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[Display omitted] Lignin upgrading to various functional products is promising to realize high-value utilization of low-cost and renewable biomass waste, but is still in its infancy. Herein, using industry waste lignosulfonate as the biomass-based carbon source and urea as the dopant, we constructed a heteroatom-doped porous carbon nanosheet structure by a simple NaCl template-assisted pyrolytic strategy. Through the synergistic effect of the NaCl template and urea, the optimized lignin-derived porous carbon catalyst with high content of active nitrogen species and large specific surface area can be obtained. As a result, the fabricated catalysts exhibited excellent electrocatalytic oxygen reduction activity, as well as good methanol tolerance and stability, comparable to that of commercial Pt/C. Moreover, rechargeable Zn-air batteries assembled with this electrocatalyst have a peak power density of up to 150 mW cm-2 and prominent long-term cycling stability. This study offers an inexpensive and efficient way for the massive production of highly active metal-free catalysts from the plentiful, inexpensive and environmentally friendly lignin, offering a good direction for biomass waste recycling and utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with cancer have an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Comparing tumor-specific VTE risk is complicated by factors such as surgery, disease stage, and chemotherapy. Network meta-analysis (NMA) using cancer types as network nodes enabled us to estimate VTE rates by leveraging comparisons across cancer types while adjusting for baseline VTE risk in individual studies. This study was conducted to estimate the risk of VTE by cancer type and factors influencing VTE risk. The Embase, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library repositories were systematically searched to identify clinical trials and observational studies published from 2005 to 2022 that assessed the risk of primary cancer-related VTE among two or more distinct cancer types. Studies with similar cancer populations and study methods reporting VTE occurring within 1 year of diagnosis were included in the NMA. Relative VTE rates across cancer types were estimated with random-effects Bayesian NMAs. Absolute VTE rates were calculated from these estimates using the average VTE incidence in lung cancer (the most frequently reported type) as the "anchor." From 2,603 records reviewed, 30 studies were included in this NMA. The general network described 3,948,752 patients and 18 cancer types: 3.1% experienced VTE within 1 year of diagnosis, with cancer-specific rates ranging from 0.7 to 7.4%. Consistent with existing VTE risk prediction tools, pancreatic cancer was associated with higher-than-average VTE risk. Other cancer types with high VTE risk were brain and ovarian cancers. The relative rankings of VTE risk for certain cancers changed based on disease stage and/or receipt of chemotherapy or surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of new towns is one of the main measures to evacuate urban populations and promote regional coordination and urban–rural integration in China. Mining the spatio-temporal pattern of new town hot spots based on multivariate data and analyzing the influencing factors of new town construction hot spots can provide a strategic basis for new town construction, but few researchers have extracted and analyzed the influencing factors of new town internal hot spots and their classification. In order to define the key points of Wuhan's new town construction and promote the construction of new cities in an orderly and efficient manner, this paper first constructs a space-time cube based on the luminous remote sensing data from 2010 to 2019, extracts hot spots and emerging hot spots in Wuhan New City, selects 14 influencing factor indicators such as population density, and uses bivariate Moran's index to analyze the influencing factors of hot spots, indicating that the number of bus stops and vegetation coverage rate are the most significant. Secondly, the disorderly multivariate logistic regression model is used to analyze the influencing factors of emerging hot spots. The results show that population density, vegetation coverage, road density, distance to water bodies, and distance to train stations are the most significant factors. Finally, based on the analysis results, some relevant suggestions for the construction of Wuhan New City are proposed, providing theoretical support for the planning and policy guidance of new cities, and offering reference for the construction of new towns in other cities, promoting the construction of high-quality cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tributyl aconitate is a new type of alternative plasticizer to phthalates. Amberlyst-15 was used to catalyze the esterification of aconitic acid and n-butanol for the preparation of tributyl aconitate in a cyclic fixed-bed reactor. The influence of the reaction conditions on the conversion was investigated. The results showed that the conversion of aconitic acid increased significantly with the rise of temperature and catalyst loading. The reaction conditions were optimized as: temperature: 115 °C; initial mass ratio of AA and n-butanol: 1:4; catalyst loading: 25 %; reaction absolute pressure: 85 kPa; volume flow rate: 30 mL min−1. Thermodynamics and kinetics of the reaction was studied. The non-ideality of the reaction system was rectified using the UNIFAC group contribution method. The kinetic process was simulated using the pseudo-homogeneous (PH) model, Eley-Rideal (E-R) model, and Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson (LHHW) model. The results revealed that the E-R model exhibited superior suitability in simulating the kinetic process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil erosion represents a primary threat to soil systems with adverse implications for ecosystem services, crop production, potable water and carbon storage. While numerous studies have quantified the spatial distribution of aboveground Biomass (AGB), soil erosion and soil organic carbon (SOC) in the Yangtze River Basin (YRB), limited attention has been given to assessing the contributions of different land use types and especially crop types to AGB, soil erosion and SOC. In most studies, cropland is taken as a land use class, while detailed crop types and rotation patterns, and their effect on soil erosion and SOC, vary significantly. In this study, we used the Metronamica model to generate a detailed crop rotation and distribution map across the YRB and subsequently employed the Pan‐European Soil Erosion Risk Assessment (PESERA) model to simulate the spatial distribution of AGB, soil erosion and SOC on a monthly basis. PESERA model simulations indicate an average soil erosion rate across the entire YRB of 7.7 ton/ha/yr, with erosion hotspots concentrated in the Sichuan Basin and the central‐southern regions. The southwestern region and western Sichuan show elevated levels of AGB and SOC, while the eastern plains display lower levels. Erosion rates are lowest in areas designated as artificial land, pasture and grassland, whereas croplands and fruit tree plantations experience the highest erosion rates. In terms of crop types, the highest erosion rates and lowest AGB are observed under fallow and potato cultivation, while the lowest erosion rates and highest AGB are found in rice‐wheat rotation fields. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study taking detailed crop types and patterns into account while evaluating their effect at a relatively large scale (i.e., YRB). These findings can help to develop sustainable soil management and (cropping) conservation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated atmospheric reactive nitrogen (Nr) emissions and the subsequent nitrogen (N) deposition have negatively impacted the global environment, particularly in China. In order to assess the long-term trends in atmospheric N deposition in the south of China, Taojiang County in Hunan Province was selected as a representative rural area for study. We analyzed interannual variation in atmospheric Nr, including gaseous ammonia (NH3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrate acid (HNO3) vapor, particulate ammonium (NH4+), and nitrate (NO3−) in air and NH4+-N and NO3−-N in precipitation from 2011 to 2020. The 10-year average atmospheric wet-plus-dry N deposition was 41.9 kg N ha−1 yr−1, which decreased by approximately 24% after 2012, indicating that NH3 and NOx emissions were effectively reduced by emission controls introduced in 2013. Wet deposition accounted for approximately 74% of the total N deposition and was significantly influenced by annual precipitation amount. Reduced N (NH3, pNH4+, and NH4+ in rainwater) was the dominant form, comprising approximately 58% of the total N deposition, while oxidized N (pNO3−, NO2, HNO3, and NO3− in rainwater) accounted for 42% of the total N deposition. Atmospheric HNO3, NO2, and NH3 concentrations and deposition declined by 30–80% over the decade, while particulate NH4+ and NO3− concentrations and deposition remained at relatively stable levels, which suggests that ongoing research and policy should focus on rural particulate pollution. Future strategies must concentrate on the integrated control of NH3 and NOx emissions to mitigate air pollution and protect human health, particularly in rural areas because current abatement efforts are primarily directed toward urban areas and the industrial sector, whereas non-point source NH3 pollution, influenced mainly by agricultural activities, dominates in rural regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic debris (including macro-plastics, microplastics (MPs), and nanoplastics), defined as an emerging contaminant, has been proven to significantly affect soil ecosystem functioning. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to robustly quantify the pollution situation and potential sources of plastics in soils. China as the leading producer and user of agricultural plastics is analyzed as a typical case study to highlight the current situation of farmland macro-plastics and MPs. Our study summarized information on the occurrence and abundance of macro-plastics and MPs in Chinese farmland soils for the first time based on 163 publications with 728 sample sites. The results showed that the average concentration of macro-plastics, and the abundance of MPs in Chinese farmlands were 103 kg ha−1 and 4537 items kg−1 (dry soil), respectively. In addition, this study synthesized the latest scientific evidence on sources of macro-plastics and MPs in farmland soils. Agricultural plastic films and organic wastes are the most reported sources, indicating that they contribute significantly to plastic debris in agricultural soils. Furthermore, the modeling methods for quantifying macro-plastics and MPs in soils and estimating the stock and flow of plastic materials within agricultural systems were also summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesh adaptation is crucial in numerical simulation, providing optimal resource allocation for accurately capturing physical phenomena. However, when applied to Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) problems with complex multi-scale properties, existing adaptation methods face huge challenges due to the high computational cost of solving auxiliary partial differential equations (PDEs) and the difficulty in aligning the flow features with mesh geometric features. In this work, an end-to-end data-driven mesh adaptation framework, Flow2Mesh, is proposed to address these challenges by adopting a hybrid modeling strategy to construct the mapping from pixelated flow-fields to graph-based meshes. It achieves a rapid and accurate one-step mesh adaptation via a perceptual feature network (PFN) and a mesh movement network (MMN). PFN extracts the global perceptual features from flow-fields to enhance flow feature representation and mesh resolution independence. In MMN, these features are utilized to deform the initial mesh to a topology-invariant adaptive mesh by a proposed physically driven mesh convolutional network. It considers the inherent mesh geometric information for efficient node feature aggregation and alignment of mesh density with a flow-field structure. To generate high-quality adaptive meshes, various mesh-related losses are designed to regularize the mesh movement and alleviate the mesh tangling. Experiments in CFD scenarios demonstrate the generalization of our model to different design parameters and mesh configurations. It takes three orders of magnitude less time to generate similar meshes than the PDE-based method. The results exhibit the potential of Flow2Mesh to be a flexible and reliable tool for rapid mesh adaptation in scientific and industrial fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active films based on chitosan incorporated with pine bark extract (PBE) were prepared and characterized. Subsequently, these films were utilized for packaging carp slices in refrigerated storage at 4 ± 1 °C. Analysis of the physicochemical properties and biological activity of the active films revealed that, except for water content, all assessed indices showed an increasing trend with an increase in the amount of supplemental PBE. As this trend progresses, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed deposition on the film surface accompanied by transverse lines and fractures, while the color of the film gradually changed from light yellow to reddish-brown. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated that the phenolic hydroxyl groups in PBE interacted with the hydrogen in the amino groups of chitosan molecules to form non-covalent bonds. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) showed that the reaction between PBE and chitosan altered the crystalline structure of chitosan molecules. Moreover, the analysis of the effects of active films on the pH, water-holding capacity, thiobarbituric acid values, and the total bacterial counts of carp slices revealed that in terms of preservation, films containing 30 % PBE were the most effective, using which the shelf life of carp slices could be extended by 50 %. [Display omitted] • Films based on chitosan incorporated pine bark extract (PBE) were developed. • Films containing PBE improved antioxidant activities and antibacterial activity of films. • Films extended the shelf life of the carp slices of the carp slices by 50 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Setting nitrogen (N) emission targets for agricultural systems is crucial to prevent to air and groundwater pollution, yet such targets are rarely defined at the county level. In this study, we employed a forecasting-and-back casting approach to establish human health-based nitrogen targets for air and groundwater quality in Quzhou county, located in the North China Plain. By adopting the World Health Organization (WHO) phase I standard for PM 2.5 concentration (35 μg m−3) and a standard of 11.3 mg NO 3 −-N L−1 for nitrate in drinking water, we found that ammonia (NH 3) emissions from the entire county must be reduced by at least 3.2 kilotons year−1 in 2050 to meet the WHO's PM 2.5 phase I standard. Additionally, controlling other pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (SO 2) and nitrogen oxides (NO x) is necessary, with required reductions ranging from 16% to 64% during 2017–2050. Furthermore, to meet the groundwater quality standard, nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 −-N) leaching to groundwater should not exceed 0.8 kilotons year-1 by 2050. Achieving this target would require a 50% reduction in NH 3 emissions and a 21% reduction in NO 3 −-N leaching from agriculture in Quzhou in 2050 compared to their respective levels in 2017 (5.0 and 2.1 kilotons, respectively). Our developed method and the resulting N emission targets can support the development of environmentally-friendly agriculture by facilitating the design of control strategies to minimize agricultural N losses. • A novel method was developed for establishing human-health-oriented nitrogen targets. • This approach was implemented in Quzhou County, the North China Plain. • Reducing agricultural ammonia emissions by at least 50% can meet PM 2.5 standard. • Decreasing nitrate leaching by at least 21% can meet water quality standards. • It provides a way to optimize regional agricultural nitrogen management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Personal exposure to particulate and gaseous pesticides was characterized. • Particulate/gaseous distribution of pesticides was studied in indoor-outdoor nexus. • Two third of exposed pesticides mainly originated from non-occupational sources. • Over 43% of bystanders suffered the same exposure level as farmers. • Around 7% and 3% of local farmers and bystanders may suffer chronic health risk. Rural residents are exposed to both particulate and gaseous pesticides in the indoor-outdoor nexus in their daily routine. However, previous personal exposure assessment mostly focuses on single aspects of the exposure, such as indoor or gaseous exposure, leading to severe cognition bias to evaluate the exposure risks. In this study, residential dust and silicone wristbands (including stationary and personal wearing ones) were used to screen pesticides in different phases and unfold the hidden characteristics of personal exposure via indoor-outdoor nexus in intensive agricultural area. Mento-Carlo Simulation was performed to assess the probabilistic exposure risk by transforming adsorbed pesticides from wristbands into air concentration, which explores a new approach to integrate particulate (dust) and gaseous (silicone wristbands) pesticide exposures in indoor and outdoor environment. The results showed that particulate pesticides were more concentrated in indoor, whereas significantly higher concentrations were detected in stationary outdoor wristbands (p < 0.05). Carbendazim and chlorpyrifos were the most frequently detected pesticides in dust and stationary wristbands. Higher pesticide concentration was found in personal wristbands worn by farmers, with the maximum value of 2048 ng g−1 for difenoconazole. Based on the probabilistic risk assessment, around 7.1 % of farmers and 2.6 % of bystanders in local populations were potentially suffering from chronic health issues. One third of pesticide exposures originated mainly from occupational sources while the rest derived from remoting dissipation. Unexpectedly, 43 % of bystanders suffered the same levels of exposure as farmers under the co-existence of occupational and non-occupational exposures. Differed compositions of pesticides were found between environmental samples and personal pesticide exposure patterns, highlighting the need for holistic personal exposure measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are used in fermented foods to overcome the shortcomings of traditional fermentation methods, such as long cycles and poor safety. However, the application of LAB in low-temperature foods is limited by their growth temperature. This study aimed to quantitatively compare the proteins of the YT2 strain acclimated at 37, 28, 20, 15, 8, and 4 °C (YT-4) and that grown at 37 °C (YT-37) using tandem mass tag (TMT) proteomics and bioinformatics analysis to elucidate the potential mechanism of cryotolerance of P. pentosaceus YT2. Altogether, 1416 quantitative proteins were identified, of which 747 were differentially abundant between the YT-4 and YT-37 strains. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the upregulated proteins were mainly involved in nucleotide transport, metabolism, translation, ribosomal structure and biogenesis, transcription, replication, recombination, and repair, while the downregulated proteins were involved in lipid, amino, and carbohydrate transport and metabolism. These results were validated for eight upregulated and five downregulated proteins using parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). Our study analyzed the potential mechanism underlying the improved cryotolerance of P. pentosaceus YT2 at 4 °C, which may enable the utilization of LAB in low-temperature applications. • The effect of cold acclimation on P. pentosaceus YT2 was revealed. • A total of 747 differentially abundant proteins were identified. • The expression changes of 15 differentially abundant proteins were validated. • Cold acclimation can improve the cryotolerance of YT2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive N fertilizer application contributes to a surge in reactive N (Nr) emissions from agroecosystems, consequently threatening global ecosystems' quality and security. Adding functional microorganisms to agricultural soils, namely microbial inoculants (MI), is a promising method for ensuring sustainable agriculture, but general assessment of microorganism-driven N losses and mediating factors (such as climate conditions, soil properties, and field management practices) remains unclear. Therefore, a comprehensive meta-analysis on the effect of MI addition on NH 3 volatilization, N 2 O emissions, and N leaching in soil-crop systems was conducted by integrating 50 published articles (188 paired observations). The MI application significantly reduced N 2 O emissions and NH 3 volatilization by 29.8% and 24.9%, respectively. The boosted regression tree model showed that the soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil pH significantly affected the efficacy of MI application on both NH 3 and N 2 O loss mitigation. The effects of MI application on N leaching were not clear due to limited data points. Additionally, MI addition significantly increased the abundance of denitrification functional genes (nir K, nir S, and nos Z). In conclusion, MI application presented a high potential to reduce Nr from croplands, future adoption of MI techniques should consider the effects of soil properties and field practices on its efficacy in order to achieving sustainable N management in crop production systems. [Display omitted] • MI amendment mitigated N 2 O and NH 3 losses from fertilized soils. • N fertilizer management had great contribution to variation of MI efficacy. • Soil pH had significant impact on mitigation efficiency of N 2 O and NH 3 by MI. • MI amendment increased denitrification genes abundance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]