Terrestrial vegetation carbon sink analysis and driving mechanism identification in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The estimation of terrestrial carbon sinks in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) still faces significant uncertainties, and the spatiotemporal dynamics of terrestrial carbon sinks along altitudinal gradients remain unexplored. Moreover, the driving mechanisms of terrestrial carbon sinks at the watershed scale in the QTP continue to be lacking. To address these research gaps, based on multi-source remote sensing data and meteorological data, this study calculated the Net Ecosystem Productivity (NEP) in the QTP from 2000 to 2020 using the Modis NPP-soil respiration model. Through the coefficient of variation (CV), the Mann-Kendall test (MK), and the spatial autocorrelation methods, the spatial distribution pattern and spatiotemporal trends of NEP were investigated. Employing a pixel accumulation method, the variation of NEP along altitudinal gradients was explored. Grey relation analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and Geographical detector (GD) were used to investigate the driving mechanisms of NEP at the watershed scale. Results showed that: (1) the terrestrial ecosystem in the QTP served as a carbon sink, which produced a total of 2.04 Pg C from 2000 to 2020, and the multi-year average of total carbon sinks was 96.92 Tg C; (2) the spatial distribution of NEP shows a decreasing change from southeast to northwest, and the clustering characteristic of NEP is significant at the watershed scale; (3) the elevation of 4507 m we proposed is likely to be a key threshold for biophysical processes of the terrestrial ecosystems in the QTP; (4) the fluctuation and change trend of carbon sources and carbon sinks show significant differences between the East and West; (5) at the watershed scale, precipitation and temperature play a dominant role in the variation of NEP, while the impact of human activities on NEP variation is weak. Our study aims to address the existing knowledge gaps and provide valuable insights into the management of terrestrial carbon sinks in QTP.

A high-performance wearable pressure sensor based on an MXene/PVP composite nanofiber membrane for health monitoring.

Flexible and wearable pressure sensors have attracted extensive attention in domains, such as electronic skin, medical monitoring and human-machine interaction. However, developing a pressure sensor with high sensitivity, mechanical stability and a wide detection range remains a huge challenge. In this work, a flexible capacitive pressure sensor, based on a Ti3C2T x (MXene)/polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) composite nanofiber membrane (CNM), prepared via an efficient electrospinning process, is presented. The experimental results show that even a small mass fraction of MXene can effectively decrease the compression modulus of the PVP nanofiber membrane, thus enhancing the sensing performance. Specifically, the sensor based on (0.1 wt% MXene)/PVP CNM has a high sensitivity (0.5 kPa-1 at 0-1.5 kPa), a fast response/recovery time (45/45 ms), a wide pressure detection range (0-200 kPa), a low detection limit (∼9 Pa) and an excellent mechanical stability (8000 cycles). Due to its superior performance, the sensor can monitor subtle changes in human physiology and other signals, such as pulse, respiration, human joint motions and airflow. In addition, a 4 × 4 sensor array is fabricated that can accurately map the shape and position of objects with good resolution. The high-performance flexible pressure sensor, as developed in this work, shows good application prospects in advanced human-computer interface systems.

Analysis of international competitiveness of the China's licorice industry from the perspective of global trade.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Licorice is a multi-purpose plant raw material, which is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry and food industry, cosmetic industry, etc. It has a wide application in various countries and regions around the world. AIM OF STUDY: This paper studied the trade situation of licorice-related products among major countries and regions in the world, providing a practical reference for the sustainable development of the global licorice industry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The licorice trade data of licorice-related products came from the United Nations Commodity Trade Database and China Customs data. We analyzed the world's major trading countries by using international market share (IMS), trade competitiveness index (TC), average export price (AEP) and average import price (AIP), and analyzed global trade flows with chord diameter. RESULTS: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Iran mainly export licorice raw materials and low value-added products. China is both a producer and a consumer of licorice raw materials and licorice products. The processing trade of the licorice industry in China has advantages, and the structure of import and export trade has been continuously improved. The United States, France, Germany and other developed countries are still important consumers who rely on the intellectual property rights and brand advantages of licorice products, which have stronger global trade radiation capacity. CONCLUSIONS: China's trade structure has been optimized and its industrial competitiveness has been enhanced. China's experience can be used for reference by other countries, especially those with rich licorice resources among the SCO members.

Parental category B vaccine hesitancy and associated factors in China: an online cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Vaccine hesitancy is one of the top ten health threats. We aimed to (1) assess parental Category B vaccines hesitancy and associated sociodemographic factors in China, and (2) explore the association between attitude toward vaccines and self-reported hesitant behavior. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed through a web-based anonymous online questionnaire survey between 9 February and 7 April 2021. Chinese parents aged ≥ 18 years with one child aged < 6 years were included to assess vaccine hesitancy using the vaccine-hesitancy scale (VHS). Structural equation model was used to determine relationships between variables. RESULTS: Of 2952 Chinese parents included in the analysis, 17.5% were highly hesitant in Category B vaccines. Parents who were younger, less educated, engaged in health-related occupations, and had been vaccinated against influenza in the past year were more hesitant when vaccinating their children (P < 0.001). VHS score accuracy to identify vaccine-hesitant behavior was acceptable, and the optimal cutoff was 37.50 (with 61.96% parental vaccine hesitancy). Parents who lack confidence or believe vaccines were risk were more likely to show vaccine hesitant behavior (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In China, effective interventions need to be implemented to eliminate parental Category B vaccines hesitancy.

Factors Influencing Vaccine Hesitancy in China: A Qualitative Study.

Vaccine hesitancy has become a significant issue. We aimed to elucidate the factors influencing vaccine hesitation in Chinese residents and to analyze and recommend promotional strategies and measures. In total, 92 Chinese residents from 10 provinces were interviewed using semi-structured face-to-face interviews following a predetermined survey framework in this qualitative study. We found trust in vaccine safety, access to professional advice, and vaccine price and effectiveness to be the main factors influencing vaccine hesitation. Additionally, residents in areas with a higher per capita GDP tend to receive more social support, believe that vaccination is beneficial and can prevent diseases, pay more attention to whether the vaccine is safe and has undergone various clinical trials, and are more likely to seek advice from individuals with vaccination experience as opposed to their counterparts in areas with a lower per capita GDP. Notably, as per capita GDP rises, individuals become more concerned about the price of vaccines. Measures such as clarifying vaccine safety and effectiveness, reducing self-funded vaccine prices, offering free vaccination for special groups, strengthening the publicity role of medical staff, and taking advantage of network platforms are essential to reduce vaccine hesitancy among Chinese residents.

Difference in the binding mechanisms of ABT-263/43b with Bcl-xL/Bcl-2: computational perspective on the accurate binding free energy analysis.

B-cell lymphoma/leukemia gene-2(Bcl-2) protein family known for regulating cell cycle arrest and subsequent cell death is highly expressed in a variety of cancers. Among them, the Bcl-xL and Bcl-2 are two essential proteins in the Bcl-2 family. In the present work, the differences in binding modes as between the two proteins and two ligands ABT-263/43b were investigated and compared. And the computational alanine scanning combined with the recently developed interaction entropy (AS-IE) method was employed for predicting their binding free energies and finding those amino acids that were more critical during the binding process. The result showed that the binding free energy calculated by the AS-IE method was more in line with experimental values than the molecular mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM/PBSA) method. Besides, no significant difference was found between Bcl-xL and ABT-263/43b in the binding free energy, which Bcl-xL showed slightly weaker binding free energy to 43b because of the fewer number of key residues with interactions. Nonetheless, compared with the Bcl-2 and 43b complex, the Bcl-2 and ABT-263 system had greater number of key residues interacting with ABT-263, in particular, contribute favorably, resulting in a stronger binding ability for the Bcl-2 and ABT-263 systems. The van der Waals and hydrogen bond contributions were significant in the four protein-ligand complexes. Overall, Tyr108 was found to be the common key residues in the Bcl-xL-ligand complex, while Tyr105, Glu100, and Glu143 were established as the common key residue in the Bcl-2-ligand systems. We hope that the predicted hot spot residues and their energy distributions can guide the design of peptide and small-molecule drugs targeting Bcl-xL and Bcl-2.

Vaccine Hesitancy: COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccine Willingness among Parents in Wuxi, China-A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to (1) assess parental hesitancy about category A (Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI)) and B (non-EPI) vaccines, (2) assess parental willingness for COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations, and (3) explore the association of vaccination hesitancy of parents and healthcare workers (HCWs). METHODS: The study was performed in Wuxi, eastern China between 21 September 2020 and 17 October 2020. Parents of children aged <18 years and HCWs were recruited from the selected immunization clinics. Vaccine hesitancy was assessed using the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) vaccine hesitancy survey (VHS) by summing the total score for 10 items (maximum 50 points). RESULTS: A total of 3009 parents and 86 HCWs were included in the analysis. The category A VHS scores were significantly higher than the category B VHS scores (p = 0.000). Overall, 59.3% and 52.4% of parents reported willingness to avail COVID-19 and influenza vaccination for their children, respectively; 51.2% of the HCWs wanted to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Parental category B VHS scores were associated with HCW category B VHS scores (r = 0.928, p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: In China, parents are more hesitant about category B vaccines than category A vaccines. More than 40% of parents showed hesitancy and a refusal to use COVID-19 and influenza vaccines.

Computational analysis of binding free energies, hotspots and the binding mechanism of Bcl-xL/Bcl-2 binding to Bad/Bax.

The anti-apoptotic proteins B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xL) and B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2) are members of the Bcl-2 protein family, and they play important roles in regulating apoptosis and cell cycle retardation. However, the binding mechanisms of Bcl-xL/Bcl-2 with their associated agonists, including Bcl-2-associated death promoter (Bad) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), are not well understood. In the present study, the recently developed interaction entropy approach was employed for the calculation of entropic contribution, and the computational alanine scanning method was used to identify the hot spot in the protein-protein interactions between Bcl-xL/Bcl-2 and Bad/Bax. The calculated binding free energies and their ranks for the four systems were in good agreement with the experimental results. Computational analysis shows that there are more hot-spot residues in the Bcl-xL/Bad complex than that in the Bcl-xL/Bax complex, leading to a stronger binding affinity in the former. It is interesting to find that the reason for the stronger binding affinity of Bcl-2 to Bad than to Bax is different for the Bcl-xL system. Although there are more hot-spot residues in the Bcl-2/Bax system than in the Bcl-2/Bad complex, there are also more negatively contributing residues in the Bcl-2/Bax. Our study identified Arg104, Tyr105, Leu116, and Leu134 to be the common key residues in the Bcl-xL complexes, and Arg107, Tyr108, Phe112, Gln118, Leu137, Arg146, and Tyr202 are common key residues in the Bcl-2 complexes. These results would provide valuable information for the design of potent inhibitors of Bcl-xL/Bcl-2.

Improving the performance of the MM/PBSA and MM/GBSA methods in recognizing the native structure of the Bcl-2 family using the interaction entropy method.

In the research and development of new drugs, theoretical and computational studies play an increasingly important role in discriminating native and decoy structures by their binding free energies. Predicting the binding free energy using the molecular mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann (Generalized Born) surface area (MM/PB(GB)SA) methods to identify the native structure as the lowest-energy conformation is more theoretically rigorous than most scoring functions, but the main challenge of this method is the calculation of the entropic contribution. In this study, we add the entropic contribution to the MM/PBSA and two MM/GBSA (GBHCT and GBOBC1) models using the interaction entropy (IE) method. We then systemically evaluate the performance of these methods in recognizing the native structures by predicting the binding affinities of 176 protein-ligand and protein-protein systems of the Bcl-2 family. By calculating a series of statistical metrics, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, Matthews correlation coefficient, the G-mean, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, we find that the ability to discern the native structure from a decoy ensemble is improved significantly by the modification of the binding free energy using the IE method in both protein-ligand and protein-protein systems. Furthermore, the maximum area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.97, which was obtained by the GBHCT model combined with the IE method, indicating that this method has the best performance. The largest improvement occurs in the PB method, with a change in the AUC of 0.32. The modification of the energy is more obvious for protein-protein interactions than for protein-ligand interactions. This study indicates the effectiveness of the IE method in successfully recognizing the native structure, which is critical in rational drug design.