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The spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) serves as critical geographic information for assessing ecosystem services, climate change mitigation, and optimal agriculture management. Digital mapping of SOC is challenging due to the complex relationships between the soil and its environment. Except for the well-known terrain and climate environmental covariates, vegetation that interacts with soils influences SOC significantly over long periods. Although several remote-sensing-based vegetation indices have been widely adopted in digital soil mapping, variables indicating long term vegetation growth have been less used. Vegetation phenology, an indicator of vegetation growth characteristics, can be used as a potential time series environmental covariate for SOC prediction. A CNN-LSTM model was developed for SOC prediction with inputs of static and dynamic environmental variables in Xuancheng City, China. The spatially contextual features in static variables (e.g., topographic variables) were extracted by the convolutional neural network (CNN), while the temporal features in dynamic variables (e.g., vegetation phenology over a long period of time) were extracted by a long short-term memory (LSTM) network. The ten-year phenological variables derived from moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations were adopted as predictors with historical temporal changes in vegetation in addition to the commonly used static variables. The random forest (RF) model was used as a reference model for comparison. Our results indicate that adding phenological variables can produce a more accurate map, as tested by the five-fold cross-validation, and demonstrate that CNN-LSTM is a potentially effective model for predicting SOC at a regional spatial scale with long-term historical vegetation phenology information as an extra input. We highlight the great potential of hybrid deep learning models, which can simultaneously extract spatial and temporal features from different types of environmental variables, for future applications in digital soil mapping.

Cropland soil carbon not only serves food security but also contributes to the stability of the terrestrial ecosystem carbon pool due to the strong interconnection with atmospheric carbon dioxide. Therefore, the better monitoring of soil carbon in cropland is helpful for carbon sequestration and sustainable soil management. However, severe anthropogenic disturbance in cropland mainly in gentle terrain creates uncertainty in obtaining accurate soil information with limited sample data. Within the past 20 years, digital soil mapping has been recognized as a promising technology in mapping soil carbon. Herein, to advance existing knowledge and highlight new directions, the article reviews the research on mapping soil carbon in cropland from 2005 to 2021. There is a significant shift from linear statistical models to machine learning models because nonlinear models may be more efficient in explaining the complex soil-environment relationship. Climate covariates and parent material play an important role in soil carbon on the regional scale, while on a local scale, the variability of soil carbon often depends on topography, agricultural management, and soil properties. Recently, several kinds of agricultural covariates have been explored in mapping soil carbon based on survey or remote sensing technique, while, obtaining agricultural covariates with high resolution remains a challenge. Based on the review, we concluded several challenges in three categories: sampling, agricultural covariates, and representation of soil processes in models. We thus propose a conceptual framework with four future strategies: representative sampling strategies, establishing standardized monitoring and sharing system to acquire more efficient crop management information, exploring time-series sensing data, as well as integrating pedological knowledge into predictive models. It is intended that this review will support prospective researchers by providing knowledge clusters and gaps concerning the digital mapping of soil carbon in cropland.

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus, which causes great health damage and economic burden to patients. The pathogenesis of DFU is not fully understood. We screened wound healing-related genes using bioinformatics analysis, and full-thickness skin injury mice model and cellular assays were used to explore the role of target genes in diabetic wound healing. SFRP2 was identified as a wound healing-related gene, and the expression of SFRP2 is associated with immune cell infiltration in DFU. In vivo study showed that suppression of SFRP2 delayed the wound healing process of diabetic mice, impeded angiogenesis and matrix remodeling, but did not affect wound healing process of control mice. In addition, suppression of SFRP2 increased macrophage infiltration and impeded the transition of macrophages functional phenotypes during diabetic wound healing, and affected the transcriptome signatures-related to inflammatory response and energy metabolism at the early stage of wound healing. Extracellular flux analysis (EFA) showed that suppression of SFRP2 decreased mitochondrial energy metabolism and increased glycolysis in injury-related macrophages, but impeded both glycolysis and mitochondrial energy metabolism in inflammatory macrophages. In addition, suppression of SFRP2 inhibited wnt signaling-related genes in macrophages. Treatment of AAV-SFRP2 augmented wound healing in diabetic mice and demonstrated the therapeutic potential of SFRP2. In conclusions, SFRP2 may function as a wound healing-related gene in DFU by modulating functional phenotype transition of macrophages and the balance between mitochondrial energy metabolism and glycolysis.

The field of two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetism has been proliferating over the past few years, with ongoing interests in basic science and potential applications in spintronic technology. However, a high-resolution spectroscopic study of the 2D ferromagnet is still lacking due to the small size and air sensitivity of the exfoliated nanoflakes. Here, we report a thickness-dependent ferromagnetism in epitaxially grown Cr 2 Te 3 thin films and investigate the evolution of the underlying electronic structure by synergistic angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, and first-principle calculations. A conspicuous ferromagnetic transition from Stoner to Heisenberg-type is directly observed in the atomically thin limit, indicating that dimensionality is a powerful tuning knob to manipulate the novel properties of 2D magnetism. Monolayer Cr 2 Te 3 retains robust ferromagnetism, but with a suppressed Curie temperature, due to the drastic drop in the density of states near the Fermi level. Our results establish atomically thin Cr 2 Te 3 as an excellent platform to explore the dual nature of localized and itinerant ferromagnetism in 2D magnets. Over the last few years, several van der Waals materials have been found that retain magnetic ordering down to monolayer thickness. These materials provide a simple platform for studying the magnetism in reduced dimensions. Here, Zhong et al study the thickness dependence of magnetic ordering in Cr2Te3, and find a crossover from Stoner to Heisenberg-type magnetism as thicknesses are reduced.

Background Chinese soft-shelled turtle adenovirus (CSTAdV) is a new virus discovered recently that infects farmed Chinese soft-shelled turtle. In order to investigate its epizootiology and meet the requirements of timely prevention and control, it is imperative to establish an efficient diagnostic assay for CSTAdV. Results In this study, on-site diagnostic real-time fluorescence Recombinase-aided amplification (RF-RAA) and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) detection methods were established based on the specific sequence of the viral DNA polymerase gene. The results showed that the sensitivity of the CSTAdV RF-RAA assay and qPCR assay was 1.0 × 10 2 copies/μL within 20 min at 42 °C, and 1.0 × 10 1 copies/μL in approximately 60 min for detecting plasmid pUC57-CSTAdV, respectively. Both the RF-RAA assay and the qPCR assay were highly specific for CSTAdV, with no cross-reaction with Soft-shelled turtle iridovirus, Trionyx sinensis hemorrhagic syndrome virus, Citrobacter freundii , Aeromonas veronii, Aeromonas hydrophila, Morganella morganii , and Vibrio cholerae . A total of 107 clinical specimens of Chinese soft-shelled turtle were tested by the RF-RAA and qPCR assays. The qPCR results were consistent with adenoviral consensus nested PCR published previously, whereas the RF-RAA assay exhibited diagnostic sensitivity (DSe) and diagnostic specificity (DSp) of 95.45% and 100%, respectively. The findings suggest that the newly developed RF-RAA and qPCR assays exhibit high accuracy in detecting CSTAdV in clinical specimens. Conclusions Therefore, the RF-RAA and qPCR assays provide two novel alternatives for simple, sensitive and specific identification of CSTAdV for pathogen screening in the field and quantitative analysis in the laboratory.

Accumulating evidence indicates that stroke risk may be increased following herpes zoster. The aim of this study is to perform a meta-analysis of current literature to systematically analyze and quantitatively estimate the short and long-term effects of herpes zoster on the risk of stroke. Embase, PubMed and Cochrane library databases were searched for relevant studies up to March 2016. Studies were selected for analysis based on certain inclusion and exclusion criteria. Relative risks with 95% confidence interval (CI) were extracted to assess the association between herpes zoster and stroke. A total of 8 articles were included in our analysis. The present meta-analysis showed that the risks of stroke after herpes zoster were 2.36 (95% CI: 2.17-2.56) for first 2 weeks, 1.56 (95% CI: 1.46-1.66) for first month, 1.17 (95% CI: 1.13-1.22) for first year, and 1.09 (95% CI: 1.02-1.16) for more than 1 year, respectively. The results of our study demonstrated that herpes zoster was associated with a higher risk of stroke, but the risks decreased along with the time after herpes zoster.

The coastline situation reflects socioeconomic development and ecological environment in coastal zones. Analyzing coastline changes clarifies the current coastline situation and provides a scientific basis for making environmental protection policies, especially for coastlines with significant human interference. As human activities become more intense, coastline types and their dynamic changes become more complicated, which needs more detailed identification of coastlines. High spatial resolution images can help provide detailed large spatial coverage at high resolution information on coastal zones. This study aims to map the position and status of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) coastline using an NDWI threshold method based on 2 m Gaofen-1/Ziyuan-3 imagery and analyze coastline change and coastline type distribution characteristics. The results showed that natural and artificial coastlines in the YRD region accounted for 42.73% and 57.27% in 2013 and 41.56% and 58.44% in 2018, respectively. The coastline generally advanced towards the sea, causing a land area increase of 475.62 km2. The changes in the YRD coastline mainly resulted from a combination of large-scale artificial construction and natural factors such as silt deposition. This study provides a reference source for large spatial coverage at high resolution remote sensing coastline monitoring and a better understanding of land use in coastal zone.

Background This nationwide survey studied the level of palliative care (PC) access for Chinese patients with cancer among cancer care providers either in tertiary general hospitals or cancer hospitals in China. Methods Using a probability-proportionate-to-size method, we identified local tertiary general hospitals with oncology departments to match cancer hospitals at the same geographic area. A PC program leader or a designee at each hospital reported available PC services, including staffing, inpatient and outpatient services, education, and research, with most questions adapted from a previous national survey on PC. The primary outcome was availability of a PC service. Results Most responders reported that some type of PC service (possibly called “comprehensive cancer care,” “pain and symptom management,” or “supportive care”) was available at their institution (84.3% of tertiary general hospitals, 82.8% of cancer hospitals). However, cancer hospitals were significantly more likely than tertiary general hospitals to have a PC department or specialist (34.1% vs. 15.5%, p  < 0.001). The most popular services were pain consultation (> 92%), symptom management (> 77%), comprehensive care plans (~ 60%), obtaining advanced directives and do-not-resuscitate orders (~ 45%), referrals to hospice (> 32%), and psychiatric assessment (> 25%). Cancer hospitals were also more likely than tertiary general hospitals to report having inpatient beds for PC (46.3% vs. 30.5%; p  = 0.010), outpatient PC clinics (28.0% vs. 16.8%; p  = 0.029), educational programs (18.2% vs. 9.0%, p  = 0.014), and research programs (17.2% vs. 9.3%, p  < 0.001). Conclusions Cancer hospitals are more likely to offer PC than are tertiary general hospitals in China. Our findings highlight opportunities to further increase the PC capacity in Chinese hospitals.

BackgroundThis study aimed to evaluate the clinical correlative factors and outcomes of treatment of bleb-associated endophthalmitis (BAE) following glaucoma filtration surgery in a Chinese population from the year 2012 to 2022, and to compare them with the clinical course during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic period.MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis of consecutive cases of BAE treated at the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China, between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2022. The clinical presentation, treatment modality, microbiological data, clinical course, and outcomes of visual acuity (VA) and intraocular pressure (IOP) in all BAE cases were collected and analyzed.ResultsA total of 28 eyes with BAE were examined, predominantly in male patients (71.4%, p = 0.023). Most patients underwent trabeculectomy (89.3%, p ≤ 0.001), while a smaller proportion underwent Ex-PRESS implantation (10.7%). Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) was the most common type of glaucoma (39.3%, p ≤ 0.001). Most patients (96.4%) presented with poor visual acuity, worse than 20/400, and IOP ranged from 3–60 mmHg. Treatment, including initial tap-and-inject procedure of antibiotics (Ceftazidime and Norvancomycin) or initial pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), was initiated 5.0 ± 7.1 days after BAE onset. Streptococcus was the most common causative organism (53.6% of cases, p ≤ 0.001). The visual acuity significantly improved from 2.58 ± 0.27 to 2.14 ± 0.85 (reported in logMAR) after treatment (p ≤ 0.001), and most patients maintained normal tension during follow-up. Poisson regression model analysis showed the annual incidence of BAE during the COVID-19 pandemic period was significantly twice greater than that of previous years.ConclusionsBAE may cause irreversible visual impairment. POAG filtering surgery with male sex and the COVID-19 pandemic period might be potentially relevant factors for BAE. Culture positivity was closely related to BAE prognosis, with Streptococcus species being the leading pathogenic organisms. Online outpatient services, early diagnosis, and timely treatment may rescue vision and maintain IOP control in the presence of BAE.

Background/Aims: Increasing evidence suggests the important role of sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) in the pathology of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the association between potential functional polymorphisms in the SIRT2 gene and PD still needs to be identified. Exploring the molecular mechanism underlying this potential association could also provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of this disorder. Methods: Bioinformatics analysis and screening were first performed to find potential microRNAs (miRNAs) that could target the SIRT2 gene, and molecular biology experiments were carried out to further identify the regulation between miRNA and SIRT2 and characterize the pivotal role of miRNA in PD models. Moreover, a clinical case-control study was performed with 304 PD patients and 312 healthy controls from the Chinese Han population to identify the possible association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the miRNA binding sites of SIRT2 with the risk of PD. Results: Here, we demonstrate that miR-486-3p binds to the 3’ UTR of SIRT2 and influences the translation of SIRT2. MiR-486-3p mimics can decrease the level of SIRT2 and reduce a-synuclein (α-syn)-induced aggregation and toxicity, which may contribute to the progression of PD. Interestingly, we find that a SNP, rs2241703, may disrupt miR-486-3p binding sites in the 3’ UTR of SIRT2, subsequently influencing the translation of SIRT2. Through the clinical case-control study, we further verify that rs2241703 is associated with PD risk in the Chinese Han population. Conclusion: The present study confirms that the rs2241703 polymorphism in the SIRT2 gene is associated with PD in the Chinese Han population, provides the potential mechanism of the susceptibility locus in determining PD risk and reveals a potential target of miRNA for the treatment and prevention of PD.