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People, wolves, and dogs have interacted in various ways for millennia, but most aspects of these relationships remain poorly understood. Understanding canid age at death can provide insights into these relationships and how they vary geographically, temporally, and by species. Existing methods for ageing canids are limited, highlighting a need for a method that is pragmatic, reliable, and stems from a population of known age individuals. This study uses 368 known-age modern wolves from Alberta, Yellowstone National Park, and the Northwest Territories to examine how tooth wear rates correlate with age. Wolves are employed in this study because they have relatively restricted body sizes and diets, especially in comparison to modern dogs. Our results show a moderately strong correlation (r<-0.63 for all measurements) between tooth crown height and age when examined across the total wolf sample. Correlations improve when populations are examined individually, with the NWT wolves yielding a correlation of -0.83 for the mandibular M1-2 dimension. Body size, sexual dimorphism, and diet likely influence the variance seen in crown heights and their relationship to age, though the differences are statistically insignificant in many of our samples. Using tooth crown heights to age archaeological dogs will be more difficult due to the increased variation in body size, diet, and living conditions. Crown height measurements will be most informative about age at death when correlations are established for specific, local populations of wolves and dogs. Ultimately, the use of multiple ageing methods, including crown height measurements, cementum ageing, and perhaps cranial suture closure and obliteration, will produce the most reliable results for ancient canid remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise force measurement is critical to probe biological events and physics processes, spanning from molecular motor's motion to the Casimir effect, as well as the detection of gravitational waves. Yet, despite extensive technological developments, the three-dimensional nanoscale measurement of weak forces in aqueous solutions still faces major challenges. Techniques that rely on optically trapped nanoprobes are of significant potential but are beset with limitations, including probe heating induced by high trapping power, undetectable scattering signals and localization errors. Here we report the measurement of the long-distance interaction force in aqueous solutions with a minimum detected force value of 108.2 ± 510.0 attonewton. To achieve this, we develop a super-resolved photonic force microscope based on optically trapped lanthanide-doped nanoparticles coupled with nanoscale three-dimensional tracking-based force sensing. The tracking method leverages neural-network-empowered super-resolution localization, where the position of the force probe is extracted from the optical-astigmatism-modified point spread function. We achieve a force sensitivity down to 1.8 fN Hz–1/2, which approaches the nanoscale thermal limit. We experimentally measure electrophoresis forces acting on single nanoparticles as well as the surface-induced interaction force on a single nanoparticle. This work opens the avenue of nanoscale thermally limited force sensing and offers new opportunities for detecting sub-femtonewton forces over long distances and biomechanical forces at the single-molecule level. Super-resolved photonic force microscopy employs the fluorescence of lanthanide-doped nanoparticles as a force probe, enabling the measurement of sub-femtonewton forces with a sensitivity of 1.8 fN Hz–1/2, approaching the thermal limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world's oceans are under threat from the prevalence of heatwaves caused by climate change. Despite this, there is a lack of understanding regarding their impact on seawater oxygen levels - a crucial element in sustaining biological survival. Here, we find that heatwaves can trigger low-oxygen extreme events, thereby amplifying the signal of deoxygenation. By utilizing in situ observations and state-of-the-art climate model simulations, we provide a global assessment of the relationship between the two types of extreme events in the surface ocean (0–10 m). Our results show compelling evidence of a remarkable surge in the co-occurrence of marine heatwaves and low-oxygen extreme events. Hotspots of these concurrent stressors are identified in the study, indicating that this intensification is more pronounced in high-biomass regions than in those with relatively low biomass. The rise in the compound events is primarily attributable to long-term warming primarily induced by anthropogenic forcing, in tandem with natural internal variability modulating their spatial distribution. Our findings suggest the ocean is losing its breath under the influence of heatwaves, potentially experiencing more severe damage than previously anticipated. The authors show that the global ocean is experiencing a significant rise in simultaneous heatwaves and low-oxygen extreme events that pose threats to marine life worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A set of laboratory experiments are carried out to investigate the effect of following/opposing currents on wave attenuation. Rigid vegetation canopies with aligned and staggered configurations were tested under the condition of various regular wave heights and current velocities, with the constant water depth being 0.60 m to create the desired submerged scenarios. Results show that the vegetation-induced wave dissipation is enhanced with the increasing incident wave height. A larger velocity magnititude leads to a greater wave height attenuation for both following and opposing current conditions. Moreover, there is a strong positive linear correlation between the damping coefficient β and the relative wave height H0/h, especially for pure wave conditions. For the velocity profile, the distributions of Umin and Umax show different patterns under combined wave and current. The time-averaged turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) vary little under pure wave and Uc = ±0.05 m/s conditions. With the increase of flow velocity amplitude, the time-averaged TKE shows a particularly pronounced increase trend at the top of the canopy. The vegetation drag coefficients are obtained by a calibration approach. The empirical relations of drag coefficient with Reynolds and Keulegane-Carpenter numbers are proposed to further understand the wave-current-vegetation interaction mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground-level ozone (O3) pollution has emerged as a significant concern impacting air quality in urban agglomerations, primarily driven by meteorological conditions and social-economic factors. However, previous studies have neglected to comprehensively reveal the spatial distribution and driving mechanism of O3 pollution. Based on the O3 monitoring data of 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) from 2014 to 2021, a comprehensive analysis framework of spatial analysis-spatial econometric regression was constructed to reveal the driving mechanism of O3 pollution. The results revealed the following: (1) O3 concentrations in the YRD exhibited a general increasing and then decreasing trend, indicating an improvement in pollution levels. The areas with higher O3 concentration are mainly the cities concentrated in central and southern Jiangsu, Shanghai, and northern Zhejiang. (2) The change of O3 concentration and distribution is the result of various factors. The effect of urbanization on O3 concentrations followed an inverted U-shaped curve, which implies that achieving higher quality urbanization is essential for effectively controlling urban O3 pollution. Traffic conditions and energy consumption have significant direct positive influences on O3 concentrations and spatial spillover effects. The indirect pollution contribution, considering economic weight, accounted for about 35%. Thus, addressing overall regional energy consumption and implementing traffic source regulations are crucial paths for O3 pollution control in the YRD. (3) Meteorological conditions play a certain role in regulating the O3 concentration. Higher wind speed will promote the diffusion of O3 and increase the O3 concentration in the surrounding city. These findings provide valuable insights for designing effective policies to improve air quality and mitigate ozone pollution in urban agglomeration area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether epigenetic modifications participate in the cell apoptosis after ischemic stroke remains unclear. Histone 3 tri-methylation at lysine 27 (H3K27me3) is a histone modification that leads to gene silencing and is involved in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. Since the expression of many antiapoptotic genes is inhibited in the ischemic brains, here we aimed to offer an epigenetic solution to cell apoptosis after stroke by reversing H3K27me3 levels after ischemia. GSK-126, a specific inhibitor of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), significantly decreased H3K27me3 levels and inhibited middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) induced and oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) induced cell apoptosis. Moreover, GSK-126 attenuated the apoptosis caused by oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, and excessive inflammatory responses in vitro. The role of H3K27me3 in regulating of the expression of the antiapoptotic molecule B cell lymphoma-2 like 1 (Bcl2l1) explained the antiapoptotic effect of GSK-126. In conclusion, we found that GSK-126 could effectively protect brain cells from apoptosis after cerebral ischemia, and this role of GSK-126 is closely related to an axis that regulates Bcl2l1 expression, beginning with the regulation of EZH2-dependent H3K27me3 modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic motion of quadrupedal robots on challenging terrain generally requires elaborate spatial–temporal kinodynamic motion planning and accurate control at higher refresh rate in comparison with regular terrain. However, conventional quadrupedal robots usually generate relatively coarse planning and employ motion replanning or reactive strategies to handle terrain irregularities. The resultant complex and computation-intensive controller may lead to nonoptimal motions or the breaking of locomotion rhythm. In this paper, a kinodynamic optimization approach is presented. To generate long-horizon optimal predictions of the kinematic and dynamic behavior of the quadruped robot on challenging terrain, we formulate motion planning as an optimization problem; jointly treat the foot’s locations, contact forces, and torso motions as decision variables; combine smooth motion and minimal energy consumption as the objective function; and explicitly represent feasible foothold region and friction constraints based on terrain information. To track the generated motions accurately and stably, we employ a whole-body controller to compute reference position and velocity commands, which are fed forward to joint controllers of the robot’s legs. We verify the effectiveness of the developed approach through simulation and on a physical quadruped robot testbed. Results show that the quadruped robot can successfully traverse a 30° slope and 43% of nominal leg length high step while maintaining the rhythm of dynamic trot gait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Electrodeposited amorphous IrOx thin electrodes are first developed for proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells. An ultralow loading of 0.075 mg cm−2 archives superior performance to catalyst-coated membrane (2 mg cm−2). > 96% of catalyst savings and > 42-fold higher catalyst utilization are demonstrated. Herein, ionomer-free amorphous iridium oxide (IrOx) thin electrodes are first developed as highly active anodes for proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells (PEMECs) via low-cost, environmentally friendly, and easily scalable electrodeposition at room temperature. Combined with a Nafion 117 membrane, the IrOx-integrated electrode with an ultralow loading of 0.075 mg cm−2 delivers a high cell efficiency of about 90%, achieving more than 96% catalyst savings and 42-fold higher catalyst utilization compared to commercial catalyst-coated membrane (2 mg cm−2). Additionally, the IrOx electrode demonstrates superior performance, higher catalyst utilization and significantly simplified fabrication with easy scalability compared with the most previously reported anodes. Notably, the remarkable performance could be mainly due to the amorphous phase property, sufficient Ir3+ content, and rich surface hydroxide groups in catalysts. Overall, due to the high activity, high cell efficiency, an economical, greatly simplified and easily scalable fabrication process, and ultrahigh material utilization, the IrOx electrode shows great potential to be applied in industry and accelerates the commercialization of PEMECs and renewable energy evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging two-dimensional (2D) layered metal carbide and nitride materials, commonly termed MXenes, are increasingly recognized for their applications across diverse fields such as energy, environment, and catalysis. In the past few years, MXenes/carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-based hybrids have attracted extensive attention as an important catalyst in energy and environmental fields, due to their superior multifunctions and mechanical stability. This review aims to address the fabrication strategies, the identification of the enhancement mechanisms, and recent progress regarding the design and modification of MXenes/CNTs-based hybrids. A myriad of fabrication techniques have been systematically summarized, including mechanical mixing, spray drying, three-dimensional (3D) printing, self-assembly/in-situ growth, freeze drying, templating, hydrothermal methods, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and rolling. Importantly, the identification of the enhancement mechanisms was thoroughly discussed from the two dimensions of theoretical simulations and in-situ analysis. Moreover, the recent advancements in profound applications of MXenes/CNTs-based hybrids have also been carefully revealed, including energy storage devices, sensors, water purification systems, and microwave absorption. We also underscore anticipated challenges related to their fabrication, structure, underlying mechanisms, modification approaches, and emergent applications. Consequently, this review offers insights into prospective directions and the future trajectory for these promising hybrids. It is expected that this review can inspire new ideas or provide new research methods for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widely used organophosphorus pesticide triazophos (TAP) can easily cumulate in aquatic system due to its high stability chemically and photochemically and thus posing significant threat to aquatic creatures and humans' health. Urging demand for rapid determining TAP in water has risen. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensing turns out to be a good candidate for its simplicity in fabrication and swiftness in detection. Nevertheless, traditional PEC sensors often lack selectivity as their signal generation primarily relies on the oxidation of organic compounds in the electrolyte by photo-induced holes. To address this limitation, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) can be in combined with PEC sensors to significantly enhance the selectivity. Here, we present a novel approach utilizing a PEC sensor enhanced by carbon-modified titanium dioxide molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP/C/TiO2 NTs). Carbon quantum dot (CQD) modification of titanium dioxide nanotube arrays (C/TiO2 NTs) was achieved through a one-step anodization process, effectively enhancing visible light absorption by narrowing the band gap of TiO2, and CQDs also function as sensitizer accelerating charge transfer for improved and stable photocurrent signals during detection. Our method further incorporates MIPs to heighten the selectivity of the PEC sensor. Electro-polymerization using cyclic voltammetry was employed to polymerize MIPs with pyrrole as the functional monomer and triazophos as the target molecule. The resultant MIP/C/TiO2 NT sensor exhibited remarkable sensitivity, with a detection limit of 0.03 nM (S/N = 3), alongside exceptional selectivity and stability for triazophos detection in water. This offers a promising avenue for efficient, cost-effective, and rapid monitoring of pesticide contaminants in aquatic environments, contributing to the broader goals of environmental preservation and public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lightweight, portable, low-cost, and accessible cotton swab was employed as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) matrix template. The silver nanoflowers were in situ grown on the surface of cotton swabs to form three-dimensional Ag nanoflower@cotton swabs (AgNF@CS) SERS substrate with high-density and multi-level hot spots. The SERS performance of AgNFs@CS substrates with various reaction time was systematically studied. The optimal AgNF-120@CS SERS substrate exhibits superior detection sensitivity of 10−10 M for methylene blue, good signal reproducibility, high enhancement factor of 1.4 × 107, and excellent storage stability (over 30 days). Moreover, the AgNF-120@CS SERS substrate also exhibits prominent detection sensitivity of 10−8 M for food colorant of carmine. Besides, the portable AgNF-120@CS SERS substrate is also capable of detecting food colorant residues on irregular food surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of iron-based nanoparticles (Fe NPs) using traditional preparation methods suffered from the disadvantages of high cost, environmental harm, and easy agglomeration. In this study, a novel eco-friendly method was proposed for the synthesis of iron nanomaterials (ML-Fe NPs): using antioxidant components extracted from mulberry leaf to reduce divalent iron (II). The preparation conditions of ML-Fe NPs were optimized by orthogonal tests. The prepared ML-Fe NPs exhibited an amorphous core–shell structure, displaying excellent dispersion and stability. During the synthesis process of ML-Fe NPs, the polyphenol molecules in mulberry leaf extract played a dominant role. A possible synthetic mechanism involving complexation, reduction, and encapsulation was proposed. Furthermore, the ML-Fe NPs were utilized to construct an ML-Fe NPs/peroxymonosulfate catalytic system for the degradation of Rhodamine B dye wastewater. The ML-Fe NPs demonstrated remarkable catalytic potential, achieving a 99% degradation efficiency for Rhodamine B within a span of 40 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional commercial anthraquinone dyes and azo blue disperse dyes generally have high solubility in decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) non-aqueous media dyeing system, which leads to low dyeing uptake. One way to improve dyeing uptake is by adjusting the molecular structure of the dyes to change their solubility. Herein, the dyeing properties of two disperse dyes with N-acetoxyethyl group were compared with commercial dye C.I. Disperse Blue 257 (B257) in D5 non-aqueous medium. Their visible absorption performances were evaluated in DMF and further analyzed using the density functional theory (DFT) method. The dyeing performance was investigated by comparing the solubility, dyeing uptake, K/S value, building-up property, leveling performance, and color-fastness. The results showed that the dyes with bis-N-acetoxyethyl groups exhibited lower solubility than that of B257 with bis-N-methoxyethyl groups in the non-aqueous media system, resulting in increased dye adsorption on polyester fibers and high dyeing uptake. Moreover, the fabrics showed high color strength, good levelness, and better washing and rubbing fastness properties due to the introduction of bis-N-acetoxyethyl groups. DFT results revealed the differences in spectral performance and solubility of dyes from the molecular level, which corresponded well with the experimental data. Overall, this research provides valuable insights to design and optimize the disperse dyes for polyester dyeing in the D5 non-aqueous medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To develop a deep learning (DL) model for differentiating between osteolytic osteosarcoma (OS) and giant cell tumor (GCT) on radiographs. Methods: Patients with osteolytic OS and GCT proven by postoperative pathology were retrospectively recruited from four centers (center A, training and internal testing; centers B, C, and D, external testing). Sixteen radiologists with different experiences in musculoskeletal imaging diagnosis were divided into three groups and participated with or without the DL model's assistance. DL model was generated using EfficientNet-B6 architecture, and the clinical model was trained using clinical variables. The performance of various models was compared using McNemar's test. Results: Three hundred thirty-three patients were included (mean age, 27 years ± 12 [SD]; 186 men). Compared to the clinical model, the DL model achieved a higher area under the curve (AUC) in both the internal (0.97 vs. 0.77, p = 0.008) and external test set (0.97 vs. 0.64, p < 0.001). In the total test set (including the internal and external test sets), the DL model achieved higher accuracy than the junior expert committee (93.1% vs. 72.4%; p < 0.001) and was comparable to the intermediate and senior expert committee (93.1% vs. 88.8%, p = 0.25; 87.1%, p = 0.35). With DL model assistance, the accuracy of the junior expert committee was improved from 72.4% to 91.4% (p = 0.051). Conclusion: The DL model accurately distinguished osteolytic OS and GCT with better performance than the junior radiologists, whose own diagnostic performances were significantly improved with the aid of the model, indicating the potential for the differential diagnosis of the two bone tumors on radiographs. Critical relevance statement: The deep learning model can accurately distinguish osteolytic osteosarcoma and giant cell tumor on radiographs, which may help radiologists improve the diagnostic accuracy of two types of tumors. Key points: • The DL model shows robust performance in distinguishing osteolytic osteosarcoma and giant cell tumor. • The diagnosis performance of the DL model is better than junior radiologists'. • The DL model shows potential for differentiating osteolytic osteosarcoma and giant cell tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The calculation of trade-embodied air pollution (TEAP) and its economic losses can be reasonably used to assess the impact of transboundary air pollution. However, these air pollutants, which are associated with international trade, can be easily ignored due to their concealment. Based on this, the global multiregional input‒output model (MRIO) is used to quantify the volume of five air pollutants that are embodied in the trade of 20 countries from 2000 to 2016. Then, the shadow price of trade-embodied air pollution (SPTEAP) and the elasticity of factor substitution (EFS) are both calculated by applying the translog production function. Finally, impulse response analysis is used to study the dynamic impact of EFS on the SPTEAP. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) All countries experienced a mass transfer of TEAP, among which China and the USA are the developing and developed countries with the largest amount of TEAP transfers, respectively. (2) The SPTEAP and EFS vary greatly among countries, and these values are generally higher in developed countries than in developing countries. The relationship between the three EFSs can be expressed as e AE < e LE < e KE in all countries, thus indicating that improving the technological level of a country is the best solution for reducing the TEAP in that country while incurring the lowest cost and the least difficulty. (3) Over the long run, the increase in e KE and e LE reduces the SPTEAP. Conversely, an increase in e AE increases the SPTEAP. Therefore, policymakers should weigh these three factors according to the fluctuation of the SPTEAP and constantly adjust the allocation structure and ratio of these factors to maximize the benefits of transboundary air pollution governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anomaly detection is a highly important task in the field of data analysis. Traditional anomaly detection approaches often strongly depend on data size, structure and features, while introducing the idea of ensemble into anomaly detection can greatly improve the generalization ability. Ensemble-based anomaly detection methods still face some challenges, however, such as data imbalance, time and space demand and the selection of base detectors. To this end, we propose a selective ensemble method for anomaly detection based on parallel learning (SEAD-PL). First, a differentiated stratified sampling method is designed to alleviate the problem of data imbalance. Then, a distributed parallel training frame is built to address the problem of excessive time and space consumption for base detector training. Finally, a clustering-based ensemble selection strategy is introduced to balance the accuracy and diversity of base detectors. Experiments are performed on six datasets, which demonstrate that the proposed method has obvious advantages over four selected methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Collagenases are frequently used in chondrocyte isolation from articular cartilage. However, the sufficiency of this enzyme in establishing primary human chondrocyte culture remains unknown. Methods Cartilage slices shaved from femoral head or tibial plateau of patients receiving total joint replacement surgery (16 hips, 8 knees) were subjected to 0.02% collagenase IA digestion for 16 h with (N = 19) or without (N = 5) the pre-treatment of 0.4% pronase E for 1.5 h. Chondrocyte yield and viability were compared between two groups. Chondrocyte phenotype was determined by the expression ratio of collagen type II to I. The morphology of cultured chondrocytes was monitored with a light microscope.Results Cartilage with pronase E pre-treatment yielded significantly higher chondrocytes than that without the pre-treatment (3,399 ± 1,637 cells/mg wet cartilage vs. 1,895 ± 688 cells/mg wet cartilage; P = 0.0067). Cell viability in the former group was also significantly higher than that in the latter (94% ± 2% vs. 86% ± 6%; P = 0.03). When cultured in monolayers, cells from cartilage with pronase E pre-treatment grew in a single plane showing rounded shape while cells from the other group grew in multi-planes and exhibited irregular shape. The mRNA expression ratio of collagen type II to I was 13.2 ± 7.5 in cells isolated from cartilage pre-treated with pronase E, indicating a typical chondrocyte phenotype. Conclusions Collagenase IA was not sufficient in establishing primary human chondrocyte culture. Cartilage must be treated with pronase E prior to collagenase IA application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The government's development of eco-environmental policies can have a scientific foundation thanks to the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) medium- and long-term change forecast. This study develops a STRIPAT-Scenario analysis framework employing panel data from 11 cities in Zhejiang Province between 2006 and 2020 to predict the changing trend of PM2.5 concentrations under five alternative scenarios. The results reveal that: (1) urbanization development (P), economic development (A), technological innovation investment (T) and environmental regulation intensity have a significant inhibitory effect on PM2.5 concentration in Zhejiang Province, while industrial structure, industrial energy consumption and the number of motor vehicles (TR) have a significant increase on PM2.5 concentration. (2) Under any scenario, the PM2.5 concentration of 11 cities in Zhejiang Province can reach the constraint target set in the 14th Five-Year plan. The improvement in urban PM2.5 quality is most obviously impacted by the high-quality development scenario (S4). (3) Toward 2035, PM2.5 concentrations of 11 cities in Zhejiang Province can reach the National Class I level standard in most scenario models, among which Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Shaoxing are under high pressure to reduce emissions and are the key areas for PM2.5 management in Zhejiang Province. However, most cities cannot reach the 10 μg/m3 limit of WHO's AQG2005 version. Finally, this study makes recommendations for reducing PM2.5 in terms of enhancing industrial structure and funding science and technology innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildfire is one of the natural hazards that poses threats to the safety of forest ecological environment. It is very important to predict wildfire risk in the early stage. Most of the wildfire prediction research based on deep learning networks only extracts features on the spatial dimension. In this work, a deep learning model hybridizing 3D CNN and ConvLSTM (Convolutional Long short Term Memory) was proposed, where the strategies of multisource spatiotemporal cooperative feature fusion are adopted. Some redundant wildfire factors with high correlations by multiple collinear analysis and weight analysis were eliminated. Different from other methods, the daily weather forecast was used as the input of the study region, shortening the time prediction resolution from annual or quarterly to daily to achieve a more accurate prediction in time. Taking the daily ignition in Yunnan Province, China, as the research object, the experimental results showed that the proposed model performs well on the test dataset (AUC = 0.901 and accuracy = 0.912). Seven mainstream machine learning methods were employed for comparison with the proposed model. Ablation and comparison experiments show that the proposed model is a valid alternative tool for wildfire susceptibility prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nanyi Lake basin, located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, is a crucial component of the Yangtze River ecosystem. Excessive phosphorus levels lead to eutrophication in rivers and lakes. This study aims to enhance the identification efficiency of key source areas for non-point source pollution of total phosphorus (TP) in the Nanyi Lake Basin and improve decision-making regarding the treatment of these areas. The study employs the InVEST model and utilizes GIS spatial hot spot analysis to identify key source areas of agricultural TP non-point source pollution. The accuracy of the InVEST model's simulation results was verified using the source list method. The findings indicate that paddy fields serve as the primary pollution source. TP non-point source pollution in Nanyi Lake is influenced by pollution sources, pollution load filtration rate, and potential TP runoff mass concentration. Different pollution sources correspond to distinct key source areas, and the pollution generated by these sources in different administrative regions, ultimately affecting the lake, varies as well. The InVEST model demonstrates great applicability in regions where agricultural TP is the primary pollution source. For the Nanyi Lake basin, which predominantly experiences agricultural TP non-point source pollution, a combination of the InVEST model and the source list method is recommended. The InVEST model serves as the primary tool, while the source list method supplements it. This approach not only compensates for any limitations of the InVEST model's simulation results but also avoids unnecessary economic waste. The outcomes of this study contribute to a deeper scientific understanding of TP pollution in the Nanyi Lake Basin. They also aid in effectively identifying key source areas and formulating appropriate measures based on the pollution characteristics, thereby providing guidance for non-point source pollution control in the basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital economy (DE) not only drives economic innovation and development but also has significant environmental effects by promoting lower carbon emissions. To investigate the spatial effects of DE on urban carbon emissions, this study comprehensively measures the level of DE development based on the panel data from 11 typical cities in Zhejiang Province from 2011 to 2020, by comparing analysis using different regression models. The following conclusions are obtained: (1) The total carbon emissions (TC) of Zhejiang cities in general show a fluctuating change trend of first increasing and then slowly decreasing, while carbon emission intensity and carbon emission per capita in general show a fluctuating change trend of decreasing. Cities with high TC are primarily concentrated in the Hangzhou Bay city cluster, accounted for 62 ~ 65% of the province's carbon emissions. The development of the DE in Zhejiang cities shows steady growth, but there are large differences among cities, with Hangzhou and Ningbo standing out as particularly prominent. (2) There is a significant inverted U-shaped relationship between the DE and the level of carbon emissions in Zhejiang Province. The influence coefficient of the DE on the primary term of TC is 0.613, and the influence coefficient of the quadratic term of TC is − 1.008. (3) In terms of the spatial spillover effect of the DE on carbon emissions, the study finds that compared to the direct effect, the spatial spillover effect is not significant. However, the allocation of transport resources shows a positive spatial spillover effect (increasing carbon emissions, coefficient value is 0.138), while technological progress shows a somewhat negative spatial spillover effect (decreasing carbon emissions, coefficient value is − 0.035). (4) The study also finds that the smart city pilot policy significantly reduces urban carbon emissions. Moreover, the effect of the DE on carbon emissions is confirmed through the significance test of the quadratic term when replacing the geographical and economic distance weight matrices. This indicates that the empirical findings are robust to these tests. Finally, several countermeasures to reduce carbon emissions are proposed from the perspective of DE development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uneven porous channels tend to undergo structure-determined chemical deterioration as lithium-ion battery (LIB) operates, which may restrict lithium-ion migration behaviors within the separator and deteriorate cell performances. This research precisely regulates β-phase polypropylene crystal texture and porous channels after biaxial stretching based on the systematic annealing process to explore annealing decided separator porous channels and subsequent electrochemical performances of LIB. Suitable annealing temperature maximally concentrates lamellae layer dispersion and enhances thermal stability, which homogenizes biaxial tensile deformation and subsequent porous channels. Identical crystal and porous channel optimizations are also achieved by synchronously rising annealing temperature and shortening annealing time, especially annealing at 155 ℃ for only 10 s, which lowers the Li+ migration barrier and strengthens cell C-rate and cycling stability. This desirable improvement does not require the sacrifice of time cost to achieve, which verifies separator structure-chemical affected LIB performance and the application feasibility of annealing in the actual production of the dry double-drawn separator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For quantum communications, single-photon detection, millimeter wave detection and other space projects, all of them need to work at liquid helium temperatures to achieve excellent performance. The closed-cycle helium Joule-Thomson cryocooler (JTC) is currently one of the mainstream solutions to realize the liquid helium temperature. While realizing the liquid helium temperature, the detector has strict requirements on the temperature fluctuation of the JTC, because the thermal noise caused by the JTC temperature fluctuation will have a critical impact on the detection performance. The typical closed-cycle helium JTC is precooling by a two-stage precooler. When the operating parameters of the JTC compressor remain unchanged, the change of the precooler is the main factor that affects the temperature fluctuation of the JTC. To explore the influence mechanism of JTC temperature fluctuations, experimental and theoretical studies are carried out. Based on the real gas equation of state, the influence of various parameters on the evaporator temperature fluctuations is explained. Research results show that the increase in temperature of each stage will cause the temperature of the JTC to increase. Especially, the change of the secondary precooling temperature (Tpre2) has the most obvious influence on JTC temperature. Furthermore, the influence of the JT compressor's buffer tank volume Vb on temperature fluctuation is studied. By increasing the Vb, the JTC temperature fluctuation caused by the temperature change of the precooler can be effectively reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: 4-nm-thick Pt nanosheets (Pt-NSs) are electrochemically grown on Ti substrates for hydrogen evolution reactions. Highly uniform Pt-NS surface coverage with an ultralow loading of 0.015 mgPt cm−2 is achieved. 99.5% catalyst savings and about 237-fold higher catalyst utilization are demonstrated. Nanostructured catalyst-integrated electrodes with remarkably reduced catalyst loadings, high catalyst utilization and facile fabrication are urgently needed to enable cost-effective, green hydrogen production via proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells (PEMECs). Herein, benefitting from a thin seeding layer, bottom-up grown ultrathin Pt nanosheets (Pt-NSs) were first deposited on thin Ti substrates for PEMECs via a fast, template- and surfactant-free electrochemical growth process at room temperature, showing highly uniform Pt surface coverage with ultralow loadings and vertically well-aligned nanosheet morphologies. Combined with an anode-only Nafion 117 catalyst-coated membrane (CCM), the Pt-NS electrode with an ultralow loading of 0.015 mgPt cm−2 demonstrates superior cell performance to the commercial CCM (3.0 mgPt cm−2), achieving 99.5% catalyst savings and more than 237-fold higher catalyst utilization. The remarkable performance with high catalyst utilization is mainly due to the vertically well-aligned ultrathin nanosheets with good surface coverage exposing abundant active sites for the electrochemical reaction. Overall, this study not only paves a new way for optimizing the catalyst uniformity and surface coverage with ultralow loadings but also provides new insights into nanostructured electrode design and facile fabrication for highly efficient and low-cost PEMECs and other energy storage/conversion devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades, the Yangtze Estuary has undergone significant changes under the influence of reduced sediment inflow and estuary engineering. This study investigates the influence of floods and typhoons on sediment concentration and the morphological evolution of shoals and channels in the Yangtze Estuary. The analysis is conducted through the utilization of topographic data measured pre- and post-flood events and observations of hydro-sedimentary changes during typhoons. By using a generalized estuary mathematical model, this study examines the interplay between varying tidal ranges, tidal divisions, runoff volumes, and regulation projects on the erosion and deposition of shoals and channels in bifurcated estuaries. The results show that due to the implementation of river and waterway regulation projects, the impact of the 2020 flood on the main channel and shoal was significantly less than that of the 1998 flood. The swing amplitude of the South Branch main channel decreased. However, local river sections such as the Southern Waterway of Baimao Shoal exhibited erosion. During typhoons, sediment concentration in the 20 cm above the bottom increased significantly and was closely related to wave processes, with a weakened correlation to tidal dynamics. After typhoons, high shoals in South Passage above 0 m were silted up, while the terrain on one side of the tail of Jiuduan Shoal in the downstream deep-water area was generally scoured due to strong wave action. The generalized mathematical model of the bifurcated estuary revealed that M2 tidal component contributed most to the erosion and deposition evolution of estuary shoals and channels, with floods exhibiting characteristics of sedimentation on shoals and erosion on channels. With the implementation of a branch rectification project, branch resistance increased, diversion decreased, and the riverbed changed from pre-project erosion to post-project sedimentation, with an increase in erosion in non-project branches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, regional floods and typhoons have occurred in the Yangtze Estuary. Changing dynamic conditions and dramatic reduction of sediment discharge in the basin are affecting the dynamic equilibrium pattern of the Yangtze Estuary. Based on the field measurement data and theoretical derivation, this paper analyzed the changing process of runoff-sediment discharge into the sea after the operation of the Three Gorges Project (TGP), and the tidal dynamics and sediment variation characteristics of the Yangtze Estuary. The erosion of South Branch mainly occurs in the channel below −10 m contour, and the riverbed volume below contours 0 m and −10 m has a good correlation with the sediment discharge of Datong Station in the previous year. On this basis, the ratio of the horizontal distance from the starting point to the section centroid below the average water level (Bc) and the water depth at the section centroid (Hc) was proposed to describe the change of the section shape. The relationships between the water-diverting ratio, the sediment-diverting ratio and the water-diverting angle, the conditions of runoff and sediment discharge from the upper reach and the characteristics of the riverway section were established, and the theoretical calculation equations of the water-diverting ratio, the sediment-diverting ratio and the diverting angle of each bifurcation were also established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for preparing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a promising way to replace the anthraquinone method. The key to H2O2 production is the development of catalysts to regulate the oxygen reduction reaction pathway. Here, nitrogen-doped Nb2CTx was prepared by NH3 annealing method. Compared with precursor Nb2AlC (67.01%) and pure Nb2CTx (75.70%), nitrogen-doped Nb2CTx exhibited excellent performance for 2e− ORR with > 90% H2O2 selectivity (at 0.4 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)). Faradic efficiency of nitrogen-doped Nb2CTx reached 80.75%, whereas those for Nb2AlC and Nb2CTx were 60.35% and 39.27%, respectively. A desirable catalytic stability for 50 h was observed. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated excellent activity of the nitrogen-doped Nb2CTx was attributed to the introduction of N. This excellent activity was conducive to the adsorption of oxygen and promoted the formation of the OOH intermediate. This work can serve as an important reference for regulating the electronic structure of MXene to expand the application area in the electrochemical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focus on hetero cyclic ferrocene-based furan and triazole (FT-Fcs) organometallic compounds with their burning rate catalytic and anti-migration application for rocket propellant system. FT-Fcs (Fc-FAM, Fc-AMT, and Fc-FAO) were successfully prepared by the coupling reaction from the corresponding unit monomers. The structures of the targeted FT-Fcs were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, FT-IR, XPS and ESI-MS. Reversible or quasi-reversible redox waves were observed in the current work using CV analysis of FT-Fcs and electrochemical behaviors were discussed. From the TGA data it was observed that with the addition of 5 wt% of Fc-AMT thermal decomposition temperature of pure AP was significantly decreased to 353.58 °C from 426.15 °C and proposed decomposition mechanism were discussed. Because of the presence of electronegative elements in the hetero cyclic ring, which are responsible for the establishment of interaction with AP and binding agent, FT-Fcs had better anti-migration performance than Fc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

D5, as an eco-friendly dyeing media instead of water, has also showed a successful development in the application of ecological dyeing and finishing. In this paper, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation methods were performed to further analyze the effects of different substituents on dyeing properties of disperse dyes based on a molecular perspective. The effect of substituents on solubility of disperse dyes was analyzed macroscopically by solvent accessible surface area (SASA), mean squared displacement (MSD), and diffusion coefficient (D). To explain the difference of dyeing uptake of disperse dyes with different substituents, interaction energy between dye, D5, and fiber polymers, and adsorption behavior were stimulated and calculated. The obtained results showed that both SASA and interaction energy between dye and D5 molecules decreased gradually with the substituent changing from N-ethyl to N-acetoxyethyl and N-cyanoethyl group. It led to the reduction of solubility in D5 media. The calculated adsorption speed and interaction energy between D5 and fiber molecules increased with the substituents ranging from N-ethyl to N-cyanoethyl and N-acetoxyethyl group. Accordingly, the D value decreased gradually. As a result, the dyeing uptake of disperse dyes increased from 85.3 to 93.3% and 95.5%, respectively. The results indicated that the key to improve dyeing uptake is to use substituents to regulate the supramolecular interaction between dye, D5, and fiber molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological security is the state achieved once an ecosystem maintains its stability under external stress. The Yellow River Basin (YRB) is the largest river basin in northwest and north China and an important area for grain and energy production. The assessment and attribution of ecological security in the YRB are important for protecting the natural environment and ensuring sustainable development. Here, the ecological security of the YRB was assessed by the ecological security index (ESI), a comprehensive index based on the oxygen cycle, and its drivers were attributed to climate change, human activities, vegetation, and soil factors. The spatial pattern of ecological security in the YRB showed high heterogeneity. Ecological insecurity occurred mainly in the middle reaches and regions where the major stream of the Yellow River passes through. The ESI decreased at a rate of − 0.82/year since 2000, which indicated the natural environment continued to be improved in the YRB. Climate change dominated the evolution of ecological security in the upper reaches. The level of ecological security has been improved in the middle reaches after a series of ecological restoration projects conducted. With higher intensity of industrial activity, human activities played a more critical role in ecological security in the lower reaches. Our results suggested that government and local people need to adopt different strategies and actions based on the dominant drivers in the upper, middle, and lower reaches to ensure protection of the natural environment and achieve sustainable development targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tripartite Motif Protein 72 (TRIM72, also named MG53) mediates membrane damage repair through membrane fusion and exocytosis. During injury, TRIM72 molecules form intermolecular disulfide bonds in response to the oxidative environment and TRIM72 oligomers are proposed to connect vesicles to the plasma membrane and promote membrane fusion in conjunction with other partners like dysferlin and caveolin. However, the detailed mechanism of TRIM72 oligomerization and action remains unclear. Here we present the crystal structure of TRIM72 B-box-coiled-coil-SPRY domains (BCC-SPRY), revealing the molecular basis of TRIM72 oligomerization, which is closely linked to disulfide bond formation. Through structure-guided mutagenesis, we have identified and characterized key residues that are important for the membrane repair function of TRIM72. Our results also demonstrate that TRIM72 interacts with several kinds of negatively charged lipids in addition to phosphatidylserine. Our work provides a structural foundation for further mechanistic studies as well as the clinical application of TRIM72. TRIM72 oligomerization via intermolecular disulfide bonds is important for cells to repair damaged membranes. Here, authors report the crystal structure of TRIM72 dimer and show that TRIM72 B-box dimerization facilitates TRIM72 oligomerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel in situ iron-loaded activated carbon (AFPAC) was prepared by a FeSO4/K2FeO4 impregnation and oxidation combination two-step supported on activated carbon for enhanced removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions. Cr(VI) removal efficiency greatly increased by AFPAC more than 70% than that of fresh activated carbon (AC), which is due to rich iron oxides formed in situ and the synergistic effect between iron oxides and activated carbon. Cr(VI) adsorption behaviors on AFPAC under different water quality parameters were investigated. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacities for Cr(VI) by AFPAC are as high as 26.24 mg/g, 28.65 mg/g, and 32.05 mg/g at 25 °C, 35 °C and 45 °C at pH 4, respectively. Density functional theory (DFT) results showed that the adsorption energy of K2Cr2O7 on the surface of FeOOH was − 2.52 eV, which was greater than that on the surface of bare AC, and more charge transfer occurred during the adsorption of K2Cr2O7 on the surface of FeOOH, greatly promoting the formation of Cr = O-Fe. Cr(VI) removal by AFPAC included electrostatic attraction, redox reaction, coordinate complexation, and co-precipitation. Cr(VI) adsorption process on AFPAC consisted of the three reaction steps: (1) AFPAC was fast protonation and Cr2O72− would electrostatically attract to the positively charged AFPAC surface. (2) Cr2O72− was reduced into Cr2O3 by the carbons bond to the oxygen functionalities on activated carbon and the redox reaction process of FeSO4 and K2FeO4. (3) The inner-sphere complexes were formed, and adsorbed on AFPAC by iron oxides and then co-precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neuronal apoptosis is the main cause for the disabilities and deaths of patients suffered with stroke. Neuroprotectants are clinically used to reduce neuronal apoptosis in ischemic stroke. However, the current neuroprotectants have multiple limitations. Myricetin is beneficial for multiple neurodegenerative diseases, but the role of myricetin as a neuroprotective agent in ischemic stroke is still not fully understood. Methods and results: Middle cerebral artery occlusion, Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling staining and Western blots were used to explore the anti-apoptotic effects of myricetin in vivo. Flow cytometry, Western blots and Ca2+ staining were used to study the neuroprotective effects of myricetin in vitro. In this study, we first demonstrated that myricetin reduced neuronal apoptosis after ischemia in vivo and in vitro. And, among the factors of apoptosis after ischemic stroke, excitotoxicity, oxidative stress and inflammation-induced apoptosis can be alleviated by myricetin. Moreover, we further demonstrated that myricetin was able to improve neuronal intrinsic apoptosis by inhibiting the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase in the oxygen and glucose deprivation in vitro. Conclusions: Summarily, our results support myricetin as a novel neuroprotectant for the prevention or treatment of ischemic stroke via MAPK-ERK signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water-splitting is an environmentally friendly strategy for hydrogen production. However, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) rate is sluggish, which always needs the expensive noble metal electrocatalysts to decrease the energy barrier of water-splitting. Herein, we design a cost-efficient non-noble metal electrocatalyst with nickel nanocrystals embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon (Ni@NC) to accelerate the HER kinetics. With much more exposed Ni active sites for adsorbing the reaction intermediates and enhanced electronic conductivity, the resulting Ni@NC achieves a low potential of 236 mV at 10 mA cm− 2 in the alkaline electrolyte. This work will open the way to design high-performance non-noble metal electrocatalysts for the HER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known the capacity of potassium ferrate (Fe(VI)) for the oxidation of pollutants or co-precipitation and adsorption of hazardous species. However, little information has been paid on the adsorption and co-precipitation contribution of the Fe(VI) resultant nanoparticles, the in situ hydrolytic ferric iron oxides. Here, the removal of arsenate (As(V)) and arsenite (As(III)) by Fe(VI) was investigated, which focused on the interaction mechanisms of Fe(VI) with arsenic, especially in the contribution of the co-precipitation and adsorption of its hydrolytic ferric iron oxides. pH and Fe(VI) played significant roles on arsenic removal; over 97.8% and 98.1% of As(V) and As(III) removal were observed when Fe(VI):As(V) and Fe(VI):As(III) were 24:1 and 16:1 at pH 4, respectively. The removal of As(V) and As(III) by in situ and ex situ formed hydrolytic ferric iron oxides was examined respectively. The results revealed that As(III) was oxidized by Fe(VI) to As(V), and then was removed though co-precipitation and adsorption by the hydrolytic ferric iron oxides with the contribution content was about 1:3. For As(V), it could be removed directly by the in situ formed particles from Fe(VI) through co-precipitation and adsorption with the contribution content was about 1:1.5. By comparison, As(III) and As(V) were mainly removed through adsorption by the 30-min hydrolytic ferric iron oxides during the ex situ process. The hydrolytic ferric iron oxides size was obviously different in the process of in situ and ex situ, possessing abundant and multiple morphological structures ferric oxides, which was conducive for the efficient removal of arsenic. This study would provide a new perspective for understanding the potential of Fe(VI) treatment on arsenic control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of green credit on banks has been widely verified. This paper systematically combs the internal mechanism of the impact of green credit on high-quality sustainable development of banks and studies the relationship between green credit and high-quality sustainable development of banks by using unbalanced panel data of Chinese listed banks from 2007 to 2019. The results show that green credit will significantly promote high-quality sustainable development of banks, which remains valid after controlling for relevant variables and robustness test. The further test results show that the impact of green credit on high-quality sustainable development of banks will be affected by green environment supervision and monetary policy. Green environment supervision and loose monetary policy promote the positive impact of green credit on high-quality sustainable development of banks. The heterogeneity test results show that the impact of green credit on high-quality sustainable development of banks is significantly different among banks with different business scope and different size, and the positive impact of green credit on high-quality sustainable development of small-scale banks and regional banks is more significant. This paper enriches the research of the impact of green credit on banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Anesthesia was reported to be associated with lowered postoperative sleep quality in adults, but its effect on teenager was less understood. This study was conducted to explore the association between postoperative sleep quality and general anesthesia in teenagers. Methods: A prospective study was conducted. Teenagers aged from 12 to 16 years who were treated with general anesthesia and under urologic or otolaryngologic surgery were recruited. Healthy teenagers matched by sex and age (± 3 years) with the specific case were recruited as the controls. The Sleep Habits Questionnaire was applied to assess the sleep quality of the teenagers. We applied a logistic regression analysis to evaluate the association between general anesthesia in teenagers under elective surgery and poor sleep quality. Risk ratio (RR) and its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were computed. Results: A total of 212 teenagers were included comprising 106 patients with general anesthesia who underwent urologic or otolaryngologic surgery and 106 healthy controls. The male participants were accounting for 47.2% (100/212). Anesthesia duration and surgery duration in the patients were 103.7 ± 14.4 min and 162.1 ± 17.0 min, respectively. Positive associations between general anesthesia and poor sleep quality in the 1st, 3rd, and 7th postoperative days were found, and RRs and their corresponding 95%CIs were 4.87 (1.72–13.79), 3.33 (1.22–9.1), and 3.26 (1.07–9.93), respectively. However, there was a lack of statistical associations before surgery and after 14 postoperative days. Conclusions: Teenagers who were treated with general anesthesia and under urologic or otolaryngologic surgery might have poor sleep quality within 7 postoperative days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring interaction of Beautiful China and SciTech Innovation is an important way to realize economic transformation and sustainable development in China. Existed researches have analyzed the development of ecology or development of SciTech Innovation in China while few have studied the correlation between Beautiful China and SciTech innovation. This study takes Zhejiang province as a case and analyzed the integration level of Beautiful Zhejiang and SciTech Innovation with an aim to shed light on policy making. Evaluating index systems of Beautiful Zhejiang and SciTech Innovation with 8 subsystems and 36 indicators are established. The weights of indexes are calculated with more precise accuracy by combing Structure Entropy Method and Mean Squared Deviation Method. Related statistics of 11 cities of Zhejiang province are collected for time period of 2007–2017, and comprehensive development indexes are evaluated. Coupling coordination degree between the two systems is computed, and coupling coordination degree of 2018–2021 is predicted based on Back Propagation Neural Network. The results show as follows. (1) The development of both systems of Beautiful Zhejiang and SciTech Innovation are in a steady upward trend with SciTech Innovation lagging behind Beautiful Zhejiang. The system of Beautiful Zhejiang ranks as Hangzhou > Ningbo > Wenzhou > Shaoxing > Jinhua > Taizhou > Jiaxing > Huzhou > Zhoushan > Lishui > Quzhou. The system of SciTech Innovation ranks as Hangzhou > Ningbo > Jiaxing > Shaoxing > Wenzhou > Taizhou > Jinhua > Huzhou > Zhoushan > Lishui > Quzhou. (2) The integration level of Hangzhou and Ningbo are developing from Barely Balanced stage to Superior Balanced stage in 2007–2017; Wenzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Shaoxing, Jinhua, Quzhou, Zhou Shan, and Taizhou are developing from Slightly Unbalanced stage to Barely Balanced stage; Lishui has the lowest integration level developing from extremely unbalanced stage to barely balanced stage. (3) The integration level based on coupling coordination degree is predicted with the method of Back Propagation Neural Network, and it is found that by 2021 Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Shaoxing and Taizhou will enter the Superior Balanced stage successively while Jiaxing, Huzhou, Jinhua, Quzhou, Zhoushan, and Lishui will remain in the Barely Balanced stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The terrestrial ecosystem is an important source of atmospheric oxygen, and its changes are closely related to variations in atmospheric oxygen level. However, few studies have focused on the characteristics and driving forces behind terrestrial ecosystem oxygen sources. In this study, based on observations and net carbon flux simulations from the Sixth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, we investigated temporal and spatial variations in terrestrial oxygen sources. As the largest source of atmospheric oxygen, the terrestrial ecosystem can produce approximately 7.10±0.38 gigatons of oxygen per year, and the tropics are the main oxygen producing regions. Notably, there are many "non-oxygen-producing lands", where the lands no longer provide oxygen to the atmosphere, located in the high latitudes and around the deserts of Central Asia. Long-term analysis reveals that anthropogenic activities and climate change are responsible for the variations in terrestrial oxygen sources owing to land-use changes and competing effects between net photosynthesis and heterotrophic respiration. By 2100, more oxygen will be produced from the low-middle latitudes, while the high latitudes will serve as a larger oxygen sink due to extreme land-use type changes and drastic increases in soil respiration. Through this study, we supplement the understanding of the modern oxygen cycle and help provide better estimates for future variations in atmospheric oxygen level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although most studies believe that systematic biopsy (SB) and targeted biopsy (TB) should be performed simultaneously in patients with suspected prostate cancer, we believe that patients with the Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) score of 4/5 may be able to perform TB only. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the pathological results of patients undergoing transperineal prostate biopsy with PI-RADS 4 and 5 in our center. We use the data from 2019 to 2020 as the training set to establish the prediction model and the data from 2021 as the verification set to test the effectiveness. Through stepwise logistics regression analysis, we integrate statistically significant clinical factors and establish a model to further predict whether the target area is tumor. Results: The results showed that age (O), total number of lesions (T), histological region (R), PI-RADS score (S), and PSA density (P) were significantly correlated with the results of TB, and the formula was: p = 1/[1 + e^(− 11.387 + 0.058 × O + (− 0.736 × T) + 0.587 × R + 1.574 × S + 7.338 × P)]. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the prediction model was 0.840 (95% CI 0.802–0.877), with the optimal threshold of 0.762. And the corresponding specificity and sensitivity were 0.765 and 0.752. In the validation set, the AUC of the prediction model was 0.816 (95% CI 0.759–0.874), which means that it has good prediction efficiency. Conclusion: The P.R.O.S.T score can effectively screen PI-RADS 4/5 lesions, which may help physicians shunt patients who need prostate biopsy to reduce unnecessary systematic biopsies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Advances in Atmospheric Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Surface-guided growth of non-planar nanowires on functional substrates offers the new opportunity to precisely control their diameter, length, density and alignment, which will greatly benefit their direct integration into practical devices for large-scale applications. However, control of noble metal nanowires growth and arrangement remains a great challenge, and the mechanistic understanding is still limited. Herein, we choose Pt as a model material system to study the synthesis conditions required to control the in situ growth of aligned Pt nanowires on flat titanium substrate via a one-step and room-temperature green chemical synthesis process in aqueous solution. Most importantly, it is for the first time discovered that ordered nanoarrays and self-assembled nanoflowers can be directly grown on flat Ti substrate by merely adjusting the reaction times, without use of any soft/hard templates, surfactants and organic solvents. The proposed surface-guided growth mechanisms for nanoarray and nanoflower formation in this study may shed light on understanding of oriented arrangement/assembly of one-dimensional Pt nanowires into desirable morphologies for a variety of practical device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human brains experience whole-brain anatomic and functional changes throughout the lifespan. Age-related whole-brain network changes have been studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine their low-frequency spatial and temporal characteristics. However, little is known about age-related changes in whole-brain fast dynamics at the scale of neuronal events. The present study investigated age-related whole-brain dynamics in resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) signals from 73 healthy participants from 6 to 65 years old via characterizing transient neuronal coactivations at a resolution of tens of milliseconds. These uncovered transient patterns suggest fluctuating brain states at different energy levels of global activations. Our results indicate that with increasing age, shorter lifetimes and more occurrences were observed in the brain states that show the global high activations and more consecutive visits to the global highest-activation brain state. There were also reduced transitional steps during consecutive visits to the global lowest-activation brain state. These age-related effects suggest reduced stability and increased fluctuations when visiting high-energy brain states and with a bias toward staying low-energy brain states. These age-related whole-brain dynamics changes are further supported by changes observed in classic alpha and beta power, suggesting its promising applications in examining the effect of normal healthy brain aging, brain development, and brain disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monodispersed and highly luminescent quantum dots (QDs) of ZnSe/ZnS with different shell thicknesses between 0 and 4 monolayer (ML) were fabricated via an aqueous route. The photoluminescence (PL) of ZnSe/ZnS QDs showed red-shifting of the emission peaks from 390 to 425 nm when the shell thicknesses were 0 and 4 ML, respectively. A defective state–dependent PL peak appeared when the shell thickness exceeded 2 ML. The electronic structure of ZnSe/ZnS core–shell QDs was also investigated through photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectroscopy and four excited state transitions, 1 S e - 1 S 3 / 2 h , 1 S e - 2 S 3 / 2 h , 1 P e - 1 P 3 / 2 h , and 1 S e - 1 S so , were observed. The correlation between solar absorption and shell thickness of ZnSe/ZnS QDs was simulated using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods for the first time, and the results showed that the average solar absorption efficiency of ZnSe/ZnS QDs was improved with the increase of the shell thickness. This research expands ZnSe/ZnS QD application for solar thermal utilization including photovoltaic and photothermal systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Advances in Atmospheric Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In order to effectively analyze and explore the socio-economic impact of haze pollution, the article constructs a comprehensive two-stage decomposition model to verify that technological progress plays a key role in controlling haze pollution. And for the first time, a macro-level research framework for the rebound effect of haze pollution has been constructed to compare and analyze the heterogeneity of the rebound effect of technological progress in different industries in different regions. The study found that (1) during the period 2000–2017, haze pollution situation deteriorated. Economic effects were the main reasons for haze pollution. Among these effects, technological progress was the main driving force for haze control, followed by the emission intensity during 2000–2011 and the reduction of industrial structure since 2014. (2) The significant drive of emission reduction is in the secondary industry, showing a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. Besides, there was a difference in spatial distribution, which shows an increased trend from east to west. (3) The rebound effect of haze pollution at the macro level in China presented high-level fluctuations, and there were certain spatial distribution differences. However, due to the convergence of technological development stages, regional differences have a gradual convergence trend. In the future, in the process of haze control, it is necessary to increase support for technological innovation, implement energy total control and price reform, promote technological progress, and implement differentiated haze reduction policies to solve problems according to local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]