Characteristics of aerosol aminiums over a coastal city in North China: Insights from the divergent impacts of marine and terrestrial influences.

Aminium ions, as crucial alkaline components within fine atmospheric particles, have a notable influence on new particle formation and haze occurrence. Their concentrations within coastal atmosphere depict considerable variation due to the interplay of distinctive marine and terrestrial sources, further complicated by dynamic meteorological conditions. This study conducted a comprehensive examination of aminiums ions concentrations, with a particular focus on methylaminium (MMAH+), dimethylaminium (DMAH+), trimethylaminium (TMAH+), and triethylaminium (TEAH+) within PM2.5, over varying seasons (summer, autumn, and winter of 2019 and summer of 2021), at an urban site in the coastal megacity of Qingdao, Northern China. The investigations revealed that the total concentration of particulate aminium ions (∑Aminium) was 21.6 ± 23.6 ng/m3, exhibiting higher values in the autumn and winter compared to the two summer periods. Considering diurnal variations during autumn and winter, concentrations of particulate aminium ions (excluding TEAH+) exhibited a slight increase during the day compared to night, with a notable peak during the morning hours. However, it was not the case for TEAH+, which was argued to be readily oxidized by ambient oxidants in the afternoon. Additionally, the ∑Aminium within the summer demonstrated markedly elevated levels during the day compared to night, potentially attributed to daytime sea fog associated with sea-land breeze interactions. Positive matrix factorization results indicate terrestrial anthropogenic emissions, including vehicle emission mixed with road dust and primary pollution, as the primary sources of MMAH+ and DMAH+. Conversely, TMAH+ was predominantly emitted from agricultural and marine sources. With the dominance of sea breeze in summer, TMAH+ was identified as a primary marine emission correlated with sea salt, while MMAH+, DMAH+, and TEAH+ were postulated to undergo secondary formation. Furthermore, a notable inverse correlation was observed between TMAH+ and methanesulfonate in PM2.5, consistent with dynamic emissions of sulfur-content and nitrogen-content gases reported in the literature.

Mechanism of multi-organ compensation under different iodine intake in pregnant rats: results from a repeated-measures study of iodine metabolism.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the differences in iodine metabolism and expression of NIS and Pendrin in pregnant rats under different iodine nutritional status. METHODS: Female Wistar rats were divided into four groups: low iodine (LI), normal iodine (NI), ten fold high iodine (10HI), and fifty fold high iodine (50HI). The intervention began after one week of adaptive feeding. Iodine metabolism experiments were performed beginning on the 15th day of pregnancy. 24-h iodine intake and excretion were calculated. The concentrations of iodine in urine, fecal, thyroid, and placenta were measured by ICP-MS. PCR and Western Blot were used to detect the mRNA levels and cell membrane protein of sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) and Pendrin in the small intestine, thyroid, kidney, and placenta. RESULTS: Fecal iodine excretion (FIE) and urinary iodine excretion (UIE) in the 50HI group were significantly higher than those in the NI group (P < 0.05). The NIS protein and mRNA in the kidney and small intestine have an upward trend in iodine deficiency and a downward trend in iodine excess. Thyroid and placental iodine storage in the 50HI group were significantly higher than those in the NI group (P < 0.05). NIS, Pendrin protein, and mRNA in the thyroid and placenta tend to increase when iodine is deficient and decrease when there is excess. CONCLUSION: Iodine excretion and iodine stores in the placenta and thyroid gland are positively correlated with iodine intake. NIS and Pendrin are also regulated by iodine intake.

Impacts of ocean acidification and warming on the release and activity of the barnacle waterborne settlement pheromone, adenosine.

The effects of ocean acidification (OA) and warming on the physiological processes of many marine species have been well documented. However, far less is known about the impacts of these global variables on chemical communication. In this study, we identified the barnacle waterborne settlement pheromone (BWSP) of Balanus albicostatus as adenosine (Ado). Our results showed that neither elevated temperature (30 °C vs. ambient 26 °C) nor elevated pCO2 (1000 µatm vs. ambient 400 µatm) significantly affected the release of Ado from B. albicostatus adults. Exposure to elevated temperature and OA did not impair larval cue perception for settlement in B. albicostatus; however, OA inhibited settlement under elevated temperature in the absence/presence of BWSP, and elevated temperature induced larval settlement only in the presence of BWSP under ambient pCO2 condition. These results provided important insights into barnacle aggregation behavior in changing oceans and may help to predict the consequences of climate change on barnacle populations.

Important Roles and Formation of Atmospheric Organosulfates in Marine Organic Aerosols: Influence of Phytoplankton Emissions and Anthropogenic Pollutants.

Organosulfates (OSs) could be potentially important compounds in marine organic aerosols, while their formation in marine atmospheres is far from clear due to a lack of cruise observations. In this work, shipboard atmospheric observations were conducted over the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea to investigate the abundance and formation of biogenic isoprene/monoterpene-OSs in marine aerosols. The quantified OSs and NOSs accounted for 0.04-6.9% of marine organic aerosols and were 0.07-2.2% of the non-sea-salt (nss) sulfate in terms of sulfur content. Isoprene-related (nitrooxy-)OSs occupied 27-87% of the total quantified OSs, following the abundance order of summer > autumn > spring or winter. This order was driven by the marine phytoplankton biomass and sea surface temperature (SST), which controlled the seawater and atmospheric isoprene concentration levels. Under the severe impacts of anthropogenic pollutants from the East Asia continent in winter, monoterpene nitrooxy-OSs, generated with NOx involved in, increased to 34.4 ± 35.5 ng/m3 and contributed 68% of the quantified (nitrooxy-)OSs. Our results highlight the notable roles of biogenic OSs in marine organic aerosols over regions with high biological activity and high SST. The formation of biogenic OSs and their roles in altering marine aerosol properties calls for elaboration through cruise observations in different marine environments.

3D Lanthanide Neodymium Porphyrin Metal-Organic Framework for Photocatalytic Oxidation of Styrene.

A novel three-dimensional lanthanide porphyrin-based MOF (Nd-PMOFs) was synthesized by using tetracarboxyphenyl porphyrin as the ligand and the lanthanide Nd as the coordination metal. Its specific crystal structure information was obtained by single-crystal diffraction with the space group C2/c and the empirical formula C72H45N6Nd2O15.25. This new Nd porphyrin-based MOF with an organic framework formed by a unique coordination method enables the effective separation of photogenerated electrons and holes under photoluminescence, giving it excellent photocatalytic property which could be verified by the characterization data. The photocatalytic performance was examined by taking tert-butyl hydroperoxide as the oxidant and Nd-PMOFs as the catalyst for photocatalytic oxidation of styrene to benzaldehyde with 91.4% conversion and 81.2% benzaldehyde selectivity under optimal reactions, which surpasses most of the results reported in the literature. Several styrenes with other substituents were screened to explore the general applicability of Nd-PMOF for photocatalysis of styrene, among which Nd-PMOFs also exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance. This work offers the possibility to apply lanthanide organometallic frameworks, which are widely used in fluorescent materials, to photocatalysis. In addition, it also provides a new method for the catalytic generation of benzaldehyde from styrene that is consistent with the needs of modern green development.

PM2.5 source apportionment identified with total and soluble elements in positive matrix factorization.

Source apportionments of urban aerosols identified with positive matrix factorization (PMF) are sensitive to input variables. So far, total elements were frequently included as effective factors in PMF-based source apportionment. We investigated the advances to involve soluble parts of elements in the source apportionment with four data sets of PM2.5 composition observed at a coastal city (Qingdao) in northern China: water-soluble ions plus organic and elemental carbon (IC set), the IC set plus total elements (ICTE set), the IC set plus soluble elements (ICSE set), and the IC set plus both total elements and soluble elements (ICAE set). The apportionments of six sources, including secondary sulfate, secondary nitrate, secondary oxalate, sea salt, biomass burning and dust, were identified with the IC set. In comparison, pollutants from vehicle + coal combustion, ship emissions, waste incineration and industrial activities were also identified with the ICTE, ICSE, or ICAE sets. We found that the PMF solutions of the ICAE set could distinguish aged and fresh dust, and identify fly ash and aged pollutants from industrial sources. The profiles and corresponding time series of vehicle + coal combustion, secondary aerosols, ship emissions, sea salt, and biomass burning emissions identified with the four data sets were very similar, while discrepancies were encountered for waste incineration, dust, and industrial sources. These results indicate the benefits and potentials with total and soluble elements involved in PMF-based source apportionments.

Astaxanthin delays brain aging in senescence-accelerated mouse prone 10: inducing autophagy as a potential mechanism.

Brain aging is a complex biological process often associated with a decline in cognitive functions and motility. Astaxanthin (AST) is a strong antioxidant capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier. The effect of AST on brain aging and its physiological and molecular mechanism are still unclear. The study aimed to investigate whether AST from AstaReal A1010 improved brain aging by inducing autophagy in SAMP10 mice. Different concentrations of AstaReal A1010 were intragastrically administered to 6-month-old SAMP10 mice for 3 months. The results demonstrated that AST delayed age-related cognitive decline, motor ability and neurodegeneration, upregulated the expression levels of autophagy-related genes beclin-1 and LC3 in the brain. It may induce autophagy by regulating IGF-1/Akt/mTOR and IGF-1/Akt/FoxO3a signaling. Treatment with autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3MA) partly reversed the anti-aging effect of AST. In conclusion, our findings suggest that AST may induce autophagy by regulating IGF-1/Akt/mTOR and IGF-1/Akt/FoxO3a signaling, thereby delaying age-related neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in SAMP10 mice.

[Cognition, behavior and demand of iodine nutrition in residents of North China Region from 2019 to 2020].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate residents in North China cognition level of iodine nutrition and their intention to evaluate individual iodine status. METHODS: From February 2019 to June 2020, randomly selected six provinces and cities in north China and more than three cities or areas, then randomly selected local investigators and distributed questionnaires to urban and rural residents. The questionnaire was divided into three parts: basic information, iodine nutrition knowledge, iodine status evaluation demand and approaches. RESULTS: Finally, there are 740 questionnaires were included. The scores of iodine knowledge of the subjects were generally low, about 71.22% of the subjects with less than 6 points(full score of 12 points). Residents who did not know how to choose the type of salt accounted for 25.14%. Provinces and cities with low utilization rate of iodized salt(Tianjin, Shandong) had higher requirements for salt use guidance and iodine status evaluation. The awareness rate of the subjects to the harm of iodine deficiency was low(34.46%), especially the hazard to pregnant women and infants(7.57%, 4.59%). Subjects had a high demand for using wechat mini-program or kit to evaluate individual iodine nutrition(87.45%, 89.39%). CONCLUSION: At present, residents in North China have a low cognitive level of iodine nutrition, which lead to them the doubts when choosing salt types. The selection of iodized salt can be effectively guided by propagating iodine nutrition knowledge and promoting accurate iodine nutrition evaluation.

Investigation of a haze-to-dust and dust swing process at a coastal city in northern China part I: Chemical composition and contributions of anthropogenic and natural sources.

The long retention of dust air masses in polluted areas, especially in winter, may efficiently change the physicochemical properties of aerosols, causing additional health and ecological effects. A large-scale haze-to-dust weather event occurred in the North China Plain (NCP) region during the autumn-to-winter transition period in 2018, affecting the coastal city Qingdao several times between Nov. 27th and Dec. 1st. To study the evolution of the pollution process, we analyzed the chemical characteristics of PM2.5 and PM10-2.5 and source apportionments of PM2.5 and PM10, The dust stagnated around NCP and moved out and back to the site, noted as dust swing process, promoting SO42- formation in PM2.5 and NO3- formation in PM10-2.5. Source apportionments were analyzed using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) receptor model and weighted potential source contribution function (WPSCF). Before the dust invasion, Qingdao was influenced by severe haze; waste incineration and coal burning were the major contributors (~80 %) to PM2.5, and the source region was in the southwest of Shandong Province. During the initial dust event, mineral dust and the mixed factor of dust and sea salt were the major contributors (46.0 % of PM2.5 and 86.5 % of PM10). During the polluted dust period, the contributions of regional transported biomass burning (22.3 %), vehicle emissions (20.8 %), and secondary aerosols (33.8 %) to PM2.5 from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region significantly increased. The secondary aerosols source was more regional than that of vehicle emissions and biomass burning and contributed considerably to PM10 (30.8 %) during the dust swing process. Our findings demonstrate that environmental managers should consider the possible adverse effects of winter dust on regional and local pollution.

Effects of Al Particle Size on the Impact Energy Release of Al-Rich PTFE/Al Composites under Different Strain Rates.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/Al reactive material with different aluminum particle sizes were prepared by molding and sintering, and the effect of aluminum particle size on the impact behavior of PTFE/Al reactive material with a mass ratio of 50:50 was investigated. The results show that aluminum particle size has significant effects on the shock-reduced reaction diffusion, reaction speed, and degree of reaction of the PTFE/Al reactive material. At a moderate strain rate, the reaction delay of PTFE/Al increased, and the reaction duration and degree decreased, with the increase of aluminum particle size. Under the strong impact of explosive loading, aluminum particle size has little effect on the reaction delay, which maintains at about 1.5 µs-2.5 µs, but the reaction durability and degree of reaction of PTFE/Al decrease with increasing aluminum particle size. There is also a strain rate threshold for the shock-induced reaction of PTFE/Al reactive material, which is closely related to aluminum particle size. The shock-induced reaction occurs when the strain rate threshold is exceeded.

Construction and characterization of folate-functionalized curdlan-trilysine siRNA delivery platform for in vivo hepatic carcinoma treatment.

RNA interference technology is a powerful tool with substantially clinical prospects for carcinoma therapy, in which efficiency and specificity of delivery of dsRNA remains a critical issue. Herein, aiming at delivery of dsRNA in efficient and safe way, we constructed targeting delivery platform (CTL-PEG-FA) by grafting curdlan with trilysine through click reaction, then modifying with PEG linked folic acid. The CTL-PEG-FA vector exhibited excellent gene binding capacity to condense siRNA and dramatically reduced cytotoxicity. Increased cell uptake of CTL-PEG-FA/Bcl-2 siRNA was achieved by the synergism of folate mediated endocytosis and charge interaction, and further causing severe HepG2 cells injury through apoptosis mechanism after down-regulation of Bcl-2 protein. In vivo experiments, CTL-PEG-FA/Bcl-2 siRNA complex distinctly accumulated in tumor site and significantly inhibited the growth of tumor, while no obvious toxicity was observed. Therefore, well-performed CTL-PEG-FA with excellent biocompatibility, has the potential to be the candidate of gene therapy for clinical applications.

An event-related potential study of consumers' responses to food bundles.

We conducted two event-related potentials (ERP) experiments to investigate consumers' responses to different types of food bundles. In Experiment 1, the participants were instructed to indicate their wanting of a three-yogurt bundle when their neural activity was recorded. The results of self-report wanting scores revealed that the participants wanted bundles consisting of their favorite yogurt products more than those of disliked products. Such a difference in self-report scores was also indexed by the N2 in frontal brain and the P1 in the left hemisphere. By contrast, bundles consisting of three different yogurt products elicited a smaller amplitude of the N2 than bundles consisting of two favorite products and one disliked product, but these two types of bundles received comparable wanting scores. Moreover, we asked the participants in Experiment 2 to perform a visual discrimination task on these bundles, and did not found these effects on the N2 or the P1. Collectively, these results revealed neural activities underlying consumers' responses to food rewards, and demonstrated the role of individuals' variety-seeking tendency in wanting process.

Preparation and cell activities of lactosylated curdlan-triornithine nanoparticles for enhanced DNA/siRNA delivery in hepatoma cells.

A long-anticipated cancer therapy would deliver the right type of therapeutic agents to the target in control with minimal systemic toxicity. The purpose of this study was to prepare lactosylated curdlan-triornithine nanocarriers (CTOLs), and target deliver gene to hepatoma cells. Structures and biophysical properties had been elucidated with physical and chemical methods. The results revealed that those functionalized polymers can completely condense the gene into spherical nanoparticles. Cytotoxicity assay, GFP-pDNA and siRNA transfection in vitro were implemented successively. Observations showed that CTOL 20% with the highest lactose acid substitution degree targeted delivered gene into HepG2 cells over expressing ASGPR receptors and had pretty gene knockdown efficiency over 70%. Meanwhile, the carriers showed excellent biocompatibility. Our studies demonstrated that CTOLs with lower toxicity and higher gene binding capacity may serve as a potential valuable platform that can be tailored to target the liver cancer cells for therapeutic gene.

Aggregation Pheromone for an Invasive Mussel Consists of a Precise Combination of Three Common Purines.

Most marine benthic invertebrates have a pelagic larval phase, after which they settle preferentially on or near conspecific adults, forming aggregations. Although settlement pheromones from conspecific adults have been implicated as critical drivers of aggregation for more than 30 years, surprisingly few have been unambiguously identified. Here we show that in the invasive dreissenid mussel Mytilopsis sallei (an ecological and economic pest), three common purines (adenosine, inosine, and hypoxanthine) released from adults in a synergistic and precise ratio (1:1.125:3.25) serve as an aggregation pheromone by inducing conspecific larval settlement and metamorphosis. Our results demonstrate that simple common metabolites can function as species-specific pheromones when present in precise combinations. This study provides important insights into our understanding of the ecology and communication processes of invasive organisms and indicates that the combination and ratio of purines might be critical for purine-based signaling systems that are fundamental and widespread in nature.

Bacterial Nucleobases Synergistically Induce Larval Settlement and Metamorphosis in the Invasive Mussel Mytilopsis sallei.

Marine bacterial biofilms have long been recognized as potential inducers of larval settlement and metamorphosis in marine invertebrates, but few chemical cues from bacteria have been identified. Here, we show that larval settlement and metamorphosis of an invasive fouling mussel, Mytilopsis sallei, could be induced by biofilms of bacteria isolated from its adult shells and other substrates from the natural environment. One of the strains isolated, Vibrio owensii MS-9, showed strong inducing activity which was attributed to the release of a mixture of nucleobases including uracil, thymine, xanthine, hypoxanthine, and guanine into seawater. In particular, the synergistic effect of hypoxanthine and guanine was sufficient for the inducing activity of V. owensii MS-9. The presence of two or three other nucleobases could enhance, to some extent, the activity of the mixture of hypoxanthine and guanine. Furthermore, we determined that bacteria producing higher concentrations of nucleobases were more likely to induce larval settlement and metamorphosis of M. sallei than were bacteria producing lower concentrations of nucleobases. The present study demonstrates that bacterial nucleobases play an important role in larval settlement and metamorphosis of marine invertebrates. This provides new insights into our understanding of the role of environmental bacteria in the colonization and aggregation of invasive fouling organisms and of the metabolites used as chemical mediators in cross-kingdom communication within aquatic systems.IMPORTANCE Invasive species are an increasingly serious problem globally. In aquatic ecosystems, invasive dreissenid mussels are well-known ecological and economic pests because they appear to effortlessly invade new environments and foul submerged structures with high-density aggregations. To efficiently control exotic mussel recruitment and colonization, the need to investigate the mechanisms of substrate selection for larval settlement and metamorphosis is apparent. Our work is one of very few to experimentally demonstrate that compounds produced by environmental bacteria play an important role in larval settlement and metamorphosis in marine invertebrates. Additionally, this study demonstrates that bacterial nucleobases can be used as chemical mediators in cross-kingdom communication within aquatic systems, which will enhance our understanding of how microbes induce larval settlement and metamorphosis of dreissenid mussels, and it furthermore may allow the development of new methods for application in antifouling.