

The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the muscle activation and concomitant intermuscular coupling of antagonist muscles among bench presses with different instability degrees. Twenty-nine untrained male college students performed bench press exercises at an intensity of 60% 1 RM on three conditions: small unstable bench press with Smith machine (SBP), medium unstable bench press of free weight (FWBP), and large unstable bench press with increased instability by suspending the load with elastic bands (IIBP). One-way repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare integrated EMG activity values of the biceps brachii (BB), posterior deltoid (PD), long head of the triceps brachii (TB), anterior deltoid (AD), upper portion of the pectoralis major (PM) muscles, and phase synchronization index (PSI) of BB-TB and PD-AD antagonist muscle pairs. A higher integrated EMG of BB muscle was found during bench press with a more unstable condition. IIBP showed a higher integrated EMG of prime movers (TB, AD, and PM) and stabilizing of BB than SBP and FWBP. PSI between muscle pairs of BB-TB in the gamma frequency band was higher in SBP than the other bench presses with unstable conditions, which may be related to the optimal "internal model" for antagonist muscles during bench press exercise. Therefore, IIBP training may be an effective accessory exercise to maintain a higher level of muscle activation across primary and stabilizing muscles with a lighter load for untrained men, while SBP may be a suitable bench press exercise for untrained participants who have not developed the neuromuscular adaptations necessary for correct stabilization of the elbow joint.

Study on the Effects of Salt Tolerance Type, Soil Salinity and Soil Characteristics on the Element Composition of Chenopodiaceae Halophytes.

With the continuous increase in saline-alkali land, sustainable development of the global environment and ecology have been seriously affected. This study compared the absorption and accumulation patterns of 11 elements in different parts (roots, stems and leaves) of different leaf Na regulation strategies of the pioneer plant Chenopodiaceae in saline-alkali land and evaluated the effects of soil nutrient status and soil salinity on the distribution of plant elements. The results showed that the changes in the content of Ca, Mg and Na in plants are affected by the salt-tolerant type and on different parts. Soil salinity had no significant effect on element concentrations in different parts of plants. The Pearson correlation coefficient showed that the correlation between plants and soil elements was different, and different parts of plants had the characteristics of selective absorption of soil elements. The salt tolerance type and soil mineral element concentrations explained most of the variation observed in element concentrations in Chenopodiaceae plants; the soil salinity property played only a minor role. It was concluded that the genetic factors are the prerequisite in the composition pattern of leaf elements in Chenopodiaceae, and soil factors are the key to determining element accumulation. These conclusions provide an effective reference for evaluating plant breeding and its response to environmental change in saline-alkali arid areas in Hulunbuir grassland and other parts of the world.

Carbonation Curing on Magnetically Separated Steel Slag for the Preparation of Artificial Reefs.

Magnetic separation is an effective method to recover iron from steel slag. However, the ultra-fine tailings generated from steel slag become a new issue for utilization. The dry separation processes generates steel slag powder, which has hydration activity and can be used as cement filler. However, wet separation processes produce steel slag mud, which has lost its hydration activity and is no longer suitable to be used as a cement filler. This study investigates the potential of magnetically separated steel slag for carbonation curing and the potential use of the carbonated products as an artificial reef. Steel slag powder and steel slag mud were moulded, carbonation-cured and seawater-cured. Various testing methods were used to characterize the macro and micro properties of the materials. The results obtained show that carbonation and hydration collaborated during the carbonation curing process of steel slag powder, while only carbonation happened during the carbonation curing process of steel slag mud. The seawater-curing process of carbonated steel slag powder compact had three stages: C-S-H gel formation, C-S-H gel decomposition and equilibrium, which were in correspondence to the compressive strength of compact increasing, decreasing and unchanged. However, the seawater-curing process of carbonated steel slag mud compact suffered three stages: C-S-H gel decomposition, calcite transfer to vaterite and equilibrium, which made the compressive strength of compact decreased, increased and unchanged. Carbonated steel slags tailings after magnetic separation underwent their lowest compressive strength when seawater-cured for 7 days. The amount of CaO in the carbonation active minerals in the steel slag determined the carbonation consolidation ability of steel slag and durability of the carbonated steel slag compacts. This paper provides a reference for preparation of artificial reefs and marine coagulation materials by the carbonation curing of steel slag.

Transcriptome-Wide Analysis of RNA m6A Methylation and Gene Expression Changes Among Two Arabidopsis Ecotypes and Their Reciprocal Hybrids.

The remodeling of transcriptome, epigenome, proteome, and metabolome in hybrids plays an important role in heterosis. N(6)-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation is the most abundant type of post-transcriptional modification for mRNAs, but the pattern of inheritance from parents to hybrids and potential impact on heterosis are largely unknown. We constructed transcriptome-wide mRNA m6A methylation maps of Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 and Landsberg erecta (Ler) and their reciprocal F1 hybrids. Generally, the transcriptome-wide pattern of m6A methylation tends to be conserved between accessions. Approximately 74% of m6A methylation peaks are consistent between the parents and hybrids, indicating that a majority of the m6A methylation is maintained after hybridization. We found a significant association between differential expression and differential m6A modification, and between non-additive expression and non-additive methylation on the same gene. The overall RNA m6A level between Col-0 and Ler is clearly different but tended to disappear at the allelic sites in the hybrids. Interestingly, many enriched biological functions of genes with differential m6A modification between parents and hybrids are also conserved, including many heterosis-related genes involved in biosynthetic processes of starch. Collectively, our study revealed the overall pattern of inheritance of mRNA m6A modifications from parents to hybrids and a potential new layer of regulatory mechanisms related to heterosis formation.

Study on 3-D Acoustic Imaging for Human Thorax Based on Contrast Source Inversion.

In this article, we study a 3-D acoustic imaging algorithm that can reconstruct compressibility, attenuation, and density simultaneously based on the contrast source inversion (CSI) method. This is a nonlinear and ill-posed inverse problem. To deal with the nonlinearity, we introduce two asymmetrical contrast sources that are functions of the contrasts and the total field. In this case, the scattered field and the total field are linear with the two contrast sources, and the two contrast sources are also linear with the two contrasts; thus, the nonlinearity is partially alleviated. To mitigate the ill-posedness of this inverse problem, we apply a multifrequency, multitransmitter, and multireceiver setting. Besides, to ensure the robustness of the algorithm, two multiplicative regularization terms are introduced as additional constraints. The reconstruction of those acoustic parameters can be achieved by alternately updating the contrast sources and the contrasts from the knowledge of the pressure field. Numerical studies show good reconstruction of compressibility, attenuation, and density of the synthetic thorax model, which validates the feasibility of imaging human thorax using low-frequency ultrasound.

Mating-Induced Differential Expression in Genes Related to Reproduction and Immunity in Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Female Moths.

Mating promotes reproductive activity, which may impact immune performance. Paradoxically, mating frequently challenges females' immunity (e.g., infections). Therefore, studies of postmating resource allocation between reproduction and survival are likely to shed new light on life-history trade-off and sexual selection. Here, we used RNAseq to test whether and how mating affected mRNA expression in genes related to reproduction and immunity in Spodoptera litura female moths. Results show a divergent change in the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between reproduction and immunity: the immune response was largely downregulated shortly after mating (~6 h postmating), which has some recovery at 24 h postmating; reproductive response is trivial shortly after mating (~6 h postmating), but it largely upregulated at 24 h postmating (e.g., egg maturation related genes were highly upregulated). Considering the fact that most of the total DEGs downregulated from 0 to 6 h postmating (from 51/68 to 214/260) but most of the total DEGs upregulated at 24 h postmating (816/928), it is possible that trade-offs between reproduction and immunity occurred in mated females. For example, they may shut down immunity to favor sperm storage and save limited resources to support the increased energy required in reproduction (e.g., egg maturation and oviposition). Mating-induced infections should be trivial due to low polyandry in S. litura. A reduced immune defense may have no threat to S. litura survival but may benefit reproduction significantly. Furthermore, obvious expression changes were detected in genes related to hormone production, suggesting that endocrine changes could play important roles in postmating responses.

Decoupling PM2.5 emissions and economic growth in China over 1998-2016: A regional investment perspective.

It is crucial to decouple economic growth from environmental pollution in China. This study aims to evaluate China's decoupling level between PM2.5 emissions and economic growth from a regional investment perspective. Using the panel data of 30 Chinese provinces for the period of 1998-2016, this study combines decomposition analysis with decoupling analysis to identify the roles of conventional factors and three novel investment factors in the mitigation and decoupling of PM2.5 emissions in China and its four sub-regions. The results show that China's PM2.5 emissions were weakly decoupled to economic growth during the period of 1998-2016, as well as in China's four sub-regions. At the national level, investment scale played the dominant role while investment structure had a marginal effect in mitigating the decoupling level. In contrast, emission intensity was the largest driver in promoting the decoupling effect. At the regional level, emission intensity and investment efficiency accelerated the regional decoupling level, but the coupling effect from investment scale in the western region far exceeded those in other three sub-regions. At the provincial level, the investment structure of Inner Mongolia and investment scales of Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia had the greatest impacts on PM2.5 emission growth. Finally, several policy recommendations are raised for China to mitigate its PM2.5 emissions.

Application of non-thermal pretreatment techniques on agricultural products prior to drying: a review.

BACKGROUND: Most agricultural crops contain high moisture content (80-95% wet basis (wb)) which makes them very susceptible to microbial damage leading to shorter shelf-life and high postharvest losses. The high perishability of these agricultural products requires preservation techniques to prolong their shelf-lives. Drying remains an important component of processing in this regard. Therefore, any pretreatment methods for drying agricultural product that decreases the moisture content and minimizes drying time by conserving the quality of the crop product is of prime significance. This article is a comprehensive review of recent developments of non-thermal pretreatment (NTP) methods. A summary of their significance, emerging and innovative methods of this technology together with its applications and limitations are discussed. This article further examines the environmental impact of NTP techniques. RESULTS: NTP techniques, such as high pressure, ultrasound, pulsed electric field and osmotic dehydration methods are essential operations for pre-dehydration of agricultural products prior to drying. These techniques can avoid the deleterious effects of heat on nutritive value, colour and flavour of agricultural products compared to thermal pretreatments. They also enhance the inactivation of the enzymes, improve energy efficiency and mass transfer, reduce processing time, preserve bioactive compounds, improve drying kinetics and drying rate, minimize enzymatic browning, and enhance product quality. CONCLUSION: These findings will provide a better understanding of different NTP methods and also make available more information for selecting pretreatment techniques for drying of agricultural products. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Emergy-based environmental accounting of one mining system.

Metal production from mineral resources is crucial for economic development. However, most mining activities usually target short-term financial benefits, rather than long-term consideration on ecological sustainability. To better understand the impact of metal production, systematic evaluation methods should be applied to complement current economic accounting tools. Under such a circumstance, this study proposes an emergy-based metal production evaluation framework, taking a life cycle perspective from the formation of mineral deposit to the final production of metal. Ecosystem service loss, CO2 emissions, and emissions' impact are quantified, evaluating the comprehensive performance of a lead and zinc production system in Yunnan Province of China. The results show that minerals contribute significantly to the formation of lead and zinc production; however, emergy received in terms of money substantially undervalues environmental work associated with production. Such a metal production system relies heavily on nonrenewable resources and put enormous pressures on local ecosystems. The beneficiation subsystem generates the highest negative impact per emergy output, followed by the smelting and refining subsystem and the underground mining subsystem. From climate change point of view, producing 1 ton of lead bullion leads to 1.79E+03 kg CO2eq. Electricity use contributes a dominated share to the total CO2 emission of all subsystems. In addition, lead recycling can greatly reduce the overall CO2 emission, indicating that it is necessary to build up a regional lead collection and recycling system. Finally, several policy suggestions are raised by considering the local realities, aiming to promote sustainable development of this industry.

Inhibiting effect of low-molecular weight polyols on the physico-chemical and structural deteriorations of gluten protein during storage of fresh noodles.

In this study, the inhibiting effects of low-molecular weight polyols on the deterioration of gluten network and noodle texture were systematically investigated, based on dough rheological properties, and the macroscopic, structural and water status changes of gluten protein during storage of fresh noodles. Both glycerol and propylene glycol significantly restrained the decrease of GMP gel weight, LA-SRC value, hardness and springiness, and the increase of cooking loss. SEM showed that polyols retarded the collapse of gluten network, with still continuous gluten fibrils. The inner structure of polyol noodles was much less damaged after 2 days, with more uniform moisture distribution in MRI images. Potential dynamic depolymerization and repolymerization interactions were detected for protein components during processing and cooking, which might contribute to the textural changes. Low-molecular weight polyols inhibited the collapse of gluten network and deterioration of noodle texture although they showed no inhibiting effect on microbial growth.

Feasibility study of acoustic imaging for human thorax using an acoustic contrast source inversion algorithm.

In this work, an acoustic imaging method based on contrast source inversion and its feasibility in quantitatively reconstructing compressibility, attenuation, and density of human thorax is studied. In the acoustic wave equation, the inhomogeneity in density makes the relationship between the contrasts and the total pressure highly nonlinear. To reduce this nonlinearity, two contrast sources are introduced to ensure symmetry in the equation, such that the inverse problem can be solved efficiently by alternately updating two contrast sources and two contrasts. Moreover, to improve the stability of the algorithm, the multiplicative regularization scheme with two additive regularization factors is applied. Using this algorithm, acoustic parameters of human thorax from low frequency ultrasound measurement are reconstructed. Numerical results show that the acoustic parameters of human thorax can be properly reconstructed at frequency of tens of kHz using this algorithm.