Bimetallic Au and Pd Nanoparticles Modified WO3 Nanosheets for Enhancing the Sensitivity and Selectivity of Formaldehyde Assessment in Aquatic Products.

Formaldehyde, a common illegal additive in aquatic products, poses a threat to people's health and lives. In this study, a novel metal oxide semiconductor gas sensor based on AuPd-modified WO3 nanosheets (NSs) had been developed for the highly efficient detection of formaldehyde. WO3 NS modified with 2.0% AuPd nanoparticles showed a higher response (Ra/Rg = 94.2) to 50 ppm of formaldehyde at 210 °C, which was 36 times more than the pristine WO3 NS. In addition, the AuPd/WO3 gas sensor had a relatively short response/recovery time of 10 s/9 s for 50 ppm of formaldehyde at 210 °C, with good immunity to other interfering gases and good stability for formaldehyde. The excellent gas-sensitive performance was attributed to the chemical sensitization of Au, the electronic sensitization of Pd, and the synergistic effect of bimetallic AuPd, which facilitated the recognition and response of formaldehyde molecules. Additionally, the high sensitivity and broad application prospect of the 2.0% AuPd/WO3 NS composite-based sensor in real sample detection were also confirmed by using the above sensor for the detection of formaldehyde in aquatic products such as squid and shrimp.

Resistance of Panonychus citri (McGregor) (Acari: Tetranychidae) to pyridaben in China: monitoring and fitness costs.

BACKGROUND: Panonychus citri is a major citrus pest worldwide. The short life cycle and high reproductive potential of P. citri, combined with heavy acaricide use, have led to high levels of resistance to acaricides, posing a threat to global resistance management programs. Here, resistance monitoring was established to determine the pyridaben resistance status of ten P. citri populations in China from 2014 to 2021 using a leaf-dipping assay. Four characterized strains-the susceptible strain (Lab_S), the resistant strain (Pyr_R), as well as the segregated resistant strain (Pyr_Rs) and the segregated susceptible strain (Pyr_Control) derived from the crossing of the Lab_S and Pyr_R strains, were used to evaluate the life-history characteristics using age-stage, two-sex life tables. RESULTS: Most P. citri populations developed high resistance to pyridaben. Resistance levels exceeded 1000-fold in Yuxi, Anyue, Nanning, and Ganzhou populations compared with the Lab_S strain. Compared with Pyr_Control, two key fitness cost criteria, developmental period and fecundity, showed significant differences in Pyr_Rs under consistent conditions. The intrinsic rate of increase, net reproductive rate and gross reproductive rate were lower in the resistant strain compared with the Pyr_Control strain. The Pyr_Rs strain had a lower relative fitness of 0.934 compared with the Pyr_Control. Moreover, the life-history traits and population parameters of the Pyr_R strain also showed significant differences compared with the Lab_S strain. CONCLUSION: The resistance levels to pyridaben varied greatly among the different P. citri populations and showed regional differences. Substantial fitness costs are associated with pyridaben resistance. This study provides potential implications for developing strategies for resistance management in P. citri. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Influencing Factors and Risk Assessment of Precipitation-Induced Flooding in Zhengzhou, China, Based on Random Forest and XGBoost Algorithms.

Due to extreme weather phenomena, precipitation-induced flooding has become a frequent, widespread, and destructive natural disaster. Risk assessments of flooding have thus become a popular area of research. In this study, we studied the severe precipitation-induced flooding that occurred in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China, in July 2021. We identified 16 basic indicators, and the random forest algorithm was used to determine the contribution of each indicator to the Zhengzhou flood. We then optimised the selected indicators and introduced the XGBoost algorithm to construct a risk index assessment model of precipitation-induced flooding. Our results identified four primary indicators for precipitation-induced flooding in the study area: total rainfall for three consecutive days, extreme daily rainfall, vegetation cover, and the river system. The Zhengzhou storm and flood risk evaluation model was constructed from 12 indicators: elevation, slope, water system index, extreme daily rainfall, total rainfall for three consecutive days, night-time light brightness, land-use type, proportion of arable land area, gross regional product, proportion of elderly population, vegetation cover, and medical rescue capacity. After streamlining the bottom four indicators in terms of contribution rate, it had the best performance, with an accuracy rate reaching 91.3%. Very high-risk and high-risk areas accounted for 11.46% and 27.50% of the total area of Zhengzhou, respectively, and their distribution was more significantly influenced by the extent of heavy rainfall, direction of river systems, and land types; the medium-risk area was the largest, accounting for 33.96% of the total area; the second-lowest-risk and low-risk areas together accounted for 27.09%. The areas with the highest risk of heavy rainfall and flooding in Zhengzhou were in the Erqi, Guanchenghui, Jinshui, Zhongyuan, and Huizi Districts and the western part of Xinmi City; these areas should be given priority attention during disaster monitoring and early warning and risk prevention and control.

Assessment of the electrical penetration of cell membranes using four-frequency impedance cytometry.

The electrical penetration of the cell membrane is vital for determining the cell interior via impedance cytometry. Herein, we propose a method for determining the conductivity of the cell membrane through the tilting levels of impedance pulses. When electrical penetration occurs, a high-frequency current freely passes through the cell membrane; thus, the intracellular distribution can directly act on the high-frequency impedance pulses. Numerical simulation shows that an uneven intracellular component distribution can affect the tilting levels of impedance pulses, and the tilting levels start increasing when the cell membrane is electrically penetrated. Experimental evidence shows that higher detection frequencies (>7 MHz) lead to a wider distribution of the tilting levels of impedance pulses when measuring cell populations with four-frequency impedance cytometry. This finding allows us to determine that a detection frequency of 7 MHz is able to pass through the membrane of Euglena gracilis (E. gracilis) cells. Additionally, we provide a possible application of four-frequency impedance cytometry in the biomass monitoring of single E. gracilis cells. High-frequency impedance (≥7 MHz) can be applied to monitor these biomass changes, and low-frequency impedance (<7 MHz) can be applied to track the corresponding biovolume changes. Overall, this work demonstrates an easy determination method for the electrical penetration of the cell membrane, and the proposed platform is applicable for the multiparameter assessment of the cell state during cultivation.

Anthropogenic metal loads in nearshore sediment along the coast of China mainland interacting with provincial socioeconomics in the period 1980-2020.

Metal pollutions have been accused of consequences of the anthropogenic activities but few quantitative delineations between environmental metal loads and socioeconomic development presented. A meta-data analysis study was carried out on metal loads in coastal sediment in the provinces of China mainland reported in literature in the period 1980-2020. Eight metals with well-recognized anthropogenic sources were selected including arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn). Screened with three criteria, a total of 1173 records from 405 published studies were finalized as the metal loads dataset in coastal sediment. Evident provincial patterns were observed among the selected metals but element dependent after transformed to sample number weighted contents (Cw). Against the regional marine backgrounds, anthropogenic increment rate (Ranthrop) of metal loads in nearshore sediment presented better provincial differentiation with the extremes at 7.58 for As and 62.13 for Cu in Guangdong, 91.25 for Hg in Zhejiang, 3.19 for Ni in Tianjin, 7.72 for Pb in Fujian, and 13.51 for Zn in Liaoning. Metal loads in coastal sediment could be explained by characteristic industries in the provinces. Nearshore sediment in Guangdong had high risk to metal loads and other provinces at low-to-medium risk to the lowest thresholds of sediment quality guidelines in China and USA. Canonical correlations identified considerably interactive explanations between integrative hazard quotients (Æ©HQ) of the selected metals in nearshore sediment and non-agricultural GDP per capita of non-agricultural population/urban population percentile provincially but few significant fittings by the classic environmental Kuznets Curve model quantitatively. Findings of this study explored uncertainty from both sides in explaining the interactions, i.e., data integrity of metal loads in coastal sediment in literature and appropriation of socioeconomic indicators in relation to metal emission industries.

Sedimentary spectrum and potential ecological risks of residual pharmaceuticals in relation to sediment-water partitioning and land uses in a watershed.

Pharmaceutical residues in river surficial sediment are prone to anthropogenic impacts and environmental factors in watershed, but the mechanisms remain unclear. This study attempted to reveal surficial sediment-water pseudo-partitioning and anthropogenic (land use) patterns of pharmaceutical residues in surficial sediment among 23 subwatersheds of Jiulong River, southeast China with a gradient of urban land use percentile in dry and wet seasons. Thirty-eight out of target 86 compounds from six-category pharmaceuticals were quantified and ranged from below the quantification limits (0.001 mg kg-1 dry mass) up to 8.19 mg kg-1 dry mass (chlortetracycline) using a developed SPE-HPLC-MS/MS protocol. Antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) collectively dominated sedimentary pharmaceutical residues for 34.5-99.8% of the total quantified compounds (median at 92%). Land uses in subwatersheds showed high consistency with sedimentary pharmaceutical residues in the dry season rather than the wet season, especially for human use only and veterinary use only compounds. Surficial sediment-water partitioning of pharmaceutical compounds influenced their sedimentary residues regardless of season, which were determined by properties of compound and surficial sediment interactively. All tetracycline compounds, trimethoprim (sulfonamides synergist), caffeine (central nervous system drug), and oxfendazole (antiparasitic drug) were quantified to pose high potential ecological risks to aquatics. Findings of this study suggest that pseudo-persistent legacy of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals requires a wider coverage of pharmaceutical compounds for a comprehensive ecological assessment in the environment and more involvement of anthropogenic impacts and socioeconomic factors in the future studies.

Legacy organochlorines in estuarine sediment in relation to socioeconomic pattern in multi-coastal watersheds.

Estuarine sediment quality is highly associated with anthropogenic activities in watersheds. This study attempts to couple socioeconomic patterns with estuarine sediment quality via legacy organochlorines in 14 Chinese coastal watersheds. Sedimentary concentrations of HCHs, DDTs, and PCBs showed a significant spatiality in estuary, up to 48.7 ± 15.1, 89.0 ± 46.4, and 54.5 ± 17.2 ng g-1, which were predominated by ß-HCH, p,p'-DTs, and tri- to penta-PCBs, respectively. Ecological risk of organochlorines was negligible except few moderate risks for DDTs and PCBs against the first class quality of the marine sediment quality guidelines of China. Sedimentary DDT and PCB concentrations were significantly delineated by an environmental Kuznets curve model as a function of non-agricultural GDP per capita in watersheds, while HCHs by an increasing linear model. Findings of this study provide a tool to quantify the contribution of anthropogenic development in watershed to environmental change in estuary across the world.

Nonconformist tendencies related to risky choices in female methamphetamine abstainers.

Background: Many experimental studies and theoretical models have tried to explain the multifaceted formation of drug addiction. In most addiction models, social factors are an important component; however, few empirical studies have investigated the social influences on the safe or risky choices of drug-addicted individuals during the abstinence stage. Objectives: To investigate the behavioral patterns of female methamphetamine abstainers under social influence. Methods: Thirty-seven female methamphetamine abstainers (average abstinence time: 8.61 ± 4.75 months) and 40 matched controls performed a gambling task in the presence of peers' choices. We applied both model-free and computational model-based analysis to examine how the decision patterns differed with social influence between the two groups. Results: 1) the choice data from the two groups showed a social influence effect such that participants made more risky choices when others made risky choices; 2) overall, the female methamphetamine abstainers made more risky choices in the social influence task; and 3) in the computational model parameters, the female methamphetamine abstainers exhibited more nonconforming attitudes (with negative other-conferred utility) with respect to peer influence, whereas controls showed higher conformity to peers. Conclusion: Our findings provide the first objective evidence that female methamphetamine abstainers show peer nonconformity. This nonconformist tendency may be a potential behavioral marker to track drug addiction and help to elucidate the mechanisms of decisions made by female methamphetamine abstainers.

The Relationship Between Social Support and Family Relationships Among Low-Income Couples Attending Relationship Education.

Results are mixed for relationship education (RE) interventions with low-income couples. For couples who experienced positive changes, it is not clear what aspects of program models contributed to change. Many low-income couples attend government-funded RE with limited access to social and community resources. Program models often provide related resources complimentary to RE skill-building. We examined the relationship between income, social support, and family functioning for low-income, ethnically diverse couples (N = 856) who attended RE, as well as the mediating effects of social support on family functioning outcomes. Analyses included three separate dyadic models that examined associations among constructs at baseline and immediately following the RE intervention. Results demonstrated relationships between participants' reported social support and family functioning such that (a) social support was associated with baseline family functioning for both men and women; (b) men's baseline social support was influenced by women's baseline family functioning; and (c) men's and women's social support change score had a positive influence on their own family functioning change score. However, social support was not a significant mediator of change in family functioning. Implications for RE practice and research are also discussed.

Los resultados de las intervenciones sobre educación para las relaciones (ER) con parejas de bajos recursos son variados. En el caso de las parejas que tuvieron cambios positivos, no está claro qué aspectos de los modelos del programa contribuyeron al cambio. Muchas parejas de bajos recursos asisten a ER financiadas por el gobierno con acceso limitado a recursos sociales y comunitarios. Los modelos del programa generalmente proporcionan recursos relacionados complementarios al desarrollo de habilidades para la ER. Analizamos la relación entre los ingresos, el apoyo social y el funcionamiento familiar en las parejas de bajos recursos y étnicamente diversas (N = 856) que asistieron a la ER, así como los efectos mediadores del apoyo social en los resultados del funcionamiento familiar. Los análisis incluyeron tres modelos diádicos independientes que examinaron las asociaciones entre los constructos al inicio del estudio e inmediatamente después de la intervención sobre ER. Los resultados demostraron las relaciones entre el apoyo social informado por los participantes y el funcionamiento familiar, por lo que (a) el apoyo social estuvo asociado con el funcionamiento familiar al inicio del estudio tanto en los hombres como en las mujeres; (b) el apoyo social de los hombres al inicio del estudio estuvo influenciado por el funcionamiento familiar de las mujeres al inicio del estudio; y (c) el puntaje de cambio del apoyo social de los hombres y las mujeres tuvo una influencia positiva en su propio puntaje de cambio del funcionamiento familiar. Sin embargo, el apoyo social no fue un mediador de cambio significativo en el funcionamiento familiar. También se debaten las implicancias para la investigación y la práctica en RE.

Persistent stimulation with Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen impairs the proliferation and transcriptional program of hematopoietic cells in bone marrow.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) persistent infection might cause the dysfunction of hematopoiesis. To investigate whether M. tuberculosis persistent antigen stimulation impairs the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells characterized as lineage- c-Kit+ (LK cells), C57BL/6 mice were primed with Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and boosted with a cocktail of M. tuberculosis antigens ESAT6, CFP10 and Mtb10.4-HspX (MH) along with adjuvant N, N'-dimethyl-N, N'-dioctadecylammonium bromide (DDA) plus polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C) weekly for 12 or 22 weeks. The cytokine production by splenic T cells, proliferation of LK cells and transcriptional events during differentiation of bone marrow (BM) c-Kit+ cells were investigated. Meanwhile, the mice were treated with interleukin 2 (IL-2) and the therapeutic effects were analyzed. We found that antigen specific interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production by splenic CD4+ T cells increased following antigen stimulation for 12 weeks, but it declined after continuous stimulation for 22 weeks. The long-term exposure of mice to M. tuberculosis antigen compromised the proliferation of LK cells. Moreover, the expression of transcription factors in the c-Kit+ cells was adjusted, with up-regulation of IRF8 and Batf2 involved in myeloid differentiation and down-regulation of NOTCH1 and GATA2 participated in T-cell lineage commitment. The concentrations of IFN-γ in BM of the persistent antigen group were higher than that in sham control at the 12th week, while the concentrations of IL-2 in BM of the persistent antigen group were lower compared with the transient antigen stimulation control. Following IL-2 treatment, the concentrations of IL-2 in BM increased while IFN-γ got declined. IL-2 treatment could restore the expression levels of those transcription factors and the proliferating activity of LK cells impaired by persistent antigen stimulation. Our results indicate that M. tuberculosis antigen persistent stimulation decreases the proliferating activity of LK cells, promotes myelopoietic differentiation, and represses lymphopoietic differentiation as a consequence of elevated IFN-γ production. IL-2 supplementation contributes to maintaining the homeostasis of hemopoiesis.

Preliminary in vitro and in vivo assessment of a new targeted inhibitor for choroidal neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration.

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in age-related macular degeneration usually causes blindness. We established a novel targeted inhibitor for CNV in age-related macular degeneration. The inhibitor CR2-sFlt 1 comprises a CR2-targeting fragment and an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) domain (sFlt 1). The targeting of CR2-sFlt 1 was studied using the transwell assay in vitro and frozen sections in vivo using green fluorescent labeling. Transwell assay results showed that CR2-sFlt 1 migrated to the interface of complement activation products and was present in the retinal tissue of the CR2-sFlt 1-treated CNV mice. Treatment effects were assessed by investigating the VEGF concentration in retinal pigmented epithelial cell medium and the thickness of the CNV complex in the mice treated with CR2-sFlt 1. CR2-sFlt 1 significantly reduced the VEGF secretion from retinal pigmented epithelial cells in vitro and retarded CNV progress in a mouse model. Expression analysis of VEGF and VEGFRs after CR2-sFlt 1 intervention indicated the existence of feedback mechanisms in exogenous CR2-sFlt 1, endogenous VEGF, and VEGFR interaction. In summary, we demonstrated for the first time that using CR2-sFlt 1 could inhibit CNV with clear targeting and high selectivity.

Disparate assessment of clinic blood pressure and ambulatory blood pressure in differently aged patients with chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is recommended to assess hypertensive status in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the difference in blood pressure (BP) based on clinic and ambulatory monitoring in CKD patients of different ages is not known. METHODS: We recruited 1116 CKD patients admitted to our hospital division and referred with data in this cross-sectional study. Patients were divided into three groups: young, middle age and old. Inter-method agreement between clinic BP and ABPM in different age groups was assessed using the Kappa (κ) coefficient. Linear and logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate renal and cardiovascular parameters. RESULTS: κ coefficient for inter-method agreement between clinic BP and ABP in patients from young, middle-age and old groups was 0.472 (p<0.001), 0.335 (p<0.001) and 0.102 (p=0.086), respectively. Age was the main factor determining the difference in clinic BP and ABP by multiple linear regression analyses. Prevalence of masked hypertension in older patients was higher than that in young and middle-age patients (p<0.001), and age was associated with the onset of masked hypertension. Age and ABP were independently correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI), whereas age and clinic BP were associated with carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) by linear and logistic regression analyses. CONCLUSIONS: We have provided evidence of disparate assessment of the diagnosis and correlation with TOD from clinic BP and ABP in untreated, different-aged, CKD patients. Good-quality, long-term, large longitudinal trials are needed to validate the role of ABPM for Chinese CKD patients.

Assessment of glomerular filtration rate in elderly patients with chronic kidney disease.

PURPOSE: We sought to evaluate various glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimating equations in elderly patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: A total of 332 Chinese elderly patients with CKD who had undergone technetium-99m diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid ((99m)Tc-DTPA) renal dynamic imaging were enrolled. The MDRD equation, the re-expressed MDRD equation, the Chinese equation, the Ruijin equation, the previously Japanese equation, the new Japanese equation, the CKD-EPI equation, and the BIS1 equation were compared. RESULTS: The median of difference between estimated GFR and standard GFR ranged from -9.78 to 1.79 ml/min/1.73 m(2). The interquartile range of difference ranged from 12.38 to 20.87 ml/min/1.73 m(2). Accuracy with a deviation <30 % ranged from 44.9 to 66.3 %. However, none of the equations had accuracy up to the 70 % level. Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated that the precision ranged from 50.5-87.6 ml/min/1.73 m(2). The slopes of regression line ranged from -0.26 to 0.55 and the intercepts ranged from -18.71 to 11.07. In both the overall performance and the performances in different stage of CKD, GFR estimated by the BIS1 equation performed better results. CONCLUSION: None of the GFR estimating equations are suitable for the specific Chinese population tested. At present, the BIS1 equation may be the optimal one for elderly Chinese CKD patients.

A closed-circuit neonatal xenon delivery system: a technical and practical neuroprotection feasibility study in newborn pigs.

BACKGROUND: Asphyxia accounts for 23% of the 4 million annual global neonatal deaths. In developed countries, the incidence of death or severe disability after hypoxic-ischemic (HI) encephalopathy is 1-2/1000 infants born at term. Hypothermia (HT) benefits newborns post-HI and is rapidly entering clinical use. Xenon (Xe), a scarce and expensive anesthetic, combined with HT markedly increases neuroprotection in small animal HI models. The low-Xe uptake of the patient favors the use of closed-circuit breathing system for efficiency and economy. We developed a system for delivering Xe to mechanically ventilated neonates, then investigated its technical and practical feasibility in a previously described neonatal pig model approximating the clinical scenario of global HI injury, prolonged Xe delivery with and without HT as a potential therapy, subsequent neonatal intensive care unit management, and tracheal extubation. METHODS: Sixteen newborn pigs underwent a global 45 min HI insult (4%-6% inspired oxygen reducing the electroencephalogram amplitude to <7 microV), then received 16 h 50% inspired Xe during normothermia (39.0 degrees C) or HT (33.5 degrees C). A conventional neonatal ventilator provided breaths of oxygen to a lower chamber compressing a hanging bag within. This bag communicated with the upper closed part of the breathing system containing soda lime, unidirectional valves, Xe/oxygen analyzers, and a tracheal tube connection. At each end-inspiration, this bag emptied fully and a bolus of oxygen, the driving gas, crossed from the lower to upper chamber via an additional valve. This mechanically substituted the gas uptake from the circle during the previous breath cycle (oxygen + small volume of Xe) with an equivalent volume of oxygen creating a slow-rising inspired oxygen concentration. This was offset by manual injection of Xe boluses, infrequently at steady state, due to the low-Xe uptake of the patient. RESULTS: Total mean Xe usage was 0.18 (0.16-0.21) L/h with no differences between Xe-HT and Xe-NT groups, which had weights of 1767 (1657-1877) g and 1818 (1662-1974) g, respectively (95% CI). HT reduced heart rate in the cooled animals; 180 (165-195) vs 148 (142-155) bpm (P < 0.0001) with no differences in arterial blood pressure, oxygen saturation, arterial carbon dioxide tension, or weaning times between these groups. CONCLUSION: We describe a closed-circuit Xe delivery system with automatic mechanical oxygen replenishment, which could be developed as a single use device. Gas exchange was maintained while Xe consumption was minimal (<$2/h at $10/L*). We have shown it is both feasible and cost-efficient to use this Xe delivery method in newborn pigs for up to 16 h with or without concurrent cooling after a severe HI insult.