Latitudinal-dependent emergence of phytoplankton seasonal blooms in the Kuroshio Extension

The bimodal and unimodal seasonal cycles of surface Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration (SCC) are ubiquitous in the mid-latitude oceans. The nutrient and light are regarded as two key factors affecting such seasonal differences. However, our quantitative knowledge of distinguishing these two factors is still inadequate in mid-latitude regions where they limit primary productivity simultaneously. It hinders the full understanding of the underlying mechanisms of seasonal blooms. In this study, the bimodal and unimodal variations of SCC in the Kuroshio Extension (KE) region have been investigated, with a special focus on the emergence latitudes of the secondary peak, i.e., the phytoplankton fall bloom. Based on satellite observations, we have found that the SCC bloom emerges in spring and fall in the northern region, and that spring (fall) bloom starts later (earlier) as the latitude gets higher. In the southern part of KE, by contrast, the SCC tends to peak in late winter or early spring with its bloom time delaying gradually with increasing latitude. A regression model regarding the role of the nutrient and light has been proposed to reconstruct the seasonal variations of the observed SCC, and the relative contributions of the two factors have been assessed quantitatively. It is shown that the regression model has reasonably captured the seasonal variations of SCC in terms of the bimodal/unimodal feature as well as the time of occurrence. Specifically, we have found the boundary between bimodality and unimodality areas moves northward as KE flows eastward, which corresponds to the equivalent contribution of the nutrient and light to the SCC variation and the eastward-decreasing nutrient at the same latitude. Moreover, we have used the model to explore the lag effect of light on regulating the seasonal cycle of SCC, which is associated with the light-heating process, the resultant ocean vertical stratification and the nutrient deficiency, the time interval between the growth rate and SCC, as well as light attenuation within the mixed layer. In the context of global warming, our study has provided insights into the switch pattern between bimodality and unimodality of SCC in mid-latitude oceans

The Effect of Transport Amenities on Customer Satisfaction: An Empirical Study from the Online Travel Community

Few studies thus far have examined add-on services associated with mitigating hotel location disadvantages. Drawing on the Elaboration Likelihood Model, we in this study consider the variety of transport amenities as a peripheral cue and propose an econometric model that explores the impact of the transport amenities on customer satisfaction. We estimate the model using 187447 reviews assembled from a well-known online travel community in China. The results show that the variety of transport amenities has a significant positive impact on customer satisfaction. Furthermore, we find that the travelers’ type and transport convenience have a moderating effect on this relationship. From the perspective of the three-factor theory, we further reveal that the transport amenity is a basic factor for business travelers but an excitement factor for leisure travelers. A variety of robustness tests show that the conclusion of this study is robust

Helping Beginning Vloggers to Overcome Cold Start: the Perspective of Identity Construction

Beginning vloggers’ low enthusiasm for Vlog creation has garnered little consideration, even though a social media platform can highly improve user stickiness and user activity by engaging users to generate content. This paper investigates the effects of extrinsic and intrinsic motivations on Vlog creative behavior mediated by cognition and emotion based on social cognitive theory and self-discrepancy theory. The analysis of 342 questionnaire surveys shows that intrinsic motivation (social interaction and social cues presentation) positively affects identity construction and positive emotions. In contrast, extrinsic motivation (community incentives and social norms) only positively affects identity construction and does not significantly influence positive emotions. Identity construction and positive emotions further significantly affect the creative behavior of beginning vloggers. The results reveal the process of Vlog creative behavior and have important practical implications for enhancing the platform performance

GEOCHEMICAL AND CLAY-MINERAL STUDY OF HEALING MUD FROM WUDALIANCHI, NE CHINA

Over the centuries, people have used healing mud (peloids) to draw toxins out of the body, boost the immune system, cure psoriasis, acne, depression, and hair loss. The beauty industry has used mud-clay masks, body wraps, soaps, and baths. The useful properties of mud were established empirically. The most popular healing-mud spars are known in the Dead Sea in Israel, Baden-Baden in Germany, Calistoga in California, Budapest in Hungary, Akhtala and Kumisi in Georgia, Paratunka in Kamchatka, Wudalianchi in China.Over the centuries, people have used healing mud (peloids) to draw toxins out of the body, boost the immune system, cure psoriasis, acne, depression, and hair loss. The beauty industry has used mud-clay masks, body wraps, soaps, and baths. The useful properties of mud were established empirically. The most popular healing-mud spars are known in the Dead Sea in Israel, Baden-Baden in Germany, Calistoga in California, Budapest in Hungary, Akhtala and Kumisi in Georgia, Paratunka in Kamchatka, Wudalianchi in China

Metagenomic Insights Into the Contribution of Phages to Antibiotic Resistance in Water Samples Related to Swine Feedlot Wastewater Treatment

In this study, we examined the types of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) possessed by bacteria and bacteriophages in swine feedlot wastewater before and after treatment using a metagenomics approach. We found that the relative abundance of ARGs in bacterial DNA in all water samples was significantly higher than that in phages DNA (>10.6-fold), and wastewater treatment did not significantly change the relative abundance of bacterial- or phage-associated ARGs. We further detected the distribution and diversity of the different types of ARGs according to the class of antibiotics to which they confer resistance, the tetracycline resistance genes were the most abundant resistance genes and phages were more likely to harbor ATP-binding cassette transporter family and ribosomal protection genes. Moreover, the colistin resistance gene mcr-1 was also detected in the phage population. When assessing the contribution of phages in spreading different groups of ARGs, β-lactamase resistance genes had a relatively high spreading ability even though the abundance was low. These findings possibly indicated that phages not only could serve as important reservoir of ARG but also carry particular ARGs in swine feedlot wastewater, and this phenomenon is independent of the environment

Assessing the Impact of Air Pollution on Grain Yield of Winter Wheat - A Case Study in the North China Plain

The major wheat production region of China the North China Plain (NCP) is seriously affected by air pollution. In this study, yield of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was analyzed with respect to the potential impact of air pollution index under conditions of optimal crop management in the NCP from 2001 to 2012. Results showed that air pollution was especially serious at the early phase of winter wheat growth significantly influencing various weather factors. However, no significant correlations were found between final grain yield and the weather factors during the early growth phase. In contrast, significant correlations were found between grain yield and total solar radiation gap, sunshine hour gap, diurnal temperature range and relative humidity during the late growing phase. To disentangle the confounding effects of various weather factors, and test the isolated effect of air pollution induced changes in incoming global solar radiation on yield under ceteris paribus conditions, crop model based scenario-analysis was conducted. The simulation results of the calibrated Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) model indicated that a reduction in radiation by 10% might cause a yield reduction by more than 10%. Increasing incident radiation by 10% would lead to yield increases of (only) 7%, with the effects being much stronger during the late growing phase compared to the early growing phase. However, there is evidence that APSIM overestimates the effect of air pollution induced changes on radiation, as it does not consider the changes in radiative properties of solar insulation, i.e. the relative increase of diffuse over direct radiation, which may partly alleviate the negative effects of reduced total radiation by air pollution. Concluding, the present study could not detect a significantly negative effect of air pollution on wheat yields in the NCP

C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein-3, a newly identified adipokine, is a novel antiapoptotic, proangiogenic, and cardioprotective molecule in the ischemic mouse heart.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and diabetes mellitus adversely affect postischemic heart remodeling via incompletely understood mechanisms. C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein-3 (CTRP3) is a newly identified adipokine exerting beneficial metabolic regulation, similar to adiponectin. The aim of the present study was to determine whether CTRP3 may regulate postischemic cardiac remodeling and cardiac dysfunction, and, if so, to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. METHODS AND RESULTS: Male adult mice were subjected to myocardial infarction (MI) via left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion. Both the effect of MI on endogenous CTRP3 expression/production and the effect of exogenous CTRP3 (adenovirus or recombinant CTRP3) replenishment on MI injury were investigated. MI significantly inhibited adipocyte CTRP3 expression and reduced the plasma CTRP3 level, reaching a nadir 3 days after MI. CTRP3 replenishment improved survival rate (P CONCLUSION: CTRP3 is a novel antiapoptotic, proangiogenic, and cardioprotective adipokine, the expression of which is significantly inhibited after MI

Orphan Nuclear Receptor Nur77 Inhibits Cardiac Hypertrophic Response to Beta-Adrenergic Stimulation.

The orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 plays critical roles in cardiovascular diseases, and its expression is markedly induced in the heart after beta-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) activation. However, the functional significance of Nur77 in β-AR signaling in the heart remains unclear. By using Northern blot, Western blot, and immunofluorescent staining assays, we showed that Nur77 expression was markedly upregulated in cardiomyocytes in response to multiple hypertrophic stimuli, including isoproterenol (ISO), phenylephrine (PE), and endothelin-1 (ET-1). In a time- and dose-dependent manner, ISO increases Nur77 expression in the nuclei of cardiomyocytes. Overexpression of Nur77 markedly inhibited ISO-induced cardiac hypertrophy by inducing nuclear translocation of Nur77 in cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, cardiac overexpression of Nur77 by intramyocardial injection of Ad-Nur77 substantially inhibited cardiac hypertrophy and ameliorated cardiac dysfunction after chronic infusion of ISO in mice. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that Nur77 functionally interacts with NFATc3 and GATA4 and inhibits their transcriptional activities, which are critical for the development of cardiac hypertrophy. These results demonstrate for the first time that Nur77 is a novel negative regulator for the β-AR-induced cardiac hypertrophy through inhibiting the NFATc3 and GATA4 transcriptional pathways. Targeting Nur77 may represent a potentially novel therapeutic strategy for preventing cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure

Astragalus mongholicus Bunge and Curcuma aromatica Salisb. modulate gut microbiome and bile acid metabolism to inhibit colon cancer progression

IntroductionAlterations in the gut microbiome and bile acid metabolism are known to play a role in the development and progression of colon cancer. Medicinal plants like Astragalus mongholicus Bunge and Curcuma aromatica Salisb. (AC) have shown preferable therapeutic effect on cancer therapy, especially digestive tract tumors like colon cancer. However, the precise mechanisms of AC inhibiting colon cancer, particularly in relation to the gut microbiome and bile acid dynamics, are not fully understood.MethodsOur research aimed to investigate the anti-tumor properties of AC in mice with CT26 colon cancer and further investigate its underlying mechanism via intestinal microbiota. The size and pathological changes of solid tumors in colon cancer are used to evaluate the inhibitory effect of AC on colon cancer. Metagenomics and 16s rRNA gene sequencing were employed to clarify the dysbiosis in the gut microbiome of colon cancer and its impact on colon cancer. The levels of bile acids (BAs) in the feces of mice from each group were measured using UPLC-Qtrap-MS/MS.ResultsAC effectively suppressed the growth of colon cancer and reduced histological damage. Notably, AC treatment led to changes in the gut microbiome composition, with a decrease in pathogenic species like Citrobacter and Candidatus_Arthromitus, and an increase in beneficial microbial populations including Adlercreutzia, Lachnospiraceae_UCG-001, and Parvibacter. Additionally, AC altered bile acid profiles, resulting in a significant decrease in pro-carcinogenic bile acids such as deoxycholic acid (DCA) and lithocholic acid (LCA), while increasing the concentration of the cancer-inhibitory bile acid, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). Tracking and analyzing the data, AC may mainly upregulate FabG and baiA genes by increasing the relative abundance of Adlercreutzia and Parvibacter bacteria, which promoting the metabolism of pro-carcinogenic LCA.DiscussionThese findings provide strong evidence supporting the role of AC in regulating gut microbiome-mediated bile acid metabolism, which is crucial in impeding the progression of colon cancer