This paper is based on the history of Guqin art and employs a chronological approach to examine various aspects such as players, music, and tablature throughout different periods. By outlining the ...historical development of Guqin art, it prompts contemplation on the contemporary inheritance and development of Guqin art. This paper presents four proposed ideas for the inheritance and development of Guqin art, which include establishing a professional Guqin teaching system, emphasizing the study of Guqin tablature notation techniques, strengthening the popularization of Guqin art among the general public, and addressing the new challenges faced by Guqin art in the present. The author believes that aligning Guqin art with the modern era is an inevitable trend in its artistic development.
Plastic pollution, including microplastics (MPs), poses a global threat to environmental and human health. Studies on the transference of MPs along marine food webs are limited. In the present study, ...we investigated MP pollution in 11 wild fish species (193 individuals) and 8 wild crustacean species (136 individuals) captured from the Zhoushan fishing ground, off the East China Sea. The average abundance of MPs found in two main tissues, the gill and gastrointestinal (GI) tract, were 0.77 ± 1.25 and 0.52 ± 0.90 items/individual, respectively. The MPs we found were predominantly fiber-shaped, blue, and composed of polyester polymers. Our results suggest that MP pollution is ubiquitous in the East China Sea. We suggest that MPs are likely aggregated in the higher trophic level fish species throughout the marine food web. Furthermore, we suggest that marine organisms which occupy higher trophic levels might be suitable MP indicator species.
•MP pollution is ubiquitous marine fish and crustacean species in the East China Sea.•MPs were predominantly fiber-shaped, blue, and composed of polyester.•Marine organisms which occupy higher trophic levels are suitable MP indicator species.
To improve the information service quality of the online Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) community, this study investigated users' information needs, feedback and the relationship between them. ...Using qualitative content analysis, the basic characteristics of users' needs were obtained. Logistic regression was used to explore the impact of different need characteristics of feedback. The main findings are as follows: 1) Disease consultation, health preservation, professional discussion, knowledge sharing and experience description are the major 5 types of information needs in the online TCM community; 2) Some users provided TCM-related information, such as the tongue image and the TCM four diagnosis; 3) A total of 78.8% of the posts received effective feedback, and the main types of feedback were answering, discussing, inquiring and emotional supporting; 4) Providing enough information can significantly and positively affect whether needs receive effective feedback, suggesting that users can present information about their condition in as many different formats as possible when articulating their needs.
Palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative asymmetric allylic alkylation (DAAA) of allyl enol carbonates as a highly chemo-, regio-, and enantioselective process for the synthesis of ketones bearing either ...a quaternary or a tertiary α-stereogenic center has been investigated in detail. Chiral ligand L4 was found to be optimal in the DAAA of a broad scope of cyclic and acyclic ketones including simple aliphatic ketones with more than one enolizable proton. The allyl moiety of the carbonates has been extended to a variety of cyclic or acyclic disubstituted allyl groups. Our mechanistic studies reveal that, similar to the direct allylation of lithium enolates, the DAAA reaction proceeds through an “outer sphere” SN2 type of attack on the π-allylpalladium complex by the enolate. An important difference between the DAAA reaction and the direct allylation of lithium enolates is that in the DAAA reaction, the nucleophile and the electrophile were generated simultaneously. Since the π-allylpalladium cation must serve as the counterion for the enolate, the enolate probably exists as a tight-ion-pair. This largely prevents the common side reactions of enolates associated with the equilibrium between different enolates. The much milder reaction conditions as well as the much broader substrate scope also represent the advantages of the DAAA reaction over the direct allylation of preformed metal enolates.
Human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) differentiation into osteoblasts has important clinical significance in treating bone injury, and the stiffness of the extracellular matrix (ECM) has been shown to ...be an important regulatory factor for hMSC differentiation. The aim of this study was to further delineate how matrix stiffness affects intracellular signaling through integrin α5/β1, FAK, and Wnt signaling, subsequently regulating the osteogenic phenotype of hMSCs.
hMSCs were cultured on tunable polyacrylamide hydrogels coated with fibronectin with stiffness corresponding to a Young's modulus of 13-16 kPa and 62-68 kPa. After hMSCs were cultured on gels for 1 week, gene expression of alpha-1 type I collagen, BGLAP, and RUNX2 were evaluated by real-time PCR. After hMSCs were cultured on gels for 24 h, signaling molecules relating to integrin α5 (FAK, ERK, p-ERK, Akt, p-Akt, GSK-3β, p-GSK-3β, and β-catenin) were evaluated by western blot analysis.
Osteogenic differentiation was increased on 62-68 kPa ECM, as evidenced by alpha-1 type I collagen, BGLAP, and RUNX2 gene expression, calcium deposition, and ALP staining. In the process of differentiation, gene and protein expression of integrin α5/β1 increased, together with protein expression of the downstream signaling molecules FAK, p-ERK, p-Akt, GSK-3β, p-GSK-3β, and β-catenin, indicating that these molecules can affect the osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs. An antibody blocking integrin α5 suppressed the stiffness-induced expression of all osteoblast markers examined. In particular, alpha-1 type I collagen, RUNX2, and BGLAP were significantly downregulated, indicating that integrin α5 regulates hMSC osteogenic differentiation. Downstream expression of FAK, ERK, p-ERK, and β-catenin protein was unchanged, whereas Akt, p-Akt, GSK-3β, and p-GSK-3β were upregulated. Moreover, expression of Akt and p-Akt was upregulated with anti-integrin α5 antibody, but no difference was observed for FAK, ERK, and p-ERK between the with or without anti-integrin α5 antibody groups. At the same time, expression of GSK-3β and p-GSK-3β was upregulated and β-catenin levels showed no difference between the groups with or without anti-integrin α5 antibody. Since Akt, p-Akt, GSK-3β, and p-GSK-3β displayed the same changes between the groups with or without anti-integrin α5 antibody, we then detected the links among them. Expression of p-Akt and p-GSK-3β was reduced effectively in the presence of the Akt inhibitor Triciribine. However, Akt, GSK-3β, and β-catenin were unchanged. These results suggested that expression of p-GSK-3β was regulated by p-Akt on 62-68 kPa ECM.
Taken together, our results provide evidence that matrix stiffness (62-68 kPa) affects the osteogenic outcome of hMSCs through mechanotransduction events that are mediated by integrin α5.
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices are pivotal to global sustainability yet face challenges. Based on the implementation of Golden Tax Project III, we find that big data tax ...administration decreases corporate ESG performance. Mechanism tests indicate that Golden Tax Project III can reduce tax avoidance, cash flow and green innovation, thereby inhibiting ESG through the “taxation effect.” Conversely, the project can reduce agency costs and improve information transparency, thus promoting ESG performance through the “governance effect.” Overall, however, the project inhibits corporate ESG performance. According to further analysis, the negative effect on ESG performance mainly impacts the environmental responsibility (E) element. This paper provides insights relevant to advancing China’s “dual carbon” policy and formulating a “Chinese approach” to global sustainable development.
Fluorides have been identified as a key ingredient in interphases supporting aggressive battery chemistries. While the precursor for these fluorides must be pre-stored in electrolyte components and ...only delivered at extreme potentials, the chemical source of fluorine so far has been confined to either negatively-charge anions or fluorinated molecules, whose presence in the inner-Helmholtz layer of electrodes, and consequently their contribution to the interphasial chemistry, is restricted. To pre-store fluorine source on positive-charged species, here we show a cation that carries fluorine in its structure is synthesized and its contribution to interphasial chemistry is explored for the very first time. An electrolyte carrying fluorine in both cation and anion brings unprecedented interphasial chemistries that translate into superior battery performance of a lithium-metal battery, including high Coulombic efficiency of up to 99.98%, and Li
-dendrite prevention for 900 hours. The significance of this fluorinated cation undoubtedly extends to other advanced battery systems beyond lithium, all of which universally require kinetic protection of highly fluorinated interphases.
Planktonic copepods are the most abundant animals in the ocean and key players in global biochemical processes. Recent modeling suggests that zooplankton ingestion of microplastics (MPs) can disrupt ...the biological carbon pump and accelerate a global loss of oceanic oxygen. Here we investigate the behavioral responses and ingestion rates of a model feeding-current generating copepod when exposed to microplastics of different characteristics by small-scale video observations and bottle incubations. We found that copepods rejected 80% of the microplastics after touching them with their mouth parts, in essence exhibiting a kind of taste discrimination. High rejection rates of microplastics were independent of polymer type, shape, presence of biofilms, or sorbed pollutant (pyrene), indicating that microplastics are unpalatable for feeding-current feeding copepods and that post-capture taste discrimination is a main sensorial mechanism in the rejection of microplastics. In an ecological context, taking into account the behaviors of planktonic copepods and the concentrations of microplastics found in marine waters, our results suggest a low risk of microplastic ingestion by zooplankton and a low impact of microplastics on the vertical exportation of fecal pellets.
Phlegm-dampness constitution is a traditional Chinese medicine constitution typically associated with essential hypertension. Previous studies have demonstrated that auricular acupuncture effectively ...decreases blood pressure and adjusts the constitution. However, the mechanism underlying auricular acupuncture's effect is poorly understood.
A non-blinded, randomized controlled trial will be undertaken between September 2022 and May 2023. Eighty essential hypertensive patients with a phlegm-dampness constitution will be randomly allocated to one of two groups. The intervention group will receive eight weeks of auricular acupuncture and regular use of antihypertensive drugs, while the control group will only receive antihypertensive drugs. The primary outcome will be any mean differences in office systolic blood pressure. The secondary outcomes investigations will include proteins of the renin-angiotensin system, office blood pressure of different genotypes, and phlegm-dampness constitution scores.
By demonstrating how auricular acupuncture affects the renin-angiotensin system, this research will offer significant new information on the mechanism underlying the action of auricular acupuncture in hypertension. Moreover, the results will provide crucial clinical information on the associations between renin-angiotensin system gene polymorphisms and the antihypertensive effects of auricular acupuncture.
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