The origin of summer monsoon rainfall at New Delhi by deuterium excess

International audienceThe deuterium excess in summer monsoon precipitation, determined from isotopic measurements(?18O and Keywords: deuterium excess, relative humidity, origin of precipitatio

High-detectivity ultraviolet photodetectors based on laterally mesoporous GaN

Photodetectors for the ultraviolet (UV) range of the electromagnetic spectrum are in great demand for several technologies, but require the development of novel device structures and materials. Here we report on the high detectivity of UV photodetectors based on well-ordered laterally mesoporous GaN. The specific detectivity of our devices under UV-illumination reaches values of up to 5.3×1014 Jones. We attribute this high specific detectivity to the properties of the mesoporous GaN/metal contact interface: the trapping of photo-generated holes at the interface lowers the Schottky barrier height thus causing a large internal gain. The high detectivity along with the simple fabrication process make these laterally mesoporous GaN photodetectors of great potential for applications that require selective detection of weak optical signals in the UV range

Defining the Primary Work Stress Factors of Chinese Coal Miners—A Mixed-Methods Study

Background: Studies have indicated that coal miners in China have higher levels of perceived job stress. However, few studies have investigated the work stress structure of coal miners. Objective: Our study focused on the work stress of coal miners in China, with a primary aim to determine the work stress structure of coal miners in China using a mixed-methods approach. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were performed with thirty-three people (team leaders and frontline coal miners) conducted with participants from various state-owned large- and medium-sized coal mines in China. Grounded theory was used to construct an initial model for the concept of coal miners’ work stress. Using the results of this initial survey and findings in the existing literature, we then constructed a preliminary questionnaire regarding coal miners’ work stress and administered the questionnaire to 900 coal miners in the Shaanxi, Henan, Inner Mongolia, and Gansu provinces. Results: The results show that the work stress structure for coal miners differs from that for other occupational types in China, due to differences in the Chinese culture and foreign cultural influences. We revised our questionnaire based on these considerations and administered a new survey to the frontline production workers in coal mines. The preliminary questionnaires were revised and analyzed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, resulting in a final formal model for work stress, which was supported by content and structural validity. Conclusion: In this research, we used the framework of grounded theory to conduct an empirical analysis of the structure model of coal miners’ work stress. The findings support that the primary work stress factors of Chinese coal miners included the stress of the work environment, job responsibility, interpersonal relationships, career development, the family environment, and organizational systems. Coal enterprises should therefore always take these factors into consideration when developing and implementing safety management policies aimed at to improve the occupational health status of coal miners

Hearing disorders, genetic predisposition, and risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation:A prospective cohort study in the UK biobank

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Hearing impairment has been linked to several cardiovascular diseases. However, the association between hearing disorders, genetic predisposition, and new-onset AF remains largely unknown. Methods: A total of 476,773 participants (mean age 56.5 years) free of AF at baseline (from 2006 to 2010) were included from the UK Biobank study. The presence of hearing disorders including hearing difficulty and tinnitus was self-reported through the touchscreen questionnaire. AF was defined using ICD-10 code: I48 and was followed till February 1st. 2022. The Cox model was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: During a median follow-up of 13.0 years, the AF incidence rate was 2.9 per 1000 person-years. After adjustments for potential confounders, the presence of hearing difficulty (HR, 1.35; 95% CI: 1.32–1.39) and the use of hearing aid (1.45; 1.37–1.53) were significantly associated with risk of new-onset AF. Compared to individuals without tinnitus, the AF risk increased by 17% among those who experienced tinnitus occasionally (1.17; 1.09–1.25), 23% among those who experienced tinnitus frequently (1.23; 1.10–1.39), and 32% among those who experienced tinnitus consistently (1.32; 1.22–1.42). No significant difference was observed across different groups of genetic risk score for AF onset. Conclusions: Our study provides evidence regarding significant associations of hearing difficulty, use of hearing aid, and tinnitus with risk of incident AF. Findings highlight the potential that screening hearing disorders can benefit AF prevention.</p

Hearing disorders, genetic predisposition, and risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation:A prospective cohort study in the UK biobank

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Hearing impairment has been linked to several cardiovascular diseases. However, the association between hearing disorders, genetic predisposition, and new-onset AF remains largely unknown. Methods: A total of 476,773 participants (mean age 56.5 years) free of AF at baseline (from 2006 to 2010) were included from the UK Biobank study. The presence of hearing disorders including hearing difficulty and tinnitus was self-reported through the touchscreen questionnaire. AF was defined using ICD-10 code: I48 and was followed till February 1st. 2022. The Cox model was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: During a median follow-up of 13.0 years, the AF incidence rate was 2.9 per 1000 person-years. After adjustments for potential confounders, the presence of hearing difficulty (HR, 1.35; 95% CI: 1.32–1.39) and the use of hearing aid (1.45; 1.37–1.53) were significantly associated with risk of new-onset AF. Compared to individuals without tinnitus, the AF risk increased by 17% among those who experienced tinnitus occasionally (1.17; 1.09–1.25), 23% among those who experienced tinnitus frequently (1.23; 1.10–1.39), and 32% among those who experienced tinnitus consistently (1.32; 1.22–1.42). No significant difference was observed across different groups of genetic risk score for AF onset. Conclusions: Our study provides evidence regarding significant associations of hearing difficulty, use of hearing aid, and tinnitus with risk of incident AF. Findings highlight the potential that screening hearing disorders can benefit AF prevention.</p

Projecting Future Vegetation Change for Northeast China Using CMIP6 Model

Northeast China lies in the transition zone from the humid monsoonal to the arid continental climate, with diverse ecosystems and agricultural land highly susceptible to climate change. This region has experienced significant greening in the past three decades, but future trends remain uncertain. In this study, we provide a quantitative assessment of how vegetation, indicated by the leaf area index (LAI), will change in this region in response to future climate change. Based on the output of eleven CMIP6 global climates, Northeast China is likely to get warmer and wetter in the future, corresponding to an increase in regional LAI. Under the medium emissions scenario (SSP245), the average LAI is expected to increase by 0.27 for the mid-century (2041–2070) and 0.39 for the late century (2071–2100). Under the high emissions scenario (SSP585), the increase is 0.40 for the mid-century and 0.70 for the late century, respectively. Despite the increase in the regional mean, the LAI trend shows significant spatial heterogeneity, with likely decreases for the arid northwest and some sandy fields in this region. Therefore, climate change could pose additional challenges for long-term ecological and economic sustainability. Our findings could provide useful information to local decision makers for developing effective sustainable land management strategies in Northeast China

Study on reaction kinetics of single slime

The study of the combustion characteristics of single slime fuels is the basis for achieving clean combustion of solid fuels. This paper uses a combination of experimental and theoretical analysis, combined with the Coats-Redfen integration method, to study the influence of ash content and heating rate on the kinetic parameters of coal slime, and solve the combustion kinetic parameters. The results show that under the same heating rate, the activation energy gradually increases. As the ash content of coal slime increases, the activity of the coal slime sample decreases, and the reaction activation energy gradually increases

New Opportunities and Challenges of Smart Polymers in Post-Translational Modification Proteomics

Protein post-translational modifications (PTMs), which denote covalent additions of various functional groups (e.g., phosphate, glycan, methyl, or ubiquitin) to proteins, significantly increase protein complexity and diversity. PTMs play crucial roles in the regulation of protein functions and numerous cellular processes. However, in a living organism, native PTM proteins are typically present at substoichiometric levels, considerably impeding mass-spectrometry-based analyses and identification. Over the past decade, the demand for in-depth PTM proteomics studies has spawned a variety of selective affinity materials capable of capturing trace amounts of PTM peptides from highly complex biosamples. However, novel design ideas or strategies are urgently required for fulfilling the increasingly complex and accurate requirements of PTM proteomics analysis, which can hardly be met by using conventional enrichment materials. Considering two typical types of protein PTMs, phosphorylation and glycosylation, an overview of polymeric enrichment materials is provided here, with an emphasis on the superiority of smart-polymer-based materials that can function in intelligent modes. Moreover, some smart separation materials are introduced to demonstrate the enticing prospects and the challenges of smart polymers applied in PTM proteomics