Search

Abstract The attainment of “carbon peaking” and “carbon neutrality” is of utmost significance for the optimal progress of China’s economy. As the main channel for green finance, the carbon reduction effectiveness of green credit policy is worth discussing. This article constructs an analytical framework for green credit, carbon emissions and technological advancement. Based on panel data from 30 provincial administrative regions in China from 2012 to 2021, this article uses the mediation effect model and the Spatial Durbin Model to investigate the transmission mechanism and spatial spillover effect of green credit policies on carbon emissions. According to baseline regression model results, our study revealed that overall, carbon emissions were reduced by green credit. The spatial spillover effect of green credit on carbon emissions points to the interconnectedness of different regions in terms of environmental impact. The significant negative indirect effect indicates that the increase of local green credit also has a significant inhibitory effect on surrounding carbon dioxide emissions. It suggests that efforts to reduce carbon emissions in one area can have positive consequences for neighboring regions as well. Green credit is able to reduce carbon emissions indirectly via technological advancement, according to the mechanism testing mediation effect model. This paper presents policy recommendations for relevant departments.

Objective In this study, inbred BALB/c mice infected with the pneumonia virus of mice (PVM) were used to establish an animal model of viral pneumonia, and the changes in the pro-inflammatory alarmin molecule, high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1), during PVM infection were observed, as well as the in vivo intervention effects of the HMGB1 inhibitor, glycyrrhizic acid (GA), on PVM-induced lung injury.Methods Three-week-old female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into three groups, each consisting of 6 mice. One group, uninfected by PVM, served as the control group (Control). The other two groups were inoculated intranasally with PVM at a dose of 1×104 50% tissue culture infective dose (TCID50)/25 μL, and subsequently treated with GA saline solution (GA group) or plain saline solution (normal saline, NS group) via gavage for 15 consecutive days. During this period, changes in body weight and appearance were monitored in each group. At the end of the experiment, lung tissue samples were collected from all groups. The distribution of PVM and HMGB1 proteins in the lung tissues was analyzed using hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. The expression levels of HMGB1 and its Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4), advanced glycosylation end-product-specific receptor (AGER), and inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in lung tissues of mice were measured using real time fluorescence quantitative PCR.Results Compared with the Control group, the NS group showed a significant weight loss after 6 days (P

ABSTRACT Marine biofilms were newly revealed as a giant microbial diversity pool for global oceans. However, the cyanobacterial diversity in marine biofilms within the upper seawater column and its ecological and evolutionary implications remains undetermined. Here, we reconstructed a full picture of modern marine cyanobacteria habitats by re-analyzing 9.3 terabyte metagenomic data sets and 2,648 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). The abundances of cyanobacteria lineages exclusively detected in marine biofilms were up to ninefold higher than those in seawater at similar sample size. Analyses revealed that cyanobacteria in marine biofilms are specialists with strong geographical and environmental constraints on their genome and functional adaption, which is in stark contrast to the generalistic features of seawater-derived cyanobacteria. Molecular dating suggests that the important diversifications in biofilm-forming cyanobacteria appear to coincide with the Great Oxidation Event (GOE), “boring billion” middle Proterozoic, and the Neoproterozoic Oxidation Event (NOE). These new insights suggest that marine biofilms are large and important cyanobacterial factories for the global oceans.IMPORTANCECyanobacteria, highly diverse microbial organisms, play a crucial role in Earth’s oxygenation and biogeochemical cycling. However, their connection to these processes remains unclear, partly due to incomplete surveys of oceanic niches. Our study uncovered significant cyanobacterial diversity in marine biofilms, showing distinct niche differentiation compared to seawater counterparts. These patterns reflect three key stages of marine cyanobacterial diversification, coinciding with major geological events in the Earth's history.

Abstract Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), an Andean crop, is a facultative halophyte food crop recognized globally for its high nutritional value and plasticity to adapt to harsh conditions. We conducted a genome-wide association study on a diverse set of quinoa germplasm accessions. These accessions were evaluated for the following agronomic and biochemical traits: days to 50% flowering (DTF), plant height (PH), panicle length (PL), stem diameter (SD), seed yield (SY), grain diameter (GD), and thousand-grain weight (TGW). These accessions underwent genotyping-by-sequencing using the DNBSeq-G400R platform. Among all evaluated traits, TGW represented maximum broad-sense heritability. Our study revealed average SNP density of ≈ 3.11 SNPs/10 kb for the whole genome, with the lowest and highest on chromosomes Cq1B and Cq9A, respectively. Principal component analysis clustered the quinoa population in three main clusters, one clearly representing lowland Chilean accessions, whereas the other two groups corresponded to germplasm from the highlands of Peru and Bolivia. In our germplasm set, we estimated linkage disequilibrium decay to be ≈ 118.5 kb. Marker-trait analyses revealed major and consistent effect associations for DTF on chromosomes 3A, 4B, 5B, 6A, 7A, 7B and 8B, with phenotypic variance explained (PVE) as high as 19.15%. Nine associations across eight chromosomes were also found for saponin content with 20% PVE by qSPN5A.1. More QTLs were identified for PL and TGW on multiple chromosomal locations. We identified putative candidate genes in the genomic regions associated with DTF and saponin content. The consistent and major-effect genomic associations can be used in fast-tracking quinoa breeding for wider adaptation across marginal environments.

ObjectiveTo provide a scientific basis to establish further prevention and control strategies， the epidemiological characteristics of foodborne disease outbreaks from 2012 to 2021 in Jiangxi Province was analyzed.MethodsDescriptive analysis was conducted using foodborne disease outbreak data obtained from the Foodborne Disease Outbreak Reporting System for Jiangxi Province from 2012 to 2021.ResultsFrom 2012 to 2021， a total of 1 285 cases， 7，222 illnesses， and 48 deaths due to foodborne disease outbreaks occurred in Jiangxi Province. The case fatality rate was 0.66% （48/7 222）. Further， the mortality rates were found to statistically significantly differ among the different years （P≤0.001）. The number of foodborne disease outbreaks tended to increase within the 10 years， and most incidents occurred from May to September. Among the 768 confirmed single etiologic agents， poisonous mushroom was the cause of most incidents （50.78%； 390/768） and deaths （93.75%； 45/48）. Microbiological agents were responsible for most illnesses （49.41%； 2 266/4 586）. Salmonella and Vibrio parahaemolyticus were identified as the main pathogenic bacteria. Foodborne disease outbreaks mainly occurred among families and in catering services， with families having the largest number of incidents （64.75%； 832/285） and deaths （95.83%； 46/48）. Notably， the main pathogenic factor was poisonous mushrooms. Catering services were associated with the largest number of illnesses （51.77%； 3 739/7 222）， with microbiological agents as the main pathogenic factor.ConclusionPoisonous mushrooms caused the most deaths and mainly affected families. Microbial pathogenic factors were the main pathogenic factors in places offering catering services and schools. Rural families should be educated on the harm associated with the consumption of wild mushroom. Moreover， the supervision and management of food safety and health education should be promoted to reduce the incidence of foodborne disease and death.

Abstract Background A new concept of HER2‐low has emerged in recent years. However, the prognostic value and the relapse pattern of HER2‐low is unclear. Methods Our study included patients diagnosed with HER2‐negative/hormone receptor‐positive breast cancer to explore the differences in survival outcomes between the HER2‐low group and the HER2‐zero group. More importantly, we explored different recurrence patterns, including the comparison of metastatic sites and recurrence time curve between the two groups. Results A total of 797 patients with hormone receptor‐positive breast cancer were analyzed. Similar disease‐free survival (DFS) was observed between the HER2‐low group and HER2‐zero group (HR 0.84, 95% CI: 0.61–1.16, p = 0.290). There was also no significant difference in OS between the HER2‐low group and the HER2‐zero group (HR 0.77, 95% CI: 0.46–1.28, p = 0.310). When IHC 1+ and 0 were taken as a group, the IHC 2+ group had significantly better DFS than the IHC 1+ and 0 group in some subgroups. The risk of bone metastasis in patients with HER2 IHC 1+ and 0 was significantly higher than that of patients with HER2 IHC 2+ (12.7% vs. 4.7%, p

The functional endophytic bacterial community can effectively degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), thereby reducing their accumulation in vegetables grown on contaminated sites. However, the biological mechanisms underlying this reduction remain unclear. In this study, we analyzed the efficacy of different colonization methods of the functional endophytic bacterial community m5 in reducing PAHs in vegetables, with a particular focus on the leaf painting method. The results demonstrated that various colonization methods effectively reduced PAHs in vegetables, with leaf painting proving to be a cost-effective and efficient approach. Compared to the non-inoculated control, PAH content in the edible parts of amaranth was reduced by 40.63 % using the leaf painting method. High-throughput sequencing and quantitative PCR revealed that leaf painting altered the bacterial community structure and key components of the bacterial network, enhancing bacterial cooperation. After 20 days of colonization, the abundance of phe and nidA genes in vegetables increased significantly, by tens to hundreds of times, compared to uninoculated controls, thereby promoting the degradation of PAHs in vegetables. This study enhances our understanding of the biological mechanisms by which endophytic bacterial communities reduce PAHs in vegetables.

This study utilized meta-analysis and Mendelian randomization (MR) to identify risk factors for endocrine-related immune-related adverse events (EirAEs) and to ascertain whether EirAEs confer better prognosis of immunotherapy. The meta-analysis identified several risk factors for EirAEs, including elevated baseline TSH (OR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.10–1.53), positive TgAb (OR = 14.23, p

AbstractObjective To compare the efficacy and safety of 1470-nm diode laser enucleation of the prostate (DiLEP) with that of plasmakinetic resection of the prostate (PKRP) in treating patients with large benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH > 80ml).Methods The clinical data from 211 cases of BPH (>80 ml) were collected for analysis. The patients were divided into two groups: the PKRP group (n = 118) and the DiLEP group (n = 93), based on the surgical method used.Result The DiLEP group demonstrated significantly lower surgical time (p

Modular multilevel converter (MMC)-based high-voltage DC (HVDC) systems have found rapid growth in power grids. To reduce the inrush current, it is necessary to precharge the submodule (SM) capacitors to the rated voltage before normal operation. In this paper, an optimized pre-charging strategy for MMC is proposed based on power balancing . First, the charging power is obtained by a designed closed-loop control of the SM capacitors. Then the total power released by the AC or DC side could be calculated by power conservation and feedback by controlling the charging current. At the same time, the power difference between the upper and lower bridge arm of each phase and the internal voltage balancing of bridge arms are also considered by the proposed bridge arm and SM voltage algorithms. By comparing with conventional closed-loop pre-charging strategies, the pre-charging speed is greatly enhanced as the achievement of synchronous charging of upper and lower bridge arm SMs. Moreover, as the same voltage and current double closed-loop control applied in both MMC pre-charging and normal state, the state transition time could be reduced. Finally, a series of simulations and prototype experiments are conducted to verify the feasibility of the proposed pre-charging strategy.

Gestational diabetes (GDM), defined as glucose intolerance during pregnancy, affects one in six pregnancies globally and significantly increases a woman’s lifetime risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Being a relatively young group, women with GDM are also at higher risk of developing diabetes related complications (e.g., cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) later in life. Children of women with GDM are also likely to develop GDM and this perpetuates a cycle of diabetes, escalating our current pandemic of metabolic disease. The global prevalence of GDM has now risen by more than 30% over the last two decades, making it an emerging public health concern. Antepartum management of maternal glucose is unable to fully mitigate the associated lifetime cardiometabolic risk. Thus, efforts may need to focus on improving care for women with GDM during the postpartum period where prevention or therapeutic strategies could be implemented to attenuate progression of GDM to DM and its associated vascular complications. However, strategies to provide care for women in the postpartum period often showed disappointing results. This has led to a missed opportunity to halt the progression of impaired glucose tolerance/impaired fasting glucose to DM in women with GDM. In this review, we examined the challenges in the management of women with GDM after delivery and considered how each of these challenges are defined and could present as a gap in translating evidence to clinical care. We highlighted challenges related to postpartum surveillance, postpartum glucose testing strategies, postpartum risk factor modification, and problems encountered in engagement of patients/providers to implement interventions strategies in women with GDM after delivery. We reasoned that a multisystem approach is needed to address these challenges and to retard progression to DM and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women with GDM pregnancies. This is very much needed to pave way for an improved, precise, culturally sensitive and wholistic care for women with GDM.

Let $ O_{K} = \mathbb{Z}[i] $. For each positive integer $ n $, denote $ \xi_{K}(n) $ as the number of integral ideals whose norm divides $ n $ in $ O_{K} $. In this paper, we studied the distribution of ideals whose norm divides $ n $ in $ O_{K} $ by using the Selberg-Delange method. This is a natural variant of a result studied by Deshouillers, Dress, and Tenenbaum (often called the DDT Theorem), and we found that the distribution function was subject to beta distribution with density $ \sqrt{3}/(2\pi\sqrt[3]{u^{2}(1-u)}) $.

Underground spaces contain abundant geothermal energy, which can be recovered for building ventilation, reducing energy consumption. However, current research lacks a comprehensive quantitative assessment of its energy recovery. This research evaluates the energy recovery potential of the Xingfu Forest Belt Urban Underground Utility Tunnels. Field experiments revealed a 7 °C temperature difference in winter and a 2.5 °C reduction during the summer-to-autumn transition. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to assess the impact of design and operational factors such as air exchange rates on outlet temperatures and heat exchange efficiency. The results indicate that at an air change rate of 0.5 h−1, the tunnel outlet temperature dropped by 10.5 °C. A 200 m tunnel transferred 8.7 × 1010 J of heat over 30 days, and a 6 m × 6 m cross-sectional area achieved 1.1 × 1011 J of total heat transfer. Increasing the air exchange rate and cross-sectional area reduces the inlet–outlet temperature difference while enhancing heat transfer capacity. However, the optimal buried depth should not exceed 8 m due to cost and safety considerations. This study demonstrates the potential of shallow geothermal energy as an eco-friendly and efficient solution for enhancing building ventilation systems.

Background: Personalised care and support planning (CSP) is a person-centred approach for the care of people living with long-term conditions. Patient Activation through Community Empowerment/Engagement for Diabetes Management (PACE-D) adapts the Year of Care Partnerships (YOCP) approach to CSP in the UK for people living with diabetes at Singapore polyclinics. Polyclinics are multi-storey primary care hubs that provide affordable, multidisciplinary, comprehensive, and high-throughput public health care for the multi-ethnic, multilingual Singapore population. Aim: To explore the experience of PACE-D-enrolled people living with diabetes with personalised CSP at Singapore polyclinics. Design & setting: Qualitative interviews of people living with diabetes who experienced personalised CSP at National University Polyclinics (NUP) in Singapore between July 2020 and November 2021. Method: PACE-D-enrolled people living with diabetes who experienced personalised CSP were purposively sampled. In-depth semi-structured interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Fifty-two patients participated in the study. Four main themes were identified. Theme 1 was the importance of the care-planning letter. Patients reported that the CPL prompted reflection and patient preparation for CSP conversations. Theme 2 was the role of the programme coordinator. PACE-D programme coordinators amplified self-management by playing advocate and confidant beyond administrative duties. Theme 3 was the value of the personalised CSP conversation. CSP providers were perceived as partners in care, with more time to listen compared with usual consultations. Patient engagement was affected by language confidence. Theme 4 was agency in self-management. With adequate time and support, patients increased in confidence and agency both in CSP engagement and diabetes self-management. Conclusion: While language confidence may affect patient engagement, personalised CSP shows promise for strengthening patient engagement and self-management among people living with diabetes at Singapore polyclinics.

Abstract Background As an important vegetable crop, cultivated lettuce is grown worldwide and a great variety of agronomic traits have been preserved within germplasm collections. The mechanisms underlying these phenotypic variations remain to be elucidated in association with sequence variations. Compared with single nucleotide polymorphisms, structural variations (SVs) that have more impacts on gene functions remain largely uncharacterized in the lettuce genome. Results Here, we produced a comprehensive SV set for 333 wild and cultivated lettuce accessions. Comparison of SV frequencies showed that the SVs prevalent in L. sativa affected the genes enriched in carbohydrate derivative catabolic and secondary metabolic processes. Genome-wide association analysis of seven agronomic traits uncovered potentially causal SVs associated with seed coat color and leaf anthocyanin content. Conclusion Our work characterized a great abundance of SVs in the lettuce genome, and provides a valuable genomic resource for future lettuce breeding.

Abstract Growth mindsets and self-efficacy beliefs have been known to predict and promote resilience, challenge seeking, and improved outcomes in areas such as education and intelligence. However, little is known about the role of these two potentially influential beliefs in the context of type 2 diabetes (T2D), specifically in terms of whether and in which domains (i.e., beliefs toward general life, general health, or condition-specific domains) these beliefs—or lack thereof—is prevalent among individuals with T2D. Given the lifelong challenges that individuals with diabetes often encounter with managing their disease, many may slip into a conceding negative belief that their diabetes is “too difficult to control” or simply “out of their hands,” inhibiting proactive self-management efforts. Results from our study (n = 893) revealed that individuals with T2D had a significantly lower growth mindset towards their blood glucose level and lower self-efficacy towards their general health, blood glucose, and cholesterol levels compared to those without T2D. Among participants with T2D, further analyses showed a pattern of higher HbA1c among those with lower growth mindsets and self-efficacy toward their general health or blood glucose level. These findings identify the belief-domains that may pose barriers to necessary self-care behaviors, informing future interventions to promote improved diabetes care and management.

Abstract In recent decades, using circulating tumor cell (CTC), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor RNA (ctRNA), exosomes and etc. as liquid biomarkers has received enormous attention in various tumors, including breast cancer (BC). To date, efforts in the area of liquid biopsy predominantly focus on the analysis of blood-based markers. It is worth noting that the identifications of markers from non-blood sources provide unique advantages beyond the blood and these alternative sources may be of great significance in offering supplementary information in certain settings. Here, we outline the latest advances in the analysis of non-blood biomarkers, predominantly including urine, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid, pleural fluid, stool and etc. The unique advantages of such testings, their current limitations and the appropriate use of non-blood assays and blood assays in different settings are further discussed. Finally, we propose to highlight the challenges of these alternative assays from basic to clinical implementation and explore the areas where more investigations are warranted to elucidate its potential utility.

ObjectiveTo understand the predominant multi-locus sequence typing types， their temporal and spatial distribution characteristics， and epidemic trends of Salmonella isolated from patients with foodborne diseases in Jiangxi Province， the corresponding relation between the serotypes and sequence types （STs） was analyzed.MethodsThree hundred and thirteen isolates from patients with foodborne diseases from 2014 to 2018 in Jiangxi Province were used as the research subjects. Multi-locus sequence typing was used to genotype the strains. The relation between the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of the STs and serotypes was analyzed.ResultsThe 313 isolates were divided into 39 STs. The dominant STs were ST34 （32.59%）， ST11 （15.97%）， and ST19 （11.50%）. The most common ST types annually were ST34， ST11， and ST19. There were regional differences in the distribution of STs. Shangrao had the most STs （20）， followed by Fuzhou （15） and Jingdezhen （14）. The dominant STs in Nanchang， Xinyu， and Yingtan were ST11， ST19， and ST19， respectively， whereas the dominant ST type in the other cities was ST34. The 313 Salmonella isolates were classified into 30 serotypes. The dominant serotypes were S. serovars 4［5］，12：i：- （30.35%）， S. enteritidis （15.97%）， and S. typhimurium （14.06%）.ConclusionMany STs of Salmonella strains， but mainly ST34， ST11， and ST19， were isolated from patients with foodborne diseases in Jiangxi Province. The three dominant STs were distributed in different regions of Jiangxi Province， but there were also individual differences in the temporal and spatial distribution of the STs.

Abstract Background Two polyclinics in Singapore modified systems and trained health professionals to provide person-centred Care and Support Planning (CSP) for people with diabetes within a clinical trial. We aimed to investigate health professionals’ perspectives on CSP to inform future developments. Methods Qualitative research including 23 semi-structured interviews with 13 health professionals and 3 co-ordinators. Interpretive analysis, including considerations of how different understandings, enactments, experiences and evaluative judgements of CSP clustered across health professionals, and potential causal links between them. Results Both polyclinic teams introduced CSP and sustained it through COVID-19 disruptions. The first examples health professionals gave of CSP ‘going well’ all involved patients who came prepared, motivated and able to modify behaviours to improve their biomedical markers, but health professionals also said that they only occasionally saw such patients in practice. Health professionals’ accounts of how they conducted CSP conversations varied: some interpretations and reported enactments were less clearly aligned with the developers’ person-centred aspirations than others. Health professionals brought different communication skill repertoires to their encounters and responded variably to challenges to CSP that arose from: the linguistic and educational diversity of patients in this polyclinic context; the cultural shift that CSP involved; workload pressures; organisational factors that limited relational and informational continuity of care; and policies promoting biomedical measures as key indicators of healthcare quality. While all participants saw potential in CSP, they differed in the extent to which they recognised relational and experiential benefits of CSP (beyond biomedical benefits), and their recommendations for continuing its use beyond the clinical trial were contingent on several considerations. Our analysis shows how narrower and broader interpretive emphases and initial skill repertoires can interact with situational challenges and respectively constrain or extend health professionals’ ability to refine their skills with experiential learning, reduce or enhance the potential benefits of CSP, and erode or strengthen motivation to use CSP. Conclusion Health professionals’ interpretations of CSP, along with their communication skills, interact in complex ways with other features of healthcare systems and diverse patient-circumstance scenarios. They warrant careful attention in efforts to implement and evaluate person-centred support for people with long-term conditions.

CH4 has become the most attractive fuel for solid oxide fuel cells due to its wide availability, narrow explosion limit range, low price, and easy storage. Thus, we present the concept of on-cell reforming via SOFC power generation, in which CH4 and CO2 can be converted into H2 and the formed H2 is electrochemically oxidized on a Ni-BZCYYb anode. We modified the porosity and specific surface area of a perovskite reforming catalyst via an optimized electrostatic spinning method, and the prepared LCMN nanofibers, which displayed an ideal LaMnO3-type perovskite structure with a high specific surface area, were imposed on a conventional Ni-BZCYYb anode for on-cell CH4 reforming. Compared to LCMN nanoparticles used as on-cell reforming catalysts, the NF-SOFC showed lower ohmic and polarization resistances, indicating that the porous nanofibers could reduce the resistances of fuel gas transport and charge transport in the anode. Accordingly, the NF-SOFC displayed a maximum power density (MPD) of 781 mW cm−2 and a stable discharge voltage of around 0.62 V for 72 h without coking in the Ni-BZCYYb anode. The present LCMN NF materials and on-cell reforming system demonstrated stability and potential for highly efficient power generation with hydrocarbon fuels.

BackgroundFew studies have investigated the association between air pollution and arterial stiffness in Chinese population, and the findings are inconsistent. The problem of multicollinearity exists when modeling multiple air pollutants simultaneously. ObjectiveTo investigate potential association between air quality index (AQI) and population brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in Beijing. MethodsThis study retrieved medical examination data of 2971 participants from the Beijing Health Management Cohort, who were under 60 years old and not yet retired, from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019. The most recent medical examination data available were utilized for this analysis. AQI data from 35 air pollution monitoring sites in Beijing and meteorological data (including atmospheric pressure, air temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity) from 16 meteorological monitoring stations from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2019 were collected. An average AQI exposure level for 365 d before the date of physical examination for each participant was computed using inverse distance weighting. Multiple linear regression analysis was employed to investigate the relationship between AQI and baPWV in Beijing, after adjusting for confounding variables including age, gender, body mass index, mean arterial pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, atmospheric pressure, temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, medication history of diabetes, medication history of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, education, smoking status, drinking status, and physical activity intensity. Subgroup analysis was performed by age, sex, presence of diabetes, and presence of hypertension. ResultsAQI demonstrated an overall decreasing trend during the study period and was lower in the northern regions and higher in the southern regions of Beijing. After adjusting the confounding variables, each 10 unit increase in AQI was associated with 6.18 (95%CI: 1.25, 11.10) cm·s−1 increase in baPWV in all participants, 8.05 (95%CI: 2.32, 13.79) cm·s−1 increase in the participants 0.05). ConclusionAn increase in long-term AQI levels is associated with an elevation in the degree of arterial stiffness. Individuals under 50 years old, females, without hypertension or diabetes are susceptible populations to arterial stiffness when being exposed to air pollution. Improving air quality may contribute to prevent arterial stiffness.

Abstract Background Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) and cardiomyocytes are the major cell populations in the heart. CFs not only support cardiomyocytes by producing extracellular matrix (ECM) but also assimilate myocardial nutrient metabolism. Recent studies suggest that the classical intercellular lactate shuttle may function in the heart, with lactate transported from CFs to cardiomyocytes. However, the underlying mechanisms regarding the generation and delivery of lactate from CFs to cardiomyocytes have yet to be explored. Results In this study, we found that angiotensin II (Ang II) induced CFs differentiation into myofibroblasts that, driven by cell metabolism, then underwent a shift from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis. During this metabolic conversion, the expression of amino acid synthesis 5-like 1 (GCN5L1) was upregulated and bound to and acetylated mitochondrial pyruvate carrier 2 (MPC2) at lysine residue 19. Hyperacetylation of MPC2k19 disrupted mitochondrial pyruvate uptake and mitochondrial respiration. GCN5L1 ablation downregulated MPC2K19 acetylation, stimulated mitochondrial pyruvate metabolism, and inhibited glycolysis and lactate accumulation. In addition, myofibroblast-specific GCN5L1-knockout mice (GCN5L1fl/fl: Periostin-Cre) showed reduced myocardial hypertrophy and collagen content in the myocardium. Moreover, cardiomyocyte-specific monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1)-knockout mice (MCT1fl/fl: Myh6-Cre) exhibited blocked shuttling of lactate from CFs to cardiomyocytes and attenuated Ang II-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Conclusions Our findings suggest that GCN5L1-MPC2 signalling pathway alters metabolic patterns, and blocking MCT1 interrupts the fibroblast-to-cardiomyocyte lactate shuttle, which may attenuate cardiac remodelling in hypertension. Graphical Abstract

Stimulus-responsive materials are fundamental to the broad and ever-growing field of intelligence research, which bridge intelligent systems with the Internet of Things (IoT) in future lifestyles. Among these materials, writable materials have received great interest; however, carbonization and irreversible writing processes are generally inevitable for extensively investigated organic compounds. Photochromism is a potential mode of composing information. Nevertheless, inorganic materials usually exhibit weak photochromic effects. Here, a novel strategy of designing high-entropy perovskite (HEP) oxides is put forward to develop a new inorganic photochromic system with satisfying performance. A series of HEP oxides are synthesized for the first time. Benefiting from excellent photochromic features, real-time information encoding was achieved. The mechanism-related photochromism is also discussed. Distinct from the previous works, it is believed that the present photochromic-based HEP oxides provide a new and manyfold research space for the future development of conventional writable materials and the disclosing of unprecedented properties and phenomena.

Abstract Solid polymer electrolytes are considered among the most promising candidates for developing practical solid-state sodium batteries. However, moderate ionic conductivity and narrow electrochemical windows hinder their further application. Herein, inspired by the Na+/K+ conduction in biological membranes, we report a (–COO–)-modified covalent organic framework (COF) as a Na-ion quasi-solid-state electrolyte with sub-nanometre-sized Na+ transport zones (6.7–11.6 Å) created by adjacent –COO– groups and COF inwalls. The quasi-solid-state electrolyte enables selective Na+ transport along specific areas that are electronegative with sub-nanometre dimensions, resulting in a Na+ conductivity of 1.30×10–4 S cm–1 and oxidative stability of up to 5.32 V (versus Na+/Na) at 25 ± 1 °C. Testing the quasi-solid-state electrolyte in Na||Na3V2(PO4)3 coin cell configuration demonstrates fast reaction dynamics, low polarization voltages, and a stable cycling performance over 1000 cycles at 60 mA g–1 and 25 ± 1 °C with a 0.0048% capacity decay per cycle and a final discharge capacity of 83.5 mAh g−1.

ObjectiveTo provide the scientific basis for control and prevention of bacterial foodborne diseases， the epidemiology characteristics of bacterial foodborne disease outbreaks in Jiangxi Province from 2015 to 2019 were analyzed.MethodsThe descriptive analysis was conducted on the data of bacterial foodborne disease outbreaks in Jiangxi Province reported through “Foodborne Disease Outbreak Reporting System” from 2015 to 2019.ResultsA total of 161 bacterial foodborne disease outbreaks were reported in Jiangxi Province from 2015 to 2019， including 1 682 patients and 794 hospitalizations. The average annual incidence was 0.73/100 000. And the most incidents occurred from May to October. Salmonella and Vibrio parahaemolyticus were the main pathogen factor of bacterial foodborne diseases， and the number of incidents and patients accounted for 45.4% （73/161） and 56.4% （949/1 682） of the total， respectively. Meat and meat products were the main causing food. Families， hotels or restaurants， rural banquets， school and office canteens were the main places of bacterial foodborne disease outbreaks. Improper processing and storage， contamination or spoilage of raw material were the main cause of outbreaks.ConclusionBacterial foodborne diseases is still a major public health problem in Jiangxi Province. In high-incidence seasons， supervision should be targeted at key foods and places， education and training should be targeted at the relevant personnel to strengthen the awareness of family food safety and reduce the occurrence of bacterial foodborne diseases.

EasySpin is a popular software for simulating and fitting a wide range of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra, and LabVIEW is a graphical programming language development environment. This paper introduces a graphical user interface (GUI) LV-EasySpin that is designed by using LabVIEW for EasySpin. LV-EasySpin provides an intuitive way to visually simulate and fit EPR multicomponent spectra. Through various examples, the design idea and implementation scheme of the GUI are illustrated in the paper. We hope this simple and easy-to-operate interface LV-EasySpin will reduce the difficulty for users analyzing EPR spectra.

Abstract Background Many deep-sea invertebrates largely depend on chemoautotrophic symbionts for energy and nutrition, and some of them have reduced functional digestive tracts. By contrast, deep-sea mussels have a complete digestive system although symbionts in their gills play vital roles in nutrient supply. This digestive system remains functional and can utilise available resources, but the roles and associations among gut microbiomes in these mussels remain unknown. Specifically, how the gut microbiome reacts to environmental change is unclear. Results The meta-pathway analysis showed the nutritional and metabolic roles of the deep-sea mussel gut microbiome. Comparative analyses of the gut microbiomes of original and transplanted mussels subjected to environmental change revealed shifts in bacterial communities. Gammaproteobacteria were enriched, whereas Bacteroidetes were slightly depleted. The functional response for the shifted communities was attributed to the acquisition of carbon sources and adjusting the utilisation of ammonia and sulphide. Self-protection was observed after transplantation. Conclusion This study provides the first metagenomic insights into the community structure and function of the gut microbiome in deep-sea chemosymbiotic mussels and their critical mechanisms for adapting to changing environments and meeting of essential nutrient demand.

Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) technology, combined with chromatographic imaging algorithms, is commonly used for two-dimensional temperature and concentration measurements in combustion fields. However, obtaining critical temperature information from limited detection data is a challenging task in practical engineering applications due to the difficulty of deploying sufficient detection equipment and the lack of sufficient data to invert temperature and other distributions in the combustion field. Therefore, we propose a sparse projection multi-view synthesis model based on U-Net that incorporates the sequence learning properties of gated recurrent unit (GRU) and the generalization ability of residual networks, called GMResUNet. The datasets used for training all contain projection data with different degrees of sparsity. This study shows that the synthesized full projection data had an average relative error of 0.35%, a PSNR of 40.726, and a SSIM of 0.997 at a projection angle of 4. At projection angles of 2, 8, and 16, the average relative errors of the synthesized full projection data were 0.96%, 0.19%, and 0.18%, respectively. The temperature field reconstruction was performed separately for sparse and synthetic projections, showing that the application of the model can significantly improve the reconstruction accuracy of the temperature field of high-energy combustion.

In response to the present epidemic situation, this work proposes an anti-coronavirus composite polymer coating with nano-Ag2MoO4 as the core component to reduce the potential safety hazards caused by excessive use of disinfectants. Nano-β-Ag2MoO4 with mixed morphology was produced with industrialized preparation technology. Among them, oval nanoparticles are core components with antiviral properties, and long rod-shaped particles are used to identify whether the stirring process meets the standard. After x-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy testing, nano-β-Ag2MoO4 stored for 4 years still meets the design requirements in terms of purity, crystal phase, shape, and scale, which solves the problem of the long-term effect of core components. In the existing water-based paint production process, the mixing process and formula of nano-β-Ag2MoO4 were explored, and the large-scale production process of anti-virus water-based paint was solved. Resistance tests against the HCoV-229E coronavirus showed that the anti-coronavirus activity rate of the nano-β-Ag2MoO4 coating at a weight concentration of 200 ppm was 99.5% within 2 h, which verified the effectiveness of the composite polymer coating.

A high frequency broadband hydroacoustic transducer was fabricated for applications such as small target detection and fine imaging in sonar systems. The utilization of the structure design of multimode coupling theory is employed to expand the operational bandwidth of the transducer by leveraging the characteristics of 1–3 type piezoelectric composites that possess a broad frequency range. Piezoelectric composite sensitive elements of varying thicknesses were developed through optimization of dimensional parameters using theoretical and finite element simulation analyses. These composite sensitive elements were then bonded to a spiral stepped backing to enable lateral stacking, ultimately resulting in the fabrication of a high frequency broadband hydroacoustic transducer. The outcomes of the underwater performance evaluation indicate that the transducer's central frequency is 310 kHz, with a −3 dB bandwidth capable of reaching 100 kHz. The maximum transmit voltage response is 159 dB, while the maximum receive sensitivity is −182 dB. Additionally, the directional beam opening angle of −3 dB at the center frequency is roughly 9°, which effectively broadens the transducer's bandwidth.

Abstract Background Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in microRNA (miRNA) binding sites can affect the interactions between miRNAs and target genes, which is related to cancer susceptibility and tumorigenesis. However, the association between SNPs located in miR-17-92 cluster binding sites and ESCC risk remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to explore the relationship between polymorphisms in miR-17-92 cluster binding sites and ESCC susceptibility. Methods Six SNPs in the binding sites of miR-17-92 cluster were selected using bioinformatics databases, and their association with ESCC risk was investigated in a case-control study (including 488 cases and 512 controls) based on the population from high incidence areas of ESCC in China. We evaluated the SNP-SNP and SNP-smoking interactions using generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR). Moreover, the expression of the miR-17-92 cluster and its target genes was determined in ESCC and adjacent normal tissues by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The dual-luciferase reporter assay was conducted to verify the effect of SNPs on the binding affinity between miRNAs and target genes. Results We found that the SNP rs1804506 C > T had a significant association with the decreased ESCC risk. The SNP rs1804506 T allele was associated with a significantly decreased risk of ESCC in the additive model (OR = 0.817, 95% CI = 0.681–0.981, P = 0.030). The rs1804506 T allele had more striking effects on reducing ESCC risk in older individuals, female or non-smoker subgroups. We also found a significant interaction effect between rs1366600 and smoking by GMDR methods (P = 0.011). Additionally, the expression levels of miR-19a-3p and TGFBR3 were significantly downregulated in ESCC tissues compared with normal tissues, and the carriers of rs1804506 TT genotype had lower expression level of TGFBR3 than those of rs1804506 CC/CT genotype. Following dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that the rs1804506 T allele reduced the binding of miR-19a-3p and TGFBR3 3′-UTR. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the rs1804506 polymorphism in miR-17-92 cluster binding sites contributes to the susceptibility of ESCC, which might provide new clues and scientific evidence for the etiology and biomarkers for the prevention and treatment of ESCC.

Plant genotype alone appears to be insufficient to explain trait variations. This study integrates GWAS, MWAS and mGWAS in 827 foxtail millet cultivars, revealing that root-associated microbiota affect plant phenotypes in a host genotype-dependent manner.

Abstract The joint design problem for the coexistence of multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) radar and multi‐user multiple‐input‐single‐output (MU‐MISO) communication is investigated. Different from the conventional design schemes, which require defining the primary function, we consider designing the transmit waveform, precoding matrix and receive filter to maximize the radar SINR and the minimal SINR of communication users, simultaneously. By doing so, the promising overall performance for both sensing and communication is achieved without requiring parameter tuning for the threshold of communication or radar. However, the resulting optimization problem which contains the maximin objective function and the unit sphere constraint, is highly nonconvex and hence difficult to attain the optimal solution directly. Towards this end, the epigraph‐form reformulation is first adopted, and then an alternating maximisation (AM) method is devised, in which the Dinkelbach’s algorithm is used to tackle the nonconvex fractional‐programing subproblem. Simulation results indicate that the proposed method can achieve improved performance compared with the benchmarks.

Mixtures of soft rock and sand have been applied extensively in the Mu Us Sandy Land (MUSL, also known as the Mu Us Desert) to limit the loss of top soil by wind erosion. In this study, the efficacy of sand-fixing technology was investigated in a series of experiments. The sand-fixing effect of seven different mixtures (ratios) on soft rock and sand was evaluated in a wind tunnel. The results indicated that the MUSL soils are susceptible to wind erosion, as the textural composition of sand is dominated by coarse particles. MUSL soils dominated by silt and clay particle sizes are more resistant to wind erosion. Each soft rock and sand combination experiences severe wind erosion. However, wind erosion was significantly reduced when soft rock and sand were mixed. An increase in particle size was associated with an increase in the resistance of soft rock and sand mixtures to wind erosion. The ability to resist wind erosion was greatest when the ratio of soft rock and sand was between 1:2 and 1:5. This study provided data to support the approaches to sand-fixing commonly used at present in the MUSL. The results of this study have important practical significance for the improvement of agricultural land potential in dry sandy areas.

Supercapacitors are extensively used in urban rail transit, electric vehicles, renewable energy storage, electronic products, and the military industry due to its long cycle life and high power density. Porous carbon materials are regarded as promising anode materials for supercapacitors due to their high specific surface areas and well-developed pore structures. However, the over-developed pore structure often results in poor conductivity and reduced cycle stability due to the destruction of a carbon skeleton. Herein, we introduce an advanced strategy for preparing porous carbon with high specific surface areas (3333 m2 g−1), high electrical conductivity (68.6 S m−1), and fast ion transport channels through secondary high-temperature carbonization treatment. As a result, the fabricated porous carbon anode delivers a high specific capacitance (199.2 F g−1 at 1 A g−1) and outstanding rate performance (136.3 F g−1 at 20 A g−1) in organic electrolyte. Furthermore, the assembled symmetrical supercapacitor achieves an energy density of 43.2 Wh kg−1 at 625.0 W kg−1, highlighting the potential of a secondary high-temperature carbonization strategy in practical applications.

Abstract Taxanes plus carboplatin (TP) regimen may be an acceptable alternative adjuvant chemotherapy strategy in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC); however, the difference with the anthracycline-based regimen is yet to be clarified. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the difference between platinum-based and anthracycline-based regimens in prolonging the survival time in TNBC. Using exploratory landmark analysis, we found that the platinum-based TP regimen offers a longer disease-free survival (DFS) than the anthracycline-based regimen in TNBC patients with a DFS of > 4 years.

The conversion of hydrogen to power via combined external reforming of liquid alcohol and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology is an effective approach to address future energy challenges. In this study, an La0.8Ba0.1Mn0.8Ni0.1Cu0.1O3 (LBMNCu) perovskite nanofiber with high porosity was synthesized with a modified electrostatic spinning method, which acted as an efficient catalyst for steam reforming of liquid alcohols (methanol and ethanol). After reduction, fine metallic Ni-Cu was uniformly distributed throughout the perovskite nanofiber surface. The obtained composite displayed a methanol conversion above 99.9% at 450 °C and an ethanol conversion above 99% at 600 °C, which was highly superior to the common Ni-Cu/Al2O3 catalyst. The catalytic performance of our assembled catalysts also remained stable in methanol and ethanol atmospheres for 50 h and no coking was detected. Furthermore, when the reformed gas was fed into a Y0.08Zr0.92O2 (YSZ)-based SOFC system, the open circuit voltage remained around 1.1 V at 700 °C for 50 h accordingly, without coking, and the voltage remained virtually unchanged at 0.7 V for 50 h at 700 °C and 400 mA cm−2 during galvanostatic discharge mode, indicating that using LBMNCu nanofiber as a catalyst for hydrogen production and utilization is an efficient strategy. The interaction of the in situ exsolved metallic nanoparticles and nanofibrous perovskite could also be a promising approach for designing a highly active catalyst for H2 generation.

The widely used rice variety Lijiangxintuanheigu (LTH) shows a universal susceptibility to thousands of Magnaporthe oryzae isolates, the causal agent of devastating rice blast, making LTH an ideal line in resistance (R) gene cloning. However, the underlying genetic mechanism of the universal susceptibility has not been fully revealed because of the lack of a high-quality genome. Here, we took a genomic approach together with experimental assays to investigate LTH’s universal susceptibility to rice blast. Using Nanopore long reads, we assembled a chromosome-level genome. Millions of genomic variants were detected by comparing LTH with 10 other rice varieties, of which large-effect variants could affect plant immunity. Gene family analyses show that the number of R genes and leucine-rich repeat receptor-like protein kinase (LRR-RLK)-encoding genes decrease significantly in LTH. Rice blast resistance genes called Pi genes are either absent or disrupted by genomic variations. Additionally, residual R genes of LTH are likely under weak pathogen selection pressure, and other plant defense-related genes are weakly induced by rice blast. In contrast, the pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) of LTH is normal, as demonstrated by experimental assays. Therefore, we conclude that weak effector-trigger immunity (ETI)-mediated primarily by Pi genes but not PTI results in the universal susceptibility of LTH to rice blast. The attenuated ETI of LTH may be also associated with reduced numbers of R genes and LRR-RLKs, and minimally functional residual defense-related genes. Finally, we demonstrate the use of the LTH genome by rapid cloning of the Pi gene Piak from a resistant variety.

BackgroundHER2-low expression breast cancer (BC) accounts for approximately 45%-55% of all BC cases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic difference between patients with HER2-low expression and HER2-zero BC.MethodsAn electronic search of Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases was performed to screen studies that included prognostic comparisons between HER2-zero and HER2-low expression groups. A total of 14 studies involving 52106 patients were included.ResultsOur results indicated that HER2-low expression was associated with a significant benefit in OS among all patients with early BC (HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.78–0.88), patients with hormone-receptor positive BC (HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.77–0.89), and patients with TNBC (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.70–0.87). HER2-low expression was associated with a significant benefit in DFS among all patients (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.71–0.93), patients with hormone receptor-positive BC (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.72–0.90), but no significant difference in DFS was found in patients with TNBC (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.65–1.17). HER2-low expression was associated with a significant benefit in RFS among all patients (HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.85–0.95), patients with hormone receptor-positive BC (HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.84–0.96), but no significant difference in RFS was found in patients with TNBC (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.55–1.16).ConclusionsAmong patients with early-stage BC, patients with HER2-low expression BC had better OS in the overall population, hormone receptor-positive and TNBC subgroups. Besides, favorable DFS and RFS were observed in both the overall population and hormone receptor-positive subgroup.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier (CRD 42022349458).

Sublethally injured bacteria can still develop into normal bacteria under favorable growth conditions, and their pathogenicity poses a great threat to human health. In the drinking water system, some bacteria cause sublethal injury under the action of disinfectants, that is, disinfectant-injured bacteria. Hence, the detection of disinfectant-injured bacteria and the elucidation of injury mechanisms are of great significance for ensuring the microbial safety of drinking water systems. This article takes the indicator bacteria Escherichia coli as the research object, reviews and summarizes the sublethal injury conditions, damage mechanism, and detection methods of disinfectant-injured bacteria in drinking water, and puts forward a prospect for the future research directions of drinking water disinfection and disinfectant-injured bacteria. HIGHLIGHTS Sublethally injured bacteria are formed during the disinfection process.; Introduce the detection methods of disinfectant-injured bacteria.; The injury mechanisms of chlorine- and UV-injured bacteria are described.; It is recommended for an in-depth study of injury mechanisms, minimizing the potential harm of disinfectant-injured bacteria.;

The microbial characteristics of water treated by tea polyphenols after the ultrafiltration process were studied based on the continuous disinfection performance of tea polyphenols. Metagenomics was carried out to investigate the microbial community distribution, functional characteristics, and variations after disinfection, to reveal the disinfection principle of tea polyphenols, and to provide the theoretical basis for using tea polyphenols as a disinfectant to better control the growth of microorganisms. The analysis of microbial diversity and community structure showed that the microbial diversity in water was significantly reduced after disinfection with tea polyphenols. The results of hierarchical clustering analysis showed that microbial metabolism, environmental information processing, and functional modules in genetic information processing were significantly inhibited after disinfection treatment using tea polyphenols. The tea polyphenols inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms by selection on the microorganisms in the water, thus achieving the effect of bacterial inhibition. HIGHLIGHTS Tea polyphenols as disinfectants inhibit the regrowth of bacteria.; Tea polyphenols disinfection significantly reduces the diversity of microorganisms in water.; The gene function of many microorganisms in water is greatly changed after disinfection by tea polyphenols.; Tea polyphenols disinfection exerts a greater inhibitory effect on the metabolism of various nucleotides and related processes of microorganisms.;

Abstract Background Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) undergoing chemotherapy experience a relatively high risk of infection. And the disturbance of gut microbiota is generally believed to impair intestinal barrier function and may induce bacterial infections and inflammation. The study aimed to investigate the alterations in the gut microbiota and assess its relationship with chemotherapy-induced pneumonia in pediatric ALL patients. Methods We conducted a case–control study with 14 cases affected by pneumonia and 44 unaffected subjects and characterized the physiological parameters and gut microbiota by microarray-based technique. Results There were significant differences in α- and β-diversity in the affected group compared with the control group. At species level, the LEfSe analysis revealed that Enterococcus malodoratus, Ochrobactrum anthropi and Actinomyces cardiffensis were significantly abundant in the affected subjects. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve yielded the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.773 for classification between the two groups. In addition, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways involved in the bacterial secretion system were more enriched in the affected group than in the control group. Conclusions Gut microbiota alteration was associated with chemotherapy-induced pneumonia in pediatric ALL patients, which provided a new perspective on the personalized clinical care of pediatric ALL.

Abstract Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was prepared easily from Rabdosia rubescens residue to realize the efficient utilization of waste resources. The yield was about 95.03% under the optimal conditions. Then, MCC membrane was prepared by phase transformation method and its structure and mechanical properties were studied systemically. The results showed the cellulose crystal structure changed from type I to type II in the process of forming membrane, and the thermal stability decreased simultaneously. The content of MCC in casting solution has great influence on the mechanical properties of membranes. The higher the content of MCC, the better the comprehensive mechanical properties of the membranes is. When MCC content is 9%, the tensile strength and elongation at break can reach 8.38 MPa and 26.72%, which is better than traditional cellulose membranes. Finally, the separation properties were studied by separation BSA from water. The results showed that the rejection rate and water flux changed positively and negatively with the change of MCC content. When the content was 5%, the membrane demonstrated the best comprehensive performance, its rejection for BSA was 37.23 g/(m2 h), the corresponding rejection rate and water flux were 88.87% and 41.89 L/(m2 h) respectively.

This study determined the inhibitory activity of oligopeptides against angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and pancreatic lipase through in vitro tests, molecular docking, and enzyme inhibition. The results showed that the IC50 of GLLGY, HWP, and VYGF for ACE inhibition was 1 mg/mL, and the IC50 of HWP for pancreatic lipase was 3.95 mg/mL. Molecular docking revealed that the binding energies between GLLGY, HWP, and VYGF and ACE were –9.0, –8.4, and –9.2 kcal/mol, respectively. The binding free energy between HWP and pancreatic lipase was –7.3 kcal/mol. GLLGY, HWP, and VYGF inhibited ACE compentitively. HWP inhibited pancreatic lipase through non-competition. in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion, the three oligopeptides still had inhibitory activity and low toxicity. The results revealed that the peptides GLLGY, HWP, and VYGF may be suitable candidates for further research on ACE inhibition, and HWP may be a suitable candidate for studying pancreatic lipase inhibition.

Abstract The promulgation and implementation of the national and Beijing municipal standards for air pollutants emitted from crematoriums has effectively alleviated the problem of “black smoke” in crematoriums, but noticeable odor in crematoriums remains. We determined the level of odor emissions in crematoriums by monitoring the odor concentrations of cremators, incinerators, and cremation workshops in five crematoriums in Beijing. Subsequently, we analyzed the major contributing factors to the odor level and proposed control measures. A high odor concentration in crematoriums was observed; two different mechanisms were proposed to explain this finding. First, poor ventilation conditions in workshops and inadequate airtightness of equipment resulted in dimensionless concentrations of unorganized odor emissions in the workshops ranging from 97 to 732, with an average of 504, which is much higher than the standard level of 20. Second, the postprocessing facilities used in cremation sites produce poor odor removal, which, coupled with fuel usage and unregulated operations, led to high concentrations of organized odor emissions ranging from 231 to 1303 (910 on average) for cremators and incinerators. The odor emissions of cremators and incinerators meet the Integrated Emission Standards of Air Pollutants (DB11-501-2017), which are suitable for industries containing industrial kilns but not for crematoriums. The odor emissions in crematoriums are lower than those emitted from industries, such as fiber manufacturing and activated carbon processing. However, the unique geographical locations of crematoriums, high population density, and high exposure risk to local residents necessitate strengthening the management and control of odor emissions from crematoriums. To further address the problem of odor emissions from crematoriums in Beijing, further clarification and tightening of industry standards for the concentration limits of organized and unorganized odor emissions is recommended. Crematoriums will thus be prompted to increase odor control in workshops and adopt and improve deodorization facilities, including the installation and application of treatment facilities, such as adsorption and biological control.

Abstract Due to their rapid power delivery, fast charging, and long cycle life, supercapacitors have become an important energy storage technology recently. However, to meet the continuously increasing demands in the fields of portable electronics, transportation, and future robotic technologies, supercapacitors with higher energy densities without sacrificing high power densities and cycle stabilities are still challenged. Transition metal compounds (TMCs) possessing high theoretical capacitance are always used as electrode materials to improve the energy densities of supercapacitors. However, the power densities and cycle lives of such TMCs-based electrodes are still inferior due to their low intrinsic conductivity and large volume expansion during the charge/discharge process, which greatly impede their large-scale applications. Most recently, the ideal integrating of TMCs and conductive carbon skeletons is considered as an effective solution to solve the above challenges. Herein, we summarize the recent developments of TMCs/carbon hybrid electrodes which exhibit both high energy/power densities from the aspects of structural design strategies, including conductive carbon skeleton, interface engineering, and electronic structure. Furthermore, the remaining challenges and future perspectives are also highlighted so as to provide strategies for the high energy/power TMCs/carbon-based supercapacitors.

Abstract Background Lignin deposited in plant cell walls negatively affects biomass conversion into advanced bioproducts. There is therefore a strong interest in developing bioenergy crops with reduced lignin content or altered lignin structures. Another desired trait for bioenergy crops is the ability to accumulate novel bioproducts, which would enhance the development of economically sustainable biorefineries. As previously demonstrated in the model plant Arabidopsis, expression of a 3-dehydroshikimate dehydratase in plants offers the potential for decreasing lignin content and overproducing a value-added metabolic coproduct (i.e., protocatechuate) suitable for biological upgrading. Results The 3-dehydroshikimate dehydratase QsuB from Corynebacterium glutamicum was expressed in the bioenergy crop switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) using the stem-specific promoter of an O-methyltransferase gene (pShOMT) from sugarcane. The activity of pShOMT was validated in switchgrass after observation in-situ of beta-glucuronidase (GUS) activity in stem nodes of plants carrying a pShOMT::GUS fusion construct. Under controlled growth conditions, engineered switchgrass lines containing a pShOMT::QsuB construct showed reductions of lignin content, improvements of biomass saccharification efficiency, and accumulated higher amount of protocatechuate compared to control plants. Attempts to generate transgenic switchgrass lines carrying the QsuB gene under the control of the constitutive promoter pZmUbi-1 were unsuccessful, suggesting possible toxicity issues associated with ectopic QsuB expression during the plant regeneration process. Conclusion This study validates the transfer of the QsuB engineering approach from a model plant to switchgrass. We have demonstrated altered expression of two important traits: lignin content and accumulation of a co-product. We found that the choice of promoter to drive QsuB expression should be carefully considered when deploying this strategy to other bioenergy crops. Field-testing of engineered QsuB switchgrass are in progress to assess the performance of the introduced traits and agronomic performances of the transgenic plants.