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As the negative repercussions of environmental devastation, such as air quality decline and air pollution, become more apparent, environmental consciousness is growing across the world, forcing nations to take steps to mitigate the damage. China pledged to achieve air quality improvement goal to combat global environment issue, yet the spatial-temporal differentiation and its driving factors of environment-meteorology-economic index for air quality are not fully analysed. To promote regional collaborative control of air pollution and achieve sustainable urban development, spatial and temporal different and its driving factors of air quality in Shandong Province during 2013–2020. Results revealed that concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), particulate matter 10 (PM10), and carbon monoxide (CO-95per) exhibited decreasing trend (SO2 concentrations decreasing 84 % and CO-95per concentrations decreasing 90 %). Air quality was improved from inland areas to coastal areas. Pollutant indicators of SO2, NO2, PM10, PM2.5, and CO-95per demonstrated significant positive correlation (P < 0.05). Air temperature and precipitation are significantly negatively correlated with concentrations of SO2, NO2, PM10, PM2.5, and CO-95per but significantly positively correlated with ozone (O3-8 h). SO2, NO2, PM2.5, PM10, CO-95per, and proportion of days with heavy pollution are strongly positively correlated with proportion of secondary industry but strongly negatively correlated with proportion of tertiary industry and volume of household waste. Except for O3-8 h, pollutant index of Provincial Capital Economic Circle (PCEC) and Southern Shandong Economic Circle (SSEC) has significant negative correlation (P < 0.05) with regional gross domestic product and investment in environmental protection; however, investment in environmental protection of Eastern Shandong Economic Circle (ESEC) has no significant correlation with air pollution index. There was significant negative correlation between vegetable sowing area and SSEC pollutant index. The relationship between pollution emission and investment in environmental protection has shifted from high pollution-low investment to low pollution-low investment in PCEC, ESEC and SSEC, and the inflection point was in 2020 for PCEC, 2019 for ESEC, and 2020 for SSEC. Those results provide empirical evidence and theoretical support for the improvement of regional air quality, aiming to achieve high-quality development. According to these findings, it has been found that meteorological elements, pollutant emission, socio-economic factors and agricultural data affect air quality. Those results could provide meaningful and significant supporting for synergistic regulation of diverse pollutants.

Abstract Dyes and heavy metals pollute the environment. Biochar-based hydrogel is an excellent adsorbent, but the competitive adsorption mechanism associated with the removal of pollutants using biochar is yet to be understood in detail. Biochar was prepared following the process of high-temperature lysis of marine green tide (Enteromorpha prolifera). The prepared biochar was cross-linked with water-soluble chitosan and compounded with nano-Fe3O4 to synthesize magnetically-modified Enteromorpha prolifera-based biochar hydrogel (MM-EBC-HD). The competitive removal performance of the hydrogel was studied, and the pollutant removal mechanism was analyzed against a binary system consisting of common environmental pollutants (methyl orange [MO] and hexavalent chromium [Cr (VI)]. The physical and chemical properties of the composites were studied before and after contaminant removal, and the associated pollutant removal mechanisms were analyzed by SEM, EDS, FTIR, XRD, and XPS techniques. The effects of pH, temperature and initial pollutant concentration on the adsorption performance of the materials were examined. The maximum adsorption of MO on MM-EBC-HD was 71.18 mg g−1, and adsorption equilibrium was attained at approximately 60 min. Electrostatic forces, hydrophobic bonds, and hydrogen bonds were exploited for MO adsorption. And the maximum adsorption amount of Cr (VI) was recorded to be 115.41 mg g−1, and equilibrium was attained in approximately 10 min. Electrostatic and ion exchange effects were exploited to adsorb Cr (VI) efficiently. The MO and Cr (VI) adsorption processes could be explained by the second-order kinetic model and Langmuir adsorption isotherms, respectively. The adsorption performance recorded for the binary adsorption system was poorer than that recorded for the single adsorption system for both pollutants. MO and Cr (VI) adsorption decreased from 74.88% to 47.65% and from 62.33% to 42.4%, respectively. Competition between MO and Cr (VI) in the dual system can be attributed to the presence of amino and hydroxyl groups. The MO–Cr complex, which was more compact in structure than a single contaminant, was formed, allowing few reactive groups to be exposed to the surface of the hydrogel. Additionally, MM-EBC-HD nanocomposites presented a recovery rate of 87% after 5 cycles and thus could be used to avoid adsorbents-caused environmental hazards. Graphical Abstract

As land and sea integration continues to accelerate, it will inevitably have an effect on the marine ecological environment. However, the study on spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of Chinese marine environmental quality and its driving factors was lacking. This paper employs Regression Analysis, Spearman Correlation Analysis, Canonical Correlation Analysis, Boston Consulting Group Matrix and Environmental Kuznets Curve to examine the spatial–temporal distribution characteristics and correlation factors of Chinese jurisdictional sea areas environmental quality. The environmental quality of the waters under China's jurisdiction improved on average from 2003 to 2021, the area of sea with excellent water quality increased by 7.21 × 104 km2. The spatial distribution showed “South superior, North inferior” trend. The accumulated red tide area is 2.01 × 105 km2, and the green tide has the average maximum area of distribution is 3.13 × 104 km2. The marine dumping area's volume of waste has a three stages of slow rise (2003–2007), steady (2008–2014) and rapid rise (2015–2021). The average percentage of seawater bathing areas with good water quality is 82.10 %. Urban Environmental Infrastructure Investment and Urban Drainage Construction Investments are positively correlated with excellent water quality and negatively correlated with light-sewage water quality. The typical correlation for the group “Environmental Quality/Environmental Governance” is 0.911, and the strongest correlation is between excellent water quality and urban drainage construction investment. The typical correlation coefficient for the “Environmental Quality/Socioeconomic” group is 0.960, and the strongest correlation is between excellent water quality and per capita GDP. The Gross Ocean Product, Per Capita GDP, Proportion of Non-agricultural Industries, Year-end Resident Population, and excellent water quality are positively correlated whereas light-sewage water quality is negatively correlated. Liaoning, Tianjin, Shandong and Guangdong shift from high-pollution-low-investment to low-pollution-low-investment model. Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian and Hainan maintain high-pollution-low-investment model, Hainan maintains high-pollution-high-investment model. Jiangsu maintains low-pollution-low-investment model. Hebei and Guangxi shift from low-pollution-low-investment to low-pollution-high-investment model. Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, Guangxi and Shanghai show inverted “N” shape, Jiangsu shows positive “N” shape, Zhejiang and Fujian show monotonic decline shape, Guangdong and Hainan show positive “U” shape. The results could provide valuable suggestions for coastal provinces to accomplish economic development and environmental improvement, which to prevent the old way of “pollution first and treatment later”.

Short wave near-infrared (SWIR, 900–1700nm) fluorescence imaging has attracted extensive research interest from scientists due to its high imaging quality. However, the variety of SWIR fluorescence imaging agents are quite limited and the corresponding quantum efficiency is relatively low. In this work, a novel conjugated polymer PDTSDTBT was reported, consisting of a donor unit with a tetrahedral Si (sp3) named DTS and an acceptor unit named DTBT with branched side chains. The design approach of endowing the donor–acceptor structure with the branched side chains successfully increase the fluorescence quantum efficiency. The polymer was prepared into nanoparticles by nanoprecipitation. The PDTSDTBT nanoparticles showed an absorption peak of 626nm and fluorescence emission peak of 924nm. The quantum efficiency of the nanoparticles is 0.53%, which is higher than that of nanotube fluorophores (0.4%). The nanoparticles also demonstrate a photothermal effect, the temperature of nanoparticles solution could reach 45∘C under excitation by 660nm laser. Therefore, the PDTSDTBT nanoparticles is an excellent fluorescent imaging agent with potential photothermal applications.

Here we first demonstrate that asperolide A, a very recently reported marine-derived tetranorditerpenoid, leads to the inhibition of NCI-H460 lung carcinoma cell proliferation by G2/M arrest with the activation of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling and p53-dependent p21 pathway. Treatment with 35 μM asperolide A (2 × IC50) resulted in a significant increase in the proportion of G2/M phase cells, about a 2.9-fold increase during 48 h. Immunoblot assays demonstrated time-dependent inhibition of G2/M regulatory proteins. Moreover, asperolide A significantly activated MAP kinases (ERK1/2, JNK and p38 MAP kinase) by phosphorylation, and only the inhibition of ERK activation by PD98059 reversed downregulation of G2/M regulatory proteins CDC2, and suppressed upregulation of p21 and p-p53 levels. Transfection of cells with dominant-negative Ras (RasN17) mutant genes up-regulated asperolide A-induced the decrease of cyclin B1 and CDC2, suppressed Raf, ERK activity and p53-p21 expression, and at last, abolished G2/M arrest. This study indicates that asperolide A-induced G2/M arrest in human NCI-H460 lung carcinoma cells relys on the participation of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway in p53-p21 stabilization. An in vivo study with asperolide A illustrated a marked inhibition of tumor growth, and little toxcity compared to Cisplatin therapy. Overall, these findings provide potential effectiveness and a theoretical basis for the therapeutic use of asperolide A in the treatment of malignancies.

Here we first demonstrate that asperolide A, a very recently reported marine-derived tetranorditerpenoid, leads to the inhibition of NCI-H460 lung carcinoma cell proliferation by G2/M arrest with the activation of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling and p53-dependent p21 pathway. Treatment with 35 µM asperolide A (2 × IC50) resulted in a significant increase in the proportion of G2/M phase cells, about a 2.9-fold increase during 48 h. Immunoblot assays demonstrated time-dependent inhibition of G2/M regulatory proteins. Moreover, asperolide A significantly activated MAP kinases (ERK1/2, JNK and p38 MAP kinase) by phosphorylation, and only the inhibition of ERK activation by PD98059 reversed downregulation of G2/M regulatory proteins CDC2, and suppressed upregulation of p21 and p-p53 levels. Transfection of cells with dominant-negative Ras (RasN17) mutant genes up-regulated asperolide A-induced the decrease of cyclin B1 and CDC2, suppressed Raf, ERK activity and p53-p21 expression, and at last, abolished G2/M arrest. This study indicates that asperolide A-induced G2/M arrest in human NCI-H460 lung carcinoma cells relys on the participation of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway in p53-p21 stabilization. An in vivo study with asperolide A illustrated a marked inhibition of tumor growth, and little toxcity compared to Cisplatin therapy. Overall, these findings provide potential effectiveness and a theoretical basis for the therapeutic use of asperolide A in the treatment of malignancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new fungusderived benzodiazepine analogue, 2hydroxycircumdatin C 1, and a compound which has been isolated from a natural resource for the first time, but has been previously synthesized, namely 11aS2,3dihydro7methoxy1Hpyrrolo2,1c1,4benzodiazepine5,1110H,11aHdione 2, along with five structurally related known alkaloids 3–7, were isolated from Aspergillus ochraceus, an endophytic fungus derived from the marine brown alga Sargassum kjellmanianum.Their structures were established on the basis of spectroscopic methods. The absolute configuration of 1was determined through CD evidence. Compound 1displayed significant DPPH radicalscavenging activity with an IC50value of 9.9μM, which is 8.9fold more potent than that of butylated hydroxytoluene BHT, a wellknown synthetic positive control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]