Similar Change Trend Research Articles

Assessment of the relationship of the salt-covered area and the groundwater storage/drought indicators in the disappearing Lake Tuz in Turkey (1985–2021)

This study aims to reveal the relationship of the expansion of the salt-covered area of Lake Tuz in Turkey with the drought in the region and the change of the groundwater storage. The changes in the salt-covered area in Lake Tuz between 1985 and 2021 (37years), which have been obtained by August satellite images, are compared with those in groundwater and the 12-month Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) variations in the lake. The results show that the salt-covered area on the lake surface was most strongly correlated with the SPEI spring (-0.78, t test; p < 0.01) during the period of August 1985-2021, implying that the drought conditions in spring determines 62% of the salt-covered area on the lake in August. The groundwater storage (GWS) in June and July and the salt-covered area in August in Lake Tuz also depict a moderate correlation of -0.60 at 1% significance level from 1985 to 2021. The results illustrate that the SPEI and GWS values decreased, while the salt-covered area on the lake surface expanded in the Lake Tuz Basin over the past 37years. The trends of the salt-covered area, SPEI, and GWS became especially pronounced after 1999, during which the SPEI change and similar changing trends appeared in the GWS and salt-covered area. These patterns of increase in drought severity and decreasing groundwater storage are expected to increasingly compromise the future of Lake Tuz and cause ecological and environmental problems in the near future.

Analysis of human invasive cytotrophoblasts demonstrates mosaic aneuploidy.

A total of 24 chromosome-specific fluorescence in situ hybridization probes for interphase nucleus analysis were developed to determine the chromosomal content of individual human invasive cytotrophoblasts derived from in vitro cultured assays. At least 75% of invasive cytotrophoblasts were hyperdiploid and the total number of chromosomes ranged from 47 to 61. The results also demonstrated that these hyperdiploid invasive cytotrophoblasts showed significant heterogeneity. The most copy number gains were observed for chromosomes 13, 14, 15, 19, 21, and 22 with average copy number greater than 2.3. A parallel study using primary invasive cytotrophoblasts also showed a similar trend of copy number changes. Conclusively, 24-chromosome analysis of human non-proliferating cytotrophoblasts (interphase nuclei) was achieved. Hyperdiploidy and chromosomal heterogeneity without endoduplication in invasive cytotrophoblasts may suggest a selective advantage for invasion and short lifespan during normal placental development.

Temperature and Particle-size Effects on the Formation of Silica Gels from Silica Sols

Silica nanoparticles (silica sols) based gels have increasingly been used as alternative grouting material for sealing the small fractures in the tunnel walls. Gelling of silica nanoparticles at room temperature has been investigated thoroughly but gelling at different temperatures scarcely investigated. At the same time temperature is one of major factor which can affect the long-term stability of grouted silica. In this work we have investigated the gelling of three different types of silica sols (Levasil CS40-213, Levasil CS40-222, and Levasil CS30-236) having different particle sizes, in 0.28 M NaCl at 10, 20 and 30 °C. Aggregation process, starting from the addition of salt to the gelling point, was monitored by measuring the time dependent particle size distribution. Electrospray scanning mobility particle sizer (ES-SMPS) was used to measure the aggregating. These measurements were complemented by rheological measurements in order to get a relationship between changes in aggregate structure and in the viscosity of silica suspension. Data from the temperature dependent gel time measurements were used to calculate the activation energy. At room temperature, silica sols with smallest average particle size showed the shortest gel times whereas the sols with the largest particle size showed the longest gel time. However, at increasing temperature shorter gel times were seen for all the sols. Temperature dependent rheological measurements showed similar trends in viscosity changes as seen for gel times i.e., increased temperature leads to quicker increase in the viscosity and a sharp increase in viscosity near the gelling point. Our calculations of fractal dimensions showed that in the gel network there are still many free particles which continuously incorporated into the gel network. Apparent activation energies calculated for CS40-213, CS40-222, CS30-236 were 13.40, 23.36 and 41.45 kJ/mol, respectively. These values are lower than values reported for silica in the literature. Moreover, temperature dependent zeta potential measurements show that zeta potential get less negative as temperature increase. The above mentioned measurements are at odd what has been reported in literature but we have provided plausible explanation of these results.

Biomechanical Analysis of Foot–Ankle Complex during Jogging with Rearfoot Strike versus Forefoot Strike

Background and Aim. In order to reduce foot and ankle injuries induced by jogging, two-foot strike patterns, rearfoot strike (RFS), and forefoot strike (FFS), were adopted and compared. First, RFS jogging and FFS jogging were experimentally studied, so as to acquire kinematic and kinetic data, including foot strike angle, knee flexion angle, and ground reaction force (GRF). Then, a 3D finite element model of foot–ankle complex was reconstructed from the scanned 2D-stacked images. Biomechanical characteristics, including plantar pressure, stress of metatarsals, midfoot bone, calcaneus and cartilage, and tensile force of plantar fascia and ligaments, were obtained. The results showed that RFS jogging and FFS jogging had a similar change trend and a close peak value of GRF. Since possessing more momentum in the push stage and less momentum in the brake stage, FFS jogging could be in favor of a higher jogging speed. However, FFS jogging produced larger metatarsal stress in the 5th metatarsal and much larger tensile force of plantar fascia, which might cause metatarsal fracture and heel pain. While RFS jogging produced larger plantar pressure in the hindfoot area, larger calcaneus stress, and much larger tarsal navicular stress, which might cause heel tissue injury, calcaneus damage, and stress fracture of naviculocuneiform joint. In addition, talocrural and talocalcaneal joint cartilage could bear jogging loads, as the peak contact pressure were both small in RFS jogging and FFS jogging. Therefore, jogging with rearfoot or FFS pattern should be chosen according to the health condition of foot–ankle parts.

1087 QUANTITATIVE CHANGES IN INTRACARDIAC FLOW PARAMETERS DURING HEMODIALYTIC SESSIONS

Abstract Background Hemodialysis sessions exert an acute impact on cardiac geometry and mechanics. The recent development of quantitative measurement of intracardiac fluid-dynamics offers a new opportinuty to better understand the fine changes in intracardiac cardiac hemodynamics associated with hemodialysis sessions. Our aim was to assess the impact of an hemodialytic session on intracardiac flow dynamics. Methods We included 26 consecutive patients on chronic hemodialysis in clinically stable phase. They underwent echocardiography including intracardiac fluid-dynamic analysis by Color Vector Flow Mapping (Hyperdoppler) before and after a single dialysis session. Patients with hemodynamically relevant valvular disease were excluded. A complete fluid-dynamics evaluation included the measurement of multiple parameters such asvortex area (VA); vortex length (VL); vortex depth (VD). Bland Altman Plot has been used to assess intra and inter-observer variability. Changes in fluidodynamics after dialysis sessions were tested using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs test. Results Mean Vortex Area (VA) (p=0.034), Vortex Depth (VD) (p=0.024) and Vortex Length (VL) (p=0.037) were significantly reduced after the dialysis session. A similar trend towards the reduction of Direct Flow (DF) parameter after the session was found, which was significantly larger for patients with larger baseline left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic diameter (r=0.446; p=0.037). On the other hand, mean Vortex Intensity (VI) was significanlty increased after dialysis (p=0.046). Among energy parameters, the intradialytic change in Kinetic Energy Fluctuation (KEF) (r=0.4; p=0.058) and Shear Stress Fluctuation (SSF) (r=0.435; p=0.038) were most closely correlated with intradialytic weigth change. Some fluid-dynamic parameters had similar trends of intradialytic change, with stonger correlations among geometric parameters. Delta changes in VA were closely related to changes in VI (p&amp;lt;0.001) or LV (p&amp;lt;0.001). VI was also correlated with VL (p&amp;lt;0.001) and with Kinetc Energy Dissipation (KED) (p=0.030), which was also correlated with VL (p=0.044). KEF was correlated with KED (p=0.001) and SSF (p=0.022). Finally, chenges in SSF were correlated with those in Flow Force Parameter (p=0.033) and Flow Force Angle (p=0.034), that were very closely correlated each other (p&amp;lt;0.001). Discussion This is the first study assessing the impact of hemodialytic sessions on intracardiac flow dynamics. Measurement of hyperdoppler indices on hemodialysis chair was feasible and reliable in the whole population. Our results uncovered quantitative chenages of echocardiographic parameters of vortex geometry and energy during hemodialysis.

Modification of structural and functional characteristics of casein treated with quercetin via two interaction modes: Covalent and non-covalent interactions

Preparation of complexes via interactions between proteins and polyphenols has become one of the methods to effectively improve utilization of proteins. In this study, the structural and functional characteristics modification of casein treated with different concentrations of quercetin (10, 20, 40, 80 and 160 μmol/g protein) via covalent and non-covalent interactions were investigated. Results revealed that covalent complexes had lower sulfhydryl group content and higher quercetin binding capacity than non-covalent ones at the same quercetin concentration. This was consistent with the results of fluorescence spectroscopy which revealed higher fluorescence quenching constant and binding sites number for the covalent complexes. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy demonstrated similar secondary structural changing trend for covalent and non-covalent complexes. The α-helix, β-turn and random coil contents increased with increasing quercetin concentration while β-sheet content decreased. Addition of quercetin decreased surface hydrophobicity of the complexes, regardless of covalent or non-covalent interactions. Casein solubility was improved in covalent interaction, while the non-covalent interaction impaired it. Quercetin treatment improved foaming activity, emulsifying activity and antioxidant activity while decreasing foaming stability and emulsifying stability. The results could provide a theoretical foundation for potential applications of casein-quercetin complexes in the food industry.

Fine hyperspectral classification of rice varieties based on attention module 3D-2DCNN

Rice is an indispensable food crop for human beings. Rice varieties are closely related to disease resistance, insect resistance, lodging resistance, grain quality and yield. Different varieties of rice have similar appearance traits and change trends, which are difficult to distinguish. It is of great significance to classify and identify rice varieties with high precision in a wide range by objective and non-destructive detection methods. In this paper, the canopy hyperspectral images of rice varieties were obtained by using the S185 hyperspectral imaging device mounted on a UAV platform. And the spectral and spatial features of 14 rice varieties were automatically learned and deeply extracted by hybrid convolutional neural network structure. In addition, in order to improve the performance of the model, the article attempts to optimize the model with the end-to-end trainable attention module. Finally, extensive experiments are carried out to prove the validity of the model. Compared with the advanced methods, the 3D-CSAM-2DCNN proposed in this paper performed the best classification on fine classification of rice varieties. The overall accuracy of 98.93% and the accuracy of more than 98.22% for single variety has been achieved. The proposed model is conducive to automatic identification of fields and crop phenotypes research, and contributes new possibilities to promote the development of precision agriculture and smart agriculture.

Fungal isolates influence the quality of Peucedanum praeruptorum Dunn.

The symbiotic relationship between beneficial microorganisms and plants plays a vital role in natural and agricultural ecosystems. Although Peucedanum praeruptorum Dunn is widely distributed, its development is greatly limited by early bolting. The reason for early bolting in P. praeruptorum remains poorly characterized. We focus on the plant related microorganisms, including endophytes and rhizosphere microorganisms, by combining the traditional isolation and culture method with metagenomic sequencing technology. We found that the OTUs of endophytes and rhizosphere microorganisms showed a positive correlation in the whole growth stage of P. praeruptorum. Meanwhile, the community diversity of endophytic and rhizosphere fungi showed an opposite change trend, and bacteria showed a similar change trend. Besides, the microbial communities differed during the pre- and post-bolting stages of P. praeruptorum. Beneficial bacterial taxa, such as Pseudomonas and Burkholderia, and fungal taxa, such as Didymella and Fusarium, were abundant in the roots in the pre-bolting stage. Further, a strain belonging to Didymella was obtained by traditional culture and was found to contain praeruptorin A, praeruptorin B, praeruptorin E. In addition, we showed that the fungus could affect its effective components when it was inoculated into P. praeruptorum. This work provided a research reference for the similar biological characteristics of perennial one-time flowering plants, such as Saposhnikovia divaricate, Angelica sinensis and Angelica dahurica.

Stroke mortality attributable to high red meat intake in China and South Korea: An age-period-cohort and joinpoint analysis.

The high intake of red meat is well recognized as a major health concern worldwide. It has been recognized as a risk factor for several non-communicable chronic diseases, including stroke. However, previously published studies have not performed a comprehensive analysis of the long-time trend of stroke mortality attributable to high red meat intake in China and South Korea, two countries with similar dietary patterns and changing trends. Therefore, this study aimed to reveal the influence of age, time period, and birth cohort on long-term trends of stroke mortality attributable to high red meat intake and relative gender differences in China and South Korea. Data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 database. The age–period–cohort model was used to estimate the effect of age, time period, and birth cohort. The average and annual percent changes were estimated using the joinpoint regression analysis. Results indicated that the overall attributable age-standardized mortality rates of stroke in China decreased by 1.0% (P < 0.05) for female and 0.1% (P > 0.05) for male individuals, compared with a decrease of 4.9% for female and 3.7% for male individuals in South Korea (both P < 0.05). Age–period–cohort analysis revealed that the attributable stroke mortality decreased along with the time period, and increased along with age. Significant gender differences were observed, male individuals in both countries were at higher risk than their female counterparts, especially in China. Joinpoint analysis suggested that the attributable stroke mortality for both genders in South Korea and female individuals in China showed a decreasing trend, while it is stable for male individuals in China. Although prominent reductions were observed during the past decades, the attributable stroke mortality risk in China and South Korea is still high. Our findings indicate that controlling the intake of red meat may be a cost-effective strategy to reduce stroke mortality risk and the corresponding disease burden, especially for Chinese male individuals.

Interannual and Monthly Variability of Typical Inland Lakes on the Tibetan Plateau Located in Three Different Climatic Zones

Changes in lake water volume can reflect variations in regional hydrometeorology and are a sensitive indicator of regional environmental change. The Tibetan Plateau, referred to as the “Asian Water Tower”, has a large number of lakes. These lakes are in a natural state and are relatively unaffected by human activities. Understanding the changes to lake water volume is a key issue for the study of lake-atmosphere interactions and the effects of lake expansion and contraction on regional climate. By using multisource remote sensing and water level observations, this study systematically analyzed inter-annual changes from 1970 to 2021 of three typical inland lakes basin (Bamu Co-Peng Co basin, Langa Co-Mapum Yumco basin andLongmu Co-Songmuxi Co basin), which are located in different climatic regions of the Tibetan Plateau and monthly changes from 2019 to 2021 of Bamu Co, Langa Co and Longmu Co in the lake area, water level, and water volume. In addition, the study analyzed the response of lakes in different climate regions to climate change from 1979 to 2018. The main conclusions are as follows. (1) From 1970 to 2021, there were similar trends in lake changes between the primary and twin lakes. (2) The changes to lakes in different climatic regions are different: lakes in the monsoon-dominated region showed a significant trend of expansion from 2000 to 2014, but the trend slowed down and stabilized after 2014; lakes in the westerlies-dominated region showed a small expansion trend; lakes in the region affected by both westerlies and the monsoon showed an overall shrinking trend. (3) The monthly variation of lake water volume showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing, with the largest relative change of lake water volume in August and September. (4) Precipitation is a dominant factor controlling lake variation during the year. (5) Temperature and precipitation are dominant meteorological elements affecting the decadal variation of the lake, and with the warming of the TP, temperature plays an increasingly important role.

Dyeing of polyester fabrics based on a liquid paraffin system: thermodynamic, kinetic, and molecular dynamics simulation studies

Dyeing using liquid paraffin (LP) systems is an emerging non-aqueous dyeing method for disperse dyes. To investigate the dyeing thermodynamics and kinetics of polyester fabrics dyed with disperse dyes (C.I. Disperse Red 167) in an LP system, the adsorption isotherms and dyeing rate curves in a water bath and a LP bath were plotted. Next, a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation model was constructed. The results showed that the adsorption isotherms and dyeing rate curves in the LP bath and the water bath had the same shape and trend, and the isotherms were consistent with the Nernst isotherm equation. The dyeing affinity of disperse dyes in the LP bath was smaller than that in water bath, due to the higher solubility of disperse dyes in LP than in water. The dyeing heat, dyeing entropy, dyeing rate constant, and apparent diffusion coefficient of disperse dyes in LP bath showed the same sign and similar change trend as those in water bath. The diffusion activation energy of disperse dyes in LP bath was higher than that in water bath, indicating more energy consumption required in LP bath than in water bath. The system of dyeing polyester with disperse dyes in LP bath was investigated at the atomic level by using MD simulations, and the results confirmed the accuracy and reliability of the constructed dyeing models.

Effects of heat shock on photosynthesis-related characteristics and lipid profile of Cycas multipinnata and C. panzhihuaensis

BackgroundCycas multipinnata and C. panzhihuaensis are two attractive ornamental tree species. With the global climate change, the temperature in the natural habitats of both the species shows a marked rising trend. However, how the two species respond to extreme high temperatures are not clear.Chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, chlorophyll content, chloroplast ultrastructure and lipid metabolism in the two species were determined following plant exposure to heat stress.ResultsThe results demonstrated that the photosynthetic efficiency decreased significantly in both the species following heat shock and recovery, but to a greater extent in C. panzhihuaensis. Compared to the control, chlorophyll content of C. multipinnata did not change significantly following heat stress and recovery. However, chlorophyll content of C. panzhihuaensis increased significantly after 1 d of recovery in comparison with the control. Chloroplast ultrastructures of C. panzhihuaensis were more severely affected by heat shock than C. multipinnata. C. multipinnata and C. panzhihuaensis followed a similar change trend in the amounts of most of the lipid categories after heat stress. However, only the amounts of lysophospholipids and fatty acyls differed significantly between the two species following heat treatment. Additionally, the unsaturation levels of the major lipid classes in C. multipinnata were significantly lower than or equal to those in C. panzhihuaensis.ConclusionsC. multipinnata was less affected by extremely high temperatures than C. panzhihuaensis. The differential stability of chlorophyll and chloroplast ultrastructure and the differential adjustment of lipid metabolism might contribute to the different responses to heat shock between the two species.

Study on the correlation between combustion status and block vibration induced by piston slap

The correlation between the combustion status and block vibration was studied at different engine speed, torque and oil temperature conditions. The frequency components lower than 8 kHz had a similar change trend with the peak value of combustion pressure at different speed conditions. The frequency components from 8 kHz to 25 kHz increased with engine speed and these frequency components were mainly affected by the inertia force. The spectrum energy of frequency components increased with engine torque due to the increase of combustion pressure. The maximum spectrum energy of frequency components below 20 kHz didn’t show a particular trend due to the opposite effects caused by combustion pressure and oil damping at different oil temperatures. The frequency components higher than 20 kHz increased with the increase of oil temperature, which meant the frequency components were more sensitive to the oil damping.

Influence of Pleistocene climate fluctuations on the demographic history and distribution of the critically endangered Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla)

BackgroundPleistocene climate fluctuations have strongly modified species genetic diversity and distributions. The Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) has been recognized as a critically endangered animal due to heavy poaching and trafficking. However, the effect of Pleistocene climate fluctuations on the genetic diversity and spatial distribution of the Chinese pangolin remains largely unknown. Here, we combined whole genome sequencing data, analysis of complete mitochondrial genomes, and a large amount of occurrence data from field surveys to infer the ancestral demographic history and predict the past spatial dynamics of the Chinese pangolin in Guangdong Province, China.ResultsOur results indicated that there were two subpopulations, which showed similar trends of population size change in response to past climatic changes. We estimated a peak effective population size (Ne) during the last interglacial (LIG), followed by a marked decrease (~ 0.5 to fivefold change) until the last glacial maximum (LGM) and a rebound to a small peak population size during the Mid-Holocene (MH). The estimated time of the separation event between two subpopulations was approximately 3,000–2,500 years ago (ka). We estimated that the distribution of suitable areas shrank by 14.4% from the LIG to LGM, followed by an expansion of 31.4% from the LGM to MH and has been stable since then. In addition, we identified an elevational shift and suitable area decreased significantly during the LGM, but that the geographic extent of suitable areas in the western region increased from the LIG to present. The eastern region of Guangdong Province had the highest habitat suitability across all the climate scenarios.ConclusionsOur results suggested that Pleistocene climate fluctuations played an important role in shaping patterns of genetic diversity and spatial distribution, and that human stressors likely contributed to the recent divergence of two Chinese pangolin subpopulations sampled here. We argue that a key protected area should be established in the eastern region of Guangdong Province. As such, this study provides a more thorough understanding of the impacts of Pleistocene climate fluctuations impacts on a mammalian species in southern China and suggests more robust management and conservation plans for this Critically Endangered species of special interest.

Accelerated aging-related transcriptome alterations in neurovascular unit cells in the brain of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia with no effective therapies. Aging is a dominant risk factor for AD. The neurovascular unit (NVU) plays an important role in maintaining homeostasis of the brain microenvironment. The accelerated aging of NVU cells may directly impair NVU function and contribute to AD pathogenesis. However, the expression patterns of aging-related genes (AGs) in NVU cells of AD remain unclear. In this study, we performed single-nucleus transcriptome analysis of 61,768 nuclei from prefrontal cortical samples of patients with AD and normal control (NC) subjects. Eight main cell types were identified, including astrocytes, microglia, excitatory neurons, inhibitory neurons, oligodendrocytes, oligodendrocyte precursor cells, pericytes, and endothelial cells. Transcriptomic analysis identified the expression patterns of AGs in NVU cells of AD. Gene set enrichment analysis confirmed the key aging-associated cellular pathways enriched in microglia and oligodendrocytes. These aging-related transcriptomic changes in NVU were cross-validated using bulk transcriptome data. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression method was used to select the crucial AGs most associated with AD: IGF1R, MXI1, RB1, PPARA, NFE2L2, STAT5B, FOS, PRKCD, YWHAZ, HTT, MAPK9, HSPA9, SDHC, PRKDC, and PDPK1. This 15-gene model performed well in discriminating AD from NC samples. Among them, IGF1R, MXI1, PPARA, YWHAZ, and MAPK9 strongly correlated with pathologic progression in AD, were identified as critical regulators of AD. Although most AGs showed similar trends of expression changes in different types of NVU cells in AD, certain AGs were expressed in a cell-specific manner. Our comprehensive analysis of brain NVU from patients with AD reveals previously unknown molecular changes associated with aging that may underlie the functional dysregulation of NVU, providing important insights for exploring potential cell-specific therapeutic targets to restore brain homeostasis in AD.

Estimating the impacts of climate change on the habitat suitability of common minke whales integrating local adaptation

Climate change is exerting unprecedented effects on the habitats of marine mammals. Common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) have suffered immense harm from commercial whaling, and the recovery of this species is likely threatened by climate change. To better manage and conserve this species, it is important to predict its current habitat distribution and the potential change under future climate change scenarios. Such predictions are typically generated by species distribution models (SDMs), which construct a correlation between species occurrence data and its habitat environmental variables. SDMs are commonly constructed at the species level, assuming a homogenous response of the species to climatic variables across their entire geographic range. Spatially segregated populations from the same species inhabit distinct environments and gradually adapt to the local conditions, resulting in niche differentiation among populations. Species-level SDMs that ignore the effects of local adaptation mask differences in population responses to climate change and might present an unrealistic picture of potential species distributions. Based on morphological and genetic evidence, the common minke whale was divided into three populations: the North Atlantic population (NAP), Southern Hemisphere population (SHP) and North Pacific population (NPP); these populations inhabit isolated geographic areas with distinct environmental conditions. We quantified the realized niches of these populations and found evidence of significant ecological niche differentiation. We then constructed SDMs at the species and population levels and compared the predictions from these two types of models under different climate change scenarios. Both types of models projected similar change trends in species range, with a contraction of future suitable habitats for the NAP and SHP and an expansion for the NPP. However, the magnitudes of this change differed; the population-level model projected more optimistic results for the SHP and NAP, indicating less habitat loss. This study highlighted the importance of considering local adaptation when estimating the impact of climate change on species habitat suitability. These spatiotemporal predictions provide essential knowledge for designing climate-adaptive conservation and management strategies, such as the delimitation of mobile marine protected areas (MPAs).

Influence of dietary soybean meal replacement with yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, skin color, and flesh quality of mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio var. specularis)

Yellow mealworms (TM) are currently receiving increasing attention as dietary protein source in aquaculture. A 60-day feeding trial was conducted to study the effects of dietary soybean meal (SM) replacement by TM on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and flesh quality of mirror carp. A total of 630 mirror carp were fed seven diets containing graded concentrations of TM: YM0 (control), YM15, YM30, YM45, YM60, YM75, and YM100, corresponding to 0%, 15%, 30%, 45%, 60%, 75%, and 100% dietary soybean meal replacement. The results indicated dietary TM significantly improved the final body weight (FBW), specific growth rate (SGR), and protein efficiency (PE) (P < 0.05), except for YM100 (P > 0.05). The antioxidant capacity was promoted by increasing muscle total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in YM30 and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in TM supplemented groups (P < 0.05). The nutritional value was significantly boosted by increasing the muscle protein of YM45 and YM60 groups, the whole-body protein and muscle glycine and proline of YM60 group, and the muscle arginine of YM100 group (P < 0.05). The economic value of mirror carp also increased with the improvement of skin color by increasing yellowness (b*) (P < 0.05). Furthermore, all muscle textural parameters, fiber density, sarcomere length, and the mRNA expression of genes involved in muscle cell growth had similar change trends, increasing initially and then declining with the increase of dietary TM level. The muscle chewiness, cohesiveness, and mfr4 expression in YM15, and the adhesiveness, fiber density, sarcomere length, and mRNA expression of fgf in YM45 were higher than in the control and YM100 (P < 0.05), while no difference was found between control and YM100 (P > 0.05). The mRNA expression levels of myhc and TOR in the muscle of YM60 were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference in YM100 (P > 0.05). According to the results of principal components analysis (PCA), the muscle textural properties in YM45 were optimal among all groups. As a consequence, TM would be able to completely replace dietary soybean meal without negative influences on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, or flesh quality of mirror carp. Finally, based on FBW, muscle crude protein, muscle fiber diameter, and protein retention efficiency (PRE), the optimal levels of dietary soybean meal replaced by TM were 50.14%, 52.43%, 53.60%, and 55.35%, respectively.

Fine and ultrafine airborne PM influence inflammation response of young adults and toxicological responses in vitro.

Little evidence is available regarding the impact of different sizes of inhaled particulate matter (PM) on inflammatory responses in healthy young adults in connection with toxicological responses. We conducted a five-time repeated measurement panel study on 88 healthy young college students in Guangzhou, China from December 2017 to January 2018. Blood samples were collected from each participant and tested for tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels every week for 5 consecutive weeks. Mass concentrations of ambient PM2.5, PM1, PM0.5 and number concentrations of ambient PM0.1 were measured. RAW 264.7 macrophages were exposed to PM (PM10-2.5, PM2.5-1, PM1-0.2, PM0.2) collected at the same time as the panel study. Cytotoxicity, oxidation and inflammatory parameters, cell cycle and genotoxicity were tested. Particles were characterized for their chemical composition. The trends of associations between PM2.5, PM1, PM0.5 and TNF-α level were consistent in lag 0 and 3 days, and the relative risk decreased as the particle size decreased. All the ambient air pollutants had the similar change trends in lag 1, 4 and 5 days. Similar results in RAW 264.7 macrophages were found; PM10-2.5 induced the greatest TNF-α and macrophage inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2) productions and oxidative damage. PM1-0.2 and PM0.2 induced more significant dose-dependent increases of cell cycle and genotoxic response. In the component concentrations of PM samples, metal elements were PM10-2.5 > PM2.5-1 > PM0.2 ≥ PM1-0.2; ions and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were PM0.2 > PM1-0.2 > PM2.5-1 > PM10-2.5. Our results suggested that exposure to all particle sizes was significantly associated with inflammation among healthy young adults and toxicological responses in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Different human and toxicological reactions caused by PM samples indicated the importance of investigating various particle sizes.

Paleoecology During the Creation of a Large Boldyrevo Kurgan of the Yamnaya Culture in the Southern Cis-Urals, Russia

This study focuses on a short-term pedochronosequence of Kurgan № 1 at the Boldyrevo IV kurgan cemetery in the Orenburg Region of the Southern Cis-Urals. According to archaeological findings, the kurgan was built over several decades by people of the Yamnaya (Pit-Grave) culture of the Early Bronze Age (around 5500 BP), with the exact time of its building to be confirmed by radiocarbon dating and further archaeological information. A comparative analysis of the four earthen constructions of the kurgan and the paleosols buried under those constructions was conducted. Results suggest that the kurgan building period was accompanied by the following changes in paleosol morphology and physicochemical properties: the humus horizon acquired a tonguing-like lower boundary, decreased organic carbon content and magnetic susceptibility, while the whole profile was characterized by increasing degree of zooturbation; the impregnation by carbonates in the middle part of the profile and the contents of carbonate carbon, gypsum, and exchangeable sodium increased. Similar trends of morphological and physicochemical changes were observed in the materials of the kurgan constructions. Based on these findings it can conclude that the climate went through aridization rise during the period of the kurgan building. The paleobotanical data from palynological and microbiomorphic analyses indicate that there was a tendency for paleoclimate aridization and, possibly a cooling trend during the studied period of the Yamnaya culture, which was probably more arid than the modern climate.

Shading Gradients Drive Differential Responses of Leaf Traits in an Early Community Germinated by Forest Topsoil

Seedling performance in the early stage is crucial to natural forest restoration, and functional traits have been widely employed in exploring plant adaptation under field conditions. However, the responses and variabilities of leaf traits have not been clearly defined at the light gradients that are used in restoration practices. We evaluated the variation in leaf treats in species and community levels in a controlled field plot with shading treatments. We found that the variation characteristics differed across different species and trait types along shading gradients. Individuals of most species had a larger leaf area (LA) and specific leaf area (SLA) in the shaded habitats, while only a few tree species showed significant responses in their leaf shape and chlorophyll concentration. Although LA and SLA showed similar directions and trends of changes in the trait mean, four response models were observed based on the light points corresponding to initial responses and following trends. The extent of within-species trait variation for each treatment was similar at the community level due to diverse changes in the direction and degrees of variation in co-occurring species. Intraspecific variation was limited within each shading treatment, while it noticeably contributed to the local adaptation in the entire heterogeneous restoration community. Our findings indicate that species with different trait combinations will have different responses to light gradients, and that the mean and degree of variation in leaf traits will also lead to distinctive strategies being created to match the different shading conditions. Vegetation restoration should consider the adaptive traits and their response diversity when selecting species and for habitat management with specific trait–environment interactions.