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The understanding of the interplay between the environment, ecosystem structure, and function is crucial for effectively managing ecosystems in the face of climate change and environmental disturbances. Numerous observations and simulation experiments relying on correlation analysis have yielded the conclusion that environmental factors can directly or indirectly affect ecosystem community structure and function. However, the limitations of traditional ecological approaches lie in their inadequate control over confounding factors, thus hindering our comprehensive understanding of the true causal relationships. Our study aims to address these limitations and obtain a more accurate picture of causality about environment, ecosystem structure and function within a long-term time series data of an ecosystem. Here, utilizing a 31-year dataset of typical temperate grassland ecosystems, we developed an advanced causal discovery model and further enhanced it to effectively identify the causal network within the ecosystem, while also quantifying the intensity of causal pathways connecting the environment, ecosystem structure, and function. We found that the primary driver for changes in ecosystem structure and function was the temperature during the growing season, with soil water content being the secondary factor. However, there was only a weak causal relationship between ecosystem structure and gross primary productivity (GPP), which was mediated by eurytopic xerophyte plants. These findings challenge the conventional notion that precipitation is a key driver of changes in ecosystem carbon fluxes, highlighting the importance of plant-available water in regulating ecosystem structure and function. Our results suggest that the effects of global warming and severe droughts on plant growth and carbon sequestration capacity necessitate significant attention and further mitigation measures in arid and semi-arid regions.

Valley path planning on 3D terrains holds significant importance in navigating and understanding complex landscapes. This specialized form of path planning focuses on finding optimal routes that adhere to the natural contours of valleys within three-dimensional terrains. The significance of valley path planning lies in its ability to address specific challenges presented by valleys, such as varying depths, steep slopes, and potential obstacles. By following the natural flow of valleys, path planning can enhance the efficiency of navigation and minimize the risk of encountering difficult terrain or hazards. In recent years, an increasing number of researchers have focused on the study of valley path planning on 3D terrains. This study presents a valley path planning method utilizing the NSGA-II (Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II) approach. To ensure that the paths generated by the algorithm closely follow the valley lines, the algorithm establishes an optimization function that includes three optimization criteria: mean altitude, flight route length, and mean offset. To test the performance of this algorithm, we conducted experiments based on workspaces based on three datasets full of 3D terrains and compared it with three baseline algorithms. The evaluation indicates that the suggested algorithm successfully designs routes that closely follow the valley contours.

This study investigates the effect of thermal cracking on the tensile strength of granite through a combination of experimental testing and numerical simulations. The primary objective is to understand how thermal stress, induced by heat treatment at various temperatures (25 °C to 600 °C), influences crack initiation, propagation, and tensile strength changes. The granite specimens were subjected to Brazilian splitting tests after heat treatment, and the load–displacement curves and tensile strength variations with heat treatment temperature were analyzed. A grain-based model (GBM) was developed to simulate the complex cracking behavior, incorporating the mineral compositions and thermal expansion properties of the granite. The fractal dimension of the cracks was quantified using the box-counting method, and the relationship between fractal dimension and tensile strength was discussed. The results show that the GBM can effectively simulate the microcracking behavior and tensile fracture properties of heat-treated granite, accounting for mineral composition and thermal expansion. Thermal cracks are mainly intergranular tensile cracks, which increase in number with higher temperatures, while under mechanical loading failure is primarily due to intragranular tensile cracks. Higher heat treatment temperatures lead to denser crack networks with greater fractal complexity, reducing tensile strength and creating more tortuous crack propagation paths.

The particle size distribution of gangue is an important factor affecting the strength of backfill body. To uncover the strength deterioration law and energy dissipation characteristics of cemented backfill with different gangue particle sizes, the uniaxial compressive strength mechanical tests were carried out by scanning electron microscopy analysis combined with rock mechanics test system and acoustic emission monitoring equipment. The deformation failure mode, mechanical characteristics, acoustic emission response characteristics and energy dissipation characteristics of backfill samples with different particle size distribution under uniaxial compression were studied. The results shown that: The particle size distribution of gangue material is very important to the performance of backfill body. The compressive strength of the backfill sample with medium particle size was the largest. As the particle size of the gangue increases, the acoustic emission response degree of the backfill firstly increases followed by a subsequent decrease. The acoustic emission ringing count and energy rate reach the peak when the backfill was destroyed. Building upon the principle of energy dissipation and release, the defined energy dissipation ratio was used as the strength deterioration index of the backfill body. The energy dissipation ratio of fine grain size, medium grain size and coarse grain size filling was 19.64%, 7.85% and 12.93%, respectively. When the failure mode of the backfill shifts from tensile failure to shear failure, the energy dissipation ratio decreases from 19.64% to 7.85%. The storage capacity of elastic strain energy in the backfill gradually increases, and the strength degradation degree of backfill gradually decreases.

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the feasibility of establishing rhinosinusitis model in rats combinated with Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and merocel sponge. Methods: SD (Sprague Dawley) rats that underwent nasal obstruction using Merocel sponge packing, rats with LPS instillation alone, and rats with both nasal obstruction and LPS instillation were used to establish rat models of rhinosinusitis. After the models were established, the nasal symptoms of rats were recorded, the histopathological examination and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TME) of the sinus tissue were performed and the levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α), Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the blood were also analyzed. The expressions of Aquaporin-5 (AQP5), Occludin, Toll-Like Receptor-4 (TLR4), Medullary differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) and phosphorylated (p)-p65 protein were detected by Western blot to evaluate the effect and mechanism of the experimental models. Results: We found that compared with the control group and LPS group, the sinusitis symptom scores in the Merocel sponge combined with LPS group were significantly increased; the respiratory epithelia of the maxillary sinus were degenerated, cilia were detached, and even inflammatory cell infiltration occurred; the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were increased; the expression of AQP5 and Occludin protein was decreased; and the expressions of TLR4, MyD88, and p-p65 protein were increased. Conclusion: For the first time, we successfully established a rat rhinosinusitis model using Merocel sponge with LPS and explored the possible mechanism of LPS action.

The demand for critical minerals has increased extraction activities in coastal deep mines where challenges such as high stresses, chemical corrosion, and mining disturbance impacts are present. This study investigated the effects of chemical corrosion and confining pressure on the mechanical and fracture behaviors of granite specimens, which are crucial for ensuring the stability of surrounding rock in coastal deep mines. Triaxial compression tests were conducted on uncorroded specimens and corroded specimens immersed in acid and alkali solutions under varying confining pressures, with real-time acoustic emission (AE) monitoring. Based on the test results, the strength and deformation properties, progressive fracture, and failure processes, as well as the AE response characteristics of the specimens under chemical corrosion and confining pressure were analyzed. Additionally, the influence of confining pressure on the chemical damage and brittle–ductile transition behavior of specimens was discussed, and the mechanism of chemical corrosion on the physical and mechanical behavior of specimens was revealed based on mineralogical analysis. These findings underscore the importance of understanding the interplay between chemical corrosion, confining pressure, and rock fracture behavior in coastal deep mining and contribute to evaluating the stability of underground surrounding rocks under corrosion environments.

As the topologies of Controller Area Networks (CAN) in the industrial production systems become increasingly complex, robust and accurate diagnosis of network faults are essential to the system maintenance and reliability assurance. In CAN network, intermittent connection (IC) fault is a hidden problem, which deteriorates the performance and safety of the system. Although IC fault diagnosis methods had been studied, diagnosis of IC faults for CAN network with complex topology has not been systematically addressed. In this paper, a novel IC fault diagnosis methodology for CAN networks with complex topologies is proposed, which utilizes distributed measurement from data link layer information for error pattern analysis. First, the diagnosability of IC faults is defined and the analysis method is presented. Then, local and trunk IC faults localization algorithm is developed based on the integration of error patterns with the network topology. Third, a sequential fault diagnosis strategy is proposed to achieve the full diagnosis of IC faults by gradually compressing the non-diagnosable sub-networks. Testbed is constructed and case studies under various topologies and IC faults scenarios are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. Experiment results show that the IC faults locations diagnosed by the proposed methodology agree well with the experiment setups.

The herbal medication Panax ginseng Meyer has widespread use in China, Korea, and other parts of the world. The main constituents of ginseng are ginsenosides, which include over 30 different triterpene saponins. It has been found that ginsenosides and their metabolites including Rg1, compound K, Rb1, Re, Rg3, and Rg5 exert anti-inflammatory activities by binding to the glucocorticoid receptor, modulating inflammation-related signaling, including NF-κB and MAPK signaling, and reducing levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Here, we review the recent literature on the molecular actions of ginsenosides in sepsis, suggesting ways in which they may be used to prevent and treat the disease.

BackgroundComplications, including arrhythmia, following severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection continue to be of concern. Omicron is the mainstream SARS-CoV-2 mutant circulating in mainland China. At present, there are few epidemiological studies concerning the relationship between arrhythmia and Omicron variant infection in mainland China.ObjectivesTo investigate the risk factors of arrhythmia in patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and the factors influencing prognosis.MethodsData from 192 Omicron infected patients with symptoms of arrhythmia (AH group) and 100 Omicron infected patients without arrhythmia (Control group) were collected. Patients in the AH group were divided into the good and poor prognosis groups, according to the follow-up results 4–6 weeks after infection. The general and clinical data between the AH and Control groups, and between the good and poor prognosis groups were compared. The variables with differences between the groups were included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis, and the quantitative variables were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve to obtain their cut-off values.ResultsCompared with the control group, the body mass index (BMI), proportion of patients with a history of arrhythmia, proportion of antibiotics taken, heart rate, moderate disease severity, white blood cell (WBC) count, and the aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase (CK), CK isoenzyme (CK-MB), myoglobin (Mb), high-sensitive troponin I (hs-cTnI), lymphocyte ratio and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in the AH group were significantly higher (p

Anthropogenic mercury (Hg) emissions have increased significantly since the Industrial Revolution, resulting in severe health impacts to humans. The consumptions of fish and rice were primary human methylmercury (MeHg) exposure pathways in Asia. However, the lifecycle from anthropogenic Hg emissions to human MeHg exposure is not fully understood. In this study, a recently developed approach, termed MeHg Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA), was employed to track lifecycle of Hg in four typical Hg-emission areas. Distinct Δ199Hg of MeHg and inorganic Hg (IHg) were observed among rice, fish and hair. The Δ199Hg of MeHg averaged at 0.07 ± 0.15 ‰, 0.80 ± 0.55 ‰ and 0.43 ± 0.29 ‰ in rice, fish and hair, respectively, while those of IHg averaged at − 0.08 ± 0.24 ‰, 0.85 ± 0.43 ‰ and − 0.28 ± 0.68 ‰. In paddy ecosystem, Δ199Hg of MeHg in rice showed slightly positive shifts (∼0.2 ‰) from those of IHg, and comparable Δ199Hg of IHg between rice grain and raw/processed materials (coal, Hg ore, gold ore and sphalerite) were observed. Simultaneously, it was proved that IHg in fish muscle was partially derived from in vivo demethylation of MeHg. By a binary model, we estimated the relative contributions of rice consumption to human MeHg exposure to be 84 ± 14 %, 58 ± 26 %, 52 ± 20 % and 34 ± 15 % on average in Hg mining area, gold mining area, zinc smelting area and coal-fired power plant area, respectively, and positive shifts of δ202HgMeHg from fish/rice to human hair occurred during human metabolic processes. Therefore, the CSIA approach can be an effective tool for tracking Hg biogeochemical cycle and human exposure, from which new scientific knowledge can be generated to support Hg pollution control policies and to protect human health.

ObjectiveCancer of the pancreas is a life-threatening condition and has a high distant metastasis (DM) rate of over 50% at diagnosis. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether patterns of distant metastases correlated with prognosis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) with metastatic spread, and build a novel nomogram capable of predicting the 6, 12, 18-month survival rate with high accuracy.MethodsWe analyzed data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for cases of PDAC with DM. Kaplan-Meier analysis, log-rank tests and Cox-regression proportional hazards model were used to assess the impact of site and number of DM on the cancer-specific survival (CSS) and over survival (OS). A total of 2709 patients with DM were randomly assigned to the training group and validation group in a 7:3 ratio. A nomogram was constructed by the dependent risk factors which were determined by multivariate Cox-regression analysis. An assessment of the discrimination and ability of the prediction model was made by measuring AUC, C-index, calibration curve and decision curve analysis (DCA). In addition, we collected 98 patients with distant metastases at the time of initial diagnosis from Ningbo University Affiliated LiHuili Hospital to verify the efficacy of the prediction model.ResultsThere was a highest incidence of liver metastases from pancreatic cancer (2387,74.36%), followed by lung (625,19.47%), bone (190,5.92%), and brain (8,0.25%). The prognosis of liver metastases differed from that of lung metastases, and the presence of multiple organ metastases was associated with poorer prognosis. According to univariate and multivariate Cox-regression analyses, seven factors (i.e., diagnosis age, tumor location, grade of tumor differentiation, T-stage, receipt of surgery, receipt of chemotherapy status, presence of multiple organ metastases) were included in our nomogram model. In internal and external validation, the ROC curves, C-index, calibration curves and DCA were calculated, which confirmed that this nomogram can precisely predict prognosis of PDAC with DM.ConclusionMetastatic PDAC patients with liver metastases tended to have a worse prognosis than those with lung metastases. The number of DM had significant effect on the overall survival rate of metastatic PDAC. This study had a high prediction accuracy, which was helpful clinicians to analyze the prognosis of PDAC with DM and implement individualized diagnosis and treatment.

Study of the pre-blast weakening of hard-top coal water injection is especially important to solve problems related to the low recovery rate of coal resources and frequent dynamic disasters due to the low degree of fragmentation of hard-top coal during high-stage fully mechanized top-coal caving in steeply inclined coal seams. With the application of rock mechanical tests and numerical simulations, this study carries out mechanical property testing on natural and water-saturated coal samples, investigates the effect of moisture on coal sample mechanical properties in meso-scale, and quantifies the degradation of coal samples under moisture due to mollification. It also reveals the interaction between water and acoustic emission signals based on the statistics of acoustic emission count and energy. A numerical model is established to analyze coal sample internal stress distribution features before and after water injection in macro-scale. Moreover, the detailed mitigating measures for top-coal water injection for engineering practice are designed. The results demonstrate that the mechanical properties of coal samples are significantly affected by moisture-induced degradation. The failure and collapse degrees of water-saturated samples are generally larger than those of natural samples. When the water content is higher, the acoustic emission count and energy of the coal sample are smaller—presenting a negative correlation. The internal stress of coal samples before and after water injection differs significantly. When subjected to water, the top-coal stress releases and transfers, and the peak value is significantly reduced. This study has verified in macro- and meso-scales that top coal can be fully weakened under water–force coupling. The findings of this study are of practical significance for safe and efficient mining and provide a reference for presplit weakening of hard-top coal during horizontal sublevel fully mechanized top-coal caving in steeply inclined coal seams.

Using in situ near-surface observations of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) and gross primary productivity (GPP) of a subtropical evergreen coniferous forest in southern China, this study analyzed the dynamics of SIF, GPP and their environmental responses, and explored the potential of SIF in characterizing the variation of GPP. The results showed that SIF and GPP have similar diurnal and seasonal variation and both reach the highest value in summer, indicating that the SIF can be applied to indicate the seasonal variation of GPP for the subtropical evergreen co-niferous. With the increase in temporal scale, the correlation between SIF and GPP becomes more linear. The diurnal variations of both SIF and GPP were characterized by photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), the seasonal variations of SIF and GPP were influenced by air temperature (Ta) and PAR. Probably due to the absent of drought stress during the study period, no significant correlation was detected between soil water content (SWC) and either SIF or GPP. With the in-crease in Ta, PAR or SWC, the linear correlation between the SIF and GPP gradually decreased, and when Ta or PAR was relatively higher, the correlation between SIF and GPP become weakly. Further research is still needed to illustrate the relationship between SIF and GPP under drought condition which occurred frequently in this region based on longer observation.

Abstract Background Spondylodiscitis is an unusual infectious disease, which usually originates as a pathogenic infection of intervertebral discs and then spreads to neighboring vertebral bodies. The objective of this study is to evaluate percutaneous debridement and drainage using intraoperative CT-Guide in multilevel spondylodiscitis. Methods From January 2002 to May 2017, 23 patients with multilevel spondylodiscitis were treated with minimally invasive debridement and drainage procedures in our department. The clinical manifestations, evolution, and minimally invasive debridement and drainage treatment of this refractory vertebral infection were investigated. Results Of the enrolled patients, the operation time ranged from 30 minutes to 124 minutes every level with an average of 48 minutes. Intraoperative hemorrhage was minimal. The postoperative follow-up period ranged from 12 months to 6.5 years with an average of 3.7 years. There was no reactivation of infection in the treated vertebral segment during follow-up, but two patients with fungal spinal infection continued to progress by affecting adjacent segments prior to final resolution. According to the classification system of Macnab, one patient had a good outcome at the final follow-up, and the rest were excellent. Conclusions Minimally invasive percutaneous debridement and irrigation using intraoperative CT-Guide is an effective minimally invasive method for the treatment of multilevel spondylodiscitis.

Abstract The development of several large‐, “continental”‐scale ecosystem research infrastructures over recent decades has provided a unique opportunity in the history of ecological science. The Global Ecosystem Research Infrastructure (GERI) is an integrated network of analogous, but independent, site‐based ecosystem research infrastructures (ERI) dedicated to better understand the function and change of indicator ecosystems across global biomes. Bringing together these ERIs, harmonizing their respective data and reducing uncertainties enables broader cross‐continental ecological research. It will also enhance the research community capabilities to address current and anticipate future global scale ecological challenges. Moreover, increasing the international capabilities of these ERIs goes beyond their original design intent, and is an unexpected added value of these large national investments. Here, we identify specific global grand challenge areas and research trends to advance the ecological frontiers across continents that can be addressed through the federation of these cross‐continental‐scale ERIs.

Abstract Background Danshensu is an active constituent in the extracts of Danshen which is a traditional Chinese medical herb. Rotenone inhibits complex I of the mitochondrial electron transport chain in dopaminergic neurons leading to glutathione (GSH) level reduction and oxidative stress. The aim of this study is to investigate neuroprotective effects of Danshensu on rotenone-induced Parkinson’s disease (PD) in vitro and in vivo. Methods In vitro, SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line was pretreated with Danshensu and challenged with rotenone. Then the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was assayed. In vivo, male C57BL/6 mice were intragastrically administered with Danshensu (15, 30, or 60 mg/kg), followed by oral administration with rotenone at a dose of 30 mg/kg. Pole and rotarod tests were carried out at 28 d to observe the effects of Danshensu on PD. Results Danshensu repressed ROS generation and therefore attenuated the rotenone-induced injury in SH-SY5Y cells. Danshensu improved motor dysfunction induced by rotenone, accompanied with reducing MDA content and increasing GSH level in striatum. Danshensu increased the number of TH positive neurons, the expression of TH and the dopamine contents. The expressions of p-PI3K, p-AKT, Nrf2, hemeoxygenase (HO-1), glutathione cysteine ligase regulatory subunit (GCLC), glutathione cysteine ligase modulatory subunit (GCLM) were significantly increased and the expression of Keap1 was decreased in Danshensu groups. Conclusions The neuroprotective effects of Danshensu on rotenone-induced PD are attributed to the anti-oxidative properties by activating PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 pathway and increasing Nrf2-induced expression of HO-1, GCLC, and GCLM, at least in part.

Chemically resolved data for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) have been collected across Canada since 2003 through the National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) network. Seven urban sites that have 10–17 years (2003–2019) of PM2.5 organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) data were selected for analysis of decadal trends of OC, EC, and OC/EC ratio using the Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition method. Results showed that OC and EC decreased by 0.009–0.072 μg m−3 yr−1 and 0.028–0.049 μg m−3 yr−1, or 0.77–3.1 % yr−1 and 3.2–6.7 % yr−1, respectively, depending on the location. The more rapid decrease in EC than OC resulted in an increasing trend in the OC/EC ratio of 0.03–0.19 yr−1 across the sites. Macro-tracer approach was used to estimate source attributions of OC and EC from wood burning, fossil fuel combustion, and secondary aerosol formation. Using this approach, it was identified that the significant decrease in EC during the past decade was predominately caused by reduced on-road emissions. The decreased emissions from wood burning and transportation dominated the decline of OC, but such a decline was largely offset by the enhanced secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation, resulting in much weaker decline of OC than EC. The enhanced SOA formation was due to the increased biogenic emissions fully offsetting the decreased anthropogenic emissions for volatile organic compounds. These findings highlight the need for quantifying biogenic sources of VOCs and other oxidants that are involved in OC formation at the national scale.

In the mining process of working face, the additional stress generated by the fault changes the law of roadway deformation and failure as well as the law of overburden failure. Aiming at the influence of the fault in the mining process of working face, this study introduced the geological strength index (GSI) to analyze the stress distribution in the elastic-plastic zone of the surrounding rock of the roadway. And similar experiments under different engineering backgrounds were combined to study the characteristics of overburden movement and stress evolution. Based on the conclusions obtained, the roadway support scheme was designed. This study shows that, compared with ordinary mining, through-the-fault mining causes slippage and dislocation of the fault, the load of the overburden is transferred to both sides of the fault, and the stress near the fault accumulates abnormally. The “three zones” characteristics of the overburden movement disappear, the subsidence pattern is changed from "trapezoid" to "inverted triangle", and the influence distance of the advanced mining stress on the working face is extended from 20m to 30m. The instability range of roadway surrounding rock is exponentially correlated with the rupture degree of the surrounding rock. Through the introduction of GSI, the critical instability range of roadway surrounding rock is deduced to be 2.32m. According to the conclusion, the bolt length and roadway reinforced support length are redesigned. Engineering application shows that the deformation rate of the roadway within 60 days is controlled below 0.1~0.5mm/d, the deformation amount is controlled within 150mm, and the roadway deformation is controlled, which generally meets the requirements of use. The research results provide guidance and reference for similar roadway support.

During upward backfill mining of the close-distance coal seam group, the reasonable design of the backfill body compaction ratio (BBCR) of lower coal seam goaf plays a key role in controlling overburden strata movement and deformation. In this paper, the feasibility discrimination method of upward caving mining was adopted; it was found that when the coal seam spacing was small, the recovery was not possible due to the instability of the upper coal strata equilibrium structure caused by the mining. Hence, the upward backfill mining method was proposed; combined with the migration control mechanism of backfill mining overburden strata, the dynamic evolution of crack propagation height of overburden strata during upward backfill mining was analyzed. Based on that, a layer spacing-BBCR-mining height (L-R-H) prediction model based on multiple linear regression analysis was established and the BBCR of close-distance coal seam group safe upward mining was determined combined with the engineering background. The results demonstrate that the main controlling factors of crack propagation in overburden strata during upward backfill mining were BBCR and mining height; the crack propagation height in overburden strata caused by mining decreased exponentially with the increase of BBCR and increased with the increase of mining height linearly. The lower coal seam engineering safety BBCR of upward backfill mining in the Dafosi Coal Mine was 87.2%, and the close-distance coal seam group safe upward mining was realized.

Glucocorticoids are drugs that are widely used to suppress inflammation and the activation of the immune system. However, the prolonged use or at high doses of glucocorticoid can result in adverse side effects including osteoporosis, bone loss, and an increased risk of fracture. A number of compounds derived from natural plant sources have been reported to exert anti-inflammatory activity by interacting with the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), likely owing to their chemical similarity to glucocorticoids, or by regulating GR, without a concomitant risk of treatment-related side effects such as osteoporosis. Other herbal compounds can counteract the pathogenic processes underlying glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) by regulating homeostatic bone metabolic processes. Herein, we systematically searched the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library databases to identify articles discussing such compounds published as of May 01, 2021. Compounds reported to exert anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid-like activity without inducing GIOP include escin, ginsenosides, and glycyrrhizic acid, while compounds reported to alleviate GIOP by improving osteoblast function or modulating steroid hormone synthesis include tanshinol and icariin.

Low dopamine levels may cause depressive symptoms. Dopamine is also involved in sexual behavior. Rotigotine is a nonergolinic dopamine agonist. Fluoxetine, an antidepressant that acts as a selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitor, may cause moderate or severe sexual dysfunction. This study aims to investigate the effects of rotigotine-loaded microspheres (RoMS) and rotigotine on fluoxetine-induced impairment of sexual function and their efficacy in depression-model rats. Rats with depressive-like behavior, induced by bilateral olfactory bulbectomy, were treated intragastrically with fluoxetine and co-administered RoMS or rotigotine subcutaneously. Then, copulatory behavior and open field tests were conducted. Serum luteinizing hormone and testosterone levels were assayed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. The concentrations of 5-HT, dopamine, and norepinephrine were measured in the raphe nucleus and amygdala. The results showed that sexual function was decreased in olfactory bulbectomy rats and significantly deteriorated by fluoxetine. Co-administration of RoMS partly reversed the fluoxetine-induced impairment of sexual function, but rotigotine administration did not produce any improvement. Hyperactivity in olfactory bulbectomy rats was significantly attenuated by fluoxetine but was not influenced by co-administration of RoMS. Compared with the fluoxetine group, RoMS increased the testosterone, luteinizing hormone, dopamine, and norepinephrine levels. These findings indicated that RoMS improved the fluoxetine-induced impairment of sexual function and did not affect its antidepressant efficacy in depressive rats, which provides a potential treatment for patients with depression that can reduce the possibility of sexual dysfunction. Additionally, co-administration of fluoxetine with RoMS may be beneficial for Parkinson's disease patients with depression.

Neonicotinoid insecticides (NNIs) have been intensively used and exploited, resulting in their presence and accumulation in multiple environmental media. We herein investigated the current levels of eight major NNIs in the Harbin section of the Songhua River in northeast China, providing the first systematic report on NNIs in this region. At least four NNIs in water and three in sediment were detected, with total concentrations ranging from 30.8 to 135 ng L-1 and from 0.61 to 14.7 ng g-1 dw, respectively. Larger spatial variations in surface water NNIs concentrations were observed in tributary than mainstream (p

Human exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) from consuming contaminated fish has been a major concern for decades. Besides, human MeHg exposure through rice consumption has been recently found to be important in some Asian countries. China is the largest country on mercury (Hg) production, consumption, and anthropogenic emission. However, the health risks of human Hg exposure are not fully understood. A total of 624 fish, 299 rice, and 994 human hair samples were collected from typical Hg-contaminated areas and major fish-rich areas to assess the health risks from human Hg exposure in China. Fish and rice samples showed relatively low Hg levels, except the rice in the Wanshan Hg mining area (WMMA). Human hair total Hg (THg) and MeHg concentrations were significantly elevated in WMMA, Zhoushan (ZS), Xiamen (XM), Qingdao (QD), and zinc smelting area (ZSA), and 85% of hair samples in WMMA, 62% in ZS, 40% in XM, 26% in QD, and 17% in ZSA had THg concentrations exceeding the limit set by the USEPA (1 μg/g). Rice consumption was the main pathway (>85%) for human MeHg exposure in the studied Hg-contaminated areas. Meanwhile, fish was the primary human MeHg exposure source (>85%) in coastal cities. Therefore, soil remediation in typical Hg-contaminated areas and scientific guidance for fish consumption in coastal provinces are urgently needed to reduce the health risks from human Hg exposure in China.

We consider a pursuit-evasion problem with a heterogeneous team of multiple pursuers and multiple evaders. Although both the pursuers and the evaders are aware of each others’ control and assignment strategies, they do not have exact information about the other type of agents’ location or action. Using only noisy on-board sensors the pursuers (or evaders) make probabilistic estimation of positions of the evaders (or pursuers). Each type of agent use Markov localization to update the probability distribution of the other type. A search-based control strategy is developed for the pursuers that intrinsically takes the probability distribution of the evaders into account. Pursuers are assigned using an assignment algorithm that takes redundancy (i.e., an excess in the number of pursuers than the number of evaders) into account, such that the total or maximum estimated time to capture the evaders is minimized. In this respect we assume the pursuers to have clear advantage over the evaders. However, the objective of this work is to use assignment strategies that minimize the capture time. This assignment strategy is based on a modified Hungarian algorithm as well as a novel algorithm for determining assignment of redundant pursuers. The evaders, in order to effectively avoid the pursuers, predict the assignment based on their probabilistic knowledge of the pursuers and use a control strategy to actively move away from those pursues. Our experimental evaluation shows that the redundant assignment algorithm performs better than an alternative nearest-neighbor based assignment algorithm1.

Rice samples were collected at 560 sites in 15 provinces across China in areas without known point mercury (Hg) sources. Total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations were analyzed in these rice samples for risk assessment. Relatively low THg and MeHg concentrations were found in the majority of the white rice samples with an overall mean of 4.74 (1.06–22.7) μg kg−1 and 0.682 (0.03–8.71) μg kg−1, respectively. The means (range of) THg concentration of rice in each geographical region were 5.23 (1.07–19.5) μg kg−1, 5.14 (1.06–17.2) μg kg−1, 4.45 (1.41–17.2) μg kg−1, 4.20 (1.48–19.4) μg kg−1, 3.49 (1.49–10.7) μg kg−1, and 4.53 (1.30–19.4) μg kg−1 in east, centre, south, southwest, northwest and northeast, China, respectively, and the corresponding values for MeHg concentrations were 0.898 (0.127–8.35) μg kg−1, 0.603 (0.207–2.48) μg kg−1, 0.516 (0.032–1.50) μg kg−1, 0.615 (0.050–5.03) μg kg−1, 0.704 (0.148–2.41) μg kg−1 and 0.565 (0.035–8.71) μg kg−1, respectively. Hg contents in rice across China were found to be at background levels. Both the probable daily intakes (PDIs) of inorganic Hg (IHg) and MeHg from rice consumption showed low risks for general population in the investigated regions. Keywords: Rice, Mercury, Methylmercury, Probable daily intake, Health risk

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is among the most prevalent forms of autoimmunity. Gentiopicroside (Gent) is an iridoid glucoside derived from the Gentiana Macrophylla Pall which is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat RA. The present study was designed to explore the ability of Gent to combat RA and to explore the molecular basis for such anti-RA activity both in vitro using tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-stimulated human RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) and in vivo using a rat adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) model. We found that Gent was able to significantly reduce the swelling of joints and arthritic index scores, with corresponding reductions in synovial inflammatory cell infiltration, synovial hyperplasia, and bone erosion in treated AIA rats. Importantly, Gent 200 mg/kg reduced thymus index in AIA rats, but had no effect on spleen index and body weight, it revealed that Gent was relatively safe at the dose we chose. We further found that Gent was able to suppress the TNF-α-induced proliferation and migration of RA-FLS cells. This suppression was attributed to the ability of Gent to block NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), and caspase-1, thereby disrupting the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Consistent with such suppression, Gent led to a significant decrease in IL-1β secretion by treated cells. Furthermore, this reduction in NLRP3 inflammasome activation was also associated with decreases in the activation of nuclear factor (NF-κB), the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the expression of inflammatory IL-6. Together these findings indicate that Gent can suppress the ROS-NF-κB-NLRP3 axis to alleviate RA symptoms.Chemical compounds studied in this articleGentiopicroside (PubChem CID: 88708).

During the research on bench deep-hole blast casting, the blast-casting parameters are directly related to the blast-casting results, so it could reveal the mechanism for improving the effect thereof. Based on the principle of the plane charge method, both the stress wave and detonation gas were considered to affect rock fragmentation and casting, a model of overburden fragmentation and casting process around the blasting hole was established, and bench deep-hole blast-casting behaviours were elucidated. By using the Factor Analysis Method (FAM), a correlation analysis model of factors influencing blast-casting results was built. The results proved that powder factor (or specific charge) ranked first in terms of its influence, followed by hole spacing, minimum resistance line, burden, and bench height. The formulae for calculating the limit powder factor value and the spacing of blasting holes were derived for different rock properties. The results showed that the optimum hole spacing was no more than 12.49 m and the powder factor was no more than 0.75 kg/m3, and it proved that an effective casting percentage (ECP) of 34% could be realized.

Solid (biomass and coal) fuels burned for residential heating are major sources of atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this study, VOC samples were collected in-situ from chimneys in 10 typical heating scenarios in rural areas of the Guanzhong Plain. A modified SUMA canister approach was then employed, followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. Emission factors (EFs) (as received basis) of targeted non-methane VOCs (NMVOCs) varied from 90.3 ± 29.3 to 12300 ± 1510 mg kg−1 in descending order of fuel wood > maize straw > bitumite ≫ anthracite (p 95%) were contributed by aromatics. A semi-gasifier and coal briquettes were effective in reducing TVOC emissions, even when used in conjunction with a traditional stove and fuels. It is estimated that over 15,000 ton year−1 emissions can be reduced in Guanzhong Plain by adopting a semi-gasifier and coal briquettes, resulting in a 57,000 and 65,000 ton year−1 reduction of OFP and SOAP emissions, respectively. These results demonstrate that the use of clean heating technologies in Guanzhong Plain has considerable potential in relation to emissions reduction and thus provides a feasible solution to mitigate VOCs and related secondary pollutants emitted by residential solid fuel burning. Keywords: Solid fuel, VOCs, Clean heating technology, Ozone formation potential, Secondary organic aerosol formation potential

Abstract To quantify differences between dry deposition algorithms commonly used in North America, five models were selected to calculate dry deposition velocity (Vd) for O3 and SO2 over a temperate mixed forest in southern Ontario, Canada, where a 5‐year flux database had previously been developed. The models performed better in summer than in winter with correlation coefficients for hourly Vd between models and measurements being approximately 0.6 and 0.3, respectively. Differences in mean Vd values between models were on the order of a factor of 2 in both summer and winter. All models produced lower Vd values than the measurements of O3 in summer and SO2 in summer and winter, although the measured Vd may be biased. There was not a consistent tendency in the models to overpredict or underpredict for O3 in winter. Several models produced magnitudes of the diel variation of Vd (O3) comparable to the measurements, while all models produced slightly smaller diel variations than the measurements of Vd (SO2) in summer. A few models produced larger diel variations than the measurements of Vd for O3 and SO2 in winter. Model differences were mainly due to different surface resistance parameterizations for stomatal and nonstomatal uptake pathways, while differences in aerodynamic and quasi‐laminar resistances played only a minor role. It is recommended to use ensemble modeling results for ecosystem impact assessment studies, which provides mean values of all the used models and thus can avoid too much overestimations or underestimations.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-00851-9.

Abstract The present study investigated the environmental distribution and fate of low molecular weight (LMW) polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in China using the ChnGIPERM (Chinese Gridded Industrial Pollutants Emission and Residue Model), in which the air-soil exchange, spatial-temporal variations and the heterogeneity of secondary emission and residue in the non-source areas were studied. The model simulated the temporal and spatial variations of the PCB28 concentration in soils and air which agreed well with historical monitoring data across China. The long-range atmospheric transport (LRAT) and temperature was identified as the major factor affecting the distribution patterns of the secondary emissions and residues. Soil residue was considered as important environmental fate of PCB28. However, the intensity of an emissions source and the distance with non-source area strongly affected the spatial and temporal variations of PCB28 residues in soil. Several factors strongly impacted the distribution characteristics and air-soil exchange of PCB28, including emission patterns, atmospheric transport, soil organic carbon (SOC), soil vertical transfer, ambient temperature, and precipitation.

In mercury (Hg) contaminated areas of Asia, human exposure to toxic methyl-Hg (MeHg) through a rice-based diet of locally produced crop may pose a health threat. Alternative cropping system to rice in such areas would be most desirable. In this study, corn, the leading cereal source in the world with large biomass, was demonstrated to accumulate an insignificant amount of MeHg from the soil in its edible portion compared to that in rice, suggesting corn being a very competitive alternative crop. By examining Hg stable isotope composition, Hg in the aerial parts of corn was found to be mostly from the atmosphere. Maize cropping worldwide is estimated to be a discemible sink of atmospheric Hg with approximately 44 Mg Hg accumulated in each growing season on a yearly basis, most of which is from foliar uptake of atmospheric Hg and this amount is comparable to litterfall Hg observed in North America and Europe. It is thus recommended to use corn as a replacement of rice in highly Hg-contaminated areas for remediation of Hg pollution in the food supply.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by chronic progressive symmetrical synovitis and destruction of multiple joints. Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used in the treatment of RA. However, their adverse effects can be serious. Escin, which is isolated from Aesculus hippocastanum L., has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effects. We investigated the anti-RA effect of Escin combined with low dose GCs (dexamethasone, Dex) and the underlying mechanism. Adjuvant-induced RA rats and lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-injured RAW264.7 cells were used to investigate the anti-RA effects of Escin combined with low dose Dex in vivo and in vitro. The results showed that Escin combined with low-dose Dex significantly decreased arthritic index, serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels, reduced paw swelling, and ameliorated the joint pathology and immune organ pathology. Gene chip results revealed that Nr3c1 (GR) expression was significantly altered, and that GR was activated by Escin and low dose Dex in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, Escin combined with low dose Dex also significantly increased GR mRNA expression. However, when GR expression was suppressed by its specific inhibitor, the anti-RA effect of Escin combined with low-dose Dex was abolished. The data in this study demonstrated that Escin combined with Dex reduced the dose of Dex, and exerted significant anti-RA effects, which could also reduce the adverse effects of Dex. This combination might result from GR activation. This study might provide a new combination of drugs for the treatment of RA.

Solar radiation significantly affects terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP). However, the relationship between GPP and solar radiation is nonlinear because it is affected by diffuse radiation. Solar radiation has undergone a shift from darker to brighter values over the past 30 years in China. However, the effects on GPP of variation in solar radiation because of changes in diffuse radiation are unclear. In this study, national global radiation in conjunction with other meteorological data and remotely sensed data were used as input into a two-leaf light use efficiency model (TL-LUE) that simulated GPP separately for sunlit and shaded leaves for the period from 1981 to 2012. The results showed that the nationwide annual global radiation experienced a significant reduction (2.18 MJ m−2 y−1; p < 0.05) from 1981 to 2012, decreasing by 1.3% over this 32-year interval. However, the nationwide annual diffuse radiation increased significantly (p < 0.05). The reduction in global radiation from 1981 to 2012 decreased the average annual GPP of terrestrial ecosystems in China by 0.09 Pg C y−1, whereas the gain in diffuse radiation from 1981 to 2012 increased the average annual GPP in China by about 50%. Therefore, the increase in canopy light use efficiency under higher diffuse radiation only partially offsets the loss of GPP caused by lower global radiation.

Light use efficiency (LUE) is a key indicator of vegetation photosynthesis, which provides important insights into how vegetation productivity responds to environmental conditions. The photochemical reflectance index (PRI) is based on reflectance at 531 and 570 nm, which reflects the xanthophyll cycle process of plants under different radiation conditions, and makes LUE related to plant optical characteristics. In this study, tower-based PRI and eddy covariance (EC) based LUEs were used to explore the ability of PRI to track LUE variations in a subtropical, evergreen mixed forest in South China. The results indicate that there is a stronger relationship between PRI and LUE, corrected by the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF), where R2 = 0.46 before correction and R2 = 0.60 after correction. Generally, PRI is able to capture diurnal and seasonal changes in LUE. Simultaneously, this study highlights a significant correlation between LUE and PRI, but there is also a large seasonal difference in its correlation. The correlation in winter was significantly stronger than summer. The strongest correlation is found in November (R2 = 0.91) and the weakest is in July (R2 = 0.34). Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) had a strong influence on the LUE-PRI relationship, while vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and air temperature (Ta) had negative influences on the relationship between LUE and PRI. Terrestrial laser scanning is used to retrieve the vertical structure of forest crown. Our results show that the vegetation canopy structure (i.e., effective leaf area index, LAIe), extracted from terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) point data in subtropical mixed forests, had a weak influence on LUE. Our research suggests that environmental factors and vegetation canopy structures should be considered when using PRI to accurately estimate LUE.

Latent heat flux (LE) and the corresponding water vapor lost from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere, which is called Evapotranspiration (ET), is one of the key processes in the water cycle and energy balance of the global climate system. Satellite remote sensing is the only feasible technique to estimate LE over a large-scale region. While most of the previous satellite LE methods are based on the optical vegetation index (VI), here we propose a microwave-VI (EDVI) based LE algorithm which can work for both day and night time, and under clear or non-raining conditions. This algorithm is totally driven by multiple-sensor satellite products of vegetation water content index, solar radiation, and cloud properties, with some aid from a reanalysis dataset. The satellite inputs and the performance of this algorithm are validated with in situ measurements at three ChinaFLUX forest sites. Our results show that the selected satellite observations can indeed serve as the inputs for the purpose of estimating ET. The instantaneous estimations of LE (LEcal) from this algorithm show strong positive temporal correlations with the in situ measured LE (LEobs) with the correlation coefficients (R) of 0.56−0.88 in the study years. The mean bias is kept within 16.0% (23.0 W/m2) across the three sites. At the monthly scale, the correlations between the retrieval and the in situ measurements are further improved to an R of 0.84−0.95 and the bias is less than 14.3%. The validation results also indicate that EDVI-based LE method can produce stable LEcal under different cloudy skies with good accuracy. Being independent of any in situ measurements as inputs, this algorithm shows great potential for estimating ET under both clear and cloudy skies on a global scale for climate study.

Due to its significant ecological and climate consequences, atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is a growing global concern, especially in the severely N-polluted regions such as the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region of southern China. One-year measurements of reactive N species, including ammonium nitrogen ( -N), nitrate nitrogen (-N) and total organic nitrogen (ON) in dry and wet deposition, were conducted using an automated wet–dry sampler incorporated with a DDAS (dry deposition on aqueous surface) sampling device at Dinghushan (DHS), a natural forest site in the northwest of PRD and at Hengmen (HM), an estuary site in the south of PRD during 2006–2007. Total deposition fluxes of N at DHS and HM were up to 48.2 and 37.8 kg ha−1 yr−1, respectively, with most of the deposition occurring in the rainy season. Wet deposition was the dominant form, contributing 65–70% to the total deposition. -N was the largest contributor to the total N deposition at DHS (47%) due to significant influence of agriculture emissions. ON was the most important N component at HM (41%), which is probably attributed to the marine sources. However, -N deposition is increasing rapidly recently and is expected to be more important in the near future. The current N deposition level in PRD is much higher than those in Europe and North America. Great challenges exist in reducing reactive N emission in this region. Thus, a scenario of rising N deposition in PRD in the near future cannot be ruled out. The environmental consequences due to elevated N deposition should therefore be paid more attention in the future.

The representations of cloud processing of gases and aerosols in some of the current state-of-the-art regional air quality models in North America and Europe are reviewed. Key processes reviewed include aerosol activation (or nucleation scavenging of aerosols), aqueous-phase chemistry, and wet deposition/removal of atmospheric tracers. It was found that models vary considerably in the parameterizations or algorithms used in representing these processes. As an emerging area of research, the current understanding of the uptake of water soluble organics by cloud droplets and the potential aqueous-phase reaction pathways leading to the atmospheric secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation is also reviewed. Sensitivity tests using the AURAMS model have been conducted in order to assess the impact on modeled regional particulate matter (PM) from: (1) the different aerosol activation schemes, (2) the different below-cloud particle scavenging algorithms, and (3) the inclusion of cloud processing of water soluble organics as a potential pathway for the formation of atmospheric SOA. It was found that the modeled droplet number concentrations and ambient PM size distributions were strongly affected by the use of different aerosol activation schemes. The impact on the modeled average ambient PM mass concentration was found to be limited in terms of averaged PM2.5 concentration (~a few percents) but more significant in terms of PM1.0 (up to 10 percents). The modeled ambient PM was found to be moderately sensitive to the below-cloud particle scavenging algorithms, with relative differences up to 10% and 20% in terms of PM2.5 and PM10, respectively, when using the two different algorithms for the scavenging coefficient (Λ) corresponding to the lower and upper bounds in the parameterization for Λ. The model simulation with the additional cloud uptake and processing of water-soluble organic gases was shown to improve the evaluation statistics for modeled PM2.5 OA compared to the IMPROVE network data, and it was demonstrated that the cloud processing of water-soluble organics can indeed be an important mechanism in addition to the traditional secondary organic gas uptake to the particle organic phase.

The modeling and partitioning of regional evapotranspiration (ET) are key issues in global hydrological and ecological research. We incorporated a stomatal conductance model and a light-use efficiency-based gross primary productivity (GPP) model into the Shuttleworth–Wallace model to develop a simplified carbon-water coupling model, SWH, for estimating ET using meteorological and remote sensing data. To enable regional application of the SWH model, we optimized key parameters with measurements from global eddy covariance (EC) tower sites. In addition, we estimated soil water content with the principle of the bucket system. The model prediction of ET agreed well with the estimates obtained with the EC measurements, with an average R2 of 0.77 and a root mean square error of 0.72 mm·day−1. The model performance was generally better for woody ecosystems than herbaceous ecosystems. Finally, the spatial patterns of ET and relevant model outputs (i.e., GPP, water-use efficiency and the ratio of soil water evaporation to ET) in China with the model simulations were assessed.

The fern Dicranopteris dichotoma is an important pioneer species of the understory in Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) forests growing on acidic soils in the subtropical and tropical China. To improve our understanding of the role of D. dichotoma in nitrogen (N) uptake of these forests, a short-term (15)N experiment was conducted at mountain ridge (MR, with low N level) and mountain foot (MF, with high N level). We injected (15)N tracers as (15)NH4, (15)NO3 or (15)N-glycine into the soil surrounding each plant at both MR and MF sites. Three hours after tracer injection, the fern D. dichotoma took up 15NH4+ significantly faster at MF than at MR, but it showed significantly slower uptake of (15)NO3- at MF than at MR. Consequently, (15)NO3- made greater contribution to the total N uptake (50% to the total N uptake) at MR than at MF, but (15)N-glycine only contributed around 11% at both sites. Twenty-four hours after tracer injection, D. dichotoma preferred (15)NH4+ (63%) at MR, whereas it preferred (15)NO3- (47%) at MF. We concluded that the D. dichotoma responds distinctly in its uptake pattern for three available N species over temporal and spatial scales, but mainly relies on inorganic N species in the subtropical forest. This suggests that the fern employs different strategies to acquire available N which depends on N levels and time.

Fungal spores are ubiquitous in the Earth’s atmosphere, especially in the environment of tropical rainforests with intense biological activities. To assess the impact of fungi on chemical components of atmospheric aerosols at a Chinese tropical rainforest site, size-segregated fungal spore tracers (i.e. arabitol and mannitol) were measured along with major aerosol components, including carbonaceous species and water-soluble inorganic ions. The fungal spore tracers were found to be predominately associated with coarse particles, in which organic carbon (OC) and potassium (K ^+ ) were also present at significant levels. Enhanced amounts of fungal spore tracers were closely linked to rainfall events. Moreover, fungal spore tracers exhibited positive correlations with relative humidity and negative correlations with wind speed, temperature or radiation. The relationships between fungal spore tracers and meteorological factors are consistent with the emission features of actively discharged fungal spores, which are generally associated with sugar alcohols and by-products such as the inorganic ion K ^+ . The excellent correlations between fungal spore tracers and OC or K ^+ in the coarse particles further suggested their common emission sources. Absolute principal factor analysis further identified fungi as the largest contributor to coarse OC and K ^+ (both at ∼66%) in this rainforest.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), known as nontraumatic cerebrovascular rupture and hemorrhage, often occurs in the deep basal brain segment. It is known for its high morbidity and mortality rates. Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a clinical syndrome caused by the rupture of blood vessels at the base or surface of the brain that allows blood to flow directly into the subarachnoid space. It progresses quickly and typically manifests at younger ages compared with ICH. ICH and SAH are both devastating events in the category of hemorrhagic strokes and are attracting increasing attention from researchers. Flavonoids, being important natural molecules, have remarkable anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Flavonoids have extensive biological activities in inflammation and oxidative stress (OS), and have protective effects in vascular function associated with cerebrovascular diseases. They have an impact on the onset of ICH and SAH by targeting various pathways, including the suppression of inflammation and OS. Recently, the role of flavonoid compounds in ICH and SAH has also received increasing interest. Thus, to serve as a resource for the prevention and treatment of ICH and SAH, the present review provided an overview of the research on flavonoid compounds in the prevention of brain damage after these two conditions have occurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open straw burning has been widely recognized as a significant source of greenhouse gases (GHGs), posing critical risks to atmospheric integrity and potentially exacerbating global warming. In this study, we proposed a novel method that integrates crop cycle information into extraction and classification of fire spots from open straw burning in Northeast China from 2001 to 2020. By synergizing the extracted fire spots with the modified Fire Radiative Power (FRP) algorithm, we developed high spatial resolution emission inventories of GHGs, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Results showed that the northern Sanjiang Plain, eastern Songnen Plain, and eastern Liao River Plain were areas with high intensity of open straw burning. The number of fire spots was elevated during 2013-2017, accounting for 58.0% of the total fire spots observed during 2001-2020. The prevalent season for open straw burning shifted from autumn (pre-2016) to spring (post-2016), accompanied by a more dispersed pattern in burning dates. The two-decade cumulative emissions of CO2, CH4, and N2O were quantified at 202 Tg, 568 Gg, and 16.0 Gg, respectively, amounting to 221 Tg of CO²-eq. Significant correlations were identified between GHGs emissions and both straw yields and straw utilization (p < 0.01). The enforcement of straw burning bans since 2018 has played a pivotal role in curbing open straw burning, and reduced fire spots by 50.7% on annual basis compared to 2013-2017. The novel method proposed in this study considerably enhanced the accuracy in characterizing spatiotemporal distributions of fire spots from open straw burning and quantifying associated pollutants emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]