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BACKGROUND: Chrysanthemum is one of the most important and popular ornamentals over the world. Chrysanthemum drink is a type of traditional healthy drink like Chinese tea. Owing to the differences in the chemical compositions, different chrysanthemum varieties have different medicinal effects on human health. Thus, the identification of different chrysanthemum varieties is very important and necessary. This study aims to distinguish seven chrysanthemum varieties that are widely used in China. First, total lipids were obtained from chrysanthemums. After that, lipid profiles were characterized using ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography hyphenated with a Q Exactive™ high resolution–accurate‐mass mass spectrometer. RESULTS: A total of 163 lipid molecular species from 17 types of lipid classes in seven varieties of chrysanthemums were determined. Principal component analysis indicated that three lipid molecules, lysophosphatidylethanolamine(18:2) (LPE(18:2)), LPE(16:0), and phosphatidic acid(18:2/18:3) (variable importance in projection >3, P < 0.001), can be used as potential biomarkers to distinguish seven chrysanthemum varieties. Hierarchical cluster analysis showed that the lipid molecular profiles of 'Gongju' were most similar to 'Jinzijianju', followed by 'Huaibaiju', 'Boju', 'Hangbaiju', 'Chuju', and 'Fubaiju'. CONCLUSION: This comprehensive analysis provided a new method to identify chrysanthemum varieties through the perspective of lipidomics combined with chemometrics. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperspectral observations are used to retrieve high-resolution horizontal distribution and vertical profiles of trace gases (O3, NO2, HCHO, and SO2), thereby playing a vital role in monitoring the spatio-temporal distribution and transportation of atmospheric pollutants. These observations reflect air quality changes on global and regional scales, including China, thereby elucidating the impacts of anthropogenic and natural emissions on atmospheric composition and global climate change. The DaQi 02 (DQ02) satellite carries the Environmental Trace Gases Monitoring Instrument with Nadir and Limb modes (EMI-NL) onboard, which will simultaneously perform nadir and limb measurements of high-resolution ultraviolet and visible solar scattered light in the nadir and limb directions. Combined with the absorption of different trace gases in this wavelength band, this information can provide high-resolution horizontal and vertical distributions of trace gases. We examined the spectral measuring ability and instrument characteristics of both modules of EMI-NL by measuring different light sources and concentrations of the NO2 sample gas. In the nadir module test, when the NO2 sample gas concentration was 198 ppm and 513 ppm with scattered sunlight as the light source, the average relative errors of spatial pixels were 4.02% and 3.64%, respectively. At the NO2 sample gas concentration of 198 ppm with the integrating sphere as the light source, the average relative error of spatial pixels was −2.26%. In the limb module test, when the NO2 sample gas concentration was 198 ppm and 1000 ppm with the tungsten halogen lamp as the light source, the average relative errors of spatial pixels were −3.07% and 8.32%, respectively. When the NO2 sample gas concentration was 198 ppm and 1000 ppm with the integrating sphere as the light source, the spatial pixel average errors were −3.5% and 8.06%, respectively. The retrieved NO2 slant column density between different spatial pixels exhibited notable inconsistency in both modules, which could be used to estimate the stripe of spatial dimension. These results confirm the ability of EMI-NL to provide accurate spaceborne monitoring of NO2 globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground-based two-dimensional (2D) Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) were collected continuously from June 2015 to May 2016 in Hefei, China. The spatial distribution of NO 2 concentrations showed that more air pollution was present in eastern and southeastern direction from the study site, and these areas were located in the center of the city and economic developing zone. The seasonal variations of NO 2 concentrations were distinct, and the highest levels were detected in winter, while the lowest levels were detected in summer. The mean concentration of NO 2 during the heating season (November–March of the following year) was 6.56 ppbv, while that during the non-heating season (April–October) was 4 ppbv. The highest concentrations of NO 2 , carbon monoxide (CO), and PM 2.5 were all observed during the heating season. The results from the potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis suggested that NO 2 pollution in the summer was caused primarily by long-range transport from the east, while that in winter showed significant local influences. By combining the analyses of meteorological trajectory pressure profiles and aerosol optical depths (AODs), the sources of NO 2 during the heating season were found to be mainly local emissions, while those during the non-heating season were mainly from long-range transportation. Image 1 • NO 2 was monitored during 2015–2016 in Hefei, China, with 2D MAX-DOAS data. • High NO 2 levels were concentrated in urban and industrial areas. • Local emission sources were the dominant sources of NO 2 in winter. • Haze and NO 2 pollution had simultaneous variations during the heating seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sufu is a cheese-like product fermented with soybean curd in China, widely consumed for its unique nutritional and flavor properties. To investigate the associations among microbial communities, chemical properties, producing regions and dressing flavors of sufu , the high-throughput sequencing for 16 sufu products from different regions based on the bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal internal transcribed spacer 2 gene was performed. A sum of 368 bacterial genera and 299 fungal genera were identified. The fungal microflora in sufu samples contained many symbiont fungi of soybean. Aspergillus and Actinomucor were abundant in the sufu products as hydrolase-producing genera. The bacterial diversity result showed that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were very abundant in all these sufu products and the Lactococcus was the most abundant genus. According to the principal coordinate analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis, the bacterial communities of sufu samples could be generally clustered into the LAB clade and Bacillus clade. Moreover, the fungal communities of sufu samples from eastern China could be generally clustered into one group, while the dressing flavor of sufu samples during post-fermentation was not a major factor for microbial communities shaping. This study could potentially serve as a reference for a rational design of microbial communities to improve the sufu quality. • Microbial compositions in different sufu products varied significantly. • Lactic acid bacteria were abundant and the Lactococcus was the most abundant genus. • The bacterial communities could be clustered into the LBA clade and Bacillus clade. • The fungal communities of sufu samples could be shaped by geographical factors. • The bacterial communities were variable and could be modulated by many factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EMI instrument onboard the Chinese GaoFen-5 satellite was has been successfully launched on May 9, 2018. The EMI instrument is a nadir-viewing push broom spectrometer, measuring earthshine radiances and solar irradiances in the wavelength range of 240 to 710 nm at a moderate spectral resolution (FWHM) of 0.3 to 0.5 nm (depending on wavelength). EMI consists of an Offner imaging spectrometer with four spectral channels, and each channel is equipped with a two-dimensional (spectral and spatial) CCD detector which enables a field of view (FOV) of 114° and 0.5° in the swath and flight direction, respectively. The four spectral channels cover the following wavelength ranges: 240-315 nm, 311-403 nm, 401-550 nm, and 545-710 nm for the UV1, UV2, VIS1, and VIS2 channels, respectively. The spatial resolution of the instrument is 24*13 km.An EMI NO2 retrieval algorithm has been developed. The EMI NO2 slant column densities were retrieved by analyzing the earthshine spectra at the wavelength range of 410-470nm using the DOAS technique. Cross section of other trace gas absorption such as liquid and vapour water, O3, O4, and Ring effect are included in the DOAS analysis. The EMI NO2 SCDs were then converted to vertical column densities (VCDs) by using the concept of air mass factor (AMF). The AMFs were calculated based on the NO2 profiles derived from the GEOS-Chem chemistry transport model simulations with a horizontal resolution of 2°×2.5° using the radiative transfer model VLIDORT. Vertical columns over China were calculated with a regional chemistry transport model WRF-Chem at a resolution of 10km. The tropospheric-stratospheric separation of the total NO2 column was realized by a novel reference sector method. The first retrieval results of EMI NO2 VCDs are presented. The result shows the EMI instrument is able to capture the spatial and temporal variability of NO2 pollution levels and show good agreement with other satellite observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lipid management based on cardiovascular risk level is the cornerstone of primary prevention of coronary artery disease (CAD), while the accuracy and adherence of traditional cardiovascular risk stratification have been questioned. Prevention strategies based on imaging screening for atherosclerotic plaques are found to be more objective and adherent in recent studies. This trial aims to investigate the role of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in guiding the primary prevention of CAD in a randomized controlled design., Methods: Approximately 3400 middle-aged asymptomatic community participants will be recruited and randomized in a 1:1 ratio to a traditional cardiovascular risk score-guided (usual care group) or CCTA-guided (CCTA group) strategy. Participants with cardiovascular disease, prior lipid-lowering therapy, CCTA contraindication, or serious diseases that affect life span will be excluded. The intervention strategy includes blood pressure, blood glucose, and lipid management and lifestyle modifications. Blood pressure and glucose targets and lifestyle modification recommendations keep the same in both strategies, while lipid management is personalized based on traditional risk level or CCTA results, respectively. The primary outcome is the proportion of participants taking lipid-lowering medication regularly at both 6 and 12 months. The secondary outcomes include the proportion of participants achieving low-density lipoprotein cholesterol lowering targets at 12 months, mean changes in lipid levels from baseline to 12 months, barriers to adherence, adverse reactions related to CCTA examination, and cardiovascular events., Discussion: The study is the first randomized clinical trial to examine the effectiveness of a CCTA-guided versus a traditional risk score-guided primary prevention strategy in an asymptomatic community-based population., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05725096. Registered on 2 February 2023., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

A total of 88 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains were isolated from Chinese traditional sourdough and five of them were selected based on their bile resistance. All the five strains were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. In vitro probiotic properties of the L. plantarum strains including tolerance to simulated gastrointestinal conditions, aggregation activity, and cholesterol removal ability were assessed. Two representatives, L. plantarum ZJUFT34 and L. plantarum ZJUFT17, were intragastrically administered to male C57BL/6J mice of 4-week age for 6 weeks to evaluate their in vivo health-promoting effects. The results indicated that L. plantarum ZJUFT34, L. plantarum ZJUFHN9, and L. plantarum ZJUFAH5 could survive the 3-h incubation in simulated gastric juice with a pH value of 2.0, while L. plantarum ZJUFT32 and L. plantarum ZJUFT17 exhibited better autoaggregation activities and coaggregation activities with pathogens. All the strains showed a cholesterol removal ability in vitro. However, L. plantarum ZJUFT34 or L. plantarum ZJUFT17 administration did not significantly change the serum total cholesterol in vivo. But the ratio of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly increased by the L. plantarum administration. Besides, L. plantarum ZJUFT17 significantly lowered serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α concentrations. Furthermore, the administration of the LAB strains showed significant influences on lipid metabolism-related gut microbiota. These findings suggested that the L. plantarum strains may benefit the prevention of metabolic syndrome.