[Source Analysis and Health Risk Assessment of PAHs in PM2.5, Lüliang City].

To investigate the seasonal variation, health risks, and potential sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) in PM2.5 in the Lüliang area, PM2.5 samples were collected in Lishi District(downtown area) and Xiaoyi City(suburban area) from October 23, 2018 to July 1, 2019, and the concentrations of 14 PAHs were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS). The annual average concentration of PAHs was 95.50 ng·m-3, and the concentration of 5-6 ring PAHs was mainly(49.7%), with 3 ring PAHs accounting for a relatively low proportion(8.3%).The concentration of PAHs in Lüliang City showed a seasonal pattern of winter>autumn>spring>summer. The results of the ILCRs model and Monte Carlo simulation showed that the toxicity of PAHs in Lüliang City followed the rule of adults>youth>children. Except in summer, the ILCRs values in the Lishi area were between 10-6 and 10-4, much higher than those in Xiaoyi City, indicating that there was a high potential risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the urban area. Through the characteristic ratio method and positive matrix factorization(PMF), it was shown that the PAHs in Lüliang City were mainly from the combustion of coal and biomass(61.9%) and vehicle exhaust emissions(38.1%). Based on the backward trajectory and potential source factor contribution analysis model, it was determined that the potential sources of PAHs in Lüliang City were mainly distributed in southern Shanxi, northern Shaanxi, and western Inner Mongolia.

Neuro-11: a new questionnaire for the assessment of somatic symptom disorder in general hospitals.

Background: Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) commonly presents in general hospital settings, posing challenges for healthcare professionals lacking specialised psychiatric training. The Neuro-11 Neurosis Scale (Neuro-11) offers promise in screening and evaluating psychosomatic symptoms, comprising 11 concise items across three dimensions: somatic symptoms, negative emotions and adverse events. Prior research has validated the scale's reliability, validity and theoretical framework in somatoform disorders, indicating its potential as a valuable tool for SSD screening in general hospitals. Aims: This study aimed to establish the reliability, validity and threshold of the Neuro-11 by comparing it with standard questionnaires commonly used in general hospitals for assessing SSD. Through this comparative analysis, we aimed to validate the effectiveness and precision of the Neuro-11, enhancing its utility in clinical settings. Methods: Between November 2020 and December 2021, data were collected from 731 patients receiving outpatient and inpatient care at Shenzhen People's Hospital in China for various physical discomforts. The patients completed multiple questionnaires, including the Neuro-11, Short Form 36 Health Survey, Patient Health Questionnaire 15 items, Hamilton Anxiety Scale and Hamilton Depression Scale. Psychiatry-trained clinicians conducted structured interviews and clinical examinations to establish a gold standard diagnosis of SSD. Results: The Neuro-11 demonstrated strong content reliability and structural consistency, correlating significantly with internationally recognised and widely used questionnaires. Despite its brevity, the Neuro-11 exhibited significant correlations with other questionnaires. A test-retest analysis yielded a correlation coefficient of 1.00, Spearman-Brown coefficient of 0.64 and Cronbach's α coefficient of 0.72, indicating robust content reliability and internal consistency. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the validity of the three-dimensional structure (p<0.001, comparative fit index=0.94, Tucker-Lewis index=0.92, root mean square error of approximation=0.06, standardised root mean square residual=0.04). The threshold of the Neuro-11 is set at 10 points based on the maximum Youden's index from the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. In terms of diagnostic efficacy, the Neuro-11 has an area under the curve of 0.67. Conclusions: (1) The Neuro-11 demonstrates robust associations with standard questionnaires, supporting its validity. It is applicable in general hospital settings, assessing somatic symptoms, negative emotions and adverse events. (2) The Neuro-11 exhibits strong content reliability and validity, accurately capturing the intended constructs. The three-dimensional structure demonstrates robust construct validity. (3) The threshold of the Neuro-11 is set at 10 points.

Three-fluorescence sensor for minute-time scale low-cost analysis of urinary oxalate in urolithiasis metabolic assessment.

Since oxalate plays an important role in the metabolic assessment of urolithiasis, there is need for convenient and efficient methods for oxalate detection. Herein, we report a three-signal fluorescence strategy for oxalate analysis based on the ability of oxalate to reduce Cu2+ to Cu+, and the ability of pyrophosphate-cerium coordination polymeric networks (PPi-Ce CPNs), cadmium telluride quantum dots (CdTe QDs), and N-Methyl Mesoporphyrin (NMM) to selectively detect Cu2+ and Cu+. The detection range was 100 nM to 1 mM, the turnaround time was 6 min, while the limits of detections for PPi-Ce CPNs, QDs and NMM as reporters were 25 nM, 10 nM and 40 nM, respectively. Visual detection of oxalate relied on color change in the solution, which could be observed using the naked eye. The fluorescent system was used for oxalate analysis in 44 urine samples (32 calcium oxalate stone patients, 12 controls without urolithiasis), and the results were consistent with clinical diagnosis and imaging data. Moreover, the visual system was used to analyze 8 urine samples (4 patients and 4 controls), and showed good consistency with clinical diagnosis and computed tomography imaging results. These findings suggest that the method has potential application for the metabolic assessment of urolithiasis.

A Novel Low-Cost Bio-Sorbent Prepared from Crisp Persimmon Peel by Low-Temperature Pyrolysis for Adsorption of Organic Dyes.

In order to properly reuse food waste and remove various contaminants from wastewater, the development of green, sustainable and clean technologies has demonstrated potential in the efficient inhibition of secondary pollution to the environment. In this study, an economical and green method was used to prepare biochar from crisp persimmon peel (CPP) using flash-vacuum pyrolysis at different temperatures (200-700 °C; referred to as CPP200-CPP700). CPP200 has high polarity, low aromaticity and high oxygen-containing functional groups that exhibit superior MB adsorption capabilities. CPP200 that was prepared at a relatively low temperature of 200 °C exhibited a high adsorption capacity of 59.72 mg/g toward methylene blue (MB), which was relatively higher than that for alizarin yellow R (4.05 mg/g) and neutral red (39.08 mg/g), indicating that CPP200 possesses a higher adsorption selectivity for cationic dyes. Kinetics investigation revealed that the kinetic data of CPP200 for the adsorption of MB was better fitted by a linear pseudo-second-order model. Isothermal studies indicated that the linear Langmuir model was more suitable for describing the adsorption process. The adsorption thermodynamics illustrated that the adsorption of MB onto CPP200 was spontaneous and endothermic. EDS and IR analyses of CPP200 for both pre- and post-adsorption of MB showed that electrostatic interactions between oxygen-containing groups on biochar and target MB dominated the adsorption procedure, in addition to hydrogen bonding interactions. Reusability tests confirmed the excellent regeneration characteristics of CPP200, indicating that CPP200 may be used as a green, sustainable, highly efficient and recyclable adsorbent for the selective removal of cationic organic dyes.

Environmental Pollution Liability Insurance of Health Risk and Corporate Environmental Performance: Evidence From China.

Environmental pollution liability insurance (EPLI) is a type of insurance purchased by an enterprise to compensate the loss of the victims in the event of an environmental pollution incident. Although EPLI can realize the post-treatment of environmental pollution to a certain extent, there is still less understanding of whether EPLI can improve the environmental performance of enterprises. This study takes A-share listed companies in heavily polluting industries as the research object, determines the treatment group samples according to the Insurance coverage list published by the Ministry of Environmental Protection in 2014 and 2015, and then constructs the empirical test model. In order to ensure that there is no sample selection bias, the PSM method is used to preprocess the samples in this study to ensure the robustness of the conclusions. The empirical tests show that EPLI can significantly improve corporate environmental performance. Further analysis showed that higher public visibility is conducive to the positive environmental effects of EPLI. Compared with state-owned enterprises, non-state-owned enterprises have more significant implementation effects after introducing EPLI. On further examination, the result indicates that environmental pollution liability insurance can improve environmental performance by alleviating corporate financing constraints. The findings of this paper enrich the theory of the economic impact of environmental pollution liability insurance, which has some meaningful theoretical guidance for enterprises and policy makers.

Bioequivalence evaluation and food effect assessment of Lisinopril/amlodipine tablets in healthy Chinese subjects under fasting and fed conditions.

PURPOSE: The combination of lisinopril and amlodipine has a marked additional effect on blood pressure and fewer side effects than individual monotherapy. This study was conducted to compare the pharmacokinetic parameters and evaluate the bioequivalence between two Lisinopril/amlodipine tablets in healthy Chinese subjects. METHODS: A single center, randomized, open-label, single-dose, two-period crossover bioequivalence study was designed in healthy Chinese subjects under both fasting and fed conditions. Blood samples were collected before drug administration and at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96, 144, 168 h after administration. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was applied to determine the plasma concentration of lisinopril and amlodipine. Maximum concentration (Cmax) and area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) were used to evaluate bioequivalence. Adverse events were recorded. RESULTS: Ninety-two healthy subjects were enrolled, and 75 completed the study. The 90% confidence intervals (CIs) of the ratio of geometric means (GMRs) of Cmax, AUC0-t, and AUC0-∞ of lisinopril and amlodipine under both fasting and fed conditions fell within the conventional bioequivalence criteria of 0.80-1.25. A high-fat meal appeared to decrease the Cmax and AUC of lisinopril. No severe adverse events were observed. CONCLUSION: The trial demonstrated that the test and the reference lisinopril/amlodipine tablets were bioequivalent and well tolerated in Chinese people under fasting and fed conditions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trails.gov identifier, NCT04885660 (retrospectively registered in 13/05/ 2021).

Bioaccessibility and Toxicity Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Two Contaminated Sites.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous soil contaminants, and their bioaccessibility determines their environmental risks in contaminated land. In the present study, the residual concentrations of PAHs in the soils of two industrial sites were determined, and their bioaccessibility was estimated by the hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin extraction (HPCD) extraction method. The results showed heavy PAH contamination at both site S1 (0.38-3342.5 mg kg-1) and site S2 (0.2-138.18 mg kg-1), of which high molecular weight (HMW) PAHs (4-, 5-, and 6-ring compounds) accounted for approximately 80%. The average bioaccessibility of PAHs at sites S1 and S2 was 52.02% and 29.28%, respectively. The bioaccessibility of certain PAH compounds decreased with increasing ring number of the molecule. Lower PAH bioaccessibility was detected in loamy and silty soil textures than in sandy soil. Moreover, among the soil properties, the dissolved organic matter, total organic carbon, total potassium, and total manganese concentrations had significant effects on the bioaccessibility of PAHs. The toxicity analysis showed that the composition and bioaccessibility of PAHs could affect their potential toxicity in soil. We suggest that bioaccessibility should be taken into consideration when assessing the toxicity of PAHs in soil, and more attention should be given to low-ring PAHs with high bioaccessibility.

Bioequivalence and Food Effect Assessment of 2 Rivaroxaban Formulations in Healthy Chinese Volunteers: An Open, Randomized, Single-Dose, and 4-Period Crossover Study.

Rivaroxaban is a direct factor Xa inhibitor used for the management of thromboembolic disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetic profile, and bioequivalence of a generic and a branded rivaroxaban formulation (Xarelto) under fasted and fed conditions in healthy Chinese volunteers. An open-label, randomized, single-dose, 4-period complete, and replicate crossover study in healthy Chinese volunteers was performed. A single oral dose of 20 mg of 2 rivaroxaban formulations was administered to 72 healthy volunteers, with 36 in the fasted group and 36 consuming a high-fat diet. The evaluated pharmacokinetic parameters, including maximum rivaroxaban concentration, the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) from time 0 to the last measurable concentration, and AUC from time 0 to infinity, were assessed for BE. The plasma concentrations of rivaroxaban were measured by a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. The geometric mean ratios with 90% confidence intervals of the maximum rivaroxaban concentration, AUC from time 0 to the last measurable concentration, and AUC from time 0 to infinity were all within the range of 80% to 125% under fasted and fed conditions. The within-subject variability of the test and reference products was compared, and the upper limit of the 90% confidence intervals for the test-to-reference ratio of the within-subject variability was <2.5, which indicated that the rivaroxaban test and the rivaroxaban reference formulation were bioequivalent. No serious adverse events were reported during either fasted or fed conditions of the study.

Detection of Mutual Exciting Structure in Stock Price Trend Dynamics.

We investigated a comprehensive analysis of the mutual exciting mechanism for the dynamic of stock price trends. A multi-dimensional Hawkes-model-based approach was proposed to capture the mutual exciting activities, which take the form of point processes induced by dual moving average crossovers. We first performed statistical measurements for the crossover event sequence, introducing the distribution of the inter-event times of dual moving average crossovers and the correlations of local variation (LV), which is often used in spike train analysis. It was demonstrated that the crossover dynamics in most stock sectors are generally more regular than a standard Poisson process, and the correlation between variations is ubiquitous. In this sense, the proposed model allowed us to identify some asymmetric cross-excitations, and a mutually exciting structure of stock sectors could be characterized by mutual excitation correlations obtained from the kernel matrix of our model. Using simulations, we were able to substantiate that a burst of the dual moving average crossovers in one sector increases the intensity of burst both in the same sector (self-excitation) as well as in other sectors (cross-excitation), generating episodes of highly clustered burst across the market. Furthermore, based on our finding, an algorithmic pair trading strategy was developed and backtesting results on real market data showed that the mutual excitation mechanism might be profitable for stock trading.

Towards a Cost-Effective Implementation of Genomic Prediction Based on Low Coverage Whole Genome Sequencing in Dezhou Donkey.

Low-coverage whole genome sequencing is a low-cost genotyping technology. Combined with genotype imputation approaches, it is likely to become a critical component of cost-effective genomic selection programs in agricultural livestock. Here, we used the low-coverage sequence data of 617 Dezhou donkeys to investigate the performance of genotype imputation for low-coverage whole genome sequence data and genomic prediction based on the imputed genotype data. The specific aims were as follows: 1) to measure the accuracy of genotype imputation under different sequencing depths, sample sizes, minor allele frequency (MAF), and imputation pipelines and 2) to assess the accuracy of genomic prediction under different marker densities derived from the imputed sequence data, different strategies for constructing the genomic relationship matrixes, and single-vs. multi-trait models. We found that a high imputation accuracy (>0.95) can be achieved for sequence data with a sequencing depth as low as 1x and the number of sequenced individuals ≥400. For genomic prediction, the best performance was obtained by using a marker density of 410K and a G matrix constructed using expected marker dosages. Multi-trait genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) performed better than single-trait GBLUP. Our study demonstrates that low-coverage whole genome sequencing would be a cost-effective approach for genomic prediction in Dezhou donkey.

Bioaccumulation of Manure-borne antibiotic resistance genes in carrot and its exposure assessment.

The effect of manure application on the distribution and accumulation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in tissue of root vegetables remains unclear, which poses a bottleneck in assessing the health risks from root vegetables due to application of manure. Towards this goal, experiments were conducted in pots to investigate the distribution and bioaccumulation of ARGs in carrot tissues due to application of pig manure. The 144 ARGs targeting nine types of antibiotics were quantified by high throughput qPCR in the soil and plant samples. The rhizosphere was a hot spot for ARGs enrichment in the manured soil. The abundance, diversity, and bioaccumulation factors of ARGs in the phyllosphere were significantly higher than those of carrot root skin and tuber. Manure application increased bioaccumulation of 12 ARGs and 2 MGEs in carrot tuber with 124 the highest factor. The application of manure increased transfer of 10 ARGs and 3 MGEs from carrot skin to inner tuber by factors of 0.1-11.8. The average gene copy number of ARGs of per gram carrot root was about 4.8 × 104 and 1.1 × 106 in the control and the manured treatment, respectively. Children and adults may co-ingest 2.7 × 107 and 3.2 × 107 of ARGs copies/d from carrots grown with pig manure, using estimated human intake values. However, peeling may reduce the intake of ARGs by 28-91% and of MGEs by 46-59%. In conclusion, the application of pig manure increased the accumulation of ARGs in the skin of carrots, whereas peeling was an effective strategy to reduce the risk.

Simple Smartphone-Based Assessment of Gait Characteristics in Parkinson Disease: Validation Study.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson disease (PD) is a common movement disorder. Patients with PD have multiple gait impairments that result in an increased risk of falls and diminished quality of life. Therefore, gait measurement is important for the management of PD. OBJECTIVE: We previously developed a smartphone-based dual-task gait assessment that was validated in healthy adults. The aim of this study was to test the validity of this gait assessment in people with PD, and to examine the association between app-derived gait metrics and the clinical and functional characteristics of PD. METHODS: Fifty-two participants with clinically diagnosed PD completed assessments of walking, Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale III (UPDRS III), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Hamilton Anxiety (HAM-A), and Hamilton Depression (HAM-D) rating scale tests. Participants followed multimedia instructions provided by the app to complete two 20-meter trials each of walking normally (single task) and walking while performing a serial subtraction dual task (dual task). Gait data were simultaneously collected with the app and gold-standard wearable motion sensors. Stride times and stride time variability were derived from the acceleration and angular velocity signal acquired from the internal motion sensor of the phone and from the wearable sensor system. RESULTS: High correlations were observed between the stride time and stride time variability derived from the app and from the gold-standard system (r=0.98-0.99, P<.001), revealing excellent validity of the app-based gait assessment in PD. Compared with those from the single-task condition, the stride time (F1,103=14.1, P<.001) and stride time variability (F1,103=6.8, P=.008) in the dual-task condition were significantly greater. Participants who walked with greater stride time variability exhibited a greater UPDRS III total score (single task: ß=.39, P<.001; dual task: ß=.37, P=.01), HAM-A (single-task: ß=.49, P=.007; dual-task: ß=.48, P=.009), and HAM-D (single task: ß=.44, P=.01; dual task: ß=.49, P=.009). Moreover, those with greater dual-task stride time variability (ß=.48, P=.001) or dual-task cost of stride time variability (ß=.44, P=.004) exhibited lower MoCA scores. CONCLUSIONS: A smartphone-based gait assessment can be used to provide meaningful metrics of single- and dual-task gait that are associated with disease severity and functional outcomes in individuals with PD.

Risk Assessment of Agricultural Plastic Films Based on Release Kinetics of Phthalate Acid Esters.

Plastic films have become an integral part of fruit and vegetable production systems, but their release of phthalate acid esters (PAEs) is a threat to human health. The release kinetics of PAEs and measures of risk are still not well understood. We investigated 50 agricultural films, with concentrations ranging from 2.59 to 282,000 mg kg-1. The seven commercially available film types included were polyvinylchloride (PVC), metallocene polyethylene (mPE), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polyolefin (PO), and three mulch films. Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was detected in most of films, and its release fitted well into the first-order kinetic model. The release rate of DEHP was negatively related to the film thickness. The potential carcinogenic risks of DEHP in the air of six kinds of plastic greenhouses to human health were estimated. We found that the carcinogenic risks associated with PVC and mPE greenhouse films warrant greater attention. Though EVA, PO greenhouse, and mulch films were lower risk, we advise keeping plastic greenhouses well ventilated during the first month of use to reduce direct human exposure to volatile PAEs.

Biochar applications combined with paddy-upland rotation cropping systems benefit the safe use of PAH-contaminated soils: From risk assessment to microbial ecology.

This study aimed to establish a method allowing the safe use of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soils through the combination of biochar applications and different cropping systems. The impact of biochar applications under different cropping systems on the human health risks of PAHs and soil microbiology was elucidated. The residual PAHs were the lowest in rhizosphere soils amended with 2% corn straw-derived biochar pyrolyzed at 300 °C (CB300) under the paddy-upland rotation cropping (PURC) system. Human health risks resulting from the ingestion of PAH-contaminated carrot roots / rice grains under the PURC system were significantly lower than those under continuous upland cropping systems. The greatest diversity, richness and network complexity of soil microbial communities occurred under the PURC system combined with the 2% CB300 treatment. Soil microbial functions associated with soil health and PAH biodegradation were enhanced under this strategy, while the pathogen group was inhibited. Primarily owing to its high sorption capacity, bamboo-derived biochar pyrolyzed at 700 °C realized in the reduction of PAHs, but weakly influenced shifts in soil microbial communities. Overall, the combination of PURC systems and low-temperature-pyrolyzed nutrient-rich biochar could efficiently reduce the human health risks of PAHs and improve soil microbial ecology in agricultural fields.

Government environmental governance, structural adjustment and air quality: A quasi-natural experiment based on the Three-year Action Plan to Win the Blue Sky Defense War.

Improving air quality is an era task for China to transform its economic development model and enhance its environmental governance capabilities. This article take the Chinese government's Three-year Action Plan to Win the Blue Sky Defense War (abbreviated as the Blue Sky Defense War) as a quasi-natural experiment and use regression discontinuity design (RDD) to evaluate the governance effect of this policy. The study found that the Blue Sky Defense War reduced the monthly average concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 in cities by 14.49 and 23.43, respectively. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the Blue Sky Defence War has a more prominent effect on urban air quality management based on PM10 assessment; Jing-Jin-Ji region and surrounding areas are the key points to ensure the achievement of air management. Consistent and effective environmental governance policies, transparent and timely information disclosure and structural adjustment are all powerful guarantees for the effectiveness of the Blue Sky Defense War. These research conclusions provide new ideas for developing countries to formulate practical environmental pollution control policies.

An approach to assessment of Keshan disease elimination at the township level.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to pilot a method of a small-scale survey for the assessment of Keshan disease (KD) elimination at township level. METHODS: The prevalence of chronic KD was obtained by case-searching the whole population. The endemic village with the highest prevalence of chronic KD was selected as the key village for the survey of latent KD prevalence rate among permanent residents. The selenium levels in the head hair of individuals in the key village was measured. The professionals of the department of endemic disease control, the township and village doctors were surveyed by pre-designed questionnaire survey for KD interventions. RESULTS: We conducted this study in 2013. Yuanbao township had a population of 16 487 people and 14 862 permanent residents. There were no acute or subacute KD cases in the previous 5 years. The prevalence rate of chronic KD and natural chronic KD were 6.7/10 000 and 3.4/10 000 respectively. The prevalence rate of latent KD was 250.6/10 000, higher than the elimination criterion. The head hair selenium levels were 0.23±0.18 mg/kg. CONCLUSIONS: The small-scale survey methodology for assessing KD elimination at township level was feasible. KD among the people living in Yuanbao township has not been eliminated.

Epidemic spreading with activity-driven awareness diffusion on multiplex network.

There has been growing interest in exploring the interplay between epidemic spreading with human response, since it is natural for people to take various measures when they become aware of epidemics. As a proper way to describe the multiple connections among people in reality, multiplex network, a set of nodes interacting through multiple sets of edges, has attracted much attention. In this paper, to explore the coupled dynamical processes, a multiplex network with two layers is built. Specifically, the information spreading layer is a time varying network generated by the activity driven model, while the contagion layer is a static network. We extend the microscopic Markov chain approach to derive the epidemic threshold of the model. Compared with extensive Monte Carlo simulations, the method shows high accuracy for the prediction of the epidemic threshold. Besides, taking different spreading models of awareness into consideration, we explored the interplay between epidemic spreading with awareness spreading. The results show that the awareness spreading can not only enhance the epidemic threshold but also reduce the prevalence of epidemics. When the spreading of awareness is defined as susceptible-infected-susceptible model, there exists a critical value where the dynamical process on the awareness layer can control the onset of epidemics; while if it is a threshold model, the epidemic threshold emerges an abrupt transition with the local awareness ratio α approximating 0.5. Moreover, we also find that temporal changes in the topology hinder the spread of awareness which directly affect the epidemic threshold, especially when the awareness layer is threshold model. Given that the threshold model is a widely used model for social contagion, this is an important and meaningful result. Our results could also lead to interesting future research about the different time-scales of structural changes in multiplex networks.

Backlash for Breaking Racial and Ethnic Breaking Stereotypes: Adolescent School Victimization Across Contexts.

This research examines if and how social and cultural stereotypes insulate or aggravate the risk for adolescent victimization and partially explain racial and ethnic disparities with being a victim of violence at school. Analyses that draw on the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 and use multilevel analytical techniques suggest important results. Most notably, increased educational achievement, academic involvement, and having White American friendships are potential victimization risk factors for Black/African American and Latino American adolescents at urban and/or suburban schools. In addition to discussing the findings, this study underscores the importance of investigating the complexities associated with race and ethnicity when addressing adolescent victimization.

In vivo assessment of the vascular disrupting effect of M410 by DCE-MRI biomarker in a rabbit model of liver tumor.

The present study aimed to prospectively monitor the vascular disrupting effect of M410 by dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) in rabbits with VX2 liver tumors. Twenty-eight rabbits bearing VX2 tumors in the left lobe of the liver were established and randomly divided into treatment and control groups, intravenously injected with 25 mg/kg M410 or sterile saline, respectively. Conventional and DCE-MRI data were acquired on a 3.0-T MR unit at pretreatment, 4 h, 1, 4, 7 and 14 days post-treatment. Histopathological examinations [hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and CD34 immunohistochemisty staining] were performed at each time point. The dynamic changes in tumor volume, kinetic DCE-MRI parameter [volume transfer constant (Ktrans)] and histological data were evaluated. Tumors grew slower in the M410 group 4-14 days following treatment, compared with rapidly growing tumors in the control group (P<0.05). At 4 h, 1 and 4 days, Ktrans significantly decreased in the M410 group compared with that in the control group (P<0.05). However, Ktrans values were similar in the two groups for the other time points studied. The changes in DCE-MRI parameters were consistent with the results obtained from H&E and CD34 staining of the tumor tissues. DCE-MRI parameter Ktrans may be used as a non-invasive imaging biomarker to monitor the dynamic histological changes in tumors following treatment with the vascular targeting agent M410.

Distribution and pollution assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments in the Yellow Sea.

Heavy metal concentrations in surface sediments at 56 stations during two cruises in the Yellow Sea in summer and winter, 2011 were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The pollution status was assessed via the Geoaccumulation index and Hankanson potential ecological risk index. Higher concentrations of heavy metals (except for Mn) were found in the central Southern Yellow Sea and the western Northern Yellow Sea. The higher contents of Mn were much closer to Shandong Peninsula. Correlation analyses indicated that Pb, Cu, Fe, Ni, Zn and Co probably had the same origin and were controlled by grain size and total organic carbon. Pollution assessment showed that most areas of the Yellow Sea were not or lowly contaminated with the exception of the northwest and south parts of the Southern Yellow Sea showing Cd-contamination. The pollution status of the Yellow Sea in summer was worse than that in winter.