Spatial Disequilibrium and Dynamic Evolution of Eco-Efficiency in China’s Tea Industry

Eco-efficiency is a significant target for evaluating the agricultural ecosystem and measuring sustainable agricultural development through quantitative analysis. It is also an essential part of constructing the ecological tea garden, which offers a directional function in realizing the green development of the tea industry. After measuring the eco-efficiency of China’s tea industry using the super-efficiency SBM model, this paper analyzes the spatial disequilibrium and dynamic evolution trend of the eco-efficiency in China’s tea industry through the method of Dagum Gini Coefficient and Kernel Density Estimation. The results show that the level of eco-efficiency in China’s tea industry was improved overall, and the spatial disequilibrium was significantly reduced. The differences within the tea region decreased as follows: tea regions in Southwest China, South China, south of the Yangtze River, and north of the Yangtze River; the overall difference in the eco-efficiency in the tea industry mainly comes from the contribution of the interregional difference in tea regions, and the second contribution comes from the intraregional difference in tea regions and the difference in super-variable density. The eco-efficiency of the tea industry has been improved both nationally and within the top four tea regions; the disequilibrium between areas and within the tea region has been largely alleviated, but there is still room to optimize the input–output structure and promote the eco-efficiency

Protective effects of Otophylloside N on pentylenetetrazol-induced neuronal injury in vitro and in vivo

Approximately 30% of epileptic patients worldwide are medically unable to control their seizures. In addition, repeated epileptic seizures generally lead to neural damage. Pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) is a clinical circulatory and respiratory stimulant that is experimentally used to mimic epileptic convulsion in epilepsy research. Here, we systematically explore the neuroprotective effects of a pure compound isolated from Cynanchum otophyllum Schneid (Qingyangshen), Otophylloside N (OtoN), against PTZ-induced neuronal injury. We used three models: in vitro primary cortical neurons, in vivo mice and in vivo zebrafish. Our results revealed that OtoN treatment may attenuate PTZ-induced morphology changes, cell death, LDH efflux in embryonic neuronal cells of C57BL/6J mice, and convulsive behavior in zebrafish. Additionally, our Western blot and RT-PCR results demonstrated that OtoN may attenuate PTZ-induced apoptosis and neuronal activation in neuronal cells, mice and zebrafish. OtoN may reduce PTZ-induced cleavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) and upregulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and decrease the expression level of c-Fos. This study is the first investigation of the neuroprotective effects of OtoN, which might be developed as a novel antiepileptic drug

On the low cycle fatigue behaviors of Ni-based superalloy at room temperature:Deformation and fracture mechanisms

Understanding the deformation behavior of Ni-based superalloy IN718 across various temperature ranges is crucial due to its working temperature variability, despite its primary application in high temperatures. This study investigates the deformation and fracture mechanisms of IN718 alloy under room temperature (RT) low cycle fatigue (LCF) conditions. The findings shed light on the transition from single-slip to multi-slip dislocation configurations during cyclic deformation, which is accompanied by the formation of micro-twins that contribute to plastic deformation accommodation. Precipitate shearing mechanisms dominate the cyclic hardening in the early deformation stages, while the stabilization stage is characterized by the emergence of dislocation wall/cell-like structures resulting from the synergistic interactions between precipitation, element segregation, and dislocations. Cracks initiate near grain boundaries as the softening stage approaches and the dominant fracture mode is referred by grain boundary energy as substantiated by a detailed analysis of grain size and misorientation. Moreover, the growth of transgranular cracks is significantly influenced by grain orientation and local plastic deformation. This study advances the understanding of the deformation and fracture mechanisms exhibited by Ni-based alloys under RT LCF conditions and helps to further fracture observations and simulations.</p

Melatonin-Mediated Enhancement of Photosynthetic Capacity and Photoprotection Improves Salt Tolerance in Wheat

The role of melatonin in plant growth and response to environmental stress has been widely demonstrated. However, the physiological and molecular regulation of salt tolerance in wheat seedlings by melatonin remains unclear. In this study, we investigated changes in phenotype, physiology, photosynthetic parameters, and transcript levels in wheat seedlings to reveal the role of melatonin in the regulation of salt tolerance in wheat. The results indicate that the application of exogenous melatonin significantly alleviates growth inhibition, reactive oxygen species accumulation, and membrane oxidative damage induced by salt stress in wheat. Additionally, exogenous melatonin increased antioxidant enzyme activity and regulated photosynthetic gas exchange. Transcriptomic data showed a significant up-regulation of genes encoding light-harvesting chlorophyll protein complex proteins in photosynthesis and genes related to chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis under the influence of melatonin. These results suggest that exogenous melatonin improves salt tolerance in wheat seedlings by enhancing the antioxidant, photoprotective, and photosynthesis activities