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In order to maintain high yields and protect the environment, the replacement of chemical fertilizers with organic ones has received increasing attention in recent years. A 2-year field experiment (2015-2016) was carried out to assess the effects of substituting equal amounts of mineral fertilizer with organic manure on the yield, dry matter (DM), and nitrogen (N) uptake of spring maize (Zea mays L.) and on the mineral N (Nmin) distribution in the soil profile. The treatments included chemical fertilizer; different amounts of maize straw, cow manure, and chicken manure; and an unfertilized control (CK). Compared with the chemical fertilizer treatments, equal amounts of substitutions with cow manure or chicken manure increased production, and a 25% nutrient substitution resulted in the best yield increase. Straw return had no effect on maize production, and 100% straw return resulted in reduced production. The N accumulation and DM content both exhibited a slow-fast-slow growth trend throughout the various growth stages, and the average N uptake and DM accumulation in response to the treatments followed the order of chicken manure > cow manure > chemical fertilizer > straw return > CK. The Nmin content in the profile not only increased as the Nmin application rate increased but also showed greater increases at certain depths than at the surface, indicating that excessive N led to leaching. These results suggest that an appropriate proportion of organic substitution not only provides enough nutrients but also improves the soil environment and leads to increased yields. This technique represents a practical method of continuously increasing production and reducing the risk of N leaching.

Understanding baseflow dynamics is essential for sustainable ecosystem and water resource management. While most studies have documented climate‐baseflow relationships at regional scales, observational evidence of how groundwater influences baseflow dynamics across different spatiotemporal scales remains limited, substantially constraining mechanistic understanding. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic continental‐scale analysis of groundwater‐baseflow linkages across 18 major US watersheds from 1980 to 2020. We analyzed daily discharge from 7,016 stations and estimated baseflow using a recursive digital filter. We also identified 470 paired shallow groundwater well‐gauge sites within 5‐km proximity to evaluate hydraulic connectivity across multiple time scales. Key findings were as follows: (a) Annual baseflow trends revealed pronounced east‐west spatial clustering, with predominantly increasing trends in eastern watersheds and decreasing trends in western watersheds. (b) Seasonal analysis indicated strong synchronicity between groundwater level fluctuations and baseflow dynamics, with matched trend directions from 68.75% (fall) to 92.86% (summer) of paired sites. Spearman correlations further demonstrated robust positive seasonal relationships (ρ = 0.686–0.791, all p < 0.005). (c) At the monthly scale, linear regression and Spearman correlation analyses showed weak associations between baseflow and climate variables (R2 = 0.02–0.31), but substantially stronger associations with upstream groundwater levels (R2 = 0.61–0.95). (d) At the daily scale, strong associations between baseflow dynamics and groundwater levels (R2 = 0.63–0.95) further support direct hydraulic connectivity between groundwater and river systems. Collectively, these findings indicate that groundwater is the dominant control on baseflow temporal variability across multiple timescales, whereas climate influences may emerge at annual or longer time scales due to groundwater travel times and long system memory. Our results underscore the importance of groundwater monitoring for improving baseflow prediction and water resources management.

The absorption of the essential element nitrogen by plants affects various aspects of plant physiological activity, including gene expression, metabolite content and growth. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the potato tuberization response to nitrogen remains unclear. Potato plants were subjected to pot experiments under nitrogen deficiency, normal nitrogen levels and nitrogen sufficiency. A comprehensive analysis of the physiological responses, transcriptomic profiles, and metabolic pathways of potato stolons subjected to nitrogen stress was conducted. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 2756 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with nitrogen stress. Metabolomic analysis identified a total of 600 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs). Further correlation analysis of the major DEGs and DAMs revealed that 9 key DEGs were associated with alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, 16 key DEGs with starch and sucrose metabolism, 7 key DEGs with nitrogen metabolism, and 16 key DEGs with ABC transporters. Nitrogen deficiency significantly increased the sucrose, GDP-glucose and L-glutamic acid levels and promoted stolon growth by increasing the expression of AMY (alpha-amylase), BE (1,4-alpha-glucan branching enzyme), SS (starch synthase), SPS (sucrose‒phosphate synthase) and AGPS (glucose‒1-phosphate adenylyltransferase). However, high nitrogen levels had the opposite effect. In addition, high nitrogen levels upregulated EG (endoglucanase), SUS (sucrose synthase) and GDH (glutamate dehydrogenase) and led to significant accumulation of 9-Hydroperoxy-10,12,15-octadecatrienoate (9(S)-HpOTrE), (13 S)-Hydroperoxyoctadeca-9,11,15-trienoate (13 (S)-HpOTrE) and L-glutamine, ultimately affecting the balance between plant growth and defense. Overall, our comprehensive study revealed the co-expressed genes and potential pathways related to potato tuber formation under different nitrogen conditions. These data provide a better understanding needed for improving potato tuber traits at the molecular and metabolic levels.

Background Oral nucleoside (acid) analogues (NAs) are recommended for patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV-ACLF). The efficacy and safety of tenofovir (TDF) and entecavir (ETV) in these patients remain unclear. Methods A comprehensive literature search in PubMed, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, and Embase database was conducted to select studies published before December 2022 on TDF or ETV for HBV-ACLF. The primary outcomes were survival rates at 4, 12, and 48 weeks. Secondary outcomes were virologic and biochemical responses, serum antigen conversion, liver function score, and safety. Results Four prospective and one retrospective cohort studies were selected. The overall analysis showed comparable survival rates at 4, 12, and 48 weeks for all patients receiving TDF or ETV (4-week: RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.90–1.51, p  = 0.24; 12-week: RR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.88–1.13, p  = 0.94; 48-week: RR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.58–1.57, p  = 0.86). Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score at 12 weeks were comparable in both groups but lower than baseline (CTP: SMD = -0.75, 95% CI:-2.81–1.30, p  = 0.47; MELD: SMD = -1.10, 95% CI:-2.29–0.08, p  = 0.07). At 48 weeks, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) levels were found to decrease to different degrees from baseline in both the TDF and ETV groups, and the decrease was greater in the TDF group than in the ETV group. No significant differences were found in biochemical, virologic response, and serum antigen conversion between the two groups during the observation period. Conclusion TDF treatment of HBV-ACLF is similar to ETV in improving survival, liver function, and virologic response but the effects on renal function in two groups in the long term remain unclear. More and larger long-term clinical trials are required to confirm these findings.

Controlling groundwater table decline could mitigate land subsidence and induced environmental hazards in over-explored areas. Nevertheless, this becomes a challenge in the multi-layered porous system as (in)elastic deformation simultaneously occurs due to vast spatiotemporal variability in the groundwater table. In this study, SBAS-InSAR was used to estimate annual land deformation during 2017–2022 in a specific region of North China Plain, in which aquifers are composed of many layers of fine-grained compressible sediments and the groundwater table has experienced a prolonged decline. The random forest (RF) was applied to establish the nonlinear relationship between accumulated deformation and its potential driving factors, including the depth to the groundwater table (GWD) and its change rate, and the compressible sediment thickness. Results show that the marked subsidence and uplift co-exist in the region even though the groundwater table has risen widely since the South–North Water Diversion Project. The land subsidence is attributed to inelastic compaction of the thick compressible deposits in depression cone centers, where the GWD is over 40 m and 90 m in the shallow and deep aquifers, respectively. In contrast, the marked uplift is primarily attributed to fast rising of the groundwater table (e.g., −2.44 m/a). The RF predictions suggest that, to control the subsidence, the GWD should be less than 20 and 70 m in the shallow and deep aquifers, respectively, and the rising rate of the GWD should increase to 2–5 times of current rates in the depression cones. To mitigate the marked uplift, the rising rate of the GWD should reduce to 1/2–1/5 of the current rates in the shallow aquifers. The uneven deformations of sediments in the depression cone centers and uplift in their boundaries may exacerbate geohazards. Therefore, it is vital to implement appropriate governance of groundwater recovery in the multi-layered porous system.

Enterovirus 71 (EV71), a cause of hand, foot, and mouth disease, may be associated with poliomyelitis-like paralysis. In this report from China, a vaccine was shown to significantly decrease EV71-associated illness in children. Epidemics of hand, foot, and mouth disease in children have emerged recently in Asia and have been caused primarily by enterovirus 71 (EV71) and coxsackievirus A16, 1 which typically show two peak epidemic incidences each year, in May and October. 2 – 5 An important clinical concern regarding hand, foot, and mouth disease is central nervous system injury, which occurs during the disease course in some severe cases and may result in a poor outcome. 6 – 11 Infection with the EV71 C4 genotype accounts for 40.1 to 55.4% of cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease, with considerable associated mortality, including thousands of deaths . . .

Background Hypophosphatemia generally occurs in Intensive Care Units (ICUs), but its impact is often ignored. The aim of this study was to investigate whether hypophosphatemia can be a risk factor for ICU 28-day mortality. Methods A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted by collecting data from 1073 patients admitted to general ICU and then presented to the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China) from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2017. The patients were divided into a normal control group (serum phosphate levels 0.80–1.60 mmol/L) and a hypophosphatemia group (serum phosphate levels < 0.80 mmol/L), based on the concentration of phosphorus at the time of ICU admission. The association between phosphate levels and ICU 28-day mortality was evaluated by binary logistic regression analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to predict the ICU 28-day mortality. Results The cohort included 946 patients with a median phosphate concentration of 0.77 mmol/L (interquartile range 0.55–1.03 mmol/L). Patients with hypophosphatemia had a higher ICU 28-day mortality than the normal control group (33.3% vs 24.0%, P  < 0.05). Patients with hypophosphatemia had a longer ICU and hospital stays, and prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation (all P  < 0.05). Hypophosphatemia was an independent risk factor for ICU 28-day mortality (adjusted OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.1–2.1, P  = 0.01) in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Conclusions Hypophosphatemia at admission is an independent risk factor for 28-day mortality in general ICU patients. Trial registration The medical study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of the Six Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University (Approval number: 2017ZSLYEC-110). No consent was given as the data were analyzed anonymously.

Background and Aims: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is increasingly found in critically ill patients, but it is considered a pathogen of limited pathogenicity and therefore it is not often targeted. We systematically evaluated risk factors for S. maltophilia pneumonia in ICU patients for better clinical management. Methods: Prospective and retrospective studies of S. maltophilia infection in the ICU from database establishment to August 8, 2021, were searched through PubMed, web of science, Cochrane Library Embase and CNKI. The literature was independently screened and extracted by two authors according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, evaluated for quality by the NOS scale, and meta-analyzed by stata 14.0 software. Results: A total of eight studies with a sample size of 2,320 cases were included. Meta-analysis showed that APACHE-II score > 20 (OR = 10.98, 95% CI: 5.67 ~ 21.26), COPD (OR = 3.97, 95% CI: 2.39 ~ 6.61), malignant tumor (OR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.03 ~ 4.50), mechanical ventilation (OR = 8.75, 95% CI: 2.59 ~ 29.58), tracheotomy (OR = 6.12, 95% CI: 2.06 ~ 18.18), endotracheal intubation (OR = 4.25, 95% CI: 2.30 ~ 7.84), β- Lactamase inhibitors (OR = 9.98, 95% CI: 1.51 ~ 65.96), aminoglycosides (OR = 4.01, 95% CI: 2.06 ~ 7.80), carbapenems (OR = 2.82, 95% CI: 1.49 ~ 5.31), and quinolones (OR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.21 ~ 3.89) were risk factors for ICU-acquired S. maltophilia pneumonia. Conclusion: Many risk factors are associated with S. maltophilia pneumonia in ICU patients. Clinical workers should pay more attention to assessing the risk of infection in ICU patients and enhance the prevention and management of high-risk groups, which will help reduce their risk of S. maltophilia infection.

In order to address the problem of coordinated flood forecasting in the urbanized watershed, this study proposes a framework for discriminating easily occurring runoff component, which considers vertical spatial heterogeneity based on soil type, land use type and topographic slope, and integrates a Grid-based Runoff Generation Model (GRGM). Taking the control watershed of Jialu River at Zhongmou station (including the central city of Zhengzhou) as the study area, on the basis of GRGM model tests based on 11 observed rainfall-runoff events, the spatial and temporal evolution of runoff components in the study area from 1980 to 2020 and their correlation with the underlying surface changes are explored. The study reveals that: (a) the average relative error of the runoff generation calculation by GRGM model in the study area is reduced by 27.76% and the average coefficient of determination is increased by 0.11 compared with Horton Infiltration (HI) model, which means GRGM model are more accurate. (b) The percentage of excess surface runoff ( R s ) in the central city increased significantly from 22 to 67%, and showed a trend of expansion from the central city to the suburbs. (c) The land use types have changed significantly, mainly manifested as a substantial reduction of cropland and a sharp expansion of construction land. R s is significantly positively correlated with construction land, and the Pearson correlation coefficient exceeds 0.93. The study findings can serve as a scientific basis for coordinated management of flood prevention and disaster reduction in the urbanized watershed.

Due to the shortage of land and water resource, optimization of systems for production in commercial greenhouses is essential for sustainable vegetable supply. The performance of lettuce productivity and the economic benefit in greenhouses using a soil-based system (SBS) and a hydroponic production system (HPS) were compared in this study. Experiments were conducted in two identical greenhouses over two growth cycles (G1 and G2). Three treatments of irrigation volumes (S1, S2, and S3) were evaluated for SBS while three treatments of nutrient solution concentration (H1, H2, and H3) were evaluated for HPS; the optimal levels from each system were then compared. HPS was more sensitive to the effects of environmental temperature than SBS because of higher soil buffer capacity. Compared with SBS, higher yield (more than 134%) and higher water productivity (more than 50%) were observed in HPS. We detected significant increases in ascorbic acid by 28.31% and 16.67% and in soluble sugar by 57.84% and 32.23% during G1 and G2, respectively, compared with SBS. However, nitrate accumulated in HPS-grown lettuce. When the nutrient solution was replaced with fresh water 3 days before harvest, the excess nitrate content of harvested lettuce in HPS was removed. The initial investment and total operating cost in HPS were 21.76 times and 47.09% higher than those in SBS, respectively. Consideration of agronomic, quality, and economic indicators showed an overall optimal performance of the H2 treatment. These findings indicated that, in spite of its higher initial investment and requirement of advanced technology and management, HPS was more profitable than SBS for commercial lettuce production.