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k-entanglement, including entanglement relative to full separability and genuinely multipartite entanglement, is a fundamental quantum resource in multipartite quantum systems. Its identification and quantification play essential roles in quantum information processing, quantum simulation, and quantum metrology. However, the practical computation of rigorous k-entanglement measures remains highly challenging due to the need for high-dimensional optimization. In this work, we propose a machine-learning-based surrogate framework for approximating the witness-based k-entanglement measure $E_w^{(k,n)}$. The numerical evaluation of the computationally realized quantity ${\tilde{E}}_w^{(k,n)}\left(\rho \right)$ is reformulated as a supervised regression problem, where the input is the density matrix $\rho$ and the labels are obtained from finite witness databases. The framework combines multilayer perceptrons (MLPs), convolutional neural networks (CNNs), and light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM) through a stacking ensemble. Numerical experiments are performed for 3- and 4-qubit systems as representative demonstrations of the proposed workflow. The results show that the learned models achieve high predictive accuracy in terms of MAE, MSE, and $R^2$, while providing millisecond-level inference for single-state evaluation. Werner state tests serve as symmetric benchmark checks, and an additional four-qubit noisy circuit-generated state family, obtained from finite-depth circuit preparation followed by local amplitude-damping noise, is used as a structured physical test beyond random density matrices. Compared with the optimization-based evaluation, the trained surrogate model significantly reduces the computational time while maintaining accuracy within the tested system sizes and data distributions. These results show that the proposed framework provides an efficient numerical surrogate for rapid approximation of witness-based k-entanglement measures, while extensions to larger systems and experimental data require further validation. Full article

Ce-modified MnCo₂O₄ flower-like nanosheet electrodes were prepared on nickel foam by a hydrothermal-calcination route and sequentially optimized with respect to reaction time, nominal Ce content, and PVP addition. Comparative SEM, XRD, XPS, and N₂-sorption analyses identify MnCo₂O₄-9 h-3%Ce-PVP as the optimized electrode, with an open hierarchical nanosheet network and a BET surface area of 210.0 m² g⁻¹. The direct XRD/XPS control comparison distinguishes Ce-associated lattice and surface-state changes from PVP-associated synthesis effects without treating either trend as proof of substitutional Ce occupancy or quantitatively established oxygen vacancies. Likewise, PVP is treated as a morphology-directing additive whose transient adsorption or bridging role remains a synthesis hypothesis rather than a directly verified molecular mechanism. The optimized positive electrode delivers 2008 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹, retains 1227 F g⁻¹ at 20 A g⁻¹, and shows 99.0% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles at 5 A g⁻¹. A carbon-supported iron oxide negative electrode, designated C/Fe₂O₃ only as a sample label because its exact oxide phase was not independently resolved by XRD or Raman spectroscopy, provides 443 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹. The resulting charge-balanced asymmetric device operates over 0–1.6 V and delivers 34.6 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹, corresponding to 12.30 Wh kg⁻¹ at 0.8 kW kg⁻¹. At 10 A g⁻¹, it retains 29.8 F g⁻¹ and delivers 10.60 Wh kg⁻¹ at 8.0 kW kg⁻¹, equivalent to 86.1% capacitance retention over a tenfold increase in current density. All device-level gravimetric values are calculated using the total active mass of both electrodes. Full article

Background/Objectives: Current literature regarding the efficacy of cannabis to reduce chronic pain intensity is mixed. Despite growing accessibility throughout the U.S., it is still unclear if the naturalistic use of recreational cannabis edible products is associated with decreases in pain intensity on days of use or longitudinally, and if these associations are dependent on the doses of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) being consumed. Methods: The trial (NCT03522324) from which these data were pulled was pre-registered in April 2018. Participants (N = 243; 56% female; mean age = 46 ± 12 years) with self-reported chronic low-back pain selected a recreational edible cannabis product to use exclusively, ad libitum, for 14 days. Labeled THC and CBD potency were used to determine product group: CBD-dominant (n = 97), THC + CBD (n = 112), or THC-dominant (n = 34). Participants completed daily surveys indicating current pain intensity (PROMIS; 0–10 scale), use or non-use of their product, and cannabinoid dose (THC and CBD). Results: Linear mixed effects showed a significant use × group interaction (p = 0.002), indicating that pain intensity was significantly lower on days of use in THC-dominant (b = −0.66, 95% CI [−0.94,−0.37]) and THC + CBD (b = −0.41, 95% CI [−0.57,−0.25]) groups compared to days when cannabis was not used. A significant group × time interaction (p = 0.02) indicated that pain intensity significantly decreased from day 1 to day 14 in those using THC + CBD products (b = −0.05, 95% CI [−0.07,−0.03]), with 36.6% of participants in the THC + CBD group experiencing ≥30% reduction in pain intensity from day 1 to day 14. Increasing doses of THC (b = −0.02, 95% CI [−0.04, −0.01]), not CBD (b = 0.003, 95% CI [−0.03, 0.01]), were associated with significantly lower pain intensity on days following product use, with increasing doses of CBD diminishing the impact of THC dose (b = 0.02, 95% CI [0.01, 0.04]). Conclusions: These findings indicate a complex relationship between THC, CBD, and pain intensity associated with the naturalistic use of recreational cannabis edible products. Lower daily pain intensity was associated with the use of products containing THC; however, dose models indicate that this association may be attenuated at higher doses of CBD. Additionally, only products containing relatively equal amounts of THC and CBD were associated with lower pain intensity after 14 days of observation. Full article

Contemporary cyber threats increasingly employ multi-stage and behaviourally adaptive strategies that challenge static intrusion detection and non-adaptive deception mechanisms. Existing approaches typically treat threat detection, deception deployment, and adversarial attribution as separate functions, limiting timely response and underusing the behavioural evidence generated during attacker interaction. This study develops and evaluates a theory-informed computational and operational framework for autonomous cyber deception. The principal research artefact is a reusable closed-loop architecture rather than a single predictive model: it specifies the interacting components, interfaces, data and control flows, decision rules, and feedback mechanisms that connect detection, deception, telemetry, and attribution. Methodologically, the study follows an engineering design-and-evaluation approach comprising problem and requirement identification from the literature, architectural synthesis, component-level mathematical modelling, prototype implementation, and controlled cyber-range evaluation. In this context, modelling refers to the distinct computational models embedded within the framework: a hybrid detection model combining supervised classification, anomaly detection, and temporal sequence analysis; a Markov Decision Process and reinforcement-learning policy model for selecting and reconfiguring deception actions under engagement, intelligence-gain, resource, and containment objectives; and similarity-based and Bayesian attribution models for estimating MITRE ATT&CK techniques from incomplete behavioural evidence. The component models were developed offline using the NSL-KDD, CICIDS2017, UNSW-NB15, and ToN-IoT datasets, while the integrated prototype was evaluated separately in a controlled enterprise-like cyber range using reconnaissance, brute-force, exploitation, and multi-stage attack scenarios. The reported classification metrics were calculated from the labelled cyber-range evaluation events, not by pooling the four benchmark datasets. On this integrated cyber-range evaluation set, the system achieved 95.4% detection accuracy, 93.6% precision, 94.7% recall, and a 94.1% F1-score, with a mean detection latency of 85 ms. It also achieved 100% honeypot deployment reliability, 92% dynamic reconfiguration success, 88% fingerprinting resistance, and attacker engagement durations of up to 280 s. The attribution component demonstrated end-to-end generation of ATT&CK-aligned technique hypotheses from deception-derived telemetry; however, the present archived evaluation does not support per-technique or baseline-comparative performance claims. These findings show that specialised models and operational services can be coordinated within a unified adaptive defence process, while also identifying the additional class-level and ablation evidence required for rigorous attribution validation. Full article

Background/Objectives: Chronic total coronary occlusion (CTO) is frequently associated with persistent angina, functional limitation, and impaired health-related quality of life. Although CTO percutaneous coronary intervention (CTO-PCI) has improved technically, its clinical value is best assessed through patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and patient-centered clinical endpoints. This study evaluated the association between CTO-PCI plus optimal medical therapy (OMT) and 12-month patient-reported and clinical outcomes compared with OMT alone. Methods: This single-center, non-randomized retrospective observational cohort analysis included 251 patients with chronic coronary syndrome and angiographically confirmed CTO. Patients were managed with either a CTO-PCI + OMT strategy (n = 153) or OMT alone (n = 98). The analysis used routinely collected clinical, angiographic, echocardiographic, procedural, and follow-up data, complemented by patient-reported Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) data obtained after written informed consent. The overall SAQ assessment was considered the primary patient-reported framework, and SAQ Angina Frequency was defined as the principal symptom-specific domain for adjusted comparative analysis. Propensity-score overlap weighting was used as a sensitivity analysis to address measured baseline imbalance and treatment-selection bias. Secondary outcomes included Canadian Cardiovascular Society angina class, left ventricular ejection fraction, cumulative 12-month cardiovascular rehospitalization, and survival. Results: The complete-case SAQ population included 217 patients: 136 in the CTO-PCI + OMT group and 81 in the OMT group. Thirty-four patients lacked complete 12-month SAQ data: 24 died before SAQ reassessment, and 10 were lost to SAQ follow-up. SAQ Angina Frequency improved in both groups, from 70.81 ± 17.97 to 92.35 ± 12.37 in the CTO-PCI + OMT group and from 63.09 ± 20.10 to 83.09 ± 15.14 in the OMT group. In the multivariable ANCOVA model, CTO-PCI + OMT was associated with higher 12-month SAQ Angina Frequency compared with OMT alone (β = 7.07 points; 95% CI, 3.36–10.79; p < 0.001). This finding remained consistent in the propensity-score overlap-weighted sensitivity analysis adjusted for baseline SAQ Angina Frequency (β = 6.55 points; 95% CI, 2.39–10.70; p = 0.002). Cardiovascular rehospitalization was observed in 11 of 153 patients (7.2%) in the CTO-PCI + OMT group and in 19 of 98 patients (19.4%) in the OMT group, corresponding to lower odds of cumulative 12-month rehospitalization (OR = 0.32; 95% CI, 0.15–0.71; p = 0.005). The rehospitalization endpoint was analyzed as a cumulative binary outcome rather than as a time-to-event outcome. Overall survival estimates were 92.0% and 87.4%, respectively, with 12 deaths in each group (log-rank p = 0.225). Because only 24 deaths were recorded, the study was underpowered to evaluate mortality differences. Conclusions: In selected patients with chronic coronary syndrome and CTO, CTO-PCI + OMT was associated with greater improvement in disease-specific health status, particularly SAQ Angina Frequency, compared with OMT alone. CTO-PCI + OMT was also associated with lower cumulative 12-month cardiovascular rehospitalization, although this secondary finding should be interpreted cautiously because of the non-randomized retrospective design, modest event numbers, lack of time-to-event rehospitalization data, and potential expectation- and care-related biases. Survival analyses were underpowered and should not be interpreted as evidence of either prognostic benefit or absence of benefit. These findings support consideration of CTO-PCI as a patient-centered therapeutic option in carefully selected symptomatic patients, while acknowledging residual confounding by indication and the open-label study design. Full article

Background/Objectives: Lutetium (¹⁷⁷Lu) TLX591 (¹⁷⁷Lu-TLX591) is a radio antibody–drug conjugate (rADC) that utilizes a novel monoclonal antibody-based approach for treatment of patients with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-expressing metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). ProstACT SELECT (NCT04786847) was a multicenter, single-arm, open-label Phase 1 trial evaluating patient selection for ¹⁷⁷Lu-TLX591 therapy using ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA-11 PSMA positron emission tomography (PET) in a heterogenous sample of patients with mCRPC. Primary and key secondary objectives were to evaluate safety and tolerability, biodistribution, and organ radiation dosimetry of ¹⁷⁷Lu-TLX591 in combination with the best standard of care (SOC) for patients with PSMA-expressing mCRPC who progressed despite prior treatment with an androgen receptor pathway inhibitor. Methods: Thirty patients received ¹⁷⁷Lu-TLX591 intravenously in combination with investigator-determined SOC. Cohort 1 (n = 5) received an imaging dose of ¹⁷⁷Lu-TLX591 (1 GBq [27 mCi]), followed 14 days later by one therapeutic dose (2.8 GBq [76 mCi]). Cohort 2 received two therapeutic doses of ¹⁷⁷Lu-TLX591, 14 days apart. Baseline ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA-11 PET was performed to confirm eligibility and was qualitatively compared with serial ¹⁷⁷Lu-TLX591 single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT, which was performed at five timepoints following the first ¹⁷⁷Lu-TLX591 administration and also used to evaluate organ radiation dosimetry. Safety assessments included monitoring for treatment-emergent adverse events and collection of laboratory samples at specified timepoints used for biomarker analyses. Results: Tumor targeting observed on ¹⁷⁷Lu-TLX591 SPECT/CT imaging was qualitatively consistent with uptake observed on ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA-11 PET imaging. No new safety signals were observed. Radiation exposure was within safety limits, with the highest absorbed dose to liver (clearance organ; 2.44 ± 0.56 Gy/GBq) and with lower exposure to salivary glands (0.07 ± 0.03 Gy/GBq) and kidneys (0.64 ± 0.17 Gy/GBq). Activity was retained in tumor lesions through to the final protocol-specified imaging timepoint (312 h) following administration. Conclusions: In this Phase 1, single-arm study, ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA-11 PET supported patient selection for ¹⁷⁷Lu-TLX591 therapy. In a heterogenous population representative of a real-world setting, ¹⁷⁷Lu-TLX591 therapy in combination with SOC demonstrated a manageable and predictable safety profile, durable retention, and low salivary gland radiation exposure. Further evaluation in larger, randomized studies is warranted. Full article

Background/Objectives: Post-COVID follow-up may provide an opportunity to reassess persistent and modifiable cardiometabolic risk. We characterized six-month cardiometabolic and vascular trajectories after COVID-19 hospitalization and explored associations with routinely documented dietary counseling and omega-3 recommendations. Methods: This single-center retrospective longitudinal cohort included 238 adults hospitalized with COVID-19 between March 2020 and December 2024. Patients were classified according to recorded post-discharge management as usual care (n = 64), dietary management (n = 60), omega-3 supplementation (n = 59), or combined management (n = 55). Outcomes were assessed at the index visit and at visits labeled approximately three and six months later. Longitudinal changes were estimated using generalized estimating equations; six-month associations were evaluated using baseline-adjusted ANCOVA with robust standard errors and Benjamini–Hochberg correction. Results: Mean age was 54.0 ± 10.6 years, 54.6% were women, 82.4% had hypertension, 40.8% had diabetes, and mean body mass index was 33.8 ± 4.6 kg/m². At six months, endpoint-specific data were available for 182 participants for blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL-C; 180 for waist circumference; 179 for SCORE; 177 for LDL-C and bilateral carotid IMT analyses; 173 for HOMA-IR; and 164 for IL-6. Across the cohort, systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased by 7.91 and 4.75 mmHg; several lipid, anthropometric, and insulin-resistance markers also improved. No omnibus group-by-time interaction was significant. After false-discovery-rate correction, only higher six-month HDL-C in the dietary and combined-management groups versus usual care remained statistically significant; all other between-group findings were nonsignificant after correction. Conclusions: Several cardiometabolic risk markers improved during follow-up, but no recorded management category showed consistent trajectory-level superiority. Because intervention content and adherence, time-updated medication use, acute COVID-19 severity, and lifestyle changes were not captured, the comparative findings are exploratory and noncausal. The isolated HDL-C associations should not be interpreted as evidence of cardiovascular benefit. No cardiac biomarkers, echocardiographic measures, incident heart failure, or cardiovascular events were assessed. Full article

A previous study identified [¹¹C]M503-1619 as a lead compound for positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer development. The goal of the current study was to conduct a structure–activity relationship (SAR) study on M503-1619 to improve its in vitro binding affinity for alpha synuclein (aSyn), as well as to identify potential radiotracers that could be labeled with fluorine-18. The results of the SAR study identified strict SARs regarding the introduction of a fluorine into the N-aryl piperazine and benzamide moieties. The most promising compound was the corresponding 2-fluoroethyl analog of M503-1619. This compound was radiolabeled with fluorine-18, followed by in vivo PET imaging studies on non-human primate and in vitro autoradiography study. In vitro autoradiography studies in human postmortem brain sections demonstrated that ¹⁸F-labeled radiotracer has higher binding to synucleinopathies versus control brain tissues. This radiotracer displays the high initial brain uptake and rapid washout that is needed for a PET radiotracer for imaging a protein such as aSyn that has a low target density in the brain. However, the formation of brain penetrant radiolabeled metabolites prevented further evaluation of this compound. Insights from this SAR study are guiding the development of novel aSyn radioligands that avoid formation of the undesirable radiolabeled metabolite. Full article

The reliable detection of the peanut allergen Ara h2 in processed foods remains a major challenge, since thermal and high-pressure treatments can alter protein structure and limit the performance of immunoassays. DNA-based methods provide a robust alternative to this approach. In this work, a highly sensitive label-free electrochemical genoassay for Ara h2 DNA detection was developed using streptavidin-coated magnetic beads (MBs). A biotinylated capture probe (CP) immobilized on the MBs’ surface enabled specific target recognition through a sandwich hybridization strategy with a secondary probe, allowing for direct electrochemical detection without enzymatic labels. Two transduction strategies were evaluated: (i) electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) with ferri/ferrocyanide as a redox probe, and (ii) differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) using methylene blue. The ferri/ferrocyanide-based EIS approach showed the best sensitivity and discrimination between hybridized and non-hybridized states. A linear dependence was observed with the concentration of the synthetic Ara h2 target over the 0.05 to 20 nM range, with a detection limit of 0.025 nM. CP-MBs showed good stability for at least 20 days. Applicability was demonstrated in soy beverages, rice beverages, and low-fat cow’s milk, with recoveries close to 100% and negligible matrix effects. Full article

Congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) are a group of inherited metabolic diseases rapidly growing due to the discovery of new subtypes. As with many genetic conditions, their diagnosis can be challenging, impairing proper patient care and causing additional suffering to patients and their families. We have developed an N-glycomics strategy that can provide insightful information towards diagnosing CDG type II (CDG-II). N-glycans released from the plasma of healthy individuals were labeled with deuterated iodomethane, mixed with samples from known or suspected CDG-II individuals, which were derivatized with standard iodomethane, and analyzed by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. After identification, relative quantification of 65 glycans was performed, revealing considerable alterations in the N-glycome of several patients. Notably, reduced fucosylation was observed in patients with FUT8-CDG and SLC35C1-CDG. Additionally, individuals with mutations in the MAN1B1 gene exhibited increased amounts of hybrid and oligomannosidic structures, whereas patients with the Golgi homeostasis disorders COG1-CDG and ATP6V0A2-CDG presented marked increases in hypogalactosylated and hyposialylated structures. Multivariate statistical analysis indicated two undiagnosed patients with alterations similar to ATP6V0A2-CDG patients and another two with a profile similar to MAN1B1-CDG patients. Genetic sequencing (targeted gene panel or whole exome sequencing) of these undiagnosed patients revealed variants in the corresponding genes, confirming the diagnosis obtained from the N-glycomics analysis. Our results demonstrate how the analysis of total plasma N-glycans can be used to identify metabolic disorders and diagnose conditions based on their molecular effects on the glycoproteome. Full article

Coal gangue shows promise as a potential raw material for coal pyrolysis catalysts. This study prepared coal gangue char catalysts from two types of coal gangue (CGY and CGH) via pyrolysis at 700 °C under N₂, O₂/N₂ and steam/N₂ atmospheres, labeled as CGY-N, CGY-ON, CGY-SN and CGH-N, CGH-ON, CGH-SN, respectively. Their catalytic performance in tar-rich coal pyrolysis was evaluated using a thermogravimetric analyzer and a fixed-bed reactor. Results showed that reactive atmosphere-derived char catalysts promoted coal weight loss, with CGY-SN and CGH-SN increasing weight loss of coal pyrolysis at 600 °C from 20.51 wt% to 22.05 wt% and 22.50 wt%, respectively. These catalysts generally reduced tar yield while increasing semicoke and water yields. They also decreased monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and enriched polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the tar, alongside promoting the production of CH₄, H₂ and CO. Furthermore, they enhanced the gasification reactivity of the resulting semicoke. CGY-ON demonstrated particularly high activity, which is likely associated with its richness in K-, Ca- and Fe-bearing minerals, coupled with the exposure of active sites resulting from organic matter consumption under the O₂/N₂ atmosphere. An exception was CGH-N and CGH-SN, which increased monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from 25.67% to 30.65% and 31.64%, possibly related to shape-selective catalysis in the newly formed micropores. These insights provide a preliminary basis for the development of efficient coal gangue-based catalysts for tar-rich coal pyrolysis. Full article

Horse mackerel is nutritionally valuable but highly prone to quality loss during chilled storage because its PUFA-rich lipids readily oxidize in comminuted products. Therefore, clean-label strategies are required to delay oxidation and spoilage. This study evaluated the effect of adding sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum), either as a plant homogenate incorporated at 5% (P-5%), 10% (P-10%) and 20% (P-20%) or as a dried polyphenolic extract at 0.25% (E-0.25%), 0.5% (E-0.5%), and 1% (E-1%), on the shelf-life of horse mackerel meatballs stored at 4 °C. Lipid oxidation, including free fatty acids (FFA), peroxide value, conjugated dienes, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), antioxidant activity (ABTS and FRAP analyses), color (CIELAB color space), pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), spoilage-associated microbial groups, and volatile profiles were monitored during storage. Sea fennel reduced secondary oxidation compared to the control, with P-20% showing the lowest TBARS, corresponding to an approximately five-fold decrease compared with the control, and E-1% showing the clearest suppression of oxidation-derived aldehydes in the volatile fraction. The incorporation of either the plant homogenate or the extract reduced microbial growth, particularly that of Pseudomonas spp., while lactic acid bacteria counts increased during storage. This contributed to extend the microbiological shelf life of P-20% and E-1% by approximately 3 days. P-20% and E-1% also showed lower pH and TVB-N values over time. Overall, sea fennel improved the oxidative stability and early microbial control of refrigerated horse mackerel meatballs. However, whole-plant incorporation requires further optimization to balance matrix effects, quality evolution, and potential sensory changes. Full article

Background: This prospective, multicenter, open-label, single-arm study (jRCT2031230690) evaluated the efficacy and safety of a tailored dosing strategy of incobotulinumtoxinA, including high doses (up to 500 U) and flexible injection intervals (as short as 6 weeks), in Japanese patients with cervical dystonia (CD). Methods: Of 30 enrolled patients, Group A included 27 patients with idiopathic CD for the primary evaluation of efficacy and safety, whereas Group B included 3 patients with tardive dyskinesia (cervical) or tardive CD for exploratory safety assessment. Patients received up to seven injection cycles of incobotulinumtoxinA (120–500 U) over 48 weeks, with minimum 6-week intervals. The primary endpoint, evaluated in Group A, was the change in Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS) total score from baseline to Week 4 after the first injection. Results: Using a mixed model for repeated measures, the least squares mean ± standard error of the change was −11.0 ± 1.77 (95% confidence interval: −14.6, −7.3). The primary efficacy endpoint was achieved in Group A. Due to the small sample size (n = 3), efficacy in Group B was evaluated only for exploratory purposes, although safety findings were broadly consistent with those in Group A. The overall safety profile was consistent with previous studies. Across the study, the most common related adverse events were dysphagia (33.3%) and muscular weakness (22.2%) in Group A and dysphagia (33.3%) in Group B. All cases of dysphagia were mild to moderate in severity and transient, with no apparent dose- or injection interval-related trend observed. Conclusions: IncobotulinumtoxinA was associated with improvements in symptoms and manageable safety profile at high doses and flexible injection intervals in Japanese patients with CD. While these findings suggest a potential treatment option for individualized dose optimization, the absence of a control group and the exploratory nature of the assessment in Group B necessitate cautious interpretation. Full article

The priming effect (PE) plays a critical role in regulating soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. Whether microbial inoculant combined with organic materials (e.g., crop straw) can reduce PE and enhance the fertility of coarse-textured sandy soils by accelerating straw decomposition remains poorly understood. We conducted a 90-day incubation experiment, applying ¹³C-labeled maize straw and/or microbial inoculant to coarse-textured sandy and fine-textured clay loam soils. Our results showed that microbial inoculant accelerated straw mineralization in both soils. Notably, microbial inoculant suppressed PE by 8.98% and 43.98% in the clay loam and sandy soil compared to straw addition alone, driven by adjusted soil available, C:N:P stoichiometry, and a shift in microbial community, as evidenced by a decrease in the ¹³C-G⁺ to ¹³C-G⁻ ratio from 2.68 to 2.60 in clay loam soil and from 3.2 to 1.9 in sandy soil. Microbial inoculant further increased net SOC gain (clay loam soil: +22.1%, sandy soil: +641%), with sandy soils exhibiting superior responsiveness due to reduced organo-mineral associations and enhanced microbial carbon use efficiency. In conclusion, our study provides evidence for the mechanism by which microbial inoculants suppress the PE, particularly in sandy soils. This finding establishes a theoretical basis for further exploring microbial regulation strategies in soil carbon cycling under conditions of low organo-mineral associations. Full article

Rice–aquatic animal coculture systems receive both fertilizer-nitrogen (N) and feed-N inputs; however, the impacts of these inputs on N₂O emissions remain unclear. We conducted a field experiment in a rice–turtle coculture (RT) system using a randomized complete block design with seven treatments and three replications. The results of N applications were determined by the ¹⁵N-labeling method, and the N₂O emissions were measured by the static chamber–gas chromatography method. The results showed that 11.20% of fertilizer-N entered the rice, 0.39% entered the turtles, and 8.97% was retained by the soil. For feed-N, 29.9% was used by the rice, 10.13% was assimilated by turtles, and 49.68% remained in the soil (0–20 cm layer). In the subsequent year, fertilizer-N and feed-N retention rates were 6.17% and 37.61% respectively. In the RT system, N₂O emissions did not differ significantly from those in the rice monoculture (RM) system in the rice-growing season; however, they were significantly higher in the RT system than in the RM system in the winter fallow season. N₂O emissions from the winter fallow season accounted for 93.2% of the annual total, during which feed-N and fertilizer-N directly contributed 10.75% and 0.25% of emissions, and their priming effects contributed 48.4% and 5.1%. Our results suggested that assessing N₂O emissions from rice–aquatic animal coculture systems should incorporate year-round monitoring and that feed-N effects should be considered. Full article