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• Innovative MF-HHO-GRNN model for accurate water demand prediction. • First application of multi-fidelity data in regional forecasting. • Utilizing Harris hawks optimization to optimize GRNN's smoothing factor for improved model parameter selection. • Achieving exceptional predictive accuracy of 98%, 98%, and 97% for total water demand across varying time horizons. • Validating practicality in Heilongjiang Province, China. Accurate forecasting of water demand plays a crucial role in decision makers to effectively allocate regional water resources and promotes the rational development and utilization of water resources. To address the challenges posed by limited raw data availability and the difficulty in selecting parameters for water demand forecasting models, this study proposes a coupled model called MF-HHO-GRNN (Multi-Fidelity Data, Hybrid Harris Hawks Optimization, and Generalized Regression Neural Network). Initially, multi-fidelity data was constructed employing water demand factor data for Heilongjiang Province, China (1999–2020) as high-fidelity data, alongside data from Liaoning and Jilin Provinces of China as low-fidelity data. Adaptive boosting algorithms, data concatenation, and data dimensionality reduction techniques were employed to construct multi-fidelity data, thereby improving the availability of the original data. Subsequently, Harris hawk optimization algorithms were implemented to optimize the smoothing factor of the GRNN to resolve the challenge of selecting suitable parameters for water demand forecasting models. Finally, the MF-HHO-GRNN model was compared with other prediction models to analyze the prediction accuracy. The optimized MF-HHO-GRNN model meeting accuracy requirements was utilized to forecast agricultural irrigation, industrial, domestic, ecological water demand, and total water demand in Heilongjiang Province for the next 5 years. Results demonstrated that the proposed MF-HHO-GRNN model attained predictive accuracy of 98 %, 98 %, and 97 % for total water demand under three distinct time horizons (1 year, 3 years, and 5 years), proving excellent predictive capabilities. Furthermore, a comprehensive comparison was made between the predicted total water demand and user-specific water demands for the next 5 years in Heilongjiang Province and the regional development plans. The results showed that the predictions of the coupled model aligned with the future development trends of Heilongjiang Province, validating the practicality of the MF-HHO-GRNN model. This study provides decision-makers with an effective method for forecasting water demand, contributing to the future realization of more intelligent and accurate water resource management and decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Crystal transformation from ZIF-71K nanoparticles to ZIF-71P nanosheets was successfully accomplished. • Hydrophobic ZIF-71s reduced water flux but essentially unaffected phenol flux. • ZIF-71P nanosheets notably enhanced tortuous pathways and energy barriers for water penetration. • Hybrid membrane filled with ZIF-71P demonstrated better separation performance. Given the increasing concerns for both the environment and human health, the treatment of wastewater containing phenolics has emerged as a pressing yet daunting matter. In this work, the mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) with exceptional performance have been created by introducing controllable morphology and structure zeolitic imidazolate framework-71s (ZIF-71s) into polyether block amide (PEBA) matrix for the purpose of phenol-water separation. The impacts of ZIF-71s dimension and ZIF-71s loading amount on the separation performance were comprehensively analyzed, as well as operational temperature and operational concentration on the separation performance. The crystal transformation of three-dimensional ZIF-71K nanoparticles into two-dimensional ZIF-71P nanosheets was accomplished by altering the modulators in aqueous system. The presence of ZIF-71s could lead to a decrease in water flux, while the phenol permeation flux was essentially unaffected. The filling of two-dimensional ZIF-71P nanosheets established a classic "brick-and-mortar" structure within the polymeric bulk, which resulted in the enhancement of tortuous pathways and energy barriers for water penetration, hence further boosted the membrane selectivity. For an operating temperature of 50 °C and a phenol concentration of 1000 ppm, the ZIF-71P/PEBA-21 MMMs exhibited separation performance with total permeate flux and separation factor of 911.10 g·m−2·h−1 and 18.96, while the ZIF-71K/PEBA-21 membrane demonstrated total permeate flux and separation factor of 965.49 g·m−2·h−1 and 17.74. And the MMMs presented a superior separation performance in comparison with the PEBA/PVDF membrane. On top of that, the resultant MMMs also demonstrated promising long-term stability as phenol enrichment methods, which holds significant promise for implementation in the recovery of phenol from relevant industrial wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • China's water footprint (WF) under the SSP-RCP scenario was predicted dynamically. • A new attempt to combine the system dynamic (SD) model with SSP-RCP was made. • The grey WF decreases significantly under all scenarios during the forecast year. • The agricultural WF is the main contributor to China's water footprint. • SSP1-2.6 is the best scenario to alleviate water shortages and water pollution. Under the dual influence of socioeconomic development and climate change, water resources in China are under increasing stress. It is of great significance to comprehensively explore the changing trend of China's water footprint (WF) in the future, clarify the water resource challenges that China will face, and alleviate water shortage and water pollution problems. This paper uses System Dynamics (SD) to build a simulation model of China's WF, calculate China's WF from 2000 to 2019, and for the first time, simulate and optimize China's WF from 2020 to 2050 under the SSP-RCP scenario matrix composed of Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) and Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs). The results are as follows. (1) From 2000 to 2019, China's WF increased to 2009 and began to decline. The main contributors are grey WF and agricultural WF. (2) During 2020–2050, China's total WF under the SSP1-2.6 scenario will always be at the lowest; compared with other scenarios, the simulation result of China's total WF under the SSP2-4.5 scenario is the closest to the actual situation in China in 2020, 2021 and 2022. China's total WF under the SSP4-6.0 scenario is close to that under the SSP2-4.5 scenario, but the numerical variation characteristics of the WF composition are different. China's total WF under the SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios is high. (3) Based on the changes in WF and water resources supply/demand ratio under different scenarios, the SSP1-2.6 scenario is the best scenario to mitigate a future water shortage and water pollution in China. The research results can help decision-makers formulate relevant management policies and socioeconomic development models for water resource utilization and provide decision support for alleviating water shortages and water pollution in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noroviruses are still the primary cause of non-bacterial acute gastroenteritis worldwide. Recently, a novel GII.17 norovirus variant emerged and caused an infection peak in the cold season of 2014/2015 in some Asian countries, including China. In this study, in order to understand the evolutionary advantage of the novel variant, complete genomic sequences of GII.17 NoV strains from South China were comprehensively analyzed. Pairwise alignments of new GII.17 genomes with representative sequences of each GII genotype were performed. Inconsistent homology was observed between different protein-encoding regions, of which VPg (NS5) and P2 were found to be the most conserved and variable ones, respectively. The differences between new sequences and other reported GII.17 genomes were also compared, and 84 mismatched nucleotides were found, resulting in 15 amino acid changes. Then, all capsid sequences of different GII.17 NoV variants were collected for multiple alignments, and a total of 87 spots were identified during their evolution process. Homology modeling of capsid proteins of four GII.17 variants was carried out based on comparison with GII.4 VA387 strain, and structural differences were mainly embodied in five extended loops. Furthermore, positions of potential conformational epitope regions of new GII.17 variants were found more similar or adjacent to those of GII.4 rather than those of the former GII.17 variants. In summary, nine GII.17 strains from South China were extensively characterized based on their complete genomes, and a different distribution pattern of epitope residues was predicted on the new GII.17 variant capsid from that of the former ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salmonella is a leading cause of foodborne disease worldwide and ready-to-eat (RTE) foods are regarded as a major source of infection and outbreak. In recent years, the consumption of Chinese RTE foods has raised markedly with the pace of life increasing. However, the prevalence of Salmonella in these foods in China and its potential risk to public health has not been well determined and evaluated. This study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of Salmonella in Chinese retail RTE food products and to determine serotype distribution, antimicrobial resistance, virulence, and genetic diversity of recovered Salmonella isolates. Out of the 539 RTE food products collected and tested from July 2011 to May 2014, 19 (3.5%) were positive for Salmonella . The contamination levels of Salmonella were mostly in the range of 0.3–10 most probable number (MPN)/g, with one sample exceeding 110 MPN/g. Among the 50 isolates identified, 37 isolates (74.0%) were resistant to at least one antimicrobial, while 21 isolates (42.0%) were resistant to more than three antimicrobials. High rates of resistance were observed for tetracycline (56.0%), ampicillin (38.0%), and streptomycin (34.0%). PCR analysis of 15 virulence genes showed that the avrA , ssaQ , mgtC , siiD , sopB , and bcfC genes were detected in all 50 isolates, whereas the genes located on plasmid and prophage varied significantly among the isolates. Ten distinct serovars were identified and S . Derby, S. Meleagridis, S . Enteritidis, and S. Senftenberg were the most prevalent serovars. A total of 11 sequence types by multilocus sequence typing and 20 profiles by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis were generated for the 20 selected isolates and the combination of these two methods presented a better knowledge of genetic diversity of Salmonella isolates. The study provided a systematical surveillance on prevalence of Salmonella in Chinese RTE foods and indicates its potential risk to public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noroviruses (NoVs) are the primary cause of non-bacterial acute gastroenteritis worldwide. Most NoV infections are caused by GII.4, but GII.6 is also an important genotype with a long-term persistence in human populations. In this study, the complete genome sequence of a NoV strain GZ2010-L96 isolated in China was identified and analyzed phylogenetically. The viral genome comprised 7550 nucleotides, and its phylogenetic analysis revealed that the strain belonged to GII.6 genotype. All reported GII.6 NoV capsid protein sequences were also collected for comparative analysis, and GZ2010-L96 was clustered into GII.6-b with other 8 strains. Meanwhile, it was found that 53 spots on viral capsid showed subcluster specificity according to multiple alignments. Moreover, homologous modeling of GZ2010-L96 based on comparison with GII.4 VA387 strain showed a different antigen distribution pattern. In summary, the genome of the GII.6 strain GZ2010-L96 detected in China was extensively characterized, and phylogenetic analyses of GII.6 NoVs based on the capsid proteins may reveal a different evolution process from the predominant genotype GII.4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) infection is a high risk factor for lymphoproliferative, inflammatory, and infectious disorders. The epidemiology of HTLV-I, II in industrialized countries has been intensively investigated, and mandatory screening of blood supplies for HTLV-I/II was implemented in mid-1980s in most developed and several developing countries, yet no expanding investigation has been executed in China so far and also been considered as a non-endemic region. However, Gessain et al. reported that the current number of HTLV carriers in the highly populated China is very probably much higher. Therefore, gaining insight into the epidemiology of HTLV infections is essential for avoiding HTLV-induced risk. To introduce the history and renew the HTLV infection in China, we reviewed literatures and conducted an investigation among blood donors in 9 provinces in China. Concluded from the historical and renewed data, the HTLV screen in China can be divided into three stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new strategy was proposed for amplifying and sequencing GII.4 norovirus genomes directly. A set of primer pairs was rationally designed, which amplified 6 overlapping fragments encompassing the whole genome. The sensitivity of new primers was comparable to that of detection primers, and 10 viral genome sequences were successfully obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]