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Abstract Background Psychological flexibility (PF) is defined as the ability to pursue valuable life goals despite the existence of distress. The Personalized Psychological Flexibility Index (PPFI) is a new measure of psychological flexibility that can address existing deficiencies. This study aimed to translate and validate the psychometric characteristics of the Chinese version of the PPFI among medical college students. Methods The study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 involved the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the PPFI according to guidelines recommended by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Phase 2 was a cross-sectional survey conducted on 945 medical college students in China. The psychometric performances of the scale were assessed using construct validity, divergent validity, criterion validity, incremental validity, internal consistency, and test-rest reliability. Results The exploratory factor analysis (EFA, n1 = 440) showed that the Chinese version of the PPFI consisted of 3 factors, with a total of 15 items. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA, n2 = 440) showed that the three-factor structure fit well (χ2/ $$df$$ df =2.469, SRMR = 0.051, RMSEA = 0.058, GFI = 0.94, CFI = 0.985). The total Chinese PPFI score had a moderate positive association with the Comprehensive Assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (CompACT, r = 0.344) and a negative association with the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II, r = -0.334). Furthermore, the Chinese PPFI demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.826) and test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.817, p

Objective: Here we investigated changes in topological properties of functional brain networks among individuals with Crohn’s disease (CD) and to determine whether these changes are related to CD severity, as well as CD-associated anxiety and depression, which are regulated by the brain–gut axis mechanism. Methods: In total, 31 individuals with CD, 21 with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and 20 healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging. Individuals with CD or IBS were also evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety (HADS-A) and Depression (HADS-D) scales, as well as the simple endoscopic score for CD (SES-CD). Graph theory-based methods were applied to calculate the topological properties of brain networks, and comparisons among the three groups were performed using one-way analysis of variance. Partial correlation analysis was used to assess correlations among these properties and HADS-A, HADS-D, and SES-CD scores. Results: In the CD group, altered global topological properties were identified, and altered local topological properties were observed in 13 brain regions. The functional connectivity (FC) between the default mode network and visual network was increased, and the FC in the limbic system was decreased. In the CD group, local topological properties in the amygdala and precuneus were negatively correlated with HADS-A scores, and local topological properties in the superior occipital gyrus were positively correlated with SES-CD scores. Conclusion: Both global and regional topologies of brain networks were impaired in individuals with CD, which were correlated with clinical scores, suggesting that these values could serve as neuroimaging metrics reflecting the degree of anxiety caused by CD and CD severity.

The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of berberine (BBR) on Salmonella enteritis in broiler chickens and to elucidate its mechanisms of action preliminarily. Blood samples were collected from 21- to 35-day-old Sanhuang male chicks to measure immune and biochemical indicators and to calculate the organ coefficients for the liver, spleen, bursa of Fabricius, and thymus. The caecal microbiota was analysed through 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing, and transcriptome sequencing was conducted. Compared with the positive control group (S), the berberine-treated group (BS) presented increased serum immunoglobulin M (IgM) levels, serum IgG levels, and total antioxidant capacity; berberine ameliorated the increase in the thymus index caused by Salmonella administration. The addition of berberine to the diet increased the abundance of beneficial bacterial genera, including Bacteroides and Lactobacillus. It also decreased the abundance of harmful bacterial genera, including Faecalibacterium and Streptococcus. Transcriptome analysis revealed that gene expression in the S and BS groups was associated with T cell selection and B cell receptor signalling pathways, which are enriched primarily in multiple immune-related signalling pathways, including the B cell receptor signalling pathway, NF-κ B signalling pathway, intestinal immune network for IgA production, asthma, and African trypanosomiasis. The significantly expressed genes included ATAD5, ERP29, MGST2, PIK3CA, and HSP90AA1. The present study demonstrated that berberine has a good therapeutic effect on Salmonella infection in chicks, as it inhibits the occurrence and development of Salmonella-induced intestinal inflammation by regulating the balance of the gut microbiota and the expression of related genes, including ATAD5, ERP29, MGST2, PIK3CA, and HSP90AA1.

Abstract Identifying the location of a potential noise source assists in understanding the characteristics of the seismic or volcanic activity and provides valuable information for hazard assessment. Unlike the conventional waveform-based techniques that rebuild the source energy into the possible source region, we apply a simplified method to determine the absolute location of the noise source based on the station-pair time-delays from ambient noise interferometry. Synthetic tests demonstrate the robustness of the method and the locating precision is mainly influenced by the signal-to-noise ratio of the synthetic waveforms, and the higher frequency bandwidth source signals are more likely to result in accurate detection of the source. An application at the Central Tien Shan indicates that our method is capable of locating the known virtual source from the empirical Green’s functions. Furthermore, assuming a surface wave velocity, the depth of the source can be generally recovered from ambient noise interferometry in a simplified 3-D homogeneous model. The new method sheds light on applications of ambient noise interferometry for locating potential sources, making it suitable for detecting time-dependent behavior.

Abstract The destructive 2015 Mw7.8 Gorkha earthquake occurred in the Main Himalayan Thrust due to the collision of the Indian and Asian plates, which provides a unique opportunity to understand the deep dynamic processes and seismogenic mechanisms of strong earthquakes. We construct a regional-scale shear-wave velocity model of the crust and uppermost mantle using ambient seismic noise and teleseismic surface wave at periods of 5–100 s around the Gorkha earthquake region. The new shear-wave velocity model exhibits prominently lateral heterogeneities in the Gorkha earthquake areas. We observe a high-velocity (high-V) zone around the Gorkha main shock in the Main Himalayan Thrust, indicating the existence of a high-strength asperity that sustains the stress accumulating. The aftershocks are primarily located in the low-velocity (low-V) anomalies and enclosed by two high-V anomalies, which appear to act as structural barriers that influence the spread of the aftershocks. Prominent low-Vanomalies from the lower crust to the mantle lithosphere are observed along the north–south trending rifts, suggesting the hot materials upwelling due to the tearing of the northward subducting Indian lithosphere. These observations may indicate that seismic velocity heterogeneity could play an essential role in earthquake initiation and the rupture process.

Abstract Electrochemical research often requires stringent combinations of experimental parameters that are demanding to manually locate. Recent advances in automated instrumentation and machine-learning algorithms unlock the possibility for accelerated studies of electrochemical fundamentals via high-throughput, online decision-making. Here we report an autonomous electrochemical platform that implements an adaptive, closed-loop workflow for mechanistic investigation of molecular electrochemistry. As a proof-of-concept, this platform autonomously identifies and investigates an EC mechanism, an interfacial electron transfer (E step) followed by a solution reaction (C step), for cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin exposed to a library of organohalide electrophiles. The generally applicable workflow accurately discerns the EC mechanism’s presence amid negative controls and outliers, adaptively designs desired experimental conditions, and quantitatively extracts kinetic information of the C step spanning over 7 orders of magnitude, from which mechanistic insights into oxidative addition pathways are gained. This work opens opportunities for autonomous mechanistic discoveries in self-driving electrochemistry laboratories without manual intervention.

Research on functional changes in the brain of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients is emerging around the world, which brings new perspectives to medical research. In this paper, the methods of canonical correlation analysis (CCA), kernel canonical correlation analysis (KCCA), and sparsity preserving canonical correlation analysis (SPCCA) were applied to the fusion of simultaneous EEG-fMRI data from 25 IBD patients and 15 healthy individuals. The CCA, KCCA and SPCCA fusion methods were used for data processing to compare the results obtained by the three methods. The results clearly show that there is a significant difference in the activation intensity between IBD and healthy control (HC), not only in the frontal lobe (p < 0.01) and temporal lobe (p < 0.01) regions, but also in the posterior cingulate gyrus (p < 0.01), gyrus rectus (p < 0.01), and amygdala (p < 0.01) regions, which are usually neglected. The mean difference in the SPCCA activation intensity was 60.1. However, the mean difference in activation intensity was only 36.9 and 49.8 by using CCA and KCCA. In addition, the correlation of the relevant components selected during the SPCCA calculation was high, with correlation components of up to 0.955; alternatively, the correlations obtained from CCA and KCCA calculations were only 0.917 and 0.926, respectively. It can be seen that SPCCA is indeed superior to CCA and KCCA in processing high-dimensional multimodal data. This work reveals the process of analyzing the brain activation state in IBD disease, provides a further perspective for the study of brain function, and opens up a new avenue for studying the SPCCA method and the change in the intensity of brain activation in IBD disease.

Surface texture parameters are a quantitative way of characterising surface topographical features and are closely related to tribological properties. In this paper, the correlation between surface topographic features and friction coefficient is investigated on the basis of the proposed improved correlation analysis model for high-speed milling surface topography of hardened steel. It was found that the friction coefficient could not be accurately reflected by a single parameter, so a prediction model for the friction coefficient based on Sxp, Sq, Sp, Sz, Sku and Sdq was developed. In this paper, the parameter screening was completed based on the changing characteristics of the data, and a multi-parameter prediction model of the friction coefficient in the stable wear stage was established, which provides a new idea to investigate the influence of the characteristics of surface topography on tribological performance.

Abstract Background Endometriosis-related infertility is a common worldwide reproductive health concern. Despite ongoing research, the causes of infertility remain unclear. Evidence suggests that epigenetic regulation is crucial in reproduction. However, the role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification of RNA in endometriosis-related infertility requires further investigation. Methods We examined the expression of m6A and methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) in endometrial samples taken from normal fertile women in the proliferative phase (the NP group) or the mid-secretory phase (the NS group) or from women with endometriosis-related infertility at the mid-secretory phase (the ES group). We treated primary endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) with medroxyprogesterone acetate and 8-Bromo-cyclic adenosine monophosphate for in vitro decidualization and detected the expression of m6A, METTL3, and decidual markers. We analyzed the expression of m6A, METTL3, and forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) in ESCs from normal fertile women (the ND group) or women with endometriosis-related infertility (the ED group). We also assessed the expression of m6A, METTL3, and decidual markers, as well as the embryo adhesion rate, upon METTL3 overexpression or knockdown. Additionally, we investigated the role of METTL3 in embryo implantation in vivo by applying mice with endometriosis. Furthermore, we performed RNA stability assays, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and methylated RIP assays to explore the mechanisms underlying the regulation of FOXO1 by METTL3-mediated m6A. Results The expression of m6A and METTL3 was reduced only in the NS group; the NP and ES groups demonstrated increased m6A and METTL3 levels. m6A and METTL3 levels decreased in ESCs with prolonged decidual treatment. Compared to the ND group, m6A and METTL3 levels in the ED group increased after decidual treatment, whereas the expression of FOXO1 decreased. METTL3 overexpression suppressed the expression of decidual markers and embryo implantation in vitro; METTL3 knockdown exhibited the opposite effect. Inhibition of METTL3 promoted embryo implantation in vivo. Furthermore, we observed that METTL3-mediated m6A regulated the degradation of FOXO1 mRNA through YTHDF2, a m6A binding protein. Conclusions METTL3-regulated m6A promotes YTHDF2-mediated decay of FOXO1 mRNA, thereby affecting cellular decidualization and embryo implantation. These findings provide novel insights into the development of therapies for women with endometriosis-related infertility.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of various pHs and NaCl concentrations on physicochemical properties of surimi from grass carp during washing. Surimi protein recovery was higher with 0.25% and 0.5% NaCl at the pH 5 or 7 than that with other pHs and NaCl concentrations, while the highest recovery was obtained with 0.25% NaCl at the pH 7. It decreased protein recovery and salt-soluble protein of surimi as NaCl increased by more than 1.0% during washing. The water-soluble protein content was significantly higher at the pH 3 than at other pHs, while the SDS-PAGE of surimi protein exhibited intense sarcoplasmic protein bands at the pH 3. There were significantly fewer hydrophobic groups of actomyosin treated with 0.25% NaCl at the pH 5 or 7 than that with other pHs and NaCl concentrations in washing solution. The α-helix of actomyosin was increased with the increase of NaCl during washing. In general, the washing with 0.25%−0.5% NaCl at the pH 5–7 could significantly increase the yield of surimi from grass carp.

BackgroundIn recent years, the incidence of insulin resistance is increasing, and it can cause a variety of Metabolic syndrome. Ginsenosides have been clinically proven to improve fat metabolism and reduce insulin resistance, but their components and mechanism of action are still unclear.ObjectiveGinsenoside, a bioactive compound derived from ginseng, exhibits significant potential in treating obesity, diabetes, and metabolic disorders. Despite evidence supporting its efficacy in ameliorating insulin resistance (IR) in obesity, the specific bioactive components and underlying mechanisms remain obscure. In this study, we endeavored to elucidate the potential molecular targets and pathways influenced by ginsenoside Rh3 (GRh3) to ameliorate IR in liver tissue. We employed a comprehensive approach that integrates system pharmacology and bioinformatics analysis.Materials and methodsOur methodology involved the identification of candidate targets for GRh3 and the profiling of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to IR in individuals with insulin resistance. The coalescence of candidate targets and DEGs facilitated the construction of a “GRh3-targets-disease” network for each tissue type, ultimately yielding 38 shared target genes. Subsequently, we conducted pathway enrichment analysis, established protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, and identified hub targets among the GRh3 targets and IR-related DEGs. Additionally, we conducted animal experiments to corroborate the role of these hub targets in the context of GRh3.ResultsOur investigation identified a total of 38 overlapping targets as potential candidates. Notably, our analysis revealed crucial hub targets such as EGFR, SRC, ESR1, MAPK1, and CASP3, alongside implicated signaling pathways, including those related to insulin resistance, the FoxO signaling pathway, the PPAR signaling pathway, and the IL-17 signaling pathway. This study establishes a robust foundation for the mechanisms underlying GRh3’s efficacy in mitigating IR. Furthermore, these results suggest that GRh3 may serve as a representative compound within the ginsenoside family.ConclusionThis study elucidates the potential molecular targets and associated pathways through which GRh3 ameliorates IR, showcasing its multifaceted nature, spanning multiple targets, pathways, and mechanisms. These findings establish a robust foundation for subsequent experimental inquiries and clinical applications.

The equilibrium state of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a gaseous signaling molecule produced by lysosomal metabolites, in vivo is crucial for cellular function. Abnormal fluctuations in H2S concentration can interfere with the normal function of lysosomes, which has been closely linked to the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases. In view of this, a novel fluorescent probe Lyso-DPP based on 1,3,5-triarylpyrazolines was developed for the precise detection of H2S in lysosomes by using the hydrophilic morpholine moiety as a lysosomal targeting unit, and 2,4-dinitroanisole as a fluorescence-quenching and H2S-responsive unit. The probe cleverly combines the advantages of simple synthesis, sensitive blue fluorescence turn-on with a limit of detection, LOD, of 97.3 nM, good stability, and fast response time (10 min), which makes Lyso-DPP successful in portable monitoring of meat freshness in the form of test strips. Moreover, the excellent biocompatibility and precise targeting capability of the probe Lyso-DPP make it perform well in the monitoring of H2S in lysosomes, living cells, and zebrafish. This work not only provides new technical tools for food quality control but also paves up new ideas for early diagnosis and treatment of H2S-related diseases.

Gold-based nanoparticles for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) imaging show great potential for precise tumor detection and photothermal therapy (PTT). However, the metabolizability of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) raises big concerns. Herein, we designed a core-shelled nanostructure of copper sulfide (CuS)-coated Au NPs with surface pegylation (PEG-Au@CuS NSs). The excreted Au in the gallbladders at 1 h and 4 h in mice injected with PEG-Au@CuS NSs was 8.2- and 19.1-fold of that with the pegylated Au NPs (PEG-AuNPs) of the same Au particle size, respectively. By loading the Raman reporter 3,3′-Diethylthiatricarbocyanine iodide (DTTC) in the core–shell junction of PEG-Au@CuS NSs, the PEG-Au-DTTC@CuS NSs exhibited the Raman signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 4.01 after 24 h of intravenous (IV) injection in the mice bearing an orthotopic CT26-Luc colon tumor. By contrast, the DTTC-coated PEG-AuNPs (PEG-Au-DTTC NPs) achieved an S/N ratio of 2.71. Moreover, PEG-Au-DTTC@CuS NSs exhibited an increased photothermal conversion effect compared with PEG-Au-DTTC NPs excited with an 808-nm laser. PEG-Au-DTTC@CuS NSs enabled intraoperative SERS image-guided photothermal therapy for a complete cure of the colon tumor-bearing mice. Our data demonstrated that the PEG-Au-DTTC@CuS NSs are promising intraoperative Raman image-guided theranostic nanoplatform with enhanced hepatobiliary excretion.

Smart city construction aims to promote the digital transformation of cities, support the modernization of urban governance, and stimulate urban innovation and development. In this paper, we analyze the role of smart city construction on economic growth and the impact mechanism driving this. In terms of theoretical analysis, we discuss the role of smart city construction in economic growth based on Schumpeterian innovation theory. In terms of empirical analysis, we evaluate the impact of smart city construction on economic growth with panel data of Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2011 to 2019, using time-varying difference-in-differences models and the event study method. The findings of the research indicate that the construction of smart cities has a positive effect on regional economic growth and the results can be confirmed through a series of robustness tests. Smart city construction generates mediating effects by enhancing urban innovation capability and entrepreneurship, thereby promoting urban economic growth. Furthermore, the impact of smart city construction on economic growth exhibits heterogeneous effects due to variations in the degree of marketization. In regions with a higher level of marketization, the promotional effect of smart city construction on economic growth is stronger. Consequently, it is imperative to intensify the implementation of smart city construction and persistently pursue market-oriented reforms.

Emodin was extracted from Rheum officinale Baill by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), and ethanol was chosen as the suitable solvent through SEM and molecular dynamic simulation. Under the optimum conditions (power 541 W, time 23 min, liquid to material ratio 13:1 mL/g, ethanol concentration 83 %) predicted by RSM, the yield of emodin was 2.18 ± 0.11 mg/g. Moreover, ultrasound power and time displayed the significant effects on the extraction process. Extracting dynamics analysis indicated that the extraction process of emodin by UAE conformed to Fick's second diffusion law. The results of antibacterial experiments suggested that emodin can damage cell membrane and inhibit the expression of cps2A, sao, mrp, epf, neu and the hemolytic activity of S. suis. Biolayer interferometry and FT-IR multi-peak fitting assays demonstrated that emodin induced a secondary conformational shift in CcpA. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics confirmed that emodin bound to CcpA through hydrogen bonding (ALA248, GLU249, GLY129 and ASN196) and π-π T-shaped interaction (TYR225 and TYR130), and the mutation of amino acid residues affected the affinity of CcpA to emodin. Therefore, emodin inhibited the sugar utilization of S. suis through binding to CcpA, and CcpA may be a potential target to inhibit the growth of S. suis.

Objective. The aim of this study was to explore the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of amygdala subregions in healthy controls (HCs) and in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) both with and without anxiety or depression. Materials and Methods. A total of 33 patients with CD and with anxiety or depression (CDad group), 31 patients with CD but without anxiety or depression (CDnad group), and 29 age-, sex-, and education level-matched HCs underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging. rsFC analysis was used to analyze the FC between the amygdala subregions and other areas of the brain. Results. Compared with the HC group, the CDad group demonstrated decreased rsFC between the right laterobasal subregion and the left hippocampus (P

The arc extinguishing mode of neutral grounding via arc suppression coil (ASC) is widely used in the distribution network. With the increasing application of active intervention type arc extinguishing device (AIT-AED), there is a situation that the AIT-AED and the ASC operate in parallel, but the parallel operation technology of these two devices is not mature. Hence, An experimental study was carried out to analyze the effect of parallel operation on the function of AIT-AED in this paper. The results show that the parallel operation of AIT-AED and ASC improves the high resistance grounding identification ability of AIT-AED, but the judgment of fault phase and fault type is disturbed. The relevant conclusion can provide reference for developing the parallel operation strategy of AIT-AED and ASC.

With the advancement of modernization, high energy consumption buildings can no longer meet the needs of social development. Under the background of low carbon and energy saving, the development of green buildings has become the only way, but its energy-saving design effect needs to be further studied. Aiming at lighting and energy consumption, this study carried out multi-factor optimization analysis based on genetic algorithm on factors such as windowing ratio, wall heat transfer coefficient, window heat transfer coefficient, window transmittance and roof insulation coefficient. Firstly, the theory and technical scheme of applying data mining technology to solve the energy-saving design problems of different buildings are proposed and implemented, including the design of new and existing buildings, as well as the determination of decisive parameters and non-decisive parameters. Secondly, computer simulation and theoretical analysis are used to optimize the analysis of the building scheme, so as to find the optimal design range of each influencing factor and the optimal design method of green low-energy building. Multi-factor optimization theory and genetic algorithm principle are summarized, and the heat transfer coefficient of external wall and window of the building is selected as the optimization variable, so as to achieve low energy consumption and enclosure cost of the building. Aiming at better thermal comfort, an optimization model was established. Finally, through empirical research, an energysaving plan was designed, and genetic algorithm was used to obtain the optimal solution for maximizing the incremental benefits obtained by unit input incremental cost. The results indicate that the ideal incremental benefits come from a reasonable and effective combination of technologies, mainly from air conditioning systems and lighting systems; the setting of the benchmark return rate will directly affect the optimization effect of energy-saving plans, providing decision-makers with the optimal combination of energy-saving technologies.

Abstract The catalytic performance of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) in Li‐S batteries is significantly hindered by unsuitable pore size, low conductivity, and large steric contact hindrance between the catalytic site and lithium polysulfide (LPSs). Herein, the smallest π‐conjugated hexaaminobenzene (HAB) as linker and Ni(II) ions as skeletal node are in situ assembled into high crystallinity Ni‐HAB 2D conductive MOFs with dense Ni‐N4 units via dsp2 hybridization on the surface of carbon nanotube (CNT), fabricating Ni‐HAB@CNT as separator modified layer in Li‐S batteries. As‐obtained unique π‐d conjugated Ni‐HAB nanostructure features ordered micropores with suitable pore size (≈8 Å) induced by HAB ligands, which can cooperate with dense Ni‐N4 chemisorption sites to effectively suppress the shuttle effect. Meanwhile, the conversion kinetics of LPSs is significantly accelerated owing to the small steric contact hindrance and increased delocalized electron density endued by the planar tetracoordinate structure. Consequently, the Li‐S battery with Ni‐HAB@CNT modified separator achieves an areal capacity of 6.29 mAh cm−2 at high sulfur loading of 6.5 mg cm−2 under electrolyte/sulfur ratio of 5 µL mg−1. Moreover, Li‐S single‐electrode pouch cells with modified separators deliver a high reversible capacity of 791 mAh g−1 after 50 cycles at 0.1 C with electrolyte/sulfur ratio of 6 µL mg−1.

Drawing upon a comprehensive global database of landslides and utilizing high-resolution IMERG satellite precipitation data, this study investigates the spatial and temporal variations of landslide occurrences across the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This study constructs a region-specific, graded warning system by formulating an average effective intensity–duration (I–D) rainfall threshold curve for each ASEAN member. Examination of 1747 landslide events spanning from 2006 to 2018 illustrates a significant association between the frequency of landslides in ASEAN regions and the latitudinal movement of local precipitation bands. Incidences of landslides hit their lowest in March and April, while a surge is observed from October to January, correlating with the highest mortality rates. Geographical hotspots for landslide activity, characterized by substantial annual rainfall and constrained landmasses, include the Philippine archipelago, Indonesia’s Java Island, and the Malay Peninsula, each experiencing an average of over 2.5 landslides annually. Fatalities accompany approximately 41.4% of ASEAN landslide events, with the Philippines and Indonesia registering the most substantial numbers. Myanmar stands out for the proportion of large-scale landslide incidents, with an average casualty rate of 10.89 deaths per landslide, significantly surpassing other countries in the region. The I–D rainfall threshold curves indicate that the Philippines experienced the highest precipitation levels before landslide initiation, whereas Myanmar has the threshold set at a considerably lower level.

Seismologists have found that the first arrival frequencies of P waves at different seismic stations have different widths, that is, different periods or frequencies, and they think that this phenomenon can be used to identify whether a Doppler effect is induced by earthquakes. However, the fault rupture process of a real earthquake is so complex that it is difficult to identify a frequency shift similar to the Doppler effect. A method to identify whether a Doppler effect is induced by an earthquake is proposed here. If a seismic station is in the direction of fault rupture propagation, this station could observe a Doppler effect induced by the earthquake. The Doppler effect causes the frequency of the seismic wave to shift from low frequency to high frequency, and the high frequency amplitudes become mutually superimposed. Under the combined influences of the absorption effect, geometric spreading effect and Doppler effect, the high frequency amplitude of the seismic wave will gradually become higher than the low frequency amplitude with increasing epicentral distance. If we find that the high frequency amplitude is higher than the low frequency amplitude with increasing epicentral distance in the direction of fault rupture propagation, then there is a Doppler effect. The fault that generated the Wenchuan earthquake is a reverse fault, and its horizontal rupture propagation velocity was low. To link fault rupture propagation velocity with the Doppler effect and identify the Doppler effect more easily, we decompose three-component records into two directions: the direction of fault rupture propagation and the direction perpendicular to the fault rupture propagation along the fault plane. The initial components of the two directions are processed by wavelet transform. Several seismic stations in the direction of fault rupture propagation of the Wenchuan earthquake were selected, and it was found that with increasing epicentral distance, the high frequency amplitudes of the wavelet spectra become obviously higher than the low frequency amplitudes. It can be concluded that due to the existence of the Doppler effect, high frequency amplitudes can overcome the influences of the absorption and geometric spreading effects on seismic waves in the fault rupture propagation process.

BackgroundThis study aimed to reduce the unprecedented and intense psychological distress that nurses were forced to experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Chinese version of the World Health Organization's Self-Help Plus (SH+) intervention guide was adapted and tested among nurses. The objective of this study was to translate and adapt the SH+ guideline into the Chinese version and to test its feasibility in reducing psychological distress among nurses during COVID-19.MethodsA staged approach comprising translation, adaptations, initial evaluation by pilot implementation, and a qualitative process evaluation was conducted in two hospitals in Xi'an, China. The translation of the Chinese version was authorized by the World Health Organization. We adapted SH+ for use among clinical nurses working during the pandemic in China through a qualitative process evaluation, which was guided by the descriptive phenomenological study design. The outcomes of the pilot included psychological distress, psychological flexibility, depressive and anxiety symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and subjective psychological wellbeing, which were assessed using the Kessler 6 symptom checklist, the Comprehensive Assessment of ACT Process (CompACT), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), and the Index of Wellbeing (IWB), respectively.ResultsThe SH+ materials, including audio-recorded sessions and an accompanying illustrated manual, were translated into Chinese and adapted in line with feedback from the nurses. An uncontrolled pilot study (n = 28) for 5 weeks showed a statistically significant reduction of psychological distress (mean difference in Kessler 6 score, −2.74; 95% CI [−3.71, −1.78]; p < 0.001). We also found improvements in psychological flexibility (mean difference in CompACT score, 6.89; 95% CI [−12.35, −4.47]; p < 0.001), subjective psychological wellbeing (mean difference in IWB score, 0.86; 95% CI [0.07, 1.65]; p < 0.05), and depressive symptoms (mean difference in PHQ-9 score, −1.52; 95% CI [−2.78, −0.26]; p < 0.05). The process evaluation showed that nurses found the SH+ program very useful but difficult to adhere to.ConclusionWe found that the translated Chinese version of SH+ was applicable and feasible in the Chinese cultural context. There was a potential effect of adapted SH + in reducing nurses' psychological distress during COVID-19 and suggested the value of exploring strategies to increase adherence to the program.

With the increase of urban power grid scale, the requirement of power supply reliability has been improved, and the active intervention type arc extinguishing device (AIT-AED) has been paid more and more attention to. As one of the effective means of grounding fault arc extinguishing, the AIT-AED has a high demand on the operation reliability, but the operation experience of AIT-AED is insufficient. Hence, the pilot application of this device was carried out and its operation situations were investigated in this paper. It is found that the setting value, control logic, accessories quality and artificial operation are the main influencing factors of operation reliability and the corresponding improved measures were proposed, which could provide references for the operation and maintenance of AIT-AED.

BackgroundHigh-salt diet is an important risk factor for several non-communicable diseases. School-based health education has been found effective in reducing salt intake among children and their families in China. However, no such interventions have been scaled up in the real world. For this purpose, a study was launched to support the development and scale-up of an mHealth-based system (EduSaltS) that integrated routine health education and salt reduction and was delivered through primary schools. This study aims to elaborate the framework, development process, features, and preliminary scaling-up of the EduSaltS system.MethodsThe EduSaltS system evolved from previously successfully tested interventions to reduce family salt intake by empowering schoolchildren through school health education. EduSaltS was designed by following the WHO’s conceptual framework for developing a scaling-up strategy which accounted for the nature of the innovation, the capacity of the implementing organizations, the characteristics of the environment, the resources available, and type of scaling up. The system was then developed step by step from determination of online platform architecture, definition of component interventions and activities, development of specific educational materials and tools, to the development of the online/offline hybridized system. The system was tested and refined by a pilot in two schools and a preliminary scale-up in two cities in China.ResultsEduSaltS was developed as an innovative health education system, including an online WeChat-based education platform, a set of offline activities, and an actual administrative website showing the progress and setting the system. The WeChat platform could be installed on users’ smartphones to automatically deliver 20 sessions of five-minute well-structured cartoon video classes, followed by other online interactive activities. It also helps support project implementation and real-time performance evaluation. As a first-stage roll-out, a one-year course has been successfully implemented among 54,538 children and their families from 209 schools in two cities, and the average course completion rate was 89.1%.ConclusionAs an innovative mHealth-based health education system, EduSaltS was developed based on successfully tested interventions and an appropriate framework for scaling up. The early-stage roll-out has shown its preliminary scalability, and further evaluation is ongoing.

Abstract Hydrovoltaic energy technology that generates electricity directly from the interaction of materials with water has been regarded as a promising renewable energy harvesting method. With the advantages of high specific surface area, good conductivity, and easily tunable porous nanochannels, two‐dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have promising potential in high‐performance hydrovoltaic electricity generation applications. Herein, this review summarizes the most recent advances of 2D materials for hydrovoltaic electricity generation, including carbon nanosheets, layered double hydroxide (LDH), and layered transition metal oxides and sulfides. Some strategies were introduced to improve the energy conversion efficiency and the output power of hydrovoltaic electricity generation devices based on 2D materials. The applications of these devices in self‐powered electronics, sensors, and low‐consumption devices are also discussed. Finally, the challenges and perspectives on this emerging technology are outlined.

Inflammatory pseudotumor (IP) is a rare benign group of lesions which mimics invasive malignancies clinically and radiologically. We described five cases of nasopharyngeal and skull base IP treated by endoscopic surgery. These patients suffered from headache, tinnitus and some symptoms of posterior cranial nerve injury such as hoarseness. Three of them had history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and four patients underwent mastoidectomy or puncture of tympanic membrane. The diagnosis of IP was confirmed histologically. Endoscopic surgical excision was proved to be effective and safe for anterior skull base IP.

The oxidation process of soybean oil (SBO) during frying fish cakes was investigated. The TOTOX value of before frying (BF) and after frying (AF) was significantly higher than control (CK). However, the total polar compound (TPC) content of AF reached 27.67% in frying oil continuously frying at 180℃ for 18 h, and 26.17% for CK. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) loss in isooctane and methanol significantly decreased with the extension of frying time and then tended to be stable. The decrease of DPPH loss was related to the increase of TPC content. Antioxidant and prooxidant balance (APB) value below 0.5 was obtained after 12 h for heated oil. (E)-2-alkenals, (E, E)-2,4-alkadienals, and n-alkanals were dominant ingredients among the secondary oxidation products. Traces of monoglycerides (MAG) and diglycerides (DAG) were also detected. These results may improve our understanding of the oxidation deterioration in SBO during frying.

Global climate deterioration caused by excessive carbon emissions poses a severe threat to the stable operation of power systems. In extreme snow and ice weather, complex faults, such as ice-covered line breakage and insulator flashover, may be triggered. Hybrid simulations to reveal the influence mechanism and dynamic interaction process between extreme weather and power systems have become a research focus. Relationship models between meteorological conditions and grid failure were constructed in ice accretion and insulator flashover scenarios. Based on the above two models, a multi-variable and multi-time scale hybrid simulation of the meteorological process and power system, considering line icing and insulator flashover, was realized. An example was provided to verify the feasibility of the proposed simulation scheme.

Urban agglomerations are regions where the economy and population are highly concentrated, which are also spatial units with more concentrated carbon emissions. A detailed decomposition of driving factors based on changes in carbon emissions of urban agglomerations can provide a reference for better carbon reduction policies. In this paper, we establish an evaluation framework of carbon emission drivers of urban agglomeration from the perspective of CO2 generation and removal using a system dynamics method. The key influencing factors and optimal emission reduction measures of carbon emissions in urban agglomerations are explored. The results are as follows: (1) The industrial structure is the key influencing factor of carbon emissions; (2) compared with no implementation of any policies, the total carbon emissions and carbon emission intensity of integrated policies all significantly decrease, with a decrease of 43.68% and 53.32%, respectively in 2035; (3) energy structure adjustment has a significant effect in reducing carbon emissions and carbon emission intensity; (4) the role of increasing investment in technological innovation in ensuring achievement of “carbon peak” should not be ignored. It is found that integrated policies often exhibit a better emission reduction effect, but this effect is not a simple summation of the effects of each single policy.

Abstract Background Mental disorders impose heavy burdens on patients’ families and children. It is imperative to provide family-focused services to avoid adverse effects from mental disorders on patients’ families and children. However, implementing such services requires a great deal of involvement of mental health workers. This study investigated the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and practices in respect to family-focused practices (FFP) in a sample of Chinese mental health workers. Methods A cross-sectional study design was employed to examine the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and practices of a convenience sample of Chinese mental health workers in respect to FFP, using the Chinese version of the Family-Focused Mental Health Practice Questionnaire (FFMHPQ). Results In total, 515 mental health workers participated in our study, including 213 psychiatrists, 269 psychiatric nurses, and 34 allied mental health professionals (20 clinical psychologists, 9 mental health social workers, and 4 occupational therapists). Compared with psychiatric nurses, psychiatrists and allied mental health professionals provided more support for families and children of patients with mental illness and were more willing to receive further training in FFP. However, there were no significant differences on knowledge, skills, and confidence across different profession types. After adjusting for demographic and occupational variables, previous training in FFP was positively associated with mental health workers’ knowledge, skills, and confidence about FFP, but not actual support to families and children. Conclusions Professional differences on FFP exist in Chinese mental health workers. Training is needed to engage psychiatrists and other allied workforce in dissemination and implementation of FFP in China.

In recent years, global environmental problems such as air pollution and the greenhouse effect have become more and more serious. The utilization of biomass energy not only can promote low-carbon transformation to establish a competitive advantage through value creation under the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality but is also an important force in solving environmental problems. Government subsidy policies play an important role in promoting the development of biomass energy utilization. Taking straw as an example, this paper constructs a straw recycling supply chain system dynamics model consisting of farmers, acquisition stations, power plants, and pyrolysis plants based on a real-world case. Two types of straw processing, namely power generation and pyrolysis, are considered in the model. This paper analyzes the economic and environmental impacts of three subsidy policies, namely the unified rate policy, the linear growth policy, and a two-step policy, by comparing the profit, carbon, and pollution emission reduction benefits of the supply chain under different subsidy scenarios. The result shows that, among the three subsidy policies, the unified rate policy shows the best-promoting effect. The research results and policy implications in this paper could be a reference for governments trying to formulate subsidy policies for developing biomass energy utilization.

Vicia villosa, a high-quality green manure crop, helps to increase the content of soil phosphorus (P) by returning to the field. Soil P deprivation is a severe constraint on crop productivity that triggers the low P stress response in plants, which is controlled by various transcriptional regulatory network pathways. Identifying key genes from these transcriptional regulatory networks can help in developing low P-tolerant crops. In this study, we performed physiological observations and transcriptome sequencing of seedlings from the two Vicia villosa varieties, Xu Shao 3 and Soviet Vicia villosa, under P starvation conditions. The results showed that the main root length, plant height, shoot dry weight, root acid phosphatase activity, and inorganic P content of Xu Shao 3 were significantly higher than those of Soviet Vicia villosa under low P conditions. Based on transcriptome data analysis, 183 (shoot) + 144 (root) differential genes (DEGs) between the two varieties were identified; 144 (shoot) + 79 (root) were upregulated, and 69 (shoot) + 65 (root) were downregulated. KEGG analysis found that DEGs in shoots were significantly enriched in photosynthesis pathways, such as vitamin B6 and riboflavin metabolism. Meanwhile, DEGs in roots were enriched in plant signal transduction, fatty acid degradation, citric acid cycle, pentose, glucuronic acid conversion, etc. GO enrichment analysis suggested that DEGs in shoots were significantly enriched in biological processes, including cell response to P stress, intracellular ion homeostasis, etc., and molecular functions, including phosphate ester hydrolase, phosphatase, acid phosphatase activity, etc. Furthermore, DEGs associated with low P tolerance included three acid phosphatases, a phosphoesterase, a sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol synthase, a phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, six phosphate transporters and glycerol-3-phosphate transporters, eight SPX, and two PHL genes. In conclusion, Xu Shao 3 exhibited stronger inorganic P accumulation ability and a lesser effect on growth than Soviet Vicia villosa under low P conditions, which might result from photosynthesis, sugar, and P metabolism differences between the two varieties. Acid phosphatase, phosphoesterase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol synthase, phosphate transporter, glycerol-3-phosphate transporter, and SPX were key DEGs leading to the difference in low P stress tolerance between the two varieties.

Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) is an endemic, degenerative osteoarthropathy that exhibits some similar characteristics to osteoarthritis (OA) but with different etiologies and pathogeneses. In addition to cartilage damage, microstructural changes of bone were observed in KBD. This study aimed to comparatively demonstrate the general histopathological changes, transcriptomics, and differentially expressed miRNAs of subchondral bone between KBD and OA. Tibial plateau subchondral bone samples were collected from eighteen patients with KBD and eighteen patients with OA. Histopathological changes were examined by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, safranin O-fast green staining, and picrosirius red staining. RNA sequencing and miRNA array analysis were performed to screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs), respectively. The subchondral bone samples of the tibial plateau of KBD and OA both showed increased thickness and sclerosis. A total of 179 DEGs and 124 DEMs were identified in subchondral bone between KBD and OA, which were involved in several vital GO terms and KEGG signaling pathways. Our results suggest that the pathological mechanisms of subchondral bone are different between KBD and OA, although they exhibit similar histopathological features. Integrated analysis revealed several genes such as ADAMTS14, SLC13A5, and CEACAM1, that may be crucial DEGs in subchondral bone between KBD and OA, suggesting that these genes could serve as potential differential diagnostic biomarkers for subchondral bone lesions in KBD and OA. These findings provide valuable information for further clarifying pathological changes in subchondral bone in KBD and OA.

Although soil microorganism is an active area of research, we are still in the early stages of understanding how living microorganisms influence the accumulations of soil microbial residues under different agricultural practices. Based on a 39-year fertilization experiment, we characterized the soil microbiota and correlated their compositions to soil microbial residues, which are indicated by amino sugars under a rice-wheat rotation. In the present study, fertilization regimes and crop season all exerted significant impacts on the compositions of soil microbial communities and their residues, although no significant difference in the microbial residues was found between soil depth (0–10 cm vs. 10–20 cm). Compared within fertilization regimes, the long-term fertilization, especially the application of organic manure, stimulated the accumulations of carbon (C) and nitrogen in soils and microbial residues. Upland soils in wheat season accumulated more microbial residues, particularly in fungal residues, than paddy soils in rice season. Our results suggested that the long-term application of organic manure favored the growth of soil microbial communities, and then increased the contents of microbial residues, particularly in fungal residues, leading to an enlargement of soil C pools. The keystone taxa Pseudaleuria identified by network analysis showed a significantly positive potential in soil C sequestration by increasing the accumulation of fungal residues. Thus, this study revealed the strong and close connections between microbial communities and their residues, and provided evidence about the critical role of keystone taxa in regulating C sequestration.

Abstract Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-based photocatalysts have shown great potential in the splitting of water. However, the intrinsic drawbacks of g-C3N4, such as low surface area, poor diffusion, and charge separation efficiency, remain as the bottleneck to achieve highly efficient hydrogen evolution. Here, a hollow oxygen-incorporated g-C3N4 nanosheet (OCN) with an improved surface area of 148.5 m2 g−1 is fabricated by the multiple thermal treatments under the N2/O2 atmosphere, wherein the C–O bonds are formed through two ways of physical adsorption and doping. The physical characterization and theoretical calculation indicate that the O-adsorption can promote the generation of defects, leading to the formation of hollow morphology, while the O-doping results in reduced band gap of g-C3N4. The optimized OCN shows an excellent photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of 3519.6 μmol g−1 h−1 for ~ 20 h, which is over four times higher than that of g-C3N4 (850.1 μmol g−1 h−1) and outperforms most of the reported g-C3N4 catalysts.

Subnanometer noble metal clusters have attracted much attention because of abundant low-coordinated metal atoms that perform excellent catalytic activity in various catalytic processes. However, the surface free energy of metals increases significantly with decreasing size of the metal clusters, which accelerates the aggregation of small clusters. In this work, new Schiff base–imidazole-functionalized MOFs were successfully synthesized via the postsynthetic modification method. Highly dispersed Pd clusters with an average size of 1.5 nm were constructed on this functional MOFs and behaved excellent catalytic activity in the Suzuki coupling of phenyboronic acid and bromobenzene (yield of biaryl >99%) under mild reaction conditions. Moreover, the catalyst can be reused six times without loss of activity. Such catalytic behavior is found to closely related to the surface functional groups that promote the formation of small Pd0 clusters in the metallic state.

Soil aggregates provide different ecological niches for microorganisms, and in turn, the microbial interactions affect soil aggregation process. The response of the microbial community in bulk soil to different fertilization regimes has been well studied; however, the co-occurrence patterns of bacteria and fungi in different aggregates under various fertilization regimes remain unclear. Based on the long-term field experiment, we found that fertilization regimes contributed more to fungal than to bacterial community composition. Long-term fertilization decreased microbial interactions in large macroaggregates (LM), macroaggregates (MA) and silt and clay (SC) fractions, but increased in microaggregates (MI). The application of manure with inorganic fertilizers (NPKM) significantly increased the intensive cooperation between bacteria and fungi in LM and MA. Microbial communities in LM and MA were well separated and showed strong competition against microbes in MI and SC; hence, we concluded that the microbial habitat could be divided into two groups, large fractions (LM and MA) and small fractions (MI and SC). The bacterial genera Anaerolinea, Nocardioides, Ohtaekwangia, Geoalkalibacter, Lysobacter, Pedomicrobium, and Flavisolibacter were keystone taxa in inorganic fertilization, and Roseiflexus, Nitrospira, and Blastocatella were keystone taxa in NPKM, which were all sensitive to soil aggregation. In this study, we demonstrated that the NPKM decreased the microbial interactions within and between kingdoms in LM, MA, and SC, but enhanced nutrient availability and microbial interactions in MI, leading to the formation of biofilms and the strengthening of stress tolerance, which finally stimulated the formation and stabilization of soil aggregates. Thus, this study revealed how soil microbial competition or cooperation responded to different fertilization regimes at aggregate scales, and provided evidence for the stimulation of soil stability.

BackgroundSalt reduction is a cost-effective, and rather challenging public health strategy for controlling chronic diseases. The AppSalt program is a school-based multi-component mobile health (mhealth) salt reduction program designed to tackle the high salt intake in China. This mixed-methods process evaluation was conducted to investigate the implementation of this program across sites, identify factors associated with the implementation, and collect evidence to optimize the intervention design for future scale-up.MethodsMixed methods were used sequentially to collect data regarding five process evaluation dimensions: fidelity, dose delivered, dose received, reach, and context. Quantitative data were collected during the intervention process. Participation rate of intervention activities was calculated and compared across cities. The quantitative data was used for the selection of representative intervention participants for the qualitative interviews. Qualitative data were collected in face-to-face semi-structured interviews with purposively selected students (n = 33), adult family members (n = 33), teachers (n = 9), heads of schools (n = 9), key informants from local health, and education departments (n = 8). Thematic analysis technique was applied to analyze the interview transcripts using NVivo. The qualitative data were triangulated with the quantitative data during the interpretation phase.ResultsThe total number of families recruited for the intervention was 1,124. The overall retention rate of the AppSalt program was 97%. The intervention was implemented to a high level of fidelity against the protocol. About 80% of intervention participants completed all the app-based salt reduction courses, with a significant difference across the three cities (Shijiazhuang: 95%; Luzhou: 73%; Yueyang: 64%). The smartphone app in this program was perceived as a feasible and engaging health education tool by most intervention participants and key stakeholders. Through the interviews with participants and key stakeholders, we identified some barriers to implementing this program at primary schools, including the left-behind children who usually live with their grandparents and have limited access of smartphones; perceived adverse effects of smartphones on children (e.g., eyesight damage); and overlooked health education curriculum at Chinese primary schools.ConclusionThis process evaluation demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of using smartphone applications delivered through the education system to engage families in China to reduce excessive salt intake.Clinical Trial RegistrationThe AppSalt study was registered at www.chictr.org.cn, identifier: ChiCTR1800017553. The date of registration is August 3, 2018.

The mechanisms of angiotensin II (Ang II) on regulating adipogenic differentiation and function remain unknown. In this study, we focus on revealing the role of C-terminal-binding protein 1 (CtBP1) on Ang II-mediated adipogenic differentiation and mature adipocyte browning. Amounts of 3T3-L1 and CtBP1-KO 3T3-L1 were treated with Ang II for 24 h and then induced adipogenic differentiation, or cells were first induced differentiation and then treated with Ang II. The expressions of CtBP1 and adipogenic markers were checked by Western blot. Transcription of CtBP1 was assayed by Real-time RT-PCR. Lipid droplet formation and size were detected by Oil Red O. Mitochondrial content and reactive oxygenspecies (ROS) were detected by Mito-tracker and MitoSOX. Mitochondrial respiratory function was detected with the corresponding kits. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) (∆Ψm) was assayed by JC-1. The results show that Ang II promoted CtBP1 transcription and expression via AT1 receptor during 3T3-L1 adipogenic differentiation. Ang II significantly inhibited lipid droplet formation and adipogenic markers expression in 3T3-L1 differentiation, which was blocked by CtBP1 knockout. In mature 3T3-L1, Ang II treatment increased uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) expression and the number of lipid droplets, and also reduced lipid droplet size and single cell lipid accumulation, which was reversed by CtBP1 knockout. In addition, Ang II treatment enhanced mitochondrial numbers, ATP production, oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and ROS generation, and reduced MMP (∆Ψm) via CtBP1 in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that CtBP1 plays a key role in the inhibitory effect of Ang II on adipogenesis. Moreover, Ang II regulates the function of mature adipocyte via CtBP1, including promoting adipocyte browning, mitochondrial respiration and ROS generation.

Introduction Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder that presents with abdominal pain/discomfort and altered bowel patterns. IBS has multiple potential causes for which conventional medicines have had limited success, resulting in a significant number of patients who do not sensitively respond to pharmacotherapy for a period of 12 months and who develop a continuing symptom profile (described as refractory IBS) and seek help through (non)pharmacological treatments. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for refractory IBS on the basis of conventional treatments.Methods and analysis A total of 170 eligible patients who meet the Rome IV criteria for refractory IBS will be randomly allocated to receive acupuncture or sham acupuncture. Each patient will receive 12 sessions of acupuncture over 4 weeks and a 4-week follow-up. The primary outcome will be the IBS Symptom Severity Score. Secondary outcomes will include the proportion of participants experiencing adequate relief of global IBS symptoms, the weekly frequency of defecation, the stool properties assessed by the Bristol Grading Scale, the Work and Social Adjustment Scale, the IBS-Quality of Life score, and the Self-Rating Depression Scale and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale anxiety and depression scores. Outcome measures will be collected at baseline, 2 and 4 weeks of the intervention, and 6 and 8 weeks after the intervention. Categorical variables will be compared with Fisher’s exact test or the Wilcoxon rank-sum test, and continuous variables will be compared using Student’s t-test or the Wilcoxon rank-sum test.Ethics and dissemination The entire project has been approved by the ethics committees of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (2020BZYLL0507) and Sichuan Province Regional Institution for Conducting Research on Traditional Chinese Medicine (2020KL-025). The outcomes of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications.Trial registration number NCT04276961.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of konjac glucomannan (KGM) on oil absorption and the formation of safety hazard factors in fried battered fish nuggets by measuring advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and acrylamide contents. Other physicochemical properties were determined to explore the reason for oil absorption and formation of safety hazard factors. The acrylamide was found mainly in the crust. The addition of 0.8% KGM could significantly reduce the acrylamide content (p < 0.05). For the battered sample, the AGEs content was far lower than the unbattered. The addition of 0.8% KGM could significantly reduce the AGEs content in the inner layer (p < 0.05). The microstructure showed that the sample with 0.8% KGM had the most compact crust. The compact crust reduced oil and malondialdehyde contents. Combined with the other indicators, the inhibitory effect of 0.8% KGM on acrylamide was closely related with the decreased extent of oil oxidation and Maillard reaction in the samples with 0.8% KGM. The inhibitory effect of 0.8% KGM on AGEs might originate from its lower oil content.

The harmful solids and nano-particles with particle size smaller than or equal to 10 μm can be hardly removed by means of the existing solid–liquid separation. And on drilling sites, they are mostly buried after a harmless treatment, but the resource utilization ratio is low and the risk of secondary pollution still exists. In this paper, a technical idea was proposed to carry out a reclamation treatment on the waste water-based drilling fluids by means of electrochemical adsorption. Firstly, a laboratory test was carried out to investigate the effects of voltage, adsorption time, bentonite concentration, pad spacing and inorganic salt concentration on electro adsorption results by applying voltage on electro adsorption electrode. Then, the adsorption capacity of 4 common inorganic salts (NaCl, KCl, CaCl2 and Na2CO3) to the solid particles in the simulated drilling fluid was investigated on the electro adsorption electrode at different concentrations. Finally, after an optimal electro adsorption condition was determined, the waste polysulfonate drilling fluid of a certain domestic oilfield was taken as a sample to verify such treatment effect. And the following research results were obtained. First, by means of electrochemical adsorption, the inferior solid particles in waste drilling fluids are removed through adsorption, and thus the waste drilling fluid is reclaimed and the resource reutilization ratio of drilling waste is increased while its treatment volume and cost in the late stage is decreased. Second, the optimal electro adsorption condition of simulated waste drilling fluid with 5% bentonite and 2 g/L NaCl is adsorption voltage of 36 V, adsorption time of 5 min and pad spacing of 5 cm. And third, more than 90% of the inferior solids with a particle size range of 1–10 μm are removed after the sample is treated by means of the electrochemical adsorption. It is indicated that this proposed method plays a remarkable role in removing the inferior solids in the waste polysulfonate drilling fluids. Keywords: Waste water-based drilling fluid, Electrochemical adsorption method, Inferior solid, Nano-particle, Removal rate, Reclamation and reuse, Resource utilization ratio

An in-depth exploration of the inner mechanisms of the spatio-temporal evolution of land prices in multiple industries (residential, commercial service and industrial) is of great significance for improving the overall economic development efficiency and resource allocation capacity of the region. Based on urban land price transaction data provided by the China Land Market Network, 307 county-level units in the Yangtze River Delta were used as the study area and spatial auto-correlation and spatio-temporal hotspot analysis were used to explore the spatial variation and temporal changes of land prices in multiple industries in the Yangtze River Delta from 2008 to 2018. The three-dimensional driving theory of land “demand + supply + market” was used as the basis to construct the index system of influential factors and the Spatial Durbin Model was used to explore the mechanism of the spatio-temporal variation of land prices in multiple industries. The results show that the land prices of multiple industries in the Yangtze River Delta are generally high in the east and low in the west and high in the south and low in the north, which is spatially consistent with the level of regional economic development. Due to the disparity in economic development between the regions, factors such as population, capital, technology and information are redistributed and fed into each other’s cycles between cities. The resulting spatial differences in land market supply and demand are intrinsic to the spatial differentiation of urban land prices. It is further proposed that land prices are a monetized expression of the abundance of resources in a city and that land prices are determined by the combined ability of regional resource factors to be allocated. Thus, land price differentiation reflects differences in the level of comprehensive regional development. Finally, the dynamic interaction of various factors on land values is used to promote the division of urban functions and regional economic development, which is an effective way to promote high-quality integrated regional development.

Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) homeostasis plays an important role in maintaining vascular function, and PVAT dysfunction may induce several pathophysiological situations. In this study, we investigated the effect and mechanism of the local angiotensin II (Ang II) on PVAT. High-throughput comparative proteomic analysis, based on TMT labeling combined with LC-MS/MS, were performed on an in vivo Ang II infusion mice model to obtain a comprehensive view of the protein ensembles associated with thoracic PVAT (tPVAT) dysfunction induced by Ang II. In total, 5037 proteins were confidently identified, of which 4984 proteins were quantified. Compared with the saline group, 145 proteins were upregulated and 146 proteins were downregulated during Ang II-induced tPVAT pathogenesis. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that the most enriched GO terms were annotated as gene silencing, monosaccharide binding, and extracellular matrix. In addition, some novel proteins, potentially associated with Ang II infusion, were identified, such as acyl-CoA carboxylase α, very long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase (ACSVL), uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), perilipin, RAS protein-specific guanine nucleotide-releasing factor 2 (RasGRF2), and hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α). Ang II could directly participate in the regulation of lipid metabolism, transportation, and adipocyte differentiation by affecting UCP1 and perilipin. Importantly, the key KEGG pathways were involved in fatty acid biosynthesis, FABP3-PPARα/γ, RasGRF2-ERK-HIF-1α, RasGRF2-PKC-HIF-1α, and STAT3-HIF-1α axis. The present study provided the most comprehensive proteome profile of mice tPVAT and some novel insights into Ang II-mediated tPVAT dysfunction and will be helpful for understanding the possible relationship between local RAS activation and PVAT dysfunction.

Renewable energy represents a pathway towards sustainable development and reducing dependence on fossil fuels for the international workforce. Following the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, the EU has been intensifying its transition towards clean energy, reaffirming its net-zero emissions goal. Under this goal, accelerating the development of renewable energy has become a necessity. Wind power holds a significant position among the EU's RES. Due to the high population density in the EU, offshore wind power, compared to onshore wind power, experiences faster wind speeds and more stable wind sources, making the boost of offshore wind energy a major development trend for the EU's new energy initiatives. The results indicate a significant positive correlation between offshore wind power generation and greenhouse gas emissions. On average, for every 100 million tons of GHG emissions, the EU should achieve an annual power generation of 3148.11 GWh through offshore wind power and increase the cumulative installed capacity of national offshore wind power to 768045 MW. In combination with the EU's carbon trading system and the carbon price and emission reduction effects of offshore wind power proposed by some scholars, an installed capacity of offshore wind power approximately accounts for 2.69% of the EU's emission reductions, potentially generating an economic benefit of 21825 billion euros. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]