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The effects of rare earth elements (REEs) on plant physiology and bioaccumulation characteristics vary significantly. As a result, considerable attention has been directed towards the effects and toxicity of REEs on plants. REEs migrate and transform in the environment and are absorbed by plant roots. However, different plants exhibit varying capacities to absorb REEs, leading to diverse impacts on their growth. In our study, we subjected seedlings of rice and Phytolacca americanaL. to a gradient of lanthanum and yttrium (La + Y) concentrations to evaluate the physicochemical effects and uptake patterns of these elements. We meticulously measured variables such as biomass, root length, and elemental concentrations of La and Y, as well as macronutrients (P, Na, K, Mn, Fe, Mg, Ca) and micronutrients (Cu, Zn) to decode the physiological responses to varying levels of La + Y exposure. Based on the known dualistic nature of REEs interaction with plants, our results reveal that the threshold of REEs to different plants is different, and this conclusion can serve well for the formulation of rare earth pollution remediation strategies. Importantly, the accumulation of La and Y in P. americanaL. roots was significantly greater than in rice roots, by an order of magnitude, reflecting the unique uptake capacities of hyperaccumulators. Additionally, this research found that nutrient dynamics and the absorption patterns of La and Y within the plants diverged, suggesting that La uptake in P. americanaL. may occur via Ca2+ion channels. These insights enhance our understanding of REE-plant interactions and have broader implications for agriculture and environmental health.

Chirality transformation is a basic, attractive, and important strategy for obtaining enantioenriched products with desired chiral elements. The reported chirality conversion reaction often involves the process from one type of chirality to another one. To better utilize the chirality transformation strategy for obtaining two or more products with different chiral elements in a single reaction, a new method of kinetic resolution accompanied by a chirality transformation protocol is proposed and successfully realized in this study. This process is used for the asymmetric oxidation of phenol compounds along with the kinetic resolution of oxaziridines. A wide scope of products, including axially chiral phenols, oxaziridines, and α-hydroxyl cyclic ketones were smoothly obtained in high levels of yields and enantioselectivities in the developed method. These products can be readily used for the synthesis of various types of chiral ligands, which are potential choices for other catalytic asymmetric reactions.

There is a great uncertainty in generation and formation of non-point source (NPS) pollutants, which leads to difficulties in the investigation of monitoring and control. However, accurate calculation of these pollutant loads is closely correlated to control NPS pollutants in agriculture. In addition, the relationships between pollutant load and human activity and physiographic factor remain elusive. In this study, a modified model with the whole process of agricultural NPS pollutant migration was established by introducing factors including rainfall driving, terrain impact, runoff index, leaching index and landscape intercept index for the load calculation. Partial least squares path modeling was applied to explore the interactions between these factors. The simulation results indicated that the average total nitrogen (TN) load intensity was 0.57 t km−2and the average total phosphorus (TP) load intensity was 0.01 t km−2in Chengdu Plain. The critical effects identified in this study could provide useful guidance to NPS pollution control. These findings further our understanding of the NPS pollution control in agriculture and the formulation of sustainable preventive measures.

Rural decline has become a global problem. To address this issue, the division of rural functions and identification of driving factors are important means of rural revitalization. Taking the town area as a unit, this study conducts a division and evolution analysis of rural regional functions in Jiangsu province in coastal China by constructing an evaluation system using the spatial econometric model to diagnose endogenous and exogenous driving factors of rural multifunction formation. The results show that the functions of agricultural supply and ecological conservation have decreased, while the functions of economic development and social security have increased. Agricultural production functions are concentrated in northern and central Jiangsu. The economic development function is mainly based on industrial development, and is the strongest in southern Jiangsu. Social security functions are concentrated in suburban area, county centers, and key towns. High-value areas of ecological conservation are concentrated along lakes, the coast, and hilly areas of southern Jiangsu. The multifunctional development of villages and towns is affected by endogenous and exogenous factors, including economic geographic location, natural resources, economic foundation, human capital, traffic conditions, market demand, infrastructure, and environmental governance. Natural factors have a significant impact on the supply of agricultural products and the formation of ecological conservation functions. The effects of socioeconomic factors on these four functions differ significantly. This study expands the theory of rural development functions, the classification and zoning paradigm, and the quantitative study of driving mechanisms. The results provide a reference for practical value and policy significance for the reconstruction of rural functions and rural revitalization.

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) can cause arterial embolism. Patients with arterial thrombosis usually have additional risk factors, such as smoking and hypertension. We report a 70-year-old woman with ET who had no risk factors, except for age. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging showed fresh lacunar infarction in several lobes. Electrocardiography showed ST-segment elevation in leads II, III, and aVF. Coronary angioplasty and stenting were successfully performed. We checked the bone marrow and performed genetic testing. The Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) V617F gene mutation was found. This case was a rare initial presentation of previously undiagnosed ET with embolism of cardiovascular and cerebral vessels. Anti-platelet drugs and hydroxyurea were used to prevent further thrombosis in the coronary and cerebral arteries.

We present a 26-year-old woman with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in the 14th week of pregnancy. Coronary angiography revealed no abnormalities in the coronary arteries. She had no history of coronary risk factors such as smoking, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or dyslipidemia. Although we do not have direct evidence of coronary spasm in this patient, several factors suggest that coronary spasm is the most likely cause of myocardial infarction. We suspect that hyperthyroidism may have played an important role in coronary spasm in this patient. Early use of coronary angiography is helpful to identify the types of coronary artery lesions.

Since the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, the Poyang Lake hydrological characteristics obviously changed. During the impoundment period of the Three Gorges Reservoir, the hydrodynamic factors of Poyang Lake varied. Water level dropped, the velocity decreased and water exchange time lengthened, which changed the release of phosphorous from sediments. In order to investigate how the hydrodynamic factors influence the release of phosphorous from sediments, we used a two-way annular flume device to simulate the release characteristics of phosphorous from sediments under variable water levels and velocities. We found that both water level rising and velocity increasing could enhance the disturbance intensity to sediments, which caused the increase of suspended solids (SS) concentration, total phosphorus (TP) concentration in the overlying water, and the ability that phosphorus released to overlying water from sediments enhanced as well: when overlying water velocity maintained 0.3 m/s, SS concentration increased to 4035.85 mg/L at the water level 25 cm which was about 25 times compared to the minimum value and TP concentration in the overlying water also reached the maximum value at the water level 25 cm which was 1.2 times that of the value at 10 cm; when water level maintained 15 cm, SS concentration increased to 4363.35 mg/L at the velocity of 0.5 m/s which was about 28 times compared to the value of 0 m/s, and TP concentration in the overlying water increased from 0.11 mg/L to 0.44 mg/L. When the water level maintained 15 cm, the phosphorous release rate reached the maximum value of 4.86 mg/(md) at 0.4 m/s. The concentration of total dissolved phosphorous (TDP) and soluble reactive phosphate (SRP) both in overlying water and sediment-water interface were negatively correlated with pH. Using the parabolic equation, the optimum water level at a velocity of 0.3 m/s was calculated to be 0.57 cm, and the optimum velocity at water level of 15 cm was found to be 0.2 m/s.

Environmental contextEutrophication caused by excessive inputs of phosphorus is a prevalent global environmental problem. Reactive phosphorus released from sediments was measured by two new in situ passive sampling techniques capable of high-resolution measurements of phosphorus concentration. The methods provide the scientific evidence for solving the problems associated with deteriorating surface water quality. AbstractInternal phosphorus (P) loading is regarded as a major eutrophication factor and may prevent improvements in lake water quality. Two new in situ passive sampling techniques, high-resolution pore-water equilibrators (HR-Peeper) and zirconium oxide-based diffusive gradients in thin films (Zr-oxide DGT), were combined to measure dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) (CPeeper) and labile phosphorus (CDGT) at five sites in South Dongting and West Dongting Lakes. The vertical distribution of CPeeper and CDGT displayed similarity, which demonstrated that the buffering capacity of the labile P in sediments was similar at different depths. The diffusion flux of P from the sediments at the sediment–water interface ranged from 1.9 to 88ng m-2 day-1, with an average value of 38ng m-2 day-1. The P flux at the entrances to the Yuan, Li and Zi Rivers was fairly large at all five sites. The sediments at the five sites released P into overlying water, indicating that the sediments are an important source of P for Dongting Lake.

The objective of this study was to investigate the concentration and spatial distribution patterns of 9 potentially toxic heavy metal elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Pb, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Ni) in road dust in the Bayan Obo Mining Region in Inner Mongolia, China. Contamination levels were evaluated using the geoaccumulation index and the enrichment factor. Human health risks for each heavy metal element were assessed using a human exposure model. Results showed that the dust contained significantly elevated heavy metal elements concentrations compared with the background soil. The spatial distribution pattern of all tested metals except for As coincided with the locations of industrial areas while the spatial distribution of As was associated with domestic sources. The contamination evaluation indicated that Cd, Pb, and Mn in road dust mainly originated from anthropogenic sources with a rating of “heavily polluted” to “extremely polluted,” whereas the remaining metals originated from both natural and anthropogenic sources with a level of “moderately polluted”. The non-cancer health risk assessment showed that ingestion was the primary exposure route for all metals in the road dust and that Mn, Cr, Pb, and As were the main contributors to non-cancer risks in both children and adults. Higher HI values were calculated for children (HI=1.89), indicating that children will likely experience higher health risks compared with adults (HI=0.23). The cancer risk assessment showed that Cr was the main contributor, with cancer risks which were 2–3 orders of magnitude higher than those for other metals. Taken in concert, the non-cancer risks posed by all studied heavy metal elements and the cancer risks posed by As, Co, Cr, Cd, and Ni to both children and adults in Bayan Obo Mining Region fell within the acceptable range.

AbstractTwo kinds of cross-linked starch polymers were synthesized and used as adsorbent materials for the adsorption of o-nitrophenol (o-NP), p-nitrophenol (p-NP), 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) and 2-s-butyl-4,6-dinitrophenol (DNBP) from aqueous solutions. Results from adsorption experiments showed that the polymer 1 prepared by 4,4′-methylene-bis-phenyldiisocyanate (MDI) as cross-linking agent exhibited higher adsorption behaviors than that of the polymer 2 prepared by hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI). Equilibrium and thermodynamic of four nitrophenols on polymer 1 were further studied. Analyzed experimental data showed that the Freundlich model fitted the isotherm data better than the Langmuir model of the four nitrophenols onto polymer 1. The thermodynamics for the adsorption of the nitrophenols on polymer 1 were estimated in the range of 303–333 K. It has been found that the values of Gibbs free energy (ΔG) became more negative with decreasing temperature, which indicated that the adsorption process was more favorable at low temperature.

Two kinds of cross-linked starch polymers were synthesized and used as adsorbent materials for the adsorption of o-nitrophenol (o-NP), p-nitrophenol (p-NP), 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) and 2-s-butyl-4,6-dinitrophenol (DNBP) from aqueous solutions. Results from adsorption experiments showed that the polymer 1 prepared by 4,4′-methylene-bis-phenyldiisocyanate (MDI) as cross-linking agent exhibited higher adsorption behaviors than that of the polymer 2 prepared by hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI). Equilibrium and thermodynamic of four nitrophenols on polymer 1 were further studied. Analyzed experimental data showed that the Freundlich model fitted the isotherm data better than the Langmuir model of the four nitrophenols onto polymer 1. The thermodynamics for the adsorption of the nitrophenols on polymer 1 were estimated in the range of 303–333 K. It has been found that the values of Gibbs free energy (ΔG) became more negative with decreasing temperature, which indicated that the adsorption process was more favorable at low temperature.

A selective pressurized liquid extraction (SPLE) method has been optimized for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil samples. The method comprises a fully automated extraction and on-line clean-up procedure by inclusion of sorbents in the extraction cells. The contributing parameters of SPLE including type of solvent, static extraction time, number of extractions, extraction temperature, nature and amount of sorbents were investigated. The optimal extraction was performed at 70 °C for 10 min (static extraction time) cycled once using n-hexane/methylene chloride (50 : 50, v/v) and the sorbents in the extraction cells were 3 g of alumina and 2 g of silica gel. The collected extracts from the cells, after pre-concentration, were clean enough for direct injection into GC-MS. Validation of the SPLE technique was performed, with the recovery rates for 16 PAHs in the range of 75–103%, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was generally less than 10%. Method detection limits (MDL) were in the ranges of 0.001–0.080 μg kg−1for the GC-MS analyses. Finally, the method was successfully used to evaluate the cultivated soils in Beijing, China.

Objective To investigate the preventive effect of hydration combined with reduced glutathione on contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) after coronary intervention therapy in elderly Chinese patients with diabetes.Methods Patients with diabetes aged ≥65 years, who received percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between 1 August 2016 and 31 December 2018, were enrolled and randomized into two groups: patients treated with hydration combined with reduced glutathione (treatment group) and patients who received hydration alone (controls). Serum creatinine and creatinine clearance levels were measured in all patients before PCI and then daily for 3 days after PCI. Occurrence of CIN (the primary endpoint) was defined as serum creatinine value 25% or 44.2 mmol/l (0.5 mg/dl) above baseline at 72 h after an exposure to contrast medium.Results A total of 396 patients were included (treatment group, n= 204; and controls, n= 192). The CIN occurrence rate in the treatment and control group was 5.88% and 6.77%, respectively, with no statistically significant between-group difference.Conclusion In elderly patients with diabetes receiving PCI, the risk of CIN was not effectively lowered by hydration combined with reduced glutathione.