Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water (32884)

Water resources are vital to the survival of living organisms and contribute substantially to the development of various sectors. Climatic diversity, topographic conditions, and uneven distribution of surface water flows have made reservoirs one of the primary water supply resources in Iran. This study used Landsat 5, 7, and 8 data in Google Earth Engine (GEE) for supervised monitoring of surface water dynamics in the reservoir of eight Iranian dams (Karkheh, Karun-1, Karun-3, Karun-4, Dez, UpperGotvand, Zayanderud, and Golpayegan). A novel automated method was proposed for providing training samples based on an iterative K-means refinement procedure. The proposed method used the Function of the Mask (Fmask) initial water map to generate final training samples. Then, Support Vector Machines (SVM) and Random Forest (RF) models were trained with the generated samples and used for water mapping. Results demonstrated the satisfactory performance of the trained RF model with the samples of the proposed refinement procedure (with overall accuracies of 95.13%) in comparison to the trained RF with direct samples of Fmask initial water map (with overall accuracies of 78.91%), indicating the proposed approach’s success in producing training samples. The performance of three feature sets was also evaluated. Tasseled-Cap (TC) achieved higher overall accuracies than Spectral Indices (SI) and Principal Component Transformation of Image Bands (PCA). However, simultaneous use of all features (TC, SI, and PCA) boosted classification overall accuracy. Moreover, long-term surface water changes showed a downward trend in five study sites. Comparing the latest year’s water surface area (2021) with the maximum long-term extent showed that all study sites experienced a significant reduction (16–62%). Analysis of climate factors’ impacts also revealed that precipitation ($0.51 \le { \mathrm{R}}^2 \le 0.79$) was more correlated than the temperature ($0.22 \le { \mathrm{R}}^2 \le 0.39$) with water surface area changes. Full article

Current methods of measuring heart rate (HR) and oxygen levels ($SP{O}_2$) require physical contact, are individualised, and for accurate oxygen levels may also require a blood test. No-touch or non-invasive technologies are not currently commercially available for use in healthcare settings. To date, there has been no assessment of a system that measures HR and $SP{O}_2$ using commercial off-the-shelf camera technology that utilises R, G, B, and IR data. Moreover, no formal remote photoplethysmography studies have been performed in real-life scenarios with participants at home with different demographic characteristics. This novel study addresses all these objectives by developing, optimising, and evaluating a system that measures the HR and $SP{O}_2$ of 40 participants. HR and $SP{O}_2$ are determined by measuring the frequencies from different wavelength band regions using FFT and radiometric measurements after pre-processing face regions of interest (forehead, lips, and cheeks) from colour, IR, and depth data. Detrending, interpolating, hamming, and normalising the signal with FastICA produced the lowest RMSE of 7.8 for HR with the r-correlation value of 0.85 and RMSE 2.3 for $SP{O}_2$. This novel system could be used in several critical care settings, including in care homes and in hospitals and prompt clinical intervention as required. Full article

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids n-3 series (n-3 LC-PUFAs), especially eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids, are known to exert preventive effects on obesity and metabolic syndrome. Mainly consumed in the form of fish oil, LC-PUFAs n-3 are also found in significant quantities in other sources such as certain microalgae. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Diacronema lutheri (Dia), a microalga rich in n-3 LC-PUFAs, on metabolic disorders associated with obesity. Three groups of male Wistar rats (n = 6 per group) were submitted for eight weeks to a standard diet or high-fat and high-fructose diet (HF), supplemented or not with 12% of Dia (HF-Dia). Compared to HF rats, HF-Dia rats showed a 41% decrease in plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) and an increase in plasma cholesterol (+35%) as well as in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (+51%) without change to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Although fasting glycemia did not change, glucose and insulin tolerance tests highlighted an improvement in glucose and insulin homeostasis. Dia supplementation restored body weight and fat mass, and decreased levels of liver TAG (−75%) and cholesterol (−84%). In HF-Dia rats, leptin was decreased (−30%) below the control level corresponding to a reduction of 68% compared to HF rats. Similarly, the anti-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-10 were restored up to control levels, corresponding to a 74% and 58% increase in HF rats, respectively. In contrast, the level of IL-6 remained similar in the HF and HF-Dia groups and about twice that of the control. In conclusion, these results indicated that the D. lutheri microalga may be beneficial for the prevention of weight gain and improvement in lipid and glucose homeostasis. Full article

There is increasing interest in research of secondary metabolites from Physalis peruviana (Cape gooseberry) because of their potential bioactivities. In this study, the profile of compounds found in fruits and husks from Costa Rica was determined through ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry using a quadrupole time-of-flight analyzer (UPLC-ESI-QTOF MS) on extracts (n = 10) obtained through pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) conditions. In total, 66 different compounds were identified, comprising 34 withanolides, 23 sucrose ester derivatives and 9 flavonoids. UPLC-DAD analysis was performed to determine the β-carotene in fruits and to quantify the flavonoids in all 10 samples, with the results showing higher contents in samples from the Dota region (58.6–60.1 μg/g of dry material versus 1.6–2.8 mg/g of dry material). The Folin–Ciocalteau total polyphenolic content (FC) and antioxidant activity using the DPPH method showed better results for the husk extracts, with the ones from the Dota region holding the best values (4.3–5.1 mg GAE/g of dry material versus IC₅₀ = 1.6–2.3 mg of dry material/mL). In addition, a significant negative correlation was found between the RU, FC and DPPH values (r = −0.902, p < 0.05), aligning with previous reports on the role of polyphenols in antioxidant activity. Principal correlation analysis (PCoA) and hierarchical clustering (HC) analysis were performed on HRMS results, and they indicated that the D1 and D2 fruit samples from the Dota region were clustered with husks related to a higher presence of the analyzed metabolites. In turn, principal component analysis (PCA) performed on the flavonoid content and antioxidant activity yielded results indicating that the D1 and D2 husks and fruit samples from the Dota region stood out significantly, showing the highest antioxidant activity. In summation, our findings suggest that P. peruviana husks and fruits from Costa Rica constitute a substrate of interest for further studies on their potential health benefits. Full article

The widespread use of plastics determines the inevitable human exposure to its by-products, including microplastics (MPs), which enter the human organism mainly by ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. Once internalised, MPs may pass across cell membranes and translocate to different body sites, triggering specific cellular mechanisms. Hence, the potential health impairment caused by the internalisation and accumulation of MPs is of prime concern, as confirmed by numerous studies reporting evident toxic effects in various animal models, marine organisms, and human cell lines. In this pilot single-centre observational prospective study, human breastmilk samples collected from N. 34 women were analysed by Raman Microspectroscopy, and, for the first time, MP contamination was found in 26 out of 34 samples. The detected microparticles were classified according to their shape, colour, dimensions, and chemical composition. The most abundant MPs were composed of polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polypropylene, with sizes ranging from 2 to 12 µm. MP data were statistically analysed in relation to specific patients’ data (age, use of personal care products containing plastic compounds, and consumption of fish/shellfish, beverages, and food in plastic packaging), but no significant relationship was found, suggesting that the ubiquitous MP presence makes human exposure inevitable. Full article

The synergy of fine-to-moderate-resolutin (i.e., 10–60 m) satellite data of the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and the Sentinel-2 Multispectral Instrument (MSI) provides a possibility to monitor the dynamics of sensitive aquatic systems. However, it is imperative to assess the spectral consistency of both sensors before developing new algorithms for their combined use. This study evaluates spectral consistency between OLI and MSI-A/B, mainly in terms of the top-of-atmosphere reflectance (${\rho }_t),$ Rayleigh-corrected reflectance (${\rho }_{rc}),\mathrm{and}$remote-sensing reflectance ($R_{rs})$. To check the spectral consistency under various atmospheric and aquatic conditions, near-simultaneous same-day overpass images of OLI and MSI-A/B were selected over diverse coastal and inland areas across Mainland China and Hong Kong. The results showed that spectral data obtained from OLI and MSI-A/B were consistent. The difference in the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of the OLI and MSI-A products was ~8% in ${\rho }_t$ and ~10% in both ${\rho }_{rc}$and $R_{rs}$ for all the matching bands, whereas the MAPE for OLI and MSI-B was ~3.7% in ${\rho }_t$, ~5.7% in ${\rho }_{rc}$, and ~7.5%$\mathrm{in}{R}_{rs}$ for all visible bands except the ultra-blue band. Overall, the green band was the most consistent, with the lowest MAPE of ≤ 4.6% in all the products. The linear regression model suggested that product difference decreased significantly after band adjustment with the highest reduction rate in $R_{rs}$ (NIR band) and $R_{rs}$ (red band) for the OLI–MSI-A and OLI–MSI-B comparison, respectively. Further, this study discussed the combined use of OLI and MSI-A/B data for (i) time series of the total suspended solid concentrations (TSS) over coastal and inland waters; (ii) floating algae area comparison; and (iii) tracking changes in coastal floating algae (FA). Time series analysis of the TSS showed that seasonal variation was well-captured by the combined use of sensors. The analysis of the floating algae bloom area revealed that the algae area was consistent, however, the difference increases as the time difference between the same-day overpasses increases. Furthermore, tracking changes in coastal FA over two months showed that thin algal slicks (width < 500 m) can be detected with an adequate spatial resolution of the OLI and the MSI. Full article

Ecological forecasting is an emerging approach to estimate the future state of an ecological system with uncertainty, allowing society to better manage ecosystem services. Ecological forecasting is a core mission of the U.S. National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) and several federal agencies, yet, to date, forecasting training has focused on graduate students, representing a gap in undergraduate ecology curricula. In response, we developed a teaching module for the Macrosystems EDDIE (Environmental Data-Driven Inquiry and Exploration; MacrosystemsEDDIE.org) educational program to introduce ecological forecasting to undergraduate students through an interactive online tool built with R Shiny. To date, we have assessed this module, “Introduction to Ecological Forecasting,” at ten universities and two conference workshops with both undergraduate and graduate students (N = 136 total) and found that the module significantly increased undergraduate students’ ability to correctly define ecological forecasting terms and identify steps in the ecological forecasting cycle. Undergraduate and graduate students who completed the module showed increased familiarity with ecological forecasts and forecast uncertainty. These results suggest that integrating ecological forecasting into undergraduate ecology curricula will enhance students’ abilities to engage and understand complex ecological concepts. Full article

The climate-driven changes in temperature, in combination with high inputs of nutrients through anthropogenic activities, significantly affect phytoplankton communities in shallow lakes. This study aimed to assess the effect of nutrients on the community composition, size distribution, and diversity of phytoplankton at three contrasting temperature regimes in phosphorus (P)–enriched mesocosms and with different nitrogen (N) availability imitating eutrophic environments. We applied imaging flow cytometry (IFC) to evaluate complex phytoplankton communities changes, particularly size of planktonic cells, biomass, and phytoplankton composition. We found that N enrichment led to the shift in the dominance from the bloom-forming cyanobacteria to the mixed-type blooming by cyanobacteria and green algae. Moreover, the N enrichment stimulated phytoplankton size increase in the high-temperature regime and led to phytoplankton size decrease in lower temperatures. A combination of high temperature and N enrichment resulted in the lowest phytoplankton diversity. Together these findings demonstrate that the net effect of N and P pollution on phytoplankton communities depends on the temperature conditions. These implications are important for forecasting future climate change impacts on the world’s shallow lake ecosystems. Full article

Increased decomposition rates in shallow lakes with global warming might increase the release of atmospheric greenhouse gases, thereby producing positive feedback for global warming. However, how climate warming affects litter decomposition is still unclear in lake ecosystems. Here, we tested the effects of constant and variable warming on the bacterial metabolic potential of typically submerged macrophyte (Potamogeton crispus L.) litters during decomposition in 18 mesocosms (2500 L each). The results showed that warming reduced main chemoheterotrophic metabolic potential but promoted methylotrophy metabolism, which means that further warming may alter methane-cycling microbial metabolism. The nitrate reduction function was inhibited under warming treatments, and nitrogen fixation capability significantly increased under variable warming in summer. The changes in dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, conductivity and ammonium nitrogen driven by warming are the main environmental factors affecting the bacteria’s metabolic potential. The effects of warming and environmental factors on fermentation, nitrate reduction and ammonification capabilities in stem and leaf litter were different, and the bacterial potential in the stem litter were more strongly responsive to environmental factors. These findings suggest that warming may considerably alter bacterial metabolic potential in macrophyte litter, contributing to long-term positive feedback between the C and N cycle and climate. Full article

Land use types can cause changes in soil chemical characteristics, such as altering soil C, N, and P contents and distribution. The aim of this study was to investigate the status of soil C, N, P and other nutrient contents and their stoichiometric ratios in the terrestrial ecosystem of Nianchu River Basin, Tibet. A total of 102 sample plots with 306 soil samples and 102 plant samples were investigated in August 2021 along the Nianchu River basin by selecting four land-use types: grassland, shrubland, forestland, and farmland. The soil’s basic physical and chemical properties (soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), alkaline nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), pH, and soil particle composition) were examined at each sampling point, and the stoichiometric characteristics of C, N, and P of the soils were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVAs). The results revealed that the C and N contents of shrubland were significantly lower than those of grassland, forestland, and farmland, with farmland having the highest P content. For all land types, C:N increased with increasing soil depth, while C:P and N:P decreased with increasing soil depth. PCA and RDA analyses revealed that soil texture and pH had an impact on soil C, N, and P contents, as well as stoichiometric ratios. Full article

Since the Water Framework Directive (WFD) came into force in 2000, data on the hydromorphological quality have been collected for all rivers in Europe. In Germany, a reference-based classification scheme is used (LAWA 2000) for hydrological assessment. The question arises whether this method can compensate sufficiently for a change of ecoregion. In our study of the Hase River in NW Germany, the frequency of the river classes was compared between two ecoregions (Lower Saxonian Mountains vs. Northwest-German Lowlands). In the lowlands, the evaluation shows a significantly higher proportion of class 5 river sections. This can mainly be attributed to the main parameters, longitudinal section, riverbed structure and bank structure. While the bad results in the longitudinal section and bank structure can be explained by changes in geology and anthropogenic pressures, the evaluation scheme cannot sufficiently compensate for changes in the riverbed structure. This problem is aggravated by the inconsistent implementation of the evaluation scheme in Germany, where the federal states use different approaches with regard to section length. Using 100 m sections throughout the river course can lead to severely underestimating the number of structures. Further improvement and standardization in the evaluation scheme seem to be necessary for the adjustment of the field survey method to different ecoregions in Germany. Full article

Marine sediments are a sink for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant microbes (ARMs). Wastewater discharge into the aquatic environment is the dominant pathway for pharmaceuticals reaching aquatic organisms. Hence, the characterization of ARGs is a priority research area. This baseline study reports the presence of ARGs in 12 coastal sediment samples covering the urban coastline of Kuwait through whole-genome metagenomic sequencing. The presence of 402 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were recorded in these samples; the most prevalent were patA, adeF, ErmE, ErmF, TaeA, tetX, mphD, bcrC, srmB, mtrD, baeS, Erm30, vanTE, VIM-7, AcrF, ANT4-1a, tet33, adeB, efmA, and rpsL, which showed resistance against 34 drug classes. Maximum resistance was detected against the beta-lactams (cephalosporins and penam), and 46% of genes originated from the phylum Proteobacteria. Low abundances of ESKAPEE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Acinetobacter baumanii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter sps., and Escherichia coli) were also recorded. Approximately 42% of ARGs exhibited multiple drug resistance. All the ARGs exhibited spatial variations. The major mode of action was antibiotic efflux, followed by antibiotic inactivation, antibiotic target alteration, antibiotic target protection, and antibiotic target replacement. Our findings supported the occurrence of ARGs in coastal marine sediments and the possibility of their dissemination to surrounding ecosystems. Full article

Changes in the resistance, recovery, and resilience of three desert riparian ecosystems to extreme droughts and the influence of ecological characteristics on them from 2000 to 2020 were analyzed within the Tarim River Basin, Xinjiang, China. The results showed that: (1) The resistance of the Populus euphratica forest community was the highest among the three plant communities. The recovery and resilience of the shrub community were the highest; (2) the resilience increased the most for the shrub community and decreased slightly for the Populus euphratica forest and herb communities as hydrological droughts waned; (3) the relative height and density significantly increased for Populus euphratica, decreased for herbs, and did not change for shrubs from 2000 to 2020; (4) the diversity indexes did not significantly change for the Populus euphratica forest and herb communities, and they increased for the shrub community from 2000 to 2020; (5) the resistance and resilience of the Populus euphratica forest, shrub, and herb communities were significantly affected by ecological characteristics, especially the Margalef richness index; and (6) the shrub community is more likely to rapidly recover (that is an increase of cover, height, and density) from future droughts in the Tarim River Basin, particularly with the implementation of new and more effective ecological restoration projects. Full article

River discharge is crucial to water resources development and ecological protection. However, in some arid areas of northwest China, it is still difficult to measure discharge accurately. In this study, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery has been used to estimate river discharge at two river sections in the upper reaches of the Shiyang River in the eastern part of the Qilian Mountains based on the Manning formula. The estimated discharges at those two sections are 1.16 m³/s and 3.11 m³/s, respectively. Taking the discharges measured by an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) as the reference, the relative error of the estimates is below 5%, which is accurate enough for water resources management in mountain basin regions. Multiple high-resolution satellite images were also used to calculate water discharges at the two sections, which were in good agreement with the discharges estimated from UAVs. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using UAVs to estimate river discharge, which is of great significance for future regional-scale water resource assessments. Full article

Recycling and source separation (R&SS) are believed to have been the first attempt to minimise waste. This research adopted mixed methods that followed sequential quantitative then qualitative data collection, combining questionnaire surveys from 100 households, semi-structured interviews, and participatory observations to study the human dimension of waste generation and management. Scoring Assessment (with modified Bloom’s Cut Off point) indicated that households had moderate knowledge and positive attitudes yet poor behaviour, and these three components indicated no linear associations, tested using Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient. However, age group, marital status, educational level and living duration showed statistical significance with households’ participation in source separation through Chi-Square Test. Meanwhile, observation data showed that waste management mechanisms and environment had inefficiently supported households’ participation in R&SS practices (external factors: poor accessibility to services, lack of tangible incentives, and absence of restriction in consumption). Elicited data indicated that a satisfactory level of intentions, knowledge, and willingness, together with good habit and quality persuasion (internal factors), were required to drive good behaviour. Subsequently, a series of recommendations were formulated to promote gradual yet solid transformation of the waste management system, tapping on existing initiatives by considering additional parameters upon the gap in households’ knowledge, attitude, and behaviour. Full article

Domestication can be defined as the artificial selection in animals to achieve morphological, physiological, and developmental conformity to human needs, with the aim of improving various limitations in species under a human feeding environment. The future sustainability of aquaculture may rely partly on the availability of numerous domesticated fish species. However, the underlying adaptive mechanisms that result in the domestication of fish are still unclear. Because they are poikilothermic, temperature is a key environmental element that affects the entire life of fish, so studying the association between physiological and behavioral changes in low-temperature domesticated fish can provide a model for understanding the response mechanisms of fish under cold stress. Through 5 generations and 10 years of artificial selection at low temperatures, we used cold-tolerant fugu as a biological model to compare transcriptome changes in brain and liver tissues to study the effects of cold stress on fish. It was found that the expression of genes such as apoptosis, p53, oxidative phosphorylation, and mitochondrial β-oxidation in the brain of cold-tolerant fugu was significantly lower than the wild type due to cold stress, while excessive energy metabolism would lead to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and exacerbate the brain damage, thus causing rollover and coma. Meanwhile, under cold stress, the signaling pathways involved in glycogenolysis and lipid metabolism, such as insulin signaling, adipocytokines, and mTOR signaling pathways, were significantly up-regulated in the liver of cold-tolerant fugu. Although the mitochondrial β-oxidation pathway was increased in cold-tolerant fugu liver tissues, the transcriptome was not enriched in apoptotic. These phenomena predict that in response to low-temperature conditions, cold-tolerant fugu employs a dynamic inter-organ metabolic regulation strategy to cope with cold stress and reduce damage to brain tissues. Full article

The subclass Cyrtophoria are a group of morphologically specialized ciliates which mainly inhabit soil, freshwater, brackish water, and marine environments. In this study, we revise more than 50 publications on the taxonomy, phylogeny, and ecology of cyrtophorian ciliates in China since the first publication in 1925, most of which were carried out in coastal areas. The research history can be divided into three periods: the early stage, the Tibet stage, and the molecular stage. To date, 103 morpho-species (147 isolates) have been formally recorded in China, with ciliature patterns described for 82 of them. A species checklist and an illustrated identification key to the genera are provided. A total of 100 small subunit rDNA sequences have been obtained for 74 taxonomic hits (lowest taxonomic rank to species or genus). These sequences are used for the study of molecular phylogeny. Based on these morphological data and molecular phylogeny analyses, we synthesize the understanding of the phylogeny of cyrtophorian ciliates. We hypothesize that the key evolutionary event of cyrtophorian ciliates lies in the separation of the stomatogenesis zone (postoral kineties) from the left kineties, namely, the formation of an independent “sexual organelle”. We, furthermore, briefly summarize the ecological features of cyrtophorian ciliates and provide a comprehensive bibliography of related research from China. Finally, we give an outlook on the future research directions of these taxa. Full article

Most of the country’s oil and gas fields are situated in West Kazakhstan, mainly on the Caspian Sea coast, causing significant damage to the local environment and contributing to an imbalance in the trace element composition of the human body. The study is aimed to evaluate the relationship between the concentration of essential trace elements in scalp hair of the western Kazakhstan adult population and the remoteness of their residence from oil and gas fields. The concentration of essential trace elements (Co, Cu, Fe, I, Mn, Se, Zn) in the hair of 850 individuals aged 18–60 years was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. In residents of settlements located at a distance of >110 km from oil and gas fields, the concentration of Cu and I in hair was significantly higher than in those closer to 110 km (p < 0.001). The content of Cu and I were associated with the distance to oil and gas fields (0.072 (95% CI: 0.050; 0.094)) and (0.121 (95% CI: 0.058; 0.185)), respectively. We detected a significant imbalance in the distribution of some essential trace elements in residents’ scalp hair from the Caspian region of western Kazakhstan, living near oil and gas fields. The concentrations of Cu and I were significantly interrelated with the distance to oil and gas fields. The level of copper in the hair of both inhabitants of the area most remote from oil and gas facilities and the entire population of western Kazakhstan as a whole remains significantly low. The data obtained provide evidence of the possible impact of pollutants generated by the oil and gas facilities on a shortage of essential trace elements and associated subsequent health risks. Full article

Topobathymetric monitoring carried out in the past 30 years revealed that the amount of sand in the active zone of the Belgian West Coast increased substantially. Correcting for sand works carried out, the rate of natural feeding of the area was estimated to be 10 mm/year, which is significantly more than the local sea level rise rate of 2 to 3 mm/year. One concludes that this coastal zone, with a length of ca. 16 km, has shown a natural resilience against sea level rise. The question remains which processes govern this behavior and where natural input of sand to the system occurs. Using available coastal monitoring data for the Belgian coast, as well as a state-of-the-art sand transport model, revealed that different processes drive a cross-shore natural feeding from offshore to the coastline. The spatial distribution of this cross-shore natural feeding is determined by the existence of a gully-sand bank system. The outcome of this research was a conceptual model for the large-scale sand exchange in the study area which is implemented in an 1D coastline model. The most important element in these models was the cross-shore natural feeding of the active zone via a shoreface connected ridge amounting to 95,000 m³/year in the period 2000–2020. Full article

The need for new therapeutic approaches for triple-negative breast cancer is a clinically relevant problem that needs to be solved. Using a multi-targeting approach to enhance cancer cell uptake, we synthesized a new family of ruthenium(II) organometallic complexes envisaging simultaneous active and passive targeting, using biotin and polylactide (PLA), respectively. All compounds with the general formula, [Ru(η⁵-CpR)(P)(2,2′-bipy-4,4′-PLA-biotin)][CF₃SO₃], where R is -H or -CH₃ and P is P(C₆H₅)₃, P(C₆H₄F)₃ or P(C₆H₄OCH₃)₃, were tested against triple-negative breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 showing IC₅₀ values between 2.3–14.6 µM, much better than cisplatin, a classical chemotherapeutic drug, in the same experimental conditions. We selected compound 1 (where R is H and P is P(C₆H₅)₃), for further studies as it was the one showing the best biological effect. In a competitive assay with biotin, we showed that cell uptake via SMVT receptors seems to be the main transport route into the cells for this compound, validating the strategy of including biotin in the design of the compound. The effects of the compound on the hallmarks of cancer show that the compound leads to apoptosis, interferes with proliferation by affecting the formation of cell colonies in a dose-dependent manner and disrupts the cell cytoskeleton. Preliminary in vivo assays in N: NIH(S)II-nu/nu mice show that the concentrations of compound 1 used in this experiment (maximum 4 mg/kg) are safe to use in vivo, although some signs of liver toxicity are already found. In addition, the new compound shows a tendency to control tumor growth, although not significantly. In sum, we showed that compound 1 shows promising anti-cancer effects, bringing a new avenue for triple-negative breast cancer therapy. Full article

Maritime transportation is a key means for Taiwan to transport the cargo in the global trade. Global warming has led to two new navigation channels for arctic passages, the Northeast Passage and Northwest Passage. Research has increasingly addressed the unknown economic costs of these passages, and the increase of navigational activity in the Arctic Ocean has also resulted in CO₂ emissions. Taiwan has one of the leading merchant fleets in the world; however, study on this aspect in Taiwan is not available. We use Port of Taipei, Taiwan as the starting place to compare the two arctic shipping routes and developed a model to determine the shipping costs and as well the CO₂ emission. The results showed that a voyage from the Port of Taipei to the Port of Rotterdam through the Northeast Passage would be 2107 nautical miles shorter than voyage along the current sea route to Europe but 2% to 3% costlier; CO₂ emissions would be 3% lower. Sailing to New York Harbor through the Northwest Passage would shorten voyages by 2459 nautical miles and reduce both costs and CO₂ emissions by 7%. Therefore, if tolls were lowered or sailing speeds increased, sailing through the Arctic Passages could be a great opportunity for shipping industries and enable Taiwan to develop its shipping economy while protecting the marine environment. Full article

Health monitoring and related technologies are a rapidly growing area of research. To date, the electrocardiogram (ECG) remains a popular measurement tool in the evaluation and diagnosis of heart disease. The number of solutions involving ECG signal monitoring systems is growing exponentially in the literature. In this article, underestimated Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) algorithms are used, demonstrating the significant effect of concise representation parameters on improving the performance of the classification process. Cardiovascular disease classification models based on classical Machine Learning classifiers were defined and investigated. The study was undertaken on the recently published PTB-XL database, whose ECG signals were previously subjected to detailed analysis. The classification was realized for class 2, class 5, and class 15 cardiac diseases. A new method of detecting R-waves and, based on them, determining the location of QRS complexes was presented. Novel aggregation methods of ECG signal fragments containing QRS segments, necessary for tests for classical classifiers, were developed. As a result, it was proved that ECG signal subjected to algorithms of R wave detection, QRS complexes extraction, and resampling performs very well in classification using Decision Trees. The reason can be found in structuring the signal due to the actions mentioned above. The implementation of classification issues achieved the highest Accuracy of 90.4% in recognition of 2 classes, as compared to less than 78% for 5 classes and 71% for 15 classes. Full article

Rapid urbanization aggravates issues related to protection and optimization of the ecological environment. Constructing an ecological network system, including ecological values in planning, and using landscape effects efficiently are important for adjusting regional ecological space and promoting local sustainable development. Land use data from eight time points between 1980 and 2020 in the Zhengzhou Metropolitan Area were used to identify the local ecological sources, corridors and nodes and to identify an ecological network with high structural integrity. The study used the FLUS, MSPA, MCR, and gravity models, hydrological analysis, and network structure evaluation by applying tools such as ArcGIS, Guidos Toolbox and Conefor. The results indicated that: (1) among the nine major ecological sources, those in the Yellow River Basin connected the large−scale sources in the east and west of the network, and the rest were located in the northeast, southeast and southwest of the research area, semi−enclosing the main urban area of Zhengzhou. (2) There were 163 least−cost paths and 58 ecological corridors, mainly distributed along the Yellow River Basin. (3) There were 70 ecological nodes, divided into 10 strategic, 27 natural ecological and 33 artificial environment nodes, distributed in key locations such as the core of each source and the intersection of corridors. (4) The ecological network included all the landscape elements in the research area and connected the main ecological substrates in a semi−enclosing network structure with one horizontal and two vertical corridors and four clusters. Full article

In order to understand the organic carbon dynamics in urban rivers, the present study monitored the total organic carbon (TOC) concentration and export in the Shenzhen River and Bay basin. The results show that the average TOC concentrations ranged from 7.04 to 17.50 mg/L in the study area, which exhibited pronounced spatial and temporal variations due to urbanization level, rainfall–runoff, and effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The TOC concentrations of rainwater were averaged at 4.03 mg/L during 2011–2012, which was higher than that of some urban river basins in developed countries. As an average rainfall year, the total TOC export in 2012 was 11.2 × 10⁶ kg/yr in the study basin, of which 37.5% was contributed by the effluent of WWTPs, 14.1% by wet deposition, and 48.4% by the surface non-point sources and endogenous pollution. The areal yield of TOC in the Shenzhen River and Bay basin was 23.73 × 10³ kg/(km².yr) in 2012, which was 2.86 times the Pearl River’s average value and 6.43 times the global average value. According to the predicted values of linear regression, the TOC concentration showed a gradual downward trend (R = 0.87, p < 0.001, n = 14) during the period 2006–2019, which also induced a decreasing TOC export (R = 0.23, p > 0.05, n = 14). Full article

Mitophagy is an important mechanism for maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis through elimination of damaged or dysfunctional mitochondria following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (CIR) injury. β-Caryophyllene (BCP) is a natural sesquiterpene compound found in the essential oil of plants and has been shown to ameliorate CIR injury. However, whether BCP protects neurons from CIR injury by activating mitophagy is still unclear, and the underlying mechanism remains unknown. In the present study, a mouse neuron HT-22 cell of oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) and C57BL/6 male mouse of transient middle artery occlusion followed by 24 h reperfusion (MCAO/R) were established the model of CIR injury. Our results show that BCP remarkably protected against cell death and apoptosis induced by OGD/R, and decreased neurologic injury, infarct volume, and the injury of neurons in CA1 region on MCAO/R mice. In addition, BCP accelerated mitophagy by regulating expression of mitochondrial autophagy marker molecules and the mt-Atp6/Rpl13 ratio (reflecting the relative number of mitochondria), and promoting autophagosome formation compared with OGD/R and MCAO/R groups both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, this study revealed that BCP pre-treatment could activate the Pink1/Parkin2 signaling pathway, also with mitophagy activation. To explore the mechanisms, mitochondrial division inhibitor-1 (Mdivi-1) was used to investigate the role of BCP in CIR injury. We found that Mdivi-1 not only decreased BCP-induced facilitation of mitophagy, but also significantly weakened BCP-induced protection against OGD/R and MCAO/R models, which was consistent with levels of Pink1/Parkin2 signaling pathway. Taken together, these results suggest that facilitating mitophagy via Pink1/Parkin2 signaling is essential for the neuroprotective effect of BCP against CIR injury. Full article

No-take areas are key instruments to promote the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), particularly concerning the protection of endangered species such as the dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus). However, despite the establishment of no-take areas and the prohibition of catching this species in a southwestern Portuguese MPA (SACVMP—‘Sudoeste Alentejano’ and ‘Costa Vicentina’ Marine Park) since 2011, there is still no evidence of population recovery. By using acoustic biotelemetry, this work aimed to evaluate the feasibility of restocking hatchery-reared adult dusky groupers in two no-take areas within the SACVMP. In 2019 and 2021, thirty groupers were tagged with acoustic transmitters and the site attachment and movements of the groupers were assessed in the releasing sites (no-take areas). None of the tagged fish settled down in either of the areas, leaving the no-take areas mainly at dusk and night. Some individuals displayed extended movements of more than a hundred kilometers along the Portuguese coast which was rarely reported for this species. At least in some coastal stretches, those movements were performed close to the shore, which may evidence the importance of coastal MPAs to protect and promote the connectivity of species more associated with rocky reef habitats. Following studies should focus on the conditions that promote site attachment and fidelity by hatchery-reared dusky groupers so that future large-scale restocking programs can be successful in MPAs with appropriate habitats. Full article

Air pollution, as one of the most significant environmental challenges, has adversely affected the global economy, human health, and ecosystems. Consequently, comprehensive research is being conducted to provide solutions to air quality management. Recently, it has been demonstrated that environmental parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, air pressure, and vegetation, interact with air pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM), NO₂, SO₂, O₃, and CO, contributing to frameworks for forecasting air quality. The objective of the present study is to explore these interactions in three Iranian metropolises of Tehran, Tabriz, and Shiraz from 2015 to 2019 and develop a machine learning-based model to predict daily air pollution. Three distinct assessment criteria were used to assess the proposed XGBoost model, including R squared (R²), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), and Mean Absolute Error (MAE). Preliminary results showed that although air pollutants were significantly associated with meteorological factors and vegetation, the formulated model had low accuracy in predicting (R²_PM2.5 = 0.36, R²_PM10 = 0.27, R²_NO2 = 0.46, R²_SO2 = 0.41, R²_O3 = 0.52, and R²_CO = 0.38). Accordingly, future studies should consider more variables, including emission data from manufactories and traffic, as well as sunlight and wind direction. It is also suggested that strategies be applied to minimize the lack of observational data by considering second-and third-order interactions between parameters, increasing the number of simultaneous air pollution and meteorological monitoring stations, as well as hybrid machine learning models based on proximal and satellite data. Full article

The Gulf of Mexico is a hydrocarbon-rich region characterized by the presence of floating oil slicks from persistent natural hydrocarbon seeps, which are reliably captured by synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite imaging. Improving the state of knowledge of hydrocarbon seepage in the Gulf of Mexico improves the understanding and quantification of natural seepage rates in North America. We used data derived from SAR scenes collected over the Gulf of Mexico from 1978 to 2018 to locate oil slick origins (OSOs), cluster the OSOs into discrete seep zones, estimate the flux of individual seepage events, and calculate seep recurrence rates. In total, 1618 discrete seep zones were identified, primarily concentrated in the northern Gulf of Mexico within the Louann salt formation, with a secondary concentration in the Campeche region. The centerline method was used to estimate flux based on the drift length of the slick (centerline), the slick area, and average current and wind speeds. Flux estimates from the surface area of oil slicks varied geographically and temporally; on average, seep zones exhibited an 11% recurrence rate, suggesting possible intermittent discharge from natural seeps. The estimated average instantaneous flux for natural seeps is 9.8 mL s⁻¹ (1.9 × 10³ bbl yr⁻¹), with an annual discharge of 1.73–6.69 × 10⁵ bbl yr⁻¹ (2.75–10.63 × 10⁴ m³ yr⁻¹) for the entire Gulf of Mexico. The temporal variability of average flux suggests a potential decrease following 1995; however, analysis of flux in four lease blocks indicates that flux has not changed substantially over time. It is unlikely that production activities in the Gulf of Mexico impact natural seepage on a human timescale. Of the 1618 identified seep zones, 1401 are located within U.S. waters, with 70 identified as having flux and recurrence rates significantly higher than the average. Seep zones exhibiting high recurrence rates are more likely to be associated with positive seismic anomalies. Many of the methods developed for this study can be applied to SAR-detected oil slicks in other marine settings to better assess the magnitude of global hydrocarbon seepage. Full article

The current study was conducted to assess the level and spatial distribution of metal pollution in surface water, soil, and sediment samples from the Arieș River basin, located in central Romania, an area impacted by various mining and industrial operations. Several pollution indices, spatial distributions, cluster analyses, principal component analyses, and heat maps were applied for evaluating the contamination level with Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Mn, As, and Hg in the area. Based on the results of the Heavy-Metal Pollution Index and of the Heavy-Metal Evaluation Index of the surface-water samples, the middle part of the Arieș River basin, near and downstream of the gold mine impoundment, was characterized by high pollution levels. The metal concentration was higher near the tailing impoundment, with increased levels of Cu, Ni, Zn, and Pb in the soil samples and As, Cd, Pb, Na, K, Ca, Mn, and Al in the sediment samples. Ca (23.7–219 mg/L), Mg (2.55–18.30 mg/L), K (0.64–14.70 mg/L), Al (0.06–22.80 mg/L), and Mn (0.03–22.40 mg/L) had the most remarkable spatial variation among the surface-water samples, while various metal contents fluctuated strongly among the sampling locations. Al varied from 743 to 19.8 mg/kg, Fe from 529 to 11.4 mg/kg, Ca from 2316 to 11.8 mg/kg, and Mg from 967 to 2547 mg/kg in the soil samples, and Al varied from 3106 to 8022 mg/kg, Fe from 314 to 5982 mg/kg, Ca from 1367 to 8308 mg/kg, and Mg from 412 to 1913 mg/kg in the sediment samples. The Potential Ecological Risk Index values for soil and sediments were in the orders Cu > Ni > Pb > Hg > Cr > As > Mn > Zn > Cd and As > Cu > Cr > Cd > Pb > Ni > Hg > Mn > Zn, respectively, and the highest values were found around the gold mine impoundment. Full article

One option for converting the energy in sea waves into renewable electricity is the development of floating wave energy converters coupled to electrical generators. For this to work, bespoke slow-speed electrical machines coupled to bidirectional power smoothing power electronic converters are required. This paper reports on the successful design and wave tank validation of an electric machine, power converter and fully controlled direct drive power take-off system coupled to two small scale heaving wave energy converters. The design, development and demonstration of linear generators and power converters is presented including some simulated and laboratory results. Demonstration of wave energy converters with pure electric drives, fully automated control, bidirectional power flow and active force management is almost unique and essential for future wave energy development. The results presented prove that direct-drive power take-off for wave energy devices is technically possible and can be used to implement an automated control system with bidirectional power flow in both resonant and non-resonant wave energy systems. Full article

The impact of climate change and related hazards such as floods, heatwaves, and sea level rise on human lives, cities, and their hinterlands depends not only on the nature of the hazard, but also on urban development, adaptation, and other socioeconomic processes that determine vulnerability and exposure. Spatial planning can reduce climate risk not just by influencing the exposure, but also by addressing social vulnerability. This requires that relevant information is available to planners and that plans are implemented and coordinated between sectors. This article is based on a research project in Thailand, particularly on the results of multi-sectoral workshops in the case study region of the Andaman Coast in southern Thailand, and draws upon climate risk, spatial planning, and systems thinking discourses. The article formulates recommendations for planning in the context of Thailand that are relevant for other rapidly growing and urbanizing regions. Among other conclusions, it suggests that systems thinking approaches and cross-sectoral strategies are ways to grasp the interdependencies between and within climate risk and spatial development challenges. Full article

(1) Background: Antibiotic (AB) usage in food animals is a significant contributor to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Vaccination can reduce the over-use of AB treatment. Little is known about farmers’ attitudes and beliefs about AB and vaccine usage in developing countries, especially in aquaculture. (2) Methods: We used the necessity/concerns framework to guide our research, where vaccine hesitancy is viewed as a function of the perceived necessity versus the perceived concerns about treatment. We measured disease and treatment perceptions in 400 Vietnamese farmers of Pangasius catfish, specifically regarding (a) chemical treatment of water, (b) antibiotic usage, and (c) vaccination of fish. (3) Results: Although farmers’ concerns about AB usage outweighed necessity beliefs, 86.5% reported having used ABs on their farm. Knowledge and attitudes towards vaccination were positive, with views of its necessity outweighing concerns. However, if available, only 67.6% said they would definitely use vaccines in the future. Farmers were more likely to use vaccines if they reported having fewer problems with fish disease, felt that any concerns about vaccines were outweighed by their perceived benefits, had less mistrust of vaccination, and had fewer concerns about commercial profiteering. (4) Conclusion: Interventions that highlight concerns about continued antibiotic use, reduce concerns, and mistrust and increase the perceived necessity of vaccines combined with greater availability of vaccines may be the most effective way of overcoming vaccine hesitancy and increase appropriate use of vaccines by Vietnamese fish farmers. Full article

High-fat diets are associated with neuronal and memory dysfunction. Berries may be useful in improving age-related memory deficits in humans, as well as in mice receiving high-fat diets. Emerging research has also demonstrated that brain health and cognitive function may be related to the dynamic changes in the gut microbiota. In this study, the impact of Nordic berries on the brain and the gut microbiota was investigated in middle-aged C57BL/6J mice. The mice were fed high-fat diets (60%E fat) supplemented with freeze-dried powder (6% dwb) of bilberry, lingonberry, cloudberry, blueberry, blackcurrant, and sea buckthorn for 4 months. The results suggest that supplementation with bilberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, lingonberry, and (to some extent) cloudberry has beneficial effects on spatial cognition, as seen by the enhanced performance following the T-maze alternation test, as well as a greater proportion of DCX-expressing cells with prolongation in hippocampus. Furthermore, the proportion of the mucosa-associated symbiotic bacteria Akkermansia muciniphila increased by 4–14 times in the cecal microbiota of mice fed diets supplemented with lingonberry, bilberry, sea buckthorn, and blueberry. These findings demonstrate the potential of Nordic berries to preserve memory and cognitive function, and to induce alterations of the gut microbiota composition. Full article

Flood disasters have occurred frequently in recent years, but there is no consensus on the mechanism and influencing factors. Taking the upper reaches of Weihe River Basin as a case in Western China, a soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model was established to quantitatively simulate the impact of land use and climate change on runoff changes, while 4 extreme land-use scenarios and 24 temperature and precipitation scenarios assumptions were proposed to simulate the response of runoff to land use and climate changes. The SWAT simulation results showed that the sensitivity parameters affecting the model simulation were the CANMX, CN2, SOL_K, CH_N2, and SOL_AWC. The correlation index R² and the efficiency coefficient E_NS of the upper Weihe River were both in the range of 0.75–0.78, the relative error PS between the simulated results and the measured runoff was below 10%, suggesting the good applicability of the SWAT model in this study area. Using the improved SWAT model to simulate the peak runoff (flood) simulation value is generally smaller than the measured value, and the absolute value of the error is less than 6%. The expansion of wasteland increased the runoff by over 90% on average, the expansion of cultivated land increased the runoff by 8% on average, and the expansion of woodland and grassland increased the surface runoff by 6% on average. When the precipitation decreased by 25% and the temperature increased by 22%, the smallest runoff was obtained in the simulation. Accordingly, when the precipitation increased by 25% and the temperature decreased by 22%, the maximum annual runoff was obtained. By decomposing the contribution rate of human activities and climate change to runoff, it showed that the contribution rate of human activities to the reduction of runoff was greater than that of climate change. This study can provide scientific reference for the simulation and prediction of future floods. Full article

Brassica crop diseases caused by various pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, fungi and oomycetes, have devastating effects on the plants, leading to significant yield loss. This effect is worsened by the impact of climate change and the pressure to increase cultivation worldwide to feed the burgeoning population. As such, managing Brassica diseases has become a challenge demanding a rapid solution. In this review, we provide a detailed introduction of the plant immune system, discuss the evolutionary pattern of both dominant and recessive disease resistance (R) genes in Brassica and discuss the role of epigenetics in R gene evolution. Reviewing the current findings of how R genes evolve in Brassica spp. provides further insight for the development of creative ideas for crop improvement in relation to breeding sustainable, high quality, disease-resistant Brassica crops. Full article

Currently, urban crises are spreading, even tending to be magnified along the urban networks. Improving urban network resilience can effectively reduce the loss and cope with sudden disasters. Based on the dimensions of regional resilience and the framework of urban network, a new evaluation system of network resilience, including economic, social, and engineering networks, was established to assess the network resilience of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) from a structural perspective. We analyzed the spatial characteristics and influencing factors of network resilience using social network analysis and quadratic assignment procedure. The results were as follows: (1) regional difference was biggest in GBA’s economic network strength while smallest in its transportation network strength, and the east bank of the Pearl River represented an extremely resilient connection axis; (2) the structures of network resilience and its subsystems were heterogeneous, and the connection paths of network resilience were more heterogeneous and diversified than those of the subsystems; (3) network resilience presented an obvious core–edge structure, and the spatial correlation and spillover effect between blocks were substantial; and (4) geographical proximity, as well as differences in economic development, urban agglomeration, and market development, had a significant impact on network resilience. This study provides a more systematic approach to evaluate the regional network resilience, and the results provide references for the construction of bay areas in developing countries. Full article

To provide a scientific basis for pollution prevention and control of the urban environment, the current status of heavy-metal pollution in road dust in Harbin was studied. In total, 63 road dust samples in the main urban area of Harbin were collected, and the contents of Cd and Pb, two representative heavy metals, were detected. Using the Moran Index coupled with semi-variable function and geostatistical methods, the spatial correlation, variation structure, and distribution pattern were analyzed, and the estimated probability of the heavy metals exceeding the safety standard was determined. The study showed that: The mean concentrations of Cd and Pb were higher than the background values in Heilongjiang province, and both exhibited moderate variability, while the coefficient of variation of Cd was larger than that of Pb; Cd was weakly correlated in space and randomly distributed, Pb was moderately correlated in space and exhibited good spatial structure, and both were spatially aggregated. The optimal model for fitting the variance function showed that Cd was a spherical model, and Pb was an exponential model. The variation of Cd was mainly influenced by human factors, and the variation of Pb was influenced by both structural and random factors. The optimized interpolation results of the variance function had high accuracy, and the spatial distribution of Cd was elliptical, whereas the distribution of Pb was stripe-shaped, Cd was mainly influenced by traffic factors, such as industrial enterprise distribution and road painting, while Pb was influenced by natural factors such as river sediment or the study area belonging to a geologically high background area, in addition to the above factors. The estimated probabilities indicate a higher potential risk of Cd in the northeastern part of the study area. Full article

The studies on microplastics are significant in the world. According to the literature, microplastics have greatly specific surface areas, indicating high adsorption capacities for highly toxic pollutants in aquatic and soil environments, and these could be used as adsorbents. The influencing factors of microplastic adsorption, classification of microplastics, and adsorption mechanisms using microplastics for adsorbing organic, inorganic, and mixed pollutants are summarized in the paper. Furthermore, the influence of pH, temperature, functional groups, aging, and other factors related to the adsorption performances of plastics are discussed in detail. We found that microplastics have greater advantages in efficient adsorption performance and cost-effectiveness. In this paper, the adsorptions of pollutants by microplastics and their performance is proposed, which provides significant guidance for future research in this field. Full article

In the context of climate change, extreme rainfall events have greatly increased the frequency and risk of flash floods in the Yellow River Basin. In this study, the heavy rainfall and flash flood processes were studied as a system. Taking the driving factors of the heavy rainfall causing the flash floods as the main focus, the key factors of the heavy rainfall causing typical flash flood processes were identified, and the driving mechanism by which the heavy rainfall caused flash floods was revealed. Through comparative analysis of the rainfall related to 13 floods with peak discharges of greater than 2000 m³/s since measurements began at Baijiachuan hydrological station, it was found that different rainfall factors played a major driving role in the different flood factors. The factor that had the largest impact on the peak discharge was the average rainfall intensity; the factor that had the largest impact on the flood volume was the rainfall duration; and the factor that had the largest impact on the sediment volume was the maximum 1 h rainfall. The ecological construction of soil and water conservation projects on the Loess Plateau has had obvious peak-cutting and sediment-reducing effects on the flood processes driven by medium- and low-intensity rainfall events, but for high-intensity flash floods, the flood-reducing and sediment-reducing effects of these projects have been smaller. Therefore, despite the background of continuous ecological improvement on the Loess Plateau, the possibility of floods with large sediment loads occurring in the middle reaches of the Yellow River still exists. Full article

The ecological uniqueness of the Great Bitter Lake ecosystem makes its bacterial population interesting for investigation. Here, we present the first trial to evaluate the biosynthetic capacity of the bacterial population at the lake as a source of novel antimicrobials. We collected different samples from various locations throughout the lake including the oxic sediment, anoxic sediment, shore water, and off-shore water. We modified a molecular approach to compare and choose the samples with the highest bacterial biosynthetic capacity by quantifying the polyketide synthase gene clusters in their total community DNA. Furthermore, we screened the bacterial isolates recovered from these samples and their metabolic extracts for antimicrobial activity. We tried to tentatively investigate the identity of the active metabolites by PCR screening and LC–MS. The bacterial population in the oxic sediment had the highest biosynthetic capacity compared to other sample types. Four active Bacillus isolates were identified. The isolated Bacillus species were expected to produce numerous probable bioactive metabolites encoded by biosynthetic gene clusters related to the polyketide synthases (either individual or hybrid with non-ribosomal peptide synthetase), such as Bacillomycin D, Iturin A, Bacilosarcin B, Bacillcoumacin G and Macrolactin (N and G). These results suggest that the under-explored bacterial community of the Great Bitter Lake has a prospective biosynthetic capacity and can be a promising source for novel antibiotics. Full article

Oil palm trunk (OPT) veneers have the potential to be used in the production of plywood for marine applications. However, OPT is not resistant to fungal decay and termites, limiting its use in the production of marine plywood. As a result, in this study, phenolic resin treatment was used to improve the biological durability of OPT and produce marine grade equivalent (MGE) plywood. The OPT veneer was treated with medium molecular weight phenol formaldehyde (MmwPF) resin. The results showed that MmwPF resin with a solid content of 30% resulted in higher weight percent gain and polymer retention. Veneers treated with 30% MmwPF resin were then pressed for more than 10 min at temperatures above 140 °C. Dimensional stability, shear strength, bending strength, fungal decay resistance, and termite resistance were all tested on the plywood produced. The results of this study revealed that MGE plywood has satisfactory bonding quality and excellent biological durability. Good bending strength was recorded for the MGE plywood with modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity ranged between 31.03 and 38.85 MPa and 4110 and 5120 MPa, respectively. Rubberwood, as a reference sample in this study, is not durable (Class 5) against white rot fungi and is moderately durable (Class III) against subterranean termite attacks. Interestingly, MGE plywood produced in this study was found very durable (Class 1) against white rot fungi. It is also durable (Class II) and very durable (Class I) against termite attacks, depending on the pressing parameters employed. Based on their outstanding bonding quality, bending strength, and biological durability, the study confirmed the feasibility of OPT plywood for marine applications. Full article

Green innovation, which combines “innovation-driven” and “green development,” is one of the most powerful ways to overcome resource and environmental constraints and enhance manufacturing industry sustainability. Based on the innovation value chain perspective, the green innovation process of manufacturing industry is decomposed into two stages: green scientific and technological R&D and achievement transformation. Then, using the three-stage DEA and Malmquist index model to measure the green innovation performance of China’s manufacturing industry, and compare its regional heterogeneity from the dual perspectives of static efficiency and dynamic productivity. In addition, this paper further discusses the improvement path of green innovation performance of China’s manufacturing industry. The findings are as follows: (1) The green innovation efficiency of manufacturing industry in China is at a comparatively low degree and has great potential for improvement. Moreover, it shows apparent regional heterogeneity: The green innovation efficiency in the eastern region is higher than that in the western region, and both are higher than that in the center region, confirming the phenomenon of “central collapse”. (2) The green innovation productivity of China’s manufacturing industry shows a “W-type” dynamic evolution tendency, with green technological progress as the key driving factor, while the green technical efficiency does not clearly exhibit a “catch-up effect”. Additionally, it shows significant regional heterogeneity: green innovation productivity in the western region is higher than that in the central and eastern regions, indicating a potential “backwardness advantage”. (3) The eastern region of China is located in combination IV, which indicates that it has a high rate of green innovation efficiency but a low rate of green innovation productivity; the central region is located in combination III, which indicates that it has a low rate of both green innovation efficiency and productivity; and the western region is located in combination II, which indicates that it has a low rate of green innovation efficiency but a high rate of green innovation productivity. Last but not least, this paper puts forward three kinds of paths for the improvement of the green innovation performance of China’s manufacturing industry: unilateral breakthrough, step-by-step and stimulating jumping type. Full article

Increasing the promotion and application of biofuel ethanol has been a national strategy in China, which in turn has affected changes in the raw material planting structure. This study analyzed the effects of agricultural land-use changes on water quality in a typical maize fuel ethanol raw material planting area. The results revealed that an increase in cultivated land and construction land would also increase the load of TN (total nitrogen) and TP (total phosphorus), while an expansion in forest land would reduce the load. As for crop structures, maize might have a remarkable positive effect on TN and TP, while rice and soybean performed in no significant manner. Furthermore, scenarios under the carbon neutralization policy and water pollution control were carried out to forecast the nonpoint source pollutants based on the quantitative relations coefficients. It was proven that maize planting was not suitable for vigorous fuel ethanol development. Reducing maize area in the Hulan River Basin was beneficial to reducing nonpoint source pollution. However, the area of maize should not be less than 187 km², otherwise, the food security of the population in the basin would be threatened. Under the change in fuel ethanol policy, this study could provide scientific support for local agriculture land-use management in realizing the carbon neutralization vision and set a good example for the development of the fuel ethanol industry in other maize planting countries. Full article

With the rapid development of remote sensing with small, lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), efficient and accurate crop spike counting, and yield estimation methods based on deep learning (DL) methods have begun to emerge, greatly reducing labor costs and enabling fast and accurate counting of sorghum spikes. However, there has not been a systematic, comprehensive evaluation of their applicability in cereal crop spike identification in UAV images, especially in sorghum head counting. To this end, this paper conducts a comparative study of the performance of three common DL algorithms, EfficientDet, Single Shot MultiBox Detector (SSD), and You Only Look Once (YOLOv4), for sorghum head detection based on lightweight UAV remote sensing data. The paper explores the effects of overlap ratio, confidence, and intersection over union (IoU) parameters, using the evaluation metrics of precision P, recall R, average precision AP, F1 score, computational efficiency, and the number of detected positive/negative samples (Objects detected consistent/inconsistent with real samples). The experiment results show the following. (1) The detection results of the three methods under dense coverage conditions were better than those under medium and sparse conditions. YOLOv4 had the most accurate detection under different coverage conditions; on the contrary, EfficientDet was the worst. While SSD obtained better detection results under dense conditions, the number of over-detections was larger. (2) It was concluded that although EfficientDet had a good positive sample detection rate, it detected the fewest samples, had the smallest R and F1, and its actual precision was poor, while its training time, although medium, had the lowest detection efficiency, and the detection time per image was 2.82-times that of SSD. SSD had medium values for P, AP, and the number of detected samples, but had the highest training and detection efficiency. YOLOv4 detected the largest number of positive samples, and its values for R, AP, and F1 were the highest among the three methods. Although the training time was the slowest, the detection efficiency was better than EfficientDet. (3) With an increase in the overlap ratios, both positive and negative samples tended to increase, and when the threshold value was 0.3, all three methods had better detection results. With an increase in the confidence value, the number of positive and negative samples significantly decreased, and when the threshold value was 0.3, it balanced the numbers for sample detection and detection accuracy. An increase in IoU was accompanied by a gradual decrease in the number of positive samples and a gradual increase in the number of negative samples. When the threshold value was 0.3, better detection was achieved. The research findings can provide a methodological basis for accurately detecting and counting sorghum heads using UAV. Full article

Charophyte algae is a very sensitive group of organisms occupying Kazakhstan waterbodies. They are distributed throughout the country; however, not enough studies have been conducted, especially in the southern region. Research carried out in 2019–2022 identified 33 habitats of charophyte algae in the south and southeastern regions of Kazakhstan, including 15 new to Kazakhstan. Bioindicators and the statistical analysis of 223 species of nine phyla of microalgae associated with charophytes revealed that the main factors influencing the distribution of algal diversity may be habitat altitude and hydrology. The habitat altitude of about 700 m above sea level was shown to be the boundary between the different diversity distributions. The application of bioindicator methods can expand our knowledge on the ecology of the charophyte species in Kazakhstan. The study of algal diversity in charophyte habitats can serve as a tool for tracking climate change under potential future climate warming. Full article

The man-made cereal triticale was fully resistant to the biotrophic diseases powdery mildew, leaf rust, yellow rust, and stem rust from its introduction in Europe in the mid-1970s until about 1990. In the following years, new races that were able to infect at least some triticale genotypes developed in all four pathogen populations, and resistance breeding came into focus. Here, we analyzed 656 winter triticale cultivars from 12 countries for resistance to these biotrophic diseases and Fusarium head blight (FHB) at up to 8 location-year combinations (environments). FHB ratings were corrected for plant height and heading stage by comparing three statistical methods. Significant (p < 0.001) genetic variances were found for all resistances with moderate to high entry-mean heritabilities. All traits showed a normal distribution, with the exception of stem rust, where the ratings were skewed towards resistance. There were no substantial correlations among the five disease resistances (r = −0.04 to 0.26). However, several genotypes were detected with multi-disease resistance with a disease rating below average for all five diseases simultaneously. In future, such genotypes must be selected primarily to cope with future challenges of less pesticide use and global climate change. Full article

The genus Telestes primarily comprises freshwater fish distributed mostly in the Mediterranean area. Recent investigation of the evolutionary history of this genus revealed that it originated in southern Europe, where the most ancient Telestes species are still present. The isolation of rivers in the karstic region facilitated allopatric speciation, resulting in a high number of Telestes species and a great portion of endemic species in freshwater systems of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Most of the endemic Telestes species have very small distribution areas, inhabiting a single river or a few water bodies in a single karstic field, making them extremely vulnerable to anthropogenic changes. In order to contribute to practical conservation of the endemic Telestes species through the design of conservational measures that are likely to be the most effective in ensuring the future viability and undisturbed evolutionary course of those species, we have investigated their population genetic structure and estimated their viabilities. Population viability analyses were carried out based on the current state of populations and their habitats, as well as recognized threats. Several scenarios also included potential threats. Our results show that invasive species pose the biggest threat to the future survival of the endemic Telestes species. Contrary to previous opinions that a reduced genetic diversity is characteristic for small populations, high intraspecific genetic diversity was revealed inside most of the investigated species, which might enable most of the populations to cope with future changes and mitigate negative effects. Full article

A lead (Pb) isotopic record, covering the two oldest glacial–interglacial cycles (~572 to 801 kyr ago) characterized by lukewarm interglacials in the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica Dome C ice core, provides evidence for dust provenance in central East Antarctic ice prior to the Mid-Brunhes Event (MBE), ~430 kyr ago. Combined with published post-MBE data, distinct isotopic compositions, coupled with isotope mixing model results, suggest Patagonia/Tierra del Fuego (TdF) as the most important sources of dust during both pre-MBE and post-MBE cold and intermediate glacial periods. During interglacials, central-western Argentina emerges as a major contributor, resulting from reduced dust supply from Patagonia/TdF after the MBE, contrasting to the persistent dominance of dust from Patagonia/TdF before the MBE. The data also show a small fraction of volcanic Pb transferred from extra-Antarctic volcanoes during post-MBE interglacials, as opposed to abundant transfer prior to the MBE. These differences are most likely attributed to the enhanced wet removal efficiency with the hydrological cycle intensified over the Southern Ocean, associated with a poleward shift of the southern westerly winds (SWW) during warmer post-MBE interglacials, and vice versa during cooler pre-MBE ones. Our results highlight sensitive responses of the SWW and the associated atmospheric conditions to stepwise Antarctic warming. Full article

Marine litter is a transboundary environmental issue that affects all the world’s oceans. Marine litter research is a young discipline but one that has exploded during the last five years. However, the increased knowledge of sources and underlying causes to marine litter, as well as knowledge regarding solutions, lack systematic review and synthesis. This study reviews the scientific discourses around plastic marine litter in Europe, and more specifically, in Norway and Denmark, and explores emerging discourse coalitions. Four main thematic storylines on the source-cause-solution causal relationship, as well as two emerging storylines within marine litter research, are found. This study concludes that in order to secure sustainability of solutions and to avoid risk transformation and greenwashing, more interdisciplinary research, including life cycle assessment and investigations of scientific and societal discourses, is needed. Full article

Ecological flow is an important basis for maintaining the structure and function of river ecosystems, and ensuring the sustainable development of economies and societies in river basins. In order to solve the problems of unclear concepts of ecological flow, difficulty in adapting to dynamic changes in demands, and the hydrological conditions and poor operability of calculated results of a practical application, a variable interval analysis method (VIAM) was proposed to calculate the ecological flow. The method comprehensively considered a variety of variable factors, such as spatial–temporal scale changes, hydrological condition changes, ecological service object changes, and calculation method changes. On the basis of a relatively fixed ecological base flow, a variable lifting amount was added to determine the ecological flow, and the ecological flow was a variable interval. Taking the Wei River as an example, the VIAM was validated and applied. With the support of a knowledge visualization integrated platform, the ecological flow simulation system of the Wei River was constructed. The results show that: (1) the VIAM makes the ecological flow calculation more scientific and reasonable, and the ecological flow of the Wei River from the upper reaches to the lower reaches increases gradually under the influence of water inflow, sewage discharge, and erosion and deposition of sediment, and the annual total water demand of the upper limit of ecological flow in a dry year is 1.04 billion m³, 1.63 billion m³, 2.29 billion m³, 4.09 billion m³, and 4.66 billion m³; (2) the variable interval is used to describe the ecological flow, which has strong applicability and operability; (3) the simulation system can quickly adapt to the demand changes in practical application, and provide visual decision support for managers. The VIAM provides new ideas and references for comprehensively promoting the control of the ecological flow. Full article