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Despite effective mining environmental regulations, residual metal pollution persists, leading to significant ecological harm and posing substantial risks to human well-being. This study employed multiple-criteria methods to investigate the ecological and health risks caused by metals in multiple environmental media (e.g., arable soil, indoor dust, PM 10 , homegrown vegetables, and rice) around abandoned mine areas (MA) in central south China. The study also aimed to identify predominant risk factors and the main exposure pathway. The findings revealed that metal levels and risks in the environmental media surrounding the MA were significantly higher than those in the control areas (away from abandoned mines, CA). This indicates that the accumulation of metals in the environmental media surrounding the MA was attributed to the previous mining activities. Variations in metal content were observed among different environmental media in MA, with Cd from mining source being the primary pollutant in arable soil, indoor dust, PM 10 , and vegetables, while As from agricultural source was the main pollutant in rice. Additionally, the consumption of Cd-contaminated vegetables and As-contaminated rice emerged as the primary routes of health hazards for the local population, leading to significant non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. Consequently, it is imperative for the government and mining companies to promptly establish risk control and remedial strategies for mitigating residual metal levels in multiple environmental media surrounding the MA. [Display omitted] • Mining causes residual metal accumulation in multiple environments around the area. • Residual metals from mining pose an ecological risk to the surrounding environment. • Cd and As were the primary pollutants in the multiple environments surrounding mines. • Dietary exposure was the major source of health hazards for local populations. • Mining and agricultural sources were the priority control sources in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Reducing iron by hydroxylamine (HA) can promote the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the Fenton reaction and play a crucial role in the degradation of organic pollutants. However, the performance of this system at wider environmental thresholds is still not sufficiently understood, especially in the highly alkaline environments resulting from human activities. Here, we assessed the impact of solution pH on organic pollutant degradation by goethite with the addition of HA and H 2 O 2. The solid phase variation and ROS generation were analyzed using Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance analysis. This study found that under alkaline conditions, the system can continuously scavenge organic pollutants through oxygen-mediated generation of free radicals. At lower pH levels, organic pollutant decomposition, exemplified by the breakdown of bisphenol A (BPA), is primarily driven by the Fenton reaction facilitated by iron. As pH increases, hydroxyl radical (•OH) production decreases, accompanied by decreased BPA removal efficiency. However, the removal efficiency of BPA increased significantly at pH > 9. At pH 12, the removal of BPA exceeded that of the acidic condition after one hour, which is consistent with observations in soil system studies. Unlike the Fenton reaction, which is not sensitive to oxygen content, the removal of BPA under alkaline conditions occurs only under aerobic conditions. H 2 O 2 is hardly involved in the reaction, and the depletion of HA becomes a critical factor in the decomposition of BPA. Importantly, in contrast to acidic conditions, where the dramatic decomposition of BPA occurs mainly in the first 10 min, the decomposition of BPA under alkaline conditions continued to occur over the 2 h of observation until complete removal. For natural systems, the remediation of pollutants depends more on the active time of ROS than on their reactivity. Therefore, this idea can reference pollution remediation strategies in anthropogenically disturbed environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A class of alkaline earth metal-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), namely NDC MOF(Ca) and NDC MOF(Sr) , has been synthesized using 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (NDC) as the linker. In view of the biocompatibility of the starting materials, these MOFs are expected to be environmentally benign and, in this work, have been employed for the removal of copper(II) ions (Cu2+) from aqueous systems. The results showed that the maximum adsorption capacities of NDC MOF(Ca) and NDC MOF(Sr) for Cu2+ were 299.4 and 398.4 ​mg ​g−1, respectively, which were comparable to those of related MOFs and porous materials. Meanwhile, NDC MOF(Ca) and NDC MOF(Sr) displayed blue luminescence in the solid state at room temperature upon photoexcitation with ultraviolet (UV) light. This emission would be readily quenched after the adsorption of Cu2+ ions. Such visible changes in the observed color and emission of the MOFs have rendered them versatile adsorbents and sensors for Cu2+ in the aqueous environment. A class of biocompatible alkaline earth metal-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) has been synthesized and characterized. These MOFs can function as efficient adsorbents as well as sensors for copper(II) ions in the aqueous environment. [Display omitted] • A series of alkaline earth metal-based MOFs was synthesized for the adsorptive removal of copper(II) ions from water. • The strontium MOF, namely NDC MOF(Sr) , exhibited an excellent copper(II) adsorption capacity of 398.4 ​mg ​g−1. • The MOFs could also function as effective luminescence sensors for copper(II) with instantaneous responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Magnetic semiconductors with both electron charge and spin features exhibit tremendous potential in spintronics. Although defective transition-metal dichalcogenides are promising with induced room temperature (RT) magnetic moments, impacts of the defect type and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Herein, two strategies involving elemental substitution and epitaxial growth have been explored to synthesize alloyed and hybrid MoSe 2-x S x with lattice distortion and artificial interfaces respectively. Both experimental measurements and first-principle calculations demonstrate induced magnetism in the resultant MoSe 2-x S x with the magnetization intensity closely associated to the atomic structure. The alloyed MoSe 2-x S x exhibits satisfactory structural stability and atomic magnetic moments due to the Mo 4d orbital splitting induced by lattice distortion. Nevertheless, both enhanced RT ferromagnetism and thermomagnetic stability can be achieved for the hybrid MoSe 2-x S x resulted from stronger localized spin polarization at the MoSe 2 /MoS 2 interfaces. As such the work not only sheds light on the mechanisms underlying defect-induced ferromagnetism in transition-metal dichalcogenides, but also proposes an interface engineering strategy to induce significant ferromagnetism for multi-fields including spintronics, multiferroics and valleytronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the speciation and related influence factors of Hg in wet deposition is important to predict the fate and transport of mercury in the atmosphere. In this study, event-based samples of rainwater were collected for one year in Jinan, a northern city in eastern China. The volume-weighted mean concentration of total mercury (THg) in rainwater was 34.8 ng L−1, comparable to levels in some inland cities in China and were significantly higher than those in North America, Korea and Japan. Most of the Hg in rainwater was associated with particulates, accounted for 15.2–92.9% of THg with a mean of 66.9%, which might be attributed to the scavenging effects of high particulate-bound mercury concentrations in ambient air in urban Jinan. Dissolved mercury (DHg) accounted for 33.1% of THg, in which Hg(OH) 2 , HgClOH, HgCl 2 and Hg(NH 3) 2 2+ are the dominant species based on the chemical equilibrium modeling simulations. THg concentrations in rainwater decreased as the rainfall amount increased owing to the dilution effect and 5 mm rainfall might be a threshold for the full wash-out capability of atmospheric Hg. For a continuous rain event, the proportion of DHg in THg could increase from 7.1% to 84.8% with the rainfall processing, especially for the species of HgClOH and HgCl 2 under the influence of rainwater pH. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis suggested that the major sources of Hg in rainwater were combustion emissions, marine sources, industrial emissions, as well as complexation process, which contributed to 51.4%, 24.7%, 12.2%, and 11.7% of the THg, respectively. For the specific species, the main sources varied with different Hg species, in which combustion emissions contributed one third to one half of each species sum to particulate mercury (PHg), HgClOH, HgCl 2 , HgBrOH and HgBrCl followed by marine sources and industrial emissions. Cluster analysis of backward trajectories revealed that polluted air masses, transported from southeast Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu Provinces, as well as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, contributed to high Hg concentration in rainwater in Jinan. [Display omitted] • High THg concentrations in rainwater were observed in Jinan, eastern China. • Particulate Hg, Hg(OH) 2 and HgClOH were the most abundant Hg species in rainwater. • Dissolved Hg ratio increased with enhanced HgClOH and HgCl 2 by rainfall processing. • Combustion and marine sources significant influence Hg species in rainwater in Jinan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasing of industrial plastic waste and its refractory characteristics, it is extremely urgent to develop new degradation technology and environmentally friendly catalyst for industrial plastic waste. Manganese oxides are one of the most promising candidates for the catalytic degradation of plastic wastes. However, an improved understanding of the structural properties affecting their catalytic activity is required for high-efficient wastewater treatment. We herein report the surface reactivity effects of δ-MnO 2 structural defects with regards to Bisphenol A (BPA) degradation/probe in the presence of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). Four δ-MnO x samples with different Mn(III) contents (different Mn(III)-deficient sample) were prepared and their structural properties as well as surface reactivity were characterized by batch test, ESR and XAFS analysis. For the Mn(III)-deficient sample, BPA removal was principally affected by direct electron transfer, with the adsorbed BPA degraded following hydroxylation. In contrast, a small fraction of Mn(III) substitution in δ-MnO 2 could significantly encouraged the activation of PMS to produce SO 4 −☐and ☐OH, and a BPA degradation via beta scission. Moreover, the Mn(III)-rich δ-MnO 2 demonstrate a high BPA removal rate even with a low sample load, which performed well following a reuse of five times. Our results provide a new way for the improvement of δ-MnO 2 activity for the use of industrial plastic wastes treatment. [Display omitted] • The effect of Mn(III) substitution on catalytic activity were studied. • Mn(III) in δ-MnO 2 influenced BPA degradation in different processes. • Small fraction of Mn(III) in δ-MnO 2 could clearly enhance the catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to estimate the influence of the typical variation in liquid conditions on the biochemical reaction characteristics of sulfur and carbon in the sediment of gravity sanitary sewers. Thus, a series of experimental tests were conducted with real wastewater and sewage sediment to investigate the potential biochemical process of carbon and sulfur in sediment. Results indicated that the sulfur and carbon biochemical process in sediment with neutral pH is significant in the gravity sewage system. The changes in concentration and the ratios of wastewater component substrates are the key factors in chemical oxygen demand and sulfate reduction rates. Furthermore, the condition of dissolved oxygen in liquid significantly affected the biochemical reaction processes of sulfur and carbon. Finally, the frequent alternation of anaerobic and anoxic with low dissolved oxygen effectively inhibits sulfide accumulation and simultaneously reduces carbon loss in the sewage system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of exposure to endotoxin on the reproductive performance of humans and animals in pregnancy and delivery period. Mucin is considered to play a critical role in protecting the tissue epithelium. At pregnancy period, the MUC2 expression of uterus in the High LPS group was significantly higher than that in the Control group. The glycosaminoglycans of gland cells were secreted into the uterine cavity to protect the uterus. Then, the MUC2 layer became thinner, and LPS entered the lamina propria of the uterus. The mRNA expression of tight junction proteins showed a marked drop, and morphological damage of the uterus occurred. Subsequently, the glycosaminoglycans of gland cells in the High LPS and Low LPS groups increased with the increasing LPS dose, and the damage to the endometrial epithelium was repaired in female mice at Day 5 postdelivery. A low dose of LPS activated the PI3K/AKT signaling pathways to increase the glycosaminoglycans particles, while a high dose of LPS inhibited the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to decrease the glycosaminoglycans particles. Taken together, our results suggest that gland cells secreted glycosaminoglycans particles into the uterine cavity by exocytosis to increase the thickness of the mucus layer to protect the uterus and that this process was regulated by PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. • Mucopolysaccharides and MUC2 secrection were regulated by PI3K/AKT signal pathways. • The thickness of MUC2 layer take self-protection for the uterus. • The endotoxin could reduce the conception rate and survival rate of young rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work utilizes bird survey data, regression modeling, land-use modeling and landscape metrics to evaluate the effects of various spatial bird diversity conservation approaches on land-use allocation, land-use patterns, and biodiversity in the Shangan sub-watershed in central Taiwan. A survey of the distribution of species revealed that bird species are concentrated in the central and western parts of the sub-watershed. The results obtained using a Shannon–Weaver diversity regression model suggest that diversity of land-use increases the diversity of bird species. Logistic regression results verify that socio-economic factors determine the potential advantages of designating a particular type of land-use in certain parts of the study area. The results of land-use simulation modeling indicate that the eastern and southwestern areas of the sub-watershed will change most frequently between 2007 and 2017. Additionally, increasing the areas to protect bird diversity will effectively increase the patch size, habitat core area, edge effect and habitat connectivity. The Shannon–Weaver diversity regression model shows that protecting bird species diversity in large areas increases bird diversity. The proposed modeling approach is an effective tool that provides useful information for ecological planning and policymaking related to watersheds. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Soils contaminated with heavy metals (HMs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been becoming a worldwide concerned environmental problem because of threatening public healthy via food chain exposure. Thus soils polluted by HMs and PAHs need to be remediated urgently. Physical and chemical remediation methods usually have some disadvantages, e.g., cost-expensiveness and incomplete removal, easily causing secondary pollution, which are hence not environmental-friendly. Conventional microbial approaches are mostly used to treat a single contaminant in soils and lack high efficiency and specificity for combined contaminants. Genetically engineered microorganisms (GEMs) have emerged as a desired requirement of higher bioremediation efficiency for soils polluted with HMs and PAHs and environmental sustainability, which can provide a more eco-friendly and cost-effective strategy in comparison with some conventional techniques. This review comments the recent advances about successful bioremediation techniques and approaches for soil contaminated with HMs and/or PAHs by GEMs, and discusses some challenges in the simultaneous removal of HMs and PAHs from soil by designing multi-functional genetic engineering microorganisms (MFGEMs), such as improvement of higher efficiency, strict environmental conditions, and possible ecological risks. Also, the modern biotechnological techniques and approaches in improving the ability of microbial enzymes to effectively degrade combined contaminants at a faster rate are introduced, such as reasonable gene editing, metabolic pathway modification, and protoplast fusion. Although MFGEMs are more potent than the native microbes and can quickly adapt to combined contaminants in soils, the ecological risk of MFGEMs needs to be evaluated under a regulatory, safety, or costs benefit-driving system in a way of stratified regulation. Nevertheless, the innovation of genetic engineering to produce MFGEMs should be inspired for the welfare of successful bioremediation for soils contaminated with HMs and PAHs but it must be supervised by the public, authorities, and laws. [Display omitted] • This review highlights the removal of different types of HMs or PAHs by GEMs. • There are some challenges in constructing MFGEMs to remove HMs and PAHs compound pollution in soil. • Some reasonable strategies are provided to remove HMs and PAHs compound pollution by MFGEMs. • The implementation of GEMs should be stratified and be supervised under the permission of government and public forever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The development of a strong and tough conductive hydrogel capable of meeting the strict requirements of the electrode of a hydrogel-based triboelectric nanogenerator (H-TENG) remains an enormous challenge. Herein, a robust conductive polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel is designed via a three-step method: (1) grafting with 3,4-dihydroxy benzaldehyde, (2) metal complexation using ferric chloride (FeCl 3) and (3) salting-out using sodium citrate. The hydrogel contains robust crystalline PVA domains and reversible/high-density non-covalent interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, π–π interactions and Fe3+-catechol complexations. Benefiting from the crystalline domains, the hydrogel can resist external forces to the hydrogel network; meanwhile, the reversible/high-density of non-covalent interactions can impart gradual and persistent energy dissipation during deformation. The hydrogel possesses multiple cross-linked networks, with 6.47 MPa tensile stress, 1000 % strain, 35.24 MJ/m3 toughness and 37.59 kJ/m2 fracture energy. Furthermore, the inter-connected porous hydrogel has an ideal structure for ionic-conducing channels. The hydrogel is assembled into an H-TENG, which can generate open circuit voltage of ∼ 150 V, short-circuit current of ∼ 3.0 μA, with superb damage immunity. Subsequently, road traffic monitoring systems are innovatively developed and demonstrated by using the H-TENG. This study provides a novel strategy to prepare superiorly strong and tough hydrogels that can meet the high demand for H-TENGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of removable backbone modification strategy and peptide hydrazide-based native chemical ligation enables the chemical synthesis of a 28kDa full-length PET degrading enzyme ICCG (a higher depolymerization efficiency of variant leaf-branch compost cutinase (LCC)). [Display omitted] • mirror-image PET degrading enzyme ICCG. • Hydrazide-based chemical ligation for proteins. • Removable backbone modification for hydrophobic peptides. Chemical protein synthesis offers a powerful way to access otherwise-difficult-to-obtain proteins such as mirror-image proteins. Although a large number of proteins have been chemically synthesized to date, the acquisition to proteins containing hydrophobic peptide fragments has proven challenging. Here, we describe an approach that combines the removable backbone modification strategy and the peptide hydrazide-based native chemical ligation for the chemical synthesis of a 28 kDa full-length PET degrading enzyme IGGC (a higher depolymerization efficiency of variant leaf-branch compost cutinase (LCC)) containing hydrophobic peptide segments. The synthetic ICCG exhibits the enzymatic activity and will be useful in establishing the corresponding mirror-image version of ICCG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentrations of particulate mercury (PHg) and other trace elements in PM 2.5 and PM 10 in the atmosphere were measured at the summit of Mount Tai during the time period of 15 June – 11 August 2015. The average PHg concentrations were 83.33 ± 119.1 pg/m 3 for PM 2.5 and 174.92 ± 210.5 pg/m 3 for PM 10 . Average concentrations for other trace elements, including Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Pb, As, Se, Cu, Cd, Cr, V, Mo, Co, Ag, Ba, Mn, Zn and Ni ranged from 0.06 ng/m 3 (Ag) to 354.33 ng/m 3 (Ca) in PM 2.5 and 0.11 ng/m 3 (Co) to 592.66 ng/m 3 (Ca) in PM 10 . The average concentrations of PHg were higher than those at other domestic mountain sites and cities in other counties, lower than those at domestic city sites. Other trace elements showed concentrations lower than those at the domestic mountain sites. Due possibly to increased control of emissions and the proportion of new energy, the PHg and trace element concentrations decreased, but the PHg showed concentrations higher than those at the Mountain sites, this showed that the reasons was not only severely affected by anthropogenic emissions, but also associated with other sources. The concentration changed trend of the main trace elements indicated that PHg, trace elements and particle matters present positive correlation and fine particulate matter has a greater surface area which was conductive to adsorption of Hg and trace elements to particles. On June 19, June 27 and July 6, according to the peak of mercury and trace elements, we can predict the potential sources of these three days. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) suggested that, crustal dust, coal combustion, and vehicle emissions were the main emission sources of PHg and other trace elements in Mount Tai. The 24-h backward trajectories and potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis revealed that air masses arriving at Mount Tai were mainly affected by Shandong province. Mount Tai was subjected to five main airflow trajectories. Clusters 1, 2, 3, and 5 represented four pathways for local and regional sources and cluster 4 originated long-distance transportation. Central Shandong was the main source regions of PHg, Pb, Se, As, Cu and Cd. Southeastern and northwestern Shandong province and northern Jiangsu province were the most polluted source regions of Mn, Zn, and Ni. The crustal elements Fe and Ca had similar distributions of potential source regions, suggested by the highest PSCF values in southeastern Shandong and northern Jiangsu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver fibrosis is a determinant-stage process of many chronic liver diseases and affected over 7.9 billion populations worldwide with increasing demands of ideal therapeutic agents. Discovery of active molecules with anti-hepatic fibrosis efficacies presents the most attacking filed. Here, we revealed that hepatic L-aspartate levels were decreased in CCl 4 -induced fibrotic mice. Instead, supplementation of L-aspartate orally alleviated typical manifestations of liver injury and fibrosis. These therapeutic efficacies were alongside improvements of mitochondrial adaptive oxidation. Notably, treatment with L-aspartate rebalanced hepatic cholesterol-steroid metabolism and reduced the levels of liver-impairing metabolites, including corticosterone (CORT). Mechanistically, L-aspartate treatment efficiently reversed CORT-mediated glucocorticoid receptor β (GRβ) signaling activation and subsequent transcriptional suppression of the mitochondrial genome by directly binding to the mitochondrial genome. Knockout of GRβ ameliorated corticosterone-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and hepatocyte damage which also weakened the improvements of L-aspartate in suppressing GRβ signaling. These data suggest that L-aspartate ameliorates hepatic fibrosis by suppressing GRβ signaling via rebalancing cholesterol-steroid metabolism, would be an ideal candidate for clinical liver fibrosis treatment. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance of polyaniline was dramatically enhanced by engineering robust PANI/carbon interfaces, and a proton supercapacitor with high energy/power densities was further demonstrated based on the prepared PANI cathode and an h-WO 3 anode. [Display omitted] Supercapacitors are high power energy storage devices, however, their application are remain limited by the low energy density. Developing high capacity electrode materials and constructing devices with high operating voltage are effective ways to solve this problem. Herein, performance of polyaniline (PANI) electrode materials is dramatically enhanced by engineering robust PANI/carbon interfaces, through assembling PANI nanorod array on rose petals derived carbon network (RPDCN). The structure of the PANI is optimized by adjusting the concentration of the aniline precursor. The unique structure enables the prepared PANI/RPDCN composite show a high capacitance of 636 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, based on the total weight of PANI and RPDCN substrate. The robust interface effectively prolonged the composite electrode stably cycled for over 2000 cycles at 2 A g−1 with a capacity retention of 89%. When coupled with a hexagonal tungsten oxide (h-WO 3) anode, a high-power asymmetric proton supercapacitor with high energy densities (29.0 Wh kg−1/0.61 kW kg−1 and 21.4 Wh kg−1/19.51 kW kg−1) was assembled. This work provides an effective and eco-friendly route toward superior PANI electrodes and proposes a promising high-power energy storage system using proton as working ion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated whether genetic susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB) influences lung adenocarcinoma development among never-smokers using TB genome-wide association study (GWAS) results within the Female Lung Cancer Consortium in Asia. Pathway analysis with the adaptive rank truncated product method was used to assess the association between a TB-related gene-set and lung adenocarcinoma using GWAS data from 5512 lung adenocarcinoma cases and 6277 controls. The gene-set consisted of 31 genes containing known/suggestive associations with genetic variants from previous TB-GWAS. Subsequently, we followed-up with Mendelian Randomization to evaluate the association between TB and lung adenocarcinoma using three genome-wide significant variants from previous TB-GWAS in East Asians. The TB-related gene-set was associated with lung adenocarcinoma (p = 0.016). Additionally, the Mendelian Randomization showed an association between TB and lung adenocarcinoma (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.66, p = 0.027). Our findings support TB as a causal risk factor for lung cancer development among never-smoking Asian women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquatic community dynamics are closely dominated by flow regime and water quality conditions, which are increasingly threatened by dam regulation, water diversion, and nutrition pollution. However, further understanding of the ecological impacts of flow regime and water quality conditions on aquatic multi-population dynamics has rarely been integrated into existing ecological models. To address this issue, a new niche-based metacommunity dynamics model (MDM) is proposed. The MDM aims to simulate the coevolution processes of multiple populations under changing abiotic environments, pioneeringly applied to the mid-lower Han River, China. The quantile regression method was used for the first time to derive ecological niches and competition coefficients of the MDM, which are demonstrated to be reasonable by comparing them with the empirical evidence. Simulation results show that the Nash efficiency coefficients for fish, zooplankton, zoobenthos, and macrophytes are more than 0.64, while the Pearson correlation coefficients for them are no less than 0.71. Overall, the MDM performs effectively in simulating metacommunity dynamics. For all river stations, the average contributions of biological interaction, flow regime effects, and water quality effects to multi-population dynamics are 64%, 21%, and 15%, respectively, suggesting that the population dynamics are dominated by biological interaction. For upstream stations, the fish population is 8%–22% more responsive to flow regime alteration than other populations, while other populations are 9%–26% more responsive to changes in water quality conditions than fish. For downstream stations, flow regime effects on each population account for less than 1% due to more stable hydrological conditions. The innovative contribution of this study lies in proposing a multi-population model to quantify the effects of flow regime and water quality on aquatic community dynamics by incorporating multiple indicators of water quantity, water quality, and biomass. This work has potential for the ecological restoration of rivers at the ecosystem level. This study also highlights the importance of considering threshold and tipping point issues when analyzing the "water quantity-water quality-aquatic ecology" nexus in future works. [Display omitted] • A new niche-based metacommunity dynamics model (MDM) is established. • Identification of flow regime and water quality effects on metacommunity. • Quantile regression is used to derive ecological niche and competition coefficient. • Dynamics of multiple populations are effectively simulated using the MDM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the diffusion and enrichment of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and pathogens via the transmission chain (mulberry leaves - silkworm guts - silkworm feces - soil) near a manganese mine restoration area (RA) and control area (CA, away from RA). Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of ARGs was testified by an IncP a-type broad host range plasmid RP4 harboring ARGs (tetA) and conjugative genes (e.g., korB , trbA , and trbB) as an indicator. Compared to leaves, the abundances of ARGs and pathogens in feces after silkworms ingested leaves from RA increased by 10.8% and 52.3%, respectively, whereas their abundance in feces from CA dropped by 17.1% and 97.7%, respectively. The predominant ARG types in feces involved the resistances to β-lactam, quinolone, multidrug, peptide, and rifamycin. Therein, several high-risk ARGs (e.g., qnrB , oqxA , and rpoB) carried by pathogens were more enriched in feces. However, HGT mediated by plasmid RP4 in this transmission chain was not a main factor to promote the enrichment of ARGs due to the harsh survival environment of silkworm guts for the plasmid RP4 host E. coli. Notably, Zn, Mn, and As in feces and guts promoted the enrichment of qnrB and oqxA. Worriedly, the abundance of qnrB and oqxA in soil increased by over 4-fold after feces from RA were added into soil for 30 days regardless of feces with or without E. coli RP4. Overall, ARGs and pathogens could diffuse and enrich in environment via the sericulture transmission chain developed at RA, especially some high-risk ARGs carried by pathogens. Thus, greater attentions should be paid to dispel such high-risk ARGs to support benign development of sericulture industry in the safe utilization of some RAs. [Display omitted] • ARGs and pathogens were more enriched in feces after silkworms ingested leaves from RA. • QnrB , oqxA , and rpoB enriched in feces were carried by some pathogens. • HMs in the transmission chain promoted enrichment of qnrB and oqxA in feces and soil. • The diffusion risk of ARGs in sericulture industry in mining area needs attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human brain has a complex structure and is able to perform powerful functions. Blood-brain barrier blocks the entry of foreign substances and maintains the homeostasis of the brain. However, some exogenous substances are still able to pass through the blood-brain barrier, with distribution patterns yet to be clarified. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), including perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSAs), a precursor (perfluorooctane sulfonamide that can be degraded to other substances), and emerging PFASs, were analyzed for the first time in living human brain glioma. The target compounds were detected and quantified in 25 out of 26 glioma samples. The concentration range of ∑PFAS was < RL−51 ng g−1 wet weight (applied to all reported concentrations), with a median of 2.9 ng g−1. The most abundant compound was PFCAs (40%), followed by PFSAs (28%), emerging PFASs (22%), and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (10%). Abundant alternatives PFASs, including short-chain PFCAs, short-chain PFSAs, and emerging PFASs (52% of ∑PFAS), were found in the glioma samples, supporting the notion that low molecular weight exogenous compounds have high permeability to cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in brain tissue. Gender difference was not significant (p > 0.05) in the concentrations of PFASs in the glioma samples. Concentrations of PFASs increased with increasing age, from 0.61 ng g−1 (0–14 years old) to 1.6 ng g−1 (>48 years old), with no significant linear correlation with age. The present study suggested that glioma is an effective indicator for monitoring exogenous contaminants in brain tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The methylation of cyclopentadiene with methanol has been studied over Al2O3 and KOH promoted MgO and unpromoted MgO. The dehydrogenation of methanol to formaldehyde was found to be a key-step in the generation of the active methylating species on these solid bases. The modification with Al2O3 or KOH favors the formation of methylcyclopentadienes and elevates the activity of MgO based on different reasons: introduction of acidic sites for Al2O3/MgO and superbasic effect for KOH/MgO. These catalysts present different deactivation behaviors due to the different surface acid–base properties. The heavy coking of cyclopentadiene on basic sites is responsible for the rapid deactivation of KOH/MgO along the catalytic test at 773K. However, the coking can be well suppressed at 723K, and KOH/MgO exhibits the catalytic performance apparently superior to MgO and Al2O3/MgO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]