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In September 2020, China proposed a carbon neutral target for 2060, and at the same time proposed to accelerate the implementation of the national carbon peaking task for 2030. In the context of “dual carbon,” provinces and cities urgently need to achieve low-carbon transformational development, but there are significant differences in the development level, process and trend of carbon emission reduction among regions. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the carbon emission characteristics of each city, so as to provide scientific and effective guidance for local governments to adopt differentiated low-carbon emission reduction measures. In this paper, the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of carbon emissions and carbon intensity of 16 cities in Shandong Province were analyzed with the help of ArcGIS, and then the static and dynamic factors affecting urban carbon emissions were considered comprehensively, and the clustering analysis of 16 cities was conducted by using the systematic clustering method. The results show that, according to the characteristics of each type of cities, they can be summarized into four categories: “low economic high carbon type,” “high economic high carbon type,” “high economic low carbon type,” “low carbon.” The results show that the cities in each category do not have complete geographical continuity. Finally, after analyzing the characteristics of carbon emissions in each type of cities, this paper proposes targeted policy recommendations to promote the development of low-carbon emission reduction.

3-Hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) is an important intermediate compound in the chemical industry. Green and environmentally friendly microbial synthesis methods are becoming increasingly popular in a range of industries. Compared to other chassis cells, Yarrowia lipolytica possesses advantages, such as high tolerance to organic acid and a sufficient precursor required to synthesize 3-HP. In this study, gene manipulations, including the overexpression of genes MCR-NCa, MCR-CCa, GAPNSm, ACC1 and ACSSeL641P and knocking out bypass genes MLS1 and CIT2, leading to the glyoxylate cycle, were performed to construct a recombinant strain. Based on this, the degradation pathway of 3-HP in Y. lipolytica was discovered, and relevant genes MMSDH and HPDH were knocked out. To our knowledge, this study is the first to produce 3-HP in Y. lipolytica. The yield of 3-HP in recombinant strain Po1f-NC-14 in shake flask fermentation reached 1.128 g·L−1, and the yield in fed-batch fermentation reached 16.23 g·L−1. These results are highly competitive compared to other yeast chassis cells. This study creates the foundation for the production of 3-HP in Y. lipolytica and also provides a reference for further research in the future.

Pseudomonas fluorescens (P. fluorescens) and Pseudomonas fragi (P. fragi), two kinds of psychrotrophic Pseudomonas species with pathogenicity, are likely to contaminate foods and cause diseases even in fairly cold environments, an outcome which should be suppressed. This paper investigates the antibacterial mechanisms of Dellaglioa algida (D. algida), a new type of low-temperature-resistant Lactobacillus, on two such Pseudomonas. By the enzyme treatment approach, the antibacterial substance existing in the cell-free supernatant (CFS) of D. algida is preliminarily determined as organic acid or protein; then, its inhibition effects are assessed under various culture environments, including pH value, salinity, and culture time, where the best antibacterial performance is achieved at pH = 6.00, S = 0%, and culture time = 48 h. A series of experiments on biofilms indicate that D. algida is not only able to inhibit the generation or damage the integrality of the biofilm of the two mentioned Pseudomonas, but also can reduce the motility, including swarming and swimming, of P. fragi and restrain the swarming of P. fluorescens. The aformentioned developed antibacterial mechanisms show the possibility of using D. algida in applications as an inhibitor for psychrotrophic Pseudomonas in the food industry, by virtue of its strong suppression capability, especially in cold environments.

Cronobacter sakazakii 505108 was isolated from a sputum specimen of a neonate with severe pneumonia. C. sakazakii 505108 co-harbors 3 resistance plasmids of the IncHI2, IncX3, and IncFIB incomparability groups, respectively. These 3 plasmids have acquired several accessory modules, which carry an extremely large number of resistance genes, especially including those involved in resistance to carbapenems, aminoglycoside, tetracyclines, and phenicols and sulphonamide/trimethoprim. These plasmid-borne antibiotic resistance genes were associated with insertion sequences, integrons, and transposons, indicating that the assembly and mobilization of the corresponding accessory modules with complex chimera structures are facilitated by transposition and/or homologous recombination. This is the first report of fully sequence plasmids in clinical Cronobacter, which provides a deeper insight into plasmid-mediated multi-drug resistance in Cronobacter from hospital settings.

This study presents three novel integrons In1394, In1395, and In1443, three novel unit transposons Tn6392, Tn6393, and Tn6403, one novel conjugative element (ICE) Tn6413, and the first sequenced IncP-7 resistance plasmid p1160-VIM from clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Detailed sequence comparison of p1160-VIM (carrying Tn6392 and Tn6393) and Tn6413 (carrying Tn6403) with related elements were performed. Tn6392, Tn6393, and Tn6403 were generated from integration of In1394 (carrying blaVIM–24), In1395 and In1443 (carrying blaVIM–4) into prototype Tn3-family unit transposons Tn5563, Tn1403, and Tn6346, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a blaVIM–24-carrying P. aeruginosa isolate.

IncI-complex plasmids can be divided into seven subgroups IncI1, IncI2, IncIγ, IncB/O, IncK1, IncK2, and IncZ. In this study, a replicon-based scheme was proposed for typing IncI-complex plasmids into four separately clustering subgroups IncI2, IncI1/B/O, IncIγ/K1 and IncK2/Z, the last three of which were combined from IncI1 and IncB/O, IncIγ and IncK1, and IncK2 and IncZ, respectively. Four IncIγ/K1 plasmids p205880-NR2, p14E509-CTXM, p11011-CTXM and p61806-CTXM were fully sequenced and compared with IncIγ/K1 reference pCT, IncI2 reference R721, IncI1/B/O reference R64 and IncK2/Z reference pO26-CRL-125. These plasmids shared conserved gene organization in the replication and conjugal transfer regions, but displaying considerable sequence diversity among different subgroups. Remarkable modular differences were observed in the maintenance and transfer leading regions. p205880-NR2 contained no resistance genes or accessory modules, while the other seven plasmids acquired one or more accessory modules, which harbored mobile elements [including unit transposons, insertion sequence (IS)-based transposition units and individual IS elements] and associated resistance markers (especially including those involved in resistance to β-lactams, aminoglycosides, tetracyclins, phenicols, streptomycins, trimethoprims, sulphonamides, tunicamycins and erythromycins). Data presented here provided a deeper insight into diversification and evolution of IncI-complex plasmids.

Forty-five KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae strains were isolated from multiple departments in a Chinese public hospital from 2014 to 2015. Genome sequencing of four representative strains, namely Proteus mirabilis GN2, Serratia marcescens GN26, Morganella morganii GN28, and Klebsiella aerogenes E20, indicated the presence of blaKPC-2-carrying IncX6 plasmids pGN2-KPC, pGN26-KPC, pGN28-KPC, and pE20-KPC in the four strains, respectively. These plasmids were genetically closely related to one another and to the only previously sequenced IncX6 plasmid, pKPC3_SZ. Each of the plasmids carried a single accessory module containing the blaKPC-2/3-carrying ΔTn6296 derivatives. The ΔTn6292 element from pGN26-KPC also contained qnrS, which was absent from all other plasmids. Overall, pKPC3_SZ-like blaKPC-carrying IncX6 plasmids were detected by PCR in 44.4% of the KPC-producing isolates, which included K. aerogenes, P. mirabilis, S. marcescens, M. morganii, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, and were obtained from six different departments of the hospital. Data presented herein provided insights into the genomic diversity and evolution of IncX6 plasmids, as well as the dissemination and epidemiology of blaKPC-carrying IncX6 plasmids among Enterobacteriaceae in a hospital setting.

This study investigates hybrid stainless steel (SS) 316L/Inconel 625 (IN625) materials via DED for hydrofluoric acid (HF) corrosion resistance. 20% SS 316L + 80% IN625 (20% 316L) exhibits low uniform corrosion (0.35 mm/y) and improved local corrosion performance. High Cr2O3 content in its passive film ensures uniform corrosion resistance. The thermodynamic analysis combined with microstructure observation shows reduced Nb content in 20% 316L's Laves phase, enhancing resistance to micro-galvanic local corrosion. This study provides insights into the design and manufacturing technology of corrosion-resistant materials in harsh corrosive environments.

Abstract Neovaginas are surgically constructed to correct uterovaginal agenesis in women with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome or as part of gender-affirming surgery for transfeminine individuals. Understanding the assembly of the neovaginal microbiota is crucial for guiding its management. To address this, we conducted a longitudinal study on MRKH patients following laparoscopic peritoneal vaginoplasty. Our findings reveal that the early microbial assemblage exhibited stochastic characteristics, accompanied with a notable bloom of Enterococcus faecalis and genital Mycoplasmas. While both the pre-surgery dimple microbiota and the fecal microbiota constituted the primary species pool, the neovaginal microbiota developed into a microbiota that resembled that of a normal vagina at 6–12 months post-surgery, albeit with a bacterial vaginosis (BV)-like structure. By 2–4 years post-surgery, the neovaginal microbiota had further evolved into a structure closely resembling with the homeostatic pre-surgery dimple microbiota. This concords with the development of the squamous epithelium in the neovagina and highlights the pivotal roles of progressive selective forces imposed by the evolving neovaginal environment and the colonization tropism of vaginal species. Notably, we observed that strains of Lactobacillus crispatus colonizing the neovagina primarily originated from the dimple. Since L. crispatus is generally associated with vaginal health, this finding suggests potential avenues for future research to promote its colonization.

The damage threshold of an Au-coated flat mirror, one of the reflective optics installed on the FEL-2 beamline of the Dalian Coherent Light Source, China, upon far-UV free-electron laser irradiation is evaluated. The surface of the coating is characterized by profilometer and optical microscope. A theoretical approach of the phenomenon is also presented, by application of conventional single-pulse damage threshold calculations, a one-dimensional thermal diffusion model, as well as finite-element analysis with ANSYS.

Epoxy resin is widely used in electrical equipment and electronic devices fields due to its excellent electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. However, its internal three-dimensional covalent interconnection structure brings barriers to its degradability and recycling because covalent bonds cannot be broken easily. With the replacements of power equipment and electronic devices, there will be more and more epoxy resins and their composites in them to be treated and effective recycling is of great significance for resource conservation and environmental protection. In this review article, recent progress in degradation and recycling of epoxy resin is introduced and the effect of three traditional degradation methods is discussed. The drawbacks of these methods are thought to come from the intrinsic properties of these epoxy resins. So the urgency of developing new kinds of degradable epoxy resins is proposed. Then different types of new degradable epoxy resins are reviewed. Degradation mechanisms of the opened-loop recycling and recycling methods of the closed-loop recycling are summarized in detail. Finally, the challenges and perspectives are discussed based on their current developments. This review comprehensively considers both traditional degradation methods and new methods for developing degradable epoxy resins. It covers not only an overview of the state-of-the-art advances of degradation and recycling of epoxy resin but also the prospects that provide reference for the synthesis of degradable epoxy resin materials.

AIM: To develop a deep learning-based model for automatic retinal vascular segmentation, analyzing and comparing parameters under diverse glucose metabolic status (normal, prediabetes, diabetes) and to assess the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in image segmentation and retinal vascular parameters for predicting prediabetes and diabetes. METHODS: Retinal fundus photos from 200 normal individuals, 200 prediabetic patients, and 200 diabetic patients (600 eyes in total) were used. The U-Net network served as the foundational architecture for retinal artery-vein segmentation. An automatic segmentation and evaluation system for retinal vascular parameters was trained, encompassing 26 parameters. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in retinal vascular parameters across normal, prediabetes, and diabetes groups, including artery diameter (P=0.008), fractal dimension (P=0.000), vein curvature (P=0.003), C-zone artery branching vessel count (P=0.049), C-zone vein branching vessel count (P=0.041), artery branching angle (P=0.005), vein branching angle (P=0.001), artery angle asymmetry degree (P=0.003), vessel length density (P=0.000), and vessel area density (P=0.000), totaling 10 parameters. CONCLUSION: The deep learning-based model facilitates retinal vascular parameter identification and quantification, revealing significant differences. These parameters exhibit potential as biomarkers for prediabetes and diabetes.

The evolution of residual stresses (RS) at a crack tip and associated changes in crack shielding effects during fatigue crack growth (FCG) has a first order effect on the fatigue life of welded joints. This paper reports the results of fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) tests conducted on as-welded and post-weld heat-treated (PWHT) specimens. By combining digital image correlation (DIC) techniques with the CJP model of crack tip stress and displacement fields, the stress intensity factor KCJP was obtained. Additionally, the da/dN–ΔKCJP curve was derived from the displacement field. Subsequently, the variation in KCJP-max and crack opening displacement δ were compared for as-welded and PWHT specimens. The evolution of RS and crack opening force Fop at different crack lengths were investigated. Results indicated that during FCG, the RS at the crack tip showed a trend towards a progressive acceleration in its decrease, until it was completely relaxed when a/W was approximately 0.56. Due to the crack tip shielding effects contribution an associated slight reduction in KCJP-max was observed in the initial stages of crack growth. Finally, the impact of the RS changes on crack tip shielding effects and the plastic zone size at the crack tip during the FCG process was systematically analysed. An improved model for assessing the plastic zone size at the crack tip, which considers the evolution of RS and crack tip shielding effects, was established and validated.

Abstract Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are defined as lymphoid aggregates formed in non-hematopoietic organs under pathological conditions. Similar to secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs), the formation of TLSs relies on the interaction between lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi) cells and lymphoid tissue organizer (LTo) cells, involving multiple cytokines. Heterogeneity is a distinguishing feature of TLSs, which may lead to differences in their functions. Growing evidence suggests that TLSs are associated with various diseases, such as cancers, autoimmune diseases, transplant rejection, chronic inflammation, infection, and even ageing. However, the detailed mechanisms behind these clinical associations are not yet fully understood. The mechanisms by which TLS maturation and localization affect immune function are also unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the understanding of TLS development and function at the cellular and molecular level, which may allow us to utilize them to improve the immune microenvironment. In this review, we delve into the composition, formation mechanism, associations with diseases, and potential therapeutic applications of TLSs. Furthermore, we discuss the therapeutic implications of TLSs, such as their role as markers of therapeutic response and prognosis. Finally, we summarize various methods for detecting and targeting TLSs. Overall, we provide a comprehensive understanding of TLSs and aim to develop more effective therapeutic strategies.

Abstract Effectively regulating monomer and excimer emission in a singular supramolecular luminous platform is challenging due to high difficulty of precise control over its aggregation and dispersion behavior when subjected to external stimuli. Here, we show a metallo-cage (MTH) featuring a triple helical motif that displays a unique dual emission. It arises from both intramolecular monomer and intermolecular excimer, respectively. The distorted molecular conformation and the staggered stacking mode of MTH excimer are verified through single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. These structural features facilitate the switch between monomer and excimer emission, which are induced by changes in concentration and temperature. Significantly, adjusting the equilibrium between these two states in MTH enables the production of vibrant white light emission in both solution and solid state. Moreover, when combined with a PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) substrate, the resulting thin films can serve as straightforward fluorescence thermometer and thermally activated information encryption materials.

Abstract Lipid metabolism reprogramming involves in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cancer stemness and immune checkpoints (ICs), which influence the metastasis of cancer. This study aimed to generate lipid metabolism-based signatures to predict prognosis, immunotherapy and chemotherapy response for colorectal adenocarcinoma (COAD). Transcriptome data and clinical information of COAD patients were collected from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database. The expression of EMT-, stem cell-, and IC-related genes were assessed between COAD and control samples. Modules and genes correlated EMT, ICs and stemness signatures were identified through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Prognostic signatures were generated and then the distribution of risk genes was evaluated using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from GSE132465 dataset. COAD patients exhibited increased EMT score and stemness along with decreased ICs. Next, 12 hub genes (PIK3CG, ALOX5AP, PIK3R5, TNFAIP8L2, DPEP2, PIK3CD, PIK3R6, GGT5, ELOVL4, PTGIS, CYP7B1 and PRKD1) were found within green and yellow modules correlated with EMT, stemness and ICs. Lipid metabolism-based prognostic signatures were generated based on PIK3CG, GGT5 and PTGIS. Patients with high-risk group had poor prognosis, elevated ESTIMATEScore and StromalScore, 100% mutation rate and higher TIDE score. Samples in low-risk group had more immunogenicity on ICIs. Notably, PIK3CG was expressed in B cells, while GGT5 and PTGIS were expressed in stromal cells. This study generates lipid metabolism-based signatures correlated with EMT, stemness and ICs for predicting prognosis of COAD, and provides potential therapeutic targets for immunotherapy in COAD.

Abstract The origin of energetic charged particles in universe remains an unresolved issue. Astronomical observations combined with simulations have provided insights into particle acceleration mechanisms, including magnetic reconnection acceleration, shock acceleration, and stochastic acceleration. Recent experiments have also confirmed that electrons can be accelerated through processes such as magnetic reconnection and collisionless shock formation. However, laboratory identifying stochastic acceleration as a feasible mechanism is still a challenge, particularly in the creation of collision-free turbulent plasmas. Here, we present experimental results demonstrating kinetic turbulence with a typical spectrum k −2.9 originating from Weibel instability. Energetic electrons exhibiting a power-law distribution are clearly observed. Simulations further reveal that thermal electrons undergo stochastic acceleration through collisions with multiple magnetic islands-like structures within the turbulent region. This study sheds light on a critical transition period during supernova explosion, where kinetic turbulences originating from Weibel instability emerge prior to collisionless shock formation. Our results suggest that electrons undergo stochastic acceleration during this transition phase.

Abstract Background Biologically annotated neural networks (BANNs) are feedforward Bayesian neural network models that utilize partially connected architectures based on SNP-set annotations. As an interpretable neural network, BANNs model SNP and SNP-set effects in their input and hidden layers, respectively. Furthermore, the weights and connections of the network are regarded as random variables with prior distributions reflecting the manifestation of genetic effects at various genomic scales. However, its application in genomic prediction has yet to be explored. Results This study extended the BANNs framework to the area of genomic selection and explored the optimal SNP-set partitioning strategies by using dairy cattle datasets. The SNP-sets were partitioned based on two strategies–gene annotations and 100 kb windows, denoted as BANN_gene and BANN_100kb, respectively. The BANNs model was compared with GBLUP, random forest (RF), BayesB and BayesCπ through five replicates of five-fold cross-validation using genotypic and phenotypic data on milk production traits, type traits, and one health trait of 6,558, 6,210 and 5,962 Chinese Holsteins, respectively. Results showed that the BANNs framework achieves higher genomic prediction accuracy compared to GBLUP, RF and Bayesian methods. Specifically, the BANN_100kb demonstrated superior accuracy and the BANN_gene exhibited generally suboptimal accuracy compared to GBLUP, RF, BayesB and BayesCπ across all traits. The average accuracy improvements of BANN_100kb over GBLUP, RF, BayesB and BayesCπ were 4.86%, 3.95%, 3.84% and 1.92%, and the accuracy of BANN_gene was improved by 3.75%, 2.86%, 2.73% and 0.85% compared to GBLUP, RF, BayesB and BayesCπ, respectively across all seven traits. Meanwhile, both BANN_100kb and BANN_gene yielded lower overall mean square error values than GBLUP, RF and Bayesian methods. Conclusion Our findings demonstrated that the BANNs framework performed better than traditional genomic prediction methods in our tested scenarios, and might serve as a promising alternative approach for genomic prediction in dairy cattle.

Abstract Background The clinical application of peptide vaccines in tumor immunotherapy holds significant promise. Peptide-based tumor vaccines are currently subject to certain limitations in clinical trials, including the challenge of inducing a sustained response from CD4+ T helper cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), as well as human leukocyte antigen (HLA) restrictions. Methods Through the utilization of biological information methodology, a screening process was conducted to identify three potential long peptides that are specifically targeted by the MAGE-A4 antigen. The candidate long peptides were subjected to in vitro testing using human peripheral blood lymphocytes as samples to evaluate their immunogenicity and immune function. The antitumor properties and preliminary mechanism of the long peptide vaccine were investigated through the use of a mouse model designed for the prevention of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Results Three predicted multi-epitope long peptides targeting MAGE-A4 have shown to have a strong immunogenicity, with a total positive rate of 72% across different HLA subtypes in Chinese populations. they can also increase the levels of the costimulatory factor CD137 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), activate T cells, and boost the cytotoxic activity. Results from an animal study have revealed that the long-peptide vaccine, both on its own and in combination with R848, has displayed impressive anti-tumor and target-specific capabilities. Moreover, it has the ability to increase the expression of effector memory T cells and central memory T cells. Conclusions This study was the first to screen three multi-epitope long peptides targeting MAGE-A4 and assess their immunogenicity, immune function, and potential as adjuvant peptides. The results showed that the MAGE-A4 long peptide vaccine can be used as a novel immunoprophylaxis method to prevent TNBC. Moreover, the proposed development model is capable of screening multiple target antigens, which lead to its clinical application.

Abstract Background Recent studies have highlighted the significant role of the NF-κB signaling pathway in the initiation and progression of cancer. Furthermore, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as pivotal regulators in sustaining the NF-κB signaling pathway’s functionality. Despite these findings, the underlying molecular mechanisms through which lncRNAs influence the NF-κB pathway remain largely unexplored. Methods Bioinformatic analyses were utilized to investigate the differential expression and prognostic significance of XTP6. The functional roles of XTP6 were further elucidated through both in vitro and in vivo experimental approaches. To estimate the interaction between XTP6 and NDH2, RNA pulldown and RNA Immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were conducted. The connection between XTP6 and the IκBα promoter was examined using Chromatin Isolation by RNA Purification (ChIRP) assays. Additionally, Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were implemented to analyze the binding affinity of c-myc to the XTP6 promoter, providing insights into the regulatory mechanisms at play. Results XTP6 was remarkedly upregulated in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tissues and was connected with adverse prognosis in GBM patients. Our investigations revealed that XTP6 can facilitate the malignant progression of GBM both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, XTP6 downregulated IκBα expression by recruiting NDH2 to the IκBα promoter, which resulted in elevated levels of H3K27me3, thereby reducing the transcriptional activity of IκBα. Moreover, the progression of GBM was further driven by the c-myc-mediated upregulation of XTP6, establishing a positive feedback loop with IκBα that perpetuated the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. Notably, the application of an inhibitor targeting the NF-κB signaling pathway effectively inhibited the continuous activation induced by XTP6, leading to a significant reduction in tumor formation in vivo. Conclusion The results reveal that XTP6 unveils an innovative epigenetic mechanism instrumental in the sustained activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway, suggesting a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of GBM.

AIM: To evaluate the application of an intelligent diagnostic model for pterygium. METHODS: For intelligent diagnosis of pterygium, the attention mechanisms—SENet, ECANet, CBAM, and Self-Attention—were fused with the lightweight MobileNetV2 model structure to construct a tri-classification model. The study used 1220 images of three types of anterior ocular segments of the pterygium provided by the Eye Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. Conventional classification models—VGG16, ResNet50, MobileNetV2, and EfficientNetB7—were trained on the same dataset for comparison. To evaluate model performance in terms of accuracy, Kappa value, test time, sensitivity, specificity, the area under curve (AUC), and visual heat map, 470 test images of the anterior segment of the pterygium were used. RESULTS: The accuracy of the MobileNetV2+Self-Attention model with 281 MB in model size was 92.77%, and the Kappa value of the model was 88.92%. The testing time using the model was 9ms/image in the server and 138ms/image in the local computer. The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC for the diagnosis of pterygium using normal anterior segment images were 99.47%, 100%, and 100%, respectively; using anterior segment images in the observation period were 88.30%, 95.32%, and 96.70%, respectively; and using the anterior segment images in the surgery period were 88.18%, 94.44%, and 97.30%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The developed model is lightweight and can be used not only for detection but also for assessing the severity of pterygium.

Abstract This study probes the utility of biomarkers for microsatellite instability (MSI) detection and elucidates the molecular dynamics propelling colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. We synthesized a primer panel targeting 725 MSI loci, informed by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and ancillary databases, to construct an amplicon library for next-generation sequencing (NGS). K-means clustering facilitated the distillation of 8 prime MSI loci, including activin A receptor type 2A (ACVR2A). Subsequently, we explored ACVR2A’s influence on CRC advancement through in vivo tumor experiments and hematoxylin–eosin (HE) staining. Transwell assays gauged ACVR2A’s role in CRC cell migration and invasion, while colony formation assays appraised cell proliferation. Western blotting illuminated the impact of ACVR2A suppression on CRC’s PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway protein expressions under hypoxia. Additionally, ACVR2A’s influence on CRC-induced angiogenesis was quantified via angiogenesis assays. K-means clustering of NGS data pinpointed 32 MSI loci specific to tumor and DNA mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) tissues. ACVR2A emerged as a pivotal biomarker, discerning MSI-H tissues with 90.97% sensitivity. A curated 8-loci set demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity for MSI-H detection in CRC. In vitro analyses corroborated ACVR2A’s critical role, revealing its suppression of CRC proliferation, migration, and invasion. Moreover, ACVR2A inhibition under CRC-induced hypoxia markedly escalated MMP3, CyclinA, CyclinD1, and HIF1α protein expressions, alongside angiogenesis, by triggering the PI3K/AKT/mTOR cascade. The 8-loci ensemble stands as the optimal marker for MSI-H identification in CRC. ACVR2A, a central element within this group, deters CRC progression, while its suppression amplifies PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling and angiogenesis under hypoxic stress.

Abstract Background Recent researches have increasingly indicated a strong correlation between the gut microbiota and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). Nevertheless, the impact of gut microbiota on CP/CPPS still requires further elucidation. Methods Employing the summary statistics provided by the MiBioGen consortium, we executed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. The study involved 18,340 participants and considered gut microbiota as the instrumental variable. Chronic prostatitis summary statistics, representing 500 cases and 208,308 controls, were extracted from the GWAS Catalog release data as the disease outcome. Various methods, including weighted inverse variance, MR-Egger and weighted median, were employed to assess how gut microbiota interact and correlate with CP/CPPS. Sensitivity analysis was used to eliminate heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy. Results Our findings, primarily derived from the IVW approach, provided evidence for a causal link between five categories of gut microbiota and CP/CPPS. Resultantly, the genus Christensenellaceae (OR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.17–0.87, P = 0.02), genus Eisenbergiella (OR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.40–0.97, P = 0.04), genus Hungatella (OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.28–0.85, P = 0.01) and genus Terrisporobacter (OR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.20–0.75, P = 0.00) exhibited a protective impact on CP/CPPS, while family Prevotellaceae (OR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.01–3.15, P = 0.05) had the opposite effect. No notable heterogeneity of instrumental variables or horizontal pleiotropy was detected. Conclusions The findings of this study, which used a two-sample Mendelian randomization approach, indicate a causal link between gut microbiota and CP/CPPS. This could be valuable in offering fresh perspectives for additional mechanistic and clinical investigations of microbiota-related CP/CPPS. Nevertheless, additional randomized controlled trials are necessary for validation.

Abstract Background The glandular trichomes of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) can efficiently produce secondary metabolites. They act as natural bioreactors, and their natural products function to protect plants against insect-pests and pathogens and are also components of industrial chemicals. To clarify the molecular mechanisms of tobacco glandular trichome development and secondary metabolic regulation, glandular trichomes and glandless trichomes, as well as other different developmental tissues, were used for RNA sequencing and analysis. Results By comparing glandless and glandular trichomes with other tissues, we obtained differentially expressed genes. They were obviously enriched in KEGG pathways, such as cutin, suberine, and wax biosynthesis, flavonoid and isoflavonoid biosynthesis, terpenoid biosynthesis, and plant–pathogen interaction. In particular, the expression levels of genes related to the terpenoid, flavonoid, and wax biosynthesis pathway mainly showed down-regulation in glandless trichomes, implying that they lack the capability to synthesize certain exudate compounds. Among the differentially expressed genes, 234 transcription factors were found, including AP2-ERFs, MYBs, bHLHs, WRKYs, Homeoboxes (HD-ZIP), and C2H2-ZFs. These transcription factor and genes that highly expressed in trichomes or specially expressed in GT or GLT. Following the overexpression of R2R3-MYB transcription factor Nitab4.5_0011760g0030.1 in tobacco, an increase in the number of branched glandular trichomes was observed. Conclusions Our data provide comprehensive gene expression information at the transcriptional level and an understanding of the regulatory pathways involved in glandular trichome development and secondary metabolism.

Abstract Background ARID1A, a subunit of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, is thought to play a significant role both in tumor suppression and tumor initiation, which is highly dependent upon context. Previous studies have suggested that ARID1A deficiency may contribute to cancer development. The specific mechanisms of whether ARID1A loss affects tumorigenesis by RNA editing remain unclear. Results Our findings indicate that the deficiency of ARID1A leads to an increase in RNA editing levels and alterations in RNA editing categories mediated by adenosine deaminases acting on RNA 1 (ADAR1). ADAR1 edits the CDK13 gene at two previously unidentified sites, namely Q113R and K117R. Given the crucial role of CDK13 as a cyclin-dependent kinase, we further observed that ADAR1 deficiency results in changes in the cell cycle. Importantly, the sensitivity of ARID1A-deficient tumor cells to SR-4835, a CDK12/CDK13 inhibitor, suggests a promising therapeutic approach for individuals with ARID1A-mutant tumors. Knockdown of ADAR1 restored the sensitivity of ARID1A deficient cells to SR-4835 treatment. Conclusions ARID1A deficiency promotes RNA editing of CDK13 by regulating ADAR1.

Negative thermal expansion (NTE) defies the conventional wisdom of lattice dynamics and offers a novel way to control the expansion coefficient and address some challenges in modern science and technology. From an application standpoint, materials exhibiting NTE across a broad temperature range, including room temperature, are highly sought after. In this work, we propose the multi-doping strategy and prepared a series of rare-earth-based lithium oxides featuring negative thermal expansion, with the objective of adjusting their temperature range. The phase transition temperatures of these materials range from 202 K to 467 K, demonstrating a linear correlation with the average ionic radius of the rare-earth elements. By capitalizing on the synergistic effects of four rare-earth elements, we expand the full width at half maximum of the thermal expansion peak in Li(ErYHoDy)0.25O2 from 1.6 K to 14.5 K, a notable improvement of nearly tenfold is achieved. Additionally, we investigate the low-temperature magnetocaloric effects and inverse barocaloric effects within these rare-earth-based lithium oxides. Temperature- and pressure-dependent Raman scattering measurements indicate that the phase transitions and the barocaloric effects are associated with the stretching mode of the Li–O bond and the vibrational mode of the YO6 octahedron.

In this study, slow strain rate test (SSRT), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to investigate the stress corrosion behavior of 316L austenitic stainless steel in 50 wt% NaOH solution at 100 °C. In addition, the electrochemical properties of the material were characterized using the EIS technique, and the composition of the corrosion product film was analyzed by XPS. Results show that the mechanical properties of materials deteriorate as the strain rate decreases in the stress corrosion test. However, when the applied strain rate is less than a certain strain rate, the deterioration of mechanical properties tends to be stable. Moreover, appropriate equivalent circuit models are fitted for the stress corrosion behavior of 316L austenitic stainless steel in hot NaOH solution, which can be used to analyze the stress corrosion behavior under various working conditions.

Abstract Background Structural variations (SVs) have significant impacts on complex phenotypes by rearranging large amounts of DNA sequence. Results We present a comprehensive SV catalog based on the whole-genome sequence of 1060 pigs (Sus scrofa) representing 101 breeds, covering 9.6% of the pig genome. This catalog includes 42,487 deletions, 37,913 mobile element insertions, 3308 duplications, 1664 inversions, and 45,184 break ends. Estimates of breed ancestry and hybridization using genotyped SVs align well with those from single nucleotide polymorphisms. Geographically stratified deletions are observed, along with known duplications of the KIT gene, responsible for white coat color in European pigs. Additionally, we identify a recent SINE element insertion in MYO5A transcripts of European pigs, potentially influencing alternative splicing patterns and coat color alterations. Furthermore, a Yorkshire-specific copy number gain within ABCG2 is found, impacting chromatin interactions and gene expression across multiple tissues over a stretch of genomic region of ~200 kb. Preliminary investigations into SV’s impact on gene expression and traits using the Pig Genotype-Tissue Expression (PigGTEx) data reveal SV associations with regulatory variants and gene-trait pairs. For instance, a 51-bp deletion is linked to the lead eQTL of the lipid metabolism regulating gene FADS3, whose expression in embryo may affect loin muscle area, as revealed by our transcriptome-wide association studies. Conclusions This SV catalog serves as a valuable resource for studying diversity, evolutionary history, and functional shaping of the pig genome by processes like domestication, trait-based breeding, and adaptive evolution.

Abstract Pentamidine and melarsoprol are primary drugs used to treat the lethal human sleeping sickness caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei. Cross-resistance to these two drugs has recently been linked to aquaglyceroporin 2 of the trypanosome (TbAQP2). TbAQP2 is the first member of the aquaporin family described as capable of drug transport; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we present cryo-electron microscopy structures of TbAQP2 bound to pentamidine or melarsoprol. Our structural studies, together with the molecular dynamic simulations, reveal the mechanisms shaping substrate specificity and drug permeation. Multiple amino acids in TbAQP2, near the extracellular entrance and inside the pore, create an expanded conducting tunnel, sterically and energetically allowing the permeation of pentamidine and melarsoprol. Our study elucidates the mechanism of drug transport by TbAQP2, providing valuable insights to inform the design of drugs against trypanosomiasis.

Background: Hemoglobin (Hb) has been reported as a prognostic factor in many cancer patients. However, its effect on the prognosis of patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative treatment is still unclear. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess whether Hb can be used as a prognostic indicator for patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative treatment. Methods: From July 2013 to October 2015, 368 consecutive patients were treated in the Palliative Treatment Center of Shanghai Cancer Center, Fudan University. The data of 105 patients were extended in the follow-up. The cutoff value selected for Hb was 100?g/L. Results: The median survival time of patients with low hemoglobin (LHb) was shorter than that of patients with high hemoglobin (HHb; 41 days vs. 84 days). In addition, in the follow-up readmission cohort (n?=?105), the median survival time of patients with HHb (HHb ? HHb) was 3.44 times longer than that of patients with LHb (HHb ? LHb). To sum up, both LHb and descending Hb were identified as independent prognostic factors for poor prognosis. Conclusions: In palliative treatment, Hb can be used as a stratification factor to judge poor prognosis in advanced cancer patients.

Abstract Optimizing short‐term load forecasting performance is a challenge due to the randomness of nonlinear power load and variability of system operation mode. The existing methods generally ignore how to reasonably and effectively combine the complementary advantages among them and fail to capture enough internal information from load data, resulting in accuracy reduction. To achieve accurate and efficient short‐term load forecasting, an integral implementation framework is proposed based on convolutional neural network (CNN), gated recurrent unit (GRU) and channel attention mechanism. CNN and GRU are first combined to fully extract the highly complicated dynamic characteristics and learn time compliance relationships of load sequence. Based on CNN‐GRU network, the channel attention mechanism is introduced to further reduce the loss of historical information and enhance the impact of important characteristics. Then, the overall framework of short‐term load forecasting based on CNN‐GRU‐Attention network is proposed, and the coupling relationship between each stage is revealed. Finally, the developed framework is implemented on realistic load dataset of distribution networks, and the experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Compared with the state‐of‐the‐art models, the CNN‐GRU‐Attention model outperforms in different evaluation metrics.

Abstract As a solid energy source, CH4 hydrate will inevitably break down physically as the result of geological movement or exploitation. Here, the molecular dynamics method was employed to simulate the uniaxial-deformation behavior of structure I (sI type) CH4 hydrate under stress. The stress increases regardless of whether the hydrate is stretched or squeezed, and other physical parameters also changed, such as hydrate cage numbers, order parameters, and the number of water molecules. A noticeable difference is observed between the two systems. Upon stretching, the stress immediately recovers to 0 GPa once the hydrate is completely stretched apart. During the squeeze process, the stress is ultimately not zero since solid and liquid are always in contact. When the hydrate is stretched apart, about 5% of water molecules change from solid to liquid, about 7.8% of CH4 molecules lose their shelter and become free due to the disintegration of water cages. While in the squeezing process, large cages (51262) are crushed more easily than small cages (512); in the end, about 93.5% of large cages and 73% of small cages are crushed, and approximately 87.5% CH4 is released from the cages. In mining CH4 hydrates, caution must be exercised, as if the hydrates break as a result of stress, a large release of CH4 may pose a security risk.

On April 3, 2024, at 07:58 (Beijing time), a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred in the waters of Hualien County, Taiwan Province. The Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration initiated a rapid response after the earthquake and organized geophysics researchers to estimate the source model and seismic radiation energy of the earthquake. Based on the source model, the shakemap and coseismic deformation field simulation were carried out. The results indicate that the earthquake occurred at the boundary between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate, primarily characterized by a thrust mechanism, with energy released predominantly in the first 35 seconds. The earthquake intensity in the extreme seismic area possibly have reached more than X degree, with a potential disaster area of approximately 35000 km2. The earthquake also caused significant coseismic displacements, with the maximum horizontal displacement reaching 0.52 m and the vertical displacement reaching 1.18 m.

Abstract Background Dysregulation of iron metabolism has been shown to have significant implications for cancer development. We aimed to investigate the prognostic and immunological significance of iron metabolism-related genes (IMRGs) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods Multiple Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets were analyzed to identify key IMRGs associated with prognosis. Additionally, the immunological significance of IMRGs was explored. Results A novel risk model was established using the LASSO regression algorithm, incorporating three genes (TFRC, SLC39A14, and ATP6V0D1).This model categorized patients into low and high-risk groups, and Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed significantly shorter progression-free survival for the high-risk group (P

Abstract Nipah virus (NiV) is a World Health Organization priority pathogen and there are currently no approved drugs for clinical immunotherapy. Through the use of a naïve human phage-displayed Fab library, two neutralizing antibodies (NiV41 and NiV42) targeting the NiV receptor binding protein (RBP) were identified. Following affinity maturation, antibodies derived from NiV41 display cross-reactivity against both NiV and Hendra virus (HeV), whereas the antibody based on NiV42 is only specific to NiV. Results of immunogenetic analysis reveal a correlation between the maturation of antibodies and their antiviral activity. In vivo testing of NiV41 and its mature form (41-6) show protective efficacy against a lethal NiV challenge in hamsters. Furthermore, a 2.88 Å Cryo-EM structure of the tetrameric RBP and antibody complex demonstrates that 41-6 blocks the receptor binding interface. These findings can be beneficial for the development of antiviral drugs and the design of vaccines with broad spectrum against henipaviruses.

Fishing ports play an essential role in fisheries development and supply chains, as all catches are landed through fishing ports to enter the seafood market. Frequent and intensive fishing activities inevitably affect the fishing port ecosystem by discharging sewage and waste oil from sources such as fishing vessels, leaching ship paint, and operating wharves. However, fishing ports are usually located in semi-enclosed seas, leading to the accumulation of land-based pollution in port environments. Fishing ports are known potential sinks for land-sourced pollutants, such as heavy metals, phthalates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and petroleum hydrocarbons. Currently, comprehensive research on the distribution and ecological risk of heavy metals in fishing ports is very limited. With no environmental and scientific data available for reference, it is difficult to formulate appropriate pollution control and prevention strategies for fishing ports. Environmental risk assessment in aquatic ecosystems typically uses biomarkers to detect interactions between potential hazards and biological systems. Next to knowing environmental contaminant levels in tissues and the environment, it is important to link to potentially deleterious effects at higher levels of biological organization, such as biochemistry, physiology, and overall health status. Biochemical reactions are frequently used as biomarkers in sentinel model species sampled from reference sites, for monitoring xenobiotic pollution in coastal areas. However, multiple biomarkers were too complex and could not directly reflect the toxic effects of pollutants on organisms, while the integrated biomarker response (IBR) index could overcome this and comprehensively evaluate the aquatic ecosystem health status.The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the overall pollution level and risks in fishing ports. Samples of green mussels (Perna viridis) and surface water were collected at 12 sampling points in four fishing ports located in Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, China. Six types of heavy metals were measured in the surface water and soft tissues of P. viridis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Moreover, biomarkers of the antioxidant defense system, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA), were analyzed in the hepatopancreas of P. viridis to calculate the IBR index. The results showed that the range of concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, As, and Cr in seawater was 1.13–2.37, 6.67–33.43, 0.14–0.32, 0.03–0.32, 1.09–1.73, and 0.80–1.20 μg/L, respectively, while in the soft tissues of P. viridis, it was 8.31–11.93, 67.92–103.17, 0.88–3.07, 0.80–2.33, 9.61–12.70, and 2.54–4.75 mg/kg, respectively. The mean concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, As, and Cr in each fishing port were lower than the fourth grade of the National Seawater Quality Standard (GB 3097-1997). The concentrations of heavy metals in the surface water and soft tissues of P. viridis were generally at a low level, the comprehensive pollution indices (PI) of heavy metals in the surface water of all four fishing ports were within the natural background range, and the comprehensive pollution indices (Pin) of heavy metals in the soft tissues of P. viridis were in the no pollution category. The PI of heavy metals in the surface water was Shekou Port > Nanwan Port > Dahao Port > Yuwan Port, while the Pin of heavy metals in the soft tissues of P. viridis was Yuwan Port > Shekou Port > Nanwan Port > Dahao Port. In addition, Cu concentrations in both the surface water and soft tissues of P. viridis from Shekou Port were the highest among those from the four fishing ports. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in MDA content or SOD, CAT, and GPx enzyme activities, in the hepatopancreas of P. viridis from the four fishing ports. The IBR index of P. viridis was 4.50 in Shekou Port, 2.14 in Yuwan Port, 1.91 in Dahao Port, and 1.50 in Nanwan Port, which showed a decreasing trend from Shekou Port > Yuwan Port > Dahao Port > Nanwan Port. The highest IBR index was identified at Shekou Port, which agreed with the profiles of the comprehensive pollution index of seawater. According to the correlation analysis, the IBR index showed no significant correlation with the comprehensive pollution index of seawater and marine mussels. It was noteworthy that the IBR index displayed significant positive correlations with Cu concentrations in seawater and mussel tissues, which indicated that Cu pollution may be an important factor to consider in pollution assessments of fishing ports.Overall, this study provides the first evidence of using the IBR index to evaluate the heavy metal pollution status of fishing ports. The pollution level and potential risk of heavy metals in Shekou Port were higher than those of the other three fishing ports. The IBR index coupled with chemical analysis is useful to assess the environmental pollution status of fishing ports for pollution source control and management policy formulation.

Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (LJF, called Jinyinhua in China), comes from the dried flower buds or flowers to be opened of Lonicera japonica Thunb. in the Lonicera family. It has a long history of medicinal use and has a wide range of application prospects. As modern research advances, an increasing number of scientific experiments have demonstrated the anticancer potential of LJF. However, there is a notable absence of systematic reports detailing the anti-tumor effects of LJF. This review integrates the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with contemporary pharmacological techniques, drawing upon literature from authoritative databases such as PubMed, CNKI, and WanFang to conduct a comprehensive study of LJF. Notably, a total of 507 compounds have been isolated and characterized from the plant to date, which include volatile oils, organic acids, flavonoids, iridoids, triterpenes and triterpenoid saponins. Pharmacological studies have demonstrated that LJF extract, along with components such as chlorogenic acid, luteolin, rutin, luteoloside, hyperoside and isochlorogenic acid, exhibits potential anticancer activities. Consequently, we have conducted a comprehensive review and summary of the mechanisms of action and clinical applications of these components. Furthermore, we have detailed the pharmacokinetics, quality control, and toxicity of LJF, while also discussing its prospective applications in the fields of biomedicine and preventive healthcare. It is hoped that these studies will provide valuable reference for the clinical research, development, and application of LJF.

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) 3D point clouds reconstruction can eliminate the problems of layover in 2D SAR image projections, the recognition of the reconstructed point cloud can significantly enhance target identification and information extraction. Current SAR 3D point cloud segmentation methods, based on traditional machine learning clustering approaches, suffer from poor automation and accuracy. However, the absence of publicly labeled SAR datasets impedes the progress of deep learning-based SAR 3D point cloud segmentation methods. To tackle the aforementioned challenges, we introduce, for the first time, an alternative training approach for SAR 3D point cloud segmentation using LiDAR annotated data, which offers a more abundant sample pool, thus alleviating the lack of training sets. Nevertheless, a segmentation model trained on LiDAR point clouds exhibits a significant decline in performance when directly applied to SAR 3D reconstructed point clouds due to the cross-domain discrepancy. This research presents a pioneering domain adaptation 3D semantic segmentation framework to implement cross-modal learning for SAR point clouds. In our scheme, a simple yet effective technique is developed to achieve segmentation of SAR double-bounce scattering regions called SARDBS-Mix, which employs a mixing strategy, to capture the distinctive reflection characteristics of SAR data. Furthermore, we implement approaches including center alignment and normalization, local augmentation, and weighted cross entropy to mitigate LiDAR and SAR domain gap and class imbalances. The experimental results validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method for SAR 3D reconstructed point cloud segmentation.

Summary: The vermiform appendix plays an important role in colorectal immunity and the homeostasis of the gut microbiome. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of prior appendectomy for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). This study revealed that prior appendectomy is an independent risk factor for the prognosis of patients with CRC, based on a multicentral CRC cohort. We further demonstrated that appendectomy induced a poor prognosis of CRC through the depletion of M1 macrophage cells in AOM-induced mice, which was confirmed in age-, sex-, and location-matched patients’ cohorts and orthotopic model models with the CT26 cell line. Poor responses to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy were detected in patients with CRC with appendectomy, and cetuximab is an effective treatment for patients with appendectomy-associated colorectal cancer (APD-CRC) to improve their prognosis. Our study will provide a reference for developing treatment plans for a considerable number of patients with APD-CRC, which is of great clinical significance.

The ecological supply–demand mismatch resulting from rapid urbanization stands as a core challenge affecting regional sustainability. This study constructed ecological supply–demand networks from the perspective of the circulation of ecological processes flow within regions, and proposed a novel supply–demand relationships evaluation index system. The case study results of six typical cities in the ‘Upstream-Midstream-Downstream’ of the Yellow River Basin demonstrate that our proposed evaluation index system can more accurately reveal the dynamic interaction of ecological resources within the urban area and the degree of supply–demand mismatch. Additionally, we found that the supply–demand relationship in upstream cities is better than that in midstream and downstream cities, with downstream cities exhibiting the worst performance. Furthermore, over the past 20 years, the supply–demand relationships of all six cities have consistently deteriorated, with the maximum decline reaching 39.8 %. Social development factors have driven imbalance changes in ecological resource allocation and spatial connectivity between the supply and demand sides, serving as a key factor in driving the deterioration of urban ecological supply–demand relationships. Lastly, this study proposes a partitioned protection strategy adaptable to both the basin and individual cities. This study holds significant importance for optimizing the allocation of ecological supply–demand resources and protecting ecosystems in different watershed segments.

For receiving-end power systems with multi-infeed HVDCs and large-scale renewable energy generation, the challenges of weak reactive power support and limited anti-interference capacity pose a threat to the power system voltage stability. To enhance the voltage stability under large disturbances, this paper proposes a data-driven method for coordinated emergency control strategy against voltage instability in multi-infeed hybrid AC/DC systems based on the squeeze and excitation (SE) module and convolutional neural network (CNN). Firstly, the SE module and CNN are integrated to intuitively capture correlations among various feature channels and extract key features related to voltage stability levels. Secondly, a voltage stability evaluation method is proposed based on the SE-CNN model, utilizing a dual channel structure to unveil the quantitative relationship between key response characteristics and voltage stability margin. Finally, regarding the control measures containing load shedding and DC modulation, the emergency control sensitivity index is proposed to assess the stability margin improvement effect of various control objects, and the optimal emergency control strategy is formulated to coordinate multiple voltage stability emergency control measures. Case studies were conducted on a typical China local region receiving-end power grid test system with voltage instability problems, and the simulation results verified the effectiveness of the proposed method. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Forest parks in megacities are pivotal in boosting biodiversity, purifying air, and offering essential green areas for community leisure and mental health amidst the hustle and bustle of cities. Yet, these vital oases encounter severe difficulties, including habitat degradation, contamination, and urbanization pressures, jeopardizing their preservation and the crucial ecological advantages they offer. The soil’s characteristics and its microbial inhabitants are fundamental in the cycling of nutrients and the well-being of plants, positioning them as central elements in restoration efforts. Nonetheless, the complex interplay among plant, soil, and microbial relationships during the restoration of forest ecosystems in megacities is still not well comprehended. This study aimed to investigate the interactions between plant-soil-microbial dynamics in different ecological restoration modes and construct assessment systems to evaluate the quality of restoration modes in the forest parks. The study identified a total of 25 distinct types of forests damaged by three main factors (farmland, highway, and quarrying) in Chongqing Taisiya Forest Park, and found that long-term natural restoration significantly increased soil properties in these forests. Additionally, an in-depth microbial sequencing analysis showed that Proteobacteria and Ascomycota were the major bacterial and fungal phyla dominant in the restoration process in the urban forests. Further correlation analysis showed that soil microbial diversity positively correlated with plant diversity, with a stronger correlation observed for bacterial communities compared to fungi. The comprehensive evaluation index results for the different forest types revealed varying degrees of restoration success. Collectively, our findings underscore the importance of forest attributes and soil microbial diversity in forest ecosystem restoration and provide valuable insights for designing effective restoration strategies in similar ecosystems.