BACKGROUND The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)in children and adolescents is increasing,yet there is limited information on the available pharmacological interventions to combat T2DM and prevent associated...BACKGROUND The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)in children and adolescents is increasing,yet there is limited information on the available pharmacological interventions to combat T2DM and prevent associated comorbidities.AIM To assess the effectiveness of current pharmacological treatments in managing T2DM in children and adolescents.The protocol of the study was registered in PROSPERO(CRD42022382165).METHODS Searches were performed in PubMed,EMBASE,Scopus,and ClinicalTrials.gov for publications between 1990 to September 2024 without language restrictions.Randomized control trials(RCTs)of pharmacotherapy in children and adolescents with T2DM(aged<19 years)were included.The primary outcome was a change in glycated hemoglobin(HbA1c)from baseline to follow-up.Secondary outcomes were changes in body weight,body mass index(BMI),total cholesterol,triglycerides,high density lipoprotein,and low-density lipoprotein from baseline,and incidence of adverse events during study periods.Screening,full-text review,data extraction,and assessments of risk of bias were done by two reviewers.Conflicts on each step were resolved by a third reviewer.Data analysis was performed using Review Manager Version 6.5(RevMan 6.5)and‘R’software via RStudio,‘meta’and‘netmeta’.RESULTS A total of 12 studies having low to moderate risk of bias with 1658 participants,and follow-up duration 12-52 weeks were included.In our network meta-analysis,compared to control(s),the reduction of HbA1c was sig-nificantly larger for dulaglutide[mean difference(MD),95%confidence interval:-1.20,-2.12 to-0.28],followed by dapagliflozin(-0.94,-1.44 to-0.44),liraglutide(-0.91,-1.37 to-0.45),empagliflozin(-0.87,-1.40 to-0.34),exenatide(-0.59,-1.07 to-0.11)and linagliptin(-0.45,-0.87 to-0.02)while other drugs had little or no effect.While liraglutide was associated with a change in body weight[MD-2.41(-4.68,-0.14)kg],no other drug treatment was associated with significant changes in body weight,BMI,and lipids.Apart from level 1 hypoglycemia with liraglutide[risk difference(RD):0.20,0.04-0.37]and minor adverse events with dulaglutide(RD:0.24,0.08-0.40),no other treatment was associated with excess risk of hypoglycemia or minor or major adverse events.CONCLUSION Pharmacotherapy of T2DM with dulaglutide,dapagliflozin,liraglutide,empagliflozin,exenatide,and linagliptin in children is associated with modest reduction of HbA1c.Larger RCTs with longer follow-up durations are needed to guide better therapeutic decision making.展开更多
The race to develop the next generation of wireless networks,known as Sixth Generation(6G)wireless,which will be operational in 2030,has already begun.To realize its full potential over the next decade,6G will undoubt...The race to develop the next generation of wireless networks,known as Sixth Generation(6G)wireless,which will be operational in 2030,has already begun.To realize its full potential over the next decade,6G will undoubtedly necessitate additional improvements that integrate existing solutions with cutting-edge ones.However,the studies about 6G are mainly limited and scattered,whereas no bibliometric study covers the 6G field.Thus,this study aims to review,examine,and summarize existing studies and research activities in 6G.This study has examined the Scopus database through a bibliometric analysis of more than 1,000 papers published between 2017 and 2021.Then,we applied the bibliometric analysis methods by including(1)document type,(2)subject area,(3)author,and(4)country of publication.The study’s results reflect the research 6G community’s trends,highlight important research challenges,and elucidate potential directions for future research in this interesting area.展开更多
Background Many cancer patients seek adjunctive therapies to biomedical cancer treatments at some point of their disease trajectory.While acupuncture is increasingly recommended by leading oncological associations,lim...Background Many cancer patients seek adjunctive therapies to biomedical cancer treatments at some point of their disease trajectory.While acupuncture is increasingly recommended by leading oncological associations,limited evidence exists concerning the evidence-informed practice and adherence to current guidelines of traditional complementary and integrative medicine(TCIM)practitioners treating cancer patients.Methods An international online-survey assessed the demographical data,clinical practice,and sources of information used by TCIM practitioners in Austria,Germany,United States of America,Australia,and New Zealand.Results In total,404 respondents completed the survey,of which 254(62.9%)treated cancer patients.Most practitioners were acupuncturists and herbalists(57.1%),had(16.8±9.9)years of clinical experience and see a median of 2(1,4)cancer patients per week.Breast cancer(61.8%)is the most common cancer type seen in TCIM clinics.Adjunctive TCIM treatments are frequently concurrent with the patient’s cancer specific treatment(39.9%),which is also reflected by the main goal of a TCIM treatment to alleviate side effects(52.4%).However,only 28.0%of the respondents are in contact with the treating oncologist.According to the respondents,pain is most effectively treated using acupuncture,while herbal medicine is best for cancer-related fatigue.TCIM practitioners mostly use certified courses(33.1%)or online databases(28.3%)but often believe that experts are more reliable to inform their practice(37.0%)than research publications(32.7%).Conclusion Acupuncturists and herbalists commonly treat cancer patients.Most practitioners use TCIM as an adjunct to biomedicine as supportive care and use it largely in accordance with current oncological guidelines.展开更多
ChatGPT has obvious benefits in the way it can interrogate vast amounts of reference information and utilise metadata generation to answer questions posed to it and is freely available having been developed through hu...ChatGPT has obvious benefits in the way it can interrogate vast amounts of reference information and utilise metadata generation to answer questions posed to it and is freely available having been developed through human feedback. Already there are ethical and practical implications on its impact on learning and research. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been seen as a way of improving healthcare provision by delivering more robust outcomes but measuring these and implementing AI within this setting is at present limited and disjointed. Methods: ChatGPT was interrogated to see what it felt were the barriers to its implementation within healthcare and in particular orthopaedic practice. The evidence for this determination was then examined for validity and applicability for a practical roll out at a Trust, Regional or National level. Results: AI can synthesise a vast amount of information to help it answer specific questions. The context and structure of any question will determine the usefulness of the answer which can then be used to develop practical solutions based on experience and resource limitations. Conclusions: AI has a role in service development and can quickly focus a working group to areas to consider when practically implementing change.展开更多
Purpose:Journal Impact Factors and other citation-based indicators are widely used and abused to help select journals to publish in or to estimate the value of a published article.Nevertheless,citation rates primarily...Purpose:Journal Impact Factors and other citation-based indicators are widely used and abused to help select journals to publish in or to estimate the value of a published article.Nevertheless,citation rates primarily reflect scholarly impact rather than other quality dimensions,including societal impact,originality,and rigour.In response to this deficit,Journal Quality Factors(JQFs)are defined and evaluated.These are average quality score estimates given to a journal’s articles by ChatGPT.Design/methodology/approach:JQFs were compared with Polish,Norwegian and Finnish journal ranks and with journal citation rates for 1,300 journals with 130,000 articles from 2021 in large monodisciplinary journals in the 25 out of 27 Scopus broad fields of research for which it was possible.Outliers were also examined.Findings:JQFs correlated positively and mostly strongly(median correlation:0.641)with journal ranks in 24 out of the 25 broad fields examined,indicating a nearly science-wide ability for ChatGPT to estimate journal quality.Journal citation rates had similarly high correlations with national journal ranks,however,so JQFs are not a universally better indicator.An examination of journals with JQFs not matching their journal ranks suggested that abstract styles may affect the result,such as whether the societal contexts of research are mentioned.Research limitations:Different journal rankings may have given different findings because there is no agreed meaning for journal quality.Practical implications:The results suggest that JQFs are plausible as journal quality indicators in all fields and may be useful for the(few)research and evaluation contexts where journal quality is an acceptable proxy for article quality,and especially for fields like mathematics for which citations are not strong indicators of quality.Originality/value:This is the first attempt to estimate academic journal value with a Large Language Model.展开更多
Given the unique challenges facing the railway industry, cybersecurity is a crucial issue that must be addressed proactively. This paper aims to provide a systematic review of cybersecurity threats that could impact t...Given the unique challenges facing the railway industry, cybersecurity is a crucial issue that must be addressed proactively. This paper aims to provide a systematic review of cybersecurity threats that could impact the safety and operations of rolling stock, the privacy and security of passengers and employees, and the public in general. The systematic literature review revealed that cyber threats to the railway industry can take many forms, including attacks on operational technology systems, data breaches, theft of sensitive information, and disruptions to train services. The consequences of these threats can be severe, leading to operational disruptions, financial losses, and loss of public trust in the railway system. To address these threats, railway organizations must adopt a proactive approach to security and implement robust cybersecurity measures tailored to the industry’s specific needs and challenges. This includes regular testing of systems for vulnerabilities, incident response plans, and employee training to identify and respond to cyber threats. Ensuring the system remains available, reliable, and maintainable is fundamental given the importance of railways as critical infrastructure and the potential harm that can be caused by cyber threats.展开更多
The fluorescence staining method and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） were used to study the effect of ozone （O3） inactivating Cryptosporidium in water and cell ultrastructures variation to shed light on the mec...The fluorescence staining method and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） were used to study the effect of ozone （O3） inactivating Cryptosporidium in water and cell ultrastructures variation to shed light on the mechanism of inactivation preliminarily. Results indicated that O3 had a stronger inactivating capability. When the concentration of O3 was above 3.0 mg/L and the contact time was up to 7 min, a significant inactivating effect could be achieved. The turbidity on inactivation effects was also found to be statistically significant in artificial water. With increases in turbidity, the inactivating effect decreased. Inactivation rate improved with a temperature increase from 5 to 25℃, but decreased beyond this. The inactivating capability of O3 was found to be stronger under acidic than that under alkalic conditions. When the concentration of organic matter in the reaction system was increased, the competition between Cryptosporidium and organics with O3 probably took place, thereby reducing the inactivation rate. In addition, the cellular morphology of Cryptosporidium varied with different contact times. At zero contact time, cells were rotundity and sphericity, at 60 sec they became folded, underwent emboly, and burst at 480 sec, the cell membrane of Cryptosporidium shrinked and collapsed completely.展开更多
Intercropping, as an overyielding system, can decrease soil erosion on sloping land through the presence of dense canopy covers. However, the structure mechanism in canopy is still unclear. We conducted a two-year fie...Intercropping, as an overyielding system, can decrease soil erosion on sloping land through the presence of dense canopy covers. However, the structure mechanism in canopy is still unclear. We conducted a two-year field experiment on runoff plots, exploring whether the interaction between vegetation layers reduce soil erosion in maize and potato intercropping systems. The maize, potato, and weed layers in the intercropping system were removed by a single layer, two layers and three layers, respectively(total of 8 treatments including all layers removed as the control). Then, throughfall, runoff and sediment were measured at the plot and row scale on a weekly basis. Based on the difference between each treatment and the control, we calculated and found a relative reduction of runoff and sediment by any combination of the two vegetation layers greater than the sum of each single layer. In 2016 and 2017, the highest relative reduction of runoff reached 15.65% and 46.73%, respectively. Sediment loss decreased by 33.96% and 42.77%, respectively. Moreover, runoffand sediment reduced by the combination of all vegetation layers(no layers removed) was also larger than the sum of that by each single layer. In 2016 and 2017, the highest relative reduction of runoff reached 7.32% and 3.48%, respectively. So, there were synergistic effects among multi-level(two or three layers) vegetation layers in terms of decreasing soil erosion on sloping land. Maize redistributes more throughfall at the maize intra-specific row and the maize and potato inter-specific, which is favorable for the synergistic effect of reducing soil erosion. This finding shows an important mechanism of maize and potato intercropping for soil and water conservation, and may promote the application of diverse cropping systems for sustainable agriculture in mountainous areas.展开更多
Diversity in the biophysical and socio-economic attributes of agricultural systems makes them uniquely niche based. Farmers are expert in local biophysical and socio-economic situations and can contribute in developin...Diversity in the biophysical and socio-economic attributes of agricultural systems makes them uniquely niche based. Farmers are expert in local biophysical and socio-economic situations and can contribute in developing pragmatic indicators of agro-environmental development. During evaluation of an agricultural research project in Yunnan, China, local farmers were capable of evaluating the effects of modified technologies on existing cropping systems and discussed their attitudes to the interventions using their own indicators. Farmers＇ response can be grouped into seven major aspects： i） effects on income, ii） effects on production resources, iii） effects on crop management, iv） existing local knowledge about the technology, v） availability of inputs, vi） access to information, and vii） socio-economic conditions of farming households. Farmers concluded that environmental conditions in the experimental catchment in comparison to an adjacent untreated catchment were better in terms of soil and water losses, vegetation cover and natural resources, infrastructures and catchment management, use of environmentally-friendly technologies, and crop productivity. Success in soil and water conservation programmes depends on the efforts of the farmers and other local users and their greater involvement helps to identify more pragmatic indicators. Furthermore, it increases ownership of the programme, enhances interactions with the project scientists, increases farmers＇ awareness of ago-environmental problems and their possible consequences. These development will enable scientists to develop better targeted interventions and increase the likelihood of adoption of tested technologies by local communities. The use of paired adjacent catchments improved evaluation activities and is proposed as good practice for future catchment improvement programmes.展开更多
Clean drinking water is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.Despite significant progress in the water purification technology,many regions still lack access to clean water.This paper provides a rev...Clean drinking water is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.Despite significant progress in the water purification technology,many regions still lack access to clean water.This paper provides a review of selected water contaminants and their impacts on human health.The World Health Organization(WHO)guidelines and regional standards for key contaminants were used to characterise water quality in the European Union and UK.The concept of safe drinking water was explained based on the non-observed adverse effect level,threshold concentrations for toxic chemicals,and their total daily intake.Various techniques for monitoring water contaminants and the drinking water standards from five different countries,including the UK,USA,Canada,Pakistan and India,were compared to WHO recommended guidelines.The literature on actual water quality in these regions and its potential health impacts was also discussed.Finally,the role of public water suppliers in identifying and monitoring drinking water contaminants in selected developed countries was presented as a potential guideline for developing countries.This review emphasised the need for a comprehensive understanding of water quality and its impacts on human health to ensure access to clean drinking water worldwide.展开更多
Purpose： The aim of this study was to assess the effects of combining the FIFA 11＋ and acute vibration training on reactive strength index （RSI） and 505 agility. Methods： Seventy-four male collegiate soccer playe...Purpose： The aim of this study was to assess the effects of combining the FIFA 11＋ and acute vibration training on reactive strength index （RSI） and 505 agility. Methods： Seventy-four male collegiate soccer players took part in the study and were randomly assigned to FIFA 11＋ with acute vibration group （FIFA ＋ WBV）, FIFA 11＋ with isometric squat group （FIFA ＋ IS） or a control group consisting of the F1FA 11＋ alone （Con）. The warm-up consisted of the FIFA 11＋ and was administered to all participants. The participants in the acute vibration group were exposed to 30 s whole body vibration in squat position immediately post warm-up. The isometric group completed an isometric squat for 30 s immediately post warm-up. Results： RSI significantly improved pre- to post-intervention amongst FIFA ＋ WBV （p 〈 0.001） due to a decrease in contact time （p 〈 0.001） in comparison to FIFA ＋ IS and Con, but 505 agility was not affected. Conclusion： The results of this study suggest the inclusion of an acute bout of WBV post FIFA 11＋ warm-up produces a neuromuscular response leading to an improvement in RSI. Future research is required to examine the exact mechanisms behind these improvements amongst other populations and over time course of the performance.展开更多
AIM:To assess the utility of hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c) in the early postpartum screening of women with gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM).METHODS:Over a 3 years period,HbA1c estimations were undertaken in addition to and ...AIM:To assess the utility of hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c) in the early postpartum screening of women with gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM).METHODS:Over a 3 years period,HbA1c estimations were undertaken in addition to and simultaneously with the traditional oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT),in 203 women with GDM as a part of early postpartum screening for dysglycaemia,at 6 wk post-partum.World Health Organization criteria was used for diagnosing diabetes:fasting blood glucose(FBG) ≥ 7.0 mmol/Land/or 2-h postprandial blood glucose(PPBG) ≥ 11.1 mmol/L and/or HbA1c ≥ 48 mmol/mol;and impaired glycaemiastate:impaired fasting glucose 6.1-6.9 mmol/L and/or impaired glucose tolerance 7.8-11.0 mmol/L and/or HbA1c:42-47 mmol/mol.RESULTS:Mean FBG,2-h PPBG and HbA1c were 4.9 ± 0.7 mmol/L,5.6 ± 2.0 mmol/L and 38 ± 5 mmol/mol respectively.FBG,2-h PPBG and HbA1c detected 6(3%),7(3.5%) and 11(5.4%) cases of diabetes respectively,and 11(5.4%),25(12.3%) and 23(11.3%) cases of pre-diabetes state respectively.HbA1c values ≥ 48 mmol/mol(≥ 6.5%) showed a diagnostic sensitivity of 71.4% and specificity of 98.5% for diabetes in comparison to OGTT in receiver operating characteristics curve analysis.At HbA1c cut-off 44 mmol/mol,sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 92.3% respectively [area under the curve:0.98(95%CI:0.96-1.00)].Sensitivity and specificity for detecting high risk "impaired glycaemia" state [HbA1c 42 mmol/mol(6.0%)] were 28% and 80%,respectively.CONCLUSION:HbA1c level ≥ 48 mmol/mol(≥ 6.5%) has reasonable sensitivity and high specificity in comparison to OGTT for early postpartum screening of diabetes in GDM.At 6 th week postpartum screening,if FBG is normal and HbA1c < 44 mmol/mol OGTT is not recommended.展开更多
Objective To determine the associations of socio-economic and psychosocial factors with active and passive smoking in older adults. Methods Using a standard interview method, we examined random samples of 6071 people ...Objective To determine the associations of socio-economic and psychosocial factors with active and passive smoking in older adults. Methods Using a standard interview method, we examined random samples of 6071 people aged 〉 60 years in 5 provinces of China during 2007-2009. Results World age-standardised prevalence for current and former smoking in men was 45.6% and 20.5%, and in women 11.1% and 4.5%. Current smoking reduced with older age but increased with men, low socioeconomic status （SES）, alcohol drinking, being never-married, pessimistic and depressive syndromes. Former smoking was associated with men, secondary school education, a middle-high income, being a businessman, being widowed, less frequencies of visiting children/relatives and friends, and worrying about children. Among 3774 never-smokers, the prevalence of passive smoking was 31.5%, and the risk increased with women, low SES, alcohol drinking, being married, having a religious believe, and daily visiting children/relatives. There were sex differences in the associations, and an interaction effect of education and income on smoking and passive smoking. Conclusion Older Chinese had a higher level of smoking and passive smoking than those in high income countries, reflecting China＇s failures in controlling smoking. The associations with low SES and different psychosocial aspects and sex differences suggest preventative strategies for active and passive smoking.展开更多
Effluent discharges from municipal, industrial, and agricultural activities constitute major sources of pollution on land and water bodies. During the 1990s, large-scale application of Constructed Wetlands (CWs) as a ...Effluent discharges from municipal, industrial, and agricultural activities constitute major sources of pollution on land and water bodies. During the 1990s, large-scale application of Constructed Wetlands (CWs) as a remediation option drew much attention globally from the public and green groups alike. The most common application of CWs is for flow management in river system and little is documented on using CWs for treating polluted river water. This article goes beyond constructed wetlands as a stand-alone methodology to propose an integrated remediation system incorporating constructed wetlands in Bucaramanga Industrial Park S.A., Santander (Colombia), which will form part of an innovation park. In addition to pollution abatement, the project is projected to provide other environmental benefits to the entire Oro River Sub-basin. Other benefits of the project include mitigation of environmental impacts, improvement in water quality, landscape amenity, as well as tourism and recreational benefits.展开更多
Purpose: Communicating scientific results to the public is essential to inspire future researchers and ensure that discoveries are exploited. News stories about research are a key communication pathway for this and ha...Purpose: Communicating scientific results to the public is essential to inspire future researchers and ensure that discoveries are exploited. News stories about research are a key communication pathway for this and have been manually monitored to assess the extent of press coverage of scholarship.Design/methodology/Approach: To make larger scale studies practical, this paper introduces an automatic method to extract citations from newspaper stories to large sets of academic journals. Curated ProQuest queries were used to search for citations to 9,639 Science and3,412 Social Science Web of Science(WoS) journals from eight UK daily newspapers during2006–2015. False matches were automatically filtered out by a new program, with 94% of the remaining stories meaningfully citing research.Findings: Most Science(95%) and Social Science(94%) journals were never cited by these newspapers. Half of the cited Science journals covered medical or health-related topics,whereas 43% of the Social Sciences journals were related to psychiatry or psychology. From the citing news stories, 60% described research extensively and 53% used multiple sources,but few commented on research quality.Research Limitations: The method has only been tested in English and from the ProQuest Newspapers database.Practical implications: Others can use the new method to systematically harvest press coverage of research.Originality/value: An automatic method was introduced and tested to extract citations from newspaper stories to large sets of academic journals.展开更多
Problems associated with land degradation are serious in China. Sloping land in South China has experienced a decline in crop productivity by 30-60% due to soil erosion and it has been predicted that most topsoil will...Problems associated with land degradation are serious in China. Sloping land in South China has experienced a decline in crop productivity by 30-60% due to soil erosion and it has been predicted that most topsoil will be lost within the next 100 years if current erosion rates continue. Considering these situations, an agro-environmental research and development project （Sustainable Highland Agriculture in South-East Asia- SHASEA） was conducted in a catchment in Yunnan Province, China, to address the objectives of increasing crop productivity in sustainable and environmentally-friendly ways. A range of cropping practices was developed and implemented in a rural upland catchment （Wang Jia）. At the end of the project, farmers were surveyed to evaluate project effectiveness. All farmers from Wang Jia Catchment, who were involved in project implementation, were surveyed. A sample of farmers working in an adjacent catchment （not associated with the project） was surveyed for comparative purposes. Farmers had different perceptions of the cropping practices employed. Contour cultivation was preferred and likely to be adopted. Others practices such as straw mulching and intercropping were seen as less appropriate and unlikely to be adopted. Polythene mulch was recognized as effective, but likely to be adopted only if financial returns were favourable. The availability of relevant information had an important impact on the extent of technology testing by farmers and their willingness to adopt the practices in the future.展开更多
Although the application of inorganic fertilizer is a widespread agronomic practice used to boost soil productivity and crop yields,the effects on soil microbiome and the metabolic mechanisms involved in the high-yiel...Although the application of inorganic fertilizer is a widespread agronomic practice used to boost soil productivity and crop yields,the effects on soil microbiome and the metabolic mechanisms involved in the high-yield response of crops to long-term fertilization remain poorly described.In this study,combined metagenomic and metabolomic analyses were used to explore the mechanism of crop yield response to the 20-year application of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizers in a subtropical agroecosystem in Southwest China.Soil bacterial and fungal communities were monitored using16S r RNA(bacteria)and internal transcribed spacer 1(ITS1)full-length gene(fungi)amplicon sequencing technologies,and metabolites were detected using a liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer.The results revealed that,in addition to providing nutrients,long-term fertilization shaped the compositions of bacteria and fungi to increase crop yields.Long-term fertilization significantly increased the relative abundances of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and promoted the secretion of soil metabolites such as carbohydrates,organic acids,and organic nitrogen compounds,which were primarily enriched in amino acid metabolism pathways.The increases in carbon and nitrogen sources and bioactive substances in soil promoted the increases in plant biomass and thereby maintained soil quality and production capacity.The findings highlighted the importance of soil metabolites in maintaining soil productivity as well as crop yields,and suggested that regulating key metabolites could increase crop yields in agroecosystems.展开更多
Mechanical stimulation technology is critical in agricultural crop production because it is constantly regarded as a developing green technology to regulate plants to meet people's need for green and healthy agric...Mechanical stimulation technology is critical in agricultural crop production because it is constantly regarded as a developing green technology to regulate plants to meet people's need for green and healthy agricultural products. Various environmental mechanical stimulation impacts seed germination, seedling growth, flowering date, fruit quantity, and fruit quality throughout the life cycle of a horticultural plant. This study first outlines the basic characteristics of six types of common mechanical stimulation in nature:precipitation, wind, gravity,touch, sound, and vibration. The effects of various mechanical stimulation types on the seed, seedling, flowering, and fruit of horticultural plants throughout their whole life cycle are then presented, as reviewed in the recent 100 years of existing literature. Finally, potential future study directions are discussed. The main challenge in mechanical stimulation technology is to uncover its potential capabilities for regulating and controlling plant development and fruit quality in green agriculture instead of agricultural chemicals.展开更多
The degradations of hexazinone and aldicarb by direct ozonation combined an advanced oxidation process( AOP) of O3/H2O2 were investigated in this study focusing on the oxidation mechanism by identifying the hydrogen p...The degradations of hexazinone and aldicarb by direct ozonation combined an advanced oxidation process( AOP) of O3/H2O2 were investigated in this study focusing on the oxidation mechanism by identifying the hydrogen peroxide consumption during the oxidation process of the two chemicals. The results showed that H2O2 could enhance the removal rate of the triazine herbicide hexazinone,and it was consumed along with the variation of removal rate in the light of different pH levels. The addition of H2O2 contributed little to the removal of the thiocarbamate herbicide aldicarb and H2O2 content kept constantly throughout the degradation process. Tert-butyl alcohol( TBA) effectively scavenged the ·OH radical for hexazinone,but had no effect on the removal rate of aldicarb. Aldicarb removal was mainly attributed to direct ozonation molecule in both O3( 97.00%) and O3/H2O2( 96.76%)systems. Moreover,sole O3 could hardly oxidize hexazinone whereas·OH radicals contribute respective 74.70% and 97.50% of removal in O3 system and O3/H2O2 AOP. All of these findings suggest that the mechanism of ·OH radical generation and the chain reaction in O3/H2O2 AOP should be further discussed.展开更多
The growing demand for chromium coated aluminium components especially for the automotive industry is due to their favourable physical properties (density, strength to weight ratio etc.). However, their frequent use u...The growing demand for chromium coated aluminium components especially for the automotive industry is due to their favourable physical properties (density, strength to weight ratio etc.). However, their frequent use under harsh environmental conditions renders them corrosion sensitive and consequently they need to be protected. An approach that has been applied in industry is to directly electroplate nickel onto aluminium substrate prior to a top metallic finish;however, in components with complex geometry, certain areas could become exposed to corrosion attack due to poor surface coverage during plating. In this study, a modified electroless nickel undercoat was applied to pre-treated aluminium alloys prior to duplex nickel and chromium plating with a view to enhance corrosion resistance, improve coating adherence and durability, and overall, to achieve substrate protection. Hexavalent and trivalent chromium were applied to pre-treated Al 1050 and Al 6061 following electroless nickel deposition, and plating performance was assessed by surface and corrosion techniques, while durability was measured by scratch, adhesion and hardness tests. Overall, while chromium plating with an electroless nickel undercoat did not improve corrosion resistance or hardness of the materials, it provided an additional protective layer for the substrate with a potential for longer term durability.展开更多
文摘BACKGROUND The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)in children and adolescents is increasing,yet there is limited information on the available pharmacological interventions to combat T2DM and prevent associated comorbidities.AIM To assess the effectiveness of current pharmacological treatments in managing T2DM in children and adolescents.The protocol of the study was registered in PROSPERO(CRD42022382165).METHODS Searches were performed in PubMed,EMBASE,Scopus,and ClinicalTrials.gov for publications between 1990 to September 2024 without language restrictions.Randomized control trials(RCTs)of pharmacotherapy in children and adolescents with T2DM(aged<19 years)were included.The primary outcome was a change in glycated hemoglobin(HbA1c)from baseline to follow-up.Secondary outcomes were changes in body weight,body mass index(BMI),total cholesterol,triglycerides,high density lipoprotein,and low-density lipoprotein from baseline,and incidence of adverse events during study periods.Screening,full-text review,data extraction,and assessments of risk of bias were done by two reviewers.Conflicts on each step were resolved by a third reviewer.Data analysis was performed using Review Manager Version 6.5(RevMan 6.5)and‘R’software via RStudio,‘meta’and‘netmeta’.RESULTS A total of 12 studies having low to moderate risk of bias with 1658 participants,and follow-up duration 12-52 weeks were included.In our network meta-analysis,compared to control(s),the reduction of HbA1c was sig-nificantly larger for dulaglutide[mean difference(MD),95%confidence interval:-1.20,-2.12 to-0.28],followed by dapagliflozin(-0.94,-1.44 to-0.44),liraglutide(-0.91,-1.37 to-0.45),empagliflozin(-0.87,-1.40 to-0.34),exenatide(-0.59,-1.07 to-0.11)and linagliptin(-0.45,-0.87 to-0.02)while other drugs had little or no effect.While liraglutide was associated with a change in body weight[MD-2.41(-4.68,-0.14)kg],no other drug treatment was associated with significant changes in body weight,BMI,and lipids.Apart from level 1 hypoglycemia with liraglutide[risk difference(RD):0.20,0.04-0.37]and minor adverse events with dulaglutide(RD:0.24,0.08-0.40),no other treatment was associated with excess risk of hypoglycemia or minor or major adverse events.CONCLUSION Pharmacotherapy of T2DM with dulaglutide,dapagliflozin,liraglutide,empagliflozin,exenatide,and linagliptin in children is associated with modest reduction of HbA1c.Larger RCTs with longer follow-up durations are needed to guide better therapeutic decision making.
基金The authors received Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah(UMPSA)grant under Internal Research Grant with Grant Number PDU223209.Author received grant is:Ahmad Firdaus Website of the sponsor:https://www.ump.edu.my/en.
文摘The race to develop the next generation of wireless networks,known as Sixth Generation(6G)wireless,which will be operational in 2030,has already begun.To realize its full potential over the next decade,6G will undoubtedly necessitate additional improvements that integrate existing solutions with cutting-edge ones.However,the studies about 6G are mainly limited and scattered,whereas no bibliometric study covers the 6G field.Thus,this study aims to review,examine,and summarize existing studies and research activities in 6G.This study has examined the Scopus database through a bibliometric analysis of more than 1,000 papers published between 2017 and 2021.Then,we applied the bibliometric analysis methods by including(1)document type,(2)subject area,(3)author,and(4)country of publication.The study’s results reflect the research 6G community’s trends,highlight important research challenges,and elucidate potential directions for future research in this interesting area.
文摘Background Many cancer patients seek adjunctive therapies to biomedical cancer treatments at some point of their disease trajectory.While acupuncture is increasingly recommended by leading oncological associations,limited evidence exists concerning the evidence-informed practice and adherence to current guidelines of traditional complementary and integrative medicine(TCIM)practitioners treating cancer patients.Methods An international online-survey assessed the demographical data,clinical practice,and sources of information used by TCIM practitioners in Austria,Germany,United States of America,Australia,and New Zealand.Results In total,404 respondents completed the survey,of which 254(62.9%)treated cancer patients.Most practitioners were acupuncturists and herbalists(57.1%),had(16.8±9.9)years of clinical experience and see a median of 2(1,4)cancer patients per week.Breast cancer(61.8%)is the most common cancer type seen in TCIM clinics.Adjunctive TCIM treatments are frequently concurrent with the patient’s cancer specific treatment(39.9%),which is also reflected by the main goal of a TCIM treatment to alleviate side effects(52.4%).However,only 28.0%of the respondents are in contact with the treating oncologist.According to the respondents,pain is most effectively treated using acupuncture,while herbal medicine is best for cancer-related fatigue.TCIM practitioners mostly use certified courses(33.1%)or online databases(28.3%)but often believe that experts are more reliable to inform their practice(37.0%)than research publications(32.7%).Conclusion Acupuncturists and herbalists commonly treat cancer patients.Most practitioners use TCIM as an adjunct to biomedicine as supportive care and use it largely in accordance with current oncological guidelines.
文摘ChatGPT has obvious benefits in the way it can interrogate vast amounts of reference information and utilise metadata generation to answer questions posed to it and is freely available having been developed through human feedback. Already there are ethical and practical implications on its impact on learning and research. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been seen as a way of improving healthcare provision by delivering more robust outcomes but measuring these and implementing AI within this setting is at present limited and disjointed. Methods: ChatGPT was interrogated to see what it felt were the barriers to its implementation within healthcare and in particular orthopaedic practice. The evidence for this determination was then examined for validity and applicability for a practical roll out at a Trust, Regional or National level. Results: AI can synthesise a vast amount of information to help it answer specific questions. The context and structure of any question will determine the usefulness of the answer which can then be used to develop practical solutions based on experience and resource limitations. Conclusions: AI has a role in service development and can quickly focus a working group to areas to consider when practically implementing change.
基金funded by the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council.
文摘Purpose:Journal Impact Factors and other citation-based indicators are widely used and abused to help select journals to publish in or to estimate the value of a published article.Nevertheless,citation rates primarily reflect scholarly impact rather than other quality dimensions,including societal impact,originality,and rigour.In response to this deficit,Journal Quality Factors(JQFs)are defined and evaluated.These are average quality score estimates given to a journal’s articles by ChatGPT.Design/methodology/approach:JQFs were compared with Polish,Norwegian and Finnish journal ranks and with journal citation rates for 1,300 journals with 130,000 articles from 2021 in large monodisciplinary journals in the 25 out of 27 Scopus broad fields of research for which it was possible.Outliers were also examined.Findings:JQFs correlated positively and mostly strongly(median correlation:0.641)with journal ranks in 24 out of the 25 broad fields examined,indicating a nearly science-wide ability for ChatGPT to estimate journal quality.Journal citation rates had similarly high correlations with national journal ranks,however,so JQFs are not a universally better indicator.An examination of journals with JQFs not matching their journal ranks suggested that abstract styles may affect the result,such as whether the societal contexts of research are mentioned.Research limitations:Different journal rankings may have given different findings because there is no agreed meaning for journal quality.Practical implications:The results suggest that JQFs are plausible as journal quality indicators in all fields and may be useful for the(few)research and evaluation contexts where journal quality is an acceptable proxy for article quality,and especially for fields like mathematics for which citations are not strong indicators of quality.Originality/value:This is the first attempt to estimate academic journal value with a Large Language Model.
文摘Given the unique challenges facing the railway industry, cybersecurity is a crucial issue that must be addressed proactively. This paper aims to provide a systematic review of cybersecurity threats that could impact the safety and operations of rolling stock, the privacy and security of passengers and employees, and the public in general. The systematic literature review revealed that cyber threats to the railway industry can take many forms, including attacks on operational technology systems, data breaches, theft of sensitive information, and disruptions to train services. The consequences of these threats can be severe, leading to operational disruptions, financial losses, and loss of public trust in the railway system. To address these threats, railway organizations must adopt a proactive approach to security and implement robust cybersecurity measures tailored to the industry’s specific needs and challenges. This includes regular testing of systems for vulnerabilities, incident response plans, and employee training to identify and respond to cyber threats. Ensuring the system remains available, reliable, and maintainable is fundamental given the importance of railways as critical infrastructure and the potential harm that can be caused by cyber threats.
基金supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program (863) of China(No. 2006AAZ309)
文摘The fluorescence staining method and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） were used to study the effect of ozone （O3） inactivating Cryptosporidium in water and cell ultrastructures variation to shed light on the mechanism of inactivation preliminarily. Results indicated that O3 had a stronger inactivating capability. When the concentration of O3 was above 3.0 mg/L and the contact time was up to 7 min, a significant inactivating effect could be achieved. The turbidity on inactivation effects was also found to be statistically significant in artificial water. With increases in turbidity, the inactivating effect decreased. Inactivation rate improved with a temperature increase from 5 to 25℃, but decreased beyond this. The inactivating capability of O3 was found to be stronger under acidic than that under alkalic conditions. When the concentration of organic matter in the reaction system was increased, the competition between Cryptosporidium and organics with O3 probably took place, thereby reducing the inactivation rate. In addition, the cellular morphology of Cryptosporidium varied with different contact times. At zero contact time, cells were rotundity and sphericity, at 60 sec they became folded, underwent emboly, and burst at 480 sec, the cell membrane of Cryptosporidium shrinked and collapsed completely.
基金financially supported by the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest of China(Grant No.201503119)the National Key Technologies R&D Program of China(Grant No.2015BAD06B04)the Scholarship Award for Excellent Doctoral Student granted by Yunnan Province
文摘Intercropping, as an overyielding system, can decrease soil erosion on sloping land through the presence of dense canopy covers. However, the structure mechanism in canopy is still unclear. We conducted a two-year field experiment on runoff plots, exploring whether the interaction between vegetation layers reduce soil erosion in maize and potato intercropping systems. The maize, potato, and weed layers in the intercropping system were removed by a single layer, two layers and three layers, respectively(total of 8 treatments including all layers removed as the control). Then, throughfall, runoff and sediment were measured at the plot and row scale on a weekly basis. Based on the difference between each treatment and the control, we calculated and found a relative reduction of runoff and sediment by any combination of the two vegetation layers greater than the sum of each single layer. In 2016 and 2017, the highest relative reduction of runoff reached 15.65% and 46.73%, respectively. Sediment loss decreased by 33.96% and 42.77%, respectively. Moreover, runoffand sediment reduced by the combination of all vegetation layers(no layers removed) was also larger than the sum of that by each single layer. In 2016 and 2017, the highest relative reduction of runoff reached 7.32% and 3.48%, respectively. So, there were synergistic effects among multi-level(two or three layers) vegetation layers in terms of decreasing soil erosion on sloping land. Maize redistributes more throughfall at the maize intra-specific row and the maize and potato inter-specific, which is favorable for the synergistic effect of reducing soil erosion. This finding shows an important mechanism of maize and potato intercropping for soil and water conservation, and may promote the application of diverse cropping systems for sustainable agriculture in mountainous areas.
基金Project supported by the University of Wolverhampton, UK.
文摘Diversity in the biophysical and socio-economic attributes of agricultural systems makes them uniquely niche based. Farmers are expert in local biophysical and socio-economic situations and can contribute in developing pragmatic indicators of agro-environmental development. During evaluation of an agricultural research project in Yunnan, China, local farmers were capable of evaluating the effects of modified technologies on existing cropping systems and discussed their attitudes to the interventions using their own indicators. Farmers＇ response can be grouped into seven major aspects： i） effects on income, ii） effects on production resources, iii） effects on crop management, iv） existing local knowledge about the technology, v） availability of inputs, vi） access to information, and vii） socio-economic conditions of farming households. Farmers concluded that environmental conditions in the experimental catchment in comparison to an adjacent untreated catchment were better in terms of soil and water losses, vegetation cover and natural resources, infrastructures and catchment management, use of environmentally-friendly technologies, and crop productivity. Success in soil and water conservation programmes depends on the efforts of the farmers and other local users and their greater involvement helps to identify more pragmatic indicators. Furthermore, it increases ownership of the programme, enhances interactions with the project scientists, increases farmers＇ awareness of ago-environmental problems and their possible consequences. These development will enable scientists to develop better targeted interventions and increase the likelihood of adoption of tested technologies by local communities. The use of paired adjacent catchments improved evaluation activities and is proposed as good practice for future catchment improvement programmes.
文摘Clean drinking water is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.Despite significant progress in the water purification technology,many regions still lack access to clean water.This paper provides a review of selected water contaminants and their impacts on human health.The World Health Organization(WHO)guidelines and regional standards for key contaminants were used to characterise water quality in the European Union and UK.The concept of safe drinking water was explained based on the non-observed adverse effect level,threshold concentrations for toxic chemicals,and their total daily intake.Various techniques for monitoring water contaminants and the drinking water standards from five different countries,including the UK,USA,Canada,Pakistan and India,were compared to WHO recommended guidelines.The literature on actual water quality in these regions and its potential health impacts was also discussed.Finally,the role of public water suppliers in identifying and monitoring drinking water contaminants in selected developed countries was presented as a potential guideline for developing countries.This review emphasised the need for a comprehensive understanding of water quality and its impacts on human health to ensure access to clean drinking water worldwide.
文摘Purpose： The aim of this study was to assess the effects of combining the FIFA 11＋ and acute vibration training on reactive strength index （RSI） and 505 agility. Methods： Seventy-four male collegiate soccer players took part in the study and were randomly assigned to FIFA 11＋ with acute vibration group （FIFA ＋ WBV）, FIFA 11＋ with isometric squat group （FIFA ＋ IS） or a control group consisting of the F1FA 11＋ alone （Con）. The warm-up consisted of the FIFA 11＋ and was administered to all participants. The participants in the acute vibration group were exposed to 30 s whole body vibration in squat position immediately post warm-up. The isometric group completed an isometric squat for 30 s immediately post warm-up. Results： RSI significantly improved pre- to post-intervention amongst FIFA ＋ WBV （p 〈 0.001） due to a decrease in contact time （p 〈 0.001） in comparison to FIFA ＋ IS and Con, but 505 agility was not affected. Conclusion： The results of this study suggest the inclusion of an acute bout of WBV post FIFA 11＋ warm-up produces a neuromuscular response leading to an improvement in RSI. Future research is required to examine the exact mechanisms behind these improvements amongst other populations and over time course of the performance.
文摘AIM:To assess the utility of hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c) in the early postpartum screening of women with gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM).METHODS:Over a 3 years period,HbA1c estimations were undertaken in addition to and simultaneously with the traditional oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT),in 203 women with GDM as a part of early postpartum screening for dysglycaemia,at 6 wk post-partum.World Health Organization criteria was used for diagnosing diabetes:fasting blood glucose(FBG) ≥ 7.0 mmol/Land/or 2-h postprandial blood glucose(PPBG) ≥ 11.1 mmol/L and/or HbA1c ≥ 48 mmol/mol;and impaired glycaemiastate:impaired fasting glucose 6.1-6.9 mmol/L and/or impaired glucose tolerance 7.8-11.0 mmol/L and/or HbA1c:42-47 mmol/mol.RESULTS:Mean FBG,2-h PPBG and HbA1c were 4.9 ± 0.7 mmol/L,5.6 ± 2.0 mmol/L and 38 ± 5 mmol/mol respectively.FBG,2-h PPBG and HbA1c detected 6(3%),7(3.5%) and 11(5.4%) cases of diabetes respectively,and 11(5.4%),25(12.3%) and 23(11.3%) cases of pre-diabetes state respectively.HbA1c values ≥ 48 mmol/mol(≥ 6.5%) showed a diagnostic sensitivity of 71.4% and specificity of 98.5% for diabetes in comparison to OGTT in receiver operating characteristics curve analysis.At HbA1c cut-off 44 mmol/mol,sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 92.3% respectively [area under the curve:0.98(95%CI:0.96-1.00)].Sensitivity and specificity for detecting high risk "impaired glycaemia" state [HbA1c 42 mmol/mol(6.0%)] were 28% and 80%,respectively.CONCLUSION:HbA1c level ≥ 48 mmol/mol(≥ 6.5%) has reasonable sensitivity and high specificity in comparison to OGTT for early postpartum screening of diabetes in GDM.At 6 th week postpartum screening,if FBG is normal and HbA1c < 44 mmol/mol OGTT is not recommended.
基金supported by the Research Grants from the BUPA Foundation (45NOV06)Alzheimer’s Research Trust (ART/PPG2007B/2) in the UK.+1 种基金Anhui provincial natural science foundation for institutions of higher education (KJ2013A164)supported by the Strategic Research Development Fund,University of Wolverhampton in Centre for Health and Social Care Improvement, School of Health and Wellbeing,UK.
文摘Objective To determine the associations of socio-economic and psychosocial factors with active and passive smoking in older adults. Methods Using a standard interview method, we examined random samples of 6071 people aged 〉 60 years in 5 provinces of China during 2007-2009. Results World age-standardised prevalence for current and former smoking in men was 45.6% and 20.5%, and in women 11.1% and 4.5%. Current smoking reduced with older age but increased with men, low socioeconomic status （SES）, alcohol drinking, being never-married, pessimistic and depressive syndromes. Former smoking was associated with men, secondary school education, a middle-high income, being a businessman, being widowed, less frequencies of visiting children/relatives and friends, and worrying about children. Among 3774 never-smokers, the prevalence of passive smoking was 31.5%, and the risk increased with women, low SES, alcohol drinking, being married, having a religious believe, and daily visiting children/relatives. There were sex differences in the associations, and an interaction effect of education and income on smoking and passive smoking. Conclusion Older Chinese had a higher level of smoking and passive smoking than those in high income countries, reflecting China＇s failures in controlling smoking. The associations with low SES and different psychosocial aspects and sex differences suggest preventative strategies for active and passive smoking.
文摘Effluent discharges from municipal, industrial, and agricultural activities constitute major sources of pollution on land and water bodies. During the 1990s, large-scale application of Constructed Wetlands (CWs) as a remediation option drew much attention globally from the public and green groups alike. The most common application of CWs is for flow management in river system and little is documented on using CWs for treating polluted river water. This article goes beyond constructed wetlands as a stand-alone methodology to propose an integrated remediation system incorporating constructed wetlands in Bucaramanga Industrial Park S.A., Santander (Colombia), which will form part of an innovation park. In addition to pollution abatement, the project is projected to provide other environmental benefits to the entire Oro River Sub-basin. Other benefits of the project include mitigation of environmental impacts, improvement in water quality, landscape amenity, as well as tourism and recreational benefits.
文摘Purpose: Communicating scientific results to the public is essential to inspire future researchers and ensure that discoveries are exploited. News stories about research are a key communication pathway for this and have been manually monitored to assess the extent of press coverage of scholarship.Design/methodology/Approach: To make larger scale studies practical, this paper introduces an automatic method to extract citations from newspaper stories to large sets of academic journals. Curated ProQuest queries were used to search for citations to 9,639 Science and3,412 Social Science Web of Science(WoS) journals from eight UK daily newspapers during2006–2015. False matches were automatically filtered out by a new program, with 94% of the remaining stories meaningfully citing research.Findings: Most Science(95%) and Social Science(94%) journals were never cited by these newspapers. Half of the cited Science journals covered medical or health-related topics,whereas 43% of the Social Sciences journals were related to psychiatry or psychology. From the citing news stories, 60% described research extensively and 53% used multiple sources,but few commented on research quality.Research Limitations: The method has only been tested in English and from the ProQuest Newspapers database.Practical implications: Others can use the new method to systematically harvest press coverage of research.Originality/value: An automatic method was introduced and tested to extract citations from newspaper stories to large sets of academic journals.
文摘Problems associated with land degradation are serious in China. Sloping land in South China has experienced a decline in crop productivity by 30-60% due to soil erosion and it has been predicted that most topsoil will be lost within the next 100 years if current erosion rates continue. Considering these situations, an agro-environmental research and development project （Sustainable Highland Agriculture in South-East Asia- SHASEA） was conducted in a catchment in Yunnan Province, China, to address the objectives of increasing crop productivity in sustainable and environmentally-friendly ways. A range of cropping practices was developed and implemented in a rural upland catchment （Wang Jia）. At the end of the project, farmers were surveyed to evaluate project effectiveness. All farmers from Wang Jia Catchment, who were involved in project implementation, were surveyed. A sample of farmers working in an adjacent catchment （not associated with the project） was surveyed for comparative purposes. Farmers had different perceptions of the cropping practices employed. Contour cultivation was preferred and likely to be adopted. Others practices such as straw mulching and intercropping were seen as less appropriate and unlikely to be adopted. Polythene mulch was recognized as effective, but likely to be adopted only if financial returns were favourable. The availability of relevant information had an important impact on the extent of technology testing by farmers and their willingness to adopt the practices in the future.
基金financially supported by the Provincial Key Research and Development Program of Yunnan,China(No.2018BB015)the Provincial Basic Application Research Project of Yunnan,China(No.2019YD096)the Research Project on Utilizing Efficiency of Nitrogen with AM Fungi about Intercropping System on Plateau Sloping Arable Land(No.31660378)。
文摘Although the application of inorganic fertilizer is a widespread agronomic practice used to boost soil productivity and crop yields,the effects on soil microbiome and the metabolic mechanisms involved in the high-yield response of crops to long-term fertilization remain poorly described.In this study,combined metagenomic and metabolomic analyses were used to explore the mechanism of crop yield response to the 20-year application of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizers in a subtropical agroecosystem in Southwest China.Soil bacterial and fungal communities were monitored using16S r RNA(bacteria)and internal transcribed spacer 1(ITS1)full-length gene(fungi)amplicon sequencing technologies,and metabolites were detected using a liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer.The results revealed that,in addition to providing nutrients,long-term fertilization shaped the compositions of bacteria and fungi to increase crop yields.Long-term fertilization significantly increased the relative abundances of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and promoted the secretion of soil metabolites such as carbohydrates,organic acids,and organic nitrogen compounds,which were primarily enriched in amino acid metabolism pathways.The increases in carbon and nitrogen sources and bioactive substances in soil promoted the increases in plant biomass and thereby maintained soil quality and production capacity.The findings highlighted the importance of soil metabolites in maintaining soil productivity as well as crop yields,and suggested that regulating key metabolites could increase crop yields in agroecosystems.
基金supported by a European Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship (Grant Nos. 326847 and 912847)a Chinese Universities Scientific Fund (Grant No. 2452018313)+1 种基金a High-End Foreign Expert Recruitment Program (Grant No. G2022172006L)an Agricultural Science Innovation and Transformation Project of Shaanxi Province [Grant No. NYKJ2022-YL(XN)12]。
文摘Mechanical stimulation technology is critical in agricultural crop production because it is constantly regarded as a developing green technology to regulate plants to meet people's need for green and healthy agricultural products. Various environmental mechanical stimulation impacts seed germination, seedling growth, flowering date, fruit quantity, and fruit quality throughout the life cycle of a horticultural plant. This study first outlines the basic characteristics of six types of common mechanical stimulation in nature:precipitation, wind, gravity,touch, sound, and vibration. The effects of various mechanical stimulation types on the seed, seedling, flowering, and fruit of horticultural plants throughout their whole life cycle are then presented, as reviewed in the recent 100 years of existing literature. Finally, potential future study directions are discussed. The main challenge in mechanical stimulation technology is to uncover its potential capabilities for regulating and controlling plant development and fruit quality in green agriculture instead of agricultural chemicals.
基金Science and Technology Project of Shenzhen,China(No.JCYJ20120617141700417)Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province,China(No.2012040007855)
文摘The degradations of hexazinone and aldicarb by direct ozonation combined an advanced oxidation process( AOP) of O3/H2O2 were investigated in this study focusing on the oxidation mechanism by identifying the hydrogen peroxide consumption during the oxidation process of the two chemicals. The results showed that H2O2 could enhance the removal rate of the triazine herbicide hexazinone,and it was consumed along with the variation of removal rate in the light of different pH levels. The addition of H2O2 contributed little to the removal of the thiocarbamate herbicide aldicarb and H2O2 content kept constantly throughout the degradation process. Tert-butyl alcohol( TBA) effectively scavenged the ·OH radical for hexazinone,but had no effect on the removal rate of aldicarb. Aldicarb removal was mainly attributed to direct ozonation molecule in both O3( 97.00%) and O3/H2O2( 96.76%)systems. Moreover,sole O3 could hardly oxidize hexazinone whereas·OH radicals contribute respective 74.70% and 97.50% of removal in O3 system and O3/H2O2 AOP. All of these findings suggest that the mechanism of ·OH radical generation and the chain reaction in O3/H2O2 AOP should be further discussed.
文摘The growing demand for chromium coated aluminium components especially for the automotive industry is due to their favourable physical properties (density, strength to weight ratio etc.). However, their frequent use under harsh environmental conditions renders them corrosion sensitive and consequently they need to be protected. An approach that has been applied in industry is to directly electroplate nickel onto aluminium substrate prior to a top metallic finish;however, in components with complex geometry, certain areas could become exposed to corrosion attack due to poor surface coverage during plating. In this study, a modified electroless nickel undercoat was applied to pre-treated aluminium alloys prior to duplex nickel and chromium plating with a view to enhance corrosion resistance, improve coating adherence and durability, and overall, to achieve substrate protection. Hexavalent and trivalent chromium were applied to pre-treated Al 1050 and Al 6061 following electroless nickel deposition, and plating performance was assessed by surface and corrosion techniques, while durability was measured by scratch, adhesion and hardness tests. Overall, while chromium plating with an electroless nickel undercoat did not improve corrosion resistance or hardness of the materials, it provided an additional protective layer for the substrate with a potential for longer term durability.
