Effect of vitamin D, calcium, or combined supplementation on fall prevention: a systematic review and updated network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The association between vitamin D supplementation and the risk of falls in older adults has been controversial. This systematic review and network meta-analysis aims to assess the efficacy of vitamin D, calcium, and combined supplementation in the prevention of falls. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the efficacy of vitamin D in fall prevention were systematically searched in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception to May 9, 2023. The network meta-analysis was performed using a random effects model in R4.1.3 and Stata15.0. Heterogeneity was evaluated by the I2 statistic, and publication bias was assessed using funnel plots, Begg's test, and Egger's tests. Data were pooled and expressed as relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: A total of 35 RCTs involving 58,937 participants were included in this study, among which 11 RCTs (31.4%) applied calcium combined with vitamin D. There was low heterogeneity (I2 = 11%) among the included studies. Vitamin D supplementation at 800-1000 International Unit (IU)/d resulted in a lower risk of falls than placebo or no treatment (RR = 0.85, 95%CI: 0.74-0.95). In addition, 800-1000 IU/d of vitamin D with or without calcium were more effective in preventing falls than calcium alone. High-dose vitamin D (> 1000 IU/day) increased the risk of falls compared with 800-1000 IU/d of vitamin D. According to the subgroup analysis, daily administration of 800-1000 IU/d vitamin D was associated with a 22% reduction in the risk of falls (RR = 0.78, 95%CI:0.64-0.92), whereas intermittent vitamin D administration had no preventive effect. Furthermore, 800-1000 IU/d of vitamin D also significantly decreased the risk of falls in old adults with ≤ 50 nmol/L 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] (RR = 0.69, 95%CI:0.52-0.86) but not in individuals with > 50 nmol/L 25(OH)D. CONCLUSION: Vitamin D supplementation at 800-1000 IU/d is associated with a lower risk of falls among older adults. 800-1000IU/d of vitamin D has a benefit on prevention of falls in population received daily dose regimens and in population with vitamin D deficiency.

An AIE-based monofunctional Pt(ii) complex for photodynamic therapy through synergism of necroptosis-ferroptosis.

Side effects and drug resistance are among the major problems of platinum-based anticancer chemotherapies. Photodynamic therapy could show improved tumor targeting ability and better anticancer effect by region-selective light irradiation. Here, we report an aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-based monofunctional Pt(ii) complex (TTC-Pt), which shows enhanced singlet oxygen production by introduction of a Pt atom to elevate the intersystem crossing (ISC) rate. Moreover, TTC-Pt exhibits decent capacity of inhibition on tumor cell growth upon light irradiation, with negligible dark toxicity compared to the commonly used chemodrug cisplatin. Mechanistic study suggests that TTC-Pt enters HeLa cells via the endocytosis pathway and locates mainly in lysosomes, causing FSP1 down-regulation and intracellular lipid peroxidation accumulation under irradiation, finally leading to ferroptosis and necroptosis. The synergistic dual cell death pathways could help to kill apoptosis-resistant tumor cells. Therefore, TTC-Pt could serve as a potent antitumor photosensitizer, which overcomes the drug resistance with minimum side effects.

Effect of Novel Processing Techniques on the Carotenoid Release during the Production of Red Guava Juice.

Red guava, distinguished by its elevated lycopene content, emerges as a promising natural source of carotenoids. This study systematically evaluates the impact of diverse processing techniques on the efficient release of carotenoids. The primary objective is to facilitate the transfer of carotenoids into the juice fraction, yielding carotenoid-enriched juice seamlessly integrable into aqueous-based food matrices. The untreated guava puree exhibited a modest release of carotenoids, with only 66.26% of ß-carotene and 57.08% of lycopene reaching the juice. Contrastly, both high-pressure homogenization (HPH) at 25 MPa and enzyme (EM) treatment significantly enhanced carotenoid release efficiency (p < 0.05), while high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) at 400 MPa and pulsed electric field (PEF) of 4 kV/cm did not (p > 0.05). Notably, HPH demonstrated the most substantial release effect, with ß-carotene and lycopene reaching 90.78% and 73.85%, respectively. However, the stability of EM-treated samples was relatively poor, evident in a zeta-potential value of -6.51 mV observed in the juice. Correlation analysis highlighted the interactions between pectin and carotenoids likely a key factor influencing the stable dissolution or dispersion of carotenoids in the aqueous phase. The findings underscore HPH as a potent tool for obtaining carotenoid-enriched guava juice, positioning it as a desirable ingredient for clean-label foods.

Size effect of CoS2 cocatalyst on photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance of g-C3N4.

The main goal of researchers is to obtain cheap cocatalysts that can promote the photocatalytic activity of catalysts. In this work, a series of CoS2/g-C3N4 (denoted as CoS2/CN) composite photocatalysts were synthesized by photodepositing CoS2 on g-C3N4 surface. The size of CoS2 species could be tuned from single-atom to nanometer scale, which had effect on photocatalysis. The 5CoS2/CN sample with proper nano size of CoS2 cocatalyst had the best photocatalytic performance (1707.19 µmol g-1h-1) in producing H2 under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm). Its photocatalytic activity was about 1434.6 times higher than that of pure g-C3N4 and almost equal with that of Pt/CN catalyst (1799.54 µmol g-1h-1). The Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculation results further suggested that the ability of accumulating the electrons of the cocatalyst was based on the size effect of CoS2, and the proper size of the cocatalyst efficiently promoted the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs.

Chicken telomerase reverse transcriptase promotes the tumorigenicity of avian leukosis virus subgroup J by regulating the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

This research aimed to analyze the regulatory effect of chicken telomerase reverse transcriptase (chTERT) on the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway and its effect on the tumorigenicity of avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) through in vivo experiments. The chTERT eukaryotic expression plasmid and its recombinant lentivirus particles were constructed for in vivo transfection of chTERT to analyze the effect of chTERT continuously overexpressed in chickens on the tumorigenicity of ALV-J. During 156 days of the artificial ALV-J tumor-inducing process, 7 solid tumors developed in 3 chickens in the chTERT-overexpression group (n = 26*2) and no tumors developed in the control group (n = 26*2). Another 18 tumors induced by ALV-J were confirmed and collected from breeding poultry farms. And we confirmed that chTERT was significantly highly expressed in ALV-J tumors. The ELISA data suggested that the protein levels of ß-catenin and c-Myc in the chicken plasma of the chTERT-overexpressing group with ALV-J infected were consistently and significantly higher than those of the control group. Compared with that of the tumor-adjacent tissues, the activity of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway and expression of the c-Myc was significantly increased in ALV-J tumors. And the percentage of apoptosis in ALV-J tumors significantly lower than that in tumor-adjacent tissues. Immunohistochemistry, Western blot and RT-qPCR suggested that the replication level of ALV-J in tumors was significantly higher than that in tumor-adjacent tissues. This study suggests that chTERT plays a critical role in the tumorigenicity of ALV-J by enhancing the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, which will contribute to further elucidating the tumor-inducing mechanism of ALV-J.

The Biomimetics of Mg2+-Concentration-Resolved Microenvironment for Bone and Cartilage Repairing Materials Design.

With the increase in population aging, the tendency of osteochondral injury will be accelerated, and repairing materials are increasingly needed for the optimization of the regenerative processes in bone and cartilage recovery. The local environment of the injury sites and the deficiency of Mg2+ retards the repairing period via inhibiting the progenitor osteogenesis and chondrogenesis cells' recruitment, proliferation, and differentiation, which results in the sluggish progress in the osteochondral repairing materials design. In this article, we elucidate the Mg2+-concentration specified effect on the cell proliferation, osteochondral gene expression, and differentiation of modeling chondrocytes (extracted from New Zealand white rabbit) and osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1). The concentration of Mg2+ in the culture medium affects the proliferation, chondrogenesis, and osteogenesis: (i) Appropriate concentrations of Mg2+ promote the proliferation of chondrocytes (1.25−10.0 mM) and MC3T3-E1 cells (2.5−30.0 mM); (ii) the optimal concentration of Mg2+ that promotes the gene expression of noncalcified cartilage is 15 mM, calcified cartilage 10 mM, and subchondral bone 5 mM, respectively; (iii) overdosed Mg2+ leads to the inhibition of cell activity for either chondrocytes (>20 mM) or osteoblasts (>30 mM). The biomimetic elucidation for orchestrating the allocation of gradient concentration of Mg2+ in accordance of the physiological condition is crucial for designing the accurate microenvironment in osteochondral injury defects for optimization of bone and cartilage repairing materials in the future.

Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogens for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy: From Organelle Targeting to Tumor Targeting.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has attracted much attention in the field of anticancer treatment. However, PDT has to face challenges, such as aggregation caused by quenching of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and short 1O2 lifetime, which lead to unsatisfactory therapeutic effect. Aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgens)-based photosensitizers (PSs) showed enhanced ROS generation upon aggregation, which showed great potential for hypoxic tumor treatment with enhanced PDT effect. In this review, we summarized the design strategies and applications of AIEgen-based PSs with improved PDT efficacy since 2019. Firstly, we introduce the research background and some basic knowledge in the related field. Secondly, the recent approaches of AIEgen-based PSs for enhanced PDT are summarized in two categories: (1) organelle-targeting PSs that could cause direct damage to organelles to enhance PDT effects, and (2) PSs with tumor-targeting abilities to selectively suppress tumor growth and reduce side effects. Finally, current challenges and future opportunities are discussed. We hope this review can offer new insights and inspirations for the development of AIEgen-based PSs for better PDT effect.

Cooperative game theory approach to develop an incentive mechanism for biopesticide adoption through farmer producer organizations.

Biopesticides have been recognized as viable alternatives to chemical pesticides in controlling agricultural pests for plants and reducing harmful chemical residues. However, small and marginal farmers are facing challenges while adopting biopesticides, namely, high cost and complicated application techniques, resulting in a low level of farmer acceptance. Accordingly, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), voluntarily formed by farmers, develop mutual technical assistance among their members to solve the technical problems of biopesticide adoption. This study assumes that as a new form of farmer cooperative, FPOs have the potential to promote biopesticide adoption through the implementation of collective pesticide adoption (CPA). Along this line, this paper uses a cooperative game-based hybrid method to develop an incentive mechanism of biopesticide adoption for FPOs to implement CPAs. First, we construct a CPA decision model for mixed pesticides (i.e., biopesticides and chemical pesticides) based on multichoice goal programming (MCGP) to compromise the conflicting objectives regarding cost efficiency and chemical residue reduction, thereby obtaining the optimal total cost of pesticide adoption. Second, recognizing the optimal total adoption cost as a baseline, we devise a cooperative game-based cost allocation scheme to maintain farmers' voluntary participation in FPOs. This study demonstrates that the CPA implemented based on our proposed models can at least match if not surpass the economic and environmental performance of farmers' independent pesticide adoption (IPA). We further demonstrate that the proposed cooperative game solution is more suitable for the FPO's cost allocation issue than the eminent solutions, such as the Shapley value.

AGR2-induced cholesterol synthesis drives lovastatin resistance that is overcome by combination therapy with allicin.

Anterior gradient 2 (AGR2), a protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), is a multifunctional protein under physiological and pathological conditions. In this study we investigated the roles of AGR2 in regulating cholesterol biogenesis, lipid-lowering efficiency of lovastatin as well as in protection against hypercholesterolemia/statin-induced liver injury. We showed that AGR2 knockout significantly decreased hepatic and serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in mice with whole-body or hepatocyte-specific Agr2-null mutant, compared with the levels in their wild-type littermates fed a normal chow diet (NCD) or high-fat diet (HFD). In contrast, mice with AGR2 overexpression (Agr2/Tg) exhibited an increased cholesterol level. Mechanistic studies revealed that AGR2 affected cholesterol biogenesis via activation of AKT/sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 (SREBP2), to some extent, in a PDI motif-dependent manner. Moreover, elevated AGR2 led to a significant decrease in the lipid-lowering efficacy of lovastatin (10 mg· kg-1· d-1, ip, for 2 weeks) in mice with hypercholesterolemia (hyperCho), which was validated by results obtained from clinical samples in statin-treated patients. We showed that lovastatin had limited effect on AGR2 expression, but AGR2 was inducible in Agr2/Tg mice fed a HFD. Further investigations demonstrated that drug-induced liver toxicity and inflammatory reactions were alleviated in hypercholesterolemic Agr2/Tg mice, suggesting the dual functions of AGR2 in lipid management and hyperCho/statin-induced liver injury. Importantly, the AGR2-reduced lipid-lowering efficacy of lovastatin was attenuated, at least partially, by co-administration of a sulfhydryl-reactive compound allicin (20 mg· kg-1· d-1, ip, for 2 weeks). These results demonstrate a novel role of AGR2 in cholesterol metabolism, drug resistance and liver protection, suggesting AGR2 as a potential predictor for selection of lipid-lowering drugs in clinic.

SARS-CoV-2 delta (B.1.617.2) spike protein adjuvanted with Alum-3M-052 enhances antibody production and neutralization ability.

Background: Optimizing adjuvant is one of the critical methods to improve the vaccine. 3M-052, a novel TLR7/8 agonist which was designed for slow dissemination at the injection site, has a potential as adjuvant, but its performance as a vaccine adjuvant for SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.617.2) spike protein has not been studied. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of Alum-3M-052 as an adjuvant to improve mice serum antibody titers and pseudovirus neutralization efficiency. Method: Female Balb/c mice were immunized 3 times at day 0, 7 and 21 intramuscularly with SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.617.2) spike protein and adjuvant (Alum or Alum-3M-052). Mice serum was collected weekly since day 7. Antibody titers of mice serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.617.2) IgG and IgM were detected by ELISA. Inhibition rates of mice serum blocking SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.617.2) spike protein binding to ACE2 were detected by SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.617.2) Inhibitor Screening Kit. Neutralization efficiencies of mice serum against both SARS-CoV-2 (BA.2.12.1) pseudovirus and SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.617.2) pseudovirus were detected by pseudovirus neutralizing assay. Result: Serum of mice immunized by SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.617.2) spike protein adjuvanted with Alum-3M-052 had highest antibody titers and higher neutralization efficiency against both SARS-CoV-2 (BA.2.12.1) pseudovirus and SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.617.2) pseudovirus. Besides, neutralization efficiency of anti-SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.617.2) spike protein antibody against SARS-CoV-2 (BA.2.12.1) pseudovirus was lower than that of SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.617.2) pseudovirus. Conclusion: Alum-3M-052 rapidly increased the titer of anti-SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.617.2) spike protein neutralizing antibodies and enhanced the neutralization ability against pseudoviruses and variants. This study provided evidence for the application of Alum-3M-052 as an adjuvant in COVID-19 vaccines production.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Fund Policy: Current Status and Evaluation of Implementation in China.

With the accelerated iteration of global electronic and electrical product updates, the demand for electronic and electrical products presents a new trend in which the life cycle of electronic and electrical products is shortened. Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) products pose a great threat to the global ecological environment, and solving this problem is urgent. Therefore, governments around the world have formulated funding policies for WEEE products, which has led to continuous improvements in such policies. Along these lines, we adopt the circular economy concept, extended producer responsibility theory and life cycle assessment method to comparatively analyse and compare the different fund operation modes in China, Germany, Japan and The Netherlands. In addition, based on the data related to fund policy implementation, we point out the problems in the development of the WEEE industry in China. The analysis results show that although China is the largest WEEE market, it is still in the initial stage and lags behind Western countries in efficiency and cost management. Then, taking as an example 'Go Green', an O2O classified recycling platform launched in 2005, this paper performs an extended analysis of the "Internet +" recycling model, which was proposed as a WEEE fund operation solution in China. Finally, we discuss the economic impact of this study on the future implementation and valuation of WEEE fund policy.

Time Difference of Arrival on Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Distinguishing Benign Inflammation From Malignant Peripheral Pulmonary Lesions.

INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, the incidence and mortality of lung cancer are at the highest levels, and the most lesions are located in the lung periphery. Despite extensive screening and diagnosis, the pathologic types of peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) are difficult to diagnose by noninvasive examination. This study aimed to identify a novel index-time difference of arrival (TDOA)-to discriminate between benign inflammation and malignant PPLs. METHODS: Using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), we retrospectively analyzed 96 patients with PPLs who had undergone biopsy to confirm the pathologic types. All data were collected from Dazhou Central Hospital between December 2012 and July 2019. The parameters of CEUS were analyzed by two assistant chief physicians of ultrasound diagnosis. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were calculated to assess the diagnostic ability of different indices. RESULTS: We found that the TDOA significantly distinguished benign inflammation from malignant lesions. The TDOA was markedly increased in patients with malignant lesions than benign inflammation lesions (P < 0.001). Compared with conventional time-intensity curve (TIC) indices, TDOA showed high diagnostic accuracy (area under the curve = 0.894). Moreover, conventional diagnostic indices did not affect the diagnostic performance of TDOA by adjusting the receiver operating characteristic curve. CONCLUSION: TDOA is feasible for the diagnosis of benign inflammation and malignant PPLs.

Soil macro-fauna respond to environmental variations along a coastal-inland gradient.

Varied environmental conditions in coastal-inland zones tend to influence soil faunal communities. However, few studies have focused on the responses of soil fauna to environmental variations along the coastal-inland gradient. In order to better understand the aforementioned responses, a total of 80 soil macro-faunal samples were collected at the five different distances from the coastline of China's Bohai Bay. The results revealed that the compositions, structural characteristics and diversity of the soil macro-fauna varied among the different habitats. With the increases in the distance from the sea, the individual density, richness and diversity levels of the soil macro-fauna all first increased and then decreased. The individual density, richness and diversity values were all at their maximum at 30 km from the sea. The Edge effect promoted unique and rare soil macro-faunal taxa. Formicidae, Curculionidae and Aphodiidae were found to be the edge taxa. Agelenidae, Liocranidae and Nematocera were considered to be indicator taxa of severe sea effects. Paradoxosomatidae was an indicator taxon of slight effects. Overall, the environmental variations along the coastal-inland gradient were found to have the potential to affect the soil macro-faunal communities, and the different taxa of the soil macro-fauna responded to those variations in different ways. This study further revealed the processes and mechanisms of the sea influencing the soil macro-faunal communities, which had been caused by the coastal-inland gradient. The results of this study also provided a theoretical basis for developing future biodiversity guidelines for coastal ecosystems.

Role of Nampt overexpression in a rat model of Hashimoto's thyroiditis and its mechanism of action.

The present study was designed to investigate the role of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt) overexpression in a rat model of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and its mechanism of action. A rat model of HT was constructed, and the HT rats were injected with an adenoviral expression vector carrying the Nampt gene. The expression of Nampt and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in thyroid tissues was examined using immunohistochemistry (IHC), RT-qPCR and western blot analyses. Serum anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (TGAb) and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) were measured using chemiluminescence method. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and IHC staining of the rat thyroid tissues showed destroyed thyroid follicles and monocyte infiltration, as well as increased Nampt expression in the thyroid tissues of rats with HT. Furthermore, it was found that Nampt overexpression led to increased severity of inflammatory infiltration in thyroid tissues and increased levels of TPOAb in the serum of HT rats; however, the serum TGAb level was not affected by Nampt overexpression. In addition, Nampt overexpression promoted TLR4 expression in HT rats. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that Nampt was strongly expressed in the capillary region of HT rats thyroid tissues. The Nampt mRNA level was increased but the Nampt protein level was decreased in the thyroid tissues of rats with HT. Nampt overexpression has a promotive effect on HT progression, and this effect was related to TLR4. This study suggests that inhibition of Nampt activity may be valuable in the treatment of HT.

N-glycoproteomic analysis of duck egg yolk proteins: Implications for biofunctions and evolution.

Egg yolk contains multifunctional glycoproteins, which modulate embryogenesis and indicate species-specific adaptation. Here, we conducted an N-glycoproteomic study of duck egg yolk (DEY) and identified 359 N-glycosites corresponding to 113 glycoproteins. The comparison of DEY N-glycoproteins with those of chicken egg yolk (CEY) revealed a higher N-glycosylation level in DEY proteins, suggesting a biological adaption to meet the requirements for embryo development by modulating protein structure and binding ability, including immune response and ligand transport. This variation may be correlated to the strong resistance to the influenza virus disease of duck. A large set of corresponding glycoproteins between DEY and CEY were detected with similar molecular functions, which suggested a relatively lower evolution speed of avian egg yolk proteins than that of egg white proteins.

Soil Mesofauna Respond to the Upward Expansion of Deyeuxia purpurea in the Alpine Tundra of the Changbai Mountains, China.

Deyeuxia purpurea, a low-altitude species, has been expanding upwards into alpine tundra, and this upward expansion is causing serious ecological consequences. However, few studies have been performed regarding its effects on soil faunal communities. We examine how the upward expansion of D. purpurea affects the abundance, richness, and diversity of soil mesofauna, and evaluate how different taxa of soil mesofauna respond to the upward expansion of D. purpurea in the alpine tundra of Changbai Mountains, northeast China. A total of 128 soil mesofaunal samples were collected from four treatments, namely high upward expansion (HU), medium upward expansion (MU), low upward expansion (LU), and native plant habitats (NP). The results revealed that the abundance of soil mesofauna was increased with the rise of D. purpurea upward expansion, and the taxonomic composition varied with the different levels of D. purpurea upward expansion in the alpine tundra of the Changbai Mountains. No unique taxa were collected in the native plant habitats, and the upward expansion of D. purpurea promoted the colonization of predatory invertebrates. Isotomidae and Gamasida responded positively to the herbaceous plant upward expansion, and thus they were considered to be a positive indicator of upward expansion. Hypogastruridae and Enchytraeidae responded relatively negatively, while Oribatida, Actinedida, and Pseudachorutidae had ambivalent responses to the upward expansion. Overall, the abundance of soil mesofauna can indicate the levels of the upward expansion of D. purpurea. Soil mesofaunal guild characteristics were altered by the upward expansion. The different taxa of soil mesofauna responded to herbaceous plants' upward expansion to various degrees. Therefore, this study provide evidence supporting the fact that the abundance of soil mesofauna can indicate the levels of upward expansion of D. purpurea, but the responses of soil mesofauna to the upward expansion of D. purpurea differ among their taxa.

Co(O)x Particles in Polymeric N-Doped Carbon Nanotube Applied for Photocatalytic H2 or Electrocatalytic O2 Evolution.

A new way for synthesizing porous composite with cobalt species and N-doped carbon nanotubes (NDCNTs) was reported here by using cobalt salts and melamine mixtures as precursor. The Co(O)x/NDCNTs exhibited good activity of electrocatalytic O2 production. Furthermore, after reduced by H2, the Co-NDCNTs showed strong absorption of visible light and high catalytic activity of H2 production, which is 598.5 µmol g-1 h-1 under the visible light (λ > 420 nm). The results suggested that supramolecular preorganization of melamine monomers may be a promising method of synthesizing two-dimensional N-doped carbon nanotube with Co particles in it. The morphologies should be beneficial for the charge transport and separation. This work can encourage further synthesize new efficient noble-metal-free photocatalysts or electrocatalysts.

Vegetation Heterogeneity Effects on Soil Macro-Arthropods in an Alpine Tundra of the Changbai Mountains, China.

The harsh environmental conditions in alpine tundra exert a significant influence on soil macro-arthropod communities, yet few studies have been performed regarding the effects of vegetation heterogeneity on these communities. In order to better understand this question, a total of 96 soil macro-arthropod samples were collected from four habitats in the Changbai Mountains in China, namely, the Vaccinium uliginosum habitat, Sanguisorba sitchensis habitat, Rhododendron aureum habitat, and Deyeuxia angustifolia habitat. The results revealed that the taxonomic composition of the soil macro-arthropods varied among the habitats, and that dissimilarities existed in these communities. The abundance, richness and diversity in the D. angustifolia habitat were all at their maximum during the sampling period. The vegetation heterogeneity affected the different taxa of the soil macro-arthropods at various levels. In addition, the vegetation heterogeneity had direct effects not only on soil macro-arthropod communities, but also indirectly impacted the abundance, richness and diversity by altering the soil fertility and soil texture. Overall, our results provide experimental evidence that vegetation heterogeneity can promote the abundance, richness and diversity of soil macro-arthropods, yet the responses of soil macro-arthropods to vegetation heterogeneity differed among their taxa.

Urban Sustainability Evaluation under the Modified TOPSIS Based on Grey Relational Analysis.

The evaluation of urban sustainability plays a crucial role in the process of the sustainable development of cities. To decrease subjectivity and attain a comprehensive evaluation, this paper develops an evaluation method using the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). First, an evaluation index system including 39 indices and three categories (economic, social, and ecological development) is established; second, based on the index system, a modified TOPSIS, in which the entropy method is used to assign weights to each index according to its evaluation score and grey relation analysis is used to reduce the uncertainty existing in the process of evaluation, is presented to rank the sustainability level of cities. Finally, an example with the sustainability evaluation of 16 cities in the Anhui province of China is introduced to verify the effectiveness of the model.

Joint Decision-Making and the Coordination of a Sustainable Supply Chain in the Context of Carbon Tax Regulation and Fairness Concerns.

Carbon tax regulation and consumers' low-carbon preference act as incentives for firms to abate emissions. Manufacturers can improve product sustainability and retailers can strengthen the promotion of low-carbon products as part of such abatement. Current incomplete rationality also affects product sustainability and low-carbon promotion level. In this context, we consider a supply chain with a manufacturer and a retailer and investigate the impacts of the manufacturer's and the retailer's fairness concerns on their production sustainability level, low-carbon promotion level and profitability. We also explore the coordination contract. The results show that the manufacturer's and the retailer's fairness concerns decrease their product sustainability and low-carbon promotion level, together with the profits of the system and the manufacturer. With regard to the retailer's fairness concern, the product sustainability level and the manufacturer's profit are lower; moreover, the low-carbon promotion level and the profits of the supply chain and the retailer are higher. A revenue-sharing contract can coordinate the supply chain perfectly; however, members' fairness concerns increase the difficulty of coordination. Finally, the numerical results reveal that carbon tax regulation can encourage the manufacturer to enhance the product sustainability level. Further, the impacts on the low-carbon promotion level and firms' profitability are related to the cost coefficients of product sustainability.