Browse Articles
Discover research articles across all indexed journals
Spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of apple carbon emissions in China, 1991–2020
Abstract Articulating the spatial and temporal features of apple carbon emissions in China across different years and areas is critical for developing an appropriate and acceptable apple carbon reduction program. This paper builds a provincial-level database (1991–2020) of apple carbon emissions in China, covering six primary sources: chemical fertilizers, pesticides, plastic films, machinery, irrigation, and tillage. By using the LMDI approach, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and barycenter analysis, we find that (1) China’s apple carbon emissions exhibited an M-shaped fluctuation pattern, with a 1.38-fold increase during the study period, while apple carbon intensity increased 67.01%. (2) Chemical fertilizers were the largest contributor (55%) to apple carbon emissions, followed by plastic films, irrigation, pesticides, machinery, and tillage. (3) Apple carbon emissions showed significant regional heterogeneity, with a spatial pattern of the Bohai Bay production area as the largest in terms of carbon emissions and carbon intensity. While chemical fertilizers were the primary contributor in the other four production areas, plastic films had a disproportionately high impact in Bohai Bay production area. Moreover, 13 provinces increased their carbon emissions, while 9 provinces reduced. Chemical fertilizers, plastic films and irrigation were dominant contributing factors in 14, 5, and 3 provinces, respectively. (4) There is no significant spatial association between surrounding provinces in apple carbon emissions. Spatial correlations reveal a “high-low” or “low-high” agglomeration of negative values during certain individual years. In 2020, the barycenter of apple carbon emissions migrated southwestward 451.69 km, reaching Shaanxi Province. This article recommends promoting organic fertilizers, water-fertilizer integration, mulch recycling, straw mulching, and drip irrigation to minimize apple carbon emissions. Additionally, region-specific emission reduction strategies should be developed, with particular emphasis on Shaanxi and Gansu, considering their distinct spatial and temporal characteristics.
Factors influencing attrition among adults in HIV care at two referral hospitals in northern coastal Eritrea from 2005 to 2021
Energetics and evolutionary fitness
It has long been recognized that energy is the currency of evolution, but contrasting conceptions of the relationship between energy and adaptation have yielded different interpretations. In the equal fitness paradigm (EFP), fitness (defined as the energetic equivalent of surviving offspring per generation) is held to be a constant within and between species in a steady-state, zero-sum closed system of constant energy availability. The fossil record, however, indicates that living space and energy availability and access have increased over time in response to pervasive natural selection that favors traits conferring as much power (energy per unit time) as possible, given the constraints imposed by external conditions and other organisms. Through various collaborative relationships and power-enhancing innovations, the inevitable tradeoffs among reproductive parameters envisioned in the EFP are relaxed enough that allocation to offspring can vary in space and time. We suggest that the EFP applies only under highly specific conditions of local constancy of energy availability and not to the biosphere as a whole. We note that fitness, however defined, need therefore not be constant and is difficult to measure in extant species and to infer with proxies in fossil taxa.
Impact of 10% vs. 5% immunoglobulin products on treatment outcomes in Kawasaki disease: a multicenter retrospective study
Prediction of coronary heart disease based on klotho levels using machine learning
Evaluating the effects of active social touch and robot expressiveness on user attitudes and behaviour in human–robot interaction
Correction: BMP2 expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma and its effects on SCC9 cell biological behavior
Parameter uncertainty in medium-term coastal morphodynamic modeling
Abstract Rising sea levels and anthropogenic activities are intensifying pressure on coastal zones. Process-based coastal morphodynamic models are increasingly used to forecast natural and anthropogenic beach morphology changes at various spatio-temporal scales. Such predictions are crucial for the sustainable management of coasts. However, process-based morphodynamic models contain numerous free model parameters, introducing uncertainty in predictions. Systematically exploring the parameter space has remained a challenge due to the high computational demands of these morphodynamic models. Here, for the first time we quantify parameter uncertainty of a state-of-the-art morphodynamic (2DH) coastal area model (Delft3D) by systematically varying key model parameters, utilizing the Dutch national supercomputer: SurfSara. We simulate the initial (14-month) response of the Sand Engine, an innovative mega-nourishment placed along the Holland coast with 1024 strategically chosen parameter sets. The resulting simulations are analysed using Generalised Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) to attain probability distributions of morphological evolution and its sensitivity to parameter settings. The model simulations all show an alongshore redistribution of sediment resembling what is observed. However, even simulations with similar skill reveal substantial differences in predicted morphologies (same order of magnitude as the predictions’ 90% confidence interval). Our findings suggest that identifying a single optimal parameter set for coastal numerical models might be unrealistic, even for well-defined cases like large-scale coastal interventions, and that an ensemble modeling approach that quantifies parameter uncertainty is likely better suited for studies relying on morphodynamic predictions. Furthermore, we find that the magnitude of the uncertainty induced by the free model parameters is comparable to that resulting from year-to-year variations in wave climate, underscoring the importance of including both sources in uncertainty assessments.
Development of a novel extension of Rayleigh distribution with application to COVID-19 data
Dynamic and magnetic field model of the magnetic pendulum mechanical antenna based on torque analysis
Effects of a theory driven and culturally tailored educational program on promoting cervical cancer screening in rural populations
Abstract Urban–rural disparities in the uptake rate of cervical cancer screening are significant, while one major barrier to rural populations completing the screening is a lack of knowledge. Therefore, implementing health education targeted towards rural populations is crucial. This study aimed to investigate the impact of a theory-driven, culture-tailored educational program on promoting cervical cancer screening among rural Chinese women. The study, a two-arm parallel, non-randomized controlled trial, was conducted in 10 villages. A total of 362 rural women aged 25–64 years (Mean = 45.18, SD = 9.11) were recruited and assigned to the intervention arm or the control arm, with 181 participants in each. Both groups received routine local health education on cervical cancer screening, while the intervention arm also participated in a five-session nurse-led educational program based on social cognitive theory and adapted to the rural Chinese sociocultural context. The primary outcome measured was the cervical cancer screening uptake rate, with secondary outcomes including self-efficacy and knowledge of cervical cancer screening. Data analysis was performed using Chi-square and generalized estimating equation (GEE) models. Results indicated that the intervention arm demonstrated significantly greater improvements in self-efficacy and knowledge than the control arm immediately after the intervention and at three months post-intervention (p < 0.001). At six months post-intervention, the screening uptake rate in the intervention arm was significantly higher (p < 0.001). Furthermore, 18 months post-intervention, the self-efficacy and knowledge of the intervention arm remained at relatively high levels (p < 0.001). The study findings demonstrated that the educational program had a positive impact on increasing participation in cervical cancer screening within rural communities. As a result, the theory-driven and culture-tailored educational program could be incorporated into cancer prevention promotion strategies in rural areas. However, further high-quality randomized control trials are necessary to assess and generalize this educational approach more widely. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2200055954. Registered 29 January 2022, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojEN.html?proj=150955.
Integrative in silico and in vivo Drosophila model studies reveal the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties of red radish microgreen extract
A multi-center retrospective analysis of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy for detecting additional positive axillary node metastasis in early breast cancer
Author Correction: Trends in the use of thyroid diagnostics and treatments between 2008 and 2019 in Germany
Evaluating the environmental impact of cleaning the North Pacific Garbage Patch
Abstract Cleanup of existing plastic pollution is crucial to mitigate its impact on marine ecosystems, but such efforts must ensure benefits outweigh potential environmental damage caused by the cleanup. Here, we present an impact assessment framework and apply it to evaluate whether cleaning the North Pacific Garbage Patch (NPGP) benefits marine life and carbon cycling, using The Ocean Cleanup as a case study. Our findings indicate that marine life is more vulnerable to plastic pollution than to macroplastic cleanup, with average vulnerability scores (1 = low, 3 = high) of 2.3 for macroplastics, 1.9 for microplastics, and 1.8 for cleanup, suggesting a net positive impact. An 80% cleanup could reduce macroplastic concentrations to within reported safe levels for marine mammals and sea turtles. Estimated cleanup-related carbon emissions [0.4–2.9 million metric tons (Mt) in total] are significantly lower than potential long-term microplastics impacts on ocean carbon sequestration (15–30 Mt C per year). However, uncertainties remain regarding effects on air-sea carbon exchange. Our framework serves as a critical tool for assessing trade-offs between plastic pollution and remediation impacts. It demonstrates the environmental net benefits of the proposed NPGP cleanup and can be adapted to similarly evaluate other remediation plans.
Evaluation of chip breaker designs on tool life and hole integrity in drilling of HFRP/Al composite
Serum expression signature of TUG1, MALAT1, miR-483, and miR-141 and their targets TGF-β1 and STAT3 in severe male factor infertility
Abstract Long non-coding RNAs and microRNAs have evolved as biomarkers and specific therapeutic targets for male infertility. We investigated the seminal plasma and serum expression profiles of TUG1, MALAT1, miR-483, and miR-141 and their targets TGF-β1 and STAT3 in severe male factor infertility. The potential of their serum levels as minimally invasive, clinically accessible, and more feasible biomarkers and their clinical correlations were explored. Thirty non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) patients, 30 severe oligozoospermia (SO) patients, and 30 healthy fertile men (controls) were enrolled. Compared to controls, seminal plasma and serum TUG1 and miR-141 were downregulated; meanwhile, miR-483 and STAT3 were upregulated in both NOA and SO patients, while MALAT1 was upregulated in NOA but downregulated in SO patients. Seminal plasma TGF-β1 was higher in NOA patients than in controls and SO patients, while its serum levels were not statistically different between the studied groups. NOA patients showcased higher serum STAT3 mRNA expression than SO patients. Seminal plasma and serum levels of most of the tested markers were correlated among NOA and SO patients. Multivariate logistic analysis unraveled the association of serum TUG1 and miR-141 with NOA risk and serum TUG1 and miR-483 with SO risk. A serum-based panel of TUG1/miR-141 and TUG1/miR-483 discriminated NOA (AUC = 0.93) and SO (AUC = 0.972) from controls, respectively. Serum miR-141 was correlated with the hormonal profile in NOA patients. In SO patients, serum TUG1 was correlated with total testosterone levels and abnormal sperm motility, while serum MALAT1 was inversely correlated with the testicular volume. Conclusively, this study introduces a novel serum-based prediction panel of TUG1/miR-141 and TUG1/miR-483 to help enhance the accuracy of NOA and SO diagnosis. Serum MALAT1 and STAT3 could be useful in stratifying NOA and SO. These findings warrant more future investigations for their possible implication in male infertility diagnostics.