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Zhi-Ying Zhan,1,2,* Qi Tian,3,* Ting-Ting Chen,1,* Yunshao Ye,3 Qiaoxuan Lin,3 Dong Han,1 Chun-Quan Ou1 1State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Department of Biostatistics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Health Care Management and Social Medicine, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Information Resources, Guangzhou Health Information Center, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Chun-Quan Ou Email ocq@smu.edu.cnPurpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of chronic diseases causing considerable social and economic burden globally. Despite substantial evidence on temperature-COPD association, few studies have investigated the acute effect of temperature variability (TV), a potential trigger of exacerbation of COPD disease, and it remains unknown what fraction of the disease burden of COPD is attributable to TV.Patients and Methods: Based on 71,070 COPD hospitalizations during 2013– 2015 in Guangzhou, China, we conducted a time-series analysis using quasi-Poisson regression to assess the association between TV and hospital admission for COPD after adjusting for daily mean temperature. Short-term TV was captured by the standard deviation of hourly or daily temperatures across various exposure days. We also provided the fraction (total number) of COPD attributable to TV. Stratified analyses by admission route, sex, age, occupation, marital status and season were performed to identify vulnerable subpopulations.Results: We found a linear relationship between TV and COPD hospitalization, with a 1°C increase in hourly TV and daily TV associated with 4.3% (95%CI: 2.2– 6.4) and 4.0% (2.3– 5.8) increases in COPD, respectively. The greater relative risks of TV identified males, people aged 0– 64 years, blue collar, and divorced/widowed people as vulnerable population. There were 12.0% (8500 cases) of COPD hospitalization attributable to hourly TV during the study period. Daily TV produced similar estimates of relative effects (relative risk) but grater estimates of absolute effects (attributable fraction) than hourly TV.Conclusion: We concluded that TV was an independent risk factor of COPD morbidity, especially among the susceptible subgroups. These findings would be helpful to guide the development of targeted public intervention.Keywords: epidemiology, COPD hospitalization, distributed lag non-linear model, time-series analysis, China

To make better use of global germplasm resources for improving the eating quality of hybrid rice, using the resequencing data from the 3,000 rice genomes project (3K RGP), the allelic variations of the rice Wx locus were analysed. With the exception of five rare alleles discovered for the first time in our study, most of these alleles were known alleles of Wx. Furthermore, a set of Kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers based on these Wx alleles have been developed, and thirty-six main parents of hybrid rice from 1976 to 2018 were selected for Wx genotyping. The results showed that only three Wx alleles existed in the main parents of hybrids, and the allelic combination of the hybrids changed from Wxa/Wxb and Wxlv/Wxb to Wxb/Wxb with the development of hybrid rice. Wxb is widely used in the male parents of hybrid rice. Wxa and Wxlv were used in the female parents of early hybrid rice, and they were gradually replaced by Wxb. In the future, more favourable Wx alleles from cultivated rice should be identified, introduced, and effectively used to improve hybrid rice quality.

In this work, CeO 2 nanocubes hybridized g-C 3 N 4 composites had been facilely synthesized to investigate the interfacial effects on photocatalytic water splitting. The c-CeO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 composites exhibited the superior photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under visible light irradiation. The optimal c-CeO 2 loading content was 5 wt%, with the H 2 evolution of 4300 μmol g −1 for 5 h illumination, higher than that of pristine CeO 2 , g-C 3 N 4 and irregular CeO 2 nanoparticles/g-C 3 N 4 . Moreover, UV–vis DRS, PL spectra and photoelectrochemical measurements demonstrated that 5 wt% c-CeO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 composite possessed more visible light adsorption and faster charge transfer, which was attributed to the stronger interfacial effects through the presence of the hydrogen bond and p-π hybrid between c-CeO 2 {100} and g-C 3 N 4 , revealed by the FT-IR and XPS results. The work suggested that engineering the structures of the CeO 2 and g-C 3 N 4 interface could be an effective strategy to obtain excellent photocatalysts.

Rice grain with excessive cadmium (Cd) is a major source of dietary Cd intake and a serious threat to health for people who consume rice as a staple food. The development of elite rice cultivars with consistently low Cd content is challenging for conventional breeding approaches, and new strategies urgently need to be developed. Here, we report the development of new indica rice lines with low Cd accumulation and no transgenes by knocking out the metal transporter gene OsNramp5 using CRISPR/Cas9 system. Hydroponic culture showed that Cd concentrations in shoots and roots of osnramp5 mutants were dramatically decreased, resulting in rescue of impaired growth in high Cd condition. Cd-contaminated paddy field trials demonstrated that Cd concentration in osnramp5 grains was consistently less than 0.05 mg/kg, in contrast to high Cd concentrations from 0.33 mg/kg to 2.90 mg/kg in grains of Huazhan (the wild-type indica rice). In particular, the plant yield was not significantly affected in osnramp5 mutants. Furthermore, we developed promising hybrid rice lines with extremely low Cd content in grains. Our work supplies a practical approach to developing Cd pollution-safe indica rice cultivars that minimizes Cd contamination risk in grains.

In this study, we compared the physicochemical properties and starch structures of hybrid rice varieties with similar apparent amylose content but different taste values. In addition to the apparent amylose content, gel permeation chromatography analysis showed that the higher proportions of amylopectin short chains and relatively lower proportions of amylopectin long chains, which could lead to higher peak viscosity and breakdown value, as well as a softer and stickier texture of cooked rice, were the key factors in determining the eating quality of hybrid rice. High-performance anion-exchange chromatography analyses showed that the proportion of amylopectin short chains (degree of polymerization 6-10) and intermediate chains (degree of polymerization 13-24), which might affect the gelatinisation enthalpy and crystallinity, also contributed greatly to the eating quality of hybrid rice. Moreover, this study indicated that a greater diversity of forms and sizes of starch granules might influence the eating quality of hybrid rice.

Using La (NO3)3·6H2O, TiCl4 , and citric acid as the main raw materials, nanocrystalline La2Ti2O7 samples were prepared by microwave assisted method. The structure and morphology of samples were characterized by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of La2Ti2O7 was studied for methyl orange (MO) used as simulated sewage. It was found that the single phase La2Ti2O7 could be obtained through the calcination of microwave processed La2Ti2O7 precursors at 600 °C. The resulted product had an approximate spherical shape and average grain size of 50 nm in diameter. Under UV light, the photocatalytic experiment indicated that the prepared La2Ti2O7 nanocrystalline had high photocatalytic activity for degradation of methyl orange.

Using La (NO3)3·6H2O, NH4VO3, citric acid as the main raw materials, nanocrystalline LaVO4 sample was prepared by microwave method. The structure and morphology of sample were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of LaVO4 was studied for methyl orange (MO) used as simulated sewage. The XRD and SEM showed that the particle size of LaVO4 was about 80-100 nm. The DRS showed that LaVO4 had optical absorption onset of 356 nm, indicating the optical band gap of 3.48 eV. The FT-IR showed that LaVO4 had vibration peaks of Fe-O and V-O bond. Under UV-light, the photocatalytic experiment indicated that the prepared LaVO4 nanocrystalline had highly photocatalytic activity for degradation of methyl orange.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is widely used in industrial production because of its strong chemical stabilities and good hydrophobic and oleophobic properties. It was considered to be a widespread persistent organic pollutant in environment in recent years. The oxidative stress and membrane damage of

For rotational parts with irregular curve profile, in order to achieve its manual programming and machining, we need to segment the contour curve according to the change of curvature. Through the calculation, we can get the minimum arc to fit the segments, and calculate the circular endpoint coordinates and radius by using the drawing methods. Finally, we develop the NC program. By the analysis of the result, we find the method can simplify the programming and improve machining efficiency.

Background/Aims: This study investigated signaling pathways via which extracellular histones induce the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) release from the macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 and the anti-inflammatory efficacy of the antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid (ALA). Methods: ELISA and western blotting analyses were conducted to detect the release of TNF-α from histone-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages and the associated phospho-activation of MAPKs (ERK and p38) and NF-κB p65. The effects of ALA on the release of TNF-α and phospho-activation of the MAPKs and NF-κB p65 were studied. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Extracellular histones dose-dependently induced TNF-α release from RAW 264.7 cells and increased the phosphorylation of p38, ERK, and NF-κB p65. TNF-α release was markedly suppressed by p38, ERK, and NF-kB inhibitors. ALA reduced histone-induced TNF-α release, ERK/p38 MAPK activation, and NF-kB activation without affecting macrophage viability. Conclusion: Histones induce TNF-α release from macrophages by activating the MAPK and NF-kB signaling pathways, while ALA suppresses this response by inhibiting ERK, p38 and NF-kB. These findings identify potentially critical inflammatory signaling pathways in sepsis and molecular targets for sepsis treatment.

Triphenyltin (TPT) has severely polluted the environment, and it often coexists with metal ions, such as Cu2+. This paper describesthe cell&rsquo, s molecular recognition of TPT, the interaction betweenTPT recognition and Cu2+ biosorption, and their effecton cell permeability. We studiedthe recognition ofTPT byBacillus thuringiensiscells and theeffect of TPT recognition on Cu2+ biosorption by using atomic force microscopy to observechanges in cell surface mechanical properties and cellular morphology andbyusingflow cytometry to determinethe cell growth status and cell permeability. The results show that B. thuringiensis can quickly recognize different media. The adhesion force of cellsin contact with Tween 80 was significantly reduced to levels that were much lower than that of cells in contact with PBS. Conversely, the cell surface adhesion force increased as TPT became more degraded. B. thuringiensis cells maintained their original morphology after 48 h of TPT treatment. The amount of Cu2+ adsorption by TPT-treated cells was positively correlated with the surface adhesion force (r=0.966, P=0.01). The cell adhesion force significantly decreased after Cu2+adsorption, and cell recognition of TPT and/or Cu2+hindered the entrance of2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) intothe cell. The initial diffusion time of DCFH-DA into cells treated by PBS, Cu2+, TPT, and TPT+Cu2+was4, 10, 30, and 30 min, respectively, andthe order of the fluorescence intensity wasPBS &gt, &gt, Cu2+&gt, TPT &gt, TPT+Cu2+. We conclude that changes in the cell surface properties of the microbe during recognition of pollutants depend on the contaminant&rsquo, s properties. B. thuringiensis recognized TPT and secreted intracellular substancesthatnot only enhanced the adsorption of Cu2+, but also formed a &ldquo, barrier&rdquo, on the cell surface that reduced permeability. These findings provide a novel insight into the mechanism of microbial removal of pollutants.

Microbiologic experiments together with Tessier sequential extraction and ICP-OES determination showed that distributions of Pb, Cu, Cd and Cr in soil of Guiyu, an e-waste dismantling region in South China, have changed after activities of native combined Bacillus cereus. Exchangeable fractions of these heavy metals were 1.52, 12.32, 3.98 and 34.50-fold those of original ones after 8 h interaction, here the organic phases were supposed to be the main alteration origin. The changing interaction time brought different impacts on concentration variation of heavy metals. Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209) influenced combined Bacillus cereus to redistribute the shares of heavy metals. BDE209 of 1 mg/L favored the alteration to make heavy metals become more bioavailable, while 5 mg/L and 10 mg/L of BDE209 baffled this alteration. However, influences of these strains on heavy metal speciation could be generally enhanced at the presence of BDE209, particularly for Cu and Pb Therefore, non-residual fractions were easier to be transferred into bioavailable ones after interaction with biomass, thus favoring the subsequent bioremediation of soil.

Although the degradation of cyanotoxins by 254 nm UV/H

A series of Fe–Ce–Ti catalysts were prepared via co-precipitation method to investigate the effect of doping Ce into Fe–Ti catalysts for selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3. The NO conversion over Fe–Ce–Ti catalysts was considerably improved after Ce doping compared to that of Fe–Ti catalysts. The Fe(0.2)–Ce(0.4)–Ti catalysts exhibited superior catalytic activity to that of Fe(0.2)–Ti catalysts. The obtained catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR), temperature programmed desorption (NH3-TPD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The data showed that the introduction of Ce results in higher surface area and better dispersion of active components on the catalyst surface and enhances the amount of surface acid sites. The interactions between Fe and Ce species were found to improve the redox ability of the catalyst, which promotes catalytic performance at low temperature. The XPS results revealed that Fe3+/Fe2+ and Ce4+/Ce3+ coexisted on the catalyst surface and that Ti was in 4+ oxidation state on catalyst surface. Ce doping increased the atomic ratio of Fe/Ti and Ce/Ti and enhanced the surface adsorbed oxygen species. In addition, Fe(0.2)–Ce(0.4)–Ti catalyst also showed better tolerance to H2O and SO2 and up to 92% NO conversion at 270 °C with 200 ppm SO2 added over 25 h, which suggests that it is a promising industrial catalyst for mid-low temperature NH3–selective catalytic reduction (SCR) reaction.

A bacterial strain, Arthrobacter oxydans (B4), capable of degrading benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in water body, was isolated from a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons-contaminated site. Effects of different factors, such as reaction time, pH value, temperature and organic nutrients, on BaP biodegradation by the strain B4 were studied. After 5 d treatment, the concentration of BaP in mineral salts medium was reduced to 0.318 mg L−1, compared to the initial concentration of 1.000 mg L−1. There was a process of acid formation during the degradation with pH falling from initial 7.01 to 4.61 at 5 d, so keeping the water body under slightly alkaline condition was propitious to BaP degradation. Strain B4 efficiently degraded BaP at 20 to 37 °C with addition of organic nutrients. The biodegradation and transformation of BaP mainly occurred on cell surfaces, and extracellular secretions played an important role in these processes. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer analyses of metabolites showed that ring cleavage occurred in the BaP degradation process and the resulting metabolically utilizable substrates were generated as sole carbon sources for B4 growth. Furthermore, mineralization extent of metabolites was verified by determining the total organic carbon and inorganic carbon in the degradation system.

Aspergillus fumigatus is an intracellular opportunistic fungus causing invasive pulmonary mycosis, characterised by hyphal invasion and destruction of pulmonary tissue. Th1 cytokines could enhance fungicidal activity. The effects from the combination of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and IL-2 are rarely known in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis infection. To assess the cleaning of A. fumigatus infection in the pulmonary tissues by IL-12 and IL-2, interferon-γ (IFN-γ) was detected in the sera using ELISA, quantification of IFN-γ mRNA using real-time RT-PCR and lung Colony-forming unit was assayed by cultivation. Morphology was analysed by histopathological examination. Our results showed that IL-12 and/or IL-2 could enhance the IFN-γ expression in the pulmonary tissue, reduce the colony load in the pulmonary tissue and increase the survival rate of mouse. The combination of IL-12 and IL-2 could assist in increasing the IFN-γ expression in the pulmonary tissue, but neither reduce colony load in the pulmonary tissue nor increase the survival rate of mouse significantly. It was demonstrated that IL-12 and IL-2 were strong immunomodulatory cytokines as a prerequisite for protecting the host from infectious agents.

Objective— Increasing evidence shows that autoimmune response contributes importantly to pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). This work was aimed to assess the possibly altered function of peripheral CD4 + CD25 + T regulatory cells (Tregs) that might breakdown immunologic self-tolerance in AAA patients. Methods and Results— Peripheral blood from 22 AAA patients, 11 patients with abdominal aortic atherosclerotic occlusive disease (AOD), and 32 healthy controls (HCs) was analyzed to determine the percentage of CD4 + CD25 + Tregs in the total CD4 + T-cell population and FOXP3 expression by means of flow cytometry. The frequencies of the CD4 + CD25 + Treg population were not significantly different between groups (AAA, 5.69±0.99%; AOD, 5.52±1.13%; HC, 5.88±1.55%; P >0.05). However, the frequency of CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 + T cells in AAA patients (2.45±0.57%) was significantly lower than that in AOD group (3.41±0.72%; P P + CD25 + Tregs from AAA group than either of other 2 groups ( P + CD25 + Tregs from patients with AAA exhibited significantly less suppressive activity than those from AOD patients or HCs ( P + CD25 + T cells and CD4 + CD25 − T cells from AAA patients and HCs demonstrated that the primary regulatory defect is due to a dysfunction of CD4 + CD25 + Tregs, and not a resistance of CD4 + CD25 − responder T cells to suppression in AAA patients. Conclusion— Our data demonstrate a reduced level of FOXP3 expression in peripheral CD4 + CD25 + Tregs and decreased frequency of CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 + T cells in a cohort of AAA patients enrolled in the study, which leads to a functional deficiency of CD4 + CD25 + Tregs as a whole. This indicates an impaired immunoregulation by Tregs that may contribute to AAA pathogenesis.