Mechanism of macrophages in gout: Recent progress and perspective.

Gout represents an autoinflammatory disorder instigated by monosodium urate crystals. Its primary manifestation involves the recruitment of diverse immune cell populations, including neutrophils and macrophages. Macrophages assume a pivotal role in the initiation of acute gouty inflammation and subsequent inflammatory cascades. However, recent investigations have revealed that the impact of macrophages on gout is nuanced, extending beyond a solely detrimental influence. Macrophages, characterized by different subtypes, exhibit distinct functionalities that either contribute to the progression or regression of gout. A strategy aimed at modulating macrophage polarization, rather than merely inhibiting inflammation, holds promise for enhancing the efficacy of acute gout treatment. This review centres on elucidating potential mechanisms underlying macrophage polarization in the onset and resolution of gouty inflammation, offering novel insights into the immune equilibrium of macrophages in the context of gout.

Chromosome-level genome provides insights into evolution and diving adaptability in the vulnerable common pochard (Aythya ferina).

The common pochard (Aythya ferina) is a freshwater diving duck found in the Palearctic region that has been classified as vulnerable by the IUCN due to continuous and rapid population declines across their distribution. To gain a better understanding of its genetic mechanism of adaptive evolution, we successfully sequenced and assembled the first high-quality chromosome-level genome of A. ferina using Illumina, Nanopore and Hi-C sequencing technologies. A total assembly length of 1,130.78 Mbp was obtained, with over 98.81% (1,117.37Mbp) of sequence anchored to 35 pseudo-chromosomes. We predicted 17,232 protein-coding genes, 95.9% of which were functionally annotated. We identified 339 expanded and 937 contracted gene families in the genome of A. ferina, and detected 95 genes that have been positively selected. The significantly enriched Gene Ontology and enriched pathways were related to energy metabolism, immune, nervous, and sensory systems, suggests that these factors likely played an important role in its evolution. Importantly, we recovered signatures of positive selection on genes related to vasoconstriction that may be associated with thermoregulatory adaptations of A. ferina for underwater diving. Overall, the high-quality genome assembly and annotation in this study provides valuable genomic resources for ecological and evolutionary studies, as well as toward the conservation of A. ferina.

The association between vitamin E intake and remnant cholesterol, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in US adults: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Blood lipid profiles are associated with various nutritional elements and dietary factors. This study aimed to explore the association between total dietary vitamin E intake and remnant cholesterol (RC), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using NHANES 2007-2018 data. A total of 8,639 eligible participants (45.58% men and 54.42% women) with an average age of 46.12 ± 16.65 years were included in this study. Weighted multivariate linear regression and subgroup analyses were used to examine the association between vitamin E intake and RC, TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C. Smooth curve fitting was used to explore potential non-linear associations. RESULTS: After adjusting for other covariates, multivariate linear regression analysis showed that higher vitamin E intake was negatively associated with plasma RC (ß = -0.22, 95% CI: -0.27, -0.16), TC (ß = -0.33, 95% CI: -0.51, -0.16), LDL-C (ß = -0.25, 95% [confidence interval] CI: -0.40, -0.10) and positively associated with HDL-C (ß = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.20) in US adults. Subgroup analysis indicated that age may influence the association between vitamin E intake and RC. At the same time, gender may also affect the association between vitamin E intake and HDL-C. CONCLUSION: Higher vitamin E intake was negatively associated with plasma RC, TC, LDL-C and positively associated with HDL-C.

Enhancing Jujube Forest Growth Estimation and Disease Detection Using a Novel Diffusion-Transformer Architecture.

This paper proposes an advanced deep learning model that integrates the Diffusion-Transformer structure and parallel attention mechanism for the tasks of growth estimation and disease detection in jujube forests. Existing methods in forestry monitoring often fall short in meeting the practical needs of large-scale and highly complex forest areas due to limitations in data processing capabilities and feature extraction precision. In response to this challenge, this paper designs and conducts a series of benchmark tests and ablation experiments to systematically evaluate and verify the performance of the proposed model across key performance metrics such as precision, recall, accuracy, and F1-score. Experimental results demonstrate that compared to traditional machine learning models like Support Vector Machines and Random Forests, as well as common deep learning models such as AlexNet and ResNet, the model proposed in this paper achieves a precision of 95%, a recall of 92%, an accuracy of 93%, and an F1-score of 94% in the task of disease detection in jujube forests, showing similarly superior performance in growth estimation tasks as well. Furthermore, ablation experiments with different attention mechanisms and loss functions further validate the effectiveness of parallel attention and parallel loss function in enhancing the overall performance of the model. These research findings not only provide a new technical path for forestry disease monitoring and health assessment but also contribute rich theoretical and experimental foundations for related fields.

Variation in Root-Associated Microbial Communities among Three Different Plant Species in Natural Desert Ecosystem.

The process and function that underlie the assembly of root-associated microbiomes may be strongly linked to the survival strategy of plants. However, the assembly and functional changes of root-associated microbial communities in different desert plants in natural desert ecosystems are still unclear. Thus, we studied the microbial communities and diversity of root endosphere (RE), rhizosphere soil (RS), and bulk soil (BS) among three representative desert plants (Alhagi sparsifolia, Tamarix ramosissima, and Calligonum caput-medusae) in three Xinjiang desert regions {Taklimakan (CL), Gurbantünggüt (MSW), and Kumtag (TLF)} in China. This study found that the soil properties {electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP), available nitrogen (AN) and phosphorus (AP)} of C. caput-medusae were significantly lower than those of A. sparsifolia and T. ramosissima, while the root nutrients (TN and TP) of A. sparsifolia were significantly higher compared to C. caput-medusae and T. ramosissima. The beta diversity of bacteria and fungi (RE) among the three desert plants was significantly different. The common OTU numbers of bacteria and fungi in three compartments (RE, RS, and BS) of the three desert plants were ranked as RS > BS > RE. The bacterial and fungal (RE) Shannon and Simpson indexes of C. caput-medusae were significantly lower as compared to those of A. sparsifolia and T. ramosissima. Additionally, bacterial and fungal (RE and RS) node numbers and average degree of C. caput-medusae were lower than those found in A. sparsifolia and T. ramosissima. Root and soil nutrients collectively contributed to the composition of root-associated bacterial (RE, 12.4%; RS, 10.6%; BS, 16.6%) and fungal communities (RE, 34.3%; RS, 1.5%; BS, 17.7%). These findings demonstrate variations in the bacterial and fungal populations across different plant species with distinct compartments (RE, RS, and BS) in arid environments. More importantly, the study highlights how much soil and plant nutrients contribute to root-associated microbial communities.

Imaging body-mind crosstalk in young adults.

Objective: There is evidence that complex relationships exist between motor functions, brain structure, and cognitive functions, particularly in the aging population. However, whether such relationships observed in older adults could extend to other age groups (e.g., younger adults) remains to be elucidated. Thus, the current study addressed this gap in the literature by investigating potential associations between motor functions, brain structure, and cognitive functions in a large cohort of young adults. Methods: In the current study, data from 910 participants (22-35 yr) were retrieved from the Human Connectome Project. Interactions between motor functions (i.e., cardiorespiratory fitness, gait speed, hand dexterity, and handgrip strength), brain structure (i.e., cortical thickness, surface area, and subcortical volumes), and cognitive functions were examined using linear mixed-effects models and mediation analyses. The performance of different machine-learning classifiers to discriminate young adults at three different levels (related to each motor function) was compared. Results: Cardiorespiratory fitness and hand dexterity were positively associated with fluid and crystallized intelligence in young adults, whereas gait speed and handgrip strength were correlated with specific measures of fluid intelligence (e.g., inhibitory control, flexibility, sustained attention, and spatial orientation; false discovery rate [FDR] corrected, p < 0.05). The relationships between cardiorespiratory fitness and domains of cognitive function were mediated by surface area and cortical volume in regions involved in the default mode, sensorimotor, and limbic networks (FDR corrected, p < 0.05). Associations between handgrip strength and fluid intelligence were mediated by surface area and volume in regions involved in the salience and limbic networks (FDR corrected, p < 0.05). Four machine-learning classifiers with feature importance ranking were built to discriminate young adults with different levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (random forest), gait speed, hand dexterity (support vector machine with the radial kernel), and handgrip strength (artificial neural network). Conclusions: In summary, similar to observations in older adults, the current study provides empirical evidence (i) that motor functions in young adults are positively related to specific measures of cognitive functions, and (ii) that such relationships are at least partially mediated by distinct brain structures. Furthermore, our analyses suggest that machine-learning classifier has a promising potential to be used as a classification tool and decision support for identifying populations with below-average motor and cognitive functions.

Adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy with or without CDK4/6 inhibitors in HR+/HER2- early breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The combination of cyclin-dependent kinases 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors and endocrine therapy is the standard treatment for patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2-negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer. However, the role of CDK4/6 inhibitors in early breast cancer remains controversial. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CDK4/6 inhibitors combined with endocrine therapy versus endocrine therapy alone in patients with HR+, HER2- early breast cancer. A systematic review of Cochrane, PubMed and EMBASE databases was conducted. The efficacy endpoints of adjuvant therapy were invasive disease-free survival (IDFS), overall survival (OS) and distant relapse-free survival (DRFS). The efficacy endpoint included complete cell cycle arrest (CCCA) and complete pathologic response (PCR) with neoadjuvant therapy. Grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) were assessed as safety outcomes. Results: Eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the study. CDK4/6 inhibitors combined with endocrine therapy showed a significant improvement in IDFS (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.68-0.97, P = 0.024), but not DRFS (HR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.56-1.29, P = 0.106) or OS (HR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.77-1.19, P = 0.692) in adjuvant therapy. In the neoadjuvant therapy setting, CDK4/6 inhibitors improved CCCA compared with the control group (RR = 2.08, 95% CI = 1.33-3.26, P = 0.001). The risk of 3/4 grade AEs increased significantly with the addition of CDK4/6 inhibitors to endocrine therapy. Conclusion: The addition of CDK4/6 inhibitors in HR+/HER2- early breast cancer patients significantly improved IDFS in adjuvant therapy and CCCA in neoadjuvant. However, CDK4/6 inhibitors also showed significant toxicities during therapy. Systematic Review Registration: Identifier CRD42024530704.

A polar viscosity-sensitive fluorescent probe with large Stokes shifts for simultaneous imaging of lipid droplets and lysosomes in tobacco leaf vein cells and biological systems.

Lipid droplets (LDs) and lysosomes were dynamic organelles present in most eukaryotic cells that were interconnected and worked closely together to ensure the smooth physiological activities of organisms. The interaction between lipid droplets and lysosomes was thought to play a role in the development of certain diseases. In this paper we designed and synthesised a lipid droplet lysosomal probe. The Nap-Lyso-Ph-OH probe was constructed according to the ICT mechanism and exhibited sensitivity to both polarity and viscosity. The probe exhibited low cytotoxicity, a large Stokes shift, excellent selectivity and photostability. The probe was successfully used for labelling and imaging of lipid droplets and lysosomes in cells and zebrafish. Interestingly, we used tobacco seedling cells to explore the ability of Nap-Lyso-Ph-OH for imaging lipid droplet labelling in plant cells.

Surface Chemistry Regulation in Cu4I4-Triazolate Metal-Organic Frameworks for One-Step C3H6 Purification from Quaternary C3 Mixtures.

C3H6 is a crucial building block for many chemicals, yet separating it from other C3 hydrocarbons presents a significant challenge. Herein, we report a hydrolytically stable Cu4I4-triazolate metal-organic framework (MOF) (JNU-9-CH3) featuring 1D channels decorated with readily accessible iodine and nitrogen atoms from Cu4I4 clusters and triazolate linkers, respectively. The exposed iodine and nitrogen atoms allow for cooperative binding of C3 hydrocarbons, as evidenced by in situ single-crystal crystallography and Raman spectroscopy studies. As a result, JNU-9-CH3 exhibits substantially stronger binding affinity for C3H4, CH2═C═CH2, and C3H8 than that for C3H6. Breakthrough experiments confirm its ability to directly separate C3H6 (≥99.99%) from C3H4/CH2═C═CH2/C3H8/C3H6 mixtures at varying ratios and flow rates. Overall, we illustrate the cooperative binding of C3 hydrocarbons in a Cu4I4-triazolate MOF and its highly efficient C3H6 purification from quaternary C3 mixtures. The study highlights the potential of MOF adsorbents with metal-iodide clusters for cooperative bindings and hydrocarbon separations.

Comparative analysis of the gut microbiome of ungulate species from Qinghai-Xizang plateau.

Several studies have investigated the gut bacterial composition of wild ungulates in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. However, the relationship between their gut microbiome dendrograms and their phylogenetic tree remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed 45 amplicons (V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene) from five wild ungulates-Pseudois nayaur, Pantholops hodgsonii, Gazella subgutturosa, Bos grunniens, and Equus kiang-from the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau to clarify the relationship between their phylogenies and gut microbiome dendrograms. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis indicated that G. subgutturosa is closely related to P. nayaur; however, these results were inconsistent with their phylogenetic trees. Additionally, the indicator genera in the microbiome of each wild ungulate showed strong associations with the diets and habitats of their host. Thus, diet and space niche differentiation may primarily account for the differences between the gut microbiome characteristics of these wild ungulates and their phylogeny. In summary, our research provides insights into the evolutionary factors influencing the gut microbiome of wild ungulates in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

Structural analysis, anti-inflammatory activity of the main water-soluble acidic polysaccharides (AGBP-A3) from Panax quinquefolius L berry.

Background: Panax quinquefolius L, widely recognized for its valuable contributions to medicine, has aroused considerable attention globally. Different from the extensive research has been dedicated to the root of P. quinquefolius, its berry has received relatively scant focus. Given its promising medicinal properties, this study was focused on the structural characterizations and anti-inflammatory potential of acidic polysaccharides from the P. quinquefolius berry. Materials and methods: P. quinquefolius berry was extracted with hot water, precipitated by alcohol, separated by DEAE-52-cellulose column to give a series of fractions. One of these fractions was further purified via Sephadex G-200 column to give three fractions. Then, the main fraction named as AGBP-A3 was characterized by methylation analysis, NMR spectroscopy, etc. Its anti-inflammatory activity was assessed by RAW 264.7 cell model, zebrafish model and molecular docking. Results: The main chain comprised of α-L-Rhap, α-D-GalAp and ß-D-Galp, while the branch consisted mainly of α-L-Araf, ß-D-Glcp, α-D-GalAp, ß-D-Galp. The RAW264.7 cell assay results showed that the inhibition rates against IL-6 and IL-1ß secretion at the concentration of 625 ng/mL were 24.83 %, 11.84 %, while the inhibition rate against IL-10 secretion was 70.17 % at the concentration of 312 ng/mL. In the zebrafish assay, the migrating neutrophils were significantly reduced in number, and their migration to inflammatory tissues was inhibited. Molecular docking predictions correlated well with the results of the anti-inflammatory assay. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated the structure of acidic polysaccharides of P. quinquefolius berry and their effect on inflammation, providing a reference for screening anti-inflammatory drugs.

Bacterial pneumonia patients with elevated globulin levels did not get infected with SARS-CoV-2: two case reports.

Background: COVID-19 began in December 2019, rapidly spreading worldwide. China implemented a dynamic zero-COVID strategy and strict control measures after the outbreak. However, Guangzhou city ended closed-off management by the end of November 2022, leading to exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Despite most hospitalized patients being infected or co-infected with SARS-CoV-2, some remained uninfected. We report two cases of bacterial pneumonia with elevated globulin levels not infected with SARS-CoV-2, aiming to identify protection factors of SARS-CoV-2 infection and provide a scientific basis for SARS-CoV-2 prevention. Case presentation: Case 1, a 92-year-old male, admitted on October 21, 2022, developed worsening cough and sputum after aspiration, diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli (CRE) and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) infections. He was treated with imipenem anti-infective therapy and mechanical ventilation, then switched to a combination of meropenem, voriconazole and amikacin anti-infective therapy due to recurrent infections and septic shock, and died of sepsis on 8 January 2023. Case 2 is an 82-year-old male admitted on 30 September 2022, with recurrent cough, sputum, and shortness of breath, diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia with carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) and Mycobacterium pneumoniae infections. He was treated with ventilator-assisted ventilation, meropenem, amikacin, tigecycline and mucomycin nebulization and discharged with improvement on 26 October. He was readmitted on 21 November 2022 and diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia. He was treated with cefoperazone sulbactam, amikacin, meropenem and fluconazole and discharged on 31 December. Neither patient was infected with SARS-CoV-2 during hospitalization. Notably, their globulin levels were elevated before SARS-CoV-2 exposure, gradually decreasing afterward. Conclusions: Patients with bacterial pneumonia with high globulin levels likely have large amounts of immunoglobulin, and that immunoglobulin cross-reactivity causes this protein to be involved in clearing SARS-CoV-2 and preventing infection. Therefore, bacterial pneumonia patients with high globulin levels included in this study were not infected with SARS-CoV-2. After exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the amount of globulin in the patient's body was reduced because it was used to clear SARS-CoV-2. The results of this study are expected to provide a theoretical basis for the study of the mechanism of prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Effects of Low-Pressure Systems on Temperature, Humidity, Egg Production, and Feed Utilization Efficiency in Large-Scale Poultry Houses during Summer.

Low-pressure systems (LPSs) are among the most critical weather systems, producing excessive precipitation that causes air temperatures to drop and rise considerably. Acute temperature changes directly affect poultry feed intake (FI) and laying performance. To explore the effects of LPSs on hens, the parameters of air temperature, relative humidity, egg production, and feed utilization efficiency were evaluated during different LPSs in three houses. Results indicated that about 2.8 ± 0.7 d, 2.4 ± 0.5 d, and 2.4 ± 0.5 d before the LPS landfall in houses 1, 2, and 3, respectively, the indoor air temperature started to decrease, with the average decreases being 1.7 °C ± 0.4 °C, 2.4 °C ± 0.6 °C, and 1.8 °C ± 0.4 °C, respectively. Significant differences were observed between different LPSs for reducing indoor air temperature (p < 0.05) in the three houses. In house 1, the egg production rates (EPRs) were decreased by 6.6% and 1.1% when LPSs 1 and 2 landed. The average egg weight (AEW) and FI during the LPS landfall were significantly higher than those before the LPS landfall (p < 0.01). Under successive LPSs landfall in the three houses, the EPRs initially reduced by 3.9%, 4.0%, and 0.5%, respectively, but the second LPS event increased the EPRs by 1.8%, 5.3%, and 1.0%, respectively. Furthermore, the LPS landfall increased the feed conversion ratio (FCRe) in the three houses, all above 2.00. In conclusion, LPSs can reduce heat stress, lower the EPRs, and lead to higher FI, FCRe, and AEW.

Upadacitinib to improve anxiety in patients with adalimumab-treated psoriatic arthritis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) often suffer from anxiety disorders. While upadacitinib has shown effectiveness in reducing various disease activity indicators in active PsA, its impact on anxiety disorders in PsA patients needs further investigation. METHODS: In this 12-week randomized, open-label, controlled trial, PsA patients with coexisting anxiety were randomly assigned to either the upadacitinib group or the adalimumab group in a 1:1 ratio. The upadacitinib group received a daily dose of 15 mg, while the adalimumab group received 40 mg every 2 weeks. The primary outcome measured the change in Hospital Anxiety Self-Assessment Scale (HADS-A) total scores after the 12-week intervention. Secondary outcomes included changes in the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI), the percentage of participants meeting the ACR20 criteria compared to baseline after 12 weeks, and the percentage of participants achieving a grade 0 or 1 in the psoriasis static Investigator's overall assessment (sPGA) at week 12 with an improvement of at least 2 points from baseline (sPGA 0/1). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the means of normally distributed variables between the upadacitinib and adalimumab groups. DISCUSSION: The impact of upadacitinib on anxiety in PsA patients remains uncertain. This 12-week open randomized controlled trial aims to provide insights into disease progression and underscore the importance of addressing PsA-related anxiety during treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2400079755. Registered on January 11, 2024, with ChiCTR. https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=216538.

Machine learning-based estimation of evapotranspiration under adaptation conditions: a case study in Heilongjiang Province, China.

The prediction of evapotranspiration (ET0) is crucial for agricultural ecosystems, irrigation management, and environmental climate regulation. Traditional methods for predicting ET0 require a variety of meteorological parameters. However, obtaining data for these multiple parameters can be challenging, leading to inaccuracies or inability to predict ET0 using traditional methods. This affects decision-making in critical applications such as agricultural irrigation scheduling and water management, consequently impacting the development of agricultural ecosystems. This issue is particularly pronounced in economically underdeveloped regions. Therefore, this paper proposes a machine learning-based evapotranspiration estimation method adapted to evapotranspiration conditions. Compared to traditional methods, our approach relies less on the variety of meteorological parameters and yields higher prediction accuracy. Additionally, we introduce a 'region of evapotranspiration adaptability' division method, which takes into account geographical differences in ET0 prediction. This effectively mitigates the negative impact of anomalies or missing data from individual meteorological stations, making our method more suitable for practical agricultural irrigation and ecosystem water resource management. We validated our approach using meteorological data from 25 stations in Heilongjiang, China. Our results indicate that non-adjacent geographical areas, despite different climatic conditions, can have similar impacts on ET0 prediction. In summary, our method facilitates accurate ET0 prediction, offering new insights for the development of agricultural irrigation and ecosystems, and further contributes to agricultural food supply.

Neutrophil extracellular traps promote M1 macrophage polarization in gouty inflammation via targeting hexokinase-2.

Peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4)-dependent neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation is a new neutrophil death mechanism. Increased NET formation has been demonstrated to be associated with gouty inflammation. Macrophages release proinflammatory mediators and chemokines in acute gouty inflammation and subsequently lead to inflammatory cascades. However, whether NETs regulate macrophage function and polarization and further contribute to gout development remains unclear. Herein, we investigated the relationship between monosodium urate (MSU) crystal-induced NETs and macrophages and the associated mechanisms in gouty inflammation. Elevated NET formation and CD86+ macrophage infiltration were observed in human gouty arthritis (GA). In vitro, MSU crystal-induced NETs or NET-associated histone H3 treatments modulated nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation, M1 polarization, and metabolic changes in macrophages. These effects were eliminated by hexokinase-2 (HK-2) silencing. Moreover, NET formation and inflammation were significantly reduced in PAD4-/- GA mice. Pharmacological inhibition of NET formation with Cl-Amidine or NET degradation with DNase Ⅰ significantly reduced M1 polarization of macrophages and ameliorated inflammation in GA mice. In sum, MSU crystal-induced NETs promote M1 polarization and NLRP3 activation in macrophages via targeting HK-2. Cell-free DNA and histone H3 may be the driving elements behind the NET-induced M1 macrophage polarization, NLRP3 activation, and metabolic changes. Targeting NETs could be a potential therapeutic strategy for gout flare.

Pollution risk evaluation of groundwater wells based on stochastic and deterministic simulation of aquifer lithology.

Groundwater pollution risk evaluation is an important basis for developing groundwater protection measures and management strategies, and its accuracy directly affects the effectiveness of protection measures. The heterogeneity of the aquifer significantly affects the transport process of pollutants, increasing the uncertainty of pollutant risk assessment. However, in the actual site, borehole data that reveal aquifer heterogeneity are costly, and only a limited number of borehole data are available, which cannot accurately describe the heterogeneity of the aquifer, thus limiting the accuracy of groundwater pollution risk assessment. In order to overcome the above problems, this paper proposes a groundwater pollution risk assessment framework based on the stochastic and deterministic simulation of aquifer lithology. Based on the statistical characteristics of the change of lithology type in the actual borehole, the framework uses Markov chain to generate some sets of random lithology field and transforms them into heterogeneity parameter field, so as to realize the stochastic assessment of the pollution risk of groundwater resource wells. Furthermore, combined with the pumping test data, the parameter field that is most suitable for the actual situation is selected to evaluate the pollution risk deterministically. Finally, the stochastic and deterministic results are combined to comprehensively evaluate the pollution risk of groundwater resource wells. Through a case study in a river valley plain, the feasibility of the above framework is verified, and good application effects are achieved. This study provides a feasible method for accurately assessing groundwater pollution risk, which is helpful to reduce the impact of uncertain factors on pollution risk assessment, and thus provides a more reliable basis for groundwater management and decision-making.

External circuit loading mode regulates anode biofilm electrochemistry and pollutants removal in microbial fuel cells.

This study investigated the effects of different external circuit loading mode on pollutants removal and power generation in microbial fuel cells (MFC). The results indicated that MFC exhibited distinct characteristics of higher maximum power density (Pmax) (named MFC-HP) and lower Pmax (named MFC-LP). And the capacitive properties of bioanodes may affect anodic electrochemistry. Reducing external load to align with the internal resistance increased Pmax of MFC-LP by 54.47 %, without no obvious effect on MFC-HP. However, intermittent external resistance loading (IER) mitigated the biotoxic effects of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) (a persistent organic pollutant) on chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH4+-N removal and maintained high Pmax (424.33 mW/m2) in MFC-HP. Meanwhile, IER mode enriched electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) and environmental adaptive bacteria Advenella, which may reduce antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) accumulation. This study suggested that the external circuit control can be effective means to regulate electrochemical characteristics and pollutants removal performance of MFC.