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【Objective】 Predicting change in groundwater table in response to natural and anthropogenic influence is a prerequisite in groundwater resource management. This paper compares several methods commonly used in studying groundwater dynamics based on the shallow groundwater exploration in plain areas in central China. 【Method】 The study was based on shallow groundwater resources in Puyang City in Henan province. We analyzed the groundwater dynamics in the region using three methods: water balance method, dewatering-volume method, and time series method. 【Result】 The time series method is applicable only to areas where groundwater development and utilization do not show considerable change with time. In contrast, the water balance method and dewatering volume method are more mechanistic, providing more accurate results as they consider potential changes in groundwater usage and management. As the dewatering volume method divides the studied region into subunits based on administrative regions rather than hydrogeological conditions, it could lead to significant differences when compared to measurements from monitoring boreholes. The water balance method considers factors such as current groundwater development, hydrogeological conditions and groundwater management measures, and it is hence more accurate for analyzing groundwater dynamics. 【Conclusion】 Results calculated by the improved groundwater balance method proposed in this paper are consistent with ground-truth data. It is more reliable for evaluating the response of shallow groundwater table to change in management and usages in plain areas.

ObjectiveBy analyzing the food consumption structure and carbon emissions among Chinese residents from 2014 to 2020， this study aims to provide scientific support for guiding residents towards adopting sustainable consumption patterns and achieving the dual carbon goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality.MethodsThe study focuses on food consumption and extends to food-related carbon emissions. By using comprehensive food carbon emission coefficients and the life cycle assessment method， both direct and indirect carbon emissions caused by food consumption among Chinese residents were calculated， and the evolving trend of food-related carbon emissions is explored.ResultsThe food structure of Chinese residents increases year by year with the animal food consumption， and the greenhouse gas emissions also increase significantly. Under the hypothetical scenarios assuming gradual adjustments of food consumption structure to meet dietary guidelines by 2030， 2040 and 2050， the total greenhouse gas emissions are projected to peak in 2030， 2040 and 2049， respectively， with certain increases compared to the current level.ConclusionThe adjustment of food consumption structure in China has brought great pressure on carbon emission reduction. Based on the above results and conclusions， reasonable policy implications are proposed.

Biomineralization is a universal biological phenomenon in which organisms use inorganic minerals to form their own structures. Inspired by the discovery of mineralized phages in nature, the concept of artificial biomimetic viral mineralization is proposed and it is validated using a large panel of viruses. Different viruses can be mineralized under different conditions, and the same virus can be completely mineralized using different inorganic minerals. The biomineralized viruses with unique physical and chemical properties display biological phenotypes distinct from those of their native counterparts during the subsequent infection process. These new features are largely due to the inorganic minerals chosen. Calcium is the most frequently used material for viral mineralization, and other inorganic ions, including silicon, aluminum, and ferrum, have also been utilized. In this review, recent advances in the artificial biomimetic mineralization of viruses are summarized while highlighting the potential applications and challenges in biomedicine.

An important way to obtain PbS and FeS is the thermal decomposition of Jamesonite. However, the mechanism of PbS–FeS interaction is unknown. In order to explore the separation effect of PbS and FeS, thermodynamic calculation, dynamic simulation and vacuum distillation experiments were used to explore the interaction mechanism of PbS and FeS. The decomposition and volatilization temperatures of PbS and FeS were obtained by thermodynamic calculation. The difference of saturated vapor pressure indicates that there is a tendency of separation between them. The ab initio molecular dynamics method was used to calculate the density of states of PbS and FeS at different temperatures, indicating that the FeS(114) structure is more stable than the PbS(200) structure, and the Pb–S bond is easier to break than the Fe–S bond at the same temperature. The experimental results of vacuum distillation show that the volatilization temperature of PbS is much lower than that of FeS, and FeS can only volatilize into the gas phase at a higher temperature. The theoretical calculation method is consistent with the experimental results, which shows that the thermodynamic calculation and dynamic simulation methods are reliable in predicting the volatilization and separation of crystal structures. The interaction mechanism between PbS and FeS was explored from the theoretical point of view to provide theoretical guidance for vacuum distillation experiment.

Abstract Over-fitting is a significant threat to the integrity and reliability of deep neural networks with generous parameters. One problem is that the model learned more specific features than general features in the training process. To solve the problem, we propose an adversarial training method to assist the model in strengthening general representation learning. In this method, we make a classification model as a generator G and introduce an unsupervised discriminator D to distinguish the hidden feature of the classification model from real images to limit their spatial distance. Notably, the D will fall into the trap of a perfect discriminator resulting in the gradient of confrontation loss of 0 after overtraining. To avoid this situation, we train the D with a probability $$P_{c}$$ P c . Our proposed method is easy to incorporate into existing frameworks. It has been evaluated under various network architectures over different fields of datasets. Experiments show that this method, under low computational cost, outperforms the benchmark by 1.5–2 points on different datasets. For semantic segmentation on VOC, our proposed method achieves 2.2 points higher mAP.

Abstract Wild animals may encounter multiple challenges especially food shortage and altered diet composition in their suboptimal ranges. Yet, how the gut microbiome responds to dietary changes remains poorly understood. Prior studies on wild animal microbiomes have typically leaned upon relatively coarse dietary records and individually unresolved fecal samples. Here, we conducted a longitudinal study integrating 514 time-series individually recognized fecal samples with parallel fine-grained dietary data from two Skywalker hoolock gibbon (Hoolock tianxing) groups populating high-altitude mountainous forests in western Yunnan Province, China. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed a remarkable seasonal fluctuation in the gibbons’ gut microbial community structure both across individuals and between the social groups, especially driven by the relative abundances of Lanchnospiraceae and Oscillospiraceae associated with fluctuating consumption of leaf. Metagenomic functional profiling revealed that diverse metabolisms associated with cellulose degradation and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production were enriched in the high-leaf periods possibly to compensate for energy intake. Genome-resolved metagenomics further enabled the resolving metabolic capacities associated with carbohydrate breakdown among community members which exhibited a high degree of functional redundancy. Our results highlight a taxonomically and functionally sensitive gut microbiome actively responding to the seasonally shifting diet, facilitating the survival and reproduction of the endangered gibbon species in their suboptimal habitats.

Abstract With the development of information technology, various social fields have gradually realised informatisation and digitisation, and today's society has entered the era of big data. A large amount of data exists in different departments and systems. At present, cross‐organisational data sharing is often realised by point‐to‐point authorisation. However, there are still some threats in the management and control schedule for the whole region. To realise secure and credible data sharing, this paper proposes a cross‐organisational data‐sharing framework based on Blockchain‐Probes using distributed digital identity technology. By using a star data link of the complex network, our system realises the synchronisation of heterogeneous data sources by using a data probe as the inter‐central transmission carrier to link different data sources. The proposed framework is applied to the real scenario; compared with the traditional method, the efficiency and accuracy are improved, and the total cost is reduced by 60%. The framework could be employed in multiple complex system application scenarios such as transportation, finance and urban management.

China’s rare earth reserves and consumption are the highest in the world. Rare earth metals and alloys play a pivotal role in the domains of permanent magnetic materials, hydrogen storage materials, luminescent materials, abrasive materials, etc. The molten salt electrolysis process is the most widely used method for producing light rare earth metals and alloys in China, with distinct advantages such as continuous production and short process flow. This article focuses on the process technology of preparing rare earth metals and alloys by electrolyzing rare earth oxides in fluoride systems. This article summarizes the effects of process parameters such as cathode and anode structures, electrolysis temperature, and current density on the direct recovery and current efficiency of the preparation of light rare earth metals (La, Ce, Pr, Nd), RE–Mg (RE for rare earth) alloys, RE–Al alloys, RE–Ni alloys, and other rare earth alloys. Meanwhile, the disadvantages of the electrolytic cells and electrode configurations that are currently used in industrial production are discussed. Accordingly, the future prospects of molten salt electrolysis technology in the preparation of rare earth metals and alloys are clarified.

Abstract Biomimetic viral mineralization improves viral vaccine stability and immunogenicity using inorganic metals such as Ca, Al, or Fe. Mn is a metal found in high concentrations in mammalian tissues; however, under natural or laboratory conditions, Mn mineralization by medical viruses has yet to be established. Herein, a single IAV particle is successfully encapsulated with manganese phosphate (MnP) under specific conditions using the human influenza A virus (IAV). MnP‐mineralized IAVs (IAV@Mn) exhibited physiochemical and in vitro properties similar to Ca‐mineralized IAVs. In animal models, IAV@Mn shows limited replication in immune‐competent cells and a significant attenuation compared to naïve cells. Moreover, a single‐dose vaccination with IAV@Mn induced robust humoral and cellular immune responses and conferred significant protection against a wild‐type IAV challenge in mice. Thus, Mn mineralization in pathogenic viruses provides a rapid and universal strategy for generating an emergency vaccine in response to emerging viruses.

Abstract In this paper, the role of debris in the formation of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film was investigated using the molecular dynamic simulation of debris adhesion. The results indicate that the [...]

Systems with many stable configurations abound in nature, both in living and inanimate matter, encoding a rich variety of behaviors. In equilibrium, a multistable system is more likely to be found in configurations with lower energy, but the presence of an external drive can alter the relative stability of different configurations in unexpected ways. Living systems are examples par excellence of metastable nonequilibrium attractors whose structure and stability are highly dependent on the specific form and pattern of the energy flow sustaining them. Taking this distinctively lifelike behavior as inspiration, we sought to investigate the more general physical phenomenon of drive-specific selection in nonequilibrium dynamics. To do so, we numerically studied driven disordered mechanical networks of bistable springs possessing a vast number of stable configurations arising from the two stable rest lengths of each spring, thereby capturing the essential physical properties of a broad class of multistable systems. We found that there exists a range of forcing amplitudes for which the attractor states of driven disordered multistable mechanical networks are fine-tuned with respect to the pattern of external forcing to have low energy absorption from it. Additionally, we found that these drive-specific attractor states are further stabilized by precise matching between the multidimensional shape of their orbit and that of the potential energy well they inhabit. Lastly, we showed evidence of drive-specific selection in an experimental system and proposed a general method to estimate the range of drive amplitudes for drive-specific selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The North Henan Plain is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, and both high arsenic and fluoride groundwater exist. However, the coexistence mechanism of arsenic and fluoride in this sporadic distribution area is unclear. OBJECTIVES To investigate the spatial distribution characteristics and formation mechanism of arsenic and fluoride in shallow groundwater in the North Henan Plain. METHODS 332 groups of shallow groundwater samples were collected and analyzed in the North Henan Plain. Atomic fluorescence spectrometry was used to determine arsenic content, and ion chromatography and inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy were used to determine the content of fluoride and other cation-anions. Based on the spatial distribution of arsenic and fluoride, combined with hydrochemical diagrams and factor analysis, three main factors affecting the evolution of groundwater in this area were extracted, and the formation mechanism of high arsenic and high fluoride groundwater in this area was discussed. RESULTS The concentrations of arsenic and fluoride in groundwater were 0.0001-0.1900mg/L and 0.13-4.94mg/L, respectively. The high-arsenic groundwater was mainly distributed in the vertical depth of 15-80m in the front alluvial-diluvial depression of Taihang Mountain and the Yellow River flood fan. The high-fluoride groundwater was mainly distributed in the vertical depth of 7-100m in the modern channel influence zone of the Yellow River. Evaporation and concentration, mineral dissolution/desorption, and redox environment were the main factors controlling the evolution of groundwater in this area. Fluoride had loads of 0.214 and 0.743 in factor F1 (evaporation and concentration) and F2 (mineral dissolution/desorption), respectively. High concentration of F appeared in groundwater with low concentration of Ca2+, and the concentration of F was positively correlated with ρ(Na+)/[ρ(Na+)+ρ(Ca2+)]. The strong evaporation and concentration in the modern channel influence zone of the Yellow River contributed to the dissolution of fluorine-containing minerals, and the irrigation of the Yellow River water increased the concentration of Na+ in groundwater, which further enhanced the dissolution. Arsenic had a load of 0.728 in factor F3 (redox environment). Arsenic was positively correlated with Fe2+ and NH4+, and negatively correlated with NO3- and SO42-. The lower Eh corresponds to the higher arsenic concentration. The reductive environment in the front alluvial-diluvial depression of Taihang Mountain and the Yellow River flood fan was favorable for the reductive dissolution of arsenic containing iron oxides/hydroxides, resulting in the formation of the high-arsenic groundwater. The desorption of arsenate/arsenite/fluoride in the form of anions on the mineral surface caused by the increase of pH value was favorable for the coexistence of arsenic and fluoride in groundwater. However, the correlation between arsenic and fluoride in groundwater in this area was not significant. The high concentration of calcium ions in the high arsenic region was not conducive to the enrichment of fluoride. In contrast, the weak reducing conditions in the high fluoride region were not conducive to the dissolution of arsenic-containing iron oxides/hydroxides. CONCLUSIONS The results clarify the coexistence mechanism of arsenic and fluoride in the North Henan Plain, and enrich the theoretical system of co-contamination of groundwater with high arsenic and fluoride.

ObjectiveA “multi-integration， effective control， and intelligent guarantee” solution was built for the application scenarios of food safety emergency support for the Winter Olympics.MethodsWith emergency risk assessment method， the intelligent quick screening device and method for harmful factors in the food supply chain were integrated based on the knowledge map， and big data， artificial intelligence and mobile internet technologies were used to construct an intelligent management and control system for risk early warning of the food supply chain in the Olympics to realize that the emergency plan for different links and different harmful factors in the food supply chain was intelligently generated，which were precisely pushed to users at different levels of the system.ResultsUsing intelligent rapid screening technology and prediction and early warning technology， it has been practical application in the food safety emergency drills for food safety emergencies in the Beijing Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics （Zhangjiakou Area） 2022， and guarantee of food safety for Olympic food companies in the Winter Olympics test competitions， and the official competitions.ConclusionTaking food safety risk analysis and data governance as the main line， intelligent integration of quick screening technology as a means， and intelligent risk prediction and intelligent early warning interaction as a link， the systematic perception， targeted identification， and accurate verification of harmful factors are promoted in the food supply chain to improve the food safety emergency support capability for major events.

ObjectiveTo study the research and application of foodborne disease risk prevention.MethodsTaking the knowledge graph as the carrier， through knowledge extraction and relationship mining on the technical guide for epidemiological investigation of food safety accidents and internet data， the association between the pathogenic factors of common foodborne diseases and clinical manifestations， incubation period， susceptible population and food sources was deeply explored and obtained.ResultsThe knowledge graph of foodborne diseases was constructed， including 390 nodes and 1 375 edges. On this basis， a knowledge question answering system was constructed to realize the automatic acquisition of answers to the clinical manifestations， susceptible populations， possible food sources and biological sample collection requirements of designated foodborne disease pathogenic factors.ConclusionThis research innovatively proposed the design of foodborne disease risk prevention system based on knowledge graph technology. Meanwhile， the constructed foodborne disease knowledge graph can effectively solve unclear definition of key information and serious data islands in the related detection of pathogenic factors. The question answering system built on this basis was of great practical importance to improve the public’s knowledge of foodborne disease risks and to correct the food safety knowledge and operational behaviors of health care professionals related to foodborne diseases.

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are organofluorine substances that are used commercially in products like non-stick cookware, food packaging, personal care products, fire-fighting foam, etc. These chemicals have several different subtypes made of varying numbers of carbon and fluorine atoms. PFAS substances that have longer carbon chains, such as PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid), can potentially pose a significant public health risk due to their ability to bioaccumulate and persist for long periods of time in the body and the environment. The National Academies Report suggests there is some evidence of PFOS exposure and gastrointestinal (GI) inflammation contributing to ulcerative colitis. Inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis are precursors to colorectal cancer. However, evidence about the association between PFOS and colorectal cancer is limited and has shown contradictory findings. This review provides an overview of population and preclinical studies on PFOS exposure and GI inflammation, metabolism, immune responses, and carcinogenesis. It also highlights some mitigation approaches to reduce the harmful effects of PFOS on GI tract and discusses the dietary strategies, such as an increase in soluble fiber intake, to reduce PFOS-induced alterations in cellular lipid metabolism. More importantly, this review demonstrates the urgent need to better understand the relationship between PFOS and GI pathology and carcinogenesis, which will enable development of better approaches for interventions in populations exposed to high levels of PFAS, and in particular to PFOS.

Background Autonomic dysfunction has been revealed in patients with acute ischemic stroke and is associated with poor prognosis. However, autonomic nervous system function assessed by heart rate variability (HRV) and its relationship with clinical outcomes in patients undergoing intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) remain unknown. Methods and Results Patients who did and did not undergo IVT between September 2016 and August 2021 were prospectively and consecutively recruited. HRV values were measured at 1 to 3 and 7 to 10 days after stroke to assess autonomic nervous system function. A modified Rankin scale score ≥2 at 90 days was defined as an unfavorable outcome. Finally, the analysis included 466 patients; 224 underwent IVT (48.1%), and 242 did not (51.9%). Linear regression showed a positive correlation of IVT with parasympathetic activation‐related HRV parameters at 1 to 3 days (high frequency: β=0.213, P=0.002) and with both sympathetic (low frequency: β=0.152, P=0.015) and parasympathetic activation‐related HRV parameters (high frequency: β=0.153, P=0.036) at 7 to 10 days after stroke. Logistic regression showed HRV values and autonomic function within 1 to 3 and 7 to 10 days after stroke were independently associated with 3‐month unfavorable outcomes after adjusting for confounders in patients who underwent IVT (all P