Comprehensive Evaluation on Soil Properties and Artemisia ordosica Growth under Combined Application of Fly Ash and Polyacrylamide in North China.

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the combined application effects of fly ash (FA) (0, 5%, 10%, and 15% (w/w) soil) and polyacrylamide (PAM) (0, 0.006% and 0.012% (w/w) soil) on the edge of Hobq Desert in Inner Mongolia, China from May 2016 to October 2018. Seven different ratios of FA and PAM were selected as evaluation objects, a total of 14 soil property indices and 9 Artemisia ordosica growth indices were selected as evaluation indicators, and the entropy weight method was employed to evaluate the soil physicochemical properties and vegetation growth performances under FA and PAM amendments. The results showed that the F15P1 (15% FA + 0.006% PAM) and F5P1 (5% FA + 0.006% PAM) were the effective treatments for soil improvement and Artemisia ordosica growth respectively. Considering the soil properties and Artemisia ordosica growth in 2016-2018 synthetically, the highest score was observed in the F5P1, followed by the F5P2 (5% FA + 0.012% PAM) and F10P1 (10% FA + 0.006% PAM) treatments. The optimal amounts for FA and PAM should be recommended as 5% and 0.006%, respectively.

Activation of Ene-Diamido Samarium Methoxide with Hydrosilane for Selectively Catalytic Hydrosilylation of Alkenes and Polymerization of Styrene: an Experimental and Theoretical Mechanistic Study.

Samarium methoxide incorporating the ene-diamido ligand L(DME)Sm(µ-OMe)2Sm(DME)L (1; L = [DipNC(Me)C(Me)NDip](2-), Dip = 2,6-iPr2C6H3, and DME = 1,2-dimethoxyethane) has been prepared and structurally characterized. Complex 1 catalyzed the syndiospecific polymerization of styrene upon activation with phenylsilane and regioselective hydrosilylation of styrenes and nonactivated terminal alkenes. Unprecedented regioselectivity (>99.0%) for both types of alkenes has been achieved with the formation of Markovnikov and anti-Markovnikov products in high yields, respectively, whereas the polymerization of styrene resulted in the formation of syndiotactic silyl-capped oligostyrenes. The kinetic experiments and density functional theory calculations strongly support a samarium hydride intermediate generated by σ-bond metathesis of the Sm-OMe bond in 1 with PhSiH3. In addition, the observed regioselectvity for hydrosilylation and polymerization is consistent with the calculated energy profiles, which suggests that the bulky ene-diamido ligand and samarium hydride intermediate have important roles for regio- and stereoselectivity.

ALDH2 deficiency augments atherosclerosis through the USP14-cGAS-dependent polarization of proinflammatory macrophages.

The aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) rs671 polymorphism commonly exists in the East Asian populations and is associated with high risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie the ALDH2 rs671 mutant-linked high CVD remain elusive. Here, we show that macrophages derived from human ALDH2 rs671 carriers and ALDH2 knockout mice exhibited an enhanced pro-inflammatory macrophage phenotype and an impaired anti-inflammatory macrophage phenotype. Transplanting bone marrow from ALDH2-/-ApoE-/- to ApoE-/- mice significantly increased atherosclerotic plaque growth and pro-inflammatory macrophage polarization in vivo. Mechanistically, ALDH2 inhibited activation of the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway in macrophages. Pharmacological inhibition of cGAS by RU.521 completely neutralized ALDH2-deficiency-induced macrophage polarization. In-depth mechanistic investigation showed that ALDH2 accelerated cGAS K48-linked polyubiquitination degradation at lysine 282 in macrophages by reducing the interaction between ubiquitin-specific protease 14 (USP14) and cGAS, mainly through its enzymatic role in mitigating 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) accumulation. Consistently, USP14 knockdown in bone marrow cells alleviated proinflammatory responses in macrophages and protected against atherosclerosis. Our findings provide new mechanistic insights of ALDH2 deficiency-associated proinflammation and atherosclerosis and new therapeutic and preventive paradigms for treatment of atherosclerosis-associated CVD.

Effects of various thermal treatments on interfacial composition and physical properties of bovine milk fat globules.

This study aimed to investigate changes of milk fat globules (MFG) and their membranes after thermal treatments, and further analyzed the relationship between the stability of MFG and interfacial compositions of milk fat globule membrane (MFGM). We characterized the influence of three kinds of thermal treatments on fat globule interfacial components (including interfacial phospholipids and interfacial protein) and physical properties using phospholipidomics and several microscopy techniques. The results showed that size of MFG increased from 2.96 µm to 3.59 µm and ζ-potential decreased from -9.71 mV to -13.23 mV after thermal treatment, suggesting that MFGM was damaged and MFG occurred coalescence. Thermal treatment increased the Young's modulus of MFGM and made membranes more fragile. The abundance of MFGM proteins decreased while casein and ß-lactoglobulin increased after thermal treatment. Results of phospholipidomics showed that 27 phospholipid species could be used to distinguish the samples. Pasteurization reduced mainly SM and PC located in the outer bilayer of MFGM, while ultra-pasteurization reduced not only SM and PC but also PI and PE located in the inner leaflet. Based on correlation analysis, the increase in Young's modulus of MFGM during thermal treatment might be related to changes in chemical components on the membrane, suggesting a potential link between the change of MFGM components and fat globule coalescence behavior.

Analysis of multiple organ function damage in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

Background: This study aims to analyze the changes and significance of organ function indices in patients with severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia for prediction of major organ damages and guiding treatment schemes. Methods: 63 patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia were selected as the severe group and 73 patients with mild syndromes were selected as the mild group. SAS9.4 software was used for statistical analysis of the data. Results: Levels of ALT, AST, cTnI, Cr, PT, APTT and Ddimer of the severe group were significantly higher while PLT was lower than those of the mild group. The data of all quantitative variables were converted into categorical variables. Significantly higher levels of AST, ALB, D-dimer and higher proportion of bilateral lung involvement were observed from the severe group comparing to those in the mild group, while the difference in the other indices between the two groups was insignificant in statistical perspective. Conclusions: There are significant differences in the levels of multiple organ function indices between the severe group and the mild group of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia infection. Through examining the relevant indices, conditions of patients' multiple organ function damage could be predicted and used as guidance of treatment.

Black Plastic Film Mulching Increases Soil Nitrous Oxide Emissions in Arid Potato Fields.

Black plastic film mulching is a common practice for potato production in the arid area of Northwest China. Many studies have reported the significant positive effect of black plastic film mulch on potato harvest, while the effect of black plastic film mulch treatment on soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions is still unclear. As a consequence, this study aimed to examine the effect of black plastic film mulch treatment on N2O emission from arid upland potato fields. With the static chamber-gas chromatography method, soil N2O emissions were measured. The results showed that black plastic film mulching treatment significantly increased cumulative soil N2O emissions by 21-26% compared with non-mulched treatment. Cumulative N2O emission positively correlated with soil temperature, soil moisture, soil CO2 concentration, and amoA-AOB abundance. This study indicated that black plastic film mulching, mainly through increasing soil temperature and soil moisture, increasing soil carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, and promoting the abundance of nitrification-related functional gene of amoA-AOB, regulated N2O emissions. This study also highlighted that the specific soil environment under black plastic film mulch is conducive to N2O emissions and lay the foundation for settling the contradiction between food production and greenhouse gas mitigation in upland soils. The negative effects of black plastic film mulching on the environment should be considered in future applications in food production.

Renal epithelial cell injury and its promoting role in formation of calcium oxalate monohydrate.

The injurious effect of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) on renal epithelial cells of the African green monkey (Vero cells) and the difference in the modulation of Vero cells on crystal growth of calcium oxalate (CaOxa) before and after injury were investigated. The degree of injury of Vero cells was proportional to the concentration and action time of H(2)O(2). After the cells had been injured, the released amount of malonaldehyde in the culture medium increased, the superoxide dismutase activity decreased, the expression quantity of osteopontin on the surface of Vero cells increased significantly, the zeta potential became more negative, and the amount of CaOxa crystals adhering to cells increased. The CaOxa crystals induced by the cells in the control group were round and blunt; however, those induced by the injured cells had irregular shapes with sharp edges and corners. As the crystallization time increased from 6 to 24 h, the size of the crystals induced by the injured cells increased accordingly, whereas that of crystals induced by the control cells did not increase significantly. The injured cells could promote the growth of CaOxa crystals and their adhesion to the cells; thus, the formation of CaOxa stones was promoted. The cells in the control group could also be injured after being incubated with supersaturated CaOxa solution for a long time, which promoted the crystallization of CaOxa. The results suggest that the retention of supersaturated CaOxa solution or CaOxa crystals in the urinary tract for a long time is a risk factor for the formation of kidney stones.

Mechanically Tunable Spongy Graphene/Cellulose Nanocrystals Hybrid Aerogel by Atmospheric Drying and Its Adsorption Applications.

For expanding applications of spongy graphene aerogels (GAs) cost-effectively, we report a marriage of the two-step hydrothermal reduction and atmospheric drying method to fabricate a spongy CNC-graphene aerogel (CNG) with oil/water selectivity and tunable mechanical strength by a low-cost and straightforward approach. The reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with CNC by the ice-templated method can give rise to forming the hierarchical structure of hybrid GAs within the PUS network. Meanwhile, the fractured structure of PUS with a pre-compressive step arouses more versatility and durability, involving its selective and high-volume absorbability (up to 143%). The enhanced elastic modulus and more significant swelling effect than pure sponge materials give it a high potential for durable wastewater treatment.

Regulation on Calcium Oxalate Crystallization and Protection on HK-2 Cells of Tea Polysaccharides with Different Molecular Weights.

The regulation on calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystallization and protective effect on human proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) of four green tea polysaccharides (TPSs) with molecular weights of 10.88 (TPS0), 8.16 (TPS1), 4.82 (TPS2), and 2.3 kDa (TPS3) were comparatively studied. XRD, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy results revealed that TPS1, TPS2, and TPS3 can increase the percentage of the dihydrate crystalline phase in CaOx crystals and reduce the size of CaOx monohydrate crystals. TPSs increased the absolute value of the zeta potential of CaOx crystal and inhibited crystal nucleation and aggregation. The nucleation inhibition rates of TPS1, TPS2, and TPS3 to CaOx crystallization were 56.67%, 75.52%, and 52.92%, respectively, and their aggregation inhibition rates were 22.34%, 47.59%, and 21.59%, respectively. TPS preprotection can alleviate the oxidative damage of HK-2 cells caused by oxalate, increase cell viability, protect cell morphology, and reduce lactate dehydrogenase release and reactive oxygen species levels. The degraded TSPs, especially TPS2 with moderate molecular weight, may be used as a green drug to inhibit stone formation.

[Retrospective analysis of the on-site treatment of the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic on the Costa Crociere cruise].

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic is the most widespread global pandemic in the past 100 years. Person-to-person transmission of COVID-19 infection leads to the major threat of human safety and health. At 00:00 on January 24th, 2020, Tianjin City launched the first-level response to the COVID-19 epidemic. At 18:00 on the same day, Management Committee of Dongjiang Free Trade Port Zone of Tianjin received areport that there were 15 people who had fever on the Costa Crociere carrying 4 806 people from Japan back to the home port of Tianjin Dongjiang Cruise. At the same time, there are more than 140 Chinese Hubei tourists. Tianjin Municipal Committee and Government, Tianjin Customs, Binhai New Area District Committee Government, Tianjin Health Commission, Tianjin Binhai New Area Health Commission formed an emergency command center immediately to deal with the epidemic comprehensively. At 06:40 on January 25th, 2020, the medical investigation team made up by Tianjin Binhai New Area Health Commission and Tianjin East Administration of Customs boarded the cruise ship. With reference to the customs inspection and quarantine regulations, in accordance with the Diagnosis and treatment of pneumonia caused by novel coronavirus (trial version 3) for mulated by the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China and the Novel coronavirus infected pneumonia port control and technology plan (first version) formulated by the General Administration of Customs, combined with the actual situation of cruise ships, the medical investigation team developed the inspection standards, including door-to-door inspections, temperature measurement and epidemiological investigations on all persons on board of the cruise ship. A total of 4 806 person-times were investigated in the affected area, including 3 706 tourists and 1 100 crew members. Seventeen people at high risk of COVID-19 were identified, including three Wuhan tourists. The reports of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) nucleic acid detection on throat swab samples for those who were identified as high risk were returned as all negative at 14:54 on the same day. At 19:30, the medical investigation team completed the investigation and evacuated the cruise ship. The temperature measurement, medical observation and resettlement of passenger were handed over to relevant personnel. After 2 weeks, the follow-up result of 2019-nCoV nucleic acid of 17 high risk people were all negative. The overall command and comprehensive coordination of the onshore command center together with the rigid principles and excellent responds ability of the on-site epidemic investigation team ensured the successful completion of the epidemic investigation work, and also provided reference for further improving the management and disposal capacity of public health emergencies at sea.

Comprehensive Analysis of Differential Immunocyte Infiltration and Potential ceRNA Networks Involved in the Development of Atrial Fibrillation.

This study is aimed at identifying potential molecular mechanisms and candidate biomarkers in the left atrial regions for the diagnosis and treatment of valvular atrial fibrillation (VAF). Multibioinformatics methods, including linear models for microarray analysis (LIMMA), an SVA algorithm, CIBERSORT immune infiltration, and DNA methylation analysis, were employed. In addition, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, Gene Ontology (GO), and molecular pathways of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) or differential methylation regions were constructed. In all, compared with the normal rhythm group, 243 different mRNAs (29 downregulated and 214 upregulated) and 26 different lncRNAs (3 downregulated and 23 upregulated) were detected in the left atrium (LA) of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients, and the neutrophil and CD8+ T cell were infiltrated. Additionally, 199 different methylation sites (107 downregulated and 92 upregulated) were also identified based on DNA methylation analysis. After integration, ELOVL2, CCR2, and WEE1 were detected for differentially methylated and differentially transcribed genes. Among them, WEE1 was also a core gene identified by the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network that included WEE1-KRBOX1-AS1-hsa-miR-17-5p, in VAF left atrial tissue. We combined the DNA methylation and transcriptional expression differential analysis and found that WEE1 (cg13365543) may well be a candidate gene regulated by DNA methylation modification. Moreover, KRBOX1-AS1 and WEE1 can compete endogenously and may mediate myocardial tissue infiltration into CD8+ T cells and participate in the AF process.

Untangling the effects of shallow groundwater and deficit irrigation on irrigation water productivity in arid region: New conceptual model.

Water scarcity and salt stress are two main limitations for agricultural production. Groundwater evapotranspiration (ETg) with upward salt movement plays an important role in crop water use and water productivity in arid regions, and it can compensate the impact of deficit irrigation on crop production. Thus, comprehensive impacts of shallow groundwater and deficit irrigation on crop water use results in an improvement of irrigation water productivity (IWP). However, it is difficult to quantify the effects of groundwater and deficit irrigation on IWP. In this study, we built an IWP evaluation model coupled with a water and salt balance model and a crop yield estimation model. As a valuable tool of IWP simulation, the calibrated model was used to investigate the coupling response of sunflower IWP to irrigation water depths (IWDs), groundwater table depth (GTDs) and groundwater salinities (GSs). A total of 210 scenarios were run in which five irrigation water depths (IWDs) and seven groundwater table depths (GTDs) and six groundwater salinities (GSs) were used. Results indicate that increasing GS clearly increases the negative effect on a crop's actual evapotranspiration (ETa) as salt accumulation in root zone. When GS is low (0.5-1g/L), increasing GTD produces more positive effect than negative effect. In regard to relatively high GS (2-5g/L), the negative effect of shallow-saline groundwater reaches a maximum at 2m GTD. Additionally, the salt concentration in the root zone maximizes its value at 2.0m GTD. In most cases, increasing GTD and GS reduces the benefits of irrigation water and IWP. The IWP increases with decreasing irrigation water. Overall, in arid regions, capillary rise of shallow groundwater can compensate for the lack of irrigation water and improve IWP. By improving irrigation schedules and taking advantages of shallow saline groundwater, we can obtain higher IWP.

Nanouric acid or nanocalcium phosphate as central nidus to induce calcium oxalate stone formation: a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy study on urinary nanocrystallites.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to accurately analyze the relationship between calcium oxalate (CaOx) stone formation and the components of urinary nanocrystallites. METHOD: High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction, fast Fourier transformation of HRTEM, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were performed to analyze the components of these nanocrystallites. RESULTS: The main components of CaOx stones are calcium oxalate monohydrate and a small amount of dehydrate, while those of urinary nanocrystallites are calcium oxalate monohydrate, uric acid, and calcium phosphate. The mechanism of formation of CaOx stones was discussed based on the components of urinary nanocrystallites. CONCLUSION: The formation of CaOx stones is closely related both to the properties of urinary nanocrystallites and to the urinary components. The combination of HRTEM, fast Fourier transformation, selected area electron diffraction, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy could be accurately performed to analyze the components of single urinary nanocrystallites. This result provides evidence for nanouric acid and/or nanocalcium phosphate crystallites as the central nidus to induce CaOx stone formation.