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In response to the global climate crisis, some countries and regions have established green trade “carbon barriers” that leverage their advantages in carbon emissions accounting and certification to curtail exports of Chinese products. Facing these emerging challenges, China needs to refine its carbon accounting system to contribute to an equitable and cooperative global climate governance and trade system. This study aims to improve China’s carbon accounting system. It summarizes the essence and construction progress of the carbon accounting system, introduces the accounting and reporting requirements of international green trade mechanisms, and employs comparative analysis to examine the differences between China’s carbon market, the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, and the “Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries” in terms of accounting boundaries, methodologies, and data support and quality assurance systems. The findings indicate that while China’s carbon market aligns with international green trade mechanisms in terms of accounting methodologies, it lags significantly in its carbon footprint system as well as data support and quality assurance systems. These gaps mean that Chinese export-oriented enterprises struggle to overcome these carbon barriers with the current accounting system, potentially hindering the development of emerging industries. The study suggests that China should adhere to its fundamental stance of opposing unfair green trade barriers and take specific measures to improve the carbon accounting system: (1) enhancing the product-level carbon accounting system, (2) establishing a credible platform for emission factor data, (3) bolstering research support from academic institutions, (4) reinforcing data security management, and (5) improving the carbon accounting and reporting capabilities of affected enterprises.

The relationship between power transmission and reception in AC/DC interconnected power grids is complex， with numerous constraints on grid operation and regulation. Therefore， relying solely on manual expertise to assess the adjustment of power transmission and reception plans presents significant challenges. In response to the precise requirements of market-oriented transactions for adjusting interprovincial power transmission and reception plans， a method for analyzing the feasible domain of interprovincial transmission power is proposed. Firstly， based on the operational characteristics of AC/DC interconnected power grids， the modeling of operational constraints within the feasible scheduling domain is expanded. Subsequently， a model for the feasible domain of interprovincial transmission power is constructed， and solved using the ordered vertex search method. Finally， case studies are conducted based on the actual operational scenarios of the regional power grid in the south， and the effectiveness of the feasible domain for interprovincial transmission power is validated using the computational results of the entire network scheduling and optimization model. The calculation results of the feasible domain provide insight into the limit range of interprovincial transmission power under specific transmission and reception scenarios， thereby providing a reference basis for the verification and adjustment of medium to long-term power transmission and reception plans.

In this study, peptide fractions (F1-F4) with different molecular masses were obtained from Bangia fusco-purpurea through enzymatic hydrolysis and ultrafiltration. F2, with molecular masses of 800–2 000 Da, exhibited the highest in vitro angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity as determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The amino acid sequence of F2 was identified through liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and de novo sequencing using PEAKS Studio software. Six ACE inhibitory peptides that stably bind to ACE were selected through molecular docking. The predicted peptides were synthesized by solid-phase synthesis and their in vitro ACE inhibitory activity was verified. Among them, L1 (LVLLFLFGE) showed the highest ACE inhibitory activity with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 14.22 μg/mL. Molecular docking results indicated that the inhibition of ACE by L1 was mainly attributed to its ability to form hydrogen bond interactions with the active site of ACE. Finally, the effects of temperature, pH, metal ions, light exposure, and simulated gastrointestinal digestion on the stability of L1 were investigated. The results revealed that L1 was highly stable to heat and ionic strength. However, its activity gradually decreased at pH > 2, and was affected by ultraviolet treatment. The ACE inhibitory activity of L1 decreased after simulated gastric and intestinal digestion, but was still significant.

This study aims to provide an estimate of lifetime sexual violence (SV) among male sexual minority college students with differing sexual orientations and contribute to the evidence base on the association between SV experience, stress, and depressive symptoms. The data stemmed from the 2019 Internet Survey on HIV/AIDS and Sexual Health in Colleges and Universities in Guangdong province, China. Lifetime SV victimisation (including non-sexual harassment, physical contact sexual harassment, and rape), level of stress, and depressive symptoms were examined among 1441 male sexual minority students from 37 colleges and universities in Guangdong province. Linear regression analyses were adopted to examine associations between independent variables and depressive symptoms. 23.4% (337/1441) of the participants reported lifetime non-contact harassment, while 8.8% (127/1441) and 2.4% (35/1441) of the participants reported physical contact sexual harassment and rape, respectively. Homosexual students reported the most physical contact sexual harassment (48/127, 37.8%) and bisexual students reported the most non-contact sexual harassment (102/337, 30.3%) and rape (10/35, 28.6%) among sexual minority participants; 85.6% participants reported high levels of stress. The experience of SV and the level of stress were significantly associated with depressive symptoms, and stress completely mediated the path from SV experiences to depressive symptoms. This study specifically showcases SV as a pervasive problem affecting Chinese male sexual minority college students and highlighting the severity of stress and depressive symptoms among this population. These findings emphasise the urgency of implementing effective practices and policies to address SV and depressive symptoms among male sexual minority college students in China., Author(s): Dannuo Wei [sup.1] , Jinghua Li [sup.1] , Huifang Xu [sup.2] , Lirui Fan [sup.3] , Yaoyao Du [sup.1] , Xiaoting Chen [sup.1] , Fengsu Hou [sup.4] , Jing [...]

Alternative splicing is critical for development; however, its role in the specification of the three embryonic germ layers is poorly understood. By performing RNA-Seq on human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and derived definitive endoderm, cardiac mesoderm, and ectoderm cell lineages, we detect distinct alternative splicing programs associated with each lineage. The most prominent splicing program differences are observed between definitive endoderm and cardiac mesoderm. Integrative multi-omics analyses link each program with lineage-enriched RNA binding protein regulators, and further suggest a widespread role for Quaking (QKI) in the specification of cardiac mesoderm. Remarkably, knockout of QKI disrupts the cardiac mesoderm-associated alternative splicing program and formation of myocytes. These changes arise in part through reduced expression of BIN1 splice variants linked to cardiac development. Mechanistically, we find that QKI represses inclusion of exon 7 in BIN1 pre-mRNA via an exonic ACUAA motif, and this is concomitant with intron removal and cleavage from chromatin. Collectively, our results uncover alternative splicing programs associated with the three germ lineages and demonstrate an important role for QKI in the formation of cardiac mesoderm.

In order to explore the microfloral succession in Takifugu flavidus during storage at 0 ℃, the spoilage bacteria were detected by 16S rDNA sequencing, the dominant spoilage bacteria in the late stage of storage were identified, and the changes in the microbial flora and the spoilage capacity of the dominant spoilage bacteria were analyzed. The results showed that the refrigerated shelf life of T. flavidus was about 5 days. In the early stage of storage (0–3 days), T. flavidus had the highest number of species of bacteria, including Pseudomonas, Streptophyta, and Shewanella, while in the late stage (6–15 days), the bacterial species were concentrated mainly in Pseudomonas and Shewanella. Ten dominant spoilage bacteria were isolated and identified, Shewanella and Pseudomonas accounting for a high proportion. Moreover, the spoilage capacity of several common dominant spoilage bacteria was analyzed, revealing that the decreasing order of the spoilage capacity was Pseudomonas fluorescent > P. azotoformans > Shewanella hafniensis > S. baltica. The results of this study provide a reference for understanding the spoilage mechanism of T. flavidus during cold storage and extending its shelf life.

Following publication of the original article [1], it was reported that the article copyright was incorrect. The correct copyright statement is: © This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply 2021. The original article [1] has been corrected.

BackgroundAsthma is highly heterogeneous, and severity evaluation is key to asthma management. DNA methylation (DNAm) contributes to asthma pathogenesis. This study aimed to identify nasal epithelial DNAm differences between severe and nonsevere asthmatic children and evaluate the impact of environmental exposures.MethodsThirty-three nonsevere and 22 severe asthmatic African American children were included in an epigenome-wide association study. Genome-wide nasal epithelial DNAm and gene expression were measured. CpG sites associated with asthma severity and environmental exposures and predictive of severe asthma were identified. DNAm was correlated with gene expression. Enrichment for transcription factor (TF) binding sites or histone modifications surrounding DNAm differences were determined.ResultsWe identified 816 differentially methylated CpG positions (DMPs) and 10 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) associated with asthma severity. Three DMPs exhibited discriminatory ability for severe asthma. Intriguingly, six DMPs were simultaneously associated with asthma, allergic asthma, total IgE, environmental IgE, and FeNO in an independent cohort of children. Twenty-seven DMPs were associated with traffic-related air pollution or secondhand smoke. DNAm at 22 DMPs was altered by diesel particles or allergen in human bronchial epithelial cells. DNAm levels at 39 DMPs were correlated with mRNA expression. Proximal to 816 DMPs, three histone marks and several TFs involved in asthma pathogenesis were enriched.ConclusionsSignificant differences in nasal epithelial DNAm were observed between nonsevere and severe asthma in African American children, a subset of which may be useful to predict disease severity. These CpG sites are subjected to the influences of environmental exposures and may regulate gene expression.

Background: Overlap of pathways enriched by single nucleotide polymorphisms and DNA-methylation underlying chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), prompted pilot study of CPSP-associated methylation quantitative trait loci (meQTL). Materials & methods: Children undergoing spine-fusion were recruited prospectively. Logistic-regression for genome- and epigenome-wide CPSP association and DNA-methylation-single nucleotide polymorphism association/mediation analyses to identify meQTLs were followed by functional genomics analyses. Results: CPSP (n = 20/58) and non-CPSP groups differed in pain-measures. Of 2753 meQTLs, DNA-methylation at 127 cytosine-guanine dinucleotides mediated association of 470 meQTLs with CPSP (p