Table1_Reducing agricultural nitrogen use: A price endogenous partial equilibrium analysis in the Yangtze River Basin, China.DOCX

The overuse of nitrogen fertilizers in agricultural production in China, resulting in negative impacts on the environment, has become a serious issue. Thus, reducing agricultural nitrogen use has become one of the top priorities for achieving the sustainable development goals of the Chinese agricultural sector. Searching for effective approaches to reduce nitrogen use is essential to agricultural and environmental sustainability. In this study, we selected the Yangtze River Basin as the research area, owing to its critical role in Chinese agricultural production, and established a price endogenous partial equilibrium model to simulate the effect of nitrogen use reduction from nitrogen use optimization (NUO) and nitrogen use efficiency improvement (NUE+). Based on agricultural datasets in 2019, simulation results revealed that 1) NUO helped reduce nitrogen use and nitrogen loss by 6.99% and 7.50%, respectively; if changes in the acreage are considered, then the reduction effect will be less significant; 2) nitrogen use decreased continuously with NUE+, and the reduction rate was 7.85%, 15.38%, 22.65%, and 28.02% under the NUE+10%, NUE+20%, NUE+30%, and NUE+40% scenarios, respectively, and nitrogen loss was highly sensitive; and 3) the crop heterogeneity indicated that cereals are regarded as nitrogen-overuse crops and more sensitive to nitrogen use reduction under the NUE+ scenarios than oil crops. Accordingly, in this study, we suggested that practical NUO and NUE+ policies and incentives are necessary, and flexible adjustment strategies for crop-planting structures, such as enlarging the acreage for cereals, may be useful in reducing nitrogen use in the Yangtze River Basin.</p

Integrated analysis of long non-coding RNAs and mRNA expression profiles identified potential interactions regulating melanogenesis in chicken skin

1. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in various physiological functions. However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of lncRNAs in melanogenesis remain unclear. To determine the molecular mechanisms involved in skin melanogenesis, the present study depicted the expression profiles of lncRNAs and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in black- (B group) and white- (W group) skinned chickens using RNA sequencing. 2. In total, 373 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs; 203 up-regulated and 170 down-regulated) and 253 differentially expressed genes (DEGs; 152 up-regulated and 101 down-regulated) were identified between the B and W groups. A total of eight known melanogenesis-related genes were identified (KIT, TYRP1, DCT (TYRP2), SLC45A2, OCA2, EDNRB2, TRPM1 and RAB38). 3. Functional annotation of the co-expressed DEGs and DELs was performed using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. The co-expressed DEGs were mainly involved in melanogenesis and the co-expressed genes of 117 and 108 DELs were significantly enriched in the melanogenesis and tyrosine metabolism pathways, respectively. 4. The DEL-DEG interaction network revealed that three lncRNAs (XR_003072387.1, XR_003075112.1, and XR_003077033.1) and DCT genes may have key roles in regulating melanogenesis in chicken skin. This data provides the groundwork for studying the lncRNA regulatory mechanisms of skin melanogenesis and suggested a new perspective on the modulation of melanogenesis in chicken skin based on a lncRNA-mRNA causal regulatory network.</p

Co-expression analysis of long non-coding RNAs and mRNAs involved in intramuscular fat deposition in Muchuan black-bone chicken

1. The intramuscular fat (IMF) content in meat products is positively correlated with meat quality, making it an important consumer trait. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play central roles in regulating various biological processes, but little is currently known about the mechanisms by which they regulate IMF deposition in chickens. 2. This study sampled the breast muscles of chickens with high (H) and low (L) IMF content and constructed six small RNA libraries. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to profile the breast muscle transcriptome (lncRNA and mRNA) and to identify the differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) and mRNAs (DEGs) between the H and L groups. In total, 263 DELs (118 up-regulated and 145 down-regulated lncRNAs) and 443 DEGs (203 up-regulated and 240 down-regulated genes) were identified between the two groups. 3. To analyse the DELs-DEGs interaction network, co-expression analysis was conducted to identify lncRNA-mRNA pairs. In total, 19270 lncRNA/mRNA pairs were identified, including 16 398 significant correlation pairs that presented as positive and 2872 pairs that presented as negative. The lncRNA – mRNA network comprised 263 lncRNA nodes and 440 mRNA nodes. 4. Pathway analysis, using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, indicated pathways associated with fat deposition and lipid metabolism such as the MAPK, PPAR, GnRH, ErbB and calcium signalling pathways, fatty acid elongation and fatty acid metabolism. Overall, the study identified potential candidate lncRNAs, genes and regulatory networks associated with chicken IMF deposition. These findings provide new insights to help clarify the regulatory mechanisms of IMF deposition in chickens which can be used to improve the IMF content in poultry.</p

Colloidal Nanoparticle Interaction Transition during Solvent Evaporation Investigated by in-Situ Small-Angle X‑ray Scattering

In-situ scanning small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments have been performed to probe the drying of a single suspended droplet of silica colloids. It has been demonstrated that the formation of a nanoparticle shell during drying can be confirmed just by measuring the temporal evolution of the spatial transmission profile across the drying droplet. The shrinkage of the droplet stops once the shell is formed. The temporal dependence of the shell thickness and droplet radius has been estimated by quantitative analysis of the functionality of the transmission profiles. It is revealed that the position of the correlation peak originating from interactions between silica nanoparticles evolves linearly during the initial stage of drying and exhibits sigmoidal growth behavior in later stages. The interaction between colloidal particles in different drying stages has been investigated. We provide experimental confirmation of the transition from repulsive interaction to a capillary-driven short-range attraction during shell formation. The present work demonstrates that in-situ scanning SAXS on a suspended droplet is an invaluable technique for monitoring the dynamic self-organization of colloids as it probes the drying of complex fluids without the interference of a substrate

QSAR models for predicting octanol/water and organic carbon/water partition coefficients of polychlorinated biphenyls

<p>Quantitative structure–property relationship modelling can be a valuable alternative method to replace or reduce experimental testing. In particular, some endpoints such as octanol–water (<i>K</i>_OW) and organic carbon–water (<i>K</i>_OC) partition coefficients of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are easier to predict and various models have been already developed. In this paper, two different methods, which are multiple linear regression based on the descriptors generated using Dragon software and hologram quantitative structure–activity relationships, were employed to predict suspended particulate matter (SPM) derived log <i>K</i>_OC and generator column, shake flask and slow stirring method derived log <i>K</i>_OW values of 209 PCBs. The predictive ability of the derived models was validated using a test set. The performances of all these models were compared with EPI Suite™ software. The results indicated that the proposed models were robust and satisfactory, and could provide feasible and promising tools for the rapid assessment of the SPM derived log <i>K</i>_OC and generator column, shake flask and slow stirring method derived log <i>K</i>_OW values of PCBs.</p

Angiotensin-(1–7) inhibits inflammation and oxidative stress to relieve lung injury induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia in rats

Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with inflammation and oxidative stress in lung tissues and can lead to metabolic abnormalities. We investigated the effects of angiotensin1–7 [Ang-(1–7)] on lung injury in rats induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH). We randomly assigned 32 male Sprague-Dawley rats (180–200 g) to normoxia control (NC), CIH-untreated (uCIH), Ang-(1–7)-treated normoxia control (N-A), and Ang-(1–7)-treated CIH (CIH-A) groups. Oxidative stress biomarkers were measured in lung tissues, and expression of NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) and Nox subunits (p22phox, and p47phox) was determined by Western blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Pulmonary pathological changes were more evident in the uCIH group than in the other groups. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and immunohistochemical staining showed that inflammatory factor concentrations in serum and lung tissues in the uCIH group were significantly higher than those in the NC and N-A groups. Expression of inflammatory factors was significantly higher in the CIH-A group than in the NC and N-A groups, but was lower than in the uCIH group (P</div

Molecular cloning, alternative splicing and mRNA expression analysis of <i>MAGI1</i> and its correlation with laying performance in geese

<p>1. In a previous study, a laying-related single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) Record-106975 (A–G) was found in the intron of Membrane-associated Guanylate Kinase with Inverted Domain Structure-1 (<i>MAGI1)</i> gene by restriction site-associated DNA sequencing. This study was performed to further identify the function of <i>MAGI1</i> on laying performance in Yangzhou geese.</p> <p>2. The complete <i>MAGI1</i> cDNA sequence was cloned from the ovary of the Yangzhou goose. A total of 4 alternative splice variants were identified, and the characterisation of their nucleic acid and amino acid (AA) sequences were analysed. The AA sequence of goose <i>MAGI1</i> was highly conserved with other avian species.</p> <p>3. <i>MAGI1</i> was ubiquitously expressed in 11 tested tissues, with greater amounts of mRNA in the granulosa cell layer and ovary. GG (<i>n</i> = 14) and GA (<i>n</i> = 6) genotypes of SNP Record-106975 showed significantly lower <i>MAGI1</i> mRNA levels than those of the AA genotype.</p> <p>4. Over-expression and knockdown experiments revealed that <i>MAGI1</i> mRNA expression was associated with <i>caspase-3</i> mRNA levels in granulosa cells, and may play a role in regulating apoptosis of granulosa cells.</p

Single-photon distributed free-space spectroscopy

Spectroscopy is a well-established nonintrusive tool that has played an important role in identifying substances and quantifying their compositions, from quantum descriptions to chemical and biomedical diagnostics. Challenges exist in accurate measurements in dynamic environments, especially for understanding chemical reactions in arbitrary free-space. We develop a distributed free-space spectroscopy realized by a comb-referenced frequency-scanning single-photon lidar, providing multidimensional (time-range-spectrum) remote sensing. A continuous field experiment over 72 hours is deployed to obtain the spectra of multiple molecules (CO2 and HDO) in free-space over 6 km, with a range resolution of 60 m and a time resolution of 10 min over a spectrum span of 30 GHz. The CO2 and HDO concentrations are retrieved from the spectra acquired. This distributed free-space spectroscopy holds much promise for increasing knowledge of atmospheric environments and chemistry research, especially for complex molecular spectra evolution in any location over large areas

The Deep and Transient Universe in the SVOM Era: New Challenges and Opportunities - Scientific prospects of the SVOM mission

To take advantage of the astrophysical potential of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), Chinese and French astrophysicists have engaged the SVOM mission (Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor). Major advances in GRB studies resulting from the synergy between space and ground observations, the SVOM mission implements space and ground instrumentation. The scientific objectives of the mission put a special emphasis on two categories of GRBs: very distant GRBs at z$>$5 which constitute exceptional cosmological probes, and faint/soft nearby GRBs which allow probing the nature of the progenitors and the physics at work in the explosion. These goals have a major impact on the design of the mission: the on-board hard X-ray imager is sensitive down to 4 keV and computes on line image and rate triggers, and the follow-up telescopes on the ground are sensitive in the NIR. At the beginning of the next decade, SVOM will be the main provider of GRB positions and spectral parameters on very short time scale. The SVOM instruments will operate simultaneously with a wide range of powerful astronomical devices. This rare instrumental conjunction, combined with the relevance of the scientific topics connected with GRB studies, warrants a remarkable scientific return for SVOM. In addition, the SVOM instrumentation, primarily designed for GRB studies, composes a unique multi-wavelength observatory with rapid slew capability that will find multiple applications for the whole astronomy community beyond the specific objectives linked to GRBs. This report lists the scientific themes that will benefit from observations made with SVOM, whether they are specific GRB topics, or more generally all the issues that can take advantage of the multi-wavelength capabilities of SVOM

The Deep and Transient Universe in the SVOM Era: New Challenges and Opportunities - Scientific prospects of the SVOM mission

To take advantage of the astrophysical potential of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), Chinese and French astrophysicists have engaged the SVOM mission (Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor). Major advances in GRB studies resulting from the synergy between space and ground observations, the SVOM mission implements space and ground instrumentation. The scientific objectives of the mission put a special emphasis on two categories of GRBs: very distant GRBs at z$>$5 which constitute exceptional cosmological probes, and faint/soft nearby GRBs which allow probing the nature of the progenitors and the physics at work in the explosion. These goals have a major impact on the design of the mission: the on-board hard X-ray imager is sensitive down to 4 keV and computes on line image and rate triggers, and the follow-up telescopes on the ground are sensitive in the NIR. At the beginning of the next decade, SVOM will be the main provider of GRB positions and spectral parameters on very short time scale. The SVOM instruments will operate simultaneously with a wide range of powerful astronomical devices. This rare instrumental conjunction, combined with the relevance of the scientific topics connected with GRB studies, warrants a remarkable scientific return for SVOM. In addition, the SVOM instrumentation, primarily designed for GRB studies, composes a unique multi-wavelength observatory with rapid slew capability that will find multiple applications for the whole astronomy community beyond the specific objectives linked to GRBs. This report lists the scientific themes that will benefit from observations made with SVOM, whether they are specific GRB topics, or more generally all the issues that can take advantage of the multi-wavelength capabilities of SVOM