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Based on the annual data of A-share listed companies in Shenzhen and Shanghai from 2018 to 2021, this paper empirically explores the impact of labor investment efficiency on investor attention and its mechanism of action, taking into account the nature of the companies. It is found that labor investment efficiency has a significant positive effect on investor attention, and this finding still holds after robustness tests using various methods. Also, based on the moderating role of stock return in the relationship between labor investment efficiency and investor attention, a model was developed and concluded that the higher the stock return, the stronger the role of labor investment efficiency in attracting investor attention. The research in this paper has implications for firms to attract investors' attention.

Company value is the focus of contemporary economic society, and what factors will affect it is also one of the key topics of research. Although scholars from various countries have carried out many studies on the influencing factors of enterprise value, there are still differences and no agreement has been reached. The pursuit of perfect quality, practical simplicity, family tradition in business, and never purposefully catering to trends are the elements that elevate Hermès to the pinnacle of luxury and give its exorbitant price a reasonable market value. The factors influencing the value of a business are extremely complex. Therefore, this study puts forward 10 hypotheses based on the comparative analysis of Hermes and its competitors, and takes 1259 A-share listed companies as samples to collect data, conduct empirical analysis on the data, and explore the influencing factors of enterprise value, in order to obtain a generally applicable conclusion. Research shows that solvency, especially short-term solvency, is one of the impact factors of company value, along with profitability, ownership concentration, R&D investment, the ratio of R&D investment to operating income, and the degree of market monopoly. Hence, it is suggested that enterprises should reasonably control the level of leverage, promote the awareness of innovation, improve profitability, and pay attention to the introduction of talent.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) refers to a widespread psychiatric disorder. Astrocytes play a pivotal role in regulating inflammation which is a well-acknowledged key component in depression pathogenesis. However, the effects of the neuroinflammation-inducing A1-like astrocytes on MDD are still unknown. TWIK-related K+ channel 1 (TREK-1) has been demonstrated to regulate the action of antidepressants. Nevertheless, its mechanisms and effects on A1-like astrocyte stimulation in MDD are not clear. Therefore, we conducted in vivo and in vitro experiments using TREK-1 specific inhibitor spadin. In vivo, rats were subjected to a 6-week chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) followed by spadin treatment. Behavioral tests were employed to surveil depressive-like behaviors. Hippocampal proteomic analysis was carried out with the purpose of identifying differentially expressed proteins after CUMS and spadin treatments. In vitro, astrocyte-conditioned medium and spadin were used to treat rat astrocyte cell line. The activated microglia, inflammatory factors, A1 astrocyte markers, and activated nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway were later analyzed using immunofluorescence, western blot, and RT-qPCR. Our findings indicated that blockage of TREK-1 reduced CUMS-induced depressive-like behavior in rats, inhibited the microglial stimulation, reduced inflammatory factor levels, and suppressed the activation of A1-like reactive astrocytes in the hippocampus. We also verified that the suppression of A1-like astrocytes by spadin necessitated the NF-κB pathway. According to the findings, blocking TREK-1 inhibited the activation of A1-like reactive astrocytes via the NF-κB signaling pathway in MDD. Our study preliminarily identifies a novel antidepressant mechanism of TREK-1 action and provides a therapeutic path for MDD.

Over the past years, computationally-intensive mobile applications, such as interactive games and augmented reality, have gained enormous popularity. This phenomenon has placed a serious burden on mobile devices with limited computation resources and constrained battery capacity. Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) is proposed to solve the problem by offloading part of the computation tasks from mobile devices to edge servers. The fundamental challenge in MEC is how to effectively select a subset of computation tasks to be offloaded so that the application requirements are satisfied and the total energy consumption is minimized. The existing Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) based offloading schemes focus on either non-real-time tasks or real-time tasks with soft deadlines. In addition, the existing schemes do not work well when the information of the system environment is not complete. In this paper, we propose an innovative DRL-based task offloading method, PDMO, which guarantees that the deadlines of real-time tasks are met even when the system environment is only partially observable. Our experimental results indicate that PDMO works well in partially observable environments. In addition, it outperforms the existing offloading schemes in terms of energy consumption, deadline miss number and completion rate of non-real-time tasks.

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash treated with toxicity metals holds enormous potential for constructure use to economize on resources and protect environment. To reach the goal, this study investigated the effects of sintering conditions on leaching characteristic of heavy metals for MSWI fly ash, especially Cr, Cr6+, Ag, and Ba, with orthogonal and Box-Benhnken design experiment, which considered grain size (D50=30, 45, and 60μm), fluxing agent (CaO=0, 2.5, and 5%), setting temperature (1000, 1050, and 1100℃), and setting time (120, 180, and 240min). The mechanism of immobilization for heavy metals was also discussed through the analyses of morphological characterizations, mineral phases, chemical composition and leaching values of metals. The results indicated that changing grain size and adding fluxing agent of CaO has positive influence on reducing the leaching of heavy metals compared with direct sintering. The leaching values of As, Pb, Cd, Cu, Ni, Zn, Mn, Hg, Be, Se and fluoride are not detected after sintering. Ideal sintered condition with desirability of 1.00 was predicted and optimized by Box-Benhnken response method in grain size of D50=30μm, fluxing agent of CaO=5%, setting temperature=1050℃, and setting time=180min, which immobilized Cr, Cr6+, Ag, and Ba lower than the limitation of standards. Actual experiment was consistent with numerical optimization. Furthermore, the model of leaching characteristic for heavy metals in MSWI fly ash was established to better explain the mechanism during sintering.

Background: Several studies have found that the prognostic nutritional index (PNI), controlling nutritional status (CONUT), and Glasgow Prognostic Scores (GPS) of patients with laryngeal cancer accurately predicts their prognosis. However, there is no consensus on the best assessment tool. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to confirm the predictive value of the three nutritional scoring systems for the prognosis of patients with laryngeal cancer. Methods: In this study, a cohort of 427 patients with laryngeal cancer visiting our hospital was analyzed respectively.PNI, CONUT, and GPS were calculated, and the relationship between these indicators and prognosis was examined. Results: The optimal cut-off levels for overall survival (OS) of laryngeal cancer patients determined by PNI, CONUT, and GPS were 45, 3, and 0, respectively. When patients were stratified based on these thresholds, OS and disease-free survival (DFS) were significantly decreased in the malnutrition group (all three p＜0.05).Laryngeal cancer patients' OS rates were significantly affected by the three scores, according to multivariate analysis. Conclusions: The three scoring methods had a high predictive value for the prognosis of patients with laryngeal cancer, with GPS having the strongest correlation with the prognosis of laryngeal cancer patients.

Invasive mucinous lung adenocarcinoma (IMA) is a subtype of lung adenocarcinoma with a strong invasive ability. IMA frequently carries "undruggable" KRAS mutations, highlighting the need for new molecular targets and therapies. Nuclear receptor HNF4α is abnormally enriched in IMA, but the potential of HNF4α to be a therapeutic target for IMA remains unknown. Here, we report that P2 promoter-driven HNF4α expression promotes IMA growth and metastasis. Mechanistically, HNF4α transactivated lncRNA BC200, which acted as a scaffold for mRNA binding protein FMR1. BC200 promoted the ability of FMR1 to bind and regulate stability of cancer-related mRNAs and HNF4α mRNA, forming a positive feedback circuit. Mycophenolic acid, the active metabolite of FDA-approved drug mycophenolate mofetil, was identified as an HNF4α antagonist exhibiting anti-IMA activities in vitro and in vivo. This study reveals the role of a HNF4α-BC200-FMR1–positive feedback loop in promoting mRNA stability during IMA progression and metastasis, providing a targeted therapeutic strategy for IMA. Significance: Growth and metastatic progression of invasive mucinous lung adenocarcinoma can be restricted by targeting HNF4α, a critical regulator of a BC200-FMR1-mRNA stability axis.

The carbon dioxide (CO

In this paper, the problem of adaptive static output feedback anti-disturbance quantized control is proposed for nonlinear systems with multi-source disturbances and unknown parameters. Using the output information, the disturbance observer and the adaptive law are constructed. An adaptive static output feedback anti-disturbance quantized controller is designed by combining with the estimated values of the disturbance and unknown parameters, in which a compensation term is introduced to eliminate the influence of quantization error. The stability and H∞ performance are analyzed by using Lyapunov function method. Finally, a simulation example is given to verify the validity of the results.

The CRISPR/Cas systems in prokaryotes such as bacteria and archaea are the adaptive immune system to prevent infection from viruses, phages, or other foreign substances. When viruses or phages first invade the bacteria, Cas proteins recognize and cut the DNA from viruses or phages into short fragments that will be integrated into the CRISPR array. Once bacteria are invaded again, the modified CRISPR and Cas proteins react quickly to cut DNA at the specified target location, protecting the host. Due to its high efficiency, versatility, and simplicity, the CRISPR/Cas system has become one of the most popular gene editing technologies. In this review, we briefly introduce the CRISPR/Cas systems, focus on several delivery methods including physical delivery, viral vector delivery, and non-viral vector delivery, and the applications of disease therapy. Finally, some problems in CRISPR/Cas9 technology have been proposed, such as the off-target effects, the efficiency of DNA repair mechanisms, and delivery of CRISPR/Cas system safely and efficiently to the target location.

Within the last decade, soft robotics has attracted an increasing attention from both academia and industry. Although multiple literature reviews of the whole soft robotics field have been conducted, there still appears to be a lack of systematic investigation of the intellectual structure and evolution of this field considering the increasing amount of publications. This paper conducts a scientometric review of the progressively synthesized network derived from 10,504 bibliographic records using a topic search on soft robotics from 2010 to 2021 based on the Web of Science (WoS) core database. The results are presented from both the general data analysis of included papers (e.g., relevant journals, citation, h-index, year, institution, country, disciplines) and the specific data analysis corresponding to main disciplines and topics, and more importantly, emerging trends. CiteSpace, a data visualization software, which can construct the co-citation network maps and provide citation bursts, is used to explore the intellectual structures and emerging trends of the soft robotics field. In addition, this paper offers a demonstration of an effective analytical method for evaluating enormous publication citation and co-citation data. Findings of this review can be used as a reference for future research in soft robotics and relevant topics.

Between 30% and 50% of survivors of cardiac arrest (CA) suffer from cognitive deficits. However, no effective medical intervention is available to alleviate cognitive deficits. Baclofen is known to protect damaged neurons, but researchers have still not clearly whether baclofen alleviates CA-induced cognitive deficits. The present study aimed to investigate whether baclofen protects against post-CA cognitive deficits and to reveal the protective mechanism of baclofen. Rats underwent 10 min of asphyxia to establish CA models. Intriguingly, our results indicated that baclofen improved spatial memory 72 h after CA. Baclofen increased plasticity-related protein (PSD95, and GAP43) expression in the brain after CA. Baclofen reduced microglial number and the release of inflammatory factors (IL-1β and IL-18). Furthermore, baclofen significantly reduced the expression of pyroptosis-related molecules after CA. Notably, activation of NLRP3 abolished the anti-pyroptosis effect of baclofen and reduced the expression of synaptic plasticity-related proteins after CA. Taken together, this study first shows that baclofen attenuates cognitive deficits induced by brain injury after CA. The mechanism is at least partially attributed to baclofen regulating pyroptosis by inhibition of NLRP3 activation.

Many diseases, such as stroke, arthritis, and spinal cord injury, can cause severe hand impairment. Treatment options for these patients are limited by expensive hand rehabilitation devices and dull treatment procedures. In this study, we present an inexpensive soft robotic glove for hand rehabilitation in virtual reality (VR). Fifteen inertial measurement units are placed on the glove for finger motion tracking, and a motor—tendon actuation system is mounted onto the arm and exerts forces on fingertips via finger-anchoring points, providing force feedback to fingers so that the users can feel the force of a virtual object. A static threshold correction and complementary filter are used to calculate the finger attitude angles, hence computing the postures of five fingers simultaneously. Both static and dynamic tests are performed to validate the accuracy of the finger-motion-tracking algorithm. A field-oriented-control-based angular closed-loop torque control algorithm is adopted to control the force applied to the fingers. It is found that each motor can provide a maximum force of 3.14 N within the tested current limit. Finally, we present an application of the haptic glove in a Unity-based VR interface to provide the operator with haptic feedback while squeezing a soft virtual ball.

In the development of modern science and technology, due to the small size, low cost, practical operation is very flexible, so the UAV has been fully used in environmental monitoring, geological survey, military exploration, agricultural plant protection and other fields. Among them, as one of the basic contents of UAV aerial photography research, moving target detection directly affects the quality and efficiency of UAV work. On the basis of understanding the research status of moving target detection methods, I choose random forest and kernel correlation filtering algorithms for experimental analysis, focusing on the application value of the algorithm in moving target detection. Finally, the experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is effective.

Soft robotic grippers can gently grasp and maneuver objects. However, they are difficult to model and control due to their highly deformable fingers and complex integration with robotic systems. This paper investigates the design requirements as well as the grasping capabilities and performance of a soft gripper system based on fluidic prestressed composite (FPC) fingers. An analytical model is constructed as follows: each finger is modeled using the chained composite model (CCM); strain energy and work done by pressure and loads are computed using polynomials with unknown coefficients; net energy is minimized using the Rayleigh–Ritz method to calculate the deflected equilibrium shapes of the finger as a function of pressure and loads; and coordinate transformation and gripper geometries are combined to analyze the grasping performance. The effects of prestrain, integration angle, and finger overlap on the grasping performance are examined through a parametric study. We also analyze gripping performance for cuboidal and spherical objects and show how the grasping force can be controlled by varying fluidic pressure. The quasi-static responses of fabricated actuators are measured under pressures and loads. It is shown that the actuators’ modeled responses agree with the experimental results. This work provides a framework for the theoretical analysis of soft robotic grippers and the methods presented can be extended to model grippers with different types of actuation.

Objective: Proposed regulation may establish nicotine standards in cigarettes to sub-addictive levels. In this study, we explore the association between nicotine perceptions and responses to a reduced nicotine policy scenario among current smokers. Methods: Data from a nationally representative sample of 18-54-year-old current tobacco users were collected in March-April 2018 (N = 1746). Current smokers (N = 854) were asked about nicotine-related health beliefs and nicotine addiction. Time to first cigarette (TTFC) was used to examine nicotine dependence. Adjusted and weighted logistic regression models examined these nicotine-related factors in association to support for a proposed government policy and related behavioral intentions. Results: Although 63% of survey participants accurately identified nicotine alone as the addiction cause, 49% incorrectly indicated that cancer and 56% indicated that increased health risk caused by cigarette smoking comes from nicotine. Smokers showed high support (72%) for a proposed low-nicotine policy. Greater misperception about nicotine harm was associated with greater odds (aOR = 1.66, p < .05) of policy support. Shorter TTFC was associated with greater intent to smoke low-nicotine cigarettes but was not associated with policy support. Conclusion: Evidence could inform health message development to address knowledge and misperceptions around nicotine when garnering public support for a low-nicotine policy.

Introduction Tobacco companies continue to reach youth through direct-to-consumer marketing, which has been associated with overall tobacco use. We examine how exposure to these marketing activities influences product-specific use behaviors. Methods We analyzed data from 10 081 youth (aged 12–18 years) who participated in Waves 1 and 2 (2013–2015) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. Participants reported past 6-month tobacco coupon receipt and online tobacco marketing engagement, and susceptibility to ever and current use of cigarette, e-cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and hookah. Weighted multivariable logistic regression examined Wave 1 predictors of coupon receipt at Wave 2, and associations between coupon receipt, online engagement, and past 30-day use of different tobacco products. Results Youth received tobacco coupons at one (9.7%) or both waves (1.2%) and 11.1% engaged with online tobacco marketing. Coupon receipt and online marketing engagement at Wave 1 predicted Wave 2 coupon receipt among susceptible-never, ever-but-not-current, and current tobacco users (p < .05). Coupon receipt and online engagement at Wave 1 was positively associated with past 30-day use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and hookah at Wave 2 (p < .05). The relationships were stronger for those who received coupons at both waves or engaged with more sources of online marketing. Conclusions Tobacco direct-to-consumer marketing is reaching youth. Repeated exposure to these marketing activities within and across media is associated with use of different tobacco products. New policies and strong enforcement of existing regulations prohibiting these illegal marketing tactics are critical to protect youth from future tobacco use. Implications Tobacco companies utilize coupons and online engagement activities to increase brand awareness, knowledge, and sales of their products. These kinds of marketing activities can be influential among youth at a time when they may develop tobacco use behaviors. Our findings suggest that tobacco companies may be targeting at-risk youth through cross-media marketing activities. The findings also indicate that exposure to these marketing activities predicts subsequent use of different tobacco products, with suggestive dose–response relationships. Increased regulations are needed to protect youth from these marketing activities.

Mental health problems like anxiety, depression, and substance use problems commonly co-occur with cigarette smoking and are linked to poor cessation outcomes. Although millions of smokers seek online quitting assistance each year, few studies have examined links between website utilization and cessation outcomes among smokers with mental health problems. This study recruited 600 smokers with anxiety, depression, and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) who were new users of a publicly available Internet cessation treatment. Among participants with 3-month outcome data (n = 247, 42%), structural equation models (SEM) examined the association of symptoms of anxiety/depression (combined) and AUD diagnosis on website engagement and 3-month quit rates, controlling for covariates. The 3-month 30-day abstinence rate among those who completed follow-up was 28%, but only 14% among smokers with an AUD and 24.7% among smokers with symptoms of anxiety/depression. SEM results showed that treatment engagement significantly mediated the effect of mental health problems on 3-month abstinence: those with symptoms of anxiety/depression or an AUD had lower quit rates overall, however engagement with the website had a buffering effect on 3-month cessation outcomes. Engagement with an evidence-based Internet cessation program may be particularly useful for smokers with mental health comorbidities in increasing the chances of cessation. Future work should examine what level of treatment engagement meaningfully impacts behavior change for smokers with mental health problems who access Internet cessation programs.

Stiff robots lead to high injury severity when there is an impact between a robot and an operator. Introducing controllable compliance into robotic links reduces the severity of impact and enables safe human-robot interaction. Layer jamming, airtight chamber, and shape morphing are effective variable-stiffness mechanisms. This paper proposes a hybrid jamming mechanism for safe human-robot interaction that combines the above three mechanisms to further improve stiffness changing performance. The hybrid jamming mechanism is composed of two thin sheets which can be multilayered and an air bladder is placed in between the two sheets; inflating the air bladder increases the curvature of the layers and the cross-section area, hence increasing the stiffness. System stiffness is further increased by increasing the pressure since all layers are compressed firmly. The concept is validated by quasi-static cantilever bending experiments. The measurements show that a maximum stiffness ratio of 66 can be achieved.

PhACs have attracted great attentions of researchers because of their potential ecological and healthy risks. However, their long-term pollution tendency study is very scarce. In this study, 32 target PhACs from surface water, wastewater treatment plants, fishponds and livestock farms were investigated in Wujin, a city located in the northeast of Tai Lake, using grab sampling. The occurrence, spatiotemporal distribution characteristics, potential sources, riverine flux and risk assessment were systematically analyzed. It was found that non-antibiotics were the mainly PhACs category in Wujin and CF, SMX were the predominant non-antibiotics and antibiotics, respectively. Besides, the average concentrations of total PhACs were 586.6 ng L−1 and 273.2 ng L−1 in 2018 and 2019, respectively. This improvement could be mainly attributed to the closure of fishponds and livestock farms. Moreover, CF/CBZ ratios which was considered as an indicator to trace untreated wastewater decrease significantly in 2019, and this was also a main reason for the improvement. Riverine flux could be calculated through arranging control sampling sites in the boundary and the net riverine inflow flux of PhACs in Wujin was 264.3 kg/a. Finally, CF, SMX, EM were evaluated as the high risk contaminants based on a comprehensive risk assessment method.

Introduction Flavored tobacco products (FTPs) are disproportionately used among young people and racial/ethnic minority populations. However, few studies have examined the retail distribution of such product marketing beyond menthol cigarettes. This study created geographic-based predictions about marketing of FTPs (overall, cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, and smokeless) in stores across Washington, DC neighborhoods. We examined neighborhood-level demographic correlates of the amount of FTP and non-FTP marketing. Methods We conducted photographic audits of interior and exterior tobacco marketing in 96 Washington, DC tobacco retailers visited by 149 young adult respondents between 2018–2019. We created a geographic predictive surface of overall and product-specific tobacco marketing and then estimated the average predicted amount of marketing at the census-tract level using zonal statistics. Using linear regression, we examined neighborhood demographic correlates (race/ethnicity, family poverty, and youth population under 18) of FTP and non-FTP marketing. Results The predicted amount of non-FTP ads/displays were evenly distributed with no neighborhood variability (Range 8.46–8.46). FTP marketing overall was geographically concentrated with greater range across neighborhoods (Range 6.27–16.77). Greater FTP marketing overall and flavored cigar marketing was available in neighborhoods with higher percentages of Black residents. Flavored cigar marketing was less available in neighborhoods with more Hispanic residents, but there was greater flavored smokeless tobacco marketing. Nonflavored marketing overall and by product did not vary across neighborhoods. Conclusions This study provides evidence of disproportionate distribution of FTP marketing in Black neighborhoods, especially for flavored cigars, at the point-of-sale. Policies that restrict the sale of FTPs may enhance health equity. Implications Tobacco marketing has frequently been shown to be more prevalent in neighborhoods with lower household income and more Black residents. Using geographic-based predictions, we find that greater flavored tobacco marketing in these neighborhoods, not decreased marketing for nonflavored tobacco, is driving this disparity. Targeting Black neighborhoods with increased marketing of flavored tobacco products, which has been found to be more appealing, easier to use, and harder to quit is a social justice issue.

BackgroundElectronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are a common tobacco product in the US. Despite lacking Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for cessation, e-cigarettes, including JUUL, a popular device, have been viewed by some as a potential tool for tobacco users seeking to quit combustible tobacco use. It is unknown how current and former smokers report using these products for cigarette smoking cessation.MethodsOnline surveys were collected from a probability-based panel of US adults aged 18–64, with an oversample of past 12-month JUUL users (n=3415). Weighted past 12-month and past 30-day use of popular e-cigarette brands were measured. Former smokers with a quit attempt in the past 4 years and current smokers with a quit attempt in the past 12 months were asked about methods for smoking cessation, including e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) use.ResultsAmong former smokers (n=157), 21.2% used e-cigarettes and/or NRTs to help them quit. Specifically, 2.2% used JUUL only, compared with 10.3% who used NRTs only, and 6.9% used other e-cigarettes only to quit. Among current smokers with a quit attempt (n=308), 24.0% used any product (NRT or e-cigarettes) to quit, and only 1.1% used JUUL only. Current smokers reported relatively low use of NRTs only (10.1%), other e-cigarettes only (5.6%) and other e-cigarettes and NRTs (5.1%).ConclusionsData suggest that few smokers in the US use e-cigarettes, and JUUL specifically, for cessation, and NRTs use is relatively low. All e-cigarettes should undergo FDA review to minimise recreational use and understand their cessation efficacy.

The extensive application of plastic in human life brings about microplastic (MP) pollution in the environment. Identifying the potential sources of MPs is necessary to diminish its pollution. In this study, the occurrence, composition and distribution of MPs in the influents and effluents from 9 domestic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), 5 industrial WWTPs, wastewater of 10 industrial plants, 4 livestock farms and 4 fish ponds in China were investigated. Water samples were enzymatically treated followed by digestion with hydrogen peroxide and density separation. MPs were characterized using micro-Raman spectroscopy and were categorized by shape, size and color. Results showed that MP abundance in the influents and effluents of domestic WWTPs was 18–890 and 6–26 n·L−1, respectively, with the removal efficiency ranging from 35 to 98%. The effluents of industrial WWTPs contained 6–12 n·L−1 and the levels of MPs in the wastewater of industrial plants, livestock farms and fish ponds were in the range of 8–23, 8–40 and 13–27 n·L−1, respectively. No significant differences of MP abundance were demonstrated among effluents or wastewater of different sources, indicating they all constitute sources of MP pollution. Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) made up almost 83% of the total MPs. Fragment and film were the most abundant shapes and the majority of MPs were smaller than 500 μm. Polymer type and shape in different sources did not vary statistically, however, there were slight differences among different sources concerning size and color of MPs. This study could fill MP data gaps regarding different sources, guide future monitoring work and policy making.

PM2.5 emissions from the transportation sector are a source of haze pollution in China, to which, however, less attention is paid by society. The decoupling relationships between PM2.5 emissions and economic growth from the transportation sector in the eastern, central, and western regions of China from 2010 to 2017 are analyzed by using the Tapio decoupling model. On this basis, in the transportation sector, socioeconomic factors influencing PM2.5 emissions and effective means of controlling PM2.5 emissions are studied by using a logarithmic mean Divisia index model. The results indicate that: (a) in China’s transportation sector, the decoupling relationships of the two aspects in the eastern, central, and western regions show an N-shaped trend, that is, the rate of change in PM2.5 emissions from the transportation sector gradually exceeds that of economic development. The strong decoupling changes into an expansive coupling in the eastern and central regions, while the strong decoupling becomes an expansive negative decoupling in the western region. (b) Economic growth and population growth mainly contribute to the increase of PM2.5 emissions. Improvements of the energy structure and a decrease in transport intensity are the main factors driving a reduction in PM2.5 emissions. (c) Due to regional differences in the ‘rebound effect’ and ‘technological effect’, technological progress has increased PM2.5 emissions from the transportation sector in the central region, while reduced such emissions in the eastern and western regions. This research provides targeted policy reference for regional governance of PM2.5 emissions from the transportation sector.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is known as a frequent type of primary cancer in the liver, and it is the third-most common cause of cancer-related death all over the world. However, the molecular mechanism in the progression of HCC is still unclear. The current study was designed to investigate the expression and function of microRNA-34a (miR-34a) in HCC. In HCC tissues and cells, the expression levels of miR-34a were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The association between the level of miR-34a and hexokinase (HK)-1 was also investigated via luciferase reporter assay. Cell viability and proliferation were detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and flow cytometry. To assess whether miR-34a can limit tumor growth in vivo, animal models and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay were used for examining the role of miR-34a on the development of HCC and cell apoptosis. The expression level of miR-34a was reduced in HCC samples and cells. The expression of miR-34a was associated with the viability and proliferation capacity of HCC cells, and miR-34a could inhibit HCC cells proliferation by inhibiting HK1. In the mouse model of HCC, volumes and weight of the tumors were significantly decreased by transfection with miR-34a mimic compared with the control group. Furthermore, miR-34a mimics could induce apoptosis in a greater proportion of cells compared with the control group. Taken together, the data may provide some novel insights into the molecular mechanism of miR-34a and HK1 in the progression of HCC. Thus, miR-34a/HK1 axis might be a novel promising therapeutic target for treating HCC.