Heterogeneity Impacts of Farmers’ Participation in Payment for Ecosystem Services Based on the Collective Action Framework

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) are designed to reduce the impact of human activities on eco-sensitive areas. PES programs often adopt economic-incentive and command-control strategies. Increasing the enthusiasm of farmers’ participation is crucial for the sustainability of PES programs and ecosystem restoration. The watershed ecological compensation in Xin’an River Basin is the first horizontal ecological compensation pilot in China. In this study, economic-incentive strategy and command-control strategies in living and farming are implemented simultaneously to improve water quality. Under the collective action framework, we analyze the drivers of farmers’ participation in three concurrent strategies using hierarchical linear models (HLM). The results show: (1) Overall, 81.79%, 76.26%, and 79.11% of farmers are willing to participate in economic-incentive strategy, command-control strategy in living, and command-control strategy in farming, respectively, while 18.21%, 23.74%, and 20.89% are from the village level. (2) Among statistically significant (p < 0.01) factors at the farmer level, social trust (β = 0.305), and social participation (β = 0.134) have positive effects on the economic-incentive strategy; the number of communication and entertainment equipment has a positive effect on the willingness to participate in command-control strategy in living (β = 0.287) and command-control strategy in farming (β = 0.336). (3) At the village level, village characteristics have a direct impact on the farmers’ willingness to participate in strategies. Village woodland area is positively correlated with strategies participation. In addition, village characteristics play a moderating role by influencing farmers’ sustainable livelihood capital. We conclude that different concurrent strategies and collective actions need to be considered in the design of PES programs, particularly in ecologically sensitive areas, which can enrich the theory of collective action and the connotation of PES

Evolution of Cisplatin Resistance Through Coordinated Metabolic Reprogramming of the Cellular Reductive State

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin (CDDP) is a mainstay treatment for advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) despite a high frequency of innate and acquired resistance. We hypothesised that tumours acquire CDDP resistance through an enhanced reductive state dependent on metabolic rewiring. METHODS: To validate this model and understand how an adaptive metabolic programme might be imprinted, we performed an integrated analysis of CDDP-resistant HNSCC clones from multiple genomic backgrounds by whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, mass spectrometry, steady state and flux metabolomics. RESULTS: Inactivating KEAP1 mutations or reductions in KEAP1 RNA correlated with Nrf2 activation in CDDP-resistant cells, which functionally contributed to resistance. Proteomics identified elevation of downstream Nrf2 targets and the enrichment of enzymes involved in generation of biomass and reducing equivalents, metabolism of glucose, glutathione, NAD(P), and oxoacids. This was accompanied by biochemical and metabolic evidence of an enhanced reductive state dependent on coordinated glucose and glutamine catabolism, associated with reduced energy production and proliferation, despite normal mitochondrial structure and function. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis identified coordinated metabolic changes associated with CDDP resistance that may provide new therapeutic avenues through targeting of these convergent pathways

Evolution of Cisplatin Resistance Through Coordinated Metabolic Reprogramming of the Cellular Reductive State

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin (CDDP) is a mainstay treatment for advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) despite a high frequency of innate and acquired resistance. We hypothesised that tumours acquire CDDP resistance through an enhanced reductive state dependent on metabolic rewiring. METHODS: To validate this model and understand how an adaptive metabolic programme might be imprinted, we performed an integrated analysis of CDDP-resistant HNSCC clones from multiple genomic backgrounds by whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, mass spectrometry, steady state and flux metabolomics. RESULTS: Inactivating KEAP1 mutations or reductions in KEAP1 RNA correlated with Nrf2 activation in CDDP-resistant cells, which functionally contributed to resistance. Proteomics identified elevation of downstream Nrf2 targets and the enrichment of enzymes involved in generation of biomass and reducing equivalents, metabolism of glucose, glutathione, NAD(P), and oxoacids. This was accompanied by biochemical and metabolic evidence of an enhanced reductive state dependent on coordinated glucose and glutamine catabolism, associated with reduced energy production and proliferation, despite normal mitochondrial structure and function. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis identified coordinated metabolic changes associated with CDDP resistance that may provide new therapeutic avenues through targeting of these convergent pathways

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals &lt;1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Exploring the patterns of food waste generation by tourists in a popular destination

Tourist food consumption is an important driver of food waste generation within the hotel/restaurant/café (HORECA) sector of popular destinations. Little is however known about the exact magnitude of food wastage by tourists alongside the determinants of their wasteful behaviour. This study has striven to contribute to knowledge with an exploratory survey in Lhasa, a popular destination in China, which set to establish the size of food wastage by tourists and explain the role of various socio-demographic and food consumption-related factors in its occurrence by statistical analysis and multiple linear regression analysis, respectively. The study found that tourists generated circa 15% of the total food waste in the HORECA sector, while the taste preferences and portion size were two major causes. The level of tourist education and personal satisfaction with meals exerted a significant negative impact on food waste generation. To reduce food wastage, policy-makers and HORECA professionals should educate tourists about the detrimental effect of wasted food and increase their satisfaction with meals. The research findings provided insights into achieving sustainability objectives in national and international tourism sectors

Experimental Investigation into the Friction Coefficient of Ball-on-Disc in Dry Sliding Contact Considering the Effects of Surface Roughness, Low Rotation Speed, and Light Normal Load

The friction coefficient is one of the key parameters in the tribological performance of mechanical systems. In the condition of light normal load and low rotation speed, the friction coefficients of ball-on-disc with rough surface in dry sliding contact are experimentally investigated. Friction tests are carried out under normal load 2&ndash;9 N, rotation speed 20&ndash;48 rpm at room temperature, and surface roughness 0.245&ndash;1.010 &mu;m produced by grinding, milling, and turning. Results show that the friction coefficient increases first and then becomes stable, in which the running-in and steady-state periods are included. With the growth of normal load and rotation speed, or the decline of surface roughness, the duration and fluctuation of the running-in period verge to reduce. The whole rising slope of the friction coefficient in the running-in period goes up more quickly with the increment of rotation speed, and it ascends more slowly as normal load enlarges. In terms of the steady-state period, the deviation of the friction coefficient shows a dwindling trend when normal load or rotation speed grows, or surface roughness descends. As normal load or rotation speed rises, the value of the friction coefficient rises first and then drops. Additionally, the mean value of the friction coefficient in steady-state is approximately independent of surface roughness

Experimental Investigation into the Friction Coefficient of Ball-on-Disc in Dry Sliding Contact Considering the Effects of Surface Roughness, Low Rotation Speed, and Light Normal Load

The friction coefficient is one of the key parameters in the tribological performance of mechanical systems. In the condition of light normal load and low rotation speed, the friction coefficients of ball-on-disc with rough surface in dry sliding contact are experimentally investigated. Friction tests are carried out under normal load 2–9 N, rotation speed 20–48 rpm at room temperature, and surface roughness 0.245–1.010 μm produced by grinding, milling, and turning. Results show that the friction coefficient increases first and then becomes stable, in which the running-in and steady-state periods are included. With the growth of normal load and rotation speed, or the decline of surface roughness, the duration and fluctuation of the running-in period verge to reduce. The whole rising slope of the friction coefficient in the running-in period goes up more quickly with the increment of rotation speed, and it ascends more slowly as normal load enlarges. In terms of the steady-state period, the deviation of the friction coefficient shows a dwindling trend when normal load or rotation speed grows, or surface roughness descends. As normal load or rotation speed rises, the value of the friction coefficient rises first and then drops. Additionally, the mean value of the friction coefficient in steady-state is approximately independent of surface roughness

Sub-central city’s green innovation in regional integration: Can it be a bridgehead even if it is far away?

The green innovation level of sub-center cities in regional integration must be addressed in promoting high-quality economic development. Therefore, governments and policymakers should pay attention to its positive effects. In the Yangtze River Delta integration context, this paper uses Hefei as an example sub-center city to assess its green innovation in two indicators, green total factor productivity (GTFP) and the number of green patent grants (GPG). The first step is to measure GTFP using the SBM-ML model. The second step is to evaluate the policy effects of sub-center city experiences on green innovation using Synthetic Control Methods. The empirical findings of this study indicate that sub-centers play an essential role in promoting green innovation even if they are located outside the core area of an urban agglomeration. Additionally, the placebo trial confirmed the reliability and significance of the results. This paper proposes some policy recommendations to realize global green innovation based on these findings