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Neurogenesis occurs in the brain during embryonic development and throughout adulthood. Neurogenesis occurs in the hippocampus and under normal conditions and persists in two regions of the brain-the subgranular zone (SGZ) in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles. As the critical role in neurogenesis, the neural stem cells have the capacity to differentiate into various cells and to self-renew. This process is controlled through different methods. The mammalian target of rapamycin (

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the pathogenic agent leading to COVID-19. Due to high speed of transmission and mutation rates, universal diagnosis and appropriate prevention are still urgently needed. The nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2 is considered more conserved than spike proteins and is abundant during the virus’ life cycle, making it suitable for diagnostic applications. Here, we designed and developed a fluorescent immunochromatography assay (FICA) for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies using ZnCdSe/ZnS QDs-conjugated nucleocapsid (N) proteins as probes. The nucleocapsid protein was expressed in E.coli and purified via Ni-NTA affinity chromatography with considerable concentration (0.762 mg/mL) and a purity of more than 90%, which could bind to specific antibodies and the complex could be captured by Staphylococcal protein A (SPA) with fluorescence displayed. After the optimization of coupling and detecting conditions, the limit of detection was determined to be 1:1.024 × 105 with an IgG concentration of 48.84 ng/mL with good specificity shown to antibodies against other zoonotic coronaviruses and respiratory infection-related viruses (n = 5). The universal fluorescent immunochromatography assay simplified operation processes in one step, which could be used for the point of care detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. Moreover, it was also considered as an efficient tool for the serological screening of potential susceptible animals and for monitoring the expansion of virus host ranges.

Various dermal fillers are often used for nasolabial groove filling. High-frequency ultrasonography might be a valuable tool for assessing facial filler materials.The facial ultrasound images of plastic surgery hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from November 2014 to November 2021 were analyzed and judged.A total of 94 patients who underwent high-frequency ultrasound with a nasolabial groove filler were included in the study. Hyaluronic acid was detected in 35 cases, polyacrylamide in 34 cases, lipofilling in 10 cases, silicon oil in seven cases, calcium hydroxyapatite in six cases, and silicone implant in two cases. The ultrasonic performance of hyaluronic acid was divided into four types: aggregation, diffusion, mixed pattern, and associated infection; of polyacrylamide was divided into five types: aggregation and inclusion, aggregation and non-inclusion, diffusion, mixed pattern, and associated infection; and of lipofilling was divided into four types: aggregation, diffusion, fat liquefaction necrosis, and cystic change. Echo intensity, echo characteristics, boundary clarity, fluidity, and blood flow signals can be used as the basis for identifying filler materials.High-frequency ultrasound has an identification significance for the filling materials in the area of nasolabial groove.This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

To access and determine the ultrasound images of different nasal filling injection materials.From November 2014 to November 2021, facial ultrasound images of Plastic Surgery Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Science were analyzed and judged.A total of 337 cases were enrolled, including 203 cases of hyaluronic acid, 102 cases of polyacrylamide hydrogel, 16 cases of calcium hydroxyapatite-based fillers, 10 cases of silicone oil, and 6 cases of growth factor. According to ultrasound images, hyaluronic acid is characterized by anechoic area with a clear boundary, which seems like a capsule, and the internal echo is uniform, there is no obvious blood flow signal in it. It is possible to see a stratified appearance if hyaluronic acid diffused into surrounding tissues, and it is mainly exhibited as hypoechoic area, with anechoic or hypoechoic areas in it. Polyacrylamide hydrogel showed irregular flocculent hypoechoic or fine punctured hypoechoic under ultrasound, which could aggregate into cystic hypoechoic area or disperse in tissue space, and echo floating or dislocation flow could be seen under probe pressure. Under ultrasound, calcium hydroxyapatite-based filler is characterized by heterogeneous hyperechoic or hypoechoic area, which spreads in the tissue space with unclear boundary with surrounding tissue, and no obvious liquid flow could be observed. Silicone oil is commonly found in the dermis, it is characterized by cloud-like high echo, the deep tissue is not clear. Growth factor is characterized by heterogeneous echo, which is similar to the echo of peripheral tissue, and the boundary is not clear. Plenty of blood flow signals suggest infection. If the image is characterized with posterior echogenic shadow, it suggests calcification.High-frequency ultrasound can identify the types of nasal filling injection materials and can guide the selection of clinical treatment plan according to the classification of imaging features.

To determine the efficacy of distal femur condyle locking plate (DFCLP) alone or in combination with cannulated screws for Hoffa fractures.In this study, between May 2014 and February 2019, 13 patients between 26 and 64 years with isolated Hoffa fractures were enrolled during the study period and retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent open reduction and internal fixation by DFCLP alone or in combination with cannulated screws followed by early active rehabilitation postoperatively. The primary outcome was evaluated using range of movement (ROM), Knee Society Score (KSS), International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scoring system, and the fracture healing time of the patients during the 24-month follow-up period. Postoperative complications were also used to assess the patients' conditions.A total of 13 patients completed the 24-month follow-up assessment and achieved bone re-union at Hoffa fracture sites. The average follow-up period was 24.5 months (ranging from 24 to 28 months). Six patients were treated by DFCLP in combination with cannulated screws and the remaining seven patients were treated by DFCLP alone. The mean ROM was determined as 119° (ranging from 100° to 130°). The mean KSS score was 87.9 (ranging from 80 to 92 points), with 11 patients evaluated as excellent, two as good, and zero bad cases. The mean IKDC score was 84.2 (ranging from 74.7 to 89.7 points), with 10 evaluated as excellent, three as good, and zero bad cases. The mean IKDC score was 83.3 for patients with medial Hoffa fractures and 84.4 for those with lateral Hoffa fractures. The average time to healing was 3.5 months (ranging from 3 to 4 months), and at month 3, the fracture healing was evident in seven patients (54%), and at month 4, fracture healing was seen in six patients (46%). It is worth mentioning that two patients suffered from knee joint stiffness and osteoarthritis during the 24 months follow-up. Eleven patients (84.6%) achieved satisfactory knee joint function through early postoperative rehabilitation.In patients with Hoffa fractures, treatment with DFCLP alone or in combination with cannulated screws followed by early active rehabilitation resulted in great stability and satisfactory functional outcomes after 24 months. Our findings may provide surgeons with a new way to treat Hoffa fractures.

Cognitive impairment (CI) refers to the dysfunction of memory, language, visual space, execution, calculation, understanding, and judgment in one or more aspects. With global aging, CI will become prevalent worldwide. At present, there is no effective cure for CI. However, Nobel laureate Tu Youyou’s research on artemisinin has inspired Chinese researchers to focus on traditional Chinese herbs (TCHs) for the treatment of CI. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has led to a theory for an independent CI system. The pathogenesis of such impairment involves deficiency, phlegm, and stagnation and involves a range of organs, including the brain, kidneys, heart, liver, and spleen. Our current understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of this condition has led to the realization that TCHs can improve cognitive dysfunction. Clinical research has shown that TCHs can improve the neuropsychological scale score of patients, the TCM symptom score, and the patient’s quality of life. Research has also suggested that TCHs can retard A[Formula: see text] deposits and tauopathy, regulate the metabolism of cholinergic neurotransmitters, and so on. However, due to their complexity, little is known of the safety and efficacy of TCHs in patients with CI. It is likely that we will be able to identify the precise mechanisms associated with the action of TCHs in such patients due to the integration of multiple technologies. This paper summarizes the pharmacokinetics, curative effect, and mechanisms of action of traditional Chinese herbs in order to provide a scientific basis for the improvement of cognitive dysfunction by TCHs.

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), which is a crucial process in fuel cells and metal-air batteries, is currently dominated by Pt-based electrocatalysts. However, these catalysts are expensive and rare on Earth; therefore, these factors are considered to impede the widespread commercialization of these technologies. As a consequence, the development of non-Pt catalysts (such as transition-metal materials) with high performance for ORR has become a main focus of research regarding these renewable energy devices. In the present work, a series of porous triazine-based frameworks (PTFs) co-decorated by iron and iodine have been successfully prepared, using different element doping sequences during the synthesis process. The PTF-Fe-I catalysts shows a high ORR activity in both alkaline and acidic media, with an onset potential of 0.95 V (in basic medium) or 0.85 V (in acidic medium) at a loading of 0.3 mg cm–2. This performance not only exceeds that of the dual-doped counterparts (PTF-I-Fe and PTF-(Fe, I)), ...

Understanding the impact of urban economic growth on ecologically functional land (EFL) change and the relevant mechanisms is necessary for adaptive ecological management and regional policy. The present study aims to explore the relationship between EFL change, urban economic growth and transportation construction based on reliable land survey data from 2000 and 2015, as well as natural and socio-economic data for over 2600 counties in China. We use the Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) technique to empirically analyze the temporal changes in their relationships and alleviate endogenous bias and use the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model to explore the spatial heterogeneity across the country. The results indicate that the secondary and tertiary industries’ development had a significantly negative effect on EFL changes, and transportation construction is a major driver of urban economic growth in China, especially in the central region. From 2000 to 2015, the negative impact of urban economic growth on EFL changes decreased, and the contribution of transportation construction to urban economic growth increased. The regions (such as the central region) where transportation construction contributes more to the secondary and tertiary industries had a proportionally greater reduction in EFL. It appears that excessive dependence on transportation to drive the development of secondary and tertiary industries is the underlying reason for EFL reduction. The findings of this study can assist in formulating regional policies and advancing the coordination of urban economic development and ecosystem protection.

Electrochemical sensors for detecting micromolecule organics are desirable for improving the perception of environmental quality and human health. However, currently, the electrochemical sensors for formaldehyde are substantially limited on the market due to the long-term unsolved problems of the low electrooxidation efficiency and CO poisoning issue of commercial Pd catalysts. Here, a 2D Cr-doped Pd metallene (Cr-Pdene) with few atomic layers is shown as an advanced catalyst for ultrasensitive and selective sensing of formaldehyde via a highly efficient formaldehyde electrooxidation. It is found that the doping of Cr into Pd metallene can efficiently optimize the electronic structure of Pd and weaken the interaction between Pd and CO, providing an anti-poisoning means to favor CO2 production and suppress CO adsorption. The Cr-Pdene-based electrochemical sensor exhibits one order of magnitude higher detection range and, especially, much higher anti-interference for formaldehyde than that of the conventional sensors. Most importantly, it is demonstrated that the Cr-Pdene can be integrated into commercializable wireless sensor networks or handheld instruments for promising applications relating to the environment, health, and food.

Background The nose is located in the middle of the face; therefore, nasal scarring will bring a significant psychological impact on patients. Although there are many treatment methods for depressed scars, these methods have varying degrees of efficacy and all carry certain adverse effects. A better treatment method is urgent to be found. In this study, the effect of micro-plasma radiofrequency technology combined with subcision to treat nasal depressed scars is evaluated. Methods 18 Chinese patients with nasal depressed scars participated in this study. All patients received one session of micro-plasma radiofrequency treatment first. 2 months later, subcision combined with micro-plasma radiofrequency technology was performed on them at 6-month intervals, and a total of 2 sessions of combined treatment were performed. Goodman and Baron Scale was used to evaluate nasal scars before treatment and 6 months after the final session. Results All 18 patients in this study had Grade 4 nasal scars before treatment. 6 months after the end of treatment, 13 patients (72.2%) showed excellent or near total improvement, and 5 patients (27.8%) showed marked improvement. No adverse side effects were observed during treatment. Patient self-evaluation indicated that all patients were satisfied with the cosmetic outcomes. Conclusions In this study, we explored a new treatment method for nasal depressed scars. We used micro-plasma radiofrequency technology combined with subcision to treat nasal depressed scars and obtained relatively satisfactory results with no adverse effects.

The results from epidemiologic studies suggest that vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms are potentially associated with Alzheimer disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but this association has yet to be confirmed. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis based on a larger sample size to clarify the contribution of VDR gene polymorphisms to MCI and AD susceptibility. The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched to obtain studies published before 30 October, 2020. The case group includes MCI and AD patients, and the matched controls were without any cognitive complaints. ORs and 95% CIs were used to assess the strength of the association. Ten case-control studies with 3573 participants and 4 loci of ApaI rs7975232, BsmI rs1544410, FokI rs10735810, and TaqI rs731236 were included in the meta-analysis. The global assessment indicated an association between the BsmI polymorphism and increased odds of MCI in the allelic model (b compared with B; OR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.24, 2.54), the dominant model (bb + Bb compared with BB; OR: 2.04; 95% CI: 1.32, 3.16), and the heterozygote model (Bb compared with BB; OR: 1.97; 95% CI: 1.26, 3.09). In contrast, the ApaI polymorphism was protective against MCI in all models. The dominant model (tt + Tt compared with TT; OR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.17, 1.79) and the homozygous model (tt compared with TT; OR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.02, 2.00) revealed an association between the TaqI polymorphism of the VDR gene and increased odds of AD, particularly for Caucasian subjects. Egger's linear regression test found no publication bias. This meta-analysis indicated that VDR ApaI and BsmI, and TaqI gene polymorphisms may be important predictors of MCI and AD, respectively, with population discrepancies. More research is needed to further confirm these associations, especially considering gene-gene interactions, gene-environment interactions, and other confounding factors.

Developing effective and robust novel electrocatalysts for direct alcohol fuel cells has been gaining much attention. However, the widely used Pt catalyst suffers from limitations including the sluggish kinetics, severe CO poisoning, and catalyst lost caused by aggregation and Ostwald ripening during alcohol oxidation reaction. Herein, dendritic intermetallic PtSnBi nanoalloys were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal approach with high electrocatalytic performance and enhanced CO resistance for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) owing to the synergism of the chosen three elements and unique three-dimensional morphology. Specifically, the PtSnBi nanoalloys display 4.6 and 6.7 times higher of mass activity (7.02 A mg−1Pt) and specific activity (16.65 mA cm−2) toward MOR than those of commercial Pt/C, respectively. The mass activity of PtSnBi nanoalloys still retains 75.7% of the initial value after 800 cycles of stability test, superior to Pt/C (38.0%). The dual-functional effect of Sn, optimized electronic structure by the ligand effect, and unique atomic arrangement are responsible for the enhanced MOR activity and stability of PtSnBi nanoalloys. Furthermore, the PtSnBi nanoalloys with highlighted anti-CO poisoning capacity also improve the electrocatalytic performance toward EOR, indicating their great promise as broad energy electrocatalysts.

On April 10, 2019, Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) released the first image of a black hole in the M87 galaxy [3]. This picture became popular on the Internet all over the world and a great number of people started to discuss it. However, many of them could not understand the scientific meaning of this picture and the laborious process to capture this image. Therefore, this paper is going to explain the works and results of EHT to non-physicists. This paper is separated into two parts, including the technologies and principles that are indicated in the black hole image. Technologies include very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), which is used to increase the details of the image and the general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD) simulation used to simulate different black hole models. The principles contain Kerr’s model, which is the main model used in EHT’s research and Doppler effect. This research also discussed that the image of the black hole is similar to the Kerr’s model. However, some alternatives of the the Kerr model are different from the actual data.

Additional file 1.

A mechanical disintegration of waste wood biomass and freeze-induced assembly of colloidal nanowood were effectively deployed to explore ion-associated cellular foams (NWFs) with unidirectional channels. Under the assistance of inorganic ions, the as-fabricated foams were significantly enhanced in physical stability, compressive strength, flame retardancy, and thermal barrier, accounting for the tuning effects of pores and channels, surface charges, and microphase interaction by ion effects and freeze orientation. As a result, the vascular-like ion-doped channels benefited from quick capillary liquid transport. Under 1 sun illumination, NWF-V as a 3-D evaporator exhibited a high evaporation rate of 1.50 kg m-2 h-1 and a conversion efficiency of up to 88.9% for seawater desalination. Dramatically, an average of 12.5 kg m-2 of fresh water could be generated on each sunny day by outdoor NWFs for durability beyond 15 days. Under the drive of fuel combustion, an efficient conveying of ethanol or pump oil could be at rates of 0.44 and 0.26 mL min-1, respectively. Moreover, combustion flame with variable color was generated according to the doping cations in NWFs. Therefore, sustainable, green, facile, and multifunctional wood-based cellular foams could be tailored, scaled-up, and applied as color flame burners or desalination evaporators under combustion or solar drive in the energy and environment fields.

Carbon frameworks (CFs) derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been produced as adsorbents of toluene. To further obtain optimum hierarchical porous carbon structure of CFs, different treatment temperatures were applied to a typical kind of MOFs (ZIF-8). The adsorption capacity of the toluene of hierarchical porous CFs obtained from ZIF-8 under 1100 °C (CF-1100, adsorption capacity of 208.5 mg/g) was higher than that of other carbonization temperature and MOFs. Impressively, the adsorbent CF-1100 also exhibited strong hydrophobicity, low desorption temperature, and good selectivity to toluene. The adsorption capacity decreased by only 10.4% under wet condition compared with the dry condition, standing on the top of the recently reported adsorbents. The impressive adsorption performance of CF-1100 is attributed to the larger specific surface area (1024 m2/g) and pore volume (0.497 cm3/g), newly generated micropores (pore width is 0.6–0.8 nm) and mesopores (pore width above 10 nm), and carbonaceous structure with higher degree of graphitization. Based on the adequate adsorption performance, CF-1100 coated quartz crystal microbalances as sensor also showed a high sensitivity of 0.4004 Hz/ppm and small relative standard deviations of 1.0745% for toluene sensing. This contribution provides a foundation for optimizing potential adsorbents and sensing materials for air pollution abatement.

BACKGROUND The behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) have significant negative effects on the health of both patients with dementia and their caregivers. However, the reported effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions targeting caregivers of patients with dementia for BPSD is inconsistent. METHODS We systematically searched the databases PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane Library and four Chinese databases from 2010 through April 2021. The Standardised mean difference (SMD) was calculated using random-effects models. Risk of bias in individual studies was assessed using Cochrane Collaboration's tool, and the certainty of evidence was assessed using the five GRADE criteria. RESULTS Thirty-one randomised controlled trials (RCTs) involving 3501 dyads were included. The meta-analysis indicated that non-pharmacological interventions showed small but significant effects on both BPSD in patients with dementia (SMD = -0.14; 95% CI, -0.22 to -0.06; P = 0.001) and caregiver reactions to BPSD (SMD = -0.16; 95% CI, -0.25 to -0.07; P = 0.001). The effect sizes of BPSD in patients at follow-up (SMD = -0.24; 95% CI, -0.38 to -0.09; P = 0.002) were larger than those at post-test. Tailored interventions were associated with more substantial reductions in BPSD in patients (SMD = -0.24; 95% CI, -0.37 to -0.11; P

BackgroundFemoral neck fractures are common fractures in the elderly. Common treatment options include internal fixation (IF) and hemiarthroplasty (HA). However, the clinical application of these two options is always controversial due to the potential clinical trauma, postoperative function, early complications, and other factors.Materials and methodsRandomized controlled trials and cohort studies comparing screw fixation and hemiarthroplasty in elderly patients with displaced femoral neck fractures were extracted from databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane. The revised Jadad scale or NOS treatment evaluation form was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. After extracting the data, the standard deviation of continuous data and the relative risk of binary data were used. The operation time, blood loss during operation, EQ-5D (EuroQol-5 Dimension) score, mortality rate, reoperation rate, and postoperative common complications were reviewed using Review Manager software (RevMan 5.3) were compared.ResultsThere were 7 randomized controlled trials and 5 cohort studies. The results showed that the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and short-term EQ-5D score of the internal fixation group were lower than those of the hemi-hip replacement group, but the reoperation rate was higher. There was no statistically significant difference in mortality and common complications such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, infection, and pressure sores during short-term follow-up.ConclusionsIn the treatment of elderly femoral neck fractures, the screw internal fixation group has shorter operation time and less intraoperative bleeding, and the perioperative advantage is more obvious. However, the hemi-hip replacement group had more advantages in postoperative functional scoring and reoperation.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ureterocalicostomy for long-segment upper ureteral stricture. Methods: A total of 13 patients underwent ureterocalicostomy for long-segment upper ureteral stricture, and a long-term follow-up was carried out to observe postoperative results, complications and renal function at 6 months after surgery. Results: Among the 13 patients undergoing ureterocalicostomy, 12 achieved successful results with surgery. Nine of the 12 received open surgery and 3 patients received laparoscopic surgery. During the perioperative period, 3 patients developed fever while 2 patients had hematuria and irritation in lower urinary tract, and all improved after symptomatic treatment. The 12 patients with successful surgeries achieved remission of hydronephrosis without anastomotic stricture. At 6 months after surgery, the 12 patients had significantly decreased serum creatinine and cystatin C levels and markedly increased estimated glomerular filtration rate, as compared with those before surgery (P

Single-atom electrocatalysts have attracted board interest in the recent years as they combine the advantages of heterogeneous and homogeneous electrocatalysts. Nevertheless, single-atom electrocatalysts with single metal component cannot further satisfy the demand of catalytic properties. This work developed atomic Co/Ni dual sites in N-doped porous carbon Janus-like frameworks through epitaxial growth of cobalt based MOFs on nickel complexes. Structural characterization and atomic-scale transmission electron microscopy revealed the homogeneously dispersed active sites of Co-Ni alloy and single Co/Ni atoms. Electrochemical data strongly demonstrated the advantages of integrating Co-MOF and Ni complex with different topological structures to form a Janus-like structure. The resultant catalysts afforded onset potential of 0.93 V and half-wave potential of 0.84 V for oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media, and 0.86 V and 0.73 V in acid media, which is better than single noble-metal-free catalysts, even close to commercial Pt/C. Besides, the catalysts also exhibited good oxygen evolution reaction performance (a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at a potential of 1.59 V) and overvoltage between ORR and OER is 0.78 V. Density functional theory calculations indicated the high electrocatalytic activities are originated from the synergetic effect of atomic Co/Ni-N-C bonds and microstructure of the prepared materials. This work paves a new avenue for the development of multiatomic electrocatalysts for energy conversion.

Suaeda salsa ( S. salsa ) has a significant protective effect on salt marshes in coastal wetlands. In this study, the abilities of airborne multispectral images, spaceborne hyperspectral images, and LiDAR data in spatial distribution extraction and aboveground biomass (AB) estimation of S. salsa were explored for mapping the spatial distribution of S. salsa AB. Results showed that the increasing spectral and structural features were conducive to improving the classification accuracy of wetland vegetation and the AB estimation accuracy of S. salsa . The fusion of hyperspectral and LiDAR data provided the highest accuracies for wetlands classification and AB estimation of S. salsa in the study. Multispectral images alone provided relatively high user's and producer's accuracies of S. salsa classification (87.04% and 88.28%, respectively). Compared to multispectral images, hyperspectral data with more spectral features slightly improved the Kappa coefficient and overall accuracy. The AB estimation reached a relatively reliable accuracy based only on hyperspectral data ( R 2 of 0.812, root-mean-square error of 0.295, estimation error of 24.56%, residual predictive deviation of 2.033, and the sums of squares ratio of 1.049). The addition of LiDAR data produced a limited improvement in the process of extraction and AB estimation of S. salsa . The spatial distribution of mapped S. salsa AB was consistent with the field survey results. This study provided an important reference for the effective information extraction and AB estimation of wetland vegetation S. salsa .

Bi-layer organization of dissimilar two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets has attracted great attention because of their unique physicochemical properties, fascinating functions, and potential applications in portable and wearable electronic devices. In this study we showed that several types of 2D nanomaterials are capable of being exfoliated by graphene oxide (GO). Under optimal conditions, a concentration up to 1.2 mg mL−1 and an exfoliation yield as high as 24% were achieved for MoS2. The exfoliated transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) nanosheets anchored in situ onto the surfaces of GO sheets, and formed heterojunction nanosheets due to strong interactions between GO and TMDs based on theoretical calculations. After chemically reducing GO, these heterojunction nanosheets could also be patterned onto biocompatible films of cellulose nanofibrils to construct a flexible planar supercapacitor, with exceptional flexibility, biodegradability, flame retardancy and remarkable energy density (52.7 mW h cm−2). More importantly, the capacitor exhibited intriguing photo-sensitivity, enabling it to be a promising photo-assisted flexible photodetector. Thus the preparation of heterojunction nanosheets not only sheds light on bi-layer organization of 2D nanomaterials, but also promises future applications in wearable, photo-sensitive and flame-retardant electronic devices.

The benzene series is one type of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which causes significant health and environmental issues. Adsorption is an energy-efficient technique for VOC treatment. With a combination of strong π–π interaction with the benzene series, large specific surface area (SSA), tunable nanostructure hierarchy and favourable hydrophobicity, three-dimensional porous graphene materials are potentially favorable for high adsorption capacity, low-energy regeneration and good resistance to high humidity. In this work, few-layered mesoporous graphene (FLMG) with a large SSA (1990 m2 g−1) is constructed by chemical vapor deposition on porous magnesium oxide templates. The as-prepared mesoporous graphene presents a high adsorption capacity (260.0 mg g−1) for toluene at low toluene concentration (∼120 ppm) and a high desorption ratio of 92% for regeneration even at mild heating conditions of 95 °C. Additionally, FLMG preserves 80.1% of the initial adsorption capacity even under high humidity (78%). The good adsorption performance of FLMG is due to its high SSA and high mesoporosity, which render a stronger adsorption ability, a larger adsorption accommodation and a more facile desorption behaviour. This work illustrates the further development of advanced graphene materials for enhanced VOC treatment and other environmental applications.

Rapid urbanization caused a massive loss of natural habitats and seriously changed urban natural ecosystems. Ecological network, a spatial concept of ecosystems, maps the most valuable areas that provide multiple ecological goods and services for human demands. Ecological network has long been adopted worldwide for improving urban ecological environment under the scenarios of rapid urbanization. However, Little researches focused on changes in ecological networks and their effects on urban ecosystem. It is important to investigate the trends in ecological network changes, clear its relationship with human activities and policies for guiding sustainable economic and social development. The study aimed to analyze the relationship between the changes in ecological networks and human activities, regional policies as well as environmental changes, and to establish new ecological networks that meet the human demands of ecosystem services, in China’s three typical urban agglomerations, including Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and Pearl River Delta (PRD) from 2000 to 2015.This study used the variation of habitat quality index, ecosystem carbon stock, PM2.5 and supply-demand of ecosystem services to measure the eco-environmental effects of ecological network changes under complex physical and socio-economic circumstances. Meanwhile, it established the new ecological networks based on the human-being demand of ecosystem services calculated by real-time population distribution, accessibility, and land development index, trying to optimize the land spatial patterns and ecosystem management in urban agglomerations. The results showed that a lot of areas of ecological networks had vanished into dryland, urban land and other developed land from 2000 to 2015, resulting from urban expansion, industrial development and regional land policies. The degradation in ecological networks caused a significant increase of PM2.5 and decrease of habitat quality index and ecosystem carbon stock. And the spatial imbalance in the supply-demand of ecosystem services was shrinking to varying degrees, due to different regional ecological protection policies. There were regional spatial differences in the establishment of new ecological networks. However, the closer to central cities of each agglomerations, the human demands of ecosystem services and the need of strengthening the preservation ecosystems were more critical. This study contributes to the identifying the role of human activities on ecological processes and provides a scientific reference for the use of ecological network as the basis of the regional development plans. It is necessary to relieve the dilemma between the urban growth and ecosystem protection.

Novel Co atoms immobilized carbon nanotubes (CoSAs@CNTs) are synthesized by structural engineering of the zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) upon treatment with dicyandiamide (DCD). A unique morphology and promising electrochemical performance are shown by the Co atoms immobilized CNTs. The electrocatalyst remarkably exhibits a highly positive onset potential of 0.99 V and half-wave potential of 0.86 V, both even more positive than the commercial Pt/C catalyst, and the current density is also greater than that of the Pt/C catalyst in alkaline media. A decent performance is observed in acidic media also. The electrocatalyst is extraordinarily stable to harsh environments. A promising performance for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is demonstrated by the electrocatalyst, while for bifunctional electrocatalysis a small overvoltage of 0.78 V is observed with onset potential at the lower overpotential of 300 mV announcing the advantage of its usage for practical energy conversion and storage systems. ...

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a key species in many environmental processes such as the electro-Fenton system to remove organic pollutants in wastewater treatment. Traditional methods for measuring H2O2 are often complex and time-consuming. Due to their low cost and high catalytic activity, transition metals (TM) can be used as high-performance electrochemical sensing materials for detecting H2O2. However, the aggregation of metal atoms will severely limit their catalytic efficiency and exposure area. In this study, we explored a method to disperse TM homogeneously on a zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) derived nitrogen-doped carbon (N/C) nanoframework and used it as the electrocatalyst for detecting H2O2 in an electro-Fenton system. Cu and Mn were used as the examples. Benefitting from the homogeneously dispersed TM, the synthesized nanoframework with a low content of TM exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity and an anti-interference ability in detecting H2O2. It has a wide linear range (0.0005–50 mM for 1% Cu–N/C and 0.0001–50 mM for 1% Mn–N/C) and a low detection limit (0.047 μM for 1% Cu–N/C and 0.036 μM for 1% Mn–N/C). Using the synthesized nanoframework, a system for continuously detecting the H2O2 concentration in an electro-Fenton system in situ was presented. The reported method to fabricate such nanomaterials with a higher catalytic efficiency of TM has implications in other applications such as environmental treatment, catalysis, and energy conversion.

Countries and regions with vast territory tend to have economic gradients and uneven land use pattern. Ecological sensitive zones, transitional zones and state poverty counties have been found near the Hu Huanyong Line (Hu Line) of China in previous studies. However, there is little knowledge about the identification of a comprehensive transitional zone that considers natural and socio-economic elements from national scale. Based on exploring gradient characteristics of land use patterns and the driving factors behind them, we propose a quantitative identification framework of natural-socio-economic transitional zone via multi-source data and methods of gradient analysis and change-point analysis. Taking China as an example, this study showed evidence of the discontinuity in each factor between the east and the west, and identified an east-west natural-socio-economic transitional zone (EWNSETZ) along the Hu Line. The EWNSETZ, determined by combining the integrated abrupt change zone of natural and socio-economic factors with the farming-pastoral ecotone (FPE), accounted for about 1/5 of China’s total land area and had more balanced distribution of land use types but more fragile environment and inferior combination of resources. Measures such as completing ecological compensation mechanism, developing tourism and green industries, increasing the supply of water resources and speeding up the construction of infrastructure and facilities can be used to promote the ecological-economic coordinated development of the EWNSETZ and eventually to drive the development of the western region. In particular, comprehensively consider the natural geographical conditions, key ecological function areas distribution and ecosystem services supply and demand of the EWNSETZ, the strategic orientation in its different parts should be focusing on different key points.

Additional file 1. Supplemental Figure 1: Forest map of one-year EQ-5D score.

Additional file 2. Supplemental Figure 2: Forest map of one-year mortality.

Additional file 3. PRISMA 2009 checklist

Respiration is an important physiological function in which air is moved into and out of the lungs. This paper designed a flexible patch for continuous detections of respiration, especially for evaluating nasal symmetry. The monitoring system comprises an integrated hot-film and two time-of-flight flow sensors on a flexible polyimide (PI) substrate. The 5 μm-thick polyimide substrate is flexible to construct wearable devices while the hot-wire flow sensor can monitor the respiration conditions and states, such as different breathing patterns of mouth or nose modes, normal or deep forms, and happy or nervous signs. Moreover, the power consumption of the system is low for possible long-term monitoring applications of sleep and medical diagnosis. The two time-of-flight sensors are aligned symmetrically on different sides of the hot-film heating element for differential signal readings, which used asymmetrical thermal distribution to reveal breathing state differences of two nostrils and they don’t require additional energy since they are located near the heating element. The system serves as a noninvasive wearable device to monitor respiratory airflow while avoiding uncomfortable nasal cannula. Various testing results show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed system.

Electrochemical sensors can provide numerous health information while analyzing ions in bio-fluids. Ion selective electrodes (ISEs) have become ideal sensing devices for measuring cation and anion concentrations in aqueous samples. In the scenario for human bio-fluidics detection, substrate should be flexible in comply with body and hydrophilic to enrich fluidics in natural perspiration analysis in a possible way. Here graphite paper ISE combined with paper microfluidic is presented to meet both requirements. The ion-to-electron transducer of the ISE electrodes was achieved by subjecting PEDOT: PSS and carbon nanotubes solutions on the top of conducting layer (Ag, Graphite paper) accordingly, through which potential drift can be minimized. A no-mask process including paper-cutting, wax-printing and cast-dropping, has also been introduced to realize the easy fabrication for lab experiments and future development.

Cognitive impairment and decline in old age are primarily driven by the accumulation of age-related neuropathologies, and old age is thus the primary risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases such as AD. Here, we investigated the effects of Yizhi Qingxin formula (YQF) extract on cognitive impairment in aged rats and determine the role of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) pathway underlying the neuroprotective effects of the YQF extract. Fifty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: Control group, Model group, Donepezil group, and YQF extract groups (treatment with YQF extract at two different doses). After treatment with YQF extract for 8 weeks, learning and cognitive abilities were assessed using the Morris water maze. Morphological changes in the hippocampus were observed using hematoxylin-eosin. Activated microglia and astrocytes were assessed using immunohistochemistry. Expressions of proteins and genes were examined using western blotting and real-time PCR. The results revealed that oral treatment with YQF extract dramatically improved spatial learning and memory ability and ameliorated histopathological and morphological characteristics in aged rats. YQF extract significantly increased acetylcholine and interleukin (IL)-10 levels but markedly decreased amyloid-β peptide, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), IL-2, and IL-6 levels. In addition, it inhibited the excessive activation of microglia and astrocytes, downregulated the expressions of TNFα and IL-2, and upregulated nerve growth factor, BDNF, and TrkB expressions. Furthermore, hippocampal extracellular signal-related kinase (Erk) and protein kinase B (Akt), the upstream signaling of BDNF/TrkB, were also activated by treatment with YQF extract. Our findings indicate that YQF extract activates the BDNF/TrkB pathway through the upregulation of Erk and Akt signaling, and the activated signaling pathway might contribute to the protective effects of YQF extract on cognitive impairment in aged rats.

In situ monitoring of hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) during its production process is needed. Here, an electrochemical H2 O2 sensor with a wide linear current response range (concentration: 5 × 10-8 to 5 × 10-2 m), a low detection limit (32.4 × 10-9 m), and a high sensitivity (568.47 µA mm-1 cm-2 ) is developed. The electrocatalyst of the sensor consists of cobalt nanoparticles and atomic Co-Nx moieties anchored on nitrogen doped carbon nanotube arrays (Co-N/CNT), which is obtained through the pyrolysis of the sandwich-like urea@ZIF-67 complex. More cobalt nanoparticles and atomic Co-Nx as active sites are exposed during pyrolysis, contributing to higher electrocatalytic activity. Moreover, a portable screen-printed electrode sensor is constructed and demonstrated for rapidly detecting (cost ≈40 s) H2 O2 produced in microbial fuel cells with only 50 µL solution. Both the synthesis strategy and sensor design can be applied to other energy and environmental fields.

Both synthesis method and heteroatom doping could tailor graphene properties and promise its practical application. Here, a facile electrolytic route was developed to prepare amino-functionalized graphene, which could be directly used to build chemical sensor electrode. In this method, graphene oxide (GO) was electrolyzed in ethylenediamine aqueous solution to induce ammonization and electrochemical reduction successively. The unique chemical structure of ammoniated reduced GO (AErGO) strongly increased the chelation between electrode surface and Pb 2+ , and provided plenty active sites for electrochemical redox. Therefore, AErGO exhibits good electrical conductivity and high electrocatalytic activities, which ensures high selectivity, low detection limit (0.0924 μg L −1 at S / N = 3) and ultra wide linear range (0.5–350 μg L −1 ) during the Pb 2+ detection. This simple and effective route can also be extended in the preparation of S-doping or S, N-dual doping graphene materials with potential applications in chemical sensor, electrochemical catalysis, and energy conversion or storage.