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De-Gang Mo,1 Lin Wang,2 Qian-Feng Han,1 Kang Yu,3 Jia-Hui Liu,1 Heng-Chen Yao1 1Department of Cardiology, Liaocheng People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Liaocheng, People’s Republic of China; 2Cardiologic Color Doppler Room, Liaocheng People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Liaocheng, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Laboratory Medicine, Liaocheng People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Liaocheng, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence : Heng-Chen YaoDepartment of Cardiology, Liaocheng People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Liaocheng, 252000, People’s Republic of China, Email yaohc66@126.comPurpose: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has a high incidence and mortality rate worldwide, which has a considerable negative impact on the global economy. This study aimed to identify a group of ACS patients at a high risk of recurrent adverse cardiac events using the plasma NLRP3 inflammasome.Patients and methods: ACS patients admitted to Liaocheng People’s Hospital between June 2021 and March 2022 were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into low (levels < 3.84 ng/mL) and high (levels ≥ 3.84 ng/mL) groups based on the median NLRP3 inflammasome levels. The patients were divided into three groups according to the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Risk Score for Secondary Prevention (TRS-2P): low (scores ≤ 2 points), intermediate (scores = 3 points), and high (score ≥ 4 points) risk. We investigated the relationship between NLRP3 inflammasome and laboratory indicators. Additionally, we examined whether the NLRP3 inflammasome was an independent predictor of high TRS-2P and explored the applicability of the plasma NLRP3 inflammasome for predicting high TRS-2P.Results: Logistic regression analysis revealed that NLRP3 inflammasome was an independent predictor of high TRS-2P (odds ratio [OR]:2.013; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.174– 3.452). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value of the NLRP3 inflammasome was 0.674 (95% CI: 0.611– 0.737; P < 0.001).Conclusion: NLRP3 inflammasome levels are an independent predictive factor for high TRS-2P levels, which indicates that the NLRP3 inflammasome may help predict the prognosis of ACS patients.Keywords: NLRP3 inflammasome, biomarker, risk stratification, acute coronary syndrome, thrombolysis in myocardial infarction risk score for secondary prevention, TRS-2P

BackgroundWhile insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) exerts a cardioprotective effect in the setting of atherosclerosis, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2) is involved in metabolic syndrome. Although IGF-1 and IGFBP-2 are known to be predictors for mortality in patients with heart failure, their use in clinic as prognostic biomarkers for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) requires investigation. We evaluated the relationship between IGF-1 and IGFBP-2 levels at admission and the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with ACS.MethodsA total of 277 ACS patients and 42 healthy controls were included in this prospective cohort study. Plasma samples were obtained and analyzed at admission. Patients were followed for MACEs after hospitalization.ResultsAmong patients who suffered acute myocardial infarction, plasma levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-2 were lower and higher, respectively, as compared to healthy controls (both p p p = 0.003).ConclusionOur findings suggest that high IGFBP-2 levels are associated with the development of MACEs following ACS. Moreover, IGFBP-2 is likely an independent predictive marker of clinical outcomes in ACS.

Autophagy related gene 101 (ATG101) plays a significant role in the occurrence and development of tumours by responding to stress. Our research aims to illustrate the correlation between the expression of ATG101 and tumor prognosis and its potential role and mechanism in tumor immunity and photodynamic therapy (PDT). First, integrated analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression portals were used to analyse the expression of ATG101. Then, Kaplan–Meier curves was applied in cholangiocarcinoma (CHOL) and liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) datasets for survival analysis. Next, the relationship between ATG101 expression and six immune cells, the immune microenvironment and immune checkpoints was analysed. Besides, the relationship between the expression of ATG101 and methyltransferase. GSEA was used to study the function and the related transcript factors of ATG101 in CHOL and LIHC. The effect of PDT on ATG101 was verified by microarray, qPCR and western blot. Then the effect of ATG101 and its regulatory factors on apoptosis were verified by siRNA, lentivirus transfection and Chip-qPCR. Comprehensive analysis showed that ATG101 was overexpressed in different tumours. Kaplan–Meier curves found that ATG101 was associated with poor prognosis in tumours (including CHOL and LIHC). We found that ATG101 can be used as a target and prognostic marker of tumour immunotherapy for different tumours. We also found that ATG101 regulates DNA methylation. GSEA analysis showed that ATG101 may play a critical role in CHOL and LIHC. Subsequent validation tests confirmed that the up-regulated ATG101 after PDT treatment is not conducive to the occurrence of apoptosis of cholangiocarcinoma cells. The high expression of ATG101 may be induced by the early stress gene EGR2. Our study highlights the significance of ATG101 in the study of tumour immunity and photodynamic therapy from a pan-cancer perspective.

Controlling hygienic risk exposures (HREs) is important for reducing acute respiratory infection or parasitic infection; however, studies across vulnerable ethnicities are limited. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and associated factors of HREs and perception on HRE policies among ethnic groups in Guangxi, China. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in rural areas of Guangxi, China, among Han majority and Zhuang, Yao, Miao, Dong, Mulao, and Maonan minorities. The prevalence of HREs and perceptions concerning the HRE policies were presented using descriptive statistics. Associated factors were analyzed using a logistic regression model, and adjusted prevalence ratios and 95% confidence interval were calculated. High prevalence of HREs on hand and soil hygiene were found in all ethnicities. Miao minority had the highest prevalence of HREs, particularly in poor hand washing (74.1%), infrequent nail clipping (90.4%), and outdoor soil contact (92.7%), compared with the others. Prevalence of HREs in some ethnic minority groups were significantly different from those in Han majority after adjusted with other significant factors. Village leaders were more aware of existing national and community regulations related to HREs than household heads. Village leaders and household heads of almost all ethnic groups perceived high policy’s compliance in their village or household on avoiding fertilizing with farmyard manure. HREs were prevalent in all ethnic groups, especially in Miao minority. Ethnicity, one of social determinants, was significantly associated with HREs. Raising awareness at both the village and household levels on HREs is needed for all ethnic groups.

In this manuscript, we discussed some points about systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) and carotid artery stenosis (CAS) and put forward our comments.

This study aims to explore the predictive noninvasive biomarker for obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). By using the data set GSE90074, weighted gene co‐expression network analysis (WGCNA), and protein–protein interactive network, construction of differentially expressed genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was conducted to identify the most significant gene clusters associated with obstructive CAD. Univariate and multivariate stepwise logistic regression analyses and receiver operating characteristic analysis were used to predicate the diagnostic accuracy of biomarker candidates in the detection of obstructive CAD. Furthermore, functional prediction of candidate gene biomarkers was further confirmed in ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients or stable CAD patients by using the datasets of GSE62646 and GSE59867. We found that the blue module discriminated by WGCNA contained 13 hub‐genes that could be independent risk factors for obstructive CAD (P .05). This four‐gene signature could also act as a prognostic biomarker to discriminate STEMI patients from stable CAD patients. These findings suggest a four‐gene signature (NCF2, MYO1F, S1PR4, and FCN1) alone or combined with two risk factors (male sex and hyperlipidemia) as a promising prognostic biomarker in the diagnosis of STEMI. Well‐designed cohort studies should be implemented to warrant the diagnostic value of these genes in clinical purpose.

Background One of the main problems associated with the development of osteochondral reparative materials is that the accurate imitation of the structure of the natural osteochondral tissue and fabrication of a suitable scaffold material for osteochondral repair are difficult. The long-term outcomes of single- or bilayered scaffolds are often unsatisfactory because of the absence of a progressive osteochondral structure. Therefore, only scaffolds with gradient pore sizes are suitable for osteochondral repair to achieve better proliferation and differentiation of the stem cells into osteochondral tissues to complete the repair of defects. Methods A silk fibroin (SF) solution, chitosan (CS) solution, and nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) suspension were mixed at the same weight fraction to obtain osteochondral scaffolds with gradient pore diameters by centrifugation, freeze-drying, and chemical cross-linking. Results The scaffolds prepared in this study are confirmed to have a progressive structure starting from the cartilage layer to bone layer, similar to that of the normal osteochondral tissues. The prepared scaffolds are cylindrical in shape and have high internal porosity. The structure consists of regular and highly interconnected pores with a progressively increasing pore distribution as well as a progressively changing pore diameter. The scaffold strongly absorbs water, and has a suitable degradation rate, sufficient space for cell growth and proliferation, and good resistance to compression. Thus, the scaffold can provide sufficient nutrients and space for cell growth, proliferation, and migration. Further, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells seeded onto the scaffold closely attach to the scaffold and stably grow and proliferate, indicating that the scaffold has good biocompatibility with no cytotoxicity. Conclusion In brief, the physical properties and biocompatibility of our scaffolds fully comply with the requirements of scaffold materials required for osteochondral tissue engineering, and they are expected to become a new type of scaffolds with gradient pore sizes for osteochondral repair.

Background: Although role of ARID1A in pancreatic homeostasis and tumorigenesis has been recently described using genetically engineered mouse (GEM) models, whether ARID1A plays a role in pancreatic inflammation and regeneration remains to be explored.Methods: Pancreas-specific Arid1a-deficient GEM model (Arid1adef) was generated by Ela1-Cre/ERT2 mice crossing with Arid1afl/fl mice and characterized histologically. In physiological and inflammatory conditions, serum amylase and lipase activity were measured to investigate effects of Arid1a deficiency on pancreatic secretion function. Histology analysis of pancreas was used to evaluate pancreatic lesions and recovery. Ex vivo primary acinar cell culture was employed to study acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM) process. In HPNE cells, ARID1A knockdown and histone acetyltransferases inhibitors were used to explore epigenetic regulation on interleukin-6 (IL6) expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and quantitative real-time PCR were performed to analyze on IL6 promoters.Results: Arid1a deficiency promoted formation of ductal cysts characterized as silenced acinar genes and activated duct genes. Arid1a-deficient acinar cells were more inclined to trans-differentiation to ductal cells in cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) model. Expression analysis of proinflammatory cytokines reveals that ARID1A deficiency led to increased IL-6 expression in mice acinar cells and HPNE cells. ARID1A-associated histone acetylation partially involved in epigenetic regulation of IL-6. Conclusion: These results demonstrate ARID1A is involved in cerulein-induced AP development by mediating pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and suggest that ARID1A-containing SWI/SNF complex is an epigenetic regulator of acute pancreatitis.

Background: hepatic hemangioma is the most common benign tumor of the liver. However, patients with large hemangiomas that cause compression symptoms or that are at risk of rupture may need further intervention. It is necessary to explore additional minimally invasive and personalized treatment options.Case presentation: A 47-year-old female was diagnosed with right hepatic hemangioma for more than 10 years. Abdominal contrast-enhanced CT and CEUS revealed that there was a large hemangioma in the right liver, with a size of approximately 95x97x117 mm. Due to the patient's refusal of surgical treatment, hepatic artery embolization was performed in the first stage, then after 25 days of liver protection treatment, the liver function indexes decreased to normal levels. Then, B-ultrasound-guided microwave ablation of the giant hepatic hemangioma was performed. Ten days after the surgery, hepatobiliary ultrasonography showed that the hemangioma of the right liver was smaller than the previous size (the volume was reduced by approximately 30%). Then the patient was discharged from the hospital, and CT suggested that the hepatic hemangioma is significantly smaller two months after discharge. Because of COVID-19, the patient's CT examination was delayed.Conclusions: TAE combined with microwave ablation is a safe and effective minimally invasive treatment for hepatic hemangioma.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Radiometer (MODIS) is a primary instrument in the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) which was designed for monitoring global terrestrial vegetation. MODIS provides global estimates of 8-day mean gross primary productivity (GPP) at 1-km spatial resolution. In this study, the MODIS GPP algorithm using light use efficiency (LUE) approach and the Integrated Carbon-Canadian Land Surface Scheme (IC-CLASS) based on Farquhar photosynthetic model and a sunlit and shaded leaf separation scheme was evaluated against eddy covariance (EC) measured GPP in a variety of ecosystems in Canada. Although GPP simulated by the two models agreed well when they were averaged over Canadian landmass, there were systematic differences between them in spatial distribution patterns. These differences were due to inherent shortcomings of the LUE modeling approach. When a constant maximum LUE value is specified for each biome type, this simplification cannot appropriately deal with the shaded leaf contribution to total canopy GPP. When GPP was simulated by IC-CLASS with the separation of sunlit and shaded leaves, the biases were minimized. Compared with daily and annual GPP derived from EC flux data at 7 Fluxnet Canada sites, IC-CLASS performed better than the MODIS GPP algorithm. The differences between IC-CLASS and MODIS GPP were larger in more clumped canopies (i.e. forests), resulting from the increase in the fraction of shaded leaves. Thus, the LUE models should be improved to consider different LUEs in sunlit and shaded portions of the canopy for their effective and reliable estimation of GPP at regional scale.

Controlling hygienic risk exposures (HREs) is important for reducing acute respiratory infection or parasitic infection; however, studies across vulnerable ethnicities are limited. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and associated factors of HREs and perception on HRE policies among ethnic groups in Guangxi, China.A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in rural areas of Guangxi, China, among Han majority and Zhuang, Yao, Miao, Dong, Mulao, and Maonan minorities. The prevalence of HREs and perceptions concerning the HRE policies were presented using descriptive statistics. Associated factors were analyzed using a logistic regression model, and adjusted prevalence ratios and 95% confidence interval were calculated.High prevalence of HREs on hand and soil hygiene were found in all ethnicities. Miao minority had the highest prevalence of HREs, particularly in poor hand washing (74.1%), infrequent nail clipping (90.4%), and outdoor soil contact (92.7%), compared with the others. Prevalence of HREs in some ethnic minority groups were significantly different from those in Han majority after adjusted with other significant factors. Village leaders were more aware of existing national and community regulations related to HREs than household heads. Village leaders and household heads of almost all ethnic groups perceived high policy's compliance in their village or household on avoiding fertilizing with farmyard manure.HREs were prevalent in all ethnic groups, especially in Miao minority. Ethnicity, one of social determinants, was significantly associated with HREs. Raising awareness at both the village and household levels on HREs is needed for all ethnic groups.

Infection treatment vaccine (ITV) can lead to sterile protection against malaria infection in mice and humans. However, parasite breakthrough is frequently observed post-challenge. The mechanism of rapid decline in protection after the last immunization is unclear. Herein, C57BL/6 mice were immunized with 103, 105, or 107 ITV thice at 14-day intervals. Mice were challenged with 103 parasites at 1, 3, and 6 months after last immunization and the protection was checked using blood smear. The phenotypes of B cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. The levels of serum cytokines were quantified using cytometric bead array. The 103 ITV vaccination group exhibited 100% protection at 1 month after last immunization, and the 105 group showed sterile protection at 3 months after last immunization. However, the 107 group showed only partial protection. Further, the protection declined to 16.7% at 6 months after last immunization in 105 and 107 groups, whereas it maintained for more than 60% in 103 group. The number of memory B cells (MBC) decreased along with the decline in protection. However, programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) expressed on MBCs did not show significant variation among the three groups. Interestingly, CD19+CD1dhiCD5hi B cells, defined as B10 cells, exhibited negative regulation with respect to protection. The numbers of CD19+CD1dhiCD5hi B cells in the 103 group at 1 months and in the 105 group at 3 months post-immunization were the lowest compared to those in the other groups. Moreover, the serum levels of interleukin 10 (IL-10) in these two groups were also significantly lower than those in other groups. We conclude that higher immunization dose may not lead to better protection with the malaria vaccine as CD19+CD1dhiCD5hi B cells can downregulate ITV protection against malaria via IL-10 secretion. These results could facilitate the design of an effective long-lasting malaria vaccine with the aim of maintaining MBC function.

Blended learning, is a teaching approach that integrates online self-learning and classroom teaching. When designed well, blended learning courses in medicine can facilitate students to improve themselves in self-learning, understanding, and problem solving, ultimately enhancing their learning efficiency. However, blended teaching methods are usually used in only a single course, so it is unclear whether these methods can work well in a variety of basic medical courses. The goal of this study is to explore students’ perceptions of whether blended laboratory courses are helpful for them in overcoming the difficulties they experience. Blended laboratory courses were taken by medical students at Guilin Medical University. Approximately 71.1% of the students agreed that online lecture courses improved their understanding of threshold concepts and the underlying theories. The majority of the students (63.01%) held the opinion that the blended laboratory courses were more effective than other types of courses in achieving the knowledge goals. The majority of the teachers believed that students’ interest in experimentation operations, hands-on abilities, confidence, and other factors were greatly improved compared with those of students taught using the traditional teaching model (face to face). In addition, the average scores for the quizzes of laboratory courses were significantly improved in the blended learning method compared with the traditional learning method. Blended laboratory courses are successful and welcomed by both students and teachers in undergraduate laboratory courses.

To assess T cell subsets and levels of chemokines and cytokines in patients with SLE and determine their relationships between disease activity and organ involvement. Blood samples from SLE patients (n = 24) and healthy controls (n = 36) were analyzed. Frequency of circulating follicular help T cells (Tfh), central memory T cells (Tcm), effector memory T cells (Tem), and naive T cell subsets was enumerated and their surface markers expression of inducible T cell co-stimulator (ICOS) and programmed death 1(PD-1) protein was examined by flow cytometry. The disease state in SLE patients was evaluated using the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). Concentrations of autoantibodies, serum C-reactive protein (CRP), the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), lgG, complement 3, complement 4, cytokines, and chemokines, such as IL-21, IL-17A, and IL-1β, were measured. The frequencies of circulating Tfh and Tcm cell subsets were significantly lower than those in healthy controls. However, the percentages of circulating PD1+ICOS+Tfh, PD1+ICOS+Tcm, and PD1+ICOS+Tem of PBMCs from SLE patients were higher than those in healthy controls. Furthermore, increased levels of serum IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, MCP-1, IL-21, and IL-17A were detected in the patients with SLE compared to healthy controls. In addition, patients with immune thrombocytopenia displayed elevated proportions of serum IL-10, IL-17A, and IL-1β. Aberrant T cell subsets and cytokines expression profile were observed in SLE patients. PD1+ICOS+Tem cell subset was clearly influenced by disease activity and serum IL-10, IL-17A, and IL-1β were significantly increased in patients with immune thrombocytopenia. Therefore, PD1+ICOS+Tem cells might serve as an important tool for recognition and serum IL-10, IL-17A, and IL-1β might be an effective monitor for SLE patients with immune thrombocytopenia.

In order to improve the accuracy of communication transmission of big data in Internet of Things and reduce output bit error rate, a communication scheduling method of big data in Internet of things based on decision feedback equalization and spread spectrum modulation technology is proposed in this paper. In this method, a model of big data communication channel in Internet of Things is constructed, and the autocorrelation matched filtering method is used for multi-path interference suppression to communication of big data in Internet of Things; the decision feedback equalization method is used for channel equalization design of communication scheduling, and the adaptive filter is used to compensate distorted output samples; the spread spectrum modulation technology is used to improve the bandwidth of communication scheduling channel of big data and to correct frequency characteristics, so as to optimize the communication scheduling of big data in Internet of Things. The simulation results show that when the proposed method is used for communication scheduling of big data in Internet of Things, the amplitude-frequency response is improved by 300 m and the output bit error rate is reduced by 34%, which effectively improves the communication quality of big data.

Author(s): Luo, X; Chen, JM; Liu, J; Black, TA; Croft, H; Staebler, R; He, L; Arain, MA; Chen, B; Mo, G; Gonsamo, A; McCaughey, H | Abstract: Evapotranspiration (ET) is commonly estimated using the Penman-Monteith equation, which assumes that the plant canopy is a big leaf (BL) and the water flux from vegetation is regulated by canopy stomatal conductance (Gs). However, BL has been found to be unsuitable for terrestrial biosphere models built on the carbon-water coupling principle because it fails to capture daily variations of gross primary productivity (GPP). A two-big-leaf scheme (TBL) and a two-leaf scheme (TL) that stratify a canopy into sunlit and shaded leaves have been developed to address this issue. However, there is a lack of comparison of these upscaling schemes for ET estimation, especially on the difference between TBL and TL. We find that TL shows strong performance (r2n=n0.71, root-mean-square errorn=n0.05nmm/h) in estimating ET at nine eddy covariance towers in Canada. BL simulates lower annual ET and GPP than TL and TBL. The biases of estimated ET and GPP increase with leaf area index (LAI) in BL and TBL, and the biases of TL show no trends with LAI. BL miscalculates the portions of light-saturated and light-unsaturated leaves in the canopy, incurring negative biases in its flux estimation. TBL and TL showed improved yet different GPP and ET estimations. This difference is attributed to the lower Gs and intercellular CO2 concentration simulated in TBL compared to their counterparts in TL. We suggest to use TL for ET modeling to avoid the uncertainty propagated from the artificial upscaling of leaf-level processes to the canopy scale in BL and TBL.

The Global Carbon Assimilation System (GCAS) that assimilates ground-based atmospheric CO2 data is used to estimate several key parameters in a terrestrial ecosystem model for the purpose of improving carbon cycle simulation. The optimized parameters are the leaf maximum carboxylation rate at 25°C ( Vmax25), the temperature sensitivity of ecosystem respiration (Q10) and the soil carbon pool size. The optimization is performed at the global scale at 1°resolution for the period from 2002 to 2008. The results indicate that vegetation from tropical zones has lower Vmax25 values than vegetation in temperate regions. Relatively high values of Q10 are derived over high/mid latitude regions. Both Vmax25 and Q10 exhibit pronounced seasonal variations at mid-high latitudes. The maxima in Vmax25 occur during growing seasons, while the minima appear during non-growing seasons. Q10 values decrease with increasing temperature. The seasonal variabilities of Vmax25 and Q10 are larger at higher latitudes. Optimized Vmax25 and Q10 show little seasonal variabilities at tropical regions. The seasonal variabilities of Vmax25 are consistent with the variabilities of LAI for evergreen conifers and broadleaf evergreen forests. Variations in leaf nitrogen and leaf chlorophyll contents may partly explain the variations in Vmax25. The spatial distribution of the total soil carbon pool size after optimization is compared favorably with the gridded Global Soil Dataset for Earth System. The results also suggest that atmospheric CO2 data is a source of information that can be tapped to gain spatially and temporally meaningful information for key ecosystem parameters that are representative at the regional and global scales.

Management of forest carbon stocks on public lands is critical to maintaining or enhancing carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere. Acknowledging this, an array of federal regulations and policies have emerged that requires US National Forests to report baseline carbon stocks and changes due to disturbance and management and assess how management activities and forest plans affect carbon stocks. To address these requirements with the best-available science, we compiled empirical and remotely sensed data covering the National Forests (one fifth of the area of US forest land) and analyzed this information using a carbon modeling framework. We demonstrate how integration of various data and models provides a comprehensive evaluation of key drivers of observed carbon trends, for individual National Forests. The models in this framework complement each other with different strengths: the Carbon Calculation Tool uses inventory data to report baseline carbon stocks; the Forest Carbon Management Framework integrates inventory data, disturbance histories, and growth and yield trajectories to report relative effects of disturbances on carbon stocks; and the Integrated Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Model incorporates disturbance, climate, and atmospheric data to determine their relative impacts on forest carbon accumulation and loss. We report results for several National Forests across the USA and compare their carbon dynamics. Results show that recent disturbances are causing some forests to transition from carbon sinks to sources, particularly in the West. Meanwhile, elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and nitrogen deposition are consistently increasing carbon stocks, partially offsetting declines due to disturbances and aging. Climate variability introduces concomitant interannual variability in net carbon uptake or release. Targeting forest disturbance and post-disturbance regrowth is critical to management objectives that involve maintaining or enhancing future carbon sequestration.

Sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) has been regarded as a promising proxy for gross primary productivity (GPP) over land. Considerable uncertainties in GPP estimation using remotely sensed SIF exist due to variations in the Sun-satellite view observation geometry that could induce unwanted variations in SIF observation. In this study, we normalize the far-red Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 SIF observations on sunny days to hot spot direction (SIF(h)) to represent sunlit leaves and compute a weighted sum of SIF (SIF(t)) from sunlit and shaded leaves to represent the canopy. We found that SIF(h) is better correlated with sunlit GPP simulated by a process-based ecosystem model and SIF(t) is better correlated with the simulated total GPP than the original SIF observations. The coefficient of determination (R(exp 2)) are increased by 0.04 +/- 0.03, and 0.07 +/- 0.04 on a global average using SIF(h) and SIF(t), respectively. The most significant increases of the R(exp 2) (0.09 +/- 0.04 for SIF(t) and 0.05 +/- 0.03 for SIF(h)) appear in deciduous broadleaf forests.

Observations of 13CO2 at 73 sites compiled in the GLOBALVIEW database are used for an additional constraint in a global atmospheric inversion of the surface CO2 flux using CO2 observations at 210 sites (62 collocated with 13CO2 sites) for the 2002–2004 period for 39 land regions and 11 ocean regions. This constraint is implemented using prior CO2 fluxes estimated with a terrestrial ecosystem model and an ocean model. These models simulate 13CO2 discrimination rates of terrestrial photosynthesis and ocean–atmosphere diffusion processes. In both models, the 13CO2 disequilibrium between fluxes to and from the atmosphere is considered due to the historical change in atmospheric 13CO2 concentration. This joint inversion system using both13CO2 and CO2 observations is effectively a double deconvolution system with consideration of the spatial variations of isotopic discrimination and disequilibrium. Compared to the CO2-only inversion, this 13CO2 constraint on the inversion considerably reduces the total land carbon sink from 3.40 ± 0.84 to 2.53 ± 0.93 Pg C year−1 but increases the total oceanic carbon sink from 1.48 ± 0.40 to 2.36 ± 0.49 Pg C year−1. This constraint also changes the spatial distribution of the carbon sink. The largest sink increase occurs in the Amazon, while the largest source increases are in southern Africa, and Asia, where CO2 data are sparse. Through a case study, in which the spatial distribution of the annual 13CO2 discrimination rate over land is ignored by treating it as a constant at the global average of −14. 1 ‰, the spatial distribution of the inverted CO2 flux over land was found to be significantly modified (up to 15 % for some regions). The uncertainties in our disequilibrium flux estimation are 8.0 and 12.7 Pg C year−1 ‰ for land and ocean, respectively. These uncertainties induced the unpredictability of 0.47 and 0.54 Pg C year−1 in the inverted CO2 fluxes for land and ocean, respectively. Our joint inversion system is therefore useful for improving the partitioning between ocean and land sinks and the spatial distribution of the inverted carbon flux.

Background: Heavy ion radiation has more advantages than traditional radiation therapy in the treatment of cancer, mainly because of its superior biological effects. However, there is currently no reliable evidence that heavy ion radiation can induce cell death in hydatid cysts at the cellular and molecular level. In addition, we believe heavy ion therapy could be a potential alternative approach for the treatment of hydatid cysts. Methodology/Principal Finding: The hydatid cysts and protoscolices were obtained from an experimentally infected KunMing mice. LD50 was used to evaluate the death of the protoscolex. The cellular and ultrastructure of the parasites were observed under light and electron microscopes, the damage and copy numbers of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were decided by QPCR. The apoptosis was evaluated by the expression and activity of caspase3. Dose-dependent ionizing radiation induced damage to the initial mtDNA. Echinococcosis cyst after ionizing radiation showed sparse cytoplasm, disorganized and clumped organelles, huge vacuoles, and villus deletions. The kinetic of DNA repair activity after X-ray irradiation was faster than those after carbon-ion irradiation. High doses of carbon ion radiation caused irreversible attenuation of mitochondrial DNA. Cysts showed obvious reduction in size after radiation. Carbon ion radiation was more effective than X-ray radiation in inhibiting hydatid cysts. Conclusions: These studies provide evidence that heavy-ion radiation can cause the extinction of hydatid cysts in vitro. The carbon-ion radiation is more advantageous than X-ray radiation in suppress hydatid cyst.

The safety of occupational exposure to inhaled anesthetics remains a concern among the medical staff in hospitals. Few reports are seen about the impact of inhaled anesthetics on the reproductive system, particularly that of males. Several clinical and basic studies on isoflurane and others suggest that inhaled anesthetics affect the reproductive system of rodents by decreasing the sperm count, inducing sperm morphological abnormality, reducing sperm motility, and changing the levels of reproductive hormones, the underlying mechanisms of which are mainly associated with the alteration of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and DNA damage and apoptosis of reproductive cells. This article reviews the main impacts of inhaled anesthetics on the male reproductive system and the possible mechanisms.吸入麻醉药物的安全性一直是医护人员共同关注的热点，但其对生殖系统毒性报道不多，尤其是对男性生殖系统的影响。以异氟烷为代表的多项临床及基础研究结果表明，吸入麻醉药物可通过不同机制对啮齿类动物的生殖系统产生影响，主要表现为精子数量减少，精子形态结构、活动力异常，精子畸形率增高及激素水平变化等方面。下丘脑-垂体-性腺轴变化、生殖细胞DNA损伤及凋亡增多是吸入麻醉药对生殖系统产生影响的主要机制。本文综述了吸入麻醉药物对男性生殖功能的主要影响及其可能的机制，以期为预防医护人员职业暴露产生的影响奠定理论基础。.

Attaining tritium self-sufficiency is indispensable in a Z-pinch-driven fusion–fission hybrid reactor (Z-FFR). In this paper, a conceptual design is presented in which the Z-FFR tritium cycle system was divided into eight subsystems. A theoretical analysis of tritium inventory based on the mean residence time was performed to quantitatively obtain the tritium distribution in each subsystem. Tritium self-sufficiency judgment criteria were established using a tritium mass flow analysis method. The dependency relationships between the burning rate, tritium breeding ratio, extraction efficiency, and tritium self-sufficiency were also specified for the steady state.

In this study, we explore the feasibility of optimizing ecosystem photosynthetic and respiratory parameters from the seasonal variation of the net carbon flux. An optimization scheme is proposed to estimate two key parameters (V max 25 and Q 10) by exploiting the seasonal variation in the net ecosystem carbon flux retrieved by an atmospheric inversion system. This scheme is implemented to estimate V max 25 and Q 10 of the boreal ecosystem productivity simulator (BEPS) to improve its NEP simulation in the boreal North American region. Then, in situ NEE observations at six eddy covariance sites are used to evaluate the NEE simulations from BEPS with initial and optimized parameters. The results show that the performance of the optimized BEPS is superior to that of the BEPS with the default parameter values. These results implicate that it is possible to optimize ecosystem model parameters by different sensitivities of V max 25 and Q 10 during growing and non-growing seasons through atmospheric inversion or data assimilation techniques.

SrAl2O4:Eu2+/Yb3+ powders were synthesized through the hydrothermal process. The phase and morphology of powders were characterized by XRD and SEM. The corresponding luminescence was recorded by the spectrophotometer. The XRD results indicated that the obtained SrAl2O4:Eu2+/Yb3+ samples have the monoclinic phase. The SEM images showed that the obtained SrAl2O4:Eu2+/Yb3+ samples are microspheres with hierarchical structure. Under the excitation at 360 nm, the SrAl2O4:Eu2+/Yb3+ powders showed emission bands in visible and near infrared regions. The Yb3+ concentration has obvious influence on the emission intensities of SrAl2O4:Eu2+/Yb3+ powders. The results showed that Eu2+ ion is an efficient sensitizer for Yb2+ ion in SrAl2O4 host lattice.

We aim to investigate the correlations of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) C1772T (rs11549465) and G1790A (rs11549467) gene polymorphisms with digestive tract cancers. A sum of 267 digestive tract cancers patients were hospitalized in Taizhou Central Hospital of Zhejiang Province as case group between December 2012 and December 2014. Additionally, 275 healthy people who had a physical examination in our hospital at the same time were selected as control group. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was utilized for detecting allele and genotype frequency of different locus in case and control group. Meta-analysis was performed using Comprehensive Meta-analysis 2.0 (Biostat Inc., Englewood, New Jersey, USA). Our result showed statistical significance only exists in family history of cancer between case and control group (P

Observations of 13CO2 at 73 sites compiled in the GLOBALVIEW database are used for an additional constraint in a global atmospheric inversion of the surface CO2 flux using CO2 observations at 210 sites (62 collocated with 13CO2 sites) for the 2002–2004 period for 39 land regions and 11 ocean regions. This constraint is implemented using prior CO2 fluxes estimated with a terrestrial ecosystem model and an ocean model. These models simulate 13CO2 discrimination rates of terrestrial photosynthesis and ocean-atmosphere diffusion processes. In both models, the 13CO2 disequilibrium between fluxes to and from the atmosphere is considered due to the historical change in atmospheric 13CO2 concentration. This joint inversion system using both 13CO2 and CO2 observations is effectively a double deconvolution system with consideration of the spatial variations of isotopic discrimination and disequilibrium. This 13CO2 constraint on the inversion considerably reduces the total land carbon sink from 3.40 ± 0.84 to 2.78 ± 0.76 Pg C y−1 but increases the total oceanic carbon sink from 1.48 ± 0.40 to 2.26 ± 0.35 Pg C y−1. This constraint also changes the spatial distribution of the carbon sink. The largest sink increase occurs in Amazon, while the largest source increases are in southern Africa, and Asia, where CO2 data are sparse. Through a case study, in which the spatial distribution of the annual 13CO2 discrimination rate over land is ignored by treating it as a constant at the global average of −14.1 ‰, the spatial distribution of the inverted CO2 flux over land was found to be significantly modified (up to 15 % for some regions). The uncertainties in our disequilibrium flux estimation are 11.2 PgC y−1 ‰ and 16.3 Pg C y−1 ‰ for land and ocean, respectively. These uncertainties induced uncertainties of 0.47 Pg C y−1 and 0.54 Pg C y−1 in the inverted CO2 fluxes for land and ocean, respectively. Our joint inversion system is therefore useful for improving the partitioning between ocean and land sinks and the spatial distribution of the inverted carbon flux.