Many studies have investigated how particle size as a biomass physical feature influences sugar yield exclusively in enzymatic hydrolysis. However, without considering the effects of particle size on ...biomass preprocessing and pretreatment, it is difficult to select an optimal particle size range for bioethanol production considering the multistep nature of this process. Comprehensive effects of particle size on biomass preprocessing, pretreatment, and enzymatic hydrolysis were evaluated in this study by assessing biomass compositional and morphological features, characterizing biomass crystallinity and enzyme-accessible surface area, and studying hydrolysis sugar yield and its efficiency. Results indicated that submillimeter small particles (0.5, 0.25, and < 0.25 mm) experienced greater pretreatment severity and 5–10% more structural composition removal than their millimeter level counterparts (1–4 mm). Although small particles had about 10% higher enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency, the low pretreatment solid and sugar recoveries neutralized their enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency advantage over large particles. This trade-off suggested that there may exist little value in reducing particle size further under millimeter level, comparable total sugar yield can be achieved by biomass of millimeter particle sizes; in the meanwhile, employing millimeter particle sizes can conserve energy in biomass preprocessing since comminution is highly energy-intensive and costly.
The valorization of galactose derived from acid whey to low-calorie tagatose has gained increasing attention. Enzymatic isomerization is of great interest but faces several challenges, such as poor ...thermal stability of enzymes and a long processing time. In this work, non-enzymatic (supercritical fluids, triethylamine, arginine, boronate affinity, hydrotalcite, Sn-β zeolite, and calcium hydroxide) pathways for galactose to tagatose isomerization were critically discussed. Unfortunately, most of these chemicals showed poor tagatose yields (<30%), except for calcium hydroxide (>70%). The latter is able to form a tagatose–calcium hydroxide–water complex, which stimulates the equilibrium toward tagatose and prevents sugar degradation. Nevertheless, the excessive use of calcium hydroxide may pose challenges in terms of economic and environmental feasibility. Moreover, the proposed mechanisms for the base (enediol intermediate) and Lewis acid (hydride shift between C-2 and C-1) catalysis of galactose were elucidated. Overall, it is crucial to explore novel and effective catalysts as well as integrated systems for isomerizing of galactose to tagatose.
•Carbon storage are predicted with land use simulated by Markov-PLUS and carbon density.•Carbon storage caused by land use/cover change are significantly different in three scenarios.•Ecological ...policies are important in increasing carbon storage and mitigating carbon loss.
Land use/cover change (LUCC) is the primary source of carbon storage changes in the ecosystem. Up to now, there are few studies about the impacts and driving mechanisms of LUCC for carbon storage in the ecosystem at spatial–temporal scales. Characterizing LUCC of the Yellow River Basin (YRB) and its role in carbon storage are very important and necessary to elucidate the results of human activities on ecosystems. The policies to address potential future risks should be formulated in advance to achieve effective development. In the paper, we regarded the YRB as the study area, analyzed its LUCC during 2000 to 2020, predicted land use patterns in 2040 under the scenarios of natural trend (NT), ecological degradation (ED), and ecological restoration (ER) using Markov model with Patch-generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model, and quantified carbon storage in the ecosystems over the last 20 years and under future scenarios according to Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model. The outcome was as follows: (1) During 2000 to 2040, LUCC in the YRB changed markedly, with cropland being transformed into woodland, grassland and built-up land; (2) During 2000 to 2040, carbon storage in the YRB was on an upward trend with a mean annual increase of 1.93×106Mg C, and woodland was the answer to increasing carbon storage, while unused land could induce carbon storage to decrease; (3) Carbon storage in the YRB varied to different degrees under three scenarios, but under the premise of not causing large-scale damage, the conversion of built-up land was an important means of improving carbon storage, greatly enhancing the carbon sequestration efficiency and capacity of the YRB. In conclusion, the future environmental management of the YRB should be continuously oriented to ecological protection and low-carbon development, so that carbon storage in the basin will be able to develop in a benign direction.
Background
Thoracic solitary fibrous tumors (TSFTs) are uncommon mesenchymal tumors. The data regarding surgical outcomes and prognostic factors are scarce. This retrospective paper is to analyze ...surgical outcomes, clinical characteristics and prognosis of TSFT.
Methods
A single-center retrospective study of the data of 70 patients with TSFT who underwent surgical resection in our department between August 2008 and October 2014 was conducted.
Results
A total of 70 TSFTs (58 benign, 12 malignant) were included and all patients underwent complete surgical resection except one recurrent patient with initial treatment. TSFTs originated from the pleura (
n
= 43), lung (
n
= 9), mediastinum (
n
= 16), esophagus (
n
= 1) and diaphragm (
n
= 1), respectively. Mass excision was only performed in 29 patients, en bloc excision including surrounding structures was performed in 41 patients. During follow-up, no tumor recurrence occurred in benign TSFT patients. All recurrences occurred in 6 malignant patients, and 5 of them died because of local recurrence and distant metastasis. Median follow-up was 95 months (range, 3–133 months). The 5-year overall survival (OS) of TSFT patients was 94.3%. The 5-year relapse-free survival and OS of malignant TSFT patients were 58.3% and 66.7%, respectively.
Conclusion
The gold standard of TSFT treatment is complete surgical resection. VATS is safe and reliable for treating selected TSFT patients. Aggressive surgical resection could be underwent in such patients of local recurrence or solitary metastatic tumor. A long-term follow-up is necessary due to the risk of recurrence.
ABSTRACTWatershed ecosystems play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle, and the feedback effects of carbon cycling will have significant implications for future climate change. Therefore, this ...study utilizes MODIS data to estimate the vegetation carbon use efficiency (CUE) of the Yangtze River Basin (hereafter referred to as the YRB) aiming to explore its spatiotemporal patterns. Additionally, partial correlation analysis is employed to investigate the driving forces of climate and ecosystem types on vegetation CUE. Furthermore, an ecological network is constructed to examine the impact of CUE changes on the stability of the ecosystems.The results indicate that the CUE values in the vegetation ecosystems of the YRB exceed the threshold of 0.5, a constant CUE value commonly used in numerous ecological models. However, even within the same geographical region, different ecosystem types exhibit distinct CUE values, underscoring the complexity of the ecological landscape.Over the past 15 years, there has been an observable declining trend in CUE for the vegetation ecosystems within the YRB. Moreover, future projections suggest a continued decrease in CUE at the pixel scale, with land use changes possibly serving as a primary contributing factor. Interestingly, within the same ecosystem, higher temperatures and reduced precipitation appear to enhance CUE, implying that under adverse environmental conditions, plants may enhance their efficiency in converting atmospheric carbon into terrestrial biomass.Ultimately, an ecological network is established to investigate the influence of CUE changes on the stability of the ecosystems. Notably, alterations in CUE within the upstream ecological source areas of the Yangtze River exhibit a particularly pronounced impact on the overall ecosystem stability.These research findings hold paramount significance, deepening our understanding of carbon cycling variations in the YRB, while also providing valuable insights for safeguarding the ecological environment and formulating strategies to address the challenges posed by climate change.
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•Decreased mTORC2 signals are detected in the hippocampus of old mice.•Levels of hippocampal SRC-1and mTORC2 are regulated by E2 and ERs’ activity.•SRC-1 knockdown regulates mTORC2 ...and actin polymerization, mTORC2 knockdown regulates actin polymerization.•Activation of mTORC2 rescues ER antagonists induced actin depolymerization and spatial memory impairment.•SRC-1/mTORC2 mediates ERs’ regulation on actin polymerization and spatial memory.
Aging-related decline of estrogens, especially 17β-estradiol (E2), has been shown to play an important role in the impairment of learning and memory in dementias, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, we first demonstrated decreases in E2 signaling (aromatase, classic estrogen receptor ERα and ERβ and their coactivator SRC-1), mTORC2 signaling (Rictor and phospho-AKTser473) and actin polymerization (phospho-Cofilin, Profilin-1 and the F-actin/G-actin ratio) in the hippocampus of old female mice compared with those levels detected in the adult hippocampus. We then showed that ERα and ERβ antagonists induced a significant decrease in SRC-1, mTORC2 signaling, actin polymerization, and CA1 spine density, as well as impairments of learning and memory; however, ovariectomy-induced changes of these parameters could be significantly reversed by treatment with ER agonists. We further showed that expression of SRC-1, mTORC2 signaling and actin polymerization could be upregulated by E2 treatment, and the effects of E2 were blocked by the ER antagonists but mimicked by the agonists. We also showed that the lentivirus-mediated SRC-1 knockdown significantly inhibited the agonist-activated mTORC2 signaling and actin polymerization, and the lentivirus-mediated Rictor knockdown also significantly inhibited the agonist-activated actin polymerization. Finally, we demonstrated that the ERα and ERβ antagonists induced a disruption in actin polymerization and an impairment of spatial memory, which were rescued by activation of mTORC2. Taken together, the above results clearly demonstrated an mTORC2-dependent regulation of actin polymerization that contributed to the effects of ERα and ERβ on spatial learning, which may provide a novel target for the prevention and treatment of E2-related dementia in the aged population.
Forests are vital for terrestrial ecosystems, providing crucial functions like carbon sequestration and water conservation. In the Yellow River Basin, where 70% of forest coverage is concentrated in ...the middle reaches encompassing Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi provinces, there exists significant potential for coal production, with nine planned coal bases. This study centered on Jincheng City, Shanxi Province, a representative coal mining area in the Yellow River Basin, and combined the MSPA analysis method and MCR model to generate the five-period forest ecological network of Jincheng City from 1985 to 2022 under the background of coal mining and calculate the degree centrality, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, and eigenvector centrality; the correlation between the four centralities and carbon sequestration ability is further explored. Simultaneously, employing the RAND-ESU algorithm for motif identification within forest ecological networks, this study integrates the ecological policies of the research area with the specific conditions of the coal mining region to optimize the forest ecological network in Jincheng City. Findings reveal the following. (1) Forest ecological spatial networks: Forest ecological networks exhibit robust overall ecological connectivity in the study area, with potential ecological corridors spanning the region. However, certain areas with high ecological resistance hinder connectivity between key forest ecological nodes under the background of coal mining. (2) Correlation between topological indices and carbon sequestration ecological services: From 1985 to 2022, the carbon sequestration capacity of Jincheng City’s forest source areas increased year by year, and significant positive correlations were observed between degree centrality, betweenness centrality, eigenvector centrality with carbon sequestration ecological services, indicating a strengthening trend over time. (3) Motif Recognition and Ecological Network Optimization: During the study, four types of motifs were identified in the forest ecological network of Jincheng City based on the number of nodes and their connections using the RAND-ESU network motif algorithm. These motifs are 3a, 4a, 4b, and 4d (where the number represents the number of nodes and the letter represents the connection type). Among these, motifs 3a and 4b play a crucial role. Based on these motifs and practical considerations, network optimization was performed on the existing ecological source areas to enhance the robustness of the forest ecological network.
Metaplastic thymoma is a very rare tumor with only a few case reports documented in literature. Hence, its molecular features have not been well explored.
Seventeen specimens of metaplastic thymoma ...were sequenced and retrospectively analyzed by fluorescence
hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry in the study. In addition, seven cases of micronodular thymoma with lymphoid stroma and nine cases of type A thymoma were also investigated.
Among these metaplastic thymomas, fifteen cases showed classical histological features, and two cases displayed characteristic micronodular-like growth patterns. DNA and RNA based next-generation sequencing identified and confirmed highly recurrent Yes Associated Protein 1 (
) - Mastermind Like Transcriptional Coactivator 2 (
) translocation (13/17, 76.5%) in metaplastic thymoma but not in micronodular thymoma with lymphoid stroma (0/7, 0%) and type A thymoma (0/9, 0%). In addition, six nonsense mutations were also detected in the metaplastic thymoma. FISH in microdissection specimens indicated that both epithelioid and spindle cell components harbored
gene rearrangements.
Our study explored the genetic alterations in epithelioid and spindle cell components in metaplastic thymoma. Furthermore,
gene rearrangements emerged as a potential diagnostic biomarker helpful for distinguishing metaplastic thymoma from type A and micronodular thymoma with lymphoid stroma.
ABSTRACTVegetation, as a crucial carbon sink, is facing extensive degradation under the mounting pressures of urbanization and excessive resource exploitation, exacerbating the imbalance between ...carbon sources and sinks. In response, the ecological spatial network has emerged as a comprehensive conservation strategy to establish and maintain connectivity and interactions among diverse ecosystems, ensuring the continuous provision of ecological services and preservation of biodiversity. A pivotal indicator in this context is vegetation carbon use efficiency (CUE), which elucidates the relationship between CO2 assimilation through photosynthesis and biomass growth. In this study, utilizing remote sensing data, the Yellow River Basin (YRB) was selected as a case study to analyze vegetation CUE through the Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach (CASA) and Light Use Efficiency-Normalized Difference Water Index (LUE-NDWI) models. Furthermore, the Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) method and Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model were employed to delineate ecological sources for woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands, while the Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) model was used to identify ecological corridors, forming an ecological spatial network within the YRB. Subsequently, the interrelationship between topological metrics and vegetation CUE was analyzed, and optimization strategies were proposed based on the significance of the structure and function. The findings revealed that: (1) Vegetation CUE exhibited a spatially decreasing trend from the western to eastern regions, with spatial patterns correlated with vegetation types, temperature, and precipitation distribution; (2) The ecological spatial network demonstrated a denser configuration in the upper and middle reaches and a sparser and shorter pattern in the lower reaches, with seamless connectivity among all regions; (3) Significant correlations were observed between topological metrics and vegetation CUE, prompting the adoption of ecological construction and protection measures when functional importance is deficient, and enhancing the connectivity of ecological sources through the augmentation of ecological corridors when structural importance is lacking. The implementation of these strategies is expected to bolster the ecological functions of the network, facilitate carbon cycling, and exert a positive and far-reaching impact on the sustainable development of the ecological environment in the YRB.
The transformation of the landscape structure in mining cities is influenced by a combination of various factors, resulting in a decline in the ecological quality of the landscape and an increased ...vulnerability of the ecological environment. The quality of landscape ecology directly impacts the flow and transmission of ecosystem functions, underscoring the need for careful consideration in the establishment of landscape ecological networks. In this study, an analysis was conducted using land-use data from 2005 to 2020 in Linfen City, Shanxi Province, China. A network optimization strategy was established, focusing on the capacity for ecosystem self-restoration and the connectivity of ecological patches. Additionally, the spatiotemporal characteristics of landscape ecological risk between 2005 and 2020 were examined. Taking into account the influence of the ecological value of the landscape on the resilience of the ecosystem, the Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) model was employed to construct the landscape ecological network. The structural characteristics of the landscape ecological network were explored using complex network methods. In addition, an optimization strategy based on ecosystem functionality and connectivity (EC) was adopted, and by comparing the connectivity and robustness of the network before and after the optimization, it was found that the method enhanced the smoothness of energy transfer and interconnectivity among nodes of the network, and significantly enhanced the stability of the ecological network. Within the study area, local levels of risk increased due to coal mining and urban expansion. (The maximum value in 2005 was 335.) However, overall risk levels improved with the progress of land reclamation efforts. (The maximum value in 2020 was 325.) Higher risks were observed in the vicinity of urban construction and mining areas, while forested and grassland areas exhibited relatively lower risks. The changes in risk within the study area were primarily influenced by factors such as mining activities, urban expansion, government policies, changes in land use types, and village relocation. The findings of this study provide theoretical support for the optimization of the landscape structure in mining cities, the construction of systems of ecological security as well as the restoration of ecosystems.
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