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As the omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) surges amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there is limited comorbidities data associated with viral shedding time (VST). We aimed to investigate the effect of comorbidities on VST in asymptomatic and mild patients with omicron.A multi-center, retrospective, observational study was conducted from March 12, 2022 to May 24, 2022 in Shanghai. The analysis was adjusted for patients' baseline demographic, using log-rank test and logistic regression model.The study enrolled 198,262 subjects. The median duration of viral shedding time (VST) was 8.29 days. The number of cumulative viral shedding events was significantly lower in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hyperlipidemia, diabetes, urinary system disease, and cardiocerebrovascular disease than in the no corresponding comorbidities group. Patients with comorbidities had a lower incidence of viral shedding, and the most significant independent risk factor is COPD (aOR 1.78, 95% CI: 1.53-2.08, p 0.001). Across different age ranges, the comorbidities affecting viral shedding also differ, with the greatest risk factors for viral shedding being hyperlipidemia (aOR 2.23, 95% CI: 1.50-3.31, p 0.001) and COPD (aOR 1.85, 95% CI: 1.50-2.28, p 0.001) between ages of 18-39 and 40-64, and thyroid dysfunction (aOR 2.36, 95% CI: 1.60-3.47, p 0.001) above age 64.Omicron-infected patients with comorbidities might prolong the VST. The independent risk factors also differ across age ranges, suggesting that providing targeted effective prevention and control guidance and allocating appropriate resources to different populations should be a crucial strategy.

Numerous studies have shown that over-nutritional obesity may lead to pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes and cognitive decline. As the degree of metabolic disorders increases, the cognitive decline is getting worse. However, the cellular events that cause this cognitive dysfunction is yet to be clarified. We used a high-fat diet (HFD) consumption-induced obesity mouse model to test the effects of metformin on the hippocampal neurogenesis and learning and memory abilities of obese mice. 5-Bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) labelling and retrovirus labeling were applied to detect hippocampal newborn neurons. Behavioral experiments were used to detect learning and memory abilities of mice. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed to detect the composition of gut microbiota. The positron emission tomography (PET) was conducted to detect the energy metabolism activity of different mouse brain regions. Our results reveal that metformin restores the impairment of neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus and finally prevents the cognitive decline of the obese mice. Moreover, the therapeutic effects of metformin are achieved by regulating the composition of gut microbiota of mice, which may inhibit microglia activation and neuroinflammation in the brain of obese mice. This study suggests that metformin may be taken as a promising candidate for the intervention of cognitive decline related to imbalance of gut microbiota caused by obesity.

The Qingshuiquan-Tatuo ophiolites (QTOs), which are located in the central fault of the Kunlun Orogen, can provide critical information regarding the subduction processes of the Proto-Tethys Ocean. This study presents petrological, whole-rock geochemical, Sr Nd isotopic, and zircon U Pb data on these ophiolites. The QTOs consist of mantle peridotites, pyroxenites, and fine-grained low- and high-Ti (alkaline) gabbros (LTGs and HTGs, respectively) and lack mafic lava units. The QTO mafic units can be geochemically subdivided into LTGs and HTGs. The LTGs have high MgO contents (mostly >8.0%), V/Ti ratios (37.41–158.77) and low TiO2 (mostly Pb data yield a crystallization age of 516 Ma for the LTGs. In contrast, the HTGs show relatively high total alkali (1.72–5.66%), TiO2 (1.45–3.68%) and REE contents, high (La/Yb)N (3.37–14.06), Ti/Y (290.78–1058.94), and low ɛNd(t) values (−3.02 to −3.55), which suggest a geochemical signature of oceanic island basalt (OIB) and continental rift-like basalt. The zircon U Pb data yield crystallization ages of 486–485 Ma for the HTGs. Petrogenetic analyses suggest that the LTGs were derived from remelting of forearc mantle peridotites and that the serpentinites (harzburgites) represent the forearc mantle after the extraction of low-Ti mafic melts. In contrast, the HTGs were derived from a fertile asthenospheric mantle upwelling through a slab window followed by minor subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM)/crust contamination. The findings suggest that the QTOs were generated in an epicontinental environment above the subduction zone, which was geodynamically related to slab rollback at 516 Ma and subsequent oceanic-ridge oblique subduction at 485 Ma.

The electrochemical reduction of CO2 (CO2RR) can substantially contribute to the production of useful chemicals and reduction of global CO2 emissions. Herein, we presented N and S dual-doped high-surface-area carbon materials (SZ-HCN) as CO2RR catalysts. N and S were doped by one-step pyrolysis of a N-containing polymer and S powder. ZnCl2 was applied as a volatile porogen to prepare porous SZ-HCN. SZ-HCN with a high specific surface area (1510 m2 g−g1) exhibited efficient electrocatalytic activity and selectivity for CO2RR. Electrochemical measurements demonstrated that SZ-HCN showed excellent catalytic performance for CO2-to-CO reduction with a high CO Faradaic efficiency (~93%) at −0.6 V. Furthermore, SZ-HCN offered a stable current density and high CO selectivity over at least 20 h continuous operation, revealing remarkable electrocatalytic durability. The experimental results and density functional theory calculations indicated that N and S dual-doped carbon materials required lower Gibbs free energy to form the COOH* intermediate than that for single-N-doped carbon for CO2-to-CO reduction, thereby enhancing CO2RR activity.

We present a theoretical study on a novel one-dimensional nanomaterial (FeCpVCp)n@MoS2 NT which are constructed with encapsulating organometallic sandwich molecular wires (FeCpVCp)n into armchair (8, 8) MoS2 NT, using density functional theory (DFT) and nonequilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) techniques. It is found that ferromagnetic (FeCpVCp)n@MoS2 NT is thermally stable with a high Curie or Neel temperature of 722.8 K. Transport property of (FeCpVCp)n@MoS2 NT is in good agreement with the electronic structure. (FeCpVCp)n offers a notable transport pathway along the axial direction, electron hopping may happen from (FeCpVCp)n to MoS2 NT sheath, which plays a significant role in electron transporting. Conductivity of (FeCpVCp)n@MoS2 NT is dependent on the spin states: spin-down state gives a higher conductivity than the spin-up state, opening out a spin-polarized transport property. These novel properties of (FeCpVCp)n@MoS2 NT render their potential applications in nanoscale spintronic and molecular electronics.

Indosinian granitic rocks are widespread in the West Qinling Orogen (WQO) in central China. Some of the early Indosinian granitoids have high Sr and low Y contents, and therefore high Sr/Y ratios, and they have been interpreted as adakitic rocks that formed by partial melting of thickened continental lower crust. However, several studies have revealed that granitoids with high Sr/Y ratios can be formed by various geological processes. Here, we report new zircon U-Pb ages, whole–rock geochemical data, and Sr–Nd–Hf isotope data for the Ganjiagongma pluton in the Xiahe area of the WQO, and we discuss whether the WQO underwent crustal thickening during the early Indosinian. The zircon U-Pb dating results indicate that the Ganjiagongma granodiorite and its mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) crystallized at ca 242 Ma. The MMEs are characterized by low SiO2 contents and Sr/Y ratios, and high MgO, Cr, and Ni contents, as well as high Mg# values, and they have evolved zircon Hf and whole–rock Sr-Nd isotopes, indicating they were produced by the partial melting of metasomatized continental lithospheric mantle. The granodiorite samples have some adakitic characteristics with SiO2 = 65.22 to 68.01 wt%, MgO = 1.07 to 1.71 wt%, Mg# = 59 to 62, Sr = 357 to 620 ppm, Y = 9.7 to 17.4 ppm, Sr/Y = 30.26 to 47.46, and no significant Eu anomalies. However, the granodiorites have relatively flat HREE patterns, indicating that amphibole, rather than garnet was the main residue in the source area, and this proposal is consistent with the relatively low but constant Nb/Ta values and varied Zr/Sm ratios. Simple two-end member modeling results indicate that the granodiorite could have been formed in normal or slightly thickened crust by mixing of 20%–30% mantle-derived melt with 70%–80% melt derived from the partial melting of basement rocks in the continental lower crust of the WQO. Taking into account other geological evidence, we propose that the formation of the Ganjiagongma pluton was related to the subduction of the A'nimaque-Mianlue oceanic crust, and that no significant thickening of the continental crust occurred in the WQO during the early Indosinian.

Aims Increasing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) by Nicotinamide riboside (NR) provides protective benefits in multiple disorders. However, the role of NR on liver fibrosis is unclear. We performed in vivo and in vitro experiments to test the hepatic protective effects of NR against liver fibrosis and the underlying mechanisms. Materials and methods Mice were injected with CCl4 to establish liver fibrosis model. NR was given by gavage to explore the hepatic protection of NR. LX-2 cells were given a TGF-β stimulation ± NR, the activation of LX-2 cells and the acetylation of Smads were analyzed. To further confirm the role of Sirt1 on the protective pathway of NR, we knockdown Sirt1 in LX-2 cells. Key findings We found NR could prevent liver fibrosis and reverse the existing liver fibrosis. NR inhibited the activation of LX-2 cells induced by TGF-β, activated Sirt1 and deacetylated Smad2/3. Sirt1 knockdown diminished the inhibiting effect of NR on LX-2 cells activation, and increased expressions of acetylated Smads. In conclusion, NR could prevent liver fibrosis via suppressing activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). This protective effect was mediated by regulating the acetylation of Smads signaling pathway. Significance NR protected mice against liver fibrosis induced by CCl4. NR suppressed activation of hepatic stellate cells induced by TGF-β. NR protects liver fibrosis via increasing the activity of Sirt1 and decreasing the expression of P300, resulting in the deacetylation of Smads in stellate cells.

Early Palaeozoic ophiolites emplaced in the central East Kunlun fault zone (CEKF) offer critical clues to the tectonic evolution of the Proto-Tethys ocean and the accretionary process of CEKF. The Qushi'ang Ophiolite, located within the eastern segment of the CEKF, consists of dismembered serpentinites, meta-gabbros and meta-basalts. This study presents petrologic, whole-rock geochemical, and in situ zircon U-Pb and Hf isotope data for basic rocks (both metagabbros and metabasalts) from the Qushi'ang ophiolite to constrain the formation age and tectonic setting of the ophiolite. Zircons from two meta-gabbro samples yield concordant U-Pb ages of ca. 498 Ma and ca. 505 Ma, indicating that the Qushi'ang ophiolite was formed in the late Cambrian. The meta-gabbros and meta-basalts show significant enrichment in large ionic lithophile elements (LILEs), such as Cs, Rb, Ba, U, and Pb, and depletion in high field strength elements (HFSEs), such as Nb, Ta, Zr, and Ti, suggesting the influence of fluids derived from a subducting oceanic slab. On the N-MORB normalized trace element diagrams, these rocks share similar features with arc basalts and back-arc basalts and far away from fore-arc basalts (FABs) and normal mid-ocean basalts (N-MORBs). Low zircon eHf(t) values (−2.9 to +0.2) for the meta-gabbros further indicate that the Qushi'ang ophiolite likely originated from an weakly enriched mantle wedge source. Geochemical discrimination diagrams show that the Qushi'ang ophiolite formed in a back arc basin setting. Our new analyses, combined with previous data, suggest that the Qushi'ang ophiolite represents a relict of a nascent back-arc basin, similar to the scenario of the Okinawa trough in Western Pacific.

Voluminous granitoids located in the East Kunlun orogen (EKO) play an important role in characterizing the crustal growth and northward subduction of the Paleo-Tethys oceanic lithosphere. This paper presents new petrological, whole-rock geochemical, zircon U-Pb isotope geochronological and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic data for the Halagatu granitoids (HG) pluton. The HG pluton comprises several different textural and compositional types, i.e., medium- to fine-grained granodiorites (MG), porphyritic monzogranites (PMG), coarse-grained monzogranites (CMG), and dark mafic microgranular enclaves (ME). U-Pb dating of zircons from the HG pluton yielded a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 248–244 Ma, which represents the crystallization age of the HG pluton. The whole-rock geochemical data indicate that the PMG, CMG and MG have similar geochemical features; for example, they are classified as high-K calc-alkaline, metaluminous to wildly peraluminous I-type granitoids, with negative Nb-Ta and Ti anomalies, low Mg# and Al2O3/(FeOT + MgO + TiO2) values, and high Th/Y ratios. These characteristics suggest the parent magmas were crustally derived. In contrast, the ME are characterized by medium-K calc-alkaline and metaluminous compositions, low Th/Y ratios and relatively high Mg#, Cr, and Ni values, likely suggesting these magmas were derived from a mantle source. Furthermore, the host granodiorites and microgranular enclaves have consistent Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic features, with eNd(t) values of −6.10 to −4.30 and zircon eHf(t) values of −7.8 to −0.4, indicating an enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). On the basis of these values and the whole-rock geochemistry, the HG pluton magmas were the result of mixing between lithospheric mantle-derived and crust-derived magmas and that fractional crystallization (FC) played an important role in the formation of the HG pluton. The combination of these new data with previously published data reveals that the HG pluton was emplaced in a continental magmatic arc setting by the northward subduction of a branch of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean (Buqingshan Ocean) beneath the East Kunlun-Qaidam terrane (EKT) and that the Buqingshan Ocean began to subduct strongly northward in the late Permian (ca. 260 Ma), with subduction terminating during the late Middle Triassic (ca. 240 Ma).

Accurate residual capacity estimation of retired LiFePO4 batteries is critically important for second-use applications but is challenging with multiple aging pathways and nonlinear degradation mechanisms. In this study, a fast and accurate residual capacity estimation method based on the mechanism and data-driven model is developed with two main contributions. First, as the basis of the residual capacity estimation model, three new health indicators directly related to the capacity loss mechanism are derived from the prognostic and mechanism model using the Levenberg-Marquardt method and Spearman correlation. Second, residual capacity tests were conducted on 1000 retired batteries to establish a data-driven model for residual capacity estimation based on the proposed health indicators, guaranteeing better universality and estimation accuracy for different types of retired LiFePO4 batteries. To establish a data-driven model for the residual capacity estimation, an improved moth–flame optimization and support vector regression method is used; the adaptive weight and Levy flight are introduced in the moth–flame optimization algorithm to prevent the local optimal value. The residual capacity estimation results are compared with the results from three other typical methods and input health indicators. The results show that the root mean square error of the proposed method is within 2.18% using only the first 10% of the data, a smaller error than with the other methods. A fast and accurate residual capacity estimation method for retired batteries can reduce the cost and improve the development for second-use applications.

Aim Cyanidin-3-O-β-glucoside (Cy-3-G) the most abundant monomer of anthocyanins has multiple protective effects on many diseases. To date, whether Cy-3-G could regulate the function of brown adipose tissue (BAT) is still unclear and whether this regulation could influence the secretion of adipokines from BAT to prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) indirectly remains to be explored. In this study we investigated the effect of Cy-3-G on BAT and the potential role of Cy-3-G to prevent fatty liver through regulating the secretion of BAT. Methods Male C57BL/6 J mice were fed with a high fat high cholesterol (HFC) diet with or without 200 mg/kg B.W Cy-3-G for 8 weeks. In in vitro experiments, the differentiated brown adipocytes (BAC) and C3H10T1/2 clone8 cells were treated with 0.2 mM palmitate with or without Cy-3-G for 72 or 96 h. Then the culture media of C3H10T1/2 clone8 cells were collected for measuring the adipokines secretion by immunoblot assay and were applied to culture HepG2 cells or LO2 cells for 24 h. Lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells or LO2 cells were evaluated by oil red O staining. Results Here we found that Cy-3-G regulated the activation of BAT and the expression of adipokines in BAT which were disrupted by HFC diet and alleviated diet induced fatty liver in mice. In in vitro experiments, Cy-3-G inhibited the release of adipokines including extracellular nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (eNAMPT) and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) from differentiated C3H10T1/2 clone8 cells induced by palmitate, which was accompanied by a reduction of lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells and LO2 cells cultured by the corresponding collected media of C3H10T1/2 clone8 cells. Conclusions These results indicate that Cy-3-G can regulate the thermogenic and secretory functions of BAT. Furthermore, our data suggest that the protective effect of Cy-3-G on hepatic lipid accumulation is probably via regulating the secretion of adipokines from BAT.

Social media influences business practices such as innovation activities. This study is anchored in the theoretical paradigm of strategic information technology (IT) alignment and the literature on social media and its business value. We examine how the valence and volume of user-generated content (UGC) from social media influence firm-level innovation strategies. Based on an analysis of five years of panel data for 886 listed firms and their 6.2 million relevant microblogs, we observed three interesting results. First, the valence of social media UGC has a U-shaped relationship with firms’ innovation investments; and compared with neutral UGC, both negative and positive content lead to more innovation investment. Second, we found that this curvilinear relationship is mitigated as the volume of UGC increases. Third, we verified that increasing innovation investment improves firm performance. We then examined these findings using a series of strict robustness checks and discussed our study’s contribution to theory and practice.

The severe air pollution across China in the past several years has made the Chinese government recognize its significant impacts on public health and society, and take enormous efforts to improve the air quality all over the country, especially during the Twelfth Five-Year Plan (12th FYP). However, the overall effectiveness of these air pollution control policies remains unclear. In this study, we selected the 31 municipalities and provincial capital cities in mainland China as study settings. We collected the annual average population size, mortality rates (total mortality and mortality due to cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, total cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer) and concentrations of air pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, SO2 and NO2) in each capital city from 2010 to 2015 from national or local Statistical Yearbooks. The effect sizes of air pollutants on mortality were obtained from previously published meta analyses or cohort studies. We first estimated the annual mortality rates attributed to the changes in air pollutant concentrations for every city in each year. Then, we further estimated the mortality benefits in the scenarios where the air quality had reached the grade II levels of Chinese Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. In most capital cities, we observed dominant decreases in air pollutant concentrations during the 12th FYP, particularly from 2013 to 2015, which has led to significant mortality benefits for the public. A total of 121,658 deaths (0.441‰) have been prevented due to the decrease of PM2.5concentrations from 2013 to 2015 in all included cities. The morality benefits were larger in capital cities located in the key regions (the three main regions and ten city groups) than the other cities. In addition, more mortality benefits could be obtained in the future if the air quality reaches the grade II levels of Chinese Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) or WHO guidelines. We concluded that substantial mortality benefits achieved during the 12th FYP may be attributed to the improvements in China's air quality, which indicated the significant effectiveness of air pollution control policies.

With the development of electronic science and technology, green landscape planning and design in urban landscape design has become a new trend and direction. The emergence of virtual reality assisted design technology and platforms has brought more innovation space for landscape designers and greatly reduced Time and workload. The mature application of virtualization technology and embedded network technology in various fields provides technical support for perfecting the concept of virtual reality. Based on virtual reality technology and embedded network, this thesis discusses green urban garden landscape design, and constantly strengthens user experience, expands the extension of garden landscape design. On the one hand, the development of virtual reality technology and embedded network makes garden landscape design the imagination of the teacher can be brought into play and realized. On the other hand, in the virtual scene, the landscape architect integrates the characteristics of different types of elements to design creative and innovative, open and shared garden landscapes. Using the Internet platform as a medium, refer to and learn from more representative works, and stimulate more creative landscape design concepts.

High-efficiency separation of Fe3+ and Ni2+ is important for sustainable use of valuable Ni resource. In this work, a series of isostructural metal-organic frameworks with various organic groups were studied for their separation performances of Fe3+ and Ni2+. Compared to –OH, –NH2, and -Br, free –COOH is preferable to separate the two cations, and UiO-66-(COOH)2 was found to be the optimal material. Detailed study indicates that UiO-66-(COOH)2 exhibits fast kinetics and good anti-interference ability from temperature. Higher pH is beneficial for separation and a high removal ratio of Fe3+ (99.98%) can be obtained upon the dosage of 4.0 ​g ​L-1. Besides, UiO-66-(COOH)2 showed good reusability through a simple acid-wash method. A combination of XPS, FTIR, and SEM confirms that the synergic effect of coordination of Fe3+ with free carboxyl and precipitation effect contributes to the high-efficiency separation.