The hidden inequality: the disparities in the quality of daily use masks associated with family economic status.

Wearing high-quality masks plays a critical role in reducing COVID-19 transmission. However, no study has investigated socioeconomic inequality in the quality of masks. Addressing this gap, this paper explored the relationships between mask's quality and family economic status. The cross-sectional survey was conducted in two Chinese universities by distributing structured questionnaires to assess participants' characteristics including family economic status, and meanwhile collecting their masks to evaluate the quality by measuring particle filtration efficiency. The valid responses were obtained from 912 students with mean age of 19.556 ± 1.453 years and were analyzed by using fractional or binary logistic regression. Three main findings were presented. First, inequality existed in the quality of masks. 36.07% of students were using unqualified masks with average filtration efficiency of 0.795 ± 0.119, which was much lower than China's national standard (0.9). Of those masks with identified production date, 11.43% were manufactured during COVID-19 outbreak when market was flooded with counterfeit production, and thus were of poor quality with average filtration efficiency of 0.819 ± 0.152. Second, better family economic status was associated with better masks' filtration efficiency and greater probability of using qualified masks. Third, students with better family economic status tend to use masks with individual packaging, and unique patterns and special designs, which may lead to inequality on a psychological level. Our analysis reveals the hidden socioeconomic inequality that exist behind cheap masks. In facing the challenges of future emerging infectious diseases, it is important to address the inequity to ensure equal access to affordable qualified personal protection equipment.

Cost-Effective Fabrication of Modified Palygorskite-Reinforced Rigid Polyurethane Foam Nanocomposites.

Integration of nanoclay minerals into rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) is a cost-effective solution to enhance foam's performance via environmental protection technology. In this work, palygorskite/RPUFs nanocomposites (Pal/RPUFNs) with excellent mechanical properties and thermal stability were prepared via a one-step method, using 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate and polyether polyol as the starting materials, coupled with Pal modified by silane coupling agent KH570. The effects of the modified Pal on the mechanics, morphology, and thermal properties of the nanocomposites were studied systematically. When the content of the modified Pal was 8 wt% of polyether polyol, the elastic modulus and compressive strength of the Pal/RPUFNs were increased by ca. 131% and 97%, respectively. The scanning electron microscopy images indicated that the addition of the modified Pal significantly decreased the cell diameter of the Pal/RPUFNs. The results of thermogravimetric and derivative thermogravimetry analyses revealed that the addition of the modified Pal increased the thermal weight loss central temperature of the Pal/RPUFNs, showing better thermal stability in comparison with the pure RPUFs. A self-made evaluation device was used to estimate the thermal insulation ability of the Pal/RPUFNs. It was found that the small cell size and uniform cellular structure were keys to improving the thermal insulation performance of the RPUFs. The prepared Pal/RPUFNs are expected to have great potential in the field of building insulation.

Assessment of the Bacteria community structure across life stages of the Chinese Citrus Fly, Bactrocera minax (Diptera: Tephritidae).

BACKGROUND: Symbiotic bacteria play a critical role in insect's biology. They also offer great opportunities to improve on current pest management techniques. In order to exploit and integrate the roles played by the gut microbiota on pest management programs, a better understanding of the structural organization of the microbial community in the Chinese citrus fly Bactrocera minax is essential. RESULTS: The results revealed a total of 162 OTUs at 97% similarity interval. The dominant bacteria phyla were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Antinobacteria and Firmicutes, with the Proteobacteria having the highest relative abundance (more than 80% in all life stages). There was also a shift in the dominant OTUs from the early developmental stages to the late developmental stages and adult stages in B. minax. These OTUs related to Klebsiella pneumoniae, Providencia rettgeri and Enterobacter aerogenes, respectively. Six bacteria OTU were shared by all the life stages. These belonged to the Enterobacteriaceae and the Enterococcaceae families. CONCLUSION: The common bacteria groups shared by all the life stages and other fruit flies could be important targets for further research. This should aim towards realizing how these bacteria affect the biology of the fly and how their relationship could be exploited in the development of sustainable management strategies against fruit flies.

Regional risk assessment for point source pollution based on a water quality model of the Taipu River, China.

Point source pollution is one of the main threats to regional environmental health. Based on a water quality model, a methodology to assess the regional risk of point source pollution is proposed. The assessment procedure includes five parts: (1) identifying risk source units and estimating source emissions using Monte Carlo algorithms; (2) observing hydrological and water quality data of the assessed area, and evaluating the selected water quality model; (3) screening out the assessment endpoints and analyzing receptor vulnerability with the Choquet fuzzy integral algorithm; (4) using the water quality model introduced in the second step to predict pollutant concentrations for various source emission scenarios and analyzing hazards of risk sources; and finally, (5) using the source hazard values and receptor vulnerability scores to estimate overall regional risk. The proposed method, based on the Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP), was applied in the region of the Taipu River, which is in the Taihu Basin, China. Results of source hazard and receptor vulnerability analysis allowed us to describe aquatic ecological, human health, and socioeconomic risks individually, and also integrated risks in the Taipu region, from a series of risk curves. Risk contributions of sources to receptors were ranked, and the spatial distribution of risk levels was presented. By changing the input conditions, we were able to estimate risks for a range of scenarios. Thus, the proposed procedure may also be used by decisionmakers for long-term dynamic risk prediction.

Development of a general method for detection and quantification of the P35S promoter based on assessment of existing methods.

The Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter (P35S) is a commonly used target for detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). There are currently 24 reported detection methods, targeting different regions of the P35S promoter. Initial assessment revealed that due to the absence of primer binding sites in the P35S sequence, 19 of the 24 reported methods failed to detect P35S in MON88913 cotton, and the other two methods could only be applied to certain GMOs. The rest three reported methods were not suitable for measurement of P35S in some testing events, because SNPs in binding sites of the primer/probe would result in abnormal amplification plots and poor linear regression parameters. In this study, we discovered a conserved region in the P35S sequence through sequencing of P35S promoters from multiple transgenic events, and developed new qualitative and quantitative detection systems targeting this conserved region. The qualitative PCR could detect the P35S promoter in 23 unique GMO events with high specificity and sensitivity. The quantitative method was suitable for measurement of P35S promoter, exhibiting good agreement between the amount of template and Ct values for each testing event. This study provides a general P35S screening method, with greater coverage than existing methods.

Simulation of water environmental capacity and pollution load reduction using QUAL2K for water environmental management.

In recent years, water quality degradation associated with rapid socio-economic development in the Taihu Lake Basin, China, has attracted increasing attention from both the public and the Chinese government. The primary sources of pollution in Taihu Lake are its inflow rivers and their tributaries. Effective water environmental management strategies need to be implemented in these rivers to improve the water quality of Taihu Lake, and to ensure sustainable development in the region. The aim of this study was to provide a basis for water environmental management decision-making. In this study, the QUAL2K model for river and stream water quality was applied to predict the water quality and environmental capacity of the Hongqi River, which is a polluted tributary in the Taihu Lake Basin. The model parameters were calibrated by trial and error until the simulated results agreed well with the observed data. The calibrated QUAL2K model was used to calculate the water environmental capacity of the Hongqi River, and the water environmental capacities of COD(Cr) NH(3)-N, TN, and TP were 17.51 t, 1.52 t, 2.74 t and 0.37 t, respectively. The results showed that the NH(3)-N, TN, and TP pollution loads of the studied river need to be reduced by 50.96%, 44.11%, and 22.92%, respectively to satisfy the water quality objectives. Thus, additional water pollution control measures are needed to control and reduce the pollution loads in the Hongqi River watershed. The method applied in this study should provide a basis for water environmental management decision-making.

Plasma miRNA as biomarkers for assessment of total-body radiation exposure dosimetry.

The risk of radiation exposure, due to accidental or malicious release of ionizing radiation, is a major public health concern. Biomarkers that can rapidly identify severely-irradiated individuals requiring prompt medical treatment in mass-casualty incidents are urgently needed. Stable blood or plasma-based biomarkers are attractive because of the ease for sample collection. We tested the hypothesis that plasma miRNA expression profiles can accurately reflect prior radiation exposure. We demonstrated using a murine model that plasma miRNA expression signatures could distinguish mice that received total body irradiation doses of 0.5 Gy, 2 Gy, and 10 Gy (at 6 h or 24 h post radiation) with accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of above 90%. Taken together, these data demonstrate that plasma miRNA profiles can be highly predictive of different levels of radiation exposure. Thus, plasma-based biomarkers can be used to assess radiation exposure after mass-casualty incidents, and it may provide a valuable tool in developing and implementing effective countermeasures.