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Monthly sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration during 1997–2018 in the Northern South China Sea (NSCS) were gap-filled using the Data INterpolating Empirical Orthogonal Functions (DINEOFs) approach. Good accuracy of the reconstructed data was verified based on an independent cross-validation data set. Significant spatial heterogeneities and seasonal variations were observed in the cloud-free SST and Chl-a data. An apparent decreasing trend in SST was found along the coast of Guangdong, east of Hainan Island, and in the Taiwan Strait with an average decreasing rate amounting to 0.01 °C per year. Increase in SST was observed in Beibu Gulf and the deep offshore region in the NSCS at an average rate as high as 0.009 °C per year. An increasing trend in Chl-a was detected in the northern Beibu Gulf, near the mouth of the Pearl River estuary, and around Shantou with an average rate of 0.005 mg $\cdot \text{m}^{-3}$ per year. EOF analysis of SST and Chl-a time series showed that the first three modes of both SST and Chl-a can explain most of their variances with accumulative contributions of 99.1% and 82.3%, respectively. The effects of surface net heat flux (NHF), Oceanic Nino Index (ONI), wind speed, and river flux on the first three modes of SST and Chl-a were quantitatively elucidated. Factors that affected the temporal and spatial variations of Chl-a and SST in the NSCS were qualitatively discussed, including El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), monsoon, upwelling, typhoon, internal waves, and Kuroshio intrusion.

Purpose: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (cc-RCC) comprises 70% of RCC and the majority of cancer-related deaths. The oncological comparison between partial nephrectomy (PN) and radical nephrectomy (RN) is undefined and previous studies have not indicated any significant benefit from PN compared with RN, for T1b renal tumors in terms of overall survival (OS). We retrieved T1bN0M0 cc-RCC patients and performed propensity score matching (PSM) to compare the oncological OS between PN and RN.Method: All cc-RCC cases were divided into two groups according to different surgical approaches, namely, PN and RN. Log-rank tests were used to assess the differences in OS, and subgroup analysis was performed in terms of age and tumor size. PSM was performed between the PN and RN groups.Results:11,966 T1bN0M0 cc-RCC patients were collected. After PSM, the log-rank test indicated that PN patients had better prognoses than those with RN. Age subgroup analysis indicated that PN was better than RN in all age subgroups. Cox analysis revealed that younger, larger tumor size, Black, and RN were associated with worse survival.Conclusion: PN had significantly better oncological prognoses than RN for T1bN0M0 cc-RCC patients, and age, race, tumor size, and surgical approach were effective prognostic factors.

Ascorbic acid (AA) is an esstential micronutrient in the human body and participates in vital processes. It can only be supplemented by external intake, making the determination of AA in food or beverages of significance. In the present work, MnO2 nanoparticle (MnO2 NP) based turn-off colorimetry was established for AA determination on the basis of AA-stimulated inhibition of catalytic oxidation. MnO2 NPs were synthesized through a biotemplating method and displayed effective catalytic oxidation activity for oxidation of TMB, triggering a chromogenic reaction. Interestingly, the introduction of AA induced the decomposition of MnO2 NPs and as a consequence decreased the colour. Therefore, sensitive and selective turn-off colorimetry for AA detection was established and a satisfactory linear range of 0.5–30 μM with a detection limit of 0.28 μM was obtained. This MnO2 NP-based method was activated via a novel sensing principle, complementing and facilitating colorimetry for AA.

Carbon nanodots (CNDs) were facilely synthesized through a pyrolysis procedure with histamine, an amino acid rich in element carbon and nitrogen, being the precursor. Taking advantage of the favorable fluorescence performance of CNDs, a multiple fluorescence quenching effects mediated fluorescent sensor was established for captopril (CAP) detection. MnO

Antimony is one of the heavier pnictogens and is widely found in human food chains, water sources, and as an air pollutant. Recent years have seen steadily increasing concentrations of antimony in the ecological environment; critically, several studies have indicated that antimony might pose a tumorigenic risk factor in several cancers. Therefore, antimony toxicity has attracted increasing research attention, with the molecular mechanisms underlying suspected antimony-mediated tumor transformation of greatest interest. Our results showed that the serum concentration of antimony was higher in bladder tumor patients relative to levels in non-tumor patients. Moreover, that such high antimony serum concentration were closely associated with poorer outcome in bladder tumor patients. Additionally, we demonstrated that the presence of antimony promoted both in vitro and in vivo bladder tumor cell growth. Our results also indicated that low-dose antimony resulted in significantly decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, mitochondrial respiratory enzyme complex I/II/III/IV activity, ATP/ADP ratio, and ATP concentration relative to the control group. These findings suggested that antimony caused mitochondrial damage. Finally, we found that low-dose antimony(0.8uM) inhibited mitophagy by deregulating expression of PINK1, Parkin, and p(ser65)-Parkin, and activation of PINK1-Parkin pathway by CCCP could inhibit antimony-induced tumor cell growth. Collectively, this inhibited the proliferation of bladder tumor cells. Overall, our study suggested that antimony promoted bladder tumor cell growth by inhibiting PINK1-Parkin-mediated mitophagy. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential in targeting molecules within this antimony induced-PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway and may offer a new approach for the treatment of bladder cancer.

Urban growth does not always strictly follow historical trends; the government may reshape urban growth patterns with considerations of ecological conservation or other plans. Both urban dynamic rules and landscape characteristics are the two main factors influencing the spatial patterns of cities, and obtaining an optimized spatial pattern is very important for sustainable urban growth. Therefore, in this study, we integrated logistic regression (LR) with the ant colony optimization (ACO) model to analyze the optimal scenario for smart urban growth. The LR model was used to discuss the relationship between urban patterns and environmental variables such as topography, development centers, and traffic conditions. Then, the urban growth probability was generated using the parameters obtained from LR. The ACO model was further integrated to optimize urban land allocation, which can meet the requirement of high growth probability, and a connected and compacted landscape pattern. This can solve the problem of urban land only being allocated by LR from being distributed fragmentarily in the space. With this integrated model, Guangzhou City, a rapidly developing area in China, was selected as a case study. The urban patterns derived from LR, as well as a simulation scenario using logistic regression-based cellular automata (LR-CA), were used in the comparison. Six landscape metrics were chosen to validate the performance of this proposed model at the pattern level. The results show that the LR-ACO model has a better performance in urban land allocation. This study demonstrated that models that couple dynamic rules and planning objectives can provide plausible scenarios for smart urban growth planning.

Mangroves serve many important ecological functions and consequently represent a dominant coastal ecosystem. However, coastal regions are very susceptible to ecological damage due to their high population density, urban expansion being one of the most important influencing factors. Accordingly, it is vital to ascertain how urban expansion endangers mangrove ecosystems. This study used the decision-tree classification method based on classification and regression tree (CART) algorithm to extract areas of mangrove and built-up land from Landsat images. A correlation analysis was performed between the change in the area of mangroves and the change in the area of built-up land at the cell scale. This study aimed to reveal the magnitude of the influence of urban expansion on mangrove forests in different periods and in different regions, and to identify the places that are seriously affected by urban expansion. The results demonstrate that this approach can be used to quantitatively analyze the impact of urban expansion on mangrove forests, and show that larger areas of mangrove were affected by urban expansion in the past 30 years. The effects of urban expansion were stronger over time, with approximately 12% of cells containing mangroves showing a negative correlation between the increase in the area of built-up land and the change in the area of mangrove forests to different degrees from 2005 to 2015. The same quantitative analysis was also carried out in three subregions of Guangdong Province, namely western Guangdong Province, the Pearl River Delta, and eastern Guangdong Province. It was found that the situations in these three regions were very different due to discrepancies in the distribution of mangroves, the rate of urban expansion, and the awareness of the local government regarding environmental protection. These results can assist in the management of coastal cities and the protection of mangrove ecosystems.

Taking advantage of the compelling properties of d-penicillamine (d-PA) combined with copper, a method for the sensitive and selective determination of d-PA was established using copper nanocluster (Cu NC)-based fluorescence enhancement. d-PA molecules containing a thiol compound showed a strong tendency to combine with the surface of Cu NCs, causing the re-dispersion of nanoclusters and therefore fluorescence intensity was enhanced. Fluorescence enhancement efficiency of Cu NCs induced by d-PA was linear, with the d-PA concentration varying from 0.6-30 μg ml-1 (R2 = 0.9952) and with a detection limit of 0.54 μg ml-1 . d-PA content in human urine samples was detected with recoveries of 104.8-112.99%. Fluorescence-enhanced determination of d-PA using Cu NCs was established for the first time and this rapid, easy and sensitive method should attract much attention for this application.

Objective: An elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is significantly associated with poor outcomes in many types of malignancies, including bladder cancer. However, the prognostic ...

Extensive efforts have been made in the understanding of the failure characteristics of straight fissure, but the failure patterns of rock mass with intermittent non-straight fissures have not been examined comprehensively. To address this problem, the present study investigated the cracking behaviors of natural marble specimens containing double S-shaped fissures under compression. Seven types of coalescence patterns for S-shaped fissures are classified, two of which are firstly reported and featured by the occurrence of the self-coalescence phenomenon. It is found that the decrease of strength is accompanied by the internal crack at the stage of crack growth and propagation, following the occurrence of the external crack, at relatively large flaw and ligament angle. The numerical simulations with the corresponding parameters were carried out for comparison. This research provides helpful information for understanding the failure modes induced by crack propagation of intermittent double S-shaped fissures.

The oxidation behavior of Ti3AlC2-20TiB2 composite was studied at 500 °C–900 °C in air. The composite showed a very low oxidation rate and followed a logarithmic oxidation law. The in-situ incorporation of TiB2 suppressed the anomalous rapid oxidation of the substrate Ti3AlC2 occurred near 600 °C by forming a protective B2O3 glass layer, and also improved the oxidation resistance of the MAX phase at intermediate-temperature.

Objective. To investigate the functional status of pancreatic α and β cells in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with different plasma triglyceride (TG) levels. TG levels can be prognostic markers for T2DM. Methods. A total of 328 patients with T2DM were divided into three groups according to different TG levels: the TGL group: TG Δ I 30 / Δ G 30 ), and area under the insulin curve (AUCI) were compared among each group. Also, the correlations between glucagon and pancreatic β-cell function, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and other indices were analyzed. Results. With the increase of TG, the fasting and postprandial glucagon levels, the glucagon/insulin ratio, and the area under the glucagon curve (AUCG) presented an increasing trend. The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA–IR) of the TGH group was significantly increased compared to the TGL and TGM groups. In addition to the increase in TG levels, the insulin sensitivity index (ISI), homeostasis model assessment for β-cell function index (HOMA-β), Δ I 30 / Δ G 30 , and AUCI displayed a reducing trend. Glucagon was negatively correlated with Δ I 30 / Δ G 30 , high-density lipoprotein (HDL), HOMA-β, body mass index (BMI), ISI, and AUCI ( P < 0.05 ) and positively correlated with fasting blood glucose (FPG), AUCG, HOMA-IR, HbA1c, duration, TG, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and total cholesterol (TC) ( P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. Hypertriglyceridemia aggravated the dysfunction of pancreatic α and β cells. A reasonable control of the TG level makes it easier for blood glucose to reach the standard.

Taking advantages of reticular proteins and reductive groups on the surface, eggshell membrane (ESM) was selected to synthesize MnO2 nanoparticles from potassium permanganate through a super simple way in which ESM acted as both template and reductant. This process avoided harsh reaction conditions or complicated aftertreatments and thus owned the merits of green synthesis, handy operation, low cost, and easy purification. The ESM-templated MnO2 nanoparticles (MnO2 NPs/ESM) were characterized, and the content of nanomaterials on the template was tested. MnO2 NPs/ESM showed a good capacity for decontamination of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH). The macroscopical materials can be separated easily by taking the membrane out to stop the degradation instead of centrifugation or filtration. It was studied that 72.27% of TCH (50 mg/L) was decontaminated in 20 min by 0.1920 g/L MnO2 nanoparticles, and removal efficiency could reach 83.10% after 60 min under buffered condition. The kinetics was studied with or without buffer, and it was concluded that the degradation process followed a pseudo-second-order model. The facile synthesis of materials and effective degradation would facilitate the nano-MnO2-based decontamination applications.

Typhoons can affect various hydrodynamic processes, such as upwelling, vertical mixing, and entrainment, which in turn influence the growth and redistribution of phytoplankton. In this study, responses of phytoplankton to consecutive typhoons Barijat and Mangkhut in summer 2018 in the northern South China Sea (NSCS) were investigated through combining remote sensing, numerical simulation, and Argo profile data. Variations of physical and biological properties induced by Barijat and Mangkhut over the study region were observed. Regional chlorophyll-a (Chla) algorithms over the NSCS were assessed in order to accurately quantify typhoon-induced variations of phytoplankton. Chla concentration decreased slightly over the region of interest after the passage of Barijiat while increased obviously after the passage of Mangkhut. Satellite-derived Chla increased by ~63% on average after the consecutive typhoons. Responses of phytoplankton size structure (PSS) were further investigated over the continental shelf and the deep ocean in the NSCS. For the continental shelf, the increment of micro- and nano-phytoplankton was about 1.5-fold as high as that of pico-phytoplankton, compared with a 0.5-fold increment for the deep ocean. This study attested the discrepant responses of different phytoplankton size classes to typhoons. It was of great significance to expand our understanding of ocean physical and ecological responses to extreme phenomena. Our finding underscores the potential of remote sensing to investigate typhoon-induced variation of PSS and could be the key to accurately assess typhoon-induced carbon fluxes, primary production, and potential fishing ground in the future.

Taking consideration of metal-induced fluorescence quenching and excellent coordination effect of D-penicillamine (D-PA), a graphene quantum dots (GQDs)-based fluorescent switch for D-PA detection was designed and established firstly with the help of lead ions. GQDs obtained from citric acids made them rich in carboxyl and hydroxyl groups, giving GQDs the ability to combine with lead ions. As anticipated, the fluorescence intensity was quenched by Pb

The effectiveness of vertical baffles of different configurations in suppressing violent transient sloshing was numerically investigated with the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). Volume-of-fluid (VOF) and large eddy simulation (LES) models were employed to simulate a violent wave-breaking phenomenon at finite water depths under resonance conditions. The liquid elevation, total impact pressure and energy dissipation were measured to evaluate the damping effect with regard to the installation of single or double vertical baffles of different heights and separation distances. The results indicate that the interaction between the free surface and the vortex caused by the shearing effect at the tip of vertical baffles constitutes the essential mechanism responsible for damping the sloshing wave. A quantitative method is first proposed to distinctively quantify the viscous dissipation that occurred on the interface and interior of the fluid, and the results demonstrate that strong internal dissipation is most important for suppressing the sloshing wave. The spacing distance is important for the damping effect on the sloshing pressure, and the proper distribution of two vertical baffles can inhibit the peak impact pressure to more than about three times lower than that when double baffles with a poor arrangement are used.

Taking consideration of metal-induced fluorescence quenching and excellent coordination effect of D-penicillamine (D-PA), a graphene quantum dots (GQDs)-based fluorescent switch for D-PA detection was designed and established firstly with the help of lead ions. GQDs obtained from citric acids made them rich in carboxyl and hydroxyl groups, giving GQDs the ability to combine with lead ions. As anticipated, the fluorescence intensity was quenched by Pb2+ through electron transfer process. Further, the addition of D-PA effectively recovered the fluorescence due to the departure of Pb2+ from GQDs aroused by the strong coordination between D-PA and Pb2+. Thus, a fluorescent switch was activated for D-PA detection. The fluorescence recovery efficiencies were found to be proportional to the concentration of D-PA in the range of 0.6–50 μmol L−1 and the detection limit was 0.47 μmol L−1. The real sample detection was performed in human urea sample and satisfactory recoveries of 96.84%–102.13% were obtained. The GQDs-Pb2+ based fluorescent switch sensing method was firstly established with low detection limit and wide linear range, making it a supplement and improvement for D-PA detection.

This paper proposed the optimization for commercial building energy management of multi-energy fusion, which has the characteristics of multi energy fusion, and considers the coordination strategy of CCHP and energy storage devices under the commercial TOU mechanism. Building comfort and energy costs are considered as the optimization objective functions. Finally, a simulation of a commercial building show that the model can effectively meet the needs of building comfort, also can reduce the energy costs in commercial buildings. The grey optimization algorithm obviously has more advantages than the GA and PSO in solving this optimization problem.

Blood pressure is controlled by tonic sympathetic activities, excessive activation of which contributes to the pathogenesis and progression of hypertension. Interleukin (IL)-1β in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) is involved in sympathetic overdrive and hypertension. Here, we investigated the therapeutic effects of IL-1 receptor type I (IL-1R1) gene silencing in the PVN on hypertension. Recombinant lentivirus vectors expressing a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting IL-1R1 (Lv-shR-IL-1R1) or a control shRNA were microinjected into PVN of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and normotensive WKY rats. The fluorescence of green fluorescent protein-labelled vectors appeared at 2 weeks after injection and persisted for at least 8 weeks. IL-1R1 protein expression in the PVN was reduced 4 weeks after Lv-shR-IL-1R1 injection in SHRs. IL-1R1 interference also reduced basal sympathetic activity, cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex in SHRs. Depressor effects were observed from week 2 to 10 after Lv-shR-IL-1R1 treatment in SHRs, with the most prominent effects seen at the end of week 4. Furthermore, Lv-shR-IL-1R1 treatment decreased the ratio of left ventricular weight to body weight and cross-sectional areas of myocardial cells in SHRs. Additionally, Lv-shR-IL-1R1 treatment prevented an increase in superoxide anion and pro-inflammatory cytokines (PICs, TNF-α and IL-1β) in the PVN of SHR, and upregulated anti-inflammatory cytokine (AIC, IL-10) expression. These results indicate that shRNA interference targeting IL-1R1 in the PVN decreases arterial blood pressure, attenuates excessive sympathetic activity and cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex, and improves myocardial remodelling in SHRs by restoring the balance between PICs and AICs to attenuate oxidative stress.

In 2013, with the operation of 1000MW steam turbine unit in a power plant, the exhaust steam temperature of intermediate pressure (IP) steam turbine exceeded the normal value. After overhaul of the IP steam turbine, a long crack was found through the drain hole of the IP inlet diffuser. The reheat steam leaked out from inside the diffuser to the exhaust cavity. It caused the exhaust temperature to exceed the design value, and reduced the efficiency of the units. Also, if the high temperature steam, which is close to 600°C, came into contact with the outer casing, a significant reduction in life would be obtained. In order to find the root cause of the crack, many efforts have been done within each department of the shanghai turbine plant (STP). Such as material detection, design, manufacture, assembling, etc. In this paper, a three-dimensional finite element diffuser model was built and the stress state during startup and operation was obtain. It was found that the drain hole at the inside and the groove at the outside of the diffuser are dangerous regions because of the stress concentration. That’s the primary reason for causing the diffuser crack. Then the fracture mechanics software ZenCrack was used to analyze the diffuser crack route. This crack route consistently matched the actual diffuser crack.

By means of direct aging, microstructure observation and creep property measurement, the microstructure and creep behaviors of GH4169G superalloy are investigated. Results show that, after direct aging, the grain size is inhomogeneous in the alloy, and some δ precipitates discontinuously distribute in the grain and along the boundaries, which may improve the bonding strength of the boundaries. Under the experimental conditions, the creep activation energy of the alloy during steady-state creep are calculated to be Q = 594.7 kJ/mol. During creep, the deformation features of the alloy are twinning deformation and dislocations slipping in the matrix. As creep goes on, deformed dislocations pile up near the boundary regions to induce stress concentration for promoting the initiation and propagation of cracks along boundaries.