Novel H16N3 avian influenza viruses isolated from migratory gulls in China in 2023.

As a rare subtype of avian influenza virus, H16 viruses are predominant in gulls but rarely found in domestic birds. The low prevalence of H16 viruses has limited our understanding of their epidemiology and evolutionary dynamics. In this study, we isolated three novel H16N3 viruses from migratory gulls in East Asian-Australasian Flyway in eastern China in 2023, which are significantly different from previously identified isolates.

Genetics and biological characteristics of duck reoviruses isolated from ducks and geese in China.

The emergence and circulation of duck reovirus have caused severe threats to domestic waterfowl production because of the lethal infections they cause in ducks and geese. However, the evolution of circulating duck reoviruses and their replication and pathogenicity in domestic birds have not been fully investigated. In this study, we identified and isolated six duck reoviruses from clinical samples of sick or deceased farmed ducks and geese and sequenced their full genomes.

Dissolved phosphorous through dry-wet-dry transitions in a small-dammed river basin: integrated understanding on transport patterns, export controls, and fate.

An integrated understanding of dissolved phosphorous (DP) export mechanism and controls on export over dry and wet periods is crucial for riverine ecological restorations in dammed river basins considering its high bioavailability and retention rates at dams. Riverine DP transport patterns (composition, sources, and transport pathways), export controls, and fate were investigated over the 2020 wet season (5 events) and dry seasons before and after it (2 events: dry and dry) in a semi-arid, small-dammed watershed to comprehend the links between terrestrial DP sources and aquatic DP sinks. Close spatiotemporal monitoring of the full range of phosphorous and total suspended solids (TSSs) and subsequent analyses (hysteresis, hierarchical partitioning, and coefficient of variation) provided the basis for the study.

Modeling urban pollutant wash-off processes with ecological memory.

Urbanization increases the extent of impervious surfaces, runoff, sediment, and nutrient loadings downstream, leading to the deterioration of urban surface waters. During pollutant wash-off from urban surfaces, the peak concentration of pollutants typically occurs after the rainfall peak. However, current urban wash-off models do not consider this time delay, assuming that the effect of rainfall on the wash-off process is immediate.

Azvudine for the Treatment of COVID-19 in Pre-Existing Cardiovascular Diseases: A Single-Center, Real-World Experience.

COVID-19 can lead to adverse outcomes in patients with pre-existing diseases. Azvudine has been approved for treating COVID-19 in China, but the real-world data is limited. It is aimed to investigate the efficacy of Azvudine in patients with COVID-19 and pre-existing cardiovascular diseases.

LITAF Promotes Atherosclerotic Plaque Formation by Stimulating the NF-κB Inflammatory Pathway.

Objective: Lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-α factor (LITAF) protein is a newly discovered inflammatory protein. This study aims to study the role of LITAF in the formation of atherosclerosis.

Methods: A total of 10 C57BL/6J mice and 10 C57BL/6J mice with knockout of LITAF gene (C57BL/6J) were divided into two groups: the control group and the LITAF group.

Synthesis process-based mechanical property optimization of alkali-activated materials from red mud: A review.

Repeated red mud (RM) stockpile accidents have sounded an alarm that a healthy alumina industry requires secure RM disposal. Unfortunately, the flawed mechanical properties of RM-based alkali-activated materials (RM-AAM) with bulk RM incorporation have impeded the ideal large-volume, low-risk utilization of RM and the provision of sustainable binders for communities. By reviewing a wide range of studies, this work provides insights into establishing a mature synthesis technique for optimizing the mechanical properties of RM-AAM.

Enhanced nutrient removal in agro-industrial wastes-amended hybrid floating treatment wetlands treating real sewage: Laboratory microcosms to field-scale studies.

The use of natural agro-industrial materials as suspended fillers (SFs) in floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) to enhance nutrient removal performance has recently been gaining significant attention. However, the knowledge concerning the nutrient removal performance enhancement by different SFs (alone and in mixtures) and the major removal pathways is so far inadequate. The current research, for the first time, carried out a critical analysis using five different natural agro-industrial materials (biochar, zeolite, alum sludge, woodchip, flexible solid packing) as SFs in various FTWs of 20 L microcosm tanks, 450 L outdoor mesocosms, and a field-scale urban pond treating real wastewater over 180 d.

Identification of pollutant delivery processes during different storm events and hydrological years in a semi-arid mountainous reservoir basin.

A comprehensive understanding of pollutant delivery processes during storm events is essential for developing strategies to minimize adverse impacts on receiving water bodies. In this paper, hysteresis analysis and principal component analysis were coupled with identified nutrient dynamics to determine different pollutant export forms and transport pathways and analyze the impact of precipitation characteristics and hydrological conditions on pollutant transport processes through continuous sampling between different storm events (4 events) and hydrological years (2018-wet, 2019-dry) in a semi-arid mountainous reservoir watershed. Results showed pollutant dominant forms and primary transport pathways were inconsistent between different storm events and hydrological years.

Spatial and temporal dynamics of base flow in semi-arid montane watersheds and the effects of landscape patterns and topography.

Base flow (BF) is harder to predict than other hydrological signatures. The lack of hydrologically relevant information or adequately broad spectrum of typically selected catchment attributes (particularly landscape and topography) hinders the explanatory power. Our goals were to identify the most influential controls on base flow spatially and temporally and to elucidate the response relationships.

Prevalence, evolution, replication and transmission of H3N8 avian influenza viruses isolated from migratory birds in eastern China from 2017 to 2021.

The continued evolution and emergence of novel influenza viruses in wild and domestic animals poses an increasing public health risk. Two human cases of H3N8 avian influenza virus infection in China in 2022 have caused public concern regarding the risk of transmission between birds and humans. However, the prevalence of H3N8 avian influenza viruses in their natural reservoirs and their biological characteristics are largely unknown.

An updated review of the efficacy of buffer zones in warm/temperate and cold climates: Insights into processes and drivers of nutrient retention.

The transport of excess nutrients into freshwater systems constitutes a serious risk to both water quality and aquatic health. Vegetated buffer zones (VBZs) next to waterways are increasingly used in many parts of the world to successfully intercept and eliminate pollutants and other materials in overland flow, especially in warm or temperate regions. The major processes for the retention of pollutants in VBZ are microbial degradation, infiltration, deposition, filtration, adsorption, degradation, assimilation, etc.

Research progress on coupling artificial intelligence and eco-environmental models.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely used in the eco-environment field, but with shortcomings in revealing the laws of natural science, such as insufficient generalization ability and poor interpretability. In order to overcome these shortages and tap into complementary advantages, coupling AI and eco-environmental models containing physical mechanism has been a new research method with fast development in recent years. We introduced the classifications of AI used in eco-environmental field, outlined its applications, and mainly illustrated the progresses, status and inadequacies for the coupling research.

The effects of long-term freezing-thawing on the strength properties and the chemical stability of compound solidified/stabilized lead-contaminated soil.

Solidification/stabilization (S/S) is the prevalent remediation technology for the treatment of heavy metal contaminated soils (HMCS). However, under the stress of complex surrounding environments, S/S effectiveness tends to deteriorate and freezing-thawing is one of the most influential natural forcings. The different proportions of cement, lime, and fly ash were used as the compound curing agents to treat solidified/stabilized HMCS with varying levels of lead contamination.

Vegetated urban streams have sufficient purification ability but high internal nutrient loadings: Microbial communities and nutrient release dynamics.

The release of nutrients back into the water column due to macrophyte litter decay could offset the benefits of nutrient removal by hydrophytes within urban streams. However, the influence of this internal nutrient cycling on the overlying water quality and bacterial community structure is still an open question. Hence, litter decomposition trials using six hydrophytes, Typha latifolia (TL), Phragmites australis (PAU), Hydrilla verticillata (HV), Oenanthe javanica (OJ), Myriophyllum aquaticum (MA), and Potamogeton crispus (PC), were performed using the litterbag approach to mimic a 150-day plant litter decay in sediment-water systems.

Genetic Analysis of a Novel H16N3 Virus Isolated from a Migratory Gull in China in 2021 and Animal Studies of Infection.

H16 avian influenza viruses mainly circulate in wild migratory gulls worldwide, and the infection risks in poultry and mammals remain largely unknown. In this study, we isolated a novel H16N3 virus from migratory gulls in eastern China in 2021. Genetic analysis indicated that the H16N3 virus originated from the H16 and H13 viruses that circulated in wild birds.

Performance of various fillers in ecological floating beds planted with Myriophyllum aquaticum treating municipal wastewater.

The performance of different suspended fillers (zeolite, drinking water treatment residual, biochar, woodchip and stereo-elastic packing) and their combinations in treating municipal wastewater in ecological floating beds (Eco-FBs) planted with Myriophyllum aquaticum was assessed. Six sets of enhanced Eco-FBs were developed to assess the individual and synergistic effects of combinations of the various fillers and microorganisms on nutrient elimination. The results demonstrated mean TN, NH-N, TP and COD purification efficiencies of 99.

Identification of rainy season nitrogen export controls in a semi-arid mountainous watershed, North China.

A comprehensive understanding of the nutrient export process and export controls is demanded effective pollution mitigation in fragile riverine ecosystems. In this study, behaviors of the full range of nitrogen (N) under stormflow (5-events) and baseflow (2-events; before and after the rainy season, multiple sites) were assessed to explore N export controlling mechanisms according to the identified main components causing the changes in N exports, N transport pathways, seasonal trends, and nutrient supply watershed regions through the 2020 rainy season in a semi-arid mountainous watershed, northern China. Results showed increments in riverine dissolved organic-N (DON) and particulate-N (PN) loadings as the leading cause of N flux and composition changes through the rainy season, although nitrate-N (NO-N) contributed 69.

Novel H7N7 avian influenza viruses detected in migratory wild birds in eastern China between 2018 and 2020.

Wild birds are the natural reservoirs of avian influenza viruses, and surveillance and assessment of these viruses in wild birds provide valuable information for early warning and control of animal diseases. In this study, we isolated 19 H7N7 avian influenza viruses from wild bird between 2018 and 2020. Full genomic analysis revealed that these viruses bear a single basic amino acid in the cleavage site of their hemagglutinin gene, and formed four different genotypes by actively reassorting other avian influenza viruses circulating in wild birds and ducks.

Identifying spatial influence of urban elements on road-deposited sediment and the associated phosphorus by coupling Geodetector and Bayesian Networks.

Elevated particles and phosphorus washed from road-deposited sediment (RDS) are noteworthy causes of eutrophication in urban water bodies. Identifying how urban elements (e.g.

Classifying pollutant flush signals in stormwater using functional data analysis on TSS MV curves.

Pollution levels in stormwater vary significantly during rain events, with pollutant flushes carrying a major fraction of an event pollutant load in a short period. Understanding these flushes is thus essential for stormwater management. However, current studies mainly focus on describing the first flush or are limited by predetermined flush categories.

Emergence, Evolution, and Biological Characteristics of H10N4 and H10N8 Avian Influenza Viruses in Migratory Wild Birds Detected in Eastern China in 2020.

H10Nx influenza viruses have caused increasing public concern due to their occasional infection of humans. However, the genesis and biological characteristics of H10 viruses in migratory wild birds are largely unknown. In this study, we conducted active surveillance to monitor circulation of avian influenza viruses in eastern China and isolated five H10N4 and two H10N8 viruses from migratory birds in 2020.

Phytoplankton dynamics and implications for eutrophication management in an urban river with a series of rubber dams.

Rubber dams are widely used in urban rivers for landscape construction and flood control. However, the increased water residence time by dams usually causes phytoplankton accumulation. Developing a greater understanding of the phytoplankton dynamics and the effecting factors is essential for the eutrophication control of dammed rivers.