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Based on Landsat remote sensing images, this study conducted a quantitative assessment of the spatiotemporal alterations in the ecological environment quality at the Qitai Oasis in Xinjiang, situated at the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains, triggered by human activities. This assessment was conducted through a combination of the remote sensing ecological index （RSEI） and land use/cover change （LUCC）. In addition, we used spatial autocorrelation analysis and geographic detector to examine the spatial distribution characteristics and its influencing factors of RSEI. The results demonstrated that： ① The average RSEI values for Qitai Oasis in four different years （2001, 2007, 2014, and 2022） were 0.392, 0.423, 0.452, and 0.438, respectively, indicating a lower overall level of ecological environment quality in the area. The spatial distribution highlighted a poor level in the northern and southern regions, with the central area displaying noticeably better quality. The temporal trend showed an initial growth followed by a subsequent decline, with an overall tendency toward an increase. ② The ecological environment quality in the Qitai Oasis exhibited positive spatial autocorrelation, with low-low clustering primarily concentrated in the northern part of the oasis, closer to the Gurbantünggüt Desert. Further, the high-high clustering was featured by an aggregation from scattered distribution towards the central agricultural areas of the oasis. ③ Natural factors had a negligible influence on the spatial distribution of RSEI in Qitai Oasis, and the primary catalyst for RSEI changes was LUCC. ④ RSEI aptly portrayed the present condition of the ecological environment quality in the Qitai Oasis. Changes in RSEI of natural ecosystems, such as RSEI of grassland and bare land, provided significant cues, illustrating the variations in the ecological environment quality of arid regions.

In recent years, language function impairment caused by intracranial diseases has gained increasing interest, mainly due to its significant impact on the language and cognitive ability, leading to a serious decline in the quality of life of patients. Consequently, researchers aimed to clarify the quantitative degree of lesions of the arcuate fasciculus and therapeutic targets to promote nerve fiber remodeling. The arcuate fasciculus is extremely prone to damage caused by diseases such as stroke and brain tumor. Hallucinating schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic tinnitus, and other diseases can also lead to changes in the fractional anisotropy value of arcuate fasciculus; however, different studies have different conclusions about how this change occurs. To obtain a better understanding, more clinical studies are required. Owing to various advancements in neuroimaging, a better understanding and identification of vital targets for restoration of neurological function are possible. The arcuate fasciculus is stratified into three substructures, each having unique neurological functions. Both diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) sequences and deterministic monitoring techniques render it possible to visually and quantitatively analyze the substructure in three parts. In this review, we examined the progress of the arcuate fasciculus and quantitative DTI technology in recent years., 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 Shao, Gong, Ren and Wang.)

A fish scale-based porous activated biochar with defined pore size (DPBC) was fabricated by a one-step calcination and activation method. The DPBC possessed an ultrahigh specific surface area of 3370 m 2  g -1 and its pore diameter centered at 1.49 nm which fits into the ciprofloxacin (CIP) molecular dimension, making it an ideal adsorbent for CIP adsorption due to the molecular pore-filling effect. The maximum Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity of DPBC for CIP was higher than 1000 mg g -1 and the equilibrium time was less than 4 h, superior to most adsorbents reported in literature. Thermodynamic analysis indicated the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. Notably, fixed-bed experiments showed an encouraging adsorption performance towards CIP, with a high saturated dynamic adsorption capacity of 880.3 mg g -1 . Both Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models predict the fixed-bed column adsorption performance well. Hydrophobic effect, π-π interaction, π-π EDA, cation exchange, hydrogen bonding formation, pore filling effect, electrostatic and cation-π interaction involved in the CIP adsorption on the DPBC., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Semiconductor photocatalysis has long been considered as a promising approach for remediation of polluted water. However, the high recombination rate of electrons and holes, as well as a low reaction rate, have impeded its large-scale applications. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop appropriate photocatalysts for promoting its practical application. In this study, a novel TiO 2 /SiO 2 /carbon electrospun nanofiber mat (TSC NFM) with flexibility and porous hierarchy has been successfully designed and fabricated by a facile method of electrospinning and carbonization. Characterization results show that the TSC NFM consists of closely-packed and well-distributed anatase (TiO 2 ) nanocrystals, amorphous SiO 2 nanoparticles, and carbon with interconnected meso- and macro-pores. The photocatalytic performance of the TSC NFM was evaluated by degrading rhodamine B and 4-nitrophenol in batch systems. The results show that TSC NFM exhibits a higher photocatalytic activity than TiO 2 /SiO 2 nanofiber mat, which does not contain carbon. The enhanced performance of the TSC NFM can be attributed to the improved adsorption capacity toward the organic pollutants due to the presence of carbon and to the enhanced interfacial charge separation between TiO 2 nanoparticles and carbon. Besides, the as-prepared TSC NFM displays good stability and reusability. Notably, the flexible TSC NFM can be used in a continuous-flow reactor to efficiently treat wastewater. Our work provides new insights into the fabrication of carbon-based inorganic nanofiber mats, which have great potential in water treatment., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Oil contamination will seriously affect the health of water environment, so it is necessary to design ideal oil absorbents with large absorption capacity and high selectivity for effectively purify the oil contaminated water. Preparing high performance carbon aerogel for oil absorption has attracted growing attention, but challenges remain. Here we report a facile approach to fabricate mechanical strength enhanced three-dimensional (3D) nanofibrous aerogel principally through supporting agent liquid assisted collection-electrospinning technology, in which the immersion work was applied to measure the immersion capacity of nanofibers according to liquid-solid interfaces theory. Particularly, electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers (NFs) were collected directly in graphene oxide (GO) aqueous dispersion, and the continuous fibrous skeleton assembled with two-dimensional (2D) GO sheets to form open porous networks during the electrospinning process, which basically avoided the tedious preparation steps (nanofiber membrane cutting and re-crosslinking) that have been used previously. Due to the open porous networks promising structure stability of the aerogel, the GO sheets content required in the aerogel stacking process was largely reduced, and there was no strict requirement on the pre-freezing temperature and manner in the subsequent freeze-drying process. Furthermore, followed by thermal treating the PAN NFs/GO composite aerogel, fluffy carbon nanofibers/GO aerogels (CNF/GOAs) were obtained, which exhibited ultra-low density (2-3 mg/mL) and great compressibility (80%). After hydrophobic modification of polydimethylsiloxane by vapor deposition, the CNF/GOAs performed high absorption capacity (120-286 wt/wt) toward diverse oils. Owing to the fire-resistance and great elasticity, the CNF/GOAs could be recycled simply by combustion or mechanical squeeze, and still showed great absorption capacity after 10 cycles, which were feasible for large scale application., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Massive amount of CO 2 emission, which could cause climate change, has been recognized as a serious environmental issue. Chemical adsorption is generally considered as a promising technology for CO 2 capture in low CO 2 partial pressure. Physical properties and chemical components of the adsorbent are important to CO 2 adsorption performance. To address structure limitation and complicated preparation process of the conventional adsorbent, herein, we reported a rapid and simple route to synthesis amine-modified silica aerogel monolith by co-precursor sol-gel method. Microstructure and the surface functional groups of the amine-modified silica aerogel could be easily manipulated. The products were characterized by SEM, XPS, NMR, in situ DRIFT and CNS elemental analyzer. The amine-modified silica aerogel exhibited good physical properties and demonstrated excellent CO 2 adsorption performance. The density, porosity and BJH pore volume of the amine-modified silica aerogel were 0.12 g/cm 3 , 94.5% and 2.39 cm 3 /g, respectively. The maximum static and dynamic adsorption capacities of CO 2 on the amine-modified silica aerogel were 2.2 mmol/g and 5.59 mmol/g under anhydrous and humid mixed gas conditions, respectively. The as-prepared aerogel also showed good cyclic ability for CO 2 adsorption and desorption. The CO 2 adsorption on the amine-modified silica aerogel is by the formation of carbamate through a two-step zwitterion mechanism. This easily prepared amine-modified silica aerogel could be a promising adsorbent for CO 2 capture., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. (Asteraceae) is an economically important Chinese medicinal herb. In this study, 15 polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed from A. macrocephala using the compound microsatellite marker technique. Levels of polymorphism within the 15 markers were assessed using 83 individuals from two wild and two cultivated populations in China. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 20, with an average of 9.9 alleles. Observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.083 to 1.000 and from 0.097 to 0.938, respectively. These markers will be valuable for germplasm classification and identification, as well as for assessing the genetic diversity and spatial genetic structure among wild and cultivated populations of A. macrocephala.

The two isomorphous title compounds, [1,5,9-tris(2-aminoethoxy)-3,7,11-trihydroxy-3,7,11-tribora-1,5,9-triborata-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaoxa-13-oxoniatricyclo[7.3.1.0(5,13)]tridecane]cobalt(II), [Co(C(6)H(21)B(6)N(3)O(13))] or Co{B(6)O(7)(OH)(3)[O(CH(2))(2)NH(2)](3)}, and the Ni(II) analogue, [Ni(C(6)H(21)B(6)N(3)O(13))], each consist of an M(II) cation and an inorganic-organic hybrid {B(6)O(7)(OH)(3)[O(CH(2))(2)NH(2)](3)}(2-) anion. The M(II) cation lies on a crystallographic threefold axis (as does one O atom) and is octahedrally coordinated by three N atoms from the organic component. Three O atoms covalently link the B-O cluster and the organic component. Molecules are connected to one another through N-H···O and O-H···O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional supramolecular network.

The structure of the title compound, catena-poly[[[di-μ-aqua-μ-fumarato-μ-(boric acid)-disodium]-di-μ-aqua] boric acid monosolvate], contains two crystallographically independent Na(+) cations, each being six-coordinated by one fumarate O atom, one boric acid O atom and four water O atoms in a distorted octa-hedral geometry. Adjacent [NaO(2)(OH(2))(4)] units share edges and are linked into chains propagating parallel to [100]. The free boric acid mol-ecules are connected to the chains through strong inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. Additional O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the water mol-ecules, the free and coordinated boric acid mol-ecules and the fumarate anion lead to the formation of a three-dimensional supra-molecular structure. With the exception of the two water mol-ecules, all other atoms lie on mirror planes.

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C(7)H(6)N(3)O(2) (+)·H(2)PO(4) (-)·C(7)H(5)N(3)O(2)·2H(2)O, the components are connected through O-H⋯O, N-H⋯O and O-H⋯N hydrogen-bonding inter-actions, forming a sheet-like structure parallel to (101). Adjacent sheets are further linked together by strong O-H⋯O hydrogen-bonds involving the dihydrogenphosphate groups. π-π stacking inter-actions between neighbouring aromatic constituents [centroid-centroid distance 3.653 (3) Å] help to consolidate the crystal packing.

The title compound, [Zn(C2H3O2)(C6H18N4)][B5O6(OH)4], contains mixed-ligand [Zn(CH3COO)(teta)]+ complex cations (teta is triethylenetetramine) and pentaborate [B5O6(OH)4]- anions. The [B5O6(OH)4]- anions are connected to one another through hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional supramolecular network, in which the [Zn(CH3COO)(teta)]+ cations are located.

The title compound 2C(8)H(14)N(2) (2+)·[B(14)O(20)(OH)(6)](4-), contains diprotonated C(8)H(14)N(2) (2+) cations and centrosymmetric tetra-deca-borate anions. The crystal structure is stabilized by O-H⋯O and N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

Objective: To dynamically observe the effect of Shenshuai Mixture (SM) on repair of kidney in acute renal failure (ARF) rats., Methods: Male SD rats were divided into 4 groups randomly, the normal group, the SM group, the verapamil group and the model control group. Except those in the normal group were treated with normal saline without modeling, all remaining rats, after being made into ARF model by intra-muscular injection of glycerin, were treated with SM, verapamil and normal saline respectively via gastrogavage. Renal function, renal pathology, mRNA expression of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and protein expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were detected once every day from the 1st day to the 5th day. Results (1) BUN and Scr levels increased markedly 24 hrs after modeling, but the Scr level in the two treated groups was significantly lower than that in the model group (P < 0.05). Compared with that in the model group and the verapamil group, renal function was better in the SM group on the 3rd day (P < 0.01), and approach to normal level on the 5th day. (2) Renal pathological changes alleviated in every phase of ARF in the SM group than that in the model group, especially part of tubule regeneration could be seen on the 3rd day (metaphase), and renal structure was rehabilitated on the 5th day (convalescence), prior to those in the model group. (3) At the 3rd day expression of EGF mRNA and PCNA in tubule epithelial cell (TEC) increased remarkably in the SM group, higher than those in the model and verapamil group (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: SM could promote renal tissue regeneration and rehabilitation, and shorten the course of ARF through up-regulating mRNA expression of EGF in TEC.

Objective: To observe the effect of the experiential compound prescription Shenshuai compound medicine (SSCM) on acute renal failure (ARF) rats, and expose its mechanism., Method: Male SD rats were allocated into four groups at random. Except normal group, the others were injected glycerin into the musculi to induce a model of ARF. At the same time, rats in normal and model groups were given a dose (10 mL x kg(-1)) of normal saline; rats in the other two groups were given verapamil (Vp) 40 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) and SSCM 22.5 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) respectively by gastric gavages. In this way they were killed at 24 h after injecting glycerin., Result: In contrast with model group, SSCM and Vp could ameliorate the renal function of acute tubular necrosis (ATN) rats markedly, in a way protect the renal inherent cell ultrastructure such as tubular epithelial cell etc at ATN early-stage; especially SSCM could enhance NO contents in serum, and was reduce ET levels inplasma, evidently cut down TNF-alpha contents in serum, and was partly superior to Vp., Conclusion: It is indicated that SSCM can adjust thebalance of contract and stretch blood vessal active substance and clear away initiate inflammatory medium, consequently alleviate renal pathological changes, prevent and treat ARF.