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Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term consequences on the cervical spine after Anterior transcorporeal percutaneous endoscopy cervical discectomy (ATc-PECD) from the biomechanical standpoint. Methods: A three-dimensional model of the normal cervical spine C2-T1 was established using finite element method. Subsequently, a disc degeneration model and degeneration with surgery model were constructed on the basis of the normal model. The same loading conditions were applied to simulate flexion, extension, lateral bending and axial rotation of the cervical spine. We calculated the cervical range of motion (ROM), intradiscal pressure, and intravertebral body pressure under different motions for observing changes in cervical spine biomechanics after surgery. At the same time, we combined the results of a long-term follow-up of the ATc-PECD, and used imaging methods to measure vertebral and disc height and cervical mobility, the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score and visual analog scale (VAS) score were used to assess pain relief and neurological functional recovery. Results: The long-term follow-up results revealed that preoperative JOA score, neck VAS score, hand VAS score, IDH, VBH, and ROM for patients were 9.49 ± 2.16, 6.34 ± 1.68, 5.14 ± 1.48, 5.95 ± 0.22 mm, 15.41 ± 1.68 mm, and 52.46 ± 9.36° respectively. It changed to 15.71 ± 1.13 (P < 0.05), 1.02 ± 0.82 (P < 0.05), 0.77 ± 0.76 (P < 0.05), 4.73 ± 0.26 mm (P < 0.05), 13.67 ± 1.48 mm (P < 0.05), and 59.26 ± 6.72° (P < 0.05), respectively, at 6 years postoperatively. Finite element analysis showed that after establishing the cervical spondylosis model, the overall motion range for flexion, extension, lateral bending, and rotation decreased by 3.298°, 0.753°, 3.852°, and 1.131° respectively. Conversely, after establishing the bone tunnel model, the motion range for these actions increased by 0.843°, 0.65°, 0.278°, and 0.488° respectively, consistent with the follow-up results. Moreover, analysis of segmental motion changes revealed that the increased cervical spine mobility was primarily contributed by the surgical model segments. Additionally, the finite element model demonstrated that bone tunneling could lead to increased stress within the vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs of the surgical segments. Conclusions: Long-term follow-up studies have shown that ATc-PECD has good clinical efficacy and that ATc-PECD can be used as a complementary method for CDH treatment. The FEM demonstrated that ATc-PECD can lead to increased internal stresses in the vertebral body and intervertebral discs of the operated segments, which is directly related to cervical spine degeneration after ATc-PECD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-silica granites are significant carriers of highly incompatible elements and are closely associated with mineralization of the rare metal beryllium. Thus, understanding their origin and evolution is of paramount importance for comprehending the evolution of the continental crust and enrichment processes of beryllium. This study presents zircon U-Pb ages, whole-rock major and trace element compositions, and Nd-Hf-O isotopic data for Early Cretaceous high-silica granite porphyries, monazite U-Pb ages and Nd isotopic data for beryllium-rich quartz veins, and whole-rock and apatite Nd isotopic data for Permian tuffs in the Dongshanwan WMo-Be deposit in the southern Great Xing'an Range, northeastern China. Our aim is to elucidate the link between mineralization and magmatism and to further our insight into the processes of crystal-melt separation and the mechanisms driving beryllium enrichment in granitic magmatic systems. Zircon U-Pb dating of the high-silica granite porphyry yields a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 141 ± 1 Ma, which is consistent with the age of hydrothermal monazite (ca. 140 Ma) from the beryllium-rich quartz veins. Hydrothermal monazite from the intra-granite porphyry quartz vein has positive eNd(t) values (+0.76 to +1.63) that overlap broadly with whole-rock Nd isotopic compositions of the host granite porphyry [eNd(t) = + 1.24 to +1.61]. These characteristics indicate that the Dongshanwan beryllium mineralization was temporally and genetically associated with magmatic-hydrothermal activity of the Dongshanwan high-silica granite porphyries. Our systematic studies suggest that both the Dongshanwan high-silica granite porphyries and coeval Be-barren high-silica granites in the study area are high-K calc-alkaline I-type granites. They originated from a shared magmatic system and formed by the partial melting of a predominantly juvenile medium- to high-K basaltic crustal source, with a minor addition of old crustal components. Rayleigh fractionation modeling indicates that the granitic magma underwent a two-stage crystal-melt separation process. During the first stage, the fractional crystallization of a large proportion of plagioclase, in which beryllium is compatible, not only effectively inhibited beryllium enrichment in the differentiated melt, but also removed a large amount of Ca. During the second stage, minerals in which beryllium is incompatible dominated the fractionating assemblage owing to the low Ca contents in the magma, resulting in a surge in beryllium concentration in the differentiated melt. Our findings reveal that beryllium cannot be appreciably enriched in calc-alkaline granitic magmatic systems until plagioclase fractionation has substantially removed Ca from the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noncontiguous 2-level cervical disc herniation (NCT-CDH) is a common condition that often requires surgical intervention. In this study, we developed a surgical approach for the treatment of NCT-CDH using anterior percutaneous full-endoscopic single incision through the vertebral body. We provide a brief overview of its safety, efficacy, and feasibility, along with a description of our relevant surgical experience. A retrospective study was conducted, involving 30 patients who were followed up for at least 12 months. Preoperative and postoperative visual analog scale, Japanese Orthopedic Association scores, Nurick scores, intervertebral disc height, and modified Macnab criteria were recorded. Patients underwent regular radiological evaluations throughout the follow-up period. Postoperative computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and X-ray examinations revealed bone tunnel healing, intact drilled vertebral bodies without collapse, adequate decompression of the spinal canal, and normal cervical mobility. There was a significant improvement in postoperative visual analog scale, Japanese Orthopedic Association scores, Nurick scores, and modified Macnab criteria compared to the preoperative values (P < 0.05). Our study revealed that the anterior percutaneous full-endoscopic transcorporeal with single-incision treatment for NCT-CDH is a safe and feasible surgical method. Therefore, it can be considered as a viable treatment option for patients with NCT-CDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this case report, we present the unique and intriguing case of a 57-year-old man who experienced exertional palpitations and shortness of breath for 5 years. He was diagnosed with idiopathic heart failure three years ago, leading to diuretic treatment. Physical examination revealed notable left lower extremity swelling, severe varicose veins, and cardiac murmurs. Echocardiography showed significant cardiac enlargement and severe functional mitral and tricuspid valve regurgitation. Computed tomography (CT) imaging uncovered a 10 mm left common iliac arteriovenous fistula, causing abnormal early filling of the inferior vena cava (IVC) and marked IVC dilation. Open surgical repair of the arteriovenous fistula resulted in symptom relief and improved cardiac function. This case underscores the importance of considering unusual causes in heart failure patients and highlights the value of early diagnosis and intervention in complex cardiac-vascular interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the signing of the Minamata Convention in 2013, attempts have been primarily focused on reducing the emission of elemental mercury (Hg0) from coal-fired power plants (CFPPs). The most cost-effective measure for controlling the emission of mercury involves oxidizing Hg0 to mercury oxides, which are then removed using wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD). Thus, novel photocatalysts with the best properties of photocatalytic ability and thermal stability need to be developed urgently. In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO2)-based photocatalysts were synthesized through the modification of three metal oxides: CuO, CeO2, and Bi2O3. All the photocatalysts were further characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and ultraviolet-visible spectrometry. The photocatalytic oxidation efficiencies of Hg0 were evaluated under an atmosphere of N2 + Hg0 at 100–200 °C. The photocatalytic reactions were simulated by kinetic modeling using the Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) mechanism. The results showed that Bi2O3/TiO2 exhibited the best thermal stability, with the best oxidation efficiency at 200 °C and almost the same performance at 100 °C. L–H kinetic modeling indicated that photocatalytic oxidation reactions for the tested photocatalysts were predominantly physical adsorption. Additionally, the activation energy (Ea), taking into account Arrhenius Law, decreased dramatically after modification with metal oxides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Full endoscopic techniques are being gradually introduced from single-segment cervical disc herniation surgery to two-segment cervical disc herniation surgery. However, there is no suitable full endoscopic treatment for mixed-type two-segment cervical disc herniation (MTCDH) in which one segment herniates in front of the spinal cord and the other segment herniates behind the spinal cord. Therefore, we introduce a new full endoscopic technique by combining an anterior transcorporeal approach and a posterior translaminar approach. In addition, we provide a brief description of its safety, efficacy, feasibility, and surgical points. Methods: Thirty patients with MTCDH were given full endoscopic surgical treatment by a combined transcorporeal and transforaminal approach and were followed up for at least 12 months. Results: Clinical assessment scales showed that the patient's symptoms and pain were significantly reduced postoperatively. Imaging results showed bony repair of the surgically induced bone defect and the cervical Cobb angle was increased. No serious complications occurred. Conclusion: This technique enables minimally invasive surgery to relieve the compression of the spinal cord by MTCDH. It avoids the fusion of the vertebral body for internal fixation, preserves the vertebral motion segments, avoids medical destruction of the cervical disc to the greatest extent possible, and expands the scope of adaptation of full endoscopic technology in cervical surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was to evaluate the nutritional value of the muscle of Andrias davidianus of the third generation from Daning river system in Chongqing and the Hanjiang River system in Shaanxi. The nutritional components of the muscle of Andrias davidianus populations from the Daning River population in Chongqing (group C) and the Hanshui population in Hanzhong (group S) were determined and analysed by conventional biochemical analysis methods, and the quality was evaluated. The results showed that the crude fat and water content of muscle in the group C were significantly lower than those in the group S (P<0.05), and the crude protein and crude ash content were not significantly different (P>0.05). The eighteen amino acids were found in the muscles of both populations, with glutamic acid (Glu) being most abundant. The first limiting amino acid was tryptophan, while the essential amino acid composition conforms to FAO/WHO standards. The essential amino acid index of the group C was 97.29%, which was higher than that of the group S (85.82%). The total muscle amino acids and the total essential amino acids in the group C were significantly higher than those in the group S (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in delicious amino acids (P>0.05). The fifteen fatty acids were detected in the muscles of the group S, with two more fatty acids, including pearl lipoic acid (C17:0) and cis-11-eicosatetraenoic acid (C20:1), than in the group C. The monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid were significantly higher in the group S than in the group C ( P<0.05). In both populations, the macronutrient K and the trace element Zn had the highest levels of eight minerals in the muscles. The study indicates that the third generation of Andrias davidianus has high nutritional value and tasty meat. The quality of protein and trace minerals in the muscle of the group C is better than that of the group S, and the quality of fatty acids and macrominerals in the muscle of the group S is better than that of the group C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Intraspinal tumours are common diseases in neurosurgery and spinal surgery. Due to the fact that most of them are benign tumours, surgical resection is usually effective, and it is also the main treatment for these tumours. To maintain the stability of the spine and to reduce the incidence of kyphosis, pedicle screw fixation is required after traditional laminectomy, but there are many complications. In recent years, tumour resection and laminectomy have become increasingly favoured by clinicians. However, the comparison of the clinical effects of lamina complex replantation and pedicle screw fixation after laminectomy in the treatment of intraspinal tumours is still unknown. This paper systematically compared the two methods from many aspects and discussed their advantages and disadvantages to obtain better clinical guidance. Materials and methods: In this study, a retrospective analysis was conducted to select 58 patients who underwent posterior approach tumour resection in the spinal surgery department of our hospital from January 2017 to January 2020. Among them, 32 patients underwent tumour resection and laminoplasty, and 26 patients underwent tumour resection and screw internal fixation. The age, sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, duration of symptoms, operation time, length of hospital stay, postoperative complications, amount of bleeding and other data were summarized, calculated and compared. Results: 1. The age, sex, BMI, smoking status and symptom duration of the two groups were compared. The abovementioned results were not statistically significant. 2. The operation time, hospital stay, postoperative complications, intraoperative bleeding and adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) were counted and compared between the two groups. There was no significant difference in hospital stay or intraoperative bleeding between the two groups; in addition, the operation time, postoperative complications and incidence of ASD were statistically significant. 3. The visual analog scale (VAS) score, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score of thoracic and lumbar spines and Neck Disability Index (NDI) score of cervical spine patients in the two groups were counted, and the preoperative and postoperative data, as well as their changes, were counted and compared between groups and within groups. There was no statistical significance between the two groups; moreover, the postoperative scores were all significantly lower than preoperative in the group. 4. According to the spinal cord function ASIA grade, the preoperative, final follow-up and change values of the two groups were counted, and intragroup and intergroup comparisons were made. There was no significant difference between the two groups; in addition, the scores of the final follow-up were significantly higher than preoperative in the group. 5. The spinal mobility was measured and recorded before the operation and at the final follow-up. There was no significant difference between preoperative and postoperative cervical mobility, and there was no statistical significance observed; furthermore, the range of flexion, extension, rotation and lateral bending of the thoracic and lumbar spines in the screw fixation group was significantly lower than that in the lamina replantation group. Conclusions: Lamina replantation can be used as splendid methods for the treatment of Intraspinal tumour. Lamina replantation can reduce the operation time, as well as reduce the occurrence of postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage, iatrogenic spinal stenosis, posterior soft tissue adhesion and ASD. These complications are reduced in comparison to the other mode of management and better preserve the mobility of the spine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we establish an ℓ2 decoupling inequality for the surface F 4 2 : = { (ξ 1 , ξ 2 , ξ 1 4 + ξ 2 4) : (ξ 1 , ξ 2) ∈ [ 0 , 1 ] 2 } associated with the decomposition adapted to finite type geometry from our previous work [Li, Z., Miao, C., Zheng, J.: A restriction estimate for a certain surface of finite type in ℝ3. J. Fourier Anal. Appl., 27(4), Paper No. 63, 24 pp. (2021)]. The key ingredients of the proof include the so-called generalized rescaling technique, an ℓ2 decoupling inequality for the surfaces { (ξ 1 , ξ 2 , ϕ 1 (ξ 1) + ξ 2 4) : (ξ 1 , ξ 2) ∈ [ 0 , 1 ] 2 } with ϕ1 being non-degenerate, reduction of dimension arguments and induction on scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI), which reportedly induces severe motor dysfunction, imposes a significant social and financial burden on affected individuals, families, communities, and nations. Acupuncture combined with moxibustion (AM) therapy has been widely used for motor dysfunction treatment, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In this work, we aimed to determine whether AM therapy could alleviate motor impairment post-SCI and, if so, the potential mechanism. Methods: A SCI model was established in mice through impact methods. AM treatment was performed in SCI model mice at Dazhui (GV14) and Jiaji points (T7-T12), Mingmen (GV4), Zusanli (ST36), and Ciliao (BL32) on both sides for 30 min once per day for 28 days. The Basso–Beattie–Bresnahan score was used to assess motor function in mice. A series of experiments including astrocytes activation detected by immunofluorescence, the roles of NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing-3 (NLRP3)–IL-18 signaling pathway with the application of astrocyte-specific NLRP3 knockout mice, and western blot were performed to explore the specific mechanism of AM treatment in SCI. Results: Our data indicated that mice with SCI exposure exhibited motor dysfunction, a significant decrease of neuronal cells, a remarkable activation of astrocytes and microglia, an increase of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-18 expression, and an elevation of IL-18 colocalized with astrocytes, while astrocytes-specific NLRP3 knockout heavily reversed these changes. Besides, AM treatment simulated the neuroprotective effects of astrocyte-specific NLRP3 knockout, whereas an activator of NLRP3 nigericin partially reversed the AM neuroprotective effects. Conclusion: AM treatment mitigates SCI-induced motor dysfunction in mice; this protective mechanism may be related to the NLRP3–IL18 signaling pathway inhibition in astrocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic feasibility and environmental burdens of a process extracting Eucommia powder, Eucommia gum, water-soluble polysaccharide, and alkali-extractable polysaccharide from Eucommia leaves are evaluated by modeling a 900 kg of Eucommia leaves per day facility. Total capital investment (TCI) and total product cost were separately estimated to be $2.64 million and $7.12 million while an internal facility rate of return (IRR) of 30.0% was calculated. The GWP100a emission for Eucommia powder is 111 kg of CO 2 eq per kg of Eucommia powder, the CED for Eucommia powder is 2200 MJ per kg of Eucommia powder, and the EI99 for Eucommia powder is 9.15 points per kg of Eucommia powder when using mass-based allocation. The life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA) results using economic value-based allocation is around 4 times higher than the corresponding LCIA results using mass-based allocation. Therefore, the joint extraction process could be economically attractive but could not be environmentally-friendly. [Display omitted] • A detailed analysis of four high value-added products from Eucommia was performed. • The joint extraction process is economically feasible at comparatively small scale. • Internal rates of return for the process is most sensitive to the treatment capacity. • The process could lead to relatively high environmental burdens. • Product yield improvement and energy recovery can reduce environmental burdens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the effects of urban rail transit on on-road carbon emissions in 90 Chinese cities, taking a structural equation modeling approach. Urban rail transit theoretically helps mitigate overall transport-sector emissions by absorbing part of the vehicular traffic demand or by generating traffic-diversion effects. However, its net contribution is obscure, given potential traffic-creation effects, since improved rail access can also incentivize new developments and thus induce additional on-road traffic. In contrast to many existing studies that neglect rail transit's traffic-creation effects, we analyze these opposing effects within a single framework, where primary rail-associated emission channels are explicitly modeled. Our central results show that urban rail density is negatively associated with on-road carbon emissions with a net elasticity of −0.0175, speaking for the dominance of the traffic-diversion effects in China's context. However, mixed evidence exists on the effects of increased urban rail density on vehicle-kilometers traveled and vehicle ownership, with the two opposing effects being relatively balanced. These findings suggest that transport-sector mitigation needs coordination between urban rail development and planning regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies showed that genetic polymorphism of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is related to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SCZ). However, no consistent conclusion has been determined. This meta-analysis aims to interrogate the relationship between MTHFR gene polymorphisms (677C>T and 1298A>C) and the occurrence of ADHD, BD and SCZ. We retrieved case-control studies that met the inclusion criteria from the PubMed database. Associations between MTHFR polymorphisms (677C>T and 1298A>C) and ADHD, BD and SCZ were measured by means of odds ratios (ORs) using a random effects model and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Additionally, sensitivity analysis and publication bias were performed. After inclusion criteria were met, a total of five studies with ADHD including 434 cases and 670 controls, 18 studies with BD including 4167 cases and 5901 controls and 44 studies with SCZ including 16,098 cases and 19913 controls were finally included in our meta-analysis. Overall, our meta-analytical results provided evidence that the MTHFR 677C>T was associated with occurrence of BD and SCZ, while the 1298A>C polymorphism was related to ADHD and BD, and additionally the sensitivity analysis indicated these results were stable and reliable. This may provide useful information for relevant studies on the etiology of psychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan and its modifiers have been widely studied for their good biocompatibility and excellent adsorption properties for heavy metal ions. The synthesis and application of modified chitosan, the effects of process variables (such as pH, amount of adsorbent, temperature, contact time, etc.), adsorption kinetics, thermodynamics and the adsorption mechanism on the removal of heavy metal ions are reviewed. The purpose is to provide the latest information about chitosan as adsorbent and to promote the synthesis of modified chitosan and its application in the removal of heavy metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomes are membranous structures secreted by nearly all cell types. As critical messengers for intercellular communication, exosomes deliver bioactive cargoes to recipient cells and are involved in multiple physiopathological processes, including immunoregulation. Our pioneering study revealed that cancer cells release programmed death-ligand 1-positive exosomes into the circulation to counter antitumor immunity systemically via T cells. Tumor cell-derived exosomes (TDEs) also play an immunosuppressive role in other immunocytes, including dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Moreover, exosomes secreted by nontumor cells in the tumor microenvironments (TMEs) also exert immunosuppressive effects. This review systematically provides a summary of the immunosuppression induced by exosomes in tumor microenvironments, which modulates tumor growth, invasion, metastasis, and immunotherapeutic resistance. Additionally, therapeutic strategies targeting the molecular mechanism of exosome-mediated tumor development, which may help overcome several obstacles, such as immune tolerance in oncotherapy, are also discussed. Detailed knowledge of the specific functions of exosomes in antitumor immunity may contribute to the development of innovative treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personal identification of two individuals in mixed semen samples in forensic DNA testing in general usually involves analysis using autosomal and Y chromosome short tandem repeats (STRs). Results may exclude unrelated donors but cannot identify individuals. In this study, sperm cell capture based on ABH antigen differences was used to obtain the cells with the single ABO blood type. Immunohistochemical staining using labeled anti-A, anti-B, and anti-H antibodies and the laser microdissection system can be used to enrich sperm with different ABO types in mixed seminal stains from two individuals. Then, PCR amplification and capillary electrophoresis were performed to genotype the STR loci. To some extent, after sperm cell capture based on ABH antigen differences, autosomal STR typing using enriched single blood group cells can be utilized to partially identify different individuals in a mixed seminal stain sample from two individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollution by heavy metals has become a problem that needs to be solved urgently. Therefore, the development of new efficient adsorbents to treat this pollution is of great importance. Due to their excellent adsorption properties and good biodegradability, natural polymeric materials are potential problem solvers. This study reports on the production and application of polypropylene glycol modified chitosan composites (PMC). The PMC composite material has many functional groups (-OH and -NH²). Its maximum adsorption capacity for Cu(II) is 661.8 mg g-1. The corresponding adsorption studies, including the effects of pH, contact time and amount of adsorbent, showed that the PMC composite has potential application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of mirror-image proteins for the purpose of information barcoding and storage media is reported. [Display omitted] A mirror-image protein-based information barcoding and storage technology wherein D-amino acids are used to encode information into mirror-image proteins that are chemically synthesized is described. These mirror-image proteins were then fused into various materials from which information-encoded objects were produced. Subsequently, the mirror-image proteins were extracted from the objects using biotin-streptavidin resin-mediated specific enrichment and cleaved using an Ni(II)-mediated selective peptide cleavage. Protein sequencing was accomplished using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and then transcoded into the recorded information. We demonstrated the use of this technology to encode Chinese words into mirror-image proteins, which were then fused onto a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film and retrieved and decoded by LC-MS/MS sequencing. Compared to information barcoding and storage technologies using natural biopolymers, the mirror-image biopolymers used in our technology may be more stable and durable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient capture and release of circulating tumor cells play an important role in cancer diagnosis, but the limited affinity of monovalent adhesion molecules in existing capture technologies leads to low capture efficiency, and the captured cells are difficult to be separated. Inspired by the phenomenon that the long tentacles of jellyfish contain multiple adhesion domains and can effectively capture moving food, we have constructed a biomimetic recognition strategy to capture and release tumor cells. In details, gold-coated magnetic nanomaterials (Au@Fe3O4 NPs) were first prepared and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, UV-vis absorption spectra, and Zeta potential. Then, the DNA primers modified on Au@Fe3O4 nanoparticles can be extended to form many radialized DNA products by rolling circle amplification. These long DNA products resemble jellyfish tentacles and contain multivalent aptamers that can be extended into three dimensions to increase the accessibility of target cells, resulting in efficient, simple, rapid, and specific cells capture. The capture efficiencies are no less than 92% in PBS buffer and 77% in blood. Subsequently, DNase I was selected to degrade biomimetic tentacles to release the captured tumor cells with high viability. This release strategy can not only improve cell viability, but also reduce a tedious release process and unnecessary costs. We believe that the proposed method can be expanded for the capture and release of various tumor cells and will inspire the development of circulating tumor cells analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Libraries of small molecules containing more than 30,000 small molecules were docked to carbapenemases (KPC-2, NDM-5) through in silico virtual screening. • Ibandronate, azacytidine, ribostamycin sulphate and cidofovir exhibited synergistic or additive antibacterial activity in combination with meropenem in vitro. • The combination of meropenem and azacytidine showed high efficacy in a mouse sepsis model infected with an NDM-5-producing clinical strain, with a 100% survival rate, decreased bacterial burden and alleviated pathological deterioration. • All 4 promising candidates were associated with low toxicity and good biocompatibility. Bacterial multi-drug resistance has become a concern worldwide, especially after the emergence of carbapenemases. Adjuvants with antibacterial potentiation activity can resensitise drug-resistant strains to carbapenems. However, only a few adjuvants with antibacterial potentiation activity are currently available in clinical practice. Here, we first docked the library containing more than 30,000 small molecules to carbapenemases including Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase 2 (KPC-2) and New Delhi metallo- β -lactamase-5 (NDM-5), through in silico virtual screening to obtain lead compounds against carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales. Meanwhile, the in vitro antibacterial potentiation assays revealed that ibandronate, azacytidine, ribostamycin sulfate and cidofovir exhibited synergistic or additive activity in the presence of meropenem, with good biocompatibility based on red blood cell hemolysis and cell viability tests. Furthermore, the combination of meropenem and azacytidine showed high efficacy in a mouse sepsis model infected with an NDM-5-producing clinical strain, with a 100% survival rate, decreased bacterial burden and alleviated pathological deterioration. These results suggest that the virtual screening is a promising strategy to identify new antibiotic adjuvants targeting carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging evidence reveals that the epitranscriptomic mark N6-methyladenosine (m6A) plays vital roles in organisms, including gene regulation and disease progression. However, developing sensitive methods to detect m6A modification, especially the identification of m6A marks at the single-site level, remains a challenge. Therefore, based on target-specific triggered signal amplification, we developed a highly sensitive electrochemical method to detect site-specific m6A modifications in DNA. In this work, the m6A site in DNA can restrict the ligation assisted by Ag+, and this restriction effect can activate the subsequent strand displacement reaction and hybridization chain reaction (HCR), thus achieving signal amplification from the m6A site, and finally realizing high sensitivity analysis of m6A methylation. Benefiting from the high specificity of base pairs and the extremely weak binding affinity between Ag+ and m6A, the proposed method was used for not only detecting the target DNA with a putative m6A site, but also identifying m6A marks at the single-site level in DNA. In addition, this study does not rely on antibodies and radiolabeling, so it has the advantage of cost-effectiveness. Therefore, we believe that the proposed strategy may provide a new perspective for methylation research, which can be used to test more clinical samples in further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-level variational multiscale meshless local Petrov-Galerkin (VMS-MLPG) method is presented for incompressible Navier-Stokes equations based on two local Gauss integrations which effectively replace a unit operator (first level) and an orthogonal project operator (second level). The present VMS-MLPG method allows arbitrary combinations of interpolation functions for the velocity and pressure fields, specifically the equal-order interpolations that are easy to implement and satisfy the Babuska-Breezi (B-B) condition. The prediction accuracy and the numerical stability of the proposed method for the lid-driven cavity flow and the backward facing step flow problems are analyzed and validated by comparing with the SUMLPG method and the benchmark solutions. It is shown that the present VMS-MLPG method can guarantee the numerical stability and obtain the reasonable solutions for incompressible Navier-Stokes equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Question: What is the role of pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) from decidual natural killer (dNK) cells during early pregnancy?Summary Answer: PEDF from dNK cells limits the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced apoptosis and inflammation of decidual stromal cells (DSCs) to maintain DSCs homoeostasis and immune balance at the maternal-foetal interface during early pregnancy.What Is Known Already: dNK cells, which secrete PEDF, play critical roles during pregnancy via a series of key regulators. PEDF, a multifunctional endogenous glycoprotein, exhibits a wide range of biological actions upon angiogenesis, inflammation, metabolic homoeostasis, immunomodulation etc., providing potential clinical applications.Study Design, Size, Duration: Natural killer (NK) cells from decidua and peripheral blood as well as DSCs isolated from normal pregnancy (NP) during the first trimester (6-10 weeks) and the matched patients suffering recurrent miscarriage (RM) were studied. RNA-sequencing analysis of dNK cells was performed to screen for potential key genes involved in RM. The expression of PEDF in dNK cells in NP and RM was examined. A coculture system with LPS-stimulated DSCs and NK cell supernatants derived from NP or RM was established to explore the regulatory mechanisms of PEDF at the maternal-foetal interface.Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Peripheral blood and decidual tissues were obtained from women with NP (n = 61) and RM (n = 21). The expression levels of PEDF in NK cells and its receptor (PEDFR) on DSCs were analysed using flow cytometry, western blot and immunohistochemistry. Purified peripheral natural killer (pNK) cells were cocultured with DSCs or trophoblast cells or a combination of both cell types, and PEDF expression in pNK cells was then examined by flow cytometry. DSCs were treated with LPS, an outer-membrane component of Gram-negative bacteria, thereby mimicking an enhanced inflammatory status within decidua, and were cocultured with dNK cell supernatants from NP or RM. In the coculture system, plasmids expressing short hairpin RNA were used to silence PEDFR on DSCs and block the PEDF/PEDFR interaction. Inflammatory cytokines and apoptosis of DSCs treated as described above were assessed by flow cytometry. Western blotting was performed, and the specific signal pathway inhibitors were used to determine downstream PEDF/PEDFR signalling in early decidua.Main Results and the Role Of Chance: Markedly higher RNA (P < 0.001) and protein expression of PEDF (P < 0.01) was detected in normal dNK cells when compared with pNK cells. Compared with pNK cells cultured alone, PEDF expression in pNK cells was elevated after coculture with DSCs (P < 0.01) or trophoblast cells (P < 0.001). The increased pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumour necrosis factor-α and apoptosis of DSCs following LPS stimulation were suppressed by recombinant human PEDF (P < 0.001) or the supernatant of dNK cells derived from NP (P < 0.001). However, these effects were somewhat abrogated when the PEDF/PEDFR interaction was blocked with PEDFR short hairpin sRNA (P < 0.01). Furthermore, dNK cell-derived PEDF protected DSCs from LPS-induced inflammation via inhibition of nuclear factor kappa-B activation, while also protecting DSCs from LPS-induced apoptosis via promotion of extracellular signal-regulated kinase expression. Compared with NP, both significantly decreased PEDF RNA (P < 0.001) and protein expression (P < 0.001) in dNK cells, but not in pNK cells (P > 0.05), were detected in women with RM. PEDFR on DSCs was also decreased within RM compared with that within NP (P < 0.001). As a result, dNK cell-mediated anti-inflammation (P < 0.01) and anti-apoptosis (P < 0.05) for protection of LPS-treated DSCs was attenuated in patients suffering from RM.Large Scale Data: N/A.Limitations, Reasons For Caution: We cannot exclude the possibility that the differences in amounts of PEDF and its receptor in tissue from NP versus RM women could be caused by the miscarriage event in women with RM. Our experiments only involved human samples investigated in vitro. Experiments in animal models and human study cohorts are still needed to confirm these findings and further clarify the role of PEDF-PEDFR in NP and/or RM.Wider Implications Of the Findings: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate PEDF expression and function at the maternal-foetal interface in the first trimester, providing further evidence that PEDF exhibits functional diversity and has great potential for clinical application(s). The findings of selectively high expression of PEDF in normal dNK cells and the PEDF-mediated role of dNK cells during NP and RM help to further elucidate the immune mechanisms behind RM.Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This work was supported by the National Basic Research Programme of China (2017YFC1001403 and 2015CB943300), Nature Science Foundation from National Nature Science Foundation of China (NSFC; 31970859, 81630036, 81501334, 91542116, 31570920, 81490744 and 31171437), the Innovation-oriented Science and Technology Grant from NHC Key Laboratory of Reproduction Regulation (CX2017-2), the Programme of Shanghai Academic/Technology Research Leader (17XD1400900) and the Key Project of Shanghai Basic Research from Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission (STCSM; 12JC1401600). None of the authors has any conflict of interest to declare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies found that Ser9Gly (rs6280) might be involved in the occurrence of schizophrenia. However, no consist conclusion has yet been achieved. Compared to the case-control study, the family-based study took into account stratification bias. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis of family-based studies to measure a pooled effect size of the association between Ser9Gly and the risk of schizophrenia. Methods: The relevant family-based studies were screened using the electronic databases by the inclusion criteria. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to measure the correction between Ser9Gly polymorphism and schizophrenia susceptibility. Subgroup analysis was performed by stratification of ethnicity (i.e., East Asian, Caucasian, and other populations). Additionally, publication bias was evaluated by the funnel plot. Results: After literature searching, a total of 13 family-based association studies were included, which contained 11 transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) studies with 1219 informative meiosis and 5 haplotype-based haplotype relative risk (HRR) studies. No statistical significance of the heterogeneity was detected in TDT and HRR studies. Thus, the pooled effect size was calculated under the fixed effect model. The results found that the association was significantly protective in East Asian in TDT studies (204 informative meiosis, OR = 0.744, 95% CI = 0.564–0.980, Z-value = − 2.104, p = 0.035). Conclusions: The meta-analysis based on the family study found a protective association of Ser9Gly in East Asian. In future, large sample molecular epidemiology studies are needed to validate our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban traffic is an important source of global CO2 emissions. Uncovering the temporal and structural characteristics can provide scientific support to identify the variation regulation and main subjects of urban traffic CO2 emissions. The road class is one of the most important factors influencing the urban traffic CO2 emissions. Based on the annual traffic field monitoring work in 2014 and the localized MOVES model, this study unravels the temporal variation and structural characteristics of the urban traffic CO2 emissions and conducts a comparative analysis of expressway (5R) and arterial road (DB), two typical classes of urban roads in Beijing. Obvious differences exist in the temporal variation characteristics of the traffic CO2 emissions between the expressway and arterial road at the annual, week and daily scales. The annual traffic CO2 emissions at the expressway (5R, with 47271.15 t) are more than ten times than those of the arterial road (DB, with 4139.19 t). Stronger weekly "rest effect" is observed at the expressway than the arterial road. The daily peak time and duration of the traffic CO2 emissions between the two classes of urban roads show significant differences particular in the evening peak. The differences of the structural characteristics between the two classes of urban roads are mainly reflected on the contribution of the public and freight transportation. Passenger vehicles play a predominant role at both the two classes of urban roads. The public transportation contributed more at DB (24.76%) than 5R (5.47%), and the freight transportation contributed more at 5R (23.41%) than DB (3.49%). The results suggest that the influence of traffic CO2 emissions on the CO2 flux is significant at the residential and commercial mixed underlying urban areas with arterial roads (DB) but not significant at the underlying urban park area with expressway (5R) in this study. The vegetation cover in urban areas have effects on the CO2 reduction. Increasing the design and construction of the green space along the urban roads with busy traffic flow will be an effective way to mitigate the urban traffic CO2 emissions and build the low-carbon cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To illustrate our refinement technique for robotic intracorporeal orthotopic Hautmann neobladder with adherence to open surgical principles and evaluate perioperative and functional outcomes.Patients and Methods: Robot-assisted radical cystectomy with intracorporeal Hautmann orthotopic neobladder was performed by the same surgeon in 40 patients with bladder cancer from November 2017 to March 2019. Baseline demographics, pathologic data, 90-day complications, and functional outcomes at both 6 and 12 months were evaluated with questionnaire and urodynamic analysis.Results: Median follow-up was 14 months (range 4-20). Median operative time was 320 (230-500) minutes, and the estimated blood loss was 300 (100-2000) mL. No conversion to the open technique was reported. The overall 90-day complication rate was 45%, and the high-grade complication rate was only 10%. The daytime satisfactory continence rate was 90% at both 6 months (30 patients) and 12 months (20 patients), while the night-time satisfactory continence rate was 76.7% and 80.0% at 6 months and 12 months, respectively. One patient underwent clean intermittent catheterization. The cohort had minimal postvoid residual volume, normal compliance, and a mean capacity of 328.7 cm3 (range 170-500) at 6 months postoperatively.Conclusion: Our preliminary data indicate that robotic intracorporeal Hautmann neobladder configuration is a feasible surgical technique and can achieve a low pressure and sufficient capacity for satisfactory early voiding patterns. Refinement of the stepwise process can effectively decrease the time of the operation. Long-term functional and oncological outcomes remain to be evaluated with longer follow-up and more cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the context of climate change and population growth, the development of urban agriculture is of great environmental and economic significance in rapidly urbanizing China. Based on the primary survey data, this paper evaluated the carbon footprint (CF) and economic efficiency of urban agriculture in Beijing (China) using the life cycle assessment method (from cradle to consumption approach). Two cases were analyzed and compared considering their differences in on-farm cultivation and off-farm supply chains: a conventional small householder farm that sells its vegetables directly to consumers in a local market, and a large home-delivery agriculture (HDA) initiative that delivers its vegetables to the consumers' home directly. Both cases were equipped with greenhouses with plastic covering but no heating system. The CF of the production, transportation and distribution of 1 kg fresh vegetables was estimated at 0.318 kg CO 2 -eq kg−1 and 0.624–0.652 kg CO 2 -eq kg−1 for conventional and HDA initiative farm, respectively. However, the HDA initiative showed a better environmental performance than the conventional operation when taking economic efficiency into consideration. The CF per unit of profit of HDA initiative (0.093–0.097 kg CO 2 -eq per CNY) was lower than conventional farm (0.111 kg CO 2 -eq per CNY). The lower CF per unit of product weight of the conventional farm was largely attributed to the high yield and the lower CF per unit of profit of the HDA initiative was mainly due to the outstanding economic profitability through income optimization. The major hotspots of CF in both cases were greenhouse plastic films in the cultivation phase (from cradle to farm gate) and transportation in the supply chain (from farm gate to consumption). Simulation of a switch to biodiesel instead of gasoline and diesel in combination with the replacement of current fossil-fuel-dominated electricity by hydro-powered electricity resulted in 20.0–21.8% reduction in the total CF. By identifying the CF hotspots of two farm cases, particular inputs and activities can be targeted for adjustment in order to effectively reduce the CF of urban agriculture in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mongolia is an important country in the Economic Corridor of China-Mongolia-Russia, a deep understanding of the coupling relationship between urbanization and the eco-environment in Mongolia is meaningful to achieve green development of the Belt and Road. The entropy method and coupling coordination degree model were integrated to evaluate the coupling coordination degree between urbanization and the eco-environment in Mongolia during 2000-2016. The results showed that the coupling coordination degree between urbanization and the eco-environment in Mongolia was generally at the stage of seriously unbalanced development, and that the main contributor of the urbanization and the eco-environment subsystem were demographic urbanization and eco-environment endowment, respectively. The southern part of Mongolia central zone should be paid more attention due to the lower degree of coupling coordination between urbanization and the eco-environment. To promote the healthy urbanization development in Mongolia, six-layer eco-city establishing green development pattern is proposed to provide scientific support for Mongolia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern biomedical research has gone deep into the molecular level of cells, trying to reveal the molecular changes of cell function under physiological and pathological conditions. Fluorescent nanoprobes have become a powerful tool for analyzing biomolecules and biological reactions in living cells because of their high stability, enhanced brightness, non-invasive, controllable operation, and easy internalization. In this review, we focus on the design, fabrication and use of fluorescent nanoprobes to detect biomolecules in living cells. We briefly describe the main elements of nanoprobes, such as nanocarriers, recognition elements, and signal transduction strategies. In addition, we also introduce the representative biomolecule-responsive nanoprobes and analyze their advantages and disadvantages in practical applications. It is hoped that this review will stimulate discussion on the construction of next-generation nanoprobes for intelligent and precise detection in living cells, as well as the opportunities and challenges of translating these tools into clinical use. • Responsive fluorescent nanoprobes are a powerful tool for analyzing biomolecules and chemical reactions in living cells. • Biomolecule-responsive nanoprobes for living cell analysis are divided into three aspects according to analyte species. • Summary of the main components and sensing principles in constructing responsive nanoprobes. • Representative biomolecule-responsive nanoprobes and their advantages and disadvantages are profoundly analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Applying rGO-assisted catalysts to remove Hg and/or NO is systematically reviewed. • Advantages and characterization analysis of rGO-assisted catalysts are summarized. • Catalytic mechanisms of removing Hg0 and/or NO are reported and discussed. • Future perspective of rGO-assisted catalysts on Hg0 and/or NO removal is proposed. The escalating levels of electric power demand have created a lot of air pollution, especially from coal-fired power plants. Due to coal burning, this makes an urgent need for elemental mercury (Hg0) and nitric oxide (NO) treatment technologies. Among different approaches, heterogeneously oxidize Hg0 to HgO by using modified metal oxides-based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts and absorbing with wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) has emerged as a promising solution due to its remarkable economic value and high Hg0 removal efficiency. Although several modification researches have been reported, there are still technical gaps to improve the performance of the catalysts, including their activity and resistance in complex reaction conditions. We believe that graphene as a novel material has the potential to enhance the properties of traditional catalysts. However, there is still a lack of article focus on the removal of Hg0 and/or NO with graphene-based catalysts. This article thus summarizes the preparation method, characterization analysis, catalytic activity, and reaction mechanisms to reduce the knowledge barrier for developing novel graphene-modified catalysts. By conducting this study, we look forward to explaining the research progress of graphene-based catalysts and offering valuable suggestions to guide future modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work assess the economic feasibility and environmental burdens of ammonia generation via distributed bio-oil production from corn stover and a central bio-oil reforming pathway or a central bio-oil partial oxidation pathway. The total capital investment is $1,254, 702, 937 for the reforming pathway and $1,273, 047, 866 for the partial oxidation pathway, respectively. The minimum selling price is separately $0.992/kg ammonia for the reforming pathway and $1.05/kg ammonia for the partial oxidation pathway, assuming a standard discount rate of 10%. A sensitivity and optimal analysis shows that the optimal minimum selling price could be as low as $0.39/kg ammonia for the steam-reforming pathway. Global warming potential is 1.11 kgCO 2 -eq/kg ammonia for the steam-reforming pathway and 1.66 kgCO 2 -eq/kg ammonia for the partial oxidation pathway, respectively. In this life cycle assessment study, other two categories including eco-indicator 99 and cumulative energy demand were also considered. Finally, the cost for buying or utilizing 1 MJ of biohydrogen contained in ammonia carrier is only 2% of that for buying or utilizing 1 MJ of biohydrogen stored in high pressure tanks. Overall, ammonia production via bio-oil conversion, especially bio-oil steam-reforming, could be more environmental-friendly than ammonia production via petrochemical synthesis, suggesting the economically attractive process in the near future. [Display omitted] • Ammonia production via bio-oil steam-reforming is better than bio-oil gasification. • Ammonia production via bio-oil steam-reforming is fairly environmental-friendly. • The minimum selling price for bio-oil steam-reforming could be as low as $0.39/kg ammonia. • Ammonia production via bio-oil steam-reforming are hopeful to be cost-effective. • Biohydrogen storage can be realized by ammonia production via bio-oil conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this work, an electrochemical method for sensitive analysis of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine, a key biomarker that is widely used to study oxidative injury-related diseases, is proposed based on exonuclease-mediated functional nucleic acid. In the design, exonuclease can not only distinguish the existence of target, but also suppress the background noise, thus the sensitivity can be enhanced. Moreover, DNAzyme designed in the functional nucleic acid can further improve the sensitivity of the analysis during signal generation process. Therefore, exonuclease-mediated functional nucleic acid may ensure high sensitivity of the assay. Further studies reveal that the detection of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine can be achieved with a linearity from 0.01 nM to 7.0 μM and a detection limit of 6.82 pM. The new method has also been successfully applied to the determination of 8-OHdG in urine with good results, indicating its great potential for practical use. Graphical abstract fx1 Highlights • A novel electrochemical biosensor for 8-OHdG detection has been developed. • The combination of aptamer and DNAzyme ensures the high selectivity and sensitivity of the assay. • The background signal is reduces by exonuclease. • The biosensor has been applied for urine samples detection with satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclic trinuclear units (CTUs) based on Au(i), Ag(i) and Cu(i) cations, featuring near planar nine-membered coordination rings, represent an important class of metal–organic π-acids/bases with highly adjustable π-acidity/basicity. Their superior π-acidity/basicity coupled with Lewis-acidic and metal…metal bonding sites offers excellent attraction for a wide range of acidic/basic species, and usually followed by noticeable changes of luminescence or charge transfer behaviors. A series of representative cases from the past two decades have been selected herein for such cyclic trinuclear units in both oligomeric and polymeric systems. Their fascinating and profound potential applications related to π-acidity/basicity are highlighted, including molecular absorption and separation, luminescence sensing and detection, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), metal–organic field-effect transistors (MOFETs), molecular wires, and catalysis. The challenges in improving the performance for practical application will also be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Room-temperature white phosphorescence with a quantum yield (QY) of 35.6% and a CIE coordinate of (0.33, 0.37) is observed for Cl-α, the crystal of cyclic Cu3(4-chloropyrazolate)3. Its white light consists of comparably uncommon monomeric blue and common excimeric yellow phosphorescence associated with Cu3(pyrazolate)3, achieved by multiple non-covalent interactions involving chlorine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We here report a novel method for antibiotic detection by making use of DNA/metal ion interaction coupled with Ag-DNAzyme cleavage-mediated signal amplification. Taking the analysis of chloramphenicol (CAP) as an example, upon the specific recognition between the antibiotic CAP and its aptamer, the secondary structure of the DNA aptamer shaped by C-Ag+-C base mismatches will be altered, liberating the pre-captured Ag+. Subsequently, the free Ag+ provided as a cofactor can activate the Ag-DNAzyme, which behaves recycled cleavage of substrate DNA on the electrode surface for signal amplification. The more CAP is present, the more Ag+ is released, thus more Ag-DNAzyme can be activated to achieve a higher electrochemical signal. Therefore, the target-responsive variation of electrochemical signal enables the sensitive detection of CAP. The proposed method is cost-effective only with plain metal ion as modulator. It has also been challenged with real food samples, indicating the potential to be a promising tool for food safety detection. Highlights • A novel electrochemical method for CAP detection is developed. • The method is based on DNA/metal ion interaction. • Sensitive detection of CAP can be achieved. • CAP is detected effectively in complex food samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • 36-representative-day traffic flow divided into 13 categories and one-year CO 2 flux data by field monitoring were collected. • Localized MOVES model was applied to accurately estimate traffic CO 2 emissions on high spatiotemporal resolution. • Temporal variation of traffic CO 2 emissions on various temporal scales were analysed. • Quantitative relationship between traffic CO 2 emissions and CO 2 flux were explored. Abstract Cities are the main source of CO 2. Traffic is one of the most important sources of CO 2 emissions in urban areas. One-year CO 2 flux and 36-days traffic flow data were collected by field monitoring in 2014 at the study area. The accurate traffic CO 2 emissions on 30-min scale were calculated by the localized MOVES model. The annual emissions were 4139.19 Mg. The traffic CO 2 emissions showed a "double-peak" diurnal pattern, with morning peak of 705.14 kg 30 min−1 (8:00–8:30) and the evening peak of 788.40 kg/30 min−1 (7:30–18:00). The tail number limited measure in Beijing has reached certain extent, with emissions by limited tail number as follows: 1 or 6 (11.03 Mg/d) < 3 or 8 (11.88 Mg/d) < 4 or 9 (12.13 Mg/d) < 2 or 7 (12.32 Mg/d) < 5 or 0 (12.57 Mg/d). The approach to exploring the relationship with traffic CO 2 emissions and CO 2 flux is modified from the perspective of spatial boundary definition and unit unification. Traffic CO 2 emissions had significantly positive effects on the CO 2 flux. The absolute values of the standard coefficients were in the following order: for the whole year in 2014, temperature (−0.316) > radiation (−0.152) > traffic CO 2 emissions (0.107); for the plant growing season, radiation (−0.254) > temperature (−0.130) > traffic CO 2 emissions (0.105). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The numerical oscillation will occur in convection-diffusion equations as special linear problems at large Peclet number (Pe) in the numerical calculation process. In this article, we propose a new definition of the stability parameter in streamline upwind meshless Petrov-Galerkin (SUMLPG) method. The most important feature of the proposed method is that the test function in the stabilization term is taken into the differential operator-like form The stability parameter is designed to adjust the convection strength to achieve accurate and stable numerical solutions. Several classical examples are adopted to assessment the accuracy and stability of the proposed stability parameter. It is proven that the proposed method is especially suitable for convection-diffusion problems with large Pe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • rGO modified CeO 2 /TiO 2 was synthesized and explored the removal efficiency of Hg0. • The photothermal catalytic oxidation of Hg0 was dominated by physical adsorption. • S-scheme heterojunction rGO/CeO 2 /TiO 2 performed high redox ability. • The Hg0 oxidation efficiency of 5GCT was 1.5 times higher than CeO 2 /TiO 2 at 200 °C. This study explored the photothermal catalytic oxidation of Hg0 by using S-scheme heterojunction CeO 2 /TiO 2 modified by reduced graphene oxide (rGO) at 100-200 °C. The surface properties of self-prepared photothermal catalysts were characterized by BET, SEM, TEM, EDS, XRD, Raman, UV–Vis, XPS, EPR, and UPS. The crystal structure of TiO 2 was mainly anatase and the nano-sized CeO 2 /TiO 2 was uniformly distributed on the surface of the rGO sheet. The oxidation efficiency of Hg0 decreased with reaction temperature in the order of Ƞ 100 °C = Ƞ 150 °C > Ƞ 200 °C , implying that the oxidation of Hg0 was controlled by mass transfer governed by adsorption instead of photothermal catalytic reaction. Both photo- and thermos-catalytic reaction mechanisms were involved in the oxidation of Hg0 at 100–200 °C. Moreover, rGO-modified CeO 2 /TiO 2 could tolerate multi-pollutants (SO 2 and NO) except for 100 ppm NO, which slightly reduced the oxidation efficiency of Hg0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title MOF features a potential uninodal zeolite net, uks, which has never been found for real zeolites or zeolite-like MOFs. This rare structure exhibits specific anion binding of N3− over SCN− in water, which reverses the Hofmeister series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-based chemicals have gained more widespread attention than bio-fuels because of the decline in crude oil prices. The development of technologies to produce chemicals from bio-oil is potentially attractive because of the simplicity of bio-oil preparation. This study presents a prospective and detailed techno-economic life-cycle assessment for the joint production of levoglucosan, phenol-formaldehyde resins, and noncorrosive road deicers using fast biomass pyrolysis, bio-oil fractions, and a purification pathway by modeling a 60-dry-metric-ton biomass per day facility. In particular, life-cycle environmental metrics (i.e., global warming potential 100a, cumulative energy demand, and eco-indicator 99) as well as the 20-year facility internal rate of return (IRR) are determined, and uncertainty analysis is performed to provide deeper insight into the effect of these model parameters and the reliability of model predictions. It is found that bio-oil (BO)-derived levoglucosan was fairly environmentally competitive, BO-resin was promising under environmental aspects, and BO-deicer possessed fairly poor environmental profiles. On the basis of the life-cycle inventory assessment in this study, two slightly universal conclusions could be further proved: (1) if the consumption of the chemical and energy auxiliaries provided by nonrenewable resources is too large in a biomass-based process, this process could achieve higher environmental impacts compared with conventional production from nonrenewable resources, and (2) an increase in the product yields could effectively reduce the environmental footprint of this production process. For the biorefinery process, the facility IRR is 29.6%. The GWP100a (22.3 kgCO2-eq kg−1), CED (484 MJeq kg−1) and EI-99 (1.91 points per kg) values for BO-deicer production are much higher than that for BO-LG (2.19 kgCO2-eq kg−1, 29.7 MJeq kg−1 and 0.151 points per kg) and BO-resin (0.934 kgCO2-eq kg−1, 32.7 MJeq kg−1 and 0.134 points per kg). The techno-economic analysis results showed that this project is commercially attractive, and the economic environment presents a low risk to the project investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan has achieved the decoupling of economic growth from air-pollutant emissions since the rapid decrease in air-pollutant emissions in the 1970s and the further-abatement period. Air-pollutant emissions also decreased in China recently. We analyzed the factors driving the changes in air-pollutant emission, which enabled us to identify each factor's contribution and compare the further-abatement period in Japan with the primary reduction stage in China. This study performed the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index analysis to decompose the industrial-emission changes (SO 2 and NO x ) in Japan and China into the socioeconomic factors that drive these changes. Results showed that changes in these factors, especially energy intensity and economic level, contributed differently to the emission reduction in Japan and China because the two countries differed in emission-reduction periods. The decline in emission coefficient, measured by emissions per unit of energy consumption, was the most important contributor to emission reduction in Japan. The other factors did not exert considerable influence. However, energy intensity decrease in China significantly contributed to emission reduction besides emission coefficient, and economic growth had a substantial negative impact on emission reduction. Differences also appeared in contributions from the industrial and economic structure between the two countries. Some factors may have reached their limitation after the rapid reduction period and thus contributed less significantly in the further-abatement period. A tendency toward a similar condition to Japan was also observed in some factorial contributions in China. From a sectoral perspective, emission change was distributed evenly among sectors in Japan than in China. Based on the comparison between the two countries and the “new normal” that China is experiencing, we provided insights for China for further abating industrial air-pollutant emissions in succeeding years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid expansion of human activity in a region can exacerbate human health risks induced by antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Peri-urban ecosystems serve at the symbiotic interface between urban and rural ecosystems, and investigations into the dissemination of ARGs in peri-urban areas provide a basic framework for tracking the spread of ARGs and potential mitigations. In this study, through the use of high-throughput quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing, seasonal and geographical distributions of ARGs and their host bacterial communities were characterized in a peri-urban river. The abundance of ARGs in downstream was 5.2–33.9 times higher than upstream, which indicated distinct antibiotic resistance pollution in the areas where human lives. With the comparison classified based on land use nearby, the abundance of ARGs in samples near farmland and villages was higher than in the background (3.47–5.58 times), pointing to the high load in the river caused by farming and other human activities in the peri-urban areas. With the co-occurrence pattern revealed by network analysis, blaVEB and tetM were proposed to be indicators of ARGs which get together in the same module. Furthermore, seasonal variations in ARGs and the transport of bacterial communities were observed. The effects of seasonal temperature on the dissemination of ARGs along the watershed was also evaluated. The highest absolute abundance of ARGs occurred in summer (2.81 × 10 9  copies/L on average), the trends of ARG abundances in four seasons were similar with local air temperature. The Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) suggested that nine bacterial genera were implicated as biomarkers for the corresponding season. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) showed significant positive correlation with ARGs ( P  < 0.01) and MGEs were also identified as the key-contributing factor driving ARG alteration. This study provides an overview of seasonal and geographical variations in ARGs distribution in a peri-urban river and draws attention to controlling pollutants in peri-urban ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapid method for the quantification of levoglucosan in pyrolysis liquids using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed. The method avoids the tedious and time-consuming sample preparation required by current analytical methods In this method, levoglucosan has better separation of xylose, glucose and fructose so as to avoid interference. The calibration curve coefficient of determination on levoglucosan was >0.990 determined by an evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD). The relative standards for the new method were ≤1.34% at low concentration and ≤2.56% at high concentration. The spiked levoglucosan recovery on the pyrolysis liquid samples were between 96.79 and 99.13%. The research demonstrates that it is possible to obtain excellent accuracy and efficiency using HPLC to quantificate levoglucosan found in fast pyrolysis bio-oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contamination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in drinking water may pose a direct threat to human health. This study applied high-throughput qPCR and sequencing to investigate the dynamics of ARGs and bacterial communities during the advanced treatment of drinking water using biological activated carbon. The promotion of ARGs was observed, and the normalized copy number of ARGs increased significantly after BAC treatment, raising the number of detected ARGs from 84 to 159. Twenty-nine ARGs were identified as biofilm-influencing sources in the BAC, and they persisted after chlorination. The shift of bacterial communities primarily had effects on the changes in resistome. Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria were related to persistent ARGs mostly in the BAC biofilm. Meanwhile, the Acyl-Homoserine Lactones (AHLs), quorum sensing molecules, and bacteria that produced AHLs were identified to understand the promotion of ARGs. The isolated AHL-producing bacteria belonged to the Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes phyla. Six detectable AHLs had an influence on plasmid-based horizontal gene transfer in the intragenus mating systems, indicating that the dynamics of ARGs were strongly affected by quorum sensing between specific bacteria in the biofilm. These results provide new insight into the mechanism of antibiotic resistome promotion in BAC biofilms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of gas via bio-oil gasification, which would act as a bridge between bio-oil and transportation fuels, has been increasingly concerned. Bio-oil gasification was performed by using air - steam as gasifying agents. The effects of two important influential factors (steam to bio-oil ratio and gasifier temperature) on the quality of the product gas (gas composition, H 2 : CO, CO: CO 2 , tar content, degree of oxidation and heating value) and the gasification process performance (gas yield, steam decomposition, cold gas efficiency, and carbon conversion efficiency) were investigated. The results showed that the impact of the steam to bio-oil on the gas quality and gasification performance had an optimum point (steam to bio-oil ratio = 2.5); However, the influence of the gasifying temperature on both of them demonstrated a sole monotone function. The hydrogen concentration in the product gas reached a maximum of 30.0 vol.% and the ratio of H 2 /CO basically remained 2.0 over a range of steam to bio-oil ratio from 2.5 to 4.0. The product gas with such a H 2 /CO ratio is expected to be applied in CO hydrogenation processes, such as Co-catalyzed Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS). Moreover, the product gas is also suitable for the generation of electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) approach based on the streamline upwind (SU) idea and the variational multiscale (VMS) concept, called as VMS-SUMLPG method, is herein proposed to solve the convection-dominated problems. In the present VMS-SUMLPG method, the streamline upwind is constructed in the test function to solve the non-self-adjoint matrix. Meanwhile, the VMS concept as a stability term is adopted to alleviate the numerical instability such as spurious oscillations, overshoots, and undershoots. Its numerical accuracy and stability are validated by comparing with the streamline upwind Petrov–Galerkin (SUMLPG) method and the finite volume method with high-order difference schemes for two classical convection-dominated problems at the Peclet number ranging from 106to 108. It is shown that the numerical solutions of the present VMS-SUMLPG method are accuracy, smoothness, and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Human activity hotspots are the clusters of activity locations in space and time, and a better understanding of their functionality would be useful for urban land use planning and transportation. In this article, using trajectory data, we aim to infer the functionality of human activity hotspots from their scaling pattern in a reliable way. Specifically, a large number of stopping locations are extracted from trajectory data, which are then aggregated into activity hotspots. Activity hotspots are found to display scaling patterns in terms of the sublinear scaling relationships between the number of stopping locations and the number of points of interest (POIs), which indicates economies of scale of human interactions with urban land use. Importantly, this scaling pattern remains stable over time. This finding inspires us to devise an allometric ruler to identify the activity hotspots, whose functionality could be reliably estimated using the stopping locations. Thereafter, a novel Bayesian inference model is proposed to infer their urban functionality, which examines the spatial and temporal information of stopping locations covering 75 days. Experimental results suggest that the functionality of identified activity hotspots are reliably inferred by stopping locations, such as the railway station. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brassinosteroid (BR) is a vital plant hormone that regulates plant growth and development. BRASSINAZOLE RESISTANT 1 (BZR1) is a key transcription factor in BR signaling, and its nucleocytoplasmic localization is crucial for BR signaling. However, the mechanisms that regulate BZR1 nucleocytoplasmic distribution and thus the homeostasis of BR signaling remain largely unclear. The vacuole is the largest organelle in mature plant cells and plays a key role in maintenance of cellular pH, storage of intracellular substances, and transport of ions. In this study, we uncovered a novel mechanism of BR signaling homeostasis regulated by the vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) and BZR1 feedback loop. Our results revealed that the vha-a2 vha-a3 mutant (vha2 , lacking V-ATPase activity) exhibits enhanced BR signaling with increased total amount of BZR1, nuclear-localized BZR1, and the ratio of BZR1/phosphorylated BZR1 in the nucleus. Further biochemical assays revealed that VHA-a2 and VHA-a3 of V-ATPase interact with the BZR1 protein through a domain that is conserved across multiple species. VHA-a2 and VHA-a3 negatively regulate BR signaling by interacting with BZR1 and promoting its retention in the tonoplast. Interestingly, a series of molecular analyses demonstrated that nuclear-localized BZR1 could bind directly to specific motifs in the promoters of VHA-a2 and VHA-a3 to promote their expression. Taken together, these results suggest that V-ATPase and BZR1 may form a feedback regulatory loop to maintain the homeostasis of BR signaling in Arabidopsis , providing new insights into vacuole-mediated regulation of hormone signaling. The mechanisms that regulate BZR1 nucleocytoplasmic distribution and thus the homeostasis of brassinosteroid (BR) signaling remain largely unclear. This study finds that two subunits of V-ATPase, VHA-a2 and VHA-a3, interact with BZR1 in the tonoplast through a conserved domain, reducing total and nuclear-localized BZR1 and the nuclear BZR1/phosphorylated BZR1 ratio. Furthermore, it is found that nuclear-localized BZR1 promotes the expression of VHA-a2 and VHA-a3 by directly bind to their promoters, suggesting that V-ATPase and BZR1 may form a feedback regulatory loop to maintain the homeostasis of BR signaling in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]