The role of emotions in EFL teachers’ pedagogical success and efficacy has long been emphasized in the literature. However, the power and impact of teachers’ positive psycho-emotional factors like ...sense of connectedness and hardiness have been marginally explored in EFL contexts. Against this shortcoming, the present mini-review article made an attempt to provide the theoretical and research underpinnings of three prominent teacher-related factors, namely, connectedness, psychological hardiness, and pedagogical effectiveness as well as their interplay. Moreover, the research trends, gaps, and future directions are provided for enthusiastic researchers. Finally, some practical implications for EFL teachers, teacher trainers, and SLA researchers are offered to raise their awareness of psycho-emotional factors in second/foreign language education.
Forest aboveground biomass (AGB) plays an important role in the study of the carbon cycle and climate change in the global terrestrial ecosystem. AGB estimation based on remote sensing is an ...effective method for regional scale. In this study, Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager and Sentinel-1A data and China's National Forest Continuous Inventory data in combination with three algorithms, either the linear regression (LR), random forest (RF), or the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), were used to estimate biomass of the subtropical forests in Hunan Province, China. XGBoost is a scalable tree boosting system that is widely used by data scientists and provides state-of-the-art results for many problems. It can process an entire dataset with billions of examples using a minimal amount of computational resources through the particular way of cache access patterns, data compression, and data fragmentation. The results include: (1) The combination of Landsat 8 and Sentinel-1A images as predictor variables in the XGBoost model provided the best AGB estimation. (2) In contrast to the LR method, the F-test results indicated that a significant improvement in AGB estimation was achieved with the RF and XGBoost algorithms. (3) The effect of parameter optimization was found to be more significant on XGBoost than on RF. (4) The XGBoost model is an effective method for AGB estimation and can reduce the problems of overestimation and underestimation. This research provides a new way of estimating AGB for the subtropical forest based on remote sensing through the synergy of different sensors datasets and modeling algorithms.
Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is one of the most toxic pesticides in aquatic ecosystem, but its toxicity mechanisms to fish are still not fully understood. This study examined the toxicity targets of CPF in ...early life stage of zebrafish on the endpoints at developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, oxidative stress and immunotoxicity. Firstly, CPF exposure decreased the body length, inhibited the hatchability and heart rate, and resulted in a number of morphological abnormalities, primarily spinal deformities (SD) and pericardial edema (PE), in larval zebrafish. Secondly, the free swimming activities and the swimming behaviors of the larvae in response to the stimulation of light-to-dark photoperiod transition were significantly influenced by the exposure to 100 and 300 μg/L CPF. In addition, the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and the transcription of some genes related to neurotoxicity were also influenced by CPF exposure. Thirdly, CPF exposure induced oxidative stress in the larval zebrafish. The malondialdehyde (MDA) levels increased and the glutathione (GSH) contents decreased significantly in a concentration-dependent manner after the exposure to CPF for 96 hours post fertilization (hpf). CPF affected not only the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione S-transferase (GST), but also the transcriptional levels of their respective genes. Finally, the mRNA levels of the main cytokines including tumor necrosis factor α (Tnfα), interferon (Ifn), interleukin-1 beta (Il-1β), interleukin 6 (Il6), complement factor 4 (C4) in the larvae increased significantly after the exposure to 100 or 300 μg/L CPF for 96 hpf, suggesting that the innate immune system disturbed by CPF in larvae. Taken together, our results suggested that CPF had the potential to cause developmental toxicity, behavior alterations, oxidative stress and immunotoxicity in the larval zebrafish.
•Effects of CPF on the different endpoints in early life stage of zebrafish are evaluated.•CPF decreases the body length, hatchability, heart rate and caused the increase of abnormalities.•CPF alters the motor behavior, activity of AChE and mRNA levels of genes related to neurotoxicity.•CPF affects the activities of SOD, CAT, GPX and the transcriptional levels of their respective genes.•CPF increases the mRNA levels of genes related to the innate immune system in zebrafish larvae.
Abstract
Producing monomeric phenols from lignin biopolymer depolymerization in a detachable and efficient manner comes under the spotlight on the fullest utilization of sustainable lignocellulosic ...biomass. Here, we report a low-loaded and highly dispersed Ru anchored on a chitosan-derived
N
-doped carbon catalyst (RuN/ZnO/C), which exhibits outstanding performance in the reductive catalytic fractionation of lignocellulose. Nearly theoretical maximum yields of phenolic monomers from lignin are achieved, corresponding to TON as 431 mol
phenols
mol
Ru
−1
, 20 times higher than that from commercial Ru/C catalyst; high selectivity toward propyl end-chained guaiacol and syringol allow them to be readily purified. The RCF leave high retention of (hemi)cellulose amenable to enzymatic hydrolysis due to the successful breakdown of biomass recalcitrance. The RuN/ZnO/C catalyst shows good stability in recycling experiments as well as after a harsh hydrothermal treatment, benefiting from the coordination of Ru species with
N
atoms. Characterizations of the RuN/ZnO/C imply a transformation from Ru single atoms to nanoclusters under current reaction conditions. Time-course experiment, as well as reactivity screening of a series of lignin model compounds, offer insight into the mechanism of current RCF over RuN/ZnO/C. This work opens a new opportunity for achieving the valuable aromatic products from lignin and promoting the industrial economic feasibility of lignocellulosic biomass.
Climate change significantly influences changes in ecological phenomena and processes, such as species distribution and phenology, thus accelerating the rate of species extinction or prosperity. ...Climate change is considered to be one of the most important threats to global biodiversity in the 21st century and will pose significant challenges to biodiversity conservation in the future. The use of niche modelling to predict changes in the suitable distribution of species under climate change scenarios is becoming a hot topic of biological conservation. In this study, we use data from China’s National Forest Continuous Inventory as well as specimen collection data of Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook to run optimized Maxent models to predict potential suitable distribution of the species in the present day, 2050s, and 2070s under different climate change scenarios in China. In the modeling process, the most important uncorrelated variables were chosen, and the sample-size-adjusted Akaike information criterion (AICc) was used to select the optimal combination of feature type and regularization multiplier. Variable selection reduced the number of variables used and the complexity of the model, and the use of the AICc reduced overfitting. Variables relating to precipitation were more important than temperature variables in predicting C. lanceolata distribution in the optimal model. The predicted suitable distribution areas of C. lanceolata were different for the different periods under different climate change scenarios, with the centroids showing a degree of northward movement. The suitable distribution area is predicted to become more fragmented in the future. Our results reveal the climate conditions required for the suitable distribution of C. lanceolata in China and the likely changes to its distribution pattern in the future, providing a scientific basis for the sustainable management, protection, and restoration of the suitable habitat of this economically important tree species in the context of climate change.
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) that is responsible for deformities and irreversible peripheral nerve damage and has a broad spectrum of clinical ...and serological manifestations. Leprosy primarily affects the peripheral nerves and rarely presents with central nervous system involvement. Diagnosing leprosy can still be difficult in some cases, especially when the infection involves uncommon clinical manifestations and extracutaneous sites. Delayed diagnosis and treatment of leprosy may lead to irreversible damage and death. This case highlights the importance of considering leprosy, which is a rare and underrecognized disease, in the differential diagnosis of skin rashes with rheumatic manifestations, even in areas where the disease is not endemic, and physicians should be alerted about the possibility of central nervous system infections. In addition, mNGS can be used as a complementary diagnostic tool to traditional diagnostic methods to enhance the diagnostic accuracy of leprosy.
A novel photogelling mechanism by the phototriggered‐imine‐crosslinking (PIC) reaction is demonstrated. Hyaluronic acid grafted with o‐nitrobenzene, a photogenerated aldehyde group, can quickly ...photo‐crosslink with amino‐bearing polymers or proteins. Once the in situ photogelling on a wound occurs, the PIC gelling process can well integrate a hydrogel with surrounding tissue by covalent bonding, thus making it a powerful tool for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Abstract
Anabolism and catabolism are tightly regulated according to the cellular energy supply. Upon energy stress, ribosomal RNA (rRNA) biogenesis is inhibited, and autophagy is induced. However, ...the mechanism linking rRNA biogenesis and autophagy is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the nucleolar protein NAT10 plays a role in the transition between rRNA biogenesis and autophagy. Under normal conditions, NAT10 is acetylated to activate rRNA biogenesis and inhibit autophagy induction. Mechanistic studies demonstrate that NAT10 binds to and acetylates the autophagy regulator Che-1 at K228 to suppress the Che-1-mediated transcriptional activation of downstream genes Redd1 and Deptor under adequate energy supply conditions. Upon energy stress, NAT10 is deacetylated by Sirt1, leading to suppression of NAT10-activated rRNA biogenesis. In addition, deacetylation of NAT10 abolishes the NAT10-mediated transcriptional repression of Che-1, leading to the release of autophagy inhibition. Collectively, we demonstrate that the acetylation status of NAT10 is important for the anabolism-catabolism transition in response to energy stress, providing a novel mechanism by which nucleolar proteins control rRNA synthesis and autophagy in response to the cellular energy supply.
Lithium–sulfur batteries have been regarded as promising candidates for energy storage because of their high energy density and low cost. It is a main challenge to develop long-term cycling stability ...battery. Here, a catalytic strategy is presented to accelerate reversible transformation of sulfur and its discharge products in lithium–sulfur batteries. This is achieved with single-atomic iron active sites in porous nitrogen-doped carbon, prepared by polymerizing and carbonizing diphenylamine in the presence of iron phthalocyanine and a hard template. The Fe-PNC/S composite electrode exhibited a high discharge capacity (427 mAh g–1) at a 0.1C rate after 300 cycles with the Columbic efficiency of above 95.6%. Besides, the electrode delivers much higher capacity of 557.4 mAh g–1 at 0.5C over 300 cycles. Importantly, the Fe-PCN/S has a smaller phase nucleation overpotential of polysulfides than nitrogen-doped carbon alone for the formation of nanoscale of Li2S as revealed by ex situ SEM, which enhance lithium-ion diffusion in Li2S, and therefore a high rate performance and remarkable cycle life of Li-sulfur batteries were achieved. Our strategy paves a new way for polysulfide conversion with atomic iron catalysis to exploit high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries.
In this work, multicolor fluorescent carbon dots with red (R-CDs), yellow (Y-CDs), and blue (B-CDs) emissions were prepared by choosing proper aromatic precursors with different amounts of benzene ...rings through a simple solvothermal method. The characterization showed that the prepared carbon dots were spherical with a size under 10 nm, rich surface functional groups, and good stability. The emission wavelengths were located at 440, 530, and 580 nm under the excitation of 370 nm. The relative fluorescence quantum yield (
) of R-CDs, Y-CDs, and B-CDs was 11%, 59%, and 33%, respectively. The related characterization demonstrated that the redshift in the photoluminescence was caused by the synergistic effect of the increasing graphitic nitrogen content, quantum size effect and surface oxidation state. By mixing the three prepared CDs into a PVA matrix, the transparent and flexible films produced relucent blue, yellow, and red emissions under 365 nm UV light, and solid-state quenching was effectively avoided. LEDs were fabricated by using B-CDs, Y-CDs, and R-CDs/PVA with a semiconductor chip. These CDs-based LEDs produced bright blue, yellow, and red light with CIE color coordinates of (0.16, 0.02), (0.38, 0.58), and (0.50, 0.49) were successfully manufactured utilizing the prepared blue, yellow and red multicolor carbon dots as the solid luminescent materials. The results showed that the synthesized CDs can be potentially applied in multi-color monitors as a promising candidate for light-emitting diodes (LEDs). This work blazes a novel trail for the controllable preparation of multicolor fluorescent carbon dots.
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