Microplastic-Induced Alterations in Soil Aggregate-Associated Carbon Stabilization Pathways: Evidence from δC Signature Analysis.

Microplastics (MPs) are known to affect soil carbon stability in a numerous ways. However, the mechanisms by which they alter the carbon stability within soil aggregates remain unclear . Herein, a one-year field experiment was conducted in an arid agricultural region employing stable isotope techniques to evaluate the soil organic carbon flow in the presence of both persistent (PE, PVC) and biodegradable (PLA, PHA) MPs.

Elucidating the impact of mulching film on organic carbon mineralization from the perspective of aggregate level.

Plastic films mulching, a management strategy designed to boost agricultural productivity, significantly impacts soil fertility and the turnover of soil organic carbon (SOC). Aggregates in the soil play a crucial role in this SOC cycling. Yet, the effect of mulching on the changes in organic carbon components and the mineralization at the aggregate scale is still not well understood.

Biodegradable plastics fragments induce positive effects on the decomposition of soil organic matter.

The escalating accumulation of plastic waste in ecosystems poses a significant health concern to soil environment, yet the environmental effects of plastics remains largely unexplored. Biodegradable plastics could offer a viable alternative to conventional persistent plastics, but our understanding of their potential benefits or detrimental effects on the decomposition of plant debris by soil biomass is limited. In this study, we conducted a year-long field experiment to examine the environmental response and impact on plant debris decomposition in the presence of varying quantities of persistent versus biodegradable plastics.

The antioxidant Glycitin protects against intervertebral disc degeneration through antagonizing inflammation and oxidative stress in nucleus pulposus cells.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a kind of typical degenerative disorder of the skeletal muscle system caused by many factors including aging, abnormal mechanical stress and inflammatory responses. Glycitin is a natural isoflavone extracted from legumes. Previous studies have found that it is anti-inflammatory and promotes wound repair.

Earthworm activity effectively mitigated the negative impact of microplastics on maize growth.

Microplastic pollution can have detrimental effects on soil environments and inhibit crop growth. Earthworms, known as soil engineers, promote crop growth, but their role and impact on the amelioration of microplastic-polluted soil is not yet clear. In this study, we investigated the impact and pathways of earthworm activity on microplastic-contaminated soil by introducing varying densities (without earthworm:0, low-density: 1, medium-density: 2, high-density: 5 ind column) of earthworms (epi-endogeic) into soil contaminated with two types of microplastics: polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride.

The value of cardiac CT in the diagnosis of unroofed coronary sinus syndrome.

Background: Unroofed coronary sinus syndrome (UCSS) is a rare cardiovascular malformation with nonspecific clinical manifestations that easily causes misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. The aim of this study is to present the different features of UCSS by various CCT (cardiac CT) postprocessing techniques and evaluate the diagnostic advantages of CCT.

Methods: 9 UCSS patients who were diagnosed by imaging and undergone both CCT and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) were included in this study, and their CCT images were reviewed.

Earthworm inoculation and straw return decrease the phosphorus adsorption capacity of soils in the Loess region, China.

Loess Plateau is important for maize production in China. Therefore, a good understanding of soil phosphorus (P) behavior in the Loess region is crucial for optimizing fertilization in its agriculture systems. To date, research on factors influencing P adsorption/desorption has mainly focused on fertilization.

Suppressing Redox Shuttle with MXene-Modified Separators for Li-O Batteries.

Redox mediators (RMs) have been developed as efficient approaches to lower the charge polarization of Li-O batteries. However, the shuttle effect resulting from their soluble nature severely damages the battery performance, causing failure of the RM and anode corrosion. In this work, a chemical binding strategy based on a MXene-modified separator with a 3D porous hierarchical structure design was developed to suppress the I shutting in LiI-involved Li-O battery.

Aerosol characterization in a city in central China plain and implications for emission control.

Extensive studies on aerosol chemistry have been carried out in megacities in China, however, aerosol characterization in Central China Plain (CCP) is limited. Here we conducted real-time measurements of fine particle composition with a time-of-flight aerosol chemical speciation monitor in Kaifeng, Henan province in October 2019. Our results showed that nitrate and organics constituted the major fraction of non-refractory PM for the entire study, on average accounting for 34% and 33%, respectively.

LINC00511/miRNA-143-3p Modulates Apoptosis and Malignant Phenotype of Bladder Carcinoma Cells via PCMT1.

Bladder cancer has easy recurrence characteristics, but its occurrence and development mechanism are still unclear. Non-coding RNA is a kind of RNA that exists widely and cannot be translated into proteins, which has played a key role in the regulation of biological functions of tumor cells. However, the regulation mechanism of non-coding RNA on bladder tumors is not fully understood.

Application of earthworm cast improves soil aggregation and aggregate-associated carbon stability in typical soils from Loess Plateau.

Earthworm casts exhibit remarkable fertility and have been widely used as an organic fertilizer. This study focused on the effects of earthworm cast application on soil aggregates and aggregate-associated carbon in typical soils from the Loess Plateau (China). Soil column experiments were conducted in the laboratory using cultivated loessial soil (CS), dark loessial soil (DS), and aeolian soil (AS).

High-Rate and Long-Life Intermediate-Temperature Na-NiCl Battery with Dual-Functional Ni-Carbon Composite Nanofiber Network.

Improved power and cycle performances are eagerly required in intermediate-temperature sodium-metal halide (Na-MH) batteries. The existence of the low conductivity NiCl layer and the growth of the Ni and the NaCl particles limit the broader application of Na-NiCl battery. Herein, nickel-carbon composite nanofiber (NCCN) networks are synthesized by a multisolution electrospinning method to construct a novel three-dimensional cathode for Na-NiCl battery.

Benefits of ultra-fast-track anesthesia for children with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery.

Background: To compare the outcomes of ultra-fast-track anesthesia (UFTA) and conventional anesthesia in cardiac surgery for children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and low birth weight.

Methods: One hundred and ninety-four CHD children, aged 6 months to 2 years, weighting 5 to 10 kg, were selected for this study. The 94 boys and 100 girls with the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status III and IV were randomly divided into two groups each consisting of 97 patients, and were subjected to ultra-fast-track and conventional anesthesia for cardiac surgery.

[Effects of the Crop Rotation on Greenhouse Gases from Flooded Paddy Fields].

A field experiment was conducted at the Key Field Station for Monitoring Eco-environment of Purple Soil of the Ministry of Agriculture of China in the farm of Southwest University, Chongqing. The static chamber and gas chromatography method was used to study the effect of the cropping systems on greenhouse gases from rice-fallow (RF), rice-rapeseed rotation (RR), and rice-brussel mustard rotation (RV) cropland for a year. An opaque chamber was used for CH and NO observations and a transparent chamber was utilized for CO observations.

[Mass Concentrations and Size Distributions of Water-soluble Inorganic Ions in Atmospheric Aerosols in Beibei District, Chongqing].

In order to study the concentration and distribution characteristics of water-soluble inorganic ions in aerosol particles of the Beibei district of Chongqing, aerosol samples were collected with an Andersen cascade impactor between March 2014 and February 2015. Water-soluble inorganic ions, including Na, NH, K, Mg, Ca, F, Cl, NO, and SO were determined for different particle sizes (9.00, 5.

LncRNA TINCR is associated with clinical progression and serves as tumor suppressive role in prostate cancer.

Introduction: Terminal differentiation-induced non-coding RNA (TINCR) has been suggested to have aberrant expression in multiple human cancers, and functions as tumor suppressor or promoter in various types of human tumors depending on the specific cancer types. The expression status and biological function of TINCR in prostate cancer is still unknown.

Materials And Methods: In our study, we detected TINCR expression in prostate cancer tissue samples and cell lines, and analyzed the association between TINCR expression and clinical parameters in 160 prostate cancer patients.

PCMT1 is an unfavorable predictor and functions as an oncogene in bladder cancer.

The role of protein l-isoaspartate (d-aspartate) O-methyltransferase (PCMT1) in human cancer was generally cognized. The clinical significance and biological function of PCMT1 in bladder cancer is still unknown. PCMT1 mRNA and protein expression levels in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines were detected by qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, or western blot.

The Effect of UV-Ozone Treatment on the Performance of Plasmonic Organic Solar Cells.

Unlabelled: Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) solution was spin-coated on indium-tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates prior to spin-coating poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene- sulfonate) (

Pedot: PSS) for the plasmonic solar cells. The sequence of spin-coating of Ag and UV-ozone treatment resulted in different device performance. For devices in which Ag NPs solution was spin-coated on ITO substrates before UV-ozone treatment, power conversion efficiency increased from 3.

Shifting the light emitting component from core to shell: an effective approach to improve the efficiency of light-emitting diodes based on multi-junction quantum materials.

Herein, using the light emitting component as the inner shell, we construct an advanced quantum-dot-quantum-well structure, ZnCdS/CdSe/CdZnSeS/ZnS, and use it for the fabrication of a light-emitting-diode. In comparison with the device containing conventional structured quantum dots, CdSe/CdZnSeS/ZnS, the advanced device possesses a superior performance in aspects of luminance, current efficiency, turn-on voltage and emitting wavelength tunability. Therefore, this paper indicates a promising strategy for the fabrication of light emitting devices based on quantum materials.

Efficient hybrid plasmonic polymer solar cells with Ag nanoparticle decorated TiO2 nanorods embedded in the active layer.

A hybrid plasmonic polymer solar cell, in which plasmonic metallic nanostructures (such as Ag, Au, and Pt nanoparticles) are embedded in the active layer, has been under intense scrutiny recently because it provides a promising new approach to enhance the efficiency of the device. We propose a brand new hybrid plasmonic nanostructure, which combines a plasmonic metallic nanostructure and one-dimensional semiconductor nanocrystals, to enhance the photocurrent of the device through a strong localized electric field and an enhanced charge transport channel. We demonstrate that when Ag nanoparticle decorated TiO2 nanorods were introduced into the active layer of polymer-fullerene based bulk heterojunction solar cells, the photocurrent significantly increased to 14.