Increasing but Variable Trend of Surface Ozone in the Yangtze River Delta Region of China

Surface ozone (O-3) increased by similar to 20% in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region of China during 2014-2020, but the aggravating trend is highly variable on interannual time and city-level space scales. Here, we employed multiple air quality observations and numerical simulation to describe the increasing but variable trend of O-3 and to reveal the main driving factors behind it. In 2014-2017, the governmental air pollution control action plan was mostly against PM2.5 (mainly to control the emissions of SO2, NOx, and primary PM2.5) and effectively reduced the PM2.5 concentration by 18%-45%. However, O-3 pollution worsened in the same period with an increasing rate of 4.9 mu g m(-3) yr(-1), especially in the Anhui province, where the growth rate even reached 14.7 mu g m(-3) yr(-1). After 2018, owing to the coordinated prevention and control of both PM2.5 and O-3, volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions in the YRD region has also been controlled with a great concern, and the O-3 aggravating trend in the same period has been obviously alleviated (1.1 mu g m(-3) yr(-1)). We further combined the precursor concentration and the corresponding O-3 formation regime to explain the observed trend of O-3 in 2014-2020. The leading O-3 formation regime in 2014-2017 is diagnosed as VOC-limited (21%) or mix-limited (58%), with the help of a simulated indicator HCHO/NOy. Under such condition, the decreasing NO2 (2.8% yr(-1)) and increasing VOCs (3.6% yr(-1)) in 2014-2017 led to a rapid increment of O-3. With the continuous reduction in NOx emission and further in ambient NOx/VOCs, the O-3 production regime along the Yangtze River has been shifting from VOC-limited to mix-limited, and after 2018, the mix-limited regime has become the dominant O-3 formation regime for 55% of the YRD cities. Consequently, the decreases of both NOx (3.3% yr(-1)) and VOCs (7.7% yr(-1)) in 2018-2020 obviously slowed down the aggravating trend of O-3. Our study argues that with the implementation of coordinated regional reduction of NOx and VOCs, an effective O-3 control is emerging in the YRD region.Peer reviewe

Interferences effects in polarized nonlinear Breit-Wheeler process

The creation of polarized electron-positron pairs by the nonlinear Breit-Wheeler process in short laser pulses is investigated using the Baier-Katkov semiclassical method beyond local-constant-field approximation (LCFA), which allows for identifying the interferences effects in the positron polarization. When the laser intensity is in the intermediate %multiphoton regime, the interferences of pair production in different formation lengths induce an enhancement of pair production probability for spin-down positrons, which significantly affects the polarization of created positrons. The polarization features are distinct from that obtained with LCFA, revealing the invalidity of LCFA in this regime. Meanwhile, the angular distribution for different spin states varies, resulting in an angular-dependent polarization of positrons. The average polarization of positrons at beam center is highly sensitive to the laser's carrier-envelope phase (CEP), which provides a potential alternative way of determining the CEP of strong lasers. The verification of the observed interference phenomenon is possible for the upcoming experiments

Deletion of heat shock protein 60 in adult mouse cardiomyocytes perturbs mitochondrial protein homeostasis and causes heart failure.

To maintain healthy mitochondrial enzyme content and function, mitochondria possess a complex protein quality control system, which is composed of different endogenous sets of chaperones and proteases. Heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) is one of these mitochondrial molecular chaperones and has been proposed to play a pivotal role in the regulation of protein folding and the prevention of protein aggregation. However, the physiological function of HSP60 in mammalian tissues is not fully understood. Here we generated an inducible cardiac-specific HSP60 knockout mouse model, and demonstrated that HSP60 deletion in adult mouse hearts altered mitochondrial complex activity, mitochondrial membrane potential, and ROS production, and eventually led to dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and lethality. Proteomic analysis was performed in purified control and mutant mitochondria before mutant hearts developed obvious cardiac abnormalities, and revealed a list of mitochondrial-localized proteins that rely on HSP60 (HSP60-dependent) for correctly folding in mitochondria. We also utilized an in vitro system to assess the effects of HSP60 deletion on mitochondrial protein import and protein stability after import, and found that both HSP60-dependent and HSP60-independent mitochondrial proteins could be normally imported in mutant mitochondria. However, the former underwent degradation in mutant mitochondria after import, suggesting that the protein exhibited low stability in mutant mitochondria. Interestingly, the degradation could be almost fully rescued by a non-specific LONP1 and proteasome inhibitor, MG132, in mutant mitochondria. Therefore, our results demonstrated that HSP60 plays an essential role in maintaining normal cardiac morphology and function by regulating mitochondrial protein homeostasis and mitochondrial function

Adverse childhood experiences in patients with schizophrenia: related factors and clinical implications

The relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the development of psychotic symptoms is not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the frequency and distribution of ACEs among patients with schizophrenia and their potential correlation with symptomatology and personality pathology. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 571 patients with schizophrenia in Shanghai, China. Symptomatology was assessed using the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS) and personality pathology was assessed using the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire Fourth Edition Plus (PDQ-4+). ACEs were assessed using the Child Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF). ACEs were highly prevalent, with 80.8% of the patients with schizophrenia reporting at least one ACE. The three most common types of ACE were physical neglect (69.8%), emotional neglect (28.2%), and emotional abuse (22.9%). For specific ACE, emotional abuse was significantly associated with PD traits, whereas emotional and physical neglect types of ACE was significantly associated with negative symptoms. A higher level of physical abuse was more commonly reported by men, younger individuals, and those with a higher level of antisocial PD traits. Higher levels of physical neglect were associated with more severe negative symptoms. ACEs are commonly observed in patients with schizophrenia. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that this clinical population be provided with a comprehensive assessment and individualized intervention for those exposed to specific ACEs

Liver lobe-based magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging using multiple b values in patients with hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis: association with the liver disease severity according to the Child-Pugh class

OBJECTIVE: To determine the associations of liver lobe-based magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging findings using multiple b values with the presence and Child-Pugh class of cirrhosis in patients with hepatitis B. METHODS: Seventy-four cirrhotic patients with hepatitis B and 25 healthy volunteers underwent diffusion-weighted imaging using b values of 0, 500, 800 and 1000 sec/mm2. The apparent diffusion coefficients of individual liver lobes for b(0,500), b(0,800) and b(0,1000) were derived from the signal intensity averaged across images obtained using b values of 0 and 500 sec/mm2, 0 and 800 sec/mm2, or 0 and 1000 sec/mm2, respectively, and were statistically analyzed to evaluate cirrhosis. RESULTS: The apparent diffusion coefficients for b(0,500), b(0,800) and b(0,1000) inversely correlated with the Child-Pugh class in the left lateral liver lobe, the left medial liver lobe, the right liver lobe and the caudate lobe (r=-0.35 to -0.60, all p;0.05). Among these parameters, the apparent diffusion coefficient for b(0,500) in the left lateral liver lobe best differentiated normal from cirrhotic liver, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.989. The apparent diffusion coefficient for b(0,800) in the right liver lobe best distinguished Child-Pugh class A from B-C and A-B from C, with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.732 and 0.747, respectively. CONCLUSION: Liver lobe-based apparent diffusion coefficients for b(0,500) and b(0,800) appear to be associated with the presence and Child-Pugh class of liver cirrhosis

Early–middle Jurassic source to sink evolution and its tectonic significance in the northeastern Sichuan Basin

This paper discusses the sedimentary environment and source supply in the sedimentary area and their coupling relationship through a detailed description of the deposits from the Ziliujing Formation to Shaximiao Formation of the Lower–Middle Jurassic on the Tieshan section in the Dazhou City, northeastern Sichuan Province, through sedimentary characterization, determination of the paleocurrent direction, analysis of heavy minerals, and detrital zircon U–Pb dating. The results show that the Zhenzhuchong Member is sufficiently supplied with detrital sediments and is dominantly composed of fluvial-delta deposits. The Dongyuemiao Member—the first member of the Lianggaoshan Formation—is dominated by lacustrine deposits, with the detrital supply increased initially in the early Lianggaoshan. The second member of the Lianggaoshan Formation suggests a significant increase in detrital supply, with shrunken lake basin and changed paleocurrent direction. The Shaximiao Formation reveals a complete disappearance of the lake basin in the northern Sichuan Basin. The comprehensive analysis on source supply indicates that the change in source property is apparently coupled with the change in the sedimentary environment, both controlled by orogenesis around the basin. It is inferred from the zircon age distribution that the changes in the sedimentary environment and source supply during the late Ziliujing period and the middle and late Lianggaoshan period resulted from the uplifting of the Micangshan Mountain, Dabashan Mountain, and Qinling Mountain, respectively