bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hybrid biomimetic assembly enzymes based on ZIF-8 as “intracellular scavenger” mitigating neuronal damage caused by oxidative stress
Authors: Li Qing , Feng Ruixia , Chang Zhaohui , Liu Xiaojun , Tang Hao , Bai Qian
Published: August 2022

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) was immobilized in zeolite imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) through biomimetic mineralization method, namely SOD@ZIF-8, which was then used in the treatment of nerve damage by eliminating reactive oxygen species (ROS). A series of chemical characterization and enzymatic activity researches revealed that SOD was successfully embedded into ZIF-8 without apparent influence on the antioxidant activity of SOD. Cell level experiments showed that SOD@ZIF-8 could be effectively endocytosed by cells. The activity of SOD@ZIF-8 in scavenging ROS played a critical role in protecting SHSY-5Y cells from MPP+-induced cell model and relieving cell apoptosis, indicating that SOD@ZIF-8 could effectively rescue ROS-mediated neurological disorders though removing excessive ROS produced in vitro.
The dependence of acoustic emission behavior on prior fatigue loading history
Authors: Ozevin Didem , Kessler Seth
Published: August 2022

Fatigue cracks are a major concern for aging metallic structures, as they can cause unexpected catastrophic failure. They often occur on hidden surfaces, e.g., under paint and rust or on the interface between two structural layers, which makes visual detection difficult. Acoustic Emission (AE) is a passive nondestructive evaluation (NDE) method that measures the initiation and progression of defects when a structure is continuously monitored. While using this method, which has been successfully applied to monolithic and composite structures, the fatigue life is related to the cumulative AE count. However, if the method is applied after the fatigue crack is initiated, the relationship between the fatigue life and the cumulative AE count may not be applicable. In this paper, the dependence of AE behavior on the prior fatigue loading history is studied using modified compact tension specimens. The cumulative AE count, AE correlation plots, and waveform characteristics are shown to be dependent on loading conditions in addition to the coupling state. Relative behaviors between AE sensors and trends in the cumulative AE count are illustrated by two AE characteristics that are shown as being independent of prior loading history and coupling discontinuities.
Multivariate logistic regression analysis of the correlation between five biomarkers and ovarian cancer in patients with intermediate-risk: A prospective cross-sectional study
Authors: Liu Zhen , Wu Jingjing , Wang Xiuli , Ji Xiaoyang
Published: August 2022

Objective: To find potential diagnostic biomarkers for ovarian cancer (OC), a prospective analysis of the expression of five biomarkers in patients with intermediate-risk and their correlation with the occurrence of OC was conducted.

Method: A prospective observational study was carried out, patients who underwent surgical treatment with benign or malignant ovarian tumors in our hospital from January 2020 to February 2021 were included in this study, and a total of 263 patients were enrolled. Based on the postoperative pathological results, enrolled patients were divided into ovarian cancer group and benign tumor group (n = 135). The ovarian cancer group was further divided into a mid-stage group (n = 46) and an advanced-stage group (n = 82). The basic information of the three groups of patients was collected, the preoperative imaging data of the patients were collected to assess the lymph node metastasis, the preoperative blood samples were collected to examine cancer antigen 125 (CA125), carbohydrate antigen 19–9 (CA19–9), Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and the postoperative pathological data were sorted and summarized.

Result: The average during of disease in the advanced ovarian cancer group was 0.55 ± 0.18 years higher than the benign tumor group (0.43 ± 0.14 years), p < 0.001. In the advanced ovarian cancer group, the ratio of patients with the tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) stage IV (64.63%), with tumor Grade stage II and III (93.90%), and without lymph node metastasis (64.63%) was respectively more than that in the mid-stage group (accordingly 0.00, 36.96, 23.91%) (p < 0.001); The ratio of patients with TNM grade III in the mid-stage group (73.91%) was more than that in the advanced group (35.37%) (p < 0.001). The levels of the five biomarkers: CA19-9, CA125, NLR, PLR, and BDNF were different among the three groups (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: CA19-9, CA125, NLR, PLR, BDNF are five biomarkers related to the occurrence of ovarian cancer and are risk factors for it. These five biomarkers and their Combined-Value may be suitable to apply in the diagnosis and the identification of ovarian cancer in patients with intermediate-risk.
Different inflammation responses modulate Müller glia proliferation in the acute or chronically damaged zebrafish retina
Authors: Iribarne Maria , Hyde David R.
Published: August 2022

Unlike mammals, zebrafish regenerate in response to retinal damage. Because microglia are activated by retinal damage, we investigated their role during regeneration following either acute or chronic damage. At three weeks post-fertilization (wpf), both wild-type fish exhibiting NMDA-induced acute ganglion and amacrine cell death and gold rush (gosh) mutant fish possessing chronic cone photoreceptor degeneration displayed reactive microglia/macrophages and Müller glia proliferation. Dexamethasone-treated retinas, to inhibit the immune response, lacked reactive microglia/macrophages and possessed fewer PCNA-positive cells, while LPS treatment increased microglia/macrophages and PCNA-labeled cells. NMDA-injured retinas upregulated expression of il-1β and tnfα pro-inflammatory cytokine genes, followed by increased expression of il-10 and arg1 anti-inflammatory/remodeling cytokine genes. A transient early TNFα pro-inflammatory microglia/macrophage population was visualized in NMDA-damaged retinas. In contrast, gosh mutant retinas exhibited a slight increase of pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression concurrently with a greater increased anti-inflammatory/remodeling cytokine gene expression. Few TNFα pro-inflammatory microglia/macrophages were observed in the gosh retina. Understanding why acute and chronic damage results in different inflammation profiles and their effects on regulating zebrafish retinal regeneration would provide important clues toward improving therapeutic strategies for repairing injured mammalian tissues.
The PTPIP51 coiled-coil domain is important in VAPB binding, formation of ER-mitochondria contacts and IP3 receptor delivery of Ca2+ to mitochondria
Authors: Mórotz Gábor M. , Martín-Guerrero Sandra M. , Markovinovic Andrea , Paillusson Sebastien , Russell Matthew R. G. , Machado Pedro M. Pereira , Fleck Roland A. , Noble Wendy , Miller Christopher C.J.
Published: August 2022

Signaling between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria regulates a number of fundamental physiological processes. This signaling involves close physical contacts between the two organelles that are mediated by the VAPB-PTPIP51 ″tethering” proteins. The VAPB-PTPIP51 tethers facilitate inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor delivery of Ca2+ from ER to mitochondria. Damage to the tethers is seen in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and frontotemporal dementia with related amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FTD/ALS). Understanding the mechanisms that regulate the VAPB‐PTPIP51 interaction thus represents an important area of research. Recent studies suggest that an FFAT motif in PTPIP51 is key to its binding to VAPB but this work relies on in vitro studies with short peptides. Cellular studies to support this notion with full-length proteins are lacking. Here we address this issue. Immunoprecipitation assays from transfected cells revealed that deletion of the PTPIP51 FFAT motif has little effect on VAPB binding. However, mutation and deletion of a nearby coiled-coil domain markedly affect this binding. Using electron microscopy, we then show that deletion of the coiled-coil domain but not the FFAT motif abrogates the effect of PTPIP51 on ER-mitochondria contacts. Finally, we show that deletion of the coiled-coil domain but not the FFAT motif abrogates the effect of PTPIP51 on the IP3 receptor-mediated delivery of Ca2+ to mitochondria. Thus, the coiled-coil domain is essential for PTPIP51 ER-mitochondria signaling functions.
Regulation of plasmalogen metabolism and traffic in mammals: The fog begins to lift
Authors: Dorninger Fabian , Werner Ernst R. , Berger Johannes , Watschinger Katrin
Published: August 2022

Due to their unique chemical structure, plasmalogens do not only exhibit distinct biophysical and biochemical features, but require specialized pathways of biosynthesis and metabolization. Recently, major advances have been made in our understanding of these processes, for example by the attribution of the gene encoding the enzyme, which catalyzes the final desaturation step in plasmalogen biosynthesis, or by the identification of cytochrome C as plasmalogenase, which allows for the degradation of plasmalogens. Also, models have been presented that plausibly explain the maintenance of adequate cellular levels of plasmalogens. However, despite the progress, many aspects around the questions of how plasmalogen metabolism is regulated and how plasmalogens are distributed among organs and tissues in more complex organisms like mammals, remain unresolved. Here, we summarize and interpret current evidence on the regulation of the enzymes involved in plasmalogen biosynthesis and degradation as well as the turnover of plasmalogens. Finally, we focus on plasmalogen traffic across the mammalian body – a topic of major importance, when considering plasmalogen replacement therapies in human disorders, where deficiencies in these lipids have been reported. These involve not only inborn errors in plasmalogen metabolism, but also more common diseases including Alzheimer’s disease and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Optimization of multi-mode classification for process monitoring
Authors: Webb Z. T. , Nnadili M. , Seghers E. E. , Briceno-Mena L. A. , Romagnoli J. A.
Published: August 2022

Process monitoring seeks to identify anomalous plant operating states so that operators can take the appropriate actions for recovery. Instrumental to process monitoring is the labeling of known operating states in historical data, so that departures from these states can be identified. This task can be challenging and time consuming as plant data is typically high dimensional and extensive. Moreover, automation of this procedure is not trivial since ground truth labels are often unavailable. In this contribution, this problem is approached as a multi-mode classification one, and an automatic framework for labeling using unsupervised Machine Learning (ML) methods is presented. The implementation was tested using data from the Tennessee Eastman Process and an industrial pyrolysis process. A total of 9 ML ensembles were included. Hyperparameters were optimized using a multi-objective evolutionary optimization algorithm. Unsupervised clustering metrics (silhouette score, Davies-Bouldin index, and Calinski-Harabasz Index) were investigated as candidates for objective functions in the optimization implementation. Results show that ensembles and hyperparameter selection can be aided by multi-objective optimization. It was found that Silhouette score and Davies-Bouldin index are strong predictions of the ensemble’s performance and can then be used to obtain good initial results for subsequent fault detection and fault diagnosis procedures.
Radioiodine sorbent selection criteria
Authors: Riley Brian J. , Carlson Krista
Published: August 2022

Methods for preventing radioiodine from entering the environment are needed in processes related to nuclear energy and medical isotope production. The development and performance of many different types of sorbents to capture iodine have been reported on for decades; however, there is yet to be a concise overview on the important parameters that should be considered when selecting a material for chemically capturing radioiodine. This paper summarizes several criteria that should be considered when selecting candidate sorbents for implementation into real-world systems. The list of selection criteria discussed are 1) optimal capture performance, 2) kinetics of adsorption, 3) performance under relevant process conditions, 4) properties of the substrate that supports the getter, and 5) environmental stability and disposition pathways for iodine-loaded materials.
Unraveling the complex burial history of the Antrim formation in Michigan basin using paleomagnetism, rock magnetism and geochemistry
Authors: Heij Gerhard , Elmore Richard Douglas
Published: August 2022

This paper presents an integrated paleomagnetic, rock magnetic and geochemical study of the Devonian Antrim shale in the Michigan Basin. Specimens were obtained from two unoriented vertical cores (named St. Chester and Krocker) and sampled relative to a master specimen orientation line. Alternating field (AF) demagnetization experiments isolated a lower coercivity component (LC) from 0 to ∼60 mT in the Krocker core and corresponds to a Jurassic (170 Ma ± 25) magnetization. Higher coercivity components (HC) in the Krocker core are unblocked from ∼60 to 120 mT and unlike LC components, occasionally exhibit stable unblocking temperature ranges (e.g., 150–450°C) and higher AF demagnetization ranges (∼60–120 mT). HC components in the Krocker core are unique to certain members within the Antrim shale with a poorly resolved Middle Permian/Late Triassic magnetization in the Paxton member and Late Pennsylvanian (305 Ma ± 10) component in the Norwood. The St. Chester well exhibited a LC component among all specimens with a slightly older (205 Ma ± 10) than the Krocker core. Rock magnetic parameters indicate the magnetization resides in PSD/SD magnetite in both HC and LC components. Overall, the magnetizations are interpreted to be chemical remanent magnetizations (CRMs) with the HC component residing in SD magnetite which formed during hydrothermal activity in both cores. The LC component likely resides in PSD/MD magnetite and is interpreted to have formed in response to fluid flow associated with tectonic uplift and/or hydrocarbon migration. Petrographic observations indicate mineral assemblages consistent with hydrothermal mineralization (e.g., baroque dolomite). Depleted δ18O data from carbonate fractures are consistent with a hydrothermal fluid magnetization mechanism. Consistent anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) lineations indicates either a long-lived paleocurrent direction or far-field tectonic shortening originating from the neighboring Acadian orogeny. Inorganic geochemistry indicate that paramagnetic Fe-rich clays carry the AMS signal. Lastly, an evaluation of the origin of chalcopyrite and monazite is performed through provenance analysis. These minerals are attributed to hydrothermal mineralization however, strong evidence suggests that some fraction of these grains were sourced from the Michigan Peninsula.
The strengthening relationship between summer rainfall over North China and PDO since the mid-2000s
Authors: Wu Kaijun , Liu Haiwen , Zhao Liang , Lin Yihua , Yang Zhaohong
Published: August 2022

The interdecadal change of the summer (July–August) rainfall over North China (SRNC) is of great concern to the climate research community. Based on the sliding correlation and interdecadal difference analysis, the interdecadal change of SRNC was studied. Results show a significantly wetter period of SRNC since the mid-2000s, which was associated with strengthening negative relationship between SRNC and PDO. PDO affected the SRNC through the jet stream in the upper-level and the East Asia–Pacific (EAP) teleconnection pattern. In the negative phase of the PDO since the mid-2000s, the contractive upper-level jet stream in the west of North China resulted in the abnormal updraft over the southern region of North China. Meanwhile, the positive phase of the EAP teleconnection pattern brought warm and wet southeast flow entering North China from its eastern boundary, both bringing more rainfall in North China. The abnormal water vapor transport from the western Pacific was very different from that accompanying the East Asian summer monsoon.
Interdecadal Increase in Summertime Extreme Precipitation over East China in the Late 1990’s
Authors: Zang Zengliang , Luo Junyao , Ha Yao
Published: August 2022

This study focuses on the interdecadal increase of summertime extreme precipitation over East China in the late 1990s and physical mechanisms behind. The results show that summer extreme precipitation over East China during 1979–2020 demonstrates an upward trend and a significant interdecadal increase occurs around 1997/1998. Since 1997, extreme precipitation anomalies turn from less than normal to more than normal, corresponding to a strong upward movement in the lower troposphere over East China. A cyclonic circulation with positive vorticity controlled by a strong southeasterly flow appears in the lower level over South China. The reasons for the interdecadal increase of summer extreme precipitation over East China are analyzed from the perspective of the abnormally strong South Asian subtropical high (SAH) and the atmospheric circulation anomalies caused by zonal sea surface temperature (SST) gradient in the tropical oceans. After 1997, positive sensible heat anomalies appear over the Tibetan Plateau in spring, which is the major factor that maintains the intensity of the SAH. Besides, the SST of the tropical oceans presents an obvious “high-low-high” zonal gradient distribution with positive sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific, and negative SSTA over the Maritime Continent. The zonal SST gradient results in an anomalous downdraft and boundary layer divergence over the Maritime Continent. The tropical zonal SST gradient triggers a local Hadley circulation, and its ascending branch is located in East China. This is a circulation condition favorable for the development of extreme precipitation. In addition, since the late 1990s, the SAH has strengthened in the upper troposphere above the southeastern China. The anomalous divergence at the upper level effectively maintains the upward movement, which in turn facilitates the occurrence of extreme precipitation. As a result, the sensible heat changes in the Tibetan Plateau in spring and the tropical SST zonal gradient jointly affect summer extreme precipitation over East China, leading to the interdecadal increase of extreme precipitation in the late 1990s.
A comparison study of face stability between the entering and exiting a shallow-buried tunnel with a front slope
Authors: Li Xinzhe , Li Xiulei , Yang Chao
Published: August 2022

Worldwide, it is a great challenge to tunnel in portal section, where excessive deformation, cracking, or even collapse often occurs during the construction process. This paper presents a comparison study of face stability between entering and exiting a shallow-buried tunnel with a front slope. Firstly, the theoretical solutions of support pressure σT and safety coefficient FS of the excavation face considering surface slope are derived by upper-bound limit analysis method. Secondly, for different slope angles, buried depth and surrounding rocks of the exit and entrance sections, the σT and FS are obtained. The results show that when the burial depth of the tunnel crown h remain constant, the σT increased first and then decreased while the FS increased gradually, and both become steady when the slope angle α arrive at a certain value. In addition, the thicker the h is, the smaller the certain value α is. When the h and α remain constant, the loose area in front of the excavate face will decreased apparently with the increase of the internal friction angle φ, thus the σT will decrease and FS will increase. Moreover, the σT decreased linearly with the increase of cohesion c and unit weigh γ of surrounding rock, while the FS is the opposite. Compared with the entrance section, the construction risk at the exit section is greater.
High liver fibrosis scores in metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease patients are associated with adverse atrial remodeling and atrial fibrillation recurrence following catheter ablation
Authors: Decoin Raphaël , Butruille Laura , Defrancq Thomas , Robert Jordan , Destrait Nicolas , Coisne Augustin , Aghezzaf Samy , Woitrain Eloise , Gouda Zouriatou , Schino Sofia , Klein Cédric , Maboudou Patrice , Brigadeau François , Klug Didier , Vincentelli Andre , Dombrowicz David , Staels Bart , Montaigne David , Ninni Sandro
Published: August 2022

Background

A number of epidemiological studies have suggested an association between metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the pathogenesis leading to AF in the context of MAFLD remains unclear. We therefore aimed at assessing the impact of MAFLD and liver fibrosis status on left atrium (LA) structure and function.

Methods

Patients with a Fatty Liver Index (FLI) >60 and the presence of metabolic comorbidities were classified as MAFLD+. In MAFLD+ patients, liver fibrosis severity was defined using the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) Fibrosis Score (NFS), as follows: MAFLD w/o fibrosis (NFS ≦ −1.455), MAFLD w/indeterminate fibrosis (−1.455 < NFS < 0.675), and MAFLD w/fibrosis (NFS ≧ 0.675). In the first cohort of patients undergoing AF ablation, the structural and functional impact on LA of MAFLD was assessed by LA strain analysis and endocardial voltage mapping. Histopathological assessment of atrial fibrosis was performed in the second cohort of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Finally, the impact of MAFLD on AF recurrence following catheter ablation was assessed.

Results

In the AF ablation cohort (NoMAFLD n = 123; MAFLD w/o fibrosis n = 37; MAFLD indeterm. fibrosis n = 75; MAFLD w/severe fibrosis n = 10), MAFLD patients with high risk of F3–F4 liver fibrosis presented more LA low-voltage areas as compared to patients without MAFLD (16.5 [10.25; 28] vs 5.0 [1; 11] low-voltage areas p = 0.0115), impaired LA reservoir function assessed by peak left atrial longitudinal strain (19.7% ± 8% vs 8.9% ± 0.89% p = 0.0268), and increased LA volume (52.9 ± 11.7 vs 43.5 ± 18.0 ml/m2 p = 0.0168). Accordingly, among the MAFLD patients, those with a high risk of F3–F4 liver fibrosis presented a higher rate of AF recurrence during follow-up (p = 0.0179). In the cardiac surgery cohort (NoMAFLD n = 12; MAFLD w/o fibrosis n = 5; MAFLD w/fibrosis n = 3), an increase in histopathological atrial fibrosis was observed in MAFLD patients with a high risk of F3–F4 liver fibrosis (p = 0.0206 vs NoMAFLD; p = 0.0595 vs MAFLD w/o fibrosis).

Conclusion

In conclusion, we found that liver fibrosis scoring in MAFLD patients is associated with adverse atrial remodeling and AF recurrences following catheter ablation. The impact of the management of MAFLD on LA remodeling and AF ablation outcomes should be assessed in dedicated studies.
Transcriptomic signatures responding to PKM2 activator TEPP-46 in the hyperglycemic human renal proximal epithelial tubular cells
Authors: Wang Zhimin , Yu Jiating , Hao Dan , Liu Xin , Wang Xiao
Published: August 2022

Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), as the terminal and last rate-limiting enzyme of the glycolytic pathway, is an ideal enzyme for regulating metabolic phenotype. PKM2 tetramer activation has shown a protective role against diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, the molecular mechanisms involved in diabetic tubular have not been investigated so far. In this study, we performed transcriptome gene expression profiling in human renal proximal tubular epithelial cell line (HK-2 cells) treated with 25 mM high D-glucose (HG) for 7 days before the addition of 10 μM TEPP-46, an activator of PKM2 tetramerization, for a further 1 day in the presence of HG. Afterwards, we analyzed the differentially expressed (DE) genes and investigated gene relationships based on weighted gene co-expression network analysis. The results showed that 2,902 DE genes were identified (adjusted P-value ≤ 0.05), where 2,509 DE genes (86.46%) were co-expressed in the key module. Four extremely downregulated DE genes (HSPA8, HSPA2, HSPA1B, and ARRB1) and three extremely upregulated DE genes (GADD45A, IGFBP3, and SIAH1) enriched in the downregulated endocytosis (hsa04144) and upregulated p53 signaling pathway (hsa04115), respectively, were validated by qRT-PCR experiments. The qRT-PCR results showed that the relative expression levels of HSPA8 [adjusted P-value = 4.45 × 10-34 and log2(FC) = -1.12], HSPA2 [adjusted P-value = 6.09 × 10-14 and log2(FC) = -1.27], HSPA1B [adjusted P-value = 1.14 × 10-11 and log2(FC) = -1.02], and ARRB1 [adjusted P-value = 2.60 × 10-5 and log2(FC) = -1.13] were significantly different (P-value < 0.05) from the case group to the control group. Furthermore, the interactions and predicted microRNAs of the key genes (HSPA8, HSPA2, HSPA1B, and ARRB1) were visualized in networks. This study identified the key candidate transcriptomic biomarkers and biological pathways in hyperglycemic HK-2 cells responding to the PKM2 activator TEPP-46 that can highlight a possibility of PKM2 tetramerization reshaping the interplay among endocytic trafficking through the versatile networks of Hsp70s and rewiring the crosstalk between EGFR signal transduction circuits and metabolic stress to promote resilience, which will be valuable for further research on PKM2 in DKD.
Getting pregnant with congenital adrenal hyperplasia: Assisted reproduction and pregnancy complications. A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Guo Xiaoyan , Zhang Yu , Yu Yiqi , Zhang Ling , Ullah Kamran , Ji Mengxia , Jin Bihui , Shu Jing
Published: August 2022

Many patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) refrain from seeking pregnancy, suffer from infertility or worry about pregnancy complications, mainly due to genitalia abnormalities, anovulation, unreceptive endometrium and metabolic disturbances. Despite those challenges, many live births have been reported. In this systematic review, we focused on the key to successful assisted reproduction strategies and the potential pregnancy complications. We did a systematic literature search of Pubmed, Medline and Scopus for articles reporting successful pregnancies in CAH other than 21-hydroxylase deficiency, and found 25 studies reporting 39 pregnancies covering deficiency in steroidogenic acute regulatory protein, 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase, 11β-hydroxylase, P450 oxidoreductase, cytochrome b5 and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. We summarized various clinical manifestations and tailored reproduction strategy for each subtype. Furthermore, a meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the pregnancy complications of CAH patients. A total of 19 cross-sectional or cohort studies involving 1311 pregnancies of classic and non-classic CAH patients were included. Surprisingly, as high as 5.5% (95% CI 2.3%-9.7%) of pregnancies were electively aborted, and the risk was significantly higher in those studies with a larger proportion of classic CAH than those with only non-classical patients (8.43% (4.1%-13.81%) VS 3.75%(1.2%-7.49%)), which called for better family planning. Pooled incidence of miscarriage was 18.2% (13.4%-23.4%) with a relative risk (RR) of 1.86 (1.27-2.72) compared to control. The miscarriage rate in non-classical CAH patients was not significantly different with or without glucocorticoid treatment from retrospective studies. CAH patients were also more susceptible to gestational diabetes mellitus, with a prevalence of 7.3% (2.4%-14.1%) and a RR 2.57 (1.29-5.12). However, risks of preeclampsia, preterm birth and small for gestational age were not significantly different. 67.8% (50.8%-86.9%) CAH patients underwent Cesarean delivery, 3.86 (1.66-8.97) times the risk of the control group. These results showed that fertility is possible for CAH patients but special care was necessary when planning, seeking and during pregnancy.

Systematic Review Registration

PROSPERO https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=342642, CRD42022342642.
Assessing wave energy converters in the gulf of Mexico using a multi-criteria approach
Authors: Diaz-Maya Miqueas , Ulloa Marco , Silva Rodolfo
Published: August 2022

The wave power in the Gulf of Mexico was analyzed, using 42 years (1979–2020) of simulated data, with ERA-5 winds to force the WAVEWATCH III wave model. The model was successfully validated with three NDBC buoys, 42,055, 42,001 and 42,002. Comparison of significant wave heights obtained from the Jason-2, Cryosat-2, and Saral satellites showed good mean correlation coefficients and root mean squares. The spatial distribution of wave power was studied, as well as its seasonal variability. The region studied has moderate availability of wave power with marked seasonality. A multi-criteria MCA approach, including both sea state and wave energy converters (WECs), was then applied. Nine virtual sites were selected for the study and the AAHPA device gave best results in 7 virtual sites and the Wavestar device in the remaining two. The technology of these two devices, a system of oscillating buoys, is the most viable technology for the Gulf of Mexico.
Configuration-dispatch dual-layer optimization of multi-microgrid–integrated energy systems considering energy storage and demand response
Authors: Wang Kaiyan , Liang Yan , Jia Rong , Wang Xueyan , Du Haodong , Ma Xiping
Published: August 2022

With the urgent demand for energy revolution and consumption under China’s “30–60” dual carbon target, a configuration-scheduling dual-layer optimization model considering energy storage and demand response for the multi-microgrid–integrated energy system is proposed to improve new energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions. First, a demand response model of different users and loads in the integrated energy system is established. Second, the upper energy storage configuration model is constructed by introducing shared energy storage in the multi-microgrid–integrated energy system to improve the system’s flexibility, with the optimization goal of the maximum annual profitability of shared energy storage. A carbon trading mechanism considering the dynamic reward coefficient is designed. A low-carbon economic dispatch model of a multi-microgrid–integrated energy system is constructed based on the upper energy storage capacity, charge and discharge power, and user-side demand response with the lowest annual operating cost as the optimization goal. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed model is verified by case studies in various scenarios. The results illustrate that the proposed model can fully use demand-side controllable resources to improve system energy utilization, effectively reduce carbon emissions, and further improve the operation economy of the multi-microgrid–integrated energy system.
Anomaly electricity detection method based on entropy weight method and isolated forest algorithm
Authors: Jianyuan Wang , Chengcheng Gu , Kechen Liu
Published: August 2022

This study aims at investigating the applicability of abnormal electricity consumption data detection method, which is based on the entropy weight method and the isolated forest tree algorithm. The inaccessibility and imbalance of abnormal electricity consumption samples in actual data sets are considered by analyzing smart distribution network power consumption big data. Firstly, the users are classified by the k-means clustering algorithm, and then the characteristics of each type of user are extracted and the feature set is processed by the principal component analysis method to reduce the dimensions, followed by the entropy weight method adaptive configuration of the weight coefficients of each feature index, and finally the abnormal power consumption users are calculated based on the feature-weighted isolated forest algorithm. The algorithm verifies the real electricity consumption data of 6,445 users, and the results show that the method has a high detection accuracy, recall rate and F1 score, which is more suitable for the detection of abnormal electricity consumption in scenarios when there are complex and diverse user power consumption behaviors.
Analysis of the temporal and spatial pattern of air pollution and the heterogeneity of its influencing factors in central Inner Mongolia from 2016 to 2018
Authors: Wang Jie , Liu Dongwei , Xu Xijie , Ma Jiali , Han Lijing
Published: August 2022

The central region of Inner Mongolia is the northern ecological safety barrier of Beijing and even the whole country. It is one of the main sources of dust in North China, and air pollution control is the top priority in this region. In this study, the central region of Inner Mongolia was selected as the study area, multiple auxiliary variables were used to estimate the spatial distribution of PM2.5 concentration from 2016 to 2018 by geographically weighted regression, and the socioeconomic determinants of PM2.5 concentration were analyzed by geographic detectors. The results show that: 1) the established model can better estimate the spatial distribution of PM2.5 concentration in the study area, and the monthly mean correlation coefficient R of the verification parameters is stable, ranging from 0.58 to 0.66. 2) PM2.5 concentration in central Inner Mongolia showed significant temporal and spatial variation. The mean annual PM2.5 concentration along the Yellow River basin is the highest in the study area. PM2.5 concentration first increased and then decreased from 2016 to 2018. 3) Urban built-up area, permanent population and per capita GDP are the key factors affecting the spatial and temporal distribution of PM2.5 concentration in the study area. The results of this study provide theoretical basis and technical support for air pollution monitoring, management and prevention in central Inner Mongolia.
Assessing the effects of burn severity on post-fire tree structures using the fused drone and mobile laser scanning point clouds
Authors: Qi Yangqian , Coops Nicholas C. , Daniels Lori D. , Butson Christopher R.
Published: August 2022

Wildfires burn heterogeneously across the landscape and create complex forest structures. Quantifying the structural changes in post-fire forests is critical to evaluating wildfire impacts and providing insights into burn severities. To advance the understanding of burn severities at a fine scale, forest structural attributes at the individual tree level need to be examined. The advent of drone laser scanning (DLS) and mobile laser scanning (MLS) has enabled the acquisition of high-density point clouds to resolve fine structures of individual trees. Yet, few studies have used DLS and MLS data jointly to examine their combined capability to describe post-fire forest structures. To assess the impacts of the 2017 Elephant Hill wildfire in British Columbia, Canada, we scanned trees that experienced a range of burn severities 2 years post-fire using both DLS and MLS. After fusing the DLS and MLS data, we reconstructed quantitative structure models to compute 14 post-fire biometric, volumetric, and crown attributes. At the individual tree level, our data suggest that smaller pre-fire trees tend to experience higher levels of crown scorch than larger pre-fire trees. Among trees with similar pre-fire sizes, those within mature stands (age class: > 50 years) had lower levels of crown scorch than those within young stands (age class: 15—50 years). Among pre-fire small- and medium-diameter trees, those experiencing high crown scorch had smaller post-fire crowns with unevenly distributed branches compared to unburned trees. In contrast, pre-fire large-diameter trees were more resistant to crown scorch. At the plot level, low-severity fires had minor effects, moderate-severity fires mostly decreased tree height, and high-severity fires significantly reduced diameter at breast height, height, and biomass. Our exploratory factor analyses further revealed that stands dominated by trees with large crown sizes and relatively wide spacing could burn less severely than stands characterized by regenerating trees with high crown fuel density and continuity. Overall, our results demonstrate that fused DLS-MLS point clouds can be effective in quantifying post-fire tree structures, which facilitates foresters to develop site-specific management plans. The findings imply that the management of crown fuel abundance and configuration could be vital to controlling burn severities.
Status, mechanism, suitable distribution areas and protection countermeasure of invasive species in the karst areas of Southwest China
Authors: Li Yonghua , Song Tianjian , Lai Yangjun , Huang Yuxin , Fang Lei , Chang Jiang
Published: August 2022

Biological invasion is one of the major threats to global biodiversity attracting a primary focus of scientific attention. During the past decades, due to the diversity and peculiarity of species, coupled with the vulnerable ecosystem, karst areas have received more and more attention. Numerous investigations and studies have confirmed that the karst areas in Southwest China are suffering from biological invasions under the intensified human activities and the climate change they caused. Despite some fundamental research on invasive species that has been conducted to understand the species and distribution in the karst areas, the mechanism of biological invasions and the response of karst ecosystem are still lack sufficient knowledge. In this paper, we summarized the habitat characteristics and invasion status of karst areas to biological invasions. This paper comprehensively analyzed the research results on biological invasions in karst areas to understand the status and development trends of biological invasions in the karst of China, so as to promote the relevant research on biological invasions in the karst areas. We found that the biological invasions in the karst areas were increasing with years. We also revealed the possible mechanism including competition, mutualism, allelopathy and phenotypic plasticity of biological invasion in karst by summarizing the relevant research results of in the karst areas. Moreover, the response of karst to biological invasion was described from the aspects of ecosystem, community, species and genetic levels, etc. By comparing the characteristics of invasive species that have been found in karst area, we analyzed the common characteristics including strong fecundity and rapid growth rate, strong environmental adaptability, strong phenotypic plasticity and high genetic diversity of the existing invasive species, we simulated and predicted the habitat of invasive species. Overall, we found three areas with high habitat suitability covering Chinese southwest Karst ecosystem, which include the southern Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, foothill area on the Min-Yue-Gui and foothill area of southern Yunnan. It is also worth noting that the Sichuan Basin has a higher invasive risk compared to its surrounding Karst ecosystem, mainly because of the high habitat suitability of some invasive species. Therefore, we suggest that a general survey of alien invasive species in the karst areas of Southwest China should be carried out as soon as possible, focusing on the survey of the suitable areas of alien species for early warning. In addition, to establish a database of invasive alien species in the karst areas of southwest China, strengthen the monitoring of alien species, and evaluate the impact of invasive species in key areas on the biodiversity and ecosystem in the karst areas of Southwest China, so as to maintain the stability of cave biodiversity and the fragile ecosystem.
Detecting slow-moving landslides using InSAR phase-gradient stacking and deep-learning network
Authors: Fu Lv , Zhang Qi , Wang Teng , Li Weile , Xu Qiang , Ge Daqing
Published: August 2022

Landslides are a major geohazard that endangers human lives and properties. Recently, efforts have been made to use Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) for landslide monitoring. However, it is still difficult to effectively and automatically identify slow-moving landslides distributed over a large area due to phase unwrapping errors, decorrelation, troposphere turbulence and computational requirements. In this study, we develop a new approach combining phase-gradient stacking and a deep-learning network based on YOLOv3 to automatically detect slow-moving landslides from large-scale interferograms. Using Sentinel-1 SAR images acquired from 2014 to 2020, we developed a burst-based, phase-gradient stacking algorithm to sum up phase gradients in short-temporal-baseline interferograms along the azimuth and range directions. The stacked phase gradients clearly reveal the characteristics of localized surface deformation that is mainly caused by slow-moving landslides and avoids the errors due to phase unwrapping in partially decorrelated areas and atmospheric effects. Then, we trained the improved Attention-YOLOv3 network with stacked phase-gradient maps of manually labeled landslides to achieve quick and automatic detection. We applied our method in an ∼180,000 km2 area of southwestern China and identified 3,366 slow-moving landslides. By comparing the results with optical imagery and previously published landslides in this region, the proposed method can achieve automatic detection over a large area precisely and efficiently. From the derived landslide density map, we determined that most landslides are distributed along the three large rivers and their branches. In addition to some counties with known high-density landslides, approximately 10 more counties with high landslide density were exposed, which should attract more attention to their risks for geohazards. This application demonstrates the potential value of our newly developed method for slow-moving landslide detection over a nation-wide area, which can be employed before applying more time-consuming time-series InSAR analysis.
Exposure to fenvalerate and tebuconazole exhibits combined acute toxicity in zebrafish and behavioral abnormalities in larvae
Authors: Yao Chunlian , Huang Lan , Li Changsheng , Nie Dongxing , Chen Yajie , Guo Xuanjun , Cao Niannian , Li Xuefeng , Pang Sen
Published: August 2022

In aquatic ecosystems, pesticide residues meanly present as mixtures of varying complexity, which may lead to compound pollution of organisms. Therefore, it is of great practical importance to evaluate the combined toxic effects of pesticides. In this study, the mixture acute toxicities of fenvalerate with tebuconazole on zebrafish larvae and adults were investigated. The effects of mixture toxicity on swimming behavior of larvae were also analyzed. The mixture acute toxicity of the systems showed antagonistic effects on adult zebrafish when the mixing ratios of fenvalerate and tebuconazole were equal, but the other two ratios of the mixes both showed synergistic effects. The strongest synergistic effect was observed when fenvalerate was mixed with tebuconazole in the ratio of 8:2. The swimming behavior of zebrafish larvae was significantly inhibited after exposure to single or mixed systems for 2 days. However, significant up-regulation of behavioral indicators in zebrafish larvae was observed at the beginning of exposure in the mixture exposure groups. The results showed that fenvalerate and tebuconazole had the risk of synergistic toxic effect on zebrafish. It is recommended that the simultaneous use of both pesticides in agricultural activities near water bodies should be scientifically controlled to avoid adverse effects on aquatic organisms.
The nutrient preferences of rice and wheat influence fluoranthene uptake
Authors: Xu Yuanzhou , Xiao Zhuoliang , Zhang Xinyue , Zhao Chenyu , Li Yunyun , Che Ting , Li Yajuan , Zang Xiayun , Jiang Shuyi , Li Huixin , Xu Li , Hu Feng
Published: August 2022

Applications of the key plant nutrient nitrogen (N) increase the uptake and accumulation of pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, it is unclear how a plant’s preference for a particular form of N in the soil affects the uptake and accumulation of PAHs. In this study, we investigated the physiological mechanisms involved in fluoranthene uptake by rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and examined how these mechanisms were affected by different forms of N treatment under an equivalent N supply. Both N form and plant species affected plant fluoranthene uptake. Rice accumulated more fluoranthene than wheat under an equivalent N supply, while the transfer coefficient of fluoranthene in wheat was higher than that in rice. Fluoranthene accumulation in rice and wheat was positively correlated with plant root morphology parameters, and the transfer coefficient was positively correlated with transpiration. Of the treatments examined, ammonium (NH4+-N)-treated rice and nitrate (NO3−-N)-treated wheat accumulated the most fluoranthene at equivalent N supply. Fluoranthene accumulation was positively correlated with plant growth, total nitrogen N content, total protein content, and antioxidant enzyme activities. Based on a partial least squares path model (PLS-PM) analysis, total plant N was the main factor influencing fluoranthene uptake by rice and wheat treated with different forms of N. Overall, ammonium-preferring rice and nitrate-preferring wheat had the highest nutrient content in their preferred N forms, which also promoted fluoranthene uptake. Therefore, regulating the form of N applied to the soil could be a suitable strategy to improve the safety of agricultural products.
Casting a light on the shoreline: The influence of light pollution on intertidal settings
Authors: Lynn K. Devon , Quijón Pedro A.
Published: August 2022

Light pollution is becoming prevalent among other coastal stressors, particularly along intertidal habitats, arguably the most exposed to anthropogenic light sources. As the number of light pollution studies on sandy beaches, rocky shores and other intertidal habitats raises, commonalities, research gaps and venues can be identified. Hence, the influence of light pollution on the behavior and ecology of a variety of intertidal macro-invertebrates and vertebrates are outlined by examining 54 published studies. To date, a large majority of the reported effects of light pollution are negative, as expected from the analysis of many species with circadian rhythms or nocturnal habits, although the severity of those effects ranges widely. Experimental approaches are well represented throughout but methodological limitations in measurement units and standardization continue to limit the proposal of general conclusions across species and habitats. In addition, studies targeting community variables and the explicit influence of skyglow are heavily underrepresented. Likewise, studies addressing the interaction between light pollution and other natural and anthropogenic stressors are critically needed and represent a key venue of research. The nature of those interactions (synergistic, additive, antagonistic) will likely dictate the impact and management of light pollution in the decades ahead.