Accurately quantifying and analyzing the distribution, spatial autocorrelation, and sources of heavy metals (HMs) in soil and river sediments is crucial for assessing human and geological impacts on regional environments. This study collected 9631 soil and 61 sediment samples from the upstream Yishu River Basin, characterized by mountainous reservoirs, to systematically investigate the spatial distribution and potential sources of HMs. We suggest that mountainous reservoirs significantly intercept and regulate HMs in sediments. The average HM concentrations were higher in soils than in sediments, with elevated levels observed in mountainous regions and fault zones. Soils in clastic rock areas had notably higher HM concentrations than those in carbonate rock areas. Using bivariate local indicators of spatial association (LISA) and the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, five major sources of HMs in soils and sediments were identified: agricultural activities (Cu, Zn, Cd), geological background (Cr, Ni), coal combustion (Hg), mining activities (As, Cu, Ni), and traffic-industrial mixed sources (Pb, As, Cr, Cd). This approach pinpointed the two major hotspot areas located in the Yishui Urban Area and the Gongdanshan Mining Area, providing a scientific basis for the management and prevention of HMs contamination in key water source areas.
The phyB mutant exhibits robust salt tolerance via enhanced K⁺/Na⁺ homeostasis, proline accumulation, and membrane stability. Transcriptomics reveals PHYB coordinates a unique early-response network involving transcription factors, kinesins, and DNA metabolism. Integrated population eQTL analysis and transcriptional regulation prediction condense a core salt-tolerance module of four transcription factors, three kinesins, and six DNA metabolism genes. This study identifies actionable targets for genetic improvement of salt-tolerant varieties. Soil salinization poses a significant threat to global rice production, underscoring the urgent need to improve salt tolerance as a key strategy for ensuring food security. In this study, we report that the phytochrome B (phyB) mutant exhibits robust salt tolerance via enhanced K⁺/Na⁺ homeostasis, proline accumulation, and membrane stability. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that phyB modulates salt adaptation via transcription factor activity, DNA metabolism, and motor activity. Utilizing the salt-responsive expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data from global mini-core rice collection comprising 202 accessions, we systematically screened enriched Gene Ontology (GO) terms and predicted a set of core salt tolerance-related genes at genomic level in the phyB mutant. Transcriptional regulation analysis established a regulatory network in which four transcription factors potentially regulate three kinesin genes and six DNA metabolism-related genes. Luciferase (LUC) assays further confirmed that these transcription factors directly activate the promoters of downstream genes. Heterologous expression in yeast demonstrated that a representative transcription factor (Os10g0371100), a kinesin (Os05g0397900), and a DNA metabolism-related gene (Os01g0944900) significantly promoted yeast growth under salt stress conditions, indicating conserved functions. Collectively, these findings elucidate a novel molecular network through which PHYB deficiency enhances salt tolerance by integrating transcription factor activity, DNA metabolism, and motor activity, and provide a set of core candidate genes for the genetic improvement of salt tolerance in rice.
Mulberry leaf protein and whey protein isolate were combined to construct a hybrid plant–animal protein nanoparticle system using an ultrasound-assisted pH-shifting technique for the encapsulation of astaxanthin (ASTA). The resulting composite nanoparticles exhibited outstanding encapsulation performance, achieving an ASTA encapsulation efficiency of 89.8
This study investigates the application of intermittent drying in lotus root sample (LS) processing using a microwave-infrared-hot air rolling bed dryer by adjusting the cycle ratio and microwave field intensity. The drying path, moisture migration, microstructure, and physicochemical properties of LS under drying processing were examined. Thermal imaging, dielectric properties, and pore distribution were analyzed in independent LS from both edge and center regions. Results indicate that microwaves play a key role in establishing the primary drying path, while non-uniform thermal distribution is mainly attributed to the dielectric differences within the LS and edge effects of hot air circulation. Morphological analysis of the microstructure further revealed the energy distribution between intermittent microwave and hot air drying. The intermittent drying process reduced drying time by up to 76.1 %, minimized regional equivalent diameter variation to 2.1 %, and achieved a uniformity coefficient of < |1|. Additionally, drying processing induced bioactive compound release and structural changes in the cell wall, leading to improved phenolic retention, vitamin stability, and antioxidant activity.
Spatial networks of urban heat islands (UHIs) within urban agglomerations are characterized by a non-trivial topology. They critically influence regional climate dynamics and promote coordinated development. For the first time at the national scale, this study constructs a 15-year comparative framework for 19 major Chinese urban agglomerations by systematically integrating multi-source thermal remote sensing data, morphological spatial pattern analysis (MPSA), resistance-based circuit modeling, and complex network robustness theory. A combination of the Simplified Urban Extent algorithm, MSPA, circuit theory, and simulation of network robustness not only identified and quantified UHI connectivity patterns but also evaluated their systemic vulnerabilities under both random and targeted node-removal scenarios. This enabled resilience-oriented optimization. The results show that the area of summer UHI patches in the 19 agglomerations expanded significantly from 6.79 x 104 km2 in 2005 to 1.52 x 105 km2 in 2020. Correspondingly, the total length of the spatial networks increased from 5.79 x 104 to 9.98 x 104 km, with the density rising by 0.01 km.km-2, reflecting both large-scale spatial expansion and enhanced inter-patch connectivity. Targeted attack simulations further revealed that removal of structurally critical nodes-identified via multi-metric network centrality assessment-reduced network resilience by 35-60 % more than did random disruptions, highlighting the roles played by key spatial hubs in terms of maintaining UHI network stability. These findings bridge landscape ecology and complex network science, offering a transferable resilience-oriented framework for optimization of urban climate networks and heat risk mitigation in rapidly urbanizing regions.
