Efficacy of Pelletized Lime versus Limestone Sand for Forest Regeneration Enhancement in Pennsylvania, USA

The efficacy of limestone sand and pelletized lime for remediation of soil acidity was compared in order to determine if limestone sand was a more cost-effective alternative to pelletized lime. Between fall of 2002 and spring 2003, two forested sites in Pennsylvania were clear cut and fenced. Pelletized lime and limestone sand were applied to separate 400-m2 plots within the sites at rates of 2170 kg·ha-1 and 4335 kg·ha-1, respectively. Two additional 400-m2 plots were used as controls. A paired before-after control-impact study design was used to assess changes in soil, soil solution, vegetation and biomass after lime application. Soil samples were collected from the Oi, Oe + Oa, and A horizons before and after lime application. Woody and herbaceous vegetation was harvested from 1-m2 sub-plots before and after liming and bi-weekly soil solution samples were collected for six months following lime application. Analysis of variance procedures were used to compare changes in the treatment plots over time. Changes in soil chemistry following lime application were comparable on the limestone sand and pelletized lime plots. There was a significant increase in exchangeable Mg and Mg saturation in the Oe + Oa horizon on all of the lime treatment plots relative to controls, but a greater percentage of applied Ca and Mg was exchangeable in the O-horizon in pelletized lime plots nine months after liming. Plant biomass did not increase on the lime treatment plots relative to the control one year post treatment. The majority of applied Ca and Mg from pelletized lime and limestone sand remained in the litter layer, with little movement into the A-horizon after one growing season. These results indicated that the application of limestone sand at two times the rate of pelletized lime produced comparable changes in soil and soil solution chemistry at a fraction of the cost.

Using yttrium as an indicator to estimate total rare earth element concentration:a case study of anthracite-associated clays from northeastern Pennsylvania

This study demonstrated using yttrium(Y)as an indicator to estimate the total rare earth element and Y contents(REY)in coal-associated samples and to facilitate selection of samples with high REY assays in a fast and inexpensive manner.More than 10 anthracite-associated samples were collected from each of three Pennsylvanian sites(sites B,J and C)based on Thorium gamma ray logging suggesting high REY content.Several samples from each site were analyzed by ICP-MS to determine the rare earth distribution patterns and to establish the site-specific linear equations of Y and REY.The Y contents of the remaining samples were measured by a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer,and the REY values were estimated based on the site-specific linear equation developed earlier.R-squared values above 0.70 were obtained for all the estimation equations from all three sites on both a whole sample basis and an ash basis.Previously,ash content has been widely used as an indicator of high REY content.This may not be applicable for a specific site.Site B in this study is an example where ash contents could not be statistically correlated with REY,so using Y for estimation is more applicable.The demonstrated sample screening process is suitable for samples from sites that share more similar distribution patterns(either MREY or LREY or HREY)as well as for samples from sites that share multiple distribution patterns(LREY/MREY/HREY)depending on the desirable accuracy.The demonstrated process lowers the analytical cost from$70 to 80 dollars per sample to$10-15 per sample while significantly reducing the processing time and acid consumption for ICP digestion.This is particularly true when a relatively large sample size is involved,for example,100 samples from one site analyzed by ICP-MS/OES.

洁净煤地质内涵、现状与未来发展方向

【目的】勘查与评价低碳、零排放和煤资源利用最大化是21世纪煤地质工作的重要内容。【研究进展】根据煤、煤地质学研究内容及洁净煤技术国内外发展趋势,定义了广义和狭义洁净煤地质学,其中,煤加工利用中提效减排的地质地球化学问题是狭义煤地质学研究内容,煤炭勘探开发利用以及生态修复等全煤炭生命周期提效减排是广义洁净煤地质学研究内容。概述了煤中有益成分和有害成分的组成与分布,梳理了影响洁净煤技术的地质因素,主要与成煤作用过程中内生、外生地质作用相关,涉及构造、变质、火山喷发、岩浆侵入,风水搬运沉积,氧化还原,地下水等。详细综述了煤炭资源洁净评价、洁净加工、转化与利用等研究现状,回顾了中国洁净煤地质学的研究进展,归纳为萌芽-探索-成熟-确立-拓展等5个阶段。【问题与展望】提出了成煤作用、有机无机、矿物质和洁净评价等所存在的科学与技术问题;指出,未来化学、物理学、生物学及大数据人工智能等方面的发展为洁净煤地质学及其大型工程带来拓展机遇;未来十年,洁净煤时空分布、绿色智能煤气等共伴生矿产分质共采、洁净煤气化、煤基新材料、地下煤化工、生态修复等是重要研发方向,建议持续关注相关创新研究成果。

面向基因调控网络的基因关联分析算法

基因调控网络是基于微阵列基因表达数据,对基因之间表达关系依赖程度的一种仿真或重建。从基因表达数据挖掘基因之间存在的一定程度因果关系,对重构基因调控网络具有十分重要的意义。提出一种基于频繁原子序列关联熵的基因关联分析算法,通过基因关联熵有效识别基因之间的因果关系,并采用启发式搜索策略构建基因关联贝叶斯调控网络(gene association based Bayesian regulatory,GABR)。与基因贝叶斯网络描述基因表达水平值之间依赖关系不同,GABR是一种基因序列贝叶斯网络,基因关联分析对象是生物组织样本的基因表达值排序并置换为基因列下标所形成的序列。算法的优势在于基因变量取值原子序列,该基因为原子序列的结果,基因关联熵以及条件概率分布的计算更符合基因表达数据分析的生物本质特征。ALARM网络模拟数据的实验结果表明,基因关联分析算法性能明显优于同类算法。在酵母菌微阵列基因数据GDS2267和小鼠胚胎基因GSE76118等GEO数据集进行实验,测试结果表明GABR方法重构的基因调控网络具有较高的有效性和鲁棒性。

父母教养方式对青少年共情能力的影响——基于SSES 2019数据比较

虽然东西方学者都已就青少年共情能力与父母教养方式的关系进行了充分的研究,目前这一领域仍以单国别研究为主,欠缺跨文化视角下的分析。鉴于此,根据渥太华、休斯敦、大邱和苏州的SSES 2019学生问卷调查数据,本研究采用描述性统计的方法,对上述北美(西方)、东亚(东方)两个文化圈的青少年共情能力进行概览与比较分析。同时,通过线性回归的方法,本研究分析了不同父母教养方式与青少年共情能力关系的跨文化差异。研究结果显示,在所有被选地区,女生的共情能力普遍高于男生,理解-倾听型的父母教养方式对青少年的共情能力有显著正向影响,其中母亲的影响最为显著。东亚青少年的共情能力普遍高于北美,且在年龄和性别方面的差异更为显著。此外,严厉-惩罚型父母教养方式在东亚文化圈对共情能力有显著影响,而在北美地区则不明显。这些跨文化研究结果强调了文化背景对共情能力发展的重要影响,尤其是东亚文化圈中的儒家传统可能通过强调孝道促进了青少年的共情能力培养。

From text to image:challenges in integrating vision into ChatGPT for medical image interpretation

Large language models(LLMs),such as ChatGPT developed by OpenAI,represent a significant advancement in artificial intelligence(AI),designed to understand,generate,and interpret human language by analyzing extensive text data.Their potential integration into clinical settings offers a promising avenue that could transform clinical diagnosis and decision-making processes in the future(Thirunavukarasu et al.,2023).This article aims to provide an in-depth analysis of LLMs’current and potential impact on clinical practices.Their ability to generate differential diagnosis lists underscores their potential as invaluable tools in medical practice and education(Hirosawa et al.,2023;Koga et al.,2023).

Calcium channels caught in peripheral glia’s tug-of-war on axon regeneration in Drosophila

Neural damage or degeneration is at the crux of many diseases,and treatment of these diseases will require the development of therapeutics to enhance and guide neural regeneration.Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors dictate a neuron’s ability to regenerate,and the combination of these factors results in the great regenerative capacity of the peripheral nervous system(PNS)and the poor regenerative capacity of the central nervous system(CNS)following injury.At the core of a neuron’s function is its ability to relay electrochemical signals,and a neuron’s excitability is a key factor in its ability to regenerate.Recent works have focused on the changes in neuronal electrophysiological properties,firing patterns,and ion flux after injury,which differentially activate signaling pathways at the core of regeneration.The role of glia in neuron regeneration has long been studied.

E3 Ligases and COVID-19:Insights into Viral Control andTherapeutic Potential

The COVID-19 pandemic,caused by the newly emerged coronavirus SARS-CoV-2,has resulted in unprecedented global health challenges,including millions of infections and deaths.While the direct effects of the virus are critical,the interplay between SARS-CoV-2 and cellular host factors significantly impacts the replication cycle of the virus and the clinical severity of COVID-19.This review provides a comprehensive analysis of hostpathogen interactions,focusing on the functional roles and regulatory mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins.We systematically review the literature to detail how SARS-CoV-2 engages with host cellular machinery,with a specific emphasis on their modulation by E3 ubiquitin ligases.By dissecting these intricate interactions and the impact of E3 ligases on SARS-CoV-2 infection,we aimto uncover novel therapeutic opportunities and strategies to effectively combat COVID-19.

Constraints on triggered seismicity and its control on permeability evolution

Triggered seismicity is a key hazard where fluids are injected or withdrawn from the subsurface and may impact permeability. Understanding the mechanisms that control fluid injection-triggered seismicity allows its mitigation. Key controls on seismicity are defined in terms of fault and fracture strength, second-order frictional response and stability, and competing fluid-driven mechanisms for arrest. We desire to constrain maximum event magnitudes in triggered earthquakes by relating pre-existing critical stresses to fluid injection volume to explain why some recorded events are significantly larger than anticipated seismic moment thresholds. This formalism is consistent with several uncharacteristically large fluid injection-triggered earthquakes. Such methods of reactivating fractures and faults by hydraulic stimulation in shear or tensile fracturing are routinely used to create permeability in the subsurface. Microearthquakes (MEQs) generated by such stimulations can be used to diagnose permeability evolution. Although high-fidelity data sets are scarce, the EGS-Collab and Utah FORGE hydraulic stimulation field demonstration projects provide high-fidelity data sets that concurrently track permeability evolution and triggered seismicity. Machine learning deciphers the principal features of MEQs and the resulting permeability evolution that best track permeability changes – with transfer learning methods allowing robust predictions across multiple eological settings. Changes in permeability at reactivated fractures in both shear and extensional modes suggest that permeability change (Δk) scales with the seismic moment (M) of individual MEQs as Δk∝M. This scaling relation is exact at early times but degrades with successive MEQs, but provides a method for characterizing crustal permeability evolution using MEQs, alone. Importantly, we quantify for the first time the role of prestress in defining the elevated magnitude and seismic moment of fluid injection-triggered events, and demonstrate that such MEQs can also be used as diagnostic in quantifying permeability evolution in the crust.

Effects of probiotic treatment on the prognosis of patients with sepsis: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Sepsis, a common acute and critical disease, leads to 11 million deaths annually worldwide. Probiotics are living microorganisms that are beneficial to the host and may benefit sepsis outcomes, but their effects are stil inconclusive. This study aimed to evaluate the overal eff ect of probiotics on the prognosis of patients with sepsis.DATA RESOURCES: We searched several sources for published/presented studies, including Pub Med, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library and the US National Library of Medicine Clinical Trials Register(www.clinicaltrials.gov) updated through July 30, 2023, to identify all relevant randomized controlled trials(RCTs) or observational studies that assessed the effectiveness of probiotics or synbiotics in patients with sepsis and reported mortality. We focused primarily on mortality during the study period and analyzed secondary outcomes, including 28-day mortality, in-intensive care unit(ICU) mortality and other outcomes.RESULTS: Data from 405 patients in five RCTs and 108 patients in one cohort study were included in the analysis. The overall quality of the studies was satisfactory, but clinical heterogeneity existed. All adult studies reported a tendency for probiotics to reduce the mortality of patients with sepsis, and most studies reported a decreasing trend in the incidence of infectious complications, length of ICU stay and duration of antibiotic use. There was only one RCT involving children.CONCLUSION: Probiotics show promise for improving the prognosis of patients with sepsis, including reducing mortality and the incidence of infectious complications, particularly in adult patients. Despite the limited number of studies, especially in children, these findings will be encouraging for clinical practice in the treatment of sepsis and suggest that gut microbiota-targeted therapy may improve the prognosis of patients with sepsis.

中国社会变迁与人的发展:多元建构观点和相关研究

当代全球化背景下的社会变迁导致了不同价值观和生活方式共存和整合,构成了人的发展的新的环境。在中国的社会变迁过程中,与市场化相匹配的价值观(如竞争性、独立性、自我表现)和传统价值观(如社会关系,服从集体,自我控制)在人的社会和心理适应中具有不同的功能。不同文化的碰撞和整合也可能促进新的行为品质的产生,有利于增强人们应对各种情境的能力。根据多元建构观点,群体水平上的社会互动过程,如同伴团体活动中的社会评价和反应及其对个体行为的调节,在社会变迁和文化整合对人的发展的影响中起着关键作用。群体中的行为规范与评价标准的变化通过社会互动过程不仅会影响个体认知、行为和情绪的展现水平,而且也影响它们的功能性意义。本文首先回顾这一领域里的主要理论框架及其在中国情境中应用的问题,并在此基础上着重讨论社会变迁与人的发展的多元建构观点。接着,在对中国儿童独特的气质特征和基于传统文化的社会化方式考察后,进一步从多元建构角度讨论中国当代社会变迁对人的发展的影响的相关研究,包括专刊论文中报告的研究。最后,本文对这一领域的发展方向提出一些建议。

防御型治疗仅是医生的责任吗?

医患共享决策背景下,独辟患者角度分析其诊疗需求对医生防御型治疗行为影响.建立演化博弈模型,特别抓取患者风险规避程度这一显著特征内生化诊疗需求,分析医患行为变化,并探究医患策略随患者患病程度的演变规律.研究表明,患者风险规避程度低于特定阈值则诱发防御型治疗,且促使患者接受度提升.此外,在患病程度对患者拒绝行为促进作用下,应重点关注医生轻疾诊疗决策并降低防御型治疗经济激励.研究结论对改善患者风险规避程度,设置差异化声誉惩罚,制定重大疾病补贴政策,DRGs定额支付方式推广与医养结合服务项目延伸等具有借鉴价值.

基于NSGA-Ⅱ算法的绿色基础设施多目标空间优化

【目的】绿色基础设施(green infrastructure,GI)是提供多种生态系统服务、保护区域生态系统安全和稳定的重要载体,而GI所能供给的各项生态系统服务之间的权衡关系导致GI的规划决策难以同时最大化多项服务供给。旨在以多项生态系统服务供给协同增益为目标构建一个辅助GI规划决策的多目标空间优化模型。【方法】基于NSGA-Ⅱ算法,以InVEST模型构建目标函数,在Python开发了协同生境质量服务、作物生产服务、雨洪削减服务3项主导生态系统服务的GI布局优化模型,并在安徽省芜湖市中心城区进行了应用。【结果】优化模型共获取50个末代帕累托最优GI布局,据此遴选出不同服务偏好下的GI布局方案,各方案相应服务供给能力得到显著提升:生境质量目标偏好方案的全局平均生境质量指数从现状方案的0.2988提升至0.3115;雨洪削减服务目标偏好方案的径流滞蓄量从70189.34 mm/a提升至71673.20 mm/a;作物生产目标偏好方案将作物生产总价值量从464169.51万元提升至464582.90万元;折衷方案的雨洪削减服务供给能力和生境质量服务供给能力优于现状方案,其径流滞蓄量和生境质量指数分别达到71658.67 mm/a和0.2993,而在作物生产服务供给能力上并没有实现对现状方案的提升。根据优化结果分析了GI供给的各项服务间的权衡与协同关系,归纳了在各种服务偏好下和协同多项服务时的GI空间布局特征。【结论】多目标优化算法为辅助协同多项生态系统服务的GI布局决策、探索生态系统服务间权衡与协同关系、明确不同服务目标导向下的GI空间规划策略提供了重要参考,为国土空间规划视角下采用模型算法辅助生态空间及GI规划的实践提供了有力工具。

2023年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖简介

2023年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖授予两位科学家Katalin Kariko和Drew Weissman,以表彰他们对于核苷碱基修饰的发现,从而使得开发针对新型冠状病毒肺炎(corona virus disease 2019,COVID-19)的有效mRNA疫苗成为可能。两位诺贝尔奖获得者的发现对于开发针对在2020年初开始流行的COVID-19的有效mRNA疫苗起到了至关重要的作用。他们的突破性发现从根本上改变了我们对mRNA如何与机体免疫系统相互作用的理解,获奖者在现代人类健康面临最大威胁之一的关键性时刻,为疫苗开发做出了前所未有的杰出贡献。

基于DIP付费的再入院精准惩罚规则设计

合理设计再入院惩罚规则,是降低医院再入院率,提高医疗服务质量的重要手段.我国当前推行基于大数据的按病种分值付费(bigdatadiagnosis-interventionpacket,DIP),虽科学考虑我国医疗发展区域性差异较大特征而取得较好成本监管效果,但因其报销患者单次入院费用导致医院降低再入院率动力不足.基于符合我国国情的DIP成本惩罚规则,构建医保机构、医院与患者间博弈模型,探究监管再入院的精准医保支付与惩罚基准设计.研究发现,医院具有强竞争优势时,设立再入院惩罚规则能够改变医院再入院率决策,然而,固定惩罚界限的惩罚规则不一定能激励医院降低再入院率,重度惩罚规则也不一定是最优惩罚方式.依据医院历史再入院率梯度设计惩罚界限的精准惩罚规则能有效激励医院降低再入院率.扩展讨论两医院具有同等竞争优势情形,证明梯度设计惩罚界限的精准惩罚规则仍奏效.

农村儿童创造力与内、外化问题行为的关系

本研究选取339名农村公立小学四年级儿童为研究对象,旨在考察儿童创造力与内、外化问题行为之间的关系。结果显示:(1)独创性与适用性显著负相关;(2)独创性与适用性均显著负向预测内化问题行为;(3)独创性显著负向预测外化问题行为,并且存在独创性与适用性的显著交互效应,表现为独创性对外化问题行为的负向预测作用仅在高适用性水平下显著。本研究结果有助于理解在农村背景下儿童创造力与问题行为的关系。

苦学、混日子或放弃:高考改革背景下县中农村高中生的日常学习

近年来,以农村生源为主的县中升学状况不容乐观。许多研究将其归咎于超级中学抢夺县中的优质生源和优秀教师,鲜有研究留意到高考改革背景下农村高中生的日常学习行动。本文借助布迪厄的实践理论分析河南省一所县中农村学生在高考改革后“学”的常规实践:苦学、混日子或放弃。由于家庭文化资源匮乏、学校教学方式僵化,苦学成为农村学生竞逐升学机会的基本途径。然而,随着高考改革越来越强调活学活用,农村学生的苦学成为死读书,很难在高考中脱颖而出。在强烈感知到苦学效用有限时,他们诉诸混日子或弃考。本文指出,扭转县中升学困局有赖于调整农村学生付出学业努力的方式,而改变学校僵化的教学方式至关重要。

基于基因关联分析的贝叶斯网络疾病样本分类算法

基因表达数据作为生物学中一种特定类型的大数据,尽管基因表达值都是普通的实数值,但它们的相似性不是基于欧氏距离度量,而是基于基因表达值是否展现同升同降趋势。目前的基因贝叶斯网络以基因表达水平值为节点随机变量,没有体现这种子空间模式的相似性。因此,提出基于基因关联分析的贝叶斯网络疾病分类算法(BCGA),从带类标签的疾病样本-基因表达数据中学习贝叶斯网络并预测新疾病样本的分类。首先,将疾病样本离散化过滤以选择基因,并将降维后的基因表达值排序和置换为基因列下标;其次,分解基因列下标序列为长度为2的原子序列集合,而这个集合的频繁原子序列对应一对基因的关联关系;最后,通过基因关联熵度量因果关系,并用于贝叶斯网络结构学习。BCGA的参数学习也变得很容易,基因节点的条件概率分布只要统计该基因的原子序列和父节点基因的原子序列出现频次即可。在多个肿瘤和非肿瘤基因表达数据集上的实验结果表明,相较于已有的同类算法,BCGA的疾病分类准确率明显提高,分析时间有效缩短;另外,BCGA使用基因关联熵代替条件独立性,使用基因原子序列代替基因表达值,可以更好地拟合基因表达数据。

鲁藩的《族约》——明代宗藩的自治主张

明成化以后,随着宗藩数量的增加,对这一群体如何进行更有效的管理,不仅是朝廷的议题,也是宗藩成员关注的事项。以此为背景,本文具体考察弘治年间山东鲁王府修订的《族约》。鲁藩《族约》明确说明其内容采自蓝田《吕氏乡约》,以此获得道德性和政治正确性。与《皇明祖训》规定的管理措施不同,也与当时朝臣提出的保全宗藩的建议有别,鲁藩《族约》以自治和互助为内容,强调精英成员在王府管理中的作用。鲁藩《族约》是明代中期一部分宗藩自我认识、自我管理主张的表达。《族约》收入于鲁府宗室编纂的《鲁藩别乘》,也是鲁王府声望建设的一部分。

Sustainable land management in Mali

This study uses logistic and Poisson regression models to examine the factors influencing the adoption of sustain-able land management(SLM)practices in Mali using two rounds of the nationally representative survey Enquête Agricole de Conjoncture Intégrée aux Conditions de Vie des Ménages.The SLMs considered include the applica-tion of organic fertilizers,the application of inorganic fertilizers,the use of improved seeds,and the practice of intercropping.On average the application of organic fertilizers(39.2%),and inorganic fertilizers(28.7%)are the most frequent SLM practices among Malian farmers,and between 2014 and 2017,we observe a decline in the practice of intercropping.The regression results show that farmers’adoption of different SLMs is significantly associated with biophysical factors(average temperature,climate type,plot size,plot shape,and location),de-mographic factors(age,gender,education,household size),and socioeconomic factors(number of cultivated plots,livelihood diversification,type of crop grown,market access,credit access,economic shocks,and social capital).Our findings suggest that policymakers and agricultural development agencies in Mali need to adopt a multidimensional policy framework to unlock the untapped potential of SLM practices in promoting sustainable agriculture and food security.