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Rehabilitation is necessary for the recovery of patients with paralysis caused by stroke and muscle atrophy. Wearable electronics can provide feedback on physical training and facilitate healthcare. However, most existing wearable electronics are difficult to maintain a conformal skin‐device interface. Additionally, the use of non‐degradable electronic materials is associated with environmental risks. Herein, ionogels with biodegradation and shape‐memory properties as eco‐friendly and geometry‐adaptive wearable electronics for rehabilitation are proposed. The biodegradation is enabled by incorporating polycaprolactone segments into the ionogel matrix. Moreover, the ionogel‐based wearable electronics can be conformal to certain joints by shape programming, and provide stable and reproducible real‐time signals reflecting joint movements during long‐term rehabilitation training assisted by a robotic glove, facilitating carers to assess rehabilitation efficacy and choose an appropriate scheme. This study demonstrates the potential of biodegradable shape‐memory ionogels as green and adaptive wearable electronics for robot‐assisted rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that the dry/wet boundaries of land surface temperature fractional vegetation coverage (LSTfc) trapezoid framework vary linearly with vegetation coverage (fc). In this study, the theoretical end-members algorithm is modified to continuously estimate the dry/wet end-members under varying vegetation conditions, causing the theoretical dry/wet boundaries to become non-linear. The findings revealed that the non-linear dry/wet boundaries were generally below the conventional linear dry/wet boundaries. Furthermore, the non-linear boundary scheme adopted herein provided better performance in estimating the latent heat flux (LE) and vegetation latent heat flux fraction (LEv/LE) compared to the linear boundary scheme. The parametric schemes of aerodynamic and thermodynamic roughness length and the aerodynamic resistance were the major drivers that result in dry/wet boundaries characteristics being highly non-linear. This study enhanced the physical process description in the LST-fc trapezoid framework and improved the prediction accuracy of regional LE and its components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Doping of N is implemented into Pt 3 Cu to enhance OH* adsorption by tensile strain. • The lower barrier to activate CO* on Pt 3 CuN (111) should be attributed to the enhanced OH* adsorption strength. • The ionic bond between Cu and doped N is crucial to hinder Cu leaching as well as guarantee the superior structural stability of the Pt 3 CuN. • The doping of N brings new inspiration for design Pt based MOR catalysts with outstanding resilience ability to CO poisoning as well as high activity and durability. PtM catalysts have been considered one of the most promising candidates for methanol oxidation reaction in fuel cells, but still face problems with CO resilience and durability in practical applications. Here we demonstrate an N-doped Pt 3 Cu catalyst achieves excellent activity of 4.90 mA cm−2/1.94 A mg−1 Pt for methanol oxidation, which is 1.84/1.83 and 6.36/4.62 times that of Pt 3 Cu and commercial Pt/C, respectively. Furthermore, the Pt 3 CuN possesses the largest I f /I b ratio (1.68) and exhibits the lowest activity decay (68.4 %) during chronoamperometry test, which illustrates the boosting CO resilience and excellent durability. The DFT calculations reveal that a facility for water dissociation and OH* adsorption attributed to the doped N as well as improved corrosion resistance caused by the ionic bond of Cu-N endow Pt 3 CuN with superior CO resilience and durability. This work offers a new inspiration for the rational design of advanced electrocatalysts. The introduction of N to synthesize Pt 3 CuN Nanocatalysts for superior stability and CO-resilient towards methanol oxidation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Basic principles and affecting parameters of electrospinning process are overviewed. • Summary of application of electrospinning biohybrid technology. • Applications of electrospinning biohybrid technology targeting different pollutants. • Microbial selection, fabricating routes of electrospinning biohybrid composites. • Bioremediation capacity of electrospinning biohybrid technology in water treatment. • The actual state and future challenges of electrospinning biohybrid technology. With the rapid development of nanotechnology and additive manufacturing industries, electrospinning for the fabrication of high-performance nanofibers has attracted increasing attention. The rapid development of biohybrid environmental remediation technology has led to sustainable water treatment materials aimed at different pollutants and application scenarios. The coupling of biohybrid materials with electrospinning technology further addresses potential drawbacks of traditional biomaterials, such as low activity, poor diffusion, and loss of biological activity. In recent years, advanced techniques for constructing biohybrid fibers have been achieved through electrospinning methods such as fiber encapsulation, microtube encapsulation, and co-electrospinning, utilizing microbial cells (bacteria, algae, yeast, etc.). In this review, we firstly introduce the basic principle of electrospinning technology and parameters affecting spinning process. Then systematically analyze the microbial selection, material synthesis routes, and degradation efficiency of electrospinning biohybrid technology in water treatment processes targeting different pollutants, while assessing the application prospects or drawbacks of each case. Finally, we summarize and prospect the technical characteristics, current issues, and industrial prospects of electrospinning biohybrid technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A deep learning approach is proposed to remotely assess CTP in the Great Lakes. • The model reliably estimates CTP from MODIS and outperforms 7 other algorithms. • The near-surface CTP of the Great Lakes decreased significantly from 2002 to 2022. • Reduced cropland and improved basin ecosystems drive widespread CTP decrease. • Adapting the model to VIIRS enhances seamless CTP estimation at moderate-scale. Total phosphorus (TP) is non-optically active, thus TP concentration (CTP) estimation using remote sensing still exists grand challenge. This study developed a deep neural network model (DNN) for CTP estimation with synchronous in-situ measurements and MODIS-derived remote sensing reflectance (R rs) (N = 3916). Using DNN, the annual and intra-annual CTP spatial distributions of the Great Lakes since 2002 were reconstructed. Then, the reconstructions were correlated to nine potential factors, e.g., Chlorophyll-a, snowmelt, and cropland, to explain seasonal and long-term CTP variations. The results showed that DNN reliably estimated CTP from MODIS R rs , with R2, mean absolute error (MAE), root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and root mean squared logarithmic error (RMSLE) of 0.83, 1.05 μg/L, 2.95 μg/L, 9.92%, and 0.13 on the test set. The near-surface CTP in the Great Lakes decreased significantly (p < 0.05) during 2002 − 2022, primarily attributed to cropland reduction, coupled with improvements in basin natural ecosystems. The sensitivity analysis verified the model robustness when confronted with input feature changes < 35%. This result along with the marginal difference between CTP derived from two sensors (R2 = 0.76, MAE = 2.12 μg/L, RMSE = 2.51 μg/L, MAPE = 11.52%, RMSLE = 0.24) suggested the model transferability from MODIS to VIIRS. This transformation facilitated optimal usage of MODIS-related archive and enhanced the continuity of CTP estimation at moderate resolution. This study presents a practical method for spatiotemporal reconstruction of CTP using remote sensing, and contributes to better understandings of driving factors behind CTP variations in the Great Lakes. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coexistence of microplastics (MPs) and heavy metals in sediments has caused a potential threat to sediment biota. However, differences in the effects of MPs and heavy metals on microbes and plants in sediments under different sediment conditions remain unclear. Hence, we investigated the influence of polyethylene (PE) and polylactic acid (PLA) MPs on microbial community structure, Pb bioavailability, and wheatgrass traits under sequential incubation of sediments (i.e., flood, drainage, and planting stages). Results showed that the sediment enzyme activities presented a dose-dependent effect of MPs. Besides, 10 % PLA MPs significantly increased the F1 fractions in three stages by 11.13 %, 30.10 %, and 17.26 %, respectively, thus resulting in higher Pb mobility and biotoxicity. MPs altered sediment bacterial composition and structures, and bacterial community differences were evident in different incubation stages. Moreover, the co-exposure of PLA MPs and Pb significantly decreased the shoot length and total biomass of wheatgrass and correspondingly activated the antioxidant enzyme activity. Further correlation analysis demonstrated that community structure induced by MPs was mainly driven by sediment enzyme activity. This study contributes to elucidating the combined effects of MPs and heavy metals on sediment ecosystems under different sediment conditions. [Display omitted] • Effects on enzyme activities varied with MPs types and sediment conditions. • 10 % PLA MPs significantly increased the bioavailability of Pb in sediment. • MPs reduced the complexity and stability of bacterial co-occurrence networks. • Co-exposure PLA MPs and Pb exhibited stronger negative impact on wheatgrass growth. • The bacterial structures were mainly driven by sediment enzyme activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at designing Mg alloys with a significantly increased stiffness at elevated temperatures, we propose a high-precision multi-scale methodology to compute temperature-dependent elastic modulus of homogeneous multiphase alloys. The proposed method combines (i) first-principles calculations of temperature- and solid solubility-dependent elastic properties in individual phases with (ii) a two-level multiphase homogenization at the continuum level and (iii) a phenomenological thermodynamic modeling by the CALPHAD approach. According to the post-average approximation during the calculation, the stresses and strains of individual phases in the alloy are superimposed before undergoing the average approximation. This is different from the traditional method which consider forces as acting axially assumptions of isostrain and isostress model and followed by numerical averaging. We applied the proposed method in light-weight Mg-alloys, in particular, a three-phase alloy with the composition Mg 0.878 Al 0.083 Si 0.039 , and verified it through experimental measurements. The present work identifies that Mg x Al y Si 1- x - y with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.87 and 0 ≤ y ≤ 0.87- x are candidate compositions with Young's modulus exceeding 60 GPa at 623 K. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A core–shell QQ-encapsulated structure was prepared by a standardized method. • SIPN shell enables excellent biocontainment with physical and chemical stability. • The anti-biofouling and phosphorus removal were enhanced in QQ microcapsule MBR. • QQ microcapsule promoted the application of QQ media for anti-biofouling in MBR. Microbial quorum quenching (QQ) has been proven to be a sustainable anti-biological fouling strategy for membrane bioreactors (MBR), but the long-term stability and practical application in MBR were uncertain. We reported a novel semi-interpenetrating network (SIPN) hydrogels-based design of QQ bacteria (Rhodococcus sp. BH4) encapsulation for both biofouling control and enhancement of organic pollutants removal in MBR. The microcapsule included the alginate core, chitosan thin intermediate compartment and SIPN (sodium alginate / polyacrylamide) shell, which exhibited near-perfect biocontainment, including preventing detectable QQ bacteria escape and improving mechanical strength. The QQ-microcapsules in the MBR demonstrated its significant anti-biofouling effect for treating synthetic wastewater (i.e., membrane fouling was delayed by 233%-280% compared to the control MBR membrane). Meanwhile, the efficiency of phosphorus removal was developed in QQ-microcapsule MBR because of the enhanced phosphorus removal triggered by the flocculation of polyacrylamide (PAM) fraction in SIPN. This promising QQ media brings the broad potential for biofouling control and long-term efficient operation in actual MBR wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) accumulation in sediments has posed a huge threat to freshwater ecosystems. However, it is still unclear the effect of MPs on riparian sediment structures and contaminant adsorption under different hydrological processes. In this study, three concentrations of polyamide (PA) MPs-treated sediments (0.1%, 1%, and 10%, w/w) were subjected to natural (NA) exposure, dry-wet (DW) cycles, and freeze-thaw (FT) cycles. The results indicated that PA MPs-added sediment increased the micro-aggregates by 10.1%−18.6% after FT cycles, leading to a decrease in aggregate stability. The pH, OM, and DOC of sediments were significantly increased in DW and FT treatments. In addition, the increasing concentration of PA MPs showed an obvious decrease in aromaticity, humification, and molecular weight of sediment DOM in FT treatments. Also, high level of MPs was more likely to inhibit the formation of humic-like substances and tryptophan-like proteins. For DW and FT cycles, 0.1% and 1% PA MPs-treated sediments slightly increased the adsorption capacity of Cd(II), which may be ascribed to the aging of MPs. Further correlation analysis found that DW and FT altered the link between DOM indicators, and aggregate stability was directly related to the changes in sediment organic carbon. Our findings revealed the ecological risk of MPs accumulating in riparian sediments under typical hydrological processes. [Display omitted] • Macro-aggregate and aggregate stability significantly reduced by combined FT cycles and MPs. • DW and FT cycles showed an obvious increase in sediment properties. • The aromaticity and humification degree of DOM were significantly decreased in 10% MPs-treated sediment. • DW and FT cycles slightly increased the Cd(II) adsorption onto 0.1% and 1% MPs-treated sediments. • There was a relationship between aggregate stability and sediment organic carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic membranes were fabricated via vacuum assisted layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly of 0D-2D Bi 2 MoO 6 -g-C 3 N 4 on a PDA coated thin-film composite PVDF substrate by Schiff base reaction. The composite membrane possesss excellent photocatalytic activity under visible light. [Display omitted] A Self-cleaning surface can efficaciously solve the problem of irreversible contamination buildup on filtration membranes. Photocatalytic membranes were fabricated via vacuum assisted layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly of 0D-2D Bi 2 MoO 6 -g-C 3 N 4 on a PDA coated thin-film composite PVDF substrate by Schiff base reaction. The rejection rate of the simulated polysaccharide was more than 90%, and that of the simulated protein was more than 80%. The combination of the membrane and the photocatalyst promoted the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride by the composite membrane to 67.85% when original membranes had minor effect. Under visible light, reversible radiation pollutants (R r) gradually replaced irreversible pollutants (R ir) as the main pollutants. The flux recovery ratio (FRR) of 0D-2D Bi 2 MoO 6 -g-C 3 N 4 /PVDF membrane was 85% after being irradiated with visible light for 30 min. The flux recovery rate of contaminated photocatalytic membrane remained 75%, and the rejection was maintained in a stable range after four cycles of the cleaning operation under visible light. The results indicated that the excellent photocatalytic performance of 0D-2D Bi 2 MoO 6 -g-C 3 N 4 photocatalysis material and the increase of multi-dimensional functional layer morphology on pollutant contact area improved the mechanical stability, interception performance and self-cleaning performance of the composite membrane. This work not only builds a new type of composite coating membranes, but also help us to further understand the relationship between the dimensions of photocatalytic materials and the improvement of photocatalytic membrane performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a serious illness that develops suddenly, progresses rapidly, has a poor treatment response and a high mortality rate. Studies have found that circular RNAs (circRNA) play a critical role in several diseases, but their role in ALI remains unclear. The aim of this study was to identify circRNAs that are associated with ALI and investigate their potential molecular mechanisms. A comparison of lung circRNA and microRNA expression profiles in mice with ALI and controls was performed by RNA-sequencing. A bioinformatic analysis was conducted to identify differentially expressed (DE) RNAs, to construct competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks, and to analyze their function and pathways. Then, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was generated by the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes database, and hub genes were identified using Cytoscape. Furthermore, a key ceRNA subnetwork was constructed based on these hub genes. Overall, we found 239 DE circRNAs and 42 DE microRNAs in ALI mice compared to controls. Additionally, the molecular mechanism of ALI was further understood by building ceRNA networks based on these DE genes. ALI-induced circRNAs are mostly function in the inflammatory response and metabolic processes. Moreover, DE circRNAs are primarily involved in the nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. Seven hub genes were derived from the PPI network of 191 genes, followed by the construction of circRNA-miRNA-hub gene subnetworks. In this study, circRNA profiles are remarkably changed in mice with LPS-triggered ALI, and their potential contribution to the disease is revealed. • Differential expression of circRNAs involved in ALI and their interactions with miRNAs and mRNAs. • Bioinformatics pipeline to study circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulation network. • 7 hub genes (Ptpn6, Itga7, Bcl2l1, Tlr4, Vwf, Nfkb2, and Kdr). • 24 circRNA-6 miRNA- 7 hub genes interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An urban water body evaporation (E) model that considers anthropogenic heat flux is proposed; • E in the main urban area (E u) alleviates the urban heat island (UHI) effect, while E in the suburbs area (E s) aggravates the UHI effect; • The upward trend of E u is higher than E s during 1986–2015, indicating the mitigation capability of E to UHI effect is enhanced with urbanization; • The cooling effect of E to UHI mainly depends on the volume and size of the water body in the main urban area; • The mitigation of the urban UHI effect will benefit more from urban E under the future climate change. The urban heat island (UHI) effect is accelerated with urbanization and climate change, thus threatening human survival. The evaporation from water body (E) takes away energy through heat absorption process, thereby effectively play a role in temperature cooling and UHI effect alleviation. However, the response of UHI effect to urban E is still lacks study in the current UHI research. To address this issue, this work proposes a customized water body evaporation model in urban areas. The newly developed urban E model considers the contribution of anthropogenic heat flux (AHF) to the energy balance in urban areas. Meanwhile, AHF is also used to enhance the simulation of the water heat storage change (G) for urban water body. Validation results in two megacities in China indicate that the developed urban E model which considered AHF in the energy balance equation significantly improves the simulation performance of E in the main urban area (the root mean square error (RMSE) significantly decreased by 26.6 W/m2 compared with the original Penman formula for E in the main urban area (E u) simulation). The consideration of AHF in the G determination improves the simulation performance of E in the deep water body (the RMSE significantly decreased by 33.3 W/m2 compared to the AHF-Penman model that do not considering G for E simulation in deep water body). The developed urban E model is further used to evaluate the response of UHI to the E u and E in the suburban area (E s). It is found that E u effectively alleviates UHI, while E s aggravate UHI. Moreover, the cooling effect of E in the main urban areas (ΔT au) and suburbs (ΔT as) are increased with urbanization. The increasing rate of ΔT au is higher than ΔT as , indicate the contribution of evaporation cooling to the UHI alleviation is increased with urbanization. Further analysis demonstrate the urbanization process can explain approximately 90% of the enhanced ability of E to mitigate the UHI effect. Correlation analysis shows that the mitigation capability of E to UHI effect is mainly controlled by the volume and surface size of water body. Finally, future climate scenario-based urban E forecast confirms that ΔT au and ΔT as will continue to rise with climate change. The average increasing rate are 0.018 °C/year and 0.013 °C/year for ΔT au and ΔT as , respectively, under the three representative concentration pathways. The increasing rate of ΔT au is larger than ΔT as , suggesting the mitigation of the UHI effect will benefit more from urban E under the future climate change. Generally, our findings highlight that the mitigation of the UHI effect mainly benefits from E in the main urban area rather than E in the suburban area. This study gains insight into E in urban areas, including its algorithm, interaction with the UHI effect, and responses to urbanization and climate change. The results of this study provide a good scientific basis for urban landscape water planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Introduing N defects over g-C 3 N 4 significantly increased photocatalytic activity. • An IEF was built to further strengthened the transport of photoexcited carriers. • The excellent O 2 adsorption capacity promoted H 2 O 2 production via 2e− ORR. • A possible H 2 O 2 generation pathway formed via 1O 2 was proposed. The development of photocatalysts for the efficient generation of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) and degradation of antibiotic pollutants is a mutual-beneficial solution to the chemical resource demands and environmental remediation. Herein, efficient visible-light-driven H 2 O 2 production and antibiotic degradation are achieved by using nitrogen-deficient modified polymeric carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4) to facilitate the reduction of dioxygen. The N defects modified g-C 3 N 4 reached an excellent H 2 O 2 generation rate of 623.5 μmol g−1h−1 without O 2 bubbling. The structural features and entire photocatalytic conversion process were systematically studied via experiments and theoretical calculations. It was found that the N defects in the framework constructed a giant internal electric field (IEF), which effectively inhibited carrier recombination. Revealed the neglected H 2 O 2 production via 1O 2 pathway, which effectively promoting the selective 2e− oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). More interestingly, the N defects structure greatly improved the O 2 adsorption ability and O 2 production ability of the material, while inhibiting the in situ generated H 2 O 2 from being decomposed and maintaining high efficiency of H 2 O 2 production under air conditions. This study thoroughly revealed the synergistic effects of the terminal cyano group and nitrogen vacancies over g-C 3 N 4 for efficient H 2 O 2 photogeneration photosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel method of electrospinning was employed to enhance quorum quenching hydrogel. • QQ-ECHB performs excellent physical stability and environmental-tolerance. • Stable and long-lasting quorum quenching can be effected at low dosage of QQ-ECHB. • MBR biofouling greatly mitigated and extended service cycle with QQ media addition. Bacterial quorum quenching (QQ) is an effective strategy for controlling biofouling in membrane bioreactor (MBR) by interfering the releasing and degradation of signal molecules during quorum sensing (QS) process. However, due to the framework feature of QQ media, the maintenance of QQ activity and the restriction of mass transfer threshold, it has been difficult to design a more stable and better performing structure in a long period of time. In this research, electrospun fiber coated hydrogel QQ beads (QQ-ECHB) were fabricated by using electrospun nanofiber coated hydrogel to strengthen layers of QQ carriers for the first time. The robust porous PVDF 3D nanofiber membrane was coated on the surface of millimeter-scale QQ hydrogel beads. Biocompatible hydrogel entrapping quorum quenching bacteria (sp.BH4) was employed as the core of the QQ-ECHB. In MBR with the addition of QQ-ECHB, the time to reach transmembrane pressure (TMP) of 40 kPa was 4 times longer than conventional MBR. The robust coating and porous microstructure of QQ-ECHB contributed to keeping a lasting QQ activity and stable physical washing effect at a very low dosage (10g beads/5L MBR). Physical stability and environmental-tolerance tests also verified that the carrier can maintain the structural strength and keep the core bacteria stable when suffering long-term cyclic compression and great fluctuations in sewage quality. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) are able to interact with diverse contaminants in sediments. However, the impacts of MPs on sediment properties and bacterial community structure in heavy metal-contaminated sediments remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the adsorption of Pb(II) by sediment-MPs mixtures and the effects of different concentration MPs on sediment enzyme activities, DOM fractions, and Pb bioavailability in riverine sediments, and further explored the response of sediment microbial community to Pb in the presence of MPs. The results indicated that the addition of MPs significantly decreased the adsorption amount of Pb(II) by sediments, especially decreased by 12.6% at 10% MPs treatment. Besides, the changes in enzyme activities, DOM fractions exhibited dose-dependent effects of MPs. The higher level of MPs (5% and 10%) tends to transform Pb into more bioavailable fractions in sediments. Also, MPs amendment was observed to alter sediment bacterial community structures, and community differences were evident in the uncontaminated and lead-contaminated sediments. Therein, significant increase of Bacteroidota , Proteobacteria and decrease of Firmicutes abundance in Pb-contaminated sediment at the phylum level were observed. These findings are expected to provide comprehensive information for assessing the combined ecological risks of heavy metals and MPs in riverine sediments. [Display omitted] • The adsorption capacity of sediment for Pb(II) decreased with the content of MPs. • The changes in sediment enzyme activities and DOC structures varied with MPs concentration. • High doses of MPs increased the bioavailability of Pb in sediments. • MPs had a greater impact on bacterial community in Pb-contaminated sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The flux footprint and physical mechanism are integrated into the convolutional neural network model. • Coupled flux footprint is effective for enhancing the ET estimates in highly heterogeneous and variable wind direction regions. • Coupled physical mechanisms significantly improve the simulation capability of extreme ET events. • Urban ET presents a greater spatial variability with the lowest ET in impervious surface. • The decline in urban ET is due to the combined effect of the decrease in radiation and the increase in impervious surfaces. Estimating urban evapotranspiration (ET) is of great significance for urban water resource allocation and assessing the urban heat island effect. However, most current urban ET models are based on the energy balance theory to estimate urban ET. These models lead to significant errors in urban ET simulation due to the surface heterogeneity and the existence of anthropogenic heat fluxes in urban areas. To solve this issue, this study proposes a modified machine learning-based urban ET method that can estimate urban ET at the site and regional scales. To better characterize the heterogeneity of urban surfaces, the flux footprint of in-situ ET and physical mechanism of ET process are integrated into the convolutional neural network (CNN) model. The modified CNN model is tested in a fast-developing city: Shenzhen, China based on two Eddy Correlation (EC) observations. The verification results indicated that coupling flux footprint and physical mechanism into the CNN model could effectively improve the accuracy of urban ET simulation at the site scale. The modified CNN model significantly reduced the root-mean-square-error (RMSE) of 25.8 W/m2 and increased the determination coefficient (R2) of 0.17 compared to the CNN-O model (The CNN-O model is defined as the CNN model do not integrate flux footprint and physical mechanism of ET). Further analyses suggested that fusing flux footprint data into a machine learning model helps enhance ET estimation in regions with high heterogeneity and highly variable wind directions. Moreover, the integration of physical mechanisms significantly enhanced the model capability to simulate extreme ET events. The modified CNN model is further applied to map the spatial distribution of urban ET and reconstruct long-term urban ET changes. The spatial pattern of urban ET exhibited large spatial variability, where the urban ET in water bodies (mean λET larger than 480 W/m2) and vegetation-covered areas (mean λET larger than 260 W/m2) are substantially higher than the impervious surfaces (mean λET less than 30 W/m2). Long-term trend analyses demonstrated that urbanization resulted in decline in urban ET. The average decreasing rate of urban ET is 1.61 mm/yr (P < 0.05), with a 18 % decrease relative to the long-term ET average. The leading causes for the decline of urban ET are the increased impervious surfaces and the decreased radiation. This study improved the simulation accuracy of urban ET and revealed the response of urban ET to urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The BH4 immobilized media were prepared using nano-silica and silica beads as core reinforcements. • The inclusion of two types of silicon in the beads ensured they were ready for prolonged use. • The application of two quorum quenching media effectively mitigated MBR biofouling. Quorum quenching (QQ) is a strategy to alleviate membrane biofouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs). As a stable inorganic material with a large specific surface area, silica is often used to prepare of microbial immobilization composites. This study selected two different sizes of silica materials (silica beads and Nano-silica) to make the core encapsulate a QQ bacterial strain (Rhodococcus sp. BH4). The compressive strength and stability under extreme environments were characterized, and the positive effect of silica on QQ beads was verified. The results showed that both QQ beads could resist the impact of high pressure, acid, alkali, salt and EDTA buffer. It was proved that they have the potential to quench effectively continuously. Both beads were still more than 70 % QQ activity after five months of use. In the lab-scale continuous MBR experiment, the time of transmembrane pressure (TMP) reaching 50 kPa in both experimental groups was more than 3 times that in the blank group. The TMP contamination time was extended from 5 to 6 days in the blank group to 18–19 days. Among them, silica beads greatly improve the compressive strength of the beads, and also have a better performance in QQ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• E i reaches its peak on the following 1–2 days after a rainy event, then gradually decreases to 0. • E i account for 11–14 % of the total ET during the rainy period. • E i from concrete surfaces can be sustained for a longer time due to higher heat storage capability. • Gravel has the highest spatially average E i value due to its higher water retention capability. • E i improve the turbulent transport efficiency of latent heat flux in urban area. Urban evapotranspiration is an important component linking the urban hydrological cycle and energy balance. Previous studies on urban evapotranspiration (ET) mainly focused on evaporation from the soil, vegetation, and water surfaces. However, the urban E i process was overlooked mainly due to its low amount. In this study, the urban E i was determined by eddy correlation (EC) observations combined with a flux footprint model and urban land use information for two urban EC sites. The evaluation of flux data quality indicated that more than 76 % of observed flux data can be used for E i analysis at the two stations during rainy periods. The daily urban E i exhibited high intermittent temporal patterns. The E i value was 0 during the non-rainy period and peaked on the following 1–2 days after the rainy event, then gradually decreased to 0. The average daily E i accounted for 11–14 % of the total ET for the two EC stations during the rainy period. Further analysis indicated that urban E i significantly altered the urban energy balance and turbulent transport processes. The urban E i reduced sensible heat flux (H) and Bowen ratio (BR) during the rainfall period, thereby playing a vital role in mitigating urban heat land effect. Moreover, urban E i improved the turbulent transport efficiency of latent heat flux (r wq) and restored turbulent transport similarity in an urban area. The temporal characteristics of urban E i exhibited a large discrepancy among different impervious surface materials, which mainly depend on the water retention and thermodynamic properties of the impervious surface. Gravel had the best water retention capability and resulted in the highest spatially averaged E i , while the concrete surface had the best thermal storage capability and resulted in the longest duration time of E i. The spatial average of urban E i and its duration time were positively correlated with the water retention and heat storage capabilities of impervious surface materials. This study gained insight into urban E i , including its determination method, temporal characteristics, controlling factors, and impacts of urban E i on the regional energy balance and turbulent transport process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the mass production and daily use of plastic products, the potential toxicity of microplastics to the water environment has attracted worldwide attention. In this work, the effect of typical microplastics (PET) on the performance of activated sludge from membrane bioreactors (MBR) was evaluated. The impacts on biological removal efficiency were unconspicuous with continuous dosing of 60 particles/L. However, further investigations revealed that PET particle accumulation caused adverse impacts on settleability and dewaterability. The SVI value increased from 53.3 ml/g MLSS to 69.9 ml/g MLSS and the CST in the PET reactor increased by 22%. Nevertheless, hydrophobicity was reduced by 49.2%. Mechanism studies exposed that the PET microplastics accumulation improved extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from 116.96 mg/L to 138.70 mg/L and caused cell membrane damage. The abundance and diversity of microbial community reduced in activated sludge in PET reactor compared with control reactor. These phenomena revealed a possible hypothesis that the microplastic particles increased EPS and cytotoxicity of activated sludge. However, the rate of transmembrane pressure (TMP) build-up was significantly mitigated in PET-MBR compared to that in a control-MBR (1.27 folds), which attributes that physical scour of particles may still alleviate membrane contamination in MBR. • Membrane biofouling was alleviated due to physical scouring of PET particles. • The physicochemical properties of sludge were changed after long-term PET exposure. • Accumulation of PET particles caused EPS secretion and cell membrane damage. • Long-term exposure to PET changed the microbial community of MBR system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A competitive smartphone-based portable electrochemical aptamer sensing system was developed for MC-LR detection. The platform was composed with a smartphone-controlled portable electrochemical system, a smartphone with custom application and a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE). The portable electrochemical system consisted a homemade ARM STM32 with chronoamperometry (CA), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) modules that had a similar performance to commercial electrochemical workstations. The control of the portable electrochemical system, reception and visualization of the assay results were implemented by a smartphone. SPCE was modified by in situ electrodeposition with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Subsequently, the aptamer was incubated onto the SPCE through Au-S bonds. The complementary DNA labeled with methylene blue (cDNA-MB) was conjugated onto the surface of MXene to form the probe for signal amplification. The competitive aptasensor was accomplished when the probe was complemented with the aptamer. The fabricated system exhibited the outstanding capability for the determination of MC-LR over a range of 0.0001–5 nM with a limit of detection of 4 × 10−5 nM. Furthermore, the system demonstrated acceptable stability, reproducibility, specificity and high recovery rate. The smartphone-based competitive aptasensor system exhibited the merits of portability, low-cost and fast-response to satisfy the demand for on-site detection of MC-LR. [Display omitted] • A portable smartphone-based competitive electrochemical aptasensor was developed for MC-LR determination. • A multifunctional portable electrochemical system was developed for CA, CV and SWV measurement. • Mxene/cDNA-MB was applied as a probe for signal enhancement. • The portable system exhibited the detection limit of 4 × 10-5 nM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North China Craton is one of the oldest continental nuclei in the world. However, extreme lithospheric modification has occurred since the Mesozoic, of which the most typical area is the Yanshan orogenic belt. In this research, a 3-D lithospheric electrical structure beneath the Yanshan belt and adjacent areas was obtained using magnetotelluric array data, which reveals the regional heterogeneity. Notably, the crust and upper mantle (< 100 km) within the Yanshan belt, especially in its southern part, are characterized by high resistivity (> 1000 Ωm). These features are interpreted to be a relic cratonic lithosphere mainly composed of highly depleted olivine. A lithosphere-scale relatively high-conductivity zone (~ 100 Ωm, near EW-trending), which roughly lies beneath the Miyun-Xifengkou-Qinglong fault coincides with the boundary of Archean greenstone belt and also the Mesozoic granitic zone, probably indicating a reactivated Precambrian lithospheric weak/shear zone within Yanshan belt. In contrast, the lower crust and upper mantle of the Bohai Bay basin show large areas of high conductivity, which may result from the modification of the crust and mantle by the upwelled asthenospheric materials. Additionally, the epicenters of several historic destructive earthquakes, including the 1976 Tangshan earthquake (M7.8), are mainly located near the high- and low-resistivity boundary at the conjunction of the Yanshan belt and the Bohai Bay basin. The fragmentation of brittle crustal rocks mainly happened in where the tectonic stresses concentrated, which might result from the rheological difference between the high-resistivity ancient and the high-conductivity modified lithosphere. In these places, intense seismicity would be induced. • Resistive block beneath Southern Yanshan indicates relic cratonic lithosphere. • A high-conductivity lithospheric week/shear zone beneath Northern Yanshan. • Conductive zone reveals large-scale lithospheric destruction of Bohai Bay basin. • Earthquakes are mainly distributed along the high-/low-conductivity boundary. • Different degrees of lithospheric destruction beneath Yanshan and Bohai Bay basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the adsorption behavior of Pb(II) on natural-aged and virgin microplastics in different electrolyte solutions was investigated. The results demonstrated that natural-aged microplastics exhibited higher adsorption capacity for Pb(II) compared to virgin ones, and the addition of CaCl 2 strongly inhibited the adsorption amount of Pb(II). The adsorption kinetics of Pb(II) adsorption were better fitted by the pseudo-second order model and Elovich equation, and were slowed down greatly at higher ionic strength. The rate-limiting steps of adsorption process were dominated by intra-particle diffusion. The adsorption isotherm of Pb(II) onto microplastics affected by salt ions can be well described by Freundlich model, the greater adsorption efficiency of natural-aged microplastics proved that adsorption process was multilayer and heterogeneous. In addition, pH significantly influenced the adsorption of Pb(II) due to the changes electrostatic interactions. The effect of fulvic acid in the electrolyte solutions was also revealed and attributed to the complexation with Na+ and Ca2+. Furthermore, the higher pH and ionic strength in different environmental water dramatically decreased adsorption capacity onto microplastics. Finally, it's confirmed that the adsorption mechanisms affected by salt ions mainly involve electrostatic interaction, surface complexation, and ionic exchange. These findings indicate that salt ions exert an important influence on the adsorption of heavy metals for MPs, which should be further concerned. [Display omitted] • The adsorption capacity of Pb(II) on natural-aged microplastics was higher than virgin ones. • Divalent Ca2+ markedly inhibited the sorption of Pb(II) compared to monovalent Na+. • The pH and fulvic acid affected the Pb(II) sorption in different electrolyte solutions. • Competition and complexation interactions played great roles in the adsorption process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is a star biodegradable polymer widely studied and applied in the biomedical field. Improving the acidic microenvironment caused by its degradation products and regulating its degradation behavior are still urgent scientific and technological problems to be solved. In this study, to regulate the degradation behaviors of PLGA and improve its bioactivity, hydroxyapatite (HA) and magnesium oxide (MgO) were incorporated into PLGA substrate in different proportions and a series of 3D-printing PLGA/HA/MgO (PHM) composite porous scaffolds were prepared. Then the physicochemical properties, degradation behaviors, in vitro and in vivo biological performance of fabricated scaffolds were systematically studied. The in vitro experimental results showed that PHM composite scaffolds exhibited hydrophilic and mechanical properties similar to natural bone, the presence of MgO could effectively neutralize the acidic environment, and promote bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. The in vivo osteogenic experiments demonstrated that the PHM5 (25 wt% HA, 5 wt% MgO) scaffold could reduce the inflammatory response and promote new bone formation. This study provides a new idea for the regulation of the degradation behavior and the improvement of osteogenic properties of PLGA-based biomaterials. The prepared 3D-printed PHM5 scaffold shows great application potential in the bone repair field. [Display omitted] • PLGA/HA/MgO composite porous scaffolds were successfully prepared by 3D-printing. • MgO could effectively neutralize the acidic environment caused by PLGA degradation. • PLGA/HA/MgO scaffold could reduce inflammatory response and promote osteogenesis. • 3D-printed PLGA/HA/MgO scaffolds have great application potential in bone repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser additive manufacturing (LAM) provides an opportunity for the in-situ preparation of high-performance ceramic particle-reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs) with complex shapes. 316L stainless steel has excellent corrosion resistance but suffers from low strength and poor wear resistance, limiting its wide application. Here, laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of SiC-reinforced 316L metallic matrix composites (MMCs) for obtaining better mechanical and corrosion properties were investigated, and the role of SiC contents on the microstructures and properties were discussed in detail. Besides, the post heat treatment was conducted to further improve the mechanical properties of MMCs. The micron-sized SiC is refined to the nano-level, together with the formation of many dislocations in the matrix during the LPBF process. The addition of SiC significantly improves the strength of 316L, with the highest tensile strength up to 1.3 GPa. The 6 vol% SiC-reinforced MMC reaches a tensile strength of 1069 MPa and an elongation of 9% while keeping a similar corrosion resistance with 316L. The heat treatment achieves a better strength-ductility in the 6 vol% SiC-reinforced MMCs, in which the tensile strength is slightly reduced to 900 MPa, but the elongation increased significantly to 18.4% due to the release of residual stress and reduction of dislocation density. In addition, the underlying strengthening mechanism and corrosion behaviour are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A four-source energy balance model for estimation of urban evapotranspiration (ET) is proposed. • Urban ET, soil evaporation (E), and vegetation transpiration (T) exhibited a declining trend with the urbanization. • The decline in the urban ET, E and T can be explained by changes in urban land use. • The urban heat island effect is due to the different evaporative cooling effects in urban versus suburban areas. Urbanization substantially changes many aspects including the regional hydrological cycle, energy balance, and microclimate. However, the degree to which urbanization alters urban evapotranspiration (ET) and its components (soil evaporation (E), vegetation transpiration (T), impervious surface evaporation (I) and water body evaporation (W)) remains unclear. A significant obstacle is the absence of a multi-source energy balance model for an urban area. To solve this issue, a customized four-source energy balance model for urban areas (FSU model) is proposed that differentiates between urban E, T, W, and I. The performance of the FSU model was verified using the eddy correlation (EC), stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope observations in a mega city: Tianjin, China. Long-term urban ET and its composition changes were reconstructed using the Landsat image during the period of 1986–2021 in Tianjin. Trend analyses demonstrate that urban ET, E, and T exhibit significant decreases of trend, while urban W, sensible heat flux (H), and Bowen ratio (BR) exhibit significant increases in trends with urbanization. Urban ET decreased at a rate of 1.41 mm/yr, corresponding to a ∼ 13% decrease below the long-term mean value of total urban ET during the period 1986–2021. Correlation analyses revealed a declining trend of urban ET, E, and T primarily caused by urban land use changes, while the increasing trends of urban W, H, and BR were mainly due to the urban microclimate changes. The proposed FSU model aids in assessment of the urban heat island (UHI) effect and facilitates scientific water resources management in urban areas. This research improves the in-depth understanding of the impact of urbanization on urban ET and its components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture practices, such as fertilization and cultivation, inevitably modify the soil ecological environment by altering the soil microbial community structure and the nitrogen (N) metabolism processes. The influences of rainfall combined with agriculture practices on microbial community structure and soil N metabolism were not well understood. It is important to investigate the combined effects of rainfall and agriculture practices on the soil N metabolism in varied soil layers for better agriculture management. In this paper, the effects of fertilization, cultivation as well as rainfall on N metabolism related microorganisms and key functional genes at various depths in a vegetable field were investigated. Results showed that Soil microbial community structure of 30 cm depth is more sensitive to soil properties change. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria (NFB) was promoted (from 0.07% to 1.43%) after fertilization, and cultivation shifted the dominance of NFB from Ensifer to Bacillus in 20–30 cm soil layer. Denitrifier Pseudomonas in 20 cm (from 0.93 to 5.01%) and comammox Nitrospira in 30 cm (from 3.3% to 3.82%) were promoted after rainfall. Soil C/N is a major determinant of soil N metabolism-related microorganisms. Fertilization before rainfall and cultivation at 30 cm is recommended. The findings in this paper could provide the scientific basis for better agriculture management practices. • Cultivation changed the genus of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in 20–30 cm soil layer. • Pseudomonas in 20 cm and Nitrospira in 30 cm were promoted after rainfall. • Rainfall had a great influence on the microbial communities across each soil layer. • Soil C/N is a major determinant of soil nitrogen metabolism-related microorganisms. • N fertilization before rainfall and agricultural activity is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A satellite-based urban three-source evapotranspiration (ET) model is developed. • A complementary relationship-based parameterization scheme for estimation of soil evaporation is proposed. • Three-source remote sensing model for urban areas outperformed the existing single-source urban ET models. Estimation of urban evapotranspiration (ET) is meaningful for evaluating the urban heat island effect and promoting urban water conservation. While multi-source satellite-based ET models for farmland and natural ecosystems have been developed, these models lack the object-oriented solutions for the urban areas. In view of this, the present study proposed a Three-source Remote sensing model for Urban areas (TRU) to simulate the urban ET, which can discriminate between urban soil evaporation, vegetation transpiration, and impervious surface evaporation. The new parameterization scheme proposed herein is characterized by the theory of complementary relationship to estimate the urban soil evaporation. Evaporation losses in the impervious areas were independently estimated in accordance with the distribution of urban land use and land cover (LULC). The developed TRU model was evaluated for 63 cloud-free test days in Tianjin, China by using 30 m Landsat Operational Land Imager (OLI)/Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) images. The outcomes of this study revealed a root-mean-square-error (RMSE) of 40.2 W/m2 and a bias of 10.8 W/m2 compared with the two eddy correlation (EC) observations for the instantaneous latent heat flux (LE) simulation. Moreover, the RMSE and bias were 0.092 and −0.023, respectively in simulating the vegetation latent heat flux fraction (LE v /LE) when verified with respect to the stable water isotope measurements. Due to limited water availability, the impervious urban surface evaporation magnitude was found quite low with minimal variation on different test days. The results emphasize the importance of coupling LULC information in the urban ET modeling conceptualization. Certainly, the TRU model improved the ET simulation accuracy in urban areas and could facilitate the mapping of urban ET components at high spatial resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A physics constrained deep learning model for simulation of evapotranspiration was developed. • A revised Penman-Monteith formula based on the exponential Clausius-Clapeyron relationship was proposed. • The revised Penman-Monteith formula was coupled with the loss function of the deep learning model. • The hybrid deep learning model exhibited strong generalization potential. • The global evapotranspiration distribution was mapped using the hybrid deep learning model. Evapotranspiration (ET) estimation models can be broadly classified as statistical or physical process based models. However, assuming the limitation of individual approaches, the integration of these two approaches has become a challenging task for ET simulation under varying surface and climatic conditions. To address this issue, a revised Penman-Monteith (PM) formula that uses a non-linear exponential Clausius-Clapeyron relationship was proposed in this study. The improved PM formula was further coupled into the loss function of the deep learning (DL) model, and subsequently, a hybrid DL model was formulated. The hybrid DL model with improved physical conceptualization considered the constraints of surface energy balance and turbulent diffusion processes in the ET simulation. The performance of the hybrid DL model was verified at 212 flux sites from the FLUXNET that contain ten types of underlying surfaces across the globe. The results revealed that as compared to the original DL model, the hybrid DL model improved the predictive capability of ET. The average root-mean-square-error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage difference (MAPD) reduced by 12.1 W/m2 and 5.7%, respectively for latent heat flux (LE) simulation. Furthermore, the hybrid DL model also performed better than the original DL model in predicting the extreme events (such as ET under drought and heatwave conditions) which justifying its improved generalization capability. Sensitivity analysis outcomes showed that the vegetation parameters highest influence for ET simulations at the 212 flux sites, followed by soil parameters and meteorological parameters. The hybrid DL model was further applied to map the inter-seasonal distribution of global ET across twelve months of the year 2015 with five global ET products as the benchmark. Certainly, this research achieved the seamless integration of machine learning-based ET model and physical mechanism-based ET model and provided a new dimension for ET simulation. The hybrid DL model could be adopted to generate continuous ET datasets across regional and global scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bacteria (including pathogenic bacteria) attached to road deposited sediments (RDS) may interrelate with the microbe in the atmosphere, soil and water through resuspension and wash-off, and is of great significance to human and ecological health. However, the characteristics of bacterial communities with different time scale on RDS were unknown to dates. Climate change prolonged the dry days between rain events in many areas, making the varied trend of bacterial communities might be more significant in short term. This study revealed the characteristics of bacterial communities on RDS in urban and suburban areas through seasonal and daily scale. The correlations between other factors (land use, particle size, and chemical components) and the bacterial communities were also analyzed. It was found that the season showed a higher association with the bacterial community diversity than land use and particle size in urban areas. The bacterial community diversity increased substantially throughout the short-term study period (41 days) and the variation of dominant bacteria could be fitted by quadratic function in suburbs. In addition, urbanization notably increased the bacterial community diversity, while the potential pathogenic bacteria were more abundant in the suburban areas, coarse RDS (>75 μm), and in spring. The chemical components on RDS showed special correlations with the relative abundance of dominant bacteria. The research findings would fill the knowledge gap on RDS bacterial communities and be helpful for the future research on the assembly process of bacterial communities. [Display omitted] • Season had a higher association with bacterial community diversity. • Bacterial diversity increased and was fitted by quadratic function at daily scale. • Urbanization notably increased the bacterial diversity on RDS. • Pathogenic bacteria were abundant in suburbs, coarse particles and spring. • Chemical components showed special correlations with dominant bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Different end-members affect the latent heat flux (LE) simulation. • End-member types do not shift the vegetation latent heat fraction (LE v /LE) simulation. • Different end-members do not shift the spatial patterns of LE and LE v /LE. • Actual end-members method (AEM) is highly unreliable. • Theoretical end-members estimation through the Zhang's method (TEM-Z) is recommended. Land surface temperature-fractional vegetation coverage (LST-f c) trapezoid framework based models have been widely developed, applied, and verified to estimate regional latent heat flux (LE) and its partitioning process. The basis of operating these models lies in the determination of end-members within the LST-f c trapezoid. However, the knowledge of how the end-members affect the LE and ratio of vegetation latent heat flux (LE v) to latent heat flux (LE v /LE) estimation is lacking in the literature. In this study, three widely used end-members determination methods, viz., determination of actual end-members within the scatter plot of LST-f c (AEM), determination of theoretical end-members through the Zhang's method (Zhang et al., 2005, TEM-Z), and determination of theoretical end-members through Long's method (Long and Singh. 2012b, TEM-L) were inter-compared. The outcome of this study was verified at the 11 Eddy Correlation (EC) observation stations for the 183 test days during 2015 using the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products, revealing that different end-members combinations greatly alter the LE simulation. However, tuning of end-members do not shift the LE v /LE estimates, and spatial patterns of the LE and LE v /LE remained unchanged. Moreover, the performance of TEM-Z is better than the AEM, while the TEM-L provide relatively unstable performance during the 183 test days. Conclusively, this study endorses to adopt the TEM-Z method to determine the end-members. This study provides a clear understanding of the effect of different end-members to LE and LE v /LE simulation within the LST-f c trapezoid framework, and gives a clear insight for model selection, operation, and subsequent, guidelines for model improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) have recently attracted much attention due to their widespread distribution in the aquatic environment. Microplastics can act as a vector of heavy metals in the aquatic environment, causing a potential threat to aquatic organisms and human health. This review mainly summarized the occurrence of microplastics in the aquatic environment and their interaction with heavy metals. Then, we considered the adsorption mechanisms of MPs and heavy metals, and further critically discussed the effects of microplastics properties and environmental factors (e.g., pH, DOM, and salinity) on the adsorption of heavy metals. Finally, the potential risks of combined exposure of MPs and heavy metals to aquatic biota were briefly evaluated. This work aims to provide a theoretical summary of the interaction between MPs and heavy metals, and is expected to serve as a reference for the accurate assessment of their potential risks in future studies. • Microplastics serve as vectors of heavy metals in the aquatic environment. • The possible mechanisms of heavy metal adsorption by microplastics are complex. • Microplastics properties and environmental factors affect heavy metal adsorption. • Co-exposure of microplastics and heavy metals may have different effects on aquatic biota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An in-situ etching method is developed to construct Sn-BiOBr/BiOIO 3 heterojunction. • Sn-doping magnifies the charge transfer channels at the interface. • The charge behaviors are quantified by experiments and DFT analysis. • Photocatalytic activities for pollutants removal and CO 2 reduction are enhanced. Fabrication of heterojunction photocatalysts is a promising strategy for achieving spatial charge separation, for which the interfacial electric field is the linchpin. However, the current density of interfacial electric field still have room for enhancement. In this study, we first demonstrated the regulation of interfacial electric field between bismuth semiconductors assisted by stannum (Sn) doping, raising the surface charge transfer efficiency from 27.25 % of BiOBr/BiOIO 3 to 38.08 % of Sn-BiOBr/BiOIO 3 composite. Correspondingly, the visible-light induced degradation rates towards tetracycline, 2, 4-chlorophenol and Rhodamine B exhibited 4.2-, 4.7- and 31.5-fold increase, respectively. Meanwhile, the CO 2 photoreduction activity was also improved. The density functional theory calculation results unveiled that the Sn2+/Sn4+ redox couple could cause charge redistribution at interface and a distinctly unidirectional interfacial electric field with the direction from BiOIO 3 to Sn-BiOBr was formed. This study provides a universal strategy for the design of bismuth-containing heterojunction with tunable interfacial electric field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new type of 0D-2D Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst (MoO 3 /g-C 3 N 4) was successfully prepared via simple hydrothermal calcination method. The catalytic activities of MoO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 was evaluated by the degradation effect of tetracycline. The results indicated that the 0D-2D MoO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 Z-scheme heterojunction was significantly better than that of original g-C 3 N 4. Especially, the optimal 0.5 wt% MoO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 could reach 85.9% removal efficiency within 100 min under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm), and its degradation rate constant was 2.3 times higher than that of g-C 3 N 4 ·In addition, the effects of real water matrix, natural sunlight irradiation on tetracycline removal were examined. Reactive-species-trapping experiments show that both photo-generated •O 2 − and h+ are the main active species in the photocatalytic process. Besides, the results of •O 2 − and •OH detection further indicated that the yield amount of •O 2 − and •OH in MoO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 case showed enhancement when compared with g-C 3 N 4. Moreover, the quite stable crystal structure and excellent recycling ability endowed the MoO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 composite with a great potential for applying in photocatalytic fields. [Display omitted] • 0D /2D MOCN is well prepared by simple calcination synthesis method. • The removal rate of tetracycline by 0D/2D MOCN is higher than that of CNNS. • 0D /2D MOCN possess remarkable stability and reusability. • Constructing 0D/2D Z-scheme MOCN improves the photoinduced charge separation of CNNS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sr and SIM loaded hydroxyapatite microspheres were prepared by one-step approach. • Fabricated SrMHA-SIM can sustainable release strontium (Sr) and simvastatin (SIM) • SrMHA-SIM holds promise in promoting angiogenesis and osteogenesis. The development of multi-functional strontium (Sr) and simvastatin (SIM) loaded biomaterials to promote angiogenesis and osteogenesis is a promising therapeutic strategy. In order to overcome the complex synthesis process, low drug loading and burst release of drug-loaded biomaterials, in this study, we developed a microwave-assisted hydrothermal one-step approach to prepare Sr- and SIM-loaded hydroxyapatite microspheres for achieving long-term sustained-release of Sr and SIM. The developed one-step preparation method can maintain the chemical structure of simvastatin, and the drug loading rate of simvastatin can reach more than 30 wt%. The prepared double-loaded hydroxyapatite microspheres could sustainable release Sr and SIM for more than 35 days. The prepared hydroxyapatite microspheres containing Sr and SIM have a good application prospect in promoting bone formation. This simple and feasible one-step method can also provide reference for the preparation of other drug-loading microspheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A phosphorus-removal fungus MSP8 was isolated and identified as Aureobasidium sp. • MSP8 has a salinity resistance with range of 0–17%. • 77.2% phosphorus removal can be achieved by MSP8 at the optimal salinity of 5%. • Phosphorus removal pathway of MSP8 was preliminarily revealed. • MSP8 showed good potential for removing phosphorus in actual high-salt wastewater. Efficient halotolerant phosphorus accumulation microorganisms are of great significance for the treatment of high-salt wastewater. In this study, a halotolerant fungus strain named MSP8 was isolated and identified as Aureobasidium sp. Salinity resistance results showed that strain MSP8 can resist the salinity from 0% to 17%, and 77.2% phosphorus removal was achieved at the optimal salinity of 5%. The strain also showed wide environmental adaptability (pH of 3–7; temperature of 20–30 °C). Batch tests and scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS) characterization results verified the key role of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) secreted by MSP8 in phosphorus removal. The actual brewery and chemical wastewater treatments exhibited that above 53.5% of phosphorus can be removed by MSP8. The excellent adaptation of MSP8 made it a potential candidate for phosphorus removal especially in saline wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Double-layer gel beads were prepared to promote the synergistic effect of QQ bacteria and PAC. • The surface of the porous shell-with PAC layer was rough and uneven. • The core part QQ bacteria embedded was a dense sponge structure. • The addition of PAC into the shell can improve the mass transfer conditions and adsorption capacity. Quorum quenching (QQ) has been proven to be an effective method to reduce MBR membrane biological contamination. In this paper, a novel and efficient QQ-PAC core-shell beads were prepared for mitigating the membrane contamination. The bead was composed of two parts: QQ bacteria embedded in the core and PAC in the shell. The microstructure of the bead was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the functional groups were revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Meanwhile, the mechanical strength, swelling property, penetration property and QQ activity of the core bead, the core shell-without PAC bead and the core shell-with PAC bead were compared. The core shell-with PAC structure improved the adsorption capacity under good mass transfer conditions. Besides, the combined effect of QQ bacteria and PAC enhanced the QQ effect and alleviated the process of MBR membrane biological contamination consequently. Therefore, the QQ-PAC core-shell beads have a potential possibility in MBR membrane fouling control as the immobilization technology of QQ bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Retraction Note to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-021-05227-z [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempted to investigate the accuracy and uncertainty involved in downscaled climatic parameters obtained via the artificial neural network (ANN). Two climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) and CMIP6 were used to downscale temperature and precipitation parameters over Tabriz and Rasht cities with distinct climatic regimes (respectively dry and wet). In order to assess the accuracy and uncertainty of downscaling climate models, point prediction and prediction intervals (PIs) of models were calculated simultaneously via the proposed point and PI estimation (PPIE) method. Monthly data of 1951 to 2014 and 1977 to 2014 respectively from Tabriz and Rasht stations were considered for precipitation and temperature downscaling. The dominant predictors of climate models were determined by K-means clustering method and mutual information (MI) measure. Comparison of the obtained results indicated that the performance of CMIP6 is superior compared to the CMIP5 for downscaling both precipitation and temperature parameters in both stations. According to the obtained accuracy and uncertainty combination assessment measure, CMIP6 performed better up to 95% and 76% compared to those for CMIP5, respectively, for Tabriz and Rasht stations. Criteria of assessing accuracy and uncertainty combination for downscaled temperature compared to those for the precipitation downscaling in Tabriz and Rasht stations were respectively 78% and 97% more accurate and reliable for downscaling temperature compared to those for the precipitation. Thereafter, Shared Socioeconomic Pathway5 85 (SSP5 85) and Representative Concentration Pathway 85 (RCP85) scenarios were respectively applied for CMIP6 and CMIP5 models to project the precipitation and temperature for near future (2050) and far future (2100). Comparison of the values of temperature under SSP585 showed that temperature may get up to 3.6 ∘ C and 4.87 ∘ C increase in Tabriz and 4.5 ∘ C and 4.2 ∘ C increase in Rasht station respectively in years 2050 and 2100 compared to 2005. Under SSP5 85 scenario, precipitation may get up to 30-mm and 38-mm drop in Tabriz and may experience up to 30-mm and 50-mm increase in Rasht station, respectively, in years 2050 and 2100 compared to 2005. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global plant transpiration (PT) is a crucial component of the Earth's hydrological cycle and plays a significant role in regulating the exchange of water and energy between the land surface and the atmosphere. However, the long-term trend and the underlying driver of global PT remain unclear due to the significant uncertainties in estimating PT on a global scale. This study uses two sub-Mixture Density Networks (MDN c and MDN a) to predict vegetation canopy resistance (r c) and aerodynamic resistance (r a), then the predicted r c and r a are imported into the Penman-Monteith-Leuning (PML) model to simulate PT. The observed PT at 112 SAPFLUXNET sites are used to validate the performance of hybrid MDN-PML model. The verified MDN-PML model is further applied to map the spatial distribution of global PT and reconstruct a long-term (1990–2020) global PT dataset. The results indicate that the long-term average global PT is 397.2 ± 63.1 mm. During the period 1990–2020, the global PT exhibit a significant upward trend (0.79 ± 0.28 mm/year (P < 0.05)), which equates to a 6.0% increase compared with the long-term average global PT. A widespread trend of elevated PT is observed in approximately 70% of the global land surface. The trend attribution analysis results show that the change in leaf area index (LAI) can explain 66.2% of the global PT trend, indicating that elevated LAI due to global greening is the dominant factor contributing to the upward trend in global PT. The elevated LAI can be largely attributed to the CO 2 fertilization effect induced by elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentration. Additional analysis reveals that the increased global PT is more sensitive to CO 2 fertilization effect in high LAI areas than in low LAI areas. Projected climate scenarios indicate that global land surface PT will continue to rise from 2023 to 2100, and the rate of increase in the future will be higher than in historical periods. The rising rates of global PT under the three Representative Concentration Pathway scenarios (RCP) 2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 climate change scenarios are 0.86 mm/year, 1.16 mm/year, and 1.45 mm/year, respectively, during the period 2023–2100. Our results highlight the impact of global change and vegetation greening on the global PT and hydrological cycle. This study is of great significance for the scientific response to the challenges of climate change for regional water resource management. • Roughly 70% of global regions show a significant upward trend in PT. • The global land surface PT increase 6.0% during the period 1990–2020. • Global greening is the dominant factor responsible for the rising trend of PT. • The enhanced global PT is more sensitive to CO 2 fertilization effect in high LAI areas. • The rising rate of global PT in the future will be higher than that in historical periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Remote sensing provides full-coverage and dynamic water quality monitoring with high efficiency and low consumption. Deep learning (DL) has been progressively used in water quality retrieval because it efficiently captures the potential relationship between target variables and imagery. In this study, the multimodal deep learning (MDL) models were developed and rigorously validated using atmospherically corrected Landsat remote sensing reflectance data and synchronous water quality measurements for estimating long-term Chlorophyll- a (Chl- a), total phosphorus (TP), and total nitrogen (TN) in Lake Simcoe, Canada. Since TP and TN are non-optically active, their retrievals were based on the fact that they are closely related to the optically active constituents (OACs) such as Chl- a. We trained the MDL models with one in-situ measured data set (for Chl- a , N = 315, for TP and TN, N = 303), validated the models with two independent data sets (N = 147), and compared the model performances with several DL, machine learning, and empirical algorithms. The results indicated that the MDL models adequately estimated Chl- a (mean absolute error (MAE) = 32.57%, Bias = 10.61%), TP (MAE = 42.58%, Bias = −2.82%), and TN (MAE = 35.05%, Bias = 13.66%), and outperformed several other candidate algorithms, namely the progressively decreasing deep neural network (DNN), a DNN with trainable parameters similar to MDL but without splitting input features, the eXtreme Gradient Boosting, the support vector regression, the NASA Ocean Color two-band and three-band ratio algorithms, and another empirical algorithm of Landsat data in clear lakes. Using the MDL models, we reconstructed the historical spatiotemporal patterns of Chl- a , TP, and TN in Lake Simcoe since 1984, and investigated the effects of two water quality improvement programs. In addition, the physical mechanism and interpretability of the MDL models were explored by quantifying the contribution of each feature to the model outputs. The framework proposed in this study provides a practical method for long-term Chl- a , TP, and TN estimation at the regional scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stigma exsertion is an essential agricultural trait that can promote cross-pollination to improve hybrid seed production efficiency. However, the molecular mechanism controlling stigma exsertion remains unknown. Results: In this study, the Nicotiana tabacum cv. K326 and its two homonuclear-heteroplasmic lines, MSK326 (male-sterile) and MSK326SE (male-sterile and stigma exserted), were used to investigate the mechanism of tobacco stigma exsertion. A comparison of the flowers between the three lines showed that the stigma exsertion of MSK326SE was mainly due to corolla shortening. Therefore, the corollas of the three lines were sampled and presented for RNA-seq analysis, which found 338 candidate genes that may cause corolla shortening. These genes were equally expressed in K326 and MSK326, but differentially expressed in MSK326SE. Among these 338 genes, 15 were involved in hormone synthesis or signal transduction pathways. Consistently, the content of auxin, dihydrozeatin, gibberellin, and jasmonic acid was significantly decreased in the MSK326SE corolla, whereas abscisic acid levels were significantly increased. Additionally, seven genes involved in cell division, cell cycle, or cell expansion were identified. Protein-protein interaction network analysis identified 45 nodes and 79 protein interactions, and the largest module contained 20 nodes and 52 protein interactions, mainly involved in the hormone signal transduction and pathogen defensive pathways. Furthermore, a putative hub gene coding a serine/threonine-protein kinase was identified for the network. Conclusions: Our results suggest that hormones may play a key role in regulating tobacco stigma exsertion induced by corolla shortening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A hybrid urban evapotranspiration (ET u) model that combines physics processes and machine learning is developed. • The alterations in urban landscape pattern and urban vegetation species are the primary causes for the decreasing trend in ET u. • The UHI effect is attributed to variations in evaporative cooling between the main urban and suburban regions. Urbanization has significantly altered the regional hydrological cycle and thermal environment. However, the response of urban evapotranspiration (ET u) to these altered urban landscape patterns remains unclear. This study proposes a hybrid ET u model that combines physics processes and machine learning to evaluate trends and drivers of ET u across 480 cities in China. The results indicate that the long-term average ET u across the 480 cities is 508 mm, and the average rate of decline in ET u (DR ETu) across the 480 cities is 2.19 mm/year. DR ETu exhibits a positive correlation with the increasing rate of urban aridity index (AI) and fractional impermeable surface coverage (f i). The decrease in ET u is primarily caused by the altered urban landscape patterns, which include: 1) reductions in urban vegetation and water body areas resulting from urbanization; and 2) the substitution of natural forest land with landscape grasslands in urban areas. We further investigated the correlation between the urban heat island (UHI) effect and ET u and found that the intensified UHI effect is caused by an increased difference in ET u between the main urban area and the suburbs. The results of this study emphasize the significance of constructing water bodies and green infrastructure in the central urban area, as well as restoring natural forests, to enhance the thermal comfort of the urban environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure the safety of the natural ecosystem, it is critical to develop portable, easy-to-operate and environmentally friendly quantitative analytical electrodes for the determination of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) in environmental water. Herein, a simple, mask-free, and one-step method based on laser-induced graphene (LIG) technology is designed for the fabrication of (3D) graphene electrodes integrated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The 3-electrode system with AuNPs-modified graphene was prepared directly by overlaying gold leaf on the polyimide (PI) film followed by patterned CO 2 laser irradiation. The reference electrode region was then uniformly coated with Ag/AgCl paste, and the working electrode was functionalized with the aptamer through Au-S self-assembly and bonding to obtain a label-free MC-LR aptasensor. The developed MC-LR aptasensor has a detection limit of 0.053 pM and a linear range from 0.1 pM to 10 nM. Furthermore, the fabricated aptasensor presents good stability, reproducibility, specificity and detection in real samples. These sensors show great promise as a low-cost, simple and portable approve for label-free detection MC-LR in environmental samples. • One-step fabrication of AuNPs and graphene nanocomposite electrodes by LIG technology. • Optimization of the simultaneous preparation parameters of AuNPs and graphene are achieved. • The AuNPs are uniformly and densely modified on the graphene surface. • The detection limit of MC-LR label-free aptasensor is low as 0.053 pM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An enhanced deep learning approach was proposed to remotely assess water quality. • The approach outperformed other candidate algorithms in water quality mapping. • Merged OLI/MSI data supports water quality detecting with repeat cycle <3 days. • Model physical interpretability was explored to split the estimating interactions. • Impacts of 12 natural and anthropogenic factors on water quality were clarified. Remote sensing has long been used for inland water quality monitoring. However, due to the complex correlation between water quality parameters (WQPs) and water optical properties, the interactions of WQPs, and the impacts of climate, using remote sensing reflectance (R rs) to adequately estimate WQPs is still a grand challenge. Deep learning has the potential in capturing the correlation among R rs , optically active constituents (OACs), and non-OACs, and is progressively used in remote sensing retrieval of inland water quality. In this study, the enhanced multimodal deep learning (EMDL) models were proposed for Chlorophyll-a, total phosphorous, total nitrogen, Secchi disk depth, dissolved organic carbon, and dissolved oxygen retrieval in Lake Simcoe (80 km north of Toronto, Canada). The EMDL models were developed and validated using the R rs data derived from the harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 images, synchronized water quality measurements, water surface temperature, and climate data (N = 1173). The performance of the EMDL models was compared to that of several other machine learning, deep learning, and empirical models. Using the developed EMDL models, the spatial distributions and long-term variations of the WQPs in Lake Simcoe from 2013 to 2019 were reconstructed. The impacts of 12 potential natural and anthropogenic factors on the water quality of the entire Lake Simcoe and its two most concerned estuaries were also quantitatively discussed. The results showed that the EMDL models produced satisfactory performance in estimation of the six WQPs, with the Slope being close to 1 (0.84–0.95), normalized mean absolute error ≤20.17%, and Bias ≤14.68%. The EMDL models had the potential to reconstruct the spatial patterns and time-series dynamics of water quality and effectively detect the gradients of spatial patterns. This study provides a novel approach to supporting the environmental management and identification of the affecting factors for the Lake Simcoe watershed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A hybrid model named CVXS was proposed to forecast the ChlA and TN concentrations. • Machine learning was integrated with decomposition algorithms in the CVXS model. • The superiority of the CVXS model over the other models was examined. • The mechanism of the CVXS model for water quality forecasting was explained. • The Long-term forecasting ability of the CVXS model was verified. Information regarding Chlorophyll-a (ChlA) and total nitrogen (TN) is critical for early warning of algal blooms. However, reliable models for accurate forecasting of the ChlA and TN are still lacking due to the optical complexity of coastal waters. To address this issue, we proposed a novel hybrid model named the CEEMDAN-VMD-XGBOOST-SARIMA (CVXS) model to forecast ChlA and TN concentrations. The model performance was validated at three hydrological monitoring stations in Hong Kong, China. Four independent models including extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), support vector regression (SVR), deep learning (DL), and Seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA), and three hybrid models including complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN)-XGBoost, CEEMDAN-SVR, and CEEMDAN-DL were developed to compare their performance with the CVXS model. In addition, the physical mechanisms of the CVXS model were further explored through correlation analysis between the decomposed time series of water quality parameters. The result indicated that (1) the CVXS model had the best accuracy among all models for forecasting ChlA and TN, and all the NSEs remained above 0.97 at three hydrological monitoring stations. For forecasting ChlA, the performance of the eight models is ranked as CVXS > CEEMDAN-XGBoost > CEEMDAN-DL > CEEMDAN-SVR > XGBoost > DL > SARIMA > SVR. For forecasting TN, the performance of the eight models is ranked as CVXS > CEEMDAN-XGBoost > CEEMDAN-DL > CEEMDAN-SVR > XGBoost > SVR > SARIMA > DL; (2) the optimal forecasting time horizons of the CVXS model were one to two months; and (3) the variability of ChlA and TN concentrations induced by hydrologic factors has been inherently embedded in the decomposed time series data, thus providing the theoretical basis for the CVXS model forecasting water quality parameters. The results of this study are promising with respect to forecasting algal blooms and coastal water resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]