Cu2(OH)3NO3/γ-Al2O3 catalyzes Fenton-like oxidation for the advanced treatment of effluent organic matter (EfOM) in fermentation pharmaceutical wastewater: The synergy of Cu2(OH)3NO3 and γ-Al2O3.

The secondary effluent of fermentation pharmaceutical wastewater exhibits high chromaticity, elevated salinity, and abundant refractory effluent organic matter (EfOM), presenting significant treatment challenges and environmental threats. Herein, Cu2(OH)3NO3/γ-Al2O3 was fabricated through ultrasound-assisted impregnation and calcination to catalyze the Fenton-like oxidation for degrading organic pollutants in this secondary effluent. Under neutral conditions, with 400.00 mg/L H2O2, 8 g/L catalyst, and at 30 ℃, the EfOM and CODCr removal efficiencies can reach 96.90 % and 51.56 %, respectively. The Cu2(OH)3NO3/γ-Al2O3 catalyst possesses ideal reusability, maintaining CODCr, chromaticity, and EfOM removal efficiencies at 44.44 %-64.59 %, 85.45 %-93.45 %, and 61.00 %-95.00 % over 220 h in a continuous-flow catalytic oxidation system operated at room temperatures (15-25 ℃). Electron paramagnetic resonance results and density functional theory calculations indicate that •OOH may be the predominant reactive oxygen species, facilitated by the easier elongation of the OH bond in H2O2 compared to the OO bond. The adjusted electronic structure endows Cu2(OH)3NO3/γ-Al2O3 composite sites with superior catalytic selectivity for H2O2 activation compared to Cu2(OH)3NO3 single crystal sites, with γ-Al2O3 additionally facilitating H2O2 activation through electron donation. This research highlights the efficacy of Cu2(OH)3NO3/γ-Al2O3 in the advanced treatment of complex industrial wastewater, elucidating its catalytic mechanisms and potential applications.

Ketogenic Diets Alter the Gut Microbiome, Resulting in Decreased Susceptibility to and Cognitive Impairment in Rats with Pilocarpine-Induced Status Epilepticus.

A ketogenic diet (KD) is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate, and low-protein diet that exerts antiepileptic effects by attenuating spontaneous recurrent seizures, ameliorating learning and memory impairments, and modulating the gut microbiota composition. However, the role of the gut microbiome in the antiepileptic effects of a KD on temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) induced by lithium-pilocarpine in adult rats is still unknown. Our study provides evidence demonstrating that a KD effectively mitigates seizure behavior and reduces acute-phase epileptic brain activity and that KD treatment alleviates hippocampal neuronal damage and improves cognitive impairment induced by TLE. We also observed that the beneficial effects of a KD are compromised when the gut microbiota is disrupted through antibiotic administration. Analysis of gut microbiota components via 16S rRNA gene sequencing in fecal samples collected from TLE rats fed either a KD or a normal diet. The Chao1 and ACE indices showed decreased species variety in KD-fed rats compared to TLE rats fed a normal diet. A KD increased the levels of Actinobacteriota, Verrucomicrobiota and Proteobacteria and decreased the level of Bacteroidetes. Interestingly, the abundances of Actinobacteriota and Verrucomicrobiota were positively correlated with learning and memory ability, and the abundance of Proteobacteria was positively correlated with seizure susceptibility. In conclusion, our study revealed the significant antiepileptic and neuroprotective effects of a KD on pilocarpine-induced epilepsy in rats, primarily mediated through the modulation of the gut microbiota. However, whether the gut microbiota mediates the antiseizure effects of a KD still needs to be better elucidated.

Surgical Removal of Foramen Ovale Osteophyte Completely Relieved Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Atypical trigeminal neuralgia (TN), usually caused by nonvascular compression, lacks a clearly localized trigger and complete remission periods. Although variations of foramen ovale may compress the mandibular nerve branch of the trigeminal nerve, resulting in atypical TN, only a few case reports are reported in the literature. The authors describe a case of a 50-year-old female diagnosed with atypical TN for two months. A high-resolution computed tomography imaging revealed an osteophyte of the left foramen ovale that may compress the mandibular nerve branch of the trigeminal nerve. The patient underwent osteophyte resection, and the pain disappeared completely and immediately after surgery without recurrence in the follow-up to six months. The numbness was also relieved slightly. This case provides a new perspective on the clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients with atypical TN.

Predicting postoperative delirium after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting in patients with intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis.

OBJECTIVE: Known as a major surgical complication, postoperative delirium (POD) has not been well studied in patients with intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS). This study aimed to investigate the correlation between perioperative clinical characteristics and the occurrence of POD. METHODS: Patients' demographic characteristics and perioperative testing data were collected. Binary logistic regression was conducted for assessing related risk factors. A nomogram was developed to predict the occurrence of POD after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting (PTAS) in patients with ICAS. RESULTS: The occurrence of POD in this study was 30.67%. Among all the clinical and laboratory characteristics in patients, age (OR = 1.234, 95%CI = 1.004-1.517, p = 0.046), gender (OR = 5.676, 95%CI = 1.028-31.334, p = 0.046), preoperative MMSE scores (OR = 2.298, 95%CI = 1.005-5.259, p = 0.049), the degree of stenosis (OR = 6.294, 95%CI = 1.043-37.974, p = 0.045), operating time (OR = 1.088, 95%CI = 1.023-1.157, p = 0.006), and HbA1c levels (OR = 2.226, 95%CI = 1.199-4.130, p = 0.011) were the independent risk factors. CONCLUSION: Male patients with advanced-age, lower preoperative MMSE scores, severe stenosis, longer operating time, and higher HbA1c levels are closely related to POD after PTAS. Fully perioperative assessments may play an important role in predicting the occurrence of POD.

De novo variation in ARID1B gene causes Coffin-Siris syndrome 1 in a Chinese family with excessive early-onset high myopia.

Coffin-Siris syndrome (CSS) is a rare autosomal dominant inheritance disorder characterized by distinctive facial features, hypoplasia of the distal phalanx or nail of the fifth and additional digits, developmental or cognitive delay of varying degree, hypotonia, hirsutism/hypertrichosis, sparse scalp hair and varying kind of congenital anomalies. CSS can easily be misdiagnosed as other syndromes or disorders with a similar clinical picture because of their genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. We describde the genotype-phenotype correlation of one patient from a healthy Chinese family with a novel genotype underlying CSS, who was first diagnosed in the ophthalmology department as early-onset high myopia (eoHM). Comprehensive ophthalmic tests as well as other systemic examinations were performed on participants to confirm the phenotype. The genotype was identified using whole exome sequencing, and further verified the results among other family members by Sanger sequencing. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) technology was used to detect the relative mRNA expression levels of candidate genes between proband and normal family members. The pathogenicity of the identified variant was determined by The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guidelines. STRING protein-protein interactions (PPIs) network analysis was used to detect the interaction of candidate gene-related proteins with high myopia gene-related proteins. The patient had excessive eoHM, cone-rod dystrophy, coarse face, excessive hair growth on the face, sparse scalp hair, developmental delay, intellectual disability, moderate hearing loss, dental hypoplasia, patent foramen ovale, chronic non-atrophic gastritis, bilateral renal cysts, cisterna magna, and emotional outbursts with aggression. The genetic assessment revealed that the patient carries a de novo heterozygous frameshift insertion variant in the ARID1B c.3981dup (p.Glu1328ArgfsTer5), which are strongly associated with the typical clinical features of CSS patients. The test results of RT-qPCR showed that mRNA expression of the ARID1B gene in the proband was approximately 30% lower than that of the normal control in the family, suggesting that the variant had an impact on the gene function at the level of mRNA expression. The variant was pathogenic as assessed by ACMG guidelines. Analysis of protein interactions in the STRING online database revealed that the ARID1A protein interacts with the high myopia gene-related proteins FGFR3, ASXL1, ERBB3, and SOX4, whereas the ARID1A protein antagonizes the ARID1B protein. Therefore, in this paper, we are the first to report a de novo heterozygous frameshift insertion variant in the ARID1B gene causing CSS with excessive eoHM. Our study extends the genotypic and phenotypic spectrums for ARID1B-CSS and supplies evidence of significant association of eoHM with variant in ARID1B gene. As CSS has high genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity, our findings highlight the importance of molecular genetic testing and an interdisciplinary clinical diagnostic workup to avoid misdiagnosis as some disorders with similar manifestations of CSS.

Association between vitamin B2 intake and prostate-specific antigen in American men: 2003-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence suggests a pivotal role of vitamin B2 in the pathogenesis and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). Vitamin B2 intake has been postulated to modulate the screening rate for PCa by altering the concentration of prostate-specific antigen(PSA). However, the relationship between vitamin B2 and PSA remains indeterminate. Hence, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the association between vitamin B2 intake and PSA levels, utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. METHODS: From a pool of 20,371 participants in the NHANES survey conducted between 2003 and 2010, a cohort of 2,323 participants was selected for the present study. The male participants were classified into four distinct groups based on their levels of vitamin B2 intake. We employed a multiple linear regression model and a non-parametric regression method to investigate the relationship between vitamin B2 and PSA levels. RESULTS: The study cohort comprised of 2,323 participants with a mean age of 54.95 years (± 11.73). Our findings revealed a statistically significant inverse correlation between vitamin B2 intake (mg) and PSA levels, with a reduction of 0.13 ng/ml PSA concentration for every unit increase in vitamin B2 intake. Furthermore, we employed a fully adjusted model to construct a smooth curve to explore the possible linear relationship between vitamin B2 intake and PSA concentration. CONCLUSIONS: Our study in American men has unveiled a notable inverse association between vitamin B2 intake and PSA levels, potentially posing a challenge for the identification of asymptomatic prostate cancer. Specifically, our findings suggest that individuals with higher vitamin B2 intake may be at a greater risk of being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in the future, possibly indicating a detection bias. These results may offer a novel explanation for the observed positive correlation between vitamin B2 intake and prostate cancer.

The Role of FveAFB5 in Auxin-Mediated Responses and Growth in Strawberries.

Auxin is a crucial hormone that regulates various aspects of plant growth and development. It exerts its effects through multiple signaling pathways, including the TIR1/AFB-based transcriptional regulation in the nucleus. However, the specific role of auxin receptors in determining developmental features in the strawberry (Fragaria vesca) remains unclear. Our research has identified FveAFB5, a potential auxin receptor, as a key player in the development and auxin responses of woodland strawberry diploid variety Hawaii 4. FveAFB5 positively influences lateral root development, plant height, and fruit development, while negatively regulating shoot branching. Moreover, the mutation of FveAFB5 confers strong resistance to the auxinic herbicide picloram, compared to dicamba and quinclorac. Transcriptome analysis suggests that FveAFB5 may initiate auxin and abscisic acid signaling to inhibit growth in response to picloram. Therefore, FveAFB5 likely acts as an auxin receptor involved in regulating multiple processes related to strawberry growth and development.

Long-term species-level observations indicate the critical role of soil moisture in regulating China's grassland productivity relative to phenological and climatic factors.

As a sensitive indicator of climate change and a key variable in ecosystem surface-atmosphere interaction, vegetation phenology, and the growing season length, as well as climatic factors (i.e., temperature, precipitation, and sunshine duration) are widely recognized as key factors influencing vegetation productivity. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of soil moisture in regulating grassland productivity. However, the relative importance of phenology, climatic factors, and soil moisture to plant species-level productivity across China's grasslands remains poorly understood. Here, we use nearly four decades (1981 to 2018) of in situ species-level observations from 17 stations distributed across grasslands in China to examine the key mechanisms that control grassland productivity. The results reveal that soil moisture is the strongest determinant of the interannual variability in grassland productivity. In contrast, the spring/autumn phenology, the length of vegetation growing season, and climate factors have relatively minor impacts. Generally, annual aboveground biomass increases by 3.9 to 25.3 g∙m2 (dry weight) with a 1 % increase in growing season mean soil moisture across the stations. Specifically, the sensitivity of productivity to moisture in wetter and colder environments (e.g., alpine meadows) is significantly higher than that in drier and warmer environments (e.g., temperate desert steppes). In contrast, the sensitivity to the precipitation of the latter is greater than the former. The effect of soil moisture is the most pronounced during summer. Dominant herb productivity is more sensitive to soil moisture than the others. Moreover, multivariate regression analyses show that the primary climatic factors and their attributions to variations in soil moisture differ among the stations, indicating the interaction between climate and soil moisture is very complex. Our study highlights the interspecific difference in the soil moisture dependence of grassland productivity and provides guidance to climate change impact assessments in grassland ecosystems.

The down-regulation of GADD45B leads to a conversion of cellular oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis and promotes the progression of bladder cancer.

Background: The predominant feature of cancer cells during the process of carcinogenesis is the inclination towards glycolytic metabolism rather than mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Nevertheless, there is a scarcity of research investigating the correlation between bladder cancer and mitochondrial energy metabolism. Methods: A qPCR array comprising 90 genes associated with mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation was employed to discern metabolic disparities between three sets of bladder cancer tissue and adjacent normal tissue. Wound healing and transwell assays were utilized to assess cell migration and invasion capabilities, respectively. Colony formation assays were conducted to ascertain the tumorigenic potential of the cells. The proliferative capacity of the cells was examined through in vitro CCK-8 assays. Additionally, nude mouse models were established to evaluate the impact of bladder tumor cells on in vivo proliferation. The Seahorse XFe96 Analyzer was utilized to quantify mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, while the levels of glucose-6-phosphate and pyruvate were assessed to evaluate glycolysis. Results: Examination of qPCR array data demonstrated a noteworthy inhibition of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in bladder cancer tissue, as evidenced by the down-regulation of a majority of genes associated with mitochondrial energy metabolism. Notably, GADD45B may potentially exert a significant influence on bladder cancer development, warranting further investigation. The down-regulation of GADD45B in bladder cancer cells resulted in impaired mitochondrial respiration and elevated levels of glycolysis, thereby enhancing cell migration and invasion. Conversely, up-regulation of GADD45B had the opposite effect. Furthermore, over-expression of GADD45B inhibited tumor proliferation and tumorigenesis in both in vitro and in vivo settings. Conclusion: These findings from our study indicate that the down-regulation of GADD45B promotes the shift of cell mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation towards glycolysis, thereby facilitating the progression of bladder cancer.

Rathke's cleft cyst apoplexy in a boy treated by endoscopic endonasal surgery: case report and literature review.

Rathke's cleft cyst (RCC) apoplexy is an uncommon lesion attributed to abnormal vascular supply to the fragile RCC epithelial wall. It is rare in children and very difficult to diagnose without pathologic confirmation. Here, we report an 8-year-old boy who presented with headache and visual deficit. MRI and CT showed a cystic mass in the sellar region. He underwent endoscopic endonasal surgery, and the cystic mass was resected completely via a trans-sphenoidal approach. The lesion was confirmed as RCC apoplexy by intraoperative observation and histopathological examination. Headache was completely relieved and the visual field deficit improved remarkably after the operation. The authors recommend surgical management for pediatric RCC apoplexy patients who present with severe neuro-ophthalmic signs or deterioration of consciousness, although there are at present no standardized management guidelines for pediatric RCC apoplexy.

Hypoxic Bone Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes Direct Schwann Cells Proliferation, Migration, and Paracrine to Accelerate Facial Nerve Regeneration via circRNA_Nkd2/miR-214-3p/MED19 Axis.

Background: Facial nerves have the potential for regeneration following injury, but this process is often challenging and slow. Schwann cells (SCs) are pivotal in this process. Bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC)-derived exosomes promote tissue repair through paracrine action, with hypoxic preconditioning enhancing their effects. The main purpose of this study was to determine whether hypoxia-preconditioned BMSC-derived exosomes (Hypo-Exos) exhibit a greater therapeutic effect on facial nerve repair/regeneration and reveal the mechanism. Methods: CCK-8, EdU, Transwell, and ELISA assays were used to evaluate the functions of Hypo-Exos in SCs. Histological analysis and Vibrissae Movements (VMs) recovery were used to evaluate the therapeutic effects of Hypo-Exos in rat model. circRNA array was used to identify the significantly differentially expressed exosomal circRNAs between normoxia-preconditioned BMSC-derived exosomes (Nor-Exos) and Hypo-Exos. miRDB, TargetScan, double luciferase assay, qRT-PCR and WB were used to predict and identify potential exosomal cirRNA_Nkd2-complementary miRNAs and its target gene. The function of exosomal circRNA_Nkd2 in facial nerve repair/regeneration was evaluated by cell and animal experiments. Results: This study confirmed that Hypo-Exos more effectively promote SCs proliferation, migration, and paracrine function, accelerating facial nerve repair following facial nerve injury (FNI) compared with Nor-Exos. Furthermore, circRNA analysis identified significant enrichment of circRNA_Nkd2 in Hypo-Exos compared with Nor-Exos. Exosomal circRNA_Nkd2 positively regulates mediator complex subunit 19 (MED19) expression by sponging rno-miR-214-3p. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated a mechanism by which Hypo-Exos enhanced SCs proliferation, migration, and paracrine function and facial nerve repair and regeneration following FNI through the circRNA_Nkd2/miR-214-3p/Med19 axis. Hypoxic preconditioning is an effective and promising method for optimizing the therapeutic action of BMSC-derived exosomes in FNI.

Analysis of the correlation mechanism between geometric parameters and the thermal environment of Xi'an's summer outdoor commercial pedestrian streets.

Intensive urban development has resulted in the degradation of the urban thermal environment in most regions. There is a growing consensus on the need to enhance urban thermal comfort through well-designed forms, especially in open spaces like urban canyons. To address this, our study focuses on Xi'an's commercial pedestrian streets, employing K-means clustering analysis to create 32 representative models based on actual scenes, capturing their textural characteristics. Simultaneously, 11 geometric indicators (2D/3D) were chosen to quantify the canyon's geometric form. We assessed the spatial and temporal distribution differences in the thermal environment across these models using Envi-met simulation. Finally, Spearman correlation analysis was employed to examine the correlation and significance of the two sets of indicators, culminating in formulating an ideal model. The findings reveal that (1) wind conditions are predominantly influenced by the canyon's geometric form, followed by solar radiation and temperature, with the lowest relative humidity change amplitude among the assessed thermal parameters. (2) Among the 11 geometric form indicators, 3D indicators correlate more significantly with thermal environment parameters than 2D indicators. Specifically, street orientation significantly impacts the thermal environment, Build-To-Line Rat holds greater significance than interface density, and both building shape coefficient and block surface ratio are significantly correlated with air temperature and wind speed, with a weaker correlation to solar radiation. (3) In the Xi'an region, courtyards oriented north-south demonstrate a more favorable trend in the thermal environment.

Effect of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training on sensory impairment of patients with stroke: a network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The refractory and disabling nature of sensory disorders after stroke seriously affects patients' daily lives and reduces hospital turnover. Acupuncture, as an alternative therapy, is commonly used in combination with rehabilitation training to improve sensory disorders. To compare the effects of different acupuncture-related treatments combined with rehabilitation training on sensory impairment and the daily living ability of patients with stroke, we conducted a network meta-analysis to provide evidence-based findings for clinical practice. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials on the treatment of sensory disorders in patients with stroke were systematically retrieved from several databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal(VIP), Wanfang Database, Chinese Biological Medical (CBM), PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Clinical trials. The retrieval period ranged from January 2012 to December 2023. Two independent reviewers screened the included literature, extracted the data, and assessed the risk quality using Cochrane Handbook 5.1.0 and ReviewManager 5.4.1. Stata16.0 software was employed for data analysis. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO: CRD42023389180. RESULTS: After screening, 20 studies were included, involving a total of 1999 subjects. The network meta-analysis results indicate that, compared to standard rehabilitation, acupuncture plus massage plus rehabilitation showed the most significant reduction in Numbness Syndrome Scores (MD = -0.71(-1.11,-0.31)). Acupuncture combined with rehabilitation demonstrated the most substantial improvement in Sensory Impairment Scores (MD = -0.59,(-0.68,-0.51)) and daily living ability of patients (MD = 17.16,(12.20,22.12)). CONCLUSIONS: In comparison to standard rehabilitation, the combination of acupuncture-related treatments and modern rehabilitation training not only improves the symptoms of sensory impairment and numbness after stroke but also enhances the daily living ability of patients, especially when acupuncture is combined with rehabilitation. However, further demonstration is required to strengthen these conclusions.

Characteristics of inhibitory active substances produced by Pseudoalteromonas SW-1.

To confirm the antagonistic activity characterization of the strain Pseudoalteromonas SW-1 (P. SW-1), its cell-free supernatant (CFS) was studied against a clam pathogenic strain of Vibrio Alginolyticu MP-1 (V.MP-1). The CFS of P. SW-1 exhibited evident antagonistic activities against the pathogens, and the absorbance value (600 nm) of V. MP-1 remained at a lower level at 24 h when compared with the control. The results showed that the inhibitory activities of strain P. SW-1 CFS showed differences after treatment with heat, acid and alkali, and proteinase K. The CFS of P. SW-1 inhibitory activities decreased after treatment with heat, but the inhibitory activities of strain P. SW-1 CFS were still effective after treatment with proteinase K for 24 h. The acid and alkali treatments could increase the inhibitory activities of strain P. SW-1 CFS. Therefore, the ammonium sulfate precipitation test also indicated that P. SW-1 could produce some active protein compounds to antagonize pathogenic V. MP-1.

Surgical management of abdominal aortic graft infection: network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: A paucity of evidence exists regarding the optimal management for abdominal aortic graft infection. The aim of this paper was to assess short- and long-term outcomes following different surgical options in aortic graft infection patients. METHODS: Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to February 2023. Network meta-analysis was performed using a frequentist method. Patients were divided into four treatment groups: complete graft removal with in situ repair, complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair, partial graft removal with in situ repair and partial graft removal with extra-anatomic repair. The mortality rate at 30-days and 1-year was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were longer-term mortality rate, primary patency and reinfections. For included RCTs, the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was utilized to assess the risk of bias. The methodological quality of cohort studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. RESULTS: Among 4559 retrieved studies, 22 studies with 1118 patients (11 multi-arm and 11 single-arm studies) were included. Patients received complete graft removal with in situ repair (N = 852), partial graft removal with in situ repair (N = 36), complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair (N = 228) and partial graft removal with extra-anatomic repair (N = 2). Both network meta-analysis results and pooled results of multi- and single-arm cohorts indicated that partial graft removal with in situ repair has the lowest 30-day and 1-year mortality rates (0% and 6.1% respectively), followed by complete graft removal with in situ repair (11.9% and 23.8% respectively) and complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair (16.6% and 41.4% respectively). In addition, complete graft removal with in situ repair had a lower 3-year (complete graft removal with in situ repair versus complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair: 32.1% versus 90%) and 5-year (complete graft removal with in situ repair versus complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair: 45.6% versus 67.9%) mortality rate when compared with complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair. Patients in the complete graft removal with in situ repair group had the lowest reinfections (8%), followed by partial graft removal with in situ repair (9.3%) and complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair (22.4%). CONCLUSION: Partial graft removal with in situ repair was associated with lower 30-day and 1-year mortality rates when compared with complete graft removal with in situ repair and complete graft removal with extra-anatomic repair. Partial graft removal with in situ repair might be a feasible treatment for specific aortic graft infection patients.

Recent decline in tropical temperature sensitivity of atmospheric CO2 growth rate variability.

A two-fold enhancement in the sensitivity of atmospheric CO2 growth rate (CGR) to tropical temperature interannual variability ( Γ CGR T $$ {\varGamma}_{\mathrm{CGR}}^T $$ ) till early 2000s has been reported, which suggests a drought-induced shift in terrestrial carbon cycle responding temperature fluctuations, thereby accelerating global warming. However, using six decades long atmospheric CO2 observations, we show that Γ CGR T $$ {\varGamma}_{\mathrm{CGR}}^T $$ has significantly declined in the last two decades, to the level during the 1960s. The Γ CGR T $$ {\varGamma}_{\mathrm{CGR}}^T $$ decline begs the question of whether the sensitivity of ecosystem carbon cycle to temperature variations at local scale has largely decreased. With state-of-the-art dynamic global vegetation models, we further find that the recent Γ CGR T $$ {\varGamma}_{\mathrm{CGR}}^T $$ decline is barely attributed to ecosystem carbon cycle response to temperature fluctuations at local scale, which instead results from a decrease in spatial coherence in tropical temperature variability and land use change. Our results suggest that the recently reported loss of rainforest resilience has not shown marked influence on the temperature sensitivity of ecosystem carbon cycle. Nevertheless, the increasing extent of land use change as well as more frequent and intensive drought events are likely to modulate the responses of ecosystem carbon cycle to temperature variations in the future. Therefore, our study highlights the priority to continuously monitor the temperature sensitivity of CGR variability and improve Earth system model representation on land use change, in order to predict the carbon-climate feedback.

Combined applications of UV and chlorine on antibiotic resistance control: A critical review.

Environmental health problems caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) have become a global concern. ARB and ARGs have been continuously detected in various water environments, which pose a new challenge for water quality safety assurance. Disinfection is a key water treatment process to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms in water, and combined chlorine and UV processes (the UV/Cl2 process, the UV-Cl2 process, and the Cl2-UV process) are considered potential disinfection methods to control antibiotic resistance. This review documented the efficacy and mechanism of combined UV and chlorine processes for the control of antibiotic resistance, as well as the effects of chlorine dose, solution pH, UV wavelength, and water matrix on the effectiveness of the processes. There are knowledge gaps in research on the combined chlorine and UV processes for antibiotic resistance control, in particular the UV-Cl2 process and the Cl2-UV process. In addition, changes in the structure of microbial communities and the distribution of ARGs, which are closely related to the spread of antibiotic resistance in the water, induced by combined processes were also addressed. Whether these changes could lead to the re-transmission of antibiotic resistance and harm human health may need to be further evaluated.

Temperature dependence of spring carbon uptake in northern high latitudes during the past four decades.

In the northern high latitudes, warmer spring temperatures generally lead to earlier leaf onsets, higher vegetation production, and enhanced spring carbon uptake. Yet, whether this positive linkage has diminished under climate change remains debated. Here, we used atmospheric CO2 measurements at Barrow (Alaska) during 1979-2020 to investigate the strength of temperature dependence of spring carbon uptake reflected by two indicators, spring zero-crossing date (SZC) and CO2 drawdown (SCC). We found a fall and rise in the interannual correlation of temperature with SZC and SCC (RSZC-T and RSCC-T ), showing a recent reversal of the previously reported weakening trend of RSZC-T and RSCC-T . We used a terrestrial biosphere model coupled with an atmospheric transport model to reproduce this fall and rise phenomenon and conducted factorial simulations to explore its potential causes. We found that a strong-weak-strong spatial synchrony of spring temperature anomalies per se has contributed to the fall and rise trend in RSZC-T and RSCC-T , despite an overall unbroken temperature control on net ecosystem CO2 fluxes at local scale. Our results provide an alternative explanation for the apparent drop of RSZC-T and RSCC-T during the late 1990s and 2000s, and suggest a continued positive linkage between spring carbon uptake and temperature during the past four decades. We thus caution the interpretation of apparent climate sensitivities of carbon cycle retrieved from spatially aggregated signals.

The carbon budget of China: 1980-2021.

As one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases, China has set itself the ambitious goal of achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. Therefore, it is crucial to quantify the magnitude and trend of sources and sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), and to monitor China's progress toward these goals. Using state-of-the-art datasets and models, this study comprehensively estimated the anthropogenic CO2 emissions from energy, industrial processes and product use, and waste along with natural sources and sinks of CO2 for all of China during 1980-2021. To recognize the differences among various methods of estimating greenhouse emissions, the estimates are compared with China's National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (NGHGIs) for 1994, 2005, 2010, 2012, and 2014. Anthropogenic CO2 emissions in China have increased by 7.39 times from 1980 to 12.77 Gt CO2 a-1 in 2021. While benefiting from ecological projects (e.g., Three Norths Shelter Forest System Project), the land carbon sink in China has reached 1.65 Gt CO2 a-1 averaged through 2010-2021, which is almost 15.81 times that of the carbon sink in the 1980s. On average, China's terrestrial ecosystems offset 14.69% ± 2.49% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions through 2010-2021. Two provincial-level administrative regions of China, Xizang and Qinghai, have achieved carbon neutrality according to our estimates, but nearly half of the administrative regions of China have terrestrial carbon sink offsets of less than 10% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. This study indicated a high level of consistency between NGHGIs and various datasets used for estimating fossil CO2 emissions, but found notable differences for land carbon sinks. Future estimates of the terrestrial carbon sinks of NGHGIs urgently need to be verified with process-based models which integrate the comprehensive carbon cycle processes.

The greenhouse gas budget for China's terrestrial ecosystems.

The first greenhouse gas (GHG) budget accounting over China shows that China's land ecosystems is close to GHG neutral, in contrast to the net GHG source of global land ecosystems.