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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.

Methylmercury (MeHg) production in paddy soils and its accumulation in rice raise global concerns since rice consumption has been identified as an important pathway of human exposure to MeHg. Sulfur (S) amendment via fertilization has been reported to facilitate Hg methylation in paddy soils under anaerobic conditions, while the dynamic of S-amendment induced MeHg production in soils with increasing redox potential remains unclear. This critical gap hinders a comprehensive understanding of Hg biogeochemistry in rice paddy system which is characterized by the fluctuation of redox potential. Here, we conducted soil incubation experiments to explore MeHg production in slow-oxidizing paddy soils amended with different species of S and doses of sulfate. Results show that the elevated redox potential (1) increased MeHg concentrations by 10.9%-35.2%, which were mainly attributed to the re-oxidation of other S species to sulfate and thus the elevated abundance of sulfate-reducing bacteria, and (2) increased MeHg phytoavailability by up to 75% due to the reductions in acid volatile sulfide (AVS) that strongly binds MeHg in soils. Results obtained from this study call for attention to the increased MeHg production and phytoavailability in paddy soils under elevated redox potentials due to water management, which might aggravate the MeHg production induced by S fertilization and thus enhance MeHg accumulation in rice.

Bleeding, as particularly serious phenomenon in A. arguta, has an important effect on plant growth and development. In the study, to study the effects of bleeding on the growth and development of leaves and fruits after the occurrence of bleeding, we chose as Actinidia arguta (Sieb. & Zucc) Planch. ex Miq. Results revealed that bleeding damaged the leaf structure. The physiological indexes of plants after bleeding were detected and analyzed. The relative electrical conductivity and malondialdehyde (MDA) of leaves increased in treatment. Nitro blue tetrazolium chloride (NBT) and 3,3-diaminobenzidine (DAB) staining showed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation was obvious in leaves after bleeding. The chlorophyll content, Tr (transpiration rate), Pn (net photosynthetic rate), Ci (intercellular CO2 concentration) and Gs (stomatal conductance) of plants were also decreased. The pulp and the seed water content decreased after the damage. The fruit vitamin C, soluble sugar content and soluble solids content (SSC) decreased after the damage, but the titratable acid content had no significant difference. Therefore, the bleeding will affect the physiological indexes of A. arguta, and our study lay a theoretical basis for understanding the physiological changes of A. arguta after bleeding.

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 (Na

As the biggest inter-basin water transfer scheme in the world, the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWD) was designed to alleviate the water crisis in North China. The main channel of the middle route of the SNWD is of great concern in terms of the drinking water quality. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the dissolved organic matter (DOM) derived from the planktonic algae causes the rising levels of CODMn along the middle route by monitoring data on water quality (2015-2019, monthly resolution). The results showed that algal density in the main channel increased along the channel and was significantly correlated with CODMn (p

BackgroundProfessional certification of community health workers (CHWs) is a debated topic. Although intended to promote CHWs, certification may have unintended impacts given the grassroots nature of the workforce. As such, both intended effects and unintended adverse effects should be carefully evaluated. However, there is a lack of published literature describing such effective evaluations with a robust methodology. In this methods paper, we describe a key component of evaluating CHW certification in Massachusetts-the Massachusetts CHW Workforce Survey.MethodsDesign of the surveys was informed by a program theory framework that delineated both positive and negative potential impacts of Massachusetts CHW certification on CHWs and CHW employers. Using this framework, we developed measures of interest and preliminary CHW and CHW employer surveys. To validate and refine the surveys, we conducted cognitive interviews with CHWs and CHW employers. We then finalized survey tools with input from state and national stakeholders, CHWs, and CHW employers. Our sample consisted of three frames based on where CHWs are most likely to be employed in Massachusetts: acute care hospitals, community-based organizations, and ambulatory care health centers, primarily community health centers and federally qualified health centers. We then undertook extensive outreach efforts to determine whether each organization employed CHWs and to obtain CHW and CHW employer contact information. Our statistical analysis of the data utilized inverse probability score weighting accounting for organizational, site, and individual response.Anticipated resultsWave one of the survey was administered in 2016 prior to launch of Massachusetts CHW certification and wave two in 2021. We report descriptive statistics of the three sample frames and response rates of each survey for each wave. Further, we describe select anticipated results related to certification, including outcomes of the program theory framework.ConclusionsThe Massachusetts CHW Workforce Survey is the culmination of 5 years of effort to evaluate the impact of CHW certification in Massachusetts. Our comprehensive description of our methodology addresses an important gap in CHW research literature. The rigorous design, administration, and analysis of our surveys ensure our findings are robust, valid, and replicable, which can be leveraged by others evaluating the CHW workforce.

For selectively sensing Tryptophan(Trp), the fluorescent Tb3+@UiO-66-(COOH)2 was prepared through loading Tb3+ into UiO-66-(COOH)2 via post-synthesis method. Transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray powder diffractometer (XRD), specific surface area analyzer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS) were used to analysize the morphology, composition and pore characteristics of the porous materials. Meanwhile, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer (UV-Vis) and fluorescence spectrophotometer were used to study the fluorescence characteristics. The results show that the energy transfer from organic ligand to Tb3+ leads to a bright green fluorescence. Among the 13 amino acids, only Tryptophan has obvious fluorescence quenching effect. This is because there appears a large overlap between UV-Vis absorption spectrum of Trp and excitation spectrum of the MOF, which indicates a strong competition effect for UV light. The absorption to UV light of Tb3+@UiO-66-(COOH)2 is decreased by Trp,leading to the weak fluorescence. Further investigation indicates the material can sensitively sense Trp (LOD, 5.53 μmol/L) and owns excellent anti-interference ability from other co-existing amino acids. Thus, this work not only demonstrates Tb3+@UiO-66-(COOH)2 can serve as a selective and sensitive sensor for Trp, but also provides a guideline for designing novel sensors for amino acids in the future.

Salt stress is one of the main abiotic factors affecting castor yield. Wild castor resources can provide important insights for cultivated castor breeding. However, little is known about how wild castor responds or adapts to salt stress. To understand the physiological mechanisms for salt tolerance in castor, the morphological and physiological responses of two varieties, wild and cultivated castor, with contrasted salt tolerance were characterized under salt stress. Seedlings were exposed to 0, 50, and 100 mM NaCl. The results showed that salt application significantly inhibited the increase in chlorophyll content and relative water content of cultivated castor. The degree of electrolyte leakage of wild castor under salt stress was significantly less than that of cultivated castor. In addition, the WT showed a lower content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under the salt stress compared to CT. The activities of antioxidant enzymes like SOD, APX, GR, and MDHAR in the leaves of WT showed higher accumulation compared to those of CT under salt stress. The ratio of ASA/DHA and GSH/GSSG in leaves of WT showed a distinct increase compared to CT. In summary, our results revealed the salt stress resistance characteristics of wild castor. Wild castor also has the potential to be used as parental material in a breeding program. These results will be valuable for salt resistance breeding of cultivated castor.

One of the hallmarks of plant senescence is the global transcriptional reprogramming coordinated by a plethora of transcription factors (TFs). However, mechanisms underlying the interactions between different TFs in modulating senescence remain obscure. Previously, we discovered that plant ABS3 subfamily MATE transporter genes regulate senescence and senescence-associated transcriptional changes. In a genetic screen for mutants suppressing the accelerated senescence phenotype of the gain-of-function mutant abs3-1D, AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 2 (ARF2) and PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR 5 (PIF5) were identified as key TFs responsible for transcriptional regulation in the ABS3-mediated senescence pathway. ARF2 and PIF5 (as well as PIF4) interact directly and function interdependently to promote senescence, and they share common target genes such as key senescence promoting genes ORESARA 1 (ORE1) and STAY-GREEN 1 (SGR1) in the ABS3-mediated senescence pathway. In addition, we discovered reciprocal regulation between ABS3-subfamily MATEs and the ARF2 and PIF5/4 TFs. Taken together, our findings reveal a regulatory paradigm in which the ARF2-PIF5/4 functional module facilitates the transcriptional reprogramming in the ABS3-mediated senescence pathway.

勉略构造带作为秦岭造山带内重要的构造边界，关于其构造属性及晚古生代以来的地质背景，一直是学术界争论的焦点。碎屑锆石U-Pb年代学在限定地层单元的最大沉积年龄、研究区域构造岩浆事件及约束构造地质背景等方面行之有效。基于此，通过对勉略带内五郎坪北侧两河口变沉积地层和侵入其中的变形花岗岩脉体进行LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年代学研究。获得2件变形花岗岩脉的结晶年龄均为406±1Ma。碎屑锆石主年龄谱分别为422~456Ma和558~826Ma，峰值年龄为441Ma和771Ma、813Ma，次级年龄谱分别为942~1495Ma和1658~2981Ma，峰值年龄不明显。依据最小一组碎屑锆石的峰值年龄（441Ma），和侵入其中的变形花岗岩脉（406±0.6Ma），限定该变沉积地层形成时代为406~441Ma（S1-D1）。碎屑锆石年龄谱显示该套变沉积地层物质来源较为复杂，其中秦岭造山带及扬子板块北缘早古生代、新元古代岩浆岩为其提供了74%±的物源，古老变质基底为其提供了26%±的物源。通过与区域上已有资料对比，认为勉略构造带内晚古生代沉积地层形成环境与邻区大致相同，且本次所获得的变沉积岩碎屑锆石年龄谱也与邻区泥盆系相似。综合认为，勉略构造带与邻区在晚古生代应属同一构造环境，晚古生代'勉略海盆'应当包括整个南秦岭。

Background: Symptomatic vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm (VADA) is a challenging disease with controversy on treatment strategy due to anatomic configuration and their nature. Moreover, the outcomes of reconstructive treatment have not been well established. Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of reconstructive endovascular treatment (EVT) for symptomatic VADAs with Willis covered stent. Methods: We evaluated retrospectively 13 patients with symptomatic VADAs who treated with Willis covered stent, compared with stent-assisted coiling (SAC) on the characteristics, posttreatment course, angiographic and clinical follow-up outcomes at an average of 14.4 months (range, 3–48 months). Results: A total of 33 patients with symptomatic VADAs were reviewed, 23 of these patients with ruptured VADAs. The technical successful rate is 100% respectively in Willis covered stent (Group A) and SAC (Group B, n ​= ​20). The initial complete occlusion rate was significant higher in group A (100%) than group B (30%) (p ​ ​0.05). No obvious in-stent stenosis and no re-hemorrhage and delayed ischemic symptoms during the follow-up period. The final angiograms of all survived patients demonstrated the complete occlusion rate was higher in group A (100%) than group B (80%), but no significant statistical difference (p ​> ​0.05). Clinical outcomes were favorable in 31 (93.9%), severe disability occurred in one in group B, and only one death in group A. The final clinical outcomes were also not significant difference in the two groups (p ​> ​0.05). Conclusions: Our initial result demonstrated reconstructive EVT with Willis covered stent provides a viable approach for selected symptomatic VADAs involving the intracranial and extracranial segments, which is similar to favorable results with SAC. However, an expanded clinical experiences and larger cohort studies are needed.

Improvement of water quality has frequently been delayed due to high recycling rates of nutrients across the sediment–water interface in a reservoir. Diffusive fluxes and annual loads of ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) and phosphate (PO43−-P) in sediments from Guanting Reservoir (GTR) were estimated according to their vertical distribution. The average contents of NH4+-N and PO43−-P in surface pore water were higher by factors of 6.9 – 11.7 and 1.3 – 6.4 than those in overlying water, respectively. The ranges of fluxes were 1.59 – 13.0 (mg m2 d−1) for NH4+-N, and 0.002 – 0.196 (mg m2 d−1) for PO43−-P. The annual load contributions from sediments of GTR were 659 t a−1 for NH4+-N and 4.83 t a−1 for PO43−-P. Notably, the upstream of GTR accounted for 50.7% annual loads for NH4+-N, while the downstream contributed 71.2% loads to PO43−-P. This study will better inform future environmental management for the reservoir.

The MAP215 family of microtubule (MT) polymerase/nucleation factors and the MT severing enzyme katanin are widely conserved MT-associated proteins (MAPs) across the plant and animal kingdoms. However, how these two essential MAPs coordinate to regulate plant MT dynamics and development remains unknown. Here, we identified novel hypomorphic alleles of MICROTUBULE ORGANIZATION 1 (MOR1), encoding the Arabidopsis thaliana homolog of MAP215, in genetic screens for mutants oversensitive to the MT-destabilizing drug propyzamide. Live imaging in planta revealed that MOR1-green fluorescent protein predominantly tracks the plus-ends of cortical MTs (cMTs) in interphase cells and labels preprophase band, spindle and phragmoplast MT arrays in dividing cells. Remarkably, MOR1 and KATANIN 1 (KTN1), the p60 subunit of Arabidopsis katanin, act synergistically to control the proper formation of plant-specific MT arrays, and consequently, cell division and anisotropic cell expansion. Moreover, MOR1 physically interacts with KTN1 and promotes KTN1-mediated severing of cMTs. Our work establishes the Arabidopsis MOR1–KTN1 interaction as a central functional node dictating MT dynamics and plant growth and development.

Drought stress can dramatically impair woody plant growth and restrict the geographical distribution of many tree species. To better understand the dynamics between the response and mechanism of Cupressus gigantea to drought and post-drought recovery, a comparative analysis was performed, relying on physiological measurements, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) proteins. In this study, the analyses revealed that photosynthesis was seriously inhibited, while osmolyte contents, antioxidant enzyme activity and non-enzymatic antioxidant contents were all increased under drought stress in seedlings. Re-watering led to a recovery in most of the parameters analyzed, mainly the photosynthetic parameters and osmolyte contents. Transcriptomic and proteomic profiling suggested that most of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were specifically altered, and a few were consistently altered. Drought induced a common reduction in the level of DEGs and DEPs associated with photosynthesis. Notably, DEGs and DEPs involved in reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging, such as ascorbate oxidase and superoxide dismutase (SOD), showed an inverse pattern under desiccation. This study may improve our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of drought resistance in C. gigantea and paves the way for more detailed molecular analysis of the candidate genes.

Mercury (Hg) could be microbially methylated to the bioaccumulative neurotoxin methylmercury (MeHg), raising health concerns. Understanding the methylation of various Hg species is thus critical in predicting the MeHg risk. Among the known Hg species, mercury sulfide (HgS) is the largest Hg reservoir in the lithosphere and has long been considered to be highly inert. However, with advances in the analytical methods of nanoparticles, HgS nanoparticles (HgS NPs) have recently been detected in various environmental matrices or organisms. Furthermore, pioneering laboratory studies have reported the high bioavailability of HgS NPs. The formation, presence, and transformation (e.g., methylation) of HgS NPs are intricately related to several environmental factors, especially dissolved organic matter (DOM). The complexity of the behavior of HgS NPs and the heterogeneity of DOM prevent us from comprehensively understanding and predicting the risk of HgS NPs. To reveal the role of HgS NPs in Hg biogeochemical cycling, research needs should focus on the following aspects: the formation pathways, the presence, and the environmental behaviors of HgS NPs impacted by the dominant influential factor of DOM. We thus summarized the latest progress in these aspects and proposed future research priorities, e.g., developing the detection techniques of HgS NPs and probing HgS NPs in various matrices, further exploring the interactions between DOM and HgS NPs. Besides, as most of the previous studies were conducted in laboratories, our current knowledge should be further refreshed through field observations, which would help to gain better insights into predicting the Hg risks in natural environment.

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) has been widely used as a sorbent for passive sampling of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) in aquatic environments. However, it has seen only limited application in passive sampling for measurement of freely dissolved concentrations of parent and substituted PAHs (SPAHs), which are known to be toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic. Here, the 16 priority PAHs and some typical PAHs were selected as target compounds and were simultaneously determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometer (GC–MS). Some batch experiments were conducted in the laboratory to explore the adsorption kinetics of the target compounds in LDPE membranes. The results showed that both PAHs and SPAHs could reach equilibrium status within 19–38 days in sorption kinetic experiments. The coefficients of partitioning between LDPE film (50 μm thickness) and water (KLDPE) for the 16 priority PAHs were in good agreement with previously reported values, and the values of KLDPE for the 9 SPAHs are reported in this study for the first time. Significant linear relationships were observed, i.e., log KLDPE = 0.705 × log KOW + 1.534 for PAHs (R2 = 0.8361, p

Chloroplast development and photosynthesis require the proper assembly and turnover of photosynthetic protein complexes. Chloroplasts harbor a repertoire of proteases to facilitate proteostasis and development. We have previously used an Arabidopsis leaf variegation mutant, yellow variegated2 (var2), defective in thylakoid FtsH protease complexes, as a tool to dissect the genetic regulation of chloroplast development. Here, we report a new genetic enhancer mutant of var2, enhancer of variegation3–1 (evr3–1). We confirm that EVR3 encodes a chloroplast metalloprotease, reported previously as ethylene-dependent gravitropism-deficient and yellow-green1 (EGY1)/ammonium overly sensitive1 (AMOS1). We observed that mutations in EVR3/EGY1/AMOS1 cause more severe leaf variegation in var2–5 and synthetic lethality in var2–4. Using a modified blue-native PAGE system, we reveal abnormal accumulations of photosystem I, photosystem II, and light-harvesting antenna complexes in EVR3/EGY1/AMOS1 mutants. Moreover, we discover distinct roles of VAR2 and EVR3/EGY1/AMOS1 in the turnover of photosystem II reaction center under high light stress. In summary, our findings indicate that two chloroplast metalloproteases, VAR2/AtFtsH2 and EVR3/EGY1/AMOS1, function coordinately to regulate chloroplast development and reveal new roles of EVR3/EGY1/AMOS1 in regulating chloroplast proteostasis in Arabidopsis.

Background Ovarian cancer is a common malignancy in the female reproductive system with a high mortality rate. The most important reason is multidrug resistance (MDR) of cancer chemotherapy. To reduce side effects, reverse resistance and improve efficacy for the treatment of ovarian cancer, a "core-shell" polymeric nanoparticle-mediated curcumin and paclitaxel co-delivery platform was designed. Methods Nuclear magnetic resonance confirmed the successful grafting of polyethylenimine (PEI) and stearic acid (SA) (PEI-SA), which is designed as a mother core for transport carrier. Then, PEI-SA was modified with hyaluronic acid (HA) and physicochemical properties were examined. To understand the regulatory mechanism of resistance and measure the anti-tumor efficacy of the treatments, cytotoxicity assay, cellular uptake, P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression and migration experiment of ovarian cancer cells were performed. In addition, adverse reactions of nanoformulation to the reproductive system were examined. Results HA-modified drug-loaded PEI-SA had a narrow size of about 189 nm in diameters, and the particle size was suitable for endocytosis. The nanocarrier could target specifically to CD44 receptor on the ovarian cancer cell membrane. Co-delivery of curcumin and paclitaxel by the nanocarriers exerts synergistic anti-ovarian cancer effects on chemosensitive human ovarian cancer cells (SKOV3) and multi-drug resistant variant (SKOV3-TR30) in vitro, and it also shows a good anti-tumor effect in ovarian tumor-bearing nude mice. The mechanism of reversing drug resistance may be that the nanoparticles inhibit the efflux of P-gp, inhibit the migration of tumor cells, and curcumin synergistically reverses the resistance of PTX to increase antitumor activity. It is worth noting that the treatment did not cause significant toxicity to the uterus and ovaries with the observation of macroscopic and microscopic. Conclusion This special structure of targeting nanoparticles co-delivery with the curcumin and paclitaxel can increase the anti-tumor efficacy without increasing the adverse reactions as a promising strategy for therapy ovarian cancer.

Wetlands are highly productive and biologically diverse environments that provide numerous ecosystem services, but can also be sources of methylmercury (MeHg) production and export. Mangrove wetlands contribute up to 15% of the coastal sediment carbon storage and ~10% of the particulate terrestrial carbon exported to the ocean. Thus, mercury (Hg) methylation in mangrove sediments and subsequent MeHg output to adjacent waters could have a great impact on global Hg cycling. In this review, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the literature on worldwide Hg concentrations in mangrove ecosystems, and the results reveal that a large range of total Hg (THg) and MeHg concentrations is detected in mangrove systems. Then, we discuss the potential roles of organic matter (OM) in controlling the Hg biogeochemistry in mangrove sediments. The intense OM decomposition by anoxic reduction (e.g., sulfate reduction) drastically affects sediment chemistries, such as redox potential, pH, and sulfur speciation, all of which may have a great impact on MeHg production. While the outwelling of carbon from mangroves has been extensively examined, little is known about their roles in exporting MeHg to adjacent waters. Our understanding of Hg biogeochemical processes in mangrove systems is constrained by the limited MeHg data and a lack of in-depth studies on the Hg methylation potential in this ecologically important environment. More efforts are needed to gain better insights into the contributions mangrove wetlands to the global Hg cycle.

The hydrated magnesium-carbon films fabricated in this study demonstrated that grain growth and crystallinity modification by substrate temperature treatment crystallization produce films with fewer internal imperfections. This results in high mobility of the solution-deposited hydrated magnesium-carbon electrical conductance, with a corresponding dramatic harmonious transmittance in the infrared range. An investigation of the hydrated magnesium-carbon films shows that the temperature treatment dramatically improves the electron mobility and decreases the carrier concentration, which in turn simultaneously increases the conductivity and transparency. The hydrated magnesium-carbon films exhibit a mobility of up to 85.2 cm2/(V·s) and the resistivity declines rapidly to 1.72 × 10−2 Ω·cm. The transmittance of the visible spectrum increased to 90%. Although the conductivity of hydrated magnesium-carbon films is not prominent comparing to the conventional and widely-used n-type TCO materials, e.g. ITO, the films also showed excellent optical properties, which can be attributed to their low bond energy, with the infrared transmittance of the films being greater than 70% for a plasma wavelength of approximately 10 μm.

Consumption of rice has been shown to be an important route of dietary exposure to methylmercury (MeHg, a neurotoxin) for Asians having a low fish but high rice diet. Therefore, factors that increase MeHg production and bioaccumulation in soil-rice systems, could enhance the risk of MeHg exposure. On the basis of a national-scale survey in China (64 sites in 12 provinces) and rice cultivation experiments, we report that straw amendment, a globally prevalent farming practice, could increase MeHg concentrations in paddy soils (11-1043%) and rice grains (95%). By carrying out a series of batch incubation, seedling uptake and sand culture experiments, we demonstrate that these increases could be attributed to (1) enhanced abundances/activities of microbial methylators and the transformation of refractory HgS to organic matter-complexed Hg, facilitating microbial Hg methylation in soils; (2) enhanced MeHg mobility, and increased root lengths (35-41%) and tip numbers (60-105%), increasing MeHg uptake by rice roots; and (3) enhanced MeHg translocation to rice grains from other tissues. Results of this study emphasize fresh organic matter-enhanced MeHg production and bioaccumulation, and highlight the increased risk of MeHg after straw amendment and thus the need for new policies concerning straw management.

This paper presents an ultra-wideband(UWB) microstrip patch antenna with a simple pentagonal geometry and two notches. The UWB characteristics is achieved by using defective ground and impedance conversion methods, yielding a frequency band coverage from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz where the voltage standing wave ratio(VSWR) is no more than 2. A rectangular slit and a narrow U-shape slot are etched in on the patch and feed-line respectively to achieve notch performance at WLAN band(5.15 GHz~5.85 GHz) and X-band communication downlink band(7.25 GHz~7.7 GHz). The antenna presents good radiation characteristics in its operational UWB, and measured results are in good agreements with the simulation, which accordingly validates the design.

CO2-expanded ethanol (CXE) has been proposed as an ideal green medium for performing natural products extractions and chemical reactions. However, its systematic complexity concerning vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) in extractions is not favorable to the industrial application. In this study, the isothermal binary system was theoretically split into three phase regions in consideration of the state of CO2 as well as the phasic behaviors. In different phase regions, the lipid extractions from microalgae were investigated, showing that subcritical CO2-expanded ethanol in one phase region exhibited higher solubility of lipids, with the maximum recovery approaching 25.0%(w/w), basically equivalent to the complete extraction with organic solvent. Meanwhile, subcritical CXE extracted 15.6 mg of lipids per milliliter of ethanol, significantly higher than 3–6 mg lipids per milliliter of other organic solvent, suggesting more efficient process than other methods. Compared with the conventional products, CXE extracts presented the higher DHA content, 41.92%(w/w) as well as the larger antioxidant capacity (IC50 of 2.49 mg/mL). This study revealed the necessity of the consideration of key factors such as phase equilibrium during employing CXE for the extraction of oxidizable or thermolabile products.

In this study, the effects of oxygen flow rate and annealing temperature on Gd2O3 structures and optical properties were systematically analyzed. Gd2O3 films were deposited on both quartz and ZnS substrates by magnetron sputtering and then annealed under vacuum at 700, 800 and 900 °C. Restructure and phase transformation from cubic to monoclinic occur at different temperatures depending on the oxygen flow rate. The optical band gap, which is more sensitive to the annealing temperature than oxygen flow rate changes from 5.32 to 5.65 eV. The refractive index is approximately 1.75 at 550 nm and is adjustable by the oxygen flow rate. The transmittance of the ZnS substrate with Gd2O3 film exceeds 80% and reaches 82% at the 7.5–9.5 μm range. When ZnS is coated on both sides, the transmittance is increased to approximately 90%. Our results indicate that Gd2O3 films are promising new candidates for anti-reflective coatings in the infrared region.

miR-30b, which is encoded by the gene located on chromosome 8q24.22, plays an important role in a variety of diseases. In most types of tumors, miR-30b significantly inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells through the regulation of target genes. Moreover, miR-30b can inhibit the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway through the regulation of EGFR, AKT, Derlin-1, GNA13, SIX1, and other target genes, thus inhibiting the EMT process of tumor cells and promoting apoptosis. In addition, miR-30 plays a significant role in alleviating drug resistance in tumor cells. Although the use of miR-30b as a clinical diagnostic indicator or anticancer drug is still facing great difficulties in the short term, with the deepening of research, the potential application of miR-30b is emerging.

There are global concerns about dietary exposure to metal(loid)s in foods. However, little is known about the relative contribution of rice versus fish to multiple metal(loid) exposure for the general population, especially in Asia where rice and fish are major food sources. We compared relative contributions of rice and fish consumption to multi-metal(loid) exposure on the city-scale (Nanjing) and province-scale in China. The effects of ingestion rate, metal(loid) level, and bioaccessibility were examined to calculate modeled risk from Cu, Zn, total As (TAs), inorganic As (iAs), Se, Cd, Pb, and methylmercury (MeHg). Metal(loid) levels in rice and fish samples collected from Nanjing City were generally low, except iAs. Metal(loid) bioaccessibilities in fish were higher than those in rice, except Se. Calculated carcinogenic risks induced by iAs intake (indicated by increased lifetime cancer risk, ILCR) were above the acceptable level (1 0 − 4) in Nanjing City (median: 3 × 10− 4 for female and 4 × 10− 4 for male) and nine provinces (1.4 × 10− 4 to 5.9 × 10− 4) in China. Rice consumption accounted for 85.0% to 99.8% of carcinogenic risk. The non-carcinogenic hazard quotients (HQ) for single metals and hazard index (HI) for multi-metal exposure were < 1 in all cases, indicating of their slight non-carcinogen health effects associated. In Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces, results showed that rice and fish intake contributed similarly to the HI (i.e., 42.6% vs 57.4% in Guangdong and 54.6% vs 45.4% in Jiangsu). Sensitivity analysis indicated that carcinogenic risk was most sensitive to rice ingestion rate and rice iAs levels, while non-carcinogenic hazard (i.e., HQ and HI) was most sensitive to ingestion rate of fish and rice, and Cu concentration in rice. Our results suggest that rice is more important than fish for human dietary metal(loid) exposure risk in China, and carcinogenic risk from iAs exposure in rice requires particular attention. 2020YFC1807502, 21637002, U2032201, 41822709, BK20200322, CSC201806190209 info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Although many 3D 8-node hexahedral elements have appeared, the sensitivity problem to mesh distortion for 3D elements is still a problem to be solved, especially for low-order element models. In this paper, a low-order hexahedral incompatible element OCH8 is successfully established with the principle of minimum potential energy. In order to avoid the loss of element accuracy caused by coordinate transformation, the basic displacement field and internal parameter displacement field are both expressed by the 3D local oblique coordinate. Compared with traditional 8-node hexahedral elements, the performance of this element does not depend on the shape of meshes, and it can still keep high precision for various severely distorted meshes even when four nodes on the element plane are not coplanar.

Algal blooms bring massive amounts of algal organic matter (AOM) into eutrophic lakes, which influences microbial methylmercury (MeHg) production. However, because of the complexity of AOM and its dynamic changes during algal decomposition, the relationship between AOM and microbial Hg methylators remains poorly understood, which hinders predicting MeHg production and its bioaccumulation in eutrophic shallow lakes. To address that, we explored the impacts of AOM on microbial Hg methylators and MeHg production by characterizing dissolved organic matter with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) and three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix (3D-EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy and quantifying the microbial Hg methylation gene hgcA. We first reveal that the predominance of methanogens, facilitated by eutrophication-induced carbon input, could drive MeHg production in lake water. Specifically, bioavailable components of AOM (i.e., CHONs such as aromatic proteins and soluble microbial byproduct-like materials) increased the abundances (Archaea-hgcA gene: 438-2240% higher) and activities (net CH4 production: 16.0-44.4% higher) of Archaea (e.g., methanogens). These in turn led to enhanced dissolved MeHg levels (24.3-15,918% higher) for three major eutrophic shallow lakes in China. Nevertheless, our model results indicate that AOM-facilitated MeHg production could be offset by AOM-induced MeHg biodilution under eutrophication. Our study would help reduce uncertainties in predicting MeHg production, providing a basis for mitigating the MeHg risk in eutrophic lakes.

Various environmental stresses strongly influence plant development. Among these stresses is drought, which is a serious threat that can reduce agricultural productivity and obstruct plant growth. Although the mechanism of plants in response to drought has been studied extensively, the adaptive strategies of Amygdalus mira (Koehne) Yü et Lu grown in drought and rewatered habitats remain undefined. Amygdalus mira from the Tibetan Plateau has outstanding nutritional and medicinal values and can thrive in extreme drought. In this study, the physiological and proteomic responses in leaves of A. mira were investigated during drought and recovery period. The changes in plant growth, photosynthesis, enzymes, and non-enzymatic antioxidant under drought and rewatering were also analyzed in leaves. Compared with controls, A. mira showed stronger adaptive and resistant characteristics to drought. In addition, the proteomic technique was also used to study drought tolerance mechanisms in A. mira leaves. Differentially expressed proteins were identified using mass spectrometry. Accordingly, 103 proteins involved in 10 functional categories: cytoskeleton dynamics, energy metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, photosynthesis, transcription and translation, transport, stress and defense, molecular chaperones, other materials metabolism, and unknown function were identified. These results showed that an increase of stress-defense-related proteins in leaves after drought treatment contributed to coping with drought. Importantly, A. mira developed an adaptive mechanism to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS), including enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities and non-enzymatic antioxidant contents, reducing energy, and adjusting the efficiency of gas exchanges. These results may help to understand the acclimation of A. mira to drought.

HMGB1 has been identified as a pro-inflammatory mediator which leads to sepsis lethality. Previous studies suggested that CRISPLD2 had anti-inflammatory property and might severe as a therapeutic agent in sepsis. In the present study, we first conducted bioinformatic analysis to explore the expression profile of HMGB1 in septic survivors and non-survivors. We found that the serum HMGB1 level of septic non-survivors was significantly higher than that of septic survivors, and there was a positive correlation between CRISPLD2 and HMGB1 in mRNA expression in most of the cancer and normal tissue types, revealing a co-expression or dependency relationship between the two genes. In vitro, using cultured THP-1 cells, we confirmed that HMGB1 can induce the expression of CRISPLD2 in a time dependent manner through TLR4-dependent pathway. Given that CRISPLD2 and HMGB1 shared a wide range of time scales in gene expression and the anti-inflammatory property of CRISPLD2, we further verified that HMGB1 induced cytokines production might be partially reversed by CRISPLD2. In vivo, intravenously treatment of CRISPLD2 failed to rescue septic mice, although the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines were decreased. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that HMGB1 can act as stimuli to up-regulate the expression of CRISPLD2 in THP-1 cells, and in turn, increased CRISPLD2 can curtail HMGB1 induced pro-inflammatory cytokines production. Unfortunately, the anti-inflammatory effects of CRISPLD2 did not translate into survival benefit in mice with sepsis.

As the biggest inter-basin water transfer scheme in the world, the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWD) was designed to alleviate the water crisis in North China. The main channel of the middle route of the SNWD is of great concern in terms of the drinking water quality. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the dissolved organic matter (DOM) derived from the planktonic algae causes the rising levels of COD