Spatiotemporal evolution and driving factors of ecosystem service bundle based on multi-scenario simulation in Beibu Gulf urban agglomeration, China.

Rapid urbanization is profoundly impacting the ecological environment and landscape patterns, leading to a decline in ecosystem services (ES) and posing threats to both ecological security and human well-being. This study aimed to identify the spatial and temporal patterns of ecosystem service bundles (ESB) in the Beibu Gulf urban agglomeration from 2000 to 2030, analyze the trajectory of ESB evolution, and elucidate the drivers behind ESB formation and evolution. We utilized the Patch-generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model to establish baseline (BLS), carbon sequestration priority (CPS), and urbanization priority (UPS) scenarios for simulating land use patterns in 2030. Following the assessment of ecosystem service values (ESV) through the equivalent factor method, we identified the spatiotemporal distribution patterns of ESB using the K-means clustering algorithm. By employing stability mapping and landscape indices, we identified and analyzed various types of ESB evolutionary trajectories. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was employed to pinpoint the drivers of ESB formation and evolution. The results revealed that from 2000 to 2030, land use changes were primarily observed in cropland, forestland, and construction land. Between 2000 and 2020, 92.88% of the region did not experience shifts in ESB types. In UPS, the ESB pattern in the study area underwent significant changes, with only 76.68% of the region exhibiting stabilized trajectories, while the other two scenarios recorded percentages higher than 80%. Key drivers of ESB-type shifts included initial food provision services, elevation, slope, changes in the proportion of construction land, and population change. This multi-scenario simulation of ESB evolution due to land use changes aids in comprehending potential future development directions from diverse perspectives and serves as a valuable reference for formulating and changing ecological management policies and strategies.

Carbon metabolism in "production-living-ecological" space in urban agglomeration based on land use change.

To grasp the impact of carbon metabolism on the evolution of "production-living-ecological" (PLE) space due to land use change in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan (CZT) urban agglomeration, this study delves into the temporal and spatial distribution of PLE space carbon metabolism by constructing a carbon flow model. We evaluate the influence of positive and negative carbon flows on carbon metabolism using ecological network analysis and utility assessment. Furthermore, we delve into the driving factors behind carbon metabolism through redundancy analysis (RDA). The findings of this study included mainly the following aspects. (1) From 2000 to 2020, the net carbon flow in the CZT urban agglomeration consistently remained negative, with the primary source of negative carbon flow being the transition from ecological space to production space. (2) Within the ecological utility network, the dominant ecological relationship shifted from a period of control and exploitation relationship (counted for 61.91%) between 2000 and 2005 to one of competition relationship that counted for 83.33% in 2005-2010, 47.62% in 2010-2015, and 66.67% in 2015-2020. Mutualism relationship, present in the 2000-2005 period, completely disappeared in subsequent years. (3) The value of the utility function M was 0.88, 0.36, 0.48, and 0.40 in four stages (all less than 1), which meant that PLE space evolution on regional carbon metabolism was negative. (4) The key drivers influencing carbon metabolism in PLE space were mainly Change in the Comprehensive Land Use Index (CL), Change in the Proportion of Manufacturing Land (CM), Change in the Proportion of Forestland (CF), and Change in the Proportion of Cultivated Land (CC). Carbon metabolism holds a critical role in the urban material and energy cycle. Studying carbon metabolism within PLE space carries great importance for regional carbon cycling, carbon emission and sequestration, efforts to mitigate climate change, and the maintenance of regional sustainable development.

A simple method for evaluation pharmacokinetics of glycyrrhetinic acid and potential drug-drug interaction between herbal ingredients.

A simple validated high performance liquid chromatography method was developed for the evaluation of the effect of three kinds of active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on the pharmacokinetics of glycyrrhetinic acid (GA),a kind of active component from the most commonly used TCM licorice. Our results revealed that all of the calibration curves displayed good linearity. Intra- and inter-day precision for GA ranged from 2.54 to 3.98% and from 4.95 to 7.08%, respectively. The recovery rates for GA were determined to be 96.3-106.4%. All the samples showed satisfactory precision and accuracy in various stability tests. Plasma pharmacokinetic parameters including area under the concentration-time curve (AUC), elimination half-life (t1/2), time to peak concentration(Tmax) and peak concentration Cmax were calculated. No significant difference was found as compared the groups administrating GA with and without other ingredients from TCM.

[Extensive grazing and designed feeding with supplemented legume forages on natural grassland].

Livestock needs to be fully stuffed and fed well. Eating-well can compensate eating-full, and can rapidly increase the body weight of livestock, shorten its feeding period, enhance its production, and protect natural grassland from overgrazing. A designed feeding based on extensive grazing on natural grassland by supplementing rich crude protein-contained forage might be a new trend for optimizing the animal husbandry on grassland. Adding 20% legume forages to the diets for wethers could make the live body weight get a 40%-65% increase, achieving 52-61 kg in October extending to December. Forage production, animal nutrition and animal production were the three relatively primary factors for grassland management while focusing on grazing. Some terms such as eating-well, eating-well degree, eating-full, eating-full degree, extensive grazing and designed feeding were also defined respectively in this paper.