The role of eco-tourism in ecological conservation in giant panda nature reserve.

Eco-tourism is rapidly developing in giant panda nature reserves in China, and is considered a popular tool for biodiversity conservation and the welfare of local communities. However, there is lack of empirical evidence on whether eco-tourism promotes the conservation behavior of local communities members, who live around nature reserves. To this end, this study constructed a framework to measure households' forest conservation activities, and conducted a questionnaire survey in 12 giant panda nature reserves in Sichuan Province, China. A total of 686 valid samples were obtained. A logit model was used to confirm whether income from community-based ecotourism (CBET) could enhance households' conservation behavior. The results show that households prefer three types of conservation practices, and CBET could significantly improve the income of households engaged in it. Income from CBET has motivated local households to participate in conservation activities; however, but the effects are different. In all three conservation activities, income from CBET has shown significant effects on promoting forest maintenance and protection activities, but not on reforestation ones. The results of this research could help us better understand the relationship between CBET and local households' conservation behavior. It also provides information for policymakers seeking for the best way to balance conservation and development.

Valuable Data "Gain" and "Loss": The Quantitative Impact of Information Choice on Consumers' Decision to Buy Selenium-Rich Agricultural Products.

Biotechnology assumes a paramount role in addressing micronutrient deficiencies. The promotion thereof and the augmentation of public awareness are indispensable for implementation. The advancement of big data presents challenges due to the plethora of information and the constrained processing capacity, thereby inducing difficulties in consumer decision-making. The study is obliged to intensify information dissemination to empower consumers to apprehend the value of selenium-enriched products as an integral constituent of positive nutrition guidance. The study undertook an experiment related to nutrition information acquisition, in which participants provided relevant interferences. The study utilized the structural equation model (SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to analyze the data. The study arrived at three research conclusions. Firstly, the furnishing of valuable information constitutes a significant factor in motivating consumers to purchase selenium-rich agricultural products. Secondly, the communication of brand information holds crucial significance in shaping the perception of product advantages and plays a salient role in the promotion and construction of selenium-rich agricultural products. Finally, the dissemination of health information can be incorporated into the process of promoting selenium-rich agricultural products. This conforms to the urgent necessity to address hidden hunger and establish a value identity.

Dihydromyricetin Improves High Glucose-Induced Dopaminergic Neuronal Damage by Activating AMPK-Autophagy Signaling Pathway.

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, a growing number of clinical and biological studies have shown that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD). Prolonged exposure to hyperglycemia results in abnormal glucose metabolism, which in turn causes pathological changes similar to PD, leading to selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the compact part of the substantia nigra. Dihydromyricetin (DHM) is a naturally occurring flavonoid with various biological activities including antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties. In this study, the effect of DHM on high glucose-induced dopaminergic neuronal damage was investigated. METHODS: The potential modulatory effects of DHM on high glucose-induced dopaminergic neuronal damage and its mechanism were studied. RESULTS: DHM ameliorated high glucose-induced dopaminergic neuronal damage and autophagy injury. Inhibition of autophagy by 3-methyladenine abrogated the beneficial effects of DHM on high glucose-induced dopaminergic neuronal damage. In addition, DHM increased levels of p-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and phosphorylated UNC51-like kinase 1. The AMPK inhibitor compound C eliminated DHM-induced autophagy and subsequently inhibited the ameliorative effects of DHM on high glucose-induced dopaminergic neuronal damage. DISCUSSION: DHM ameliorates high glucose-induced dopaminergic neuronal damage by activating the AMPK-autophagy pathway.

Quantifying the Ecological Performance of Migratory Bird Conservation: Evidence from Poyang Lake Wetlands in China.

Protected areas are essential for the conservation of biodiversity. However, the rapid expansion of urbanization and the intensification of human activities have significantly disrupted environmental integrity, leading to a continuous deterioration in both the quantity and quality of large ecological patches. This has further diminished the connectivity among ecological patches, leading to significant consequences for regional biodiversity conservation. Taking Poyang Lake as a case study, which serves as a crucial wintering habitat for migratory birds along the East Asia-Australasia flyway, this research employs ArcMap technology. It considers various factors including land use type, slope, and elevation to evaluate habitat quality and degradation through the application of the InVEST model. Additionally, the study utilizes the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model alongside circuit theory to delineate ecological corridors within the area and to establish a comprehensive ecological network system. The research results in this paper are as follows. (i) During the period from 2000 to 2020, there was an overall decline in habitat quality within the study area, indicating a clear trend of habitat degradation. However, it is worth noting that there was an increase in habitat quality in certain local areas within the protected area. (ii) The ecological resistance values in the core area of the migratory bird reserve in Poyang Lake are generally low. However, the ecological resistance values of the habitats have shown a consistent increase from 2000 to 2020. Additionally, there has been a significant decrease in the density of ecological corridors during this time period. (iii) Over the period from 2000 to 2020, both the number and connectivity of ecological corridors decreased and their integrity and functionality degraded. Consequently, this weakened role of the ecological network has had implications for maintaining regional biodiversity and ecosystem service functions. The findings indicate two conclusions. (i) Ecological connectivity is essential for the conservation of migratory bird habitats. Strengthening control measures aimed at expanding ecological corridors can effectively safeguard flagship and umbrella species, thereby promoting biodiversity conservation. (ii) The establishment of ecological corridors can help reconcile conflicts between conservation efforts and development objectives. This reconciliation carries significant theoretical implications for fostering a harmonious coexistence between humans and birds in Poyang Lake's migratory bird sanctuary.

Exploring the poverty-reduction benefits of agricultural machinery socialization services in China: Implications for the sustainable development of farmers.

Sustainable development is crucial for alleviating poverty among farmers. In this study, we examined the impact, and the mechanism underlying this impact, of the adoption of agricultural machinery services by farmers on their relative poverty from a multidimensional poverty perspective by employing the logit and ordered logit models and the Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) method. These results indicate that adopting agricultural machinery services can significantly reduce the probability of relative poverty among farmers, thereby expediting the sustainability of rural development. However, this poverty-reduction effect varies based on age and sex. The adoption of agricultural machinery services mainly reduces poverty by increasing farmers' human capital. Training in employment skills and non-agricultural work experience are the main transmission mechanisms. Therefore, the socialization of agricultural machinery services can be used as an effective policy tool to reduce relative poverty in developing countries, promote sustained improvements in farmers' incomes, and achieve sustainability in rural development.

Quantifying the Income-Increasing Effect of Digital Agriculture: Take the New Agricultural Tools of Smartphone as an Example.

Smartphones are increasingly used in rural areas and have become indispensable new farming tools in farmers' production and their lives. Based on data from the 2018 China Household Tracking Survey, this study uses ordinary least squares regression with two-stage least squares as a benchmark regression to investigate the impact of the extent of smartphone use on farm household income. Our findings are as follows. ① The degree of use of new smartphone farming tools has a significant income-increasing effect on farm households. ② There is variability in the impact of the use of new smartphone farming tools on the income of farmers in different regions. The highest income-generating effects on the use of smartphone tools were found in the western region, followed by the eastern region, with the smallest effects found in the central region. ③ Low-income farmers have the highest income effects from using new smartphone farming tools. We therefore recommend further improving the digital infrastructure in rural areas to give full play to the driving force of digital technology.

Exploring consumers' environmental ethical preferences in the context of unmanned aerial vehicle utilization for plant protection.

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has increased agricultural productivity, achieved food security, and eased the pressure associated with environmental degradation and population growth. However, consumer sentiment remains unclear. The results show that pressures regarding food safety, production safety, and ecological safety have different degrees of positive impact on perceived benefits but no significant impact on perceived barriers. They strongly influence both perceived benefits to the adoption of UAV plant protection agricultural products. Perceived benefits demonstrated a mediating role between the three safety pressures and the adoption of UAVs. Lay beliefs showed a positive moderating effect on perceived benefits and obstacles to the adoption of UAV-based plant protection products. Based on these findings, this paper concludes that consumers are developing new consumer ethics that integrate concepts of food safety, safe production, and regional environmental protection with their acceptance of new technology, which is directly dependent on the combined effect of environmental and consumer ethics. To promote sustainable development, policies must be further optimized on this original basis.

Dihydromyricetin alleviates hippocampal ferroptosis in type 2 diabetic cognitive impairment rats via inhibiting the JNK-inflammatory factor pathway.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is frequently associated with diabetic cognitive impairment (DCI), and recent studies have shown a strong association between DCI and hippocampal ferroptosis. In this study, we administered dihydromyricetin (DHM) or JNK inhibitor SP600125, to T2DM rats and monitored changes in blood glucose levels, conducted behavioral tests, and detected changes in JNK, inflammatory factors and ferroptosis-related indicators. Our findings demonstrated that T2DM rats displayed signs of cognitive impairment (CI), with ferrozine assays indicating elevated iron content in the hippocampus. Concurrently, there was an increase in p-JNK activity and inflammatory factors IL-6 and TNF-α in the hippocampal region of these rats. Furthermore, we observed elevated levels of Fe2+, MDA, ROS, LPO, and ACSL4, along with a decrease in GPX4 and GSH, suggesting the occurrence of hippocampal ferroptosis. SP600125 application reversed these changes in the T2DM rats, although it exhibited no significant effects in the control group. Treatment with high and low doses of DHM led to a reduction in p-JNK expression, inflammatory factor-related proteins, and iron accumulation in the hippocampal region, effectively alleviating hippocampal ferroptosis in T2DM rats. No notable effects of DHM were observed in the control group. To conclude, our study suggests that DHM can potentially alleviate hippocampal ferroptosis of T2DM cognitive impairment rats, primarily by suppressing the JNK-inflammatory factor pathway in the hippocampus.

Effects of Household Resource Utilization Behaviors on Giant Panda Habitat under the Background of Aging: Evidence from Sichuan Province.

The Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a flagship species for endangered wildlife conservation and is a specific relic species in China. Its habitat conservation has received widespread attention around the world. Since 2010, the phenomenon of an aging labor force gradually appeared within the Giant Panda Nature Reserve and its surrounding communities. Under the new labor force structure, households' resource utilization behavior has had different characteristics, which has led an evolution in giant panda habitats. This study is based on a questionnaire and geographic data. It reveals the internal mechanisms of households' resource utilization behavior impacting giant panda habitat patterns under the ongoing trend of labor force aging. The study shows that labor force aging has promoted rising ecological niche widths and falling ecological niche overlaps. These could drive a growth in giant panda habitat globally. From a spatial perspective, nature reserves with lower comprehensive ecological niche widths and higher ecological niche overlaps face greater conflict between conservation and development. However, the phenomenon of labor force aging mitigates these ecological conflicts to a certain extent.

Surgical treatment for vascular anomalies and tracheoesophageal compression.

BACKGROUND: Vascular rings are uncommon anomalies in which preferred strategies for diagnosis and management may vary among institutions. In this study, we reported our approach and a review of our 5-year experience. METHODS: From May 2006 to April 2011, 45 children (31 boys) with vascular rings underwent surgical repair at Beijing Children's Hospital. Nineteen patients (26%) had associated heart anomalies. RESULTS: There were two hospital deaths. At follow-up, 11 patients still had intermittent respiratory symptoms, but these symptoms had no effect on growth or physical activities. No patients required reoperation. CONCLUSIONS: The rates of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis of vascular rings are higher than those of other congenital heart diseases. A high index of clinical suspicion coupled with the use of computed tomography enables early diagnosis. Surgical repair can be performed successfully, although a number of patients will have persistent symptoms.

Transcription factor HAND2 mutations in sporadic Chinese patients with congenital heart disease.

BACKGROUND: The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor HAND2 plays an essential role in cardiac morphogenesis. However, the prevalence of HAND2 mutations in congenial heart disease (CHD) and the correlation between the HAND2 genotype and CHD phenotype have not been studied extensively. METHODS: We amplified the exons and the flanking intron sequences of the HAND2 gene in 131 patients diagnosed with congenital defects of the right ventricle, outflow tract, aortic artery or cardiac cushion and confirmed the mutations by sequencing. RESULTS: Seven mutations including three missense mutations (P11R, S36N and V83L), one isonymous mutation (H14H) and three mutations in untranslated region (241A > G, 604C > T and 3237T > A) were identified in 12 out of the 131 patients. Both nonisonymous mutations are located in the transcriptional activation domain on the N-terminus. Only one mutation (S36N) was identified in 250 normal healthy controls. The distribution of 3637T > A is the unique one which was different between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: HAND2 may be a potential candidate gene of stenosis of the right ventricle, outflow tract. Further study of those with a family history of HAND2 mutations will help convincingly relate their genotype to the pathogenesis of CHD.