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The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of prolonged exposure to varying levels of music or noise on the behavioral, physiological, and immune responses of pullets following their transfer to an egg-laying facility. A total of 240 one-day-old Hy-Line Brown pullets were randomly assigned to five groups: 0 dB sound stimulation, low-decibel music (65–75 dB), high-decibel music (85–95 dB), low-decibel noise (65–75 dB), and high-decibel noise (85–95 dB) stimuli. Pullets received music or noise stimuli 10 h per d from 1-day-old to 16-wk-old and were then transferred to the egg-laying facility. The results indicated that feeding and drinking behaviors significantly decreased (P < 0.05), whereas feather pecking, aggression, and preening behaviors significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the pullets after transfer. Pullets also had higher serum cortisol (COR) levels (P < 0.05), whereas immunoglobulin Y (IgY), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (INF-γ), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels significantly increased (P < 0.05). Low-decibel sound stimuli increased aggressive behavior and decreased pecking behavior (P < 0.05). High-decibel sound stimuli decreased feather pecking, cage pecking, aggression, and sham dustbathing behaviors (P < 0.05). In addition, a low-decibel sound stimulus decreased the serum COR content, and increased the serum IL-6 level in the transferred pullets. A high-decibel sound stimulus also induced shorter tonic immobility (TI) durations in pullets on d 7 after transport stress. Meanwhile, high-decibel sound stimulus decreased the serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels of pullets. In conclusion, the transfer has detrimental effects on the pullets. Long-term sound stimulation effectively mitigated the negative impact of transportation stress on pullets. Among them, the high-decibel sound stimulus showed more promise in relieving transport stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the rapid development of the modern economy, information is particularly important in the economic field, and information determines the decision-making of enterprises. Therefore, how to quickly dig out information that is beneficial to the enterprise has become a crucial issue. This topic applies data mining technology to economic intelligent systems and obtains the data object model of economic intelligent systems through the integration of information. This article analyzes the interrelationship between its objects on this basis and uses data mining-related methods to mine it. The establishment of economic intelligence systems not only involves the establishment of mathematical models of economic systems, but also includes research on the algorithms applied to them. How to apply an algorithm to quickly and accurately extract the required economic intelligence domain information from the potential information in the database, or to provide a method to find the best solution, involves the use of association rules and classification prediction methods. The application of data mining algorithms can be used to study the application of economic intelligence systems. This paper develops and designs an economic intelligence information database and realizes the economic intelligence system on this basis, and realizes the research results. Finally, this paper has tested the dataset, and the results show that the classification accuracy of this algorithm is 2.64% higher than that of the ID3 algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Big Data is data whose shape and volume are rising with the passage of time and innovations in technology. This increase will give birth to more uncertain and complex situations, which will then be difficult to properly analyze and manage. Various devices are interconnected with each other, which communicate different types of information. This information is used for different purposes. A huge volume of data is produced, and the storage becomes larger. Computational modeling is the tool that helps analyze, process, and manage the data to extract useful information. The modern industry's challenge is to incorporate knowledge into Big Data applications to deal with distinguishing difficulties in computational models. The techniques and models are delivered with guides to help analysts quickly fit models to information insights. The decision support system is a strong system that plays a significant role in shaping Big Data for sustaining efficiency and performance. Decision-making through computational modeling is also a powerful mechanism for supporting efficient tools for managing Big Data for influential use. Keeping in view the issues of modern-day industry, the proposed study has been considered to present decision-making and computational modeling of Big Data for sustaining influential usage. The existing state-of-the-art literature is presented in an organized way to analyze the currently available research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Pre-slaughter transport, exposed broilers to various stressors, which resulted in detrimental effects on animal welfare, live bodyweight loss, mortality and meat quality. There was growing interest to explore effective ways to reduce the stress response and improve meat quality of transported broilers by using dietary feed additives. Aims: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) on meat quality, muscle energy metabolism and anti-oxidant status of broilers having 3-h transport stress. Methods: In total, of 144 35-day-old broilers were randomly allocated to two dietary treatments, including a basal diet (96 broilers), or basal diet supplemented with COS at 200 mg/kg (48 broilers). There were eight broilers per cage, and 12 replication cages in the basal diet group and six replication cages in the basal diet with 200 mg/kg COS group. At the end of the experiment, after a 12-h fast, broilers in the basal diet group were randomly divided into two groups, with six replication cages in each group; then, the broilers were transported as per the following protocols: broilers in the basal diet group (CON group) were without transport stress; broilers in the basal diet group with 3 h of transport stress (TS group), and broilers in the basal diet with 200 mg/kg COS supplementation and 3 h of transport stress (TSC group). The serum corticosterone concentration, serum, liver and muscle anti-oxidant status, as well as meat quality and muscle energy metabolism were analysed. Key results: Compared with the CON group, TS group showed increased bodyweight loss, serum corticosterone concentration, breakdown of muscle glycogen, increased muscle lactate dehydrogenase activity, as well as some changes of body anti-oxidant status (higher serum, liver and muscle MDA concentrations, lower serum SOD and GSH-Px, liver SOD and CAT, and lower muscle SOD, GSH-Px, and CAT activity), accompanied with lower pH45min and pH24h. Nevertheless, compared with the TS group, dietary COS supplementation reduced bodyweight loss, decreased muscle MDA concentration, increased muscle SOD and CAT activity, and was accompanied with improving pH24h. Conclusions: The results suggested that the positive effects of dietary COS supplementation in maintaining meat quality were mainly due to the improved muscle anti-oxidant status. Implications: Dietary supplementation with 200 mg/kg COS could serve as a beneficial and effective way to alleviate transport-impaired meat quality of broilers. Pre-slaughter transport, an unavoidable common practice, results in detrimental effects on meat quality of broilers. Three-hour transport decreased muscle glycogen content, and SOD, GSH-Px and CAT activity, increased muscle lactate dehydrogenase activity and MDA concentration, and was accompanied with lower pH45min and pH24h. Dietary COS supplementation decreased muscle MDA concentration, increased muscle SOD and CAT activity, and was accompanied with an improved pH24h. In conclusion, dietary COS supplementation could maintain meat quality by improving muscle anti-oxidant capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study showed that in Chinese PD patients, old age, low education level, female sex, and severe motor symptoms were risk factors for cognitive impairment. • Decreased UCH-L1 levels and elevated NfL levels in the blood were related to cognitive decline in PD patients; additionally, this study is the first to report a negative correlation between UCH-L1 and NfL levels. • We found that UCH-L1 and NfL levels had high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease, especially UCHL1 levels. • These proteins are promising biomarkers for diagnosing cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease. Ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) and Neurofilament light chain (NfL) are associated with Lewy body formation, Lewy bodies are the main pathological feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). The relationship between UCH-L1 and PD cognition remains unclear, and NfL is an important marker of cognitive impairment. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship among serum UCH-L1 levels, plasma NfL levels and cognitive dysfunction in PD patients. There were significant differences in UCH-L1 and NfL levels among PD patients with normal cognitive function (PD-CN), PD patients with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI), and PD-dementia patients (PDD) (P < 0.001; P < 0.001). The PDD group had lower levels of UCH-L1 (Z = 6.721, P < 0.001; Z = 7.577, P < 0.001) and higher levels of NfL (Z = −3.626, P = 0.001; Z = −2.616P = 0.027) than the PD-NC and PD-MCI groups. Serum UCH-L1 levels were positively correlated with MMSE scores, MoCA scores, and its subitems in PD patients (P < 0.001), and plasma NfL levels were negatively correlated with MMSE scores, MoCA scores, and its items (P < 0.01) (except for "abstract"). Decreased UCH-L1 levels and elevated NfL levels in the blood are associated with cognitive dysfunction in PD; thus, these proteins are potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of cognitive dysfunction in PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FY363 is a new chemical entity of gemcitabine analog, which has been shown to have a significant inhibitory effect on cell proliferation in a variety of tumor cell lines in vitro. As a carbamate derivative, FY363 would be converted to the active metabolite gemcitabine through enzyme action in vivo. In order to clarify the exposure of FY363 prototype and its metabolite gemcitabine in vivo after administration of FY363, a sensitive and specific liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed and validated to simultaneously determine FY363 and gemcitabine in rat plasma after liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a highly stable polar column of Synergi 4u Polar-RP 80A (4 μm, 4.6 × 250 mm) which has a unique ether - phenyl bonded phase. Gradient elution was accomplished with mobile phase system consisting of 5 mM ammonium formate buffer containing 0.1% formic acid and mixed organic solvents containing methanol-acetonitrile (3:2, v/v). Multiple reaction monitoring transitions were performed on triple quadrupole mass spectrometric detection in positive-ion mode with an electrospray ionization source. The calibration curves showed good linearity ( r  > 0.99) over the established concentration range of 1.0–1000 ng/mL both for FY363 and gemcitabine. The assay was validated to be selective, robust and reproducible. This well validated method was successfully applied to demonstrate the pharmacokinetic behavior and the metabolic transformation of FY363 in rats. Results revealed that about 20% of FY363 were converted into its active metabolite gemcitabine in rats by comparing the exposure of gemcitabine after the FY363 administration with that after direct gemcitabine administration at equimolar dose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple, sensitive and specific hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometric (HILIC–MS) method was developed and validated to determine the plasma concentrations of metformin, saxagliptin and 5-hydroxy saxagliptin simultaneously in clinical studies. Plasma samples were first acidified and then protein precipitated with acetonitrile. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a HILIC Chrom Matrix HP amide column (5 μm, 3.0 × 100 mm I.D.). The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and 5 mM ammonium formate buffer containing 0.1% formic acid. Multiple reaction monitoring transitions were performed on triple quadrupole mass spectrometric detection in positive-ion mode with an electrospray ionization source. The calibration curves showed good linearity ( r  ≥ 0.999) over the established concentration range of 1.0–1000 ng/mL for metformin and 0.1–100 ng/mL for saxagliptin and its active metabolite 5-hydroxy saxagliptin. The extraction recovery for all of the analytes was >92% and the matrix effect ranged from 91.0 to 110.0%. After validation, the method was successfully applied to a bioequivalence study with a single-pill combination (SPC) consisting of 5 mg saxagliptin and 500 mg metformin in 10 healthy Chinese subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A linear dextrin (LD)-conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) inclusion complex was prepared using LD obtained from debranched waxy corn starch as an encapsulation wall material. The aim was to prepare a nontoxic CLA product with improved water solubility and controlled release in small intestine by encapsulating CLA with the water-soluble LD. The optimal complexation temperature, volume of ethanol used to dissolve CLA, and mass ratio of LD to CLA were 30°C, 1 mL, 12:1, respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that CLA was successfully encapsulated by LD. The solubility of the LD-CLA complex greatly improved from 62.64 to 91.05% when the temperature was increased from 20 to 90°C. A total of 34.1% CLA of the LD-CLA complex was released into a simulated small intestine environment. Therefore, LD can improve the solubility of the complex and enable the targeted delivery of functional lipids and other bioactive components to the small intestine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) on acute heat stress (AHS) induced poor meat quality by alleviating oxidative damage through mitogen-activated protein kinase-nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2-antioxidant responsive element (MAPK-Nrf2-ARE) signaling pathway. A total of 108 thirty-five-day-old Chinese indigenous broilers (Luhua chicken) was used for this 42-d experiment. The broilers were randomly allocated to 3 treatments: control group (CON), AHS group, and AHS with 400 mg/kg COS supplementation (AHS-C) group. Both CON and AHS groups given the basal diet, and the AHS-C group given the basal diet with 400 mg/kg COS supplementation. On d 42, broilers in the AHS and AHS-C groups treated with AHS (increasing temperature from 24 to 34°C in 2-h and held for another 2-h), and the CON group under normal temperature (24°C). AHS exposure elevated (P < 0.05) body temperature (rectal, comb, eyelids, and feet) of broilers, increased (P < 0.05) breast muscle lightness ( L* ), drip loss, share force, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) scavenging activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and catalase (CAT) activity, however, decreased (P < 0.05) pH 45min , pH 24h , redness ( a* ), and relative expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). Compared to the AHS group, dietary COS supplementation increased (P < 0.05) breast muscle pH 45min , pH 24h , and a* , H 2 O 2 scavenging activity, as well as relative expression of HO-1 and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), however, decreased (P < 0.05) drip loss, share force, superoxide anion free radicals (O 2 •−) scavenging activity, ROS production, and MDA content. It was concluded that AHS impaired meat quality, which may be related to oxidative damage, as evidenced by increasing ROS production, MDA content, and decreasing the relative expression of HO-1. Dietary COS supplementation could effectively elevate the meat quality of broilers exposed to AHS via decreasing ROS production, activating the Nrf2 pathway, and Nrf2-mediated HO-1 and GSH-Px gene expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new finite element model of the variable-length underwater cable with geometrically nonlinear motion is presented in this paper.This model accounts for the effects of axial load, shear, bending, and torsion completely.First, a set of nonlinear, time-varying differential equations is derived from the theorem of linear and angular momentum, and its weak formulation is obtained by the principle of D'Alembert–Lagrange correspondingly.Through a series of consistent linearization with the Frechet derivative and discretization with the isoparametric interpolation, the governing finite element model for this variable-length cable is established.Second, the corresponding Newmark implicit time integration formulation is derived, and a scheme of adaptive step size is proposed to avoid convergence difficulty during the numerical calculation, and the way of mesh rediscretization is also illustrated to show the process of cable deployment.Third, after comparing with the results of two validation examples, the performance of the proposed approaches is further assessed with four numerical cases, which take consideration of the top alternating excitation, the terminal follower forces, and the sea current along the cable, since these terms are found to have a significant impact on the motion of variable-length underwater cable. Finally, some conclusions are drawn. • A new finite element model of the variable-length underwater cable is presented. • A scheme of adaptive step size is proposed to avoid misconvergence in the calculation. • The way of mesh rediscretization of the finite element model is illustrated. • The analysis involves alternating excitation, follower forces, and sea current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Oxidative stress adversely affects animal health and performance. Feed additives with antioxidant abilities supplementation can alleviate oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with COS alleviates the damage caused by oxidative stress in Sprague Dawley rats challenged with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The results shown that COS exhibited better radical scavenging capacity of 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide anion (O2−), H2O2, and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) than butylated hydroxy anisole (BHA), increasing activity of SOD, CAT, GSH-Px, GSH, and T-AOC, as well as decreasing MDA level in serum, liver, spleen, and kidney. Our results indicated that COS can protect Sprague Dawley rats from H2O2 challenge by reducing lipid peroxidation and restoring antioxidant capacity. Oxidative stress is induced by excessive oxidative radicals, which directly react with biomolecules, and damage lipids, proteins and DNA, leading to cell or organ injury. Supplementation of antioxidants to animals can be an effective way to modulate the antioxidant system. Chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) are the degraded products of chitosan or chitin, which has strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-enhancing competency. Therefore, the current study was conducted to evaluate the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with COS alleviates the damage caused by oxidative stress in Sprague Dawley rats challenged with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The rats were randomly divided into three groups: CON, control group, in which rats were fed a basal diet with normal drinking water; AS, H2O2 group, in which rats were fed the basal diet and 0.1% H2O2 in the drinking water; ASC, AS + COS group, in which rats were fed the basal diet with 200 mg/kg COS, and with 0.1% H2O2 in the drinking water. In vitro, COS exhibited better radical scavenging capacity of 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide anion (O2−), H2O2, and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) than butylated hydroxy anisole (BHA). In vivo, dietary supplementation with COS alleviated the H2O2-induced oxidative damage, evidenced by comparatively increasing activity of SOD, CAT, GSH-Px, GSH, and T-AOC, and comparatively decreasing level of MDA in serum, liver, spleen, and kidney. COS also comparatively alleviated the H2O2-induced inflammation. In conclusion, COS supplementation reduced lipid peroxidation and restored antioxidant capacity in Sprague Dawley rats, which were challenged with H2O2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dopamine dysregulation syndrome (DDS) is a complication of Parkinson's disease (PD) that seriously affects the quality of life of PD patients. Currently, the risk factors for DDS are poorly known, and it is critical to identify them in the early stages of PD. Objective: To explore the incidence of and risk factors for DDS in patients with early PD. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on the general data, clinical features, and imaging data of patients with early PD in the PPMI database. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to analyze the risk factors for the development of DDS in patients with early PD, and Kaplan‒Meier curves examined the frequency and predictors of incident DDS symptoms. Results: At baseline, 2.2% (n = 6) of patients with early PD developed DDS, and the cumulative incidence rates of DDS during the 5-year follow-up period were 2.8%, 6.4%, 10.8%, 15.5%, and 18.7%, respectively. In the multivariate Cox regression model controlling for age, sex, and drug use, hypersexuality (HR = 3.088; 95% CI: 1.416~6.732; P = 0.005), compulsive eating (HR = 3.299; 95% CI: 1.665~6.534; P = 0.001), compulsive shopping (HR = 3.899; 95% CI: 1.769~8.593; P = 0.001), anxiety (HR = 4.018; 95% CI: 2.136~7.599; P < 0.01), and lower Hoehn-Yahr (H-Y) stage (HR = 0.278; 95% CI: 0.152~0.509; P < 0.01) were independent risk factors for DDS in patients with early PD. PD patients with DDS had lower DAT uptake values than those patients without DDS. Conclusion: Early PD patients with hypersexuality, compulsive eating, compulsive shopping, anxiety, and lower H-Y stage were at increased risk for DDS. The occurrence of DDS may be related to the decrease in the average DAT uptake of the caudate and putamen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress jeopardised animal health by inducing oxidative stress and inflammation. This study was done to investigate the effects of chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) on oxidative stress and inflammation response in liver and spleen of yellow-feather broilers under high ambient temperature. A total of 144 35-day-old female Chinese indigenous yellow-feather broilers (body weight 450.21 ± 10.05 g) were randomly allocated into 3 dietary treatments with 6 replication pens, each pen had 8 broilers. The treatments were: Control, basal diet; COS100, basal diet with 100 mg/kg COS; COS200, basal diet with 200 mg/kg COS. During day 22 to 42 (57 to 77 days of age), broilers in the COS200 group had higher (p <.05) ADFI than broilers in the Control group. Broilers in the COS200 group had lower (p <.05) serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and tumour necrosis factor-α levels, and spleen malondialdehyde (MDA) content, but had higher (p <.05) liver superoxide dismutase activity and serum interleukin-10 level than broilers in the Control group. Broilers in the COS100 and COS200 groups had lower (p <.05) serum and liver MDA content, and serum interleukin-1β level, but had higher (p <.05) serum glutathione peroxidase activity than broilers in the Control group. In conclusion, dietary COS supplementation can alleviate heat stress-induced oxidative stress and inflammation response in liver and spleen by decreasing lipid peroxidation, increasing anti-oxidant enzyme activities and IL-10 level. Dietary COS decreased serum ALT, AST, IL-1β, TNF-α and MDA. Dietary COS increased serum GSH-Px and IL-10, liver SOD, and spleen GSH-Px. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) is highly expressed in Parkinson's disease (PD) mice's brains and is related to astrocyte signaling and microglial activation. This makes CXCR4 related to neuroinflammation and also makes CXCR4 considered to be the PD development mechanism and possible therapeutic targets. Therefore, it is worth studying the effect of CXCR4 on neuropathological changes and its potential therapeutic value for PD. This study aimed to investigate the effect of CXCR4 knockout on neuropathological changes in the mouse model of PD and its mechanism. In this study, CXCR4-WT and CXCR4+/− C57BL mice were used to make Parkinson's model. Behavioral experiments, dopaminergic neuron markers, neuroinflammation, and blood-brain barrier damage were detected to verify the effect of CXCR4 knockout on neuropathological changes. CXCR4 knockout improved the behavioral results and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-lesioned mice. In the substantia nigra (SN) area of the brain of PD mouse model, the number of Iba1-positive (p = 0.0004) and GFAP-positive cells (p = 0.0349) was significantly lower in CXCR4 knockout group than CXCR4-WT group. CXCR4 knockout reduced MPTP-induced infiltration of peripheral immune cells and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. CXCR4 knockout also protected blood-brain barrier (BBB) from MPTP-induced damage. In conclusion, CXCR4 knockout inhibits the degeneration of dopamine neurons, microglial and astrocyte activation, neuroinflammation, and BBB damages in the MPTP-lesioned PD mice. • CXCR4 knockout prevents degeneration of dopamine neurons of MPTP-lesioned mice. • CXCR4 enhances the microglial and astroglial activation of MPTP-lesioned mice. • CXCR4 promotes immune cells infiltration and pro-inflammatory cytokines expression. • CXCR4 enhances MPTP-induced BBB leakage in the SN in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem respiration (RE) plays a critical role in terrestrial carbon cycles, and quantification of RE is important for understanding the interaction between climate change and carbon dynamics. We used a multi-level attention network, Geoman, to identify the relative importance of environmental factors and to simulate spatiotemporal changes in RE in northern China's grasslands during 2001–2015, based on 18 flux sites and multi-source spatial data. Results indicate that Geoman performed well (R2 = 0.87, RMSE = 0.39 g C m−2 d−1, MAE = 0.28 g C m−2 d−1), and that grassland type and soil texture are the two most important environmental variables for RE estimation. RE in alpine grasslands showed a decreasing gradient from southeast to northwest, and that of temperate grasslands showed a decreasing gradient from northeast to southwest. This can be explained by the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), and soil factors including soil organic carbon density and soil texture. RE in northern China's grasslands showed a significant increase (1.81 g C m−2 yr−1) during 2001–2015. The increase rate of RE in alpine grassland (2.36 g C m−2 yr−1) was greater than that in temperate grassland (1.28 g C m−2 yr−1). Temperature and EVI contributed to the interannual change of RE in alpine grassland, and precipitation and EVI were the main contributors in temperate grassland. This study provides a key reference for the application of advanced deep learning models in carbon cycle simulation, to reduce uncertainties and improve understanding of the effects of biotic and climatic factors on spatiotemporal changes in RE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The desorption mechanism was verified at the microscopic level. • Mg2+/Al3+ exchange with Y3+ on Si O Y to form Si O Mg/Al. • Al3+ has a stronger Y3+ desorption capability than Mg2+. • The desorption materials were from actual ion-adsorption type rare earths ore. Ion-adsorption type rare earths ore (IREO) is an important strategic resource that can be leached in-situ using electrolytes such as NH 4 +, Mg2+, and Al3+. However, the use of NH 4 + was restricted due to ammonia-nitrogen pollution, regarding in-situ leaching agents still remain controversial. It is imperative to comprehensively and systematically investigate the desorption mechanism of rare earth elements (REEs) from a microscopic perspective, especially when using Mg2+ and Al3+ as leaching agents. In this manuscript, the desorption behavior and mechanism of Y3+ from ADY (IREO as adsorbents loaded with Y3+) were studied, along with a comparison of the Y3+ desorption capabilities of Mg2+ and Al3+ as leaching agents. The results showed that Y3+ could be effectively desorbed from IREO by both Mg2+ and Al3+, with Y3+ desorption yields of 93.1 % (pH 3.2, 0.06 mol/L) for Al3+ and 88.6 % (pH 6.0, 0.3 mol/L) for Mg2+, respectively. The superior Y3+ desorption capability of Al3+ arises from its higher valence, greater electronegativity, and smaller ionic radius compared to Mg2+. The higher valence imparts Al3+ greater charge density, while the greater electronegativity enables Al3+ to more readily substitute for Y3+. Additionally, the smaller ionic radius facilitates the entry of Al3+ into clay minerals interlayers. At high H+ concentrations, the Y3+ desorption capabilities of Mg2+ and Al3+ were both higher than at the original pH without acid addition, primarily due to the influence of H+, which could leach Y3+ from the un-exchangeable phase, but also significantly increased the leaching of impurities. The isotherms and kinetics demonstrated the desorption of Y3+ in the case of Mg2+ and Al3+ existing followed the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models, indicating homogeneous, chemisorption-governed processes. Furthermore, ATR-FTIR, XPS, and DFT results revealed Y3+ desorption occurred by breaking Si O Y bonds and ion exchange with Mg2+/Al3+ to form Si O Mg/Al bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Proposed a novel boron separation and recovery process from spent Nd-Fe-B leaching solution. • Simultaneous removal and recovery of boron to prepare borax pentahydrate. • High boron selectivity with minimal REEs loss in extraction. • Achieved 99.9% and 99.8% efficiencies in two-stage countercurrent extraction and stripping. The accumulation of boron during the recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from spent Neodymium-Iron-Boron (Nd-Fe-B) magnets affects the extraction of REEs and causes environmental pollution through the boron-containing wastewater. Given that boron is a globally scarce strategic resource, this study proposes a method for the selective separation and recovery of boron from spent Nd-Fe-B magnets leaching solution. The synergistic extraction of boron adopting 2-ethylhexanol (EHA) and 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol (EHD), and the extraction mechanism were investigated. Under optimized conditions (30 % EHA-20 % EHD-50 % sulfonated kerosene, 1:1O/A phase ratio, pH 3.3, 10 min), the two-stage countercurrent extraction achieved a remarkable 99.9 % extraction efficiency with minimal loss of REEs. Slope analysis, Raman, FT-IR, and NMR combined with DFT were used to elucidate the extraction mechanism. Specifically, some of the boric acid molecules complexed with the OH groups of EHD to form stable six-membered ring complexes, while another part bound with both EHA and EHD to form linear complexes containing six-membered rings. Employing 0.4 mol/L NaOH as the stripping agent, the two-stage countercurrent stripping process achieved a stripping efficiency of 99.8 %. Subsequently, borax pentahydrate products exceeding 99 % purity were obtained via evaporative crystallization from the stripping solution. Notably, the raffinate contained only ∼ 5 mg/L of boron, which could be further reduced below the discharge standard via the REEs recovery process, allowing for safe emission. This work offers a novel approach for the selective separation and recovery of boron from spent Nd-Fe-B magnets, eliminating its adverse effects on REEs extraction and the environment, while simultaneously recovering a valuable resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Following the hierarchy-of-effects model, this study aims to propose a two-step process framework to investigate social media post efficacy via attraction and likes. Design/methodology/approach: The study analyzes 113,785 social media posts from 126 WeChat official accounts to explore how external (headline features and account type) and internal (content features and media type) features impact social media post attractions and likes, respectively. Findings: The antecedents of post attraction differ from those of post likes. First, headline features (punctuation, length, sentiment and lexical density) and account type significantly influence social media post attraction. Second, content features (depth, tone, domain specificity, lexical density and readability) and media type affect social media post likes. Originality/value: First, this study considers online user engagement as a two-step process regarding social media posts and explores different influencing factors. Second, the study constructs new variables (account type and domain specificity) in each stage of the two-step process model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrestrial ecosystems provide multiple services interacting in complex ways. However, most ecosystem services (ESs) models (e.g., InVEST and ARIES) ignored the relationships among ESs. Process‐based models can overcome this limitation, and the integration of ecological models with remote sensing data could greatly facilitate the investigation of the complex ecological processes. Therefore, based on the Carbon and Exchange between Vegetation, Soil, and Atmosphere (CEVSA) models, we developed a process‐based ES model (CEVSA‐ES) integrating remotely sensed leaf area index to evaluate four important ESs (i.e., productivity provision, carbon sequestration, water retention, and soil retention) at annual timescale in China. Compared to the traditional terrestrial biosphere models, the main innovation of CEVSA‐ES model was the consideration of soil erosion processes and its impact on carbon cycling. The new version also improved the carbon‐water cycle algorithms. Then, the Sobol and DEMC methods that integrated the CEVSA‐ES model with nine flux sites comprising 39 site‐years were used to identify and optimize parameters. Finally, the model using the optimized parameters was validated at 26 field sites comprising 135 site‐years. Simulation results showed good fits with ecosystem processes, explaining 95%, 92%, 76%, and 65% interannual variabilities of gross primary productivity, ecosystem respiration, net ecosystem productivity, and evapotranspiration, respectively. The CEVSA‐ES model performed well for productivity provision and carbon sequestration, which explained 96% and 81% of the spatial‐temporal variations of the observed annual productivity provision and carbon sequestration, respectively. The model also captured the interannual trends of water retention and soil erosion for most sites or basins. Plain Language Summary: Terrestrial ecosystems simultaneously provide multiple ecosystem services (ESs). The common environmental drivers and internal mechanisms lead to nonlinear and dynamic relationships among ESs. Assessing the spatiotemporal changes of ESs have recently emerged as an element of ecosystem management and environmental policies. However, appropriate methods linking ESs to biogeochemical and biophysical processes are still lacking. In this study, we developed a process‐based model Carbon and Exchange between Vegetation, Soil, and Atmosphere (CEVSA‐ES) that integrates remote sensing data for evaluating ESs. We first described the model framework and detailed algorithms of the processes related to ESs. Then a model‐fusion method was applied to optimize parameters to which the model was sensitive and to improve model performance based on multi‐source observational data. The calibrated CEVSA‐ES model showed good performance for carbon and water fluxes (i.e., gross primary productivity, ecosystem respiration, net ecosystem productivity, and evapotranspiration). The CEVSA‐ES model performed well for productivity provision, and carbon sequestration. It also captured the interannual trends of water retention and soil erosion for most sites or basins in Chinese terrestrial ecosystems. The CEVSA‐ES model not only has the potential to improve the accuracy of simulated ESs, but also can capture the relationships among ESs, which could support the trade‐offs and synergies among ESs. Key Points: We developed an ecosystem service model Carbon and Exchange between Vegetation, Soil, and Atmosphere‐ecosystem services (CEVSA‐ES) that integrates ecosystem processes with satellite‐based dataAccounting for soil retention/erosion and its impact on carbon cycling was the main difference from other process‐based modelsThe CEVSA‐ES model with optimized parameters explained 47%–96% of the spatial and temporal variations of four ecosystem services in China [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate grassland aboveground biomass (AGB) estimation is crucial for effective grassland utilization. However, most current satellites cannot provide data with high spatial and temporal resolutions simultaneously. Spatiotemporal fusion models can combine the resolution advantages of different remote sensing data and support high-precision vegetation monitoring. In order to obtain accurate grassland AGB maps with high resolution in the Three-River Headwaters Region (TRHR) of China, we developed an estimation method based on the synthetic 30 m growing season averaged normalized difference vegetation index (GS-NDVI), which was fused from 30 m Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and 250 m Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) NDVI data. To choose the optimal fusion model, we investigated the performances of three spatiotemporal fusion models for NDVI fusion, the spatial and temporal adaptive reflectance fusion model (STARFM), the enhanced spatial and temporal adaptive reflectance fusion model (ESTARFM), and the rule-based piecewise regression tree model (RPRTM). The three models all produced reasonable NDVI predictions, with the coefficient of determination (R2) ranging from 0.58 to 0.86. RPRTM had the highest efficiency and was more suitable for large-scale spatiotemporal data fusion. Compared with the models generated from 250 m MODIS GS-NDVI, the AGB estimation models based on 30 m synthetic GS-NDVI were more accurate, demonstrating the effectiveness of our methods. The resulting AGB map of 30 m resolution provides spatially detailed AGB information that will be useful for regional ecosystem studies and local land management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Heat stress has negative effects on animal health and performance, and chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of COS alleviation of oxidative stress and inflammatory response in heat-stressed rats. The results indicated heat stress decreased (p < 0.05) growth performance; the relative weight of spleen and kidney; and the level of antioxidant enzymes and IL-10 in liver, spleen, and kidney, while it increased (p < 0.05) the MDA and inflammatory cytokines concentration. Dietary COS supplementation enhanced (p < 0.05) ADG, the relative weight of spleen and kidney, and the level of antioxidant enzymes and IL-10 in liver, spleen, and kidney. Collectively, COS was beneficial to heat-stressed rats by alleviating oxidative damage and inflammatory response. Chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of COS on antioxidant system and inflammatory response in heat-stressed rats. A total of 30 male rats were randomly divided to three groups and reared at either 24 °C or 35 °C for 4 h/d for this 7-day experiment: CON, control group with basal diet; HS, heat stress group with basal diet; HSC, heat stress with 200mg/kg COS supplementation. Compared with the CON group, HS significantly decreased (p < 0.05) average daily gain (ADG); average daily feed intake (ADFI); the relative weight of spleen and kidney; the level of liver CAT, GSH-Px, T-AOC, and IL-10; spleen SOD, GSH-Px, GSH, and IL-10; and kidney SOD, GSH-Px, T-AOC, and IL-10, while significantly increased the MDA concentration in liver, spleen, and kidney; the liver IL-1β concentration; and spleen and kidney IL-6 and TNF-α concentration. In addition, dietary COS supplementation significantly improved (p < 0.05) ADG; the relative weight of spleen and kidney; the level of liver GSH-Px, spleen GSH-Px, GSH, and IL-10; and kidney GSH-Px, while significantly decreased (p < 0.05) liver IL-1β concentration under heat stress condition. Collectively, COS was beneficial to heat-stressed rats by alleviating oxidative damage and inflammatory response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GC20, a novel soluble bis-chelated gold(I)−diphosphine compound, has been reported as a promising anticancer candidate. Assessing the pharmacokinetic properties of GC20 is critical for its medicinal evaluation. First, a sensitive and specific liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed and well validated to determine GC20 in rat plasma and rat tissue homogenate after one step protein precipitation. Chromatographic separation was achieved on an Angilent ZORBAX-C18 column (3.5 μm, 2.1 × 50 mm) with gradient elution and mass spectrometry was performed on a triple quadrupole in positive ion mode using an electrospray ionization source. This method was then applied to investigate the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of GC20 in rats after intravenous administration. The results showed that the plasma exposure of GC20 in vivo increased with increasing doses after a single dose. However, after multiple doses, a significant accumulation and a saturation at elimination were observed for GC20 in rats. Moreover, after intravenous administration, GC20 was widely distributed in various tissues, with the highest levels in the lung, spleen, liver, and pancreas, followed by the kidney and heart, while the lowest level was found in the brain. This is the first report on the pharmacokinetic properties of GC20. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aqueous battery employing multivalent metal ions as charge carriers is theoretically a high energy density electrochemical energy storage device due to the fact that it carries more charges. However, the storage mechanism of multivalent metal ions, especially Al3+ ions, in TiO 2 materials has not been established. A new model associated with the contribution of multivalent metal ions, water molecules and protons in the charging/discharging process of the electrode is established in this work. The storage mechanism of aqueous Al3+ ion batteries is revealed from a new perspective by studying the relationship between the charge inside the TiO 2 film and the mass at the interface. More importantly, a highlighted work is to reveal the changes in the amount of interfacial free water molecules and the hydration number of Al3+ ions due to the adsorption/desorption of hydrated ions during the charging/discharging process. The present work is of great significance for revealing the mechanism of multivalent cations on metal oxide surfaces in aqueous batteries, and meanwhile, the model established can also be extended to other fields such as supercapacitors, photovoltaics, and photocatalysis. The results obtained in this work may have an impact on the performance of energy storage batteries, especially the influence of the rearrangement of interface hydration ions and water molecules on the energy storage mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving ecosystem quality is the ultimate goal of ecological restoration projects and sustainable ecosystem management. However, previous results of ecosystem quality lack comparability among different regions when assessing the effectiveness of ecological restoration projects on the regional or national scales, due to the influence of geographical and climatic background conditions. Here we proposed a new index, ecosystem quality ratio (EQR), by integrating the status of landscape structure, ecosystem services, ecosystem stability, and human disturbance relative to their reference conditions, and assessed the EQR changes in China's counties and National Key Ecological Function Zones (NKEFZs) from 1990 to 2015. The results showed that the average ecosystem quality of China's counties deviated from the reference condition by 28%. EQR decreased by 1.2% during 1990–2000 but increased by 3.7% during 2000–2015. Those counties with increasing EQR in 2000–2015 occupy 64.7%, with obviously increasing counties mainly located in the water conservation, biodiversity maintenance, and water and soil conservation types of NKEFZs. The EQR increase in counties within NKEFZs was 3.65 times that outside of NKEFZs. Remarkable improvement of ecosystem quality occurred in the forest region in Changbai Mountain, biodiversity and soil conservation region in Wuling Mountains, and hilly and gully region of Loess Plateau, where EQR increases mainly resulted from the conversion of farmland to forest or grassland and consequent increases in ecosystem services and stability. The magnitude of EQR enhancement showed a positive relationship with the increase in forest and grassland coverage in NKEFZs. Our results highlight the important role of ecological restoration projects in improving ecosystem quality in China, and demonstrate the feasibility of the new index (EQR) for the assessment of ecosystem quality in terms of ecosystem management and restoration. • An ecosystem quality index relative to reference conditions was proposed. • Ecosystem quality of China's counties deviated from the reference condition by 28%. • Remarkable improvement in ecosystem quality in China's counties after 2000. • The increase due to changes in its components induced by ecological projects. • Magnitude of its enhancement was positively correlated with forest/grass increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Ion-adsorption type rare earths desorption residues as adsorbents. • The maximum Y(III) adsorption capacity of 4.45 mg·g−1. • Y(III) adsorbed onto the adsorbents surface possibly via Sii-Oi-Y bond. • Adsorption process governed by chemical adsorption. Ion-adsorption type rare earths ore, as the primary source for middle-heavy rare earth elements, was extracted by various electrolytes via the adsorption–desorption effect. In this work, adsorption behavior and mechanism for yttrium ions onto ion-adsorption type rare earths ore as adsorbents were investigated systematically and comprehensively. The isotherms and kinetics suggested the adsorption of yttrium ions was consistent to Langmuir and pseudo-second-order model, revealing that the adsorption process was homogeneous and primarily governed by chemical adsorption. Maximum adsorption capacity could attain as 4.45 mg·g−1 in pH of 3 with 10 g·L−1 yttrium ions. Moreover, thermodynamics analysis indicated the adsorption process was spontaneous, and random. ATR-FTIR, XPS and DFT results indicated that Y(III) adsorbed onto ion-adsorption type rare earths ore surface possibly via Si-O-Y bond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The spatial temporal variability of aeolian desertification land in northern China was obtained; • Temperature tipping point for sparse vegetation growth in northern China was analyzed; • The landcover state will shift when the temperatures exceed the tipping point; • Temperature tipping point can provide theoretical references for the afforestation area selection. Temperature affects the sparse vegetation growth by controlling the water circulation in the desertification land and its tipping point is significant for afforestation. In this study, the temperature tipping point is detected by analyzing the tendency of Mean Absolute Distances (MAD) distribution highly related to the fractional cover of sparse vegetation in northern China during 2001 ∼ 2015. And Convergent Cross Mapping (CCM) algorithm is used to explain how does the temperature affect the sparse vegetation growth. The results show that the temperature tipping point is ∼32 ± 6℃. Temperature affects the sparse vegetation growth by exacerbating water stress impact. It can directly affect the sparse vegetation growth or indirectly affect the precipitation by influencing evapotranspiration in the desertification land. Once the temperature exceeds the tipping point, the landcover types are mostly covered by desert. This result can provide theoretical references for future afforestation in the desertification land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]