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Northeast China (NEC) is one of the major maize production areas in China. Agro-climatic resources have obviously changed, which will seriously affect crop growth and development in this region. It is important to investigate the contribution of climate change adaptation measures to the yield and resource use efficiency to improve our understanding of how we can effectively ensure high yield and high efficiency in the future. In this study, we divided the study area into five accumulated temperature zones (ATZs) based on growing degree days (GDD). Based on the meteorological data, maize data (from agro-meteorological stations) and the validated APSIM-Maize Model, we first investigated the spatial distributions and temporal trends of maize potential yield of actual planted cultivars, and revealed the radiation use efficiency (RUE) and heat resource use efficiency (HUE) from 1981 to 2017. Then according to the potential growing seasons and actual growing seasons, we identified the utilization percentages of radiation (PR) resource and heat resource (PH) for each ATZ under potential production from 1981 to 2017. Finally, we quantified the contributions of cultivar changings to yield, PR and PH of maize. The results showed that during the past 37 years, the estimated mean potential yield of actual planted cultivars was 13 649 kg ha–1, ranged from 11 205 to 15 257 kg ha–1, and increased by 140 kg ha–1 per decade. For potential production, the mean values of RUE and HUE for the actual planted maize cultivars were 1.22 g MJ–1 and 8.58 kg (°C d)–1 ha–1. RUE showed an increasing tendency, while HUE showed a decreasing tendency. The lengths of the potential growing season and actual growing season were 158 and 123 d, and increased by 2 and 1 d per decade. PR and PH under potential production were 82 and 86%, respectively and showed a decreasing tendency during the past 37 years. This indicates that actual planted cultivars failed to make full use of climate resources. However, results from the adaptation assessments indicate that, adoption of cultivars with growing season increased by 2–11 d among ATZs caused increase in yield, PR and PH of 0.6–1.7%, 1.1–7.6% and 1.5–8.9%, respectively. Therefore, introduction of cultivars with longer growing season can effectively increase the radiation and heat utilization percentages and potential yield.

In this work, the Mg-doped ZnO (ZMO)/Lead sulfide (PbS) quantum dot (QD) heterojunction solar cells are fabricated via layer-by-layer spin-coating method. The quantum dot solar cells (QDSCs) with structure of FTO/ZMO/PbS-EMII/PbS-EDT/Au and relatively larger area of 0.372 cm2 are prepared in ambient atmosphere. The effect of PbS active layer thickness on the photovoltaic performance of PbS QDSCs is investigated under room temperature of 293 K. It is concluded that seven spin-coating cycles of PbS active layers is the best choice for the device, and the cell with that achieves a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.46%. Furthermore, the temperature dependent characteristics of PbS QDSCs are studied. It is exhibited that the power efficiency improves as the device temperature increases first then shows a decreasing trend as the temperature substantially rises. As a result, a highest PCE of 12% is shown at the working temperature of 273 K due to higher VOC and FF. Moreover, it is demonstrated the PbS QDSCs possess noticeably stability for over 30 days of storage in air.

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is adversely affecting sleep quality and mental health, especially in individuals with chronic disease such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods We conducted a quantitative study, which included 119 Chinese PD patients who had been treated in an outpatient neurology clinic in Wuhan and 169 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The questionnaire survey focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep, mental status, symptoms, and daily life and medical treatment of PD patients. Results Compared to healthy controls, PD patients had significantly higher scores in both the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (8.13 vs 5.36, p 5 points (68.9% vs 44.4%, p, Highlights • Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience mental health and sleep disturbance during the COVID-19 pandemic. • Anxiety, lack of medical consultation and exacerbation of symptoms affects the sleep health of PD patients profoundly. • The exacerbation of PD related symptoms, was independently and closely associated with sleep quality. • The sleep and mental health of female PD patient need more consideration and treatment. • Special attention should be paid to the difficulty in seeking medical treatment for PD patients during the epidemic.

Exposure to pyrethroids, a significant class of the most widely used agricultural chemicals, has been associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, although many different pyrethroids induce roughly the same symptoms of Parkinsonism, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. To find the shared key features among these mechanisms, we focused on 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA), a common and prominent metabolite of most pyrethroids produced via hydrolysis by CEs in mammals. To determine the contribution of 3-PBA to the initiation and progression of PD, we performed in vivo and in vitro experiments, respectively, and found that 3-PBA not only accumulates in murine brain tissues over time but also further induces PD-like pathologies (increased α-syn and phospho-S129, decreased TH) to the same or even greater extent than the precursor pyrethroid. A before-after study of PET-DAT in the same mice revealed that low concentrations of 3-PBA (0.5 mg/kg) could paradoxically cause DAT to increase (22.46% higher than pre-drug test). The intervention of DAT inhibitors and activators respectively alleviated and enhanced the dopaminergic toxicity of 3-PBA, indicating that 3-PBA interacts with DAT. In particular, low concentrations of 3-PBA increase the DAT, which in turn induces 3-PBA to enter the dopaminergic neurons to exert toxic effects. Finally, we described a mechanism underlying this potential role of 3-PBA in the pathological aggregation of α-syn. Specifically, 3-PBA was found to dysregulate C/EBP β levels and further anomalously activate AEP in vivo and in vitro, accompanied by increased accumulation of pathologically cleaved α-syn (N103 fragments) and accelerated α-syn aggregation. All these results suggest that 3-PBA exposure could mimic the pathological and pathogenetic features of PD, showing that this metabolite is a key pathogenic compound in pyrethroid-related pathological effects and a possible dopamine neurotoxin. Additionally, our findings provide a crucial reference for the primary prevention of PD.

Solar radiation is the energy for all biological, physical, and chemical processes of the earth's surface system, and affects the growth and development of crops at all stages. But the diverse data sources and fusion algorithms lead to large differences in the radiation values in various climate datasets. Accurate estimates of the radiation data is not an easy task, the uncertainty of which and the impact on crop yield simulation remains unknown. In this study, the total solar radiation amounts from four independent global radiation datasets were shown considerable heterogeneity across regions and cropping seasons. Forcing the dynamic crop models with the four radiation inputs produced similarly great uncertainties of simulated yield in most regions, with the greatest uncertainty up to 30% of average yield for wheat in Europe. The global-scale uncertainty of simulated yield is increasing during the past three decades and would reach up to 20% of its averages in the future, equivalent to 300 million tons when converting to the global crop production. The results of this study suggest that the previously projected crop yield changes with climate change have large uncertainties propagated from solar radiation data sources used for projections. These uncertainties may mislead the assessment of future food security.

Soybean is an important oil crop in China, and the national focus of soybean production is in Northeast China. In order to achieve high-stable yield, it is crucial to acknowledge the impacts of mean climate and extreme climate indices on soybean yield and yield components. In this study, based on the weather data from 61 counties from 1981 to 2017 in Northeast China, we assessed the impacts of mean climate and extreme climate indices on soybean observed yield and simulated yield. Mean climate include effective growing degree days (GDD

Wolfberry is an important medicinal and edible plant in China that is difficult to dehydrate owing to its dense pulp and epicuticular wax. Sodium carbonate (SC) pretreatment is an efficient low-cost technology that can help improve the wolfberry drying rate. To determine the effect of SC pretreatment on drying kinetics and quality changes during hot-air drying (AD), wolfberries were dried using AD at different temperatures (40, 50, and 60 °C) with or without SC pretreatment. SC pretreatment was found to increase the effective diffusivity (Deff) and reduce the total drying time by 22–28%. SC pretreatment and low-temperature AD (40 and 50 °C) helped improve wolfberry quality and increased its total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant activity, carotenoids content, and betaine content by 10–17%, 9–24%, 21–25%, 14–22%, 3–23%, and 17–42%, respectively. Samples dried with or without SC pretreatment showed the same trends, but a different moisture content inflexion point in the drying kinetics and different antioxidant attributes. In all drying processes, the Deff initially increased and then decreased, while the TPC, TFC, and antioxidant capacity initially decreased and then increased.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common motor-associated neurodegenerative disease. Although the pathogenesis of PD is still wrapped in the mist, accumulating evidence indicates that mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to the onset and progression of PD. We previously reported that the lysosomal protease asparagine endopeptidase (AEP) cleaves α-synuclein in the brains of PD patients. The major product, α-synuclein 1-103, significantly promotes PD-like histological changes and motor dysfunction. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Here we show that α-synuclein 1-103 fragment interacts with mitochondria and induces morphological and functional abnormalities of mitochondria. Furthermore, we investigated the protective effects of 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF) on mitochondrial dysfunction induced by α-synuclein 1-103 fragment. We found that 7,8-DHF ameliorated α-synuclein 1-103-induced mitochondrial impairment and motor dysfunction. These results indicate that 7,8-DHF represents a novel oral bioactive therapeutic agent for treating PD.

The immobilization of iodine waste is a challenge in the field of nuclear waste. In this work, iodine waste (silver-coated silica gel with different iodine loadings) was immobilized at low-sintering temperatures (500, 550, and 600 ​°C). XRD represented that the crystallized phases of the sintered matrix consist of AgI and B2O3. The crystallization behavior of boron can be found as the sintering temperature increased from 500 ​°C to 600 ​°C. FT-IR results proved that in the process of crystallization, part of the microstructure related to B–O stretching transformed from [BO4] to [BO3] units, which benefits low-temperature iodine waste immobilization due to the bonding energy of [BO3] is higher than that of [BO4]. Our work reveals the B-related microstructure transition in low-temperature immobilization iodine waste.

As to spent fuel reprocessing in the nuclear industry, disposal of iodine-containing silver silica gel (AgIs) is a challenge. Method for immobilizing AgIs with the B-Bi-Zn glass powder at low temperatures has been applied to cope with this dilemma. In ingredient analysis, only diffraction peak of AgI can be detected in the sintered samples. In addition, the element analysis confirmed the existence and distribution of AgI in the solidified matrix. According to leaching experiment, low leaching rate (10−6) demonstrated that the sintered body possessed good chemical stability in liquid circumstance. Based on the research statistics, quality loss ratio of sample (98.58 g) sintered at 600 °C under the gas pressure sintering was merely 1.61%. Meanwhile, the quality retention proportions of AgI and raw powder from thermogravimetric analysis were certified as 98.09% and 96.19% respectively at 600 °C. Therefore, this study comprehensively proved the glass powder curing prospective for AgIs disposal.

Solar energy has been a topic of considerable research, and the solar concentrator is a key component of solar energy utilization technology. A traditional solar concentrator usually does not generate uniform illumination on the surface of the absorber. This paper presents a general method to develop a reflector profile of a uniform solar concentrator (USC) that can uniformly concentrate the incident solar radiation onto the absorber surface. A first-order differential equation of the reflector profile is developed for USCs with absorbers of different shapes, specifically for cases with a tubular absorber and a flat absorber. A numerical program in C++ is developed to generate the reflector profile. Optimization of the reflector profile has been made to lower manufacturing costs. The results show that for a USC with an absorber of any shape, lowering the location of the initial reflector point can shorten the reflector profile. Optimal parameters are obtained for a USC with absorbers of different shapes. For a USC with a tubular absorber or a flat absorber of which the slope angle is positive, the reflector achieves its optimal profile when the reflector top point is level with the top of the absorber. For a USC with a flat absorber of which the slope angle is non-positive, the reflector achieves its optimal profile when the reflector top point is on the absorber extended line.

The falling film flow has attracted much attention recently due to its advantages of low temperature difference, low flow rate, high heat transfer coefficient and high heat flux density. In this paper, a series of experiments were carried out to investigate the falling film flow and heat transfer characteristics outside the vertical tube based on the established experimental system. Flow patterns, the trend of heat transfer coefficients along the tube as well as the falling film breakdown phenomenon were described. Two new correlations were obtained to predict the heat transfer coefficient and falling film dry burning based on experimental data, and the maximum deviation between the experimental data and predicted values were −13.36% and 16.81%, respectively. The new correlations can provide a reference for the design of the heater in the Mechanical vapor recompression systems.

During the past three decades, maize yields in China have steadily increased as producers experienced climate changes and utilized improved hybrids and management, etc. Elucidating the relative contributions of these factors to historical yield changes will aid in sustaining or increasing yields in the future. In this study, statistical methods were used to estimate the contribution of incident solar radiation to maize yield trends in five climate zones in China from 1985 to 2014. This study analysed the direct effect of solar brightening or dimming assuming a constant grain filling period (GFP) typical for 1985. We also evaluated the interaction between solar brightening (or dimming) and increases in the length of the GFP (LGFP) through crop improvement from 1985 to 2014. The results showed that solar brightening during the GFP contributed to 5.9% of the yield increase over the past three decades, primarily due to increases in diffuse radiation in various locations. The contribution of the daily solar radiation intercepted during the GFP to yield trends varied among climate zones; in humid warm temperate and arid warm temperate zones, daily solar dimming caused yield decreases in some of the locations. Nevertheless, combined with a prolonged LGFP, the increased solar radiation accumulation during the GFP ameliorated the negative effects of solar dimming, resulting in significant maize yield gains. Therefore, increased solar radiation accumulation during the GFP contributed to approximately 28.8% of the maize yield increase in China from 1985 to 2014.

In order to research the effect of Bi2O3 doped B2O3-ZnO matrix in immobilizing iodine waste, different Bi2O3 contents were doped into B2O3-ZnO glass to immobilize iodine loaded silver-coated silica-gel (AgIs). Bi2O3 content doped B2O3-ZnO (99:1) as raw materials held the good physical and chemical property (Vickers hardness 3.07 GPa), so, the pure glass matrix was manufactured at 550 °C. SEM-EDS results gave that element I distributed homogeneously in the samples with 5 wt% AgIs at 450 °C. Meanwhile, the glass powder immobilized AgIs samples gave the glass–ceramic phases according to the XRD results, and the hightest density and Vickers hardness were 1.78 g/cm3 and 0.30 GPa, respectively. The leaking rate of iodine was 1.89–3.40 × 10−5 g∙m−2∙d−1 for 7 days, which was low and supports the stability of the immobilized AgIs with glass materials. This work highlights the well immobilized effect of Bi2O3 doped B2O3-ZnO glass as raw material to immobilize iodine waste at low temperature.

Asparagine endopeptidase (AEP), a newly identified delta-secretase, simultaneously cleaves both APP and Tau, promoting Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathologies. However, its pathological role in AD remains incompletely understood. Here we show that delta-secretase cleaves BACE1, a rate-limiting protease in amyloid-β (Aβ) generation, escalating its enzymatic activity and enhancing senile plaques deposit in AD. Delta-secretase binds BACE1 and cuts it at N294 residue in an age-dependent manner and elevates its protease activity. The cleaved N-terminal motif is active even under neutral pH and associates with senile plaques in human AD brains. Subcellular fractionation reveals that delta-secretase and BACE1 reside in the endo-lysosomes. Interestingly, truncated BACE1 enzymatic domain (1–294) augments delta-secretase enzymatic activity and accelerates Aβ production, facilitating AD pathologies and cognitive impairments in APP/PS1 AD mouse model. Uncleavable BACE1 (N294A) inhibits delta-secretase activity and Aβ production and decreases AD pathologies in 5XFAD mice, ameliorating cognitive dysfunctions. Hence, delta- and beta- secretases’ crosstalk aggravates each other’s roles in AD pathogenesis.

Spent nuclear fuel contains 129I, which has deleterious effects on human health. This study focused on the immobilization of iodine waste forms via a novel preparation method with B2O3–Bi2O3–ZnO–SiO2 glass at 500–600 ​°C. The XRD results manifest that the sample with 30 ​wt% iodine sintered at 550 ​°C exhibits an obvious amorphous phase. The density of the samples with different iodine contents increases with the temperature increasing, so does the amorphous fraction except for 25 ​wt%. The FT-IR results reveal the matrix is mainly composed of [BO3], [BO4], [SiO4], and [BiO6]. TGA analysis shows high water content in the prepared samples. SEM-EDS results present that at 550 ​°C one part of the iodine is chemically immobilized into the glass matrix, and meanwhile, the other physically packed by the vitrified bulk. Our findings demonstrate the potential of the new preparation method for the disposal of iodine waste forms.

Long-term l-DOPA treatment of Parkinson's disease is accompanied with fluctuations of motor responses and l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID). Phosphorylation of the dopamine and c-AMP regulated phosphoprotein of 32kDa (DARPP-32) plays a role in the pathogenesis of LID, and thus dephosphorylation of this protein by activated calcineurin may help reduce LID. One important activator of calcineurin is the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin. Here, we investigated whether intrastriatal injection of ionomycin to hemiparkinsonian rats produced changes in l-DOPA responses including LID. We also analyzed the effects of ionomycin on key molecular mediators of LID. Results confirmed our hypothesis that ionomycin could downregulate the phosphorylation of DARPP32 at Thr-34 and reduce LID. Besides, ionomycin decreased two established molecular markers of LID, FosB/ΔFosB and phosphorylated ERK1/2. Ionomycin also decreased the phosphorylation of three main subunits of the NMDA receptor, NR1 phosphorylated at ser896, NR2A phosphorylated at Tyr-1325, and NR2B phosphorylated at Tyr-1472. Furthermore, the anti-LID effect of striatally injected ionomycin was not accompanied by reduction of the antiparkinsonian action of l-DOPA. These data indicate that ionomycin largely interacts with striatal mechanisms that are critical to the l-DOPA motor response highlighting the role of protein dephosphorylation by calcineurin.

The immobilization of iodine 129 released during the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuels has attracted increasing interest in the field of nuclear waste management. Glass composite materials have been developed to decrease the sintering temperature considering the iodine volatilization. In this study, the effects of the addition (5–25 ​wt%) of a bismuthate oxide glass powder and sintering temperature (500–1100 ​°C) on the iodosodalite formation in waste forms were investigated. Microstructure characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to elucidate the I states in the waste form. Phase composition calculations show that the maximum phase mass of iodosodalite was 94%. The sintering temperature was decreased to 600 ​°C, lower than the decomposition temperature of NaI, after the addition of a 15 ​wt% bismuthate glass powder. The leaching rate of iodine shows the considerable chemical durabilities of the sintered sample under alkaline and neutral conditions.

Cyanidin-3-diglucoside-5-glucoside (CY3D5G) derivatives as major pigments in red cabbage exhibit in vitro antioxidant effects. This study evaluated the effects of CY3D5G-rich extract on oxidative stress in D-galactose-induced accelerated aging. Thirty male C57BL/6 J mice were divided into three groups: a normal control group and two D-galactose-injected groups orally administered with or without CY3D5G-rich extract (700 μmol/kg body weight). Dietary supplementation of CY3D5G-rich extract for 6 weeks increased superoxide dismutase activity, glutathione peroxidase activity, and total antioxidant capacity while suppressed malondialdehyde content in serum (p 0.05) and tissues. Hepatic proteome analysis revealed that 243 proteins were significantly modulated by experimental treatment (p 0.05). CY3D5G-rich extract treatment suppressed proteins involved in electron transport chain and up-regulated proteins that play important roles in glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and actin cytoskeleton. These changes in above metabolic pathways may contribute to reducing the production and release of ROS and attenuating oxidative damage in aged mice. SIGNIFICANCE: Anthocyanins are the most abundant dietary flavonoids with potential health benefits. The proteomic analysis of mice liver in this study revealed the effect of cyanidin-3-diglucoside-5-glucoside (CY3D5G) consumption in D-galactose-induced accelerated aging. In total, 2054 protein groups were quantified in all samples without any missing value, and 243 protein groups were identified with statistical significance (p 0.05). Bioinformatics analysis suggested that electron transport chain, glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and actin cytoskeleton were closely correlated with CY3D5G treatment. These findings provide useful information to understand the anti-aging effect of anthocyanin, and the results of which could promote the use of anthocyanins in food and pharmaceutical industries.

The treatment of iodine wastes has been widely concerned. In this work, B2O3–Bi2O3 based material was used to immobilize the silver coated silica gel with different iodine loadings. Based on XRD results analyses, the sample with 90 mol% B2O3 was selected for iodine waste immobilization. XRD results represented that the sintering temperature of 500 °C was suitable to immobile iodine waste. The micro-structure of the sintered matrix mainly consists of the stretching vibration of [SiO4]. SEM-EDS results showed that the elements of Ag and I exist element aggregation in some regions, which indicates that part of AgI was immobilized in the glassy phase while the other was physically enclosed in the sintered matrix. This study provides certain valuable reference and experimental basis for the subsequent curing of iodine-containing silver coated silica gel with multicomponent glass.

To better deal with the radioactive iodine generated during the development of nuclear energy, B2O3, Bi2O3, ZnO, and SiO2 were used to sinter borosilicate glass for the immobilization of iodine. The effect of B2O3 on glass formation was discussed by changing the molar ratio of B2O3 in the matrix. When B2O3 content is 50 mol% and sintering temperature is 600 ℃, the amorphous degree of quaternary glass is the highest. The sintered body with the highest degree of amorphous was selected to study radioactive iodine. Then, the effects of different iodine loading concentrations for sintering borosilicate glass in terms of microstructure and phase change were discussed. With the increase in iodine content on silica-gel, the degree of amorphous of the specimens presented a decreasing trend, and there are obvious SiO2 peaks. When the content was 20 wt.%-30 wt.%, a large number of new phases were generated. When the iodine content is 20 wt.%, in addition to the enrichment of Si and O elements, the elemental distribution for B, Bi, Zn, I, and Ag was even. TEM results also showed that there was a crystalline phase in the sinter.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease. Pathologically, PD is characterized by the formation of Lewy bodies (LBs) in the brain, which mainly comprises phosphorylated and aggregated α-synuclein (α-syn). The aberrant aggregation of α-syn is believed to play a key role in the pathogenesis of PD. While α-syn expression can be reduced by antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), the challenge to deliver ASOs safely and effectively into the neurons remains unresolved. Here, we developed a safe and highly effective ASO delivery method by using exosomes. We first identified the ASO sequence that selectively reduced α-syn expression: ASO4. Exosome-mediated delivery of ASO4 (exo-ASO4) showed high cellular uptake and low toxicity in primary neuronal cultures. Exo-ASO4 also significantly attenuated α-syn aggregation induced by pre-formed α-syn fibrils in vitro. Exo-ASO4 intracerebroventricular injection into the brains of α-syn A53T mice, a transgenic model of PD, significantly decreased the expression of α-syn and attenuated its aggregation. Furthermore, exo-ASO4 ameliorated the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in these mice. Finally, the α-syn A53T mice showed significantly improved locomotor functions after exo-ASO4 injection. Overall, this study demonstrates that exosome-mediated ASO4 delivery may be an effective treatment option for PD.

This study mainly investigated the Bi2O3-B2O3-ZnO ternary glass to immobilize the iodine waste forms under low sintering temperatures (≤600 °C). Based on the results of Molecular Dynamic (MD) code GULP and amorphous fraction, the Bi2O3-B2O3-ZnO ternary glass with 20 mol% Bi2O3 to be chosen to immobilize the sliver-coated silica gel with 10 wt%, 20 wt% and 30 wt% iodine loadings (total content of iodine is 8 wt%). The results show that the amorphous fraction are increased with temperature rising and the composition has dominant effect on determining the density results. The specimen with 20 wt% sintered at 600 °C has the highest amorphous fraction as 0.71. The SEM-EDS results reveal that part of iodine had been physically solidified in the form of white spots and the rest chemically solidified in the glassy phase. Our findings demonstrate the potential of Bi2O3-B2O3-ZnO ternary glass to immobilize iodine waste forms.