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Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), as one of the potential key technologies in sixth generation (6G) mobile communications, feature low costs, low energy consumption, and ease of deployment. In this paper, we introduce the RIS technology into the maritime wireless communication scenario, which can transform the wireless transmission environment from uncontrollable to controllable. In the considered communication model, we derive the complex channel impulse response for the RIS propagation link and non-line-of-sight propagation link, respectively. This can be used to capture the physical properties of a communication model from different perspectives. Furthermore, based on the designed communication model, we investigate the correlation properties of propagation links in the space and time domains; they are the space correlation statistics and time correlation statistics. The provided framework addresses the technical bottleneck of the existing RIS channel modeling methods that fail to balance precision and efficiency, improves the channel model matching efficiency in the design process of RIS-enabled near-field maritime communication systems, and provides technical support for the rapid development of the 6G mobile communication industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate whether resilience mediates the connection between caregiver burden and hope among caregivers of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Design: A cross‐sectional study. Methods: Two hundred patients with IBD were conveniently sampled from two tertiary hospitals in Jiangsu Province, China. The main instruments involved the Zarit Burden Interview, the 10‐item Connor‐Davidson resilience scale, and the Herth Hope Index. We conducted descriptive analysis and Pearson correlations using SPSS 25.0. The PROCESS v3.3 macro analysed the mediating effect. We report the results in line with the STROBE checklist. Results: Caregiver burden was significantly negatively connected with hope and resilience, whereas resilience positively correlated with hope. The mediation role of resilience was significant in the relationship between caregiver burden and hope, with mediating effects accounting for 47.86% of the overall effect. Conclusions: Resilience partially mediates the association between caregiver burden and hope among patients with IBD. This finding highlights the protective role of resilience in undermining caregiver burden and strengthening hope. Implications for Practice: In clinical practice, healthcare providers should perform routine psychological assessments for caregivers of patients with IBD. Furthermore, resilience training should be incorporated into interventions to alleviate caregiver burden and enhance hope. Patient or Public Contribution: None. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The perception of hunger is a complex physiological process that requires precise coordination between the central and peripheral tissues. Methods: In this study, tilapia fasted for 24 h was chosen to establish a hunger model to study the mechanism of homeostasis recovery under the joint regulation of the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral tissues. Results: The gastric and intestinal contents of tilapia were predominantly depleted after a fasting period of 9 h and 24 h, respectively. The serum glucose level significantly decreased at the 9-h and 24-h fasting, respectively, and the glucokinase-dependent glucosensing mechanism in the liver was identified as well as the significant activation of phospho-AMPK. However, fasting for 24 h did not activate glucosensing mechanisms and AMPK signaling pathways in the hypothalamus. On the other hand, significant reductions were observed in the mRNA levels of the lipid synthesis-related genes fas and accα, and the serum triglyceride levels as well. The mRNA levels of npy, agrp, pomc, and cart in the hypothalamus fluctuated during the fasting period without significant differences. With in situ hybridization npy signals upregulated in the ventral zone of posterior periventricular nucleus after 24-h fasting, pomc signals enhanced in the lateral tuberal nucleus. Based on the serum metabolomic analysis, the levels of branched-chain amino acids, butyrate, and short-chain acylcarnitine decreased, while those of medium- and long-chain acylcarnitine increased. Conclusion: Fasting for 24 h resulted in changes in npy and pomc signals within the hypothalamus and triggered the glucosensing mechanism in the liver of tilapia. This study is beneficial for elucidating the response of neuropeptides in the CNS to the changes of nutritional factors when hungry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the abilities two kinds of algae, Scenedesmus and Microcystis aeruginosa, and two kinds of bacteria, Rhodococcus and Raoultella planticola, to remove oestradiol when in a symbiotic system were investigated. The effects of the combined systems as well as the effects of each bacterium and algae alone were examined. We then compared the improvements from the bacteria-algae symbiosis systems with Microcystis aeruginosa and Raoultella planticola. The results showed that the oestradiol removal rate of the best system was 97.6%, while that from the Microcystis aeruginosa and Raoultella planticola system was 89%. Oestradiol has an effect on algal growth. The effects of algae on the growth of degrading bacteria were investigated. Degrading bacteria can affect the growth of algae. The symbiosis of bacteria and algae effectively removed oestradiol, with a removal rate that reached 97.6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stroke is an acute cerebrovascular disease resulting from either obstruction or rupture of a blood vessel in the brain. Oxidative stress (OS), referred to a status where cellular oxidative capacities overwhelm antioxidative defenses, is involved in the pathophysiology of stroke. The bibliometric analysis and in-depth review aim to depict the research trend of OS in stroke. Relevant scientific publications were acquired from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Scientific landscape of OS in stroke was illustrated by general quantitative trend, impactful journals, and co-authorship of various academic units (i.e., countries/regions, organizations, and authors). Furthermore, theme analysis predicting the hot research issues and frontiers was performed. 15,826 documents regarding OS in stroke were obtained over a time span of more than 20 years from 1992 to 2021. The overall tendency of publication counts was continuously on the rise. Bibliometric analysis indicated China and the United States were predominant in this study field, as reflected by their high publication counts and intensive collaboration with other countries. Current key research areas of OS in stroke may lie in the investigation of neuroinflammation, and interaction among multiple cell death mechanisms including apoptosis, autophagy, and ferroptosis to search for effective treatments. Moreover, another hot topic could be the association between air pollution and stroke, and its underlying mechanisms. As the exploration of OS in stroke is speculated to be a continuous hot spot in the future, this article may be helpful for researchers to conduct future studies with the understanding of influential academic forces and research highlights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (H-PAHs) have been paid increasing attentions due to their potential health hazards. This research firstly investigated distribution and cancer risk of 7 parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 19 H-PAHs in Songhua river and Songhua lake of Jilin city, China. The results indicate that 7 parent PAHs and 12 H-PAHs were coexisted. The total concentrations of PAHs, Cl-PAHs, and Br-PAHs respectively ranged from 75.6 to 323.33 with a median concentration of 164.48 ng/L, n.d. to 45.87 with a median concentration of 2.19 ng/L, and n.d. to 56.93 ng/L with a median concentration of 4.67 ng/L. The seasonal variation was obvious; the highest total concentrations of PAHs and H-PAHs were occurred in melt season, which suggests that melting snow and riverine input were major sources of PAHs and H-PAHs. For cancer risk, the incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values of PAHs and HPAHs for all the sampling sites and water seasons were lower than 1.00E-06, suggesting that the cancer risk of these compounds were low, while the cancer risk may be underestimated due to a lack of toxicity data for some H-PAHs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to realize the simultaneous removal of nine metal ions from water, in this study, an excellent flocculant suitable for the simultaneous removal of multiple metal ions in water was developed by using the excellent flocculation properties of graphene oxide (GO) combined with biological flocculants. First, this study investigated the concentrations and pollution levels of nine metal pollutants in surface water and groundwater of a typical city in central China. The maximum concentrations of these nine metal ions were Al 0.29, Ni 0.0325, Ba 0.948, Fe 1.12, As 0.05, Cd 0.01, Zn 1.45, Mn 1.24, and Hg 0.16 (in mg/L). Second, the three-dimensional structure diagram of GO was established. Gaussian16W software and the pm6D3 semi-empirical method were used to analysis the structure and the vibration of GO. The B3LYP function and basis set DEF2SVP was used to calculate the single point energy. Third, with varying the flocculation time, it was found that the maximum flocculation efficiency could reach more than 80.00% under the optimal conditions, that is, with a metal ion mixture of 20 mg/L. The optimal dosage of GO was 15 mg/L. The optimal time for bioflocculation efficiency was 2.5 h, and the optimal concentration of bioflocculant was 3 mg/L. The optimal flocculation efficiency was 82.01% under the optimal conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Pomace, which is produced by fresh fruit after juice pressing, is rich in protein, crude fiber, vitamins, polyphenols, and so on. Making full use of pomace as feed in the breeding industry can reduce the need for many feed ingredients. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of adding 3% blueberry pomace and pineapple pomace to the diet of broiler chickens on their growth performance and the quality of their meat. The results show that adding dried pomace to broiler chickens' diets did not reduce growth performance or meat quality. This study provides a new approach and a reference for the development and utilization of broiler feed ingredients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dried blueberry pomace (BP) and pineapple pomace (PP) on the growth performance and meat quality of broiler chickens. A total of 240 1-day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly divided into 3 groups, with 10 replicates per treatment group and 8 birds per replicate (4 males and 4 females). The three groups were the control (CON) group, the 3% BP group, and 3% PP group. The entire trial period lasted 42 days. The results show that the average daily feed intake, average daily gain, and feed-to-gain ratio of the BP group and the PP group were not significantly different from those in the CON group (p > 0.05). Adding BP to the diet significantly reduced the proportion of liver and giblets (p < 0.05). Adding PP to the diet significantly reduced the proportion of liver, while the proportion of gizzard significantly increased (p < 0.05). The pH24h and L* of breast muscles were significantly lower in the PP group than in the CON group (p < 0.05). The water-holding capacity of the leg muscles in the BP group and the PP group was significantly lower than that in the CON group (p < 0.05). The crude protein content of breast muscle and the ether extract content of leg muscle in the BP group were significantly lower than those in the CON group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the addition of 3% BP and PP to broiler chickens' diets had no adverse effects on growth performance or meat quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To verify the effects of self‐care programs among adults with prediabetes, to identify the preferable structure components and to summarise the core content components of self‐care programs. Design: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomised controlled trials. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Wanfang, CNKI, Chinese Biomedical Database and Open Grey were searched for studies published from January 2002 to December, 2021. Meta‐analysis was conducted to verify the effects of self‐care programs on diabetes incidence. Subgroup analyses based on structure components were performed to contrast the effects. We made a critical analysis to generalise the core elements of content components. The study was reported according to PRISMA statement. Results: Totally, 15 studies were included in systematic review, of which 14 studies were eligible for meta‐analysis. The results of meta‐analysis showed the incidence of diabetes for prediabetic adults receiving self‐care programs was significantly lower than those who received usual care (OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.46 to 0.73). The results of subgroup analyses based on delivery mode, intervention implementer, health education brochures provided, and follow‐up duration showed statistically significant reduction in incidence compared with control group (p <.05). However, the differences of these pair‐wise comparisons (face‐to‐face or remote, individual or interdisciplinary team, with or without brochures provided, ≤1 year or >1 year) were not statistically significant (p >.05). Three core content elements were generalised: cognitive education, behaviour guidance and psychological support. Conclusions: Self‐care programs can effectively delay the progression of prediabetes to diabetes. Regardless of the diversified structure components, self‐care programs can achieve better effects on the diabetes incidence than usual care, while the optimal structure components still remain unknown. Cognitive education, behaviour guidance and psychological support are core elements for these programs. Relevance to clinical practice: More clinical trials with rigorous study design are needed to provide further evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling the virus spreading in complex networks is very important to the research fields ranging from social science to technology. However, recent researches only consider information transmission and virus spreading as independent and uncorrelated, which neglect their interactive process in real systems. To study the interactive process between information transmission and virus spreading, in this paper, we propose a new virus information interactive spreading model on multiplex network. The multiplex networks can be divided into information transmission layer and virus spreading layer. The interactive spreading model considers the inherent characteristics of information by introducing the information forgetting and information loss mechanisms. Specially, by utilizing the mean field theory, the information transmission and virus process are unified to deduce the critical threshold of virus breakout. It shows that the critical threshold is not only related to the spreading properties of virus, but also influenced by the information density of individuals. We also find that the critical threshold is independent of the information generation probability, and the loss of the information will lead to a decrease. Finally, to verify the theoretical derivations, we apply it on both artificial network and real social network. The experimental results show that the simulations perfectly coincide with theoretical results, which verified the effectiveness of our model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The safe service state of railway steel girders directly affects the safety of frame bridge jacking and the operation of existing lines. For this reason, this paper first adopts a dynamic and static method to analyze the deflection, acceleration, and stress value of temporary steel beams, personnel factors, management factors, and environmental factors. In terms of factors, a safety evaluation index system for the service status of the beams is established, and then, the subjective and objective weights of the indicators are determined by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the coefficient of variation method. The combined weights of the indicators are calculated by introducing game theory. Finally, the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model is used to obtain the security level of the beam service status. The weight of the indicators that affects the safety of the service state of the beam and the order of risks can be obtained through the calculation. For the indicators ranked first, measures such as increasing the amount of monitoring can be prioritized to reduce the possibility of safety accidents in frame bridge jacking construction and existing line operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tumour necrosis factor superfamily (TNFSF) plays critical roles in tumour apoptosis, tissue morphogenesis and lineage determination. TNFSF10 (TRAIL or Apol‐2) belongs to the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) cytokine family and induces rapid apoptosis in a wide variety of tumour cell lines upon binding to death‐inducing signalling receptors. In this study, we identified TNFSF10 from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and found it was most closely related to Japanese pufferfish (Takifugu rubripes) TNFSF10. Amino acid identity between tilapia TNFSF10 and mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi) TRAIL was 69.2%. The highest expression of TNFSF10 mRNA was observed in the liver. In vitro studies showed that the mRNA expression of TNFSF10 was significantly stimulated by LPS in head kidney leucocytes, but remarkably inhibited by Poly I:C in spleen leucocytes. In vivo studies showed Streptococcus agalactiae infection significantly induced the mRNA expression of TNFSF10 in both the head kidney and spleen. The soluble recombinant protein Trx‐TNFSF10 could induce cytotoxicity and apoptosis in HeLa cells with cycloheximide as a promoter. Taken together, these results in this study indicate that TNFSF10 may play important roles in the immune system of Nile tilapia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daily use of plastic feeding and water bottles occur widely in China, and they could be sources for release of microplastics (MPs), which threaten the health of Chinese infants and children during daily usage. In this work, we investigated the use of polycarbonate (PC) and polypropylene (PP) for making water bottles (WBs) and polyphenylene sulfone resins (PPSU) for making feeding bottles (FBs), and we found that feeding bottles and water bottles released microparticles in amounts ranging from 53 to 393 particles/mL during 100 opening/closing cycles. The good linear regressions for plots of microparticles released vs. abrasion distance (r2 = 0.811) indicated that thick-necked bottles release more microparticles than thin-necked bottles. The brands and types of bottles (plastic vs. glass) influence microparticle release, and this indicates that high-quality plastic and glass bottles release fewer microparticles and are good for the health of infants and children. In addition to calcium stearate and silicone additives, the identified MPs account for 7.5 to 42.1% of released microparticles with different polymer types, sizes (from 20 to 500 μm) and shapes (cubic, spherical and irregular shapes). Additionally, an average of 1.74 MPs were released from an injection with a single-use plastic injector. Nevertheless, a number of microparticles and nanosized plastics were observed with all samples, suggesting that the health risks of micro- and nanosized particles to humans, especially babies and children, and the environment should be considered seriously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper is one of the most toxic heavy metals. In this work, a sampling survey of copper ions in the water of Songhua River flowing through the chemical and living areas of Jilin City was studied. A new bioflocculant from Raoultella planticola was obtained. The investigation of Songhua River flowing through Jilin City shows that the copper concentration is between 0.07 ppb and 0.16 ppb. The bioflocculant supporting graphite oxide (GO) as a bioflocculant inducer used in this study has been utilized in treatment of copper ions in water. GO and bioflocculant infrared radiation (IR) spectrum and zeta potential were studied. Flocculational conditions of copper ion (0.2 ppm) were modeled and optimized using RSM (response surface methodology). Our data showed that flocculation efficiency was over 80%. Significant influencing factors and variables were pH, flocculation time, bioflocculant dosage, and GO inducer which had major impact effects on flocculation efficiency. The highest flocculation efficiency which is 86.01% was achieved at pH = 5 , at 1.62 h and 13.11 mg bioflocculant with 13.11 mg GO as an inducer. However, temperature (A) and GO inducer were significant impact factors on the flocculation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the reliability and validity of doctoral candidates' innovative personality model. Design/methodology/approach: Based on doctoral candidates' innovative personality model, this study took the best correlation and the worst correlation into account to predict and demonstrate their innovative ability tendencies. Matlab R2016a, a program of software programming, was used to calculate the contribution degree of each personality factor of doctoral candidates to their innovative ability tendencies. Findings: The reliability and validity of doctoral candidates' innovative personality model based on grey target theory have been verified, and the prediction for doctoral candidates' innovative ability tendencies can be realized on the basis of this model. Practical implications: Scientific and reasonable doctoral candidates' innovative personality model can play a good guiding role, and its research results have certain practical significance for selecting innovative doctoral candidates, ensuring the training quality of doctoral candidates and cultivating the innovative ability of doctoral candidates. It can be promoted and applied on the basis of its trial operation in Jiangsu. Originality/value: With regard to the relative degree of the influence of doctoral candidates' individual personality factors, previous researchers seldom carried out the quantitative research. In this paper, the author sought a quantitative method to describe the degree of such influence and constructed the doctoral candidates' innovative personality model based on grey target decision making. This study took the positive and negative off-target distance into account and demonstrated the rationality and validity of doctoral candidates' innovative personality model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Myostatin (Mstn), a member of the TGF-β superfamily, is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass in mammals. Precise regulation of Mstn expression is important for somite growth in fish. MicroRNA (miRNA), a type of small non-coding RNA, regulates gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and participates in various physiological functions. A growing amount of evidence has emphasized the importance of miRNA in the development of skeletal muscle. Aims: This study aims to study how miRNAs regulate myostatin b (mstnb) post-transcriptionally in tilapia. Methods/Results: Mstnb 3′ UTR sequences were obtained, and the results of tissue distribution showed that mstnb was expressed in several tissues, including brain, white muscle, gut, and adipose tissue. A total of 1,992 miRNAs were predicted to target mstnb in tilapia using bioinformatics, and a dual-luciferase reporter experiment confirmed that miR-181a/b-5p, miR-30-3p, miR-200a, and miR-27a were the target miRNAs of mstnb. Mutagenesis of the miR-181b-5p binding sites of mstnb significantly increased the luciferase signal compared to the wild-type mstnb. In tilapia primary muscle cells, overexpression of miR-181b-5p led to the downregulation of MSTNb expression, and the inhibitory effect of MSTNb on the downstream genes was dismissed, while inhibition of miR-181b-5p could reverse these phenomena. Conclusion: Taken together, our results suggested that miR-181b-5p could promote the growth of skeletal muscle by decreasing the MSTNb protein level in tilapia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tailoring crystallographic facets is one of the most effective ways to design promising electrocatalytic materials. Herein, for the first time, the asymmetric zigzag structure of {1̅11} faceted Ni3S2 is elucidated, which is predicted by DFT calculation to have high electrocatalytic activity for both the hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction. Such Ni3S2 nanostructures are then in situ fabricated on a robust 3D scaffold via a one-step hydrothermal treatment of porous Ni foam in a Na2S aqueous solution, which effectively avoids the hydrogen brittleness of the Ni foam skeletons and guarantees the robustness of the 3D scaffold. As expected, the as-prepared Ni3S2 exhibits appealing catalytic performance for both the hydrogen evolution reaction (η = 189 mV at j = 10 mA cm−2 with a Tafel slope of 89.3 mV dec−1) and oxygen evolution reaction (η = 296 mV at j = 10 mA cm−2 with a Tafel slope of 65.1 mV dec−1), which is comparable to that of the commercial noble-metal-based catalyst Pt/C and better than that of the commercial catalyst IrO2. The self-supported Ni3S2 electrodes are further used for overall water-splitting, demonstrating high efficiency and durable stability. This work will provide new insights for tailoring crystallographic facets and fabricating advanced energy materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fate and risk assessment of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) is an important environmental health issue. The toxic effects, mechanisms, and modes of action of Ag NPs on aquatic organisms have been extensively determined in the laboratory. However, knowledge gaps and discrepancies exist between laboratory studies and realistic environmental research; such inconsistencies hinder the development of health and safety regulations. To bridge these gaps, this review summarizes how environmental conditions and the physicochemical properties of Ag NPs affect the inconsistent findings between laboratory studies and realistic environmental research. Moreover, this paper systematically reviews different toxic effects of Ag NPs in a realistic environment and compares these effects with those in the laboratory, which is helpful for assessing the environmental fate and risk of Ag NPs. The hazardous effects of Ag NPs on the whole aquatic ecosystem with low concentrations (μg L−1) and long-term periods (months to years) are detailed. Furthermore, two perspectives of future toxicity studies of Ag NPs in realistic freshwater environments are emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate doctoral candidates' innovative ability tendency.Design/methodology/approach This study uses the theory of gray target contribution to analyze the influence degree of doctoral candidates' individual personality factor toward their innovative ability and calculate gray impact quantitative values.Findings Based on the theory of contribution degree of gray target, a nine-factor model of innovative personality of doctoral candidates is built. IP=f (B, H, G, Q1, Q2, A, I, F, O), (therein: B – intelligence, H – social boldness, G – perseverance, Q1 – experimental, Q2 – independence, A – gregariousness, I – sensibility, F – excitability, O – anxiety).Practical implications This study based on gray target contribution theory builds nine-factor doctoral candidates' innovative personality model to test the innovative ability tendency of doctoral candidates, which makes cultivating units, mentors and doctoral candidates to know their innovative ability tendency well, perfecting their own knowledge structure in time, effectively improving their innovative ability. The system can also be applied to the work of doctoral candidates as a reference tool to evaluate the innovative ability of applicants.Originality/value This study quantitatively evaluates the influence of doctoral candidates' personality index on the tendency of doctoral candidates' innovative ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution and fate of organic pollutants determines pollution control strategies and definition of environmental standards. So far, few models predict accurately the fate of organic pollutants. Therefore, here we tested the Markov chains model to simulate the distribution and fate of nonylphenol and naphthalene in the aquatic environment. Results show that the removal of nonylphenol and naphthalene from the water/sediment system is higher in the wet season and lower in the dry season. Due to its hydrophilic hydroxyl group, nonylphenol remains in water, whereas naphthalene, being more hydrophobic, accumulates in the sediment. Results of Markov chains modeling perfectly matched results from microcosm experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, spatiotemporal variability of drought in Xilingol grassland during pasture growing season (from April to September) was investigated, using 52 years (1961-2012) of precipitation data recorded at 14 rain gauge stations in the study area. The Standardized Precipitation Index was used to compute the severity of drought. The Mann-Kendall test, the linear trend, and the sequential Mann-Kendall test were applied to standardized precipitation index (SPI) time series. The results indicate that drought has become increasingly serious on the region scale during pasture growing season, and the rate of SPI decreases ranged from −0.112 to −0.013 per decade. As for the MK test, most of the stations, the Z value range is from −1.081 to −0.005 and Kendall’s τ varies from −0.104 to −0.024. Meanwhile, drought is increased obviously from the northwest to the southeast region. Meanwhile, the occurrence probability of each severity class, times for reaching different drought class from any drought severity state, and residence times in each drought class have been obtained with Markov chain. Furthermore, the drought severities during pasture growing season in 2013-2016 are predicted depending on the weighted Markov chain. The results may provide a scientific basis for preventing and mitigating drought disaster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The information on concentration levels, partitioning and sources of pollutants in aquatic environment is quite necessary for pollution treatment and quality criteria. In this work, sixteen priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) recommended by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the water and sediment of Yinma River Basin were firstly investigated. Among 16 individual PAHs, naphthalene was the highest average concentration in water samples as well as in sediment samples, 67.2 ng/L and 825.06 ng/g, respectively, whereas benzo(g,h,i)perylene was undetected in water samples nor in sediment samples. For three PAH compositional patterns, concentrations of light (2-3 ring) PAHs were dominant in water and sediment, accounting for 71.69 and 86.98 % respectively. The PAH partitioning in the sediment-water system was studied, results showed that PAH partitioning was in an unsteady state and tended to accumulate in the sediment. The possible sources of PAHs in water and sediment were both identified as a mixed source of petroleum and combustion. The benzo(a)pyrene equivalents (EBaP) values for PAHs in the water and sediment in some sites were relatively higher, suggesting the existence of environmental health risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenanthrene (Phe) with carcinogenicity is ubiquitous in the environment, especially in aquatic environment; its toxicity is greater. To help determine toxicity risk and remediation strategies, this study predicted seasonal fate of Phe in aquatic environment. Candidate mechanisms including biodegradation, sorption, desorption, photodegradation, hydrolysis and volatility were studied; the results for experiments under simulated conditions for normal, wet and dry seasons in the Yinma River Basin indicated that biodegradation in sediment, sorption, desorption, and volatility were important pathways for elimination of Phe from aquatic environment and showed seasonal variations. A microcosm which was used to mimic sediment/water system was set up to illustrate seasonal distribution and transport of Phe. A Markov chain was applied to predict seasonal fate of Phe in air/water/sediment environment, the predicted results were perfectly agreed with results of microcosm experiments. Predicted results with a Markov chain suggested that volatility and biodegradation in sediment were main elimination pathways, and contributions of elimination pathways showed seasonal variations; Phe was eliminated from water and sediment to negligible levels over around 250 h in August and over 1000 h in May; in November, Phe was eliminated from water to a negligible level while about 31 % of Phe amount still remained in sediment over 1000 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, we study the gracefulness of several unconnected graphs related to wheel. For natural number p≥1, t≥1, let n = 2 t + 3,2 t + 4, which proved W ∪ K ∪ K is graceful; for p≥1, t≥1, let n=2 t+3,2 t + 4, then W ∪ K ∪ K is graceful and for m ≥ 1, r ≥ 1, let n = 2 m + 5, W ∪( C ∨ $$\overline{K_{m}}$$ ) ∪ St( r) is graceful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work was to investigate distribution characteristics, human health risk assessment, and possible sources of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in corn and surface soils of farmlands along main roadside in Changchun City, Jilin Province, China. Total concentrations of 16 PAHs ranged from 1572.4 to 4390.2 µg/kg with a mean value of 2954.9 µg/kg in soils and from 219.9 to 627 µg/kg with a mean value of 362µg/kg in corn. Light-molecular-weight PAHs (2–3 rings) concentration was dominant in soils, accounting for 51%, whereas high-molecular-weight PAHs (5–6 rings) concentration was highest in corn, accounting for 48%. The results of plant concentration factor indicated that high-molecular-weight PAHs have greater mobility. To evaluate potential risk to human health, hazard index (HI) and risk index (RI) were employed. The values of HI for corn and soils were both smaller than 1, indicating that exposure of PAHs posed no or little potential risk to local residents. The fact that values of RI for corn and soils were smaller than 1 × 10–4suggested that exposure of PAHs posed no or little cancer risk to local residents. The possible sources of PAHs in corn and soils were both identified as mixture patterns of pyrogenic and petrogenic sources. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although reservoirs in China are of great significance, very few studies on risk assessment have been reported for reservoirs. This study investigated distribution characteristics, cancer and ecological risks, and source diagnosis of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments from Shitou Koumen Reservoir in Jilin Province, China. A total of 12 sediment samples were collected from the reservoir in August (wet season) 2014. Total PAH concentrations in sediment samples ranged from 1294.51 ng/g to 2755.35 ng/g with a mean concentration of 1757.54 ng/g. For individual PAHs, average concentration of Nap was the highest, 800.56 ng/g, while Acy, Fla, BkF, and DahA were undetected in sediment samples. Light PAHs (2–3 rings) accounting for 74.21% was a dominant PAH compositional pattern. Pearson correlation analysis was carried out; results showed that total PAHs was strongly correlated with the highly enriched sedimentary PAHs, and pH was a major factor in controlling PAH distribution. Lifetime cancer risk was employed to assess cancer risk; results indicated that the fish-culturing area was exposed to cancer risk. The molecular diagnostic ratios of isomeric PAHs were applied to identify possible PAH sources; primary PAH sources were identified as oil-related activities, burning agricultural wastes, vehicular emissions, and industrial discharges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous epichlorohydrin cross-linked alginate beads (ECAB) were prepared by the following method. Na-alginate solution containing Na2SO4 was introduced dropwise into CaCl2 solution to simultaneously form CaSO4 precipitate and Ca-alginate gel beads. The resultant beads were cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and then thoroughly washed with ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) solution to remove CaSO4. The structural features of porous ECAB were assessed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and experiments on water content and adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA). The results showed that macroporous ECAB can be obtained when the mass ratio of sodium sulfate to sodium alginate is 4:1. The adsorption behavior of the macroporous ECAB was well described by the Langmuir isotherm with maximum adsorption capacity equal to 740 mg BSA/g dry weight in 50 mM Na2HPO4–citric acid buffer (pH 4.0). BSA was more effectively adsorbed by macroporous ECAB at around pH 3 and the mechanism of the adsorption of BSA to the ECAB was ion exchange. Finally, experiments of a concentration of 1 mg/mL BSA using macroporous ECAB were performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors investigate the global existence and semiclassical limit of weak solutions to a sixth-order parabolic system, which is a quantum-corrected macroscopic model derived recently to simulate the quantum effects in miniaturized semiconductor devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) signaling system is involved in a variety of physiological functions, including the control of cognition, reward, learning, memory, and vasoconstriction in vertebrates. Contrary to the extensive studies in the mammalian system, little is known about the molecular characteristics of the avian serotonin signaling network. In this study, we cloned and characterized the full-length cDNA of three serotonin receptor genes (HTR1B, HTR1E and HTR1F) in chicken pituitaries. Synteny analyses indicated that HTR1B, HTR1E and HTR1F were highly conserved across vertebrates. Cell-based luciferase reporter assays showed that the three chicken HTRs were functional, capable of binding their natural ligands (5-HT) or selective agonists (CP94253, BRL54443, and LY344864) and inhibiting intracellular cAMP production in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, activation of these receptors could stimulate the MAPK/ERK signaling cascade. Quantitative real-time PCR analyses revealed that HTR1B, HTR1E and HTR1F were primarily expressed in various brain regions and the pituitary. In cultured chicken pituitary cells, we found that LY344864 could significantly inhibit the secretion of PRL stimulated by vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) or forskolin, revealing that HTR1F might be involved in the release of prolactin in chicken. Our findings provide insights into the molecular mechanism and facilitate a better understanding of the serotonergic modulation via HTR1B, HTR1E and HTR1F in avian species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The melanocortin receptor 4 (MC4R) signaling system consists of MC4R, MC4R ligands [melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), agouti-related protein (AgRP)], and melanocortin-2 receptor accessory protein 2 (MRAP2), and it has been proposed to play important roles in feeding and growth in vertebrates. However, the expression and functionality of this system have not been fully characterized in teleosts. Here, we cloned tilapia MC4R, MRAP2b, AgRPs (AgRP, AgRP2), and POMCs (POMCa1, POMCb) genes and characterized the interaction of tilapia MC4R with MRAP2b, AgRP, α-MSH, and ACTH in vitro. The results indicate the following. (1) Tilapia MC4R, MRAP2b, AgRPs, and POMCs share high amino acid identity with their mammalian counterparts. (2) Tilapia MRAP2b could interact with MC4R expressed in CHO cells, as demonstrated by Co-IP assay, and thus decrease MC4R constitutive activity and enhance its sensitivity to ACTH1-40. (3) As in mammals, AgRP can function as an inverse agonist and antagonist of MC4R, either in the presence or absence of MRAP2b. These data, together with the co-expression of MC4R, MRAP2b, AgRPs, and POMCs in tilapia hypothalamus, suggest that as in mammals, ACTH/α-MSH, AgRP, and MRAP2 can interact with MC4R to control energy balance and thus play conserved roles in the feeding and growth of teleosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Compensatory growth refers to the phenomenon in which organisms grow faster after the improvement of an adverse environment and is thought to be an adaptive evolution to cope with the alleviation of the hostile environment. Many fish have the capacity for compensatory growth, but the underlying cellular mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, microarray and nontargeted metabolomics were performed to characterize the transcriptome and metabolome of zebrafish liver during compensatory growth. Results: Zebrafish could regain the weight they lost during 3 weeks of fasting and reach a final weight similar to that of fish fed ad libitum when refed for 15 days. When refeeding for 3 days, the liver displayed hyperplasia accompanied with decreased triglyceride contents and increased glycogen contents. The microarray results showed that when food was resupplied for 3 days, the liver TCA cycle (Tricarboxylic acid cycle) and oxidative phosphorylation processes were upregulated, while DNA replication and repair, as well as proteasome assembly were also activated. Integration of transcriptome and metabolome data highlighted transcriptionally driven alterations in metabolism during compensatory growth, such as altered glycolysis and lipid metabolism activities. The metabolome data also implied the participation of amino acid metabolism during compensatory growth in zebrafish liver. Conclusion: Our study provides a global resource for metabolic adaptations and their transcriptional regulation during refeeding in zebrafish liver. This study represents a first step towards understanding of the impact of metabolism on compensatory growth and will potentially aid in understanding the molecular mechanism associated with compensatory growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioflocculation, being environmental-friendly and highly efficient, is considered to be a promising method to harvest microalgae. However, one limitation of this technology is high expense on substrates for bioflocculant bacteria cultivation. In this regard, we developed an innovative method for the inner-recycling of biomass that could harvest the typical microalgae, Microcystis aeruginosa, using a bioflocculant produced by Citrobacter sp. AzoR-1. In turn, the flocculated algal biomass could be reutilized as a substrate for Citrobacter sp. AzoR-1 cultivation and bioflocculant production. The experimental results showed that 3.4 ± 0.1 g of bioflocculant (hereafter called MBF-12) was produced by 10 g/L of wet biomass of M. aeruginosa (high-pressure steam sterilized) with an additional 10 g/L of glucose as an extra carbon source. The efficiency of MBF-12 for M. aeruginosa harvesting could reach ~95% under the optimized condition. Further analysis showed that MBF-12, dominated by ~270 kDa biopolymers, contributed the bioflocculation mechanisms of interparticle bridging and biosorption process. Bioflocculant synthesis by Citrobacter sp. AzoR-1 using microalga as a substrate, including the polyketide sugar unit, lipopolysaccharide, peptidoglycan and terpenoid backbone pathways. Our research provides the first evidence that harvested algae can be reutilized as a substrate to grow a bioflocculant using Citrobacter sp. AzoR-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]