The synergy between protected area effectiveness and economic growth.

Protected areas conserve biodiversity and ecosystem functions but might impede local economic growth. Understanding the global patterns and predictors of different relationships between protected area effectiveness and neighboring community economic growth can inform better implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. We assessed 10,143 protected areas globally with matched samples to address the non-random location of protected areas. Our results show that protected areas resist human-induced land cover changes and do not limit nightlight increases in neighboring settlements. This result is robust, using different matching techniques, parameter settings, and selection of covariates. We identify four types of relationships between land cover changes and nightlight changes for each protected area: "synergy," "retreat," and two tradeoff relationships. About half of the protected areas (47.5%) retain their natural land cover and do so despite an increase of nightlights in the neighboring communities. This synergy relationship is the most common globally but varies between biomes and continents. Synergy is less frequent in the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and some developing areas, where most biodiversity resides and which suffer more from poverty. Smaller protected areas and those with better access to cities, moderate road density, and better baseline economic conditions have a higher probability of reaching synergy. Our results are promising, as the expansion of protected areas and increased species protection will rely more on conserving the human-modified landscape with smaller protected areas. Future interventions should address local development and biodiversity conservation together to achieve more co-benefits.

Research Progress on the Biological Activities of Metal Complexes Bearing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrazones.

Due to the abundant and promising biological activities of aromatic hydrazones, it is of great significance to study the biological activities of their metal complexes for the research and development of metal-based drugs. In this review, we focus on the metal complexes of polycyclic aromatic hydrazones, which still do not receive much attention, and summarize the studies related to their biological activities. Although the large number of metal complexes in phenylhydrazone prevent them all from being summarized, the significant value of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons themselves (such as naphthalene and anthracene) as pharmacophores are also considered. Therefore, the bioactivities of the metal complexes of naphthylhydrazone and anthrahydrazone are focused on, and the recent research progress on the metal complexes of anthrahydrazone by the authors is also included. In terms of biological activities, these complexes mainly show antibacterial and anticancer activities, along with less bioactivities. The present review demonstrates that the structural design and bioactivities of these complexes are fundamental, which also indicates a certain structure-activity relationship (SAR) in some substructural areas. However, a systematic and comprehensive conclusion of the SAR is still not available, which suggests that more attention should be paid to the bioactivities of the metal complexes of polycyclic aromatic hydrazones since their potential in structural design and biological activity remains to be explored. We hope that this review will attract more researchers to devote their interest and energy into this promising area.

A simple electrochemical immunosensor based on a chitosan/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for sensitive detection of biomarkers of malignant melanoma.

The sensitive and specific detection of tumor biomarkers is crucial for early diagnosis and treatment of malignant melanoma. Immunoassay with a simple sensing interface and high sensitivity is highly desirable. In this work, a simple electrochemical immunosensor based on a chitosan/reduced graphene oxide (CS-rGO) nanocomposite was developed for sensitive determination of an S-100B protein, a tumor marker of malignant melanoma. CS-rGO nanocomposite were prepared by chemical reduction of graphene oxide in the presence of chitosan and modified on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to provide a biofriendly, conductive, and easily chemically modified matrix for further immobilization of antibodies. Anti-S-100B antibodies were grafted onto the chitosan molecules to fabricate the immunorecognition interface by a simple glutaraldehyde cross-linking method. Electrochemical determination of S-100B was achieved by measuring the decreased current signal of solution phase electrochemical probes, which originated from the increased steric hindrance and insulation caused by the formation of antigen-antibody complexes at the electrode interface. Due to the good conductivity, high surface area, excellent biocompatibility, and good film-forming ability of CS-rGO, the constructed immunosensor exhibited good stability, high selectivity and sensitivity, a wide dynamic range from 10 fg mL-1 to 1 ng mL-1 and a low limit of detection of 1.9 pg mL-1 (S/N = 3). Moreover, the sensor was also applicable for the sensitive detection of S-100B protein in real human serum samples.

The effectiveness of China's regional carbon market pilots in reducing firm emissions.

China has implemented an emission trading system (ETS) to reduce its ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining rapid economic growth. With low carbon prices and infrequent allowance trading, whether China's ETS is an effective approach for climate mitigation has entered the center of the policy and research debate. Utilizing China's regional ETS pilots as a quasi-natural experiment, we provide a comprehensive assessment of the effects of ETS on firm carbon emissions and economic outcomes by means of a matched difference-in-differences (DID) approach. The empirical analysis is based on a unique panel dataset of firm tax records in the manufacturing and public utility sectors during 2009 to 2015. We show unambiguous evidence that the regional ETS pilots are effective in reducing firm emissions, leading to a 16.7% reduction in total emissions and a 9.7% reduction in emission intensity. Regulated firms achieve emission abatement through conserving energy consumption and switching to low-carbon fuels. The economic consequences of the ETS are mixed. On one hand, the ETS has a negative impact on employment and capital input; on the other hand, the ETS incentivizes regulated firms to improve productivity. In the aggregate, the ETS does not exhibit statistically significant effects on output and export. We also find that the ETS displays notable heterogeneity across pilots. Mass-based allowance allocation rules, higher carbon prices, and active allowance trading contribute to more pronounced effects in emission abatement.

Knockdown of fibronectin extra domain B suppresses TGF-ß1-mediated cell proliferation and collagen deposition in keloid fibroblasts via AKT/ERK signaling pathway.

Keloids represent a dermal fibrotic disease characterized by excess collagen deposition and invasion of normal skin beyond the wound boundary, similar to malignant tumor features. Fibronectin extra domain B (EDB) is highly expressed in many tumors but has not been studied in keloids. The present study aimed to investigate the expression and the influence of EDB on keloid and elucidate the putative signaling pathway. We examined expression of EDB and the effects of EDB on fibroblast proliferation, apoptosis and the expression of the related proteins and genes. The level of phosphorylation of Smad, ERK, and AKT was estimated to elucidate the signaling pathways. The results showed that EDB in human keloid tissues and fibroblasts was overexpressed. EDB knockdown suppressed the cell proliferation of keloid fibroblasts (KFs) treated by transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1). Also, the phosphorylation of Smad, ERK, and AKT in TGF-ß1-induced KFs was inhibited In addition, the low expression of pro-collagen-I (Col-I) and Col-III protein and mRNA level was observed in the siEDB group. EDB knockdown inhibited cell proliferation and suppressed collagen deposition in TGF-1-induced KFs. The underlying mechanism is the activation of TGF-ß1/Smad, ERK, and AKT signaling pathways. Together, the results suggested that EDB is a promising therapeutic target for keloid clinical treatment.