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In order to study the effects of different lactic acid bacteria on the quality of pickled radish, pickled radish was prepared with Leuconostoc mesenteroides AP7, Lactiplantibacillus pentosus LP10 and AP7-LP10 combination. The changes in physicochemical indicators, color differences, texture properties and sensory indicators during the fermentation process were analyzed. The results showed that the decrease rate of pH and reducing sugar content and the increase rate of total acid and lactic acid in the inoculated group were better than those in the natural fermentation group (P

In order to improve the safety and preservability of fermented vegetables, strain Leuconostoc mesenteroides AP7, with potent inhibitory effects on foodborne pathogens and bacteria causing paocai over-acidification, was selected from 8 Leuconostoc strains derived from traditional fermented vegetables in Yunnan, China. The main antimicrobial substance of AP7 was determined by eliminating the effects of organic acid and H2O2 and through protease sensitivity. The acid stability and thermal stability were analyzed and potential bacteriocin gene clusters were mined from the whole genome sequence of AP7. The results showed that the culture supernatant still had obvious antibacterial activity after excluding the influence of acid and H2O2, and after protease treatment, the antibacterial effect decreased significantly. It was speculated that the antibacterial substance in the concentrated culture supernatant was bacteriocin. The bacteriocin was sensitive to pH changes, had high thermal stability, and had a molecular weight of 6.51~14.4 kDa. Whole genome sequencing showed that the whole genome of AP7 contained 1 chromosome (1948310 bp) and 2 plasmids (37366 and 20698 bp), with a GC content of 37.7%. There was a gene cluster with Enterocin_X_chain_beta bacteriocin as the core. Its encoded product was predicted to be a positively charged hydrophilic stable protein, the secondary structure was dominated by α-helix, and the tertiary structure was mainly composed of loose peptide chains at both ends and an α-helix in the middle. In summary, the bacteriocin-producing Leuconostoc mesenteroides AP7 has excellent antibacterial properties and has the potential to be applied to the fermentation and preservation of acidic foods.

This study investigates the green development of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP) by exploring the synergistic reduction of water pollution and carbon emissions. Firstly, a differential game model is constructed to reduce pollution and carbon in the water supply chain. Secondly, the emission reduction strategies of water source and receiving areas under centralized and decentralized decision models are compared and analyzed and a cost-sharing contract is designed to coordinate the supply chain. Finally, numerical analysis is used to compare and analyze the important parameters to draw conclusions. The results show that: (1) Collaboration between water source and receiving areas influences emission reduction efforts, with the highest achieved under the centralized model. (2) The cost-sharing contract improves efforts and addresses ‘free-riding’ in the decentralized model. (3) The SNWDP can achieve a win-win situation in terms of both environmental and economic benefits by promoting the synergy of pollution reduction and carbon reduction. HIGHLIGHTS Established a model for synergistic management of low carbon and water pollution control in water supply chain.; Investigated the benefits of low carbon and water pollution control in the water supply chain under various decision models.; Designed a cost-sharing contract to improve synergies in the water supply chain.; Carbon and pollution reduction can improve the economic and environmental benefits of the SNWDP.;

Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is a widely distributed carcinogen in industrial contexts and general environmental contexts. Emerging research highlights the central role of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) in DNA Damage Responses (DDRs). However, there remains a lack of investigation into the potential dose-dependent relationship between exposure to Cr(VI) and alterations in rDNA copy number (CN), as well as the related mechanisms underlying these effects. A molecular epidemiological investigation involving 67 workers exposed to Cr(VI) and 75 unexposed controls was conducted. There was a notable increase in ZNF385A expression, variations in rDNA CN, and elevated γH2AX levels in the peripheral blood of Cr(VI)-exposed workers. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) models showed that blood Cr levels in the exposed population exhibited non-linear dose-dependent relationships with γH2AX, rDNA CN, and ZNF385A. Of considerable interest, there were robust and positive associations between ZNF385A and both γH2AX and rDNA CN. Further in vitro experiments provided concrete evidence that Cr(VI) simultaneously caused an increase in ZNF385A expression and variations in rDNA CN. ZNF385A-depleted cells showed increased sensitivity to Cr(VI)-mediated DDRs and alterations in rDNA CN. This study indicated that ZNF385A played a highly significant role in the rDNA CN variation in response to Cr(VI)-induced DNA damage.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the possible role of rDNA copy number variation in the association between hexavalent chromium [Cr (VI)] exposure and semen quality in semen donors and further confirm this association in mice. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, whole blood and semen samples were collected from 155 semen donors in the Zhejiang Human Sperm Bank from January 1st to April 31st, 2021. Adult C57BL/6 J male mice were treated with different doses of Cr (VI) (0, 10, or 15 mg/kg b.w./day). Semen quality, including semen volume, total spermatozoa count, sperm concentration, progressive motility, and total motility, were analyzed according to the WHO laboratory manual. Cr concentration was detected using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The rDNA copy number was measured using qPCR. Results: In semen donors, whole blood Cr concentration was negatively associated with semen concentration and total sperm counts. Semen 5 S and 45 S rDNA copy numbers were negatively associated with whole blood Cr concentration and whole blood 5.8 S rDNA copy number was negatively associated with semen Cr concentration. In mice, Cr (VI) damaged testicular tissue, decreased semen quality, and caused rDNA copy number variation. Semen quality was related to the rDNA copy number in whole blood, testicular tissue, and semen samples in mice. Conclusion: Cr (VI) was associated with decreased semen quality in semen donors and mice. Our findings suggest an in-depth analysis of the role of the rDNA copy number variation in the Cr (VI)-induced impairment of semen quality.

In order to explore the effects of co-fermentation of Leuconostoc mesenteroides L5 and Kazachstania exigua M1 on the physicochemical properties of low-salt and low-acid fermented mustard during fermentation process and storage period, the co-fermentation group was compared with a natural fermentation group and a fermentation group solely with the lactic acid bacterium L5. The pH, total acid, total ester and nitrite content etc. during the fermentation process and storage period were measured. The texture and color difference of fermented mature paocai and accelerated preserved paocai were analyzed alongside sensory evaluation. The results showed that L5 and M1 co-fermented paocai contained nitrite as lowest as 1.45 mg/kg , and total acid (2.46 g/kg) was significantly lower than that of the other two groups (P

Satellite remote sensing technology can achieve real-time observation of ships at sea, and the remote sensing images obtained have the advantages of high contrast and low noise and have become one of the important means of marine monitoring. For the satellite remote sensing image data, there are two main problems: first, remote sensing data class-imbalance problem, and second the existing target detector in the presence of clouds, islands, farmed nets, and other interferences on the small-target ship, and there is a leakage of detection and wrong detection problem. To address the above problems, first, a new dataset containing 3881 images of remotely sensed ships in a variety of complex environments is constructed, which contains a total of 8418 ship instances. Second, we propose CSDP-YOLO for the small-target ship detection method with remote sensing data class imbalance. In order to enhance the performance of neural networks for small-target ship detection in remote sensing images, the innovative CSDP module is proposed, which uses deep large kernel convolution to enhance the sensory field of shallow features and mixes the channel positions using point convolution to obtain a more excellent feature extraction performance. Finally, the MPDIoU loss function is introduced to solve the class-imbalance problem between remote sensing small target ships and the background. We compare the performance with other state-of-the-art algorithms. The experimental results show that the proposed CSDP-YOLO algorithm can significantly improve the performance of small-target ship detection for private datasets. Its average precision, recall, and $\text{AP}_{50}$ are improved to 90.1%, 86.6%, and 91.4%, respectively. For the SSDD public remote sensing dataset, its metrics can reach the highest 93.6%, 93.7%, and 96.8%, respectively.

Abstract Background Several studies have provided evidence about adverse pregnancy outcomes of nurses involved in occupational exposure. However, the pregnancy outcomes among nurses in middle-income countries are not well demonstrated. The main aim of this study is to present the prevalence and influencing factors of pregnancy outcomes among female nurses in China. Methods We included 2243 non-nurse health care workers, and 4230 nurses in this national cross-sectional study in China. Information on occupational exposures and pregnancy outcomes was collected using a face-to-face investigation. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated through logistic regression. Results The proportion of threatened abortion, spontaneous abortion, and stillbirth of female nurses was 2.6%, 7%, and 2.1%, respectively. We found an increased risk of threatened abortion among nurses with overtime work (OR = 1.719, 95% CI 1.158–2.550). The risk of threatened abortion and spontaneous abortion was elevated among nurses handling disinfectant (OR = 2.293 and 1.63, respectively). We found a nearly twofold increased risk of premature birth (OR = 2.169, 95% CI 1.36–3.459) among nurses handling anti-cancer drugs. Conclusions Our findings suggested that maternal occupational exposures might be associated with the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes among female nurses in China. We recommend that policy-markers and hospital managers work together to reduce exposure to occupational hazards and improve pregnancy outcomes among female nurses.

The chemical industry is not only a crucial sector of national economy, but also a significant consumer of water resources and a major initiator of water pollution. The sustainable development of this sector is intricately linked to the regional water ecological carrying capacity (WECC). Based on SBM-DEA and Global Moran’s I, the green total factor productivity (GTFP) and spatial correlation characteristics of the chemical industry in 13 cities within China’s chemical agglomeration region in Jiangsu Province were estimated from 2015 to 2019. By combining the WECC results, the Tobit model was employed to reveal the driving factors of WECC in optimizing GTFP. The results indicated that the regional WECC in southern Jiangsu was increasing compared with that in northern Jiangsu, which promoted the growth of GTFP. WECC has been a positive radiation-driven effect since 2017, and the optimization of the various subsystems of WECC has had a different impact on GTFP. For the sustainable development of Jiangsu’s chemical industry, effective water resource policies should be formulated by the government, while enterprises need to pursue sustained structural adjustments.

Dextrans (DXs) are a group of natural polysaccharides with different branching patterns. Previous studies examining the effects of DXs on plant protein gels have only focused on α-(1 → 3)-branched DXs. Here, we compared the effects of α-(1 → 3)-branched DX L12 with those of two α-(1 → 2)-branched DXs on the properties of glucono-δ-lactone-induced faba bean protein isolate (FPI) gels. DX L12 showed stronger effects in decreasing gel hardness and enhancing gel viscoelasticity than the other two DXs. Moreover, DX L12 decreased the water-holding capacity of FPI gels, whereas the other DXs enhanced it. Microstructural analysis revealed that DX addition promoted phase separation during gel formation. However, FPI/L12 gels exhibited greater phase separation than the other two gels and contained larger void spaces. These differences could be attributed to the varying water adsorption and self-association properties of the DXs. These findings could guide the application of DX in the tailored preparation of plant protein gels.

ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to investigate the causal relationship between gut microbiota and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and to identify and quantify the potential role of plasma metabolites as mediators.MethodsUsing summary-level data from genome-wide association studies, a two-sample Mendelian randomization was conducted involving 131 gut microbiota genus, 1,400 plasma metabolites, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Additionally, a two-step approach was employed to quantify the proportion of the effect of gut microbiota on juvenile idiopathic arthritis mediated by plasma metabolites. Effect estimation primarily utilized Inverse Variance Weighting, with further validation using Bayesian weighted Mendelian randomization.ResultsIn our MR analysis, a positive correlation was observed between Rikenellaceae and the risk of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, while Dorea showed a negative correlation with juvenile idiopathic arthritis risk. Mediation analysis indicated that Furaneol sulfate levels acted as a mediator between Dorea and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, with an indirect effect proportion of 19.94, 95% CI [8.86–31.03%].ConclusionOur study confirms a causal relationship between specific microbial genus and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and computes the proportion of the effect mediated by plasma metabolites, offering novel insights for clinical interventions in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

This study first defined the concept of the water–energy–food nexus system risk (WEF-R). Then, the WEF-R evaluation index system was established from three aspects: stability, coordination, and sustainability subsystems. Finally, the set pair analysis-variable fuzzy set model was used to evaluate the risk levels of subsystems, and the risk matrix was applied to assess provincial WEF-R levels in China from 2009 to 2018. The results showed that the stability subsystem had the greatest influence on provincial WEF-R, followed by the sustainability subsystem. The provinces with a higher risk of the stability subsystem and lower risk of the sustainability subsystem were mainly centralized in southeast coastal and central regions, which were consistent with the provinces with better socio-economic development. The provinces with lower risk of the stability subsystem and higher risk of the sustainability subsystem were mainly concentrated in northwest regions, which correspond with the provinces with better natural resources endowment but lower socio-economic development. As for the temporal evolution of risk levels, the risk levels of the coordination and sustainability subsystems showed downward trends during the study period, while the risk level of the stability subsystem displayed a small fluctuation, and the provincial WEF-R level in China presented a decreasing trend. HIGHLIGHTS The water–energy–food nexus system risk (WEF-R) was defined as internal, nexus, and external risks.; The WEF-R evaluation index system was established from three aspects: stability, coordination, and sustainability subsystems.; Set pair analysis-variable fuzzy set model and risk matrix were applied to assess the risk levels of subsystems and the water–energy–food nexus system.; Provincial WEF-R in China presented a decreasing trend.;

ObjectiveInvestigating the causal relationship between Lachnospiraceae and Appendicular lean mass (ALM) and identifying and quantifying the role of Aminopeptidase O Protein (AOPEP) as a potential mediator.MethodsThe summary statistics data of gut microbiota composition from the largest available genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis conducted by the MiBioGen Consortium (n = 13,266). Appendicular lean mass data were obtained from the UK-Biobank (n = 450,243). We conducted bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using summary-level data from GWAS to investigate the causal relationship between Lachnospiraceae and ALM. Additionally, we employed a drug-targeted MR approach to assess the causal relationship between AOPEP and ALM. Finally, a two-step MR was employed to quantitatively estimate the proportion of the effect of Lachnospiraceae on ALM that is mediated by AOPEP. Cochran's Q statistic was used to quantify heterogeneity among instrumental variable estimates.ResultsIn the MR analysis, it was found that an increase in genetically predicted Lachnospiraceae [OR = 1.031, 95% CI (1.011–1.051), P = 0.002] is associated with an increase in ALM. There is no strong evidence to suggest that genetically predicted ALM has an impact on Lachnospiraceae genus [OR = 1.437, 95% CI (0.785–2.269), P = 0.239]. The proportion of genetically predicted Lachnospiraceae mediated by AOPEP was 34.2% [95% CI (1.3%−67.1%)].ConclusionOur research reveals that increasing Lachnospiraceae abundance in the gut can directly enhance limb muscle mass and concurrently suppress AOPEP, consequently mitigating limb muscle loss. This supports the potential therapeutic modulation of gut microbiota for sarcopenia. Interventions such as drug treatments or microbiota transplantation, aimed at elevating Lachnospiraceae abundance and AOPEP inhibition, synergistically improve sarcopenia in the elderly, thereby enhancing the overall quality of life for older individuals.

Out-of-face gradient sandwich structures have been widely studied for their excellent impact resistance. One uniform and two out-of-plane gradient cores are proposed based on the bionic structure of Royal Water Lily, and the midspan deflection of the back panel and the energy absorption of the out-of-plane gradient sandwich structures under various blast loads are studied. Two frequently adopted methods of explosive loading are applied to the sandwich panels, and the responses are contrasted for the loads applied as a time-dependent pressure history versus imposition of the initial velocity. The effect of the fluid–structure interaction is considered in the blast impulsion, and the dynamic responses of the sandwich structures with different out-of-plane density arrangements are analyzed under two loading approaches. Results show that the energy absorption of the core layer under the prescribed velocity approach is approximately 3–5 times that of the applied pressure approach, while the back panel deflections of different out-of-plane gradient sandwiches are similar. There are significant differences in the deformation mechanisms of structures under these two types of impact loads. Under the same type of impact load, the core compression process of the out-of-plane positive gradient sandwich panel is decoupled from the whole tensile bending deformation process of the structure, whereas the core compression process of the out-of-plane negative gradient sandwich panel is strongly coupled with the whole tensile bending deformation process of the structure. The related research will lay the foundation for an in-depth understanding of the theoretical study of the impact of out-of-face gradient sandwich structures.

PurposeOlecranon fracture is considered intra-articular when there is obvious displacement or an irregular articular surface. Such fractures should be reduced and fixed via surgery. No clear indications regarding the surgical technique to be adopted exist. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the outcomes of tension band wiring (TBW) and Herbert screw fixations for olecranon fractures.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 29 children with olecranon fractures. They were divided into the tension band wiring and Herbert screw groups. We assessed early epiphyseal closure and maximum length of the ulna using radiography. Patients were clinically evaluated using the average QuickDASH score.ResultsBoth groups had good radiological outcomes. Herbert screws demonstrated advantages in terms of bleeding, operative time, intraoperative blood loss, surgery duration, and particularly the QuickDASH score (1.57 vs. 4.18, p

Abstract Background Paediatric orthopaedics is a significant and difficult for undergraduate students to master. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we used the WeChat platform to combine the advantages offered by problem-based learning (PBL), case-based learning (CBL) and paper review teaching methods to establish a new blended online teaching model and demonstrated its feasibility and effectiveness. Objective This study aims to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of a new blended pedagogical method that uses the WeChat platform and combines PBL, CBL and paper review. Methods We enrolled 22 students participating in the Department of Paediatric Orthopaedics. They participated in the WeChat blended pedagogy mode. Their departmental rotation examination scores were compared with those of 23 students who participated in the traditional teaching method. Moreover, an anonymous questionnaire was used to evaluate students’ perceptions and experiences. Results The total average scores of students who participated in the WeChat blended pedagogy mode and the traditional teaching method were 47.27 and 44.52, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the online teaching mode and the traditional teaching method in terms of possessing professional accomplishment, gaining knowledge and promoting interpersonal skills (P = 0.07, P = 0.12 and P = 0.65, respectively). In terms of independent clinical thinking, self-improving capability and improving clinical skills, the scores associated with the WeChat blended pedagogy mode were 8.00, 8.00 and 6.00, whereas those associated with the traditional teaching method were 6.70, 6.87 and 7.48. The overall satisfaction with the WeChat blended pedagogy mode reached 100%. A total of 64%, 86%, 68%, 64% and 59% of students chose very large or large in response to the items concerning professional accomplishment, knowledge absorption, independent clinical thinking skills, English reading and literature exploring capacity, as well as interpersonal skills, respectively. Fifteen participants claimed that the WeChat blended pedagogy mode was less helpful to them with regard to promoting the improvement of their clinical skills. Nine students claimed that the WeChat blended pedagogy mode was time-consuming. Conclusions Our study verified the feasibility and effectiveness of the WeChat blended pedagogy mode for undergraduate paediatric orthopaedics internships. Trial Registration Retrospectively registered.

In the post-epidemic era, dynamic monitoring of expressway road freight volume is an important task. To accurately predict the daily freight volume of urban expressway, meteorological and other information are considered. Four commonly used algorithms, a random forest (RF), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), long short-term memory (LSTM) and K-nearest neighbour (KNN), are employed to predict freight volume based on expressway toll data sets, and a ridge regression method is used to fuse each algorithm. Nanjing and Suzhou in China are taken as a case study, using the meteorological data and freight volume data of the past week to predict the freight volume of the next day, next two days and three days. The performance of each algorithm is compared in terms of prediction accuracy and training time. The results show that in the forecast of freight volume in Nanjing, the overall prediction accuracies of the RF and XGBoost models are better; in the forecast of freight volume in Suzhou, the LSTM model has higher accuracy. The fusion forecasting method combines the advantages of each forecasting algorithm and presents the best results of forecasting the freight volumes in two cities.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) exhibit anticancer activity in cellular and animal models of colon cancer. Acetate, propionate, and butyrate are the three major SCFAs produced from dietary fiber by gut microbiota fermentation and have beneficial effects on human health. Most previous studies on the antitumor mechanisms of SCFAs have focused on specific metabolites or genes involved in antitumor pathways, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) biosynthesis. In this study, we performed a systematic and unbiased analysis of the effects of acetate, propionate, and butyrate on ROS levels and metabolic and transcriptomic signatures at physiological concentrations in human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells. We observed significantly elevated levels of ROS in the treated cells. Furthermore, significantly regulated signatures were involved in overlapping pathways at metabolic and transcriptomic levels, including ROS response and metabolism, fatty acid transport and metabolism, glucose response and metabolism, mitochondrial transport and respiratory chain complex, one-carbon metabolism, amino acid transport and metabolism, and glutaminolysis, which are directly or indirectly linked to ROS production. Additionally, metabolic and transcriptomic regulation occurred in a SCFAs types-dependent manner, with an increasing degree from acetate to propionate and then to butyrate. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of how SCFAs induce ROS production and modulate metabolic and transcriptomic levels in colon cancer cells, which is vital for understanding the mechanisms of the effects of SCFAs on antitumor activity in colon cancer.

The research on urban flood resilience will contribute to building a more resilient city and provide valuable reference for municipal decision-makers. There are many frameworks and approaches for empirical studies on what constitutes urban flood resilience and how to evaluate it. In this study, a typical region suffering from flood disaster in China-Jiangsu Province was selected as the study area, including 13 prefecture-level cities. The pressure-state-response (PSR) framework, the projection pursuit based on real-coded accelerated genetic algorithm (RAGA-PP) and the technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution based on the Kullback-Leibler distance (KL-TOPSIS) were combined to develop a hybrid multi-criteria approach for assessing urban flood resilience. Then the grey relational analysis obtained the important factors. The results illustrate that (1) the development of each subsystem in the city is uncoordinated, that is, the pressure-subsystem has little influence on urban flood resilience, while the state-subsystem and the response-subsystem have great influence. (2) The urban flood resilience in Jiangsu Province presents obvious polarization trend, that is, Southern Jiangsu is more resilient than Northern Jiangsu. The underlying factors are closely related to the level of economic development. Furthermore, the proposed method provides a practical evaluation approach for other fields. HIGHLIGHTS The PSR framework, RAGA-PP and KL-TOPSIS were combined to develop hybrid multi-criteria indices approach for assessing urban flood resilience.; The development of each subsystem in the city is uncoordinated.; Southern Jiangsu is more resilient than Northern Jiangsu.; The underlying factors affecting the urban flood resilience are closely related to the level of economic development.;

A post-synthetic modification strategy for anchoring PdO nanoparticles on the Beta zeolite surface and obtaining stable and highly dispersed PdO sites with abundant active Pdn+ (0 ) 99% methane conversion at 375 °C with a space velocity of 30,000 mL h−1 g−1 and a satisfied long-term (>30 h) CH4 oxidation stability at 340 °C. Such a post-synthetic strategy provides a new way to disperse and stabilize noble metal particles on zeolite support for harsh catalytic process.

This study establishes a market sharing mechanism for watershed ecological compensation between an upstream and downstream government based on the game-theoretical approach. It is found that, in this transboundary market sharing mechanism, the upstream government is encouraged to make more effort to protect the watershed ecosystem. As a result, a market-sharing compensation mechanism can bring Pareto improvements to all stakeholders. Furthermore, the influences of several key factors on the performance of the market sharing mechanism are investigated, which provides theoretical guidance for establishing and implementing such a mechanism in practice. HIGHLIGHTS Resolves compensation and allocation problems between upstream and downstream.; Makes full use of the ecological benefits from the watershed.; Proposes a market sharing ecological mechanism based on a cooperation game.; Analyzes the influencing factors of the market sharing mechanism.; It is conditional on the market sharing mechanism being beneficial.;

The properties of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) protein isolate (FPI) gels depend on their starting protein material and can be modulated by the addition of polysaccharides. In order to investigate the interplay between these two factors, commercial FPI (FPI1) and FPI prepared in-house (FPI2) were used to fabricate glucono-delta-lactone-induced gels, with or without dextran (DX) addition. FPI1 exhibited lower solubility in water and a larger mean particle size, likely because it experienced extensive degradation due to the intense conditions involved in its preparation. The FPI1 gel showed a similar water-holding capacity as the FPI2 gel; however, its hardness was lower and viscoelasticity was higher. After DX addition, the hardness of both FPI gels decreased, while their water-holding capacity increased. Interestingly, DX addition decreased the viscoelasticity of the FPI1 gel but enhanced the viscoelasticity of the FPI2 gel. The microstructural analysis demonstrated that the density of the aggregation network decreased in the FPI1 gel after DX addition but increased in the FPI2 gel. This was consistent with the changes observed in the dominant protein interaction forces in these gels after DX addition. Overall, these findings have the potential to guide ingredient selection for the tailored preparation of FPI gels.

Abstract N6-methyladenine (m6A) is the most predominant RNA modification, which has been shown to be related to many types of cancers. However, understanding of its role in prostate cancer (PCa) is largely unknown. Here, we report an upregulation of METTL14 that was correlated with poor prognosis in PCa patients. Functionally, knocking down METTL14 inhibited tumor proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanically, RNA-seq and MeRIP-seq analyses identified THBS1 as the downstream target of METTL14 in PCa. METTL14 downregulated THBS1 expression in an m6A-dependent manner, which resulted in the recruitment of YTHDF2 to recognize and degrade Thrombospondin 1 (THBS1) mRNA. Thus, our findings revealed that METTL14 acted as an oncogene by inhibiting THBS1 expression via an m6A-YTHDF2-dependent manner. METTL14 could be a potential prognosis marker and a therapeutic target.

Eco-compensation is effective in promoting the sustainable development of a watershed. The exploration of the public’s willingness to pay for such compensation, along with the corresponding influencing factors, are important for improving the efficacy of eco-compensation programs. However, motivating the public to participate in eco-compensation remains a challenge. In this study, the influencing factors behind public willingness to participate in eco-compensation in China’s Taihu Basin are measured using a contingent valuation method and a random forest model. The main results are as follows: 1) In the Taihu Basin, the mean people are willing to pay for eco-compensation is 287.344 CNY/person/year. 2) The significant factors influencing willingness to pay are recognition of the importance of watershed protection; the impact of the watershed environment on people’s lives; annual incomes; and perceived improvements to the watershed environment over the past five years. 3) Awareness of the need for environmental protection can encourage people to pay eco-compensation. This study provides references that governments can use to formulate and implement eco-compensation policies and hence promote public participation in those policies.

Intestinal barrier function and intestinal flora imbalance lead to neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) has been used to prevent or treat NEC in many animal models and clinical trials; however, its underlying action mechanism remains elucidated. Here, we observed intestinal stem cell (ISC) and intestinal barrier disruption in an NEC mouse model, characterized by reduced number of tight junctions (TJs) and expression of Lgr5, inhibition of ISC differentiation and the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, and disturbance of the intestinal microbiota microenvironment. LGG oral administration in these mice re-established the intestinal flora, increased Wnt3a and Wnt7b levels in the small intestinal tissue, activated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, promoted ISC regeneration, reduced intestinal tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 levels, increased the number of TJs, and improved intestinal barrier function; NEC-induced intestinal injury was also reduced. Therefore, LGG administration can alleviate intestinal lesions by enhancing mucosal barrier function in NEC.

BackgroundRespiratory infectious complications remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children with hematological malignancies. Knowledge regarding the lung microbiome in aforementioned children is limited.MethodsA prospective cohort was conducted, enrolling 16 children with hematological malignancies complicated with moderate-to-severe lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) versus 21 LRTI children with age, gender, weight, and infection severity matched, with no underlying malignancies, to evaluate the lung microbiome from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples in different groups.ResultsThe lung microbiome from children with hematological malignancies and LRTIs showed obviously decreased α and β diversity; increased microbial function in infectious disease:bacteria/parasite; drug resistance:antimicrobial and human pathogenesis than the control group; a significantly reduced proportion of Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, Actinobacteriota; increased Proteobacteria at the phylum level; and distinctly elevated Parabacteroides, Klebsiella, Grimontia, Escherichia_Shigella, unclassified_Enterobacteriaceae at the genus level than the control group. Furthermore, it was revealed that α diversity (Shannon), β diversity (Bray–Curtis dissimilarity), Proteobacteria at the phylum level, and unclassified_Enterobacteriaceae and Escherichia_Shigella at the genus level were significantly negatively associated with hospitalization course whereas Firmicutes at the phylum level was established positively correlated with the hospitalization course.ConclusionsChildren with hematological malignancies and LRTIs showed obviously decreased α and β diversity, significantly increased function in infectious disease pathogenesis, antimicrobial drug resistance, and unfavorable environment tolerance. Moreover, α diversity (Shannon), β diversity (Bray–Curtis dissimilarity), and Proteobacteria may be used as negative correlated predictors for hospitalization course in these children whereas Firmicutes may be utilized as a positive correlated predictor.

Female workers in the asbestos processing industry of Eastern China are at high risk of developing multiple types of cancer, and more data are urgently needed to better understand and address this issue. Death certificate data were selected from an asbestos processing city in China from 2005 to 2006. Information was investigated using the relatives of those individuals who had died as sources of information. Individuals were classified into one of three asbestos exposure levels. Standardized mortality ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated. A total of 2,964 individual deaths were identified from 2005 to 2006; of these, 21.4% were occupationally exposed to asbestos. The main cause of death was circulatory system diseases (21.2%). The proportion of individuals with respiratory system diseases increased by age among each exposure subgroup (Ptrend < 0.01). Among females, a significant trend was observed between increased asbestos exposure and mortality due to respiratory system diseases and lung cancer. Our study indicated that asbestos exposure was associated with excess mortality from lung cancer and respiratory diseases, particularly among female workers in an asbestos processing area in Eastern China.

Objectives This study aims to examine the association between occupational factors and semen quality in semen donors in eastern China.Methods We recruited 12 301 semen donors from 2006 to 2020 as the studying population. A self-designed questionnaire was applied for collecting lifestyle and work style information. Semen samples were analysed according to WHO guidelines. A crude and adjusted linear regression model was used to analyse the association between occupational factors and semen quality.Results College students accounted for 36.2% of all semen donors. The majority (81.3%) of semen donors were between 18 year and 30 years. Soldiers or the police had the highest semen volume (the median value=3.8 mL), however, they had the lowest sperm concentration (53.6×106/ml) and sperm motility (45.5%). Workers in finance or insurance had an elevated risk of low semen volume, sperm concentration and total sperm count (OR=1.43, 1.57 and 1.98, respectively). Unemployed men had a high risk of low sperm concentration and low total sperm count (OR=1.84 and 1.58, respectively). Working in the information technology industry had a deleterious effect on the progressive motility of sperm (OR=1.27, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.57).Conclusion Our study indicated that sedentary work style and intensive sports in certain professions might be associated with decreased semen quality. We reported evidence of becoming unemployed on the damage to semen quality. Hence, we advocate a healthy work style to improve semen quality in eastern China.

The increasingly severe water crisis is restricting sustainable development of the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration (YRDUA), highlighting the importance of collaborative water resources management. Based on the dataset from 26 cities between 2001 and 2020 in the YRDUA, this study applies Social Network Analysis to research the spatial correlation of urban water utilization, which helps identify the interaction of water use behaviors among different cities. Results show that the close relationships among urban water consumption in the YRDUA have formed a network, and there is no isolated city in the water use correlation network. During the research period, the water network affinity and network density showed an overall upward trend, meaning the number of actual connections in the network was increasing. However, the network hierarchy first decreased and then raised, and the network efficiency first increased and then decreased, indicating the structural evolution of the water network was gradually detrimental to the effective dissemination of water use information. The urban water consumption correlation network also shows a core-peripheral structure. Shanghai, Wuxi, Suzhou, and Hangzhou have higher coreness and centralities, dominating the water network and controlling major information spillover channels. Therefore, it is essential to focus on the overflow effects of urban water consumption and management among different regions, optimize the structure of the water consumption correlation network, exploit the core cities’ radiation effects, and realize collaborative management for regional water resources.

Abstract This paper assesses the emergency capacity of rain-flood disaster in provinces along the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB), China, from 2013 to 2017. In this study, the evaluation index system of emergency capacity on rain-flood disaster was built from the economic-social and environmental-natural aspects, and spatial auto-correlation analysis was used to analyze spatial differentiation characteristics of the emergency capacity. Then, the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) was used to analyze the influence mechanism of the development level of economic-social factors (ESF) subsystem, environmental-natural factors (ENF) subsystem and the coupling level of these two subsystems on the emergency capacity of rain-flood disaster in provinces. The findings show that the emergency capacity distribution of rain-flood disaster in the YREB presented a “decreasing” spatial pattern of eastern, central and western regions. The development of two subsystems has produced spatial spillover effect and diffusion effect on the neighboring areas. There was a high coupling degree between these two subsystems in the YREB. Although spillover effect existed in space, the spillover did not depend on economic distance.

As an economic means to adjust the contradiction between ecology and development, ecological compensation plays an important role in promoting the good operation of interbasin water transfer projects and the sustainable development of regional economy. The accounting of ecological compensation is the key and difficult point of ecological compensation as well as the basis of ecological compensation policy and practice. Watershed ecological compensation based on water resources value accounting is an early exploration field of ecological compensation research, and water resources value calculation needs to consider both water quantity and water quality comprehensively. Taking the water source area of the Middle Route of South-to-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP) as an example, this article tries to establish the payment standard of watershed ecological compensation from the perspective of water resources value. The results show that: 1) The water resources value of the six core regions in the water source area has shown an overall upward trend since 2000, and the northern regions have demonstrated higher value of water resources than the southern regions. 2) The LSTM neural network model is used to forecast the value of water resources in the six regions from 2020 to 2022, and it is found that the value of water resources would increase in the next few years. 3) The compensation price of the six regions in the water source area is predicted in the range of 0.5–1.5 yuan/m3 from 2020 to 2022, and an upward trend in the ecological compensation amount is forecast. Based on the above conclusions, this article puts forward suggestions to establish an ecological compensation accounting system in line with the Middle Route water source area from the perspectives of ecological compensation legislation, allocation of ecological compensation amount, and introduction of market mechanism.

Understanding the coordinative relationship between urbanization and ecosystem services (ESs) has a great significance in sustainable development in urban agglomeration. In this paper, InVEST model was firstly used to assess the spatio-temporal evaluation of four types of ESs (water yield, carbon storage, soil retention and nitrogen export) in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomerations (YRDUA) of China from 2000 to 2020. Then comprehensive evaluation index system of urbanization was established from the multi-dimensions of economy, population and land to analyze the urbanization level during the study period. Finally, a comprehensive ecosystem service (CES) index was developed to explore the coordinative relationship between ESs and urbanization by using coupling coordinating degree model (CCDM). The results revealed that: 1) Urbanization has led to greatly land use/ land cover change, which caused the degradation of carbon storage and water purification, and the improvement of water yield and soil retention. The higher water yield and nitrogen export mainly clustered around urban areas, while higher carbon storage and soil retention were distributed in forest-rich cities in the Zhejiang and the southern of Anhui. There were positive correlations between different ESs. And the CES of cities in the YRDUA had deteriorated during the study period. 2) The urbanization levels of almost all cities showed an overall upward trend, with Shanghai the highest urbanization, followed by Nanjing and Hangzhou, and rapid urban expansion mainly occurred in developed urban areas. 3) The coordinative relationship between CES and urbanization in the YRDUA was always in mild incoordination, showing an obvious spatial distribution pattern of “higher in the south, but lower in the north”. The coordinative relationship between CES and urbanization in most cities in the north of YRDUA has not achieved coordination development, with the state of moderate or mild incoordination, while the cities in the south has attained coordination development, with the state of primary or even superior coordination. Therefore, our study suggested that differentiated urban space management and control policies should be made for the YRDUA to improve the overall coordinative relationship between CES and urbanization.

Transportation infrastructure, which has always been regarded as an important element to promote regional innovation, accelerates factor flows and productivity spillovers. In February 2021, the State Council of China issued the outline of national integrated multidimensional transportation network planning (2021–2050), which proposed that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the Yangtze River Delta would speed up the construction of an integrated transport network to serve the dual circulation development pattern in China. However, few studies have systematically investigated the development of integrated transport in the Yangtze River Delta, especially the relationship between transport operating efficiency and regional innovation based on the theory of flow space. This study aims to calculate the integrated transport efficiency of 26 cities in the Yangtze River Delta and analyse the spillover effect of efficiency improvement on urban innovation. The results reveal that integrated transport efficiency is relatively stable at approximately 0.92. We find that the local innovation value would increase by 0.119% with every 1% increase in transport efficiency, and it would exceed 0.26% after introducing spatial factors. The spillover effect on the surrounding cities is significantly higher than that in the cities themselves, and the result is 0.292 under the economic spatial distance weight matrix. These findings will support the construction of the integrated transport network and provide useful references for government decision makers in the Yangtze River Delta.

Nowadays, most blue organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are fabricated by using sky-blue emitters which are more easily synthesized when compared with other deep blue emitters. Herein, we put forward a new idea of using an optical micro-cavity based on metal electrodes to regulate electroluminance (EL) spectra of sky-blue organic light emitting diodes to obtain a saturated deep blue emission with a narrowed full-width at half-maximum (FWHM). First, we simulate micro-cavity OLEDs and find that the transmission of the anode plays an important role in the forward emission. Meanwhile, the optical path of micro-cavity OLEDs as well as the phase shifting from electrodes influence the EL spectra and induce the extra intensity enhancement. The results show that when the resonant cavity optical path is regulated by changing the thickness of emitting layer (EML) from 25 nm to 75 nm in the micro-cavity, the EL peak of blue OLEDs has a redshift from 479 nm to 493 nm with FWHM shifting from 69.8 nm to 83.2 nm, when compared to the device without the micro-cavity, whose approximate EL peak and FWHM are 487 nm and 87 nm, respectively. However, the efficiency of electroluminescence decreases in micro-cavity OLEDs. We speculate that this is on account of the ohmic contact between ITO and Ag, the surface plasma effect and the rough morphology induced by Ag electrodes.

A new model for risk assessment of drought based on projection pursuit optimized by immune evolutionary algorithm and information diffusion method (IEAPP-IDM) was proposed. Due to the fact that drought risk assessment is a complex multicriteria and multilevel problem, the IEAPP-IDM model can project the multidimensional indicators of samples into one-dimension projection scores; then, the information carried by the projection scores was diffused into drought risk levels; finally, the drought disaster risk estimate was obtained. In the present study, Qujing was employed to assess the drought risk with the proposed model. The results showed that Xuanwei possessed higher risk, while Luliang and Zhanyi possessed lower risk. At the same time, the probability risk of drought in Malong and Luoping was increasing, while the probability risk of drought in in Qilin and Shizong was decreasing. The results obtained by the assessment model are consistent with the actual situation of Qujing and verify the model’s effectiveness. The study can provide scientific reference in drought risk management for Qujing and other places of China.