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In smart warehouses, logistics robots need to continuously execute tasks, and therefore traditional onetime multi-robot path planning cannot meet practical needs. To address this challenge, we proposed Prejudgment Conflicts Search (SPC) algorithm. The SPC algorithm is divided into two layers: the higher layer allocates tasks to robots based on priority rules, and the lower layer plans paths for these robots with an improved A* algorithm, which includes vertex and edge collision checks during path searching and effectively prevents collisions among robots. We simulated SPC and Conflict-Based Search (CBS) on random maps and warehouse maps. The results show that compared to CBS, SPC provides nearly optimal paths with a significantly reduced computation time. Additionally, as the number of robots increases, SPC exhibits better scalability, offering a practical solution for continuous multi-robot path planning in smart warehouses, with the potential to enhance logistics efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problem of the low treatment efficiency of wastewater containing heavy metals in mining areas, straw biochar and graphene oxide enhanced external pressure ultrafiltration (SGU) was used to treat wastewater containing high concentrations of Pb 2+ . The operation parameters such as pH and temperature were optimized, and the removal efficiency of COD Cr , NH 3 -N, turbidity and Pb 2+ via SGU, straw biochar ultrafiltration (SU), ultrafiltration (UF), and conventional treatment (CT) were systematically investigated. The results showed that the pH and temperature of polluted water were 4.8-5.2 and 21-30 °C, respectively, the average removal rates of COD Cr , NH 3 -N, turbidity and Pb 2+ by SGU reached 91%, 97%, 98% and 95%, respectively, and the removal effect was better than that of other processes. In addition, under the backwash conditions of clean water, weak acid, and weak alkali, the membrane flux recovered 65%, 88%, and 89% of the new membrane, respectively. This study provides scientific and theoretical support for the advanced treatment of polluted water in mining areas.

Background: Over the past 3 decades, clinicians and scholars have used and studied the stellate ganglion block (SGB) extensively, making this field a highly anticipated research hot spot. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no bibliometric analysis of the SGB until now., Objective: Our study aimed to complete multiple tasks regarding SGB research: identify the collaboration and impact of countries, institutions, journals, and authors, evaluate the knowledge base, trace the trends in hot spots, and explore the emerging topics relevant to the field., Study Design: A bibliometric analysis., Methods: Publications that were associated with the SGB and published between the years of 1993 and 2022 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection on September 21st, 2023. CiteSpace 6.1.R6 and VOSviewer 1.6.18 were used to perform bibliometric and knowledge-map analyses., Results: This study found a total of 837 publications originating from 51 countries and 1006 institutions. These articles were published in 393 journals. The United States was the country that produced the most articles focused on SGB, and the University of California, Los Angeles was the institution associated with the greatest number of publications. The anesthesiology and cardiology journals surveyed for this study published the most articles and received the most citations. Among the authors whose works were examined, Kitajima T had the greatest number of published articles, and Lipov E was the most frequently cited co-author. Five main domains of SGB research included electrical storm and refractory ventricular arrhythmia, breast cancer and climacteric medicine, post-traumatic stress disorder, pain management, and cerebrovascular diseases. The latest hot topics involving this field focused on SGB's anti-arrhythmic and anti-cerebral vasospasm effects and its treatment of long COVID syndrome., Limitations: Data were retrieved only from the WoSCC; therefore, publications in other databases might have been missed., Conclusion: This comprehensive bibliometric analysis conducted a complete overview of SGB research, which was helpful in furthering our understanding of research trends and locating research hot spots and gaps in this domain. This field is developing rapidly and will garner significant and continuous attention from future scholars.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Longdan zhike tablet (LDZK) is a Tibetan medicine formula commonly used in the highland region of Tibet, China, to ameliorate respiratory diseases, such as acute bronchitis and asthma. In Chinese traditional medicine, some herbal formulas with anti-inflammatory properties targeting the respiratory system are clinically adopted as supplementary therapies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the specific anti-COPD effects of LDZK remain to be evaluated., Aim of the Study: The aim of this study is to identify the principal bioactive compounds in LDZK, and elucidate the effects and mechanisms of the LDZK on COPD., Methods: High-resolution mass spectrometry was utilized for a comprehensive characterization of the chemical composition of LDZK. The therapeutic effects of LDZK were assessed on the LPS-papain-induced COPD mouse model, and LPS-induced activation model of A549 cells. The safety of LDZK was evaluated by orally administering a single dose of 30 g/kg to rats and monitoring physiological and biochemical indicators after a 14-day period. Network pharmacology and Western blot analysis were employed for mechanism prediction of LDZK., Results: A comprehensive analysis identified a total of 45 compounds as the major constituents of LDZK. Oral administration of LDZK resulted in notable ameliorative effects in respiratory function, accompanied by reduced inflammatory cell counts and cytokine levels in the lungs of COPD mice. Acute toxicity tests demonstrated a favorable safety profile at a dose equivalent to 292 times the clinically prescribed dose. In vitro studies revealed that LDZK exhibited protective effects on A549 cells by mitigating LPS-induced cellular damage, reducing the release of NO, and downregulating the expression of iNOS, COX2, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Network pharmacology and Western blot analysis indicated that LDZK primarily modulated the MAPK signaling pathway and inhibited the phosphorylation of p38/ERK/JNK., Conclusions: LDZK exerts significant therapeutic effects on COPD through the regulation of the MAPK pathway, suggesting its potential as a promising adjunctive therapy for the treatment of chronic inflammation in COPD., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Structural variants (SVs) are infrequently observed in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a condition mainly marked by deletions and point mutations in the DMD gene. SVs in DMD remain difficult to reliably detect due to the limited SV-detection capacity of conventionally used short-read sequencing technology. Herein, we present a family, a boy and his mother, with clinical signs of muscular dystrophy, elevated creatinine kinase levels, and intellectual disability. A muscle biopsy from the boy showed dystrophin deficiency. Routine molecular techniques failed to detect abnormalities in the DMD gene, however, dystrophin mRNA transcripts analysis revealed an absence of exons 59 to 79. Subsequent long-read whole-genome sequencing identified a rare complex structural variant, a 77 kb novel intragenic inversion, and a balanced translocation t(X;1)(p21.2;p13.3) rearrangement within the DMD gene, expanding the genetic spectrum of dystrophinopathy. Our findings suggested that SVs should be considered in cases where conventional molecular techniques fail to identify pathogenic variants., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) is a pivotal regulator of redox homeostasis. It is frequently overexpressed in various cancer cells, including prostate cancer, making it a promising target for the development of anti-cancer drugs. In this study, we screened a series of newly designed complexes of gold(I) phosphine. Specifically, Compound 5 exhibited the highest cytotoxicity against prostate cancer cells and demonstrated stronger antitumor effects than commonly used drugs, such as cisplatin and auranofin. Importantly, our mechanistic study revealed that Compound 5 effectively inhibits the TrxR system in vitro. Additionally, Compound 5 promoted intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and irreversible apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. Our in vivo xenograft study further demonstrated that Compound 5 has excellent antitumor activity against prostate cancer cells, but does not cause severe side effects. These findings provide a promising lead Compound for the development of novel antitumor agents targeting prostate cancer and offer a valuable tool for investigating biological pathways involving TrxR and ROS modulation., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background and Objective: To investigate pulmonary thromboembolism (PE) in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD) patients in plateau regions, we performed a prospective cohort study to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors and clinical characteristics of PE in the cohort of hospitalized patients at high altitude., Methods: We did a prospective study with a total of 636 AE-COPD patients in plateau regions. Demographic and clinical data, laboratory data, including ultrasound scans of the lower extremities and cardiac ultrasound, and computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) variables were obtained, and comparisons were made between groups with and without PE. We also conducted logistic regression to explore the risk factors of PE., Results: Of the 636 patients hospitalized with AE-COPD (age 67.0 ± 10.7 years, 445[70.0%] male), 188 patients developed PE (29.6% [95% CI: 26.0%, 33.1%]). Multivariable logistic regression showed that ethnic minorities, D-dimer > 1 mg/L, AST > 40 U/L, chest pain, cardiac insufficiency or respiratory failure, Padua score > 3, and DVT were associated with a higher probability of PE., Conclusions: The prevalence of PE is high and those with a higher Padua score, the occurrence of deep venous thrombosis, higher neutrophil count, chest pain, cardiac insufficiency or respiratory failure, higher levels of AST, and a higher level of D-dimer had a higher risk of PE. The analysis of AE-COPD may help to provide more accurate screening for PE and improve clinical outcomes of patients with AE-COPD in plateau regions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The environmental effects on the prognosis of ocular myasthenia gravis (OMG) remain largely unexplored., Aim: To investigate the association between specific environmental factors and the generalization of OMG., Design: The cohort study was conducted in China based on a nationwide multicenter database., Methods: Adult patients with OMG at onset, who were followed up for at least 2 years until May 2022, were included. We collected data on demographic and clinical factors, as well as environmental factors, including latitude, socioeconomic status (per capita disposable income [PDI] at provincial level and education) and smoking. The study outcome was the time to the development of generalized myasthenia gravis (GMG). Cox models were employed to examine the association between environmental exposures and generalization. Restricted cubic spline was used to model the association of latitude with generalization risk., Results: A total of 1396 participants were included. During a median follow-up of 5.15 (interquartile range [IQR] 3.37-9.03) years, 735 patients developed GMG within a median of 5.69 (IQR 1.10-15.66) years. Latitude of 20-50°N showed a U-shaped relation with generalization risk, with the lowest risk at around 30°N; both higher and lower latitudes were associated with the increased risk (P for non-linearity <0.001). Living in areas with lower PDI had 1.28-2.11 times higher risk of generalization. No significant association was observed with education or smoking., Conclusions: Latitude and provincial-level PDI were associated with the generalization of OMG in China. Further studies are warranted to validate our findings and investigate their potential applications in clinical practice and health policy., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Physicians. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Lichens are poikilohydric organisms and an important part of the ecosystem. They show high desiccation tolerance, but the mechanism of dehydration resistance still needs to be studied. The photosynthesis recovery of the photobiont in rehydrated lichen Cladonia stellaris after 11-year desiccation was investigated by simultaneously monitoring both photosystem I and II (PSI and PSII) activities. The responses of the photochemical efficiency and relative electron transport rate (rETR) of PSI and PSII, and the quantum yield of the cyclic electron flow (CEF) were measured using a Dual-PAM-100 system. PSI recovered rapidly, but PSII hardly recovered in C. stellaris during rehydration. The maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII ( F v / F m ) was generally very low and reached about just 0.4 during the rehydration. These results indicated that PSII had restored little and was largely inactivated during rehydration. The quantum yield of PSI recovered quickly to almost 0.9 within 4 h and remained constant at nearly 1 thereafter. The results showed that the activation of the CEF in the early stages of rehydration helped the rapid recovery of PSI. The quantum yield of the CEF made up a considerable fraction of the quantum yield of PSI during rehydration. A regulated excess energy dissipation mechanism and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) also recovered. However, the small extent of the recovery of the NPQ was not enough to dissipate the excess energy during rehydration, which may be responsible for the weak activity of PSII during rehydration. The results indicated that both CEF and NPQ were essential during the rehydration of the photobiont in C. stellaris . The methods used in the measurements of chlorophyll a fluorescence and P700 + absorbance changes in this study provided a speedy and simple way to detect the physiological characteristics of the photobionts of lichen during rehydration. This work improves our understanding of the mechanism behind lichen's desiccation tolerance.

In recent years, polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) mulch film has become one of the most commonly used biodegradable mulch films in agriculture in an attempt to combat plastic film pollution. However, its degradation characteristics and impact on the soil environment and crop growth are affected by many factors such as its composition, soil and crop types, local climate characteristics, etc. In this study, PBAT mulch film and ordinary polyethylene (PE) film were used as test materials, with non-mulching treatment (CK) as a control, to study the applicability of PBAT film in Moyu County, Southern Xinjiang region, using tomato growth as an example. The results showed that PBAT film started its induction period after 60 days, and 60.98% of the PBAT film was degraded within 100 days. Generally, the soil temperature and humidity preservation functions of this film were comparable to that of PE film in the seedling and flowering-fruiting stages of tomato growth. In the mature stage, the soil humidity under PBAT film was significantly lower than that of PE film due to its substantial degradation rate. However, this did not have any significant negative effects on tomato growth, yield, and quality. The tomato yield of 667 m 2 with BPAT was insignificantly lower than that of PE film by 3.14%, and both were significantly higher than that of the CK treatment by 63.38% and 68.68%, respectively, indicating that it is feasible to use PBAT film to cultivate crops such as tomato in the arid region of Southern Xinjiang, China.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has attracted considerable attention worldwide and is challenging to diagnose. Cuproptosis is a new form of cell death that seems to be associated with various diseases. However, whether cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) play a role in regulating IPF disease is unknown. This study aims to analyze the effect of CRGs on the progression of IPF and identify possible biomarkers., Methods: Based on the GSE38958 dataset, we systematically evaluated the differentially expressed CRGs and immune characteristics of IPF disease. We then explored the cuproptosis-related molecular clusters, the related immune cell infiltration, and the biological characteristics analysis. Subsequently, a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to identify cluster-specific differentially expressed genes. Lastly, the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) machine-learning model was chosen for the analysis of prediction and external datasets validated the predictive efficiency., Results: Nine differentially expressed CRGs were identified between healthy and IPF patients. IPF patients showed higher monocytes and monophages M0 infiltration and lower naive B cells and memory resting T CD4 cells infiltration than healthy individuals. A positive relationship was found between activated dendritic cells and CRGs of LIPT1, LIAS, GLS, and DBT. We also identified cuproptosis subtypes in IPF patients. Go and KEGG pathways analysis demonstrated that cluster-specific differentially expressed genes in Cluster 2 were closely related to monocyte aggregation, ubiquitin ligase complex, and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, among others. We also constructed an XGB machine model to diagnose IPF, presenting the best performance with a relatively lower residual and higher area under the curve (AUC= 0.700) and validated by external validation datasets (GSE33566, AUC = 0.700). The analysis of the nomogram model demonstrated that XKR6, MLLT3, CD40LG, and HK3 might be used to diagnose IPF disease. Further analysis revealed that CD40LG was significantly associated with IPF., Conclusion: Our study systematically illustrated the complicated relationship between cuproptosis and IPF disease, and constructed an effective model for the diagnosis of IPF disease patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest, (Copyright © 2023 Shi, Pan, Cai, Zhang, Duo, Liu and Cai.)

The dissolved organic matter (DOM) is one of the most sensitive indicators of changes in the soil environment, and it is the most mobile and active soil component that serves as an easily available source of nutrients and energy for microbes and other living organisms. In this paper, DOM structural characteristics and main properties were investigated by three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy (EEM) and UV-visible spectrum technology in the farmland soils around Urumqi of China, and its possible sources and pathways were analyzed by spectroscopic indices. The results showed that humic-like substances were the main composition of the soil DOM, and its autogenesis characteristics were not obvious. Main DOM properties such as aromatability, hydrophobicity, molecular weight, molecular size, and humification degree in the southern region of Urumqi were higher than those of the northern region of Urumqi and Fukang in China, and higher on the upper layers of the soil (0-0.1 and 0.2 m) than in the deeper layer (0.2-0.3 m).This may be because the tilled layer is more subjected to fertilization and conducive to microbial activities. The spectroscopic analysis showed that the source of DOM of these regions is mainly from microbial metabolites. These results provide basic scientific data for the further research on the environmental chemical behavior of pollutants and pollution control in this region.

Very little is known about the occurrence of microplastics in the soils of various land uses, especially their distributional characteristics in the soils of arid areas. In this study, 24 sampling sites across three soil layers were investigated for three different farmland-use types (greenhouses, crop fields and vegetable fields) in the main agricultural and pastoral areas around Urumqi, China. The results demonstrated that the dominant sizes of soil microplastics were 0.2-0.5 and 0.5-1.0 mm, the main shape was film (85.93 %), the main color was white, and the main polymer was polyethylene (93.1 %), indicating that most microplastics derive from the damage to residual mulches. The microplastics abundance was highest in the greenhouse plots (7763 ± 2773 items/kg), followed by the vegetable plots (4128 ± 2235 items/kg) and then the crop fields (3178 ± 3172 items/kg). No significant differences were observed among the abundances of microplastics in the 0-10 cm (1822 ± 1345 items/kg), 10-20 cm (1566 ± 1139 items/kg) and 20-30 cm (1309 ± 1028 items/kg) layers, suggesting that microplastics can migrate to the deeper soil layer and are strongly influenced by tillage disturbance. The abundance of microplastics in the north of Urumqi was found to be higher than in the south, which is closely related to the division of agricultural functional zones and the intensity of agricultural management practices. It was found that different cropping characteristics and modes of agricultural use affect the abundance and migration of microplastics in various farmland-use types, and thus their distribution. This study provides important data for follow-up research on microplastics in arid terrestrial ecosystems, and corresponding policy-making on the management of these materials., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in, or the review of, the manuscript entitled Distinct soil microplastic distributions under various farmland-use types around Urumqi, China., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

In recent years, PBAT (polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate) mulch has become one of the most commonly used biodegradable mulching films. In this paper, five potential strains of PBAT film degrading bacteria were screened from the soil sample using PBAT film as the sole carbon source. A highly efficient PBAT degrading strain JZ1 was isolated by comparing the degradation performance of PBAT mulching film identified as Peribacillus frigoritolerans S2313 by 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The capacity of the strain to degrade PBAT film was optimized by adjusting the cultivation conditions such as nitrogen source, pH, and inoculum volume. After 8 weeks of cultivation, the actual degradation rate of the strain to PBAT mulch film reached 12.45%. SEM (scanning electron microscopy) coupled with EDX (energy dispersive spectroscopy) analysis showed that microbial degradation is an oxidation process and is mainly due to the amorphous regions of the PBAT film. The biodegradation of PBAT film by Peribacillus frigoritolerans may provide a promising method for regulating the degradation progress of PBAT film in the farmlands., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Kuitun city, Xinjiang is dry and short of water, so it is urgent to treat and utilize all kinds of unconventional water. In view of this problem, we conducted a study on the treatment of tiny pollution water in Kuitun River. We investigated the effect of dosage of powder activated carbon (PAC) on hollow-fiber ultrafiltration membrane (HUM) performance. The results show that the stable operation time of hollow fiber ultrafiltration membranes lengthened and the rate of reduction of the flux was reduced when the PAC dosage was increased. The addition of PAC had no obvious effect on the resistance of membrane filtration. We conducted experiments to evaluate the effect of ultrafiltration of tiny pollution water in combination with PAC. When the parameters of operation and PAC dosage were appropriately regulated, the removal rates of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH 3 -N) and ferric ions (Fe) reached 62%, 32% and 90%, respectively. When the PAC dosage was 200 mg/L, 100 mg/L and 150 mg/L, the highest removal rates were achieved under normal temperature and pressure. The effluent COD was less than 5.0 mg/L, NH 3 -N was less than 1.5 mg/L and Fe was less than 0.5 mg/L, achieving better results than the quality standard of surface water (GB3838-2002). The treated water can be discharged into the river or recirculated to utilities. The fouled membrane was cleaned by water rinsing, water/acid rinsing and water/alkali rinsing, with recovery ratios of 44%, 81% and 88%, respectively. The results of this study can serve as a foundation for the efficient utilization of water resources and the development of new water treatment technologies in Xinjiang.

Efficient and quick removal of radioactive Cs + from wastewater is significant for the safe use of nuclear energy and human health. A novel adsorbent K 1.93 Ti 0.22 Sn 3 S 6.43 (KTSS) was developed for Cs + removal from complex natural water systems. The working mechanism of KTSS for removing Cs + was the synergistic effect of ion exchange and the Cs⋯S binding, which was proved by several characterization techniques. KTSS showed ultrafast kinetics for Cs + adsorption within 1 min with a removal rate of 99%. Meanwhile, KTSS exhibited a higher adsorption capacity of 450.12 mg/g than many other adsorbents to remove Cs + and possessed excellent chemical stability in a wide pH range of 3-12. Thanks to the natural affinity arising from the S 2- ligands, KTSS displayed excellent selectivity for Cs + even in different complex water systems. The separation factors between Cs + and the coexisting ions of Na + , K + , Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ were ranged from 408.61 to 7448.20. Fortunately, by eluting with NaNO 3 the adsorbent could realize the green regeneration and cyclic utilization. Furthermore, it was found that KTSS had tremendous advantages in the removal of Cs + in comparison with the other adsorbents. Consequently, it should be considered that KTSS obtained in this study has great potential in applying ultrafast and high-efficient removal of Cs + from wastewater., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A novel flat renewal membrane reactor (FRMR) with mixed amine extractant N1633 dissolved in kerosene and NaOH solvent was studied for the removal of polytungstate [expressed as W 7 O 24 6- or W (VI)] from simulated mine wastewater. FRMR contains three parts: the feeding cell, reacting cell and renewal cell. A flat membrane of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was used in the reacting cell, which used mixed solutions of kerosene and NaOH. The amine extractant (N1633) was used as the carrier, and simulated mine wastewater containing polytungstate was used as the feeding solution. The influencing factors of the pH and the other ion strengths in the feeding solutions, the volume ratio of kerosene to NaOH solution, and the N1633 concentration in the renewal solutions were investigated in order to obtain the optimum technique parameters. It was found that the removal percentage of polytungstate could reach 92.5% in 205 min, when the concentration of the carrier (N1633) was 0.18 mol/L, the volume ratio of kerosene and NaOH in the renewal cell was 3:2, the pH in the feeding cell was 4.00, and the initial concentration of polytungstate was 3.50 × 10 -4 mol/L. The stability and feasibility of FRMR were tested by the investigation of polytungstate retention and the reuse of the membrane.

Mercury (Hg) poses high toxicity to organisms including algae. Studies showed that the growth and photosynthesis of green algae such as Chlorella are vulnerable to Hg stress. However, the differences between the activities and tolerance of photosystem I and II (PSI and PSII) of green microalgae under Hg exposure are still little known. Responses of quantum yields and electron transport rates (ETRs) of PSI and PSII of Chlorella pyrenoidosa to 0.05−1 mg/L Hg2+ were simultaneously measured for the first time by using the Dual-PAM-100 system. The photosystems were isolated to analyze the characteristics of toxicity of Hg during the binding process. The inhibition of Hg2+ on growth and photosystems was found. PSII was more seriously affected by Hg2+ than PSI. After Hg2+ exposure, the photochemical quantum yield of PSII [Y(II)] decreased with the increase in non-photochemical fluorescence quenching [Y(NO) and Y(NPQ)]. The toxic effects of Hg on the photochemical quantum yield and ETR in PSI were lower than those of PSII. The stimulation of cyclic electron yield (CEF) was essential for the stability and protection of PSI under Hg stress and played an important role in the induction of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). The results showed a strong combination ability of Hg ions and photosystem particles. The number of the binding sites (n) of Hg on PSII was more than that of PSI, which may explain the different toxicity of Hg on PSII and PSI.

Autophagy has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various lung diseases. This study aimed to investigate the role of autophagy in lung injury induced by high-altitude hypoxia. Wistar rats were randomized into four groups for exposure to normal altitude or high altitude for 1, 7, 14 and 21 days with no treatment or with the treatment of 1 mg/kg rapamycin or 2 mg/kg 3-methyladenine (3-MA) for consecutive 21 days respectively. In control rats, the alveolar structure was intact with regularly arranged cells. However, inflammatory cell infiltration and shrunk alveoli were observed in rats exposed to hypoxia. Rapamycin treatment led to many shrunken alveoli with a large number of red blood cells in them. In contrast, 3-MA treatment led to almost intact alveoli or only a few shrunken alveoli. Compared to the control group exposure to high-altitude hypoxia for longer periods resulted in the aggravation of the lung injury, the formation of autophagosomes with a double-membrane structure and increased levels of Beclin-1 and LC3-II in alveolar tissues. Rapamycin treatment resulted in significant increase in Beclin-1 and LC3-II levels and further aggravation of alveolar tissue damage, while 3-MA treatment led to opposite effects. In conclusion, exposure to high-altitude hypoxia can induce autophagy of alveolar cells, which may be an important mechanism of high-altitude hypoxia-induced lung injury. The inhibition of autophagy may be a promising therapy strategy for high-altitude hypoxia-induced lung injury., (© 2022 Company of the International Journal of Experimental Pathology (CIJEP).)

The different types of microplastics (MPs), including debris, fibers, particles, foams, films and others, have become a global environmental problem. However, there is still a lack of research and understanding of the pollution characteristics and main causes of MPs in the arid region of Xinjiang, China. In this survey, we focused on the occurrence and distribution of MPs in urban, farmland and desert areas along a highway in the survey area. Our results showed that the main types of MPs were polypropylene (PP) flakes, polyethylene (PE) films and both PE and PP fragments and fibers. The abundance levels of MPs in street dust of Korla, Alar and Hotan districts equaled 804, 307 and 1526 particles kg−1, respectively, and were positively correlated with the urban population. In farmland areas, there were only two types of MPs (films and fibers), of which the film particles dominated and accounted for 91% of the total on the average. The highest abundance rate of MPs reached 7292 particles kg−1 in the desert area along the highway. The minimum microplastic particle sizes were 51.8 ± 2.2 μm in urban street dust samples, 54.2 ± 5.3 μm in farmland soil samples and 67.8 ± 8.4 μm in samples from along the desert highway. Particle sizes < 500 μm were most common and accounted for 48−91% of the total in our survey. The abundance and shape distribution of the MPs were closely related to the different types of human activities.

Microplastics (MPs) pervade the environment and increasingly threaten both natural ecosystems and human health. In this study, we investigated MP particle concentrations in sediment samples collected from 54 sites along the banks of the Yangtze River and its major tributaries and on lakeshores. The main polymer types found in the samples were polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene (PE). MP particle abundance in the various types of locations was 35-51,968 particles/kg dry weight (d.w.) on the banks of the main river, 52-1463 particles/kg (d.w.) on the banks of tributaries and 2574-23,685 particles/kg (d.w.) on lakeshores. Correlation between MP abundance and mean annual runoff of each upstream tributary was significant, which suggests that increased runoff brings more microplastic waste to streambank sediments. The most common shape of MP particles in all upstream samples was flake, and in downstream samples it was foam. Small microplastic particles (< 0.50 mm) were predominant at all sites in this study, and the minimum particle size in samples from the Yangtze river banks was 0.065 mm. Average abundance of MP particles on the shores of the source lake was 9069 particles/kg around the inlet but only 866 particles/kg around the outlet; the difference was due to interception associated with sedimentation and precipitation in the lake. Our study represents the large-scale study of MPs contamination in sediment along the Yangtze River and provides important data regarding the accumulation and distribution of MPs in shoreline sediments of the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, main tributaries and lakes in China., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Heavy metals such as Cd pose environmental problems and threats to a variety of organisms. The effects of cadmium (Cd) on the growth and activities of photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII) of Chlorella &nbsp; pyrenoidosa were studied. The growth rate of cells treated with 25 and 100 µM of Cd for longer than 48 h were significantly lower than the control, accompanying with the inhibition of photosynthesis. The result of quantum yields and electron transport rates (ETRs) in PSI and PSII showed that Cd had a more serious inhibition on PSII than on PSI. Cd decreased the efficiency of PSII to use the energy under high light with increasing Cd concentration. In contrast, the quantum yield of PSI did not show a significant difference among different Cd treatments. The activation of cyclic electron flow (CEF) and the inhibition of linear electron flow (LEF) due to Cd treatment were observed. The photochemical quantum yield of PSI and the tolerance of ETR of PSI to Cd treatments were due to the activation of CEF around PSI. The activation of CEF also played an important role in induction of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). The binding features of Cd ions and photosystem particles showed that Cd was easier to combine with PSII than PSI, which may explain the different toxicity of Cd on PSII and PSI.

Tibetan medicine processing ensures the safety of clinical application of Tibetan medicine. It is of great significance to analyze the principles of Tibetan medicine processing in the development, inheritance, and innovation of Tibetan medicine. However, due to the late start of modern Tibetan medicine research and the disciplinary division, the current research on Tibetan medicine processing focuses on the exploration and collation of traditional techniques and the analysis of the processing mechanism of Tibetan medicine through chemical and pharmacological research, but its principles and traditional theories have been rarely reported. In view of this, after analyzing the concept, essence, theories, purposes, and functions of Tibetan medicine processing through the integration of Tibetan medicine, Tibetan pharmacology, and clinical research of Tibetan medicine, this study proposed that the essence of Tibetan medicine processing was to change the &quot;five sources&quot; composition of medicinal materials through physical, chemical, and biological means, or the comprehensive means, and the theoretical principle of Tibetan medicine processing was to change or transform the positive and adverse effects or the obvious and recessive effects by altering the &quot;five sources&quot; composition of the drug to maximize the positive effect and minimize the adverse effect and the damage to the body, thereby achieving the purposes of toxicity reduction, efficacy enhancement, and drug property harmonization represented by sharpening, softening, nourishing, and reasonable compatibility. This study is expected to provide references for the construction of the theoretical system of Tibetan medicine processing, the inheritance of processing techniques, and innovative research.

The household energy mix has significant impacts on human health and climate, as it contributes greatly to many health- and climate-relevant air pollutants. Compared to the well-established urban energy statistical system, the rural household energy statistical system is incomplete and is often associated with high biases. Via a nationwide investigation, this study revealed high contributions to energy supply from coal and biomass fuels in the rural household energy sector, while electricity comprised ∼20%. Stacking (the use of multiple sources of energy) is significant, and the average number of energy types was 2.8 per household. Compared to 2012, the consumption of biomass and coals in 2017 decreased by 45% and 12%, respectively, while the gas consumption amount increased by 204%. Increased gas and decreased coal consumptions were mainly in cooking, while decreased biomass was in both cooking (41%) and heating (59%). The time-sharing fraction of electricity and gases (E&G) for daily cooking grew, reaching 69% in 2017, but for space heating, traditional solid fuels were still dominant, with the national average shared fraction of E&G being only 20%. The non-uniform spatial distribution and the non-linear increase in the fraction of E&G indicated challenges to achieving universal access to modern cooking energy by 2030, particularly in less-developed rural and mountainous areas. In some non-typical heating zones, the increased share of E&G for heating was significant and largely driven by income growth, but in typical heating zones, the time-sharing fraction was <5% and was not significantly increased, except in areas with policy intervention. The intervention policy not only led to dramatic increases in the clean energy fraction for heating but also accelerated the clean cooking transition. Higher income, higher education, younger age, less energy/stove stacking and smaller family size positively impacted the clean energy transition., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of China Science Publishing & Media Ltd.)

COPD is the fourth leading cause of mortality, and is predicted to be the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2020. But few studies on Tibetan COPD of China. This study identifies distinctive miRNA signatures in Tibetan COPD patients from Tibetan healthy subjects that could serve as diagnostic biomarkers or describe differential molecular mechanisms with potential therapeutic implications. In this study, a total of 210 differentially expressed miRNAs were screened. Analysis of the functions of target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs via GO enrichment analysis revealed that they mainly influenced guanyl-nucleotide exchange factor activity, cell morphogenesis and the positive regulation of GTPase activity. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that these target genes were mainly enriched in signaling by NGF, Axon guidance, developmental biology, ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, and PDGF signaling pathways. MiR-106-5p and miR-486-5p expression was validated in the complete cohort. Age, plasma miR-106-5p, miR-486-5p, SP-D protein levels, and SP-D mRNA level were also determined to be correlated with FEV1%Pred, and may as the risk factors of Tibetan COPD. The combination of plasma miR-106-5p, miR-486-5p and SP-D mRNA expression may be the best model to assist the diagnosis of Tibetan COPD., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Selenoprotein N-related myopathies (SEPN1-RMs) are a subset of congenital myopathies caused by mutations of Selenoprotein N gene ( SELENON or SEPN1 ). Clinical phenotype is considered as highly consistent and little attention has been given to the extramuscular abnormalities. Methods: We reported clinical, histopathological, and genetic features of four Chinese patients with SEPN1-RM and performed literature review on delayed respiratory insufficiency and extramuscular involvement. Results: A total of four patients exhibited both the typical and atypical clinical features of SEPN1-RM. The classical manifestations included axial and limb girdle weakness, spinal rigidity, scoliosis, respiratory insufficiency, and multiminicore morphological lesions. However, high interindividual variability was noticed on disease severity, especially the onset of respiratory involvement. Two adult patients postponed respiratory insufficiency to the third decade of life, while two juvenile patients manifested early hypoventilation with puberty exacerbation. As atypical features, extramuscular involvement of weight gain, subcutaneous adipose tissue accumulation, intellectual disability, and mild cardiac changes were observed. Molecular findings revealed three novel mutations of SELENON such as c.1286&#95;1288 del CCT, c.1078&#95;1086dupGGCTACATA, and c.785 G>C. Ten cases with delayed respiratory insufficiency were identified from previous publications. A total of 18 studies described extramuscular abnormalities including joint contractures, alterations of body mass index (BMI), mild cardiac changes, and insulin resistance. Intellectual impairment was extremely rare. Conclusion: SEPN1-RM should be considered as a differential diagnosis in adult patients with delayed respiratory involvement. Extramuscular involvement such as body composition alterations deserves more clinical attention. The novel mutations of SELENON widened the genetic spectrum of patients with SEPN1-RM., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Zhang, Lei, Fan, Su, Duo, Luan, Lu, Di, Wang and Da.)

Background: Plant non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs), a group of small, basic ubiquitous proteins to participate in lipid transfer, cuticle formation and stress response, are involved in the regulation of plant growth and development. To date, although the nsLTP gene family of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) has been preliminarily identified, it is still unclear in the recently completed genome database of barley and Qingke, and its transcriptional profiling under abiotic stress has not been elucidated as well., Results: We identified 40 barley nsLTP (HvLTP) genes through a strict screening strategy based on the latest barley genome and 35 Qingke nsLTP (HtLTP) orthologues using blastp, and these LTP genes were divided into four types (1, 2, D and G). At the same time, a comprehensive analysis of the physical and chemical characteristics, homology alignment, conserved motifs, gene structure and evolution of HvLTPs and HtLTPs further supported their similar nsLTP characteristics and classification. The genomic location of HvLTPs and HtLTPs showed that these genes were unevenly distributed, and obvious HvLTP and HtLTP gene clusters were found on the 7 chromosomes including six pairs of tandem repeats and one pair of segment repeats in the barley genome, indicating that these genes may be co-evolutionary and co-regulated. A spatial expression analysis showed that most HvLTPs and HtLTPs had different tissue-specific expression patterns. Moreover, the upstream cis-element analysis of HvLTPs and HtLTPs showed that there were many different stress-related transcriptional regulatory elements, and the expression pattern of HvLTPs and HtLTPs under abiotic stress also indicated that numerous HvLTP and HtLTP genes were related to the abiotic stress response. Taken together, these results may be due to the differences in promoters rather than by genes themselves resulting in different expression patterns under abiotic stress., Conclusion: Due to a stringent screening and comprehensive analysis of the nsLTP gene family in barley and Qingke and its expression profile under abiotic stress, this study can be considered a useful source for the future studies of nsLTP genes in either barley or Qingke or for comparisons of different plant species., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Salsola abrotanoides , one of the dominant plant species of desert vegetation, adapts well to the arid, saline, and alkaline environment in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Here, we reported the complete chloroplast sequence and characters of S. abrotanoides based on the Illumina NovaSeq Platform. The chloroplast genome is 151,622 bp in length, containing a pair of inverted repeated (IR) regions of 23,701 bp, a large single copy (LSC) region of 84,658 bp, and a small single copy (SSC) region of 19,562 bp. And the chloroplast genome sequence encodes 130 genes totally, including 85 mRNA genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. S. abrotanoides is the first species of Genus Salsola and the chloroplast sequence will provide a valuable resource for the phylogenetic studies of Chenopodiaceae., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis type 4 (ALS4) is a familial form of ALS caused by mutations in the SETX gene. To date, there are seven unrelated ALS4 families with four missense mutations (L389S, T31I, R2136H, and M386T) in SETX. ALS4 is characterized by early onset, distal muscle weakness and atrophy, pyramidal signs, and the absence of sensory deficits. Motor conduction studies often present normality or reduced amplitudes of compound muscle action potential (CMAP). The conduction blocks (CBs) are rare and only observed in one male of an Italian ALS4 family. Our study showed that seven symptomatic patients presented the classical ALS4 phenotype with two asymptomatic females in a Chinese family spanning three generations. Sequencing analysis revealed a heterozygous c.1166T > C/p.L389S mutation in SETX that co-segregated with disease phenotype in the family. The same mutation has been identified previously in three ALS4 families from the United States and Italy, respectively. Specifically, three young males presented multiple CBs and abnormal temporal dispersions (TD) in the median, ulnar and tibial nerves over the three-year follow-up period. Moreover, for the first time, we found that senataxin was also expressed in the myelin sheath of peripheral nerves besides axons. The study indicates that CBs and abnormal TD are the characteristics in the ALS4 family, providing pivotal familial evidence of CBs and TD of motor nerves in ALS4. The unusual electrophysiological features may be associated with the expression of senataxin in peripheral nerves.

Event cameras have many advantages over conventional frame-based cameras, such as high temporal resolution, low latency and high dynamic range. However, state-of-the-art event- based algorithms either require too much computation time or have poor accuracy performance. In this paper, we propose an asynchronous real-time corner extraction and tracking algorithm for an event camera. Our primary motivation focuses on enhancing the accuracy of corner detection and tracking while ensuring computational efficiency. Firstly, according to the polarities of the events, a simple yet effective filter is applied to construct two restrictive Surface of Active Events (SAEs), named as RSAE+ and RSAE-, which can accurately represent high contrast patterns; meanwhile it filters noises and redundant events. Afterwards, a new coarse-to-fine corner extractor is proposed to extract corner events efficiently and accurately. Finally, a space, time and velocity direction constrained data association method is presented to realize corner event tracking, and we associate a new arriving corner event with the latest active corner that satisfies the velocity direction constraint in its neighborhood. The experiments are run on a standard event camera dataset, and the experimental results indicate that our method achieves excellent corner detection and tracking performance. Moreover, the proposed method can process more than 4.5 million events per second, showing promising potential in real-time computer vision applications.

Hydrangea macrophylla (Thunb.) Ser. (Hydrangeaceae) is the most popular hydrangea species grown in home gardens and landscapes in China. Plants of H. macrophylla with symptoms of powdery mildew were found in a commercial wholesale nursery in Huzhu, Haidong (36°49'11.87" N, 101°57'03.36″E, alt. 2490 m), in May 2020, with disease incidence reaching 80%. Symptoms included yellowing and necrosis of leaves. Upon microscopic observation, masses of conidia and mycelium were observed covering the symptomatic tissues. Fungal isolates displayed nipple-shaped hyphal appressoria, often poorly developed, conidiophores erect, arising laterally or from the upper surface of hyphal mother cells, and positioned almost centrally or towards one end of the cells, up to about 160 μm long (n = 30), with foot cells straight or flexuous, 32 to 86 × 8 to 13 μm (n = 50), followed by one to three shorter cells about 11 to 24 × 10 to 15 μm (n = 50), forming catenescent conidia in usually predominantly chains, conidia doliiform to limoniform, hyaline, 24 to 35 × 13 to 25μm (n = 50). Conidial germination was of the Euoidium type. Chasmothecia were not observed. To confirm fungal classification, single spores were isolated and cultured on detached leaf bioassay following the protocol described in Farinas et al. (2019). Total DNA was extracted directly from single-spore cultures using a Chelex extraction method (Walsh et al. 1991). The rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) utilizing the universal primer pairs ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990). The sequences (726-727 bp) were deposited in GenBank (accessions no. MT568633, MT757924 and MT757925). The ITS sequences showed 99.9-100% identity with a sequence of Golovinomyces orontii reported on Papaver rhoeas (AB769466) in Switzerland. Based on the ITS rDNA phylogenetic tree, the sequences retrieved from the specimen clustered within a strongly supported clade with G. orontii (AB769466), confirming the identity of the pathogen (Takamatsu 2013). Cladistic trees were constructed using the neighbor-joining method with the Kimura 2-parameter substitution model in MEGA 6.0. Branch robustness was assessed via bootstrap analysis with 1,000 replicates. To confirm pathogenicity, eight H. macrophylla plants were sprayed until run-off with a suspension containing 1 × 105 conidia/ml. Four plants were used for fulfilling Koch's postulates and four plants were used as mock-inoculated controls sprayed only with sterile distilled water. Inoculated and non-inoculated plants were covered with plastic bags separately and maintained overnight in a greenhouse at 25 ± 2°C and 50 to 60% relative humidity. Typical powdery mildew colonies developed on inoculated plants 10 to 15 days after inoculation, which were morphologically identical to those originally observed on the diseased plats, whereas the control plants remained symptomless. To our knowledge, this is the first report of powdery mildew caused by G. orontii on H. macrophylla in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China (Braun and Cook 2012).

Background: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has been commonly used to treat myasthenia gravis exacerbation, but is still ineffective in nearly 30% of patients. A variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism in the FCGRT gene has been found to reduce the efficiency of IgG biologics. However, whether the polymorphism influences the efficacy of IVIG in generalized myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with exacerbations remains unknown., Methods: The distribution of VNTR genotypes was analyzed in 334 patients with MG. Varied VNTR alleles were determined by capillary electrophoresis and confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Information of endogenous IgG levels were collected in patients without previous immunotherapy ( n  = 26). Medical records of patients who received IVIG therapy were retrospectively analyzed for therapeutic outcomes of IVIG treatment ( n  = 61). Patients whose Activities of Daily Living scores decreased by 2 or more points on day 14 were considered responders to the treatment., Results: The VNTR3/3 and VNTR2/3 genotypes were detected in 96.7% (323/334) and 3.4% (11/334) patients, respectively. Patients with VNTR2/3 heterozygosity had lower endogenous IgG levels than those with VNTR3/3 homozygosity (9.81 ± 2.61 g/L versus 12.41 ± 2.45g/L, p  = 0.016). The response rate of IVIG therapy was 78.7% (48/61). All responders and nine non-responders were VNTR3/3 homozygotes, whereas all the patients with VNTR2/3 genotypes were non-responders ( n  = 4). In patients who took IVIG treatments, endogenous IgG levels were significantly lower in non-responders compared with responders (12.93 ± 2.24 g/L versus 8.85 ± 2.69 g/L, p  = 0.006), especially in VNTR2/3 heterozygotes (7.86 ± 1.78 g/L, p  = 0.001)., Conclusion: The VNTR2/3 genotype could influence endogenous IgG levels and serve as a predictive marker for poor responses to IVIG in MG patients., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), 2021.)

Plastic film mulching has been extensively used in farmland, especially in arid regions, for over half-century. However, this has led to heavy pollution of soils by microplastics (MPs). Currently, efficient extraction of MPs from the organo-mineral soil matrix is a problem because microsize clay particles tightly adhere to MPs. It is therefore extremely challenging to investigate, identify, quantify, and characterize MP particles and their behavior in agricultural soils. In this study, we developed a simple and effective method of separating and extracting MPs from the soil matrix. Clean polyethylene (PE) MPs were obtained after a series of treatments including pressure leaching, flotation, electrostatic adsorption, and concentrated sulfuric acid (98% H 2 SO 4 ) carbonization. The characteristics of MP pollutants, such as abundance, size, and morphology, in soils that have been continuously mulched with PE film for various periods of time were determined after extraction. The highest abundance of MPs (40.35 mg/kg) with sizes ranging from 0.9-2.0 mm was found in soil samples that had been continuously mulched with plastic film for 30 years. The sampled MP particles are in the microplastic size (0.8-0.3 mm) range, and the size of MPs decreases gradually as the period of mulching increased. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that the surface of the MP particles showed visible cracks, with round holes, and the particle surface roughened as the number of years of continuous mulching increased. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy results showed that the absorption peak area of hydrocarbyl (-CH 2 ) of PE MPs decreased significantly, and the typical oxidation characteristic peak area increased as the mulching period increased. The concentration of mesoplastics also increased, from 91.20 mg/kg to 308.50 mg/kg, when the mulching period increased from 5 to 30 years., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in, or the review of, the manuscript entitled “Microplastics in agricultural soils: extraction and characterization after different periods of polyethylene film mulching in an arid region”., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Acoustic liquid handlers deliver small volumes (nL-µL) of multiple fluid types with accuracy and dynamic viscosity profiling. They are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry with applications extending from high-throughput screening in compound management to gene expression sequencing, genomic and epigenetic assays, and cell-based assays. The capability of the Echo to transfer small volumes of multiple types of fluids could benefit bioanalysis assays by minimization of sample volume and by simplifying dilution procedures by direct dilution. In this study, we evaluated the Labcyte Echo 525 liquid handler for its ability to deliver small volumes of sample preparations in biological matrix (plasma and serum) and to assess the feasibility of integration of the Echo with three types of bioanalytical assay platforms: microplate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Gyrolab immunoassay, and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The results demonstrated acceptable consistency of dispensed plasma samples from multiple lots and species by the Echo. Equivalent assay performance demonstrated between the Echo and manual liquid procedures indicated great potential for the integration of the Echo with the bioanalytical assay, which allows the successful implementation of microsampling strategies in drug discovery and development.