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To address air pollution and offer a convenient and comfortable living environment, the Chinese government launched a smart city pilot (SCP) project in 2012, accompanied by a comprehensive set of environmental and energy-related laws and regulations. Although academic interest in smart cities has surged, there remains a notable gap in empirical research exploring the economic, environmental, and energy effects of such initiatives. Taking 232 prefecture-level cities from 2003 to 2017 as research subjects, this study measures energy efficiency by using energy consumption per unit of GDP and adopts a difference-in-differences (DID) analysis to investigate the impact of SCPs on energy efficiency. The empirical results indicate that SCPs improved energy efficiency by promoting urban technological innovation capabilities and green total factor productivity, and this effect was more pronounced in cities that were more dependent on traditional fossil fuel energy sources and had more developed fiscal and financial levels. Studying the impact of smart city construction on energy utilization efficiency in developing countries, such as China, is not only significantly enlightening for China’s green and low-carbon transition but also provides reference opinions for constructing smart cities and the path to enhancing energy efficiency in other developing countries. The findings provide valuable insights into the global development of smart cities, urban sustainability, and high-quality economic growth.

Protein phosphatase 6 (PP6) is a member of the PP2A-like subfamily, which plays a critical role in many fundamental cellular processes. We recently reported that PP6 is essential for female fertility. Here, we report that PP6 is involved in meiotic recombination and that germ cell-specific deletion of PP6 by Stra8-Cre causes defective spermatogenesis. The PP6-deficient spermatocytes were arrested at the pachytene stage and defects in DSB repair and crossover formation were observed, indicating that PP6 facilitated meiotic double-stranded breaks (DSB) repair. Further investigations revealed that depletion of PP6 in the germ cells affected chromatin relaxation, which was dependent on MAPK pathway activity, consequently preventing programmed DSB repair factors from being recruited to proper positions on the chromatin. Taken together, our results demonstrate that PP6 has an important role in meiotic recombination and male fertility.

Zygotic chromatin undergoes extensive reprogramming immediately after fertilization. It is generally accepted that maternal factors control this process. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Here we report that maternal RAD9A, a key protein in DNA damage response pathway, is involved in post-zygotic embryo development, via a mouse model with conditional depletion of Rad9a alleles in oocytes of primordial follicles. Post-zygotic losses originate from delayed zygotic chromatin decondensation after depletion of maternal RAD9A. Pronucleus formation and DNA replication of most mutant zygotes are therefore deferred, which subsequently trigger the G2/M checkpoint and arrest development of most mutant zygotes. Delayed zygotic chromatin decondensation could also lead to increased reabsorption of post-implantation mutant embryos. In addition, our data indicate that delayed zygotic chromatin decondensation may be attributed to deferred epigenetic modification of histone in paternal chromatin after fertilization, as fertilization and resumption of secondary meiosis in mutant oocytes were both normal. More interestingly, most mutant oocytes could not support development beyond one-cell stage after parthenogenetic activation. Therefore, RAD9A may also play an important role in maternal chromatin reprogramming. In summary, our data reveal an important role of RAD9A in zygotic chromatin reprogramming and female fertility.

Hydroxyurea(HU) is a reducing and complexing agent that can be used in the PUREX process. Zr is an important fission product in the spent fuel and main element of concern in the nuclear fuel reprocessing. The decontamination of zirconium in the route of plutonium and uranium can be lowered by the complexation of hydroxyurea in the PUREX process. The complexation of Zr(Ⅳ) with hydroxyurea in the nitric acid system was investigated in this work. Under the condition of 0.3 mol/L HNO3, the complex ratio of Zr(Ⅳ) with HU is 1∶8 obtained by Job’s method. Combining with the half-integer method, the apparent stability constants of Zr(Ⅳ) with hydroxyurea are calculated as following: lg K1≈1.59, lg K2≈1.75, lg K3≈1.88, lg K4≈1.98, lg K5≈2.09, lg K6≈2.27, lg K7≈2.51, lg K8≈3.01. Under 1.0 mol/L HNO3, the complex ratio of Zr(Ⅳ) with hydroxyurea is 1∶4, and the apparent stability constants of Zr(Ⅳ) with hydroxyurea are lg K1≈2.33, lg K2≈2.51, lg K3≈2.78, lg K4≈3.31. Under 3.0 mol/L HNO3, the complex ratio of Zr(Ⅳ) with hydroxyurea is 1∶2, and the apparent stability constants of Zr(Ⅳ) with hydroxyurea are lg K1≈2.69 and lg K2≈2.79.

In this paper, the half-reaction time of the reaction between hydrazine and its derivatives with nitrous acid is measured using spectrophotometry and stopped-flow injection device. Using Gaussian09 and HyperChem, hydrazine and its derivatives have been structurally optimized and some quantization parameters are calculated. Combining the half-reaction time and the quantization parameters, and using statistical regression analysis, QSAR model of the reaction between hydrazine and its derivatives with nitrous acid is established. The results show that total energy of molecules is the most important influencing factor in the reaction, and the half-reaction time increases with total energy of the molecule except for allyl hydrazine, the reaction rate decreases with the increase of total energy of the molecule.

Using the US Geological Survey groundwater model, we compared spatial distribution, flow exchange, and storage of groundwater between cropland and forestland in the Upper Yazoo River Watershed, Mississippi, from 1900 to 2014. Under normal climate, average groundwater head declined 2.7 m in cropland but only 1 m in forestland over the 115 years. The average groundwater flow from forestland to cropland surpassed the reverse flow by a factor of 238, owing to a higher elevation in forestland and intensive groundwater pumping in cropland. Cropland was a net groundwater sink while forestland was a net groundwater source under all climates. Our findings underscore the discernible impacts of climate changes on groundwater storage and suggest that afforestation in the region would be an alternative for saving groundwater resources and supplying more waters to croplands. This study offers valuable insights into groundwater supply planning not only in Mississippi but also in comparable situations worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have shown that deep‐learning radiomics (DLR) could help differentiate glioblastoma (GBM) from solitary brain metastasis (SBM), but whether integrating demographic‐MRI and DLR features can more accurately distinguish GBM from SBM remains uncertain. Purpose: To construct and validate a demographic‐MRI deep‐learning radiomics nomogram (DDLRN) integrating demographic‐MRI and DLR signatures to differentiate GBM from SBM preoperatively. Study Type: Retrospective. Population: Two hundred and thirty‐five patients with GBM (N = 115) or SBM (N = 120), randomly divided into a training cohort (90 GBM and 98 SBM) and a validation cohort (25 GBM and 22 SBM). Field Strength/Sequence: Axial T2‐weighted fast spin‐echo sequence (T2WI), T2‐weighted fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery sequence (T2‐FLAIR), and contrast‐enhanced T1‐weighted spin‐echo sequence (CE‐T1WI) using 1.5‐T and 3.0‐T scanners. Assessment: The demographic‐MRI signature was constructed with seven imaging features ("pool sign," "irregular ring sign," "regular ring sign," "intratumoral vessel sign," the ratio of the area of peritumoral edema to the enhanced tumor, the ratio of the lesion area on T2‐FLAIR to CE‐T1WI, and the tumor location) and demographic factors (age and sex). Based on multiparametric MRI, radiomics and deep‐learning (DL) models, DLR signature, and DDLRN were developed and validated. Statistical Tests: The Mann–Whitney U test, Pearson test, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, and support vector machine algorithm were applied for feature selection and construction of radiomics and DL models. Results: DDLRN showed the best performance in differentiating GBM from SBM with area under the curves (AUCs) of 0.999 and 0.947 in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Additionally, the DLR signature (AUC = 0.938) outperformed the radiomics and DL models, and the demographic‐MRI signature (AUC = 0.775) was comparable to the T2‐FLAIR radiomics and DL models in the validation cohort (AUC = 0.762 and 0.749, respectively). Data Conclusion: DDLRN integrating demographic‐MRI and DLR signatures showed excellent performance in differentiating GBM from SBM. Level of Evidence: 3 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mississippi Embayment (ME) is one of the fastest groundwater depletion zones in the world. This study investigated stream‐aquifer water exchange in the ME over a 115‐year period (1900 to 2014) under normal and extreme climates (i.e., precipitation increased and decreased by 20%) with and without agricultural pumping for crop irrigation. The average daily water flow from the aquifer to the streams was always greater than vice versa under all climate scenarios. Under normal climate, the average daily water flow from the aquifer to the streams was 2.52 times larger without pumping than with pumping. While the extreme climate had discernable impacts, the groundwater pumping, but not extreme climate, was the major factor for low flows and drying streams in the ME. These findings are essential to groundwater resource management in the region and provide a critical reference for other parts of the world with similar conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Change in land use and land cover (LULC) is crucial to freshwater ecosystems as it affects surface runoff, groundwater storage, and sediment and nutrient transport within watershed areas. Ecosystem components such as wetlands, which can contribute to the reduction of water pollution and the enhancement of groundwater recharge, are altered by LULC modifications. This study evaluates how wetlands in the Big Sunflower River Watershed (BSRW) have changed in recent years and quantified their impacts on streamflow, water quality, and groundwater storage using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The model was well calibrated and validated prior to its application. Our study showed that the maximum increase in wetland areas within the sub-watersheds of interest was 26% from 2008 to 2020. The maximum changes in reduction due to the increase in wetland areas were determined by 2% for streamflow, 37% for total suspended solids, 13% for total phosphorus (TP), 4% for total nitrogen (TN), and the maximum increase in shallow groundwater storage by 90 mm from 2008 to 2020 only in the selected sub-basins. However, the central part of the watershed experienced average declines of groundwater levels up to 176 mm per year due to water withdrawal for irrigation or other uses. This study also found that restoration of 460 to 550 ha of wetlands could increase the reduction of discharge by 20%, sediment by 25%, TN by 18%, and TP by 12%. This study highlights the importance of wetland conservation for water quality improvement and management of groundwater resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oxidative stress (OS) plays a major role in the progress of hypoxic‐ischemic brain damage (HIBD). This study aimed to investigate OS‐related genes and their underlying molecular mechanisms in neonatal HIBD. Methods: Microarray data sets were acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between control samples and HIBD samples. OS‐related genes were drawn from GeneCards and OS‐DEGs in HIBD were obtained by intersecting with the DEGs. Subsequently, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were conducted to determine the underlying mechanisms and functions of OS‐DEGs in HIBD. Moreover, the hub genes were screened using the protein−protein interaction network and identified in the GSE144456 data set. CIBERSORT was then performed to evaluate the expression of immunocytes in each sample and perform a correlation analysis of the optimal OS‐DEGs and immunocytes. Finally, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) and immunohistochemistry were performed to validate the expression levels of the optimal OS‐DEGs. Results: In total, 93 OS‐DEGs were identified. GO, KEGG, and GSEA enrichment analyses indicated that these genes were predominantly enriched in OS and inflammation. Four OS‐related biomarker genes (Jun, Fos, Tlr2, and Atf3) were identified and verified. CIBERSORT analysis revealed the dysregulation of six types of immune cells in the HIBD group. Moreover, 47 drugs that might target four OS‐related biomarker genes were screened. Eventually, RT‐qPCR and immunohistochemistry results for rat samples further validated the expression levels of Fos, Tlr2, and Atf3. Conclusions: Fos, Tlr2 and Atf3 are potential OS‐related biomarkers of HIBD progression. The mechanisms of OS are associated with those of neonatal HIBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]