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Contamination of heavy metal(loid) in soils is a global problem. Various remediation technologies have thus been applied to mitigate the ecological and health risk of heavy metal(loid)s in contaminated soils. Majority of review studies mainly focus on the mobility or accumulation of heavy metal(loid)s, but little attention has been paid to the alteration of soil fertility (e.g. soil nutrient, structure and enzyme activities) which are most closely related to plant growth during the remediation process. Here, we summarized influence of physical, chemical and biological remediation technologies of contaminated soils on soil fertility, and they indicated that: (1) thermal treatment and soil washing usually decreased soil nutrients and enzyme activities, as well as deteriorated soil structure; (2) biological technologies usually improved soil structure or microorganism activities, but the decrease of soil fertility through nutrient uptake by plants cannot be ignored; (3) the soil amendments displayed various influence on soil fertility, which depended on their properties; (4) combination of multiple technologies could neutralize the negative influence of single technology on soil fertility. In the future, technologies which could both decrease heavy metal(loid) toxicity and improve soil fertility are more recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioinspired molecular engineering strategies have emerged as powerful tools that significantly enhance the development of novel therapeutics, improving efficacy, specificity, and safety in disease treatment. Recent advancements have focused on identifying and utilizing disease‐associated biomarkers to optimize drug activity and address challenges inherent in traditional therapeutics, such as frequent drug administrations, poor patient adherence, and increased risk of adverse effects. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in bioinspired artificial systems (BAS) that use molecular engineering to tailor therapeutic responses to drugs in the presence of disease‐specific biomarkers. We examine the transition from open‐loop systems, which rely on external cues, to closed‐loop feedback systems capable of autonomous self‐regulation in response to disease‐associated biomarkers. We detail various BAS modalities designed to achieve biomarker‐driven therapy, including activatable prodrug molecules, smart drug delivery platforms, autonomous artificial cells, and synthetic receptor‐based cell therapies, elucidating their operational principles and practical in vivo applications. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and future perspectives in the advancement of BAS‐enabled technology and envision that ongoing advancements toward more programmable and customizable BAS‐based therapeutics will significantly enhance precision medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of expressway vehicle trajectories is a crucial aspect in the development of intelligent expressways. This paper proposes a novel approach, namely the W-GRU-Attention (WGA) model, which utilizes ETC transaction data to predict trajectory selection based on historical traffic paths and previous passed gantry information. In this study, we apply the concept of word embedding models to extract contextual semantics from the historical trajectories on expressways. Additionally, we introduce an average pooling technique for converting the historical vehicle trajectory into a fixed-length Historical Trajectory Vector (HTV), enabling us to capture dependency relationships within experience paths. By combining proximity gantry vectors during transit, we accurately predict the next gantry location. Finally, our proposed method is evaluated using a real-world expressway ETC dataset. It achieves an impressive accuracy rate of 96.14% in capturing the relationship between historical trajectories and adjacent gantries, surpassing other models in path prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qiongzhuea tumidinoda stands out as an endemic bamboo species of significant conservation importance in Southwest China, particularly in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. It holds a pivotal role in poverty alleviation through the commercialization of its wood and bamboo shoots. However, the suitable area of this species is undergoing rapid changes due to climate change, resulting in species redistribution and potential losses for bamboo farmers. We utilized 209 presence records and 25 environmental variables from 1987 to 2012 to predict the potentially suitable habitats for Q. tumidinoda using MaxEnt (version 3.4.1), ArcGIS (version 10.8.2), and R (4.3.3). We rigorously screened the recorded data for reliability and accuracy through expert consultations and observer interviews. We performed pre-processing to select the variables with high contributions for modeling, and 11 variables were selected for the final modeling. Our findings reveal that the top three most influential variables associated with Q. tumidinoda's distribution were the mean monthly potential evapotranspiration (Pet), annual range of air temperatures (Bio7), and mean diurnal air temperature range (Bio2), and the rates of contributions from 1987 to 2012 were 4.8333, 3.5833, and 1.7000. There was a southeastward shift and an elevation increase in the potentially suitable habitats for Q. tumidinoda. The area of potentially suitable habitats in the study region exhibited fluctuating growth, expanding from 3063.42 km2 to 7054.38 km2. The mean monthly potential evapotranspiration (Pet) emerged as a critical determinant shaping the distribution of potentially suitable habitats for Q. tumidinoda. Our study sheds light on the response of Q. tumidinoda to climate change, offering valuable insights for the development and management of plantation industries associated with this species. In the future, to enhance prediction accuracy, researchers could equally consider both organic and inorganic environmental variables. For better preservation of environment and development, Q. tumidinoda could be introduced into nature restoration projects in areas with a suitable habitat or as a commodity that participates in forest carbon sink trading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explore the information needs of Chinese parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and how these needs evolve as their children develop. Design/methodology/approach: This study collated 17,122 questions regarding raising children with ASD via the Yi Lin website until November 2021. Findings: The information needs of parents of children with ASD were classified into two categories: 1) Cognition-motivation: related to children with ASD; and 2) Affection-motivation: related to their parents. Child development causes the adaptation of information needs of these parents. Within the first three years, nine different topics of these parents' information needs were identified. Major information needs at this stage are as follows: intervention content, intervention methods and pre-diagnosis questions. During the ages of three to six years, there were 13 topics of information needs for parents, focusing on three areas: intervention content, intervention methods and diagnosis and examination. There are eight topics of information needs post six years. Parents are more concerned with the three topics of intervention content, life planning and intervention methods. Originality/value: This novel study indicates the complex and changing information needs of parents of children with ASD in China. It may enhance the understanding of the information needs of these parents at theoretical and practical levels, provide support for them to understand their own information needs and provide a reference for relevant government and social organisations to provide targeted information services for them. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-04-2022-0247 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury (Hg) enrichment relative to total organic carbon (TOC) in sedimentary records has been widely used as a volcanism proxy. However, the depositional and diagenetic effects on Hg burial are not well understood, limiting the reliability of the proxy. Here, we report a systematic investigation of Hg sedimentation under well‐oxygenated bottom water. Most of the studied cores show total mercury content (THg) to TOC ratio between 50 and 300 ppb/%, including northwest Pacific ODP Site 1208, East Equatorial Pacific ODP Sites 677 and 1241, the Antarctic Zone ODP Site 1094, and East China Sea sediment core EC2005. The consistent THg/TOC ratio confirms the strong coupling between Hg and particulate organic matter (POM) despite large differences in geographic locations, sedimentation rates, TOC content, POM sources, and early diagenetic environments. Nevertheless, the THg/TOC ratio is higher in sediments under well‐oxygenated bottom water than in those under oxygen‐depleted waters, probably as a result of a higher degree of organic matter degradation in oxygenated sediments during early diagenesis. The THg in the high TOC variability section at Site 1208 is abnormally high, resulting in decoupling between Hg and POM. Mercury in this section is still leachable by oxidizing solution and has a similar trend of variability with easily reducible iron content, implying that the metal oxide‐organic matter association might act as Hg bounding phase. We suggest that the enriched Hg is probably supplied by the neighboring high TOC sediment. Therefore, while THg/TOC > 300 ppb/% could be considered as distinct Hg enrichment in sedimentary records, the diagenetic mobilization effect should be first excluded as the possible cause as demonstrated by the records of site 1208. Our study therefore provides new insights into the Hg cycle in the modern ocean and the utilization of Hg enrichment as a volcanism proxy. Key Points: Strong coupling between sedimentary Hg and particulate organic matter in an oxygenated marine environmentHg is relatively enriched compared to particulate organic matter during its aerobic degradationLarge change in the content of particulate organic matter causes its decoupling with Hg [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are growing concerns about elevated lead (Pb) levels in lip cosmetics, yet in China, the largest lip cosmetic market, recent Pb contamination in lip cosmetics and associated Pb exposure remain unclear. Here, we measured Pb levels of 29 popular lip cosmetics in China and conducted the bioaccessibility-corrected carcinogenic risk assessments and sensitivity analysis regarding Pb exposure for consumers using Monte Carlo simulation. The Pb concentrations of collected samples ranged from undetectable (< 0.05 µg/kg) to 0.21 mg/kg, all of which were well below the Pb concentration limit set for cosmetics in China (10 mg/kg). The 50th percentile incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) of Pb in Chinese cosmetics (1.20E-07) was below the acceptable level (1E-06), indicating that the application of lip cosmetics and subsequent Pb exposure does not pose carcinogenic risks to consumers in most cases. The results of this study provide new insights into understanding the Pb risk in lip cosmetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This systematic literature review aims to elaborate on the research progress and features of information source preferences to help other researchers attain a more comprehensive understanding of the field. Design/methodology/approach: Following a systematic review protocol, 139 research articles from 11 academic databases were analyzed. Findings: Overall, five separate results were obtained: first, information source horizon theory is the main theoretical foundation of information source preferences research, while other theories have been applied less. Second, information source preference research has strong context sensitivity and involves health, work, consumption, learning, survival and development and emergencies. Third, preference criteria can be summarized into three categories: information characteristics, user characteristics, needs characteristics and corresponding specific criteria. Fourth, information source preferences are influenced by both internal and external factors, including five specific aspects, namely demographics, the user's cognition, the user's affection, capital and contextual factors. Fifth, this field is dominated by quantitative methods and an information horizon mapping method could be applied more. Originality/value: This study is the first to reveal the general picture of information source preferences. It also elaborates on the characteristics of this field and presents potential development directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's widely adopted expressway ETC system provides a feasible foundation for realizing co-operative vehicle–infrastructure integration, and the accuracy of ETC data, which forms the basis of this scheme, will directly affect the safety of driving. Therefore, this study focuses on the abnormal data in an expressway ETC system. This study combines road network topology data and capture data to mine the abnormal patterns of ETC data, and it designs an abnormal identification model for expressway transaction data based on TL-XGBoost. This model categorizes expressway ETC abnormal data into four distinct classes: missing detections, opposite lane detection, duplicated detection and reverse trajectory detection. ETC transaction data from a southeastern Chinese province were used for experimentation. The results validate the model's effectiveness, achieving an accuracy of 98.14%, a precision of 97.59%, a recall of 95.44%, and an F1-score of 96.49%. Furthermore, this study conducts an analysis and offers insights into the potential causes of anomalies in expressway ETC data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) are of global concern due to their slow degradation in the environment and the potential of inducing adverse effects on organisms. In aquatic ecosystems, microbes routinely colonize MPs and develop biofilms on their surfaces. Biofilms are assemblages of surface-associated microbial cells that are enclosed in an extracellular polymeric substance. Emerging evidence has suggested that the development of biofilm can alter the physicochemical properties and the pollutant adsorption capability on MPs. In this article, we review the impacts of biofilm formation on MP properties, ecotoxicity, and fate. First, we summarize the environmental factors that modulate biofilm formation, as well as the unique components of biofilm on MP. Next, we review current understanding on the influence of biofilm formation on the physical and chemical properties of MPs and discuss how these changes affect their pollutant adsorption capacity. Finally, we discuss how biofilm formation on MPs affects their ingestion by organisms and nutrient cycling in aquatic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing scientific advances and networks in NPs research can provide valuable insights into the evolving trends, research gaps, and priorities for future research efforts, highlighting the importance of scientific research in pollution control and risk management of uncontrolled and unknown nanoplastics (NPs) that pose a potential global threat, and have raised concerns in the scientific community and media. A total of 2055 nanoplastics (NPs) studies published from 1995 onwards were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Bibliometric methods were applied to assess evolving scientific advances and networks. The general term, "nanoplastics," was first introduced in 1995 as "intelligent" materials. Before 2009, defined as the ambiguous stage, NPs were produced and applied in many different manufacturing areas and processes. The first research referring to nano-scale plastic particles/debris as potential hazardous contaminants appeared in 2010. Thereafter, the number of annual publications on NPs has increased rapidly, particularly from 2018 onwards. Results showed China published 822 scientific papers, overtaking the United States' 229 papers, whereas European researches, i.e., the Netherlands, Portugal, German, and the United Kingdom, led in quality and citation with extensive international collaborations. Furthermore, we concluded three main research themes from keyword cluster analysis: environmental monitoring (identification, quantification, fresh-water, marine-environment); environmental behaviors (fate, adsorption, aggregation, transport); and toxicology (toxicity, exposure, ingestion, oxidative stress). Toxicology and environmental behaviors of NPs were the leading themes. An overview of the current understanding of NPs in the above three major themes provides perspectives to identify future research directions based on knowledge gaps, e.g., advancing analytical methods, and exploring the mobility and fate of NPs in different ecosystems. Scientific research on NPs is a key fundamental requirement for their pollution control and risk management. To bridge the gap between research and reality, future efforts are required to promote the dissemination of scientific research findings and encourage actions in engineering, policy, education, etc., to support a sustainable society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial discrepancy of secondary emission yield (SEY) is probably exacerbated by unexpected surface contamination or imperfect surface treatments for SEY suppression, which accordingly provokes increased multipactor risk in microwave devices. In this paper, an improved 2D2V nonstationary statistical modeling for multipactor of parallel plates capable of regarding all electron impacts and electron exchange at the periodic boundaries is developed to investigate the effect of this spatial SEY discrepancy on multipactor formation in microwave devices. The comparison with the 1D2V statistical modeling results, which is valid for the parallel-plate multipactor, proves the accuracy of this improved 2D2V statistical modeling and the necessity of appropriate boundary setting in multipactor analysis with spatial SEY variation. The modeling results also reveal that the multipactor establishment is dominated by the electron multiplication and the electron overflow in the high-SEY region, thus making the multipactor threshold strongly dependent on both the SEY property and the dimension of the region. Electron multiplication can be fully sustained in the high-SEY region when its size exceeds a critical dimension, which satisfies a scaling law (the sustaining dimension is proportional to the gap with the product of the RF frequency and the gap kept constant) and varies with the involved multipactor mode. This research will help in evaluating accidental multipactor risk caused by the surface contamination and the efficiency of multipactor prevention via applying surface treatments for SEY suppression to accessible regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distinguishing the respective contributions of various microbes to methylmercury (MeHg) production is critical for predicting MeHg bioaccumulation and exposure risk. Metabolic inhibitors have been commonly used to block the activity of specific microbial groups and identify primary Hg methylating microbes. By reviewing literatures and our empirical data, we demonstrate how multiple factors, including (1) the addition of inappropriate amounts of inhibitors, (2) a tendency to overlook microbial syntrophy, and (3) the absence of comprehensive proxy systems of Hg methylation, would impact result interpretation of this approach. We thus suggest that the design of inhibition assays should consider the environmental properties, e.g., background levels of electron acceptors, concentrations of metabolic substrates, and abundances of Hg methylating microbes. We also recommend that inhibitors should be added at multiple concentrations and that observed changes in Hg methylation should be assessed with comprehensive indicators. Revealing the key factors responsible for the improper usage of this method and inadequate interpretation of the results would help optimize inhibition assays for robust predictions of MeHg production in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Segmentation of intracranial aneurysm (IA) from computed tomography angiography (CTA) images is of significant importance for quantitative assessment of IA and further surgical treatment. Manual segmentation of IA is a labor-intensive, time-consuming job and suffers from inter- and intra-observer variabilities. Training deep neural networks usually requires a large amount of labeled data, while annotating data is very time-consuming for the IA segmentation task. This paper presents a novel weight-perceptual self-ensembling model for semi-supervised IA segmentation, which employs unlabeled data by encouraging the predictions of given perturbed input samples to be consistent. Considering that the quality of consistency targets is not comparable to each other, we introduce a novel sample weight perception module to quantify the quality of different consistency targets. Our proposed module can be used to evaluate the contributions of unlabeled samples during training to force the network to focus on those well-predicted samples. We have conducted both horizontal and vertical comparisons on the clinical intracranial aneurysm CTA image dataset. Experimental results show that our proposed method can improve at least 3% Dice coefficient over the fully-supervised baseline, and at least 1.7% over other state-of-the-art semi-supervised methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing scientific advances and networks in NPs research can provide valuable insights into the evolving trends, research gaps, and priorities for future research efforts, highlighting the importance of scientific research in pollution control and risk management of uncontrolled and unknown nanoplastics (NPs) that pose a potential global threat, and have raised concerns in the scientific community and media. A total of 2055 nanoplastics (NPs) studies published from 1995 onwards were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Bibliometric methods were applied to assess evolving scientific advances and networks. The general term, "nanoplastics," was first introduced in 1995 as "intelligent" materials. Before 2009, defined as the ambiguous stage, NPs were produced and applied in many different manufacturing areas and processes. The first research referring to nano-scale plastic particles/debris as potential hazardous contaminants appeared in 2010. Thereafter, the number of annual publications on NPs has increased rapidly, particularly from 2018 onwards. Results showed China published 822 scientific papers, overtaking the United States' 229 papers, whereas European researches, i.e., the Netherlands, Portugal, German, and the United Kingdom, led in quality and citation with extensive international collaborations. Furthermore, we concluded three main research themes from keyword cluster analysis: environmental monitoring (identification, quantification, fresh-water, marine-environment); environmental behaviors (fate, adsorption, aggregation, transport); and toxicology (toxicity, exposure, ingestion, oxidative stress). Toxicology and environmental behaviors of NPs were the leading themes. An overview of the current understanding of NPs in the above three major themes provides perspectives to identify future research directions based on knowledge gaps, e.g., advancing analytical methods, and exploring the mobility and fate of NPs in different ecosystems. Scientific research on NPs is a key fundamental requirement for their pollution control and risk management. To bridge the gap between research and reality, future efforts are required to promote the dissemination of scientific research findings and encourage actions in engineering, policy, education, etc., to support a sustainable society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) are of global concern due to their slow degradation in the environment and the potential of inducing adverse effects on organisms. In aquatic ecosystems, microbes routinely colonize MPs and develop biofilms on their surfaces. Biofilms are assemblages of surface-associated microbial cells that are enclosed in an extracellular polymeric substance. Emerging evidence has suggested that the development of biofilm can alter the physicochemical properties and the pollutant adsorption capability on MPs. In this article, we review the impacts of biofilm formation on MP properties, ecotoxicity, and fate. First, we summarize the environmental factors that modulate biofilm formation, as well as the unique components of biofilm on MP. Next, we review current understanding on the influence of biofilm formation on the physical and chemical properties of MPs and discuss how these changes affect their pollutant adsorption capacity. Finally, we discuss how biofilm formation on MPs affects their ingestion by organisms and nutrient cycling in aquatic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. From the perspective of metabolomics, this study compares the metabolomics characteristics of feces and urine between children with spleen-deficiency and healthy children to explain the scientific connotation of children with spleen-deficiency susceptibility to digestive system diseases from the metabolic level and provide a scientific basis for further research. Methods. This study included 20 children with spleen-deficiencies and 17 healthy children. Children's symptom scores, height, and weight were recorded in groups, and feces and urine samples were collected. The samples were detected using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The data were analyzed using multivariate statistical analysis such as principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Related differential metabolites were identified through database comparisons between two groups based on the MS and KEGG. Results. Compared to healthy children, the metabolites glucuronic acid, xanthine, and indole-3-acetaldehyde tend to be reduced in children with spleen-deficiency. Moreover, these children showed an increase in metabolites such as quinic acid, adenine, 4-methyl-5-thiazole-ethanol, 3-formyl indole, and 5-hydroxy indole-3-acetic acid. The condition affected many of the critical metabolic pathways, including the metabolism of tryptophan, cysteine, methionine, and pentose phosphate. Conclusion. The children with spleen-deficiency had disorders at the metabolic level, which might be due to factors such as diet, personal preferences, and genes, leading to various symptoms, making spleen-deficiency children more prone to suffer from digestive diseases than healthy children. The results set a basis for the research on children's TCM constitution, which can be a reference to further studies to deal with the spleen-deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pattern‐triggered immunity (PTI) is an essential strategy used by plants to deploy broad‐spectrum resistance against pathogen attacks. Heterotrimeric G proteins have been reported to contribute to PTI. Of the three non‐canonical EXTRA‐LARGE G PROTEINs (XLGs) in Arabidopsis thaliana, XLG2 and XLG3 were shown to positively regulate immunity, but XLG1 was not considered to function in defense, based on the analysis of a weak xlg1 allele. In this study, we characterized the xlg1 xlg2 xlg3 triple knockout mutants generated from an xlg1 knockout allele. The strong xlg1 xlg2 xlg3 triple mutants compromised pathogen‐associated molecular pattern (PAMP)‐triggered activation of mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and resistance to pathogen infection. The three XLGs interacted with MAPK cascade proteins involved in defense signaling, including the MAPK kinase kinases MAPKKK3 and MAPKKK5, the MAPK kinases MKK4 and MKK5, and the MAPKs MPK3 and MPK6. Expressing a constitutively active form of MKK4 restored MAPK activation and partially recovered the compromised disease resistance seen in the strong xlg1 xlg2 xlg3 triple mutant. Furthermore, mutations of all three XLGs largely restored the phenotype of the autoimmunity mutant bak1‐interacting receptor‐like kinase 1. Our study reveals that all three XLGs function redundantly in PAMP‐triggered MAPK activation and plant immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This systematic literature review aims to elaborate the research progress of information practices to help other researchers attain a more holistic and comprehensive understanding of the field. Design/methodology/approach: Following a systematic review protocol, 123 research articles from nine academic databases were included in the analysis. Findings: Four separate results can be outlined. First, practice theory, social constructionist theory and activity theory are often used as the theoretical basis for the study of information practices. Second, people will engage in specific information practice activities in different external and internal contexts. The external contexts include social and needs contexts. The internal contexts include information source horizons, user's affection and user's cognition. Third, the existing information practice models can be divided into static and dynamic types. These models mainly reflected activities and influencing factors of information practices. Fourth, qualitative methods were the most used in information practice research. Research limitations/implications: The field of information practices is a vast, expanding research field. This research will focus only on a specific section, namely concepts, activities, contexts and models. Researchers could contribute to exploring the concepts, components and mechanisms of information practices by combining theories from various disciplines, such as sociology and behavioral science. Originality/value: This is the first study to reveal the general picture of information practices. It also elaborates the characteristics of people's information practices and shows the potential development direction for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury sulfides (HgS), one of the largest Hg sinks in the lithosphere, has long been considered to be highly inert. Recently, several HgS speciation (e.g., nano- or micro-sized HgS particles) in paddy soils have been found to be reactive and bioavailable, increasing the possibility of methylation and bioaccumulation and posing a potential risk to humans. However, a simple and uniform method for investigating HgS bioavailability is still lacking. To address this issue, we extracted dissolved Hg from HgS particles by sodium thiosulfate (Na2S2O3) in paddy soils and analyzed the correlation between extracted Hg and soil methylmercury (MeHg). Results showed that the amounts of Hg extracted by Na2S2O3 had a strong positive correlation with the levels of soil MeHg (R2adj = 0.893, p < 0.05). It is suggested that Na2S2O3 extraction may be a good method of predicting Hg bioavailability in paddy soils. Our results would help to give clues in better predicting Hg risk in natural environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipids affect cartilage growth, injury, and regeneration in diverse ways. Diet and metabolism have become increasingly important as the prevalence of obesity has risen. Proper lipid supplementation in the diet contributes to the preservation of cartilage function, whereas excessive lipid buildup is detrimental to cartilage. Lipid metabolic pathways can generate proinflammatory substances that are crucial to the development and management of osteoarthritis (OA). Lipid metabolism is a complicated metabolic process involving several regulatory systems, and lipid metabolites influence different features of cartilage. In this review, we examine the current knowledge about cartilage growth, degeneration, and regeneration processes, as well as the most recent research on the significance of lipids and their metabolism in cartilage, including the extracellular matrix and chondrocytes. An in-depth examination of the involvement of lipid metabolism in cartilage metabolism will provide insight into cartilage metabolism and lead to the development of new treatment techniques for metabolic cartilage damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does the multipactor threshold voltage vary when two semi-infinite parallel plates are bent into coaxial lines? This topic with respect to the geometric effect on multipactor formation is essential for the optimal design of multipactor-free microwave systems. It requires accurate multipactor threshold analysis of the coaxial lines with the consideration of electron angular momentum, which is not considered in most multipactor theoretical approaches for efficient threshold calculations. To address this effect from the perspective of multipactor threshold analysis, this work presents an improved implementation of the multipactor statistical modeling (1D3V modeling) by constructing the joint probability density function with angular emissions and impacts of secondary electrons included. On that basis, a multipactor susceptibility chart of coaxial lines is conducted and compared with the experimental results, and multipactor threshold voltage for varying ratios of outer to inner conductor radii (radius ratio) is calculated to quantitatively investigate the effect of electron angular momentum. The results indicate that the 1D3V modeling can achieve fairly good agreement with the experimental result and relatively better accuracy of threshold calculation at first multipactor orders with comparison to the 1D1V result which only regards the radial momentum. With different variations of the threshold voltage from the 1D1V result, the 1D3V result reaches its minimum at a specific radius ratio before the sudden rise, and the discrepancy becomes more significant for the high-order multipactor, revealing the indispensable effect of angular momentum on the coaxial multipactor. The intricacies of the mechanism analysis will be further explored in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A clustering algorithm is a solution for grouping a set of objects and for distribution centre location problems. But the common K-means clustering algorithm may give local optimal solutions. Swarm intelligent algorithms simulate the social behaviours of animals and avoid local optimal solutions. We employ three swarm intelligent algorithms to avoid these solutions. We propose a new algorithm for the clustering problem, the fruit-fly optimization K-means algorithm (FOA K-means). We designed a distribution centre location problem and three clustering indicators to evaluate the performance of algorithms. We compare the algorithms of K-means with the ant colony optimization algorithm (ACO K-means), particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO K-means), and fruit-fly optimization algorithm. We find K-Means modified by the fruit-fly optimization algorithm (FOA K-means) has the best performance on convergence speed and three clustering indicators, compactness, separation, and integration. Thus, we can apply FOA K-means to improve the distribution centre location solution and the efficiency for distribution in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have succeeded in Hyperspectral Image Classification and shown excellent performance. However, the implicit spatial information between features, which significantly affect the classification performance of CNNs, are neglected in most existing CNN models. To address this issue, we propose a parallel multi-input mechanism-based CNN (PMI-CNN) fully exploiting the implicit spectral-spatial information in Hyperspectral Images. PMI-CNN employs four parallel convolution branches to extract spatial features with different levels, feature maps from each branch are spliced, and used as the classifier's input. The proposed PMI-CNN's classification performance is examined on three benchmark datasets and compared with six competing models. Experimental results show that PMI-CNN has better classification performance via exploiting spectral-spatial information. Compared with other models, the classification accuracy of PMI-CNN on the Indian Pines dataset is significantly improved, varying between 1.23%-25.36%. Likewise, the PMI-CNN, performed on the other two benchmark datasets, achieves 0.54%-12.26% and 0.96%-8.38% advantages in overall accuracy over the other six models, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 2020 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 edition) has 255 Chinese prescriptions with different dosage forms, accounting for 21.09% of the total prescriptions (1,209) in Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 edition. However, the scientific rationality of the phenomenon of "Different Dosage Forms of the Same Prescription" of Chinese proprietary medicine has been less explored. Based on the dosage form theory of "components in pills release slowly and take effect in slow-acting manner, while in powders release quickly and take effect in fast-acting way," we provided the in vitro dissolution experiment and in vivo pharmacokinetics of Chuanxiong Chatiao powders and pills in order to rationalize the phenomenon of "Different Dosage Forms of the Same Prescription" of Chuanxiong Chatiao prescription. Materials and Methods: Chuanxiong Chatiao powders and pills were prepared in the laboratory referring to the preparation methods in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 edition, and the contents of tetramethylpyrazine, ferulic acid, nodakenin, and isoimperatorin were determined by the external standard method. We measured the in vitro dissolution of four analytes of Chuanxiong Chatiao powders and pills according to the second method for dissolution determination (paddle method) in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 edition, and their corresponding contents in each sampling point were determined by LC-MS/MS. We also provided a pharmacokinetic study of Chuanxiong Chatiao powders and pills. Six female domestic rabbits were divided into two groups (powder and pill groups) and given Chuanxiong Chatiao powders and pills (9.85 g/kg) by surgical administration separately. Blood samples were collected at 5, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 240, 360, 480, 720, and 1,440 min after drug administration to measure the plasma concentration of the four analytes by LC-MS/MS. Results: The results of in vitro dissolution experiment showed that the dissolution rate of four analytes in the powder group was greater than that of the pill group. However, the solubilities of tetramethylpyrazine and isoimperatorin were very low in the powder and pill, which may be related to their low solubility properties. The results of the in vivo pharmacokinetic study of Chuanxiong Chatiao powders and pills showed that T max (h) of ferulic acid and nodakenin in the powder group was 0.420 and 0.053 times that of the pill group and t 1/2 (h) of ferulic acid, nodakenin, and isoimperatorin of the powder group was 0.910, 0.262, and 0.661 times that of the pill group, respectively. Conclusion: The in vitro dissolution rate and in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters of four analytes in CXCTF could partly explain the scientific rationality of the classic theory of "丸者缓也, 散者散也" as in Chinese, which is helpful for providing a basis for the comparison of subsequent dosage forms. The results of our studies also suggest the complexity of the design of dosage forms of Chinese proprietary medicines and imply that we should pay more attention to the scientific rationality of the phenomenon of "Different Dosage Forms of the Same Prescription." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly population. However, epidemiological studies on the demographics of AD in Hong Kong population are lacking.Objective: We investigated the demographics, comorbidities, mortality rates, and medication use of patients with AD in Hong Kong to understand how the disease has been managed locally.Methods: This was a collaborative study of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Hospital Authority Data Collaboration Lab. We analyzed the demographic data, clinical records, diagnoses, and medication records of patients with AD under the care of the Hospital Authority between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2017.Results: We identified 23,467 patients diagnosed with AD. The median age at diagnosis was 84 years old, and 71% of patients were female. The most common comorbidity was hypertension (52.6%). 39.9% of patients received medications for dementia; of those, 68.4% had taken those medications for > 1 year. Compared to nonusers, long-term AD medication users had a significantly younger age of AD onset and were taking more lipid-regulating medication, diabetes medication, or antidepressants. Surprisingly, the use of antipsychotics in patients with AD was quite common; 50.7% of patients had received any type of antipsychotic during disease progression.Conclusion: This study provides detailed information on the demographics and medication use of patients with AD in Hong Kong. The data from this AD cohort will aid our future research aiming to identify potential AD risk factors and associations between AD and other diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Letter to the Editor [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An 8-week feeding trial with high-carbohydrate- and 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg mulberry leaf flavonoids (MLF)-supplemented diets (HCF1, HCF2 and HCF3, respectively) was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of MLF on oxidized high-carbohydrate-induced glucose metabolism disorder, liver oxidative damage and intestinal microbiota disturbance in Monopterus albus. The results showed that HC diets had significant negative effects on growth, glucose metabolism, liver antioxidant and immunity, as well as intestinal microbiota, in comparison to CON diets. However, WGR and SR in the HCF3 group dramatically increased compared to the HC group. With the increase of MLF in the HC diet, the activities of glycolysis and antioxidant enzymes in the liver tended to increase, while the changes of gluconeogenesis-related enzyme activities showed the opposite trend and significantly changed in the HCF3 group. Additionally, MLF supplementation dramatically increased the mRNA expression involved in glycolysis, antioxidative enzymes and anti-inflammatory cytokines in comparison with the HC group. Furthermore, gluconeogenesis and pro-inflammatory cytokine genes' expression dramatically decreased. Furthermore, the proportion of Clostridium and Rhodobacter in the HC group dramatically declined, and the proportion of Lactococcus dramatically increased, compared to the HC group. In addition, 300 mg/kg MLF supplementation significantly improved the species composition and homeostasis of intestinal microbiota. These results indicate that MLF can alleviate the negative effects of low growth performance, glucose metabolism disorder, liver oxidative damage and intestinal microbiota disturbance caused by HC diets, and the relief of MLF is dose-related. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat shock procedure is crucial for gynogenetic manipulation leading to diploidization of the maternal genomes; however, the underlying molecular mechanism especially the transcriptomic changes during this procedure has still not been unveiled yet. Here, the artificial gynogenesis of zebrafish (Danio rerio) using inactivated sperm from rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) was conducted. We found that artificial gynogenetic manipulation, including pseudo-fertilization and heat shock, decreased hatching rates, whereas heat shock treatment alone had medium hatching rates. The first cleavage changed the expression of genes associated with RNA transcription and protein synthesis. A co-expression network regulated by hub genes GIT1, Sepsecs, and FLNB was significantly correlated with heat shock procedure. The cyclin family and cyclin-dependent kinase-related genes were lowly expressed in embryos from gynogenetic zebrafish, and genes involved in controlling the cell cycle and genomic stability were significantly altered by the gynogenetic treatment. Our results show the effects of artificial gynogenesis on embryos and describe changes in gene expression that suggest drastic changes take place in cell division by heat shock procedure. These findings will contribute to an understanding of the molecular basis for germplasm improving, including the purifying effect and allogynogenetic biological effect by gynogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Plants use pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) to detect pathogen‐associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and activate pattern‐triggered immunity (PTI). Precise regulation of information from PRRs to downstream signaling components is vital to mounting an appropriate immune response and requires dynamic interactions of these PTI components.We used transcriptome profiling, phenotypic analysis, molecular genetics, and protein–protein interaction analysis to understand the roles of the Arabidopsis plant U‐box (PUB) proteins PUB2 and PUB4 in disease resistance and PTI signaling.Loss of function of both PUB2 and PUB4 diminishes the PAMP‐triggered oxidative bursts and dampens mitogen‐activated protein kinase signaling, resulting in a severe compromise in resistance to not only pathogenic but also nonpathogenic strains of Pseudomonas syringae. Within PUB4, the E3 ligase activity is dispensable, but the armadillo repeat region is essential and sufficient for its function in immunity. PUB2 and PUB4 interact with PTI signaling components, including FLS2, BIK1, PBL27, and RbohD, and enhance FLS2‐BIK1 and BIK1‐RbohD interactions.Our study reveals that PUB2 and PUB4 are critical components of plant immunity and connect PTI components to positively regulate defense responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An eight-week feeding trial discusses how methionine affects intestinal barrier and lipid transport on rice field eel (Monopterus albus). Six isoenergetic and isonitrogenous feeds contained different levels of methionine (0, 2 g/kg, 4 g/kg, 6 g/kg, 8 g/kg, or 10 g/kg). Compared with M0 (0 g/kg), gastric amylase, lipase, and trypsin were remarkably increased as dietary methionine (P < 0.05); intestinal amylase, lipase, and trypsin were remarkably increased in M8 (8 g/kg) (P < 0.05). Compared with M0, gastric fovea was remarkably increased (P < 0.001), gastric epithelium is neater in M8 than that in M0, intestinal villus height and muscular thickness are remarkably increased in M8 (P < 0.001), and amounts of goblet cells per root in M8 were increased (P > 0.05), while intestinal crypt depth was markedly decreased (P < 0.001). Lipid droplets in the intestinal villus and mucosal layer in the M8 (8 g/kg) group were more than that in M0 (0 g/kg). Compared with M0 (0 g/kg), the intestinal gcn2 and eif2α were downregulated in M8 (8 g/kg) (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05 , respectively), while occ, cl12, cl15, zo-1, zo-2, hdlbp, ldlrap, npc1l1, cd36, fatp1, fatp2, fatp6, apo, apoa, apob, apoc, apoe, mct1, mct2, mct8, lpl, mttp, moat2, and dgat2 were upregulated markedly in M8 (8 g/kg). Intestinal eif2α expression was positively correlated with gcn2, and intestinal zo-1, cl15, fatp6, ldlrap, mct2, mct8, apo, apob, mct1, apoc, fatp1, mttp, cd36, occ, npc1l1, hdlbp, fatp2, apoe, lpl, and moat2 gene expression was negatively correlated with gcn2. In conclusion, methionine deficiency affected the gastric and intestinal structures, damaged the intestinal barrier, and decreased lipid and fatty acid transport. Besides, gcn2 could be activated when M. albus was fed methionine-deficient feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI‐MS) is a powerful analytical technology for the high‐throughput detection of metabolites, drugs, and other bioactive molecules. The performance of SALDI‐MS in enhancing molecules desorption and ionization mainly depends on the surface properties of matrix utilized. Here, black titanium dioxide (B‐TiO2) nanoparticle is used for the first time as a novel matrix for enhancing laser desorption and ionization (LDI) and demonstrates significant advantages over white titanium dioxide (W‐TiO2). Further, the black mesoporous TiO2 coated Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (B‐mTiO2 MNPs) are designed and prepared, which possess a high molar absorption coefficient, strong magnetic response, higher specific surface area, and ample phosphorylation binding sites. The B‐mTiO2 MNPs exhibit a superior ionization efficiency, low background signal, and good reproducibility (RSD < 10%) in the analysis of compounds with different molecular weights and practical bio‐sample. Salt tolerance of B‐mTiO2 MNPs up to 10 mm PBS, meanwhile, B‐mTiO2 MNPs also provides excellent enrichment efficiency for phosphopeptides (the detection limit low to 5 × 10−10 M). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI‐MS) is a powerful analytical technology for the high‐throughput detection of metabolites, drugs, and other bioactive molecules. The performance of SALDI‐MS in enhancing molecules desorption and ionization mainly depends on the surface properties of matrix utilized. Here, black titanium dioxide (B‐TiO2) nanoparticle is used for the first time as a novel matrix for enhancing laser desorption and ionization (LDI) and demonstrates significant advantages over white titanium dioxide (W‐TiO2). Further, the black mesoporous TiO2 coated Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (B‐mTiO2 MNPs) are designed and prepared, which possess a high molar absorption coefficient, strong magnetic response, higher specific surface area, and ample phosphorylation binding sites. The B‐mTiO2 MNPs exhibit a superior ionization efficiency, low background signal, and good reproducibility (RSD < 10%) in the analysis of compounds with different molecular weights and practical bio‐sample. Salt tolerance of B‐mTiO2 MNPs up to 10 mm PBS, meanwhile, B‐mTiO2 MNPs also provides excellent enrichment efficiency for phosphopeptides (the detection limit low to 5 × 10−10 M). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease in the musculoskeletal system with a relatively high incidence and disability rate in the elderly. It is characterized by the degradation of articular cartilage, inflammation of the synovial membrane, and abnormal structure in the periarticular and subchondral bones. Although progress has been made in uncovering the molecular mechanism, the etiology of OA is still complicated and unclear. Nevertheless, there is no treatment method that can effectively prevent or reverse the deterioration of cartilage and bone structure. In recent years, in the field of pharmacology, research focus has shifted to disease prevention and early treatment rather than disease modification in OA. Biologic agents become more and more attractive as their direct or indirect intervention effects on the initiation or development of OA. In this review, we will discuss a wide spectrum of biologic agents ranging from DNA, noncoding RNA, exosome, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), to protein. We searched for key words such as OA, DNA, gene, RNA, exosome, PRP, protein, and so on. From the pharmacological aspect, stem cell therapy is a very special technique, which is not included in this review. The literatures ranging from January 2016 to August 2021 were included and summarized. In this review, we aim to help readers have a complete and precise understanding of the current pharmacological research progress in the intervention of OA from the biological aspect and provide an indication for the future translational studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technology in Taiwan's panel industry is changing fast. However, after the financial tsunami and the increased price for raw materials, enterprises' abilities to select suppliers and purchase have great influences on plan implementation. Therefore, with the prevailing issues of supply chain management, how to evaluate and select appropriate suppliers has become a very important topic for enterprises. Depending on customers' needs, the requirements for suppliers vary from industry to industry. On this basis, this study summarizes and analyzes the literature on supplier selection to develop the supplier selection criteria, constructs the hierarchical network architecture by an expert interview, and proposes a complete supplier evaluation model by the fuzzy theory and network analysis. This study shows that the order of the important dimensions is as follows: performance evaluation, customer service, technology and competitiveness, cost benefits, and architecture, and the most important criterion is quality. Finally, the material suppliers of backlight modules in the panel industry are taken as the examples and ranked by VIKOR, based on their merits and demerits, to help related industries to understand their current advantages and disadvantages according to the selection results obtained by the fuzzy analytical network process and improve the gap between their actual situations and enterprises' expectations and thus enhance their competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is a ubiquitous environmental endocrine-disrupting chemical that is known to have toxic effects on reproduction. However, the underlying mechanisms describing how BaP and its metabolite benzo[a]pyrene-7, 8-diol-9, 10-epoxide (BPDE) induce recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) are still largely unclear. In this study, we identified a novel long non-coding RNA (lnc-HZ07, NCBI MT936329) that was upregulated in trophoblast cells after exposure to BPDE, and lnc-HZ07 expression was significantly higher in RPL villous tissues than that in control villous tissues. Knockdown of lnc-HZ07 promoted trophoblast cell migration, whereas overexpression of lnc-HZ07 inhibited trophoblast cell migration. Further study showed that lnc-HZ07 inhibited trophoblast migration by downregulating matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) expression via dephosphorylation of AKT. These results demonstrated a novel regulatory pathway in which BaP downregulated AKT phosphorylation and inhibited MMP2 expression by upregulating lnc-HZ07, suggesting that lnc-HZ07 could be considered as a potential pathological marker of BaP-induced RPL and therapeutic target for this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive analyses of multi-omics data may provide insights into interactions between different biological layers concerning distinct clinical features. We integrated data on the gut microbiota, blood parameters and urine metabolites of treatment-naive individuals presenting a wide range of metabolic disease phenotypes to delineate clinically meaningful associations. Trans-omics correlation networks revealed that candidate gut microbial biomarkers and urine metabolite feature were covaried with distinct clinical phenotypes. Integration of the gut microbiome, the urine metabolome and the phenome revealed that variations in one of these three systems correlated with changes in the other two. In a specific note about clinical parameters of liver function, we identified Eubacteriumeligens, Faecalibacteriumprausnitzii and Ruminococcuslactaris to be associated with a healthy liver function, whereas Clostridium bolteae, Tyzzerellanexills, Ruminococcusgnavus, Blautiahansenii, and Atopobiumparvulum were associated with blood biomarkers for liver diseases. Variations in these microbiota features paralleled changes in specific urine metabolites. Network modeling yielded two core clusters including one large gut microbe-urine metabolite close-knit cluster and one triangular cluster composed of a gut microbe-blood-urine network, demonstrating close inter-system crosstalk especially between the gut microbiome and the urine metabolome. Distinct clinical phenotypes are manifested in both the gut microbiome and the urine metabolome, and inter-domain connectivity takes the form of high-dimensional networks. Such networks may further our understanding of complex biological systems, and may provide a basis for identifying biomarkers for diseases. Deciphering the complexity of human physiology and disease requires a holistic and trans-omics approach integrating multi-layer data sets, including the gut microbiome and profiles of biological fluids. By studying the gut microbiome on carotid atherosclerosis, we identified microbial features associated with clinical parameters, and we observed that groups of urine metabolites correlated with groups of clinical parameters. Combining the three data sets, we revealed correlations of entities across the three systems, suggesting that physiological changes are reflected in each of the omics. Our findings provided insights into the interactive network between the gut microbiome, blood clinical parameters and the urine metabolome concerning physiological variations, and showed the promise of trans-omics study for biomarker discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipid metabolism is a key biological process involving the synthesis and degradation of lipids in organisms. In the liver, triglyceride (TG) synthesis mediates the storage of fats for energy, which is catalysed by diacylglycerol acyltransferase‐2 (DGAT2). Herein, we compared TG‐related indexes in serum from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), blue tilapia (O. aureus) and hybrid offspring (Nile tilapia ♀ × blue tilapia ♂). The results showed that serum TG levels were significantly higher in the hybrid tilapia (6.95 ± 1.48 mmol/L) than that in blue tilapia (4.39 ± 1.02 mmol/L). Tissue distribution analysis suggested that DGAT2 was mainly expressed in the liver and muscle. Furthermore, hybrid tilapia exhibited higher mRNA expression of DGAT2 in the liver than the parents. Additionally, the allelic gene expression assay indicated that the alleles of DGAT2 gene from the two parental species were expressed at equal levels. To elucidate the epigenetic regulation of DGAT2 gene expression, the DNA methylation levels at the putative promoter region of DGAT2 in hybrid tilapia and its parents were compared. We found lower DNA methylation levels at the putative promoter region of DGAT2 in hybrid tilapia as compared to the paternal species in liver. DNA methylation levels in the putative promoter region were negatively correlated with DGTA2 expression in tilapia. Three CpG sites were significantly correlated with DGAT2 expression in tilapia. Overall, the present evidence suggests that DNA methylation is associated with the elevated expression of DGAT2 in hybrid tilapia. These results provide new evidence for epigenetic regulation of genes in hybrids, which may aid to understanding of heterosis for fish hybridization breeding and superiorities of nutrient utilization in hybrids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) can pose ecological risk to the environment and have the potential to negatively affect human health, raising serious public concerns. It is recognized that MPs could act as a vector for various environmental pollutants including heavy metals and potentially influencing their mobility, fate, and bioavailabilty in the environment. However, knowledge on the mechanisms underpinning the interaction processes between MPs and heavy metals is far from clear. This review discusses the effects of MPs on the adsorption/desorption, speciation and bioavailability, and toxicity of various heavy metals. The present review also systematically identifies the environmental factors (e.g., pH, ionic strength, and organic matters) that could affect their interaction processes. This work aims to establish a meaningful perspective for a comprehensive understanding of the indirect ecological risks of MPs as vectors for contaminants. The work also provides a reference for the development of better regulatory strategies in mitigating the negative effects caused by the co-existence of MPs and heavy metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) as a ubiquitous environmental pollutant have drawn growing attention, and it is concerning that children are more sensitive to MPs than adults. Unfortunately, information about the link between children and MPs is insufficient. Therefore, we review the sources and exposure routes of children to MPs and collect evidence for the potential risks. Children can ingest and/or inhale MPs derived from various foodstuffs and plastic products. Despite the limited knowledge on the toxicity to humans, current studies have proved the accumulation and translocation of MPs in different tissues and organs. Main damages including cytotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and immunotoxicity can be caused by pristine polymers and/or co-contaminants. There is much more to be understood about MPs, especially their health effects, and this study has made it clear that it is time to protect our future generations from the threat of MPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An 8‐week trial investigated how andrographolide effected lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced serum biochemical indices, immune responses and the intestinal inflammatory response of Monopterus albus. The study included control and andrographolide groups (150 mg/kg andrographolide) with three replicates per group. Samples were taken 0, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h after LPS injection. The results showed that the levels of GLU, COR, AST, ALT, IgM, LZM, AKP, C3 and C4 in serum showed an initial increasing that then decreased. Compared with that of the control group, the levels of serum LZM, AKP, IgM, C3 and C4 in the andrographolide group increased quicker after LPS injection, while the levels of GLU, COR, AST and ALT increased more slowly; further, these indices recovered to normal levels quicker. The expression of several genes in the intestine first increased and then decreased after LPS injection. Compared with that of the control group, il‐10, tgf‐β1, tgf‐β2 and tgf‐β3 gene expression in the andrographolide group increased quicker after LPS injection, while that of il‐1β, il‐8, il‐12β, nf‐κb, tlr‐3, tlr‐7 and tlr‐8 increased more slowly; these indices recovered to normal levels more quickly. In conclusion, LPS injection induced immune stress and inflammatory response in M. albus. Dietary supplementation with 150 mg/kg andrographolide effectively alleviated these responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ocean is an important inventory of anthropogenic mercury (Hg), yet the history of anthropogenic Hg accumulation in the ocean remains largely unexplored. Deep-sea corals are an emerging archive of past ocean chemistry, which take in sinking or suspended particulate organic matter as their food sources. Such organic matter would exchange Hg with the local seawater before being consumed by the deep, sea corals. As such, the organics preserved in the coral skeleton may record the Hg evolution of the ambient seawater during the time of coral growth. Here, we report the first data on Hg concentrations variability of a deep-sea proteinaceous coral in the oligotrophic North Pacific at the water depth of 1 249 m, in attempt to understand the transfer of anthropogenic Hg into the deep Pacific ocean over the last seven centuries. We find that the Hg concentrations of different coral growth layers have remained relatively constant albeit with considerable short-term variability through time. The overall stable Hg concentration of the last seven centuries recorded in our sample suggests that anthropogenic pollution is not yet a clearly resolvable component in the deep oligotrophic North Pacific waters, in agreement with recent estimation from modelling works and observational studies of modern seawater profiles. As there is hardly an unambiguous way to separate anthropogenic Hg from the natural background based on recent seawater profiles, our historical data provide valuable information helping to understand the oceanic cycle of Hg through time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was explored the supplementary of vitamin E on reproduction of tilapia. Five vitamin E supplements (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 mg/kg) were tested for 90 days. Results: The SGR, GSI and ovarian maturity of female were the highest at Group 120 mg/kg, and the FCR was the lowest. The SGR, GSI and testis maturity of male were the highest at Group 160 mg/kg, and the FCR was the lowest. The levels of FSH and P were significantly increased at Group 120 mg/kg in female, and the levels of E2 reached the maximum. The levels of T and GnRH were increased at Group 160 mg/kg in male. The expression of FSHR in female liver was the highest at Group 160 mg/kg, and the expression of FSHR in ovary was the highest at Group 40 mg/kg. The expression of FSHR and pgr in female kidney was significantly increased at Group 40 and 80 mg/kg. The expression of FSHR and pgr in testis was the highest at Group 160 mg/kg. In conclusion, vitamin E can regulate the secretion levels of reproductive hormones and the expression levels of FSHR and pgr during different developmental stages in tilapia, and thus promote tilapia reproduction and growth. Among them, the reproductive and growth performance of female tilapia were the greatest at Group 120 mg/kg, and for male tilapia, these parameters were the greatest at Group160 mg/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-marketing is an important tool for real estate enterprises. We evaluate 3 online marketing channels of 44 Chinese real estate companies. Super-efficiency DEA and grey entropy methods are applied to analyse the influence of E-marketing on the performance of real estate enterprises. We find that E-marketing will affect the business performance of real estate companies. Real estate company managers should adopt more strategies to improve corporate performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The system of urotensin II (UII) and its receptor (UT) (or: UII/UT system) mediates hepatic immune inflamed injury in acute liver failure (ALF) with autophagy inhibition. However, it is unknown whether the system has an effect on liver autophagy in ALF. In this study, we attempted to explore hepatic autophagy response in ALF through blocking the UII/UT signal. Autophagy-related genes were examined in the liver tissues of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/d-galactosamine (D-GalN)-induced ALF after pretreatment of UT receptor specific antagonist urantide. And then, the levels of autophagy- and apoptosis-related genes were assayed in LPS-stimulated KCs via urantide pretreatment. We found that the expressions of hepatic autophagy related genes, including Beclin-1, Atg5, Atg7, LC3 and p62 mRNA, and LC3 II and p62 protein, were significantly downregulated in LPS/D-GalN-induced ALF mice; but they were not affected by pretreatment of urantide, a special UT receptor antagonist. To probe inflammatory mechanisms of the UII/UT system, we further investigated the effect of the system on Kupffer cells (KCs), the innate immune cells in liver. We found that urantide pretreatment significantly inhibited production of inflammatory injury molecules including TRAF6 and ROS in LPS-stimulated KCs. LPS stimulation induced LC3 and p62 mRNA and LC3 II and p62 protein expression in KCs. After urantide pretreatment, LC3 and p62 mRNA and LC3 II protein were downregulated, while p62 protein was upregulated in LPS-stimulated KCs. In addition, antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 inhibition and proapoptotic protein cleaved caspase-3 increase were observed in LPS-stimulated KCs, and the effects were enhanced after urantide pretreatment in the study. We conclude that liver injury mediated by the UII/UT system is possibly associated with the activation of autophagy-related and apoptosis-resisted pathways of KCs in ALF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic has been used for various purposes throughout human history, such as medicinal and industrial applications, while its health risks have only been gradually recognized in the 20th century and have raised global concerns since the 1990s. Reviewing the progress of arsenic research from a scientometric viewpoint is of great value and importance to predict future trends in arsenic studies. Unfortunately, such review is lacking, which could possibly lead to a biased understanding of the role of arsenic in human health. In this study, we collected 61,988 published literatures on arsenic research in the past 120 years from Web of Science, on which scientometric analysis using CiteSpace and subsequent review were conducted. Our scientometric-based review demonstrated the progress in the past 120 years of arsenic research and identified emerging trends in recent years, emphasizing the health risks posed by arsenic, arsenic applications, and their interaction. The information summarized in this study will shed light on the wise and extensive use of arsenic, which could be a double-edged sword in human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of pharmaceutical companies, which is an important part of the national economy and industry, is closely related to people's livelihood issues. With the era of big data, this paper uses the two-stage DEA and Malmquist method to evaluate the efficiency of listed Chinese pharmaceutical companies. From a static and dynamic perspective, it analyses the total factor productivity index, pure efficiency change index, scale efficiency index, and so on. The results show that government subsidies have not had a positive impact on most Chinese pharmaceutical companies, and for films, diseconomies of scale caused by rapid expansion should be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]