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Encouraging insight into novel underlying mechanisms targeting abnormal biological pathways in colorectal cancer (CRC) are currently under investigation, edging closer and closer to clinical use. Of note, basic leucine zipper ATF-like transcription factor 3 (BATF3) has been implicated with the tumorigenicity of CRC. The current study aimed to elucidate the oncogenic BATF3-mediated S1PR1/p-STAT3/miR-155-3p/WDR82 axis in CRC. Initially, clinical samples of CRC tissues as well as CRC cell lines were collected to evaluate the expression patterns of BATF3/S1PR1/p-STAT3/miR-155-3p/WDR82. Dual luciferase assay was employed to assess the binding affinity between miR-155-3p and WDR82. Artificial modulation of BATF3 (down- and overexpression) was conducted to measure the malignant phenotypes of CRC cells, while tumor-bearing mice were examined to determine the in vivo effects. BATF3 facilitated the proliferative, migratory, and invasive potential of CRC cells by upregulating S1PR1. Besides, the stimulatory effect of S1PR1 was realized via restored p-STAT3 expression. Furthermore, p-STAT3 was evidenced to heighten the expression of miR-155-3p and subsequently restrict the expression of its target gene WDR82. The in vivo assays provided data further substantiating the in vitro findings that inactivation of the BATF3/S1PR1/p-STAT3/miR-155-3p/WDR82 axis suppresses CRC tumor growth. Collectively, the results of the present study emphasize the oncogenic function of BATF3 illustrated by the reinforcement the biological processes of proliferation, invasion, as well as the metastatic capacity of CRC cells through activating the S1PR1/p-STAT3/miR-155-3p/WDR82 axis.

Hyporheic zone (HZ) influences hydraulic and biogeochemical processes in and alongside streams, therefore, investigating the controlling geographic factors is beneficial for understanding the hydrological processes in HZ. Slack water pool (SWP) is an essential micro-topographic structure that has an impact on surface water and groundwater interactions in the HZ during and after high flows. However, only a few studies investigate HZ surface water and groundwater exchange in the SWP. This study used the thermal method to estimate the HZ water exchange in the SWP in a segment of the Weihe River in China during the winter season. The findings show that on the flow-direction parallel to the stream, river recharge dominates the HZ water exchange, while on the opposing flow-direction bank groundwater discharge dominates the water exchange. The water exchange in the opposing flow-direction bank is about 1.6 times of that in the flow-direction bank. The HZ water exchange is not only controlled by flow velocity but also the location and shape of the SWP. Great water exchange amount corresponds to the shape with more deformation. The maximum water exchange within the SWP is close to the river bank where the edge is relatively high. This study provides some guidelines for water resources management during flooding events.

A new type of biochar, called GBC, was prepared from silkworm excrement, and then modified by chitosan combined with pyromellitic dianhydride. The removal of mono-metal and polymetals (Pb, Cd and Cu) from an aqueous solution by GBC was investigated in this research. Compared to unmodified biochar, the removal rate of Pb and Cd by GBC was about 12% higher, while that of Cu was about 94.6% higher. It also shows the types of functional groups in biochar have a great impact on their adsorption. The removal of Pb is mainly involved in the N-C=O functional group, the removal of Cd is mainly involved in N-containing functional group and C=C bond, and that of Cu is mainly involved in N-containing functional group, carboxyl group, hydroxyl group, and a carbonyl group. Five adsorption–desorption cycles of GBC were carried out, and it was found that the adsorption capacities of GBC for Pb, Cd and Cu decreased by 7.28%, 10.78% and 6.07%, respectively, indicating that GBC had a good renewable performance. The adsorption capacity of GBC for Cu in different water samples is between 89.62 and 93.47 mg·g−1, indicating that GBC has great application potential for the removal of Cu in wastewater.

The radical generation properties of hydrogen peroxide and persulfate for phenol degradation were investigated under microwave irradiation using copper-doped silicon carbide (Cu/SiC) composites as catalyst. The results showed that 90% and 70% of phenol and total organic carbon (TOC), respectively, were removed within 7 min. Microwave activation of hydrogen peroxide and sodium persulfate in terms of thermal effects and accelerated electron transfer was analyzed by degradation kinetics and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The microwave activation of Na2S2O8 demonstrated that the hot spots promote decomposition of persulfate more rapidly and the rate of persulfate decomposition was more than three times the activation rate of a normal heating method. There is a synergistic effect between Cu and microwave radiation, which is highlighted by the H2O2 activation; ·OH was generated due to the redox cycle between Cu(I)/Cu(II) and was responsible for phenol degradation using H2O2. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis indicated that hydroxylation and sulfate radicals addition of phenol were the initial oxidation reaction steps of hydrogen peroxide and persulfate, respectively, followed by further oxidation to form short-chain carboxylic acids.

Salinization and sodication present significant threats to crop productivity in many parts of the world including Pakistan. Cultivating halophytes like quinoa presents a viable solution for the profitable use of salt-affected lands. This study specifically examines the performance and salt tolerance mechanism of four quinoa accessions under varying salinity and sodicity levels. In addition to a control group, different combinations of electrical conductivity and sodium adsorption ratio (ECe dS m −1 SAR levels) were established: 10:20, 10:40, 20:20, and 20:40, achieved by using a mixture of salts. Most of the quinoa cultivars exhibited robust growth, with the exception of GLN-22, which proved unable to withstand high levels of salinity and sodicity, resulting in a 78% reduction in yield. GLN-29, on the other hand, demonstrated superior performance across all levels of salinity and sodicity. UAF-Q7 excelled under conditions of high salinity and low sodicity compared to equivalent salinity levels but elevated sodicity. Meanwhile, GLN-33 exhibited enhanced growth under elevated sodicity levels but struggled in the face of high salinity stress. In terms of nutrient uptake, GLN-29 displayed a higher accumulation of Na + (32%) in older leaves compared to younger ones, alongside elevated levels of antioxidant activity at all salinity and sodicity levels. Notably, GLN-29 exhibited excellent adaptation to both high salinity and sodicity levels, resulting in the highest grain yield (14.75 g/pot) and the salt tolerance mechanism was associated with highly efficient K + retention and transport of Na + to older leaves. This underscores the necessity for further comprehensive field studies to ascertain its suitability for the sustainable utilization of salt-affected soils.

Copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) are ordinary heavy metals. Unreasonable development and utilization of these heavy metals will cause severe pollution to the soils and consequently bring damage to human health. Therefore, recovering soils polluted by heavy metals is crucial. An indoor pot experiment was carried out involving seven treatments, namely, low-concentration Cu stress (Cu1), high-concentration Cu stress (Cu2), low-concentration Cd stress (Cd1), high-concentration Cd stress (Cd2), low-concentration Cu–Cd combined stress (Cu1Cd1), and high-concentration Cu–Cd combined stress (Cu2Cd2), and an uncontaminated soil as a control. Results demonstrated that the net photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll content are approximately 8.36–72.51% and 7.22–36.50%, respectively, lower under the Cu, Cd, and Cu–Cd combined stresses than under the control. The net photosynthetic rates are higher under Cu2 and Cd2 than under Cu1 and Cd1; by contrast, the net photosynthetic rate of leaves is lower under Cu2Cd2 than under Cu1Cd1. The net photosynthesis rate of Cinnamomum camphora is significantly positively correlated with superoxide dismutase activity but is significantly negatively correlated with the total chlorophyll, malondialdehyde, soluble sugar, and proline contents. Young Cinnamomum camphora grows well under Cu, Cd, and Cu–Cd combined stresses and is applicable in ecologically restoring heavy metal–contaminated soils.

Increasing drought globally is a severe threat to fragile desert wetland ecosystem. It is of significance to study the effects of wetland drying on microbial regulation of soil carbon (C) in the desert. In this study, we examined the impacts of wetland drying on microbial biomass, microbial community (bacteria, fungi) and microbial activity [basal microbial respiration, microbial metabolic quotient (qCO2)]. Relationships of microbial properties with biotic factors [litter, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP)], abiotic factors (soil moisture, pH and clay content) and biological processes (basal microbial respiration, qCO2) were also developed. Results showed that the drying of wetland led to a decrease of soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) content, microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) content and fungi and bacterial abundance, and an increase of the fungi:bacteria ratio. Wetland drying also led to increased soil basal respiration and increased qCO2, which was attributed to lower soil clay content and litter N concentration. The MBC:SOC ratios were higher under drier soil conditions than under virgin wetland, which was attributed to stronger C conserve ability of fungi than bacteria. The wetland drying process exacerbated soil C loss by strengthening heterotrophic respiration; however, the exact effects of soil microbial community structure on microbial C mineralization were not clear in this study and need further research.

PurposeWetlands in Mu Us Desert have severely been threatened by grasslandification over the past decades. Therefore, we studied the impacts of grasslandification on soil carbon (C):nitrogen (N):phosphorus (P) stoichiometry, soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, and release in wetland-grassland transitional zone in Mu Us Desert.Materials and methodsFrom wetland to grassland, the transition zone was divided into five different successional stages according to plant communities and soil water conditions. At every stage, soil physical and chemical properties were determined and C:N:P ratios were calculated. SOC stock and soil respirations were also determined to assess soil carbon storage and release.Results and discussionAfter grasslandification, SOC contents of top soils (0–10 cm) decreased from 100.2 to 31.79 g kg−1 in June and from 103.7 to 32.5 g kg−1 in October; total nitrogen (TN) contents of top soils (0–10 cm) decreased from 3.65 to 1.85 g kg−1 in June and from 6.43 to 3.36 g kg−1 in October; and total phosphorus (TP) contents of top soils (0–10 cm) decreased from 179.4 to 117.4 mg kg−1 in June and from 368.6 to 227.8 mg kg−1 in October. From stages Typha angustifolia wetland (TAW) to Phalaris arundinacea L. (PAL), in the top soil (0–10 cm), C:N ratios decreased from 32.2 to 16.9 in June and from 19.0 to 11.8 in October; C:P ratios decreased from 1519.2 to 580.5 in June and from 19.0 to 11.8 in October; and N:P ratios decreased from 46.9 to 34.8 in June and changed from 34.9 to 34.0 in October. SOC stock decreased and soil respiration increased with grasslandification. The decrease of SOC, TN, and TP contents was attributed to the reduction of aboveground biomass and mineralization of SOM, and the decrease of soil C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios was mainly attributed to the faster decreasing speeds of SOC than TN and TP. The reduction of aboveground biomass and increased SOC release led by enhanced soil respiration were the main reasons of SOC stock decrease.ConclusionsGrasslandification led to lowers levels of SOC, TN, TP, and soil C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios. Grasslandification also led to higher SOC loss, and increased soil respiration was the main reason. Since it is difficult to restore grassland to original wetland, efficient practices should be conducted to reduce water drainage from wetland to prevent grasslandification.

[Objectives] To explore the problem of “secondary desertification” caused by coal mining subsidence in sandy area and its control countermeasures. [Methods] The collapse fissure changes, vegetation displacement and tilt, dry sand layer and wind erosion/aeolian deposit rate of the edge, middle and basin of subsidence area were studied in detail. [Results] The width and density of fissures at the edge of subsidence area were the smallest, followed by those in the center, and the width and density of fissures in the basin of the subsidence area were the greatest, while the staggering and surface damage showed the opposite trend. The average displacement length of vegetation in the subsidence area reached 60 cm, the slope was 5.67-28.63, and the maximum wind erosion/aeolian deposit at the trunk roots was -30.52 cm/+25.41 cm, most serious at the edge of subsidence. The changes in displacement length and slope of vegetation were positively linearly correlated with the height and surface damage of collapse fissures. The thickness of dry land layer at the edge of the subsidence area reached 14 cm, 4-6 cm greater than that of the control, and the thickness of dry land layer in the middle and basin of the subsidence area was both about 11 cm, 1-4 cm greater than that of non-subsidence area. The wind erosion rate at the edge of the subsidence area was up to 83.34%, followed by that (52.06%) in the middle. The aeolian deposit rate in the subsidence basin was 51.84%. [Conclusions] The subsidence edge has the strongest impact on the sandy geomorphology and vegetation habitat, and is a key area for ecological restoration. It is recommended that the coal mining subsidence should be treated in a timely manner to avoid the occurrence of “secondary desertification”.

The removal of methyl orange (MO) in a copper-loaded silicon carbide (Cu/SiC) system under microwave (MW) irradiation was studied. Cu/SiC was synthesized by employing an impregnation method and the effects of parameters such as reaction time, catalyst dosage, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) dosage, microwave power and pH on the rate of degradation of MO were also studied. The obtained results showed that almost complete degradation was obtained in the presence of Cu/SiC catalyst within 8 min of irradiation when 100 mL of MO solution (20 mg/L), 3 ml/L of H2O2, 2 g/L of catalyst dose, 600 W of MW power, and pH 7 were applied. The Cu-bearing catalyst with H2O2 formed a Fenton-like system and the rate of generation of hydroxyl radicals (·OH) was also accelerated by subjecting to MW. From the kinetic analysis, it is revealed that the degradation of MO using the MW-Cu/SiC-H2O2 system follows the pseudo-first-order.