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Summary: Vision impairment (VI) can have wide ranging economic impact on individuals, households, and health systems. The aim of this systematic review was to describe and summarise the costs associated with VI and its major causes. We searched MEDLINE (16 November 2019), National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database, the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects and the Health Technology Assessment database (12 December 2019) for partial or full economic evaluation studies, published between 1 January 2000 and the search dates, reporting cost data for participants with VI due to an unspecified cause or one of the seven leading causes globally: cataract, uncorrected refractive error, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, corneal opacity, trachoma. The search was repeated on 20 January 2022 to identify studies published since our initial search. Included studies were quality appraised using the British Medical Journal Checklist for economic submissions adapted for cost of illness studies. Results were synthesized in a structured narrative. Of the 138 included studies, 38 reported cost estimates for VI due to an unspecified cause and 100 reported costs for one of the leading causes. These 138 studies provided 155 regional cost estimates. Fourteen studies reported global data; 103/155 (66%) regional estimates were from high-income countries. Costs were most commonly reported using a societal (n = 48) or healthcare system perspective (n = 25). Most studies included only a limited number of cost components. Large variations in methodology and reporting across studies meant cost estimates varied considerably. The average quality assessment score was 78% (range 35–100%); the most common weaknesses were the lack of sensitivity analysis and insufficient disaggregation of costs. There was substantial variation across studies in average treatment costs per patient for most conditions, including refractive error correction (range $12–$201 ppp), cataract surgery (range $54–$3654 ppp), glaucoma (range $351–$1354 ppp) and AMD (range $2209–$7524 ppp). Future cost estimates of the economic burden of VI and its major causes will be improved by the development and adoption of a reference case for eye health. This could then be used in regular studies, particularly in countries with data gaps, including low- and middle-income countries in Asia, Eastern Europe, Oceania, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.

Summary: Background: We undertook a Grand Challenges in Global Eye Health prioritisation exercise to identify the key issues that must be addressed to improve eye health in the context of an ageing population, to eliminate persistent inequities in health-care access, and to mitigate widespread resource limitations. Methods: Drawing on methods used in previous Grand Challenges studies, we used a multi-step recruitment strategy to assemble a diverse panel of individuals from a range of disciplines relevant to global eye health from all regions globally to participate in a three-round, online, Delphi-like, prioritisation process to nominate and rank challenges in global eye health. Through this process, we developed both global and regional priority lists. Findings: Between Sept 1 and Dec 12, 2019, 470 individuals complete round 1 of the process, of whom 336 completed all three rounds (round 2 between Feb 26 and March 18, 2020, and round 3 between April 2 and April 25, 2020) 156 (46%) of 336 were women, 180 (54%) were men. The proportion of participants who worked in each region ranged from 104 (31%) in sub-Saharan Africa to 21 (6%) in central Europe, eastern Europe, and in central Asia. Of 85 unique challenges identified after round 1, 16 challenges were prioritised at the global level; six focused on detection and treatment of conditions (cataract, refractive error, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, services for children and screening for early detection), two focused on addressing shortages in human resource capacity, five on other health service and policy factors (including strengthening policies, integration, health information systems, and budget allocation), and three on improving access to care and promoting equity. Interpretation: This list of Grand Challenges serves as a starting point for immediate action by funders to guide investment in research and innovation in eye health. It challenges researchers, clinicians, and policy makers to build collaborations to address specific challenges. Funding: The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, Moorfields Eye Charity, National Institute for Health Research Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome Trust, Sightsavers, The Fred Hollows Foundation, The Seva Foundation, British Council for the Prevention of Blindness, and Christian Blind Mission. Translations: For the French, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic and Persian translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

The dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) is a critical indicator of the organism growth and ecological balance within aquatic systems. Various water quality determinants influence the temporal variations in DIN concentration, making the identification of key drivers essential for a deeper understanding of nutrient cycling and the formulation of targeted management strategies. However, the impact of hydrological alterations on the key drivers of DIN and its seasonal variability remains unclear. This study investigates seasonal variations in DIN in Hanfeng Lake, a subtropical urban lake located in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) area, over the period from 2021 to 2023. The results indicated that DIN concentration was seasonally significantly different, showing higher values in winter and spring than that in summer and autumn. Random Forest modelling indicated that the temporal variations in DIN concentration were closely related to the notable seasonal fluctuations in key water quality indicators such as the temperature (T), Secchi depth (SD), and concentrations of dissolved phosphorus (DP), dissolved silica (DSi), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), which were predominantly attributable to hydrological alterations associated with reservoir management and external pollutant inputs from agricultural fertilization. Partial Least Squares Path Modeling confirmed that physical indicators, like T and SD, were the primary drivers of variations in DIN concentration, while DP, DSi, and Chl-a also had significant effects. Based on these insights, the study recommends to minimize the agricultural fertilizer application in spring and summer for decreasing external inputs, and optimize reservoir operation strategies in autumn and winter for controlling hydrological alterations.

Due to the low bonding strength between diamond and copper, the thermal conductivity and mechanical strength of diamond/copper composites are affected. In order to improve the interface bonding strength, this paper prepared diamond/Cu composites with titanium element in two forms: adding titanium to the copper matrix and using titanium coated diamond particles, respectively. The microstructure and composition analysis of the materials were carried out through SEM, EDS, AFM, etc. The bending strength and thermal conductivity of titanium coated diamond/copper composites reached 230 MPa and 480 W/(m·K), respectively, which were higher than the bending strength and thermal conductivity of diamond/Cu composites with added titanium in the matrix (208 MPa and 127 W/(m·K) and significantly higher than the corresponding properties of pure diamond/Cu composites (69 MPa and 108 W/(m·K)). Pre coating a layer of titanium carbide on the surface of diamond can serve as a connecting bridge, effectively reducing interfacial thermal resistance and improving mechanical properties, which is more effective than adding titanium powder to the matrix to improve the bending strength and thermal conductivity of diamond/Cu composites.

Coastal wetlands provide vital dynamic ecosystem services. They have become increasingly important after being linked to several sustainable developmental goals, resulting in a focus on their protection, management, and restoration. Therefore, there is an increasing need to detect and compare coastal wetland spatiotemporal dynamics in deltas at a global scale. In this study, we mapped and characterized coastal wetland spatiotemporal patterns for 1990–2019 in the world’s major river deltas using pixel frequency algorithms and Landsat-4/5 (TM), −7 (ETM + ), −8 (OLI), and Sentinel-2 (MSI) time-series imagery obtained from Google Earth Engine (GEE). Our map had a high overall accuracy (91.84 %) for 2019. Tidal flats were primarily distributed in North America (∼6.87 %) and Asia (∼5.91 %), whereas salt marshes were more commonly found in North America (∼45.39 %) and South America (∼10.61 %). Mangroves are more common in South America (∼11.86 %) and Asia (∼5.83 %), primarily because of the Amazon River Delta and tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, which host several large river deltas. South America had the largest coastal delta wetland area (798,569 km2), followed by Asia (640,251 km2), North America (581,977 km2), Africa (181,977 km2), Europe (140,759 km2), and Oceania (15,915 km2). There was a minor difference in the distribution of wetland vegetation and tidal flats in Asian coastal deltas, and the wetland vegetation area in Asia was greater than that in tidal flats on other continents. We found that the coastal wetland areas increased during 1990–2001, decreased during 2001–2012, and steadily increased during 2012–2019. Our study provides a baseline for monitoring the area, status, and health of the coastal wetlands in these river deltas.

Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) is an important aquaculture species in China. However, with the continuous development of P. sinensis cultures, problems related to germplasm degradation and population mixing have become increasingly prominent. This has seriously affected the protection and utilization of germplasm resources by P. sinensis. To broaden the understanding of the germplasm resources of P. sinensis and improve the efficiency of germplasm identification, Super-GBS sequencing technology was used to conduct population genetic analysis of P. sinensis samples from six different populations distributed in five provinces. As a result, 1464,488 SNPs were identified. Genetic structure analysis revealed that the six P. sinensis populations could be divided into three sub-populations. The genetic differentiation coefficient of the DT and CY populations was very low (Fst=0.0088), indicating that differentiation had not yet occurred. Additionally, 15 KASP core markers for the identification of P. sinensis populations were developed using KASP typing technique for the first time. Genetic information can lay a foundation for the protection and utilization of germplasm resources by P. sinensis, and the fingerprinting database developed in this study provides a practical tool for authenticating P. sinensis.

The drilling of printed circuit board (PCB) using micro-drills is an important processing method in modern industry. A protective film with good lubricating and anti-wear properties is generally applied to improve the processing problems of micro-drills during operation. In this study, the effects of C2H2 flow rate on the microstructure, mechanical, and tribological properties of a-C:H films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique were investigated. The results showed that when the C2H2 flow rate was low, varying the flow rate had little effect on the microstructure of the prepared a-C:H films. However, when the C2H2 flow rate was greater than 210 sccm, the increase in flow rate caused large particles of carbon clusters to aggregate on the surface of a-C:H films, which resulting in an increase Ra value. Not only did it reduce the adhesion between the film and the substrate, but it also deteriorated the mechanical and tribological properties of the a-C:H film produced. In addition, a-C:H films were also deposited on the micro-drill, and were used for drilling tests on the PCBs to evaluate its servce capability. The optimal parameters of a-C:H film deposited on the micro-drill surface were obtained by observing the morphology of the micro-drill surface after drilling and the hole accuracy statistics. The results showed that a-C:H film deposited on the surface of the micro-drill showed the best machining performance when the C2H2 flow rate was 180 sccm. The surface wear of micro-drill was minimal, the entanglement of tangled chips was minimal. The value of the process capability index (CPK) after 500, 1000, and 2000 drilling of PCB boards was 5.95, 4.33, and 3.15 respectively, which showed the highest drilling accuracy. This is mainly attributed to the better overall properties of the a-C:H films prepared at C2H2 flow rate of 180 sccm, such as lower surface roughness, lowest residual stress, higher hardness, better adhesion, and lower friction coefficient.

Summary: Background: Anlotinib is a new type of tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1/2/3, platelet-derived growth factor receptors α/β, and fibroblast growth factor receptors 1–4 and c-Kit, with a broad spectrum of inhibitory effects on tumor angiogenesis and growth. It has been proven effective in HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer, but its efficacy in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is unknown. This phase 2 study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adding anlotinib to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with TNBC. Methods: Patients with clinical stage II/III TNBC were treated with 5 cycles of anlotinib (12 mg, d1-14, q3w) plus 6 cycles of taxanes (docetaxel 75 mg/m2 ,d1, q3w or nab-paclitaxel 125 mg/m2, d1 and d8, q3w) and lobaplatin (30 mg/m2, d1, q3w), followed by surgery. The primary endpoint was pathological complete response (pCR; ypT0/is ypN0) and the secondary endpoints include breast pCR (bpCR), axillary pCR (apCR), residual cancer burden (RCB), objective response rate (ORR), survival, and safety. Exploratory endpoints were efficacy biomarkers based on Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center Immunohistochemical (FUSCC IHC) classification for TNBC and next-generation sequencing (NGS) of DNA from tumor tissue and blood samples of patients with 425-gene panel. This trial is registered with www.chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR2100043027). Findings: From Jan 2021 to Aug 2022, 48 patients were assessed and 45 were enrolled. All patients received at least one dose of study treatment and underwent surgery. The median age was 48.5 years (SD: 8.7), 71% were nodal involved, and 20% had stage III. In the intention-to-treat population, 26 out of 45 patients achieved pCR (57.8%; 90% CI, 44.5%–70.3%), and 39 achieved residual cancer burden class 0-I (86.7%; 95% CI, 73.2%–94.9%). The bpCR and apCR rate were 64.4% (29/45) and 71.9% (23/32), respectively. No recurrence or metastasis occurred during the short-term follow-up. Based on the FUSCC IHC-based subtypes, the pCR rates were 68.8% (11/16) for immunomodulatory subtype, 58.3% (7/12) for basal-like immune-suppressed subtype and 33.3% (4/12) for luminal androgen receptor subtype, respectively. NGS revealed that the pCR were 77% (10/13) and 50% (14/28) in MYC-amplified and wild-type patients, respectively, and 78% (7/9) and 53% (17/32) in gBRCA1/2-mutated and wild-type patients, respectively. The median follow-up time of the study was 14.9 months (95% CI: 13.5–16.3 months). There was no disease progression or death during neoadjuvant therapy. No deaths occurred during postoperative follow-up. In the safety population (N = 45), Grade 3 or 4 treatment emergent adverse events occurred in 29 patients (64%), and the most common events were neutropenia (38%), leukopenia (27%), thrombocytopenia (25%), anemia (13%), and hypertension (13%), respectively. Interpretation: The addition of anlotinib to neoadjuvant chemotherapy showed manageable toxicity and encouraging antitumor activity for patients with clinical stage II/III TNBC. Funding: Chongqing Talents Project, Chongqing Key Project of Technology Innovation and Application Development and Chongqing Outstanding Youth Natural Science Foundation.

Paleogeographic reconstruction studies the evolution of the earth's surface tectonic process, the pattern of land and sea, climate, and biology in time and space in geological history. With the advent of the big data era, the accuracy of the digital paleogeographic reconstruction is essential. Although there are various global paleogeographic reconstruction models, there is still a lack of paleogeographic reconstruction integrating tectonic, lithofacies, paleontology, and paleoclimate data. In this paper, a case study of the comprehensive paleogeographic reconstruction is carried out in the Middle Permian-Middle Triassic eastern Tethyan tectonic domain, which is highly concerned and rich in geological data accumulation. The digital paleogeographic map is completed by the combination of automatic mapping with machine learning and manual correction. We use the newly upgraded paleomagnetic, geological and paleontological data to reconstruct the paleoposition of the East Asian blocks at 260, 250 and 240 Ma, which shows the Paleo-Tethys Ocean (PTO) had a wider east-west range than the previous version due to adopting the method of Torsvik et al. (2008) to reconstruct the paleolongitude of South China at 260 Ma. The new model shows the PTO was semi-closed with several narrow seaways and was divided into north and south branches at 260 Ma. Based on the updated lithofacies paleogeographic map data of China and marine fossils data, we updated the paleogeographic map of the Eastern Tethyan tectonic domain on the basis of the global paleogeographic map, combining automatic mapping with machine learning and manual revision of paleotopography and paleocoastline. Based on the new tectonic paleogeographic reconstruction, we revised the paleoclimate zonation pattern of the East Tethys ocean using climate-sensitive lithologies.

In recent decades, there has been increasing interest in elucidating the role of sulfur-containing compounds in plant metabolism, particularly emphasizing their function as signaling molecules. Among these, thiocyanate (SCN−), a compound imbued with sulfur and nitrogen, has emerged as a significant environmental contaminant frequently detected in irrigation water. This compound is known for its potential to adversely impact plant growth and agricultural yield. Although adopting exogenous SCN− as a nitrogen source in plant cells has been the subject of thorough investigation, the fate of sulfur resulting from the assimilation of exogenous SCN− has not been fully explored. There is burgeoning curiosity in probing the fate of SCN− within plant systems, especially considering the possible generation of the gaseous signaling molecule, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) during the metabolism of SCN−. Notably, the endogenous synthesis of H2S occurs predominantly within chloroplasts, the cytosol, and mitochondria. In contrast, the production of H2S following the assimilation of exogenous SCN− is explicitly confined to chloroplasts and mitochondria. This phenomenon indicates complex interplay and communication among various subcellular organelles, influencing signal transduction and other vital physiological processes. This review, augmented by a small-scale experimental study, endeavors to provide insights into the functional characteristics of H2S signaling in plants subjected to SCN−-stress. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the occurrence and trajectory of endogenous H2S and H2S derived from SCN−-assimilation within plant organisms was performed, providing a focused lens for a comprehensive examination of the multifaceted roles of H2S in rice plants. By delving into these dimensions, our objective is to enhance the understanding of the regulatory mechanisms employed by the gasotransmitter H2S in plant adaptations and responses to SCN−-stress, yielding invaluable insights into strategies for plant resilience and adaptive capabilities.

The gut microbiota, known as the “forgotten organ” and “human second genome,” comprises a complex microecosystem. It significantly influences the development of various tumors, including colorectal, liver, stomach, breast, and lung cancers, through both direct and indirect mechanisms. These mechanisms include the “gut-liver” axis, the “lung-intestine” axis, and interactions with the immune system. The intestinal flora exhibits dual roles in cancer, both promoting and suppressing its progression. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can alter cancer progression by regulating the intestinal flora. It modifies the intestinal flora’s composition and structure, along with the levels of endogenous metabolites, thus affecting the intestinal barrier, immune system, and overall body metabolism. These actions contribute to TCM’s significant antitumor effects. Moreover, the gut microbiota metabolizes TCM components, enhancing their antitumor properties. Therefore, exploring the interaction between TCM and the intestinal flora offers a novel perspective in understanding TCM’s antitumor mechanisms. This paper succinctly reviews the association between gut flora and the development of tumors, including colorectal, liver, gastric, breast, and lung cancers. It further examines current research on the interaction between TCM and intestinal flora, with a focus on its antitumor efficacy. It identifies limitations in existing studies and suggests recommendations, providing insights into antitumor drug research and exploring TCM’s antitumor effectiveness. Additionally, this paper aims to guide future research on TCM and the gut microbiota in antitumor studies.

Ionic liquids (ILs) have attracted considerable interest in the last two decades owing to their unique fluorescent properties. Herein, N-octylpyridine hydrogen sulphate ([OP]HSO4) was synthesised and characterised using 1H NMR and infrared spectroscopies. In addition, the fluorescence spectra of [OP]HSO4 in water, methanol, ethanol and acetonitrile were studied. In a single solvent, as the concentration of the solvent (methanol, ethanol or acetonitrile) increases, the fluorescence intensity of the IL first increases and then decreases. A similar trend was observed in their mixed solvents with water. Moreover, the fluorescence intensity of [OP]HSO4 decreases with increasing temperature. A fluorescence intensity reduction of only 4.46% for [OP]HSO4 after continuous scanning for 40 cycles under the maximum excitation state was analysed. The lack of photobleaching observed in [OP]HSO4 indicates its good photobleaching resistance.

Defects of human trophoblast cells may induce miscarriage (abnormal early embryo loss), which is generally regulated by lncRNAs. Ferroptosis is a newly identified iron-dependent programmed cell death. Hypoxia is an important and unavoidable feature in mammalian cells. However, whether hypoxia might induce trophoblast cell ferroptosis and then induce miscarriage, as well as regulated by a lncRNA, was completely unknown. In this work, we discovered at the first time that hypoxia could result in ferroptosis of human trophoblast cells and then induce miscarriage. We also identified a novel lncRNA (lnc-HZ06) that simultaneously regulated hypoxia (indicated by HIF1α protein), ferroptosis, and miscarriage. In mechanism, HIF1α-SUMO, instead of HIF1α itself, primarily acted as a transcription factor to promote the transcription of NCOA4 (ferroptosis indicator) in hypoxic trophoblast cells. Lnc-HZ06 promoted the SUMOylation of HIF1α by suppressing SENP1-mediated deSUMOylation. HIF1α-SUMO also acted as a transcription factor to promote lnc-HZ06 transcription. Thus, both lnc-HZ06 and HIF1α-SUMO formed a positive auto-regulatory feedback loop. This loop was up-regulated in hypoxic trophoblast cells, in RM villous tissues, and in placental tissues of hypoxia-treated mice, which further induced ferroptosis and miscarriage by up-regulating HIF1α-SUMO-mediated NCOA4 transcription. Furthermore, knockdown of either murine lnc-hz06 or Ncoa4 could efficiently suppress ferroptosis and alleviate miscarriage in hypoxic mouse model. Taken together, this study provided new insights in understanding the regulatory roles of lnc-HZ06/HIF1α-SUMO/NCOA4 axis among hypoxia, ferroptosis, and miscarriage, and also offered an effective approach for treatment against miscarriage.

Fetal sex hormone homeostasis disruption could lead to reproductive and developmental abnormalities. However, previous studies have reported inconsistent findings regarding the association of maternal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure with fetal sex hormone levels. A total of 277 mother-infant pairs from the Guangxi Zhuang Birth Cohort Study between 2015 and 2019 were selected. We quantified nine PFAS in maternal serum in early pregnancy, and detected three sex hormones, namely, estradiol (E2), progesterone (P4) and testosterone (TT), in cord blood. The generalized linear model (GLM) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) model were used for single- and multiple-exposure analyses, respectively. In the GLM, there was no significant association between an individual PFAS and any hormone level or the E2/TT ratio, but a negative association between perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA) exposure and P4 levels in female infants was observed after stratification by sex. In the BKMR, a mixture of nine PFAS was positively associated with E2 levels and the E2/TT ratio, with the same main contributors, i.e., perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA). And PFAS mixtures were not associated with P4 or TT levels. After stratification by infant sex, positive associations of PFAS mixtures with E2 levels and the E2/TT ratio were observed only in male infants, with the same main contributors, i.e., PFUnA. There was a positive association between PFAS mixtures and P4 levels in male infants, in which PFUnA was the main contributor; but a reverse association between PFAS mixtures and P4 levels in female infants, in which PFDoA was the main contributor. This study suggested that prenatal exposure to PFAS mixtures is associated with fetal sex hormones, and long-chain PFAS may play an important role in this association. Furthermore, sex differences in the association of maternal PFAS exposure with E2 and P4 levels need additional attention.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major global cause of carcinoma-related fatality. The inhibition of tubulin polymerization holds significant potential in the development of cancer drugs. In our study, we synthesized a novel pyrrolidine-2,5-dione derivative (compound 8) that exhibited potent anti-HCC activity (IC50 value of 2.082 μM) against human HCC HepG2 cells. Moreover, compound 8 significantly suppressed the HepG2 cell multiplication, and triggered G2/M phase arrest of HepG2 cells and their apoptosis. Further mechanistic investigations revealed that compound 8 suppressed tubulin polymerization by directly binding to the colchicine binding site of β-tubulin. Additionally, compound 8 significantly inhibited tumor growth with low toxicity in nude HepG2 tumor-bearing mice, achieving an approximate inhibition rate of 45.73 %. Therefore, compound 8 represents a promising pharmaceutical candidate for HCC management.

Microbial residues as the key component of the stable soil organic carbon (SOC) play a critical role in stabilizing SOC, and their accumulation is influenced by plant litter. However, how the accumulation of microbial residues in different aggregate fractions of forest soils responds to changes in the inputs of leaf and root litter remains poorly understood. Here, we test the hypothesis that root exclusion has greater effects on microbial residues than leaf-litter exclusion among soil aggregate fractions based on a litter-input manipulation experiment in a subtropical coniferous forest. The concentrations of bacterial, fungal, and total microbial residues were higher in large macroaggregates (> 2000 μm) but lower in small macroaggregates (250–2000 μm). Root exclusion decreased the concentrations of bacterial, fungal, and total microbial residues in microaggregates (< 250 μm), and leaf-litter exclusion decreased fungal residues in microaggregates. Fungal residues had higher proportions to SOC (20.7–34.9%) than bacterial residues (10.8–18.6%) in soil aggregate fractions, and their proportions were higher in large macroaggregates than other aggregate fractions. Root exclusion reduced the higher proportions of bacterial, fungal, and total microbial residues to SOC in microaggregates (14.5%, 15.7%, and 15.3%, respectively), compared to the reduction observed in large macroaggregates (10.8%, 7.1%, and 8.4%, respectively). And leaf-litter exclusion reduced the proportions of fungal and total microbial residues to SOC in microaggregates. Soil microbial residue-carbon accumulation coefficient was higher in large macroaggregates and lower in small macroaggregates. The coefficient was increased by root exclusion in macroaggregates but decreased in microaggregates, and it was also decreased by leaf-litter exclusion in large macroaggregates and microaggregates. Proportions of fungal residues to SOC were more strongly related to the live microbial biomass and nutrients than those of bacterial residues. Our results suggest that root exclusion exerts stronger effects on soil microbial residues than leaf-litter exclusion but these effects vary among soil aggregate sizes.

Coastal areas are characterized by frequent interactions among natural, social, and economic factors. However, intensive development has degraded coastal ecosystems. To effectively implement environmental protection measures, it is crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of the current state of these systems. Resilience, which represents the capacity of an ecosystem for sustainable development, plays a significant role in this regard. Here, we focus on the East China Sea coastal zone and establish an evaluation system to quantitatively assess the resilience of the coastal complex ecosystem using multi-source data. We analyze the spatiotemporal evolution and characteristics of coastal resilience from 2005 to 2020 and investigate the factors that influenced the spatial differentiation of resilience along the coast. We found that over the 16-year period, the resilience of the coastal complex ecosystem in the East China Sea fluctuated with a downward trend, and had notable spatial heterogeneity and a substantial sea-land gradient. Factors related to human activities have increasingly contributed to the spatial differentiation of resilience in the complex ecosystem. Our findings provide valuable support and guidance for the protection, restoration, sustainable utilization, and management of coastal complex ecosystems.

Exposure to bisphenols can affect bone mineral density (BMD) in animals and humans. However, the effects of maternal exposure to bisphenols during pregnancy on bone health in preschool children remain unknown. We aimed to assess the effects of prenatal exposure to single and multiple bisphenols on bone health in preschool children. A total of 230 mother–child pairs were included in this study. Generalized linear regression, restricted cubic spline (RCS), principal component analysis (PCA), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were utilized to assess the relationship between bisphenol levels and bone health in preschool children. Each natural log (Ln) unit increase in tetrabromobisphenol A was related to a 0.007 m/s (95 % CI: –0.015, 0.000) decrease in Ln-transformed speed of sound (SOS) among girls. Decreased BMD Z scores in preschool children were found only in the high bisphenol S exposure group (β = -0.568; 95 % CI: –1.087, –0.050) in boys. The risk of low BMD (BMDL) was significantly higher in the middle-exposure group (OR = 4.695; 95 % CI: 1.143, 24.381) and high-exposure group of BPS (OR = 6.165, 95 % CI: 1.445, 33.789) compared with the low-exposure group in boys. In girls, the risk of BMDL decreased with increasing bisphenol A concentration (OR = 0.413, 95 % CI: 0.215, 0.721). RCS analysis revealed a U-shaped nonlinear correlation between BPB concentration and BMDL in girls (P-overall = 0.011, P-nonlinear = 0.009). In PCA, a U-shaped dose–response relationship was found between PC2 and the risk of BMDL (P-overall = 0.048, P-nonlinear = 0.032), and a significant association was only noted in girls when stratified by sex. The BKMR model revealed a horizontal S-shaped curve relationship between bisphenol mixtures and BMDL in girls. The results indicated that prenatal exposure to single and mixed bisphenols can affect BMD in preschool children, exerting nonmonotonic and child sex-specific effects.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is an abnormal fetal growth pattern that can lead to neonatal morbidity and mortality. IUGR may be affected by prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants, including perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). However, research linking PFAS exposure to IUGR is limited, with inconsistent results. We aimed to investigate the association between PFAS exposure and IUGR by using nested casecontrol study based on Guangxi Zhuang Birth Cohort (GZBC), in Guangxi, China. A total of 200 IUGR cases and 600 controls were enrolled in this study. The maternal serum concentrations of nine PFASs were measured using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLCMS). The associations single and mixed effects of prenatal PFAS exposure on IUGR risk were assessed using conditional logistic regression (single-exposure), Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) and quantile g-computation (qgcomp) models. In the conditional logistic regression models, the log10-transformed concentrations of perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA, adjusted OR: 4.41, 95% CI: 3.03–6.41), perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA, adjusted OR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.14–3.32), and perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS, adjusted OR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.15–2.91) were positively associated with risk of IUGR. In the BKMR models, the combined effect of PFASs was positively associated with IUGR risk. In the qgcomp models, we also found an increased IUGR risk (OR=5.92, 95% CI: 2.33–15.06) when all nine PFASs increased by one tertile as a whole, and PFHpA (43.9%) contributed the largest positive weights. These findings suggested prenatal exposure to single and mixtures of PFASs may increase IUGR risk, with the effect being largely driven by the PFHpA concentration.

The traditional cooling system employed in loaders lacks the capability to adjust the fan speed based on the working medium's temperature, resulting in significant power waste. This study introduces a high-power spray cooling system as a solution to this issue. A dedicated spray cooling experimental setup was designed and constructed, and the influence of different factors on the heat transfer performance of the system was studied through multi-factor orthogonal tests with the heat transfer power and energy consumption ratio as evaluation indexes. The results of range and variance analysis demonstrate that the cold water flow rate exerts a substantial impact on both the system's heat transfer power and pump power consumption. Additionally, increasing the nozzle incidence angle can enhance the system's energy consumption ratio. Under the optimal combination of heat transfer power factors, the constructed spray cooling system can achieve a heat dissipation of 44.526 kW at a pump power consumption of 1.184 kW, which meets the heat dissipation requirements of the engine coolant and verifies the feasibility of the proposed scheme. Furthermore, a multiple linear regression model for the power consumption ratio is provided. This investigation yields novel insights for augmenting the performance of loader cooling systems.

Dietary high soybean oil (SO) inclusion leads to excessive hepatic lipid accumulation and metabolism disorder in fish species. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of adenosine 5’-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway activation by acadesine (AICAR) on hepatic histology and metabolism-related gene expression of juvenile large yellow croakers (Larimichthys crocea) fed with SO-based diet. In this study, fish (initial body weight 3.89 ± 0.02 g) were fed fish oil (FO)-based, SO, or SOA (SO diet supplemented with 100 mg kg−1 AICAR) diets with three replicates of each treatment for 70 days. In general, the replacement of dietary FO with SO led to excessive hepatic lipid accumulation and a glucose metabolism disorder. Histological sections and biochemical analysis of hepatic tissue consistently revealed that AICAR supplementation could partly ameliorate SO-induced excessive hepatic lipid accumulation, probably by suppressing the expression of genes related to fatty acid uptake and lipogenesis while enhancing the expression of lipolysis-related genes. Nevertheless, AICAR regulated lipid metabolism in muscle tissue in an inverse pattern to that in hepatic tissue, indicating that muscle tissue could attempt to mitigate lipid accumulation by improving lipolysis in response to the dietary inclusion of SO. Dietary AICAR partly improved glucose metabolism by reducing the expression of genes related to gluconeogenesis in hepatic tissue while increasing the expression of genes related to glucose uptake and glycolysis in muscle tissue. Collectively, dietary AICAR mitigated excessive hepatic lipid accumulation and glucose metabolism disorder. The amelioration of hepatic lipid accumulation by AICAR is likely caused by increasing lipid catabolism and decreasing lipid anabolism. The improved glucose metabolism by AICAR may be ascribed to decreased hepatic gluconeogenesis, as well as increased muscle glucose uptake and utilization.

Summary: Testate amoebae, a polyphyletic protist group inhabiting a wide variety of extant ecosystems, have evolved as far back as early Neoproterozoic. However, their fossil record is discontinuous and biased toward empty shells. Here, we report an arcellinid testate amoeba species, Cangwuella ampulliformis gen. nov., sp. nov., from a shallow-marine community in the Early Devonian of Guangxi, southwestern China. With the aid of scanning electron microscopy and X-ray micro-tomography, we find that the shell of our testate amoeba contains some acetabuliform structures. Although such configuration does not match exactly with the known internal structures in extant testate amoebae, our fossils highlight the potential of exploring the ecological relationships between fossil testate amoebae and their associated organisms, and increase our knowledge on the diversity of testate amoebae in Early Devonian environments.

Urbanization is advancing rapidly across the globe, and urban agglomeration (UA) has become an important by-product of urbanization expansion. The rapid development of UAs has profound impacts on land use and directly affects various regional ecosystem services (ES). Understanding these impacts in UAs with developed economies and fragile ecosystems can help decision-makers formulate ecological protection and land use planning policies. Here, we selected 13 UAs in eastern, central, and western China and analyzed the characteristics of spatiotemporal changes in built-up land and the trade-off and synergy between ES in UAs from 2000 to 2020. We found that the built-up land increased rapidly to the outer edge of a city in the form of edge expansion, which was more prominent in UAs at national and regional scales. Carbon storage, biodiversity conservation, habitat quality, soil and water conservation, and water conservation tended to decrease, but the nutrition delivery ratio and food supply tended to increase. Various ES presented a negative synergistic relationship. The difference in ES in UAs was closely related to the level of urbanization and geographical location. Our findings demonstrate the trade-off and synergy of ES in UAs at different levels and can be used to sustain ES and develop high-quality UAs.

Summary: Long-term potentiation (LTP), which underlies learning and memory, can be induced by high-frequency electrical stimulation (HFS or HFES) and is thought to occur at the synapses of efferent projection. Here, the contralateral connectivity in mice auditory cortex was investigated to reveal the fundamental corticocortical connection properties. After HFES, plasticity was not observed at the terminal synapses at the recording site. The optogenetic HFS at the recording site of the interhemispheric cortical projections could not induce LTP, but HFES at the recording site could induce the interhemispheric cortical LTP. Our subsequent results uncovered that it is the cholecystokinin (CCK) released from the entorhino-neocortical pathway induced by HEFS that modulates the neuroplasticity of the afferent projections, including interhemispheric auditory cortical afferents. Our study illustrates a heterosynaptic mechanism as the basis for cortical plasticity. This regulation might contribute new spots for the understanding and treatment of neurological disorders.

Bubbles are known to affect energy and mass transfer in gas-evolving electrodes, including those in water splitting, chlorine generation, direct methanol fuel cells, and carbon dioxide generation. As bubbles vigorously evolve in electrochemical reactions, undesired blockage of active sites and ion conducting pathways result in serious energy losses. Since new advances are made with the development of new theories, materials, and techniques, this review discusses the recent works on promoting bubble removal in electrochemical systems with the aim of guiding and motivating future research in this area. We first provide the mechanism of bubble evolution in electrochemical systems and the resultant overpotentials in detail. Then, recent advances in mitigating bubble issues are presented from the perspectives of passive and active strategies. Passive strategies act on the macro- and micro-structures of the electrode, surface wettability, and electrolyte properties. Active strategies employ out-fields, including flowing electrolytes, acoustic fields, magnetic forces, and photothermal effects, to guide bubbles out of reaction sites aiming at high reaction rates, whereas external energy is needed. Finally, the pros and cons of both strategies and future outlooks are presented. This review leads to design guidelines for high-performance gas-evolving electrochemical systems.

The Light-Oxygen-Voltage 2 (LOV2) domain of Avena Sativa phototropin 1 (AsLOV2) protein is one of the most studied domains in the field of designing photoswitches. This is due to the several unique features in the AsLOV2, such as the monomeric structure of the protein in both light and dark states and the relatively short transition time between the two states. Despite that, not many studies focus on the effect of the secondary structures on the drastic conformational change between the light and dark states. In this study, we focus on the role of A’α helix as a key player in the transition between both states using various computational tools as: 1.5 μs molecular dynamics simulations for each configuration, Markov state model, different machine learning techniques, and community analysis. The impact of the A’α helix was studied on the atomistic level by introducing two groups of mutations, helicity enhancing mutations (T406A and T407A) and helicity disrupting mutations (L408D and R410P), as well as on the overall secondary structure by using the community analysis. Maintaining the N-terminal hydrogen bond network was found to be essential for the transition between the two states. Via in-depth hydrogen bonding and contact analysis we were able to identify key residues (Thr407 and Arg410) involved in the functional conformational switch and their impact on the overall protein dynamics. Moreover, the community analysis highlighted the significant role of the β sheets in the overall protein allosteric process.

The prevalence of patent foramen ovale (PFO) is 20–25% among adults. The role of right-to-left shunting through the PFO in systemic hypoxemia remains poorly understood. Right-to-left shunting through the PFO can occur either due to elevated right atrial pressure (pressure-driven) or directed venous flow toward the PFO (flow-driven). Herein, we report a rare case of flow-driven right-to-left shunting via the PFO in a patient with traumatic tricuspid regurgitation. A 45-year-old Chinese woman was admitted due to progressive dyspnea for 3 years, presenting with cyanosis and digital clubbing. She was hypoxic, with an oxygen saturation of 83% on room air, and arterial blood gas showed an oxygen tension of 53 mmHg. Echocardiography showed severe tricuspid regurgitation with ruptured chordae tendinea, causing regurgitant jet flow directed toward the interatrial septum, leading to intermittent right-to-left shunting between the septa primum and secundum. Swan–Ganz catheterization revealed normal-high right atrial pressure and excluded pulmonary hypertension. The patient underwent tricuspid valve repair and PFO closure. Her oxygen saturation returned to 95% and her symptoms resolved. Right-to-left shunting through the PFO could cause systemic hypoxemia via a flow-driven mechanism, occasionally manifesting as cyanosis and clubbing digits. PFO closure and treatment of underlying disease are effective in improving hypoxemia.

Study region: The Loess Plateau, China. Study focus: Land-use and rainfall characteristics are two crucial influencing factors that affect the surface runoff and soil loss process; however, less attention has been paid to nested watersheds in vulnerable geo-ecosystems. Here we analyzed rainfall characteristics impacts on runoff and sediment in one of the nested watersheds, which contains six sub-watersheds with different land uses. According to rainfall amount, duration, and maximum rainfall intensity within 30 min (I30), 180 rainfall events during 2004–2019 were categorized into four types using K-means clustering method, and different hydrological years were distinguished. New hydrological insights for the study region: The runoff coefficient and sediment yield under the rainfall regime Ⅰ (little precipitation, moderate duration of precipitation, low intensity of precipitation) were the lowest; under the rainfall regime Ⅳ (high precipitation, short duration of precipitation, high intensity of precipitation), these values were the largest. The average runoff coefficient among the six sub-watersheds analyzed varied as follows: farmland watershed > farming-pastoral watershed > closed watershed > secondary forest watershed > mixed forest watershed > plantation watershed. The closed watershed had the lowest average sediment yield, while the farming-pastoral watershed showed the highest one. In addition, the runoff coefficient and sediment yield also changed differently in various hydrological years. The results of this study suggest that natural restoration measures are the optimal choice for coordinating the relationship between surface runoff and sediment yield. Enhanced long-term monitoring is needed to accurately describe watershed processes.

Water is a kind of vital natural resource, which acts as the lifeblood of the ecosystem and the energy source for the living and production activities of humans. Regularly mapping the conditions of water resources and taking effective measures to prevent them from pollutions and shortages are very important and necessary to maintain the sustainability of the ecosystem. As a preliminary step for image-based water resource analysis, the complete recognition and accurate extraction of water bodies are important prerequisites in many applications. Nevertheless, due to the issues of topology diversities, appearance variabilities, and land cover interferences, there is still a large gap to achieve the human-level water bodies interpretation quality. This paper presents a hierarchical attentive high-resolution network, abbreviated as WaterHRNet, for extracting water bodies from remote sensing imagery. First, by building a multibranch high-resolution feature extractor integrated with global feature semantics aggregation, the WaterHRNet behaves laudably to supply high-quality, strong-semantic feature representations. Furthermore, by inlaying an effective feature attention scheme with the comprehensive exploitation of both the spatial and channel feature significances, the WaterHRNet is forced to strengthen the semantic-determinate, task-aware feature encodings. In addition, by designing a hierarchical processing principle with the progressive enhancement of category-attentive feature semantics, the WaterHRNet performs effectively to export semantic-discriminative, target-oriented feature representations for precise water body segmentation. The WaterHRNet is elaborately verified both quantitatively and qualitatively on three remote sensing datasets. Evaluation results show that the WaterHRNet achieves an average precision of 98.44%, average recall of 97.84%, average IoU of 96.35%, and average F1-score of 98.14%. Comparative analyses also demonstrate the superior performance and excellent feasibility of the WaterHRNet in segmenting water bodies.

Recent years have witnessed a growing trend in the participation of renewable energy on the generation side and relatively high peak loads on the demand side, which makes it gradually challenging for traditional methods concentrating separately on the generation side to maintain system balance. Load resources, with potentialities to provide faster and more economical responses to balance signals, are able to make contributions to system balance through demand response(DR) programs in addition. With the reformation and development of the electricity market, load aggregators(LAs) pear as representatives of small-scale customers and generations to meet response limitations and participate in DR programs. The LA in this paper, which aggregates residential customers and a PV system with battery energy storage(BES) units, balances the power by optimal scheduling and bidding in Day-ahead(DA) and real-time(RT) markets based on real-time electricity price(RTP). And the objective of this paper is to maximize the profits of LA. A majority of papers use deterministic methods for the modeling of renewable generations and residential loads. However, influenced by multiple factors, the actual renewable outputs and residential responsive loads towards real-time electricity prices are unavoidably uncertain. These uncertainties bring risks to LA’s scheduling and bidding strategies, which results in the reduction of LA’s profits. A stochastic model based on the scenario generation method is adopted to reflect the uncertainties of customers’ responsive loads and the PV system’s outputs. The objective profit function turns out to be a risk function influenced by uncertain factors and the risk control method conditional risk at value(CVaR) is integrated to obtain optimal solutions for this maximization problem. Case studies have verified the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a significant role in multiple human cancers as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). However, a systematic mRNA-microRNA (miRNA)-lncRNA network linked to kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) prognosis has not been described. In this study, we aimed to identify the prognosis-related ceRNA regulatory network and analyzed its relationship with immune cell infiltration to predict KIRC patient survival. The MMP25-AS1/hsa-miR-10a-5p/SERPINE1 ceRNA network related to the prognosis of KIRC was obtained through bioinformatics analysis based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Meanwhile, we constructed a three-gene-based survival predictor model, which could be referential for future clinical research. Methylation analyses suggested that the abnormal upregulation of the SERPINE1 likely resulted from hypomethylation. Furthermore, the immune infiltration analysis showed that the MMP25-AS1/hsa-miR-10a-5p/SERPINE1 axis could affect the changes in the tumor immune microenvironment and the development of KIRC by affecting the expression of chemokines (CCL4, CCL5, CXCL13, and XCL2). Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) analysis indicated that the high expression of SERPINE1 might be related to tumor immune evasion in KIRC. In summary, the current study constructing the MMP25-AS1/hsa-miR-10a-5p/SERPINE1 ceRNA network might be a novel significant prognostic factor associated with the diagnosis and prognosis of KIRC.

Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide, and it may be caused by environmental endocrine disruptors. Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in women has been linked to pregnancy disorders and adverse birth outcomes, but no data are available on the relationship between PFAS exposure during pregnancy and postpartum haemorrhage. This study aimed to explore the associations of maternal PFAS exposure with the postpartum haemorrhage risk and total blood loss. A total of 1496 mother-infant pairs in the Guangxi Zhuang birth cohort were included between June 2015 and May 2018. The concentration of PFASs in serum was detected using ultrahigh liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Multiple binomial regression and linear regression models were used to analyse individual PFAS exposures. The mixture of PFASs was analysed using Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR). In single substance exposure models, exposure to perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) increased the risk of postpartum haemorrhage (OR: 3.42, 95 % CI: 1.45, 8.07), while exposure to perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA) was inversely associated with the risk of postpartum haemorrhage (OR: 0.42, 95 % CI: 0.22, 0.80). The concentrations of perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA) (β: 0.06, 95 % CI: 12.32, 108.82) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) (β: 0.05, 95 % CI: 0.40, 88.95) exposure were positively correlated with the amount of postpartum haemorrhage; this result occurred only in the absence of covariate adjustment. In BKMR models, the risk of postpartum haemorrhage increased with increasing exposure to a PFAS mixture. In conclusion, our study suggested that maternal serum PFAS exposure during pregnancy was associated with the risk of postpartum haemorrhage.

Targeting macrophages/microglia (M/Ms) dysregulated metabolism treatments have shown promise in the clinic and biomedical research. However, existing treatments are ineffective and have severe side effects. Activated M/Ms switch from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis, providing a potential therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases. Moreover, M/Ms polarization has been shown to brain homeostasis. Bone marrow has been served as an excellent source for metabolic disorders. Here, we reported bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs)-derived nanovesicles (loaded 4-octyl itacona, C-OI) that could target to M/Ms polarization and metabolism in vivo and in vitro. These nanovesicles administered to M1 M/Ms or middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats effectively accumulated in the inflamed M/Ms, inducing a cascade of anti-inflammatory events via glycolysis reprogramming. These nanovesicles showed biological stability and compatibility, improved M/Ms metabolism, where it effectively inhibits the reactive oxygen species and neuroninflammation in injured brain tissues in MCAO rats. C-OI also suppresses MCAO-induced injury by inhibiting the activation of M1 M/Ms and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, thus achieving satisfactory prevention and treatment in neuroprotective therapy. The engineered nanovesicles showed potential therapeutic to reprogram the brain hyperinflammation microenvironment after MCAO.