Comparative Transcriptome and Gene-Editing Analyses Reveal the Molecular Mechanism of Albinism in the Taiwanese Loach

Marine Biotechnology · 2026-05-11

The impact of multi-cycle water invasion on underground gas storages and its controlling factors

Frontiers in Earth Science · 2025-10-01 · 1 citations

Underground gas storage (UGS) facilities are essential for supply security and peak-shaving in natural gas systems, yet their sustainability is limited by an incomplete understanding of water invasion. This study examines the Hutubi UGS, the largest facility in China and the first serving the West-East Gas Pipeline II, to identify the controls of water invasion under intensive injection-withdrawal cycles. Using geological data from the second member of the Ziniquanzi Formation and multi-cycle injection-withdrawal records, we combined three-dimensional geological modeling with numerical simulation to assess aquifer energy and invasion pathways. The reservoir functions as a weak water-drive system with limited aquifer support. Water invasion is stratified and directional: high-permeability channels promote preferential migration in the western E 1–2 Z2 1 sub-reservoir, while localized bottom-water coning dominates in the E 1–2 Z2 2 sub-reservoir. Six factors act in concert to govern invasion: aquifer energy, structural boundaries, sedimentary facies, reservoir heterogeneity, physical properties, and pore structure. Together, they define a coupled mechanism that shapes the magnitude and spatial distribution of water invasion. This framework advances understanding of invasion dynamics in UGS and offers practical guidance for enhancing the long-term efficiency and sustainability of natural gas storage.

The Ratio of Visceral to Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Is Associated With Postoperative Anastomotic Leakage in Patients With Rectal Cancer With Gender Differences in Opposite Direction

Cancer Medicine · 2025-05-01 · 1 citations

BACKGROUND: Anastomotic leakage (AL) is a severe postoperative complication in colorectal cancer and exerts negative impacts on patients' outcomes. Studies have found that body composition measured by CT images was associated with increased overall postoperative complications in colorectal cancer; however, few focused on postoperative AL in rectal cancer. This study aimed to explore the association between body composition parameters measured by CT images and postoperative AL in patients with rectal cancer, with an emphasis on subgroup analysis by gender. METHODS: From February 2014 to January 2020, a total of 444 patients with rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent radical proctectomy were included. Out of all patients, 21 developed AL after surgery. Body composition parameters, including the areas, mean CT values, height-normalized indices of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), intramuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) and skeletal muscle (SM) were derived from preoperative contrast-enhanced arterial phase CT images at the third lumbar level. The ratio of visceral to subcutaneous adipose tissue (VSR) was calculated. Clinical and body composition parameters were compared between the AL group and the non-AL group in all patients and separately in different genders. RESULTS: Body composition parameters were not significantly different in the AL group and the non-AL group in all patients. However, most body composition parameters were significantly different between male and female patients. After separately analyzing by gender, VSR was significantly associated with postoperative AL in male and female. After multivariate regression, VSR remained an independent predictor for AL (OR: 0.1, p = 0.041 for male and OR: 39.1, p = 0.045 for female). CONCLUSION: The VSR measured by CT images is an independent predictor for postoperative AL in patients with rectal cancer; however, it shows gender differences in opposite directions, serving as a protective factor in males, whereas as a risk factor in females.

Drilling within the critical zone

2025-10-25

The critical zone (CZ), extending from the vegetation canopy to unweathered bedrock, hosts coupled hydrologic, geochemical, and biological interactions that regulate soil health, water resources, and ecosystem sustainability. The subsurface CZ can extend tens of meters below the surface and is largely inaccessible, except in happenstance exposure from quarries or road cuts through mountain hillsides. Drilling and subsequent borehole sampling, monitoring and imaging reveal the importance of the deep subsurface for CZ evolution and function. However, drilling can be labor-intensive, require expensive, specialized equipment, and can only be done where the equipment can be deployed, limiting the number and placement of boreholes. To empower the next generation of critical zone scientists to employ drilling and downhole techniques, this review synthesizes emerging research objectives and methods commonly used during CZ drilling campaigns over the last 30 years. We focus on three CZ research themes: (1) physical and chemical weathering, (2) subsurface water storage and flow, and (3) solute, microbial, and gas dynamics. For each theme, we evaluate drilling techniques, sampling strategies, downhole logging approaches, long-term monitoring, and analytical methods that collectively enable diverse hypothesis-testing. We conclude by providing a vision for the future of drilling within the CZ, with a focus on novel drilling techniques aimed at recovering saprolitic material as well as borehole designs that can monitor and sample the vadose zone. Additionally, we emphasize that near-surface geophysics and data-model integration efforts are needed to expand borehole observations to the larger scales that are necessary to advance CZ science and inform ecosystem and water resource management.

High-transparent and mechanically robust self-polishing coatings reinforced by hyperbranched nanocellulose for marine biofouling resistance

Carbohydrate Polymers · 2025-11-21

Techno-economic assessment of a commercial natural gas combined cycle with a chemical absorption plant using lean vapor compression modification

Applied Thermal Engineering · 2025-10-04 · 1 citations

Regulation of Soil Microbial Diversity on the Stability of Farmland Ecosystem

Frontiers in Sustainable Development · 2025-10-23

In this paper, the regulatory effect of soil microbial diversity on the stability of farmland ecosystem under different agricultural management measures was systematically discussed through comparative experimental design. Select typical intensive farmland in major grain producing areas in China, and set up four treatments: conventional management (CON), organic agriculture (ORG), ecological enhancement (ECO), and natural restoration (NAT). Continuously monitor soil physical and chemical properties, microbial community structure, and ecosystem stability indicators. The results showed that ORG and ECO treatments significantly increased soil organic matter, total nitrogen content, and pH value (p<0.05), and significantly enhanced the Shannon Wiener diversity index of bacteria and fungi. The analysis of microbial community structure shows that ecological management measures restore the community to its natural state. The complexity of the microbial co-occurrence network is highest under ECO treatment, and key groups such as Proteobacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are significantly correlated with system stability. Structural equation modeling (SEM) further reveals that microbial diversity is a core factor in regulating ecosystem stability, indirectly optimizing agricultural ecological stability by enhancing soil function and strengthening system resistance and resilience. The study emphasizes that enhancing soil microbial diversity is a key path to achieving sustainable agricultural development, ensuring food security, and ecological balance.

Application of Biochar in the Remediation of Heavy Metal Pollution in Agricultural Soils

Scientific Journal of Technology · 2025-06-20

As industrialization progresses, heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils has become a pressing concern, threatening the safety of food crops, the balance of ecosystems, and human well-being. This environmental issue has garnered significant attention due to its widespread impact. Major contributors to soil contamination include the release of industrial effluents, air emissions, solid waste, and the excessive application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The ongoing accumulation of heavy metals compromises soil health and hinders plant development. Biochar, an emerging soil amendment, has demonstrated great potential in addressing heavy metal pollution in agricultural environments. Its distinctive characteristics—such as high porosity and extensive surface area—enable it to effectively adsorb and stabilize heavy metal ions. Moreover, biochar contributes to improving soil fertility, enhancing moisture retention, optimizing soil structure, and promoting microbial diversity, thereby supporting healthier crop growth. This study investigates the role of biochar in remediating heavy metal-contaminated agricultural soils and aims to provide innovative and sustainable strategies for environmental restoration.

Economic and life cycle assessment of novel hybrid energy and fuel generation systems from municipal waste through plasma gasification and anaerobic digestion coupled with carbon capture and storage

Cleaner Environmental Systems · 2025-09-11 · 1 citations

Achieving climate goals demands novel system designs that enable the conversion of municipal waste, such as plastic and food waste into energy and fuels with minimal environmental impact. This study proposes an innovative multi-energy generation system that integrates plasma gasification for plastic waste and anaerobic digestion for food waste, coupled with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. This novel conceptual design aims to maximize energy recovery while reducing lifecycle emissions compared to conventional waste-to-energy (WtE) pathways. Two novel system configurations were assessed: (1) a combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system, and (2) a CCHP system integrated with liquid biomethane production. Each configuration was evaluated under three CCS strategies: no CCS, pre-combustion CCS, and post-combustion CCS. The economic analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA) highlight the economic and environmental trade-offs of each design. Specifically, in Scenario 1, the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) increases from 0.171 USD/kWh (no CCS) to 0.311 and 0.354 USD/kWh while in Scenario 2, the levelized cost of biomethane (LCObM) rises from 0.176 USD/kWh to 0.314 and 0.374 USD/kWh for pre- and post-combustion CCS, respectively. While CCS raises production costs, they also represent a tangible commitment to reducing emissions and underscore that transitioning to cleaner energy systems often entails higher near-term expenditures. Across both scenarios, the levelized cost of waste treatment (LCOWT) spans 0.081–0.236 USD/kg of waste. Global warming potential (GWP) ranges from −0.191 to 0.662 kgCO-eq/kg of feedstock for Scenario 1, and 0.123 to 0.746 kgCO-eq/kg for Scenario 2. This work provides the first integrated assessment of such a hybrid WtE system, offering new insights for sustainable waste valorisation. The proposed novel designs support future detailed engineering studies and inform policymaking for low-carbon waste management.

Paleoenvironmental evolution during the early Eocene climate optimum in a mid–high-latitude lake–marsh system, NE Asia

Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology · 2025-04-15 · 3 citations