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In this study, a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor was developed to detect microRNA-21 (miRNA-21) with high sensitivity by leveraging the combined mechanisms of resonance energy transfer (RET) and surface plasmon coupling (SPC). Initially, the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) were coated with Cu-Zn-In-S quantum dots (CZIS QDs), known for their defect-related emission suitable for ECL sensing. Subsequently, a hairpin DNA H3 with gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) attached at the end was modified over the surface of the quantum dots. The Au NPs could effectively quench the ECL signals of CZIS QDs via RET. Further, a significant amount of report DNA was generated through the action of a 3D DNA walker. When the report DNA opened H3-Au NPs, the hairpin structure experienced a conformational change to a linear shape, increasing the gap between the CZIS QDs and the Au NPs. Consequently, the localized surface plasmon resonance ECL (LSPR-ECL) effect replaced ECL resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET). Moreover, the report DNA was released following the addition of H4-Au NPs, resulting in the formation of Au dimers and a surface plasma-coupled ECL (SPC-ECL) effect that enhanced the ECL intensity to 6.97-fold. The integration of new ECL-RET and SPC-ECL biosensor accurately quantified miRNA-21 concentrations from 10-8 M to 10-16 M with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.08 fM, as well as successfully applied to validate human serum samples.
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Técnicas Biosensibles , ADN , Técnicas Electroquímicas , Mediciones Luminiscentes , MicroARNs , Puntos Cuánticos , Resonancia por Plasmón de Superficie , MicroARNs/análisis , MicroARNs/sangre , Humanos , Técnicas Electroquímicas/métodos , Técnicas Biosensibles/métodos , ADN/química , Puntos Cuánticos/química , Resonancia por Plasmón de Superficie/métodos , Mediciones Luminiscentes/métodos , Oro/química , Límite de Detección , Transferencia de Energía , Nanopartículas del Metal/químicaRESUMEN
Photocatalysis holds a pivotal position in modern organic synthesis, capable of inducing novel reactivities under mild and environmentally friendly reaction conditions. However, the merger of photocatalysis and transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric C-H activation as an efficient and sustainable method for the construction of chiral molecules remains elusive and challenging. Herein, we develop a cobalt-catalyzed enantioselective C-H activation reaction enabled by visible-light photoredox catalysis, providing a synergistic catalytic strategy for the asymmetric dearomatization of indoles with high levels of enantioselectivity (96 % to >99 % ee). Mechanistic studies indicate that the excited photocatalyst was quenched by divalent cobalt species in the presence of Salox ligand, leading to the formation of catalytically active chiral Co(III) complex. Moreover, stoichiometric reactions of cobaltacycle intermediate with indole suggest that the irradiation of visible light also play a critical role in the dearomatization step.
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RATIONALE: Diesel engine exhaust (DEE) is associated with the development and exacerbation of asthma. Studies have shown that DEE can aggravate allergen-induced eosinophilic inflammation in lung. However, it remains not clear that whether DEE alone could initiate non-allergic eosinophilic inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) through innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) pathway. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness and its relationship with ILC after DEE exposure. METHOD: Non-sensitized BALB/c mice were exposed in the chamber of diesel exhaust or filtered air for 2, 4, and 6 weeks (4â¯h/day, 6 days/week). Anti-CD4 mAb or anti-Thy1.2 mAb was administered by intraperitoneal injection to inhibit CD4+T or ILCs respectively. AHRãairway inflammation and ILCs were assessed. RESULT: DEE exposure induced significantly elevated level of neutrophils, eosinophils, collagen content at 4, 6 weeks. Importantly, the airway AHR was only significant in the 4weeks-DEE exposure group. No difference of the functional proportions of Th2 cells was found between exposure group and control group. The proportions of IL-5+ILC2, IL-17+ILC significantly increased in 2, 4weeks-DEE exposure group. After depletion of CD4+T cells, both the proportion of IL-5+ILC2 and IL-17A ILCs was higher in the 4weeks-DEE exposure group which induced AHR, neutrophilic and eosinophilic inflammation accompanied by the IL-5, IL-17A levels. CONCLUSION: Diesel engine exhaust alone can imitate asthmatic characteristics in mice model. Lung-resident ILCs are one of the major effectors cells responsible for a mixed Th2/Th17 response and AHR.
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Contaminantes Atmosféricos , Linfocitos , Ratones Endogámicos BALB C , Emisiones de Vehículos , Animales , Emisiones de Vehículos/toxicidad , Ratones , Linfocitos/efectos de los fármacos , Linfocitos/inmunología , Contaminantes Atmosféricos/toxicidad , Inflamación/inducido químicamente , Eosinófilos/inmunología , Eosinófilos/efectos de los fármacos , Hipersensibilidad Respiratoria/inmunología , Hipersensibilidad Respiratoria/inducido químicamente , Femenino , Líquido del Lavado Bronquioalveolar/citología , Líquido del Lavado Bronquioalveolar/inmunología , MasculinoRESUMEN
Zostera marina, a critical keystone marine angiosperm species in coastal seagrass meadows, possesses a photosensitive oxygen evolving complex (OEC). In harsh environments, the photoinactivation of the Z. marina OEC may lead to population declines. However, the factors underlying this photosensitivity remain unclear. Therefore, this study was undertaken to elucidate the elements contributing to Z. marina OEC photosensitivity. Our results demonstrated a gradual decrease in photosystem II performance towards shorter wavelengths, especially blue light and ultraviolet radiation. This phenomenon was characterized by a reduction in Fv/Fm and the rate of O2 evolution, as well as increased fluorescence at 0.3 ms on the OJIP curve. Furthermore, exposure to shorter light wavelengths and longer exposure durations significantly reduced the relative abundance of the OEC peripheral proteins, indicating OEC inactivation. Analyses of light-screening substances revealed that carotenoids, which increased most notably under 420 nm light, might primarily serve as thermal dissipators instead of efficient light filters. In contrast, anthocyanins reacted least to short-wavelength light, in terms of changes to both their content and the expression of genes related to their biosynthesis. Additionally, the levels of aromatically acylated anthocyanins remained consistent across blue-, white-, and red-light treatments. These findings suggest that OEC photoinactivation in Z. marina may be linked to inadequate protection against short-wavelength light, a consequence of insufficient synthesis and aromatic acylation modification of anthocyanins.
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Luz , Oxígeno , Complejo de Proteína del Fotosistema II , Zosteraceae , Zosteraceae/metabolismo , Complejo de Proteína del Fotosistema II/metabolismo , Oxígeno/metabolismo , Antocianinas/metabolismo , Carotenoides/metabolismoRESUMEN
Solanaceous plants produce tropane alkaloids (TAs) via esterification of 3α- and 3ß-tropanol. Although littorine synthase is revealed to be responsible for 3α-tropanol esterification that leads to hyoscyamine biosynthesis, the genes associated with 3ß-tropanol esterification are unknown. Here, we report that a BAHD acyltransferase from Atropa belladonna, 3ß-tigloyloxytropane synthase (TS), catalyzes 3ß-tropanol and tigloyl-CoA to form 3ß-tigloyloxytropane, the key intermediate in calystegine biosynthesis and a potential drug for treating neurodegenerative disease. Unlike other cytosolic-localized BAHD acyltransferases, TS is localized to mitochondria. The catalytic mechanism of TS is revealed through molecular docking and site-directed mutagenesis. Subsequently, 3ß-tigloyloxytropane is synthesized in tobacco. A bacterial CoA ligase (PcICS) is found to synthesize tigloyl-CoA, an acyl donor for 3ß-tigloyloxytropane biosynthesis. By expressing TS mutant and PcICS, engineered Escherichia coli synthesizes 3ß-tigloyloxytropane from tiglic acid and 3ß-tropanol. This study helps to characterize the enzymology and chemodiversity of TAs and provides an approach for producing 3ß-tigloyloxytropane.
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Aciltransferasas , Mitocondrias , Tropanos , Aciltransferasas/metabolismo , Aciltransferasas/genética , Mitocondrias/metabolismo , Mitocondrias/enzimología , Tropanos/metabolismo , Escherichia coli/genética , Escherichia coli/metabolismo , Nicotiana/genética , Nicotiana/metabolismo , Simulación del Acoplamiento Molecular , Proteínas de Plantas/metabolismo , Proteínas de Plantas/genética , Mutagénesis Sitio-DirigidaRESUMEN
Acid inhibitors have been considered in treating gastroesophageal reflux-related cough (GERC). Compared to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), potassium-competitive acid blockers (P-CABs) have more potent and durable effects on anti-acid secretion. However, whether vonoprazan and esomeprazole have different therapeutic effects on GERC remains unknown. Patients diagnosed with GERC were enrolled in our study and randomly treated with vonoprazan (20 mg, once daily, P-CAB) or esomeprazole (20 mg, twice daily, PPI) for two months. A prokinetic agent was also administered. Patients were followed up once a month. Cough severity visual analogue scale (VAS) was measured as the primary outcome, while cough symptom score (CSS) and scores for cough-related quality-of-life or reflux-related symptoms were the secondary endpoints. A total of 50 patients completed the study, with 25 patients in each group. P-CAB and PPI groups showed similar decreases in cough severity VAS and CSS scores after the 2-month treatment (all P < 0.001). For quality-of-life, the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) score increased significantly from baseline in both groups, but the P-CAB group had greater improvement and a higher LCQ score in month 2 (all P ≤ 0.05). For reflux-related symptoms, the Hull Airway Reflux Questionnaire (HARQ) score declined substantially over time in the P-CAB group, while the reflux symptom index (RSI) score decreased in both groups. The P-CAB group tended to have a lower HARQ (P = 0.051) and RSI (P = 0.069) scores in month 2. In conclusion, vonoprazan may be comparable to esomeprazole in cough symptom relief in GERC during the 2-month treatment period, but possibly provides better gains on classic reflux symptoms and quality-of-life. The long-term efficacy of P-CABs on GERC may be worth further exploration. Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Identifier: ChiCTR2200067089.
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CASE PRESENTATION: A 39-year-old man who did not smoke was admitted to the hospital with recurrent cough for 1 year, accompanied by sputum expectoration (with a small amount of white phlegm), acid regurgitation, and belching. Nasal symptoms or other cough-related contributing factors were denied. The patient reported that his cough mainly occurred at nighttime and was aggravated in the supine position. Vomiting could occur when the cough was violent. He denied fever, dysphonia, chest tightness, wheezing, chest pain and hemoptysis, abdominal pain, and bloating. The patient had initially presented to the local hospital and underwent a chest CT scan. The chest CT scan showed slight and scattered patchy infiltration in bilateral lung fields and without other significant pulmonary lesions. Anti-infective treatment was administered but was not effective for ameliorating the cough symptoms. He then received an inhaled corticosteroid, antihistamines, antileukotriene agents, or proton pump inhibitors for 6 months. However, all these treatments failed to alleviate the patient's cough. He had a history of hypertension and hyperlipidemia for > 10 years and was treated with valsartan (an angiotensin II receptor blocker) and atorvastatin. In the past year, the patient had lost 10 kg of weight, and his current BMI was 27.72 kg/m2.
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Tos Crónica , Eructación , Masculino , Humanos , Adulto , Tos/diagnóstico , Tos/etiología , Vómitos , HemoptisisRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: The anti-tussive effect of gabapentin and its underlying neuromodulatory mechanism were investigated via a modified guinea pig model of gastroesophageal reflux-related cough (GERC). METHODS: Intra-esophageal perfusion with hydrochloric acid (HCl) was performed every other day 12 times to establish the GERC model. High-dose gabapentin (48 mg/kg), low-dose gabapentin (8 mg/kg), or saline was orally administered for 2 weeks after modeling. Cough sensitivity, airway inflammation, lung and esophagus histology, levels of substance P (SP), and neurokinin-1 (NK1)-receptors were monitored. RESULTS: Repeated intra-esophageal acid perfusion aggravated the cough sensitivity in guinea pigs in a time-dependent manner. The number of cough events was significantly increased after 12 times HCl perfusion, and the hypersensitivity period was maintained for 2 weeks. The SP levels in BALF, trachea, lung, distal esophagus, and vagal ganglia were increased in guinea pigs receiving HCl perfusion. The intensity of cough hypersensitivity in the GERC model was significantly correlated with increased SP expression in the airways. Both high and low doses of gabapentin administration could reduce cough hypersensitivity exposed to HCl perfusion, attenuate airway inflammatory damage, and inhibit neurogenic inflammation by reducing SP expression from the airway and vagal ganglia. CONCLUSIONS: Gabapentin can desensitize the cough sensitivity in the GERC model of guinea pig. The anti-tussive effect is associated with the alleviated peripheral neurogenic inflammation as reflected in the decreased level of SP.
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Tos , Reflujo Gastroesofágico , Cobayas , Animales , Tos/tratamiento farmacológico , Tos/metabolismo , Inflamación Neurogénica/complicaciones , Inflamación Neurogénica/metabolismo , Gabapentina/farmacología , Pulmón/metabolismo , Reflujo Gastroesofágico/metabolismo , Ácido Clorhídrico/metabolismo , Sustancia P/metabolismo , Receptores de Neuroquinina-1/metabolismo , PerfusiónRESUMEN
Citrobacter koseri (C. koseri) is a Gram-negative, motile, non-spore-forming facultative anaerobic bacillus belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family. C. koseri typically utilizes citrate as the sole carbon source and constitutes part of the normal gastrointestinal flora in humans and animals. As an opportunistic pathogen, C. koseri infections are mainly observed in neonates, elderly individuals, and immunocompromised hosts. C. koseri has been one of the main etiological agents of neonatal meningitis and cerebral abscess. In recent years, an increasing number of cases have been reported in adults with severe infections caused by C. koseri. Here, we report for the first time a clinical case of concurrent C. koseri intra-abdominal infection in a patient with severe asthma and provide a brief review of the relevant literature. With this report, we hope to increase awareness and alertness among clinicians to the possibility of concurrent infection of gut commensal bacteria in asthmatic patients requiring long-term oral corticosteroid administration.
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In recent years, the merging of electrosynthesis with 3d metal catalyzed C-H activation has emerged as a sustainable and powerful technique in organic synthesis. Despite the impressive advantages, the development of an enantioselective version remains elusive and poses a daunting challenge. Herein, we report the first electrooxidative cobalt-catalyzed enantio- and regioselective C-H/N-H annulation with olefins using an undivided cell at room temperature (up to 99 % ee). t Bu-Salox, a rationally designed Salox ligand bearing a bulky tert-butyl group at the ortho-position of phenol, was found to be crucial for this asymmetric annulation reaction. A strong cooperative effect between t Bu-Salox and 3,4,5-trichloropyridine enabled the highly enantio- and regioselective C-H annulation with the more challenging α-olefins without secondary bond interactions (up to 96 % ee and 97 : 3 rr). Cyclovoltametric studies, and the preparation, characterization, and transformation of cobaltacycle intermediates shed light on the mechanism of this reaction.
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Background: The long-term prognosis of COVID-19 survivors remains poorly understood. It is evidenced that the lung is the main damaged organ in COVID-19 survivors, most notably in impairment of pulmonary diffusion function. Hence, we conducted a meta-analysis of the potential risk factors for impaired diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) in convalescent COVID-19 patients. Methods: We performed a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Ovid databases for relevant studies from inception until January 7, 2022, limited to papers involving human subjects. Studies were reviewed for methodological quality. Fix-effects and random-effects models were used to pool results. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2. The publication bias was assessed using the Egger's test. PROSPERO registration: CRD42021265377. Findings: A total of eighteen qualified articles were identified and included in the systematic review, and twelve studies were included in the meta-analysis. Our results showed that female (OR: 4.011; 95% CI: 2.928-5.495), altered chest computerized tomography (CT) (OR: 3.002; 95% CI: 1.319-6.835), age (OR: 1.018; 95% CI: 1.007-1.030), higher D-dimer levels (OR: 1.012; 95% CI: 1.001-1.023) and urea nitrogen (OR: 1.004;95% CI: 1.002-1.007) were identified as risk factors for impaired DLCO. Interpretation: Pulmonary diffusion capacity was the most common impaired lung function in recovered patients with COVID-19. Several risk factors, such as female, altered chest CT, older age, higher D-dimer levels and urea nitrogen are associated with impairment of DLCO. Raising awareness and implementing interventions for possible modifiable risk factors may be valuable for pulmonary rehabilitation. Funding: This work was financially supported by Emergency Key Program of Guangzhou Laboratory (EKPG21-29, EKPG21-31), Incubation Program of National Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars by Guangzhou Medical University (GMU2020-207).
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Phyllospadix iwatensis, a foundation species of the angiosperm-dominated marine blue carbon ecosystems, has been recognized to be a vulnerable seagrass. Its degradation has previously been reported to be associated with environmental changes and human activities, while there has been a limited number of studies on its inherent characteristics. In this study, both the physiological and molecular biological data indicated that the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of P. iwatensis is prone to photoinactivation, which exhibits the light-dependent trait. When exposed to laboratory light intensities similar to typical midday conditions, <10% of the OEC was photoinactivated, and the remaining active OEC was sufficient to maintain normal photosynthetic activity. Moreover, the photoinactivated OEC could fully recover within the same day. However, under harsh light conditions, e.g., light intensities that simulate cloudless sunny neap tide days and continual sunny days, the OEC suffered irreversible photoinactivation, which subsequently resulted in damage to the photosystem II reaction centers and a reduction in the rate of O2 evolution. Furthermore, in situ measurements on a cloudless sunny neap tide day revealed both poor resilience and irreversible photoinactivation of the OEC. Based on these findings, we postulated that the OEC dysfunction induced by ambient harsh light conditions could be an important inherent reason for the degradation of P. iwatensis.
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Light not only conveys image-forming vision but also has an impact on various physiological functions. In particular, ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation has the closest relationship with living organisms. For Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas), alteration of valve behavior is one of the most important ways responding to ambient UVB. In the present study, the response of adult C. gigas to sunlight (especially UVB) was evaluated by monitoring valve activity and further elucidated at the physiological and metabolomic levels. After exposure, the valve activity of C. gigas demonstrated flexible acclimation to the ambient conditions. The potential adjustment of osmoregulation and oxidative stress might be related to ambient UVB radiation. Mycosporine-like amino acids might contribute to the protection of C. gigas against UVB, while precursors of ß-alanine and degradation products of 5-hydroxytryptamine might adjust the contraction of the adductor muscles. The different responses of the adductor muscles (smooth and striated) were manifested in signal transduction and metabolisms of energy and nucleotide. This study not only indicated the correlation between the valve behavioral changes in oysters and light radiation, especially UVB, but illustrated the acclimation strategies of oysters to ambient light (UVB) environment.
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Both decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 209) and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) are still produced in large quantities in China, especially in the Shandong Province closed to the Bohai Sea (BS). This study conducted a comprehensive investigation of the distribution and budget of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in the BS. BDE 209 was the predominant BFR in most of the investigated rivers flowing into the BS, although DBDPE exceeded BDE 209 in certain rivers as a result of the replacement of BDE 209 with DBDPE in North China. The spatial distributions of BFRs in the rivers were controlled by the proximity of the BFR manufacturing base and the extent of urbanization. BFRs' spatial distribution in the BS was influenced by a combination of land-based pollution sources, environmental parameters (e.g., suspended particulate matter, particulate organic carbon, and particulate black carbon), and hydrodynamic conditions. The spatial variation trend of BDE 209/DBDPE ratios in various environmental media provided useful information. Vertically, the BDE 209/DBDPE ratio decreased from the seawater surface layer to the sediment, indicating their differential transport in the BS. A multi-box mass balance model and analysis of BDE 209 showed that degradation was the primary sink of BFRs in seawater (â¼68%) and surface sediment (â¼72%) in the BS.
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Monitoreo del Ambiente , Retardadores de Llama , Bromobencenos/análisis , China , Retardadores de Llama/análisis , Éteres Difenilos Halogenados/análisisRESUMEN
The efficient diagnosis of COVID-19 plays a key role in preventing the spread of this disease. The computer-aided diagnosis with deep learning methods can perform automatic detection of COVID-19 using CT scans. However, large scale annotation of CT scans is impossible because of limited time and heavy burden on the healthcare system. To meet the challenge, we propose a weakly-supervised deep active learning framework called COVID-AL to diagnose COVID-19 with CT scans and patient-level labels. The COVID-AL consists of the lung region segmentation with a 2D U-Net and the diagnosis of COVID-19 with a novel hybrid active learning strategy, which simultaneously considers sample diversity and predicted loss. With a tailor-designed 3D residual network, the proposed COVID-AL can diagnose COVID-19 efficiently and it is validated on a large CT scan dataset collected from the CC-CCII. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed COVID-AL outperforms the state-of-the-art active learning approaches in the diagnosis of COVID-19. With only 30% of the labeled data, the COVID-AL achieves over 95% accuracy of the deep learning method using the whole dataset. The qualitative and quantitative analysis proves the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed COVID-AL framework.
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COVID-19/diagnóstico por imagen , Aprendizaje Profundo , Diagnóstico por Computador/métodos , Neumonía Viral/diagnóstico por imagen , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos X , Conjuntos de Datos como Asunto , Humanos , Neumonía Viral/virología , SARS-CoV-2RESUMEN
Trichloropropyl phosphate (TCPP) is a halogenated organophosphate ester that is widely used as flame retardants and plasticizers. In this study, gender-specific accumulation and responses in mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis to TCPP exposure were focused and highlighted. After TCPP (100 nmol L-1) exposure for 42 days, male mussels showed similar average bioaccumulation (37.14 ± 6.09 nmol g-1 fat weight (fw)) of TCPP with that in female mussels (32.28 ± 4.49 nmol g-1 fw). Proteomic analysis identified 219 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between male and female mussels in control group. There were 52 and 54 DEPs induced by TCPP in male and female mussels, respectively. Interestingly, gender-specific DEPs included 37 and 41 DEPs induced by TCPP in male and female mussels, respectively. The proteomic differences between male and female mussels were related to protein synthesis and degradation, energy metabolism, and functions of cytoskeleton and motor proteins. TCPP influenced protein synthesis, energy metabolism, cytoskeleton functions, immunity, and reproduction in both male and female mussels. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks indicated that protein synthesis and energy metabolism were the main biological processes influenced by TCPP. However, DEPs involved in these processes and their interaction patterns were quite different between male and female mussels. Basically, twelve ribosome DEPs which directly or indirectly interacted were found in protein synthesis in TCPP-exposed male mussels, while only 3 ribosome DEPs (not interacted) in TCPP-exposed female mussels. In energy metabolism, only 4 DEPs (with the relatively simple interaction pattern) mainly resided in fatty acid metabolism, butanoate/propanoate metabolism and glucose metabolism were discovered in TCPP-exposed male mussels, and more DEPs (with multiple interactions) functioned in TCA cycle and pyruvate/glyoxylate/dicarboxylate metabolism were found in TCCP-exposed female mussels. Taken together, TCPP induced gender-specific toxicological effects in mussels, which may shed new lights on further understanding the toxicological mechanisms of TCPP in aquatic organisms.
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Retardadores de Llama , Mytilus , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua , Animales , Femenino , Masculino , Fosfatos , Proteómica , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/toxicidadRESUMEN
Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are man-made organic pollutants that are used in flame retardants (FRs), plasticizers, antifoaming and hydraulic agents, and extractants. The demand for FRs in China has increased, thereby rapidly increasing the use of OPEs and hence resulted in its high levels in the environment. In this study, we measured the concentrations of seven OPE congeners in the seawaters of the Bohai Sea (BS), the Yellow Sea (YS), and the East China Sea (ECS). The horizontal and vertical spatial distributions were then analyzed to assess the OPE pollution. The total concentrations of the seven OPE congeners (ΣOPEs) in the three seas ranged from 7.31 to 100 ng L-1. The main OPE compounds were tris-(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP, 3.97-35.6 ng L-1), tris-(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP, 0.59-19.8 ng L-1), and triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO, from below the detection limit to 43.5 ng L-1). The inventory of the ΣOPEs in the BS, YS, and ECS was estimated as 54.2, 513, and 3950 tons, respectively. Horizontally, the ΣOPE concentration was ranked as BS > YS > ECS. In the vertical direction, the OPE concentrations in the surface water were higher than those in the bottom water. Ocean currents and riverine inputs might be the main factors influencing the distributions of the OPEs in these seas. Moreover, a seasonal variation (summer 2015 versus winter 2016) in the OPEs was observed in the YS, which was probably due to anthropogenic influences and hydrological, meteorological, and biological factors.
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With the advent of the Internet of things (IoT), intelligent transportation has evolved over time to improve traffic safety and efficiency as well as to reduce congestion and environmental pollution. However, there are some challenging issues to be addressed so that it can be implemented to its full potential. The major challenge in intelligent transportation is that vehicles and pedestrians, as the main types of edge nodes in IoT infrastructure, are on the constant move. Hence, the topology of the large scale network is changing rapidly over time and the service chain may need reestablishment frequently. Existing Virtual Network Function (VNF) chain placement methods are mostly good at static network topology and any evolvement of the network requires global computation, which leads to the inefficiency in computing and the waste of resources. Mapping the network topology to a graph, we propose a novel VNF placement method called BVCP (Border VNF Chain Placement) to address this problem by elaborately dividing the graph into multiple subgraphs and fully exploiting border hypervisors. Experimental results show that BVCP outperforms the state-of-the-art method in VNF chain placement, which is highly efficient in large scale IoT of intelligent transportation.
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Phthalate esters (PEs) are a class of synthetic chemicals that have been widely used as plasticizers in industrial products and households. The occurrence of PEs in the marine environment has been a concern for many years because of their adverse impacts on marine organisms and human health. In this study, six major PEs, i.e. diethyl phthalate (DEP), diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), dinbutyl phthalate (DnBP), benzylbutyl phthalate (BBP), dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP) and di(2ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), were analyzed in sediment samples collected in the Bohai and Yellow seas. The sum concentrations of the six PEs ranged from 1.4 to 24.6â¯ng/g and the average was 9.1â¯ng/g. The highest concentrations of PEs in the sediment samples were those of DEHP with a median concentration of 3.77â¯ng/g, followed by DiBP (median, 1.60â¯ng/g), DnBP (0.91â¯ng/g), DEP (0.32â¯ng/g), BBP (0.03â¯ng/g) and DCHP (0.01â¯ng/g). Generally, concentrations of PEs in the Bohai Sea are higher than those in the Yellow Sea. The varying spatial distributions of the individual PEs can be the result of discharge sources, regional ocean circulation patterns, and mud areas in the Bohai and Yellow seas. Significant positive correlations were found between total organic carbon content and the concentrations of DiBP, DnBP, and DEHP. It is estimated that the inventories of the ∑6PEs were 20.73â¯tons in the Bohai Sea and 65.87â¯tons in the Yellow Sea. Both riverine discharge and atmospheric deposition are major input sources for the PE sedimentation, while massive plastic litter and microplastics sinking to the ocean floor can directly release PEs into sediment. This study provides an appropriate data set for the assessment of the risk of PEs to the marine ecosystem.
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Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) are increasingly produced and used as alternatives of brominated flame-retardants (BFRs) and have become emerging marine environmental contaminants. So far, however, little is known regarding the biological effects of OPFRs in marine organisms. In this study, the biological effects of one of the most abundant OPFRs, tris (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP), on the immunity in mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis were characterized by testing the reactive oxygen species, apoptosis, antioxidant system and immunity related gene expressions. Results indicated that both TCPP exposures (10 and 100â¯nmol L-1) significantly (p < 0.01) enhanced reactive oxygen species production and the high dose of TCPP induced more apoptosis and oxidative stress in mussel hemocytes. TCPP also induced an obvious hormesis phenomenon (low dose inhibition and high dose stimulation) in mussel hemocytes, as indicated by the gene expression profiles of caspase 8 and mytimacin. The down-regulated gene expression levels of lysozymes suggested that both TCPP exposures inhibited the innate immunity in mussel M. galloprovincialis. The significantly (p < 0.01) increased gene expression levels of TLR, galectin, PGRP and LITAF demonstrated that TCPP induced dose-dependent immune stress in mussels. Overall, this work suggested that TCPP could influence the immune system in marine mussel M. galloprovincialis.