Data scarcity is a key factor impacting the current emphasis on individual indicators and the distribution of large-scale spatial objects in country-level SDG 6 research. An investigation of progress ...assessments and factors influencing SDG implementation in cities and counties indicates that smaller-scale regions hold greater operational significance for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development from the bottom up; thus, urgent attention should be given to data deficiencies and inadequate analyses related to SDG impact attribution. This study, conducted in the National Innovative Demonstration Zone for Sustainable Development of Lincang City, investigates multisource data sources such as integrated statistics, survey data, and remote sensing data to analyze the progress and status of SDG 6 achievement from 2015–2020, and employs the LMDI decomposition model to identify influential factors. The assessment results demonstrate that the SDG 6 composite index in Lincang increased from 0.47 to 0.61 between 2015 and 2020. The SDG 6 indicators and SDG 6 composite index have significant spatial heterogeneity. The water resources indexes in wealthy countries are high, the water environment and water ecology indexes in developing countries are comparatively high, and the SDG 6 composite index is high in undeveloped counties. Technological and economic advances are the main positive drivers impacting the SDG 6 composite index, and the relative contributions of technology, economy, structure, and population are 61.84%, 54.16%, −4.03%, and −11.96%, respectively. This study shows that integrated multisource data can compensate for the lack of small-scale regional statistical data when quantitative and comprehensive multi-indicator evaluations of the SDGs are conducted. And, policies related to SDG 6.1.1, SDG 6.2.1, and SDG 6.3.1 can be a priority for implementation in undeveloped regions with limited funding.
With the vigorous development of major engineering projects in China, the social risks associated with major construction projects not only challenge the success of projects but also threaten social ...harmony and stability. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to assess and manage social risks. This paper aims to identify and evaluate the social risk factors by conducting a survey and assess the overall risk level of major construction projects (MCPs) with fuzzy integrated approach. First, 35 social risk factors and related stakeholders were identified based on literature analysis and case study. Then, 18 critical social risk factors (CSRFs) were selected and classified into six groups (CSRGs) based on a questionnaire survey. Next, using fuzzy integrated method, the probability of occurrence (PO), magnitude of impact (MI), the integrated risk level (IRL) of each CSRF and CSRG, and the overall risk of MCPs were calculated. As a result, “unfair compensation for housing demolition and land requisition” was the most critical social risk factor, and “policy/legal risk” was the most critical social risk group. The overall risk of MCPs was between moderate and high. At last, a social risk synthetic management framework was established, which can provide reference for policymakers and project decision makers to effectively manage the social risks.
Introdution:
One crucial method to attain Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) involves timely adjustment of development policies, promoting the realization of SDGs through a time-series assessment ...of the degree of accomplishment. In practical applications, data acquisition is a significant constraint in evaluating the SDGs, not only in China but across the globe. Hence, expanding data channels and exploring the feasibility of various data sources for sustainable development assessment are effective strategies to tackle the challenge of data acquisition.
Methods:
In light of this issue, this study selected Nighttime Light Data, a remote sensing data source closely linked to human social activities, as an alternative data source. Using Yunnan Province as an example, 16 localized indicators of social, economic, and environmental types were chosen. These indicators were then subjected to a correlation analysis with the Total Nighttime Light Index (TNLI). The relationships between different types of indicators and TNLI were analyzed at both temporal and spatial scales, thus identifying the indicators for which TNLI could serve as a suitable substitute measure.
Results:
The study indicates that when the SDG indicators are classified into economic, social and environmental categories, the total value of nighttime light presents a significant correlation and substitutability with economic indicators; significantly correlated with some social indicators, it can reveal the weak links in the development of underdeveloped areas; it is not significantly correlated with environmental indicators, while a trend correlation exists, which can provide some reference values.
Discussion:
This study has demonstrated the feasibility of using Nighttime Light Data for sustainable development assessment. It provides a novel evaluation method for countries that, despite a lack of resources for conducting sustainable development assessments, have a greater need for such assessments due to their lower economic development. Furthermore, a multitude of assessment methods can be developed based on Nighttime Light Data.
The plastic mulch has been widely used for salinity controlling in arid-saline area for decades, but the residual plastic shows serious hazards to human and environmental health nowadays. To find an ...alternative from potential materials, a mulching experiment consisting of 4 treatments, the sown grass cover (GC), the black plastic film (BF), the straw curtain (SC), and the bare soil (CK), for the Lycium barbarum L. (LL) cultivation was conducted for 2 years. The soil physical and chemical parameters and LL responses were comprehensively evaluated. Results showed the average soil water content during a single irrigation interval was the highest in BF, followed by SC and CK that were comparable, and the lowest in GC in both years. The average soil temperatures within 0–20 cm depth in midsummer in BF was 4.1, 4.5 and 1.9 ℃ higher than those in SC, GC and CK, respectively. The soil desalination rates in GC, BF, SC and CK were 47.9%, 46.5%, 66.2% and 45.0% when compared with the initial salinity in the first year. And those became 43.6%, 82.5%, 73.5% and 76.4% when the second year terminated. The growing parameters of the LL in SC and CK were significantly larger than other treatments. The high soil temperature in BF and the water competition of sown grass in GC had adverse effects on the survival rate, growth, and photosynthetic efficiency of the LL, resulting in the yields and irrigation water productivities (IWP) in BF and GC being 45.8% and 46.3% lower than CK, respectively. While the yield and IWP in SC were 26.9% higher than CK. Considering the changes of soil parameter and LL response comprehensively, the straw curtain could be the best alternative of plastic film for the LL cultivation in saline soil in low-lying arid area.
•Plastic film induced high soil temperature in rootzone in mid-summer.•Straw curtain enhanced crop growth and yield when compared with other mulches.•Straw curtain was assessed as alternative of plastic film for cash crop cultivation.
Currently, radio OAM waves have broad applications because they have natural orthogonality. In the present paper, we proposed an optimal design of a concentric circular array with multiple rings for ...generating OAM beams with flat top characteristics. Firstly, we introduced a compact OAM antenna using a sequentially rotated configuration and a cost function of the flat-top pattern. Then, an optimization process is designed and conducted, including three independent simulations of sub-arrays, and rooting of excitation coefficients and rotation angles for individual rings. Simulation results show that the optimized antenna can generate an OAM beam with a ripple coefficient of less than 0.6dB on the torus from -55 to 55 degrees, which meets the requirements of flat-top beams.
Low-molecular-mass organic gelator (LMOG)-based molecular gels are known as one of the most attractive soft materials and have received great attention since the early 1990s. In the last few decades, ...many LMOGs have been synthesized, and a series of theories have been proposed to better understand molecular gels. However, only limited applications of LMOGs have been realized for a variety of reasons, such as their lack of stability compared to chemical gels. Therefore, efforts to explore the applications of these materials are especially meaningful. As an example, this feature article mainly introduces studies on the application of LMOGs as intermediates in porous materials and fluorescent sensing films. Particular attention will be paid to gelator design, LMOG emulsion preparation, solid surface modification, and the practical application of the obtained materials. Concepts that are related to these studies, such as organic gel–water interface equilibria and molecular gel strategies, will be comprehensively illustrated. Finally, we will conclude with a study of LMOG-based intermediates. Some challenges and future perspectives related to these research areas will also be presented. It is anticipated that this feature article will not only contribute to the further understanding of LMOG-based intermediates but also will help to promote the practical application of molecular gels and facilitate development in related research areas.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder in children. Neuroimaging studies have revealed abnormalities of neural activities in some brain regions, ...including the frontal cortex, striatum, cerebellum, and occipital cortex. Recently, some investigators have demonstrated that nonlinear complexity analysis of neural activity may provide a new index to indicate ADHD. In the present study, we used the permutation entropy (PE) to measure the complexity of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) signals in children with and without ADHD during a working memory task, it was aimed to investigate the relationship between the PE values and the cortical activations, and the different PE values between the children with and without ADHD. We found that PE values exhibited significantly negative correlation with the cortical activations (r = -0.515, p = 0.003), and the PE values of right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in ADHD children were significantly larger than those in normal controls (p = 0.027). In addition, the PE values of right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were positively correlated to the ADHD index (r = 0.448, p = 0.012). These results suggest that complexity analysis of fNIRS signals could be a promising tool in diagnosing children with ADHD.
Abstract
Background
Our previous studies have indicated that miR-198 reduces cellular methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) levels to enhance temozolomide sensitivity. Transforming growth factor ...beta 1 (TGF-β1) switches off miR-198 expression by repressing K-homology splicing regulatory protein (KSRP) expression in epidermal keratinocytes. However, the underlying role of TGF-β1 in temozolomide resistance has remained unknown.
Methods
The distribution of KSRP was detected by western blotting and immunofluorescence. Microarray analysis was used to compare the levels of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) between TGF-β1–treated and untreated cells. RNA immunoprecipitation was performed to verify the relationship between RNAs and KSRP. Flow cytometry and orthotopic and subcutaneous xenograft tumor models were used to determine the function of TGF-β1 in temozolomide resistance.
Results
Overexpression of TGF-β1 contributed to temozolomide resistance in MGMT promoter hypomethylated glioblastoma cells in vitro and in vivo. TGF-β1 treatment reduced cellular MGMT levels through suppressing the expression of miR-198. However, TGF-β1 upregulation did not affect KSRP expression in glioma cells. We identified and characterized 2 lncRNAs (H19 and HOXD-AS2) that were upregulated by TGF-β1 through Smad signaling. H19 and HOXD-AS2 exhibited competitive binding to KSRP and prevented KSRP from binding to primary miR-198, thus decreasing miR-198 expression. HOXD-AS2 or H19 upregulation strongly promoted temozolomide resistance and MGMT expression. Moreover, KSRP depletion abrogated the effects of TGF-β1 and lncRNAs on miR-198 and MGMT. Finally, we found that patients with low levels of TGF-β1 or lncRNA expression benefited from temozolomide therapy.
Conclusions
Our results reveal an underlying mechanism by which TGF-β1 confers temozolomide resistance. Furthermore, our findings suggest that a novel combination of temozolomide with a TGF-β inhibitor may serve as an effective therapy for glioblastomas.
•A comprehensive model validation is conducted for the coupled building energy model.•The modeled building energy demand agrees well with observation and EnergyPlus.•Urban heat island ...increases/decreases cooling/heating energy demand in urban Beijing.•There exits an impact-chain of air pollution-urban heat island-heating energy use.
This article addresses the nexus of intense urbanization, building energy and air pollution, a topic minimally explored in the literature. The urban heat island effect on building energy demands for cooling and heating is investigated for Beijing through observations and modeling with a coupled Building Effect Parameterization-Building Energy Model and a single building energy model. The average urban heat island intensity in Beijing during summer is approximately 2.02 K, and in winter, this value reaches 3.41 K. The models used for the investigation are forced with observations from two meteorological towers, one located in downtown and the other in the outskirt. Model validation is conducted for environmental variables and for building energy demands against surface weather observations and actual electricity data, showing good agreement in all cases. Results for a 6-storey office building indicate that cooling energy use in the urban area is 36.53 W m−2 (30%) higher than the suburban area during summer, while heating energy use is 95.29 W m−2 (23%) lower than the suburbs during winter. Residential building shows similar results, with smaller differences in cooling and heating energy use, about 9.14 W m−2 (17%) and 92.71 W m−2 (20%), respectively. Analysis of clear and polluted winter days shows the impact-chain of airpollution–urban heat island–heating energyuse. Heating energy demand is reduced in the urban area during polluted days, corresponding to an enhanced heat island, which may be attributed to a stronger inversion and a lower wind speed.
Fufang Honghua Buji (FHB) granules, have proven efficacy against vitiligo in long-term clinical practice. However, its major active chemical components and molecular mechanisms of action remain ...unknown. The purpose of this study was to confirm the molecular mechanism of FHB's therapeutic effect on vitiligo utilizing network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation prediction, as well as experimental verification.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) and HERB databases were used to obtain the chemical composition and action targets of FHB. Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), DrugBank, DisGeNET, GeneCards, and Therapeutic Target Database (TTD) databases were applied to screen for vitiligo-related targets. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed through the Matascape database. Molecular docking and dynamics simulation methods were for the analysis of the binding sites and binding energies between the FHB's active components and the targets. Finally, a vitiligo mouse model was created, and the therapeutic effect and molecular mechanism of action of FHB were validated using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blot (WB), and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Additionally, hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE) and blood biochemical assays were conducted to assess the biosafety of FHB.
The screening of chemical composition and targets suggested that 94 genetic targets of FHB were associated with vitiligo. The bioinformatics analysis suggested that luteolin, quercetin, and wogonin may be major active components, and nuclear factor-kappa B p65 subunit (RELA), signal transducer, and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 and RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase (AKT) 1 may be potential targets of FHB-vitiligo therapy. Molecular docking and dynamics simulation further demonstrated that luteolin, quercetin, and wogonin all bound best to STAT3. Through experimental verification, FHB has been demonstrated to alleviate the pathogenic characteristics of vitiligo mice, suppress the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, reduce inflammation, and increase melanogenesis. The
safety evaluation experiments also demonstrated the non-toxicity of FHB.
FHB exerts anti-inflammatory and melanogenesis-promoting effects via the effect of multi-component on multi-target, among which the JAK-STAT pathway is a validated FHB-vitiligo target, providing new ideas and clues for the development of vitiligo therapy.
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