Search

The contamination of aquatic environments by heavy metals can have detrimental effects on fish, impacting their growth and overall health, including the regulation of antioxidant genes. An investigation was carried out to assess the distribution and habitat of Gymnocypris eckloni in the Yellow River basin. Simultaneously, heavy metal concentrations in its habitat and in selected locations within the upper Yellow River were measured. In an effort to explore the potential roles of specific genes in antioxidant responses, G. eckloni was exposed to low concentrations of copper (Cu2+) and lead (Pb2+) for varying durations (12, 24, and 48 hours). The mRNA levels of GeCu/Zn-SOD, GeMn-SOD, GeHsp90, and GeMT were quantified in the gills, kidneys, and liver through qRT-PCR. The findings suggest that the habitat of G. eckloni is generally safe; however, occasional exceedances of safety standards could pose a potential threat to its growth. Importantly, the expression of GeCu/Zn-SOD, GeMn-SOD, GeHsp90, and GeMT exhibited responses to the low concentrations of copper-induced and lead-induced stress. Notably, GeCu/Zn-SOD, GeMn-SOD, and GeMT demonstrated heightened sensitivity to lead compared to copper. Furthermore, the expression of these genes displayed tissue-specific responses under identical metal stress conditions. These results indicate that GeCu/Zn-SOD, GeMn-SOD, GeHsp90, and GeMT genes have the potential to serve as early, sensitive biomarkers for the detection of metal toxicity induced by Cu2+ and Pb2+. This study also provides valuable insights into the functioning of antioxidant genes under oxidative stress in fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article selects relevant data from 283 cities in China from 2000 to 2020 and verifies the impact of the establishment of free trade zones on human capital levels based on the asymptotic PSM-DID model. It is found that the establishment of FTZs can significantly contribute to the improvement of regional human capital levels, but the promotion effect has a certain lag. Finally, the article gives constructive suggestions based on the empirical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of pre‐maceration and pulp juice fermentation on physicochemical characteristics, organic acid composition, phenolic profiles, and sensory evaluation of raspberry cv. Qiufu wine obtained at the end of fermentation and 4 months of aging were investigated. Results showed hot pectinase maceration (50°C, 1.5 hr) significantly (p <.05) improved the extraction of the total flavanols, but it was intensified by pulp juice fermentation, which lead to continuous growth in turbidity during aging. However, cold pectinase maceration (10°C, 1.5 hr) significantly (p <.05) improved the extraction of ellagic acid, which was considered to be a good copigment factor for color intensity stability during aging. When the combination of cold pectinase maceration with pulp juice fermentation was used, the best result wine was observed with the highest total phenol content, highest sensory scores, and better stability. PCA analysis showed that a combination of pre‐maceration and fermentation was the more determining factor in defining the wine aging ability, which closely related to the proportion and chemical fate of phenolic compounds in raspberry wine. Practical application: As a deep processing product of the raspberry industry, raspberry wine possesses good development prospects. These results could conduce to the establishment of a proper way to produce raspberry wines with desirable quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To determine the level of critical cultural competence (CCC) among Chinese clinical nurses and explore its influencing factors. Background: Previous research has only focused on the theoretical model of CCC and the development of assessment tools; however, no large‐scale study has been conducted on the level of clinical nurses' CCC and its influencing factors. Method: Clinical nurses in 14 Level A tertiary hospitals (n = 3858) were surveyed using Almutairi's critical cultural competence scale (CCCS). Descriptive, univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results: The mean score of CCC was 4.44 (SD = 0.33). Critical empowerment (M = 4.85, SD = 0.58) and critical awareness (M = 3.57, SD = 0.99) had the highest and lowest scores, respectively. Female nurses, nurses in the nursing department and nurses with higher positions had higher CCC. Conclusion: The CCC of clinical nurses can be strengthened through targeted training, especially considering the fact that male and low‐ranking nurses who had the lower level of CCC work in different departments. Implications for Nursing Management: Hospital administrators should pay attention to the importance of culture and cultural differences among different countries or ethnic groups. Creating an equal and fair nursing environment and encouraging nurses to provide critical cultural nursing is important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Navigation plays an important role in the task execution of the micro-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarm. The Cooperative Navigation (CN) method that fuses the observation of onboard sensors and relative information between UAVs is a research hotspot. Aiming at the efficiency and accuracy problems of previous studies, this article proposes a hybrid-CN method for UAV swarm based on Factor Graph and Kalman filter. A global Factor Graph is used to combine Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and ranging information to provide position estimations for modifying the distributed Kalman filter; distributed Kalman filter is established on each UAV to fuse inertial information and optimized position estimation to modify the navigation states. In order to provide time-consistent GNSS position information for the Factor Graph, a time synchronization filter is designed. The proposed method is tested and verified using standard Monte Carlo simulations, simulation results show that it can provide a more precise and efficient CN solution than traditional CN methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]