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Municipal sewage treatment plants (STPs) are an important point source of microplastics in domestic waterways. In the present study, effluents from the largest water reclamation plant in China were sampled throughout the treatment process and microplastics were extracted and identified to evaluate their removal. As expected, microplastics were detected in the influent (12.03 ± 1.29 items/L). Following treatment, concentrations of microplastics were reduced by greater than 95% and 0.59 ± 0.22 items/L of microplastics were detected in reclaimed waters. Among detected microplastics, 18 types of polymers of ten colors were identified. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS) and polypropylene (PP) accounted for greater than 70% of detected microplastics. Furthermore, microfibers were the dominant shape detected with an average size of 1110.72 ± 862.95 μm. However, microparticles accounted for only 14.08% of total microplastics with an average size of 681.46 ± 528.73 μm. Results of the present study suggest that current treatment technologies employed at the chosen STP are efficient to remove the majority of microplastics, however consideration of STPs as a point source of microplastics is important due to the large volumes of effluents being released into the aquatic environment on a consistent basis. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Microplastics in influent and effluents from gSTP were studied. • Existing sewage treatment processes remove microplastics effectively. • PET, PS, and PP were the most prevalent microplastics in effluents. • Microfiber was the main shape of microplastic in effluents. • STPs is a point source of environmental microplastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The modes of action by which putative endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) elicit toxicity in mollusks remains unclear due to our limited understanding of the molluscan endocrine system. We identified and partially characterised the estrogen receptor (ER) of the mollusk Parafossarulus striatulus. The full-length cDNA of the ER of P. striatulus (ps ER) was isolated and found to have an ORF of 1386 bp which corresponded to 461 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that ps ER is an orthologue of ER of other mollusks. Moreover, the DNA-binding domain, ligand-binding domain, P-box, D-box, and AF2 domain were also identified in ps ER. Exposure of females and males to 17 β -estradiol (E2, 100 ng/L) for 24 h and 72 h did not alter ps ER transcription, but exposure to 17 α -methyltestosterone (MT, 100 μg/L) for 72 h significantly decreased ER transcription in females only (p < 0.05). ps ER transcription was surveyed in males and females seeded in different regions in Taihu Lake, China. ps ER transcription were elevated among females and males maintained at site ML. This elevation was statistically significant (p < 0.05) among male snails as compared to snails held at the more pristine site of SZ. This was different to the results from lab, implying that some unknown chemicals or other environmental factors in field could affect ps ER transcription level in snails. Furthermore, females and males held at site ML also exhibited a significant elevation in vitellogenin transcription as compared to snails held at site SZ, suggesting that vitellogenin production may be directly regulated by ps ER or co-regulated with ps ER in this species. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • The full-length cDNA of the ps ER was cloned and sequenced. • The structure was identified in ps ER, including DBD, LBD, P-box, D-box, and AF2. • ps ER transcription did not alter in P. striatulus exposed to a nominal 100 ng/L E2. • ps ER transcription decreased in P. striatulus exposed to a nominal 100 μg/L MT. • ps ER transcription increased in P. striatulus exposed to ML for one month. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the continuous influence of human activities, phosphorus pollution in surface water has become a persistent problem that needs to be addressed since phosphorous entails certain risks and degrees of damage to ecosystems and humans. The presence and accumulation of total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in surface waters is the result of a combined effect of many natural and anthropogenic factors, and it is often difficult to intuitively identify the individual importance of each factor in regard to the pollution of the aquatic environment. Considering these issues, this study provides a new methodology to better understand the vulnerability of surface water to TP pollution and the factors that influence TP pollution through the application of two modeling approaches. This includes the boosted regression tree (BRT), an advanced machine learning method, and the traditional comprehensive index method (CIM). Different factors, such as natural variables (including slope, soil texture, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), precipitation, and drainage density) and point and nonpoint source anthropogenic factors were included to model the vulnerability of surface water to TP pollution. Two methods were used to produce a vulnerability map of surface water to TP pollution. Pearson correlation analysis was used to validate the two vulnerability assessment methods. The results showed that BRT was more strongly correlated than CIM. In addition, the importance ranking results showed that slope, precipitation, NDVI, decentralized livestock farming and soil texture had a greater influence on TP pollution. Industrial activities, scale livestock farming and population density, which are all contributing sources of pollution, were all relatively less important. The introduced methodology can be used to quickly identify the area most vulnerable to TP pollution and to develop problem specific adaptive policies and measures to reduce the damage from TP pollution. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polysaccharide hydrogels are one of the most promising hydrogel materials due to their inherent characteristics, including biocompatibility, biodegradability, renewability, and easy modification, and their structure and functional designs have been widely researched to adapt to different application scenarios as well as to broaden their application fields. As typical wet-soft materials, the high water content and water-absorbing ability of polysaccharide-based hydrogels (PHs) are conducive to their wide biomedical applications, such as wound healing, tissue repair, and drug delivery. In addition, along with technological progress, PHs have shown potential application prospects in some high-tech fields, including human-computer interaction, intelligent driving, smart dressing, flexible sensors, etc. However, in practical applications, due to the poor ability of PHs to resist freezing below zero, dehydration at high temperature, and acid-base/swelling-induced deformation in a solution environment, they are prone to lose their wet-soft peculiarities, including structural integrity, injectability, flexibility, transparency, conductivity and other inherent characteristics, which greatly limit their high-tech applications. Hence, reducing their freezing point, enhancing their high-temperature dehydration resistance, and improving their extreme solution tolerance are powerful approaches to endow PHs with multienvironmental adaptability, broadening their application areas. This report systematically reviews the study advances of environmentally adaptive polysaccharide-based hydrogels (EAPHs), comprising anti-icing hydrogels, high temperature/dehydration resistant hydrogels, and acid/base/swelling deformation resistant hydrogels in recent years. First, the construction methods of EAPHs are presented, and the mechanisms and properties of freeze-resistant, high temperature/dehydration-resistant, and acid/base/swelling deformation-resistant adaptations are simply demonstrated. Meanwhile, the features of different strategies to prepare EAPHs as well as the strategies of simultaneously attaining multienvironmental adaptability are reviewed. Then, the applications of extreme EAPHs are summarized, and some meaningful works are well introduced. Finally, the issues and future outlooks of PH environment adaptation research are elucidated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu pollution is a global concern because of its high toxicity and persistence. Few investigations have been conducted on the effects of salinity and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on Cu toxicity and water quality criteria (WQC). To analyze their impact on the WQC of Cu, non-linear multiple regression (NLMR) models based on salinity and DOC were constructed. The NLMR models demonstrated that when salinity increased, the toxicity values for Cu on fish, mollusca, rotifer, and echinodermata first increased and then declined, whereas those for arthropoda and algae increased. These findings demonstrate that salinity has a substantial impact on Cu toxicity, primarily owing to changes in physiological activity. The original and corrected WQC values in the upper, middle, and outer regions of the Yangtze Estuary were derived based on the species sensitivity distribution method. These values were 1.49, 3.49, 8.86, and 0.87 μg·L−1. An important finding was that lower Cu concentrations in the outer areas posed the highest ecological risk owing to the effects of salinity and DOC. NLMR models are applicable to other coastal areas worldwide. This provides valuable information for the establishment of an accurate and protective estuary for Cu-related WQC. [Display omitted] • Salinity and DOC had a significant impact on Cu toxicity and WQC values. • NLMR model can correct the effects of salinity and DOC on Cu toxicity and WQC. • Cu-WQC in outer areas of Yangtze Estuary is lowest owing to salinity and DOC effects. • Cu in the outer areas of Yangtze Estuary posed the highest ecological risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury (Hg) is one of the most toxic pollutants to aquatic organisms. The influence of salinity on Hg toxicity, an important factor restricting the development of global marine aquatic life criteria (ALC), is unclear. Therefore, mercury toxicity data were corrected based on salinity using the aggregate slope method, and the ALC values were derived. Short-term aquatic life criteria (SALC) and long-term aquatic life criteria (LALC) were derived using the species sensitivity distribution method based on Log-logistic, Log-normal, Burr III, Gumbel, and Weibull models. The hazard quotient (HQ) and joint probability curve (JPC) methods were used to evaluate the ecological risk of Hg in the coastal waters of China. The results showed that the SALC and LALC of Hg in the coastal waters of China were 2.21 and 0.54 μg/L. The toxicity data and salinity were positively correlated for Chordate and Arthropoda and negatively correlated for Mollusca. The SALC values increased by approximately 75%, with salinities ranging from 10 to 20 ppt. A slight peak in the SALC at mid-salinities was also observed. The ecological risk assessment of Hg in China's coastal waters showed that attention should be paid to Hg pollution in the Bohai Sea and East China Sea, especially the ecological risk of Hg to crustacean organisms. This study could promote the development of water quality criteria for coastal waters and provide a technical reference for mercury management in the coastal waters of China. • Temporal and spatial distribution of Hg in China's coastal waters were analyzed. • The SALC and LALC were derived based on species sensitivity distribution method. • Salinity correction method was used to study effect of salinity on toxicity and ALC. • HQ and JPC methods were used to assess Hg's ecological risk in China's coastal waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug-eluting stents with biodegradable polymers as reservoirs have shown great potential in the application of interventional therapy due to their capability of local drug delivery. Herein, poly( l -lactide- co - ε -caprolactone) (PLCL) with three different compositions as carriers for ciprofloxacin lactate (CIP) was coated on ureteral stents by the dipping method. To simulate a body environment, degradation behavior of PLCL as both the bulk film and the stent coating was evaluated in artificial urine (AU, pH 6.20) respectively at 37 °C for 120 days by tracing their weight/Mn loss, water absorption and surface morphologies. Furthermore, the release profile of the eluting drug CIP on each stent exhibited a three-stage pattern, which was greatly affected by the degradation behavior of PLCL except for the burst stage. Interestingly, the degradation results on both macroscopic and molecular level indicated that the release mechanism at stage I was mainly controlled by chain scission instead of the weight loss or morphological changes of the coatings. While for stage II, the release profile was dominated by erosion resulting from the hydrolysis reaction autocatalyzed by acidic degradation residues. In addition, ciprofloxacin-loaded coatings displayed a significant bacterial resistance against E. coli and S. aureus without obvious cytotoxicity to Human foreskin fibroblasts (HFFs). Our results suggested that PLCL copolymers with tunable degradation rate as carriers for ciprofloxacin lactate could be used as a promising long-term antibacterial coating for ureteral stents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese water environment system is severely degraded by intensive anthropogenic activities. To relieve these problems, the national government has proposed to establish a comprehensive evaluation system of water environment carrying capacity (WECC). However, few studies provide a comprehensive depiction of the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of WECC within a basin/region owing to the limitations of interdisciplinary research methods. By integrating the system dynamics model, cellular automaton model, and gridded geographic information system technology, we developed a spatial system dynamics model to explore the spatiotemporal pattern of the WECC of Yongding River Basin in North China. The spatial system dynamics model works well and the simulation accuracy was close to 85%. Our results showed that inadequate water resources and water quality induced the overloaded WECC in Yongding River Basin, which was unevenly distributed within the river basin. From 2017 to 2035, Zhangjiakou often suffered an overload of WECC throughout the year due to quantity-related water shortages. However, in Beijing's mountainous area, the WECC status of control units 1 and 4 was in good status owing to sufficient water quantities. Considering the overload of the WECC and its feedback relationship with anthropogenic activities, effective and feasible management measures, such as reducing agricultural irrigation water use and domestic pollution, improving the rate of sewage collection and treatment, or industrial restructuring should be prioritized in this arid river basin. Our study improved methodologies in WECC modeling for river basins, helped overcome difficulties in revealing the spatiotemporal dynamic patterns of WECC, proposed a calculation method of WECC in terms of population and GDP, and verified that the threshold of WECC was not static, which provides information for finding a balance between economic development and water safety, especially in regions with water scarcity. [Display omitted] • The spatial system dynamics model was built to assess the WECC. • The spatiotemporal pattern of social-economic, water use, water pollution was simulated. • Inadequate water resources are mainly responsible for the overloaded WECC in YRB. • WECC quantified by population and GDP was proposed, and WECC threshold was not static. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cu ions release form the OPtCu-NCs could mediate a series of Fenton-like reaction. • The generated •OH could effectively degrade colored organic pollutant. • The OPtCu-NCs have low toxicity at relative high concentration (2.0 mg/mL). • The OPtCu-NCs can improve the Fenton catalytic efficiency via synergetic photothermal effects. [Display omitted] Bimetallic octopod PtCu alloy nanocages function as an efficient Fenton-like catalyst for dyes degradation under neutral pH, interestingly, PtCu nanocages can improve degradation efficiency greatly by irradiating with NIR laser due to its strong NIR absorbance. In this work, near-infrared (NIR) light driven concave octopod PtCu alloy nanocages (OPtCu-NCs) were fabricated and first developed as photothermal synergetic Fenton catalyst for degradation of pollutant dyes. Moreover, by irradiating with NIR laser (808 nm), the obtained OPtCu-NCs exhibit excellent NIR absorption capacity and thus produce hyperpyrexia over 50 °C. Concomitantly, by the photothermal effect, the OPtCu-NCs nanocatalysts was used for elimination of organic dyes such as Methylene blue (MB) and Rhodamine B (RhB). The NIR-driven photothermal degradation mechanism under NIR irradiation can be attributed to the Fenton-like catalytic performance of Cu ions, then -N C- and/or C-C bonds in the molecular skeleton were fractured and electrons were donated intensively. As confirmed by a typical radical trapping experiment, electrons trigger the formation of miscellaneous reactive species (O 2 -, HO 2 , especially •OH) subsequently. Moreover, the photothermal Fenton-catalytic activity of the as-prepared OPtCu-NCs had maintained at 93.15% (for MB) and 91.87% (for RhB) after ten circulating degradation processes. All acquired results reveal that the OPtCu-NCs have the potential applied value in dyestuff-wastewater treatment under neutral pH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been proved the interface between fibers and resin matrix suffers from severe service conditions, but it was rarely explored how to directly and quantitatively evaluate those negative effects. In this work, a novelly-designed quantitative analysis method was established via atomic force microscopy (AFM) based on shrinkage degree of resin matrix, and was further applied to assess the effects of hygrothermal and thermal treatment on the interfacial adhesion property of carbon fibers/epoxy composites (CFRPs). This method presented that the shrinkage extent of resin around carbon fibers after treatment could in a certain extent reflect the interfacial properties at the stability and linear constraint region. Furthermore, interlaminar shear strength and interfacial shear strength measurements demonstrated the validity of this novel method for interfacial properties, and revealed that the interface was more susceptible to hygrothermal than thermal treatment. This method is believed promising for studies on the interface of fibers/resin composites. A novelly-designed quantitative analysis method was established via atomic force microscopy (AFM) based on shrinkage degree of resin matrix, and was further applied to assess the effects of hygrothermal and thermal treatment on the interfacial adhesion property of CFRPs. This method presented that the shrinkage extent of resin around carbon fibers after treatment could in a certain extent reflect the interfacial properties at the stability and linear constraint region. A large shrinkage of resin matrix meant poor interfacial adhesion in CFRPs. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A feasible glass device was developed for the efficient isolation of microplastics from sludge; • Four shapes consisting of twenty-five polymers of microplastics were found in sludge from gSTP; • Microplastic concentrations in sludge were higher than those in effluents sampled from gSTP; • Microplastics in sludge were dominated by pellets/microbeads in shapes; • It is estimated that about (3.03 ± 1.01)×107 microplastics/hm2 enter agricultural soil annually. Sewage sludge, which is widely applied to land as a fertilizer, is a key source of microplastics in the environment. We sought to develop a feasible device for isolation of microplastic from sewage sludge for further understanding their fates in the environment. In the present study, an effective isolation device, consisting of a fritted glass funnel and a glass filtration apparatus, was constructed to extract microplastics from sludge with nearly 100% recovery efficiency. Then, a high abundance of microplastics was detected in sludge sampled from China's largest sewage treatment plant. Among the 25 types of microplastic polymers confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, poly(11-bromoundecyl acrylate) (PBA) and poly(11-bromoundecyl methacrylate) (PBMA) accounted for 23.63% of total microplastics detected. Rayon, polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), and copolymers, such as PP/PE and poly(styrene:acrylonitrile:butadiene) (ABS), were also detected. The shapes of these microplastics consisted of pellets, fragments, films, and microfibers. Characterization of the isolated microplastics revealed that domestic applications and vehicle products were the major sources of microplastic in sewage treatment sludge. Some priority recommendations were issued based on these results. In conclusion, the present study demonstrate that the device is effective for the isolation of microplastics from sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the prediction of algal blooms with the artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the proper selection of the indices is crucial to the quality of the results. Although eutrophication and climate change have been identified as the main contributors to algal blooms, limited knowledge of the relationships among environmental factors hinders the accurate and correct AI prediction. To explore the importance of environmental factors in the occurrence of algal blooms in coastal seas and facilitate the selection of inputs for the prediction model, this study examines observed water quality data and analyzes their relationship using machine learning methods. It was found that nutrients, water temperature, and salinity play important roles in controlling algal blooms in coastal seas, and their influence varies depending on locations. The high-risk cases of algal bloom mainly occur in environments with medium salinity (22-28 psu), particularly in open estuaries with high nutrient levels. According to the feature importance analysis, water temperature presented the most significant impact on algal bloom risk compared to other environmental factors. The variations of water temperature and Chl-a concentration are synchronous when the water temperature is below 32 °C. Additionally, the relationships between inorganic nutrients (NO 3 - -NO 2 - and Ortho-P) and Chl-a exhibit asynchronous across multi-temporal scales. The uptake of inorganic nutrients occurs in large quantities within the 24 h prior to the boom in Chl-a concentration. This demonstrates that variations in concentration of inorganic nutrients can be considered as crucial factors in algal bloom predictions, and their significant decrease can be served as an important signal of an impending algal bloom. This study enhances our understanding of the mechanisms behind algal blooms and facilitates their management and prediction strategies in coastal seas., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Yuanyi Li reports financial support was provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China. Yuanyi Li reports financial support was provided by Open Research Fund Program of State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering. Wenlu Lan reports financial support was provided by Scientific Research Capacity Building Project for Beibu Gulf Marine Ecological Environment Field Observation and Research Station of Guangxi. Wenlu Lan reports financial support was provided by Guangxi Key R&D Program of China. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Aerogels exhibit poor adhesion to wet tissue surfaces, which is a significant factor that limits their hemostatic properties. In this work, we propose a new method for investigating aerogel hemostatic materials by introducing the concept of the 'rapid tissue hydration layer-triggered property' into the hemostatic material. A chitosan derivative ( Csde ) with a "swollen property" was prepared via an amide reaction, followed by the incorporation of the extracted bletilla striata complex ( Bscai ) into the chitosan derivative to fabricate the Bscai/Csde hemostatic material. The research results indicated that the Bscai/Csde hemostatic material exhibited a rapid tissue hydration layer-triggered response, outstanding hemostasis ability, as well as excellent hemocompatibility, antibacterial properties, and cytocompatibility. Additionally, the preparation method for the Bscai/Csde hemostatic material is straightforward, and the raw materials are readily available. Therefore, this study presents a novel method for developing a hemostatic material method, and the composite aerogel hemostatic material demonstrates considerable potential for future applications.

Since the 21st century, the Beibu Gulf area has been affected by increasing anthropogenic activities, which makes the coastal aquatic ecosystem extremely concerning. However, the comprehensive exploration and analysis of the long-term scale behavior change characteristics of various water quality environment factors is still limited. Through comprehensively detecting coastal surface water environmental behavior information from 33 locations in the Beibu Gulf from 2005 to 2015, we revealed and quantified mutual response characteristics and patterns of various environmental indicators. The main environmental pollution indicators (e.g., COD, NH 4 + , NO 3 - , and DIP) showed a gradual decrease in concentration from the coast to the offshore sea area, and significantly increases during the wet season. The semi-enclosed Maowei Sea exhibited the most prominent performance with significant differences compared to other regions in Beibu Gulf. The average Chlorophyll-a (Chla) content in the coastal area of the Beibu Gulf during the wet season was more than twice that of the dry season, yet the interaction pattern between Chla and environmental factors in the two seasons was opposite to its concentration behavior, accompanied by a closely significant relationship with thermohaline structure and the input of nitrogen and phosphorous nutrients. The multivariate statistical analysis results of total nutrient dynamics suggested that the Beibu Gulf was clearly divided into different regions in both dry and wet season clusters. The present study can provide a comprehensive perspective for the spatial and temporal migration patterns and transformation laws of coastal water environmental factor, which should contribute to improve the prevention countermeasure of nutrient pollution in coastal environment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The repair and reconstruction of large bone defects after bone tumor resection is still a great clinical challenge. At present, orthopedic implant reconstruction is the mainstream treatment for repairing bone defects. However, according to clinical feedback, local tumor recurrence and nonunion of bone graft are common reasons leading to the failure of bone defect repair and reconstruction after bone tumor resection, which seriously threaten the physical and mental health of patients. On this basis, here the self-developed low modulus Ti-12Mo-10Zr alloy (TMZ) was chosen as substrate material. To improve its biological activity and osteointegration, calcium, oxygen, and phosphorus co-doped microporous coating was prepared on TMZ alloy by microarc oxidation (MAO). Then, black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets were incorporated onto MAO treated TMZ alloy to obtain multifunctional composites. The obtained BP-MAO-TMZ implant exhibited excellent photothermal effects and effective ablation of osteosarcoma cancer cells under the irradiation of 808 nm near infrared laser, while no photothermal or therapeutic effects were observed for TMZ alloy. Meanwhile, the structure/component bionic coating obtained after MAO treatment as well as the P-driven in situ biomineralization performance after incorporation of BP nanosheets endowed BP-MAO-TMZ implant with synergistic promoting effect on MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts' activity, proliferation and differentiation ability. This study is expected to provide effective clinical solutions for problems of difficult bone regeneration and tumor recurrence after tumor resection in patients with bone tumors and to solve a series of medical problems such as poor prognosis and poor postoperative quality of patients life with malignant bone tumors., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Background: Astaxanthin (AST) is a natural compound with anti-inflammatory/immunomodulatory properties that has been found to have probiotic properties. However, the role and mechanism of AST in chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) are still not fully understood., Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of AST on CP/CPPS and elucidate the mediating role of the gut microbiota., Materials and Methods: An experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP) mouse model was utilized to test the potential role of AST on CP/CPPS. Antibiotic cocktail (ABX) treatment and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) were used to elucidate the gut microbiota-mediated effects on AST. In addition, 16S rRNA gene sequencing and qRT-PCR analyses were used to analyze changes in the gut microbiota of EAP mice and CP/CPPS patients. Finally, the mechanism by which AST exerts a protective effect on CP/CPPS was explored by untargeted metabolomics and gut barrier function assays., Results: Oral administration of AST reduced prostate inflammation scores, alleviated tactile sensitization of the pelvic region in EAP mice, reduced CD4+ T cell and CD68+ macrophage infiltration in the prostatic interstitium, and inhibited the up-regulation of systemic and localized pain/pro-inflammatory mediators in the prostate. After ABX, the protective effect of AST against CP/CPPS was attenuated, whereas colonization with fecal bacteria from AST-treated EAP mice alleviated CP/CPPS. 16S rRNA gene sequencing and qRT-PCR analyses showed that Akkermansia muciniphila in the feces of EAP mice and CP/CPPS patients showed a trend toward a decrease, which was associated with poor progression of CP/CPPS. In contrast, oral administration of AST increased the relative abundance of A. muciniphila, and oral supplementation with A. muciniphila also alleviated inflammation and pain in EAP mice. Finally, we demonstrated that both AST and A. muciniphila interventions increased serum levels of SCFAs acetate, up-regulated expression of colonic tight junction markers, and decreased serum lipopolysaccharide levels in EAP mice., Conclusion: Our results showed that AST improved CP/CPPS by up-regulating A. muciniphila, which provides new potentially effective strategies and ideas for CP/CPPS management., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To compare the patterns of retinal microvasculature change in the peripapillary and macular region between compressive optic neuropathy (CON) and glaucomatous optic neuropathy (GON), and to assess the ability of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in differentiating the two conditions., Methods: This cross-sectional study included 108 participants (108 eyes), 36 with CON, 36 with GON, and 36 healthy controls. The CON and GON eyes were matched by the average peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness (1:1). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCTA were performed to compare the structural and vascular change of the peripapillary and macular region between groups., Results: Both CON and GON eyes showed more severe structural and vascular damage than the control eyes. The CON eyes had lower pRNFL thickness than the GON eyes in the temporal and nasal quadrants, and thicker pRNFL thickness in the inferior quadrant. The average GCC thickness did not differ between the two groups. The peripapillary vessel density of the CON group was significantly higher in the inferior sectors than that of the GON group. In the macular region, the CON group had significantly higher vessel density in the whole image, the temporal sector in parafovea region, and the temporal, superior, and inferior sectors in perifovea region., Conclusion: To a similar degree of structural damage, CON had less retinal vascular impairment than GON, especially in the macular region, and the significance of the finding needs further evaluation., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Based on the monitoring data of various pollutants at important water system points in the Yangtze River Basin from 2017 to 2020, research on the flux change law of the main and tributary water systems in the Yangtze River Basin was carried out at the spatiotemporal scale, and the spatial change response, interannual change trend, and flux correlation analysis were analyzed from the aspects of water quantity, quality, and flux so as to reveal the spatial-temporal contribution characteristics of pollutant flux in the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin. The results showed that over the past four years, the concentration of major pollutants in the Yangtze River Basin showed an overall downward trend. The concentration of total phosphorus (TP) and ammonia (NH + 4 -N) decreased significantly. The concentration of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) in the main stream gradually increased from west to east. The annual concentration of permanganate index in the upper, middle, and lower reaches decreased by 18.5%, 16.0%, and 14.0%, respectively, from 2017 to 2020, with the highest decline in the upper reaches. The four-year average value of the spatial distribution of runoff significantly increased from 466×10 8 m 3 to 9923×10 8 m 3 . The two lake basins in the tributary river lake water system had the largest contribution to the water volume. The fluxes of permanganate index, total phosphorus (TP), and total nitrogen (TN) among the main pollutants showed an annual increase and then decrease trend. The pollutant fluxes in the Minjiang River, Tuojiang River, Jialing River, and the middle reaches of the two lakes contributed greatly to the river inflow. There were differences in fluxes in different regional water environments. The results of correlation and hierarchical cluster analysis showed that the permanganate index and TP fluxes were highly significantly correlated with water volume, and there was a significant correlation between biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 5 ) and total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The main pollutants showed strong differences in the flood and non-flood periods and had a significant response in the flood season from July to September. The research results can provide scientific basis and theoretical support for the integrated management and precise prevention and control of the aquatic environment in the Yangtze River Basin.

Significant improvement in wastewater treatment is the most effective way for eutrophication control, especially in semiarid regions. However, its effect on the nutrient status and stoichiometry of the receiving water body has remained poorly considered and understood at broad temporal scales. Taking Guanting Reservoir (GR) in Hebei-Beijing (P. R. China) as an example, we present a study that links a continuous monitoring dataset for GR with corresponding estimates of human-induced nutrient discharges in its watershed from the year 2006 to 2019. We find that current GR belongs to strict P limitation and the faster decrease of TP than TN concentrations and continuous increase of TN/TP mass ratios in GR are attributed to the water restoration investment-induced declining of nutrient loadings. The improved municipal wastewater treatment capacity is mainly responsible for these significant changes, due to the higher removal efficiency of TP than TN in municipal wastewater. Given the potential ecological impact on aquatic biodiversity as well as ecosystem function of changes in TN/TP ratios and higher retention rate of TP (97.4%) compared with TN (93.1%) in GR, our findings highlight that future strategy for water pollution control should not only concentrate on more nutrient reduction efficiencies but attach importance to their stoichiometric balance to reduce the potential risk of phytoplankton blooms and toxin production during the water quality recovery of lakes or reservoirs., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

To address the clinical challenges of modulus mismatch, lack of initial osteointegration and contain toxic elements towards traditional titanium and its alloys with surrounding bone tissue, a new β-type titanium alloy (Ti-12Mo-10Zr) designed by our group will be chosen as dental implant in this proposal due to its excellent properties, e.g. low young's modulus (~ 50.8 GPa) and excellent compressive yield strength (~ 430.89 MPa). A modified hydrothermal and pressure method will be deployed to create tailored micro/nano topography and chemistry (phosphorus) on implant surface with the aim of promoting osteointegration. The formation process and mechanism of micro/nano-scaled hierarchical hybrid coating containing phosphorous will be revealed from the perspective of energetics and crystallography to realize co-design of multiple structure and chemical on Ti-12Mo-10Zr surface. The in vitro cytological performance of this hierarchical hybrid coating containing phosphorous will also be evaluated by co-culturing with rat bone marrow stromal cells This proposal will not only provide guidance and experimental database for next generation potential implant named Ti-12Mo-10Zr, but also display new insights to improve long-lasting stability for dental implant which demonstrate tremendous scientific significance., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Pituitary adenomas are known to cause optic chiasmal compression leading to visual field (VF) defects. Herein, we analysed the factors influencing early VF recovery following transsphenoidal surgery and explored the significance of retinal vessel density parameters in predicting prognoses. We collected data of 50 patients with pituitary adenoma and an abnormal VF prior to surgery. Patients were categorised into VF recovery (n = 25) and non-recovery (n = 25) groups within 1 week postoperatively. The VF, optic chiasm form, tumour volume, retinal thickness, and vessel density parameters were measured. The χ 2 test was used for single-factor analyses, and odds ratios (ORs) for each factor were calculated. Logistic regression was implemented to determine interactions between radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) density and other factors. Tumour volume (≥5 cm 3 , OR = 5.09), duration of visual symptoms (≥6 months, OR = 6.00), preoperative VF (mean deviation [MD] < -10 dB, OR = 6.77), thin retinal nerve fibre layer (OR = 9.04), ganglion cell layer complex thickness (OR = 7.67), and RPC density (whole ≤ 48%; OR = 15.58; temporal ≤ 49.3%; OR = 14.64) were found to be risk factors for postoperative VF recovery. After adjusting for these factors, RPC density was a dependent factor affecting VF recovery in patients with pituitary adenoma. RPC density seemed to be a stronger indicator than preoperative MD, tumour volume, duration of visual symptoms, or retinal thickness for predicting early VF recovery following optic chiasm decompression, thus helping surgeons determine the optimal timing of surgery and formulate effective treatment plans., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The ecological health assessment of lakes, reservoirs and wetlands can provide decision-making basis for ecosystem restoration and management. We selected 20 typical lakes, reservoirs and wetlands sampling points in Tianjin, based on physical, chemical, and biological community indicators data (zooplankton, phytoplankton, benthos, fish, large aquatic plants, riparian plants) obtained during the survey from August to September 2018. We constructed an index of ecological integrity (IEI) including physical integrity, chemical integrity, and biological integrity to evaluate their ecological health. The reference points were selected based on three aspects using standardized methods: habitat environmental quality index (QHEI), water quality status, and disturbance of human activities. The analytic hierarchy process was used to calculate the weight of the three indicators. The evaluation results of the ecological integrity of typical lakes, reservoirs and wetlands in Tianjin were finally obtained. The results showed that: 1) Among all the samples, "healthy" points accounted for 5.0%, "good" points accounted for 20.0%, "general" points accounted for 35.0%, "worse" points accounted for 30.0%, and "poor" points accounted for 10.0%. Ecological health status of typical lakes, reservoirs and wetlands in Tianjin was at a general level, with a trend that the west was better than the east with significant spatial differences. 2) Reference points were selected based on the combination of habitat score, water quality conditions, and human activity disturbance. Water quality indicators could reduce subjectivity when selecting reference points and promote the application of ecological integrity evaluation. 3) The applicability verification results showed that IEI could better characterize the health status of each point, and the discrimination efficiency was obvious, which was suitable for evaluating the ecological health of lakes, reservoirs and wetlands.

Due to unevenly distributed water resources, semi-arid regions are particularly prone to severe water shortage and quality degradation. In this study, based on long-term hydrological database (1935-2015), and the latest available water quality data sets (2011-2016), we analyzed the water crisis and its driving forces in the upper Yongding River watershed, a typical water shortage area in North China. The results showed that human induced excessive water consumption is responsible for the significantly decreased river flow over the past eight decades. Although the capacity of the watershed wastewater treatment has improved, current water quality does not meet the requirements of the national water management goals, because of the excessive nitrogen and COD Cr (chemical oxygen demand), which mainly come from the wastewater and feedlots discharge. Due to the decreased river flow, current Yongding River is unable to dilute and assimilate pollutions. The analysis of river pollutant load illustrated that more than 60 % of the nitrogen in the river water system is diverted for reservoir storage, and more than 50 % of the COD Cr and TP are diverted for irrigation, thereby, increasing the risk of reservoirs eutrophication and threatening food safety. Besides, the high Cl - (388.2 ± 322.5 mg/L) and SO 4 2- (470.6 ± 357.7 mg/L) imply that the upper river water are not suitable for drinking and irrigation purposes, and a potential risk of salinization if the river flow continues to decrease. We conclude that water resources over extraction and quality degradation are the main driving factors of the Yongding River water crisis.

China is facing great challenges to balance its natural water resource use and eco-environment protection, especially in the north semi-arid region with large water consumption due to the rapid economic growth. This highlights the urgency to use water resource carrying capacity (WRCC) as a measure to maintain the sustainable development of the human and natural water system. Here, we used a coupled model based on the system dynamics and cellular automaton models to assess the WRCC under the critical value of water resource withdrawal ratio (40%) and its sustainability in the Yongding River watershed in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, where the water use highly depends on river flow and nonrenewable groundwater resources. The analytical results showed that the current regional WRCC is severely overloaded due to strong human activities. The predicted results based on four scenarios, i.e., existing development, water saving, industrial restructuring, and integrated development schemes, showed that although the improvement of water saving and water use efficiency has mitigated the regional water shortage, evidenced by the increased WRCC, the water shortage would continue due to the increased water demand. Under the integrated development scenario, it will need at least additional 7.1 × 10 8  m 3 water per year (Beijing: 2.5 × 10 8  m 3 , Tianjin: 0.8 × 10 8  m 3 , Hebei: 3.8 × 10 8  m 3 ) via the water transfer project to maintain the sustainability in the next decades. Our research provides recommendations for reasonable water utilization and supplementation under the severe water crisis.

It has been widely reported that cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) demonstrate a special structural color, which stems from chiral nematic domains. Herein, the humidity and heat dual response nanocomposite films with multilayered helical structure were prepared by self-assembling of CNCs and hydrazone groups modified poly( N -isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) copolymers. Furthermore, glutaraldehyde was involved to act as a chemical linker to improve cyclic stability by forming acylhydrazone bonds. The structural color of the films could be easily regulated by humidity, heat, or the content of modified PNIPAM copolymers. The absorption of water in higher humidity led to volume expansion of the resin, resulting in a red shift for up to 145 nm. In contrast, the resin shrank under the temperature above the lower critical solution temperature of PNIPAM, leading to a blue shift for up to 87 nm. It was notable that the change of color can be easily captured by the naked eyes. Moreover, the films exhibited excellent stability and cyclicity in response to either vapor or liquid water due to the chemical linking between CNCs and resins. The as-prepared CNCs/PNIPAM nanocomposite films with humidity or heat responsibilities are promising in stimuli-responsive sensors, printing industry, surface decorations, and so forth.

Microfiber is a subgroup of microplastics and accounts for a large proportion of microplastics in aquatic environment, especially in municipal effluents. The purpose of the present study was to quantify microfiber shedding from three most populate synthetic textile fabrics: polyester, polyamide, and acetate fabrics. The results showed that more microfibers were released after washing with a pulsator laundry machine than a platen laundry machine. The greatest number of microfibers was released from acetate fabric, which was up to 74,816 ± 10,656 microfibers/m 2 per wash, although microfibers were shed from all materials. Moreover, an increasing trend was found in the number of microfibers shedding from synthetic fabrics with the washing temperature increasing, and greater microfiber release occurred when washing fabrics with detergent rather than with water alone. The lint filter bag equipped with the pulsator laundry machine retained the longer microfibers (>1000 μm), but not the shorter microfibers (<500 μm) instead of releasing into the drainage system. Our data suggested that microfibers released during washing of synthetic fabrics may be an important source of microfibers in aquatic environment due to the increasing production and use of synthetic fabrics globally. Thus, more efficient filtering bags or other technologies in household washing machines should be developed to prevent and reduce the release of microfibers from domestic washing., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

With the rapid economic development in the past decades, industrialization and urbanization in China has also rapidly developed and will continue in the next decades. However, the regional water shortage has posed great challenges for the sustainable development of big cities especially in north China. Here, we used the water ecological footprint model combined with the system dynamic model to assess the water resource carrying capacity and its sustainability in Zhangjiakou City, a typical water shortage city in north China. The calculated results showed that irrigation was the largest water consumer in Zhangjiakou. There existed a clear gap between water supply and water consumption in this city and such a gap is demonstrated by the high water resource pressure index. Our predicted results based on the water resource ecological footprint and the system dynamic model showed that although the improving water use efficiency has relieved the regional water shortage pressure, the efficiency gained would be to a large degree offset by increased water demands due to the increasing economic development. The annual average water shortage in Zhangjiakou in 2007-2050 would be up to 8.53 × 10 8  m 3 , nearly half of the total local average annual water resource. To deal with the severe water shortage over the next three decades, great attention should be paid to scientific water resource managements and water pollution control. This research provides a long-term view of water resource pressure and provides recommendations for a sustainable water use under the rapid regional socioeconomic development.

In this study, 22 rivers in Tieling City were selected to study the concentration, flux, and emission factor (EF 5r ) of N 2 O. Based on the concentrations and components of nitrogen (N), the 22 rivers can be divided into ammonia nitrogen (NH 4 + )-polluted rivers (mean NH 4 + =5.86 mg·L -1 ), nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 - )-polluted rivers (mean NO 3 - =3.05 mg·L -1 ), and N-limited rivers[mean DIN (NH 4 + + NO 3 - )=1.04 mg·L -1 ]. Overall, the concentration of N 2 O ranges from 17.03 to 9028.60 nmol·L -1 , with a mean value of 546.75 nmol·L -1 (mean saturation=6256%). The emission fluxes across the water-air interface range from 17.21 to 15655.3 μg·(m 2 ·h) -1 , with a mean value of 949.36 μg·(m 2 ·h) -1 , indicating that those rivers are net sources of atmospheric N 2 O. The concentration and flux of N 2 O observed in NH 4 + -polluted rivers are significantly higher than that in the NO 3 - -polluted and N-limited rivers. According to the method proposed by the IPCC, EF 5r varies greatly among the three types of rivers and the coefficient of variation of EF 5r is 445%. The EF 5r for NO 3 - -polluted rivers is on average 0.0005, which is lower than the recommended value of 0.0025. However, the EF 5r for NH 4 + -polluted rivers is on average 0.4456, which is 180 times the recommended value and may be caused by the lower NO 3 - concentration of those rivers. The EF 5r of N-limited rivers averages 0.0050 and is two times the recommended value. Thus, it is necessary to assess the pollution status of N before calculating the EF 5r for the riverine system. We suggest that the EF 5r for NH 4 + -polluted and N-limited rivers should be calculated using[N 2 O]/[NH 4 + ] and[N 2 O]/[DIN], respectively, without assessing the composition and concentration of N.

Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change and stratospheric ozone destruction. Nitrogen-enriched rivers are significant sources of atmospheric N 2 O. This study conducted a one-year field campaign in seven N-enriched rivers draining urban, rural, and agricultural land to determine the link between the production, concentrations, and emissions of N 2 O and land use. Estimated N 2 O fluxes varied between 1.30 and 1164.38 μg N 2 O-N m -2 h -1 with a mean value of 154.90 μg N 2 O-N m -2 h -1 , indicating that rivers were the net sources of atmospheric N 2 O. Concentrations of N 2 O ranged between 0.23 and 29.21 μg N 2 O-N L -1 with an overall mean value of 3.81 μg N 2 O-N L -1 . Concentrations of ammonium and nitrate in urban and rural rivers were high in the cold season. The concentrations were also high in agricultural rivers in the wet season. N 2 O concentrations and emissions in rural and urban rivers followed a similar pattern to ammonium and a similar pattern to nitrate in agricultural rivers. A strong link between the concentrations and emissions of N 2 O and land use was observed. N 2 O concentrations in and emissions from the rivers draining the urban and rural areas were significantly higher than the rivers draining the agricultural areas (P < 0.01). Stepwise regression analysis indicated that dissolved N 2 O were primarily influenced by NH 4 + in agricultural rivers and by NO 3 - in rural rivers; while dissolved N 2 O in urban rivers was primarily predicted by temperature and reflected the integrated impact of sewage input and river hydrology. Nitrate-N and NO 3- -O isotope data and linear regression of N 2 O and river water variables strongly indicated that dissolved N 2 O was mainly derived from nitrification in agricultural rivers and denitrification in rural and urban rivers., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

After spinal cord injury, the number of glial cells and motor neurons expressing bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) increases, indicating that upregulation of BMP7 can promote nerve repair. We, therefore, tested whether direct injection of BMP7 into acutely injured rat spinal cord can affect neurological recovery. Allen's impactor was used to create spinal cord injury at T 10 . The injury site was then injected with 50 ng BMP7 (BMP7 group) or physiological saline (control group) for 7 consecutive days. Electrophysiological examination showed that the amplitude of N1 in motor evoked potentials (MEP) decreased after spinal cord injury. At 8 weeks post-operation, the amplitude of N1 in the BMP7 group was remarkably higher than that at 1 week post-operation and was higher than that of the control group. Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan scale (BBB) scores, hematoxylin-eosin staining, and western blot assay showed that at 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks post-operation, BBB scores were increased; Nissl body staining was stronger; the number of Nissl-stained bodies was increased; the number of vacuoles gradually decreased; the number of synapses was increased; and the expression of neuronal marker, neurofilament protein 200, was increased in the hind limbs of the BMP7 group compared with the control group. Western blot assay showed that the expression of GFAP protein in BMP7 group and control group did not change significantly and there was no significant difference between the BMP7 and control groups. These data confirmed that local injection of BMP7 can promote neuronal regeneration after spinal cord injury and promote recovery of motor function in rats., Competing Interests: There is no conflict of interest between all authors and the units involved

Freshwater snails are promising bioindicators that can be used in ecotoxicological testing and ecological risk assessments. To screen molecular responses following mollusk exposure to algal blooms, whole transcriptome sequencing was performed with the freshwater snail (Parafossarulus striatulus) fed with blue algae (Microcystis aeruginosa). A total of 86,848 unigenes were assembled, and 10,413 unigenes were annotated in the TrEMBL, Pfam, KEGG, and SwissProt databases. In snails fed with both green and blue algae, a total of 276 differentially expressed unigenes were identified, though there were limited differences in snails fed with only green algae. In addition, ten randomly selected differentially expressed unigenes were analyzed in snails collected from Taihu Lake, China. The expression of four unigenes exhibited a trend consistent with that observed in transcriptome profiling of laboratory snails. The results of this study provide an invaluable resource for enhancing our understanding of ecotoxicology following the occurrence of algal blooms in lakes., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study analyzed the spatio-temporal distribution and sources of nitrogen (N) in 22 rivers in Tieling City during 2013-07-2014-07. The results showed that the concentrations of TN, NO 3 - -N, and NH 4 + -N were 1.26-18.85, 0.53-11.8, and 0.3-15.7 mg·L -1 , with an annual mean value of (5.8±1.9), (2.8±1.74), and (2.0±1.1) mg·L -1 , respectively. Overall, NO 3 - -N was the main form of N with a percentage of 48%. The concentration of N in the wet season was significantly higher than that in the normal and dry seasons. According to the standards for surface water quality, water quality in eight rivers was worse than grade Ⅲ. Tiaozi River and Xiaoqing River were seriously polluted by ammonia N with a grade Ⅴ water quality through the sampling period, while Xiliao River, Xiaohezi River, and Liao River met the water quality standards. During the sampling period, δ 15 N and δ 18 O in nitrate in river waters were -3.0‰-23.9‰ and -11.7‰-57‰, respectively. Based on the data on the isotopes of N and O, N in the rivers in Tieling City mainly originated from human and animal excreta, industrial effluents, and domestic sewage. Sources of riverine N varied with seasons. For example, N in Tiaozi River and Nianpan River was mainly from fertilizer use and soil nitrogen in the wet season while it was from the industrial effluents and domestic sewage in the dry season.

Antimony (Sb) concentrations were measured in 10 brands of PET bottled drinking water available in supermarkets in China. To simulate general storage habits based on market research, these PET bottles with drinking water were stored for 4 weeks in a lab or a car trunk during the summer. Although the PET package material of brand A had the lowest Sb level (142.71 ± 29.81 μg/g), it showed a significant increase in Sb concentrations when stored in both the car trunk and the lab. There was significant release of Sb from the PET bottles into the water following 24 h of incubation at ≥ 40 °C (40, 50, 60, and 70 °C), especially at 70 °C. The potential health risk of Sb release from PET bottles was calculated based on daily intake values and determined to be acceptable for consumers under normal storage conditions.

Ratios of nitrogen loss and N2O production by denitrification were observed in Daliao River and the estuary in summer 2013. The results showed that the concentrations of N and P in the main stream of Daliao River were significant higher than those in the estuary (P < 0.05). Decrease of nutrients concentration in the estuary might be integrally caused by water diluting and biogeochemical processes. The net increase of dissolved N2 (ΔN2) ranged between -11.01 and 71.37 μmol x L(-1), in which the negative values were mostly determined in the main stream of the river, indicating the consumption amount of N2 was higher than the production in the fresh water. The mean ratio of N2O production during the process of denitrification was about 0.007%, and the N2O flux across water-air interface was about 0.04% of the total fluxes (N2O + N2). In this study, ΔN2 was not related with DO, while exhibited a significant positive correlation with water temperature and salinity, and a negative correlation with NO3-. This suggests that denitrification was not totally regulated by DO level in the estuary, and coupled nitrification-denitrification was the main denitrification process. Finally, we estimated that 26% of the TN, 37% of the DIN, and 43% of the NO3- were removed by denitrification in the Daliao River estuary based on the ratio of ΔN2 to N concentrations.

The present paper adopts permanent scatterer interferometric synthetic aperture radar(PS-InSAR) technique to obtain land subsidence information in Beijing plain area. Then, combined with the time series of meteorological data, groundwater dynamic monitoring data, interferometric data and geological structure data, the formation and evolution mechanism of land subsidence were revealed. The results show that (1) Beijing regional land subsidence characteristics are obvious, more land subsidence funnel areas are interconnected, the settlement is influenced by rainfall recharge and exhibits seasonal fluctuation characteristics; (2) The land subsidence center and groundwater drawdown funnel centre are not fully consistent, unconfined aquifer and shallow confined aquifer are the major contribution factors and have greater impact on the land subsidence; (3) Land subsidence mainly occurred in the clay layer with a thickness of 50-70 m; (4) Land subsidence caused by tectonic controls is significant and the deformation gradient is great on both sides of the fault.

Objective: To analyze the characteristics of ocular changes in children craniopharyngioma., Methods: Retrospective case series study. The clinical data of 34 eyes from 17 patients with children craniopharyngioma treated at the affiliated Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University from September 2011 to May 2012 were collected. Records of preoperative clinical examinations including best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), visual field test, optic disc findings, size and location of the tumor were analyzed., Results: The age of the patients was from 5 to 14 years old [mean (10.29 ± 3.22) years] with the male/female ratio of 1.83: 1. The most affected age group was 8 to 12 years old. Deficits in BCVA occurred in 79.41% (27/34). Abnormal optic disc findings occurred in 44.12% which included optic disk edema 5.9% (2/34), atrophic changes of the optic nerve 32.35% (11/34) and pale optic disc 5.9% (2/34). Various visual field defects were 76.47% (26/34)., Conclusion: Declines of visual acuities and defects of visual fields were more severe than optic disc damages in children patients with craniopharyngioma.

Long-term over-exploitation of underground resources, and static and dynamic load increase year by year influence the occurrence and development of regional land subsidence to a certain extent. Choosing 29 scenes Envisat ASAR images covering plain area of Beijing, China, the present paper used the multi-temporal InSAR method incorporating both persistent scatterer and small baseline approaches, and obtained monitoring information of regional land subsidence. Under different situation of space development and utilization, the authors chose five typical settlement areas; With classified information of land-use, multi-spectral remote sensing image, and geological data, and adopting GIS spatial analysis methods, the authors analyzed the time series evolution characteristics of uneven settlement. The comprehensive analysis results suggests that the complex situations of space development and utilization affect the trend of uneven settlement; the easier the situation of space development and utilization, the smaller the settlement gradient, and the less the uneven settlement trend.

The excessive mining for underground water is the main reason inducing the land subsidence in Beijing, while, increasing of load brought by the urban construction aggravate the local land subsidence in a certain degree. As an international metropolis, the problems of land subsidence that caused by urban construction are becoming increasingly highlights, so revealing the relationship between regional load increase and the response of land subsidence also becomes one of the key problems in the land subsidence research field. In order to analyze the relationship between the load changes in construction and the land subsidence quantitatively, the present study selected the TM remote sensing image covering Beijing plain and used Erdas Modeler tool to invert the index based on building site (IBI), acquired the spatial and temporal change information in research area further; Based on results monitored by PS-InSAR (permanent scatterer interferometry) and IBI index method, and combined with the GIS spatial analysis method in the view of pixels in different scales, this paper analyzes the correlation between typical area load change and land subsidence, The conclusions show that there is a positive correlation between the density of load and the homogeneity of subsidence, especially in area which has a high sedimentation rate. Owing to such characteristics as the complexity and hysteretic nature of soil and geological structure, it is not obvious that the land subsidence caused by the increase of load in a short period. But with the increasing of local land load made by high density buildings and additional settlement of each monomer building superposed with each other, regional land subsidence is still a question that cannot be ignored and needs long-term systematic research and discussion.

The present study evaluated the potential ecological risk of organotin compounds (OTs) to wild veined rapa whelk (Rapana Venosa) population in Bohai Bay. The results showed that the imposex rate was 12.5% and 6.48% in Dashentang and Nanpaihe coastal areas, with relative penis size index of 9.61 and 12.45, respectively. The concentrations of butyltin compounds and phenyltin compounds were 39.04 ng x g(-1) dw and 46.48 ng x g(-1) dw in muscle tissues, and 32.09 ng x g(-1) dw and 109.03 ng x g(-1) dw in digest gland, respectively. Based on TBT levels in the muscles of all samples, a risk quotient of 0.024 was derived, indicating certain risk of OTs at current levels to wild veined rapa whelk populations in Bohai Bay.

Multivariate statistical techniques, cluster analysis, non-parametric tests, and factor analysis were applied to analyze a water quality dataset including 13 parameters at 37 sites of the Three Gorges area, China, from 2003-2008 to investigate spatio-temporal variations and identify potential pollution sources. Using cluster analysis, the twelve months of the year were classified into three periods of low-flow (LF), normal-flow (NF), and high-flow (HF); and the 37 monitoring sites were divided into low pollution (LP), moderate pollution (MP), and high pollution (HP). Dissolved oxygen (DO), potassium permanganate index (COD(Mn)), and ammonia-nitrogen (NH4(+)-N) were identified as significant variables affecting temporal and spatial variations by non-parametric tests. Factor analysis identified that the major pollutants in the HP region were organic matters and nutrients during NF, heavy metals during LF, and petroleum during HF. In the MP region, the identified pollutants primarily included organic matter and heavy metals year-around, while in the LP region, organic pollution was significant during both NF and HF, and nutrient and heavy metal levels were high during both LF and HF. The main sources of pollution came from domestic wastewater and agricultural activities and runoff; however, they contributed differently to each region in regards to pollution levels. For the HP region, inputs from wastewater treatment plants were significant; but for MP and LP regions, water pollution was more likely from the combined effects of agriculture, domestic wastewater, and chemical industry. These results provide fundamental information for developing better water pollution control strategies for the Three Gorges area.

The Suaeda heteroptera are widely distributed in intertidal zone, in order to investigate its function in preventing the transfer of the contaminants from land to sea, the levels and the distribution characteristics of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Suaeda heteroptera and their associated soils were studied with GC-MS. The results indicated that the levels of these pollutants in Suaeda heteroptera were in the following order: sigma PAHs > OCPs > BDE209 > sigma PCBs (96-1 506 ng/g, 14-577 ng/g, 1.8-33 ng/g, and 399-2 161 pg/g, respectively). The levels of OCPs, PAHs, and PCBs in sediments from Yingkou intertidal zone were higher than that from Donying intertidal zone, however, these pollutants in Suaeda heteroptera leaves were approximately equal, respectively. The distribution of OCPs in Suaeda heteroptera appeared in the following order: stem > root > leaf, and the distribution of PAHs and PCBs in Suaeda heteroptera from Dongying intertidal zone were different from Yingkou intertidal zone, due to the difference of the organic matter content in sediments. The level of BDE209 in sediment from Dongying intertidal zone (19.7 ng/g) was higher than that from Yingkou intertidal zone (2.36 ng/g), and appeared different distribution in Suaeda heteroptera from the two intertidal zones.

The characters of the morphological, vertical and spatial distribution of nitrogen and phosphate in the water of Changjiang Estuary were discussed, according to the survey conducted in November 2003. Among the dissolved inorganic nitrogen species, nitrate accounted for 90% in the water of Changjiang Estuary. The concentration of nitrogen nutrients in the Changjiang Estuary show higher level, and 67% of sampling stations attained or exceeded the forth standard level of seawater, according to the national standard of seawater quality. Most of total phosphate in the water of Changjiang Estuary is total dissolved phosphate (TDP), which primary composition is dissolved organic phosphate (DOP). The dramatic changes of salinity in the water of Changjiang Estuary lead to the different distribution characteristics of nutrients. The concentrations of nitrate are higher inside the estuary and lower outside the estuary due to its conservatism. On the contrast, ammonium and phosphate are influenced by the change of particle concentrations and salinity, which are higher outside the estuary and lower inside the estuary. Besides, the contents of COD in the water of Changjiang estuary are very high, and the spatial distribution characteristics are higher inside the estuary and lower outside the estuary.