Subchronic oral toxic effects of 2,4-dinitroaniline in wistar rats: A comprehensive toxicity evaluation.

2,4-dinitroaniline (2,4-D), a widely used dye intermediate, is one of the typical pollutants, and its potential health risks and toxicity are still largely unknown. To explore its subchronic oral toxicity, Wistar rats (equal numbers of males and females) were used as test animals, and a 90-day oral dosing experiment was conducted, divided into control group, low-dose group (0.055 mg/kg), medium-dose group (0.22 mg/kg), medium-high dose group (0.89 mg/kg), and high-dose group (3.56 mg/kg). The body weight data, clinical appearance, and drug reactions of each test rat within 90 days of dosing were recorded; morning urine samples were collected four times to test for eight urinary indicators; blood samples were collected to test for nineteen hematological indicators and sixteen biochemical indicators; tissue samples were collected for pathological analysis; moreover, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) was determined, and the benchmark dose method was used to support this determination and provide a statistical estimate of the dose corresponding. The results indicated that the chronic toxicity of 2,4-dinitroaniline showed certain gender differences, with the eyes, liver, and kidneys being the main potential target organs of toxicity. Moreover, the subchronic oral NOAEL for 2,4-dinitroaniline was determined to be 0.22 mg/kg body weight (0.22 mg/kg for males and 0.89 mg/kg for females), and a preliminary calculation of the safe exposure limit for human was 0.136 mg/kg. The research results greatly enriched the safety evaluation data of 2,4-dinitroaniline, contributing to a robust scientific foundation for the development of informed safety regulations and public health precautions.

Molecular Regulation of Thermogenic Mechanisms in Beige Adipocytes.

Adipose tissue is conventionally recognized as a metabolic organ responsible for storing energy. However, a proportion of adipose tissue also functions as a thermogenic organ, contributing to the inhibition of weight gain and prevention of metabolic diseases. In recent years, there has been significant progress in the study of thermogenic fats, particularly brown adipose tissue (BAT). Despite this progress, the mechanism underlying thermogenesis in beige adipose tissue remains highly controversial. It is widely acknowledged that beige adipose tissue has three additional thermogenic mechanisms in addition to the conventional UCP1-dependent thermogenesis: Ca2+ cycling thermogenesis, creatine substrate cycling thermogenesis, and triacylglycerol/fatty acid cycling thermogenesis. This paper delves into these three mechanisms and reviews the latest advancements in the molecular regulation of thermogenesis from the molecular genetic perspective. The objective of this review is to provide readers with a foundation of knowledge regarding the beige fats and a foundation for future research into the mechanisms of this process, which may lead to the development of new strategies for maintaining human health.

Monolithic 24 cm2 flexible triple-junction solar cell encapsulated module based on the ipsilateral electrode welding technology.

The inverted metamorphic multi-junction solar cell is anticipated to be widely applied in stratospheric flight because of its exceptional properties of flexibility and light weight. We propose an ipsilateral welding technology based on Ti/Au electrodes to simplify the fabrication process of GaInP/GaAs/InGaAs solar cells and encapsulate large-sized flexible solar cells. After annealing at 200°C for 2 h, the Ti/Au electrode achieved a low specific contact resistivity of 2.9×10-7 Ω⋅c m 2. The performance of the ohmic contact remains stable after the thermal cycling tests. The Ti/Au electrode can require less heat input for welding to reduce the risk of microcrack formation of the solar cells. By employment of this electrode, a 24c m 2 solar cell achieved a conversion efficiency of 34.74%. A flexible solar cell module with an efficiency of 32.82% under AM 1.5G illumination was obtained by the ipsilateral electrode welding technology.

Monolithic 24 cm2 flexible triple-junction solar cell encapsulated module based on the ipsilateral electrode welding technology: erratum.

This erratum corrects an error in Fig. 1 of the original paper, Appl. Opt.63, 2815 (2024)APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.518102.

Enhancing Water Resistance in Foam Cement through MTES-Based Aerogel Impregnation.

The propensity of foamed concrete to absorb water results in a consequential degradation of its performance attributes. Addressing this issue, the integration of aerogels presents a viable solution; however, their direct incorporation has been observed to compromise mechanical properties, attributable to the effects of the interface transition zone. This study explores the incorporation of MTES-based aerogels into foamed cement via an impregnation technique, examining variations in water-cement ratios. A comprehensive analysis was conducted, evaluating the influences of MTES-based aerogels on the thermal conductivity, compressive strength, density, chemical composition, and microstructure of the resultant composites across different water-cement ratios. Our findings elucidate that an increment in the water-cement ratio engenders a gradual regularization of the pore structure in foamed concrete, culminating in augmented porosity and diminished density. Notably, aerogel-enhanced foamed concrete (AEFC) exhibited a significant reduction in water absorption, quantified at 86% lower than its conventional foamed concrete (FC) counterpart. Furthermore, the softening coefficient of AEFC was observed to surpass 0.75, with peak values reaching approximately 0.9. These results substantiate that the impregnation of MTES-based aerogels into cementitious materials not only circumvents the decline in strength but also bolsters their hydrophobicity and water resistance, indirectly enhancing the serviceability and longevity of foamed concrete. In light of these findings, the impregnation method manifests promising potential for broadening the applications of aerogels in cement-based materials.

Assessing the role and driving mechanisms of the green financial reform on urban energy consumption and pollution emissions: a policy evaluation from the generalized synthetic control method.

The Green Financial Reform and Innovation Pilot Areas (GFRIPA) policy is a key institutional arrangement that enables China's green finance to advance from theory to practice. Few studies have quantitatively evaluated the policy's environmental performance. This study uses a generalized synthetic control method (GSCM) alongside panel data from Chinese prefecture-level cities since 2007 to assess the effects of the GFRIPA policy on energy consumption and pollution emissions and to pinpoint the underlying mechanisms. Results show that establishing the GFRIPA significantly reduces energy consumption and pollution emissions, and that the effect emerges immediately in the policy's issuance year. Possible mechanisms consist of the increase in urban green innovation, the ease of financing constraints, the optimization of industrial structure, and the enhancement of environmental governance. Heterogeneity analyses reveal that policy effects are more profound in cities with a higher degree of marketization and a higher level of education. The findings provide valuable insights into consistently promoting the GFRIPA policy to meet environmental goals for energy conservation and pollution reduction and ultimately advance green economies in developing nations.

Heat-Treated Aramid Pulp/Silica Aerogel Composites with Improved Thermal Stability and Thermal Insulation.

In this work, we prepared heat-treated aramid pulp/silica aerogel composites (AP/aerogels) and investigated in detail the feasibility of improving thermal stability and thermal insulation via tailored heat treatment. The microstructure and FTIR spectra reveal that AP/aerogels are formed by a physical combination of the silica aerogel matrix and aramid pulps. When the heat treatment temperature increases, the density slightly decreases and then increases to the maximum due to the significant volume shrinkage. The pyrolysis of aramid pulp and the collapse of silica skeletons occur during heat treatment; nevertheless, the typical structures of AP/aerogels do not change significantly. It is also found that both the hydrophobicity and the thermal insulation decrease with the increasing heat treatment temperature. We note that when the heat treatment is at 600 °C, the AP/aerogel still maintains a low density of 0.19 g/cm3 and a contact angle of 138.5°. The thermal conductivity is as low as 26.11 mW/m/K, measured using the transient hot wire method. Furthermore, the heat-treated AP/aerogels can avoid heat shock and possible thermal hazards during practical thermal insulation applications. The onset temperatures of the thermal decomposition of AP/aerogels increase from 298.8 °C for an untreated one to 414.7 °C for one treated at 600 °C, indicating that the thermal stability of AP/aerogels is improved significantly. This work provides a practical engineering approach to expand the thermal insulation applications of silica aerogel composites.

The Impact of Environmental and Host Factors on Human Cystic Echinococcosis: A County-Level Modeling Study in Western China.

Human cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a parasitic disease caused by tapeworms from the Echinococcus granulosus genus, potentially affected by the environment and host animals. West China is one of the most endemic areas of human CE nation and worldwide. The current study identifies the crucial environmental and host factors of human CE prevalence in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and non-Qinghai-Tibet Plateau regions. An optimal county-level model was used to analyze the association between key factors and human CE prevalence within the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Geodetector analysis and multicollinearity tests identify key factors, and an optimal model is developed through generalized additive models. In the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, four key factors were identified from the 88 variables, such as maximum annual precipitation (Pre), maximum summer normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), Tibetan population rate (TibetanR), and positive rates of Echinococcus coproantigen in dogs (DogR). Based on the optimal model, a significant positive linear relationship was observed between maximum annual Pre and human CE prevalence. A probable U-shaped curve depicts the non-linear relationship between maximum summer NDVI and the human CE prevalence. Human CE prevalence possesses significant positive non-linear relationships with TibetanR and DogR. Human CE transmission is integrally affected by environmental and host factors. This explains the mechanism of human CE transmission based on the pathogen, host, and transmission framework. Therefore, the current study provides references and innovative ideas for preventing and controlling human CE in western China.

Accelerated aging of unencapsulated flexible GaInP/GaAs/InGaAs solar cells by means of damp heat and thermal cycling tests.

The extended damp heat and thermal cycling tests were performed on unencapsulated flexible thin-film GaInP/GaAs/InGaAs solar cells to assess the long-term stability. The solar cells were subjected to 85 °C/85% damp heat test for more than 1000 h and 420 cycles of thermal cycling test between -60 °C and 75 °C, respectively. The performance attenuations of flexible solar cells were less than 2% in both cases, which were due to the slow decline of the open-circuit voltage with aging time. The slight decrease in open voltage was attributed to the increase in reverse saturation current due to the enhanced recombination, which was in good agreement with the calculation based on the two-diode model. The good performance of the unencapsulated flexible GaInP/GaAs/InGaAs solar cells in severe environment indicated the stable and reliable device fabrication art in the experiment.

USP18 regulates the malignant phenotypes of glioblastoma stem cells.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant primary brain tumor. The 5-year survival rate of the patients is poor, and they are prone to relapse and the treatment is limited. Therefore, the search for biological targets is one of the key measures for the treatment and prognosis of GBM. Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 18 (USP18) plays a regulatory role in tumorigenesis. In this study, we found that USP18 was up-regulated in GBM, promoted the growth and proliferation of glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs), affected the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and was associated with poor clinical prognosis of patients. Finally, our findings reveal a critical role for USP18 in GBM malignancy, targeting USP18 may open new avenues for GBM treatment.

Encapsulation of Paraffin Phase-Change Materials within Monolithic MTMS-Based Silica Aerogels.

To address the leakage issue of paraffin phase-change materials in thermal management, a monolithic MTMS-based silica aerogel (MSA) is employed to encapsulate paraffin through a facile impregnation process. We find that the paraffin and MSA form a physical combination, with little interaction occurring between them. The prepared no-leakage paraffin/MSA composites have a density of 0.70 g/cm3 and exhibit good mechanical properties and nice hydrophobicity, with a contact angle of 122°. Furthermore, the average latent heat of the paraffin/MSA composites is found to reach up to 209.3 J/g, about 85% of the pure paraffin's latent heat, which is significantly larger than other paraffin/silica aerogel phase-change composite materials. The thermal conductivity of the paraffin/MSA remains almost the same as that of the pure paraffin (~250 mW/m/K), without any heat transfer interference from the MSA skeletons. All these results indicate that MSA can effectively serve as a carrier material for encapsulating paraffin, which is beneficial for expanding the applications of MSAs in thermal management and energy storage.

The impact of natural environment on human alveolar echinococcosis: A township-level modeling study in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a lethal helminthic infection caused by the tapeworms Echinococcus multilocularis. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has the greatest endemicity of human AE globally, but the natural risk factors and its impact mechanism are still unclear. Generalized linear models and generalized additive models are used to select key linear and non-linear environmental factors associated with cases of AE. The interactive effect between different factors is identified using concurvity test. From fifty-nine variables analyzed, four key factors and one interaction term were identified associated with AE. Considering interaction terms between climatic and geographical landscape factors can significantly improve model fitting. Minimum winter precipitation, percentage of grassland cover, and minimum elevation have significant positive linear relationship with human AE incidence. The relationship between maximum summer precipitation and human AE is non-linear with high AE incidence associated with moderate precipitation. The interaction term of maximum summer precipitation and number of patches of grassland on human AE indicates that human AE incidence is highest when both factors were high. The climatic and landscape risk factors together are associated with the local transmission of human AE in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This study provides a scientific basis for human intervention in AE from fine-scale ecological environment.

Environment and COVID-19 incidence: A critical review.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented worldwide health crisis. Many previous research studies have found and investigated its links with one or some natural or human environmental factors. However, a review on the relationship between COVID-19 incidence and both the natural and human environment is still lacking. This review summarizes the inter-correlation between COVID-19 incidence and environmental factors. Based on keyword searching, we reviewed 100 relevant peer-reviewed articles and other research literature published since January 2020. This review is focused on three main findings. One, we found that individual environmental factors have impacts on COVID-19 incidence, but with spatial heterogeneity and uncertainty. Two, environmental factors exert interactive effects on COVID-19 incidence. In particular, the interactions of natural factors can affect COVID-19 transmission in micro- and macro- ways by impacting SARS-CoV-2 survival, as well as human mobility and behaviors. Three, the impact of COVID-19 incidence on the environment lies in the fact that COVID-19-induced lockdowns caused air quality improvement, wildlife shifts and socio-economic depression. The additional value of this review is that we recommend future research perspectives and adaptation strategies regarding the interactions of the environment and COVID-19. Future research should be extended to cover both the effects of the environment on the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19-induced impacts on the environment. Future adaptation strategies should focus on sustainable environmental and public policy responses.

The impact of geo-environmental factors on global COVID-19 transmission: A review of evidence and methodology.

Studies on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission indicate that geo-environmental factors have played a significant role in the global pandemic. However, there has not been a systematic review on the impact of geo-environmental factors on global COVID-19 transmission in the context of geography. As such, we reviewed 49 well-chosen studies to reveal the impact of geo-environmental factors (including the natural environment and human activity) on global COVID-19 transmission, and to inform critical intervention strategies that could mitigate the worldwide effects of the pandemic. Existing studies frequently mention the impact of climate factors (e.g., temperature and humidity); in contrast, a more decisive influence can be achieved by human activity, including human mobility, health factors, and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). The above results exhibit distinct spatiotemporal heterogeneity. The related analytical methodology consists of sensitivity analysis, mathematical modeling, and risk analysis. For future studies, we recommend highlighting geo-environmental interactions, developing geographically statistical models for multiple waves of the pandemic, and investigating NPIs and care patterns. We also propose four implications for practice to combat global COVID-19 transmission.

The impact of environmental factors on human echinococcosis epidemics: spatial modelling and risk prediction.

BACKGROUND: Human echinococcosis is affected by natural environmental factors, and its prevalence shows a distinct geographical distribution. Western China has the highest endemicity of human echinococcosis worldwide, but the spatial pattern and environmental determinants of echinococcosis are still unclear. METHODS: Hot/cold spot analysis was used to investigate the spatial distribution of human echinococcosis prevalence. Geodetector was used to identify key natural factors, and a structured additive regression model was used to analyse the relationship between natural factors and human echinococcosis prevalence and spatially predict echinococcosis epidemics. RESULTS: Hot spots for human echinococcosis prevalence include western and southeastern parts of Tibet Autonomous Region (henceforth Tibet) and the border areas between Tibet and the provinces of Qinghai and Sichuan. Spatial effects are crucial when modelling epidemics, and relative humidity, altitude and grassland area ratio were found to have the most evident effects on echinococcosis epidemics. The relationship between these three factors and echinococcosis prevalence was non-linear, and echinococcosis risk was higher in areas with high relative humidity, high altitude, and a high ratio of grassland to other land use types. The prevalence that was predicted from the investigated environmental factors was generally higher than the actual prevalence, and more epidemic hot spots were predicted for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and the provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan than the rest of western China. These results indicate that prevention and control measures may effectively reduce echinococcosis prevalence. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the prevention and control of human echinococcosis should be prioritized in the hot spots identified here, through the rational allocation of limited medical resources to where they are most needed. Furthermore, the spatial epidemiological modelling methods used in this study can be employed in future studies on echinococcosis and similar diseases.

Estimating Economic Losses Caused by COVID-19 under Multiple Control Measure Scenarios with a Coupled Infectious Disease-Economic Model: A Case Study in Wuhan, China.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic has caused an unprecedented public health crisis and drastically impacted the economy. The relationship between different control measures and economic losses becomes a research hotspot. METHODS: In this study, the SEIR infectious disease model was revised and coupled with an economic model to quantify this nonlinear relationship in Wuhan. The control measures were parameterized into two factors: the effective number of daily contacts (people) (r); the average waiting time for quarantined patients (day) (g). RESULTS: The parameter r has a threshold value that if r is less than 5 (people), the number of COVID-19 infected patients is very close to 0. A "central valley" around r = 5~6 can be observed, indicating an optimal control measure to reduce economic losses. A lower value of parameter g is beneficial to stop COVID-19 spread with a lower economic cost. CONCLUSION: The simulation results demonstrate that implementing strict control measures as early as possible can stop the spread of COVID-19 with a minimal economic impact. The quantitative assessment method in this study can be applied in other COVID-19 pandemic areas or countries.

Interaction of climate and socio-ecological environment drives the dengue outbreak in epidemic region of China.

Transmission of dengue virus is a complex process with interactions between virus, mosquitoes and humans, influenced by multiple factors simultaneously. Studies have examined the impact of climate or socio-ecological factors on dengue, or only analyzed the individual effects of each single factor on dengue transmission. However, little research has addressed the interactive effects by multiple factors on dengue incidence. This study uses the geographical detector method to investigate the interactive effect of climate and socio-ecological factors on dengue incidence from two perspectives: over a long-time series and during outbreak periods; and surmised on the possibility of dengue outbreaks in the future. Results suggest that the temperature plays a dominant role in the long-time series of dengue transmission, while socio-ecological factors have great explanatory power for dengue outbreaks. The interactive effect of any two factors is greater than the impact of single factor on dengue transmission, and the interactions of pairs of climate and socio-ecological factors have more significant impact on dengue. Increasing temperature and surge in travel could cause dengue outbreaks in the future. Based on these results, three recommendations are offered regarding the prevention of dengue outbreaks: mitigating the urban heat island effect, adjusting the time and frequency of vector control intervention, and providing targeted health education to travelers at the border points. This study hopes to provide meaningful clues and a scientific basis for policymakers regarding effective interventions against dengue transmission, even during outbreaks.

Environmental risk analysis of surface water based on multi-source data in Tianjin Binhai New Area, China.

The study on environmental risk of surface water is of great practical significance for the ecological security of water environment and water pollution treatment, and it can provide a certain reference basis for risk prevention and control of water environment. The Tianjin Binhai New Area faces severe water shortage and serious water pollution, but few studies have been reported on surface water environment risk in this area. Therefore, in this study, based on Gaofen-6 remote sensing image, the factors including land use, landscape index, population density, and enterprise source are integrated to develop the evaluation model of surface water environment risk index. It is developed using analytic hierarchy process from two aspects of hazard of risk source and sensitivity of risk receptor. The comprehensive risk of Tianjin Binhai New Area is classified using mean standard deviation method. The result indicates that the developed model could better quantify the impact of various factors on the surface water environment, and comprehensively and accurately depict the spatial distribution of surface water environmental risk. Generally, the areas of higher and high risk grades are mainly concentrated on the west of Binhai Street, Beitang Street, and Hangzhou Road Street. The risk grade in most other areas is medium, and it is low in coastal and northernmost areas. This study not only clarifies the distribution of surface water environmental risks in Binhai New Area, but also develops an evaluation model, which can provide reference for the evaluation of water environmental risks in other areas. Through the investigation and research on the current situation of water pollution, social and economic development, and other factors of the streets and towns in Binhai New Area, it is found that in recent years, the urbanization of Binhai Street, Beitang Street, and Hangzhou Road Street has developed rapidly, and the intensity of human activities is high, which has a great impact on the water environment. The research results are consistent with the actual situation, which can provide theoretical and technical support for the prevention, control, and management of water environmental risks in Binhai New Area.

Limited increase in asynchrony between the onset of spring green-up and the arrival of a long-distance migratory bird.

For many migrant bird species around the world, climate change has been shown to induce changes in the timings of arrival and the onset of spring food availability at breeding sites. However, whether such changes enlarged asynchrony between the timings of spring arrival of long-distance migratory birds and onset of vegetation greenness increase remain controversial. We used a 29-year phenological dataset to investigate the temporal changes in spring first-sighting date (FSD) of a long-distance migratory bird (barn swallow, Hirundo rustica), from observations at 160 local breeding sites across northern China, and the vegetation green-up onset date (VGD), determined from satellite observations of vegetation greenness. We found that both FSD and VGD trended earlier at over two-thirds of the breeding sites. FSD significantly advanced at 26.9% of the sites, and VGD significantly advanced at 23.8% of the sites. The degree of asynchrony between FSD and VGD changed significantly at one-third of the breeding sites (22.5% with an increase versus 11.3% with a decrease), leading to a limited increase of phenological mismatch. We speculated that climate change did not disrupt the climatic connections between most breeding sites and corresponding non-breeding sites (wintering grounds and migration routes). Our findings suggest that climate change may not greatly increase phenological mismatch between first arrival date of barn swallows and VGD at breeding sites. Importantly, this study should serve as a cue to encourage ecologists and conservation biologists to expand the context under which to explore the ecological consequences of phenological shifts beyond asynchrony, such as individual survival, population demography and ecosystem-level consequences.