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The new Agenda 2030 for sustainable development call for initiatives to bridge the gap between environmental protection and socio-economic development. To provide insight on the relationship between socio-economics, and ecology, the current study examines the effectiveness of environmental stringency and green energy to mitigate the effects of fossil energy and greenhouse gas emissions on human well-being and income for 12 emerging economies. The outcomes from dynamic heterogeneous panel estimators of cross-sectional-based auto regressive distributed lag and cross-sectional-augmented distributed lag indicate that: (i) green energy consumption and electricity consumption have a substantial positive effect on well-being and per capita income. (ii) The stringent environmental policy is found to decrease per capita income, but it increases well-being, while the square of environmental stringency is found to increase per capita income. (iii) Fossil energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions have a negative effect on well-being but a positive impact on income. The outcome of U-test confirmed the presence of a U-shaped curve with a turning point (0.433) between per capita income and environmental policy stringency. This study yielded consistent results from the panel Granger causality test. Based on our findings, we may argue that it is necessary to prioritize human well-being over economic growth, and suggest several policy implications to achieve sustainable development goals.

Atmospheric environment is an important resource for human survival. However, existing studies on air pollution often focus on one aspect of occurrence, impact, or prevention while neglecting dynam...

To explore the potential effect of industrial transfer on carbon lock-in in China, this paper constructed the measurement formula of industrial transfer based on output and demand, and calculated c...

Collaborative reduction of carbon and air pollutants can more efficiently achieve green technological change, industrial low-carbon transition, and high-quality economic and social development. As a typical environmental policy in China, the pilot carbon Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) has obvious advantages in achieving the collaborative reduction of carbon and air pollutants. Therefore, an evaluation of China's pilot carbon ETS from the perspective of collaborative reduction of carbon and air pollutants is performed in this paper. Compared with previous studies, first, this study innovatively uses the coupled coordination degree (CCD) model to measure the collaborative reduction level of carbon and air pollutants under different scenarios based on the panel data of China's 30 provincial-level regions during 2004-2018. Second, this study uses the DID method to evaluate the impact of China's pilot carbon ETS on the collaborative reduction of carbon and air pollutants and conducts some robustness checks and regional heterogeneity regressions. Third, this study uses the synthetic control method (SCM) further to examine the policy outcomes of the pilot carbon ETS. Scenario analysis shows that attaching importance to reducing air pollution will improve the collaborative reduction effect of carbon and air pollutants. Furthermore, the implementation of China's pilot carbon ETS exerts an effect of roughly 24.7% on reducing carbon, roughly 10.1% on reducing air pollutants, and roughly 22.0% on the collaborative reduction of carbon and air pollutants, ceteris paribus. Regional heterogeneity analysis shows that the impacts of the pilot carbon ETS are significant in all regions, except that the impact on reducing air pollutants in the central region is not significant. In addition, results from SCM indicate that the impacts of the pilot carbon ETS on the collaborative reduction of carbon and air pollutants are significantly efficient in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Hubei, and Chongqing, while not much efficient in Guangdong and Fujian. The main policy implications include strengthening the top-level design of the ETS in the collaborative reduction of carbon and air pollutants, attaching importance to the governance of air pollution, making the regional governance more targeted, and improving energy efficiency.

Foreign trade and technological innovation are major driving forces for the development of the Belt and Road Initiative. This paper investigates the green development of 32 countries along the Belt and Road during the period of 2010–2018, and uses the Data Envelopment Analysis method to measure the green development level of countries along the Belt and Road. Based on the dynamic panel model, the system generalized method of moments is used to estimate the impact of foreign trade and technological innovation on green development. The results indicate that most of countries along the Belt and Road are in inefficient green development, and that there is still much room for improvement. Meanwhile, foreign trade and technological innovation can significantly contribute to green development of countries along the Belt and Road. Further research has found that there is a threshold effect on the impact of technological innovation on green development of countries along the Belt and Road. Therefore, it is suggested that policymakers should promote green development of countries along the Belt and Road by strengthening their trade flows, improving innovation efficiency, changing the way of urbanization and optimizing their health care systems.

A measurements of China’s mariculture carbon sink efficiency (MCSE) and its driving factors analysis are conducted in this paper. First, based on the Super-SBM model, the panel data from 9 Chinese coastal provinces (autonomous regions) during 2015–2019 are used to measure the MCSE in China. Second, the STRIPAT method and ridge regression method are used to explore the driving factors of China’s MCSE. Third, a blueprint for China to achieve carbon neutrality is constructed, and the advantages of mariculture carbon sink are summarized. The results show that the mariculture carbon sink has a high carbon store and carbon flux, and it has a dual value of ecology and economy. Meanwhile, mariculture carbon sink has the less negative impacts on eco-environment. Further, the MCSE, on the whole, of the 9 coastal regions in China presents an upward trend in 2015–2019, and this trend is more significant in the Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) and Circum-Bohai Sea (CBS) Economic Zone. In 2019, 66.67% of the regions in the sample is the SBM-efficient DMUs on technical efficiency (TE), and 88.89% of the regions in the sample is the BSM-efficient DMUs on pure technical efficiency (PTE). Finally, driving factors analysis shows that the affluence and service industry of a region may have a positive impact on the MCSE, while the population, urbanization and international trade may have a negative impact on the MCSE to a certain extent.

Under the influence of novel coronavirus pneumonia, the traditional manual oil painting creation has put forward higher requirements The disadvantages of traditional hand drawing are very obvious: tedious, inconvenient to modify and save, slow speed of painting, which can no longer meet the requirements of social development In this paper, the fitness of oil painting function is discussed Through the analysis of the experimental results, it is found that this method has important reference value for optimizing algorithm and improving traditional hand drawing during COVID-19 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Intelligent & Fuzzy Systems is the property of IOS Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )

Stroke is one of the most common causes of disability and death, and currently, ideal clinical treatment is lacking. Stem cell transplantation is a widely-used treatment approach for stroke. When compared with other types of stem cells, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have been widely studied because of their many advantages. The paracrine effect is the primary mechanism for stem cells to play their role, and exosomes play an essential role in the paracrine effect. When compared with cell therapy, cell-free exosome therapy can prevent many risks and difficulties, and therefore, represents a promising and novel approach for treatment. In this study, we reviewed the research progress in the application of BMSCs-derived exosomes (BMSCs-exos) and BMSCs in the treatment of stroke. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of cell therapy and cell-free exosome therapy were described, and the possible factors that hinder the introduction of these two treatments into the clinic were analyzed. Furthermore, we reviewed the current optimization methods of cell therapy and cell-free exosome therapy. Taken together, we hypothesize that cell-free exosome therapy will have excellent research prospects in the future, and therefore, it is worth further exploring. There are still some issues that need to be further addressed. For example, differences between the in vivo microenvironment and in vitro culture conditions will affect the paracrine effect of stem cells. Most importantly, we believe that more preclinical and clinical design studies are required to compare the efficacy of stem cells and exosomes.

Over the past 40 years since China's reform and opening up, the industrial structure has undergone tremendous changes. The rapid development of the economy has been accompanied by a surge in carbon emissions. How to achieve a win-win situation for economic growth and carbon emissions reduction has aroused widespread concern from all sectors of society. Here, this paper discusses the dynamic relationship of industrial structure upgrading, economic growth, and carbon emission reduction. Results show that there is a long-term equilibrium relationship among industrial structure upgrading, economic growth, and carbon emissions. In the short term, when the three variables deviate from the long-term equilibrium state, the non-equilibrium state will be pulled back to equilibrium with the adjustment strength of - 0.0633, - 0.0097, and 0.0013. Carbon emission reduction promotes industrial structure upgrading. Industrial structure upgrading has a greater positive impact on economic growth. Industrial structure upgrading and economic growth have a negative impact on carbon emissions, thereby promoting emission reduction. And at the 10% significance level, there is a one-way Granger causality from carbon emissions to industrial structure upgrading, economic growth can cause one-way changes in carbon emissions, and industrial structure upgrading is a one-way Granger cause of economic growth. Finally, several carbon emission reduction policies are proposed promote industrial restructuring and sustainable economic development.

The convergence of haze is an important economic characteristic for curbing the haze pollution. This study provides the first empirical analysis to explore the convergence of haze pollution utilizing the panel data of 279 prefecture-level cities in China from 2004 to 2016. Conventional studies neglected spatiotemporal dependence of atmospheric pollution and the spatial effects of key determinants, which violated the economic logic of convergence at the theoretical level, and also lead to omission errors in estimation at the technical level. To address the potential endogeneity problem, the Dynamic Spatial Durbin Models (DSDM) were employed to identify the conditional β convergence on haze pollution. The empirical results verified the existence of haze convergence, suggesting that cities with high haze concentration would decrease more rapidly and should undertake more haze reduction tasks. Moreover, industrial structure upgrading, cleaner energy promotion, and technological innovation are the driving forces of haze reduction, and spatial industrial transfer and technology spillover contribute to achieving haze convergence. The conclusions of this paper can provide enlightenment for the allocation plan of haze pollution mitigation and the policy makers should take key socio-economic factors and the spatial effects of these determinants into consideration in formulating haze reduction policies.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of high-speed railway (HSR) on industrial pollution emissions using the data for 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2004 to 2016. Design/methodology/approach The research method used in this paper is the multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) model, which is an effective policy effect assessment method. To further address the issue of endogeneity, the DID integrated with the propensity score matching (PSM-DID) approach is employed to eliminate the potential self-selection bias. Findings The results show that the HSR has significantly reduced industrial pollution emissions, which is validated by several robustness tests. Compared with peripheral cities, HSR exerts a greater impact on industrial pollution emissions in central cities. In addition, the mechanism test reveals that the optimised allocation of inter-city industries is an important channel for HSR to mitigate industrial pollution emissions, and this is closely related to the location of HSR stations. Originality/value Previous studies have paid more attention to evaluating the economic effects of HSR, however, most of these studies overlook its environmental effects. Consequently, the impact of HSR on industrial pollution emissions is led by using multi-period DID models in this paper, in which the environmental effects are measured. The results of this paper can provide a reference for the pollution reduction policies and also the coordinated development of economic growth and environmental quality.

The morbidity and mortality rates of ischemic stroke (IS) are very high, and IS constitutes one of the main causes of disability and death worldwide. The pathogenesis of ischemic stroke includes excitotoxicity, calcium overload, oxygen radical injury, inflammatory reactions, necrosis/apoptosis, destruction of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and other pathologic processes. Recent studies have shown that exosomes are critical to the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of cerebral infarctions resulting from ischemic stroke; and there is growing interest in the role of exosomes and exosomal miRNAs in the diagnosis and treatment of IS. Exosomes from central nervous system cells can be found in cerebrospinal fluid and peripheral bodily fluids, and exosomal contents have been reported to change with disease occurrence. Exosomes are small membranous extracellular vesicles (EVs), 30–150 nm in diameter, that are released from the cell membrane into the depressions that arise from the membranes of multivesicular bodies. Exosomes carry lipids, proteins, mRNAs, and microRNAs (miRNAs) and transport information to target cells. This exosomal transfer of functional mRNAs/miRNAs and proteins ultimately affects transcription and translation within recipient cells. Exosomes are EVs with a double-membrane structure that protects them from ribonucleases in the blood, allowing exosomal miRNAs to be more stable and to avoid degradation. New evidence shows that exosomes derived from neural cells, endothelial cells, and various stem cells create a fertile environment that supports the proliferation and growth of neural cells and endothelial cells, inhibits apoptosis and inflammatory responses, and promotes angiogenesis. In the present review, we discuss how circulating exosomes—and exosomal miRNAs in particular—may provide novel strategies for the early diagnosis and treatment of ischemic stroke via their potential as non-invasive biomarkers and drug carriers.

Hypertension is one of the most significant public health challenges worldwide. An increasing number of patients prefer to incorporate traditional Chinese medicine into their hypertensive care. The Songling Xuemaikang capsule (SXC), a Chinese herbal formula, is widely used in China for essential hypertension.To assess the efficacy and safety of SXC for essential hypertension.Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).We conducted a systematic literature search of seven databases to identify randomized controlled trials of SXC for hypertension. The outcome measures included blood pressure parameters and patient-reported outcomes. Potential heterogeneity between the studies was resolved by subgroup and sensitivity analyses. The quality of the results was evaluated using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) approach.A total of 34 trials with 4306 patients were included. The results showed that SXC plus antihypertensive drugs produced a greater effect on reducing systolic blood pressure (SBP) (MD: -7.54 mmHg; 95% CI: -8.92, -6.17; p0.00001), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (MD: -6.42 mmHg; 95% CI: -7.54, -5.29; p0.00001), 24-hour SBP (MD: -6.88 mmHg; 95% CI: -8.36, -5.39; p0.00001), and 24-hour DBP (MD: -4.31 mmHg; 95% CI: -6.55, -2.07; p = 0.0002) and improving hypertensive symptoms (SMD: -1.09; 95% CI: -1.34, -0.84; p0.00001) than antihypertensive drugs alone. SXC monotherapy was less effective than antihypertensive drugs for 24-hour SBP reduction (MD: 2.07 mmHg; 95% CI: 0.19, 3.96; p = 0.03). No significant difference was observed in the incidence of adverse events between the SXC and control groups.SXC is beneficial for essential hypertension; it can lower BP, improve hypertensive symptoms and is well tolerated.

The construction of new-type urbanization with the theme of innovation, green, and smart development is becoming the endogenous driving force of China's economic transformation and upgrading, and green technological innovation is a key factor in cracking the problems of development motivation and environmental constraints in urbanization construction. This paper investigates the impact of green technology innovation on urbanization based on a panel dataset covering 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2019. First, we use the entropy method and the super-efficiency DEA method to measure the level of urbanization and green technology innovation, respectively. Moreover, on this basis, we use panel regression model and FGLS model to estimate the direct impact of green technological innovation on urbanization and its three dimensions-population urbanization, industrial urbanization, and ecological urbanization. Then, the mediating effect model is used to further study the indirect impact of green technological innovation on urbanization. The results indicate that green technological innovation is the most effective way to promote the development of new urbanization currently. In addition, green technology innovation can indirectly affect urbanization through the effects of foreign capital, energy consumption and information development, while the effect of industrial structure optimization effects is not significant. Finally, some policy suggestions are discussed to better promote the development of urbanization in China.

In 2013, the Chinese government officially announced the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Since then, environmentalists have raised concerns regarding the environmental impact of trade between China and BRI countries. Therefore, the current study aims to analyze the environmental impact of the two aspects of BRI countries’ trade: First, it examines the environmental impact of trade openness between China and BRI countries. Second, it examines the environmental impact of trade openness among BRI countries. For this purpose, the current study employs the two-step system GMM model with a panel dataset for the period 2001–2018. The results obtained for the whole sample of 88 selected BRI countries suggest that the trade openness between China and BRI countries significantly reduces CO2 emissions. However, the trade openness among BRI countries has no significant effect on CO2 emissions. In addition, BRI countries’ exports to China do not have a significant effect on CO2 emissions. However, BRI countries’ imports from China significantly reduce CO2 emissions in these countries. The results obtained for the subsamples of BRI countries suggest that the trade openness between China and BRI countries, BRI countries’ exports to China, and BRI countries’ imports from China have no significant effect on CO2 emissions in both low-income and high-income BRI countries. Moreover, the trade openness among BRI countries significantly increases CO2 emissions in low-income BRI countries only.

Enterovirus A-71 (EV71) is a global, highly contagkkious pathogen responsible for severe cases of hand-food-mouth-disease (HFMD). The use of vaccines eliciting cross neutralizing antibodies (NTAbs) against the different circulating EV71 sub-genotypes is important for preventing HFMD outbreaks. Here, we tested the cross-neutralizing activities induced by EV71 genotype/sub-genotype A, B0-B4, C1, C2, C4, and C5 viruses using rats. Differences were noted in the cross-neutralization of the 10 sub-genotypes tested but there were generally good levels of cross-neutralization except against genotype A virus, against which neutralization antibody titres (NTAb) where the lowest with NTAbs being the highest against sub-genotype B4. Moreover, NTAb responses induced by C4, B4, C1, and C2 viruses were homogenous, with values of maximum/minimum NTAb ratios (MAX/MIN) against all B and C viruses ranging between 4.0 and 6.0, whereas MAX/MIN values against B3 and A viruses were highly variable, 48.0 and 256.0, respectively. We then dissected the cross-neutralizing ability of sera from infants and children and rats immunized with C4 EV71 vaccines. Cross-neutralizing titers against the 10 sub-genotypes were good in both vaccinated infants and children and rats with the MAX/MIN ranging from 1.8–3.4 and 5.1–7.1, respectively, which were similar to those found in naturally infected patients (2.8). Therefore, we conclude that C4 EV71 vaccines can provide global protection to infants and children against HFMD caused by different sub-genotypes.

Aim. Stroke is the second significant cause for death, with ischemic stroke (IS) being the main type threatening human being’s health. Acorus tatarinowii (AT) is widely used in the treatment of Alzheimer disease, epilepsy, depression, and stroke, which leads to disorders of consciousness disease. However, the systemic mechanism of AT treating IS is unexplicit. This article is supposed to explain why AT has an effect on the treatment of IS in a comprehensive and systematic way by network pharmacology. Methods and Materials. ADME (absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted) is an important property for screening-related compounds in AT, which were screening out of TCMSP, TCMID, Chemistry Database, and literature from CNKI. Then, these targets related to screened compounds were predicted via Swiss Targets, when AT-related targets database was established. The gene targets related to IS were collected from DisGeNET and GeneCards. IS-AT is a common protein interactive network established by STRING Database. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment were analysed by IS-AT common target genes. Cytoscape software was used to establish a visualized network for active compounds-core targets and core target proteins-proteins interactive network. Furthermore, we drew a signal pathway picture about its effect to reveal the basic mechanism of AT against IS systematically. Results. There were 53 active compounds screened from AT, inferring the main therapeutic substances as follows: bisasaricin, 3-cyclohexene-1-methanol-α,α,4-trimethyl,acetate, cis,cis,cis-7,10,13-hexadecatrienal, hydroxyacoronene, nerolidol, galgravin, veraguensin, 2′-o-methyl isoliquiritigenin, gamma-asarone, and alpha-asarone. We obtained 398 related targets, 63 of which were the same as the IS-related genes from targets prediction. Except for GRM2, remaining 62 target genes have an interactive relation, respectively. The top 10 degree core target genes were IL6, TNF, IL1B, TLR4, NOS3, MAPK1, PTGS2, VEGFA, JUN, and MMP9. There were more than 20 terms of biological process, 7 terms of cellular components, and 14 terms of molecular function through GO enrichment analysis and 13 terms of signal pathway from KEGG enrichment analysis based on P < 0.05 . Conclusion. AT had a therapeutic effect for ischemic via multicomponent, multitarget, and multisignal pathway, which provided a novel research aspect for AT against IS.

The jade dagger-axe is a significant ritual artifact in prehistoric China and therefore has been the subject of much discussion among archaeologists and historians. The authors compare the jade dagger-axe and the axe in terms of the morphological features, the means of hafting, and the use in burial ritual. It appears that the shape of the jade dagger-axe is the result of improving the axe. The means of hafting the jade dagger-axe is generally identical to that of the axe. The ritualization of the jade dagger-axe follows that of the axe. Therefore, the jade dagger-axe may have originated from the axe.

Multimorbidity resilience may mitigate the adverse effects of multiple chronic diseases on older adults’ health. Wister et al.’s (2018) multimorbidity resilience index was developed and tested in a cross-sectional sample of older adults in Canada. Building on these findings, we examined the reciprocal relationships of resilience on outcomes to test these potentially mitigating effects in a community-based, U.S. sample of older adults over time. The study sample includes 1,054 older adults from waves 2 and 3 of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) study (Waite et al 2020). Wister et al.’s (2018) index was mapped to NSHAP measures, and reciprocal relationships of multimorbidity resilience and health outcomes over a 5-year period was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results indicated significant effects of multimorbidity resilience on self-rated physical health and pain. Interestingly, a better functional resilience at baseline conferred better self-rated physical health at follow-up, while better psychological resilience predicted lower pain level. By contrast, the influence of health outcomes on any domain of multimorbidity resilience was not detectable at all, supporting the direction of these associations from resilience to outcomes. The study systematically investigated the dynamic hypotheses between multimorbidity resilience and health outcomes. That is, whether they are determinants or consequences, or both. Our findings suggest multimorbidity resilience predicts subsequent 5-year change in health outcomes, especially self-rated physical health and pain level, but not vice versa, strengthening the evidence of the importance of resilience in the health of older adults.

Energy strategy has been an essential strand in the view of economists in achieving rapid development process of any country. The recent wave of globalization exerts pressure on energy consumption via financial development which ultimately vindicates economic growth. This paper has covered a period of 1976–2016 using annual data for the empirical analysis and constructed a growth equation as the main equation and the energy consumption equation as a channel equation. The empirical study has been undertaken by performing ARDL and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag models (NARDL). The bound test result declares a long-run association in both equations. Consequently, energy consumption and economic globalization have significantly enhanced economic growth in the long run. Whereas, financial development index has no influence on the economic growth of Pakistan. The results of channel equation suggested that due to growing the price of crude oil, the energy consumption is reduced in the long run. The increasing imports of energy products and increasing urbanization are conducive for energy consumption in Pakistan. By NARDL model, our empirical findings provide robust support for the existence of asymmetric co-integration linking among underlying variables of the study.

Background Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are prevalent in working populations and could result in a number of detrimental consequences. In China, healthcare professionals (HCP) in large hospitals may be likely to suffer from MSDs considering the facts of shortages in medical staff, the large Chinese population base, the aging of the population and patients’ inclination to go to large hospitals. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with MSDs among HCP working in tertiary hospitals. Methods A self-administered questionnaire incorporating the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and the Dutch Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was conducted among 14,720 HCP in eight tertiary hospitals selected by random cluster sampling in Shandong, China. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to quantify the association of psychological, ergonomic, organizational and individual factors with MSDs. Results The 12-month period prevalence rate of experiencing an MSD in at least one body region for at least 24 h, experiencing an MSD for at least three months, and seeking health care for this condition were 91.2, 17.1 and 68.3%, respectively; these rates were highest for the lower back (72.8, 14.3, 60.3%) and knees (65.7, 8.1, 46.7%), followed by the shoulders (52.1, 6.2, 38.9%), neck (47.6, 4.8, 32.6%), wrists/hands (31.1, 3.2, 23.1%), ankles/feet (23.6, 1.9, 13.4%), upper back, hips/thighs and elbows. MSDs were associated with workload (work hours per week, break times during workday), psychological factors (psychological fatigue, mental stress), employment status and ergonomic factors. Regarding the ergonomic factors, lower back MSDs were associated with bending the trunk frequently, heavy or awkward lifting, and bending or twisting the neck; knee MSDs were associated with walking or standing for long periods of time; and shoulder MSDs were associated with maintaining shoulder abduction for long periods of time and bending or twisting the neck. Conclusions MSDs among HCP in tertiary hospitals in Mainland China were highly prevalent. The many factors listed above should be considered in the prevention of MSDs in HCP.

Manganese-doped carbon quantum dots (MnCQDs) were prepared through one-step hydrothermal method using citric acid and manganese tetraphenyl porphyrin as carbon sources in aqueous media. The structure of MnCQDs was confirmed by TEM, XRD, and XPS. The MnCQDs display a typical excitation-dependent emission behavior and exhibit bright green luminescence (with a peak at 482 nm) under UV irradiation (365 nm) and a fluorescence quantum yield of 13%. The MnCQDs can be used as a fluorescent probe for ferric ion in aqueous solution with a 220 nM detection limit. The MTT assay demonstrated the low cytotoxicity of MnCQDs towards HeLa cells. Due to the excitation-dependent emission properties, MnCQDs can be used as a multi-color (blue, green, and red) bioimaging agent in cancer cells and in living zebrafish. The application of MnCQDs as selective biosensing probe for Fe3+ was also realized in cells and zebrafish mode. Because of the existence of paramagnetic ions, MnCQDs demonstrate an enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) signal. Thus, the MnCQDs can serve as a positive contrast agent for MR imaging.

This paper investigates the impacts of trade liberalization on haze pollution using the panel data for 279 Chinese prefecture-level cities during 2007–2016. The relationship of trade liberalization and haze pollution in China was firstly analyzed by using the impulse response function and forecast-error variance decomposition method based on a bivariate vector autoregression model. The results show that trade liberalization is negatively correlated with haze pollution, and the contribution of trade liberalization to the variance of haze pollution exceeds 70% over time. The impact of trade liberalization on haze pollution is further examined applying the two-way fixed effect methods and spatial lag models, concluding that the liberalization of trade has significantly reduced haze pollution. Through mediation effect method, we have found that the haze reduction effect of trade liberalization lies in that the positive influence of technology effect on reducing haze pollution has exceeded the negative influence of scale effect and composition effect on increasing haze pollution. Therefore, in general, trade liberalization has remarkably mitigated haze pollution. The conclusions of this paper will provide a reference for the haze pollution reduction policies and the coordinated development of economic growth and environmental quality.

In Gram-negative bacteria, lipid modification of proteins is catalysed in a three-step pathway. Apolipoprotein N-acyl transferase (Lnt) catalyses the third step in this pathway, whereby it transfers an acyl chain from a phospholipid to the amine group of the N-terminal cysteine residue of the apolipoprotein. Here, we report the 2.6-Å crystal structure of Escherichia coli Lnt. This enzyme contains an exo-membrane nitrilase domain fused to a transmembrane (TM) domain. The TM domain of Lnt contains eight TM helices which form a membrane-embedded cavity with a lateral opening and a periplasmic exit. The nitrilase domain is located on the periplasmic side of the membrane, with its catalytic cavity connected to the periplasmic exit of the TM domain. An amphipathic lid loop from the nitrilase domain interacts with the periplasmic lipid leaflet, forming an interfacial entrance from the lipid bilayer to the catalytic centre for both the lipid donor and acceptor substrates., Apolipoprotein N-acyl transferase (Lnt) catalyses the final step in the protein lipidation pathway of Gram-negative bacteria. Here, the authors present the crystal structure of E. coli Lnt, which consists of a transmembrane domain and a nitrilase domain localised at the periplasmic side of the membrane.

Background This study aimed to determine the prevalence of sleep disturbances among clinical nurses in general hospitals in Mainland China, and identify its associate factors. Methods Using a cross-sectional design, a total of 5012 clinical nurses selected by random cluster sampling completed the survey on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), measures of quality of life indexed by the Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Short-Form Health Survey, occupational stress evaluated by the Job Content Questionnaire, lifestyle and sociodemographic details. Results The average PSQI score of 4951 subjects was 7.32 ± 3.24, including 3163 subjects with PSQI ≥5, accounting for 63.9%. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk factors for sleep disturbances in nurses were female gender, the Emergency department and ICU, many years of service, high night shift frequency, professional status: primary and intermediate, employment status: temporary, poor quality of life: poor mental health, low perceived health, high occupational stress (high psychological demand, low job control and low workplace social support). Conclusions Sleep disturbances are highly prevalent among clinical nurses in general hospitals in Mainland China. Many of the factors listed above were associated with the prevalence of sleep disturbances in nurses, and occupational stress plays an important role in the development of sleep disturbances in Chinese clinical nurses.

Multimorbidity is widespread, costly, and associated with a range of deleterious outcomes; it affects an estimated 67-80% of older adults. This study tests the validity of a multimorbidity resilience index developed in a Canadian sample of older adults by Wister et al., (2018), with a U.S.-based sample, using National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) data, and draws upon the index to investigate the effects of resilience on outcomes over time. We mapped Wister et al.’s (2018) index to NSHAP measures, and assessed cross-sectional associations with health outcomes, using logistic regression. To assess the effects of resilience on health outcomes over time, we estimated mixed models of the relationships between resilience on outcomes over a 5-year interval. Total resilience was consistently associated with improved outcomes, including pain level (OR=.51, CI .41-.64); reduced utilization (OR=.45, CI .33-.60); improved mental health (OR=9.13, CI 6.20-13.44); self-rated physical health (OR=6.97, CI 4.76 10.19); and sleep quality (OR=3.66, CI 2.76-4.86). Longitudinal model results indicate change in multimorbidity resilience and number of chronic diseases predict (α=.001) pain level and self-rated physical health. Effects were moderated by socio-demographic factors. Our findings validate Wister et al.’s (2018) resilience index in a U.S. sample, supporting the importance of this measure to capture core components of older adults’ capacity to sustain well-being in the context of living with multiple, chronic conditions. Results from the longitudinal models provide beginning insights into the effects of resilience on symptom experience and perceived health over time, highlighting potential levers for change.

3-Hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HAD; EC 1.1.1.35) is the enzyme that catalyzes the third step in fatty-acid β-oxidation, oxidizing the hydroxyl group of 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA to a keto group. The 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase from Caenorhabditis elegans (cHAD) was cloned, overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity for crystallography. Initial crystals were obtained by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. Optimization of the precipitant concentration and the pH yielded two types of well diffracting crystals with parallelepiped and cuboid shapes, respectively. Complete diffraction data sets were collected and processed from both crystal types. Preliminary crystallographic analysis indicated that the parallelepiped-shaped crystal belonged to space group P1, while the cuboid-shaped crystal belonged to space group P212121. Analyses of computed Matthews coefficient and self-rotation functions suggested that there are two cHAD molecules in one asymmetric unit in both crystals, forming identical dimers but packing in distinct manners.

Urbanization is considered as a main indicator of regional economic development due to its positive effect on promoting industrial development; however, many regions, especially developing countries, are troubled by its negative effect — the aggravating environmental pollution. Many researchers have indicated that rapid urbanization stimulated the expansion of industrial production scale and increased industrial pollutant emissions. However, this judgement contains a grave deficiency in that urbanization not only expands industrial production scales but can also increase industrial labour productivity and change the industrial structure. To modify this deficiency, we first decompose the influence which urbanization impacts on industrial pollutant emissions into the scale effect, the intensive effect and the structure effect by using the Kaya Identity and the LMDI Method; second, we perform an empirical study of the three effects’ impacts by applying the spatial panel model with data from 282 Chinese cities between 2003 and 2013. Our results indicate that (1) there are significant reverse U-shapes between Chinese urbanization rate and its industrial pollutant emissions; (2) the scale effect and the structure effect have aggravated Chinese industrial waste water discharge, sulphur dioxide emissions and soot (dust) emissions, while the intensive effect has generated a decreasing and ameliorative impact on that aggravated trend. The definite relationship between urbanization and industrial pollutant emissions depends on the combined influence of the scale effect, the intensive effect and the structure effect; (3) there are significant spatial autocorrelations of industrial pollutant emissions between Chinese cities, but the spatial spillover effect from other cities does not aggravate local urban industrial pollutant emissions, we offer an explanation to this contradiction that the vast rural areas surrounding Chinese cities have served as sponge belts and have absorbed the spatial spillover of cities’ industrial pollutant emissions. According to the results, we argue that this type of decomposition of the influence into three effects is necessary and meaningful, it establishes a solid foundation for understanding the relationship between urbanization and industrial pollutant emissions, and effectively helps to meet relative policy making.

In our previous study, we found that acute anterior uveitis (AAU) could be induced in wild-type mice (C3H/HeN), but it could not be induced in TLR4 gene-deficient mice (C3H/HeJ), we concluded that the translocation of transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) may play an important role. In this study, we examined the concentration of different cytokines in the aqueous humor of C3H/HeN mice and C3H/HeJ mice with the aim of exploring the role of different cytokines in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and TLR4-mediated signal transduction in the development of AAU.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate a possible role for demineralisation of the cervical region of human teeth in the development of non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs). Materials and methods Freshly extracted human premolars were demineralised and prepared for nanoindentation and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation. After 1 day or 2 days demineralisation in a solution of pH 4.5, specimens were embedded, cut and polished to 1 μm diamond paste. Nanoindentation was done at the cementum–enamel junction (CEJ) region with an interval of 30 μm, to develop mechanical properties maps. After the indentation, SEM with back-scatter detector was employed to observe the degree of demineralisation at the CEJ. Results After 1 day and 2 days demineralisation, the mechanical properties of enamel and dentine at the CEJ decreased by ∼50% and ∼90%, respectively. SEM images illustrate that artificial demineralisation generated typical demineralised zones in enamel near the CEJ. Moreover, 2 days demineralisation penetrated the sound enamel at the CEJ, and the dentine beneath was undermined. Conclusion and significance One day and 2 days demineralisation reduced the mechanical properties of teeth at the CEJ significantly. Demineralised enamel and dentine with low mechanical properties are prone to wear and abrasion. The findings of the investigation indicate that acid typical of that produced by dental plaque may compromise the mechanical properties of enamel and dentine at the CEJ to the extent that they would be susceptible to tooth brush abrasion, producing NCCLs.

We have used a yeast two-hybrid interaction assay to identify Chromator, a novel chromodomain containing protein that interacts directly with the putative spindle matrix protein Skeletor. Immunocytochemistry demonstrated that Chromator and Skeletor show extensive co-localization throughout the cell cycle. During interphase Chromator is localized on chromosomes to interband chromatin regions in a pattern that overlaps that of Skeletor. However, during mitosis both Chromator and Skeletor detach from the chromosomes and align together in a spindle-like structure. Deletion construct analysis in S2 cells showed that the COOH-terminal half of Chromator without the chromodomain was sufficient for both nuclear as well as spindle localization. Analysis of P-element mutations in the Chromator locus shows that Chromator is an essential protein. Furthermore, RNAi depletion of Chromator in S2 cells leads to abnormal microtubule spindle morphology and to chromosome segregation defects. These findings suggest that Chromator is a nuclear protein that plays a role in proper spindle dynamics during mitosis.

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Environmental contextIt is practicable to remediate chlorobenzene-contaminated groundwater by in situ chemical oxidation. This study shows highly efficient degradation of chlorobenzene by an Fe-based process in a wide range of pH values. The technology is feasible for the removal of chlorobenzene from aqueous solutions and is appropriate for remediation of groundwater. AbstractSodium percarbonate (SPC) could be applied as a strong oxidant to degrade organic compounds activated by transition metals. In this study, the degradation performance of chlorobenzene (CB) in the Fe2+-catalysed SPC system was investigated at different Fe2+ and SPC concentrations and pH conditions. Fe2+/Fe3+ conversion was also studied, and the SPC system was compared with the H2O2 and H2O2/Na2CO3 systems. Free radicals were identified through scavenging tests and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) experiments, and the reaction intermediates and by-products were determined as well. The results show that CB was completely removed when the molar concentration ratio of Fe2+/SPC/CB was 8 : 8 : 1 and that the decomposition of CB increased as the initial Fe2+/SPC dosage increased. The optimal molar concentration of Fe2+/SPC/CB was 2 : 1 : 1, and the degradation rate was inhibited when increasing or decreasing Fe2+ or SPC. CB degradation was not significantly affected by variation of initial pH, and the variation of pH during the degradation process corresponded well with the degree of Fe2+ to Fe3+ conversion and the formation of •OH. It was confirmed that •OH, O2•− and 1O2 participate in the degradation process. Moreover, not all the •OH takes part in the degradation process, as some transforms into O2•− and 1O2. The same degradation efficiency was obtained when replacing SPC by equal stoichiometric amounts of H2O2, compared with inhibition with the addition of Na2CO3. Further, a likely degradation pathway for CB is proposed based on the identified products. These results show that the Fe2+/SPC system can form the basis of a promising technology for the remediation of CB-contaminated groundwater.

Using monoclonal antibodies, we have identified two novel intermediate filament (IF) proteins, Gliarin and Macrolin, which are specifically expressed in the central nervous system of an invertebrate. The two proteins both contain the coiled-coil rod domain typical of the superfamily of IF proteins flanked by unique N- and C-terminal domains. Gliarin was found in all glial cells including macro- and microglial cells, whereas Macrolin was expressed in only a single pair of giant connective glial cells. The identification of Macrolin and Gliarin together with the characterization of the strictly neuronal IF protein Filarin in leech central nervous system demonstrate that multiple neuron- and glial-specific IFs are not unique to the vertebrate nervous system but are also found in invertebrates. Interestingly, phylogenetic analysis based on maximum parsimony indicated that the presence of neuron- and glial cell–specific IFs in coelomate protostomes as well as in vertebrates is not of monophyletic origin, but rather represents convergent evolution and appears to have arisen independently. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 40: 244–253, 1999

3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HAD, EC 1.1.1.35) is a homodimeric enzyme localized in the mitochondrial matrix, which catalyzes the third step in fatty acid β-oxidation. The crystal structures of human HAD and subsequent complexes with cofactor/substrate enabled better understanding of HAD catalytic mechanism. However, numerous human diseases were found related to mutations at HAD dimerization interface that is away from the catalytic pocket. The role of HAD dimerization in its catalytic activity needs to be elucidated. Here, we solved the crystal structure of Caenorhabditis elegans HAD (cHAD) that is highly conserved to human HAD. Even though the cHAD mutants (R204A, Y209A and R204A/Y209A) with attenuated interactions on the dimerization interface still maintain a dimerization form, their enzymatic activities significantly decrease compared to that of the wild type. Such reduced activities are in consistency with the reduced ratios of the catalytic intermediate formation. Further molecular dynamics simulations results reveal that the alteration of the dimerization interface will increase the fluctuation of a distal region (a.a. 60–80) that plays an important role in the substrate binding. The increased fluctuation decreases the stability of the catalytic intermediate formation, and therefore the enzymatic activity is attenuated. Our study reveals the molecular mechanism about the essential role of the HAD dimerization interface in its catalytic activity via allosteric effects.

Cellular respiration is the process that releases energy from food and supplies energy for life processes. The mitochondrial respiratory chain is the final and most important step for cellular respiration and is located on the inner membrane of mitochondrion and comprises four large trans-membrane protein complexes (respiratory chain Complexes I, II, III and IV) as well as ubiquinone between Complexes I/II and III and cytochrome c between Complexes III and IV. The function of mitochondrial respiratory chain is biological oxidation by transferring electrons from NADH and succinate to oxygen and then generating proton gradient across the inner membrane. Such proton gradient is utilized by ATP synthase (ATPase, also called as Complex V) to produce energy molecules ATP. Structural studies of mitochondrial respiratory membrane protein complexes are important to understand the mechanism of electron transfer and the redox-coupled proton translocation across the inner membrane. Here, according to the time line, we reviewed the great achievements on structural studies of mitochondrial respiratory complexes in the past twenty years as well as the recent research progresses on the structures of mitochondrial respiratory supra-complexes.

Purpose. To observe the expression of Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), and nuclear factor kappa B p65 (NF-κB p65) in iris tissue during endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) and evaluate the significance of these factors in uveitis.Methods. Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (0 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h, n = 10/group). Animal model of acute anterior uveitis was established by a hind footpad injection of 200 μgCholera vibrio LPS. Expression of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB p65 in iris ciliary body tissue was detected through immunohistochemical staining.Results. Expression of TLR4 was not detected in normal iris-ciliary body complex, TLR4 positive cells with round morphology appeared in the iris stroma 12 hours after injection, significantly increased(P<.001)48 hours after injection, and decreased gradually 72 hours after injection. Expression of MyD88 and NF-κB p65 is consistent with the change of the TLR4.Conclusions. The increased expression of TLR4 and its downstream signal transduction moleculesMyD88, NF-κB p65 indicate the potential role of pathway in the pathogenesis of acute anterior uveitis (AAU).

Tractin is a novel member of the Ig-superfamily which has a highly unusual structure. It contains six Ig domains, four FNIII-like domains, an acidic domain, 12 repeats of a novel proline- and glycine-rich motif with sequence similarity to collagen, a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular tail with an ankyrin and a PDZ domain binding motif. By generating domain-specific antibodies, we show that Tractin is proteolytically processed at two cleavage sites, one located in the third FNIII domain, and a second located just proximal to the transmembrane domain resulting in the formation of four fragments. The most NH(2)-terminal fragment which is glycosylated with the Lan3-2, Lan4-2, and Laz2-369 glycoepitopes is secreted, and we present evidence which supports a model in which the remaining fragments combine to form a secreted homodimer as well as a transmembrane heterodimer. The extracellular domain of the dimers is mostly made up of the collagen-like PG/YG-repeat domain but also contains 11/2 FNIII domain and the acidic domain. The collagen-like PG/YG-repeat domain could be selectively digested by collagenase and we show by yeast two-hybrid analysis that the intracellular domain of Tractin can interact with ankyrin. Thus, the transmembrane heterodimer of Tractin constitutes a novel protein domain configuration where sequence that has properties similar to that of extracellular matrix molecules is directly linked to the cytoskeleton through interactions with ankyrin.

Objectives To observe the protection and its mechanism of Qishenyiqi dripping pills on myocardial infarction. Methods 50 male SD rats were randomly divided into normal group, model control group, experimental model group, isosorbide dinitrate (ISD) group, Qishen Yiqi (QSYQ) group, 10 rats in each group. Establishment of myocardial infarction models and the model of myocardial infarction with the deficiency of Qi and blood stasis, respectively, with isosorbide dinitrate and Shenqi Yiqi Drop Pill intervention. Cardiac ejection fraction, myocardial infarction and myocardial tissue GSK-3β, TRL4, NF-κB, β-catenin protein and gene expression were observed. Results After NBT staining, myocardial tissue in the normal group were stained purple; there were large grey infarcted region in myocardial tissue of each model group. There were smaller gray infarction area than ISD group and QSYQ group. The ejection fraction (EF) in the model group, significantly lower than the normal group; Qishen Yiqi could improve cardiac function p Conclusions The effect of Qishen Yiqi Drop Pill on myocardial protection may be relate to regulation of TRL4/NF-κB, GSK-3β/β-Catenin pathway.