Long-term wetland biomonitoring highlights the differential impact of land use on macroinvertebrate diversity in Dongting Lake in China

Freshwater wetlands have experienced disproportionate biodiversity loss due to environmental change. The lack of long-term biological data limits our understanding of wetland biodiversity dynamics and principal drivers. Here, we combine aquatic biomonitoring with satellite-derived imagery and spatial-explicit analysis to assess the changes in macroinvertebrate diversity and driving factors from 1988 to 2017 in Dongting Lake, China. The results revealed declining macroinvertebrate alpha diversity (species richness and functional redundancy) but increased beta diversity (taxonomic and functional dissimilarity). An increase in nutrients due to changes in land-use intensity in the surrounding terrestrial ecosystem was the primary mechanism for the losses of species and functional groups. Alpha diversity changes were most influenced by land-use changes in adjacent land areas 1.5 kilometers from the sampling sites, while beta diversity was affected within 50 meters. Our results highlight a need for attenuating land-use effects by establishing protected buffer areas to protect biodiversity in the future

Downregulation of Long Non-coding RNA FALEC Inhibits Gastric Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion Through Impairing ECM1 Expression by Exerting Its Enhancer-Like Function

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in many human diseases. However, their functions and mechanisms in tumorigenesis and development remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrated that focally amplified lncRNA in epithelial cancer (FALEC) was upregulated and significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis, TNM stage in gastric cancer (GC). Further experiments revealed that FALEC knockdown significantly inhibited GC cells migration and invasion in vitro. Mechanistic investigations demonstrated that small interfering RNA-induced silencing of FALEC decreased expression of the nearby gene extracellular matrix protein 1 (ECM1) in cis. Additionally, ECM1 and FALEC expression were positively correlated, and high levels of ECM1 predicted shorter survival time in GC patients. Our results suggest that the downregulation of FALEC significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of GC cells through impairing ECM1 expression by exerting an enhancer-like function. Our work provides valuable information and a novel promising target for developing new therapeutic strategies in GC

Overexpression of serum extracellular vesicle microRNA-215-5p is associated with early tumor recurrence and poor prognosis of gastric cancêr

OBJECTIVES: Extracellular vesicle microRNAs (EV-miRNAs) have been demonstrated to be reliable candidate biomarkers for clinical applications. However, the clinical application potential of serum EV-miR-215-5p for gastric cancer (GC) remains poorly understood. The goal of our study was to determine the efficacy of serum EV-miR-215-5p in predicting the prognosis of GC. METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 118 patients with GC, 60 patients with benign gastric disease and BGD and 70 healthy controls. The relative levels of serum EV-miR-215-5p were measured using quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: Compared to patients with BGD and normal controls, GC patients exhibited remarkably higher serum EV-miR-215-5p level, especially those with early tumor recurrence (ETR). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that serum EV-miR-215-5p was able to distinguish GC patients from BGD patients or healthy controls and GC patients with ETR from those without ETR. In addition, increased serum EV-miR-215-5p levels were notably correlated with invasive depth, TNM stage, and lymph node metastasis. Moreover, serum EV-miR-215-5p levels were greatly decreased after surgical treatment, but increased at the time of ETR. Survival analysis showed that patients with higher serum EV-miR-215-5p had shorter survival. Furthermore, serum EV-miR-215-5p was an independent risk factor for GC. CONCLUSIONS: Serum EV-miR-215-5p might be a novel biomarker for predicting ETR and prognosis of GC

Numerical Simulation of Urban Waterlogging Based on FloodArea Model

Assessment of urban water logging risk depth is mainly based on extreme value of rainstorm and its occurrence frequency as disaster causing factor. Regional waterlogging disaster risk assessment can be determined through regional geographic spatial information coupling calculation; the fundamental reason lies in the lack of an effective method for numerical simulation of waterlogging risk depth. Based on the hydrodynamic principle, FloodArea model realizes the numerical simulation of regional waterlogging depth by hydrologic calculating of runoff generation and runoff concentration of waterlogging. Taking risk assessment in Nanchang city as an example, spatial distribution of urban waterlogging depth was simulated by using FloodArea model in return period of 5 years, 10 years, 50 years, and 100 years. Research results show that FloodArea model can simulate urban waterlogging forming process and spatial distribution qualitatively

Safed Musli (Chlorophytum borivilianum L.) Callus-Mediated Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles and Evaluation of their Antimicrobial Activity and Cytotoxicity against Human Colon Cancer Cells

With the advancement of nanobiotechnology, eco-friendly approaches of plant-mediated silver nanomaterial (AgNP) biosynthesis have become more attractive for biomedical applications. The present study is a report of biosynthesizing AgNPs using Chlorophytum borivilianum L. (Safed musli) callus extract as a novel source of reducing agent. AgNO3 solution challenged with the methanolic callus extract displayed a change in color from yellow to brown owing to the bioreduction reaction. Further, AgNPs were characterized by using UV–visible spectrophotometry, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). UV–vis spectrum revealed the surface plasmon resonance property of AgNPs at around 450 nm. XRD pattern with typical peaks indicated the face-centered cubic nature of silver. AFM analysis confirmed the existence of spherical-shaped and well-dispersed AgNPs having an average size of 52.0 nm. Further, FTIR analysis confirmed the involvement of different phytoconstituents of the callus extract role in the process of bioreduction to form nanoparticles. The AgNPs were more efficient in inhibiting the tested pathogenic microbes, namely, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Methicillin-resistant Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans compared to callus extract. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay confirmed the cytotoxic property of AgNPs against human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (HT-29) in a dose-dependent manner. At higher concentrations of 500 μg/mL AgNPs, the cell viability was observed to be only 7% after 24 hours with IC50 value of 254 μg/mL. Therefore, these AgNPs clearly endorse the manifold potential to be used in various biomedical applications in the near future

The characteristics and two-step reaction model of <i>p</i>-nitroacetophenone biodegradation mediated by <i>Shewanella decolorationis</i> S12 and electron shuttle in the presence/absence of goethite

<div><p>The current study mainly focused on the biodegradation process of <i>p</i>-nitroacetophenone (NP) in the presence and absence of goethite mediated by iron-reducing microbe (<i>Shewanella decolorationis</i> S12) and electron shuttle. The results showed that introduction of electron shuttle could obviously lead to an accumulation of biodegradation intermediate, especially in reaction systems containing high content of electron shuttle in the absence of goethite. Goethite could enhance the degree and rate of NP biodegradation. The microbial reductively generated Fe(II) played an active role in the biodegradation process. The relationship between the concentrations of biodegradation end product and the reaction times could be fitted by a consecutive reaction model with correlation coefficients (adjusted <i>R</i>²) in the range from 0.9241 to 0.9831 during the biodegradation stage from the beginning to about 250 h of incubation. However, during the subsequent biodegradation stages, in the presence and absence of goethite, transitions from the consecutive reaction model to zero-order reaction model and from the consecutive reaction model to exponential growth reaction model were observed, respectively. The newly proposed two-step reaction model will help understand the mechanism of the biodegradation process of nitroaromatic compounds and related pollutants.</p></div

Thermo-fluidic characteristics and performance in a distribute heating bubble pump generator

In some thermally driven two-phase natural circulation systems, bubble pumps serve as the key driving powers for the cycles. Recently a type of distribute heating bubble pump generator (BPG) is gradually receiving attention due to its compact structure and great potentials to utilize solar energy and low-grade waste heat recovery. The BPG provides a variety of promising features (e.g., passive heat transfer, enhanced reliability), which can benefit the advancing of heat transfer technology. For the primary study, we performed an experiment in a distributed heating BPG. Through utilizing multiple lift tubes and partial visualization configurations, it provides accesses to observe the flow pattern transition and monitor the flow instability, and thus to explore some of the underlying mechanisms affecting BPG performance. Results showed that heat input and immersion height were crucial parameters to enable the operation of distribute heating BPG. With low heat input or high inlet water subcooling level, the flow within the pump was unstable with intermittent flow interruptions. As the heat input increased, the fluid flow became more stable, the vapor generation increased linearly, while the lifted liquid flow rate initially increased then decreased. Correspondingly, the flow pattern at the outlet section of lift tubes gradually changed from slug flow to churn flow, and then to annular flow. The higher of the immersion was, the higher heat input was needed for the flow pattern transition. It was in the churn flow regime at the outlet of lift tubes for the BPG to lift a maximum liquid. At lower immersion level, liquid reflux in the lift tubes was obvious and affected the flow stability as well as the lifting performance. At higher immersion level, the fluid flow was more stable and faster, which lifted more liquid while generated less vapor depending on the inlet subcooling. In general, the BPG showed better performance (both the lifted liquid and vapor generation increased) at smaller inlet subcooling level or lower system pressure. This study highlights the flow pattern evolution and flow stability, which is helpful to the reliable design and effective operation of the distributed heating BPG

Water temperature governs organophosphate ester dynamics in the aquatic food chain of Poyang Lake

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are increasingly recognized as pervasive environmental contaminants, primarily from their extensive application in flame retardants and plasticizers. Despite their widespread presence, the intricacies of OPE bioaccumulation within aquatic ecosystems remain poorly understood, particularly the environmental determinants influencing their distribution and the bioaccumulation dynamics across aquatic food chains. Here we show that water temperature plays a crucial role in modulating the dispersion of OPE in the aquatic environment of Poyang Lake. We quantified OPE concentrations across various matrices, uncovering levels ranging from 0.198 to 912.622 ng L−1 in water, 0.013–493.36 ng per g dry weight (dw) in sediment, 0.026–41.92 ng per g wet weight (ww) in plankton, 0.13–2100.72 ng per g dw in benthic invertebrates, and 0.31–3956.49 ng per g dw in wild fish, highlighting a pronounced bioaccumulation gradient. Notably, the intestines emerged as the principal site for OPE absorption, displaying the highest concentrations among the seven tissues examined. Among the various OPEs, tris(chloroethyl) phosphate was distinguished by its significant bioaccumulation potential within the aquatic food web, suggesting a need for heightened scrutiny. The propensity for OPE accumulation was markedly higher in benthic invertebrates than wild fish, indicating a differential vulnerability within aquatic biota. This study lays a foundational basis for the risk assessment of OPEs as emerging contaminants and underscores the imperative to prioritize the examination of bioaccumulation effects, particularly in benthic invertebrates, to inform future environmental safeguarding strategies

Data-Driven Decision Support for Equipment Selection and Maintenance Issues for Buildings

Equipment costs play a critical role in decision making during design and construction, which requires up-to-date information and data. The design of this study incorporates the inputs from the literature review on the influencing factors of equipment costs and major targeted equipment types to enhance decision support for equipment selection, project construction, and maintenance issues. Two traditional cost estimation methods and five machine-learning methods were compared in this study to identify significant attributes related to the predictions of the costs and residual values of each targeted equipment type. The novelty of this study is that the developed method improves prediction accuracy by establishing a comprehensive and well-structured database framework. A comparison of this method with the existing prediction models reveals that the results and the accuracy of multiple regression analysis are improved in the range of (3% to 33.97%) with the use of a modified decision-tree model combined with support vector machines. The major contribution of this research is the design, implementation, and validation of a machine-learning-based modified decision tree with a support vector machine model for improved accuracy and decision support in construction management. Future research should consider the relationship between geographical variations and value changes