Towards Context-Aware Emotion Recognition Debiasing from a Causal Demystification Perspective via De-confounded Training.

Understanding emotions from diverse contexts has received widespread attention in computer vision communities. The core philosophy of Context-Aware Emotion Recognition (CAER) is to provide valuable semantic cues for recognizing the emotions of target persons by leveraging rich contextual information. Current approaches invariably focus on designing sophisticated structures to extract perceptually critical representations from contexts. Nevertheless, a long-neglected dilemma is that a severe context bias in existing datasets results in an unbalanced distribution of emotional states among different contexts, causing biased visual representation learning. From a causal demystification perspective, the harmful bias is identified as a confounder that misleads existing models to learn spurious correlations based on likelihood estimation, limiting the models' performance. To address the issue, we embrace causal inference to disentangle the models from the impact of such bias, and formulate the causalities among variables in the CAER task via a customized causal graph. Subsequently, we present a Contextual Causal Intervention Module (CCIM) to de-confound the confounder, which is built upon backdoor adjustment theory to facilitate seeking approximate causal effects during model training. As a plug-and-play component, CCIM can easily integrate with existing approaches and bring significant improvements. Systematic experiments on three datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our CCIM.

When and how is depression associated with ostracism among college students? The mediating role of interpretation bias and the moderating role of awareness rather than acceptance.

Depression is closely related to individual social functions. The current study aimed to examine whether depression is associated with ostracism, whether interpretation bias mediates this relationship, and whether trait mindfulness moderates direct and indirect relationships between depression and ostracism. Overall, 389 Chinese college students completed the Center for Epidemiological Survey, Depression Scale, Interpretation Bias Questionnaire, Philadelphia mindfulness scale, and perceived ostracism scale at two-time points. Latent Profile analysis and moderated mediation analysis were performed. After controlling for sex and age, depression (t1) was positively correlated to perceived ostracism, with this relationship being partially mediated by negative interpretation bias (IBN, t2). The effect of IBN on perceived ostracism was weak when awareness was high at time 2. Acceptance had a non-significant moderating role in the relationship between IBN and perceived ostracism at time 2. LPA delineated three profiles: high awareness, high acceptance, and medium mindfulness. The moderating role of the different profiles in the relationship between IBN (t2) and perceived ostracism (t2) was significant. Depressed individuals appear to experience more ostracism because of IBN. Awareness might alleviate the effect of IBN on perceived ostracism.

Differential relationships between autistic traits and anthropomorphic tendencies in adults and early adolescents.

Anthropomorphism, the attribution of human-like qualities (e.g., mental states) to nonhuman entities, is a universal but variable psychological experience. Adults with professionally diagnosed autism or high levels of subclinical autistic traits consistently show greater tendencies to anthropomorphize, which has been hypothesized to reflect 1) a compensatory mechanism for lack of social connectedness and 2) a persistence of childhood anthropomorphism into adulthood. Here, we directly tested these hypotheses in a general population sample consisting of both adults (N=685, 17-58 years old) and early adolescents (N=145, 12-14 years old) using the refined 9-item Anthropomorphism Questionnaire (AnthQ9), which measures both present and childhood anthropomorphic tendencies. We found that adults with heightened autistic traits reported increased present anthropomorphism (e.g., tend more to perceive computers as having minds), which held even after controlling for social connectedness. In contrast, adolescents with heightened autistic traits did not show increased present anthropomorphism, but rather reported reduced childhood anthropomorphism (e.g., less likely to perceive toys as having feelings) after controlling for social connectedness. We also found evidence that the present and childhood subscales of the AnthQ9 may tap into fundamentally different aspects of anthropomorphism. The results suggest that increased anthropomorphic tendencies in adults with heightened autistic traits cannot be explained solely by increased sociality motivation, but may be due to delayed development of anthropomorphism, although alternative possibilities of measurement problems cannot be ruled out. Implications for the measurement of anthropomorphism and its relation with theory of mind were also discussed.

Temporal evolution of speciated volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from solvent use sources in the Pearl River Delta Region, China (2006-2019).

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from solvent use sources constitute an important part of ozone (O3) and secondary organic aerosols (SOA) in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, China. While stringent control measures targeting VOCs have been implemented in recent years, an assessment of historical trends is imperative to evaluate their effectiveness. In this study, trends of VOC emissions, compositions, and reactivity from solvent use sources in the PRD region from 2006 to 2019 were estimated using a developed methodology, which considered the improvement of manufacturing equipment and removal efficiency. Results showed that total VOC emissions from solvent use sources displayed an overall increase from 277 kt in 2006 to 400 kt in 2019 despites some fluctuations, with metal products contributing more than 20 % each year. Aromatics and oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs) accounted for over 70 % of total VOC emissions, increasing by 21 kt and 52 kt respectively. OFP and SOAFP increased by 40 % and 23 % respectively from 2006 to 2019. Specific aromatic species, including m/p-xylene, toluene, 1,2,3,5-tetramethylbenzene, o-xylene and ethylbenzene were identified as key species in both VOC emission amount and reactivity. This study aims to facilitate the understanding of VOC emission evolution from solvent use sources in the region and provide insights into the impact of enacted measures, aiding in the future development of more targeted and efficient strategies in the PRD region.

Carbon flow, energy metabolic intensity and metagenomic characteristics of a Fe (III)-enhanced anerobic digestion system during treating swine wastewater.

Deep treatment and bioenergy recovery of swine wastewater (SW) are beneficial for constructing a low-carbon footprint and resource-recycling society. In this study, Fe (III) addition from 0 to 600 mg/L significantly increased the methane (CH4) content of the recovered biogas from 61.4 ± 2.0 to 89.3 ± 2.0 % during SW treatment in an anaerobic membrane digestion system. The specific methane yields (SMY) also increased significantly from 0.20 ± 0.05 to 0.29 ± 0.02 L/g COD. Fe (III) and its bio-transformed products which participated in establishing direct interspecific electron transfer (DIET), upregulated the abundance of e-pili and Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), enriched electroactive bacteria. The increase in cellular adenosine triphosphate (cATP) from 6583 to 14,518 ng/gVSS and electron transport system (ETS) from 1468 to 1968 mg/(g·h) promoted the intensity of energy flow and electron flow during anaerobic digestion of SW. Moreover, Fe (III) promoted the hydrolysis and acidification of organic matters, and strengthened the acetoacetic methanogenesis pathway. This study established an approach for harvesting high quality bioenergy from SW and revealed the effects and mechanisms from the view of carbon flow, energy metabolic intensity and metagenomics.

The relationship between mindfulness and suboptimal health status: a chain/serial mediation model.

Background: Suboptimal health status (SHS) represents a third state between health and disease and often progresses into chronic conditions, negatively impacting an individual's well-being. Studies have shown that mindfulness has a beneficial effect on various SHS symptoms. This study aims to explore the influence of mindfulness on SHS and its underlying mechanisms, with a particular focus on examining the mediating roles of stress and social support. Methods: A total of 173 healthy Chinese college or graduate students, with an average age of 21.85 years, participated in this study. Measurements were taken using the Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Sub-Health Measurement Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and a self-constructed scale that included demographic information. The PROCESS plugin for SPSS was used to assess mediating effects. Results: Significant correlations were found among SHS, social support, mindfulness, and perceived stress (|r| = 0.38-0.85, p < 0.01). Specifically, mindfulness showed a significant positive correlation with SHS and social support (r = 0.38-0.77), while perceived stress was significantly negatively correlated with mindfulness, social support, and SHS (|r| = 0.45-0.85). Perceived social support was positively associated with SHS (r = 0.65). Furthermore, social support and perceived stress partially mediated the influence of mindfulness on SHS. Additionally, a sequential mediation effect of perceived social support and stress in the relationship between mindfulness and SHS was supported. Conclusion: The cultivation of trait mindfulness may be advantageous for individuals' sub-health. Perceived social support and perceived stress are important underlying mechanisms contributing to this effect.

Chromosome-level genome assembly and annotation of eel goby (Odontamblyopus rebecca).

The eel gobies fascinate researchers with many important features, including its unique body structure, benthic lifestyle, and degenerated eyes. However, genome assembly and exploration of the unique genomic composition of the eel gobies are still in their infancy. This has severely limited research progress on gobies. In this study, multi-platform sequencing data were generated and used to assemble and annotate the genome of O. rebecca at the chromosome-level. The assembled genome size of O. rebecca is 918.57 Mbp, which is similar to the estimated genome size (903.03 Mbp) using 17-mer. The scaffold N50 is 41.67 Mbp, and 23 chromosomes were assembled using Hi-C technology with a mounting rate of 99.96%. Genome annotation indicates that 53.29% of the genome is repetitive sequences, and 22,999 protein-coding genes are predicted, of which 21,855 have functional annotations. The chromosome-level genome of O. rebecca will not only provide important genomic resources for comparative genomic studies of gobies, but also expand our knowledge of the genetic origin of their unique features fascinating researchers for decades.

A novel nomogram predicting early neurological deterioration after intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke.

Objectives: Intravenous thrombolysis therapy (IVT) with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator has proven to be a beneficial treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients when administered within 4.5 h after a stroke. This study aimed to investigate an available and inexpensive predictive tool for early neurological deterioration in AIS. Methods: Patients admitted to our department with acute stroke who were given IVT with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator within 4.5 h of stroke onset were included in the study. The NIH stroke scale (NIHSS) was used to assess patients' neurological state prior to IVT and for 24 h after. Early neurological deterioration was defined as occurring if the NIHSS total score increased by ≥ 4 or the NIHSS individual score increased by ≥ 2 compared to baseline. Patients were randomly assigned to training or validation cohorts. Results: Of the 266 AIS patients receiving IVT who were screened, 217 were deemed eligible for the study. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified smoking history, NIHSS score, homocysteine level, and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as independent factors for predicting early neurological deterioration. ROC analysis was used to assess the quality of the resulting nomogram. The AUC for the training dataset was 0.826 (95 % CI, 0.719-0.932), and for the validation dataset was 0.887 (95 % CI, 0.763-1.000). Conclusion: The robustness of this nomogram suggests that it may be a reliable tool for evaluating the progression of AIS after IVT.

Soreness Reminds Me of Grief: Patients With Chronic Pain Show Less Differentiated Representations of Emotional Feelings and Bodily States.

People experience similarities between emotional feelings and bodily states on a daily basis, but both the magnitude and pervasiveness of this experiential similarity vary across individuals. Inspired by previous findings that chronic pain (CP) is characterized by strengthened pain-affect coupling and reduced interoceptive accuracy, we conducted 2 cross-sectional studies to examine whether patients with CP would exhibit less differentiated perception and mental representation of emotional feelings and bodily states. In study 1 (N = 500), patients with CP and healthy controls (HCs) completed a self-report questionnaire that asked explicitly about the perceived similarity between 5 basic emotion categories and a series of bodily states. In study 2 (N = 73), a specially designed false memory test was administered to examine whether patients with CP would have reduced differentiation of concepts of negative emotion and somatic distress. We found that patients with CP perceived greater and more pervasive similarities between emotional feelings and bodily states, as indicated by higher questionnaire scores and denser, less specialized bipartite emotion-body networks, both associated with lower subjective interoceptive accuracy. Furthermore, patients with CP formed false memories of negative emotion words (eg, grief) more readily than HCs after memorizing somatic distress words (eg, soreness), as if they represented negative emotion and somatic distress as a single, enmeshed semantic category. Our findings extend previous literature by demonstrating reduced discrimination between emotional and bodily experiences in CP that is not restricted to pain-related emotional and sensory experiences and may be related to a fundamentally less differentiated interoception. PERSPECTIVES: This study shows that patients with chronic pain have a profoundly less differentiated perception and implicit conceptualization of emotional feelings and bodily states, which appears to be associated with altered interoception. These findings may provide new perspectives on why they often experience a stronger pain-affect coupling.

Reactive Chlorine Species Advancing the Atmospheric Oxidation Capacities of Inland Urban Environments.

Chlorine (Cl) radicals from photolabile chlorine species are highly reactive and can affect the fate of air pollutants in the atmosphere. Although several campaigns have been conducted, typically in coastal environments, long-term observations of reactive chlorine species and their impacts on atmospheric oxidation capacities (AOCs) are lacking. Here, we report nearly full-year observations of Cl2 and ClNO2 levels in Beijing and evaluate their impacts on the AOC with a box model coupled with Cl chemistry. Cl radicals promote the circulation of OH-HO2-RO2 by accelerating the OH chain lengths by up to 12.6% on average, hence boosting the AOC, especially in the winter or spring. This promotion effect is nonlinearly dependent on the VOC and NOx concentrations, thus leading to a slight shift in ozone formation from a VOC-sensitive regime to a transition regime with seasonal differences. Given the ubiquitous reactive chlorines in polluted inland urban regions, the AOCs and the formation of secondary pollutants will be underestimated if the reactive chlorine species are neglected.

Dual-edged effects and mechanisms of hydroxylamine in partial denitrification-anaerobic ammonium oxidation system.

The combination of partial denitrification (PD) and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is a novel and promising nitrogen removal process. Regulating the synergistic reaction between denitrifiers and anammox bacteria (AnAOB) is the key to achieving stable and efficient PD-anammox performance. In this study, 10 mg/L of hydroxylamine (NH2OH) was considered to efficiently promote the bacterial activity, microbial energy flow, and the synergy of functional microflora. As a result, the nitrogen removal rate (NRR) significantly increased from 0.05 to 0.30 g N/L/d in parallel with an increase in the nitrogen loading rate (NLR) from 0.10 to 0.40 g N/L/d. However, the dual-edged effect of NH2OH was also confirmed. The long-term presence of NH2OH caused overgrowth of complete-denitrifying bacteria and decreased the NRR to 0.11 g N/L/d. Additionally, NH2OH enhanced nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions via chemical pathways as well as enhanced denitrification Fortunately, the inhibition caused by NH2OH was reversible by stopping the dosing, the reactor restored to stable operation with an NRR of 0.27 g N/L/d. Analysis of metabolic intensity and pathways revealed the effecting process and mechanism of NH2OH on the PD-anammox system. This study verified the dual-edged effects and mechanisms of NH2OH, therefore proving a theoretical basis and technical reference for the application of PD-anammox.

CRISPR/Cas systems for the detection of nucleic acid and non-nucleic acid targets.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) systems are becoming powerful tools for disease biomarkers detection. Due to the specific recognition, cis-cleavage and nonspecific trans-cleavage capabilities, CRISPR/Cas systems have implemented the detection of nucleic acid targets (DNA and RNA) as well as non-nucleic acid targets (e.g., proteins, exosomes, cells, and small molecules). In this review, we first summarize the principles and characteristics of various CRISPR/Cas systems, including CRISPR/Cas9, Cas12, Cas13 and Cas14 systems. Then, various types of applications of CRISPR/Cas systems used in detecting nucleic and non-nucleic acid targets are introduced emphatically. Finally, the prospects and challenges of their applications in biosensing are discussed.

RNA binding protein RPS3 mediates microglial polarization by activating NLRP3 inflammasome via SIRT1 in ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic stroke is the obstruction of cerebral blood flow with a high morbidity. Microglial polarization is a contributing factor for ischemic stroke-induced injury. Here, we focused on function and mechanism of RNA binding protein RPS3 in microglial polarization after ischemic stroke. METHODS: Transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) was conducted in SD rats. Infarct area was detected by TTC staining and neurological score was assessed. Fluorescence staining tested neuronal apoptosis and microglial differentiation. Oxygen and glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) was applied for treating microglia. Levels of RPS3, SIRT1, M1 and M2 polarization markers (CD86, iNOS, CD206, Arg-1) were determined by RT-qPCR. Western blot detected RPS3, SIRT1, NLRP3, ASC and Cleaved-caspase-1 expression. RIP assay validated that RPS3 interacted with SIRT1. CCK-8 measured cell viability. Flow cytometry and ELISA assessed M1 and M2 polarization markers. LDH release was detected using colorimetric CytoTox 96 Cytotoxicity kit. RESULTS: RPS3 depletion improved neurological dysfunction and reduced infarction area in rats after tMCAO. Knockdown of RPS3 resulted in increased SIRT1 expression and decreased NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and induced microglia M2 polarization after ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). Besides, RPS3 directly targeted SIRT1 and reduced its expression in microglia. RPS3 silencing suppressed OGD/R-triggered neuronal and microglial cell death through SIRT1. Moreover, RPS3 activated NLRP3 inflammasome and regulated microglial polarization via SIRT1. CONCLUSION: RPS3 regulates microglial polarization and neuronal injury through SIRT1/NLRP3 pathway, suggesting a novel target for ischemic stroke treatment.

Quantifying stiffness and forces of tumor colonies and embryos using a magnetic microrobot.

Stiffness and forces are two fundamental quantities essential to living cells and tissues. However, it has been a challenge to quantify both 3D traction forces and stiffness (or modulus) using the same probe in vivo. Here, we describe an approach that overcomes this challenge by creating a magnetic microrobot probe with controllable functionality. Biocompatible ferromagnetic cobalt-platinum microcrosses were fabricated, and each microcross (about 30 micrometers) was trapped inside an arginine-glycine-apartic acid-conjugated stiff poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) round microgel (about 50 micrometers) using a microfluidic device. The stiff magnetic microrobot was seeded inside a cell colony and acted as a stiffness probe by rigidly rotating in response to an oscillatory magnetic field. Then, brief episodes of ultraviolet light exposure were applied to dynamically photodegrade and soften the fluorescent nanoparticle-embedded PEG microgel, whose deformation and 3D traction forces were quantified. Using the microrobot probe, we show that malignant tumor-repopulating cell colonies altered their modulus but not traction forces in response to different 3D substrate elasticities. Stiffness and 3D traction forces were measured, and both normal and shear traction force oscillations were observed in zebrafish embryos from blastula to gastrula. Mouse embryos generated larger tensile and compressive traction force oscillations than shear traction force oscillations during blastocyst. The microrobot probe with controllable functionality via magnetic fields could potentially be useful for studying the mechanoregulation of cells, tissues, and embryos.

Insight into the effects and mechanism of cellulose and hemicellulose on anaerobic digestion in a CSTR-AnMBR system during swine wastewater treatment.

The cellulose and hemicellulose content in swine wastewater significantly affected the performance of a continuous stirred tank reactor-anaerobic membrane bioreactor (CSTR-AnMBR). When the influent content of cellulose and hemicellulose was controlled at 3.88 ± 0.89 and 9.72 ± 2.05 g/L, respectively, the CSTR-AnMBR showed a low methane yield (0.04-0.06 L CH4/g COD) at both HRT of 12 d and HRT 30 d. The functional microbes preferred to use the freshly added degradable COD, and the decomposition of refractory COD was paused. Meanwhile, the AnMBR unit was troubled by rapidly growing membrane fouling. The trans-membrane pressure increased with a rate of 1.63 kPa/d (HRT = 12d), and 0.99 kPa/d (HRT = 30 d) exacerbated the reactor performance. In high cellulose and hemicellulose-containing environments, the cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic microbes, including Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, were stimulated to a certain extent. In addition, cellulose and hemicellulose up-regulated the gene expression for sugar and amino acid metabolism, decreasing the abundance of metabolism related to methane production. When the influent content of cellulose and hemicellulose decreased to 0.62 ± 0.12 and 0.77 ± 0.30 g/L, respectively, the system's performance was significantly improved, microorganisms produced less low-molecular-weight soluble microbial products, which also reduced membrane fouling risk. This study provides significant guidance for treating livestock manure with the CSTR-AnMBR system.

Varied promotion effects and mechanisms of biochar on anaerobic digestion (AD) under distinct food-to-microorganism (F/M) ratios and biochar dosages.

Biochar (BC) promotes the performance of anaerobic digestion (AD) through different routes, such as enriching microbes, buffering pH and promoting electron transfer. However, the mechanisms and processes of AD that enhanced by BC under various food to microorganism (F/M) ratios are still unclear. The organic transformations, bioelectrochemical characteristics and microbial consortia under the different BC dosages and F/M ratios were studied to reveal the role of BC in an AD process. The electron transfer system (ETS) was proportional to BC dosage and considered to be a key for AD promotion. At the F/M ratios of 0.5 and 1.0, BC accelerated methane production mainly by promoting ETS. The most enhanced specific methanation activities (SMAs) were obtained with 10.0 g/L BC, and the promotion efficiency under the F/M ratio of 1.0 was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that under the F/M ratio of 0.5. Under the higher F/M ratio of 2.0, BC shortened the entire AD duration for 5.0 âˆ¼ 13.0 days and guaranteed the resilience of AD by expanding the thermodynamic window of syntrophic methanogenesis via direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET). The COD balance analysis and the ecological functional profiles of microbes demonstrated that BC promoted both the anabolism and catabolism of anaerobes, and enhanced the DIET by converting hydrotrophic methanogenesis into acetolastic methanogenesis pathway. Besides, excessive BC enhanced SMA and simultaneously triggered superfluous biomass growth and thus decreased CH4 yield. This study provided an important reference for further application of BC under various F/M ratios and dosages in AD.

The mediating effects of coping styles on the relationship between trait mindfulness and romantic relationship satisfaction.

The purpose of the current study was to explore the influence of coping styles and trait mindfulness on the satisfaction of romantic relationships (RRS) among college students. Of the 305 participants, 258 (males: 115, 44.6%) had previously been in, or were presently in a romantic relationship. All participants completed the MAAS, CSQ, and questions about RRS. There was a significant meditating role of mature coping styles in the relationship between trait mindfulness and RRS (indirect effect [95% CI] = 0.021 [0.001, 0.052]). However, the mediating effect of immature coping styles was not significant (indirect effect [95% CI] = 0.038 [-0.020, 0.097]). Mature coping style plays an important mediating role in the relationship between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction.

The Relationship between Perfectionism and Social Anxiety: A Moderated Mediation Model.

Social anxiety is one of the mental health problems associated with perfectionism. The present study investigated the possible mediation of perceived stress in the relationship between perfectionism and social anxiety, and whether this mediation depends on the level of trait mindfulness. A total of 425 college students (female: 82.9%; mean age: M = 19.90 ± 1.06 years old) completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS), the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), the Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS), and the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). After controlling for age and gender, the moderated mediation analysis suggested that perfectionism significantly and positively predicted social anxiety and that perceived stress mediated the link between perfectionism and social anxiety. In addition, the indirect effect of perfectionism on social anxiety was moderated by trait mindfulness. Specifically, the indirect effect was weaker among the individuals with a high level of mindfulness compared to those with a low level of mindfulness. The findings of this study suggest that trait mindfulness significantly moderates the indirect effect of perfectionism on social anxiety via perceived stress.

A Comparative Study of Xi's Tendon Gangrene (Nonischemic Type of Diabetic Foot) and Gangrene (Diabetic Foot Ischemic Type).

Background: Diabetic foot gangrene refers to a lesion in which the tissue of the foot or lower extremities of diabetic patients is damaged, and the cause is the infection of peripheral blood vessels and neuropathy caused by diabetes. Objective: To compare the related indexes of blood glucose, inflammation, blood viscosity, and peripheral neuropathy between the nonischemic diabetic foot and ischemic diabetic foot, the same and different characteristics of the two different types of diabetic foot in pathogenesis were discussed and studied. Methods: A total of 122 patients with diabetic foot were selected from the Department of Vascular Medicine, Shanghai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, including 61 cases of ischemic type and 61 cases of nonischemic type. The differences in blood glucose, inflammation, blood supply, and peripheral neuropathy between the nonischemic diabetic foot and ischemic diabetic foot were compared to explore their different characteristics. Results: The blood glucose index, inflammatory index, and plasma fibrinogen in patients with nonischemic diabetic foot were significantly higher than those in patients with ischemic diabetic foot (P < 0.05). The patients with ischemic diabetic foot were higher in age and blood lipid index than those with the nonischemic diabetic foot (P < 0.05), while having no significant difference in platelet count, plasma viscosity, hematocrit, and end products of glycation (AGEs). Conclusion: The nonischemic diabetic foot is mainly infective necrosis, and the ischemic type is ischemic necrosis. The former occurs in the middle-aged and elderly with good blood supply between 40 and 60 years old, while the latter occurs in the elderly with the severe vascular disease over 60 years old. The blood glucose level of nonischemic patients is significantly higher than that of ischemic patients, but it has little to do with the course of diabetes.

[Volatile Organic Compound Emission Characteristics and Influences Assessment of a Petrochemical Industrial Park in the Pearl River Delta Region].

The petrochemical industry is one of the major emission sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, the current studies have mostly focused on the identification of the chemical characteristics of non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC) VOCs species from the petroleum refining sub-sector. Research on the characteristics of VOCs components in oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs) species and other important sub-sectors is still lacking. Therefore, eight enterprises at a petrochemical industrial park in the Pearl River Delta region were carefully selected to represent three major subsectors, namely petroleum refining, synthetic materials, and organic chemicals, for the petrochemical industry. The VOCs (including 22 OVOCs species) from stack emissions and fugitive emissions, as well as nearby sensitive sites, were sampled, and the source reactivity (SR), the thresholds of malodor, and the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks were assessed. The main results were as follows:① the VOCs concentrations of the stack emissions from the petrochemical industrial park were between 0.2-46.3 mg·m-3. The VOCs species were greatly affected by the type of after-treatment technology. A major VOC species emitted from the combustion-based after treatments was formaldehyde, whereas the species emitted from the non-combustion-based equipment were acetone, 1,3-butadiene, acrylic, and isobutane. ② The fugitive VOCs emissions from the petroleum storage tank area were dominated by alkanes, whereas the other fugitive emission sites and the sensitive sites were dominated by OVOCs such as acetone, formaldehyde, and ethyl acetate. ③ The SRs were mainly contributed by OVOCs, aromatics, and olefins, with average proportions of 43.1%, 24.2%, and 21.1%, respectively, with the major species being formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, m/p-xylene, ethylene, and toluene. ④ The malodor appeared both in fugitive emission areas and the sensitive sites. The main odor components were OVOCs such as n-butyraldehyde, propionaldehyde, hexanal, and valeraldehyde. ⑤ The non-carcinogenic risks occurred in the fugitive emission areas and the sensitive sites of resin, alcohol, and aldehyde production, which were mainly caused by OVOCs such as free acetaldehyde, acrolein, and propionaldehyde. No carcinogenic risk was found in any of the sampled sites. This research can provide scientific support for the formulation of priority VOCs species-based precise control strategies in petrochemical industrial parks.