Negative Correlation Relationship Research Articles

Geographical origin discrimination of Anisodus tanguticus (Maxim.): Chemometrics methods applied to ICP-OES analysis

Anisodus tanguticus (Maxim.) Pascher, which is an important species used in traditional Tibetan medicine, is grown on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. A quantitative analysis of 18 elements in A. tanguticus and the soil was conducted using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer. The elemental contents of A. tanguticus underwent principal component analysis, linear discriminant analysis, and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis. Furthermore, elemental accumulation and elemental transfer coefficients were calculated, and the correlation between environmental factors and elemental content was further explored. The multivariate statistical results indicated that A. tanguticus plants can be distinguished by their geographical origin. Elemental accumulation and transfer patterns differed significantly among the analysed elements. Some positive or negative correlation relationships were found between environmental factors and contents in root parts of A. tanguticus. The present study provides an efficient and practical method to discriminate the geographical origin of A. tanguticus from different regions.

Immunological indicators in patients with vibrational disease and metabolic syndrome

Introduction. Workers with vibration disease (VD) are at greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MS). Timely diagnosis and prevention of MS accompanying VD is very important, since medical measures at the early period can not only stop the occurrence of complications, but also contribute to the reverse development of individual symptoms. Currently, the state of the immune system of VD patients with MS remains one of the poorly studied questions.
 Materials and methods. Serum cytokines: IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17, TNF-α, INF-γ were determined by ELISA.
 Results. A significant increase in IL-1β, IL-4, IL-17, TNF-α relative to the comparison group was found in VD patients with MS and in those with VD without MS. However, no statistically significant differences were found in the intergroup comparison of cytokines, while a pronounced tendency to increase changes in the cytokine profile in persons with VD aggravated with MS is noteworthy. Depending on the duration of vibration exposure, hyperproduction of IL-17, TNF-α, IL-4 and a decrease in INF-γ in the highly trained group were noted if compared with less trained workers. A negative correlation relationship between vibration experience and IL-8 content was revealed in VD patients with MS with less than 20 years of experience. If the duration of work is more than 20 years in VD persons with MS, there are direct correlations between experience and IL-4 and IL-17 levels and feedback with the concentration of INF-γ.
 Limitations. The limitations of this work are small groups of employees.
 Conclusion. Increased levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in VD patients with MS indicate the activation of inflammation processes, in the mechanisms of induction of which, both a change in the reactivity of the immune system and a violation of metabolic processes in workers with prolonged exposure to physical factors may play a role.

The Relationship between High-Tech Industrial Agglomeration and Regional Innovation: A Meta-Analysis Investigation in China

High-tech industrial agglomeration enhances the technological level and value of regional industries. It is considered to be a new and effective way to drive China’s regional innovation and development at present. Numerous studies indicate that high-tech industrial agglomeration contributes positively to regional innovation, but the current academic discussion on this issue has not yet reached a unified opinion. In various research contexts, it has also been pointed out that there may be a negative correlation or non-linear relationship between the two. This contradictory relationship makes it difficult to generalize the current research findings to realistic application scenarios. Therefore, to clarify the relationship between the two scientifically, this study employs meta-analysis, reanalyzing 833 effect values derived from 69 independent research samples based on Chinese data. The findings reveal a moderately positive correlation (r = 0.204) between the agglomeration of high-tech industries and regional innovation in China. In particular, high-tech industrial agglomeration significantly contributes to regional innovation under the paths of diversified agglomeration and competitive agglomeration. We further found that sampling region, measurement approach, measurement perspective, research methodology, and year of publication all exhibit significant moderating effects on the relationship between the two variables. Based on meta-analysis, this study not only scientifically responds to the controversy of the relationship between high-tech industrial agglomeration and regional innovation but also further reveals the inner conduction mechanism between the two. It is of great significance in exploring future studies in related fields.

Selenium Deficiency is associated with inflammation and Cardio- metabolic dysregulation in women with Hypertensive disorders of Pregnancy

Abstract Introduction/Objective Selenium (Se) deficiency has been speculated to enhance Oxidative inflammation in Pregnancy, leading to endothelial dysfunction, which has been implicated in the aetiopathogenesis of Hypertensive disorders of Pregnancy. This study aimed at evaluating the Selenium Status of pregnant women and its role in inflammation and cardio-metabolism in pregnant women with Hypertensive disorders of Pregnancy. Methods/Case Report The study involved 200 healthy women with Single Pregnancy who presented to Obstetrics and Gynaecology clinic of IMSUTH Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. These subjects were recruited between 10 to 15 weeks of gestation. 52 of the them who subsequently developed Hypertensive disorders ;Preeclampsia (PE)-15 and Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH)- 37) were compared with their148 counterparts who remained Normotensive. The groups were matched for age, BMI, gestational age and parity. The blood Selenium levels were determined using Atomic Absorption spectrophotometer, while ELIZA was used for Markers of Inflammation and Cardio-metabolic risk (Hs Crp, Lipid profile, Insuline, MDA,TAC, GSH). P <0.05 was considered statistically significant for all variables. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) There was significant reduction in the mean levels of Selenium in Pregnant women with PE and PIH (52.41 μg/L, 56.02 μg/L) when compared with Normotensive (68.84 μg/L). Hs-CRP, LDL and MDA showed significant increase in the study groups (PE and PIH) against the Normotensive group (p=0.001, 0.004 and 0.001) respectively. A significant reduction was observed in the TAC and GSH in PE and PIH (p> 0.005).. There was also a significant increase in the Insulin levels of the PE group compared with the Control group. There was a negative correlation relationship between Selenium and Hs- CRP (r = -0.533, r=-601), serum lipids and Insulin and BMI in the study groups. Conclusion From our study, Selenium deficiency may be associated with Dyslipidemia, impaired Insulin Metabolism and may serve as a predictive Risk marker of Heart disease in women with Hypertensive disorders of Pregnancy.

Global profiling of miRNA and protein expression patterns in rabbit peritoneal macrophages treated with exosomes derived from Taenia pisiformis cysticercus

Infection of Taenia pisiformis cysticercus is very frequently found in lagomorphs and causes serious economic losses to rabbit breeding industry. T. pisiformis cysticercus has evolved numerous strategies to manipulate their hosts. The release of exosomes is of importance in the interaction between host and parasite. However, the mechanism by which T. pisiformis cysticercus evades the host immune system for long-term survival within the host remains unclear. Using small RNA sequencing and TMT labelling proteomic, we profiled the expression patterns of miRNAs and proteins in rabbit peritoneal macrophages treated with T. pisiformis cysticercus exosomes. Seven differentially expressed (DE)-miRNAs and six DE-proteins were randomly selected to validate the accuracy of the sequencing data by qRT-PCR or western blot. Functions of DE-miRNAs and proteins were analyzed using public data bases. And DE-miRNAs–DE-proteins correlation network were established. CCK-8 assay was used to evaluate the effect of exosomes on macrophages proliferation. Cell cycle of macrophages, isolated from T. pisiformis-infected rabbits, was determined using flow cytometry. A total of 21 miRNAs were significantly differentially expressed, including three worm-derived miRNAs. The expressions of miRNAs and proteins were consistent with the sequencing results. DE-miRNAs targets were related to cell proliferation and apoptosis. Exosomes treatment resulted in a decrease of macrophages proliferation. In vivo, T. pisiformis cysticercus significantly induced S phase cell arrest. Moreover, DE-proteins were related to production of interferon-gamma and interleukin-12, and immunoregulation. Correlation network analysis revealed a negative correlation relationship between DE-miRNAs and DE-proteins. Among them, novel334 and tpi-let-7-5p have potential regulatory effects on IL1β and NFκB2 respectively, which imply that novel334–IL1β/tpi-let-7-5p–NFκB2 axis may be an important way that T. pisiformis cysticercus modulates host immune response through exosomes. Further understanding of these potential regulatory mechanisms will contribute to clarify the mechanism of escape mediated by T. pisiformis exosomes.

Multifactor analysis of heat extraction performance of coaxial heat exchanger applied to hot dry rock resources exploration: A case study in matouying uplift, Tangshan, China

To obtain an excellent heat exchange effect, it is necessary to optimize the technical processes of single-well coaxial heat exchange. Based on numerical simulation and field investigation, this study shows that a high inlet temperature can significantly improve the outlet temperature while a low inlet temperature can obtain a high heat extraction power. The outlet temperature and heat extraction power show a positive correlation binomial relation with the inlet flow rate, the thermal conductivity of cement, the thermal conductivity of reservoir and the borehole diameter, which exhibit linear negative and positive correlation relationships with the thermal conductivity of inner tube and geothermal gradient. The inlet flow rate, geothermal gradient and thermal conductivity of the inner tube are the most significant factors, followed by the thermal conductivity of reservoir and the borehole diameter, while the inlet temperature and thermal conductivity of cement are the insignificant factors. It is recommended to select the reservoirs with high geothermal gradient, good thermal conductivity and wide stable distribution, develop fixing well cement with high thermal conductivity and inner pipe materials with excellent insulation performance, reduce the inlet temperature, increase the inlet flow rate of working fluid and expand the well diameter while considering costs.

Research on systemic risk in a triple network

At present, most research on systemic risk focuses on a single interbank market network or bank-asset bipartite network, but the research on how multiple networks interact and affect the systemic risk is still rare. Therefore, this paper constructs a triple network to study the systemic risk, which includes the interbank market network, the bank-asset bipartite network, and the asset-asset relationship network. Different from previous studies using the number of bank failures to measure the systemic risk, this paper uses the DebtRank algorithm to construct the feedback effect between networks and further studies the influence of network average degree and network crowding on the systemic risk under the feedback effect of the triple network. The results show that: (i) The feedback effect between the interbank market network and the bank-asset bipartite network is the accelerator of the systemic risk. (ii) Under any three network properties, the systemic risk increases with the increase of network crowding. (iii) Under different network average degrees, the nature of triple networks is different and the magnitude of the systemic risk is different. In the case of the positive asset-asset network, the larger interbank market network, and the smaller bank-asset bipartite network, the smaller the systemic risk; however, when the asset-asset network is a non-positively relationship (negative and random relationship), if the interbank market network is large, and the bank-asset bipartite network is small, then the systemic risk is large. (iv) When the asset-asset network has a positive relationship, regardless of the size of the interbank market network and the bank-asset bipartite network, the systemic risk increases with the increase of the network average degree; when the asset-asset network has a non-positive relationship (negative correlation and random relationship), the systemic risk first decreases with the increase of network average degree, then decreases to the critical value, and then increases with the increase of network average degree. The model and analysis method of this paper provides a framework for the quantitative research of systemic risk and provides a decision-making basis for regulators and policymakers.

Computing Actors Roles into CSR Programs of Agriculture and Economic Development; An Evidence from Tribal Community of Teluk Bintuni Regency, West Papua

The program of Corporate Social Responsibility is the key programs and project delivered and responsible for private sector as a source of economic empowerment and social cares. However, this sector has many involved interest and interlinked actors. Inventory all resources and roles played by actors are utmost important. The objective of this research was to clearly and precisely map actors in CSR sectors for agriculture and economic development. As much as 27 institutions interviewed and asked the roles and resources of individuals working inside organizations formally and informally. Parameters collected were shapes of organizations, status of law, organization types, roles of stakeholders, effect, importance, turn-back effect. We collected data of resources sharing, duration of periods, continuity of resources, and power of resources. Data gathered related to intervention, which could play by organization per se, i.e. policy, financial, space, time, access, satisfaction, knowledge, skills, and power. Data were stored in Microsoft excel worksheet and export to Social Network Visualizer software version 2.5.. Identified key and strategic stakeholder in CSR determined by its power and interest. We found nine negative correlation relationships amongst actors. There are also 18 positive correlation relationship amongst actors. We identified 7th layers based on the rules of power centrality (PC). Quadrant 1 consisted of one actor, seven actors (quadrant 2), 10 actors (quadrant 3), and nine actors (quadrant 4). Actors shall move from quadrant 4 to quadrant 2, as well as actors in quadrant 1 and quadrant 3. Delivery of CSR will move on and run forward to achieve its final goals, i.e., community development for prosperity living.

Crucial role of iron plaque on thallium uptake by rice plant

Iron plaque is a Fe-containing oxide film produced by the oxidation of Fe(II) in the rice root system under the combined action of oxygen infiltration and other microorganisms. Owing to its special surface structure and physio-chemical properties, the iron plaque has a strong absorption capacity for a variety of heavy metal ions. This study aimed to first investigate the effects of Fe species on the geochemical fractionation of Tl in typical paddy soil systems affected by industrial activities, followed by pot culture experiments to probe the effects of Fe species on the uptake and translocation of Tl in rice plants. The results of field work preliminarily showed that iron at different valences affected the conversion of the Tl geochemical fraction in the soil. Oxidizable Tl exerted significant positive correlation relationships with Fe2+ and negative correlation relationships with Fe3+, while reducible Tl only displayed a positive correlation with Fe3+. Further analysis by pot culture experiments revealed that the contents of Fe were significantly positively correlated with Tl contents in Fe plaque (R2 = 0.529). In contrast, the water-soluble Tl contents in the soil were significantly negatively correlated with the contents of Fe (R2 = – 0. 90, p < 0.05). It suggests that the iron plaque promoted the absorption and fixation of Tl on the root surface of rice plants, causing Tl to accumulate in the iron plaque. Besides, the Tl content in the Fe plaque on the root surface of rice plants was greater than that in the above-ground tissues, which indicates that most Fe plaque exerts a certain degree of inhibition on Tl migration into the above-ground tissues of rice plants. All these findings indicate that Fe film is also an important carrier of Tl transfer in the soil–rice plant system, which provides new scientific support for the remediation of typical Tl-contaminated rice fields.

قلق المستقبل وعالقته بنوعية الحياة لدى عينة من األرامل في محافظة إربد

The study aimed to reveal the level of both future anxiety and quality of life, and the relationship between them among a sample of widows in Irbid Governorate. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher used the future anxiety scale consisted of (32) items in five domains (psychological, healthy, social, family, economic), and the quality of life scale consisted of (27) items. The study sample consisted of (311) registered widows in community services centres, family and women's protection and support centres located in various districts in Irbid Governorate. The results of the study showed that the level of future anxiety among widows was high degree, and the level of quality of life among widows was low degree. The results indicated that there was negative correlative relationship between the level of future anxiety and the quality of life among widows in Irbid Governorate.

Geo-Distributed IoT Data Analytics With Deadline Constraints Across Network Edge

Owing to the advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G mobile technologies, various IoT devices produce massive data, which is usually transferred to nearby sites, such as edge nodes or datacenters. Many large-scale IoT applications need to analyze the data distributed across multiple sites to obtain final results. A dominant challenge of this type of data analytics is the heterogeneities of resource capacities across geo-distributed sites. In this article, we find that the resource capacity as well as the resource price differ among sites, and the price heterogeneity has a significant impact on geo-distributed IoT data analytics. Thus, each geo-distributed IoT data analytics job prefers to minimize the job execution cost while guaranteeing its deadline requirement under the resource constraints of involved sites. Specifically, we propose to jointly consider the resource heterogeneities of both capacity and price, and minimize the cost of each job before its deadline. We characterize this optimization problem as a quadratically constrained quadratic programming problem. To tackle such an NP-hard problem, we propose the minimize the job completion cost before a given deadline (MCGL) method, which calculates a task placement solution by the gradient adjustment strategy according to the remarkable negative correlation relationship between job completion time and job completion cost of geo-distributed IoT data analytics job. The task placement strategy can optimize resource cost with respect to the deadline requirement of any geo-distributed data analytics job. The trace-driven evaluations indicate that MCGL significantly reduces the total cost compared with existing methods; moreover, they satisfy the deadline constraints simultaneously.

Quantifying hydrological-ecological response relationships based on zooplankton index of biotic integrity and comprehensive habitat quality index - A case study of typical rivers in Xi'an, China

With the accelerated development of urbanization, rivers in urban areas have become the most closely synergized water ecosystem between human activities and natural processes. To achieve the restoration goal of using hydrological regime change-ecological response relationship to advance the sustainable development of regulated river ecosystems, this study collected ecohydrological data at four tributaries of the Wei River system (Ba, Chan, Feng, and Hei Rivers) at a total of 24 stations in October 2020 and June 2021. Taking ecological flow as hydrological parameter and zooplankton as indicator organism, combined with habitat data scored on-site, the indicator system of zooplankton index of biological integrity and comprehensive habitat quality index was established to explore the hydrological-ecological response relationship in a multi-dimensional way. The results showed that during the ebb stage, the ecological health of the Feng River was better overall, with an average ecological flow value of 267.09 ± 348.62. The ecological health of the Hei River was the worst, with an average ecological flow value of 37.80 ± 38.80. During the abundant water period, the ecological health of the Chan River was optimal with an average ecological flow value of 189.25 ± 190.10, while the ecological health of the Hei River remained unimproved, but the average ecological flow value increased by 283.12 ± 197.76. There was a clear negative correlation relationship between the comprehensive habitat quality index and ecological flow. The correlation between zooplankton index of biological integrity and ecological flows is extremely strong and threshold values exist, but there is strong heterogeneity in the interaction of disturbance factors across water systems, which may not provide a predictable response to flow changes. This study aims to provide a case reference for flow management in watersheds that also lack long-time series hydrological data and to contribute new thinking to the wide application of the hydrological-ecological response relationship.

Оценка экологического состояния чернозема обыкновенного при загрязнении антибиотиками тетрациклиновой группы

The article presents the results of a comprehensive assessment of the ecological state of chernozem when contaminated with tetracyclines at concentrations of 10, 100 and 1000 mg/kg by the degree of change in biological indicators. It was found that tetracycline contamination leads to a deterioration in the ecological state of ordinary chernozem. The degree of change in biological parameters is determined by the chemical structure of tetracyclines and their concentration. A negative correlation relationship is established between the concentration of tetracyclines and the degree of change in biological parameters. Oxytetracycline has the greatest adverse effect on biological performance than tetracycline. The activity of oxidoreductases, the total number of bacteria, the length of radish roots are the most informative indicators in case of contamination of chernozem with tetracyclines, the indicator of the abundance of bacteria p. Azotobacter is not informative. Keywords: POLLUTION, TETRACYCLINE, OXYTETRACYCLINE, ORDINARY CHERNOZEM, ECOLOGICAL STATE

Emotional Self-Efficacy among a Sample of Adolescents and its Relationship with Impulsivity

This study examines the relationship between emotional self-efficacy and impulsivity among a sample of adolescents. To achieve the study objectives, The descriptive and relational survey method was used, Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale consisting of (27) items and Impulsivity Scale consisting of (22) items were employed after validity and reliability of the two scales were verified. The two scales were administrated to a convenient sample totaling (247) adolescents. The results of the study showed that emotional self-efficacy level among adolescents was moderate as all domains were moderate and were as follows: Managing other emotions, understanding other emotions, self-emotions management, self-emotion understanding, respectively. Three domains of impulsivity scale were low, which were: lack of persistence, positive insistence, seeking for adventure, respectively, while two domains (Negative insistence, premeditation) were very low. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences at (α = 0.05) between the estimates of a sample of adolescent students on the dimensions of impulsivity, as well as between their estimates on the dimensions of emotional self-efficacy and on them collectively due to gender, and a statistically significant negative correlation relationship at (α = 0.01) between Emotionality self-efficacy and the dimension of impulsivity (Negative insistence, premeditation).

Modulation of Trace Metal Accumulation in the Liver and Intestine of Amphibian Host Sclerophrys regularis by the Enteric Parasite Cosmocerca spp. Sampled in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria

BackgroundRecent studies have shown parasites as accumulation indicators that give critical information about the bioavailability of pollutants. To further buttress parasites in the assessment of metal sink potentials, the parasite Cosmocerca sp. was analyzed in a total of 168 host toads, Sclerophrys regularis, from three (3) study stations sampled around dumpsites and natural habitats in selected parts of Lagos Metropolis.MethodConcentrations of Zn, Ni, Co, Cu, and Pb in the soil, parasite, intestine, and liver of toads at each location were analyzed using flame atomic absorption spectrometry.ResultsComparison based on the concentrations of metals in S. regularis liver regardless of the collection site (dumpsite and natural habitat) showed that the most accumulated metal was zinc. Zinc significantly accumulated in the liver of the uninfected toad at the dumpsite, followed by the infected counterparts. There was also significant bioaccumulation of lead in the liver of the uninfected toads followed by the infected toads at the dumpsites. The accumulation of lead in the toads in their natural habitats was insignificant. The significant biota-sediment accumulation of copper in the liver was in the order of infected toad at dumpsite > infected toad at natural habitat > uninfected toad at habitat. Copper accumulation in the uninfected toad at the dumpsites was insignificant. As for cobalt, the significant biota-sediment accumulation in the liver was in the order of uninfected toad at dumpsite > infected toad at dumpsite > infected toad at habitat. Insignificant bioaccumulation occurred only in the uninfected toad at the natural habitat. A strong positive correlation (0.9546) between the concentrations of metals in the liver and the intestine indicated a common source of contamination and relatively proportional accumulation rates. Although there was a significant positive correlation between the concentrations of metals in the intestine and the parasites, a significantly negative correlation relationship, however, occurred between the concentrations of metals in the liver and the parasites.ConclusionsThis current study has demonstrated the possibility of employing Cosmocerca sp. as a bio-sink and bioindicator for zinc contamination. The parasites may therefore be promising in protecting S. regularis and safeguarding the health of the associated populace.

Structure-Function Relationship between Cluster Mean Defect and Sector Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma.

Purpose To determine the structure–function relationship between cluster mean defect (MD) offered by standard automated perimetry and corresponding sector peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (pRNFLT) measured with optical coherence tomography (OCT) in primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). Method 39 healthy eyes (control group), 43 early POAG eyes (global MD ≤ 6 dB, early group), 30 moderate POAG eyes (global MD between 6 and 12 dB, moderate group), and 53 advanced POAG eyes (global MD > 12 dB, advanced group) underwent visual field (VF) examination with Octopus perimeter (dynamic strategy/G2 pattern) and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measurements with RTVue-100 FD-OCT. Spearman analysis was used to investigate the correlation between cluster MDs provided by Octopus perimeter and corresponding sector pRNFLT for the total sample and each subgroup, respectively. Then, linear (y = a+ bx) and curvilinear (quadratic, y = a+bx + cx2) regression analyses were employed to investigate the model for the cluster MD-sector pRNFLT pair with significant correlation. The strength of the relationship was characterized with correlation coefficient (ρ) and coefficient of determination (R2). For the cluster–sector pair that could be fitted by both models, Wilcoxon signed rank test of absolute residuals was used to compare the goodness of fit. Results Correlation between cluster MDs and corresponding sector pRNFLT was significant for all clusters in the total sample (ρ values: −0.572 to 0.832, P < 0.001) and in the POAG group (ρ values: −0.551 to −0.777, P < 0.001). The highest ρ values were found for cluster-sector pair 9 and pair 3, respectively. The curvilinear (quadratic) model provided better fit for all 10 cluster-sector pairs in the total sample (R2 values: 0.431–0.687, P < 0.001) and in the POAG group (R2 values: 0.364–0.594, P < 0.01). The highest R2 values were found also for cluster–sector pair 9 and pair 3, respectively. In the control group, no significant correlation was found for any cluster–sector pair (P > 0.01). In the early group, correlation was significant for cluster–sector pairs 3, 8, and 9 (ρ values: −0.449, −0.627, and −0.815, resp., P < 0.01). In the moderate group, correlation was significant for pairs 2, 3, 8, and 9 (ρ values: −0.703, −0.556, −0.680, and −0.637, resp., P < 0.01). In the advanced group, correlation was significant (P < 0.01) for all 10 pairs (ρ values: −0.395 to −0.699, P < 0.001) except for pairs 2, 3, and 8, and the highest ρ value was found for pair 1. For all cluster–sector pairs with significant correlation in the early, moderate, and advanced groups, only linear model could be fitted (P < 0.01), except for pair 9 in the early group and pair 5 in the advanced group. Conclusions Cluster MD of the Octopus visual field showed significant moderate-to-strong negative correlation and curvilinear (quadratic) relationship with the corresponding sector pRNFLT for POAG. This type of regional structure–function relationship varied according to the severity of POAG, and at each stage, the significantly correlated cluster–sector pairs mainly showed linear relationship. The results could provide guidance for better utilization of this regional structure–function method in the management of different stages of POAG.

Influence of tick sex and geographic region on the microbiome of Dermacentor variabilis collected from dogs and cats across the United States

As tick-borne diseases continue to increase across North America, current research strives to understand how the tick microbiome may affect pathogen acquisition, maintenance, and transmission. Prior high throughput amplicon-based microbial diversity surveys of the widespread tick Dermacentor variabilis have suggested that life stage, sex, and geographic region may influence the composition of the tick microbiome. Here, adult D. variabilis ticks (n = 145) were collected from dogs and cats from 32 states with specimens originating from all four regions of the United States (West, Midwest, South, and Northeast), and the tick microbiome was examined via V4-16S rRNA gene amplification and Illumina sequencing. A total of 481,246 bacterial sequences were obtained (median 2924 per sample, range 399–11,990). Fifty genera represented the majority (>80%) of the sequences detected, with the genera Allofrancisella and Francisella being the most abundant. Further, 97%, 23%, and 5.5% of the ticks contained sequences belonging to Francisella spp., Rickettsia spp., and Coxiella spp., respectively. No Ehrlichia spp. or Anaplasma spp. were identified. Co-occurrence analysis, by way of correlation coefficients, between the top 50 most abundant genera demonstrated five strong positive and no strong negative correlation relationships. Geographic region had a consistent effect on species richness with ticks from the Northeast having a significantly greater level of richness. Alpha diversity patterns were dependent on tick sex, with males exhibiting higher levels of diversity, and geographical region, with higher level of diversity observed in ticks obtained from the Northeast, but not on tick host. Community structure, or beta diversity, of tick microbiome was impacted by tick sex and geographic location, with microbiomes of ticks from the western US exhibiting a distinct community structure when compared to those from the other three regions (Northeast, South, and Midwest). In total, LEfSe (Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size) identified 18 specific genera driving these observed patterns of diversity and community structure. Collectively, these findings highlight the differences in bacterial diversity of D. variabilis across the US and supports the interpretation that tick sex and geographic region affects microbiome composition across a broad sampling distribution.

Effect of boron on cadmium uptake and expression of Cd transport genes at different growth stages of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Boron (B) is an essential microelement for plant growth and has been shown to reduce cadmium (Cd) toxicity in wheat through modulating gene expression. However, there is not enough information about the effects of different applications of B fertilizer on the accumulation of Cd, particularly throughout the wheat growth period. This experiment employed two different B fertilization methods. The soil application method utilized 1.5 mg B kg−1 soil (Cd+B) and foliar application utilized 0.1% (F0.1%), 0.3% (F0.3%), and 0.6% (F0.6%) B concentrations along with 4 mg kg−1 Cd. The results showed that B application in the soil reduced Cd concentrations per plant by 43.9% at the seedling stage, 74.59% in the roots, and 52.11% in the shoots at the elongation stage. At the same time, Cd concentrations in the roots were higher by B application at the anthesis and maturity stages, suggesting that B retains more Cd in the roots. The gray correlation analysis showed that the gray relational coefficients followed the following order: F0.3% > F0.1% > Cd+B > F0.6%. According to quantitative real-time PCR analysis, the six Cd transporters were mostly expressed in the roots at the seedling stage and anthesis stage. In addition, the expression of TCONS1113, TRIAE1060, and TRIAE5370 showed a negative correlation relationship with Cd concentration at the seedling stage, both in roots and shoots. At the anthesis stage, the expression of TCONS1113 and TRIAE5370 in roots was higher in Cd-treated plants compared to B-treated plants, and a similar tendency was noted for the expression of TRIAE5770 and TRIAE1060 in shoots as well. These results suggest that B application could significantly inhibit Cd uptake and translocation by regulating the expression of Cd transporter genes, especially at the seedling stage and the elongation phase in wheat.

Effect of infusion time on black tea quality, mineral content and sensory properties prepared using traditional Turkish infusion method

Tea is not only just a beverage in Turkey, it is but also a considerable part of the Turkish culture. With this study, it is aimed to reveal the best infusion time in the traditional Turkish type infusion method by evaluating the quality parameters, mineral content and sensory parameters of infusion depending on the increasing infusion time. Transition rate of the quality parameters to the infusion were between 69.8% and 90.2% on average, theaflavin (TF) was the highest on the other hand, the total polyphenols were the lowest. Transition rate of minerals was not higher as much as quality parameters and varied between 25.1% and 41.8% on average. The highest one was Zinc (Zn) and the lowest one was Calcium (Ca). All quality parameters and minerals except caffeine, TF and Cu showed a correlation with the infusion time. Extract, TP, TR, TC, turbidity, Zn, Ca and Mn were positively correlated, on the other hand brightness, L, a*, b* and Al showed negative correlation relationship. In terms of sensory evaluation, colour and bitterness showed positive correlation with increasing infusion time, while brightness, clarity, astringency, aroma and overall evaluation showed negative correlation. When the quality parameters, minerals and sensory parameters of the infusions are evaluated, it has been seen that the ideal infusion time is 15 min according to the traditional Turkish type black tea infusion method and infusion time should not exceed 30 min.

A spatially explicit reconstruction of cropland cover in China around 1850 C.E. employing new land suitability based gridded allocation algorithm

A credible spatially explicit historical cropland dataset is the basis for accurately evaluating the impacts of anthropogenic land cover change on global changes. The credibility of the historical cropland datasets relies on both the reconstructed regional cropland area and the allocation algorithm. In the case of adopting the more reliable reconstructed historical cropland area in a given region, the credibility of the gridded cropland cover data mainly depends on the allocation algorithm, which makes a major contribution to the uncertainties of the spatial distribution of the cropland cover. In this study, a new land suitability-based gridded allocation algorithm for historical cropland cover was used to allocate the provincial cropland area into 5' × 5′ grids in China around 1850 C.E. The algorithm was constructed using the dominant physiogeographic factors that vary from region to region, and these factors were assessed by the modern cropland cover. The main conclusions are described as follows: (1) the cultivation intensity under a 5' × 5′ cell can be effectively indicated by the physiogeographic factors in a 0.5° × 0.5° unit, although the degrees of correlation showed a diverse variety with positive, negative correlation or irrelevance relationships in different regions. (2) The land suitability calculated from dominant regional physiogeographic factors could appropriately represent the cultivation intensity. The proportion of positive correlations above 0.7 between the modern cropland fraction and land suitability in China is more than 93%. (3) Employing the newly developed allocation algorithm, the 5' × 5′ cropland fraction data in China around 1850 C.E. was generated from the reconstructed provincial cropland area. The traditional farming regions were maturely cultivated in 1850 C.E., while the distribution of cropland was relatively small and had a lower cultivation intensity in the frontier region (Xinjiang Province and Northeast China, etc.). (4) The new allocation algorithm is expected to be applicable in regions with only very coarse spatial resolution cropland reconstruction results, and the reasonability of gridded allocation results will be improved, especially in regions at the early cultivation stages with very low intensity in China.