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The spatial heterogeneity on a regional scale of forest biomass is caused by multiple biotic and abiotic factors. However, the contributions of biotic and abiotic factors to the spatial heterogeneity of forest biomass remain unclear. Based on the data of the National Forest Continuous Inventory (NFCI), digital elevation model (DEM), and meteorological data of Guizhou Province in 2015, we studied the spatial heterogeneity of the aboveground forest biomass in Guizhou province and evaluated the contribution rates of its influencing factors using Moran’s I, semivariogram, distance-based Moran’s eigenvector maps (dbMEMs), and variance partitioning. The results showed that the forest biomass in Guizhou province had strong spatial heterogeneity. Biotic and abiotic factors explained 34.4% and 19.2% of the spatial variation in forest biomass, respectively. Among the biotic factors, the average height of the stand had the greatest influence on forest biomass, while annual precipitation had the greatest influence on forest biomass among abiotic factors. Spatial factors only explained 0.7% of the spatial variation of forest biomass, indicating that the contribution of spatial factors can be explained by some measured abiotic factors. This study provided an effective approach to understand the underlying mechanisms of spatial allocation of forest biomass.

Previous studies conducted by our research groups have demonstrated that the HGF/c-Met signaling pathway promotes the proliferation and migration of MSCs in the antlers of Tarim red deer. However, the role and mechanism of this gene in the osteogenic differentiation of antler MSCs remain unclear. In this study, we used antler MSCs as experimental materials. CRISPR/Cas9 technology was employed to knock out the HGF gene, and lentivirus-mediated overexpression of the HGF gene was constructed in antler MSCs. Subsequently, antler MSCs were induced to undergo osteogenic differentiation in vitro. Alizarin Red staining was employed to identify calcium nodules, while the expression levels of various osteogenic differentiation marker genes were assessed using immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR, and Western blotting techniques. The findings indicated that the HGF gene facilitates the osteogenic differentiation of antler MSCs. Analysis of genes associated with the PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK signaling pathways demonstrated that in antler MSCs with HGF gene knockout, the expression levels of PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK pathway genes were significantly downregulated on days 7 and 14 of osteogenic differentiation (p < 0.05). In contrast, antler MSCs with HGF gene overexpression exhibited a significant upregulation of the PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK signaling pathways on days 4 and 6 of osteogenic differentiation (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that the HGF gene in antlers enhances the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs by activating the PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK pathways.

Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) represents a distinct molecular subtype of gastric cancer. EBV encodes various viral RNAs, including BamHI-A rightward transcripts (BARTs), which are implicated in the carcinogenic processes of EBVaGC. This study aims to explore the function and underlying mechanisms of EBV-miR-BART5-5p in gastric cancer, providing a basis for the identification of more effective biomarkers for EBVaGC. Gene expression data were first downloaded from the GSE51575 dataset to identify differentially expressed genes and construct a WGCNA network, which led to the identification of RORA as a key gene associated with EBV-miR-BART5-5p. We then analyzed the TCGA dataset to investigate the differential expression and prognostic significance of RORA in gastric cancer. Further analysis explored RORA's enriched pathways and its relationship with immune response, tumor mutation burden, and drug sensitivity. Single-cell gene expression characteristics of RORA were assessed using the GSE134520 dataset. RT-qPCR was employed to determine RORA expression levels in both EBV-positive and -negative gastric cancer cell lines. Western blotting and dual-luciferase reporter assays confirmed the targeting of RORA's 3' UTR by EBV-miR-BART5-5p. Finally, a series of functional experiments demonstrated that EBV-miR-BART5-5p promotes proliferation and migration of both EBV-positive and -negative gastric cancer cells. In this study, differential expression and WGCNA analyses identified 910 co-expressed genes. We then investigated miR-BART5-5p in EBV-positive gastric cancer and identified RORA as a potential target gene. Our analysis revealed that RORA expression is lower in tumor samples compared to normal samples, and single-cell analysis showed significant upregulation of RORA in CD8 + T cells. Experimental data further demonstrated that RORA is expressed at lower levels in EBV-positive gastric cancer cell lines and that EBV-miR-BART5-5p targets the 3' UTR of RORA. This suggests that EBV-miR-BART5-5p may promote gastric cancer cell proliferation and migration by regulating RORA. Our study reveals the molecular characteristics of EBV-associated gastric cancer, establishes a prognostic model for RORA in gastric cancer, and demonstrates that EBV-miR-BART5-5p may target and inhibit RORA to promote gastric cancer cell proliferation and migration. These findings highlight EBV-miR-BART5-5p could serve as a diagnostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer.

Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) represents a distinct molecular subtype of gastric cancer. EBV encodes various viral RNAs, including BamHI-A rightward transcripts (BARTs), which are implicated in the carcinogenic processes of EBVaGC. This study aims to explore the function and underlying mechanisms of EBV-miR-BART5-5p in gastric cancer, providing a basis for the identification of more effective biomarkers for EBVaGC. Gene expression data were first downloaded from the GSE51575 dataset to identify differentially expressed genes and construct a WGCNA network, which led to the identification of RORA as a key gene associated with EBV-miR-BART5-5p. We then analyzed the TCGA dataset to investigate the differential expression and prognostic significance of RORA in gastric cancer. Further analysis explored RORA's enriched pathways and its relationship with immune response, tumor mutation burden, and drug sensitivity. Single-cell gene expression characteristics of RORA were assessed using the GSE134520 dataset. RT-qPCR was employed to determine RORA expression levels in both EBV-positive and -negative gastric cancer cell lines. Western blotting and dual-luciferase reporter assays confirmed the targeting of RORA's 3' UTR by EBV-miR-BART5-5p. Finally, a series of functional experiments demonstrated that EBV-miR-BART5-5p promotes proliferation and migration of both EBV-positive and -negative gastric cancer cells. In this study, differential expression and WGCNA analyses identified 910 co-expressed genes. We then investigated miR-BART5-5p in EBV-positive gastric cancer and identified RORA as a potential target gene. Our analysis revealed that RORA expression is lower in tumor samples compared to normal samples, and single-cell analysis showed significant upregulation of RORA in CD8 + T cells. Experimental data further demonstrated that RORA is expressed at lower levels in EBV-positive gastric cancer cell lines and that EBV-miR-BART5-5p targets the 3' UTR of RORA. This suggests that EBV-miR-BART5-5p may promote gastric cancer cell proliferation and migration by regulating RORA. Our study reveals the molecular characteristics of EBV-associated gastric cancer, establishes a prognostic model for RORA in gastric cancer, and demonstrates that EBV-miR-BART5-5p may target and inhibit RORA to promote gastric cancer cell proliferation and migration. These findings highlight EBV-miR-BART5-5p could serve as a diagnostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer.

Super-resolution three-dimensional (3D) optical microscopy has incomparable advantages over other high-resolution microscopic technologies, such as electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, in the study of biological molecules, pathways and events in live cells and tissues. We present a novel approach of structured illumination microscopy (SIM) by using a digital micromirror device (DMD) for fringe projection and a low-coherence LED light for illumination. The lateral resolution of 90 nm and the optical sectioning depth of 120 μm were achieved. The maximum acquisition speed for 3D imaging in the optical sectioning mode was 1.6×10 7 pixels/second, which was mainly limited by the sensitivity and speed of the CCD camera. In contrast to other SIM techniques, the DMD-based LED-illumination SIM is cost-effective, ease of multi-wavelength switchable and speckle-noise-free. The 2D super-resolution and 3D optical sectioning modalities can be easily switched and applied to either fluorescent or non-fluorescent specimens.

The mixed signal of respiratory waveform and heartbeat waveform detected by the Laser-Doppler system is processed with an intermediate-frequency (IF) interference filtering method, an enhanced extraction method and a waveform-fixing method. To filter the IF interference signals and the noise scatters in the time-frequency graph, the filtering method based on coefficient of variation (CoV) values and the enhanced curve extraction method based on noise-scatter theory are utilized in vital signal analysis. To decouple the respiratory signal and the heartbeat signal in time domain, the waveform-fixing method based on second-order difference theory is utilized in signal decoupling. This method as an algorithm is applied in the computer simulation and laboratory environments. The results show that the above methods can extract the mixed waveforms and identify the respiratory rates and heart rates in real experimental data. The IF interference signal can be filtered adaptively, and the accuracy of the analyzed rates can be improved to about 95%.

Pinus massoniana is the major afforestation and vegetation restoration tree in southern China, and it plays an important role in the sustainable development of plantations. However, long-term single planting of P. massoniana has resulted in the decline of soil quality and forest productivity, and a soil fertility assessment is urgently needed. We selected P. massoniana plantations of four age stages for plot investigation and sampling to determine the soil physicochemical properties, microbial diversity and composition, and enzyme activities at different soil depths. The results showed that soil total phosphorus (TP) and available phosphorus (AP) decreased with the increase of age, especially low C/N ratio and high C/P and N/P ratio in the 30-year and 36-year stands, leading to P limitation. Meanwhile, the bacterial Shannon index also decreased with the increase of age and was positively correlated with AP, NO3−-N, and pH. However, the fungal Shannon index decreased first and then increased with the increase of age; soil acid phosphatase (S-ACP) and urease activities showed a similar trend. Correlation analysis demonstrated that the increase of total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) promoted the increase of fungal Shannon index, which was beneficial to the secretion of more enzymes. We found that soil physicochemical properties, microbial diversity, and enzyme activity decreased simultaneously when soil depths increased. Moreover, Acidobacteria and Basidiomycota were the most abundant bacterial and fungal communities, respectively, followed by Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria for bacteria and Ascomycota for fungi, and these microbial taxa were significantly affected by soil water content (SWC), TOC, AP, and C/P. In conclusion, this work reveals the potential correlation among soil physicochemical properties, microbial diversity and composition, and enzyme activities, and revealed potential correlations among them which will help to improve understanding of soil conditions and provide a reference for rational management of soil resources.

Leaf area index (LAI) is an important variable in the study of forest ecosystem processes, but very few studies are designed to monitor LAI and the seasonal variability in a mixed forest using non-destructive sampling. In this study, first, true LAI from May 1(st) and November 15(th) was estimated by making several calibrations to LAI as measured from the WinSCANOPY 2006 Plant Canopy Analyzer. These calibrations include a foliage element (shoot, that is considered to be a collection of needles) clumping index measured directly from the optical instrument, TRAC (Tracing Radiation and Architecture of Canopies); a needle-to-shoot area ratio obtained from shoot samples; and a woody-to-total area ratio. Second, by periodically combining true LAI (May 1(st)) with the seasonality of LAI for deciduous and coniferous species throughout the leaf-expansion season (from May to August), we estimated LAI of each investigation period in the leaf-expansion season. Third, by combining true LAI (November 15(th)) with litter trap data (both deciduous and coniferous species), we estimated LAI of each investigation period during the leaf-fall season (from September to mid-November). Finally, LAI for the entire canopy then was derived from the initial leaf expansion to the leaf fall. The results showed that LAI reached its peak with a value of 6.53 m(2) m(-2) (a corresponding value of 3.83 m(2) m(-2) from optical instrument) in early August, and the mean LAI was 4.97 m(2) m(-2) from May to November using the proposed method. The optical instrument method underestimated LAI by an average of 41.64% (SD = 6.54) throughout the whole study period compared to that estimated by the proposed method. The result of the present work implied that our method would be suitable for measuring LAI, for detecting the seasonality of LAI in a mixed forest, and for measuring LAI seasonality for each species.

Focusing an annular laser beam can improve the axial trapping efficiency due to the reduction of the scattering force, which enables the use of a lower numerical aperture (NA) objective lens with a long working distance to trap particles in deeper aqueous medium. In this paper, we present an axicon-to-axicon scheme for producing parallel annular beams with the advantages of higher efficiency compared with the obstructed beam approach. The validity of the scheme is verified by the observation of a stable trapping of silica microspheres with relatively low NA microscope objective lenses (NA = 0.6 and 0.45), and the axial trapping depth of 5 mm is demonstrated in experiment.