Humans influence desert ecosystem structure and function by transforming native vegetation into agricultural and non‐agricultural land. However, how different land uses in desert grasslands affect ...soil phosphorus (P) fractions with varying lability by creating distinct soil physicochemical and microbial properties remains poorly understood. To address this question, a field study was conducted in the arid region of northwestern China, where sites were selected for having an area containing natural desert grassland and three adjacent differently managed land uses converted from desert grassland: 28‐year‐old rainfed shrub (Haloxylon ammodendron) plantation, 35‐year‐old irrigated tree (Populus gansuensis) plantation, and 33‐ to 40‐year‐old irrigated and fertilized croplands. We collected data from four land‐use types for concentrations of soil inorganic and organic P (Pi and Po) fractions of decreasing lability (labile P: resin‐ and NaHCO3‐extractable P; moderately labile P: NaOH‐extractable P; recalcitrant P: HCl‐extractable P and residual P) and edaphic variables as predictors. The relative contributions of individual predictors to variation in P fractions were evaluated using a boosted regression tree analysis. We found significant increases in (1) all P fractions in croplands (77%–418%), with the largest increase in resin‐P; (2) all P fractions except resin‐P in tree plantations (52%–367%), with the largest increase in labile Po; and (3) NaHCO3‐P and HCl‐Pi in shrub plantations (14%–134%), with the largest increase in labile Pi, compared with natural desert grasslands. Edaphic properties dominantly controlled the changes of different P fractions, explaining 51%–93% of the variation in P fractions, but the dominant influential factors differed across P fractions. We conclude that different land uses in desert grassland soil resulted in significant differences in the fractional composition and availability of soil P by affecting edaphic properties differently, informing that soil P cycling can be regulated by altering land‐use types and management levels.
Highlights
Assessing the impact of different land uses in desert grasslands on soil P fractions.
Different land‐use types showed distinct patterns of soil P dynamics and availability.
Soil P responses to land‐use changes were mainly mediated by edaphic properties.
The importance of edaphic factors in regulating P dynamics differed among P fractions.
Soil P cycling can be regulated by altering land‐use types and management levels.
A substantial proportion of prostatic adenocarcinoma (PRAD) patients experience biochemical failure (BCF) after radical prostatectomy (RP). The immune microenvironment plays a vital role in ...carcinogenesis and the development of PRAD. This study aimed to identify a novel immune‐related gene (IRG)‐based signature for risk stratification and prognosis of BCF in PRAD. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis was carried out to identify a BCF‐related module in a discovery cohort of patients who underwent RP at the Massachusetts General Hospital. The median follow‐up time was 70.32 months. Random forest and multivariate stepwise Cox regression analyses were used to identify an IRG‐based signature from the specific module. Risk plot analyses, Kaplan‐Meier curves, receiver operating characteristic curves, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, stratified analysis, and Harrell’s concordance index were used to assess the prognostic value and predictive accuracy of the IRG‐based signature in the internal discovery cohort; The Cancer Genome Atlas database was used as a validation cohort. Tumor immune estimation resource database analysis and CIBERSORT algorithm were used to assess the immunophenotype of PRAD. A novel IRG‐based signature was identified from the specific module. Five IRGs (BUB1B, NDN, NID1, COL4A6, and FLRT2) were verified as components of the risk signature. The IRG‐based signature showed good prognostic value and predictive accuracy in both the discovery and validation cohorts. Infiltrations of various immune cells were significantly different between low‐risk and high‐risk groups in PRAD. We identified a novel IRG‐based signature that could function as an index for assessing tumor immune status and risk stratification in PRAD.
This study aimed to identify a novel immune‐related gene (IRG)‐based signature for risk stratification and prognosis of biochemical failure in prostatic adenocarcinoma (PRAD). We identified an IRG‐based signature using weighted gene coexpression network analysis and random forest and multivariable stepwise Cox regression analyses and assessed the prognostic value and predictive accuracy of the IRG‐based signature in both internal and external cohorts. This novel IRG‐based signature could function as an index for assessing tumor immune status and risk stratification in PRAD. In addition, we analyzed the immune microenvironment of PRAD and identified immune cell changes associated with high‐risk PRAD.
RATIONALE:Hypertension remains to be a global public health burden and demands novel intervention strategies such as targeting T cells and T-cell–derived cytokines. Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) ...antagonists have been clinically used to treat hypertension. However, the function of T-cell MR in blood pressure (BP) regulation has not been elucidated.
OBJECTIVE:We aim to determine the role of T-cell MR in BP regulation and to explore the mechanism.
METHODS AND RESULTS:Using T-cell MR knockout mouse in combination with angiotensin II–induced hypertensive mouse model, we demonstrated that MR deficiency in T cells strikingly decreased both systolic and diastolic BP and attenuated renal and vascular damage. Flow cytometric analysis showed that T-cell MR knockout mitigated angiotensin II–induced accumulation of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)–producing T cells, particularly CD8 population, in both kidneys and aortas. Similarly, eplerenone attenuated angiotensin II–induced elevation of BP and accumulation of IFN-γ–producing T cells in wild-type mice. In cultured CD8 T cells, T-cell MR knockout suppressed IFN-γ expression whereas T-cell MR overexpression and aldosterone both enhanced IFN-γ expression. At the molecular level, MR interacted with NFAT1 (nuclear factor of activated T-cells 1) and activator protein-1 in T cells. Finally, T-cell MR overexpressing mice manifested more elevated BP compared with control mice after angiotensin II infusion and such difference was abolished by IFN-γ–neutralizing antibodies.
CONCLUSIONS:MR may interact with NFAT1 and activator protein-1 to control IFN-γ in T cells and to regulate target organ damage and ultimately BP. Targeting MR in T cells specifically may be an effective novel approach for hypertension treatment.
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is related to chronic inflammation and is currently identified as a risk factor for the occurrence and development of endometrial cancer (EC). Pyroptosis is a new ...proinflammatory form of programmed cell death that plays a critical role in the progression of multiple diseases. However, the important role of pyroptosis in high‐glucose (HG)‐related EC and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. In the present study, transcriptome high‐throughput sequencing revealed significantly higher hexokinase domain‐containing 1 (HKDC1) expression in EC patients with diabetes than in EC patients with normal glucose. Mechanistically, HKDC1 regulates HG‐induced cell pyroptosis by modulating the production of reactive oxygen species and pyroptosis‐induced cytokine release in EC. In addition, HKDC1 regulates TME formation by enhancing glycolysis, promoting a metabolic advantage in lactate‐rich environments to further accelerate EC progression. Subsequently, miR‐876‐5p was predicted to target the HKDC1 mRNA, and HOXC‐AS2 was identified to potentially inhibit the miR‐876‐5p/HKDC1 axis in regulating cell pyroptosis in HG‐related EC. Collectively, we elucidated the regulatory role of the HOXC‐AS2/miR‐876‐5p/HKDC1 signal transduction axis in EC cell pyroptosis at the molecular level, which may provide an effective therapeutic target for patients with diabetes who are diagnosed with EC.
We elucidated the regulatory role of the HOXC‐AS2/miR‐876‐5p/HKDC1 signal transduction axis in endometrial cancer (EC) cell pyroptosis at the molecular level, which may provide an effective therapeutic target for patients with diabetes who are diagnosed with EC.
•The Eigen Microstate method can avoid bias caused by the bimodal distribution of epidemic outbreak size through the scale divergence of singular values.•The eigen microstates and eigen dynamic ...microstates have obvious epidemiological meaning with the outbreak size and individual infection risk.•In real networks, the estimated thresholds obtained by the eigen measure are closer to the theoretical results.•Compared with the assortativity coefficient, the network mean degree or dimension is more significant in the estimated threshold.•In periodically switched double-layer network and the networked metapopulation model, the advantage of eigen measure is more obvious.
Epidemic threshold estimation plays a critical role in prevention strategies. Besides theoretical methods, some numerical methods estimate the threshold through the scale divergence of outbreak size near critical state. But the bimodal distribution of outbreak size may make the estimated threshold higher. In this paper, we extend the Eigen Microstate (EM) method to the susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) epidemic model and devise the eigen measure to estimate the threshold using the scale divergence of singular values. Compared with the susceptibility and variability measure, the estimated threshold of eigen measure is closer to the theoretical results of the heterogeneous mean-field (HMF) and the quenched mean-field (QMF). In addition, better than the assortativity coefficient, network mean degree or dimension has a more significant effect on estimation accuracy. Under complex epidemic mechanisms, such as periodic time-varying networks and migration between networked populations, the threshold estimation of QMF models indicates that the eigen measure is more stable and accurate than the other two measures. Combined with renormalization group theory, our method may have practical significance in megalopolis epidemic warning.
Society could sustain the impact of climate change by adapting to the change and mitigating risks from adverse effects of increasing changes, so that it can continue maintaining its prospect and ...improving wellbeing. Nevertheless, climate change is more or less affecting society's functions at different scales, including both individuals and communities. In this review, we discuss the relationship between society and climate change in China from the aspects of the needs at different socioeconomic developing stages. The relationship as well as the current spatial pattern and future risks of the climate change impacts on societies are summarized. The complexity of social and climatic systems leads to the spatial heterogeneity of climate impacts and risks in China. To more effectively leverage increasing knowledge about the past, we advocate greater cross-disciplinary collaboration between climate adaption, poverty alleviation and Nature-based Solutions (Nbs). That could provide decision makers with more comprehensive train of thoughts for climate policy making.
Migration plays a crucial role in epidemic spreading, and its dynamic can be studied by metapopulation model. Instead of the uniform mixing hypothesis, we adopt networked metapopulation to build the ...model of the epidemic spreading and the individuals’ migration. In these populations, individuals are connected by contact network and populations are coupled by individuals migration. With the network mean-field and the gravity law of migration, we establish the N-seat intertwined SIR model and obtain its basic reproduction number ℛ0. Meanwhile, we devise a non-markov Node-Search algorithm for model statistical simulations. Through the static network migration ansatz and ℛ0 formula, we discover that migration will not directly increase the epidemic replication capacity. But when ℛ0>1, the migration will make the susceptive population evolve from metastable state (disease-free equilibrium) to stable state (endemic equilibrium), and then increase the influence area of epidemic. Re-evoluting the epidemic outbreak in Wuhan, top 94 cities empirical data validate the above mechanism. In addition, we estimate that the positive anti-epidemic measures taken by the Chinese government may have reduced 4 million cases at least during the first wave of COVID-19, which means those measures, such as the epidemiological investigation, nucleic acid detection in medium-high risk areas and isolation of confirmed cases, also play a significant role in preventing epidemic spreading after travel restriction between cities.
•Migration will not directly increase the epidemic replication capacity•The infectives in migration increase the influence area of epidemic.•Empirical data of COVID-19 in top 94 cities validate our mechanism.•The positive anti-epidemic measures can reduce large number of cases.
Epidemics spread in human contact networks, which evolve with diurnal and night time periodically and can be regarded as multilayer networks with different dwell time. The topologies of their ...subnetworks are different from each other, and the stabilities of their dynamic systems are also different. The stabilities of these switched systems, containing stable and unstable subsystems, not only depend on the stability of each subsystem, but also the dwell time of each subsystem. Hence, their stabilities are generally associated with the dwell time, network structure, infection and recovery rate. What is the quantitative relationship among these variables in threshold condition? In this paper, we establish a periodic switched N-intertwined SIS model and obtain its threshold condition in double layer networks, then extend this threshold condition to multilayer networks. This threshold condition is vital to accurately understand the effect of dwell time on spreading result in network. Some simulation results also indicate the accuracy of our threshold condition.
•We establish a universal SIS switched system to study the effect of different dwell time on epidemics spreading.•The threshold condition reveals the quantitative relationship among the dwell time, network structure, infection and recovery rate.
We present the analysis of uniaxial deformation of nickel nanowires using molecular dynamics simulations, and address the strain rate effects on mechanical responses and deformation behavior. The ...applied strain rate is ranging from 1
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Soil extracellular enzyme activities (EEAs) and ecoenzymatic stoichiometry (EES) play an essential role in soil nutrient cycling and organic matter decomposition. Understanding EEAs and EES variation ...patterns and their influencing factors could offer direct information about the soil structure, function, and soil response to anthropogenic disturbances and climate change. This issue is noteworthy, especially in high-altitude areas where climate change is imminent and vegetation is diversified. This study measured different soil EEAs and EES characteristics and explored their key controlling factors along nine altitudes ranging from 2500 m to over 5200 m in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of western China. We also analyzed the effects of plant microhabitats on soil EEAs and EES. The results showed that most soil EEAs and EES had significant variability in spatial characteristics, and enzymatic activity increased with altitude. Compared to the soil nutrient distribution which also increased with altitude, this same change trend of soil EEAs and soil nutrients was inconsistent with the resource allocation theory. Microorganisms might mediate the effects of environmental factors on soil EEAs by altering the enzyme production efficiency. Specific soil EEAs (EEAs/g SOC), like soil enzyme carbon: phosphorus ratios (ECP), and nitrogen: phosphorus ratios (ENP), showed an opposing trend in variation, which decreased with increasing altitude. Plant microhabitats significantly promoted soil EEAs due to the accumulation of soil nutrients (carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus). Soil EEAs and EES's spatial variability was mainly determined by edaphic factors, accounting for >70.24 % and 55.67 % of latitudinal variations, respectively. Generally, carbon and nitrogen limitations were substantial in this area and gradually alleviated with increasing altitude. This study provided a data support for ecological protection of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau based on the spatial variation of soil EEAs and nutrient limitation.
•Soil EEAs had significant spatial variability characteristics with altitude.•Plant microhabitats promoted soil EEAs.•Edaphic factors were the most important for soil EEAs variation.•Carbon and nitrogen limitations were substantial and gradually alleviated with increasing altitude.
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