Periodontitis (PD) has been linked to arthritis in previous epidemiological observational studies; however, the results are inconclusive. It remains unclear whether the association between PD and ...arthritis is causal. The purpose of this study was to investigate the causal association of PD with arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA).
We performed a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using publicly released genome-wide association studies (GWAS) statistics. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the primary analysis. We applied four complementary methods, including weighted median, weighted mode, MR-Egger regression and MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) to detect and correct for the effect of horizontal pleiotropy.
Genetically determined PD did not have a causal effect on OA (OR = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.99-1.15,
= 0.09) and RA (OR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.87-1.13,
= 0.89). Furthermore, we did not find a significant causal effect of arthritis on PD in the reverse MR analysis. The results of MR-Egger regression, Weighted Median, and Weighted Mode methods were consistent with those of the IVW method. Horizontal pleiotropy was unlikely to distort the causal estimates according to the sensitivity analysis.
Our MR analysis reveals non-causal association of PD with arthritis, despite observational studies reporting an association between PD and arthritis.
Precise synthesis of porous materials is essential for their applications. Self‐assembly is a widely used strategy for synthesizing porous materials, but quantitative control of the assembly process ...still remains a great challenge. Here, a quantitative coassembly approach is developed for synthesizing resin/silica composite and its derived porous spheres. The assembly behaviors of the carbon and silica precursors are regulated without surfactants and the growth kinetics of the composite spheres are quantitatively controlled. This assembly approach enables the precise control of the size and pore structures of the derived carbon spheres. These carbon spheres provide a good platform to explore the structure–performance relationships of porous materials, and demonstrate their pore structure‐dependent performance in catalytic water decontamination. This work provides a simple and robust approach for precise synthesis of porous spheres and brings insights into function‐oriented design of porous materials.
A quantitative coassembly approach is developed for synthesizing carbon/silica composite and its derived porous carbon spheres. This approach enables precise control of the pore structure of the carbon spheres and revelation of their structure–performance relationships in catalysis. The small and long pores significantly enhance the performance of carbon spheres in catalytic water decontamination.
Reducing diesel engine emissions under cold start conditions has become much more valuable as environmental issues become more important. Regarding diesel engine emissions under cold start ...conditions, this review summarizes the emission mechanisms and specifically focuses on the research progress of four reduction strategies: biodiesel utilization, intake heating, injection optimization, and aftertreatment technologies. In general, adding biodiesel and Di-Ethyl-Ether (DEE) could provide the benefit of reducing emissions and maintaining engine performance. Intake heating and appropriate injection strategies could also effectively reduce emissions under cold start conditions. Unlike normal operating conditions, lean nitrogen oxide traps (LNT) or electrically heated catalysts (EHC) should be utilized in the aftertreatment of diesel engines to minimize emissions under cold start conditions. By offering the valuable information above, this review could be a helpful reference in reduction strategies for diesel engines under cold start conditions in both academia and industry.
Subsoil contains a significant amount of soil organic carbon (SOC) in rice paddies, playing a crucial role in global carbon (C) cycling. However, the mechanisms driving SOC dynamics in topsoil and ...subsoil remain elusive, as the vertical distribution of soil microbes and their associated functions varies. In our study, we explored the linkages between SOC dynamics and microbial functions across different soil depths (0–10 cm for topsoil, and 10–20 and 20–30 cm for subsoil) within a framework of contrasting tillage managements, including conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT), and no-tillage (NT). In the topsoil, bacterial biosynthesis and degradation functions negatively contributed (P < 0.05) to SOC accumulation, whereas in the subsoil layers, these functions exhibited a positive effect. Notably, both partial least squares path modeling (PLSPM) and stepwise regression showed that bacterial biosynthesis and degradation functions exert a stronger influence on SOC accumulation than fungal functions. Metagenomic sequencing revealed that the cellulose degradation (K01179) and reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle (rTCA cycle) (K00174 and K00175) were main factors driving SOC variation in topsoil. Starch degradation (K00705 and K01187) and rTCA cycle (K00175 and K00031) contributed to 93 % of the SOC variation in subsoil. Therefore, the rTCA cycle contributed to SOC variation in paddy soil across 0–30 cm soil profile. Moreover, tillage management could influence the abundances of enzymes associated with starch degradation and rTCA cycle. The contrasting driving factors influencing SOC in topsoil and subsoil could be associated with soil microbial functions, which would response differently to tillage managements.
•Soil depth significantly influences SOC, TN, and pH levels more than tillage practices.•Bacterial biosynthesis and degradation functions are found to negatively impact SOC accumulation in the topsoil, whereas they positively affect SOC in subsoil layers.•The reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle is a pivotal driver of SOC variation.•Fungal degradation functions positively contribute to SOC across all soil depths.
In regards to electromagnetic warfare application, this work proposes a radar intrapulse recognition algorithm based on bicubic interpolation Wigner–Ville distribution (WVD). The proposed method is ...aimed at overcoming the complexity of traditional feature extraction and enhancing the robustness of intelligent intrapulse recognition systems. First, we convert the WVD matrices of radar intrapulse signals into square matrices using bicubic interpolation. This enables the intrapulse recognition algorithm to handle radar signals with varying lengths. Second, we use the square matrices directly to train a convolutional neural network (CNN), rather than first saving them as images and then training the network with those images. This is because automatic storage and retrieval of images can sometimes alter the numerical values in the matrices. We enhance the performance of the CNN by utilizing batch normalization and one-hot encoding techniques, and continuously evaluate the CNN during training to save the best performing model. Finally, we use the trained CNN to identify the intercepted radar intrapulses and verify the reliability of the proposed method based on the radar signals generated by hardware devices. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can recognize radar intrapulses with varying pulsewidths. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm exhibits strong recognition performance even at a low signal-to-noise ratio and has lower time complexity than the existing algorithms.
Soil microbial necromass is considered a persistent component of soil organic carbon (SOC), constituting the final product of the microbial carbon pump (MCP). However, the mechanisms involved in the ...effects of tillage and rice residue managements on the vertical distribution of microbial necromass and plant residues in rice paddy soils remain unclear, limiting knowledge of SOC sequestration mechanisms. Therefore, we estimated microbial- and plant-derived C by biomarker amino sugars (AS) and lignin phenols (VSC) at the 0–30 cm soil depth, as well as their relationships with SOC contents and mineralization in a rice paddy soil under contrasting tillage practices, namely no-tillage (NT), reduced tillage (RT), and conventional tillage (CT). The results showed that the SOC contents in the rice paddy soil were positively correlated with soil AS and VSC contents. The NT resulted in significantly higher (P < 0.05) AS (expressed as per kilogram soil) at the 0–10 cm and 10–30 cm soil depths by 45–48 % than RT and CT. However, microbial-derived C contents and SOC mineralization were not significantly changed by NT. In contrast, the plant-derived C contents in the total SOC decreased significantly under the NT scenario, suggesting the consumption of plant-derived C even with more rice residue inputs (at the 0–10 cm soil depth). In summary, 5-year short-term NT management with more rice residue mulch on the soil surface in rice paddy maintained a low plant-derived C content (at a sampling date before rice transplanting), suggesting a different mode of C sequestration, except for the protection of plant-derived C under anaerobic conditions.
Plant-derived C is considered less stable than microbial-derived C due to the lack of physical protection by minerals. However, it can persist in soils, particularly under anaerobic conditions (Keiluweit et al., 2017). Previous study have shown that upland soils tend to be replenished by microbial-derived C, while paddy soils are enriched with a higher proportion of plant-derived C due to the reduced microbial decomposition under anaerobic conditions caused by flooding (Chen et al., 2021). Our findings are different from this opinion. We investigated effects of contrasting tillage practices with rice residue retention on the vertical distribution of microbial- and plant-derived C. The rice residue in 0–10 cm soil was higher under no-tillage compared to intensive tillage. However, the plant-derived C was significantly decreased under no-tillage compared to intensive tillage. Even though the dominant condition during rice cultivation is waterlogged, the rice paddy field is dried (or not flooded) in the winter. This dry period may provide an opportunity for the transformation of plant-derived C into microbial-derived C under no-tillage. This could explain why the plant-derived C content is lower, and microbial-derived C content shows an increasing trend in no-tillage. Display omitted
•5-year no-tillage decreased percentage of plant-derived C in total SOC at 0–30 cm soil depth.•No-tillage in rice paddy increased microbial necromass.•SOC content is linked with amino sugars and lignin phenols.•The estimation of plant- and microbial- derived C may have much uncertainty in deep soil.
To study the effects of acute optic nerve damage on the reflectance of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and to compare the time courses of changes of RNFL reflectance and thickness.
A rat model ...of optic nerve crush (ONC) was compared with previously studied normal retinas. The reflectance and thickness of the RNFL were studied at 1 to 5 weeks after ONC. Reflectance spectra from 400 to 830 nm were measured for eyes with ONC, their contralateral untreated eyes, and eyes with sham surgery. Directional reflectance was studied by varying the angle of light incidence. RNFL thickness was measured by confocal microscopy.
After ONC, the RNFL reflectance remained directional. At 1 week, RNFL reflectance decreased significantly at all wavelengths (P < 0.001), whereas there was no significant change in RNFL thickness (P = 0.739). At 2 weeks, both RNFL reflectance and thickness decreased significantly, and by 5 weeks they declined to approximately 40% and 30%, respectively, of the normal values. Although RNFL reflectance decreased at all wavelengths, there was a greater reduction at short wavelengths. Spectral shape at long wavelengths was similar to the normal. Some of these changes were also found in the contralateral untreated eyes, but none of these changes were found in eyes with sham surgery.
Decrease of RNFL reflectance after ONC occurs prior to thinning of the RNFL and the decrease is more prominent at short wavelengths. Direct measurement of RNFL reflectance, especially at short wavelengths, may provide early detection of axonal damage.
To improve the thermal gel properties of egg yolk, the effect of several valence metal ions (K+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Fe3+) with different concentrations (0–0.72%) on the rheological, gel, and structural ...properties of egg yolk were investigated. Results showed that monovalent and divalent ions were beneficial to the formation of uniform and dense gel network, especially with the addition of 0.72% magnesium ion, which further improved gel hardness, water holding capacity (WHC) and viscoelastic properties, the properties of egg yolk gel increased with the increase of the concentration of mono-bivalent metal ions. Adding ferric ion remarkably increased the average particle size (d4,3) and apparent viscosity of egg yolk, destroying the disulfide bonds and the hydrophobic interactions in gel. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and fluorescence spectra analysis revealed that metal ions promoted the hydrophobic aggregation among egg yolk proteins and induced the transition of protein secondary structure from ordered to disordered. This work will provide a theoretical reference for the development of low salt and nutrient fortified egg yolk products.
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•An acid-tolerant oleaginous yeast was found.•The yeast began to release extracellular lipids when acetic acid exceeded 20g/L.•Pre-culture of seed yeast using acetate increased the extracellular ...lipids to 37.7%.•Sequencing batch cultivation increased the extracellular lipids to 50.5%.
Oleaginous yeast Cryptococcus curvatus MUCL 29819, an acid-tolerant lipid producer, was tested to spill lipids extracellularly using different concentrations of acetic acid as carbon source. Extracellular lipids were released when the yeast was cultured with acetic acid exceeding 20g/L. The highest production of lipid (5.01g/L) was obtained when the yeast was cultured with 40g/L acetic acid. When the yeast was cultivated with moderate concentration (20g/L) of acetic acid, lipid production was further increased by 49.6% through preculture with 40g/L acetic acid as stimulant. When applying high concentration (40g/L) of acetic acid as carbon source in sequencing batch cultivation, extracellular lipids accounted up to 50.5% in the last cycle and the extracellular lipids reached 5.43g/L through the whole process. This study provides an effective strategy to enhance extracellular lipid production and facilitate the recovery of microbial lipids.
A method to assimilate all-sky radiances from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) was developed within the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model's data assimilation (WRFDA) ...system. The four essential elements are: (1) extending the community radiative transform model's (CRTM) interface to include hydrometeor profiles; (2) using total water Q
t
as the moisture control variable; (3) using a warm-rain physics scheme for partitioning the Q
t
increment into individual increments of water vapour, cloud liquid water and rain; and (4) adopting a symmetric observation error model for all-sky radiance assimilation.
Compared to a benchmark experiment with no AMSR2 data, the impact of assimilating clear-sky or all-sky AMSR2 radiances on the analysis and forecast of Hurricane Sandy (2012) was assessed through analysis/forecast cycling experiments using WRF and WRFDA's three-dimensional variational (3DVAR) data assimilation scheme. With more cloud/precipitation-affected data being assimilated around tropical cyclone (TC) core areas in the all-sky AMSR2 assimilation experiment, better analyses were obtained in terms of the TC's central sea level pressure (CSLP), warm-core structure and cloud distribution. Substantial (>20 %) error reduction in track and CSLP forecasts was achieved from both clear-sky and all-sky AMSR2 assimilation experiments, and this improvement was consistent from the analysis time to 72-h forecasts. Moreover, the all-sky assimilation experiment consistently yielded better track and CSLP forecasts than the clear-sky did for all forecast lead times, due to a better analysis in the TC core areas. Positive forecast impact from assimilating AMSR2 radiances is also seen when verified against the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analysis and the Stage IV precipitation analysis, with an overall larger positive impact from the all-sky assimilation experiment.
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