[Estimation of PM2.5 Hourly Concentration in Sichuan Province Based on GTWR-XGBoost Model].

Aerosol optical depths of satellites and meteorological factors have been widely used to estimate concentrations of surface particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm. Research on a high time resolution and high-precision PM2.5 concentration estimation method is of great significance for timely and accurate air quality prediction and air pollution prevention and mitigation. Himawari-8 AOD hour product and ERA5 meteorological reanalysis data were used as estimation variables, and a GTWR-XGBoost combined model was proposed to estimate hourly PM2.5 concentration in Sichuan Province. The results showed that:① the performance of the proposed combination model was better than that of the KNN, RF, AdaBoost, GTWR, GTWR-KNN, GTWR-RF, and GTWR-AdaBoost models in the full dataset; the fitting accuracy indexes R2, MAE, and RMSE were 0.96, 3.43 µg·m-3, and 5.52 µg·m-3, respectively; and the verification accuracy indexes R2, MAE, and RMSE were 0.9, 4.98 µg·m-3, and 7.92 µg·m-3, respectively. ② The model had a high goodness of fit (R2 of the whole dataset was 0.96, and R2 of different times ranged from 0.91 to 0.98) when applied to the estimation of PM2.5 concentration hour. It showed that the model had good time stability for hourly estimation and could provide accurate estimation information for regional air quality assessment. ③ In terms of time, the annual average PM2.5hourly concentration estimation showed an inverted U-shaped trend. It began to increase gradually at 09:00 am to a peak of 44.56 µg·m-3 at 11:00 and then gradually decreased. Moreover, the seasonal variation was very obvious, with winter>spring>autumn>summer. ④ In terms of spatial distribution, it showed the characteristics of high in the east and low in the west and a high degree of local pollution.

[Effects of saline irrigation on CO2 emission and chemical properties of aeolian sandy soil under litter addition]. / å‡‹è½ç‰©æ·»åŠ æ¡ä»¶ä¸‹å’¸æ°´çŒæº‰å¯¹é£Žæ²™åœŸCO2排放及化学性质的影响.

Calligonum mongolicum is one of the dominant species in the Taklimakan Desert highway shelterbelt, the litter of which plays an important role in carbon cycling. After litter addition, we carried out a laboratory incubation experiment to investigate the dynamics of soil CO2 emission, soil organic carbon (SOC), soluble organic carbon (DOC), pH, and electrical conductivity (EC) under the condition of salt water (SW) and fresh water (FW) with field water holding capacity of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. The results showed that saline water irrigation had an inhibitory effect on soil CO2 emission. Under the four soil water content treatments, the cumulative CO2 emission of freshwater irrigation increased by 1.9%-29.1% compared with that of saline irrigation. Cumulative soil CO2 emissions increased with increasing soil water content. With litter addition, SOC decreased rapidly in the early stage, then gradually increased, and finally tended to be stable. The DOC contents of each treatment following the incubation increased by 41.3%-92.4% compared with that before the incubation. At the end of incubation, soil pH of each treatment increased by 0.20-0.35. The EC increased with the increases of soil water content. Under the four water content conditions and compared with the situation before the incubation, the EC values irrigated with SW increased by 0.11-0.79 mS·cm-1, while those with FW increased or decreased at the end of incubation. Cumulative soil CO2 emission was positively correlated with SOC, DOC, and pH, but not with soil water content. Both saline irrigation and lower water content could inhibit CO2 emission of aeolian sandy soil under litter addition, while EC was significantly affected by the quality of irrigation water and soil water content.

[Vertical Distribution of Soil Dissolved Carbon and Its Influencing Factors in the Artificial Shelterbelt Irrigated with Saline Water in an Extreme Drought Desert].

Dissolved carbon (DC) is the most active carbon fraction in soils. Vegetation restoration and reconstruction accelerate the carbon cycle in arid desert regions. Studying the DC distribution in soil profiles of artificial shelterbelt under saline irrigation can provide theoretical support and decision-making basis for artificial shelterbelt management, development, and utilization in arid desert areas. In this study, we took the artificial shelterbelts drip-irrigated with five different mineralization and one shifting sandy land (CK) along the Taklimakan Desert Highway as sampling plots, analyzed and discussed the vertical distribution characteristics of soil dissolved organic carbon (SDOC) and dissolved inorganic carbon (SDIC) in the 0-1 m profiles, and further analyzed their relationships among different factors. The results showed that SDOC and SDIC of CK and shelterbelts under 2.82 g·L-1 irrigation showed an "I" type distribution with a linear function relationship. The SDOC and SDIC of four other treatments showed a "Γ" type distribution with power function relationships. The fluctuation ability and contribution degree of SDOC and SDIC of different treatments in the surface layer were higher than those in the lower layers, and the fluctuation and contribution intensity of SDOC were higher than those of SDIC. Except for 2.82 g·L-1 treatment, the average SDOC contents of other treatments were 2-4 times those of SDIC. The average SDOC content of 2.82 g·L-1 treatment was lower than CK; other treatments were 3-5 times that of CK; and the average SDIC content of all treatments increased 15.0%-57.9% than CK. For the 0-5 cm layer, SDOC content increased with the irrigation water mineralization except the 2.82 g·L-1 treatment, but SDIC content firstly increased and then decreased with increasing mineralization, and that for the 4.82 g·L-1 treatment was highest. The SDOC and SDIC were positively correlated with EC, SOC, irrigation water mineralization, SIC, and soil moisture, for which they both showed a weak positive correlation with soil moisture; they were negatively correlated with soil depth. The SDOC and SDIC showed a weak negative correlation and a weak positive correlation with pH, respectively. In summary, the mineralization of irrigation water has an important impact on the vertical distribution of SDOC and SDIC, and their distribution also has close relationships with EC, SOC, SIC, soil moisture, and soil depth, which is of great significance for plantations in extremely drought deserts.

Association of IL-10 (-819T/C, -592A/C and -1082A/G) and IL-6 -174G/C gene polymorphism and the risk of pneumonia-induced sepsis.

CONTEXT: Association between inherited variants and the risks of sepsis is controversial. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of pneumonia-induced sepsis by examining its linkage with polymorphisms of IL-6 and IL-10. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples were obtained from 188 pneumonia-induced sepsis patients, 162 pneumonia patients and 200 healthy controls. RESULTS: Subjects with IL-10 -1082 AA genotypes and IL-6 -174 CC genotype had a higher risk of sepsis and increased mRNA levels. CONCLUSION: The variants of IL-10 -1082 A allele and IL-6 -174 C allele contributed to an increased risk of pneumonia-induced sepsis.

Association of tumor necrosis factor α -308G/A and interleukin-6 -174G/C gene polymorphism with pneumonia-induced sepsis.

PURPOSE: Sepsis is a lethal outcome of the inflammation and coagulation process. Human interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α are well-known inflammation factors closely associated with sepsis. In the present study, we aim to investigate the association of promoter-region polymorphisms IL-6 (-174G/C) rs1800795 and TNF-α (-308G/A) rs1800629 with pneumonia-induced sepsis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 277 Chinese patients with severe pneumonia-induced sepsis were recruited into this study. All study participants were admitted to the intensive care unit until discharge or death in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from July 2010 to July 2014. The patients were classified as severely septic, septic shock, and mortality. Clinical data and demographic information were recorded. TaqMan genotyping was performed to detect single nucleotide polymorphism distribution. RESULTS: The genotype results demonstrated that carriers of the TNF-α rs1800629 A allele had a 4.28-fold higher risk for septic shock (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 4.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.24-8.18; P < .01) compared with severe sepsis, and carriers of the IL-6 rs1800795 C allele had a 2.42-fold higher risk for septic shock (OR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.08-5.45; P < .01) compared with severe sepsis. No significant difference of SNP distribution was found between the survivors and the nonsurvivors. After the results were adjusted for age and the outcomes of blood cultures, a multivariate logistic regression analysis showed similar results. Individuals with the TNF-α 308 rs1800629 A allele (adjusted OR, 2.96; 95% CI, 1.30-7.87) or the IL-6 rs1800795 C allele (adjusted OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.03-3.61) had a higher prevalence of septic shock. However, these SNP distribution differences were not associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In intensive care unit patients, the TNF-α -308A allele and the IL-6 rs1800795 allele variants were susceptibility risk factors for septic shock induced by pneumonia.

[Cloning and expression of D-like aspartic protease of Anisakis simplex].

OBJECTIVE: To clone and express the full length of D-like aspartic protease gene (AsAP) of the third stage larvae of Anisakis simplex. METHODS: According to the partial information of D-like aspartic protease encoding gene of A. simplex from GenBank, specific primers were designed to amplify 3'end and 5' end of AsAP gene using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), and the full length of the D-like aspartic protease gene was obtained. Using total RNA of the third-stage larvae of A. simplex, coding sequence of the AsAP gene was amplified by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). The PCR product was digested by EcoR I and Sal I, and cloned into pET32 vector. The recombinant plasmid was checked by double enzyme digestion and sequencing, and the positive recombinant plasmid was transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3). Expression of the protein induced by IPTG under gradient concentration and different time was conducted. RESULT: A 1 753 bp full length of AsAP was obtained, which contained 30 bp 5'UTR, 361 bp 3'UTR and a 1 362 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 453 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of M(r) 50 726. It showed 65% identity with the D-like aspartic protease of Ancylostoma ceylanicum. The predicted amino acid sequence contains two conserved catalytic motif, an active site flap, an S2 subsite and an S3 subsite. A 20 amino acids signal peptide was found in the N-terminus, with significant hydrophobic property. Different concentration of the IPTG (0.2-1.6 mmol/L) showed little effect on the expression, and the production of the protein was up to maximum after 2 hours induction. CONCLUSION: The AsAP gene has been cloned and expressed.

[The value of serum interleukin-18 and 10 in the evaluation of severity and prognosis in the early stage of sepsis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the dynamic changes in levels of serum interleukins (IL-18, IL-10) in the early stage of sepsis, and to appraise their values in the evaluation of severity and prognosis of sepsis. METHODS: Prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. Thirty-eight patients with sepsis who stayed longer than 72 hours in intensive care unit (ICU) from December 2009 to August 2010 were enrolled as sepsis group. At the same time, 20 patients without sepsis served as control group. The patients were classified as survival (n=12) or death group (n=26) according to 28-day survival. The clinical laboratory examination data were recorded at 24, 48, 72 hours after admission to the ICU, and venous blood was obtained at the same time. The IL-18, IL-10 levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The vital signs, blood routine, liver function, renal function, coagulation function, arterial blood gas, and electrolyte showed no significant difference between sepsis group and control group 24, 48, 72 hours after admission, the levels of IL-18 were lowered, IL-10 elevated, the IL-18/IL-10 ratio was lowered in the sepsis group, and all of them were higher than control group at each time point. The levels of IL-18, IL-10 in death group of patients with sepsis were all higher than those of survival group at 24, 48, and 72 hours [ IL-18 (ng/L): 108.36±18.54 vs. 91.66±21.49, 92.13±28.92 vs. 54.16±31.76, 91.78±17.33 vs. 76.04±22.09; IL-10 (ng/L): 99.42±12.10 vs. 77.20±9.47, 103.39±17.24 vs. 67.88±18.90, 118.99±11.20 vs. 99.20±12.46, P<0.05 or P<0.01]. IL-18/IL-10 ratios were all lowered in both non-survivors and survivors with sepsis at 24, 48, 72 hours, while the differences were not statistically significant (1.09±0.19 vs. 1.20±0.32, 0.92±0.18 vs. 0.98±0.29, 0.78±0.15 vs. 0.77±0.23, all P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The levels of serum IL-18, IL-10 were all elevated in the early stage of patients with sepsis, and in non-survivors they were higher than those of survivors. With the progress of the illness, IL-18 showed a lowering tendency, while IL-10 showed an elevation. The levels of serum IL-18 and IL-10 may be valuable in evaluating the severity of sepsis and prognosis of patients with sepsis.

[Detection of anisakid nematodes by an SYBR green I real-time PCR].

OBJECTIVE: To establish an SYBR Green I real-time quantitative PCR method for the detection of anisakid nematodes with zoonotic potential from Taiwan Strait. METHODS: Anisakid larvae of six species (Anisakis simplex, A. physeteris, Raphidascaris trichiura, Contracaecum aduncum, C. muraenesoxi, and Contracaecum sp., a predominant species in fishes in the strait) were obtained from the guts of marine fishes and identified chiefly based on the morphological features. The ITS-2 rDNA sequences from the larvae were amplified by PCR using universal primers, then cloned and bidirectionally sequenced. According to these sequences, six specific forward primers were designed and synthesized. Specificity was determined by a series of conventional PCR respectively, the ITS-2 sequences amplified above were cloned into T vector which was subsequently transformed into E. coli DH5alpha. Following extraction and identification, the positive recombinant plasmid was used as quantitative template to generate standard curve and melt curve. Sensitivity and reproducibility were determined. RESULTS: All the 6 standard curves established by the recombinant plasmids showed adequate linear relationship between threshold cycle (Ct) and template concentration. Melt curves were specific and all the 6 correlation coefficients were above 0.998. In the reproducibility test, the coefficients of variation (cv) of Ct values for detection of the 6 nematodes ranged between 0.18% and 2.80%, and the cv of the inter-assay ranged between 0.55% and 1.94%. The sensitivity of the real-time PCR was 1 x 10(2) copies/microl, about 100 times higher than the conventional PCR assays. The real-time quantitative PCR detection needed only 3.5 hours from the sample treatment to result report. CONCLUSION: An SYBR Green I fluorescent quantitative PCR has been developed for detecting anisakid nematodes with adequate sensitivity and specificity.

[Cloning and expression of L-like cysteine protease of Anisakis simplex].

OBJECTIVE: To clone and express the full lenth of L-like cysteine protease gene of Anisakis simplex (AsCP). METHODS: According to L-like cysteine protease encoding gene of A. simplex from GenBank EST database, specific primers were designed to amplify 3'-end of AsCP gene using rapid-amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), and the full lenth of the L-like cysteine protease gene was obtained. Specific primers were designed according to the full length of the gene. Using total RNA of A. simplex third-stage larvae, coding sequence of the AsCP gene was amplified by RT-PCR. The PCR product was digested by EcoR I and Sal I, and cloned into pET32a(+) vector. The recombinant plasmid was checked by double enzyme digestion and sequencing, and the positive recombinant plasmid was transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Expression of the protein induced by IPTG of gradient concentration (0.2, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2 mmol/L) and by the same concentration (1 mmol/L) of IPTG at different time(0, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, and 4 h) was conducted. The expression situation of recombinant protein was analyzed by SDS-PAGE. RESULTS: A 1211 bp of 3'-end of AsCP gene was amplified by 3'RACE, full length of the gene was 1462 bp and coding 411 amino acids. It showed 36.4% identity with the L-cysteine protease of Caenorhabditis elegans. Double enzyme digestion of the constructed recombinant plasmid pET32a(+)-AsCP showed that there was about 1150 bp fragment, the constructed recombinant plasmid was then identified by sequencing. SDS-PAGE showed that the recombinant protein (Mr 60,000) was identical with the target. IPTG showed little effect on the protein expression, and the production of protein was up to maximum after 2 hours induction. CONCLUSION: The AsCP gene has been cloned and expressed.