Spatial differences, distribution dynamics and driving factors of the synergy between marine ecological security and high-quality development in three major marine economic circles of China

IntroductionIn China, the sustainable development of the marine is facing a prominent contradiction between ecological security and economic development, as well as unbalanced and non-coordinated regional development. Exploring the regional differences in the synergy between marine ecological security (MES) and high-quality development of the marine economy (MHQD) and its driving mechanism is the key to optimizing the spatial distribution of marine development, promoting the synergistic and balanced development of the regional marine composite system during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period.MethodsIn this article, we employed the Dagum Gini coefficient decomposition model and Kernel density estimation methods to reveal the evolution of regional differences, sources, and distributional dynamics of synergistic development of the composite system from 2009 to 2020. Meanwhile, spatial econometric analyses were applied to identify the influencing factors and spatial spillover effects.ResultsThe level of synergistic development of composite system has a fluctuating upward trend, with a significant positive spatial correlation and a significant “polarization effect”. Inter-regional differences in the synergistic development of the composite system are the main source of the overall differences. Factors such as innovation-driven, human capital, and opening up to the outside world are important driving factors for the synergistic development of the composite system.DiscussionThe MES-MHQD composite system exhibits a low level of synergistic development, with significant differences in the level of synergy both among the 3MMECs and within each circle. We infer that the expansion trend of overall difference will constrain the exploration of a sustainable development path for China’s coastal regions in the future. It is necessary to optimize the spatial layout of the composite system, establish robust mechanisms for regional cooperation and communication, accurately identify the development bottlenecks of the regional composite systems. This study provides a theoretical basis and decision-making reference for the promotion of the synergistic development of the composite system of the Three Major Marine Economic Circles (3MMECs) in China

Technical Debt Management in OSS Projects: An Empirical Study on GitHub

Technical debt (TD) refers to delayed tasks and immature artifacts that may bring short-term benefits but incur extra costs of change during maintenance and evolution in the long term. TD has been extensively studied in the past decade, and numerous open source software (OSS) projects were used to explore specific aspects of TD and validate various approaches for TD management (TDM). However, there still lacks a comprehensive understanding on the practice of TDM in OSS development, which penetrates the OSS community's perception of the TD concept and how TD is managed in OSS development. To this end, we conducted an empirical study on the whole GitHub to explore the adoption and execution of TDM based on issues in OSS projects. We collected 35,278 issues labeled as TD (TD issues) distributed over 3,598 repositories in total from the issue tracking system of GitHub between 2009 and 2020. The findings are that: (1) the OSS community is embracing the TD concept; (2) the analysis of TD instances shows that TD may affect both internal and external quality of software systems; (3) only one TD issue was identified in 31.1% of the repositories and all TD issues were identified by only one developer in 69.0% of the repositories; (4) TDM was ignored in 27.3% of the repositories after TD issues were identified; and (5) among the repositories with TD labels, 32.9% have abandoned TDM while only 8.2% adopt TDM as a consistent practice. These findings provide valuable insights for practitioners in TDM and promising research directions for further investigation.Comment: 15 pages, 8 images, 10 tables, Manuscript submitted to a Journal (2022

Anti-aging mechanism and effect of treatment with raw and wine-steamed Polygonatum sibiricum on D-galactose-induced aging in mice by inhibiting oxidative stress and modulating gut microbiota

BackgroundPolygonatum sibiricum (PS) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) first recorded in Mingyi Bielu. The book documents that PS can nourish five internal organs, be taken for a long time, relax the body and prolong lifespan. Presently, PS is widely used in TCM to prevent premature graying of hair. Based on TCM theory and clinical trials, the wine steaming processed product from PS provides a better effect. However, no published study has elucidated the anti-aging mechanism.PurposeThe study aim was to investigate the anti-aging mechanism of PS and its wine steaming processed product in mice, specifically focusing on the effect of D-galactose (D-gal) surrounding the intestinal flora and the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1-nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2-antioxidant response elements (Keap1/Nrf2/ARE) pathway.MethodsThe chemical components in Raw PS (RPS) and Wine-steamed PS (WPS) were identified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography–hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS). An aging model using Kunming mice was established through intraperitoneally injected D-gal. Concentrations of RPS and WPS at 5, 10, or 15 g/kg/day levels were administered intragastrically, respectively. The body weight, liver and spleen indexes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), and malondialdehyde (MDA) activities in serum and brain tissue were recorded. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) stained brain tissue was histopathologically examined. The expressions of Keap1, Nrf2 and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) in the brain tissue at the mRNA and protein levels were respectively detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot (WB). Moreover, an Illumina Hiseq platform was used for 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) high-throughput sequencing to evaluate the proportions of intestinal flora in aging mice.ResultsThe proportions of saccharides, flavonoids, and triterpene acids were different between RPS and WPS. In the aging model mice, WPS outperformed RPS in improving body weight and mental state by increasing the spleen index, SOD and GSH-PX activities, decreasing the liver index and MDA activities, and restoring the histopathological morphology in D-gal-induced aging mice. At the mRNA levels, RPS and WPS significantly reduced the expression of Keap1 and increased the expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1. The trend in protein expressions was similar to that of the mRNA results, and WPS had a stronger effect than RPS. Fecal microbiota analysis showed that RPS and WPS restored intestinal microbiota proportions to normal levels.ConclusionThe results demonstrated that PS and its WPS had a positive effect in relieving oxidative stress in aging mice. WPS outperformed RPS, which might be related to the activation of the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway and regulation of intestinal flora

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Hydrogen-Rich Gas Production from Steam Gasification of Biomass using CaO and a Fe-Cr Water-Gas Shift Catalyst

The technical feasibility of using calcium oxide (CaO) as a sorbent for CO2 and Fe-Cr as a catalyst for the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction using syngas for the steam gasification of biomass was investigated. The effects of temperature, steam to biomass mass ratio, CaO to biomass molar ratio, and Fe-Cr WGS catalyst on gas composition were studied. Within a temperature range of 250 C to 550 C, the H2 concentration increased from 1.2% to 17.1%, with a total increase of 16%. As the steam rate increased within the range of 0 kg/h to 0.12 kg/h, the maximum value of H2 concentration increased from 12.1% to 17.13%, with a total increase of 5%. As the CaO to biomass molar ratio was increased from 0 to 2, the CO2 concentration demonstrated a minimum value of 1.3%, and the H2 concentration exhibited a maximum value of 53.1%. A catalyst to biomass mass ratio of 1 resulted in the minimum value of CO2 concentration, which decreased from 7.9%, in the absence of CaO, to 1.6%. A CaO to biomass molar ratio of 1.5 resulted in the maximum value of H2 concentration, which increased from 27.6%, in the absence of CaO, to 63%

miRNA-223 is a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker for osteosarcoma

Background: MicroRNA-223 (miR-223) has been shown to be a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker for several cancers. In addition, miR-223 has been reported to suppress osteosarcoma cell proliferation in vitro. However, the clinical value of miR-223 is still unknown. Methods: We detected the expression of miR-223 expression in the serum of osteosarcoma patients and in osteosarcoma cancer cells using RT-PCR. We compared the serum expression of miR-223 with the clinicopathological characteristics and survival of osteosarcoma patients. Finally, we explored the role of miR-223 on the invasion of osteosarcoma cancer cells using cell migration and invasion assays. Results: We observed that the expression of miR-223 was significantly decreased in the serum of osteosarcoma patients and osteosarcoma cancer cells compared to healthy controls (P<0.01). Moreover, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated that serum miR-223 is a potential diagnostic marker of osteosarcoma with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.956. Importantly, the patients with a lower expression of miR-223 tended to have distant metastasis (P<0.001) and a more advanced clinical stage (P<0.001). In addition, the survival time of patients with low miR-223 expression was significantly shorter compared to patients with high miR-223 expression (P<0.001). Furthermore, we found that miR-223 could inhibit the migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells. Conclusions: miR-223 might be related to the metastasis of osteosarcoma and could be used as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in osteosarcoma

Regional and Local Moisture Gradients Drive the Resistance to and Recovery from Drought of Picea crassifolia Kom. in the Qilian Mountains, Northwest China

Increasing evidence suggests that extreme droughts cause more frequent tree growth reduction. To understand the consequences of these droughts better, this study used tree-ring cores from nine sites to investigate how moisture and altitudinal gradients affect the radial growth of Picea crassifolia Kom., a common species in the Qilian Mountains in northwest China. The total annual precipitation and mean annual temperature in the eastern region were higher than those in the western region of the Qilian Mountains. The trees in the eastern region showed stronger resistance to drought than those in the west, as they had a smaller difference in radial growth between drought disturbance and pre-drought disturbance. At the same time, the trees in the east showed weaker ability to recover from drought, as they had a subtle difference in radial growth between post-drought disturbance and drought disturbance. Furthermore, the trees in the east also showed weaker relative resilience to drought, as they had a small difference in radial growth between post-drought and drought disturbance weighted by growth in pre-drought disturbance. For trees below 3000 m a.s.l., trees with high resistance capacity usually had low recovery capacity and low relative resilience capacity. Trees at higher altitudes also showed stronger resistance to drought and weaker ability to recover from drought after a drought event than those at lower altitudes in the middle of the Qilian Mountains. Trees at lower altitudes in the middle of the Qilian Mountains had more difficulties recovering from more severe and longer drought events. In the context of global warming, trees in the western region and at lower altitudes should be given special attention and protection in forest management to enhance their resistance to extreme droughts

Effects of Oral Vitamin B1 and Mecobalamin on Dry Eye Disease

Purpose. To assess the effects of oral vitamin B1 and mecobalamin on dry eye disease (DED) and patient satisfaction with treatment. Methods. In this randomized controlled study, DED patients were divided into 4 groups based on treatment: group 1, only artificial tears; group 2, corticosteroid eye drops and artificial tears; group 3, oral vitamin B1, mecobalamin, and artificial tears; and group 4, oral vitamin B1, mecobalamin, corticosteroid eye drops, and artificial tears. DED symptoms, signs, and patient satisfaction with treatment were assessed at baseline and at 1 and 2 months after treatment. Results. In total, 152 eyes from 76 patients (age, 55.25 ± 18.16 years) were included. In group 3, there were significant differences in dryness, foreign body sensation, burning, and tear film breakup time first (TBUTF) between 1 and 2 months after treatment and in satisfaction scores before and after treatment (P<0.05). In group 3, there were also significant differences in dryness, foreign body sensation, photophobia, and TBUTA and between baseline and 2 months after treatment (P<0.05). There was a significant difference in foreign body sensation between 1 and 2 months after treatment in groups 3 and 4 (P<0.05). Furthermore, we also find obvious improvement in corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD) between baseline and 1 and 2 months after treatment in groups 3 and 4 (P<0.05). Conclusions. Oral vitamin B1 and mecobalamin can relieve some dry eye symptoms such as dryness, pain, and photophobia and improve DED signs and patient satisfaction. Thus, vitamin B1 and mecobalamin are potential treatment options for patients with DED