An indole-3-acetic acid inhibitor mitigated mild cadmium stress by suppressing peroxide formation in rice seedling roots.

Cadmium (Cd) is a widely distributed heavy metal pollutant that is detrimental to growth and development of plants. The secretion of indole-3-acetic acid is one of the defense mechanisms when plants inflict heavy metal stress. This study aimed to explore how 4-phenoxyphenylboronic acid, an effective IAA inhibitor, induces changes in IAA level, Cadmium accumulation, and activation of defense responses in rice seedling roots under different Cadmium concentrations. Our research results show that: 1) root growth was promoted with PPBa addition under mild Cadmium treatment. 2) the root IAA level improved with increasing Cadmium concentration, and PPBa had a significant inhibitory effect on IAA level. 3) PPBa had no effect on the Cadmium accumulation in rice seedling roots. 4) PPBa had a significant inhibitory effect on the generation of H2O2 under mild and moderate Cadmium treatment. 5) PPBa exacerbated the imbalance of osmotic substances in rice seedling roots under severe Cadmium treatment. This study helps us understand the tolerance and endogenous regulation of plants to heavy metal stress.

Influence of microbial inoculation site on trichloroethylene degradation in electrokinetic-enhanced bioremediation of low-permeability soils.

The integration of electrokinetic and bioremediation (EK-BIO) represents an innovative approach for addressing trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination in low-permeability soil. However, there remains a knowledge gap in the impact of the inoculation approach on TCE dechlorination and the microbial response with the presence of co-existing substances. In this study, four 1-dimensional columns were constructed with different inoculation treatments. Monitoring the operation conditions revealed that a stabilization period (∼40 days) was required to reduce voltage fluctuation. The group with inoculation into the soil middle (Group B) exhibited the highest TCE dechlorination efficiency, achieving a TCE removal rate of 84%, which was 1.1-3.2 fold higher compared to the others. Among degraded products in Group B, 39% was ethylene. The physicochemical properties of the post-soil at different regions illustrated that dechlorination coincided with the Fe(III) and SO42- reduction, meaning that the EK-BIO system promoted the formation of a reducing environment. Microbial community analysis demonstrated that Dehalococcoides was only detected in the treatment of injection at soil middle or near the cathode, with abundance enriched by 2.1%-7.2%. The principal components analysis indicated that the inoculation approach significantly affected the evolution of functional bacteria. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis demonstrated that Group B exhibited at least 2.8 and 4.2-fold higher copies of functional genes (tceA, vcrA) than those of other groups. In conclusion, this study contributes to the development of effective strategies for enhancing TCE biodechlorination in the EK-BIO system, which is particularly beneficial for the remediation of low-permeability soils.

Advanced biomanufacturing and evaluation of adeno-associated virus.

Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) has been developed as a safe and effective gene delivery vehicle to treat rare genetic diseases. This study aimed to establish a novel biomanufacturing process to achieve high production and purification of various AAV serotypes (AAV2, 5, DJ, DJ8). First, a robust suspensive production process was developed and optimized using Gibco Viral Production Cell 2.0 in 30-60 mL shaker flask cultures by evaluating host cells, cell density at the time of transfection and plasmid amount, adapted to 60-100 mL spinner flask production, and scaled up to 1.2-2.0-L stirred-tank bioreactor production at 37 °C, pH 7.0, 210 rpm and DO 40%. The optimal process generated AAV titer of 7.52-8.14 × 1010 vg/mL. Second, a new AAV purification using liquid chromatography was developed and optimized to reach recovery rate of 85-95% of all four serotypes. Post-purification desalting and concentration procedures were also investigated. Then the generated AAVs were evaluated in vitro using Western blotting, transmission electron microscope, confocal microscope and bioluminescence detection. Finally, the in vivo infection and functional gene expression of AAV were confirmed in tumor xenografted mouse model. In conclusion, this study reported a robust, scalable, and universal biomanufacturing platform of AAV production, clarification and purification.

Field recovery from digital inline holographic images of composite propellant combustion base on denoising diffusion model.

Digital inline holography has gained extensive application in the optical diagnosis of solid propellant combustion. However, this method confronts several challenges. Firstly, the calculation time required for reconstruction and depth of field extension is excessively long. Secondly, the excessive smoke, airflow, and flame during combustion cause significant interference and poor reconstruction quality, which reduces the accuracy of particle identification. To address these issues, we have developed a holographic image reconstruction technique for aluminum particle combustion based on the Attention Mechanism, U-net, and Diffusion models. This approach enables end-to-end reconstruction of aluminum particle combustion holographic images, while effectively circumventing the interference of airflow combustion and flame.

The effects of arsenic on dechlorination of trichloroethene by consortium DH: Microbial response and resistance.

Inorganic arsenic and organochlorines are frequently co-occurring contaminants in anoxic groundwater environments, and the bioremediation of their composite pollution has long been a rigorous predicament. Currently, the dechlorination behaviors and stress responses of microbial dechlorination consortia to arsenic are not yet fully understood. This study assessed the reductive dechlorination performance of a Dehalococcoides-bearing microcosm DH under gradient concentrations of arsenate [As(V)] or arsenite [As(III)] and investigated the response patterns of different functional microorganisms. Our results demonstrated that although the dechlorination rates declined with increasing arsenic concentrations in both As(III/V) scenarios, the inhibitory impact was more pronounced in As(III)-amended groups compared to As(V)-amended groups. Moreover, the vinyl chloride (VC)-to-ethene step was more susceptible to arsenic exposure compared to the trichloroethene (TCE)-to-dichloroethane (DCE) step, while high levels of arsenic exposure [e.g. As(III) > 75 µM] can induce significant accumulation of VC. Functional gene variations and microbial community analyses revealed that As(III/V) affected reductive dechlorination by directly inhibiting organohalide-respiring bacteria (OHRB) and indirectly inhibiting synergistic populations such as acetogens. Metagenomic results indicated that arsenic metabolic and efflux mechanisms were identical among different Dhc strains, and variations in arsenic uptake pathways were possibly responsible for their differential responses to arsenic exposures. By comparison, fermentative bacteria showed high potential for arsenic resistance due to their inherent advantages in arsenic detoxification and efflux mechanisms. Collectively, our findings expanded the understanding of the response patterns of different functional populations to arsenic stress in the dechlorinating consortium and provided insights into modifying bioremediation strategies at co-contaminated sites for furtherance.

Alginate: Microbial production, functionalization, and biomedical applications.

Alginates are natural polysaccharides widely participating in food, pharmaceutical, and environmental applications due to their excellent gelling capacity. Their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability further extend their application to biomedical fields. The low consistency in molecular weight and composition of algae-based alginates may limit their performance in advanced biomedical applications. It makes microbial alginate production more attractive due to its potential for customizing alginate molecules with stable characteristics. Production costs remain the primary factor limiting the commercialization of microbial alginates. However, carbon-rich wastes from sugar, dairy, and biodiesel industries may serve as potential substitutes for pure sugars for microbial alginate production to reduce substrate costs. Fermentation parameter control and genetic engineering strategies may further improve the production efficiency and customize the molecular composition of microbial alginates. To meet the specific needs of biomedical applications, alginates may need functionalization, such as functional group modifications and crosslinking treatments, to achieve enhanced mechanical properties and biochemical activities. The development of alginate-based composites incorporated with other polysaccharides, gelatin, and bioactive factors can integrate the advantages of each component to meet multiple requirements in wound healing, drug delivery, and tissue engineering applications. This review provided a comprehensive insight into the sustainable production of high-value microbial alginates. It also discussed recent advances in alginate modification strategies and alginate-based composites for representative biomedical applications.

Heterogeneity Influence of Financial Digitalization and Inclusion on Employees' Psychological States.

Digital inclusive finance (DIF) has the power to spawn a new system of Internet finance and realize financial inclusion. However, the role of DIF in improving the health status of individuals is largely unknown. This study aims to demonstrate whether and how the development of DIF impacts the mental health of Chinese employees. This paper performs an empirical study based on the city-level data of the digital inclusive financial index with the China family panel studies. Ordinary least squares (OLS), probit models and mediation techniques are employed with appropriate instruments to alleviate endogeneity concerns. The results show that DIF can help employees improve their mental health. The results were robust to a variety of checks. Moreover, increasing income is the main pathway in which DIF improves individual mental health. Finally, it also reveals the heterogeneous effects of DIF on individual mental health. That is, the use depth of DIF has a significant positive effect on mental health status, but not on other sub-indicators, such as coverage breadth and degree of digital service provision; on those vulnerable groups containing females and employees with low education, its decisive role is larger than their counterparts who are males and have high levels of education. These results highlight the vital role of DIF in improving the mental health status of individuals. Consequently, there is a need to strengthen the construction of financial infrastructure and achieve a deeper integration of the financial system with digital technologies.

Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome associated with certain SGPL1 variants in a family: Case report and literature review.

Objectives: Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is a clinical syndrome characterized by the lack of response to standard steroid therapy, usually progressing to end-stage renal disease. We reported two cases of female identical twins with SRNS caused by SGPL1 variants in one family, reviewed the relevant literature, and summarized their clinical phenotypes, pathological types, and genotypic characteristics. Methods: Two cases of nephrotic syndrome caused by SGPL1 variants were admitted to Tongji Hospital, affiliated with Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Their clinical data were retrospectively collected, and the peripheral blood genomic DNA was captured and sequenced by whole exome sequencing. Related literature published in PubMed, CNKI, and Wan fang databases was reviewed. Results: We described two Chinese identical twin girls with isolated SRNS due to compound heterozygous variants in the SGPL1 (intron4 c.261 + 1G > A and intron12 c.1298 + 6T > C). The patients were followed up for 60.0 months and 53.0 months, respectively, having no extra-renal manifestations. They all died due to renal failure. A total of 31 children with SGPL1 variants causing nephrotic syndrome (including the reported two cases) were identified through a literature review. Conclusions: These two female identical twins were the first reported cases of isolated SRNS caused by SGPL1 variants. Almost all homozygous and compound heterozygous variants of SGPL1 had extra-renal manifestations, but compound heterozygous variants in the intron of SGPL1 may have no obvious extra-renal manifestations. Additionally, a negative genetic testing result does not completely rule out genetic SRNS because the Human Gene Mutation Database or ClinVar is constantly being updated.

Can government-led civilized city construction promote green innovation? Evidence from China.

Since the reform and opening up, China's urbanization level has rapidly increased. However, urban civilization construction lags behind, creating a series of problems, such as environmental pollution, further restricting the healthy and sustainable development of cities. Therefore, China has carried out top-down civilized city construction led by the government. This paper regards the "national civilized city" selection implemented by the Chinese government as a quasi-natural experiment and empirically tests the impact of government-led civilized city construction on urban green innovation and the mechanism of this impact by using the progressive difference-in-differences (DID) model based on panel data of 281 Chinese cities from 2003 to 2018. The results show that civilized city construction contributes to increasing the level of urban green innovation, which is supported by a series of robustness tests conducted through variable substitution and sample adjustment. The quantile regression results show that the higher the level of green innovation, the stronger the green innovation effect of civilized city construction. This finding indicates that the marginal effect of green innovation in civilized city construction is gradually enhanced with the gradual increase in the level of green innovation in cities. The mediating effect analysis shows that civilized city construction can provide financial support for green innovation activities by promoting the expansion of the urban investment scale, which, in turn, increases the level of urban green innovation. In addition, environmental regulation can strengthen the promoting effect of civilized city construction on green innovation. These findings hold important theoretical and practical significance for understanding the green innovation effect of government-led civilized city construction and further leveraging the important role of government in the construction of the urban business environment as a means to promote urban investment clustering, lay the factor foundation for green innovation and strengthen the synergy between environmental regulation policies and civilized city construction policies.

Inhibition of GAB2 expression has a protective effect on osteoarthritis:An in vitro and in vivo study.

Osteoarthritis is a chronic age-related degenerative disease associated with varying degrees of pain and joint mobility disorders. Grb2-associated-Binding protein-2 (GAB2) is an intermediate molecule that plays a role downstream in a variety of signaling pathways, such as inflammatory signaling pathways. The role of GAB2 in the pathogenesis of OA has not been fully studied. In this study, we found that GAB2 expression was elevated in chondrocytes after constructing in vivo and in vitro models of OA. Inhibition of GAB2 by siRNA decreased the expression of MMP3, MMP13, iNOS, COX2, p62, and increased the expression of COL2, SOX9, ATG7, Beclin-1 and LC3II/LC3I. Furthermore, inhibition of GAB2 expression inhibited interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) -induced mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling. In vivo studies, we found that reduced GAB2 expression effectively delayed cartilage destruction in a mouse model of OA induced by destabilisation of the medial meniscus (DMM). In conclusion, our study demonstrates that GAB2 is a potential therapeutic target for OA.

Green Finance and Corporate Green Innovation: Based on China's Green Finance Reform and Innovation Pilot Policy.

Using data on China's A-share listed enterprises from 2012 to 2019, we investigate the impact of China's green finance reform and innovation pilot (GFRIP) policy on green innovation by the difference-in-difference (DID) method. The results show that the GFRIP policy has a significant role in promoting enterprises' green innovation. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the positive effect of the GFRIP policy on green innovation is only significant for heavily polluting enterprises, large enterprises, state-owned enterprises, and enterprises headquartered in regions with a low level of marketization. Debt financing is an important mechanism for the GFRIP policy to promote corporate green innovation; that is, the GFRIP policy alleviates corporate debt financing constraints and then promotes corporate green innovation. Our study provides theoretical and practical enlightenment for developing countries such as China to deepen reform of the green financial system and promote green innovation.

The effect of venture capital on green innovation: Is environmental regulation an institutional guarantee?

Venture capital (VC) may play a role in urban green innovation (GI) by providing long-term financial support. Based on panel data from 150 cities in China, this study analyzes the impact of VC on urban GI and the underlying mechanism. The research conclusions are as follows. VC significantly promotes urban GI, and we find micro-level evidence for this conclusion. The results of a quantile regression show that with an improvement in a city's GI level, the positive effect of VC shows an increasing trend. A mechanism analysis shows that VC promotes urban GI by enhancing urban investment and innovative talent agglomeration and that the accumulation of high-quality human capital brought by VC is the main reason for its positive impact on urban GI. In addition, the influence of VC on urban GI exhibits a threshold effect based on environmental regulations. There is an optimal range of environmental regulation intensity that maximizes the effect of VC on GI. This study confirms the important role of VC in regional GI activities, enriching the research on the innovation effect of VC and providing a theoretical and practical reference for promoting green economic development.

Transformation to Industrial Artificial Intelligence and Workers' Mental Health: Evidence From China.

This study matches data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) with data on the transformation to industrial artificial intelligence (AI) in cities to explore the effect of this transformation on workers' mental health and its underlying mechanisms in China. The findings show the following (1). The transformation to industrial AI effectively alleviates multiple mental health problems and improves workers' mental health (2). Work intensity and wage income play an intermediary role in the relationship between the industrial AI transformation and workers' mental health (3). Potential endogeneity problems in the relationship between industrial AI and workers' mental health are considered, and robustness tests are conducted (including changing the dependent variables, independent variables and regression models). The main results and impact mechanisms remain robust and reliable. This study extends the research on the relationship between industrial AI and workers' health, which has important theoretical implications. Additionally, based on the Chinese context, this research has important implications for the current AI transformation in developing countries. Transition economies with labor shortages can achieve a win-win situation by promoting industrial AI to fill the labor gap and improve workers' mental health.

Environmental benefits of innovation policy: China's national independent innovation demonstration zone policy and haze control.

In recent years, China has focused its development on technological innovation, trying to achieve a win-win situation between environmental protection and economic growth, and it has formulated a series of policies to promote technological innovation. Taking China's national independent innovation demonstration zone (NIIDZ) policy as an example, this paper empirically investigates the impact of China's innovation policy on haze pollution by using a difference-in-differences (DID) model. The results show that the NIIDZ policy promotes the governance of urban haze pollution and confirms the applicability of the experimentalist governance model in the practice of innovation policy in developing countries. Dynamic analysis shows that the NIIDZ policy has an experience accumulation effect. This policy can continue to promote haze control for at least 6 years, and the policy effect increases year by year. Action mechanism analysis shows that the NIIDZ policy can inhibit urban haze pollution by promoting urban technological innovation and high-tech industrial agglomeration. The estimation results of the spatial DID model show that the NIIDZ policy not only inhibits haze pollution in NIIDZ cities but also has an inhibitory effect on haze pollution in the surrounding non-NIIDZ cities and the NIIDZ cities, which confirms the positive externality characteristics of policy diffusion theory and environmental governance. The conclusions of this paper have important theoretical value for understanding the ecological effect of innovation policy and provide experience for developing countries to implement an experimentalist governance model.

The impact of local government debt on urban environmental pollution and its mechanism: Evidence from China.

As an important financial means for governments to improve the quality of economic development, government debt greatly affects the quality of local environmental governance. Based on a theoretical mechanism analysis that uses the pollutant emissions panel data and new caliber urban investment bond data of 273 cities in China, this paper empirically tests the impact of local government debt on urban emission reduction and the mechanism that drives this impact. We find that local government debt significantly promotes urban emissions reduction, and as urban pollution becomes more aggravated, this promoting effect has a dynamic path, first strengthening and then weakening. The role of local government debt in promoting urban emission reduction is characterized by both temporal and spatial heterogeneity. A mechanistic analysis shows that local government debt can promote urban emission reduction by promoting urban environmental innovation, with green invention patents demonstrating a stronger intermediary role than green utility model patents.

The influence of high-speed rails on urban innovation and the underlying mechanism.

Innovation is intrinsically dependent on the construction of local infrastructure. Using panel data on 285 cities in China, we empirically examined the impact of high-speed rails on urban innovation and the mechanism underlying this effect. We found that high-speed rails significantly increase urban innovation. In our analysis, high-speed rails were found to increase the agglomeration of innovation factors, including population and investment, which in turn increase urban technological innovation. The agglomeration of investment factors brought about by high-speed rails is the main source of the improvement in urban innovation. Through the use of a spatial panel model, we found that high-speed rails promote knowledge dissemination and technology spillovers among the cities along high-speed railways, thus improving their innovation levels. However, the existing effects of high-speed rails on innovation exhibit spatial heterogeneity. We confirmed the effect of high-speed rails on innovation and explored the mechanism underlying this effect by considering the effects of factor agglomeration and knowledge spillovers. Our conclusions can be used as a resource by policymakers to stimulate knowledge and technology diffusion, which in turn cultivates and stimulates urban innovation.

Sustainable Export Innovation Behavior of Firms Under Fiscal Incentive.

The fiscal imbalance between the central and local governments under fiscal centralization may motivate local governments to pass tax burdens on firms. The causal identification of the tax system reform and the sustainable export innovation behavior of firms are of great significance. This study uses the income tax sharing policy of China to examine the impact of fiscal centralization on the sustainable export innovation behavior of firms. We find that this tax reform has significantly inhibited the increase of the export value-added rate of firms, and has an increasing trend with the share ratio between the Central Government and the local government. Moreover, this effect mainly comes from the crowding-out effect of imported intermediate goods on domestic intermediate goods. The tests show that the above conclusions are consistent with the general logic of local governments. When they face greater downward fiscal pressure, they will further pass the tax burden on local firms and force the firms to promote their export performance to expand the tax base. This short-sighted behavior of replacing "quality improvement" with "quantity increase" is an important factor that affects the sustainable export innovation behavior of firms and the climb in the global value chain.