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Background Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., a valuable medicinal plant, shows contrasting salt tolerance between seedlings and perennial individuals, and salt tolerance at seedling stage is very weak. Understanding this difference is crucial for optimizing cultivation practices and maximizing the plant’s economic potential. Salt stress resistance at the seedling stage is the key to the cultivation of the plant using salinized land. This study investigated the physiological mechanism of the application of glycine betaine (0, 10, 20, 40, 80 mM) to seedling stages of G. uralensis under salt stress (160 mM NaCl). Results G. uralensis seedlings’ growth was severely inhibited under NaCl stress conditions, but the addition of GB effectively mitigated its effects, with 20 mM GB had showing most significant alleviating effect. The application of 20 mM GB under NaCl stress conditions significantly increased total root length (80.38%), total root surface area (93.28%), and total root volume (175.61%), and significantly increased the GB content in its roots, stems, and leaves by 36.88%, 107.05%, and 21.63%, respectively. The activity of betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (BADH 2 ) was increased by 74.10%, 249.38%, and 150.60%, respectively. The 20 mM GB-addition treatment significantly increased content of osmoregulatory substances (the contents of soluble protein, soluble sugar and proline increased by 7.05%, 70.52% and 661.06% in roots, and also increased by 30.74%, 47.11% and 26.88% in leaves, respectively.). Furthermore, it markedly enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the content of antioxidants (SOD, CAT, POD, APX and activities and ASA contents were elevated by 59.55%, 413.07%, 225.91%, 300.00% and 73.33% in the root, and increased by 877.51%, 359.89%, 199.15%, 144.35%, and 108.11% in leaves, respectively.), and obviously promoted salt secretion capacity of the leaves, which especially promoted the secretion of Na + (1.37 times). Conclusions In summary, the exogenous addition of GB significantly enhances the salt tolerance of G. uralensis seedlings, promoting osmoregulatory substances, antioxidant enzyme activities, excess salt discharge especially the significant promotion of the secretion of Na + Future studies should aim to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that operate when GB regulates saline stress tolerance.

Salt stress is a common environmental factor that leads to low yield and quality in Glycyrrhiza uralensis . Although exogenous foliar application of glycine betaine (GB) can improve salt tolerance, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, this study systematically investigated the effects of GB (0, 10, 20, 40, and 80 mM) on the physiology, transcriptome, and metabolome of G. uralensis seedlings subjected to 160 mM Na 2 SO 4 stress conditions. Results indicate that GB significantly increased endogenous GB levels and Betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase activity in various seedling organs, effectively enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, POD, APX) and the concentration of the antioxidant AsA in the roots and leaves. Furthermore, GB application elevated the concentrations of soluble proteins and proline, and boosted the secretion rates of K + , Na + , and Ca 2+ , while significantly reduced levels of reactive oxygen species (O 2 - , H 2 O 2 ), malondialdehyde (MDA), and electrolyte leakage. Consequently, seedling biomass increased significantly. Transcriptomics identified 2389 and 3935 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in leaves at 6 h and 24 h post-GB application, respectively. Metabolomics detected 361 and 617 differential metabolites (DMs) at these time points. At 6 h, GB application significantly activated genes in the zeatin biosynthesis and plant-pathogen interaction pathways, and promoted the accumulation of intermediate metabolites in arachidonic acid metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, and unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis. After 24 h, GB upregulated genes in key pathways such as phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and flavonoid biosynthesis. Conversely, GB suppressed the accumulation of intermediates in monoterpene biosynthesis. The combined analysis results indicated that the flavone and flavonol biosynthesis pathways showed a sustained response to GB application under salt stress. In summary, exogenous GB effectively bolsters salt tolerance in G. uralensis seedlings by enhancing antioxidant capacity, osmotic regulation, and ion secretion efficiency. Moreover, it stimulates the expression of genes involved in the synthesis of secondary metabolites, carbohydrates, lipids, and hormones. These findings provide novel comprehensive insights into GB-mediated salt tolerance and offer valuable genetic resources and a theoretical foundation for breeding salt-tolerant G. uralensis varieties.

To develop a reference of population-based gestational age-specific birth weight percentiles for contemporary Chinese. Birth weight data was collected by the China National Population-based Birth Defects Surveillance System. A total of 1,105,214 live singleton births aged ≥28 weeks of gestation without birth defects during 2006-2010 were included. The lambda-mu-sigma method was utilized to generate percentiles and curves. Gestational age-specific birth weight percentiles for male and female infants were constructed separately. Significant differences were observed between the current reference and other references developed for Chinese or non-Chinese infants. There have been moderate increases in birth weight percentiles for Chinese infants of both sexes and most gestational ages since 1980s, suggesting the importance of utilizing an updated national reference for both clinical and research purposes.

The issue of renewable energy curtailment poses a crucial challenge to its effective utilization. To address this challenge, mitigating the impact of the intermittency and volatility of wind and solar energy is essential. In this context, this paper employs scenario analysis to examine the complementary features of wind and solar hybrid systems. Firstly, the study defines two types of complementary indicators that distinguish between output smoothing and source-load matching. Secondly, a novel method for generating wind and solar output scenarios based on improved Generative Adversarial Networks is presented and compared against the conventional Monte Carlo and Copula function methods. Lastly, the generated wind and solar scenarios are employed to furnish complementary features. The testing results across eight regions indicate the proposed scenario generation method proficiently depicts the historical relevance as well as future uncertainties. This study found that compared to the Copula function method, the root mean square error of the generated data was reduced by 4% and 3.4% for independent and hybrid systems, respectively. Moreover, combining these two resources in most regions showed that the total output smoothness and source-load matching level cannot be enhanced simultaneously. This research will serve as a valuable point of reference for planning and optimizing hybrid systems in China.

Rates of pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) have been increasing, yet disparities in incidence, diagnosis, and treatment across race and ethnicity have not been fully explored. We assessed temporal trends in the incidence of pediatric DTC using data from 2000-2022 (excluding 2020 due to COVID-19) from the National Childhood Cancer Registry. Annual percent changes (APC) were calculated using joinpoint regression analysis overall and by race, ethnicity, age, and clinical factors. Differences in cancer presentation and treatment by race and ethnicity were evaluated using data from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) for 18 registries for 2006-2018, while accounting for socioeconomic status (SES). Overall pediatric DTC incidence increased 4.5% annually from 2000-2018 (95%CI: 3.8%-5.8%), then declined (-6.9%) through 2022 (95%CI: -14.5%, -1.2%). Rates of decline appeared sharpest among Non-Hispanic White patients. Incidence rates continued increasing among Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islanders and patients diagnosed with tumors >4 cm. Compared to non-Hispanic White patients, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic children were more likely to be diagnosed with a tumor >4 cm. Declines in reported pediatric thyroid cancer incidence, particularly among the smallest tumor sizes, after 2018 may be attributable to application of thyroid cancer management guidelines. However, the continued increase among those presenting with larger tumor sizes may support a true continued increase in incidence among some groups. The greater proportion of non-White children being diagnosed with larger tumors could be due to inequities related to timely access to care, differential application of thyroid management guidelines, differences in cancer subtypes, or other factors. These findings warrant further exploration when additional years of data are available.

With AI chatbots becoming increasingly embedded in everyday life, growing concerns have emerged regarding users’ psychological dependency on these systems. While previous studies have mainly addressed utilitarian drivers, less attention has been paid to the cognitive and affective mechanisms driving chatbot dependency. Drawing upon Uses and Gratifications Theory, Compensatory Internet Use Theory, and Attachment Theory, this study proposes a dual-path model that investigates how instrumental motivations (e.g., information-seeking, entertainment, efficiency) and affective motivations (e.g., companionship, loneliness, anxiety) influence chatbot dependency through two mediating mechanisms: cognitive reliance and emotional attachment. Using survey data collected from 354 participants, the model was tested through structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate that information-seeking and efficiency significantly predict cognitive reliance, which subsequently enhances chatbot dependency. In contrast, entertainment does not exhibit a significant influence. Furthermore, affective motivations such as companionship, loneliness, and anxiety are indirectly linked to dependency through emotional attachment, with loneliness demonstrating the strongest indirect effect. These findings underscore the dual influence of functional cognition and emotional vulnerability in fostering chatbot dependency, emphasizing the importance of emotionally sensitive and ethically responsible AI design.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of cancer in children (age 0–14 years); however, the etiology remains incompletely understood. Several environmental exposures have been linked to risk of childhood ALL, including air pollution. Closely related to air pollution and human development is artificial light at night (ALAN), which is believed to disrupt circadian rhythm and impact health. We sought to evaluate outdoor ALAN and air pollution on risk of childhood ALL. The California Linkage Study of Early-Onset Cancers is a large population-based case–control in California that identifies and links cancer diagnoses from the California Cancer Registry to birth records. For each case, 50 controls with the same year of birth were obtained from birth records. A total of 2,782 ALL cases and 139,100 controls were identified during 2000–2015. ALAN was assessed with the New World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness and air pollution with an ensemble-based air pollution model of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM 2.5 ). After adjusting for known and suspected risk factors, the highest tertile of ALAN was associated with an increased risk of ALL in Hispanic children (odds ratio [OR] = 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–1.32). There also appeared to be a borderline association between PM 2.5 level and risk of ALL among non-Hispanic White children (OR per 10 µg/m 3  = 1.24, 95% CI 0.98–1.56). We observed elevated risk of ALL in Hispanic children residing in areas of greater ALAN. Further work is needed to understand the role of ALAN and air pollution in the etiology of childhood ALL in different racial/ethnic groups.

Background The Philadelphia chromosome−negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) myelofibrosis (MF), polycythemia vera (PV), and essential thrombocythemia (ET) negatively affect patient quality of life (QoL) and are associated with increased risk of mortality. Methods The MPN Landmark survey was conducted from May to July 2014 in patients with MF, PV, or ET under active management in the United States. The survey assessed respondent perceptions of disease burden and treatment management and included questions on overall disease burden, QoL, activities of daily living, and work productivity. Outcomes were further analyzed by calculated (ie, not respondent-reported) prognostic risk score and symptom severity quartile. Results The survey was completed by 813 respondents (MF, n  = 207; PV, n  = 380; ET, n  = 226). The median respondent age in each of the 3 MPN subtypes ranged from 62 to 66 years; median disease duration was 4 to 7 years. Many respondents reported that they had experienced MPN-related symptoms ≥1 year before diagnosis (MF, 49 %; PV, 61 %; ET, 58 %). Respondents also reported that MPN-related symptoms reduced their QoL, including respondents with low prognostic risk scores (MF, 67 %; PV, 62 %; ET, 57 %) and low symptom severity (MF, 51 %; PV, 33 %; ET, 15 %). Many respondents, including those with a low prognostic risk score, reported that their MPN had caused them to cancel planned activities or call in sick to work at least once in the preceding 30 days (cancel planned activities: MF, 56 %; PV, 35 %; ET, 35 %; call in sick: MF, 40 %; PV, 21 %; ET, 23 %). Conclusions These findings of the MPN Landmark survey support previous research about the symptom burden experienced by patients with MPNs and are the first to detail the challenges that patients with MPNs experience related to reductions in activities of daily living and work productivity.

Background Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa ) is a widely cultivated plant. Unlike many crops, the main goal of breeding alfalfa is to increase its aboveground biomass rather than the biomass of its seeds. However, the low yield of alfalfa seeds limits alfalfa production. Many studies have explored the factors affecting seed development, in which phytohormones, especially ABA and GAs, play an important role in seed development. Results Here, we performed a transcriptome analysis of alfalfa seeds at five development stages. A total of 16,899 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and classified into 10 clusters, and the enriched Gene Ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were determined. The contents of ABA, GA 1 , GA 3 , GA 4 and GA 7 in alfalfa seeds at five development stages were determined. In addition, 14 ABA-related DEGs and 20 GA-related DEGs were identified and analysed. These DEGs are involved in plant hormone pathways and play an important role in seed development. Moreover, morphological and physiological analyses revealed the dynamic changes during the development of alfalfa seeds. Conclusion Overall, our study is the first to analyse the transcriptome across various stages of seed development in alfalfa. The results of our study could be used to improve alfalfa seed yield. The key ABA and GA related-genes are potential targets for improving alfalfa seed yield via genetic engineering in the future.

The health impact of floods has not been well characterized. This study evaluated long-term associations between cause-specific mortality rates and county-level monthly flood days (excluding coastal floods caused by tropical storms) in the post-flood year in the contiguous U.S., using a triply robust approach incorporating propensity score, counterfactual estimation, and confounder adjustment. Death records came from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics (2001-2020) and floods came from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2000-2020). We found that one flood day was associated with 8.3 (95% CI: 2.5 to 14.1) excess all-cause deaths per 10 million individuals, 3.1 due to myocardial infarction, 2.4 due to respiratory diseases, and 5.9 due to external causes. From 2001 to 2020, 22,376 (95% CI: 6,758 to 37,993) all-cause deaths were attributable to floods. Our findings highlight the long-term health risks after floods, and a need for measures to reduce these risks. This paper characterizes the health impacts in the post-flood year in the United States. The researchers find elevated death risk from floods, primarily due to respiratory diseases, external causes, and specific circulatory diseases.