Influence of cage culture on methylmercury in water column of reservoir

To understand the influence of cage culture on the methylmercury production and distribution in water column of reservoir, water samples were collected from four cage culture sites in Wujiangdu Reservoir in September (warm season), 2010 and in March (cool season), 2011, taking the sites with a distance of 100-200 m from the culture sites and at the center of the reservoir as the reference sites. In warm season, the total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in cage culture sites were 2.04 ±0.53 ng·L-1 and 0.146 ±0.231 ng·L-1, and those in reference sites were 3.33±2.39 ng·L-1 and 0.380±0.577 ng·L-1, respectively; in cool season, the corresponding values were 3.04±1.53 ng·L-1 and 0.047±0.028 ng·L-1, and 3.24±1.23 ng·L-1 and 0.046±0.013 ng·L-1, respectively. No significant differences were observed in the concentrations of THg and MeHg (for THg, n = 35, P =0.875, and for MeHg, n =35, P =0.091) between cage culture sites and corresponding reference sites. The analysis on the water parameters total phosphorus, total nitrogen, dissolved organic carbon, temperature, and chlorophyll-a at the cage culture sites and reference sites showed that the MeHg production and distribution in the water column were affected by the water discharge and water exchange activities in the reservoir rather than by the cage culture activities, whereas the anaerobic condition of bottom water and the variation of water temperature caused by the seasonal stratification of water column could be the main factors affecting the methylmercury production and distribution

Donor–Acceptor Fluorophores for Energy-Transfer-Mediated Photocatalysis

Triplet–triplet energy transfer (EnT) is a fundamental activation pathway in photocatalysis. In this work, we report the mechanistic origins of the triplet excited state of carbazole-cyanobenzene donor–acceptor (D–A) fluorophores in EnT-based photocatalytic reactions and demonstrate the key factors that control the accessibility of the 3LE (locally excited triplet state) and 3CT (charge-transfer triplet state) via a combined photochemical and transient absorption spectroscopic study. We found that the energy order between 1CT (charge transfer singlet state) and 3LE dictates the accessibility of 3LE/3CT for EnT, which can be effectively engineered by varying solvent polarity and D–A character to depopulate 3LE and facilitate EnT from the chemically more tunable 3CT state for photosensitization. Following the above design principle, a new D–A fluorophore with strong D–A character and weak redox potential is identified, which exhibits high efficiency for Ni(II)-catalyzed cross-coupling of carboxylic acids and aryl halides with a wide substrate scope and high selectivity. Our results not only provide key fundamental insight on the EnT mechanism of D–A fluorophores but also establish its wide utility in EnT-mediated photocatalytic reactions

A novel 1D-2D coupled model for hydrodynamic simulation of flows in drainage networks

Drainage network modelling is often an essential component in urban flood prediction and risk assessment. Drainage network models most commonly use different numerical procedures to handle flows in pipes and junctions. Numerous numerical schemes and models of different levels of complexity have been developed and reported to predict flows in pipes. However, calculation of the flow conditions in junctions has received much less attention and has been traditionally achieved by solving only the continuity equation. This method is easy to implement but it neglects the momentum exchange in the junctions and cannot provide sufficient boundary conditions for the pipe calculation. In this work, a novel numerical scheme based on the finite volume solution to the two-dimensional (2D) shallow water equations (SWEs) is proposed to calculate flow dynamics in junctions, which directly takes into account both mass and momentum conservation and removes the necessity of implementing complicated boundary settings for pipe calculations. This new junction simulation method is then coupled with the widely used two-component pressure approach (TPA) for the pipe flow calculation, leading to a new integrated drainage network model. The new 1D-2D coupled drainage network model is validated against an experimental and several idealised test cases to demonstrate its potential for efficient and stable simulation of flow dynamics in drainage networks.<br

Physics Informed Reinforcement Learning for Power Grid Control using Augmented Random Search

Wide adoption of deep reinforcement learning in energy system domain needs to overcome several challenges , including scalability, learning from limited samples, and high-dimensional continuous state and action spaces. In this paper, we integrated physics-based information from the generator operation state formula, also known as Swing Equation, into the reinforcement learning agent's neural network loss function, and applied an augmented random search agent to optimize the generator control under dynamic contingency. Simulation results demonstrated the reliability performance improvements in training speed, reward convergence, and future potentials in its transferability and scalability

Genetic Evolution and Molecular Selection of the HE Gene of Influenza C Virus

Influenza C virus (ICV) was first identified in humans and swine, but recently also in cattle, indicating a wider host range and potential threat to both the livestock industry and public health than was originally anticipated. The ICV hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) glycoprotein has multiple functions in the viral replication cycle and is the major determinant of antigenicity. Here, we developed a comparative approach integrating genetics, molecular selection analysis, and structural biology to identify the codon usage and adaptive evolution of ICV. We show that ICV can be classified into six lineages, consistent with previous studies. The HE gene has a low codon usage bias, which may facilitate ICV replication by reducing competition during evolution. Natural selection, dinucleotide composition, and mutation pressure shape the codon usage patterns of the ICV HE gene, with natural selection being the most important factor. Codon adaptation index (CAI) and relative codon deoptimization index (RCDI) analysis revealed that the greatest adaption of ICV was to humans, followed by cattle and swine. Additionally, similarity index (SiD) analysis revealed that swine exerted a stronger evolutionary pressure on ICV than humans, which is considered the primary reservoir. Furthermore, a similar tendency was also observed in the M gene. Of note, we found HE residues 176, 194, and 198 to be under positive selection, which may be the result of escape from antibody responses. Our study provides useful information on the genetic evolution of ICV from a new perspective that can help devise prevention and control strategies

Chinese Herbal Medicine and Its Application for Female Cancer

Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) have been widely used to promote health and treat illnesses in daily medical care throughout Asia while mostly accepted as an alternative medical method in many nations of the western world. CHM has a unique therapeutic effect to reduce adverse effects on cancer patients caused by chemotherapy and surgery; however, we did not find any high-quality review for the claimed effects. In this review, we will summarize the history, basic theories and principles, and clinical applications of CHM for disorders, especially female cancers. Meta-analyses to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CHM in the treatment of ovarian cancer and breast cancer have been conducted. The results showed that combined CHMs and western medicines treatment (CHM-WM) had significantly relieved the symptoms and reduced the side effects after surgery and chemotherapy on both ovarian cancer and breast cancer. However, more high-quality and large-scale RCTs are necessary to confirm the efficacy and safety of CHM-WM intervention

Formation and properties of chalcogenide glasses based on GeS2-​Sb2S3-​AgI system

International audienceNovel glasses in GeS2-​Sb2S3-​AgI system have been prepd. by melt-​quenching method. A large glass-​forming region was found in this novel system, in which almost 60 mol​% AgI has been incorporated. The basic physiochem. properties of glass samples were investigated. With the addn. of AgI, red shift of short-​wavelength absorption edge and distinct drop of the glass transition temp. (Tg) were obsd. In addn., a high Ag+ ion cond. of 6.37×10-​4 S​/cm at room temp. was obtained in 55(0.6GeS2-​0.4Sb2S3)​-​45AgI sample, indicating that these glasses have potential application as amorphous solid electrolytes