The Coupling and Coordination of Agricultural Carbon Emissions Efficiency and Economic Growth in the Yellow River Basin, China

The balanced ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin (YRB) has become a major national strategy in China in which low-carbon agricultural development in the region is crucial. In this context, studying the coupling and coordination between agricultural carbon emissions efficiency and economic growth in the YRB is of great significance to promote low-carbon, green, and sustainable agricultural development. Therefore, based on the data of 30 cities in the YRB from 2010 to 2020, the super-efficient slacks-based measure (SBM) model with non-expected output was employed to effectively measure the agricultural carbon emissions efficiency in the YRB. Subsequently, the coupling and coordination degree of agricultural carbon emissions efficiency and economic growth in the YRB was further calculated. Finally, the Dagum Gini coefficient and kernel density estimation methods were adopted in order to comprehensively examine the spatial differences, as well as the dynamic evolution pattern of the coupled coordination in the YRB. The results demonstrate that there is a significant spatial non-equilibrium in the coupling and coordination degree of agricultural carbon emission efficiency and economic growth in the YRB, in addition to the decreasing trend of coupling coordination during the sample observation period. As such, there is still considerable room for improvement of the efficiency of agricultural carbon emissions and the degree of coupling and coordination in the YRB. This study may serve as a reference for improving the low-carbon development of agriculture and economy in the YRB, providing theoretical guidance for solving the contradiction between ecological protection and economic development in this region

Galacto-Oligosaccharide Alleviates Alcohol-Induced Liver Injury by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Inflammation

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a primary cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Oxidative stress and inflammation are important pathogenic factors contributing to ALD. We investigated the protective mechanism of galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS) against ALD through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities by performing in vivo and in vitro experiments. Western blot and RT‒PCR results indicated that the expression of cytochrome P450 protein 2E1 (CYP2E1) in liver tissues and L02 cells was reduced in the GOS-treated mice compared with the model group. In addition, GOS prominently reduced the expression of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1), increased the expression of the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1) proteins, and enhanced the antioxidant capacity. In addition, GOS decreased inflammation by reducing inflammatory factor levels and inhibiting the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway. Based on these results, GOS may be a prospective functional food for the prevention and treatment of ALD

Study on the impact of HTPP fibers on the mechanical properties of ceramsite concrete

In this paper, the effect of High-Toughness Polypropylene (HTPP) fibers admixture (0, 0.3 %, 0.6 %, 0.9 %) on the mechanical properties of ceramsite concrete was investigated, and four kinds of ceramsite concrete specimens were prepared and tested for various kinds of ceramsite concrete compressive strength, flexural strength, and stress-strain curves, and the performance characteristics obtained include the strength-to-weight ratio, flexural-to-compressive ratio, tensile-to-compressive ratio, compressive toughness index, and failure morphology. Furthermore, combined with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images, we analyzed the enhancement mechanism of basic mechanical properties of ceramic concrete by HTPP fibers. The results show that HTPP fibers can effectively improve the strength and toughness performance of ceramsite concrete, and the effect on improving toughness performance is more significant; After adding HTPP fibers, the compressive strength of ceramsite concrete increased by 26.3 %, the flexural strength increased by 29.7 %, the toughness index increased by 28.9 %, and the strength to weight ratio increased by 24.1 %; After adding HTPP fibers, the brittle failure characteristics of concrete are significantly weakened, and when it fails under load, it can still maintain good integrity, without scattering or continuous cracking. Based on the SEM test results, the mechanism of HTPP fibers reinforced ceramsite concrete was explained, mainly attributed to three aspects: fibers preventing ceramsite from floating, fiber surface maintaining good bonding with cement matrix, and effective synergistic bearing between fibers and ceramsite concrete. The research findings of this study can provide a theoretical foundation for the structural analysis and design of this type of concrete. It will be beneficial for the use of ceramsite concrete as a structural material and holds significant implications for the advancement of prefabricated lightweight wall panels

Data from: Chromosomal level reference genome of Tachypleus tridentatus provides insights into evolution and adaptation of horseshoe crabs

Horseshoe crabs including Tachypleus tridentatus are a group of marine arthropods living fossil species which have existed on the earth for 500 million years. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying their unique adaptive ability are still unclear. Here, we assembled the first chromosome-level T. tridentatus genome, and proofed that this genome is of very high quality with contig N50 1.69 Mb. By comparison with other arthropods, some gene families of T. tridentatus experienced significant expansion, whichare related to several signaling pathways, endonuclease activity, and metabolic processes. Based on the comparative analysis of genomics and 27 transcriptomes from 9 tissues, we found that the expanded Dscam genes usually locate at the key hub positions of immune network. Furthermore, the Dscam genes showed higher levels of expression in the yellow connective tissue, the birthplace of blood cells with strong differentiation capability, than the other 8 tissues. Besides, Dscam genes are positively correlated with the expression of the core immunity gene, clotting factor B, which is implicated in the coagulation cascade reaction. The effective and unusual immune ability endowed by the expansion and expression of Dscam genes in horseshoe crabs may be a factor that makes horseshoe crabs having a strong environmental adaptability with ~500 million years. The high-quality chromosome-level genome of a horseshoe crab and unique genomic features reported in this study provide important data resources for future studies on the evolutionary history of marine ecological systems