Spatiotemporal variations, source apportionment, and cross-regional impacts of microplastics in surface seawater of Chinese Marginal Seas.

Microplastics (MPs) are widely distributed as a global pollutant, with dynamic patterns driven by horizontal diffusion and vertical mixing in marine ecosystems across different hydrological seasons and regions. This study employed MATLAB for image processing and interactive operations to extract data from existing studies on the Chinese Marginal Seas conducted from 2016 to 2022, focusing on the distribution, sources, and transport processes of MPs. The results revealed that the Bohai Sea exhibited the highest pollution levels during both the rainy (9328.

Construction and application of coastal ecosystem model coupling multiple human activities.

The combined impact of multiple human activities is the primary driver of coastal ecosystem degradation, and comprehending its mechanisms is essential for developing adaptive management strategies. A coastal ecosystem model coupling multiple human activities, including runoff discharge, reclamation, mariculture, and atmospheric deposition, was developed using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) coupled with the Carbon, Silicate, and Nitrogen Ecosystem (CoSiNE) model. The model performance was rigorously evaluated in the Bohai Sea as the study area.

Relatively independent and complementary roles of family history and polygenic risk score in age at onset and incident cases of 12 common diseases.

Few studies have systematically compared the overlap and complementarity of family history (FH) and polygenic risk score (PRS) in terms of disease risk. We here investigated the impacts of FH and PRS on the risk of incident diseases or age at disease onset, as well as their clinical value in risk prediction. We analyzed 12 diseases in the prospective cohort study of UK Biobank (N = 461,220).

The impact of innovation and entrepreneurship training programs on undergraduates' research careers: Evidence from Chinese universities.

Education, science and technology, and talent are the cornerstones of modern national development, with universities serving as the core frontlines for innovation and talent cultivation. In recent years, many universities have encouraged students to engage in research activities during their undergraduate years, and existing research has shown that undergraduate participation in research significantly enhances academic engagement and success. However, most existing studies focus on curriculum-based undergraduate research, with relatively few studies on project-based research.

Causal relationships of circulating amino acids with sarcopenia-related traits: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

Background And Aim: Recent studies have indicated a correlation between certain Amino acids (AAs) and sarcopenia. However, the exact causal relationship among these associations is still unclear. This study aims to elucidate the causal relationships between 20 types of AAs and the phenotypic characteristics associated with sarcopenia through Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Recent progress of flexible electrospun nanofibers based triboelectric nanogenerators for self-powered electronics.

The depletion of fossil fuels and the environmental impact of chemical batteries, coupled with the rapid proliferation of portable electronic devices and the Internet of Things (IoT), have created an urgent demand for high-performance, lightweight, and sustainable energy systems. Flexible triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have emerged as a promising technology for powering self-sufficient devices, offering advantages such as simple structure, flexibility, low cost, and environmental adaptability. In particular, electrospun nanofiber-based TENGs stand out due to their enhanced surface area, superior charge collection capabilities, and improved mechanical durability.

A feasibility study of automating radiotherapy planning with large language model agents.

: Radiotherapy planning requires significant expertise to balance tumor control and organ-at-risk (OAR) sparing. Automated planning can improve both efficiency and quality. This study introduces GPT-Plan, a novel multi-agent system powered by the GPT-4 family of large language models (LLMs), for automating the iterative radiotherapy plan optimization.

Colour formation by bacterial nitric oxide synthase in fermented sausages inoculated with and without Mammaliicoccus vitulinus.

In the present study, a Bacillus subtilis expression system was used to overexpress the gene of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and the NOS was subsequently purified and added to fermented sausages to assess its colouration ability. The results indicated that NOS activity in the nos-recombinant strain was approximately 58-fold higher than that in the wild-type strain (P < 0.05).

Progressive multi-task learning for fine-grained dental implant classification and segmentation in CBCT image.

With the ongoing advancement of digital technology, oral medicine transitions from traditional diagnostics to computer-assisted diagnosis and treatment. Identifying dental implants in patients without records is complex and time-consuming. Accurate identification of dental implants is crucial for ensuring the sustainability and reliability of implant treatment, particularly in cases where patients lack available medical records.

DFT-assisted machine learning for polyester membrane design in textile wastewater recovery applications.

Resource recovery from textile wastewater has attracted increasing interest because it simultaneously addresses wastewater treatment and maximizes the utilization of the residual dyes. Although polyester membranes have demonstrated great potential for textile wastewater recovery, tailoring high-performance polyester membranes remains a multidimensional challenge because of the complex nonlinear relationships between the membrane materials and their performance. Here we developed density functional theory (DFT)-assisted machine learning models that integrates DFT descriptors with fabrication and operation parameters to facilitate the generative design of polyester membranes.

Impaired denitrification of aerobic granules in response to micro/nanoplastic stress: Insights from interspecies interactions and electron transfer processes.

The accumulation of micro/nanoplastics in wastewater significantly hinders denitrification in biological wastewater treatment systems, yet the intrinsic mechanisms are not fully understood. Herein, we combined signal molecule monitoring, electrochemical characterization and multi-omics analysis to investigate how quorum sensing (QS)-mediated microbial interactions influence denitrification in aerobic granular sludge systems. Results showed that after 90-day exposure to micro/nanoplastics, cross-talk between multiple signal molecules significantly declined, thereby disrupting the QS system to opportunely sense changes in the external environment.

Hydrological isolation accelerates algal blooms in floodplain lakes: Biomarker evidence from Dongting Lake, China and its satellite lake.

Hydrological disconnection from main channels (either via natural siltation or due to construction of hydrological infrastructures) is modifying biogeochemical cycling in river-floodplain systems. Knowledge on how this process influences phytoplankton composition and harmful algal blooms (HABs) in floodplain lakes is quite scant due to the lack of long-term water quality monitoring and the concurrent influence of multiple drivers of change. Here, chlorophyll and carotenoid pigment biomarkers from dated sediment cores were analyzed from Dongting Lake (China's second largest freshwater lake) and one of its satellite lakes (Donghu) in the Yangtze floodplain, to evaluate the long-term influence of hydrological isolation on algal community composition and HABs.

Underrated risk of antibiotic resistance genes dissemination mediated by bioaerosols released from anaerobic biological wastewater treatment system.

Antibiotic resistance has been recognized as one of the most prevalent public health problems. The bioaerosol-mediated spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is an important but underrated pathway. Therefore, this work investigated the comprehensive resistome and pathogen-induced risk in bioaerosols released from anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process under antibiotic stress.

Direct recovery of high-purity uranium from fluoride-containing nuclear wastewater via extraction materials with ensemble Lewis sites and a tandem electrochemical device.

Electrochemical uranium extraction from real nuclear wastewater with a high concentration of fluoride ions (F-) represents a promising strategy for the efficient treatment of radioactive wastewater and the recovery of the valuable uranium resource. However, the current progress suffers from the interference of extremely high concentration of F- and undesired purity of the final uranium product. Herein, we constructed the neighboring ensemble Lewis acid-base pair sites (ensemble Lewis sites) in bismuth oxides as the extraction material, which was integrated into a designed tandem electrochemical device for efficient recovery of high-purity uranium from real nuclear wastewater.

Spectral physics-informed neural network for transient pipe flow simulation.

Accurate wave propagation models are essential for effective monitoring and automated localization in water supply pipelines. The recently-established Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) can enhance the wave analysis and reduce uncertainties by integrating mathematical models with sensor data. However, the application of PINN in modelling transient waves remains limited to the time domain, though frequency domain models are preferred for system identification due to their sensitivity to anomalies.

COVID-19 impacts on characterization of N-nitrosamines and their precursors during transport in sewer systems.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR) and their specific precursors (N,N-dimethylformamide [DMF] for NDMA and morpholine [MOR] for NMOR) were widely detected in sewerage systems of an urban area, in which chlorine-containing disinfectants were discharged with effluent of hospitals, etc. However, little is known about the effect of chlorine influx on formation and distribution of NDMA and NMOR in sewer systems in a sudden major public health event. We investigated the spatiotemporal patterns of NDMA, NMOR, DMF and MOR in influents of sewage treatment plants (STPs), as well as its upstream sewer sites during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spatiotemporal variations in runoff and sediment load of the mainstem and major tributaries of the Yellow River Basin from the headwater to the estuary (1960-2023).

Mastering the spatiotemporal variations and driving factors of runoff and sediment load (RS) in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) from the perspective of scientific governance is essential for formulating management strategies. Based on the clustering analysis, Pettitt abrupt change test, Mann-Kendall trend test, Sen's slope estimator, Wavelet analysis, and Double Mass Curve (DMC), This study analyzed the RS series from 32 mainstem and 34 major tributary hydrological stations across the YRB from 1960 to 2023, identified key driving factors, and quantified their attribution rates. The main findings were as follows: (1) The YRB was categorized into five segments (B1: upstream of Jimai, B2: Jimai-Tangnaihai, B3: Tangnaihai-Dengkou, B4: Dengkou-Longmen, B5: Longmen-Lijin) and three periods (P1: 1960-1986, P2: 1987-1999, P3: 2000-2023), with significant differences in RS distribution, particularly larger runoff in the upstream of Lanzhou and larger sediment load in the Toudaoguai-Tongguan.

Longitudinal reconfiguration of multifaceted fish α and β diversity triggered by non-native species invasion in tropic rivers of Hainan Island.

Human-mediated fish invasions have reconfigured the native fish faunas throughout the freshwater ecosystems worldwide. Beyond the well-documented homogenization reported in temperate basins, our knowledge on how multifaceted biodiversity response to fish invasions in tropic rivers remains poorly understood. It is also hanged in doubt that how fish invasions modify the longitudinal patterns of fish faunas under the concept of river continuum.

Filament-woven SF/PA gel for removing ultrafine nanoparticles and unmanageable hazardous pollutants by "all-in-one net".

The current state of the world's water resources is facing serious challenges, and the current water purification processes are designed for a single, more specific contaminant, with more stringent constraints, which are not suitable for emergency water treatment in stochastic environment and may cause secondary pollution. It is necessary to provide a water purification method that is convenient, easy-to-operate, one-step treatment of multiple pollutants. Herein, silk fibroin (SF) that extracted from discarded silkworm cocoons and recycled silk and phytic acid (PA) are "woven" into a network structure through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction to form a unique gel, which could be used to remove different pollutants by "sweeping and catching" and physical adsorption.

Contribution identification of climate change and hydro-project operation for dammed-river water level responses: A sixty-year observation study of Hanjiang River.

Understanding the patterns of hydrological responses and identifying the driving factors under the combined influences of hydro-engineering and climate change is crucial for optimizing the utilization of surface water resources. This study focuses on the middle and lower reaches of the Hanjiang River (MLHR), using long-term monthly monitoring hydro-climatic data (1964-2022) from 10 national hydrometeorological stations. Integrated statistical approaches, including the Mann-Kendall (M-K) test, Standard Normal Homogeneity Test (SNHT), Worsley Likelihood Ratio Test (WLRT), and Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis, were applied to systematically analyze the spatiotemporal characteristics of water levels and the quantitative contributions of various factors in the MLHR.

Quality control and law exploration of microbial oil production from spent grains fermented by Wickerhamomyces anomalus CY2.

Microbial oils are gaining attention as a promising raw material for biodiesel production. However, the high cost of microbial culture media and the elevated cold filter plugging point of the resulting biodiesel hinder their conversion. This study focused on fermenting SGs with added metal ions to regulate microbial oil saturation and enhance biodiesel quality.

A review-based estimation of GHG emissions of China's wastewater management system.

Under China's "Dual Carbon Goal", the wastewater treatment system plays a crucial role in the country's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, a lack of baseline emissions data poses challenges for decarbonization efforts. This study aims to profile and diagnose the GHG emissions of China's entire wastewater system and identify key contributing factors.

Ecosystem evolution and drivers across the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding regions.

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) and surrounding regions, vital to global energy and water cycles, are profoundly influenced by climate change and anthropogenic activities. Despite widespread attention to vegetation greening across the region since the 1980s, its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study employs the eigen microstates method to quantify vegetation greening dynamics using long-term remote sensing and reanalysis data.

Effects of nitrification inhibitors DCD and DMPP on maturity, NO and NH emissions during manure composting.

In order to reduce NO emissions during composting, the effects of different nitrification inhibitors (NI), dicyandiamide (DCD) and 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP), on compost maturity, NO, and NH emissions were studied under continuous incremental addition. This study used pig manure and corn straw as composting materials, based on the total nitrogen (TN) content of the initial mixture, two treatments were set: DCD (2.5% in the early phase and 5.

Extreme thermophilic microbial inoculation for reducing NH and NO emissions in hyperthermophilic aerobic composting of refinery waste activated sludge.

Ammonia (NH) and nitrous oxide (NO) release are the main causes of nitrogen loss during aerobic composting. In this study, hyperthermophilic aerobic composting of refinery waste activated sludge (RWAS) was performed by adding extreme thermophilic bacteria, and the effects of inoculation on NH and NO emissions were systematically studied. The results revealed that inoculation achieved hyperthermophilic aerobic composting (T group), increased maturity, and reduced NH and NO emissions by 32.