Search Results (317)

BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS) precise point positioning (PPP)-B2b has significant potential for application in meteorological fields, such as standalone water vapor monitoring in depopulated area without Internet. In this study, the practical ability of water vapor monitoring using the BDS PPP-B2b service is illustrated through a continuously operated water vapor monitoring system in Wuhan, China, with a 25-day experiment in 2025. Original observations from the Global Positioning System (GPS) and BDS are collected and processed in the near real-time (NRT) mode using ephemeris from the PPP-B2b service. Precipitable water vapor PWV monitored with B2b ephemeris are evaluated with radiosonde and ERA5 reanalysis, respectively. Taking PWV from radiosonde observations as the reference, RMS of PWV based on B2b ephemeris varies from 3.71 to 4.66 mm for different satellite combinations. While those values are with a range from 3.95 to 4.55 mm when compared with ERA5 reanalysis. These values are similar to those processed with the real-time ephemeris from the China Academy of Science (CAS). In general, this study demonstrates that the practical accuracy of water vapor monitored based on the BDS PPP-B2b service can meet the basic demand for operational meteorology for the first time. This will provide a scientific reference for its wide promotion to meteorological applications in the near future. Full article

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are beneficial rhizosphere microorganisms for plants. They can promote plant absorption of nutrients, inhibit pathogenic microorganisms, enhance plant tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses, and improve plant growth. Isolating new beneficial microbes and elucidating their promoting mechanisms can facilitate the development of microbial fertilizers. This study combined transcriptome sequencing and related experiments to analyze the mechanism by which the endophytic fungus ‘BF-F’ promotes the growth of Sesuvium portulacastrum. We inoculated the ‘BF-F’ fungus beside S. portulacastrum seedlings as the experimental group. Meanwhile, S. portulacastrum seedlings not inoculated with ‘BF-F’ were set as the control group. After inoculation for 0 d, 7 d, 14 d, 21 d, and 28 d, the plant height and the number of roots were measured. Furthermore, transcriptome sequencing on the roots and leaves of the S. portulacastrum was conducted. Differentially expressed genes were screened, and KEGG enrichment analysis was performed. Nitrogen metabolism-related genes were selected, and qRT-PCR was conducted on these genes. Furthermore, we analyzed the metabolomics of ‘BF-F’ and its hormone products. The results showed that inoculation of ‘BF-F’ significantly promoted the growth of S. portulacastrum. After ‘BF-F’ inoculation, a large number of genes in S. portulacastrum were differentially expressed. The KEGG pathway enrichment results indicated that the ‘BF-F’ treatment affected multiple metabolic pathways in S. portulacastrum, including hormone signal transduction and nitrogen metabolism. The auxin signaling pathway was enhanced because of a decrease in AUX expression and an increase in ARF expression. Contrary to the auxin signal transduction pathway, the zeatin (ZT) signaling pathway was suppressed after the ‘BF-F’ treatment. ‘BF-F’ increased the expression of genes related to nitrogen metabolism (NRT, AMT, NR, and GAGOT), thereby promoting the nitrogen content in S. portulacastrum. The metabolites of ‘BF-F’ were analyzed, and we found that ‘BF-F’ can synthesize IAA and ZT, which are important for plant growth. Overall, ‘BF-F’ can produce IAA and enhance the nitrogen use efficiency of plants, which could have the potential to be used for developing a microbial fertilizer. Full article

High nitrogen use efficiency is crucial for enhancing spinach’s tolerance to low nitrogen stress and minimizing nitrate accumulation. Here, we report that SoNRT3, a NAR2 family protein, modulates nitrate uptake and plant growth under low-nitrate conditions. SoNRT3 expression was induced by low nitrate availability in roots and prolonged nitrogen deficiency in shoots. Compared to wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana, lines overexpressing SoNRT3 exhibited higher root fresh weight, activities of nitrogen reduction/assimilation-related enzymes, tap root length, and total root diameter under low-nitrate (0.25 mM) conditions. SoNRT3 silencing reduced taproot length, lateral root number, shoot/root biomass, and ¹⁵${\mathrm{N}\mathrm{O}}_3^{-}$ uptake in spinach grown under low-nitrate conditions. SoNRT3 partially compensated for ¹⁵${\mathrm{N}\mathrm{O}}_3^{-}$ uptake in atnrt2.1 and atnrt3.1 mutants. Transcriptome analysis showed that SoNRT3 may enhance nitrate uptake and root development by promoting the expression of high-affinity nitrate transporters, nitrogen assimilation, auxin signaling, and cell differentiation. Additionally, SoNRT3 can interact with a spinach NRT2 family protein (SoNRT2a), whose transcription level was also induced by low N and N deficiency. Together, this study clarifies the key roles and regulatory network of SoNRT3 in low-nitrate tolerance, which contributes to a novel understanding of nitrate utilization in spinach. Full article

This study investigates the impact of response time on ability estimation within an Item Response Theory (IRT) framework, introducing time-sensitive formulations to enhance student assessment accuracy. Seven models were evaluated, including standard 1PL-IRT and six response-time-adjusted variants: TP-IRT, STP-IRT, TWD-IRT, NRT-IRT, DTA-IRT, and ART-IRT. Three optimization techniques—Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE), full parameter optimization, and K-fold Cross-Validation (CV)—were employed to assess model performance. Empirical validation was conducted using data from 150 students solving 30 mathematics items on the “TestYourself” platform, integrating response accuracy and timing metrics. Student abilities (θ), item difficulties (b), and time–effect parameters (λ) were estimated using the L-BFGS-B algorithm to ensure numerical stability. The results indicate that subtractive models, particularly DTA-IRT, achieved the lowest AIC/BIC values, highest AUC, and improved parameter stability, confirming their effectiveness in penalizing excessive response times without disproportionately affecting moderate-speed students. In contrast, multiplicative models (TWD-IRT, ART-IRT) exhibited higher variability, weaker generalizability, and increased instability, raising concerns about their applicability in adaptive testing. K-fold CV further validated the robustness of subtractive models, emphasizing their suitability for real-world assessments. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating response time as an additive factor to improve ability estimation while maintaining fairness and interpretability. Future research should explore multidimensional IRT extensions, behavioral response–time analysis, and adaptive testing environments that dynamically adjust item difficulty based on response behavior. Full article

Apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) is an economically important fruit. The use of nitrate by plants plays a crucial role in their growth and development, and its absorption and dispersal are controlled by nitrate transport proteins (NRTs). In this study, we investigated the potential function of MdNRT2.4 under low-nitrogen (N) stress by overexpressing it in tobacco. Compared with plants treated with a normal nitrogen level (5 mM), the MdNRT2.4 overexpression lines under low-N stress (0.25 mM) exhibited significantly greater plant height and width, as well as larger leaves and a higher leaf density, than wild-type plants, suggesting that the overexpression of MdNRT2.4 enhances the low-N tolerance of tobacco. Enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities in the MdNRT2.4 overexpression plant lines promoted the scavenging of reactive oxygen species, which reduced damage to their cell membranes. GUS staining of pMdNRT2.4::GUS-transformed Arabidopsis thaliana lines showed that MdNRT2.4 was expressed in the roots, vascular bundles, seeds in fruit pods, and young anther sites, suggesting that MdNRT2.4 mediates the transport of nitrate to these tissues, indicating that MdNRT2.4 might promote nitrate utilization in apple and improve its tolerance to low-N stress. Experiments using yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase assays revealed that MdbHLH3 binds to the MdNRT2.4 promoter and activates its expression. MdbHLH3 belongs to the basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factor (TF). It is speculated that MdbHLH3 may interact with the promoter of MdNRT2.4 to regulate N metabolism in plants and enhance their low-N tolerance. This study establishes a theoretical framework for investigating the regulatory mechanisms of low-N responsive molecules in apple, while simultaneously providing valuable genetic resources for molecular breeding programs targeting low-N tolerance. Full article

Rice is a major crop for half of the world’s population, and nitrogen (N) fertilizers play a crucial role in its production. However, imbalanced N fertilizer uses and traditional fertilization practices have led to low nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), increased N footprints, and reduced rice yields and farmers’ income. There are limited studies where the integration of both agronomic and molecular advancements to enhance NUE is discussed, particularly in developing countries. This review highlights novel agronomic and molecular strategies to enhance NUE, rice yields, and profitability, while minimizing environmental impact. The agronomic strategies include the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework, enhanced efficiency nitrogen fertilizers (EENFs), nano-fertilizers, biochar-based fertilizers, biological N fixation, and sensor-based fertilizer management in major rice-growing countries. The molecular mechanisms focus on N uptake, assimilation, and utilization, highlighting the role of hormones, key genes, transcription factors (TFs), and regulatory pathways. Moreover, we examine promising rice genotypes and cultivars with improved NUE and grain yield. Additionally, this paper offers deep insights into recent advancements in molecular genetics, such as multi-omics approaches (transcriptomics, metabolomics, and metagenomics), the Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS), Quantitative Traits Loci mapping (QTLs), Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) analysis, and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR-Cas9)-mediated genome editing, which serve as valuable tools for developing rice cultivars with enhanced NUE and grain yield. Full article

Nitrogen is an important nutrient required for plant growth and development, but most of the time plants face nitrogen deficiency, all it is important to study the mechanism of low nitrogen tolerance in plants. This study addresses this gap by investigating the role of the StDWF1 gene through the generation and analysis of transgenic potato lines overexpressing StDWF1 (OE1, OE2, OE3). Exogenous BL treatment showed that the StDWF1 gene responded to oleuropein lactone. Phenotypic assessments under normal nitrogen (NN) and low nitrogen (LN) conditions demonstrated that OE2 consistently outperformed WT, showing a 43% increase in root vitality and a 23% retention of chlorophyll under LN. Additionally, OE2 transgenics accumulated significantly higher levels of nitrate nitrogen (64.1% increase) and ammonium nitrogen (53% increase) compared to WT. Enzymatic assays further confirmed elevated activities of glutamine synthetase and nitrate reductase in both OE1 and OE2 lines. Hormone analyses showed that BL content of StDWF1 overexpression lines was significantly increased under LN conditions, higher Oleandrin lactone (BL) content of OE2 improved plant stress tolerance, and WT was more affected by low nitrogen stress than OE2, resulting in higher levels of stress hormones than OE2. Temporal gene expression analysis showed significant upregulation of key nitrogen metabolism-related genes (NR, NiR, AT, NRT2.1) in OE2, with StDWF1 expression reaching 79% higher than WT at 3 h. Protein–protein interaction assays, including yeast two-hybrid and BiLC assays, verified the interaction between StDWF1 and StGRP1, suggesting the existence of a functional network to enhance low-nitrogen tolerance in potato plants. In conclusion, these findings suggest that overexpression of StDWF1 significantly enhances low-nitrogen tolerance in transgenic potato lines, providing a promising strategy for improving crop performance under nitrogen-limited conditions. Full article

RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) represents a critical target for antiviral drug development. We developed a multi-model machine learning framework combining five traditional algorithms (ExtraTreesClassifier, RandomForestClassifier, LGBMClassifier, BernoulliNB, and BaggingClassifier) with a CNN deep learning model to identify potential RdRP inhibitors among FDA-approved drugs. Using the PubChem dataset AID 588519, our ensemble models achieved the highest performance with accuracy, ROC-AUC, and F1 scores higher than 0.70, while the CNN model demonstrated complementary predictive value with a specificity of 0.77 on external validation. Molecular docking studies with the norovirus RdRP (PDB: 4NRT) identified raloxifene as a promising candidate, with a binding affinity (−8.8 kcal/mol) comparable to the positive control (−9.2 kcal/mol). The molecular dynamics simulation confirmed stable binding with RMSD values of 0.12–0.15 nm for the protein–ligand complex and consistent hydrogen bonding patterns. Our findings suggest that raloxifene may possess RdRP inhibitory activity, providing a foundation for its experimental validation as a potential broad-spectrum antiviral agent. Full article

Cassava, an essential food crop, is valued for its tolerance to infertile soils. This study explores the role of C-terminally encoded peptides (CEPs) in cassava, mainly focusing on MeCEP6 and its function in nitrate uptake and plant growth. A comprehensive search on the UniProt website identified 12 CEP genes in cassava, predominantly located on chromosomes 12 and 13. Notably, MeCEP6 demonstrated high expression levels in root tips and exhibited a significant response to low nitrate stress. Exogenous MeCEP6 and its overexpression enhanced NRT2 transporter expression while suppressing auxin-related genes, promoting nitrate uptake and inhibiting seedling growth under nitrogen limitation. This growth inhibition likely represents an adaptive mechanism, enhancing cassava’s survival under nitrogen limitation by optimizing nitrogen allocation and use efficiency, albeit at the cost of reduced growth potential in nitrogen-replete conditions. Moreover, it was identified that MeWRKY65 and MeWRKY70 could interact with the promoter of MeCEP6 to modulate the expression of MeCEP6. The dual-luciferase assays further prove that MeWRKY65 and MeWRKY70 can activate the transcription of MeCEP6 under low nitrate stress conditions. The study’s results help explain the underlying mechanism of MeCEP6 that benefits nitrogen use efficiency and nitrogen deficiency tolerance in cassava. These findings provide a molecular basis for improving cassava yield in nitrogen-deficient soils and highlight MeCEP6 as a potential target for crop improvement. Full article

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in pregnant women is one of the most common causes of congenital infection in children. It is often asymptomatic but can lead to serious complications, including progressive sensorineural hearing loss. Profound hearing loss is an indication for cochlear implantation (CI). Electrode impedance and neural response telemetry (NRT) thresholds can be measured to confirm correct electrode placement and speech processor programming. Background/Objectives: The aim of the study is to evaluate the hearing outcome of children with profound sensorineural hearing loss or deafness due to cCMV infection after CI compared to a control group of children born with other causes of congenital hearing loss and to identify prognostic factors predicting the outcome of patients with hearing loss due to cCMV infection after CI. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in patients implanted between 2016 and 2023 at the Department of Otolaryngology of the Institute of the Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital Research Institute in Łódź. Pre- and postoperative hearing levels, electrode impedance and neural response telemetry (NRT) thresholds were compared. The degree of pre-implantation hearing loss was assessed by the level of the recorded V-wave in the ABR test. Post-implantation hearing assessment was based on the last available free-field tonal audiometry measurement. Impedance measurements were included: intraoperative, 1, 6, 12 months after CI, respectively, and NRT thresholds. Results: The final analysis included 84 patients with profound sensorineural hearing loss and complete audiological follow-up data: 13 patients with congenital CMV (cCMV) infection and 71 patients with other causes of deafnes. The analysis included 175 implanted ears: 17 in the CMV group and 158 in the control group. The age at implantation ranged from 1 to 11 years in the CMV and from 1 to 13 years in the control group. Mean preoperative hearing thresholds were 94.54 dB in the CMV group and 97.04 dB in the control group. At the most recent postoperative evaluation, mean thresholds improved to 33.83 dB and 36.42 dB, respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups. Mean intraoperative NRT values were 79.74 in the CMV group and 86.90 in the non-CMV group. Final NRT values were 129.77 and 130.76, respectively. Mean impedance values measured intraoperatively and at 1, 6 and 12 months postoperatively were 11.09 kOhm, 13.40 kOhm, 8.35 kOhm and 8.25 kOhm in the CMV group; and 12.28 kOhm, 14.06 kOhm, 9.60 kOhm and 8.00 kOhm in the control group, respectively. Conclusions: CI in children with deafness caused by cCMV infection is an effective treatment option. Initial electrical impedance values of the electrodes increase after implant activation and decrease in subsequent months of follow-up, suggesting the absence of active adhesion processes in the cochlea. Full article

People who undergo lung cancer screening (LCS) and continue to smoke are at risk for negative clinical outcomes and lowered survival and need effective smoking cessation interventions. This pilot study tested an 8-week intervention for smoking cessation after LCS. The participants (N = 40) were randomized to the intervention group (combination nicotine replacement therapy [NRT] plus gain-framed text messaging for 8 weeks) or the control group (standard cessation counseling) after LCS. Assessments were completed at 8-week and 3-month follow-ups, including self-reported 7-day point prevalence abstinence. The mean age was 64.4 years old (SD = 6.2); 32.5% were Black or African American; and 55% were female. At Week 8, 14.3% (3/21) of the participants in the intervention group were abstinent versus 0% (0/19) in the control group (p > 0.05). At 3-month follow-up, 4.8% (1/21) of the participants in the intervention group were abstinent versus 0% (0/19) in the control group. Among the intervention group participants, up to 52.4% used the provided patches and up to 61.9% used the provided lozenges during the study period. This study demonstrated modest quit rates for LCS patients receiving gain-framed text messages and NRT. The results highlight the need for more effective smoking cessation interventions for this priority population. Full article

‘Dianheyou615’ (DHY615) is an elite Dian (D1)-type hybrid japonica rice variety, renowned for its high yield, exceptional grain quality, and unique adaptability to both irrigated and rainfed conditions in the Yungui Plateau of southwestern China. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying the agronomic performance of the D1-type hybrid japonica rice remain unclear. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of ‘DHY615’’s agronomic performance, genetic genealogy, and molecular genetic foundation was conducted to dissect its desirable traits for upland rainfed cultivation across diverse ecological environments. The main findings indicate that ‘DHY615’ possesses 6432 heterozygous SNPs, with 57.48% and 14.43% located in the promoter and coding regions, respectively, potentially affecting key phenotypic traits. High-impact SNPs variants and numerous well-known functional genes were identified, such as OsAAP6, GS3, Sd1, Rf1, BADH2, BPh14, Rymv1, OsFRO1, NRT1.1B, SKC1, OsNCED2, and qUVR-10, which are likely linked to traits including plant architecture, grain yield, grain quality, and resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses (e.g., disease, cold, drought, salt, high iron, and high UV radiation). Notably, ‘Nan615’ harbors a greater number of functional allele variants compared to ‘H479A’, which potentially explaining its superior grain yield and remarkable adaptability. This study offers novel and valuable insights into the molecular genetic foundation of the plateau D1-type hybrid japonica rice, underscoring its potential for sustainable rice production across diverse ecological zones, especially with its unparalleled high-altitude adaptability to rainfed upland planting. Full article

On 3 March 2024, a new effusive eruption began from a sub-circular fissure on the southeast upper flank of the Fernandina volcano (Galápagos archipelago, Ecuador). Although the eruption posed no threat to people, as the island is uninhabited, it provided an opportunity to test a rapid response system for effusive eruptions, based on satellite infrared (IR) data. In this work, we illustrate how the analysis of data from multiple IR sensors allowed us to monitor the eruption in near real-time (NRT), providing recurrent updates on key parameters, such as (i) lava discharge rate and trend, (ii) erupted lava volume, (iii) lava field area, (iv) active flow front position (v) flow velocity, (vi) location of active vents and breakouts, and (vii) emplacement style. Overall, the eruption lasted 68 days, during which 58.5 ± 29.2 Mm³ of lava was erupted and an area of 14.9 ± 0.5 km² was invaded. The eruption was characterized by a peak effusion rate of 206 ± 103 m³/s, an initial velocity of ~2.3 km/h, and by an almost exponential decline in the effusion rate, accompanied by a transition from channel- to tube-fed emplacement style. The advance of the lava flow was characterized by three lengthening phases that allowed the front to reach the coast (~12.5 km from the vent) after 36 days (at an average velocity of ~0.015 km/h). The results demonstrate the efficiency of satellite thermal data in responding to effusive eruptions and maintaining situational awareness at remote volcanoes where ground-based data are limited or completely unavailable. The requirements, limitations, and future perspectives for applying this rapid response protocol on a global scale are finally discussed. Full article

Reliable rainfall data are critical for managing hydrometeorological hazards in West Africa, yet they are often sparse and temporally inconsistent. The current study assessed the accuracy of four near real-time satellite-based rainfall data, namely IMERGv7 Late, IMERGv6 Early, GSMAP-NRT and PERSIANN-DIR Now, for rainfall estimation and hydrological modeling in the Ouémé basin. These datasets were compared with ground-based rainfall data, bias-corrected and used to calibrate and validate the hydrological model HBV light. While they demonstrated qualitative accuracy, their quantitative estimation shows obvious discrepancies on a daily scale, varying across subdomains. The original IMERGv7 product outperforms others in capturing the rainfall pattern and amount (KGE > 0.6), while GSMAP performs moderately (KGE ≈ 0.51) and IMERGv6 and PERSIANN show lower reliability with KGE < 0.5. Quantile mapping emerges as the most effective bias-correction method, improving the performance of all satellite products, with RMSE reductions ≤ 15%. The results of hydrological simulations demonstrate the potential of satellite-based rainfall, particularly IMERGv7 and corrected IMERGv6 (NSE > 0.75), for near real-time flood monitoring and water management in the study area. This study underscores their suitability as valuable alternatives to ground-based data for flood management decision making in the Ouémé basin. Full article

Modern utility-scale wind turbines are evolving toward larger, lighter, and more flexible designs to meet the growing demand for renewable energy while minimizing logistical costs. However, these advancements in lightweight design result in heightened aeroelastic sensitivity, leading to complex interactions which affect the rotor’s capacity to withstand aerodynamic loading and the cascading effects that manifest in the wake’s vortex-structure evolution under variable atmospheric conditions. In this paper, we analyze the influence of stream-wise fluctuating atmospheric flow conditions on wind turbines with large, flexible rotors through simulations of the National Rotor Testbed (NRT) turbine, located at Sandia National Labs’ Scaled Wind Farm Technology (SWiFT) facility in Lubbock, Texas. The Common Ordinary Differential Equation Framework (CODEF) modeling suite is used to simulate wind turbine aeroelastic oscillatory behavior and wind farm vortex–wake interactions for a range of conditions with spatially variant atmospheric flow. CODEF solutions for turbine operation in wind conditions featuring only one parameter fluctuation are compared to wind conditions with several wind parameter variations in combination. By isolating individual inflow variations and comparing them to multi-parameter scenarios, we determine the contributions of each atmospheric factor to rotor dynamics, wake evolution, and downstream wind farm interactions. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of spatial variations in atmospheric flow on the topological evolution of wind turbine vortex wakes, which constitutes a gap in the current understanding of wind turbine wake dynamics. The insights gained from this study are particularly valuable for the development of wind farm control strategies aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of wake interactions, enhancing energy capture, and improving the overall stability of wind farm operations. With these insights, we aim to contribute to the development of modeling and simulation tools to optimize utility-scale wind power plants operating in diverse atmospheric environments. Full article