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As a top predator, the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) is an indicator of healthy freshwater ecosystems and a flagship species for conservation. Once widespread in China, the species is now distributed mainly in the upper reaches of the great rivers of western China. However, a lack of knowledge on local otter populations continues to hinder their conservation in China. Here, we conducted a detailed study on habitat use of Eurasian otters in Yushu City and Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve in western China using transect surveys. At both study sites, otters preferred to defecate on large rocks close to or protruding from the river and about 50 cm above the waterline. In Yushu, no spraints were found along the 5 km river bank section in the downtown area, with otters preferring sprainting sites with natural banks, riparian zones, and lower human population density. However, this pattern was not obvious at Tangjiahe, where river transformation and human disturbance are minor. Otter river use intensity was negatively correlated with elevation and human population density in Yushu in both seasons. In Tangjiahe, otter river use intensity was positively correlated with prey mass and flow rate and negatively correlated with human population in spring, but positively correlated with human population and negatively correlated with flow rate in autumn. These results reflect the flexible habitat use strategies of otters at different sites, underlining the necessity to study otters living in different regions and habitat types. We provide suggestions for river modification and call for more site-specific studies to promote otter conservation in China.

As a top predator, the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) is an indicator of healthy freshwater ecosystems and a flagship species for conservation. Once widespread in China, the species is now distributed mainly in the upper reaches of the great rivers of western China. However, a lack of knowledge on local otter populations continues to hinder their conservation in China. Here, we conducted a detailed study on habitat use of Eurasian otters in Yushu City and Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve in western China using transect surveys. At both study sites, otters preferred to defecate on large rocks close to or protruding from the river and about 50 cm above the waterline. In Yushu, no spraints were found along the 5 km river bank section in the downtown area, with otters preferring sprainting sites with natural banks, riparian zones, and lower human population density. However, this pattern was not obvious at Tangjiahe, where river transformation and human disturbance are minor. Otter river use intensity was negatively correlated with elevation and human population density in Yushu in both seasons. In Tangjiahe, otter river use intensity was positively correlated with prey mass and flow rate and negatively correlated with human population in spring, but positively correlated with human population and negatively correlated with flow rate in autumn. These results reflect the flexible habitat use strategies of otters at different sites, underlining the necessity to study otters living in different regions and habitat types. We provide suggestions for river modification and call for more site-specific studies to promote otter conservation in China.

Additional file1: Table S1. Table characterization of lignin-g-PLA copolymers. Table S2. TGA characterisation table of PLLA and PLLA/PLA-lignin nanofibers. Figure S1. 1H NMR (CDCl3) of the synthesized alkylated lignin. Figure S2. 1H NMR (CDCl3) of the alkylated lignin-g-PLA. Figure S3. FTIR spectra of lignin and PLA-lignin copolymers. Figure S4. Images showing the water contact angles of PLLA and PLLA/PLA-lignin nanofibers. Figure S5. Typical stress-strain curves of the PLLA/PLA-lignin nanofibers by tensile test. Figure S6. DSC curves of PLA-lignin copolymers. Figure S7. DSC curves of PLLA/lignin-PLA nanofibers.

Additional file 1.

The cathode materials for sodium ion batteries (SIBs) are intrinsically unstable due to their oxidation by electrolyte solution at high voltage; thus, developing novel solid permeable interfaces as passivation layers is critical to avoid these side oxidation reactions and increase the cycling durability of SIBs. Nevertheless, the abuse of passivation layers can hinder the Na+ transfer and further impact the rate capability. Herein, we demonstrated an effective approach that utilized konjac glucomannan (KGM) biopolymer as a multifunctional binder to build stable solid permeable interface films to achieve high-performance for Na3V2(PO4)(3)/C (NVP) cathodes. Compared with polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), the strong adhesion and solid permeable interface films of KGM protect the integrity of the electrodes. The unique conductive network and rich polar functional groups enable KGM to enhance the transfer of electrons and Na+ ions at the interfaces. Thanks to the multiple functions of KGM offering adhesion strength, a conductive network and a solid permeable interface, the NVP cathode exhibited a reversible capacity of 108.0 mA h g(-1) at 0.5C (1C = 117 mA g(-1)). At a high rate of 50C, NVP profited from KGM to show a good capacity of 63.1 mA h g(-1) and a high durability of 10 000 cycles with a small fading rate of 0.00259% per cycle. Hard carbon||NVP full batteries, using KGM as the cathode binder, possessed a high specific energy of 137.7 W h kg(-1), indicating the potential applications of KGM as an environmentally friendly binder for achieving high-rate capacity and long-term cycling durability of SIBs. Ministry of Education (MOE) This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 21621005 and 21425730) and the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of China (grant 2018YFC1800705). The authors also acknowledge Singapore MOE AcRF Tier 1 under grant no. 2020T1-001-031.

Additional file 1: Figure S1. The chemical structures of HA (hyaluronic acid). Figure S2. The chemical structures of PCA (protocatechuic acid). Figure S3. The chemical structures of MOF. Figure S4. The typical chromatogram of PCA. Figure S5. The quantification of Fe3+ by using o-phenanthroline. Figure S6. Degradation study of MOF at different pH. Figure. S7 ROS production induced by MOF after incubation in chondrocytes for 24 h.

The effects of zeolite on the thermal stability of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) were investigated by the static thermal stability test, pyrolysis experiment and ultraviolet spectrum. The results showed that the porous zeolite could absorb hydrogen chloride (HCl), which suppressed the catalysis of HCl on thermal degradation of PVC, thus improved the thermal stability of PVC. The oxidizing acid which was loaded on zeolite had oxidated on the double bond that formed during the dehydrochlorination of PVC. This process could prohibit the growth of the conjugated polyene and improved the color of PVC. Hence, zeolite might be possible to come up with a high performance thermal stabilizer.

A three factors quadratic regression rotation combination design was adopted to optimize the technical conditions of microwave low temperature carbon dioxide flash puffing (MLTCDFP) process for dwarf banana in the single factor’s foundation. This paper analyzed the effect of puffing temperature, puffing pressure, vacuum drying temperature and the interaction of the three factors on color, crispness, and the effect of hardness and water content. Based on the experimental data, the quadratic regression model of four indexes was deduced, then variables were analyzed with response surface methodology (RSM). The weights of four evaluation indexes was determined by factor analysis. The regression square was obtained by the comprehensive score as follow: Y=0.955+0.109X 1 +0.16X 3 −0.09X 1 2 +0.015X 2 2 −0.15X 3 2 −0.018X 1 X 2 −0.056X 1 X 3 +0.016X 2 X 3 (R 2 =0.837).Through factor analysis, the range of the optimal technical conditions of MLTCDFP for dwarf banana obtained. The result indicated the four indexes were affected significantly by the puffing temperature and vacuum drying temperature, and the interactions of the three factors did not affect the product obviously. The optimal technical parameters were as follows: puffing temperature 91~95°C, puffing pressure 0.11~0.19MPa, vacuum temperature 81~85°C.

World Health Organization estimated that heart failure initiated by coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction (MI) leads to 29 per cent of deaths worldwide. Heart failure is one of the leading causes of death in industrialized countries and is expected to become a global epidemic within the twenty-first century. MI, the main cause of heart failure, leads to a loss of cardiac tissue impairment of left ventricular function. The damaged left ventricle undergoes progressive ‘remodelling’ and chamber dilation, with myocyte slippage and fibroblast proliferation. Repair of diseased myocardium within vitro-engineered cardiac muscle patch/injectable biopolymers with cells may become a viable option for heart failure patients. These events reflect an apparent lack of effective intrinsic mechanism for myocardial repair and regeneration. Motivated by the desire to develop minimally invasive procedures, the last 10 years observed growing efforts to develop injectable biomaterials with and without cells to treat cardiac failure. Biomaterials evaluated include alginate, fibrin, collagen, chitosan, self-assembling peptides, biopolymers and a range of synthetic hydrogels. The ultimate goal in therapeutic cardiac tissue engineering is to generate biocompatible, non-immunogenic heart muscle with morphological and functional properties similar to natural myocardium to repair MI. This review summarizes the properties of biomaterial substrates having sufficient mechanical stability, which stimulates the native collagen fibril structure for differentiating pluripotent stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells into cardiomyocytes for cardiac tissue engineering.

Polypropylene (PP) is a general-purpose plastic, but some applications are constrained by its high flammability. Thus, flame retardant PP is urgently demanded. In this article, intumescent flame retardant PP (IFRPP) composites with enhanced fire safety were prepared using 1-oxo-4-hydroxymethyl-2,6,7-trioxa-1-phosphabicyclo [2.2.2] octane (PEPA) functionalized graphene oxide (PGO) as synergist. The PGO was prepared through a mild chemical reaction by the covalent attachment of a caged-structure organic compound, PEPA, onto GO nanosheets using toluene diisocynate (TDI) as the intermediary agent. The novel PEPA-functionalized graphene oxide not only improves the heat resistance of GO but also converts GO and PEPA from hydrophobic to hydrophilic materials, which leads to even distribution in PP. In our case, 7 wt% addition of PGO as one of the fillers for IFRPP composites significantly reduces its inflammability and fire hazards when compared with PEPA, by the improvement of first release rate peak (PHRR), total heat release, first smoke release rate peak (PSRR) and total smoke release, suggesting its great potential as the IFR synergist in industry. The reason is mainly attributed to the barrier effect of the unburned graphene sheets, which protects by the decomposition products of PEPA and TDI, promotes the formation of graphitized carbon and inhibits the heat and gas release.

AIM: To investigate the mechanism by which galangin, a polyphenolic compound derived from medicinal herbs, induces apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. METHODS: The 3-(4,5-Dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay was used to measure cell viability. Apoptosis was evaluated by in situ uptake of propidium iodide and Hoechst 33258 and was then detected by fluorescence microscopy. Protein expressions were detected by Western blotting. To confirm the apoptotic pathway mediated by galangin, cells were transfected by bcl-2 gene to overexpress Bcl-2 or siRNA to down-regulate Bcl-2 expression. RESULTS: Galangin (46.25-370.0 μmol/L) exerted an anti-proliferative effect, induced apoptosis, and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential in a dose and time-dependent manner. Treatment with galangin induced apoptosis by translocating the pro-apoptotic protein Bax to the mitochondria, which released apoptosis-inducing factor and cytochrome c into the cytosol. Overexpression of Bcl-2 attenuated galangin-induced HepG2 cell apoptosis, while decreasing Bcl-2 expression enhanced galangin-induced cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Our data suggests that galangin mediates apoptosis through a mitochondrial pathway, and may be a potential chemotherapeutic drug for the treatment of HCC.