A new CCCH-type zinc finger-related lncRNA signature predicts the prognosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients.

Background: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the main component of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and advanced ccRCC frequently indicates a poor prognosis. The significance of the CCCH-type zinc finger (CTZF) gene in cancer has been increasingly demonstrated during the past few years. According to studies, targeted radical therapy for cancer treatment may be a revolutionary therapeutic approach. Both lncRNAs and CCCH-type zinc finger genes are essential in ccRCC. However, the predictive role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) associated with the CCCH-type zinc finger gene in ccRCC needs further elucidation. This study aims to predict patient prognosis and investigate the immunological profile of ccRCC patients using CCCH-type zinc finger-associated lncRNAs (CTZFLs). Methods: From the Cancer Genome Atlas database, RNA-seq and corresponding clinical and prognostic data of ccRCC patients were downloaded. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to acquire CTZFLs for constructing prediction models. The risk model was verified using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the overall survival (OS) of high-risk and low-risk groups. Multivariate Cox and stratified analyses were used to assess the prognostic value of the predictive feature in the entire cohort and different subgroups. In addition, the relationship between risk scores, immunological status, and treatment response was studied. Results: We constructed a signature consisting of eight CTZFLs (LINC02100, AC002451.1, DBH-AS1, AC105105.3, AL357140.2, LINC00460, DLGAP1-AS2, AL162377.1). The results demonstrated that the prognosis of ccRCC patients was independently predicted by CTZFLs signature and that the prognosis of high-risk groups was poorer than that of the lower group. CTZFLs markers had the highest diagnostic adequacy compared to single clinicopathologic factors, and their AUC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) was 0.806. The overall survival of high-risk groups was shorter than that of low-risk groups when patients were divided into groups based on several clinicopathologic factors. There were substantial differences in immunological function, immune cell score, and immune checkpoint expression between high- and low-risk groups. Additionally, Four agents, including ABT737, WIKI4, afuresertib, and GNE 317, were more sensitive in the high-risk group. Conclusion: The Eight-CTZFLs prognostic signature may be a helpful prognostic indicator and may help with medication selection for clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Acute pancreatitis associated with diabetic ketoacidosis in a child with COVID-19 infection.

BACKGROUND: There is a mutual influence between COVID-19, diabetes ketoacidosis, and acute pancreatitis, with clinical manifestations overlapping each other, which can lead to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment that could aggravate the condition and affect the prognosis. COVID-19-induced diabetes ketoacidosis and acute pancreatitis are extremely rare, with only four case reports in adults and no cases yet reported in children. CASE PRESENTATION: We reported a case of acute pancreatitis associated with diabetic ketoacidosis in a 12-year-old female child post novel coronavirus infection. The patient presented with vomiting, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, and confusion. Laboratory findings showed elevated levels of inflammatory markers, hypertriglyceridemia, and high blood glucose. The patient was treated with fluid resuscitation, insulin, anti-infection treatments, somatostatin, omeprazole, low-molecular-weight heparin, and nutritional support. Blood purification was administered to remove inflammatory mediators. The patient's symptoms improved, and blood glucose levels stabilized after 20 days of admission. CONCLUSION: The case highlights the need for greater awareness and understanding of the interrelated and mutually promoting conditions of COVID-19, diabetes ketoacidosis, and acute pancreatitis among clinicians, to reduce misdiagnosis and missed diagnoses.

Additional mutations based on Omicron BA.2.75 mediate its further evasion from broadly neutralizing antibodies

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.75 subvariant has evolved to a series of progeny variants carrying several additional mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD). Here, we investigated whether and how these single mutations based on BA.2.75 affect the neutralization of currently available anti-RBD monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with well-defined structural information. Approximately 34% of mAbs maintained effective neutralizing activities against BA.2.75, consistent with that against BA.2, BA.4/5, and BA.2.12.1. Single additional R346T, K356T, L452R, or F486S mutations further facilitated BA.2.75-related progeny variants to escape from broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) at different degree. Only LY-CoV1404 (bebtelovimab) displayed a first-class neutralization potency and breadth against all tested Omicron subvariants. Overall, these data make a clear connection between virus escape and antibody recognizing antigenic epitopes, which facilitate to develop next-generation universal bnAbs against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Graphical

Additional mutations based on Omicron BA.2.75 mediate its further evasion from broadly neutralizing antibodies.

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.75 subvariant has evolved to a series of progeny variants carrying several additional mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD). Here, we investigated whether and how these single mutations based on BA.2.75 affect the neutralization of currently available anti-RBD monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with well-defined structural information. Approximately 34% of mAbs maintained effective neutralizing activities against BA.2.75, consistent with those against BA.2, BA.4/5, and BA.2.12.1. Single additional R346T, K356T, L452R, or F486S mutations further facilitated BA.2.75-related progeny variants to escape from broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) at different degree. Only LY-CoV1404 (bebtelovimab) displayed a first-class neutralization potency and breadth against all tested Omicron subvariants. Overall, these data make a clear connection between virus escape and antibody recognizing antigenic epitopes, which facilitate to develop next-generation universal bnAbs against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Protein nanopore reveals the renin-angiotensin system crosstalk with single-amino-acid resolution.

The discovery of crosstalk effects on the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is limited by the lack of approaches to quantitatively monitor, in real time, multiple components with subtle differences and short half-lives. Here we report a nanopore framework to quantitatively determine the effect of the hidden crosstalk between angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on RAS. By developing an engineered aerolysin nanopore capable of single-amino-acid resolution, we show that the ACE can be selectively inhibited by ACE2 to prevent cleavage of angiotensin I, even when the concentration of ACE is more than 30-fold higher than that of ACE2. We also show that the activity of ACE2 for cleaving angiotensin peptides is clearly suppressed by the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. This leads to the relaxation of ACE and the increased probability of accumulation of the principal effector angiotensin II. The spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant is demonstrated to have a much greater impact on the crosstalk than the wild type.

A Synthetic SARS-CoV-2-Derived T-Cell and B-Cell Peptide Cocktail Elicits Full Protection against Lethal Omicron BA.1 Infection in H11-K18-hACE2 Mice.

Emerging variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been developing the capacity for immune evasion and resistance to existing vaccines and drugs. To address this, development of vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has focused on universality, strong T cell immunity, and rapid production. Synthetic peptide vaccines, which are inexpensive and quick to produce, show low toxicity, and can be selected from the conserved SARS-CoV-2 proteome, are promising candidates. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of a synthetic peptide cocktail containing three murine CD4+ T-cell epitopes from the SARS-CoV-2 nonspike proteome and one B-cell epitope from the Omicron BA.1 receptor-binding domain (RBD), along with aluminum phosphate (Al) adjuvant and 5' cytosine-phosphate-guanine 3' oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG-ODN) adjuvant in mice. The peptide cocktail induced good Th1-biased T-cell responses and effective neutralizing-antibody titers against the Omicron BA.1 variant. Additionally, H11-K18-hACE2 transgenic mice were fully protected against lethal challenge with the BA.1 strain, with a 100% survival rate and reduced pulmonary viral load and pathological lesions. Subcutaneous administration was found to be the superior route for synthetic peptide vaccine delivery. Our findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the peptide cocktail in mice, suggesting the feasibility of synthetic peptide vaccines for humans. IMPORTANCE Current vaccines based on production of neutralizing antibodies fail to prevent the infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and its subvariants. Understanding the critical factors and avoiding the disadvantages of vaccine strategies are essential for developing a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, which would include a more effective and durable cellular response, minimal effects of viral mutations, rapid production against emerging variants, and good safety. Peptide-based vaccines are an excellent alternative because they are inexpensive, quick to produce, and very safe. In addition, human leukocyte antigen T-cell epitopes could be targeted at robust T-cell immunity and selected in the conserved region of the SARS-CoV-2 variants. Our study showed that a synthetic SARS-CoV-2-derived peptide cocktail induced full protection against lethal infection with Omicron BA.1 in H11-K18-hACE2 mice for the first time. This could have implications for the development of effective COVID-19 peptide vaccines for humans.

Exploring the roles of fear and powerlessness in the relationship between perceived risk of the COVID-19 pandemic and information-avoidance behavior

The COVID-19 has seriously impacted various aspects of the society on a global scale. However, it is still unclear how perceived risk influences epidemic information-avoidance behavior which generally helps us understand public information avoidance. This study aimed to assess the relationship between the perceived epidemic risk and information-avoidance behavior and the mediating role of fear and powerlessness during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. A total of 557 Chinese respondents with COVID-19 treated in modular hospitals ranging from 16 to 72 years old were recruited and completed questionnaires in the face-to-face manner containing scales of the perceived epidemic risk of COVID-19, fear, powerlessness, and information-avoidance behavior. To test the conceptual model, we adopted structural equation modeling (SEM) with the perceived risk of the COVID-19 pandemic as a predictor, fear and powerlessness as mediating variables, and information-avoidance behavior as the outcome. The results indicated a significant and positive association between the perceived epidemic risk of COVID-19 and information-avoidance behavior. Powerlessness acted as the mediator between the perceived epidemic risk of COVID-19 and information-avoidance behavior. The perceived epidemic risk of COVID-19 influenced information-avoidance behavior through fear and powerlessness in turn. Findings from this study implied that public health managers should consider the mediating roles of negative emotions such as fear and powerlessness for coping with behaviors in public health emergencies, especially the information avoidance behaviors related to risk perception.

Measuring Library Broadband Networks to Address Knowledge Gaps and Data Caps

In this paper, we present findings from a three-year research project funded by the US Institute of Museum and Library Services that examined how advanced broadband measurement capabilities can support the infrastructure and services needed to respond to the digital demands of public library users across the US. Previous studies have identified the ongoing broadband challenges of public libraries while also highlighting the increasing digital expectations of their patrons. However, few large-scale research efforts have collected automated, longitudinal measurement data on library broadband speeds and quality of service at a local, granular level inside public libraries over time, including when buildings are closed. This research seeks to address this gap in the literature through the following research question: How can public libraries utilize broadband measurement tools to develop a better understanding of the broadband speeds and quality of service that public libraries receive? In response, quantitative measurement data were gathered from an open-source broadband measurement system that was both developed for the research and deployed at 30 public libraries across the US. Findings from our analysis of the data revealed that Ookla measurements over time can confirm when the library's internet connection matches expected service levels and when they do not. When measurements are not consistent with expected service levels, libraries can observe the differences and correlate this with additional local information about the causes. Ongoing measurements conducted by the library enable local control and monitoring of this vital service and support critique and interrogation of the differences between internet measurement platforms. In addition, we learned that speed tests are useful for examining these trends but are only a small part of assessing an internet connection and how well it can be used for specific purposes. These findings have implications for state library agencies and federal policymakers interested in having access to data on observed versus advertised speeds and quality of service of public library broadband connections nationwide.

Steroids Therapy in Patients With Severe COVID-19: Association With Decreasing of Pneumonia Fibrotic Tissue Volume.

Background: We use longitudinal chest CT images to explore the effect of steroids therapy in COVID-19 pneumonia which caused pulmonary lesion progression. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 78 patients with severe to critical COVID-19 pneumonia, among which 25 patients (32.1%) who received steroid therapy. Patients were further divided into two groups with severe and significant-severe illness based on clinical symptoms. Serial longitudinal chest CT scans were performed for each patient. Lung tissue was segmented into the five lung lobes and mapped into the five pulmonary tissue type categories based on Hounsfield unit value. The volume changes of normal tissue and pneumonia fibrotic tissue in the entire lung and each five lung lobes were the primary outcomes. In addition, this study calculated the changing percentage of tissue volume relative to baseline value to directly demonstrate the disease progress. Results: Steroid therapy was associated with the decrease of pneumonia fibrotic tissue (PFT) volume proportion. For example, after four CT cycles of treatment, the volume reduction percentage of PFT in the entire lung was -59.79[±12.4]% for the steroid-treated patients with severe illness, and its p-value was 0.000 compared to that (-27.54[±85.81]%) in non-steroid-treated ones. However, for the patient with a significant-severe illness, PFT reduction in steroid-treated patients was -41.92[±52.26]%, showing a 0.275 p-value compared to -37.18[±76.49]% in non-steroid-treated ones. The PFT evolution analysis in different lung lobes indicated consistent findings as well. Conclusion: Steroid therapy showed a positive effect on the COVID-19 recovery, and its effect was related to the disease severity.

Clinical analysis of drug-induced liver dysfunction in COVID-19 patients in the third hospital of Wuhan in 2020

Objective: To investigate the general rules and characteristics of drug-induced liver dysfunction during the treatment of COVID-19, and to provide references for safe clinical use.

Steroids Therapy in Patients With Severe COVID-19: Association With Decreasing of Pneumonia Fibrotic Tissue Volume

Background We use longitudinal chest CT images to explore the effect of steroids therapy in COVID-19 pneumonia which caused pulmonary lesion progression. Materials and Methods We retrospectively enrolled 78 patients with severe to critical COVID-19 pneumonia, among which 25 patients (32.1%) who received steroid therapy. Patients were further divided into two groups with severe and significant-severe illness based on clinical symptoms. Serial longitudinal chest CT scans were performed for each patient. Lung tissue was segmented into the five lung lobes and mapped into the five pulmonary tissue type categories based on Hounsfield unit value. The volume changes of normal tissue and pneumonia fibrotic tissue in the entire lung and each five lung lobes were the primary outcomes. In addition, this study calculated the changing percentage of tissue volume relative to baseline value to directly demonstrate the disease progress. Results Steroid therapy was associated with the decrease of pneumonia fibrotic tissue (PFT) volume proportion. For example, after four CT cycles of treatment, the volume reduction percentage of PFT in the entire lung was −59.79[±12.4]% for the steroid-treated patients with severe illness, and its p-value was 0.000 compared to that (−27.54[±85.81]%) in non-steroid-treated ones. However, for the patient with a significant-severe illness, PFT reduction in steroid-treated patients was −41.92[±52.26]%, showing a 0.275 p-value compared to −37.18[±76.49]% in non-steroid-treated ones. The PFT evolution analysis in different lung lobes indicated consistent findings as well. Conclusion Steroid therapy showed a positive effect on the COVID-19 recovery, and its effect was related to the disease severity.

Mechanism of COVID-19-Related Proteins in Spinal Tuberculosis: Immune Dysregulation.

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to investigate the mechanism of immune dysregulation of COVID-19-related proteins in spinal tuberculosis (STB). Methods: Clinical data were collected to construct a nomogram model. C-index, calibration curve, ROC curve, and DCA curve were used to assess the predictive ability and accuracy of the model. Additionally, 10 intervertebral disc samples were collected for protein identification. Bioinformatics was used to analyze differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), including immune cells analysis, Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, and protein-protein interaction networks (PPI). Results: The nomogram predicted risk of STB ranging from 0.01 to 0.994. The C-index and AUC in the training set were 0.872 and 0.862, respectively. The results in the external validation set were consistent with the training set. Immune cells scores indicated that B cells naive in STB tissues were significantly lower than non-TB spinal tissues. Hub proteins were calculated by Degree, Closeness, and MCC methods. The main KEGG pathway included Coronavirus disease-COVID-19. There were 9 key proteins in the intersection of COVID-19-related proteins and hub proteins. There was a negative correlation between B cells naive and RPL19. COVID-19-related proteins were associated with immune genes. Conclusion: Lymphocytes were predictive factors for the diagnosis of STB. Immune cells showed low expression in STB. Nine COVID-19-related proteins were involved in STB mechanisms. These nine key proteins may suppress the immune mechanism of STB by regulating the expression of immune genes.

Integrin α5 Is Regulated by miR-218-5p in Endothelial Progenitor Cells.

BACKGROUND: Endothelial cell injury is a common nidus of renal injury in patients and consistent with the high prevalence of AKI reported during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This cell type expresses integrin α5 (ITGA5), which is essential to the Tie2 signaling pathway. The microRNA miR-218-5p is upregulated in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) after hypoxia, but microRNA regulation of Tie2 in the EPC lineage is unclear. METHODS: We isolated human kidney-derived EPCs (hkEPCs) and surveyed microRNA target transcripts. A preclinical model of ischemic kidney injury was used to evaluate the effect of hkEPCs on capillary repair. We used a genetic knockout model to evaluate the effect of deleting endogenous expression of miR-218 specifically in angioblasts. RESULTS: After ischemic in vitro preconditioning, miR-218-5p was elevated in hkEPCs. We found miR-218-5p bound to ITGA5 mRNA transcript and decreased ITGA5 protein expression. Phosphorylation of 42/44 MAPK decreased by 73.6% in hkEPCs treated with miR-218-5p. Cells supplemented with miR-218-5p downregulated ITGA5 synthesis and decreased 42/44 MAPK phosphorylation. In a CD309-Cre/miR-218-2-LoxP mammalian model (a conditional knockout mouse model designed to delete pre-miR-218-2 exclusively in CD309+ cells), homozygotes at e18.5 contained avascular glomeruli, whereas heterozygote adults showed susceptibility to kidney injury. Isolated EPCs from the mouse kidney contained high amounts of ITGA5 and showed decreased migratory capacity in three-dimensional cell culture. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate the critical regulatory role of miR-218-5p in kidney EPC migration, a finding that may inform efforts to treat microvascular kidney injury via therapeutic cell delivery.

Monocyte-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Was an Independent Factor of the Severity of Spinal Tuberculosis

Purpose. The purpose was to explore the relationship between monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and the severity of spinal tuberculosis. Methods. A total of 1,000 clinical cases were collected, including 496 cases of spinal tuberculosis and 504 cases of nonspinal tuberculosis. Laboratory blood results were collected, including C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood cells (WBC), hemoglobin (HGB), platelets (PLT), neutrophil count, percentage of neutrophils, lymphocyte count, percentage of lymphocytes, monocyte count, percentage of monocytes, MLR, platelets -to- monocyte ratio (PMR), platelets -to- lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil -to- lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelets -to- neutrophil ratio (PNR). The statistical parameters analyzed by the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to construct the nomogram. The nomogram was assessed by C-index, calibration curve, ROC curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA) curve. Results. The C-index of the nomogram in the training set and external validation set was 0.801 and 0.861, respectively. Similarly, AUC was 0.801 in the former and 0.861 in the latter. The net benefit of the former nomogram ranged from 0.1 to 0.95 and 0.02 to 0.99 in the latter nomogram. Furthermore, there was a correlation between MLR and the severity of spinal tuberculosis. Conclusion. MLR was an independent factor in the diagnosis of spinal tuberculosis and was associated with the severity of spinal tuberculosis. Additionally, MLR may be a predictor of active spinal tuberculosis.

A pandemic-induced environmental dilemma of disposable masks: solutions from the perspective of the life cycle.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has swept the world and still afflicts humans. As an effective means of protection, wearing masks has been widely adopted by the general public. The massive use of disposable masks has raised some emerging environmental and bio-safety concerns: improper handling of used masks may transfer the attached pathogens to environmental media; disposable masks mainly consist of polypropylene (PP) fibers which may aggravate the global plastic pollution; and the risks of long-term wearing of masks are elusive. To maximize the utilization and minimize the risks, efforts have been made to improve the performance of masks (e.g., antivirus properties and filtration efficiency), extend their functions (e.g., respiration monitoring and acting as a sampling device), develop new disinfection methods, and recycle masks. Despite that, from the perspective of the life cycle (from production, usage, and discard to disposal), comprehensive solutions are urgently needed to solve the environmental dilemma of disposable masks in both technologies (e.g., efficient use of raw materials, prolonging the service life, and enabling biodegradation) and policies (e.g., stricter industry criteria and garbage sorting).

Analysis of spatiotemporal mobility of shared-bike usage during COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing.

The entire world is experiencing a crisis in public health and the economy owing to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Understanding human mobility during the pandemic helps to formulate interventional strategies and resilient measures. The widely used bike-sharing system (BSS) could illustrate the activities of urban dwellers over time and space in big cities; however, it is rarely reported in epidemiological research. In this article, we analyze the BSS data to examine the human mobility of shared-bike users, detecting the key time nodes of different pandemic stages and demonstrating the evolution of human mobility owing to the onset of the COVID-19 threat and administrative restrictions. We assessed the net impact of the pandemic using the results of co-location analysis between shared-bike usage and points of interest. Our results demonstrate that the pandemic has reduced overall bike usage by 64.8%; however, a subsequent average increase (15.9%) in shared-bike usage has been observed, suggesting partial recovery of productive and residential activities, although far from normal times. These findings could be a reference for epidemiological research, and thereby aid policymaking in the context of the current COVID-19 outbreak and other epidemic events at the city scale.

[The Clinical Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Patients with Severe COVID-19].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristic of coagulation, possible causes and countermeasures of patients with severe corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: The clinical data of the 142 patients diagnosed as COVID-19 at Wuhan Third Hospital in Wuhan, China, from February 10 to February 16, 2020 were collected and analyzed retrospective. Among the patients, 17 cases of dead patients were divided into observe group, and 125 cases of cured patients were divided into control group. The clinical characteristics, laboratory tests, influencing factors, anticoagulant therapy, embolization and bleeding events of the two groups were observed. RESULTS: The average hospital stay time in 142 patients was 22 d. For the 17 dead patients in the observe group, the average hospital stay time was 9.9 d, and the D-dimer, prothrombin time, WBC count and Padua score of the patients in the observe group were significantly higher as compared with the patients in the control group. PT(OR=1.064, 95%CI 1.012-1.119) and D-D(OR=1.045, 95%CI 1.027-1.064) were the independent risk factors that causing the death of COVID-19 patients. Among the patients, 36(25.4%) patients received low-molecular-weight heparin for anticoagulant therapy, with the average course of 9.6 d. The cumulative incidence of the embolism of the patients in the observe group was 7（41.2%）, while 2(11.8%) patients developed to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), 3 (17.6%) patients occurred acute cerebral infarction and 2 (11.8%) patients occurred acute myocardial infarction. 3 (17.6%) dead patients revealed dominant disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). CONCLUSION: Most patients with severe COVID-19 shows a variety of risk factors for thrombus, and those with coagulation dysfunction shows a high dead rate and rapid disease progression. Therefore, coagulation indicators should be dynamically monitored, and mechanical and drug prevention should be actively carried out.

Hypochlorous acid initiated lipid chlorination at air-water interface.

There has been a surge of interest in interfacial hypochlorous acid (HOCl) chemistry for indoor air quality and public health. Here we combined nanoelectrospray mass spectrometry (nESI-MS) and acoustic levitation (AL) techniques to study the chlorination chemistry of three model lipids (DPPE, POPG, DOPG) mediated by HOCl at the air-water interface of levitated water droplet. For DPPE with no CC double bonds, HOCl was insensitive to the alkane chains, and showed considerable delay directing to head amino groups compared to that in aqueous environment. Chlorination chemistry, for POPG and DOPG with CC double bonds, preferentially reacted with double bonds of one chain. The mechanism was discussed in light of these observations, and it is concluded that the increased hydrophilicity of the chlorinated chain disturbed the lipid packing and attracted it toward the water phase. In addition, the reaction rate constant and reactive uptake coefficient suggested that the chlorination of lipids exposed to HOCl at the air-water interface is likely to occur rapidly. These results gain the knowledge of HOCl mediated lipid interface reaction at the molecule level, and would better understand the adverse health effects associated with elevated indoor pollutants.

A Spherical Video-Based Immersive Virtual Reality Learning System to Support Landscape Architecture Students’ Learning Performance during the COVID-19 Era

During the COVID-19 pandemic, campuses are closed, and many schools are forced to transition to online instruction. There are many problems in landscape architecture education during the pandemic such as students’ decreased attention, poor self-regulation, low proactivity, and difficulty in grading. In addition, situational effects are required for landscape architecture education, but online education lacks the necessary case scenarios for courses during the pandemic. In order to solve these problems, the present study adopted a more accessible, and interactive spherical video-based immersive virtual reality (SV-IVR) approach, developed a landscape architecture SV-IVR learning system, and conducted a quasi-experimental study to examine its effectiveness. The results indicated that the experimental group students showed more positive results in their learning achievements, learning attitudes, and self-regulation than the control group. Besides, it was found that students required more time to develop their self-efficacy and that this system would not have an effect on students’ cognitive load.

COVID-19 impact on firm investment-Evidence from Chinese publicly listed firms.

The COVID-19 outbreak had a significant impact on business cash flows and investment activities. This paper examined the COVID-19 impact on Chinese business investment in 3326 A-share listed quarterly financial reports, from which it was found that the negative relationship was more pronounced in the large, eastern Chinese state-owned firms. Using a propensity score matching method and difference-in-differences estimation, corporate financial flexibility was also examined, with the results indicating that high cash flexibility provided a buffer that allowed firms to better deal with adverse external shocks as the firms that had high cash flexibility were able to significantly increase their investments after the COVID-19 outbreak. Various robustness tests were conducted, all of which verified the robustness of the results. Overall, the empirical results provided evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic in China had a negative impact on Chinese listed firms, and verified the vital role of flexible financial reserves for firm survival and development during crises.