Search Results (1,002)

This study investigates the macroeconomic and financial repercussions of a real estate bubble burst in South Korea through the application of Bayesian estimation and impulse response function analysis. By utilizing this approach tailored to the specific economic conditions of South Korea, the research effectively captures the complex ripple effects across a range of financial and macroeconomic variables. The results demonstrate that a real estate bubble burst markedly increases financial market risks, leading to heightened liquidity demands within the banking sector and necessitating adjustments in both deposit rates and bond yields. The study also emphasizes the differentiated impacts on patient and impatient households, where wealth losses drive significant shifts in consumption and labor supply behaviors, further constrained by prevailing labor market conditions. Additionally, the broader economic implications are examined, revealing the adverse effects on corporate output and investment, as well as the dynamics of international capital flows that impact foreign exchange reserves and exchange rates. These findings highlight the urgent need for proactive monitoring and policy interventions to mitigate the detrimental effects of real estate bubbles, ensuring financial stability and fostering sustainable economic growth in South Korea. Full article

Land degradation and the effects of climate change are increasing arid lands, accelerating desertification, and leading to the loss of ecosystem services worldwide. This research focused on evaluating how human impact and environmental factors affect the development of Solanum peruvianum in its natural habitat of coastal lomas. The study was carried out in the coastal lomas of Mangomarca-Peru, where phenotypic and ecological data on the plants were collected. Information was also gathered on human impacts on the nutritional characteristics of the soils. Then, five types of organic amendments were used to improve the physical and chemical characteristics of the degraded soil, and the development and photosynthetic activity of S. peruvianum were evaluated. As a result, under the study conditions, it was found that S. peruvianum was established approximately 33.74 cm from the rocks, in a range of 300 to 650 m asl. The maximum height of the plants was 90 cm, with a stem diameter at ground level of 2 cm. S. peruvianum produced fruits between January and July, with a seed germination rate of 36% in 25 days. On the other hand, the anthropogenic impact on the soil reduced 58% of organic material (OM), 71% of nitrogen, 40% of P₂O₅, and 13% of K₂O and increased the concentration of magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, pH, and electric conductivity (EC). The organic amendments bokashi, compost, and biochar, when mixed with the degraded soil, increased the pH, OM, N, P, and EC; however, the plants died after 25 days. On the other hand, the application of the Premix5 substrate for 100 days favored the growth of 52.84 cm and 38.29 cm in the preserved soil and 23.21 cm in the black soil mixed with blond peat, and it should be noted that the substrates presented an acid pH and EC > 0.1. Regarding photosynthetic phenotyping, S. peruvianum plants grown in their natural habitat and in Premix5 showed a higher proton flux (vH+), linear electron flow (LEF), and maximum quantum yield (Fv’/Fm’). On the contrary, they showed a lower NPQt value than plants grown in preserved and black soil mixed with blond peat. Full article

The impact of conservation tillage (CST) practices on soil properties, carbon sequestration and yield sustainability over short, medium, and long durations remain insufficiently understood, especially in semiarid Central India. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the effects and optimal duration of CST adoption for enhancing soil properties, carbon sequestration, and sustainable yields. We conducted a study in farmers’ fields in the Akola district of Central India, where CST had been practised for 4 to 15 years, within a soybean + pigeon pea–chickpea cropping sequence. Our findings revealed significant (p < 0.05) improvements in soil physical properties with short-term CST practices (4 to 6 years), alongside increasing availability of nitrogen and phosphorus, with longer durations of CST implementation (10 to 15 years). The lowest soil organic carbon (SOC) was observed in conventional tillage (CT_y), while all CST practices increased SOC content over CT_y, ranging from 22.2 to 38.4%. Further, experimental soil dominated passive C pools (Cfrac3 + Cfrac4). Consequently, long-term CST practices facilitated positive C sequestration rates, contrasting with negative or minimal sequestration observed in CT_y and short-term CST treatments. However, compared to CST, CT_y demonstrated higher soybean equivalent yields and comparable chickpea equivalent yields mainly due to delayed germinations induced by lower soil temperatures in CST plots. We conclude that integrating site-specific characteristics, management practices, and regional climate conditions into conservation agriculture frameworks maximizes efficacy and ensures sustainable productivity. These findings help optimize agricultural practices considering potential yield losses or minimal changes despite implementing CST. Full article

Tomatoes are one of the most important vegetables in every home, especially in South Asian countries, used as a vegetable, ketchup, and condiment in many kitchen recipes. It is a good source of calcium, potassium, folate, vitamin A, vitamin K, and lycopene, which are beneficial for the human body and protect it against different diseases. Nutrient management is a key factor for the best quality production of tomato fruit. The present study was conducted to compare the efficiency of different calcium salts (calcium sulphate, calcium carbonate, calcium nitrate, and calcium chloride) in improving the growth, yield, and other quality-related parameters of tomatoes. A single field experiment was conducted and laid out according to the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with a single factor in the field and a Complete Randomized Design (CRD)) for postharvest fruit storage. The results obtained from this experiment suggest that plants treated with 2% calcium chloride solution exhibited the greatest plant height (85.27 cm), number of leaves (221), yield per plant (2.3 kg), ascorbate peroxidase (290.75 m mol s⁻¹ kg⁻¹), superoxide dismutase (7.13 m mol s⁻¹ kg⁻¹), catalase (18.74 m mol s⁻¹ kg⁻¹), total phenolics (2.44 mg g⁻¹), and β carotene (0.48 µg g⁻¹). During postharvest storage, the maximum shelf life (18 days), minimum disease incidence (4.78%), weight loss (6.61%), and ethylene production (119.6 µL C₂H₄ kg⁻¹h⁻¹) rate were also observed in calcium-treated fruits. Full article

The production of huge amounts of biogas slurry during livestock breeding has resulted in pressing environmental issues. Although paddy fields can be potential sinks for the disposal of biogas slurry, the impacts of biogas slurry on rice production, grain quality, and relevant environmental risks in the Yangtze Delta region remain unclear. Herein, we conducted a field trial from 2021 to 2023 which involved different gradients of biogas slurry utilization, including CK (no fertilizer), CN (100% chemical nitrogen (N) of 240 kg ha⁻¹), NBS (biogas slurry replacing 50% chemical N), BS1 (replacing 100% chemical N), BS1.5 (replacing 150% chemical N), and BS2 (replacing 200% chemical N). The results showed that there were no significant differences in average rice yields between CN, NBS, BS1.5, and BS2 over the three-year study period, with an average yield of 8283 kg ha⁻¹, and the average yields of BS1 and CK were 7815 kg ha⁻¹ and 6236 kg ha⁻¹, respectively. However, heavy utilization of biogas slurry (BS1.5 and BS2) not only significantly reduced the rice seed-setting rate, the 1000-grain weight, and the processing quality, but also significantly increased the protein, amylose, Cu, and Zn content in rice grains; additionally, higher N losses occurred via surface water and increased NH₃ volatilization was observed, finally resulting in lower nitrogen-use efficiency. Meanwhile, moderate utilization of biogas slurry (NBS and BS1) led to better rice quality and nitrogen-use efficiency, lower potential food safety risk, and N loss. Further, compared to BS1, NBS showed higher yield, harvest index, processing quality, gel consistency, palatability scores, and nitrogen-use efficiency, but lower N losses were present. Overall, the NBS treatment balanced the agronomic benefits and environmental risks in the Yangtze River Delta region. In the future, more attention should be paid to food safety and environmental risks when using biogas slurry. Full article

Relative to soluble N sources, enhanced-efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) support steady turfgrass growth and dense canopy quality while abating N loss as nitrate, ammonia, and/or N₂O from turfgrass systems. Modern EEFs provide turfgrass managers greater operational effect and versatility in their nutrient management efforts and compel field characterization of their temporal response. Likewise, field confirmation of commercial EEF nutrient recovery helps stakeholders select the appropriate EEF for their specific application. Our research objective was to quantify the temporal response of Kentucky bluegrass growth/yield, canopy density and color, and fertilizer N recovery to a practical application of conventional urea or an enhanced-efficiency granular fertilizer. In May 2014 and June 2018, Kentucky bluegrass plots were fertilized by granules of conventional urea, N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT)-, and dicyandiamide (DCD)-stabilized urea, or polymer-/sulfur-coated urea (PSCU) at a N rate of 43.9 kg ha⁻¹ (0.9 lbs/1000 sq. ft.). The dependent variable response over the two growing seasons was highly affected by efficiency enhancement. Following the repeated 16.5-week evaluations, the mean percent of fertilizer N recovered from conventional urea, stabilized urea, and PSCU totaled 57.5, 68.4, and 89.1%, respectively. In the 23 to 51 days from treatment (DFT), recovery of PSCU-N significantly exceeded that from conventional or stabilized urea. Full article

Proteins form the fastest-growing therapeutic class. Due to their intrinsic instability, loss of native structure is common. Structure alteration must be carefully evaluated as structural changes may jeopardize the efficiency and safety of the protein-based drugs. Hydrogen deuterium exchange (HDX) has long been used to evaluate protein structure and dynamics. The rate of exchange constitutes a sensitive marker of the conformational state of the protein and of its stability. It is often monitored by mass spectrometry. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is another method with very promising capabilities. Combining protein microarrays with FTIR imaging resulted in high throughput HDX FTIR measurements. BaF₂ slides bearing the protein microarrays were covered by another slide separated by a spacer, allowing us to flush the cell continuously with a flow of N₂ gas saturated with ²H₂O. Exchange occurred simultaneously for all proteins and single images covering ca. 96 spots of proteins that could be recorded on-line at selected time points. Each protein spot contained ca. 5 ng protein, and the entire array covered 2.5 × 2.5 mm². Furthermore, HDX could be monitored in real time, and the experiment was therefore not subject to back-exchange problems. Analysis of HDX curves by inverse Laplace transform and by fitting exponential curves indicated that quantitative comparison of the samples is feasible. The paper also demonstrates how the whole process of analysis can be automatized to yield fast analyses. Full article

Variable selection methods have been extensively developed for and applied to cancer genomics data to identify important omics features associated with complex disease traits, including cancer outcomes. However, the reliability and reproducibility of the findings are in question if valid inferential procedures are not available to quantify the uncertainty of the findings. In this article, we provide a gentle but systematic review of high-dimensional frequentist and Bayesian inferential tools under sparse models which can yield uncertainty quantification measures, including confidence (or Bayesian credible) intervals, p values and false discovery rates (FDR). Connections in high-dimensional inferences between the two realms have been fully exploited under the “unpenalized loss function + penalty term” formulation for regularization methods and the “likelihood function × shrinkage prior” framework for regularized Bayesian analysis. In particular, we advocate for robust Bayesian variable selection in cancer genomics studies due to its ability to accommodate disease heterogeneity in the form of heavy-tailed errors and structured sparsity while providing valid statistical inference. The numerical results show that robust Bayesian analysis incorporating exact sparsity has yielded not only superior estimation and identification results but also valid Bayesian credible intervals under nominal coverage probabilities compared with alternative methods, especially in the presence of heavy-tailed model errors and outliers. Full article

Acute shortage of water resources and high unproductive water losses are the key problems of irrigated agriculture in arid regions. One of the possible solutions is to optimize soil water retention using natural and synthetic polymer water absorbers. Our approach uses the HYDRUS-1D design to optimize the placement of organic water absorbents such as peat and composite hydrogels in the soil profile in the form of water-storing capillary barriers. Field testing of the approach used a water balance greenhouse experiment with the cultivation of butternut squash (butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata (Duchesne, 1786)) under sprinkler irrigation with measurement of the soil moisture profile and unproductive water losses in the form of lysimetric water outflow. In addition, the biodegradation rate of organic water absorbents was studied at the soil surface and at a depth of 20 cm. Organic capillary barriers reduced unproductive water losses by 40–70%, retaining water in the topsoil and increasing evapotranspiration by 70–130% with a corresponding increase in plant biomass and fruit yield. The deepening of organic soil modifiers to the calculated depth not only allowed capillary barriers to form, but also prevented their biodegradation. The best results in soil water retention, plant growth and yield according to the “dose-effect” criterion were obtained for a composite superabsorbent with peat filling of an acrylic polymer matrix. The study showed good compliance between the HYDRUS design and the actual efficiency of capillary barriers as an innovative technology for irrigated agriculture using natural and synthetic water absorbents. Full article

Environmental stresses, including drought stress, seriously threaten food security. Previous studies reported that wheat F-box protein, TaFBA1, responds to abiotic stresses in tobacco. Here, we generated transgenic wheat with enhanced (overexpression, OE) or suppressed (RNA interference, RNAi) expression of TaFBA1. The TaFBA1-OE seedlings showed enhanced drought tolerance, as measured by survival rate and fresh weight under severe drought stress, whereas the RNAi plants showed the opposite phenotype. Furthermore, the OE plants had stronger antioxidant capacity compared to WT and RNAi plants and maintained stomatal opening, which resulted in higher water loss under drought stress. However, stronger water absorption capacity in OE roots contributed to higher relative water contents in leaves under drought stress. Moreover, the postponed stomatal closure in OE lines helped to maintain photosynthesis machinery to produce more photoassimilate and ultimately larger seed size. Transcriptomic analyses conducted on WT and OE plants showed that genes involved in antioxidant, fatty acid and lipid metabolism and cellulose synthesis were significantly induced by drought stress in the leaves of OE lines. Together, our studies determined that the F-box protein TaFBA1 modulated drought tolerance and affected yield in wheat and the TaFBA1 gene could provide a desirable target for further breeding of wheat. Full article

Cucumber wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum (FOC), is a soilborne disease that poses a significant threat to cucumber production, resulting in substantial yield losses. This study aimed to evaluate the biocontrol and growth-promoting effects of Bacillus velezensis, a highly active bacterial strain. In vitro assays revealed that B. velezensis F9 exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity against eight plant pathogenic fungi, with inhibition ratio ranging from 62.66% to 88.18%. Additionally, the strain displayed the ability to produce IAA (5.97 ± 1.75 µg/mL), fix nitrogen, produce siderophores, and form biofilms. In vitro growth promotion assays demonstrated that different concentrations of B. velezensis F9 significantly promoted cucumber seedling growth. Furthermore, two pot experiments revealed that the strain exhibited biocontrol efficacy against cucumber wilt, with disease control rates ranging from 42.86% to 67.78%. Notably, the strain significantly increased the plant height, fresh weight, and dry weight, with increases ranging from 20.67% to 60.04%, 40.27% to 75.51%, and 22.07% to 52.54%, respectively. Two field trials confirmed the efficacy of B. velezensis F9 in controlling cucumber wilt, with disease control rates of 44.95% and 33.99%, respectively. The strain effectively alleviated the dwarfing and wilting symptoms caused by the pathogen. Compared with the FOC treatment, the F9 + FOC treatment significantly increased the plant height, fresh weight, and dry weight, with increases of 43.85% and 56.28%, 49.49% and 23.70%, and 36.25% and 73.63%, respectively. Enzyme activity assays indicated that inoculation significantly increased SOD activity in cucumber leaves and neutral phosphatase, sucrase, and urease activity in rhizosphere soil. Correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between the disease index and plant height, fresh weight, dry weight, and peroxidase activity, with correlation coefficients of −0.53, −0.60, −0.38, and −0.45, respectively. These findings suggest that plant height, fresh weight, and dry weight are significantly negatively correlated with the cucumber disease index, highlighting their importance as indicators for evaluating the biocontrol efficacy of B. velezensis F9. In conclusion, B. velezensis F9 is a highly effective plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium with excellent biocontrol potential, showcasing promising applications in agricultural production. Full article

The injudicious use of water and fertilizer to maximize crop yield not only leads to environmental pollution, but also causes enormous economic losses. For this reason, we investigated the effect of nitrogen (N) (N0 (0), N60 (60 kg ha⁻¹), and N120 (120 kg ha⁻¹)) at different irrigation levels (I0 (0), I1200 (budding 600 m³ ha⁻¹ + kernel 600 m³ ha⁻¹), and I1800 (budding 900 m³ ha⁻¹ + kernel 900 m³ ha⁻¹)) on oilseed flax in the Loess Plateau of China in 2019 and 2020. The objective was to establish appropriate irrigation and fertilizer management strategies that enhance the grain yield (GY) of oilseed flax and maximize water and N productivity. The results demonstrated that irrigation and N application and their coupling effects promoted dry matter accumulation (DMA) and non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) synthesis, and increased the GY of oilseed flax. The contents of NSC in various organs of flax were closely related to grain yield and yield components. Higher NSC in stems was conducive to increased sink capacity (effective capsule number per plant (EC) and thousand kernel weight (TKW)), and the coupling of irrigation and N affected GY by promoting NSC synthesis. Higher GY was obtained by the interaction of irrigation and N fertilizer, with the increase rate ranging from 15.84% to 35.40%. Additionally, in the increased yield of oilseed flax, 39.70–78.06%, 14.49–54.11%, and −10.6–24.93% were contributed by the application of irrigation and nitrogen and the interaction of irrigation and nitrogen (I × N), respectively. Irrigation was the main factor for increasing the GY of oilseed flax. In addition, different climatic conditions changed the contribution of irrigation and N and their interaction to yield increase in oilseed flax. Drought and low temperature induced soluble sugar (SS) and starch (ST) synthesis to resist an unfavorable environment, respectively. The structural equation model showed that the key factors to increasing the GY of oilseed flax by irrigation and nitrogen fertilization were the differential increases in DMA, EC, and TKW. The increases in EC and TKW were attributed to the promotion of DMA and NSC synthesis in oilseed flax organs by irrigation, nitrogen fertilization, and their coupling effects. The I1200N60 treatment obtained higher water use efficiency (WUE) and N partial factor productivity (NPFP) due to lower actual evapotranspiration (ETa) and lower N application rate. Therefore, the strategy of 1200 m³ ha⁻¹ irrigation and 60 kg ha⁻¹ N application is recommended for oilseed flax in semi-arid and similar areas to achieve high grain yield and efficient use of resources. Full article

Background: Functional recovery following the surgical fixation of acetabular posterior wall fractures remains a challenge. This study compares outcomes of posterior wall fracture reconstruction using an anatomical posterior acetabular plate (APAP) versus conventional reconstruction plates. Methods: Forty patients with acetabular fractures involving the posterior wall or column underwent surgery, with 20 treated using APAPs (APAP group) and 20 with conventional pelvic reconstruction plates (control group). Baseline patient characteristics, intraoperative blood loss and time, reduction quality, postoperative function, and postoperative complications were compared using appropriate non-parametric statistical tests. A general linear model for repeated measures analysis of variance was employed to analyze trends in functional recovery. Results: No significant differences were observed in baseline characteristics. APAP significantly reduced surgical time by 40 min (186.5 ± 51.0 versus 225.0 ± 47.7, p =0.004) and blood loss (695 ± 393 versus 930 ± 609, p = 0.049) compared to conventional plates. At 3 and 6 months following surgery, the APAP group exhibited higher functional scores (modified Merle d’Aubigné scores 10 ± 1.8 versus 7.8 ± 1.4, p < 0.001; 13.4 ± 2.8 versus 10.1 ± 2.1, p = 0.001), converging with the control group by 12 months (modified Merle d’Aubigné scores 14.2 ± 2.6 versus 12.7 ± 2.6, p = 0.072; OHS 31.6 ± 12.3 versus 30.3 ± 10.1, p = 0.398). Radiologically, the APAP group demonstrated superior outcomes (p = 0.047). Complication and conversion rates to hip arthroplasty did not significantly differ between groups (10% versus 15%, p = 0.633). Conclusions: The use of an APAP in reconstructing the posterior acetabulum significantly reduces surgical time, decreases intraoperative blood loss, and leads to earlier functional recovery compared to conventional reconstruction plates. The APAP provides stable fixation of the posterior wall and ensures the durable maintenance of reduction, ultimately yielding favorable surgical outcomes. Full article

Field experiments were conducted on a four-year-old leaf-use ginkgo plantation in southern China to assess the impact of nine different fertilization strategies with varying N-P₂O₅-K₂O rates at three growth phases (FBD: March for bud development; FLG: May for leaf growth; FLS: July for leaf strengthening) on leaf-use ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.) leaf productivity and ecological economic benefits (EEBs). The results indicated that regardless of timing and rate, fertilizer application led to an increase in leaf area and thickness, resulting in higher ginkgo leaf yield. The highest fresh (215.14 g tree⁻¹) and dry (78.83 g tree⁻¹) yields were observed with 3 g N + 2.5 g P₂O₅ + 1.5 g K₂O tree⁻¹ in FLG. FLS was found to mitigate the decline in SPAD values of leaves during late summer. Furthermore, fertilized ginkgo trees exhibited higher flavonoid concentrations in leaves, enhancing profitability. However, higher fertilizer rates were associated with elevated greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen losses and ecological costs. Despite these drawbacks, all fertilization treatments resulted in increased net economic income. Specifically, compared to no fertilization, FBD, FLG and FLS treatments boosted net income by 3.5~26.6%, 11.6~60.5% and 5.8~35.4%, respectively. Using the entropy weight TOPSIS method, it was concluded that optimizing the N, P and K fertilization rate and timing (applying 3–2.5–1.5 g tree⁻¹ of N-P₂O₅-K₂O in May) is a beneficial approach to maximize EEBs and industrial benefits in leaf-use ginkgo plantations in southern China. This study provides valuable insights into suitable fertilization patterns and management for leaf-use ginkgo plantations in southern China. Full article

In order to explore the durability of manufactured-sand-reinforced concrete and its wet joint in a plateau environment, an integrally formed (IF) specimen and a wet joint specimen with punched interface (PI) made up of manufactured sand concrete were prepared in the simulated plateau environment. On the one hand, the accelerated corrosion test on IF and PI specimens was conducted to investigate their durability under corrosion. On the other hand, the freeze–thaw cycle test was carried out on IF and PI specimens to evaluate their frost resistance. Subsequently, the accelerated corrosion test was continuously performed on IF and PI specimens subjected to freeze–thaw cycles. The development of surface cracks, the corrosion morphology of internal steel bars, the actual corrosion rate, the section loss of corroded steel bars and the degradation of mechanical properties of steel bars after corrosion were analyzed. Moreover, the microstructural changes of specimens after different freeze–thaw cycles and corrosion degrees were observed. The results show that during single corrosion, the development of crack width of concrete, the increase in actual corrosion rates of steel bars and the degradation of mechanical properties of steel bars for IF and PI specimens before the theoretical corrosion rate of 6% were relatively slow, and once the theoretical corrosion rate exceeded 6%, these began to accelerate. The development of concrete cracks and the distribution of crack width are affected by wet joints. Compared with IF specimens, the average and maximum longitudinal crack widths of PI specimens increase by 0–22.54% and 12.16–21.95% for different freeze–thaw cycles, respectively. The frost resistance of the PI specimen decreases due to the existence of a wet joint. After freeze–thaw cycles numbering 50, the difference in frost resistance between IF and PI specimens obviously increased. Compared with IF specimens, the nominal yield strength, nominal ultimate strength and elongation of PI specimens after freeze–thaw cycles numbering 25~100 and corrosion with the theoretical corrosion rate of 6% decreased by 5.56–9.11%, 4.74–6.73% and 23.08–28.72%, respectively. The combined effect of freeze–thaw cycle and corrosion has a great influence on the ductility of steel bars. Full article